Things Jesus Did Not Say

I love this post from Perry Noble, lead pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina.  If the church changed these things, many more would be saved.  This is worth your time to read.

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/09/29/14-things-that-jesus-did-not-say/

A Tale of Two Uninsured

Two doctors office visits, two strep tests, two flu tests, two HUNDRED and thirty-two dollars!  And, that doesn’t include any meds.

Since leaving my corporate job earlier this year, I have not yet purchased health insurance for Livvie and me.  I have been trying to get her insured through All Kids, but that’s quite a process.  Unfortunately, the flu doesn’t care whether you’re insured or not.

Here’s how great my God is: 

I went to CVS to get medicine for Livvie and me.  We both have prescriptions for Tamiflu and a decongestant.  At CVS, Tamiflu is $104.99!  They didn’t have the Tamiflu suspension for Livvie, so they sent us to a small family pharmacy here in Hartselle.  It turns out, that pharmacy is part of a government program that provides Tamiflu to the uninsured for $6.  Who knew that CVS running out of Tamiflu suspension would be a blessing to someone!  How Great is Our God!

Premier Special

I have just signed my 7th Premier daughter, and I am so excited about getting her business off to a great start!  In her honor, I am offering a special.  All the money raised will be applied to her application fee.  Buy one item and get the 2nd item at 40% off!  Wow!  What a deal!  Let me know if you need a catalog!

An Evening with the Jonas Brothers

Livvie’s birthday was in June, and I gave her tickets to see the Jonas Brothers in concert.  Actually, Livvie’s best friend, Elizabeth’s, birthday is in July, so Elizabeth’s mom and I both bought them tickets to the concert and we all went together.  It was great fun!

When I gave Livvie her birthday present she wasn’t at all excited about it.  I was bummed!  I hadn’t thought about the fact that an eight year old would not get excited about two pieces of paper.  However, the closer the concert got, the more she became excited.  By the night of the concert, she was beside herself.  She and Elizabeth made posters and bought matching Jonas Brothers t-shirts.

I think I enjoyed the concert as much as she did.  It was a great mother-daughter experience.  Her first rock concert at the age of 8!  We danced, we sang, we clapped and screamed.  It was a night either of us will ever forget!

Elizabeth and Livvie before the concert

Livvie and her poster

The Jonas Brothers

The Stage

Rebirth and Tailgating Crosspoint Style

My baby girl got baptized today!!  About three weeks ago she asked me about baptism, what it means, why it’s done, etc.  I explained to her that is an outward symbol of an inner change and that once a person accepts Christ as their personal Savior, they are then a Christian and can be baptized.  She wanted to ask Jesus into her heart immediately!  We have discussed it several times before, and she has always said, “Well, I think when I’m sixteen, I’ll be ready.”  For some reason, she thought sixteen was the magic age.  I’m not sure what changed, but I’m so glad it did!  Watching her get baptized today, ranks in the top five most emotional moments of my life.  I had a VERY hard time keeping my composure.  It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that my earthly child will be with me forever in Heaven.

Crosspoint’s annual baptism service was called Tailgate this year.  It was one huge tailgate party of about 600 people, 60 of which were baptized.  Tailgate was an amazing experience made possible by an amazing God who loves every one of us enough to die for us.  Just soak that up for a moment.  Today was the first time that I ever witnessed a baptism and really took time to think about the symbolism, resurrection from death in Jesus Christ.  Salvation is the most precious gift, freely given to those who simply believe that Jesus Christs died and rose to save us from sin forever.  Wow!

By the way, I LOVED reading everyone’s Facebook posts about the baptism service today, and was entertained by all the creative spellings of the words “baptism” and “baptized”.  Just thought that was funny!  Here’s a photo of sweet Livvie being baptized:

Livvie getting baptized

Return from Hiatus

Reading a friend’s blog today inspired me to begin writing again. I’m not sure of the reason for my blogging hiatus; life just got in the way. Over the next few days, I plan to upload some pics and fill in the last few months.

Livvie is back in school now, and life has returned to its new normal. This was the first summer that we have ever been home together every day. I enjoyed it, but I definitely had to adjust to not having any time alone during the day. The first few weeks of summer were hard. Livvie didn’t realize that even though I was home, I still had to work. She thought I had all the time in the world to entertain her. By the end of the summer, we had a good balance of work time and play time, but then it was over too quickly. Livvie is a third grader this year, and I just can’t believe I am old enough to have a third grade child!

