Camel Knees....getting ready to have them...again..

Check out these ugly knees of a camel. This is what my poor knees are going to look like before this year 2011 is up.

I'm going to be down on my knees praying "continually" for someone special. I cried and cried all day today...finally realizing and accepting the fact that God might just have to bring them to rock bottom for them to realize they need to change.

It breaks my heart for anyone to have to reach this level in their life to hear God speak to them. Why would anyone want to have to go through this?

I hope my heart can take all this....I've started crying again just sharing this with my blog world friends...

Please if you would, pray with me for this person asking God to open their eyes and bring them back home to Him and hopefully before they have to face "the rock bottom road".

Is anyone interested in you?

• Businesses are, they love to see shoppers come in their doors.
• Banks are, they want people to come in and open an account and invest their money.
• Politicians are, they want all those people to get out and vote.
• Sports Teams, they want your support as a fan cause they know you will buy the "team stuff" and go to the events.
• Doctors are, they want to see if they can help their patients.

All these and others I could go on and on with the list are interested in you because they have something to gain for themselves. (prestige, wealth)

But there is one that is interested in you just as you are...and that's God...He made you in His image...you are His precious child whom He loves dearly....and He's not interested in you because He has something to gain from you....He's interested in you just because He loves you.

Isn't it wonderful to know that!

The Three R's Part IV....

Check out the pics of our first day of the Three R's...then I'll tell you about it...

this is the beauty we woke up to at 6:30 a.m.

then we got out our Word and devotion books and our Bible Study and spent time with each other and God learning from Him until around 10:30 a.m. and oh the many things he taught us today.

then we headed out for some lunch at Johnny Rockets (this cute little dish is a (mini hot dog, a mini hamburger and a mini chili dog) it was quite good.

Then we checked out the movie "Country Strong" and then headed over to Lifeway book store to look at some books and stuff.

then oh how yummy, we went to "The Melting Pot" for dinner. It was my first time going. It was delicious. I have now become a fan...

Now we are back in our room with the balcony door open, the heat on 80, listening to the rumble of the ocean waves as they roll in and we are ready for Round two of the Word and personal devotion and prayer with our Lord! God has already spoke mountains to both of us and we look forward to what He has left to show us while we are together this weekend.

The Three R's Part III...

And the three R's have officially begun..

We have arrived at our hotel....
Opened the balcony doors so we can hear the ocean roll in all night long....
We've checked our facebooks and conversed with a few friends....
Called our husbands to let them know we arrived safe and sound...oh yeah and told them we love em' and miss em'.....

Now its off to doing some personal talking and catching up for the rest of tonite (yep just an hour left of it now)...but it will be some doozy conversations I'm sure and some funny ones. I've already had my sissy laughing like crazy at me!

Then tomorrow will bring on the meat of the weekend....SEEKING HIM!

The Three R's Part II..........

I'm gonna be experiencing the three "R"s beginning tomorrow. Headed out for a few days with my sister and definitely gonna be...
---resting (getting rid of baggage, so looking forward to doing nothing or doing what we want when we want)

and after resting comes...
---renewal (as we rest our bodies and our minds and begin seeking God then He begins to renew the things we lay at His feet)

and then comes....
--rededication (we give God what He wants from us)

Please pray for us as we get away from our normal routine of everyday life and seek Him in where He would have us to be in ourselves, with our husbands, with our children, with our families, with our church, with our jobs, and anywhere else He needs us to change in this 2011 year.

A quote from Lysa Terkeurst new Bible Study I started yesterday
"When the strains of life press against us, do we live as if Jesus really works"?
***Well, this is one of the purposes of this trip we take every year, for Jesus to renew us so that when we face each of the days God gives us to live that we are able to show the world that YES HE does!!!!

The Three R's.....

I've been sharing from my heart each day this year what God lays on my heart now I would like to hear from you and what God lays on your heart on the three "R"s...

• Rest
• Renewal
• Rededication

Where do you find them?

Each....

