Got the Winter Blues?

Need a boost of encouragement today?

Check out the latest magazine online:

Click here: Winter 2012

For articles including:
Depression
Starting Over
New Beginnings
Insecurity
Low Self Esteem
Suicide
Escaping the Sex Industry
Grief
and more!

The Summer Praise and Coffee Magazine!

The Summer 2011 issue is published!

Again, I am so touched by the stories of women who walked through the hard times and clung to the God who loves them.

From a mother who saw her daughter engulfed in flames.

To a wife who while working in the mission fields of Africa only to find that her husband had been cheating on her. That same husband working side by side with her to help aids victims.

And the mom who faced the painful fact that maybe there was more to the story when her young son didn't make eye contact with anyone else. Maybe he was autistic.

All the while God is bringing comfort and healing in the midst of these painful trials. And eventually these wonderful women find a reason to laugh and enjoy the journey that they are on.

Real women ~ real stories.


Another very exciting part of this issue is a new column by Melanie Shankle, some of you know her as 'big mama.'
She debuts her Fashion Cafe with us, sharing 10 darling pieces that would look great in our summer wardrobe.
You will love her picks and her adorable personality. And if by any chance you've never met her online, please visit her blog. big mama I promise you will love her. If not, you can call me a liar and take a sharp stick to my eye.

Sorry, I'm a little slap happy after being on the computer for the past 24 hours straight to finish the magazine on time.

So, enough listening to me- click on the cover to view the magazine!

And have a wonderful weekend.

Be the Gift He Created You to Be

Time to mix with family and friends, some of which will be wonderful...but for many it is a stressful experience.

I just want to encourage you to let the love of God touch you and everyone around you this weekend. Put those difficult relationships in His hands.

I woke up with these words on my heart today...

Be the gift that God created you to be.

Your life is (maybe I should say...it CAN be) a gift to those He connected you with.

Shine for Him because He lives in you.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, I'm so excited to see friends and family, I hope you are too!
Sue

PS: Just saw this and had to add it, enjoy!!

No Full Length Mirrors Please!!

Let’s take a look in the mirror girls.

No, not the bathroom one and heavens no, not the full length one!

Those are straight from the pit, I'm just sure of it!

We see that one all the time and work pretty hard to change that reflection, or at least we think about how much we wish that image would change…and then have a little more chocolate (or is that just me…).

But I’m talking about the mirror we look into that reflects our hearts. Truth be told, we probably worry a lot more about the other mirrors. I can become obsessed with the size of my jeans but not think one bit about the fact that I’ve become a real …shall we say…”witch” to my husband.

~big sigh~

God’s given us such a high calling as wives, and how often do I throw that calling under the bus for things that seem more important to me at the time.

Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." NLT

Every translation I look at describes the woman as a “help, helper or help meet” to her husband.

Sometimes I forget that, tell me I’m not alone girls…

Our God created us to be a helper to our husband and when I look at myself in that mirror I fall really short sometime. We can get so busy balancing life, like one of those circus clowns spinning plates all over the place, that we completely forget we were created with a purpose in our marriage.

But, if God’s called us to do it, He will equip us for it. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves if we’ve purposed in our hearts to be his helper.

What ways can we be a better helper?

What about encourager?

Yes, I hear you over there screaming at me (you aren’t the first and won’t be the last) “but I have needs too!! I could use some help and encouragement once in a awhile!”

Yes, you are right, but it does not say that our husband was created to be our helper or to fill that need.

Who is our helper?

Psalms 121:1-2
I look up to the mountains--
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made the heavens and the earth!
NLT

Psalms 54:4
But God is my helper.
The Lord is the one who keeps me alive!
NLT

Hebrews 13:6
That is why we can say with confidence
"The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid.
NLT

It is wonderful when a married couple work together as one and are focused on meeting each other’s needs, but what does a wife do when that doesn’t happen?

Give up- quit and figure that God doesn’t want you happy??? NO!

My advice is to follow the Lord for your own life and hide yourself in God who will pour Himself into you as you depend on Him.

He WILL bring you peace, joy, hope all the things you so desperately need.

Let God be your all in all.

In doing so, you will become a better wife and mom -and face it-much stronger woman of faith!
I have watched many marriages heal and get stronger when the wife looks to God for her love and acceptance. Suddenly the man sees the wife as someone who is not disappointed with him, but is happy and complete and she becomes more appealing to him than ever.


I'm praying for our marriages!
Sue

After leaving a comment, go check this great post that Kristine wrote after reading this one:
Kristine at Escaping the Cauldron

Feeling Emotionally Beat Up?

Without God, we are lost. We are not equipped to walk through the trials without Him.

So often people spend all their time trying to figure out “why” something happened to them, and they do not walk in the protection and peace that God can give them. Not only does He offer us peace, but like the verse says, He promises to be the lifter of our heads.

