What Do I Want Out Of THIS Life??

I find myself asking myself this question lately... what do I want out of THIS life?? What are my goals and aspirations for THIS life and how do I make them a reality? Now- when some people ask questions like this, it typically means some sort of career goals or success and since that means different things to different people, those answers may be different, but mostly- the same. As being true to myself as I can be, my answers do tend to veer from those of the *mainstream*. So what IS my answer?

Well, for one... I want to make a difference. I want to impact this world in a significant way. How do I do this? I have my ideas, but those are between me and God and- ultimately- up to His will and His timing anyway. God knows my heart and He knows the significance of my *dreams*. I loved what I learned at Feminar this weekend... my job is OBEDIENCE, God's job is RESULTS. How very appropriate this word was for me at this particular time in my life. God has been speaking this word *obedience* to me consistently lately. My question was and is- obedient to what, exactly, Lord? What is it that You're calling me to do, exactly? Well, as God typically chooses to do- He only lets me in on bits and pieces of His plan. Probably because if I were to know the full broad scope of it all at once, it would completely overwhelm me and I would go running the other direction! God knows our capabilities and knows that we DON'T tend to know them. I think we don't give ourselves credit for what we are truly capable of- through HIM. That is key... THROUGH HIM! We are CAPABLE of moving MOUNTAINS... THROUGH HIM! So to question that *we* can do what He has called us to do is truly to question that HE is capable... because He has said that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Nor will He ask us to do on our own what He has designed.

I learned so very, very much over the 2 days of Feminar and was truly blessed by this experience. Lysa TerKeurst of Proverbs31 Ministries was SUCH an inspiration! And Lori Salerno was a captivating speaker! Phillips, Craig and Dean were awesome, as always and Jeff Allen kept us ROLLING in Godly humor! Janet White moved our hearts on the righteousness of God and marriage and men. And Laura Story is an AWESOME worship leader from Georgia who wrote the now famous "Indescribable" as sang by Chris Tomlin. There were so many aspects of this that I cannot even begin to tell you all of them. But suffice it to say- God moved in an incredible, incredible way... at least for me. Almost everything He has been speaking to me and whispering to my soul lately was addressed in those 2 days, in some way or another. And when they began to lead us in worship with the song "It Is Well With My Soul"- I just lost it!! Just the day before- out of nowhere and I had no idea why- God gave me the tweet post that I made that simply said "I have learned to say... it is well with my soul. No matter what." Clearly, clearly the movement of God. I mean- what are the odds? That song of ALL songs or ALL hymns that could be sang?

So my question again today is... what do I want out of THIS life? Not great *success*, not great wealth, not a fancy home or expensive car (although that WOULD be nice! ;) my greatest desire is to make a DIFFERENCE- for my life not to have been just a subpar life that didn't greatly impact anyone or anything, but for those that love me and are close to me. Not that that wouldn't be enough- mind you. I LOVE my life and my hubby is ranked above the best (if I do say so myself!;), my children are the absolute light of my life and I have some of the best, best friends a girl could ask for! I love my job and my talents and all of these things and it's not that I'm not grateful for any one of these things... but... it isn't my real purpose here. God didn't just put me on this earth to have a family, have a job, have friends, and have hobbies. He put me on this earth to make a DIFFERENCE! So my greatest desire- my hearts' song- is have your way in me, Lord! MOVE ME!! Lead me in the direction You would have me to go! And when I'm there, let me know it!

I know you have put a story in me to tell. I didn't go through the things that I have gone through just to be another sob story- You have a PURPOSE for it... allow me to tell that story! Let people be moved by it- for YOUR glory! All for Your glory, Lord. For if it is not, it is all in vain and I don't want any part of it.

I've lived my 40 years on this earth- about to be 41- *for such a time as this*. I believe this with my whole heart. But I'm running out of time. I also believe THAT with my whole heart. I need to get off my duff, stop wasting time, and DO what I've been called to do. That is my cry to the Lord now. Don't let me waste anymore time, Lord! I have wasted enough...

Tell Everyone! A beautiful story...

A beautiful story from my friend Tim. I have asked, exclusively, to be able to share this with you here and was given the approval, with the simple condition of referring you back to his page so here it is. :)


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\ / TODAY'S Story from Inspiration Daily - www.timsinspiration.com
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December 13, 2010

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Only 12 more prayer days until Christ's birthday!

Tell Everyone!
Isaac's head began to nod. His hand slowed down scratching the dog's head. It was hard for a boy of ten to stay awake all night in the field. The dog licked his face. "What? Oh, good boy," Isaac said. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. The sky was clear and full of stars. Isaac was glad his father thought he was old enough to help with their flocks of sheep.

Isaac's father and his uncle soon came by to check on him. The three of them sat to share a loaf of bread and some cheese. Suddenly a bright light washed over the shepherds from above. They were scared. They looked up to see a host of beautiful angels. One of the angels spoke to them. "Do not be afraid," the angel said. "I bring you good news of great joy! Today a savior is born in Bethlehem. He is Christ the Lord. Go to the city. You will find the baby lying in a manger. Follow the brightest star."

Hundreds of angels appeared and sang praises to God. As suddenly as they appeared, the angels returned to heaven. Only one bright, shining star over Bethlehem was left in the sky. The shepherds were amazed. "We must go to the city and find this savior," said Isaac's father. "We must hurry!" said Isaac.

