Veneer = Fake, Guest blogger: Superpurple Girl JUNE

Veneer - cheap wood that is covered with a thin layer of better wood
so as to make it appear that is entire piece is made of the better
grade wood.

I remember learning about veneer and being intrigued, seeing tables
and other pieces of furniture, always looking for the signs that would
expose it as a veneer, the fake or impostor that it was.

Yesterday, as I listed pieces of furniture we are selling, I felt that
same sense of mystery as I wrote the word again. Of the few veneer
pieces I included, Paul said "Don't even bother with those, they're
junk."

This morning, I saw it again:

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that
had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are
competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their
teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a
good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their
hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish
veneer." Matthew 1-3

It goes on to describe their detestable behavior as frauds and the
hopelessness - or woe - they incite. All their teachings and efforts
to impress are in vain! Their hearts and minds are set on making
themselves look good, not God. Jesus really lays into them for this,
too. And rightly so! They are the leaders, the teachers. But they
are fakes, not living what they preach.

So, again, I feel a sense of wonder and truth. I want to be solid,
through and through! Real and living - outwardly and inwardly - the
truth I believe and share with others. If I'm in a scrape or bumped
around or dinged like a piece of furniture, I don't want cheap fake
insides to be exposed - I want to be found solid through and through!

So, Lord, create in me a pure heart, renew a right Spirit within me.
I need this daily. For I know, God, it is only by Your power and
Spirit that I am fully restored and cleansed. I want to be solid for
You, God, standing firm in Your Truth and sharing the Good News of
your Kingdom for Your Glory!!

Weary? Find Rest... Guest Blogger: Stephanie

Last night was a night of conviction and relief! I knew that I was
supposed to be there when the topic of the night was "God's Answer for
Weariness"!!!!!!!!!!! Man just the title had me sold!! Where do I sign
up?!!!
I love how God will correct His children or show them things that they
need to work on, because although Joyce was very direct and nailed the
point home several times times last night, the Holy Spirit was
speaking to me gently gave me Hope and started to fill me with Joy.
Weariness means that you have no freshness, no tolerance, no patience,
no joy..your attitude sucks. All of those things are things that I
have been feeling since I've started school. And even before school
being a Single Mom. One of the points she made was, "Life doesn't make
us weary its the way WE APPROACH life. It's our ATTITUDE." We become
weary when we try to do it on our own. I sat there and wanted to ball
my eyes out. I was mad at myself for letting Satan have my attitude.
For letting him have a foothold. In Daniel 7:25 its says that Satan
seeks to make us weary!! I didnt' know that but it makes perfect
sense. When I get weary I become miserable in all areas. I just want
to give up and thats exactly what Satan wants us to do. Give up. Well
bucko (Satan) you are NOT going to steal my joy or my days on this
earth!!!! This I was forgiven for not being a good steward of my time
and for allowing myself to be agitated and have a bad attitude. From
today on with the help of our Lord my soul is going to be on
vacation ;) I will do everything that I can do and than sit back and
be on vacation waiting with expectancy knowing that God is going to
come through!!!!!!!! I will take up His yoke in EVERYTHING!!

Side note:
Proverbs 15:15 "All the days of desponding and afflicted are made by
evil by anxious thoughts and forebodings."
Desponding means- someone that is all down and depressed from the
afflictions in their lives
Forebodings means- Expecting something bad to happen before it even
happens!!!

Our expectations are part of our Faith!!!! Wait with ENTHUSIASTIC
EXPECTANCY!!!!!!!!

Question of the week: Feb 16

So. I am going to try something new today.

There are so many projects that go left undone in a household with small children. So, I woke up with an idea (thank you Jesus). I literally heard this= “You can do anything for 15 minutes!” I had read about this idea several places, one being FLYLADY.com, another on SimpleMom.net. I am going to carry around my timer today and set it for 15 minutes. Then I am going to tackle several tasks but only for 15 minutes! Maybe I will finish the task, maybe I won’t but it will be 15 minutes worth that wasn’t done before! Including idle computer time. WOW, that can get away from you fast- huh?

So the Question of the Week is this... Can you do anything for 15 minutes?

I really believe it builds character to do things we do not want to do. I believe we should get into the habit of telling ourselves “no” at LEAST once a day!

I am going to try and implement this this week as my weekly goal.

1 Thes 5: ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled…

This day will belong to me!!!

