Tag Archives: Melissa Mashburn

12 Pearls of Christmas: All I Want For Christmas… by Melissa Mashburn

Posted on by

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom”! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL … there’s also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls – a tangible reminder of God’s grace to us all.

~~~

All I Want for Christmas…
Is to be able to have Christmas this Year
by Melissa Mashburn

This is a simple request, isn’t it? In the previous years, we had great big bountiful Christmases with our family. Gifts, goodies and general Christmas cheer but this year it was different. The year before has been chock full of disappointments, failing businesses and severe cutbacks for our family. 

Sitting with my husband one night we hammered out the bare minimum that we could spend that year for Christmas and even still the total was four hundred dollars. It does not sound like a whole lot compared to what we’ve spent on Christmas before, but this year it could have been four thousand dollars because we just did not have it.

We prayed, I cried, we prayed some more and decided that we would cut back anything else that we could that year so we could have Christmas for our kids. We did not know how we would make this happen, but we knew that we needed to step forward in faith that it would happen.

Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God. Galatians 3:5 the Message

Not even two days later, we hear a knock on our front door. We open the door to see some friends of ours from church. With tears in their eyes, they handed us an envelope and said that the felt they needed to give us this. We opened the envelope and inside there was four hundred dollars cash.

Shocked, stunned and with tears flowing down our face we just sat there in a state of crying and laughing at what God had done. We never shared with anyone that year what we needed, how bad it was, what was going on or what that number was for us to have Christmas for the kids, but God knew.

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”  2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT

He took a willing servant, led them to our front door and changed Christmas for us that year. After many years of being in full time ministry we knew that God would provide, but when He shows up just at the right moment, you know that it was all a part of His plan to show how much He loves, provides and cares for His people.

Father God, thank you that after all the years of serving and loving you in ministry that you continue to teach, guide, love, shepherd and care for us.  You, Father, are abundantly gracious and kind, thank you for showing up for us at just the right moment every time, forgive us when we forget that.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 ~~~

About Melissa: Melissa is the founder of the blog Mel’s World Ministry, co-founder of the Praise and Coffee Nights Ministry with Sue Cramer, Kids Ministry Director at her church.  Just last year she launched a new weekly series called Godly Gals ~ Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith where we meet new women each week who are “Taking their everyday, ordinary lives and placing it as their offering to God.” Romans 12:1 the Message. You can find her on twitter and at her blog. She loves encouraging women to live with an authentic faith by being transparent, renewed and transformed. ~ Romans 12:2.

~~~


A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year’s Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is {FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM}. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com) on New Years Day!

12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®. For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

Guest Post: Every Girl Needs Girlfriends in Their Life

Posted on by

I’ve always been the kind of girl that has been surrounded by lots of friends. I love people, I can’t help it. My mom says that I have always been this way and my husband says that I am “socially overproductive”. Yes, it is all true, but there is such a difference between having lots of friends and having a few awesome girlfriends.


A friend will listen to you and tell you how awesome you are.

A girlfriend will listen to you and then tell you how it really is.


A friend will make meals for you when you are sick or hurt.

A girlfriend will come over to your house, cook you a meal for your family, and then clean the house for you.


A friend will be there when times are tough.

A girlfriend will be with you in the thick of the mess.


I am by no means discounting having lots of friends, no, not at all.  As a matter of fact, I think you need all kinds of friends; Acquaintances, Social Friends, Spiritual Friends, and True Blue Sister Girlfriends.


For years I had taken for granted the blessing of a good friend, and now as I get older it is becoming more and more evident to me that to have those girlfriends around you, in good times and bad, can radically bless your socks off.  Let me take it one step further and put it all into perspective for a minute…my husband is my first and best friend, and make no doubt about it, I share everything with him (as it should be), but let’s face it, he doesn’t always understand the need to cry, the need to share a story in more than ten words, or the need to just hug because for some reason a really great hug can change your day.


Proverbs 25:13 TM ~ reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!


I love that verse! It is so true, isn’t it? When you can be you, the real you, with your girlfriends it refreshes your soul.  What a great visual reminder of not only what a blessing it is to have a friend, but also what it means to be a friend. You need to give refreshment as much as you receive refreshment. A great relationship is evenly balanced so that the love is spread around.


Does that mean that it always needs to be “balanced”…of course not, let’s face it; life is not balanced, is it?


I have been through some really horrible times over the last few years and while I sat there watching my son lie in the PICU of the hospital for 51 days my friends cooked for me, cleaned for me, took care of my youngest son, prayed for me, sat & cried with me, ate M&M’s (a whole 1lb bag) with me, and truly showed me that being a friend is an action word.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 TM ~ by yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.


We’re not meant to be on this journey called life by ourselves. We need the loveand support of our families and the gift of great girlfriends.  Because the truth is “Every Girl Needs Girlfriends in Their Life”!

Now it’s your turn…

If you are in a season of your life right now where you really don’t have any great girlfriends, then I would love to challenge you to ask God to show you how and where to meet new girlfriends.


If you are already blessed with incredible girlfriends, then take some time today to encourage them, thank them, and show them just how thankful you are to have them in your life.  Don’t take your girlfriends for granted.

Father God, thank you for the gift of girlfriends. You show us in your word how important your friends were to you and your ministry and we know that we can’t do this thing called life alone. Guide the ones who don’t have girlfriends, show them where to go and how to meet them, and encourage those who already have girlfriends to shower their friends with blessings today. Father, we love you and we love that you created us for community. We are so thankful for the lessons you teach us and for your grace and mercy in all we do. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Melissa Mashburn is the founder and creator of the Mel’s World Ministry, “Taking your everday, ordinary life and placing it as an offering to Him” ~ Romans 12:2. Her goal is to passionately pursue God every day! She is married to Matt, her best friend, for 16 years and has two handsome teenage sons, Nick & Bailey. She’s a Daughter of the King, Wife, Mom, Pastor’s Wife, Writer, and Speaker…all around God Chick!