Priscilla Shirer's Blog, page 83

The Jewelry Box

Hey sister,
Glad you are here today.
I hope you are signed up to receive the Jewelry Box article each month*. I always enjoy writing something to encourage you in your walk with the Lord and hopefully challenge you as well. 
This month, I was compelled by Joseph and Mary's frantic search for their Son on a "Passover-trip-gone-wrong" in Luke chapter 2.
They looked everywhere - for days - and eventually their search ended up at the place where it really should have begun.

I'm intrigued by how frantically and comprehensively we often search for God. We think that maybe we'll find His voice, His presence or His will if we just go to that next conference, the "right" church service, or participate in a particular Bible study group taught by a particular teacher. We look high and low and become discouraged (and exhausted) when an encounter with Him seems to be beyond our reach. 
And yet, often our search ends up where it should have begun in the first place - on our knees, in His Word, alone with Him. He'd been waiting for us all along - standing by while we looked everywhere for the One who was really already with us.

Take a moment to read this weeks Jewelry Box article by clicking here and then come back to the blog and share with me what the Lord is speaking to your heart.

Looking forward to chatting with you.
Priscilla

 

*You can sign up for the Jewelry Box by scrolling to the very bottom of this page

Remembering Whitney Houston

I was laughing and talking with a friend when her husband interrupted
our conversation by blurting out, "Oh my gosh, Whitney Houston died".
The room grew still and we all set in slience for about 30 seconds
(which felt like 5 minutes). For some reason I thought it was a joke and
obviously my friend did too because she responded by saying, "Are you
being serious", but before he could answer, she had already reached for
the remote control and as soon as the TV came on, we saw it.....the
Legend Whitney Houston had died at the age of 48.

Wow.

For the
remainder of the night our eyes were glued to the TV as we watched
different stations chronicle the moments of her life leading up to her
death. All of the news channels were pretty much saying the exact same
thing, but we watched in disbelief as we turned from one channel to another, as if we were hearing the tragic news
for the very first time.

When I was a little girl I use to play
dress up and I would dance all around the house listening to her songs
and I would pretend to receive music awards! Ha! Her voice is one of a
kind and she will never be forgotten.

I thought we could spend
today sharing our most memborable moments of her and/or our favorite
songs that we knew all of the words to or one of her movies that we
loved!

This one is my absolute favorite....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QaI-M9sxW4&feature=fvsr

Now its your turn.....

Until next time,

Antrenette

 

Colorado!

Today I board a plane to Colorado to be with my sister for her 30th birthday! My other sister will already be there by the time I arrive and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be with the both of them.

I can't tell you the last time it was just the three of us together. There are 4 siblings all together (1 boy) and we are usually together as a full family once, maybe twice, a year. But JUST the sisters together......no idea when the last time it was just us. I think I was probably 5 yrs old and my oldest sister was babysitting us when my parents took my brother out for "son" time. 

Nicole (oldest sis) and I wanted to fly out to Colorado Springs for Sara's 30th! We thought it would be special to spend her big day together. Sara is an AMAZING yoga teacher and has classes at the most fabulous gym/spas you've ever been to in your life. So, of course we needed to schedule a "spa day" for her birthday!

YEP! We are doing massages, facials, nails, yoga... all in one day. It's not every day you turn 30, right?? 

While I am incredibly excited about all the spa treatments and gym classes, I've got to say that I'm way more excited about the amount of joy and peace that I feel we are going to have during our time there. I was praying about our time together yesterday and felt like the Lord was saying that it's going to be the most peaceful, relaxing, life-giving time we have all had in a while. AMEN! I receive that.

We are all in such different stages of life, going through different trials and seasons, and so I think we can all use a dose of good sister time. 

So wherever you are this weekend, I'm praying that as I'm relaxing in Colorado Springs that God will give you peace and rest in whatever way that may look like for you this weekend. I'm praying that all of our blog community receives joy and peace as we go about our weekends.

So relax... you are prayed for and covered this weekend! 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty

Psalm 91:1

Sleeping in Church or Legacy of Faith

I couldn't decide the best title to give this post today. This photo, that I took in church on Sunday, lent itself to both options.

