Then Sings My Soul ~ Dreamer

Welcome Back to Then Sings My Soul Saturday's here in Mel's World!

This is where you can celebrate and showcase great music that touches your heart and inspires your soul! This week I've picked a great little song by Bethany Dillon called "Dreamer". I'm a big time dreamer and love watching God do all the things that people say just can't be done!

For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday songs head on over to my friend Amy's at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

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Lyrics for Dreamer by Bethany Dillon

Love woke me up this morning
With a memory
Love came and whispered a story
That awakened a dream

Imagine a beautiful castle
And a beautiful king
He left the comfort of his throne
To fight for victory

I am a dreamer
Take me higher
Open the sky up
Start a fire
I believe
Even if it's just a dream

Love woke me up this morning
And I ran to see
The king in the winners' circle
On the horse he won for me

Only a king would do anything
To protect the kingdom

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Family First ~ Breakfast Dates

Breakfast Dates

(This is my youngest son, Bailey, acting silly at one of our Breakfast Dates at a local Cuban bakery)

One of my favorite things to do to keep my "Family First" is to set up regular times to be with each of the kids on their own. My husband will take one of them and I will take the other and we like to go out for a Breakfast Date. Since we have two boys we call them "Breakfast with the Boys" mornings.

I have to admit though, since my oldest is in high school and gets there at 7am (yep, you didn't misread that, he gets to school by 7am and we drive him...well...hubby drives him, ha!) it makes it a little more challenging to have a breakfast date with him. We've had to re-adjust what that means with him, but I think you get the point.

The reality is that it doesn't have to be an expensive outing and it doesn't have to be long, but it does require your undivided attention (making it a point not to answer your phone during this time always helps) and a willingness to really be there with them.

We usually only go out for about 30-45 minutes and if we have our Breakfast Date on a school day it is a perfect lead in to talk about what's going on in their world at school (which can be a very scary time for the kids). The kids also know that this is THEIR time...any question they want to ask is open and on the table.

At first this was a little awkward for them, but now that we've opened that dialogue they've begun to use this as their time to really ask the hard questions. For us, as the parents, we have to be willing to answer those questions as openly and honestly as we can and as they can handle for their age.

Try it...set up a time when you can have some one on one time with your kids and schedule a breakfast date. Let them pick where you are going, block out some time for it, and see what happens when you do.

Keeping your Family First!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Godly Gals ~ Michelle Wegner

Why would anyone in their right mind take 3 small girls to a tiny village of the Untouchable Caste in India? There are germs there. Rats. Snakes. Dirty Water. All the things every good mom tells you to keep your kids far from.

This summer we went head on, full-force into the village of Kalavai, and many others like it, to bring the hope and good news of Jesus Christ to the Untouchables. We went to touch them, to dance with them, and celebrate a new beginning for these people so forgotten and ignored. I have never been more proud as a mom, wife, and child of God as I was on the day we got to visit Kalavai and dedicate the homes that teams from Granger Community Church have built for these beautiful people who were literally sleeping in the dirt.

Kalavai Update 7.25.09 from Ben Sanders on Vimeo.

Our church is bringing hope to the dark places. I am overwhelmed with joy that I get to be a part of training Church Planters in Southern India, and visiting places these church planters are having enormous impact like Kalavai.

My husband Rob and I feel like it’s what we’re made for. He is the pastor of Life Mission at Granger Community Church, and I have the pleasure of serving along side of him whenever I can on trips such as these.

Rob started a non-for profit ministry called EnterMission, Inc. and part of what we are doing is managing the International Missions Component of the One Prayer campaign. I personally get to field and edit these amazing stories for publication on the One Prayer site. Doing this has brought amazing perspective to my world.

About Michelle ~ I’m a mom to 3 beautiful little ladies 11, 9, and 5, and have been married to Rob for 16 years, all of which have been spent serving at GCC. I love to write, and spend a lot of time writing for my website, www.michellewegner.typepad.com

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Come back NEXT Thursday to meet another Godly Gal, Catharine Gaither, founder of "Freedom By Design".

Also...as of right now I am taking submissions for Godly Gals in 2010. If you would like to be considered for the Godly Gals series please email me at melsworldministry@gmail.com for a copy of the submission guidelines. I am looking forward to hearing from you and celebrating all these incredible Godly Gals! ~ Melissa

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Wordless Wednesday ~ Banana Boy!

Look closely at the picture...what do you see?

Yep, that giant banana is my son!

It's a funny thing...you put a 13 year old boy in a Banana costume and he turns into one of the funniest things that walked into our grocery store this weekend!

Here he is posing with his "brother and sister" bananas!

He's even giving a GREAT BIG Thumbs Up to Banana Pops! Needless to say, we created quite a spectacle while we did our grocery shopping this weekend...but I have to tell you that we laughed so much from it, and so did lots of other people!

For more Wordless Wednesday pictures head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Book Review ~ A Slow Burn

A Slow Burn
By Mary DeMuth

I have to admit that when I read the first book in this Trilogy, Daisy Chain, I wasn't sure where else Mary could take us on this grand adventure but as soon as I cracked open the cover of a Slow Burn I knew it was going to be a journey into the deep dark places that we tend to overlook.

