Hafts Happs

"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." Rev 3:19

2012-01-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

Today, Monday January 15 -

The Lord has done some amazing things in the life of my family. Although, we had a very difficult weekend, I can see how the Lord is using these things for our good and His glory. I know I will be able to share some of the 'happenings' from this past weekend, but right now, I would ask you to please keep my family in your prayers. When I think the Lord is ready for me to share more, then I will.

I do want to share a bit of something that the Lord has been dealing with, in me- for several weeks. First, I would like to say I love my mother very, very much. Although, I had been harboring some unforgiveness towards her for many years, I still loved my mother. I had thought I was past all that, but it was becoming apparent to me, that was not the case. So blatantly obvious now, how could I not have seen this!!

I attend an amazing home-group, several of us have been in this group together, since 2007. We laugh, cry, share, love, pray, disagree, forgive and are transparent with each other. For the last several months we have been going through an awesome pamphlet -- small workbook- totally Bible-based, on bitterness and how that's played out in our lives. One of the sentences, that really "stuck-out'" to me was --How do you know if your bitter? You re-play those things over and over in your mind. GUILTY!! ........

Last week, there was a bit of a tiff between two of my children, I didn't think I had taken sides, but apparently one of my kiddos thought so and got angry with me. When I confronted her, she said, " Look mom, sometimes you just make me mad" and then she said, "Remember when you were my age, I probably feel the same way about you, as you did about your mom." That statement was like a thunderbolt to the deepest core of my being-- and in an instant I remembered that time period, of fighting with my mom, somewhat frequently. I remember one time telling her to her face, " I hate you". After hearing my child say that she probably feels the same way towards me, I literally withdrew to a room and balled my eyes out. In that moment the Lord began dealing with me about my sin. I had been talking bad about my mom, and in front of my children. " for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap" (Gal 6:7) was the scripture the Lord engraved in my mind at that very moment. And..“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise)-- I was not honoring my mom and disobeying God's word. And disobedience to His word brings severe consequences...Deut 11 tells us...“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God. By disobeying Him, I was cursing my family. THANK you, Lord for revealing this sin in my life!! I asked the Lord for forgiveness. Yesterday, when I was talking on the phone with my mom, the Lord starting working on me to ask my mom to please forgive me. My sweet mother immediately extended forgiveness and grace and mercy. She was very quick to tell me, no matter what she will always love me! What a great picture of our heavenly Father.

Thankful to God, for his love and discipline. “For whomever THE LORD JEHOVAH loves, he instructs, and draws aside his children with whom he is pleased.” Hebrews 12:6

PS. I looked through all my available pics, and this is literally the only one I could find of just mom and me.
Mom we need an updated pic together! I love you!! PSS, my mom's age in this pic, is about the age I am now!!! CRAZY, how time flies!!!!

This 'n That

2012-01-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have a " hmmm, I wonder what I was doing last year at this time" moment? and then think, I wonder if last year at this time I was thinking, 'hmm, I wonder what I'll be doing next year at this time?' I have those several times a year, and think to myself, why didn't I journal more, then I could look back and read all about it. THANKFULLY, I did journal a bit more last year than in previous years. Last year at this time my sisters and I were working on the final details of our parents 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration, that we were about to celebrate-- BOY, I had no idea that a mere year later, I would be working on beginning plans for my own daughter's wedding. WOW, it's amazing what can happen in a year!

Also, I know around this time last year I was gung ho, about the Siesta Scripture Memorization that Beth Moore was kicking off on her blog site. Sadly, I did not make my posts each 1st and 15th. However, there were quite a few verses the Lord impressed upon me to memorize and I did. Thankful that I have a few more verses, "hidden in my heart that I might not sin against HIM"

As of late, like since November, I have been working on memorizing Romans 8 - I have only gotten as far as verse 10, BUT I will not give up.

Do you have a great method for scripture memorization? I would love some added tips and helpful hints.

" those whose minds are set on the flesh, are hostile to God, they do not submit to God's laws, in deed they cannot." Focusing and meditating on this one today.

Lord, help me to make much of you today!!!

The Future Mr. and Mrs. Clark

2012-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

So, after talking with Chassity, she really wants to get married in the Spring, and this Spring is wayyy too soon, too much to plan. So, it looks like we will have a April 6,2013 wedding. We've got our timeline going and the spreadsheets ready to plan the next 14 months. Here are some great engagement pictures. I call them... wait for it..................................................................... Fun In the ~~Sun~~ Snow!!!

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

She said YES

2012-01-01T23:10:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here at 12:17am bursting with excitement of what this day is going to bring. I am blogging now, but know I won't be able to post until late tomorrow night!!! My second born child will be celebrating her 20th birthday today, that she is well aware of. What she has NOT A CLUE about..... is that her boyfriend of three years will be proposing to her on this very day. He has been planning this for weeks.

About 5 days ago I walked into the house from running errands and heard my husband( Kevin) and Matt ( soon to be son-in-law)talking, when I walked into the room, Kevin asked me to have a seat. Matt then prepared to ask me for my blessing in asking Chassity to marry him. He already gotten his folks blessing and Kevin's blessing, and wanted to make sure he had mine, too. I was completely overwhelmed with joy and excitement. We love this young man. He loves the Lord and he is sweet and kind and thoughtful. He has put together a special plan, for her 20th birthday meal, that will lead up to the proposal. She will be surprised. Meanwhile back home on the range....... ok we don't really live on a range, we live in a cul-de-sac corner, in the city--but we do have a large corner lot that works very well for lots of parking... : ) I have invited Matt and Chassity's extended family over, for what they think is a surprise 20th Birthday Party for Chassity, boy they are all going to be surpised!!!.. AND my kids are going to be surprised too, because my sister and her husband, and sweet E and baby Jude will be here, too all the way from Colorado. THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY HERE, right now!!! It is going to be an evening of surprises for everyone, and I am so thrilled.

On a side note back in April we attended a wedding for some dear friends of ours... Chassity wasn't even trying...

YEP--- she caught the bouquet!!!

Praying the Lord bless these two and that they make much of Him, not only in their engagement and wedding but their life together, as they serve Him.

January 2, 2012

23 Years Strong

2011-12-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

"What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."

Today, December 30, 2011 I am remembering that 23 years ago today, I was a day away from marrying the man of my dreams. We were younguns, practically babies.. well, I was anyway.. : ) He was 22 and I was 18. We had BIG DREAMS, man BIG DREAMS, HUGE!! Ok, not really but we were madly in love, and we knew we wanted to be together, forever! (Long-term planning has never been our strong suit, thankfully we found professionals that help with that.)

The Lord has been gracious to us, we have a roof over our head, we've never lacked for food and we are blessed with 4 healthy children.

As I sit here and think back to that day, December 31, 1988 it's so hard to remember what was going on in that little head of mine. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I am thankful I have a few of those to look back to,( since I wasn't journaling back then.....)

It's crazy what has happened over the last 23 years. God has been good and gracious to us, more than we deserve. There have been rough and hard times, really rough and really hard, but I am so thankful the Lord has turned those for our good and His glory.

