Entitlement at Christmas... YUK! Guest Blogger: Alison

My favorite thing about Christmas is the spirit of giving that is in
the air. People's generosity never ceases to amaze me every year, and
especially this year when I know most people have a tighter budget
than usual yet they still donate their time and money to those less
fortunate. It truly is a beautiful thing.

I love to help people in need, so I'm a sucker for pretty much every
charity fundraiser that a coworker or friend asks me to donate to.
Giving is so much more rewarding than receiving, and nothing makes me
happier than to see the look of gratitude on someone's face when
you're able to help them out in their time of need.

My least favorite thing about Christmas is when those less fortunate
EXPECT to be taken care of. It's definitely a struggle for me because
I really want to help everyone, and I can clearly see that this person
could use some help. But when someone approaches me asking when I'm
going to get around to helping them, I start to resent being
generous. Yes, this person might be in a tough situation, but their
expectation of receiving a generous donation is not right.

This event reminded me of the passage in Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar
was going to throw three men into a blazing furnace for refusing to
worship his gods.

Daniel 3:17-18
"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able
to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But
even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not
serve your gods."

God is capable of rescuing us from any tough situation we are in, but
He doesn't have to and we shouldn't expect Him to. When we start
having expectations of what we think we deserve and what God should be
providing for us, it's like we are undermining God's work. God is a
generous father and He wants to give us everything our hearts desire.
But the moment we start expecting his generosity is the moment He
turns his back to our plight.

God, I am so thankful for all of the blessings you have provided to
me. There are times when I feel like I'm not being recognized for my
achievements, that I'm not getting what I deserve, and I thank you for
helping me discern when my expectations of you begin to undermine your
plan for me.

Super Purple G Christmas Party!

Last night was a blast at the Super Purple/Silver G Christmas party!

Some memories:
"Aidy Brady could fit in that bag"
Paul's secret stash
"Up to no good!"
CHICKEN, chicken and more chicken
June's meatballs in the green container!
Purse snatching!
That chili cheese dip~ yummmm
another double decker cookie cake
Willie (willfully) choosing the painting
Baby swapping
Falling snowflakes (and not in a good way...)
The ghetto yellow Christmas tree
Phil's valiant attempt to confiscate the purse... (it almost worked...)
Michael Bolton... again
The Cheese plate


More pix to come.
Post your favorite party moment by leaving a comment...

This season's fruit: GENTLENESS, Guest Blogger: SUPERPURPLE Tracey

1 Cor. 13:4 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand it's own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

This verse is a good mirror of whether we are living our lives according to the spirit of God. If God is love then shouldn't we try to be just like our Father? Last week my mom and I had a disagreement about something that has been going on a very long time. I was frustrated to say the least because to me it was common sense that the results she was getting out of her life were based on decisions she was making. AGAIN, I stress this has been going on a long time and in my frustration I told her the truth. At the end of the conversation she hung up on me. To me, she proved my point and I said to God "I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't say the wrong thing! She is the one with the issues and she will have to call me and apologize for hanging up on me!"

But I had "arguments" in my head about the situation ? Whenever there is an argument in your head you can bet that something is not right. We can either become proud and not face it or we can look in the mirror of this verse and see what went wrong.

I decided to look in the mirror and this is what God said. " Although what you said bore truth it was not done in love because you were not gentle with your words and this nullified everything you said". I knew right then and there that I needed to repent by humbling myself and apologizing. I called my mom last night and told her I was sorry for not being gentle with her and everything was restored. Think about this every time you make a decision. Am I doing this for my own personal gain because I am demanding my own way? If you find that you have been then rectify it and only then will you see God's hand restore it and you.

Question of the week: Dec.8 Guest Blogger: Superpurple girl TRACEY

Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them be banished

from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.''

Has the Lord left you? Has he gone away somewhere? NO, of course not! He is near and has not left you. So why do we not call on His name to help us in our time of need?

I know in the past it had been difficult for me to see God as my Father. My "vision" of a father had not been restored and I made God to be something He wasn't which was distant, cold, and uncaring. But is this the truth? NO. I would respond to God out my own "truth" rather than what God said about himself and would suffer because of my own foolishness. The TRUTH is that He says we should "seek Him" and "call on Him" and that He will have "MERCY".

It IS possible to have the very thought of "doing wrong" banished from your mind. Why? Because God WANTS to help and he WANTS to pardon you. How awesome is that?!!

