Just looking into Patti’s eyes you can see the love of Christ!!!  What an incredible gal and beautiful heart for the Lord!!!  I pray I can exude Christ the way I even see it in her eyes some day!!!  Read on and see how HE speaks thru her!!!

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Like a whisper in my soul, I heard these words. His voice.  Before my eyes opened and my head cleared, my heart was receptive.

New Year’s Day. The first day of 2012. I had gone to bed thinking about the year that had passed. It was a challenging one, filled with unexpected trials and unplanned events. One that left me no choice but to draw on faith and hope in the One who covers me with His love.

Early on in 2011, it became clear that my “word of the year” was “Believe.” It began with a random conversation on a plane and carried through every event and life change I faced during the year. Some days, all I could do was choose to “believe” because circumstances spoke otherwise. If I dove into those circumstances, I might drown in fear and sorrow. But, clinging to my “word,” and more importantly, my faith, somehow He got me through every obstacle I encountered. He provided in ways only He could. He pruned areas of life that needed pruning. He spoke into my heart that He was with me.

And this year, on January 1, He woke me up with the gentle nudge of a promise. “Seek.” Seek Me. Those words settled into my mind as I slowly gained consciousness that morning. As I sat there, pondering the words, I knew this was my direction, my path, my “word” for 2012.

As I thought about the verse, I decided to look it up in different translations. The Message version grabbed my attention:

When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—”bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it. ~Jeremiah 29:13-14

When you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. Wow. What power in those words!

My charge for the year? Get serious. Seek. Seek with all my heart. Ask Him every day to guide me, lead me, help me to seek Him in all I do.

What is yours?

Patti Hazlett is a writer whose blog devotionals have struck a chord with her readers. Her ability to look at life through what she calls her “Jesus filter” has taught many life lessons and practical Biblical application. A later-in-life Christian, she struggled for years to connect the dots between her life and a life as someone who was saved. Her journey took a radical turn after a cancer scare and a heartfelt, honest cry out to God to use her for more than the life she was living. Today, she approaches every day with the prayer to maximize each moment for His glory.

website:

http://forsuchatimeasthis-phzlt.blogspot.com

twitter:

@pattihazlett

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/For-Such-A-Time-As-This/207955252565141

Since I began talking I’ve been known for my big mouth.

As a young child all I did was talk. Talk. Talk. Talk.

I’d talk to my family, friends and complete strangers, basically whoever would listen to me! Maybe talking isn’t horrible, but it quickly became apparent that my favorite subject to discuss was myself. What can I say? I think I’m pretty awesome [insert laugh track here]….that and extremely vain!

My parents tried to quiet my by throwing books at me to read in hopes of shutting me up. It worked, sort of. What happened was the more I read, the greater my vocabulary became. I no longer was just talking; I was now using enormous verbiage while running my mouth nonstop!

As I hit adolescence I began to be known for my lack of filtering. What is filtering? You know, the concept of thinking about what you say before it explodes out of your mouth!? I lack that. Honestly, I don’t do it on purpose – though many of my family and friends may beg to differ – but instead of filtering before, verbal vomit comes spewing out of my mouth.

At about 12 years old, I began to journal. It was a great way for me to write down what I did that day and document exciting (and boring) days of my life. I journaled almost religiously through my teenage years and into my early 20’s. I now have volumes of journals, which I pull out occasionally and enjoy reading and reliving the events of my past.

In 2008 I decided to start a blog. I started my blog on my MySpace page (remember MySpace?) and began to transition from my physical journal to an online blog. For the first several months, I tried really hard to continue writing in my journal, but it quickly became apparent that (1) I didn’t have that much time and (2) I was re-writing what I had just typed on my blog. Not long after I started my blog, I stopped journaling.

I lasted on MySpace about five months before making the switch to Blogger. It was when I started my blogger blog, did I need to come up with a name.