Happy Anniversary to us, Kevin and Marlo Haft - 23 years

Top Projects Party

2011-12-28T06:33:00.000-08:00

I have been blog hopping the last few days, and thanks to Pinterest, my favorite site and NOW app.... Yes, thank you Android for F-I-N-A-L-L-Y adding the Pinterest app. ...I have found some great DIY, organizing tips, vintage, and furniture make-over blogs.http://southernhospitalityblog.com/, http://www.theyellowcapecod.com/, mathewsfamilyhappenings.blogspot.com, http://www.tipjunkie.com/, those are some of my new favorites, maybe you'll find some interesting things as well. Today, I am recapping my top projects of 2011, and sharing them so I can link-up with Southernhopitality.... We moved into a "new" ( built in 1987) home June of 2011, and every chance I get, I am redoing, scraping, texturing, painting and or fauxing like crazy.

IF you have some projects, you should so link 'em up over at http://southernhospitalityblog.com/. It's so fun to see all the before and afters.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2011-12-21T00:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, can you believe this year is almost over. I know I say this a lot, but it's just true TIMEFLIES!! Last year I ended the year on my blog " in pictures" and so I think I might just set that tradition into place for the Hafts Happs. Jesus is so amazing, I hope that you have made much of Him this past year. I know my prayer is that I would make much of Him in 2012, more than ever before.

We had a blessed year, more than anything we could ever ddeserve. The Lord blessed us with health, travels to new places, a new home, new friends,great visits with old friends, weddings and more family. God is so good!!!

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16

Prayers Please

2011-12-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

As the year is rapidly coming to a close, I have been reflecting over this past year and how gracious and glorious the Lord has been to my family. I know of several families right now that are dealing with some difficult things in life- things I can't imagine or fathom. The first one I want to share is Lauren Scruggs-- you may have heard of her tragic story--it was all over the news, (GMA, the Today Show WB33, etc.) Lauren was in involved in a horrible accident, with an airplane propeller. You can check the story out here http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-faith-sustains-family-of-model-injured-after-walking-into-path-of-planes-propeller-20111206,0,7889946.story Lauren and her family attend our church, and her parents have an awesome ministry, you can check it out here http://www.hopeformarriages.com/. The Lord used their book to open my eyes to the truth about marriage. I highly recommend it. Please keep Lauren and her family ( Jeff and Cheryl - her parents) in your prayers, Lauren has a long road to recovery, and some things will not be as they were before the accident. If you would like to continue to keep Lauren in your prayers, and follow her recovery, her caring bridge is here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/laurenscruggs

Also, please pray for another sweet friend from church, Nora Early. . She and her husband, and son had flown out on Saturday, to Hawaii. They were going there to visit Nora's brother, who is stationed in Hawaii and will be going to Iraq. Nora’s husband Loyd has drowned. Loyd was a sweet man with a big laugh and was always quick with a joke. I know he will be missed. Please pray for Nora and the family.

Let us not forget that each day is a gift from God, and we are here to glorify HIM.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16

Christmas Tree Decorating Tips

2011-12-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

I highly recommend a pre-lit tree, but if yours happens to be a "live" tree or you have a non pre-lit tree, you must wrap your lights on each branch. Start at the base of the trunk and work your way up, wrapping lights around every major branch, moving from the trunk to the tip and back. Your next step is Mesh Ribbon, this stuff is amazing and gives your tree a whole new dimension. *TIP**If you are wanting to change the look of your tree, but your budget doesn't allow for all new ornaments, you can add some new mesh and ribbon and it will look like a new tree**

When adding the mesh to your tree, the first thing you want to do is scrunch. It is very wide and a little hard to work with, but you will get the hang of it. I always start at the top. You can wrap around the tree or spiral down in and through the tree. There is no wrong or right way to do it. It looks beautiful either way.
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Make a poof about 12 to 16 inches and scrunch again wrapping a branch around it.

You can add two colors of mesh, and/or add a wider mesh and then come back through with a more narrow mesh. If you are adding garland , that will be the next step. Then you will add your large ornaments, start adding them on the tree in a triangular pattern. **Tip** its always best to work with odd numbers, such as 5, 7 and 9... and so on. Fill in around those ornaments with medium- and small-size ornaments. Be sure to hang some ornaments closer to the trunk to create depth and interest. Finish dressing the tree by adding specialty items, such as clip-on ornaments, picks, etc.

To top off the tree, I highly recommend a topper, it's a great finishing touch. You can use a variety if items for your topper, it all depends on your tree style. For a more whimsical topper, this bunch is a great idea...

For your bows, you always want to make three good size bows to go around the top...Here are some ideas, from some of the great toppers, we did this season.

And for more great ideas I have pinned a TON of Christmas Trees on Pinterest!! HAPPY PINNING and Merry Christmas.

http://pinterest.com/marlo_haft/oh-christmas-tree/

He is the LIGHT

2011-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Christmas Trees!! Tonight as we were sharing our advent devotion with the kids, even though they are older--we talked about the lights on the tree representing Jesus, who is the Light of the World.

I have had the the privilege, the last 6 weeks to go into some fabulous homes and spread some Christmas Light. Not only with the lights on the tree, garlands and wreaths but praying over homes as I enter them-- spreading THE LIGHT, and asking the Holy Spirit to make himself known in each and every home. A Lot of our clients are believers, but some of them are not. No matter what, I would pray over the homes as I bustled about my decorating duties. As we are closing in on this decorating season with our last home tomorrow, I believe the Lord is asking me to call out each family by name. To continue to pray over these families for the upcoming year 2012. I know the Lord has a purpose for everyone he puts in my path. My continual prayer is that, I will make much of HIM!!

Here are a few of the homes I was afforded the opportunity to bring some light into:

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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

#hidehisword

2011-11-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have been following me for a while, are aware of my story, thus far. Thankfully the Lord is not through with me yet!!! You might remember this journal that I put in one of my posts about a year ago..

This was a word the Lord gave me on December 9, 2009, after His sweet breaking of me from my years of unforgiveness, and my bitterness.

" My love is steadfast for you, Marlo, I snatched you from the brink of disaster-- return to me with ALL OF YOUR HEART --come back to me, with fasting, weeping and mourning and really mean it", (Joel 2:12 -13; Psalm 52:1). I said, "Lord, I have come back, I have fasted, prayed and wept." The Lord said, "You must follow my commands, you must HIDE MY WORD IN YOUR HEART-- (Psalm 119:11) and I will restore to you what the swarming locust has eaten." ( Joel 2:25)

From that point to this I have been memorizing some great scriptures along the way. Recently, I posted about the joy I have in finding some amazing women on twitter, that are keeping me accountable. And, NOW we have an amazing group started to help us stay accountable to scripture memorization and YEP, you guessed it the hastag is #hidehisword. I am so excited to be a part and to have some godly women holding me accountable to what the Lord has commanded me to do.

You should join us!!!

Check it out: http://donotdepart.com/hiding-romans-8-in-my-heart

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A Bloggers Prayer - Ann Voskamp

2011-10-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

To do things no one else is doing, we can’t do what everyone else is doing.
And ‎our greatest triumphs in life are always our most solitary ones.
Every great victory begins on the knees.

