Living thru His grace

I am forever changed by His mercy & grace………..

2009-11-11T09:44:00.004-05:00

This past month, my church has been doing a series on No Perfect People. A lot of people think they could never go to church because church people are perfect people. But the truth of the matter is that we are all imperfect people and God’s grace & mercy extends to everyone. He desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us. The hope we have in Him is not necessarily that He will magically make all of our circumstances better, but that He is with us when we go through the fire and that we are loved and not alone. (Daniel 3:25) This series has been extremely powerful in dealing with addictions of all kinds, unforgiveness and healing. This past Sunday my story was shared by the video below. It is the story of a girl that was broken and who has been forever changed by His mercy and grace. It's the story of brokenness being turned into beauty. "You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do, so there could never be a more beautiful you!" More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz

We live in a broken and hurting world. People search for healing, acceptance & love in everything they can find, and when they don’t find it in the things of this world, they feel hopeless. People need to know that there is hope with Christ and that He loves and accepts them just the way they are. In the United States alone, a person dies by suicide about every 16 minutes and an attempt is estimated to be made once every minute, with over 32,000 people dying by suicide every year.* Many people who are close to suicide or suicide attempts never tell anyone how hopeless they really feel on the inside. In the course of the day, with statistics as high as they are, you never know how many people you run into that are broken and hurting inside. Share Christ love today. It could forever change someone’s life!!

**based on figures from the National Center for Health Statistics for the year 2005

Coupon Crazy!!!

2009-07-05T17:40:00.004-04:00

This is so much fun!! Today I got the following:

2 Febreeze Fabric Freshners
3 Febreeze Air Effects
2 Febreeze Noticable Starter Kits
2 Dawn Dish Detergent
3 Post Grape Nut Trail Mix
2 Head & Shoulders Shampoo
3 CVS Transparent Tape
3 CVS packs of pencils
2 Softlips chapstick

I started with $19 in Easy Care Bucks. I scanned my card when I walked in the store and got an instant $3.50 in Easy Care Bucks and I used a $5 competitor coupon with various other coupons. At the end of the transaction, I paid $1.63 for tax and left with $23.44 in Easy Care Bucks for a net profit of $2.81, and also earned $1 college credit with my Upromise ecoupon. Now that's my kind of shopping!! Thank you Brenda for teaching me how to coupon like this!!

What you are a part of...........

2009-03-04T08:59:00.010-05:00

I have been reading in 1 Corinthians 12 about One Body & Many Parts, one of my favorite passages. Sometimes it's easy to feel insignificant as a part in the body of Christ. I'm only one person, I'm not perfect, I've screwed up on so many things in the past, I'm different, I'm not beautiful, I don't know the Bible from cover to cover. Satan puts all these thoughts in your head to make you feel invaluable in the work of the Lord. However each one of us is important in the body of Christ. "A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged & functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it." "As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way- the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach." "If anything you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?"

Then on the flip side, when things are going great, it's easy to think, look at me - look at what I've done, look at what I am doing, look at how beautiful I am. Paul reminds us, "I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU ARE A PART OF. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own."

Each one of us, as believers in Christ, is a part of the body. So no matter how significant or insignificant we may feel at times, we have to remember what we are a part of. "You are Christ's body-that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything."

Looking back, it is so exciting to see the work God has done and is doing at Vinings Lake, and I am so thankful that He has allowed me & my family to be a part of it. No matter how significant or insignificant you think you are, it is going to take each one of us, each part, to accomplish the mission God has given us, and reach our community for Christ. Accept your part, whether you like it or not, whether you are the stomach or the embellished hand with beautiful rings, and allow God to use you to make a difference in the lives of others!

(Quotes taken from 1 Corinthians 12, The Message.)

Walking on Water

2009-02-22T20:08:00.001-05:00

Hey, it's David again. Today was such a powerful day at church, I just had to write about it. Our service was a look back at the journey that God has allowed us to be a part of for the last 3 years. Seeing what God has brought us through over the past years reminds me of the decision I had to make one Sunday evening. I remember it like it happened yesterday. It's a story I like to call "Walking on Water".

