Living Proof...

Beth Moore is living proof that God does amazing things in the lives of women who are 100% sold out to their God, their calling and being the woman God created them to be! She is and He is and that's all I can say about that.

Friday night, she started out by playing Psalm 16: 1-11 up on the screen before us. It is a beautiful testimony to God's faithfulness and His promises as written by King David.


She had us focus in on Psalm 16:5-7 in the English Standard version. Her emphasis - our beautiful inheritance. She shared that God's inheritance always involves three things:

1. Presence - His among us (Genesis 26:23, Joshua 1:9)

2. People.... God loves people (Genesis 12:3, 22; 22:17-18; Deuteronomy 4:20; Psalm 16:3; Revelation 7:9)

3. Property - a material something to possess or have (Numbers 26:52-56, Matthew 25:34)

She shared that Redemption is tied to Inheritance, because Jesus died not only to redeem us but also to make us co-heirs with Himself. To drive the point home - she shared the following 8 points:

1. I am an heir of God. My life is not left to chance. There is not casting of lots or scheming to steal our inheritance. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus and a co-heir with Him in His Father's kingdom. Our entire lives even before we knew Christ or dwelled in a pit of sin --- It all can be tailored to make a beautiful inheritance. (Psalm 16:5)

2. I am an heir of God. I am inheriting a kingdom. (Matthew 25:34, Daniel 7:18, Colossians 1:12) A real, tangible kingdom.... It will nt be boring. Paris Hilton was quoted as saying she is not a boring heiress... As God's heiresses we will not be called to a boring kingdom. It will be a thriving kingdom with life, responibility and possibility all lived in the presence and power of God.

3. I am an heir of God. He is my portion and I am HIS! (1 Peter 2:4-5, Psalm 73:25-26, Psalm 19:57, Lamentations 3:24) Did you get that? We are Christ's inheritance. She took us to Ephesians 1:18 ... Read it and see for yourself. We are the blessed inheritance of our Lord. We inherit Him and all of His kingdom as well.

4. I am a n heir of God. The down payment has been made. (Revelation 22:4, Ephesians 1:14, 2 Timothy 2:13, Romans 8) Christ made a deposit of His own Spirit in us and sealed us in the Spirit for the day of redemption. We bear a mark, His name is written upon our foreheads and all of heaven recognizes us as God's chosen redeemed. The down payment or deposit is our guarantee of the inheritance God has promised.

5. I am an heir of God. My boundary lines form a pleasing place. (1 Peter 1:4, Romans 8:18)

These boundaries represent the what shapes not only our destiny but our inheritance. Our past is the rear boundary - we don't have to live there but it shapes who we are. Our intimacy with God is our top boundary - if we do not grow in our relationship with God our top boundary remains low. Our bottom boundary or the place where we walk out what we are experiencing with God and those around us. And the forward momentum is our Spirituall giftings. Those things, within ourselves we cannot do on our own. If God is occupying all the territory within our boundaries - because if He is not the enemy is standing on our land. We must choose to be with Jesus, allow Him to work through our past, our experiences and our giftings to accomplish the purposes of the kingdom. It is a pleasing place to have our faith and walk it out in the center of God's will. God cannot do you wrong... "He comes to take over only to His glory and only to do you good." He can even use a little dirt in our past to make good soil for planting seeds.

6. I am an heir of God. The will (as in will and testament) has been activated. (Hebrews 9:15-17) In our lives, a persons will cannot be activated unless someone dies. However God's Word assures us that His will has already been activated toward us. Our inheritance is secure. It is ours. Jesus died and came back to life so our inheritance would be secure.

7. I am and heir of god. I can be secure. (I crossed out "can" and inserted "am to.") It is now an affirmation of faith! I am to never live insecurely seeking and desiring the approval of others to establish my identity and my value. Christ established my value by the price He was willing to pay to redeem me. He established my identity in Him when I received Him as my Lord. My identity and my value does not debend on other people's opinions or approval of me. Beth said, "No one draws in people like someone who does not need them." and "Christ's fragrance comes forth as we are broken." (Galatians 3:29-4:? - think I forgot to write that down. Psalm 16:5-6)

One final Bethism from this point: "Our theology has not become our reality until we allow God to deal with our insecurity." Now that is a good, good word.