Yup. .. I took a photograph in church. . right in the middle of my father's sermon. He was just about to expound on the nuances of our covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ when I glanced over and caught my second son sound asleep on his grandmother's shoulder. My mom let him do something that I don't think she ever would have let me do when I was growing up in church - sleep. But there he was, out like a light. In just a few more moments, I'm certain she would have gathered up her lap scarf and draped it over his shoulders for warmth. But nobody needs to be that cozy while they are slumbering in church.
This little moment was so sweet to me. It reminded me of the legacy of faith passed on from one generation to the next. During the sermon, my father told the story of his parents making church attendance a regular part of their lives after their conversion when my father was 10 years old. My parents certainly required the same of me and my siblings and now my children are always seated next to me on this row. . . by their grandmother whose shoulder is a perfect place to crash just in case their grandfather's preaching isn't lively enough for them. LOL.

Somehow, I know everything is seeping in anyway - into the cracks and crevices of their hearts and souls, transforming them from the inside out. So, I look forward to the day when there will be another photo just like this one of me sitting in church with a grandchild soundly sleeping on my shoulder. It'll mean that the legacy of faith has continued.

Did you grow up in church? What do you remember most about it?
Priscilla

Cat Burglar in Disguise

 

Hey y'all!  

 

So can we have a little gab session?  Since I moved back to Dallas, I've been staying in a crazy little apartment.  While it's in a fab section of Big D, it has all kinds of craziness that keeps it from being a dream home.  While the infestation of mold and broken toilet were deterrents of my affection, I guess it was the broken window that threw me over the edge.  I broke into my house by climbing through it when I locked myself out last month.  Did you read that right?  I OPENED IT.  Just slid it open.  Me, the not-anything-like-a-cat-burglar-can't-pick-a-lock-to-save-my-life, just broke into my own house.   Pretty nut-so.  

 

All to say, I started looking for a new place to live.  I'd find an amazing pad and it'd be too far from work.  Then I'd find a great roommate and they would have to back out for some crazy reason.  It would seem that God was providing and then like it was being taken outta the picture, left and right, again and again!  Arg.

 

But then...patience IS a virtue (or so Jerry kept reminding me EVERY day in the office!)...lo and behold, one day, a roommate came outta no where.  And then, pretty quick after that an apartment opened up.  Now when I say this is an amazing apartment, I mean this is an UH-MAZE-ING apartment.  It's not shiny-fancy or anything.  But it has this laid-back homey feel...the feel you want to get when you drive into your garage.  

 

So when I got the news yesterday that I was accepted for the lease, you better BELIEVE I was jumping up and down with incredulousness over God's amazing provision.  Goodness!  He comes THROUGH in HUGE ways doesn't He?  I had tried for 2 months to find a place...and then this came through.  Wow.  

 

Praise Him!  What are YOU holding on for today?  How has God provided (big OR little) for YOU?  I love braggin' on how He rolls...He always does better than I could have.  My God is The God Who Provides.

 

Pretty sweet being His kid,

 

annetta

Color Blocking

Okay, so I totally feel like a fish out of water when it comes to the new trend called, Color Blocking! I mean, where did it come from? How long has it been out? Is it really safe for normal people to dress like this or is it only acceptable when worn by a celeb? I know....so many questions all at once. So let me back up.....

A few weekends ago I was at the mall and I passesd by Express and I was appalled when I saw a manikin wearing a hot pink top, a neon blue shirt and a green jacket! I stopped dead in my tracks and I deeply gazed at the outfit and before I could utter a sound, my friend who I was with said...with much excitement, "Isn't that outfit hot"! Ummmmm, let me tell you, hot was not the word I had in mind! Ha! She went on and on about how much she loves the new trend called, Color Blocking. I really didn't want her to know that I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, so I just knodded my head and stored the new information I had received in the back of my mind and when I got home, I googled this new trend and OMGOSH! Color Blocking is a whole new world!!!! These are some of the pics that I found.....

                      

 

                      

 

Y'all really should see my face over here as I'm typing this blog. Up until this point I really considered myself to be "Up to speed" on fashion, but this one my friends has totally caught me off guard! However, I will say that the more familair I become with this concept, the more my brain is willing to accept it as.....somewhat normal.

Anywho, now its time for you all to chime in! What are your thoughts? Like or dislike? Have you heard of this before now? Is color blocking apart of your wardrobe? If not, will it ever be?

Can't wait to hear from you all!

until next time......

Fashionably unaware,

Antrenette

Notes From My Quiet Time

 

This is the home of Warren and Pam Adams.

 

 

It was the only house left standing in their neighborhood when Hurricane Ike hit the coast in 2008. Approximately 200 homes once stood in the Bolivar Penisula town, but the record setting storm devastated every single one of them. . . . 

 

Except this one.

 

Why? It had been built differently than the others. Having lost their home to Hurricane Rita in 2005, the couple decided to rebuild their new home wisely. Their long-term thinking along with the skill of a master builder saved the home they loved.

 

How you build matters.

 

"Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words, and acts upon them. . .is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. - Luke 6:47-48

 

Are you building well? Every good builder takes the time to 1.) dig deep 2.) find a good rock 3.) build a foundation. 

Hearing God's Word is not enough. It might build a house but it won't do the tough work of digging deep, finding good rock and laying an appropriate foundation. Only hearing what the Spirit says and then DOING what He says will cause you to live in a house - construct a life - that will stand when the storms come.

Look around you. Lots of flattened houses around? Lost lives? Demolished legacies? Destroyed families?

 

You do not have to be a part of that statistic.

Be wise. 

Hear.

Obey.

Build well.

 

What have you sensed God's Spirit asking you to do in the past week? Are you doing it?

 

Priscilla

Super Bowl

Let's get serious... how many of you before reading this blog post . . .

1. Were aware that the super bowl is happening this Sunday?

2. Care that the super bowl is happening?

3. Are more excited about the food that will be had than the actual game?

For me, I am actually super pumped about football and watching the game but I am also very excited about the FOOD! I must say, though, that I'm so curious to hear Kelly Clarkson sing the national anthem. I TOTALLY watched American Idol when it first came out and absolutely loved her on that show. So that part should be pretty entertaining. 

Anyway, back to the food . . .you can always count on someone bringing the queso, meatballs, doritos, cookies and cheetos. So, in order to feel somewhat balanced, I'm always that girl that brings this . . .

Fruit salad! Come on . . . isn't everyone always thankful to have a few pieces of fruit alongside their cheese dip? =) But don't worry, I will also be bringing these as well . . . 

We call them the "Mocha Hazelnut Cooks"! Please tell me we have some nutella lovers here like me! I should probably make a few extra for Priscilla's oldest son because I hear he is a new nutella lover! And because I love you guys so much, here is the recipe from a cookbook called "Cake Mixes":

2 teaspoons instant
coffee or espresso powder.

2 teaspoons vanilla
extract.

1 18.25 oz pkg german
choc cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

nutella

preheat oven to 350.
spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
in a large bowl dissolve
the espresso powder in the vanilla extract. to the same bowl add half of the
cake mix along with the oil and eggs. blend with an electric mixer set on
medium-high speed 1-2 minutes, until blended and smooth. stir in remaining cake
mix. 
drop dough by
teaspoonfuls on prepared cookie sheets. 
bake 8-10 minutes or
until set at edges and just barely set at center when lightly touched and
cookies have a cracked appearance (cookies will be flat and round). cool
completely. 
sandwich with nutella. 

So what about you? What are your plans for Sunday and what are you bringing to eat?? Have an awesome weekend you guys!

A Scripture Exchange

Seems like I've been receiving and giving quite a bit of encouragement lately. I was talking to one of my good friends the other day and we said these exact words at the same time, "If it's not one thing, its another". We both felt like we had been experiencing one trial after another and we were just exhausted.

We talked, complained, laughed and then complained a little more,  but as our conversation was coming to an end we did the only sure thing that we knew would help shift our focus.......we shared Scripture. We didn't get all deep with it (not this time anyway), but we just exchanged some verses that really spoke to us and provided us with comfort and encouragement and then we hung up. I didn't immediately look at the ones she shared with me but I did write them down in a small journal and believe me, they came in handy at the PERFECT time!

So, I thought this would be a great thing for us to do with each other today. Everybody needs a little encouragement right? Right!

I'll start....I'll share with you 2 Scriptures that have given me soooo much comfort and encouragement these past few days and then I'll anxiously wait for you to share what Scripture(s) you have been meditating on lately, received a ton of comfort and encouragement from and/or used to encourage someone else.

Here are my 2....
1. Isaiah 43:2 : "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze"

2. Lamentations 3:22-24: "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

Now it's your turn!

Until next time...
Antrenette

Out With The Old, In With The New

We had some meetings today in the office, and since it was so beautiful outside and such a great opportunity to say hello to you, Priscilla wanted to do today's post via video. So . . . without much further ado, click play below!

(http://vimeo.com/35961793)

Goodness! That's a good word! What OLD thing(s) in your life do you think God is wanting to replace with something NEW? 

Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? Isaiah 43:19

Would love to hear from you today!

 

*Here's more information on the Awaken event that Priscilla mentions in the video*