Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Overheard







I thought I would share a little glimpse into my life as a Mother of six with you this morning.

One of the things that keeps me laughing would be the many questions I get asked.

I mean ............ hundreds of them daily.

From the time I open my eyes until I collapse each night. 

The questions that never stop are just one part of my day....enjoy!

Please note the placement of the quotation marks.

It's like one giant run on sentence! :) Literally.

"Mama, do elephants have eyelashes? 

Yes.

What color are they?

Honey, I don't know. I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet.

Let me think about it.

Are they pink? 

Maybe.

Mama?

Yes.

When Daddy asked you to marry him, did you say yes?

Yes.

Did you kiss?!

Yes.

Do you and Daddy like to kiss?!

Laughing out loud...yes. 

Mama?

Yes.

Was Daddy in the Civil War?

What???

No and for the love - why are you asking me that??

Mama?

Can I get a bunny? Can I get one too? Yeah!! Me too? Pleeeeeeease?

I want something to snuggle.

If she gets a bunny then can I get a bunny? I want to snuggle something.

If she gets to snuggle something can I get something to snuggle too?

No babies. No.

Why not?!!

Because we can't have anything else that poops. Daddy said.

Please can I get a bunny that doesn't poop? Please? I will take care of it!!

Can I get one if she gets one?

No honey. We are not going to buy any bunnies right now.

But we don't have to buy them! They're free down at The Publix!

My friend just got one.

No honey.

Not today.

Well, can we get one tomorrow then?

No honey.

Well can I go to her house and spend the night and see her new bunny?

No honey.

Mama, do dinosaurs have fossils?

Do they laugh?

Can they see us?

If they can see us, can they smell us?

Laughing with tears.

No honey.

They are extinct.

They stink?

No honey. Yes, probably. But they do not exist any more!

What? They don't?!! Yes, they do Mama!!!

I love dinosaurs!

Mama, can I have a cookie?

Can I have ice cream if she gets a cookie?

Can I have a milkshake if he gets a cookie and she gets ice cream?

No. No and No.

For the love of all that is holy.

No to everything the rest of the day.

Mama, is God married?

No honey.

If God isn't married then why are you and Daddy married?"

Picture me with a cold ice pack on my head while being collapsed on the couch by 10 a.m.

If you've emailed me and have yet to receive a response, THIS is the reason:)

I'm tending to the answering of all of these precious questions and so many more.

Happy Tuesday sweet friends...

Here's to a beautiful and blessed week !


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Be Brave



I wanted to share a little encouragement with you this morning.

For those of you who need a little nudge. This post is for you.

Over the years I have listened to many hearts share the following words.

"I'm too afraid."

In response to any number of things in life but especially in stepping out
with starting something NEW.

Sometimes that something new has been creating something or branching out into photography or starting their own business or pursuing ministry or even planning a bible study, etc.

I want to encourage you today with the following scripture.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ~Acts 4:13

I absolutely love the first five words of this scripture.

When they saw the courage.

Courage is only made visible when we set our faith in motion. When we act on it.

If it were easy, it wouldn't be called courage.

If we knew it was going to work out perfectly, or always work out in our favor - it wouldn't be called courage.

If we waited until everyone was cheering us on and rooting for us and supporting us- it wouldn't be called courage.

To be brave can mean a number of things, but to me, it personally means this.

Pursuing the desire of our hearts- no matter what.

With or without cheers and support.

With or without finances.

With or without approval from everyone else.

I think the less we have in a worldly sense and the less we have in the area of credentials, THE MORE COURAGE it takes to do what God has called us to do and the more we have to rely on Him as well.

I love that this scripture in Acts 4:13 says that "the men were astonished and knew that they had been with Jesus."

Why?

Because when we spend time with Him, He can make all things new. He can make us brave. He can fill in the gaps in our life. He can part the red sea in whatever area we need Him to. He can equip us, qualify us and send us out to do great work without any worldly tools and allow us the ability to accomplish great things even for His kingdom.

He can pour out His super on our natural and give us the supernatural ability to fulfill our purpose.

Many times I've listened to women share how they feel led to start something new, but they allow fear to overtake them and they allow fear to press down that desire.

I've been there many times too.

Don't you just love this scripture?

Read this part.

"And realized that they were unschooled, ORDINARY men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Oh my word.

Don't you just love that God chooses regular people? He does. All throughout the bible, God just continued to use ordinary people.

Be brave. Have courage. Take a leap of faith. Set your faith in motion. Trust your heart....

The beautiful BRAVE art print listed above can be found through the gift that is Kelly Cummings.

You can check out her work here. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

No Comparison 2013 ~ Part Two






I took a leap of faith in November of 2011 and wrote a post about comparison and it seemed to resonate with so many of you, I've wanted to share more on the subject in a few more posts.

 You can find the original post here.

