Anointed Transformed Redeemed

Yesterday was the beginning of 10 weeks of Kids Small Groups {or KSG} for Jacob and a Beth Moore study for me.

I am extremly excited to be doing another bible study and even more excited that Jacob gets to participate in his very own bible study this year!

It is called Anointed Transformed Redeemed: A Study of David.
Here is what the Lifeway website says about the study: contains the audio and video portions of the Deeper Still conference featuring Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur. You’ll laugh with them, cry with them, and learn to love God with them. These authors' messages are divided into three segments, two lessons each. Each segment focuses on the life of David at a different stage of his life: as a young man (by Priscilla Shirer), as a middle-aged man (by Beth Moore), and as a man facing the final third of his life (by Kay Arthur). You'll laugh with them, cry with them, and learn to love God with them.

And Even though he has only been once, Jacob is really enjoying his class and talks about wanting Jesus in his heart.
Makes me teary eyed thinking about it.

I am also loving my bible study!

Our first lesson was done by Priscilla Shirer. 
She is such an amazingly gifted woman who has a wonderful way of teaching and making you crave more.

She talked about how David knew for certain that the Lord had established him as king. And that no one can take away what the Lord has established or ordained. That God has to be the center of what we are doing. She talked about ‘God Consciousness’ which is setting up the presence of God into everything we do on a daily basis, inviting Him into every corner of who we are.

I can’t wait until next week!

P.S. I even enjoy the homework :)

Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live

This last Saturday I attended Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live simulcast. And I wanted to show you parts of my day through the lens of my iPhone.

Have I told you how much I love Beth Moore? Well I do!

My BFF and I attended the simulcast at a small church in a neighboring town. I was shocked that more churches in our area were not having one, but that may have been due to the fact that she was only like 2 hours from here!

The day was wonderful! They had breakfast, lunch and snacks for you to munch on throughout the day and childcare. Michael took the day off to watch the boys for me so I could enjoy myself, and while I was gone he cleaned the house! I’m talking scrubbed baseboards and washed windows cleaned too. Have I told y’all how much I love him? Well I do! A lot!

The simulcast was amazing, just as I expected it to be. The message came out of Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-5. The seven points of the day were:
1. We were created for good company.
2. An individual calling can only be fulfilled in a ‘we’ context.
3. God never overlooks a single ‘me’ in the bigger ‘we’.
4. Jesus became a friend of sinners so we could become a friend of God.
5. We can revel in the certainty of the things that we’ve been taught.
6. Jesus has passes us the salt also.
7. We can ALSO be many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive.

This woman here is one of the best friends I have ever had. She is truly an amazing woman. She is wonderful at all she does. She makes me want to be not only a better wife and mother, but a better person. She is like the big sister that I never had.

I met a lot of wonderful ladies. They were all so sweet and welcomed everyone with open arms. If I lived there, I would definitely attend church there.

A Very Blessed Thursday

Look at those faces!!
God has blessed me above and beyond with these two boys!

Today I started this wonderful bible study at a local church!
It’s crazy. The past couple of weeks I have had this deep desire to learn more and dig deeper into God’s word. I just haven’t felt like my spiritual needs are being met. I have never had a burning desire like this before and was not sure what to do, so I started searching local churches for woman’s bible studies. Then I came across this one. It meets on Thursday mornings and they have childcare! Yay!  I am two weeks behind though so I have some catching up to do, but I am so glad that I decided to jump in instead of not doing it just because I am behind. So far I absolutly love this study. I will keep you updated as the study progresses.

Also, today I signed up to join MOPS!
These last couple of weeks as I have been digging deeper in my spiritual journey I got to thinking about how wonderful it would be to have some ‘mommy friends’ that I share things in common with. And I remembered a conversation I had with a friend of mine about how she was a part MOPS. She told me that I needed to sign Tyler up now so I would have a slot for him come September. So, I immediately called her and asked a million questions. Then I called the church to track down the lady in charge and guess what?? They had an open slot! Yay! I can’t wait to start this new ‘mommy adventure’!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 8!

You may notice that I am missing Siesta Scripture numbers 6 and 7. And trust me I feel horrible about it. I am going to try and get caught up, but before I do I am going to post number 8, and I’m even 5 days late on this one! But, I am already planning mine for the 1st of the month.

Even though I have not been keeping up with my Siesta Scriptures, I have been reading my Bible almost every night, doing a Beth Moore study and trying to read more in depth after our sermons on Sundays. So, I’m not slacking completely.

If you would like to read all the wonderful verses that everyone has submitted, head on over to Beth’s blog Living Proof Ministries to check it out. And I am getting so excited because Living Proof Live is only a little over 4 months away.

