What God Has NOT Given Us Y'all!!!!

Hey Y'all! In case I have not told you in the last few months, let me just say thanks for stopping in on occasion to read this blog! Because I have a counter, I know there are lots and lots of folks who read, even if they do not always make a comment. I realize that I honestly do not have time to do a blog, but feel strongly led by the Lord to do so, and I just love pondering from week to week as to what He wants me to gab about! Sometimes He just lays a topic heavily on my heart, sometimes the ideas are spurred from a conversation with a friend, and sometimes they simply reflect where I am in my daily life. Whatever the catalyst, I earnestly pray that He will use my bantering to touch, bless, or encourage the reader. Even if it is just one.

I had to miss our regular church services yesterday because I have some sort of cold/virus. Nothing horrible, but I did have a fever, and did not want to share whatever it is with the church family I love so much! I really hated missing yesterday! We had the closing Solemn Assembly service. (See last post) I worked very hard to get the set just right last week. Couldn't wait to see folks nailing their burdens to the huge 13 ft. cross I lugged center stage!! What a cool idea......physically, although symbolically, laying all our cares, worries, longings, and fears at the foot of the cross. Realizing that God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die on a cross, so that we might live! Jesus said," I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". - John 10:10

As I continued to fast sugar, pray, and think about what God was calling me to lay at his feet or commit to change this Sunday.....I pondered several things. Some small, some not so small. Some burdens that I have carried for years, and some fears acquired by simply listening to the news and other sources that emphasize how fragile they believe we have currently become as a nation. The latter being really heavy stuff that I have lived enough life to realize that I have absolutely zero control over!

It is not that I am not concerned, or that I plan to just sit back and forfeit my right as an American citizen to make my voice heard. Not at all. I love being heard!! Nope, my lack of panic is more about that big ole cross I lugged center stage this week. (Well, technically not THAT cross, but THE cross....y'all know what I mean!) Go back and read John 10:10 again. He came that we might have life more abundantly! Does that mean that we will not have turmoil, sorrow, concerns? Definitely not!! That big ole cross just means that He loves us so much that NO MATTER what comes our way, He will handle it. Period.

Precious ones, don't let the fear of the unknown blind you from the blessings of the One we know as our Savior and Lord Jesus! He can handle it ALL.....I promise! How can we be a witness of the hope and love and trust that we have in our Lord if we cannot live it in our lives everyday? This is one of Satan's greatest tools y'all!!

One of the most incredible promises of the word that I cling to daily is this: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7

In preparation for yesterday's service, all of last week, I "Just said no to Sugar" and searched and prayed. As a result, I was convicted that one of the things I would have physically nailed to that cross yesterday, (instead, I relinquished in my heart) was to "Just say no to Fear"....."God hath NOT given us the spirit of fear".....

And if He did not see fit to give to me, I surely must not need it!!!

Fearless Blessings, Y'all!

~Scarlett

Just Saying No to Sugar! Yikes!

Nope, I know what you are thinking...but this is not just another New Year's resolution post. Although it probably should be! Like a gazillion other folks who started the New Year with their britches too tight, I did vow to start eating better and exercising more in 2009. Actually, I was anxious for Monday, January 5th, 2009 to get here. I was ready to start! I have about 40 pounds that I accrued in 2008 that need to become obsolete in 2009! So, anxious I was to start the ball rolling! After all, with my weight history....it would not be the first time....and most likely not the last!

However, on Sunday January 4th, we had week one (of two) of our Solemn Assembly services at our church. I was not familiar with the concept, but found it to be pretty cool....and also a good way to start the New Year! For me, it encouraged me to audit, digest, and prioritize not only my spiritual condition, but also my mental, social, and physical condition. As part of the service, we were asked (if medically able) to fast......maybe a meal a day....maybe a certain food....maybe a certain habit or hobby. By fasting, we would be giving up something that we wanted or desired or had become accustomed to.....in order to substitute prayer or contemplation in it's place at that time. Hopefully the fast would help us search, appreciate, and feel differently about the blessings God bestows, and to refocus on the path He has planned for us. So I decided to fast sugar.