The suffering of the world is that they feel as though they do not have forgiveness for their sins. They may not recognize it but we were created to live in righteousness, and when they don't, they feel the effects of that....unforgiveness. But we are not like them. We have been introduced to the ONE who will take our sins when we ask and who will pardon us in an instant.

Ask yourself today: What has taken God's place in your life? You may not know how to answer this. A way to find the answer to this question is with another...
"What is it that I seek out first, in my life"? What is it that I hunger for? We are all seeking something, hungering for more of something...
Is it fame, money, to be loved, approval....?

If you will truly answer this in your heart then you can repent and start running after the things of God WITH INTENT. Hungering for God. Seeking God. You can take the passion and turn it towards God. Run to the cross while there is time and He WILL have abundant mercy!

Beware of Persimone: (no, not a root vegetable that grows from the ground): GUEST BLOGGER: Allison

Haggai 1:9-11
"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."


Freedom’s teaching last night about the different spirits of Mammon
(money) really struck a chord with me, especially the spirit of
stinginess (parsimony). I’d never considered myself to be stingy, but I am extremely sentimental about pretty much everything. Combine that with the phase I went through in my early to mid twenties where I bought everything I wanted when I wanted it regardless of need (spirit of greed), and you will find that I have a LOT of stuff. And most of the stuff I now own I rarely or never use or even look at!

I started my purging a couple months ago because I wanted to get more
organized. When you have too much stuff that you rarely or never use
and you really don't need, you kind of get lost in the clutter. For
example, I have a huge walk-in closet and it is completely packed with
clothes. If it weren't for needing clean underwear, I would probably
only do laundry once every two months. Sounds like a good thing
having so many clothes, right? Wrong. It takes me longer to get
ready in the morning because I can't decide what to wear; I have too
many choices.

God revealed to me last night the underlying reason why I need to “clean house.” Yes, being more organized will be a side effect of
ridding myself of the excess. But the real reason he is telling me to
purge so many of my possessions is to flush out the spirit of
stinginess that has lived in me for so long. God wants me to have abundance, but abundance does not mean having more possessions than I need. He is teaching me how to trust him, that he will provide for my
needs as they arise. I don’t need hang on to clothes that don’t fit
just in case one day they do fit again. He is also teaching me that
none of my material possessions have any real value in his kingdom.
There may come a day when God’s abundance for me means nicer, newer,
more material things, but I first need to become a better owner of the
things he has granted me custody of now.
Wow! I have definitely been humbled.

A window into the heart of God: Guest Blogger: Superpurple Girl Katie

" . . . And if this had been too little, I would have given you even more." 2 Samuel 12:8-9

This is God speaking to David after he committed adultery with
Bathsheba. What I see in this is that God was so sad that David had
gone after her, a woman he wasn't to be with, when God loved him so dearly and had already given him so much.
I love seeing God's loving and generous heart for his servants in this word.
It helps me see too how God must feel when we are dissatisfied with what he's given us, or when we chase after idols.

Stop Tryin' and Start Dyin'- GUEST BLOGGER: JEN

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God spoke to me this morning telling me to die, and I questioned it.
Hey wouldn't you, if God spoke very clearly to you telling you to die?
I have been very frustrated with everything lately and the enemy found
a way to get in: I have been trying to get things done with my own strength and not letting God do his work.

So what God spoke to me this
morning was "Stop trying and Start Dying (to yourself)"
Ah, thank you for confirming you're not telling me I'm going to die God!

Sunday I was
convicted, I realized after church I really
wasn't being thankful for some things in my life. So, I started doing it.
Girls guess what?
I have started to change and now everything is changing around me!
(When I change, everything changes)
PRAISE GOD!!!
My son Isaac has done a 180!!!!! I started again praying for my
finances (which I stopped doing, and boy was that a mistake!),
and was able to book some work last night!!!
I just have to remember God is my provider and I need to put all my faith into him and not let it go.

I will continue to die to myself today, and let God work in me like he
has been trying to!!

Holy Spirit Boot Camp: Guest Blogger: Stephanie

Good Morning Ladies!! What a Beautiful chilly day it is!!!

