The 2011 30-Day Giving Challenge

November is often a time of reflection as well as giving thanks. It is also a great time to just plain give! Many of you know that I'll be participating in the 30 Days to Being Thankful Challenge and I feel that giving is part of what can help us remember to be thankful. So, in in line with that thought, The 30-Day Giving Challenge dovetails quite beautifully.

For those of you unfamiliar with this challenge, let me take a few moments of your time to share this vision with you.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge began November 1, 2009 (by Kingdom First Mom blog). Alyssa had a "vision for a giving project" and challenged those around her and readers of her blog to do the same. They were encouraged to give each day in November, intentionally and not-so-intentionally (those spur of the moment opportunities can be fun!) and I believe they were also encouraged to document and share the journey. There was no limitation on giving, so those wonderful givers gave of their varied resources through sharing time, money, talents, gifts, and more!

November 2010 was the year I learned of this challenge and participated. While I did not finish as faithfully as I would have liked I do hope that those who received were as blessed as I was in the giving. This year, I would like to participate more fully and so each Tuesday in November I will blog about the 30-day Giving Challenge and will provide the link-up party so you can see how others are participating and get more ideas on giving.

It will take some organization (an area I'm still working on), some planning and lots of prayer, but I am believing that in spite of the economy and in spite of the situations around us, participants will make the most tremendous impact to-date!

You can participate too. If you are interested, I challenge you to spend tomorrow thinking about ways you (and your family) can bless by giving! You can also check out some ideas for giving on the 30-Day Giving Challenge site's Get Involved page. There is also a Facebook page where you can get some great info.

I hope you can join me in November for this challenge! I'd love to share ideas and giving stories with you. The fun begins this Tuesday over at Saving and Giving.

On Husbands and Wives ~ a Pray for Me Mondays Post

JAMES 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

PSALMS 116:2 "Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV)

Join me as I blog with Pray for Me Mondays hosted by Tiffany at Home Grown Families and Pamela over at Troop Petrie. Basically, it works like this: both blogs are hosting this blog link-up and will post about relevant topics and may perhaps have a prayer request and will pray together with their readers, coming together in agreement to go before the Throne of Grace.

This week the topic is "husbands". You can see what each of those precious women feel about having husbands and what it means to their lives by clicking on the links to their blogs (their blogs, above). One of the things that popped out at me on the post was about praying for our husbands.

I have a confession, this is an area that I have not always been disciplined in and if I am not careful I will lapse back into assuming that he will be taken care of by God without prayers on my end. Yet, the truth remains, this is the man I chose above all others and if I pray for anyone it should be him. Only good can come from lifting Darling Groom up before the Lord.

To help with this end, I read a wonderful book by Stormie Omartion titled, "The Power of A Praying Wife." Really recommend this book, especially if you aren't used to praying for your husband or if you need some help to guide you in prayers for your husband.

I also realize that funds are tight these days, so until you can purchase it or see if your local library carries the book, here are just a few ways you can go about praying for your husband. I've prayed these often and do see God moving through these prayers.

ASK HIM! Ask your husband what his concerns are. If you don't get a chance to talk often it can be difficult to hear what is bothering him. Sometimes he won't tell you because he doesn't want to burden you. If need be, take the direct route and ask him what you can pray for. He might be surprised, but it will worth it. He knows that you are caring for him and lifting him up.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Think about what you want. If I find myself at a blank point when it comes to praying for my husband, I think of my own issues and then pray them for him too. Do I worry about being a good mother? A better wife? Providing what my family needs? Ministry needs? Pray those things for him too!

BE SPECIFIC! When you pray, be specific in your prayers. Maybe he has a meeting coming up that week that is bothering him. Don't simply pray for a good outcome, pray that God move through him and give him the words he needs. Pray for Godly confidence to witness to those around him. Pray for well rested sleep the night before the meeting and calming peace during the meeting. It does make a big difference!

There are so many different lists out there that you can pray for your husband. Click HERE to find a list by Stormie herself, complete with some prayers.