At first, I kind of thought I might be cheating a bit.....because honestly, I was itching to start my new healthier lifestyle the next day anyway! But as I thought about it and prayed about it.....I really felt like it was my best choice. Day one was a piece of cake (or should I say a piece of sugar free cake!)....I had zero added sugar. I was very careful to read labels for any kind of sugar content. Today was not that bad either....EXCEPT...when the check was delivered to our lunch table at Olive Garden (I had soup and salad)...the waitress left us those yummy little chocolate mints...NOT sugar free! I really wanted one of those little buggers.

But, I left them on the table. However, the thought of them lingered in my mind and my heart for the rest of the day. Whodda thunk a itty bitty little ole Andes mint could hold so much power over a gregarious, strong as an ox, self determined follower of Christ!!! But it did!

Hello??? Even if I get nothing else out of the Solemn Assembly services, I learned this little diddy today: Anything that has power over me....hobby, habit, or sin...no matter how good or how purposeful, how big or how small....If it draws constant focus to "IT" instead of Christ and the plans He has in store for me, then my priorities are WRONG.

Now don't you go thinking that I think one little Andes mint will keep someone from passing through the pearly gates,...of course not! God created that little mint. He is the creator of all things. Great food, awesome music, jobs, exercise regimes and even sugar :) It is only when those things find a spot higher on our priority list than loving and pleasing God that they become a problem.

I have 5 more days that I have vowed to "Just Saying NO to Sugar".....and although that is a very good dietary thing for me to do that I will likely continue....I have found it to be an even better spiritual inventory tool for me to gage where I am right now in my walk. Let me be perfectly honest here....if I had prayed just one minute for every cookie, candy or dessert I ate....just over this past holiday....I know my walk would be stronger! Just telling it like it is folks!

For those of you who read this that are also fasting this week....How is it going? What are you fasting? Better yet...what is God teaching you as you fast?

In the mean time, Just say no y'all!
~Scarlett

New Cashmere Socks and Grace

The unspoken rule of Christmas gift giving in the Knight household has always been that everyone in the house has to get new socks and/or underwear for Christmas. I know, not very fancy, but incredibly useful! They are things we need everyday, but seldom does anyone opt to go out and purchase socks and underwear for themselves....unless it is an emergency...or sometimes if we are packing for vacation, I will use that summer opportunity to augment the sock/undie supply to tide us over until Christmas!

Maybe I brought the tradition over from my extended family. We always knew there were socks and underwear wrapped up under the tree. My Mom made her annual Christmas run to Tomlinson's Wholesale every December.....the best place, according to her, to get the best socks for the best price. All the guys got black and blue and brown dress socks. The girls got either panties, slips or half-slips from the Tomlinson's lingerie department. It was a given. It was expected. And not a single Christmas, while she was still living, did she fail to come through!

This year, I got the most comfy, colorful cashmere socks....and they were pink! So by simply opening the gift and getting a glimpse of the regal, rosy shade, I knew the contents of that package definitely started out on the right foot. (Pardon the sock pun!) I put them on with my new PJ's, and stayed in them most of the day. Such warmth, and comfort. I felt, beautiful, snug, secure and at ease in my nifty new socks. Made me wonder why I only got new ones once a year!

Later in the afternoon, tucked in my recliner, having my quiet time....Yep, I thanked God, among other things, for the new socks. My thought process being that if He supplies the little things, then I should give thanks for them too! It also made me think about the amazing love He has for us, the incredible forgiveness He offers us, and how....like the Knight family sock/underwear tradition....that some folks only experience relationship with Him at Christmas....or in case of emergency :)

God's wonderful gift of grace is accessible every minute of everyday....yet many folks, for whatever reason, opt not to wrap themselves in it often. Talk about feeling at peace, secure and warm! Even my new, fancy pink socks pale in comparison to the gift of His grace.

