2012 February

bloom ahead of the crowd

February 29, 2012 By Penny 2 Comments

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:6

Even if you have seemed to bloom ahead of your crowd, you are never alone when you belong to the Lord Smile . Being a pioneer is tough sometimes, but it is better to go ahead with some persecution than to get left behind. Blessings to my fellow trail blazers!!

be blessed on this incredibly beautiful day!

The purpose of Word filled Wednesday is to share God’s word (no famous quotes or other literature — only the beautiful word of our Father) through photo’s & a Bible verse! You can join myself and others at the Internet Cafe Devotions !

Filed Under: family, life in the country, thoughts & ponderings, word of the day Tagged With: buttercup, daffodils, family, lonely, scripture, scripture Christian blog

Three Hearts, real needs met by a real God

February 28, 2012 By Penny 7 Comments

I was recently offered this movie for review and since we are blessed by just about anything associated with Franklin Graham and Samaritans Purse I was happy to take it. Of course they did not let me down. This is more of a reality show than a drama, it is VERY REAL, about 3 families with very real needs met by a very real God. It is intense and will have you praying on the edge of your seat. And it should, there are hundreds of cases just like these. If you don’t think there are enough things to pray about or places to serve or needs in this world that have yet to be met, this will remind you. We are way too spoiled here in America. I think everyone should see this movie. You can win a copy below, just follow the directions .

About Three Hearts:

A passionate team of people work to save the lives of three Mongolian children with life-threatening heart defects.

Graduating college senior, Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, takes on an internship at Samaritan’s Purse working with the Children’s Heart Project. This project is dedicated to saving the lives of children by providing medical procedures that aren’t available in many countries. Cissie is charged with supervising the arrival and surgeries of three Mongolian children suffering from fatal congenital heart defects.

But the task is not easy and filled with unexpected challenges. Cissie balances responsibilities as a newly married wife to a professional football player and her tasks with the internship. Meanwhile the Children’s Heart team turns to a Texas family who travels to Mongolia for the adventure of a lifetime to help bring the children to San Antonio for their surgeries. In Texas, two host families make sacrifices to care for these children and their mothers, while a team of doctors and nurses volunteer their time only to stare directly into the face of life and death. How far would you go to save a life?

It’s a fight for survival, a fight of faith, and a fight for a new life for these three hearts.

Three Hearts DVD

Youtube Trailer Links: http://youtu.be/sMUA8lbbkDU

Youtube Trailer Links: http://youtu.be/1aUxbJd15fk

Christian Book Distributors Link: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=320721

Of course y’all know my opinions are my own, but here is the disclaimer anyway.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: bloggy give away, reviews

the Mighty Macs are here and you can win one!

February 27, 2012 By Penny 8 Comments

We were blessed to receive this DVD to review recently and it was fun. If you love an overcoming story then you will love it. I think my favorite part was the assistant coach Nun whom obviously had a true relationship with the Lord. Her willingness to search for the God plan in all of it was inspiring. Even though I didn’t especially like seeing her and the coach in a bar, I surely did appreciate when she described whom she was married to . You don’t have to be a big sports fan to like this movie, you just have to appreciate teamwork.

About the Movie:
It’s 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time … and she’s about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women’s basketball.
In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women’s Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College.
Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she’s willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals—or perhaps she’s just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them.
From the beginning, her challenges are as imposing as the big-school teams Immaculata will face on the court. Cathy learns there is no gymnasium on campus, she receives little support from the school’s Mother Superior, and the school is in dire financial straits. To top it off, she may not even have enough players to field a team!
While it appears the Macs don’t have a prayer, all hope is not lost. With the help of Sister Sunday—a spunky assistant coach—and the support of a booster club of elderly nuns, Coach Rush creates a new game plan that just might bring the team—and the school—together.
Will this pioneer buck cultural norms and spur her rag-tag team to unexpected heights? Or will her hard-driving ways create a wedge between the coach and everyone around her? One thing’s for certain: there’s never been anyone like Cathy Rush at Immaculata!

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Would you like to win a DVD? Follow the directions below.

