Eggtra, Eggtra

Just a little egg decorating.

Charity

The Pearl Event ~ Nashville

Hi Friends!

Guess What?

Are You Sitting Down?

Okay, deep breath…..

I am speaking at

The Pearl Event III, The Triple Strand

Can you believe it?

ME,

Standing in front of people sharing.

WOW, God is Good.

I have been ready to scream from the roof tops since the day Sibi asked me to speak.

I can’t wait to meet everyone there!

Here is some important information.

When: Friday, May 17, 2013

Where:

The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville Tennessee

Tickets are on sale now and include a wonderful boxed lunch,

click here to purchase your tickets.

You can stay up to date on all the latest information by liking the        

The Pearl Event Facebook Page

Goodness, I am excited and nervous. All prayers will be greatly appreciated!

More info to come next week.

Charity

The Power of a Testimony, Your Story

*For those of you following me here and at The Church Blog please forgive me for posting this in both places. I am trying to figure out where to post what but this is important to me and I wanted it in both places. Thank you!*

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a conference that a dear friend of  mine, Sibi, was speaking at. You can read more about her ministry and our friendship here, here, here, and here. I have heard her speak before and because we have been friends for several years, I know much of her story.

Her story is a but God story.  The type of story that brings you to tears each time you hear it because it is just that heart breaking…but God.  God took what man did wrong and used it for His glory.

 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in

order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 

Genesis 50:20

All the heartbreak and brokenness man heaped on her God healed and rebuilt.  Because she now shares this, her testimony, many lives are saved… changed for eternity.  Women find hope in her story because if God can do such a radical transformation in her life what might He do in their own!?

I had this moment with God not too long after meeting Sibi.  As she would share pieces of her past, I would be shocked at the fact that I could not see any residue of that left in her.  She was not the broken person she had been, she was whole, full, and overflowing to others.  God used this to open my spiritual eyes to some brokenness I still had.  Brokenness that I wasn’t even aware of.  I thought the effects of my brokenness was just apart of who I was, my personality.  But God… He had other plans, plans to trade beauty for ashes and to rebuild the devastated places.

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶ And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

I pushed in close and dug in deep.  I allowed God to reveal some ugly and broken places in my heart, places where full forgiveness had never been offered because I had never allowed myself to fully explore the pain that had been caused.  And until I allowed myself to fully feel and view with hindsight the full amount of damage caused I could not fully forgive.  As I went through this, there were days, I didn’t want to leave my bed because the weight of it all would be so heavy but God showed up day after day.  Eventually, as I started to forgive things got lighter.  So light, one day I was shocked.   I was shocked by the change.  There was no more anger, no more hurt.  My responses to life started to look different.  I was operating from a full and overflowing place and no longer from a place of brokenness.

   

          Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  Hebrews 10:22-25

Seeing who Sibi is and knowing all that she has gone through was what God used to open my eyes to pain I was still carrying.  I dug in deep and allowed God to rebuild my devastation and now I share my story with others.  One night last week my friend, Suzanne, used the words spiritual mentor to describe me. I know that I could not be full enough to overflow into her life had God not healed me.  God used a testimony to start my healing, to change my life and the life of those around me.

Share Your Testimony!

Your Story Matters!

Who is the One You Should Tell Today?

 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and

considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7

Has God ever used someone's testimony to change your life?

Charity

The Master Bedroom

Today I thought I would share about

The Master Bedroom

My husband, Jeremy, and I have been married almost 15 years and in that time we have never put much effort into our bedroom.  When we first got married we tried to sleep in a full size bed.  When that didn’t work and we ended up in two separate bedrooms.  Jeremy’s, wise aunt and uncle offered us a king size box spring and mattress.  We rushed to pick it up and made do with some discount sheets and a comforter.  It did what we needed it to because let’s face it newlyweds should NOT be in separate rooms.  We used that box springs and mattress for about 5 years until we had enough money to get a queen size bed.  It is the bed in the pictures below.  I bought a bed in a bag set for the bed and called it a day… we had two little kids under foot and not much time to worry about anything but them.  Fast forward a few years and we moved into the house we live in now.  I was overwhelmed by all that I wanted to do in every room, I hung some drapes and started to work on the rooms that everyone would see.  Through the years our bedroom became the dumping ground for all things without a home.  So here we are today almost 15 years later with a unfinished bedroom with lots of clutter and mess.  I know our story is not much different from many of you, that is why I told it.  We all worry about the rooms that the world sees but we, wives, need to worry about the room that is just for us and the love of our lives.  This room is where we let our guard down, where we give love and receive love like no where else, it should be

Special

I recently decided that was what I was going to do, make our room special.