So again, this year at Christmas, I got new socks. And again, this morning, I got another chance to wrap up in His amazing grace! I'm covered from head to toe....and I like it that way!

Hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas! But more importantly, I hope that you accept what you are offered daily from the child who was born on that day.

Cashmere and Jesus Y'all!
~Scarlett

Oh, Christmas Tree...OH CHRISTMAS TREE !!!!

Yuletide Greetings Y'all! I know I kinda, sorta said I was taking a blogging vacation until after the hustle and bustle....and mainly our huge Christmas Production was over.....BUT.....I forgot about the following article I was asked to write for SHE! Magazine....so here ya go!



Oh, Christmas Tree.....OH! CHRISTMAS TREE !

When we were building our home in 2001, Mark and I disagreed on only one thing…..the ceiling height of our “great room”. The house plans called for an open foyer and an open great room in the center of the house. A suspended catwalk would be the only thing dividing the two massive areas. Mark thought it was a huge waste of space to have the great room open….that would mean a 24x20 foot room, with ceilings 22 feet high…..hard to cool, hard to heat, especially since the whole back wall is pretty much nothing but glass. (And deep in his heart, he really wanted to floor in the top half to make a game room, so he could have a pool table.) But I really loved the idea of the vastness and openness of it all. Long story short…I won. Well, actually we compromised. I kept the open room, and I agreed that he could put a pool table in the small den off the kitchen.

We moved in the week of Thanksgiving, and I began decorating for Christmas immediately. Now let me just emphasize that I LOVE Christmas….I am talking REALLY LOVE it….decorating for Christmas is a passion I have. We’re talking 4 full size trees, 2 life size Santas, 50 sleighs, and gobs of other decorations! I would rather decorate for Christmas than open gifts…..for real y’all….I just love it! It takes me an entire week to “Deck My Halls”!

Just one problem…..when you have a large room with 22 foot ceilings, a normal size tree looks pitiful. So for the next several years, the trees kept getting larger and taller. As of Christmas 2004 every tree choice still looked rather dwarfed.
In October of 2005 I got a flyer in the mail from a Christmas tree farm in NC, and they were taking orders for trees to be delivered the day after Thanksgiving. They said they could get ANY size tree. REEEALLLLLY?? The paper only had prices listed for up to 12-14 foot trees, but had a number to call for “Special Order” trees. So I called. I explained my situation to the kind gentleman, and he said that he could definitely get me a taller tree, possibly up to 18 feet tall! My jolly, yuletide obsessed heart skipped a beat! Finally, I would have a tree for my great room that would complement its size!

There was no shopping for me the day after Thanksgiving that year. No way. I stood guard at the front door….waiting anxiously like a 4 year old on Christmas Eve….with so much anticipation of grandeur in my heart that I could hardly stand it!! At 4:00pm, my door bell rang. It was finally here! I ran outside in my sock clad feet, no time to put on shoes….I wanted to see it. It was hanging slightly off the end of an extremely long utility trailer.... She was a beauty! It took 4 men to back her into my front door. It took about an hour to get her up in the special stand….but WOW! There she stood, and although her branches were still tied up in netting, I could tell she was a BIG tree. We had to anchor her to the open cat walk for stability….she was SOOOO tall.

Now to put things in perspective, the pool table that was originally in the den off the kitchen, over the four year period, migrated to the “great room”, which at this point was called the “pool room”. (That’s right. Being the upstanding, respectable Baptists that we are, when you open our front door….there it sits….a pool table. I guess Mark really won that battle after all!) So, there was small sitting area on the fireplace side, a pool table in the center, leaving practically half of the room for the tree.

