Squirmy- the $15.00 Target Card Challenge

Squirmy. Isn't that a great word? I love words. I love books, writing the whole nine yards - but I hate grammar. In fact if you are well read and love grammar I don't know how you can abide my blog. So you get huge high fives today for reading it regardless.

I have a great friend, who started out as my co-worker and ended up as my boss and his name is Alan. He is my brother I think in some sort of strange way. He can finish my sentences, keep up with my random thoughts, and even falls out laughing at things that I do. John- my husband, and Stephanie-his wife just look at us like we need to be put away for good. But we sit and laugh and laugh. Any whooo (yes grammar kings and queens I did that on purpose) Alan hates high fives. They make him squirmy. He would rather lick the bottom of your shoe than to give you a high five. He would rather clean your lent between your sofa cushions than give you a high five. He would rather pick up cigarette buts from the parking lot than to give you a high five. I think you get the idea right? It makes him feel awkward- like what if you miss hands mid air? What if you hit the person too hard? I am not sure how it makes him feel- but one thing I do know it is makes him feel squirmy.

So on to the word. I was thinking of the word squirmy today and I was trying to think of things that made me feel that way. One of the hugest squirmy moments is when I am opening up gifts in front of people other than my family and close friends.

You know the feeling. The gift is so beautiful, it is wrapped by a professional- but you just don't know how you are going to feel about it's contents. You already have the "I am going to love this" look on your face while you unwrap it's contents. You tell your self no matter what- I am going to squeal with glee- as I uncover it's goodness. Yet, when you open it up the gift is so lame, so unfitting, and so weird that you have a look of horror on your face. They immediately question- do you not love it? You cross your toes in your sandals and pray no one is looking. Like it? I love it your proclaim! You pray to God that lightening will not destroy you, your furniture, or your daughters 2000.00 American Girl doll that is neatly propped next to you on the couch. I say all of this to say- that is a time in my life when I feel squirmy.

Walking into new churches makes me feel squirmy as well. You know what I mean. The greeters meet you at the door with their little clip boards. They want want you to fill out all of your information. They immediately ask you 700 things about your life- all the while forgetting your first name. That makes me feel squirmy.

I was talking to a friend the other day who had moved into a new town. She told me that she visited a new church where she did not know anyone. The hostess met her and her family at the door. They waited while she filled out her card. She was so nervous by this ladies constant chatter that she forgot how to spell HER LAST NAME. I kid you not. That is a time when you feel squirmy. The greeter then followed her and her family to the sanctuary where she proceeded to make small talk with them until the music started. Let me just at this point just share with you that John would have passed out by now. HE HATES SMALL TALK. Back to my friend- she felt squirmy.

So now that I have repeated this word four thousand times in this blog- What makes you feel squirmy. If you come up with a funny one instance, or one that everyone comments on, or appreciates the most- you will win the $15.00 Target card this week!

Yahoo- Comment Away- and good luck to you squirmy people!!

The solitude of your presence

I want you
Only you
The solitude of your presence
The whisper of your voice
It is the essence of my life
I am empty
But you are full
I am poured out
But you remain
I stand as a child in need
You stand with amazing grace
With unmistakable glory
Ready to come in and flood my soul
To quench my thirst again
What others see as barren, empty, and void of life
You see as filled, as one waiting with life ready to spring forth
Your quietness calms my souls
And fills me with your confidence

Special Friends- Your "Feel Good" Story for Tuesday!

Enjoy YOUR Life...

Abraham Lincoln so aptly stated “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

The only life that you have is your own- the only way you are going to be happy is to live it on purpose and enjoy it daily. I have met so many people that will be happy when…..
1. They get a new job.
2. They get a boyfriend/girlfriend.
3. They get into college
4. They get married.
5. They have kids.
6. They lose weight.
7. They get involved in the ministry they have always dreamt of.
8. Their kids moved out of the house.
9. They get a new car.
10. They move into a bigger house.

And the list can go on and on and on. The first thing you have to do to enjoy your life is to accept the life that God has given you. As MKs he has allowed you to live in two countries. You are familiar with more than one culture. A lot of you can speak two languages. Has it always been fun? No! Has it always been easy? No! Has it always been exciting? No! But you can decide if you are going to use the life the Lord has given you as a stepping stone to your success or a crutch for your own failures.

I fear that we have turned into the society of “Not Enough” which is so aptly stated by this quote:

"We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more medicine, but less wellness. We read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of a fancier house, but broken homes. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul."

