Yesterday we closed the ministry down for the morning to attend the funeral of a dear friend that passed away suddenly last week. Our dear Beth participated in the service and honored both Louie and his family. Out of everyone there, I can say I probably knew Louie the least, but did have the fun privilege to help plant Bayou City Fellowship alongside he and his beautiful wife, Vicky, who we all adore. If it was said once, it was said a thousands times that Louie was funny, and found himself in some precarious situations, but more importantly, he laughed at himself. He took life seriously when necessary, and lightly when appropriate. I have heard a few of those “Louie stories” and I found myself doubled over at them. In the midst of despair, it’s a sweet thing to be able to laugh at the funny memories. (While memories and laughs are a gift, I know many hard days are ahead for this sweet family. If they, Vicky, Catha and Crista come to mind, your prayers would be appreciated and received!)

Life is hard and if we take ourselves too seriously and can’t even find the humility to laugh at our awkward moments, then we really aren’t living. Besides not being devoted to Jesus, the saddest thing someone could say about me is that I lived life stingy and hard hearted, not being able to laugh at the funny and embarrassing moments that make up one’s character. Oh, the tragedy! I think this is mainly due to the fact that laughing is one of my love languages.

I learned this pretty early on because I like to think I am the leader of the pack when it comes to the awkward ministry. I have the radar to find the most awkward and interesting situations, and if you knew me in real life, you could attest to this.

In fact, a couple weeks ago I had just arrived home from work and in the hour of downtime I had before I needed to leave again, I sat on the couch to rest my eyes for a minute.

I happen to have the perfect view of each and every sunset from my balcony, so as I was laying on there in my half-awake state going in and out of consciousness, I could see that the sunset was getting better and better by the minute. I think you know by now that I’m a sucker for sunsets. The other day my dad asked why I never get pictures of the sunrise, and it’s simply because I can’t see them. Big bummer.

Anyway, as I could see the sun flare getting better and better over my apartment building, I knew my window of opportunity to get a good picture was growing strangely dim.

So I grabbed my phone, hopped off the couch and ran to my balcony.

And then this happened.

Yes ma’am. That is my balcony screen door laying horizontally. I ran smack into it and knocked it completely over.

I’m still a little stunned and confused by the entire situation, but it happened.

I could hardly stand up for laughing so hard all the while wondering who anonymously witnessed the catastrophe and how in the world my roommate was still napping in her room among all the ruckus? With what little dignity I had left, determination kicked in and at the last minute I was able to capture this.

Though I’ve seen better, I’d say it was worth it. And I was humbled to say the least.

Listen, I know I made a complete fool of myself, but instead of acting like I have my life together (BECAUSE NEWS FLASH TO THE INTERNET, I DO NOT) I posted it on the World Wide Web. Because somebody needed to laugh that day; even if it was at the expense of someone else. A bruised toe and a humbling never killed anybody.

And let’s be real, somebody needed to see that a picture doesn’t always paint the entire story. I could have showed you the sunset and explained how beautiful and perfect life is, but that would have been a total lie.

For the sake of all things sane and normal, can we learn to laugh at and tell on ourselves in those awkward and unexpected instances? Because I’ve heard it said that, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” Henry Ward Beecher

Lord, grant to each of us a sense of humor!

And all the people said amen.

Yesterday at church my pastor ended his sermon with one simple point: Be Present.

About a month before that at a Christmas party, my friend had written on her chalkboard wall: Be Present.

A couple of weeks before that Christmas party, right after Thanksgiving, I wrote a post titled: Be Present.

In the hustle and bustle of all things Christmas and giveaways and recipes on our blog, I put that particular post on hold. Beth and I often comment to each other that posts are like gold to us, so since we had a lot going on, it was best that I left that post for a different day. Today feels like that day.

You see, I have a picture saved on my iPhone camera roll that simply states, “Be Present”. For a long time it was saved as my home screen. It served as a reminder to be present wherever I was when I picked up my phone to peruse twitter or facebook in the moment instead of engaging with the friends right in front of my face. To get off my dang phone, if you will.

Lately I’ve had the urge to travel. I’m equal parts homebody and sanguine, if that even makes sense, but I’ve been dreaming of all the places I hope to visit one day, whether it be sooner or later. Traveling is not only thrilling because you get to see different wonders of the world, but also because it’s neat to witness different cultures and the way people live. It’s fascinating, really. However, I have what we would all refer to as a job, and responsibilities and limited funds, so mostly I wish and hope and dream. Being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, right?

The day after Thanksgiving, we always join some of our best friends out in the country for a day of skeet shooting and relaxing. It’s one of my favorite traditions. Each year, I’m more stunned by the beauty of autumn. Instead of using your imagination, allow me to give you a peak into the picture I’m trying to paint.

Beauty at its finest.

Houstonians actually received a bit of a gift when autumn showed up in Houston, albeit late, but leaving the trees colorful and enchanting. I was so shocked that I surveyed my coworkers because I didn’t know if I was just coming alive to nature this year or if it did seem a bit unusual, and most agreed it was an unusual change of colors and that made me feel better about myself.