The shepherds began to round up their flocks and herd them toward home. Once the sheep were penned up, Isaac and his father and uncle walked quickly to Bethlehem, where the star was shining down on the stable behind the inn. There they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the stable.

Jesus was bundled in clean cloths and sleeping in a feeding manger full of fresh hay. The light from the star shone back from the baby's face. The shepherds fell to their knees.

Isaac knelt by the manger and said a prayer, thanking God for giving a savior to the world. Isaac's father thanked Mary and Joseph for letting them see the baby. When the shepherds left, they told everyone they saw about the miracles they witnessed that night.

The star shone over Bethlehem day and night. One night a large caravan made its way past the shepherd's field. Isaac went to the edge of the field and called out to the men. "Did you see the one they call Jesus?" he asked. "We did!" the men replied.

These men were not like any men Isaac had ever seen. They were the three Wise Men. "We saw the star from our lands very far away. We have traveled a long time to see this child called the Savior. The kings from our countries sent precious gifts to give to him."

Isaac said to the Wise Men, "You did not come by my fields when you came to Bethlehem."

"You are right," said the tallest man. "We asked King Herod where to find this savior."

"The king did not know," continued the man, "but he told us to find out so he might worship him also."

"We followed the star to the house where young Jesus was staying," said the shortest man. "We gave our gifts of gold and frankincense, to scent the air, and myrrh, a costly oil."

"Then we were warned in our dreams by an angel not to return to Herod but to go home another way," said the oldest man. "So that is what we have done. And now we have met you, my young friend."

"I am Isaac," said the young shepherd. "I'm telling everyone about God's glorious star lighting the way to the King of Kings."

Jayleigh's Christmas Pics ♥ 2010 ♥

My sweet girl... :)

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=65dbdf29-b212-4add-ae52-e489537c6788

My 2 Baby Girls :)

Check out this entry I found on Shutterfly Holiday Photo Contest.

A.D.D. much??

Ok, so I have a self-diagnosed condition of A.D.D. which I have come to believe is nutritionally based, due to the brilliant PhD I recently assisted at a seminar. The changes I am planning to make soon *should* assist with minimizing that condition, hopefully, and I will blog about my findings on that. For the meantime, however, I have just accepted a PERMANENT (thank you GOD!!!) position that is very high profile and demanding and will require that I "hit the ground running", so to speak, every morning. Now I'm not a "morning person" and anyone who knows me can attest to that fact. I'm a "give me my coffee first thing in the morning and noone gets hurt", "my brain doesn't even begin to wake up 'til 10am" kind of person. You feel me? My *best* hours are between 8pm - midnight. I'm completely nocturnal and that's when I do my best work. BUT I live in an 8 to 5 world and so I must adjust myself accordingly. All that said... I NEED help with my energy level and my focus. I need something to take that will help me focus and give me an energy boost in the mornings, that is NOT bad for my body, chemically or caffeine induced (as that doesn't work for me anyway) and I don't feel bad about taking or won't "crash" or shake, etc. on. Any suggestions??? Anyone familiar with a product called "Focus Factor"? I am considering getting some of that and seeing how it does since I have a really good coupon for it anyway, but I don't want any of the above so... And no, I won't take any 5-hour energy or like products. My body is VERY susceptible to things like that and I HATE the feeling that it gives me- all jittery and heart palpitations,etc. I could never be a *druggie* for that reason, if nothing else. lol

Anywho... if anyone has any advice or suggestions about this, I would greatly appreciate it. What have you tried or are you taking now? What has worked for you? Or hasn't worked for you? Etc. I'm interested in hearing all of it. :)

Until next time! Be blessed...
Melanie

Today's Savings...

I was pretty happy with today's savings. Here is the rundown...

* 8x10 portrait collage from Sears (no sitting fee either!) = FREE
* pkg of 18 Keurig (K-cups) @Bed, Bath & Beyond = $8.99 after $1 off in-mail coupon
* kissing mistletoe crystal @Hallmark = $5.95 (b/4 tax) after $10 off print-out coupon

AND THE MEGA DEAL OF THE DAY!!!
* 3 pc fleet hat/gloves/scarf set = $2.15!!!
originally $20.00, on sale for $11.99, minus $10 in-mail coupon, +tax

TOTAL CHARGES = $2.15 + 7.27 + $8.99 + FREE = $18.41
TOTAL SAVINGS = $10.00 + $10.00 + $1.00 + $34.99 (cost of collage + sitting fee) = $55.99!!!

It's been awhile...

I haven't kept up with this blog in quite some time, but plan to do so in the coming weeks, months, etc. One of my latest "ventures" has been to really get into couponing and saving money with discounts, surveys, etc. It's been fun to see how much money we can truly save by doing this! What has made it even MORE fun is my hubby joining in with me and us doing it as a "bonding" thing. lol He'll find stuff and tell me about it and vice versa. We've also learned some lessons along the way of what NOT to do, what sites NOT to trust, who will follow through on their promises and who won't, etc., etc. I will be sharing those with you here. Suffice it to say that my general rule of thumb of "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is..." is very true in this arena. No one is going to send you a $1,000 giftcard for $4.95 "handling" fee. It's just not gonna happen. So use your common sense or as Grandma used to say "your good horse sense that the Lord gave ya" to weed out the true offers from the duds. And I will do my best to share them here so you don't even get that far. ;)

be blessed, all...
Melanie