Blowing out some candles....

...Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

• I'm not 40, I'm simply eighteen with 22 years experience.
• Life begins at 40 -- but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times. - William Feather
• Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs.
• Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young.
• The best years of a woman’s life - the ten years between 39 and 40.
• Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
• Women deserve to have more than twelve years between the ages of twenty eight and forty. - James Thurber.
• We don't understand life any better at forty than at twenty, but we know it and admit it. - Jules Renard
• At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At 40, we don't care what they think of us. At 60, we discover they haven't been thinking of us at all. - Ann Landers
• Life begins at forty. ~ W.B. Pitkin
  

Ready or not...Merry CHRISTmas

Christmas Eve. Ahhh..Deep sigh of peace, excitement. It is here. Ready or not. Time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. My Lord and Savior. I love Christmas and I love celebrating his birth. This year, as one of my early Christmas presents, I was given something precious to my heart. I have wanted one for years and about a week ago someone dear to me insisted I open my Christmas present “early”. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why I needed it early, unless of course, it was Maggie Moos ice cream and would melt. Much to my delight here is what I found in the beautiful package:

A menorah. Awesome, huh? I am not Jewish, as a matter of fact I am as Gentile as you can get. However, as a Christian I have always been very interested and fascinated in Jewish Culture and History. After all, I believe Jesus is the Messiah. The Anointed One who fulfilled the prophecies and is the promised son of David. Though I love the New Testament and read the Bible as a complete book, I have a tendency to favor the Old Testament (please no hate emails..thanks!). I love to study Jewish history and I have a great love for Jewish people as well as Israel. I guess if I had a bucket list (which I don’t) two things listed would be to get a degree in the study of the Old Testament and to learn Hebrew (of course Greek too). But for now, I am happy to study the OT as best as I can. Oh the joy to read the prophecies of the OT and see how Jesus fulfilled them.

One thing I recently did this past week was to re-study Hanukkah. The origins of this celebration and I even read some history from the book of the Macabees from the Apocrypha. Then I concluded with reading the passage where Jesus himself was at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). In a nutshell, if Jesus celebrated it and it was part of his life then I want to know more!! Jesus Messiah!!

I thank the Lord for sending His Son to a lowly manger in order to die for our sins. Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:2-7 (Amplified Bible)
2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined.(A)
3You [O Lord] have multiplied the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You like the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of battle].
4For the yoke of [Israel's] burden, and the staff or rod for [goading] their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, You have broken as in the day of [Gideon with] Midian.
5For every [tramping] warrior's war boots and all his armor in the battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from the [latter] time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Lazy Girls

I love to bake. Yes! I love to bake. (side note: I hate to cook. HATE. To. Cook.) Though I have a four pound bag of chocolate chips chillin' around the house, I have not started my holiday baking. Time is ticking. Just call me a slug.

Last night I had a craving. You know the type that hits you about 10:30pm. Insatiable urge to stuff your face with chocolate anythings?

It was too late to bake but I knew Mr. four pound bag was calling my name. Hmm..what to do with the chips at 10:30pm. After staring blankly into my cabinet for about 5 minutes my eyes spotted a box of Ritz crackers. I had some salty and sweet right at my fingertips. Then suddenly out of no where, deep from within my baker's heart...a master piece creation was born. My creativity amused me (note sarcasm here) and thus another Beckums creation burst forth in my kitchen, "Lazy Girls"

Ritz crackers, sprinkled with chocolate chips. Pop into the microwave for about 30 seconds and top with a pecan. Voila! Instant gourmet "Lazy Girls".

Sweet 16

It is hard to believe but my baby is 16!! We celebrated the occasion last night with a Sweet 16 Costume Party. What a blast!! Here are a few pics from the party:

Jordyn dressed as Audrey Hepburn





Can you guess who we dressed up as??


