I, Annice, have had a very emotional past few weeks. Between friends emotionally hurting, family physically hurting, the joys of new life brought into the world and just every day life as a Mom, Wife, Daughter/Daughter-in-Law, and Homeschool teacher, I am exhausted. 

I was in my kitchen, the other day, doing dishes and in deep discussion on the phone with my husband on his way home from work. God is doing some mighty things between us, but we can discuss that another day. I hung up the phone, turned around and looked up above one doorway to our foyer and saw the "BE STILL and know I am God" wall vinyl I had Evan put there over a year ago. This was the first time that I actually stopped, looked and read it without quickly glancing away. Tears came to my eyes and I got it. God has been trying to get my attention for weeks, but I kept "hiding". Hiding behind laziness, laundry, dust, dishes piled up, crumbs on the floor, kids needing this and that, and who knows what else. That day, in my kitchen, I couldn't hide anymore. He was telling ME to BE STILL. As a Mother of four kiddos, that is not always possible, but I knew that I had to listen.

I like this quote and what it says about God wants us to Know that He effects everything in our lives. He allows certain things to happen, to get our attention, so that we just are STILL and LISTEN. Life happens! Life gets in the way sometimes. Most of the time, we get in the way of God and what He is doing in our lives.

God wanted me to be still that day, in my kitchen, before my husband got home, to look back at the past couple weeks and see where His hand was in all the details. Even the moments when I worried or was afraid, He was there.

In Psalm 62:5, David says, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him." 

Being silent and waiting...not so easy for us, is it? Especially in a culture that is all about going here, going there, doing this, doing that, seeing this person, seeing that person, Me, Me, Me....

In Job 6:24, Job says, "Teach me, and I will be silent; and show me how I have erred."

Wow...Job is actually asking God to show him where he made mistake. Ugh...I am not sure if I could ask God that, nor want to hear His answer. How about you?

I know that there are SO many things that I need to take inventory of and weed out of my lifestyle. But for now, I am going to be still and know that He is God! I am going to listen carefully for His audible voice or watch for little signs from Him. He will give them....just Be Still and Know!

Heavenly Father,

I come to you this evening with a still heart and listening for your voice. Thank you for loving me and keeping me safe even through my darkest times. Teach me the things that you desire for me, my marriage and my family. Put people into my life that I can minister to because of the story you have written for me thus far. Grab my attention when I least expect it. Discipline me as needed. It is my desire to be obedient to You and Your Word, to raise my children to follow hard after You and to see my marriage be an example of Your love for Your church. Cause me to be submissive to my husband and loving to my children. I love you!

It's in Your Son's mighty name that I pray, Amen.

I {Mandy} found this on Facebook the other day:

Click HERE to see the poster. Please click over for just a second. Otherwise, the rest of this post will not make much sense.

And I kind of had a chuckle, but when I really looked at it, it was life changing.

You may not recognize these names if you're not familiar with the Bible. If not, just know that all the people listed here are considered men or women of "renown."

Like, if the Bible were a movie, these people would be the "Tom Cruise" and "Angelina Jolie" characters of the story.

As I read down the list, I stopped seeing their names.

And I started seeing my own.

There is not one thing on that list that I couldn't claim as mine.

Am I a drunk? Even if a drop never touched my lips, how many times have I been drunk on my own [perceived] power or importance?


Too old? Half the stuff I used to do as little as a few years ago I can't do now. That includes back bends, staying up all night and then working an entire shift without so much as blinking an eye. Now I complain of aches and pains from standing/sitting/laying/walking too long and 2 play dates in a row exhaust me.

Daydreamer? Much of my life has been spent daydreaming. Wasn't it John Lennon who said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans"? Yep. That's me. How many opportunities slipped past me without hardly a sideways glance? How many "right now" moments went unnoticed because I was too busy looking ahead?

