It is finished.

We are finally done celebrating Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute of it, but I am glad it is done. We took our tree down yesterday but we are going to keep some of the decorations up for a while. Mostly the snowmen stuff. I love the snow, so I guess this just makes me feel like winter even though there isn't any snow on the ground here. Today, I am working on getting my house put back from the holidays. We had to move all of our furniture around to get the tree up. So, today, everything is going back so our house works for us again and is not as cluttered. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I am looking forward to a fantastic new year!

One more to go!

One of the exciting things about our family is that we get to celebrate Christmas four times every year. One with Tim's Mom, one with Tim's Dad, one with my parents and one with just our family. We spread it out over a week because with three kids it is just too much to get everywhere and celebrate with everyone in two days. Tomorrow is our last celebration with my family and I am so excited. Christmas day was fun and exciting and I am glad it is over. Today we are watching the movies we got yesterday and it is so relaxing. I had the privilege of putting together all of the toys for my boys last night after dinner and it went late into the evening. Our oldest son got a castle made out of foam and it took me over 4 hours to put it all together, but it was so rewarding today to see him get so excited that it was put together so he could play with it today. It is fun watching your kids grow up and watch them change from year to year. Our youngest son got a little baseball bat in his stocking and he hasn't' put it down other than to go to bed. He is so excited about that little bat. It is only about a foot long, just his size since he is only 22 months old, and he wouldn't even put it down to unwrap any other gifts yesterday morning. It was too cute. So, today is relaxing and then tomorrow is the last of our Christmas celebrations for this year. Then the tree will come down and we will get ready for the new year. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the new year!

Christmas Eve

Today is an exciting day for me. I get to bake goodies with my kids who are 6, 4, and almost 2, so you can imagine the fun this is going to be. I went to the store yesterday to get all the ingredients along with everything else we will be eating for the next week. What craziness! The kids were in bed when I got home, but all day yesterday they kept talking about making cookies. We are going to our church for a service at 4:30 and then headed over to my father-n-laws house to celebrate with the rest of my husbands family. It will be fun, we eat lots of food, play games and the kids open gifts. Then we come home and get ready for Christmas morning. The kids are so excited. I was remembering one Christmas morning my sister and I got up and to our surprise we found that Santa had left tracks from the fireplace to the tree. It was soooooo cool to wake up and see evidence other than presents that Santa had been there. We were just so shocked. Later, when I found out about Santa, I was talking to my Mom about the tracks left by Santa. She was so upset with my Dad for doing that. Evidently the soot didn't come out of the carpet very well and she cleaned that carpet many times before it looked clean again. Just another fun childhood memory. I can't wait to make a new memory this Christmas with my kids and family. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday to Jesus!

This time of year.

I love this time of year. Everything about it. I love finding that perfect gift for that special someone. I love spending extra time with my family and friends. I love the music. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus, my Lord and King. It seems like most people are happier this time of year too and more friendly. I love the snow, when we get it. For the first time I have all of my shopping done and most of them wrapped too. Last year was the first year we stayed home on Christmas day. We really enjoyed it so we decided that we are not going anywhere on Christmas day as long as we can. My parents stopped by last year, and I hope they are able to stop by again this year. Friends of ours are empty-nesters this year and so we have invited them over for Christmas dinner. I am so excited. I can't wait. I feel like a little girl again, waiting in anticipation for Christmas eve, so I can look out my window late at night to see if I see the red glow of Rudolph's nose headed to my house. I have so many special memories of this time of year maybe as the week goes on I will share some of them. My prayer is I am able to explain and show my children how Christmas isn't really about getting but about giving. So, I hope everyone has a GREAT Tuesday, and have fun getting ready for the birth of our Savior - Jesus Christ!

Confession

Monday morning I woke up to discover that my cold had come back. I tried all day not to let it affect me, but in the end it did. Monday evening at my class I learned about changing my circumstances. About not dwelling in them and accepting what the enemy has brought against me, or whispered into my ears, but to move forward and to change them. Anyway, this week, even though I have not felt good at all, I have not let that stop me with my house work. So today, I exploded! I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it was going down hill fast. I began to grumble and complain about my circumstances, about not feeling good, and still having to do everything myself like there was nobody else here in my house. Well, my good friend directed me back to a note she sent me earlier this week. About how grumbling and complaining is against Him, God Himself, and we will take our families into the wilderness with the grumbling and complaining. I share this to say, I quickly changed my words and my attitude toward my day and circumstances. Shortly after talking with my friend, the atmosphere in my house was better because I took my focus off of me and my situation and focused on Him, the one who created me and won't give me anything I can't handle. So, thank you my friend, and thank you Jesus for loving me so much - I love you too!

The Good Shepherd

It has been a few days since I posted last and I wanted to share a couple of things that I heard this past weekend at my church. My pastor shared some statistics with us and one of them really saddened me. Only 2% of people who call themselves Christians actually share their faith consistently. That surprised me when he shared that with us on Sunday. I hope that I do not fall into that 2%. His message was talking about a shepherd's heart from Luke 2:8-20, and that is what I want to share. "A shepherd's heart is faithful. A shepherd's heart is expectant. A shepherd's heart is infectious and a shepherd's heart is humble." I have been searching my heart wondering if I am faithful, am I doing what the Lord wants me to be doing? Am I expectant, am I expecting more gifts this season or more of Jesus? Am I infectious, am I sharing my faith with others consistently? The Christ I don't share is the Christ I don't keep. Am I humble? Moses and David are two old testament leaders who were shepherds, and Jesus referred to Himself as the good shepherd. My prayer today is that I can be a shepherd for Jesus Christ and consistently share who He is in my life and what He is doing, because He is doing so much for me and I am so thankful He would humble Himself to come to this earth, and die for my sins and I didn't even have to ask Him.

How exciting!

What an exciting week. First I was healed on Monday evening. Then on Wednesday I found out the county I live in was granted permanency for our youngest son so now we can proceed in adopting him. And then tonight my daughter has a Christmas concert and she is so excited. Our families are coming to the church to watch her and I am so excited for her. Then tomorrow, I get to go out on a date with my husband. We are dropping the kids off in the early afternoon and we have the rest of the day into the evening to spend time together, get some dinner and finish our Christmas shopping. I am so excited and blessed to have friends and family who cares for me. I praise God for them everyday and can't imagine my life with out any of them. I also want to say congratulations to Terri for winning the candle raffle! I know she will enjoy the candles!

It is the last day...

Hurry on over to Raising Up Gods Children's blog and enter in the raffle for a chance to win some incredible candles. Just in time for Christmas too! I have seen them and smelled them and they are GREAT candles! The address is http://www.raisingupgodschildren.blogspot.com/ and it is only $5.00 to enter, what a deal! Don't wait too long because today is the last day. Have a blessed day and I can't wait to see who wins!

A New Me!

I just have to Praise the Lord today. I have had a headache since I woke up on Friday. Sunday morning I woke up and not only did my head hurt but I had a terrible pain behind my right eye. Monday I woke up and I thought my head was going to pop. It hurt so bad that my teeth hurt. So I was taking medicine and resting most of the day Monday. Monday evenings I am taking a class about supernatural signs and wonders of the Lord. Through this class, the Lord is teaching me to go to the next level with Him. Some things He is showing me is easy and many things are difficult for me. Anyway, I tell you that to say that I really didn't want to miss my class, so I went. I am so glad I did too. I have been sensing an oppression for about 2 weeks and trying to figure out if it is me or just the Lord showing me things I have been praying for. The pastors of the class and majority of the class has been feeling this way too. So last night we had a night of worship and ministering to each other. It was incredible. The Lord was moving in ways that I can't even explain. We took communion and I experienced the Lord in a way I have never experienced Him before. I was brought up believing that communion was a representation of His body and blood broken for me. Well last night I was shown how it is not a representation but it is actually His body and blood broken and shed for me. Anyway, as I ate the bread, His body, I felt all of the congestion and pain leave my body and head. It was amazing! Then as I drank the grape juice, His blood, I made a new commitment to my Lord, my Husband, Jesus Christ. I am sure this doesn't mean as much to you reading it as it does to me, and I am not even sure that I am getting it all out like I want it to, but the bottom line is that I am healed. Today I have absolutely no pain, no congestion and no effects of what ever I have had since Friday of last week. I thank God for healing me both spiritually and physically. This much I know, I will never take communion in the same way again!

