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Do you remember the saying that beauty is skin deep? That is the world’s beauty economy. In God’s beauty economy, He tells us that he wants women to be women of virtue, diligence, skill, wisdom, piety, and have fear of the Lord. Generosity and inner beauty are also a part of a woman’s virtue. She is an excellent woman and a wonderful gift from God. Don’t we all want to be wonderful women of God? I know I sure do. I want my virtue to appear graceful and associated with inner beauty. I want my inner beauty to be more important than my physical beauty. I Peter 3:1-6. Our inner beauty should grow over time. Time spent alone with God, prayer time, and time in the Word are important in our journey to become strengthened in our inner beauty.

Does this mean that we don’t have to worry about our daily appearance that much? After all, if we are home with children, we do well to have clothes on to cover us up some days. Or what if we are domestic empty nesters? Does that mean we don’t have to worry about it because we are at home alone and no one will see us anyway? What happens if someone drops by? We are wishing we had taken the time to present ourselves better for the day! I am guilty of this myself. Have you ever ran to town without makeup only to see everybody you knew? I think we all have those days once in while where we just do nothing, and that is also good for us. But taking care of our body inside and out is vital to our over-all sense of well-being. Eat well, keep your skin fresh and shining, rest well, and take those moments for yourself to create beauty in your life.  It really goes a long way to make EVERYTHING go better! The best way that I can be an example of a woman of beauty, is to take actions in my life to make that evident. God has given us this “temple” for a season of life on earth. How are we taking care of  this temple so we can be about the work that He as for us to do? Are we cleaning the temple and caring for it daily? We need to. We are a complex body that needs attention to be at optimum. I can tell you it will change the whole way you look at your life if you listen to your body and your heart. What do you need to work on to become a woman of inner beauty as well as outer beauty?

It is a proven fact that when we look good, we feel more confident. I have a ritual that I do twice a week to help me feel good about how I look. I give myself a facial two times each week. I do this at home with products that I use. It keeps my skin looking great and feeling healthy. I have a great bath soap that I use on my skin so it doesn’t get dry. It’s in the little things that we do. Getting a hair cut or color. It just lifts us up. Treat yourself well and nurture your outward physical body, but remember the most important part; inner beauty. Even today, do it! Remember, we are excellent women, and a wonderful gift from God! Amen!

This Mother’s Day, I spent the day at the beach. There were relatives gathering together to share what is new in their lives and to see kids that are growing up so quickly. What a joyous time it was for everyone to see each other again! Memories abound as we talk about fun times of the past that have shaped us into who we are today.  I think it is important to connect more often. Taking time to learn where we have come from  in terms of our lives, from the people who have lived it longer then us. I enjoyed the day very much! Lots of laughs, a little music, great food and fellowship. THAT’S what it is all about.

In this time at the beach, I also listened as my grandson insist on putting on his swim suit so he could go swimming. His parents had warned him it might be pretty cold, but he didn’t think so. He just ran with abandon right into the water with the water splashing as he went. There was no surprise on his face when he hit the water. He just laughed and keep on going. He was free!

I was thinking how we each came to the day of Mother’s Day with our own burdens and cares and how wonderful it would be if we could look at life just as Ethan looked at the water. He saw only the water and all the fun and enjoyment he could have. He wasn’t thinking how cold it would be. He was going for it! If we could look at our lives that same way, how many changes would we make? How many different things would we try? Would we rest and fellowship more often? Would we laugh more and be challenged more? And most of all, would we ENJOY life more? I think we would.

I have vowed that I will look at my life through eyes like Ethan. I will abandon myself to the joy of living and run head long into life without worrying about any surprises. Just enjoy the moment. I know I can trust the One who has me in His hands. He will keep me and guard me in all my ways when I acknowledge Him in my life. Are you ready to run into the water with me? I hope so. Join me. The water is fine! Ready…set…GO!!!

