Pat Layton Pat Layton Pat Layton: Sweet Tea for Surrendered Sisters
Can I say "Tickled Pink"???
Senator McCain's choice of Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President will ROCK our world!
Governor Palin is a Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Pro-Woman who made a CHOICE not to allow her Down Syndrome child to be aborted claiming "we feel privileged that God would entrust us with the gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives". (See www.lifenews.com)

Now only is Governor Palin Pro-Life but she has proven herself time and time again to be fully connected with the everyday lives of American-men and women! 

She is a change agent by the very fact that she is a woman who is committed to her faith, her family, her country and her God.
In my opinion, an answer to prayer!!

Have a blessed Labor Day!!


Fed, Changed and Put Down for a NAP!!


This is me with my newest G-baby. Her peaceful and trusting place in my arms is how I have felt over the past few days as I have cuddled into the arms of my Good and Mighty God!!

Wow!!!
I was hoping that after a day of letting my brain rest, I might be able to give a few intelligent glimpses into the past week but alas, no intelligence has appeared.
So, here I go with the best that I can muster up!!
My latest God Encounter started last Wednesday as I traveled to San Antonio, Tx with 4 very special friends. God set it up for us and it was a joyful surprise. We had all spent the previous several days praying Hurricane Fay out of our "Sunshine State" and out of our travel path. In spite of her hovering over Florida's East coast on our travel day, we arrived in SA with barely a bump!

We had a short bit of time to walk the famous River Front and have some TexMex late in the afternoon after checking into our BEAUTIFUL hotel. 

Beth Moore's  "SIESTA'S" were EVERYWHERE we looked enjoying those girl times that are so very precious.



Thursday morning came very quickly and we were off to Oak Hills Church, home of Pastor Max Lacado for Lifeway's
"Fully Loaded" Leadership Training Event

The team at Chapel Hill know how to bless their guests!! 
Julie and her team were outstanding host and hostesses. I could not have gotten through my workshop without the technical assistance of my very own "Pat". 

Close to 400 women in Christian Leadership positions joined us for exhortation, education and encouragement.

I taught the "Ministry to Women In Crisis" track. Although they had a variety of excellent teachers to sit under, my sweet friends sat in the back of the room and prayed/cheered me on.

We had an overflow class of about 120 ladies that were full of energy and expectation. 
The class was wonderful and as always, I learned every bit as much as I taught!


We had some wonderful times gathered together as a group and were led in worship by none other than Kelly Minter and Travis Cottrell!! How cool is that. Our Spirits were dancing way before we even arrived at Living Proof Live!! Which was really lucky for us because we were about to be fed by Beth Moore, some STEAK that was TEXAS Prime!!! 

Beth's message on our INHERITANCE through Christ was so anointed and rich that I am still hearing phrases and truths in my prayer time and as I go about my day. There were a few things that she said that in my 24 years of SURRENDER to Christ, I have never heard in the same way or understood as well.

All of us who were privileged to attend will be meditating on the Word of God that was served to us this weekend, for many days to come.

I know that I am not alone in saying that my life and my perspective of MY INHERITANCE was absolutely transformed!

I spent the day yesterday, since my own brain would not engage, resting in the Lord, and reading the blogs of some younger more energetic Surrendered Sisters, for some thoughts and feedback.

 There are MANY to be found but a good place to start is with the Lifeway Woman's Blog "All Access" Blog. From there, you can spend a whole day, like I did, riding the waves of God's goodness.

In the meantime, I will leave you with one Word that has taken up residence in my heart for days:

" Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup, you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful INHERITANCE!!" Pslm 16:5,6

If you are reading this and were there with us, I would love to hear your thoughts as the days have gone by!!




 




Fresh Word Friday (on Sunday and Monday)
I have just returned from 4 days of filling up on God, so much in fact, that I am sweetly drained. The video clip that I have posted is just but a tiny testement to all that God did over the weekend from "Fully Loaded" to "Living Proof Live". 

This will have to do for tonight but if you stick with it until close to the end, you will see me and a few Surrendered Sisters fully caught up in His presence!

Blessings until tomorrow, I have praise reports galore!!






Living Proof Live - San Antonio from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.


Fresh Word Friday
I use lots of different methods to keep my time in God's Word fresh.

More often than not, I will use a published Bible study for my daily study and prayer time. I don't necessarily try to follow the days or the time frame that the study sets. In other words, I don't always complete Monday on Monday. It may take me all week to do that day. I use the studies kind of like a trampoline to jump up and down on but often find myself somewhere that I have no idea how I got there.

Much like blogging! Don't you do that? Go to a link that someone recommends, then from that blog to another then before long, you forget the path you have taken and can not remember the original blog you started on.

A Bible study helps keep me on a path that I can follow and find my way back to. It gives me a trampoline to spring from.

Other times, God leads me to take a Book of the Bible and study from start to finish.

I am in one of those seasons. I just completed Beth Moore's "Stepping Up" WOW. That study nailed me over and over and seemed each day to be written just for me.

