My dear Siestas, talk to me today about miracles. I know some people who could use one. Take some stones of remembrance this day and be used of God to build up somebody’s faith. Ground rules: No exaggerations. No make believe. Just pure honest Biblical truth about what you know your God can do from first hand experience.

You guys are so dear to me.

Lord Jesus, show up in a mighty visitation this week in our community. You are our Hope and our Salvation. In You we place our trust. The very sign of that first Christmas was a miracle: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.'” O Come, O Come Immanuel. So many need to know You are here. Grant us eyes to see and hearts to love. You are our everything. Thank You for Your goodness to us.

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Oh, I hate to put this post up so close to Curtis’s concerning the upcoming Passion Event but this one is super time-sensitive. If you haven’t read his post, please go back and take a look then get word to every college-age person you know. And let’s help as many of them as possible to afford the trip! We are huge fans of what God is doing through Passion and our entire family is involved. Even Keith gets totally into this one.

Now, for the quickest post in Siesta Mama history: ANYBODY WANT TO GO TO DEEPER STILL THIS WEEKEND BUT CAN’T AFFORD IT??? We’re looking for the first 15 of you to call Living Proof Ministries at 1-888-700-1999 during work hours today or tomorrow. Talk to either Kimberly or Susan.

I love you guys! Hey, how many of you are going this weekend? Whether you’re going or not, PRAY FOR US!

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Good morning, Sweet Things! I’ve sure had you on my mind this morning. I just got back from a long brisk walk with Star and took in the wonder of God through stormy thick clouds and heavy winter winds. (Think South though. Everything’s relative here.) I had planned to work out on my equipment in the garage but once I saw the cool wind whipping the leaves off the trees, I couldn’t resist getting out in it. I thought I just might feel a hint of God in that great northern and I did. I told Him how mighty I think He is and how wonderful. How capable He is of doing utterly anything. How nothing is impossible for Him. Then I asked Him certain things and, even though I don’t know exactly how He will answer, I know that He will indeed answer.

Oh, Sisters, we are among the most blessed people on this planet. Do you know today how blessed you are?? We have the King of the universe to look to and to be loved by. He planned for each of us before the foundation of the world and even chose the works we would do in His great name. (Eph. 2:10) He intentionally set us in our generations and planted us with divine purpose in our parts of the earth. (Acts 17:24-27) I am amazed by Him this morning.I don’t want to take divine intervention for granted. We – you and me – are the stuff of miracles. Even to discern the living, breathing voice of God through His written Word is a wonder.

I am anxious to hear from you through today’s Talk To Me Tuesday topic! I’d like to know about a time when you were desperate for divine wisdom in a particular area (whether relational, work, ministry, or otherwise) and you had no idea what to do. You sought God and you received wisdom that you are certain only He could have given you. For all you women who have walked with God for ten or more years, one thing I’ve noticed on this blog is that we are actively mentoring our young women whether we realize it or not. We have many college-age women in this community as well as a number of high school girls that post comments often. Have you seen them on there? It blesses me every time! They are looking to us to help them learn how, among other things, to hear from God and discern direction. Share today (as succinctly as possible!!) how you received wisdom from God to do something that you know you wouldn’t have figured out any other way. This is not limited to all of us mentor types, however. Scripture proves through examples like Samuel and David and Timothy that God speaks to the young as well as the old.

Talk to me, Siestas! When have you lacked wisdom, petitioned God earnestly for it, and known without a doubt you received it?

PS. I almost forgot! If you used one of your Siesta’s recipes for Thanksgiving, tell her, too!

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Hey, Sweet Things!

I’m writing this to you the afternoon before Thanksgiving. I will be too covered in family to have much time for written reflections on the actual day. I’m here by myself at my house of so many years. From where I’m sitting at our big round dinner table (my favorite piece of furniture in my house), I can see the top of the stairs. It seems like only yesterday, two little blond girls stood at the top of those stairs with their nightgowns on, their blankets clutched tightly in their arms, and adorable little bedheads, looking down at me in the kitchen, saying, “Is it morning yet, Mommy?”

It usually wasn’t what any decent sleeper could ever call morning but who can resist warm, snuggly preschoolers fresh out from under the covers? Especially if they hadn’t wet the bed? And, thank God, I was spared a pair of bedwetters. It really was yesterday that I saw two other children those same ages apart at the top of those same stairs, both with an uncanny resemblance to the first two. “Bibby, can I have a treat? And milk? Or juice? And can it be chocolate?”

“The juice or the treat, Buddy?”

Thinks for a moment.

“The TREAT!”

Good choice.

Well, that’s what the oldest one said anyway. The younger one just echoed, “Treat, Bibby! Treat!” I was standing within three feet of that one. She only gets to be arm’s distance from Bibby most of the time.Her smile melts my heart. Her little short pony tail slays me. And her miniature track suit is more than I can bear. I can’t stop laughing over the mysterious fact that, when you ask her what her (hard-to-pronounce) name is, she emphatically says, “Paw Paw.” You can imagine that Keith isn’t about to be the voice of reason. He likes things just like they are.

I feel so thankful today. And not because it’s been a sparklingly spotless year for the extended Moore/Jones/Fitzpatrick family because it hasn’t. Is any whole year like that?? Any whole month?? It’s certainly not for this flawed crew. I feel gratitude because God has been gracious to us and right there with us through every up and down. I don’t know about your house but life can be a roller coaster here at this address. He’s kept His word to us even when we didn’t keep ours to Him. He is always better than He has to be.

Sometimes we just need the quiet to reflect on His goodness. I’m getting that today. Keith’s running errands. The dogs are outside. Sweet potatoes are cooling off on the kitchen counter and I just pulled a large iron skillet of cornbread (yes, drenched in bacon grease) out of the oven.

