Spread the Word

Sharing the love of Jesus is so important.  In fact, Jesus commanded us to love each other without limits.  Today on my website www.ittakesoneministries.org I introduced Operation Bible.  Head over to see what it is all about.

Love to all of you!
Marci

You Don't Matter

Ever feel like you don't matter?  Ever think you must be invisible because no one even pretends to see you?  Yep, me too!!  Head over to my website www.ittakesoneministries.org and click on my blog page to read that you do matter-lots!!

With love,

New Site

I am really excited to write and teach for Jesus. It thrills my heart to be able to share my passion with others. In order to start my business and keep my writings safe, I have had to start a .org. My blogs will now be posted on www.ittakesoneministries.org. You can sign up to get emails every time I post. There is still a comment section so that we can interact over a post. I love reading comments; they motivate me and cheer me on. It brings me such joy to see how Jesus is impacting lives.




Please head over to my new site and join by email. You will notice when you go to my site that I am available to teach and speak for Jesus. My heart thrills when I can teach His Word. If your church, women's group, or youth group ever needs a speaker, I would love to be your girl! I am also available to speak at parties.



Loving Jesus and loving alll of you,

Marci

Important conversations

Prayer is a gift from God.  I am so thankful for that gift!  Head over to my other blog It Takes One Ministries to read about a time when a prayer I had was answered in the most amazing way.  I hope it will inspire you to communicate with your Creator.

Love and hugs,

Friendship

True friendship is so important and rewarding.  It can soothe a hurting heart and tickle a happy one.  Visit my other blog at www.ittakesoneministries.blogspot.com to read what true friendship  is. 

Love to all,

Looking for some courage?

Does fear ever overtake you and cause you to search for the nearest hole to hide in?  Are you in need of some good 'ol courage?  Head over to my other blog, www.ittakesoneministries.blogspot.com to see how you can get some.  And the best part...it's free and available to everyone.  Now how often can we say that!?!

Lovin' this life He gave me,

Is Enough ever Enough?

What happens when we turn from sin and run to Jesus...for the millionth time?  When does He say enough is enough?  Hop on over to my other blog at www.ittakesoneministries.blogspot.com to find out.  I hope you'll become a follower of the new blog and get inspiration each day from the Word of God.  :)

Lovin' my Savior today and always,
Marci

It takes One

 

I know...it has been FOREVER since I have blogged!!  Where did the time go?  Seriously, I just saw that I haven't posted since March. I couldn't believe it had been that long.  I have been writing a 31 day devotional titled, "From Broken to Beautiful".  It has been amazing to pray and write a devotional that focuses on loving who Christ created us to be.  I am honored to be able to show women that they are worthy because they are created by Jesus.

 

I am starting to write an encouraging blog.  It is at www.ittakesoneministries.blogspot.com.  I hope that all of you will follow me on my new blog site.  I vow to be the one person who encourages you and offers hope. 

 

The new blog is not yet pretty.  I am working on that.  However, I wanted to get it out there because the words are so much more important than the pretty. :)

 

May you always know you are loved by your sweet Jesus,

 

 



Healthy loving

At times, I get confused regarding healthy love.  Jesus has instructed me to love all people.  However, I can't find one single time that He tells us to love in an unhealthy way.

Recently, I was in a situation where a person was sucking the life out of me.  She was being very passive aggressive and manipulative.  Sadly, she is very insecure and demands that those around her take care of her feelings, including her children.  As I was sitting talking with her, I felt my frustration rise and my skin began to crawl.  I'm just being honest...

When the event was finally over and I was able to leave, I felt like a ticking time bomb.  I don't like being manipulated with pouting, poor me comments, and sighs.I went home and talked with my husband.  I told him all of my feelings, including feeling very badly for even being frustrated.  I was feeling like a bad Jesus girl because I was at my wits end with the situation.  Why is it that if I don't hear birds singing, I feel guilt??  

My husband said something that made me step back and really think.  He said, "Don't you think this is what you are supposed to be feeling?  You weren't called by Jesus to be a punching bag or to love in an unhealthy way."  He told me that it was good that this situation made me uncomfortable because true love will never be carried in on manipulation and games.

I struggle with this love thing.  I have realized that I don't feel like I am loving if I'm not pleasing people.  These two things are not one in the same.  Love is not enabling someone to stay in a mindset or situation that causes them pain.  If I say exactly what someone wants to hear or behave in unhealthy ways, that is not love.  Love can be hard, but love is what we have been called to do.  True love is a healthy, unselfish love that always points to Jesus.  True love is grace, mercy, and forgiveness without any games attached.  