Today, I wanted to dig a little deeper and share part two.

I shared about this at The Pearl Event in Atlanta recently, mainly because I feel so strongly that comparison is the trap and the snare that will keep us from walking in our full purpose and destiny.

It will paralyze us.

It will keep us from walking in our true identity in Christ.

If we get to the root of what comparison is really all about....

It's this.

Comparison is a form of unbelief.

When we fall into the trap of comparison we are essentially telling the Lord this,

I don't believe you.

I don't believe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I don't believe that you have a purpose and a plan for me.

I don't believe that my identity is in you. 

I don't believe that you are going to work all things together for my good and your Glory.

I don't believe that I have unique giftings and talents and abilities.

I don't believe that you love me as much as you love everyone else.

When we get to the root of all of these thoughts and feelings and emotions and when we uncover
and unravel and pull back the layers on all of these things.

What is hidden underneath all the rubble and is at the core of what keeps that thing alive inside each one of us is this...

Unbelief.

And if we have our eyes on everyone else and all that God is doing in and through everyone else, then there is absolutely no way on earth we will ever accomplish our purpose when we are busy wishing for what everyone else has in life.

We're just too miserable.

And misery loves company.

The sisters of comparison are jealousy and envy.

Comparison, jealousy and envy are the spiritual trifecta that will bring us down to the point of no return.

Once we've entered into this triangle of destruction, we can forget about even coming close to fulfilling our purpose and destiny.

We can barely get through a Tuesday.

Ask me how I know.

When we aren't rooted and grounded in Christ. When we take our eyes off of Him. When we are constantly looking at everyone else and holding up our little pink measuring tape to compare ourselves with everyone else in life - we can miss out on our very own beautiful life.

Jesus said this in Mark 12:24

"Your mistake is that you do not know the scriptures and you do not know the power of God."

If that isn't the honest to goodness truth then I don't know what is.

There is life changing truth in the word of God. And there is power.

Power to transform us from the inside out. Power to equip us with our true identity. Power to heal us and change us and deliver us and set our feet like hinds feet on the rock. Power to set us free from comparison and jealousy and envy and equip us with the knowledge we need, in order to deliver us from every insecurity and root of unbelief. Power to offer us the gift that is being able to truly rejoice with others and celebrate their unique gifts and talents and to truly enjoy one another instead of attempting to compete with one another - or worse, to try and crush and destroy one another with our words.

I love this scripture in II Samuel 22:25 - The Message

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."

I think sometimes we can easily get stuck in comparison when we are walking through some really hard things in life. It's easy to shift our eyes from Him to our circumstances and the longer it takes for those circumstances to straighten out- the easier it can be for us to shift our eyes onto others and start to compare ourselves every which way known to man and then some.

When we are walking through really hard things in life, we can forget that God is the ultimate author.

We can forget that He can edit, delete, remove, start over and even hit fast forward.

Listen beautiful friends, He can rewrite our life. 

It doesn't have to stay the same. It doesn't have to remain the way its always been. It doesn't have to end the way it began. It doesn't have to end up the way it ended up for everyone else in the family. 

You can allow God to change everything.

It starts with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It starts with the offering up of all of our unbelief and mistakes and wrong doing and heartaches and insecurities, just to name a few and then begins with the receiving of an outpouring of His love and forgiveness and mercy and grace.

It continues with this life changing truth.

Our identity is in Him.

No matter what.

It matters not.

Once we are rooted and grounded in our true identity in Him. Everything else has to fall to the wayside.
This life changing truth will hold you steady when you walk through the fire in life. It will hold you upright when others try and tear you down and try and destroy you out of their own jealousy and insecurity. It will keep you and equip you and enable you when everything else in life tries to overtake you.

Because you know who you are in Christ. 

My favorite example of this is found in the book of Ruth.

I love the book of Ruth.

It will rock your world.

I want to encourage you to read from the book of Ruth when you have time, but in the meantime take a  look at this...

"Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, "Who are you?"

So she answered, I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative. ~ Ruth 3:9-10

I love her response. Love.

Y'all, Ruth was walking through some hard things. She had some circumstances. Ruth could have answered Boaz in any number of other ways. She had every reason not to respond to him at all. She had every reason to run from the threshing floor and never return. She had every reason to try and explain her story about how she'd lost her husband and was a widow now. She had every reason to try and compare herself to every other woman who was working out in the field and let every insecurity rise up from within her during this encounter with Boaz and ruin her opportunity.

But she didn't.

Look at her response. She said this....

I am Ruth.

She knew her identity. She knew her worth. She knew her value. 

If every, single one of us could fill in Ruth's name with our own, the next time the enemy tries to convince us to fall into the trap of comparison, or envy, or jealousy then we could silence him.