“Cori’s Big Mouth” wasn’t my first choice for the name of my blog. Remember how I said I was slightly vain? I wanted my blog name to be It’s All About Me, or Me, Me, Me. (I warned you!) Sadly, all those variations were taken. Apparently there are other vain people in the world! It took me awhile to come up with the right name, but suddenly it hit me – Cori’s Big Mouth. Everyone I know is always saying “your big mouth is going to get you in trouble” or “it’s thanks to your big mouth that you didn’t get in trouble.” My big mouth was already famous within my friends and family; why not make it my blog name? It was that day that Cori’s Big Mouth debuted!

My mouth has gotten me in trouble many times. Once I start talking I cannot stop and tend to (not filter) tell people what I think. However, it has also helped me in various scenarios.

I can just about talk my way out of anything. As a child, I would talk my way out punishments. I would get to talking and talk my parents into circles. It wasn’t long before they either forgot about the punishment or ended it because the punishment was hurting them …. not me!

I also tend to have impeccable timing when it comes to talking. While my dad and sister have impeccable timing when it comes to jokes, I use my mouth to jump into any conversation and add my input.

My big mouth has also helped me feel confident in front of groups of people. (I’m weird….I enjoy public speaking). It also allows me to stand-up to people and protect myself and loved ones. I am not shy and am willing to stick-up for those I love.

Finally, my big mouth helps me have LOTS and LOTS of fun posts to share. While I blog primarily for myself and family, to document different events in our lives, but I also love to share the silly stories that encompass my life and my big mouth!

You’ll have to stop by my blog and see what shenanigans my big mouth gets me in (and out of)!

Blog: Cori’s Big Mouth

Twitter: @corisbigmouth

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• Wounded but healed
  By Lisa Buffaloe

  Friends, family, and acquaintances share their stories and prayer requests. Illness, disasters, and the cruelty of what man does to man sends chills down my spine. My heart aches as though it will burst from my chest for the pain others must endure. I don’t have the answers, and in my humanity I can’t fully understand.

  But I do know God cares. I know He has the answers and solutions. I know He hears our cries. I know justice will be served. I’m living proof of God’s goodness—His sufficiency to endure, conquer, and live a full, joyous life through Him. I’m not alone. There are so many others who have been wounded terribly by life and now stand firm and safe in the love and protection of their Savior.

  God takes the broken places and makes them whole. He heals, sustains, helps, and saves. His goodness, mercy, grace, justice, and tender love are waiting. No matter what you are going through, God is with you, will help you, and bring you safely home.

  “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me. Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 54:4, Psalm 73:26).

  www.lisabuffaloe.com

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  Check out http://lisabuffaloe.com/! Official Website of Christian author

Please meet my friend Dionna Sanchez.  What a beautiful girl!!  Full of joy and such a fun time!!!  I hope to meet in person some day SOON!!!

Passionate about faith & family. Spilling my heart out for you through the words I write. Always looking for freelance opportunities to inspire others.

Idaho · http://beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com

How Much of What We Do is Motivated by Peer Pressure?

I was thinking this thought one morning…the thought of how much we do in life that is really for us because WE want to do it, and how much we do because we are motivated by what others will think or by what others are doing.

In a nutshell: how much of what we do is from peer pressure?

I remember when I was younger and I thought that peer pressure mainly centered around teens. But I was wrong. Peer pressure exists in all stages and walks of life.  And if you’re ready to raise your hand and say that you don’t personally deal with it in your life…let’s take a closer look.

*How many of us focus on the appearance of our homes in order to maintain a certain “standard” that is pleasing to guests? How many of us don’t have guests over at all because we think our homes aren’t nice or fancy enough?

*How many of us enroll our kids in camps or clubs because “everyone is going” or we are told that in order for them to maintain a certain level of play that they have to invest in this camp or club?

*How many of us shop at certain stores or wear certain brands because that radiates a certain acceptable image in society?