Many years ago when I worked for Joyce Meyer Ministries, I heard her give a teaching in which she made a statement that really resonated with me. She talked about how she was through with the past and she was moving on with God. She said, “I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!” I was in a hard place at that time and it really spoke to me about my need to take my stand against the plan of the evil one. I wrote down the thought so I could remember it. When I got home I put it up in my office and as I looked at it, I thought of what she said and these word came to mind:

I’m Not Slippin’ and Slidin’ No More!

I was steeped in sin and all the wrong thoughts

But God brought me out and His Word to me taught.

I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

When satan tries hard to pull me down

I stand back up and adjust my crown.

I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

The path may be rocky and winding around,

But I can now stand on His Holy Ground.

I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

As I walk with the Lord and read in His Word,

I am grounded and steadfast and given reward.

I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

God holds me up every single day,

He listens intently whenever I pray.

I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

So satan you have no hold on me,

I can now tell your legions of demons to flee!

Because, I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

Praise God! I’m not slippin’ and slidin’ no more!

I love to be creative! But there are people out there that just have creative minds that think of ideas that no one else would think of. I love that kind of thinker. Now me, if you give me an idea of what you would like to do, my mind will just take off! I am good at re-using items for various purposes. I love to come up with ideas. But there are just some paths it seems, that my mind doesn’t travel towards. Today, I found one of those kind of items. I just love the creativity of this piece! It is stretching creativity to the max! But you know what? I can also imagine it in my home very easily! THAT would be a great conversation piece!

When I see these kinds of things, it just reminds me of what creative talents and gifting God has given us. To think we use so little of our brains and we still come up with such great ideas! How good He is to plant those in us. He commands us to use our gifts and talents for Him and what He commands, He will enable us to do. So get out of that box ladies and enjoy some creative time. Who knows? You might be the next creative idea that catches my eye for a picture!

I have been busy planning a wedding…my brother and future sister-in-law. It has been a fun and busy time and it is great to see all their wishes for their special day come together. I wonder as I plan this, if the time of planning a wedding is a precursor to what working things out in a marriage relationship will be for their future. You have to learn to compromise and keep even temperaments during these times because emotions are high. It’s kind of give and take; a dance. You can’t be mad at someone and dance with them. It would be difficult to say the least. But in a dance you are holding each other, usually in close proximity, and moving together with the rhythm of the music. Back and forth, turning around, and in and out. Life is like that too. We have to move through it together. We have dance to the rhythm of life. We have to side step the unexpected and move around it. We move out from each other but we always come back together.

So as this journey of their life begins, it gave me pause for thought. Do I still dance the dance of life as I did in the beginning? Are there things in my life that need to change to move in better rhythm to the dance with my sweetheart? The theme for my marriage is the word “Dance”. I don’t ever want to forget that life is a dance and I want to do it together with the one I love. There is no better music and dance then that.

Dance on Keith and Mylan!

This weekend while I spent a good share of it laying down, I was privileged to watch a servant’s heart. My husband Terry has been doing all the things I would normally try to do, plus he has been working on the completion of our bathroom. But it the midst of all the tasks he did, he always brought breakfast to me, lunch, and even had candles lit for dinner that night. What a guy! And then it happened. I came back in to lay down and was going to take a drink of some CranRaspberry juice and it slipped out of my hand and fell over the white, fluffy rug that lays along my side of the bed. What does he do? Quietly goes and gets some cleaner and gets down on his hands knees and cleans the rug. He doesn’t say anything about how it happened because to him, mistakes are just that mistakes. And accidents are called accidents because they are.

It was a good picture of how we all should be with our significant others in our lives. I have always appreciated Terry’s servant heart and it has taught me a lot about what a servant heart is. God wants us to have that kind of heart in our daily lives toward others. It is what He would do. No complaints, just a quiet bending of the knee to clean up our mess. I challenge you this week to find ways to honor your spouse or children in a special way to show your servant’s heart to them. You can be a living example to them so they will see it modeled right in their own home. God bless you on the journey to a servant’s heart.

