FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT ON A DIET :O)

MINIATURE FRENCH BREAKFAST PUFFS

1/3 c Soft shortening/butter mix
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 ts Nutmeg
1 Egg1/2 c Milk
1 1/2 c Sifted flour
1/3 c Butter, melted
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 ts Salt
1 t Cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease bottoms of 48 smallmuffin cups. Mix shortening, 1/2 c sugar, and eggthoroughly. Sift together flour, baking powder, saltand nutmeg. Stir flour mixture and milk alternatelyinto sugar/shortening mixture. Fill greased muffincups 2/3 full. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.Dip immediately in melted butter, then in mixture ofcinnamon/sugar. Serve hot.

Makes 3-1/2 to 4 dozen.

From Luci Swindoll

July 22, 2009

I just got home from church. My brother, Chuck (whom I call “Babe”) has started a new series on 2 Timothy. Today was focused on the first seven verses of chapter one. It was an outstanding sermon.

How many times have I heard Babe preach? Dozens. Hundreds. Dare I say thousands? I’ve lost count. The church where he ministers–Stonebriar Community, in Frisco, Texas–is maybe three miles from my house, if that...and I came home last night, immediately after the Women of Faith Cleveland event in order to hear him today. Just ask me if it’s worth it. Oh my goodness–there’s nobody like him in the world and every time I have the opportunity to hear him speak, I’m THERE...even if it means taking The Red Eye, or getting up at the crack of dawn to beat the crowd.

As I sat in the service this morning, my mind floated back to when we were kids, tossing a football in the backyard of our little Swindoll home in Houston. Then I thought about all the fishing trips we’ve been on as a family. I remembered Babe’s graduation from high school when he received honors in academia, drama and music. There was a mental picture of his wedding 55 years ago when I was one of the soloists. I recalled his graduation with honors from Dallas Seminary; even his becoming President of DTS some years later. I have the forty-seven letters he wrote me during his time in the Marine Corps and especially when he was stationed on the island of Okinawa, back in the ‘50s. In my library are copies of all the books he’s written, inscribed to me...and in recent months, piles of sermon notes from various messages he’s preached that I’ve shared with friends. And this doesn’t even begin to touch the emails where he’s answered questions I’ve had or given counsel I’ve requested. He’s a fabulous brother and a joy to my life in a thousand ways.

But, here’s my favorite of life’s sweetest joys–when I moved back to Texas five years ago from having lived thirty years in Southern California, I did so to be closer to the Women of Faith office and more centrally accessible to an airport for our weekend trips. And what did the Lord do in the meantime? He moved Babe and Cynthia down the street from me, about six blocks away. And why did God do that? Because

“He’s famous for great and unexpected acts; there’s no end to His surprises” (Job 5:8). I didn’t know that was going to happen when I moved to Frisco. And now, there they are...just down the road. In a matter of months, Babe will be 75 and I’ll be 77. All of a sudden we’ve been given these final years together and I couldn’t be happier. We’re closer than we’ve ever been... in every way. It’s a gift of God’s grace!

Don't miss out on God's surprises. Pay attention to the little things God does...especially those for which you’ve never asked. Then thank Him and tell somebody what He’s done. Remember–He’s famous for those gracious acts.

Much love,

IT'S OK TO DANCE!!

2 Samuel 6:5
David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments - lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals!

FRIDAY JULY 7

SOAK NIGHT AT theeffect!!

Bring your pillow, jammies, beach chairs..whatever makes you comfortable and share 2 hours of praise and worship with a wonderful group of people and the best worship team on this planet!

If you would like to much afterwards... you might want to bring something to share.

Of course, low cal, low carb, low fat... :o)

See you there!!

Dear Ladies,

We have 7 spots left for the Women of Faith Conference. Please, please, please, If you know of anyone that would like to attend, or who might want to sponsor a woman who would love to come but can not afford it, please let them know about this event.

I know that it is going to be a huge blessing for everyone attending!! We will all be sitting together, which will help us all get to know each other a little better too! I love that!!If you have sisters, mothers, cousins, friends, work companions...any one who might want to come, please let them know all about the event.

If you need more information: http://www.womenoffaith.com

Some of us will be spending the night on Friday night...and there are a few women that would like to come just for Saturday only. As soon as I have a final number on hotel needs, I will book the hotel rooms. For those of you wanting to come only on Saturday, I will get in touch with you soon. We might have some drivers to take you all there!

The reason for maybe sounding urgent is, based on the signatures that I received at church for this event, I knew that I needed to reserve seats, or non of us would be sitting together. In order to do that, I needed to reserve the seats. I would love to see all of these reserved seats get filled with special women!!

