Spirit Led Woman

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

The friendships of women.... what a subject! The books and articles written about the subject could fill a library! A few years ago, I had the opportunity to become very close friends with 2 special ladies. God sent them to me at a time when I really needed to grow and learn. These two very special people became like sisters to me...in fact I still call them my sister friends. Through these relationships, I learned what a true friend is, as well as what a true friend is not! At the time, I was in a box of my own making. I was trying desperately to be what I thought everyone else wanted and expected me to be. These ladies became my armor bearers. They prayed for me and with me and loved me unconditionally. God called us from that place of ministry and we had to part. All of us faced some pretty tough things in the next few years. One of us lost a son, two lost a brother and one lost a sister. We went through changes of churches, jobs, locations and our share of health issues.

I love a good read-aloud book! One of the joys of life is what you give to the next generation and a great way to do that is to read books to children! Tim McGraw's new book "Love Your Heart" is a great read aloud to share with the special little girl in your life. The book is based on his daughters. Tim and Faith are working on nurturing their daughters' spirits. He does this by focusing on what is inside of us, not the outside. Katie is the daughter in the book. She has many talents and can't decide what to do for the school talent show. The close relationship between father and daughter is shown as the father encourages Katie in all that she tries to do. On the night of the talent show, one of Katie's friends is unable to perform her talent. Katie gives up the spotlight to help a friend and shows that she is a winner on the inside, thus the title "Love Your Heart". I plan to read this book to my class of girls I teach at church then gift i

One of the things I am thankful for in my life is my upbringing in a Christian school. For those of you who have not experienced that, let me assure you that American history seen through the eyes of a Christian curriculum is much different than what you were taught if you went to public school! In this book, Newt Gingrich explores the subject of the role of God and the Christian religion in American history. He accomplishes this by taking us on a stroll through Washington DC. As he visits the memorials and monuments that most of us are familiar with, he explains the purpose of each monument and the deeper spiritual, Christian purpose behind each memorial. My children did not have the privelege of a Christian school education, but one thing this mom made sure of is that I gave them quality literature that gave the truth behind American history and the rich Christian history we enjoy in this country. This book is a valuable addition to that collection.

'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.' ( Zech 4:6) This week our church has been doing the Daniel fast. For most of our church people, this is the first fast they have been on and I have to say I am so proud of them. The purpose of our fast was to pray for unity and the unity we have seen just over the course of the fast has been so amazing! People I never thought would want to be a part of this are participating and the growth spiritually is making me go "Wow!" over and over again. I have been especially proud of my 2 boys. Nate and Drew are 14 and 17 and they committed to the 3 day fast the 'beginners' did. Nate works at McDonald's and called me Monday night stressed out! But he persevered and saw a spiritual breakthrough in his worship Wed. night that totally excited him and made him understand what the purpose of fasting is. Drew got a friend to commit with him and my husband picked them up from school every