What a Maverick. I think he is a hottie!! giggle

Fill in the blanks

It’s in the air….can you feel it? I’m not referring to the chilly temperatures this morning. I’m talking about the Christmas spirit! I confess, Jordyn and I have been listening to Christmas music for about 6 weeks now. I have put up my family Christmas tree. Decorated my blog with a Christmas theme.
Purchased my 4.5 pound bag of Chocolate chips (oddly enough, the bag of chocolate chips is a tad bit larger than my 4 pound Yorkie!!).




While I am eagerly awaiting Christmas and all the preciousness that surrounds the celebration of Jesus’ birth, I am also excited about Thanksgiving. This Sunday is our church’s annual Thanksgiving service. It is one of my favorite services at CCF. Certainly one service you don’t want to forget your Kleenex. Anyone who is willing to share, has an opportunity to take the mic. and give thanks to The Lord. If you had a chance to give thanks to The Lord, what would you say? Could you think of one thing? Would you be able to fill a minute, an hour?

Our friends and missionaries, The Fowlers sent me the neatest little Thanksgiving prayer card in the mail this week. (The card is produced by Family Life ministries. Click here to order your copy!)

I want to share a few things from the card in hopes that you will begin to give thanks to The Lord.

*I remember when we needed ________ and God provided _____.
(Read Philippians 4:12-13,19)

*I am thankful for _______that God gives us every day.
(Read. Deut. 8:3)

*Despite (and even because of)_________, I thank you for __________.
(Read James 1:2-4)

So, how would you fill in the blanks?

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever. Psalms 107:1

Just gotta say it.....

Just an FYI for Gov. Kaine...I pray in the name of Jesus!

(click here if you are in the dark at what has happened in good 'ol Virginia recently.)

Rock my vote!

I heard a new twist tonight on the "Rock The Vote" slogan. I heard a preacher sharing from from Matthew 7. His take was to vote on the "Rock" (Jesus) this election. As I pondered this thought, thought of my Christian beliefs, I was reminded of Psalms 18:2

The LORD is my ROCK, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my ROCK, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I, like many others, will be glued to Fox News tomorrow night. And as we intently wait the outcome, may we be reminded that no matter what happens in this election we can be sure of one thing: Jesus,(The name above all names. The King of kings. The name by which we are saved.) will still be on the throne!!

So read my lipstick: you can be "fa'shur" I will certainly 'ROCK' my vote tomorrow.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun......

Well, CCF's Women's Ministry "Flashback Friday" was awesome! (Like Totally!...oh, excuse my 80's lingo). We "cut the rug" and learned The Charleston, The Bop, The Hustle, and The Jitterbug. The women of CCF are the most amazing group of women I know (and some of the most fun women I've ever met!!) I love you all!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Flashing Back

I am getting pretty excited! Tomorrow night is our CCF Women's Flashback Friday event. In preparation for this fun time, I had an awesome time going to my parent's house yesterday and going through old pictures. Such precious memories. Needless to say, we had a good laugh at some of the pictures. I think my mom and I have covered every imaginable hairstyle possible. (Might I add that I am still very fond of the 80's BIG hair!!)

Looking at these pictures made me even more thankful for the love of Jesus. I am not who I used to be. I have changed on the outside and inside! AMEN and Hallelujah. I have been transformed by the power of Christ who lives in me. And, the good news is that He is not finished with me yet! I am a work in progress.

I will post some pics from our Flashback Friday but until then...here are a few funny ones! (check out the hair, will ya?)




(BTW, Jim is not wearing a helmet...that is his hair!)

We are Family...I got all my babies with me

Okay, so I had to change the lyrics to that song (We Are Family) but I was one happy Mama this afternoon to have my girls with me and my man by my side. It's not often we Burtons get all "fancied-up" so here are some pics from this afternoon's wedding Jim officiated (and Amanda was a bridesmaid).

Fire Extinguisher – Hubby say WHAT?

