My Baby Boy!

RODERICK "BLAIR" WILLIAMS, JR.

It wouldn't be fitting if I didn't introduce my little guy to you! He has totally stolen my heart! The Lord is so wise and I am so thankful for the opportunity to steward this baby boy! I could seriously eat him up. I am so thankful that the Lord gives us such depth of emotion because I would rather open my heart wide and drink deep of the love, pain, and vulnerability of life than close myself off because of the fear that comes with it all. I didn't think it possible to love another one like my Morgs, but the Lord proved me wrong. Let me tell you the boy is a pistol!
He was born at 39 weeks on July 28th (I think...haha) at 2:21am. He weighed 8 lbs and 4 oz. I couldn't believe it! I am so thankful he is FINALLY here! I was pregnant for like 2 years! We were worried Morgs would be jealous but she is as taken with him as we are!
He scared us to death at birth! They lost his vitals because of my mitral valve issues. My blood pressure and heart rate tanked and they had to take me to the O.R. and get him out as fast as possible. Rod didn't even get to come back there and I was completely under when I had him. So thankful that the One who watches over Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps watches over me and my life is in His hands. I remember asking the doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologist if he was going to be OK and they could offer me no reassurance. They only told me that they were worried about me and had to take care of me first. So thankful they were putting me to sleep as soon as they told me they didn't know about him. Praise God he was fine but the little stinker decided he wasn't going to try to breathe on his own so he received oxygen for 8 minutes and was headed to the NICU. He came home with us after our stay and he is doing great! We love him so!

My Grandmother

LILLIAN AVARA (BECKY) HARRIS

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HARRIS, LILLIAN AVARA (BECKY) Lillian Avara (Becky) Harris of Birmingham died July 19 following a lengthy illness. She attended St Mary's Episcopal School in Sewanee, TN and was a graduate of Ramsay High School. Prior to her retirement she and her husband spent several years in music ministry. She worked as a decorator and was a volunteer rape response counselor and Red Cross disaster volunteer. After retiring she enjoyed traveling, gardening, Bible study her dogs Lillie and Bridget, and attended St Mark's Roman Catholic Church. Lill was predeceased by her husband of thirty-nine years, Skip Harris and great-grandchild Shelby Hope Williams. Survivors include daughters Temple Wells (Glenn) of Trussville; Leslie Schmidt (Bob) of Destin, FL; sons Skip Harris, Jr. (Vickie) of Hoover; Blake Harris (Kellie) of Tuscaloosa; sisters Nancy Gillis of Alabaster and Cindy Felis of Boynton, OK; thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Celebration of her life will be August 27, 11:00a.m., at St Mark the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 7340 Cahaba Valley Road. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to United for Life Foundation, P. O. Box 745, Fairfield, AL 35064.

James 4:14

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

I have been meaning to write for a while and to say things in my life have been busy is an understatement!

My grandmother, affectionately known as GiGi (which to her stood for gorgeous grandmother. She felt she was too young to be called grandmother with the southern drawl that we pronounced it with. It went graaaaannnd mutherrrrr in really loud tones when we would call for her...so she changed it to GiGi). Morgan never quite figured out who she was and just called her "Aunt GiGi" but I know she appreciated aunt instead of grandmother.

She went to be with Jesus on July 19th 2011. I have spent a lot of time pondering over her life and the years spent with her especially when we were younger and my mom was divorced. Her, my granddad, and uncles were the family that we knew and were raised up with. The Lord used them in so many ways to provide for us. I just moved a couple of weeks ago and it has really given me perspective when it comes to "stuff". This life is just blowing by and so many of the things we pour ourselves so relentlessly into just don't matter. The here and now matters for all of eternity but am I pouring my life out like a drink offering for Christ or am I just living for me and my stuff? It is so sobering to think that if the Lord tarries that we will be having my funeral and as the Lord receives me into Glory, I will take nothing with me.

There is so much more to say but with a four week old and moving...I am about to pass out. My grandmothers funeral is tomorrow so I am going to go and spend some time with Jesus and head to bed before my night shift with Blair starts!