Each step you take is the right step if it follows Gods path....
Each word you speak is a word of love if it comes from His heart through yours....
Each decision you make is wise if you are making it according to God's will....
Each work you do is good when you are doing it for His glory....
Each truth you tell stands the test of time for lies are soon exposed....
Each gray hair you get is a crown of glory as it is gained by living a godly life....
Each smile you give is much needed....
Each prayer you lift up is heard and answered by God....
Each valley you go through there is a mountain on the other side....
Each fall you make God is there to pick you up....
Each tear you shed God will send joy to fill you up again....
Each sin you commit, God will forgive if you ask him....
Each wrong road you take God can re-direct you....
Each darkness you encounter you can find the light of God....
Each worry you have can be squashed with prayer....

I could go on and on with "each this" or "each that" but I will let you find some of your own as you seek God's Word and pray for Him to change some things in your life that may not be right where He wants them to be. Let's give our "eachs" to Him and watch how He changes us. Others in the world can't be changed until we change....so let's do some seeking and some praying and some changing....

GPS or HB, which one will help you find your way?

If you were going on an expedition you would want a guide who had the knowledge of everything in the area that could possibly be dangerous.

If you decided to take a trip through the desert you would definitely want a guide that would know where a well was located so you could replenish your water.

What about if you decided on a trek through the jungle or tropical rainforest, would you not want a guide that knew exactly how to get you through to your destination.

As we travel through different places in our lives each year many of us have this little machine called a GPS (Global Positioning System) it can tell us how to get somewhere and even how long it takes to get there.

I would just rather have an HB instead (a Holy Bible), no it won't show me how to get to an address and give me the estimated time of arrival but within its pages it helps me to find God, the one true guide, the one true trustworthy fully qualified guide who can direct my path and lead me in the exact way I need to be going.

When I have the right guide then I have the right guidance.
Psalms 48:14

Thoughts of tomorrow....

I was laying here in my bed tonite going over my lesson notes for Life Group tomorrow and began to think about my daddy. Tomorrow would be his birthday, however he is spending it not with us but with His daddy "Jesus". I have really missed having him around and getting to know my children. I look "back" at old pictures when I still lived at home and just laugh at the memories they bring. I look "forward" to the day when I will be able to see him, laugh with him and he can spend time with my kids again. That day when I will meet him in heaven where he has been for a while basking in God's presence personally.

Happy Birthday Daddy. I love you!

Today is her day.....

Well today is my precious nieces "wedding day". Born on Aug. 5 1983 Erin Elizabeth McCormick is getting married to Jeremy Tindle, the man God has placed in this world just "for her".

Congratulations to you both and I look forward to what God will be doing in your lives together.

I love you both, Aunt Beverly

SSMT #2.......my 2nd scripture memory verse for 2011

Here is my 2nd memory verse for this new year that I'm putting in my heart.

Col 3:14 "And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us together in perfect harmony".

I want to make sure that every morning when I get ready for the day God has for me that before I walk out of my house the last garment I put on is "love". If I'm not putting on my garment of love then in no way will I ever be binding the world together with "His love". I've gotta have that garment "on" in order to give the "love" out. So if I'm not dressed properly there will be people out in this world who will miss out on something wonderful and that is ......"Jesus"

Truth...what should we do with it?

• Know it.......... (John 8:32)
• Worship in it..... (John 4:23)
• Speak it........... (John 8:46)
• Obey it............ (Romans 2:8)
• Love it.............(2 Thess. 2:10)
• Welcome it....... (2 Tim 3:8)
• Walk in it......... (2 John 1:4)

Who is the TRUTH....well Jesus that's who! (John 14:6)

Pedicures tonite.....

Kelly and Josie having pedicures tonite for the beautiful wedding tomorrow....Awwhh how sweet.....

Go or no Go?........submit or not submit?...

Well, got up at 4:00am today checked out the weather report. We decided OK we would try it. We got our showers, got dressed and headed out..."to work".....got to my office at 5:30, then my husband heads onto his job he gets there about 6:30.....

then guess what.....the president of our company calls in around 7:45 and says "the company is closed"....so what do we do...there were about 30 of us nuts who showed up to work and since we did we wanted to stay so that we could uh...get paid for the day!!! so we stayed as long as we could then he called back and said we had to leave at 12:00.

not to sure about tomorrow though..if its as bad as I'm hearing on the news....don't think I'm even gonna try....(plus my husband is telling me "no you aren't going") so what am I suppose to do.....according to God's Word I'm suppose to submit to Him.......hmmmm

Snow Day Jan 10 2011...

