A Chance to Get to Know One Another

If you are visiting my blog from Lysa's site, then Welcome! I hope that we will not only become bloggy friends, but, hopefully, we will be able to meet in person at She Speaks.

If you are going to She Speaks, I would like to pose a question, well, a couple of them, actually. One, have you ever been before, and two, what led you to feel that you should go? Okay, I actually have another one. Could you tell a little about how you feel the Lord is leading you right now in this particular aspect of your life, i.e., your purpose and calling with regards to speaking and/or writing?

Thank you in advance for sharing, and I look forward to hearing your stories.

For Freedom

Dear Heavenly Father, I confess to You that I am often guilty of taking for granted the freedoms I enjoy in this wonderful land I call "Home." Forgive me for that, Father. Many have suffered and died that I may enjoy those freedoms day in and day out. Because of their sacrifices, I do not fear that I will be shot or bombed when I step out of my house each day. Because of their sacrifices, I am free to worship You wherever and whenever I choose without fear of retribution. Because of their sacrifices, I do not worry when I lie my head down to sleep each night. Father, many have laid down their lives. Many are the families who grieve today because of loved one's who have been lost. Lord, I have not suffered that kind of loss, and I thank You for that. Lord, I lift up to You today those who grieve because a loved one willingly sacrificed him/herself. I also lift up to You those who are separated today from loved one's who are serving as they hope and pray for their safe return home. Thank You for those who serve, and thank You for their families for they are making a sacrifice as well. And thank You most of all Lord God for the One whose sacrifice gave us the ultimate freedom, Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His Most Precious Name I pray, Amen.

Never Alone

This song by Barlow Girl was a real comfort to me during a spiritually dry season I was having a few years back. There are times when it is difficult to feel God's presence, but trust in His promise in Hebrews 13:5, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." And sing this song over and over. You are Never Alone.

Deep Grief

Read Lysa TerKeurst's post today on Deep Grief.

Tragic News

I read the news first thing this morning about the tragic death of Steven and Mary Beth Chapman's youngest daughter, Maria. She was five years old. I was stunned and so saddened for their loss.

Several times today I sat down to post about this, but I didn't have any words. Just now, I read this post by Lisa McKay-The Preacher's Wife. She said it much better than I could have, so I will leave you with her words and a request for prayer for the Chapman family.

David Cook-AI..I Did My Part

So I watched Part 1 of the American Idol finale last night. I have been a David Cook fan all season. I admit he didn't necessarily bring his "A" game last night, but I still think he is the better entertainer of the two.

To give David Archuletta his due, the kid has a beautiful voice, no question. But honestly, he bores me. I truly don't mean to be rude here, but I feel nothing when he sings. And isn't that the point?

I'm a singer. Music moves me. I love worshipping the Lord in song. If such a thing can be in your blood, then it is definitely running all through mine. And David A. does not "light my fire," so to speak.

I don't normally vote on AI, well, at least not since Clay was on there. Even then, I didn't vote until the finale. I hadn't really caught the AI craze at that point. I didn't even start watching it until halfway through Season 2. People kept talking about this Clay Aiken kid from Raleigh, NC, especially the members of the praise and worship team with whom I sang, and since I had no clue what they were talking about each week, I decided to tune in just so I would be in the know.

But I digress. The point of that was to say that I did my part for David C. last night. I didn't finish watching the show until about 10:25. I started trying to call while David A. was singing his last song. After about 10 minutes of not being able to get through on my home phone on ANY of the numbers, I switched to my cell phone. I got through on David C.'s third number, and boy did I get a rhythm going! Send, Send to dial the number. Brrrrinnng. "Thank you for voting for Contestant 1. Watch American Idol tomorrow night sponsored in part by AT&T." That was word for word by the way. I heard it a LOT. End, end to disconnect the call, and then back to send, send again. I called for about 30 minutes, I think, and I think I probably dialed about 100 times. I probably got through about 85-90 of those, so if David C. doesn't win tonight, it won't be because I didn't do my part. (And, yes, I realize it's lopsided to be able to do that, but since the system is set up that way, I went for it.)

