Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

I’m not normally a beach girl - I prefer trees and ponds - but I fell in love with these beautiful shells at the dollar store and I couldn’t resist! I could already picture them arranged in glass on the dining room table, so they came home with me. And now they can be inspiration for you! I already had the glass bowls, the battery-operated tea lights and the table runner, so all I needed were the blue pebbles, some crushed rocks and two bags of shells. So I literally spent $4 to make this beautiful arrangement. Each bowl has a layer of rock and a layer of pebbles - look at them shine! Then I arranged the shells on top and added a tea light nestled in a shell to each one. Did you see the magic trick from the last photo to this one? I had more shells than I expected, so I found another glass dish and piled them in. It wasn’t my original plan, obviously, but I love the way it looks. It’s good to change your plans when something better - and prettier - comes along. As the finishing touch, ...

Do you hate water-down drinks in the summer because you have to use so many ice cubes? Do you want to try some new flavor combinations? Do you have some silicon candy molds and ice cube trays? Then you’re in luck on all counts! You can have a lot of fun deciding what to pour into your molds. Line them up on a small baking sheet and fill about 2/3 of the way. I used Sprite for this example and it expanded as it froze, going just above the rim. After just a couple of hours, you’ll have yummy ice that won’t water down your drink. And you can make a ton ahead of time for your next party and have them match the theme. Check the dollar store for some fun designs. I added my Sprite cubes to cranberry cocktail and it was absolutely perfect. And sipping it out of my grandmother’s Fostoria glasses made it feel extra-special. What combinations are you already thinking about?

There have been days lately when my heart has been as dark as storm clouds. I’ve been angry about some things, disappointed in some situations and frustrated with myself. Why is it that we are often our own harshest critics? No one expects me to be a robot and do the same, perfect things every day, but I wish I could get into a routine that gets more things accomplished. No one thinks I need to post something on my blog every single day for the rest of my years, but I think I should be much more consistent in my writing. No one is judging me or my home or my housekeeping skills, but I am disappointed in myself for not being on top of things. And layer after layer of dark storm clouds pile up on my heart. So what’s a Christian woman to do when she’s overcome by the ugly, stifling clouds pressing down on her?  As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my sou...

One of the main reasons I love that Danny and I work with the youth of our church is that we can be the leaders I wish I had when I was their age. I hate to admit it, but I honestly don’t remember much about my youth group growing up. I remember the drama of who was dating who, what snacks we had that night and what trip we were about to take, but I don’t remember the lessons or the worship services, and that makes me sad. I want our teenagers to understand is that God is who He says He is and His word holds the answers to all of their questions. I want them to know that they are loved by a holy God who wants the absolute best for their lives. I want them to understand the plan of salvation and what having a relationship with Jesus Christ looks like. I want them to know these truths above all else: * The God of the Bible, the one who did miracles and created all things, is the same God they experience today. * Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is so much more important than the f...

I am not a one-color kind of girl. Especially when that color is black. Which isn’t really a color, but a shade on the light scale. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s fun to do something completely outside your wheelhouse just for the fun of it, because you can and you have the supplies to do it with. That’s how I ended up with a planner spread completely in black and white. So not my thing. But I have to admit that I kinda like the way it turned out. I had several sets of black and white stickers across my collection of sticker books, and the mix-and-matched fonts look great together. I added a few border stickers and tiny stars to add some layers, and they go together really well. What projects do you have in your home right now that you’ve never done because you really don’t know how? Do you have everything you need to make them, you just don’t know where to start? Or did you get them thinking you might one day create something amazing, but you have no idea what you’re doing? I know this ...