It’s everything I can do not to tear off a piece of that hot cornbread and butter it and shut my eyes and be back for just a moment in my mama’s kitchen with her and my grandmother. They’d crumble theirs up in “sweet milk” and eat it with a spoon but I wouldn’t. I’d just laugh at their wonderful countryside and eat mine like I was mostly city side, except for licking my fingers and maybe my hand. And they’d say in unison, “Well, you’re snubbin’ your betters.” I miss them so much today but I’ll try to do them right with my  turkey and dressing. Thoughts like these make me grin really big and feel like I could cry if I’d let myself.

But I won’t. Because I’m too busy.

Georgia Jan (who I became friends with through Siestaville) and I have already compared notes today on our dressing recipes. The holidays make us want to reach out and connect with people who have touched us through the year. Or through a lifetime. Thanksgiving is about so much more than cooking and traveling. We all know that. It’s about being audaciously deliberate in celebrating the goodness of God with at least a few people you really love. Or maybe just really like. Even for one day. People as quirky as you are. And probably because they’re kin to you.

Here are a few things I feel especially thankful for today:

For a belief system where we can have absolute certainty of our salvation.We know this isn’t it. We know where we’re going and it’s good. We know that this turns out very well.

For a belief system where nothing – not even your worst disaster or failure – gets wasted.

For a belief system where every day is a new day and every act of repentance is a brand new beginning.Who has that but us???

For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the entirety of my belief system.

For His indwelling Spirit who enables me to be so different than the old me. And different tomorrow from today’s me.

For the sacred holy Scriptures. Oh, thank You, Lord. My food and my drink.

For my man. Every year we defy the odds. He just walked in the door and kissed me on the forehead. I’m thankful we’re at it again.

For the inestimable, ongoing gift of my blood daughters, Amanda Moore Jones and Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick. My best friends. I really don’t know what a soul mate is exactly but, as best I can tell, they’re both mine. I never have a thought they’re not some part of, in this way or that.

For my three beloved sons, each “my true son” in the spirit of the Apostle Paul’s words to Titus: Curtis Jones, Colin Fitzpatrick, and Travis Cottrell. They are that to me. Trav and me on a speed walk in Rapid City, South Dakota, last Friday morning:

Oh, mercy, for my darlings, Jackson and Annabeth. If life is a meal, they are my constant dessert. From the backseat of the car just a few days ago:

(At the age where he makes goofy faces but there still ain’t no denying he’s one handsome boy.)

For my co-laborers in the great Gospel of Jesus Christ at LPM. “The Village.” I love them so much.

For my extended family on both sides. Blood brothers and sisters and the same in-laws for decades. For the inexpressible privilege of having my older sister, Gay, back in my everyday life. Not a day goes by that I take that for granted.

For Keith’s parents and, gracious me, at this point my own: John and Sue Moore. We want them next to us for the rest of their years.

For the unspeakable gift of spiritual daughters. I did not see that one coming. DELIGHT.

For my dear friends. The kind that have had my personal cell number since my first phone. And don’t mind carrying on a whole lot of relationship by text.

For my pastor, Gregg Matte, and his wife, Kelly, and their two children. For the church family they shepherd. I’ve never seen one exactly like it.

For my neighbors who love me even though they think I’m a tad whacked.

For renewed physical strength and health. I was one sick girl this time last year.

For YOU.

Yep, you, Siestaville. I thank God for you. You’ve made my life richer in Jesus. And at the end of the day, that’s what I care most about.

For just this moment, I picture all of you on this list right here at my small table and I smile.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.  Psalm 28:6-9

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Good morning, my favorite blog community! I hope you are so blessed this week and that, no matter what your year has been like, your thoughts are on God’s goodness to you this Thanksgiving season. One thing is pretty certain: you are BUSY. Most of you are either going, coming, cooking or eating. Some of us who are in charge of our family gatherings are doing all four. I started my grocery shopping list this morning and I’m already in Pre Traumatic Stress thinking about getting to Kroger today. Not really. I’m actually looking forward to it. I love this time of year and especially this holiday because it’s not so commercialized.We will miss Melissa and Colin like crazy this week but we are so glad they are joining another family in the Atlanta area on Thursday. They can’t get home to their folks this year either so they’re all celebrating together. I hope so much that many of you are doing the same thing. Borrow a family this year if you can’t get home!

I think God’s given me a neat idea for today’s “Talk To Me Tuesday.” As you can see from the alteration in the title, we are going to do something a little different today. You’re going to be talking to someone else instead of me but you’ll have this platform to make it public and, in doing so, extra special. Sometimes a public acknowledgment can esteem someone like nothing else. It’s your way of saying, “I want everybody to know how wonderful this person is and how much God has used him/her in my life.” Choose one person that God has used to bless you this year and express your thanksgiving to God for them through a letter the length of one meaty paragraph. (Please no longer or people will tend to scroll past it. If it’s too long, we have a hard time publishing it anyway.) I know that it’s hard to choose just one person so consider making your choice based on the one who might not often get a public acknowledgment or might need the encouragement the most. You will address the letter straight to them: Dear _________________… (And then sign it, of course.)

After it’s been posted, jot down the time it appears and let your person know to look for it.

I think this will be such a sweet post. I am looking so forward to seeing you boast in the Lord by giving very specific gratitude to someone He’s used to bless you. Over and over in the epistles, the Apostle Paul set this example.

So, go for it, Girls! You are so dear to me. And I dearly love seeing how dear you are to one another. May God smile every time He casts His eyes toward this webtown we call Siestaville. I love you and will certainly talk to you later this week!

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