Book Winners

You can find me here today. I'd love to hear how you examine and evaluate your spiritual progress.

Thank you all for stopping by during the Ultimate Blog Party. I hope you keep coming back to visit. My door is always open.

We have a winner from our random drawing. And because you have blessed me so I am adding in a second winner.

The winners for the Dirty Laundry Secrets Bible study book are . . . . .

Nadine at Just Being Me and Janet Faye at Grammy Janet's Place. Gals, please email me your mailing address at alene@alenesnodgrass.com.

Blessings to all this amazing Monday!

Friends

What a great week of friends! I love it. Of course, I’ve said before I’m a sanguine personality, which means I live for friends.

Friends have crossed my path in different ways this week. First off, I met some incredible women at the Women of Strength conference I spoke at. I was amazed at how God brought us together for that day. It was a pleasure to serve and encourage them. Girls, I look forward to hearing from you.

Plus, I love all my new friends from the UBP. (See UBP Post here.) Thanks guys and gals for stopping by. You brighten my day and I can’t wait to get to know you more. Your homes on the web are so inviting. I’ll be popping in often.

I’ve also been blessed by friends from the past, this week. If you haven’t heard of facebook.com, you might want to check it out. It’s a site where you can keep in contact with those you know. But this week I’ve been reconnected with friends I grew up with. What a nice surprise!

And then a precious friend who has moved to New Mexico came back to visit. We have spent the week just catching up, hanging out and encouraging one another. She is a wonderful friend with a heart of gold. I’m dragging, needless to say. We’ve had some very late nights, but I ain’t complainin’ . . .

I’m just amazed at the gift of friendship.

Don't forget to leave a comment this week to be entered into a random drawing for my book Dirty Laundry Secrets - A Journey to Meet the Launderer!

Ultimate Blog Party and Fairytales

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere! I’m partying this week with the gals over at 5 Minutes for Mom. Make sure you stop by their place and check them out. But for now, come take a look around. What you’ll see is I’m just an ordinary girl, wife, and mom who is crazy in love with Jesus. Living with Jesus is a party.

This week I’ve been living a bridal party or fairytale of sorts. I took bridal portraits the other day and I have been editing like crazy. I need to get these done before I leave to go speak this weekend. Here’s a sneak preview of a little princess.

I love working with brides. They are beautiful and have that “happily ever after” look about them. I think those looks and moments take me back to a time when I believed in fairytales.

However, what I’ve realized is . . . real life fairytales take work, time and energy. It seems the villain is always out to get you.

I live an ordinary fairytale life today with my hubby of 26 years. We have three incredible children – ok, almost adults – 21, 19, and 15. (click links to meet them) I am a published author and speaker. I truly am living a fairytale because I get paid for things I love to do and my hobby – photography.

Yes, life should be made up of parties and fairytales. Just remember though, those days you wake up and it doesn’t feel like a fairytale – it’s your party and you can cry if you want to! Cry if you want to! Cry if you want to!

Ultimate Blog Party Give Away – a copy of my book Dirty Laundry Secrets – A Journey to Meet the Launderer. To enter, leave a comment on any post here this week and you will be entered into a random drawing here on this sight. Please leave a way for me to contact you.

Thanks for stopping by. I love my bloggy friends and can’t wait to meet more as we party like it's 2009.

Remember – leave a comment.

Blue Bell, Baseball, and Bluebonnets

Oh my, what an incredible trip to Brenham.

Brenham - close to College Station. Gig’em Aggies!

One of the moms described Brenham – home of Blue Bell, Baseball, and Bluebonnets. You can’t get more descriptive than that. The beauty of that small city is breath-taking. Coming into Brenham the rolling hills were covered in Bluebonnets. Such a beautiful sight and beginning to two fabulous days.

Meeting the moms at Motherly Love was such a joy and treat. I was touched by their devotion to the group and to being better moms. As we chatted about controlling the atmosphere in our homes many of us were touched. As moms, we have a tough job! Yes, it seems like we have to do it all some days. And through it all and even when we don’t feel like it, we need to be fighting for our family. No one else will be doing that for us. Creating a peaceful home front is a great way to start. We are the tone-setters in the family.

How true the saying, “When momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” Mercy – what pressure?

If you have great tips for creating a peaceful home environment, I’d love to hear them. I’m sure our moms from Motherly Love in Brenham would love to hear them too!

Motherhood is an incredible journey, especially when you can spice it up with Blue Bell, Baseball and Bluebonnets.

It's A Girl Thing!

It’s a mom thing too! I was honored to teach a breakout at the It’s a Girl Thing conference for moms. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the staff and workers, but especially by the moms and daughters.


It was certainly confirmed – communication (or lack thereof) between moms and teens is a daily challenge in every home. I led a breakout session, “The Secret – Do Your Wash then Communicate”. Not knowing what to expect, I was blown away.