No matter how or when, no matter if your husband knows you pray for him or not, it will be heard by God. And I can tell you from personal experience, no matter what is going on in your relationship, praying for our husbands does help keep our hearts tender toward them. When we sacrifice what we want (sometimes our anger and selfishness) to pray for good and blessing over our husband, it does help make us see the good in him all the more. Can't we all benefit from that? :)

If you have a prayer request, please feel free to post on this blog
or be sure to visit Home Grown Families and Troop Petrie
and add your request(s) there.
You can also find the linkup for your own blog,
if you wish to participate in that way.

The Race Well Run ~ A Mr. Monday Post

This week, I want to cheer and hope you can forgive me for bragging on my Darling Groom! You see, he completed his first ever 5K. I am so proud of him!

Project 58 hosted a 5K in our area this weekend to raise donations for their organization. Our daughter had wanted to do this with Darling Groom as a father/daughter thing and even trained with him early on. Little did we know that she would not be able to participate.

While I'm proud of Darling Groom, I'm more inspired by his integrity and his willingness to complete the task no matter the obstacles and he set an example for me and our children. You see, he was involved in a nasty car accident just a bit back that set aside his training/warm-up. And just when he could get back to it, he had to take some medication and one of the side affects was potential muscle trouble (including having major tendons snap).

Most people would have understood had he simply donated his race fees and yet sat out. Most people would have understood and encouraged him to remain home where it was warm and cozy. He's not a "runner" in the sense that most people are. In fact, I think he told me the last time he participated in anything remotely resembling a 5K was when he had to do laps in high schools (let's just say a couple of decades ago).

Not him. Not Darling Groom!

He honored his commitment to the race. Not only that, he finished the race!

Our family is so proud of him and thankful to him for showing us in word and action what it means to stick to something, to give it your best no matter the situation! In doing so, he showed us the witness of the power of prayer (there was a lot before and during the race) and the witness of having our "yea mean yea".

Congratulations, Darling Groom! I know that with God's help you'll reach the goals you've set for the race next year!



PS...Thanks to everyone who was there, cheering him on and encouraging him in this endeavor!

For more information on Mr. Monday and link-ups,
be sure to visit my friend Heather at Servant, Wife, Mother

Faithful Friend ~ A Sing Your Praise Sunday Post

It's Sunday and that means it's time to share a special song to praise God. This week has been quite interesting and God has shown me several things. Mostly that no matter what happens here on earth, He is our faithful friend always by our sides, or as Matthew 28:20 states, "I am with you alway, unto the end of the world. Amen." That the Creator of the Universe cares so much about each of us individually is just amazing and almost too awesome to grasp.

Thank you, Lord!

Song: I am a Friend of God, version sung by Phillips, Craig and Dean

A Thankful Heart

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
~ Psalm 100:4 (KJV)

This November, Sonja over at Becoming A Strong Woman of God will be hosting challenges to all women who want to become more intentional in blessing others and also being more thankful in their hearts and lives. For myself, this 30-day-challenge couldn't come at a better time.

From Sonja's blog...

"30 Days of Being Thankful" will challenge you daily through out the whole month of November to be thankful for every gift that the Lord has provided to you as well as teaching your children simple ways to be thankful."

This is a journey to learning to be thankful for the smallest things and seeing God all around you as we move through each day. I pray that this challenge will stay with you long pass the 30 days.

I will spend the next few days preparing my heart for living out a more thankful life and it would be an honor and a blessing if you join me and others over at Becoming A Strong Woman of God. It is my hope and prayer that we can all grow while investing rich blessing into the lives of those near us.

Hugs & Prayers,

National Chocolate Day!

Okay, here's a holiday I can get into!!

What are you going to do to celebrate?

I think I'm going to splurge on the calorie counting and raise a chocolate bar in celebration!

Thankful Thursday

So, over at Becoming A Strong Woman of God they are participating in the Thankful Thursday challenge to list 22 things each week (on Thursday, of course, lol) for which they are thankful for. You can read more about it by clicking the name of the blog.

Sorry to be a tad late getting my Thankful Thursday list in. I watched the baseball game tonight and also have been deciding what to do about a personal situation and would love prayer because as you all know, I'm far from perfect and if I handle the situation my own way it would not be pretty. Oh, my flesh might be happy but certainly not God's way.

