Counting Your Blessings....

    Count your blessings, one by one.  I would like for you to get out a pen and paper and start writing down as many blessings as you can think of that Christ has given you.  Here are a few of mine:  good health, a running vehicle, a dry roof to sleep under, 3 meals a day, unlimited supply of clean water, 4 healthy children, a wonderful husband, money for clothing and medical care easily accessible.  Some of these were probably pretty similar to yours.
    Have you ever really stopped and thanked God for all of this though?  In James 1:17 it says:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

    Every gift and blessing is from God!  In the past couple of years we have been stricken with unemployment and a cancer diagnosis in one of our children.  I can honestly say though, the needs met during those trials were blessings handed down from our heavenly father.

    He then provided a job for my husband, a cancer free child and a new home of our own is in the immediate works.  He continues to bless us and shower us with gifts and I will continue to praise Him for them and not praise My works. - CiCi

His Grace....

    Do you ever find yourself giving apologies for who you are or how about who you were?  I spend a lot of time doing this regarding my past.  Why?  As Christians we shouldn't judge yet I fear judgement.  I have been divorced twice, on my third marriage and have children by all 3.  I've made many poor choices that didn't involve Christ as the Head & Center; BUT, listen to this:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and by his grace to me was not without affect.

I Cor. 15:10a

    Do you see the most beautiful thing that came out of my mess?  His Grace.  It's only His judgement that should concern us and although there are consequences for not following His straight path; he still loves us and has thrown our mistakes as far as the east is from the west! - CiCi-



The heart doesn't lie...

    As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart.

Proverbs 27:19

    You always hear that you can't hide your true colors for too long.  What you portray is what is within you; truly deep within you.  It's easy to pretend to be something; but it's only going to be a matter of time before the "real" you comes out.

    When you have Christ in your heart; you shine!  You show love and compassion.  You have a servants heart and would do anything to help someone else.  If you live in the world then you are controlled by emotions; and ever changing one's at that.  You're just looking for the next party or the next "something" to fill that empty spot.  The friends you hang out with on a regular basis are a good indication of how you might live as well.  How does your life reflect you?  With Christ I strive to listen to a certain kind of music and watch certain kinds of movies.  I try to not dress too revealing and I am more aware of the language that comes from my lips.  I also try to have good judgment on things I read and not buy into the magazines and the Hollywood drama.  I try to instill in my children the same things.  I don't let them watch "R" rated movies and pg-13 is sometimes iffy.  We recently cancelled our cable because commercials are very influential and just not appropriate these days.  Children can easily become a reflection of what they watch and hear and I want Christ to reflect our home.

    There are many people that walk around claiming to be Christians; but when you see their home life you question where God is.  I do not want to be this person; I want my life to truly reflect Jesus and although I'm not perfect I don't have to walk around with 2 different personalities and having to figure out which one to use when.  What does your heart say about you? -CiCi

The good, the bad and the downright ugly....

    You wake up early, get a good quiet time in, get lunches made and a healthy breakfast and everyone is out the door on time.  You don't hit any red lights getting them to school, your coffee is the perfect temperature, you get most of your checklist done, you pick the kid's up from school and have a rather quiet evening....it's been a rather good day.
    You wake up late, no time to make even a bowl of cereal for the kid's, they're in a bad mood and not willing to get dressed; they're complaining about the uniform they've had to wear all year; but this morning it's just not what they're wanting to wear.  You trip over the cat and stump your toe - you've had no time to spend with God, let alone do your hair; so the ball cap goes on.  Your coffee is mocha instead of white mocha; therefore you've wasted $3; you hit every red light there is, the kid's are still fussing in the back seat that they hate school and it's stupid and the line to get into the school is the longest it's been all year.  You get back home only to realize you were supposed to make 2 stops to drop off mail and dry cleaning and once you get back home you just wish the day could start over.
    Does any of this sound familiar to you?  Welcome to my crazy world of 4 kid's, a cat and a very new family member; the dog.  All this craziness, believe it or not, comes from the Lord.