I started by removing all of the mess and clutter, then studied the room,

I made a list of all that needed to happen in the room, started a Pinterest board for styles and ideas that I like, and really tried to think about what my husband would like.

My husband and I are opposites , he is very practical and I think the more drama the better.

With all of this in mind, I started work on the room.

I this is what I ended up with.

There are still a few things that I want to do…

Like get a BIG,  BEAUTIFUL, SPARKLY,

CHANDELIER!!!

Even without those things done

I Love It

and it is

Special.

The perfect mix of practical and drama, just like me and my man.

Now it is time to light a candle and tell him how much I love him.

With some thought, effort, and a little money you can have a special bedroom too.

Now go get busy.

 Charity 

Savvy Southern Style

Answering God’s Call

I was a 7 year old little girl sitting on the land I now live on when I first remember the dream God placed in my heart.  I was sitting with my mom and a woman who was a family friend.  I had a doll in my hands and I was playing with her hair, I was always playing with my dolls hair or brushing my mothers…these are some of my earliest childhood memories.  The family friend offered to teach me to French braid my dolls hair.  I don’t know how many tries it took but I do know I walked away from that day knowing how to French braid.  In that moment I knew I would be a hairstylist - CRAZY, I know, but I KNEW!  Through the years of middle school and high school I went about playing with hair and makeup to an even bigger degree than most girls my age, my poor parents.  I remember being drawn to the cosmetic aisles of stores like it was a need not a want, a moth to the flame.  I needed to explore, to touch, to see, to smell.  If you were my friend during those years and came to my house you were getting a makeover whether you wanted one or not, just ask my friend Lana. After becoming comfortable doing makeovers, if you sat still long enough I might cut, color, or perm your hair.  I am by nature a pretty cautious person but in this area I was fearless.  Even stranger than being fearless was the fact that I wasn’t bad (not good but not bad).  Looking back I now know it was God given courage and talent.  He had a call on my life but I was far too immature spiritually to know it.  I finished high school and hair school should have been the next step.  Sadly, it was not.  I did not have much encouragement in this area, my dad believed that “there is a salon on every corner, you can never make money at it”, he was being protective not mean.  I was in a relationship that I thought was the one, you know the boy you have known your whole life and your parents are best friends, I thought I was getting married and going to stay home and have babies but like so often happens, he broke my heart.  These things combined with many others had me confused, hurt and mad at God. I spent the next 4 years in and out of college and trying many different career options, none of them were satisfying.  During this time I was becoming more and more depressed because my other dream of being a wife and mother seemed that it would NEVER happen.  My friends were all getting married and starting families, while I on the other hand couldn’t even find someone to date.  I was desperate for love but never thought to turn back to God.  I kept aimlessly looking to someone to provide this for me.

Then at the age of 22 I read a book about making a list of qualities you would want your future husband to have and then to start praying for them.  So I did!  This was the first time in years I had approached God.  In His perfect way He started to soften my heart toward Him and His ways.  He brought back that childhood dream of becoming a stylist.  I told my parents that I wanted to go to hair school and asked if I could move back into their house and go to school.  They agreed!  So I quit my job , moved back home, and signed up for school.  I was hooked, this was what I was made to be.  Through a God ordained chain of events I ended up quitting hair school (insert the song Beauty School Drop Out here) and going to work for a high-end salon that provided me an opportunity to apprentice.  This was such a gift from God, covered up with His extravagant favor.  The education I received was far above anything I could have ever paid for and not only was this free I was being paid (min. wage) to be an assistant in the salon.  About the time I was ready to “graduate” and be a stylist God brought my husband into my life.  From the day we met to the day we got married was 1 year to the day and 5 months after getting married I became pregnant.  It was as if God was waiting on me to answer that original call/dream before He would or could gift me the rest.

I continued to work in the same salon that I apprenticed in until I had my second daughter.  God stirred my heart to come home and be a wife and a mother first and work part time out of my own, in home, salon.  I started to work with a few friends and family and within a few months I had another stylist friend, who also worked from home, call and tell me she was moving and offered me all of her clients.  I had more clients than I had time to work.  From that time forward I 100% believe every single client who walks through the door is a gift from God.  I have never once advertised – He has provided week after week.  That was 10 years ago.

Today I live in the house I grew up in, on the land where God first gave me the calling.  Did you get that?  My salon is on the ground where I was sitting when He placed this call on my life.  Only God!

I am writing all of this because I believe God has another call on my life, one that scares my socks off and makes me want to hide in my closet.  I keep answering it one baby step at a time with much feet dragging and pleading to God.  He keeps pushing me forward and telling me to trust.  This dream is bigger than I can even wrap my brain around right now.  In all of my crying out and feet dragging God reminded me of this dream and how I could have never imagined or dreamed how to have made it happen but He knew. HE KNEW!