When the netting was released, the branches quickly fell……and they were touching the pool table. So we trimmed it back some. Being the self proclaimed “Christmas tree Officiatto” that I am, I knew the branches needed to be left, at least over night, to relax before any decorating could commence. I hardly slept. Bright and early Saturday, I awoke to the ever sweet aroma that only comes from a live tree. I quickly got dressed and rushed to the great room, and was greeted by quite a site! The tree had definitely “relaxed”. We had branches, across the pool table, past the center of the room! I am talking HUGE! Mark and the kids and I laughed hysterically for hours! I ended up calling my friend Bert Floyd to come help me decorate…..he brought his team….he even had to call for back up with taller ladders! He said he had NEVER seen a tree that large, and I believe him.

It was an exciting holiday with folks visiting most everyday to see “the tree”. The guy we purchased it from, stopped back by to see it decorated, and while he was there, he told us she was the “sister tree” to the tree that was put into the White House that year! We took lots of photos; other folks took photos….no one was able to get the entire tree in one photo shot! We finally figured out how to put two photos together to show the whole tree….but the photo really did not do her justice. She was as beautiful as she was big.

It took five of us and a chain saw to take her down. It was kind of sad really. She had acquired a personality all her own, and for that Christmas season was definitely a member of our family. We have not been able to find another tree quite so magnificent, but her memory will be forever etched in our minds and in our hearts.

Oh, Christmas tree…..Oh, Christmas tree…..your branches are so loverly…..

Happy Ho, Ho, Hoing Y'all!
~Scarlett

Christmas Vacation

The past few days have me scratchin' my noggin'
How to get it all done, and still keep on bloggin'
Been trimming five trees and decking the halls
Got Christmasy things all over my walls

Been building the sets for the upcoming show
Gathering the costumes, with props still in tow
Trusting the lights and the sound to the pros
Just hoping they're able to get me some snow

Been trying to take time to make me list
Keep fearing there's something important I've missed
Cause one day of shopping is not near enough
To gather the presents and wrap all the stuff

What was I was thinking, must of had a brain-farty
When I offered to host the work Christmas party
There a wedding and a birthday amidst all the fuss
As if all of the other was not quite enough

Just glad we're all well, and able to bustle
Cause to get it all done, we will all have to hustle
So don't think I've kicked it if posts don't appear
I promise to catch up the first of the year

Happy Holiday's Y'all!
~Scarlett

Thankful and Blessed Y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been so blessed by reading the thanksgivings and praises that are constantly flowing throughout the blogosphere this week. So much so, that I became convicted that I should also publicly spew forth my gratitude for the multitude of blessings that God has so richly bestowed. Some large and some small, some common and some very specific to my crazy world......but all things that I pretty much take for granted due to this worldly, me focused, sin soaked flesh I live within.....so I will start with that:

1) I am thankful for this so not perfect, over indulged, under exercised body I live in....And while she "don't work quite as efficiently" as she used to...I am happy to say, I am healthy. No hypertension, no diabetes, no cancer, no auto immune issues (all which are known to be in my familial history). So what if I do not look like a supermodel, and my knees creak a little, and I have a few seasonal allergies...I still clean up pretty good, and my husband thinks I'm sexy. So thankful, so thankful.

2) My Husband is healthy, employed, churched, and is crazy about me. What more could a gal hope for...(See last post). So thankful, so thankful!

3) My kids are healthy, happy, doing great in school, and are growing emotionally and spiritually. So thankful, so thankful!

4) My home is full of love, food, and laughter. Sure, there are things I would like to do to change it or spruce it up, but that's all icing on the cake...and in our current economy....I am happy to wait for anymore icing for a while! So thankful, so thankful!

5) My church family is healthy and loving and all about bringing folks into the kingdom of God. They are innovative and active and excited about serving the Lord! So thankful, so thankful!

