See this group of gals?

Varying shapes and sizes?

Would you have ever guessed that that ALL have body image issues?

The overweight one... the one who just had a baby... the thinnest of them...the coach among them.

Each and everyone of them has body image issues.

Why?

Can't say.

Believe it or not they actually all come from a mama who always thinks she looks good.

Not arrogant, just confident.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen her in the mirror say to herself,

"Yeah....you look good".

She has other issues though.

The point...insecurity is common to anyone with XX.

Body image is a common insecurity.

Parenting.

Being a wife.

Our jobs.

Our callings.

Guess what else I found out over the weekend?

Insecurity is common among the XY crowd as well.

So much so that HH and I spent an hour talking about it.

Like, really talking about.

Insecurity freezes us up.

It locks us in place.

Jesus Christ set us free.

The Lord gives His people strength:

the Lord grants His people security.

Psalm 29:11

So what started out as a picture of girls with insecurities is

now a picture of women becoming secure.

And I think they are beautiful!

CALLING THEM OUT!

FIRST- HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER #2
WAIT....MY GOODNESS...ARE YOU 30?
NO....31!

Confession means coming to the point of saying the same thing God says about any specific matter.
Breaking Free - Beth Moore

I am well into week 9 of Breaking Free. Excited to have it nearly done, afraid to go on and not be changed.
When I read this yesterday morning, it hit me.
Hard.
I can not honestly say that all the times I have repented of my sin it was because I saw it as God saw it.
Almost like I have said to Him,
I am sorry that this hurt You, but not really sorry that I did it.
I am sorry that this hurt another, but I don't take it back.
Truth be told I would probably do it all over again.
I was really challenged to not only see my sin as God sees it, but
to say about it what He says about it.
And not just the "big" sins.
The "little" ones to.
To really call them out as He does.
Even the ones that don't technically hurt anyone else.
Even the ones that deal with my money, my eating, my discipline.
To not just be "sorry" but to call them the sin that they are.
To hold them up to the truth of the Word of God and let them be shown in full light.
And then to speak God's word to what I see.
As hard as it may be to speak what God says about my sins, and
although it may hurt beyond anything I can bear, there is hope.
Because just as soon as God calls my sin out, He says this:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
And that sisters, deserve some praise!

MY GRANDBABIES

I would love to say every night, but that would be a lie. Often enough when I pray with the boys at night I include their wives in the prayer. That God would watch over them and protect them. Give them godly parents who love Jesus. That both MCs and their wives would remain pure until the day of their wedding. The MCs have no clue what that is about, but He knows what I mean. So much so, last night I prayed for MC 1 and his wife, and when I prayed for MC 2 I forgot his. When I finished he asked in the sweetest little preschooler voice, "What about my vivfe (wife)?"

Fear not, we covered her in prayer real quick.

Even though we talk about their future wives I was a little surprised when MC 1 brought home this picture.

It is a drawing of MC 1 (orange line for hair) and his wife (girl on the top level) and their two kids, a boy and a girl. I have a couple of observations (some distressing) about this drawing:

1. Notice the perfectly curled hair on both mother and daughter. It flips so nicely.

2. The boy must be adopted or there is a genotype that needs some serious examination.

3. Why are there no stairs to the second level?

4. Look at the size of that chair and TV. MC 1 is just an apple - that's all I am sayin'.

5. Finally, why is my son letting my granddaughter play in the fire unsupervised? Or perhaps he is paying for his raising? No - that would be MC 2. So why is my son letting my grandbaby play in that fire?

I am totally keeping this picture for that special day. We will see how it matches up. I am just glad our family hasn't messed him up so bad he doesn't want one of his own, know what I mean?

SIS

The sisters and I descended

upon baby sister's house for this:

This is our host Charlie

because our hostess had the gall

to be somewhere else when we arrived.

I would not be incorrect in saying

one or five calls to his wife may

have been made in a vain attempt

to be rescued from us.

The aunt's have arrived.

Which is good for us because we got to see her...

and him....

who after the 20th or so picture

felt the charm of "the aunts" had worn

off and just wanted his mommy.

Sorry for the poor quality of these pics,

but I thought these banners were so very awesome.

The ladies of Grace Bible really did an outstanding job.

We all told baby sis to get her rear end up there this summer

and join up with this group of ladies.

Besides, how could you not love someone

who provided this for lunch....

* I can't explain why the spacing doubled half way through. Just think of it as blogspots way of keeping you from being bored. Grrrr.....*

A HOUSE DEVOURED...

I, like some 300,000 other women across this nation, attended the Beth Moore So Long Insecurity Simulcast. I had the joy of attending with all three of my sisters, compliments of me madre. We will get to that tomorrow.
Today, I am recovering from the fallout of leaving three men children (some grown) at home by themselves. My fridge and I need a day. Or maybe two.
Upon returning to my abode (and mind you I was gone for less than 24 hours) I discovered the following:
1. 1 entire package of grated cheese devoured.
2. Over 2/3 of a package of lunch meat (intended for MC 1 this week ) gone.
3. 8 hamburgers buns (4 of which were planned for a meal later in the week) MIA.
4. Peanut Butter stash obliterated.
5. Chips (for lunch as well) destroyed.
6. The front of MC 2 dresser drawer leaning up against the wall ( and I quote "Yeah, I am not really sure how that happened. They were just getting some clothes").
7. The clean house I left on Friday downgraded to a frat house after a theme party (minus the beer cans).
So as my men children eat grape jelly (whose survival I am sure was solely based upon the fact that it had a safety seal for it was out in the cabinet as well) and bread sandwiches this week I pray it is a lesson learned.
However, I am going to guess that teenage boys aren't much better. The lesson learned is probably going to be for me. How to leave the house and hide the food. Yes, that is what I need to do.
Hope you have a great Monday.
Tomorrow...the arrival of the AUNTS!

Luke 12:28-30

If then God so clothes the grass,

which today is in the field

and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,

how much more will He clothe you,

O you of little faith?

And do not seek what you should eat or drink,

nor have an anxious mind.

For all these things the nations of the world seek after,

and your Father knows you need these things.

NKJV

WELL...

HH hurt his back.
Bad.
So bad that he spent Tuesday and Wednesday at home with myself and MC 2.
He is on the mend, but still in some pain.
Having said that, then you with husbands know that my week did not go as planned.
However, I am not sure there ever was a real plan, but had there been one, his injury would have set it back.
Tuesday night was a rough one. HH self-medicated. I don't know and I didn't ask how. I just checked for a pulse and breathing. His "meds" made him not sleepy, so we stayed up past 11. Finally I said night night only to be awoken at 2am by MC 1 having a bad dream. He saw slug in the kitchen and it triggered a nightmare about an army of slugs getting on him. Gross, I know. So off to the mattress I go. He finally went back to sleep but appeared to tag MC 2 so he could now be it. Up at 3am with tummy ache and spent 2 hours sleeping on the bathroom floor. No other actual symptoms, but with him you can never be to sure. I got 4 days worth of scripture reading done so that was a plus. All are well now and mommy almost got a full night of rest.
This weekend the sisters and I are seeing, as HH referred to he last night, "that woman they like to listen to." That would be Beth Moore. I am sure she has never been paid such a high compliment. We will have some girl time and probably make Chuckie wish he had gone away for the weekend.
So, I hope you have a great day. Pray you blessed, that you have eyes to see it and ears to hear it, and that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your God, my God, our God loves you.