tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50302225497216027472024-03-14T01:29:28.792-07:00TIME GONE BY and THE HERE & NOWmemories of time gone by and happenings of the here and nowTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-68603818325093774232013-04-03T23:20:00.000-07:002013-04-03T23:20:33.829-07:00I'm Back!! Oh how I've been on my hiatus for to long so I thought it was time to ease back into writing again. Since my last post our family has been through a lot, two new grand babies, our daughter's wedding, the loss of a job and my brother in laws passing. There has been so many up and down days that I had to step back away from both of my blogs to meditate, reflect and to get back into a normal routine.
<br />
<br />
With that said, I am working on a post that I've been thinking of doing a change up here on my blog. From here on out, I want to begin sharing more of my creative side. Since having two new grand children born into our family I have been sewing, embroidering and crocheting more so I'd like to start sharing my projects with you all. I might even get up enough courage to put my projects into tutorials. <br />
<br />
I will also be sharing a new passion I've recently discovered in essential oils. I have become a huge fan of them and have been learning so much! I use them for healing, mood enhancement and have also started to make my own products. And I am now selling essential oils through <a href="https://www.youngliving.org/twillyard" target="_blank">Young Living</a>. But I will tell you more about them and the company in an upcoming post. I will have my first post up on Monday April 8th and hope that you will join me so until Monday, have a wonderful weekend!!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-60292688780033753602012-02-28T10:06:00.000-08:002012-02-28T10:06:38.676-08:00New Movie Coming April 12thI received an email from AFA (American Family Association) yesterday and in it, was this trailer for a new movie coming out on April 12th titled Paper Dream. I watched the trailer and it looks very good! It will be a great mother-daughter movie! Here is the trailer:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://afs.afa.net/films/paper-dream/" target="_blank">Paper Dream</a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4wr3oUldF08" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
You can also <a href="http://afs.afa.net/films/paper-dream/blog/" target="_blank">follow the filming of the movie</a> on their blog.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy it as much as I have and will be waiting patiently for the release of the movie.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-81602630017332128882012-02-12T23:26:00.000-08:002018-05-30T22:21:32.200-07:0011 Things For The 11th<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
11 Things For The 11th </h3>
<br />
<div class="post-header">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1101110002107216344">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have
been tagged by my friend Misty over at Nordyke Academy.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>11 random things about
me</u></b><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>1 -</strong> I love
God's Word</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>2 -</strong> I love to laugh</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>3 -</strong> My younger sister and I pretended a propane tank was our horse when we were younger.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>4 -</strong> I was and still am a total 80's gal.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>5 -</strong> I had our 1st son at the age of 23</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>6 -</strong> I had our youngest son at the age of 34</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>7 -</strong> I became a Grandma at the age of 45</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>8 -</strong> I have my ears pierced</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>9 -</strong> I love the TV show NCIS</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>10 -</strong> I am excited to finish getting our recently purchased homestead ready for us to move to.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>11 -</strong> I love to sing the old traditional hymns</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<u><b>My
Questions</b></u></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>1 - What is your favorite Bible verse ? </strong>"And whatsoever ye do, do <em>it </em>heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. ~ Colossians 3:23-24</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>2 - What is your favorite candy ? </strong>Red Hots</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>3 - What one hard lesson did you learn in life ?</strong> Not to take anything <em>and</em> anyone for granted ; to <em>always </em>be thankful in everything.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>4 - Favorite movie ? </strong>One Night with the King</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>5 - Favorite past time ?</strong> Reading,<strong> </strong>crocheting, sewing and being with my family.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>6 - If you could wish for anything , what would it be ? </strong>Just one more day with my mother and father to tell them what I didn't get to tell them before they passed.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>7 - You favorite homeschool subject to teach ? </strong>Oh, there were a few... The Bible and arts & crafts.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>8 - Favorite song ? </strong>Oooo I have many but the one that comes to mind first would have to be On The Side of Angels by LeAnn Rimes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>9 - Favorite sports team ? </strong>Everyone who knows me knows that it is the SF49'ers!! Woot Woot!</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>10 - Favorite childhood book ? </strong>All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Harriot (sp?)</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>11 - Favorite meal to make ? </strong>Again so many but I think I'll say Beef Stroganoff with garlic bread and a nice crisp green alad with homemade ranch dressing... YUM! </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b><u style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></u></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<u><b>The 11 friends I
tagged are:</b></u></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>1 -</strong> <a href="http://www.littlepinkmonster.com/2012/02/12/where-am-i-3/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Little Pink Monster</span></a> </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>2 -</strong> <a href="http://faithfulrubies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Faithful Rubies</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>3 -</strong> <a href="http://savedbygrace721.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Saved By Grace</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>4 -</strong><a href="http://benmakesten.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Ben Makes Ten</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>5 -</strong><a href="http://www.mommysidea.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Mommy's Idea</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>6 -</strong><a href="http://islandlife808.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">An Island Life</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>7 -</strong><a href="http://passionateaboutcrafting.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Passionate About Crafting</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>8 -</strong><a href="http://www.heartscontentofamama.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Hearts Content of a Mama</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>9 -</strong><a href="http://www.to-sew-with-love.com/2012/02/we-love-handmade-valentines-gift-guide.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ToSewWithLove+%28To+Sew+With+Love%29" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">To Sew With Love</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>10 -</strong><a href="http://ponderthepath.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">Ponder The Path</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>11 -</strong> <a href="http://adelightfulhome.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;">A Delightful Home</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b> <u>My 11 ??? for
my tagged Friends</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I would like my friends to answer the same questions I answered above.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b> Ok here is what
you now have to do:</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>1 -</strong> Blog 11 things
about you</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>2 -</strong> Answer my 11
questions</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<strong>3 -</strong> Pick 11
people(other than me) to tag.</div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Tell them to
blog about 11 things about them & </div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
make up 11
questions for them to answer.</div>
</div>
<br />
Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-60486940165259026752011-06-11T06:30:00.000-07:002011-06-11T06:30:00.267-07:00Bible in 90 Days ~ Weeks 3-6<p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">Since my last post on May 13th, week 2, I had finished Genesis and was beginning in the book of Exodus. After that post, I was still on track however, some family issues came up and my focus was taken away from my reading to handling a few family needs. Although I continued to read, my reading was intermittent and sporadic for the next two weeks. I finally was able to get back to focusing on reading and my challenge. Once I began getting on track again, it has been smooth sailing  (Woohoo!).  </font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">Reading <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=32&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a> has truly been a joy to read. I know that after having to had put it down for a few weeks, it comforted (no pun intended) me to know that when I was able to get back to my challenge that it was going to start up where I left off.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1WInrob3eLY/TfMafgpDDyI/AAAAAAAAAPM/cgh31zPOkGI/s1600-h/TheEvidenceBible%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="TheEvidenceBible" border="0" alt="TheEvidenceBible" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dHxFaLRA1PQ/TfMaf1DrkvI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/AjHplVSBHR4/TheEvidenceBible_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="244" /></a></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">And sure enough it was. I picked up where I left off and began to make up the days lost with ease. It seemed like no time at all that I finished the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and as of tonight, I am just over halfway through Deuteronomy. It’s not that I’m a speed reader (far from it) or some supersonic genius (far from that too), it is because of the way that <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=130&lang=en" target="_blank">Ray Comfort</a> has put this Bible together! And I am not just reading God’s word, I am reading all of the inserted quotes, open air preaching segments and study notes! </font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Papyrus"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-psBym2F2yJA/TfMaoGefjTI/AAAAAAAAAPU/tO3j4aSy_qI/s1600-h/ray_comfort_300%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="ray_comfort_300" border="0" alt="ray_comfort_300" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bP25i4FII_0/TfMas3erIdI/AAAAAAAAAPY/p8VhWlWaw7I/ray_comfort_300_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="169" height="169" /></a>  </font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Papyrus">Ray Comfort</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Papyrus">I have been blessed in reading <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=40&category_id=32&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a>, and I am so thankful that my friend Robin suggested reading it. Thank you dear sister♥!