A Poem

I said, "Let me walk in the field";
God said, "No, walk in the town";
I said, "there are no flowers there";
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din";
But He wept as He sent me back,
"There is more," He said, "there is sin."

I said, "But the air is think,
And smog is veiling the sun";
He answered, "Yet souls are sick,
And your work is yet undone."

I said, "I will miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say";
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;
He said, "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the field,
Then set my face to the town;
He said, "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.

George MacDonald

This was the poem in my devotional this morning and I wanted to share it with you. The devotional is Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman and it is really a good one if anyone is interested. I want to leave you with the two scriptures this morning. They really ministered to me and I hope they do to you as well!

I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. - Jeremiah 10:23

Lead me in a straight path. - Psalm 27:10

I have been tagged!

I have never done this before so I thought I would do it!

8 Favorite TV Shows:

The Andy Griffith Show
The Cosby Show
Top Chef
Little House on the Prairie
Clean Sweep
The Hallmark Channel (almost anything)
White Christmas
Pride & Prejudice

- I know the last three are not TV shows, but I don't watch TV often and when I do I typically watch movies so I had to add a couple of movies that are my favorite.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

Laundry
Dishes
Put out some Christmas Decorations
Played a game with my oldest children
Read a book to my youngest son
Went to church
Played on the computer
Stayed up way too late watching a movie

8 Things I Look Forward To:

Going on my first missions trip to Belize
Going on a date with my Husband
Watching my kids grow up
Watching my kids discover who they are in Christ
Spending the holidays at home with my family
Sitting next to Jesus and just hanging out with Him
Having no more children in diapers
Moving into a bigger house

8 Favorite Restaurants:

O'Charley's
Steak-n-Shake
Red Lobster
Applebee's
White Castles
Tammy's Pizza
Wendy's
Casa Fiesta

8 Things On My Wish List:

I wish my house would stay clean
I wish my family would really know who Jesus is to them
I wish my house would be paid for in full so I could really be debt free
I wish all of my kids were potty trained
I wish I had more money to give away
I wish I had a maid to clean my house so I cold play with my kids more
I wish I could get pregnant, just once, and have a child naturally
I wish I trusted in the Lord more than I do

Play along if you desire......

I tag - Sally, Kathy and Lori

Here are the rules:
1) Post the rules on your blog.
2) answer all 8 of the five items listed.
3) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Have fun - I did!

A Candle Raffle

My friend has started her own business making candles. They are great candles too! They are adopting children from Haiti and they are raising money for their adoption fees. Well, to promote her business she is having a candle raffle. I am putting it here on my blog to try to get people to support her in her business and get in on a great raffle for some incredible candles! Her blog is http://www.raisingupgodschildren.blogspot.com/ and if you go to her blog there will be more information about the raffle. I hope you chip in and have fun, maybe you will win the candles!

What a week...

Last week was crazy for me. Monday and Tuesday I had court for our youngest son. We will know in a few weeks if we are able to adopt him. Wednesday I spent the day at my parents baking for Thanksgiving. Thursday we spent the day at my parents eating. For the first time in my life I ventured out on black Friday to do some shopping. It wasn't too crazy and I got everything I wanted to get so that was pretty exciting. Then in the afternoon we spent the day at my Mother in laws house. Saturday, my daughter and I went to see The Christmas Carol with my Mom. We met for lunch and then went to the theater. We had lots of fun! Sunday, I spent most of the day at church and was able to catch about an hour nap some where in the afternoon! So that brings me to today and I am thankful to be back on a routine again. Things seem out of control here when we are off our routine. So, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and now I am even more excited about Christmas!

AGH!

In my quest to be transparent I need to get this out there. I am struggling with discipline with my 4 year old. He is not listening. He could get in trouble for something and then turn around and do it again with in the next five minutes. I have tried so many different things that I just don't know what to do next. I know boys are different, but I am really having a hard time with him. I don't know what else to do with him or for him. If anyone has any suggestions please pass them on because I just don't know what else to do.

My precious Son!

We have been struggling with our 4 year old. He is going through this stage where he doesn't want to listen and will do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. Well as you know this doesn't work in a family, and it really doesn't go work well with me or my husband. I have been praying for him and things are getting better, however, last night was not a good night. I feel like sometimes all I am doing is disciplining him and that makes me sad. I am glad though that his feelings don't get too hurt because this morning at about 6 am he asked if he could cuddle with me for a bit before we had to get up. This made me so proud as a mommy that I said yes. I don't let the kids in bed with us usually, but I made an exception today. During my quiet time later this morning the Lord was showing me how he just needs some extra mommy and daddy time since he is the middle child. Anyway, I just wanted to share my heart today. To get this our there so I can let it go for now. I love my kids so much, and am so honored that the Lord would use me to be their mother that I don't want to do anything to hurt them. I do however want to train them up in the ways of the Lord. So, have a blessed Saturday and GO BUCKS!

Down in the dumps.

The past couple of days I have been feeling kind of down in the dumps. I have had a bad headache which I think is related to this wonderful weather we are having and the kids have been fighting with each other much more than normal. Also, both of my boys have been sick this week. Well, today this down in the dumps feeling is going far, far away! I am tired of this hanging around my house and I am making it leave. My routine has been off since my husband has asked me to not walk by my self lately. We have a serial rapist in our city and he has been close to our house a couple of times. Because of this I have not walked in over a week and I think this had made me less active. Now I have to figure out how to change my routine until this man is captured and I can walk again. Anyway, today is Friday and it is sunny, which makes me happy and puts me in a good mood. I hope everyone has a great weekend and GO BUCKS!

Last Week!

Last week was a busy week for me. That is why i didn't post. Let me tell you about some of it. Monday I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with a friend of mine. She adopted her youngest daughter on National Adoption Day and it was so exciting. Me and my kids had a great time with their family, celebrating this special day with them. Thursday and Friday, I watched my best friends kids while they went to a craft show. It was fun. Everyone got along so good and played nicely. It was a blessing for me to be able to help them. My kids were upset with me when we left them on Friday and were disappointed on Saturday when we didn't go back out there to play again. Saturday marked the two year anniversary that we adopted our oldest two children. We didn't make a big deal out of it, but we did just hang out together and spend the entire day as a family. We watched movies, ate lots of food and played games and tickled a bit too. We had such a fun and relaxing day together that none of us wanted it to end. Anyway, I just wanted to give you a quick update of last weeks events so you would know where I was and why I didn't post. I hope everyone has a blessed day today!

Used by the Lord!

I always get excited when the Lord uses me in the lives of others. I have been praying for a while now that He show me my gifts and then teach me how to use them. Well, as He is showing me what they are it has been exciting because just like patience, He is showing me how to use them by actually using them. November is national adoption month and my husband and I have a ministry at our church for orphan care. This is for anyone interested in helping children either through foster care, adoption or orphanages. So, we had our first adoption conference on Saturday and it was great. We were done early so many of the people just hung around and talked to the speakers and asked some great questions. Well, in the end there was one couple that just kept hanging around so I began really praying for them to see if the Lord wanted something special for them and He did! He had a word for the woman and she needed much encouragement. So, I was able to pray for her and reveal some things to her that she knew was only God and it was so precious to see her and her husband change right there. It was so exciting being used by the Lord on Saturday and I totally stepped out of my comfort to say the things I knew the Lord wanted to say to her. I share this to say, if the Lord is talking to you and wants to use you don't hesitate. Go and do what He is saying to do because it is so worth it in the end. This woman walked out of our room a new woman and I was blessed even more knowing what God was doing and going to do for her. I hope everyone has a blessed day and begin to look for ways to be used by the Lord!

Greetings!

I am learning that how we greet each other plays a big role in how we reach them with the love of Jesus. 1 Peter 5:14 says "Greet one another with a kiss of love." Now you can take this literal or not, but I want to make sure that my greetings to everyone I encounter has a kiss of love. I don't believe that everyone I will actually give a kiss too, but I do think that I can love them with the love that Jesus has given me to give them His kiss. Anyway, I wanted to just get this thought out there this morning and challenge you to think about you greet anyone you encounter. Even the people you don't really want to greet. I know this is a challenge for me and I can only do it with the Lord's help.

Be a Blessing!

I received an e-mail this morning and it said who you are makes a difference and I hope everyone reading this knows that. Who you are makes a difference! My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would make Himself real to you today and you may encounter Him on a new level. I don't have much to say this morning but I hope you have a blessed day and to be a blessing to someone today!

My heart today...

