19 things your kids will thank you for

{19 Things we should say to our Children}

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.



2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!



3. It’s all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do.



4. You’ve made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It’s all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.



5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn’t easy, you did it. I am proud of you; you should be too.



6. I’m sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.



7. You can change your mind. It’s good to decide, but it is also fine to change.



8. What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up with that? Tell me more. Your mind is clever!



9. That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that person. That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!



10. I have a surprise for you. It’s not your birthday. It’s for no reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.



11. I can wait. We have time. You don’t have to hurry this time.



12. What would you like to do? It’s your turn to pick. You have great ideas. It’s important to follow your special interests.



13. Tell me about it. I’d like to hear more. And then what happened? I’ll listen.



14. I’m right here. I won’t leave without saying good-bye. I am watching you. I am listening to you.



15. Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?



16. I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!



17. Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it. Let’s see. I’ll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.



18. I’ll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you? If we both work together, we can get this done. I know you can do it by yourself, but I’m glad to help since you asked.



19. What do you wish for? Even if it’s not yet time for birthday candles and we don’t have a wishbone, it’s still fun to hear about what you wish for, hope for, and dream about.

In the distance

I realized I was climbing Afton mountain in the foggy dark morning last Sunday about halfway up. I could see the car in front of me fine one second then all of a sudden the lights on either side of the road were all I could make out. I turned my high beams on to try and pierce the fog so I could see better.

I was in the fog for about 15-20 minutes. I had been going 60-70 now I'm crawling along doing 30, maybe 40. As I was on the mountain praying for the fog to lift there was revelation instantly that Even when we can't see the road ahead God sets out lights on either side to guide us when we pay attention.

In the story of Lots wife we learn the importance of not looking back. She looked back and turned to a pillar of salt. Why would she turn back? What was she searching for behind her that was more important than what was in front of her? Are you looking back instead of forging ahead?

Living under open heavens

I first realized I was living under open Heavens in October of 2011 and it has not stopped since. I am so grateful, thankful and overwhelmed at times. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to  push a car to the limit? Like past its limit? I did, I had a 2002 Saturn Ion with over 150,000 miles, but it was paid for so I pushed it. I pushed it with no bumper on the front for 4 yrs. I pushed it when I got stuck in water and God miraculously let the extended warranty pay all but 100 for a brand new engine. Then in 2011 my poor little car just quit. It was one of those things where it would cost more to get it fixed then what the car was worth. But how was I going to get a new car? Over the years as a single mom I have ruined my credit, all the way down to the middle 500's. I think its subconsciously because my dad always preached about how important it was to have good credit and I wanted to rebel so in order to inflict as much pain as possible on myself I always kept it low.

I began searching everywhere for places that say they help with bad credit and can get you a car. As any of you with bad credit know, its a lie. I don't understand why they want to waste your time and theirs by advertising that, but they do. I searched online, drove around in person for weeks, no luck. Then as a last resort I looked on craigslist. Since I had no money saved for a down payment this was pretty much going to require a miracle. I was pretty desperate. As I begun to search I knew exactly what I was looking for. A Chevy Equinox. My friend Barbara had gotten one a few years earlier and I decided back then that when the Saturn died, I was getting an equinox. So as I began to search and call places I would tell them upfront my story. I have no trade in, no down payment, horrible credit but still would ask them if they could help me. Some places said no right off the bat, others said fill out an application and we will see. One of those places just felt different. It was almost like the lady on the other end of the phone actually listened to me and heard my story. Everyone else I called was doing the uh huh dance after sentence one.

Her name was Rome at Autoclass Direct. I went online to check her & the car out. Looked legit. The car had about 30 pictures online. I looked at everyone. I used to work for the BBB so I check things out with them all the time still. I looked her up and no complaints! This just might be the place for me I thought. I did what she said, filled out the application and emailed it to her. I remember praying Lord, you have gotten me out of some really tight spots in the past and if you want me to have this car I know you can make it happen. I trust you. Your will be done, not mine. Yes I want this truck, but if you want me to have something else you will shut this door.

About two hours later she called me back so I could come test drive it. I was approved!!! At first I thought she maybe called the wrong number so I made sure she knew who she was talking to. Yup, it was me. So I went to the lot, test drove it, did all the paperwork, got insurance on it and took 22 of my own money to get the car. Ya, you heard that right. 22 was all it cost for me, with bad credit, and  no down payment to get into my car. My payments are higher because my interest rate is relevant to my bad credit, but it has been an awesome vehicle.

I took it in for its first oil change and the guy said he hadn't seen many with 70,000 miles that were that well maintained. I was proud of my choice, I was happy in ;my Equinox that I had claimed years earlier. I highly recommend Rome to everyone I know. Great service, honest people. Carfax certified dealer.

I knew God could do it, but having the faith to trust him through the process was the test. In the space between having NO car, to the keys in my hand for this car was the test. Not for God, but for me, of my faith. When those thoughts would come that I am just going to have to get a bus pass to get around I would catch myself and redirect those thoughts to Gods got this. If this isn't what he wants me to have he will open another door somewhere else If I had great credit and 2500 I wouldnt be able to give God the glory for this miracle. You don't need saving when you are in shallow water and can walk on your own. You need to be rescued from deep waters where only He can reach you so He can show you how much he cares.  Now when I face challenges that only He can solve I can say, well God delivered this car to me, so I know he can do it again!! And He has, many times since then!!