I know God will bring all of those who would benefit most from this event! It will be wonderful spending the weekend with you!

Again, please put the word out to your peoples :o)

Blessings!
Marian Brisbin
949-291-2553

PRAYER

My brother-in-law has been in a hospital in Lake Tahoe for over a week now. He is in intense pain, and his insurance company is holding something up. My sister and brother in law live in Aptos, CA, and it sounds like the insurance company will not pay to have him moved to a hospital closer to home. My sister has been staying in hotel rooms, while Bill lays in the hospital. He has complications and a fever that will not go down. There is undoubtably an infection, but he is not gettin the help that he needs.

Please keep Bill and my sister Chris in your prayers! I do believe that God answers prayer, always. It doesn't always come when we ask, and it also doesn't always come in the form that we think it should, but the answers do come!

I know we are all praying very hard, unceasingly. I pray that our prayers will reach our Lord and His love will heal my brother.

THERE IS POWER IN PRAYER!

John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

James 5:13
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 Kings 13:6
And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

IMPORTANT! Women's Mini Retreat - Sept. 11-12

Call Marian for More Information! 949-291-2553

Friday, September 11th and Saturday September 12th
Please Join Us!! effect Women's Retreat...
Everyone Welcome!!

We need to sell 12 more seats!
Please think about coming and being a part of the effect women's family!
We need you. Sisters, Mothers, Cousins, Friends, all can come!
The cost is minimal compared to the excellent speakers they will be sharing with us
and the 2 boxed lunches! $79.00!

If you can't make it, would you consider sponsering a woman who would like to come? There are some that would come in a heartbeat, they just can't affort it right now.

Thank you!

Please pray for the women attending. Please pray that all who want to go will be able to go. Please pray for the church that we will have the funds to cover our commitment.

Blessings to you all!

Please call me if you have not signed up and would like to attend. The church has purchased the tickets so that we could hold places for all wanting to come. We will have a spot for you open!

If you would like to spend Friday night with some of the women who would like to stay, please let me know also.

Thanks so much!

Marian

949-291-2553

Comfort

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God[a];
trust also in me.
2In my Father's house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4You know the way to the place where I am going."
John 14

Walking Wednesdays

Our Wednesday Walks have all but stopped.
With summer here, by 10:00 am it is already hot.

I am willing to walk if you are. Just call me the day before
and I will meet you. If you would like to meet at 9:00 am,

that would be really fine with me. School is out and I can

make it.

Walk with me, talk with me, pray with me!
Blessings!

Rest

Don't forget to take time for yourself today.

Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them -- every day begin the task anew."
Saint Francis de Sales

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."
Stephan Hoeller

Black Dots

Have you taken the right path in life? The right path for you? Do you feel that something is missing? Is there an emptiness?

Maybe you go to church every Sunday, you do Bible studies, you have Christian friends, you try to always do the right thing. What is missing?

I was raised to go to church every Sunday. I was told about heaven and scared about going to hell. I tried to be a really good person, and yet.. I was crying out to God so often, wondering why I felt the way that I did.

A nun told my 1st grade class that every time we sin, we would get a black dot on our soul. Once our soul is full of the black dots and all black, there was no turning back. We would have only hell to look forward to. Can you imagine what that did to me and the children I went to school with? Young children are so impressionable and believe what those in authority tell us. I don't know about the others, but I sure believed her.

I reached an age where I knew my soul was black. With the lies and bad things I did in my life, surely I was now going to hell. The crazy thing was, at this age of realizing that I had sinned often, I was old enough to know better, to know that the nun was out of her mind telling young children this story, but there was a part of me that sincerely believed it. The years after that (knowing my soul was pure black) were black..selfish, very worldly.

I stopped going to church after the 8th grade.. I visited friend's churches occassionally, but I didn't feel worthy of doing anything more than just visiting. I even had some people pray for me and prostelitize to me when I was in my 20's and when I could not accept that they were telling me, they cried. They said they wanted to see me in Heaven someday and if I did not accept Jesus soon, that might not happen.

I didn't feel good enough, Christian enough, holy enough. I felt that if people really knew the real me, they would stay 10 ft. away, or rather shun me. My thoughts were not always pure.. my past was something out of movie...surely God could not forgive me!! I mean really!

Everyone said.. just say this sinner's prayer and God will take care of the rest. Well, that is like telling someone... just sit here on this couch and a job will fall into your lap. God does want to complete what He started in us.. but He does need a little bit of our help. If we don't hear Him, He will send people our way to help us get on the right path.. but we have to be open to that. I had people in malls walk up to me and give me pamplets. I had people walk up to me at the beach and at the grocery store. It was a little embarrassing.. because it happened a lot. I look back now and see that God had a hand in this.. He knew how dense I was and was really trying to get the point across!!

