Hey Beautiful!

Can you believe it is February already?  I am NOT loving the cold AT ALL, but I am LOVING my boots and warm sweaters...always gotta  look for the good somewhere, girls!  In fact, we should be "expecting" the good!  I am living in hope, confidence and expectancy that the month of February is going to be a "good" life changing month for each of you!

Christine Caine, February 20th - 21st 
I was just with Chris a couple of weekends ago and, not only do I love her and her ministry, but she has become one of my FAVORITE speakers. (You can listen to her speaking here.)  SHE is excited about meeting you and coming to DC!  You will definitely want to come and bring your unchurched friends, men and women! (this event is open to all).  Their lives will be touched by God through her ministry as well as yours! 

 Hey beautiful!

Happy New Year!!  I believe this year is going to be FULL of special surprises, favor and rich discoveries for you!  I don't know about you, but I am coming into this year with fresh "momentum", reaching boldly for what's ahead and not holding back timidly.  I'm starting this year STRONG!

Are you ready for Christmas?  I love, love, love this season!  Love the music, the lights, the decorations, the cherished family time, the decadent food and most of all the reason we celebrate - Christ's birth!   

Have you been shopping and seen the signs at Macy's, yet?  The ones that say "Believe".  Every time I see them I feel as if it is a God whisper to believe and to have hope!  You see, I believe hope is a "position".  By that I mean, the only time you need "hope" is when you are waiting for something;  you're hoping the job is going to come through, hoping your husband shows up, or hoping your dream comes to pass.  While you are waiting for your hope to be reality, your "position" determines if your waiting is endurance or expectation. 

Wherever you place your hope will determine whether you will remain hopeful in a world where things are hopelessly broken.

"I saw God before me for all time.  Nothing can shake me; He's right by my side. I'm glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I've pitched my tent in the land of hope." Acts 2:22 

Hoping all is well with you, beautiful one! 

I am sitting at home drinking a cup of hot tea, listening to Evan and his friend in the other room laughing as they are playing Xbox.  I love hearing them laugh!  As a parent I love it when my kids are enjoying life.  I love Saturday afternoons - time to breathe and think!  I love the privilege of living in Washington, D.C., too.  I love that I GET to do life with pretty amazing people.   There is so much to be thankful for when we think about it isn't there?

Recently, I thought I would brave the "searching for a perfect bathing suit" adventure.  You know, the bathing suit that makes me "look like a size 0, covers all flaws, and makes you look so much better than you feel" bathing suit.  My first stop in this noble endeavor was Target, because they have cute suits and most importantly they're cheap!  Unfortunately, this was NOT the wisest choice for a first stop..  I think you'll agree with me...the dressing room mirrors at target are VERY "unforgiving"!  AND the lighting is just as bad!  By the time I had tried on the second suit, I had determined I should NOT be seen in public with anything that resembled a bathing suit. (where were those ones from the 1920's that covered a WHOLE lot more cellulite?

Here it is… a husband loves his wife, but unless she believes that truth, she will live with low self esteem, feel rejected, etc.(and their lives will be hell!) Same with parents and kids, the parents may passionately love the children, but unless they believe that truth, they will live a life of hurt and brokenness. It is not just the truth that sets you free, but it is the knowledge of the truth that sets you free, right?

The first commandment said, “Love the Lord you God with all your strength, mind, heart” So we live our lives trying to love God, more passionately, not realizing that we are putting ourselves under the law! What am I saying? No one can love Him with all your heart, your soul, all your mind –all the time.

  I saw this in a whole new way... 

How has it been going this week?  Have you found yourself making conscious decisions to "think 4:8"?  Has it been easy?  Maybe not, but I am sure that you have had a much better week because you have "chosen" to focus on the positive,  the power of God's love for you, and His amazing promises.  Perhaps you have felt a bit "stretched" !  I just want to encourage you to keep the "excercise" going, and before you know it, you will have developed some disciplined muscles in your thought life, and will begin to see your faith moving mountains!  Today we will be discussing he rest of the 8 steps of the 4:8 potential that we began yesterday.  

First off this morning, precious ones -I encourage you to get the book "The 4:8 Principle" by Tommy Newberry.  Much of the last weeks posts have been taken from this life changing book.  My "recommended reading" section has the link to purchase it online.

