Mel SHWABAMMED ME! :)

Hey girls! Okay, so first of all we need to figure out how to get the blog to EMAIL us when someone posts---MM what did you do on the other blog to make it email us when someone posts? I really want us to get in the groove of using this thing esp with lots of changes coming up so we are sure to all stay in touch and keep our "community" even if we aren't in the same place all the time.

Next: Last night I really think God spoke through Melanie to smack me in the face with all of my whining lately on trying to be patient. For those of you that weren't at BBS, I was talking about how absolutely thrilled I am for the girls that have found such wonderful men, and what great examples they are to the rest of us that are waiting to find him, but how it's also hard not to "want what they have" type thing....and Melanie stunned me/stopped me in my tracks and my my jaw LITERALLY drop by saying "but think about how many people want what you have." BOOM. SHWABAM. POP. SMAACKKKKK! My jaw dropped to the floor. I have been so caught up in wanting things that I don't have, that I haven't stopped to take the time to appreciate and praise God for the wonderful things I DO have. I am really going to try to focus on the wonderful things that God has blessed me with at this time in my life. With all of these tragic deaths, accidents and catastrophic events happening around us in this world, we need to be sure to enjoy each and every day and all of the ups and downs that go with it. Now, whenever I start drifting to having a pouting fest, I'm going to remember those awesome words that Melanie hit me with "how many people want what YOU have"---be thankful, every. single. day. for the blessings you have and where you are in your life right now. :) "He has made everything beautiful in it's time" Ecc 3:11

Brad McCoy about Colt

Hey girls! This is an email I got from one of Greg's friends that I thought was pretty cool! It has some GREAT life lessons and scripture references---I know it's long but it's a really cool story and worth reading! I can't wait to see you tomorrow and dive into our new book!

I had the opportunity to hear Colt McCoy's Dad speak this Tuesday morning to the Dallas Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast. The breakfast is an annual breakfast that was started by Tom Landry and other Dallas leaders over 40 years ago and the speakers are usually amazing. Colt McCoy and his Dad, Brad, were supposed to deliver a combined message; however, Colt became sick on Monday and could not join his Dad on Tuesday morning. In the end, it was a blessing because Brad McCoy delivered a message on raising Colt and his two other boys that was truly amazing! The cliff notes are below. I took copious notes because he prefaced his speech by stating, I am going to talk about the four principles with which we raised our three boys. They are incredibly applicable to us as parents (regardless of the sex of our children) and they made a significant mark on my heart. Brad McCoy said that he and his wife raised their children according to the following four principles:

1. Prepare your child for the path, not the path for your child. Brad said this is not just for our kids - it is for us as parents. The road is rough, narrow and hard to find. We have a book (the Bible), a map vis-à-vis the Bible and God to help us. We must prepare ourselves and our kids for moments in life when doors open and close. He cited Proverbs 22:6: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." He also cited, almost in jest but also in reality, Proverbs 23:13, "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." It was a funny contrast, but a real contrast. He then said, "Dads, fight for your kids, prepare them!"]

2. Prepare to be our best. This was one of the four McCoy family mottos. He cited 1 Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." He stated that every day he would take his kids to school, and upon them exited the car, he would say to them, "Do your best and be a leader!" He said that they listened every time and even as they got older (4th, 5th and 6th grades) he would repeat these words even if they said, "Yeah, Yeah, Dad, I know, do your best and be a leader!" He said that as a coach for 27 years, he would always lead his team onto the field and leave his team at every practice with the chant, "Expect to Win, Play to Win." And he implored us as parents to instill the same attitude in our homes and in our children. He cited Jim Collins book, Good to Great, stating that good is the enemy of Great! We don't aim high and miss - as we would like to believe. In fact, most times, we aim low and hit the mark! As parents, he implored us not to aim low! Aim high!!!

3. Be a Leader - He stated that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses - great leaders that we can draw from and that our kids can draw from. He said we are all at the mercy of time and money and asked a rhetorical question: "How do you spend your time and money?" He then said that how we spend our time and money is a direct reflection on where our true priorities lie. He then said as a leader that he has always loved the quote by Gandhi (even though he didn't ascribe to all of Gandhi's beliefs): "I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet." He said that as he taught this principle to his three boys that Colt McCoy turned this phrase into his own words: "Thoughts become things." Colt would tell his younger brothers as he mentored them, "You can't talk like that or think like that, because thoughts become things that play themselves out in your life."

