The Patriarch's

Our Friday Women's Bible Study had brought so much depth and fruit into our lives over this past year. If I could share everything, I would be writing for hours. But, I realized that I should share the most important points that we have learned with you all.

We are studying Joseph right now (do you know he bragged incessantly, tattled on his brothers and was probably very spoiled as a child?). Before him it was his father Jacob (who stole his brother's inheritance and his brother Esau..of course we learned much about Isaac and Abraham (who asked his wife to pose as his sister so that he would not be killed) One thing that has been pointed out over and over is just how human these men (and their women) were!! They were not perfect! They lied, deceived, bragged, stole...and yet they were God's chosen? What this all brings to my mind is how I have placed these Biblical human beings (not just characters in a book) on such high pedestal's over the years. These were God's chosen people. He loved them deeply.

Yes, they had their major flaws, their weaknesses, and yet, God so truly loved them!!! He stood by them, he taught them, he carried them, because they loved him and worshipped him. He turned their bad decisions into good. He pulled them out of the holes that they dug themselves into!

How many times do we make horrible mistakes? Some of us have gone through such hard lessons in life that we try and follow God more closely and try to live our lives in a better way (from our past). Some of us are just now starting to understand and embrace God. Either way, we are still making mistakes. We hurt each other, we don't always make the best decisions for all of those around us... but we love the Lord and we know that He watches over us....even though....we are flawed, we are not perfect.

We sometimes make decisions that don't include God... we go on on a path He has not chosen for us and we feel that something is very wrong. We feel that God has turned His back on us. I beg you, when you are feeling like this, look at your life and analyze where you are. Are you allowing God on the path you have chosen, or do you know He wouldn't want you there? Are you seeking Him? Are you speaking, praying to Him? Because God never turns away, we do. God never stops trying to get our attention, we turn our backs. He is always there waiting, like a father waiting for a long lost child to come home. He longs to hold us and to tell us everything is going to be ok. Will you allow him to do that for you?

I ask you, this week, to read Genesis if you have time. See what I have seen in the heroes our Bible speaks of. You will see that you are just as worthy of God's love as they were. Don't ever feel that you are not. His door is always open.

Dave says that hell's door is locked from the inside, meaning if we feel like we are in the depths of hell here on earth, we have the power to let ourselves out and back into the light of God. All we need to do is turn the handle and walk through and God will be waiting there for you, with arms stretched wide and probably with tears of joy on His face. Waiting for you.

I will leave you with that beautiful picture!

He is waiting, to bring you His Kingdom on Earth today. To fill your days with joy and love...today.. don't wait, run and don't miss another minute of all He has for you!

God bless you and yours on this beautiful day!!

However, as it is written
No age has seen
No ear had heard
No mind has conceived
What God has prepared for
those who love Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

"It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."

—Jenny Craig

The most beautiful things in the world are not seen nor touched. They are felt with the heart.

—Helen Keller

"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

—Eleanor Roosevelt

"I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."

—Martha Washington

"Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it with use."

—Ruth Gordon

"If you look at what you have in life,
You'll always have more.
If you look at what you don't have in life,
You'll never have enough."

—Oprah Winfrey

"We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies."

—Emily Dickinson

"The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind."

—Caroline Myss

"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."

—Grandma Moses

Banana S our Cream Bread

Thank you Linda Cox. My thighs thank you too :o)

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Rated: Submitted By: Esther Nelson Photo By: MuffinPuffin317 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 32

"Sour cream gives enough tangy bite to take the edge off this banana bread 's sweetness. Dusting the baking pans with cinnamon sugar gives these small four loaves a gentle spice undertone."

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 cup butter 3 cups white sugar 3 eggs 6 very ripe bananas, mashed 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons baking soda 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2.	In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3.	Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/14/2009

cruel!

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Ps 121:7-8 NIV

ANITA RENFROE

For all of you women that came to the Women of Faith Conference, I know you will appreciate this link!!!

For all of you women that could not make this Conference, I know "you" will appreciate this link also!!!

If you want to laugh and start your day on a bright note... watch Anita..and tap into her sense of humor!!!


http://www.anitarenfroe.com/video_clips.htm

You can find more on Anita here: http://www.anitarenfroe.com/index.htm

Enjoy!

