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Moving Forward

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

*This post looks longer than it is due to pictures!

 “If you want to experience God’s blessing in a new way, get
ready to leave your comfort zone.” ~The Word for you Today devotional

I can generally tell
when God is moving me to a new ministry or direction because I feel the pain as
a tight ball in my stomach, blood drains from my head leaving me dizzy and my
first thought is, “No way can I do this.”
God is neither enhanced by
our strengths nor inhibited by our struggles. There’s more HE wants
to do through us than what we’ve experienced so far. Let’s
have high expectations of God!!
~Robin Reed, Cornerstone Church member
When God nudged me
to lead the Women’s Ministry at our church, I balked. That was out of my
comfort zone. One of the biggest things I’ve ever done. And it came off the
tail end of recommitting my time to God.
Even when I go from the frying pan into the fryer, 
I’m pressing FORWARD.~Jerry Thompson, Cornerstone Church
member
Mercy.
Baby Gabriel Bullard, son of Marshal and Jennifer Bullard
is moving forward in his car seat!
I didn’t deserve that opportunity. But God gave
it to me anyway. I loved doing it, after I got over the fear and learned to
trust Him more.
Moving Forward while fast forwarding commercials 
during the
Grizzlies game
 as they move forward into the
Playoffs!!!!!!!!! 
 ~Ron Mayfield,
Cornerstone Church member 
Moving forward with a Bronchoscopy! 
~
Chelsea Davis, Cornerstone Church member 
Same thing happened
when I started teaching a Bible class for Young Adults, especially when God
nudged me again to write the studies, teaching them about the Old Testament.
What did I know about OT? Not much. A new mission arose–it was called learning.
Forwarding teaching
kindergarten!!!
 ~Pastor Shari Robbins, Cornerstone Church Worship Leader
I’ll admit, lately,
I’ve been comfortable. In my writing for one. I absolutely pray over my
stories, plots and writing time. I need God’s guidance. It’s not just about
entertaining, it’s about ministering and speaking into lives–but I’ve been
writing it so long, I feel comfortable doing it. Does that make sense?
Forwarding at the
fire station. ~Jim Carroll, Cornerstone Church member
“Forwarding” with some of my friends at Gus’ Famous Fried Chicken.
~Pastor Jeff Robbins, Associate Pastor, Cornerstone Church
Putting gas in the car
so I can keep going forward!
~Melanie Williamson,
Cornerstone Nursery Coordinator
and zumba partner!
I haven’t had a real
fit in ministry at our church since I taught Young Adults, but like in the
movie Robots: “See a need. Fill a need,” I’ve been helping my BFF,
who’s the nursery coordinator. It’s not a challenge. It’s not hard. To me
anyway. I was a teacher then director for a corporate childcare center nearly
ten years.
Forwarding in the elevator…going up!!!
~Gayle Adams, Cornerstone Church member
But here we are
again. I’m coming off the tail-end of harboring some anger and even some
bitterness. Yep, I teach about it but I’m guilty of it. Pretty sure I never
said I was perfect…you must have gathered that on your own. 🙂   I finally released some old pain and anger.
Forwarding on the keys! ~Pastor Doug Shuff, Creative Arts Pastor
Cornerstone Church
Forwarding with new baby, Nathan! ~Emily Shuff, 
Creative Arts Pastor’s wife, Cornerstone Church
It was hard. Because
I’d been trying to do that for a couple of years. Failing every time and not
really knowing why. I finally said, “God, I don’t want to be angry and
bitter anymore, but I don’t know how not to.”
God asked me for a
new commitment–a re-commitment. Through my tears, I said yes. Yes, I would.
Then God gave me a picture in my head of what that would look like, it included
a better attitude whether I wanted to have one or not. Live like I want to be and I’ll eventually catch up.
“We don’t see things the way they are. We see them the way we are.” Pastor Greg Davis. (That’s my pastor.) He said this
last Wednesday night. Profound. Think about that for a minute.
Moving
FORWARD…..not looking back!
 ~Pastor
Greg Davis, Lead Pastor, Cornerstone Church
Forwarding on the way
to Saturday night prayer!
~Lead Pastor’s wife, Nancy Davis

 I needed a heart change. Pastor confirmed what I’d already
been told by God.

