PART TWO: Blessings Follow Obedience

Blessings Follow Obedience

I have journal pages filled with  countless blessings in my life.  There was a long time that I felt that I had to be quiet about all these blessings. Embarrassment of the BLESSINGS.  What I soon realized was that more important than the blessing was that painful process, the journey, the surrender and the obedience that came before.  Most don't see that journey and there lies the story of our blessings, of my favor and joy in the blessing of following Jesus.

Our speaker, Amanda Higgins, shared the amazing heaps of blessings in her life.  The struggle before would have been unseen, but she shared that.  Losing a job, needing to work, and God placing her on a two month journey of quietly and painfully growing closer to Him during that time of not working.  She shared how that  painful refining was a gift.  

Do we view that painful refining as a gift?

What is God asking you to do?

Do you shrink back from the pain of refining?

1 Peter 2:19 

"For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly."

How many times have we encountered that unjust suffering?  

Asking God how this could happen and why is it happening.    In those mourning times of unjust is when God is there, every tear, every turn and our response to Him is what He desires.  He is choosing you. It's easier to choose the world, run into the arms of idle chatter, discontentment, and babble on to everyone else, when all God desires is for you/me to come in closer to Him, so he can speak into our hearts what His next move is, His calling in our lives. 

2 Peter 1:10

"Therefore brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble."

Wow HIS calling and choosing you and me.

The stumbling  happens when I dip my heart  and thoughts into the world, and then confusion sets in and I have no idea what my calling might be.  How about you?

CALLED TO GO-------------------->DESIGNED TO GO-------------------->TIME TO GO

Our struggles He knows.  The details of our challenges, He knows every single detail.  Are you practicing, developing habits of running to Him?  

Think about Daniel in the old testament.  Where did God place him?  In the courts of the heathen monarchs.  Daniel who loved the one true God with outward passions is used among heathens.YES!!!  Daniel was given a place of prominence and responsibility in Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom.  I have often felt like a modern day Daniel.

I use to feel like a "Christian Misfit".  Yes, a true modern day outcast among my Christian friends. I am quite fond of Daniel and his heart to be used right where God had called him.  I did not understand my own calling in my late 20's.  I worked alongside the world.  Not in a church, not in any form of Christian circles.  I did not volunteer in the nursery or lead Bible study groups.  I said "no" when asked to be on the worship team, and no in other ministries.  It was not where I felt called, and it was not a popular choice.  Sadly I gave myself that title of "Christian Misfit".  When my Christians friends sat around talking about being home full time, and leading Bible groups, I went quiet.  Working moms, were viewed as ungodly.  Working in the world was even more "ungodly" so I shrunk back and just smiled with my "Christian Misfit" smile.

Daniel did not shrink back.  His calling was a testimony to the power of God working in his life among the heathens. Daniel was favored for his obedience to God.

Daniel 1:9

"Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials."

Daniel 2:48

"The the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts and made him ruler over the entire providence."

As I began to understand God's calling on my life, my confidences grew up too.  I had confidence that God had me right where I should be.  Working in my own business that allowed me to have that stay home mom presence to my children.  Working in my own business that had huge financial blessings.  Those blessings used to pour into his Kingdom in ways that were needed to grow ministries.  The enemies lie "Christian Misfit".

"If you character is not ready, God's anointing will not bless." 

Amanda Higgins

What is God trying to work out in you? In your character?  Are you ready? It might hurt.

"Favor is more than we deserve, but we have to be ready to step into it." 

Amanda Higgins

Phil 4:17

"Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the profit which increases to your account."

Proverbs 10:22

"It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow."

Do you look to another and complain that they walk in God's favor?  

Begin to measure your heart and ask God to open your heart to His calling in your life.  

Are you shrinking back and away when that painful refining begins?

God has to establish our hearts towards Him in order for us to hear from Him.  There are many distractions that the enemy uses to try to keep us busy, and loud and not able to hear from God.

He wants to bless us, and He wants to give us more.  In that favor there is protection.

Psalm 5:12

"For is is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord.  You surround him with favor as with a shield." 

Obedience requires that we press in very, very, very close to God.  He goes before our thoughts, our actions, our interactions.  He will guide in the smallest of ways.  I said earlier that I have many journal pages filled with the ways in which God has blessed me.  Friends let be clear on one thing.  Many of these journey's have been very painful and very hard.  Unseen, but no more in hiding.  No longer that "Christian Misfit".  No longer embarressed over just how much God has heaped on me, the blessings, the favor and the protection.