Almost as soon as I started on this new adventure I felt a sense of awe at Mary's ability to capture the heart of her characters. I felt as if I knew them in Daisy Chain but this time I was able to get to know them in a way that happens over time. You know, like the difference in a new friend and a friend you've known for quite some time.

The details, the scenery, the heartache, the pain, all pieced together this beautiful tapestry of who the central characters really are...not as the people that everyone sees on the outside, but the deep down root of your soul person that God created them to be.

I wanted to sit on the porch with Missy, to comfort Ouisie, to encourage Jed, and to cheer Hixon on for one more time. These people are no longer characters in a book, but have become friends. So easily they could be any one of us.

Here's what is on the back cover of "A Slow Burn";

Burying her grief, Emory Chance is determined to find her daughter Daisy's murderer- a man she saw in a flicker of a vision. But when the investigation hits a dead end, her despair escalates. As questions surrounding Daisy's death continue to mount, Emory's safety is shattered by the pursuit of a stranger, and she can't shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy's disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for?

The second book in the Defiance Texas Trilogy, this suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.

If you are looking for an amazing Christian Fiction series to challenge you, inspire you, and bless you, then you need to check this series out. You can also go see some of the author's other books at her website, Mary DeMuth.

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Disclaimer ~ I received a free copy of this book to read and review here in Mel's World. I was not paid for this book review, these are my own opinions on this book, A Slow Burn.

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

South Florida Praise & Coffee Night Review

Last Wednesday night we had our South Florida Praise & Coffee Night! If I tell you that it was awesome it just wouldn't even begin to scrape the tip of how incredible the night was.

My dear friend, and bloggy buddy, Sue Cramer, founder of Praise And Coffee, flew down to speak at our event and also to visit for a few days. I have to just say that she is the REAL deal! She is exactly as she is online and her heart for women to connect to each other and to Him is evident in all she does.

We meet at a sweet little coffee house called "The Coffee Scene"! The owners, George & Launa, are so supportive to this ministry and make some of the BEST specialty coffee's out there...and y'all know I am a HUGE Starbuck's fan, so that is sayin' a lot!

Sue & I took a few minutes to pose for some pics...we've been chatting and calling each other for two years but this was the VERY first time we were able to meet...God is so good!!! You should have seen us at the airport, we were jumping up and down while waving our arms frantically...like we won the lotto or something (it's actually better I think!).

We were so totally blessed to have Sarah and Rebekah lead us in worship for the night. They lead us in five worship songs, which is always a beautiful experience. Seeing thirty women there raising their hands, bowing their heads, and singing their hearts out still brings tears to my eyes...it was so touching!

One of the best parts of the night was just connecting with other Christian women...laughing, crying, sharing, hugging, comforting, and just opening up our hearts to what He is doing in our lives. Sue brought a great message about how God can use anyone, that we are all His princesses, and even felt led to talk a bit about forgiveness. She met us right where we were and because of that we walked away changed!

There were no walls there that night...
no boundaries that held anyone back from connecting and growing with each other...
no need to fear about what others would think...
Just thirty women from five different churches getting together for a great night out!

If you are interested in hosting a Praise & Coffee Night in your area, then click here and Sue will send you some information. I've been hosting Praise & Coffee Nights for almost a year and a half and they have been such a blessing!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,

Speak to My Soul ~ How to "Be" a Blessing

How to "Be" a Blessing

1 Peter 3:8-12 TM ~ Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

There is so much packed into this verse and I am sure we could talk and talk about all the great words of wisdom in it, but as for right now, I would like for us to take a minute to really look at what it takes to "be" a blessing according to this verse.

We need to;

BE agreeable
BE sympathetic
BE loving
BE compassionate
BE humble

Who needs to "BE" all these things...well, according to this Scripture, "that goes for all of you, no exceptions."

I love also that it goes on to say that not only are there no exceptions, there is to be no retaliation, and no sarcasm.

Well then, what are we supposed to do?

The great part of this verse is that the answer is right there in front of us...it says, "Instead, bless - that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing."

It sounds so simple, doesn't it?

In reality it probably isn't for most of us. Think about it. It's so easy to whip off a sarcastic reply or even "get back at" someone that has wronged you.

But if we want to "BE" a blessing, then we need to "BE" these other things too...

Agreeable ~ pleasing, to one's liking, suitable, ready to consent
Sympathetic ~ of, expressing, feeling, or resulting from sympathy, congenial
Loving ~ feeling or showing love; warmly affectionate, fond
Compassionate ~ having or showing compassion
Humble ~ not proud or arrogant, modest, courteously respectful
(Definitions from Dictionary.com)

When we are, then we will be a blessing and will also get a blessing from those around us.

Try it this week! When we focus on trying to "BE a Blessing" chances are that we will be blessed in the process! I can't wait to hear all about your blessings this week!

Seeking JOY on the Journey,