I feel the need to preface this blog. You see, I tend to be a tad bit on the HM side (high maintenance). I am the gal who loves the fact that the 80’s glam rock hair styles are coming back in style (they ARE coming back, right?). I love me some hair products, teasing combs, hair spays, etc. Like Beth Moore once said, “I can love Jesus and lipstick!”. Amen Beth!

Anyway, Friday we were preparing to head out of town to Maryland to participate in a missions conference. All was packed and we were just seconds from walking out the door when the following conversation took place:

Becky: Hey! What’s this doing sitting on the piano? (referring to my favorite hair product: super-duper root pump spray). I packed this in my bag already! (priorities, right ladies?)

Jim: I took it out.

Becky (gasp): You did WHAT? Why would you do THAT?

Jim: Do you really NEED that stuff?

Becky (eyeballs rolling, neck craned): NEED?

Jim: Yeah, you don’t need that stuff, do ya?

Becky (feeling her blood pressure rise): Yes, I NEED it!!!

Jim (examine the product in question): Well, it’s the size of a fire extinguisher!!!!!

My man has a point!

Stolen Trailer....counting it joy

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Our church meets in a school and this is our 4th year of doing so. Since we meet in a school, we have a trailer that is pulled weekly to the school that we store all of our church belongings (i.e, sound equipment, microphones, keyboard, children's toys, play pen--basically anything you may need for a church). When we arrived at prayer meeting tonight, it came to our attention that our trailer was gone....yes, someone has stolen our church trailer with all of our church belongings. We had been parking the trailer at a nearby church (who has been nice enough to let us leave it on their property). Sure enough...it is gone. Crazy.

But, praise The Lord we have a place to meet, a place to gather together...we just have no stuff. Basically, all CCF used for church is in the trailer. Everything but the chairs and people. But that is okay. It is so reassuring that our God is not dependant on our stuff--any stuff, including the "stuff" in that trailer for church to happen. No indeedy. After all, He is not in the box!! He's not even "in the trailer"! ha ha

I tell you our prayer meeting tonight was powerful, especially our group prayer time when we all gathered in a circle and lifted high the name of Jesus despite the enemy trying to destroy us all and our church. **Comically enough, yours truly (Ms. Joyful Noise herself) led the pack at the end of group prayer in a verse of "How Great is Our God". Imagine the surprise when we opened our eyes and found the police officer (who had been called to take the report) standing there waiting on us. Poor guy...bet his ears will never be the same. ha ha**

We appreciate your prayers...please pray for our church during this time. Pray for my husband, Jim (the Pastor of CCF). Also, pray for 'the person or persons' who stole our trailer. We pray that whatever their situation may be that during this time they will come to know The Lord as a result and surrender their lives to Him.

We have an incredible group of people at CCF and we will continue to trust in the Lord and in His provisions during this trial. (Count it all joy, right?) We will hold to our faith and keep pressing on in the name of Jesus. We pray for The Lord to be glorified.

New use for a Math book?

Who said home schooled kids are not creative? As you can see, three weeks into school and Jordyn has found a new use for her 'much dreaded' Algebra 2 book. I think she looks rather cute as she strikes a pose.

Our family has been invited to take part in a Mission Conference in MD. In addition to leading P&W with her dad, Jordyn has been asked to speak and share a few songs with the youth group during one of the break-out session. Needless to say, she is a tad bit nervous. But God is so good! He has been preparing her the past two weeks during her Humanities Class (in Richmond once a week for four hours) with public speaking-style presentations. If you think of Jordyn, pray for her to have God's peace as she speaks and shares from her heart!!.