This is what I’m talking about.

I know you people up north are probably laughing at this lone tree, but none of us were complaining!

The truth is, a lot of us get more screen time than we do nature time. We (read: I) am very guilty of that here, where we are not blessed with rolling hills, blankets of snow, mountains and white sandy beaches. Houston, to put it frankly, is not so easy on the eyes. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty that is around me, to be present where I’m planted, even in the urge to travel and see different beauty.

The truth is, it’s necessary to have a change of scenery every now and then. A change of season. We can get stuck in the mundane day-to-day tasks that the beauty around us starts to fade leaving us to look at our screens and computers for a rush.

I think that’s part of my travel bug as of late. As far as vacation is concerned, it’s been about a year a half since I spent a significant amount of time away from Houston just resting, so I’m sensing the need for change.

My struggle isn’t necessarily confined to my surroundings though, sometimes my struggle is being present in the season the Lord has me planted in. Because life is at our fingertips via our smart phone, it’s easy to get restless, bored, discontent, angry, impatient, jealous or antsy. We may think the Lord is moving far too slow, when He’s really telling us to slow down. Life doesn’t begin in the next season, or the next milestone, or the next job, or the next relationship, life is happening now, whether you’re looking for it or not.

None of us know what the next season holds in our lives. Seasons in our lives, though they do come and go, aren’t as predictable as the seasons in our weather patterns. I don’t know what the Lord is saying to you, but I know without a doubt He’s telling me to enjoy and be present in my season. That He would be present in my presence, so as to change me. That I would approach Him confidently proclaiming who He is instead of always asking for something. After all, He’s always provided everything I need. To not get wrapped up and entangled in the disappointment, the fear, the joys, the sorrows; to feel those and to experience those emotions as they come, yes, but to be present, to know truth and to be aware but not pining for what’s ahead.

Recently I read in one of my devotionals that for the waters to reflect the glory of God, they have to be still. I’m a very visual person and fortunately, days before that when I was out in the country I happened to witness just that. The lake was completely still and it mirrored the clouds and trees perfectly. It was a beautiful reflection, times two.

I think we could all learn a thing or two from that, because maybe it’s the same for us. Whatever season we find ourselves in, maybe if we were still long enough to take in and try and hear all the Lord was trying to whisper to us in the here and now, maybe we’d be able to reflect His glory a little more instead of fighting it. Oh, that we would let our lives be a refelction of His love. It’s hard, yes, but it’s possible. And then when that change in season does come, whenever it shows up, we praise God for it. Because a change in season, however it comes, is something to be praised.

May I challenge us all to be more present in 2014? Because maybe, just maybe, He has a gift for us in the present. Maybe the gift is more of Himself. And as sure as the sun rises, my sister, He will be faithful.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Psalm 23: 1-3, 6

Towards the very beginning of this year Beth mentioned doing something one day that she’d had the desire to do, give away her books for free.

Well, today on December 31st, the last day of 2013, that dream is coming true!

B&H Publishing Group  made available a selection of her books until January 10th, 2014 for free on any e-reader! No money to you whatsoever! The only requirement is that you indeed, own an e-reader of some sort, whether it be a nook, kindle or an iBook. (However, if you don’t have an e-reader, you can also download the Kindle app on your smartphone.)

B&H posted a blog with all of the details so to keep from being reduntant, but to help spread the word, I am linking to it here!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!!! (The best way to find the books is to search “Beth Moore” in your e-reader and her books will pop up.)

This is a screenshot of what it would look like on Amazon. (You might need to click on the picture to enlarge it, but you should see $0.00 next to the “Kindle Edition”.)

As we begin a new year tomorrow, I can’t imagine a better time for you to grab a book and let God do a fresh work in you.

For fun and to help spread the word since she was so ecstatic, Beth sent out a few tweets! In case you’re not on twitter, I thought I’d screen shot them and share them with with you so you can join in on her excitement.

We love y’all and wish each of you a Happy New Year! Enjoy your new books!

*Fair Warning: This is THE longest post of all time, but I promise you it’s worth it. Read it in segments if that helps!

Every year around the holidays I get the pleasure of listening to my coworkers discuss their signature recipes for their own family gatherings. I’m continually put to shame because, let’s be real, yours truly doesn’t cook.

(Actually, it’s not that I don’t like cooking, it’s just that I haven’t had many occasion to cook for. Cooking for one is pretty lame and as a single girl, I’m fairly content with a bowl of cereal each night. Don’t be fooled though, when my time comes, I will have no problem asking for the cooking anointing.)

About a week ago Beth came up with this brilliant idea to collect recipes from our co-workers to share with you, our beloved Siestas. While you won’t see one from me (Lindsee) on here, you will get a taste (pun intended) of some of our favorite holiday recipes. Eleven of our fourteen coworkers, including Beth, submitted their favorite family recipes and we are so delighted to share them all with you. (I’m also going to attempt to briefly explain to you what each of them do at LPM, which you may or may not find interesting, because sometimes it’s fun to picture who is serving you.) They are not necessarily all “Christmas Day” recipes, but more so holiday recipes, some you can use all year long, some are fun for New Years Eve, and a few are meant to be eaten on Christmas morning.