Let me start by saying that I was truly grieved this morning when I heard that Obama is going to be our next president. I have been in prayer and will continue because I don't think things are going to get better with him in office. Okay, that being said, my heart today is heavy and I want to share a little of it with you. As I have been doing my Love Dare book I am finding many areas in which I want to change to become a better person. On Day 6 there were some scriptures that really touched me and I want to share them with you.

Colossians 3:12-14 says "So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it." So out of this I want to let Love guide my relationships and not get caught up in unnecessary arguments. This is how I want to be dressed too!

Philippians 4:6-7 says "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." I don't want to do things on my own anymore, I want to pray through them and let God take care of them. I want to let my petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers.

Exodus 18:17-23 says "Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you - you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men - men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible - and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also." I want to learn how to delegate things when I am overworked. I have a hard time with this and am learning that it is okay to ask for help from my family when I can't get it all done. I am also learning that this makes my kids feel important and helps to show them how important they are to our family.

Proverbs 25:16 says "When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down; eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick." I want to avoid overindulgence. This has been a struggle for me lately because walking has increased my appetite and there has been lots of candy around the house and not enough fruits and vegetables.

I am also making it a priority to take my Sabbath and rest. I am using it as a vacation day, to not do my daily routines and to rest and refocus on the Lord. I want to teach my kids to do this and I need it to make it through my busy week. Thanks for listening to what is going on in my heart and I hope it ministered or blessed someone today.

Organized

I have a confession to make - I am not an organized person. I know to my friends this isn't a surprise at all, but I just had to get it out there. Now with school too things are really crazy in my house and it has become too much. So, since I am trying to be honest and transparent here I wanted to just get it out there and let you know that I have to change things this week. It has gone on too long and it must stop. Today begins a new week and I will change and my house will change! Oh, if you are reading this and have any suggestions they are more than welcome because I can use all the help I can get!

Saturday update

I normally don't post on Saturday mornings. The weekends are very busy for me as with most people, but this morning I just wanted to give a quick update on some things I have posted in the past few days. They walking is going good. I walked this morning which made my fourth day this week and I have met my goal for this week. Now next weeks goal is five days - yeah! My love dares are going great. I can see a change in my husband and I have shocked him a couple of times already and it is only day 5. Today could be a challenge for me as he is going to have to tell me a few things about me, but actually, I am ready for this because I really want to change for the better and this way I will know some things that effect him and how I can change to be a better wife. I am so thankful the Lord has called me to this love dare book and encourage everyone who is married to read it. God has blessed me with two other friends doing the book with me and it has been encouraging to go through it with them. Okay, now last night, I had so much fun with our friends. The food was good, slow, but good. Then the playing was fun. The kids went off and played in the play area, the older kids (Dad's included) went off and played and the babies and moms sat around and talked. It was just so much fun being with friends and playing. I really wish I could do this more often. So, I guess this wasn't really as quick as I thought but it is just some ramblings on my heart this morning. I hope everyone has a great weekend and has an incredible encounter with the Lord!

Something Fun!

Since I have been an adult the Lord has convicted me to watch what I do and say. In doing that He has shown me more about Halloween and what it really stands for. So, for many years now we have not done anything this time of year except for decorate for fall and hide until October is over. Trick or treat night is not the same as it used to be when I was a kid and now we don't even want to be in our home that night. Well, a few years ago we changed our plans from hibernating in the dark to spending the evening with our best friends and we are so glad we did. Now we leave early, meet for pizza and then go to Magic Mountain for hours of fun. This is so much fun for everyone. I let the kids pick out a bag of candy that way they still get their candy and then we go have lots of fun with our friends. Our entire family is so excited about going out tonight and we can't wait! I hope you have a fun alternative to this evil holiday and I pray that you are able to shine the light of Jesus where ever you are!

Good Morning!

It is freezing cold out but so refreshing. I changed up my walking routine because I ran into a man on a walk and it concerned me so I am walking a different direction. The good thing is that I am now getting in about 2.2 miles and I have to walk up a big hill. This is definitely working some extra muscles, but that is okay. I have even started jogging a little to increase my heart rate and feel my fat giggle a little :D Hey, if I don't laugh at myself, who will right. Anyway, I am so thankful I have this time to get out and walk with my Lord Jesus. My time with Him in the morning is like no other time I have ever had with Him. I was a bit distracted at first because of the cold, but once I got going I found His presence to warm me up and I was able to keep going. Last week I walked three days and so my goal this week is to walk four days. Tomorrow will be four so I am very excited!

My Family

About every three months the women from my Mom's side of the family all get together. We pick a restaurant and eat and talk. It is funny because they eat and then they leave. It cracks me up. Anyway, the Lord is using me to minister to my family and last night He used my oldest son. He is 4 years old and it is so exciting to hear him talk about Jesus. Last night he was asked about what he was going to dress up as for Halloween and he very politely answered "we don't celebrate that and I am not dressing up as anything." My cousin was shocked and looked at him kind of funny, but he just put the biggest grin on his face and loved on her. The really neat thing is that he doesn't really know her because he doesn't see her but once a year. My extended family isn't really close and the reason we are getting together is my Mom, and her aunts all decided that since they were getting older and may not be here much longer we had better start getting together so their kids would know each other. I know that sounds funny, but that is the truth. So, during dinner the Lord was using Tra and he was talking and singing about Jesus all night. It was such a blessing to see. At the end of the night I was able to pray for my Mom and I can't wait to see the fruits of her healing! Thank You Lord for allowing me and Tra to be your humble servants!

Fire Proof

I know I have already talked about the movie Fireproof, but the Lord has been talking to me about my marriage. I have been married for 11 years now and although we have a good marriage, I want a great one. So, the Lord has challenged me to a "Love Dare" for my husband. Today starts the beginning of a 40 day journey of loving my husband with the agape love that only Jesus can give me. I cannot wait to see how this changes me and him and our relationship. I challenge anyone else to do this for their spouse whether you have seen the movie or not. I know I am only on day one and I can see areas in my life that I need to improve on to be a better wife. I will keep you updated as I go through my journey and I hope to hear from anyone else who is doing this for their spouse too.

Obedience

This morning in my devotional I was reading about how King Saul didn't do exactly what God commanded him to do so he lost his kingdom. Saul wanted to look good to the people and didn't think about what he was doing to his relationship with God. I know that I don't want to be like Saul. I want to follow exactly what God has told me and do it the second He tells me to. That is my heart today. I believe the Holy Spirit is getting ready to move and I don't want to be left out because I am not obedient today.

Not done yet!

Well believe it or not I have a hard time coming up with something to write on here. I love to journal but that is between me and the Lord so nobody else reads it. Not that many people read this either, but it is out there for anyone to read. So, last night I was braiding my daughters hair and we were watching Hermie by Max Lucado. It was cute and has a great message for anyone with young children. Anyway, it ministered to me and to my son who had a bunch of questions as we watched the movie. This one was about a worm who wasn't satisfied with who he is and wants to be something else because he thinks they are more special than him. Every day he talks to God and asks why God doesn't change him and every day God says that He isn't done with him yet. Not to go into the entire video, but it was a blessing because the questions that it brought up with our kids were so good and thought provoking that it made me begin to realize that sometimes I too get into that thinking of am I special or why did You make me like this. But no more. I know that God has made me special and I didn't need this video to tell me that. I know that I am a daughter of the Most High King and that I am made in His image, but it was a good gentle reminder that He is not done with me yet and that I need to hang in there because He wants to continue to mold me after His heart so that I may emulate the life of Jesus Christ while I am here. So, what a blessing this kids video was last night and what a good reminder for me as an adult to stop and just listen to what the Lord is whispering into my ears. Thank You Father for this reminder and I praise You for creating me in Your image!

Walking with the Lord

Today starts a new routine! I am tired of having nothing to wear and I hate going shopping. So after not wanting to listen to the Lord for about a week now He finally got my attention. This morning I walked around my block twice which is about two miles. It was so refreshing and peaceful and quiet and yes, cold too. There was not a soul moving this morning when I was walking and I was able to see three deer too. If you want some quiet time with the Lord where He can renew your strength then walk with Him first thing in the morning. It is exciting for me to think the Lord wants to spend time with me and He keeps getting me up earlier and earlier to do this. I was up just before 4:00 am this morning and I can't wait to see how He is going to get me through my day. I am excited to see what the Lord is going to do in my life through this new routine. I know this much, I was at a complete peace this morning while I was walking with Him and I am ready to walk with Him again tomorrow morning!

