Friends! Fun! Food! and Favor!

Can I just tell you?...I have felt the Lord's favor this week. Sweet favor. Undeserved favor.


And it all began Monday.

I love to entertain, love parties, love cooking and boy do I love my sisters-in-Christ! I had the sweet privilege to have my bloggy buddies Jean Stockdale and Fran Thomas for lunch on Monday. We sipped tea, lunched and talked!...(did I say we talked?!). Put three women who love the Lord and have been called to teach together and you'll hear some talking! (none of those awkward silences around here...*grin*).

Jean has taught a Moms group at her church for over 20 years. In fact Fran went to her class many years ago when her children were younger. Well, Jean is just "a tad" bit older than we are...(she's entered that wonderful season of grandbabies.) So you can imagine how Fran and I wanted to hear every word she had to say...Such wisdom. Wisdom that flowed effortlessly from her lips. Later as I reflected on that, it dawned on me that the reason wisdom seemed to drip from her was that...she had actually lived it. She had lived out what she had taught. She and her husband had raised two Godly young men---they didn't just talk about it. And that was the reason she could share wisdom so easily. She is the real deal!



And speaking of real deals...meet my friend Fran. She and I met through this bloggy world and I adore her. She is hip and cool and soooo stinking funny! (Everything I want to be and am not!) And she has a passion for the Lord that is contagious. I can't wait to see where the Lord leads her in using the gifts He has bestowed upon her gorgeous head!

I really didn't want Monday to end...(wow! never wrote that before!). But the Lord had more sweet favor in store for me. This weekend I packed an overnight bag, tossed it in the ole' suv and headed to a wonderful place, filled with some of my most favorite people! YADASISTERHOOD
We laughed, we cried, we took in the Word, we ate and we worshipped!! The speaker was one of my favorites- Lisa Harper. I had the opportunity to visit with her and was truly blessed by her attentiveness and real interest in what was going on with me. She ushers us INTO the Word. And I love that!





Jean and Fran!

Needless to say, I have enjoyed this week immensely! It's not every week that I get to sit, unhurriedly at the feet of such women and be ministered to one-on-one. Thank you, sweet Jesus, thank you so much. I enjoyed every minute.

Praying that I will bless others this week!
Teresa

Company's Coming!

Company's coming! Company's coming!

Polish the silver! check
Set the table! check
Chicken salad made! check
Apricot Tortoni made! check
Almond Lemonade Tea made! check
Stuff all the toys in the closet! check

Can you tell I'm a little excited about some visitors I'm having for lunch tomorrow? Well! I am! Tomorrow morning I am having two bloggy visitors over for lunch and a visit. This is such a joy for me considering I approached this blogging thing quite reluctantly. But oh how I've been blessed. Blessed by other's words, struggles, joys. And these two have most definitely blessed me. And now we get to visit! How cool is that! How cool is it what has brought us together is... our Lord, our love of a Savior, our love of the One and Only.

Acts 2:26b-47
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I think we might just have a little "church" on the front porch tomorrow.... (know what I mean?:)

Check back later in the week and hopefully I'll have pictures!

Blessings,
Teresa

I'm Back...sorta of...

Hello friends!
I have missed you! Not sure how this bloggy break got to be sooo long. But glad to be back.

I have spent a little time in the desert recently..(and not completely out yet..but getting there)...I was trying to discern how I got here...here being-empty, drained, dry, burned-out...you know what I'm talking about. For the past 5 months I have been spent...totally spent...for everyone else. Starting in January there was....

* A major shift in a Bible Study I am involved in with more responsibilities, along with some personnel changes that were both sweet and hard.
* The flu...tough stuff!
*Major trip and training on the end of that flu...
*May! (school activities-need I say more!!)
*Major family events here at our home...(parties for loved ones!)
*Disappointment at the hands of friends...

Whew! I just feel better writing that out! All this to say (and thanks for letting me whine/ I mean share *grin*)...God is good! And while I am empty at the moment...He is in the business of "filling" up! Two more projects on the table and then I'm going in for a full tank refill!!!
I share this to remind YOU...get your tank filled...filled with His Word, His presence..filled with HIM!

