Here is where I am right now ...

• Working on my meek and quiet spirit.

A dear girlfriend of mine let me borrow her book title Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. Whew! Do I need a meek and quiet spirit in EVERYTHING! I'm learning, I'm learning. Something that struck out that keeps coming back to me is this: Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Then Teri said "Do you? Do I? Or do we only take the time to shoot up flare prayers during each crisis that occurs throughout the day? Is this truly laying our requests before God, or is it asking Him to be a firefighter for us?" Ouch! That still stings.

• My temple.

We have joined back up at the YMCA. Today I had an appointment with the FitLinxx person. He set me up on the machines and we talked about cardio and classes. I am ready! We had the Y membership for about 2 1/2 years but I wasn't ready mentally. Neither was Bo. After much prayer and tired of being 'this way' we rejoined. God blessed us so much. We went in on the 30th of April, not thinking anything. It was the last day to join without a joining fee! So that was awesome. I am very excited to do this.

• My kids' behavior

We are working on character issues a lot these past two weeks. They are not bad, defiant, disrespectful kids but there were some things I saw that I didn't like. I repented for letting things slid. I'm bad about that, not the repenting but the slid thing. :) Anyway, God has really shown me ways to teach and train that are reaching their little hearts. He truly is the best teacher. God has also given me the confidence and patience to train them. I am no longer frustrated by the behaviors but am able to see the root and deal with it accordingly. God has shown me that I tended to think the root was one thing but never asked God or them what was truly going on. Now I ask both them and God. It's amazing, now that I am asking God to direct the correction I'm finding that somethings truly can be resolved with a good talk and hug. It reminds me of how God, our Father, is with us. It's a very sweet relationship.

• Dealing with my consequences

My girlfriend and I had a very frank conversation about this the other day. I was sharing how I wish that Bo didn't, at times, view me as the angry, spiteful person I once was. He doesn't always but I do see a guard go up from time to time. It hurts, deeply. She said that God has revealed to her that sometimes we have to sit with our consequences for awhile. Again OUCH! This is my consequence for being mean spirited, hurtful, angry, judgemental, you name it, gal. I wont give you any reasons for it. They would just be excuses. No matter how 'legit', it doesn't matter. Although I have truly repented and am on the other side of the mountain ... I did hurt him. I need to be patient and kind. I need to realize that there is a consequence to my behavior whether old or new, whether I have asked for forgiveness or not. I have no right to push my husband into forgiving or trusting me ... that is between him and God. I must do what I have been called to do. Which is to respect him, submit to him, be his helpmate ... just to name a few. :)

Well, that is where I am right now on my journey with Christ. I'm sure there are little things we are working on but those are on the forefront of my heart and mind. God is so good!

My Dad

After many years of battling various cancers and other medical issues it has come down to this ... My dad was told yesterday that he has one year left, give or take a few months.

I'm O.K. I truly am. My faith in Jesus has secured me. I know that this is all part of having these 'tents'. I have also prepared myself and my boys over the years that Grandpa in Florida may die before we would want him to.

My only pain in my heart is that he doesn't know Jesus. He doesn't even accept that there is a God much less a Saviour that died on a cross and rose again. I sit here with a lump in my throat because I know where he will spend eternity if he doesn't call upon the name of the Lord. My heart also aches because I know that in all this he has had unnecessary fears. Fears that the perfect love of Christ would have drove out.

My mind turns to my family. My extended family. Please pray for (it's a list :) ):
1. My Dad's Salvation
2. My Step-mom Annabelle ... everything
3. My sister Mickie and her family ... they live there.
4. My sister Tammy and her family ... they live far away like us.
5. My brother Billy ... He and my dad have never made peace
6. My sister Sandy ... they haven't made peace either, that I know of.
7. My Aunt Helen and Uncle Randy. They are 81 and 82 yrs old. She is my dad's oldest sister. When my dad passes, she will be the last living of 4 kids. She is the oldest, my dad is the baby.
8. My mom ... I don't know but it can't because easy when the father of your child is dieing. Even if you've been divorced for 27 years. I am my mom's only child.
9. My boys ... they have been to my aunt's funeral (mom's sister) but they didn't know her. Being that it's Grandpa in Florida ... might be hard on them.
10. Me ... I tend to be very black and white. I tend to view things very spiritually. I don't want to offend anyone but I do what to stay true to who I am and the personality God gave me. However, I want to have the compassion for those left behind. The ones searching for answers. I want to gently point them to Christ. Pray that I am slow to speak and say ALL things in love.
11. Miracle ... God could completely heal him. I always choose that belief over any doctor report.

Thank you for partnering with me. My heart's desire is to see my dad saved. To know that he found Him! I also pray that this all brings my extended family to Christ. A deeper love for Christ. I believe that until my dad takes his last breath it's up to me to stand in the gap. Thank you for standing with me.

I will update y'all from time to time as I learn things. Most likely more prayer requests will be posted. Thank you for your faithfulness.

My Women's Group

I am just so blessed to be apart of an amazing women's group. We had a meeting last night. My heart is overwhelmed with joy. It was such a refreshing evening. I actually woke up this morning feeling that I could truly handle what may come at me. The boys and I woke up early too which I think is good. I feel like I have enough time to do what I want and need to do.

The meeting last night really encourage me to dig into the Word. It reaffirmed the fact that I do have to keep my feet planted on the Rock. I totally understand what Paul is saying when he tells us not to forsake our coming together for fellowship. Having women to fellowship with and our home church to fellowship with is like touching the hem of His garment to me.

Enjoy your weekend. Fellowship well with others!

Library

We went to the library today. We spent about 2 hours, it was great. The boys took turns on the computer playing games while I sat and read some small books to the other boys.

Our major book selection was on Big Cats like tigers, leopards, ocelots, etc. Then we got some books on dogs because Grandma was interested in the different breeds. Then each boy picked out two books of their own choice. I also got a book! :) I'm a bit tired of reading parenting and/or homeschool books. I tried ready one book that I found in a box in my garage but it's very worldly. I'm just not getting into it. So I hit "Christian fiction" on the library search page. I decided on the book White Chocolate Moments by Lori Wick.

It's a cute story, at least to me, why I picked this book. After we were done in the kids section we moved into the fiction section. I was looking for one of the three books I had settled on. Matthew came up and asked how I looked for the books I wanted. So basically I showed him the Dewey Decimal system. He actually found it first! I bet this book is going to be awesome. :)

Well, I wanted to share about our day.

David is doing MUCH better with math and his new glasses. Glory!

This whole reading thing has really touched something in Matthew. He was real careful in his selections of 'his' books. It was sweet watching him.

Ryan is going steady with his stuff. He is really enjoying the reading time. He has been in first grade math since the end of February which just tickles him. He is going to be 6 soon. I can't believe how he is changing.

Tonight during dinner we played Clue DVD. Bo made dinner AND he won! This day has been great!

Today is Thursday. We have been doing the school work that God wants us to do. It has been amazing! Simply amazing. We are reading on average 7 chapters a day. In two days we finished one book. I think the gals at the library think I am a new hire!

It is just funny to me how I have changed in the last few months. I went from knowing that I should be going to the library for our stuff to going every other day. What is great too is that you can put stuff on hold online and they call you to let you know they have it!! That's great for when I am surfing the web and find a book I'd like to look at. I hit the library web page and order it. It's wonderful. I can't believe I have went this long without doing that kind of stuff.

I know why it has taken me this long. God needed to clean out my heart and mind. I had to learn how to show love, how to receive love, how to be calm and relax. How not to live in anger. I had to learn how to not return to anger. All that came from the forgiveness of God, the healing of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Glory!

Yesterday the boys spent the afternoon with my mom. I went grocery shopping and decided to get started on that huge load of laundry. The house was quiet. As I folded the clothes I began to pray for each of my children. I asked God to protect them and bless them. To show Himself mighty to them. I asked that He would help me in directing them in life. I prayed that I would show them an accurate picture of who He is. Who they are in Him. Then I prayed about school. I thanked God for this amazing opportunity I have to school them at home. I thanked Him for being kind and gentle to me as I discern His will for our days. Then my mind turned to what we should be doing during the day. Like maybe I should add some grammar worksheets. Or maybe science and history, we haven't done that in awhile, or maybe ...
Then a quiet voice said "ssshhhh" I stopped folding and just stood there. I didn't hear Him speak in my ears but in my spirit. He continued with "All I have asked you to do this week is read to them and math." My heart sunk. Here I was going to go again, chasing my tail. Spinning my wheels because I just couldn't be content in doing what was working for a whole week! Just five days. I quickly repented. The Lord and I agreed that on Sunday when I sat down to map out the next week that He and He alone would plan it out. I'll write it down though. :)

I have had so much consistent peace about our school week. Even though I had my little jump ahead moment I know that if I do what I have been called to do God will do the rest. He has to, He has to. After all they are His mighty warriors and joint heirs with Christ.

I have a verse that I hold close to me at all times. It's one that really spoke to me a number of years ago. Since then I am often reminded of it.

Don't laugh, here it is:
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

That one got to my very core. It is so visually gross, isn't it? God has used that verse time and time to remind me not to behave like I used too. Not to go back to my old ways. To stop before I repeat my foolishness, before I eat my vomit. Now you see how gross that is!