So far, third grade is treating us well FOR THE MOST PART. Livvie got accepted to the gifted program at school. She tested VERY high on an intellectual exam. That being said, the child can’t remember anything! We have implemented some chores at home and a daily routine of homework and chores in order to teach her some personal responsibility. It was a challenge to get her actually doing the chores without me having to remind her over and over again. However, it seems like this week, it has finally sunk in. After school, Livvie immediately does her homework, then her chores, THEN she can play or watch television. The TV can’t even be turned on until the homework and chores are completed. She doesn’t seem to mind it. It’s great for both of us!

The funniest thing happened today! Everyday, I pick up Livvie and my nephew, Mikie, from school. Mikie is in first grade and doesn’t have as much homework as Livvie. Therefore, as soon as we get home, he’s ready to play! So, today Livvie and Mikie devised a system so that they would get to play sooner. Livvie did homework. Mikie did her chores! She sat at the dinner table in “Homework Area” and directed him while she did her homework. It was the funniest thing to watch! He got all her chores done! Even cleaned up her dirty clothes (underwear and all) off her bathroom floor! I was amused.

On another note, life groups at church have started back up. If you are not familiar with a life group, it is basically just a small group Bible study that meets in a home with a leader who facilitates discussion on a chosen topic. Our topics are actually written by our pastor and are an extension of the sermon he preaches on the prior Sunday. I am leading my life group this term (and hopefully for a while to come.) It really forces me to study much more. I love leading the group! I’m no Bible scholar or master theologian, but I truly care about these people and want to help them grow closer to God as well as give them an outlet to talk about whatever is on their minds. Life group is group therapy! I’m still in awe over the fact that God gave me this opportunity. Sometimes, I still wonder if He chose the right person for this, but then I am reminded that God’s will is PERFECT. There is no better path for our lives than that which is the perfect will of God.

Ecstatic!

I just restored the iTunes library that was on my Nucor computer (that I obviously don’t have access to anymore.)  Jonathan sent me a link on how to do it once before, but I never did it, and lost the link.  So, I googled “restore lost iTunes library”, and found a link to this blog post:  http://dougwick.com/2009/01/04/how-to-restore-a-lost-itunes-library/.  This guy has obviously done his research; I didn’t look past this blog post.  His instructions worked perfectly!  I’m very happy to have all my music back.  I was able to get all the music I had purchased in the iTunes store and the music I had ripped from CD’s.  I am a very happy girl right now!

My Current Challenge

If you know me well, you know my life has changed quite a bit in the past few months.  I went from a job in corporate accounting motivated by climbing the corporate ladder, to a work-from-home mom motivated by making my daughter smile.  I have A LOT of time at home.  I have one awesome new job, and on equally-awesome older one, both of which I can do from home.

My current challenge is finding my motivation.  I have the two jobs to get done. I need to do better at keeping the house clean, and I also need to get on an exercise plan.  I haven’t quite figured out how to get it all done as well as doing the normal stay-at-home mom stuff, like volunteering at Livvie’s school, preparing more home-cooked meals, and being here to do all of Livvie’s homework with her.  These are things I didn’t do when I worked outside of the home (as ashamed as I am to admit that, it’s true.)

I have thought maybe one solution to this problem of not-so-epic proportion, is making a weekly schedule and making myself abide by it.  Would I cheat?  Would I be motivated by the possibility of not completing all my scheduled activites?  I need to feel like it HAS to be done.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not overwelmed, just. . . re-adjusting.

When life was constant go-go-go, I made a list, did what was on it, checked activities off the list, and moved on the next.  Life is little less hectic now, and I’m finding I operate better when I’m busy and under pressure.  So, now I gotta figure out what makes me operate well under my current scenario (which I would NEVER say is not busy!)  Life is just different now.  Best kinda different I’ve ever experienced, but an adjustment nonetheless.

A New Path

My world has really changed over the past few months, and I am beginning to love my life as it is right now.  God is directing me in paths that I never dreamed, and I can’t wait to see how He molds me into what He planned me to be.

