{ What's in a name? }

The name Debra is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Debra is: Bee, Industrious. Deborah was the Biblical prophetess who summoned Barak to battle against an army of invaders. After the battle, she wrote a victory song which is part of the Book of Judges.

I ♥ words and their meanings!

My Mom named me Debra, after Debbie Reynolds, because Ms. Reynolds was a popular actress at the time I was born. I've always been glad that she spelled it that way because I also like being different....LOL!  When I was just a little girl my Daddy bought me a bee brooch that had a pretty pink stone as the body of the bee. Oh, how I wish I still had it. I  don't think he realized the significance when he purchased it and neither did I until years later.

In researching my name, here are a few things I found. Some of these are downright hilarious and others are pretty much spot on!

Debra is Dynamic, Driven, Delightful, Diversified,    Does unto others as she'd like Done unto herself, Dances to the beat of her own drum, Doesn't like to hear the word NO!  Doesn't like to be a wallflower and Dances even if the others aren't, (not true for this Debra - she's an introvert) likes the look of the "D" in her name in cursive handwriting (true) & Digs it when other Debra's, Debrah's, Deborah's, Debora's, Debarah's spell their name like hers (true)- and she usually asks 
"How do you spell your Deb...?"
(YES)








If I could aspire to be any of the things in any of these statements about "Debra", it would probably be some of those listed in the last "sign".....

"sincere friend"
"rekindles the firest of HOPE when discouraged"
(only thru my HOPE in Jesus Christ)
"believes in courage and personal fortitude"
"passion for TRUTH"

And, the one thing that I'm working on day by day.....
"She lives each day to the fullest"!

What about you, Friends?
Have you ever researched your name and it's meaning and see how well it applies to you? As I did this, I thought about some of my family members and realized just how well their names fit them (especially, my husband because he's certainly a "Jack 0f all trades").  Let me know in the comments (or on Facebook) what your name means and if you feel you've "lived up" to it!

HOPE everybody has a Terrific Tuesday!

{ God IS enough }

I have a tendency to have way too high expectations out of people. I guess that's a form of pride on my part something that kinda makes me cringe to think about because who wants to admit they're prideful, right? Most of my life I've struggled with my self-worth, too, yet another thing that's difficult to admit.  Over a year ago I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, "I AM Enough". Now, wouldn't you think that at my age I'd already had that all figured out? It's something that I know in my head but the difficulty has been to get my heart to understand. I can blame these feelings on a multitude of things and situations and past experiences, but the bottom line is that I truly haven't been allowing HIM to be enough.  The Journey devotional from Lifeway has always been one of my favorites and I bought myself a subscription for myself as a birthday gift in January.  Here's what I read in one of the stories just this morning.....

"I have found true Love. 

I sit with Him every morning. 

We talk and I try to be a good listener. 

And when it's time to start my day, 

He helps me reach those hard to reach buttons like forgiveness.

 What a Friend I have in Jesus. 

He is truly enough." 

~Kathy Hutto - Journey ~

My heart has been so full of joy all day long resting in the promise that HE truly is enough.   

(I'm definitely not saying He won't have to keep reminding me, though!)

{ Wednesday's Word - Trapped }

Trapped

• to prevent (someone) from escaping from a place
• having (something, typically a part of the body) held tightly by something so that it cannot move or be freed

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  Our Sunday school lesson this past week was based on the story of Paul and Silas being thrown into the inner part of the jail - known as the dungeon - and their feet put into stocks. The stocks were designed to be able to force the legs wide apart to add to the pain.  After I thought about this story for a bit, I realized that not only were Paul and Silas trapped (or so it seemed until God sent the earthquake) the jailer had to feel trapped, too. This was somewhat of a dead-end job for him in more ways than one. Rather than DWELLing (Dwell is my 2018 word) on their physical pain and humiliation Paul and Silas chose to pray and sing hymns to God "and the prisoners around them were listening to them."
• 
  

Here are a few things I gleaned from this lesson.....

1) Although it's really difficult sometimes when we're in the middle of the struggle, we can make it a choice to DWELL on God and His goodness rather than the "ugly" of whatever the situation might be.

2) Others are watching how we handle the difficulties. Do we whine and pout and cry (ouch) or do we choose JOY instead? The other prisoners were listening and we aren't told in the recount but you know they had to be influenced, too, just like the jailer.

3) God will provide a way to deal with whatever the problem might be even though we often feel trapped and like there's no way out.  He sent an earthquake to release Paul and Silas. The Holy Spirit was there all along to have an ever-lasting impact on the jailer and his entire family. (Don't you know that the jailer never looked at his job the same again?!?)