As I glance out my office window today, I can see Mt. Baker. It isn’t perfectly clear because I have to look through some small trees and branches to see it. But I know it’s there and so when I look, it is easy for me to find it. I am familiar with what it looks like so it’s easy for me to recognize that beautiful mountain that I have come to love.

It is kind of like that with our relationship with God if we know Him as our personal Savior. If we spend time getting to know Him through His Word or by praying to Him and listening for His voice, we can recognize Him speaking to us. Just as I am familiar with the sight of Mt. Baker and can easily recognize its peak through the lightly wooded area, I can learn to recognize God’s voice or leading because I have become familiar with it. I know what He sounds like to me.

It is easy to let other things come before Him in our lives, but as I looked out the window at the mountain, I felt like God spoke to my heart to remind me again that He is the One who MADE that mountain. He wants to be first in our lives. He wants me to become so familiar with His voice that I will recognize it and not be led in a wrong direction when bombarded with so many false teachings. Just like I can see the mountain because I have grown familiar with its stature, we can all know God so well that we are totally familiar with his direction for our daily lives. Just as on a sunny day, the sun makes it easier for me to see the mountain through the branches, so the Holy Spirit will shed light on God’s Word to help us to see Him more clearly. On those days when the sun doesn’t shine, which can be a fair amount where I live, then I have to be familiar with that mountain enough to recognize it in any weather.

It is an awesome journey, isn’t it? Aspire to a higher, fuller life that is nearer to God!  Seek Him.

I was thinking today about how I influence people. How do I encourage people for Christ? It seems to me that I have to first be the person that others would want to talk to and to be around. People will talk because we are social beings and its conversations that connect us. At the base of our existence is a deep need to connect with others, our own hearts and minds, and also to connect deeply with God. We see how word of mouth can be used in social media, TV, shopping venues and all of those areas of service.  We eat at a great restaurant and we want to tell someone about it. We get a good product and we want to share it with someone else so they can enjoy the same product. It has been proven why these social media programs have become so popular. We DO have a need to connect. How does that same idea measure up to how I model my Christian faith to others? If we know face to face is one of the best ways to share and make connections, so what are we doing to make sure we have that face to face connection more often? How do we measure up to that level of connection?

We have many types of people in our church family. We have those who are true connecting type individuals. They know many of the people and they make great people to have conversations with. We also have people who are the informative type. You can count on them to have knowledge of many things, the latest technology or they have read something interesting and they like to share it. We have people who are great persuaders and they are good at drawing people out and usually pretty good at having the ability to influence those they chat with. So with all these skills in our own body of Christ, why aren’t these same skills transferred to influencing or encouraging those around us for Christ?

I know for myself, I want to be a good example of Christ to others. I have many areas where  I need to allow God to work but I don’t want to wait until I get all in line to share what God is doing currently in my life. Maybe we don’t do more connecting because we might lack is self-confidence or we have a fear of rejection. I know for myself, I am not great at evangelizing, but I am a good encourager. So I can use that skill to share and connect with others. We don’t want to keep encouragement or praise for what God is doing in our lives a secret. We want to spread the good news. If Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or any other social media, can be so successful at using our time, then surely we can give equal time to connecting with others that may need you. I am a BIG social media connector. I love it and find it is a great way to have ministry. But look to these things asking God to help us use it in a positive way. We can then ask him to better prepare us for how He wants us to connect; to be a noticer.  Email someone, text someone, Facebook someone…it can be a great way to reach out to encourage and uplift others. But remember, the face to face is the best way to connect. People are listening. People are watching. Let’s give them a reason to connect with us, both out in the world and in our own church family.

I am finally getting back to my blog! It’s been a very crazy couple weeks! But I recently had a chance to get away for a weekend and that was so refreshing and fun for me. There is something about getting away from the daily environment that changes our thinking and attitude. One of the best benefits for me was to have the time to “think” and “reflect” on my life, where I am and where I want to go. I really prayed and asked God to reveal to me the areas that He wants me to work on or enhance in the future. He is so gentle to speak when I get quiet enough to listen.