Most likely, even if he does lose, he will probably get a record deal. I can tell you that I won't be buying a record made by David A. I don't know what it is. He's a nice kid, very likable. He does have a beautiful voice, but I'm just not interested. David C. on the other hand, I have downloaded a number of his songs from iTunes, and I will definitely buy his album...ahem...sorry, CD. Ok, so I'm showing my age. Eight track's anyone?

Hello, My Name is Dawn, and I Am A...

Food addict. It's true. And no, I am not trying to be funny. I really do have a food addiction. I didn't always know that was what it was, but now I do.

I have experienced a lot in my life that left me feeling empty and unworthy. Some of this I have shared on my blog, and some of it I will share when God gives me the go-ahead to do so.

When one hears the word "addiction," most think of alcohol, drugs, or perhaps even cigarettes as substances to which people become addicted. I doubt food typically enters their minds. It certainly would not have been something I would have thought of until I learned that I was addicted to it myself.

Some may laugh to think of food as an addiction, but I can assure you it is no laughing matter. I have struggled with food issues and my weight my entire life. I was a little on the chubby side as a child. I developed early. Most of my friends had no shape while I had curves.

In high school, I was quite thin, but at the time, I thought I was fat. I used to go on crash diets where I would not eat for 4-5 days at the time. I would drink only water. I would lose about 7-8 pounds, and then I would start eating again. This system of starving myself eventually backfired, and the last time I did it, when I tried to start eating again, I couldn't keep the food down. My body eventually recovered, but it could have been a lot worse.

When I was 20, I went through something extremely traumatic. I did not recover from that event for 12 years. Within the first year after it happened, I had gained 40 pounds. Food was my source of solace. It was the only thing over which I had any control. Or at least I felt I had the illusion of control because clearly control was something I did not have.

Over the next 7 years or so, I gained another 15-20 pounds. All during this time, I struggled with trying to lose weight. I tried Slim Fast. I did Weight Watchers five or six different times. I cried out to God in my anguish and unhappiness to help me. Nothing ever seemed to work. Any progress I made was always short-lived, and I would eventually end up right where I had begun.

You see, I was dead on the inside. God never left me, but I had left Him. I went through the motions, but I was a wreck. I was miserable. I hated myself. I was filled with self-loathing. I felt fat and ugly. I wanted to be thinner, but instead I ate. And when I ate, I hated myself even more for giving in to the temptation that was, if you'll pardon the expression, "feeding" the very thing that I despised so much. It was like a merry-go-round that I couldn't get off of.

At the age of 32, I experienced God's healing from the tragic event that occurred at age 20. Sometime after that, I began to look at my weight situation and my eating again. I once again cried out to God. It was at that time that God revealed to me that the reason I had never been able to experience much success in this area was because I had an addiction. He told me to confess my addiction and repent of it. I did just that and asked God to help me overcome it. For the first time ever, I felt hope that perhaps things could change.

And, praise His Holy Name, they have. I won't tell you that I don't still struggle. I do. As a matter of fact, I am struggling right now. Perhaps I always will. I don't know. I have an addiction. I know that God has the power to heal me instantaneously if He so chooses. Maybe He will. Maybe He won't. Either way, I know that I must ask Him daily to help me overcome it. I cannot do it alone. If I try to do so, I fail.

Whatever your struggle today, ask Him to help you. He wants you to ask, and He wants to answer. He may not do so in the way that you would like or think that He should, but however He answers, it will be for your best and for His glory.

God's Provision

Sorry I have been mostly MIA this week. The fuel pump decided to quit on my car...in the carpool line no less! My daughter has been going through a rough time the last few weeks, and I had to take her to an urgent care center last night because I was afraid she had strep throat. She is supposed to be leaving on an overnight Brownie camping trip tomorrow, so I rushed her over last night so we would know what we were dealing with. It's been that kind of week. And yet, in the midst of it, God was there.