I’ve already
experienced some healing, some strength just by doing those things God asked me
to. You know what?
On the tail-end of
this thing, God has orchestrated my fit again.
Using the gifts and abilities He’s given me to do something I love.
Forwarding at the Stax with Otis Redding!
 ~Pam Bruno, Cornerstone Church
member
Forwarding in business!
Team members, and owners –Steve & Cherie Jones
~all Cornerstone Church members
Jessica Brown Forwarding at work!
I don’t deserve this either. 
I’m out of my
comfort zone, for sure! I have the knot in my stomach, the buzzing in my head,
the pounding heart.
But I feel strength.
His strength. I feel more freedom than I have in a few years.
Me reading a book, well duh! What else
would I be doing! Oh yeah, writing!
 I’m moving
forward. 
Wondering what those pictures are? Our church is moving forward as well. In fact, we’ve had an entire Moving Forward book made, bracelets as reminders that we’re moving forward as a church, we’re not staying in the same old place! And we’re moving forward as individuals. The pictures you see are members of our church posting “Forwarding” on facebook! It’s kind of like those pictures you post when you’re planking! 
“Understand
this: today you are just one step of obedience away from the next truth God
wants you to learn about Him, so you can’t afford to stay where you are.”
~The Word for you Today devotional
How
about you? Are you moving forward? Are you in a place of comfort? Floundering
for a fit?
I’m over at LivingBy Grace today! Come by and let’s talk about moving forward. And here’s some more pictures of the Cornerstone Church family, forwarding! I wish I could have posted them all! There’s soooo many more great ones!
Forwarding together!
Pastor Bob & Alaine Hallam
~Senior Assoc. Pastor
Cornerstone Church
Mega-Forwarding
~Jason Turner, Cornerstone
Church member (and maybe the smartest
guy I know)!

And more pictures!

Forwarding in Staff Meeting!
~Melissa Turner, Cornerstone office staff
(love working with her!)
Forwarding while doing errands!
~Saja Stacks, Cornerstone Church member

Forwarding while working with my plants!
~Jan Kerley, Cornerstone Church member

It just keeps moving forward!


Blinging Forward!
~Amber Whiteaker, Cornerstone Church member
and jewelry consultant!

And of course….some more! LOL

Forwarding while potty training!
~Jamie McRae (little man Hudson),
Cornerstone Church member

Waiting on the harvest and forwarding!
~Kim Graham, Cornerstone Church member



Monday Fun Day!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 
Every day’s a holiday with Mary! And I didn’t
have to troll for free pics and link back.
I’m lazy!

Friday, LD Masterson tagged me in her post! LD has been on a blogging hiatus and I’m glad she’s back, because every MWF at the end of her posts, she has what she calls, The Groaner of the Day. They crack me up! The tag is to answer 10 questions about yourself and then tag other bloggers, but I’ve recently done this and I have a random facts page, so I’m going to do something different. Hope that’s okay, LD! But swing by her blog and get to know her! Click HERE!

I got an email last week from a friend and you had to answer all the questions using the first letter of your last name if you’re a man, and if you’re a woman the last letter of your MAIDEN name. So I’m going to do that, since I had zero time to play on the email last week. Oh, I accidentally deleted that email, so I’ll be making up some questions.

My maiden name is: Osborn

1. Name a fruit.               Orange
2. City                                Oklahoma City (that is a city, right?)
3. vegetable                     Okra
4. Reason for being late to work        Overslept
5. An exercise                  Oaring a boat ( I had to get creative!)
6. Animal                          Orangutan
7. Movie                            Oceans 11
8. Song                               Ocean Wide (The Afters)
9.Something you might say to a child       Only if you clean your room!
10. Term of endearment   Odysseus (You know, like Adonis only not.) LOL Ack!