I recently read where Peter recites the Proverb. Please read 2 Peter 2:22.

Anyway, my whole reason for writing is this; Bo was reading Proverbs 26 because I had been talking about that verse. He read the whole thing to me. There was one verse that stuck out to us. First because of how it was written. Bo felt there should be an and instead of or. But who are we to mess with God's word. Anyway, thinking back on that verse that he read I had a revelation about my boys particular behavior. I wanted to share it with you.

Here is the behavior. One brother does something to the other and the offended brother does it right back. The story I get is "He started it" or "He is always doing it to me". Lately it's been things like if Matthew asks Ryan to do something like move over Ryan makes faces at him. So Matthew makes faces back usually more dramatic and in anger. Just foolishness that I have been trying to drive out of them. Just this morning it happened. After I handled the situation I quietly said to God "Lord please give me a fresh scripture." Then He reminded of Proverbs 26:4-5 "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (emphasis is mine, that's the or that to Bo should be and or even a because). So that is my word to pass onto the boys. I think this will become our 'family' scripture until they have it deep in their spirits (which will make the behavior stop).

I love when God gives me a fresh word. It's like a delicate, delicious piece of chocolate for my spirit!

Virginia Tech is a special school to our family. Even though we, my husband and I, never attended Tech. We didn't go to any college but that is besides the point. :)

Why do we love Tech so much? First it started with the BEST football team ever! Then it graduated (no pun intended) to the school because of the school's attitude. We are proud to call ourselves Hookie fans. This massacre is just our point. The students and faculty WANT to stay with each other.

Our hearts are grieved by what has happened. Sadden but not shocked. Please keep everyone, the school and our nation, in prayer. My discernment is telling me that this will not be the last.

We are living in wicked times. Lets use this to show God's grace and mercy. Now is not the time for all the Monday Morning Quarter Backs! Yes, we can learn from this in regards to notification perhaps but we move into a dangerous position when we start to judge. Lets be careful to express our 'thoughts' with others. I don't want the debate over how and when to notify people to over shadow the sinfulness and evil of the world. Lets be mindful to guide people to our Saviour. Another words, stay away from the bandwagons that are driving by! Lets be radical Christians who show God's love in all things. Not Christians who sit in judgement of all things.

Today was great. Despite the fact that my oldest boy has an ear infection and my middle boy broke down in the middle of math! Just minor details, really.

I did what I said I was going to do. I read to the boys. We read three chapters of a great book today. Then we moved onto math. The problem with math was that they were all doing it at once. My middle one needs to have full attention and quietness. Especially since his headaches started. Which he now wears glasses but we have lost them already. :( Basically though that just means I haven't looked for them. The other two did their math while Daddy took over the math lesson. So, I know better for tomorrow. Plus we won't have a doctor appointment in the middle of the day things should run a little smoother.

Today was great though. The boys didn't fight. We laughed through out the day and had a good time. It was so windy today that hubby stayed home, so that was nice. Even though Matthew has an ear infection it was his 9 year old check up, perfect timing. Which, all is well. His hearing is great, eyes are 20/20 and growing great.

I'm actually excited about tomorrow! Even though I have an enormous pile of laundry to deal with ...

Oh, and the boys and I came up with some chores for them. See, I usually just ask them to do stuff and they do it. But I think I would like to have a schedule of things. So we talked about that today. They were so excited about it! I was shocked. Each one had ideas. It was fun. So, now it is up to me to make sure we stick to it! God has truly blessed me with some great boys. They are so eager to work and do what is right. I'm the mess, the slacker! But God is going to help me with that. GLORY!

It's almost time to test the boys for the school year. I think that this may just be the first year that I am not anxious. In March I started, like most homeschooling moms, thinking about next year. Those thoughts brought up all the failures of this year. "We should be here", or "He should be doing this", and my favorite, "I don't think I should be doing this (homeschool), I'm not even doing it right!" While I was thinking about it all God did provide me with some great curriculum for next year. It basically fell into my lap. That's how we (God and I) work. He gives me the idea and then is very faithful to make sure I do not loose heart. So I now have next years bulk curriculum. Isn't that wonderful? Do you know what my great idea was? It was to start it this year! HA-HA! Why not?! In all my excitement I just couldn't help it. But things happened. Our family became sick. David had a bunch of doctor visits and tests. Heck, even Bo went to the doctor. So our homeschooling was life lesson oriented that week. "Okay, okay next week Lord. This will be so wonderful. You are awesome God! Thanks for the curriculum and peace of mind!" Then I looked at my schedule. "That's right! Spring break! We have our friends' little boy for the week while they are visiting their daughter. That is going to be so fun for my boys!" So, I didn't teach this week. There went another week of not doing my cool curriculum. Meanwhile God has had my precious friends post on their blogs all about homeschooling and children. He has been talking to me about this being His will (homeschool) for us, these are His boys, while I was thinking about my cool new curriculum that's meant for next year. Not only that but our direction of interests have gone to King Arthur, Merlin, Tiepolo and Aristotle. So, today while I was thanking God for such a beautiful week. Thanking Him for a wonderful afternoon of sunshine I heard Him say "Read to them, snuggle up with them, find books from the library that tinkle their imagination." A wave of peace came over me. "Yes, Lord ... You are so right." Looking back over the last 3 or 4 months He has been drawing my attention to the fact that He wants me to read to them more. He wants me to lay down my desire to do my thing and spend time with them reading. Reading scripture, reading novels, reading poetry, reading silly 4 chapter books. He just wants me to READ TO THEM! So, that is what I am going to do. I am going to read to them. I am beyond thankful that we serve a Mighty God who wants to have fellowship with us. He truly is my best friend!

BTW ... check out my girl friend Lisa's blog. She has become a special cyber sista to me. You'll find it in my special stash on the right. Click on Coffee and a View. Please read the blog she highlights in her entry. That is an awesome post too.

My school year will end like this ... However my Lord wants it to! Then come August I will think of next year. Yes, August! I heard all you homeschool mamas gasp. :)

So well said

Over to the right is a list of websites that I visit very often ... at least once a day some times more. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that my laundry is never done? Oh well.

Today my girlfriend posted an entry on her blog. It was written so well. I encourage you to read it. Click on the Muddy Pause link. It will take you to it.

Enjoy! :)

God restores my soul

I was so drained this week. So spiritually drained! God restored my soul.

Thursday night I was like a dog chasing my tail. Just spinning and spinning. I heard the Holy Spirit say to me that I needed to talk to my Father. My heavenly Father. See, I was dealing with a medical issue with my middle boy. He had a eye doctor appointment on Wednesday and a MRI on Thursday. Trying to figure out why there is swelling in the nerves of his brain. For a while now I have been "super spiritual". Total faith and trust in the Lord. Not believing that there would be a tumor. Not believing that the doctors would need to do a spinal tap. I was the 'rock' at least in my own mind. But come Thursday evening I was shot. The whole family has been sick with the flu. All the doctor visits, homeschooling, keeping up on the house, loving on my sick family, I had neglected my quiet time with the Lord. Honestly, I didn't want to spend quiet time with Him because I might come undone. Basically God said to me that I was being 'super spiritual' with Him. I never admitted to Him that I was scared. That I was worried. The most I said to Him about it was "Lord, you will give us the strength to do whatever we need to do." Which is right and good but honestly I wanted to say "Lord, NO NO NO! No tumor, You said you will heal him of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia! Why now a complication?!"
So Thursday evening came. Everyone went to bed and I watched Life Today with Beth Moore. It comes on Wednesdays. Gotta love DVR. Anyway, she was reading John 20. She came to verse 9. "They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead." (emphasis mine) She went on to say that God cannot lie. If He said He is going to do it then He is going to do it. My heart jumped. Then she took us to Luke 24:44b "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms" (emphasis mine) Again my heart jumped. I was so encouraged. God was telling me that He is going to do what He said. He will heal David. God told me when he was three that this was David's testimony. God was going to miraculously heal David when he was old enough to understand it. My spirit was overwhelmed and over joyed. I started singing songs to God. I flipped through the Bible. The Holy Spirit directed me to Psalm 110:4a "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind" When my eyes fell on that I shouted GLORY!

God restored my soul that night. I truly did cast my cares upon Him. His burden is light and His yoke is easy.

Side note ... I got a call on Friday from one of the doctors involved. He said that the MRI looks great. That it's the medicine, not the disease or tumor, causing the swelling. GLORY!

Pictures

Well, my girlfriend of like ... 15 years ... said that she didn't like my blog because there were no pictures. HA-HA Fa Fa, I'm teasing. She did say though, that she wanted to see pictures.

I'm thinking about it. What I think I am going to do is create a private blog through my cell phone provider. I can upload pics and invite y'all to see them.

I just don't feel comfortable on here ... yet. This blog is open to everyone because hubby and I feel that it should be. So for that reason I don't want my kids on here. I will let everyone know when that private blog is up and running.

STAY TUNED ...

I can smell the fruit

Every now and then I can smell the fruit. You know, the fruit of raising great kids.

The flu has hit our family. It was bound to happen. Glory to God it has only lasted 2 to 3 days per person. It started with my middle, David. Then it went to Ryan, our youngest. Followed by Matthew, our oldest and then it turned on my husband. Of course as each one moans in agony, coughs in my face, smears snot on my clothes (Bo hasn't done the snot one), I look up to God and pray "Lord, please, You know I can't get sick. Please keep me covered in health."