Then as I was preparing for our Sunday School class last week and reading Luke 2, God made these verses jump off the pages at me.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.     Luke 2:1-20

 

I could not believe what God was showing me.  The Lord called the shepherds and they went straight to Bethlehem in a hurry.  WOW, they did not drag their feet or go hide in a closet, they went in a hurry.  And do you know what?  God was there waiting on them.  I cried when I read that and I am crying now writing about it.  He has called me, I need to go forward, He will be there each step of the way.

 

Has God called you to something bigger than you could dream?

You have a story to tell and a dream to chase!

He gave it to you, stop living in fear and step out in faith and know that He, the God of this universe, will meet you there.

 

Love you,

Charity

And just in case you need more encouragement to follow God’s call in your life go read my friend Sibi’s POST on how her calling came about.  You will be blessed, I promise.

And if you want to see my new Master Bedroom Makeover you can see it HERE

Closet Makeover

Happy Wednesday, hope you have had a great day!

I wanted to let you know that I am sharing today, how I made over my closet, at

FBCW Women's Ministry Blog

I would love it if you would hop over and see what has been going on around here lately.

Love Ya,

Charity

New Year, New Closet, New Heart

 

Have you ever had a meltdown over what is in your closet?

I know I have!

I had them in high school at a size 6 and now in mid-life at a size __... a girl needs some secrets.

I had my last meltdown over a year ago but I still remember it, vividly. It was a Sunday morning while getting ready for church, seems that Sunday mornings often have problems but that is a topic for another day. I hated everything in my closet, nothing was working together and I could not find something that I was looking for. At the high/low point of this meltdown my daughter walked into my room to ask a question. When she came in my bed was piled high with rejected clothing, shoes were all over the floor and my nerves were shot. I do not remember her question or my answer but I remember my attitude. Boy, do I remember my attitude! It was HATEFUL and SELFISH, not nurturing and kind. She left my room hurt. I was left in my room with a pile of clothing and an even bigger pile of regrets. I started praying, I asked God for forgiveness and asked Him to help me change this area of my life. He started by bringing a verse to my mind.

I will give thanks to You, for

I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your Works

And my soul knows it well.

Psalm 139:14

God convicted me that I would tell my daughters this verse but I did not believe it and if I did not believe it they might not either. Again, I confessed to God and asked for forgiveness. Then I did the same with my daughters.

The next day I started cleaning out my closet.

1. I got rid of everything that did not fit.

- This was very hard for me. I can be a hoarder and live in the what ifs of life but God...

BUT GOD wanted to know did I have faith that he loved me enough and could/would provide again if my size changed. Did I trust Him?

I let the clothes go.

2. I calculated how many pieces of clothing I really needed.

- I started getting rid of excess. This step was easier because it tended to be things that I had extra of or never wore.

3. I decided if something was going to hang in my closet I had to love it.

- I learned things about myself during this step. God revealed a very ugly and large void in my heart that I had tried to fill with selfishness and pride. I was not prepared for this. I wanted these clothes even though I did not love them. It was hard to pass these pieces on because they fit and I did not have extras, everything in me wanted to cry out but God...

BUT GOD reminded me that all that I have is His and that He had freely given it to me and I should freely give to others. So I gave. With each item I gave God filled a piece of that gaping void with His love.

Fast Forward to today.

Do I still have bad days?

Of Course! I still have hormones and the devil is still on the prowl but I do not meltdown.

Did you hear that?

I DO NOT MELTDOWN.

Now when I have a bad day I go to my closet and know that I love everything in it but more importantly I know that

I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

and I give thanks to God for all that He has given me and taught me.

My closet today
What has God been cleaning out in your life?

Charity

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope your table is full of family and friends today.

I am looking forward to a day spend with my family and can not wait to see all the names that will be added to my tablecloth

We have much to be thankful for!

God Bless,

Charity

Good morning!

Today I want to share a poem that I found yesterday and have not been able to get off of my mind. 

God has used this poem to pour sweet honey into my heart and soul.  I hope it will speak to your heart the way it has mine.

The Refiner’s Fire

He sat by a furnace of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore.And closer He bent with a searching gaze,As He heated it more and more.

He knew He had ore that could stand the test
And He wanted the finest gold,
To mold as a crown, for the king to wear,
Set with gems of price untold.

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho’ we fain would say Him "nay."
And watched the dross that we had not seen
As it melted and passed away.