The months leading up to the launch of Vinings Lake was very stressful in the Smith home to say the least. Rhonda (aka Mitzi) had already surrendered to God's will on this matter, and in normal fashion I simply was NOT going to go down without swinging. If you know Rhonda, you know she is a woman of God. She is a prophet (just like Pastor Johnny Hunt's wife), and when she decides to do something (if its in God will) it is going to happen, no matter what. The subtle hints of supporting Vinings Lake were miminal at first, and were usually confronted with my continuous denials and refusals to even listen to the idea. God began to turn up the heat as well. Not living in God's will can be miserable to say the least. As most of you already know, I once did broadcast audio at FBCW. I was content with doing this, telling myself this is my way to serve the Lord. FBCW is a wonderful place. But if your not careful you can become too comfortable with it. God made this very apparent to me one Sunday night while serving in the studio. Pastor Johnny was preaching about getting out of your comfort zone. I beleive he called it "Getting out of the boat". It was about the story of Jesus walking on water, and Peter's initial and brief experience of putting TOTAL trust in the Lord. I began to think of the experiences in life I may be missing out on sitting there in my comfort zone. After his sermon, I decided then and there to give this a shot. I remember it so well because my son was there with me in the studio. He was 8 at the time, and probably doesnt remember it as well as I do, but I asked him to kneel and pray with me about this journey God had prepared for my family to experience. Looking back on the journey, I have learned so much over the last 3 years. And just as Peter did in the story, once your eyes are removed from the target there will be trials and difficulties. This MUST be pointed out as well: if you never get out of the boat, you will NEVER experience the joy in life that God has prepared for you. And NEVER become comfortable in your walk with the Lord. Jesus challenged Peter to step out of the boat that stormy night, and he challenged me to do the same that night at FBCW.

Matthew 14
22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[b] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Random Verses for Today

2009-02-17T10:01:00.002-05:00

"We don't reduce Christ to what we are, he raises us to what he is."

"Forget about self-confidence, it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence."

Verses from 1 Corthians 10, The Message

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T12:04:00.005-05:00

The older I get the more I am understanding true love. You can see true love in his eyes. You can feel it in his touch. You can see it when he's worshiping God. You can hear it when he prays with you. You can see it in his love for our kids. You can see it in the things he does, especially helping me when I know he doesn't want to. It is unconditional, loving me at my worst and my best. It means I sometimes have to say I'm sorry. It means putting his needs ahead of mine. It's in the joy I get from making him happy. True love never quits, true love never fails.

I'm Back!

2009-01-30T08:13:00.008-05:00

I'm back from my temporary hiatus from blogging! Since my last post we've had Christmas, New Year's in Gatlinburg (fun!), and January has been filled with reorganizing the house and tax stuff at the church. All the deadlines have been met, so I can breathe easy again.

I am so excited about the new year and the freshness it brings. This year looks to be a big & exciting one! My Jessica will be turning sweet 16 in October. Alex, my baby, will be 12 in June and starts 7th grade in August. (I can't believe it!) Oh yea, can't forget my sweetie will be 40 this year! Party time!! I am officially full time at VL now. We are starting 3 services in April. It's going to be a great year!

Our theme at VL this year is Love Strong. Just click on my title to hear our message kicking it off. We have been doing a series on the Bible over the last few weeks. I am loving it! The Bible is God's love letter to me! (and you!) I knew reading my Bible was something I needed to do and something that I did, but never thought about it as a love letter from God. You know the excitement you get when your sweetheart writes you a letter, God desires the same passion, same relationship, same love, same worship. I just purchased a parallel study Bible with NIV & The Message. I have come across 2 passages that have come alive to me. One - Psalm 23:6, "Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life" (this is David singing to God) and Two - 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 "Just think - you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." I recently heard Josh McDowell say that being rasied in legalism ultimately robs you of any joy in Christ. When we are busy making sure we have our do's & don'ts right, we tend to loose focus of why we are doing it and who we are doing it for in the first place. I pray that you experience fresh and anew (just as I have) God's love and beauty chasing after you, the comfort in knowing that He is right alongside of you, and that He will never give up on you!

Everything Happens for a Reason

2009-01-04T20:24:00.004-05:00

David here, just thought I would share this with everyone....

On a recent adventure during our trip to Winter Xtreme, my wife and I decided to give snow skiing a try. This is something I had been looking forward to for some time, and unfortunately it was something just the opposite for Mitzi (a.k.a. Rhonda for those of you that that don’t know Mitzi yet). Well after almost an hour of trying to figure out where to go and what to get, we finally made to the ski area. The first area was nothing more than a gathering area, and a place for novice (nice term for ignorant people with sticks strapped to their feet) skiers to become more accustom to this winter activity referred to as downhill skiing.

