My Cake Baking Adventure!

I found a recipe on a blog for a Rainbow Cake and I was intrigued. When I was asked to bake a cake for Cassie and Adam's birthdays, I decided to give it a try! I documented my adventure in pictures!

First, make two boxes of white cake mix, according to the directions on box. Divide batter up into six bowls, add food coloring to each. Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Bake each color separately in cake pans, greased and floured.

Let cakes cool completely!

Frosting ~ cream together 4 blocks of cream cheese, and a cup of butter. Add an entire bag of powdered sugar, slowly.

Sinful? Possibly! Incredibly DELICIOUS!? YES!!! Best frosting I have EVER had!!! I literally could have just eaten it with a spoon........but I didn't, of course! ;)

Start frosting cakes with the purple first! Frost top and lightly frost the sides. Next top with the blue cake, and do the same. Put in fridge for two hours or the freezer for one. (Don't skip this step! The cake becomes so tall that it is very important that each layer is fully set!) Repeat steps with the green, yellow, orange, and red cakes, putting cake into fridge/freezer after each layer.

After the red layer has set, use the remaining frosting and frost all over the outside of the cake. Decorate as you want! I'm not a decorator, so mine doesn't look very pretty on the outside!

The exciting part was when we cut it!
It is so pretty! And what a fun cake!

It tasted pretty good too!

I think that the Birthday people were happy with it, and that's what matters! :)

In the end, I was very pleased with how it all turned out. Was it fun? Yes! Was it extremely time consuming? Yes!! Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Three Years at Lakeside

This past Sunday we celebrated three years at Lakeside Baptist Church! A lot has happened in three years.
Around three and a half years ago, Lee surrender to the youth ministry. We were nervous and anxious about what was laying ahead for us, but very excited! We had the opportunity to take a church very close to where we were living at the time, VERY close! It just made "logical" sense. As we further pursued the logical, Lee continued to receive phone calls from a pastor of a church called Lakeside. The thing is, God's plan isn't always "logical" to us. :) After meeting with Bro. Scott Hill from Lakeside Baptist Church, we both felt peace and we knew without a doubt that Lakeside was where God wanted the Wood's to be.
Since then, Lakeside has become our family. To look back and see how God has led and is moving among His people is awe-inspiring! We love the youth ministry. Lee and I have such a passion to see young people come to know the Lord and then learn to walk with Him, and to see them get passionate about their relationship with Him! It's exciting! We have the best youth group EVER!! Even the students who have left to go to college, are still so very dear to us and are considered lifetime youth members! :) We are so blessed and humbled that the Lord would choose to use us to minister to others! To God be all honor and glory and praise!
Last Sunday, they threw us a surprise 3rd anniversary party! It was so great! Again He didn't have to bless us with such amazing friends and support systems here, but He did and we are forever grateful! We love you all! Thank you for the encouragement and love that you show our family!
(They meant to put Lee's name first, but the bakery made a mistake! OOPS!) :D

New Blog!!!

So I have agreed to set up a new blog for a little Esty store that my sisters are doing. I guess I'm going to make some stuff to contribute as well, but my main job will be webmaster of the blog! I can't tell you how exciting this is for me! I love blogging and setting up blogs. I'm working on it in bits when I get a spare moment here and there, so stay tuned........

Integrity

Integrity ~ Doing the right thing, when no one is watching and no one is there to tell you to, doing the right thing when everyone else around you is not, taking personal responsibility for your own actions, and recognizing and then fixing your mistakes.

Live with integrity! If we want to be Christlike, we MUST be a person of integrity!

Randomness

This post is going to be a little random, but that's ok! The weekend was great. I missed my hubby a lot, but I had a great time of visiting, laughing, and relaxing out at the farm with my family.

The Heritage Cross Country team did FANTASTIC in Dallas! So proud of them AND their coach!

Evidently Lou Lou and I both had Hog Fever early on Friday. I guess great minds think alike, because we had not planned it. So we had to take some pictures of course! :)



Katie, Ben, and Londi came over to Dad and Mom's on Saturday and we all watched the game together. And by watched I mean, talked the whole way through it! It got too sad to stay focused on! (Maybe next week the Hogs will get it together!)
I made homemade cherry and apple pies, that we had with some coffee. YUM!!! It felt a little like pie time again, except that Papa and Gran couldn't be there. Maybe next time!

