New Changes Coming Soon

Hello, everyone. I wanted to drop a note to let you all know that there are some changes coming to the BBSG! I'm very excited about the changes and will provide more details as they become available. Please be patient with us during this transition. I believe we will all be happy and excited about the new BBSG!

Thank you all for your interest in the BBSG and growing your relationship with God. With love - Tami

Trying again-

Proverbs 11:14 (New King James Version)

14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.


As I've been trying to post before :) I was saying that there is absolute wisdom in this verse. I've seen it go both ways where we don't get enough if any counsel and the opposite where we go to human counsel before we pray. That's what I stuggle with, not taking it to God first and waiting on Him. It's much easier, well shorter, to get sound counsel from friends or mentors in my life and it sounds biblical & wise but I end up feeling like I've taken the short cut or end up second guessing their counsel.

Well, that's all I got for now. I just wanted to post something rather than nothing.

It taken me many months of technical difficulty & misunderstandings & frusterations to be able to finally post today.

Thank you all for your patience with my lack of participation. I enjoy reading your thoughts & insights, it has truly been a source of blessing in my life.

2006-10-15: Proverbs 11:14 - Leaders and the Church

Proverbs 11 (New King James Version)

14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Comments/Thoughts/Questions:

I like this verse because it reminds me that we all need help and, if we're in the right group (believers), then we always have someone to turn to for guidance and to hold us accountable for our words/actions. In our church we have our friends, our family (for some of us anyway), our small group leaders, our ministry leaders, our pastor, our pastors in training, . . . whatever the problem or question - there is someone here to help us find the answer. I believe that is part of what a church is for. Helping those who don't understand or are going through a difficult time. But we're also here to help keep things in perspective during the good times.

It's so easy to forget we're here to help others when things in our own life are going so well. This is the time we don't often seek the advice of others - probably because we don't think we need it at the time. Eventually we're reminded we always need someone around to hold us accountable to what we're all here for - to help our brothers/sisters in Christ and to increase God's kingdom by helping people come to know Christ. We all need accountability - for ourselves and for others.

I hope everyone has a good and productive week. With love - Tami

Like Maren, I still stop by and read all the posts, I swear!

So I am relooking at these verses...

A wise son heeds his father's instruction,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

verse one kind of resonates with me recently as I've been craving to "bossed around." Ha - basically I have been desiring to have a leader sort of tell me what to do. Who could ever really crave rebuke?, but with it and with instruction (from leaders that God provides us) comes growth and blessings (Mark shared on this at Axis a few weeks ago).

From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.

He who guards his lips guards his life,
but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

I had a conversation this weekend about the topic of what comes out of our mouths. This morning I was trying to think of some verses about it, so it was a blessing to open this blog and find them. We can be really rash with how we speak, in our exaggerations, in unthought through words, etc. I think this is something I might be working on in my life for a long time yet, but I hope to reach the goal of being thoughtful and fruitful with my lips. Who doesn't want to guard their life and enjoy good things??

A common problem on that note that I deal with a lot is getting really gung ho about something late and night and acting on it in my tiredness (ever seen Jerry Maguire? He does this too). In the mornings I will often regret speaking so rashly (usually via a late night email)...so I have made a general principle for myself to make a note of things that occur to me at night and if I still think they're true in the morning I'll email or say those things at that point. It's really helped!

Does anyone else have any practical ideas as to how we can keep our lips guarded and fruitful??

Break time

Hey ladies,

I just wanted to let you know I might need to take a short hiatus from BBSG. This month will be total insanity for me. So, I'll try to blog as much as possible, but I wanted to let you know I might be in and out until the beginning of November. I have every intention of picking it back up as full-force as possible then. Forgive me!

Your sist-ah,
Anna Leisa

2006-09-30: Proverbs 13:1-3

Proverbs 13 (New International Version)

1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction,
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

2 From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things,
but the unfaithful have a craving for violence.

3 He who guards his lips guards his life,
but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

Thoughts/Comments/Questions:

Proverbs is an interesting book. It describes life on one side of the coin, then describes life on the other side of the same coin. In this way we know what we're in for when we pick a side. You can choose to live a life following God's word and be considered a wise person. Or we can choose to do as we please and disregard the teachings of our parents. Which can lead to some very bad choices.

Speak well of others and tell of God's gift and we'll receive many blessings. Or choose to - again - do whatever we want and a life of trouble will follow. If we do not stop and think about what we are about to say, people can misinterpret what we say or the tone we use. Arguments have been started by less than a misunderstood word or tone.

What do you girls find interesting about the book of Proverbs? Do you find these few verses interesting and/or insightful?

Have a great week. I'll see you later. With love - Tami

2006-16-2006: Ecclesiastes 1:4-5 - We Are Visitors

Ecclesiastes 1 (New International Version)

4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.

Thoughts/Comments/Questions:

These two verses remind me of a line from my favorite TV show, "Gilmore Girls". The episode from season 4 when Lorelai and Sookie finally get the inn they've been wanting. It's an old inn that's falling apart, in desperate need of TLC. Lorelai says as she looks around she realizes the inn is not a part of their lives, but instead they are a part of the inn's life. It's interesting how certain moments in our lives remind us of this.

Suddenly we're nostalgic and - for a moment or two - we're not taking things for granted. We're really seeing everything and everyone for what/who they really are. And appreciating them for that. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we lived every moment like this? If we truly appreciated everything we have, everything around us, and everyone in our lives - how different it would be? It's amazing when I think about it. I don't want to take anything for granted, yet I know I do every day. It's so difficult to not get caught up in the day-to-day stuff. It's so easy to get in such a hurry we don't make time to slow down and enjoy the short time we have here.

What do you do to get yourself to slow down so you can really see what's around you? How often do you stop and truly appreciate a friend or loved one? Are there times you look back on now and think, "Wow. If I could do that again, I'd make sure I was living "in the moment" this time."? I know there are "a few" of those times in my life. I pray I will be able to live "in the moment" each day.

It was great to see you girls at The Rock last night! Thank you for helping those around you. Have a wonderful week. With love - Tami