I realized later in life, that I really didn't know Who God was. Who was this Jesus that could come and cleanse me of my sin, and asked for nothing but my faith. How could I have faith in someone I could not see? I wanted to much to believe. I wanted so much to fit in. Everyone else seemed to understand, seemed confident and I still felt lost.

Who is God? How can you really describe the indescribable? How can you put into words the immenseness of Who God is? Is He church? Is He the Bible? What is He? Was going to church enough? Why was I still empty?

It wasn't until I started to pray...not the rote prayers of my childhood, and not what people told me to pray. I started to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to me. Now I pray for that daily. I didn't have a mountain experience in my walk with the Lord, like some people do. I did not have a honeymoon period in the beginning, if that is what you want to call it. But, I can say, that when I pray, when I find that little bit of time to be alone with the Lord. In my home, my car, where ever I am.. I feel something. The more I do it, the closer I feel. Sometimes, I don't use words to pray. I just sit. I ask Jesus if He has anything for me that day. I do get up at times and feel that I had no connection at all...but then, as God usually works in my life, I see things all day long that can only be from God. He opens my eyes to goodness, to laughter, to His holiness in many ways.

I find that these times with Jesus are my favorite. Another favorite time is when I am singing and praising Him with others. Worship is such a special time in church. I close my eyes and I feel the music and I ponder the words in the songs being sung... and as I and all of the others are sharing our love for God with the joy of singing, I feel Him.

I found my Jesus when I was alone and when I begged Him to be in my life and I took the time to "just be" with Him.

I am not saying to not go to church.. of course not. I am not saying that God's Word in the Bible isn't created for us to read and to help us. It truly is for us and from God. What I am saying is that God is this and so much more. I went to church for years and never questioned anything or anyone. I wanted so badly to be clean, to be accepted, that I believed what seasoned Christians told me. I listened to how they interpreted the Bible. I stood on the hardline of fundamentalism with fists clenched tight and with a self righteousness of believing that "I knew it all." Of course, because I studied the Word, I went to church, I wore the right apparel, I tried to look the part and be the perfect Christian.

I am here to tell you that no one knows it all. And, when someone says something to you that doesn't sit well with your heart, question it! And, if you speak to a pastor or a seasoned Christian and what they say doesn't sit right with you, question it! Go to God Himself. Even the most scholarly and well intentioned of Christians might have it wrong once in awhile... We can intercede for others with prayer, and they can do the same for us, but we can also go to God without a middle man. This was a concept I that was hard for me to accept, because I was raised in the Catholic faith. We weren't even given Bibles in parochial school.

Church is a special place... and there are so many different kinds of churches! Try many! You might find that one holds a special place for you. A place where God may want you to be for awhile, to grow, to make friendships, to learn. But, it is in that quiet personal time with the Lord, that time for just you and Him, where a personal relationship with Christ is truly born. It is that "personal relationship" that Jesus longs for with us.. and our heart longs for with Him! It is when you start to build that foundation, and that relationship, where the emptiness starts to disappear, the lonliness goes away. This is where God fills you so full, that when you are overfilled with His Spirit and His love, you reflect Him. This is when you realize what it is truly meant to be a "Christian". This is when God transforms you, and you let Him.

Our Abba Father is waiting for us to come to Him. He longs to hold us. Like a father or mother who has not seen their child in years, He waits and longs for us to come to Him. He longs for us to know Him and to trust Him.

For the nun who told me that my soul would fill with black dots.... I do forgive her. She meant well. It is the way of many to scare us into goodness and belief. I think there is a better way, but she truly did not mean to hurt us...she wanted to save us. (Jesus never used scare tactics)

So, you've said the sinner's prayer (which can be whatever words you want to use). Now what? Spend time alone and know that God is with you. He has always been with you. He is listening and He will finish what He has started in you. Find a church you love and feel comfortable in. If you have questions...please ask questions! Human beings are not perfect, but they are trying to do the right thing for you.

Know that God is pure love! Pure love. Where there is light there can be no darkness. God is pure light. We bring the wrath of darkness upon ourselves if we step out of His light. Why would we want to do that? ( 1 John: 5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin. )

Read the Bible, Pray, Find Alone Time With God, Find a good church, God will lead you to the rest.

I would choose a church which endeavors to practice what it preaches, translating its beliefs into everyday life. . ." I would choose a church which endeavors to practice what it preaches, translating its beliefs into everyday life. . ." Billy Graham


Blessings and Love be with you. I pray that you will embrace God with your whole heart today and live a life of the fullness that God wants for you. He wants that for you today. You don't need to wait until you get to heaven...He wants that for you today!