*How many of us rush out to see the latest movie because we know everyone will be talking about it and we don’t want to have to say, “I haven’t seen it?”

Those are just a few examples. There are hundreds more. Whether we like it or not, we are affected by society and those around us. We eat, dress, listen, see, and make choices in our lives because of peer pressure.
That’s why it’s so important who we surround ourselves with. It’s important to know what we feel and think so that we aren’t easily influenced by others who may not be as confident in knowing what they want for their life.
Just because “everyone is doing it” or “everyone is seeing it” or “everyone is wearing it” doesn’t mean that it’s a wise choice or decision.  People are flocking to things in the quest to be viewed as worthy. Yet we forget that it is not other people that have the right to give us worth. Only God does that.

We sacrifice a piece of ourselves when we allow ourselves to be so easily influenced by mainstream standards. We lose a little bit of our individuality and a lot of times a great deal of our morals and values.
Peer pressure isn’t always obvious. A lot of times it’s very subtle. It’s in that flyer that comes home from school requesting that everyone contribute to a certain fund or cause or it’s in the event held at your church or school that everyone “Should” be attending. Peer pressure is obligation despite not wanting to participate.

Those of us who find the courage to do what’s different or say “no” to what everyone else is doing may be shocking to a lot of people. Not everything is a bad cause or endeavor. But that still doesn’t mean it’s best for our family or fits in with our time constraints and personalities.   But it’s in our right to choose and we need to remember we have that freedom – that ability.
When we can do it, it feels so good. So welcomed.

The thing is – even though others may give you a hard time about it, there will be even others who respect you for your stand against the flow of the tide. And those people will follow your example; learning to find their own voice again too.  Then we will all start learning again that it’s okay to not join that club. It’s ok to not have THAT house, it’s okay to be the last one to see the movie or to not even see it at all. You’re not a loser. You’re not unworthy. You’re just You. Beautiful in all your uniqueness and more confident for not falling prey to the pressures of the masses.
Try it. Reclaim your voice. It’s not as painful as you think it will be.

I want to introduce you to one of my many incredibly smart friends!!!  I love to hear the wisdom come from this young thing and the laughter that exudes from her tweets.  She is a ton of fun and a person you will not regret getting to know on the WWW!!!  Sit back, relax, and listen as HE speaks thru Tracee!

“Believe” is one of those words that takes me out at the knees. Believe is a word that I will always wrestle with and want to know the deep meaning of for the rest of my life.

Believing….well it changes everything.

Believing is a word I struggle the most in life with. This self-sufficient, independent wanderer has a hard time just believing. Believing requires my everything.

Believing requires my faith and trust. I have learned that believing is a choice. 

Believing is a choice. Faith is choosing to believe in a God who is illogical, beyond my understanding, and sometimes unrecognizable. My response to believing should look like following God with my whole life.

There is a dangerous question presented in the gospel of Matthew that demands our response.  Jesus asked his disciples the question of  “who do you say that I am?” Our answer should be reflected in our lives.

Have you  ever experienced times where your actions and words have not matched up? It makes a difference. This applies to believing as well. If we say we believe in who Jesus says he is, how can our lives not say the same thing?

If I believe, and claim  Jesus as the truth, how can my life not say the same thing? It can’t. If our answer is “yes,” then that yes should be visible in our every day lives.

If it does, I have some questions for you, if you believe that Jesus is who he claims to be then:

-          How does the perception and value of character change?

-          What does loving unconditionally look like?

-          How does believing in Christ change our fears and insecurities?

-          What does faithfulness and commitment look like?

-          What does faith lived out look like?

If we claim that Jesus is the Christ, our whole lives should resemble that answer. The thread of Christ’s redemption runs throughout every level of our lives. Every level of believing takes consideration. We will look and sound different when faith enters the picture.

Jesus is asking a life changing question to all of us, “Who do you say that I am?“

I will ask YOU the same question.

Who do you say he is?

What answer does your life resemble?

