Tuesday, June 29, 2010

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

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

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 :)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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

Friday, April 23, 2010

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

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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 :)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

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!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

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

I've missed you all!!

Hello Everyone!!
I have missed all of you dearly, and I sit here in the car just jammin away I thought id share with ya'll what ive been doing for the past hour or so. I only share this with ya'll because 1) I know you will only make fun of me a little bit 2) you know these songs 3)you know how much i love to write things just about anything for that matter

Before you can begin you need to know that I once again have messed up the spelling and connotation of words and that is how this began. All of us are familiar with Moulin Rouge, in that movie there is a song called "Elephant Love Medley". Here they composed a song, by using about 12 different parts of different songs. I thought it was so cool, and well I've always wanted to do that. So in high school I did, and then again I did it today, however until today I thought that word was "Melody". Melody and Medley definitely mean two different things.

As I sat here in the car and listened to my usual playlist of songs, one of which is the Miley Cyrus song When I look at you (thank you MM for that one) she says,
“Everybody needs inspiration, everybody needs a song. A beautiful melody when the nights so long cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy. When the world is falling apart. When there is no light to break in the dark. That’s when I look at you.”

Ok so first of all I agreed with her, but I also at the time was thinking melody and medley meant the same thing, hope you are still following. So I decided I was going to write a "Melody" haha but really its a medley anyways its to God. Crazy I know, but I always have these bits and pieces of songs that I love and wish I could put together so I did and well I hope
Warren Barfield, Addison Road, and Meredith Andrews won't mind, because I used those lyrics----keep in mind too that this song clearly has no tune, and well you just kind of read it like a poem or short story or something I don't know.

here goes nothing--Caroline's Medley inspired by Miley's need for a beautiful melody
(things in quotes are still from songs, but I imagine thats what God would say back :-)

I searched for love

When the night came and closed in

I was alone but you found me

And now I’ll never ever be the same

“My Love I’ve never left your side.”

In this beautiful broken world

We laugh and then we cry

There is no reason, you know why, there is no rhyme

All I have is you

Chorus

You are always by my side

Your love is the one thing I can’t run out of

Your love is a shelter in a raging storm

Your love is a peace in the middle of a war

Love is not a fight but

Your love is worth fighting for

Chorus

You are always by my side

Your love is one thing I can’t run out of

If everything comes down to love

Then just what am I afraid of?

Everything rides on Hope

Everything rides on Faith

Livin in this beautiful broken world with you

I have come to understand the worth of a friend

Dear friend you have spoken the truth over my life

and they will never know what it means to me

Chorus

You are always by my side

Your love is the one thing I can’t run out of

Let your heart be my eyes

My vain ambitions die

Because I’m living for something more

You’ve become my hearts desire

And I will sing your praises

Because your love has set me free

Chorus

You are always by my side

Your love is the one thing I can’t run out of

“My love I’ve never left your side.

You are not alone."


So there it is haha not going to top any charts seeing as how I used other people's lyrics, but I like their's better than my own anyways, but it was really fun, and I thought you all would get a kick out of my mistake and at the randomness of writing a "medley"

Love you all and can't wait to see you soon!!!

Caroline


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tired of Waiting on God

Hey girls! I hope you are having a wonderful "Almost There" Day (as Adrienne so eloquently put it). Sallie sent me this devo this morning and it really hit home with me right now in my life...and I think it can apply to all kinds of aspects in our lives right now...just thought I would share! Love yall!
Tired of Waiting on God 24 Mar 2010Tracie Miles
"Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them." Genesis 25:26a (NIV)
Do you ever get tired of waiting on God to answer your prayers? Recently, I began to feel a sense of frustration with the wait, and also a little bit tired.
Tired of saying the same old prayer day after day, month after month, year after year. Tired of telling God about the same old problems that were still going on. Tired of hearing myself pray about the same old problems, leading me to wonder if God was as tired of hearing my prayer requests as I was of praying them.
So I bowed my head and admitted to God that I was simply tired of the wait.
In a heavy state of emotional tiredness, I turned to the crisp, white pages of my Bible. I was hoping God would il luminate a few verses that would jump out of the book and straight into my heart.
I began reading about when Isaac's wife Rebekah gave birth to twin sons. One particular sentence caught my eye and I went back to read it again and again. My heart leapt as I realized God was using this one little sentence to speak hope into my spirit. He used His spiritual highlighter just as I had wanted.
Genesis 25:26 tells us that Isaac was sixty years old when his twins were born; a simple Bible fact, yet profoundly meaningful to me on this specific day. You see, Isaac had been patient for the Lord to provide the perfect wife; he was forty years old when he married Rebekah. If you do the math you realize Isaac waited twenty years for Rebekah to bear him children! He could have chosen a concubine to bear him a son. But he was a man of great patience who waited on God. Eventually his patient faith was rewarded.
Isaac never gave up hope that his Lord could make the impossible, poss ible. He had learned that his Lord would provide. So he continued to pray the same desperate prayer for a son, day after day, month after month, year after year. In fact, we learn in Genesis 25:21 that "Isaac pleaded with the Lord" (NLT), meaning he earnestly and strongly prayed about his problem. He did not half-heartedly ask God for a son, he pleaded! He begged. He poured his heart out.
I can envision Isaac passionately pleading to God throughout those twenty years, with out-stretched arms and a tear-stained face pressed against the hot, dirty soil, begging God to answer his prayer.
Isaac was surely tired of the wait, but he never stopped praying or believing that his dreams could come true. And in God's perfect timing, they did.
If you are tired of the wait, you may be pleading to God just like Isaac. It may take twenty years for God to answer our prayers, or it may only take twenty minutes. But today, let us find comfort in remembering Isaac's patient faith an d take hope in believing that God is not tired of hearing our prayers. Instead, He is simply waiting for the perfect time to answer.
Dear Lord, please help me have patience and faith while I wait to hear from You. Help me live in excited anticipation for the day when I will see how You answer my prayers. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Application Steps:Consider prayers that have not been answered, but which you have not prayed about lately. Ask God to give you a renewed hope about those desires and faithfully wait on His timing.
Reflections:Have I stopped praying about something because I've grown tired of waiting on God?
Power Verses:Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." (NIV)Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (KJV)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Conference Coming Up!

