Monday, August 23, 2010

YOU ARE ENOUGH

I'm giving myself 20 minutes, then I need to jump in the shower and get ready to start my day. I do not even have a topic in mind this morning...I just love to come to my blog and think about what I CAN and should share with you, my sweet readers (all 3 or 4 of you!) ha!!! :)

My heart has been pondering the fact that so many of the women I talk to have or have had at some point in time, issues with their self-esteem, their self-worth, their confidence level.....

Some have been beaten down by words that left them feeling worthless and injured. Some have been physically hurt and cringe at the mere thought of loving again or trusting anyone. There are some who are simply LOST in the shuffle of life, of parents, friends, too busy to pay attention, so they are left feeling lonely and sad.
Many women/girls...withdraw from life only to resurface in a way that is unhealthy. It is their attempt to cover the pain, to find that thing that makes them feel better, that allows them to escape the awful feelings that live within them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sometimes the feelings that rage within are so powerful and raw that it takes a lot to cover them up and to hide from them. The more they seek to cover and hide, the more buried they become in: addiction, bad habits, wrong thinking, self-destructing behavior.....etc.

I am here to tell you something..........................
DO NOT BELIEVE THE LIES OF THE ENEMY FOR ONE MORE MINUTE!!!!!!!
You are NOT who the enemy says you are, you ARE who GOD says you are! God created you, just as you are (Psalm 139) He knit you together in your mother's womb, He takes great joy and pleasure in you, who you are!!!! He cares so much about you, He loves you!!!!! (John 3:16)

DO NOT be deceived!!! Do not grow weary, for GOD is with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you! He wants you to live a healthy and whole life of LOVE.

If God is for us, who can be against us???

Who is he (the enemy) that we should believe his lies??? Instead we need to believe and trust and act on the WORD, the true God!!!

Tick tock....I only have 10 more minutes so I am not looking up all of the scriptures...but if you want/need some, I can find them for you. You need to know what the Word of God has to say...about what He has to say about YOU, your life!!!!

I am writing a book and it has a LOT to do with this subject. It seems that wherever I go, I meet people (I focus & relate mostly on the women) that have these issues. That have carried them with them as extra, HEAVY baggage for YEARS!!!!
I want to help you unload those bags, to rid yourself of the unnecessary load you are carrying.....I want to be a vessel that God can use to help you see your worth, your value, your UNIQUE talent and contribution to your family, your friends, your life, THIS WORLD!!!!

I will be happy to pray for you....please send me a comment if you have any specific prayer requests.

Let me leave you with this thought..............
I cannot take credit for it, it is something my dear friends said to ME while I was going thru a particularly tough time of not feeling worthy!!!

YOU ARE ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God created you just as you are and as you are is ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!

Repeat that over and over in our mind today as you go about your day, let it permeate your being, sink into your spirit til you really begin to believe it!!
YOU ARE ENOUGH........................period!

I love you, and even better than that.............GOD LOVES YOU!!!
Go, and MAKE it a GREAT day...this is the only today you have!
ENJOY!!!

XO
Love & Blessings!
Sherry

Sunday, August 15, 2010

I......

I live in an empty nest with the love of my life. There was a time when it was filled with lots of feathers and fluff, but now it is just us. When my little chick-a-dees first started flying from the nest I was sad and disappointed, but now, I embrace this season and the benefits and JOYS it brings to my heart and to my life.

I like weekends! No matter what I am doing, I enjoy them. I like to be home, or to be off doing something fun...either way it's all good!!!

I loathe negativity and yet I struggle with it myself. It is one of those things that has been in my life and I have struggled to keep at bay for as long as I can remember.

I listen to Christian music every day! It feeds my soul!!

I laugh at the antics of my fun family!!! They make my heart smile BIG!

I lack the ability to lose weight and keep it off! This has been my struggle forEVER!!! I hate it, I hate that I even just mentioned it....like if I don't it might just go away!