Speaker & Counselor – Journeying with others through the invitation to believe different, and live different in Him.

Nashville · http://traceepersiko.com

Hannah Stovall is a beautiful friend that I hope to meet some day.  I love her courageous heart and her drive to exalt the Lord.  I know you will enjoy the wisdom from this young girl!!!  Wise beyond her years – and that is no joke!!  Thank you Hannah for posting here!!

“Our prayers have been answered.”

Funny, isn’t it, that we usually only hear that when people have gotten what they asked for—when they, at the end of all their praying and pleading, are pleased with the result?

I was flipping through my journal recently and came across a page where I had put three requests before the Lord. Not as a Christmas list. Not as an ultimatum. Simply as a request. He’s our Father and wants good things for us. He tells us to ask and He’ll give.

And so I asked. One for something school-related. One for a friend. One for my hopelessly romantic heart.

Two of those I’ve been given. One of those I have not. All three have been answered.

He’s our Father and wants good things for us. He tells us to ask and He’ll give. But He alone knows, infinitely above what we can, what is best.

Sometimes His answer is yes.

Sometimes it isn’t.

Either way, we get an answer.

Our God who desires for us to boldly approach Him with our needs and our wants will not leave us without a reply. We just have to trust Him enough to, with faith and gratitude, accept His answer as divinely best.

There’s been noticeable craze surrounding the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback, Tim Tebow. It’s been enough to get this baseball and NASCAR only girl to actually tune into an NFL game. That might be, in large part, due to his boyish good looks, but that’s irrelevant. Grin. All media platforms have exploded with feedback—both criticism and praise—on Tebow’s prayers and faith being the driving force behind the Broncos’ won games.

I’m not a sports expert or a theologian, but there’s a flaw in that theory. I’m not questioning the power of prayer or Tim’s mad skills (I wouldn’t dare do either. Wink.), but I’ve heard a few of his pre- and mid-game prayers. He’s not praying for a win. He’s praying for a chance to honor God whether they win the game or lose it. We all know they’ve done both.

A Broncos’ wining streak isn’t proof of authentic faith. A lost game isn’t reason to doubt the power of God. The answered prayer is evident in the Lord-honoring, humble attitude exhibited regardless of the final lights on a scoreboard.

Jesus himself even pleaded in the garden, “If there’s a way, let this cup pass from me.” But there was no other way.

I have to believe that’s true for us, and with God’s sovereignty and boundless grace, His is the only way I want.

Maybe the healing you’ve been asking for a loved one comes in unexpected ways. Scripture tells us that in Heaven, there will be no more pain.

Maybe you didn’t meet the guy everyone’s been telling you about. Maybe you really didn’t need to.

Maybe the job your husband thought he’d get fell through, but now the dream God’s given him is something there’s actually time to pursue.

Our prayers always get answered. There’s a heavenly purpose behind every “yes” and every “no”. What a sweet joy would fill us if our response to every answer were gratitude. On occasion, disappointment, naturally, but always gratitude and trust at the heart of it.

Are you asking anything big of your Father? He can do it, you know. Don’t let uncertainty or fear of His answer stop you from approaching.

He’s anxiously waiting.

Go boldly.

Go ask.

I will lift up my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Psalm 5:3

Is Jesus part of your every day or just every once in a while!! Make Him part of your every moment!! See how I am trying to encourage my daughter in basketball practice – the Good Shepherd!

Now I want to hear from yall – ya here!!

Love, Leigh

Picture is my Emmajoy basketball player…

I would like to introduce you to one of the most caring ladies I have ever met.  Her heart of compassion is like none other!  Joy is a powerful speaker with a heart of gold.  I hope you will find Joy on twitter, fb, and her blog!!  Thanks Joy for posting with my blog!  I love you sister! She can be reached at www.joytrachsel.com

Six months ago I sat in church waiting to take communion. The pastor introduced the bread and the wine, explaining their significance and the importance of this most holy sacrament. I ate the bread, I drank the juice and was about to dispose of my cup until something stopped me. It was weird, it was unexplainable at the time…so I just threw the cup in my purse. Days later I was searching for something in my purse when I heard a strange rattle. It was my communion cup! I held the cup in my hand and just stared at this tiny little clear vessel. The Lord spoke to me at that moment. Now I knew why I couldn’t throw this cup away! The cup needed to be an important reminder to me.