Today, at church we baptized yet another and next week we will do it all again! God is moving and working in our church and it is exciting!! Speaking of our church, today is our 3rd anniversary at Lakeside. They are giving us a "surprise" fellowship tonight to celebrate. I'll try and get some pics and post about it later! :)

The Weekend to Come

So apparently I'm on a super-blogging roll. That, or I am avoiding the pile of laundry that needs to be folded. Hmmmm....I'm going to go with a blogging roll! :)

Lee and the Heritage Cross Country team are going to Dallas this weekend to run in a race on Saturday morning! With him being gone, we (the boys and I) will be going to spend some time out at the family farm! I'm excited! We haven't been out there to stay for awhile and I always feel comforted and at home when I do!

As for the meal-making commitment I have talked about, I'll be helping prepare a meal at my parents house. Not sure what yet, but I WILL be cooking, so my commitment still stands! :) I'm also planning on making some cherry pies and an apple pie to bring back the old tradition of "Pie Time" on Saturday, if only just for this weekend. Oh how I love the farm and all the family that is on it! I'm going to miss my hubby very very much, but it's going to be a relaxing weekend at "home"!

Have an amazing weekend! Cheer on those Hogs to victory against Alabama! And GO WAR EAGLE CROSS COUNTRY!!!!

Letting it Go

I read this on LPM blog and I wanted to share it!

"It's time to let it go.

That thing's gonna eat you alive.

Wasting time.

Taking too much energy.

Emphatically, deliberately, bull-headedly - put every weighty ounce of it in the ready hands of God and let Him deal with it.

AND DEAL HE WILL.

Every time you're tempted to pick it back up again, thank Him out loud that He's busy handling it and that, once the battle is won in the heavenlies, you'll see it evidenced on Earth. Prepare to become that evidence."

I just loved that! God has been speaking to me so much lately about the battle. About how we need not fear it, we just need to hold tight and be prepared, knowing that if God is for us who can be against us and that He has already won the victory!!! And for this gal, who can tend to be fearful and worry and hold tight to things wanting to "fix" it, I need that reminder daily!!
Right after I wrote my last post yesterday, I went to the first night of our Ladies Bible Study. We are doing "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed" the Deeper Still study with Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. If the study is anything like the first night, it's going to be a mighty good thing!! :)
Anyway, they talked about the anointing of David and how with the anointing comes the BATTLE! WHOA!! God is awesome and evidently wanting to drive that home for me and the other women doing this study! I LOVE it when God is obvious! I LOVE it when I know it can't be anyone or anything but HIM doing it! I know the LORD is GREAT, that our God is far greater than all other gods!!(Psalm 135:5) To HIM be all honor and glory and praise!

The Battle and Day 3 & 4

I know I've said it in previous posts, but this week has been ROUGH. And not just my life only. There are several people who are very dear to me, who's weeks have been rough as well. Everyday I have come home from work exhausted with a headache. I know it's the physical effects of the spiritual battle and the battle has been fierce! But everyday I have been reminded of something that our pastor said on Sunday morning.

"The Anointing is for the battle!"

Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

He gives us everything we need for battle! We just need to put it on! He anoints us for the battle He knows we will fight. Is that as comforting to you as it is for me? To think that He hems me in, before and behind!(Psalm 138) He knows what we are going through! That's why He gives us the refreshing anointing! To make us ready! He's already been through that battle long before we get there! If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Nothing is impossible for Him! No plan of His can be ruined! (Job 42:2) I know the LORD is great, that our God is far greater than all other gods! (Psalm 135:5) Bring on the battle! It means God is working mightily! Words can't begin to describe the comfort and freedom that all these truths give me! Thank You, Lord Jesus! You are great and greatly to be praised!

And by the way, praise God, today was so much better! Maybe not as much the circumstances, but my attitude about the circumstances was better!
God is GOOD.....ALL the time!!!

As far as my meal-making goes......last night I made some slow-cooked barbecue beef. We ate it on sandwiches and we still have some leftovers. Delish! Tonight, Lee has a dinner meeting so I will feed the boys some of our delicious leftovers! I know it's not actually cooking, but we have so much in the fridge and we will still sit down and eat it! :) Have a wonderful Friday!
To God be all honor, glory, and praise!!

