ouch

Soooooooo....this morning I woke up and was going about my business when all of the sudden I felt a pull in my neck. I have said on here several times that my spine is shaped wrong at the top. It is always a concern of mine that it might go out. It is the worst pain of my life besides having meningitis last year.

Well, I went to Urgent Care today and they said my neck was sprained. I am a little discouraged. I know people have worse things but I feel like it is just one thing after the next with me. So please say a little prayer. =) I so don't want attention with any of the plethora of my health issues...but I am just a little worn down. Sunday is Rods birthday and tomorrow we are having a going away dinner for my sister who is moving to Kentucky. Pray for compassion because I know most people are sick of my health issues. Believe me, I would rather spend money on other things then co-pays and prescriptions.

~Love~

Nevermind Them

Quick disclaimer: I am on some pain medication for my bone graft so if some of this doesn't come out right, blame it on the medicine. =)

John 21:20-22

20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."

Peter has just been reinstated by Christ after his denial of Him before His death and resurrection. Have you ever felt like you have been skipped over? You have passions on your heart to fulfill your calling in Christ but you feel frustrated because you see the days passing and you feel like you aren't where you need to be. You are tempted to look at others and see that God is using them, but what about you? You want to bring Him glory but why the wait?

As long as you and I focus on others and how God is using them and not us rivalry can set in and we can become jealous (green-eyed monsters). Peter was told the kind of death he would die and of course he wants to know what is going to happen to the one Jesus loved...John. Jesus basically tells him never mind John, you follow me. And that is what we need to do as well. Forget about focusing so much on what we feel He is doing in someone else's life and go on with God. Follow God.

I have often heard people tell me that they aren't going to go to church until their husband/wife goes. My answer to that is don't let anyone keep you from Christ. Go to church, get in a bible study and follow Him. When we get our eyes on others and that spirit of competition sets in we take our focus off of following Christ and it is only by abiding in Him that we will be sure that we won't miss our call.

One thing, I love in that chapter is how He reinstates Peter. God loves His children in a way that we can not comprehend. No matter what we have done, or how bad we feel that we have sinned, God is a God of forgiveness and compassion and we have got to stop living in the past of guilt and shame and go on with God. Lift up your head to Him (Psalm3:3 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.)
We have got to change the way we think when we get into the self-loathing and have the mind of Christ. We have got to stop putting limits on His grace. Especially in our own life. Yes we have consequences to our sins...but can you just stop for a minute and relish in the fact that God loves you so much.

Here are some verses that I hope you will meditate on from Psalm 145. CLICK HERE

With much love and affection!!! I can't wait to see all of my siestas in San Antonio!!

Hello out there!

I feel so bad because I am behind on responding to emails or checking in on my sweet blog friends.
1. I have been having to push myself to study A LOT more.
2. Morgan is out of preschool.
3. I just had a bone graft done today and I have heard some people say that it did not hurt but I am in pain over here. Cutting your mouth open, adding collagen, and bone. Then, stitching it up while taking 2 hours of work...if thats not a little painful, then I just must have a tiny threshold for pain.
I don't know why I feel the need to explain myself, but I just feel the need.

love-

This Weekend...

Well, let's just say I am still trying to recover from this weekend. We went to the lake and had a lot of fun. Morgan thinks that she is a lot older than she really is. She went tubing with her dad and I took her as well. When her dad would ask her if she wanted to stop (while riding with me) she would say "ready, set, GO!"
Yesterday, I decided that I was going to try to win a competition (that I made up) for who could stay on the tube the longest. The water was rough. Well, I stayed on a good while then I flew up in the air and did some sort of donut then went under the water and started sucking in lake water. I wasn't ever sure what was going on because all of the water was spraying in my face from the boat, and I never could see. Anyway, I won for best entertainment as I came back up from under water still on the tube. I scared everyone to death and my body literally feels so beat up it isn't funny. It's not worth it but I just got caught up in the moment...LOL! I also beat all of my nieces, nephew, sister and thats about it, at connect four! LOL