After numerous attempts at it, I was becoming more accustomed to the idea. However Mitzi on the other hand wasn’t having such a good time. I was persistent and demanded that she make every possible effort to let this outing become a success. After almost an hour of sulking, we finally gave it one last try and began to feel a little better about it. I had been ready to give the beginner slope a run, but Mitzi was still feeling apprehensive. After a few minutes of coercion she finally agreed to try it. (Man if she gets hurt on this run, I WILL NEVER LIVE IT DOWN).

The ride to the top was uneventful, until we tried to get off the lift. Mitzi’s feet weren’t quite planted and of she took a tumble immediately at the top. After we composed ourselves (with smiles on our faces) we began the journey down what looked to be the steepest kiddy slope ever imagined (I was beginning to think we got on the “Black Diamond” lift). Every attempt ended in utter failure, although a few feet further than the previous attempt. Mitzi was having about the same luck as me, although she was progressing slower. After numerous attempts and landing on my rear end every time, I finally gave up all hope and decided to call it quits before I REALLY got hurt. I looked up the hill and noticed that Mitzi had made the very same decision, of which I was NOT disappointed about. I gladly waited for her to catch up to me. When she finally made it to where I was at, we both came to the agreement that it was time to move on, and that we had enough fun for one day. It was about this time when God made it apparent why we were there on the slope.

From our right, a young teenage girl on a snowboard was blowing past us, with her face planted in the snow, heading straight for the fence line we were standing next to. She flew into the fence line at a high rate of speed, in what was later referred to as a “Scorpion”. Her snowboard (still attached to her feet) was behind her and hit the top of her head upon impact of her body with the fence. After a few seconds of silence the young girl began to scream as she noticed the large amount of blood pouring from her head. Without even thinking, I rushed to her and began to apply first aid. The wound was large about a 2-3” gash and I had never seen that amount of blood in my life. However instincts kicked in (Thank God for the first aid training from my military days). The medics arrived about 5 minutes later and took her down the hill. I met her and her father later at the first aid station where they had dressed the wound and prepared her to go to the local hospital for stitches.

Needless to say I am looking forward to my next snow skiing trip. However, it’s a different story for Mitzi. I don’t believe I will be seeing her on the slopes any time soon.

21 Years & Still Madly in Love

2008-12-13T19:33:00.005-05:00

Friday will be our 21st anniversary. God has been so good and I am so blessed to have David in my life! He truly is the love of my life! I could go on and on because I love him so much! This weekend we celebrated our anniversary early and went to Barnsley Gardens. It was probably the most relaxing 20+ hours I have had in a long time. The area was so calm and serene. There weren't many people there + we weren't in a hurry to get anywhere + and it was just the two of us = Amazing Time!

God's Faithfulness

2008-12-04T08:02:00.003-05:00

This week I have been consumed with God's faithfulness. I am humbled in a spirit of gratitude.

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 NIV

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. Duet 7:9 NIV

For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. Psalm 117:2 NIV

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. Psalm 33:4 NIV

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4 NIV

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, the LORD, who remains faithful forever. Psalm 146:5-6 NIV

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thess 3:3 NIV

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV

My Birthday

2008-12-04T07:52:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday and it was amazing! My kids are the sweetest. They made breakfast for me, my favorite blueberry pancakes, and they wrote out happy birthday in pancake! It was very cool! I had lunch with two great friends! Got emails, phone calls, and facebook wishes from lots of friends. It made me feel super special! It was a great birthday!

Random Thought for Today

2008-12-01T22:52:00.006-05:00

If you quit dwelling on the things that you don't like about a person, you might actually learn how much you like the person. It's not always easy, but true.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37 NIV

Thankful Thursday

2008-11-20T19:35:00.007-05:00

Well, I guess I'm jumping on the bandwagon! It seems like a great idea to continually remind yourself of the things that you are thankful for, especially in this time we live in! So here I go.

I am thankful for my husband, the love of my life, who loves me just as I am!

I am thankful for my sweet girl, Jessica. She continually amazes me!

I am thankful for my boy, Alex. He keeps me smiling!

