Things I've noticed

I know it has been awhile since my last post. To be honest I can't say it's been awhile because I have been busy. The main reason I've been a bit MIA is because I lost my glasses. I lost them the day before I left for the homeschool convention. After weeks of searching I went back to the eye doc. My prescription had changed a bit and now he wants me to wear them all the time. So I'm trying to. I need them mainly for reading, watching TV and driving at night. But since I have been wearing them all day or at least most of the day I have noticed a difference. Anyway, this isn't the main reason for the post. I just wanted to update y'all. :O)

Things I've noticed about my Beloved ... this is the reason for the post.

I've noticed that he just wants me around. It's a good feeling. Case in point, my husband and I own our own construction business. It's a gutter company. He does other things like a little trim work and siding but mainly we a gutter family. :) I help really in a way. I'm Vice President and Treasurer. It's on paper. I have to hold two offices and so does Bo. He is President and Secretary. The reason why we have to hold two offices is because in June of '04 we became Incorporated. To have an incorporation the four offices have to be filled. I own 10% of the shares. Again for legal purposes. If I hold 20% or more then my credit becomes an issue when building credit for our company name. I do not handle any paperwork, estimates, invoices and certainly I am not up on a roof.

So how do I help? How do I support him?

Well, I support by understanding why we aren't always paid on Friday. I support when he gets home after the sun goes down. I run to the bank for him. But mainly I am just here. I sit in the office with him while he does his paperwork. I make sure the boys are quiet when he is on the phone with customers. I call a customer occasionally when he needs me to. I listen to him while he is explaining his next week's schedule. I listen while he complains about contractors not paying when they should. The list goes on.

When we first started our company I thought I had to be in the details. I never pushed my way in but I did offer unsolicited advice. I, for a little while, became frustrated by "his" system and would explain how "my" way was more efficient. Of course looking back over the years I can freely admit I was wrong. He is amazing. He is so good at what he does it blows my socks off. Sure things have been tough and money has been tight from time to time but I clearly see how business savvy he is. How smart he is. How clever. Not to mention how strong he is both mentally and physically. My man is a hard worker! It's a wonderful legacy he is passing down to our boys.

So with much prayer and stepping back to watch I've noticed that just my presence is needed for Bo. So often we think that our men will tell us what they need from us. Not so. We, us girls, are the talkers. Men are doers. God knows what our men need from us. He will reveal it to us if we are quiet and wait.

I have asked Bo, just recently, if he wanted me more involved. He said no, he just wanted me to be here. I can do that.

Lately I've started to come when he calls. Even with the children. Instead of standing in the kitchen doing dishes hollering "What?!", I simply turn the water off, dry of my hands and find the guy who called me. To my amazement it has actually brought a different atmosphere to our home. I've noticed too that they are starting to do the same when I call. It's nice.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this. Perhaps there is a gal out there who has asked God for some wisdom in regards to helping her man out. Maybe this will help ... just be there. Be his cheerleader. There really isn't anything your man can't do if he's got the Lord and a good woman. After all Job said that a good wife is a gift from the Lord. Or something like that. :P

The Boss' Daughter

Tonight I went to our accountant's office to pick up some paperwork. It was after hours so I had to use my key. My van was the only vehicle in the parking lot which made me a little uneasy. The place was very quiet. I quickly walked past the stairs, glancing just a little. As I walked down the hallway I remembered how I use to go into such quiet buildings with my dad. He owned a cleaning company. So often we would be in a building late at night checking on his workers. Some builders were owned by special clients so he would clean them by himself. I was never scared when I was with him. If I heard a strange noise it didn't matter. If I went into a dark office it was no problem. As I picked up the envelopes I thought about why I was so skittish tonight. My first thought was "Well, I now know how dangerous the world is." I know that people make bad decisions and I could be caught in the middle. But then I heard God whisper this to me. He said "You were never frightened because you were the boss' daughter." I smiled to myself. He's right. I walked out of the dark, quiet building with my head held high and no fear in my heart because I am the Boss' daughter. I'm God's daughter. I have a right to be here, to be here in this world.
He is always with me and I shall not fear.

This was a good one!

Yesterday's sermon was so good at my church! I bet your pastor was awesome too. :)
Here is a link to listen to the sermon. Honestly, I don't know how long it is. Probably about 45 minutes or so.
Turn up your speaker :) It starts right away. Be blessed!

Fathers, Stop the Curse, Start the Blessing by Pastor Dan

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.



*Previously posted 11/5/06

Isn't this crazy?!