Hebrews 12:7-11
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never
disciplined by its father? If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the
Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers
disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

For the past 6 months God has been doing a Mighty work in me.
Building character and changing my heart. Ripping out all the ugly and
replacing it with beauty and joy. I can honestly say that I thought
God was never going to change the ugly crippled ungrateful person I
was. But the passage up above is exactly what I had to go through
FIRST!! I had to SUBMIT myself to the King Lord Jesus.
And only then could He make me into the person He designed me to be.
Was it painful..Heck YES....did it suck at times...YEP...and No it wasn't
enjoyable to have to die to certain things that have been birthed in
my heart for 23 years!!
But I made a choice. My choice was to fully give my life to God. I didn't care what I had to do. I didn't care what it meant for me and my life. I would give up EVERYTHING in my life just to have Jesus in my life, because without Him my life is NOTHING.
I want to encourage any of you ladies that might be going through a
rough patch in life or might be giving up something in order to live
in complete FREEDOM in the Kingdom. DON"T GIVE UP!!!!! Please don't!!
The freedom in my heart and the joy of Christ in me is overwhelming!
It was worth every tear and prayer. Who doesn't want a peaceful
harvest??? It wont just be handed to you. You have to work for it!!! A sacrifice.
But sooooooo worth it ladies! I hope this gives Hope to
someone!!!

Love you all very much!!!

A daughter of the Most High

Question of the week: Dec. 1

This morning, as I write out a record 10 checks to pay for my baby boy's medical bills totaling well over $3000.00, I am receiving invitations from the enemy to become fearful. Or to doubt. And to wonder whether or not we can afford to give Christmas presents this year, and to doubt words of promise God has given me specifically. My old hoarding, poverty, stockpile mentality tries to take over when I don't take those "thoughts" or "invites" captive.

To quote Joyce Meyers, "Fear is simply believing what the devil says."

So, my choice in this time is this: To believe God, or to believe the devil.

I choose God.
Here's what he says:

Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. - De 15:10 -

and this:

Has anything in your fields - vine, fig tree, pomegranate, olive tree - failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.'" - Haggai 2:19 - the message bible.

So here's the QUESTION of the week:
In what areas of your life are you believing the devil?
(meaning, in what areas of your life do you still have fear?)
The only fear we are to have, is the fear of God.
I challenge you to ask yourself this question and to face the fact that what this really means is you are choosing to believe the devil instead of believing God's truth.

Do you realize this is why Jesus came and died on the cross? It says in John 18:37b "You say that I am a king, and you are right." Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize what I say is true."

Do you love truth? Or do you love the devil's lies? Which do you believe?

Passing Tests: Guest Blogger: Sarah

Dave and I are having a few issues with our finances, and we
had to have the brakes replaced on our car (that's not something you
can just ignore!). So he took the van to the shop ,and it was very
expensive. I was thinking, How are we going to afford this?

Then, I was going to take a shower, and I couldn't turn off the cold water.
The handle broke and wouldn't turn off at all!! The drain was clogging
and filling up! I freaked and called Dave. He told me to turn off the
water from outside, but I couldn't see the handle, so he told me to
dig for it. I think "dig, you use a shovel," right?! Wrong! I hit the
handle and it cracked. When Dave got home, he tried to shut off the
water from the meter, but it was too stuck. Reluctantly he called a
plumber, who charged $110 to turn it off! I was thinking, "Great, more
money issues!" Thankfully Dave was able to replace the pvc piping that
night.
I finally got to a place where I could ask God what He wanted
to tell me in this situation. He told me to go to Isaiah. I read
chapter 60 verse 1 in the Amplified. It said, "Arise( from your
depression and prostration in which CIRCUMSTANCES have kept you- rise
to a new life!), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord
has risen upon you!" I was convicted right there! I was having a
moment of depression and negativity. I wasn't allowing God to really
speak to me I should have, but I didn't. All I could see was what was
in front of my face. It wasn't until I asked Him to show me what He
saw til I "woke" up.
When Pastor Mark spoke I had a lightbulb moment! I have been
asking God for a while what His will is for my life. When he read
1Thes. 5:16-18 I was so excited! That's it, that's what His will is!!
For me to have a thankful attitude in every CIRCUMSTANCE, be JOYFUL
ALWAYS and pray continually! This is so simple, yet so profound for
me. This is what His perfect will is. If I can and will do this,
actually take this into practice; everything else, all the blessings
and abundant life He has for me, WILL COME TO PASS!!! I will never
have to worry about anything, think negatively, or have jealous
feelings towards anyone! All those former thoughts are in the past and
that's where they will stay. I want to grow and do His will.
Also, after church Dave's parent's bought us lunch. After I
thanked God for my parent's, my dad called and wanted to give me money
from our trip to Illinois. That was a huge blessing. It really works
to be thankful for everyone and everything.