Upside Down blogging, with Jesus increasing and us decreasing, begins with us bowed in prayer over a keyboard… so we begin in prayer…

I am no longer my own blogger, but Thine.
Refine me with each post how You will, rank me how You will.
Put me to service, or put me to suffering.
Let me be a follower, instead of seeking followers
Let me post for thee or be put aside for thee,
Lifted high, only for thee, or brought low, all for thee.
Do with me and each post whatever you will, because You alone know best.
Let me not strive but submit
Let me not compete but care
Let me not desire hits but holiness
Let my blog be full of You, and let it be empty of me.
Let me crave all things of You, let me care nothing of this world.
Let my words be worthy of the greatest of audiences: You.
And You are enough.
May I write not for subscribers… but only for Your smile.
May my daily affirmation be in the surety of my atonement not the size of my audience.
May my identity be in the innumerable graces of Christ, never, God forbid,
the numbers of my comments.
And may the only words that matter in my life not be the ones I write on a screen —
but the ones I live with my skin.
I freely and heartily yield every sentence, every title, every post, every comment… or no comments… all to Your pleasure and perfect will.
My only fame is that I bear your name
My only glory is the gift of Your Grace
My only readership, Your eyes that seek to and for to find a heart hard after you.
Make this so. Lord…
Yahweh, You alone are my God, not Google
Jesus, You alone are my Savior, not site meters
And Holy Spirit, you alone are my Comforter, not comments
So be it, today, yesterday, and every post to come.
This is my prayer I have made on earth, over this keyboard…
may it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Pinterest = INSPIRING

2011-10-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

OK y'all..... I LOVE pinterest, , mostly because there are so many great ideas for anything you are interested in.. it's just a GENIUS site!!! Kudos to... Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp, and Ben Silbermann for creating it!!

I have been inspired several times this past week,or so.... and thought I 'd share my fun lil creations.. :)

SO I saw this on Pinterest......

and waala..... one hour later

and this, a bit more elegant than my finished product.....

Saw these on Pinterest,

And since my media/family room is blue and brown, I had to make some for the fireplace... some scrap wood from the garage, a few ryobi tools about 1 1/2 hrs later and I have these....

and this inspired...

and Mine.. I need to get a pic in the daylight..: /

I have some ideas for my next projects, can't wait to get started!!!

Bitter, Party of One

2011-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

" See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15

Oh man-o, man-o..... Our home-group is currently walking through " How To Be Free From Bitterness", (a great little booklet - that I recommend to everyone) The Lord dealt greatly with me on this issue a few years back, and I was sure I had gotten rid of that junk. Well........ this side of heaven - it is a knees to the floor, surrendering it to the Lord, DAILY--at times, hourly!!!      It seems just when you think. "I'm all good" stuff happens and BAM, there we go again.. BITTER, party of one!!   We must not keep it in, and we must not share it. We must SURRENDER it to the Father, through the Son.

I use to think as people got older, more mature and wiser that jealousy and strife would disappear. Not true, without the Lord this is not possible-- because that root digs deeper and it actually becomes more intense. It gets worse and worse. IF you harbor bitter envy, evil practice will result. The Bible clearly states that in James. We must make it apparent how sinful bitterness is. We must first recognize that we are bitter.   How do we know, if we are??   OUR MEMORY.... if we can remember details of past hurts, specific words or actions, the inflection of that persons voice, then we are bitter. BITTERNESS remembers DETAILS.   Think of all the conversations we've had in our lives, hundreds, even thousands, and we have forgotten most of those. I know this has been true for me--scenarios played over, and over in my head. We must not go there, we must not give into the temptation from the enemy. ..."We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." 2 Cor 10:5.

We must also understand we are commanded to GET RID OF ALL BITTERNESS, which means, The Bible does not grant anyone the right to be bitter.   If someone does something to offend us, we need to immediately take it to Jesus in prayer, and we best stay there until it's gone, so that nasty root doesn't spring up.

An example of what it may take to get rid of it from Dr. Wilson:

" Many years ago, I was working in our bedroom at my desk. My wife, Bessie, was reading in bed. Whatever I was doing wasn't going well. Bessie said something to me, and I turned around and let her have it. It was something un--Christian. She looked at me in amazement and got up and left the room. I sat there thinking. "She should not have said it. Look what she said. Look, look, look." I did that for around 10 minutes, maybe longer. I was bitter toward Bessie, but all she did was jolt the cup, and what I mean by that is, if the cup is full of sweet nectar and it is jolted, what comes out? Yes, sweetness, if its full of vinegar, and it's jolted, then what comes out??   What was in the cup came out. If I had been filled with sweetness and light, it would not have made any difference.   I sat there and thought about what she did. I knew better because I had already learned the truth of bitterness. Still, I thought about her "sin" because there is enjoyment in accusing the other person. Some people do this for years. I got up and got on my knees, and said, " Lord, I was the only one at fault. It was my bitterness, and my sin. I am confessing it, forsaking it, and please forgive me." I got up off my knees and said, " But look what she said." I got back on my knees.
" God, I am sorry for what I did. I accept the responsibility. It was my sin, and mine only."   I got up off my knees and said, " God, you and I know who is really at fault." I knelt back down. I stayed on my knees for about 45 minutes until I could get up and not say, " Look what she said."

In order to get rid of it I have to see it as evil, and that it my sin, and mine only. There is no other way to get rid of it except calling it sin against the holy God, confessing it, and receiving forgiveness.

" But if you harbor bitterness envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3

#hellomornings

2011-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

YES, I am a hashtagger extraordinaire... : ) kinda drives my kiddos crazy, so...... then I hashtag some more.

I recently found a great group #hellomornings on twitter. YAY!! these wonderful peeps share their mornings devotions, prayer requests and scriptures. I am NOT a morning person and because I'm not, I think it prudent to wake up before everyone else around here (@The Haft Casa) and spend some time with my creator. Even though I don't know the gals personally on #hellomornings, I still feel "accountable" to check in and say HEY!!

My latest epiphany in regards to the Bible, just kinda smacked me upside the head....

SEE OUCH!! OK not literally,--HAHA!!! but I did have a hammer fall on my head a while back, ( thought I'd share this lovely pic ) and this it what it looked like...

For some reason, I always looked at the Old Testament as the hard, difficult, laying down of the law "side of the Bible" BUT as we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount, these past several weeks in our #WBS at #TVC, that would be WOMENS BIBLE STUDY @ THE VILLAGE CHURCH, (in case your not an avid hashtagger)....... : ) I have come to the realization that Jesus calls us to a much higher standard, than the laws laid out in the OT. It's not just about obeying his laws and commands, it's a heart issue. You can ~ not steal, not lie ( HA--don't think anyone can say they havent done that) not committ adultery, but if you are angry with your "brother" you have hate or lust in your heart, you HAVE sinned and your just as guilty. Jesus doesn't just want our "good" list of have or have nots, he wants our heart. It's about HIM not us.

Let us not be like the Pharisee in the parable in Luke 18,but the tax collector.... " God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

The Last Couple Days in Food, I Mean Pictures

2011-10-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

You might just call me Martha Stewart this week, I've been cooking and crafting, and EVEN had "going out of the house clothes" and make-up on one of those days! So, maybe the Proverbs 31 woman comes to mind : ) The standard I definitely need to aspire to....She is like the ships of the merchant;

she brings her food from afar...... Ok, Tom Thumb and WalMart are somewhat afar...

She makes linen garments and sells them;she delivers sashes to the merchant.... WELL, not necessarily garments but, but fall decor....

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

Oh, Lord that I would praise you and fear your Word and it's truth.

