Been MIA Lately

Well since my ladies retreat which was just wonderful. Full of ministering to each other and sharing how God is moving in our life's. Plus some good shopping and plenty of laughs.
I have been so busy with getting kids ready for school, oldest son is a Jr and plays football so running alot with that. My middle son started Jr high and my baby kindergarten which yes I cried first day, most of the morning. But I'm doing better now. Hopefully things will slow down a bit so I can blog more. Miss everyone and reading your yall blogs to.

WFW!

Womens Retreat

Well everyone leaving tomorrow morning for our church ladies retreat. Im so excited and ready. Though my hubby and I have never been apart so hope I dont get home sick cause Im missing my sweety. So I wanted to stop in and let everyone know where Im going and wont be around till monday or tuesday so pray for safe trip for us all and that we all get a refreshing.


God Bless and hope yall have a blesssed weekend!

~Michele~

WFW

Peer Pressure

Well with school starting up again I been seeing alot of articles on Peer Pressure. Something I talk to my kids often about.

I have three boys 16 , 12 and 5. All will be in school this year. Which makes me sad, but something you have to deal with as they get older.

Kids these days have so much to deal with, I feel much more than I did growing up. As a teen though I stood my ground on things I knew I should not do or be part of, I did this even though I wasn't raised in a Christain home, but had very strick parents, that I am very thankful for.

Well being a Christan I want my kids to make the choice God would want them to make in their everyday life, and not what their friends or girlfriends may want them to do.

A recent survey of Georgia teenagers provided a glimpse of the pressures teens face today. For example:

37 percent said that, within the last 30 days, they had ridden in a car driven by someone who was drinking or using drugs.
66 percent said they are sexually active. Of those, two-thirds said they had not used a condom the last time they had sex.
27 percent admitted they had thought about suicide during the last 12 months.

How scary is that?But we can't shield our kids from the influence of the world. That would be impossible . At some point, our children will begin making their own decisions about who their friends will be and what values they will live out. They need our help to prepare them to make good choices when that day comes.


Discuss how friends will try to influence them in areas such as:

Cursing
Lying to parents
Drinking alcohol
Sneaking out of the house at night
Shoplifting
Taking drugs
Looking at pornographic books and magazines
Sexual intimacy

and anything else that would come up

We have to try and teach them how to handle each one of these, tell them how they need to be leaders and not a follower.

Most important is prayer! For us as parents to pray daily over our children, that God help them with making the right choices, teaching them to pray for their self and Gods protection of them to keep them strong and not to fall because of Peer Pressure.

I so believe in this verse:

Train up a child in the way he should go:and when he is old,he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Is this something your talk to your kids about?

Share some things you talk to them about and how you teach them to handle

Peer Pressure.

Quiet Times

How do you spend moments with Jesus?

In prayer, or with music where I truely fill freedom to worship and praise him.

Do you have a set quiet time?

Not a set time wish I could be better about that for sure, getting in a routine would be great. I usaaly have it earily morning if I can if not in the evenings when everyone goes to bed is when I really enjoy that time so I can read, study and devotionals. Though I talk to him many times through out the day in prayers or just thanking him for providing for my family.

If you have children, how has your time changed from when you didn't or over the years as they have grown?

Its hard with running because of sport or just more things need to be done around the house. Which Im learning that NOTHING comes before God and to make sure that RELATIONSHIP I build with him is most important and to let nothing come before that. Thats how raising my childern will be better and my relationship with them will be better.

Mondays Music

Come Join me over at Around the House and through the Kitchen Blog for Mondays Music!

Fruitful Fridays

Well today is the first of Fruitful Fridays. Please Join by sharing your site with the Mr. Linky.

Alot of my reach out this week was with my mom.

We hung curtains for her, put a fan together, Hung shower curtain up, will be going tonight to rearrange furnature around in spare bedroom and moving tv.

Also offered food to a family who could use it.

So what did you do this week, to show love and be fruitful please share your link in Mr.Linky so we can come comment on yours and please reach out and read other blogs and see how their Fruitful Fridays went! Tell others also about Fruitful Fridays.

