Dance, Rally, Party, Scream

Tonight, get your butt to Flamingo Road Church
by 6:30pm.
Run inside.
Claim your seat.
Haste makes waste.
Don't be late
It's a very important date.
And I can't wait,
I can't wait!

God Never Said, "Huh?"

I got some bum news today. My doc finally conceded that there's nothing else he can do for my lungs. Sometimes, even the best are forced to say, "Huh?" But God has never said, "Huh?" God has NEVER had a question. God has NEVER scratched his temple, banged his fists & wondered why. God has NEVER been surprised at the outcomes that surprise us. When God was putting us together inside our mommies...



He knew all the answers our life would need.
He knew which ones He'd give us. He knew which ones He would not give us.
He knew when He opted not to give us answers that we would be driven to love Him more.
Or at least that's been the case for me.

Love Letter for the Cuban

Dear Cuban,
10 years ago, I entered our union with a loud, independent roar--making it privately & publicly known that what 2 can do together...lil Miss Heather can do alone. I was wrong. I never knew how much I would need you until God unfolded the last 10 years of my life with you. And especially when I'm here & you're at home--wearing so many hats & never losing it. I am at a loss for how to make up for your faithfulness. But I thought if I'd let it be known that I love you & I am grateful for you....that it might get me a step closer.
Love,
Me (from the 5th flr)

1, 2, 3, Look At Me!

I usually don't blog this much about my boyz. But I couldn't resist sharing these action shots Raul got of Andy's first time on a trampoline. I love the last pic.

This Was Never Me

Never played a sport, never participated on a team, never knew the agony of defeat or the smell of victory. But DJ has! He's 6 yrs old & has participated on 2 sports teams. Here he is with his basketball team. I'm proud of him. Not cause he's the MVP or anything; simply because he tried & didn't quit.

Lucky or Blessed?

Last night at my LeadHership Book Study, we talked about the difference between the following scenarios:

• When something unexpected happens is it coincidence or providence?
• When something unexpectedly good happens are you lucky or blessed?
• When something unexpectedly bad happens is it unlucky or destiny?
  

Have you ever thought about this? What's your take on it?

What's Your Story?

Do you have a story? EVERYBODY has a story.
Next question: Have you SHARED your story? No? Why not?!

We, at Flamingo Road Church, are looking for a story. A story of tragedy & triumph. A story where you tried, missed and heard God in between.

Are YOU the story someone is desperately needing to read?
Are YOU the one who could share YOUR life and make an impact in someone else's?
Email me HERE if you are. Don't ignore this nudge.

Laugh, Laugh, Laugh

Some people run the other way when a camera is near. I don't! I see cameras as chances to bring laughter to the table. Sometimes that laughter is with me, sometimes it's AT me. Either way, laughter is vital. I really love to laugh. I'd almost categorize it as a hobby. I like to be around people who make me laugh; I like to be goofy & make others laugh; and I like to give God ALL the credit that HE is the Genius who put laughter in us.

I know you are living, but I hope you are laughing.

Tonight, DJ Prayed...

"Dear Lord...please help me grow up to be a champion football & basketball player. Amen. "
You go, DJ! You pray BIG! You dream BIG! And you ask BIG things of God! Because DJ...somewhere between 6 yrs old & 35 yrs old, your mommy lost sight of that. And tonight, you inspired her to get it back.
So what's YOUR big prayer for God? Don't hold back. Remember:
"You do not get what you want because you do not ask God."
James 4:2

100 is the Gooooooooooal!

My bud, Steph and I have a BIG goal. On Fri., Mar. 13 we challenged ourselves to get 100 Easter Invite Cards handed out by our deadline of Fri., April 10. It's cool 'cause as we hand them out, we look forward to sharing the stories of how we went about it. Steph gave one to a business owner & the owner asked for 35 more!!!

We also committed to praying for every card we hand out, that they would be impossible to discard in the hands of the recipient!

We're blogging about it to see if anyone wants to join us? If you do, leave a comment. We'll definitely be praying for you & your cards too!

Believing is Seeing

Recently, my friend Ileana took this picture of Andy.

Now WE don't know what Andy is drawing, but Andy knows! If you'd ask him what he was drawing here, he'd very confidently tell you.

What we imagine in our mind we can visualize with our eyes. If I believe it, I can see it.

Several years ago, when I hit rock bottom, it's precisely that that got me back. Though I was in bad shape with so much crap to work through, I always imagined in my mind getting better. I didn't know how, but I believed someway, somehow, I could.

Your mind and what you believe in it is a powerful thing. Don't sell it short.

This Deodorant Stinks.

Yesterday, I had to buy deodorant & decided to go with the cheap one on sale at Publix. After all, aren't they all the same? All made of chemicals that are probably hazardous to your health but ensure optimum anti-perspiration? Well this deodorant literally stinks. All day I felt so odor-vulnerable. By mid-day, I was so paranoid, I took a sample vial of Hugo Boss for Men out of my purse (that I was saving for Raul) and put it under my pits! Nobody told me I smelled, but I FELT like I did. I'm done with this stuff & chalking it up to another Life Lesson: No More Cheap-o on the D.O.

