Call us Butter 'cause we're on a Roll

My Hubs made coffee & cinnamon rolls while I was getting ready before work the other day :) They didn't look very pretty haha but they tasted amazing! Even though they were so simple to make it made me smile that he took the time to do it. [yes, I'm aware that my coffee looks like chocolate milk haha, thats how I like it]

He has a growing passion for cooking...He is always wanting to bake or grill something & I just absolutely LOVE it! I'm not that great of a cook {at all} but I'm trying to be better. Derek on the other hand [in my opinion anyway], is phenomenal at it! He loves trying new recipes & grilling different things w/ different spices & marinades. He grilled chicken the other day & it was better than any that I've EVER had! I don't even know what he put on it & he probably doesn't remember haha. Anyway, I just wanted to brag on the hubs a little because I don't think I do that enough :) His cooking skills may not be fantastic to anyone else but I think he could be a chef someday!

Friday night we went to see Tron with our friends David & Robin & it was so good! We had them over for coffee after the movie & dinner at IHOP, it was nice just getting comfy on our couch while watching The Office with them haha. We're so grateful to have them in our lives, God has blessed us with so many amazing friends & I don't feel like I show my love for them enough. So thank you, all of you amazing people that have been a part of our life here. Thank you for praying for us & for spending time with us & for having us over & having coffee dates with us...Thank you :)

I'm excited to get to see hubs today after work! He's been in Dallas all weekend with his Dad for the Cowboys game & I've missed him tremendously! I've enjoyed my alone time but we haven't spent much time apart since June so it was not fun going to bed without my snuggle partner ;) haha

Entertaining Angels

My little sister, Nikki, came over Friday night after she & some friends had finished up their Christmas shopping. As we sat in our living room chatting, she began to share a story with us...{let me just add that when us McManus girls get together there is ALWAYS a story to be told & it usually has many different voices ;) } As we sat there listening to her tell us about the encounter she had with a stranger earlier that day I couldn't help but feel proud of her & convicted at the same time. This wasn't one of those laugh-so-hard-you-almost-pee-your-pants type of stories that one usually gets from her...it was definitely one that tugged on your heart. I called her today to confirm that I had her permission to share this & she requested that I keep the lady's name private.


This was the story she shared..."I was heading to get gas after work today & when I pulled in there were like tons of cars in line so I went down the street to the other station that I rarely go to...I was out there pumping gas when a lady came up to me asking if I could take her to a town that I had never heard of & I said that I didn't know where that was but that I could take her somewhere here in Walnut Ridge. She accepted my offer & asked me to take her to Walmart & if I would let her use my cell phone, I said yes. She loaded my car up with all of her bags she was carrying & she began calling around trying to get people to come pick her up. The whole way to Walmart I just kept praying that God would give me the words to say. As the lady was quietly talking I couldn't help but overhear that she had just been to court & "they" were coming to get her kids & she asked the person on the line if "he" had thrown all of her stuff out into the street yet. My heart was breaking & my mind was wandering, thinking about her loosing her kids & her boyfriend/husband kicking her out...I could tell by her conversationg that the person on the line didn't want to come get her & they were passing the phone to others around them. Finally she got someone that agreed to pick her up as long as she would buy their gas, she expressed to them that she had no money & begged them to still come. I looked in my purse & got a $20 out & handed it to her, she just looked at me & said "thank you so much"...she told them that she only had $20 & they agreed to come get her. We spoke for a bit & she shared with me that she had just found out that she had cancer. This broke my heart. She was about to get out of the car when she said "I feel like you are a person that has faith & I was wondering if you would pray for me". Of course I was excited that she requested this, so I asked if I could right there in the parking lot. She said yes but I think she was shocked that I wanted to pray with her instead of for her. So I just grabbed her & started praying & we were both crying & I was just snotting haha & I mean, it was such an amazing thing for me; whether it blessed her or not, I felt God move. When she went to get out I asked if she had a bible & she said no, so I offered her mine. She was like "wow, really? are you sure?" I think she knew that it was something that was important to me, I mean I have like 7 bibles but the one that I had in my car was my favorite. I said that I hated that it had my name on the cover but I wanted her to have it anyway & I think she cherished that my name was on it. So I took all of my notes & old bulletins out & handed it to her. I gave her my phone number & told her that if she ever needed prayer I would be there for her. When she walked away I just sobbed there in the car for what seemed like forever & thanked God for putting her in my path. When I got to the dorm to pick everyone up to go shopping they thought someone had died by the look on my face. So I told them & of course, they all cried with me..."

I swear my little sister has the most incredible experiences out of anyone I know. God has blessed her with a special gift, I truly feel like people in need are drawn to her. No matter how bad of a mood shes in, others can still see the love of Christ in her. Whats amazing to me is that she had a horrible day that Friday & was in an awful mood yet she still chose to be used by God & her day improved greatly. Now Nikki is not perfect, haha she has many faults...as do I. It blows my mind how often things like this happen to her & with God's guidance she reaches out & touches stranger's lives without batting an eye. A few times I have been present when God has put someone in our path & she has just jumped at the opportunity to help them. I don't mean to toot her horn, if anything I'm tooting God's horn & His power to work through His children {did I just say toot on here? haha}. I aim to make it a daily prayer of mine for God to draw me closer to Him no matter what I must go through to get there. At first I was worried when I heard about her giving people rides & or money because I feared that she was being taking advantage of...She has told me that she has to follow what she feels like God is telling her to do & not just make a decision based on her impulses or emotions at the time. Who knows, some of the individuals that she has helped could be angels in disguise...

Hebrews 13:1-3 says, "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

I pray that I leave my heart open for God to work through me this Christmas season & always, & that I make it a resolution to share His love to others & bring Him the glory...

p.s. I follow the Leading & Loving It women's ministry blog thanks to my friend Heather telling me about it! Anyway, I ran across this blog post on it this morning & I think you should check it out. The video on it had me in tears, good tears though.

&&& heres another post ;)

I know I just blogged yesterday afternoon but theres no law saying you can only blog every 24 hours ;)

I heard this song on my way to work this morning & fell in love with it. I'm a big Relient K fan but I had never heard this Christmas song before, I think its a couple years old. It has such great lyrics, so I thought I'd share :) Here comes my shout out-----I LOVE Air1 radio! Its from the same people that brought us K-Love but its a little more alternative & I usually switch back & forth between the two stations all the time! Anyway they have been playing some AMAZING Christmas songs & these are the lyrics to the one I spoke of :)

"I celebrate the day"

& with this Christmas wish is missed

The point I could convey

If only I could find the words to say to let You know

How much You've touched my life

Because here is where You're finding me

In the exact same place as New Year's eve

& from a lack of my persistency

We're less than half as close as I want to be

& the first time that You opened Your eyes

Did You realize that You would be my Savior?

& the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever?

& the first time that You opened Your eyes

Did You realize that You would be my Savior?

& the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever?

And so this Christmas I'll compare

The things I felt in prior years

To what this midnight made so clear

That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

I the hope that what You did

That You were born so I might really live

To look back and think that

This baby would one day save me

& the first time that You opened Your eyes

Did You realize that You would be my Savior?

& the first breath that left Your lips

Did You know that it would change this world forever?

& I, I celebrate the day

That You were born to die

So I could one day pray for You to save my life

Pray for You to save my life

Pray for You to save my life...

{Radiant}

Derek & I have been attending Central since the very first week we moved to Jonesboro {June 5, 2010}. It was apparent early on that Central was where we needed to call our home :) I've said before how being a PK had its ups & downs & church home searching was not something the two of us were looking forward to, luckily we didn't have to search long. God had a plan for us at Central & we are still continuing to find out what that is....

Agghh! I'm getting off the subject of why I started this post in the first place haha. I was recently asked by my friend & fellow Bloggess Heather if I would be interested in joining the team of writers on the blog for our women's ministry at church {Radiant} & let me just tell you I wanted to jump up & down! [actually our friend Courtney spilled the beans before Heather could get a chance to ask me teehehe ;)] Anyway, this made me soooo happy & I felt {still feel} like a little girl with all of this excitement! I have already been praying about what my first post to the Radiant blog will be about, I don't want it to be Meagan speaking...so please pray that He speaks through me. & also pray that as a team; with Christ's love, we are able to touch those who might not have been reached yet by others. I can't wait to see what God has in store for this ministry & the lives that will be touched by it. Thank you for checking out my blog & please go check out Radiant as well sometime :) FYI-our new Journey Campus launch is in a few weeks so be praying for that!

Ohhhhh & btw, I know I've posted this to my facebook before but I heard it again today & just wanted you to check it out...I love This Song, enjoy! {as if I've not added enough links to this post already haha}

"Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed"-Psalms 34:5{HCSB}