When the fuel pump went out on my car, I wasn't driving it...my husband was. He was in the best possible spot (for being in carpool anyway) that he could have been in when the car stalled. He tried to restart it to no avail, and when he got out of the car, several men jumped out of their cars and offered to help. They pushed him into a parking space so the car wasn't blocking the carpool line. He walked my daughter into the school and then called me. We live right beside the school. He could easily have walked back home, but since it was raining, I came and picked him up. We had the car towed to the repair shop we use. They had time to look at it yesterday. The place where they order parts from had the parts in stock and was able to get them over to the shop yesterday. We went and picked the car up last night. The bill was $758, but even in that, I am thankful because we had received a tax refund and are able to pay for the repairs out of that money.

So, while I wasn't particularly thrilled that the car needed repairs and that we had to pay $124 to have it towed or $758 to have it repaired, I am still praising God. It could have been a lot worse. I might not have a car at all. Many people do not. I might have an expensive car payment. I don't, but many do. I was able to get my car repaired, and I didn't even have to go into debt to do so. God had already provided the funds in advance. I wasn't driving the car. I can tell you, breaking down in the carpool lane would have majorly stressed me out! I could have been sitting in the middle of an intersection with no way to move my car out of the way. I wasn't. We could have been far away from home when it happened. We live right beside the school. God provided, and I am thankful.

As if that wasn't enough...my daughter was complaining of her throat hurting when we picked her up from school yesterday. She didn't say anything else about it, though, and we went on to gymnastics a bit later. She started complaining about it again when we were on the way to pick up my car from the repair shop. Her complaints were becoming more insistent, and she started to cry. We had stopped to get a bite to eat, and she laid on me the entire time. I was quite concerned and fearful that she may have strep throat.

As I was driving back home, I knew that I had to get her to an urgent care center last night. For two reasons. One, if she had strep throat, and it had already been bothering her for most of the day yesterday, then most likely, she was going to be in pretty bad shape by this morning. Two, I know that when they start antibiotics for strep, they are still contagious for 24 hours. If I waited until this morning, there was no way she was going to meet the 24 hour contagion period before she was slated to leave on her trip tomorrow. I called one friend who is usually unreachable on Thursday evenings. She answered the phone. She told me about a new urgent care center not too far away from our town that might still be open. I called another friend. She, too, answered the phone and was even at home, which was what I needed because I needed for her to find the number of the urgent care for me so I could call them from the car. I did. Unfortunately, they were closing before I was going to be able to make it there. However, I knew there was also a new urgent care center in my town. I had no idea what their hours were. It was about 7:20pm. I didn't know their name or number, but I knew where they were located. My daughter was riding with my husband, so I called him and told him to drive straight there, and I would meet him. As soon as we hung up, I started to pray. "Lord, please let them be open. Please, God. I need your help." Just as clearly as if I had heard Him audibly, He spoke to me and said, "Everything is going to be fine, my child. They are open until 8:00." I admit, I wondered whether or not that had truly been God, but I should have trusted.

We turned into the parking lot, and I immediately saw a blinking OPEN sign in the window of the urgent care center. Their lights were on. We drove up, and sure enough, as I looked at their posted hours, I saw that they were in fact open until 8:00! God is good. Not only that, there was no one else there waiting to be seen. We walked right in. They took us right back. AND, my daughter didn't have strep throat! The PA thought it was probably just post-nasal drip from seasonal allergies. Praise You, Lord!

I have to run for now, but I will try to come back later and explain how this ties into what I have been learning in my Bible study about the Israelites in the wilderness and how God provided them with manna in the morning and quail in the evening. Until then, may you see God's provision in your life today.

Laminin

Thanks to Amy at Just Keep Praying for pointing me to this. Whatever you are facing today, God will hold you together...literally.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is usually a difficult holiday for me. To learn more about why, visit my post titled, "Pink Petunias." Seriously, read that post first or the rest of this probably won't make any sense.