Psalms 3:3
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the
lifter up of mine head.
KJV

When I think of Him being the lifter of my head, I picture myself emotionally beat up, tired and battle weary with my head hanging low.

But then, He takes my chin in His loving hands and lifts it so gently until I’m looking into His eyes of love, and He says:

“Child you are mine, look up and square your shoulders daughter because you ….are….mine.”

When Life Changes

We can't get around it, life changes.
Situations that take our comfort away.

Change SHAKES us up!!

Here are some of the things that shaking does:

1. Shaking can bring us down to our foundation.
Much like an earthquake- picture people wandering around dazzed and confused among the rubble left by an earthquake. Everything was shaken to it’s foundations. They’re walking around like…where did everything go?

Have you ever felt like that? I’ve been there!

Suddenly, everything that we knew as normal and comfortable has crashed down around us and we are left grasping for something to hold onto.

It’s times like that –that this verse is a life line.
Ps 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
NLT

Because we have this promise:
Mal 3:6
6 "I the LORD do not change.
NIV

Your life may have just crashed around you.

***You may have just found out that your husband is into pornography…or a loved one an alcoholic.

***Your husband may have come home and said…the company is closing I’m out of a job- we may lose the house.

***Whatever the change is…the LORD does not change.

Heb 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."
NIV

He Wants to walk you through this-will you let Him??

2. Shaking (caused by change) can also mix us up.

When I bake cookies I bring a whole bunch of ingredients together that…if left alone would not taste very good, but when you mix them all together and bake them- choc chip cookies!

Sometimes shaking (from a change) causes us to mix up with people around us more.
It can bring families and old friends together.

Change in our life can greatly affect our circle of friends.
Our circle may look quite different after a shaking in our life.

Sometimes the people we thought would be there forever are no more...
Anyone ever felt lonely?

I have gone through some changes that left me very lonely.

But, those are the times that my relationship with the Lord became so precious to me.
He truly became my All in All during those times.

Goodbye is a necessary life skill.

It may not be forever, but healthy people understand that relationships go through seasons.

3. Sometimes change that brings a shaking exposes the parts of us that we have hidden away- or weren’t even aware were there.
Could be a weakness or a treasure.

Just like after an earthquake, people wander around and find people’s belongings exposed.
Shaking can expose parts of us that may have been hidden, but are suddenly un-earthed.
But- know that if it is un-earthed…it is because the Lord wants it to be.

He wants you to bring that weakness or treasure to Him and ask Him what He wants done with it.

Personally, one of these big changes in my life …took away my
identity.
Suddenly I was left reeling with the thought “Who AM I??”

Eventually, I realized that the Lord didn’t want my identity wrapped up in what I DID…He wants my identity to be "His child."

4. One more thing that shaking does is causes us to grab on to something.

What do you run to when life starts shaking and change is happening?

Psalms 121:1-2
I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
NIV
My heart breaks for those searching for hope and happiness but looking under rocks to find it.

We are far too easily satisfied.

It's like drinking from a mud puddle when there is a beautiful flowing creek just over the hill, but instead we hang out in the mud puddle.
*** Help is not at the bottom of a bottle.
*** Help is not "being in a different relationship."
*** Help is not in finding a new hobby.
*** Help is not found anywhere but the Lord.
How long will it take before we recognize that the God who created us,
longs for us,
longs to fill us,
to give us hope and joy?
No one will ever love you like He does. He created you for the pleasure of KNOWING you.

Sometimes we are struggling and miserable because we are trying to ignore His voice.
Give it up.

Fall at His feet.

Heb 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
NIV
Let go of that thing you’re holding on to…
Jonah 2:8
8 "Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
NIV

And what if God wants you to change someone’s life? What if you have something that someone else needs and it will be life changing to them?

What if God is shaking you up to raise you up
for the plan He has for your life?

What is in your heart?
What opportunities have the new changes in your life made for you?
Do you have a dream that will change a life?
Now may be the time!



It might just be time to embrace this change instead of resisting it.

How do you embrace change?
By asking yourself; what can I learn from this situation?
Asking, how can I use this for Your glory God?
Praying…Heal the hurts in my heart Lord, so that I can use this shaking to bring peace to hurting hearts.

That is why Jesus came; to heal our hearts and bring relationship between us and the God who made us.

He loves you more than you could ever imagine! Give your life to Him...bring Him your change and let Him do a mighty work in you!!

Will you be a woman that changes the world?
Or at least the world around
you?

The Tomb Was Dark, but the Resurrection Changed It All!

Do things look hopeless? Does it seem that your circumstances have gotten so bad that there is no way it can get better now?

A marriage that seems lost.

A loved one headed in the wrong direction- maybe even leading others in that direction.

