A PIECE OF MY HEART...time to "dye" it

For me, today is the day that most women over 40 years old look forward to.... The day we go to the beauty salon for a "new" look.

In my case...it is time to take care of those grey hairs that are popping up all over my head! I believe it was Clairol that had that cute little jingle a few years back "I'm gonna wash that grey right out of my hair!" In my case...let's just take a big dunk!

I was reminding my daughter, who is 13 now about our hair appointments. She was getting a trim and I, a total makeover or what we call a "color" or "highlights". My smart, precious 'lil angel had this to say....

13 YEAR OLD (how did she get so smart!) DAUGHTER: "Mom, why do you color your hair? Why don't you just let your hair be grey. Just be who you are."

THE OLD (and greying) MOTHER: "Because I don't like my hair grey, I think it makes me look old."

13 YEAR OLD (should I ground her?) DAUGHTER: "I'm just saying, be what God made you...how can you try to be something you're not, you ARE old you know Mom."

hmmmm....she has a point here. I mean about trying to be something I'm not.

(did you think I was referring to the "you are old Mom" statement...PLEASE!!)

• How many times DO WE put a mask on as Christians? We say one thing, but do another.
• How many times DO WE act one way on Sunday, all spiritual and together! But on Monday morning, we do as the world does...cuss, gamble, gossip, cheat, lie, etc.
• How many times do we put "color" on to make us look better... But inside we are dark and wilting.

I believe if Clairol and God got together, they would have a new promotional jingle... "He's gonna wash that junk right out of your life!"

ISN'T IT TIME THAT WE "DIE" IT?

Apostle Paul gives us a reminder how often we should do this.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:31 "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I DIE daily."

Lord help us to die to those things that keep us from being all that we can be in Jesus Christ!

(Anna...I'm still gonna color my hair, I think God would want me to be as beautiful as you! You'll understand in a few years...I started greying in my 20's ~ so that's just a few more years for you! I have one word for you to remember...CLAIROL!)

AND THAT'S A PIECE OF MY HEART TODAY;

AT THE WELL...Encouraging daughters

#1 How do you encourage your daughters in their relationship with the Lord?
#2 How do you encourage them in areas of domestic service in your home?
#3 How do you encourage them in their future of loving their husbands and their own children, and also being content if marriage isn't in God's plan for them?

These are the questions posed to us by our host this week over AT THE WELL. Penny is our host this week.

On my bookshelf is a great book to read if you have a daughter. It is "Your Girl" -raising a Godly daughter in an ungodly world written by Vicki Courtney. It is a timely book for us raising daughters in the society we live today.

I have the most beautiful, cherished daughter. She is such a blessing. She came 13 years after we had our first son. In between her and the oldest, 2 more brothers. For me to finally buy "pink" things was extraordinary!!!

That pink bundle of joy is now 13 years old. WOW! a teenager and still an over-the-top blessing to me.

This week, Penny has posed a great topic for us to discuss. I want to concentrate on two points of her questions. How do I encourage my daughter in her relationship with God and in a future relationship with her husband.

The first (and most important) step is ...PRAYER

She is never too young to begin to pray over for her salvation and her future husband. Begin early...in the womb if possible!

• PRAY for her!
• PRAY with her!
• PRAY over her!
• PRAY because of her!

And teach HER to PRAY!

The second (and just as important) step is ...BE A GODLY EXAMPLE

Daughters learn not from lecture but from example. I can remember when my 'lil princess was much younger, and a teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "a mommy just like my mommy!" ...

"oh be still my heart!" - says mommy

As cute as that is...that should also be taken very, very seriously! What an awesome responsibility we, as mothers, have to mold our daughters to become Godly women.

To accomplish both of these steps (prayer and being a Godly example), we must allow our daughters to see God in us.

• When is the last time you prayed WITH your daughter?
• When is the last time your daughter saw you PRAY or READ YOUR BIBLE?
• What does your daughter hear you say to your husband...negativity or building up?
• When you place boundaries on your daughter...do you live within those same boundaries? .......do YOU dress appropriately or are YOUR jeans too tight, YOUR shorts too short and YOUR top too low?
• When is the last time your daughter saw you help someone in need?
• Does your daughter see a different "mommy" at home than at church?

In the book, "Your Girl", 3 main areas are covered:

1. PREPARING for battle
2. BATTLES worth fighting
3. ARMING our daughters for battle

Face it ...today's culture is filled with battles...teen pregnancies on the rise; girls "cutting" themselves; pornography and sexually illicit things on our televisions, at the movie theatre, in our music, in every magazine. Society is filled with battles that our daughters are fighting.

Our daughters need the armour before going into the battle.

PSALMS 3:3 "But you, oh Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts my head."

It is my prayer that the encouragement my daughter receives from me is not just encouragement from my love and adoration for her but that she will be encouraged to see the love and adoration I have for my heavenly Father.

YOUR DAUGHTER (my daughter) is worth fighting for. May the battle be won thru Jesus Christ!

