It's always been my mother's dream to visit New York City. So, on a whim, me, my mom, sister, and niece packed our bags and spent 3 nights and 4 days in the city that never sleeps. We had a blast! I can't wait to go back.











Here we are at Time Square. This place blew me away y'all!

















This is the famous keyboard that Tom Hanks played "Chop Sticks" on in the movie "BIG."















Resting at Rockefeller Center. The BIG tree was already up but not yet decorated. Bummer!















Ice-skating at Rockefeller















Here we are at the Russian Tea Room. We also had frozen hot-chocolate at Serendipity's. And, we visited the famous bakery where the gals in the TV show "Sex and the city" buy their muffins. (Not that I watch that show, mind you.)



















All dressed up for the Theatre in the Hotel lobby! We saw the Lion King. It was FAB!

We stayed at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel! It was, as we say in the south, FAN-CY! We ate off of real silverware. I'm not joking, y'all. And the bathroom faucets were brass--the kind you have to polish. They had a dress-code, too. No faded jeans, t-shirts, or jammies allowed in the lobby.

Each night men and women dressed in tuxes and evening-gowns strolled through the hotel on their way to one of the many ballrooms. El-E-GANT!

We didn't attend such parties but we did live like royalty! When we arrived at the Hotel, we discovered that out reservations were messed up--royally! At first, we feared that we wouldn't be able to all be together. But, the Hotel was very generous. For our trouble, they upgraded us to a suite! We had a large living room, two bedrooms and two baths! You might say we arrived as paupers but were treated like Queens. It kind of reminded me of how heaven will be. (smiles)

Here we are in our bathrobes resting after a long day of site-seeing!

In 3 and a half days, we saw "the" Macy's, Bloomingdales, the Impire State building (which i wanted to spit off of), ground zero, the staute of Liberty, beautiful buildings and churches, and ate some wonderful food! New York is a must see city. I hope to return one day.

Now, for the winner of my book, An Untroubled Heart....

The winner is Kelly! Congrats, Kelly! If you'll email me at miccacampbell@comcast.net with your mailing address, I'll get your copy in the mail right away!

Wishing you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

In the middle of the night, my husband and I were awakened by the telephone. Alarmed, I listened intently to my husband’s conversation to determine who was calling. It was our 21 year old son. He had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving home from a friend’s house. This was his second wreck in three years. After escaping the first crash, I felt sudden terror as I anxiously awaited to hear if he’d been so fortunate this time. He assured his dad that he was okay, but the car was totaled. “Just look for the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles on the interstate heading north and you’ll know where I am,” Mitch said, still shaken by the accident. Mitch was only four months old when his biological father died. Since he was four years old, Pat has been the only dad he has ever known. Pat left immediately after receiving Mitch’s call, leaving me behind with our other two children who were still sleeping. I waited alone with no one to keep me company, but my worry.

When Pat arrived, he found Mitch’s demolished car hugging the mangled 50 foot guardrail that had kept him from crossing the highway into oncoming traffic. Mitch, however, had not suffered a single scratch, bruise, or broken bone—not one. His dad was stunned, but the policeman was astonished even more. The officer told Mitch, “I’m proud of you, son, for being clean, but you still shouldn’t be out this late at night. And If I were you, I wouldn’t go home and go to bed. I’d go to the nearest church and thank God for saving your life because He obviously has a purpose for it. I’ve seen many wrecks just like yours, but I’ve never seen anyone walk away from a scene like this one. Your mom and dad should be standing in the funeral home today looking over your dead body. Instead, a guard rail stopped your car from crossing into oncoming traffic, the only guard rail in miles of this highway. You stepped out of a mangled car in one piece as if nothing happened. That’s a miracle if I’ve ever seen one!” It was as if God was speaking directly through the officer. Pat drove Mitch home in silence. The policeman had said it all. What more could he add?

Sunday afternoon Pat and I drove Mitch to the junkyard to retrieve Mitch’s personal belongings from the car. Pat pulled up in front of the damaged car. He and Mitch got out and went into the office to present the registration form that allowed us to enter the car. It was then, sitting there alone, that I noticed the date 9-9 painted in large orange numbers across the windshield of the mangled car. That’s when it hit me. Mitch’s accident occurred on the anniversary of his father’s death. Stranger still, they were exactly the same age. My worst fear was staring me in the face. All of sudden, as my eyes fixed on the date, I realized it was a message from God—an undeniable clear sign from above. Mitch was in the hands of God. “That’s right,” I said to myself. “He is. Therefore, Satan, you can’t scare me anymore.”