A business/job/career that appears it will never come back from ruins.

To look at the situation...it's dead.

Void of life or hope.

Not only dead, but buried.

You might even say that a stone has been rolled over the entrance to any possiblity of things turning around.

That is where the message of Easter brings us HOPE!

It looked bad, it looked really bad. Jesus was dead. He had been buried.

But on the third day, the stone was rolled away and He showed us what it meant to be the Resurrection and the Life.

This is the reason we hope!

When all looks dead and gone...there is hope for resurrection.

The darkness of the tomb is never forgotten, but wonderfully overshadowed by the resurrection of Easter!!!

Have a wonderful time with family and friends this Easter!

Need some words of hope today?

Proverbs 2:7-8
He holds victory in store for the upright,
He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for He guards the course of the just
and protects the way of His faithful ones.
NIV

Don't you just love Him?

With all that is going on in this world today, it is so good to know that the Lord is on our side!
I love this song and hope it brings your heart to the place it brings mine, to faith and trust in Him.

Chris Tomlin "I Will Rise"

2 Cor 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
NIV

Hurting, struggling, tired...looking for a reason for faith and hope?

I'm loving this!



I would love to hear why you're singing!

Pick My Up and Dust Me Off

If you ask me...who is smarter, you or God?
Of course I would say, God!
But do I really believe that? Always?
My actions would prove otherwise.

When I know what the right thing to do is, but then I choose a path that feels more comfortable...or EASIER....I am in effect saying: God I'm smarter than You.

I cringe at the thought of my own foolishness and pride.

His Word says:

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
NLT

So why do I doubt? Why do I take the path of least resistance?

For me, it all boils down to trust.
Do I really trust Him?
Do I really believe that He has my best interest at heart?

So many times there is a bigger plan that I don't see. I react and respond to the "here and now" situation instead of trusting that the Lord is at work in and through my life to bring Himself glory.

I can testify to the fact that choosing His ways, trusting Him completely (there is NO such thing as partial trust), and believing His Word that tells me of His incredible love for me...is the right way to live.

I want my life to be a reflection of His amazing love.

I have blown it, time and time again. And yet, if I will grab His hand, let Him pick me up, and dust me off...He will make beauty for ashes.

Isaiah 61:3
To all who mourn in Israel, He will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.
NLT

For His glory, not ours.

You are smarter than I, Lord help me to live a life that reflects how much I believe that!

The Day After

I have been praying about what to write today. Am I disappointed? You betcha. :)
But, is there peace in my heart? Of course.

The pillars of this world are not the pillars of God’s Kingdom. It is laughable to imagine that this could negatively affect what God wants to do in this world.

Daniel 2:21
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
NKJV

God has a plan and though we may not see what is going on, we are to live by faith and not be sight.
2 Cor 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.
NIV

If we are trusting in Him, there will be peace in our hearts.
If not, there will be fear.

Ps 112:6-7
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
NIV

We can not fall apart now, this is the time to rise up and be the body of Christ with great boldness- motivated by love.

This is an example of Godly men facing persecution:
Acts 4:31
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
NIV

I admit, initially I had a knot in my belly, much like the way it felt the day after 9/11. But, I also knew this was coming. Weeks ago Mark and I discussed that he would win. I think the Lord showed that to many of us so that we would prepare our hearts.

Think of how Jesus’ words have come alive this past year…

Matt 7:13-20
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

I thought of that every time I saw the great masses of people gathered together looking for hope.

And then read what it goes on to say:

15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
NIV

I have been amazed at the people deceived by smooth words though this election. But, if we don’t know what the Lord calls good fruit and bad fruit- how would we recognize it? That’s the nature of deception, you don’t realize that you are being fooled.

One thing that we HAVE to remember today, is that MAN is not our enemy.
Eph 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
NKJV

Being angry with a man or an establishment will only serve to set us off course and keep us from God’s purposes.

We battle on our knees and with the love in our hearts for God. We serve those around us- that’s how we become victorious in this.

Our God has not changed. And I have the feeling, we are about to see Him show up on the scene and do great and mighty things!
He is our LIVING hope!

Rev 1:17-18
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
NIV

I'm so excited to be back!

I took some time off from writing at the Internet Cafe' (the sister site of Christian Women Online Magazine) this summer because of all our travels, but now I'm back and it feels like coming home.

It is a devotional website that offers a daily dose of inspiration from several different wonderful writers. I encourage you to sign up for their morning delivery so you can wake up to inspiration and encouragment every day in your email.

Come on over and check out my post:

"It’s Never too Late for a Fresh Start"

Are you sinking???

Just a word of encouragement to any of you that are walking through storms today.

The Lord sees your tears, He knows your pain.
He is there with you.

Turn to Him and let Him be your comfort.

