I MET SALLY CLARKSON!!!!

Sally & Me!!!! (After I cried, of course!)

I did!  I did!  I met Sally Clarkson!  I hugged Sally Clarkson!  I cried when I talked to her (like I told my sister I knew I would even though I wasn't sure why I would)! I got a picture with Sally Clarkson! I had her sign the book that I told her had changed my life even though afterward I was looking at the book and realized I gave her the one I hadn't read yet!  I even chatted with Sally Clarkson in the hotel lobby the next morning as I was leaving to go to the airport.   I also ended our little chat by not thinking before I walked into the revolving doors at the hotel.  Me not thinking before going through a revolving door is very dangerous.  That is why I nearly lost my rolling suitcase in the revolving door...all with the lovely Sally Clarkson standing close by.  I knew it couldn't all be perfect!  After I recovered and tripped my way through the door, I turned and smiled and waved - Oh my word!  Could I have appeared any dorkier?  

It was a wonderful time, though!  The thing I love the most about Sally is that she is always so encouraging.  I am sure there are 1 million things she could tell us moms we should not be doing, but instead she always points us in the direction we need to be going and inspires us to be better than we were before.  The primary focus for this year's conference was moving from desperate to destiny.  So many moms live in a state of desperation - unsure of what to do, beating ourselves up with our own guilt as well as the guilt society places on us, always second guessing our decisions and praying that being a mom isn't going to be like this all EIGHTEEN YEARS!!!  (I know because I have felt this way!)  Sally used this conference to encourage moms to come out of the desperation by creating life and beauty everywhere we go and in every situation we are in.  God made women to nurture and create life and beauty.  We need to be doing what we were created to do!  She also encouraged us over and over again to find a mentor, and if we cannot find a mentor, to find books that will keep us inspired and challenge us to grow as a wife and mom.  She challenged all of us to be a mentor to someone else as well.  Every mom needs to be surrounded by three groups of people: Older and wiser moms who can provide encouragement and advice and an occasional break from the kids;  like-minded peers who can relate well to the season of life we are in but can remind each other of the goals we have and the future reward; younger moms who need encouragement from someone who has recently experienced the ups and downs of this new identity.

There were so many thoughts given during this day and half, and I haven't yet had the time to sit down and put them all in order in my mind, but I will leave you with a few of my favorite quotes.

"God is looking for a heart that will engage with Him - the living God." 

"Motherhood is where God shapes my heart into a holy heart."

"God's first thought was to bless (referring to Gen.  1:27-28).  Is that our first thought to our children?"

"Women are created to be cultivators of the soul."

"High ideals will cost you something."

"Parenting by guilt separates your children from God. Law without love is legalism."

"If we want to win our kids' hearts, we need to give them our heart and time."

"A child not trained in character will be at a disadvantage all his life."

"You don't have to be natural at being a mom.  You just have to be faithful."

My sister and I!!! Check out the beautimous scarves she made us!!!

Wow!  Just reading those again make me ready to be the most amazing mom ever!  I cannot encourage you enough, sweet moms, to find another mom who can listen to your heart, pray with you and encourage you.  If you do not have someone like that in your life, ask God to send someone your way and read a book by Sally Clarkson!  Don't give up! We have too much at stake - the spiritual lives of our children!  Now, more than ever, our babies need their mommas to support them, listen to them, play with them, pray with them, direct and guide them while providing beauty and life in the midst of life!  I pray you will find the encouragement you need to fulfill this special task that only a mom was created to fulfill.  

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

Joyful Mom Monday - Goals for 2013

It's Monday!  Are you ready for it?  I think I am!  Last Saturday evening, I sat down in my clean house and laid out all my plans for the following Monday.  We were starting back to school.  I had my lists, goals and plans all ready. My menu for the week was even prepared! I was so on top of it that I knew something would certainly go wrong.  That's why Miss Madelyn woke up literally screaming with an earache and running a slight fever.  And that is about how the rest of the week went for us!  So...here it is, time for another Monday, and I'm really hoping this one goes better!  

Speaking of goals and plans, that is today's Joyful Mom Monday topic.  What goals do you have for this new year that will help you become a more joyful mom?  I really steer away from the word resolutions.  I guess it's because I know that I tend to dream big and make high expectations that have a high possibility of  not being met or at least not being perfectly met.  I am a firm believer in setting the bar high though because it does make me try harder.  I would much rather fall somewhat short of my goal but work hard for it than to set a small resolution just for the satisfaction of being able to say I did it. 

What are your goals for this year?  I have a few I'll share with you...not because you need to make these your goals, but almost as an accountability for myself. (It makes me work harder if I know I have informed the entire world of my goals!) :)  My spiritual goal is to learn to pray more effectively.  A couple of personal goals I have are to be more structured and disciplined in my daily routine (getting up early every day would be a great start!), to begin digitally scrapbooking each of my kiddos' first year of life and to focus on my Mr.'s needs and desires more.  There a few habits I would like to work on in our family as a whole.  They are more consistent Scripture memory, better morning and evening routines, and finding more opportunities to serve others as a family.

Something else that I have never done before and am still working on is writing out each of my kiddos' strengths and weaknesses and finding Scripture verses that affirm their strengths as well as verses that  will help provide victory in weak areas. I plan to take some time with each of them so that we can talk about these things together and so that I can hear their thoughts and dreams of what they want to see happen or change in their lives this year.  I have never done this before, but I am excited about the possibilities.  I want my children to know that I see and know their strengths and weaknesses and that I will walk beside them and fight with them for victory in their hearts.  

New beginnings are exciting...and overwhelming.  Remember Daniel 11:32?  "But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."  Don't just dream.  Take action,  Sometimes action begins with the smallest of steps, and that's OK.  A little at a time, a little each day can take you a very long way towards your goal.  Don't forget to link up and share with us your dreams, goals and plans for 2013!

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

Take Action

The beginning of the school year and the beginning of the New Year are my two favorite times of the year!  They are the times when I get to sit down and make out lists - lists of goals, lists of priorities, lists of schedules, lists of books to help me, lists of habits to work on and for good measure...a list of all my lists!  It's a blast!  I love lists!  With all these lists, though, there comes one small problem.  It's called the...ummm....doing of the list.  The lists are of no value unless I begin to do the things that are on them, and I find that to be a HUGE challenge!  

I found a verse in Daniel that I had never noticed before.  Daniel 11:32b, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits."  I was studying out that do exploits there because I wasn't sure exactly what God classifies an exploit as.  I mean to me an exploit is changing one of the newbie's diapers - you know the kind that are up to his neck!  I digress...Anyway, the word exploit could really be replaced with the words "take action."  This verse was extremely challenging to me!  Because I know my God, I will be strong and take action.  I am so thankful that because my God is so extraordinarily powerful, He can (and will) enable me to take action in what needs to be accomplished - whether it be a physical goal, a spiritual  goal, or just the small but seemingly impossible task of making it through the changing of another dirty diaper or the wiping of another snotty nose or the preparing of another meal!  Because of who our God is, we can take the next step - however big or small it may be!  It does not matter who we are, where we are, or what we are trying to do, if God has called us to it, we can also know that God will give us the ability to take action! 

Isn't this an amazing verse?  It has been an invaluable encouragement to me these last couple of weeks as I have begun implementing all of my goals and lists!  It hasn't all been successful, but it has been a start.  I do not want to be a fearful, unsure, sit on the sidelines and watch Christian.  I want to be a bold, "take action"  child of God relying on His strength for the next step!  How about you?

Wishing you a day full of blessings!

Christy