Monday Message: Living is Christ, Dying is Gain!

 Philippians 1:21-26 (NRSV)

"For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.  I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.  Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again."

Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we should be living for Christ!  In death, we will be with Him eternally and we owe our lives to Him.  It is in Christ that I find peace.  Whenever I make a conscious effort to remember His presence in my life throughout the day, my day is better for it.  I wish it were easier to do, and I will strive to do this every moment that I live!

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Hope you have a wonderful week!  Little Man has an allergist appointment in the morning.  I am hoping to convince the doctor to check him for his peanut allergy again...I pray that he has already outgrown it, or does so before the age of 2!! (There's a much less chance of outgrowing the peanut allergy after 2).

Monday Message: Still, Small Voices

 When do you really feel the presence of God?

When you see a beautiful sunset?

When you are surrounded by family and close friends?

When you are doing something to help another person?

The message yesterday was wonderful for me.  The passage was 1 Kings 18:20-19:15.

Elijah had proven to the people who believed in a false god (Baal) that his God was the one true God.  

When they believed him, Elijah had the prophets of Baal killed.  

Then he got scared because he knew their queen would want revenge. 

So he hid. (I think this is what we do when we know that we aren't leading the life we should be...)

While he was hiding (in a type of cave), a strong, powerful wind came by...

but Elijah didn't feel the presence of God in the wind.

Then a hurricane came...still no presence of God felt...

Then a fire...no God.

Then Elijah heard a still, small voice...and that's when he got the courage to come out of hiding and face the troubles that he had made.  In the still, small voice, he heard God.

I feel the presence of God many times throughout the day...but I feel his presence the most in moments of gentle stillness...through the sound of sheer silence.  I want to make sure I keep my daily communication with God open by making time for silence!

The message challenged us by asking, "Will we be people of faith?"

Will we live for God on a daily basis...

or will we limp between living for God and living for self?

Something to think about...

Happy Monday Y'all!

Monday Message: Be Content!

 I want to start by sharing some great news! Little Man is walking! He still crawls more than he walks, but on Saturday, he took 18 consecutive steps on his own.  The mister and I were both sitting on the floor across the room from each other.  I was holding Little Man and told him to walk to Daddy.  He was a little wobbly the first few times, but then he started getting the hang of it.  I would back up as he was coming to me and make him walk a little further.  When he would get to one of us, he would scream really loudly until we screamed too, and then he would clap and want to do it again!  

Many of the folks at church ask me each week if he's walking yet, so I was happy to let them show the answer yesterday!

On another note, this past week has been a real trial for me.  I have really had to learn to trust in God and believe that He truly knows what is best.  I do try to take control and want things to work out to my timeline and my desires, but that's not always His plan.  

A few friends have sent me Bible verses this week to help me through my struggle, and they will serve as my Monday Message:

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Philippians 4:11 Learn to be content...whatever the circumstances.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Monday Message: Praying for Others (and an update on Little Man!)

 Little Man and I were visiting my family in Charlotte this weekend, and we went to a new church with my parents and sister.  They said they really like the church because of the message that is given each week.  I completely agreed.  The sermon really inspired me to want to deepen my relationship with Christ and reminded me to make Christ the focus of my life!  

Some of the great points in the message from Colossians 1: 9-14

-We should walk in a way that is pleasing to God!  Our walk should be structured and discliplined, but we should avoid synchrotism.  I love this.  I don't want my spiritual life to be like a chore list that I check off, but more of a disclipined path where I use my relationship with Christ to make every decision!

-We should bear fruit in every good work! One of the amazing things about Christianity is that we are saved by grace through faith.  Does this mean we should just go and do whatever we want because we are saved anyway.  No...we aren't saved BY good works, but FOR good works.  If you are a Christian and you have a true relationship with Christ, then you will want to serve others and do good works.

-Christianity is about relationship. The mister and I talk about this a lot.  We have the one religion where God came to meet us where we are.  He became one of us.  Instead of doing everything we can to reach Him, He reached out to us and sent his son to die for us!  So we should treat every relationship we have like we would treat Christ.  That is something to think about!

  While we were with GiGi and Grandaddy this weekend, my mother said, "We are going to get him to walk!"  I told her I didn't want to push him because he gets mad and then doesn't want to at all.  But lo and behold, he ended up taking steps by himself!!  He would only walk from me to GiGi or GiGi to me when we had a goldfish or something of interest, but his best was 5 steps in a row!  I got him to do that again for the mister today!  So excited!!

He also pushed his Walk and Ride all around the house today...which he has NEVER done, so that is a big accomplishment.  Any bets on when he'll really take off? :)

Hope y'all had a great Monday!

(P.S. We had a big snow here today and everything is pretty much shut down through tomorrow...more pictures to come!)

Monday Message: Joy to the World!

 For many people, Christmas is a time of joy!  But it can also be a time of grief, pain, heartache, and loneliness for others.  Whenever you are out and about, look for someone who could use a little bit of joy and give them a smile or a helping hand!

