Spiritual Gift..

I just looked down at my calendar on my desk at home, it reads:

"Your spiritual strength comes as a gift from God."

Hebrews 13:9

I have come across this verse two different times today, so I think I should take note, huh?

"It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace," Hebrews 13:9

Grace, meaning, something I receive that I do not deserve. My paraphrase, It is GOOD, meaning ~desirable, with favor, for my heart to be strengthened from a gift that has been given to me from God. But wait, read on in Hebrews, see verse 15 and 16...

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

And do not forget to do good
and to share with others,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I "so" want to please God and confess his name. I truly believe in the face of hard times, that God does give me strength and it is a gift from only Him. I believe I am called to help others, and by having God's gift to strengthen me, I can. I will continue to praise him --- no matter what---.

New Haircut...

Jason took Layton to get his haircut this afternoon, in fact, they both got haircuts. Amazing, Layton threw no fits...I suppose because Lauren and I were not there! I love kissing on this head...he looks so much older than 2 yrs... he is more than I could ever have dreamed of or wished for---truly a gift from God!

Optimism vs Realism...Lorri vs Jason...

Optimism: "A tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation"

Realism: "Concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary"

There you go, in a nutshell, the difference in me and my husband, Jason. I tend to make decisions fairly easy and he sees all the roadblocks. I was reminded tonight visiting a client of mine. She actually used the words, realistic, describing herself, and of course, he the optimistic side.

I told my client, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission! oh yes Jason, I just voiced that on my blog!

Clinging to His Will...

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Be joyful always;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually;

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "

When I first typed this verse, I thought it was one verse, but WOW, it is three verses. I suppose it is that important. Have you ever thought about when you write a letter, an email, a blog... how you make new paragraphs, how your showcase your important points? I often repeat this verse to myself, I mean these VERSES, I will continue to repeat, but with a pause, a pause between each verse, and I will cling to this promise, that it is God's will for me!

Good relaxing day!

Ever have just a good day! Well, today was one of them,

Cinnamon rolls...

Church...

Lunch with mother and daddy...

Hallmark movie and a nap...

Dinner for my daddy's birthday at our house...

Layton and Lauren...

Hot bath...

Catching up on Facebook and blogging...

Goodnight!

Wait In Expectation...

Psalm 5:3

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait in expectation."

Love, Love, Love this, expectation- eagerly anticipating, what God will do! I hope I can remember this verse everytime I anticipate something in the future: a holiday, a visit from Layton or Lauren, time with my parents, lunch with Jason, a vacation, a "closing" at work...that is exactly how I should feel when I lay my request before God.

Wait

In

Expectation!

Big n Little...

Layton has to put his shoes right beside Boo Boo's...


What a difference in size, hehe...

Jason picked up Layton from school, they came home and watched Monsters Inc. Aren't' they cute?...

Motivation...

I surely like this saying below: perfect in my business!

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

His Footstool...

Acts 7:49

"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things?'"


Stephen in Acts 7 actually summarizes the Old Testament in this one chapter...amazing! At the end of his speech, he was stoned! He stood up for what he believed!

Contrast the size of the chair and footstool above. Picture Heaven as the chair and the earth as the footstool...we cannot even fathom what is waiting for us! I get so involved in my life that I forget how big my God is...

Whataburger's Birthday...

Tuesday, August 3, from 5-8pm... Dine in only! Free!

Out with the Old, IN with the new!

A good friend and client of mine sold this set of wicker to Lauren for $50...

She repaired the legs, painted and bought cushions. Isn't it adorable! Good Job Lauren! :)

Enjoyment brings Joy!...

Ecclesiastes 8:15

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun."

I like this verse, I like it that "joy" will accompany me in my work if I enjoy my life! Seems to easy, huh!

Ponder on this: You have to enjoy first, I liken this to contentment, THEN Joy follows!

Poor Kittens :)

This picture says it all! :)

Layton and Grey ~ First Meeting...

This is Layton with Grey, when he first met Grey! Grey did not care how Layton carried him! :)

Live and Learn...

I attended the Texas Association of Realtors Region 5 meeting today. I always take away at least one thing when listening to experienced, knowledgeable business people. Bill Jones, Chairman of the Board, told three things he learned from his mother in real estate...

This can also apply in our everyday lives, family, or any business field,

1. Show up

2. Pay Attention

3. Tell the truth

Just love it, so true, and you will probably hear me say these (3) again!

Are you Inauthentic?...

"It is impossible to be inauthentic when you focus on my presence."

You will have to think on this one, this hits hard!

Matthew 6:1

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

PS I believe the picture above is inauthentic, another words, "fake".

Two cats and a Two Year Old...

I went with Lauren to Lindale tonight to pick up Two FREE kittens...Layton was adorable. He immediately fell in love with the gray cat...He would not put him down. The cat stayed in his lap the whole way home, and we heard him telling the cat, "I love you cat"... we also caught him holding his head and kissing him on the mouth! I am sure I will have more pictures to follow, but here is one shot of him in the back seat with both of the kittens. Memories for sure, surely, :)

Just imagine...

John 21:25

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

I finished reading the Book of John today. The last verse is above. Can you imagine, "even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written"....What an amazing God, who sent his Son for all of US... I wonder if God sees the earth as the picture above? Just stop and think about how small we are in the universe, but yet God knows each and everyone of us by name!

Evening with Layton...

I came home late today to this lil' munchkin. He and Boo Boo were watching movies... :)

Possible ? Yessss...

Before I tell you this story, I want you to know that Saturday morning, during my bible time, I had really been thinking about my belief, my faith, was it "strong enough", do I really, really believe if I pray~ that God will listen to me, do I really believe that he controls everything....do I only believe with my mind, or does it really come from the heart. I know I am a born again Christian, but do I really, really have faith. Mind you, I do not doubt my salvation whatsoever, I want to believe so strongly and not just with my mouth. Saturday was such a busy work day, fitting in several clients, I realized I had a voice mail. It was a woman that needed my help, she was family member of one of my clients.

I want to write about my conversation with this 83 year old woman. I meet her tomorrow, but Saturday we had a "talk". She began telling me her story, as all new clients do. As she talked, I thought to myself, "you know Lorri, you have been selling in this price range recently and there really isn't a lot out there that will satisfy this lady". I began to tell her this may be challenging, and she stopped me by saying, "Lorri, I have a very strong belief in God, and he has always led me to the right place. God will find me the right place." I immediately told her, "I believe in God also, I will help you the best I can." This lady did not skip a beat, she absolutely, surely, without a doubt, believes that God is totally in control of her life and destination.

So today is Sunday, and guess what? I read a devotional, I always reference all the verses that come with each devotional, and what verse popped out on the page, hmmmm, read below:

Matthew 19:26

"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Wow, what an answer...This lady has that true faith, I cannot wait to spend time with her.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story....and by the way, God put this lady in my life for a reason...don't you love it... :)