I am thankful for my church and the awesome opportunity God gives me in allowing me to serve there. It has truly been an amazing blessing!

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for a mother's unconditional and never ending love! I am thankful for my sis and the relationship we have now! I am thankful for my dad, even though we don't have the best of relationships. I am thankful for my Smith family! I am thankful for a humble father-in-law who loves Jesus with every breath he takes. I am thankful for a mother-in-law who has taught me so much over the years, who still loves me, inspite of me being me. I am thankful for a sister-in-law who inspires me to be a better person. I am thankful for the rest of the family, each and every one. It's a big family. I could go on and on. But I can't fail to mention the newest edition, Haven. I am thankful for the joy she brings and the reminder she is of how good God is!

I am thankful for my friends!

I am thankful that I continue to remain cancer free! Yea!

I am thankful that I have a nice warm bed to sleep in every night and food to eat.

I am thankful for the journey, the things God has allowed me to go through to shape me into the person I am today, good & bad.

I am thankful that God's love never fails and that His mercy endures forever!

Money, Money, Money

2008-11-03T14:05:00.011-05:00

Money! Money! Money! This week at church we started a new series on money. It was a great sermon on the view of money. (You can listen to the podcast at http://www.viningslake.org/) Before & after the sermon I felt I already had a great view of money. I know it's all God's. I know that He has blessed me beyond measure. I thankfully give tithes & offerings because I know that it was God who blessed me with that money and am thankful that He allows me to keep the rest of it.

Then the election came & went. I knew in my heart probably what was going to happen, but was hopeful that God would not allow it to happen. But He did allow it and Obama was elected President of the United States, the greatest country on earth. I was so angry, and am still disappointed, about the results. (Stick with me!) It infuriates me to think that I am going to have to pay more taxes to help support other people who choose not to work and support themselves. I have no problem in helping those who are not able to help themselves, but I have big issues with helping those who ARE able to help themselves. Why should I work as hard as I do if I'm just going to give it all to the government anyway? I'll just let Uncle Sam take care of me just like everyone else. Another thought since I love my job, I'll just quit paying taxes. I don't agree with most of the policies of the government, so why should I give them my money to support it? You hear commercials all the time anyway about "Settle with the IRS for pennies on the dollar", which is another topic that I have big issues with, just rewards bad behavior. But Hey if bad behavior is what this country wants, they can have it!

After I had voiced my opinion, I started to read a few other people's opinions & then God spoke to me through their words. I felt REALLY convicted and ashamed of the way that I felt. Is that the way God would want me to feel and act? Is that how I as a child of God should feel and act? It is ok to get angry, Jesus did many times. Read your Bible, it's in there! But what exactly was I angry about? It does break my heart regarding the moral issues in this country & I know it must break God's heart to see the way people He created in His own image live. But if I am being totally transparent, the thing that makes me the most angry has to do with my money and what the government plans to do with it. (I know, I'm not perfect after all!) Pete quoted Ecclesiates 5:10 on Sunday, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." NIV I never really thought of myself as one who loves money, as I am generous to the church and other causes, but I guess I had a little more of that "love of money" in me than I thought. We live in a beautiful home, drive nice cars, and don't do without the things we need. God has blessed us tremendously!! Need was the word there, I do without a lot of things that I want. I would love to dress like most of my friends, I would love to have designer purses and sunglasses, I would love to go shopping every time I felt like it, I would love to buy my kids whatever their heart desired, I would love to go out to eat anytime I wanted to, I would love to go the movies or do something fun with my family everytime I wanted to, I would love to have a pedicure every week, I would love to have a maid clean my house, I would love to decorate my house to the T, I would love to go to the spa occasionally, I would love to take several nice vacations with my family each year, I would love to have some cosmetic surgery (girls, don't we all?). To think that I can't afford to have what I WANT and then the government is going to take more of my money away, well it just really makes me angry. I know that's not how I should feel, because it's all God's anyway and He has blessed us with so much more than we even deserve!! So my prayer today is that God would first forgive me for the way I feel, forgive me for my love of money and stuff, and that He would know that I am SO thankful for all that He has blessed me with. I pray that we, the church, would unite as a family of God and let His love shine through us even though we don't see eye to eye on all the issues. I pray for our country, that God would radically move among His people to make a difference for His Kingdom! Putting oursevles and our desires behind us, and pressing on to the call of Christ!

Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.