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:  God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14 - NIV

You see, when we choose to follow Christ, he gives us what we need to handle the good with the bad; he clothes us with righteousness and patience and strength.  His word teaches us how to be humble in the midst of whatever circumstance we face; whether it's the car not starting or a diagnosis of cancer.  We were faced with the downright ugly about 9 months ago when our oldest daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  My close relationship with Christ made us able to get through it with complete faith that His will was already at work and that we just had to lean on Him to get through each day, one at a time.

    God was in the midst of that just like he was in the midst of my coffee spilling on me last Sunday at church.  It's how we handle our situations that reflect our relationship with Him.  So as you start your day today and things go good or crazy; remember that Christ allowed all of it and just give Him thanks that you are alive another day to experience what He has in store for you!  You were made for a higher purpose and He is using you in all He brings you to. -CiCi





A More Beautiful You....

    Ladies - I just want you to know today that you are ALL beautiful no matter what shape and color you are!!!  God created us as individuals and He created us to be different.  There is beauty within all of us.  I want you to know that you are special and don't let anyone tell you different.  Take what God has given you and Bring It!  The following lyrics are from the song A More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz and the link is attached as well for you to listen to; but really listen to the chorus - write this on a note card and carry it everywhere with you.  Pull it out when you start doubting your self worth and be reminded of the worth Christ gave you.  This is where I got the name for my blog....

There could never be a more beautiful you

don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through

you were made to fill a purpose, that only you could do

so there could never be a more beautiful you



http://youtu.be/PGZkrn_vaqU

Discipline the heart of a child...

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away

Proverbs 22:15

    Do you discipline your children?  You should; it's a command from Christ!  We must start as soon as they understand right from wrong.  A majority of our nations kid's that are prisoned and in gangs were a result from not being given consequences in the home.  My children fear the "spoon".  It hangs on a nail in the kitchen with the verse Proverbs 29:17 under it - "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire." (NIV)

    Now that doesn't give you permission to leave marks on them.  It simply means they need to understand that when they do something wrong or disobey you; there are consequences; just like Christ disciplines us in our sin.  Some children might do well with a time out; other's need a paddle on the behind. 

     We often say when we have children that they didn't come with an instruction manual; but oh yes they did!  It's called the BIBLE.  It teaches us how we should live and treat other's and how we should raise our children.

    Disciplining them teaches them respect.  They need to learn to respect ALL forms of authority whether it be their teachers or the law.  My children are also taught to say 'yes mam, no mam, yes sir and no sir'.  That was instilled in me at an early age and my children must know that's how we respond to anyone! 

    The best form of discipline is when it is not out of anger; but out of love.  Ask your children if they understand why they are getting the spanking and hug them afterwards and tell them you love them.  As I have grown older I can respect the instruction my own parent's gave me.  -CiCi-

My God...

    Today you are the first to see my new poem....enjoy!

My God

Hear me O Lord

In my time of need

I give you my all

My heart and my deeds

Thank you for mercy

Where I fail you at times

Thank you for love

That always outshines

You come to my rescue

You're my rock and my strength

Your arms always open

Arms of great length

I will praise you always

From here to eternity

Through my joy and my suffering

My God you will always be

                           author cindy cañas



The Titus 2 Woman....

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. - Titus 2:3-5

   Can you imagine what the world would be like today if we lived by this scripture?  There would be respect and adoration for our "seasoned elders".  There would be a greater respect among ourselves all around!  If we lived as our great grandmother's did we would have more respect for ourselves as well.  We would have more appreciation regarding how we dressed and what language came out of our mouths.  We would be serving each other in great deal.  Back in the day I truly don't think people were as selfish; they didn't have all the luxuries we have now. 

    The "seasoned" generation had more respect for God foremost.  He was the center of their lives and even though they have tried to pass that down; somewhere along the way the straight path was divided - television was introduced and then magazines and so on.  Let's get back on track ladies.  Put our priorities at home with our husband and children and put God as the top of the command chain.  It's not too late to instill this scripture into the lives our own daughters; we have to start somewhere.  God will honor our efforts in training our children in the way of the Lord.  We must put away our selfishness and get this world back in order! -CiCi-

His Great Love....

    Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (Lamentations 3:22-24)

    We fail each other probably a few times a day; with an abrupt answer or an ungodly mood we might be in.  We rush through our day and sometimes don't stop to examine our attitude.  We might think back and realize that we could have handled something a little different.  We are human after all.  BUT God greets us each and every day with compassion!  He's never in a bad mood and is always attentive to us.  I wish I could say this about myself.

    Because He loves us as He does, we should be ever faithful in waiting on His goodness.  I want only Him to fill my cup; to satisfy my heart cry and my desires.  I want Him to be my ultimate source of Joy!  So for this, I am willing to wait on what He has in store for me; and as I have already experienced in life; I'm willing to take the good and the bad.

    May you all have a Blessed weekend and just wake up each day thanking Him for His mighty compassion on our human frailness. -CiCi-

    

Temptation...

    "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:13-15)
    We have temptation all around us.  Television shows, commercials and billboard advertisements.  Pretty much anywhere you look there is temptation by what someone is wearing; or not wearing; by the music that's on or by the people we hang out with.  We do not have to indulge in these temptations though; that is when it becomes a sin.  God will convict you if he feels what you're doing is wrong.  As a child of His; he will do his best to instill in you instruction for staying on the right path in life.  If you have had a problem with alcohol in the past; then I would recommend not attending a function where alcohol is served.  God will not tempt you with the alcohol; but he will give you the "free will" to make the decision on your own.
    Avoid temptation whenever and where ever you can; maybe the shows your watching or the music you're listening to is drawing you places you know are not right.  Turn them off.  Think of it this way; is it something I would allow my children to watch or listen to?  If not, then it's probably not something that is honoring God.  Food for thought! -CiCi-
   

The Day After....

    All the hype regarding Valentine's day is gone...we're back to a regular day; but does the love really have to stop?  Why do we put so much emphasis on just 1 day out of the year?  We should be treating each other special every day of the year.  Showing your loved one's every so often how much you appreciate them; even just a small note here and there.
    Christ shows us His love ALL year round and even died for us!  Why don't we try and top that.  Why don't we try each day to go the extra mile with a gentle touch or a soft spoken word of kindness?  I love leaving little sticky notes from time to time for my husband or my children; they should know more than one day a year that I truly am thankful for them and how much I love them.
    I want to challenge you to start leaving a note for your loved one's at least once a week.  It's really not that hard and you will enjoy getting little notes back as well.  It's amazing how that one little touch of affection can change someones entire day and mood.  So get out there and buy a large stack of sticky notes!  -CiCi-

Happy Valentine's Day...

    This is the 'Day of Love'! Women everywhere are expecting flowers and candy and the men are scrambling around at the last minute to find it.  There is red and pink and white from north to south.  It's a fun day indeed; my children have decorated valentine boxes for class and are excited to fill them.  However, did you stop and realize the true gift of Love.....the sacrifice God made of his own son?  Jesus shed his blood (red) for all of us to have eternity in heaven.  He took our sins and forgave them as far as the east is from the west (which is neverending); they are to be remembered no more!
    This sounds like the perfect Valentine's day gift to me and it's everlasting; unlike the flowers that are lucky to make it a week and the chocalate that makes it about 5 minutes but sticks to our hips.  In all the excitement today; may you stop and thank our heavenly father for the true gift of love he gave us in His son, Jesus! -CiCi-

To Be or Not To Be...

    That is the question......as some of you know we have begun the process for buying a house; things were rocking right along faster than was expected in the beginning.  Well...things have sort of come to an unhappy halt.  Our earnest money has been cashed and inspection/appraisal all done; but we found out our loan hadn't even been sent to underwriting!!  This was not a happy thing to find out.
    Well, God has taught me to be patient many times and in the last year we had no choice but patience throughout Maddi's chemo treatments.  Time and patience.  So.....I figure this is just another test of my faith and trust that "God works all things out for the good for those whose trust is in Him."  That's where my trust is today, what about yours?  -CiCi-

Planning Ahead.....