</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Papyrus">Well, until next week when I should be through Joshua and beginning the book of Judges.</font></p> <p align="left"><font face="Papyrus">May </font><font face="Papyrus">the LORD bless you and keep you; </font><font face="Papyrus">the LORD make His face shine upon you,And be gracious to you; </font><font face="Papyrus">the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. ~ Num. 6:24-26 </font></p> <p align="left"><strong><font size="3" face="Papyrus">Tammy♥</font></strong></p> <p align="left"><strong><font size="3" face="Papyrus"></font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Papyrus"><strong>**Disclaimer** </strong>I did not receive </font><a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=528&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en"><font face="Papyrus">The Evidence Bible</font></a><font face="Papyrus"> free in exchange for reviewing it. I bought this Bible from a recommendation of a friend. When I decided to read the Bible in 90 days, I thought I’d use it instead of my everyday Bible.</font></p> Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-30349678750677720502011-05-13T21:23:00.001-07:002011-05-13T21:23:41.935-07:00Bible in 90 Days ~ Week 2<p><font face="Papyrus">Well, week two began by finishing Genesis and beginning Exodus. As I read Exodus, I saw how deeply God loves his people and how he used Moses to relocate his beloved people back to their land that God had given to them. I watched as God fed them spiritually through Moses, and how he literally provided their food (manna fell like rain) and water from a rock  during their journey through the wilderness.  And how God defeated the Egyptians when he had Moses part the Red (reed) Sea for safe passage of the Israelites on a dry sea floor and when they were on the other side with the Egyptians chasing them, how God brought the water together again by the way of Moses!</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">We all should have that kind of faith and trust in God as Moses had. I do think we (believers) have a certain amount of trust in God, some of us more trust than not, but I think we are <em>reserved </em>at times in our trust in God. Faith, there is no question but trust?, yes, I think we sometimes fail in the trust department. We need to just <em>let go </em>and <em>trust</em>  him. </font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">The book of Exodus is also where the <em>Law </em>is introduced to God’s people through Moses. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/Tc4DygQtakI/AAAAAAAAAO4/ZnF7ub4kNbc/s1600-h/TheEvidenceBible%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="TheEvidenceBible" border="0" alt="TheEvidenceBible" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/Tc4Dy-QWmWI/AAAAAAAAAO8/iwaSSL1oigE/TheEvidenceBible_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="244" /></a></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">In <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=40&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a>, there are in depth commentaries, questions & objections, quotes and extra resources to help us better understand God’s word. It is so easy to read and understand.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">As of this post, I am on chapter 10 in Leviticus and I am only a week into my challenge! I should be reading 20 pages a day, however because of the ease in reading the text, I am reading far more than 20 pages a day. <strong><em>I have never </em></strong>accomplished that much reading of the scripture than I have with <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=40&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a>. I am finding that this version of the bible also helps to keep the readers interest on “high”. </font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Papyrus">Now, onto the giveaway!!!</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">Let me first say”Thank You” to all who have entered this giveaway and that I was planning to giveaway one bible every few weeks during the next 90 days but after beginning to read this version of the bible, I couldn’t help but think how much you all might want to journey along with me so, I have decided to give them all out now so that you might join me when I get to the Psalms, which I think will be in about a week and a half to two weeks! Just enough time for your books to get to you <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/Tc4DzfLcUrI/AAAAAAAAAPA/EFb4G47ERHI/wlEmoticon-smile%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" /> So….. I would like to<strong><font size="3"> congratulate</font></strong> our 5 winners, and they are….</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><strong>Lea H.</strong></font></p> <p><strong><font face="Papyrus">Robin S.</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Papyrus">Living For God</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Papyrus">Penney Douglas</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Papyrus">Rosemary</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Papyrus"></font></strong></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">Please contact me with your mailing address. You can reach me at <strong><a href="mailto:twillyard@comcast.net">twillyard@comcast.net</a></strong>.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">I will get them mailed out to you by the end of next week.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">Blessings♥</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"> </font></p> Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-55761152164282725472011-05-10T22:14:00.000-07:002011-05-10T22:14:19.969-07:00Thank You to Everyone Who Followed Mother of Pearl Blog Series!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Thank you all so much for following along with the Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog series. </b>I pray you laughed, cried and were touched by the translucent stories of real life written by new moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, adoptive moms, and moms without moms. Iridescent reality. And how poignant that the translucent nacre which coats the sand stuck inside an oyster’s shell is called Mother of Pearl. Mothers surround children with their love and with God’s love so they can grow in grace. I hope you'll join us this December for the third annual 12 Pearls of Christmas series.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... thanks too, to all of you who entered to win the beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. I'm thrilled to announce that the winner is ...</b><br />
<br />
<b><br />
<br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Jennifer (heavensent1)!</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><br />
<br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Jennifer, please email <a href="mailto:amy@pearlgirls.info">amy@pearlgirls.info</a> with your mailing address.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. The purpose of Pearl Girls is to connect women so that together, we can make a difference in the world. All proceeds of the Pearl Girls book go in full to two charities: <a href="http://www.wingsprogram.com/">Wings</a> (women in need growing stronger) to help fund a safe house in the Chicago suburbs and to <a href="http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/">Hands of Hope</a> to help build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
Please stop by the <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">Pearl Girls blog</a> and connect with us there.</div>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-52171098222449504812011-05-08T15:49:00.001-07:002011-05-08T15:50:14.181-07:00Each Life is Unique by Lucinda Secrest McDowell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<div style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Each Life is Unique by Lucinda Secrest McDowell</span></b><br />
<br />
“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. II Peter 1.3 (NIV)<br />
<br />
Moms, God wants you to know that He has given you everything you need for life --- your unique life. He does not plan to give you what you might need to live the life of your best friend, or your neighbor, or even your favorite mother-model. No, God has called you to the life that He planned. I suspect that for most of us, it didn’t turn out to be the life we thought it might be… so long ago when we were young and dreaming of ‘growing up.’<br />
<br />
On Mother’s Day I often recall my own dreams to one day be a mother. I grew up playing with dolls and looking to my own Mama as a model for that particular role in life. However, by the time I reached my thirties I was still not a mother! God did, however, have a plan. It just wasn’t what I imagined. <br />
<br />
My own unique life would find me becoming a mother through the adoption of my first three children who were ages 9, 7 and 4; and then much later giving birth to our fourth child. Of course I was shocked when God revealed this to me, but I was ecstatic as well. It’s as though I could hear Him saying, “Well, you’re not getting any younger so I’m just going to just give you a jump start with three at one time!”<br />
<br />
A huge blessing! A huge adjustment! A joy and a struggle. Change is often like that, isn’t it? We finally get what we want then we have to deal with it. May I just offer a bit of advice if you just got a great answer to prayer, but perhaps not in the way or form you imagined? Just receive it. Embrace it. And be willing to move forward into a new paradigm for your life. So what if you’re not like all the other mothers you know? So what if you’re not like your own mother? So what if your family unit is different? I guarantee God has a plan.<br />
<br />
<b>Not only did he want me to embrace my own story, but He called me as a mother to do perhaps one of the most important tasks of all --- to nurture my children to live their own unique lives. Not for me to try and squeeze them into what I hoped and dreamed they would be. Not for me to try and live my life through them. But to recognize how God made them, gifted them, and called them to their own special place. </b><br />
<br />
All of my 4 kids are different from one another. Let’s take sports, for instance: I have one child who wins gold medals in international tennis competition, one who is a born equestrian, another who competes nationally in obstacle course shooting matches, and yet another who manages to dance onstage in 3 inch heels, do cartwheels and splits while singing at the same time. Now, honestly, I do none of these things. And yet they do.<br />
<br />