Fall & Military Ball 2008

2008-11-01T21:29:00.007-04:00

It was a beautiful day at the Smith's!! This is from our back yard.

I love the colors of fall!! Alex & Skip
Jessica - Military Ball 2008

Isn't she beautiful??

Friends

2008-10-24T15:46:00.006-04:00

This week we went to Gatlinburg for staff retreat. I didn't know what to expect with this being our first one, but I had an AMAZING time! Our staff is such a riot that we can really go anywhere and have fun! We spent several LONG hours watching the dear in Cades Cove (54 total). We hiked 5 miles on Abram's Trail (and I made it!!). We ate some awesome steak and almost got thrown out of the Peddler. We took a really long detour on the bypass! Riddle beat everybody in putt-putt. We rode 4 wheelers up the mountain and it was actually fun, after I got past my nerves. Melissa & Hollie made me walk up this extremely steep hill. (Melissa said I would have a J-low bottom if I kept it up! ha!) We laughed together. We played together. We prayed together. It was an incredible time learning how much I love these people that God has allowed me to serve with!!

My girl

2008-10-18T15:10:00.004-04:00

Well, we survived the Homecoming Dance!! Jessica had a great time and she was beautiful!! Today was an exciting day, Jessica got her Driver's License!! David's out now taking her on a driving lesson. I offered but she said it would be bonding time with her Dad. I am so proud of her! She is turning into an amazing young lady, so passionate to tell others about this great God we serve! She is such a blessing!!

Congrats!

2008-09-29T21:22:00.004-04:00

Congratulations EB & Shake! It was a fun week! Love you guys!

My sweet children!!

Family

2008-09-26T09:54:00.014-04:00

One of my neices, Elizabeth, is getting married this weekend, which means lots of family in town. I have had the best time this week getting to spend time with my precious family, something I rarely get to do. My neice is marrying into a great Indian family and I have really enjoyed getting to know the Indian culture. They love Jesus, love family, and love to have fun!! It has been a blast! We even got to do some Indian dancing! (You'll just have to imagine that, no pictures!) Here's a picture of Elizabeth at the Henna ceremony last night.

This is my great neice Haven. Isn't she beautiful? You don't get to see it here, but she has the most amazing smile. I love her name, based on Psalm 46:1, God truly is our refuge and strength!

This is a picture of Jessica & my henna artwork. Fun!

Love Encounter

2008-09-12T09:07:00.012-04:00

I was first exposed to this song at Lit Conference sung by Seth Condrey (amazing singer). Thank you Cody & Katie for the opportunity to serve with you at Lit. May the seeds that were planted at Lit grow & multiply! I didn’t fully get the depth of the song until I took a moment to think through all the words.

“He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.”

Just picture this……. you are a tree. His love is blowing over you like a hurricane and you are bending beneath his love and mercy.

“When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realize just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me.”

..… your afflictions being eclipsed by His glory. His glory overshadowing your afflictions.

“And oh, how He loves us so, Oh how He loves us, How He loves us so! Yeah, He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves.We are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.”

…..We are all sinking in an ocean of God’s amazing grace.

"So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss, And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, When I think about, the way…He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves us, Oh how He loves.”

……I don’t have time to maintain the regrets in my life when I think about the way that He loves me!

Take a few minutes and listen to Kim Walker’s version of this song. It is extremely powerful. Please listen all the way to the end, I know it's long, but you'll be blessed. I pray that you have a love encounter with Christ.

It's ok......

2008-09-11T20:24:00.002-04:00

I am learning more and more everyday that it really is ok……….
It’s ok to say no. It’s ok to leave the house without makeup. It’s ok if your car is dirty, oh yea, your house too. It’s ok if your son leaves the house in dirty clothes (I guess). It’s ok if you have to drive your kids all over the place. It’s ok for the refrigerator to be empty every now and then. It’s ok to not answer the phone. It’s ok to take a minute for yourself. It’s ok to have ice cream or chocolate cake (occasionally). It’s ok to play Rock Band like a rock star! It’s ok to love and befriend people who are not like you. It’s ok to not go to church on Sunday night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and every other day some ask you to be there. It’s ok to love your husband passionately. It’s ok to truly worship with arms raised. It’s ok to minister to other people even if it cost you. It’s ok for you to be who God created you to be! It’s ok to not be perfect. It’s ok to be me!!