Break the Tape: Not Good Enough

Welcome, friends, for today's edition of Break the Tape.  Essentially, our goal is to identify the lies that repeat themselves over and over again in our minds, break the tape that automatically begins plays when ever we feel we've fallen short, and learn a new song to sing in its place. 

Meet Katharine.  I have had the honor of getting to know Katharine for quite some time during Soli Deo Gloria.  I always imagined that if I showed up at her door in the cold Canada winter, she would immediately usher me in and I would be surrounded by the warmth of her spirit (and I'm sure she would have really cute cookies, too.  She's an expert at some good lookin' food.  I've seen pictures.)  Here's her story.

It's in the telling... In the sharing of our stories, we hand each other tools that help us move towards hope and healing. It's in the telling...We give and receive grace, and it's beautiful. So, can I tell you a story?

It's about a girl. As far back as she can remember, she loved and followed the God of the universe. And she believed a lie. A never-ending tape that played a constant refrain.

Not a good enough daughter, sister, friend, teacher, wife, or Mom. Not smart, or funny or pretty enough. She not only believed the lie, she began to live out of it. Every circumstance, joy, failure, every event was filtered through the lie. The background music to her life. So she began a quest to be good enough. She tried hard. She had that list -- you know the one? It changes from season to season but it has all the things she tried to check off in order to be good enough.

If only I:

Do more, make everything perfect

Get good grades, try harder

Pray, read, study, more

Wear the right clothes, lose 20 more pounds

Make everyone happy, have it all together

Have perfect children, juggle everything well 

Pretend I have it all together...etc. etc.

She lived in a world of constant comparison, always coming up short. The tapes grew louder. They said that "good enough" is never possible for overweight, abused, poor-in-academics, girls. Too many mistakes, too disappointing.

The quest to be good enough has consequences. Trying to look good enough, opened the door to an eating disorder. One morning, she woke up and realized she had tried so hard to be what she thought everyone else would consider "good enough" she had no idea who she was. She began to walk with fear, anxiety, pretense, loneliness, guilt and shame. Filtering things through the lie, allowed self-pity to land on her shoulder and whisper in her ear.

Deep down at the root of not good enough is the longing to be truly, deeply, completely loved. It's the love that comes from the God of the universe, and while she never would have consciously verbalized it, she didn't think she was good enough for that either. 

So she carried on, pushing down all the fear, sadness, and anxiety, and working on the list.  She didn't realize it, but God was busy being who he is: faithful. She met and married an amazing man who loved her and began telling her the truth, even though she didn't believe it.

Life doesn't care if you think you are good enough. It careens through our seasons at break-neck speed and delights at handing us the unexpected. On a cold January day, there was an unexpected death in the family and all the things she had so carefully hidden and pushed down, came flying out. She was, to put it mildly, a mess.

And then God.

The God who had been faithful in all of her seasons, was faithful again. She listened to someone tell their story, about how God could do more than just clean up the mess, He wanted to set her free. He wanted to deliver her from all the things that had come live with her because of the lie. He could break the tape, and give her new music. It was the chorus of truth.

He told her:

She was good enough

She was beautiful

The God of the universe took her hand and together they began exploring the deep places in her spirit that needed healing. They began by walking through forgiveness. He said she could throw away the list! She was more than good enough, because she was His. He created her, and He was thrilled with his creation. It wasn't about anyone else, it was about Him, and His love for her.  

He loved her truly, deeply, completely. 

Just. As. She. Was.

Not because of anything she had done.

Not because of anything she hadn't done

She was His.

Sweet notes of belonging and truth began to play in the background.

Nothing she could do would make Him love her more. 

Nothing she had done, or anything that had been done to her, could make Him love her less.

She was more than good enough, she was His daughter.

Now, she lives with the refrain of truth, and the more she learns to walk living loved, the less she hears of the broken, "not good enough" tape. Sometimes, though, it tries to slither in again. When it does, she fights back with the truth: She was worth dying for.  When the "mess" of life threatens the truth, He reminds her that he's really OK with her mess, he knows all about it, and they'll work on it together. She never walks alone.  She is good enough. She is loved.