First Day of Fall and Day 2

I know, I know.....I've already told you how much I love this time of year. So, I won't go into how the chill in the air makes me feel just a bit giddy or how much I love my mulled cider candles that are burning or snuggling down in my comfy warm pj's, no I won't go into any of that! :)
Just wanted to let you know how day two of my commitment of meal-making is going, but before that I need to tell you about my day. I'm back to work teaching Reality Check in the schools and this week has been ROUGH so far. There is not much that I can't deal very well with more than outright disrespect. To say it rubs me the wrong way is an understatement. That said, I do love want I'm doing and the good weeks make up for the difficult ones.
After work/school, both boys had their first mini-cross country race of the season. I forgot my camera so no pictures, but I'll be sure to get some next race. They did SO well! Mommy and Daddy were so very proud of them. They came in 6th(H) and 9th(B). It was rather chilly out there so by the time we left the field, they were ready for some supper.
I made Tomato Basil Soup (one of our family's absolute favorites!!), Olive Cheese Bread (A recipe I got from Kitty and it is DELISH!!!), and then I made some homemade banana bread for dessert(my Granny's recipe!)! My home smells amazing and my family is full and happy! So all that to say, day two down three more to go! I have to say I am LOVING this! I'll keep you posted! :)

Storms and A great meal!

I really enjoy a thunderstorm. Not a severe one, but a nice evening shower with some rumbles of thunder is nice!
I'm sitting here listening to the storm, blogging, and enjoying my lit candles and a cup of hot tea. Have I mentioned I love the fall??
Today was a long day. A LONG day!! I'm blessed to have many prayer warriors praying for me as I go into the schools and teach (Reality Check). This week the prayers are much needed! Tomorrow is a new day.
I have made a commitment to myself that my family will have a hot meal to sit down to every night this week. I started to realize that our lives had gotten so busy that I felt like we ate in a rush every night. Even if we weren't going anywhere we were so tired that supper was thrown together. We really need to slow down, even for an hour for dinner together. Anyway, tonight I fixed Lettuce Wraps (DELICIOUS), fried rice, and some warm cookies. It felt GREAT cooking again, I've missed it! The Lettuce Wraps are a recipe from Kitty and they are so yummy and very healthy! I will be making Asian salads out of the leftover for both Lee and I to take for lunch tomorrow. Yum Yum!! :)
I'll let you all know how the rest of the week goes!

Cool People I Know!

I just wanted to give a bloggy shout out to some cool people I know and their cool new blogs! Have I mentioned lately that I love blogging? Well, I do! I love my blog and I really love reading other peoples blogs. I get very excited when I see that someone new has joined the blogosphere.
Today, I was on Lou Lou's blog reading about how her school was going and what's been happening in her life. She is such a sweet young woman and strives to honor God with her life, I am so very proud of her! I love you bunches, my sweet Lou Lou Boo Boo!
While at her blog, I came upon a new blog. This blogger was someone I know VERY well, MY MOM!! She has a blog! I was excited beyond words! Mainly, because I can't wait to read what she has to say and write about. She is one of the most interesting and coolest people I know! She is a fantastic writer and puts my writing to shame! She is not only my mom, but she is one of my dearest friends. I love you, Mom!
Last night I went MAJOR grocery shopping. I am determined to cook my family a sit down meal every night. Our lives have gotten so busy that we need that. I'm telling you this to say, that before I went grocery shopping, I raided Miss Kitty Cooks. Her recipes are one, incredibly delicious (I've tasted most of them) and two, they are very easy for a busy life. I love this blog and the recipes on it, not to mention it's blogger! :) She is truly one of the BEST cooks I know and we share a true love of food! I can't wait to get to cooking!
I also love reading Kitty's personal blog. She is so dear to me. I am so glad that we are family (Good job, Chris!) AND friends! I love you, Kitty and I'm praying for you always! :)
Oh and one I can't forget about is my sister Katie's blog! SO fun! I love it when she posts videos of my sweet niece. She is also a fantastic writer (must take after our mom!) I am so proud of the woman she is. Even if we weren't sisters I would want to be her friend! I love you Kater! I miss you, Londy, and Ben! I think it's about time for visit, one way or another! :)
Another quick shout out to Kylie! Her blog, While I'm Waiting, is great! She is a sweet sister/friend that I have had the privilege to know for about 2 1/2 years. I have watched her come to know the Lord and then continue growing in Him. She truly wants God's will for her life and she wanted to write about her journey towards that will! I love ya, KyliePoo!
There are other blogs from some really cool people I know, but if I took time to write about all of them I would be here all day! Just take a quick look at the links under Cool People We Know and Sites I Might Become Addicted To, to find the others!
Have a wonderful day! Cheer on those HOGS!!!
And always remember, God is Good, ALL the time!