I chatted with a lovely young mom a few weeks back. If you are reading you will know who you are.  She shared with me her lovely life.  In almost a whisper she said,

 "I feel like I just need to be quiet with how much 

God is blessing me. 

I get to be a full time stay home mom, I love my husband so much, 

he is so amazing, and well it's kind of embarrassing."

As I listened, I understood clearly her struggle of "embarrassment of blessings" as I too have struggled with the same.  I mean really how do you share with your friends that your tiny little business just grossed over 3 million in one year and much more the next.  How do you share the blessings of being on the cover of Neiman Marcus, and Better Homes and Gardens.  Sounds kind of braggy doesn't it?  Especially when others are struggling so much in their marriages, their relationships, their jobs.  When Amanda Higgins shared the blessing of landing the most fantastic job ever, it was not about her.  It was not about her gifted and amazing skills. It was about her painful journey to surrender and obedience.  

Dear Mom, who shared on the phone, your story of obedience gives credence the favor and blessings God has surrounded you with.

Dear Elizabeth, your favor and blessings in a business were from a heart that said, "God I will share who you are in my life with strangers, and I will share all this blessing to give in ministries that I can not work in, but can write a check for."

Nothing in the blessings of business show the painful journey of meeting furniture trucks at 5am in the pouring rain and unloading 184 pieces of furniture in the dark with a fever of 104 degrees.  Asking and crying out to God why he would have me in this silly business. Nothing in my journey shows the pain of holding countless mother's hands, losing their babies and having to come in to face me and cancel the order for their baby's room.  Did God need Elizabeth to sit with these strangers and reveal to them a God who was bigger and greater.  Crying with them and praying with them in a store.  We can never know or we know it plain as day, why God calls us.

Blessings follow our Obedience!

Find a journal and begin writing.  Thanking God for His favor in your life. Pick up the phone and share your story.  That journey that brought you to a place of favor, that others may see your life.  Like the blind man, who could see.  He went running off and praising God for what God had done in his life.  Open your eyes, and see!

Next in this series: Cultivating Favor 

From My Notes at the Ladies Retreat

From My Notes at the Ladies Retreat  

I had the opportunity to join the ladies at Portland Christian Center for their ladies retreat.  A good friend of mine attends this church, and she and I got be hotel room buddies, seat buddies and meal buddies and late night chatting buddies.  

The speaker really spoke from the heart of a woman who really listens to God. Now a day later, early morning,  I have been sorting and rewriting my notes. I felt like I was back in college.  Sitting in a class and writing just about everything that has meaning.  Then going to the library and rewriting my notes in an outline form, and then looking at the text to deepen each spoken word.  I have done just that.  Taking the passages of scripture, which I could not look up and read in the moment, and matching up the "text" (from the Bible) and aligning with my notes.  I decided that over the next few blog posts I would share how God spoke to my heart.  This outline is not exactly as the speaker spoke, just those things that God was speaking into my heart.

CALLED TO GO-------------------->DESIGNED TO GO-------------------->TIME TO GO

God has called us, designed us and well it's time to go.  The message began with defining those things that keep us from understanding our calling.    Perhaps there are reasons why we feel less Holy in our mission to go.

What are some reason's you believe YOU are less Holy?

We  believe that our peers won't think our calling is what it should be. Your past, your bad choices from the past, you family, your handicap, your position in society?

The enemy feeds us lies, and those lies we speak into ourselves or allow others to speak prevent us from going.

What lies have prevented you from going? 

GOD SAYS, "YOU ARE WHO I SAY YOU ARE."

I want to note that as I was writing this part of my notes, I got a tweet update from a friend in Florida which read something like this, 

 "Has anybody told you, you're beautiful? 

You should have seen Me smile the day I made you!" -God

What limitations have you put on yourself? Your limitations are not God's limitations.

When did you orchestrate a plan that failed?  How have you allowed God to lead in His plan.?  Were the results different from your plan?