It's in the telling my friends. This is my story, but I know some of your hearts whisper with an ache of understanding. He wants to break the tape. He longs to set us free. This is what He speaks over us: 

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.  I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you:  all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That's how much you mean to me!  That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you. "So don't be afraid: I'm with you. (Isaiah 43,MSG)

Want to read more of Katharine?  Of course!  You can not only read her blog, but she's also released an ebook!!

Linking with Emily for Imperfect Prose, Jennifer for God Bumps, and Shanda for On My Heart.

A Breakup with Mercy & the Soli Deo Gloria Party

It's time to pull up your chair.  Do you know you have one here in this space we call Soli Deo Gloria?  You do.  It's reserved every week only for you.  This place would be different if you weren't here and we miss you when you are gone.  This is a place filled with women who seek to honor your words, you heart, your tears, and your laughter.  Scooch in close.  You won't want to miss a word.

To read more about the Soli Deo Gloria community, please click here.

Also, SDG retreat registration is live!!  There are only 50 spots total, so please, get your registration in early so you don't miss out.
Also, Linky Tools seems to be having issues.  Please select "generic" linky icon if it will not let you upload a picture from file or web.

Will you receive His mercy?

"Believe that God delights in mercy, delights to give grace where it cannot be deserved, delights to forgive when there is no reason for forgiveness but His own goodness."~ Charles Spurgeon

It's an amazing feeling -- to be forgiven when forgiveness is undeserved.  And I have the privilege of asking and receiving forgiveness from Jesus every single day of my life.  In turn, He asks me to surrender my anger, confusion, and hurt towards others so that I might, too, experience part of His delight in this process of forgiving an offender.

It sounds like a perfect process, but somehow along the way, mercy and I broke up.  No longer do I delight in being merciful.  No, see, I want justice.  I want my self-righteous indignation.  I want my feelings to be validated.  Want mercy from me?  Come groveling.

Harsh, right?  Most people (aside from my husband and my children) don't get the whole "come groveling" vibe from me.  That's because I am non-confrontational.  And, because after someone apologizes, I basically turn into a pile of mush.  Forgiveness does flow, but what happens when someone doesn't apologize?  Or if they commit the same offense over and over and over again?  Can I learn to love mercy even in those circumstances?

I remember when my little girls were 2 and 3 and they offended each other quite often by stealing toys, shoving each other out of the way, and occasionally biting when demands went ignored.  After emotions were soothed and apologies made, the offended usually responded with an "It's okay!" and the two went off again, happy playmates, at least for awhile.  The whole process repeated itself a myriad of times throughout the day, but forgiveness always followed the fight.

Will you extend His mercy to others?

I don't remember how well I played with others when I was a child, but I am assuming it went somewhat similarly to how it played out with my own children.  This, then, drives me to this question:

When did I break up with mercy?

When did I choose a hard heart over forgiveness?  When did I begin choosing to remain prideful instead of surrendering my baggage?  When did I start weighing the offenses of another as heavier than my own? When did I begin to shift from delighting in mercy to delighting in my own indignation?

True, things in my life have happened where I was justified in being angry, but so what?  If I hold onto this anger and choose not to give mercy, it only destroys my very own heart further.  The break-up with mercy has a consequence more severe than anything that anyone else could ever do to me.  It has the power to kill the life that lives in my heart.  A mercy-less heart is one covered in black, dripping with a sticky tar that can only be washed off by the blood of Jesus.

Pay attention, O Jacob,

for you are my servant, O Israel.

I, the LORD made you,

and I will not forget you.

I have swept away your sins like a cloud.

I have scattered your offenses like a morning mist.

O, return to me,

for I have paid the price to set you free.

Isaiah 44: 21-22

Harboring anger, withholding mercy, making quick judgements -- all sins.  All sins that He has assured me are swept away like a cloud.  What if I transformed these heavy offenses against me into something that looks like a morning mist?  As God sweeps away my selfish pride is, I, too, can scatter the offenses held in my heart like the morning mist.  Perhaps I can join hands with mercy again, even growing to love her, as I did as a child.