A Liar? Ouch. One of my most hated things is being lied to. I have past issues with this and it's triggered by certain situations. BUT...that has not made me immune to lying.

Ugly? Well, although I consider myself "average" I can attest to the many times my insides have been absolutely hideous. My thoughts can be horrifying. The judgments I can cast at the blink of an eye make me the ugliest person on earth at times.

Abused? My past holds some stories where this word would qualify. And really, unless you live in a bubble, how many of us have not been abused by someone in one way or another?

Stuttering Problem? While I may not have a speech impediment, I surely have had much difficulty getting out the right words at the right time.

Afraid? The way I live my life could be summed up in that one, six-letter word. I am so afraid and riddled with anxiety, it's ridiculous. I constantly have to remind myself that God has not given me a spirit of fear.

A Womanizer? Maybe not in this particular context, but I have had people in my life that I have used for selfish reasons. Or friends who poured into me, but I was so wrapped up in receiving their friendship that I didn't give back. And now it's too late--they've moved on.

A Prostitute? Perhaps I haven't given up my body for money, but I have certainly sold myself short for one reason or another: love, acceptance, pleasure, coercion, rebellion...

And the list goes on....

Too young? In comparison to many, yes.

Murderer? If thoughts turned into actions, how many people would I have condemned to hell for one reason or another?

Suicidal? Sometimes I pray "Come quickly, Lord Jesus" so that I don't have to spend one more minute in this depraved world.

Naked? Literally? Figuratively? Yes.

Ran from God? Oh my. Years at a time sometimes. Sometimes even now when I can tell He's asking something hard of me.

Widow? I have grieved the death of 2 marriages.

Bankrupt? I have lived both a life bankrupt of morality and one where I didn't have 2 pennies to rub together.

Denied Christ? This one...this one hurts. But yes. I have cautiously answered questions or backed down during a discussion if I knew saying what I really believe and feel would lead to controversy or relationship issues.

Fell asleep while praying? Many nights I do this.

Worried about everything? Have I mentioned that I worry a lot?

The one that really stopped me though...

"The Samaritan woman was divorced"

If you have visited here before (and as I mentioned above) you may know I have been divorced twice. I wore that as a badge of dishonor for years. I tucked it away so that no one would know and glossed over certain details of my life so that I wouldn't ruin my testimony. I figuratively hung my head in shame and carried the weight of that guilt for years.

Too short? I am an average 5'4 in stature, but mere inches in confidence at times. Sometimes I forget that I am a child of the King and should act as such.

Too Religious? Just ask some family and friends. They will be the first to tell you that I am "too religious." And they may be right. At times, my 'religion' comes before my relationship with Jesus.

An Ulcer? I don't know how I don't have one, what with all the worrying I do, but at times I can work myself up into quite a fervor with needless worry.

Dead? Sure, my heart is pumping and blood is coursing through my veins, but how many times have I felt dead inside? Like I wanted to just give up? Like I wanted a ticket off this planet and to not deal with the problems and struggles of this world any longer. Like I just couldn't do it for one more day? Too many times to count...

So the truth in this funny meme is that we are all guilty of most, if not all, of these things.

These people are like the guy next door, or the girl in the cubicle next to you...or just like us.

And the beauty of this, friends, is that God knew all about it.....centuries before even one of our days would ever come to be. And He still wants to use us.

God doesn't delight in our shortcomings. He isn't excited when we use poor judgment or make bad decisions...but He still loves us and He can still use us mightily.

You. Me. All of us.

For His glory.

So, whatever may represent you from that image...it doesn't matter. God can wipe it all clean and still use your story as a testimony for Him.

And the crazy thing about it is, our lives...our everyday lives filled with short-comings, mistakes, flaws, bad decisions and the mundane...it all matters. It can all be used for him. And to quote my friend Melissa Hucal: "It's amazing to me what an adventure even an "ordinary" life can be when you put Jesus in the middle of it all."