Isaiah 64:6  Reveals our Plan:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness's are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

We can easily convince ourselves that we are in God's plan.  Favor and Blessings come from obedience to God.  I have done things that I think, truly this must be the will of the God.  I then begin to measure my heart, my intentions, and see that self righteous attitude, or the laundry of dirty rags piling and then without thinking it's all gone and I scratch my head.  I then have to realize that it was Elizabeth's plan, not really God's plan.

 Isaiah 64:8 Reveals God's Plan:

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

That quiet surrender, sometimes extremely painful surrender of allowing ourselves to step into the hands of our Maker, the Potter. Allowing Him to mold us, and shape us for His plan and calling for our life.  I remember my plan for David coming to know Jesus.  My intentions were good.  Go to a big church, a prayer room to the side. Private and prayerfully David would meet Jesus.  The day I prayed out loud, crying my eyes out and saying "Lord YOUR plan not mine."  My husband met Jesus that very same day.  Even as Christians our hands hold on tightly to what we want to be right in our eyes, but the Bible says what?  "thou our potter"

1John 1:9 Reveals Our Action Plan:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

OUCH!!!  Do I have it in me to confess and be cleansed of that righteous Elizabeth?  In that confession we are free, cleansed and God is faithful to forgive.  I am now saying, "okay God you called me to go, you designed me to go, and now it's time to go in God's calling, design, and plan for my life.

What labels do we put on ourselves that effect God's plan for us?

I have a young gal that I meet with.  I have known her for three years.  When I first met her she was painfully shy. Even for her it was painful. As she began to understand the labels on her life, she uncovered something very interesting in her life. She had some chatty siblings. Those siblings did not leave room for her to have a voice, so she was quiet. It was not long until every family member, extended family and friends labeled this beautiful girl as "shy". She spent her entire life being painfully "shy".  She was introduced as the "shy" one, and adopted that label.   The pain grew as she felt uncomfortable in her own skin, wanting to bust out of this life given label.  As she uncovered some of the labels, she decided to try some non-shy things in her life.  One day she sat in my living chatting away. Not the same girl I had met three years ago.  She shared how she was getting involved in things that she would never have done as a "shy" person. Her face was bright and God was using her in ministries that seemed far away for her.  "I think I must really have been born an extrovert, because I am doing all these extrovert things and enjoying my life, and the opportunities God is leading me to."

Wow, talk about labels effecting our lives for a lifetime.  No!!!  Not for a lifetime.

When I was a senior in high school I was given a "humorous award" at our senior banquet.  I had spent most of my high school years missing important details.  If I did not understand something I kept quiet. I did not ask questions. You see, my step dad started telling me, at a young age, that I was stupid and dumb.  He would replace my name with those words. In my heart I thought I can't be that stupid because I am passing my classes.  I was so ashamed of being stupid I never wanted anyone to know, so I kept quiet.  Even over the details of an event, or place to be.  I played it silly, and was funny. I gave myself those  labels. "Silly" and "Funny" to mask my stupidity.  The day I walked up on the stage in front of my peers to receive that award is that day I started asking questions.  I was awarded "Air Head of the Year".  OUCH.  I was "silly", so I danced onto the stage to the music.  I was "funny" so my acceptance speech was funny.  Inside I was hurting deeply.

I decided that day, I did not care who thought I was stupid, and no question was stupid and every question is important. Now, as my family and friends know I will ask the same question five different ways just for clarification.  I know today that God did not make me stupid.  You see how labels can affect us deeply.

I will wrap up right here.  On our own we miss His calling and design for our life. On our own the laundry gets dirty, we have attitudes of self righteousness. On our own we carry a life time of labels that hinder God's calling in our life.  What labels are you ready to peel off?  I will be writing more, in the next few days,  from my notes at the ladies retreat.

A habit of Love

REPOSTED FROM FEB.2010

I am really going to spice things up this Valentine's Day for my sweetheart. This may make you blush so you better get a fan. Things are going to be heating up. Whew I can already feel my pulse rising.

There are lots of articles, ads, and ideas circulating on how to spice things up for your man this Valentine's Day. Many of which require a trip to some kind of store selling lots of pink, black, and red articles of clothing.  My husband loves me dearly. He makes lovely comments about how beautiful I am and he has a loving embrace that reminds me every single day he walks out the door to work and every single day he walks in the door from work. I am so glad that.  Glad that all these colors of love are not what define our love for each other.

