1,000 GIFTS, #65 to #79

March 8, 2011 1:31 AM 4

Multitude Mondays – Marching Toward 1,000 Gifts in March

65.  Snowpeas and red potatoes peaking up through the soil in my garden.  This is a picture of the snowpeas taken with my Blackberry phone…I can’t wait until they start climbing the trellis.

66. New life on the farm, two baby calves, a new bull and a new heifer.

67. The Bradford pear trees are shouting the promise of springtime! This tree is in the parking lot at my office…and there are three of them in a row…so beautiful.

68.  Help with watering the Texas sweet onions by a sweet Georgia grandboy.

69. Saturday morning breakfast pancakes shaped like a chicken, a cow, and a pig.  These are from Williams Sonoma and my friend Beth Moore has the “Star Wars” pancake molds for her grandchildren.

70. Answered prayer so gloriously confirmed. There is nothing like it, nothing.
71. An email from a friend of 23 years – we are both coming out of a season of intense spiritual warfare and her wisdom and sweet friendship blessed me.
72. Knowing a scripture passage  by heart just when my husband needed it…
73. A grandboy who asked to be rocked before bedtime, and then wanted to hear “How Great Is Our God” sang by his Gran Jan.
74. Worship in church Sunday as we sang one of my favorite hymns “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and hearing the glorious sound of the penny whistle played by my sweet friend, Joan.

75.  My favorite verse from “Come Thou Fount” is:
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.
76. Listening to my husband read excerpts from Radical by David Platt. So hard yet so good.
77. A tweet this morning from Priscilla Shirer. I LOVE THIS YOUNG WOMAN!
78. My bookplate came in the mail from Ann Voskamp for the very book that has inspired all this counting of GRACE…that in itself is grace.
79. Focusing on the “whatevers” when my mind wants to be anxious…whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Philippians 4:8

Oh To Grace How Great a Debtor…

 
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March 8, 2011 1:31 AM 4

K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sister!

January 2, 2011 3:38 AM 11

Good Evening Friends…
Today is almost over.  It’s been a good day with family and friends. Yes, being the Georgia girl that I am, I’ve had my collard greens and black-eyed peas twice today…both at lunch and then again at supper! And guess what? I grew the collard greens myself in my backyard garden.  What a simple pleasure!

Since this is the first day of a new year and the first day of a new decade as well (with a marvelous number pattern…1-1-11), I wanted to post a quick note.  I am getting older, thank you Jesus. I am loving this season of my life.  I’ve learned to pick my battles – to know the difference between the energy expended on events that amount to no more than an ant bite or serious enough to be considered a snake bite!  Wisdom comes with age and experience and it is oh so sweet. Tough, but sweet.

I’m not one to set unrealistic goals or make “new year’s resolutions.”  I’ve been there before and failed miserably and dealt with the self-imposed guilt that most always follows.  However, I do dearly love a fresh start and thank God for His mercies new every morning and His sweet amazing grace; so I am going to attempt to “KISS” this year which stands for Keep It Simple Sister! With the Good Lord’s help and in keeping His will for my life, I am going to filter requests for my time through my family’s needs and the women’s ministry I so dearly love.  Did you know that “no” is a complete sentence? I am going to slow down a bit and take better care of myself…so that I may take better care of my family.  This will mean regular exercise and smarter food choices.  I want to enjoy every single minute of my grandchildren and be able to keep up with them! (Zeke is not happy that he had to share his Gran Jan with the babies…)

Thank you for your love and support and for stopping by to visit my blog. One more very important thing…I’m going to do something wonderful for my soul this year, and that is to participate in Beth Moore’s Scripture Memory Team again.  What a JOY and DELIGHT!  If you haven’t heard about this, visit her web site here for instructions.  It is not too late to get involved and you will be blessed beyond measure for hiding God’s Word in your heart.

Remember, KISS 2011 by “Keeping It Simple Sister.”

*Gran Jan*

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January 2, 2011 3:38 AM 11

10-10-10

October 10, 2010 2:33 PM 1

Good Morning Friends.  I am writing this Sunday morning from the balcony of a beautiful condo in Sandestin, Florida.  My husband and I are here for an extra long weekend, a time of rest and renewal.  As my sweet daughter-in-law Carrie told me before we left, “this will be a vacation, when the whole family comes, it’s a trip!”  There are times for both, but she is right…this has been a vacation, long awaited.

I am on Day Eight of one of Beth Moore’s devotionals entitled 90 Days With JESUS The One & Only. I should complete this one around Christmas. This morning’s reflection was from one of my favorite passages in scripture, the verse from Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

As I was writing in my journal and took note of today’s date 10-10-10; and since I have time and haven’t posted in a while, I wanted to do a “Ten” List. Very unorginal, but I’m inspired with the whole Ten-Ten-Ten date today.  This list is not a Top Ten, but rather ten things I have often pondered in my heart.

Ten Ponderings
1.  The amazing grace of God and why He loves me like He does…
2.  The blessed gift of a long and faithful marriage with the love of my life…
3.  How absolutely right all my friends were about the sheer joy of being a grandmother…the inspiration for Gran Jan’s Joy
4.  The great delight it is to be friends with my boys, now grown men…and the thankfulness that their wives are taking such good care of them…
5.  How I absolutely love to garden and wonder if those things are truly inherited and if so, then it came from my maternal grandmother…
6.  Sometimes at night when I slip outside I marvel that God really gave names to all the stars and that He knows my name too… Psalm 147:4 “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
7.  After my trip to South Africa last year, I think of the beauty there, but also the devastating poverty in the shanty towns, and I especially ponder a little boy that used a plastic bread bag as his hat. My South Africa journal for that day is here...
8.  How some songs are so anointed and touch me every single time, and how thankful I am to have my own music man for a husband and that I know I am and have always been his favorite choir member…
9.  When God allows me to serve other women even with all my flaws, His mercy overwhelms me…
10. The older I get the more I understand the peace of being quiet and listening more…and often wonder why I didn’t glean this truth earlier in my life, but the ways of God are a mystery…

Well, 10-10-10 is here and I’m getting up to enjoy my last day on the glorious Gulf Coast of Florida!

Blessings,
Gran Jan

P.S.  10-10-10 is also some mighty good garden fertilizer.  I’m just saying…

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October 10, 2010 2:33 PM 1

So Long Insecurity – Part 2

April 28, 2010 1:52 AM 9

Back in early March I was having lunch with some co-workers when my cell phone rang. The caller was the Director of Living Proof Ministries, beautiful Sabrina Moore. She wanted to know if I would be willing to organize a group of women to serve as hostesses at the LPM resource tables during the So Long Insecurity event. I said “let me think, yes.” It took less than 2 minutes with a Facebook message later that evening to gather the 12 workers! A chance for us to give back a little by serving Beth Moore and LPM after all they have invested in us? Done deal!

The “Delightful Dozen Southern Siestas” were Fran, Robyn, Tammy, Stephanie, Nikki, Wendy, Emmy, Lora, Deborah, Miranda, Karen, and me! My friend Alaina and Emmy’s daughter Lizzy even helped us! We worked so hard and had so much fun! No one would have believed we were newbies.  You know why? We knew and believed in our products! Bethie’s books, CD’s, DVD’s and studies! We knew of what we “speaketh!”

Here are two overhead pictures of us in action…I cannot tell you how much fun we had, but we did. We laughed, explained, worked, walked back and forth, prayed, explained some more, hugged necks, answered questions, hugged more necks, and had a blast!
Robyn (blonde) and K Mac and Nancy!
(K Mac and Nancy are LPM Staffers)
Wendy is bagging up a purchase for someone!
K Mac, Nancy, Tammy and Deborah
Me, Alaina, Fran, and Karen stop for a picture
Nikki – I was so happy to meet her “in real life”
Lizzy, me, and Emmy
(Emmy and I traveled to Houston together back in January
to attend the Scripture Memory Team Celebration)
Karen is having a good time! (Always)
Lora is a sweetheart! She writes beautiful poems.
I am saying “So Long Insecurity!”
I can’t remember when I simultaneously worked so hard and yet had so much fun. I know it is because we were all like-minded in spirit and in purpose. Thank you Living Proof Ministries for allowing us to serve you and our sisters in Christ. We were SECURE in our love for you and in our jobs as resource table hostesses!  It was a great day that I will remember for a long time. I miss my siestas already.
Jan
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April 28, 2010 1:52 AM 9

So Long Insecurity – Part 1

April 26, 2010 5:38 AM 11

The long-awaited So Long Insecurity Conference at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA and simulcast to 869 locations for an attendance of 300,000 was one of the best events in which I have ever been privileged to participate!

Beth Moore taught from Ephesians 4 on what a “Secure Woman” is using the acronym for the word secure.

S = Saved from herself
E = Entitled to truth
C = Clothed with intention
U = Upended by grace
R = Rebounded by love

E = Exceptional in life

I will share my notes soon and which “letter” meant the most to my heart, but right now I just wanted to share some pictures.

Here I am on the bus with the book written by Beth Moore.  Go get it and read it if you haven’t. It will make a difference in your life and your attitude toward life. 

There were 300,000 women that participated in the conference, and 10,000 of them were at the host site at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. They were great hosts and served us well.  I know their pastor, Dr. Johnny Hunt is so proud of them!  This is the women waiting to get in to their seats…

The worship, the Word, and the women were wonderful.  More to come…

Love,
Jan

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April 26, 2010 5:38 AM 11

Gazillion Georgia Gals at Books a Million to see Beth Moore!

February 6, 2010 5:17 PM 24

My friend Cindy and I trekked (I actually drove) through the cold rain yesterday afternoon to go see my friend Beth Moore at the “Books a Million” in Peachtree City, Georgia.  There were so many women there it should have been called “Books a Gazillion.” Beth was kind and gracious to all gazillion of them and she signed books for 3 solid hours…she was precious!

The gazillion gals were there to have Beth sign their copies of her newest release, So Long, Insecurity (you’ve been a bad friend to us) and I’m sure to also hug her sweet neck and tell her how much the LORD has used her ministry in their lives.  Now, not all gazillion gals at Books a Million actually told me this face to face (about a billion did), but trust me, I know that’s why they were there! 

Because that’s why I was there…

Beth’s wonderful and extraordinarily capable assistant, Michelle, gave the security guy the “nod,” so I was allowed to get “behind the barricade” to talk to Bethie.  I actually surprised her and it was so much fun! I wanted to support her because that’s what friends do.  Support.each.other.
So, if you haven’t yet done so, go get yourself a copy of So Long, Insecurity, and join in the on-line discussion reading group at the Living Proof Ministries blog.  I believe the sign up is this coming Tuesday.  Go here some time on Tuesday February 9th to get the details. Don’t be insecure, just do it…you will love it. Trust me.
You can also go to Amazon to get your copy! It won’t be nearly as much fun as going to the store and hugging the author’s neck, but it will have to suffice for now. Okay?
Blessings to you all,
Georgia Jan
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February 6, 2010 5:17 PM 24

THE LORD LISTENED AND HEARD…Malachi 3:16

January 27, 2010 12:12 AM 36
It was a JOY to participate in 2009 as part of the Scripture Memory Team. One of my verses was Malachi 3:16, and it fit our celebration this past weekend in Houston so well! As we talked with each other and shared our verses, the LORD listened and He wrote a scroll of remembrance concerning the Siestas! Isn’t that the most wonderful glorious news?
“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name!”
Deborah, Georgia Jan, Beth, Emmy, Wendy

The Georgia Four Wendy, Emmy, Deborah and me were so excited to be in Houston, TX for the LPM SMT Celebration! We had agreed to pray God’s Word together through the promise of Psalm 90:17 “May the favor of our Lord God rest upon us, and establish the work of our hands.”  Indeed He did!

Amanda, our wonderful Blog Queen, had let us know earlier that there would be about 500 of us, and as you all know, that is really a “small group” for a Bethie event!  I loved the intimacy and focus of the Siestas that attended.  The like-mindedness of all of us memorizing scripture for one year together was palatable in that place. It was sweet to see Beth get to be up close and love on the siestas – something she doesn’t get to do in an arena setting.  It was like a family reunion!

I love to make lists, and this list is alliterative.  It covers so many of the wonderful blessings from this past weekend. Nothing.Disappointed.  Nothing!

  • Beautiful Beth
  • Amazing Amanda
  • More Master’s Degrees Melissa
  • Wonderful Worship by Terrific Travis
  • Lovely LPM Staff
  • Hospitable Houston
  • Georgia Girls
  • Sweet Siestas
  • Warm Weather
  • Verified Verses
  • Fantastic Food

But the list doesn’t share details and pictures, so I would love to oblige with that now…

We had a great flight to Houston from the ATL and I knew we were off to a great start as Emmy was ALREADY watching a DVD of Beth on our way there to see Beth.  Gotta love that!  I took this picture from my seat right behind her on the plane!

The Georgia girls started the morning early with some pampering at the spa within the Omni Hotel. Facials, sauna, whirlpool, the works!  It had been a very long time since I enjoyed that type of pampering.  Thank you sweet Deborah for blessing me with that gift!

Friday afternoon I was so happy to see our wonderful worship leader, Travis in the lobby at the Omni. I love his musical gifts, but I love his heart of worship more.  Always gracious, he kindly took time for pictures and conversation with many of us.  Thank you Travis Cottrell for being used mightily to bless this Baptist “music minister’s wife!”

Here are some random pictures of the weekend.  Words cannot describe the fun and joy-filled time we all had together. So much preparation went into memorizing all that scripture, and much preparation obviously took place months before our arrival. The LPM staff are as sweet and helpful as can be.
Here is my friend Lora from By the Lamplight, I loved meeting her! Lora writes beautiful poetry as God speaks to her heart. Maybe she will share the words to her new poem (quite different from her usual writing). It is called “Purse on the Chain,” sung to the tune of “Pants on the Ground” after she saw a purse at the Houston Galleria for almost $2,000.

Here is my friend from Florida, Karen Barrows. She and I met last October in Orlando, FL at the Deeper Still event. We said our memory verses to each other on Saturday afternoon. It was a very special time.
This is the littliest Siesta. Her name is Dailey Rae, and she memorized her scripture too.  She took these notes while Beth was teaching.  Isn’t this the sweetest picture ever? Little girls like her are our future.  Let’s live our lives so that we will be the Titus women that these young ones need.
Here is another friend, Lindsee Eddy.  She led a big group of us to eat at Pappasitos and it was so very good. There was some sort of green sauce on the table that I claimed as my very own.
Beth taught us from Psalm 119, Life with God from A to Z, and it was marvelous!  “I’m a resident alien, seeking direction, in deep want of wonder, in peril and need, troubled by humanity, especially my own, knowing that to follow is the only free road for a straying sheep, longing to be found.”
I love you Beth – thank you for all you do for all of us Siestas and for being my bff. Your life has been used mightly of God in mine.  Thank you for loving on me so that I can love on others. You are a delight!

Georgia Jan

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January 27, 2010 12:12 AM 36
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