"You complete me"... Guest Blogger: Dayari

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who
imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own]
eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what
you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen,
and settle you." 1 Peter 5:10

and....

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will
continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ
Jesus returns." Philippians1:6


I often times beat myself up and feel down because I don't feel like
I'm doing good enough. Perfection is a ridiculous and illogical thing
to strive for but I feel like I let God down when I stumble. This verse
is AWESOME because it tells me that God HIMSELF will complete the work
He has begun in me and make me what I ought to be. Right now, I feel
that I am in the "suffering stage" ...like that God is allowing me to
struggle on my own to show me that I CAN'T do it on my own. I am
claiming these verses having full faith that God will complete the
work he has begun in me.

Thanksgiving Family FIGHTS: encouragement! Guest Blogger: Allison

"Don't be discouraged"

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Early this morning I was sitting in my parents' kitchen with my
parents and sister. I was talking about giving thanks to all of
blessings that we have in our lives, and my sister went on her
negativity kick.

This is so frustrating to me for many reasons. Her and I used to be
very close up until a couple years ago; we have mended the broken ties
but I find myself not wanting to spend time with her. Her constant
negativity and worldly nature are the complete opposite of how I view
life, so it's a constant battle during conversations we are both
involved in. It's not like we are having screaming matches but rather
I find myself walking away to avoid saying something I might regret
later. I miss the close friendship her and I shared for so many years
but I just don't see it coming back anytime soon.

After the conversation about giving thanks for all our blessings, I
began to feel really discouraged about this whole day and was
definitely under attack. I excused myself from the room and I asked
God for a word; he told me to read Galatians. I hadn't yet read the
Book of Galatians, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. I read
all six chapters, which really uplifted my spirit about my walk as a
Christian. And at the end of Galatians was my rhema. I won't be
discouraged by my sister's negative attitude and I will continue to
speak blessing over her because I know that one day I will bear
witness to the harvest.

Thank you God for all of the blessings you have bestowed upon my life
and my family's lives. Thank you Jesus for bearing my sins so that I
could be set free and for the freedom I have by living through you.
Amen!

Regrets, I've had a few... Question of the week:

"Regret is a mistake that you didn't learn from"~ Annaleigh, ANTM's, top 3 contestant.

Silly show, profound words.

What regrets do you still carry in your life? Are there things in your past you would change if you could?

The bible says this about regret:

• 2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV

  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

What situation from your past do you need to allow God to have access to? This verse tells us that if we have one of those situations, we need to allow God to bring us sorrow over it, because it will lead us to salvation, and ultimately, removing the regret from that situation. If we don't, it will lead to death!

Regret, or feeling sorry, is not something we "owe" as a penance after we have asked forgiveness. If we have truly allowed God into that situation and allowed his forgiveness, then regret is actually not an option.

Hmmmmm...

So, put away your rosary, and your whips, and your selfishness in the form of self-loathing.
Accept God's love. Leave regret behind. It is extra baggage you do not need to be carrying if you are to fly through life!

Taking Ownership: Poop or no Poop. Guest Blogger: JEN

Gen 1:28
God blessed them:
Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

Ownership

God tells us to take responsibility (ownership) in our lives, and that
means for us to know what is ours to take care of and what we don't
need to worry about. It takes wisdom to know what we should be doing,
because we can't do everything. God broke something in me that I
didn't realize was still in me, and it stems back to my marriage and
my ex husband. I realized that I am nice out of fear, this was a HUGE
thing for me this morning I used to be this way with my ex husband I
did everything out of fear, and I see this creeping back in.

"HELLO JENNIFER" God was saying to me the spirit of fear, rejection, and
people-pleasing lay in side of you. WHAT? I thought all of this was
gone. Nope, and it is all my fault because I didn't take complete
ownership of what God has given me.

Now that I start thinking, it is hard for me to realize what are my responsibilities and what aren't. I know that God doesn't expect me to do everything, and now realizing that it shouldn't matter what people in the world expect me to be or do.

This doesn't fall into my daily responsibilities, but this falls
into not doing things for people out of fear that they won't like me.

God revealed to me a vision of a house with a zero lot line and a
house with a lot of space around it, boundaries around my heart is
what God wants me to do. I need to stop having a zero lot line around
my heart and letting people look in my "windows" and letting their
dogs poop in my yard, because I don't want people pooping on my heart
then walk away. Once they walk away they feel better, but then I have
to sit and try to justify that it was ok for me to let them dump on
me because that is the "Christian" thing to do.