Answering the front door in some red hot outfit held together with strings would not be a turn on around here.  With a house full of boys I don't need to be making any public displays of my love for David in this way. Yet all the ads are promoting just this. The mall is littered with sexual content promoting LOVE. Is this is what LOVE is all about?

Love in our home is so much more. Those things relating to the physical part of my relationship are just between my husband and I would not honor him to divulge how I might be spicing things up. Sometimes these are the best kept secrets. However I will share a few ideas of how I can expand my love towards this wonderful man. A few years ago I adopted these few things in my marriage. God impressed on my heart the attitudes and moods I may have that affect my relationship with David in negative ways. I asked God to show me how I can change to improve things between the two of. I realize each marriage is different, but these few things have helped me so much and I have a terrific friendship and love affair with my husband.  We have struggled, we have had our huge moments, and yet through love, grace and mercy this man is truly my best friend in the world.  With a loving measure of my own heart here are some things I have learned.

1. Don't wait, just do it. Don't wait for an act of kindness on his part, to express one back to him. Just do it, regardless of the stress of your day. Stress that often has nothing to do with him is often affecting the "doing it" acts of kindness. Do no allow your process of stress how you love on your man, and how you show him kindness.  Just Do It!

2. Give him a blank page numbered 1-10. Give him the freedom to write out ten things YOU can do to express love and kindness for him.  Things that are important to him. Then go back to my first idea and "don't wait, just do it."  This can be a very helpful way in truly understanding the things that make our husband's smile.   David's number one on a list of ten was to greet him at the door afterwork, hug him and give him a kiss.  For him, it was a way of saying "no matter what the day was like for either of us we are a team, and our boys can see this."


3. Think first on intentions before you re-act. My husband's nature is very kind and considerate. I loved and adored that about him while we were dating. He had those qualities long before he ever met me. I want to make sure I continue to love and encourage those characteristics in him. So before I  get mad over a situation I have to ask myself the "intentions" behind that which made me mad. I can not get upset over a messy house after being gone all day. Is the house a mess because David intended to make me mad? (I am a clean as I go kind of gal, so not everyone is like that including my husband) His intentions are typically to keep busy boys happy, and he's playing or handymanning about. No need to blow a gasket over things done differently than I would do. The heart and the intent of David is always  for good, not for harm or hurt.  I truly trust that in him.  In trusting that in him, it's my heart I must examine.

4. Kiss your man when he walks out the door in the morning, midmorning, afternoon, whenever he leaves.  When he returns home so the same.  As the sign state in our bedroom "Always Kiss Me Goodnight".  It has become a loving habit in our home. Even if I have gone to bed before David or he is out the door before I am awake there is a kissy exchange. I will NEVER grumble if I am rustled out of a sleep for that kiss, nor does David grumble if I am kissing him while he slumbers. There have been days when I am certain my husband is not feeling so loving towards me or vice versa, but never is a kiss and an embrace missed. Our boys now expect that same kiss and it's wonderful for our family to see us as a couple loving each other through thick and thin.....which brings me to my next point.

5. Thick or Thin look hot for your husband.   I can be schlepping in sweats all day with being a mom and house full of boys.  I am more comfortable that way because we are building legos, playing on the floor lots. I watch the clock every single day. Around 4:30pm I run upstairs, throw on something a little nicer, put some make-up, brush my teeth, and make sure my husband is not walking into a crazy zone and I look good for him. I am not as concerned concerned how I look at the kid's school, the grocery store, or anywhere, but I do want to look put together for my amazing husband.

So there you have it. Not deep and intimate thoughts, just some every day stuff that works well in this home. I can honestly say, and those who know my husband and I will comment on the love they see shared between us.  A love that we have fought hard for.  I love hearing people say things about my relationship with my husband. When it becomes a loving habit it is so easy. I hear couples say, but it is so hard. Yes, it is hard to think of another person, serve that person, and even honor them in all things. It's easy when it is a habit of Love. So cheers this Valentine's Day to developing habits of Love. Come on Just Do It!!!!

Developing Our Children's Future Careers

 Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

As parents. how do we develop our children’s future careers?  I listened to a man share his story on the career choice he currently works in.  His interest, designing shoes. His story starting as a young boy.  Our pastor is teaching a series on partnering with God, as we work in the jobs he gives us.  He brought up five people in various careers to share how God is using them, in their individual and very different job. The shoe guy struck a cord with me.  He said that a 5th grade report card said something like, “grades might improve with less shoe drawings.”  I chuckled and could relate, and then asked myself.  How am I encouraging my young boys in the God given gifts they have?