Thankful Thursday!

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.Titus 2:11-15I have to say, when I sit and I watch the local news, world news and the things that just going on around this world. I'm thankful that I'm saved and bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. I don't have to be of this world. I cant even imagine not being saved and not knowing the truth. It saddens my heart that so many don't know and don't wanna know God and don't believe.I pray that when other see me that they do notice something different about me. That they want that something. I know I'm not perfect far from it as we all are, but people who are not christian will find whatever that is that and try and use it against us. Well I'm Gods vessels to use me with whatever gifts he has given me to be a witness and I will do my best, to show the world Jesus Christ so that someone may see him through and except him and try their best to live that same way the best they can, then they can use the gifts Gods gives them to reach out to others. We are the only light in this world. So let that light shine!14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.Mathew 5:14-16So this week and always I'm Thankful this Thursday for:My Salvation through Jesus ChristThat he gives me strength and courage to live in this dark worldHe Gives me a light to burn to walk this earth and that others may grab a hold to that light to come out of the dark.Praise God!!!!! Thank you Father for being my light that I grabbed on and I wanted more than what this earth has to offer. I want nothing of this world all I want is Jesus and spending eternity with him. This world Father can be a scary place, and if wasn't for you being with me could devour me up like I'm nothing. But I' am something I'm a child of God bought by the blood of Jesus Christ and nothing can come against me Praise God! Wooooweeee thank you Father! The world doesn't understand what it means to love you. But I rather be on your side than the side of someone who doesn't love you Let the difference You make in my life shine out through me. In Jesus Name I prayAmen!~Michele~ Would love for you all to join me on Fridays for Fruitful Fridays

Hope to see you there!

WFW!

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 103 2-5

Tuesday Toot

Havent done TT in couple weeks. I think my TT would have to be spending more time with my kids talking about God and How important prayer is. And always thanking God for each day and that he supplys their every need, keeps them healthy and safe. We had a guest speaker two Sundays ago who talked about Prayer and how we as Christains dont do it enough. My boys got alot out of that. So being able to sit and talk about it was great. Sometimes you wonder if they are really listening, but Im learning if you take time to sit and talk about what was preached on you may be surprised at what they got out of it. So looking forward to more of these talks with my boys.

Join me on Friday for Fruitful Friday's

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,faith, Galatians 5:22 KJV) Join me here on Fridays for Fruitful Fridays. Through out the week reach out to others and do something good for others, then on Fridays share what you have done. will also have up Mister Linky so you can share your blog and we can see how fruitful you were all wee. So get out their and show some of God's love. Cant wait to hear how Fruitful you all where this week.And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31 KJV)Galatians 5:13 (King James Version)13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Monday Music

Join me over at my other blog for :