Time flies when the weather is beautiful!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted!!  I have been catching up on things around our home and truly enjoying the weather that this time of year brings.  I love being outside and, therefore, have completely neglected this blog and the ones I so enjoy reading.  I hope this post finds everyone well, happy, and full of joy!!

Here is what we have been up to...

 We were about to tour Bishop's Palace in Galveston.

 Luke shows off his dance moves every chance he gets!

 I love this picture!!  

 Daddy daughter time. :)

 My sweet family posing for a picture.

 We found an old phone booth.  The kids thought going into a box to talk on a phone was hilarious!

 Candy!!!!!

 Luke saw what he thought was a longhorn and gave the UT sign upside down.  He is a true Aggie.

 The boys having a sweet conversation.  Jorden is so attentive to Luke.  I love the bond that they share.

 Captured by the youngest....

 My sweeties....this is one of my favorite pictures.

 Man time by the fire pit.

 They are both very attached to their balls.  

 Emily said she would play basketball with Luke.  He did not go easy on the girl!!

 The innocent look on his face melts my heart.  

 The higher the better for Emily!

 I decided to try out this nifty contraption...

 Luke showed me the correct way to do it. :)

 I love her smile...it makes my heart flutter...

 She was scared to slide down the fireman pole.  Her fear was cracking her up!

 She fought the fear and did it!

 Yep, swimming in his undies!!  When the pool calls, sometimes you just go in!  He loves to jump off of the side of the pool and dunk the ball.  He will do it over, and over, and over, and, did I say over?!?

 Fun times doing yard work.

 Luke throws the tennis ball at Jorden's bottom.  Jorden was taken by surprise when the ball made contact!

 The boys roll Emily around in the trash can.  She was cracking up the whole time!

 Boys just have to wrestle....

Emily teamed up with Luke.  Looks like they won.  Emily's look is devious!!

I thank God for all of these wonderful moments with my family.  They have shown me what true love is.  We stick together through the good times and bad.  I thank my sweet Jesus every single day for letting me be Barry's wife and Jorden, Emily, and Luke's mama.

My love to everyone!!

Kids are like a Jenga game

I so enjoy watching my little one play basketball.  The games are exciting and seeing him having fun makes my mama heart so happy.  He becomes a serious 10 year old and keeps his eyes on his opponent AND the scoreboard.

On Saturday, the game was so close and exciting.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.  The people in the stands were cheering on their teams and the kids seemed to be having fun.  All seemed to be right in the gym.

And then....

A mama yelled at her son when he got the ball stolen from him.  She yelled loudly and very rudely.  Suddenly, the gym froze in place and it seemed as if a spotlight was on her child.  The child hung his head in shame and embarrassment. 

It was heartbreaking.  I felt tears well up in my eyes and wanted to run on the court and tell him he was doing a great job and not to worry about a turnover.  

Thankfully, his coach told him he was doing a great job and even the ref told him it was just a game and to have fun.  Sadly, those words didn't impact him the way his mama's words did.

The truth is, it's just a game.  It's meant to be fun and teach the boys how to work together as a team and grow in their skills and confidence.  

Will it matter in 10 years that he turned over the ball?  Absolutely not.  Will her words and his embarrassment be felt in 10 years?  Most certainly.  Was it worth it??

When we got home, my son came up to me and asked if I would ever do that to him.  I assured him I would NEVER yell at him and I would always be proud of him, regardless if they won or lost.  I am proud of him for going out on a basketball court in front of a stand full of people and playing a game that he loves.  I am proud of him for trying and being a good teammate.  I am proud of him for listening to his coaches and being respectful.

Kids are like a game of Jenga.  One wrong move, and they fall down and are crushed.  NOTHING is worth crushing our children over.  

May we keep ourselves in check and realize what is truly important.  May we build them up rather than tear them down.  Give your babies a hug today and let them know you are so proud of them and LOVE being their mama. :)

Double digits!!

My little man hits the double digits today.  He was officially 10 at 2:25 Texas time.  I share the time with you because it is very important to him.  He had his dad look it up last night so he would know when he was 10 for real.  :)

I am so crazy in love with this little guy.  He is so smart, kind, funny, goofy, and a bit mischievous.  Sometimes my husband and I will look at each other and say, "Uh oh!  We may have to keep a super close eye on this one!!"  

