31 Days of "A Confident Heart" Days 1-5

I am currently studying the book A Confident Heart by Renee Swope with a small group of ladies from my church.  I am also participating in a Facebook study group of the same book under "Melissa Taylor's Online Bible Studies."  These 2 groups are studying the book concurrently, so it works for me.  I guess you could say I am REALLY studying this book. So, I am doing this 31 Days of ______ challenge on my study of this book.

The portion on the cover of the book underneath the title says, "How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises."  This is what really drew my eye.
Stop doubting myself?  (I had never really thought about.)
Live in the security of God's promises?  Surely I was doing that already.  As the wife of the Youth Pastor in our small Southern Baptist church in Texas, surely I was always living in the "security of God's promises."
Or was I?

We are on Chapter 3 of this book this week.  I realize that I am living securely in SOME of God's promises, but not all of them.  How can that be so?
Because I have DOUBT in my heart.
I have doubts that God can take care of all my needs, but I trust Him with the health and well-being of my family??  How can I be so "double-minded"?  Apparently, I have some work to do here; albeit, some soul-searching to do.

Renee Swope has written a fantastic book entitled A Confident Heart.  I highly recommend it!  It is filled with scripture and real life situations and examples in Renee's own life.  This book speaks to me.  (Maybe this is the reason why I have been so scatter-brained lately--Renee has stolen my brain, emptied it out into her book, and then applied God's Word to it.)  Haha!  No, not really; but it is like she got the examples in her book straight from my heart.  In this 31 Day "challenge", I will walk through and blog what God has put on my heart regarding this book as we study it.  I hope you all go out and buy it, read it, complete the discussion questions after each chapter, apply it to your life, and maybe start a small group of your own.  This book speaks to all of us women (and probably men alike!).  Enjoy!

Autumn is here!!!

When you drive by Sliger's Produce and they have the huge pile of pumpkins outside, you know that Autumn is here!
 I LOVE Autumn......or maybe you call it "Fall."  Whatever you call it, it is awesome!  If you live in a state were hot weather dominates most of the year, Autumn is a welcome season.  I love the crispness in the air in the morning along with the cooler nights.  I love how you can walk outside and feel how the temperatures are changing. It's not yet cold, but it' not hot either. It's a great time to air out the house, too. I can throw open the windows in the house before I leave for work and come home to a fresh, cool home.
Autumn definitely has it's own smell, like any season would I guess.  The aroma of dried leaves, pumpkin spice, apple cider and vanilla starts filling the air along with the sounds of breezes blowing through the dried leaves of the trees.  Let's not forget the sounds of football!  (Yes, I'm a closet football junkie.)  Along with the sounds of football, Frito chili pie and hot chocolate sound really good.   
Another thing I love about Autumn is getting the jackets out of storage.  I am jacket person.  I love scarves and sweaters and wraps too.  Ooh...and soft throw blankets on the couch or to wrap up in at the football game. (Yet another football reference!) 
I also love all the warm autumn colors this season brings.  Beautiful oranges, deep yellows, and dark reds.  I love it!  That reminds me....I need to get Seth to pull the Fall decor box down from the attic.  I think I got rid of some of my older things, so maybe I need to do a little shopping. Ooh!  I can't wait to get decorating!
I look forward to the day that Seth and I get to go up northeast toward Boston during the fall season and just spend some time enjoying God's beautiful tapestry of fall color. I have seen so many pictures of the fall colors in the trees up that way and long to get up there and see first hand. I want to stop in a small town and spend a Saturday at a Fall Festival with games and cool temperatures and apple cider. I want to drive out in the country and stop to listen to the quietness broken only by the rustling of the dried leaves in the trees. I want to see, smell, and taste as much of this season as possible.
Autumn....Gotta Love it!

If Moses could do it...



Burning Bush by JPutsch......(Flickr)



I have never had the ability to put into words the thoughts and ideas that are in my mind. I am a great planner and organizer, but I cannot write nor speak to express myself. That is part of the reason I am a "quasi-blogger."
I want to blog.
I want to write.
I just can't seem to get it out on the paper or computer where it really says what I am trying to convey. Actually, as I sit here at my computer and type these words, I am thinking to myself, 'No...that's not right.' or 'How should I say this?".
As a matter of fact, I have never been good at writing or speaking. In high school, I ranked 3rd in my graduating class. I scored high on my SATs and ACTs. I was in the National Honor Society, served as senior class president, and served on the student council. I also failed both my junior and senior year research papers. (Yes, you read that correctly.) I don't how it happened except for the fact that I wrote a whole lot of nothing! There were some random facts and opinions and the grammar, spelling, and sentence structure were excellent! But, by the time the teacher got done reading the paper, she had no idea what I was writing about. I did the same thing in college my freshman year in English Comp 101.
Terrible.
I decided to stick to writing my honey letters while he was deployed in the military and scrapbooking. Now, I can do that! I also decided that maybe God had a different plan for me apart from writing. Then, as I was doing a bible study, I found someone that God used in a big way that had a similar problem as I.

Moses!

The bible says in Exodus 4:10-16

10" Moses said to the LORD, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.'

11 The LORD said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ?

12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'
13 But Moses said, 'O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'

14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, 'What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.

15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.

16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.'"

Seriously, how can I not hear that? It's as if God is speaking right to me and saying, "If Moses could do it, then you can do it!" OK, OK...I hear you Lord. But couldn't you ask someone else to write? Ha ha! Just kidding.

I believe God has put the desire to write into my heart and although I do not believe in my ability to write effectively right now, I am going to trust that my Lord God will "teach me what to say." I believe He will speak through me, and if I am obedient to listen and obey, what I write will be a blessing to others and glorify God.

Honestly, i don't know where the thought came from to blog on this specific topic. Maybe I am already being obedient to His calling. Maybe I'm just crazy. All I do know for sure is that THIS is not like me. Lord God I thank you for what you are stirring in my life! :)