I have been doing fine. Glory! This evening though, I became a little tired. Around 7:30 I dozed on the couch. That's all I remember until 8:15. The boys woke me up to inform me that they were going to go to bed early. I was a bit dazed and confused. When I fell asleep the windows were open and the sun was shining. Now it was dark. I asked Matthew what was going on. He said "Oh, nothing Mom. Dad is asleep upstairs. Ryan gave him his blanket because Daddy wasn't covered and we couldn't find yours. I got everyone their three scopes of ice cream and now we are tired. Oh and David closed all the windows and shut the blinds."

I just blinked at him. Everything they did was perfect. They had locked up the house. Had their ice cream after dinner/before bed. They even made sure their sick daddy was taken care of.

I am blessed. They are wonderful boys. All three have a servants heart. I keep stopping my writing to express to Jesus how blessed I feel. He has given me an amazing family.

A time has come

Well here is the deal. I am a huge Law & Order fan. I have been for 17 years. All the spin offs I have watched. When the producers decided that there would be the original along with SVU (Special Victims Unit) and CI (Criminal Intent) I was excited. Every time change, every day change, I was there. I kept up with it all.

But ...
A time has come ...
I may have to say ...
GOODBYE ...
to at least the SVU Law & Order.

Yes, I know if I say goodbye to one that I should say goodbye to all. After all they are written, directed and produced by the same people. But I'm taking baby steps here.

My decision has come because of the content of the story lines. They have had (recently) two shows where a 'devout pastor' has murdered someone because of 1. religious beliefs (meaning someone was attacking God's character) and 2. he was gay and didn't want his secret out.

I totally understand that they pull the latest national headlines and use them. However, I only remember one pastor's fall from grace recently and he didn't murder anyone. His 'secret' did get out and the church showed him love and grace. But I can't remember if he was gay or not. Well, that is besides the point.

Looking back over the last few years I have watched my beloved show rip apart Christianity. Made a mockery of what I believe in. It's been subtle but it's there. Yes, they usually portray the extremist but they make it out that we all act like that. They mention how we preach grace but have no tolerance for homosexuals or people who think different from us.

When the show has on a Muslim issue they tip toe around it. It's usually something isolated within the family structure. They are quick to point out that this is not the whole religion's attitude. They say things like "poor Islam's, their (extremist) people are ruining their religion and creating fear among everyone". But with Christianity it is a whole other story! They rarely quote the Koran to the extremist but Scripture is pulled out and dropped in left field.

So, I am going to write the show, really I am. I'm going to explain why I must stop watching SVU after 7 1/2 years. They should be made aware that there are Christians out there that are not going to take it anymore!

I pray I have inspired you guys. I think we have to stop entertaining things that put down our Savior and our faith. If we can no longer pray at sporting events then we as Christians need to stop going to them. One of the major reasons why I love NASCAR so much is that they have not taken God out of the sport. They have a local pastor at each track pray over everyone. From the drivers to the crowds. It's on TV and not edited. Good for them! Also, if we find out that our favorite store supports things that we don't, as much as it hurts, we need to stop shopping there. God will bless us here and in Heaven. It is better to be faithful then to save money! I promise you that.

So, this is where I am in my walk with my King. I love Him too much for Him to be made fun of. I wouldn't listen if someone was ignorant to Bo. I won't stand for it when it comes to my Father either.

We had a lot of fun

We had a lot of fun at the beach. It was great to get away and play all day, with no guilt! You know how it is ... you play all day with your kids but that causes the laundry to pile up or the dishes pile up. There is the guilt. But here, there was no guilt. We played air hockey, we shot pool and we laughed! We had a great time. It was really nice getting away with our friends.

Going to the Beach

Today we are heading out to the beach. I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to the rest from the every day stuff. A couple that are in our life group won a week's stay at a beach house! We are staying from tonight to Friday night. Two days and two nights of the ocean. How wonderful. I know that I am going to walk away from this weekend vowing to visit the beach more this year. Which really is so easy because I live only about 25 minutes away! I just get stuck in my daily life. I become trapped with the ins and outs of my day that I forget to enjoy my day. I forget that with every load of laundry I am serving my family. With every wiped up spill I am sowing seeds into my little ones. With every pillow fight I am showing them excitement. With every smile, every hug, every laugh I am showing them that I am pleased with them.

I have this excited feeling in my spirit that I am going to walk away from this mini-vacation with some clarity, some understanding. To what I don't know. I know that I have been praying for some things like a scripture for my homeschool. One that speaks to just me and my kids. Perhaps He will talk to me about the women's group. Perhaps the life group that my husband and I lead. Perhaps my marriage. Perhaps my daily routine. Or perhaps, just maybe, He will talk to me about our relationship. Maybe He will lavish me with His love. Maybe off in the distance ... maybe in the middle of the wind blowing, I will hear His voice saying "You are a precious jewel to me. I love you."

I do know that we are going to relax and have fun. We are bringing some good board games, beach toys and of course our footballs! Yes, we have more then one football. :)

Well, I better finish getting us ready. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Good Day Sunshine

Today was a very good day.

Today was a good for my soul day.

Today I took the boys to the park. It was about 80*. Then we came home and they played with their neighborhood friend. They also bought, with their own money, some ice cream from the Ice Cream Truck. Of course they have informed me that they are now broke. :) Last weekend they bought a toy and today's ice cream has wiped them out. I understand that!

I love sunshine. I love fresh air. I'm so thankful that it is spring. Fall will always be my first love but spring is special too. Of course winter is great because of my birthday! Poor summer ... oh wait ... my hubby and my best friend's birthday is in the summer. Okay, summer is wonderful too. :)

Right now my husband is on his way home. My kids are in the living room singing some silly song. I'm writing to you. It reminds me of a song from the 90s by Arrested Development. The song is a remake of Every Day People. The lyric that is playing over in my mind is:
"The day was going great and my soul is at ease"

It is an overwhelming calm feeling to have your soul at ease.

There is something on my heart though. But I am keeping that at God's feet. He loves this little person more then anything and I know that God is moving. The Holy Spirit is ministering to everyone involved. IF you think about it, please lift this up. God knows who I am talking about. :)

Enjoy your day!

What a meeting!

Last night we had such an amazing meeting. So many treasures were shared. It was a blessing.

Only 4 of us came. It was funny because it was the 4 that I always viewed as the core group. So it was no surprise to me that after we had great fellowship we got down to business. Let me just say that the fellowship was awesome. We laughed and (almost) cried. Not to mention the food! YUMMY!

So here is what we have decided about our group. We are not really a Titus 2 group. Another words, we are not going to pair up women and do a mentoring, one on one, thing. We are, however, going to have women of all ages in the group. We all do learn from one another. We will use a book as our tool and the Holy Spirit as our guide.

The book we have chosen is "A Women After God's Own Heart." by Elizabeth George.

The new name of our group is "Seasons of the Married Woman."

I'm over joyed! I know that there are hungry gals out there. I know that we have things we are dealing with. *Note to Laura, I did not say issues* I know that some of us are in need of some healing! I know that God is going to be moving in our lives! Glory!

Well, I better get going. I need to research the price of the workbooks. :)

Not so good my friend.

Well, today is one of those days. One of those 'not so good my friend' days.
Here is the thing. I'm O.K.. In my spirit (with God) and with myself I am at peace. However Satan has placed some cards on the table that have made me stutter. That's okay. My soul is at peace. What more could I ask for?

Despite some of the attacks I have received today I have schooled my kids, cleaned up my house and laundry. Not only did I manage to wash and dry the laundry, I have also folded it! Since I don't put my kids clothes away I don't have to worry about squeezing that into my day. That's their responsibility. :)

Why today might you ask? Because today is our second Titus 2 meeting. :) My wonderful, compassionate, beautiful and encouraging friend (she is my opposite) and I lead a Titus 2 group. I call it T2. Tonight we have planned to discuss love. Agape and phileo love. I have no idea yet what I am going to talk about. I do know that I am bringing the worship music and most importantly the coffee creamers!

Be encouraged today! God (AGAPE) loves YOU! and me :)

I think I may have a twin

I frequent Lisa Whelchel's website a lot. I always check her 'coffee talk' section. It's her weekly blog. This week she has on there her favorite blogs.
That's where I think I may have found a twin. No, not Lisa. It's BooMama! Check out BooMama's blog link. You'll find it in the "where I surf" section of my blog. Click on "My kinda girl".
Her view of things is so funny and so close to my heart. I have really enjoyed her posts.
Well, that's it. I just wanted to share!
Enjoy your day!

What an answer

My pastor said in a sermon a few weeks ago that God still talks to us in dreams. I totally know that. However, I hardly ever dream. When I do dream it's about weird, off the wall stuff that I forget 15 minutes after waking up. Don't get me wrong, I have had dreams from the Lord but usually The Book of Revelation stuff. Not ones where He is speaking to me about my life. So, with that in mind, I doubt my weird dreams are coming from the Lord. He would remind me of them. He would put in my spirit a feeling of research. Because that is what I do. I research and read scripture.

So there is the back drop to what I am going to tell you.