And the gold grew brighter and got more bright,
But our eyes were dim with tears,
We saw but the fire, not the Master’s hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow
As it mirrored a form above,
That bent o’er the fire, though unseen by us
With a look of ineffable love.

Can we think it pleases His loving heart
To cause us moments of pain?
Ah, no! But He sees through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.

So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure.
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure.

                                          

I long to be HIS pure gold

I long to be changed

I long to let go of my impurities

I long to hear well done my good and faithful servant

I long to be of use

I long to be worthy of His crown

I long to desire His will

I long to submit all

I long for HIM, my refiner

I long to be His pure gold

Sweet Sister,

there is purpose in the refining process.

It is painful but there is purpose.

I pray that you will find encouragement to stay in the fire as long as you need to be there.

I pray that one day soon you will be able to count it all joy (James 1:2).

Your Refiner loves you and desires the best of and for you.

You are worthy of His work.

You are worthy.

Charity

Give Thanks

Hello strangers, hope you are all well.

Me, well I am great!

Just busy living life, with no time to spare.

I wanted to take just a moment to pop in and show you all that I am still alive and kicking and that I have even started fluffing for Thanksgiving.

I changed my chalkboard and made a new wreath.

I love them and I am excited for this beautiful season of

intentional thanksgiving.

Thankful for so much,

Charity

Blog Talk Radio, I DID IT!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who listen.  Thank you to everyone who sent kind words.  Thank you everyone who prayed.  You all have BLESSED ME!!!!
The great thing was and is I think it went really well, all praise to GOD!  I hope to write more in the coming days and weeks about the show and about how and what God has done in my heart.
In the meantime if you missed the show I wanted to let you know you can listen to it right below.

Listen to internet radio with The Pearl on Blog Talk Radio

Just click the play button and turn up the volume.

My prayer is that the transformation that God has started in my heart can start in yours.  I pray that my willingness to follow God in trying to find and understand my godly beauty and worth can and will encourage you to seek Him for your own transformation.  God is good and He desires to set you free.

Galatians 5:1

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
 
 
Some of you were asking for the verses we read, so I am including them for you.
 

Top Ten Beauty Treatments

1. Psalm 139:14-18 
I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret , and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious are your thoughts to me, Oh God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I am awake I am still with you.

2. Luke 12:6-7  
Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

3. Jeremiah 1: 5-6  
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to many nations.

4. 1 Timothy 4:8  
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

5. Gal. 5:22   
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (against such there is no law)

6. 1Peter 2:9   
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

7. Philippians 1:6  
Being confident in this very thing. He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

8. Ephesians 3:16-19
That He would grant you,  according to the riches of His glory, to be          strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.                          

9. Psalm 45:11  
The King is enthralled with your beauty; honor Him, For He is your Lord.


10. Esther 4:14
For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your Father's house will perish. Yet who knows  whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?


Isaiah 61: 1-4The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to the bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

As always if you would like to chat more

you can leave a comment or email me at TheHeartfeltHome@gmail.com

Blessings,

Cha Cha

Blog Talk Radio Show

Hi Ladies,

I have exciting news to share with you!  I will be the Guest blogger on my dear friend Sibi's radio show this Monday night at 9:00 pm central time.  I have written about our friendship here and here. You can listen to the radio show here. 

See my name and blog address beside the arrow, it makes my excited to see what God has planned Monday night and in the future.  Sibi and I will be talking about what God’s word says about beauty and worth as a woman.  I recently wrote about my own personal struggle with this subject here.  I know God’s hand is all over this and I am so excited to share it all with you. 

In my search for godly beauty and worth God blessed me recently to be a model for my friend Jamie.  This is one of the pictures she took and I have to say I am very happy with it and I did not plan to like any of the pictures….. much less enjoy the experience. But God is good!

I will be writing  more about the picture and my story in the weeks to come.

I hope you will join us Monday night. 

And if you feel lead I would LOVE your prayers for the show.  I want it to be all God and not me, plus in my vanity I would like to NOT say ummm 57 times.

So now you know the exciting way God is working in my life.

How is He working in yours?

Cha Cha

Dressing Table Reveal

Back in February I shared my 39 Celebrations for my 39th Year and number 22 on the list was to makeover some furniture in our Master Bedroom.  First up was a desk that I have been waiting to paint for some time.  I can NOT find the before shot, grrrrr.  It was stained dark and it was pretty but it was in bad condition, so it was going to have to be stripped and refinished or painted.  For this room I was happy to paint it.  I painted it the same color the trim in this room will some day soon be, fingers crossed.  It is the perfect dressing table.  I fix my hair, put on makeup and jewelry all while sitting and looking out the window into the woods.