Good morning all my bloggy friends! What a great opportunity I had to connect with so many bloggers over the weekend! The Christmas Giveaway contest was a great idea and I'm so glad I participated. Thanks to all who stopped by and left a comment.

Drum roll please.........

The winners of my give away are:

Laura Ingalls Gunn - "I'm Glad I'm a Mom" (Hearts at Home)

ToknowHim - "Walking in Faith" cd by Lysa Terkeurst

ET @ Titus2:3-5 "Turning Panic Into Praise" cd by Christie Todd

Heather - "What Happens when Women say Yes to God" by Lysa Terkeurst

CONGRATULATIONS!! I will be contacting each of you for your addresses and for the rest of you - thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to connect with you again.


Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.....

I feel like I have so much to tell you and so little time. My crazy scheduled weekend went off without a hitch - thank you for praying. I do feel guilty this morning though, for not being able to spend much time at all with my children. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a mother's/woman's job to feel guilty. It just seems like no matter how I try to balance things out, I end up feeling guilty over something. The positives were that because of the events, I did get to spend ample time with my extended family, my husband and even made several new friends.

I also wanted to share my excitement with you about tomorrow. I won't be blogging because I am meeting Jill Savage (founder and executive director of Hearts at Home) at her home at 5:30am to take a trip to Lafayette IN. She is speaking at a mom's group there and I'm going with her to help with her book table. One of my best friends lives in Lafayette, so she is going to meet us and have lunch. I don't get to see her very often so it will be fun. This actually will be the first time that I meet Jill face to face so I'm excited about beginning a new friendship and hoping to learn alot from her years of encouraging women. Please be praying for traveling mercies as we're still not sure if the precipitation that is supposed to be coming tonight will be rain or snow.

Now, let's finish up our study of James. 5:16-20 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. The he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

Vs. 16 says what??!!! I think this is one thing that many of us struggle with - confessing our sins to others so they can be pray for us. I've spent my whole life in church and can't tell you how many masks I've worn and watched others wear to cover every sin we could. I've tried to attempt to "look" like a perfect little Bible study girl, only to be hurting terribly on the inside. Let's face it - none of us are perfect and we all need each other - whether we'll admit it or not. It's time to "get real", it's time to take off the masks and show the ugliness inside of us all. It is the only way we can receive the benefits of the prayers of others. Stop trying to appear like something your not - only our God is perfect. Get real.

Never and I mean never underestimate the power of prayer. I have seen miracles with my own eyes because of prayer. We must stop missing out on this mighty connection with our God. Don't come to prayer as a last resort, but as your first response. God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, irregardless of the size.

GOOD, GOOD stuff! James was such a rich and meaty book. Soak it up and apply its principles to your life.

Have a great day and I'll talk to you on Wednesday
Living fearlessly in Christ
Christie