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Fall it's so close, I can't wait!!! I Love Fall!!! everything about it.... the colors, the smells, the decor, the food. I have found so many great decorating ideas, I wish I could use them all, but that would be a bit excessive, so I want to share some of my fave's with you....All 1 or 2 of you that just happen "by here" : )

And My ABSOLUTE FAV.... if I could find a old yellow truck, I'd be haulin' it right on over here.

I can't wait to check out all my favorite decorating bloggers and see what they have come up with for the Fall.

Lesson Learned and Love by Prayer

2011-08-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

I have recently ran across a slew, and I do mean a slew of hateful blogs. Particularly, one I stumbled upon is aimed at a particular Blog "Celebrity" as some would call her. I couldn't help but make a few comments, and ask some questions trying to understand this ill -will towards another human being and why so much time is wasted, when they could be doing something better. Oh man, no matter how I commented, it didn't go well, it was like adding fuel to the fire..... I read a tweet from @edstetzer yesterday afternoon, that hit home for me, as I was in the midst of trying to speak some truth to such hatemongers... He tweeted, "Don't argue with angry people on the Internet. It's like wrestling a pig-- you both get dirty, but the pig likes it." OH MAN!! I was convicted. So, I have learned my lesson, no more comments, but I will continue to pray for these hurting people. You know the saying, right?? " Hurt people, HURT PEOPLE!!" I don't know who they are but the Lord does.

Love Your Enemies

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

What do you call it??

2011-08-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Those of us who love and follow REE @thepioneerwoman, know this is Marlboro Man's fav breakfast.. MY kiddos love this too, --but we always called it Toad in a hole...used to make it all the time when they were in Elementary school, they are 21,19,almost 18 and 15.. BUT to celebrate Ree's Cooking show starting tomorrow I am going to make this for breakfast!!! YUM..

What do you call it?

Marlo's Ginger-Sesame Mushroom Chicken

2011-08-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

I had this most unusual inkling yesterday. All day long I had the urge to go into the kitchen and create a recipe. I have NEVER in my 41 years ever had that....EVER. I've always been more of a cleaner than a cook, so when I got this odd feeling - I kept ignoring it. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what it was, took me a while to figure out exactly what I needed to do with this inkling. SO, around 6pm I headed into the kitchen. I had set out some chicken breasts a bit earlier that day, so they were thawed and ready to go..... Here's what I did...

I put a few tablespoons of olive oil and 6 large chicken breasts in a pan -- we have a big family and my oldest had a friend over : ) and pan cooked the chicken for about 15-20 minutes turning it over every 5-7 minutes. While that was cooking, I put 2 cans of cream of mushroom in another pan, 1/4 cup of Newmans Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Salad dressing, a half a block of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of milk and salt and pepper. (SIDE NOTE: If I had had mushrooms in the fridge, I would have sauteed then in butter before adding the cream of mushroom soup--But I was out--will do that next time). When the chicken was done and a bit golden on both sides, I added a can of chicken broth, and salt and pepper and let it simmer a bit. I continued to stir the mushroom sauce for about 20 minutes so all the flavors could blend together.

While the above was continuing to cook, I found a box of chicken stove top stuffing and popped it in the microwave... YOU might want to try rice, but we loved the stuffing, it made for a very richly flavored recipe. While the stuffing was cooking I cut open an orange and squeezed all the juice over the chicken. When the stuffing was finished I put it in the bottom of a 9X12 pan ~ I placed the chicken pieces on top of that and then poured the mushroom sauce over both. My family loved it, hope yours will too :)

I wish I had taken a picture of this first-time creation, I would so add it to today's blog. Will do next time.

Praying for Luxor Tavella

2011-08-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Lord allowed me to take my 3 girls on a trip to the Big City, New York, the Big Apple as some may call it.

Many times through the years I have thought, "wouldn't it be awesome to take my girls on a trip somewhere, somewhere really fun." The Lord provided that for us, He not only opened the door for this, he provided round trip tickets and a place to stay - both at no charge to us. When these things started to unfold, I realized the Lord had a greater purpose for the trip than just "visiting" NYC. Although, some may think I am over -spiritualizing a trip... I say to you... All things work together for our good and HIS GLORY. We are here for him, whatever we do, in word or deed, we do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Several months before the trip the Lord had revealed to me- 1 Timothy 6:6-10. Being raised in the church and the daughter of a Souther-Baptist Pastor, I had heard these scriptures many times before, but the Lord took me there and had me memorize and dwell on it for weeks. It wasn't until we were walking the streets of SoHo that I realized why the Lord had me dwell on this passage all those weeks. Although, I know we live in a fallen and evil world-- the scripture says... "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils." I Timothy 6:10A I felt that evil upon walking in those streets-- I don't know why the Lord chose to reveal that to me while in SoHo, but he did. And I prayed to Him as we walked along lower Manhattan. While on Broadway, we passed a very peculiar looking store, my oldest daughter went in, followed by her sisters and our sweet godly friend Tammy-- for some reason, I didn't enter. I stayed outside and looked around up and down Broadway for about 10 minutes while they were in Paracelso-- we found out later that was the name of the shop. And after some research we found out that the name is after Paracelsus, who was born, Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, a Swiss Renaissance physician, alchemist, astrologer and general occultist.

When the girls exited the shop, they were all wide-eyed and somewhat shocked by the shop-owner, they had just encountered. As a side note, the girls had no idea, what I had been sensing about being in Soho and didn't know that I had been praying as we had been walking. Upon their exit, they said that shop was one of the most evil places they have ever been in. And the comments from the shop owner, were odd and chaotic, as that was also their description of the entire shop. We found through our research that the shop owners name is Luxor Tavella ( not her given name, apparently she changed it along the way) and that her shop has been in Soho for over 30 years. Apparently she is quite influential, in the fashion world-- as many called her an old soul, that is frequented by many celebrities and rock artists. Each blogger that has written about her speaks of her as some kind of god--. Another blogger said, "she is an artistic purist, a lover of all things Zen." One even stated the following description for her, "Long grey hair, white faced with Mohican styled green paint etched on to her face Luxor stood before me in her glory". My prayer; Lord please save her soul and those she has had great influence on.

Although this occurrence happened on the second day of our visit, we talked about it throughout the entire week. Each time in discussion with the girls, the Lord revealed to us to pray for her-- the shop-owner-- Luxor Tavella-- and we have continued to pray for her and I felt led of the Lord to write this in my blog, and ask you-- whoever you may be that read this-- to please pray for her. Call her out by name and ask the Lord to save her.

The Dark Days of Summer, they shall not overcome

2011-08-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

How is it that enemy can just seemingly "show up" out of nowhere and wreak so much havoc in our minds and lives... Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Throughout my adult life I have struggled with some times of slight depression, however, at times it has not seemed quite so slight. Depression is how I define these times of darkness and despair... it's as though I am "fine"-as fine as one can be living in a fallen and sinful world-- one moment and the next... I can barely function, life; every aspect of it is overwhelming. I don't know how it comes or how it leaves, but am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to get through it. There have been times in the past I've even questioned if life is worth living--I do know these are lies from the enemy, but they've attacked me, nonetheless. This last "episode" wasn't quite that dark, but I did spend several days not wanting to leave the house and crying A LOT. I know and I believe this is a spiritual attack from the adversary, who so wants me to fail -- and by fail I mean get consumed with myself and forget why I am here and by having me wallow in my self-pity and pride.