A Video Worth Watching

Psalm 139
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

As I watched this video that was posted by a friend on a certain networking website, I couldn't help but think about these verses! This video is worth the time to watch! Every life is precious, born and unborn alike! Lord, help us!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Remember

How quickly we forget. As I drove around town today, I noticed that there were flags NOT at half-mast. I had a friend say that she went into one of our local McDonald's to ask why their flag wasn't half-mast today, the response was "Why? What's today?" SHOCKING!!! Once, reminded they apologized profusely and immediately went straight out to fix it. How quickly we forget.

I remember that day, eight years ago. I was eight months pregnant with my first baby. I was up getting ready for the day and Good Morning America was on. I was in and out of the living room but something the reporter said, or maybe it was simply the tone of his voice, made me stop and watch. As I watched in horror, I saw the second plane hit. Those first moments were so confusing. I remember trying to get a hold of Lee, who worked at the Wal-Mart warehouse at the time, with no success and then finally getting a hold of my mom. I needed some one to tell me what was happening. I refused to let it sink in. I remember the moment it hit me. I fell to the ground, arms around my swollen belly, and I wept. What kind of world would my baby be born into? When those towers fell, it was like the whole country felt the physical pain and agony of grief. We shared that grief together. Church doors were opened and sanctuaries were packed. That whole day and many days to come, where a blur of confusion, panic, fear, and numbness. I remember God giving me such a calm peace, in the midst of the terror. I was burdened deeply for the victims families and prayed constantly for them. I couldn't imagine. I remember thinking life would NEVER be same again. How could it?

Then, before we knew it, a year had gone by. I remember watching the news and they replayed the moment the towers fell. Again, I bent over onto the floor weeping. This time, clinging to my 11 month old son. The pain and grief was like it had happened all over again. I remember also feeling anger that the media would put those families through that again, and I prayed for them.

How quickly we forget. How very quickly we forget.

Today may we remember again, that our freedom is NEVER free! A high price was paid so we could live with the liberties that we have. I thank God that He has so richly blessed my family! We live in the GREATEST country in the world! Lord, return us back to you! Help us to remember ~
2 Chronicles 7:14
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

But also, may we be struck anew, that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price, to give us freedom! Freedom from the bondage of sin and death! He makes us free, if we let Him!
John 8:36
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

To know how you can have this freedom and peace, click HERE!!

Disturb Us, Lord!

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

By: Sir Francis Drake
(poem taken from LPM, pictures taken from Loren King Photography)

Awe Factor of God

Our God is AWESOME!!! He is so big it blows my mind! (Psalm 8) It is a MIRACLE that a God SO big and SO mighty and SO awesome would reach down to US, lowly humans, and not only want to save us, not only send His Son to die a horrible death for us, but to LOVE and DELIGHT in us! (Zeph. 3:17) That is enough to strike me speechless!

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I Love the Fall

It's still a little early, but I just can't wait! I even decorated my blog for the fall already!
I love the fall
I love the chill in the air
I love the smell of leaves, pumpkins, and cinnamon
I love the colors of autumn
I love the first time you can see your breath in the air
I love seeing my husband so excited for the cold (He loves the fall, too!!)
I love sweatshirts, sweaters, and jeans
I love hayrides and bonfires
I love my fall decorations
I love talking and getting excited about great fall decorating ideas and recipes with my sweet friend and fellow fall-lover, Kitty
I love Mulled Cider candles from Wal-mart
I love baking and the smell it gives my home
I love chili, stew, and soups
I love making breads, cakes, and pies
I love cooking and baking ALL day long
I love a fire in the fireplace
I love that first time you have to turn on the heat
I love snuggling under blankets and reading a really good book
I love coming home and getting into my warm comfy sweats
I love the smell of the outdoors; the combination of falling leaves, cold, and fireplaces
I love bundling up and going with Papa on the tractor to take hay to the cows
I love the crunch and sound of walking through the leaves
I love Friday night high school football and everything that goes with it
I love college football, GO HOGS!
I love Watch Parties with great food and friends
I love pumpkins, mums, hay, and corn stalks sitting on porches
I love making Jack-o-lanterns with my boys
I love hearing about hunting because I love deer meat (really!)
I love our tradition of driving into Eureka Springs looking at the fall foliage and then eating at Giraldi’s
I love wearing jackets (they cover a multitude of flaws!)
I love the start of a new school year and teaching Reality Check
I love starting Women’s Bible Study again
I love my birthday (Childish? Maybe! Still fun? Absolutely!)
I love the precious hand-turkeys I get from my boys every year
I love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the memories it brings
I love Thanksgiving
I love the day set aside to remember to give thanks always
I love that first hint of snow and the smell it gives the air