I woke up this morning to a dream. Immediately I knew that this dream was different. I came downstairs, got a cup of coffee (that I had programed last night!), and went to the computer to check email. Half way through my emails I realized that I had not said even 'Hello' to God. I took my hands off the keyboard, told Him I was sorry, and thanked Him for this day. Then my dream came flooding back to me. I sat there and remembered everything about it. Again, so unusual.

Before bed last night I prayed for my boys. Just them. I prayed for their relationship with each other. I prayed for their relationship with their Savior. I prayed in my tongue and in the Spirit. It was only about 15 minutes but I said what I needed to say. God knows my heart.

So while sleeping this is what I dreamed ...
I'm at a hospital. I'm with a girl who is about my age. She is there for the same reason I am. We are both called into the same room. There are two nurses. They ask us to put on the hospital gowns and lay down. We both do. Then they come back in and get us ready to receive in vitro fertilization. The one nurse performs it on my friend and everything is great. My nurse can't perform it on me. It won't take. She tries to inject something into my back. That doesn't help. I start crying quietly. She tells me and my husband, who is now in the room, that I can't get pregnant. She says I have to wait. I have to wait for a little while before we can do this procedure again. I'm heartbroken. My husband is heart broken. We leave the hospital and go home.

Then I woke up. Now, first off I know that some of that dream is flawed from a medical prospective. But the message is not lost. We wanted a baby, couldn't have a baby despite medical advances and we would have to wait.

Now here I am on the computer. I've just thanked God for this day when I realize I have to use the bathroom. As I'm finishing up I see our book titled 'Inside the Mysteries of the Bible, New Perspectives on Ancient Truths.' I picked it up and thumbed through it. My thumb stopped when I saw this picture with one word in the middle. The picture is of the dandelion weed (at least I think that is the flower). When it is white and the seeds are blowing around. In the middle of the page is the word ... UNEXPECTING.

Does that give you chills? Whew! It got my attention right in the middle of my spirit! I knew right then that God was going to reveal my dream to me. That page was about the stories of Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah and Elizabeth. It was about being barren. The story talked about how we, in today's age, have so many options if we cannot conceive but in the Old Testament there were no options but prayer. The article talked about how having children was a sign of God's favor. Not having children was a sign of His displeasure. That I knew and understood. Then came this one sentence. It struck my heart so deeply. Women of the Bible like Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah, and Elizabeth sought help through prayer--and then waited for their miracle.

Whoa! I believe in my heart that God was talking to me about my prayers last night. I prayed to Him about my boys. All my ideas are good and I need to continue doing what I am called to do but I'm going to have to wait on the Lord to see anything birthed. Isn't that amazing?! I was blown away.

The book went on to show where in the Bible where these precious women's prayers were answered. Little did I know that He had one more thing for me. Basal thermometer? Laparoscopes? All the tools of modern medicine might not have helped these women. But God heard their pleas -- and answered.

GLORY! My heart is so encouraged.

Be blessed today! God hears your heart!

Okay, what is going on here?

O.K. as most of you know I have been begging God for a schedule that would work for me and bless my family. My husband and I have prayed. He has been so encouraging and kind. So about two weeks ago I had my schedule! Everything from when I got up to when I did lessons. Even a type of schedule for straightening up the house. I felt great. I looked at my dry erase board with contentment and relief. I had figured it out. Glory!

Then came the time to actually start the schedule. It was a Monday. I woke up on time and did all that I was suppose to do. I did it for 5 days. It was miserable! The kids fought non-stop. Lessons got done but I don't think any learning happened. Things never seemed to have been completed. I went to bed with the feeling that nothing was really done well.

I regrouped over the weekend. Made my lesson plans for the week on Sunday. I went to bed with every intention to start my week with the schedule. Then something happened ... I woke up late. The boys woke up later then me. Bo stayed home. There went my schedule out the window.

But all was not lost. I managed to clean up the house before lunch time. After lunch I schooled each kid one on one. Then made dinner, played a game with the boys and relaxed after boys' bed time with my hubby. It was a great day! Bo said he did not even realize that we had done any school because no one was fighting. The house was peaceful and quiet, quiet meaning that there was no fighting.

Now, it's Tuesday. Again I do not wake up when I "should" have. We have another day like Monday. Every thing I needed to complete like phone calls and laundry were done in between one on one school time with the boys. I even took the boys grocery shopping with me at Wal-Mart. They were great!

Today is Wednesday. We had 80* weather. The boys spent most of the day outside digging holes in the back yard looking for worms. I said "forget it" to school work and unpack half of the garage. I love the freedom of homeschooling. Anyway, after dinner tonight I took the boys to the mall just to hang out. Another great day at our house.

So, that brings me to this ... what is going on with my schedule? Could it be that God gave me what I wanted so that I would realize that I had a schedule all along ... My schedule. Tailor made to fit me, my hubby, my boys ... to fit US.

I'm hesitant to erase the schedule off the white board. I think I am going to keep it in prayer. Continue Thursday and Friday the way Monday and Tuesday were. God will tell me.

I actually thought that this house would overwhelm me. It's five bedrooms, three baths and two stories. But amazingly and with nothing short of God's grace I have eased into a peaceful, comfortable routine. Without even trying. It's great. I think something that God is trying to teach me is that I sweat the details too much. What is the big picture? Well, for me it's boys who are loved, a hubby who feels respected, schooled boys, warmth, love, a safe place for friends and family, a beacon in my neighborhood, a Christ-centered home. The big picture not about doing laundry from 10 to 10:30 in the morning. Schooling from 10:30 to 2 every day. It's not about being unpacked in record speed. I can either have a house where we live or I can have a home where we dwell. I'll take the home any day!

I just wanted to share where I am right now ... this very minute. This very minute I am listening to my boys pretending to be every animal on Animal Planet's Most Extreme , a shower running for my hard working man and I am at peace. Real, genuine peace that only serving the Lord and my family can give me.

I'm looking around and I can see that it is good.

God bless you all.

Time to raise our SWORDS!

Not only is it time to raise our swords but it is time to figure out what we have truly placed our faith in. What do we believe? As my mother says "This is where the bear met the tree."
There is a man in Miami Florida claiming to be the Second Coming of Christ. He wears a batch with the number 666 on it. His followers have tattooed themselves with 666. He says that it shows their distaste for organized religion. Unbelievable. There is a verse screaming at me right now. "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many." Mark 13:6. This man in Florida has over a million followers. Another passage in Mark 13 is verses 21 and 22 "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-if that were possible" This passage goes on to say in verse 23 "So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."
This is one of the many reasons we have to know what God's word says. We can't be ignorant. We can't look at this man and for one minute say "oh, could this be Him?" Even if people around us are asking that question we must raise our swords, which is the Word of God, and say "NO! No this is not Jesus." Mark 13:26 and Luke 21:27 (other gospels say this, but these two I know say it word for word) tells us how Christ will return "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
I just want to encourage you to get into God's word. Jesus is returning. I personally believe that I will see it. I have had thoughts over the course of being a mom, that I will not have any grandchildren. That is how close I believe it is but let me be clear ... that is my opinion. The Word tells us that Christ doesn't even know when He is returning. That only The Father knows. Keep going in Mark, scroll down to verse 32, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." So I am no one to say that I know when. I have one eye towards the heavens and one eye on earth. Another words, we are raising our boys to be mighty men of God, hard workers, strong husbands and great fathers. I pray for their future wives and children ... because I don't know when Christ is returning.
Please be encouraged. I know that when we, the Body of Christ, start talking about His return it can cause some fear and anxiety. Don't let it. There is so much to look forward to. Beyond our wildest dreams. Eternity with our Father ... what could be better? Like the psalmist says in 84:10a "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; ... "

Here is the link to see the web cast http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2928479
In the beginning of the web cast it refers to the bones found that James Cameron and his friend (name escapes me) believe are the bones of Jesus, his wife Mary and their son Judah ... AGAIN we have to know what we believe! That's another blog entry though.

Until we meet up again ...
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! (Philemon 3)

Your grace is sufficient song

I found a link for you all to listen to the song I was talking about.
http://www.shanebweb.com/lyrics.html
Look for the Clean album. Then click Audio. You can't play the whole song but you'll get the idea of the melody I had playing in my head. :)
God is sooooo good!

God has turned it around.

Today I realize how broken I am. Mind you, this is not a new revelation! The first 5 minutes or so of waking up were fine but it went down hill from there.
I haven't felt good in over 3 weeks. I am going to the doctor on Monday. I'm hormonal. My house is a wreck. I'm not done unpacking. Some of my boys seems to have forgotten how to talk to me in a respectful way. I feel like an utter failure. It's been a rough morning. I can hear my girlfriend telling me that this is all just an attack from Satan. :) She and I have our first Titus 2 meeting, that we are co-leading, coming up this Thursday! I can hear her saying "You said he would doing this."
I snapped at the boys all morning. I know I broke their little hearts. Before they left, with my husband, we were good. I apologized for my mood. Gave them big hugs and kisses. Smooched all over their sweet little faces. They told me they forgave me and that they love me. So I sit here ... crying and broken. I read Beth Moore and her daughter Amanda Jones' blog. You can find the link on the right, LPM blog. I read the PMS ... Please More Spirit entry. You'll find that back in February. Yes, I do need more spirit. Especially today. After I picked myself up off the floor in total submission and repentance, I said to God "Please quicken me to remember that the moment I jump off course." He instantly played for me of a beautiful song. It's still playing in my head right now and it prompted me to write this entry. It is a song that I am sure you have heard but the version in my head is from Shane and Shane. From their Clean CD. Here are the lyrics. I am going to see if I can find a link to have you actually hear them sing it. Enjoy and be blessed.