I did some research on spiritual depression and learned that I'm in "good company" so to speak... what I mean by that is there are godly men, that I have read about ,that suffered with serious bouts of depression, Charles Haddon Spurgeon to name one . It's awesome to know I'm not alone and to read the words of this man and how the Lord worked in and through him.

Fits of depression come over the most of us. Cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy.

There may be here and there men of iron to whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust frets even these; and as for ordinary men, the Lord knows and makes them to know that they are but dust.

Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between, I thought it might be consolatory to some of my brethren if I gave my thoughts thereon, that younger men might not fancy that some strange thing had happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy; and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shown right joyously did not always walk in the light

thankful, thankful thankful, that is what I am choosing to be-- as I have been writing this, I have been thanking the Lord for his goodness, his steadfast love and His peace that passes all understanding. I am reminded to not take things for granted, because we don't know what tomorrow may hold, but I do know that All things work together for my good and HIS GLORY.

Here are some of Spurgeons points on when we are likely to get depressed;

Right after a great success, after a “cherished desire is fulfilled.”
Before a great achievement (when we may be tempted to give up)
“In the midst of a long stretch of unbroken labor…” we wear out and despair
When we are betrayed by a beloved
When troubles abound
For unknown reasons. This must not be forgotten. Many depressions may not have a discernible cause. What we do with them is more of the issue. “Causeless depression is not to be reasoned with, nor can David’s harp charm it away by sweet discoursings….One affords himself no pity when in this case, because it seems so unreasonable, and even sinful to be troubled without manifest cause; and yet troubled the man is…”
My Prayer
Lord, help me to remember to cast the burden of the present, along with the sin of the past and the fear of the future, upon You, Oh Lord, who will never leave me or forsake me. Help me to Live by the day–or even, by the hour, thanking you for your sovereign grace. Help me to not put trust in frames or feelings. and when I cannot see your face, Oh God, help me trust you. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

And again I say.. Time Flies by---WAY TOO FAST

2011-07-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

OH. MY. WORD. Where. Have. The. Past. 3 months gone!!

Or maybe I should ask the question, where have the last two decades gone?? :-)

The last few months in photos....

The Cost of Discipleship

2011-03-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

"If anyone comes to me anddoes not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14

I have been wrestling with the question for several months now. What is the cost of discipleship? Hate mother and father and spouse and children and brothers and sisters? Of course we know that Jesus was as strong as anyone on commanding that we honor our father and mother, and count others more significant than ourselves. The threat is that we will idolize our families. The point of the gospel is not just to make nice families, but ultimately it is about the glory of the immeasurable love of God. In the scriptures we find that thing that makes God most angry is idolatry. So, if we put Christ in second place to the well-being of our families, we make a very dangerous mistake.

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 9:23; Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Follow me! that is the goal. Being with Jesus is the goal. Are I so attached to my relationships and homes, and my "stuff" that I allow that to get in the way of following him?

Our culture is built on self, self-esteem, self-confidence. We begin to twist the gospel into something that it is not. We make it look like us and fit into our lifestyle instead of adjusting our lifestyle to the gospel. The gospel begins with God, we were created to worship Him, to praise Him, to praise Him to the ends of the earth. He is the vine, we are the branches, we need to abide in HIM, so we can bear much fruit, for apart from HIM we can do NOTHING!! ( John 15) It's not what I have in me but about what God provides in me. It's not about me, AT ALL!!! It is about me making much of God.

No Solution in Sight - by Streams in the Desert

2011-02-23T05:09:00.000-08:00

"He went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:9).
It is faith without sight. When we can see, it is not faith, but reasoning. In crossing the Atlantic we observed this very principle of faith. We saw no path upon the sea, nor sign of the shore. And yet day by day we were marking our path upon the chart as exactly as if there had followed us a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within twenty miles of land, we knew where we were as exactly as if we had seen it all three thousand miles ahead.
How had we measured and marked our course? Day by day our captain had taken his instruments and, looking up to the sky, had fixed his course by the sun. He was sailing by the heavenly, not the earthly lights.
So faith looks up and sails on, by God's great Sun, not seeing one shore line or earthly lighthouse or path upon the way. Often its steps seem to lead into utter uncertainty, and even darkness and disaster; but He opens the way, and often makes such midnight hours the very gates of day. Let us go forth this day, not knowing, but trusting.
--Days of Heaven upon Earth

***

"Too many of us want to see our way through before starting new enterprises. If we could and did, from whence would come the development of our Christian graces? Faith, hope and love cannot be plucked from trees, like ripe apples. After the words 'In the beginning' comes the word 'God'! The first step turns the key into God's power-house, and it is not only true that God helps those who help themselves, but He also helps those who cannot help themselves. You can depend upon Him every time."
"Waiting on God brings us to our journey's end quicker than our feet."
The opportunity is often lost by deliberation.

HaPpY NeW YeAr - 2011

2011-01-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

Excited about the New Year, and what the Lord has in store for our family. I am super stoked about being involved in the siesta memory scripture team and anxiously awaiting for Beth to post, so I can comment with my scripture - I'll share it with you, right now....

Marlo from Flower Mound, Texas: Do nothing fromrivalry orconceit, but inhumility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of youlook not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

God is good and He does good!

December 31, 2010

2011-01-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated our 22nd Year of marriage, such a wonderful day we have. I love my man, more and more each day. thankful for him and how much he loves the Lord and takes care of his family.

We had dinner at a lovely place called Parma ~ and then came home and relaxed. I brought in the New Year in my sparkly TOMS...

Words from the Heart

2010-12-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Awakened at this late evening burdened by my lakadaisical attitude about EVERYTHING, convicted about my daily sins!! Convicted for not being the goldy wife He has designed me to be, the mother, the friend, the daughter, the sister. Convicted mostly for not making much of Him, and proving THAT when things get stressful, or I'm tired, OR the car in front of me is driving to SLOW-- or the car at the drive up window is taking WAY TO LONG, that I begin to yell at them--!! Confession-- the last two just happened today. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks: Matthew 12:34 and The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45.

I have never been one for "New Years" Resolutions, they seem so trite, so common. 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year, and after 6 months less than half of them have maintained this. I don't want to be another statistic. What I desire~ is to make much more of HIM in 2011. But I want to start by doing that now, praying that He help me give Him all praise, honor and glory in every circumstance. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose--Romans 8:28

I pray that my words will serve Him and serve Him well. Words matter, words show everyone where our heart is. Our words can encourage, bless, present truth and love. And, I believe with all my heart, when we use our words this way it makes the heart of God smile.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

The Year In Pictures

2010-12-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Hope Your 2010 was as

Blessed as ours was

Love,

The Haft family

Reflections - God is Good and He Does Good

2010-12-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

I am thankful to the Lord for breaking me, dragging me from the pit of despair and opening my heart to the truth.....

Written in December 2009 -

I was past DONE and believed there was nothing left of my marriage. I believed I deserved better--that is even what people were telling me, and I believed it. That is not what God wants for me. However, in my stubbornness and pride I couldn't see it. In June of 2009, I had an affair and left my husband, Kevin- and filed for divorce. I was trying to justify my adultery, by filing for divorce, YES, I know--- I was an idiot. The truth of the matter is, I committed adultery and quit on my marriage and my kids. During this time, my husband stood in the gap and prayed and sought the Lord over our marriage.

