Tuesday, April 27, 2010

0 A True "Shower"

As mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend Raleigh and I headed up to Birmingham for a wedding.  While we were all in town, our sweet friends decided to give us a baby shower too!  It truly was a shower...complete with rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds!  Even though the weather was blue, we were showered with pink!!!!!



The Bartlett's, McAllister's, Price's, and Gray's
Thank you SO MUCH sweet friends for hosting this shower for us!!!!

We got some really great gifts at this shower.  Mackenzie hand-made the girls these bibs!  Our other friend Corinne, also stitched the girls two beautiful blankets.  I just love crafty people and can't wait to use these gifts!  Maybe I can be as crafty as these ladies one day :)


We got a package from Santa....I mean Sarah :)


Sarah gave the girls the rain forest bathtub.  Raleigh is really looking forward to bath time with the girls...I can't wait to put them in the soft bath robes afterward...they are just too darn cute! 


Our friend Lu gave us a first aid kit for the girls and one for Raleigh! Inside of Raleigh's kit were gloves for dirty diapers, earplugs, and some other handy items.  It was really cute and funny :) 


Patrick and Keely gave us a diaper genie 2 and accessories.  We have been told that twins go through at least 150 diapers a WEEK!!!!!  That genie better work! :)  


Two of my college roomies, Laura and Mary Shaffer
One thing I love about parties is the chance to see old friends...it was so great to catch up with these two ladies!!!!


Some of Raleigh's studio friends....he spent many days and nights with this group in good ole Dudley Hall!  It really was so much fun for us to catch up with old friends.  

"  How I thank God for you"
- II Timothy 1:3
Till next time, let your light shine!
Blessings, christen
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Monday, April 26, 2010

0 Simply Put

Let's be honest...who doesn't love a wedding?

Some cynics out there might have protests to the enjoyment of this ceremony due to the fact that they have to get dressed up, don't have a date, or it makes them realize that they are yet to be married, but all of those reasons aside, I still find it hard to believe that everyone doesn't have at least one part of a wedding that they love.  Whether it is catching up with old friends, enjoying some tasty cake, or breaking it down to "Shout" everyone has some part of the wedding that warms their hearts.

To me, it is knowing now what I only hoped for on my wedding day.  I hoped that my life with Raleigh would grow with love each and every day.  Our love started out so small, so innocent, so youthful.  In college, it grew to trust and understanding.  With that foundation established came commitment and faith in believing that what we shared was real.  We grew to believe that our love could last for a lifetime and we wanted to share our lives together.  Our wedding day was a day filled with joy and hope for the future.  We were ready to commit our lives to one another because we knew that two were better than one. 

This past Saturday, we attended a wedding in Birmingham of two friends that were in architecture school with Raleigh.  As the doors opened, I couldn't help but smile as I saw the radiant bride walking down the aisle. The whole wedding was really beautiful and very stylish  but my favorite part of it was the scripture reading.  They picked out scripture from 1 John 4: 7-12 and it just really touched my heart.  It reads:

Dear friends,
Let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

As I sat in my pew seat listening to those words, I thought about how honest and true that statement of faith was in my life - in our lives.  It makes love sound so simple yet somehow we end up making it such a difficult thing.  If we simply believe that God is love and that we should love one another then emotions of conflict, anger, hurt, and fear would come at a much slower pace.  When these feelings wound our souls, it is easy for love not to last.  But when we realize that our love is not about us, it is about God's love for us, we learn that we always have his love and it never goes away.  This is how a marriage is built.  This is how it stays together.

Friends, there are times when I really don't like my husband.  My tongue becomes loose and my patience is quick and soon enough hurtful words slip out of my mouth.  We can easily be so mean to one another and cause pain to invade our souls.  When this happens, we are encompassed with loneliness and feel like we aren't loved by anyone.  But if we realize that we have God's love then we are living in Him, not in our worldly selves.  His love strips away pain, his love heals all wounds, and his love is what is real.  When we have his love in our marriages, the covenant that we make on our wedding day will stay bound for a lifetime.  Our days become filled with simple acts of love.  We still falter and stumble but we learn to forgive and accept the faults in our partners because we aren't perfect.  God allowed us to be human when he sacrificed his son for us on the cross.