(Anonymous, cited by David G. Myers, "Wanting More in an Age of Plenty," Christianity Today, April 24, 2000)

We must not allow jealousy or comparison to cause us to be absent from our own life the Lord has given us. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:18, 19:

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him-for this is his {allotted} part. Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil- this is the gift of God {to him}.”

Take your “allotted part” of life and enjoy them- your family, your talents, your resources, your physical qualities, and your uniqueness- that God has given to you. God is asking you to be faithful in your life not in someone else’s.

Use what HE has given you to touch and influence others. There is only one you. He has you right where he wants you. He has given you the job, the friends, the neighbors, the co-workers you have to be a Godly Influencer in their lives. Each of us has our own destiny, our own path that we must follow hard after.

So today if you are caught up in the hamster wheel of life- comparing yourself to others- stop, get off and start walking to your destination. You are so beautiful the way you are. You have comparing yourself to someone that isn’t even called to do what you are to do. Your ministry, your talents, your abilities are God given for your calling.

As soon as you step into the real you- you will find the peace, the joy, the sweet embrace of the Lord, the wholeness that you have been trying to find by living others dreams. Today strip all of that off. Stand before him ready and available and I assure you- you will be in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Today is BWAD- Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

So here is today's question....

Do you appreciate bubble wrap? lol- a whole DAY of bubble wrap?


Today is national appreciate Bubble Wrap Day!

Just to make you laugh....

It's your turn.....

List three things you have googled in the past two days....


Here are mine:

1. The Dutchess of Devonshire
2. Etsy.com
3. Southlake, TX

Laurissa (who is currently sitting on my couch) has googled:
1. Post Secret
2. Almost Homeade
3. Howie Mandel

Seanna who is pacing ready for us to leave the house has googled:
1. Picture of Andrew Johnson
2. Picture of Andrew Jackson
3. Picture of James K Polk

I can't wait to see what you all have been googling.......

Enjoy the Process.....

It has taken me 40 years to learn this one thing...Enjoy the Process.

Are all days perfect? No
Are all days in sync with my plans? No
Are all days the way that I have them mapped out? No
Are they all in HIS Plans? Yes
Do I have control over every day? No

I do have control over this one thing- my attitude in the journey- so I choose this-
to enjoy the process.

Some days I am numb
Some days I am scared out of my mind
Some days I just cling to HIM
Some days I am giddy
Some days I just want to linger
Some days I inhale
Some days I exhale
But I will do this- I will enjoy the journey!

God is perfect
His ways are beyond mine
His paths will be made clear
He is the door opener
The door closer
He holds everyone near

For this week alone- I have had friends from near and from far, friends that are in tune quote, tell me, text me, and pray this verse over me .....

“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

HE is.....

He is my rock, and my salvation....
I shall not be greatly moved!

Psalm 62:2

He is my only rock

And the winner of the $15.00 Gift card from Target is.....

CHRISTOPHER BRAINOS......

Your card is going out in the mail today-

For everyone else thanks for the great ideas for increasing the hits on the www.upwithmks.com website! Amazing IDEAS!! There will be a new contest starting tomorrow!

I hope your snow is melted and your children have been released to school.
I know that mine are in school and I am doing a tiny happy dance (did I type that out loud?)

Love you Bloggy Buddies!

CMN

Thank you President Bush- Welcome President Obama!

Today is a great day in history- the changing again of the guard. Thank you President and Mrs. Bush for being there in some very adverse situations for the United States of America these past eight years. Welcome President and Mrs. Obama and your two precious daughters. May HE grant you the wisdom, protection, strength and power as you lead us!

God Bless America!

I'm gonna let you in a little secret....

I left the US when I was five and was raised in St. Croix, USVI. I remember landing on the island for the first time and had that warm wonderful feeling that I was finally "home".

We drove up to our house on the little hill above the Schuster's house and had to wait for key to arrive. The house was peach in color (tropical) and had a front and side porch. I sat on the steps and was amazed at all the fruit trees I saw everywhere. My little quivering miniature Daschund soon discovered lizards by the bizzilion.

I remember when the key finally arrived I asked my Dad if there were any shops that sold "pop" on our new island. The person that brought the key went to the back of his truck and pulled out 2 icy cokes in the bottle and 2 icy orange crushes. What a great day.

From that day on that place became my little home. I became one with the people, one with their culture, and one with their color. Yes - thus my secret...for many years I thought I was black.