God's Word ALWAYS does that same thing. I love the LIVING Word of God and the way that scripture takes upon it, into it, the life that I am living RIGHT NOW.

I am studying the Book of Romans.

I am also writing a new Bible Study about Freedom from our past and God's assignments for our future.

I am amazed at Gods' precious heart connection from my personal study to the study that He has called me to write for other women.

The verse that I have been chewing on over and over is:

I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 1: 16

The notes in one of my study Bibles explains that SALVATION has three facets:

Past Salvation---from the penalties of sin
Present Salvation---from the power of sin in daily life
Future Salvation---from the actual presence of sin in Heaven
Salvation goes behind us, is with us today and goes with us into forever.

This is one of those Bible truths that I feel like if there was nothing else in God's Word but this one verse it would be OK.

I have a past that is filled with sin.

My entire ministry life has been captured around some of my past.

But I also have the past of YESTERDAY'S sin. Like loosing my patience with a store clerk, then walking away, shaking my head and telling myself "that was good Pat, very Godly example you set there!"

I have sin that I am sure will come at me today. So far, I have walked from my bed to my prayer chair so I might be OK but just let me get up from here and see what happens.

It will most likely involve people. People that God loves, died for and people who are walking in the same grace for the day that I am standing in.

The final joy of SALVATION rests securely in eternity. Once you GET IT, No one can take it away. No matter how bad my yesterdays were. Regardless of my failures after I get up from this chair.

My eternal salvation is secure in my Saviour, My Jesus, My Redeemer.

My faith in Him has secured my Salvation for yesterday, today and tomorrow.

If you are not certain of your Salvation. Of what God offers YOUR yesterday, today and tomorrow, would you join me on the Roman Road?

If you have FAITH to believe, you will leave this indescribable trail a new person on a new journey that will never, never end and will start today...on Fresh Word Friday!!!

Romans 1:20
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9-13

What a Mighty God we serve!!!

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Fully Loaded!!!
My G-Boy is LOADED with His First Birthday Cake

Baby girl is LOADING the guest room with her back to school Dorm goodies, LOADING the Target carts, LOADING the Nordstoms card, LOADING on the "Mom, will you cook....for me before I leave next week" requests, LOADING the hugs and curl up on the bed with Mom moments!

I think I confessed in my last post that I will not be dropping my girl off at school this time.

Her Dad will be all alone for this trip (Did I mention anyone LOADING on GUILT!!).

I have actually had a wonderful ministry engagement on my calendar ALL YEAR!
WWWAAAYYYY.....before we knew her school start date.

While Dad and Daughter and LOADING the car for the drive to school then LOADING it all into her new dorm room at school, I , the Mom will be in.....San Antonio, Texas!!!
speaking, teaching, learning, connecting, networking........at
LIFEWAY's "FULLY LOADED" on August 20 and 21 followed by the amazing

LIVING PROOF LIVE with
PRAISE AND WORSHIP by Travis Cotrell connected to the anointed

PREACHING and TEACHING of Beth Moore!!

Let's see.......
Packing, Loading, Crying, Driving, Unpacking, Crying, Setting up, Crying...all in the 100 degree temps of South Florida

or

A God filled weekend in the air conditioned church of Max Lucado, eating out every meal, with some wonderful Surrendered Sisters laughing and cutting up all the way there, meeting and ministering to a whole bunch of brand new sisters, followed by Worship and the Word!!

hmmmmm....

I Will see you at Parent's Weekend in 2 weeks my sweet honey girl!

There is Still time if you want to come with us!! Go to www.lifeway.com/women


Summer Slowly Slipping Away

Summer does seem to be the fastest moving season doesn't it?

Except here in Florida of course. Summer is different here. Here even though the lazy family days of sleeping in and vacation, eating ice cream in the pool and beach walks (or beach sitting as you can see above) pass just as quickly as the rest of the nation, it moves really slowly here on the thermostat. It is HOT, HOT, HOT!

It has always seemed that the kids get out of school one day then in the blink of an eye, we are preparing for a new school year.

I love the line in the movie "You've Got Mail" when Tom Hanks, aka Joe Fox, begins to reminisce about the season of "Fall" and emails his secret pal Meg Ryan, aka Kathleen Kelly,

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies.
I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your address.
On the other hand, this NOT knowing, has it's charms".

We are not exactly making "pencil bouquets" around here but we are doing some MAJOR school preparation as our "baby" girl turned Sophomore, prepares to return to college in a few way too short, days.

We are gathering the goodies in the guest room.
All the BILLIONS of things that girls take to college!

Then, there is that one thing that girls DO NOT take to college and that is MOMS!!!
What's THAT about??!!


It is surely what I like least about seeing summer coming to an end.

I considered hiding in her back pack but when I went to try it out for size, I found her Dad inside..........
Oh well, there is always the laundry basket that matches the Duvet' cover!!


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