4) Pray, pray, pray.....
and let God put a song of praise in our heart! 
Ask Him to send you a song....or songs....that come to mind just when you need it. I'm guessing that, like me, that song will pop into your head and often out of your mouth before you even realize it and you can smile and thank HIM for the peace that only He can give!

 ♫ Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that Name! ♫

{ My Word for 2018 }

2012 - Truth

2013 - Calm

2014 - Believe

2015 - Ponder

2016 - (be)Present

2017 - More 

Rather than make New Year's resolutions many of us allow God to speak a word, or words,that He wants us to focus on in the New Year. This will be my 7th year of allowing Him to choose a word for me. At the beginning of each new year I find it kinda difficult to let go of my old word, but especially my word for 2017, MORE. I do believe that God revealed MORE of Himself to me in 2017 than ever before.....

but could that be because I listened more?!?

Sometimes it take a few weeks for me to focus in on what He's speaking to me and I had to narrow it down between 3 that kept showing up but finally I KNEW that He was speaking the word DWELL to me for 2018.

D
Desire to please ONLY God, not others

W
Wonder and Awe at His blessings

E
Excited to see Him work in my life

L
Let go of things that I have no control over and especially let go of things that I do.....
bitterness, resentment, etc.

L
Love, laugh and live life to the fullest!

This verse of scripture seems to sum up exactly what He's asking me to do as I write my blog and pray for wisdom and discernment and sing that song that He places on my heart when I get a bit stressed.....

and to just be thankful!



If you have a focus word for this year, I'd love for you to share it with me in the comments.

Prayers for a happy and blessed and safe 2018 to each of you, sweet Friends!

{ Friday Foto Friends #111 ]

HOPE everybody had a wonderful CHRISTmas!  

I just wanted to share a few fotos of the beach trip we were blessed to take with our kiddos the week before CHRISTmas!

HOPE you have a happy, safe weekend celebrating bringing in a brand new year!

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{ Merry CHRISTmas }

Prayers for a wonderfully blessed CHRISTmas Day!

{ Wednesday's Word - Invitation }

Have you ever felt left out?

Abandoned?

Alone?

Rejected?

It's sad to say, but sometimes all those feelings seem to come flooding over us, 

especially at CHRIST-mas-time.....

a time that is full of celebration and happiness but can often conjure up almost a feeling of depression because of unmet expectations or just simply missing those who have left a hole in our hearts with their absence.

I'm starting a new Bible study, Lysa Terkeurst's "Uninvited", and it is all about those feelings I mentioned in the beginning.

As I thought about the word "invitation" these verses of scripture came to mind.

Aren't you glad that God didn't leave out those who had problems and difficulties?  He seemed to think about them the most because.....

in my humble opinion.....

He knew that some of us would have weaknesses and struggles and need a little extra help!

HOPE each of you has a wonderful Wednesday!

I'll be celebrating with our family the birth 10 years ago of Sawyer, our precious second grand-boy.

God is so good, Y'all and I HOPE each of you can say that you know Him personally!

{ It's the most busiest time of the year }

Did you sing that title to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"?

Y'all, the time just gets away from me, especially during the Christmas season.  Added to my stress level is my Mom's medical procedure and our plans to do something a little special the week before Christmas (I'll tell y'all about it after Christmas). I know I apologize a lot for not visiting those who link up with Friday Foto Friends, and I'm truly sorry because a part of my psyche thinks I have to reciprocate a visit for a visit and then I get all frustrated because I can't and I'm trying to fit about 100 other things into the day and then I'll use a term I heard someone else use, there's a "plot twist" and my plans get shot all to smithereens and I wind up exhausted and frustrated and I came across this prayer and I'm positive it was meant just for me.....

and quite possibly you, too?!?

Praying that each of us takes the time to slow down and just BREATHE (in His grace).

HOPE your Saturday is happy and fun and peaceful!

{ Wednesday's Word (on a Thursday) - Fierce }

fierce

having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness;  showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity

Jeremiah 20:11

But GOD, a most fierce warrior, is at my side. 

Those who are after me will be sent sprawling.

"A mighty warrior"

I can just imagine God fully dressed out in all His armor coming to my defense.....
or whatever attire it might take depending on the situation.   I do know at times He sends others to come to our rescue and all the time He's behind the scenes orchestrating every single move.

I've seen His power just this week through the prayers of His sweet people. I'm usually not one to ask for prayer for myself but one day this week I was getting a bit overwhelmed because life was coming at me from all sides. Y'all, I KNOW I'm not in this boat alone, but when we're going through those stressful times we sometimes feel like we're all alone in a boat full of holes and more keep popping up and we're fixing to go under. So I reached out to Pappy's brothers and sisters and sisters in love and asked for prayer for my Mom.....
and myself.

I'm here to tell you that within just a few minutes I felt the fog start to lift and God was renewing my Spirit and the prayers of our precious family were starting to plug up those holes and I knew I was gonna be able to stay afloat!