God has a different plan for Mitch than he had for his dad. I always knew that truth intellectually, but that day in the junkyard it became a reality. How could I doubt God anymore when my son walked away from a near death experience on the anniversary of his father’s death? I couldn’t. Not only did this experience prove that God is in control, but it confirmed that I was not. The only power or control I have as a parent is to get on my knees and relinquish all my fears to God while trusting in His good and perfect plan for my children. The only power and control you and I have over any fear is to place it in the care of God.

You and I must not allow ourselves to be taunted day and night by “What if?” We must trust God’s plan. Only then will fear give way to peace.

This excerpt was taken from my book, An Untroubled Heart...Finding a Faith Stronger Than All My Fear

Share a comment about how you've overcome a certain fear and enter to win a copy of my book!

Last weekend was amazing! Thank you ECC ladies for inviting me to be your guest speaker and for allowing me to bring my husband and son along. We enjoyed being a part of the sweet fellowship you have with one another. The Lord was present not just in our time together but in each one of you!

Some of the great things that happened were...

The Lord showed up and off!
We have new sister's in Christ!
The weather was PERFECT!
The camp was great fun!
The women were Fab!
The all-girls band rocked!
Kim and Kelly were terrific leaders!
And my family and I were blessed!

Here are some photos of our time at camp Tecumseh

Happy Friday, ya'll!

I have an exciting weekend planned. My family and I are going to Tecumeseh Camp in IN. I'll be speaking, but in our spare time we will rock climb, hike, try our aim at archery and much more. Doesn't that sound like a great weekend spent in the presence of God?! I can't wait.

I hope you experience the presence of the Lord throughout your weekend too!

"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)

10,000 blessings!!

The women at New Hope Church in Lorton, VA are amazing! These women love to laugh, encourage one another, praise the Lord, and dig into God’s Word! We had a great weekend together! Thank you, gals, for allowing me to be your quest speaker! You blessed me!

I met many interesting women this past weekend. One of those women was my driver. Her name was Rosie. Rosie was from a driving service. She took me back to the airport once the conference was over.

Rosie was thrilled to meet me. Not because of who I am or what I do but because I asked for a woman driver. In her work, she doesn’t get sent on many calls. So she was overjoyed when I requested her.

Rosie needed the work. She is a divorced single mother raising a six year old daughter. It’s hard for Rosie to find steady work. She explained that being an Iranian without a green card made it difficult for her to succeed in our great country that offers a better life. But Rosie is not without hope.

Her daughter is an American. “Who can become anything she wants.” Rosie stated with a smile on her face. “I tell my daughter every day, Rosie continued, that she can be a congress woman if she wants to be. She can be the woman who rides in the backseat of a car with a driver instead of being the driver.”

As she drove, Rosie shared many ways she inspires and challenges her daughter to become a successful woman—as she calls it. The way Rosie sees it; she is limited in what she can do for her family. However, if her daughter becomes established then it will change the dynamics of their family. The generations that follow will also be successful.

“Isn’t that a great plan?” She asked as we pulled into the airport. I waited to respond. Once Rosie made her way around the car and opened my door, I reached for her hand and said, “Rosie, it is a good plan. But you are the one who is changing the dynamics of your family today. You are the one your family will look back to for generations to come and say, ‘We are who we are because of Grandma Rosie. It was because of her courage, love, and dream to give her daughter more that we have more.”

Rosie’s eyes filled with tears and she asked if she could hug me. We embraced. With a big smile across her face, she said “Bless you and your family. You made me rich today first by giving me a job and then by giving me such a great compliment. It truly blessed me. Thank you!”
Rosie blessed me, too. In speaking with her I realized that no matter what nationality we are, mothers have the same heart toward their families. We want the very best. That’s why years ago I was inspired to choose a family verse from the bible. I pray this blessing over my children often, and then, I look for evidence of God’s fulfillment of it. I would encourage you to do the same. My verse is Psalms 1: 1-3:

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. But they delight in doing everything God wants them to do, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely. They are like trees along a river bank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.”

I didn’t take time to discuss it with my parents. In the large arena, I leaped from my seat and headed toward the stage. My mother called after me, but I had gone too far. A sea of people had already separated the two of us. Normally I would have been frightened, but the pull toward Jesus was stronger than my fear. That holy night God opened my heart to receive His message of hope spoken by the evangelist. I walked through the door of hope and received Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

Christ’s invitation is for all.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

At the very moment I trusted Christ, I entered into a relationship with God much like the one He made with Israel over 3000 years ago. However, instead of being faithful to God, Israel played the harlot. They left their first love and ran after false idols. This broke the heart of God. Though He begged for her return, Israel didn’t listen. They continue to move further away from God.

Sometimes our sense of hopelessness is a direct result from moving away from our love relationship with God. It happens all too easily. The world entices us by dangling shinny stuff in front of our face. False idols woo us from our first love by offering us a rich and meaningful life. Once we reach for the goods, it suddenly turns to death in our hands. It’s then—surrounded by trouble and hopelessness—we realize that we’ve been playing the harlot too. We’ve broken the heart of God. Longing to come home we wonder if He’ll ever take us back. Amazingly, the answer is yes!

While it’s true that God cannot condone sin and He suffers when His children are unfaithful, He also cannot deny his love for the sinner. God’s love is stronger than our sin. This is our hope. God seeks to renew broken relationships by providing a door of hope. “I will give her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Anchor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:15). It’s in our Valley of Anchor—our trouble—that God provides an open door of escape. As we call out to God, He swings open a door of rest and invites us in.

There is nothing you and I can do to weary God’s love. No matter how far we stray. No matter how unfaithful we become. God will always take us back. Confession is the way we re-enter His holy chamber. Using Psalms 51 as our guide we cry out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (1-2; 10).

Todays post is an excerpt taken from my book, "An Untroubled Heart." You can order a copy by clicking on the book cover.

When I was pregnant with my third child, I shamefully displayed a lack of respect for a police officer. It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was running late for church. On the way, I had to drop off my eldest son at baseball practice. The fact that he had practice on a church night already had my tail feathers up in the air, not mention the drizzling rain. I was in no mood to get my second child out of the car in the rain to walk my baseball player down to the playing field, nor did I have the time.

When we are short on time, what do we do? You guessed it. I sped right into the park where the policeman pulled me over. I was appalled! How could he set up a speed trap in the park on a rainy day to catch a pregnant woman who was running late for church! “The nerve!” I thought. By now, I’d had it. Before the officer could approach my car, I jumped out in the rain and met him halfway. “Are you going to give me a ticket?” I questioned with one hand on my hip and the other pointing in his face. He didn’t speak nor did his expression change so I continued. “I thought it was outrageous enough that these boys have to practice ball on a church night in the rain, but nooooo! Being set up for a speed trap in the park takes the cake!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry.” He apologized.

“Well, you should be,” I whispered under my breath.

“I can’t do anything about your son’s practice, but I can assure you I can do something about your speeding,” he said firmly pulling his ticket pad from his coat pocket. “Furthermore,” he added, “if you continue to disrespect my authority, I can do something about that too.”

Disrespect his authority? Is that what I did? Unfortunately, it was exactly what happened. While I’d like to blame my behavior on my hormones, I can’t. I was guilty on all accounts. As I cowered back to my car, I noticed my children’s faces pressed against the window of the backseat. They were no doubt learning how to disrespect authority—from their mother.

I let what I thought were my rights blind me to truth. It was my duty to submit to the authority of the police officer. Regrettably, this kind of behavior goes on everyday in the workplace, the home, and even in the church. Can you imagine what our world would look like today if spouses respected one another, if children honored their parents, and citizens obeyed the laws and authorities? It would be a different world! We would have a feeling of security and with gestures of love freely given and received. Common courtesies would be raised from the dead. We’d make an effort to know our neighbors and lend a helping hand to a stranger. The words “fear” and “anxiety” would be dropped from the human language. Peace and goodwill would be the heartbeat of our existence. I picture a world with people living together in unity, love, and respect as God intended. That world begins with people having a healthy dose of godly fear.

What does it mean when God reveals himself to us as Father and adopts us into His forever family through faith in Jesus Christ? It means you and I should have a childlike reverence for His age, wisdom, power, and authority. We can look to Him as the source for all our needs and feel safe and secure in His love and care. We honor Him as Father by exhibiting the same godly fear that Abraham and Isaac revealed.

Today, the emphasis on honoring fathers is much different than even 100 years ago. No longer do we acknowledge the command, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12), which also applies to the relationship we have with our heavenly Father. Rodney Dangerfield is not the only person who suffers from “no respect.” Our society today has a general lack of respect for fathers. Perhaps, it’s because we have fewer godly fathers who have won the admiration of their children. Maybe television is to blame. Have you noticed that fathers are depicted as idiots in movies, television, and even in cartoons? In the sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” the character, Debra, degrades her husband by calling him an idiot whenever he makes a bad judgment. No doubt her action has influenced female viewers to use name calling when displeased with their spouse.

On the other hand, a person with godly fear would never act in such a way. That person would heed the command of God, 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). We show honor to God by displaying reverential esteem of others. Godly fear should motivate us to offer grace by extending an encouraging word instead of thrashing another with a rude comment.