They also range from side dishes, to appetizers, to drinks and desserts! What’s not to love? To make it a bit more reader friendly and easy on the eyes, I’ve written out each recipe on a virtual recipe card and if you click on it, you can print out the card itself instead of having to always refer to this blog post. However, now that we all live in the land of smart phones, it is just as easy to bookmark this page in your websites for quick and easy access.

(But seriously, is the card not adorable? I printed them each at a fun website called Skip To My Lou. You should check it out. Adorable.)

The ONLY recipe you won’t find in a card is our Siesta Mama’s. Naturally, she wanted to bless you all with her dressing recipe and unfortunately, it won’t fit on the card. But that’s okay because she even has a visual for you all. If you want to print hers out (at the bottom), simply copy and paste her portion into a word document and you’re good to go!

You’ll see that some recipes have two cards because it requires the main dish and an icing or topping.

Here is a list of categories and titles of our favorite dishes:

Appetizers:
Blue Cheese Balls or Spread

Side Dishes:
Cornbread Muffins
Sweet potato Soufflé (Two recipe cards)
(Roughly) My Nanny’s Cornbread Dressing (This is the only recipe out of order and you’ll see it at the end of this post.)

Main Course:
Christmas Brunch Casserole

Dessert:
Chocolate Drops
Flaky Peanut Butter Brittle
Missy B’s Canadian Sugar Cookies (Two recipe cards)
Best Friend Cookies

Drinks:
Egg Nog

Snacks:
Christmas Mix

Susan is our resident chef at LPM. But aside from being our resident chef, she works in our correspondence department doing general email correspondence. Also, Susan is our resident counselor. Everyone here wants a piece of her wisdom. Grin.

Our beloved Diane heads up our resource department. If you’ve had an issue with a Bible study order, a scratched DVD or just had a general question about a product, you may very likely have spoken to her on the phone. She also loves animals more than anyone I know. We love her!

Sabrina directs what we refer to as Living Proof Ministries. She runs our ministry with godly business sense she gained from her time in the corporate world and keeps things in order. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you everything she does because I simply do not know, but I know she works hard! We’re grateful for her leadership in so many areas.

Sherry has one of the sweetest hearts and gentle souls you’ll ever meet and we only get to see her two days a week since she’s a busy young mama of two boys. You’re going to laugh when I tell you I THINK she works and helps out in our resource/accounting department. (But I’m going to double check on that. I’d hate to lead you astray.)

If you’ve ever written and sent a letter to our dear Beth at LPM, you’ve most likely heard from the encouraging Nancy Mattingly. She works in our snail mail correspondence department. To know Nancy is to love her. I bet you’d agree if you’ve ever received a letter from her! Not to mention she gives the world’s best back scratches and massages. It’s truly a ministry.

I’m lucky because I get to share an office with Jennifer Hamm twice a week. I’m far from being a mama, but when I grow up I want to parent just like her and Sherry. They bless me so! Jennifer heads up all of our events, not the least of which is Tuesday Night Bible study. No small feat. And she rocks it. She is also the woman behind all things SSMT Celebration, which might bless you!

Oh, KMac. We have two Kimberly’s on staff, which is how this Kimberly adopted the name KMac. KMac is Beth’s personal assistant and the best of the best. One of the most efficient and humble people I’ve ever had the chance to meet. Plus, her laugh is loud and contagious. (And not the obnoxious loud, but the good loud.)

You may have heard a few Johnnie stories in the past because she and Beth raised their children together. Also, she is hilarious! Johnnie also works in our correspondence department, but more specifically, she answers your questions about certain books or Bible studies and she also would be the one to send you replies or the commissioning from the LPL conferences. For this recipe card, instead of listing the ingredients in one section and the process in another section, it is listed out by steps (Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3), so your best bet is to follow the steps. I hope it’s not too confusing!

You see Evangeline, but we refer to her as Vangie, or, our resident diva. And we’ve never loved anybody more than we’ve love Vangie. Not to mention she can pray the house down, and I mean it when I say it. She is a gift and a warrior! Vangie works in our resource department heading up our volunteers and packaging. So if you’ve ever received a product from LPM wrapped in pink tissue paper, you have Vangie to thank!

Kimberly Meyer is everyone’s best friend. You may be grinning, but I’m not kidding. She could talk to a tree (and I mean that in the most endearing way possible), which is why she is our LPM admin and properties manager. Kimberly answers our phones and speaks to every single person that calls…all day long. She is also our prayer chaplain. My favorite thing about Kimberly is that after talking with a lady for a solid 20 minutes and praying over them, she’ll explain to them that we really can’t give counseling here at LPM but she’s so happy to give them a number of another ministry that they could call for further assistance. Oh, and if LPM needed a cheerleader, she’s our girl. Most likely, if you’ve ever called LPM, you’ve heard sweet Kimberly’s voice. We’re grateful for her joyful spirit! It’s contagious.

