An Update on Life, Cruises & Other Crazy Stuff in Mel's World

This New Year has already started off with a bang and oh my gracious...so.much.has been going on! I have SO MUCH to tell you I can hardly stand it!

I am going to try to be short and sweet, since we are all on the go, but I also wanted to get you caught up a bit on the crazy world I live in. Welcome back to Mel's World!

Why is there a picture of a cruise ship on my post?


Well...two weeks ago today I was on that cruise ship with my dear friend and ministry partner Sue Cramer, from Praise and Coffee, and about 350 other girls for the Girls Get Away Cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

Girls...if you ever get a chance to do something this you have to go...it.was.so.much.fun! It was totally unexpected and unplanned, which made the trip even more exciting.

We went to workshops, worship, shows and so much more...
we even made a few new friends.

Oh wait...we also met cupcakes!!! Lots of cupcakes (and coffee)...but also new friends,

...and even some friends that we've been chatting with online for years! Running into our online friends on a cruise ship...only God could do that!

How crazy awesome is that?

I was so blessed by Lysa TerKeurst, she was a gracious hostess for the cruise and was so generous in sharing her heart for making ministry count...she sprinkled her encouragement all over us on that trip...I love that about her!

(note to self, don't bring a video camera for pictures,
for some reason it just didn't work out)

We also laughed until our throats hurt...have you ever done that?

That is a lot of laughing...and we have 321 Improv to thank for that...by the way, Sue's son, Matt, is on the 321 Improv team, he's the one in the middle of this picture.

If you get a chance you HAVE to check them out, they are simply hysterical!

After a long day of workshops, classes and stuff we came back to the room every night to some fun little "creation" made out of towels in our room.

I also got a chance to meet with two incredible publishers and talk about a book idea that I've been working on for some time now...that was exciting and scary and awesome all at the same time.

There's certainly much to celebrate, no, not a book deal yet...but...you never know, right?

Oh my, I have never wanted to sit down with a cup of coffee and chat with each of you face to face more that I do right now. I want to hear all about what God is doing in your life, your victories, celebrations and prayers.

I hope that's what we can accomplish together...Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith in action...that's us...Godly Gals, that's us!

So, it's your turn. What great and exciting things are going on in YOUR LIFE?

I can't wait to hear all about it... ~ Melissa

Godly Gals ~ In the Travel Van by: Diane Bailey

In the Travel Van
By: Diane Bailey

Back when my daughter, Catherine, was eight we had a travel van. It was state of the art, with an overhead TV and VCR player, a CB radio, leather interior and wall-to-wall carpet. It was nice and roomy and top of the line in those days.

On this day I pick Catherine up from school. Catherine is the third of four children in our family with a strong opinion that she is not afraid to express. Though I call Catherine my daughter, she is really my stepdaughter. From the beginning this child challenged me with every word I said, direction I drove, clothes I wore and food I cooked, and today she challenged the “put on your safety belt” rule.

Today she had made up her mind that she would not be told what to do. As she took her seat in the very back of the van, I reminded her to fasten her seat belt.

She nodded, yes, and then wrapped her arms around her waist so that no one could see the belt, or lack of belt.

Not long into the trip we needed to make a fast stop. As I hit the break, I heard a “swoosh” sound. Turning around I see that Catherine has involuntarily slid out of the chair and is sitting in the middle of the floor. I guess I forgot to mention that I had put Armor-all on the seats that day.

“Are you all right? I thought you were wearing your safety belt.”

She is unharmed, but her big blue eyes were twice their normal size.

Desperately trying to contain the laughter at the surprise we were both feeling, I turned quickly to face the front, and suggested that she make sure her safety belt is pushed in all the way.

The challenge of caring for a difficult child or stepchild may seem at times more that we can survive. I lined up my scriptures, and prayed not just for her, but also for the family. The next few years until Catherine went to college were very difficult.

We all have seasons of doing more than we think is possible – think about a new mother without an older woman to encourage her, new mothers with twins, single mothers with teens, or working mothers with children to raise and elderly parents to care for. Then add in to the mix a woman who has all of this going on while struggling to keep a marriage together.

Can you identify with any of this?

There have been times in my life when I prayed until I was blue in the face, unable to breath and used up all the Kleenex in the box. Where was God? He said He would never leave or forsake me, but I am looking and I am not seeing Him!

