MY PSALM 91

Back in April when we put our home up for sale, God led me to one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Psalm 91. I've read this chapter many times, but this time God spoke to my heart and told me to make it my Psalm 91. He told me to make it real for my life; so I did. I'm going to share mine with you below, and then I challenge you to write out Psalm 91 as it relates to your life. I encourage you to just get alone with the Lord for a little bit and allow Him to minister to you. There will be areas of your life where you know you have to rely on Him more, and those are the areas you can add to your Psalm. For example, I dealt with a strong fear of tornadoes, so instead of just saying nothing will harm me, I got specific and mentioned tornadoes and other fears that were taunting me. I also included bees because of a severe allergy that I've had that almost killed me when I was 13. I've had to deal with the fear of dying from getting stung for over 20 years now, but going back and reading my Psalm gives me the peace that I need, just to go outside with my kids during the summer.

I also want to add that as I was writing this verse, "Others may die all around me, but no harm will even graze me or my family. We will stand untouched, watching it all from a safe distance.", my husband was in a car accident that totaled his car. I actually had to stop writing my Psalm to take his call. He walked away from the accident without a scratch! Praise the Lord! This personal Psalm gave me so much peace and whenever I get anxious now, I get my journal out and reread these wonderful words:

My Psalm 91

I will sit down in the High God's presence and spend the night in His shadow. God is my refuge. I trust in Him and I am safe! He rescues me from hidden traps like people who don't have my best interests in mind. He shields me from deadly hazards like traffic accidents, diseases and all other forms of harm that are invisible to my own eyes. His huge, outstretched arm protects me. Under them I am 100% safe. I fear NOTHING ~ not robbers during the night, not tragedy during the day, not disease, not tornadoes, or any other form of natural disaster.

Others may die all around me, but no harm will even graze me or my family. We will stand untouched, watching it all from a safe distance. God is my refuge, the High God, my very own home. Evil can't get close to me, harm can't even get through the door. His angels have been ordered all around me, to guard me wherever I go. If I stumble, they'll catch me; their job is to keep me from falling. I'll walk unharmed among snakes and bees and all wild animals. The Lord says that if I will hold on to Him for dear life, He will get me out of any trouble, He'll give me the best of care if I get to know and trust Him. I will call Him and He will answer. He'll be at my side in bad times; He'll rescue me, then throw me a party. He'll give me a long life!

Be blessed my friends!

A HUGE DECISION

I just realized that I never shared the news with my readers who may not know me personally. About a month ago or so, I wrote about a decision that would change my life and other lives. If you haven't read it, take a couple of minutes and read about it HERE.

So without further ado, my decision was to retire from direct sales. When I joined Scentsy Wickless Candles in November of 2008, I was so excited (and pretty scared too, because I had no previous sales experience). I started building a great team and before I knew it, I was a Director and had a team of over 100 members. Everything was going great for me. I was making new friends, breaking out of my shell and finding a side of me that I never realized was there, making extra money so we could pay our bills and even have extra, and actually using products that I believed in and that were great for my family.

Somewhere along the way though, this business that once brought me so much joy, began to be a burden to me and my family. Joy turned to tears from the countless times I had to drag my boys out with me to host parties and events. Customer orders (candles) melted in the car.  People would always be late. No one would show for parties that I spent hours preparing for. And then, here I was trying to balance this huge team of people who looked up to me for direction and encouragement, while running my own business and taking care of my family. It all became so overwhelming to me.

One day after the typical frustrations, I just broke down. I was SO sad and SO mad at myself all at the same time. I was sad because I realized that I couldn't go on anymore. I had envisioned being a SuperStar Director with a team of thousands, but in this moment, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. I was finished! The madness came from feeling like a failure. I felt like I never finish anything I start. This was a VERY difficult day for me.

My husband gave me the idea of selling my business. After some prayer, we both quickly knew who we would give the business to. It was someone on my down line who was striving to become a Director. She hadn't been on the team as long as some others, but she works hard on her business and it was the Lord who directed me to her. Seeing her reaction to my decision and having someone at church pray with me that Sunday and speak over my life, really gave me the peace I needed to move forward and just trust the Lord.

So here we are in September. This is my first month without a commission check from Scentsy. I sat down the other day and wrote out a budget. I felt so discouraged when I had figured it all out. After paying for our basic needs (and $9 for Netflix), we have around $25 to spend on gas and groceries for the month of September. In August we spent $362 on gas alone. This budget has NO room for savings, NO room for eating out, we don't have cable and we no longer have a home phone and one other monthly expense that we had in our old house.