I don’t remember placing my order with God for these things. But I do remember when that tennis player turned 9 years old and I enrolled him in Special Olympics for the first time and how it changed his life… and ours. I remember getting a counselor job at an exclusive summer camp so that my daughter could take English riding classes. I remember being a Cub Scout leader (even though I knew nothing about boys) so that son could one day become an Eagle scout and pursue his love of the great outdoors. And yes, I remember enrolling my preschooler in dance lessons. Later when all the little girls were scared to go on stage for the recital, she exclaimed that she had endured a whole year of lessons just so she could go on stage. <br />
<br />
Don’t compare yourself to someone else. And don’t live vicariously through your favorite reality show star. Live your own story. And Moms, raise your kids to embrace the unique life God has for them.<br />
Remember, He has given us everything we need for life!<br />
<br />
<i>Lucinda Secrest McDowell, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, is the author of 10 books including “Role of a Lifetime,” “Amazed by Grace,” “Spa for the Soul” and the new Bible Study “Fit and Healthy Summer.” She is an international conference speaker and enjoys being a Pearl Girl from “Sunnyside” – her home in a New England village. Visit Cindy at <a href="http://www.encouragingwords.net%20/">www.EncouragingWords.net </a></i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-39634966958489795912011-05-07T22:28:00.000-07:002011-05-07T22:28:23.354-07:00What is a Grandmother?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">What is a Grandmother? by Suzanne Woods Fisher</span></b><br />
<br />
“A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.”<br />
Amish proverb<br />
<br />
I arrived late in the night in Rhode Island, anxious to meet my two-day-old grandson, Blake, after a full day of flying. My daughter and son-in-law had just returned home from the hospital and felt like they had been in a train wreck. There was stuff everywhere. Already, the needs of this little eight-pound bundle of joy were enormous: an all-terrain stroller, plenty of diapers, onesies, spit-up rags, an assortment of pacifiers to try out until he found the ideal one. <br />
<br />
And he was perfect. <br />
<br />
I know, I know. “Every mother crow thinks her own little crow is the blackest.” But this little dark eyed, dark haired boy really was perfect. <br />
<br />
I spent the next seven days (and nights) getting to know this little guy. His schedule (he had none), his hunger cries (very similar to his every other cry). His pirate look--one eye open, one eye squeezed shut, as if he was still surprised by all that had taken place to him in a week’s time. <br />
<br />
I felt surprised, too. How could my baby possibly have had a baby? How could I be a grandmother? I had just turned fifty-one. Shockingly young! How could a kid like me give up playing tennis three times a week to settle into knitting and crocheting and Friday night bingo? And shouldn’t I alter my appearance to fit this new label? Give up my jeans? Switch over to below knee-length calico dresses, thick black socks, practical shoes, gray hair pinned in a topknot. Think…Aunt Bee on Mayberry R.F.D. <br />
<br />
As soon as people knew my daughter was expecting, I was bombarded with advice from my well meaning friends—even those who weren’t yet grandparents. “The best way to avoid getting on the nerves of your daughter and son-in-law is to not say anything. Ever.” Or “You’d better pick your nickname or you’ll be stuck with something hideous, like MooMoo Cow.” <br />
<br />
What should I be called? Granny? No…reminded me of The Beverly Hillbillies. Grandma? No…sounded like The Waltons. Grammy? No…it was already taken by the in-laws. <br />
<br />
But no one really explained what it meant to be a grandmother. I didn’t know myself, not until I held baby Blake in my arms. In that moment, I realized that he was one of mine. He belongs to me. He will be on my mind and in my prayers, every day, for the rest of my life. There’s a bond between us that can’t be broken. He has altered my life forevermore.<br />
<br />
<i><b>I had become a grandmother. </b></i><br />
<br />
<i>Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, and The Search, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. <a href="http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com%20/">www.suzannewoodsfisher.com </a></i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-25243287202311191372011-05-06T11:41:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:41:28.191-07:00When Mother's Day is Difficult<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth</span></b></div><br />
I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day.<br />
<br />
On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made a difference in my life (thanks, Mom!).<br />
<br />
On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my heart with some tender places.<br />
<br />
On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For many, it’s a time of appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the most difficult days of the year. This is often true for women facing infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss of a mother, and many other painful situations.<br />
<br />
At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take another step. In addition to infertility, I was facing several other losses. I felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I sensed the Lord gently and lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you still have a choice. You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I decided I was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope made a difference.<br />
<br />
As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth finger of my left hand represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the fourth finger of my right hand is a simple silver band inscribed with the word “hope” and it represents the commitment I have made to God and myself to hold onto hope no matter what happens.<br />
<br />
The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me to hold onto hope. She endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited seventeen years before adopting a little girl. She told me, “I think one of the most important parts of this journey is learning to trust God. I don’t mean the flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just need to trust God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have chosen this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every step was worth it.”<br />
<br />
I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t know how yours will either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently grieving your losses as we sit in church together on May 8th. But I do know that God sees each one of us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and how many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re going through this Mother’s Day, you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who experienced many losses in his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you with love, fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this Mother’s Day.<br />
<br />
Excerpted from <a href="http://roylessin.typepad.com/files/when-mothers-day-is-difficult.pdf%20">When Mother’s Day is Difficult</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a cofounder of the popular web site <a href="http://incourage.me/">(in)courage</a>, and licensed counselor. Holley loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting with the hearts of women through words. Her next book, a devotional titled God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman (Harvest House) will release this July. You can find Holley online through her blog <a href="http://holley.dayspring.com/">Heart to Heart with Holley</a>. </i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-16273770944427575822011-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:27:50.644-07:00Bible In 90 Days ~ Week 1<p><font face="Papyrus">Welcome to my journey through the Bible in 90 days! I felt that I needed a new personal challenge so, reading the Bible in 90 days is it! During the coming weeks, I will be journaling my thoughts and feelings as I read through the Bible. I will also be giving away 5 “<a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=40&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible’s, New Testament</a> books, signed by <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=130&lang=en" target="_blank">Ray Comfort</a>.  </font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">I began this weeks reading last Sunday on May 1st, as began my reading with Genesis 1. Every time I’ve read this history of creation, I can’t help but think of “why” God wanted to create this world. And each time I do, my conclusion is… I think that He was lonely and yearning for fellowship with someone “like” Him (in respect to “image”) that He could nurture and grow into a “good” loving relationship forever and ever! Yes, he has the heavenly hosts, but they are not “like” him.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">I do not believe that God ever intended for us to die when He created us but, because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and Eve believing the serpent and ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and Adam’s partaking of it, God had to discipline them with the fore warned consequence of death.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">I couldn’t help but notice in the genealogy section that after Adam’s death, in which he lived a total of 930 years, the life span of man began to slowly decline in years. It is believed that because of the <strong>*</strong> low ultraviolet light and the nutrients in food that was very high, attributed to man’s long lifespan<strong>*</strong>.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">When I read through the book of Genesis, I see how God is “fine tuning” His people in what is good. Speaking directly to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses to name a few must have been Awesome and at the same time a burden to them. I know that when God speaks to me, It is difficult to obey because there are just some situations that I am totally uncomfortable with. But I <em>have </em>obeyed in all but a few and the ones I have not obeyed in, I learned very quickly to obey! </font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">We often wonder “where” God is when we cry out to him in times of trouble or trials. But God is with us an by our sides all of the time, we just need to learn how to listen and <em>not</em>  let our trials and troubles over take our listening ability away from us. </font> </p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Master-Evidence-Bible/dp/0882709704/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304437941&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><strong>The Evidence Bible</strong></a><strong> </strong>has so many resources and explanations of the texts to give us a better understanding of God’s word.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><strong>* <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Master-Evidence-Bible/dp/0882709704/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304437941&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a>  </strong>Richard Gunther (Genesis 5:3)</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><strong>GIVEAWAY!!</strong></font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus">To enter; leave a comment. Bonus entries will be given to those who share this post and giveaway on Twitter and Facebook, subscribe to RSS, and to follow me. Post a comment for each entry. This giveaway begins today and will end Thursday 5/12/11. And the winner will be announced Friday 5/13/11 (I’m not superstitious <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/TcQhYVBcByI/AAAAAAAAAO0/NQPcOrJI3_w/wlEmoticon-smile%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" />.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><strong>**Disclaimer** </strong>I did not receive <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=528&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank">The Evidence Bible</a> free in exchange for reviewing it. I bought this Bible from a recommendation of a friend. When I decided to read the Bible in 90 days, I thought I’d use it instead of my everyday Bible.</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"><strong>*** </strong>When leaving a comment on these posts, <strong>please </strong>be kind and gentle, if you feel different in your opinion that is perfectly fine; not everyone thinks the same as another person, I just ask that you be sensitive, courteous and thoughtful in your responses. Thank you♥</font></p> <p><font face="Papyrus"></font></p> Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-22348843952064895722011-05-05T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-05T10:24:44.014-07:00A Mother's Day Wish by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>A Mother's Day Wish by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson</b></span><br />