And lastly but certainly not least, a recipe and a note from Beth herself, which is far better than any introduction I could give you. But just in case you’re unaware, Beth is our resident Bible study teacher, fearless leader, brilliant author and amazing boss. Needless to say, we love her so, so much.

(Roughly) My Nanny’s Cornbread Dressing

I say roughly, Sisters, because none of the women in my family have ever wanted anyone else in the kitchen. My sisters and I were not taught to cook at our mother or grandmother’s knee like some of you were. We were told to play outside or someone was “gonna to cut a switch.” I write these words with delight, not spite. If I’d had five children under one roof, I would have threatened the same thing. My brothers and sisters and I have each figured out our cornbread dressing recipes based on taste. Below is the closest I’ve come in my kitchen to my mother, Aletha’s, and grandmother, Minnie Ola’s, recipes. The only reason I’m braving this recipe is because young cooks ask constantly for dressing recipes and hardly anyone coughs one up because no one has it written down. So, please, at least give me an “B+” for effort here because your blog mama loves you and she’s willing to give it a happy shot. I don’t stuff my turkey with this. I bake it separately but you can certainly use this for stuffing. Just Google the variance in preparation. This recipe will make far more than you can stuff into a turkey. If you have a smaller family, half it and you’ll have plenty.

Ingredients:
4 pieces of bacon, fried crispy for the bacon grease alone. Eat the bacon while no one is looking and save the fat for this recipe.

Two batches of baked cornbread

4 baked biscuits. I do not know why. Because my grandmother used them and so did my mom. That’s why. The cheap Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in the can work great. That’s what I use every time.

3 pieces of plain white toast

1 cup of butter

2 chopped onions

½ cup or so of chopped celery (To your taste. I use a bit more because I like celery.)

Salt, pepper, and sage to taste

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 eggs

Instructions:
*Fry bacon in an iron skillet if you have one and remove the bacon. If you fry them in a regular pan, just pour the drippings into your baking dish.

*Mix up a double batch of cornbread according to the recipe on the back of any bag of cornmeal. (I always substitute the vegetable oil in a cornbread recipe for an equal amount of Crisco shortening because the shortening makes it so much lighter and fluffier.) We want it light and fluffy!!

*Pour the batter into a nice, hot skillet with the bacon grease in it and bake until it is done all the way in the middle. (I’m feeling compulsive like I need to say stuff like, “Don’t let your grease catch on fire!” But I am going to assume many of you have some basic kitchen experience.) You’ll know it’s done when a sharp knife should come out clean from the center. (Don’t cut yourself on the knife. Stop it, Beth.)

*Bake about 4 biscuits according to directions. The cheap Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in the can are perfect. (I do not know why. Because my Nanny did and my mother did, that’s why.) It’s awkward to just bake 4 so go ahead and bake the whole can and eat what’s left with your bacon.

*Toast about 3 pieces of white bread.

(A friend of mine uses the equivalent of crumbled white French bread instead of biscuits and toast. It’s the same general idea: cornbread dressing usually includes some regular bread.)

*Crumble up the cooled cornbread, baked biscuits, and toast together.

Note: I do all the above on the evening before if I’m doing a noon meal or too many dishes are competing for oven space.

If you are roasting a turkey (which is optimum for great dressing), reserve a cup of the drippings for the dressing and the rest, of course, for your gravy. (Make sure the turkey is completely done before you remove drippings.) I put my drippings in a gravy separator cup like this so that the drippings will separate from the fat.

If you can’t find a measuring cup with a low spout like this, put a regular measuring cup of drippings in the refrigerator and the top layer of fat will congeal as it gets cold. You can then spoon it or scrape it off. Keep all turkey drippings in the refrigerator if you are not using them right away.

*Saute 2 chopped onions and a ½ cup (or more, to taste) chopped celery in a cup of butter. (This is not the recipe for heart health. You can eat the rest of your celery for the rest of the week if you have to.) Pour the mixture into a very large bowl with all the crumbled breads in it.

This is where you start doing it by feel and taste:
*Add salt and pepper and sage. Remember that the sage is the primary flavor that makes cornbread dressing distinct but it can certainly be overdone. Start with a tablespoon, taste the mixture and add from there to suit your taste. Add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning. Add 4 cups of canned chicken broth and the cup of reserved turkey drippings. If needed, keep adding more chicken broth little by little until the mixture is just a bit wetter than you like your dressing. It will dry out some as it bakes but, if you get it too soupy, the dressing will turn out too wet. You want the consistency to be fairly dense without being dry.

*After the above mixture suits your taste, stir in 2 beaten raw eggs. (Don’t taste it after the raw eggs are added unless you are really brave.)

*Put in a large greased baking dish and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. After an hour, I start touching the top of mine with my fingertips and when it’s pretty solid, I consider it done. Don’t let it get too brown on top or it will be too brickish.