Well here's our first snow day of 2011.

Day in the Life of Mamma......today

Started out my day in devotion, and my Bible reading.
Off to run some errands.
Watched it snow while clear skies and 41 degrees.
Home to cook homemade soup and cornbread.
Watched movies with my son.
Did my evening devotion.
gonna chill for the rest of the night....
then ready to worship with my Lord tomorrow at His house.

Differences between fear and faith...

Fear questions;
faith moves forward.
Fear quivers;
faith stands firm.
Fear says later;
faith says "right now"
Fear is defeat;
faith is victory.
Fear says "You will be overcome";
faith says "You are an overcomer".
Fear tears you down;
faith raises you up.
Fear says, "how, when, where and why?";
faith says, "with God!"

Giving something away every day.....

"Be careful how you live, as you may be the only Bible some people ever read"

Thank you Lord for reminding me of this in my devotion tonite, and continue to help me show the world all about you by the things I say and the way I live.

Enjoy this moment....

enjoy this moment? yeah right that's kinda hard to do sometimes when you got so many things rolling around in your head...and curious about what will be happening at 8:30 tomorrow morning....well during my devotion tonite it helped me to see that if I am constantly thinking about the "next moment" in my life how will I ever be able to enjoy "this moment" I'm in right now.

Quote from my devotion "I will have more other moments to deal with life. Life's stuff is not going away - it will wait for me"

Being in "this moment" will help me to see, hear and experience the things God has for me right now in "this moment", don't hurry Him for what He is wanting to do now, take time and enjoy the moments, the blessings, choose to make "this moment" a priority for me and the ones I love, don't let the unknown creep in and ruin what God has planned.

A verse I found that gave me much comfort to not worry about the next moment.

Psalm 139:3 "You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am".

Thank you Lord for taking care and seeing me through "every moment"

Needing to let go of yesterday....

I started an evening devotion this new year as well as one each morning and God has been speaking to me so clearly since the very first one. My devotion for tonite helped me to "See" that I need to let go of many yesterdays. I guess I thought I had, when indeed when I read through this devotion tonite God began showing me that down deep they still remained lurking in the crevices of my heart and mind ready to show their ugly horns again, pulling me into a place I don't want to go back to again.

It showed me that what happened yesterday, last month, last year or as far back as when I was a child cannot be undone. "It happened" and continuing to relive or think about it periodically is only robbing me of the present joy that God wants me to experience in my life now. Yesterday is an outside force. I need to be focusing on the present and the future of where God wants to change me and where He wants to take me. I need to be focusing on getting to know Him more, Love Him more, share Him more.

So what will I choose? the agonies of my yesterdays or the joys of today and tomorrow?

My joy is changing. Check out this verse God showed me during this devotion.
Psalm 63:7 "I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings".

God has helped all along the way of my life and there is no need to carry this baggage of yesterday. God spoke and said "Let go"....so what's a girl to do? she is to obey her Lord! and so I will.....

Lasting Joy....

In my evening devotion tonite there is a statement I really wanted to run to my computer and share with everyone. Here it is:

"you will find lasting joy only when you decide that others' approval is not important to who you know you are".

Psalm 16:11, You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Joy is a state of heart that you and only you alone can control. No one can mess with your joy unless you let them.

Once " I was"....since then "I am".......

I was so excited after my devotion this morning that I wanted to just shout to the rooftops! It was about the "onces" in my life (where I once was...) but praise God I am no longer a "once was" instead I am in a "since then I am" place.

Oh just read these "onces" that God shared with me this morning from His Word:

You who were once far from God, have now been drawn close to His heart. Eph 2:13
You who were once in spiritual poverty, have now been made lavishly rich. Eph 2:7
You who were once without fruit, have now been made to flourish. John 15:16
You who were once extremely needy, have now been made complete. Col 2:10
You who were once alone and empty, have now been immersed in love. Eph 3:18-19
You who were once a wandering sheep, have now been brought into the fold. 1 Pet 2:25
You who were once an alien, have now been made a citizen of heaven. Eph 2:19
You who were once an orphan, have now been adopted into God's family. Rom 8:15

I once was lost, but now I'm found.

If I'd never had a "once I was" then I would have never found a "now I am".....