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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

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Our Redeeming Love Journey

Lyryn over at Breaking Through along with her husband are sharing their story of betrayal, heartbreak, grace, reconciliation and redemption. It all begins this Monday, April 4th. Normally something like adultery would tear a marriage apart, but they decided that their marriage was worth fighting for. I think what they are doing is wonderful!

As someone who has been there, I can’t wait to hear their story. I am excited to hear that someone else has faced such a rough challenge and overcame it! It is further proof that nothing is impossible with Christ.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 5!

Every other week I look forward to Siesta Scripture time over at the LPM blog with Beth.

I dig deep and try to find a verse that is helps me through the obstacles that I face at that current time.

This week was a particularly hard week for me. On top of our scare with Tyler, this week I struggled with doubts about my faith. I was ashamed of my thoughts and even more ashamed to talk to anyone about it. But I mustered up the courage to talk to my sweet husband about it, which is not something I would have done in the past. And I’m glad I did! He didn’t think I was crazy or weird. He let me know that it is okay to have doubts from time and that God does not love me any less. Even though I was afraid that he would.

After the encouraging words from the man I love, I am back on track and I know that the devil was just trying to attack me. I gave him the boot, and now I am back to praising the God!

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‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed.’

Isaiah 54:10

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Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 4 and More!

How was your weekend? Did everyone have a wonderful Valentines Day?! My weekend was great. We are really enjoying our new church and my Valentines day was filled with love. The best part is I got to spend it with my 3 most favorite boys in the whole world!

And I am defiantly excited that it is Siesta time again over at the LPM Blog with Beth! I don’t know if any of you read my verses every other week or not, but I defiantly love posting them and spreading the word of God. Here is my verse:

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‘Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’

Ecclesiastes 4:12

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And since I have you here… Saturday I started a new online bible study. It is Beth Moore’s Believing God. I am only a couple of days in and I absolutely LOVE IT! It is a 10 week study and you can either purchase the workbook {I bought mine at Mardel} or download and print your own pages each week. You start off each week off watching an online video of Beth. During the video you will fill in the blanks on your viewer guide. Then over the next 5 days you will have homework every night that leads into the next session. And I say homework, but it is not really homework. I hated doing homework, and I do not hate doing this! Here is a picture of the book:

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 3!

It’s time for the 3rd verse of 2011! I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy doing this every couple of weeks. I have been thinking a lot about the things I need to be doing to help my relationship with God grow. It goes beyond just reading my bible everyday, but I need to start there. I need a time, either before the kids get up or after they go to bed, that is just time for me to spend time with God.

But this week I am working on trying to be more patient with my husband and children. So I wanted a verse that would fit into that. Sometimes I am not a patient person at all!

You can also read all the other verses over at Beth’s blog. I love reading all the wonderful verses that everyone has submitted.

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”
Proverbs 15:18 NIV

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 1!

I’m a little late getting this up, but I just wanted to share with y’all that I have joined in on the 2011 Siesta Scripture Memory Team, or the SSMT over at Beth Moore’s Living Proof Ministries Blog. Being the HUGE Beth Moore fan that I am, I thought that this would be a lot of fun.

The general rundown is really long, and I wasn’t sure about the best way to let y’all know. It was either just give the link or cut and paste… so I cut and pasted the instructions from the LPM Blog for you and I am also giving you the link. You can go HERE and read the instructions from Beth herself on the website.

Down at the bottom is my first memory verse of the year!

OK, NOW FOR THE INSTRUCTIONS. You can cut and paste these somewhere if necessary. Here’s how it will go:

1. On the 1st and 15th of every month of 2011, you will find a post by 8:00 in the morning where I will ask for your memory verse and give you mine. This will begin New Year’s Day. You are committing to 24 Scriptures in 12 months. In previous years, I’ve found this to be a very doable pace. If you do much more, you’ll tend to fall behind and not retain. If you do much less, the impact is negligible. You really can do this. So many of you will surprise yourselves with what you’re capable of doing in the power of the Spirit. Yes, it takes work but it’s tremendously fulfilling and the results are nearly immeasurable. Look at it this way: you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Sweet Thing. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.

2.You are to enter the verse you’ve chosen to memorize for that two-week period within twenty-four hours of the post going up. I’ve been asked many times if it’s okay if you’re late supplying your verse and, yes, of course it is, but try to avoid doing it often. The people who make it to the very end of the year are overwhelmingly those who stay up with it month to month. Please know up front that one of the important parts of this process is the exercise of self discipline. This culture is mass producing wimpy narcissists. Year-long commitments like these that require punctuality and focused energy push back on that degenerating trend. All that to say, please don’t drop out if you get behind. I just want you to know that this will be much more successful if you treat it as a real, live commitment you are willing to work hard to keep.