I remember my girlfriend coming over at the age of 6. We both carefully put Vaseline on our hair before we braided it. We rubbed it on our skin, our feet, our arms. Please don't try this at home- it will come out after several washes- key word- several.

I begged my parents for us to move to the projects- Lorraine Village- was my choice, and I talked "Cruzan" to my dolls and make believe friends - Cupcake and Sophie. My Mother after hearing me one day declared If I spoke "Cruzan" in the house one more time I would be spanked- that I could only speak it in the yard. I started moving more and more outside.

My best friend was Troy Schuster. He and I played by the hours together. We made our own glue out of berries, we chased lizards, climbed trees, learned how to ride bikes, and even fell asleep in the grass some evenings. We would catch tadpoles in his "Copper". We were together constantly and his Grannie Schuster adopted me into their family. His Mother and Father had the best parties which would have serveral of the dignataries of the island. It was not strange for the Goveronor, or Senators to be there. I was only a child and not invited. I would sit on the top of the hill and look down on them dancing at their back porch for hours. My Mother would finally find me and hurridly sweep me into our tiny home.

Our church services were lively. We were the only caucasions that attended and I never noticed. The first time I attended Sunday School they cut our papers in half and pulled leaves off of the trees and told us to "color" with them. Everything would be green I soon figured out. I came home to go through my crayons that I kept in my ice cream pail. The broken and ripped ones stayed at home and the best ones with tips went to church. The steel drum Calypso hymns were song loudly. I was one of the loudest. When it came time to praying at the alter my friends and I were always there.

Every four years we had to return to the states for deputation. I was nine the first time we had to leave our island retreat. I was horrified. Leave my friends? My Church? My School? What would Country Day do without me (survive I tell you). I remember landing in Miami and gasping at the amount of "white people" everywhere. I grabbed my mother and clung to her. I told her there were too many white people in the states that I wanted to go home. She assured me that I was white as well and that color did not matter for me to stop being silly.

I lived for one year in the states and welcomed the thought of going "home". Home to pigeon peas and rice, to mangoes, tamarinds, curried chicken, pates, roti, but most of all home to my friends. I missed Troy- my best friend, and all of my friends from church. Finally the day came when we landed back at my island home. I was set for another four years.

I found my Holly Hobby diary the other day. It brought tears to my eyes as I read my sentiments about how happy I was to be home. One of the lines is the reason for this blog. It simply read this "I don't know why people are judged by their outside color. I am white but I am black, I have friends who are black but they are white. Why can't we all just be? Just be people. Troy and I are blood brother and sister and we both are the same. He is black, I am white -we both have red blood."

I was in the 5th grade when I came home. I hope that my children are raised to feel the same way. I still can talk "Cruzan", I still miss St. Croix. My best moments outside of John and the girls are on a tiny island in the sea. I thank God for calling my parents there- for it truly changed my life!

Some of my favorite sounds....

1. The girls giggling in the next room while playing.
2. John calling me "honey"
3. The carbonated bubbles fighting to be at the top of my ice and diet coke filled glass.
4. The turning of the pages of a wonderful book- I can eat them up.
5. The clicking of the computer keys when John gets to work from home.
5. The word Momma, Mommy, and even Mom when they are frustrated with me.
6. My ringtone when it is my Mom and Dad calling me.
7. My skype phone ringing on my computer when it is family from the Dominican.
8. The text alarm when one of my peeps texts me.
9. "Yum- this is delicious" this rarely happens (kidding) when I cook.
10. MUSIC- I have to have it
11. The sound of children, teens, adults praying and praising.
12. Waves crashing on the sand.
13. His voice saying well done though good and faithful servant when I walk through the pearly gates one day....
14. The swoosh of the heater coming on - on a cold day.
15. Huge yawns at the end of night- signifying that my 7 and 9 year old are ready for bed.
16. Laughter- any kind- the short chuckles, the long screams, the snorts, the squeals, any kind of laughter- it's all good.
17. The voices of my good friends- they can soothe, calm, bring joy, and just hearing them gives my soul a huge hug.

Now .....what are your favorite sounds??

I was just working on someone reservations about 10 minutes ago....

and ask him how his name appeared in his passport (meaning passport spelling of name)

He said - Uh in letters.

I needed this laugh today- I was at primal scream mind frame before hand!

Happy Weekend!

