Gateways to Joy

I don't.  I don't feel worthy of my dreams or anything else today. I hate those days when I let someone else dictate my mood.  That's what I'm fighting through right now. I'm not worried though because I know it will pass.  I just hate letting myself get here in the first place.  When I think about it long and hard, the reason, the real reason someone was able to change my demeanor so drastically is because I am feeling unworthy. "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3: 22-23 Regardless of how I feel, God reassures me in my head that I am worthy, thanks to the blood of Jesus and me accepting Him. Friends, no matter what mistakes I make, no matter how many times I fall down, I will get back up and serve God forever.  Hopefully, you will too. Are you feeling unworthy today? I s that fear of unworthiness holding you back...

The last time we were together we talked about fear as a stronghold of us back for going after our God-size dream.  We also said that fear of failure is often the stumbling block to trying. I know for me a lot of times the reason I am scared of failing is because I feel like my skill level is inadequate.  I always end up finding someone who does things that I am trying to do "better than me," and I start to feel inadequate.  Fear by comparison is lethal. Many of you have written me and told me your stories.  I see where you are creative women, mothers-- no different from me, who have put your art on hold in order to care for your family. However, as we are learning, it is hard to squash the want and desire to create for too long when God has gifted you in that area. I've decided to do a couple of breif {15-20 min} tutorials explaining to you to set up a free blog and design a free blog. Many people will tell you to get your own domain.  ...

I have not forgotten about you.  I can't. I have been a stay-at-home mother for over 19 years, and for all of that time my family and I have lived off my husband's income.  For so many of those years, I've wanted it to be the season where I earned an income but God didn't say the same.  So working without monetary pay has been my lot. I've not always been a happy camper about earning no money.  Sometimes I feel like the kids and I go without so much.  Those who don't have this lot quickly and so easily tell me how, "Life isn't about money or things." "Easy for you to say," is what I often think. I have been learning Photoshop, grapic design, blog designing and photography.  I still have so much to learn!  I have poured over learning Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Illustrator and how to use my Nikon D3100.  I am happy to say that I've made great strides. I now know that photography and the editing of pho...

This was one of the scariest exercises for me.  I suspect had Lisa-Jo not "welcomed" me I may not have done this.  I've thought about participating in this exercise often.  Every now and then I go to Lisa Jo's blog on Friday's to see if she's still doing it. The five minute writing exercise that has scared me away for so long .  Wow, when I got over there today I see how it has grown.  "You scary-cat." I told myself.  "This is something good for you." I told myself, "Na, I'm not ready."  But it was something about that word, "Welcome." So here it is: My five minute writing exercise, unedited.  This is what to mind when I saw the word "welcome."  Now though, I wish that I had wrote how inviting I felt by the word.  So much so, in fact that it inspired me and made me feel comfortable enough to move forward and give this a try. Anyway, here's my exercise.  And for my blog readers, this is a writi...

I feel like Mary . . . busy, doing and going: no where. Choosing that which is less important. The thing that has no eternal value what-so-ever. Being unwise in decisions. To talk about my decisions or write about them isn't enough anymore. Action is required. To know and not do is the sin, isn't it? Why do I . . . How do I . . . Why and how do I always loose focus? Allow myself to get distracted, become moved from the important, the music of my life. The grown up has much growing up to do. Each day my heart and spirit longs to be with Him, with home, with what's important, but each day I allow myself to become distracted from Him, from home, from what's important—the music, the music of my life. Laundry is sky high. School papers need correcting, the house needs the attention from the woman within it, but I'm busy, busy doing what? Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties will arise.  Didn't that old devil seek...

Well my dear friends, the time is approaching and the anticipation is killing me! The "what if's" and "I wonder?" I'm so glad my husband is going with me!  Who better to have???  You can bet I'll be leaning on him.  At first I thought one of my closes lady friend and I would go together, than I thought my mom and I would, but it is not to be. Just to let you know up front, you may get several post from me Friday and Saturday trying to keep you updated on the blog.  I know I will feed streams of going ons to Twitter and Facebook, but I know that some of you don't yet embrace the social media technology so I will try to place a few things here too. As of now, I'm trying to learn how to send photos to Twitter.  I tweet, but I've never added photos to Twitter, only my personal Facebook.  I saw the other day where they have added an app where I can just click??? Anyway, pleeeease send me the "how tos" on uploading photos to Twi...

Blogging—social media, we that do it love it ... feel we can't do without it even.  So is it a blessing or a curse? That answer will no doubt depend on who you talk to and their frame of mind when you talk to them.  I will honestly say that moderation is the key to that answer for me.  I will also share that at this point in my blogging I have yet to have blogged in moderation. I either blog and network too little or I do it too much... wait, I don't think we can network too much or work on our blog enough. Just like housework, there is always something that needs to be done.  We just have to know when to put it down. Regardless of how much I'm doing it or not doing it, I see it as being one of the biggest blessings for the stay-at-home mom.  Sure it is a blessing to others for many reasons, but for the stay-at-home mom like myself  We have the opportunity of sharing our experiences.  The comparing of notes. Even though we always knew we wer...

Today—Saturday was busy for me.  My husband and I got up and took our oldest daughter {16} to the bank to cash her first ever "pay check."  This was very exciting for me.  You mothers can relate to that I'm sure.  The first anything—a good anything anyway, with our children is a celebration!   So I made a big deal out of that.  After we left the bank we came home for her to get ready for work. When I got back home I had to turn right around and leave again.  My three son's had haircut appointments.  So I rushed and got them over there, late. Once we got back home I was elated to know that I didn't have anything to do for a few hours—finally we could get some cleaning done!  And that's what we did, the kids and we started to clean. I told my oldest son to get the lawn mower and start on the grass.  The girls had to get their room clean.  And the other two boys were in their room cleaning....