Prayer Pearls

Okay ladies it's Tuesday and that means it is a PRAYER PEARL DAY!!!!!!!  YAY!!! 

As the Holy Spirit leads please pray for the following:

That the King would express boldness, bravery, tender hearts, willing spirits, celebration, leadership, healing, hope, vision, and authentic beauty through the ministry of Glorious Daughters. 

Please pray that the Name of Jesus would be proclaimed and that generations of daughters would be blessed, strengthened and established for generations to come.

Here are a few of the scriptures being prayed by Glorious Daughters today.   

Jeremiah 17:7
Joshua 1:6-9
Psalm 25:4
Psalm 51:10-12
Proverbs 3:5-8
Psalms 145:4-7
Psalms 18:1-3
Psalms 31:3-5 and 7-8
Hebrews 11
Psalms 45:13-15 and 17
Psalms 136:1-9 and 23-26
Luke 1:46-50

Your prayers and passion for Jesus are pearls to my heart.  I love you dearly sweet sisters and will be praying for you all day.  Praise the King for His faithfulness and I'm looking forward to following Him in that faithfulness through prayer today!  Have a Beautiful day!

Princess Bracelets

I only have a chance to get a few quick thoughts down this morning, but I wanted to encourage you today!  I just got back from running several errands with the little people (who started my morning off VERY early and when we got to Walmart we were the ONLY ones in the building....it was early people!) As we finished up and were leaving I let the kids pick out a package of these little rubber bracelets that are all the rave right now.  There are like a 100 that come in a package and they come in all sorts of shapes.  Cade picked out some that looked like footballs, helmets and foam # 1 fingers.  Ainsley picked out the ones that were all pink of course and were in the shape of cheerleaders, mega phones and pom poms.  As soon as they started to put on the gazillion rubber bracelets ( to which Cade informed me that his were NOT bracelets but bands lol!) they started to transform.  Cade shouted from the backseat, "Mom, now I can play tough football" :) and Ainsley, "I'm pretty now momma!"........

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."  Romans 12:2

"Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me...restore to me the joy of salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit."  Psalm 51:10 and 12 (my paraphrase)

The thoughts are quick so I hope you are already ahead of me ladies........Allow Christ to transform and renew you just as quickly as those bracelets and bands :) transformed and renewed my kids.  Don't give way to the whisper of the enemy, strike him down quick and put on the full armor of Christ (Eph 6:13-18).  Don't mess around and meander in a pool of mediocrity today....let Christ transform your perspective and sustain you with a willing spirit.  Be strong, be brave and be beautiful today!

ps...I got some princess bracelets! :)

I can't get over it

“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos’ are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:3-7


Ladies, forgive me if I’ve said this before. I can’t seem to remember yesterday from today, so much is happening in Trotterville right now; however I don’t think there could ever be enough blog posts, sermons preached, books written and thoughts shared on our absolute soul poverty without the radical Love of Jesus. We are NOTHING compared to His limitless love. We are considered sluggards compared to His matchless energy and strength. His peace, mercy and compassion do not yield, slow down, let up or run out.

We are human. He is God. Period.

“God doesn’t need you and me to do his work. We are expedient messengers, ambassadors by his kindness, not by our cleverness. It’s not about us….And we entrusted with the gospel dare not seek applause but best deflect applause. For our message is about Someone else.” –Max Lucado, It’s Not About Me

I love what Paul says in 1 Corinthians when he is holding the church accountable as they seek to prioritize their “favorite church leader”. He basically says, “Who cares?! So I planted it and then my buddy here, Apollos watered it. It’s of no consequence because God is the ONLY one who has the power to make it grow.”

It’s so very liberating to know and understand that we are merely empty vessels that just have to submit and receive the complete awesomeness of Christ. He will fill us with all HE needs to do HIS work.

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’ But the Lord said to me,

Do not say, I am only a youth; for all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant…..I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:4-10 and 12

It wasn’t about Jeremiah, it wasn’t about the work…..it’s about God. He is the only one capable of carrying out His plan and He is watching over it as it is performed. I love what John says in John 1:6-8 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

You and I are NOT the light. We’re just here to bear witness about the Light.

Your intellect, your patience, your physical abilities, your schedule, your plan, your commitment level, your compassion, hope, faith, bank account, willingness, experiences, understanding, availability,……it will all run out. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 The King NEVER runs out of goodness and peace and reassurance and unfailing love and compassion.

The title of Isaiah 45 in my ESV Study Bible is perfect for what I’m talking about today – Cyrus, God’s Instrument.

“Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to lose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed; I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name; I name you, and through you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, through you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.

Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles?’ Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’

Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him; Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?