Cool breeze

This morning about 4am a cool breeze started blowing through our windows. It was so peaceful and smelled so good. I don't know about anyone else, but I love the smell right before a rain comes especially in the fall. Well, this breeze woke me up and I just laid there enjoying the breeze and talking to the Lord. It was as if every time He spoke the wind would pick up coming through my window. So, in my very imaginative mind, I was seeing the Lord standing outside of my house speaking to me and it was his cool calming breath that was passing through the window. I just stayed there for an hour before I got up to start my day. What a neat way to wake up, in the presence of the Lord, with His breath flowing all through my room. Thank You Lord for that extra time I had to spend with You this morning. I have been praying for Your presence to in-fill me everyday and I see this as one way You showed me that You are here, even in the little things!

The Grand Finale!

I have never looked at woman this way before. God had created everything and was still missing something because He didn't want man to be alone. He created woman and then He rested. How about that, God made us last. I always knew that, but today that just means something more to me. Actually, one version of this verse says that God fashioned us, maybe that is why we have such a desire for fashion and to look good? This morning I was studying Hannah and I too have not been able to bear any children. The Lord has blessed me with all of my children through adoption! As I was praying for my children this verse kept coming to mind: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16). Hannah cried out to God and He blessed her with Sampson. I cried out to God and He has blessed me with Joyona, Travyon and Elijah. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of Christ and every time we put our selves down or criticise something about our kids we are saying that about Christ. I know He has been showing me that every time I mumble something in the car about another precious driver, I am saying that about the Father who made that precious driver. Lord God, forgive me for not seeing everyone as one who You created and who You love. Lord continue to give me Your love for others and to see everyone as You see them. Thank You for not stopping, for creating woman from man and for making us Your grand finale!

Look at the Heart!

I have started a new devotional and it is about the life of David, so I am reading in the old testament right now. 1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I have been meditating on this verse for a couple of days. I have come to the point in my life that I want to emulate Jesus Christ in everything I do, so this has become my prayer. I want to look at the heart of man not just the outward appearance. I want to love people the way Jesus loves them. I know what He does and is doing for me so I want to pass His love on to other people so the can be blessed too!

11 Years!

Saturday, I celebrated my 11th year anniversary with my husband. It was fun thinking about what the day was like 11 years ago and all the planning that went into our wedding. Things were much different then than they are now that is for sure. We were really busy this weekend and we kind of celebrated in stages. First, Tim bought us tickets to see Michael W. Smith and Stephen Curtis Chapman in concert on Thursday. It was lots of fun and relaxing as we had a babysitter for the kids so we actually went out on a date! Then Saturday he surprised me with a dozen roses. I can't remember the last time I had roses, let alone 12 of them! Then Saturday evening we went to a bonfire at my parents with my extended family. It was a fun and busy day, but I am so thankful that we have been married for 11 years. I know that there are always times of frustration and questioning, but I am so thankful that God knew what He was doing when he brought Tim and I together so many years ago. I can't imagine my life with out him and I am looking forward to the many years ahead of us. He is my encourager, my friend, my supporter and my one true love! Tim, I love you very much and with all of my heart and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you by my side!

Friday!

Man am I glad it is Friday. This has been a long week for me. I think just draining spiritually. I have been in prayer about some things that were very important for me and they are finally over and I am so thankful. Some of them are continued to another week, but that is okay because I feel like I can rest today. So, I am taking the day off from cleaning and working and school so I can regroup and refocus. My kids are enjoying it because I took them out for McDonald's for breakfast, after I let them all sleep in until they woke up on their own. Now the television is on and they are watching and playing nicely, which is a God thing! Then there is my 19 month old, he is just walking around and playing too, but every now and then he just wants to come over and love on his mommy. What a blessing! So since today is the day that the Lord has made for me, then I will rejoice and be glad in my resting! Thank You Lord for this peaceful day!

Fostercare

I don't have much to say today. I am a foster parent and my husband and I have started a ministry at our church called Precious Hearts. It is an orphan care ministry and we support adoptions, foster care and orphanages. Anyway, through this ministry we have supported several families in getting their foster care license and one of the families happens to be our neighbors. They have their first placement and he is a cute little boy who is now about 2 1/2 months old now I think. Well, there is court for him today and I am going with my friend to encourage and support her. This will be her first time down to the court house for foster care and I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to show her. I am a huge advocate for all foster parents to go to court for the kids that are in their home. I know it can take hours sometimes, but we are the only voice of the kids in our homes and if we don't speak up and care for these kids who will? Anyway, I didn't mean to get on my soap box this early in the morning, but I wanted to post something this morning to stay in my habit of getting on here and posting. So I hope everyone has a blessed day!

My prayer for today.

Ephesians 3:14-20 says "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith: that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge: that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." I want to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, to know what I cannot know with out the Holy Spirit. I know the Lord has much still to reveal to me and I want receive it, so this is my prayer today.

The Cabin

My husband goes to a cabin twice a year down in southern Ohio. He loves it and is joined by a bunch of guys that love it too. They do all that male bonding and have no running water or a toilet that flushes. I have been down there a couple of times and have absolutely no desire to ever return. Our 4 year old son however can't wait to get down there. He was telling me all weekend how many cool bugs and things he could find there. Yuck! It will be a blessing though when our boys get old enough to start going then my daughter and I will have a girls weekend. How cool will that be! Anyway, I know my husband loves it, but I really missed him this time. I don't know what was different, but I am really happy he is home. The kids really missed him too. Don't get me wrong, me and the kids we had a great weekend playing all weekend and staying up late watching movies and stuff, but I am really glad the weekend is over and he is home. I missed you honey, and I love you very much!

Luke 23:55-56

I have been reading in Luke for a while now and I am just amazed at what new things I read everyday. This morning I was the women who went to tend to Jesus after He died in a different light. They are not unlike us women today. Okay, I know that sounds funny because we are all women, but sometimes I forget they had feelings and thoughts just like I do today. So here were some women who stood there on Friday and watched Jesus being crucified. They were there the entire time weeping, how exhausted they must have been. Then they watched Him taken off the cross and followed Him to see where they were going to bury Him. I can't even imagine how they were feeling at this point, but they weren't done yet. Now they observed the tomb and know how His body is laid they return home to prepare spices and fragrant oils. This is the part that I don't think I ever realized before. They had to wait to go back to Jesus. It was the sabbath and they were not permitted to leave. How about that. Then when it wasn't sabbath anymore it was dark and they still had to wait until Sunday. I don't think I have ever really thought about that. When they finally did get to go see Jesus, the stone was rolled away and He was gone! Now, two men were standing there and said to the women, "remember what He spoke to you..." How about that. Those angels wanted the women to remember what Jesus had said to them earlier but they are in shock if you will because Jesus isn't there. I think this is so cool because this is just what He has been trying to tell me this week. Not only is it in His timing, meaning I can't go do something just because I want to or I think I need it right now so I have to go get it, I have to wait upon the Lord. Take my sabbath at His feet and wait on Him for the time to go. Then when it is time for me to move I need to remember His words to me of comfort and His promises that He has given to me. I am so thankful that God is God and I am not. Thank You Lord for Your promises and for being patient with me when I am not patient in waiting for Your timing. Help me Lord to sit at Your feet and wait upon You!

This is my prayer for today.

Well, here it is Thursday morning and I am feeling so behind in everything. The Lord is so good to me and I am thankful that He doesn't ever get behind in what He is doing. Things have been really busy in my home for the last week and I have been feeling very overwhelmed when I am home because there are so many things to do that I don't even know where to start. I don't know about anyone else but do you ever feel like you have so much to say and don't even know how to say it or what to say? That is where I am at today. I feel like I am being pulled in so many different directions and have so many thoughts going through my head that I wouldn't even know where to begin if I tried to write about what I really want to write about. So I am going to leave it at this. Even though I am feeling this way I praise You Lord for keeping me in the center of the storm. For keeping me at peace, knowing that You are in total control of everything in my life. I praise Your Holy name and I am so thankful for all You are doing in my life and in my families lives. Father, I pray that You would send Your Spirit of knowledge and wisdom to me today. Lord God, today is a new day and I start fresh with You leading my every step. Lord God, I pray that You would begin to put into order the gifts that You have given to me and teach me how to walk boldly in them. Father I can't help but to praise You and thank You for all You are doing and I can't wait to see the fruit that You bear from the seeds You are planting. Thank You Lord and I love You!