I love the part at the end, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."   God, our wonderful Creator, does so much for us that we don't even realize.  His love for us is so deep and pure that we can't even fully comprehend him until we meet in heaven.  I might not physically see God, but I intimately feel God every day.  I feel God because I am loved and I love others.  God is my husband kissing me goodnight.  God is my daughters kicking me while I write.  God is my mom who holds my hand when I am scared.  God is love and these people are examples of Him in my life.  My life is complete simply for the fact that I have found His love.  I don't have to search for perfection or pass a great test, I am simply "loved because he first loved us."

Brothers and sisters, we have to live our lives according to this simple truth.  We have to believe that we are capable of receiving love and even more so willing to give love.  In order for us to believe these things, we have to first love and accept ourselves. We are worthy to love because God loves us.  When this fact is realized, we recognize the truth...the uncontainable truth that God is love and it is our mission to share his love with others.  When this happens, we can't help but love our lives because our hearts are bursting with his love for us. 



It is that simple.

"God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)"

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

0 Idol Gives Back

Hey friends,

Did any of y'all watch Idol Gives Back last night?  I am a BIG AI fan and really enjoyed the show.  This year, I am thinking either Crystal or Lee has a chance at winning the title.  Who do y'all think will win?

Anyways, one of my favorite clips on the show was from David Cook's trip to Ethiopia.  He seems like a really sincere guy to me and it was really moving to see his interaction with the young girls in that village.  My heart just goes out to those girls; even more so now that I know I have two little girls on the way.  I just can't imagine having to grow up in a community that is so big on prostitution.  It is so sad to me that some girls feel like that is their only chance at making it in the world and for those men to take advantage of them like they do.  I am really glad that a show that is so mainstream focuses on these type of issues because it really does create awareness.  When people are aware, they want to help.  With help comes change. 

Below is the David Cook clip if you didn't get to watch it last night.  Enjoy!



Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

1 So Far, So Good

 
Hola! I have been in a Mexican kick lately :)  Who doesn't love chips and salsa?  Ole preggo here does!  I hope everyone is staying dry today...it is a rainy day here in the Gump.  This morning Raleigh and I had our 26 week check-up and I am happy to say everyone is doing great!  I had to drink the glucola orange soda (which really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be) to get the diabetes test and we had another ultrasound.  I would post the pictures but the girls are getting so big that they can't really get a great shot of them.  Both of the girls are facing head down so the doctor is hoping that they stay that way.  We haven't decided yet if we are going to do a C-section or deliver vaginally but all I know is the less pain the better!  Any advice on delivering twins is much appreciated right now!  I am starting to get to that point where I am realizing that D-day really is coming soon.  Scaredy cat by nature, I am a little frightened of what to expect but I know the end result is going to be worth every ounce of discomfort I might feel.  Still feeling a little scared though........

Both girls are almost at 2 pounds and have strong, steady heartbeats so that is such a relief.  Hearing the heartbeat is Raleigh's favorite part.  It is that comfort of knowing that they really are doing okay, you know?  I have to say, I too have grown in size since our last visit.  I know it is part of being pregnant but I have never seen that number on the scale before!  Our doctor also told me that I am getting into the "rapid growth stage" so that means the pounds are only going to increase from this point on!  Some days I really do feel large and in-charge but so far it hasn't bothered me.  This month has probably been the most enjoyable because I am finally on a routine with medicine so I'm not getting sick.  April is such a beautiful month down south so I have been able to get outside more and enjoy all the flowers, green grass, and sunshine.  I just love being outdoors...it makes me feel so much better and brighter.

I know y'all have seen pictures of me throughout the pregnancy, but I thought I would post some for you to see our progression.  The first few I am so pale...it is funny looking back on those because it was during the winter and I also felt awful so I look so sickly!  Oh well, just part of it I guess.  Anyways, hope you enjoy!