I like to put a tablespoonful of baked dressing into my gravy as I make it but that’s just me. I’m not a giblet person so I give the gravy a little added texture with this little addition.

Serve with lots of cranberry sauce and, if it’s good, talk about it a lot during the meal because you earned the affirmation even if you have to give it to yourself.

Good grief, I love y’all.

And with that, we’ll call it a post and hit publish.

Be filled and be blessed!

P.S. I meant to say earlier, but by all means, if there is a recipe you’re dying to share, feel free to do so in the comments!

* P.S. I have some fun news! If you’re wondering why the LPM blog looks a little different, it’s because we got a makeover and it went live today! Don’t you love it? We sure do! Sometimes we all just need a little makeover to change our attitude, agreed? I feel like the blog did just that today! Woohoo! Thank you so much to our friends at AdWhite for all your help and expertise! We’re so grateful!

Good Monday morning to you, ladies! I don’t know about you, but I had a whirlwind of a weekend. When my alarm went off this morning the only coherent thought I had was, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…get out of bed. Not only did my eyes struggle to see the morning hour, but I was so warm that the thought of peeking my toes outside of my covers with the chill in the air made me want to cry. But I did it! I had no choice; becauase after all, being an adult requires responsibility and well, work. And I hope to keep my job. Grin.

Anyway, I made it here and happy and now I’m even happier to announce our Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Winners!

I’ve never desired to leave you guys in such suspense, but part of my weekend excitement was that my little brother graduated from Texas A&M (Gig ‘Em!) and by the time I got home late Friday night, I had no brain power left to even look at my computer. (In fact, I felt slightly inadequate to keep writing anything after reading through the dissertation titles of the PHD students graduating. Whoa. I’m still thinking about how smart some people are and how I’ll never understand certain sentences or words.) Mind you, that was all AFTER our LPM Christmas party on Thursday that sucks every ounce of energy out of every staff member. So, here we are! Hey, the longer the wait the sweeter the gift, right?

Without further ado here are our lucky 12 (and random) winners thanks to random.org…

Stocking Winners

1) Michele
2) Melissa Holgate
3) Barbara Mackey-Zeigler
4) Sharon
5) Kim Morgan
6) Carol Comey
7) Sarah Tolson
8) Beverly Toney
9) Ginger Golembiewski
10) Courtney Beth Burnside

Cookbook Winners

1) Christiana Billingsly
2) Tiffany Fling
3) Toni Rahm

Congrats, ladies! You should be receiving an email from me (Lindsee) ASAP so I can retrieve your mailing address!

And just for fun, I’ll leave you with this one special picture from our Volunteer Brunch on Thursday morning. Needless to say, we had a few laughs. (For the record, sometimes you let a picture speak for itself, which is exactly what I’m going to to do here.)

Oh, and here is Sabrina and Beth, they happened to be matchy-matchy at our Christmas party and it was cute! We attempted a staff picture, but as Melissa put it so kindly, it will die with us.

We love y’all so much! Be expecting some super fun things on the blog this week. Hopefully as soon as tomorrow (Tuesday), but for sure Wednesday!

*Ladies! You make Christmas stockings all the more enjoyable! We have now closed comments and will post our 13 winners as soon as possible. (P.S. I’m out of the office today so this time you might have to be a bit more patient. Grin.) We love y’all. Happy Friday!

About 30 minutes ago I returned to my office laughing to myself after a birthday lunch for one of my co-workers. Lunches are a big deal around LPM in general, but throw a birthday lunch in there and you’ll never want to work anywhere ever again. Besides the food, the main event at any gathering is the words. Oh my, y’all, the words. We can easily toss around 20,000 words between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM on any given day. It is both fun and overwhelming at times. Me, the sanguine, is actually fairly quiet, believe it or not.

I’m tickled though because, I don’t know if you’ve ever worked with 14 women, but we like to play copycat. For instance, one of us could fall in love with a certain moisturizer overnight and by the next week, we’re all using the same moisturizer and the same eyeliner. I guess you might say we trust each other’s opinions. Today was one of those days; except we talked extensively about television series we all need to watch. Riveting, you guys.

I’m sharing all of this with you because of what we’ve planned for today! It happens to fall along the lines of things we love and never shut up about.

Because today, we’re giving away our staff favorite things! The things we go on and on about and claim it’s the best things we ever discovered! We get a little partial and enthusiastic about our worldly goods every now and then. (Well, maybe a lot.)

(If you’ve ever seen an episode of Oprah’s Favorite Things back in the day, imagine that and then scale it down by 100. Unfortunately, we won’t be giving away any cars today, but who would turn down a few stocking stuffers?)

Admit it, we all love giveaways around here, but there’s something about giving away objects you love. Hence why sometimes we give away food or books. So, I surveyed the staff here at LPM and told them all to send me a favorite thing, something they either use or think about on a daily basis. After I collected the emails and studied them, I took myself shopping, and with much glee, I might add to purchase every item for you, our dear Siestas.