Hypocrisy has to go- from walk in the word

Hypocrisy Has to Go ---By Dr. JAmes MacDonald
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. . . . It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 3
I grew up in a good church with good people. But one issue I noticed even as a young person was a constant struggle with an outward focus. Folks were obsessive about appearances.As a kid, I remember the day I found out that a man in our church smoked cigarettes. I was shocked. To be clear, I think smoking is an unhealthy, addictive habit that I wouldn’t commend to anyone. If it’s something you have an addiction to, I hope the Lord sets you free. But somehow this external habit was blown way out of proportion and was thought to be the most awful thing a Christian could do. In our twisted little grid, you could only be a good Christian if you didn’t do “The Filthy Five” (smoking, drinking, dancing, gambling, and going to movies).Well, what about all the other things you’re not supposed to do? Or the things you’re supposed to do that you don’t do? Well, we don’t really talk about those. We just obsess about the ones people can see.The external was put under the microscope. The outward appearances were scrutinized. You couldn’t walk in the church foyer without everyone inspecting everyone else. And the truth of it is, nobody was pleasing anyone. It took me a long time to shake that mind-set in ministry.I cannot please everyone. You can’t either. The attempt on our part to keep trying leads first to a crease, then a crevice, then a canyon of distance between who we are and who we try to appear to be. Let’s be done right now with people-pleasing. It’s destructive to us and despised by God. I dream a better dream for us than allowing petty people, majoring on silly things about which the Bible does not even explicitly speak, to control our hearts and lives. Let’s not allow even our brothers and sisters in Christ who have strong opinions to pressure us into external conformity that doesn’t reflect our hearts and doesn’t please or satisfy God. No doubt about it, hypocrisy has to go.It would be hard to even frame language that could capture how much God hates hypocrisy. Most of the time we just don’t get it-God isn’t fooled by our cleverest act. How arrogant of us to think that God has forgotten what He told Samuel: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Romans 15:13
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is a verse that the Lord repeated to me twice this week. I hope it blesses you.
Also, I have some very exciting news! Morgan went number 2 in the potty!! I know you are all blessed by that!

Potty training is some busy stuff. Not only that I know most people are so glad to try to get their kids out of diapers, but to me it just reminds me of how fast the time is flying by. It grieves me that I can't stop time and have this preciousness forever. But while I have this time I will praise Him and thank Him for this precious gift of grace. It amazes me that this treasure of my heart was knit in my womb by God Himself.
I usually cuddle with her at night and just watch over her while she sleeps. I am so thankful for the visual that the Lord NEVER sleeps. He is omnipotent and He never stops being who He is! The Great I AM. He is the God who sees us (and watches over us) in our joy, our distress, our anxiety, our suffering, our grief, our sin...and so much more. He sees every fiber of our being. Aren't you glad that He is never taking a nap. He is concerned for you and longs for you to come to Him. He rises to show you compassion. Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

Isaiah 30
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

BTW, The little booger is up now at 12:11 am. She just mentioned that she was ready to eat and that she wanted to go to Wal-Mart. Also, if you think of me please pray for endurance and that God will make me smarter than I am to finish my online course. I have been studying so much and it is all of God to help me.
Then, on Wednesday I go in for the dreaded bone graft in my mouth.

Hope you all have a wonderful memorial day. Here is a bit of INFO on Memorial day for those of us who may have forgotten and just thought it was another holiday. ;)

The Cure for Despondency--by AW Pink

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” (Psalm 42:5).

When the Psalmist gave utterance to these words, his spirit was dejected and his heart was heavy within him. In the checkered career of David there was not a little which was calculated to sadden and depress: the cruel persecutions of Saul, who hunted him as a partridge upon the mountains, the treachery of his trusted friend Ahitophel, the perfidy of Absalom, and the remembrance of his own sins, were enough to overwhelm the stoutest.

And David was a man of like passions with us: he was not always upon the mountain-top of joy, but sometimes spent seasons in the slough of despond and the gorge of gloom.