I learn more & more about God and His plan and purpose for my life every single day. There are lessons in every circumstance and every day we live!

I love the Lord with all my heart and soul. He is everything to me. Without Him I can do nothing and would be nothing.

Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend, whatever you did!
Enjoy the week ahead and MAKE IT GREAT!!!!
Love & Blessings!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

This One's For You....Jen!



Here is the coffee table I painted up for my living room. This was once a hunter green table with a "lovely" golf set painted on the top. I loved the shape of it and friend of mine offered it to me, I knew it had potential! I just started painting away, lots of layers and colors.
You actually cannot see as many layers and colors in these photos....but it turned out pretty cool!


Here we have some candlesticks that a dear friend gave me for my birthday several years ago. I love them, but against our fireplace they kind of disappear....so I did what any red-lovin' gal would do, I painted them! ;) I love how they turned out and they stand out much better against the stone on the fireplace now.


I LOVE LOVE LOVE creating, re-making, transforming and plain ole piddling around my house. I haven't had time for it lately.....re-visiting these photos makes me want to do just that.

I have been far too busy decorating other people's homes lately (that is what I do for a living). I am thankful I get to use my creativity on a regular basis.....it is just IN me. My mom was a creative spirit and so was my dad, so I guess I come by it naturally........being creative that is.

That's all I have for today....I had promised a few people I would post these on here, so here they are! Now leave me some love (comments!)
XO

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Sometimes you just have to stick your tongue out at the enemy and say naner naner naner!!!!!!



This is my precious grand-angel Riliee Leavi, isn't she just simply adorable!?
This is one of my favorite photos of our recent family photo shoot.....I was thinking about this sweet image while struggling with some attacks from the enemy so I thought I would put them together! (ruthless I know, but photos of my angels LIGHT up my life!!!!)


The enemy is on the prowl, he is out to "steal, kill and destroy". He wants our very best intentions, energies, time, all to be wiped out so he can keep us from doing the work of the LORD! He never rests....never gives us a break from attack! He lies in wait...patiently waiting for the perfect time to POUNCE, whatever it takes to defeat us, to take us down. He knows our currency and he goes after it and attacks it with all he has. He is ruthless and mean and........well he is the DEVIL!

He uses many things to attack us. Worry, attacks on our health, our finances, negativity, strongholds, the list goes on and on. He deceives us by lying to us, by getting us to believe those lies. He is the father of LIES!

I am sure he has lied to you....made you believe things about yourself in the past or now that have created a block for you. A block that does not allow you to live to your fullest potential.
For me, for many, many years...he lied to me and told me I was not good enough, I would never be good enough, that I was ugly, fat, stupid, clumsy, an idiot. He had me looking at others and comparing myself and seeing how I did not measure up. I was never pretty enough, skinny enough, smart enough, beautiful enough..... You get the picture.

I wonder if he has done the same thing to YOU???
What lies has he and does he tell YOU?
Are you believing them?
Are you succumbing to them?
Are you allowing them to keep you from being all that you can be, the person GOD created you to be?
Are you ALLOWING them to taint your life, to hold you back from your great potential?


IF YOU ARE.........then I say........stick your tongue out at the enemy and say NANER NANER NANER, you are not the boss of me and of my life. What you say means NOTHING. What you think means even less! What you are trying to do to me will not work!!! All your words and attacks will not stick to me because I have the armor of God on....your arrows shall not pierce me, they shall simply bounce off of my shield and fall to the ground, wasted and useless. I know who I am in Christ and that is ALL that matters!

I know who God made me to be and that is what I am living for. All the rest, what you are trying to say and do to me does NOT matter and will NOT change me. God has transformed me by the renewing of my mind. You can lie in wait, slither around like a coward, but your attacks will not take me by surprise because I am ready, I know how slimy and evil you are and I will NOT be taken down by you!!!!!!!!!