Today I will realize what is my responsibility and what isn't!

Turn your Whining into Winning!- Guest Blogger: JULIE

Jeremiah 15(the end of)
{ God speaking}
"Take back those words, and I'll take you back. Then you'll stand tall before me. Use words truly and well, don't stoop to cheap whining. Then, but only then , you'll speak for Me. Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you, but won't put a dent in you because I'm at your side, defending and delivering. I'll deliver you from the grip of the wicked. I"ll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless."

Whoa! God was so direct with me this morning. He gave me this
scripture after I asked where I should read, and not until I got to
the very end did the Holy Spirit set my " alarm bells" off.
I have said many negative words about having to work. Even when I
already committed to it, my flesh would cry out and my tongue would
speak negative words. There have also been many times that I've spoken
judgments against my family members, outside my immediate family.

Meanwhile, my number one gripe was that no one seems to take me
seriously. I kept thinking, why do I seem to have such little
influence over people that I "should" be able to give advice to, or at
least be listened to by? The babysitter is telling me I should pull
my daughters long bangs into a clip(Flesh speaking: "Hello? I'm the
mom of a 2.5 year old. I think I know how to take care of my child.")
I'll speak up about something at work, and sometimes just get
ignored.
So while I cannot control how people treat me, and sometimes there's
just nothing I can be or do to change them: God has shown me that I'm
the one stopping Him. Until I (with God's help) CONSTANTLY speak the
words that are true and good, I will be defeated. Because if I really
believe God's words in my heart and expect to see them come true, my
mouth would not be pouring out junk.
My job is a good thing, I am not being stolen from, this is adding to
my life, God will use this time to bring harvest into His kingdom, He
is not punishing me.

... You see me, Guest Blogger: SuperPurple Laura

Rick and I (and in-utero-Baby-Romot) just got back from visiting one of God's majestic creations....the Grand Canyon. I wanted to share a little of my experience with you....

I have come to anticipate my Father to reveal new things to me when I remove myself from my daily life and experience him out in his beautiful creation....and this trip was beyond my expectations.

Crimson handiwork of your canyons
Majesty beyond my understanding
Sweeping strokes of beauty
As far as the eye can see...

I am silenced in the midst of its wonder
As the peaks and valleys scream your praise
Their maker so much bigger than they
And yet....you see me

This is how I felt in the Grand Canyon. By day, we were witnesses to one of the most beautiful masterpieces on earth...a staggeringly huge, majestic, colorful, living, breathing sculpture. By night, we couldn't stop gazing at the rest of God's masterpiece in the heavens....the big night sky with millions of stars representing countless other solar systems.

I wanted so badly to explore the depths of the canyon. We did take a 1.5 mile hike into the canyon and it was AMAZING and even then, we were barely under the rim. God knew when he created this earth that we would have a hard time wrapping our heads around his majesty. I am so glad he created wonders like the Grand Canyon to give us just a glimpse. Even then, to compare that to the heavens....our planet isn't even a spec on the universe's radar. And to think that our Father SPOKE these things into existence....

How could I question you Lord? How could I worry about my micro-problems? How could I not choose you over anyone else? How could I ignore your word? How could I not want your wisdom? How could I not want your BEST? How could I be so inpatient as not to wait for it? How could I think that my life is my own? How could I possibly think that my life could be ANYTHING but death without you????

How could I not be humble before you, my Lord, my All, my Majesty?

Thanks and Giving

As we enter into the Holiday season~ I love to search for new ideas to do that may become traditions for my family.

So I ask you... What are some cool family traditions that you had? What are some that you do with your family now?

Leave a comment with your answer...

Question of the week: Nov. 17th

Hello Purple Princesses!
I have an awesome quote for you this Monday.
Utilize it as something to ponder in your devotions this week and let God speak a personal RHEMA to you through it.

Here it is:
~ "When we are wanting to go to a place that God has not made us for, we are wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy". - C. S. Lewis

What places have you gone in your life recently that God has not made you for, and you know it, but you are trading temporary happiness for true, long term JOY?
What things have you let satisfy the great desire in you temporarily that has quenched that deep longing inside you but not made you truly happy, or has distanced you from your relationship with God?
What is God saying to you about it?
What are you ignoring God about?

In Love,
your Fearless Leader,
Freedom