What if You Have Spinach in Your teeth?!

This Two shall become One ~ Tuesday, I have a question for you.

What do other people think about your marriage?

Not just acquaintances from church, but those who know you best.

Sometimes we have no idea the impression we are giving others.

Kind of like when we have a piece of spinach in our teeth.
We just keep on talking and laughing while making those around us very uncomfortable...until a REAL friend stops and tells us what they see! Thankyouverymuch!

I'm not asking you to call your friends and get their opinions of your marriage but maybe you need to think about what impressions you are giving them about your marriage.

Sometimes we need to pull back from our own situations and think about what things are looking like from the outside because that can be a huge indicator of what's actually going on-on the inside.

I challenge you to take a look at your marriage from other's points of view and see what you think about it.

If your closest friends were to rate your marriage from 1-10, what would they say?

If the number is low, how could you raise it?
Not just for people's perception... I'm not talking about putting on an act for others...but really make some changes.

What other people think is not that important unless it is an indicator of something that truly needs to change in our hearts.

Work on the heart of the matter and the outside appearance will take care of itself.

I'm praying for our marriages,
Sue

God Bless Me...ugh!

Hello and Happy Friday!

It's been a beautiful and cool week here in Michigan compared to the very hot summer we've had. I love having the windows open. It's simply glorious!

Aaaachoooo...aaaaachooo...aaaccchhoooooo!!!
Seriously, I just had a massive sneeze attack! Excuse me!

ANY-ways....I'm blogging over at Kristine McGuires today.
Stop by and check out her blog. Kristine has a unique and powerful ministry sharing her past life as a "Christian" Witch and ghost hunter.

My post: Are You Living Like An Orphan?

Hoping you have a wonderful weekend girlfriends!
Sue

When the Nightmares Come

Lately Lauren’s been waking up in the morning and telling me about her dreams of being chased by dinosaurs. Now this may or may not be a result of mommy accidently letting her watch parts of Night at the Museum. But we’re not here to point fingers.

Last night however, she woke at 3:00 AM crying because she was dreaming of a snake biting her foot. This is probably due to the fact that we spent the previous day with her favorite four boys. Yes, THESE boys. She adores them. She wants to live there and be the 5th boy, with pigtails. She loves their sense of adventure and …shall we say… muddiness. We always bring an extra pair of clothes to their house because there is much black dirt to be rolled in and shoved under her nails. (For the record, I LOVE it there too...Denise and I always drink lots of coffee and never run out of things to talk about!)

This particular day, a snake had been spotted. It was not captured, but as he slithered into the bushes, the 2nd born son screamed “snake!” and all the other boys came running with a soiled little Asian girl following quickly-though cautiously behind them. It reminded me of someone at war screaming “Incoming!” They searched and searched but the slimy serpent evaded their snare.

So 3:00 AM she is crying and wants to come into my bed because she is afraid of the snake. I decided instead to crawl into her bed and offer Daddy a few more hours rest without the boney feet of a six year old dancing on his spine.

As I turned toward her she nuzzled into me and tightly wrapped her tiny arms around me. She peacefully drifted off to sleep as I held her close and caressed her hair. Every drop of maternal instinct in me was loving this moment. To see how my presence and touch caused her anxious heart to settle and rest. I couldn’t hold her close enough, I wanted to stop time and relish every warm breath against me. There’s no place like a Momma’s arms when the nightmares come.

This made me think about how God comforts us.

Life can be a nightmare.

But He is there for us. As we allow ourselves to melt into His loving arms, He holds us.

Isaiah 40:11
He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. NLT

Put on a worship song. Maybe this or this or this.
Close your eyes and let His love envelop you.
Breathe Him in.

It will cause your anxious heart to settle and rest too.

There’s no place like the Father’s arms when the nightmares come.

You Know This One ~ Marriage Post

Ok, we know this one girls:

Ephesians 4:31-32

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
NLT

We think of it when we are angry after waiting 30 minutes in a grocery line or when someone has lied about us to all of our friends...but I want to specifically think about this in our marriage today.

Sometimes I forget to be tenderhearted to the very one who I should be MOST tenderhearted to!

And forgive...it's much easier said than done.

But God never asks us to do anything that He won't equip us to do.

If you're struggling with this today, I encourage you to ask the Father for help. He will. He is faithful, and He loves your marriage.

I'm praying for our marriages,
Sue

Sometimes the Past Haunts Us

I originally posted this 3 years ago but this message has been going over and over in my heart lately, hope it touches you too.

As many of you know, we adopted Lauren from China a little over a year ago. She was 2 years old when we brought her home and she had lived in an orphange for all of her 2 years.

We struggled for several months and still do at times, with her attachment to us. I would say she is strongly attached now, but it has been a struggle.

We have come leaps and bounds and I believe she is very securely attached to me, but there are so many little "quirks" that she has that reveal the past fears and insecurities. Sometimes I really wish she could tell me about the things she has seen and experienced. We get glimpses, but never the whole picture.

That brings me to what happened the other day. I was unpacking all my Christmas stuff and she was sitting with a basket of last years Christmas cards looking at each one of the pictures. She was there for a good 10 minutes just studying them while I was busy decorating. Suddenly she yelled "MOMMY!" and ran over to me with a card in her hand. With a very sad and upset face and tears in her eyes, she kept yelling-

Mommy! No Mommy! No Mommy! and shaking her head.

I looked at the picture and this is what is was...

She was very upset and said, NO MOMMY!....MOMMY GO BYE-BYE...!!!