Yesterday Bo and his friend Jamie went to our local post office. Jamie wanted to get a P.O. Box. The gentleman told him to try his key to make sure it worked. So Jamie did. When he opened the box there was an envelope. They intended to give it to the postman. However, when Bo looked at the name he was shocked. It was my best friend's name! 9 1/2 years ago, that's right almost a decade ago, my very best friend had that exact same P.O. Box. She moved away in October of 1999. The letter was postmarked Oct 12, 1999! Is that not crazy?! I tell you what, staring at her name, her maiden name, flooded my mind with so many memories. Not all good, like the one where I helped load up the U-Haul for her move to Rhode Island. Or the subsequent phone call saying that her, her husband and new baby were moving to California. God was so kind to me the year or so before she left. See, when I first moved down here we lived in the same neighborhood. We were always in three places, either at her house, my house or walking the neighborhood. Usually the latter. I still drive through that neighborhood from time to time. Anyway, there were about two years that we didn't talk much after high school. But God brought us back together in early 1997. Once we reconnected we haven't been apart. Before she left we had gotten into a comfortable (almost) daily routine. She would get off work around 5:30 and come to my house. We would hang out until Bo got home from work, usually around 8 or so. Then we would all hang out until about 10. I remember all of us (anywhere from 4 to 10) would hang out Friday and Saturday night together. We always went to church on Sunday together then usually lunch somewhere cheap. :) I miss her so. We do talk all the time, even with the three hour difference. But there is nothing like sitting next to your best gal friend, drinking coffee and talking face to face. She is my bud. She kicks my butt when needed, cries with me when needed, and laughs with me when needed. Our kids like each other and often ask to take a vacation to visit one another. So cute. I'm still tickled about that letter! She couldn't believe it either. Of course I took it as a sign from God that she should move back! LOL Then I call her and she tells me how God is moving/stirring in her heart. He also caused some thing that held her family to CA to be taken away. Do I dare dream Lord? I always want what is best for her and her family. I'm even big enough to understand that living right next to me might not be what is best. But it would be nice. :) God knows our hearts ... You never know what He has planned for her and me. Today I will be grateful for our friendship and I will dream a little. :)

Holding on so tight

This post on the LPM blog just blessed me so tonight. I have a situation that I am worrying to death. Being analytical I have come at it from every angle. Being a skeptic I've seen every possible bad thing. This situation consumes me. It's on my mind when I wake and when I fall asleep. My mind drifts to it when I'm doing the laundry and when I'm playing with the boys. It has even invaded my quiet time. Not in a prayer sense but in a panic. I play tug of war with God over it all day. You know, the whole "It's mine. No You take it. No, it's mine. No You take it." I'm driving myself nuts. I've been very real and honest with God. I've told Him how I trust Him to always be there for me. Oh how I trust He is mighty. How I trust He will catch me. How He is my Rock and Refuge. Trusting Him to sustain me, to give me the grace is NOT my problem. It's the fact that I don't want to go through this. I don't want to suffer, to hurt, to cry, to ... loose. Oh I know that if I have Christ I have it all. Yes, that is so true. But some people on this earth are so very important to me. Through all of this stuff God keeps speaking to me "Meek and Quiet Terri. Meek and Quiet." S-T-R-E-T-C-H. Lord, He knows that I am not one who is quiet and not one for meekness. Today I felt His presence in the situation. Amazingly enough when I was quiet and meek, my spiritual eyes shot up to Heaven and I saw Him, Jesus, and all those who have gone on before me looking back at me. I felt the Holy Spirit say "I know, I know sweet one." Beth Moore's post is right. In it she talks about waving a red flag at Satan. Letting him know that we have put down our Shield of Faith. I don't want to put it down. I want to knock Satan in the head with it. Just being honest. Do you ever wish that you had a piece of armor that allowed you to knock some sense into people? I guess that is what the Holy Spirit is for. Of course if we had such a piece it would be our own version of 'common sense' not Christ's.
Christ I choose You. I'm taking my thoughts captive. I'm laying it all at Your sweet feet. I'm leaving here, the foot of the cross, empty handed but a heart full of God's mercy, grace, and love. All things do work out for those that love Him. Even if the middle is icky.
God bless all of you!

He did great!

This is Ryan after his surgery. He did great. What a big guy. He couldn't eat anything 14 hours before the surgery. He wasn't allowed to drink anything 4 hours before the surgery. We had to wait in the waiting room for a little over 2 hours. But he did great! I am so proud of his bravery. Thank you all for praying! He woke up with out any problems. As we followed the nurse into the Post Anesthesia Recovery Unit (PARU) Bo and I could hear babies just screaming their heads off. The longer it took to reach Ryan's bed the harder my heart was pounding. We finally made it :) and there he was, half asleep, being fed a slushy and talking about how his big brothers were with Grandma. I do believe I knocked the nurse down trying to get to him. He listened so well to the nurse as she explained the IV and how he needed to rest. He answered every question she asked and never freaked out. Ryan tends to become very nervous when situations are out of his control. He is the bravest little boy jumping high skate board ramps but take away his bodily control and he has a hard time being brave. Not on Thursday though. I told them about it and they (the staff) made sure he knew everything that was going to happen. He never once cried about his IV. Even when the pain medicine was wearing off he let a few tears drop. We quickly got the nurse who gave him some more stuff. The picture is of him waiting for the ride downstairs to the van. :)

When we got home the brothers were so happy to see him. We all hung out in the living watching TV with Ryan. He wasn't allowed outside until Friday. He has had no complications and we are so beyond thankful. God is good!