Now it’s your turn! Leave your answers in the comments or play the game on your blog! Be sure to let me know, so I can come read your answers. 🙂 

Oooh, on a  side-note, I have book club tonight and we’re discussing Siri Mitchell’s book, She Walks in Beauty! We’re having tea and scones after some of us meet at a deli for dinner, part of the proceeds go to our Haiti Missions Team at church (and I have a surprise for the ladies)! 

 

Have a Happy Monday! 

You Must Touch It!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
Us chillin at the fair. I’m sittin on my butt.
What? It was cold!

Monday, I talked about BBQing at the Springfest and how we rode rides, well my kids did–I tried not to throw up.

I loved watching my 7 year old experience it. The food, music, atmosphere, rides, games. All of it.

He’s read books about fairs. I have too. In fact, I love experiencing new things through stories, but some things like events and places need to be a hands-on experience. 

Like the fair.

For example, I enjoyed a book about women who wore corsets and got ready for their debut, but I do NOT want to experience a corset hands-on. My uterus’ll fall out. It will! Just read about them! I also loved reading about a guy who sky-dived, but I don’t think I need the hands-on experience, but you may say differently, so…

Tell me something you think must be experienced hands-on vs. learning or reading about the experience.
Have a great weekend! 

Spiritual Asphyxiation: Smothering Part 2

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
photo credit: graur codrin/freedigitalphotos

 Today, I’m talking about smothering. 

In my Howdunit Forensics: A Guide for Writers, D.P. Lyle says, “Smothering
occurs when some external device prevents air from entering the nose or
mouth.” 

Last week week
started the series on spiritual asphyxiation. You can read part 1 on
Environmental Suffocation, HERE.
A few months ago, I
had a dream. Not a Martin Luther King Jr. kind of dream. A nightmare, actually.
Now, I don’t think every dream is a spiritual dream. Sometimes it’s the fault
of the pizza I ate.
But this was.
I was in the
concrete basement of my childhood home. Washing clothes. The smell of must, lack of light, and
the chilled air from being underground  didn’t seem to bother
me.
I pulled a towel
from the dryer when the hairs on my neck stood on end. Paralyzing fear held me
in place, my eyes bugged out searching for the source of terror. But I saw
nothing.
An uncommon cold
settled down my spine and I before I had the chance to process anything, a bony arm came
out from behind me. I knew the only shot I had to survive was to scream out the
name of Jesus. 
Jesus saves.
“Je–” My
words cut off as the claw-like hand snapped over my mouth and held my
speech prisoner. I couldn’t breathe.
I panicked. My heart
didn’t beat out of my rib cage, the fear was too great, I think it seemed to
stop beating altogether. Only buzzing between my ears.
I heard something.
“You don’t have to speak to say My name.” Like a thought answering me
back.
photo credit:
Salvatore Vuono/freedigitalphotos

All I knew was I had
to get to Jesus. So I raised my hands, and like I’d been taught in Sunday school when singing Jesus Love Me, dropped the towel and brought my middle finger to
the palm of my left hand and then repeated it with my right. Back and forth,
wildly. Sign language.