I spend Monday through Friday at ACCESS Homeless Shelter for women. Friday at 4:00 pm I clock out, turn off my office light and leave for home. My weekends are full of fun activities, family events and yes…church on Sunday and once a month…communion. As I walk out that door, 45 people are left inside. Women and children who will spend another weekend at a shelter. Women and children who may not have the same opportunity to enjoy activities, family events and church. Many of our women profess a faith in Jesus…but because of their situation…cannot attend a church. They don’t get a chance to experience the blessed experience of partaking in communion with other believers.

To me…this little cup represents one more month that our shelter needs to exist. Oh how I wish we didn’t. How I wish we could “go out of business.” How I wish the 45 could be sitting with me at church!

Each month, after I take communion, I place the cup in my purse. Unfortunately, as the picture shows, six months have gone by and our shelter still needs to exist. The rattle in my purse has become louder.’

I want the rattle to end! I want homelessness to end for these women and children. I want brokenness to stop for them. I mostly want you and I to look upon their brokenness and do something. I am not even sure what that would look like.

December was a great month for ACCESS.  We had so many groups that wanted to volunteer, that we had to turn them away.  My office is so full of Christmas presents that we could not use I can barely open my door.  We are grateful for the generosity that is ignited in December…but we also know what is coming.  Once the holiday decorations are down and the last sip of eggnog is gone, we go back to the way things were pre-holiday.  Suddenly volunteers stop calling and donations drop off.  Suddenly it is famine and we long for the feast of December.

As you prepare to turn your calendar and embark on the New Year may I challenge you to keep compassion in your heart all year?  May I challenge you to allow your schedule to be inconvenienced for brokenness? May we each strive to be like Christ and live out the following scripture:

Luke 14:13

13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Joy can be found on FB, twitter, and on her blog www.joytrachsel.com.  Go see her yall!

Have you ever been disciplined by the Lord? Have you ever been called a sluggard? What about those New Year’s Resolutions?? Come see the spankin I received – a tough love kind of thing!

I want yall to meet Michael Perkins – i think he is the Danny Gokey twin!!  You will love this devotion.  Please let him know either by leaving a comment or by visiting his blog or twitter world!  Enjoy

We are a culture that loves watching, reading, and listening to other people’s stories.

Why?

Because stories add value to our own lives.  And stories let us know that we are not alone in our heartaches, struggles, and victories.

But, here’s the problem:

Too many of us thrive on second-hand stories.
In other words, we live off the stories of others and never write great stories of our own.

And trust me, I know all about thriving at second-hand stories.  Eight months ago my family made the biggest transition of our lives when I accepted the invitation to pastor a church in Natchitoches, LA.

It was a dream come true.  I was finally able to fulfill the call that God had placed upon my heart.

But then it happened.

I became busy.

When I became busy, I didn’t have enough time in the day to do the things that I needed to get done.  It got so bad that when I was at home, I was on the computer working.

And that is a serious problem.

Why?

Because your story is important.
We need you to write a great story and be the person you were created to be.  We need you to be your own first edition and not someone’s reprint.

So do something.

Do something unexpected.  Do something amazing.  Do something different.

And then share it.

Because the world will benefit from it.

Your story should compel us to step away from our televisions, books, and computers and live.
Really live.

And once we have really lived; we can share our own story.

Are you living on a second-hand story?

Michael is a husband, dad, pastor, blogger, creative, and map maker. You can read his blog “The Handwritten” and follow Him on Twitter here.