Back before you know it!!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know I'm going to be out of town from tomorrow until around March 5th so I won't be able to post for about a week. Please continue to share our blog with others and spread the word about Harvest of Blessing. We appreciate any donations and feel free to email me at annalisa.tuttle@gmail.com if you would like more information on how you can help. Thanks everyone and have a wonderful week!

Today's Promise From God

When you're wondering what heaven will be like ...

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."
Revelation 21:3-4

A Day with God

Ever since we became Christians I often feel as though I'm being touched by God on a daily basis. I get stressed out once in a while being a stay at home mom with a toddler as well as commitments working from home in design. Then pile on some dirty dishes, laundry that needs to be folded, messes all over and this week especially, I'm preparing for our trip to Chicago next week. Obviously - stress squeezes it's way into my days here and there. In the past it would be difficult for me to find an outlet, I would do some rigorous cleaning perhaps to take my mind of things. Since becoming closer to God, though, I feel as though my problems are often lifted. I may be overwhelmed for a minute if that and almost instantly God puts his hand on me and literally lifts the anxieties off of me and carries them for me. He brings such relief to me when I need it the most. Other times, I'm not sure how to explain this, but it's almost as if he's whispered to me. Not a conscious whisper that you hear but I guess it's like he signals to my brain a reminder that it's okay. It's okay that Addison doesn't want to eat her lunch and that the living room is a complete disaster. She'll eat when she's hungry and I have a whole day to pick up her toys and put clothes away. Then all at once a huge sigh of relief comes over me and I thank God his love for me.

Today's Promise From God

When you're ashamed of your past ...

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7

Today's Promise From God

When you don't know what to do ...

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:5-6

Harvest of Blessing - How this will work!

For those who have some confusion let me first say the list of items needed is posted under 'Info' on our Facebook page. That said, this is the process of events once we have enough money to ship a box and for each future box we raise money to send ..

1. Items from the "Items Needed" list can be donated by contacting me at annalisa.tuttle@gmail.com. Those in the Oneida or Glens Falls area will be designated a drop off location or if you'd like to ship items I will also give you a location to send.

2. Money and all items will ultimately end up at my mother's house and she will do the packing of boxes while documenting with photographs so that I can share them with you all!

3. She will ship items through Cargo Plus.

4. The items will be sent to my cousin Aleli (my mother's niece) in Asingan, Philippines who will take care of distributing items to those in need while documenting so I can share with you also.

(Note : Both my mom and Aleli have been doing this for years but this is the first time we've ever raised $$ to do so. Before my mom would send what she could when she could with her personal finances when she could afford to.)

5. Last but not least - as soon as I have photos to share with you, you will see firsthand the gift of giving.

Thank you everyone, we are so grateful for this opportunity to help others in need.

Harvest of Blessing

We just want to thank everyone again for the donations. As you can see we are over halfway there and once we meet our goal of one box being shipped we will surely continue on to ship more and more boxes!!! Please check out our Facebook fan page link to the right to find out more details on our charity project! Thanks!

Today's Promise From God

When you want to mature in your faith ...

The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
Job 17:9

Today's Promise From God

When you've lost someone you love ...

He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
Isaiah 25:8

Today's Promise From God

When other people are spreading lies about you ...

He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me.
Psalm 57:3

PROJECT 18 - aka Harvest of Blessing on Facebook!

First let me again say thank you to our contributors for such generous donations. We are currently $70 to our goal which is fantastic. The more donations the more boxes we can ship. Some of you who are new readers might be wondering what I am talking about! That is sort of the problem. There isn't anywhere that I can consistently update you on Project 18, which we're now calling Harvest of Blessing, without it getting shuffled into the archives and not as easy to navigate to specific posts. As a result I've created a Facebook Fan Page solely for Harvest of Blessing. Here you can get all the details on what Harvest of Blessing actually is as well as the list of items needed. I will use this page as a way to update you on where we're at with donations and once we finally start making shipments we can update you on that as well. I'm hoping to send a digital camera to my cousin who will be handling shipped items so that she can document the distribution of items. Check out the page and 'Like' us!! Thanks again everyone for all of your support. God is so good.

Guest Authors

As you can see Debbie has given us a fantastic post as well as a podcast to listen in on (I did listen and it's fantastic so make sure to check out her link! After inviting Debbie to be a guest author I thought that there may be more who have things to add so I'm urging anyone interested to send me a message if you'd like to guest author and I'd be happy to add you! There is no limit on how often or how much you'd like to write. We'd love to hear your inspirational stories, daily meditations, music, literature, film - anything you can think of to share for the goodness of God. We hope to hear from you!

Leaving Your Mark

Hi All! I'm so excited to be contributing! A BIG thank you to Anna Lisa for inviting me!

Do you ever wonder what this life is really all about? We're here for such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. Yet our culture is obsessed with leaving their mark. But that's not why God placed us here on earth. We're given an opportunity to live lives that point back to the Father. Peter says, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:10-11)

When I think about the mark my life will leave behind when I'm gone, I want it to mean something. I don't want to leave behind my name, but rather a legacy. I want everything I do to touch the lives of others for Christ so that they then in turn affect the lives of those around them and pass it on, and on, and on. Our lives are meant to bring Glory to God in ALL that we do!

For more on this, I recently shared a message at my youth church called, "I Am Legend". You can check it out here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/soul-purpose-ym/id363384404

Welcome Debbie!

Wanted to let everyone know we have a guest author who will be posting, hopefully, as often as she can and wants! Her name is Debbie so look forward to her posts. She always has fantastic words of God to share on a daily basis on Facebook as well as wonderful stories so we're excited to see what great things she will bring to our blog! Enjoy :)

Willow Tree by Susan Lordi

For those of you who are not aware of this collection, this collection consists of many sculptures designed by Susan Lordi and inspired by those she loves. They are absolutely beautiful and there are so many - angels, couples, children, loving embraces between husbands and wives, children and parents, grandparents and so on ... I urge you to check out the Willow Tree website!

Today's Promise From God

When you're deciding how much to give ...

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
Luke 6:38

In the News : An Inspiring Act

Read THIS! My cousin posted this on facebook a few days ago and I sent it to my mother in law. I had not even thought of it in relation to God, I was too caught up in details and thinking about Chicago but mom wrote a response to me and said, "That's what Christianity is all about, doing those acts of love that He puts in our path..." Of course I said to myself, Duh! I have to blog this! Hope you enjoy :)

Doctrine Week 2 Revelation : God Speaks DISCUSSION (AL)

I have finally finished the Week 2 seminar from Mars Hill Church which you can click here to watch!

After watching two seminars I'm so grateful Susan shared this site with me. I truly believe I did not buckle down and become Christian sooner because I would get discouraged from my lack of knowledge - not knowing where to begin to become Christian, not knowing how to read the Bible, not enough understanding to commit. The clarity given in these seminars is everything I've been seeking. Although I have already become a Christian and feel I've gained a great deal of knowledge to make this decision there are still basics I do not understand and these seminars continue to clear everything right up!

Pastor Mark mentions that he was confused about the Bible before becoming Christian and I'm so glad he said that. Being such a knowledgeable person who is reliable and inspiring I'm comforted that he "started out" like me. I believe if you're a "beginning" Christian, you definitely need to watch!

This week Pastor Mark discusses revelation and how it is separate from speculation because we do not need to speculate or guess, God tells us everything, gives us all of the answers through the Bible. General revelation and special revelation are the two types of revelations that people experience. General revelation is referring to all circumstances and how they reveal much but don't go into details. Our functions, how we heal ourselves when sick, nature, the seasons are all goodness of God. These are examples of God showing himself to us. I love his mention of creation being an external witness to God as we, you and I, are representative of God, we are his proof. A great example of an internal witness is our conscience. We feel right and wrong, there's a conscience there, there is God. Special Revelation is information about God that is clearer and shown to a limited amount of people. The teaching of the scriptures is a perfect example of detailed information that speaks to us. When Pastor Mark says that special revelation is only shown to a limited amount of people, he is referring to those that have been through a supernatural occurrence, he is referring to Jesus Christ as he is God the son, eternally God and literally the word of God. He states that we were taught and spoken to through Jesus. He is the fully revealed image of the invisible God. Last is scripture. As Pastor Mark puts it, scripture is breathed out by God or God breath, the Bible as a whole is God breath.

He then went on to discuss scriptures and how they are a collection of written documents that were divinely inspired by God. I'm glad he clears this up because I never understood the separations in the Bible but Pastor Mark states that the Bible is a collection of 66 books in order of genre of literature - law, prophets, poetic/psalms, gospels/biography and letters. I really needed to know this. I had no idea what the order of the Bible was or why people read the Bible in different ways and now I know exactly why. He gives a great analogy that scriptures are a light on a dark path that guide us. This is very true as I often look back on certain passages to help me through different situations and emotions. He also details that the authors of different documents are divinely inspired by God to give faithful records and how the Holy Spirit enabled apostles to remember and record faithfully without error. I used to think that maybe, long ago, the information was passed down and recorded and Christians were just expected to believe what is in the Bible but now it is clear that God directly spoke to these authors and gave them the ability to record flawlessly and faithfully what he wanted them to document and as Christians we can trust this.

In closing he mentions that some things in the bible are difficult to understand not because people may find the information unclear but because many suppress the truth and are unwilling to repent - basically, some people don't like all or parts of the Bible and don't understand becoming Christian. It's ironic for anyone to feel this way since there are many aspects of life that some people do not enjoy - waking up early, doing the dishes, eating healthy foods - but must do and that is life. That's reality. You do things like shower each day because it is beneficial and crucial to your life. I believe the Bible should be seen in the same way. There will always be things in life we don't agree with but are mandatory and the Bible is the same, you have to be willing to accept all of what is said in scripture.

Pastor Mark gave a fantastic quote of Mark Twain's, "It's not the parts of the Bible that I read and don't understand which bother me, it's the parts of the Bible which I do read and do understand which bother me." As I said in my Week 1 discussion, it is hard accept beliefs that are new but the first step is knowing that the Bible is God's word, the truth. As soon as I put my faith in all of His teachings it was absolutely easy for me to accept any new beliefs because I can always trust God.

He said something that really struck me in the end while discussing how becoming a Christian changed him. Pastor Mark said that when you become Christian your sins are taken away and your relationships are restored. Just sounds beautiful, becoming Christian is a harmony in a way - everything just becomes good and right and just.

Today's Promise From God

When you're worried in about the future ...

"I know the plan I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

Today's Promise From God

When you want to be used by God to accomplish his work ...

The Godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.
Psalm 92:12-14

PROJECT 18 - DONATIONS

Hello everyone! Just wanted to remind any of those who may not be aware .. to your right you'll see a 'blurp' of words. These are keywords that you can click to find coinciding posts. If you click 'project 18' you'll be able to view posts relative to our charity work. There you can see a list of items we are able to send as well as details into how it all works. None of this will be possible without your financial assistance, though. When you click the "Chip In" box it is very simple to enter your debit or credit information and donate any amount. $1 can truly go a long way if enough of you decide you have time to do so. After your donation you have the option to retrieve a receipt as well. There is no requirement to register for anything. If you have an existing PayPal account you may use that as well. Please think about helping our cause. Thank you!

Today's Promise From God

When you're feeling trapped in a sinful way of life...

I will say to the prisoners, "Come out in freedom."
Isaiah 49:9

Today's Promise From God

When you're seeking God's forgiveness...

If we confess our sings to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9

K Love Christian Music Station

Good morning everyone. This weekend, my daughter and I were able to visit Anna and her daughter for a few hours. It was such a great time! While we were there I talked to Anna Lisa about the Christian Music radio station, K Love. It is available all over the nation, which is perfect for road trips; if you scan long enough you will find it! I love the music on that station. It is contemporary, but the words to the songs are uplifting and about the Lord. You never have to worry about what lyrics your children are picking up. In fact, you want them to sing the words. And when they do, it is a blessing for sure. My almost four-year-old daughter loves the song, By Your Side, by Tenth Avenue North: "I'll be by your side whenever you fall, in the dead of night whenever you call, and please don't fight these hands that are holding you. My hands are holding you." Keep on singing Lola! I can't believe the words to some songs kids are listening to today. Sure the beat is catchy, but it has to be more than that. So, that's my pitch for K-Love. Oh yeah, one more funny story. When Lola was about 2 1/2, we watched the movie Cars. I said to her, "Lola, wouldn't it be funny if Mommy's car could talk?" She said, "Your car does talk!" Me: "Oh, really?" Lola "Yes, it says 'More music K-Love!" Hehehe. That is the jingle for K Love. I love kids. :)

Today's Promise From God

When your worst fears come true ...

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
Isaiah 43:2

Today's Promise From God

When you question God's faithfulness ...

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
Numbers 23:19

PROJECT 18 - Donations

I thank everyone who has come to check out this blog. For anyone interested in making a money donation you can click the Chip In button to the right and truly, if you can give $1 that is $1 closer to our goal. You can use credit and/or debit. This would help so much and we would greatly appreciate it. If you would feel better donating with a check or money order feel free to leave your email address in the comments and I will email you my address. Anything helps!

A special thanks to my 'Christians Like Me' friends who have been sharing this blog and bringing in readers. Thank you all!

Today's Promise From God

When you're wondering what to have faith in ...

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
Acts 16:31

Today's Promise From God

When you've messed up ...

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by hand.
Psalm 37:23-24

PROJECT 18 - UPDATE

PROJECT 18 is an effort to provide the people of Pangasinan with clothing, medical supplies, information pamphlets on childcare and breastfeeding, school supplies, towels, footwear, toys and small luxuries like jewelry, watches, etc. Cargo Plus will send 1.5' by 2.5' boxes to Pangasinan for $95, $85 if they're having a sale and for possibly less as this is a charity. We've set our goal for $95 for one box and with continued donations we can increase shipments. This is a flat fee so the weight of the package does not matter. Please help us in raising this money. We've received $5 as you can see from our Chip In box. If we could have 90 people to give $1 we'd meet our goal!! Please join our effort!! Even better, the more people donate the more boxes we can send over!

Items Needed :

TSHIRTS - men, women, children
LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS - thin cloth, for men, women, children
PANTS/SHORTS - men, women, children
SHOES/SANDALS/SNEAKERS/SLIPPERS - men, women, children
CHILDREN'S TOYS
SCHOOL SUPPLIES - pencils, paper, notebooks, folders
MEDICAL SUPPLIES - medicine, medical equipment, gauze, tape, etc (expired items as well)
TOWELS - bath towels, hand towels, washcloths
UNDERWEAR/BOXERS - men, women, children
SOCKS - men, women, children
OTHER - jewelry(obviously not a necessity but something that would be greatly appreciated), watches

Doctrine Week 2 Revelation : God Speaks

Our Deadline : February 13, 2011

(for some reason when I hit play the first time the video does not work but when I refresh the page and click again it works fine, just a tip!)

For those just tuning in - We are watching seminars whenever possible. Each seminar will be posted with "our deadline" which means we, Suze and I, will have watched by or on the deadline date and will post our feedback shortly after. Feel free to post your thoughts or any discussions as comments to this post or our feedback posts! hope to hear from you!

Today's Promise From God

When you doubt there is life after death ...

We have this assurance: Those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead!
Isaiah 26:19

CHRISTmas

I was fishing around Facebook the other day and came across this fantastic statement a woman made on her profile info, "Keep Christ in Christmas, Who's with me?" It really grabbed me because we often forget in the hoopla of red, green, gold, blue, Santas, Elves, parades, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and so on that we are celebrating the birth of Christ. Don't get me wrong, I have fond memories of receiving gifts from Santa and Mrs. Clause (I still do get gifts from them!) and I couldn't wait to race downstairs to see if he, in fact, had eaten the cookies I left out or drank the milk .. ( there were always some crumbles left over and some milk in the glass). I would like for Addison to also have those experiences but seeing that quote was a reminder to provide her with memories of not only Santa and his gifts but of Christ, the Nativity and more. I should say, we had a beautiful Nativity and my Grandma Betty did as well. I loved looking at both and imagining being there in that time period. We did receive a Nativity Advent Calendar as a gift which is a great start.
As Addison gets bigger we can talk each day about Jesus and the Nativity Scene when she goes to open the little door to each day of December. I certainly look forward to doing that with her!

~Al

For Once in My Life

As if she hasn't given me enough fantastic recommendations, my mother in law suggested I catch this on PBS!

Watch the full episode. See more Independent Lens.

This is truly beautiful and inspiring. I was so glad that I found it to watch just shortly after she suggested it to me. Watching this reminded me of a band called Flame. They are also a band made up of those with disabilities.

Talk about literally seeing heart when you watch these bands perform. You can see the blood, sweat, tears and passion poured into each note as they each do their part. My dad was fortunate enough to see Flame perform and I can only hope I get a chance to as well one day. I know Flame tours so definitely check them out and for those from Upstate NY, they are as well!! As for the documentary on Spirit of Goodwill, they show a glimpse into each band member's life which is a reminder of how special they are and what a privilege it is for them to have this opportunity to do what they all love.

~Al

Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.
Mark 10:27

Today's Promise From God

When you're feeling discouraged ...

Let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.
Galatians 6:9

Today's Promise From God

When you're feeling uncertain about God ...

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
Jeremiah 17:7

Christians Like Me

There is a fantastic new social network out there. I saw an ad on Facebook and clicked it which brought me to Christians Like Me which is basically a facebook for Christians. I've already had a very positive experience with the page since it has a very similar interface as facebook and I've met a few very kind people there. It just launched a few weeks ago (end of January) so I'm sure there are to be many changes. I'm hoping they do a search filter where I can find friends by location. I'd love to meet other Christians in Glens Falls. If you have time, check it out! The best part is you do not have to register, you can sign in with your facebook account or many other account options!

Today's Promise From God

When you're seeking the things that God wants for you ...

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you to do the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
Psalm 37:4-5

Today's Promise From God

When your circumstances seem hopeless ...

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety ... You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Psalm 16:8-11

PROJECT 18 - Update

So I was a little off on the box size, it is about 1.5 feet by 2.5 feet I think. Also, more details on how the shipment would take place. My mom uses a service, Cargo Plus that ships to the Philippines. The cost, as I said before is $95, $85 if there's a sale and she said they may have a larger discounted price for charity.

http://www.cargoplususa.com/

As far as items needed, here is the list I posted before with added items!

TSHIRTS - men, women, children
LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS - thin cloth, for men, women, children
PANTS/SHORTS - men, women, children
SHOES/SANDALS/SNEAKERS/SLIPPERS - men, women, children
CHILDREN'S TOYS
MEDICAL SUPPLIES - medicine, medical equipment, gauze, tape, etc (expired items as well)

TOWELS - bath towels, hand towels, washcloths

UNDERWEAR/BOXERS - men, women, children

SOCKS - men, women, children

OTHER - jewelry

As you can see it does not take much time, $$ or effort to help this cause. All I need are items to send and if you'd like to submit funds that is totally up to you. I can accept paypal. As of right now I have $5 which is 10% of a recent order from on Betty Jane and Company! I will find a way to share where we are at financially. Other than that, if you're reading and have things to give, used or new and in good condition, I hope to hear from you!!

Thank you all!

~Al

Today's Promise From God

When you're facing big life choices ...

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow... Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.
Psalm 25:4, 12

PROJECT 18 - Join us in lending a helping hand :)

Susan and I have finally discussed our ongoing project to help those in need. I mentioned before the conditions in the Asingan, Philippines and the lack of access to important information on basic infant care and breastfeeding. We found out through my mom that we can send a package, via an acquaintance of hers that she currently ships through, to the Philippines for $95, $85 if there's a sale and possibly for less since this is charity work. The package/box is pretty large, I'm not exactly sure of the dimensions but around 3x3 feet I believe. The fee is a flat fee despite the weight of the package.

The idea is to package and ship items that could be used in Asingan. For now our first goal will be one box. To raise money we will accept money and 10% of any money I make through bettyjaneandcompany.com I will put towards this! We're very excited to be able to do this. As far as retrieving items to send overseas we will rely on friends and family that are likely to have items they no longer have use for. Of course, if you're reading this and would like to help out in any way we'd love to hear from you! You can contact me at annalisa.tuttle@gmail.com and we can discuss in detail.

Along with items to send, Susan and I will be constructing some sort of brochure or pamphlet with basic infant care and breastfeeding information. Of course we will be referencing reliable sources!! Both Susan and my mother are nurses, as well, and we will be sure to consult with whoever necessary to make sure our facts our straight for this information piece. All of this will be shipped to my cousin Aleli in the Philippines. My mom currently makes shipments to her and has for quite some time. When Aleli receives the package she can immediately distribute items to those in Asingan and there is also a clinic next door to her that has volunteers to assist in distributing information pamphlets we send over. The goal is to distribute the information pamphlets to each household with the hopes that even if they don't directly need the information they may know someone who could benefit from it.

Here are a list of items we'd be happy to send over :
TSHIRTS - men, women, children
LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS - thin cloth, for men, women, children
PANTS/SHORTS - men, women, children
SHOES/SANDALS/SNEAKERS - men, women, children
CHILDREN'S TOYS
MEDICAL SUPPLIES - medicine, medical equipment, gauze, tape, etc

OTHER - jewelry

I still need to talk with my mom to find out other items they could use or that would simply be worth it to have for them (ex. they don't NEED jewelry but they would be grateful to have jewelry if it were given to them)

We would love to hear feedback, ideas or a willingness to help in some way so keep in touch by commenting here or emailing me and we will keep everyone up to date!!

Must reads!

There are two books I read last year that really stuck with me. They were both gifts from my Mom Vitale and Mom Tuttle and what inspirational gifts they were! One is a daily devotional, Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman, which my mother in law gave me. The daily readings are a combination of scripture passages and modern works that serve as great examples to better understand scripture by giving you samples of God's work in everyday modern life.

As an example, a portion of the September 17th reading states,

"Seeing God in everything is the only thing that will make me loving and patient with people who annoy and trouble me. Then I will see others as the instruments God uses to accomplish His tender and wise purpose for me, and I will even find myself inwardly thanking them for the blessing they have become to me. Nothing but seeing God will completely put an end to all complaining and thoughts of rebellion."

Hannah Whitall Smith

Mothers Together is the second book I wanted to recommend. Written by Ruth Bell Graham and Gigi Graham Tchividjian, a mother and daughter, the book recounts many familiar stories of motherhood and displays the dynamics in watching your own child become a mother as well as looking back on how our mothers cared for us. There is a spotlight on the joys of being a mother as well as the difficulties we all run into and how God shows his love by helping us through it all.

~Al

Today's Promise From God

When you're afraid of death ...

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

Psalm 23:4

Today's Promise From God

When you need to be brave ...

This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Today's Promise From God

When you're feeling dissatisfied ...

Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless-like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:9