But David did not give way to despair, nor succumb to his sorrows. He did not lie down like a stricken beast and do nought but fill the air with his howling. No, he acted like a rational creature, and like a man, looked his troubles squarely in the face. But he did more; he made diligent inquiry, he challenged himself, he sought to discover the cause of his despondency: he asked, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” He desired to know the reason for such depression. This is often the first step toward recovery from dejection of spirit. Repining arid murmuring get us nowhere. Fretting and wringing our hands bring no relief either temporally or spiritually.

There needs to be self-interrogation, self-examination, self condemnation. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” We need to seriously take ourselves to task. We need to fearlessly face a few plain questions. What is the good of giving way to despair? What possible gain can it bring me? To sit and sulk is not “redeeming the time” ( Ephesians 5:16). To mope and mourn will not mend matters. Then let each despondent one call his soul to account, and inquire what adequate cause could be assigned for peevishness and fretting. “We may have great cause to mourn for sin, and to pray against prevailing impiety: but our great dejection, even under the severest outward afflictions or inward trials, springs from unbelief and a rebellious will: we should therefore strive and pray against it” (Thomas Scott). “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” Cannot you discover the real answer without asking counsel from others? Is it not true that, deep down in your heart, you already know, or at least suspect, the root of your present trouble? Are you “cast down” because of distressing circumstances which your own folly has brought you into? Then acknowledge with the Psalmist, “I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” ( <19b975> Psalm 119:75).

Is it because of some sin, some course of self-will, some sowing to the flesh, that you are now of the flesh reaping corruption? Then confess the same to God and plead the promise found in Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Or are you grieved because Providence has not smiled upon you so sweetly as it has on some of your neighbors? Then heed that injunction, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity” ( Psalm 37:1).

Perhaps the cases suggested above do not exactly fit that of some of our readers. Not a few may say, “My soul is cast down and my heart is heavy because my finances are at so low an ebb, and the outlook is so dark.” That is indeed a painful trial, and one which mere nature often sinks under. But, dear friend, there is a cure for despondency even when so occasioned. He who declares “the cattle upon a thousand hills are Mine,” still lives and reigns! Cannot He who fed two million Israelites in the wilderness for forty years minister to you and your family? Cannot He who sustained Elijah in the time of famine keep you from starving? “If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you.

O ye of little faith!” ( Matthew 6:30).

Returning to our opening text, let us observe how that David not only succumbed not to his sorrows, interrogated his soul, and rebuked his unbelief, but he also preached to himself: “Hope thou in God!” Ah, that is what the despondent needs to do: nothing else will bring real relief to the hearer. The immediate outlook may be dark, but the Divine promises are bright. The creature may fail you, but the Creator will not, if you truly put your trust in Him. The world may be at its wits’ end, but the Christian needs not be so. There is One who is “a very present help in trouble” ( Psalm 46:1), and He never deserts those who really make Him their refuge. The writer has proved this, many, many a time, and so may the reader. The fact is that present conditions afford a grand opportunity for learning the sufficiency of Divine grace. Faith cannot be exercised when everything needed is at hand to sight. “Hope thou in God”—In His mercy: You have sinned, sinned grievously in the past, and now you are receiving your just deserts. True, but if you will penitently confess your sins, there is abundant mercy with the Lord to blot them all out ( Isaiah 55:7).

In his power: Every door may he shut against you, every channel of help be closed fast; but nothing is too hard for the Almighty!

In His faithfulness: Men may have deceived you, broken their promises, and now desert you in the hour of need; but He who cannot lie is to be depended upon—O doubt not His promises.

In His love: “Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” ( John 13:1). “For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Such is ever the blessed assurance of those who truly hope in God. They know that, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” ( Psalm 34:19).

God has told them that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” ( Psalm 30:5). So Christian reader, when the fiery trial has done its work, and your bonds are burned off ( Daniel 3:25), you will thank Him for the trials which are now so unpleasant; Then hopefully anticipate the future. Count upon God, and He will not fail you.