Fireproof!

My husband and I had a date night last night and it was so great. We had a friend come over and watch the kids so we could go out and watch a movie on opening night. I haven't done that since before we had kids with The Lord of the Ring. Anyway, we went to see the movie Fireproof and let me say everyone who is married needs to see this movie. Actually anyone who is even considering getting married needs to see this movie. It is a great movie and very encouraging. Ladies, I will tell you that you need to take some tissues. I am not going to say anymore other than get to the theater and watch it. Then come home and apply it to your marriage. They reference a book "Love Dare" and I would encourage every spouse to read it and apply it to your life. I know that I am going to buy it this weekend and work on it for me and my husband. I hope you go and see this movie and are as blessed by it as I am!

Singing in the morning!

Have you ever woke up with a song on your heart and you just can't wait to bust it out in the shower? I do this all the time. I love to sing, especially when it is praise songs to Jesus. Well this morning during my quiet time with the Lord, I learned that Jesus sang too. I do not think I ever really read this verse before, or if I did, I sure didn't see this part. Mathew 26:30 says "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." Okay, so leading up to this, Jesus just celebrated Passover with the disciples and washed their feet. Now they are headed out and Jesus and the disciples are singing a song of praise. How cool is that. To think that Jesus sang a hymn, I wonder which one it was? Psalm 60:16 "But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble." So this morning and I woke up with a song in my heart, and then I read that Jesus sang I couldn't help but get excited. So Lord, "I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning"!

The precious things they say.

So, my four year old son came to me the other day and said "Mommy, the dirt just jumped onto the floor and I have no idea how it did that." He was very animated too while telling me this. So I asked him where the dirt jumped onto the floor and he told me it was by the front window. Well, my husband recently brought in a plant and put it in our front bay window. My son loves to play in this window and I didn't think anything about it because it has been plant free all summer. Well, after I figured out what Tra was saying I went and looked and yes, the plant was on its side with most of the dirt out of the planter and onto our tan carpet. Well, the bummer of it was that our vacuum cleaner was in the repair shop for maintenance, so I was with out a good sweeper. Anyway, I managed to get it all cleaned up and you can't even tell there was any dirt on the carpet. The great thing about this is for a little boy, he came and told me right away instead of trying to cover it up and hide it. Not that he could hide all that dirt. I was so proud of him for telling me, and I praise God for showing me that instead of becoming really upset, like my flesh wanted to. Anyway, I wrote this down in his journal this morning and decided I wanted to share it with anyone else who reads this because it is just so precious what our children say to us and the grow up so fast. I want to cherish every moment I have with them. Thank You Lord for blessing me with my children and may I never take them for granted.

God is Always Good!

John 10:10 says " The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." I have read that verse and claimed that verse many times, but last night the Lord explained it to me in another way and I would like to share it. When you look up some of the words in this verse it puts a new meaning to it. So when you look at the definitions for thief, steal, kill, destroy, life and abundantly and then apply it to this verse this is what I come up with. The one who wants to take advantage of me does not come except to leave me empty, to slaughter me, to render me useless and declare me to die. Jesus has come that I might have vitality, possessed with strength and wholeness of soul, and that I may have it extravagantly beyond measure. Wow! What a new way to look at this verse. To think that the enemy will steal anything from me that he can and if he has to he will destroy me or try to kill me in the process. However, Jesus is my savior and His blood covers me so as long as I don't come into agreement with the lies of the enemy than he cannot harm me. Oh, not only did Jesus come to give me life, but an obsessive amount of life. How cool is that. To think that we can have life super abundantly more than Jesus had here on earth. Wow! Thank You Lord for giving me this life to live for You!

Thank You Lord...

Thank You Lord for such a beautiful day! I can't wait to see what You are going to do in me and through me today. When I think of all that You have done for me it overwhelms me. When I think of all that You want to do in me and through me is excites me. Lord, I want to be in the place where I am in Your presence all the time no matter what is going on in my life. Today, I pray that I can be a light for You and that Your strength comes through so I can do what You want me to do when You want me to do it. Thank You Lord for the opportunity to raise the children You have blessed me with. May they grow up to love and serve You with all of their being. Lord You are so amazing! I love You Lord and I praise Your Holy Name!

Field Trip

I took my kids on our first field trip for school on Wednesday. We went to the apple orchard and picked apples with our friends. We had so much fun. The kids really got into picking the apples, even our youngest. He was fun to watch under the trees trying to stand with out falling on the apples that had fallen on the ground while trying to pick his apples. Now we are enjoying all of the apples. They are really juicy and the kids love eating them. We had a great time and can't wait to go on our next field trip.

Luke 19:1-10

Have you ever thought about how Jesus didn't pass through anywhere and not get involved. I wonder how the disciples felt about that? I have been out with people that always seem to be busy talking to other people they run into and don't seem to have time for me. I know that is frustrating to me and so I wonder how the disciples felt when ever they went into a new town and people came up to Jesus and wanted Him all the time. To think that when they entered a town people would come and line the road just to get a glimpse of Him. They didn't go anywhere unnoticed. I mean Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus. And then can you imagine the feelings he had when Jesus stopped under the tree, looked up and told him to come down because He was going to come over to his house. Wow. I know my heart would have been pounding really hard with excitement and probably some concern too. Now, here is Jesus sitting in Zacchaeus's home, I can't imagine what was going through his mind. To think that Zacchaeus was inviting Jesus to come and take a load off and in his house sat the very one who could take away all his troubles. I think that is pretty amazing! Then Zacchaeus told the Lord he was going to give half of his stuff away to the poor and if he cheated anyone he would pay them back four times the amount. I think that is so cool how he was willing and eager to do what he knew in his heart was the right thing to do. There seemed to be no resistance on his part. I know that is hard for me sometimes to do what the Spirit asks me to do the moment He asks me to do it, but I get encouragement from Zacchaeus this morning.

Back on Track!

I'm back! I have started school and things have been a little crazy adjusting to my new schedule. I am home schooling two of my children and trying to get into a new routine with school and keeping up with my daily house duties. So far things are going great. I am getting up at 4:45am and having a great time with my Lord. Then my daughter is up and ready to go by 6am. We get almost all of her school done before the boys get up and really get things moving in our house. We have breakfast and then finish school. After that we have the rest of the day to do our house duties and play. It is so nice. This frees up my afternoon when we have quiet time to work with my oldest son on his preschool stuff or do anything extra with my daughter. Sometimes I find I am just enjoying my quiet time too because I am still adjusting my body schedule to getting up so early. I am really excited to see the Lord moving in me and my family and can't wait to see how He is going to change us and what He is going to have us do next. I am trying to figure out when to put the computer back into my schedule, but I think I have figured it out. I have missed being on here and am looking forward to catching up on my reading and talking with all of you! I hope you are having a Blessed Day in the Lord!

God is so good!

My son has suffered with asthma and allergies since he was born, 4 years ago. We have it under control now, but I want more for him. This past April when we went in for his check-up I talked to the Doctor about taking him off the medicine since he has been symptom free for almost a year. So, we gradually took him off the medicine but the heat picked up and we had to put him back on his medicine because his asthma started to flare up. So, the summer went on and he was on and off his medicine. Well last week he had 7 nose bleeds in 24 hours so we went to the Doctor to see if there was something more going on, but they found nothing. Well, God is good because the next Sunday our church had a healing and prophesy service and so I took my son to get healed. He was a little nervous and scared at first but then he saw the father of one his friends and that put him at ease. Now it was our turn so we went forward and two people prayed for him. I believe that he was healed. I don't know why the Lord waited to heal him at this very moment except that now he is old enough and understands that the Lord has healed him. So we have not taken any medicine for 2 days and he is doing great. He has had a couple nose bleeds, but we are claiming scripture over him and even he is rebuking them now. It is so neat to see God use a 4 year old to rebuke the enemy and claim His promise over his life. God, You are so amazing and I praise You for healing my son! Continue to work in his life and make Yourself real to him.

Truely blessed

I love my husband. I called him at work before I got the kids up to ask him a question about a concert he wants us to go to and the first thing he said was "your welcome". I had no idea what he was talking about so naturally I start looking for something around the house for me. As I was talking to him I walked into the kitchen to find a box of jolly pirate doughnuts. He got up early and bought us doughnuts for breakfast. I have been craving them too, but don't want to get all the kids up, go to the store to buy them and back home again to eat them. The kids are going to be so excited when they get up to eat breakfast. Anyway, my husband does so many things for us but this was a neat surprise this morning. I wasn't even going to post anything today, but I decided to write about the love of my life blessing his family today. I love you precious!