Marriage Monday- Guard Your Marriage with Affair-Proof Hedges

Want this button? SGuard Your Marriage with Affair-Proof HedgesNancy C. Anderson What are hedges? Hedges are boundaries. In Mark 12:1 Jesus said, “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it.” First, the man planted a vineyard. Think of your marriage as a vineyard. You “planted” it the day you said, I do. Next, the man in the parable placed a hedge around his vineyard. Why? Several reasons: to protect it from intrusion by animals and thieves; to keep his vines inside his vineyard; and to separate his territory from his neighbors. A hedge makes the statement, “Private Property, No Trespassing.” The symbolic hedges around our marriages serve the same purposes. As a married couple, your goal, as co-owners of your vineyard, is to keep the good things in—and the bad things out. These HEDGES consist of simple principles that will protect your marriage from external invaders and internal discontent. They are all action words: Hearing: Listening and speaking with patience and understanding;Encouraging: Helping each other in thought, word, and deed;Dating: Keeping it fresh and fun. Build a life that celebrates marriage;Guarding: Agreeing on your boundaries—and enforcing them;Educating: Becoming an expert on your mate;Satisfying: Meeting each other’s needs.Planting the HedgesGardeners know that maintaining a hedge is an ongoing task. But first, you’ve got to plant the hedge. And any gardener will tell you that when planting something, one of the most important considerations is the condition of the soil. Assuming that Christ is the soil of your marriage, all the hedges, in order to grow to maturity, must be planted in Him. If you’re married to a non-Christian, your hedges and your hearts may be divided, creating conflict about the location of boundaries for your marriage as well as large gaps in those boundaries. You’ll need to be willing to find creative ways to maintain your Christian “soil” without discounting your mate’s needs. Another important consideration as you plant your hedges is positioning them with room to grow. Last year my husband, Ron, and I hired a “landscape architect” (who charges twice as much as a gardener) to redesign our front yard. It hadn’t been updated since the 1970s. So, after he yanked everything out, he planted some scrawny hedges. (Actually, his crew did the work; he just talked on his cell phone and drank iced mochas). The hedges were supposed to act as a fence to keep stray dogs and children off our lawn, but they were about three feet apart. I asked him, “How can those puny things give us any protection?” He looked at me as if I was challenging his expertise, and with a condescending tone said, “Trust me; I know what I’m doing. If I plant them any closer, they’d fight for the same sun and water; they’d crowd each other out. They’d all die. They gotta have room to grow.” The same principle applies to your marriage hedges. Plant them with the knowledge that they will grow, change, and fill-in as your marriage matures. Watering the Hedges We’re all responsible for watering our hedges. But to have enough water to offer our marriages, we must have our own reservoir to draw from. Spiritual Water The most important kind of water is Spiritual water, which we get from our relationship with the Lord, who is the Living Water (John 4:10–15). Over the years, Ron and I have read several devotional books together, and it’s vital to have a time to read the Bible and pray as a couple. But don’t neglect your own, personal relationship with the Lord.In addition to regular church attendance with my family, I’m reading the One-Year Bible on my own, and Ron is listening to a series of Christian teaching tapes in his car. We often share with each other the new things we’ve learned. Sometimes he tells me a story or gives me an example from one of the tapes, and he likes to hear about my new insights as well. In seeking spiritual water, let the Lord direct you. Ask Him to show you how to build your marriage into a strong reservoir full of deep Living Water .Intellectual Water The second way to water your relationship is with intellectual water: new information. Ron and I have many diverse interests and, while we do most of our activities together, we each have a few things we do alone. I’m a member of Toastmaster International, a wonderful group that trains public speakers, and I attend the weekly meeting at 6:30 A.M. so I don’t cut into family time. When I come home, Ron usually asks, “How’d it go? Did you win any more ribbons?” Or “What were the speeches about?” Ron plays basketball every Saturday morning with a group of men at a local college. When he gets home, I usually ask, “How did you play? Did you learn any new moves?” With my encouragement, he’ll talk for twenty minutes and give a play-by-play description of the game. We both try to have new information to tell each other every day. But it wasn’t always that way. When Nick was a toddler, I was at home most of the time and my days were so repetitive that I felt like I lived in the Bill Murray movie Ground Hog Day. I knew that Ron liked me to talk about something other than how many socks the dryer ate and how hard it is to get spaghetti sauce stains out of Tupperware. So I made it a point to have something new to tell him every day. I started reading the newspaper so we could talk about current events and joined a “Mommy and Me” class so I’d have stories from the “outside.” In the process of these new activities, I formed new interests and he looked forward to hearing what I had to say—and so did I. Safely inside the Hedges When we talk with couples who are having marriage troubles, one of them usually says, “I’m bored—our marriage just isn’t very exciting anymore. All we ever do is talk about the kids and bills and watch TV. I know everything my spouse is going to say before he [or she] says it. We’re in a deep, predictable rut. I need some excitement!” Can you guess where they go to get their thrills? Yep, outside the hedges. That’s why it’s important to have some outside interests to talk about. Have your own “well” of experience to draw from. Keep your relationship watered with new information—both spiritual insights and unique, interesting activities. A marriage that is well watered will have deep roots and will withstand the storms of life. If your relationship is in a drought, however, and its roots are weak and shallow, then the wind and erosion—life’s problems—will damage and eventually destroy your marriage. So keep your hearts safely inside your strong, healthy hedges." Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." Proverbs 4:23