So, here's this week's Twenty-two Things I'm Thankful for:

~ 23 ~ Tonight's baseball win
~ 24 ~ The friends in my life who love me, flaws and all
~ 25 ~ Blogging (reading and writing)
~ 26 ~ Popsicles!
~ 27 ~ craft fairs
~ 28 ~ Bonfires with friends
~ 29 ~ Encouragement just when needed
~ 30 ~ Birthday parties
~ 31 ~ Classic TV like Burns & Allen
~ 32 ~ New yarn
~ 33 ~ Puppies
~ 34 ~ A freshly vacuumed carpet
~ 35 ~ Watching my children excel at their passions
~ 36 ~ Learning to overcome adversity
~ 37 ~ Cozy blankets on chilly days
~ 38 ~ Fresh baked bread
~ 39 ~ Chocolate scented candles
~ 40 ~ Scrapbooking and memories
~ 41 ~ Grace
~ 42 ~ Vine-ripened tomatoes
~ 43 ~ Kissing at stoplights
~ 44 ~ Changing fall colors

If you appreciate all the good and perfect gifts in your life, go ahead and take a moment to be thankful. You can also join the blog hop for Thankful Thursday at Becoming a Strong Woman of God .

Until later,

Call to Care for the Widows and Orphans - A Pray for Me Mondays Post

JAMES 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

PSALMS 116:2 "Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV)

Join me as I blog with Pray for Me Mondays hosted by Tiffany at Home Grown Families and Pamela over at Troop Petrie. Basically, it works like this: both blogs are hosting this blog link-up and will post about relevant topics and may perhaps have a prayer request and will pray together with their readers, coming together in agreement to go before the Throne of Grace.

This week, Tiffany blogged about the emotional upheavals that single mothers often deal with as they find their way to glorify God in their families. Her post reminded me of another blog I read this past year.

I can't remember which blog I read it on (so sorry, and if you know please share) but the blogger wrote about widows and orphans. Specifically, that some women and children have reached this point not because of a death, but maybe through other means such as becoming pregnant outside of marriage or through divorce.

These precious women are often overlooked when we consider the Scripture's call to care for the widows and orphans, though their situations are the same (lack of husband/father) and they struggle just as greatly as those made widows and orphans by death.

When we look at it that way, it sure makes your heart realize just how much we should care for these families.

So, please take a few moments to pray for single mothers and their children and take that Biblical command to care for widows and orphans of all kinds to heart. Find some way to encourage and uplift a single mom. There are all kinds of ways you can do this and here are a few ideas to get you started:

~ Babysit her children so she can get a little rest or do something she's neglected for herself
~ Take her family a home-cooked meal (and be sure to let her know ahead of time so she doesn't stress about dinner)
~ Send a card and spend time in prayer with/over her
~ Buy her some fresh flowers
~ Invite her and her children into your home for dinner
~ If you know her well, maybe take over a task for her for a day or two to give her a break (like maybe cleaning or laundry, or washing the car, etc.)
~ If you can afford it, maybe give her a few gift cards to various restaurants or grocery stores

There are so many ways you can reach out and care, but mostly you just need to be there for her in whatever way works best for her.

This week's prayer request: My prayer request this week is just to ask the Lord to show you how to bless and encourage the single mom's in your life!

Praise Report: My last Pray For Me Monday request was for a friend diagnosed with breast cancer and the discovery it had spread to her lymph nodes. They went to remove a lump and found out that it was only in one lymph node and it appears it was caught very early. They believe they were able to remove most, if not all, of it. She is currently undergoing therapy, but is much relieved and praying for full recovery and remission! Thank you for your prayers.




If you have a prayer request, please feel free to post on this blog or be sure to visit Home Grown Families and Troop Petrie and add your request(s) there. You can also find the linkup for your own blog, if you wish to participate in that way.

A Good & Perfect Gift ~ A Mr. Monday Post

James 1:17 ~ "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

This Monday I'd like to take a moment and give thanks to God for the wonderful gift of my husband. He is just perfect for me.

The past two weeks has just shown me what a good man he is and how much he loves me. He employed his love language in the extreme by helping me out with our home, the homeschooling and various other activities while also encouraging me, holding me when doubts tried to overcome me and even prayed for me all for my very first craft fair.

There is no way I could have made it this far without him, but knowing he is by my side through it all makes this journey more comfortable and precious. Times like this just show me that all the more.