FYI for the Devil

This weekend at my church, my Pastor taught on hell. And when he was done & asked people to join him on stage to receive this wonderful Christ named Jesus, I saw the infusion of God into a building like never before. I saw a young kid carry his paralytic brother up onto the stage so his brother could respond to this invitation. I saw 4 people who don't embrace Christianity attend Flamingo out of curiosity. I saw 3 people who I know needed to go on that stage, but how grateful some of us were that at least they came. And I saw a lot of freedom-tears as we embraced a poignant performance of "I Can Only Imagine."

I was Refueled, Reignited, Reinvigorated and Recharged that Jesus Christ IS real and the world REALLY does have a hole in their hearts that only He can fill. That the REAL Enemy REALLY does show up where He's not welcome & and you know what?? "You stupid Devil. You can't win. And this weekend at my church? You lost. Hundreds said no to your hell and yes to God's Heaven!"

Click here to watch the teaching by Pastor Troy

Nuts to Miss

Wanna know why Andy's so happy? He made a big decision this week. If you want an opp. to jump for joy too, go to Flamingo Road Church:
Sat. @ 5:00pm, 7:30pm
Sun. @ 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:45pm
And if you live no where near S. Florida, it's all good, man! Watch our service, live on the Internet, www.frclive.tv, at:
Sat. @ 5:00pm, 7:30pm
Sun. @ 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:45pm, 5:00pm

What I Told My Mind Today

Over and over and over today I had a convo in my head. Yes. I'm serious. A very deliberate, calculated, pre-conceived convo.
As soon as I woke up this morning, I could tell that my bod wanted to poop out, so I depended on my brain--which was in great shape!
All day long, I told myself "I can be transformed by the renewing of my mind," "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," and "I can do it!"
It was just an average day, but the fact that I got to the end of it & felt peace, makes me grateful that if we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, He can use any one of those to help us!

Drop-In Party @ www.troygramling.com

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The Wailing Wall

"While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God."
Hebrews 5:7




Our wailing wall @ Flamingo Rd Church

Andy met Jesus

When I was 4, I asked Jesus to come into my heart & my Dad was there.
When DJ was 4, he asked Jesus to come into his heart & Raul was there.
Today, Andy, who is 4, wanted to ask Jesus to come into his heart & I was there.
At breakfast, in between eating his muffin & finishing his milk, Andy simply asked if Jesus could come into his heart. And just like that, we prayed. And just like that, Jesus moved in. Life is hard--asking Jesus into your heart is not. It is the easiest & best thing a person gets to do. And it's all a person needs. As a mom, I will always treasure that today...my little Andy-man understood that.

Heartbreaking.

"Today, a little after our 8:15 service began, a man entered First Baptist Church and fired several gunshots at our Senior Pastor, Dr. Fred Winters. Pastor Winters was taken to the hospital but died of his wounds...Please pray for Dr. Winter’s family, our two brave members who were injured when they stopped the assailant, for the assailant himself and his family, and for our church members as they deal with this tragic loss."

As a pastor's wife, my heart is breaking for Mrs. Winters. As a pastor, my heart is breaking for this church. As a forgiven sinner, my heart is breaking for the assailant. Will you please join me in praying?

There's A Lot of Sick Goin' Round

Definitely something in the air in S. Florida. I know a lot of people who are fighting nasty colds. This particular strand seems to come with an annoying & never-ending cough. I empathize BIG time with these folk. I'm praying a BIG prayer that our BIG God would heal those who are sick and that He would take Heaven's BIG vacuum cleaner & suck up all the germs in S. Florida's atmosphere.
Let me know if you're sick so I can be praying for you too.

Friday Night Options

Hey, got plans tonight? I gotta few ideas:

1. If you have a fam, our academy is having Family Movie Night. They're transforming a big room into a movie theater and showing Madagascar-2 at 7pm. Safe, fun, cheap.


2. If you wanna rock it out, head over to Hollywood's outdoor theater, The Bandshell. Our crazy-good worship guys are performing a concert at 7pm.


3. Stay home. Save money. Enjoy the rest.

HAPPY FRIDAY no matter what you do!

What's on YOUR coffee table?

There are a gazillion bible translations; for different reasons & different seasons, I use different ones. These days, I'm digging: New Life Bible (NLB) & New Century Version (NCV)
Maybe you're scratchin' your temple right now, asking, "What the heck is she talking about?" Totally valid question! Hey, if the bible-stuff is new to you, I recommend the New Living Translation (NLT) & starting with Psalms, Proverbs or one of the Gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke, John).
If you're already doing the bible-thing, what translation are you diggin' these days?

Yes YOU can.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength:
You can win.
You can heal.
You can rescue.
You can accomplish.
You can succeed.
You can soar.
You can rise.
You can conquer.
You can salvage.
You can comfort.
You can forgive.
You can stand.
You can aspire.
You can give.
You can create.
You can dream.
You can achieve.
You can mend.
You can honor.
You can support.
You can cheer.
You can worship.
You can comeback.
You can smile.
You can love.
Yes YOU can.

I've Been Ousted from the Bathroom!

OMGosh! Today, I went to use the bathroom by our boy's room & look what was taped on it?! What the??? DJ is 6, Andy is 4 - what do they know about keeping girls out of their bathroom? If I wasn't laughing so hard when I saw this, I think I would've cried! Maybe I should find a way to have a daughter or adopt a female puppy to balance out the masculine scale in our home, hello?