Matt 14:28-33
28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29 "Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said,
"why did you doubt?"
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
NIV

Jesus called Peter out of the boat and Peter came....huge step of faith. But then, when he took his focus off the Lord and focused on the wind and waves, he started to sink.
Jesus' response was of course to pick him right back up again.

I am always caught by His words..."why did you doubt?"

The Lord doesn't expect us to doubt, even in the midst of the storm.
He wants us to trust.
Even when the circumstances seem precarious and frightening.

Heb 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
NIV

Fix our eyes on Him.

Even though the storm goes rages on around us, we have a place of peace and comfort in Him.

If you've fallen, reach up, He will pull you out!

Because of Him... I Can

I can know peace.
I can know joy.
I can have HOPE.

I can climb mountains and cross raging seas in this life.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

This is so cool. I needed this today! I hope it encourages you.
Love,
Sue

Jesus said, "Come to Me"

Matthew 11:28
Then Jesus said, "Come to me,
all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest.
NLT

He said come, and I came.

I will never forget the day that this verse became alive to me and I asked the Lord to help me through this dance called life.

I didn't 'sign on' to any certain religion or church.
I simply prayed to God and acknowledged that I could not do this life on my own.
I needed Him.

I asked Him to forgive me for the sins I had committed and come into my life and lead it.
I don't remember any fireworks, but I do recall having a sense of peace inside me and hope for my future.

My life has gone through ups and downs, mountain tops and dark valleys.
I've experienced joy and pain.
I thank God for the joy and I hold on to Him tightly during times of pain.

I love the word hope, I think that the word hope is an acurate desciption of what God puts in all of us who choose to surrender our lives and goals for His.

I'm so glad that I came....

My hope is in Him,
Sue

It Is Well With My Soul

I saw this video a while back and it has stuck with me.
It is an amazing account of how this song was birthed.

Powerful!



Our hope is in Him,
Sue

Now that you are spiritually encouraged, you just have to go HERE for a good laugh today!!

Refuel ~ Refresh ~ Restore

Three powerful words that I hope represent this blog and the reasons behind it.

Refuel

Just like a car running out of gas, we need fuel or we will sputter out and end up on the side of life’s highway watching the world go by.

The fuel that I crave is eternal.
Give me life, give me words to live by.
That is what God’s Word is to everyone on the planet, if only we all understood and believed how much He loves us and wants to fill us with His life and joy.

Acts 2:28
You have made known to me the paths of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence.
NIV

That is some wonderful fuel, JOY.
The Bible also says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. I am so thankful that He also fuels us with strength. I need His strength, not just occasionally, but always.

Psalms 119:28
My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to Your word.
NIV

“Fuel” can also represent the coffee side of this blog. Coffee refuels me in a whole different way! And depending on what time of the day it is, I drink it leaded or unleaded.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret too…
I’m in the process of starting my own private label coffee,
“Praise and Coffee- COFFEE”
I will be giving it away in my monthly giveaways and offering it for sale to anyone interested.

I’m in the taste-testing process right now and choosing just the right blend for us.
I’m all hopped up these days and getting tons of stuff done around the house!

This coffee is so good, you are going to love it!
It should be available within the next few months.

Refresh

Jeremiah 31:25
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."
NIV

The Lord refreshes me when I am weak and tired or weary from the battle.
His word is a fresh rain on my thirsty heart.

Life can be hard, life can break your heart, but God is so faithful.

Acts 3:19
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord
NKJV

Refreshing comes with repentance and forgiveness.
That is what the cross is all about.
Bringing our empty lives to Him,
laying them down and choosing to live the life He’s called us to.

It will not always be easy. Thankfully, He never expects us to do it alone, and the dividends of joy, peace and love are worth more than anything this world has to offer!

I know so many people who just walk through their days existing.
Climbing the corporate ladder
or drowning their sorrows in a bottle.
What’s the point?
There is so much more to this life.
There is hope.
He offers us hope.
I pray that we would all take that hope.

Restore

Ah, that word even sounds peaceful doesn’t it?

It can be defined with words like:
To turn back
Deliver
(again)
Recover
Repair
Regenerate
Improve
Refresh
Relieve
And one of my favorites…RESCUE.

Have you ever seen a piece of old furniture that’s been restored?
It is beautiful.
I think it’s even more beautiful than in it’s original state, because now it has the marks and scars of it’s past days, yet it is restored to new glory.

There is something quite wonderful about the depth and character of something that is restored.

When that something is a someone…it is extraordinary!

I believe that God wants to restore those who need mending,

those who are lost,

those who need to be rescued,

and all of us who have scars.

My prayer and the “mission” of this blog is to be a place where people can find hope.
Hope and belief that God wants to refuel, refresh and restore all of us.

Thank you all for contributing so beautifully to this cause with your open and honest comments!

Much love,

Sue