Let me tell you what you need to do if you find yourself being taken down. You MUST immerse yourself in the WORD OF GOD! It is the most valuable weapon you have! It is the two edged sword God has given you, but it will do no good in it's sheath!!! Read it, memorize it, recite it, pray it...think about it, USE IT!!!!
You my PRAISE HIM....sing, worship, just talk to Him....just lift Him up!!!
PRAY....you absolutely muse communicate to Him. Praying does not have to be some lengthy hour long daily ritual (I know cos that is what I used to think). Instead, make it something you do with every breath you breathe! He is as close to you as your very breath, He wants you to talk to Him, ask Him, seek Him!

There are sooo many scriptures I can use with this post but I am choosing just a few for you to think about, , ponder, memorize and allow to simmer in your heart and mind.
What I call............"writing it on my heart".

John 10:10 (Amplified Bible)

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).



1 Peter 5:8 (Amplified Bible)

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

Ephesians 6:12 (New International Version)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.



John 8:44 (New International Version)

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.


I pray your day is immensely blessed, whether it is a good day or a bad day, whether the sun is shining or the clouds are looming....make it great! It is the only TODAY you will ever have, do not let it be wasted on worry, fret, or being consumed with wrong thoughts from the enemy! You are better than that, you deserve better than that!
YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XO

Sunday, August 1, 2010

This Weekend I....






* Went to a Bridal Shower for one of my sweet nephews' fiance's. Congratulations Lacey & Christopher!!!It was sooooo fun to be around family!!!


* Went to dinner with my sweet husband and while we were waiting saw some of the sweet young'ins that grew up with my kiddos....they are no longer "youngins" of course! It was sooo good to see them and to have a quick, sweet chat!



* Did laundry, changed sheets, weeded the flower garden....

(not a big housework weekend! ;)


* Spent too long at Michaels looking for a product that apparently they no longer stock...something I NEED for a project I am making that needs to be done NEXT WEEKEND!

uh oh!!!!


* Went to Home Depot for parts for the sprinker system that was punctured by the jumper/water slide we had for our big party!


* Went grocery shopping.


* Sat out at the pool, under the shade of a palm tree, with a warm breeze blowing, holding a sleeping baby, while watching the other little guy show me tricks he could do in the "CA CUZZI!" ;) ...now that is the life!!!!


* Had a another major fibro attack (or whatever is going on in my body these days!)....could barely walk!!! ugh!!!


* Read and studied two chapters for my Bible Study...Battlefield of the Mind.


* Swam a few laps.


* Watched American Graffitti with my sweet, car lovin' husband!


* Got my old lap top back, restored by my cousins SWEET husband!!!! Thank you Sam!!!!!


* Started a special project for a special bride-to-be (the one that I always thought was gonna be my daughter-in-law!) he he!!!



I am so thankful for weekends, for time to re-group and do the things I never have time for all week long.

I have been struggling with my health lately so it has been harder than usual. I feel so out of sorts. I also injured myself in a fall about 2 months ago and my toe still has not healed....I guess I need to go get it X-rayed. Life is full of up's and down's....I try my best to stay strong and positive no matter what stage of the game I am in. It is not always easy, nor am I always successful.....but I have learned that the key is to keep on believing. Believe that GOD IS IN CONTROL.....He knows all, sees all.....IS ALL!!!


I pray that if you are feeling overwhelmed, distraught, overcome, frustrated, depressed, that you will seek GOD and HIS help. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. That is the greatest tool we have. It is a sharp, two edged sword, but it does no good in it's sheath. You must use it. Write the Word on your heart, recite it often, the devil HAS to flee when the name of Jesus is uttered!

Some times all that can come out of my mouth is simply "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus"....and that is enough!!!!!


So, here's to a great week. The first week of AUGUST, can you believe that???

I pray you enjoy every precious moment, that you will find time for all the things that matter most to you!

Remember....our lives are the sum of the choices we make!!!!