I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free not for a price or reward,” says the Lord of hosts”

Absolutely astounding. He doesn’t have to use us, and yet He wants to. He calls us by name, shares His heart with us and offers us the opportunity, to not only take part in the offering, but be ambassadors in telling others about it. Better still all we have to do is be submitted and keep pointing back to Him. It’s like the best gig ever. We are the clay and He is the Potter. We are merely His instruments. I don’t know about you, but there could be no greater title in life for me than that. Cari, God’s Instrument. The Lord of hosts calls me by name and sends me out to be a carrier of the Light. Ladies, I am overwhelmed yet again by Christ’s unbelievable mercy in naming me His daughter and then letting me involved in the conversation (Isaiah 6:1-8).

I hope I never get over it.

Prayer Pearls

Okay....so gum gets old, yucky, stale and sticky.

While zipping around W’ford with my daughter and getting some much needed errands done this morning she found some pretty gross chewed up old school gum stuck to the side of her car seat. Granted our Suburban, affectionately known as the “Burb”, is not in tip top shape right now. It’s pretty dirty; however, nasty old gum is not on the regular Burb treasure list. Come on you fellow moms out there in the e-void – can I get a witness??! It doesn’t surprise me.

Ainsley has been on a “pink bubble dum” kick lately. I mean she can roll through a pack of Double Bubble in like 30 minutes. We have to cut her back. So as she looks up at me like that old, yucky, stale, sticky mess (that she put there mind you!) - That only just one day ago she was smacking away on – is now the most disgusting thing she has ever seen I’m surprised. She loved it yesterday, what changed.

It got stuck behind something else and changed into an old, yucky, stale and sticky piece of gum.

To keep a piece of gum going you have to keep chewing! I had a friend that used to sleep with gum in her mouth. (Totally not safe and definitely not suggested – however it drives home my point today :))

I don’t want Glorious Daughters to become like old, yucky, stale, sticky gum that gets found under an old dusty pile of emails someday. I want the Lord’s Spirit through it to keep going. I want it to keep its elasticity, flavor and color. I want it to continue to offer Life. The only way that’s going to happen is if we keep chewing it up, better said praying it up!!

Tuesday has officially become Prayer Pearl day! I will be reminding you each Tuesday of our prayer time. As the Spirit leads, Glorious Daughters would be so thankful to have your prayer support. There is power in prayer and unified purpose. God promises to be faithful.  Our job is just to follow Him in the triumph of that faithfulness, but in order to know where He is walking we have to seek Him in prayer.

Today, and every Tuesday from now on, I would love you to do just that. Pray. Allow the Spirit to lead your prayers for protection, provision and the purposes of this ministry…this expression of the King’s heart. I am so thankful for your prayers, support and constant encouragement. God is good and I am humbled to have your fellowship!!

Make it a great day and keep chewin’! LOL! I mean prayin’!

xoxo

Gold Hawaiian Princess Dress

“Fifty, nifty United States from thirteen original colonies….” Melodiously echoed through my 4th grade elementary school hallway one exceptional spring evening. The crowded hallways of my elementary school were lined with 4th graders dressed in various regional costumes like corn husks, pilgrim hats, mountain men, waving wheat and the Statue of Liberty all representing the Fifty Nifty United States. There had been so much eager anticipation for the evening and the musical that would conclude a most important elementary school year, the last year spent in the “younger” hallway. At the end of this year we would all be graduating to the much coveted 5th and 6th grade hallway. We had practiced, worked, crafted and looked forward for months to this night and our little 4th grade hearts were ready to go out there to our cafeteria stage and break a leg. As a class of 4th graders we had been divided up into states and were required to make a costume to represent that state. I was so excited when it had been announced that I would be one of the Hawaiian princesses, meaning I would represent one of the islands of Hawaii. Our teachers had randomly selected each student to represent a nifty part of our fifty states, and the group of girls that were selected as the Hawaiian princesses felt unique and very special. There is just something about the word “princess” that speaks straight to a little girl’s spirit. I can’t remember which island I represented, but I can remember the color I was assigned. Gold. Gold is a beautiful color, however in my diminutive 4th grade perspective gold was not the most beautiful color. Of course the most lovely and feminine color was pink. Pink was the most charming royal color to any little girl’s heart and at that deeply introspective point in my life that is exactly how I felt. That’s how we all felt. That color was assigned to my friend. It was definitely an honor to have been selected as one of only 8 total island princesses and we were all very happy, but there was something extra special for my friend that was the pink princess.


I can remember on the day of the show standing in the hallway while my mom snapped a picture of me in my gold princess dress and lei made of gold Christmas tinsel. I recall shopping with my grandmother to select the fabric for my dress and then going to her house and watching that loose fabric transform into the most radiant Hawaiian princess dress. I loved it so much I decided to go Trick or Treating in it the following year. I loved it.