<br />
Heads up: Margaret McSweeney deserves a medal, or at least a commendation for giving everyone a much deserved Mother’s Day rest. Okay, y’all can be seated. I’m glad you agree, but you’re supposed to be taking a load off, remember? Oh, and full disclosure—Margaret didn’t know I was going to say that so I hope she leaves it in, and no, I didn’t do it just because I’m ridiculously nostalgic about the theme of her community, although I am. As the <i>Belle of All Things Southern</i>, one who is southern to the bone, I have a thing about pearls. <br />
<br />
When I was a teenager, add-a-pearl necklaces were all the rage. They may not be as wildly popular anymore as they were back in the day but I still say they’ll always be a classic concept: a gift of a single pearl on a dainty chain given with the intentions of adding other pearls on important holidays and special occasions. Today, I see add-a-pearls as a beautiful reminder of the accumulated wisdom we learn from our mamas. Oh, sure, we snicker as young girls because not all of their advice strikes us as useful and some of it seems positively fossilized, but hopefully, over time and with the Father’s blessing, we gain enough perspective to see that these mama-isms—the important values and the silly little lagniappe— are all increasing in value with the years. By the way, that’s my Mother’s Day wish for each of you, that we’d each take the time and the responsibility to thread these precious heirlooms into treasures worthy of bequeathing to the next generation. Mother’s Day... <br />
<br />
May I be honest? I’m looking ahead to the annual celebration with somewhat mixed emotions. I’m not feeling very Mother of the Year. Instead of cooking dinner for my most deserving mama and enjoying her company, instead of reveling in the love of my husband, kids, and grands, (known as the Baby Czars of All Things Southern), I’ll be on the road, touring with my latest book “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ellens-Girl-Aint-Weighs-Heavy/dp/0425240851/ref=sprightly-20">Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy</a>.” I’ve got Mama’s gift bought, wrapped, and ready to be delivered by my beloved hubby, and my grown kids understand that I didn’t choose the release date, but the facts remain: I won’t be there. (Shameless plugs time, anyone? My daughter blogs at <a href="http://www.kitchenbelleicious.blogspot.com/%20">Kitchen Belleicious</a> and is raising funds to build an orphanage in Rwanda at Shelter a Child <a href="http://www.shelterachild.com/">http://www.shelterachild.com/</a> and my daughter-in-law celebrates the daily details of getting to know the Holy One at Providence, <a href="http://providence-carey.blogspot.com/">http://providence-carey.blogspot.com</a>). I won’t get to enjoy Mama tickling the ivory from the piano bench of Melbourne Baptist Church and I won’t be overdosing on baby sugah. Sigh. <br />
<br />
But, then, I mentioned mixed emotions earlier, didn’t I? Well, before some sweet soul cues the violin music, perhaps I should lighten up and come clean on what Mr. Harvey would call “the rest of the story.” It so happens that while the 8th of May will find me miles from home, it’ll also find me in Savannah, Georgia where I’ve secured myself a little reservation at that famous establishment belonging to <a href="http://www.pauladeen.com/">Mrs. Paula Deen</a>, the Queen of Southern Cooking. Indeed, y’all, I’ll be suffering for Jesus at The Lady and Sons. I know. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. <br />
<br />
Regardless of where you spend it, I wish you each a Happy Mother’s Day. I’d love to think that everyone reading my words had a mother like mine, a woman of faith who taught me from childhood of the Risen Savior who saves souls and anchors lives. But, dear reader, if that’s not your past, I hope you know it can be your future. I pray you’ll be the one that begins such a legacy, and that you’ll be moved to start building that heritage today. <br />
<br />
I’d love to see y’all on the road somewhere. Watch for me, and I’ll watch for you. I’ll be the one with an empty glass of sweet tea looking, always looking, for a refill.<br />
<br />
Hugs,<br />
Shellie<br />
<br />
<i>Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, known as the Belle of All Things Southern is a radio host, columnist, author, speaker and founder of the All Things Southern online community, <a href="http://www.allthingssouthern.com/">www.allthingssouthern.com</a>. She loves meeting, greeting, laughing and learning with the whole wide world or as many who wander her way. Shellie once dreamed of writing great important things that changed the world, only once she started writing the world grinned and christened her a humorist. Shellie saw this as a problem at first, until she discovered that the laughter softens hearts, builds relationships, and invites her into people’s hurting hearts where she can share her own, which is exactly where she wanted to be all along. Look for Shellie’s latest book, Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy wherever fine books are sold.</i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-34656101339312353042011-05-04T10:16:00.000-07:002011-05-04T10:16:40.099-07:00Adoption, a Mother's Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Adoption, a Mother's Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer</b></span><br />
<br />
I held the small baby in my arms, wrapped up in a receiving blanket to keep her warm from the chill of the delivery room, and a voice spoke to me. "Congratulations, Mom."<br />
<br />
The congratulations came from an unlikely source--the grandmother of this child, the mother of the sweet birth mother who chose adoption for her baby girl.<br />
<br />
To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfulness filled my heart--to God who'd answered my prayers and to the birth mom who'd chosen our family for her daughter. I also ached that my joy would be another's heartache. Working with teen moms for ten years, I was often an advocate for the young mother. I knew that while the weeks and months ahead would be a time of celebration for our family, they would be ones of heartache and grieving for this woman.<br />
<br />
Adoption is a wonder and the beauty, and the sacrifice of it is never so clear as on Mother's Day. My new daughter is one-years-old now and she huge is a part of my heart. Her life is a gift to my days and her smile can make even the most dreary afternoon bright. I can honestly say there is no difference in the love I feel between her and my three other children. If anything the love feels even more special because she was an unexpected gift. John and I learned about her life just 2 ½ months prior to her being born. The years of prayers to expand our family were answered quickly and beautifully.<br />
<br />
The sacrifice of adoption makes my heart ache, for I know on this Mother's Day another woman will be thinking about my daughter—her daughter. As I rejoice, I'll be crying tears for her. I'll also be sending up prayers that God will wrap His arms around her in a special way.<br />
<br />
This Mother's Day I cannot help to think about Christ's sacrifice to make our adoption into God's family possible. Maybe it's because just a few weeks ago we were celebrating Easter, but I'm reminded anew that my gain required His loss, His pain. The greatest love, it seems, is not shown with flowers, chocolate or a diamond bracelet. The greatest love is shown when, because of your love for another, your desires and comfort are laid down for the greater good of someone else.<br />
<br />
As Ephesians 1:3 says,<i> “How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son”</i> (The Message).<br />
<br />
Perhaps you know an adoptive mother. Take time this Mother's Day to let her know that the beauty of her gift is not missed by you. Also, take time to thank God for adopting you into His forever family, thanking Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. I wouldn't be the mother I am without this Gift of Love.<br />
<br />
<i>Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. <a href="http://www.triciagoyer.com/">www.triciagoyer.com</a></i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-42432293754252955482011-05-03T08:12:00.000-07:002011-05-03T08:12:19.828-07:00A Merry Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<div style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>A Merry Heart ... by Megan Alexander</b></span><br />
<br />
Sometimes family is really all you need. This was reinforced to me when my Mother shared a story a few days ago about her mother, my Grandma. You see, when my Grandma was a very young girl, around age 10, she was diagnosed with polio. This meant long hospital stays, extremely limited interaction with children her own age and lonely days staring out the window from her hospital bed. In those days, with polio, they felt keeping the children very subdued and quiet was best, and this particular hospital was as drab as can be. It was also during the time of the Depression, which meant money was tight and life was tough. Day in and day out, she was given the best medicine and treatment, but she wasn’t thriving and recovering. Daily visits from adult doctors and specialists is not exactly stimulating for a young girl. Her health was so poor, at one point, a Catholic Priest had administered the "last rites" at her bedside.<br />
<br />
One day, her older brother and sister decided to sneak some brand new baby kittens into her hospital room. Their cat Fitzy had just had babies, and the cute kittens were small enough to put in a basket. Upon entering her room, my mother says they quietly took off the lid and showed my Grandma the sweet little kittens and let her cuddle with them. Her mother, my Great Grandmother, observed my Grandma’s mood instantly lift. Her eyes sparkled and she squealed with delight at the cute kitties! Her whole demeanor changed and she came to life.<br />
<br />
My Great Grandma took all this in and made a decision that day. She decided that my Grandma would heal much better at home. She promptly checked my Grandma out of the hospital and brought her home with her family. My Grandma did gradually recover, among the love and warmth of her family. You know what Proverbs 17 says “ A merry heart does good like a medicine.” Also, I can imagine that she healed emotionally and physically and spiritually as well and that combined strength wouldn't have been possible in the hospital alone.<br />
<br />