Habakkuk 3: 17-18 Though the fig tree do not blossom nor the fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my strength.

Filling up and praising!
Teresa

PS: I would consider your prayers precious...(and if anyone has a quiet, deserted place a worn out gal could use to retreat to..let me know!!:))

Smiling

Things that make me smile.

*A job well done.
*A kind word well-spoken.
*Cooking and entertaining for my friends and family.
*A certain blue-eyed, blond-haired boy's hugs.
*A well-earned nap.
*Seeing God's Word take root in someone's life.
*Positive people.
*Unexpected kindness.
*Planning surprises.

Heavenly Father, How great is Your Name! And how worthy is Your Name! May we praise You this day with all that is within us! Teach us Your ways, give us wisdom and revelation to understand Your Word. And Father may all we do and say bring a smile to Your holy face!
In the saving name of Jesus!
Amen!

What makes you smile?

Smiling and praising!
Teresa

Pleading The Case...

December 19. January 19. March 16.

Three dates on the calendar.

Three Christian friends.

Three set of tears.

Three funerals to plan.

Three widows leaning on their Lord.

....Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17


Do you know a widow?

Pray for her.
Go see her.
Hug her.
Cry with her.
Include her.

Praying,
Teresa

Having Fun!

I had the sweetest morning yesterday.

We are on spring break this week-(which is a little misleading because at the moment it is 31 degrees and sleeting). I took a little time out from the kiddos yesterday morning and got together with one of my mentors from way back that lives in another town. Another one couldn't meet us but we talked on the phone for 30 minutes! These are godly women a little older than me with young adults, (some in college, some out). They have always shared their wisdom (& struggles) with me anytime I needed them. They have prayed with me, over me, listen to me pitch fits and rejoiced with me! I love them bunches!

I just wanted to share a couple of things they reminded me about this job of raising children:

1: Praise them! Praise them!- Praise their character traits, not always their performance. Sometimes this takes intentional means on my part. My 3 children are all very different with different temperaments and personalities they have different strengths and struggles, it is my job as their mom to know those strengths and struggles.
2. Have fun with them!- Now for some of you this may be a no brainer, but for those of us who were born going on 40 (as my daddy used to say about me!) this too takes a little intentional planning on my part. Now, I'm not always a stick-in-the-mud, BUT I like routine, and my quiet time, and reading, etc...you get the picture..:)

SOOOO.....here I sit in a quiet house with 4 precious, sleeping (although loud at 2am) teenage girls among a BIG pile of dirty dishes, clothes thrown everywhere kind of mess...trying to have fun...*grin*...no really it was fun! and I am filled with His joy this morning!

Do any of you have any "fun" ideas that you have done with your children to share?
I would love to hear about them!


Filled with His joy this morning (sleepy joy!)
Teresa

ps: Don't worry about me...the cavalry (that tall handsome hunky husband) arrives at 12:30 to whisk them (and the other 2) off to the movies so I can have the whole afternoon to write next week's teaching!!! YEAH!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

About 3:15 Saturday afternoon, the Lord opened His storehouses of snow on our little corner of West Tennessee and for about 6 hours decorated our world in the most beautiful, breath-taking way. Never mind that I've had buttercups blooming for 2 weeks, this was the prettiest snowfall I can remember. So pure and white, blinding white and sparkling like diamonds! As I wandered around applauding our Lord for His handiwork, my heart felt as though it would pop...

Could it be true? Really true?
Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Oh Yes! my friend it is true!!! Through the blood of Jesus our sins are washed white as snow!



In just a few short weeks this is where I'll be sitting with a tall glass of tea, studying God's word, and drinking in His sunshine!


And this tree to the right will be covered in dogwood blooms!

In case you can't read that very well it says...12 inches!!!! Yes sir!!!!

Beautiful! Simply Beautiful!!

Now I know for some of you sweet, Northern sisters this is small potatoes; but for us Southern sisters this is a BIG deal!!! I'll try to post more later of the children, but I better take advantage of this quite house and study for Bible Study!

Soaking in His beauty and (washing clothes! good grief, snow produces a lot of laundry!)

love,

Teresa