Perfect Time Number 3 is on Grocery Store Runs

Can I just tell you how much I loved going to the grocery store with my momma.  This is the time when my momma empowered me.  She made me feel like the smartest girl alive.  I was her go to gal.  I helped her with the difficult task of creating a meal for our family.  I helped her with pinching the pennies that my daddy doiled out not so freely, and we together as a team would create a meal.

So, not only did we go to the grocery store together, but we problem solved together, we were creative together and ultimately we would work together to prepare a meal.  As a young girl I learned valuable life skills from my momma through these times together.  She jokingly said after I was married, that I must have learned from watching, because I did more talking than cooking.  But, you can ask my husband, I know my way around the kitchen now.  So, even if your daughter only learns from watching, she’s learning.

The basics of life, what do you think of when you hear that phrase? The answers may be different for everyone, but for me there are some basic “life lessons” that we need to teach to our daughters. There are a few things that I hope my daughter will embrace and learn during her “growing up years” that will help her to thrive as a person and that she will be able to share with others, and pass on to her own children.

Some of these are lessons of manners, friendship, character and inner beauty. These are the “life lessons” we want to share with you at an upcoming Seminar Series I have put together with some amazing Christian ladies who share my heart for ministry and for our daughters.

We will be presenting this Back to the Basics of Life Seminar Series, every Tuesday evening in October at 6 pm PST / 8 pm CST / 9 pm EST. It begins Tuesday, October 6. We would love for you to join us. You can find more information about the seminar series and sign up for login info here.

Won’t you join us?

We must prepare ourselves to live for God no matter what life brings us. This is something that we should learn to do from a young age. Because, the fact is no matter how young you are, or no matter how old you are, life is not “a bed of roses”. Life will slam you with many things.

You must be firmly planted. In order to face life’s challenges, in order to stay strong come what may you must have faith. Faith, as Scripture says, “Comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) After we have accepted through faith, Jesus Christ into our lives we must then begin the process of “growing” in our faith. This is what will allow us to be “firmly planted” come what may.

As Ephesians 4 states,

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4: 7-16

Therefore, this growth is important it is what prepares us to be able to stand firm, “come what may”. So, begin now no matter what your age to grow in your faith. If you are not already doing so begin a daily quiet time with God, spending time in prayer and in Bible study. Seek out a mentor and spend time with them, someone who is Godly and more mature spiritually than yourself. Regularly attend worship services, becoming actively involved in the church through service. These are all things that will help you to grow in your faith and as a result not be shifted like sand when life’s challenges come about you can stand firm, “come what may”.

Photo Credit: Martin LaBar

Alyssa looks back over the past year of hiatus from the show and then looks back on the past 10 years and what God has done. She shares her heart, her testimony and encouragement for you and your daughter as she looks back maybe you can too. Then look ahead to what God can do in your life and in the life of your daughter.

God can do some amazing things. Reflect on what he is doing in your life. Listen as Alyssa shares what he has done and is doing in hers. God has a journey for you just like he has one for hers.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

If you have ever struggled through any situation in life, and you’re a Christian, then you probably understand the process of faith. It is by faith that we come to know and believe in Christ. It is by faith that we walk, not by sight. Does anyone besides me find this a difficult thing to do sometimes? I think that we all struggle. Without struggles, valley experiences in our life, we would never be able to soar above the mountaintops. Don’t you agree?

My faith has gotten me through many things in life, financial difficulties, and family illnesses. My first experiences with it that I remember I was around 13 or 14 years old and dealing with the severe illness of my grandfather, who we lost to cancer, at the age of 56. I then experienced it more and more throughout my teen years, dealing with friends, parents, making decisions about my future. God always seemed to make me wait on that next step. I always wanted the big picture, a road map, a completed puzzle, not just one piece, but he was faithful to reveal his plans to me piece by piece. He is still doing that today.

Since marrying, I have been through many difficult times financially, not certain where the next dollar would come from, but it always came sometimes 10 or 100 fold. Yes, I have actually had someone hand me a $1000 for nothing, a blessing yes, a miracle, no, just God’s work! I like to call it God’s miracle math. His math sure works better than mine.
With this comes learning to be faithful as well. I had to be a faithful servant and give back to God. I also had to be conservative with what God had given me. Those blessings of love offerings I have always tried to use to God’s glory. It has been through those blessings that I have been able to attend Seminary, debt free!

I could honestly go on and on about faith, not placing any importance on me, however giving GOD the glory! If you are struggling, keep walking in faith, and remember “we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

Photo credit: hamed

When I was younger I dreamed of what my life would be like in the future. I was looking for my “happily ever after.” Don’t you love those stories and movies that end in “happily ever after?” I know I do, and I wanted to find my “story”.

God loves “happily ever after” stories too. In fact, he’s the author of a bunch of them. In the Bible, the story of queen Esther is a happily ever after story. Have you ever read it? Esther was only a young girl when she became queen, but she was called out by God for a very special purpose and she accomplished a big part in his plan. She saved her people, the Jews. She was prepared to do so by God as she spent time alone with him.

If you want to discover the “happily ever after story” that God is writing for you, you too much spend time with him. When I was a young person I wanted to know the “big picture” I wanted God to show me every piece of the puzzle called “my life”, and he would, but God did so one piece at a time, not all at once. This was not always how I wished he would have done so, but slowly but surely as I spent time with him, I saw each piece as it fit together.

Pieces like breaking up with my long time boyfriend in the middle of my senior year in high school, all began to make sense as I met Mr. Right later that year. In that piece and every other piece of the puzzle called my life God was and is at work. He continues to work as he pieces together the pieces of my life, like bringing friends into my life, blessing me with children, growing my ministry, providing for my family, each piece is strategically placed together by the Father of all, and if I continue to follow him and go to him daily he’ll make this story of my life one that will surely end in those three little works, “happily ever after”.

Photo credit: dreamglow

Tonight one of the teens from my former youth group graduates from high school. This high school senior will throw his cap in the air and most likely does not have a clue what life has in store for him on the other side of this evening.  He may not realize the importance of the relationships that he has with those other seniors who will stand with him tonight as graduates.

I probably did not either.  I remember my graduation very well.  The day went by quickly and so did the ceremony.  I remember very little of what was said.  I do however remember tossing the cap, hugging my friends, going home for dinner and leaving for summer camp where I was working for the next 8 weeks.  From that day forward to today I have seen my high school friends very little.  It is amazing how quickly time has flown and how little of them I have seen.

Those relationships I had with my classmates I think I took for granted, that or I so naively believed they’d always be there.  However, time has slowly pulled those relationships apart, or at least put distance between us.  Not always negatively, but just as a part of the reality of life.

Most of us have had very fulfilling lives from what I know.  Many of us went off to college, many of us have married, some have had children, others are now expecting.  We have all had to move out of the homes of our parents and into our own places, taking care of our own responsibilities.

What has made this easier is those relationships we have had, both old and new, relationships with each other, our families,  our parents, and the new relationships we’ve formed since high school, with college roommates, colleagues, and others along the way.

All of these relationships are important in their own way because you see God placed them in our path.  He had a hand in each and every one of them.  One might call this divine intervention.  God divinely inspiring those relationships in our lives for just the right time to help fulfill just the right need.  That’s how He works after all.

I think it is important that we treasure those relationships, realizing how important they are to all of us.  Whether they be relationships from our past or those we are presently enjoying they should be treasured because they are a gift from God.

So, whether you’re a high school senior about to throw your cap in the air, or someone who has been in the real world a long time.  Look around you, count those relationships you have or have had and treasure them in your heart.