Who are you? 

Have you ever done something when everything seemed to go better than you had hoped and felt as though you were finally in a "peak" moment.  Maybe it was an evening with your spouse where you connected  and felt closer than ever?  Or at work you had a super successful day in the office when you worked way above your expectations or earned your largest check?  Perhaps you were playing baseball (go 24/6ers!) or some sport and played way beyond what you felt you had ever done before?

Today could revolutionize your life!

One of my favorite quotes from the book "the 4:8 Principle" is this "when you bring your thinking into  the domain of your conscious, creative control, you will rapidly discover what an enormous advantage you have in sculpting the conditions of your life"  How cool is that?!  We can actually "learn" to "sculpt the conditions of our lives, but taking charge of our thought life!!!  Your life will begin to resemble the "MASTERPIECE" it was designed to look like by "thinking 4:8!

According to the book, one of the most effective ways for doing this, is getting into the habit of asking, re-asking and then answering 4:8 questions.  Here are 5 examples to help you get the idea:

So...the Road Trip continues! 

'This ressurection life you've recieved from God is not a timid, grave tending life.  It is adventurously expectant greeting God with a childlike "What's next papa?" God's spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is and we know who we are: Father and children.  And we know we are going to get what's coming to us-an unbelievable inheritance" Romans 8:15

Good morning Girls,

I absolutely love this time of year, everything's blooming, don't need a jacket or shoes, and the kids are ALMOST out of school.  I can't even begin to tell you what no homework means to me after doing it for 25 years!   So pumped about the new series we begin this weekend "Road Trip"  preparing you for your summer journey...your gonna love it!  AND look for the red or yellow van at Eastern Market this weekend - giving out postcard invites and popscicles!  Grab a friend and come on out!

I have to tell you, I think that I am THE most blessed woman-for sure!  What a gift to be married to someone who is running passionately in the same direction, has the same desires, believes in you and is completely supportive of the call of God on your life.  I don't take lightly that he completely values and "pushes" =0) me in the direction of my gifts and strengths...AND on top of that LOVES me in spite of me!  I love his strength and commitment to justice and to see God touch humanity.  I LOVE the fact that He has never backed down from a challenge and is still standing in faith to see God's amazing promises fulfilled not only for us, but for CCC.

What do you SEE today? Endless possibilities or endless impossibilites? 

I think sometimes, just a change in PERSPECTIVE is so powerful -  what we see gives us hope OR makes us feel hopeless.   The way we hear something challenges us to keep going with passion or feel alone and like giving up.  The "glasses" we wear is so HUGE, and yet so many of us can go through a whole day, a whole month, or years looking at something and never see the "treasure"  right in front of us. 

"mom, I've just called thre fire department - but everything is ok"

So that would be a call that no parent wants to recieve, EVER!  It was Jess on the phone, as she was turning a lamp in her room off  it somehow shorted out.  She heard a "pop" and then looked to see some small flames and lots of smoke filling her room.  The flames didn't last long, but the smoke and carbon monoxide filled the apartment quickly.  She called 911, and fled the apartment (bent over running out the door - which I would have PAID money to see!) 

The whole time here has been so sweet...and now a little sad that it has ended - but really we can't LIVE on just the spiritual "sweets" (as yummy as it is) we would all get terribly fat - spiritually speaking of course! =0)  So the whole Colour conference was extremely lifechanging - really - and now comes the challenge of what to DO with what everything I got here.  Towards the end of tonight, I started getting a bit overwhelmed - and then I realized during the worship that really all the Lord is expecting me to do, or any of us for that matter is to completely and utterly give everything to Him and then just listen to His direction.  It makes it so simple, adds a whole lot of grace, and makes it about Him and not us.  He is so huge and so capable of taking whatever we give him - using it in such a big way.

First of all...I am the big 50 here (a day earlier than in the states - maybe I should wait for the states one!)  AND I never thought that 50 would feel so young!  I always thought 50 was old, but have realized really age is in your head - or what I mean is you are as young as you think.  Profound - I know, but now that I am 50 I am CHOOSING to be young in my head!  Anyways what an incredible GIFT to be here in Australia on my birthday, such a gift from my family, and from God.