Thank you, Darling Groom!

For more information on Mr. Monday and link-ups,
be sure to visit my friend Heather at Servant, Wife, Mother

My Redeemer Lives - Sing Your Praise Sunday!

Every day we praise the Lord, but here on this blog, I will try to share some of my favorite praise songs (new and old). Today, this song has been on my heart. Actually it has been on my heart a lot lately, especially when I witness the beautiful changing of the seasons that could only be brought about by His hand.

This version is an acappella version and just a beautiful. I hope you enjoy it!

Um, Nope, Not Me! Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday, where we can share a few of our secrets we'd probably rather forget, yet keep it real. Why? Because it sure helps to know we are not alone. This blog carnival was created by MCKMAMA. You can head over to My Charming Kids' blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Wow, cannot believe Monday is here again and I cannot believe that the week has flown by as quickly as it has. Let's see, the past week I surely didn't do all the things I could have done, nope, not me!

I wasn't the one who spent an entire day going through all of her craft supplies, trying to find things to take to weekend crop. And I most certainly did not take about a third of said supplies because I simply couldn't decide what I wanted to work on.

Nope, Not Me!

While at said crop, I was not so busy chattering and socializing that I only managed to pump out four cards and half an altered letter when I was there overnight.

Nope, Not Me!

Sleep is important, so much so that I know I could never have only had 3 hours of sleep Thursday night (okay, Friday morning) and then only 4 hours of sleep on Friday night.

Nope, Not Me!

And it wasn't me who cried Sunday morning because she hurt (because I would NEVER attempt to lug folding tables from the Fellowship Hall up to the Mason Hall by myself...at least not all of them). And I wouldn't sigh with relief when hubby and son said they also hurt and hubby made the executive decision that we would stay home as a family that day.

Nope, Not Me!

But it was me who said a thank you prayer to the Lord for such a wonderful weekend and praised Him for His goodness, no matter what my situation, no matter if I'm sore or healthy, sleepy or wide awake. :) While sad to have missed services on Sunday, am grateful for recorded sermons and for friends who checked to make sure things were okay--you know who you are! :)

McDonald's Again?

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to a MckMama's Blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Oh, this is going to be interesting...do you really want to know this much about me?

Well, I can tell you that I did not join this link-up to show you what a great SAH housewife and mother I am...definitely NOT ME! (Edited to add: That is said in all earnestness...and I'm okay with that. May not be a great SAHM, but am certainly a blessed SAHM covered in some serious grace!!!) Nope, in fact, with Not Me! Mondays you may wish that you didn't know me and all my loverly imperfections that well. (I don't use made-up words either, nope, not me!)

But if you wish to know, continue to be brave and have a tank of oxygen because I'm sure at some point it will make you laugh until you cry. Go ahead, I often have. Though at the time, I did not. Nope. Not me!

For example, the time (years ago, mind you) it was NOT ME who burned dinner that made our entire home smell.

I was busy upstairs working on sorting through the boys' clothes, doing such good mommy/housewife chores to keep our home running smoothly. So there was no way I could forget that the beans were on the stove simmering away. Not me.

It was not me who came down to find the entire first floor smoky though Darling Groom and precious ones seemed to ignore it. And it wasn't me who tentatively headed to the stove to discover all of the water had boiled out of the pot and our dinner was burned to a crisp.

...

And I know my sweet little, chocolate-smudged faced child would not look up at me two nights later, and ask me if I would burn dinner so we could have McDonald's again.

Nope not him.

This is not what our family is like. Nope, no way. Not us!

Ken Loves Tam ~ Another Mr. Monday Post

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25, KJV)

A few weeks ago I wrote about our duty of love (aka submitting to our husbands as we would our Lord) and it has been on my heart as I have gone about the weeks since. I have been praying that no matter the status of our "romance" that I would do what is commanded of me in genuine charity.

Well, if you know my husband, then you are aware that he has a fine wit, strong, and while he is not ashamed to cry he does not do it often. When we were dating/first married (in the '90s) he used to joke that he was a man of the '90s--the 1890s. Yup, that's my Darling Groom. While not given too often to external shows of sentimentality, he does have a deep streak of it and will sometimes surprise me with a physical reminder.