I really dislike standing in the card aisle looking for a card for my mother. She wasn't a great spiritual role model. I didn't learn how to be a mother to my own daughter from her. She wasn't always there for me. She isn't now my best friend. You get the picture. Can't Hallmark come out with a line of cards for dysfunctional families?!? Seriously! I know mine isn't the only one!

As I was standing there amongst the cards last week with numerous other people doing the same thing I was doing, I couldn't help wondering if I was the only one struggling to find a card that actually said something that fit my relationship, or lack thereof as the case may be, with my mother.

I feel like I should send her a card. She is still my mother after all. Although, there was a time when I didn't send her a card. It's like God has brought me full circle. I think, for a time, He had me distance myself because I had reached my limit on the pain I could endure. But then, I think I took it too far and allowed my heart to become hardened. So now I'm back to crying every Mother's Day, and I don't want to do that.

I am a mother now, and I love my daughter to pieces. I am trying to be a better mother for her than my own mother was for me. So each year, there is this battle raging inside of me. Part of me rejoices over the gift God has given me in my daughter, and part of me grieves for a mother with whom I have no relationship and who on this and every Mother's Day is alone because she has chosen for it to be that way. My heart aches for her. I do love her, and I wonder if she knows that. There was a time when I wasn't actually sure whether or not I loved her, but the love of God in me allows me to love her.

That's why I asked for pink petunias for Mother's Day. My mother-in-law and daughter potted some for me so they would keep until I can plant them around my mailbox. It seemed fitting somehow that they would come from my daughter. As if they were somehow bringing the three generations together even though they're really not.

So...here's to pink petunias. I am thinking of you today, Mom, and praying that God blesses you, as I will do each and every time I look at those flowers.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

I was so excited yesterday talking about God's Word that I momentarily forgot my daughter's birthday party is today. She turned seven on Wednesday, and we are having her party with her friends today. I'll be back next week with more on Abraham and anything else God shows me between now and then.

For now, I am celebrating my daughter's birth and being a mother all at the same time!



Wishing you all a blessed and happy Mother's Day!

The Faith of Abraham

2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Genesis 22:2 (NIV)

As you may have already guessed, today's lesson covered God's command to Abraham (God changed his name in Genesis 17:5 from Abram, which means "exalted father," to Abraham, which means "father of many.") to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as an offering to God. If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read the entire account in Genesis Chapter 22. If you don't have a Bible handy, I frequently use Biblegateway.com to look things up. OK...so, Abraham and Isaac, also known as the sacrifice.

This story has always left me in awe for several different reasons, not the least of which is Abraham's immediate obedience. Scripture doesn't tell us he questioned God or argued with Him. It doesn't say he cried or fussed and fumed. It says in Genesis 22:3, "Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey." (emphasis mine) We aren't told what time on the previous day Abraham was given the instruction, but for all intents and purposes, his obedience was immediate.

Next we are told how after arriving at their destination, Isaac asked his father "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Check out Abraham's response. "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son." Genesis 22:8 (NIV)

I wonder what Abraham was thinking when he said that. Was he thinking that God was going to provide a substitute in Isaac's place? He knew that God had told him back in Genesis 15 that a son coming from his own body would be his heir and that his offspring would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. Was God going to provide him with another son? He was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. If not another son, then how would God's promise be fulfilled if Isaac was offered as a sacrifice? And that brings me to another point that leaves me in awe.

Abraham was to be the one to sacrifice Isaac! He took him to the place God had told him, bound him up, after having Isaac carry the wood for his own sacrifice no less, laid him on the altar, took out his knife, and raised his hand to kill his own son!

As he did so, an angel of the Lord called out to him and said in Genesis 22:12, "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and saw a ram whose horns were caught in a thicket and offered the ram instead.

God provided the lamb that was slain just as Abraham believed he would. I don't know if Abraham thought Isaac was to be the lamb or if he thought God would provide a substitute. I only know that he had to have trusted and loved his God with all his "heart, soul, and mind." (see Matthew 22:37) What faith! What trust! Oh to be like Abraham!