'Leaf' It to God

A widow loses her wedding ring...but finds her faith

By Carol Gimbel, Earlysville, Virginia

Carol Gimbel

I dragged my rake through the leaves, thinking about how last fall Steve would have been here with me, helping out with Aunt Maudie’s yard.

It had been five months since my husband’s death from a heart attack.

I struggled to go on. I’d prayed and prayed for relief from the gray sadness I seemed to live in. But it seemed impossible without Steve.

Tired, I knelt down to pluck leaves from my rake. That’s when I noticed—my left hand, the hand where I wore the diamond ring Steve had given me, was bare. The ring must have fallen off while I was working.

I dropped to the ground and sifted through the pile of leaves, trying to stay calm and not start sobbing. I wasn’t sure I could take another loss right then.

Aunt Maudie asked her neighbors to help my search. One neighbor even walked the yard with a metal detector. We scoured the ground and leaf piles for hours. I knew for a fact that I’d been wearing it when I started raking. But the ring was gone.

Just like Steve, I thought, trudging into the house for dinner with Aunt Maudie, feeling more hopeless than ever. I took my place at the table, but I didn’t feel like eating.

Aunt Maudie was having none of it. “Dear Lord,” she said, praying boldly, “you know where that ring is and how much it means to Carol. I know you can bring it back to her if it is your will. Amen.”

We had gone over every square inch of that yard. Aunt Maudie had to know that her prayer was impossible. Yet here she was, after all the hopeless searching, still trusting that God could find it for me. If I had faith like that, I thought, I could even imagine going on without Steve.

After dinner I stepped out onto the back porch and looked out at the newly raked yard. Suddenly something flashed on the ground. What’s that? A bright twinkle, almost like…

I stepped into the yard and bent down. My ring!

Impossible? No, prayer is never impossible. It just took losing Steve’s ring for me to understand that even without Steve I am never alone.

______________________________________

The reason I posted this message..... years ago I had gone shopping, needing an outfit for a special occassion. I went to several different stores and tried on clothes, but couldn't find anything I liked. When I got home, I realized one of my earrings was missing. Theses earrings never left my ears.. they were given to me many years ago by a loved one who has since passed on and they are very special to me.

I called the stores I had visited and naively asked the store clerks to look in the dressing rooms to see if they could find my earring. They grudgingly agreed, but all came back with a "no" to my earring. These earrings were a bit valuable, so I figured, even if found by someone, I would never get it back.

This bothered me for days. I know we are not supposed to be attached to material things, but it was the sentiment behind the earring that I was upset about. I prayed to God to forgive my selfishness, but if there was any way to get that earring back, I knew He could find it for me. I asked Him to either please help me find it or to take away this feeling of loss for me, so that I would not miss it. Within seconds, I looked down on my bedroom carpet, which just happened to be shag, and saw something shiney. There was my earring!!!

I realized it must have come off before I even went shopping that day, while I was changing my clothes! I could not have found that without God's help!!

The other little fact around that time was that I used to vacuum our bedroom often. I just didn't feel like vacuuming for a couple of days. If I had, and the earring had been there all along, it would have been gone forever.

This was "All God"

I was not one to pray to God for "little" things, like finding objects before. But I had remembered someone saying that God wanted our prayers for little things and big things, so I just prayed. I am so happy I did, because He heard and He helped me.

Nothing is too small or too big for our gracious God.

Praise God!

Fear

Fear is an illusion; only love is real. When I am experiencing fear, it helps when I remind myself that fear is simply the absence of faith. When I began my spiritual journey, one of my mentors told me either God is or God isn't. The idea that God isn't didn't make any sense, so when fear rears its ugly head, I remind myself to have faith.

Susan Gregg

Women of Faith

I attended my first Women of Faith event this past weekend. I am still 2 inches off of the floor. Between the women in our personal group that attended and the speakers, oh my goodness! Luci Swindoll, Lisa Weltchel, Mary Graham, Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg. The Worship team was soooo good and Aiesha Woods and her brother sang and really made the walls shake with worship and praise!

I know that some women did not or could not attend. They had other commitments, children at home, too much on their plate and not enough help to be able to take 2 days and refresh, refill, rejuvenate. Or maybe there was a darker force that made it really hard for them to do something for themselves (yes, I truly believe that happens!!)