Emerson Loves to Play Math

Do we see as parents, the very gifts that God designed in our children?  Are we aware of them? Do we then  build opportunities around our children to grow in those passions.   I am going to use Ethan as an example.  He is OBSESSED with airplanes.  He was never a crayon or marker kid. He wanted a fine point to design and draw airplanes.   I use to sit for hours and read “fact” book on airplanes. It made no sense to me, but that was his reading choice. Now that he is a strong reader he has taking this plane thing and gives new meaning to his passions with long studies of World Wars and how planes were used.  What am I doing to continue to grow this passion in Ethan?  Being deaf, some say that he may never fly a plane. I am not going to be the one to crush that dream.  He is going to pursue his dreams and as parents we do all we can to bring more of his passions to him.  Our last visit to the Air Museum in McMinnville turned into a private tutor and showing for Ethan.  An old pilot with a young boy asking questions.  Taking Ethan from one plane to the next.  Asking me how on earth this little boy knows so much.  (Good Will has tons of books to collect on planes.)  All of Ethan’s school papers come home with airplanes doodled all over.  Drawings with battles going on.  Airplanes on the cover of his biweekly report, to the point that his teacher, bless her heart, allows him to make that cover page of planes.

Ethan Enjoys His Time With an Older Pilot

I think about Emily and her music love. Asking me when she was 12 years old if she could have a mandolin.

Self-taught, music playing, song writing, girl.

Elliot picking up a guitar.  He was the walking guitar player all through junior high and high school.  Those early years of listening to him teach himself, and those painful cords being play over and over. Now worship pastor at a church.

Elliot leading worship at a Young Life camp in Oregon

As parents, speaking of the wonders of how God gives us our desires and passions.  It may not make sense to me, but it does make sense to a child who had not had the limitations of an authority in their life who shuts those interests and passions down.   Sometimes our own fears are what keep our children from climbing higher and higher.

Ethan climbs higher. Yikes!

That man at church reflecting back to his childhood of taking a pencil to paper to design athletic shoes.  Would he being doing this, if he was shut down and redirected to something else? As parents do we provide the opportunities to build interest and growth for our children.

Building Blocks or Legos for Encouraging a Future

I have asked God over and over why He gives me so many blessings in the same career that has followed me for the past 22 years.  I love it. I enjoy what I do.  The blessing of working for myself, which allowed me to also be a full time stay home mom. Double blessings. Not working now for almost five years, and the minute all the kids are in school the doors open up to go right back to what I was doing.  Why God?  Why do you keep dropping me back into this?

I was the girl who always had people encouraging me. I was the girl who always helped their friend’s change their rooms around. My parents let me decorate my bedroom exactly how I wanted it.  While my friends were looking at teen magazine I was pouring over Architectual Digest on our coffee table.  I was the girl who sewed all the matching bedding, curtains, place-mats and napkins for my college dorm room.  I have never been board in all these years.  I have grumbled at times when sitting over a sewing machine, but I thank God that he has given me a gift that I can use. More importantly I get to be in this world, rubbing elbows with people who do not know Christ. Who ask me questions about my life and I get to give God credit for the blessings in my life.  My parents did encourage the designer in me. I have to admit I rebelled the idea of this for a short while.  But they provided the resources for me to use the depth of my passions that God designed in me.

Looking to my children and those little minds being developed.

Walking Boldly Into The Plans God Designed

Am I developing the passions in my boys and one girl?  Is there really something about the 7 year old who can play with a calculator for two hours and is a total geek with numbers, facts, math. I really wanted to ask Eric if he wanted the pencil pack to go with it. A dollar investment in a calculator.  Feeding his God given passions.  I don’t get it.  A calculator, really. He comes from a long history of engineers and rumor has it his Pop-Pop, Uncle, and cousin, all engineers and they too found joy in this kind of  young play.

Praying that my children will grow in their passions, understand how God has designed them.  Also praying that David and I will continue to encourage them in developing their future careers.

How are you Developing Our Kid’s Future Careers?

