Prayer

I find it easy to pray for others. After speaking to my friends, hearing the concerns of my family, watching the news I pray.

Just recently I prayed for healing as both my father and step-mother had surgery. I pray daily for safety in regards to my son-in-law as his job is not safe and he works outside (in 100°+ heat). I prayed for a friend who has a relative with legal trouble. I prayed for the victims and families of the Aurora, Colorado shooting; I prayed for the shooter too.

Confession time: I have trouble asking for prayer. Why is that? It makes no sense. I know that prayer is a gift and I fully trust that God answers prayer. I will pray for my needs and the needs/wants of my family, so why do I have difficulty asking others to pray for those same wants/needs?

The Bible says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6-7) There are many scripture verses on prayer; it is evident that prayer is important to God. One of my favorite Bible verses is Matthew 18:20; "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." I’m taking a leap of faith today and requesting prayer from my readers.

My husband and I are doing what we believe is in the best interest of Jesi, my husband’s youngest daughter. We are in mediation before court trying to obtain residential custody. I’m not asking that you pray for us to receive the residential custody we are seeking. I’m not asking for prayer that we “win” custody or have favor with the judge. I only ask that you pray for God’s will to be done and that the counselor, the attorneys, the parents and the courts will follow-through with Jesi’s best interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your prayers. I pray for each of you as well.

I remember; I’m still more blessed than stressed!

CAS

Keyword: Accessorize

Hello again :) It's Breenah and I'm back with my response to request number two: a way to spice up a work uniform, but slacks or khakis are required. This could also be applied to school uniforms! (You can see request one here)

My mom's work has polos with her department, not polos from A&F, but I figured it'd work for a stand in :) The key to not looking blah when you have to wear what everybody else is wearing is accessories!

For the shoes, I know my mom would like either of the heels and yes she'd wear them even on a casual day. I'm not sure she'll like the yellow ones (those are more my style), but I'd get her to try them on at least. I like the flats a lot because they're simple, but cuter than your basic ones.

Jewelry (again in gold tones for mi madre) is another great way to stand out. You can put fancier pieces with a casual uniform to make it not feel so blah. Same with nail polish. If you're stuck in a polo and khakis (whether it's for retail or school or an office job) wear some bright or unusual for you polish. Greige was super trendy last year, but I'm still in love with it. I picked the magenta and pink for CAS though :)

Something I don't think I've ever seen my mom do is use a scarf as an accessory. I think these two fit her style perfectly and they're lightweight so they can still be worn in the summer. Except maybe not right now. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wear anything extra when it's 104F outside.

polo $25

khakis $25

yellow shoes $36

teal heels $50

pink/black flats $29

black heels $11

magenta polish $7

greige polish $7
pink polish $7
pink scarf $8
brown scarf $16
earrings $14
bangles $20
cross bracelet (similar) $8
necklace $40

total: $303 (for 14 items!)

Obviously you can't wear this all as one outfit. Nobody has that many feet! My mom already owns polos and khakis and everything is under $50 and most things are under $25, so I don't think I did too bad on pricing. This accessories are probably a little more out there for my mom than the other outfits I picked, but I'm hoping she'll still like it.

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Not sure about the yellow shoes…but the rest is SPOT ON my taste. I might even have to try the scarves! (How’s that for stepping out of my comfort zone?)

Are you sure the heels aren’t too dressy for khakis? I love them, but was afraid of putting my heels with such a casual outfit. How about the next time you’re over, I try a few things on and you help me ‘shop my closet’? :)

Fashion by Breenah

It's busy time for me with school, work and families, so for the next few days I've asked a very special person to be my "guest blogger". I'm learning to take it one day at a time and focus on being more Blessed than Stressed...but I don't want to ignore my blog either. I'm happy to share my blog for a few days and I think you'll be happy with her posts, I'm really looking forward to them!!

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Hello Blessed readers! My name is Breenah and I blog over at By Breenah. My blog is mostly about random happenings with my daughter, but I also do a fashion link up every Friday with Long Distance Loving called Friday's Fancies. You can see my past ones here. My mom sent me a list of five different outfits she wanted me to create for her:

1. Date night with hubby
2. Casual Friday at work (slacks or khakis)
3. Jeans day at work (still professional)
4. Weekend wear
5. Special occasion


She also asked me to try and keep each outfit under $100, which is hard to do when you're on Polyvore! Here is the first outfit I chose for her for a date night with her husband.

This dress is not something my mom would normally choose, but I think she'd look great in it. She prefers to not wear things too short and to have sleeves and this dress is great for coverage while still being sexy (which is kind of weird to say about my mom, haha!). 

Her (and my step-dad) love heels and red nails. The shoes have a 4.5" heel, but my mom's barely over 5' so she could use the height. The red polish is OPI's Not Really a Waitress and I'd call it my mom's signature color and it matches the lipgloss perfectly.

She wears gold jewelry and hoops are her "thing" as well and I think she'd like the bangles. That's also why I chose the clutch and if you've read my blog at all you know why I chose the sunglasses (I'm addicted!).

The drink is just for funsies :D

dress $47

clutch $17

shoes $21

sunglasses $6

polish $7

earrings $5

lipgloss $12

bangles $8

total: $123

Okay, so I went a little over. In my defense, my mom already owns the earrings and the nail polish so it's only slightly over.

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It never ceases to amaze me what a wonderful eye for fashion she has! Yes, definitely my favorite nail color and I love the shoes (I have heels that are higher, so these would be no problem!). I love the dress, but she'd probably have to convince me to try it on. As most women are... I'm my own worst critic, but I don't think she would steer me wrong. All in all, you hit the nail on the head. Great job Sunshine!

This Man’s Worth

 

How do you list the value of this man?

I have a ‘way with words’, but I don’t think I can.

A smile sweet with genuine concern,

An eager spirit, always willing to learn.

Encouragement he offers to every friend,

Loyal & supportive – to the very end.

Devotion to God and true love for his wife,

Faith, family & work – a truly balanced life.

So caring, generous & helpful – it’s true.

But never a boastful word…he’s humble too.

Working through the weeks, days & hours

Thousands of trees, bushes & flowers

Playgrounds installed and parks well tended,

Walking paths created & courts now mended.

Projects well started are now complete

A busy “to-do list”- becomes a blank sheet.

Years gone by – January thru December

Now just thoughts to ponder, and remember.

Enjoying the work that was done

Meant having a job that was more like “fun”.

A duty once demanding became a labor of love,

To the citizens of Wichita & the Heavenly Father above.

With all the love for my brother in Christ, Tim Martz.
Colleen A. Shirley (aka CAS) September 17, 2010

Good Intentions

Sometimes I feel like a failure at life and pretty pathetic.  Not a glamorous picture for a child of God is it?  It’s true though.  In my dreams I am a very organized person.  I like the quote “A place for everything and everything in its place”. I always start out that way, I have wonderful plans, great objectives.  But, you know the saying: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions”?                                                I’m the walking advertisement. 

Time; or a lack thereof, interferes with my good intentions and I fail yet again.  The laundry that needs to be folded sits in a basket in the living room.  The papers I need to file are all over my desk.  The checkbook I need to balance is in the middle of the papers I need to file.  The devotional I wanted to read is unread; the poem I wanted to write is unwritten.  You get the picture?  Anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m neither a failure at life nor pathetic.  I’m simply a sinner saved by grace (which is good, because if it required good deeds I’d have to add them to my to-do list and I’m out of room!).  I am a busy woman just trying to figure it out.  So, if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, pathetic or like a failure – I can relate.  I have good news for you; though it won’t solve your problems, it won’t clean the closet or magically give you more time.  The good news is: Jesus loves you and cares about all the things that frustrate you, intimidate you and make you feel inferior.  We are weak without Him, but with Him, we are strong enough to handle all these things…day by day.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.  1 Corinthians 1:25                       

Reminding you blesses outweigh stresses;

CAS

Be Encouraged

Do you ever feel responsible for the world? I do. I feel that way ALL the time. (No, I’m not exaggerating.) I’ve often wondered why I feel the urge to lift up those who are down, why I have an insatiable need to stop people from beating themselves up. If a friend is in a bad mood, I cheer them up. If a family member is having a terrible day, I try to give them confidence. Someone I know is attempting something new/scary? I cheer them on. It may sound silly…but it really is my ‘duty’ to share blessings with them.

I believe the desire I have to encourage others is my gift from the Holy Spirit. The dictionary defines encouragement as; “somebody or something that gives somebody hope, confidence or courage”. That seems like a lot of responsibility and kind of scary. Who am I to be offering “hope, confidence or courage” to others? I’m a sinner, I fail and I’m overwhelmed too. The difference is; I know where to receive encouragement and I know where my hope comes from.

I have my down times too, but for the most part I’m a ‘glass half-full’ person. The fastest way for me to get out of my own “down” time is to lift someone else. - Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man (woman) sharpens another. By encouraging others I am encouraged. God has gifted me with supporting others and I’m excited about this. I feel extra blessed because this gift requires me to keep the focus off myself and on Christ. I can’t encourage others without the knowledge of where my strength is found.

If you’re having a difficult time, if you need prayer or a scripture verse for your situation; please let me know and I’ll be happy to “lift you up”.

More Blessed than Stressed,

CAS

True Humility vs False Modesty

It has been my pleasure to be acquainted with a few people in my life who know what true humility is.

If you’ve ever met Tim, you know what I’m talking about.  Tim was my boss several years ago.  By just being around him you knew he was a loving husband, a doting father/grandfather, a dedicated, hard working leader as well as a great supervisor and now my forever brother-in-Christ.  His daily attitude spoke volumes about his character.  He never had to tell you his beliefs, everything he did or said was based on his faith in Christ.  I learned a lot about servant leadership by simply observing how he related to others.  To this day, he’ll tell you he should have worked harder, he could have done better, etc – and there is no false modesty there, he honestly doesn’t know the impact he has on others.

Also, if you’ve met Brian, you know what I mean.  Brian is my step-son; smart as a whip, kind, considerate, fun…and a walking advertisement for Christ.  I’ve never heard him say one negative or disparaging thing about someone else. (I’m not saying he’s never done it, just that I’ve never heard him do it.)  There is something very “genuine” about Brian.   He lives for and loves Christ.  He doesn’t hide his faith and he’s willing to talk to anyone about it at anytime.  When he talks to you or does something for you, there’s nothing ‘false’.

 

On the other hand:

                 

I’ve witnessed my fair share of false modesty (I’m even guilty of it).

You know?  Those times when we make excuses or belittle a compliment instead of simply saying “thank you”.

-          Nice poem, I liked it.                    “Nothing special, anybody can do it.”

-          Great job on the report!                 “I put some data together, no big deal, it only took 3 days.”

-          Dinner was yummy!                      “It’s a new recipe, I’m sure I can do better.”

-          Thanks for babysitting!                  “It was nothing.”

I’d like to say I do this when I’m trying not to be vain, but in honesty I do it so I will hear “Yes it is a big deal” or “No, really, thanks so much”.  I stress a bit (OK, a lot) on what others think of me & tend to rely a bit too much on the accolades of others.  I always cringe inside when I catch myself doing this. I recently realized something; if God gives me an ability to share, a gift to use or time to benefit others and I downplay it, then I’m doing Him a disservice.  He deserves acknowledgement for anything and everything I’m capable of.  Just like the examples of Tim & Brian above.  I’ve been working on this and trying to do better by simply accepting a comment or compliment: 

-          Your poem was great, it really spoke to me.  “Thank you so much, I really felt the Holy Spirit moving me to write it.”

Still Stressed but mostly Blessed,

CAS