For more writings on this topic, please visit us AT THE WELL, click here! Thank you Chelsey for spurring us on to be more like the TITUS 2 woman!

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...joy unspeakable

I have JOY UNSPEAKABLE on my mind this weekend, in fact, I will be sharing in Sunday School this Sunday a few thoughts on that subject.

Joy is different than happiness. Happiness waits for things to be exactly the way they should be BEFORE it can be satisfied. Our circumstances can dictate our happiness. JOY, on the other hand does not look upon our situation - it draws from one source....GOD!

To have joy UNSPEAKABLE means that words cannot describe our joy, especially in the midst of trial and tribulation. To have unspeakable joy is to have peace and joy that only comes from the Lord even when you cannot understand it.

THE NEWSBOYS sing a song entitled, JOY. I would like to share the video with you on this THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY. I pray that if you need peace in your situation, that you will receive joy that is totally unspeakable!


(Please scroll down my side bar and MUTE my blog music, otherwise you will have two songs playing!)



For other worshipful hearts, join AMY over at Signs, Miracles and Wonders for the THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY postings! Find them HERE.

WORD POWER....dunamis

I have heard it said that there is POWER in the words that we use. Not only "which" words we use, but "how" we use them and "knowing the right time" to use certain words. Timing can be everything.

I am doing a study about words. I hope to share with you some words to ponder on...so we can all strive to have power in the words that we speak!

DUNAMIS (doo'-nam-is)

n. -strength, power, ability

• A. power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth power for performing miracles
• B. moral power and excellence of soul
• C. the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
• D. power and resources arising from numbers
• E. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the POWER of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." -REVELATION 12:10

WHAT KIND OF POWER HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED?

Power of position? Power of the law? Power of the people?

The power of Christ is the most awesome, unbreakable POWER that you will ever encounter! Look at the final word...

HIS POWER, HIS DUNAMIS (power) WILL OVERCOME OUR ACCUSER!

Now that's a WORD packed with POWER!

THANKFUL THURSDAY..."my boys"

Today on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I have a different kind of post. I want to take time to give thanks to all those MEN out in blogger world that are taking a stand!

The name of my blog is WOMEN TAKING A STAND, and that is NOT intended to seclude any of the male gender Christians who are striving to take a stand for God. The name of my blog originates from a ministry that God placed in my heart a few years ago, to teach and equip women to stand in the wake of the enemy crouching on their home fronts. If you know me personally, (other than blogosphere - but actually in person) than you know any time I teach a Bible Study or lead a class, the name WOMEN TAKING A STAND is my logo or trademark.

Recently, I had a male reader (and an awesome friend) email me this message:

"I think you need to change the name of your blog...

the things you write about are things that we men also need to hear.

Not just women!"

This seems to be an interesting subject.

I came across a blog site that made mention of this subject and it spurred me on to think about this whole male vs. female readership issue. She (the blogger) said that she does not encourage male readership on her blog and in fact she opposes any kind of teaching of authority over men.

First of all, I am in total support of my man being the authority figure in my home. He is the head of our home (next to God). He is the spiritual leader of our family. I believe EVERY scripture that says that the woman should submit to her man, and I try very hard to do this (but I have to admit sometimes I fail.)

This has caused me to think about the readers of my blog. WHAT IS MY PURPOSE? Am I speaking over things that I scripturally do not have the right to?

Now, if you would look over comments that are left on my postings, you will see that the majority of those leaving comments are WOMEN. No doubt, my vision - which is to encourage women to pursue God with passion, power and prayer is accomplishing what I prayed it would.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE MALE READERS?

ARE THEY OUT THERE?

This THANKFUL THURSDAY, I would like to give gratitude to ALL of my male readers. Even though it says, "WOMEN taking a stand" at the top of this blog site - I want to applaud you for also taking a stand for your families. My friend who emailed me is right... the things I write about ARE NOT just for women. Every post will direct you to God's Word and God's Word is intended for ALL that will hear it. Women and Men. God's Word is full of principles that we all need.

EPHESIANS 4:29

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

That verse says for ALL who hears the word!

So for today... We will change the blog name to ...

"PEOPLE TAKING A STAND"

(sorry - but we'll go back to the original name after I post this...)

THANK YOU BOYS FOR TAKING A STAND...

(These are four of my most devoted male readers..MY BOYS!)

For other THANKFUL HEARTS, join Iris over at Then Stings My Heart for Thankful Thursday participants. FIND IT HERE!

WEDNESDAY'S WEEKLY WORD..."Lie, Cheat and Steal"

IF YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING for the WEEKLY DEVOTION - I have moved it from Sunday to Wednesday. I hope that you will plan to come back each Wednesday as we delve into God's Word together. It is my prayer that this midweek devotion will encourage you and propel you to open your heart and your spirit to receive something from God today!

"HONESTY...such a lonely word"

Billy Joel, a singer and song writer, caused us to reflect on those words a few years back. I read recently in a book something about a Greek philosopher...He would go out at night carrying a lamp, looking for something. People would ask him what he was looking for. With a straight face, this philosopher would reply, " an honest man!"