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you --

to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Micah 6:8

SDG Community Builder:  1)  Here at SDG we have small groups!  If you would like more info about this, please click here.  If you would like to join a small group, please leave me a note in the comments or email me at jenfergie2000@me.com.  2) If you are new, please write "I'm New!" as your caption so we may come and give you a bit of extra linky love and extend a warm SDG welcome.  3)  Register.  For the incredibly awesome retreat that we are planning for October.  4) Linky Tools seems to be having issues.  Please select "generic" linky icon if it will not let you upload a picture from file or web.

when it's time to wake up

"The Holy Spirit comes to wake us up," Bishop Andy Doyle, says this morning in church.  We are celebrating Pentecost Sunday, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

He says this sentence after talking about the movie, The Matrix.  Neo makes the choice to take the red pill, committing himself to experience life for what it truly entails, forsaking the ignorant bliss of his current worldview.  Just as the red pill opened his senses to a new reality, so can the Holy Spirit do this for us, he explains.

Without the Holy Spirit, we come to grow comfortable in our brick-walled selves, happy to display our symmetrically stacked lives to all whom we may encounter.  We put forth a vision of what we think will enable us to be loved and welcomed, treasured and revered.  And as we work hard to conceal that which is less than perfect, we acknowledge that many fellow human beings are constructing their own facades at the same time.  We don't wish to mar their own optical illusions, just as we don't want our own mysteries to be revealed.

"I'm pretty good at doing church.  But I'm pretty bad at being church," he says later on in his sermon. I immediately start comparing myself to him.  If he struggles so much with this, how much more would I?  But the thought, I immediately dismiss because this is part what he is speaking about -- the comparisons to each other that we have no business  making-- that keep us from really loving and serving each other.

It easy to plaster on the smile.  It's easy to say that perhaps "now is not the appropriate time" to tell someone what is really going on, how we are really hurting or struggling or drowning.  But when we choose to shut the door, turn out the lights, and draw up the covers to our ears, we not only miss out on the opportunity for healing and freedom and friendship, but we deny one another the opportunity to be the church to us.  We take away their opportunity to practice the works and the heart of Christ.

I want to stop asking people the polite "How are you?" when I am unwilling to take the time to listen to an answer that is more than "fine" or "good," or "keepin' on, keepin' on."  And I want to get out of my own headspace so that I am always willing to stop and address the needs of someone, instead of rushing to the next something.  I don't want to think twice about admitting my failures and my defeats and my very own struggles because it might taint this image I try to project and protect.  I want to practice, intentionally, authentic empathy and love and courage.  

And I want to do this by living only on the breath of the Holy Spirit and Her promptings.  I want to be a vessel, allowing Her words to cascade out of my mouth like a gentle waterfall, Her breath to waft into my heart and out of my mouth.

This cannot be done if I have surrounded myself within my four brick walls.  The breath will never make it to the other side.

Linking with Michelle.

will you let them be swept away?

All playdates start better when there are no harbored offenses.  Will you believe that you can come before Him, bow low, and be forgiven and free?  Will you accept His hand and His covering?  When He asks you for this dance, will you say, "yes?"

Linking with Sandra for Still Saturday, Deidra for Sunday, and Laura for Playdates with God.  

    

Break the Tape: Immeasurably More

Welcome, friends, for today's edition of Break the Tape.  Essentially, our goal is to identify the lies that repeat themselves over and over again in our minds, break the tape that automatically begins plays when ever we feel we've fallen short, and learn a new song to sing in its place.  

Meet Roseann Elliot.  She is thoughtful, introspective, and has a soul that sings for beauty.  I love her words -- they awaken a spirit in me that draws me to praise my Savior.  May your spirit be awakened today by her story.

I am not sure when the lies began…those tapes that started playing in my head…

“you are not as good as         “…

“you’re not loveable”…”you’re a failure”.

No matter what success I found in life…

These tapes would not be silenced.

by the time I was in college, these tapes were in high gear.

 In college I innocently joined the pastime...

 a ritual of sorts...taking place in every dorm

a little exercise...and some Diet Tab (that dates me).

But this “innocent” college pastime apprehended me…

 and dragged me down a very dark road…

a road of obsessive exercise...a road of starvation.

This obsessive behavior…

was only fueled by those negative tapes.

But I hid this all pretty well…

from the outside, my life looked really good…

in some ways a life others envied.

But those lies continued to steal, kill, and destroy…

not just my mind but my body as well.

After my first year of teaching…I spent a week in the hospital…

a week to figure out why my body was refusing…

It resisted all the medical attention given to bleed the blood of life…

the blood needed to really be the woman God intended.

