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Good Morning Ladies! I pray your day is off to a lovely start and you have had opportunity to make some "Best Yes" decisions. ASSESSMENT TOOL Here's a tool to see how you make those decisions and the way we process information. And, since we all want to know more about ourselves, Jeff Shinabarger has a free, fun tool for all of us to try out today! It’s called the What Type of Decision Maker Are You Assessment. Click here to go to his website and take the assessment (scroll down on the page to take it — it takes less than 5 minutes)   Jeff Shinabarger. He is the author of this amazing book called Yes or No How Your Everyday Decisions Will Forever Shape Your Life . Jeff’s work has been featured by CNN, USA Weekend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Huffington Post, Christianity Today, Coca-Cola, Relevant Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times . He is the co-founder of Q, a collaboration company, and creatively led Catalyst for eight years.    ...

  You guys, we have had the most amazing seven weeks together. We’ve loved each other. We’ve challenged each other. We’ve prayed for each other. And more than anything … together, we have grown closer to God. The Best Yes hasn’t “just” been a book study for us. It’s been a real, gut-wrenching, soul-searching challenge to live our lives in a way that honors God in everything we do. Especially with our decisions. I will never be the same. The Best Yes verbiage speaks throughout our homes. We say things like, “Is that your best yes?” “Can you say a small no?” and “I don’t want an overwhelmed schedule anymore.”   So ladies, its time to go and live our Best Yes lives! We have the tools, the wisdom, the encouragement and the power of Jesus in us to do so. I love you ladies and every day I wake up and can’t believe we get to do this thing together. This community truly is one of my Best Yes decisions.  This Week's Top Ten Proverbs   o...

In Chapter 16 of The Best Yes , Lysa TerKeurst talks about things that keep us from saying our Best Yes. And in stressful situations sometimes we don't say our Best Yes because we panic. We don't understand what's happening, therefore, we don't trust God. And so, we allow the fear of our failures to consume us. Trusting God doesn't mean we won't ever question Him, because surely we will. And guys, sometimes in my process of learning to trust God through it all, I have a lot of "buts." But God, what about this … But God, what about that … But God, but God, but God … Lysa shares this in Chapter 16 about all our "buts"… Every time I say I am a child of God, I have to remove the but and instead use the word therefore to usher God's promise into my reality. We must cut the but! CUT THE BUT. Lysa goes on to share in this section of the book how she has turned all her "buts" into God promises. Promises build trust. A...

  Build a Best Yes Legacy   Ahh! I can't believe we are here — the last week of The Best Yes.     These weeks together have just flown by! I feel like if you've made it these last six weeks of this study, you are a woman who longs for consistency with God. You make commitments. You follow through with them. Your journey through this study is a reflection of that. But no one does this perfectly. Including me. And one of my Best Yes decisions through this study is to be a woman who consistently experiences the power of God in my life. "We want big directional signs from God. God just wants us to pay attention." -Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes  When my time with God is inconsistent, I make choices that don't make me the best me. "Every day we make our choices. Then our choices make us." -Lysa TerKeurst, The Best Yes  So this week, I want to be a woman who finishes strong. I want consistent God-encounters during my day. And I want to l...

  This morning I read Proverbs 24 as part of my morning devotion and I'd encourage you to read it. I just love verse 3 and it reads - Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established (on a sound and good foundation)... I love it! Our foundation is Jesus Christ and we can stand on God's Words! While out touring in suburbs of Virginia recently, when we passed this old house, at least a hundred years old or older, and it fits perfectly with this verse.   Proverbs 24:1-4 24 Don't envy evil people     or desire their company. 2  For their hearts plot violence,     and their words always stir up trouble. 3  A house is built by wisdom     and becomes strong through good sense. 4  Through knowledge its rooms are filled     with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. Be blessed and thanks for stop...

In Psalm 119:29-32, the psalmist asks God to, “Keep me from lying to myself” (NLT) and affirms his determination to be faithful. Use this psalm as a reference for writing your own prayer. Acknowledge any concerns you have about the no answers you need to give. Ask God to broaden your understanding of the situations you face and to give you courage to say no simply, graciously, and honestly. If you want to say yes to your Best Yes life, you’ll need to say no to some things that don’t fit the season you are in or don’t fit the convictions of your heart. And you can make some of those decisions much easier when you predetermine your Best Yes event or activity. It’s an intentional decision to underwhelm your schedule so you can overwhelm your soul.   When a request comes your way that conflicts with your Best Yes, you can quickly and kindly turn it down.       The Best Yes SG, pages 122-123

"Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you do wrong." (Matthew 5:37 MSG) As you arrange your mind, your heart, and your schedule to accommodate your predetermined Best Yes, you’ll experience the satisfaction of enjoying the view instead of fearing the edge. As you go about your days this week – Assignment 1:   Predetermine your Best Yes activity and set your schedule accordingly. Quickly and kindly turn down anything that could send you over the edge. Assignment 2: Exercise the power of the small no. A small no pushes through the resistance of awkwardness and disappointment because it’s better to nip something early on. Early on, expectations and disappointments can be managed better with a small no. but the more we let things develop and progress, the harder the no becomes.   (The Best Yes, pages 126-127) Too often, we live with an overwhelmed schedule and an underwhelmed soul because we’re constantly dancing...