I also once had a client ask me what time the midnight buffet was on the cruise and another ask if there was an elevator that went from the front to the back of the ship and I could go on and on and on!

Painful realization number 479.....

This week has been kind of an awakening week for me. Maybe because I have been trying to be in prayer, fasting, and listening more this week. Emma has things going on physically, we still don’t know about John’s job, and our house still has not sold…so once again I have that horrible pit in my stomach that says be transparent Cylinda. I love to laugh with the best of them and get so frustrated with the Lord when he tells me to open up. Why me I sometimes ask him- He quickly says why not.

So here goes. The Lord told me about 8 years ago that he would use me in a speaking ministry and in a writing ministry. This was told to me by a person who was used in prophecy, and also I had a word from the Lord myself before this had happened. There it’s out there. I said it. I used to speak when I lived in Little Rock at ladies events, at Apostolic (my old church) and sometimes in the district that I lived in. I married John and moved NC and knew not a person outside of John and his family. So then out of no- where I got asked about two years ago to speak at a lot of churches. I spoke at a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) ministry here in Matthews, NC- that lead to another referral which lead to another referral etc , etc. So these were all interesting speaking engagements which would require a whole other blog. Remind me later and I will blog about it. Let’s just say one time I got paid at a church of 450 with a coffee mug with the church logo and a box of peeps- and it was not close to Easter. At another church they had a quick breakfast before I spoke. While in the middle of a bite of my breakfast casserole I hear a loud voice proclaiming- IF anyone is eating the breakfast casserole please stop- I accidentally used my breast milk instead of the regular milk. I had to think happy thoughts all morning to make it through without losing it-literally.

So back to the transparent thing…..as I get more and more nauseated while typing. I really felt like the Lord told me this past week that HE was going to start opening up the doors this year for my speaking ministry- that 2007 was a year of loss, 2008 was a year of healing, and that 2009 was going to be a year new anointing. So I was like wow- what kind of pizza did I eat? Why do I feel this way? How will this happen? How does this figure in with my full time passion of MK Ministries? I felt like the Lord kept telling me that HE was going to take care of it. That the only reason he was letting me on this was to prepare me.
Again- bear with me

So this week I really doubted this recent word I had received from the Lord. Even though I felt doubtful the Lord kept saying lean on me- I will do this. On Monday I battled this in my mind thoughts of negativity tried to infiltrate my spirit. I rebuked it and claimed HIS Words. I did this for a day- and then one of my great far-away friends sent me an email that brought the change. My friend told me of a meeting that he was in and there was a tongues and interpretation that went out. The Lord said-

“I will direct you and guide you. Lose your identity and take on mine and let me have all that you are, and your resources and see what I will do for you.”

That was it. After reading this I stopped, wept, repented, rejoiced, and felt a new all at once. I asked the LORD to free me from ME. To let me lose Cylinda and to take on HIM- to be known as his identity. I repented of any “me” thoughts that I would have in my life.

I fear that we have become such a generation of self marketers that we forget it is not about us. We blog, we frantically try to post our articles to keep our name before eyes weekly, we try to build our circle of friends, add daily to our Facebook list, spend hours making videos of ourselves until we fall into an exhausted pool made from our own sweat and tears. I dare say that if we spent ½ of the time that we spend in self- broadcasting with HIM- we would truly have a mind-blowing relationship with the Lord.

Now please don’t miss-understand- there is nothing wrong with blogging, nothing wrong with finding your friends on facebook, filming videos etc- I just wonder sometimes what is the motive behind it all.

I have stopped and asked the Lord to cleanse me- wash me- to rid me of any part that is just concerned about the name Cylinda to please wash it. I know that this probably does not make sense- but I hope a tiny bit does.

Cleansed and on my new revelation of HIS POWER I ran errands yesterday. I prayed before I left that I would not get in the way of what HE needed to do through me while I ran errands. I left the neighborhood to get a care package for an MK. I stopped at Target to get the supplies; I then went to Wal-Mart to get the supplies for Kids Church. I thought wow this is going great- but was later upset as not one ministering opportunity arose in 90 minutes. I then heard the Lord’s voice. He said- go to ___________ and told me the store. I thought that is not in my plans. But it must be in his.

I went to the store and the owner was there. She has ½ price Yankee Candles- did I mention I love that shop? Well we began to talk and she began to tell me about her financial difficulties, her life changing decisions that she was facing, and stopped mid-sentence and said- I am so sorry I don’t know why I am pouring this all out on you- you are a Christian right? There is something different about you. I talked to her for about 10 minutes explaining I would be praying with her over these decisions, that I would check back with her and assured her that God had things in control.

