Spirit Led Woman

deannashrodes.com: Don't jack with a Godly leader

One of my best friends lives on a big dairy farm in Missouri.  She has a beautifully restored farmhouse. One of my favorite rooms is the kitchen/dining room. She has a big kitchen table and in the very center she has a daily devotional  book. Every morning, they have devotions and the book is ALWAYS open to the right day.  Now it helps that she cooks 3 full meals a day; complete with pies and cookies.  But I absolutely love the feeling I get when I am at her house. When I had the opportunity to review a daily devotional by Billy Graham, I hurrayed!  According to the research I did, this book has just come back in print after several years when it was unavailable. Each of the 365 daily readings include a passage of scripture, an encouragement from Billy Graham himself, and a prayer made especially for the book. The readings are not too short, yet short enough to be read daily.  The language used is clear and direct.  I think this book makes a wonder...

I had previously written that my husband and I had starting working out together.  Just wanted to give an update for those of you that had asked: We completed our 12 week challenge and the results are that we each lost 12 lbs. In the bigger picture, my clothes are loose and I feel great!  I am so proud of my husband too.  He went from a 36 waist to a 32!  We haven't seen that size for many years :) He is looking and feeling so good!  Being a pastor can be a stressful job and working out and staying in shape are definitely important! Right now, we are taking a break for the holidays but we plan to start strong again in January.  We are both excited about it and determined to stay healthy in 2011.

I am married to a dreamer. I LOVE being married to a dreamer... most of the time!  Occasionally, over the past 20 yrs, I have been guilty of occasionally being a dream squasher! Until I learned how it affects a dreamer. It absolutely deflates them but more importantly, it can hinder what God is wanting to do.  Not only is my husband a dreamer, He is a man of faith and action! God really does specialize in things man thinks are impossible! Matthew 19:26 says, "Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' So if you are a dreamer be careful who you share your dreams with... and if you are married to a dreamer make sure you don't hinder what God is wanting to accomplish! Not only that, do yourself and your marriage a favor and commit to the dream.  Your marriage and ministry will absolutely never be the same.

I grew up singing Christian hymns and think they are absolutely beautiful. One of my interests is Christian History, so when the opportunity came to review this book, I was really excited.  I was not disappointed. Then Sings My Soul is a collection of 150 Christmas, Easter and favorite Hymn stories.  The book is organized by occasions, starting with Christmas hymns.  One one page is the hymn, while the facing page has a brief story about the hymn.  Hymns tell a story. We connect to them because the faith that we have is shared by the writer.  He or she expresses for us the tribulations, struggles, triumphs and hope that we feel as we journey through this walk of faith. We relate to their personal stories because we relate to the hymn. That is why I NEED to know their stories.  The hymn comes to life for me when I think about the people behind their words.  When I struggle to stay out of the 'mullygrubs' I think of Fanny Crosy, the blind hymni...