She kept repeating it over and over and I realized that she was saying that the little girl in the picture was sad because her Mommy had left her. That's when I saw that the little girl was Chinese.

My heart just broke and I held her and assured her that this little girl's Mommy had not left her, she was just praying to Jesus.

I wish I could get inside that little mind and know all that she thinks and how she processes things, but it is clear that she has glimpses of the past that haunt her.

Our job is to love Lauren and protect her and pray that she will be healed from her past and that it won't affect her future. I believe God has big plans for my little darlin' and He will use her past to bring healing to others.

So..................................... what about you?

Do you ever have glimpses of the past that remind you of past pain? Does a picture or memory send you reeling in grief?

If so, the Holy Spirit is there to bring the love of God into your heart and show you the protection and security that only God can bring.

Eph 4:22-24
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
NIV

I pray you are able to trust that Your God loves you and will never leave you, and that you can put your past behind you and be made new in Him!

Escaping the Cauldron

I just want to start by saying that I've met Kristine and this girlfriend is the real deal!
We found each other online and then had lunch together and I immediately fell in love with her heart and spirit. She is so sweet and I'm thankful to have formed a friendship with her.

You are going to love her too!

Some of my local girlfriends will recognize this book. Kristine came to our Praise and Coffee Night a week ago and shared her story, it was amazing!!
I've never seen women so rivoted by a speaker!!!

Kristine even did a Q & A session afterwards, it was great. We could have been there all night listening to her! Next time we'll have to bring jammies. :)

Check out the following interview and info.

If you are in a postition to bring Kristine to your church/event...do it!!

What is the book about?

The book is part testimony of how I went from committed, albeit legalistic, Christian for twenty-nine years to witch, medium, and ghost hunter for eight years before God restored my faith and life. It details my personal struggle with trying to be "the perfect Christian" while being drawn to the Occult from childhood. The book is also a Biblical study that examines the current pop-cultural interest in the occult (in particular ghosts, hauntings, and mediums) and how this interest is affecting Christians as well as their beliefs about the supernatural.

Why call it Escaping the Cauldron?

This is actually the first book in a series, What Christians Need to Know about the Occult. It is a series of collections written from my former experiences as a witch, medium, and ghost hunter. This book is primarily about ghost hunting, mediumship, and the paranormal but I chose "Escaping the Cauldron" as the main title because witchcraft was truly my entry into the arena of occult interest and exploration including such things as divination, psychic ability, spirit guides, mediumship, ghost hunting, etc.

What do you think is the most important chapter of the book?

I think there are many important chapters but "Spiritual Warfare" and "How Should Christians Respond?"are the two which take everything discussed in the previous chapters bringing it all together, helping the reader understand their authority in Jesus Christ and leading the way to a ready defense for any kind of paranormal or supernatural event they may experience in their life as a Christian.

What do you hope to accomplish with this book?

I hope to inform and equip Christians with information about the occult. Additionally I pray the church will begin to acknowledge the presence of the spiritual world around us and listen to people who come forward with stories or claims of paranormal experiences without dismissing them immediately. When the church refuses to listen or offer any Biblical assistance, many people are forced to seek help elsewhere. This generally means seeking out ghost hunters, mediums, and psychics. I also hope to encourage Christians who may be questioning their faith to seek a deeper relationship with God, especially if they are stuck in a form of legalism. Our answers truly can be found in Jesus Christ.

Where is the book currently available to purchase?

The book is available in paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon. The book is also available in paperback and e-book editions at my blog site: Kristine ReMixed at www.KristineMcGuire.com and Lulu Publishing.

How are you available to the Christian community?

I write a daily blog, Kristine ReMixed at www.KristineMcGuire.com, on a variety of topics including faith, marriage, prayer, spiritual gifts, and the occult. I also work with my husband through Big Fish Ministries at www.BigFishMinistries.com, ministering through speaking with him at church and para-church events about marriage, facilitating seven day or special event prayer rooms, helping the homeless, etc. I am also available to speak at any youth, women's, or church events on a variety of Christian topics.

Find Kristine McGuire on Social Media Sites:

Follow on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/kristinemac

Follow on Twitter at: www.facebook.com/kristinemac

Here's a picture of Kristine at our Praise and Coffee Night:

ALSO...check out her YouTube page for some great video interviews:
Kristine Remixed Videos


Please visit Christian Speaker Services at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com for more information about blog tour management services.

All the Wrinkled Ladies!

Love Anita Renfroe!!!!

August Giveaway and an Announcement!

Happy August Girlfriends!!!
Try your best to squeeze the fun out of every last drop of summer!

This month our giveaway includes, the fabulous CD by Mercy Me:



You'll also receive some delicious COFFEE and...

This fabulous set of gift cards by Becky Schultea!

To enter the drawing, it's simple:
1. Leave a comment on THIS post. Drawing will be August 11th and the winner will be posted on THIS post then.

2. Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.

3. If you have any of my blog buttons on your blog, let me know in your comment and you will be entered twice.

4. Note: Past winners are eligible to enter again 1 year after they win.

Feel free to tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about the giveaway and thank you if you do!!

EDITED TO ADD: Winner is Trina Martin!!!

AND...

I am so excited to announce that I am now a "Counter Barista" at the Internet Cafe' and I will be writing articles at the "Ministry Counter" which will post for a whole week out of each month over at the Cafe'!

My first article about ministry is out, you can view it here:

"When God Brings New Ministry"