Spirit Led Woman

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:8 I am tired of cleaning up after my children. Yes, it is true and I apologise to all of you endlessly patient and enduring mothers. I used to be you. I homeschooled my children when they were younger. We had the chore charts and they learned how to do all of the household chores properly. Can I brag a little and tell you they were pretty good at it? Not all boys know how to cook a meal, clean a bathroom and do laundry; but my guys do. Now my problem.... They don't do it! Not only do they procrastinate at the 'household chores' I ask them to do, they don't even clean up after themselves half the time! Can I tell you how frustrated I ...

As you know of you have been reading my blog, my sister has a terminal illness. This is the first immediate family member I have dealt with this kind of thing with. I spent a few days last week with her and her mind is very unstable right now. If you have dealt with something like this, you know questions will come. Where is God when bad things happen? Why doesn't He intervene? I had an opportunity to read Max Lucado's book For The Tough Times this week. It really spoke to me. It is a small gift book and only took about an hour to read. This makes it prefect to give someone that you know is dealing with life-changing situations. One of the things he says that really encouraged me and challenged me to think was the following: We're thinking, Preserve the body; He's thinking, Save the soul . The truth is that eternity is so much longer and more important than the present. As much as I would love to hold on to my sister, she is in torment. I actively believe in His power ...

Sunday Afternoon Update: Just got back from my sister's house. I went with her to the doctors Friday and they are aggressively treating her donor host disease with the belief it will allow her lungs and other organs to heal. I got a chance to minister to her and some direction from God in how best to do that now. Thank you all for your prayers! I am asking everyone who reads this blog to pray for my sister, Rachel Batson . She is 39 years old and has a aplastic anemia. This is a blood disorder in which the body does not reproduce blood as it should. Rachel had a bone marrow transplant last year but has since developed graft versus host disease. The disease is in the organs of her body. This is causing the organs to shut down. She especially needs prayer for her lungs. The doctors at Vanderbilt Hospital are saying she only has 2-3 months to live with her lungs as they are. Please pray for: a healing in her body total commitment to Jesus Christ her husband-Billy her son-Trevor peace...

We spent 4 months on the road preaching when my boys were young. Life was challenging and sibling rivalry did not make for relaxing trips! Adventures in Odyssey were a key to our sanity during that time! We listened to the stories on CD over and over as we drove. Maybe as a result of those memories, my teenagers love to listen to music and the radio when they go to bed at night. Today I am reviewing a new Thomas Nelson product made especially for youth. These are a set of 3 MP3 CDS that present the complete New Testament in audio theatre. This product is called The Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament. What a great way to get the Word of God into your spirit! The cast are youth and the voice inflections are superb. These CDs are perfect for my 13 year old to listen to at night. They would also be great in the car when you want to spend feeding your spirit. Another thought I had was that they would be great for Bible Quizzers. Check this out if you are looking for a way to in...

This morning I got up ready for my new healthy lifestyle! I drank a big glass of water and took my vitamin, exercised, walked the dog and made a healthy breakfast. As I sat down to eat, a wave of nausea came over me and I began to shake and sweat. After I threw my healthy breakfast in the trash, I realized what had happened: I had taken my vitamin on an empty stomach. No, it didn't make me feel better this morning, but hopefully I won't make that mistake again. Now for the spiritual application.... There is an order for what God has for our lives just as there is an order for taking things like vitamins. This morning, I got ahead of myself. I was so excited about my goal to get healthy that I didn't take the time to remember the basics I already knew. God has perfect timing. I look forward in faith to what He has promised me. I believe with everything in me that this is the year I will begin to see His promises and plans for me fulfilled. He is lining everything up ...

I went with my son recently to see a production of Joseph and the Amazing Coat at a local community college. As I sat in the dark theater and watched the young men in the production, one of the lessons in the first part of the story hit me fresh and clear. Joseph told his dream to the wrong people at the wrong time. In his naivity, he thought his brothers would rejoice with him when he shared his dreams with them. Instead, it caused their jealous to turn to hatred of him and the favor of the father on his life. Many times in my own life, I have been too quick to share what God is showing me about the future with others. The truth is not everyone is called to share your dreams. There are circumstances and life issues people deal with that get in the way of their ability to 'rejoice with those who rejoice'. Just because you are there for other people does not mean they are capable of being there for you. Wisdom teaches us to wait and be careful about our conversation and 'the...

My real-life friend, Julie, posted a list of 50 things she had learned in 2008. I thought I would join her! 50. Where in the world Carmi, IL is. 49. I love living in a small town. 48. People in small towns make news up if they can't find any real news. 47. I love to entertain. 46. Children really do grow up too fast. 45. Teenage girls are more forward than they used to be. 44. My boys are 'hotties'. 43. God will send us friends when we least expect them. 42. Not everyone who goes to church is a Christian. 41. You never know when something unexpected will walk into your life. 40. You never know when someone unexpected will walk out of your life. 39. Praise and worship are vital parts of my relationship with God. 38. I can't drink coffee or have caffeine within 6 hours of my bedtime. 37. Melatonin is a great herb for a natural sleep aid. 36. Women are busy but we still need relationships. 35. Some women actually think they don't need relationships. 34. If you want to ...