    Do you have your weekend planned out on Monday?  How about a party you're having a month away; have you sent out invites and ordered the decorations?  If you're like me, then most of you have.   "Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind" (Proverbs 21:5 - Message)
    How about the time you spend with God; do you plan that?  We are instructed to spend time with God on a daily basis; preferably in the morning before we start our day (however this is not easy for everyone so anytime during the day is just fine).  When you plan something, you have room for "life" to happen; but if you wait until the last minute for everything, you set yourself up for failure many times.  You might wait until the night before a project is due only to find out your printer is out of ink.  Let's say financially you don't budget your money and it's before your next paycheck and you realize that you need gas and a child ends up in the emergency room on top of that; you're out of money and now you'll owe the ER. You have to put your gas on your credit card; so now you'll owe them too.  It's a vicious cycle every month and you get further and further behind; debt! (I'm proud to say we are currently debt free and follow Dave Ramsey's Financial Plan)
    We can fall into this same trap with God.  We say we're going to meet with him in the morning; but we don't set, "plan", our alarm and we get up late and say we'll spend it with him in the evening; but then you're so tired you say again "in the morning".  After a week or so of this you feel you have let Him down and just stop trying altogether to meet with Him.  Plan, plan, plan - put God into your schedule!!  He didn't put us off - he died for us on that cross when it was time; you didn't hear him say "not now God I have some more people to save or miracles to perform."  We expect Him to be there for us when we call but are we readily available to be there for Him each and every day?  I promise if you get up just 15 minutes earlier to spend time with God, you will begin to notice a difference in your life; so will other's!! -CiCi-

A Confident Heart...

    Question:  How would you describe a woman with a confident heart?  I would love to hear your thoughts!!  We are all faced with doubt - "Am I a good mom or a good wife?"  We even fret over our appearance; our hair, make-up and what we wear.  We are constantly wondering if we are good enough; at least I am anyways.
    In Christ we can be confident that we are good enough just how we are!  He loves us no matter our faults or what we wear.  He has no clue what Polo or Guess is.  He couldn't tell you the latest fashions being sold at Nordstrom; what He can tell you is that he accepts you as is!  Kind of like a house being sold "as is" - well that's how He takes us. 
    "Those who hope in ME will not be disappointed" (Isaiah 49:23) -- So True!!!  Put your hope and confidence in Christ; not in what's on sale at Target that you just know will look good on you or having to have a name brand item like 'Coach'.  Now don't get me wrong; having these things are nice and if you can afford them I say go for it; just don't let that be your means of being accepted by other's.
     I say all of this in love and want you to know that I fall under this personally.  I am often envious of a family member that has nice things.  Human nature!  Be honest with yourself next time you want something and ask yourself if you want it because you really like it and can afford it or if it's just to impress someone else. -CiCi-

His Glorious Wonders....

    "But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him.  He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, Miracles that cannot be counted."  (Job 5:8-9)
    Do you believe in miracles and wonders?  I do!  Mainly because the bible tells us about many of them Jesus performed.  Is there a miracle you're wishing would occur in your life?  Have you given it to God?  When my daughter was going through her cancer treatment I did ask God for healing; but I only asked once.  That's right; I laid my cause before him but I had enough faith to only ask 1 time; because I also understood that His will is what needed to be done!  I had the courage to tell Him that if He chose not to heal Maddison that He just give me the strength to face what did occur.
    Is it a miracle she was healed?  I'm honestly not sure how to answer that - she was healed; I believe God allowed it through her Dr.'s and medicine and through His divine hand; BUT it was apparently what was in His plan anyways.  I can only pray now that she stay cancer free but I still ask that God give me the strength to handle anything that comes my way.  That's the wonders He does for us.  Our faith and our relationship with Christ is what keeps us going and doesn't make us doubt His miracles.  Maddison is also a living testimony to God's powers.  She has already encouraged many other's with her strength and God will continue to use her in many ways.  The miracle to me is that she was as strong as she was and that God hand picked her for the ovarian cancer battle!  I also see it as a humbling experience for me because every time I look at her bald picture on my car dash He reminds of His great power and love for us!  Do you have this kind of faith.....CiCi

Eternal Pleasures....