It is a MUST See

Outstanding! Kudos to all involved with the movie, Fireproof. I had the opportunity and privilege to go on a "family" date to see the movie this afternoon and I was moved and inspired. The comic relief in the movie while paralleling the differences between men and women is precious and had the entire theater laughing regularly through out the two hour movie. More importantly, Fireproof does a fantastic job of tackling some serious real life issues that daily challenge marriages in our society. Yet, at the same time we are reminded that marriage is a covenant (before God..for better or worse, for richer or poor until death do we part) - not a mere contract. Though many are on the brink of divorce all around us, this movie clearly reminds us all that there is always hope no matter how desperate you think your marriage may be.

Bravo and much thanks to the writers, producers, actors and volunteers who put their efforts and resources into this movie. The gospel of hope through Jesus Christ is clearly stated. In a day and age where Hollywood bombards us with trash in the theaters, this movie is a light in a dark industry. I encourage everyone (married or single) to support the Christian efforts of Fireproof by going to see this movie.

www.fireproofthemovie.com
www.fireproofmymarriage.com

Fireproof The Movie

It's almost here.....just a few more days! I can't wait to have a date with my man this weekend to see this movie! (and Jordyn wants to see it too....so, why not? We will make it a family date). In case you are not familiar with Fireproof, Click to go to the Fireproof web site for more info.

I am praying this movie will top the box office at number one this weekend.

Happy Birthday Jim!!!!

Happy Birthday to my man (you cute thing you!!) I LOVE YOU!!!!

I wanna grow old with you...

Did that picture make you laugh? Made me laugh! Did you see that hair? Jim's mullet and my piggy-back perm.

Yep, yesterday was Sunday September 14th and that is a special day for us... Jim and I celebrated 18 wonderful years of marriage. Where has the time gone? Some much has changed (especially the hair-dos!) yet, so much has remained the same (in a good way).

We didn't do anything special yesterday but today my man took me out for a lunch date. We dropped Jordyn off at her Humanities class in Richmond and off we went:

• took a tour of the new Whole Foods Market in Richmond. (I may have a new favorite grocery store. Sorry Ukrop's!).
  
• Lunch (thanks to my amazing secret sister who blessed my socks off! Whoever you are -- THANK YOU!!)
  
• a trip to...none other than....(drum roll please.....) MAGGIE MOO's. (If anyone knows the dude or dude-etts that own Maggie Moo's....I think they should consider me as a spokeswoman. It is the best ice cream EVER!!) Oh and get this...they had buttered popcorn flavored ice cream. Of course I had to try a sample spoonful (Elena, you'd like it...I think.) It was an interesting flavor however, I stayed with my normal. One scoop of Dark Chocolate and One luscious scoop of Better Batter. No mix-ins. Okay..I better stop b/c I am drooling on my keyboard.
  
• We walked around C28 (love that place).

In the past week Jim and I were reminded stronger than before how quickly this life fades. No guarantees. Every moment is precious. Sure, Marriage is hard work. Jim and I have had our ups and downs...no doubt. Marriage is not a 50/50 investment but 100/100 from each person. It is so worth the effort. Yet so many quit. Be sure to take time to carve out for each other and invest in your marriage. A wise woman once told me, "One day your kids will grow up and leave home and you don't want to be left looking at a stranger". Great advice. Don't quit. Keep loving with all that you have. Go the extra mile even when you don't want to do it. Be quick to forgive. And as our friend Ray reminded us last week, "never let the sun go down on your anger". Tell your spouse you love them. Leave love notes around the house, in their lunch, in the car. Surprise her with flowers (to any male readers of this blog....other than my husband). Go for a walk. Hold hands. Last but certainly not least: Pray together.

Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you!

I Will Be Here (Steven Curtis Chapman)

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear

I will be here.

If in the dark, we lose sight of love

Hold my hand, and have no fear'

Cause I will be here

I will be here

When you feel like being quiet

When you need to speak your mind

I will listen

And I will be here

When the laughter turns to cryin'

Through the winning, losing and trying

We'll be together

I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up

And the future is unclear

I will be here

Just as sure as seasons were made for change

Our lifetimes were made for these years

So I will be hereI will be here

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we're older

I will hold you

And I will be here To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me

I will be here

I will be true to the promise

I have made to you and to the One who gave you to me

What a fun day!