When they left that day, the hospital instructed my Great Grandmother to massage my Grandma’s legs everyday, something she promised the hospital she would do, and she did. My Grandma was one of the few people we know who did not have a limp or shortened leg due to polio. And perhaps most importantly, the entire family was always praying for my Grandma.<br />
<br />
I’m not saying that medicine is bad or not necessary. But there is no cure quite like the warmth of your family. Its like milk, it simply does a body good. As a pregnant Mom about to give birth to a baby boy, I am inspired to provide this same love to my child. May he feel the same warm love from his family that my Grandma felt from her’s.<br />
<br />
And in this same way, we are called sons and daughters of God. Galatians 4:1-7 <br />
<i>“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”</i><br />
<br />
God claims you and I as his children. This is a wonderful gift and identity that is good for our heart and soul, and something that is more powerful than all the medicine in the world.<br />
<i><br />
Megan Alexander can be seen nightly as a television correspondent for the top rated news magazine show “Inside Edition”. She also appears on the CNN program “Showbiz Tonight”. She especially enjoys reporting on stories with a heart. She graduated from Westmont College with a degree in Political Science. She loves speaking to youth and works with Girls Inc and National American Miss. She and her husband reside in the New York City area and attend Redeemer Church of Manhattan. For more on Megan, go to <a href="http://www.meganalexander.com/">www.meganalexander.com</a>. Megan’s mother, Mary, resides in Seattle and provided insight into this essay.</i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-27695395772091066512011-05-02T07:54:00.000-07:002011-05-02T07:54:25.465-07:003 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #990000;">3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman </b></span><br />
<b><br />
This Mother’s Day, celebrate family with this crafty games the whole family can enjoy. </b><br />
<br />
<b>Block Photo Puzzle </b><br />
Not only does this 6-sided photo puzzle provide hours of family fun, but it’s also a great way to reuse favorite family photos.<br />
<br />
Materials:<br />
• 9 - Wooden Blocks (Use old alphabet blocks)<br />
• 6 - 8 x 10 Photograph Prints or Colored Copies<br />
• Ruler<br />
• Scissors <br />
• Mod Podge and Paintbrush<br />
<br />
Directions: <br />
1. Arrange blocks in a square and measure the length and width of the square.<br />
2. Measure and cut print to the exact same size as the 9-block square. <br />
3. Place blocks in a square on top of print. Position blocks so they’re lined up neatly and as close together as possible.<br />
4. Trace and cut the outline of each block.<br />
5. Glue print pieces to blocks using Mod Podge. Set aside to dry and then seal with 1-2 top layers of Mod Podge.<br />
6. Repeat process until all 6 sides of the blocks are covered with different photographs.<br />
Thank you to the creative folks at www.photojojo.com for sharing this idea! <br />
<b><br />
“Go Fish with the Family” Card Game</b><br />
This gift is perfect for Moms who like card games. Another bonus? There’s always room to “grow” the deck.<br />
<br />
Materials:<br />
• Camera<br />
• Double stick tape, or a glue stick<br />
• Several pieces of cardstock (one color)<br />
• Scissors<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
1. Take pictures of each family member and develop the pictures in duplicates (3x5 or 4x6 is fine, just make sure all the pictures are the same size).<br />
2. Turn the pictures into playing cards by gluing or taping a piece of card-stock to the backside of each picture. <br />
3. Game ideas include “Go Fishing with the Family” which is similar to “Go Fish” but, instead of matching numbers, the object is to collect matching pairs of photos. “Memory” is another fun game to play. Place the cards face down in a grid and try to find matching pairs of photos. <br />
<br />
<b>Family Bingo </b><br />
In my house, Bingo is always a big hit because regardless of age or skill level, everyone has the same chance to win. However this version is extra special because the playing boards are populated with pictures of family members.<br />
<br />
Materials: <br />
• Color Coordinated Game Boards (download here) <br />
• Images of Family Members (use photographs, drawings or clip art)<br />
• Bingo Markers (pennies, pebbles or buttons)<br />
• Glue and Scissors<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
1. Create the game boards: Download and print desired number of game-boards. Remember each player gets a different game board. <br />
2. Color-copy and paste images of family members onto each game board. Remember to paste one person per square and make each board slightly different. <br />
3. Make “call-out cards” by writing the name of each family member in yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (which coordinates with the colors on the board)<br />
4. To Play: Game play is similar to traditional Bingo except the caller will randomly select a call-out card and then read the color and person. For example, “Blue, Grandma Mary” means there is a picture of Grandma Mary in a blue square. Just like Bingo, the first person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins!<br />
<i><br />
Beth Engelman is a columnist for the Sun Times News Group’s Pioneer Press. Her column “Mommy on a Shoestring,” appears in over 30 local papers around Chicago area as well as on the Sun-times website where you can also view her Mommy on a Shoestring video series. She is also a regular on “You and Me this Morning” on WCIU and is frequent contributor for WGN America’s Midday News at Noon. Recently, Beth was chosen by a celebrity panel from NBC Universal and iVillage to become one of 15 national “mom” correspondents for NBC’s popular website, <a href="http://www.ivillage.com/">www.ivillage.com</a> (over 3 million visitors a day) where she reports on issues that affect moms, families and communities such as bullying, divorce and weight loss. For more information visit Beth at <a href="http://www.mommyonashoestring.com/">www.mommyonashoestring.com</a></i>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-32025916605088205382011-05-01T14:40:00.000-07:002011-05-01T14:42:00.364-07:00Mother of Pearl Mother's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20of%20Pearl" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCCTRD32p4AREd_h8DTtH-0ukFHCN17rBm4t-0gzG_SRTa8QymktD2EVjZJzPHbHdCgbwUDIaJydxUez2R54eje8hn5WOx_n7IYXpHDSoJt7nnPAeT7C689yThD8iR-P6hsktLzlyB-O/s1600/motherofpearl2.png" /></a></div><b>Welcome to Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> <i>Mother of Pearl</i> Mother's Day blog serie</b>s. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<b>AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. </b>To enter, just {<b><a href="https://spreadsheets4.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZ1ZEJyMmFSZ1FwVk82a3JFRzJsMlE6MA%20">CLICK THIS LINK</a></b>} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. <br />
<br />
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span></b>, please visit <b><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> </b>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <i><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books/"><b>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</b></a> </i>or one of the<b> <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls<span style="font-size: x-small;">™</span> products</a></b> (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<br />
<br />
<i><b>And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!</b></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #990000;">PEARL PINS by Margaret McSweeney</b></span><br />
<br />
At age 49, I am a mom without a mom. This deep longing for my mother continues to surprise me. During milestone moments, I imagine phone conversations with her. <br />
<br />
“Can you believe that Melissa is graduating from high school in June? I’m so glad you will be flying to Chicago to be here with us.” <br />
<br />
“Wasn’t that a fun family dinner we all had last weekend to celebrate Katie’s ‘sweet sixteen?’ I am so glad you could join us.”<br />
<br />
“Isn’t this exciting? I just got a new book contract. Will you please edit my manuscript before I send it in?”<br />
<br />
Sadly, this will be my eighth Mother’s Day to spend without my mother. She has missed some poignant milestones in my life and in the lives of my daughters. Both Melissa and Katie were very young when she died so they don’t have a full reservoir of memories about Grandmommy Rhea. However, they do have the legacy of faith that she helped instill in them as toddlers. She loved to send Veggie Tales tapes, Children’s Bibles and devotional books. <br />
<br />
Melissa and Katie were blessed to have Nana, (Dave’s mother) around for much longer. Nana passed away two years ago. A few years before Nana died, she gave me a beautiful necklace with a diamond pendant made from her wedding ring along with a pair of diamond earrings. She asked me to give these special gifts to Melissa and Katie for their sixteenth birthdays. Even though Nana wasn’t around to celebrate, my daughters were so happy to receive such special keepsakes from her. Hugs from heaven.<br />
<br />
Last week on Katie’s 16th birthday, I discovered an unexpected blessing that had been tucked away in a cardboard container of my mother’s things. A jewelry box with three pearl pins! I gave one to Melissa as a belated 16th birthday gift, and I presented one to Katie for her 16th birthday. This Mother’s Day, I will wear my mother’s pearl pin as a tangible reminder that a mother’s love (and a grandmother’s love) is an everlasting gift from God. <br />
<br />
Finding these gifts made me think about what I might leave for my own daughters someday. It isn’t the external value of the gift that matters, but rather the love that it represents.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Is there a special gift or letter that you would like to leave your children?</b></i><br />
<br />
