Cool Bible Study Freebie

Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be: A 90-Day Jumpstart for Living the Proverbs 31 Life
by Donna Partow

Follow the link to recieve a FREE PDF copy of her newest devotional/study. The formatting of the book is not completely finished (you'll see some notes where she mentions future editing possibilities), but if you're looking for a study to help you "get it together," and have limited funds or time to leave the house to seek out a study for yourself this looks like an excellent option.

The study has to be started on a Monday and requires some preparation/supplies before you begin. If you look at it today and decide to do the study, you can have everything ready by next Monday. In this study, Mrs. Partow covers every aspect of a woman's life that I can think of: Faith, Family, Fitness, Personal Appearance, Finances & Retirement Planning, Household Management, Ministry, Business, and Self-Management are areas she specifically addresses in the overview.

The book is scheduled to be released June 1, 2008. Once you complete the study, you may want to get some copies to share with friends. It looks pretty good to me!

You can learn more about Donna Partow at her website: http://www.donnapartow.com/

UPDATE: I found a notebook on my bookshelf that will hold the paper size required for the organizer used for this study. I found one identical to the one I have at staples.com for $3.49. Tab dividers (5), also needed, can be found on the same page (check "recommended items") for $1.49.

Then I tripped over this website that is the ultimate resource for setting up a personal organizer on the cheap. They even have templates you can download and print so you don't have to buy that expensive 5.5 x 8.5 paper!

www.diyplanner.com Wowser. This is going to suck up waaaay too much of my time today!!

Eeeeww! A Game Day Caviat

Finally, a useful study!

Students at Clemson University decided to test the issue brought up in an old episode of Seinfeld: Is double-dipping unsanitary?

In short: Yes.

One exerpt:

"On average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.

Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite. "

Gross. No double-dipping, people!!

link: read the whole story here

You are Not Alone!

Beth Moore's LPM blog is in the midst of a conversation with women that will bless you. If you have ever felt like you weren't "good enough" or "spiritual enough," you need to read these two blog entries and the generous comments other women left behind for you to explore. We all struggle, we all trip and fall. God is merciful and loves each one of us exactly where we are. I have set up a link to the two blogs. Read the oldest (last) one first.

link: Breaking Free/Living Free

Legos ROCK! Happy Anniversary LEGO!!

"It was at 1:58 p.m. on January 28, 1958, that then-Lego head Godtfred Kirk Christiansen filed a patent for the iconic plastic brick with its stud and hole design. Since then, the company has made a staggering 400 billion Lego elements, or 62 bricks for every person on the planet."

Complete article here.

Those little plastic bricks have meant the world to us in our family. Anyone else? I was one of the "earthy" young moms who was adamant about my children never owning toy guns. Guess what my son built out of legos when he was three? Yup. Of course, he had chewed his toast into the shape of a gun at least one year earlier.

From there he graduated to towers and action figures. He loved Bionicles. We have visited Legoland in Oceanside, CA, about 30 minutes north of San Diego. I've included some pics here from our times there. What a blast!

For the longest time, the boy planned on putting himself through college (he told us he wanted to be an engineer when he was 5 and has never wavered in his decision) by being a lego builder at Legoland. Now that he wants to go to CalTech, he thinks he'll try to find work closer to Pasadena.

For those of you who love legos, but would love to take them to the next level, I found this book recently. I haven't seen it in person, but it looks like lots of fun for Legomaniacs who may have gotten older but never completely grew up.

Forbidden Lego: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against!

Hint: We have TONS of lego bricks, but paid very little for them. If you have lego lovers in your home, I highly recommend getting up early on Saturday and visiting some yard sales. You can get buckets of legos for just a couple of bucks.

What great memories!

The Moses Code - Are You Kidding Me??

Don't shoot the messenger. Coming to a screening venue near you some time in early April, 2008. If "The Secret" wasn't blasphemous enough, this ought to do the trick. Have Mercy.

Update: This link is better, I think:



I found a document that appears to be a version of the book "The Moses Code" that is being released March 1, 2008. You can find that document by clicking here.

From my quick perusal of the document, it appears that the "code" that will unlock all wealth and power into your life is to understand what "I am" means, at least in the author's ( James Twyman) eyes. It appears to be a reworking of that whole prosperity doctrine, taking Jesus completely out of the picture though. You know, ask for whatever you want in my name and it will be given to you; only this time it is referring to the most Holy name of our Creator. The author, Mr. Twyman, seems to think invoking the Holy name of God (I AM) is some sort of magic enchantment that will draw anything you ask for to you. The author asserts that everything is one with God, so if we name something as part of us (ex: "I am wealthy"), and we are one with God and that thing is one with God, we are one with that thing. We just have to claim that thing as part of us and it will come to us.