Augs---I loved your blog post--it is so so true and such a wonderful reminder! I also LOVE this Esther study---God is going to do great things with our Bible Study and he already has changed my life in so many ways already! :) I love yall so much and I truly cherish my Mondays and look forward to them every week! Anyways---I found some GREAT conferences online that I thought we should look into!

Ewomen--One of the Speakers is Sheri Rose Shepard (Author of the Letters from your King/Prince) http://www.ewomen.net/conference/2010-04-23/bi-lo-center

Also, I vote we go to the Passion City Church (Chris Tomlin's Church) in MARCH --NO EXCUSES! We've been wanting to go for SO long and I just know its going to be great and would be such a FUN roadtrip for our Bible Study! Let me know what you think about all of these. I hope yall are having a wonderful day so far---I can't wait to catch back up with you on Monday! Have a WONDERFUL Valentines weekend! All of you are my Valentine haha I love you! :)

-Mags

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Getting Carried Away

Goooood morning girlie girls!

First-I'm still so glad we are doing Esther. Caroline, MM, and I were talking about how much we liked it on the way out and I'm so excited for next week!

Second-I was looking back on my notes from last night and a verse in Jeremiah jumped out at me. Precious Beth talked about how the phrase "carried away" and being held in captivity. If you read further than the verse she referenced you will find "I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29:14

I think this verse is so neat because of how it aligns with the Ester study but also how it is so relevant in our lives. If all we do is seek the Lord He will bring us out of whatever it is we think we are being held captive in, in His own time.

Just a little something something for yalls day! Can't wait for next Monday!

Love,

august

Monday, January 18, 2010

Beth is on the Money!

Yesterday I also had another amazing devotion. It started off just right, with a scripture verse that is near and dear to a lot of our hearts....

"A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance." -John 10:10

I believe practically every little girl has at least four dreams: 1) to be a bride, 2) to be beautiful, 3)to be fruitful (which we usually define as having children), and 4) to live happily ever after. Boys have dreams that don't differ all that much. They also want a significant relationship and want to be considered handsome. Boys desire a legacy, and they certainly want to live happily ever after. But while Satan desires to destroy our dreams, God wants to surpass them. He gives us our dreams so we'll long for His reality.

**Nail on the head! :) I love it so much--and it is just a great reassurance for me to be patient and let God take complete control of every aspect of my life.

Just thought I would share! Hope today is incredible! -Mags :)

Footprints of Life :)

Hey girls! Okay, I had two great daily devos lately that I wanted to share with you!

"If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world." -John 11:9.

If we were able to go back and look at the footprints of our life, we'd see that sometimes we went back to look at old resentments and habits. Sometimes we chose our own path or wandered onto another person's path we liked better. At other times we simply stopped because we couldn't let go of something that we couldn't take with us. "But Father, we ended up okay even if I didn't walk with You every single day, didn't we?" He holds you close to His side and smiles, "Yes, child, we ended up okay. But you see, 'okay' was never all I had in mind for you."

**I think this is such a cool reminder that God is always with us, and no matter how far we may stray sometimes, we are always going to end up okay because He will take care of us. However, I loved the twist that it had that 'okay' is in no way what God intends for our lives...he has so much more planned for us--better than we can ever imagine. I think through our "Selah Seekers" we serve as such an incredible accountability team to each other, to live the lives that God intended us to live and to be the people that God intended us to be---and I think our faith and obedience will lead us to lives better than we could ever imagine! I love yall so much and I am so thankful for our friendships! See you tonight!