=)

My Sweet Baby Girl-SIX years OLD

So, I am a month late on this post but better late than never. My poor child is going to have an electronic baby book haha! No, but birthdays are sort of a big deal to me! My birthday is the week before Christmas and I always felt like I was jipped. Most kids were out of school and on Christmas vacation and I also have a twin so take whatever modest gift she and I were going to get and split that in half. Then, I always loved how my grandparents would come out and give Holly and I a little bday something and then Heather our sister that was 16 months older, she got something too. But hey that's water under the bridge! I couldn't do much for Morgans bday this year since I was confined to the bed. We had a small family water party at our house and of course Rod thought it was ghetto but it was all I could do.

Here were the favors:


Morgan before bed. I love that little stinker!


Her shirt that she wore for all of 5 minutes!


Her cake and her favorite person in the world "Aunt Steph"

Rod and I took her to see the new Cars Movie on her bday. I think Rod liked it the best even though it was packed with political agenda. We then took her to Justice and the Olive Garden.



We have been a tad busy around here. We are moving this coming Monday and having a baby boy! I can tell where Morgan is finally starting to get excited about a brother. I am excited with a mixture of terror at the thoughts of being responsible for a little soul. I need the Lord to help me and fill me with the one I've got now. I so want them to follow the Lord.

Well, on to Morgan. She is still QUEEN of what is left of my heart.
She finished K-5 this year and she loved school. I am thinking she may be like me when it comes to that.

One thing I got to really see about her this year is what a tender heart she has. I told her some stories about when I was little and didn't have a snack in 3rd grade and how my friend Tiffany would share some of her honey bun with me. It meant so much. So she set out all year to make sure that every kid in her class had a snack! It really blessed me. I even got to watch her do some hard things. There was a little girl in her class that she did not care for and we would pack her an extra snack but Morgan did not want to give it to her. She gave it to her anyway and I was thankful to see her do what was right, even if it wasn't easy for that little, then, five year old self.

That girl still doesn't sleep and we sure had our share of health issues this year but oh are we blessed!

Morgan has decided that she is going to Auburn to cheer and be a fashionista! I will be so interested to see how those plans change!

She has given me a time this year with attitude as well. We have to go over who the boss is all of the time.

I can already see God birthing gifts in Morgs. She loves missions and has such a heart for the poor. She wants to give and give. I just hope if she gets into missions that she does it next to her momma. It is just neat to see this little precious person grow up before the Lord and as hard as some days are I just pray I am doing a good job with her.

I can't thank God enough for her! Such an undeserved blessing. Lord help me, and fill me as I seek to raise this baby child! I love You for allowing me to love her Jesus.

LILLIAN AVARA (BECKY) HARRIS Obituary: View LILLIAN HARRIS's Obituary by The Birmingham News

my grandmother's obituary

LILLIAN AVARA (BECKY) HARRIS Obituary: View LILLIAN HARRIS's Obituary by The Birmingham News

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

As someone who is in the word everyday and has been for the last 13 years I can tell you what I am guilty of...I am guilty of knowing what to do, listening to the word, and then not following through with the obedience part. Ouch. So that is why I picked this as my memory verse for the next couple of weeks. Lord give us hearts of obedience!!

Things Aren't Always What They Seem...

Let's face it we live in a world where Satan is the prince of the Masquerade Ball. If there is deception, that little worm is behind it. If there is a lie, he is the one that came up with it. He is a liar and when he speaks he speaks his native language...lies. We can rest assured that the Lord is truth and in Him there is absolutely no darkness or change and no lie comes from the truth so in this masquerade ball of life we have got to be intentional and, as Morgan says, "take up our swords!"
1 John 2:21
(NIV1984)
21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.


Are you being lied to right now?
Are you the one lying?

God's word is true and we will each reap what we sow. If you know me at all you know that I can kill a plant almost by looking at it. Well, this year we decided to plant some tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, sunflowers, and marigolds. Now seriously, when I planted those I prayed and prayed that the Lord would show off and make those things grow. I about died when I went outside and saw little sprouts from the seeds yours truly had planted. Morgan would call her dad or aunt outside and say, "do you want to see something that will make your day, praise the Lord?" as she would show our little plants growing. We literally just speak out His praises over those flowers and vegetables...they make us so happy. Tonight she told me that she was listening to her dad talk to his brother on the phone and that her dad was giving his brother advice on their tomatoes. She said "mom, I really just don't think they are praying over their tonatoes (tomatoes...but that is how she says it)!"