The first definition above, "having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness".....
that reminds me of the verse in James that tells us that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man (woman) availeth much". 
Simply put.....

PRAYER WORKS!!!

And, the second definition.....
"showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity".....

that's not only God's love for us but should also describe our.....my.....love for HIM and others!

FIERCE

That could very well be my word for 2018!

Happy Thursday, sweet Friends (and family)!

{ Can we talk? }

Not the greatest fan of Katherine Hepburn, but I did hear her say in an interview once that sometimes she'd look at herself in the mirror and wonder who that old woman was. She went on to say that in her mind she was still the same as she'd always been, but it was that image in the mirror that puzzled her!

So, that's the gist of what I'm thinking about today?

I'm gonna ask a few questions and would love for you to chime in with a comment answering some of these burning questions!

How are you handling aging?

(for those of you who are getting old(er) like me)

Do you have a certain "beauty regimen"?

Are there certain skin products that you just can't live without, like moisturizers, cleansers, etc.?

What brand/type make-up do you use?

Do you wear makeup?

What about sunscreen?

Do you exercise?

Go to the gym?

Walk for exercise?

Do you follow a certain diet?

Or eating plan?

Are you a low-carb follower, or low-fat?

What about all those plans out there like Paleo, Keto, etc.? 

(Y'all there's too many to list)

Do you hurt?

Are you finding each day there's another ache or pain?

And, if so, what do you do about that?

Are you on a prescription med for arthritis?

Do you use over-the-counter remedies?

Creams, lotions, ointments, essential oils?

Or, are you just letting nature take its course and doing absolutely nothing and accepting that we're gonna change and those lumps and bumps are just a part of aging?

Do you color your hair?

Or, like me, have you embraced the gray?

I certainly have an inquiring mind today, huh?

Whoever said getting old ain't for sisses must have already experienced some of the things I'm going through!

Have a terrific Tuesday.....

(if you can since I've gotten our minds on some not so pleasant thoughts!)

And, just so you know, this was all for fun.....

well, except I do have a nosey inquiring mind!

{ Wednesday's Words - Purposed Praise }

"Purposed Praise"

♥ that term!

credit

Dear Heavenly Father,

may I praise You on purpose, 

focusing on the things in my life that I need to be grateful for, 

not grumble about!

AMEN

HOPE everybody has a wonderful Wednesday!

{ A Blessed THANKSgiving }

HOPE everybody has a wonderfully blessed THANKSgiving.

{ Wednesday's Word - Eucharisteo }

The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning "grace". Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be a gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning "joy".

Charis, Grace

Eucharisteo, Thanksgiving

Chara, Joy

~~~ Ann Voscamp ~~~

{ Thank You }

I very recently read a devotion about giving a "second thank you" with the idea being saying thank you to someone again for something they did for you, but giving the second thank you at a later date, even possibly months later. The author of the devotion gave some examples of how these second thank you's often come at a time in the other person's life when they really need the encouragement.  

Isn't that something we all need?

To be encouraged by others!

Did y'all realize that's even part of God's instructions to us?

1 Thessalonians 5:11

So encourage each other and build each other up, 

just as you are already doing.

Hebrews 10:24

 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Ephesians 4:29

Don’t use foul or abusive language.

 Let everything you say be good and helpful, 

so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

As I read the devotion, I was reminded of the story in the Bible about God healing the ten lepers (Luke 17:15-16) This was part of the THANKSgiving song our little ones sang on SONday. Out of those ten men whom Jesus healed, only one returned to give Him thanks. I can't help but wonder if he didn't shout out his gratitude the moment his skin became clear but then he felt it necessary to go and tell Jesus face-to-face THANK YOU a second time.

So in this season of THANKSgiving, as I'm thanking God for His many blessings, I want to also be thankful to my friends and family for all they've done for me, how they've encouraged me, those times when their gifts came at just the right time. 

{ Friday Foto Friends #105 }

Last Friday I suggested we take a drive thru Cades Cove. I'd been wanting to go for quite some time and thought it might be the perfect day since the weather was beautiful.   I'm pretty sure a couple of other thousand folks thought the same thing because of the traffic.  We stopped at a small IGA in Townsend and got lunch from the deli and drove into the park for a picnic.  It was a wonderful day. The only thing to make it better would have been to see a bear.  We did see two deer and some turkeys.....
well, besides Pappy and me!

 I have plenty of fotos to share with Y'all and some of them show exactly why they're called the Great Smoky Mountains!

I believe these pics are an indication of autumn's last hurrah.  
We're fixing to get rain and cooler temps in our neck of the woods this weekend. And how can it be that next week is THANKSgiving?!?

HOPE everybody has a wonderful weekend!

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