Songbird

It's so great to see women getting plugged into the "life" of LCC. As women we need that time of friendship and fellowship. Our January activity is a book club at Deanna's home. We're meeting this coming Tuesday, the 29th from 7-8:30. If you are interested there is still time to get the book and read it (Songbird by Lisa Samson), but we always encourage ladies to come even if they haven't read the book. Log onto the church's website for details www.lifecc.us.

Peek-a-boo

Most of you know and have shared in the joy of our little Maryn. It is so fun to watch her grow and learn. She is starting to say simple words. Last week she started saying "boo" and "bye-bye." She now peeks around the corner and says "BOO!" (She needs to work on her hiding techniques.) She'll also grab her little tote bag and walk away saying "bye-bye" while blowing kisses and everyone in the room has to say "bye-bye" back to her...of course she only ventures from the family room to the foyer and she comes right back, but she is secure enough for this little journey.

Thinking about this made me think of how we can "hide" in the shelter of God "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust," Psalm 91:1,2.

Future LCC Women

This weekend our youth will be going away for their retreat. They will be looking at the question "What is God's purpose for my life?" We all ask this question and what a better time to seek God's answer than during the teen years. Imagine the impact of this potentially life changing retreat. I know God richly blessed my life with faithful youth leaders and I'm thankful for our LCC youth leaders who will be attending...our LCC women Kelly and Deanna and of course the men, Donald and Jamie. Let's pray for the heart of all the teens in attendance, but especially our future LCC women.

Good Morning!

In the morning I often watch the Today show. This morning they had a segment on about childhood obesity and parenting style. I was surprised to hear that both authoritarian AND permissive parents' kids had a higher risk of childhood obesity. The style that works best is having authority, but with love and support. I had to chuckle as I thought about it...sounds a lot like God. He is a just God, disciplines us when necessary, but full of grace, mercy and love. What a great God we have!

Yikes!

It's been a week since I've posted anything on the blog and it has been an amazing week! On Sunday our womens' ministry leadership team gathered to get ourselves organized for the next several months. We have some great activities to attend from our weekly Bible study, to our book club in January, our movie night in February and our annual retreat in March. Check out the LCC website www.lifecc.us for details! It's going to be great!

I have to tell you one of the greatest joys of overseeing the women's ministry at LCC is seeing God orchestrate the big picture and I'm not sure who else gets to see that. I could go on for a long time telling you of all the things God did this week, some before we even prayed about. I can't wait to see what happens in the next several months.

The week wasn't without it's frustrations -like more washer and dryer issues or hotel sales managers all being sick or away on Monday and Tuesday. If I spend a few minutes thinking, I'm sure I could come up with more to lament over or complain about, but then I'd be missing all the many blessings God has laid before me. I hope you too can count the many blessings God has given you!

Waffle Recipe

I've been thinking about some more lighthearted topics for the blog and thought I'd share a recipe that my family enjoys.

Waffle Recipe

1 3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil

Mix flour and baking powder, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour batter into waffle iron.

This is one of those recipes you can tweak to make it healthier without your family knowing. I use whole wheat flour (when I first started I used half regular flour and half whole wheat), canola oil (also healthier than vegetable oil) and I also add some wheat germ (you can find it in the cereal section of the grocery store.) When I make waffles, I double the recipe and make a bunch, wrap them individually and freeze them. When we want a waffle for breakfast we just heat it in the toaster.

You Can Have a New Beginning

I always enjoy browsing the book isle at Costco and love when I find a bargain. Yesterday I found "Starting and Ending Your Day Right" by Joyce Meyer. It's two books in one with the morning on one side, then if you flip the book over you have the evening side. I bought it to help me in my quest to be more faithful in my daily devotions. Here's what I read for January 1:

"You Can Have a New Beginning
'Do not (earnestly) remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.' Isaiah 43:18-19

God created us to need new beginnings - places where we can release our faith an say,'This is a place of new beginnings for me, a place to have a fresh start.' The dawn of a new year is always a good time for a fresh start.

You can experience the abundant life Jesus says you can have, but it requires making a decision to let go of the past. Unless you refuse to go on the way you have been, no change will come. God want to change things for you,but He is waiting for you total cooperation.

Seldom do your circumstances change without something first changing in you. So if you want to experience God's 'new thing' this year, release your faith right now and say, 'This is a place of new beginnings for me.' Then watch for results."

I never considered the fact that God created us to need new beginnings. There are days when I am bogged down by all the things I do wrong (repetitively). I wonder how those days would be if I just confessed my sin and started new instead of being frustrated by the old.

Attitudes of a Transformed Heart

Right about now, I'm a bit frustrated with all the little odds, ends and leftovers from the holidays. There always seems to be little bits and pieces of things that didn't fit in the box or were forgotten. I'd love a transformation of my living space, for everything to be organized with room to breathe. (Yes, I realize that I just need to get rid of some stuff!) I'm also thinking about those areas of my life that need some change like diet, exercise, keeping up with the household chores. Do I really have to start those resolutions today, or could I just start on Monday?

Many of these areas need transformation, but the area that needs it the most is my heart. I believe that when my heart is in the right place, all the other areas will work themselves out. That's why I'm excited about out upcoming ladies Bible study. We'll be working through the book "Attitudes of a Transformed Heart," by Martha Peace. In Part One we'll be looking at "Attitudes about God." In Part Two we'll be studying "Attitudes and Scripture." My initial thought about this topic is "this will be so great for me to use with my boys!" I'm sure God is having a little giggle with my arrogance, knowing what I need to learn in this section. Part Three discussed "Attitudes of the Heart."

The study is starting this coming Monday, January 7th at the home of Darcy Sanders and will be led by Kelly McBride. The group will meet weekly on Monday evenings from 7-8:30 and there is no cost. Childcare will not be provided. The only thing I need is to know who is interested in attending so I can have enough books available.