I sought the Lord over our finances again; and again I found His peace. I have blessed someone else with my business and therefore I can stand on His word, knowing that I will reap what I have sown. I am not worried about the bills. In fact, I believe that we will have extra. God has ALWAYS provided for us in supernatural ways. He has carried us through so many difficult times. His hand has not been shortened! I wanted to run out and find another way to earn income, but each time I tried to find something, He gave me a strong NO! So, I don't know where the money is going to come from, but I know that we have been faithful and obedient to always do what He tells us to do with our (His) money and I know that His Word will not return void. I have tested Him and I know He will open the windows of heaven up and pour out a blessing on us that we cannot contain. I can't wait to update you to tell you how He provided for us!

Be blessed my friends!

Weekend Review

Now that we are settled in our new home, I'd like to get back to reviewing a product with you each week. Most of the time these are products that I received for free for being a BzzAgent. If you don't know about BzzAgent, you must check it out! I have been a member for several years and have received hundreds of dollars in free products just for giving my honest feedback and sharing my opinion with people like you. To learn more about becoming a BzzAgent yourself, just click HERE! It's completely free and it's so exciting! Just be sure to do your part by spreading the word and answering surveys and you should get some free products too in no time.

So here's my latest goody that came in the mail. It's COVERGIRL & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation and COVERGIRL & Olay Pressed Powder. I also received a packet full of $2 off coupons. If you are one of my local friends and would like one (or a few), just let me know. I am happy to share!

 
I was so excited because I love using foundation and pressed powder with my makeup routine, but it's been a really long time since I've tried anything new. Once you find something that matches your skin tone, it can be scary trying to switch brands. I have fair skin, but wouldn't consider myself to be pasty. The full-size sample of foundation that I received is #125 buff beige. The pressed powder is #320 fair/light. They were both a PERFECT match for my skin, so much so, that I could barely tell that I had anything on. That's the whole goal right?

Here's an up close picture of my skin before applying anything (except my daily lotion which is also something I got for free for being a BzzAgent).

Yikes! I do not like the me with no makeup!

You probably really don't need to use as much as I did here, but this is how I normally apply my foundation, so I just stuck with the normal routine. I dot all of these areas and then gently rub it in, beginning with my forehead and moving down to the top of my neck.

It's nice and fluffy, so it goes on really smooth and evens out well.

Here I am with only the foundation and pressed powder. No other makeup just yet. 

Wow! What a major difference this made in my skin. It feels so much softer and check out how much it hides a lot of my sun spots and wrinkles. I'm impressed!

And here I am with a little bit of makeup. I've added eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, light blush and light lipstick. 

Also had to add one final picture to show you that I do have hair; it's just pulled back! 

Finished product...a happier me! I do believe I have found a new favorite brand of foundation and pressed powder! Here are the side by side comparisons. The first is just lotion. The second is only the foundation and powder. And the third is the finished product, with makeup and all!

 Be blessed my friends!

JOHN 1:1

 

They are never too young to start learning God's Word. This is my son who just turned 4 years old. This is the first Bible verse I've taught him. It took less than a week for him to have it completely memorized. 

A WORD FROM THE LORD

This morning during my Bible time, the Lord spoke so clearly to me. It was a message that He then told me to share because it's not just for me. If you are reading this and you feel like it is for you too, then receive it!

"I, the Lord Your God, smile down on you. I am the only one who matters and I am well pleased with you. Find your peace, joy, love, and contentment in Me. I love you and I created you to be exactly who you are. You are very blessed my child. Shut your ears off to the world and focus them in on me only. That is when you will be able to let go of your issues that are holding you back. This is a new season that I have brought you into, to enjoy. Be happy! Enjoy this season!"

The verse that I highlighted really stood out to me. I wear my heart on  my sleeves, so I'll just be straight forward and tell you that I have been dealing with issues of jealousy and discontentment. It's funny how I was just blessed with an awesome, brand new home, yet can still be dealing with these issues. I am doing my best to give it all over to Him, knowing that I am truly blessed. 

What issues are you dealing with? Fear? Regrets? Unforgiveness? Addiction? Are you like me and have issues with jealousy? These are all forms of sin. Give it to God. Receive this message today, knowing that He loves you for who YOU are. You were created in His image. We all have a special role while we are on this earth. Let go of the past and look forward to what He has in store for you. Focus on HIM! Enjoy this season! 

Be blessed my friends!

I'm Ba'ack

It was a very bumpy journey that I'll never forget and I'm so happy to say that we are finally somewhat settled into our new home. Today marked 3 weeks already. Since we've moved in, the time has just flown by. I love the neighborhood and have already become friends with one of our neighbors. They are so friendly. It's amazing! I started homeschool last Thursday and then stopped on last Friday. As much as I would love to just dive in right now, I can't. I'm praying that I will be able to start again on Monday. My mom came and helped me get the garage cleared out, which was great, except for the part where I'm left with a home that looks like it exploded. My main goal for this weekend is to get the homeschool room ready to do work in. I hope to have a lesson plan and schedule written out by Sunday night. Well, that's all I have for now. I just wanted to update everyone on where we're at. Be blessed my friends!