Let each Christian reader who is not now passing through deep waters join with the writer in fervent prayer to God, that He will graciously sanctify the “present distress” unto the spiritual good of His own people, and mercifully supply their temporal needs.

Steven Curtis Chapmans youngest daughter dies

Here is the article from FOX NEWS. We really need to be in prayer for the whole family. My heart aches for them. In honor of Maria video.

BAG BALM and some other random things!

***Edited to add...I woke up this morning with no breakouts...GLORY! The Bag Balm must be ok.***

Tonight, I went to the Pet Department in Wal-Mart and I purchased this BAG BALM.
So, I rubbed it on my face (can you believe it?), feet, and hands. If my face is broken out tomorrow I am going to freak. Also, I have no cows or anything but I am trying this little beauty tip on my skin. You never know till you try right? I will never forget the time Rod's granny mailed us all creams that she had ordered from CVS. She ordered Rod a bunch of facial creams and even lip balm in the shape of a tube of lipstick. As if the manliest man I know was about to be using a tube of white/clear lipstick. I laughed as I threw it in the trash the other day. Anyway, the creams didn't work for me...but don't you just love getting CVS cream for Christmas! LOL! It was the thought that counted right!

On another funny note I asked Rod to tell me the size on a pair of pants and he said one half. Do you get it 1/2?? LOL! He is pretty clueless when it comes to ALL THINGS girl!!

When I was pregnant and in the hospital on bed rest he had to go buy me some pj's because I was very unprepared. He called me from the store and said what size do you need again? I said just get small or medium. He said what is 2 times as he was searching for the right pair? He denies saying that to this day. I said that is 2X and explained the difference. Well guess who shows up at the hospital with some size 2X pj's! Bless him! He said babe just try them on. That is why I just ask him to let me buy my own gifts and etc.

Another bed rest hospital story: I was dying for a Twix bar and the gift shop didn't have any. So I asked him to run to the drug store and get me one. He was so good to go do it. You who have been pregnant know how you crave certain things. Well, he goes to the grocery store, calls me and asks if there is anything I need besides the Twix bar...I said no. He gets back to my room and I asked him where the Twix bar was. He said oh babe (that is what he calls me unless he is mad then he calls me Jenny) I forgot it. At that time it wasn't funny but it is hilarious to me now. He came back with a fan he had bought for my room. He slept at the hospital with me every night so he did need that fan.

One more Rod story just for fun. [Rod, I really hope you aren't reading this]
Anyway, one day he dropped me off at the grocery store and while I went in he went to go get a biscuit. I come outside with all of my bags in hand looking for his truck. It was nowhere to be seen. Then, flashbacks of me being left at daycare when I was little start to come back. So, I see him driving down the road toward our house...completely passing the grocery store. I find some change to call him and I was freaking out that I was on a greasy pay phone, and that he had left me at the grocery store. He couldn't believe that he forgot either. It is all hilarious to me now.

Anyone have any funny stories like that? I could go on but I will spare ya!

Delight Yourself in the Lord

Most of you who read this blog are fellow siestas (translation sisters in Christ) and I just have to share something with you.
As August approaches I had started feeling guilty about going and spending money on myself to go on that trip. Yet my heart longed to go and be there. I have some upcoming dental work that is going to be pretty expensive so I just couldn't justify going. I had Rods complete blessing to go and we had the money for me to go but still I had no peace. So sadly, I told Rod I wasn't going.
Then later on I prayed and asked the Lord to provide for this trip if He wanted me to go.
Thursday, I get a call from my church telling me that there was something in the church office waiting on me. Friday, I went and picked it up and it was a money order (from an anonymous person) in the amount of $600. That is the exact cost I had calculated that it would cost me to go. I cried when I got it that the Lord would think of me and that He would do that for me when I truly deserve nothing.

Then, it made me think of one of a very taken out of context verses:
Psalm 37:4
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
The word for delight yourself used here is the word anag meaning to delight in, and enjoy.