My point is that we are so blessed and thankful for the tangible things that are growing in our yard, however I have definitely taken some seeds of destruction at times in my own life and planted them and they surely came up and produced a crop of something (usually havoc) in my life. Yet I praise God for His mercy in not treating me as my sins deserve but I sure have learned from the discipline that I received as consequences of my own destructive choices. Most of our predicaments or pits that we get stuck in don't happen over night. Just like literal planting, things take time and effort to grow. I can look back and certain seasons in my life and see where sin was pleasurable to me for a time. Why? Because I was being deceived. When we are deceiving others and deceiving ourselves we are being deceived. Something is masquerading itself proclaiming to be the thing that we think we need to feel alive. Remember 2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
And that is my point...whatever is luring you in right now that you know good and well is going to reap destruction in your life is not really what it seems. You may think a little here and a little there won't hurt you but it will have it's way with you and snowball all over your life if you don't stop and turn from it. At whatever cost take whatever that thing is and confess it before God. As one who knows, there is freedom in bringing your junk before the Lord and asking Him to rid you of the toxic lure to it, the desire for it, the burning passion you feel for it. He already knows. Ask Him to be your one consuming passion and desire. Take it one day at a time but take those lies to Him and expose them with the truth of His word. The enemy wants to deceive you, bait you, trap you, ruin your testimony, and destroy you and your family. He is hard at it and taking out casualties every day. Let that make you mad. Just like the idols all in the old testament and this verse found in Isaiah 44:20 He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

Is it not so easy with the enemy being the prince of this world and everything being geared to indoctrinate people with delusions and lies to become so easily deluded? To have a heart/mind that is just flat out delusional? Do you know any delusional people? I sure do! I know some people that I feel sorry for but almost can't be around because everything is a facade and delusion that comes out of their mouth. Instead of them ever just dealing with things head on they are straight up eating ashes from the life they have burned down around them. Yet they will try to convince you and everyone else around them that they are perfect people, with perfect little lives and all the while their mouth is black from the ashes spilling out. They have lied to themselves for so long in an effort to have some self-respect and the fact is no one is buying it but them. It gets straight up repulsive! It doesn't have to be like that for us. The Lord is all about rebuilding and us repenting and us rededicating ourselves to Him. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The thing is we aren't going to get away with our lies when it comes to Him. He hates lies (proverbs 6) because of the author of those lies. We can't pull the wool over God...praise Him! I am so glad we can't fool Him. When we come, we need to come clean and we will be washed in the blood and forgiven. There is such freedom in repentance. One thing is for sure we will have to acknowledge that the thing we have a death grip on in our right hand...whatever it is you know what your holding on to...we will have to expose it and call it a lie.

Don't you think a lot of us become disillusioned with life on account of what we may feel are unmet needs and maybe they have turned into bitterness? We in some way feel like someone or maybe even God didn't give us what we thought we needed or so desperately wanted? So we justify and rationalize sin away because somehow life was supposed to be different and we got a raw deal?

(TO BE CONTINUED...T.M.I. but I am sick throwing up. ;( )

Easter 2011

Some pics from Morgans Easter where she got up at 2 am! whew!

Truth Lord!

