How Sweet Is This?

Last evening, I was in the house paying bills and my husband was outside pressure-washing the driveway.

 

After a few minutes he opened up the back door and said, "Honey, look out the dining room window." 

This is what I saw......

After 31 years of marriage, how sweet is that?

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 12

WE'VE MADE IT HALFWAY!!!!!! 

Back in January of this year, I, along with many of you, committed to the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge to memorize 2 verses of scripture each month for the year 2009, and with this week's verse, we are officially halfway! We are on verse 12 out of 24 verses! I can hardly believe it!

 

My verse that I have chosen to commit to memory for the second half of June is:

"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Hebrews 4: 13 (NKJV)

Remembering An Awesome Night Of Praise & Worship

On January 25th of this year, my daughter, Faith, and I hopped in the car after church Sunday morning and headed for Atlanta for an awesome night of Praise and Worship with Travis Cottrell at First Baptist Church of Woodstock .

It was exciting enough to be able to participate in a LIVE recording with Travis Cottrell, but one of my all-time heroes in the faith was also going to be there -- Beth Moore!

We had made plans to meet up with one of our sweet blogging friends that we had never had the privilege of meeting in person -- none other than JennaBabe! 

It was an awesome night of worship and one I will never forget.

On Tuesday of this past week, the LIVE recording from that amazing night was released on ITunes and in the stores.  Those of us that were there that night were able to pre-order the CDs and DVDs -- and mine came in the mail yesterday! As I looked at the CD cover and began to listen to the very first song, "To The King", I was taken back to all the emotion and excitement of that incredible evening with thousands of people praising the Lord. It was like a tiny glimpse into what Heaven is going to be like!

If you ask me what are my favorite songs from the recording, that is a tough one because, honestly, they are all so good, but if I had to say, they would probably be - "My Inheritance", "Praise the King"(with Cindy Morgan), "Mercy Seat", and "Do It Lord".

I have not stopped listening to it!  I fell asleep listening to it last night and I woke up to it this morning.  I just have to say, if you haven't already purchased this CD, it is a must-have!  

It will lead you to the throne of worship, sweet friends!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 11

As I continue with the 2009 LPM Scripture Memory Challenge, I can hardly believe that we are already on verse 11 out of our goal of 24 for 2009! On the 15th of this month, we will be halfway through the verses that we have committed to memorize for this year! Where has the time gone?

I have been so blessed by the commitment I made back in January to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month. Sometimes I have a difficult time retaining things that I want to remember, but God has definitely honored my commitment to this challenge by giving me the ability to "hide these verses in my heart"-- many times bringing them to my remembrance at the precise time that I need them.

The verse that I have chosen for the first part of June is:

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." 

Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

I don't know about you, but this verse has "my name ALL over it"!  As many of you that have been reading my blog for awhile may recall, I am the reigning Queen of "What If". I like to think of myself as a "realist", rather than a "pessimist", but I tend to worry about what COULD happen.  There is so much bad news in our world today!  Just turning on the evening news, picking up the newspaper or even reading some people's blogs, makes it very difficult to not to be fearful.

Case in point:  Many of you know that I am planning to be a part of a mission trip to Brazil in September and I have some fear about flying that far.  I have never been on an airplane for that length of time, over THAT MUCH WATER, and I get MOTION SICKNESS!  Need I say more?

What timing to learn this week about AirFrance 447 vanishing only 4 hours into their flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.  The plane carrying 228 passengers disappeared!

How timely that God would give me this very verse this week!  

I must put my trust in the Lord, and Him ALONE!  

If I am trusting in HIM, and in HIM alone, then His Word says that I will have NO fear of bad news!

I don't know about you guys, but for me --- "them's shoutin' words!"

One Year Blogaversary

"MiMi's Making Memories" is ONE YEAR OLD today! 

On May 29, 2008, what began as an attempt to establish a Google account so that I could leave a comment on my daughter's blog, turned into "MiMi's Making Memories". As Faith designed my blog for me, I had no idea what I was doing, what I would ever have to write about and more importantly, who would possibly be interested in reading it! I just thought it would be a good way for me to "journal" about those I love most -- my precious family.

I had NO idea the impact that blogging would soon have on my life. I began blogging and in the process I "met" and fell in love with some of the most wonderful women  - and literally from all over the country! (And even a few from other parts of the world!)  Over the past year, I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet some of you "in person", and what a treat that was!

My prayer for my blog on that Thursday in May still remains the same:

"I have no idea whether I have anything to say that would be of any value to anyone else, but I would hope that having  been married for 30 years and raising 3 children would definitely have taught me some valuable lessons in life.  I know that the Lord sometimes allows us to go through things in life so that we can be a help to someone else going through similar things.  I pray that the life lessons He has taught me, and IS teaching me, will be an encouragement to others."

I am so blessed to call so many of you my friends.  You really are so important to me!  I look forward to reading your blogs, as well as, reading your precious comments that you leave on my posts.  Many days, the Lord has used so many of your sweet words to encourage me in such a mighty way!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and for all of your thoughtful comments.  Thank you, also, for "enduring" all the pictures of my kids, grandchildren and "grand-dogs"!  Thank you for just being "YOU"!

I look forward to another year of blogging and hopefully meeting many more of you "in person"! 

May God richly bless each and EVERY one of you! I love you, my sweet friends!

My Blogging Hiatus

To say I have been experiencing a writer's block in recent days and weeks would be an understatement. Every time that I have sat down to post on my blog in recent weeks, God has had other plans for me. I literally have had my fingers on the keyboard, but nothing came!

Prior to the last time that I posted on my blog, God had begun continued convicting me about the amount of time that I had been spending on blogging, emailing, FaceBook, television, etc. Even as I sat down to comment on all of your precious blogs, the words would not come. So, that being said, I have taken some much needed time off from blogging to listen to what God had to say to me. 

It turns out that God has been trying to teach me more about listening to His voice. Being able to discern His voice amid all the "noise" that this world has. This seems to be a recurring theme that God has had with me, because apparently I am a very slow learner.

I wanted to share just a little of what the Lord has been doing in my life in my blogging absence: 

• He has reminded me that I am to come apart from all the noise and confusion of this world and spend time with Him.
  

• He has reminded me that I am to come to Him with anticipation - eager and expecting to hear His still small voice. 
  

• He has reminded me that I need to stretch my spiritual earlobes so that I can hear Him better. He speaks loudly enough and clearly enough for wide open ears to hear!
  

• He has reminded me that even when I do not see Him or I do not hear His voice, He is still working. He is ALWAYS working - even when He is silent!
  

• He has reminded me that I am to sit quietly and wait for Him to speak.
  

• He has reminded me that His ways are higher than my ways and that if I could explain all the "whys", that He wouldn't be God! 
  

• He has reminded me that what I really believe is reflected in my personal conduct.
  

• He has reminded me that his grace empowers me to say "No" to worldly desires and ungodliness.
  

• He has reminded me that my prayers need to be more about Him and less about me.
  

• He has reminded me that He is much more interested in my holiness than my happiness.
  

I want each of you that read my blog and comment on it on a regular basis to know how very much I have missed you.  I have met some wonderful, godly women through my almost one year of blogging and you have become an important part of my life.  

I also want those of you that have blogs that I read and comment on regularly to know that even in my absence I have continued to follow many of your blogs.

Please pray for me that I would be obedient to what the Lord would have me to do in my life.

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." 

James 1: 25

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 10

I can hardly believe that we are already on Verse #10 in the  LPM Scripture Memory Challenge -- to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for 2009. It has been such a blessing to have the previous 9 verses committed to memory and God has given me so many opportunities to use these verses in recent weeks.

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for me any more! My life has been so busy recently and I have not been able to find the time to blog as much as I used to or would like to. As a result, I must say that the 15th of the month slipped up on me this time!

Without further ado, the verse that I have chosen to commit to memory in the last half of the month of May is:

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Psalm 37:4 & 5 (NASB)

As I ponder the meaning of this verse, I believe that God is reminding me once again that HE must become the obsession of my life! HE must be the focus of my life and the object of my affection!

If I will let everything in my life focus on HIM, then I will be absolutely amazed at what HE will do for me!