Such as he did today. Before we left to go to the city, at some point he wrote out this little sign, then put it smack dab on the middle of the freezer.

(Sorry for the bright spot, not sure what was going on with my camera.)

Imagine my surprise when I came home to find that on my fridge! While he shows me each day that he loves me with his many acts of service, this note honored me. It really does make my heart flutter when I see such proclamations posted for the world to see.

So, I had to brag on him today and thank him for loving me as commanded and for taking the time to show me in a much more physical way.

Oh, and Darling Groom...Tam Loves Ken, too!

For more information on Mr. Monday Link-ups,
be sure to visit Servant, Wife, Mother

Are you secure in your insecurities?

JAMES 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

PSALMS 116:2 "Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV)

This week I hope to begin participating in Pray for Me Mondays hosted by Home Grown Families and Pamela over at Troop Petrie. Basically, it works like this: both blogs are hosting this blog link-up and will post about relevant topics and may perhaps have a prayer request and will pray together with their readers, coming together in agreement to go before the Throne of Grace.

This week's topic is about dealing with insecurities.

AYE YI YI!

Most people, who know me intimately, know that I am an introvert by nature. Being awkward and clumsy both physically and verbally, it is much easier to keep things on the surface for instances like group meetings or outings but it does not develop rich and loving relationships with other women of God that I desire.

A confession...this is something I have struggled with greatly most of my life and while God has helped me much as I grow older, there are still many times that I struggle with the thoughts, that will snowball if I do not cast my cares on Him. See if any of this sounds familiar:

~ "They just tolerate me."
~ "I don't know how to do it, would just mess up."
~ "They will think I'm nuts if I say/do that."
~ "There are others who can do this better than I, time to give it up."
~ "I have no true friends, just lots of acquaintances."
~ "I'm not a good enough wife, mom, friend, worker, etc."
~ "I'll never be as good as so-n-so at this or that."

That's just a sampling of things that can run through your mind when you are in the throes of insecurity. And I want you to take just a moment and really look at those comments. What do they have in common?

Not one of them is focused on God!

Instead of focusing on the opportunities He provides, we focus on the lack or what we suppose others might think or worse, we compare ourselves to others. That comparison steals any joy or confidence in Him that we might have. It robs us of blessing others.

Recently on Facebook, Dr. Caroline Leaf's status read: "Brainy Fact: A woman's anterior central gyrus (ACG) is larger than a man's. That means she can get stuck on negative emotions more easily."

The enemy knows this! He knows that we are responsible for the atmosphere in our homes and the world around us. He knows that we are by nature, nurturers and encouragers of our husbands, children, family and friends. If he can get us focused on ourselves and our issues, then we are incapacitated to do the work God has laid out for us. We cannot encourage well when we are discouraged.

So, how do we combat this? GO TO THE WORD!

First of all, whether from your own mind or the enemy, know that insecurity is a branch off of fear. The Bible tells us, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (I John 4:18, KJV). We know from reading the earlier verses in that chapter of I John, that God is love.

The next time you find yourself falling into negative thinking because of insecurity, ask yourself these questions... Where am I focused? Am I focused on God and His perfect love or am I focused on myself/others. Will I trust in what God tells me, that He can cast out this fear or will I continue the cycle of negative emotions which will affect not only myself, but my family, friends and the world around me? How will this witness and show God's love to others? Will I allow this insecurity to rule my life or will I make the choice to lay down what my flesh desires and instead stand secure in the will of God?

Again, not always easy to think about and stop, but as time goes by it does get easier and happens more quickly, then it becomes a conscious choice to continue in fear or continue in the path God laid before you.

Pray for me about this and I will pray for you.

Now, I do have a prayer request. Recently a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went in to have it removed and they discovered that the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes. God is a God of healing if it's His will. He may have another purpose we might not understand. No matter what, I would request prayer for peace for her and her daughter, as well as that His will be done and that this woman be reached for Him and that she shine His love through the entire ordeal.

If you have a prayer request, please feel free to post on this blog or be sure to visit Home Grown Families and Troop Petrie and add your request(s) there. You can also find the linkup for your own blog, if you wish to participate in that way.

Much love and prayers,