Taming the fat!

Ok people, I am posting tonight because I need some accountability! I am headed to youth camp in a few weeks and there is no way I can keep up with the kids or the schedule at my present out of shape, fat self. Sooo I started back to Weight Watchers on Friday morning at 9:30 AM. I even stayed after to get a 45 minute pep talk from the teacher. I need all the motivation I can get at this point. After I stepped on the scales I wanted to kick myself! There it was in black and white and on my book. They might have well just screamed at me you are fat woman! The funny thing is that I actually have a really good self image. That seems to be part of the problem. I think that I look like I have a perfect body. I just look at someone whose body I admire and in my mind I can see my face on that body! Amazing feet I know! LOL! Please help me blog friends and give me some encouragement. If you have any tips for me they are welcomed! If you would like to come join me in my class that would be even better. It's a mommy and me class. It's going to take a lot of motivation, I mean I watched the whole season of Biggest Looser and that didn't oust me off the couch! I don't have a good before pic but I will post that ASAP!

Married and loving it!

This last week Ed and I had to go to court with someone, while we were waiting a divorce was being settled. It was so sad to see the investment of 2 lives being reduced to cars, stuff and who's going to pay what. It really made me glad that Ed and I have done the things we have done to invest in the future of our marriage. I want to encourage you to take a date night, go on an overnighter with your spouse. Turn off the TV and talk or play games. When the kids are gone you will be glad you did. I'm tired of the bad rap that marriage gets! I am loving it! The last 2 weeks Ed and I have been preaching about Marriage on Sunday morning. It's been a challenge and a lot of fun. He really is my best friend. I have so much fun with him and he always pushes me to do things that I'm not sure that I can do. Mostly he has challenged me to believe God for huge things and to do amazing exploits! I find that I have a tendency to get comfortable, just enjoy things the way they are. Not Ed! He always sees more and greater. Thank you honey for allowing me the privilege to minister right beside you! Thank you for believing in me. I love my life. It is so cool to see God love and change people's lives through us!
July 15, 1978 Can you believe that dress? I showed no skin whatsover. LOL!

Happy Birthday Denae!

Today we are celebrating Denae coming into this world and changing mine forever! I don't have one bad memory of Denae's birth. I had her an hour and a half after I got to the hospital with no drugs or anything. (I had babies wonderfully easy!) We already had our wonderful boy Jeff when we decided to have another and I asked God to give me a girl. He answered! She has been a joy to me from the day she was born. One amazing fact about Denae..when we would go to get her shots she would laugh. The doctor and nurses couldn't believe it. She has always had a great laugh and made those of us around her smile. Other memories of when she was just a toddler were of her trying on clothes and mentioning how adorable they were. I have so many great memories of my times with Denae. Some of the best are in ministry, on the streets of Hollywood, servant evangelism, Disciple Now, and Youth Church. She has always been a leader and now I am getting to watch her be a Mom and what an amazing Mom she is. I thought it was appropriate to post a pic of her and Will since Mother's Day is on Birthday week. Denae, I am so proud of you and so blessed to be your Mom! I love you and you are still a great gift to me 27 years later!

Saying No to Myself...What???????

Ed has been preaching the best series on prayer until last Sunday.(LOL) It was about breakthrough prayer and how you have to live in self-denial to have breakthrough. It was funny because he was preaching his heart out and was very anointed but he was getting no response from those of us in the audience. He finally said "I can tell y'all aren't real excited about this." On the inside I was screaming "No kidding, who wants to say NO to themselves, not me! We really don't want to hear this, we want to hear that this Christian life is easy." My thoughts went on like that. In reality though I want to see breakthroughs in my life and the life of my church, my friends and family and those who I meet everyday. So I say YES to saying NO to myself! Last week I was flying on a free pass my wonderful friend Mitzi gave me and I had to tell myself no quite a bit. I really have not been a fan of flying. I am not going to let that stop me though. I was flying on the 2 busiest days of the week so it was inevitable that I would get bumped off the plane. I had decided that if I got delayed there would be a purpose in it. The first day of flying I had only had 3 hours sleep and was leaving for the airport at 5:00 AM when I noticed my Shack book sitting on the nightstand. I felt prompted to take it, there was going to be someone who needed it. I didn't not get to my destination on the first day and had to spend the night in Orlando. I took that book out everywhere I was all day, sitting next to a lot of people and no one ever mentioned it. The next morning I boarded the plane and pulled it out again. This was my last flight before I arrived. The guy next to me began to ask me about the book. Yea!!! He then went to sleep. He woke up as we landed and God told me to give him the book. You would have thought I gave him a million dollars. Success!!! I was on a 24 hour detour for one man. Not what I would have chosen. On the way home I had to fly through turbulence all day. (Hate it) I got to Dallas and they informed me that I would have to fly to Albuquerque and then go to Lubbock. I didn't want to do it but it was my only option.
I was the last one on the plane and had to squeeze between two people who obviously did not want me there. There was an older lady and I tried small talk with her but she snubbed me. The ride was rough. We got close to Alb. and the captain came on to tell us that their were wind gusts up to 65 MPH! So it would be really rough. The lady next to me freaked out, she was so scared. I knew then that I had been sent on this flight to help her through it. I HAD TO FORGET ABOUT MYSELF AND MY FEAR! We had every kind of turbulence, side to side, bump bump and then big drop. Yuck! I had to pat her leg and tell her that I had been in God's hands all day and he had taken good care of me and was going to get us through this. We started coming in for landing and she had a second panic attack about wind shear. As I was trying to calm her I look below out her window and see the remains of a small plane crash. Not good for flying moral! I just started asking her all kinds of personal questions to distract her from that sight! We landed safely and she was so grateful that I had been there for her. 14 hours on planes was not my idea but it was God's and it was good! I am reading a book I would highly recommend "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day". It will change your thinking!!! I'm starting a new saying...NO TO ME!