8. I am an heir of God. I have a beautiful inheritance. (Isaiah 61:7, 2 Timothy 4:6-7)
With this, she pointed out that Joy is the leading emotion of receiving the inheritance - to which I say AMEN! But, also, that we are not just heirs to the kingdom behind Christ as in traditional roles of royalty where the firstborn son inherits the right to the primary inheritance. Biblically speaking the primary inheritance or double portion goes to the firstborn. For God - that firstborn is Jesus Christ. We are not just heirs with Him - we are CO-heirs - equal heirs - we get a double portion. Christ is indeed our very great reward. It's not that He works miracles in circumstances to show off, but that He would reveal His glory by working miracles in people - so that we are the miracle. Let's never ask for an easier life, but instead press on and finish the race well. And there when we come across the line bloodied and bruised... beaten and battle weary - we will receive the Crown of Life and Victory which God has promised and we will cast them at His feet in Glory! In the 2 Timothy passage there is a Greek word, kalas, which means "a beautiful fight." Our lives will be a beautiful fight is one hard fought and that may be hard on us but it brings the victory just the same! A Beautiful Inheritance.

Of course, this is Beth's teaching mixed with my own thoughts in my notes... but I tried to write down as much as possible. She did this other neat diagram that maybe I will conjure up later in my trusty old computer so you can see how beautiful it really is. She brought it and God brought down the house when His Holy Spirit fell.

The meet up was precious and so special. God so blessed us this weekend... I'm almost in tears just thinking about it. To my new BFFs Lora, Nesha and Alexia... I. FLAT. OUT. LOVE. YOU. TO. PIECES. Flat Out. Thank you for yesterday morning and the entire weekend. But, most of all thank you for letting me walk alone in the rain, have some time to myself on Saturday afternoon and allowing me to pray with you, hear your story and walk a mile with you along this road of life. I'll never forget it.

Gayle, Cindy and Amy Beth - WOW! Beautiful women, beautiful hearts, beautiful writers... and Cindy - I should add that bit about housekeeping to my profile... cause a good housekeeper in this body - not so much!

Tiffany... I tend to agree the almost "insane" idea of traveling with someone you absolutely do not know for ten hours and entrusting yourself to them seems a little off, but even before we laid eyes on each other it is like God gave us a "knowing" about one another. A kindred heart you are my friend. A kindred heart and I love you.

Holly, Kim and Patty - Thank you seems inadequate - so YOU. ARE. THE. BOMB... and we're all Beth's "peeps!" I swear! She must have been reading Boo Mama's Blog! HA!

Okay... so a nap is in order... I'll link to blogs later ladies... I'm worn out. I had to tape my eyelids to my forehead to make this post by this hour! Love Ya!

Home again, Home again Jiggety Jig...

Well, I arrived home today from the fabulous Sauna Antonio Living Proof Live Siesta event this weekend and well... I'm two things right now - OVER THE TOP blessed and physically exhausted. It was as they say a whirlwind tour... On Friday evening, while we were waiting to go to our seats at the fiesta, Amanda came out and visted with us. She was so gracious and beautiful. Two things surprised us - how tall she is, and how much more she looks like Mama Siesta than in her pictures. She is a stunningly gorgeous woman with a beautiful and gentle spirit. Her heart to serve the siestas on Saturday was just an absolute blessing to everyone there.

I am still mulling over the message on Inheritance that Beth brought. I will be writing more about my roomies, my ride and the fabulous bloggers of Siestaville in a few days, but for now I am going to shower and get ready for church. You all are blessings and dear to me and now I have precious faces and voices to go with our unique or not so unique bloggy names... You are the BOMB and I love you.

29 Hours and Counting...

What is your first clue this siesta is excited about San Antonio?

This is actually me after one too many Rt. 44 Cokes from Sonic! But please don't tell my daughter she totally gets angry at me...

Apparently I can be pretty embarrasing on a good caffiene buzz!

I was, after all, dancing to some hip hop song in her bedroom earlier and being a total DORK!


Here is the deal... I am totally psyched about San Antonio even if it will feel like a Sauna.


I went and had my nails done today and guess what. I was the first one in the pedicure chair - Oh. Yes. I. Was.
I arrived before the salon opened. My friend, Katie, a young vietnamese Catholic who does my nails arrived a few minutes after my hiney landed in the chair. She is precious and so seeking more and more information about the Lord. We talk about Him everytime I am at her table. Well she came in and saw where I had been playing around with designs on my nails this week. She suggested a very chic and trendy design - Zebra Stripes... I asked her if she would do it with same polish that was already on my toes and she said, YES!

Here are the results:

I Have TOTALLY. COOL. TOES!