There have been many orders for personalized signs lately, and I am working on them!  It is so fun to see what quotes people want to see or other creative ideas they have!

The most recent suggestions and/or orders:

"When life gives you scraps, make a quilt!"

"I love making memories that I can't remember with the friends I will never forget!"

"A.J. - Santa's Chief Elf"

"Grandkids spoiled here!"

"A simple toy, one which even a child can operate, is called a grandparent!"

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Little Man has kept us busy lately!  Yesterday and today, he has been letting go of whatever he has been holding onto and clapping for long periods of time!  Yay!! I'm hoping this will turn into walking soon! And yes, I have heard that I probably don't want him walking yet, but it would be so nice not to have to put him in and out of a stroller if I just need to run in somewhere real quick! :)  And my back has been bothering me a little because I carry him around when we are out and about so much!  So hopefully on his 15 month update next week, I can say, "He's walking!"

 Still one of his favorite things to do

And he loves to help Mama unload the dishes! 

Sleeping while out to eat after church last week! 

 His new hat! (From Mimi's Babies on etsy!)

And I miss my long hair already...I asked for a two inch cut, and for some reason she cut off six inches!  I'll post some pics later.  I have been growing out forever and had planned on giving to locks 4 love again soon!

 Don't eat your shoes!!

Getting pushed around in the wheely high chair at Moe's :)

Happy Monday Y'all!

Monday Message: The Advent Conspiracy!

Christmas can [still] change the world.

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened?

What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose.  Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

The concept behind Advent Conspiracy is simple:

Worship Fully

Spend Less

Give More

Love All

(Text and images are from www.adventconspiracy.org)

Yesterday, we had our "Hanging of the Greens" service at church.  This is a service in which we prepare the Sanctuary for Christmas, for Christ's birth.  The wreaths are hung, the poinsettias are placed on the steps, the star is lit, and the nativity scene is put together.  Christmas carols are sung, the Christmas story is read, and the choirs sing.  It is one of my favorite services all year long!  

The Advent Conspiracy was mentioned at the beginning of the service, but a lesson was given earlier in the year in which this video was shown:

Think about it!  

Hope everyone had a good and safe Thanksgiving weekend!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Monday Message

This may sound kinda bad, but we had a guest preacher yesterday and he was a little long-winded, so I may have tuned out just a little bit during the sermon.  We all have days like that right??  But, the scripture that was read is my favorite scripture...so I'll share it with you:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

I also wanted to let you know that I have more signs up in the Etsy shop!  I made lots of new ones for a craft fair this past weekend.  I was happy to sell 20 signs!  

I have new Christmas signs! These are just a few:

I also have signs for teachers, like these:

If you need gifts for teachers, coworkers, family, or friends, please keep these in mind!

Mama's Messages Etsy Shop

Happy Monday!

 

Monday Message: Challenged by Faith!

Yesterday, I went to the church I grew up in with my family and Little Man.  I love going back to see all of the people who were so important in my life growing up!  Everyone was excited to see Little Man, but the weird part for me was when I had to take him to the nursery.  The past times I have been back, I just brought him into the service with me, but I didn't think he would sit so quietly yesterday.  My parents went in and got us seats while I went to the nursery.  Little did I know, our church has changed so much!  Instead of the room where I thought Little Man would go, there was a brand new building for the children. I was able to quickly find his room, but got pretty emotional on my way back to the sanctuary just thinking how fast time goes by and how quickly things change!

(Photo Credit)

Anyway, the preacher yesterday really brought up a good point that I think everyone should think about!  The question he asked us is, "Does your faith bring about reactions from others?"  In other words, if we just live our lives day to day and no one ever questions us about the way we act or what we do, are we truly living the life Christ has taught us to live?  But if we stand out and are different because of our values and the way we treat people, we will attract others to Christ!  For me, this says that the Christian lifestyle presents an alternative to the world.  It is a way of life that meets the exact needs of the world.  A world where peace, love, and reconciliation reign, rather than greed, coercion, and domination of both people and the environment.

Have a blessed week!

Monday Message: God Wants Your Time

The message yesterday really reminded me of this post from Webbisodes.  It really makes you think about how you spend your time!

(Photo Credit)

In addition to that, each week in our church bulletin there is a "meditation" for us to think about during the prelude.  This was the meditation yesterday:

"We are in a struggle for the soul of the church in America, a struggle between God's narrative, with God at the center, and my narrative, with self at the center.  The narrative of American narcissism tells us that nothing is more important than the self.  By contrast, God's narrative tells us that we will only become what we are meant to be when we submit ourselves to His story."  -Robert E. Webber-

Monday Message: God Wants Your Possessions

Yesterday was Children's Sabbath at our church, and the little kids sang sweet songs!  They were so adorable... I teared up thinking about when my son will be old enough to be singing up there!  

