Psalm 20:2-5

Psalm 20:2-5 "May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and we will lift up our banners in the name of the Lord. May the Lord grant all your requests."
I love this verse and think it should be our verse during the course of this competition. I believe that we are each others help and support . God will honor our hard work and sacrifice in lining up our body with the Word of God. Giving us the desires of our heart and making our plans to succeed as we work to honor him with our bodies. And we will shout for joy for each others victories. We will wave our banners. I believe this is our heart. I just thought it was amazing that there was a verse that put a voice to what I was feeling.

Lose Control!

I wonder why people think that dancing before the Lord is out of order. Have you ever noticed how a baby never has to be taught to dance. When they get old enough to stand and move, when they hear music they dance. Yesterday, Brandon mentioned how the world has a counterfeit for everything kingdom. This is such a good point. For the supernatural, there is magic. For worship, there is dance, normally seductive, in a secular environment (da club). For truth, there is relative truth. I.E. - "your truth may be true to you, but it is not relative to me" Makes me want to gag. The whole point of truth is, it is true whether we believe it or not. That is what makes it true. We could go on and on. But, I have digressed. Back to the dancing point. I remember when I first began to want to dance in worship. There was just this thing that wanted to come out. In the words of the Pointer Sisters "I'm so excited and I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it." See, they knew what was up. That was how I felt, and still feel while worshipping today. If I have any religious readers out there who cannot receive from the Pointer Sisters I will put in the words of David Crowder. "I cannot hold it in and remain composed. Love's taken over me so I propose, I'm letting myself go, I am letting myself go." See, David also knows what is up. So why all the thinking involved with worship. Why pick it apart. Why judge others motives. Why not just lose control and like it. I know God does.

A little girl's heart -

This picture was drawn by my oldest baby, Paige. She is nine years old. There is actually more than one of these taped on her wall. What is it about a girl's heart that dreams of love. Is it the foreshadowing of the True Lover of her soul. Is it her desire to be swept off her feet by a handsome prince. Every little girl (and big girl) dreams of a fairy tale love. I want her to find the most amazing husband who loves Jesus and her passionately, in that order. But more than that, I want her to take those dreams of love to Jesus. We have very special hearts to guard in our little girls. It is a big job. I am glad we have the help of a King.

Obedience is better than sacrifice

Right now, God is calling me to an obedient lifestyle more than ever. "Just do what I ask." That is it. Life doesn't have to be hard or grueling. So this plays out in so many different areas. How I spend, how I eat, how I discipline (or don't discipline) my children, how I love and respect my husband, how I clean my house, how I spend my time and the list goes on. Is this just for me or is God calling us all to this new level of obedience. What is God asking of you? I am just curious.

Blaise -

This is my youngest baby Blaise Amelia Hafner. I just loved this picture so much I wanted to share it. She is sweet and a little fiery when Avery takes her pacifier. She has beautiful eyes and looks just like her sweet daddy. So this is my Blaise enjoying her spaghetti.

Update -

So in response to my Any Takers post I have had some people asking what I was feeling called to do and if I was going to share. Maybe even a little annoyed with me for being so evasive. I just want you to know the reason I am not sharing is because I am not willing to create something. I am waiting for either a conformation or correction from God. I just can't miss it. So I am not being evasive, just cautious. So I am sharing and will continue to share my life and when I hear God's answer, well, you will know when I know.

What if?

So, Bryan may as well been talking only to me Sunday. I knew exactly what he was talking about. I have really struggle with allowing my flesh to rule me. From overeating, to talking too much, to spending to much, to sitting to much. I realized Sunday that I had stopped telling myself no. No you are not going to eat that. No you are not going to buy that. No you are not going to do that. I have pretty much done whatever I have "felt" like doing for years now. I was so convicted on Sunday for allowing those "shadows" to exist in me. So Monday morning I realized I had a lot of house cleaning to do. Spiritually and physically. Felling a little overwhelmed I began to pray and just ask God to help me and guide me. I asked the Holy Spirit to come alongside me and correct me throughout the day. While I was doing this I had a Holy Spirit inspired idea. What if I only did what God asked me to do and when I had the urge to do something else (or nothing at all) I just said no. What if while I was not hungry I and God decided when and what I would eat. And if I wanted to eat at another time or eat something else I just said no. What if I let God decide what chores were to be done today? And when I wanted to sit down and just zone out, I just said no. What If I let God give me my schedule? What if I actually told my flesh no, instead of just giving it everything it asked for? Well, I put this thought to action today. I sat down and made a schedule of things that needed to be done. I wrote down what and when I would eat today. And guess what. I had the most productive day. I got tons of housework done. I ate what I had planned. I never turned the TV on. I said no when my flesh rose up. I didn't die. To the contrary, I lived today. Instead of letting another day pass by with my regrets. And do you know what my sweet Jesus did for me, for my obedience. My sweet friend Brandi is taking me out to see a movie tonight, her treat. My sweet husband said he thought it would be great if I went. That is the kind of God we serve. See I was afraid if I let God dictated my schedule I wouldn't get to do anything I wanted to do. See what obedience does. So what if everyday we let God do the scheduling? What if we just said no when things conflicted with that schedule. I am excited to see!