3. When you clock in with your verse those two times a month, keep your comments limited to your name, city, verse and translation. Long comments on SSMT days are no-no’s. It won’t take you long to figure out why we maintain that rule. Wait till you see the powerful sight of hundreds if not thousands of verses flowing down the comment stream. It is a gorgeous sight. When you’re having a bad day, all you have to do is scroll down a few hundred of your sisters’ Scripture selections and I promise you, you’ll get a word. It’s a very powerful thing. Here is a sample comment:

Beth from Houston, Texas: “Forget about what’s happened! Don’t keep going over old history. Be alert! Be present! I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out. Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road in the desert and rivers in the badlands.” Isaiah 43:18-19 The Message

(That was my first Scripture from last year so I wrote it from memory. If you choose that one, you better double check it. It’s at least 95 per cent accurate…I think. Yep. Double check it.) Always add your translation because so many of your sisters will want to know where you found the wording for your entry. One of the great impacts of this process is how much we reap from each other’s selections. Often you’ll see a sister say, “I’m doing the one so-and-so did last time!” (Yes, you can make a comment that brief. Those can be fun. Occasionally you’ll even see someone write, “For the sake of my marriage, I’ve chosen to memorize…” That’s okay, too, but try to keep it very succinct.)

4. As often as possible, choose a verse that means something to you in your present season or circumstance. This is the reason why we don’t all memorize the same Scripture. We’re not all going through the same things. The more you let God lead you to verses that direct you or edify your soul in your present circumstances, the more He will renew your mind toward your challenges. This is a huge part of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 where we’re told to demolish strongholds and take our thoughts captive to Christ. If you don’t have a verse on your mind or you’re drawing a blank when the 1st or 15th rolls around, you are welcome to share mine. I will always include it in the post. You might also look at a few of the comments and see if one of theirs resonates with you. I say this next part with a grin: try to refrain from memorizing Scriptures that you think your spouse or your children need to learn. Memorize what you need to learn. That means do your best to avoid jotting your verse on a stick note and planting it on your bathroom mirror where your man can see it and repent of his sins. He probably won’t because he’s got your game. I bet you can guess how I know that.

5. I strongly recommend that you stick with only one verse to memorize each time. (This is just a recommendation and not a rule. You’re free to do whatever works for you.) Keep it simple and meaningful. (If I were addressing you live, I’d have you repeat that sentence back to me so just go ahead and say it out loud in order to nail it down. That sentence could be your best friend through this process.) If you do too many verses or get too complicated, you will soon be overwhelmed and want to drop out. Better to do 24 simpler verses over a 12 month period of time than a chapter over the first month then quit. We want this to be a discipline we practice for the rest of our lives. Think marathon. Not sprint.

6. Either shortly before or after making your entry each 1st and 15th in the blog comment, write the verse by hand in your own spiral. (Again, that’s a recommendation and not a rule. I’ve discovered that there’s something about writing it with your own hand and picturing it later in your own handwriting that helps it sink into your memory bank. I’m not entirely sure why.) Take that spiral with you everywhere you go. Read it and read it and read it and read it. Do mental gymnastics with it. Flip that baby over and over. Many women have told me along the way that they’re not good at memorization and I truly understand that. I also beg to offer two responses: First, that may change. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to do something brand new with you. Second, even if you don’t get your verses down word for word, you are still meditating on them as you read and reread them. You still, thereby, accomplish one of the most important goals: captivating the mind to Christ. You just can’t lose on this one. Either way, it has a powerful effect.

My first verse is:

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”
Matthew 6:33 NIV

Living Proof Live 2011

*UPDATE* They have posted the schedule for the day!

Schedule

Doors Open ... 8:00am
Event Begins ... 9:30am
Session One ... 10:00am

Lunch Break ... 11:30am

Worship ... 1:00pm
Session Two ... 1:30pm

Invitation/Break ... 3:00pm
Session Three ... 3:30pm

Closing Worship ... 4:00pm
Conclude ... 4:15pm

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Okay, I know that it is forever and a day away, but I am so excited I needed share with y’all. In September my MIL and I are going to see Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live in Lubbock. Living Proof Live has never came anywhere near close enough to where we could see her live! in person! So this is HUGE!

Last December we went with the ladies from my my MIL’s Sunday School group and saw the Deeper Still conference with Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer, and it was AMAZING! So you can see why I am uber excited to see her again!!