She is sooo Talented. These are standard issue acrylics with painted tips and designs!
DON'T. THEY. JUST. SCREAM. FIESTA. FEROCIOUS? And, what's this I see...

Hey Ya'll... This totally looks like a suitcase that is almost packed. OH. And that little flyer to the left is an advertisement for this WORDSearch Preferred Customer... I'm trying to figure a way to buy $180 worth of E-Bible Study Tools and pay for my trip to San Antonio! The WordSearch stuff looks like it is no on hold... But, GLORY. SAN. ANTONIO. IS. ALMOST. HERE!

And here is the garment bag. This is my $8,000 luggage set! Not really - you might note the little "MARY KAY" logo all over the maroon canvas - and well, I bought $8000 worth of inventory and got this luggage as my reward... plus I still have a good bit of that MARY KAY to make my skin look youthfully fresh and renewed! I, by the way, no longer sell MARY KAY!

However, the other day, my precious girl said: "Momma, you know that line in Steele Magnolias where Julia Roberts says, 'I've discovered the early stages of crows feet.' and Truvy says, 'Honey, there's one thing you learn and that is time marches on, and eventually you notice is marching across your face!' Well, you don't have those!" I just love that kid! She does a body good... or at least an ego! I said, "It's all that skin care!" So... of course one of those Mary Kay bags would hold a pleathora of hair and skin care products... though not all are MARY KAY - actually my skin care is now mostly Aveeno and I love love love it!

Decide for Yourself:

Notice the dark tips beside my face...

yes, that would be my very own personal application of LOW LIGHTING!

And then there is the HAIR!

I don't think I do it justice with this camera and my-not-so-swivel arm... but I'm trying! I'm trying! Can you tell it has high and low lights... I get so many compliments on this science experiment that I was convinced was a big mistake til I wore it out in public a few times. Now I think I'll keep it! What do you think... ? Would you believe I did it all myself? Oh. Yes. I. DID!

one wired siesta, anxiously awaiting her trip to San Antonio nearly 28 hours from now!

Oh Lord, I got myself so worked up, now I don't think I will get to sleep for a couple of hours. Please help me to rest this evening and give me patience to endure the next 28 hours... WOO HOO!

SIESTA OUT!

TOMORROW's POST: TOTALLY COOL STUFF I AM DONATING TO THE NON-SAN ANTONIO SIESTA GIVE-A-WAY!

I'm going to be in San Antonio in about 60 hours

Can you believe Siesta Fiesta Week is finally here?

I can't - If you aren't going check out the Siestaville Blog where Patty and Kim have been working feverishly on this weekend's event. There will be a terrific give-a-way for the non-Sauna Antonio Siestas... So tune in, read up and be a Siesta with us.

If you are not a Siesta... well, hop on over to LPM and read Beth Moore's ministry blog and then you will begin to understand what this blog phenom is all about!

Well, my transportation is secure! I will be heading out with my friend (For His Glory) at the wee hour of 5 AM on Friday. We will drive down in her Honda Accord!

A month ago I think I had one roommate... ONE! I had five who dropped out and well, it was looking like a very expensive weekend. When one of my five roomies dropped so did my ride to San Antonio and the rest of this journey has been a real adventure in odyssey with God proving Himself every step of the way.

On Friday, I will meet my first new blog friend T. as we make the ride to Sauna Antonio together. Then I will catch up with L., A., and N. who will be arriving on Thursday probably at the hotel or the Pico de Gallo luncheon that has been set up for the ladies. I did not know any of these women before we connected about this Siesta Event! Which is absolutely exciting to me.

My roomies are coming from the North - A., the South - L., and the East, N.... Then ya' have little ol' me from the west (since I am the Siesta from the western most point on the map in our Siesta Bunch!)

I checked the weather tonight and it is either going to be a gully washer or a sauna in good old San Antone this weekend... So I have taken to calling it Sauna Antonio! I went in December two years ago for a Lifeway Women's Event and sweltered in nearly 70 degree temperatures with about 110% humidity. I ended up at Brookstones buying a small battery-op'd fan and feeling like I was in early menopause. But, God still brought the Word.

OH. MY. I purchased my tickets on 9/21/2007 and the week is finally here.