In 2007, God began using a recovery program to help Kevin get to some real root issues in his heart and in our marriage--again, I just couldn't see it. Because I was focusing on the speck in Kevin's eye, I couldn't see the log in my own. Matthew 7:3 ;Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

The Lord broke me and brought me to repentance. Shortly after he began breaking me, I read an awesome book, called, I Do Again-by Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs---life changing for me, man she said so many things that were the exact lies I had been listening to.

Around the 1st of November -2009, I spent 14 days fasting and praying and the Lord kept telling me... "THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOUR DESIRES IT'S ABOUT ME. Marlo, this is not going to be easy but if you will surrender completely to me and follow my commands for your life, I will not only restore your marriage and family, but it will be better than before, THIS IS ABOUT MY GLORY, not you".

The following is an excerpt from my journal on December 9th~2009... This was such an awesome word from the Lord, as he was speaking to me, he would direct me to scripture. Which was such a great confirmation to me, that I was hearing from HIM. I put those scriptures in parenthesis after each statement

" My love is steadfast for you, Marlo, I snatched you from the brink of disaster-- return to me with ALL OF YOUR HEART --come back to me, with fasting, weeping and mourning and really mean it", (Joel 2:12 -13; Psalm 52:1). I said, "Lord, I have come back, I have fasted, prayed and wept." The Lord said, "You must follow my commands, you must hide my word in your heart-- (Psalm 119:11) and I will restore to you what the swarming locust has eaten." ( Joel 2:25)

December 2010....

The Lord is faithful, He is Good and He Does Good. This past year has been the best year of our marriage. And I am so thankful to the Lord for restoring and reconciling - He is the only one who can do that. I love my husband so-so-so-so-so- much and I am so thankful to God for him.

In May of 2010, Chadney,our oldest daughter (she's 20) had a complete heart change , SO GRATEFUL TO GOD!! she loves the Lord so much and we have some great talks together. And she has some great conversations with her siblings. I got a text from her just minutes ago... Please pray that he will draw me nearer to Him. I love praying with and for my children.

In July 2010, the Lord broke Chassity (she's 18 and a freshmen in college) and it's so awesome to see Him working in her. I'll never forget a few months ago, when I woke up one morning around 6:30am and couldn't find Chassity - she was in her closet, having her quiet time--Thank you Jesus for drawing her.

Christian, my sweet 17 year old son -- is in rebellion, he is a sweet boy, but doesn't want to believe God is good and does good. We are praying for him, and sowing seed every chance we get. He does attend church with us each Sunday, and thinks Matt Chandler --our pastor-- is awesome.. Thankful to the Lord for a pastor who preaches the gospel.

Challie, my precious 14 year old daughter-- is struggling with serving God and wanting to serve the world. We all struggle with this, but it is quite the stronghold with her right now. I can see the Lord gently breaking her, especially these last few weeks. God is Good and He Does Good.

I don't know all the Lord has planned for our family, I know the next 6 months are going to be a time of transition - I'll share more on that later-- but my prayer is that through each and every transition, trial, and blessing that we will make much of Him.

God Be Glorified - Marlo

Joy Is Only for the Family

2010-11-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

Joy - A superatural delight in the purposes of God.

I read an interesting excerpt on Joy this morning from Dr. James MacDonald, and I have to say that although I have never thought about Joy being only for the believers, it's absolutely Biblical and I completely agree with his assessment.

James tells us in James 1... Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds. Only a Christ-Follwer can experience joy in the midst of a trial. We are not here for "fun" or our ego, for pleasure or for our family. We are here for GOD. He is the reason we will draw another breath.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit given to believers on the day of salvation. Gal 5:22 (ESV) But the fruit of the Spirit islove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control;against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesushave crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Joy is not something which changes because it is a permanent gift in Christ. What changes like the wind is “happiness” because one moment we could be happy and the next we could be sad. In Christianity, even in sadness we can have a joy under girding us. It is joy that propels us to go on in our Christian walk, even in the midst of hardship. Many of the martyrs went to their deaths singing and that was out of the joy of God given to them.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ( ESV)

He IS Steadfast!

2010-10-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

As I am approaching the end of this glorious Monday, October 11, Twenty-Ten. I am reminded of How faithful the Lord is. That His promises are true and He is steadfast.

Last Fall the Lord graciously pursued me, brought me to repentance, and told me that I must follow His commands. So thankful, he saved this depraved heart from the brink of disaster. I don't deserve it. I am aware that I am a work in progress, until he calls me home. But, I am so thankful to be a little further along in this sanctification process. One of the things the Lord said to me was, "you must hide My word in your heart". And from that point to this, I have committed to memory some scriptures. Not enough, but~ thankful to have more memorized now than last year at this time.

On December 9, 2009, the Lord began to reveal to me, through His word His steadfast love for me, I journaled a prayer to the Lord ~ " Lord that my ways, would be steadfast, in keeping your statues, and that my eyes will stay fixed on your commands." ~ The word steadfast really spoke to me that day ~ and The Lord took me to a handful of scriptures:

Steadfast: (Websters Definition)Firmly fixed in place, fixed in direction, steadily directed.

Return to the LORD your God,
   for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
   and he relents over disaster. JOEL 2:13

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
   and I walk in your faithfulness. PSALM 26:3

Have mercy on me,O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy. PSALM 51:1

The steadfast love of God endures all the day. PSALM 52:1b

But I am like a green olive tree
   in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
   forever and ever.   PSALM 52:8

For great is your steadfast love toward me;
   you havedelivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. PSALM 86:13

Recently, as I was reading over my journal, the Lord reminded me of that word again. Steadfast. Another verse that He showed me, that I am now working on committing to memory:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Thankful for His sweet reminder just a few weeks before our church announced a women's retreat coming up this month at our church, Can you guess what the title just might be?

STEADFAST!!!
So excited to learn more about Him!

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
   his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
   LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23

To the Wives

2010-07-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Bible is clear that wives are to be the suitable help meet and we are to submit to the authority of our husband. Beginning in Genesis Chapter 3, verse 16.. to the woman "Your desire shall be for your husband and He shall rule over you. I Corinthians11..the head of the wife is her husband...Colossians 3:18 - Wives submit yourselves to your husband as is fitting to the Lord. A very headstrong, independent woman might find submitting to her husband to be a bit sexist or offensive. I believe that is definitely one way satan has displayed his deception, feeding us (women) the lie that God would think of us as second class, to have to submit to a man. However, being a wife, and the Lord opening my eyes and my heart to the truth, I realize those lies could not be further from the truth. Submitting to my husband doesn't mean becoming his slave. It means recognizing his role and putting him first. After all, I believe this is the example Christ has set forth for us; to submit to Him and recognize who He is.

Many women have asked the question, "Am I to submit to my husband if he is a selfish clod who doesn't care for me?" Yes (1 Peter 3:1-2) A gospel driven wife knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and help her and strengthen her no matter what. Can you submit to a selfish man because you trust him? No. Only selfless love builds the kind of trust the church has in Jesus. To an immature, selfish man that submission will require great trust in Christ to help in the situation. To a loving, caring, Christian husband, that submission will be more and more from the heart.

Wives, as childern of God we are called to His obedience and His commands, as we are taught through the scriptures. Let us keep our eyes fixed upon the eternal reward of obedience to Christ. A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks. She puts her hope in the promises of God.