Ryan's Surgery

Hello All! I just wanted to request some prayer. Our youngest boy, Ryan, is going to have surgery tomorrow. It's a private issue and he has asked me not to share it with everyone. So I won't.
Please keep him in prayer. He will need anesthesia. Please keep Bo, myself and the brothers in prayer too. We are all a bit nervous. God is good though. He has sent the Holy Spirit to calm us.
One more thing. We had to take David back to get more blood work done. So, we should be hearing back from the doctor soon. I'm believing in a healing!! I would not be surprised if the doctor calls me instead of sending a letter because the labs are so "crazy"! :)
Oh and just in general keep my family lifted high. I know the enemy is foaming at the mouth ready to feast on one if not all of us.
If you receive any words from our Lord or have any scripture that you would like to pass on to me "just because" feel free to! I encourage it. You can email. Just click on the 'Email Me' button on my sidebar.
Thank you!

HATE this feeling

I hate this feeling that I have. I'm somewhere stuck in the middle of life right now. One hand summer is almost here. Lazy days of pools and skate board parks are just on the horizon but we are in the middle of test taking. Our hearts long to be somewhere, anywhere but home yet our home needs our attention. We should get the bathroom finished. It just needs the trim painted and decorated. Simple enough. The garage needs to be cleaned out. It is terrible! I can't stand it anymore. Even Bo can't stand it. Our yard needs to be cleaned up. We have piles of leaves from the fall still sitting in our back yard! There are little home improvements that should be done like expanding our driveway and laying down sod. I would really like the house to be painted and decorated. My list of "To Do's" seem so long and we are terrible about just doing it. Trust me Nike is not looking for our family to be a spokesman! My kitchen table is so cluttered with crap. My desk is a nightmare. Not that we use it for anything but still! :) My front porch is filled with muddy shoes, tools and toys. My flower bed needs some new flowers. The boys' summer clothes should be gone through. I know they need new things. The days just seem to get away from me. By the time I'm done doing the every day stuff there is no time left for the extras. I guess I shouldn't take the boys to the pool or skate park but it's fun. Fun doesn't pay the bills though. There has to be some system. Bo always says to make a list and start checking things off. Baby steps. Maybe that is my list for tomorrow ... make a list of the extras. Heck, I should just read over this post! I know that this busyness is probably from Satan. He wants me focused on all this 'stuff' instead of becoming a woman of character. He wants me weighted down by what is not done instead of what I have. Satan wants my stomach in knots instead of walking in joy. So I will lay this feeling down at God's feet and walk away. Before I know it everything will be done.

My experience with the police in our new home

Okay, so this is the first house we have ever owned. We decided that we would get an alarm system. So within two weeks we were all set up.
Once we figured out that yes, if you open the window before turning off the alarm in the morning, it will go off. Also, if you open the back door in the morning before you turn off the alarm it will go off. Oh and if you drop a pan onto the kitchen floor it will trigger the glass break sensor and yep, you guessed it, it will go off. Which we only set our alarm at night or when we leave so needless to say half my household is ASLEEP when the thing goes off! Okay so we figured that all out.
While we were learning all that, which I'm sure they wrote in the manual that I didn't bother to read because, well, I learn from life. We also figured out that they call you, every time, it goes off.

Alarm Company "Hello. This is So-N-So from your alarm company. Your alarm has sent a signal that 1. a window was opened 2. your back door was opened. or 3. Glass broke in your home."
Me "Yes, I know."
A.C. "Is everything alright?"
Me "Yes. It was just 1. I wanted some fresh air. 2. My son went outside or 3. I was putting away dishes and the pot fell."
A.C. "Do you need me to dispatch police."
Me "No, no everything is okay."
A.C. "May I please have your password?"
Me "Yes, it's ..."

Okay, simple enough. All is great.