Sometimes you will hear people misconstrue this verse and try to say that God is all about them being healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and since we live in a fallen world that is just not going to be true for most of us. God owes us nothing. Yest as we delight in Him and pray in accordance with His will He acts even when we don't see the action taking place.
Everything is in accordance with His will. Sometimes our answers to prayer are yes, no, or wait. He is completely in control so we have confidence in these verses:

John 14:13-15

13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15"If you love me, you will obey what I command.

I praise Him for doing what He doesn't have to do, and for building my faith to remind me once again that He hears me and that I can pray in secret to Him without telling anyone else of my need and He hears.

Also, I got back from watching my sisters kids and Morgan 4 kids under the age of 3 and I seriously was completely spent of every ounce of energy in my body so hopefully I will get to read some blogs later. I am still trying to recover! =)

Love

Oh please do you need a miracle

Recommended reading: Joshua 3


Joshua 3:3-5

3 giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."
5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

I know some of you who are well versed may pass these verses by but don't. Please stand near the Jordan with me for a minute and watch God do something miraculous. He is never short of anything miraculous...our God of wonders.

I have been praying for strength and energy lately and I have been waking up at like 3:30 or 4 in the morning and spending time in the word. This morning I got up did my bible study and went back to sleep or I would have been a zombie. So, I go on a followup doctors appointment and decided that I was going to have to take a shorter route to the hospital that I needed to get to. I did my mapquest and all and at the last step I made a wrong turn (in the pouring rain) and prayed that God would help me find my way...and He did. I am such a creature of habit that I would have taken the LONG route just because I was familiar with it and I knew it wouldn't fail in getting me where I needed to go even if it took me an hour to get there instead of 20 minutes. That is so like me to stick to what is familiar instead of trying something new. I do that especially with food. The Israelites were to cross the Jordan river which was at flood level because it was harvest time. They were headed somewhere new, a way they had not been before. Maybe that is where God is calling you, to set foot in your own Jordan and trust Him to fulfill your God given destiny. It is going to take some faith.
The priests and Levites were to head out with the Ark of the Covenant and all of the people were to get behind them and follow the arc, which was God's presence. So in other words they were to follow God. How do we do that today? Through seeking and abiding with Him through His word and prayer. We are to listen for His voice and hold fast to Him. We are to obey Him if we love Him. And He leads us. No, not everything is black or white but the Holy Spirit leads us.
They had never been this way before so it says: 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."
God is so holy that they were not to go near it. Thank you for the cross and that we can come before the throne of grace with boldness and find help in time of need. So by following the Lord they would know which way to go.
They were also told to consecrate themselves which is a word that means to be set apart, holy, chaste, pure. I am sure it even may have included that they not have sexual relations with one another...but that they focus on God.

Same for us, we have got to live consecrated before the Lord. I can't tell you how it grieves me when I have chosen my path instead of following His and what repercussions I faced as a result...yet what mercy I have seen that has covered me. If we want to see the Lord we have got to come apart from things that are unclean to us. We have to be set apart for Him. I know personally during times of sin where I sort of derailed and it was because I was not fully committed to the Lord and chose to fulfill the desires of my flesh instead of what is beneficial and holy. When we choose to make some convictions about things: places we won't go, vile things that we won't set before our eyes, and a commitment to not be living in mediocrity, but a determination to pursue the Lord and be set apart for Him...we will see His work all around. It will be worth it and not just a bunch of legalism.
Hebrews 12:14
14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Please go read the passage for yourself but the priests were to carry the ark of the covenant to the edge of the waters and then stand in the river (REMEMBER the river was overflowing at this point). Can't you just see them trying to carry the ark with their robes on and everything standing in the overflow of the Jordan with their clothes getting wet. Did they wonder what in the world they were doing? Was God really going to dry this up so they could walk across the River? Did they remember the Red Sea?
Do we even understand what it would take humanly speaking for a river like that to dry up so God's people could cross. Let's not diminish what happened down to some fairy tale.
I love this verse:
13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."