2 Down 2 to Go

2010-07-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

What a crazy few months it's been. With my 2nd child graduating, it has been quite a whirlwind. Unbelievable how the time just flashes before your eyes. One would think since I have already been through this once, that I wouldn't be so emotional. NOT TRUE. These chapters that close with each child bring a flutter of emotions for this mom.

Since graduation for over 700 students takes quite a toll in a day, we chose to have Chassity's graduation party the weekend before at Campania's in Southlake. A great place for a party, and delicious food ta-boot!

Happy, Happy GIRL!

Proud momma and daddy!

Big sister, been there done that : )

Chassity and her lil bro, Christian

AND our book ends - LOL... they always have their hands on their hips in pics : )

G parents

Aunts, uncles cousins - food and fun was had by all.

YUMMY - gourmet cupcakes-- SERIOUSLY ; )--Walmart special- THEY were so DELICIOUS!!

Take Up Your Cross

2010-06-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

This week as I was reading Luke 9:23, "And he said to all, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." I thought what does it REALLY mean to "live" this verse? Here is the testimony of one, who lived out this verse.

It was during WWll, and the Japanese occupation of Korea, that Esther's journey of faith began. She refused to bow down at the shrines set up in every corner of her country and she was eventually imprisoned for six years, from 1939-1945.

Knowing she would be destined for prison for her refusal of bowing down to the idols, Esther spent time training herself physically and spiritually. Each day she would find food that was decaying to eat, because she knew that's what she would be served in prison. What a humbling display of discipline. I wonder how many of us would CHOOSE to eat rotten food?!

Knowing that she would not be allowed to take her Bible with her,she prepared herself and memorized more than 100 hundred chapters of the Bible and many hymns. She spent countless hours seeking God through fasting and prayer. Reading the scripture during these times led to a greater clarity, and she was able to surrender her fear of being tortured.

This obedience to Christ increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and consequently filled her with an overwhelming love for people she came in contact with.

God used her in countless ways, while she was in prison. One night a young chinese woman convicted of killing her husband was brought in. She moaned incessantly and beat on the doors until the guards tied her hands behind her back. God called Esther to love this woman and reach out to her. Esther would hold her feet at night to warm them. Food rations were small but Esther gave up her portions for three days to this woman.

This was one of the many people God used Esther to minister to. Even the jailers and government officials noticed how Esther shone in that dark place. She could have just endured her suffering like a good Christian, and we would have applauded her. She was not content to merely endure. Each day she was ready for what God had in store for her. Each day she would ask God, "Who do you want me to love for You today?"

Trails and Suffering

2010-04-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Being in the will of God doesn't mean that we will escape pain,suffering or hurt. When people say, " If your in the will of God, your not going to suffer" is not only untrue, but completly unscriptural. No man can be holier than Jesus. No man who has ever walked apart from Him, can be more obedient than the Apostle Paul-- These two men suffered greatly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Of the 13 Apostles,12 were slaughtered, and John was exiled to the Island of Patmos. So, it would seem that people who walk in the will of God, often times suffer the most. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Pain and suffering can be very instructional, it can be purifying, motivational and very profitable . He knows whether to send us blessing or pain. He knows exactly what it will take to purify our heart. It's when He brings us to the end of ourselves that we are willing to be in the relationship with which He desires.

How are you responding in your pain?...

God never intends for a trial to overcome or destroy the life of one of His children, but when we do not accept and embrace what God has allowed in our lives, it can lead us toward a path of destruction. When we refuse the trial that God has brought into our life, we will burst forth into profane living. We must ask God for repentance, and come to a place of true submission to God. We must draw near to God and He will draw near to us.James 4:6.

God promises that He is working all things together for the good of those that love Him and His grace is sufficient for you and me. His strength is made perfect in weakness.

A Birthday Celebration, We did have

2010-01-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

On December 8, 2009, my sweet dad turned 70 years old!
Isn't that awesome!!

This is my dad, with his three girls : -)

We celebrated at Rockin' Rogers in Plano - great place for a birthday party. We had the private room, which was great for all the kids to "wander" around in.

So thankful for my sweet dad, and praying for many more years to come!

Challie enjoying the evening : )

Happy Birthday Poppy!

A Happy Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into God's presence with singing!
Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him, bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Bloggie for Doggie : )

2009-11-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Blogger Peeps,

I have a great blog, I would love for you join.....

OK, all you doggy lovers, check this out and join : )
http://www.poshpuppyboutique.blogspot.com/

ALSO - a great recipe, from Emeril Lagasse, to include for your Thanksgiving Meal:

Ingredients

• 10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 pounds total)

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

• 1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 3/4 pound mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Serve hot.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Blessed is the One Who Waits

2009-11-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

It seems the theme of my quiet time the past several weeks has been WAIT!

The following is my paraphrased version of the scheduled devotion in my devotion book for today, and I thought it was so good, that I wanted to share. It may give you the answer (WAIT) you have been looking for.

Waiting is not an easy thing to do, but I know it is a discipline that a christian soldier must learn and it takes years of training.

There are times of indecision and confusion, even when the most willing person, who eagerly desires to serve the Lord, does not know what direction to take. So what should you do when you find yourself in this situation. Should you allow yourself to be overcome with despair? Should you turn back in cowardice or in fear or rush ahead in ignorance?

NO, you should simply wait---but wait in PRAYER! Call upon God and plead your case before Him, telling Him of your difficulty and reminding Him of His promise to help.

Walk in faith.

Wait in quiet patience, and say to Him, "Lord, 'Not my will, but yours be done' (Luke 22:42). I do not know what to do, and I am in great need. BUT I will wait until You divide the flood before me or drive back my enemies. My spirit will wait on YOU with full confidence that YOU will still be my joy and my salvation. 'for you have been my refuge, [and] a strong tower against the foe' {Psalm 61:3}

Wait, patiently wait,

God is never late;

Your budding plans are in Your Father's holding,

And only wait His grand divine unfolding.

Then wait,wait,

Pateintly wait.

Trust, hopefully, trust,

That God will adjust

Your tangled life; and from it's dark concealings,

Will bring His will, an all it's revealings.

Then, trust, trust,

Hopefully trust.

Rest, peacefully rest

On your Savior's chest;

Breathe in His ear your sacred high ambition,

And he will bring it forth in blest fruition.

Then, rest, rest,

Peacefully rest!

Mercy A. Gladwin

Sifting as Wheat

2009-11-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

Those of you that have been around my blog for a while, may remember a post I published ( about 6 or so months ago) about how the Lord was revealing to me through His word, that I was going to be going through a "sifting" period. Remember the scripture, Luke 22:31-32...."Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I've prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start."

Well, I have been sifted, and I Praise God for his Faithfulness, his Forgiveness, and His Grace. I may have failed a few of life's recent tests, BUT God is stronger in my life than ever before, and he is doing a new work in me.

Psalm 51:6, I've been out of step with you for a long time,in the wrong since before I was born. What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. I LOVE this verse.
I am excited about the new thing God is doing in me, and can't wait to share with my blog friends, in the days ahead.

God Loves You, more than you know!

Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice - Psalm 51:8

Super Saturday

2009-10-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Today is gonna be a fun-filled Saturday

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

* NEW HAIRCUT --BIG MISTAKE : (*

Circa 1993

2009-04-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

My girls

Easter 1993, Chassity was 16 months and Chadney was 3. All dressed up with bows to match. Fun times.