I just really, really, REALLY love the Fall! I’m so thankful that God has placed me in such a beautiful part of the country, where our autumn is simply gorgeous! Bring it on!! I’m SO ready! Now……I think I’ll go set out my fall decorations and light a mulled cider candle! :)

God is Good, ALL the Time! I Can't Seem to Say it Enough!

As I have mentioned before, God is good.....ALL the time!! He has just been making Himself known to me in such a tangible way. He is making me brave for Him! He is giving me courage and strength to do and say things I wouldn't have done on my own! He is visibly working and moving in my own family and in our church family, and this weekend was no exception!
Our youngest son B, was "babatized" Sunday morning! He was SO excited to show physically what the Savior had done in his heart. I was awe-filled by how GREAT our God is and again at the miracle of salvation! My heart is near exploding with gratitude and love! Along with B, we had a mother, daughter, and son baptized as well. The daughter had been to our VBS and Our pastor and his wife went and visited them afterward. They all three came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Scottie, the son, is on Lee's Cross Country team and has been a force of nature for the Gospel. When God changes a person, He CHANGES them! On top of that we had a family of four come forward to make public their decision to follow Christ as well!
(If you would like to know how you can experience this joy and change, click here!)
God is SOOOO good!
The women of our church also did Cardboard Testimonies! It was one of the most powerful things I have ever witnessed and been a part of! God used every single one of those testimonies to minister to the hearts of the people who saw them. There was not a dry eye in the place! Every woman participating shared a part of themselves and that was very difficult for many of us! Again, He is giving us courage and strength to do and say things we wouldn't do on our own.
We will be doing it again for our 2nd Annual Women's Day Retreat on Saturday, September 12th at Lakeside Baptist Church from 9:00am-3:00pm! Please come and invite your friends! It's completely free and everyone is welcome!
To God be ALL glory, honor, and praise!

Friends, Family, Football, Ultimate Frisbee, and A Long Weekend

I thought I would catch you all up on our weekend so far!
First, college football began on Saturday!! I love love love this time of year! Our afternoon of ball began with the OSU/Georgia game. We are first and foremost Razorback fans, but secondly we are Cowboy fans! Sorry, all you hardcore SEC fans out there. We love us some Pistol Pete and cheer for those Pokes like nobodies business!
Especially little Mr. B!
O!!!
S!!!!
U!!!!
It was a FANTASTIC game! Can't wait to watch them dominate the Big 12 this season!

After that, we went to our neighbors house to watch the Arkansas Game on pay-per-view! I was giddy with excitement! Have I mentioned that I love college ball?
WOOOOOOOO. PIG. SOOOIE!!! WOOOOOO. PIG. SOOOIE!!! WOOOOOOOOO. PIG. SOOOIE!! RAZORBACKS!!! I am a VERY optimistic fan this year! Can't wait to watch them play Georgia on the 19th!

I tried out several new recipes to take to watch the game. A great Watch Party MUST have great food! The crowd favorite was definitely the Buffalo Chicken Dip! It was a crowd-pleaser for sure! One that has been requested for Watch Parties from here on out! Here is the recipe so you can be a hostess hero for your next Watch Party as well ~

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 cups Shredded Chicken
2 blocks Cream Cheese
1 Cup Ranch Dressing
3/4 - 1 Cup Hot Sauce
1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix cream cheese and hot sauce together well. Add ranch dressing. Add chicken and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Pour into an oven-safe dish and sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with tortilla chips or Frito's.