Any takers -

Have you ever wanted to do something. Something that seemed ridiculous. You felt like people would laugh at you. Not only did you want to do it but you felt like you were supposed to. I am in this position now. Now, I will not tell you what the thing is. It is probably something you would never think. I am having some trouble dissecting these feelings and ideas. I want to do what God wants me to do. I just really want to make sure it is God and not me being crazy. So in the middle of this very serious topic, for some comic relief, if you want, comment on what you think it is. Just for laughs. Maybe one of you will get it right.

. . . so are the days of our lives . .

So I have this friend. She is fun and determined and quirky. She is beautiful and loves the Lord. I can be hard on her sometimes. I also can be intimidating. We had a little run in this week. But what is a small skirmish among friends. You talk, you forgive, you move on. That is just what friends do. You see, I love her and love keeps no record of wrongs. It is patient and kind and it never fails. I didn't say I was patient and kind and never fail. But my love for her is. That is the kind of love God gives. The good kind!

This is Billy -

This post is dedicated to my wonderful husband Billy. I love him so much. Billy is such a great husband. He is such a hard worker. His desire is to provide in a way that we will have everything we need and want. He wants to buy me the house of my dreams. He never scoffs when I have big dreams. He loves our daughters. He is such a good father. He loves me. Even though I have some weight to lose, he still lovingly slaps my butt almost every time I walk by. He takes the trash to the road. He warms up my car. He wants me to be great. He very regularly tells me I am the smartest woman he knows. He believes he can do anything. And he believes I can do anything I want too. He loves order. I even caught him just this week doing dishes. He loves the Lord. He loves people. He loves his family. He is full of grace for people. He is a great problem solver. He is loyal. He is beautiful on the inside and out (I am not sure how he feels about that word). And I love him very much. I just wanted anyone and everyone who reads this blog to know that I have a terrific husband. When we renewed our vows this Oct., I gave him a new ring with an inscription of the inside. It is from Song of Song. 3:3-4 "When I found the one my heart loves ; I held on to him and would not let him go." So the inside of his ring says "The one my heart loves." Sappy, I know. But it is true. Every word!

What's your position?

This last season for me and Billy was a really tough one. Financially we were struggling. Billy was working at a job he felt like he wasn't supposed to be at. We just felt like we couldn't catch a break. All around us everyone kept talking about there just being an open heaven. All there prayers were being answered so quickly. The favor of God was just pouring out on them. We felt like the window over us was closed and maybe locked too. Fast forward a while Billy is now sure what he is supposed to do. We are making goals, writing down our vision and moving towards them. We began to see the some blessings trickling in. Billy and I were at dinner one night and just discussing the turn our lives had taken and I commented on how I was so happy that our "closed" window was beginning to open. God spoke so clearly to me right there in Red Robin. He told me that He would never close a window over me. I was just in the wrong position. Blew me away. God's window over me wasn't closed. I was just standing in the wrong spot. How many times have we not been in position for blessing and favor and then shook our fist at God for the plight we are in. It wasn't our unchanging God. He always wants to bless. It was our position. I saw in the spirit realm that we were moving into position for prosperity. I believe in this season of acceleration we need to be in the right position. The picture I keep getting is a catapult. Get right in the center and away you go arms and legs flying (it's beautiful when we can let God be in control) straight to your destination. Get a little off center. Who knows where you will end up. So let's "center" ourselves for our blessing. Our destiny. Let's get under the spout where the glory's coming out.