Your Grace Is Sufficient
Your grace is sufficient for me
Your strength is made perfect
When I am weak
And all that I cling to
I lay at Your feet
Your grace is sufficient for me

His grace IS sufficient. Please More Spirit. The Bible tells us that He lives inside of those who call upon His name. He is active and living inside of me. I need to let Him work. More of Him and less of me. I truly need to lay everything at His feet. He is big enough to handle it all. He is mighty enough to save me. He loves me. He cares for me. God is so merciful and kind. My Heavenly Father wants me to be obedient, to be happy, to be kind, to be faithful, to be gentle, to be careful with my tongue. He wants the best for me, He wants me to live Christ-like. I wouldn't give my morning 2 cents on that. But His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect when I am weak. Boy, am I weak. I am thankful that God forgave me. I am thankful that my boys forgave me. Today is a good day.

My heart is not in it

The previous post was inspired by a conversation that my hubby and I had. I was upset about my lack of discipline and schedule. I was upset that I couldn't get everything done that I wanted to. I couldn't school the boys and unpack and keep up on the normal daily house chores. Laundry is at its all time high, dishes are always in sink, bathrooms were at least cleaned, I felt bad about my look. You name it ... it was coming at me. I told Bo how I had felt that God wasn't really answering me. He (God) was giving me great ideas but not the 'how to'. I needed HELP! Well, my husband imparted such great wisdom to me. It took a while to settle into my brain but it instantly resonated with my heart. It's been about a week and I feel that I understand with my head enough to be able to share it with you. Of course you might not get it because sometimes what my head and heart understand my mouth and fingers can not put into words. Is that something that just happens to me? Anyway, basically what Bo said to me is this ... God has answered me. He has given me clear instructions. I just don't really want to put the effort into it. Like God has said to me that I need to start my day sooner. I need to get up before the boys and have some quiet time with Him, Bo and myself. In that order! :) But I don't want to go to bed earlier. I don't want to get up earlier. Oh my head does but my heart says "Let me sleep! Let me stay up and decompress from the day!" Well there probably wouldn't be a need to decompress so much if I prepared my day better. Amen? Another thing we talked about was homeschooling. I know that God has called this for our family. Before I even had our first boy I knew that God had called us to homeschool. So what the heck was my problem? My heart. My heart isn't in it. I believe with my heart that this is for us. Even when my mind says "Put them in school because this is too hard or put them in school so you have some time to yourself!" My heart says "Not on my watch!" Because my mind just wants to escape. But my heart not being in it is more the day to day routine. The doing it well part of our school day. See, I may have lost you with that. I know what I mean! :) My course of action for this, for my heart not being where God is calling me is this ... PRAYER, PRAYER AND SCRIPTURES! I am going to sit down and find scriptures that I can use in my battle. Every day to every moment I am going to ask that for less of me and more of Him. I'm praying for God to change my heart towards all that He has told me to do. God does not want my obedience to be accompanied with complaining! After all He is after our heart. If my heart isn't in it then am I truly being obedient and am I receiving the best from Him that I could be? I doubt it. It's just like with my boys. If I ask them to take out the trash and they do but are grumbling all the way, Am I pleased with their obedience? Not at all. It's the same with our Heavenly Father. I'm reminded of the whole 'cheerful giver'. God wants us to give but cheerfully. Again, a heart issue.
I pray that this all makes sense to you. Please keep me lifted up from time to time. I'd love any verses that you may have for me. Let me know if you have ever faced this, faced where God revealed to you that your heart wasn't in to something. Let me know what you did, what your prayers were and scriptures you relied on.
God Bless You!

Blessed by an amazing man

I'll tell you what ... I am so blessed by my husband. He is an amazing guy. He makes me laugh until I am either crying or wetting my pants! He makes me feel wonderful and special. He is forever telling me that I am a great mom and wife. Even on the days that I am freaking out. He doesn't ever lord anything over me. He works so hard for our family. Every day he gets up and busts his butt for us. Never complains, never considers it anything but pure joy to provide for us. He loves our boys more then anything. He will let things go that he should be doing, like paper work for our business, just to hang out with us. He never makes me feel bad or silly for asking him for things. Even if it is just a dollar candle, he will cheerfully tell me to get two! My heart is overwhelmed by his kindness. Not just with our finances but with him. He could easily withdraw from us. He could easily put his work over us. He could easily do something different but he chooses us. He is my provider, protector, my rock, my best friend and my soul mate. He is just an awesome man. I enjoy everything about him. He never ceases to amaze me. God has blessed me beyond words.

I love you Sweetheart!

By George, I think I've got it!

Or at least I am pretty close. I can't tell you how long I have been praying that I could come up with some sort of schedule. I've never been one to handle a strict schedule. I don't want to schedule my laundry for only Tuesday mornings or schedule a time to read a book. However, I have felt my life/mind spinning out of control. I was getting nothing done while doing everything. Am I the only one who has gone through this? Man, it is hard. The whole year that I have been praying for a schedule, praying for some kind of clarity to my day. I had felt that God was telling me to give my day over to Him. To seek Him first and the rest will fall into place. O.K., so I did that but things still were not getting done. Like if I did the house work then I didn't do school. If I spent my day with school then I didn't get any house work done. There had to be a healthy, normal balance that would work for me. I kept praying. I kept seeking God first. Learning a lot on my journey to finding the right schedule for my family. Just nothing to do with a schedule. Or so I thought. Finally I asked God "What the heck am I suppose to be doing?!" ... "Why can't I figure this out?!" ... "Life is not this complicated!" ... "Women have been doing this for centuries!" He was silent. "Hello?! Are you gonna answer me?" One day He did. One day I was sitting at the computer playing online, Free Cell to be exact. Things needed to be done like packing for our move, snuggling with my sick boys (they all had a cold), making dinner, you name it. I had no energy. I was disappointed that I couldn't get done the stuff I needed to do. Of course I had played 5 or 6 games of Free Cell and won 4 or 5 games (just in case you were wondering :)). That was when God said something to me. He said "If you weren't so selfish with your time you would have time to do the things you 'need' to do." Excuse me ... What did you say? Ouch ... that hits deep. He was right. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off (because I was lazy and selfish) complaining that I didn't have enough time when He had given me enough time. I just had not been a good steward of that time. It took me a few days of letting that sit before I repented. It was a mighty big pill to swallow. But let me tell you something! Since I have truly repented and truly gave my heart over to seeking Him first in ALL things, my days have been fruitful. I now have a schedule that I can work with. I'm still fine tuning it. Monday will be our first 'official' day with it but I am confident that it is the right schedule for me and my family. I am very excited. I'm feeling very free. Even though I haven't started the official schedule we are getting things done in a timely manner and at the end of the day I don't feel bad that something didn't get done. Glory!
Now, in a few weeks I am off to tackle my weight! :)

Peace

We have moved into our new house. It is wonderful. Our neighbors are great. Every one is so friendly. It is so amazing that we own a house! It is still hard to believe.

The boys have had no problems settling in. Each have their own room. It's neat to see their personalities come out. I think for my oldest is makes him feel more grown up. I was watching him put his stuff away. I was amazed at how old he looked. He just turned 9 but there he was listening to his radio while putting away his clothes. I had a bit of a 'flash forward', I could totally see him as a teenager. It's funny too that when we leave to go somewhere he closes his bedroom door. This house has been such a dream come true.

Our cats have a kitty door to their room. That was pretty funny teaching them. It was like trying to teach a baby to walk. But they have figured it out. Our turtle is in the 'cat room' too. He is doing fine. We put a screen on top of his cage. From time to time we would catch the cats drinking his water (gross) but we figured that this would be best because we wouldn't be able to see them as quickly. It stresses Rocky out when they do that. He hisses loudly. So, no more hissing.

Well, that is pretty much it. :) I know I haven't blogged in awhile ... this is why. I am still unpacking. Little by little I am chipping away at stuff. I have started school back up and my kitchen is completely done except I have some clocks to hang up. :) Need some nails and a hammer.

A friend of mine sent me a card. In the card was a verse that my hubby and I think is perfect so I am going to share it with you. This verse really speaks to us about our new home.
Isaiah 32:18 "My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest."

Glory to God!

Written so well

I found this blog http://www.thesacredeveryday.com/journal/ . This is a wonderful blog. There is an entry that is written so well called "Peace isn't a place". I was so touched by it that I wanted to share it you all. I hope you enjoy it.

Let's pray her home!

I wanted to ask y'all to pray for a wonderful family that I know. They are in the middle of adopting a precious little one. They are waiting for a Certificate of Abandonment (COA) to be signed. This isn't the only thing they need but it's the next thing.

Anyway, I wanted to bring this to every one's attention. I know I have people from all over reading this blog. Which humbles me! I know that y'all are on fire, Bible reading, New Testament believing children of God! I'm asking you all to stand with this family.