Of course y’all know my opinions are my own, but here is the disclaimer anyway.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: bloggy give away

my week in review :) and giveaways coming and freedom!

February 25, 2012 By Penny Leave a Comment

We have had the most beautiful weather here in TN lately. I believe it was Wednesday, or maybe it was Thursday, but it was sunny and 75, in February! The buttercups as they call them in South are blooming everywhere, other places they are called Daffodils, I don’t care what name they go by they are beautiful and such a welcome sight.

Well I decided at the beginning of the week to double my workouts, I have a goal I really want to meet. So far, so good.

Then my hughesnet modem went out. Amazing how quickly we have become so attached to the internet. We use it for so many things, ministry, business, schooling, research, and just plain communication. But where there is a will there is a way and I quickly had an alternative, and soon a new modem.

Then we got on a roll with some Spring cleaning, and completely filled the van with stuff for the local thrift store. Some things from the past simply need to be purged, they are sad reminders of things that are no longer a pleasant memory. A word of advice, if something does not bring you Joy, true Godly Joy, then get it out of your way. Including relationships. Some folks we are called to fellowship with everyday and others are just plain a trap to drain you. Years ago I got a huge revelation. I had spent many years trying to please and get along with an extended family member. No matter what I did it backfired I finally cried out to the Lord and asked why it was so hard. His reply was eye opening. He said He never called me to do it. Wow! So I had spent years upon years doing what looked like a good thing but was not a “God thing”. No wonder it was so hard. Some people will never be happy, no NOBODY will ever truly be happy until they submit to Jesus. And if you are and they aren’t well, it is like hot and cold meeting in the sky, produces hurricanes and tornadoes. A relationship like that will suck up those in it’s path and cause destruction. So, the answer? Love them, be polite, but give it to God, stop trying, stop wearing the burden, stop trying to make it work. Love from a distance if necessary. It is better to love from a distance and still have love in your heart than to have constant strife up close. Re-examine what the Word says about family, who really is family? What does He say about it? Of course now that I am doing the God thing, I am accused of doing the wrong thing, but hey, I would rather please the Lord and be free than please a million folks who are looking for a reason to pick anyway. And my hubby agrees and we are in unity. Freedom is priceless.

How was that for a rabbit trail? Someone needed to hear it, hope it brings blessings to you.

Back to blogging. Well have my modem all back in order, this coming week I will be posting giveaways, more than one, so get ready. If you are not already part of my bookstore mailing list, there is a cute little widget in the right column where you join, it is free and you will get notices of new stuff, free ebooks and articles.

And … I am feeling creative, would y’all like to see my ebooks on Kindle? Which would you like to see first? I may do it free. I may get to either that or a blog makeover this weekend.

Hope you had a blessed week

Filed Under: bookstore, family, testimony, Thursday Thirteen, word of the day

is there a storm that is stronger Jesus?

February 16, 2012 By Penny 3 Comments

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41

There is no such thing as a storm too big for Jesus, or one He does not know about. He creates them and always uses them for our ultimate good.

be blessed on this incredibly beautiful day!

Filed Under: word of the day Tagged With: Jesus, safety, scripture, scripture Christian blog, storm, trials, waves, wind

want your own website or blog?

February 16, 2012 By Penny Leave a Comment

I have written before on how to start a website or blog, but things change so when a friend recently asked I thought I would go through it again here. Please add your questions to the comments. Hopefully I can walk thrpough this with Dawn and even share her site with you when she gets it up and running. Probably one of the most important services you need it good hosting. You can compare hosting to the power that keeps your site up and running. Similar to the way your power company keeps all the local merchants in your town open. You can have the biggest best superstore in town but when the power goes out nobody can shop or visit. So good hosting is a MUST. I use Hostgator and they have always been VERY reliable. You can click on the link below to start your own account. One thing you definitely DO NOT want is to host on any site that gives you free hosting, there are plenty to be found and they will rob your potential visitors blind. They will implant their own (sometimes untasteful) ads on your site and track all of your visitors to send them spam. DO NOT, did I say do not? Do NOT use them. If you are going to go to the trouble of building your own site, do it right.