Join me at the Cafe today....

Do you notice Ashley's name printed on this beautiful Barbie? Join me at the Cafe today to read more about it.....

Click HERE.

Have you ever tried to reason with a 2 YEAR OLD?

Abby and I were in deep conversation the other day.....just WHO is "Grandma"????

I was trying to explain to her that "Grandma" is MY "Mommy".

No, she is "Grandma", silly!

Yes, she is Grandma, but she is MY Mommy.

NO, she is Grandma.

Yes, she is Grandma, but she is MY MOMMY.

Hmmmmm.............. a new approach is needed.

OK. Sometimes we have 2 names. You know, Ashley is YOUR sister, but she is my daughter.
I'm her mommy.

No..... she is SWEETIE, silly!

We can go by many different "names." Sometimes these labels are welcomed- mother, daughter, sister, friend.....

Other times, the world puts on us names we do not want to keep- failure, loser, not-good-enough, worthless, ugly, fat....

We also have names that God calls us that we must never forget- chosen, beloved, precious, redeemed, forgiven....

The next time the world tries to fix a label on you, reject it and call yourself what God calls you- LOVED.

"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine." Isaiah 43:1

Father God, thank You for loving me so much. Thank You for calling me by name. Lord, I pray that You would silence those voices that would try to name me something else. Help me to remember that I am named by YOU. YOU call me by name and those names are Precious, Child, Beloved.... I love You, Lord! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Word-Filled Wedneday....What's in a NAME?

Have you heard of "Willis Tower"? You may have or not.... But, I bet you have heard of the Sears Tower- the tallest skyscraper in the world! Well, the Sears Tower was recently bought by the Willis Insurance Co. and promptly changed its name. Now, for some people, this magnificent building will ALWAYS be "the Sears Tower"- no matter what the "official" name may be.

What's in a name?

Names can be very important.

Mother. Grandmother. Wife. Teacher. Doctor.

Names can be hurtful.

Dummy. Failure. Slob. Ugly.

No matter what the WORLD may have named you, God has a special name for you....daughter...beloved....chosen...precious. Isaiah tells us that we have nothing to fear- God has redeemed us. He has called us by name. We are His.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

Have a BLESSED Word-Filled Wednesday and please link here for more inspiration!

By the way- I am DESPERATELY trying to learn this new graphics program- Jasc Paint Shop Pro. The only trouble is....I'm NOT a "pro"! It is hard! Anyone familiar with it?????

AAAHHH!!! Stolen Identity!

Wow! What a morning I've had! First of all, I had intended to join Gina at Chats with an Old Lady for "What are YOU Learning?". Instead, I was in crisis "mode"!

When I opened my email to read my daily online devotions, an email caught my eye. It said it was from PayPal and that someone was trying to access my account. So and So was trying to buy silver dollars using my account.

I panicked! My first thought was that someone had stolen my identity or had stolen my credit card information. Not really taking a breath, I immediately followed the instructions on the email. I clicked the link to check my account.

Now first of all, I have to tell you that I am not STUPID! (I know sometimes we think people who fall for these scams are just not right thinking people!) This LOOKED so legit. It had links to other PayPal pages. It had PayPal images all over. It LOOKED authentic (boy are there some great lessons here....wish I had more time to write about how things LOOK authentic in our lives, but are just counterfeit!). This looked like a genuine PayPal site/page. I thought this was what I needed to do to stop this transaction being made with my account.

But, as I began to fill in all of the appropriate information I stopped in my tracks. Although there were links there about this being "secure", I was suspicious. God reminded me of an email I gotten recently about online security. If the web browser says "http" it is NOT secure. If it says "https" it is a secure address.

Well, this was a non secure address. Then, as I continued to look at the information I was being asked to provide, more red flags went off.

IT ASKED FOR MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!

I knew PayPal would not be asking for that- especially on a NONSECURE address.

I immediately called PayPal and found out that no one had used my account to buy anything. When I was on hold waiting for a representative, a message said when looking at suspicious email, make sure the email is addressed to you with your first and last name. When I was finished talking on the phone, I went to delete the email and noticed that it WAS NOT addressed to me (or anyone). In fact it must have been sent to undisclosed recipients as there was no one listed in the send column. How could I have missed that?????

Any way, I was shaking....praising God for His protection! Thank You God, for Your Holy Spirit that warned me. Thank You, God for reminding me about the email about web security. Thank You for wisdom!

Thank You, God that no one can steal my identity in You. Thank You that no one, not even the devil can snatch me from Your Hand!

Remember the "https" tip I learned! Don't ever give your social security number online!

Blessings, dear ones! Remember YOUR identity is in Christ Jesus! He loves you!