Romans 3:23: "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Do you feel like you should be conquering the world for Jesus, and instead you are cowering in a hole feeling defeated by life?  I (Alayna) do sometimes.  

I know a few things as a Christ follower.  I know that the battle is already won.  I know that Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself - He defeated my sin, bought me back from the grave, and has a spot for me in heaven.  I know that I'm an ambassador for Christ to bring His message to a lost and waiting world.  I am more than a conquerer.  

So why then would I be hiding from life and feeling defeated?  

I think many things are a matter of our focus in life.   Do you ever stop to think where your focus is?

I can tell you where my focus is, where my mind and thoughts are.  My mind is on the day to day, the little problems, the messy rooms and the misbehaving kids.  It's focused on the fact that I'm not consistent with my quiet times, I don't pray as much as I'd like, and I'm certainly not as holy as I should be.  It's focused on where I feel like I'm trying and failing - fitness and weight loss, discipline and teaching my kids in the teachable moments, and being the best wife ever.  And I'm focused on safety, security, and being comfortable.  

I probably represent a fraction of the American Christian church - maybe even a large fraction.  I represent a part of the church that is being less than effective for Christ, because my mind isn't on the things of Christ.  Christ isn't my number one priority.  

My mom always said, "Garbage in, garbage out."  And this is way too true in our culture that has soo many garbage-like things to fill our minds and time with.  

It's so easy in our world of modern conveniences to fill our lives with so many things intentionally and unintentionally.  Our lives are unintentionally filled by distractions like unimportant spam mail, a gossipy phone call, an overdue bill, a crisis - big or small.  And sometimes we are intentionally filling our lives with things like a less than good and holy tv show, Facebook, YouTube, scrapbooking, and plenty of other things.  I heard it said once (wisely, I might add) that to see what's truly important to you, watch where you spend your time.  

So where do you spend yours?  

Many days, I'm not sure where mine goes with a houseful of chores and two kids, but I can tell you that too much time is wasted on electronic media - my computer, television, and my cell phone.  Is what is happening in the social media makebelieve world of Facebook really more important than time spent with Jesus and my bible?  Or more important than my kids?  I don't actually feel that way, but the way I spend my time says otherwise.  ouch.  That's a tough pill to swallow.  It's embarrassing and - unfortunately - all too true.  

When your time is filled with silly or shallow things, and your mind isn't focused on Jesus and the things of heaven, it's easy to be defeated.  The battle has been won by Christ, but we've already given up when we aren't filling our time and our minds with the best thing - God.  We need to be filling our minds with Scripture and focusing on the timeless truth of God.   

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."  Colossians 3:1-2

I think it's time for repentance - at least from me anyway.  To let God know that I know I am wrong.  That I have let things that simply don't matter to obscure my vision, to steal my focus, to fill my life and to be more important than Him.  If this is you too, join me in a prayer of repentance.  

God,   

I am sorry.  I am so very sorry to let things in life to become more important than you.  I am sorry to fill my life with things that aren't important, and then make excuses when I don't have time for you.  I am sorry to let the distractions of life sneak in and steal my time and focus away from you.  Help me.  Change my heart and my mind.  Help me to put you first.  Help me to put my mind on You.  Help me to clear out the unimportant distractions in my life.  Help me to fill my life with You FIRST.  Thank You for your mercies that are new every morning.  Help me make tomorrow a new beginning with you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

So its seems to me (Lindsey) that the heat has been turned up on the flame that is surrounding women of faith who don't buy into the lies society preaches regarding a successful marriage. In this day and age with a divorce rate hovering at around 50%, and less people even seeing a need to get married choosing to remain in committed yet non-committed relationships, it also seems to me that society has no room to talk about healthy or successful.