Thank you Lord

Menuchah....a place....

As I was doing my devotion this morning in this new year I was learning about this special place called "Menuchah", and I realized that I want to make sure I find this place each day in my life this year. This is the where you will find many different places like:

peace, quiet, safety, protection, nurturing, rest

A place where:

He will comfort your heart....

He will deepen your love.....

He will strengthen your faith....

He will renew your soul....

***Yep thats the place I want to be this year....in His dwelling place...all up in His arms as He takes me down each path...letting Him lead "the way"

Isaiah 32:18

The last day of 2010....what have I done so far...

Had a great day so far. I took McFlip and McBug to see Yogi Bear 3D. It was great! Then I took those little munchkins to have their first Cinnamon Dolce' Steamer at Starbucks. We sat around in there for about an hour just enjoying each others company.

Looking forward to what the rest of this last day will bring, then its on to 2011 to see what God has for me to do in the new year! Already anticipating in my mind the many wonderous changes He will take me through and how my love for Him will grow, GROW, GROW, and all the things I will learn as I surrender each day to Him.

Well maybe I will post again later tonite before the final day of 2010 ends, if not then Happy New Year to all of you and I will write you again in 2011'.

Pleasant Words....

Proverbs 16:24
"Pleasant words are like an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones".

These pleasant words are the words of the pure, they are evidence of the speakers salvation because they reveal a good heart. They show the reflexive action of pleasant words; they contribute to the spiritual and physical health of the speaker. On the other hand, evil words hurt the speaker more than the one against whom they are directed, for bitter words show a bitter heart and this poisons the whole person, body, mind and spirit. In ancient times honey was used as medicine as well as a pleasant food, and so also are words well spoken. Sometimes we must force ourselves to speak pleasantly when we would rather lash out with angry words, but it is always better to speak soft words, for we never have to repent of them, but we often do of bitter words.

As I begin seeking God's direction for my life in 2011, I want to surrender my words to Him and allow Him to be honored with my speech so this will allow me to reach others for Christ in this new year. I pray that I give and show "pleasant words" to all I come in contact with, and I look forward to how God will change me in this upcoming year me as I surrender to "His will".

Ready to begin again.....

Been away for awhile, waiting while God has been preparing me and getting me right where He is wanting me to be, so get ready for any and all who may have been reading my blog for years and hopefully some newbies in the future. I'm starting back renewed, refreshed and ready to share all that God allows me to.

So stay tuned.......

So where did wearing nose rings begin?

I've heard this question asked of others many times. Yep many of you may have read this before in God's Word but many also may have never seen it. This section of scripture was part of my Bible Study this week and I wanted to share this piece of trivia with everyone that may not know.

OK so here's your answer.

Genesis 24:47 (Scofield reference edition)
"And I asked her and said, whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Betheul, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore unto him: and I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists."

A sweet "little" friend

What a precious moment at church last night when one of the middle school kids my sweet friend Philip came up to me and said "Ms. Beverly I know you are missing Kevin being at home so if you need me to pretend to be Kevin for a while just let me know and I'll come on over and spend some time with you"

How sweet it was that he was thinking of me and wanted to fill an empty space that I've been experiencing.

You are precious my little friend and I love ya!

Love this pic!

This is one of my favorite pictures my daughter made this year. She is one great little photographer. I just had to share it with you all..

The ABC's of friendship...

I've been doing a lot of study on friendships for the past several months for a seminar I will be teaching later this month. I just came upon this poem on the internet and really like it so I wanted to share it with all of you.

Accepts you as you are
Believes in you
Calls you just to say Hi
Doesn't give up on you
Envisions the whole you
Forgives your mistakes
Gives Uunconditionally
Helps you
Invites you over
Just likes to "be" with you
Keeps you close to heart
Loves you for who you are
Makes a difference in your life
Never judges you
Offers supports
Picks you up when you are down
Raises your spirits
Says nice things about you
Tells you the truth when you need to hear it
Understands you
Values you
Walks beside you
Xplains things you don't understand
Yells when you don't listen
Zaps you back to reality.

Does't just sound like our everyday friend does it, it describes our best friend we could ever have. Yep in case you don't know Him, His name is "Jesus" and He is waiting to be "your friend"...why don't you invite Him to be..