I feel so bad for not being able to write lately. I just want to let you know that I am in transition right now. We will finally be moving into our new home, early next week. I'm SO excited!!! Feel free to explore my blog until then. I can't wait to get back online and back into homeschool activities. I have so many things to share with you this year. Stay tuned!

I MELT IN HIS PEACE

I get to sing this song at church tomorrow night and I know I'll get emotional because Jesus has delivered me from so many things that would taunt me. So many fears, many of them irrational, had a grip on my life and took away my freedom. Each new fear would take another chunk out of my mind, until the fears would literally paralyze me, leaving me debilitated, sitting around in a fog, sick to my stomach. But, through reading and meditating on His word, what He has to say about peace, and praying and believing with other Christians, I have been set free! I have His peace; a peace that flows through my heart like a calming waterfall that washes all the things away that Satan tries to fill my mind with.

Is there a specific fear that taunts your life? I want to help you get through it. If He can deliver me from the deepest of fears, He can do the same for you! It is life changing to be free from fear and other forms of bondage. That's what it is...bondage. Wow! I was going to give you a word from the Bible, but when I turned on my son's I-pod to look it up, this was the verse of the day: "There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life ~ fear of death, fear of judgement ~ is one not yet fully formed in love." 1 John 4:18-19

How can I pray for you today? I want you to experience this freedom and joy...supernatural peace!

Be blessed my friends!

Fun with Magnetics

My husband came up with this idea! You take magnetics and make a path on the refrigerator. Then you take a ping pong ball and see if you can get it to go all the way through the path. It may not seem possible at first, but if you keep trying, I promise, it is possible. I think it's a great educational and fun game for kids of all ages...and even us big kids.

Be blessed my friends!

A Place to Hang Jewelry

I don't consider myself very crafty, so this is something I'm pretty proud of. This is where I hang the jewelry that I wear most often. All you need is a picture frame, some tulle, and a pretty piece of scrapbook paper. Just place the scrapbook paper where you'd normally put a picture. Lay out the tulle and pull it tightly over the back. I just taped it to the back and it works fine. Then put the frame on and wallah!

Be blessed my friends!

CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOM

This is a design that my husband created! He's very talented. Have a happy and safe 4th of July America. Remember why we celebrate and be thankful for the blood that was shed by our soldiers and by our Father, Jesus Christ. They are the reason we can say that we are free!

Be blessed my friends!

Freedom from the Cocoon

If you read my last post you'll know that I've had a lot going on lately. In my own words, I felt like "I was being ripped apart at the seams". Today I look at these struggles that I've gone through, with a different perspective. I mentioned that I wish someone would just tell me what to do because I just didn't know. Well, I made a major decision that will greatly impact my life and many others (unfortunately I'm not able to share this news yet), but after making the decision, I didn't have complete peace. I want nothing but to do the Father's will and I struggled with whether or not I was walking in His will. Satan was continuously whispering in my ear that I've made the wrong choice. I went up for prayer this past Sunday, for peace...and that's just what I received. Thank you Jesus!

The woman I prayed with told me that, had I not made this decision, there would've been something in my future staring me in the face and I wouldn't have even recognized it because I was too exhausted to even notice. When we finished praying, she reassured me that I had made the right choice.

Since the very moment of my prayer, I have felt this huge sense of relief, a burden lifted. And through my decision, I was able to tremendously bless a friend. Knowing that I am blessing her has brought me so much joy!

I now feel like the Lord has been trying to get me to come to this decision for quite some time, but I was too focused on what I thought was right. But now I can breathe easy and know that I put my trust in Him.  

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding". 

I am trying to fully walk in this as I face new obstacles. All these trials that I have gone through that led me to make the decision that I've made, were just God's way of preparing me. It was His way of helping me to let go of it when the timing was right. When I felt like I was being ripped apart at the seams, it turns out that the Lord was just ripping off another layer of the cocoon I've been living in. Now I am the butterfly who has been set free!  There was a change in me from the moment I prayed that prayer for peace. Not only did I receive peace, but I felt Jesus smiling down on me. I feel closer to Him than ever before. My mind has been cleared, wiped clean of Satan's lies! I have a fresh anointing and there's no turning back. The Lord's presence is so powerful in my life now. I give Him all the praise for bringing me to this point in my life and I look forward to all the possibilities in the future. 

Be blessed my friends!