16 weeks

18 weeks

20 weeks

25 weeks

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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Friday, April 16, 2010

0 Stand Strong

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"     - Proverbs 18:24

Other than our family, the people that know the most about us are our friends.  For better or for worse, they know our strengths, our weaknesses, and all of the things that either drive us nuts or get us excited.  In college, I always had roommates and these friends knew all of my habits...once again, good or bad.  My friend Laura was always so good at doing her laundry and I sent mine home to my mom so she could wash and iron my clothes for me.  How pitiful is that!  The sad thing is she still helps me with this when I need her to - I just can't stand to iron!!!!!  I will admit that I have gotten better at it these past couple of weeks.  The key is not letting it pile up and doing a little bit at a time.  Forgive me for my childish behavior, I'm still learning :)

Another friend of mine, Ashley, knows exactly what will cheer me up.  Every time we get together we have to share oreos and milk.  It is a necessity in our friendship.  As we are dunking our oreos in our glasses of cold milk to the perfect soft yet still crunchy consistency, we pour out our troubles to one another.  I remember one time in high school we were doing this at my parent's lake trailer (yep, we live in Alabama and people go to the lake to stay in trailers...no shame!) and all of a sudden a HUGE cockroach comes climbing up the wall by our bed.  We both scream like girls, our oreos and milk go flying, and we jump on the bed pointing at the darn thing.  Finally, I get brave and take off my flip-flop and declare, "Die bug DIE!!!" while Ashley is squirming saying, "Get it, Christen, get it!!!!"  Sadly for the roach he met his destiny that night but in spite of his tragedy, Ashley and I have a funny memory that we both will never forget.

I will be the first to admit that friendships are not always easy.  We all have experiences where we have been betrayed by friends and have lost friends along the way but I do think we can all agree that we all desire to have fellowship with others.  We were designed to be with one another and it is our choice to choose friends who will stick to us closer than brothers rather than betray us like enemies.  In 1 Samuel, a wonderful story of friendship is shared through the relationship of Jonathan and David.  Their story picks up right after David shot Goliath with his sling and David is brought into King Saul's inner courts to stay with him and his family.  Jonathan was Saul's son and soon became David's BFF.

"After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.  And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt." (1 Samuel 18:1,3)

As mentioned in the verse above, Jonathan "became one in spirit with David and he loved him as himself."  Before David killed Goliath, the prophet Samuel picked out little shepherd boy David to be the anointed king of Israel.  Since Jonathan's dad was currently serving as king, he was supposed to be next in line to receive the throne but now this dirty, new kid shows up and is declared to be king.  Honestly, if I was Jonathan, I would be pretty ticked off, wouldn't you?  I would think to myself, "Well, who does this kid think he is that he can just take my throne?  I have royal blood and he smells like dirty sheep!"  Jonathan had every right to hate David but instead he loved him. 

He loved him so much that he signed a covenant with David to show the depth of their friendship.  The Hebrew word for "covenant" is "berith" meaning a contract, accompanied by signs, sacrifices, and a solemn oath.  Jonathan and David were both soldiers and his sword, tunic, robe, bow, and belt were his battle gear.  No soldier would go into battle not dressed and prepared so the fact that he gave these items to David showed that he viewed him as his equal.  Jonathan chose not to become jealous of
David but rather to "have in mind the things of God."  He sacrificed himself for the glory of God's kingdom.

How many of our friends would we sacrifice ourselves for?  Who would you sign a covenant with?  Do you have a friend that would stick closer to you than a brother?  I have learned over time that it is okay to just be able to count the number of my tight friends on one hand.  I don't just want my relationships to be Facebook-type friends, I want real, true, honest friendships.  I think following Jonathan's example of sacrifice instead of jealousy can take our friendships to a much deeper level.  We should "love our friends as ourselves" instead of looking at them through slanted, jealous eyes.