Now here is the miraculous (Please don't miss this...it is not humanly possible):
14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Follow God even when you feel like the waters are going to overtake you spiritually speaking. He is Great and LORD of all the earth. He can still part the waters of turmoil and storm and allow you to crossover to a new place on dry ground. No sinking in the muck and mire.

PS rod is on me about going to bed so I better submit. ;)
I am headed out of town to help my sister with her three kids while she packs up her house and moves to Kentucky. Say a prayer there will be four kids including mine all under the age of three! Help me Lord!

Fearing God more than we Fear our fears

I hope all of you had a wonderful mothers day who are moms. I also want to tell you that my heart breaks for those of you who may be reading who have lost a child or are struggling with infertility or are single and want to be a mom. Keep seeking the Lord and keep believing Him for a miracle. I did have a wonderful mothers day and am so honored to mother my sweet one. So often I feel like I blowing it and I just need more grace each day to try to raise her in the Lord and in a house of love and laughter. She is my best little buddy!

Isaiah 7:9b
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.' "

I just wanted to share a quick word that I have been thinking on for days now. I have really been struggling with a fear issue when you get down to it. Fear of failure. So much so that it has had me sort of paralyzed. Our minds really are powerful things. We also have the mind of Christ if we are believers and His Holy word to help us as we journey toward our true home. We also have a choice. Will we rely on the Spirits help and power or will we sink down in the quicksand of fear and do nothing? That is what the enemy would have us to do and that is what our flesh would have us to do. Long story short...I don't know why but I have gotten to the end of these online courses I have been taking and I have been so psyched out. Almost like running a marathon the whole way and stopping to walk or just stand before you get to the finish line. Also, I have a two year old so that doesn't help when you are trying to study and be a mom.

These verses just came to me this morning in my spirit that I needed to QUIT trying to rely on my own strength. I literally can't do this on my own and I just came to that place today where I was like Lord please give me the strength and energy to do this. Please make me smarter than I am. Your word says...
2 Corinthians 1:9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,

One thing Beth Moore said in the current bible study I am leading is that "We need to fear God more than we fear our fear." I needed to hear that again. Without faith it is impossible to please God. I have to believe and reprogram my mind that if He can raise the dead...He can help me finish my courses as small as that may seem to some of you I need that resurrection power and when I graduate from these courses I will give Him all the praise. I praise Him even tonight for helping me study for the last three hours. Amen!

Weekend Devotion

I read this just a few seconds ago and had to pass it on. It is from Greg Laurie's weekend devotion:
The Blueprint for Happiness
Charles Dickens began his classic novel, A Tale Two Cities, with the statement, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." I think that is also an accurate assessment of American culture today. In many ways, we never have seen better times. But in many ways, we never have seen worse times.Remember that often-repeated phrase from a couple of elections ago? "It's the economy, stupid." Well, it is not the economy; it is more than that. When our economy was strong, our morals were low. Now when our economy is struggling, our morals are still low.I think the answer could be found in a statement Abraham Lincoln made:
We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. We have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our heart that all of these blessings that we see in our country were produced by superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Honest Abe had it right. We have forgotten God. This has been especially evident over the last decade in court battles over the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools and the display of the Ten Commandments in public places.Yet before us in the Ten Commandments, we find God's blueprint for a society. One of the original reasons for the success of our country is found in its origins and its adherence to these absolutes given to us by God Himself.These principles are not only good for a nation, but for individuals as well. The Bible says that if we want to live fulfilling, productive, and indeed, happy lives, then we need to know God, walk with Him, and keep His commandments.Some people think they can break God's commandments with abandon, but without repercussions. Solomon knew a little bit about breaking commandments. He was a man who went on a massive backslide. You can read his story in the Old Testament's Book of Ecclesiastes.Solomon had unlimited resources. Whatever he wanted was his. But after sampling everything this world had to offer, he said, "Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person" (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT).
Solomon was saying, "Listen. I have been through the school of hard knocks. I know what I am talking about. Fear God and keep His commandments. Chasing after all of these other things is empty. It is unfulfilling."In his own words, he said it was like "grasping for the wind" (see Ecclesiastes 6:9).God has given us a blueprint for happiness. We think it comes from freedom from all constraints. But this isn't true. Happiness comes from staying within the walls of protection that God has given us in His Word.We are now seeing the final results of that great social experiment that began in the 1960s. We can clearly conclude that it was a colossal failure as we cast aside absolutes like family and fidelity and honesty and compassion and all the rest, and chased after what we wanted. As the Scripture says in Psalm 1,Blessed [or happy] is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (vv. 1–3 NKJV)Do you want to be a happy person? It is found in doing the right thing. It is also found in not doing the wrong thing.You are not going to find happiness in materialism. You are not going to find it in a career. You are not going to find it in a relationship. You are not going to find it in sex. You are not going to find it in drugs. You are not going to find it in anything this world has to offer.Do you want to be a happy person? Live God's way. Do you want to be an unhappy person? Live your own way.