He is precious beyond belief.  He is growing up and really finds ways to exert his independence.  For example, he was not going to have any part of me sitting with him at lunch today.  He wanted to hang out with his friends.  He certainly wasn't opposed to me dropping off Chick-Fil-A, however!!  

As we were driving to school, I was thinking back on his birth and how thrilled we were to introduce him to his brother and sister.  As I was deep in thought, I heard his sweet little voice say, "I love you mom."  Be still my heart!!  

I am so grateful that out of all the mamas in the world, God chose ME to be his mama.  I feel so blessed and am grateful beyond words.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET LITTLE MAN LUKE!!!!  I love you super duper much, bunches, and bunches and bunches!!

Prayers needed

For quite some time, I have followed Sarah's blog The Fontenot Four.  She is an amazing woman who loves Jesus with all of her heart.  It is so evident in all that she writes and offers her readers.  Her daughter, Peyton, was born with medical issues and they are struggling through some serious issues right now.

Please head over to Peyton's blog to share your love and support.  Click here to get there.

I really love that I can post a need and all of you special ladies will immediately start praying.  Thank you so much for all of the love you share.  I know Sarah will be grateful for all of your prayers.

My love to all of you....my sisters in Christ.

My birthday present from Jesus

Yesterday was my 41st birthday.  Honestly, in the past few years, I do not like my birthday.  It has nothing to do with my age.  I LOVE being in my 40's.  I feel accomplished and love the place I am with my children and husband.

The thing that has thrown me the last couple of years has to do with my parents.  For some reason, when my birthday rolls around I become very sad and wonder why I am not worth any effort on their part.  My father doesn't even acknowledge my birthday and my  mother will send a gift and an email.  However, words without actions are meaningless.  There is no desire on her part to have a real relationship.  Any type of effort  is nonexistent.

I woke on Monday morning with a terribly sad feeling.  Honestly, I get frustrated at myself because God has blessed me with such a loving family.  However, I have become quite aware that children, whatever their age, need their parents to love them.  Children need to know that they are worth it.  When they are not shown this, feelings of worthlessness creep in.  

I cried many tears on Monday and I carried around a heavy heart.  Crazy thoughts raced through my head...

Am I even a good mother??

What on earth have I done to make myself unworthy to my parents??

Am I a burden to my husband because I go through this deep sadness??

I wonder what my family's life would be like without me??  Would it be better??

Am I even a disappointment to Jesus??

Jesus led me to read something on Monday evening that turned my crazy thinking and pity party around.  Here is what I read.  It comes from a devotional I have.

"Nothing but God can satisfy this loneliness of humanity."

Jesus reminded me that actions and behaviors by humans do not always come from Him.  My parents have chosen to live this way.  It is a reflection of them and not of me at all.  My sweet husband always tells me that it is their loss.  He says that if they can't see past their own selfishness and see me, then they are surely suffering more than I am.  

God has blessed me with so  many things.  For starters, He affords me every breath I take.  He trusts me enough to raise my three precious children to honor Him and love Him.  He has restored relationships that are so dear to me.  He has surrounded me with loving people who desire to love me by loving Him first. 

I ended up having a beautiful day yesterday.  I praised God for who He is.  I spent the morning with sweet friends.  We ended up going to lunch and having a great time.  As I drove away from the place we had lunch, I smiled and thanked God for His grace, mercy, and love.  Not 24 hours before I questioned me, now I was basking in His love.  

My husband brought home one of my favorite dinners and my kiddos loved all over me.  My husband took our daughter to volleyball practice so I could hang out at home and relax.

Precious moments and good times for sure.  We serve a loving, gracious God.  Regardless of what humans choose, He loves us always.  We are His dear children and He desperately wants us to know we are loved like crazy.  

If you are suffering because of the actions and behaviors of another person, know that your Father is there for you.  His opinions matter more than anything else.  We are His princesses and He is our King.  

MIA

I realized yesterday that it has been over a week since I have written a post or read through the blogs I enjoy reading.  I have been MIA....missing in activity. :)

When I first began blogging, I felt that I needed to post everyday to be a loyal blogger.  I made sure I sat and read through fabulous blogs.  I felt badly when I didn't have the time to do so.  I have come to realize that it is not always doable and that is ok.  Phew....am I glad I am past that.  I caused myself unneeded stress.  The truth is, I love blogging, I love the women I have met, I love writing, and I love reading great blogs.  Guilt and the have to feelings shouldn't be a part of it.  We all get busy and have things that we need and want to do.  Blogging should be fun and enjoyable, not stressful. :)

Forgiveness is such a difficult thing.  When we are wronged, it is hard to release our hearts and forgive the person who has hurt us.  Often times, we don't want to forgive because we don't want the offender's behavior to be excused.  We certainly don't want to give the message that what he/she did was, in any way, ok.