Today, TEN of you will win a stocking stuffed full of LPM’s very favorite things! Y’all, I’ll unashamedly admit that I want this stocking for myself. It is just so fun!

The beauty of this post is that it will double as an idea post for stocking stuffers you may be looking for yourself.

Without further ado, (in my best sing song voice) these are a few of our favorite things…

1. Bath and Body Works Fresh Balsam Fragrance Bulbs (plug in) from Diane
The best part about a plug-in is that once you’ve exhausted a certain smell, you can buy a new one, and they’re a lot cheaper than buying a new candle each time.

2. L’oreal Voluminous Mascara from KMac
Yes, we are serious about mascara around here. Well, most of us anyway. I’m looking forward to trying this myself.

3. Tazo Green Tea (with Lemongrass and Spearmint) from Kimberly
Have no fear, we are mainly coffee guzzlers around here, but some delicious hot tea is good for the soul.

4. Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Peony from Jennifer
If you’re looking for a chap stick with a little hint of color, this is your best friend.

5. Trader Joe’s Nourish All in One Facial Cleanser from Linda
If you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, beg the Lord to show favor on your city to build one. It’s a treasure, to say the least. But, do not be anxious if you’re not near one, you can find a ton of stuff online. Thank you, Internet.

6. Trader Joes Kitchen Soap from Sabrina
Shall I repeat myself? Pray yourself a Trader Joe’s near you.

7. Daily Light Devotional by Anne Grahm Lotz from Nancy
I’ve yet to use this devotional, but all of my coworkers sing its praises. I’ll be purchasing my own asap. As our beloved teacher tells us all the time, it’s good to study under other authors and teachers. Be wise, but be free!

8. See’s Chocolate Covered Almond Clusters from Evangeline
Who would say no to See’s candy? I can’t help you if you do. Grin.

9. Philosophy Hands of Hope Hand and Cuticle Cream from Sherry
Philosophy has an entire line-up of wonderfully named products, from skin care to bubble bath. Purity, Amazing Grace, Miracle Worker. It’s all very fancy and nice, but is so worth every penny, if you’re into that kind of thing.

10. Essie Nail Polish from Lindsee
I think I may be repeating myself here, but for a girl who loves to paint her fingers and toes, I favor Essie polish. My current favorite winter color is, Ladylike. The name alone sold me.

11. Boot Socks from Beth
Just today Beth wore the cutest pair of boot socks you’ve ever seen. If I’d of had half a mind, I would have taken a picture for you. But for you who wear boots, this is the trend right now. Plus, they keep your legs and feet warm. Score!

And for a bonus, THREE grand prize winners will receive one:

12. Barefoot Contessa Cookbook from Susan
For a New York Time’s best seller, I have no doubt you might fall in love with your kitchen all over again.

Ladies, the fun is all yours now! Just make sure when you comment to leave your first and last name, as that will help us out when we announce the winners. Also in your comment, consider sharing your favorite thing with us. The more the merrier! We’ll leave the post up for at least 24 hours and post the winners this weekend. Okay, y’all, fire away!

Just a brief look at the winnings. (They’re not the prettiest giveaway pictures we’ve posted, but you get the idea. I had to spend more time shopping than photographing!)

Happy Wednesday, fine ladies!

Here at LPM we celebrate Christmas enthusiastically. That means that right before we head out for the Thanksgiving holidays, we dedicate one afternoon to decorating our office for Christmas. When you put ten or so hands to work, things go pretty quickly. This old house-turned-office is magical this time of year, so we thought it would be fun to give you a little tour.

Welcome to Living Proof Ministries, we’re so happy to show you around.

Our office is pretty no matter what time of day…

But at night it glows.

Come inside…

Our entryway. I personally don’t think this picture does it justice. It’s too pretty to capture. (The first floor is where all things resources take place. If you glance back in that hallway through those doors, that’s where everything is wrapped, packaged and shipped out.)

This table usually sits where our Christmas tree goes.

The Boardroom

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care. (By the way, mantels are my most favorite thing to at Christmas. They’re magical.)

O Holy Night (courtesy of Lindsay Letters)

A Nativity Set in the entryway.

Welcome to the second floor, where everything admin happens. Do you like the way we swagged Kimberly’s desk? Also, if you’ll enlarge this picture, you can see our other Kimberly (whom we refer to as KMac) waiving at you guys. My coworkers really didn’t want to be in any of the pictures. I tried my hardest!

This is where we hang all of our Christmas cards. It’s still pretty early, but soon this will be full of many smiling faces!

A wreath on the door to a room we call the “Red Room”. You’ll notice on all of our wreaths the word Joy! This is appropriate since that is our word of the month and theme for December. But no, it was not planned, just something that stuck out to me as I was taking pictures.

We use this table to break at and enjoy lunch every now and then.

A jingle bell Christmas tree.

A Willow Tree Nativity Set

This is the mantel and fire place in our director, Sabrina’s, office. You can’t see them very well but she has twinkle lights on it!

Another wreath. Another joy.

Another wreath leading into Beth’s office.