Yummy

Most of the people who read my blog know how I feel about cats. It is a deep rooted fear and dislike that comes from childhood. They scare me and I think they are sneaky. No offense, I know some of you LOVE your cats and I am thankful that the Lord has given you that grace.
They also make me break out itching and I can barely get some benadryl fast enough when I am around them. Thank you Lord for that so Morgan will never have a reason to charm mommy into a cat since mommy is allergic.
SOOOO, me and morg go this morning to get some Chic-fil-A. Rod normally does this but he has started a diet today. Quick side story. I throw on some shorts, a t-shirt, and an Auburn baseball cap, walk outside and he says, "babe, you sure look cute!" It cracks me up because I usually try to keep myself up and I get a compliment when I look the worst...LOL!
Anyway, we come home and walk through the backyard and there is the cat (THE CAT THAT WON'T GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) with Alvin the chipmunk. Well, Morgan thinks it is Alvin. He/She was devouring the chipmunk, it had only gotten through the head. Morgan and I were mortified (She screamed, "OH NO ALVIN!" I have passed on my fear of cats to her as well) and not quite sure we could dig into our morning breakfast after all. Of all days for Rod to go on a diet.
So, birds in the attic, squirrels, maybe large armadillos, and that stinking cat eating stuff in our yard. Freak me out! Then, I failed to mention I about stepped on a huge turtle when I went out to the power line to tell Rod. I thought I lived in the city. I am not a country girl. Not after 18 years spent in the country. Green Acres is not the place for me! LOL

The Pursuit of God

The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer has been one of my most favorite books for several years now. I am linking to Chapter Two "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing" and I know it is for someone even if just one person has time to read it. CLICK HERE
You can read a lot of his books online.
HERE IS The Pursuit of God
HERE IS Knowledge of the Holy

Anyway, if you were to read Chapter Two I wanted to share just how God has blessed me. It is not about His blessing but there have been so many times...so many times...where I have seen Him truly meet my needs and even more like in Matthew 6:25-34.
Well, I know most people may be tired of my stories but I just need to boast in the Lord for a minute. A few weeks back I mentioned in Bible study that Morgan had broken our printer so I was not able to print a syllabus. There are so many things that break and go wrong and my motto is that if it is broken and there is nothing you can do about it why get mad. So, I even mentioned to Rod that I knew the Lord could provide me a new printer if He wanted to and I was not going to rush out and buy one. Well, the sweetest thing happened. Last week, Allison from my group brought me a printer, paper, and ink cartridges. The printer she gave me was way better than the one I had. Once again, God is into the details.

spring pics

dress up

morgan and her cousin bre playing dress up

my baby girls first school picture.