2 Thess. 2:9-10
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (emphasis mine)

I have literally been bug-eyed in the word of God this week. I am talking edge of my seat stuff. I shake my head as I study and think of how many people think the bible is just a historical document that is not relevant. When I tell you that it has been time spent in the Word that has changed me and snatched me from the flames... I am not even kidding. I've been in the back half of Daniel where it gets in to a lot of apocalyptic events and eschatology (things revealed and the study of end time events) and even though I have studied it in some depth several times, this time is different. I have found myself ticked off over the enemy trampling the saints underfoot and thought over and over how he is solely out to destroy believers and try to steal glory that belongs to God alone. It has ticked me off thinking about the times that I have fallen prey to his schemes. I even felt a strong fire in my bones over believers everywhere, praying for us to have a passion and love for truth so that we may stand firm and patiently endure as well as get our stinking eyes off of ourselves and on to the unseen war being waged before us. It has become apparent to me that if the word of God doesn't seem to readily apply to us then we refuse to study it and forfeit the greater blessing (as evidenced by popular mainstream "so called" Christian media). I am by no means a scholar however it makes me so mad when people are led astray by false doctrines and held captive to old wives tales and superstitions. The Spirit of God can make us smarter than we are (glory to God) and we need to wise up and know who God is through His word for ourselves. We are truly without excuse in this age of technology. I would venture to say we have a problem more with laziness and complacency in our walk with God and as a majority we seem to be in some sort of stupor spiritually speaking. We have got to wise up to the schemes of the enemy and to the wisdom of God.
For two or so weeks I have just been astonished with the courtroom scene in Daniel where the "Ancient of Days" takes His seat. I am reminded that He will avenge even though He is patient and not easily angered. There is nothing that escapes His sight and nothing will be left undone. I am so comforted that He has the final word and will destroy satan with His very breath. He will blow on that scrawny coward that is surely more powerful than our own strength....but not to Him. Any sin that is not covered by His blood will be avenged and I do take comfort in that.
I am amazed yet again as I see how God's word was given to Daniel and John http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe Revelator and how history has fulfilled the word given to them beforehand. It is truly mind boggling and builds up my faith. Then, I have been mad over certain books that have come out with some new vision of heaven or whatever. I am not saying that one couldn't get one but I think we need to be wary of any new revelation that doesn't come from scripture. I also wonder why people can write these books when these dramatic visions are in scripture and the recipients literally fell down as dead when they received them. Daniel was horrified and perplexed, Paul was not even permitted to tell certain things and John fell down as dead. I hope someone is with me on what I am trying to say.
My point in all of this is that we will indeed perish (spiritually speaking) either by wasting our life that we are given here or destroying ourselves from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
With my hormones going nuts from pregnancy I will be the first to admit that I have had to cry out for a hunger for God's word. If you read my journal you would see me asking God to give me a love for His word. I can promise you that is His will. Not to puff us up but for us to know Him and delight ourselves in Him. Our hearts and minds are havoc without truth. Look at how inundated we are with flat out garbage. I also shake my head at the time I have personally wasted that I could have taken to know Him more. So I encourage you to ask Him for a love and hunger for His presence.

Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

The enemy is out to deceive us and deceive the lost that they may not come to the knowledge of the truth. Please let it make you mad. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and I into all truth...however we can refuse the truth that is able to save us. No matter what let us cry out for truth in what is seemingy a perverse generation. Let us not harden our own hearts and so delude ourselves. In this life and in eternity may the cry of our heart be TRUTH!

Pregnancy Update and Prayer Requests

I did want to pass a long a quick update on a few this and ask for prayer requests just to let you know where I am at.
1. I am getting in to the crucial part of my pregnancy. I am 20 weeks and sort of what I would call a make or break point in my pregnancy. I really need to at least make it to 26 weeks with no drama. PLEASE pray for that. If the baby started to come in the next few weeks he would not make it. Please pray for no labor pains and pray that I will rest. I have been resting a lot but I need to be really serious at this point.
2. On another note, I have had something close to home that has been stressful to me lately. I don't even need that kind of stress right now at all. The last 2 times I went into premature labor I was literally under the gun with stress. 3. Also, if I do have to go to the hospital for my bedrest please pray that it will be when morgan gets out of school for the summer.

Thanks in advance for your prayers!!!!! LOVE,

Do Not Despair

Isaiah 61

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,^a]">[a]
² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. ⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.


All of us come to a crossroad in our lives maybe it is a time in the past, or something you are currently battling where you look back and think thoughts like: man I really blew it, I am marked, I will never be used of God again, His grace is enough for some people but I am the one that missed the mark where grace is concerned. Life is flat out hard and can be nasty at times. Sin can just heap up and make us feel as if we are damaged goods if we don't view our past/present sins in light of the cross. Yes if we look at our ability to be good or forgive and etc we are doomed left to our self. We have to put our hope in the cross. The fact that while our sin may have deep and lasting repercussions that God truly took our sins and hurled them into the depths of the sea. He was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world and took our blemishes, our sins, and nailed them to the cross. If you live in the evangelical world that I live in this can become so cliche. I just know though that someone like myself needs to place their confidence in this, "that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6)