“Jesus!
Jesus!” my mind and hands cried out.
My eyes flew open
and I was in my bed, still in the dark. My husband slept peacefully beside me.
Sweat drenched my body and the slivers of fear from the dream still clung to
the standing hairs along my neck.
Could I speak?
“Jesus,” I whispered. “Jesus…Jesus…”
“…One form of homicidal smothering is
when the assailant places a gag or tape over the victim’s mouth or nose…”
D.P. Lyle, M.D 
Anytime the enemy can shut your mouth, pinch your nose
and keep you from calling on God, he’ll do it. It’s called homicide for
a reason. He lurks and waits for an opportunity. In my dream, I was doing the
mundane. Housework. I wasn’t expecting a vicious attack. And I certainly wasn’t
expecting one up close and personal.
“Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour 1 Peter 5:8.”
Homicidal Smothering looks like this:
You’re diagnosed
with a terminal illness or someone you love is, a loved one dies leaving you
alone, you’ve been victimized, your house burns to the ground, a spouse is
unfaithful, a child becomes addicted to drugs…
The
enemy slides his bony claws in from behind and puts a gag of fear around your
mouth and nose.
Fear will keep you
from Jesus. It’ll slowly suck the life out of you. Suffocating you. Fear breeds
doubt. Fear builds walls. Fear sometimes means flight.
photo credit:
Simon Howden/freedigitalphotos
All
you need is Jesus. When you don’t think you have the breath in you to call on
Him, He’ll get creative so you can.
 You can trust Him to get you through the scary
times. You can trust Him to loose the hold the enemy has on you and pull you
from the dark basement you feel trapped in. You can trust Him to carry you
through the nightmare, to wake you up and still be there beside you, holding
your hand–kissing the palm, showing you His. You’re safe. Always safe.
Have you ever felt like the enemy was suffocating you? How did you get through it?
I’m over at Living By Grace, a facebook community for women! 
Come by and chat.

A Weekend BBQing

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

It all started on Thursday. Setting up tents, bringing out the trailer and getting things ready for smoking on Friday.

TP and I are part of a life group at our church called the Cornerstone Q-Crew. We BBQ! Our close friends are involved and the big guy on the left, one of our closest friends heads it up! 

This is the second year we’ve been competing and the second year we went to Springfest which is a biggie for us. 

Of course, it isn’t Springfest without the weather freezing us out and the rain soaking us.

Everyone slipped on mudboots and worked in the rain, taking cover under tents when we could and naturally, we let our kids have a blast in the rain on the rides–once it stopped lightning. Gah! How bad of a mom do you think I am? 🙂 

Friday night we hung out and fed people, only this year because of the rain, very few showed up. We have more shoulder, ribs, brisket, butt, chicken, and pasta salad than some small countries. That’s kind of sad isn’t it? We’ll be giving it all away and freezing some of it.

Saturday, we spent most of the day presenting to judges, then I picked up my kiddos and we all walked around, remembering when we were kids and loved fair rides, of course most of us looked at the ground or pretended to be in gross conversation while our children spun around and around, just a glance and we’d all puke!

Remember when you didn’t get sick to ride rides? I miss the fun and excitement. Seeing it in my little boy made my day. My daughter isn’t young enough to act giddy, mostly she spent it talking to friends who showed up and begging me for more money as if BBQ wasn’t enough, she needed lemonade, chicken on a stick, fried oreos, a corndog, and cotton candy. Sigh.

This is our trailer. The guys built it and everything
themselves!So rustic and cute, though I doubt that’s
what they said while building it! 
This is part of our entrance decor into the tent
for the judges and ambassadors! We have a genius
decorator on our team. It’s not me. 🙂

Here’s a few more pics! 

I’m freezing! I don’t do cold!
I’m not sure what my husband is up to
but that’s one of his mischievous grins.
What do you think? 

I’m exhausted today. I’ll be honest. We didn’t win the grand prize, but the buzz around the BBQ tents were, we treated the judges and ambassadors like no one else, our decor was #1 and we were the friendliest people. Other teams came by just to see our set up and to introduce themselves. So no prizes.  But we showed Jesus. And we didn’t hand out one tract! (I’m not a fan of tracts in any form) 

That’s what it’s all about. Showing love and making relationships. 

What did you do over the weekend? Do you like BBQ? Have you ever been on any kind of team that competes? What was it?