6) My relationships with extended family and friends have been highly enriched by using Facebook...it has been so much easier to stay in touch and keep up with everyone...so yay for social stalking! So thankful, so thankful

7) My canine children. That's right, I just said I am thankful for my dogs :) They are the best anti depressant I have ever found! They love me unconditionally, they do amazing, funny things, and they are all house broken. (I said some of these were small and specific to my crazy life!) So thankful, so thankful!

8) The Blogosphere. Amy Grant's song is right..."We are all the same it seems, behind the eyes"...Blogging has been the "eyes" I have used to look in to the hearts and lives of so many dear friends...old and new....and by starting my own blog, I have become wide-eyed for all to see into my life and heart. Alot of camaraderie and healing has been bestowed upon me due to this innovative way of communicating! So thankful, so thankful!

9)Girlfriends....I am so thankful for these gals that God lets me walk daily with. I am talking about gals who I go to lunch with, shop with, cry with, worship with, giggle with, and pray for everyday. I would give them the shirt off my back and they would give me theirs. (Except most are WAYYY skinner than me, so if I needed a shirt, I would possibly need to ask two of them! LOL!) Some are dear friends who I have had for years, some are new in my life....all are quite special and a blessing to me. So thankful, so thankful.

10) Little things: Sugar free Redbull, South Beach Peanut Butter Bars, movie theatre popcorn, massages, Heavenly perfume, warm socks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, great smelling shower scrub, sharpies, zip lock bags, puppy kisses, husband kisses, daily I love yous from my kids, a big closet, my kitchen aid mixer, Beth Moore bible studies, our backyard, a good microphone, and spanx undergarments.

10) Grace. Yep...that is the biggie, and while the blessings listed above are in no specific order, I did save the most important one for last....the AMAZING, SELFLESS, SIN COVERING, NEW EVERY MORNING, SOUL CLEANSING GRACE of our Lord and Savior Jesus. I need it constantly. Without it, I would be destined to a life of misery here on earth, and doomed to an eternity in hell! God's Grace....I am so unworthy...yet...SO thankful, SO thankful!

I am also thankful for each one of you who stop by this blog....and especially thankful for those of you who leave me comments from time to time!

So thankful Y'all! So thankful indeed!
~Scarlett

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Turkey :)

Hey Y'all! The official holiday bustle has begun! Christmas is one month from today, Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow, and today is my wonderful husband's birthday! Yep, my Knight in shining armor....better known as Mark....catches up with me today. That's right...I am 5 months older (to the day) than Mark. We were born in the same year, at the same hospital, went to the same schools, and graduated together...but he still has a good time poking fun at me about robbing the cradle! We have been best friends since we started singing together when we were 12 years old...we married at 19....and last May celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary! And we still cannot get enough of each other!

Because he has a November 25th birth date....from time to time it actually falls on Thanksgiving. And while Thanksgiving is a national holiday, and was not set aside in honor of giving thanks for Mark Knight.....I must say, having him in my life, is one of the things I am most thankful for every year. He is an incredible man. He loves me unconditionally, and only loves God more than me....and I think that is WAY sexy!! He is my partner in life. He is the spiritual leader of our family. He is my friend, confidant, and playmate. He is a loving, giving, guiding father to our kids. He is a hard working small business owner. He is a praise team singing, pool cleaning, doggie taker outer hunk of burnin' love :) Need I say more?

And while it should be, by now, clearly obvious to anyone reading this, that I am hopelessly still head over heels in love with him...just to further clarify....I am.

I thank God for him daily. So many of the blessings on my list (come back on Thanksgiving to check them out)....are because of my favorite Birthday boy. He spoils me so!

So here's a shout to my honey! (Hope you are ready for our Birthday/Thanksgiving feast tonight! The turkey sure smells good steaming in the oven right now. Gonna fill up the jacuzzi with bubbles and light the bathroom with candles.....) I will let Mark decide what we should do next....after all...it is his birthday!

Happy 46th Birthday my love!

Later Y'all....got some birthday details to attend to....
~Scarlett