I then went to the dry cleaners after I felt His nudge again. I walked in to find the lady behind the counter on the phone crying. She was telling someone that she could not be there any longer that her son was in the hospital and that she needed to leave. She was not getting the response that she wanted and her face was getting redder and redder. She hung up and apologized. I said no problem- I overheard about your troubles- can I pray with you? I did she cried more. Her son was only 9 and in the hospital. He had a strep infection that had gone too far. I told her that I would continue to pray and that she could call me any time. She had my number.

I went home feeling different. I felt Him telling me- that is what ministry is- you were my voice today to them. It was not your voice but mine. I cried again- praying that I would and could be used again.

Today I stopped by the dry-cleaners again- I had to check on the little boy. His mother was there again- she said oh it’s you. I said yes. She said I want to tell you- something happened last night to my son- he is out of the hospital today. Thank you for being there for me yesterday. I smiled and told her no problem and told her that I had the Kids at our Kids in Prayer group pray for her son last night. I was able to share the information about our church with her.

Please don’t miss-understand this blog. I just re-read it and am worried about how it sounds….I am not again against blogging, posting your blog on facebook as I do this often- I hope that this blog or anything else that I do will minister- but if it suddenly takes over and it becomes about me- Cylinda- instead of HIM- then it has to stop. Does that make sense? If I can lose myself in him daily- then I can be effective – but if I look in the mirror and see this 5’4” 40 year old cute but chubby lady- I have missed it –

Use me Lord- To show someone the way, to help, to be your hands and feet! Now back to fun blogging these serious ones are too transparent and cut deep. I am a work in progress- I think I have a construction sign on my head :)

For the last time Sharks do NOT LIVE in your bathtub!

For the past 6 months we have been going through this with Emma. She does not want to take a bath or be in the bathroom alone as she feels that at any time sharks can get into the tub with her. we have:

1. We sat down and showed her pictures of HOW BIG sharks are and how small her tub is. She tells us that when they are babies they are only 7 inches long. I suddenly hate her Ranger Rick Magazines.
2. We have assured her that even though her tubs faucet is larger than a pin head it is still SOO small a baby shark could not come out of it. We have also explained that there is a filter the water must go through before it comes out of the faucet. She argues the filter will break.
3. We have driven her to the city water tower to show her where the water is held.
4. We keep her away from the TV during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.
5. Finally we tell her that sharks live in salt water only and she said that her teacher told her they could stay alive for a while in fresh water.
6. We concluded that we are 174.53 miles from the closest beach. Distance means nothing to a 7 year old.

She STILL does not believe us. Her imagination is stronger than our reasoning and she still has this thing about sharks. The next house that we buy I will not have two stories if I can help it. She has to have someone in a close room when she bathes as she wants to be able to get help if she needs it. While this will all be very funny when she is 17 it is not funny at 7 it is tiresome.

I have thought and thought this. Today for some reason I had a new memory about first grade. Some of you have loved my school memories but this is a new one! It was the end of the year and I was getting ready to take my end of the year swimming test in our school's Olympic sized pool. I suddenly felt like I could not breathe because I knew for sure that as soon as I jumped into the deep end for my end a huge great white shark would be waiting for me.

So you see Tracie- just as you suspected.....the apple does not fall too far from the tree. Maybe I should start checking my bathtub too :) Happy Thursday Blogging Budies!

Come on people are we really this lazy?

This was brought to the tiny frontal area of my brain this week as I looked at Emma's agenda. Every day they are to write down their homework assignments and have their parents initial when they have completed the task. She does not have words written down she has abbreviations. Here is an example of what she had for Monday-

R 20 m. D H P

I asked what does that mean? She said I don't want to write out what the teacher says so that means- Read 20 minutes, Do homework packet.

Earlier in her book she had

R 20 m. D H P ICABN

I knew for sure I would stump her on this one.

Oh that's easy she said - Read 20 minutes, do homework packet, Icecream at Bruesters Night. See Mom- it's much easier.

I said Emma- this is the apidimy of laziness.

How lazy are we really as Americans?

We are so lazy that we can't carry our Bibles anymore- we have to have handles on them, or turn them into purses- yes I have seen people sling them over their shoulders with their patent pleather straps.

We are so lazy we can't even eat mints anymore we have to have them melt on our tongues.