To read more please go to their site,
www.bestofthewests.blogspot.com

Everyone has a testimony

A dear friend of ours has come this weekend to visit. He brought his little boy with him. What a cutie. Of course I feel old and realize that my boys are getting older because when I last saw his son he was 2 1/2. Now he will be 4 in a two months! Boy do kids change a lot during those years.
Anyway, I was listening to our friend talk to my husband. He has been dealing with a lot of things. I could hear the pain, the fear, the confusion and the anger in his heart. I thought to myself that he would have an awesome testimony. He just needs to fall into the Savior's arms.

I was thinking about our friend's testimony when I realized that I am now looking at every body as having a testimony. It's true. Having that in my heart has caused me to look at everyone differently. I no longer see just the clerk at the grocery store or the mom with a bunch of kids in tow. I see precious people who have a testimony. They have a story. God has delivered them from something. God has moved in such a way that they will never be the same.

Then I thought about the people whose testimony hasn't been written yet. Like our friend visiting. God is knocking on the door to their heart but they haven't answered Him yet. That's what I really notice. I have another friend who is not saved. She is so precious to me. We grew up together (basically). I look at her life and think "Man! What an awesome testimony to God's grace and mercy!" Sadly she doesn't see that. She doesn't see how He wants save her from eternal death. How He protects her and her child every day. She leaves it all up to chance. She makes decisions based on her wants and desires. I know that if she would give Jesus a little wiggle room into her heart she would be forever changed. She would be an amazing spokes gal on how God can clean us up and make us pure.

Just like our dear friend who is visiting. His marriage is non-existent. But I know there is a God in Heaven who created marriages. I know there is a God who loves him (and her) more then any human can. I think about where they could be in five years if they would lay down their pride and pain and take up their cross. What an amazing testimony of a pure unconditional love from our Heavenly Father.

So my point to all this is this ... look for the testimonies! Everyone has one. Reflect on yours from time to time. God loves to hear them. Tell them to Him. You two will laugh and cry and just be besides yourselves over them. Plus doing that will reaffirm your faith! I try to do that once a week. Really. I sit with the Lord and say "Remember when ... Remember that ... Boy I didn't think I would ever learn but then this happened ... " and so on. We have a great time remembering my testimonies. Plus I realize I am ready to share it in public when I can say it to my Father with out crying, feeling ashamed at what I did or who I was, or putting myself to much into the miracle. After all it's about Him.

Well, in closing I say this ... Remember that everyone has a testimony.
Also ... remember yours ... share it as often as Christ leads you to.

Be blessed!

Dems Fightin' Werds!

Exodus 15:3a "The LORD is a warrior ..."

Read it again.
Say it out loud.
Say it like you mean it!
THE LORD IS A WARRIOR!
Dems fightin' werds!
(you have to say that with a southern draw :) )

Let me tell you something. God is a mighty warrior. He will fight for you in your situations but you have to get out of the way. You have to be on your knees in total submission to Christ. He opposes the proud. 1 Peter 5:5. If we are puffed up about ourselves, if we think we are some thing that we are not then God will deal with us. On His way to the situation He will stop and take care of His own. He will discipline us. God has no tolerance for pride. His will for us is to be humbled under His hand, His authority. If we are not then we can expect nothing less then some chastisement.

Some times I look at my circumstances and think "Are you going to deal with this/them?!" My precious Lord says to me "Are you going to get out of my way?" Perhaps you feel that God isn't moving quickly enough? Do you feel that He isn't taking care of some things? Here are some things to consider.
1. Are you looking at the world's time table?
2. Do you have some conceived notion as to how it should and when it should turn out?
3. Are you standing in His way?
Those can be so quickly dealt with. First realize that God doesn't work with our man made time. He does things when He does things. It's not a matter of God dealing with the circumstance. He is dealing with people. He is dealing with His kids. God is about relationship. He wants to make sure that we will learn from 'it'. Plus it's a matter of Him being glorified. Another thing is that God rarely does something the way we think. Our minds can not comprehend God's way. So in my opinion it's useless to have our many ways of handling a situation. We are only stepping into something that we have no business being in the middle of. If we are proud about something, if we think that our way is the only way, when we won't let go and let God then He will hold off deliverance. We see that time and time again in Scripture. Lastly and most importantly, we need to repent. It is sin to be prideful. It is a sin to stand in His way.

God is the warrior. We have been called to be warriors but we are called to fight along side Him. Not fight on our own. We are called to fight the good fight. We are called to fight what is important to Him. Not our own agenda. If you find that there are some fights that are going on for a long time you might want to ask yourself and God these questions.
1. Is this a battle worth fighting?
2. Has God called me to do battle on this?
3. Am I fighting a human or am I fighting the real enemy?
4. Is there any unbelief in my heart?
5. Am I being prideful?
6. Where have I not bowed down to God on this?
Ask these questions. Then, once you two talk, ask God to give you His heart. Ask Him to show you what He wants from you. Once we have submitted to His authority, fight the fight given to you, love the people in the situation, despise the true enemy (Satan), AND in His timing ... we will see VICTORY!

Now turn to your situation and say your fightin' werds!
THE LORD IS A WARRIOR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am so excited to see what God has in store for us!

Full-Fledged Christian

Someone I know said to me the other day that I was a full-fledged Christian. What she meant by that was I am bold about my faith. I stand on my convictions and I stand on the Word of God even if it reveals that I am sinning. I speak often about Christ's return. I try and encourage everyone to dig deeper in their walk with Christ.

I thanked her for her high thoughts of me. Then added that it's because God and I go way back. :)

Later in the evening that conversation came back to me. I believe the Holy Spirit asked me some important questions concerning that talk.

He asked me these following questions:
Am I so bold when I am not sure of the other person's faith?
Do I find it easier to preach to the choir then to proclaim God's goodness on the street corner?
If I didn't live in America would I be so 'full-fledged'?
When the time comes for me to give up my body for Christ, will I do it willing?

My heart skipped a beat. I have always been an "end times girl". I am raising my children to follow no one but Christ. To never denounce Him. We have had talks about Christ's Second Coming. How life may be like. What we would do and how we would behave. My boys know that there may come a day when they have to choose between life here on earth and Christ. They know that they are to always choose Christ. Even if our lives are threatened.

The questions God asked me made me take a second look at my heart. No, I am not so bold about my faith when I am not sure of the other person's. Yes, I do find it easier to preach to the choir then talk about God to a lost person. I don't think I would be so bold if I didn't live in America. I am thankful that God has given me America. I am free. I can disagree with you. I don't have to like your views and I can freely and openly disagree with you. Heck, I can even have a debate with you about it. I don't have to hide my faith. I don't have to hide my face. You get the idea. Anyway, on the last question ... YOU BET! I have always had the resolve that I would not deny Christ. I can remember a conversation my mom and I had when I was 10. We were reading the Bible together. She paused and asked me "What would you say if men came in here and pointed a gun to my head and ordered you to denounce Christ?" Instantly the gift of Faith empowered my spirit and I said that I would not denounce Christ. She would have to die. I still, 20 years later, 3 boys and a husband later, know that I wouldn't denounce Christ.

I now realize after God and I talked, that even though I wouldn't deny Who He is, I'm not so sure I wouldn't whine and complain about the torture. Would the pain be so unbearable that I simply blame Him for it? Or would I hold my head up high and consider it pure joy? Would the words of Paul ring in my ear "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21) Would I ask God to forgive them? Honestly, I pray so. I pray I will be like Stephen.

Acts 7:55-60 NIV
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he said this, he fell asleep.

Whew! Can you imagine that?! Seeing God and Jesus looking down at you. People rushing at you to kill you because you believe in God. Asking the Lord to receive your spirit. Then ... asking God not to hold your death against the people who are killing you. Powerful stuff.

Well, with all that said I leave you with this ...
Don't just get through the hard times with Christ. Learn to stand firm on those times. Create a history with God mixed with great times and 'learning' times. I tell you what, it's hard to imagine leaving some one who never leaves nor forsakes you! Hebrews 13:5b

Be Blessed! Walk in Peace! Walk in Christ's freedom!

Mary Did You Know?

There are only about a handful of Christmas songs that I enjoy. Here is one of them. Enjoy!

BTW ... Turn up the speakers :)

http://www.bonniesplace1.com/Marydid.html

Just wanted to share!

So my mom had my boys last night. She takes them around her neighborhood looking at lights. She remembers that she doesn't have any milk at her house so she stops at 7-11.

My youngest says to her "Grandma you should buy the milk Mommy gets." My mom asks why. He says "Because the milk she buys never runs out!"

HA HA HA!! Isn't that so funny? He is so cute.

Did you see Him today?

I was just wondering ...
Wondering if you saw God today. I did.

I saw Him in the bright sun,
I saw Him when my boys were having fun.

I saw Him land in the back yard,
I saw Him here and not far.

I saw Him in my husband's eyes,
I saw Him in the words of the wise.

I saw Him here all day long,
I saw Him gentle and I saw Him strong.

I saw Him laugh and I saw Him smile,
I saw Him enjoy my company for awhile.

I saw Him when I kissed them good night,
I saw Him in their rooms as they tuned out the light.

I see Him here with me as I sing,
Glory, Glory to my King.

Oh for crying out loud!