    What is your pleasure?  Is it what you drive, where you live, how much money you make or the places you shop.....These things easily draw us in especially if we lose focus of Christ!  These will only give us temporary pleasure though.  A new car only has the "newness" for so long and a new outfit is outdated after 6 months.  Money can cause you extreme displeasure if you become greedy.  The more you make the more you usually spend.  But with Christ you are ALWAYS satisfied.
    "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11)
    If you believe in Christ then you believe in Heaven and that this earth is only for a short time.  You also know that His joy is better than any temporary fix!  Have you thought about your 'eternal pleasures' and what Christ wants from you?  When you get to heaven are you going to be able to hear 'Well done, my good and faithful servant'?  If not, what is it all for?  Are you teaching your children what's really important or are they learning that debt is 'normal'? 
    We recently became debt free.  This was our goal before buying our own home and we are in the process of that.  We are teaching our children that you must save to buy what you want; we don't use credit cards.  We are trying to instill in them that Christ's pleasures are bestowed on us when we are faithful to Him and that what's most important is what's after this life on earth.
    So, what pleasures are more important to you; earthly one's or Heavenly one's....-CiCi-

This too shall pass....

    This post is difficult for me to write and you'll see why - as I told you; this is a place of honesty; but sometimes the truth hurts!
    This past weekend I was cleaning out my 13yr. old's room and I came across something that broke my heart - a notebook marked "keep out".  Yes I know I should probably have respected her privacy; but also as a mother I feel I have the right to know what's going on in her life.  Well....I cried!  There were a few pages of "I hate my life and I hate my mother".  I'm really glad she wasn't here because I might have handled things the wrong way.  She vocalized how I can be moody and that I yell a lot.  She's right; I hate to admit it; but she is totally right!
    So now what do I do?  I have let stress and anxiety rule most of my adult life and it's being sent down on my children.  I hate this about myself.  Why can't I just be soft spoken?  I struggle with obsessive compulsiveness and I like everything to be in it's place.  When you have 4 kid's things are going to be out of place; but then anxiety overwhelms me and I can burst out.  I had a long talk with God about this last night and how I want release from this struggle.  In some ways I'm teaching my children to take care of things and to be responsible; but in other ways I'm setting them up for failure.
    Well...I put her notebook back and I'm not even going to mention it to her.  I gave her an extra holding today and told her I loved her very much!  I think all of us have felt that way one time or another about our parents; especially in our pre-teen/teenage years and it's perfectly normal.  I will just continue to give my heart-cry to God and let him heal the wounds and change me.  That's all any of us can do.  -CiCi-

In Better Hands....

    Today is simple ladies - with all this dreary weather it can really cause depression to set in if it's something you deal with.  I have dealt with depression for many years.  With Christ there is release from it but sometimes it's a daily battle within yourself.  The song attached is our blog post for today.  Take the words in and really understand that no matter where we are in our life mentally or physically that with Christ we are definitely in better hands!! 
    May you find the sunshine in yourself today! -CiCi-



http://youtu.be/_yKlQ6zoqDE

Are you crazy.....

    Have you ever felt God telling you to do something that either sounded crazy to others or they just said it was impossible to do?  Say for instance writing a book or for me I ran a 1/2 marathon (and yes I was crazy but it was for a good cause).  As God lays things on your heart; he has his reasons and that's all that matters.  What people will fail to see by listening to God's direction is that you can miss out on something even grander.  Take for instance Noah.  He built a boat!  Not just any boat; this one was a rather large one; the first cruise ship I'd say.  People thought he was nuts!  But oh the glory of it all in the end......"by faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in HOLY FEAR built an ark to save his family.  By his Faith he condemned the world and became HEIR of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." (Hebrews 11:7)
    Whoa!!!  Can you imagine what he would have lost had he not obeyed God's commands out of a healthy fear of the Lord?  We wouldn't be blessed with a beautiful rainbow after a rainy day for starters.  I'm so grateful he did and this should tell us all to be bold where God is concerned.  Don't worry about what your neighbor or friend or even a family member has to say.  If God commands, you listen and you will be richly rewarded.  It may not be in your lifetime; but it will be done! -CiCi-