Honesty is something that we all demand, but few of us give it completely. Dishonesty is rampant; but few are untouched by it. From little white lies to cheating on tax returns to lying in order to stay out of trouble. Some people do it - again and again and again!

Dishonesty is nothing new to our culture. You can read throughout the Old Testament in the Bible and see how religious people had figured out many clever ways to make oaths that they knew they would not have to honor. Jesus response to this kind of dishonesty was, "Let your word 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'. Anything more than this is from the evil one" (found in Matthew 5:37).

Jesus was saying that our character ought to be so associated with honesty that we will not be doubted when we say we will do something. Oaths and swearing become unnecessary for a person of that kind of character and reputation.

Dishonesty DOES NOT escape our Christian culture

People frequently say, "Will you pray with us about this situation?" and as we nod our heads in agreement, the dishonesty has already taken place. The one asking for prayer may not REALLY expect us to pray and as we nod our head in agreement, we don't REALLY plan to pray.

There are other common forms of dishonesty which include slander (repeating unproven gossip!), false joy (when we act religious when in reality - we are in extreme suffering and pain!) and cheating on your finances (we don't acknowledge Gods favor in our life, we cheat ourselves by putting ourselves first other than God and others with our finances!).

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I addressed this issue with my readers. I polled the readers the following question, "What is your instinctive reaction to someone who lies to you?" The top 3 responses were:

1. 45% of those polled, said they would never trust that person again!

2. 31% voted and said that they would confront the person!

3. 13% of the readers said they would forgive them!

WOW! If that isn't an eye opener that even in the Christian culture, dishonesty is a HUGE barrier. Forgiveness is number 3?? Just let that sink in for a moment.

4 KINDS OF DISHONESTY THAT CAN

SHATTER A CHRISTIAN'S INTEGRITY...

1. LYING ...One of the most obvious (and easiest) kind of dishonesty is lying. Lying is to break faith with the person to whom you are lying to.

PROV. 12:22 "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight."

Once trust has been broken with a person, doubts will always be there. You cannot turn back the clock of integrity. Integrity is very difficult to regain once it is lost!

2. STEALING...is another form of dishonesty. Stealing is a sin of selfishness.

PROV. 20: 17 " Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel."

A thief that thinks stealing will better their life often finds bitterness. You may escape the clutches of the law, but you cannot escape the fear, insecurity and guilt that will follow you. God sees all and knows all.

3. CHEATING...is a form of stealing. It is "success by fraud".

PROV. 21:6 "Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death."

A cheater makes more money by deceiving people and scores better on tests by deception. A cheater looks better than he or she really is but they always run the risk of being found out to be a fraud! Cheating has nothing to offer except emptiness!

4. SLANDERING...this type of dishonesty is not reserved for the courtroom only!

PROV. 14:25 "A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies."

Slandering is saying something about someone that is not true. If you do not know something to be true, but you repeat it anyway...you are slandering! So in reality, when you repeat unproven gossip about someone - you are slandering.

CHEATING, lying, stealing and slandering can all be tools that help us get ahead or be successful in life, but, it is better to be poor and blameless. (Prov. 19:1) Peace of mind and peace with other people are more valuable than any big house or fancy lifestyle.

Paul sums it all up well - "according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." (Phil 1:20)

Ask God to forgive you of your dishonesty, and let's work on moving FORGIVENESS up on that scale when others treat us with dishonesty. God is concerned with our character and integrity...are you?

I have been studying the book of Proverbs - Thank you for joining me today as we reflect on the character and integrity of our Christian walk. If you struggle with dishonesty in your life, will you join me in memorizing Prov. 11:20?

MAY WE ALL BECOME HIS DELIGHT!

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL:
Please cast your vote in this week's poll that has to do with how you react when you are corrected by someone. You can find it on the side bar of this blog. YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...caramel apples

One of my favorite memories when my boys were young, was taking them to an apple orchard in Wisconsin to pick apples. Since moving to the south, that is something we have not been able to experience.

(can you guess which one of my boys this picture is of at the apple orchard?)

AN APPLE BY ITSELF IS GREAT!
It is juicy, and supplies great nutrition!

BUT WHEN YOU ADD ANOTHER INGREDIENT TO THE APPLE....
well it becomes so sweet!

A Christian trying to live without the Holy Spirit is much like an apple...

• It looks good.
• It may even have sweet attributes

BUT, when you add alittle bit of caramel (the Holy Spirit) the apple becomes so much more!

Just like this picture depicts the caramel dripping off of the apple....so should we desire God's Holy Spirit in us. He desires to pour out His spirit upon us.

PROVERBS 1:23
"Behold, I will pour out My spirit on you; I will make My words known to you."

NEED SOME CARAMEL IN

YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK?

did you guess right on the 'lil apple picker?

it's son #3...

my 'lil Jordan!

And that's a piece of my heart today!