I have heard it said that God would not give us more than we can handle. I cannot find this precept in scripture. What I have found, is God calling ordinary people to step out of their own ability and do extraordinary things – things that could only happen when the living God is working through someone who is open.

Opening ourselves allows Christ to stand in the spot of “I can’t do this any more” and “It is finished.” It is in this place between the sorrows of the problem and the answer from God that we see God’s glory in ways that could not be seen any other way.

Stepping into that for which we seem ill-equipped also strengthens our faith when we see God opening doors that we could not open for ourselves.

God has frequently placed me in situations where I had no choice but to cling to Him with all my might and trust Him. In return, He took me to places in Him, and in this world, where I could never venture on my own. It is in the area between our own limitations and God’s mighty answers that we see our ideas of Christ change and where we begin to grow in our faith and in our likeness to Christ.

There have been many times when I cried out to God and said, “Stop the planet, I have had enough and I’m getting off, now!” But, that is playing right into the enemy’s hand.

Our enemy, Satan, would love for us to quit praying and stop fighting for our families, friends, country, and churches. He would love for us to give up. That would make his job a lot easier.

He comes in and whispers things like, “Why do you believe?” “Did God really promise that to you?” “You are going to look like a fool in front of everyone when it never happens”, or “You need to do something else and quit looking for God to handle everything.”

The truth is that we should get up and try our best, leaning on God to work through our weak, frail state and let Him accomplish His miracles through us. When we are weak, we are less likely to try to “help” Him. Remember 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Last week Catherine who is in her twenties now, called from school, finals were going on and things with a young man that she was seeing were not working out as she had hoped.

“Diane, I’m so stressed out! Would you please pray?”

Before hanging up, she says, “Bye, I love you.”

Staring at the phone, speechless by the gift of love, I hear the Lord whisper to my heart, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

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Diane Bailey is the mother of two adult children, the step-mother of two college children, and the Grand-mother of three children. She and her husband live in the Deep South with their black lab, Charlie and cat, Lil Girl. She is the author of String Of Pearls, a book that speaks to women about taking their sorrows to Christ, and allowing Him to change our tears into pearls of the testimony of Christ, and by the end of our lives, we have a String of Pearls. String of Pearls can be ordered from Amazon and you can follow Diane on her blog, Life Images at dianewbailey.com.

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Oh Diane, I just love your sweet spirit...your words shine a heart that beats for Jesus and your beautiful gift of sharing your words is like drinking a perfectly chilled sweet iced tea on a hot summers day.

Thank you for sharing a little bit of you, your story and your world with us today! I am truly looking forward to getting to know you, reading your new book, String of Pearls, and hopefully...maybe, meeting you this year somewhere in the back woods of Alabama!

We're off to an incredible year in the series and this is just the beginning. We're going to be going back to visit some of the Godly Gals ~ Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith that have been here the last couple of years and catch up with them and see what's been happening since we last heard from them...as well as getting to meet brand new friends through this series as well.

If you'd like to be a part of this series, then send me an email to melsworldministry {at} gmail {dot} com and I'll send you a copy of the submission guidelines.

I'm looking for REAL women to share their REAL life stories of REAL faith in action...and chances are that's YOU!

Book Review ~ When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley

When Sparrows Fall
By: Meg Moseley

From the Back of the Book:

Freedom. Safety. Love. Miranda vows to reclaim them--for herself, and for her children.

A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling brand of “shepherding.” But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets only he knows, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.

Professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?

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From Me:

I have to admit, I wasn't sure that I would like this book at first. You see, being married to a Pastor I am always "sensitive" to how others perceive Pastors or the church. Believe me, I am not blind to the neglect, abuse and church hurt in the world...but being that we are both in full time ministry I was...let's see, leery when I first picked it up. Meg beautifully touched on the points without ever making it the focal point of the story.

What I quickly learned was that the pages would be filled with intrigue, drama, tenderness, chivalry and so much more...all packed into one great story! The kind of love story that simply sweeps you off your feet...hopeless romantics everywhere will enjoy this book!

I truly enjoyed Meg Moseley's debut novel and can not wait to see what other stories she has hidden in her heart.

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Meg Moseley is a Californian at heart although she’s lived more than half her life in other states.

She formerly wrote human-interest columns for a suburban section of the Atlanta Journal- Constitution, and home schooled for over twenty years.

Meg enjoys books, travel, gardening, her three grown children, and motorcycle rides with her husband Jon. They make their home in
northern Georgia.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of the book free from Multnomah Books as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”