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God’s Beautiful Tapestry

  • June 15, 2020
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When I was a little girl, I wanted a BIG happy family! I remember praying for it and imagining what it would be like. I thought a big family would solve the woes of my world. You see, I was pretty much an only child raised by my beloved grandmother. My parents were good people actually but they could not beat their demons of substance abuse the first sixteen years of my life. As with most folks without God in...

“Old” Friends…the best medicine

  • June 10, 2020
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This past weekend was spent cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, decorating, giving directions, driving (a lot), buying groceries, making lists, 97,382 steps, running errands, finding people, cutting cakes, making punch, Sonic runs, steaming dresses, pinning boutonnieres, wiping up spills, asking favors, and a myriad of other tasks.  It was also spent visiting, laughing, catching up, hugging (sorry – no social distancing for me), staying up late with feet in the pool just talking, eating meals in the midst of great conversation,...

My “Ode” to the Journey–A Sincere Heart

  • May 26, 2020
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God desires from us sincerity..He wants us to have a sincere heart (Ephesians 6:5); a sincere mind (2 Peter 3:1), a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5), a sincere wisdom (James 3:17); a sincere devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3), and a sincere brotherly love for other Christians (1 Peter 1:22). That means He wants our whole heart in every area of our life.  He wants us to be authentic.  He wants us to be real. Most of you know that...

God Said No…

  • May 20, 2020
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Prayer changes things.  A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook a picture of my “prayer board”.  It seemed like something a few of my friends might like to make for themselves because…I’ve got PRAYING friends!  These friends keep journals, lists, notecards, mirror notes, and notebooks filled with requests from those who know they are committed to their prayer life.  If you ask them to pray for you – IT IS DONE!  No need to worry that it will be...

Dear Betty Crocker Cookbook–and Thank You Grandmommy Kay

  • May 11, 2020
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Our word this week on Sheltered in Grace is HONOR.  When defined, it means to give esteem and respect for what someone has done.  I have been blessed with incredible grandmothers, a great mother, much like Timothy.  They have poured into me, guided me, pruned me when needed (even when it hurt), and helped mold me to who I am today.  So today, I want to honor one of them:  Kay Francis Beaman Hays–my maternal grandmother, whose influence still reigns heavily...

Planting Seeds of Forgiveness…

  • May 5, 2020
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When Joseph’s brothers saw their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”  So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’  Now please forgive the sins of the...

Choices & Grace

Two words have been wandering around my brain these past few weeks.  Choices and Grace.  Because of one we are in desperate need of the other. CHOICE…the act of making a decision These past few weeks have forced us to make choices we were not prepared for AND there are many more on the horizon.  Do I stay home?  Should I get out to buy groceries today?  How do I manage homeschooling along with work?  How soon can I get...

A Few Lessons We Can Learn….

  • April 20, 2020
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We had just received a package from my sweet mother-in-law of Texas Tech face masks for our entire family that she had sewn with love and expedited to our house in Tennessee.. Of course, we all put them on, took a family selfie (see below).. And Karis looks up at us and asks us why we had to wear the masks.   I was shocked.  She knows things are different right now.  She hasn’t left the house, hasn’t gone into a...

A New Beginning Is Coming…

  • April 14, 2020
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A New Beginning Is Coming… “Brothers and sister, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 a few thoughts that have been drifting about… Any way you look at it the past few weeks have been challenging.  Not everyone...

Yellow Begonias and COVID-19

  • April 6, 2020
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Last Thursday, I stepped out of my COVID-19 comfort zone and headed to Sam’s Club for my monthly stock-up. I have done this since I was a young mother with three children born within four years. I keep a stocked pantry from those early habits as a young mom. This month looked very different for me. I took the option of going at 7 am with those over sixty or with special needs. My husband has cardiomyopathy and we have...