When you are tempted to give into the lie that the Lord is done with you or that you can't be used you have got to settle that with the enemy or he will continue to shoot those fiery arrows at the place where you should be putting up your shield of faith to extinguish those arrows. Your hope and confidence has to be on God and His ability to forgive and restore not how you feel or what you have done. Yes learn from your past sin and failure but do not let it turn to despair. In Christ we have hope and with Him is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. I love (and I do not want to take this out of context in anyway but Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61) that the Lord will take those who have truly grieved and mourned over their sins and bring us to a place of restoration where He gives us a new place to stand and puts a new song in our hearts and bestows on you and I a crown of beauty instead of ashes. You may feel like life's circumstances and failures have just burned down around you leaving only ashes that you heap on yourself in mourning and you feel covered by the stench and everyone including you can smell it but the LORD puts a crown on your head, gives you the oil of gladness instead of mourning and adorns your precious self with a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. If we still have breath the Lord still has purpose for us. Can we miss our callings...yes. Lets take the bull by the horns and believe God until we breathe our last breath. Lets choose to believe in our merciful Lord and may He give us the courage to stand on the Rock of His word and let whatever grievous things in the past teach us that His word was true all along and may it lead us to a greater fear and reverence and deep love for the Lord. Let's use what we have learned to turn back and strengthen the brethren. Whatever we do let's not give into despair. He knows the plans He has for us, plans for hope and a future.

If I could yell it from a mega phone to the weary person that needs to hear it I would know this... (Hebrews 12:11-13)¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³ “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Believe God for His redemption. He is enough for you and me. Whatever discipline we have received may have not been pleasant but painful...but let's not let it go to waste. Let it produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Don't give up and don't give in.

The Lord loves you and longs for you to come to Him so He can have compassion on you. You are precious in His sight.

HERE is a devo that my friend made sure I read yesterday. It is so good. I hope it speaks to you!

Morgan discussing why she hates st patricks day

This is my child discussing why she hates st. patricks day. I use the term hate loosely because of course she doesn't know what it is but it is hilarious because we sometimes use Bon Qui Qui phrases around here and she says I will punch you if you pinch me on this holiday. We are not mean spirited so please just get the humor! haha excuse my chuckling!

Ace ventura morgan style

Morgan repeating a scene in Ace Ventura...she has NEVER seen the movie I just taught this to her. hahahaha

iPod Touch 4th Generation Won't Sync

I was having problems getting my iTouch to sync. First, I prayed about it because I have no clue what to do and have messed with it before and did not want to take it to the apple store. So, I went through some settings and figured out that I had apparently uninstalled Bonjour Windows. I reinstalled it and restarted my computer and it worked! Hope it helps anyone who has the same problem.

Update on Joanne

Here is the latest update on Joanne for those of you who have been praying. Also, I included a link on my blog to her site if you are interested in keeping up and praying.

He Meets Our Needs

1 Kings 17: ² Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. ⁴ You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.”





Since my blog has been so pathetic as of late, I feel updates are in order! This pic of Morgan cracks me up! She loves VBS (vacation bible school) and this years theme as far as baptists go is "The Big Apple". She is already a tad high maintenance and she has requested that I take her to Hollywood and New York for certain birthdays. When she saw this attire at Lifeway she about fell out because she really thought for VBS this year that she was headed to New York! Love her!
I can't even begin to articulate the depth of my love for this precious one. The joy and blessing she brings to our hearts can't even be measured. One thing about her momma is that I loved, LOVED, LOVED me some VBS. I grew up in a small little town and I mapped out just about every VBS in town and had my mom or dad drop me and my sisters off. They always took us and I am sure with 5 kids in my family that the break was welcomed.
I remember eating those cheap vanilla cookies, the kind with cream in the middle, and drinking fruit punch and making crafts. Those times at VBS were so fun. I helped lead it at my church 2 years ago and I am not knocking it but it is so planned out with activities that the kids in my opinion don't have time to breathe or think about what they are doing before they are on to the next thing. I thought about how scheduled and programmed we are and was reminded of how simple yet fun it was for me to go to those little tiny country churches and learn about Jesus.


Next, is this little precious one Blair. I realize that I may have two people that read this that are not on my facebook and do not know that I am pregnant. Here is the latest shot of baby Blair. I feel a little nuts for starting over after 6 years because that is what we will be doing. However, we knew good and well with my horrible pregnancies that we could not try to have another child until Morgan was in school since I have to do the whole bed rest thing. I am excited and terrified! I can't imagine there being any more love in my heart to go around or parenting another child since it is such a HUGE responsibility. I know the Lord will show up on my behalf and in my weakness.