The awesome thing about having a relationship with Jesus Christ is experiencing his amazing love.  Jesus always loved others as he loved himself.  When we give every worry and jealous thought to our God he will in return give us peace and love so we can use that in our friendships.  And, just like a marriage, if a friendship is Christ-centered instead of people-centered it will grow into a deep-rooted relationship that will continue to stand strong and upright  through our windy days of life.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Good Morning Friends!

I couldn't leave y'all thinking I was all mopey after that last post so here is a video of a song that I love by Jack Johnson called "Rainbow." Yesterday I had a very productive day and I feel more like myself. I just needed to sit down and set some goals and organize my thoughts. As the saying goes, "You have to eat the elephant one bite at a time." Hope y'all enjoy this video!




Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Monday, April 12, 2010

0 Stuck in the Mud

Blogger friends,

Right now my husband has the Rocky theme song blaring from his iPod while doing a mini-workout.  His brother has told him that 25 is going to be the age that he is going to start packing on the pounds and Raleigh is out to prove him wrong!  It is really funny watching him do his work-outs. Have any of you done the P-90X ab workout?  Well, neither has Raleigh but he likes to think he has! He has a tendency to make up different moves. Right now he is banging his fists against his chest while doing sit-ups. He says this helps tighten up the ab muscles but I just think he looks like a gorilla. ha ha.  Honestly, he says that workout is a killer....I can't really participate in that kind of stuff right now so I am going to take his word for it :)

All the while Obi is laying on our twin bed here in the office with me.  All four of his legs are in the air with his head draped against my flower pillow.  He loves that pillow, I swear.  He looks like a center-fold.  Now he is just staring at me like, "What?  You're not putting this on the internet are you?  At least get a picture of how good I look."  Lu Lu is jealous that Obi can jump on the bed and she can't.  So, she just lays at my feet with her legs crossed.  Such a lady that girl is...until she hears a bag open for food.  At that point, all is fair in love and war.  I haven't given them their nightly treat yet so soon I will have some puppies scratching at my legs giving me the pitiful face.

Today, I just wanted to go running....like really fast sprinting.  Throughout my pregnancy I have been doing yoga, walking, and bike riding but today I really had the need for speed.  Mondays are hard days for everyone but this Monday hit me hard.  I had some bad dreams last night (part of being pregnant is the crazy dreams!) and didn't sleep very well so this morning I was rather sluggish and slow moving.  To top off my wonderful Monday morning I had to deal with a not-so-nice person at the fabric store.  Customer service seems to be a thing of the past these days.  Oh, well. 

Anyways, I wanted to write today just because.  I don't really have any ideas in particular that are coming to me but I really do have a desire to type.  Do y'all ever just feel stuck in the mud?  That is how I am feeling right now.  It is like I want to go on this journey but I don't even know where to start.  I need some guidance, some direction, some focus.  God, please help me sort all of this out. 

I need to stop throwing myself a pity party and just start focusing on taking baby steps to reach my goal. We get where we are going one step at a time and I just need to remember that.  God has shown me a path but right now I am just stumbling on some roots of insecurity.  I need to look up and stop looking down.  Tomorrow is a fresh day so that means a fresh start on my journey. 

Words on encouragement always make me feel better.  Even if I have to give myself a pep talk it helps me to stay positive.  Thanks for letting me get that out....I really do feel much better!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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0 Showered with Love

Happy Monday!

Here are some pictures from our Dothan baby shower that was held Easter weekend.  I had such a good time seeing our families and friends.  Thank you to everyone that came!  You all truly blessed us abundantly!  Adeline and Maralee are going to be stylin' and profilin' in their new outfits and goodies :)


The shower invitation


My sweet friends and their moms hosted the shower
(Pictured from left to right: Ashley, Kari Beth, me, and Susanne)

The food was so yummy!  The shower was a brunch so the hostesses provided sausage and egg casserole, cheese grits, muffins, pound cake and fresh fruit.  It was all so dainty and girly...I loved it!

One of our gifts...how fitting!