In short, invoking God's name, Twyman claims, will bring us anything we ask for.

Dare I mention the third commandment? I'm just sayin'....

And that's just in the first 20 pages! It goes downhill from there. Read this:

"The Moses Code doesn't work when you ask for what you
want, but rather, when you "feel" then "know" that you
already have the thing you are seeking. Then the very
thing you are seeking is automatically drawn to you
because the Universe does understand lack. It
understands only abundance simply because God only
gives, or expands."

I'll end with this:

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." - Jeremiah 17:9-10

As soon as we start relying on our fleshly "feelings," we're in serious trouble.

Wow.

Praise At All Times

I will praise the LORD at all times,
His praise will always be on my lips. - Psalm 34:1

Yesterday, as I was helping lead our time of vocal praise and worship at church, I found myself watching the faces before me. In the crowd I saw people with hands and heads lifted, caught up in a time of revelry with our LORD. I saw others following the words on the screen overhead, some smiling, some obviously considering the words being sung and some with foreheads wrinkled, fully concentrating on getting the words right. There were some just staring ahead, expressionless, and a couple with arms folded, obviously wishing this part of the service would end quickly. In some faces I could see the tracks of their tears.

Every church is composed of a pretty diverse gaggle of humanity. Some have been pursuing Christ for decades and some are brand spankin' new at this whole "Jesus" thing. There are people who have gone to church their whole lives and have no idea what it really means to be free. Some understand how free we can be in Christ, but occasionally decide to voluntarily wear the chains of unforgiveness, legalism, pride, etc., that hinder our ability to experience the joy promised to us every day.

And Jesus loves every single one of us, exactly where we are. And we can praise Him, exactly where we are. That doesn't mean we all have to dance around in front of the sanctuary waving scarves to prove we know how to worship our Savior, but it does mean we are free to adore Him for who He is, not for how He makes us feel.

I'm reading a book I'll review when I'm finished, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a couple of quotes from 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers on this subject.

"True praise is unconditional. It's not an attempt to manipulate God into producing the precise results we hope for. Instead, it helps us accept our situation as it is, whether or not He changes it." - Ruth Myers

"Continued Praise helps us reach the place where we can say, 'Father I don't want You to remove this problem until You've done all you want to do through it, in me and in others.'" - Ruth Myers

"To give thanks when you don't feel like it is not hypocrisy; it's obedience." - Dr. Jack Mitchell

Praise Him at all times. No matter what.

A New Direction

For the first time in a few years, I don't have an office to go to every day anymore. Although I still work for the same business, I have elected to scale back my responsibilities to the bare minimum. What I will continue to do for my employer can be handled at home with occasional update visits to the office.

Although I have loved being able to use my abilities to earn an income, I am ready to use those same abilities to bless my family and to glorify God. I need to write something more substantial than blog entries. The Lord has been shaking my shoulders about this for some time, but lately He has kicked things up a notch. I haven't been able to write much of anything for quite some time now. I am convinced it is because I need to focus my thoughts and insights toward creating something more lasting than writings that are read for maybe a day or so, then soon forgotten.

This has been a wonderful venue for me to begin to test myself as a writer and I will continue to blog on a regular basis, but my writings here will be scaled back a bit. The deeper writing is going to be compiled into something more permanent.

I am so thankful for the encouragement I have received by those of you who comment regularly here and to those who comment to me face-to-face when we cross paths in the real world. Please continue to encourage and pray for me in the coming months. I'll need all the support I can get. I am not as confident in my writing ability as I'd like, but I am confident in my Savior.

Thanks for everything!

Taking Scrapping to a Deeper Level

Have you ever considered using your love of scrapbooking to glorify God? FaithSisters.com is a website I discovered that encourages us to do just that. They are organizing a challenge this year to scrapbook about our faith. Can you imagine what an amazing scrapbook will result from rising to such a challenge? What a gift to leave behind for our children and grandchildren! A new challenge will be issued every week. By the end of the year, you will have a 52 page legacy. Cool!

link: Faith Discovery Challenge 2008

UPDATE: There is more than one challenge on the faithsisters site. This Challenge begins this Friday, January 11, 2008. You have time to do a bit of research before we begin. Sorry for the confusion.

I'll post my pages as I finish them. Hold me accountable, people!

The Simple Things.

Today is my favorite son's 14th Birthday. I only have one son, but that makes him no less a favorite in my book!