The truth is, forgiveness is between us and God.  The other person is really not even a factor in the equation. To truly forgive, we must be honest with God and tell Him what our hearts are feeling.  He knows we are mad, hurt, etc.  It's perfectly ok to tell Him everything.  He knows anyway.  I have found that being completely honest with Him has caused our relationship to be extremely deep and meaningful.  

Once we tell God what is on our hearts, He is able to free us of the pain and fill our hearts with forgiveness.  Forgiveness is setting our pain free.  Our hearts are no longer filled with anger.  We are free to focus on God rather than our hurt and anger.  

A few years ago, I received an email telling me that I was going to go to hell if I did not forgive a particular person.  This person was supposed to love me and protect me.  The thing was, I had forgiven that person.  I just hadn't allowed the person to manipulate me and be a victim in my life.  

Forgiveness doesn't mean that we allow people to treat us badly or take advantage of us.  It means that we trust that God will take care of us and let Him be the judge.  We are free to openly love and receive love.

One of my children has recently had to deal with forgiveness.  A person who was supposed to be a good friend began treating my child badly and saying ugly things to my child and other people.  My child was hurt and confused.  I won't lie, when I found out, I was angry.  I wanted to give this person a piece of my mind.  This child has been to our home on a number of occasions.  I know this person well, or so I thought.  The issue was that my child did not do something that this person thought should be done.  This person tried to ignore my child and give dirty looks.  Thankfully, we have raised our child to be aware of this behavior.  When those tactics didn't work, the meanness began.  That is when I became livid.  I had ugly thoughts...

I am adamant that I will NEVER allow my children to behave as victims.  Their worth will never be determined by other people.  Therefore, I didn't pull out the poor you card.  We won't allow our kids to even touch the woe is me card.  We did, however, put our hands on the mad card. It didn't take long to realize that that card needed to be shoved down the garbage disposal!

My husband and I realized that this was a teachable moment.  We talked with our child about forgiveness and trusting God with the situation.  We told our child that God sees everything and knows everyone's hearts.  We said that eyes needed to always be kept on God and that He would lead us on our paths.  I promised that He protected those that were obedient to Him.  We warned that when our focus is the other person rather than God, our hearts will never be right and peaceful. 

Honestly, I was talking with my child as much as I was talking with myself.  Forgiveness is hard, but it is harder to live with anger and hurt.  Allowing God to free our hearts is so much better than the weight of anger and hurt.  We must trust Him to protect us and love all over us.  When our focus is on Jesus, we are free to live and love.

Here are a few pictures of our week:

 Notice the cardinal in the branches.  It let me get fairly close.

 Luke doesn't play basketball without the much loved headband.

 Taking a break and reflecting upon his game.  I'm pretty certain he even dreams about basketball!

 This is the way the homework is done....all comfy on the couch. :)

 Luke and Jorden in a friendly game of bb.

 Emily getting ready for a Valentine's dance.  She went with a group of girlfriends.  Good times!!

 Ready for the dance.

 Love, love her shoes for the dance.  Unfortunately, she passed me up in shoe size a long time ago so I can't borrow them.

 Picture with her padiddy before the dance.  Yes, that is what Emmy calls her dad. :)

 The boys told her how pretty she looked. :)

Action at the basketball game.  They are so much fun to watch!!

My love to everyone!  May you all have a wonderful weekend.

xoxo

Overcoming pain

I am currently working through the Bible study "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore.  It is amazing, hard, and liberating.  As I opened my workbook this morning and saw the title of the day, I shuddered.  This was the title:  Hearts Broken in Childhood.

As I worked through the lesson, I cried and stopped to pray often.  I know, without a doubt, that my Savior loves me.  However, I still carry around a great deal of pain in my heart due to things that happened to me as a child.  Thankfully, Jesus shows up everyday ready to work through things with me.

He knew exactly what I needed to hear from Him today.  I tend to still feel shame over my childhood.  I tend to still wonder if I did something wrong.  I sometimes feel condemned and believe that I am a bad child because I don't allow my parents to guilt me into taking blame and responsibility for their behaviors and actions.  

I know that I am not the only one who has ever suffered through pain, rejection, and abuse.  Therefore, I want to share with you what I learned in my lesson this morning.