The enemy is just waiting to catch us when we are feeling like absolutely nothing- when we are feeling like a complete failure, so that he can flood our hearts and minds with a full blown identity crisis.

He wants to convince us to compare ourselves, because when we do- we will fall short every time.

But when you know who you are and whose you are- you can stand on that truth.

And you are no longer spending your days comparing yourself with anyone or anything...

It matters not.

You can fill in that blank with your name and with Godly confidence and boldness in Christ.

I am ___________.

And you can watch healing take place in your heart and soak up His love and His goodness and His mercy and His grace and watch as purpose begins to take shape and the very reason you were created begins to unfold. All for your good and His glory.

Here's to a year filled with no comparison beautiful friends.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made, full of great purpose and destiny.

Saturate your heart with that truth and fill in the blank out loud. Decree it and declare it today.

Love to you precious friends.

I am Sibi.


Thank you again to my beautiful friend Ashley Sweeney for allowing me to photograph her with my own personal pink measuring tapes in 2011. Your willingness to help me with the pictures for this topic brought this post to life for so many women. So grateful for you.  Love you sweet friend. 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Pearl Event III Flyer





Morning Glories,

We are counting down the days until we get to see you all in person!

I am so excited about the incredible speakers and worship team we have this year! 

The hearts of these women are absolutely beautiful!!

You all are going to be so blessed by the oil they are going to pour out on May 17...

They truly only desire to serve you and point you to Him by sharing pieces of their life along with His life-giving word to bring you hope and encouragement.

We are already praying for you! 

You can purchase your ticket here:


(Just a side note to let you know that lunch is included this year)

If you are planning to stay overnight this year,  here is a post filled with hotel suggestions based on 
proximity to the event venue. 


Counting down the days sweet friends!

I wanted to thank you all for your prayers as we move forward with this special day.


Love,

Sibi

Monday, April 1, 2013

Paige's Birthday!




I wanted to leave a little birthday love here for my beautiful friend Paige Knudsen!

I sent her an email this morning with a little birthday top ten list and wanted to share it here as well.

Paige is the author of the inspirational blog "Simple Thoughts." She is a gifted photographer 
as well as a voice for the oppressed by working as an ambassador for Noonday Collection!  





I recently spent some time with my precious friend while in Atlanta and it was so wonderful to just catch up and sit and eat Mexican food and talk about every beauty product known to man! I rarely get out of the house with friends and so it was such a gift to me to have that time together with Paige!


Here is my email in part, from earlier today! 


I wanted to send you a list of just a few of the reasons why I adore you …..


1. You wear fringe. Now, I am anti-fringe at all costs. But you.
    Why you can make wearing fringe just about the greatest thing ever. 


2. You have more lipgloss, lipstick, chapstick and lip whathaveyous than Estee Lauder herself. 
    And you know my obsession with beauty products- need I say more?
    We may have been separated at birth.

3. You love Jesus.
    In fact, you not only love Him but you are a very close replica of His heart here on earth- only             
    wearing fringe and lipgloss.

4. You love Mexican food. I rest my case. 

5. You love Dan. And being a wife. And your girls. And being a mother.  And all of the same things 
    that make my heart sing. Basically. You are an inspiration to many. And I do mean many. 
    In a day and age when the popular thing to do is complain and moan about everything that is wrong            
    within the marriage and family-  you choose to see the glory. To see the best. 
    You choose to honor and love.
    You are a godly example to hundreds of women Paige. Hundreds…..

6. You are hilarious. And a girl needs to laugh. Especially after the many serious conversations we      
     have taken down over the years.

7. You have style. 
     Not like housewife style. Or I'm trying too hard style. Or I wish I was a teenager but 
     I'm not- but I'm going to dress like it anyway-style.              
     But just a Godly confidence. 
     An inner glow. 
     A beauty that radiates from the deep well within you.        
     And basically, you have an, I can wear Anthro, J.Crew, running shorts or fringe and just look 
     fabulous- kind of style.
     It makes grown women weep wishing they had the same. I'm telling you what's the truth.

8. You are a gifted photographer. And I do mean gifted. What I love about your photography is that    
     you always capture what love looks like. That is a gift.
     I am fully expecting to watch you rise to the Jasmine Star level of photography. 
     I cannot wait to watch it unfold and watch you do what you love to do and were created to do.        
     Capture love.

9. I haven't witnessed it. Not yet anyway. But I feel it's going to happen soon. I just know you can        
    tear it up on the dance floor. I plan to explore this soon with a full blown dance party
    in a kitchen somewhere. Mine or yours. It matters not.

10. Most of all, you love me in spite of myself. Thank you for this. No words big enough.


Love you precious friend. 

I am celebrating you and rejoicing and giving thanks to God that He created you in all of the many magnificent ways in which He did! 


Love,

Sibi

If you have time today, stop by and wish Paige a Happy Birthday! xoxo