Every so often something happens that causes me to step back from myself. Tonight was one of those times. I acted in a way that I haven't in a while. Someone in a dark colored corvette did donuts right by our house. I got scared. I went in our bedroom and prayed. I even cried. Then I became angry. That's the thing that I shouldn't have done. I turned my emotion into anger. Why? Because back in the day that is how I protected myself. Silly, I know but it's the truth. So then once I fell at God's feet, I apologized to my family. I apologized to my King. Picked myself up and dusted myself off.

Praise Him!

Then I tripped again.

I was reading some other bloggers. Homeschool bloggers. They have it all together. They are doing cool science projects, making homemade cookies, helping their husbands, loving their 100 kids, serving God in every way, and so on. Some of that may be a bit of an exaggeration . But none the less I started to feel overwhelmed and not to mentioned, condemned. Started thinking that I have been homeschooling for 4 years. I started when my oldest started Kindergarten. I still don't know what I am doing. Still not sure where we are going. Every day poses new questions with very little answers. My only assurance is that God told me to. Boy do I hold on to that with both hands! He specifically said "Keep them out of the world for a season." Both my husband and I feel that we are to keep them home until 8th grade. So, I know that God and my husband, along with me want this. It doesn't make the day any easier though.
O.K. back to the awesome homeschoolers and their blogs. I have had this tugging feeling that I just may be an unschooler. For those of you who may not know what that is I will try to explain. *THIS IS MY UNDERSTANDING AS OF TODAY :)* An unschooler is someone that views education as part of life. Unschoolers are not time restricted or defined by age/grade. Basically you let life tell you what you learn and when. If your 2nd grader wants to learn fractions then you teach fractions even though the state says they shouldn't learn that until 4th grade. Now with that being said, I have been praying for a schedule, some thing so uncommon to unschoolers. I have been pushing worksheets and timed lessons, again uncommon to unschoolers. I say this because I have been driving myself nuts. The boys are fine. They don't care how I do it as long as we do it so they can continue to play. So as I am reading the blogs God says to me "Be anxious about nothing but pray about everything." To which I say "Yeah but why can't I do this? Why does it seem so hard for me but no one else? Why is it that I am praying and begging for things to change and they will for a time but not forever? Every week is a struggle!" Then once again I find myself reading an article about unschooling. Then I felt in my spirit (which by the way is usually how God talks to me) God saying "Because you are doing it the way you think it should be done. Not the way I have called you to do it." Oh ... oh ... oh, I see ...
So, I went to the library's online catalog and put on hold some homeschool books that talk about unschooling. Maybe I can get a better understanding of what it is, what it looks like and if that is the way I am to do it.

I'll keep you posted. :)

I do know that if I am faithful to do what I think is best while I am seeking God's will and direction, He will be faithful to me.

Merry Christmas

This poem was sent to me by a very cool mama! She had received it from her homeschool Yahoo group but I think all can walk away with something.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the home,
Children were still studying for their test on Rome.
Mom was planning, she had just an hour,
To teach 'one more lesson' before their night shower.
A whole week of vacation, the children were thrilled,
But Mom saw the lesson plans, and the blocks were still filled.
"Can I stop for a day, much less a whole week?"
Just the thought of time off made me shudder and shriek!
Would they remember anything, would they fall behind?
"Lord, I need your help, just give me a sign!!!"
Then out on the sidewalk, I saw my four boys,
And I heard them say, "it's not about toys."
To the neighborhood kids, they explained Jesus' birth,
And how through Jesus, not toys, we gain our worth.
At that point, math and spelling and learning to write,
Meant little to me as I had lost the sight
Of what teaching at home was truly about.
Then I sat at my desk and began to pout.
The pouts turned to sobs, "Lord what have I done?
It's not about grades, but to follow your Son!"
"Please guide me and show me my job is to teach,
and turn them to you, and of Jesus I'll preach."
Now we'll put away books and not open them 'til later,
We'll focus on Jesus, our Lord and Creator.
It's His day and so we will all celebrate,
I'll never mention the words "behind" or "we're late".
So, Thank You, Lord, for blessing me,
With such a great husband and family.



Merry Christmas!
Enjoy your family!

Trim the tree

Merry Christmas!
We have finally gotten the tree and decorations up. Bo and the boys are going to do the outside tomorrow. The boys want to put lights up outside. So being the cool parents we are, said "That would be awesome!"
I love this time of year. Yes ... money is tight. Yes ... crowds bother me. Yes ... the house has more clutter BUT it's Jesus' birthday!!

I know that December wasn't part of the 10 month Jewish calendar and I know that some believe that Christians took over some sort of pagan holiday where they worshipped the winter moon (or the sun or something) but that doesn't change the fact that He was born. We can fuss about all that stuff or we can marvel at the fact that "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (emphasis mine)
Jesus is that child ... that son!


I know that y'all have your trees up and your homes are decorated. I pray this holiday season is the best yet! I pray a blessing over your families and homes. I pray that God shows Himself to you in new ways this coming year. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I praise His name for His son.

12-11-76

Well! God and I have started another decade!

I wonder what things we will do? How much joy, peace, sorrow, grief, excitement, fear, happiness, and any other emotion you can think of, are we going to have these next 10 years? My 20s are over and I feel great. I actually feel like I have caught up with myself. My 20s took me on a quite the roller coaster ride. I truly do wonder what journey lies ahead.

I know God is looking at me and thinking I haven't seen anything yet! GLORY!

Sing with me ...

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! I have turned thirty! Happy Birthday to me!

Blow my socks off!

God is so good and kind to me!

My hubby and I have been praying for a house to buy for so long. We have cleaned up his credit and our income has increased. So we felt that it was time to really start the process. That was about 6 months ago. We looked at the market and things were still high. We wanted a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house. We wanted a two story. We also wanted a nice size back yard. Cul-de-sac would be good too. My oldest wanted a room above the garage. Well, to find a house like that has been hard. However, nothing is impossible.
This past week we have went under contract with a house! A brand new house. A brand new house in an established neighborhood. A quiet, nice neighborhood. This house goes beyond our dreams and prayers! I am blown away at how God has shown His love for me. This is a good gift. I know that spiritual blessing far out way earthly gifts but God does choose to bestow His love for us with material things too. Don't get me wrong ... I long for the words "Well done my good and faithful servant" but getting to have a dream (of any kind) come true, on this side of Glory, is a blessing.

Commandment Number 4

Exodus 20:8-11

Many of us know this one. Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy. Bascially it says that no one should be doing anything. That everyone should be resting. What does that mean? I used to think that it meant I couldn't do anything. Well, of course I was breaking that commandment. Then I realized that God didn't rest because He was tired. He rested because He wanted to reflect on what He had created. He wanted to take a break and enjoy it all. For Israel it was meant for them to stop everything. To eat left overs and give the help off. For us, I believe, it is for us to enjoy all that God has granted us. It's a means to shut out the world and enjoy a peaceful time with God.

I don't believe that God only wants the 'Sabbath' day. He wants us to do that every chance we get. God, our Creator, wants us to reflect daily on His goodness. He wants you to tell Him how beautiful the sunset is or how the sound of a child laughing brings a smile to your face. He wants to know that you have looked around and see that 'it is good'.

The whole point about taking time to rest is that we are to rest in God. It's not just about ceasing from physical labor but an heart attitude focused on Christ.

Take some time to rest. God is waiting.

Will You Stop?!

My oldest boy has this habit of making an irritating noise. It could be a very loud hum. It could be a tapping noise. It could be screaming through the house. You name it, he does it. He'll do it for what seems like forever! I have to ask him to stop. He won't think to stop on his own. LOL
So today on the way to soccer he was tapping his foot on the chair. After a minute or so I said, in a loud tone, "Will you stop?!" He stopped. Then my spirit was quickened and my thoughts went to God. I wondered how often He looks at me and says the same thing! I know there are some 'habits' I have that just drive Him nuts (so to speak). I'm so thankful He is much kinder to me then perhaps I was to my boy. Next time he is doing something that is annoying I will let hime know gently.

Whose Report Will You Believe?

Let me just say something here... God is good! He never ceases to amaze me. I have had such privilege getting to know Him, that it takes my breath away. Lately most of my conversations with God have been in my head. Simply because I can't utter the words out loud. My throat tightens, my eyes well up. His goodness literally takes my breath away. I am humbled beyond words. I am humbled beyond anything. You see, I know me. I know where I have been. I know what I have done. I know the ugliest part of me and so does God. Yet He still sees me as a precious child. As one of His own. As the apple of His eye. As a joint heir with Christ in the Kingdom.

Amazing.

Amazing.