On another note...I am so sick right now with the flu. I have not felt this bad in a while. It always makes me thankful for my health when I feel this way. I am one that CAN NOT sleep with fever so here I am.

I don't know what my deal is lately but I have been reading a lot of commentaries when I study the bible and the more I read the more I realize how much I have to learn. So, it has held me back in a way because I don't want to go writing about something in the Word that is just mere opinion on my part. Yet I realize that I still have to keep sharing and pray that my words fall to the ground if they are not in line with the Word of God. So lately I have just felt a little more desperate for Jesus than usual. I need Him so much and I desperately long to live in His presence. Tonight I felt as if I were Elijah (figuratively speaking) in 1 Kings 17 were he was ordered to go and hide by the Brook of Kerith. We know that Elijah faced depression of discouragement or maybe he was just flat worn out and the Lord told him what to do and attended to his physical needs. Don't for a second miss the miraculous in this passage. The Lord orders Ravens to feed Elijah! Can you just imagine? Instead of the pizza guy showing up at the door some birds show up to bring him "bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening". Here he is hiding out yet he is not for one second hidden from the Lord. The one who commands the wind and the waves commanded the ravens on Elijah's behalf.

HE KNOWS OUR NEED.

There have been many times in my life where I just seem to be exhausting myself yet not with a lot of purpose and the Lord is like enough Jenny...and I am then made to lie down in green pastures. The Lord leads His own by still waters. Elijah was hiding and drinking by a brook which is a small stream. He needed some time where there was no turbulence, a time where God could tend to his real physical need for rest. If you look down a few verses in this passage you will see there was a time for him to recoup and then a time for him to get back up and stand on his two feet so the Lord allowed the brook he was drinking from to dry up.

So what got me thinking about this? Morgan brought me a bible study workbook and she got one for her as well. I had already done this one multiple times but she said, "mom, let's do Daniel again...it's my favorite." She is so funny because of course she is 5 1/2 and has not actually done Daniel. ha! Yet, in such a real way I knew that the LORD used her as my own little raven to bring my what I so desperately needed in the Word. He used her to feed me with some manna from heaven. Some meat and bread!

In all things the LORD knows the way that I take and I am so thankful that He is our portion in the land of the living. He is what we long for, what we need. I pray that if you are weary or broken in spirit that you will take time out to let the Lord tend to your needs and the real issues of your heart. We are so wonderfully complex and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Let us entrust ourselves to the One who is faithful and to The Answer to our deepest needs.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2011

I am so thrilled to be memorizing scripture together with 8,000 plus women and I am sure a few men!
If you are not familiar, we memorized scripture together in 2009 and praise God we are at it for 2011! His Word truly is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens. The grass will wither...the flowers will fade but the Word of God stands forever. Long after we pass from this earth His Word remains. What He says has to happen because it is impossible for God to lie. He is NOT a man that He should lie! Praise God in a world of lies where the devil is the prince of this world He is truth and that truth stands out like a beacon of light on a dark stormy night. Light always exposes darkness and we desperately need truth to stand firm in this present age. I am a mess without it and I am sure you are to.
Over the last 12 years I would say I have been fervently memorizing the Word and it truly abides. It will not be wasted. I have had scripture come up from the recesses of my soul that I didn't even remember I memorized...yet the Holy Spirit would bring it to mind years later.
I am so pumped about the new FREE app for your Ipad or Itouch or Iphone. Check it out HERE to learn more about it!

Prayer for Joanne Heim

Matthew 8:8
⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Well, this post is sadly overdue. I wanted to jump on real quick and ask for prayer for a precious Siesta (an endearment for sister in Christ) Joanne Heim and her family. Joanne suffered a stroke a few hours ago and has a blood clot on her brain. Her daughter found her unresponsive. The latest I heard she is in surgery in Colorado. Y'all life really can change so quickly. It really puts things in perspective. She is only 38 with two girls and her husband Toben.

I was just calling out to God and found myself asking Him different ways He could heal her. I just went ahead and went past the doctors and said of course He could just say the word and she would be healed. Or He could dispatch and angel from His Throne to do His bidding. Or He could just be the hands of those doctors. I know no matter what, He will be glorified through Joanne because that is just who she is.


