2011 in Music

Here is some music that touched my heart this year.



2011 in Pictures

Here are some of my favorite pictures of 2011.

Family

My Girls



Friends













My Heart is Broken

My heart is broken...

-For the child who has never heard who Jesus is and how much He loves them.

-For the child who has never been to church or even knows what that is.

-For the child who will go thru so many struggles alone wondering who even cares.

-For the child who is bombarded by images on tv (and some even in their own lives) of hatred and violence and think that it is normal.

-For the child that will go to bed tonight hungry.

-For the child who longs for an unconditional love from anyone.

They are screaming "SEE ME! HEAR ME! LOVE ME!"

Who will tell them that God does? Who will show them His love is real?

We should be doing everything possible to reach out to children today for Christ. Tell them about the Son of God who loved them so much that He died for them! Tell them that forgiveness is possible thru Jesus and He will always be there for them! Tell them that they have a place in His house!

It is time to boldly proclaim God's love to our children today!

I will stand for these children and tell them every week how much Jesus loves them. I will kneel for these children and pray that they open their hearts and accept Jesus as their Savior. For the children that are there, for the ones to come, and the ones that may never come.

They are why I do what I do.

My heart is broken and I will never see a child the same again.

Thank God. 

Be With Me

Be with me.

A few days ago those words just popped into my head out of nowhere. Of course this happened to be one of those days where I got busy doing things around the house and just brushed it off. I went on about my day without giving it another thought.

Be with me.

So the next day I hear those same three words. At first I look around to see if one of my guys is messing with me. (yes they do that) I hear it again a little louder this time. And I totally get it. Or so I thought.

Be with me.

So I immediately go to the place where I spend that time alone with my Abba. I got my Bible out and my journal all ready to dive in. I start to pray. Gosh I have alot to say today. So many things to be thankful for. So many people on my heart to pray for.

 Be with me.

Ummm...ok...I thought that's what was happening. You...me...here together Lord. I've got everything ready. I'm ready. Hey I even have a new purple pen to use today. Cute huh? What do you mean put it all away? Ok. Yes I am listening.

BE

with ME.

He just wanted me to come away from everything and BE with Him.

Not read, not write, not talk.

Just BE.

Ok so there was some talking. Only a little from me. He talked and I listened. It is one of my most precious times with Him and I can't wait to hear those words again when he lovingly says...

Be with me.

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

Psalm 27:8

I'm Not Perfect

What does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.

Deuteronomy 10:12

Where does it say perfection?

Too often I expect perfection from myself when even God isn't expecting it from me. When of course I can't achieve that goal, I feel that I have failed not only myself but Him as well.

The beauty of being His daughter is that perfection isn't a prerequisite to receive His love. I am learning more each day about love from my Abba. My Daddy who cheers when I succeed and bends down from heaven to pick me up when I fall. My Daddy who sets me on His lap to whisper so lovingly to my heart and teaches me so much when I sit at His feet. My Daddy who walks with me and reaches out to hold my hand just to let me know He is there. My Daddy who can be silent at times to encourage me to stand on His promises.

He doesn't want perfection.

He just wants me.



Kidzplayce Christmas ShoutOut

Hey there Kidzplayce kids!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

You all are ROCKSTARS and I am so blessed to spend each week with you!

I love you all bunches and Jesus loves you even more!

Hugs and more Hugs!

Ms. Wendy

A special shoutout to my 45 girls:

Sweet, sweet girls...



I am so blessed to be a part of your lives! I am so proud of the wonderful girls you are and excited for all God is going to do in your lives! I cherish our time together each week and love you all beyond words!
You make my heart sing!

Hey Kidzplayce Krew!

Merry Christmas to you all!

I absolutely love serving with you all each week!

You totally ROCK!

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
Philippians 1:3

Love you all!

Wendy

The Christmas Tree

THE

CHRISTMAS TREE

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child. (John 1:12)

I am Christ's friend. (John 15:15)

I am united with the Lord. (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)


I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth. (Matt. 5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:27)

I am free forever from condemnation. ( Rom. 8: 1-2)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant. (Phil. 3:20)

I am free from any charge against me. (Rom. 8:31 -34)

I am a minister of reconciliation for God. (2 Cor.5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 2:18)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 2:6)

I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Rom.8:35-39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God. (2 Cor.1:21- 22)

I am assured all things work together for good. (Rom. 8:28)

I have been chosen & appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)

I belong to God.

And that is who He says I am. How about you?

Looking Back

I have been spending some time this week looking back on the past year.

What a year it has been!

I really had no idea what God had in store for me. When He asked me in April to step out in obedience I didn't know anything about the second or third step. Just that first one and boy was it a doozy. When He asked me if I would obey and trust Him completely and get out of the boat, I just had to take that first step. And so began the journey.