I was looking out my dentist's door today while waiting on my oldest son. It occurred to me that I will be 30 years old next month (December 11 :) ). I couldn't believe it. Not because I am "getting older" but because of a report that was given to me a long time ago. When I was younger, at age 14, I was diagnosed with Fibrositis (a muscle disease now called Fibromyalgia) and Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This was two years after I was diagnosed with Migraines, Chronic Migraines and Tension Headaches. The report was very bleak. Consent pain, nerve and muscle damage. Added onto the report was that I would be in a wheel chair by the age of 30. The reason the doctors said this was because over 15 years ago they didn't have the tools to manage this disease. Not to mention that the average age diagnosed with Fibrositis was 45 and by the age of 60 they were, at the very least, walking with a cane.
Today I rejoice! Today I am looking at my 30th birthday coming up and PRAISE GOD I am walking! I am riding bikes! I am working out (when I do it)! I am healthy. I no longer suffer from headaches! GLORY I no longer suffer from muscle pain! GLORY
The enemy tried to get me to believe that I was slipping back into agony. Over the summer he did everything in his power to manipulate my body. To make me give back my healing. At one point I had started to believe that I was going insane. There was a battle over me this summer. But just like God was faithful to Job, God was faithful to me.
God has given me so much. I have a beautiful family. I am healthy. I am happy. I am writing. My dreams and desires are aligned with God and He is blowing my socks off!
I have always enjoyed getting older. This year will be the greatest yet. I look forward to this next decade. God and I have been on quite the journey. I can only imagine what we will do next! GLORY!

3rd Commandment

Oh boy do I know that this is long! :) Thanks for sticking it out with me.

God has so much for us. He is so faithful to us.

Exodus 20:7
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD you God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Oh my... That one sends waves through me. My heart aches when I think about how careless I have been with God's names. I think most of us have casually said "oh my god!" or "lord have mercy" without really wanting God's mercy or really calling out to Him. If we could fully understand the power of His name, I think we wouldn't allow it to casually come off our lips. The Bible tells us in Revelation that there is a name of God that no one knows. I think because He knew we would use it as a curse word.

Dear Father, You are so awesome. Your name should be on my lips as praise. Forgive me Father for every careless time I have used your holy name in vain. Quicken my spirit when I do use it inappropriately. I only want to honor You my King. Remind me Lord that there is none like You. Remind me of the power in Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

2nd Commandment

I'm excited that you have joined me today!

I pray that you realize you are blessed and secure in Him.

Here we go, the 2nd commandment.

Exodus 20:4-6
(4) You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water below. (5) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me (6) but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Whew! That's a mouth full. There is so much in those few verses. I tend to gravitate towards verse 6. I want a thousand generations from me to be blessed. But that's not the verse we will look at. :)

Let us take a look at verse 4.

You shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water below. (emphasis mine)

I looked around my house and realized that I have things that could become idols. I have various plaques about God. I also have a cross standing on my entertainment center. I have scriptures taped to my mirrors, windows and doors. If I am not careful I could begin to worship, in a sense, those things instead of what they represent. I could become so enchanted by they way they look or how people respond to them that I forget it's all about God. I do believe we should have things in our home that is Christ centered. But again, it's about the heart attitude. Where does our attitude line up with this? Are we like the Israelites who would rather make and idolize a cow because it was something they could see? I pray not! Having crosses, angels, plaques, and so on doesn't make our home Christian. It doesn't make our home safe from the enemy. Those things should only be a reminder to ourselves and those who enter that we do belong to The King.

God is faithful with His Word. It is so important that we understand Him. That we know where He is coming from. It's not just about us. There are future generations at stake.

1st Commandment

Right off the bat I want to make sure that we all know where I am coming from. :) I am not a scholar. I am not someone who has studied scripture intensively.
I seek the Lord through His Word and prayers. Each time I sit down with a cup of coffee and the Bible, I ask God to meet me. I pray that the Holy Spirit will show me something in the Word. I ask that at the very least, I would be blessed by the time we have together. I talk to my Father about His Word. I will read a passage and we will chat about what was written. A lot of my spiritual healing has come from these precious conversations.
Now, with all that said, lets dive into it!

While I was reading the Commandments, I realized that this wasn't something tucked into the Old Testament for just the people of Israel. This is for the Spirit-filled, Cross bearing, Resurrection believing people! This is for me! God and I began to read them focusing not just on the 'Do and Don't' but on the heart attitude behind the Law. What an eye opener for me.

Commandment number one.
Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.

O.K. Simple enough, I thought. Then God spoke to me. What does that mean to a New Testament believer? When I think of that word 'gods' I think of the Biblical gods. I think of Zeus or Astarte. I think of big statues and crazy practices. I think of an outright defiance toward God. Probably everything you think of.
I looked up the word god in the dictionary. It said that a god was: being of more than human powers; a divinity; an idol; any person honored unduly; any object esteemed as the chief good; false deities; the Supreme Being.
Any object esteemed as the chief good? Hmmm
Any person honored unduly? Hmmm
I think that we will find out that we sometimes do put something ahead of God. What I mean is this, are there things in our lives that take priority over having a relationship with Christ? Do we merely say "Hey" to God in the morning on the way to the coffee pot? Would we rather check our email instead of spending that 20 minutes in prayer? Would we rather watch our favorite show then read His Word? I am guilty of all that! I am not saying that we can't watch t.v. or check our email. And if you know me, you know I would never say we couldn't drink coffee! :) But where is God in your day? Is He someone that is with you at all times or do you leave Him behind in order to do your 'to do' list?
What about the people in our lives? Do we choose our friends wisdom over The Lord's? Are we substituting God with our friends? Again, I am not saying we can't have friends, Jesus had friends. What I am saying is that we should talk with God about stuff before we go running to our best buds. Often times, at least I have found this to be true, I don't even need to concern my friends with something after I have taken it to Christ.

So, this is what I have learned about the First Commandment: To not put anyone or anything above God. To make sure that He and I are on the best of terms before I do something. To make sure that I am not sacrificing our relationship for the world.

I pray this has encouraged you. Perhaps it made you stop and think. I know I am thinking twice before I just do something.

Stay tuned for the Second Commandment. :)

The Ten Commandments

So, I have been listening to The Way of The Master on the car radio. They believe that you can not present the Gospel unless you first present the Law. Basically they feel that if you do not show people that they are sinners and how they sin, based on God's Laws, then they will not truly understand why they need a savior. When the people from The Way of The Master, like Kirk Cameron, witness to someone they go over the Ten Commandments. The people admit that they are lying, thieving, and adulterers in need of a Savior. Well, at least most do. Then they are presented Christ.

This got me thinking. I agree with them. I have had some friends who I did not share the Law. I didn't show them how they were sinners. I just told them they were. Then I just talked about how good God is. How He heals marriages and forgives our sins. Yes, all very true! Yes, all part of the message but not the only message. My dear friends, when faced with trial, turned away from God. They didn't understand how to persevere. How to fight the good fight because basically I didn't reveal that there was a fight. I made God out to be fluffy and sweet, lavishing about His love for us. How we are the apple of His eye. How He desires a relationship with us. Again all very true but not all of the story. I didn't do that on purpose. I didn't realize that they couldn't have the understanding I have of God because they had just met Him. I have been through some fires with Him. I have been healed, delivered, chastised, forgiven, accepted, you name it, He and I have been there. I was giving an impression of God that has taken me over 20 years to know. Simply put, I forgot the basics. That we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

So, that got me thinking some more. How many times I have reflected on The Ten Commandments? Not many, I assure you! Unless talking about them with my boys, I really don't think twice about it. How sad. Out of sight, out of mind. I know what I should and shouldn't be doing, at least I think so. :) I know that a lot of my struggles come from heart issues. After all, I am a New Testament Christian. But my faith does have another side to it. God is merciful, kind, and good but He is also my Judge.

I sat down the other day and began to read Exodus chapter 20. My heart ached as I read them. I had read down to the fifth commandment and still couldn't find one that I hadn't recently broke! God began to speak to me what each one meant for me, a New Testament believer.

Over the next week or so I am going to write what God and I talked about. I believe He shared things with me that are from His heart.

God is so patient and kind.

A healing!

Well, I am just so blessed! My youngest woke up this morning about 3. He said his penis hurt when he pees. I asked him if it was just his pee pee or did his belly hurt too (I was thinking bladder but didn't think a 5 year old would understand). He said yes. I told him to bow his head that we were going to pray for a healing. That's what we did. I asked God to touch him, to take the bacteria away. I asked God to forgive me for not explaining to him how important it was (medically) to 'not hold it' when he had to go. He likes to keep doing what he is doing even if that means he pees his pants!
After the prayer he settled down. We both fell asleep but I woke up. My first thought went to the prayer for the healing. Unbelief came. I admitted to God that I was struggling with believing that God would heal him outright. Another words, healing him with out medicine. I have no reason to believe He wouldn't. He has healed me of a muscle disease and migraines with out medicine. My solution to my unbelief was to be honest with God and praise Him for the healing. I tossed and turned all night. Each time I woke I praised Him for the healing. I thanked Him for loving my boy more then I ever could.
This morning we all got up and started getting ready for church. I asked my son how he was feeling. He said "good". I said "When you go potty if it doesn't hurt say 'PRAISE GOD'." He said "Sure". Then unbelief came back and I quickly added "Tell me if it hurts." Then of course I felt bad for the unbelief and said to God, "Well, I need to know. He might not tell me."
About an hour went by and I realized that he had not told me he went potty. So I asked him about it. He replied with big eyes "I said PRAISE GOD!" To which I responded "So, it didn't hurt?" He said, "PRAISE GOD!" That's right little man of God, Praise God. So he has been healed. God is so good.
I am going to add this to my list of healings He has done for me and my family. Maybe one day the spirit of unbelief will not enter my home. Until then, I will continue to be honest with my Heavenly Father about my doubts and continue to be amazed by Him! GLORY!

Be encouraged, God is still in the Miracle business!