Sunday was AMAZING!! God showed up in a big way! I'm going to blog all about that in a separate post. But after church Sunday night, we went to Mazzio's (which is quickly becoming a weekly tradition) and then the youth (and some brave adults) went over to Gates Stadium for some Ultimate Frisbee! WHAT A FUN GAME!!! Every single person there LOVED it, from the very athletic (Lee) to the very klutzy (me), from the high school kids to the middle schoolers!! It's difficult finding things to do as a group that everyone, across the board, loves; this was definitely one! We all made a quick decision that this will become a common tradition. One that we will commonly use for outreach. I left that field last night, just loving our sweet youth group to pieces. Lee and I are so blessed to be able to have the privilege to know, disciple, and love these young people!

Our Labor Day has been anything but! We all slept in, cleaned house a bit, and now we are lounging around doing absolutely nothing. It feels GREAT!!
I have had one of the best weekends ever! There's NOTHING like friends, family, football, God's presence, Ultimate Frisbee, and a extra day off, all together in one weekend!
To God be ALL glory, honor, and praise! Have a wonderful week!

This is Me!

My name is Sara and I have alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that attacks the hair follicles causing them to die and fall out. It can vary from small bald spots to total hair loss. Mine first appeared when I was ten years old. By the time I was thirteen, my hair had grown back and we saw no signs that the alopecia would flare up again. However, in September 2006, I found a quarter-sized bald spot. Alopecia had made another appearance. For months, hiding it was what consumed my life, my thoughts, and all my emotions. Over the course of those months, I eventually lost every bit of my hair, including my eyebrows and eyelashes. I sank into a deep pit of self-loathing and hatred. I felt stripped of my femininity. I felt ugly. I hated the woman I saw starring back at me in the mirror. I would go for days locked in my home, hiding from the world. Others in my life and even my own self, kept telling me, “It’s simply cosmetic. It’s only hair. At least you’re not sick. You should be thankful for that.” And I was! But I still felt horribly ugly. I was angry with my body. It wasn’t the first time I felt like it had failed me. We lost two babies prior to this; our first miscarriage (our third child), on September 5, 2004 and our second miscarriage (our fourth child) on June 3, 2005. Why? I asked that question many times. The answer ringing in my spirit was always, “To bring Him glory!” I wanted Christ to be glorified in my life, but I couldn’t imagine how this would accomplish that. After a while, I got used to living my life bald. The shame and pain was still there, but I got good at hiding it.

That was all until God decided He had had enough of my self-loathing. I was convicted. I started praying the Lord would clean me and sanctify me, so that I could fulfill the destiny that He has for me. In that process, He began to teach me what true beauty is, what it looks like, and how He sees me.

First, beauty is on the inside.

1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment….Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of the Lord.”

I was so concerned with the reflection I saw in the mirror, that I had failed to recognize and tend to the inside reflection. What was I really reflecting? Was I reflecting Christ to others through a quiet and gentle spirit, or was I so wrapped up in me that I reflected insecurity, anxiety, and pride? As I started focusing on Him and on being a reflection of Him, I found that I focused much less on the outside.



Second, the LORD of lords and King of kings thinks I am beautiful! He told me so!

Song of Solomon 4:7 "All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you."
Psalm 45:11 "The King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him."

To put a question mark where God puts a period is to doubt God Himself! He commands me to trust Him in everything! He calls me BEAUTIFUL.(period!)


Last but most certainly not least, He made me EXACTLY the way He intended me to be. He saw my days before there was one. He calls me fearfully and wonderfully made.(period!)

Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

This is who I am. This is how God made me! I’m a wife to Lee, a mom to Hunter and Braden, a mommy to two babies in heaven, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a granddaughter, a friend, a niece, a cousin, a youth pastor’s wife, a Reality Check presenter, a worshiper and follower of Jesus Christ, and daughter of the KING of Kings; who is bald! Is it the worst thing that could, or even has, happened to me? NO! Is it still difficult sometimes, as it would be for anyone? Absolutely! But because He is my Lord, I will worship Him always, in every season! I will trust Him in everything! He picked me up out of that dark pit and has given me joy and a new song!

Psalm 40:2-4

He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.

How happy is the man
who has put his trust in the LORD