I am putting the word out that I would love for us to do this again next year. I will not push or prod, I will not make anyone feel guilty to go. It was so hard to get a group together this year.

But, I have to say...LADIES, it is your turn! It is your turn to get rest, to get refreshed. It is your turn to bond with like minded women and just be YOU for a couple of days.

I felt the same pangs of guilt...should I leave my husband with the children for two whole days? Should I have my son miss a day of homeschooling? Should I leave the animals in the hands of my family and think they will be taken care of and fed? Should I leave the laundry and dishes that will ultimately pile up while I am gone.

My answer to me and to you is a big "YES"

We have a year to plan. We can do this!!

Can you spend the night? "YES" Of course, Anaheim is close, but by the time the Friday night event is over, you will be darn tired!!! Yes, you can drive home..but there will be a driving urge to stay home the following day. I say stay. 4 to 5 women to a room brings the cost down drastically. The Women of Faith organizers will have discounted hotels for us. Or, Priceline.com was our saving grace for this event. We decided to stay at the very last minute and most of the hotels were already booked. We stayed at a Hilton not too far and 3 of us shared the cost. It was wonderful. We ate dinner there and didn't need to drive around town in traffic for food. AND, by the time Friday night was over and we were at our hotel...our heads hit our pillows and we were out!!!

We were blessed tremendously!

We all sometimes feel that someone like Sheila Walsh, Luci Swindoll, or the rest of the speakers much have it all together, right? Why else would they be asked to speak to us?! Well, let me tell you sisters, that we are "ALL" broken!! We all have the same problems!! We all put our pants on one leg at a time!! We are all equal in God's eyes! You would not believe what these women shared with us!! The trials that they have been through..AND JUST RECENTLY!!!

Sometimes we NEED to hear the testimony of others, so that we know we are truly all connected! That we ALL face the same challenges and that trials come our way! The difference between us and someone that doesn't know God is that we have the tools to ride the storms and the peace to know that the outcome will be a blessing and will create a blessing in us and for our future. (We just don't see that right now...but with sister's in Christ...we have that encouragement to be reminded of and to hold on to)

When you walk down an aisle at a grocery store and you come across that woman that looks all put together and perfect... honestly, you have no idea what is going on inside of her. She may have an abusive husband, a child addicted to drugs, a special needs child, a horrible employer, an abusive past that she has stuffed down to her innermost being that has not been healed. The makeup and clothes do not make the woman! It is our soul and our devotion to our Lord that gives us the glow and the strength to carry on!!

We are all equal in God's eyes and we are all here for "each other"

Praise God, that He has given us each other!! Let's celebrate that! Let's really seek each other out and get to know each other. He doesn't have us cross paths on accident. There are no accidents with God. We are all on the same journey, and right now, on the same path for a reason. Before He moves you on to another or different path, I want to know you!

Please, if I have not introduced myself to you yet, please come to me. I really want to know you!

God Bless you all... Big Hugs and Big Blessings to you and Yours.

As my new friend Liz would say...

"In His Grip"

Oh, and I forgot to add.. Steven Curtis Chapman was fabulous!!! I will forever be a fan now!
What a special man of God!

Girls

	When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, And then I started to become a woman. And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
	One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.. Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom. Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities. One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,' Another , 'Let's fight together,' Another , 'Let's walk away together.'
	One friend will meet your spiritual need, Another your shoe fetish, Another your love for movies, Another will be with you in your season of confusion, Another will be your clarifier, Another the wind beneath your wings.
	But whatever their assignment in your life, On whatever the occasion, On whatever the day, Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back, Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself . Those are your best friends.
	It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several.. One from 7th grade, One from high school, Several from the college years, A couple from old jobs, On some days your mother, On some days your neighbor, On others, your sisters, And on some days, your daughters.
So whether they've been a friend for 20 minutes or 20+ years, AND ONLY IF YOU'D LIKE TO, Pass this on to the women that God has placed in your life To make a difference.

Meetup.com

We are now registered with Meetup! If you join either the Blog, or Meetup, you will always know what is going on with theeffect Faith Community!

http://www.meetup.com/theeffect-community

If you would like me to send you an invite link to Meetup, just email me at mbrisbin@cox.net!

Spread the word...let's grow our Faith Community. We are relevant for everyone today. God has his hands on us..we can just feel it!!

May God bless your week with a rich abundance of peace and joy!