Still Small Voice-

So have you ever heard that still small voice and dismissed it, thinking it was only a random thought. That is how I would explain this morning. Last night Blaise had a really rough night. She is cutting teeth. She has a diaper rash. She was really fussy. So I had made up my mind that I would not go to the service this morning. I would just keep the babies out of the cold and do some cleaning. That way Blaise could relax and so could I. So this morning I was laying in my warm snugly bed and I asked myself the question again. Do I go or stay? I heard a very small voice say, "Go". But I heard a very loud voice say, "Stay, clean, relax and you can watch a movie" So I listened to the loud voice. I got the big girls ready and started breakfast, turned on a movie for the girls and started cleaning. The big girls left for church and I did not. At 12:13 Billy calls me and tells me they are having the most amazing service and if I can to get there, to get there. I got me and the girls ready in ten minutes and Matt Carr picked us up and we were there by 12:30, just about the time it ended. Apparently, they had spent the last hour and a half worshipping and warring. My two favorite things. I was so sad I wanted to cry. Not just because I missed it (the service). But because I missed it (the voice). I don't want to miss it anymore. I know God is going to move like that again and again, because that is just where we are going. And I don't want to miss a second of it. So I will listen very closely to the quiet voice. And tell the loud one to shut up!

Feel the Burn

So today was the first day of a new thing for me. I joined the Power Shack. Sound crazy? When the thought came into my head it sounded crazy also. But this is what I have decided. I have to loose this weight. I have put it off through my years of having my babies. I have no more excuses. I feel it is a key part into getting into my destiny. I have also decided that I need it. I need a few hours where I can just focus on me with no babies pulling on my leg. (love my babies, but it is hard to work out with them hanging on you). I am worth the investment. The time and the money. So keep me in your prayers. I want to be a finisher. I want my physical body to honor God. I can do this. Say it with me, I can do this.

The Girls

These are my girls. These are some of my very best friends in the world. Here is a little about each of them and why I love them.

Pam - She is my density, you heard me. Not destiny, my density. She is my creative (have you seen here canvas letters) encouraging, (she has talked me down on many occasions) strong (did you know she had ALL her babies at home) and sensitive (she is quite a crier, though she hides it well) best friend. She loves, enjoys and participates fully in life.

Erica - She is my determined (did you know she went from a size 14 to a 4 in one year), artsy (we've all seen the newsletter), outspoken (needs no blurb), get it done (has she told you that this is the business we have chosen) best friend. She works and plays VERY hard and feels guilt for neither.

Becky - She is my spunky (loves all things '80s), spirit-filled (this girl hears the Father), push you past your limits ("I will drag you to your promised land) best friend. She loves a good gift and gives wonderful ones.

Brandi - She is my to deep to understand (our relationship that is because we don't spend that much time together but there is quite a connection there), solid as a rock(If i needed healing I would want her standing for me), persevering (she will NEVER give up), and beautiful from the inside out(needs no explanation) best friend. She always let you know she remembers you when you feel as though everyone has forgot you.

Rachel - She is my child-like (her faith and ability to get on a kid's level), wonderful leader(why do you think she has such a big children's church team), visionary (deep, huge, bigger than I can tell) best friend. She loves my kids and I love her for that.

Monica - She is my compassionate (she truly loves the least of these), giving (she has given it all even when that left her with nothing), and loyal (always) sister best friend. She has endured untold hardships and still remains soft, pliable and beautiful.

Cherith - She is my disciplined (She says, "Please don't bring any biscuits), get in there and make it your home (jumped into coffee and never looked back), angelic voice (you've all heard her) but don't be deceived by her stature (Erica is not the only one receiving "your twelve" comments) best friend. She has come, conquered and made us all cute holiday platters.

Dorain - She is sweet, kind-hearted and loves the Lord. I just wished we saw more of her.

So these are my girls. There are some great ones not pictured. I will save them for another post. But to these girls. I Love You!!!

The Solution!