Today's society has it so stuck in their heads that biblical submission, the kind that women like Candace Cameron Bure have recently been publicly attacked for, is the same submission that a sinful world has produced. I have seen many say things like "This sent the women's lib movement back 100 years." or "Men use verses about submission to be abusive.". While the second statement is at times very true, the difference between abusive misuse of God's word for your own profit and a woman's Godly desire to submit to her husband are astronomical in theory and practice. The first statement, however, is absolutely ridiculous. Submissive Christian women still value the rights they have in society. They value the fight that was had to give them the opportunity to vote, to own/inherit land, to have an active voice in the path our country takes.

What a submissive wife does not value is ideology that being a strong woman means that you have to make your husband less. Having opinions does not render your husband opinion-less. Our desire is to give our husband's respect and to serve him willingly of our own desire as our offering and worship to God and His perfect design for marriage. The verses on submission Ephesians 5:22-33 say this:

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body, but feeds and cares for it just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wive and the two are united into one." This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Biblical submission is not about becoming a door mat, or doing what you're told when you're told because you are a woman. No, instead it is this beautifully intricate story of two lives interwoven to become one life and that one life's intent being to mimic the story of Christ and His relationship with the church.

I love how Ephesians 5:32a states, "This is a great mystery". This practice of submitting and fully trusting another human being with your happiness and life, the idea that the other person loves you just as much as he loves himself and who sees his only purpose to be protecting and sheltering you from harm, is a foreign concept. It is a foreign concept not just to the outside world but to many Christians. It is most definitely a mystery and a challenge to all, those who look at it and question the sanity of those who believe these statements and to those who take it on. Selfless, unconditional love and respect is not an easy feat. I am commanded by God himself to respect my husband. Verse 33b says "and the wife must respect her husband." It does not say and then the wife must respect her husband. My respect is not to be conditional. It is not to be determined by my husband's actions. The same can be said of the directive given to husbands. Their directive of loving their wives as they love themselves is also independent of the command given to wives. It does not say love your wives if  or when they are respectful.

In this respect those verses while they have everything to do with creating one functioning marriage, have nothing at all to do with the other party involved in said marriage. My biblical and Godly submission can never be forced upon me. It can never be anyone's decision but my own. My choice to submit is not a choice that stems from weakness or inferiority, instead it is one of the most difficult forms of self-control and strength that a person can develop.

Finally, before I finish, I want to encourage the Christian women who have made this choice and are facing the flames, the Christian women who are on the fence of this more recent argument, and the Christian women who are maybe taking sides with the viewpoints of society. Do not choose to lay prostrate at the feet of societal idols, continue to put away the things of this world. Do not fear the flames, for just as God protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) from the fiery flames they faced after refusing to participate in an act of worship that was not aimed at our God, so will He protect you from the fire that society is building for those who dare to think against their grain.

Father God, give us the strength to remember who it is we serve and why as we face the backlash of our actions as believers. Help us to remember that we are not subject to the judgement of this world and therefore our thoughts should always be focused on eternal and heavenly things. Help us as women to wrap our arms around one another and to lift each other up. Help us to show support for those who are facing the fire right now. Give us the strength to stand along side them and to remain firmly grounded as the trumpets blare declaring it is time to worship the idols of society. Help us not to bend to the will of society out of fear Father God, instead let us remain standing so that we may enter the fire and return from it fully protected and undeniably glowing with the light of the one true God. We ask all of this in your powerful name Lord Jesus, Amen.

As a mom of two little girls, it is no surprise that we made Frozen their first movie theater movie.  But I [Ginny] had no idea how much they would love the movie.   Anna and Elsa have made their entrance into our home as official members of the family.  We have the dolls to prove it!  In fact, we have visited them at the theater THREE times.  Thank goodness for matinee prices and 10:50am showings! 