The sermon continued with the series about God wanting our possessions.  It really made me think about what I have and how I am using it for God.  The real thing that got me was when he talked about priorities.  If you make a list of your priorities in life and really look at it...whatever is in the number one spot is usually something that you are putting above God.  Not only are you putting it above God...it is your God. We truly need to think about our priorities and put God first.  Not only first, but in and among every priority we have on our list.  Something to think about... :)

Hope you have a wonderful start to the week! Happy Monday!

Monday Message: God Wants Your Mind!

My pastor is doing a sermon series on what God wants from us...first, God wants your heart, then your body...and yesterday, he talked about God wanting our minds.  In order to give God our minds, we need to always be willing to listen to others and learn to see things from a Christian perspective.  We should think things which are pure.  Giving God our minds is so important to our spiritual formation.  It is so easy to get caught up in the thoughts of the world, but Romans 12:2 says it best: 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect."

On another note, our house is somewhat back to normal now (after all being sick)!  I still have lots of laundry and cleaning to do, "messages" to make, and organizing to do!  But, by the end of the week I hope to feel a little more relief in my own home!  

Little Man and I have had fun spending time together, and we have a lot on the schedule this week.  I subbed for someone at work today, and I am working Tuesday and Thursday, and going to a bible study on Wednesday.  I am really looking forward to the weekend and it's only Monday!!  

Hope you all have a happy Monday!  Happy Columbus Day!

Monday's Message: Use your Body!

The message yesterday was about how we need to respect our bodies because God gave them to us!  We need to use them for his service, and in order to do that, we need to take care of them!  Do not be obsessed with how you look, but make sure that you are healthy.  I think this is a very important message.  It is so true.  If we don't respect our own body, how can we use it to the best of our abilities for God?

(One year ago today...wow how things change!)

On another note, after church yesterday we met some people at a Mexican restaurant (yeah...after hearing to take care of our bodies...I ate cheese dip, an enchilada, and rice!)  But if you recall, we have been having a hard time getting Little Man to eat anything except for baby food, cereal and Baked Lays.  We decided the chips at the restaurant would probably be okay after he practically begged for them when he saw us eating them.  Well, we were wrong...after just a few bites, he gagged, and lots came back up.  Only Puffs after that!  And then Mrs. Lou asked if she could give him a bite of her chicken.  I was nervous because of what had just happened, and he has never tried chicken before...but he loved it!! No gagging and he even wanted more.  I am so happy to know I can feed him chicken now...I just want him to start getting table fruits and veggies soon! :)  His one year check up is on Thursday, so I will definitely have some questions for the pediatrician.

Happy Monday Y'all!

Monday Message

On my way back to my parent's house, after a quick trip to Party City (trying to get ready for Little Man's birthday party next Sunday...they didn't have what I needed), I saw this:

Yes, this guy was riding all around South Charlotte (I saw him about 10 times on Saturday) backwards on his handlebars!  That is some talent! (And yes, I pulled out my camera at the stoplight to snap a pic!)

Anyway, we had a great weekend with family for my Dad's birthday...more pictures to come later this week!

(Little Man was already asleep before we started celebrating)

And the message at my home church was wonderful.  Little Man sat with us through the service and did great (much to our surprise!)

The sermon was about (mis)communications...which is what a lot of us seem to have problems with in our relationships!  He told a funny story about the miscommunication about the abbreviation "W.C." It means water closet (aka bathroom) in Europe...but after researching a man thought it meant "Wesley Chapel," and invited the woman to join him for singing in his "W.C."

My husband and I definitely know that we need to work on communication with each other, but we really do try.  It's mainly over misinterpreting tone for us, or our lack of interest in each other's passions sometimes.

The main message of the pastor's sermon was about communicating with people you do not understand...the people you fear...the people who are different from you...the people you hate.

Jesus taught us to love our enemy, which can be a very hard thing to do, and to love those you fear!  It is simple to preach, but hard to carry out.  Simple, yet so important...especially today.

Something to think about....Have a great week!

Oh and I almost forgot!  While I am usually pretty boring when it comes to nail polish (I like to stick to many shades of pink...and not normally venture from my comfort zone!), I am sporting my teal toes (with a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness) for Ovarian Cancer Awareness!  Check out TealToes.org!

Happy Monday!

Monday Message: The Light of the World

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

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God is our light.  He is the source of our strength as Christians.  It is our job to reflect His light to the world!  

Happy Monday!    

Monday Message: Baby Dedication

Yesterday, The Mister, Little Man (Baby W's new blog name!), and I went to Little Man's cousin Seth's baby dedication!  We left on Saturday because we spent the night at Papa and Grandmama's house.  On the way, I realized I had forgotten Little Man's Sunday clothes, so because we were going shopping anyway, I had a good excuse to get a new outfit for him! :)

Grandmama told us to check out Hamrick's because they sometimes have good sales with the baby clothes.  She was right! It was very successful.  I bought Little Man an adorable Seersucker suit that was 50% off, and decided to buy one for Seth too!

Seth's dedication was wonderful.  He is a beautiful baby boy with two wonderful parents who are doing a great job of raising him!!  

Happy Monday!