So I realize that the last 2 or 3 posts have been really serious stuff. I can't help it. I can be a pretty serious person. So today is not much different. So today I registered for a class at CJC. As I was praying on the way to registration this morning God spoke something awesome to me. And as you now know I have resolved to here something new from God everyday. So far, so good. So as I pray God began to show me that when I arrive at CJC so does the Kingdom of God. Well, that really isn't news to us. But he also told me that I am the SOLUTION. What? I am the solution to what. He told me that when I meet people in bondage to addictions. I am the solution. When I meet people enslaved to religous duty. I am the solution. When I meet people witth relationships in tatters. I am the solution. When I meet someone who is sick or hurting. I am the solution. That was pretty profound to me. Guess what? You are the solution, too. Who better to minister to your family and your sphere than you. You are their solution. Now, I would not be so arrogant to say that in my vast wisdom, I could offer some pretty sound advice. I am saying that by the power of the Holy Spirit, the very Kingdom of God can flow through me. We can have God's perspective on any situation if we just ask and listen. I am pumped. I am tired of being part of the problem. Aren't you? Let's be the solution.

My Vision

I have been working on this vision for weeks now. I change, add and delete weekly, sometimes daily. If you haven't wrote down a vision for your life I encourage you to. So here is mine, so far.

My Purpose in this life is to live a life wholly devoted to God. To love, worship, and obey Him all the days of my life. To live set apart and holy for His glory. I am anointed to preach the good news and set free the captives. I will live this out as a wife, mother, sister, friend and princess of the King.
Spiritually – I will know God deeper and deeper everyday. I will meditate daily on the word of God and hide it in my heart. I will hear something new from God everyday. I will live a life full of the supernatural. I will teach and preach and write books and studies. I will live a spiritually disciplined life full of the power of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the spirit, especially self-control.
Physically – I will be a thin eater. I will live an active and healthy lifestyle. I will be disciplined in all I do. I will be beautiful to my husband.
Personally – I will have a big wonderful home that is full of the Holy Spirit. I will have an open home that is always ready to receive visitors. I will decorate and furnish that home with my family and guests comfort in mind. I will keep and run this home with excellence.
Relationally – I will be the best wife for Billy. I will build him up and encourage him. I will anticipate his needs. I will support him in his business. I will satisfy every desire in him that I was created to satisfy. I will pray for his success and protection everyday. I will step up and work when he needs me to and I will step back and pray when he doesn’t.
I will be the best mother for my children. I will encourage, pray for and discipline my children. I will give them a safe place to have huge dreams. I will also give them a soft place to fall. I will nurture them and teach them how to be a godly, praying woman who loves the Lord first and foremost. I will be a true sister and friend. I will speak the truth in love. I will pray for and encourage my friends and family. I will be loyal and always point them to Jesus.
Financially – I will be a disciplined spender. I will work to help as long as I am needed. I will become financially literate. I will be a blessing. I will be generous on all occasions. I will have provision for every good work. The nations will look at me and call me BLESSED.

Wunderkind

God has been teaching me who I am. He has gone to extreme measures to make sure I understand. There is no denying that God has called me. He has called me His own. I recently read the book The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallaton. It stuck something deep within me. I have lived all life up to now believing that I was a fraud, a fake, an outsider, soon to be found out, that I was truly lacking. I was saved But chosen, royal? That was for someone else. As I read this book God began whispering softly, "This is you." I began to embrace this identity. I wanted to be royal, I wanted to be a princess. Who doesn't? But God didn't stop with this divinely placed book I found in the front seat of my car (with sugar cookies, yum, courtesy of my secret sister) but He has pursued me most romantically and diligently. He will not be deterred. Last night watching The Incredibles with my daughters, God spoke to me through this movie. Helen Par aka Elastagirl tells her children, "Your identity is the most important thing you have, protect it." How many times have I allowed the enemy to dictate what i have believed about myself. More than I can count or want to remember. God spoke to me through this movie and told me to guard my identity. People may not like that I call myself royalty and will live a blessed life, and I know the enemy won't, but that conflict makes me no less royal. Did God stop there? No! During service this morning, during worship God bowed before me in front of a room full of people and presented me with a beautiful tiara. He told me all He had was mine. And all I am is His. He called me royal. (For those of you wondering how that happened, He did it through a person. Which was just as amazing to me because he spoke to this person's heart to buy said tiara and step out in faith and do something that seemed strange to her natural mind, all for me to be honored) Then after church I was given another gift from the Lord through a person which told me the Lord said, "You are my worth" How amazing is that. I, who have felt unworthy almost my whole life, am God's worth. And He has gone to great lengths for me to know that I am worthy, holy, beautiful, chosen, deserving, mighty, royal, lovely, captivating etc. etc. That is the kind of God He is. And those things are true. This series of events are an answer to a prayer I have been praying in my search of finding out my destiny. "Show me what you think of me" That was the prayer. I encourage you to pray the same thing. You will be awestruck. I was. So I will end this blog with an excerpt from a song that has touched my heart and speaks of who I am.

