Tuesday Top Ten

Oh, you know you checked the blog today to see if I was going to post... betcha didn't think I would show up.  Well, making a special appearance from Elk City, Oklahoma...(drum roll, please) here is your Tuesday Top Ten.  In honor of this time of giving thanks, please allow this gushy mushy special top ten of why I love my life group sisters.  

Why I love my girls: ( in no particular order)

1. You bring coffee and some kind of yummy goodness to my house every other week.  (and fun creamers, too) 
2. You have given Catch Phrase a special place in my heart (you have never played this game until you play it with us)
3. Styrofoam peanuts (no need for further comment)
4. My house is guaranteed to get a good house cleaning at least every other week because of you.
5. There is nothing better than a room full of women getting in the Word together (talk about power!)
6. Laughter is medicine, so you help to keep me healthy :)
7. When I'm puking my guts out 1) you go and buy groceries for me 2)you decorate and create an entire room, pulling it off beautifully though by the skin of our teeth  (and these are two separate occasions of puking)
8. I can always count on you for encouragement just when I need it.
9. Road trips like Houston (hello Taco Cabana)-   gotta have another road trip soon.  with everyone.
10. And finally the very long, number one reason I love my peeps... With the crazy, chaotic pace of my life, the bottom line is there would be hardly any relationships in my life if it weren't for you.   I love the fact that I have a forced, scheduled time of interaction in my life every week.  A scheduled time to come and breathe.  Crawl through the door and sink into a chair. Drink coffee.  Be with friends and grow in the Lord together.  Laugh. If it weren't scheduled, it wouldn't be happening.  I would like to say that it would, but it wouldn't.  I love the fact that I have to be accountable to a bunch of beautiful, fabulous faces that will get in my business if need be.  That will check on me if they think something's wrong.  That I can hear a story about someone else's kid and feel relieved that I'm not losing my mind and they actually lived to tell about it.  And there was a time in my life that it wasn't there and it was a lonely place.  The bottom line is that we were created to be in relationship and do life together, and for some reason that becomes a very hard thing for us all to do.  Life is busy.  Kids are crazy.  Things going on.  Our own insecurities and relational "funk".  And then you look up and you have completely become out of touch with everyone in your life that means something and feel very alone.  But this is not me anymore thanks to you.  

So, in all seriousness, I wanted to take a second to say how thankful I am for each and every one of you.  I love how God has brought us together, I love what He has done in our lives, and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for us in the new year.   You have been such a tremendous blessing to me, and I cherish your friendship.  I know I can pick up the phone and call each and every one of you for anything and you would be there.  And I hope you know I will do the same.  I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me this week.  We have landed here in Elk City with my family and look forward to a few days of some R&R.  If I even remember how to do that.  Hope you guys have a great holiday.  

Love ya- Kacee

Finish Well

I have been reading Nehemiah since PJ is teaching on it Wednesdays.  (Don't worry, I am also doing my homework!)   I have a Joyce Meyer bible that I love!   I thought the comments she made about Nehemiah 6 was so awesome that I wanted to share it with you.

Nehemiah knew how to finish what he started, and God uses people who know how to complete what they have begun.  Many of us are good at starting, but not good at finishing.   The reason is simple, emotions motivate us and get us going, but it takes more than emotion to get us to the finish.  How long will we keep running after the emotions wear off?  Many of us stop right that minute, as soo as we no longer feel anything.

The beginning of a new thing is almost always exciting.  But it is not those who start the race in excitement who win; it is those who stick to it and make it across the finish line---- when nobody is excited anymore, when nobody is cheering them on, when their emotions are no longer supporting them, when they do not feel they can go on any longer, when it looks as if they will never make it to the end, when all they have left is that one word from God that got them started in the first place.  Those people are called FINISHERS!   

Wow!  Isn't that a great word!   No matter what we are doing .......   we need to be finishers.   As simple as with me and losing weight.   I have lost some weight....... it was fun at the beginning, but the emotions are wearing off.   I caught myself slipping into old habits.   STOP!    I want to be a finisher!!    This can be for any area that God has given you a word!   Stick with it!  Don't quit fighting!!    

Like PJ teaches us:  It's about doing the right thing, everyday, for a long time!