My mom, me, and Mrs. Price
Our moms have been so great and are so excited to be grandmothers!  My mom is going to be called Ganny because she doesn't want to be granny and Mrs. Price is going to be called Gabby because she likes to talk.  I think both names are fitting....let's just hope the girls can say them :)

The girls are going to have so many cute clothes to wear!  Some of the clothes were monogrammed and it was so neat to see their names spelled out.  It makes this whole experience seem more real! I can't wait to dress them in all of these adorable outfits!
 
The rest of our loot.  We got a basket full of practical baby items and tons of things to go in the nursery such as baby monitors, a sound machine, and some things to help them sleep.  I also got two really cute diaper bags to carry around town. 

I really was blown away with the amount of love that was shown to us at this shower.  We appreciate these items more than the giver will ever know!  Once we have the nursery completed I will be sure to post pictures of everything in their place.
Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

2 Letting Go

Hey Friends,

This morning I read a great passage from Beth Moore's new book, So Long, Insecurity.  Be prepared to spend a little bit of time reading this post because it is just that good.  At the end of the post I've shared some pictures from our fun-filled Easter weekend.  Blessings to you all!

     People who are chronically insecure often have an overwhelming tendency to become control freaks.  Upon serious consideration, that inclination makes perfect sense.  We feel most secure when our environment is in control, and since no one is able to control it to our satisfaction, we decide we have to do it ourselves.  If someone would do it and do it right, we wouldn't have to take over, so it's not really our fault, we reason.  It's our responsibility.
     There has never been a soul on earth I wanted to control more than Keith Moore.  He wouldn't mind me telling you that he has a rebellious root so deep that to pull it up could cause a tremor all over the state of Texas.  I've nearly thrown my back out trying.
     Honestly, I just wanted him to be happy, and he seemed to have such unnecessary ups and downs. (Does that sound familiar?)  I knew what worked for me, and I wanted it to work for him. (Also sound familiar?) The way I saw it, the man had so much potential if he would just do things God's way.  But since he wasn't really listening to God, maybe my way was close enough. (Is this getting on your nerves like it's getting on mine?)  If he would just have a regular prayer time or memorize a few Scriptures or listen to Christian music or be more jovial or more compliant or less free with his opinions but more talkative about his feelings or more selective about what he watched and more careful about what he ate, he'd be so much happier.  Clearly, I needed to take control of the situation and try to shove Keith to his happy place.
        I bought men's devotional and inspirational books, but he used them for a coaster for his Route 44 cherry limeades from Sonic. I got him so many great CDs that you can hardly get the glove compartment open in his car to put one in his player.  I got audiobooks by the actual authors, and he has taken such good care of them that they're still in the cellophane.  I purchased enough vitamins and supplements to keep a whole football team healthy, but the bottles still have the safety seals on them.  When he complained that he was looking older, I bought him a skin regimen complete with toner and lip balm.  At least I know it's there in the bathroom drawer when I run out of my own.
        I'm much better about it now than I used to be.  Now I vacillate somewhere between giving up altogether and giving it one more tiny little try.  I live in neither place, but this much has become remarkably clear: we cannot control people.  Goodness knows I wish we could, but we can't.  It doesn't work.  It will never work.  And here's the worst part: the insecurity that drove the desire in the first place only deepens with each failure. Our attempts to control can take us all sorts of places we never meant to travel. Sometimes we impose ourselves on our controllee, but other times we're invited there.  Even dragged there.  When was the last time somebody put you in charge of his or her problem? Ever been in charge of an alcoholic's liquor cabinet?
       The tricky part is that God blatantly instructs us in Scripture to help one another, so how do we know when help has morphed into a quest for control?  The first clue is when the helper is the one doing all the work.  Simultaneously, the one being helped lazily lapses into the mentality of a victim of his or her own weakness and all the while gets to be the center of a strong person's attentions.  What a deal.  It took me forty years in the wilderness to realized that at the end of the day, people do what they want to do.  You can't make them do something else.  You can't force them.  You can't change them.  You can't deliver them.  Only God can.  And that's why He's omnipotent and we're not.
        We are not in charge.  Somewhere along the way, we each have to acknowledge that our loved one is a separate person from  us - someone God loves, pursues, and when necessary, chastises.  When we try to do God's job, we get in God's way.  We are called to cherish, support, and pray for others, but tying our security to them is a lost cause.  That knot we keep tightening is no more fair to them than it is to us.  Hand that rope over to God.  Let Him undo that tangled-up mess and retie your security to Himself.  He's the One with all the power.