Because of their fondness for this new Disney movie, I have had the opportunity to think a lot in that reclining seat in the dark.  For those who haven’t seen the movie, it is about two sisters, Anna and Elsa.  Elsa was born with the power to create snow and ice, but she doesn’t have any control over it.  After injuring her sister when they were kids, she has to hide away in the castle as she learns to control her powers which are set off by fear.  After their parents meet a fateful (and let’s face it, predictable) end, she is crowned queen.  During the dance after the coronation, she and Anna have a shouting match which ends in Elsa accidentally throwing ice at everyone and turning the whole kingdom into a wintry mess.  The rest of the movie is spent as Anna finds her sister, and they try to find a way to restore summer.  (SPOILER ALERT) In the end, Elsa learns that love can give her control over her powers. 

How many of us, like Elsa, are born with things that are considered curses to us? - Family curses that have been passed down many generations.   Perhaps it was uncontrollable anger, inability to trust others, or fear that keeps us from enjoying even the little things in life.  In my own family, generation after generation of women have suffered from angry outbursts and inability to control raw emotion.  It was passed down from woman to woman, and eventually, I even had it passed to me.  You can imagine how fun family gatherings were as a result of so much anger.  Almost every family holiday was spent with someone leaving early after a giant fight.  All involved felt it was okay to express their raw emotion.  I remember sitting at those gatherings, watching the destruction around me, and promising myself that I would never carry this tradition on.  Unfortunately, as a result of my upbringing, I had an inability to form close, trusting relationships and saw myself following in my family members’ footsteps.  At some point, my raw emotion would rise, and I just blamed it on the other person for bringing me to that point.

Yet, when I met my husband and his family, I saw a family that actually had fun at family gatherings.  I saw a family that operated from deep love, and I yearned to have that in my own life.  I didn’t want to turn into my family members.  I realized that the only way to have that was to CHOOSE to break the generational curse and seek peace in my own self and then in my relationships with others.  It was NOT an overnight change.  Years and generations of the curse were within me.  I was born with the temptation to lash out at others, to snip, to believe that everyone was against me.  I am still a work in progress.  Making this choice meant some other difficult choices in my life that have resulted in others’ lives no longer being a part of mine.  It meant failure after failure as I tried to break the curse.  But eventually, I discovered, love is truly what will break it, and not just any love – the love of the Heavenly Father.  When I love others with His love, I can have deep and meaningful relationships with others that don’t end in disaster.  I can trust that not everyone is against me.  I can enjoy peaceful moments in my life without planning revenge on someone for something I thought they did.

I still stumble.  But I am so grateful, because of the love I have been given from God, my husband, and amazing family and friends, that I have discovered not only the amazing love of what family love should be, but I can pass on the message of love to my children and not anger.

As I reflect on just how incredibly strong God’s love is for us, I am reminded of the amazing song by Selah – How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.  Here are the opening lyrics:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

When you consider all that God has done for us, despite our failings, it is hard to hold anger against others for their missteps.  When you consider that God knows all of our plans and wants the best for us, it is hard to hold onto fear of the unknown. When we consider that the Lord will not walk out on us, even though family and friends have, it is hard to walk out on others or fear others will leave us.

What generational “curse” have you been born with?  Dear sister, it doesn’t have to continue.  You, with the Lord’s help, can put a stop to it.  You don’t have to pass it on to your children.  You can make the choice today to fight it.  But know this – you cannot fight it without the Lord by your side.  You will need his hand to pick you up when you fall.  You will need the comfort of His loving arms when you feel like you just can’t fight the curse anymore.  You will need His unconditional love when you have failed for the 30th time and your children are looking at you with fear or tears in their eyes, and you feel like a horrible failure.  But don’t let Satan bring you down in defeat.  You are a princess of the amazing Lord and Savior, and with Him, nothing is impossible.  When all feels lost, remember this promise from Jesus’s lips:

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Do you need prayer or encouragement as you start the journey of leaving behind generational weaknesses?  Please feel free to contact us with your prayer requests, and we will be on our knees praying for you.  You don’t have to take this journey alone, but it IS your responsibility to take the first steps and choose LOVE.