It took place at the Cox Business Services Convention Center the first weekend of December and I have never seen a place so packed with so many women in my life! We had really good seats and the lunch that we pre purchased for $10 was actually not to shabby. It was a sandwich with packets of mustard and mayo, and it came with a bag of chips, some cookies and a bottled water. You could purchase food at the concession stands if you wanted to but it was all kid of pricy. But the lessons were amazing! I should have paid more attention and took more notes. Looks like I am going to have to attend another one :)

I pulled this from the LifeWay website:

Beth Moore’s life-transforming Bible study challenges and inspires women of every age, everywhere. Joining Beth at this weekend event is acclaimed worship leader Travis Cottrell and the Praise Team.

Beth's focus will be on the Scripture that God lays on her heart for each individual Living Proof Live event — no two are the same. As she explores the Bible and how it applies to real life, you'll be amazed by her own experiences as a believer, and you'll be inspired to magnify and strengthen your own relationship with God.

Beth's mission is to guide women everywhere into a richer, more fulfilling relationship with the Father. She is a woman of purpose, preparation, prayer and passion. It's apparent in everything she does, from teaching Sunday School at her home church to sharing her biblical insights and observations in her Bible studies and books.

Here is more on Beth:

Beth Moore is a speaker and author of best-selling Bible studies and other books for women. Beth is a woman of purpose, preparation, prayer, and passion. It's apparent in everything she does, from teaching her weekday class at Houston's First Baptist Church to speaking to the thousands of women who attend her Living Proof conferences each year.

And more on Travis Cottrell and the Praise Team:

Travis Cottrell and praise team are musicians from the Nashville, TN, area. Travis is a contemporary Christian singer, arranger, and worship leader. He uses a blended style of worship in leading churches, student conferences, and events such as Living Proof Live with Beth Moore. Some of Travis's recent musical projects include Jesus Saves: Live, the 3:16 Worship Musical, The Lamb Has Overcome for Living Proof Live, and the live worship project Alive Forever. He and his wife Angela, who often ministers with him, are also songwriters. For more information about Travis visit LifeWay's Travis Cottrell page.

For all my Texas bloggers here is the info on the Living Proof Live Event in Lubbock, TX if you are interested in attending:

Location Information:
United Spirit Arena at Texas Tech
1701 Indiana Ave
Lubbock, TX 79409

Register by Phone:
Call LifeWay Events Registration toll free at 800.254.2022

Register by Fax:
Fax your information to: 615.251.3730.

Register by Mail:
Mail your information to:

Living Proof Live
P.O. Box 24001
Nashville, TN 37202

All seating is general admission, $65.00 per person.

ASL interpreting available for the deaf / hearing impaired.

Wristband(s) are mailed to each registering individual or group to be worn for admission to the event.

Cancellation Policy

If you wish to cancel your registration 30 or more days before the event, you will receive a refund of 50% of your conference fees (does not apply to lodging charges). There is no refund if cancellation is received less than 30 days before the event. We encourage you to take advantage of the ministry opportunity to transfer your registration to another person, or you may apply your registration to another similar LifeWay event.

Videotaping Policy

During this event, LifeWay will be videotaping, audio taping, and photographing. Most likely, you will be filmed, recorded or photographed as part of the audience or individually. By your attendance, you are granting your permission to be videotaped, audiotaped, or photographed for commercial purposes and agree to the following: being recorded, filmed, videotaped, or photographed by any means; commercial or any other use of your likeness, voice and words without compensation; specifically waving all rights of privacy during the videotaping, filming, recording or photographing and release LifeWay Christian Resources from liability for loss, damage, or compensation from the commercial or other use of your likeness, image, voice or word; compliance with all rules and regulations of LifeWay for this event.

Hotels

Booking code for all events is Living Proof Live/LifeWay unless noted differently.

Staybridge Suites
2515 19th Street
Lubbock, TX 79410
806-765-8900
800-238-8000
Queen $99.99
King $119.99
1.6 miles
Breakfast, internet, parking

Overton Hotel & Conf Center
2322 Mac Davis Lane
Lubbock, TX 79401
806-776-7000
$129.00
1.7 miles
Self parking

Radisson
505 Avenue Q,
Lubbock TX 79401,
806-747-0171
$109.00
2.5 miles
Internet

Holiday Inn Hotel & Towers
801 Avenuue Q
Lubbock, TX 79401
806-763-1200
$89.00
2.8 miles
Parking, internet

Holiday Inn Park Plaza
3201 S Loop 289
Lubbock, TX 79423
806-797-3241
$89.00
5.3 miles
Parking, internet

Embassy Suites
5215 South Loop 289 Lubbock Texas 79424
806-771-7000
$134.16
$154.16
8.6 miles
Breakfast

For More Information Contact LifeWay Registration at:
800.254.2022

Hope I may get to meet some of you there (: