Please Pray!

Please pray for me and a wonderful group of women as we meet together this weekend on Lake Martin. I am so excited to meet all these wonderful women and share my heart with them. Please pray that like the woman at the well (where I am in the book of John) and truly worship the person of Jesus in Spirit and Truth this weekend. That was my own prayer today!

I was reminded how easy it is to get distracted by the how...and forget the WHO!! I want to truly worship every SINGLE day of my life!!! The Samaritan woman got so distracted by the facts that she didn't recognize the FACE of her Savior. That is the danger for all of us! We have a wonderful retreat experience or we read an author that totally challenges us...and then we start to focus more on trying to recreate those feelings and experiences...that we miss that Jesus is there to be worshipped in spirit and Truth! His Word will satisfy your soul every single minute of every day!!! We can worship Him so richly in our pjs at 6am!

Today I pray that I will not look at the how...but the WHO of worship all day. I pray that I will dive deeply into the TRUTH of His Word and worship Him in spirit and not by will. I pray that each of us will see Jesus and be drawn to the Cross and grace. That is the only place true worship begins!

Thrive today sweet friends!

Noonday Church on 11Alive

Our church has a vibrant ministry in Cambodia that ministers' to women and children who have been affected by sex-slave trafficking. This has been an amazing journey to follow as those from our church are forever changed as they travel to Cambodia. Recently a member of our church, Ashley MacDonald who is one of the meteorologists for 11Alive went on the mission trip with our former Executive Pastor and shot this video.

She was able to air this video and share the story of those in Cambodia!! It was so amazing to see the spotlight on God's hand in the lives of the "least of these"!! I wanted to share this short clip with each of you and pray that you will rejoice as attention is drawn to these precious women and children. I pray that more and more will be ransomed as a beautiful example of how we were ransomed from the slavery of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ...what a picture!

http://www.11alive.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=58705393001#/Cambodia%3A%20Ashley%20McDonald%20Special%20Report/58705393001

Prepare to Thrive!

Recently I was asked to write a short article (I know what you are thinking...and YES it was hard for me to keep it to 400 words...I'm one wordy girl!!!) for a ladies' mission magazine called Conversations. I was thrilled when I heard that the theme for this issue would be "Honoring God in Your Preparation." I have been down that road recently with our upcoming adoption.

I won't share any more since the article says everything on my heart. I hope you enjoy it...and sign up to get Conversations through email. This is the e-copy and the print copy will be out sometime soon. Enjoy...and thanks again for all the prayers and support!!


http://www.gabaptist.org/FAITHNETWORK_USERFILESTORE/fileCabinet/ministries/237e6518-ae1d-4db3-844a-2959aa6966fc/wmu_conv-winter0910-heartpreparation.pdf

Thrive!
Frances

GBC Ministers' Wives Retreat!

We had an amazing time this past weekend at the Georgia Baptist Convention Ministers' Wives retreat. Since I am serving as President this year...the officers (Paula and Amy my BFFs) were busy at work for months planning this retreat! It was A LOT of work, but once the ladies showed up it was AMAZING!!!

There were about 126 women in attendance there the entire weekend and the energy and joy was awesome. We laughed, cried, worshipped and grew together...we are some THRIVING women!

When we came on as officers, the one thing we wanted was By Design for our worship leaders...and it was amazing!! They brought us to the Throne and the tangible presence was overwhelming Friday night. After they led us in worship, we simply just had a concert of prayer together. It was very moving and something I won't forget.

Thursday night we had a game night where we played some group games for everyone to get to know each other a little better. We had so much fun!! Our focus this year was "Across the Table...Across the Street." For the first 2 sessions we talked about ways to grow closer to God and each other...then focused on overflowing to those across the street and across the world.

I could not have even imagined doing any of this without these women! Paula and Amy were not only wonderful partners...but wonderful friends. I love these girls...

(the first night was a pajama game night!)

We had a blast!!! God was so good to us and blessed this weekend in such an amazing way...can't wait until next year. Don't you love the no make up pajama look...comfy and REAL!

2010 Thoughts...

I love New Years Day and starting a whole new year (and DECADE) off fresh! I just adore fresh starts filled with reflective thoughts on the old and starting anew. Yesterday I opened my fresh new journal for this year's devotions and began a new book of the Bible (John) and started my Chronological reading through the Bible for this year!!! I am in heaven:)

How about you? Maybe last year you were plagued with inconsistent times of prayer and fellowship with the Lord in His Word. Perhaps you did not spend time with Him at all. I don't know where you are in your relationship with your Father...but I pray that the number one thing on your list of resolutions will be to commit time every single morning to spend time in God's Word and in prayer.

One thing I have found VERY helpful is to buy a notebook that has close to 365 pages (there aren't any with that exactly but maybe 400 will do for you). Take a small portion of scripture (I do a few verses) and then pray, ponder, and write just a few thoughts on that passage. Here's the key for me...write the DATE at the top of the page!! That keeps you accountable! And lying about your devotion time with God...well...that's just way wrong:)

If you don't like to write much and journal, you could do multiple entries on each page and don't have to buy such a big notebook! I am also going to start a gratitude journal (thanks to my friend Shannon!) at the end of the day to spend time praising and thanking God. I can't wait to see how that goes this year.

I have found through the past year that accountability is so helpful! Sometime during the day try to carve out time to spend with the Lord. We all write and tell people that God is THE most important thing in our lives, yet spend our time on housework, facebook, twitter, blogs, youtube...and TV. What is really the most important to you? Where are you spending most of your time?

So, as we start this year I felt the most important thought I could share with others...and myself...is to start FRESH with the Lord! He loves it! He said that His mercies are NEW and FRESH every single morning of your life...oh praise Him for that!!

If you desire to read through the Bible (I do this portion at night before going to sleep...because I can NOT study that large of a portion of the Bible at a time...so it is just my way of gaining perspective on the FULL counsel of His Word), you don't have to buy a new Bible. Biblegateway.com has reading plans in multiple translations that update every day. This is a good way to set a goal to read the Bible through in a year without the expense of a new Bible.

Whatever, whenever, and wherever...spend time with HIM this year!!! It has been the one SINGLE thing that has revolutionized my life over the past 7 years ( I celebrate my anniversary of being CONSISTENTLY (not perfectly) in God's Word in April...8 years!!). It has been amazing and truly there are not words to talk about what God's Word has done in my life. I don't think I would still be a follow of Christ without it! I had tried every Biblestudy, commentary, class, conference, and tactic to get closer to God...nothing worked. But, God's Word ALONE has changed me and molded me and filled me to utterly overflowing every single day of the last 8 years. PRAISE HIS NAME!!!!

So, as you begin 2010 start fresh with the Lord. And if you blow it tomorrow...start fresh the next day. Praise Him that His mercies are not new every January 1st but EVERY morning!!! It isn't easy...Satan HATES for you to sink deep into the power of God's Word. So, trust me, every morning will be a FIGHT. My flesh ALWAYS wants to sleep longer, get busy first, check my email first, read a few blogs, and rush headlong into my day before I steal away with Him. But, my Spirit gets stronger and stronger and stronger and STRONGER every single day. 7 1/2 years later my flesh still cries out...but those cries are not nearly as loud for nearly as long and not nearly as strong. I KNOW how perfect His portion for me will be. How it will fill me to overflowing with GOOD things...like the richest of foods.

Fight with me this year! Lay hold of the GOOD things God has for you in His Word. Yes, it is battle...but one you have VICTORY promised to you through Jesus Christ! Girls, we can do this!

Get a notebook, get an accountability partner, text a friend every morning when you are finished to keep you accountable (I did this about getting up early last year and it ROCKED!), work with your spouse to BOTH get in God's Word separately and then talk about it at night, put it on your calendar with an alarm...WHATEVER it takes!

This is my resounding thought and prayer for you, for my family, friends, and those who read this blog for 2010. I am EXCITED! As I think and pray over 2010, there is nothing more important that I would share with you (and myself). It is eternal and will revolutionize your entire existence...trust me...it is one WILD ride sweet friends!

Happy New Year to you all...have a SWEET year from our family to yours!

PS. Those are fireworks around the 2010 pancakes!