Review of Girlfriends at Trinity Church with Tammy Trent

Last May my 9 y/o daughter had the privilege of meeting & dancing with Tammy Trent at the women's conference at Elevate Life church in Frisco. Since then she has written her letters a few times and sent her messages on twitter. Tammy has been so gracious with her time and Destini is always asking me when she is coming back. I saw she was going to be in Cedar Hill last Fri night of course we had to go!

First thing that surprised me about this event is that it was only 10.00. The next thing is that they didn't advertise or put any information on the website until about a month before the event. The day I was able to get tickets was like Christmas in my house. I had one happy kid!

We entered the lobby area and were greeted with bright colors everywhere. Streamers hung from the ceiling, balloon's on a tree, candy on a tree, different pastel colored table cloths on all the tables, and very friendly faces. We hit the registration table and were told to go to the other table because we had purchased online, from there we were checked in and sent over to a special booth for first timers. We filled out a ticket for a special door prizes for first timers and were given a button with a big G on it that let everyone else know to be extra nice to us because it was our first time. There were different backgrounds they made to take your picture in front of, one was flowers, a chair that made you look like royalty, balloons and a big GF sign.

We entered the sanctuary and the set on stage was beautiful. There were two chairs with a small table in between. There were about 6 large circles hanging from the ceiling with streamers covering them. Off to the left were all the door prizes they were going to give out and a blow up machine that said Becky's bucks on it. Inside was cash & Becky bucks to purchase things at their store in the church. Tammy Trent was walking to the stage and spotted Destini, came over hugged her, talked to her and even let her listen to a track that's so new, it doesn't have words yet!!! Genuine and kind is all I can say. I just appreciate her so much. I told her how at school Destini is coming against opposition because the kids in her class consider her the Jesus freak. She encouraged her and spoke into her life again!

Pastor Becky took the stage, whom I had seen milling around and talking to everyone. When I say everyone, I mean, everyone. I don't think there was a lady there that she didn't say hello to. It was very endearing to see her interact with all the ladies. She started right off with door prizes, that was awesome. She was so funny some people weren't as excited as she wanted so she showed them how she wanted them to act, basically like you just won a car on the price is right!! So cute.

Next up was a nutritional holistic counselor talking about cutting out all sugar, high fructose corn syrup and processed things from your diet. She explained how she has lupus & debilitating arthritis and changing her diet made all the difference for her and her autistic daughter.

Then they had a really cute fashion show with ladies ranging from young to old showing how to wear a little black dress. The two MC's were young & hip they worked well together on stage. All the models were ladies that attended the church.

Then as Pastor Becky was talking this chic starts singing, then another, then they rush the stage. There was maybe 30 people on stage ranging from 7-57 they all did a really cute, well choreographed dance and the crowd was on their feet!! After that they transitioned to more door prizes.

Now the next two women took the stage and it felt a little more serious in nature. It was, one was a counselor the other was someone who had attended classes they offer there called Bethesda about being emotionally healthy. She told her story of past abuse, healing from that and restoration.

Oh goodness, by this time its been almost an hour and Destini is getting anxious to see her. Finally she gets introduced and the place goes black. A really cool song plays its almost like a remix Introducing Tammmmyyyy Trreeeennnttt over and over. Then, there she is singing and dancing and giving it all shes got. She had the room moving and grooving right along with her. As she begins she acknowledges Destini and I and my kid is on cloud 9. Tammy jokingly called Destini her BFF last yr when she met her and she has taken that title seriously. She tells people everywhere we go about Tammy and Trent, how he could hold his breath for five minutes, how she is her BFF its really cute. But she is spreading Gods word, his goodness and his restoration without even knowing it. From the stage she shares wisdom about being crazy for Jesus. Nobody can stop the destiny and plan for your life. Understand that God is in every single detail of your life. God is totally committed to you!!

Then she takes us through the roller coaster of Sept. 2001 She missed her calling as a comedian.She is soooo funny. Its not just me that thinks this obviously because everyone else is laughing too. Hilarious. Then come the tears, people are sniffling, tissues are being passed what an emotional story. I have heard her testimony before but it felt like the first time I heard it. I cant explain it. I just appreciated her transparency so much. When she was dancing she motioned for Destini to get on the stage and dance with her again.  The fact she would relive that over and over and over again for our benefit to see Gods goodness just touched my heart in a special way. Then she asked if anyone would like to come to know the Lord. I was praying and had my eyes closed but by her thank you's I am guessing there was about 10-15 at least that raised their hand.PRAISE GOD!! What goodness God brings out of tragedy. WOW

At the end of the night Tammy takes her time to come sign her CD's and books. The line is long so we wait. As you look forward to where she is signing you see her taking time with each person. That really is her gift. She makes you feel like you are her most important friend, forget fan. She is kind and gracious with her time. She smiles as this lady takes, not kidding, atleast 10 pictures with flash that is blinding I am sure. She has two kids, then adds herself, then new people shuffle in and out and the entire time Tammy is gracious and loving. It was so sweet of her. Then Destini gets her turn and her smile could not be bigger!! She loves her sooo much. The fact that she would continue to speak over Destini & encourage her could be the difference in good and bad choices she makes later in life. I would hope that she would always make good choices, but kids try their parents sometimes, so its reassuring to know that even at a young age she has someone she admires encouraging her to love the Lord. The impact she has on peoples lives is far reaching. If you have not heard her story or want to book her at your next event check out www.tammytrent.com you will be blessed by her!!