<i>Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. After earning a master’s degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, Margaret moved to New York City to work at a large bank where she met David. Margaret is the editor of Pearl Girls, author of A Mother’s Heart Knows and co-author of Go Back and Be Happy. Charity and community involvement are very important to Margaret. She has served on the board of directors for WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger) for over eight years.<b> </b>For more information, find Margaret at <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a> and <a href="http://www.kitchenchat.info/">www.kitchenchat.info</a>. </i><i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-69316856217064162582011-04-29T21:51:00.001-07:002011-04-29T21:51:10.059-07:00The Bible in 90 Days Preparation<p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">As I’ve been praying and preparing to begin my challenge of reading the <em>entire</em> Bible in 90 days beginning this Sunday, May 1, 2011. I am excited as I plan and set up my journal, decide the time block for each days reading and journaling and setting aside time to write my posts. </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">In my posts throughout my journey, I will also be including a review of the Bible I will be using. The Bible I have chosen to use is <a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=528&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=199&lang=en" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">The Evidence Bible</font></a><font color="#ff00ff"> </font>compiled by Ray Comfort with Kirk Cameron of <a href="http://wayofthemaster.com/index.shtml" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">The Way of The Master</font></a><font color="#ff00ff"> and </font><a href="http://www.livingwaters.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">Living Waters</font></a> and is published through <a href="http://bridgelogos.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">Bridge Logos</font></a>.</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Master-Evidence-Bible/dp/0882709704/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304134571&sr=1-2"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="TheEvidenceBible" border="0" alt="TheEvidenceBible" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/TbuVPJwc2mI/AAAAAAAAAOw/w07qTURt11E/TheEvidenceBible%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="198" height="201" /></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">When I had decided to use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Way-Master-Evidence-Bible/dp/0882709704/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304134571&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">The Evidence Bible</font></a>, I thought a giveaway of a Bible would be a great way to introduce someone else to this easy reading “Comfort-able KJV” of the Bible. And I am extremely happy to inform you that Ray Comfort of <a href="http://wayofthemaster.com/index.shtml" target="_blank"><font color="#ff00ff">The Way of The Master</font></a> has generously provided me with <strong>5 signed complimentary copies </strong>of their pocket New Testament Bibles to give to 5 readers! I will have the giveaways in the weeks ahead as we journey through the Bible in 90 days.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">I hope you will join me in this challenge to read the bible in 90 days.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">Tammy♥</font></p> Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-8425487279931142992011-04-26T21:15:00.001-07:002011-04-26T21:15:39.634-07:00A New Challenge<p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">Wow, I had just noticed how long its been since my last post. It’s funny how time gets away from us. Since my last post, I have been swept away in sewing; sewing burpies. Your probably wondering, why burpies? A burpie is an updated burp cloth used to burp a baby. Well since my last post, God has blessed us with grandson #2!!! Oh he is amazing and so beautiful. God brought him into this world on April 11th 2011.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/TbeYaZ6ip-I/AAAAAAAAAOo/918CtVec16Y/s1600-h/BabyGrenz4%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="BabyGrenz4" border="0" alt="BabyGrenz4" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_XZeakC3CGgM/TbeYa_WmTzI/AAAAAAAAAOs/PPA8Z2FGXtk/BabyGrenz4_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="226" height="167" /></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">So I’ve been sewing burpies and crocheting layette sets. We also went down to southern California to meet our new grandson and to visit with our first grandson, our son and his wife. We had a wonderful visit and I couldn’t give our grandchildren enough hugs and kisses. I can hardly wait to see them all again.</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus">Now onto my new challenge. I have decided to read the Bible in 90 days and to share my journey through the Bible with all of you. I’m beginning this journey on May 1st. I hope you will come along with me on this journey of the most powerful, inspirational and life changing book in the world. Until Monday, God Bless♥</font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Papyrus"> </font></p> Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-81284703387437456422011-01-05T09:18:00.000-08:002011-01-05T09:18:39.112-08:00"Women In The Word" WednesdayI hope this post finds all of you well this first week of the new year. Beginning today and every Wednesday from today, I will be participating in "Women in the Word" Wednesday. It is a blog hop where you can visit several blogs where God's word is our focus.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.livingonloveandcents.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp142/happygirlivy/MH900435912-1.jpg" /></a><text></text></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b> Blessed are those who keep his statutes<br />
and seek him with all their heart— </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b> Psalm 119:2</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">As believers, we must delve into God's word <i>daily </i>and tuck his word in our hearts so that we can meditate on those words and be an example throughout our day, live as the Lord instructs us to live, if we are diligent in seeking God, His love <i>and </i>instruction will shine through us for His glory. </span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=66540" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-70265678451985969732010-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:002010-12-25T23:40:23.262-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ Love<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br />
<b>Love<br />
by <a href="http://laurainesnelling.com/">Lauraine Snelling</a></b><br />
<br />
When asked to write a Christmas message, one of my first thoughts was Do I climb up on my soapbox regarding changing the words in Christmas songs, using only holiday, etc. I thought about it and decided no. After all, they’re only words and what difference does a word make---really make after all?<br />
<br />
Then I kept on thinking. If they’re only words… But we as writers know the power of words, as do readers. When the wrong word is used, it jars, while the right word can be most powerful. Take one highly overused and under practiced word---Love. Four letters is all. We toss it around so glibly, saying love ya and luv and love. But think about the power in I love you. Three of the most precious words in our language when put together. Those of us who write romances or books with romance in them, understand the power when one of our characters tells another, I love you. As humans we can never hear that enough or too much.<br />
<br />
Christmas is about love. The greatest love story ever told, that of God for us humans, and it never changes. Customs change, politics change, the years change but God’s love never, ever does. At Christmas we are invited to share that love, to give it away, to pass it around. To find wonder again and joy in simple acts of love. We make contact with people we might never see or talk with through the year. That says I love you. We buy and make gifts to give, we reach out to strangers in need, we try to make sure everyone has a special dinner and every child a present. By giving, we receive. <br />
<br />
So, let’s use the power words, but more so, put feet on those words and pass the love around. Let’s look for and find the wonder, the joy and the peace, maybe in small bits and pieces and perhaps in an avalanche of blessings. Make your days brighter with the simple gift of a smile, a kind word, a touch, for every single one that you give away, will come back to you multiplied. As you give, so shall you receive. Merry Christmas my friends. May we all recognize our blessings----and let an attitude of gratitude permeate this holiday and every day. With love and joy on this day, Lauraine!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://laurainesnelling.com/assets/images/laurainenew4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://laurainesnelling.com/assets/images/laurainenew4.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>About Lauraine</b>: Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of more than sixty books, with sales of over 2 million copies. She also writes for a wide range of magazines, and helps others reach their writing dreams by teaching at writer’s conferences across the country. Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a cockatiel named Bidley, and a watchdog Basset named Chewy.<br />
<br />
For more information please visit Lauraine's website: <a href="http://www.laurainesnelling.com/">www.laurainesnelling.com</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-18254838241133876942010-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:002010-12-25T11:33:52.236-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ An Unforgettable Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br />
<b>An Unforgettable Gift<br />
by <a href="http://karenoconnor.com/">Karen O'Connor</a></b><br />
<br />
On Christmas morning, 1912, in Paducah, Kentucky, fourteen-year-old Charlie Flowers and his three brothers and two sisters huddled in their beds, fully dressed, trying to keep warm as the wind howled outside their small frame house.<br />
<br />
It was a desperate time for the family. Earlier that year the children's father had died. And their mother had not found work. The coal had run out and there was little money––none for gifts. Their scrawny tree with decorations made from scraps of colored paper had been given to them the night before by a local merchant.<br />
<br />
"Can't sell this one," the man said with a nod of his head before handing it over to the eager children. <br />
<br />
To pass the time, the siblings joked and shouted stories from their bedrooms across the hallway from one another. Then suddenly a racket from the alley at the rear of the house broke into their games.<br />
<br />
"Charlie," his mother called, "would you see what's going on out there?"<br />
<br />
Charlie pulled on his shoes, grabbed a thick overcoat from the hook by the door, and ran out back.<br />
<br />
There stood a man in a wagon bent over a load of coal, shoveling it into the shed as fast as he could.<br />
<br />
"Hey Mister, we didn't order any coal," Charlie shouted. "You're delivering it to the wrong house."<br />
<br />
"Your name's Flowers, isn't it?" the man asked, still shoveling. <br />
<br />
Charlie nodded yes.<br />
<br />
"Well then, there's no mistake. I've been asked to deliver this to your family on Christmas morning." He looked the awe-struck boy square in the eye. "And I'm under strict orders not to tell who sent it," he teased.<br />
<br />
Charlie ran into the house, his coattail flapping in the cold morning wind. He could hardly wait to tell his mother and brothers and sisters. God had provided––just as he had on that first Christmas morning so long ago when He sent his only son to a needy world.<br />
<br />
Charlie Flowers died in 1994 at age 96. And right up to the last year of his life, not a Christmas went by that he didn't tell the story of that sub-zero Christmas morning of his boyhood when two men gave his family an unforgettable gift.<br />
<br />
It wasn't the coal that was remembered or cherished, Charlie often said––welcome as it was––but rather what two men brought to his desperate family. One, for his gift of recognizing their great need and taking the time to do something about it. And the other, for being willing to give up part of his own Christmas morning to deliver it.<br />
<br />
That gift of so long ago has continued to warm the Flowers family from one generation to another, as Charlie's son––my husband, Charles––calls to mind these two unknown men each Christmas morning and whispers a prayer of thanks.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/images/authors/101196_ath_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/images/authors/101196_ath_c.jpg" /></a></div><b>About Karen:</b> Karen O'Connor is an award-winning author and writing mentor living in Watsonville, California with her husband, Charles Flowers. Karen’s latest book is 365 Reasons <i>Why Gettin’ Old Ain’t So Bad</i> (Harvest House 2010).<br />
<br />