A miniature Christmas tree at her entryway.

A little sleigh with scented pinecones and a fun Christmas CD. Wink, wink.

An angel. (The first picture I took of her made her look like a ghost because the light was way too bright and washed her out. So that was cool.)

Some table decorations in a side room upstairs.

Santa? Or Saint Nicholas? Grin.

Some sparkly garland above Beth’s bookshelves.

And for good measure, one more wreath in her office with a little joy on it. Grin.

Merry Christmas pillow.

The fireplace all decorated in Beth’s office.

Merry Christmas from us to you! We hope you enjoyed the tour!

Every so often I come across a song that ministers to me deeply. I don’t know what the Lord uses to speak to you intimately, but besides His Word, for me, it’s music. It is very easy for me to recall songs from different seasons that carried me, and more often than not, they were actually words from scripture put to song. I like that a lot.

I remember being really into Shane and Shane’s Psalm CD my first year of college without realizing the songs were all actual Psalms. I know, label me flakey. Anyway, it wasn’t rare that I would come across a Psalm and suddenly realize I already had the whole thing memorized because I’d been singing it for years. Things like that make me so happy.

A couple months ago Audrey Assad came out with a new CD that I immediately fell in love with. (If you’ve not heard any of her music, you’re missing out on an angelic blessing.) Two songs in particular I played over and over and over again and, to this day haven’t grown weary of them. In fact, the more I listen to them the more they make my heart swell. It’s these two songs that I’ve listened to in some dark and lonely moments that have brought me back to the goodness of who God is.

The first song I heard off of that CD and clung to for dear life was Good To Me.

I’ll pause and give you a minute to go download it on iTunes. (I promise you won’t be disappointed. And if you are, let me know and I’ll pay you back that 0.99 cents.)

Side note: I just realized you are able to listen and download the song here. You’re welcome. (And that’s straight from Audrey’s website, in case you are skeptical of that.)

And if you needed any more convincing, here are the lyrics. Let them soak into your soul.

I put all my hope in the truth of Your promise
And I steady my heart on the ground of Your goodness
When I’m bowed down with sorrow I will lift up Your name
And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy

Because You are good to me, good to me

I lift up my eyes to the hills where my help is found
Your voice fills the night – raise my head up to hear the sound
Though fires burn all around me I will praise You, my God
And the foxes in the vineyard will not steal my joy

Because You are good to me, good to me

Your goodness and mercy shall follow me
All my life
I will trust in Your promise

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that it took me one listen to fall completely in love with this song, but I’ll readily admit that although I could pinpoint the obvious scripture references, I was confused by the foxes in the vineyard stealing my joy.

Some of you might immediately recall that reference, but me? Not so much. If you’re anything like me, you appreciate song lyrics, but more than that, you want to know what they mean and what you’re singing, so I looked it up.

And that’s when I came across this word picture:

“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards–for our vineyard is in bloom.” Song of Songs 2:15 (NET)

Since Song of Songs isn’t my go-to book these days, it’s no surprise that I found that reference hidden in there. I don’t pretend to be a scholar and am certain I’ll never be labeled as one, but I have to believe that although I’m not married, because this is found in scriptures, it applies to me just as much as it would apply to anyone.

Because those foxes? They represent all the little hindrances and obstacles that threaten to sabotage my relationship with Christ. They restrain, restrict and put up barriers between Jesus and me. I can only imagine the foxes that sneak up on marriages. Or relationships.  Or families.  Or neighborhoods.  Or churches, for heaven’s sake!

Jealousy, envy, discord, anger, bitterness, insecurity, anxiety, lust, discouragement, hatred and the list could go on and on.

If we don’t continually nip them in the bud, the foxes will seek to spoil the growing fruitful vineyards.

What are your foxes? Last week I sat down, and besides the obvious circumstances I can’t control that threaten to steal my joy (and oftentimes they do), I listed out each of the foxes I’ve let in my vineyard. The things I do have control over because of Christ in me. It was amazing the difference it made in my week. Declaring out loud those ugly flaws. I dare us to ask the Lord to deliver us from them, ask the Lord to catch them before they can ruin one grape. Before they can pounce on you at the first sign of any good fruit.

Deliver us, Lord. Let not one fox steal our joy, because YOU, God are so good to us.

In the words of a very wise Bible study teacher, Joy Cometh!

Amen.

Last week through twitter I happened to come across an article on singleness. (Let me say upfront that although I’m using that as a springboard, this post isn’t about singleness, but rather each of our different longings. Because let’s be so honest, that is one of many longings left unmet. Okay, I feel better now. Grin.) Before reading it all the way through I quickly glanced through bits and pieces and the sweet girl who put herself out there had mentioned that she was 23 years old. A couple hours later when I had a moment, I actually read the entire post but realized her age had been removed.

And then I got to the comments.

It was no wonder that she removed her age because the first comment that I laid my eyes on was from someone ripping her to shreds for writing an article on singleness at the age of 23. What did she know? They were 34 and had waited a lot longer. How dare she?