My Premier business is about to reach new heights.  My Premier mom, Pam, always says, “God blesses effort.”  There could not be a truer statement.  I have been a stumbling block to my Premier business in the past because I have made a lot of excuses for not working it as I should.  I have also let situations in my life discourage me, making me think that I couldn’t have a successful business, instead of letting my business “be the bulldozer that tears down the problems” in my life.  I am really addressing this aspect of my business, and turning that situation around, and I am so excited about it!  I have recently signed two new wonderful Premier daughters.  Carly and Alison, I love you!  I can’t wait to help you build your own successful Premier businesses.  I’ve got some great Premier promotions and events coming down the pipes.  Stay tuned in to see.

I have also just started working on a finance project for my church, Crosspoint Community Church.    It’s a temporary gig, but is just a little different than anything I’ve ever done before.  I’m stoked about my new job in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  I truly believe this opportunity is THE reason that my corporate career took the path that it did.  When we pray for God’s will in our lives, we never know exactly what we’re gonna get.  The thing about God’s will that is so amazing. . . it’s perfect.  That’s right, I said Perfect.  God’s will is ultimate perfection in our lives.  Does that mean that every moment will be bliss, and we will be forever protected from turmoil and strife?  Absolutely not!  It just means that lives lived according to God’s will, will always glorify Him.  I can’t thnk of any more perfect mission for my life than to glorfiy God in all that I do.

Most Awesome News of All

I’m no longer in pain!  The chronic pain in my neck that has plagued me for the past 2 1/2 years, is miraculously gone.  That’s not to say that I don’t have a bad day once in a while, but they are rare.  I shared this with my wonderful friend Jason tonight.  He was shocked to hear my news and asked why I have not shared it with our life group.  I guess I have been afraid to say it out loud for fear that the pain would reappear.  The truth is, once I decided to “let go and let God,”  He took the pain away.  All I had to do was trust Him.  Jonathan and I (and my mom and dad, and my Premier family, and my church family, etc.)  had both been praying for a miracle for a while.  This is proof positive that God is still in the miracle business.  There are 27 million Americans that suffer with chronic pain on a daily basis.  Chronic pain is intense pain for which there is no apparent reason, or no treatable cause.  It affects its victims not only physically, but mentally as well, causing depression and anxiety disorders. And, “suffer” is the only word to describe how these people live from day to day.  For the rest of my life, I will continue to pray that medicine finds a way to help chronic pain sufferers live a more comfortable life.

With all of the wonderful changes going on, I’m still experiencing a little difficulty financially as I figure out how to work out the logistics of income that is not the same every week.  I know, sounds funny coming from an accountant.  I’ll figure it out.  I need to book jewelry shows desperately!!!  I will be announcing a Mother’s Day special and Mystery Hostess Show in the next couple of days.  Please email me at msjewelrylady@gmail.com if you are willing to host a home jewelry show.  I will make it very stress-free for you, and you will earn LOTS of FREE JEWELRY!!!!

I’ve no doubt that I”m exactly where God wants me to be right now.  First of all, I’m continuing to be at home with Olivia.  I love it!  I’m working with two absolutely wonderful God-centered organizations, Crosspoint Community Church and Premier Designs Jewelry, and I’m pain-free.  Sitting here, reading back over this post, I’m ashamed at how many sentences start with the word “I”.  It’s not about me, it’s about my Lord who has created this bright new path for my life.  I am so incredibly blessed!

April Premier Hostess Promotion

Happy Easter!!  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. . . and I can get off my butt and do all the things I have been meaning to do such as updating my blog.  There’s so much to say that it can’t possibly be done in one blog post, but I would like to share an exciting new promotion from Premier Designs Jewelry.

Double Hostess Bonus Awards

From now until April 24th, Premier has doubled the $25 bonus awards that you can earn by hosting a home jewelry show.  You can now earn $50 for reaching each of the following home show goals:

• Hold the home show on the originally scheduled date
• Have 10 or more guests in attendance
• Obtain $100 in advance orders before the day of your home show
• Help me book 3 future home shows

There is also a 5th $50 bonus award during the promotion.  Simply, let me share the Premier business with you and you will earn an extra $50 in FREE jewelry.

That’s $250 in FREE jewelry just by reaching all of those home show goals!!!  Plus, you will still earn the normal hostess benefits: 30% of the retail from the home show in FREE jewelry, AND 4-8 half-price items (depending on the retail from your home show.)

If you are interested in hosting a jewelry show under this promotion, send me an email to msjewelrylady@gmail.com.  The promotion ends on April 24th.  We would have to work quickly, but it can be done!!

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