While the doctors where figuring out my body…

I lie alone figuring out my faith.

Being very new in my walk with the Lord…

my ears and heart were learning to be tuned to hear His voice.

I cannot say I heard an audible voice…

but oh how clear it was…

this question…

a question not wrapped with judgment nor condemnation…

but a question asked in compassion…

from a heart of love for my brokenness…

”Why are you spitting in my face and telling me you hate who I created you to be? “

I answered back through my tears in a loud cry…

”I do hate who you made me to be.”

This sickness called anorexia is a slow death…

and I was telling the Creator of the universe...

what He created did not deserve to live.

And with that confession…something changed…

I could not bare the thought of spitting in my Savior’s face…

I wanted to be healed.

Did this end all the self-hatred?

Oh, I wish I could tell you yes…

but I did walk out of the hospital changed…

slowly but surely…little by little more freedom came.

Freedom from every bite controlling my thoughts…

freedom from a minimum requirement of daily exercise to find peace.

but the tapes…those tapes…

they were not so easily erased.

I found the healing of the body happens more easily…

 than the healing of the heart and mind.

Renewing my mind and transforming my heart was a very slow process.

God came in many ways to heal me… body, soul and spirit.

He patiently wooed me to trust His Love for me.

He showed me what His unconditional love looked like through the love of my husband.

Over time my thoughts toward God were finally finding

a safe place to land…

therefore my thoughts toward myself were becoming

more kind…more forgiving...more safe.

After all these years, I am still surprised …

when I can trace thoughts back to self-hatred…

But now when God comes and tugs on that weed of

self-loathing thoughts…

its roots are no longer wound through very fiber of my being.

Instead, it’s like pulling up a weed whose root system is almost dead.

God has brought a freedom I wasn’t sure was possible.

But praise be to Him …

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

My heart breaks now when I meet another…

One whose mind if full of these same lies…

At the same time…my heart is so full of hope…

Because…

The same Kind and Gracious God who loved me to healing…

Whose love never grew weary…

whose Light was bright enough to penetrate even the darkest places…

whose Truth was stronger than the lies…

whose blood came and healed my wounded heart.

This same God will meet each woman…heal each heart…

 and each one will walk in more freedom than she could ever imagine.

I pray if you too listen to lies...

that you will find encouragement here...

encouragement to let God in...all the way in...

to every lie…every dark place of hiding…to let Him show you and tell  you…

of His immense Love for you.. how very precious you are to Him.

  you His daughter...you, a daughter of the King.

Want to read more of Ro Elliot?  Of course you do!  She blogs at Tuning My Heart to Praise, which you can find by clicking here.  

Fixating and the Soli Deo Gloria Party

It's time to pull up your chair.  Do you know you have one here in this space we call Soli Deo Gloria?  You do.  It's reserved every week only for you.  This place would be different if you weren't here and we miss you when you are gone.  This is a place filled with women who seek to honor your words, you heart, your tears, and your laughter.  Scooch in close.  You won't want to miss a word.

To read more about the Soli Deo Gloria community, please click here.

Also, SDG retreat registration is live!!  There are only 50 spots total, so please, get your registration in early so you don't miss out.

Sunflowers always turn toward the sun, even when they are not yet fully bloomed.  I know this because I have about 20 stems reaching toward the bright rays in my backyard garden.

I noticed this yesterday as I threw the ball for Hank (again and again and again).  I started thinking about the times when I am ever so intentional about keeping my eyes fixed on Him.  And the times when His Face seems to be one of the last places I look.  

Instead of crafting an *engaging* Soli Deo Gloria post, I'm going to spend time allowing Him to craft me.  I've put too much emphasis on the things that are about God and not enough emphasis cultivating my relationship with God.

And, I'm also going to try to keep working on this book proposal.  (Prayers appreciated!)

Please, have fun enjoying each other, enjoying your small groups, enjoying His Word washing over you. You are loved and cherished and amazing -- beyond measure.

Fixating on the Son,

Jen

SDG Community Builder:  1)  Here at SDG we have small groups!  If you would like more info about this, please click here.  If you would like to join a small group, please leave me a note in the comments or email me at jenfergie2000@me.com.  2) If you are new, please write "I'm New!" as your caption so we may come and give you a bit of extra linky love and extend a warm SDG welcome.  3)  Register.  For the incredibly awesome retreat that we are planning for October.

what you see when you bow low

Did you miss The Wallflower poem?  Click here to read.