We are so lazy that we can now have people shop for us at the grocery story and we just drive up and pick them up.

We are so lazy we now have computers that we can just talk to and they will type all of our words.

We are so lazy that one lady I read about recently hired a lady to exercise for her- I'm sorry how does this help her?

We are so lazy that we have remotes to operate our remotes.

We are so lazy that we can't open up a map any more we have GPS ladies rattling out our directions- WAIT -I use that one- it doesn't apply - smile.

Really our GPS Lady is so messed up she had us going in circles the other day trying to find the Honda Dealership- we ended up in the mall parking lot with no dealership in sight. I told John it was the Lord telling me that I needed to shop- He didn't buy it.

Now back to Emma- I tried to explain to her that she NEEDED TO WRITE Things out- not become lazy -that it was good to practice her penmanship etc. She turned around and looked at me as I was cooking dinner. She said Mom I am not trying to be rude or anything but I will quit doing my abreviations when you start cooking everything on the stove and stop using the microwave. It's the same thing.

Hmmmm Point taken- Maybe the 7 year old does have a system.

Gotta go- I hear the dinging my microwave popcorn must be done!

PS. the picture has nothing to do with anything I just like it ....

Please God.....don't make me pray for THEM...

You might be struggling with bitterness if you move around in the prayer circle until you can find a person you are peace with to hold hands with.

You might be struggling with bitterness if you pray for there to be tongues and interpretation that will expose every hurt that person has put you through.

You might be struggling with bitterness if your roommate invites you to pray and your pretend that you are sleeping in your dorm room even though your eyes are open and you are fully clothed.

You might be struggling with bitterness if you keep going through imaginary scenarios of how that person is going to publicly embarrass themselves by falling, develop turrets syndrome, or forget to clothe themselves before coming to church.

So while these are silly situations- bitterness is a real thing. But praying for the people that hurt us is also a commandment of the Lord.

I remember a time in my life when I was on a leadership team and was going through a trial with someone else on the team. I remember awakening one early morning to have the Lord challenge me to pray for that person. PRAY? Okay- Lord strike them with lightening, Lord cause all of the things that they have been saying about me to appear on their head in sharpie markers, Lord cause them to not be able to find their toothbrush this morning. No....that is not what HE had in mind. He specifically told me to pray for them.

I stopped listened to the Lord and really prayed for that person. I asked the Lord to bless them, to open up doors in their ministry, to give them strength, peace, financial blessings, safety for their family, favor with others, I prayed for a harvest to spring forth out of their ministry. That night as I began to pray for them- I felt my hardened chains towards that individual break. I saw them as the LORD saw them.

The Lord taught me a valuable lesson that night. When I yield my pain to Him and pray for those who have hurt me (Matthew 5:44) HIS spirit responds to my small act of obedience and frees my heart from the bitterness and replaces it with a heart that embraces those that have heart me.

Now here is what Matthew 5:43-47 says in The Message


43-47"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

Is this an easy process? Absolutely not. Is it mandatory and freeing? Absolutely. That person that I wrote about in the beginning of this devotional is actually a close friend with me until this day. I don’t even know if they knew that I was having such a hard time with things that had happened in our relationship. That no longer matters. I had to break beyond my own hurt to get to the next level with the Lord- and in my act of obedience the Lord brought someone into my life that has been strength since that day.

Who are you having a problem with in your life today? Is there someone that is just a thorn in your flesh? Why not stop and pray for them- sincerely seek the Lord on their behalf today. Great things will spring out of your obedience to the Lord!

I need your ideas- read on there is something for you in this ....

Let's say you were in charge of a website.....like www.upwithmks.com for example...:)

You add wonderful weekly information
You work hours on putting things up there for MKs to read
You know that this is your hub of information
and you want them to get into the habit of checking it weekly, and even daily-

What would you do? How could you get them hooked to check in all of the time?

Please leave comments but DON't SAY- sent out email blast for them to check it out- been there- done that and the t-shirt is on back order!

I know that you all are creative so I need your help!

Thank ye-

Ohhhh and as a tiny yet huge incentive- the person with the best idea that I can use...get's a $15.00 Target gift card in the mail- so don't put your name as anyonymous- cause I won't be able to sent it to you.... I will send out the gift card on Friday- January 16th. If you live in a country or city without a Target first of all I weep for you- secondly I will send you a check or gift card to what you choose :)

Comment away ye readers (all one of you)

CMN

I need some more.....

Steno pads....I love steno pads... I needed to write something tonight- some things in my head and I couldn't find any. Maybe that could be a new business for someone ...steno pad delivery in the Charlotte area at 9:18 in the evening...hmmm

It's Dark outside and the moon is sitting on top...

Last night was the first night back at Kids Church. They were all EXCITED to be back together again. We have a group of kids that are 3-12 years old. We have a great time in there - really- but yesterday I was overwhelmed, frazzled, and well distracted I guess.

-I had just gotten done with the Children's Ministry staff meeting where the kids were playing and screaming in the back of the room while we were meeting :)
-We re-listed our house on the market this week
-We find out if John still has a job this week
and varied other things were on the back of my mind....

We had our lesson, games, Kids In prayer, songs, and a lot of other activities and finally it came time for them to work on their coloring pages and activities. Last night they were making a Bethlehem house. They had to color it and then cut it out and make it into a cube. Then they had a coloring page of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.

Zachary is one of my favorites in that class (shh don't tell) he is about 3 and has baby blue eyes the size of Texas (well not really or that would look odd). But he is a doll. He raised his hand and called me over to him.

I said what's up Zachary- don't you want to color?

He said what else can we do? He looked very sleepy.

I said well right now is color and puzzle time. Do you want me to help you?

His eyes lit up and he said would you help me? This was followed by a huge grin!

I said sure. I pulled up a chair the size of a corn chip and sat down to color with him.

He said are you tired Sister Cylinda?

I said- I guess I am.

He said well I am too cause it's dark outside an the moon is sitting on top- that means we can be tired. We continued to color and talk for the next few minutes. It was the best conversation I have had in a while. Before we both knew it- his Dad was there to pick him up.

I left last night feeling different. Sometimes I guess in the midst of our busy-ness, our trying to organize projects, our wanting things to get to a new level- we forget WHY we are doing it all. We are doing it for the Zacharys in our lives. We are planning all day- buying new supplies, organizing so that he can have the best experience ever when he comes to Kids Church. We do Kids in Prayer so that when he is a teenager he will know how to call out to God while facing issues in his life. We expose him to missions so that he might go to another country one day to preach the gospel- or financially support a missionary. And most importantly we teach him about Jesus because one day I want Zachary to see Him face to face. I want him to develop a relationship with Jesus NOW and learn to draw close to him daily.

I came home refreshed. I thanked the Lord that a tiny 3 year old had leapt into my heart at Kids Church and reminded me the real reason I have worked in Children's Ministry for the past 15 years. I hope I can only be 1/2 of the leader to him- as he was to me last night!

How is your rubber band doing?

This is a devotional that I wrote for the MKs found at www.upwithmks.com We write four devotionals weekly for the different ages. IF YOU ARE AN MK- they are for you- read on!!


I was at Costco on Monday Night using my power coupons to buy way too much toilet paper and paper towel and detergent. Seanna wanted to know how MUCH company we are having over the next few weeks that we needed that much STUFF.

I am a constant eaves dropper- (you know you are too) and I overheard two ladies talking. They were trying to out-do each other in what was going on in their lives. They finally came to a stand still and one declared- I am just stressed out. I feel like a rubber band that is being pulled in too many directions.

Stress is actually an engineering term that referred to the amount of force a beam or other physical support could bear without collapsing. Today, the dictionary's definition of stress includes "mental, emotional, or physical tension; strain, distress." Stress is something that is familiar to all of us. Almost everyone has some kind of stress every day.

God made us capable of handling certain amounts of daily pressure, it is when we push ourselves beyond our limitations that we experience problems. So here is the question for today....are you pushing yourself too hard?

Do you know what you limits are?
Can you and will you say no?
Are you allowing your body to have a proper season of rest daily?
Are you renewing your Mind and spirit in the Word and prayer daily?

Many people are in a constant state of overload- at the verge of a collapse. They keep stretching their "rubber band" to the limit until one day they snap.

A rubber band has the ability to be stretched to its maximum length and then return to its original form, but how many times can it do that without breaking?

Have you ever used a rubber band, broken it, needed it to close a bread bag, and tied it back together again? Sometimes in our lives we are broken and we pick ourselves up and ties our ends and put ourselves under the same amount of pressure again. We think WE have fixed our problem forgetting it was our actions that caused us to break in the first place.