Last night I was performing my very last 13-year-old tuck-in and was feeling especially sappy and generous. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. Every restaurant in a 20 mile radius was offered to him plus a plethora of his favorite meals, including barbecued hamburgers. Such a meal would be a true sacrifice of love considering our chilly and wet weather today. After entertaining all the options, he chose to have a mexican fiesta a la Suzanne of Bakersfield! Yay!

As soon as I hopped out of bed this morning, I began my shopping list: Fresh corn tortillas to fry into shells (no taco shells from the box would do for my fella!), lean beef, all the makings for authentic mexican rice and beans, plus every accompaniment I could come up with. The task looked daunting, but I was determined to do this for my boy.

Within minutes of my awakening, the Birthday Boy was at my side.

"Mom?"

"Yes, my favorite son, Birthday Boy, computer wizard, incredi-geek, love bear; what can I do for you"

::favorite son rolls eyes, sighs and smiles::

"Is it too late to change my dinner request?"

"It is never too late, babe. Would you rather have barbecue? Go out to eat? You name it!"

"Well.....I know this sounds weird.....I'd really like to have hamburger helper."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. I woke up and the first thing I thought of was hamburger helper. Could we have that for dinner?"

::doting mom rolls eyes, sighs and smiles::

"Absolutely."

"Thanks, Mom."

I just love that kid!

Wouldn't it be great if we all could learn that lesson? Instead of letting others influence us about what would bring us joy, what if we took the time to ask ourselves what we really want? I suspect we'd be surprised at how little it really takes to bring contentment.

Saved by Candied Popcorn

Did you know a regular box of Cracker Jack contains only 120 calories?? Yes!!

...Thank you, Lord, for your provision. amen

I'm All Abuzzzz

New Years Morning I went for a walk with my Tuckerlicious dog and encountered something so

unique I ran home and grabbed my camera.

A beehive! It was sitting there in the middle of a field, treated as though it were garbage. For shame! This is anything but garbage: It contains nourishment, life and enough danger to be worthy of a healthy respect. Look at how intricate the honeycomb is! To think a multitude of individual creatures managed to create something that fits together so perfectly! Everything in the hive works together to create the optimum environment to create and sustain life. It even nourishes others outside the hive!

Miraculous.

I wonder if this isn't similar to the way the world treats God's Word, the Bible. The Bible certainly isn't an object to be worshiped, that's for sure. However, in it lies an amazing treasure...if we are willing to look for it. It is the tangible gift our Saviour has left here to sustain us until He returns. It was written by individual human beings, inspired by God Himself, and forms one cohesive truth for us to live by. Within the pages of the Bible we can find what is needed to encourage, bring joy, guide us; to sustain our lives. As we are sustained and encouraged through the Word, we are free to encourage and spiritually nourish others who aren't spending time in Bible study. When they see how richer our lives are as a result of growing in knowledge through study, they may be encouraged to study for themselves.

The Word is even sweeter when it is scooped up and tasted with our own hands.

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! - Psalm 119:103

Learning to Take It

Receiving complements is something I really stink at. I am the reigning queen of deflection. Seriously. When any praise is handed to me, my standard m.o. is to say "thanks," but run down the list in my head of why they didn't really mean what they said.

I have come to realize how out of line that type of thinking is. When others complement God's creation (me) and I reject their complements, I am essentially calling God a liar. As I reread that last sentence, it looks a little crazy. Maybe if I share a recent example it may make more sense.

On Christmas Eve our church holds a special service. Many churches do this, I suspect. Anyway, I sang at the service. As I was gathering my things to leave, a few people approached me and shared their appreciation and complemented my talent. I said "thank you," but my brain immediately started in with:

- They have to say that because they're your friends.

- They just want to end the evening on a positive note...tomorrow is Christmas, after all.

- Only a couple of people even said anything. Everyone else is probably too embarrassed for me to even say a word to me.

Seriously, I am messed up when it comes to receiving complements. Now the world knows. Plus, I have just said all that stuff about someone whom God regards much more highly:

I am God's Temple - 1 Corinthians 3:16

I am Wonderfully Made - Psalm 139:14

I am Free from Condemnation - Romans 8:1

And just read this: "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." Colossians 2:9-10

I am complete. I am Wonderfully Made. I am Free from Condemnation. I am God's Temple. To say I am less than any of these things is to call God a liar.

When someone says "Great job," I need to say "Thanks," receive it and believe it.

I've just covered the why - I found a great article that covers the how to. Follow this link to read more about how to take a compliment.