As for other things in my life... This week has been rough for me the last two years. This last Friday was the anniversary of my son's accident. On that evening I was in the living room of my life group leader's house surrounded by godly women praising and worshipping the Lord. During worship I asked God to show me where He was that night three years ago and He so sweetly showed me His arms holding up mine as I praised Him for delivering Justin through the surgery for internal injuries. He showed me how He ministered to Justin in his hospital bed after the surgery when the nurses encouraged me to leave and get some sleep since we had quite a journey ahead of us. He showed me how He was in the hearts of every person who came to us, took care of us and walked this journey out with us all these months since. He is so good to us. I love Him so.

This year my declaration is the Joy of the Lord is my strength. He is, Oh He is. I have had closure this year and tremendous healing in this area of my life - I'm finally seeking freedom after all these years. TO. HIM. BE. THE. GLORY. who has the POWER to turn curses into BLESSINGS, ashes into BEAUTY, and the despair of the broken into the PRAISE of the REDEEMED! I'm so blessed by His Love, His Grace, His Mercy and His Spirit. May you be blessed by this little praise fest...

If you think of it would you say a little prayer for me on Saturday - It is the third anniversary of my son's homegoing and I miss him even if I am enraptured with my Lord's Joy!

Love Ya'll to Pieces and Bless You even more.

It is finished...

Okay... So I have not written anything in OH SO LONG! Well, of course unless you count the 100 or so pages of Bible Study I just completed and the fifty or so more of leader guide to go with it. OH MY! I had no idea what it would take, but I am grateful to say I finished it in a MONTH! Four weeks. It is not the in-depth style of study that Bethie writes, but it is a Session Lesson with four or five activities for the week along with handouts and such to help them along the way! Oh Glory... I can barely stand it - now September 17th must, must, must hurry up and get here! MUST!

And, I have 6 whole days before I converge with 100s of other women in San Antonio for the LPL SIESTA FIESTA! You can read all about us here.

Be sure to pick up one of our Siesta Cookbooks - I think I submitted a recipe or two. ;o)

Well, I will be back later with some fabulous post about what I'll be wearing, how I am traveling and so on but for now - I am just going to bid you adieu and say hasta la vista, baby!

I'm BI-LINGUAL... If only in goodbyes.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

An Oddysey of Adventure - the Saga Unfolds....

In this post you will find the two selected forms of transportation that I will be sporting - one or the other - to San Antonio next month! And why, cause this here Greyhound bus and that there Amtrak Train are only $76-79 round trip from Fort Worth to San Antonio! And that my friends beats a plane or an automobile any day of my week!

I never thought I would relish the idea of riding a train or a bus, but you know when I began to explore these travel options my heart began to cry "ADVENTURE." I picture that scene from Pearl Harbor where they are all on the train... I can see myself with laptop blogging away as the Texas Landscape just passes right on by.

Or how about Julia Roberts on a midnight bus ride escaping her abusive husband in "Sleeping With the Enemy." I can hear some sweet elder lady ask me where I am headed and then I will share all my bloggin' plans with her as we ride our bus to San Antonio...

Then a cab ride to the hotel or some sight seeing around San Antonio - what a glorious time it will be.

I am a loner on my way to a fesitval of friends. I can't wait! My daughter would like to go with me and I am still praying about that because she will be staying with people we hardly know. She also has to pay her own way - which is no big deal since she is working this summer.

So... What else can I say about this trip - oh HOTELS... there is one spot left in my room by the way!

I'm excited to be staying at the Riverwalk Marriott with a bunch of our Siesta friends. I have a room I've been trying to fill since March or May - at least I am pretty sure that month begins with an M! Anywho... I had two friends local who had agreed to make the trip with me, one of them was planning to drive... But, a few weeks ago - one dropped out and then the other. I was disappointed not to get to share this grand adventure with my friends. However, I also realized that maybe there is a divine appointment in that somewhere. I had one blogger friend who had booked my room for the weekend when I first learned I had it - and a couple of weeks ago she let me know her health was not so good and she had lost her job... Now, I have an empty hotel room again. A few days later a couple of ladies from Alabama signed up - but life is happening there and the enemy seems to have an assignment agains every single person I have found to share my hotel room with me... I then got a call from a lady blogger from Illinois who wanted one of the newly available spots in my room, and later got in touch with a wonderful blog reader from Virginia who are now my new roommates... and I am prayign they stick! Cause, Lord, I need to share my room with someone!

So now I am meeting two people for the first time in San Antonio and we are spending our weekend together with several hundred more women we have never in our lives met before... AND glory, now I am coming by bus or train... Please Pray... I need it!

Blessings All! San Antonio or Bust in 30 days... and at this rate it just might be BUST! As in, if I don't get there, I'll just bust!