In the first session, moms piled in the room. We had moms sitting in desks, on the floor, and lining the walls. Definitely the word communication is what brought them to the session. Our hour together was wonderful. We talked about letting go of our own past so that bitterness or anger doesn’t influence the way we relate and communicate with our own children. Only through cleansing ourselves first, would we truly then be able to be there for our teens.


As tears poured moms shared, asked questions, and I believe found comfort in each other.The longing these moms had to have great relationships with their children was incredible. I wish I did have the “secret fix” for the moms there. I remember when my kids were younger, I would go to conferences and look for the ONE THING I could do to have total transformation the minute I got back home. I wanted to know how to FIX EVERYONE!

Oh how I wish miracles happened the instant we walk through a door. I wish the moms would have had total breakthrough on the home front the minute they walked back in their door, but we know that’s not the case. Having great communication and relationships is a process. The first thing I had to learn was that I had to FIX ME FIRST! Our process and journey will always begin with ourselves first. Through our breakout session, God strengthened moms and reassured them they are not alone on this journey. It might be a process, but with diligence, love, and God guiding them they will make it.

This week I am sharing with another groups of moms. I look forward to speaking to the Motherly Love group in Brenham. The leader of this group is a mom I always looked up to when I was raising little ones. I looked to her children and saw what I wanted in mine. This dear friend has been a great example.

Being a mom is such a blessing, but yet the hardest job ever! I am blessed by my family and the relationships I have with my children. It’s been hard work, but so worth ever tear shed. Yes, hard work.


BTW – daily communication with God is the secret. That is when He washes us, cleanses us, and gives us a fresh spirit for the day.

Let God wash you first, cleanse you, heal you, and refresh you - then try communicating with those you love.


It's amazing what a little washing can do.

Solution

Solution from element worship on Vimeo.

Let me introduce you to Blake Snodgrass. He makes me proud daily. The above video is of him leading "Solution" by Hillsong United at Element Worship at Bay Area Fellowship. Need I say more! This is one proud mamma.

What makes me most proud is not his incredible talents and gifts, yet it is that he uses them to glorify and honor God. He is reaching his generation with God's love.

Here are some of the lyrics to Solution. Think about them.

It is not a human right
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need
Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey now

It is not too far a cry too much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet
Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey NowAs we hold to our confession
Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution

Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need
Only You can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only You can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Savior and our King

Amazingly, our God is the only solution!

Pruning Creates Growth

As I entered middle school – way back when – my dad had just completed building a new house for our family. We moved in and all seemed so bare. The inside of the house needed to be decorated and have things hung on the walls. As well as the outside of the house that needed grass, trees, and landscaping.

Years later we had settled in and it felt like home. Mom had done an awesome job. The inside was beautiful and the landscaping was immaculate. It was gorgeous. Our trees were no longer little twigs - they were full grown beautiful trees that provided a lot of shade.

One day Daddy announced he needed to prune the trees so they would grow back even fuller. He went about his business and I continued to jam out to my 45’s in my room. Those were the days, right?

Later when I went outside, I about croaked! The trees were pruned alright. Heavens, they were branchless. I was so embarrassed. Our beautiful shaded yard was now just bare with tree trunks standing. Of course, I gave my dad grief. But he assured me that those trees would grow back even fuller than before.

Months – MANY months – later I learned what pruning was all about – growth. Daddy was right. The trees were bigger, fuller, and producing even more branches than before.

The dictionary describes pruning as: To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches to improve shape or growth.

Just as I witnessed my daddy improving the shape of those trees, I am now witnessing my Heavenly Daddy improving the shape and growth in my life. I’m being pruned.

First I want to scream “Ouch! This is embarrassing. Quit cutting branches off my tree trunk.”

Second I feel naked as I stand branchless. In every aspect of my life (family, church, and ministry) the past few months the branches have been shaken or cut off.

I’m banking on my daddy and Heavenly Daddy being right. I will be a new creation full of new sprouts.

Through this process, God has brought many landscapers into my life to assure me the pruning will bear much fruit. I am growing ever how slowly it may be.

Pruning does create growth! Amazing, I think I see a new sprout budding.

Prayer for Safety

God is our king. God runs this place and he'll keep us safe. Isaiah 33:20 MSG

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes. Matthew 6:7 MSG

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being the God who runs this place. I pray that you watch over us, our families, and our children. Lord, as the world seems to spin out of control we realize daily we are not in control – You are.

Lord, keep us safe from ourselves and protect us from the evil schemes of the devil. You are in charge and can do anything you want. Lord we lift up to you at this moment those we love and ask you to keep them safe in their jobs, schools, and environments.

You know our every need Lord and we thank you for that. We thank you for being the place we can run to for safety, refuge and shelter. Hear our prayers, Lord. Keep our hearts tuned in to You as we dwell in the shelter of Your tabernacle. Amen.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 NIV

Do you need prayer today? If so, I would love to pray for you. Leave a comment anonymously, with link or email me and I'll begin praying.

Lord, your beauty and sovereignty amaze me! Yes. Yes. Yes.