My Olympic Champions!

Okay, so like many of us I love watching the Olympics. It is fun to see team USA do great things and of course win the gold metals. But, what has been more fun for me this time is letting my kids stay up and watch some of the Olympics with us. My daughter wants to do gymnastics and she is studying their every move on the television. My son, well he is just interested in sports and so anything he watches he tries to imitate. This past week he has been running, and flipping and landing on our couch on his head like the vaulters do. I know that if we had anything to hang from he would be trying to swing on them too. It is just so encouraging to watch my children learn from the people they are watching on television and the really neat part is they don't care who wins. They just want to be like any of them because to them they are all someone to be like. So, that has taken me to the Lord because I want them to stand out, and I want them to not just want to be like anybody they see. I want them to see Jesus and to follow Him where ever He leads them. I know they are young still, and the Olympics is a fun thing to watch and want to be like, but I just made me more aware of how impressionable they are right now. So, I hope someday I will be in the Olympics stadium watching my kids work for their gold metal. Until then, I am enjoying them play because they are already my champions and gold metal winners.

I am sorry

I am trying to wait on the Lord and only do what He wants me to do. This is hard for me sometimes as there are things I want to do in my flesh. I am learning that I need to keep my mouth shut and really pray about things before I even talk about them to anybody. This is a very new concept for me and I am not doing very good at it. My quiet times have been really tough and I am learning so many great things about my Heavenly Father, and He is teaching me so many things about myself too that it is hard sometimes to even just keep going. I am pressing in and doing what the Lord is leading me to do, but that isn't always the easy thing. I know that I have hurt some people along the way and that really grieves me. I know there is nothing I can do to make things right, so I am trusting the Lord to take care of the mistakes I have made and to help me make things right. I can only hope that the people who I have hurt will one day forgive me and things can be okay again. I am in a place where I feel alone and that is a tough yet rewarding place to be. Father God, please give me the strength to endure what You are taking me through and thank You Lord for my friends that You have given to me. I praise Your name for Your love endures forever!

Good Morning!

Today the Lord gave me time with Him outside on my deck. It was so quiet and peaceful, wow, I would like to be out side more in the mornings. So He was challenging me this morning about where my strength comes from and is my courage changed by the crowds around me. I am excited to say that my strength comes from Him and I don't believe that my courage is changed by the crowds around me. I will say that sometimes I do not feel as bold as I would like to be depending on where I am at and who I am talking with, but I know that the Lord is working on me in this area. So, thank You Lord for showing me this and for giving me the willingness to see my weakness and to change it. Father, I so love You and I want every area of my life to serve nothing but You!

What drives you?

I am filling out an application to take a class at our church and one of the questions is what is my passion? I think I know, but it has had me thinking about what it is and what drives me. Is there anything in my life I can just talk about for hours and is there anything in my life that really moves me. Another question is what is my element? This one isn't on my application, but it is one that has had me questioning things lately too. Is my element and my passion the same or are they different? Is my element the same as God's element? I am not asking for answers but these are things that are on my mind and I am searching my heart for what the Lord is trying to teach me through this. I thought they were good questions so I thought I would just put them out there for anyone who happens to read this. What drives you? What is your passion? What is your element? Lord, continue to show me what these are for me and I thank You for the direction You are leading me in.

What a Day!

What a great day I have had. This morning my daughter got up and dressed up as a princess. I took her to my parents house where she went with my mom to a Grand-daughter and me princess tea at her church. They had so much fun learning what it meant to be a princess of the Lords. When I took her picture it hit me, she is so beautiful and she is growing up so fast, that before I know it this will be her getting dressed up for a date, or prom, or her wedding. Wow! I just can't believe how fast they grow and change right before your eyes. So, then they were off and I had an opportunity to spend the day alone with my Dad. I can't tell you the last time that happened. We loaded up the horses and went horse back riding. It has been many years since I have done that and my legs are reminding me every time I move tonight how long it has been. It was so much fun. We used to go riding all the time when I lived at home during high school and college. It really took me back to when I was a kid and got to spend time with my Daddy. I will cherish this day, it was so special to me. I just had to praise the Lord all day that things were going good, the weather was perfect and I had some time alone with my Daddy. Thank you Lord for all You blessed me with today!

School Books!

The past two days I have received the bulk of my school curriculum. I am so excited. There is only one part left to come, but I can't wait now to get started schooling my kids. This looked like some fun things when I was reading about them on the computer, but now having them in my hands seems to be even more exciting to me. Even my husband took interest in it and was becoming more excited the more I was talking and getting excited. Wow! I still have much to do to get ready for school to start, but I can't wait now. It makes me want to go out and buy school supplies and stuff just because. I was talking to a friend of my husbands last night on the phone and they have home schooled for many years. She was giving me some pointers and one of them was on the first day of school only do a half load to ease your way into school. The other thing she has started is buying herself a bouquet of flowers and a card. She has all her kids sign the cards and put them on the kitchen table for everyone to enjoy. She said it was hard for her to hear her friends talk about getting together after the kids went to school on the first day so she started treating herself to flowers to brighten her first day of teaching the new school year. So I think this is a tradition I am going to start also. Besides, I love fresh flowers and what a great reason to get some for my kitchen! So, in a couple of weeks my homeschooling adventure will begin, and I can't wait! Thank You Lord for putting this desire on my heart and not letting me turn away from it!

Listening

Good Tuesday Morning! So, have you ever been studying Gods word and the same message just keeps coming back to you. You get the same thing no matter where you turn in the Bible or who you are listening to. This is happening to me right now. It is coming from every direction I turn. I don't know whether to be excited that the Lord is working in my life or concerned that I am not getting something and He is pressing me even more to get it. I want to only serve Him and do what He wants me to do. Like Paul in Philippians 4:11 I want to learn to be content in what ever circumstance I find myself in, to serve my Lord Jesus Christ only. I want nothing to matter to me except that which has eternal value. Lord this is my prayer today. Help me get what You are showing me. Thank You Father for loving me so much that You are not giving up on me. I love You Lord and want nothing more than to serve You in every thing I do!

"House" cleaning!

This morning it was hard for me to get up. It is perfect sleeping weather for me. I love for it to be a little cold in the air and to be bundled under the covers. God is good though because He wouldn't let me stay in bed too long before reminding me that I had some things to do. So, He was showing me yesterday in church that even though I am getting my house cleaned, I am not cleaning my house. I was confused for a while and so I continued to pray. What He was trying to share with me was that there is a lot of clutter in my home and there is lots that I need to give away to others. That I do have a lot of stuff but most of the stuff doesn't "have" me so it is okay to get rid of it to those who can use it or who needs it. So, this morning the Lord was showing me so many things to give away that I couldn't keep up with it all. He was actually showing me where to start and what to give away. That is so cool to me because I don't think that has actually happened to me before. Well, just when I thought things were good and we were finished, He showed me that my other "house" needed cleaned also. He has been purging me for a long time, years in fact, but lately He has really been moving in my heart and my mind and getting rid of all the junk that has been cluttering my life. The neat part is that I am hearing Him and responding. So, this morning He had some "house cleaning" to do of His own in my life and it was easy this time for me. It seems the more I press into Him, the more He takes away and the easier it becomes. I don't know, maybe I am crazy, but I am so thankful that He won't leave me alone and wants to continue to "clean my house" too. So, I encourage you, ask the Lord if there is anything in your "house" that needs cleaned today and then be willing to clean out of your life!

Saturday!

It is very early Saturday morning and I have just had some incredible time with my Lord. I have been up for a while now and I am excited to get my day started. My husband is back and things are getting done in my home. My house is getting organized and it is clean! I love it when the Lord moves in my family. My kids have been so good these past few days that I realized how much fun it is being a mommy again. I guess I needed that gentle reminder just to relax and play with my kids because they are only young once and I don't want to miss these years with my beautiful children. My mind is going in 100 different directions right now so I am sorry if I jump from one topic to the other. Today I am just writing what is on my heart. I ordered the curriculum for my kids this week. I am so excited. My daughter is in 1st grade and my oldest son is 4 and I am going to start him on some kindergarten work a little early and work on it for two years instead of doing preschool and then kindergarten. The really cool part is how every morning they are getting up and asking if school starts today. That just really blesses me. My youngest son is 18 months and he wants to be at the table working too, so who knows what we will start teaching him this year. My husband and I knew before we had kids that we wanted to home school, but then things changed and we felt it was best for them to go to school. We put them in our church's school and really liked it, but God is good and now we are staying home. So, I guess there is lots to do to get ready and I love this time of year. I just love buying school supplies. I always have. Crazy, I know, but I just can't wait to see how the Lord is going to grow our family together and where He is going to take us on this adventure. My daughter really wants to go to Belize, so maybe we will end our school year with a missions trip to Belize. Won't that be fun!

