Mary, Martha, and fruit kabobs

Guess what I did last weekend?? Couldn't make it to She Speaks in NC, but I did make it to our women's planning retreat at the lake! Mercy, we had fun! Here is a group picture with some of the gals--not everyone could make it, and we truly missed them!

Our focus was on Luke 10:42. Jesus is at the home of Martha and Mary. Martha is scurrying around cleaning and cooking and waiting on her guests. We know of at least 13 visitors(Jesus and his 12 disciples). There could have been more followers of Christ just wanting to hear Him speak. Can you imagine 13 plus guests coming over for supper?? That's a lot of cleaning and a ton of cooking, people! But then, there was Martha. Bless her heart!

Sister Mary was no where to be found to help with the baking of the bread or washing the cups for drinks. No, Mary had found a comfy little spot...right near Jesus. She simply sat and listened to His Words. And, Martha didn't like it one bit!

This weekend, we focused on being still...just like Mary and listening to the Word of God. We were not Marthas! That was kind of cool too! When was the last time that you let your Mary spirit overtake your Martha one? Hmmm??? Jesus even told Martha that Mary had chosen what was better to do. Sit, listen and pray. Without distractions. Intentially putting away "stuff" to spend time with the Lord. Period. How refreshing it was to sit at the feet of Christ.

Now, we did do some eating! Don't get me wrong! Most of it was prepared prior to the retreat. On Friday, we had BBQ sandwiches, pasta salad, tomato pie and lots of desserts. Saturday morning, we were greeted to the aroma of breakfast casserole and these yummy fruit kabobs! Y'all, I am struggling with blogger and my photos a lot lately! Trying to enlarge them AND move them around to fit my posts is not happening. So, that's why the fruit pic is WAY up there! Sorry!

Pull out those wooden skewers you have in the back of your kitchen drawers and slice some fruit. Place on the skewers and the final touch---sprinkle lightly with some powdered sugar! Yum! Your kids will think you hung the moon!

I encourage you to find a quiet place today. Sit at the feet of God and just soak in His Presence.

Sweet Blessings!

Wisdom and Teeth

Child #1 is on the couch sleeping peacefully thanks to a "happy drug" prescribed by the oral surgeon this morning. Yep, he had all 4 wisdom teeth removed at 8 today. Such a fun way to spend a day off from school. And, the weather is just perfect outside! Sunny and in the 60's! I plan on running in a bit. I need child #2 to come and watch brother sleep while mama runs!! How exciting will that be?

I am working on my photography website as I shared with you all. I'll tell you, if you are as computer illiterate as I am, even the easiest sites are HARD!!! I have gotten really frustrated with my lack of skills and the slowness of my computer--but, praise the Lord, it is working! Baby steps is the way to go. Plus, I am having to learn how to use Photoshop. Have y'all ever used the newest version(CS4)? My word, it's hard! There are no instructions! You have to find tutorials from other websites. Or, you can pay $$$ for one-on-one instruction!! Simply taking pictures is the old-fashioned way...now, you have to have computer skills as well to have a successful business! Please pray for me!

This sorta correlates to God's instructions for us. Thankfully, after years of telling the Bible stories, they were written down for us. We can simply open His Word and read it for ourselves. We don't have to go all over the place trying to figure out His will for us. Or do we still do it?

If you simply skim over your Bible, you will miss the beauty of His wisdom! You have to dig in the Book to find those nuggets of truth that He has just for you. Spending uninterrupted time with Him is something that has to be done in order to truly understand. I know that I keep going back to Mary and Martha, but that story speaks volumes to me. Mary "got it!" She wasn't flittin' all over the place trying to pick up the house and prepare the meal and dust the furniture, etc. She sat. She listened. She was quiet! It's the same back then as it is today. We have to listen to Jesus through the Word. Remember the story of Eli and Samuel? Samuel didn't realize that God was talking to him. He was so young, he thought it was Eli calling out to him. Nope, it was God.

Are we listening to God today? Do we hear His desires for us? He has a purpose for each one of us if only we will stop and listen.

I had no idea that this post was going to turn out like this! I guess God had plans other than my own! I WAS going to ask if any of you knew a thing about Photoshop CS4!!! If so, please share your knowledge with me!! Thank you! Help me get out of "frustrated land!"

Y'all have a wonderful day!

Sweet Blessings,

Mary or Martha--Your Choice!

It has been several days since I posted! I could give you a list of reasons as to why the blog has been silent...but you already know them! It's that wonderful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! It's also that time of the year when we frantically run all over town trying to get everything ready for the season! I feel like Martha instead of Mary! Y'all!!! That is NOT the way it's supposed to be.

When I think of all that is coming up--all of it good stuff--I am just silently shaking my head wondering how it will all get done! I am not at my older son's church basketball game tonight because I just spent the past 2 hours--seemed liked 20!--trying to upload, select quantity and size, and order prints from Shutterfly(which I love!) These are gifts for the senior members in my family who have all that they need and simply want pictures of my family from the previous year! Sounds simple--but it's time consuming! Anybody know where I'm coming from?

Tonight, if I can get to bed by 10 instead of the 11:00 hour like last night, I want to spend time in the Word (without falling asleep while reading!) I especially need to really ponder and pray about the story of Mary and Martha. I want to be more like Mary, but until that last present is purchased or crafted, I am running around the house like Martha! I want His Holy Spirit to settle my heart so I can truly focus on this beautiful holiday season.

See if you can choose the correct answer!

1) Martha would scrub the toilets, sweep away the dust bunnies, and mop the kitchen floor while Mary would:


A) Fold five loads of laundry while talking on the phone to plan the Sunday School Christmas party.
B) See how many stores she can zoom to on Woodruff Road (the busiest road in our town) before it's time for middle school carpool and high school carpool.
C) Get up before Martha and Lazarus and spend time in solitude--praying and reading God's Holy Word.
D) Simply stop in the middle of her day to pray and reflect on the precious meaning of Christmas.

So, which one(s) did you choose? Who will you be this holiday season? I know who I want to be like...but am I willing to truly do it and let some things slide? Who's going to know if the decorations are new or are the same old ones from last year(besides me!) Who's going to remember if I bake a delicious dessert using a new recipe or if I simply run by the deli and pick up cheese and crackers? I want to truly celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and for me to do so, I am going to have to slow things down a bit at our home and change my mindset. I know that I can't do it alone, but I have a wonderful Savior who can help me if I will only ask! And...so do you!

How do you focus on keeping Christ in Christmas at your house? I will share some of the ways our family does this and some of our traditions in later posts--whether I get all of my shopping done or not!!! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Many Blessings,
Martha--uh, Susan!!