Linking with Sandra for Still Saturday, Deidra for Sunday, and Laura for Playdates with God.  

    

The Wallflower

beautiful photo by Jody Collins

Everyday You ask me.
Everyday, you quietly approach, Your hand extended.
You ask me to dance with You.

I hadn't realized Your perseverance until the day came
when the music suddenly became too loud,
the lights from the disco ball infiltrated my eyes
and I was lost on this dance floor of life,
overwhelmed and abandoned.

But You came still, even though I had started to move
without You.
You still picked me.
I tried to look at my feet to make sure my steps were sure,
but You whispered:
Just look into my eyes.
Eyes locked on Yours, how could I go wrong?
This floating, cascading, iridescent feeling
of being captivated by
The Most Holy One,
spun around gracefully on the dance floor.

The music stays the same, the decibels remain
but I'm transfixed by Your movement
and the power to save that resides in Your arms.
This welcome invitation to be swept up by You.
How could I have turned this down?

You dip me and I gracefully lean back,
taking in this stretch, the rest, this feeling of being held
and never dropped.
I love You, I whisper.
My Protector, my Strength, my King.
Who can satisfy like You?
No one else, nothing else
loves me like You.

But another day comes.
I sit on the edge of my bed and I see You coming for me
and yet...
I move on through the day.
Another day comes and I forget.
Another day comes and I forget.
Another day comes and I forget...
until I remember.
And I place myself by the wall,
a shy girl who thinks she's not going to be chosen again.
But You still come for this wallflower.
There is no place I can hide from You.

Everyday You ask me.
Everyday You quietly approach, Your Hand extended.
You ask me to dance with You.

And I will say, yes.

Break the Tapes: Is God Enough?

Welcome, friends, for today's edition of Break the Tape.  Essentially, our goal is to identify the lies that repeat themselves over and over again in our minds, break the tape that automatically begins plays when ever we feel we've fallen short, and learn a new song to sing in its place.  

Meet Loraine.  Loraine is full of wisdom.  How do I know?  Because at some point she read one of my posts and personally emailed me words that I believe came straight from Heaven.  Her words were exactly what I needed to hear and helped me to entertain perspective that had not crossed my mind.  I am eternally grateful for the time that she spent corresponding with me and I am blessed by her presence in my life.

photo credit

I lived in Denver once upon a time and worked as an executive assistant to the president of an insurance company downtown.  I loved my job, but the man I worked for was super intimidating. He was a hard one to read.  I spent lots of mental energy over-analyzing his every move, wondering if he liked me or hated me.  He knew this about me and one day told me to quit mentally replaying the tapes of the day.  How on earth did he know that was exactly what I did every.single.night?  Silly me. Apparently, I thought I was the only one who struggled with this.

Break the tapes? Become Free?  Yes, please. 

God is not enough.  It is a lie that women believe.  After hearing a friend give on a talk on this subject a year ago, I have pondered this question "Is God enough?" often.  My friend found freedom from some fears she had by combatting this lie with the truth that God is indeed enough and I desperately wanted to do the same. Too often I get stuck in my head, in my fears, in my insecurities, in my hurt.  So I gave it a try.  I started asking myself “Is God Enough?” on a regular basis.  The result? I have yet to find a situation to which this question does not apply.

                                                                                                                   

Worried about money? Lost a loved one? Have a strained relationship with a friend? Been greatly misunderstood? Missed a huge opportunity? Desperately want to fix something that you can't? Failed miserably? Have a broken marriage? Consumed with wondering what others think of you? Guilt ridden over the past? Lonely and depressed? Discouraged by the church? Angry at injustice? Frozen in your fear?

The list goes on, but the question remains the same: Is God Enough?

How we respond to this question often reveals who or what we are worshipping.  In our circumstances we are given a choice to worry or to worship. "We can make the choice to worship.  When we worship in these hard places we are reminded that none of this is about us- it's all about God.  We turn our focus off of ourselves and back onto God Almighty.  God can use the empty places in your life to draw your heart to Him." (Lisa TerKeurst What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.)