See you tonight.   Ruth

Tuesday Top Ten

Good afternoon, my beloved friends. (recognize that from Beth Moore?)  Just had a few minutes of solace and peace this afternoon sandwiched between a busy morning/busy evening.  Kind of like the eye in a hurricane I guess.  Eating up the goodness of the daily study from our book. I am so glad the study this week is on love.  The Lord is speaking some deep things to me concerning this that I feel is kind of like a word for us as we enter the new year.  But the thought is not yet complete so I will wait for the right time.  

Which brings me to another equally awesome but much more superficial subject.  I thought it would be fun to do some theme type things on the blog to encourage a little more interaction but not having to share anything overly personal or private.  I read Pastor Steve Murrell's blog (one of the head people of Every Nation and an amazing man) regularly and he always does a Tuesday Top Ten.  It's usually really random things, but sometimes they are following something he's talked about or something going on in the world.  So I thought that might be fun.  And you could play along if you wanted.  So, without further hesitation, my Tuesday Top Ten.  (although this was very hard to narrow to just ten considering this is my favorite time of year- I have many many more)

Top Ten Things I love about this time of year: (in no particular order of love)

1. Making pumpkin bread and sugar cookies
2. Bling and sparkle are appropriate in almost every possible circumstance you can think of (and even glorified- this one goes out to Robbye, my fellow lover of all things bling)
3. Waking up cold, therefore having to snuggle under the covers (which magically feel fluffier and comfy-er this time of year)
4. Stemming from #3, saving on electric bills so I can actually afford things like Christmas presents and food
5. All of the stores decorated and holiday-ish commercials on TV (and the fabulous sales and shopping that follow :) 
6. Everyone is just nicer this time of year- you can feel it in the air.  (maybe it's the Christmas music playing everywhere and people feel bad about being ugly with such pleasant and happy music playing)
7. Christmas music playing everywhere, including my house and car- come check out my collection sometime... it's impressive
8. More hot drinks which means I get to use my extensive and lovely collection of mugs (and usually add a few to it)
9. Putting up Christmas decorations- you name it, I love it- tree, singing snowman, stockings, and lights, lights and more lights.... there is a sparkle about Christmas lights that is just magical and makes you feel all warm inside  (I always threaten every year to leave them up all year and some usually wonder if I'm serious when it's February and they're still up)
10. Being with my family and thinking about fond childhood memories.  More recently, creating new memories and traditions with our own family and seeing our children fall in love with the season as well

Oh, and of course celebrating Jesus.  That goes without saying, doesn't it?  So, what do you think?  I probably could have listed 50 things (hmmm, maybe I will), but I'll stop for now.  I would have listed snow if we ever got any.  And my great love for scarves and hats, but I never get to wear them. Love to my peeps.

Kacee

Lillianna Jaylynne

Hey Ladies-
I just thought yall might like to see some adorable pics I took of Lillianna last night. She is precious and as you can see very cute. Keep Amy in your prayers, as many of you know how it is after having a baby, she if very tired. She is excited but needs some rest also.

I hope to see yall tonight if I can find a sitter for the kids. I dont think Juston is going to be home in time for me to get there. Have a blessed rest of the day and hope to see you later.

Liz

Where my party people at?

No, that wasn't bad grammar (the post title).... it is a line from one of my ghetto BodyJam songs.  Ah, friends.  I know the past couple of weeks could not have happened any other way than how they did, but I know I'm not the only one who's anxious to be with my peeps tomorrow night!  It has been quite the couple of weeks, indeed.  God is so good, and we've seen His goodness displayed through many avenues lately.  

Well, we'll be at my house tomorrow night.  Now that we're all out on the web and all, I am not posting my address.  If you don't remember it e-mail or call me.  Time to get back in Beth Moore mode.  If you have a spare moment or two, go back and look over some of your homework to refresh your memory.  Or, here's an idea: get caught up on it if you haven't finished it!  Might be a little late now, seeing as we've had two weeks to do that... Seriously, prepare your heart for the powerful words that will go forth.  Go back and read Galatians 5 and 6 again.  If you have a Message interpretation, read that.  If you don't, go to www.biblegateway.com and you can pull it up there- or a bazillion other translations for that matter.  Good online tool.  