I'm remebering!

I have been refreshing my memory of the Passover today, God has really been speaking to me from it. I'm going to try to write a blog a day leading up to Easter.

The passover is celebrating the time when the Hebrew children were not killed during the 10 plagues of Egypt. They had to put aside a lamb to be slaughtered and put the blood over their doorpost, eat the lamb then their houses were passed over, their children were spared and they were able to flee Egypt. This is all accounted in Exodus.

The first night of the Passover is the Seder. There is a lot of ritual to the Seder but the purpose is to recount the Passover. The children are very involved and are encouraged to ask questions. Games are played to encourage the children to learn. It is an all night party of remembering!

I want to have that kind of memory about what Jesus has done for me! Every year at Easter we watch "The Passion". It causes me to remember. Let's take some time to remember.

I am so grateful for what Jesus has done for me. He has taken all of my sins!!!

Happy April Fools Day!

This seems to have been some sort of holiday for me in the past. I used to love practical jokes. Now I don't have much creativity for them anymore. I thought I would share some fond memories of past days. My favorite done to me: Ed let me sleep late and took the kids to school. Lance was in 1st grade. I was woken up by the phone ringing and it was the school nurse telling me that Lance was in her office with chronic halitosis. I was thinking "OK what do you want me to do, bring a toothbrush?" She went on about the severity. Finally I said "Do you want me to bring a toothbrush?" She said "No this is very severe, he is going to have to go to the dentist". I was stunned but said OK I would come pick him up and hung up the phone. While I was getting ready my sister, Chrissy called and said April Fools! It was so good, I did not recognize her voice at all!!!
The best one I have done. We had just gotten our first Suburban. The kids were in elementary school. I was still learning to back and park. I had to run get gas before school and there I was at the 7-11 when the revelation hit me that it was April Fools Holiday. I called Ed from the pay phone and told him that I had backed into the pump and gas was spewing everywhere. He was panicked and kept saying CONNIE!
I finally said April Fools and he hung up the phone. When I got home Denae informed me that Daddy threw the phone and broke it! The rest of the story.....vengeance has finally come to me many years later. A couple of weeks ago I was in Wal-Mart (which I hate and try to never go there). When I checked out, I ran into a friend who works in customer service. She told me that the sheriff had just called there to say that there was going to be a gang shooting at one of the Wal-Marts today. She then went on with chit chat. I was thinking lady, there is no time for small talk, I've got to get out of here! I started out the door and many people were coming in and I wanted to shout "GET OUT" you are in danger! I restrained from causing a riot in case my information was bad. I found myself walking to the car profiling everyone in the parking lot and basically everyone who goes there looks like a gangster!!! I could not believe the fear that I was feeling. I have purposely been a lot more dangerous places to minister. I got out only to find out later it was a hoax. Ed felt like God had finally smacked me for all the things I have put him through. LOL!
There is a point to this long April Fools message and that is....I could not believe the urgency that I felt wanting to tell people to save their lives as I left. I was very convicted that I do know that people are going to Hell and I don't have that kind of urgency to keep them from going there! I have seen my true colors. Anyway, we are starting a campaign at church called Won by One. I am going to win some!

What is God Saying to You?

A few weeks ago I had lunch with a few ladies that I don't know well from another church and I asked them the question "What has God been saying to you?". They were stumped. I really like to hear what God is saying in other places for 2 reasons. First, it is really cool to hear that God is basically saying the same thing to the church as a whole. Secondly, I love to give people the opportunity to share what God is saying to them, it builds our faith. It helps us to be ready to minister to others.
Basically what God has been saying to me is "GET READY! The church's best time is about to begin. We cannot be distracted by the fear that is consuming our world or we will miss our great harvest." I am more excited about what is about to happen than when I've gone to Mardi Gras or Hollywood or any street where I have ministered. I can see that this is is going to be the easiest time to share God's love with people.
I have had such a peace during all of this world craziness. I know that I have been prepared for this time. Ed & I have had to live by faith since we have been married. We are not rich but GOD has always provided more than we can imagine! Yesterday I was reminded of a word God gave me the last time I was at Mardi Gras. Another Pastor told me that God was going to give Ed a car. It didn't happen right away so
I forgot about it. Two and a half years later, Ed's car died. It was right before Lance's weddding so we just waited to do anything about it. We came back from Lance's wedding and Ed was given a wonderful car! For years now God has been having me meditate on all the scriptures that say Don't worry, God is going to take care of me. God's grace is new every morning. He will take care of us.
There is nothing more fun to me than joining together with other believers and seeing God use us.
Now I want to pose the quesiton to you "What is God saying to you?"