One of the areas I feel I am supposed to pursue more is my poetry. I have enjoyed writing poetry since I was in early high school. I have always found pleasure in writing it. I have used it in so many areas of my life and shared many of my poems with others. But over the last 10 years or so, I have not written much at all. So I really felt that God wanted me to use that expression again in various ways. So I got my book out again, which has many of my poems, ready for my next inspiration! So don’t be surprised if you see some show up here at some time in the future!

Another thought I heard was that I should seek to be an encourager among my church family, as well as my immediate family and friends. So I am praying that  God will use me in that way among women in my church. I will build up my stash of cards and my computer will be ready so that I can share a word fitly spoken to someone who needs it.

I learned that I am to be aware of the legacy that I leave behind me. I have spoken of this before and God brought it to my attention again this last weekend. So I will be “noticing” more of what I need to do to make that happen in my life.

My photography is another area of fun that I enjoy. After this weekend, I feel I am to use my pictures to inspire others. I still have a lot to learn. I do not consider myself to be even an amateur professional, but I love it enough to want to pursue it. I also want to learn more about how to enhance my photos as well. So I will seek to learn as much as possible through ways that are cost effective for me at this time. My goal is to purchase a DSLR camera very soon!

The last one that I will share is regarding music. Music has the ability to lift me up in all circumstances. It has been that way for me all of my life. Music is what lifts me out of the miry clay when I feel I am in the quick sand. I have many instruments and I felt that God wanted me to put them to good use. So out they have come and some repair will be done on a couple of them. I am ready to make music unto the Lord in ways that I used to enjoy doing.

So, do you think my weekend was worth it? I sure do! I hope you will be inspired to take some time, even an afternoon, if you can’t get away a weekend, and ask God what He would like to tell you. Where does He want you to go? What would He like for you to be about doing? He will tell you. You might be surprised at where He leads or you might just feel at home with His ideas knowing that those things are your passion anyway, and you just need to pick them up again. Isn’t it wonderful that He cares about us enough to want to communicate His desires for us? We know that He wants what is best for us anyway! God bless you as you seek Him for the answers!

remember: Have in or be able to bring to one’s mind an awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past.

A day or two ago, the thought of the word remember came to my mind along with many thoughts about what it means in my life. I felt I was supposed to share it with others. When I think of the above definition of the word remember, I think about God in His faithfulness. I also think of the people in my life who have sewn seeds and what all the various items that they may have given or done for me, mean to me now, today. I am the type of person that loves to have things that have been given to me or that mean something to me, out on a shelf or table or on a wall in my home. It is a constant reminder to me of God’s goodness, the people they that are represented by these items, and that is good to remember.

There are many important times that scripture has used the word “remember”. Here are a few:

Remember God’s covenant  is mentioned two times.

Remember the Sabbath Day.

Remembering that they were slaves in Egypt.

Remember the wonders He has done.

Remember His mercy.

Remember this; fix it in our minds.

Our sins are remembered no more mentioned two times.

In wrath, remember His mercy.

We should continue to remember the poor.

When through our prayers, God brings a name to remember.

Remember Jesus raised.

So, I think God wants us to remember, and use our “remembers” for building stability in our lives. We get so busy in our everyday lives, that we forget to bring out the past into our lives as a way to learn and to grow. It can be used by God to be our teacher. So let’s look for a moment at this word of remember in our lives. It might be someone who has touched our lives, maybe things we have grown up around that bring us pleasure and joy, a story, music, a phone call, traditions or whatever. But we do need to remember what God has told us to remember. Maybe He is calling you to study scripture and memorize verses so that you can bring joy to yourself with His Word at just the right time. Maybe He wants to remind you that you are loved and your sins are remembered no more. Or maybe you have lost a loved one and you feel a bit adrift. He wants you to remember your loved one, and what they meant in your lives, as a way to know God’s goodness. I love to remember and bring those key moments to others. As you read this, take a moment to enjoy that place of “remember”. One of my favorite places to “remember” is when I am at the ocean. God wants to teach us, through the remembering, of His great faithfulness to us. I pray this will speak to you today as it has spoken to me.