4. Prepare for Open and Closed Doors. As a Dad, he said it was painful beyond all of his years on this earth to watch his son get hurt in the first series of play in the National Championship at the Rose Bowl. A perfect setting. A setting his son had dreamed of ever since he threw the football with his Dad in the front yard as a kid. As a Dad, he went over to his son's hotel room after the Championship loss and the demoralizing fate for such a NCAA football star. He went to his son's room to cheer his son up and was praying to God for the right words. He entered his son's hotel room to find his son finishing a devotional. A devotional that read as follows: "My positive energy must be better than my negative energy. My certainty must be me stronger than my doubt. The battle is won before I ever start the fight. I choose faith over fear. Leave a legacy of excellence, love, dedication and service. Jeremiah stated,' Blessed is the man who's trust is in the Lord." He said as a Dad, he had to find a corner of Colt's hotel room to sit down and cry over the maturity of his son. His son was prepared for open and closed doors!

He then finished his speech by stating that as he consoled his son under the Rose Bowl stadium, after it was readily apparent that Colt would not be able to go back onto the field and play for the Longhorns. And as he was trying to motivate his son, his son motivated the team and his Dad. His son stepped into a new mantle of leadership. Rather than return to the field in pedestrian clothes, Colt insisted on returning to the field to help his team win. He walked back onto the field in his uniform and helped the second string quarterback read the defense and mentored the second string quarterback over the course of the 3rd and 4th quarters. He said that his son had been studying trust in a Bible Study all year long leading up to the National Championship game. He said his son had told his mom and dad that he didn't know why he had been studying that trust concept all year, but he fully knew why in the moments leading up to the National Championship loss. He told his parents that he came to the conclusion that God had prepared me for years leading up to that game, because He wanted me to trust Him! As his son, Colt, was approached by news reporters after the Longhorns had lost the National Championship, the reporters asked Colt how he was feeling and Colt replied: "I always give God the glory. I never question what God does. God is in control of my life and if nothing else, I am standing on the Rock!"

Brad McCoy said that his cell phone began lighting up with texts after the game with friends, ministers and family members wildly acclaiming the statement that Colt had made to the reporters. He said that he received letters from non-believers, Jewish ministers, Muslim ministers and atheists in the days following the game - all pointing to the AMAZING statement that Colt had made after the game. He said that as he entered Colt's hotel room that night, he asked his son, "What did you say after game?" [He had not been able to hear it in the mayhem of the stadium.] Brad McCoy, Colt¹s Dad, asked two to three times, "Son, what did you say after the game?" Colt said, "Dad, I don't know. I really don't remember what I said. All I remember is that the reporter asked me a question and I prayed that God would supply me with the right answer."

I just pray that if I'm ever in a situation like that, that God supplies me with the right answer...Love yall! -Mags :)

Grow Where You Are Planted

**Mel sent this out this morning and I'm going to post it because I thought it was so great and she can't seem to find the "New Post" button (Hint: sign in, and then hit "new post" :) )

I know sometimes you wonder if your life has any real worth. But I assure you that I can use you to impact those around you. Just as I used Paul in prison I will use you wherever you are or whatever circumstance you are in. Let Me water you with My holy Word, and you will begin to bloom wherever you are planted. Come to Me in prayer and let Me empower you with My spirit. Even if you can't see the harvest of your hard work now, I promise that one day others will look back at the time you were in their lives and remember your acts of kindness, words of wisdom, and love for them. So for now, My valuable princess, let Me help you blossom in a world that is searching for the meaning of life.Love,Your King and Gardner of Life
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.Romans 8:28
I love y'all have a good Tuesday and remember your kindness today will help to change someones life. -Mel

So Long Insecurity

Hey girls! As y'all might know, Beth Moore's most recent book is entitled, So Long Insecurity. I'm aching to read it. Anyways, I was reading on a blog today and she posted about it, too! It hit home so much that I had to share with y'all.

Please go here: http://blueeyedbride.com/2010/04/15/bye-bye-insecurity/

Love y'all!

TGIF :)
Adrienne

Proverbs To Remember :)

Hey girls! I hope you are having an incredible day today. I am on an email list serv that gets a Proverbs Verse every day and these are a few I've kept in my inbox as great daily reminders....

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."

"Love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of you heart."

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value."

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."

I just thought I would share this with yall---they are great reminders. I am thankful every day for each of you and the change you have each had in my heart and my life! I love you! Can't wait to talk "uncertainty" with all of you next week!
-Mags :)

Yet another incredible talent of Caroline's revealed...

Caroline--I LOVED it :) You have so many beautiful talents to share with the world, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next! I love your beautiful medley/melody :) ---I'd say you are onto something!

umm ok so i couldn't figure out how to comment

Just so I can cover my basis, I am not sure if what I did was illegal or not, haha yikes But the songs I used were: Closer by Warren Barfield Beyond These Walls by Warren Barfield Hope Now by Addison Road Never Alone by Meredith Andrews Love is worth FIghting For by Warren Barfield More than You'll Ever know by Watermark