Spiritual Death by Asphyxiation Part 1

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
I have a book. Shocker, I know. It’s titled, Howdunit Forensics: A Guide for Writers by D.P. Lyle, M.D.
In chapter 8, Dr. Lyle discusses Asphyxia: Depriving the Body of Oxygen. Trust me, people, I’m going somewhere,  just hang on and breathe deep (pun intended).
There are several ways to deprive someone of oxygen, but as I read through it, the Spirit began to speak to me turning what I read into something spiritual. And I want to share that with you.
Today we’re talking about ways the enemy tries to suffocate you, spiritually.
Environmental Suffocation: “…if the oxygen content of the air is deficient, it is of little use to the body. Normal air is approximately 21 percent oxygen. When this percentage drops to 10 to 15 percent, judgment and coordination suffer…”
The enemy studies us. Creepy, I know. Our weaknesses become apparent to him. Think for a moment about some of yours. I personally have more than one.
Let me tell you one I don’t have. I’m not tempted to gamble (but I never say never and guard myself anyway). I live near casinos, but the thought of spending money, that I’ll probably lose, makes me nauseated because I’d rather spend the money on something I’ll have forever, like house décor or books!
photo credit: Grant Cochrane/freedigitalphotos   
But there are people who fight the urge to take their paycheck to the casinos every day. Those who don’t fight it, don’t understand it.  When my stomach is full, I fight the urge to go back for one more plate, because it just seems so good. And I usually lose that fight. Therefore, I may not have gambled away my money, but I have poured away my self-control and sinned. It’s called gluttony. It really is a sin and not a social faux pas. I’m guilty of it often. Those who don’t fight it say things like, “Just push back from the table. Just stop eating.” If you struggle with it, you understand the difficulty and people like that make it worse not better. An excellent bible study for this can be found here, by Dee Brestin. And here, the Lord’s Table. 
And some women and men struggle with insecurity and their identity. They want to be noticed, loved, and wanted (which is good thing–God made us that way, so we would want Him). And this is the example I’m using today because we live in an adulterous generation.
What is spiritual Environmental Suffocation?
It’s this:
Molly is in her 30’s. She’s been married over ten years, has two children and loves her family, her church, and God. She teaches on Wednesday nights–the girls’ class on purity. She reads her Bible and truly loves Jesus. She wants to do something wonderful for the Kingdom, but she’s not sure what that is yet. She’s been asking God.
Molly goes to work Monday through Friday, just like her husband and on the weekends, they work around the house, shuffle kids to programs and sports and maybe catch a movie once a month as a date night.
One Sunday, Molly fits into a new dress and she’s proud of the few pounds she’s lost. She takes extra care with her make-up and even wears a shoe with a heel! When she steps out of her bedroom, her husband, who loves her very much says, “You look nice.”
Nice? Really? Her heart plummets, but she smiles and say, “Thanks. It’s new.”
After church she and her husband decide to go for a drive, like old times. They laugh, hold hands. He even kisses her knuckles a few times like when they were first dating.
On Monday, Molly wears the same dress to work. Getting her money’s worth. Chris, an attractive man–married– drops a few papers on her desk, makes small talk about little league and as he’s leaving he says, “That dress looks great on you.”
Not nice. Great. And Molly’s heart does something odd…it skips a beat. Someone looked at her and found her attractive.
The oxygen level just went down a few percents.
It was subtle. She didn’t even realize it. But on Tuesday, she takes extra care when she gets ready and lingers before her husband as he sips his coffee. “Have a good day, I’ll be home in time for dinner. Love you.” He kisses her cheek, knowing not to smudge her lipstick, and leaves.
At ten a.m. Chris blows through the office, a frown on his face. He didn’t notice her. But Molly liked the way that felt. So she follows him to the coffee pot. “You okay?”
“Not really.”
She presses, and he tells her about the fight with his wife.
The oxygen level just went down another percent.
*You don’t share intimate details of your life with a person of the opposite sex. It bonds you emotionally.
After the conversation, and good, godly advice from Molly, Chris says, “Did you do something different with your hair?”
photo credit:
George Stojkovic/freedigitalphotos
As the weeks progress, something happens. Molly feels guilty over her feelings for Chris. She’s looking forward to work just to see him. It’s nothing, she just likes the fact she’s being noticed as more than a decade old wife and mother. And she’s helping because some of her advice she’s given Chris has worked. He said so himself. Right? I mean, she’s a Christian who loves God and would never do something like that.
“Hey, you want to grab some lunch? We can take separate cars so it doesn’t look bad.”
The oxygen level has just plummeted to about 10% causing judgment to suffer.
“Sure. Where?”
And in a few more weeks of that a full-blown affair has taken place. It’s been going on emotionally for awhile, but one day instead of lunch, they end up at a hotel.
photo credit:
Victor Habbick/freedigitalphotos
“…below 10 percent loss of consciousness occurs, and at around 8 percent death is all but assured.”
This is how the enemy suffocates us environmentally. He uses settings to trap us. It’s subtle.
He slowly takes away the oxygen level. Until we’re operating in the flesh. We like the way whatever he’s dangling at us feels. We stop praying because we don’t like the conviction. We stop reading the Bible for the same reasons. We don’t switch on praise music in the car.
The levels continue to drop. Until, we refuse to hear the wooing of God.
“… he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” Proverbs 28:14
Had Chris come onto her in a huge flirtatious way, she probably would have seen the red flags and ran. Chris didn’t see her neediness, she was only helping him and yeah, she looked pretty and maybe he felt guilty for saying it, but she cared enough to help him. And his wife didn’t seem as interested.
Slow deprivation of air.
I don’t need to re-enact the aftermath of the affair, we all know they never turn out well. They destroy families, friendships, and ourselves.
Maybe this has been you. Maybe you’re in the aftermath. Maybe it’s not an affair, but something else you’re weak to–a setting the enemy has created to rob you of life-giving air.
Know this:
God never quits. He can take the aftermath and bring healing and beauty. It may not be in the form of getting your family back, but it could be. Either way, He’ll forgive you. He can reshape your life and who you are.
photo credit: freedigitalphotos(dot)net
He can breathe new life back into you. Bring the oxygen level up to keep you going for days, months, years.
But it’s important to pay attention. Pray God will use His Spirit to nudge you when the levels drop. To guard you against falling into temptation and give you the strength to withstand the strikes of the enemy.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. ” 1 Corinthians 10:12-14
God always makes a way! Don’t let the enemy hide the door to get out, don’t let him fool you into thinking you can’t escape. You can. We can.
Next Wednesday, we’ll look at ways the enemy suffocates us through smothering.
I’m over at LivingBy Grace! Come over and let’s chat about environment.
Have you ever said, “I’ll never do that.” And found yourself in that exact sin? You don’t have to be specific, just share how God brought you out and what you learned.