Instantly I got defensive for this poor girl because a) I know all too well what it’s like to put yourself out there to then get slammed by the people instead of built up and b) since when was there an age limit that we could talk about singleness? Since when could we not express our desires until we had been labeled an expert? I didn’t comment because my blood pressure was too high and I’m pretty sure I would have said things I would have later regretted, but here is what I know and I would have said to that sweet girl if I could go back to that post:

The longings the Lord gives us are real. I don’t care if you’re 16 or 67, each desire and longing the Lord puts in us in something we have to lay down every single day.

At 23 I thought the world was ending because no one had put a ring on my finger. It was right after college that I was swimming in the deep end of all things weddings because that was the age that I watched seven of my close friends walk down the aisle to their beloved. Every turn I took I ran into another wedding, and with great joy, mind you, but I was reminded that I too had a longing that had yet to be fulfilled. If there was ever a time I could have said, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” that would have been it.

Following that year, I’ve learned a lot about myself, grown a lot and matured in many ways regarding my present season, but I don’t discredit that year any more than I do this year.

When we are vulnerable, I don’t think we’re asking for someone to slam us into the pavement, rather, we need to hear, “I understand.”, “I’ve been there, too.”, “There is hope!”  “I’m so sorry you’re hurting.” and “You are not alone.” While I need people speaking truth to me every day and believing for me when I’m weary and tired, I also just want people to listen without fixing or listen without giving me their go to Jesus answer. We know God is sovereign, God is good and God has not forgotten us when life looks strangely dim, but we also need a safe place to share our longings and not be shamed for feeling alone, or misunderstood. There’s a time and place for correction and truth, but when compassion is extended, even if we don’t fully understand, that’s when ministry happens. Heaven forbid we become people who throw the first stone at those who are trying to live honest lives.

Last week I happened to have a little more alone time than usual and in some silence, I realized I had let a handful of anxiety slip into unnecessary areas of my life. I was achy and although on the outside things looked peachy, my insides were a hot mess. Later on in the week after I had the wherewithal to put my thoughts to paper (which doesn’t always happen, by the way) and I was able to make some sense of the stirrings I continually sit with. The truth is, I know I can sound like a broken record, and maybe you feel like that too, but in reality, no amount of freedom, success, friends, right words, traveling, passions, sleeping in (all of the perks of singleness) can suppress a deep longing that gets left untouched. (This is true of any deep longing in any season of life.) That list of pros are things I pursue and do all the time, but it doesn’t fill the void where some true longings lay dormant. This I do know, some longings are to be placed at the feet of Jesus everyday, it’s a faith journey and a trust walk that honestly gets more personal every year. This is true for every longing or dream that’s been shattered whether you’re 20 or 72. The thing of it is, when we entrust ourselves to Jesus, we don’t get to pick and choose how He develops our character to reflect Him. That’s where faith comes in. Trusting that He really does know best and do best.

But at my ripe age of 28, I’ve also learned that every longing inside of us, though we may not know it at the time, is a deeper longing for Jesus Himself. An emptiness He’s put there that can only be met by His love and mercy. When we’re dry and weary, we really want Jesus. When we’re discouraged and lonely, we really want Jesus. When we’re hungry and searching for something, anything to sustain us, we really want Jesus. A day is coming when every longing we’ve ever had will be met by Jesus Himself. That alone gives us some joyful expectation and hope.

Instead of hitting on an already bruised soul, might we extend some kindness and ministry to those that share with us so tenderly? Let us be the ones to remind them that God really does withhold no good thing, and if He is withholding something, as much confusion and pain as it brings at that time, it is ultimately for our good. We’re all deeply flawed humans just trying to get along with and love other deeply flawed humans. Kind words, tender hugs, and a chance to weep with those who weep goes a long way in a cruel and unkind world.

So to you who have an unmet longing, whether it be a husband you long to share life with, a child you long to bring into your home whether through adoption or naturally, a wound from a relationship that is still so fresh and you’re longing for the redemption of a bruised heart, a longing for a dream or passion to come true that’s laid dormant for years, a longing to do something you’ve been waiting to do, a longing to move up in your career, the longing to grieve something you’ve lost, whatever it is, to you I say:

Your longing is safe with Jesus, and please, Lord, I pray you’re longing is safe with us. You can weep for what has yet come to pass. You can be honest. You can rejoice when that thing for which you’ve prayed so long comes to fruition. You can talk about it in the here and now. You don’t have to talk about an unknown future. Sometimes the hardest question to answer when our lives are spinning is, “What’s next?” We want to know, “What’s now?” What is Jesus doing in you today in the midst of your unmet longing? Here you have permission to be honest. You have a voice.

Because Jesus cares. Jesus is holding every tear. Every unmet longing. And Jesus is working everything out for your good and for His glory. Lean into him. Do what it takes to trust him, whether that means putting yourself out there or keeping it in the secret parts between you and God. Your longings are not foreign to Him. To you and to myself I say, God is so faithful, dear sister. Take heart.