To Be His Disciple.

If disciple means to be a pupil and a learner, than I definitely want to be a disciple of Jesus. I want to learn as much about Him and from Him as I can. I want to be in His word daily so I know who He is and everything about Him. I know the more I know Him, the more I want to know Him and the more I love Him. He is the only reason I make it through my days anymore and I am so thankful He rescued me from my sins and loves me as much as He does. I can't imagine my life without Him and I can't imagine ever living my life without Him. I don't want to miss what He is teaching me so when He calls me to go somewhere or do something I am ready and equipped with His word to go and do what He tells me to go and do. I want to remember that my calling is to be abandoned to Him. That is it, nothing more. I have to remember that He will give me tasks to do, but I am not to surrender to the task He gives me. I am His daughter, and I want to do what He wants me to do. Thank You for this reminder and continue to help me be sold out and abandoned to You Father God. I love you Jesus and want to do any task You bring me.

My Husband!

My husband is the best man in the world. He has been out of town this week and is coming home today. I really miss him and can't wait to see him. I never sleep very good when he is not home so I am selfish to say that I am also looking forward to a very good sleep tonight. I have been praying for him, for the Lord to reveal Himself to him. I have noticed the more I pray for him the more I fall in love with him. That is something I never expected. Don't get me wrong, I have prayed for my husband since before we were married, however not as in depth as I am praying now. There are some specific ways I have been praying for him and I see the Lord working in his life and that is very exciting. I can't wait to see him tonight, my help mate, my friend, my rock, my lover, the best thing that has happened to me on this earth, the love of my life! I pray the plane ride is much quieter and less turbulence on the way home for him. Hurry home my love!

Today is a new day.

It has been several days since I have had the opportunity to get on here. I have missed writing and checking out others blogs too. Today my mind is going in circles with all the things I need to do. My husband is out of town for work and I miss him terribly. My house is a complete mess and the kids are going crazy today. I am happy to see the sun shining today because that gives me the motivation I need to get busy working in my house. My prayer today is that the Lord give me His strength and divine power to transform my house into the home it can be to glorify Him and to do His work. I am going to start home schooling next month and experimenting with some other things so I am anxious to get moving.

Garage Sale

Our neighborhood is having a huge garage sale tomorrow and I am so excited. We have lots of stuff to sell! That is not the exciting part though. It is what the money is going for. Our kids have been going through their stuff and finding things to sell for our church. They are raising money for the kids in Belize and my kids can't wait to turn their money in on Sunday. Then we have some of the money we make going to our ministry at our church and for curriculum for our homeschooling adventure. So, my kids are making this garage sale exciting for me. Today, besides cleaning my home, I am getting ready for our giant sale tomorrow and I can't wait to see how God is going to bless us and especially our kids!

Prejudice or Stereotype?

My devotional this morning really got me questioning what is the difference between prejudice and stereotype. What do they really mean and are they the same? Merriam-Webster defines prejudice as injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; a preconceived judgment or opinion; an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge; an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. So, the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy says stereotype is a generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group. So really, they mean the same thing. So, every time we stereotype a person or group of people we are in a way prejudice. This really bothers me because I thought the Lord had taken my prejudices away. So my prayer today is that He take away my stereotypes also because I don't want to be separated from Christ. If He can lay down His prejudices and stereotypes to minister and dine with the Pharisees who condemned Him, than I can too. After all the word says "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength", so Father, help me in this area and thank you for revealing it to me.

Luke 7:23

Luke 7:23 says "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Doubt, what an easy tool for satin to use against believers. I have something for you to ponder today. It is from my devotional and it is something I am meditating on today. "The Hand of God is at work directing divine purpose, or blessing, in all the affairs of the one who doesn't let the perceived activity or inactivity of Christ trap him or make him stumble." May Christ bless you today as you ponder this in your life!

I want to share some of my devotional with you from this morning. It really blessed me and I hope it blesses you too. I am doing Beth Moore's 90 days with Jesus and today's study was in Luke 7:11-17. Specifically verse 13 says "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, "Don't cry". So when you think about compassion, what do you think of? What does it mean to you to have compassion on someone? I guess I have never thought about it before but I definitely have never thought about it like this. Have you ever thought about the "areas of restraint Jesus had as He walked on this pavement"? "For example, imagine the thought this funeral procession must have provoked in the mind of the author of life." Okay, I never thought about that. Something so simple as what He thought or felt about things that He saw just walking down the street. Now think about what He meant when He said "don't cry". I know when I say that I am feeling compassion toward the person and typically crying with them because that is how I am, but there really is nothing I can do for them except love on them and let them know I am here. As Beth puts it "please stop crying. I can't bear to see you in so much pain!" "Christ, on the other hand, is never helpless. When He said, "don't cry" He meant, "Not only do I hurt for you, but I'm going to do something about the cause of your hurt." WOW! He is going to do something about the cause of out hurt. He loves us that much that we don't even have to ask because He hurts when we hurt. That is just amazing to me. He has moved in my life so much this weekend and He took away a pain that I have had for most of my life and didn't realize it. The amazing part is He did this just because He loves me and wanted to take away some of my pain because I was seeking Him and wanting to bet closer to Him. God you are so amazing and I am so thankful You love me that much. I wanted to share this with you because it really ministered to me and gave me another way to look at this verse. I hope it gives you another way to look at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I will never be the same

God, You are amazing. Here I am asking for more of you and looking for You in ways that I couldn't see You. I was getting discouraged and frustrated, but You are faithful and patient and for that I thank You. Last night I had an amazing encounter with You. You reveled Yourself to me in a way that I never thought and all because I asked. Wow! Even today I am still shaking because of You filling me with You and showing me how much You love and have always loved me. I am so honored to be serving You and I never want to loose this feeling. Last night You sent me a piece of You, my spiritual daddy, and for him I thank You. Lord, thank You for him and bless him today. Father, I just have no words, but I want to thank You and praise Your name in all that I do! In Jesus name, Amen.

My big boy!

This morning my oldest son, 4 years old, got dressed in his favorite Cincinnati reds shorts, put on his new shiny tennis shoes and ran down the stairs. His daddy was in the kitchen waiting for him with a ball glove and a reds hat to wear today. Yes, they are headed down to a reds game today. It is my sons first major league baseball game and he is pumped. He has been talking about it all week long. He is such a sports kid and my husband loves baseball so he is excited about taking his son to a game. Tim's dad and brother are going today to make it a guys day. All I know is my son was floating on the clouds this morning when he was walking out the door to go to the game. I can't wait to talk to him tonight when he gets home and listen to all his stories about his reds baseball game. What a blessing! Thank you Lord for the opportunity for them to bond today and please protect them in all their travels.

In whom do I trust?

My devotional this morning really gave me some things to think about. Some of the things He has laid on my heart today are questions He wants me to answer. Am I seeking His purpose in everything? Am I convinced that He can do anything? Am I more desirous of His work and will being done through my life than I am of being heald of my hardship? I thought I knew the answers to these questions but today I believe the Lord wants to know what is truely in my heart and wants me to know what I truely believe. So today I am just praying and seeking my heart and my Lord so that I know what I truely believe and won't have any second guesses or questions. Lord please be with me and guide my day today. I love you Lord, Tammie

Praise the Lord!

I just want to say thank you Father for taking care of me. We believe the Lord has put another little girl in our path to adopt and we need a bed for her. She is 6 years old, the same as our daughter, and the only way we can have her spend the night is to set up bunk beds in our girls room. Well, we thought we had a set for free, twice, but they both fell through. Our time is running out and we really need to get a bed for her. Today my husband went out to Kmart to get bunk beds, but he felt they weren't what we were looking for so he didn't buy them. About 1 hour after he came back home our phone rang and it was one of the families that had some beds to give us and they still wanted to give them to us. We picked them up today! Praise God, we now have bunk beds to put up this week in our daughters room so we can have this little girl over and hopefully adopt her later this year. We are so excited to see the Lord moving in this. I know everything is in His timing, but I guess I didn't wait very well. Thank you Father for bringing this extra blessing to me!

