Mothers of the Bride Pay It Forward

August 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, has someone provided some sort of help to you during your wedding planning process? Has someone given you the benefit of her MOB experience or loaned you some needed items or offered a listening ear? Has someone has been a blessing?

Well now you can pay that blessing forward, MOB. When a friend, family member, or casual acquaintance provides a breath of fresh air in our lives, it’s just natural to want to bless someone else in the same way.

What can you do for another mother of the bride now or in the future? Could you loan someone your copy of your favorite wedding planning book? Maybe you could be your MOB friend’s shopping buddy for a day—which is always fun, wedding planning or not, right? Or do you have a beautiful cake knife and server set or champagne bucket someone else could benefit from? What about the always needed and helpful white rose garland or glass candle bases?

Mother of the Bride, possibilities abound when it comes to blessing another MOB so why not stop and consider what you have to offer. And then do it—offer your help. You’ll be rewarded with a big smile and many thanks as well as the personal satisfaction of lightening someone else’s load.

So go ahead, MOB—pay it forward!

*You might also like to read Post-Wedding Inventory.

*Flickr photo by Buttontree Lane, Creative Commons License

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Find details for the “Back At It” Giveaway on my home page!

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, blessing, encouragement, giving, help, Mother of the Bride, refresh, serve

Midweek Morsel: To Those Paying for Our Freedom

July 3, 2014 by 1 Comment

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Sometimes we take our freedom for granted here in America. Most of us have been born into the every-day freedom we enjoy, and we forget that freedom for many around the world is a luxury.

We need to always remember that our freedom has come and continues to come at a cost. Our right to freedom here in the US is, in fact, a great privilege purchased for us by all of those who have fought to defend and maintain our nation as a free nation.  Freedom is not to be taken for granted.

So to all of those past and present who have served and sacrificed so that we all might live in the land of the free—thank you! We honor each one, from our nation’s dawning days right up until today.

We are indebted not only to those who have served or are serving but also to their families who are indeed their co-servants, the ones supporting them and loving them and willing them to come home. The ones weeping when they don’t. We honor you. We don’t take you for granted. You have our gratitude and greatest respect. May God’s richest blessings be yours!

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2

*What are some ways we can honor those who serve?

*Flickr photo by familymwr, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, America, fighter, free, giving, pride, protection, serve, thanks

Feelings of Unworthiness: A Tactic of the Enemy

June 30, 2014 by 4 Comments

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Have you ever heard that voice inside your head say who do you think you are to be ________. You fill in the blank. That old and ever-on-the-job enemy of ours, Satan, likes nothing better than to cause us to doubt ourselves and walk away from the work God has given us to do. That’s right, that voice is his and that of his cohorts.

Satan has tried repeatedly to get me to give up writing. When he wants to undermine my writing ministry and work, he’ll say things like, “Who do you think you are to offer spiritual help or words of wisdom and encouragement? You’re not worthy of such a task.”

And you know what? Apart from the grace of God and his forgiveness and cleansing, I am indeed unworthy.

The fact is I mess up. I have issues. At times I struggle with doubt, confusion, and pride. Sometimes I blow it with sinful attitudes, harsh words, and selfishness. My relationships are not always all they should be. And because of these failures, Satan would have believe I’m unworthy to write and share God’s truth and messages of life. He wants me to believe that I’m not worthy of my task of Refreshing Spirits, Nourishing Souls.

But who, in fact, am I? I’m a child of the King. A servant called by God to write of the hope we have in him. Satan wants me to forget that. He wants me to quit writing of God’s love and hope and joy and truth. 

And even though the enemy delights in reminding me that I’m far from perfect, God’s Word tells me that I am forgiven, that I am loved. I’m called and equipped by God. And because Jesus paid the price for my sins and washed me white as snow, I am indeed worthy—worthy to be in God’s family, worthy to do the work he’s called me to do.  

And so, I will keep on writing for him. The enemy loses. I am a worthy child of the King.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

*Do you ever struggle with feelings of unworthiness? What does Satan want you to think you are unworthy to do or to have?

*Flickr photo by PetteriO, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: cleaning, enemy, forgive, grace, serve, sin, trick, victory, wisdom, writing

Wedding Day Need: Corsage and Boutonniere Pinner

June 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Shawn getting his bout

Mother of the Bride, do you have someone lined up to pin the corsages and boutonnieres for everyone on Wedding Day? If this is one thing that hadn’t occurred to you yet, go ahead and add it to your list of things to do. And while you’re at it, you might want to arrange for a back-up.

Your florist may offer to pin the flowers for you, but if so, be sure to have a Plan B in place. When Kristin and Shawn got married, the florist told us he’d take care of it for us, but when we arrived at the church, he’d already been there, dropped all the flowers off, and left. Thank goodness, one of Shawn’s groomsmen had experience with event planning. Hamilton stepped up and saved the day. (Thanks, Hamilton!)

If you’re lucky enough to have a wedding coordinator, he or she will take care of this task. When Kelli and Jake got married, their church had a wedding coordinator that worked with each couple getting married in their church. She did the pinning as a part of her services. And was I ever thankful. Let’s just say I am not mechanically inclined :)

Make sure you have this wedding day need filled, MOB. This is one job you don’t want to have to do when your nerves may already be jangled!

*You might also like to read Attention to Detail.

*Photo by Chris Humphrey

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Filed Under: advice, flowers, help, Mother of the Bride, preparation, serve

Risking the Awkward

April 28, 2014 by 15 Comments

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Do you ever hold back from doing a certain thing—something you either want to do or feel like you should do—because you feel awkward? I certainly have. And truth be told, most of us probably fail to act on good impulses time and again.

Not long ago, my friend Elaine at Peace for the Journey wrote a blog post called The Unspoken Blessing (well worth the read, by the way). It made me think of the many times I’ve left words unspoken—usually because I would feel awkward speaking them. I left a comment for Elaine and told her this:

“One of my heart’s desires, Elaine, is to encourage others. . . Even so, I miss times of speaking blessing into the lives of those around me. I’ve noticed sometimes that happens because the other person isn’t really comfortable with receiving spoken love and blessings — and so I hold back at times so neither of us feels awkward. I need to risk the awkward.”

If you’re like me, you need to risk the awkward, too. We need to go ahead and speak words of love even if it feels unnatural in some relationships. We need to voice our admiration and let it be an encouragement. And sometimes we need to offer words of comfort even when we’re afraid we’ll say the wrong thing.

Sometimes we need to risk the awkward in even more uncomfortable situations—like when it’s time to confront or to hold someone accountable. We also need to risk awkward rejection at times in order to be a witness for the Lord. Of course, it’s best to enter situations like these with much prayer, depending on the Spirit’s leading throughout.

Risking the awkward applies not only to our words but to our actions as well. Sometimes we hold back on acts of love or service or gratitude because we’re afraid—afraid of looking silly or offending or that our overtures will be unwelcome in some way. How many opportunities have we let slip by us?

Is it time to set our fears of rejection or personal discomfort aside and risk the awkward, in both word and deed? If we do, I think we’ll find that most of our fears don’t even materialize or that the results are much less uncomfortable than we’d thought they’d be. We’ll probably even receive welcome and positive responses. And then we’ll wonder why we didn’t do or say certain things earlier.

How about it? Let’s risk the awkward!

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

*When was the last time you risked the awkward?

*Flickr photo by Freddie Peña, Creative Commons License

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, will come out next week. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Filed Under: blessing, bravery, encouragement, fear, opportunity, serve, unplowed ground
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