In Memory of my friend, Jennifer

We love you and will miss you Jennifer!

Jennifer Lynn Davis Langston

July 18, 1975 - September 8, 2008

Throwing Stones? Not Me!

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:6-7

I simply can not be quiet a second longer. Give me a BREAK! Wasn't it not long ago that the media was celebrating with glee Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy? But now, some are throwing an entire family under the bus, and even blaming the mother, because of teen pregnancy? A mother can give her life to her child, raise her in a Christian environment, teach her right from wrong and even sacrifice her career, but ultimately the daughter makes her own choices in life. Some right...some wrong.

I know this for a fact. I have been in Bristol's shoes. I was raised by a dynamic family who taught me right from wrong, took me to church, loved me unconditionally ...but guess what...I still made my OWN bad choices. One choice that landed me in the same shoes that Bristol is currently wearing. And oh do I remember the stone throwers ready to pound me. But, I also remember a loving family who was hurting along with me. The best memory of all? A gracious, merciful, Heavenly Father who never rejected me or disowned me. Thank you sweet Jesus. (I owe Him so much).

Why do we so quickly want to throw stones?

My heart goes out to Bristol and her family. I am sure this young woman is confused and scared. I must say that I, personally, admire this young woman for choosing life for her baby.

We never fully understand until we are in the other person's shoes. So, put the stones down and pray for this family.

Flip That House...Whose house? MY HOUSE!

So, I've been to the beach, yet again. I was able to go to Myrtle Beach for a week with my mom, dad, Ryan and Jordyn. We had a great time (pics at the end of this post) though I missed Jim very, very much (he was unable to go with us!). I have been home for a week now and I would have blogged sooner...but when I returned from vacation I had the surprise of my life awaiting me!!! My house got a partial flip! (Yes, you read that correctly....if you know The Burtons..we don't do home improvements. giggle)

We have lived in this house for 15+ years and for 12 years, I have prayed for new carpet. We have never really had the extra moola in our budget to make any household improvements, especially new carpet. But, oh, the power of prayer....while I was at the beach, someone told Jim they were going to bless us with new carpet!! (The Lord is good, isn't He??). The carpet was scheduled to arrive while I was out of town and so Jim decided he was going to paint the paneling in our den as a HUGE surprise for me. (My man hates...and I mean HATES to paint!). Jim knew that I have wanted to paint the den for 15+ years too. I know this was a complete labor of love on Jim's part!! Bless his heart...4 coats of paint later, the den is white and bright! No more 70's paneling over here. :)

All I can say is "Praise The Lord" and my house looks sooo beautiful!!! Thank you to those who blessed Jim and I with this amazing gift of new carpet. You will never know how grateful we are for this amazing gift. :)

Check out Jim's Blog for his take on the "flip"!

Tats, Purple Pinky and vacation

So much to blog about and so little time. Guess I'll have to be brief (yeah, right!).

Well, the summer Bible Study at Tantrum Tattoo Shop ended Monday night..but it was a great six weeks! Thanks again Emmy for letting us invade your shop on your day off to study The Word and reach out to women! The Lord was great to us and we had around 34 women in and out of the doors over the course of 6 weeks. Here is a 'crazy' pic. from Monday Night (we were missing about 10 women!!! Where were you all??)

Pray for Jennifer. She is a friend of mine (only 33) and she would have been in the above pic if she was not in the hospital. She was just diagnosed with cancer two weeks ago. At CCF, we "girls" started a "Purple Pinky Prayer Partners" for Jenny. We are painting one of our pinky fingernails purple (yes..the best color ever, right Jennifer?) as an outward sign that we are praying for Jennifer and her family!

Lastly, here are some pics from our mini-vacation (with my man last week) to Carolina Beach and Wilmington, NC!