And the Girls in 2009

Wordless Wednesday...Tippy, tippy, tippy, toes :)

2009-03-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

FUTURE ROCKSTAR

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

*Books for Sale $6.66*

WINNER IS.........

2009-02-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

OK

So, if you left a comment
I put your name on an
Oh, so cute......
um... well...actually,
a piece of plain white
copy paper.

I have a ways to go
to be as fancy as trainwreck :)
She has a cute bucket and adds pic, and everything ;)

ANYWAY.....
I got the job done

DRUMROLL.........................

AMY, from COLORADO

YAY, and I actually know her from
HIGH SCHOOL and

NO, I did not cheat-- I PROMISE

Seriously, the luck of the draw

I will be doing these once a month,
so don't forget to stop on by
you might be the next WEINER, I mean

WINNER

If you happen to read trainwrecks, aka
BOOTS WITH FUR, :) blog, you got that
If you don't

YOU SHOULD

www.cowboysandsunsets.com

SHE IS A HOOT!!

Friday's FASHIONISTA

2009-02-19T20:55:00.001-08:00

Challie's Fav Juicy Necklace, she is my

little fashionista, drama queen :)

Don't forget about the drawing

Give-Away

Friday, February 20th at 2pm.

Thoughtless Thursday

2009-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Yummy, blue (my fav. color) frosting :)

Hi, My name is Marlo......

2009-02-10T21:42:00.001-08:00

I am not addicted to facebook
just because it's my homepage or

just because I want to keep up with all my close
(370) facebook friends by having their status,
facebook mobile texted to my phone.....

or that my kids get a hold of me
by facebook private message (these are
texted to my phone
as well) , or
updating their status with.....

'mom, call me ASAP"

or I learn that there is a tornado warning
in the area by my neighbors' status updates :)

or I may possibly update more than twice a day.
maybe.
Hey, lots of fun things happen and
I like to share!

or, that my phone charges on my night table
every night, right beside me.
Hello people, it's my alarm clock (sheepish grin)

or even sometimes while I am updating my
fb status on my blackberry, I am commenting
on a friend's status from my laptop.

OK....
so maybe they should change the name to

CRACKBOOK!!!

I don't mean because lots
of plumbers use it.

but, you knew that right :)

Finally stickin'

2009-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Son....Have you brushed your teeth, today?
this week? Hopefully, this month!
WITH your teethbrush? ...... I have to be very specific
he is a smart boy-- sometimes too smart!

What about your homework?
Did you finish that? Did you even start it yet?
Had to use the rod of correction for this one, many a time.

Turn out your light. Flush the tiolet, son!

Did you take a bath? Why did you put your dirty clothes
back on?---you must, at least, change your socks and underwear!

I can't tell you how many times I have repeated these questions
to my son. These and many more.

Over, and over again, have I repeated these questions!

On Sunday I realized something. I believe this realization first hit
me when he made the A/B Honor a few weeks back. But, on Sunday it
was like this major revelation. This revelation occurred when I heard my son
asking his younger sister-- on the way out the door to church--Challie, did you
brush your teeth? WOE.....

Could it be, it's all startin' to stick? Yes, he is growing into this amazing
responsibile young man. I know he's brushing his teeth, I keep
finding the evidence in his bathroom sink.

I know he's flushing, 'cause of the lack of evidence in his toilet ;)

Underwear and socks, he's always looking for clean ones, yep
that means mom is slackin' on her chores.
Darn, FACEBOOK ;)

And ,I checked his grades on student access this morning, A's and B's
so far. Wahoo!!

He still seems to forget the trash,
but all will come in time.

Proverbs 29:15 says “The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.”

Friday's Fashionistas

2009-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

FASHIONISTA--I choose to believe it's a good word and we have three of them in my house.

Wouldn't you agree?

Three Sisters

2009-01-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

We are three sisters

Three sisters are we

I love each of you,

And I know you love me

We’re not always together,

Life sometimes keeps us apart.

But we're never separated

We’re in each other's heart.

Now I know we've had our troubles,

But we always get thru.

The real message is you love me,

And I also love you.

We have had lots of good times

That we'll never forget

Sometimes we worry

And sometimes we fret

But if God ever gave me

Something special you see,

It might have been the blessing of,

Three sisters are we.

The Lord above has gave me

lots Of happiness and glee

But the most special thing he did

was Make us sisters, all three

What's on My Mind Today

2009-01-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

I am gritting my teeth and trying to bite my tongue, with all the political happenings and "talk" going on. With the inauguration tomorrow, it's splashed all over the web. I am quite opinionated and passionate on this subject, and I am around several liberals, who do not see things the way I do. I disagree when necessary, and try to "help" them see it my way. ( aka the 'RIGHT" way--ha!)

I was born in the deep East Texas Piney Woods, and my family is very conservative--raised Southern Baptist, in the BIBLE BELT:) In fact, I remember as a child-- from the age of about 5-12, thinking that Republican meant you were a Christian, and if you were a Democrat; Oh, I prayed hard for ya. As an adult I realize this is not true, right? :)JK

Pastor said something on Sunday that got me to thinking about my thoughts on the outcome of this election. He said, "If you are in the camp that the newly elected president is the new "messiah" or in the camp that because of his win, the world is coming to an end, then your both wrong." God elects presidents, people don't, God is in control." I know this is true, but I have to admit my first thought, (and still not sure I am thinking differently) when the announcement came over the airways that Barrack Hussein Obama had won, that America was in trouble.

I know God is in control. Why am I doubting this win?

Is this God's way of waking us up? Revelation 3:14-20.

I've read what Barrak Hussein Obama believes and stands for, I disgree with him---A LOT!!
I am committing to praying for him on a regular basis. I do believe in God and and the power of Prayer.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21

From 7 to 17...Where did the last decade go?

2009-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

My sweet girl, turned 17 years old on January 2nd, 2009

I remember the day she was born.

I was there :)

And then at 7, she was so full of life, hopping, skipping,

and, jumping everywhere. She loved monkeys and had a pet turtle, they were her favorite.

Where has the time gone? She is now 17

YEARS, not months.

She's traded in the turtle for a car, and the monkeys for Matt. :)

Matt's the new hairy legged boy around the house. He is a sweet christian, who is very kind, and patient with her.

I am not rushing the years by any means, but I am anxious to see, all the wonderful things the Lord has in store for her over the next decade. I love you, Chassity, praying for your most blessed year yet!

2008-12-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

2nd ANNUAL
BUCHANAN GIRLS, GIRLY CHRISTMAS

We had such a blast Sunday Night with the girlies getting together, well except for Chadney and Chassity, it was such a bummer they couldn't make it. We missed them!!

Sweet girls!! We so missed them.

We ate, baked, ate, got a very sweet gift from the hostess,

ate, made cookies.

Played with some adorable baby girls

Watched White Christmas - well, we kinda picked the movie apart, ya know; sets, clothes, she's too thin, Oh, I 'd hate to be standing next her during filming, Bing and Danny Kaye are not so cute- Hey Bing, has really pretty blue eyes, Did you know Rosemary Clooney is George's aunt?, Vera Ellen seriously needs a sandwich..... I know what can I say, we are very observant girls. We had a wonderful time just talking and sharing. I love my mom and sisters, what fun we have together.

Nanny and Challie

Merry Christmas, from the Buchanan Girls!!