Let’s Chat!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
I took this picture as we rode elephants in Burma.
Random picture, much like today’s post! 

So, last week, Brandi Boddie at Penning Praises tagged me and asked 11 questions, so today I’m going to answer them. Thanks, Brandi! 

1. Book or movie and why?

Book. Books have more details and internal dialogue that I can’t see in a movie. Although, I will say I love movies. Huge movie buff! Not to be taken as I watch movies in the buff. It means…well you look up buff. 

2. Real book or eBook?

Either. As long as I get to read, I don’t care. I will say having a Kindle makes reading more convenient. I can take hundreds of books with me to one place and if I don’t care for a book, switch easily. *Writing craft books and non-fiction, I prefer in paperback because I like to write notes and highlight and it isn’t the same on an eBook.

3. Funniest thing you’ve done in the last five years?

Feel my pain? Stupid, worn out,
friggin hammock!

LOL! Funniest to me or funniest to a spectator? Because on Friday, I took my Perrier and Kindle to my old worn out hammock, kicked off my flip flops and stretched out only to have the blasted thing rip down the middle sending my backside onto the metal thingy that holds the frame on the ground. I know the neighborhood heard my wails and I lost my good Christian witness to my neighbor with a four-letter word as my expensive mineral water spilled all over my lap and my Kindle fell to the ground! What? You never say, “Ouch!” 😉 

4. How would your best friend describe you?

I have more than one. But “Jane” says, I’m the smartest person she’s ever met. So I’m picking her. I try to keep her sheltered from other people so she won’t realize, I’m not. 

