You have got to go over to Mamma Knucker Hatch and see the adorable picture of her daughter Hope. Guarenteed to make you smile, maybe even laugh out loud.

The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. Proverbs 15:28

Like Tricia this past weekend Family Confrence spoke to me also. I agree with Tricia about the need in my own life for more purposful scripture memory so when I need it is just a heartbeat away. Sure I have a lot of scriptures that I have memorized over the years but I am not purposeful at all about it. When I need one or when one speaks to my heart I memorize it. But it could be weeks or months before a new one comes around. And do I still remember where they all are? hmmm...maybe a general whereabouts.

So I take Tricia's challenge to learn a new verse a week, this week's being Proverbs 15:28. I like Jamie and Beth (the blog lurkers) want my 'conversation to be with grace, seasoned with salt' Col 4:6 I want to be able to discern a conversation and know what if anything to say. Sometimes the hardest part is keeping my mouth shut ;o)

The Organizing Junkie is passing on a great offer. Just until the end of the day Lylah is offering a free e-book from her life coach series. I ordered the one on Becoming a Mentoring Woman. I hope you all take advantage of her generosity.

Sometimes I need a little encouragment like this. Way to go moms! Pause the music below on the right and enjoy.

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Last night I was reading in Practicing Hospitality about being trustworthy enough to offer hospitality. These questions really made me think:
*Am I eager to open my home to unplanned guests for an extend visit - even at inconvenient times?
*Am I projecting to others that my home is available as a place of refuge?
*Am I willing to maintain a confidence when shocking news is shared with me?
*Am I open to crossing intergenerational lines to extend biblical hospitality?
*Am I patient to wait for my guest to open the contents of her heart?
*Am I more concerned about what my guest wants to discuss than what I want to communicate?
*Am I a clean vessel that the Holy Spirit can use to affirm the Lord's work in the lives of others?
Other questions in the chapter that spoke to me were
*Am I willing to receive unwarranted criticism?
*Am I willing to experience weariness or emotional fatigue from offering hospitality?
*Am I willing to wear the physical and emotional bruises that are associated with opening my heart to others?

What the Lord showed me through this chapter is that He is not just talking about having people into my home, but into my heart. I have to admit that I had to answer "no" to several of these questions. I am not willing and sometimes not able to open my heart and home to others. I want God to grow me in this area. I want to be available and willing.

I am reading The Cross Centered Life by CJ Mahaney and it is a wonderful little book. With only 85 pages I thought it would be a great encouragment to finish qickly. Ever since Ella came home I have stuggled to find time to read...anyway...

Last night I read chapter 3 titles Breaking the Rules of Legalism, how the cross rescues you from the performance trap. It talked about the difference between justification and sanctification. How we are immeadiatley justified in Christ. There is nothing more that we can do to deserve salvation at that point. No good works or acts of service to make the Lord love us any more than He already does. Sanctification however is the process of making us more like Christ. Although there is nothing we can do to earn God's approval there are things that we do to become more like Him. Examples being bible reading, meditation, prayer, fasting, fellowship with beleivers, service...
It came to me how from the outside of a persons heart all those disciples are good, needed and right. But depending on where one's heart is you could be doing things all for the wrong motives and end up a leagalist.

I know that I have been there at times in my life and slip back into the false comfort time to time of feeling like I have something to do with my salvation. Sometimes I even hide under the false doctrine of 'working out my salvation'.

It really made me realize that my salvation is my own. That really it is just me and God. No works, no service, no act of righteousness. All else is stripped away on the day of judgment. "Did you know my Son?" That is it. Yes, all the other pleases the Lord, but it doesn't do one thing for my salvation. It makes me feel very n*ked and bare. Yet how simple.

Check out Sovereign Grace for a great sale on books and music CDs where you can find other books by CJ Mahaney.

Thank you
Lisa for nominating me for the 'Excellent Blog' award. I really don't think it is all that excellent but I really have enjoyed doing it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Emma has given my blog another new look. She really enjoys making new blogs and working on learning computer code. The only bad part is when she updates it I loose all my links and elements so I am working on replacing them as I have time.

Thoughts on dating

Kim at Lifesong wrote a great post on dating/courtship. Go on over and check it out!

In Honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day Holiday, 13 Sweets to Satisfy My Sweet Tooth

1. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha
2. Molasses cookies
3. Brownies
4. Rocky Road Ice Cream
5. Lindor White Chocolate Truffles
6. Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffles
7. Dark M&M's
8. Conversation hearts - the chewy ones
9. Nerds rope
10. Cherry Chip cupcakes
11. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
12. Killer Carmel Latte from Barracuda's
13. Dove Dark Chocolate

All this would work for a band-aide over the burdens in my heart lately too. This week has been especially hard with new of several cases of marital strife. Although my husband is a youth pastor there seems to be a lot of ministry in this area also. More so lately than usual. In Sunday School there were prayer requests for lots of hurting people. Divorce, death, and tragedy. It is a reminder of what a depraved world we live in and that just because we are Christians we are not immune, it takes being activly connected to the Healer.

Two nights ago I was doing the dishes and looked out the kitchen window to see a glorious double rainbow, the brightest I had ever seen. Today outside although the wind in blowing furiously, the sky is a bright clear blue and the sun is shining. It is a reminder of Who is in control and that although we live in a sinful fallen world God is still there and if we just connect with Him, He will be our Protector, Healer, Physician, and Strength. Spring IS coming!

I have several new books that I am longing to start.
Pracitcing Hospitality by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock looks to be an excellent book on the joy of serving others. I so much want to be better at this. One of the items that caught my eye was on loving the lonely. I would much rather offer hospitality to my friends whom I so enjoy their company, but God is growing me to offer love and hospitalilty to others too.

Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Toerate by Jerry Bridges. I first saw this book over at Kim at Lifesong. She mentioned how good it was and after I checked it out at Amazon I went ahead and bought it too.

I have actually started Attitudes of a Transformed Heart by Martha Peace but I am going through it very slowly. This book is nothing like what I thought it would be. I had made some judgments on Martha Peace based on what other bloggers had written about her and I was way off. I imagined this very old-fashioned woman, 'Becky Home-Ec-y'. She is very educated, very learned, and very much a biblical woman. Amazing book.

The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd. I am looking forward to growing in this area. I really struggle with offering praise as freely as I should.

I am also trying to read through the Bible. I decided this year to try to read through the Bible with this plan. My husband thought I was crazy for trying it but so far I love it. My goal was not to do it in 90 days but finish by summer and then start again to finish by the end of the year. So far I have read through 15 of the 90 days and I am half way through Joshua. This has really given me some fresh insight to read this much scripture at a time. I highly recommend this to y'all.

I would also like to get to The Heavenly Man, The Shantung Revival by CL Culpepper, and Same kind of different as me.

I think I will go read a bit while the house is quiet and I have a little extra time instead of writing about what I want to read. ;o)