Tomorrow we will look more at this account. Stay tuned. There are still lots of riches to be gleaned from this story. Don't you just love God's Word?! Amen!

Are You Answering Your Call?

1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

I continued today with the new study I am doing, A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place. Today, we were introduced to Abram, specifically how God told him to leave everything he knew and set out for parts unknown.

Have you ever moved to a new place before? I have, several times actually, and it was very difficult. I had no friends, no family. I was in an unfamiliar place. I didn't know my way around.

One such instance was when my husband and I moved from Alpharetta, Georgia, to Plantation, Florida. We are both originally from North Carolina. I lived in NC my entire life until my husband and I moved to GA the year after we got married because there was no work for him where we lived. The move to GA was very hard for me because I was so far away from everything and everyone I had ever known, but the move to FL was even harder.

We had been in GA for about two years. I had learned my way around, found a church home, made a few friends and had mostly settled in. Then my husband's company began going through some changes. A merger took place, and my husband began receiving calls about possible jobs elsewhere. Ultimately, he would receive two job offers, one in Plantation, FL, and one in Wilmington, NC. We lived in Wilmington before moving to GA, and it was only about an hour away from my family.

Richard asked me what I thought we should do. I took time to pray about it. My flesh was screaming, "Move back to Wilmington! Go back to who and what you know!" I asked God what His will was even though I was afraid of the answer. He gave me Proverbs 31:10-31.

In this particular instance, I felt God was telling me that He wanted me to support Richard in whatever decision he felt was best. So, with fear and trembling, I asked Richard which job he thought he should take. You can imagine my dismay when he said he thought it should be the job in FL. His reasoning for this was sound. I knew he was right, even though I felt my heart would shatter into a million pieces. So off to Florida we went.

On the surface, it would appear to have been an absolutely horrendous experience, and actually, it was. But on a deeper level, it couldn't have been sweeter.

I found myself once again in an unfamiliar place with no family and no friends. I didn't work, so I didn't even have the option of meeting people that way. I did try finding a church, but that didn't go so well either. However, God put a small Christian bookstore around the corner from the apartment where we lived. I went there and wandered around nearly every day. As a matter of fact, the manager finally asked me if I would like a job working there! I didn't take it, and a good thing, too, because we only lived there for three months.

Everything about the location and even Richard's job turned out to be disastrous! I can't even tell you how awful it was.

But I found God in the midst of that. I walked so closely with Him during that three months. He was my strength and my shield. I'm not going to tell you I walked around with a smile on my face all the time..far from it, but God held me up.

I still look back on that time and remember how strongly I experienced the fullness of His presence. I didn't just know that He was there. His presence was palpable.

Ultimately, the move to Florida brought us back to North Carolina. But I had to step out in faith and trust Him first. I had to leave everything and everyone I knew and venture to the place He showed me.

We may have made it back to North Carolina eventually. I don't know. But I am thankful for the time that I had in Florida to experience God Almighty the way that I did. It was awesome, and so is He.

Is He calling you out of your comfort zone? Have you answered? And if so, what was your answer?

Do You Want a Revolution?, Part 3

God met with me this morning. He's always there. We are the one's who wander off.

It was such a sweet time. I began Beth Moore's updated study, A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place. The study begins...well...with the beginning. The beginning of man's existence, the fall of man, and how God was walking in the Garden of Eden come to fellowship with Adam and Eve, and through their sin, they had now been separated from Him.

Still, God made a way. He created us for the purpose of having a relationship with us. In the book of Exodus, He directs the Israelites to build a Tabernacle so that He may dwell among them, and that they may come and meet with Him.

And now, through the sacrifice of Jesus, His presence is still with us. He lives inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit when we ask Him to come and dwell there. Our sin no longer separates us. Praise Him!