I’d say my friends would describe me as fun, honest–
maybe too honest, and someone who gives good advice. 

5. Do you put yourself into the books you read/write or movies you watch?

I don’t put myself into books or movies I watch. I can relate and sometimes God shows me how I’m like a particular character, but I never see me.  When I write? Yes, I think I see a part of me or a part of my experiences in each character at a times. 

6. Favorite kind of car and why?

I’m not a car fan but when writing one of my novels, I fell in love with the Bentley Azure but that could just be because Peter Lance was driving it. *I am now fanning my face.

7. Would your choice of party be a catered meal or a BBQ out back? 

BBQ out back. Each month we get together with friends, each one takes a turn hosting. Those are the best times for me. And it’s kind of catered when it’s not at my house! 🙂 And BBQ doesn’t mean you have to eat BBQ. It just means cooking out, at least down here.

8. What’s your favorite season and why?

Fall/Autumn. I love the temperatures, the color changes, I love weenie roasts, bonfires, hayrides, caramel apples, hoodies, and quilts on the patio.

9. What specific lesson have you learned? Spiritual, educational or occupational.

I don’t know if I can answer that since I’m learning a specific lesson on a regular basis. I suppose the biggest lesson learned that has effected all of my life in all areas, is if I beat my family up, spend my morning studying and in prayer before anything else, I’ll be equipped with what I need to face what the day holds when the sun rises. It’s a lesson I had to learn from experience, one I should have paid attention to by reading the word and taking Jesus’ example. 

10. Besides writing, what’s your favorite thing to do when you get some extra time? 

Read! I like hanging out with some girlfriends over coffee (during the day when everyone is gone). I like seeing movies with my hubby and chatting with my kids. They make me laugh.

11. What’s one place you can be found at least one time each week?

I’d say the grocery store, but that’s not true. Sometimes I put it off long enough my husband says, “Text me a list or we’ll starve.” A nice wife would say, “I’ll go.” I just text the list (it’s pre-typed but I wait about 15 minutes before sending).  I don’t have a place I regularly go that isn’t part of my daily routine. Some might say a coffee shop or the library and while I love both, I’d have to get out of my pajamas to go there so…

I’m not tagging anyone, I’m tagging everyone! If you need fodder for your blog or you’re a procrastinator, cough…Julie… this ought to make your day! If not, answer one, a few, or all here in the comments! 

3 Words and Your Imagination! Bring it!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

That’s right, ladies and gents. It’s time for another round of Urban Translation fun! 

Here are the three words and their definitions. Make up a sentence using these words and I’ll choose the top three. Then I’ll post them and let you vote for the winner! 
photo credit: Ambrose freedigitalphotos
Mizzled: Mizzled is when somebody deliberately misleads or dupes you with malicious intent. 

photo credit:
imagerymajestic freedigitalphotos
Yacht Snot: This is normally a young person who has access to large – and often times – unlimited amounts of money. The money comes from their parents. This person can be either male or female. A typical place to find such a person around your local university campus.

photo credit: Ambro freedigitalphotos
Phone-Yawn: The act of taking out a cell phone from one’s pocket or purse, resulting in other people in the vicinity taking out and checking their phones as well.
*all definitions came from urbandictionary(dot)com

Okay, everyone! Have fun using the words, can’t wait to see what you come up with! And it’s Friday the 13th so if you toss that in, you’ll get bonus points!

Guest Blogger: Ben Adams, Hold the Basket

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
Ben and his beautiful family!

Today I’d like to introduce you to Ben Adams. Ben attends my church and is a dynamic leader, great speaker, and all around funny guy. He’s married to a fabulous and funny woman and they home-school their 4 girls! I’m always inspired by Ben and his beautiful wife, Lisa. I’m thrilled to have him here guest posting. I know you’ll be inspired as well.