For more information, please visit Karen on the web at <a href="http://www.karenoconnor.com/">www.karenoconnor.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-64115850436810952892010-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:002010-12-23T18:31:53.346-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ Just give me Christmas this year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br />
<b>All I Want for Christmas… <br />
Is to be able to have Christmas this Year<br />
by </b><a href="http://www.melissamashburn.blogspot.com/"><b>Melissa Mashburn</b></a><br />
<br />
This is a simple request, isn’t it? In the previous years, we had great big bountiful Christmases with our family. Gifts, goodies and general Christmas cheer but this year it was different. The year before has been chock full of disappointments, failing businesses and severe cutbacks for our family. <br />
<br />
Sitting with my husband one night we hammered out the bare minimum that we could spend that year for Christmas and even still the total was four hundred dollars. It does not sound like a whole lot compared to what we’ve spent on Christmas before, but this year it could have been four thousand dollars because we just did not have it.<br />
<br />
We prayed, I cried, we prayed some more and decided that we would cut back anything else that we could that year so we could have Christmas for our kids. We did not know how we would make this happen, but we knew that we needed to step forward in faith that it would happen.<br />
<br />
<i>Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don't these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God. </i>Galatians 3:5 the Message<br />
<br />
Not even two days later, we hear a knock on our front door. We open the door to see some friends of ours from church. With tears in their eyes, they handed us an envelope and said that the felt they needed to give us this. We opened the envelope and inside there was four hundred dollars cash.<br />
<br />
Shocked, stunned and with tears flowing down our face we just sat there in a state of crying and laughing at what God had done. We never shared with anyone that year what we needed, how bad it was, what was going on or what that number was for us to have Christmas for the kids, but God knew.<br />
<br />
“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT<br />
<br />
He took a willing servant, led them to our front door and changed Christmas for us that year. After many years of being in full time ministry we knew that God would provide, but when He shows up just at the right moment, you know that it was all a part of His plan to show how much He loves, provides and cares for His people.<br />
<br />
<i>Father God, thank you that after all the years of serving and loving you in ministry that you continue to teach, guide, love, shepherd and care for us. You, Father, are abundantly gracious and kind, thank you for showing up for us at just the right moment every time, forgive us when we forget that. In Jesus name, Amen.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b3zvTuCk6NygD4TlHHK8gnPTxeHy6BCtewdl_A7wVaMoNN3T5n53e6O2H3msXnXfZJ5XUkbpSw1tJEdYjh33JmPrsCt0kIZE4lbkIHv1_z_SoUy8JmXT7XnHMcx3gYKTxPSBRuLDJOK1/s348/MelinScarfCropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b3zvTuCk6NygD4TlHHK8gnPTxeHy6BCtewdl_A7wVaMoNN3T5n53e6O2H3msXnXfZJ5XUkbpSw1tJEdYjh33JmPrsCt0kIZE4lbkIHv1_z_SoUy8JmXT7XnHMcx3gYKTxPSBRuLDJOK1/s348/MelinScarfCropped.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>About Melissa: Melissa is the founder of the blog <a href="http://www.melissamashburn.blogspot.com/"><b>Mel’s World Ministry</b></a>, co-founder of the Praise and Coffee Nights Ministry with Sue Cramer, Kids Ministry Director at her church. Just last year she launched a new weekly series called Godly Gals ~ Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith where we meet new women each week who are “Taking their everyday, ordinary lives and placing it as their offering to God.” Romans 12:1 the Message. You can find her on <b><a href="http://twitter.com/Mels_World">twitter</a></b> and at <b><a href="http://www.melissamashburn.blogspot.com/">her blog</a></b>. She loves encouraging women to live with an authentic faith by being transparent, renewed and transformed. ~ Romans 12:2.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-3203918131067670402010-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:002010-12-22T21:24:39.254-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ What's the best thing about Christmas?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><b>What’s the best thing about Christmas?<br />
by <a href="http://maureenlang.com/">Maureen Lang</a></b><br />
<br />
The answer to that question will undoubtedly be different depending on the age and the faith of the person being asked. Most children will say it’s all about the gifts. Adults, even if they secretly still enjoy the gifts, will probably strive to sound more mature and say the holiday is all about friends and family. Still others might say it’s about tradition, or memories or the music or even the special food we connect to this time of year. The scrooges among us might say this season is just another marketing gimmick, or materialism gone awry. The faithful will say it’s all about Jesus, a reminder of why He shed the glory of Heaven to step into human skin and frailty.<br />
<br />
I’m not here to defend or attack any answer to this question, but rather to ponder those possible answers.<br />
<br />
<b>Gifts:</b> They touch us in personal ways, as tangible evidence of someone else’s thought and affection. Even if we don’t get exactly what we hoped, there’s something to be said about the thought behind a gift being the important part. Why wouldn’t gifts be an important and valid part of this holiday in which we celebrate God’s gift of salvation?<br />
<br />
<b>Holiday Gatherings:</b> Parties might be a lot of work, forcing some out of their comfort zone, but at the core they’re all about human connection. Isn’t that what most people want?<br />
<br />
<b>Traditions and memories:</b> They remind us of the past, of who we are, with the hope that even as we look forward to an unknown future we still hold some things worthy enough to repeat every year. We might find ourselves letting go of some traditions, or we might want to start some new ones.<br />
<br />
<b>The music:</b> This is the only time of the year when even secular radio stations welcome songs about a baby born in Bethlehem. As a nation we may be getting stringent about separation of church as state, but the lines blur just a bit with old favorites that reflect this season.<br />
<br />
<b>Scrooges: </b>The holiday season is probably a time to endure rather than enjoy, but even the scroogiest-scrooge might admit the lights of the season are pretty to behold. They’re free to look at, after all. <br />
<br />
As for the food, the busyness, the expense and all the other things that make up this season: keep in mind that it’s all temporary. This, too, shall pass. Until next year, of course.<br />
<br />
<b>I’ll leave you with this thought: </b>we are all made in God’s image, whether we believe that or not. Part of that image is the ability to give—and to receive. So here’s my thought for the day: stop a moment and dwell on all the gifts of the season. From the little mementos that say we haven’t forgotten someone or been forgotten by others, to the costliest gift of all: what God did for us in the form of Christ. As you enjoy the sounds, the sights, the scents and the tastes of this season, may your only trouble be in choosing just one thing among so many best things about Christmas.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylomyA3svcr18hQ9UJnKyPO-asT4iwgIV1FluuXbGzpmomynZIJfBHm6uhRS5bLCfIsLdImqwFj9ZaCCVCXWNVTy1FaZrNgYY0j6chIkr5JKwft5ukxwNcAHVR4GuTdMQ5Sqneuflhyk2/s1600-r/DSCF6553+Pic++done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylomyA3svcr18hQ9UJnKyPO-asT4iwgIV1FluuXbGzpmomynZIJfBHm6uhRS5bLCfIsLdImqwFj9ZaCCVCXWNVTy1FaZrNgYY0j6chIkr5JKwft5ukxwNcAHVR4GuTdMQ5Sqneuflhyk2/s200-r/DSCF6553+Pic++done.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>About Maureen: </b>Maureen Lang is the author of ten books, her most recent from Tyndale House is The Great War Series which are full of romance, adventure and spiritual journeys. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two sons and their lovable Labrador Retriever.<br />
<br />
For more information please visit Maureen at her website, <a href="http://www.maureenlang.com/">www.maureenlang.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-37135911823792269642010-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:002010-12-21T18:38:39.515-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ Good News!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><b>Good News!<br />
by <a href="http://debkalmbach.com/">Deb Kalmbach</a></b><br />
<br />
The first Christmas card of the season arrived in my mailbox way back in August. How could anyone be that organized? Then I noticed my friend, Nita, had sent me a card I had written to her more than 20 years ago! <br />
<br />
Memories rushed back as I read the words penned in my familiar handwriting. It was Christmas, 1991, and my world had unraveled. I could almost pretend everything was all right at this most wonderful time of the year—but not that year. <br />
<br />
My husband Randy’s drinking problem had escalated to the point where his job and career were on the line. He had already been through two alcohol treatment programs and managed to stay sober for short periods of time. Then he slipped back into old, familiar patterns. His ongoing relapses were a crushing disappointment for our family.<br />
<br />
I had looked forward to Christmas Eve and our family traditions; making homemade lasagna, singing carols around the piano, attending the candlelight service at church, and then coming home to open one token Christmas Eve present. <br />
<br />
“Randy, are you ready to crank out the pasta?” I called to him over the Christmas music I was playing to lift my spirits.<br />
<br />
I peered into the living room to see what was keeping him. My heart froze. Randy sat on the couch, trance-like, watching a basketball game while sipping a drink.<br />
<br />
No, not on Christmas Eve, I screamed inwardly. I felt like I was suffocating. Usually Randy pulled himself together but it didn’t happen that night. He drank vodka all evening while I finished holiday preparations on autopilot. None of us felt like eating lasagna or celebrating.<br />
<br />
Only a few days earlier, I had written these words on the Christmas card to my friend, Nita. I don’t know God’s plans, his timing or his ways in accomplishing his purposes, but I am learning to trust him. He is faithful! <br />
<br />
I suspect Nita kept my card all those years because she saw a small seed of faith and it encouraged her heart. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be eight more Christmas seasons before Randy experienced the miraculous breakthrough of finding freedom from alcoholism. <br />
<br />
As I read the card I had written so long ago, I felt awed by God’s faithfulness to us—even when our situation looked completely hopeless. <br />
<br />
You may be facing great difficulty as the holidays approach. The last thing you feel like is celebrating. And that’s O.K. The Good News of Christmas isn’t about picture perfect holidays where our homes are decorated a la Martha Stewart and tables are laden with holiday delicacies. Your days may not be merry and bright. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one or the loss of a relationship through divorce or estrangement. Your world has unraveled. <br />
<br />