1. "God does not minimize the things that break our hearts.  He is not looking down on us thinking how petty we are because some things hurt us so." (p. 107 Breaking Free workbook)
2. "Based on the contexts of Matthew 18:6 and 10, I believe we can assume that He was saying not only, "What you do for a child, you do for Me," but "What you do to a child, you do to Me."  He obviously takes harm to children very personally." (p. 109)
3. "The Bible teaches us that some hardships are specifically ordained by God for the purpose of our growth and refining. Child abuse is not one of them.  When you are trying to discern whether God or satan is the author of a hardship, one of your best clues is whether or not sin is involved." (p. 109)
4. "Shame is satan's stamp of approval." (p. 110)

Romans 8:28 tells us that God WILL work ALL things out for good for those who love Him.  He can take our pain and turn it into something amazing.  I know for me, He has used my pain to teach me how to truly love my family.  I am overly aware of the world and what is in it.  God uses my experiences to protect my children from what the world wants them to dive into.  He speaks to my heart about His love and urges me to share it with my children.  Praise God, they know what it feels like to be unconditionally loved by me, their dad, and especially their Father.  My pain is being used to raise my children in a home filled to the brim and overflowing with God.  May the chains of abuse and rejection never take hold of my children, grandchildren, and so on.  

 

Exodus 20:6

but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.

"God's good from life's bad is one of the most liberating concepts in the entire Word of God.  We'll never be free until we truly believe that God can do something with anything.  God has promised to bring good out of anything we encounter as long as we love Him and if we allow Him to use it for His purpose (Romans 8:28). (p. 110)

God can turn pain and suffering into something beautiful and rewarding.  Invite Him to work miracles into your life and your ministry.

My love to all of my sisters in Christ who have suffered and are suffering.  Together with God, we can overcome pain and experience His great love, joy, and peace.  Let's run this race of life and show the world that Jesus is the victor and we are His forever.

God is in control

My azalea bushes have been blooming for almost a month now.  I researched bloom times and discovered that what is considered an early bloom occurs in February.  My azaleas missed that memo.  They began blooming when the weather was in the high 40's.  They look beautiful and continue to bloom daily.

My azaleas are ultimately controlled by God.  He decides when my particular bush will bloom.  This is true with every part of our lives.  Regardless of what books, doctors, friends, family members, and we think, God is in control.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in the mind of the man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 

Psalm 115:3

Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.

One of my friend's daughters was diagnosed with brain cancer a few years ago.  I did not know her at the time, but she has told me stories of the pain.  She watched her sweet baby undergo surgery, chemo, and radiation.  She watched her fight for her precious life.

Her beautiful daughter is now a first grader.  Yep, she beat the pants off of the brain cancer. 

Yesterday, my friend had to take her daughter for her yearly check up to make sure the cancer has not returned.  She has been complaining of back pain, so my friend was concerned.  Actually, more than concerned.  She was sick to her stomach.  She was flooded with emotions almost too painful to bear.  She asked if I would pray for them and, of course, I said I would.

I actually had been praying for her sweet baby girl ever since I was told her appointment date.  I pleaded with Jesus to keep her healthy and for those around her to see His glory and love.

I texted my friend throughout the day to let her know I was praying.  I prayed for her, her sweet baby, and the entire medical staff all day.  As I was on my morning walk, she texted me that they had finished with the sedation and were about to start the MRI.

Here is what her text read:

"She did wonderful with the sedation!  We snuggled nose to nose as I sang to her while she fell asleep."

As I read her text, I had to stop walking.  I wanted to cry my eyes out.  It hit me that the love that she so unselfishly offered her daughter is the kind of love our Father offers us everyday.  My friend was beyond scared, yet she placed her fear aside to comfort her baby girl.  I am crying while I write this.  What a brave and wonderful woman God blessed this little girl with.  She is so strong and amazes me with her strength.  She knows her strength comes from her sweet and loving Jesus.

Praise God.....

She is cancer free!!!!!!!  

I cried and cried when I found out last evening that her body is healthy and she gets to be a little girl who can play and pretend without any sickness in her body.  My daughter asked why I was crying since she is cancer free.  I told her that I was just so filled with joy for my friend and her family and their sweet baby girl.  Sometimes joy comes in the form of tears....lots of them.

No matter what the statistics and percentages read, GOD IS IN CONTROL.  HE decides what will happen.  He doesn't consult doctors, books, or people.  He is KING!

2 Corinthians 5:7

We walk by faith, not by sight.

If you are facing something that feels hopeless, know that GOD IS IN CONTROL.  May we praise Him for that wonderful fact!