Now back to our rubber band. Once it breaks, we tie the knot - it usually then breaks in another area, so we tie the ends together in another knot. In our daily lives, when we keep stretching, breaking, and tying the ends back together- until we feel like we are living with virtual knots on the inside and out.

So you say well the solution is simple- get rid of the things that cause stress. While that might work for a while- that is not the final solution. It's impossible to get rid of all stress in our lives. The only answer is to adjust or perspective and change the way that WE RESPOND to the stress of everyday life.

Stress causes us to resemble that worn out frazzled rubber band. Exhaustion- both physical and emotional- begins to take its toll. When stress has its way it weakens our bodies, our immune system weaken, sickness and depression can set in.

Ignoring God's laws and his ordained limits for our lives will cause burnout.

Evaluate your life today....

-Is there activity that you are doing that is just to please others?
-Are you living under the stress of competition and comparison?
-Are you a perfectionist with unrealistic goals?
-Who is setting the pace in your life?
-Are you ignoring your relationship with God, your spouse, your children, your extended family to pursue your goals?

You can live stress free (I am not there yet) it takes some radical changes in your life. Start by changing your daily habits, be in tune to GOD'S Will for your life. Stop being a people pleaser and be a God Pleaser.

Respect your body and treat good health as a priceless gift.

"You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind {both inclination and its character} is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You. Isaiah 26:3

Do you want to look like a worn out rubber band? Or a snappy new one that just came out of the bag? The choice is yours today. Now as for me I get to put away 72 rolls of toilet paper, 20 rolls of paper towels, and drag 4 gallons of laundry soap upstairs- what can I say? I used coupons okay?

More Emma-isms..............and the list goes on and on and on!

So I know you have been missing my Emma-isms so here are the latest.

Last night while giving my nephew his Christmas gifts we also gave him a Disney T-shirt. Emma proudly proclaimed- Yeah - we didn't buy it for you at Disney or anything just at a flea-market. Okay this was the truth - but the reason that we didn't is that I was sick the last day the girls went to Disney and could not get anything for any of them :) Thanks Emma.

While visiting some people recently Emma walked into their house and LOUDLY proclaimed- WOW it REALLY STINKS IN HERE. I about died. They had a new puppy and she was coming in with the puppy- and I think she was just smelling the wet tiny puppy.

Today I am on my laptop working on work- in the living room- I hear the stove timer going off. Emma runs over and turns it off- telling me that was the timer to get me off of the chair and to start cooking because we eat at 5:30 every day. She just came in tapping her naked arm where a watch should be and said - chop chop it's been six minutes since your timer went off.

I am ready for a primal scream- so I thought I would share with you- exhale- and then- chop- chop make dinner.

Have a great Friday Night. I am sure I will :)....Now who taught her to use that timer???

Universal Studios- Thing 1,2,3,4 and more!

So all 11 of us piled up into two cars and headed out to Universal Studios- the Day after Christmas. We all had a great time- long lines and all. Seanna and I loved the Hulk- John is so tall he can't fit into most rides...We did the Islands of Adventure side!

Things I know ....

1. I am not a jar saver.
2. I hate poodles
3. I am for ribbons in the sky (but where do you find them?)
4. I am sick of being over-weight- so therefore I must do something about it. When you are up to chin number 4 the dorito bag needs to be pushed away- on January 2nd.
5. I love New Years Day- it's a fresh start.
6. Seanna and I are reading our Bibles through together in 2009.
7. I want to fill up my passport this year.
8. I am finally at peace with not having baby number three. Two was God' perfect number for me.
9. I will forever miss Renee she is always in my heart. I called her cell phone two weeks ago just to hear her voice.
10. We now have made it through 2 Thanksgivings and 2 Christmases without John's Mom- but we still miss her.
11. I am blessed beyond measure with great friends- even though they live hither and yond- mostly yond.
12. I can't live without reading or writing- it is in me.
13. I have the best family in the world. They are my core- and they believe in me.
14. The Lord is going to open up incredible doors for our life this year.
15. Even though I don't think I am - I am a pretty decent cook.
16. Even though the navigation lady whose voice lives in our Garmin is always calm, and never talks back- I don't think that John is going to fall in love with her this year!
17. Tide is still my favorite laundry detergent- sometimes I walk by and just inhale the lid. There it's out- I feel better!
18. MKs are always in my heart, mind, creative power, and in my plans. I am so blessed to be working full time in the area that I am passionate about.


Happy New Year bloggy buddies