Friends, that message speaks volumes to me and I hope you all benefited from it as well.  Beth is doing a live simulcast on So Long, Insecurity on Saturday, April 24th.  To find a church near you, click here.  As promised, here are the pictures from our Easter weekend in Dothan.  Enjoy!


The Ridley Family

Courts (my brother) and me

Me and Raleigh

Every year Raleigh's Nan Nan does an Easter Egg hunt at her house.  She hides four eggs with money in them and these are the ones that we found empty.

                                                                            Score!

Lu Lu enjoyed the hunt

The Price family

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Friday, April 2, 2010

0 Good Friday

Happy Good Friday!

Friends, I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend!  We are heading to Dothan to celebrate this wonderful holiday with our families.  Yesterday, I went on a walk through our neighborhood with my new camera and took some pictures of all the pretty flowers blooming.  It is no coincidence to me that spring appears in full bloom right as we are remembering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and how he rose from the grave.  He loves us so much! 

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2


This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem....When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.  Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." - Luke 24:46-53"

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

1 First Priority

Good morning!

I feel so good today.  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I have had some good time with my friend, Jesus.  Friends, these past couple of days have rough for me so to feel this way today is truly a breathe of fresh air!  If you haven't noticed, the blog has been pretty silent this past week.  We will get into that as we keep going today, but I will tell you that Raleigh and I have been battling a stomach bug that has taken its toll on both of us.  One day will be okay and then POW! a wave of yuckiness would hit us again.  No fun at all.

Anyways, enough of that.   What I really wanted to take time to share with y'all today was time itself.  How we spend our time and if what we are truly doing is worth our time.  This past month has been an interesting one for me.  As you know from my previous post, the beginning of March marked a new beginning for me as I left corporate America and began the venture into mommy/stay at home world.  Back in February, all I really focused on was finishing up work and I knew once March rolled around I would have plenty of time to focus on my goals, the babies, and everything else that I wanted to do.  That first Monday after leaving my job, I sat down and wrote out a huge to-do list for myself.  I did my lists in four categories: Adeline and Maralee, House, Personal Growth, and Hobbies.  I just knew that each day I would dive into accomplishing those goals on those lists.

Now, with today being the first of April, I have to admit that I have barely scratched the surface on those lined college-ruled pages.  What I have found over this past month is that I am still learning how to prioritize my time.  I think a big misconception associated with stay-at-home moms is that they have all of this free time compared to working moms. I realize the girls aren't here yet so my view is not focused on changing diapers and feeding schedules, but I have been doing a lot recently preparing for their arrival.  What I can say from this past month is that regardless of being a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, we all struggle with finding enough time in the day to get the things done that we really want to accomplish.  There are just so many "other" responsibilities that come up and take priority over our priorities.  Funny, huh?

The question to ask now is, "How do we make our priorities a priority?"  That my friend, I am still trying to figure out but here are some things that I am learning:

1. To let go of feeling like it is my responsibility, or my obligation to do those other things.  
2. To graciously say no without feeling guilty.  
3. To focus on me so I can serve others...in other words, not being a slave to other people's needs to the point of exhaustion which, in turn, debilitates me from being a humble servant
4. To invest my days instead of just have them whizzing by me.  
5. To carve out quality time with God first thing so I feel rejuvenated the rest of the day.

Friends, this morning I let go of one of my "other" priorities.  The minute I let go, God showed me a bible verse that coincides perfectly with one of my goals on my Personal Growth to-do list.  I just grinned at that sly dog for giving me that verse right after I gave something up for him.  He is so cool in his timing and that is what makes me love my Savior more than ever today.  I pray that you all spend some time with him and figure out how to take away some of those others and get back to focusing on what matters most.


"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm." - Proverbs 4:4

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen
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