I wish I could say that every day was easy, but they weren't. Some days were really challenging. There were times that I felt like Peter when he tried to walk on water and stumbled. But like Peter, Jesus held His hand out to me and pulled me back to my feet reminding me to keep my eyes on Him.

There have been days of doubt and discouragement. I have immersed myself in His Word. The place where He reminds me of the depth of His love and all He has promised me. His love letter to me. Those days when I have felt most alone is when He has drawn closer to me than ever before. I have learned to cherish my prayer time with Him even more. To treasure the times He whispers to my heart.

There have been days of great joy and peace. Where I am learning to rest more in Him and what true surrender really means. The gift that He has given me in time with my family and friends. Those moments when my sons say how happy they are to have me home and love all the time we spend together. When my husband says he loves having me here and already sees a difference in our boys and our home. The time spent with my friends over coffee where we talk about everything happening in our lives.

Someone asked me the other day if I would change anything. I wouldn't change anything in the journey He has chosen for me. I would like to be better at walking in it though. But the beauty of this time is that it doesn't end at the stroke of midnight December 31st. That just marks the beginning. The beginning of another year of walking with Him.

I am so excited to see where we're going this year!

My Reading Wishlist

This book by Katie Davis is number one on my reading wishlist right now.

I could go into all the reasons why I so want to read it, but instead I will share these videos of Katie opening her heart.





The Christmas Lodge - A Review

During a weekend trip to the mountains, Mary (Erin Karpluk) finds herself at the now-dilapidated lodge where she spent the holidays with her family growing up. She becomes determined to restore the building to its former glory. Inspired by her grandfather and guided by her grandmother in heaven, Mary throws herself into the project, and during the process finds herself drawn to Jack (Michael Shanks), a handsome man who loves the lodge as much as she does.

Historically unlucky in love, this chance encounter allows Mary to renew her faith in life and discover her one true love. For an uplifting story about the importance of faith, family and the true holiday spirit, go to the Christmas Lodge.

If you're looking for a family friendly holiday movie then this is definitely one to add to your collection. It is an uplifting story about the importance of faith and family. Faith and the true spirit of Christmas shines throughout this movie. I absolutely loved it!

What I'm Reading

Doing this series on Wednesdays gives me an opportunity to share what I am reading. This may vary from week to week as I tend to read multiple books at a time.

 

Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley is a must read. He is such an incredible teacher. In this book he talks about sin and the emotions that control us.

The book is about guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy.

Guilt- I Owe You

Anger- You Owe Me

Greed- I Owe Me

Jealousy- God Owes Me

"Andy Stanley explores each of these destructive forces and how they infiltrate your life and damage your relationships. He says that, left unchallenged they have the power to destroy your home, your career, and your friendships."

Not an easy topic to read for sure, but he doesn't just leave you thinking of these emotions, but shares how to identify, examine, and confront them. It is a convicting book and an encouraging one as well.

There are discussion questions included in the book which makes for a good small group study as well as a personal study.

Missions Monday

It's time for Missions Monday.

Every Monday I will introduce you to some great charities that you can get involved in. When I say get involved, I mean you can donate your money, time, and/or pray for these organizations who are doing amazing things to help people.

Today I would like to introduce you to

A Glimmer of Hope.

From the website:

 

"At Glimmer, we believe that the best way to affect sustainable change is to tackle all of the unique areas that perpetuate poverty. Rather than focus on a single issue like water or education, our unique model of integrated development means that we work across many different sectors to bring deep change. Our Ethiopian staff of development experts are pros at transforming communities through water, education, health, and microfinance projects."

 

 

 

You can find out more about this organization and ways you can help by visiting their website here:

A Glimmer of Hope - Website.

 

You can connect with them on Facebook here:

A Glimmer of Hope - Facebook

and follow them on Twitter here:

A Glimmer of Hope - Twitter.



About Glimmer from A Glimmer of Hope on Vimeo.

One Mother to Another

"Do you ever wonder how we will know when He is more than a child? Will it be something He says? A look in His eye?" -Mary ("The Nativity Story")

As Christmas approaches, I have been thinking alot about Mary.

I love this song of praise from Mary when she found out she was pregnant.

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One is holy,

and he has done great things for me.

He shows mercy from generation to generation

to all who fear him.

His mighty arm has done tremendous things!

He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

He has brought down princes from their thrones

and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away with empty hands.

He has helped his servant Israel

and remembered to be merciful.

For he made this promise to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

Luke 1:46-55

As expectant mothers, we all had our own share of anxieties, concerns, and doubts. Now add the fact that Mary was the mother of the Savior of the world. How is that for some added pressure?

Was she nervous about the delivery? Did she realize that Joseph would be the one to deliver Him? How overwhelming was it when the shepherds and wise men came unexpectedly? That was just the beginning.