Life has pulled us in many directions lately, so we have to refocus on our heart and how God is transforming and changing us all for the better.  I know between the 3-4 hours I've had to spend at the gym every day this week (and much earlier in the morning than I'd like to talk about) and all of the other events we've all had as a church family the precious and tender things God is doing in me have tried many times to slip through my fingers and disappear behind the busyness.   Or let sheer exhaustion and emotion take over and sabotage the areas I'm seeing victory in. Any relationship that's worth having you have to fight for, and this is no different than our relationship with God.  It's kind of sad to have to say that, because the Holy Spirit living inside of us should be so overpowering He drowns out all other things that pine for our affections and energy.  But God isn't the only one contending for our souls.  We have an adversary hard at work on that, as well as our own flesh that would love nothing better than to be in complete control and call all the shots.  But, as the scripture Beth Moore pointed us to in one of the studies, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  Victory belongs to you and me because it belongs to our Father.

Hope to see you tomorrow night.  You know it's gonna be good!  Love ya.

Archive to Older Posts

If you wanted to go back and check out the first few posts we had, follow the link below to the other page. (there's some good stuff on there if you didn't read before!)

http://lifehappeninghere.wordpress.com/

Hotness...

I'm sure most of you got this in an e-mail, but for those of you that missed....fun times. 

Soooo, a new week is peeking around the corner.  Hopefully you all got my invites to become an author to this blog, so you can just post any ol' time you feel like it.   I really would love to hear some thoughts besides my own :)  

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday night.  Love ya

This video is hilarious

I meant to post this with the last post (the one below I posted first)... totally random, but funny.  As fitness is my job I found this particularly funny, but I think it's even funnier that we have all felt like and been there on what he was saying.  This is courtesy of my husband and his never ending quest to find clean comics that are actually funny :)  Sorry it's not very good quality on the video, but it's still good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSztExIa0uk

Let's Try Again...

Good afternoon to you.  Well, I found this other site and I think it will actually show the comments you post under what I write, so I want to try this one.  I will link the other posts from the other site to this if we like this one better.  Today's guest blogger is the lovely Robbye Benningfield.  I am also posting a note from Ruth she sent out today for those that didn't receive it via e-mail.  There is so much floating around in my brain, but now is not the time for those thoughts to come out.  Perhaps soon.  Enjoy these other thoughts for now.  

Oh, and please leave comments so we can see how they post :)  Plus, I'd actually like to know who's reading this (i.e. am I just wasting my time doing this or do you actually enjoy it)  

Robbye:

I am pondering a lot of things this morning.  One I was snippy snappy with Jessica last night because she told me she wasn't coming to church.  I was tired and not yielded at that moment to what the Spirit wanted me to do.... so that put me in the position of judging and the carnal man.  I have asked the Lord to forgive me and Jessica.  Ladies hear my heart.... when we read Galatians 6.... face it I was not gentle or humble to encourage her to come to church.  The enemy wants Jessica BUT let me make it very clear that is not going to happen.  She came as most of you know and wasn't the service amazing.... there is not condemnation but for sure conviction lest we put ourselves in that position because we might face that very thing and need someone to encourage us to come to church and see what God has for us.   Be on guard.  This is work, hard work.   There is a cost and the rewards are amazing... we will not lack any good thing when we yield to the Lord and His work and purpose in our lives... I encourage each one of you to read once again the whole chapter of Galatians 6....... meditate on this..... I love each one of you so very much and have an amazing day on purpose

And from Ruth:

I want you to know that we have the best spiritual family ever!!  You all are awesome!!

I wanted to write a note because I am not able to answer all the calls during the day.

The Gregory family is doing just fine!  Last night, during church, while you all were praying, we were having a family meeting  Doris finally came to the acceptance that it is time for Sam to go.  We felt the prayer.

It may be today or may be tomorrow, but we are anxious for Sam to do his freedom dance with Jesus.  (you would have had to be in my mind during my walk this morning to see that) It's during these difficult times that we really see God's goodness and glory.  

As you pray for us today, please pray the Glory of God will fall on that room when Sam's spirit goes to heaven.  That the pain will turn to joy!  God will give Doris His great comfort!  That her grieving will be short and she will live the rest of her life full and joyful as Sam would desire her to.

Next week is party week.  First we will celebrate (party) the life of one of the most awesome men ever to live.  Asher's birthday is Monday the 10th.  Next Saturday the 15th, we are giving her a birthday blow out in the youth room.  Everyone who wants to come is invited.  Even if you don't like the Jonas Brothers, because we will play a Jonas concert on the big screen.

Anyway, we love you all dearly.  Our love for our church body is growing daily!

If you can imagine feeling heavy grief along with comfort and joy, full of faith, only our God can provide feelings like that.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD.