Friday Rewind.

Holy Moly can I just tell you that busy is not better, and today as Friday is hitting I crave being a Mary and shoving the Martha 6 feet under.

The last week or so has been insanely busy.

In ministry there is times where you can control your schedule and times where you can't.

I let it get out of balance a little bit this past week and I'm pulling the reigns tight, so if you want a piece of me take a number and I'll see you in March, okay or on Pinterest.

Saturday 4th - House of Prayer in the PM.

Sunday 5th - Church, & Super Bowl Party @ Friends.

Monday 6th - Date Day with my hubby!!! (I preserve that as much as humanly possible!)

Tuesday 7th - Caught up and worked on Valentines & went to grocery store)

Wednesday 8th - Church in the PM

Thursday 9th - Bible Study in AM & Hubby and worship practice in PM

Friday 10th- I spoke at Mops (family time that night @pizza hut and ice cream!)

Saturday 11th - Dinner party at our house for 25 people

Sunday 12th - Church in AM, Soup dinner for missions after service, Valentines Banquet in PM

Monday 13th - B0o only got a date lunch because hubby had to go to mtg. Sectional Council in PM

Tuesday 14th - Valentines Day - I organized my oldest daughters party at school, awards ceremony and family dinner.

Wednesday 15th - Real Life Rally meeting & Church

Thursday 16th - Board Dinner PM

Friday 17th- TODAY ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!

Saturday 18th- Pinewood Derby in the AM, but we are not participating we will go and say hello and have a family day.

Sunday 19th - Church, Business Meeting (annual) PM.

In the middle of this my hubby had a sinus infection that he lovingly passed to me, okay I asked for it. He wouldn't kiss me because he didn't want to get me sick but I MADE his kiss me, and well he's better and I'm not. Bottom Line, MY FAULT.

My youngest got the same thing.

My two older all had puking episodes somewhere in the middle of that.

I am 100% convinced that we all got our sickness ailments because we were run down and exhausted! This momma will be pulling the chains a whole lot tighter and protecting my babies and hubby a whole lot better. I control my calendar, and I should. I understand their are busy seasons, and my husband and I are 100% all in, but if we are exhausted and run down everyone including our family will get left overs.

Balance = Good Thing.

Team player - great thing

However sometimes people on your team need a time out, before they burn out.

I remember in our church planting day's trying very hard not to fill the calendar to overflowing so our volunteers wouldn't burn out.

Busy isn't better.

What's on your calendar that you can purge ?

Are you being intentional with your church calendar ?

9/11, The Plane I was on.

We all have our story from September 11, 2001, which has now become known as 9/11.

Here is my story.

My day started out a little different, than my normal days. Normally I would be just getting home and going to bad after working my 3rd shift on the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit, at Lutheran Hospital in Ft.Wayne Indiana. However, 2 months earlier I had meet a man. This man lived south of Atlanta and I was taking a trip to go visit. It wasn't my first trip but it was a very important one for our relationship.

Flights out of Ft.Wayne were always crazy expensive so I always choose to go to Dayton Ohio and fly into Atlanta.

So I got up extra early and drove to Dayton got my luggage checked and took my time getting to my gate. Everyone was bustling around trying to make morning flights. People were laughing, kids were running, the mood was light. Security was a howdy hey how are you and a very small town feel. No one was worried or afraid just ready for their normal day. I found a pay phone and used a calling card (remember this was 10 years ago). I called my mom to tell her I made it to the airport, and then I called Ben to tell him my flight was on time. He had about an hour and forty five minute drive to the ATL airport.

Boarding had just begun so I hung up and went and got on my plane. I was seated next to a lovely couple who was headed to ATL to get married. They were so excited. Within minutes you could see things shift on our airplane. People's pagers started going off, and people started to look a little panic, but they remained silenced. I remember them locking us in the plane, and them coming on and telling us that the President of The United States has grounded all Commercial flights. As you can imagine things got a little tense. When it was our turn a crew from the airport came to our gate opened the plane door and escorted us off 1 at a time. We were told there would be no flights out today and probably not for several days. There was 1 tiny television in a barber shop in the airport, and hundreds of people were taking turns coming out of there. Every person young, old, male, and female all walked out with tears in their eyes. I made my way in and saw a glimpse of what looked like a horror movie on the television. Did I mention that September 11th is my birthday ?

I made my way to the phone again and called Ben first. He was relieved to hear my voice. He was getting ready to leave his house for the ATL airport and happened to flip on the television to see the war zone that had begun. At that time there were still hundreds of planes in the sky, and mine was one that would have been up there if President Bushes orders hadn't grounded them.

I told him I was still coming and that I was going to drive. I told him that I would call with more details after I let my family know I was okay. Between the phone call to Ben and to my mother, I noticed the couple I was sitting next to on the plane. They were clearly upset. I asked her what was wrong, and she begin to tell me since we sat on our plane for so long there was no rental cars available and she had no way to get to her wedding. So I did what anyone would do and offered for her to ride with me :) I then called my mother and told her about said strangers and how they were coming with me, and that I would be in contact with her as I could along my drive.

As we began to drive the landscape of America changed before our eyes. Suddenly red, white, and blue could be seen in directions all over the highways. On overpasses flags hung down, on business signs read "We Love America". I also got a speeding ticket which was a complete joke because the amount of traffic on the road was insane. Wall to wall cars because no one could fly. We saw the heartbeat of America at it's best. Not thru a journalist but thru the people. We made it to our destination and all was well. I realized that day Ben was for sure going to be my husband. See it was him who I wanted to be with during this crazy adventure and as much as I love my family they got trumped by him. My mother even said she knew that was the day I was going to marry him as well.

Was my plane one that was headed for CDC in downtown ATL like they said ? I will never know.

Was my life taken. No.

Did that day forever change my life ? Absolutely!

God bless the ones who gave their lives, and the families left behind.

I will never forget, nor will anyone else. I pray that on the 10th anniversary that the people who may have been scared and fearful and ran to Jesus or to a Faith for their answer that this year on the 10th anniversary they would find Jesus for who he is and for what he has done for them. My prayer would also be that they wouldn't be sacred into a relationship, but find a genuine relationship.

Praying that something like this never crosses our soil ever again.

Friendship Perspective.

I thought this post would take me a few days to write, however as I wrote it, I saw my passion come to life on my keyboard.

This is a very guarded area by many. A touchy don't go there. I am going to go there, even at the risk of offending someone. Why you ask ? Well I get weekly emails from women in minis

try who are lonely and don't feel like they have a friend in the world.

Did you know you can have thousands of people around you and be so alone ? Yes it's possible, and I know this for a fact.

After an email I got tonight, I sat and cried to myself.

Women in ministry are so alone. Big Church, Little Church, it doesn't matter.

I once read that there are people who want to be your friend because you are in leadership and it looks cool. There will be people who DON'T want to be your friend because your in leadership. There are people who will want to be your friend because they don't care about either!

I am sooo blessed to have that best friend! Can I tell you he is my husband.

If your married and your in ministry he is going to be your safest friend.

Now if your like me you want a girlfriend, someone to shop with, get your nails done with go on play dates with. My "other" best friend is In Michigan. She is 1000 miles away. She was someone I prayed for. A gift from God. She reminds me that my Best friend is my husband and doesn't ever try to replace that.

I remember the lonely times before I meet Cheryl and my marriage was not great.

In those moments I wish I had a girlfriend.

Women in ministry can I share with you a secret....

There are soooo many resources out there for you to have a friend.

I have a Girlfriends Blog Roll so you can find like minded women who understand your position. Leading and Loving It is fabulous, plus an awesome church planters website coming soon.

It's going to be up to you to decide if it's safe to have a friend in your church. All churches are different, all people and areas of the country are different. Use the Lord to guide you and pray.

I think it's possible to be a friend to everyone and everyone to be a friend back, but not everyone was made for your living room couch and your intimate thoughts.

So today ladies I encourage you to look around and be a friend. I am here for you and am praying that God would give you the perfect person, even if it's an internet friend 1000 miles away or on the other side of the ocean.

I also encourage you to remember to make your hubby your #1 BFF. He after all was a gift to you.

If you are apart of the body of Christ and have a ministry head a pastor and wife, remember they are genuinely trying to love everyone and while you may not be best friends, it takes an effort on both sides to be friends. They cherish friendships that are genuine, because they are hard to find!

The Other Side.

I now have an IPhone. I got a deal that couldn't be resisted and I'm saving almost $75 a month from Verizon. Anyways, what are your must have Apps ???

Tell me them all...

Black Friday?

So tell me are you all about it or can't stand it and want to stay inside all day and hide from it ?

I LOVE IT!!!

I love the sights, the sounds, the smells.

I go with no agenda (other than a peppermint mocha from bux) and have fun people watching and just taking it all in. If I find a great deal then I'm happy but if not it doesn't really matter.

So do you venture out ?

What are your top stores ?

This year I will be working on black Friday and I'm really excited about that! I really I'm. I love helping people find the perfect gift at a great deal!!!

Oh and what time will you brace the madness ???? 4am or earlier ?

This year I think I'm going to go to Tanger Outlets at Midnight!

Tell me all about your Black Friday...

Marriage.

Being in the ministry is hard work.

Being married in the ministry is even harder work.

However the basic truths that Dena and I discussed are very real and true to any marriage.

This video is shorter than the one on balance....

I promise!

What do you do to keep your marriage safe ?

Marriage & Ministry from Rachael Scott on Vimeo.

Balance & Ministry

So Remember once upon a time we led worship at the conference back in Michigan ? I told ya'll that I sat down and chatted with my former senior pastors wife ? Well i finally broke the video down. YEAH!!! They are a bit long but SOOO worth the watch. Sorry that Dena is cut out a bit. My hubby set up the chairs and camera and we didn't know until we got back to Georgia that it was off.

So here is the first section on Balance in Ministry. Please share this with other Girlfriends in ministry!

In the comments let us know how you keep balance in your marriage and church life ?

Balance In Ministry ~ Two Girlfriends In Ministry Share from Rachael Scott on Vimeo.

what's in your bedroom ?

Uh huh... we're going there ladies!

I have felt convicted over the last few weeks about my bedroom, my safe place, my adult space. Somehow it always gets my attention LAST. It's the catch-all. It's out of sight, out of mind. I take everything there: the laundry, the miscellaneous papers...

One morning I woke up and realized that this place - where I'm supposed to feel safe and wake up feeling rejuvenated - was stressing me out.

I have to share my bedroom with my office/business. I design jewelry, and also sell Scentsy and run a lot of the church administrative roles. A lot of times this alone makes my bedroom look like a bomb went off. To continue Reading.........CLICK HERE

Broken.... but Bossing My Heart.

I know I need to draw a winner for Show me Your Space... but I can't today...

You see I've been praying for a little girl named Chrissie for a while now... well actually a little over a month. To be honest with you I didn't even know she existed until a month ago.

This little precious princess was adopted into a Texan family full of love...

You can Read all about them HERE.

Little Chrissie had to have open heart surgery because of a condition she was born with.

Her family took her in & adopted her not knowing how long her days would be...

Early this morning little Chrissie went to be with Jesus.

About 2 weeks ago her mom posted on her blog about when Chrissie was struggling she whispered in her ear... Boss your heart... and guess what things changed, her numbers stabilized and all was well.

That statement pricked my heart . "Boss Your Heart". How many of us need to be doing this ?

We need to stop and tell our heart to line up with the TRUTH of what God has for us!

So i created a necklace in honor of Chrissie bossing her heart...

Here is a portion from Lorraine's blog....

Rachael, this is such a true and profound statement about people bossing their hearts, and I had no idea God would use those words to lead you to create this necklace in honor of our princess. Scripture tells us in Proverbs 17:20, "A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble." It also says in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" And more issues of the heart are addressed in Hosea 10:2, "Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones."

We need to boss our hearts AWAY from what the world tells us is important and align our hearts with the Truth of God's Word, which tells us our hearts are deceitful above all things. The surest way to mend our broken, hurting hearts is to ask our mighty God to circumcise our hearts, to remove all the boo-boo's and mend our hearts to be made new in Him. You've heard me quote my scripture prayer for my personal heart before, but here it is again: Deuteronomy 30:6, "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."

The truth is that ALL of our hearts are broken without the Lord, and we are desperate to have Him repair our hearts. He is able, willing, and ready to make our broken hearts become brand new. That's what faith can do. (Remember Chrissie's song and the lyrics of "That's What Faith Can Do"?!?) All we have to do is submit to Him and ask Him to create in us a new heart, one which is more like His.

If you're ready for God to boss your heart instead of allowing the world to boss your heart with deceit and lies and barriers that keep us from fully experiencing His perfect goodness, the goodness that comes when we're able to love him with all our heart, with all our soul so that we may LIVE (Deut 30:6), please begin praying this prayer of circumcision found in Deut. 30:6 for yourself. God will do mighty things to mend your broken heart. (And it doesn't matter how shattered your heart is, He is mighty to save and He will do a massive open-heart surgery in your heart if you will ask Him and allow Him.)

This beautiful necklace can serve as a daily reminder to allow God to boss your heart with His Truth, His Love and His Goodness, while at the same time serving as as a prayer reminder for our princess.

So if you would like to support the Patterson's you can find the necklace here...

I don't know this girl but she has forever pricked my heart...

If i had frequent flyer miles I would be going to thank this wonderful mother in person for the way she has allowed their family to break my heart. I know ultimately it's God that is doing it, but really they are being Jesus with skin on and that is an image I pray I mirror everyday.

Polka Dot Walls.

So we are currently living in a VERY TEMPORARY house. It is to say the least a huge sacrifice and a huge adjustment from what we are used to. There are a few major major issues like the roof leaking, mold, and an occasional mouse.... yikes!

The one thing that is driving me batty are the little black sugar ants! Yes Sugar ants.

These things are seriously straight from the pit of &$%#. Yes fill in the blank, the preachers wife said a curse word.

These little babies are attracted to anything... If you leave a baby wipe out that has some form of sugary substance it will find a way in thru the wall or window seal or shower and make a line. Yes, just like in the books when we were little the ants marching to the happy picnic. I more like to think of them like in Honey I shrunk the kids. Remember those HUGE ants... yes those... that's what I'm referring to.

So the other morning my 4 year old comes into my bathroom and calls for me. I said yes, he said momma when did you paint polka dot's on the wall ? Uh yes i got in there very quick and realized a wall in my bathroom was completely covered in ants. AHH. Let me just tell you, that even when you kill them they find a way back. We are still dealing with the polka dot wall several day's later! The culprit to bringing the ants in... a single solo grape in my trash can. Please remind me that my 22 month old does not know any better...

One more ant story... So i was huge 9 months prego with my first little angel and we were cleaning out the closet in the spare bedroom... you know the one you NEVER go in until you have to. Yup that one. Well i opened it up and there was my wedding gown all zipped up (because you know i never had it cleaned). I though aw how fun to unzip it and open it and look at it! Uh think again..... it was covered in sugar ants.... Yes please scream or gasp with me as you read this... because I seriously freaked out. Me in all my glory with a huge 9 month prego belly flipped out! I grabbed the dress and spent the next several hours peeling and picking off these annoying little black specks off my dress. I will not even tell you who told me to spray RAID on my wedding dress.... lets just say it was not my hubby (smart man)!

The reason those darn ants were on there in the first place was kinda my fault... On our wedding day i blessed my husband with the cake smash and well he got me back and some loose cake went down the front of my dress... to my knowledge i thought it was all good.. sigh.

So tell me what is your worse insect, rodent horror story ?

Soda, Pop or Coke ?

So if you follow me on facebook you know yesterday that i posted this question.

Has anyone ever had side effects from drinking coffee... please don't think i'm crazy! I can drink pop and tea and be fine but regular coffee. ???

I was then asked what my side effects have been ?

Well... Anxious, heart racing, palpitations, Very irritable, and almost angry.

Crazy huh ? Well i usually have decaf in the house because of guest who can't have caffeinated. When i go to Starbucks it's usually at night so I always order Decaf.

I found a coffee that i really enjoy and it's creme brulee and guess what for the last week I have had all those symptoms. It dawned on me yesterday that i was feeling that way because of my coffee. Let me tell you I LOVE my coffee, so this was devastating. I can drink a pop and sweet tea and not have that effect at all! So strange to me.

Through the course of my facebook post I got 32 comments so i decided that it needed a blog post of it's own. It became a debate about what you call Pop ?

So here is the new question ? What do you call your Pop ? Is it a Coke or is it a soda ? I know all over the country we say it different so i'm just curious when you go to a restaurant how do they ask you what you want to drink ?

I know in some places in the country they say"Would you like a Coke?" and you say "yes" they respond with "what kind ?" You would respond with Diet or Pepsi or whatever kind you wanted... strange...

So in the comments tell me, what is it that you call "Pop" in your area of the country ? I am just curious who else has a reaction to caffeinated coffee ? Do you coffee drinkers know a good decaf blend ?

The 00's by number

Lori @ Leading and loving it put together all the things that have happened this decade. Mine will be in no order. If you missed my last post on my word of the year scroll down and take a looksy...or i can make it easy click here.

So here goes the list

7 1/2 the number of years i have been married to the most amazing man.

25th the day i was proposed to :)

2 number of official jobs i have had that i've gotten paid for

I have moved since 2000 13 times... um wow!

Graduated High School

Got my Urban Church Planting degree/nursing school $$$$ thousands of dollars paid off.

served on staff for 5 1/2 years at the most amazing church!

1 million the times it took my husband to convince me we were hearing from God to plant a church.

3 babies that have been birthed.

3 the number of amazing dance recitals i have partaken in.

1/2 year down of homeschooling

3 horrible church experiences before we found one that fit!

2 amazing times God brought me thru post partum depression

$49,000 the amount raised for Human Sex Trafficking, Romania Missions, Local Baby Closet, Food Pantry. All during Michigan's biggest recession. Sigh Big God.

Millions of times that God showed himself faithful.

No clue how many barnes and noble trips, starbuscks runs, tissue boxes and hours with Jesus, but all in all it's been an amazing and eventful 10 years! Ready for the next 10!

Confessions of a Pastors Wife..

Seriously this is cracking me up.

Lori over and Leading and Loving It is doing a confessional on what makes us "bad" Pastors Wives. It's actually really funny, so go check it out!

Here is my response :

I avoid the nursery wing of our church!!! I am afraid i will HAVE to jump in and work if there is a shortage

I don’t eat at potlucks because i don’t trust anyone else’s cooking or for a matter of fact what there home looks like. Can’t stand the fact that there might have been a dog or cat on the counter while they were cooking! blah!

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