Once everyone else went to sleep that night, did she stay up wondering how in world was she going to raise the Messiah? Did she think about years down the road?

The mother in me has always been drawn to her and what life must have been like for her. How wonderful and yet difficult at the same time.

During this time of year, I am joyously celebrating the birth of Jesus and also the life of His mother. What an incredible story of faith and love for God!



Missions Monday

It's time for Missions Monday.

Every Monday I will introduce you to some great charities that you can get involved in. When I say get involved, I mean you can donate your money, time, and/or pray for these organizations who are doing amazing things to help people.

Today I would like to introduce you to

Joyful Heart Foundation.

From the website:

 

Joyful Heart's Mission

The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Joyful Heart's Vision

The vision of the Joyful Heart Foundation is a community that:

- is empowered with knowledge, courage and compassion to help survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse heal mind, body and spirit;

- values and dedicates resources to individuals and families that have been impacted by these issues; and

- seeks to ignite and foster an open dialogue about how to collaboratively end the cycle of violence and abuse.

You can learn more about this organization and how you can get involved by visiting their website here:

Joyful Heart Foundation - Website.

You can connect with them on Facebook here:

Joyful Heart Foundation - Facebook

and follow them on Twitter here:

Joyful Heart Foundation - Twitter.

An Invitation to Romance

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10a

In times past I have looked at this verse as a command to stop doing so much and have a quiet time with God. Today my Abba gave me a new way of looking at it. It isn't a command, but an loving invitation to be with Him and get to know Him better through His Word and fall more deeply in love with Him.

Catherine Martin says in her book Knowing and Loving the Bible,

"God is inviting you to a secret garden of intimacy and romance with Him. He wants you to know Him. Let His desire for you become your greatest desire too."

To know that my Father wants so much to spend time alone with me is overwhelming. To know that He longs to speak to my heart so intimately is breathtaking. To know that this is one of His deepest desires is the most romantic invitation that I have ever received.



One Word

Sometimes the greatest gift that you can give another person is a word of encouragement. Just one word from you could completely change the direction of their day or even their life. So when you feel the Holy Spirit's prompting to say something kind to another person no matter how uncomfortable it may make you feel...do it. Make the time. There is such power in that one word.

So make that call, mail that card, send that email.

It may be the greatest gift you give today.

So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25  

What I'm Reading

Doing this series on Wednesdays gives me an opportunity to share what I am reading. This may vary from week to week as I tend to read multiple books at a time.

Description

"More Lost Than Found helps readers reconnect with a faith worth believing.

If you look at the statistics about people raised in the church who are now leaving it, you’ll realize that something has gone horribly wrong. Has God’s truth lost relevance? The answer to this question, says Jared Herd, director of XP3 college ministries, is an absolute no. Next-generation Christians are drifting from the institutional faith because they no longer see their very real struggles or their need for deep connection with God adequately addressed there.

In More Lost Than Found, youth expert Jared Herd comes alongside anyone who has drifted from faith to reengage them with the truth they long to hear. With amusing anecdotes and brilliant insight, he gives readers the permission to struggle with their faith while, deep down, knowing they still believe it and want to believe it. In this refreshing, true-to-life message, readers find a companion for their faith journey, rediscover the truth they grew up believing, and are invigorated to lay hold of it once again."

Here are some quotes that have me thinking.

""Perhaps the violent rejection of that message by those on the outside isn't an issue with Jesus-it's an issue with how the Savior has been translated for them."

"Children born hundreds of years ago were born into a story, and parents made sure their children knew that story and felt a part of it."

"Most people I know who walk away from faith don't walk away because of doubt. They walk away because of pain."

I have really enjoyed reading this book. It has given me a new perspective as a parent and a children's ministry volunteer. There is a part of the book that talks about connecting the older generation with the younger generation through story that really has me thinking as both.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tuesday Tunes

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”


29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”


34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”


35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”


38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Missions Monday

It's time for Missions Monday.

Every Monday I will introduce you to some great charities that you can get involved in. When I say get involved, I mean you can donate your money, time, and/or pray for these organizations who are doing amazing things to help people.

Today I would like to introduce you to

One Day's Wages.

From the website:

"According to UNICEF, approximately 3 billion people live on less than US $2/day and 1.4 billion people live on less than US $1.25/day - the definition of those living in extreme poverty. In the midst of these staggering statistics, what can one person do? What can a person's "one day's wages" do in the face of such staggering statistics?

While we might not be able to save the world, we can absolutely make a difference. We can help change the world and in turn, be changed. While the issues are complex, experts and global organizations are in agreement: We have the capacity to end extreme global poverty."

 You can learn more about this organization and how you can get involved by visiting their website here:

One Day's Wages - Website.

 

You can connect with them on Facebook here:

One Day's Wages - Facebook

and you can follow them on Twitter here:

One Day's Wages - Twitter.