Under my feet!

My house has been really crazy, in a good way. We have some extra friends staying with us and it has been lots of fun. The thing is, Satin has been attacking my husband and I. It took me until the middle of the morning to figure it out. Every time my husband and I had a conversation we would end up having some very intense fellowship. Another words, we would say some things to each other that definitely weren't uplifting or encouraging to each other. So I did get up and manage to have some quiet time with the Lord and during my prayer time I prayed for everyone and that there would be peace in this house. Then, satin attacked full force. Well, I was ready and I had him right where I wanted him, under my feet. I don't always remember that the Lord has put us over him and we have that authority to step on his head, so that is what I did. I brought it to my husbands attention and we started praying. God is good! He has taken care of it and my husband and I are doing great again. I know it is a change to have so many people here in our small home, but we love our friends and would do anything for them. We are praying they are having a wonderful time while they are away and we can't wait to talk to them tonight! Thank you Lord, for being there and for reminding me that I have the authority to take what the enemy has stolen from me and I can stomp him out of my life!

Crazyness!

This morning has been one of most exciting mornings I have had in a long time. I got up really early, had a little quiet time and then I took my friends to the airport. I am watching their kids for them while they are away for a week. I am so excited to see what God has to teach me and my husband through having all these kids in our home. There are seven in total; a 6 month old, a 12 month old, a 17 month old, a 4 year old, a 6 year old, a 7 year old and an 11 year old. It is 10:15am and everyone has had spats and disagreements except the oldest and the youngest. I am so excited to be helping my friends while they are away. I was praying this morning for everyone and that God would work in their lives while we have this time to spend together. I am looking forward to the blessings that we are going to experience this week and I pray my friends have a Great time away! I will miss you!

My new adventure!

Well, my husband and I have decided to home school our children. There is a small part that is a little nervous, but there is a huge part that is excited! It is overwhelming trying to decide what to use and what might work with my children's learning behaviors. I am thankful to have friends who are homeschooling and are willing to share what they have learned. That is making this process a little easier. I am also thankful that the Lord is changing me now, and showing me how important a clean home is and how even more important a daily routine is. He has been getting me up every morning for time alone with him for over two weeks now which is a miracle for me because I am a late night person. I have been loving my time with Him and how he is showing me more about my life and my family and where He wants to take us. So, here we go, on our home school adventure!

What a great visual!

This morning the Lord gave me such a great visual. I have always known this, but He showed me so personally this morning that it was like hearing it for the first time. He showed me that He stoops down to talk to me, to listen to me, to correct me, to heal me, or just to be with me. When I need Him, He is right there, stooping down to make sure I know He is there. He stoops low enough to put his cheek on mine, or to feel His breath on my face. That is just so amazing to me. That He loves me, and you, enough to do that for me each and every time I need Him. Even when I don't have enough strength to go on, He stoops down just to give me the strength to go on. Even more amazing is that He can and will do that for anyone who will call on His name. Anytime or anyplace He will be there for you and for me. He does this because He loves us, just because He loves us. Amazing! Father, I never want to not feel your breath on my face, or be in a place where You won't stoop down for me. I hope this encourages anyone today who reads this. He will stoop for you too, just whisper His name and He will be there for you, putting his cheek on your forehead to make sure you are okay.

Blessed are those who mourn...

I know, what a topic, but this was my devotional this morning. The verse is in Matthew 5:4 and it says "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted". As I read this I was wondering what God was going to say to me through it because I didn't think I was in a mourning or grieving state. This was just it, He was showing me through this devotional that I have become hardened to sin in certain areas of my life and that really made me sad. I have changed many of my ways in the past few years such as not watching television or movies that have bad language, sexual content or violence in it, so this was such a surprise to me this morning. I don't want to lose my ability to grieve, to weep or to mourn. I don't want to become so calloused that I look at sin or pain and remain unmoved. I pray that I am able to be close enough to my Father that I hear His heartbeat for the world and that my heart stay tender. I want to continue to draw close to Him and seek comfort and peace in His name.

New Routines

Okay, so today starts a new me. I am going to start using a daily routine to get things done and keep my house clean. I am tired of living like I am embarrassed of my home and want to be able for anyone to stop by and not feel like I have to apologize for my cluttered home. I need to do tons of de-cluttering, but I am excited to do it. I am remembering what the Lord taught me last week to do everything unto Him and with a sweet spirit so I can soar with Him. So, today starts a new week and a new lifestyle. I can't wait to see what my house looks like by the end of the week. I also know that if I want to even consider homeschooling than I need to have an organized home so I can focus on my kids and just maintain the home. Thank You Lord for this desire and I want to be pleasing to You!

Blessed beyond words

My best friend talked me into starting this blog and although skeptical I started one. She was right I did become hooked and have posted something everyday since then. Well this morning I was running late and didn't get a chance to check hers out. I have been gone all day and just got back online to check something really quick when I had a note from her asking if I checked my blog. I normally wouldn't have checked it until tomorrow morning, but decided to hop on to check it out. Well, let me just say that I was brought to tears. Having someone post something on this blog other than her was just amazing to me. I can't say thank you enough to the two other people who wrote something. You truly blessed me! As to my best friend, thank you and I love you. I am so thankful that God brought you into my life and I am honestly sitting here typing this while tears are streaming down my checks. You mean so much to me and I know I will never be able to show you. I am so happy that our families can get along, because at this point in my life I think I would be lost with out you. Thank you!

Exciting!

It is so exciting to see the Lord working. We had to replace the sliding glass door last week and decided to replace the curtains too. We bought new curtains this weekend and hung them the other night to find they area all about 3 inches different. So we returned them and I decided to make them. Well, I was at JoAnn Fabrics yesterday with my kids and we were having trouble finding colors to match what we wanted. I said a soft prayer of Lord, please help and then my daughter who is 6 started just belting out this prayer for help. It was so amazing. It brought tears to my eyes as she just went on and on. Well, God is good because He answered her prayer. She was so excited and I was even more excited to see God working in her. I can't wait to see what He is going to do today!

Staying in Your hand!

Corrie Ten Boom prayed this everyday for the last 5 years of her life. I want to make it my prayer today too. "Lord, keep me close to Your heart so that I see things as it were more and more from Your point of view." I want this more than anything. I want to place myself in the palm of His hand and just stay there, where I am the safest.

Psalm 32: 23-24 says: "Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord."

I love the Lord, I want to be preserved by the Lord and my heart strengthen by Him!

What do I rely on?

My devotional this morning was on do I have the slightest reliance on anything other that God? Am I sufficiently right with god to expect Him to manifest His wonderful life in me? Do I really let God be to me all that He says He will be? This really got me thinking and a little discouraged to begin with. I started praying and seeking the Lord and He had me read anther devotional I normally keep for later in my day. This one reminded me that God chose me! He adopted me as His very own child. He redeemed me through the blood of His only begotten son so that I became His very own possession. He sealed me with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). So after all that I still got to wondering are there areas in my life that I haven't completely turned over to Him? The answer is yes. And it is in these areas that I am struggling to believe that He will be all that He says He will be or do for me in them. Thank you Lord for showing me these today. I am trusting in You to help me over come them. Your love is so amazing that I can hardly comprehend it. Let the assurance of Your presence and commitment wash over me moment by moment today. That is the closing prayer in my devotional and I want to make it my prayer today too.

Getting things done!

I find that the days I get more accomplished are the days I get up and spend the most time with my Father in Heaven. I had a great quiet time this morning. I have been praying for God to wake me up in the morning so I can spend time with Him before I start my day. He is so faithful because when my alarm clock goes off and I don't get out of bed He sends this bird to peck at my window and that annoys me so I get up. How cool is that. So this morning He showed me a new meaning to one of my favorite verses, Isaiah 40:31. I never saw this verse as having my wings be my duties and tasks that I have everyday. Now that puts a new outlook on my daily duties and tasks. I want to do them now in a different way, knowing that doing them with a happy heart and not complaining while doing them will help me to soar closer to God. That is such a new way at looking at being a stay at home mom. My best friend and I IM daily and encourage each other in our housework, and that helps me stay on task, but I didn't always do my work with a cheerful heart. Now when I do it I will have a new spirit so I can soar with the eagles!