Life is brutal but God is good. Love and prayers. Please be lifting Joanne up in prayer and ask God to teach you to number your days aright that you may gain a heart of wisdom. That is my prayer.


Psalm 62 ¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.

Part of My Story

This was my response to Beth Moores "Talk to me Tuesday" (regarding a time that I went through of prayer and needing faith in a situation where I did not know what to do but seek God) but I thought it worth sharing:

If I could post a picture of my journal from 2001 on here I would but the picture of that journal is forever etched in my mind. I focus a lot better when I pray in writing. A lot of my journals need to be thrown straight into the fire place. That particular one is a rock of remembrance. I moved out when I was 18 yrs old. Nothing like trying to support yourself and hanging on by the skin of your teeth... that won't make you feel a little desperate. I will say I have had that gift of desperation for God, my Father, for years now. I found a wonderful singles ministry at the church I still attend 12 years later and I began teaching Sunday school at 19 (probably had no business doing that one). Nothing has marked me like the word of God. Nothing.

Anyway, nothing makes you realize you are in a crisis to be married like being around a bunch of discontented single women (not everyone who is single is that way). The thought never occurred to me that I may not marry one day...until I was in the singles. Don't get me wrong we totally wrestled with being content in whatever circumstance. Anyway, I had total co-dependency issues from looking for love in all the wrong places and already a pretty good history stacked up (yes even at 18). So, I begin a gut-wrenching process of heart surgery from the age of 21-22 of having (instead of "No Other Gods") "no other man" but Jesus in my life. Jesus didn't need to know I could be secure without a man...I did. I would never cooperate with Him until I prayed one day that I would have complete anxiety when I was outside of His will. I am not suggesting that the Lord gives us anxiety but we are right to have a lack of peace when we are flipping out in disobedience. So, the bone deep agony of anxiety led me to complete surrender in the man department. I really thought it would kill me. For so long a relationship had defined me. I felt a loss of my person if I was not in one. I would have one guy lined up as soon as I dumped the other...and sometimes both at the same time. I didn't care who I hurt and most of all I didn't ever feel that I was hurting me. Not when I could move on to someone else without feeling the pain of loss from the previous relationship. Pain masking at its best. Anyway, I seriously quit manipulating. Even down to the way I dressed. As I died to myself I found out that I no longer had to take on the persona of who I dated. It is tough making yourself a chameleon to whoever you are with. I was finally free to be who I was made to be in Christ.
So, back to the journal...I had dated a guy (named Rod Williams...wink wink) in the Singles before I went on this year long journey with God and before I was up to my same old tactics...it was just so much a part of me. Well, before that cooperation with the Lord...Rod was already on to me and was not about to have any more to do with me. It is a powerful thing, when living in the flesh, to feel like you have set out to get a guy and you get him and then move on...yet it really bruises the ego when they are just done and onto your game. I know some people know exactly what I am talking about. So, Rods heart was literally hard toward me. Besides going to church with him I had no contact with him. Toward the end of that year my feelings were strong for him...yet in my mind there was no way he would ever have anything to do with me. I began to pray and ask God to change the desire of my heart. I didn't want to like him if that wasn't Gods plan. The desire never went away. I would beg God and remind Him that I was delighting myself in Him and that He would make my desires His if I did that. I couldn't take it anymore so I got a little bold in my prayers...yet I believe God prompted it. Rod was never one to have out of bounds relationships so I prayed for the Lord to put something on my heart to pray about the situation so I would know if my desires were His. Instead of obsessing over my feelings for Rod I would pray for him daily. I even prayed the Praying Gods word "unforgiveness" prayers because I felt rejected by him...haha! Anyway, Rod and I never talked on the phone or anything and before work one day I prayed in that journal that if he was the man I was going to marry that we would have a phone conversation and I would know that he was the one. So, toward the end of the day I was at work and Rod emailed me asking me to call him when I got home from work. I will never forget it and sometimes I need to be reminded of it...esp early on in the marriage when we both wondered why we ever got married in the first place! Needless to say I ran on the treadmill for an hour before I called him that day. I was so nervous. When he called, he said he really wanted to give dating a try again.
The rest as they say is history.
It did me good to tell this story...to remind myself how faithful the Lord is to me. I really do love him (rod)...even if he is not the prince on the white horse that will one day come for me.