Heeeere’s Ben!

 A few days ago my wife returned home to share her latest adventure at Kroger. As she began to tear up I was already preparing to go confront some rude checker or maybe put a GPS tracker on the person who had hurt her feelings.  As I listened further I discovered that the tears were from watching an elderly mother push her basket out of the store while her grown “special needs” daughter clung to the cart.  The mom looked tired not just from age, but probably also due to years of caregiving to her daughter.  My wife wondered just how many times over the years that the daughter had heard her mom say,”Now hold on to the basket”. It had obviously sunk in.
     These kind of scenes always tug at our hearts because we have a “special needs” daughter who is only 9 years old.  From time to time we allow ourselves to look into the future and imagine what our retirement years might be like when our Sweet Caroline is an adult. We know God will provide our needs in all situations, but some days the task seems large.  As the Kroger story finished I was quickly taken back a few years to a trip to Sam’s Club.  I have always loved shopping at that massive warehouse. I get excited not only with the size of the store, but with the fact that I can purchase office supplies and milk in the same place followed by lunch at the deli.  It was just Caroline and me on this trip.  Caroline’s delay in speech was very obvious at that time and she maybe had about 15 total words in her vocabulary.  Caroline had been to Sam’s numerous times and gotten a bit bolder in trying to wander away from the basket with each trip.
     “Hold on to the basket, Caroline.” I would tell her repeatedly. I made it to the bakery section and she wanted to look at all of the birthday cakes on display.  In the brief moments that I studied which loaf of bread would offer the most savings I turned to see that Caroline was out of view. I quickly scanned the bakery area and saw no sign of her.  I noticed an entry to a restricted worker area, but nobody had seen a small child wandering around. I began to feel my heart race a little faster as I jogged from aisle to aisle and could not find my daughter.  I worked my way from the back to the front and after 5 minutes of searching I ended up at the exit door and asked security if they had seen any small children pass by.  They said nobody matching Caroline’s description had been by.  I asked them to check every kid that moved their direction to see if they could spot her.  I don’t panic easily but I had never lost a child for this length of time.  I was already wondering how I would explain this to my wife.  How could I have been so careless with our weakest and most vulnerable little one?  God help me!!!!
As I ran back towards the refrigeration section on this 10 minute search I finally spotted a nice lady just standing in place holding Caroline’s hand. Her face said she recognized that she had a lost child and was determining her next course of action. Caroline looked quite confused as to why her dad would have disappeared from her for so long. As I drew closer Caroline used one of her few words and exclaimed, “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddd”!!!!  A baseball sized lump grew in my throat.  I was unable to even thank the “angel” lady who took the time to stand there with my girl until her Dad showed up.  I swept Caroline up in my arms and went to a private corner of the store and began to sob as I kissed those sweet cheeks a million times.  One passerby asked if everything was OK and I said, “They are now”!  Caroline seemed puzzled by my tears as she stroked my hair and asked, “OK, OK”?  I have never forgotten that experience and can’t begin to count how many times I have told Caroline to hold on to the basket every time we make a trip to a store.
As I continue to grow daily in my walk with Jesus I realize more and more of just how many times I tend to wander off from His Guidance because I see something flashy that catches my eye.  I don’t intend to wander away, but there are just so many things pulling me from where my focus should be.  Before I know it I am several aisles away in a large warehouse type world wondering where my Dad is.  I am so thankful that Jesus continues to pursue all of us the way I chased down Caroline in that store.  Jesus willingly leaves the 99 to go out in search for the ONE!!  Those reunions are just as wonderful as when I held Caroline in the corner.  The sign of maturity in our spiritual walk is when we finally learn to “hold on to the basket” because if we do , Jesus will always lead us HOME.  
That’s exactly where I want to be!!
I’m over at Living By Grace today! Come chat!