Life

I have a new article posted on WMU's myMISSIONfulfilled called A Valued Inheritance regarding "life." Vicky Payne had me in tears, and the video, The Silent Scream, was horrifying, disturbing, and heart-breaking ... yet, an eye-opener. I found it on-line and forced myself to watch it completely. I pray you are blessed by this article.

Love, Shelli

Texas Bluebonnets

Every year it's such a challenge to get "Bluebonnet pictures"! They are so beautiful, but it is always rainy this time of year which makes the ground so soft and muddy! The only place you usually see them is on the highway/interstate, unless you make an intentional country drive for pictures!

 

It's driving on the highway that reminds me ... I need to get pictures!

 

This last week as we were driving home from our Saturday ritual of Rudy's breakfast burritos and donuts, we found a place easy to pull off on the highway for pictures.

 

You have to be careful where you stop ... you don't want to cause on-lookers to have an accident!

 

The ground was so soft from the rain, there was some complaining over that and over the precious flowers we squished to get pictures, and we came home with some mud on our shoes, but I got pictures!

 

It's very windy, and I can't help but laugh when I see my youngest daughter's hair blowing up against the back of her head ... but, I got pictures!

 

See ... with Bluebonnets ... you only have about two weeks to accomplish this amazing feat!

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." - Isaiah 40:8

Inconceivable Love

Sweet friends, I have a new article out by a Chinese Christian publication called the Challenger!  This article touched my heart more than most ... though they all touch my heart. This one had me crying all the way. So ... caution! It is regarding little girls in Africa and Islam ... and broke my heart so much because I have two small girls. I cannot imagine what these babies are going through. No one should have to.

Be blessed. Grab your tissue.
Shelli

Go here to read this, year 2010, issue 3 (July-Sept).

A Surrendering Heart

I have a new article out on WMU's myMISSIONfulfilled.com. This young man's name had to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. It was a blessing to speak with him ... I know you'll be blessed, too.

Love, Shelli

February is for Snow and Valentine's Day!

We received over 6-8 inches of snow in Fort Worth, Texas, this February! Hard to believe. Looking at my recipe for snow ice cream ... the last time we had this much snow was when we lived in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 2001! The girls really enjoyed it.

and so did their kittie cats, Aslan & Lucy ...

I shoveled all the snow from our driveway and have a definite back pain from it!

Have to throw in a few pictures from our December/ Christmas snow!

"Crystal" is her name, and she even made me look small! A few days later ...

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Started off with our sweet 4th grade Sunday school class at Travis Avenue Baptist Church. Then we were off to the Rain Forest Cafe in Grapevine!

Karalee & Katelyn

It was a wonderful day, until about 9pm. Karalee started having a stomach ache and here comes the old bad stomach virus. NOT a very nice Valentine's Day present. But two days later, she is a new little girl! Now, hoping Katelyn doesn't get sick, too.

Manila Flood

I have a new article out at Woman's Missionary Union's myMISSIONfulfilled.com. I interviewed a precious missionary in the Philippines who lived through the awful flood. I am so glad the Lord allowed our paths to cross, and I appreciate her for sharing her story.

Be blessed.

Shelli Littleton is New to the Blogger World

And how! I deleted my initial post ... I knew that would happen. For those Siestas who commented, please forgive me. I am awfully horrible at technology. But learning. I told you I need blogger prayers!

Just to re-cap what I wrote earlier, but condensed ... thank you, Beth Moore, for inviting me and so many others to a "Jesus Year" and for the invitation to Houston. It was great to be at a small, church type setting with you. 2009 was such a blessed year, hiding God's Word continually in my heart. Thank you for that precious hug.

Here I am with Amanda. I told her I felt like I was at Disney World! I felt like I was waiting to take my picture with Cinderella! She is a cutie pie and so sweet ... right up there with Cinderella!

Here I am with Melissa. She was so sweet to do an interview with me earlier in the year on her India mission trip. She, like Amanda, is beautiful inside and out. The humidity is starting to take effect on my hair!

Here is my new friend, Donna. We sat together at the event and said our verses to each other. It was a blessed time together, and I couldn't wait to come home and add her to my facebook friends.

It was great to see Beth Moore earlier in the year at Life Today, as well. She was so sweet to my girls which made me get all teary-eyed. And she didn't know it, but she was loving on a precious 9 year old cancer survivor ... our Katelyn.

My oldest, Karalee, says she is a "good talker" just like Beth! Beth is a huge role model for her. Thank you, Beth, for being so loving and approachable. I love your humor ... how you can make me laugh so hard and have me crying the next minute. You are my favorite Bible teacher.

Before we went to the Life Today taping, my husband and I were sitting at home and watching Beth teach on Life Today. A woman began to cry, and Brian looked at me and said, "You aren't going to cry, are you?" I said, "No." How silly. Why would I cry? Well, as we were in the audience ... the minute Beth walks out, tears well-up in my eyes. I almost laughed out loud thinking about the question my husband had asked me earlier. It's about love. It's just that Beth has been such a sweet teacher and God has used her so sweetly in my life ... but she's always on the screen ... never face to face. It made me think of Jesus. Don't you just know tears are going to well-up in our eyes when we see our sweet Savior face to face. He's been our teacher ... for He, Himself, has taught us.

Just before this Houston event, the girls were part of a Lifeway VBS taping at our church in Fort Worth. The new material is already out in the stores ... Saddle Ridge Ranch. The girls performed all the songs and will be on a tape other churches can purchase to help them learn the songs. The whole Lifeway team came and the precious man, Jeff Slaughter, who wrote the songs was there. Our Katelyn wanted a picture with him in the worst way. She normally could careless about taking pictures with anyone, but he was on the CD helping them learn the songs all those months. He's so precious. I love to see people who have become well-known in their Christian service be so approachable and loving. He didn't meet a stranger. If you walked by him, you were going to get hugged. He welcomed the love from fellow Christians. Beautiful. He sang a song, I Just Want To Be Like Jesus ... and he couldn't talk about it without crying.

The Lord has been so good allowing me to write for Woman's Missionary Union and my church newsletter. The mission stories have been such an eye opener for me. Our world is hurting so. Jesus is the answer to our every need.


Father, thank you that you choose to use this homemaker and mother, who feels so unqualified most of the time ... but like my dear friend once said ... "God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the ones He calls." Keep us humble, God ... our eyes fixed on you ... and may the most important thing in our hearts be making your name well-known. "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." Isaiah 26:8 ... one of my blessed scriptures this "Jesus Year."