Standing there in that hallway I was grinning from ear to ear and looked proud as punch to be representing my gold island. And yet without even realizing it I was making a vow in my heart that day. I can see myself smiling for the picture while out of the corner of my eye looking at my friend in her pink princess dress and thinking with a twinge of sorrow in my moldable heart, “Its okay I’m happy to be the gold princess. I can be okay that I wasn’t good enough to be the pink one. I really wanted to be the pink princess, and to me pink is the best most lovely color ever, but that wasn’t for me. I’m happy for my friend. It’s okay, I can accept that I’m just not worthy to be THAT princess.” I was standing there proud of my gold dress. I was not jealous of my friend at all. She was precious and I adored her, but in my own human nature I was making a personal vow and receiving a whisper from the enemy of my soul that I was not worthy. Mind you when selecting the colors, the girls, the islands etc the teachers had simply made random selections and in their minds no one color or island was better than the next. The thought that pink was superior came from within my own frame.

I wish I could say the inner vow I made that day started and stopped in the hallowed hallways of my elementary. Now, I went out and rocked the show being the best gold princess I could be that night. I laughed, sang, said my lines and played my part. No one, not even I really, recognized or knew the inner vow I made that day. It wasn’t until recently that the Holy Spirit even recalled that memory to my soul, let alone connecting the dots to feelings of unworthiness in my heart.

Now fast forwarding several years into my adulthood the Lord would reveal a scripture that has become the basis for the ministry at Glorious Daughters. As the Lord revealed His heart for me and the ministry through this scripture I have devoured its truth. I have studied it inside and out. I have read commentaries about it, read it in every translation, asked numerous women of all ages what their feelings are about this certain scripture and had so many intimate moments with the Father over this specific text. This part of scripture is personal to me. I say all that to represent the amount of time I have dwelt on this scripture. It has become a part of my very being, and yet there was an intentional piece, a specific word, that I have missed that only the tender love of the Holy Spirit could have cultivated.

I was talking with my husband recently after a worship service and relaying the story of the gold dress to him. I was in the middle of telling him that the Lord had cultivated the vision of me standing in the hallway and making the inner vow of unworthiness and how parts of my life had been lived based on that vow. I had played the part, bowed and accepted applause in my life but never viewed myself as worthy to be a daughter of the King. I had lived boldly as a servant in His House, but never as an heir to His Throne. I had never received the position to live like a daughter of the Most High King.

In the middle of our conversation I gasped dramatically! I cupped my hand over my mouth and whispered, “I’ve been missing it!” To which my husband, bless his heart - not being in my brain and although wanting to cannot read my thoughts, was like “What?! What is it Cari!?” I scrambled underneath my chair to get my Bible as quickly as I could. I was trembling as my fingers flipped madly through the Word trying to get to the scripture I had been led to start a ministry with. It was a scripture I had read a thousand times and could it be that I had missed the most important part that The King wanted to speak to my personal heart? Had I been missing it all along?!

“All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with………….. gold.” Psalms 45:13

Gold. It was gold all along. As a princess of the King I have been adorned with……..gold.

To say I started weeping would be an understatement. Probably scared my husband a little bit, but those passionate stinging tears of healing could not be helped. I was worthy. In that moment of revelation it didn’t mean that pink wasn’t a royal color, it meant that the King had chose gold for THIS princess. It’s not about pink, purple, blue, magenta or silver. It’s personal. The King is personal to His daughters and He knew that only He would know that memory in my heart and that only that moment would connect the dots of worthiness in my life as His daughter. He had chosen to adorn me with gold because I was HIS princess. That’s far better than any pink Hawaiian princess.

Don’t miss that the King has selected you to live as HIS princess. He has chosen to adorn you with gold. Please don’t accept that you are unworthy, it couldn’t be further from the truth. What the King sees is a beauty worth lavishing with the life of His Son. He sees a creative genius just waiting to be expressed. He sees beautifully worn out hands and feet that are anxiously awaiting an opportunity to carry a cup of Life offering Refreshment to the broken hearted. He sees tenderness for people placed in a heart that at its weakest, most submissive, most vulnerable place is actually quiet radiant. He sees His daughter becoming all glorious within. And He is just waiting to adorn you with the royalty and grandeur of the color gold.

p..s..I do have a so awesome picture of this most crucial night in my elementary school life to post as soon as I can figure out how to scan it in here and get it uploaded.....check back in the days to come for the gold Hawaiian dress picture! :) Or take a peek at our Facebook page - love!