This is the 2nd best place on earth (next to Maggie Moos, of course)

Oh, Taste and see that The Lord is good....is that taken out of context?

Support C28

Wow! Our last night of 'vacation' landed us at Short Pump Mall. (Soon I'll be posting more and some pics from our travels to Carolina Beach and Wilmington...and oh, yeah Maggie MOOS!!!).

Back to the here and now:Recently I heard about a new Christian apparel store that had opened in SPM. Tonight, we were able to check it out, first hand.

Let me tell you it was GREAT!! I was so impressed with this place. Very creative designs (not cheesy T-shirt graphics...know what I mean??!!). The walls were covered with Scriptures, Christian music and CD's playing, a Bible on the "check out" counter and get this: They ask you for prayer request when you pay and then they even pray with you IN THE STORE!!!

Be sure to check this place out! Here is their national web site: http://www.c28.com/

I wish I could have bought a few T-shirts ...maybe next time (gift card for Cmas??? SURE!). Anyway, here is what I would have bought (w/ shirt description from their website).

I use to always quote this to my girls! "Go to the ant!!" ha ha

At first glance, this may seem like just a pattern design; however, with a closer look you will see the classic NOTW logo morphing into the shape of an ant! Above this clever artwork is a call to action, BE THE ANT! As God says through His word, do not be lazy, but work diligently like the ant! The scripture on the back come from Proverbs 6:6-11.

So often we look down on ourselves. We think we're not good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough, and tend to fall into self-pity. We are always looking for man's approval, but in God's eyes, we are perfect, through Christ! And so the Psalm 42:5-6 was used as inspiration for this shirt. This psalm is a prayer about putting your hope in God and realizing we are perfect just the way God' made us! The wings on the back of the shirt symbolize this hope and how we can be lifted up by keeping this hope in mind.
"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you." - Psalm 42:5-6

I'll leave you with some pics Jordyn took on her celly tonight while we were at the best place on earth...that's right Maggie Moos (thank you Cheryl for my gift card!!) More vacation pics coming soon!

(yes, he's making those faces again! ha ha)

Celebrate good times, come on!

Drivers beware...we have yet another teen driver on the road as of 2:48pm this afternoon!! What better way to celebrate passing her learner's test (on the first try) than a frozen Mocha Frap at Starbucks!!!

VOV it!! (Venting over Venti)

Do you ever just feeling like venting? I had one of those moments recently. Just needed to “let it all out”. I was drinking a nice, large cup of java while feeling the need to vent this afternoon. As I glanced at my coffee mug it hit me. I was having a “VOV” session. VOV? Beck’s newest term. What is VOV? Glad you asked. In my world it stands for Venting over Venti! (I just cracked myself up sometimes!). Then I remembered Psalms 142:1&2 where David was “venting” to The Lord.

1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

The Lord is so faithful to listen to us! Next time you need to let it all out, grab a cup of coffee (venti of course) and go to the Lord for a little “VOV”.

venti - noun (context, mostly, US) A cup of coffee larger than grande, usually 20 ounces.

My new grand-puppy!!!! SQUEALLLLL!!!!

Oh, I wish I could kidnap my grand-pup (Amanda's new Yorkie!). Here's a few picks of precious little "Venti" (as I called her....see the first pic and you'll know why!!)

Say What? She's 21!!!

Yep......one of my baby girls is 21!! Amanda (a.k.a. the whirlwind) arrived from Texas yesterday and we had the pleasure of celebrating with her tonight!! Love you "Nananda"!!!

Amanda's favorite gift (from Jordy) a New Kids on The Block CD!

She has a way of cracking us up!!

Manda and Bubs!


Yes, Jord is offically taller than Amanda (and Beck!)

Yikes! I am the mother of a 21 y.o.

Pop, Nan and "Scoo-boo". Nan and Pop ROCK!

Hail, Hail the gangs all here!