Tammy Trent Event

The other night several ladies from my Sunday School class, along with invited guests, packed ourselves into a few cars and drove to First Baptist Church of Euless – Women’s Event to see Tammy Trent. Of course I completely forgot about the planned outing until after I had left work. I was driving home (the opposite direction of our meeting spot at LABC) with my mind wandering in all sorts of directions when I looked at the clock, 5:10... all of a sudden it hit me that I had 10 minutes to be at the meeting spot. All I could think was ... Tobi had been in the house all day and would need to go out, and I was wearing an old pair of jeans and really wanted to change. But there was no time to go home and meet for the carpool, so I turned the car around and headed to LABC feeling totaly frumpy and trying to call Nikki to see if she could go to my house to let poor Tobi out. Well she didn't have her car so Tobi would just have to cross her legs til I got home. Fortunately she can wait a very long time without a potty break.

Anyway, we had a great time. First off, the ladies in this class are just the sweetest group of women you could hope to know, full of love for the Lord and for each other. We pray together, laugh together, cry together, and support each other as we are able. I am so blessed to be part of this group. Ok, so we began the evening with a light meal at the church as part of the event. The tables each had a beautiful centerpiece vase of white hydrangeas. Our waitstaff was (were?) a number of men from this church who had volunteered to serve us. They did a spectacular job and made us feel very special. Dinner was delicious. We had a leafy green salad, a fruit bowl with a variety of fruit, some very good chicken salad, pita chips (those were really good too), and melt in your mouth candy/cookie for desert. I don't really know what to call it. It was a paper thin chocolate round about 4" in diameter, covered with almonds. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

After the meal we all headed into the worship center where Tammy would be speaking, singing and leading us in worship. She has a beautiful voice, and is so cute, and sooo lively. You could tell she really wanted to cut loose and dance with all her might ... and she finally did. It was great! She told her story of how 5 years ago she lost her husband of 11 years, and how God has turned her ashes into beauty. You can read about it on her website ... Tammy's Website. She also has clips of her music on her site and they are worth the listen.

At the end she gave away a few things and I got this very cool necklace in the photo. It was one of Trent's (her husband) designs. The vertical bar of the cross is designed like a road that narrows at the top, and the cross bar says Narrow Minded. As soon as she described it I knew I wanted it and what it referred to. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) This was the scripture that God kept bringing to my mind at a particular spiritual turning point in my life. That's why I wanted the necklace. Tammy had actually handed it to another lady (caught in a moment of indecision) and that sweet lady walked over to me and gave it to me. God Bless her. Tammy had another gift for her too. Tammy has such a sweet heart and strong love for the Lord. So it turned out to be fun night and Tobi was fine when I got home.

The God Who Hears

For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out." (Ezekiel 34:11)

Have you ever prayed for someone for a very long time and felt like your prayers weren't even hitting the ceiling? As far as you could see nothing was happening, no results at all to indicate that God had ever heard even one of those prayers. Have you ever reached a point where you were about to give up hope of that prayer being answered? I have. Thankfully, He won't let us give up on that person, that situation, that prayer. Because He was the One who placed them in our heart to begin with. He is seeking them through us and our prayers. He has invited us take part in the work that He Himself is doing. This was the encouragement I found today in Spurgeon's Daily Devotional. "He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for He will find them out also." The heart of man is stubborn but God is always in control, always orchestrating the circumstances to accomplish His purposes. I will not lose heart. I will persevere in prayer.

Teach Me Your Ways O LORD

When my dog Tobi was a puppy I used to allow her to come in the front yard with me unleashed. She is a quick study and soon learned where the boundaries were and that she was not to go beyond them. She is a very good dog and generally quite obedient but she does have a little bit of a "Free Will" attitude that shows itself at times. She would meander around in the front yard slowly inching her way closer and closer to the edge of the boundary line. She would just hang around it for a period of time acting as if she had no notice of it, all the while keeping an eye on me until she thought I no longer noticed her. Then she would bound over the boundary line and run and jump all around the yard just outside the line. She is no longer allowed in the front yard unleashed.

