Fab Five

This is our SIXTH Fab Five Friday. We are having a blast with this series of posts!  We encourage you to ponder your Fab Five. Feel free to share the outcome of your positive reflection with us! We truly are blessed by your feedback and participation.

(1) This week, I am grateful for:
 Laura:  Brutal honesty and accountability from friends.  I am also very grateful for the gift of a lap top!  I was going to have to purchase one this summer before I started law school.  I just saved hundreds of dollars!!!  Oh, yeah, and modern medicine...it's amazing how the right dose of medicine makes all the difference.  Falen:  Technology!!  First, without it this form of ministry would not be possible.  Second, by means of Skype colliding with Facebook, I got to see my mom.  If you remember from this post or from the first half of my testimony, I am 100% a momma's girl.  We live states apart, and I got to see her smile, laugh, adjust her bangs, and her reactions to all the off the wall comments I made.  HA!

(2) This week, I enjoyed: Laura:  Visiting my neighbors with my kids, our small country adventures:)  I finally purchased my Illumination tickets for this September. 

 Falen:  Making reservations for our hotel this weekend!  AND, purchasing my Women of Faith ticket for the conference in August here in Oklahoma City!  AND, the Thunder in the Play Offs!  :)
 (3) This week, I learned:
 Laura: 1) I'm doing better than I think I am. 2) I matter more than I think I do. 3) It's less about me than I think it is.  All these encouraging words courtesy of Pastor Steven Furtick in his sermon "The Most Encouraging Message You've Never Heard."  I was in a constant struggle this week with my children who refuse to listen to what they are told.  When I would ask my children "Why don't you listen to me", God pressed it on my heart that I don't listen to Him as I ask my children to listen to me.  Obedience was a major theme for me this week.  "Yes, God I heard you.  Sorry you have to tell me over and over just like I have to tell my children.  Thank you for your Grace which allows me to repent and be made new."  Falen:  even more of the obvious: how selfish I am.  I know I was made this way, but in the second half of my study of Ephesians 1 this week it became more than obvious.  I wrote out a little prayer next to each verse (as a lot of this text IS prayer), and rereading my one line prayers I realized they were all about me.  When reading the verses again, Paul (the writer of Ephesians) was NOT praying for himself.  He was praying for the church in Ephesus.  I was convicted.  Then, I rewrote each little prayer for people other than me. Even before that, I was listening this sermon by Mark Driscoll and convicted of the same thing.   (4) This week, I accomplished: Laura: Cleaning my disaster of a car...the trash...the food crumbs...the toys...it's all gone.  Now, how long will it stay that way?!  Falen:  Another week of P90X every single day!  However, this week, I broke down and put all pouting and refusal aside and began the nutrition plan, too.  Added bonus:  My hubby is doing it right along side of me!  This all started by joining a FREE challenge with Allison as my coach.  She has July challenge slots open.  Click here if you are interested.
(5) I am looking forward to: Laura: Decorating for VBS on Saturday morning.  Attending another Kairos reunion on Sunday.  And the thing I'm most looking forward to (even though it's not for another 13 days)...SPIRIT SONG!!!!!!  Falen:  We have a loooong weekend coming up with driving from Oklahoma City to St. Louis on Saturday and then back home on Sunday.  Best part:  I will get to hug my amazing mother-in-law!!  She is graciously taking my kiddos for three weeks!  It's a bittersweet situation.  I will miss my kiddos for sure.  At the same time, they are going to have a BLAST, and she gets to love on her lil' sweethearts for three weeks!!  Date nights with the hubby without looking for a sitter?  Yes please!!
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of your Fab Five's of the week.