The beauty of this question, "Is God Enough?" is that the answer is a resounding “yes” every time.  Every time. God is enough. He is huge and all powerful and all knowing. And it is as if when I ask this question, the weight of what is weighing me down is literally transferred to Him.  I feel freer and lighter and re-centered, because His love, grace, forgiveness, approval, acceptance, and mercy is always enough. Always.

My new song?

All of You
is more than enough for
all of me
for every thirst and
every need you satisfy me
with Your love,
and all I have in You
is more than enough

Break those tapes.  Sing a new song.  He is enough.

Want to read more of Loraine?  Of course you do!  Click here to visit her blog, Loraine Erickson.

Linking with Emily for Imperfect Prose, Jennifer for God Bumps, and Shanda for On My Heart.

what if it's not the end of the world? and the Soli Deo Gloria Party

It's time to pull up your chair.  Do you know you have one here in this space we call Soli Deo Gloria?  You do.  It's reserved every week only for you.  This place would be different if you weren't here and we miss you when you are gone.  This is a place filled with women who seek to honor your words, you heart, your tears, and your laughter.  Scooch in close.  You won't want to miss a word.

To read more about the Soli Deo Gloria community, please click here.

Also, SDG retreat registration is live!!  There are only 50 spots total, so please, get your registration in early so you don't miss out.

My best friend and I share a birthday month and this year, we shared a birthday PRESENT from her mom -- a night's stay at a really nice hotel, complete with dinner out and room service breakfast (my first time for room service!).

I found the relaxation groove by the pool with  my May edition of Real Simple Magazine.  I don't know if any of you read Real Simple, but when I finally get the chance to crack the cover, it is a MOMENT.  There can be no kids around, nothing to rush off to.  Still and silent when I open this cover and begin to peruse the pretty advertisements and articles.  Oh, yes.

Everything was glorious.  It was rest and no responsibility.  

After breakfast I headed back to the pool and read my book, chatted with Jenny, and found myself drifting off in thought.  True to form, about thirty minutes before it was time to leave and head back into the real world, panic started to well up in my belly.  I thought of things I needed to do at home, for the retreat, for Soli Deo Gloria, Abby's eighth birthday party.  In only a few minutes, the whole 24 hours of relaxation had been undone.

But God interrupts this period of self-destruction with a simple question:

What if it's not the end of the world, Jen, if something gets left undone or put off for just a little while?

What if it's not the end of the world?  I think to myself, over and over again.

Of course, it's never the end of the world if everything is not put away as soon as I get home.  It's not the end of the world if the grocery shopping doesn't happen today.  It's not the end of the world if I don't have this piece written or if the carpets aren't vacuumed.  It's not the end of the world if my computer sits upon a dining room table that is dusty.  It's not the end of the world if the phone call doesn't get returned or if the email goes a day without being answered.

It's a perspective shift that brings the restoration of the weekend flooding back.  It gives me permission to continue on with a slower pace, even when I take on my responsibilities again.  The air floods into my lungs and I realize that those burdens and bags that I left at the entrance of the hotel don't have to become attached to my back again.  They can simply rest in my hands.  When they are in front of me, I can see how God is working with me to accomplish this or that.  When they rest in my hands, things can be given and taken away freely.  They don't have to be unstrapped or untangled or unstacked, as they would be if I have them hefted onto my back.

I realize the release of unhealthy pride as I reposition my responsibilities.  Somewhere along the way, I have put a whole lot of stock in what I do and when I do it.  Maybe my timing is not so important after all.  Perhaps my agenda continually steals the restoration out of the rest.

I compare what I looked like walking into the hotel -- dingy, dirty, sweaty -- to how I have emerged:  clean, bright-eyed, filled.  If God had not intervened in that moment of the last thirty minutes by the pool, if I had re-strapped everything on as I walked out the doors, I would have wasted the intentions that God had for me.  The polish He had given me would have tarnished before I had even gotten to my car.


SDG Community Builder:  1)  Here at SDG we have small groups!  If you would like more info about this, please click here.  If you would like to join a small group, please leave me a note in the comments or email me at jenfergie2000@me.com.  2) If you are new, please write "I'm New!" as your caption so we may come and give you a bit of extra linky love and extend a warm SDG welcome.  3)  Register.  For the incredibly awesome retreat that we are planning for October.