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I live the envelope pushed far enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to serve, destined to roam

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
And I am pioneer naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to seek, destined to know

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind
I am a groundbreaker naïve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne

Wunderkind by: Alannis Morisette

The words to say

The name of the enemy literally means to "cast between". He casts between husbands and wives. Between church bodies. Between the saved and lost. Between families. Between races. Between friends. I could go on and on. I experienced this, this week. We all know that we have continued and will continue to believe for and pray for Miles Wilson's full healing. I have found myself at times desiring to encourage Brandi and feeling totally inadequate. I always pray that Jesus will give me "the words to say" Which is the a very common prayer for me in all situations, thus the title to me blog. So I offered what I had to Brandi, feeling like it was very trite and useless considering the circumstances. Time went on days, then weeks and them months and I had not heard from Brandi again. The enemy began to tell me that I had offended her and she hated my guts and so on. As I began to entertain those thought I acted weirder and weirder around her and began to avoid here and eventually the enemy had been successful in casting between. Then Christmas comes and one of my favorite things is getting every one's Christmas cards. Starting in December my fridge is covered in Christmas pictures of my most beloved (expect Pam and Erica, but that is for another blog) But lo and behold no picture from the Wilson's but I did see their pic on every other fridge in the Big Country. So now I am sure there is a problem, and I am a little annoyed myself. So Thursday I decided enough was enough. I called Brandi and just asked her what was up. And do you know what was up. Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. She wasn't upset with me. She didn't hate my guts. She said I was encouraging when she needed me to be. And as it turns out she just wasn't sure if she had the right address. So let's dissect the plan of the enemy. His plan is always to kill, steal and destroy. So his plan of actions was, stir up my insecurities as an encourager, add some time of not hearing from Brandi which he fills my head with all the reasons why i am scum. Stir in some awkward conversations and top in all off with some miscommunication. And what do you get. A mess. The enemy wanted me to be mad that she was mad and let there truly be something between us. But, through one phone call all the enemies smoke and mirrors were put away. And we found out we still loved each other. How many relationships have been damaged because we allowed the enemy to have a foothold and instead of calling those things out we allow them to reside in our heart and cause us to become hard-hearted. So next time you find yourself thinking the worst and believing the lies of the enemy about a love one. I encourage you (and yes i am an okay encourager) speak the truth. Bring it to the light. You will find more and more opportunities to NOT let the enemy cast between. And FYI I now have those cute Wilson faces on my fridge.

A little about me.

So anyone reading this will probably know me. But in the off chance that anyone reads it and doesn't know me, here is a little about me. My name is Francesca. I am 28 years old. I have been married 10 years to my wonderful husband Billy. We have four beautiful daughters 9, 6, 2, 15mo. (Yes, that is a lot of kids) I am a passionate person. Whether I am cleaning or worshipping I seem to do it with the same gusto. (My husband has used the word ferocious to describe me, I prefer the word fierce). This specific personality trait causes me to speak my opinion to my friends and family in a way, oh how would you say it, without reserve. I am working on not leaving behind casualties in the process. I am crazy in love with Jesus. I love the Word of God. The is such comfort in knowing you know the place with all the answers. I love, love, love to worship, to express my love in an outward form is so freeing. I love that in God there is only light, no darkness at all. I am in a process right now of deciding who i am, who's i am, what i am about, what my vision is. I have a pretty good idea. Lately God has been sharing some really awesome things with me. I will probably be sharing them along the way. As my friend Pam says, i am not big on resolutions, but i "resolve" to this year hear something new from God everyday.

The things I never thought I would do.

The are many things that i do now, that i never thougt i would do. Here is a list of few:

5) Know and sing every song on every movie my daughter watches because she insists "mama sing"
4) Worship in such a way that when worship is over, i wonder if i should be embarrassed
3) Crossword puzzles - does this mean i am getting old
2) Spank my children - you know what the Bible says about the rod and all that
1) Write a blog. Never. In a million years.

So these are some of the things that i do. Some i am proud of, others well we'll just say that this is an experiment.