Ribbons of God's Love: A Valentine's Dream Guest Blogger: Nicole

I came awake this morning long before my alarm was to go off and in
the middle of a great dream. I lay there desperately trying to not
only get a few more zzzz's but to also try and get the dream back, as
it was not only wonderful but I was right at the good part. After a
few minutes of futility, I reluctantly got out of bed to start my day
while continually running the dream through my head. There was a man
with his arms extended towards me, palms up. He was dressed all in
white and his arms were bare. His face was fuzzy, but I could see the
emotions as they played across his face. On top of his extended arms
were these beautiful white, glowing ribbons that draped over both his
arms and down to his feet. He asked me, without speaking, if I wanted
them. I immediately felt a childlike glee and a huge grin came across
my face. I said, "For me?? Really??" He didn't say a word, but I
could see the a look on his face that said, "Of course, they were
always for you." I looked down at the multiple ribbons in my right
hand and noticed that they were all frayed and torn and turning gray
around the edges. I immediately let go of the ribbons in my hand and
reached for the ribbons offered by the man. Before I could actually
grasp them, I woke up.

After about 20 minutes of pondering this dream, I had a revelation.
That man was God and those ribbons are the NEW RIBBONS OF MY LIFE!!
Always there, always waiting for me, it was just up to me to take hold
of them! I woke up before I could grasp them in my dream, because God
wants me to grasp those ribbons with my waking mind and heart. THANK
YOU GOD for changing my heart, so that I can now take hold of those
beautiful, gleaming, clean white ribbons you have for my life.

Elo- who? Elo-HIM! Guest Blogger: Cara

I have been doing a daily Devotion book that teaches us the many names
of God. I am learning how each name teaches us about his Character,
his attributes, his nature - and his ultimate love. I have been
learning so much about my Father's limitless power and glorious name.
Lord is more than a word; it indicates a relationship. This teaches me the Lordship of God means His total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master. Some people who don't
understand this might say this idea of a relationship to be unhealthy
- being possessed and submitted - but I can honestly say this is
truly healthy and like nothing else!
Last night I learned about 1 of Gods names - Elohim "El" means mighty or "strong" and is used for any reference to gods including Almighty God. Elohim is the primary Hebrew word translated "God" in the Old Testament. Elohim is the name for God as Creator. It is used in Genesis 1:1 and could be
translated, "In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the
earth". I wondered by reading this above - does the use of Gods mean
more than 1 God?! I later understood No it doesn't! "The Lord (meaning
Jehovah) is our God (meaning Elohim), the Lord is one" Deut 6:4. God
is the Father, God is the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - the blessed
Trinity - created the heavens and the earth. One in essence, in
character, yet three persons united as one. I understood this to be
true before (the holy trinity) but sometimes I need things broken down
in layman's terms before I truly grasp the significance of Our God the
creator of all. God is the creator of all things, he has given us life! Why are we created?! For Him! We are a unique creation of God, one of a kind, created for his glory . He "didst form my inward
parts." He didst weave me in my mothers womb....I am fearfully and
wonderfully made!

My devotion goes on to tell a short story of someone beautifully made
that is not of normal size (to our human standards), a dwarfed women
named Julie. She stood 3 feet tall, her head was of normal size, but
a dwarfed body. Julie spends all her days in a sling, much like a
babys walker. In order to move anywhere, her legs must propel the
rolling frame. Julie is radiant, a delight to all who meet her. She
knows her Elohim, and she realizes that he created her just the way
she is for a purpose. Now please don't tell me God had nothing to do
with her physical condition. If I were to believe that, I'd have to
deny His sovereignty, His Word, and His name. I loved this story of
Julie because it reminded me that God has a purpose for all of us,
short, tall, fat, skinny, blind, deaf, or ugly (per our human
standards). He created each of us in his image to fulfill his purpose!
Rememberwhen the disciples saw a man blind from birth, "and His disciples asked Him, saying Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" (John 9:2) How did Jesus
answer? "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). God is Awesome and I praise the creator of all the universe. I
will glorify his mighty names' and trust in His power and divine will
for my life!

Thank you God for this revelation today - I will seek beauty in all
your created things!

Surviving Motherhood... 10 Things I've learned so far: BloggerSuperPurple Mama Free:

1. MUST make time for yourself in order for you to get your gas tank filled up. Fiercely guard that "YOU" time to make sure you actually do it. You're no good to anyone if you're out of gas all the time.