A daily devotion I receive from David Jeremiah (Turning Point Ministries) today spoke on ways in which we are desensitized into tolerance and indifference. The truth of this really touches a chord with me. This desensitization process not only lulls us into not noticing as it occurs, but it is so subtle that we can be even be convinced that it doesn't occur at all. This false belief is expressed in our acceptance of things simply because we are in a different time in history. This is one of the most effective lies of the enemy, and oddly, it is never outdated itself. If we wipe the fog from our vision and look around through a clear lens we can see this occurring all around us. As certain behaviors, beliefs, etc, become more visible, over time they lose their "shock" effect and become tolerated. After they have been tolerated for a while, then they begin to appear "normal" and are accepted and even embraced. This is true not only in areas of sin but also (maybe even more so) in areas that are not sinful but simply not beneficial. Like Tobi slowly moving closer to the boundary hoping that I had reached a state of tolerance and acceptance.

The center of God's will (a very large area) is the most beneficial place we can be. From that point, every step we take in any direction that is not beneficial, is a step closer to the boundary where we can, even unintentionally, move outside God's will.
O Lord, help me to be sensitive to your ways.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

Re-Decorating

I am currently in the process of painting and redecorating my house. This was not my original plan. My orignal plan was simply to replace the standard, frameless, dull, square bathroom mirror that comes attached to the wall over the sink, with something more stylish. This would mean I would need to paint only the area of the wall that was covered by the mirror I was removing. The pale yellow wasn't my first choice in wall color any longer but it would still do for now. I still had enough paint left from the last time I painted the bathroom so it wouldn't be a problem... that is until I discovered that the lid on the paint can was rusted and I couldn't remove it. Well if I had to buy more paint then I was certainly going to purchase a color that was my first choice. As we all know, once one room has been re-painted and re-decorated, all the other rooms in the house cry out for the same treatment and ASAP. So here I go. The bathroom is now complete. I changed the wall color from the pale yellow to a medium Taupe which give the room a calm soothing feel, and I left the trim white. I replaced that mirror we talked about with a round, beveled mirror, with a frame simulating something of a weathered, antiqued copper, accented with rich brown tones. The picture on the wall depicts Christ at Gethsemane. I created the mat using a shear, textured paper in a deep cranberry. I mosaic-ed the switch plate and outlet cover using stained glass and a dark taupe colored grout that I blended to compliment the walls.

I removed the ugly stainless towel rod and replaced it with the rustic scrolled towel ring in the photo. The towels, seat cover, and rug are a deep plum. On the wall opposite the mirror and sink I hung coordinating canvas prints seperated by a rustic sconce with a bayberry pillar candle and trailing vine. The cabinets were a light red oak color so I gave them a paint wash using black paint to create a warm walnut coloring, and installed antiqued finish hardware. All in all, I'm quite satisfied. When Nikki saw it she decided she wanted to redo her bathroom too. The only problem is, she wants to use my hands to do it. :-)

Shopping with the Girls

Today was a girls day out with my daughter, Nikki, and the three adorable little girls in the picture, Ashleigh, Olivia, and Emily. Our purpose was to find a dress for Nikki. First we decided to have lunch so we drove to Chick-fil-a only to discover the place was packed! The girls sat in the back seat chanting "McDon - alds, McDon - alds, McDon - alds". We tried our best to come up with someplace else that everyone could agree on but they won out and McDonalds it was.

After that we we went to a couple of places and found nothing worth looking at. We picked up a couple of little things for each of the girls. Nik was becoming quite annoyed then we drove by a place called The Dress Barn so I decided to stop. It turned out to be a very nice little store. We both tried on lots of dresses. Nik left with three and I purchased a dress, pair of shoes, and necklace & earrings for myself. We were both quite pleased with our new items and will definetly make our way back to that store again. The three little ones are spending the night with me tonight and Nik will be coming to church with us in the morning.

In the Beginning ...

Where better to start than in the beginning? After all, that is where God started, and since He is "The" Author, I should probably follow His lead.

I decided to name my blog Rich Gifts for a few reasons. I thought I would share some of the gifts that God has given me in family, friends, lessons, thoughts, activities, talents, and stuff. Maybe you will find something to add a smile to your day or a thought to ponder or pray about.

My name, Edie, means Rich Gift. I am struck by the very personal attention God gives by choosing, knowing, and even speaking a person's name. The Bible says "He calls his own sheep by name ..." (John 10:3). What a privilege to have the King of Kings call you by name. Not only that, but He also considers His people to be His treasured possession! Wow, it amazes me to think that my LORD actually sees me as a treasure... His treasure.

In my Sunday School class we are studying the principles of the passage "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21). Our time on earth is so short compared to the life of eternity that we have been offered. I want to give and receive the richest of gifts.