Do everything without complaining

Phillipians 2:14-15
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

I have been slightly absent from blogging lately, but it is not for a lack of things that I am learning and want to share. I started James MacDonalds new workbook study Lord Change My Attitude to see if I want to lead it next before Esther comes out in November. Whew! Let me tell you I have been noticing some wilderness attitude in myself. I don't think I have realized how much complaining I have done under the name of "justification". Also, as I have been thinking on the LORD of all the Universe this past weekend (side note: I went to Secret Church and it was all about "Who is God?" so I have had so much to process...we took 73 pages of notes. We met for almost seven hours and I was literally on the edge of my seat meeting with God. Not because of the preacher but because of God showing up through this man who is 29 years old and brilliant, the Spirit of the Lord just rests on him. He has a fire in his bones for God's word. Lord, help me to be like that.)

So, I have been asking God to show me areas where I am complaining and ungrateful. I want to be aware that it is an affront to Him when I am constantly complaining.
Things I thought about today that I find myself complaining over:
-sometimes stuff at church
-my house being a wreck
-something Rod did or didn't do
-finances
-extended family issues
-where would God have me in ministry
-gas prices
-grocery prices
-sometimes I find myself complaining about how hard it is being a stay at home mom.
-my health

The bottom line is...I complain instead of pray and it show my lack of contentment in the Lord. Not only that it drains me to complain...it just sucks my will to live. I have been reading about the Israelites in Numbers 11 and Psalm 106. I have written on this so many times but they forgot the things God had done for them and grumbled and complained until they aroused the anger of the Lord. He sent wasting diseases on them and also gave them their requests and sent leanness into their souls. It is only going to be a work of the Spirit that we get this complaining attitude to bow at the feet of Jesus and be thankful. Let's remember the Awesome things the Lord has done and think bigger of the God of the Universe. He is so Holy, so Faithful, so able to meet our needs. I am so convicted of how fast pace life gets and how we as a society take little time to think on the greatness of God because it is uncomfortable. We don't like to hear that we need to change for our good and His glory. I look back at some of the writings of Spurgeon and Tozer and I am blown away at their thoughts of God and how vast and awesome they were. I want to stop the fast pace and think and share like they did.

Psalm 141
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Let it be our prayer that God would change our hearts and that we would live in step with the spirit and only say what is helpful for building others up. Let the fruit of our lips be righteousness and blessing. I can't tell you how many times I have had to cry out like Isaiah in Isa. ch 6 Woe is me I am ruined...I am a man of unclean lips...and I live among a people of unclean lips. It is a work in progress but the Lord wants to change our hearts so we can bear much fruit...fruit that lasts.

Luke 6
44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

ps....I have been tested a lot today on this very material. Don't you love how the word digs down deep and exposes our thoughts and intentions. Oh that His grace would abound more and more. I need it.

Collective Writings from the Books of A.W. Tozer

The Set of the Sail

Chapter #2

The Power of Silence

Listening to God before We Speak for Him

Holy men of soberer and quieter times than ours knew well the power of silence. David said, I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue. There is a tip here for God's modern prophets. The heart seldom gets hot while the mouth is open. A closed mouth before God and a silent heart are indispensable for the reception of certain kinds of truth. No man is qualified to speak who has not first listened. It might well be a wonderful revelation to some Christians if they were to get completely quiet for a short time, long enough, let us say, to get acquainted with their own souls, and to listen in the silence for the deep voice of the Eternal God. The experience, if repeated often enough, would do more to cure our ulcers than all the pills that ever rolled across a desk.

Prayer

Father, may I be a friend to stillness. May I be a listener to You before daring to speak for You. In Jesus' name.

Scripture

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
— John 10:27

Thought

The Good Shepherd speaks and His sheep listen to His voice. Some of us sheep are too busy "baaing" to listen to the Great Shepherd.

Check out my Slide Show!

Guilt

Oh please if you have ever struggled with guilt GO and listen to these sermons when you have time by Dr. Erwin Lutzer. I love him so.
CLICK HERE and listen to all four parts.

Also, this passage goes along with it as you listen.
Zechariah 3

Tell me what you think even if it is anonymous.

GUESS WHAT!!!!

THIS SIESTA IS GOING TO SAN ANTONIO AFTER ALL...TO MEET WITH THE LORD AND ALL MY GIRLS!!! YAY GOD!