I asked Him for a revolution yesterday. I asked Him again this morning. It has begun. I look forward with anticipation to how it's going to continue.

I have to participate, though. God has made a way for me to meet with Him, just like He did with Adam and Eve, and just like He did with the Israelites.

He has made a way for you as well. If you don't know Him, if you've never confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, but you are in desire of a revolution, then click on the red button with the word Ready? in my sidebar. Do it now. Begin your revolution today.



If you make a decision for Christ today, would you please email me and let me know? I would love to rejoice with you in your revolution!

Do You Want a Revolution?, Part 2

So what did you think? Did you love that or what?

I confess to you that while I have heard of Kirk Franklin, I have never listened to his music, nor would I have known who he was had I seen him on TV or elsewhere. However, yesterday I was catching up on my recordings of Life Today with James and Betty Robison. For you Beth Moore fans, every Wednesday on Life Today is "Wednesdays with Beth." Click on this link to view online the previously televised teaching series taught by Beth on Life Today (but not until after you have finished reading this post :->).

So I was watching last Wednesday's episode of Beth's teaching, and she mentioned this song. She was talking about how she has recently been in a season of sadness and grief. Apparently, she loves her some Kirk Franklin. She was preparing to speak not too long ago and while listening to Kirk Franklin, he asked the question in his song, "Do you want a revolution?" Beth said it was like she heard the words for the first time, and she turned to the speakers on her iPod and said, "Yes!"

This really resonated with me. I went and found the video on GodTube hoping to not only listen to the song but to include it in a post. The truth is, I want a revolution, too.

I have been in a dry season of late. I feel disconnected. It's like my whole world is in total chaos. Life doesn't stop because I'm feeling this way. There's still laundry to do, errands to run, groceries to buy, meals to prepare, appointments to keep, etc., etc., etc.

The truth is, I'm tired. I don't like feeling this way. I think there are a number of factors at work here, and I will talk more about some of that tomorrow.

Do I want a revolution? Yes! Do I know who can give me one? Yes! How about you?

Do You Want a Revolution?

I know I said we would have answers to foundation questions today, but that's going to have to keep for a couple of days. For today, watch this video and then check back tomorrow to read what God spoke to me about today.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

I have returned from vacation. Sorry I didn't post while out of town. I'm afraid I had a momentary lapse of reality when I thought I would blog while I was away. However, I am now back to life and the real world, and I will be answering your questions over the next several days.

By an overwhelming majority, the most common question was what to do about dark circles under the eyes. Chelsea mentioned the Mary Kay concealer. Girls, you absolutely MUST have a yellow concealer for the dark circles under your eyes. Concealer in general is a good idea, but yellow concealer specifically is your best friend when it comes to hiding dark circles and blemishes. Now, of course, being a Mary Kay Consultant, I use the Mary Kay concealer. I can not speak to others, but I am so sold on Mary Kay products, I will not use anything else.

I know that some of you are thinking that a yellow concealer sounds weird. I promise you can blend it with your foundation. I will address foundation issues in my next post, so stay tuned for that.

Concealer will only hide the circles, though. I will tell you that Mary Kay now has a product that treats the causes of dark circles. I am sure some of you are dubious, but I have used the product, and it really works. I used to have horrible dark circles under my eyes. While they are not completely gone, they are markedly improved. The product is the Timewise Targeted Action Eye Revitalizer.

I took pictures before I started using the product so that I would have a before and after testimonial to show, but unfortunately, the pictures just didn't really capture the dark circles to adequately be able to show the real story. So, you'll just have to take my word for it.

Now, I am not trying to sell you Mary Kay products. As I stated before, I am a consultant, and since these are the products I use, they are what I know.

If you do not have a Mary Kay consultant, though, or haven't tried their products before, I do encourage you to find one and ask her about this product. You can go to the Mary Kay website, click on the link at the top that says "Shop Online with an Independent Beauty Consultant," type in your zip code, and it will locate a consultant for you.

Check back tomorrow when I will address various foundation issues.