2. MUST be surrounded by a support system (that is only a phone call away) of people who can commiserate, listen, and correct your thinking on those days when you've heard so much toddler talk that you can't think straight.

3. MUST have trust in GOD for all those "unknowns" and all those times when you just can't be there to make sure... Or those seconds when they get out of your hands and into harms way when your back is turned.

4.MUST have adequate rest. This is a form of torture, you know.... Sleep deprivation.

5. MUST learn how to ask for help. Humbling, I know. But it's not fair to get mad at people for not reading your mind. Especially husbands.

6. MUST get out of your pajamas and shower. The world looks so much more conquerable when you are refreshed and ready to take it on... its amazing how much better everything seems after a quick shower.

8. MUST have a sense of humor. Farts are funny.Poop is funny. And there will be a lot of it!!! Probably all over you!

9. MUST be flexible. You can plan all you want, but with kids, you just can't control them. And if you try, they will resent you for it later on.

10. MuSt have grace for yourself. Because you will screw up. You will yell. You will feel like you're doing it all wrong. You will do things differently than initially planned. You will need "the whole village".

TAKE ACTION while we still can... This is not about POLITICS...

Even if you are a Barak Obama supporter, please do not brush this off... this is not about Democrat vs. Republican... You may be shocked by the following:

I know this seems long and wordy, BUT PLEASE read it to educate yourself about the Freedom of Choice Act that Barak Obama said would be the first thing he would sign into law in the White House.
FOCA would allow for unspeakably horrible acts to now be completely legal.

Barak Obama said he wanted to do whatever he could to reduce the number of abortions in this country... How does signing this ACT do anything but create more opportunities to have one, and force people who do not believe in it, to pay for them and perform them?

PLEASE DO NOT BRUSH THIS OFF. this is real and there is something that can be done...



This is from the website called http://www.focafacts.com/FOCAfacts/

- FOCA would establish a new fundamental right to have an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy. Even up to 2 hours before giving birth without any legal restrictions. In the last stages, a "health" reason would be required. But as we have seen, "health" reasons have not prevented any abortion from being performed.

-If FOCA becomes law there would be sweeping changes in the legal landscape of abortion. Hundreds of state laws would be nullified including: - All informed consent laws would be overturned. Informed consent laws require that a woman be given accurate medical facts about the abortion procedure, the alternatives available, and her legal rights, all for her own protection.

- All parental notification laws would be nullified. This means that any pregnant girl, no matter how young, could have an abortion without telling her parents. Nurses and doctors would not be required to inform the parents of minors if they referred for or provided an abortion. Only six states currently are without some kind of parental involvement law.

- All laws requiring a waiting period before abortion so that a woman can take time to think about her decision would be eliminated.

- The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 would be reversed. This ban was vetoed twice by President Clinton, and finally signed into law by President Bush. It was tied up in court for 4 years, and finally became effective on April 18, 2007. It banned the brutal practice of aborting a child who was delivered normally, all but the head, and then killed.

- The Hyde Amendment, which restricts taxpayer funding of abortions, would be reversed.

- Religiously affiliated hospitals that do not currently allow abortions in their facilities would be forced to either perform abortions or stop providing health care.

- Military hospitals would now be required to provide abortion the same as any other health procedure.

- Health insurance for federal employees would have to cover abortion as a regular procedure with no restrictions.

- Abortions would no longer have to be performed by licensed physicians, creating a greater likelihood of complications and safety issues for women.

- Health and safety regulations at abortion clinics could be invalidated.

- Doctors, nurses, and hospitals that conscientiously object to abortion would no longer be protected from lawsuits if they created a delay or inconvenience for a woman wishing to obtain an abortion.

- Artificially implanted cloned human embryo's could now be allowed to be carried to term.

- FOCA would require any government program that provides, pays for, or insures childbirth or healthcare services to do the same for the abortion procedure.

- All public hospitals and medical schools that restrict access for abortion procedures would now be open to be used for these procedures.

- Taxpayers would now be required to pay for elective abortions with their tax dollars under the Medicaid program and in the military.

WHAT CAN I DO???

go hereto find out... : http://www.focafacts.com/FOCAfacts/FOCA_What_To_Do.asp

Or, if you are in Orlando, contact me, and I can get you some pre-printed postcards all you ahve to do is sign and mail.