He Knows My Name

This afternoon, my lungs grasping for air, my inner joys being rattled and realizing that truly man, the imperfections we have, do not compare to the perfections in knowing Jesus.  Do you ever need to be reminded of this?  Getting caught up in the emotions and drama and taking it all on for what?  The compromising, even for a day, what He knows and that joy that only comes from walking with Christ.  Walking boldly and confidently, because He Knows My Name.


She called and reminded me of one thing. I needed that reminder.  I needed that inner joy of knowing Him, because sometimes I do get distracted.  The past few days I have been distracted.  Do those every day things that occupy our thoughts distract enough that we forget. It does for me. So her phone call and reminder brought me to the most joyful tears I have cried all week.


"He Knows Your Name, Elizabeth"  and she did not have to say anything more.  You see I got my heart distracted by silly events brought on by just being part of this world. Part of being a wife, a mother, a friend.  He does know my name.  He knows my heart, he knows my intentions, he knows my thoughts.  And then His kind of  peace comes over me.  Guess what He Knows YOUR name too. He knows your struggles within, the challenges, the broken promises and in designing you, He gets you and He Knows Your Name.  Take a moment and click on the link below. Close your eyes and listen to the words.  What joy and comfort that He truly does Know My Name.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60&feature=related

A Tie in a Tree

 Does a picture really paint a thousand words such as a Tie in a Tree?

Where did they go?   A beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon. A beautiful day for a wedding.  Emily called and asked if Ethan could be her date at a wedding we were attending.  I thought this wedding would be a good first wedding for Ethan to see and attend.  Emily did his hair, chose his clothes and even his tie. Teaching her younger brother how to honor a wedding, with fancy clothes.  Ethan was game.  He went along.  That is until he realized that it was a sitting affair. He leaned over and asked if he could go climb trees during the wedding.  I said no. He then asked if he could take off his tie. I said no, not until your climbing a tree.  His sister help pass the time with some silly face making.

  He got a little wiggly.  The wedding was over and then they disappeared. Before I spotted Ethan, I saw his tie hanging from a  tree.  I then looked up and saw him.  His sweet big sister took him to go climb a tree.  He was not so fond of attending a wedding, sitting still, knowing the sun was shining and a tree was waiting for him.

 This young man thinking about life, in the sunshine up in a tree.  It's good to be a boy without a tie on and in a tree.


We made a stop at Guitar Center.

Ethan looking all music dude-ish that I had to snap it. He would now like this picture made into a poster for his room. I shall comply.  I have slowed down my picture taking in the past few months.  It's hard to know what to do with them all and I am not one who gets much satisfaction out of managing, organizing and making special books of pictures. I am saving all that for when I am an old lady in a rocking chair.  So these snippets are more memorable to me.

It's a sunny Monday.  The weekend is over and as I see God's hand working in and around my life. I pause to look at life in these two sillies of mine and thank God that there is light in this world and in the hearts of my children. As this week starts off I am reminded of this verse:
Proverbs 16:9
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
Perhaps your week is starting out with ponderings of life from a tree. Maybe you are uncomfortable and have to take your tie off and just hang things up for a while.  Perhaps you just need to lighten up and make silly faces, or grab a guitar and make some music.  God promises to direct your steps.  As you make your plans this week, keep God in those plans and truly as His word promises He will direct your steps.  Blessings and Love, Elizabeth

Happy Sunday

Today, now, a lovely Sunday just approaching the afternoon.  Bacon still lingers in my house.  David let me sleep in.  Coming in late after a concert.  I just snagged this photo from Elliot. I was cracking up when I went back to bring him a drink. He had written out a code on the sound board for the mics & musicians.  Take a look at his graphics on the bottom of the picture.

 This next picture I also snagged from one of the musicians. It has a cool effect to it.  I really have to say that this was a fun evening.  Thankful that it was not too late, and even more thankful for my friends who came out to hear.

I am certain if you read here often, you caught a wiff of struggle in my heart in my last post.  Thanks to those who emailed and texted me on the subject of mentoring others.  We put ourselves out there to come alongside others, and often that can get messy.  I want to be real, with how I write and I want to be an encouragement too.  Most important is to seek out what Biblical context all of my life falls under. Not just Elizabeth blabbing, but how God views our hearts on those important matters.  I hope when you read, you come away wanting to know more of God's grace, direction and love.

Happy Sunday!!!

Now