That’s exactly why the message of Christmas is Good News. The Savior is born! The One who came to set you free, to give you peace and hope and help beyond anything you could ever imagine is as near as your next breath. Today you might not be able to see how God’s purposes are unfolding for your future, but you can be assured that He is working all things for good in your life. A twenty year-old Christmas card came on a summer day as an unexpected gift and gentle reminder of God’s presence—especially in the worst of times. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nwchristianwriters.org/images/deb_1x1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.nwchristianwriters.org/images/deb_1x1.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>About Deb: Deb Kalmbach is the coauthor of <i>Because I Said Forever: Embracing Hope in a Not-So- Perfect Marriage</i> and the author of a book for children, <i>Corey’s Dad Drinks Too Much</i>. She has contributed to <i>The New Women’s Devotional Bible, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</i>, and other anthologies. She is a vibrant and engaging speaker who gives hope and practical solutions to those who struggle with difficult relationships. Deb and her husband, Randy, live in a tiny town in Eastern Washington. Visit Deb at: <a href="http://www.debkalmbach.com/">www.debkalmbach.com</a>, or on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/deb.kalmbach">Facebook</a> and <b><a href="http://twitter.com/debkalmbach">Twitter</a></b>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-59704967368847038742010-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:002010-12-20T08:22:00.232-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ Gift List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><b>Gift List<br />
by <a href="http://tricagoyer.com/">Tricia Goyer</a></b><br />
<br />
I've been thinking lately how hard it must be for Oprah to Christmas shop. I mean if you were on her "gift list" wouldn't you expect something really, really good? The woman gives away cars and trips to Australia on her television show for goodness sake! It seems by the end of Christmas Day her friends and family would look at the pile of presents and think, "Is that it?" I mean if you knew there was billions of dollars she could spend on you, would you ever feel satisfied?<br />
<br />
Sometimes I think we approach God the same way. We look around at our home, our family, our job, our free time and we still aren't satisfied. We wish our body looked better, our clothes were more in style, our husband was more considerate and our kids were more ... well, like the perfect little people we picture in our mind. Our careers don't excel as quickly as we think they should and people don't give us the attention we feel we deserve. We're tired and anxious and the to-do list seems to be tacked to our hearts for all the pain it causes.<br />
<br />
Often, we look around and don't speak the words out loud, but think them just the same. "Is that it?" I mean, You're the God of the universe and You have all things in Your hands and under Your control. Couldn't you provide a little more money to help those bills disappear or make me a bit more content with the man I've chosen to spend my life with? And I thought Oprah had it tough.<br />
<br />
Is there ever a time when God doesn't hear the murmurs? Again, not with our mouths but in our heart.<br />
<br />
I've been guilty of this--of not being satisfied with the gifts I've been given. Yes, there will always be more to want, but today--at this moment--I'm satisfied. And I look to Him with a grateful heart and whisper, "Thank you, it is enough. More than enough."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://triciagoyer.com/cmsimages/Tricia3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://triciagoyer.com/cmsimages/Tricia3.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>About Tricia:</b> Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including <i>Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier</i>, and the mommy memoir, <i>Blue Like Play Dough</i>. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book <i>Life Interrupted</i> was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like <i>MomSense</i> and <i>Thriving Family</i>. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.triciagoyer.com/">www.triciagoyer.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030222549721602747.post-81717679322591744202010-12-18T00:00:00.000-08:002010-12-19T13:31:23.463-08:0012 Pearls of Christmas ~ 10 Tips to Hope Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZzLYpUwj8WbZLcX4lp3plV-2g6EeYlkbMtpqBSTEXBFhNGnQHV5V5Fny0FYdy1GcXeLa4Xude8FWiGluKiJZGsrLIrfx0YUMrCgHRmrXgrIKDphiB-0Zf9f5x2SdLOfvCpF1MBysaes/s200/7.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Welcome to the </b></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b>! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. <b>AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!!</b> Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><b>Hurting Near Christmas? 10 Tips to Hope Again<br />
by <a href="http://www.brightlightministries.com/">Stacie Ruth Stoelting</a></b><br />
<br />
Feel sad this Christmas? Hey, I know the feeling. In fact, many programs have interviewed me to share about it! Last year, I tried particularly hard to share stories and tips on how to cope with grief during the holidays: I wrote a feature for CBN.com, <i>Coping with Grief at Christmas</i>, visited and counseled grieving people, etc. <br />
<br />
Then irony hit: Near Christmas, two people I loved died within two days (December 15-16, 2009). <br />
<br />
Are you or a loved one hurting during the holidays? I relate. But let me encourage you: Jesus remains faithful! As real as my pain, He met my needs and comforted me with peace unexplainable. I’m serious. He’s real.<br />
<br />
Before I continue with tips, let me share this: If you feel suicidal, contact an emergency counseling service like the New Life Call Center at 1-800-NEW-LIFE(639-5433).<br />
<br />
<b>10 Tips for Hurting Hearts to Hope and Cope at Christmastime</b><br />
<br />
1. Realize and internalize it: God still loves you and wants to hear from you. He wants you to know that there is a Way out of your pit of despair. The Way is Jesus. <br />
<br />
2. Sometimes, our suffering causes us to forget His. Understand He understands you. He suffered more than any of us when we bore the weight of every sin and pain on the cross! In fact, Is. 53:3 describes Jesus: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Think of it: He took your punishment and pain on the cross. He was your capital punishment Substitute! And your Deliverer -your Rescuer- wants to hear from you. His heart hurts with yours. Will you pour your heart out to Him now? He’ll pour His love in where the fear previously resided. Let Jesus inside. Do you know Jesus on a personal, one-to-One basis? Visit here to learn why Jesus was born to die and how to be born again. (Hey, Jesus said it: "You must be born again.") <br />
<br />
3. Rather than mere gifts, make a Christmas prayer list of other hurting people. Then pray for them and request prayer for yourself, too. Contact your church. Tap into ministries (including CBN.com) that offer extra prayer support. And feel free to join my prayer e-group at www.PrayingPals.org or on Facebook by clicking here. <br />
<br />
4. End the Christmas comparison game. Don't compare your Christmas to your neighbor's. Don't compare your Christmas to past celebrations. <br />
<br />
5. Center on the Savior! This year, trade a superficial Christmas for a real one. Deepen your appreciation for the true Christmas: the arrival of Jesus Christ to banish the effects of sin and death! <br />
<br />
6. Whatever your loss or pain, open up and let God be your Gain. Maybe your pain comes from another cause: a divorce, a devastating diagnosis, a job loss...the list extends. God offers to be your Counselor, your Father, your Healer, your Provider. Let Him answer your heart’s cry. <br />
<br />
7. Love on people. Even if you don’t “feel” like it, prayerfully do something for someone else who is hurting. <br />
<br />
8. Remember: Feelings change. God doesn't. Loved ones' deaths never kill His love for you. God's immeasurable, unconditional love still flows to you! When you know Jesus, you know eternal love and security. Nothing separates you from His love! “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, ESV). <br />
<br />
9. Realize the reality of the sudden reunion. Holidays exacerbate the feeling of long separation from our loved ones in Heaven. Does it feel like it will take forever for you to see your loved one in Heaven? Be encouraged: Jesus IS coming again and it will be a time you don't expect! So the fact that you feel like it won't happen soon is a good thing! Once reunited, it will feel like no time transpired. All sadness will be entirely removed! <br />
<br />
10. When Jesus comes back to earth, it will be a celebration greater than any previous Christmas you've ever experienced! <br />
<br />
For believers, losses hurt but never win. We will celebrate Jesus together -and it will be glorious "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4, NIV). In that Day, all believers will be able to jubilantly say, “Merry Christmas to all and to all the true Light!”<br />
<br />
Additional Help: Ready for some practical tips for coping with grief at Christmastime? Here’s one: Rearrange furniture to reduce absence reminders. To read this tip and others found in another of my CBN.com’s articles: “Coping with Grief at Christmas", visit <a href="http://www.cbn.com/">www.CBN.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Going thru a rough time? Join Stacie Ruth’s prayer group at <a href="http://www.prayingpals.org/">www.PrayingPals.org</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> ~~~</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.brightlightministries.com/images/202_Stacie_Ruth-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.brightlightministries.com/images/202_Stacie_Ruth-small.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><b>About Stacie:</b> Stacie Ruth knows pain, but she also knows Jesus! After Stacie Ruth met Jesus, her life blossomed with true joy and purpose. Life’s blows hurt her, but Jesus heals and strengthens her. Now an author, actress, and recording artist, she laughs at the irony and praises God, who uses unlikely people...like herself. Discover why she's written a book at age 15, sung/spoken for the 43rd President, been pictured in major media (i.e. The New York Times, USA Today), and keynoted conferences since she was a teenager. To watch video clips, worship Jesus with music from her album, or get in touch with her ministry for women, visit <a href="http://www.brightlightministries.com/">www.brightlightministries.com</a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s1600/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55fxu7DWq6YFYxBNOfUr_TG6ScD_Fv3-HkJWHPi5-gbh_7BQ4HkXT8caG-5KcVu94QVqI2R0KRi8jvupiqQZgBeOubmMOizhyOpBm1yy91A68UrFXKcZgutGMW-6YYhzdgUHwszMmAHKd/s200/Pearl-Jewelry-Set.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1676782242"><span id="goog_1676782238"></span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><b></b></a><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">{<a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGQyNFlId1ZDUEVUMm0wZjVIYUZielE6MQ">FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM</a></span>}<span id="goog_1676782239"></span></b>. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (<a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com</a>) on New Years Day!<br />
<br />
12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/388/549DBE2E75B027E30AA619B9D7AA1155.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08242656256770329447noreply@blogger.com0