Unless you are on the phone with a sweet precious friend and your son sets off the alarm. Then because you really just want to talk to your sweet precious friend who by the way is calling long distance and between the two of you there are 6 boys ... time is limited. So when the alarm company calls you don't really check the caller id. So when you see the word 'guard' you mistake it for your pest control company. You think to yourself "Is it really time to spray for the ants again?" Oh well you figure, they will call back. About 5 minutes later a knock on the door. What in the world? you think. It's only 9 in the morning! UPS comes around 5 in the evening! So you excuse yourself from the conversation because clearly people are trying to annoy you. You go to the door in your lovely pjs because like I said before it's only 9! :) As you open the door a badge is in your face. A plain clothes police man is standing off to the side of your front door. He asks you if you are alright. You think 'Well, until now I was fine'. You answer Yes. He then steps up to you. He identifies himself and shows his badge one more time. You then notice there is an unmarked car parked in front of your neighbor's house and a cruiser down the street. You're thinking 'Man, what could have happened?' He then explains that you didn't answer your phone. Or your cell phone. Your husband didn't answer his phone either. "Oh, it was the alarm company that called!" You then explain to the nice officer that you just wanted to talk to your friend who lives in another state before someone got into a fight or someone needed help in the bathroom.
Okay so I learned that day that if you don't answer your phone when you set off your alarm that they will send out police. They are kind of funny that way.

We also have found out that if you just lock the bottom lock and not the dead bolt the wind can sometimes jiggle the door and set off the alarm. If you don't answer the house phone cause you're not home and you don't answer your cell phones because you are on a ride at Busch Gardens ... they will dispatch police to check the perimeter of your home. Then they will leave you a message on your home phone explaining what happened. Life lessons!

Now today happens. The boys and I left around 12:25 to go to our co-op. I had just pulled into a gas station when the phone rang. No one I know but God said "answer it". So I did. It was our alarm company. After introductions the following conversation:

AC "Your front door has triggered the alarm"
Me "Oh, I bet I didn't lock the dead bolt."
AC "There was no response from the house phone"
Me "No one is home. In fact we just left."
AC "Yes, I know that you just left. Mrs. L. the police have been dispatched. They are coming up your street now."
Me "Umm, okay." I'm thinking this is odd because they call house, my cell, then Bo's cell. In that order. If they can't reach any of us then they call the police.
AC "Mrs. L. the police request your presence at your residence."
Me "Umm, really? I'm on my way."
AC "The officers would like to know how long before they can expect you and what vehicle are you driving."
Me "Umm, 5 minutes and a dark blue Dodge Grand Caravan."

So we pull onto our street and see two police cars. Two officers are standing in our driveway. I start to pull up but they want me to park in the street. My front door is completely open! Of course my first thought is Sweetie! Our cat who loves to eat grass. The officer asked for my ID. He said that the reason the officers were called first was because of the fact that the alarm system registered that our front door was 'violently opened'. Since no one answered the home phone they dispatched police first. Wow, good to know. One of the officers asked if anyone was in the home. I said no, just three cats and a turtle. They laughed. Then one said that they saw a cat in our flower bed but when they approached it ran inside. Whew!
The officers searched our home to make sure no one was hiding. It was kind of cool to watch them from the street. They had their guns drawn and they did yell "Clear" after each room. Matthew has decided that he wants to be a cop now. LOL The boys and I went in and counted pet heads. Then we set the alarm, made sure the dead bolt was locked and headed to the co-op.
I must say that the rest of the day was not that adventurous.

Mama's day!

I just wanted to pop in to say

Happy Mother's Day!

Today I woke up to my boys yelling "Happy Mother's Day!"

Then a bunch of giggles.

Matthew made coffee for me! What a treat!

Today we are taking my mom to Cinema-Cafe. It's where you can eat and watch a movie. If you don't have one of these ... I'm sorry. :)

I am so blessed. It is so wonderful being a mama. God has been so kind to me.

Have a great Mother's Day all you wonderful moms out there!

The big 0-7!

*picture taken at his "surprise" party at our co-op. Maricar you are awesome! Thank you!*

My baby boy, my Tookie Bear, my youngest son is 7 today. Where has the time gone? Ryan brings so much joy and adventure to my life. He is so smart and funny. I love that he is carefree. It has been such a wonderful experience watching him grow. I remember when he was three he was riding a two-wheeler ... no training wheels. I remember it took him forever to be potty trained. I remember his first trip to Busch Gardens. He was so unbelievably on cloud 9 when he road his first roller coaster. Every day he amazes me. He is so independent. God has big plans for my Ryan. I am honored to be his mom and to labor (in love and prayer) over his precious little life.

Happy 7th Birthday Ryan!

David's blood work

Thank you all for praying for David. We did receive his latest blood work. His levels are still high. There was an improvement though. So we repeat labs in May. However there was no increase of medicine.
I'm believing for a complete healing! Free of medicine! Glory! Thank you all for standing with us on that. God is good. His disease is Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. God is going to heal him.
I just wanted to update everyone. God is moving.

Here are a few things

Well hello everyone! It has been awhile. Here is an overview of life here. :) No order of events.

David broke his wrist. Poor guy. At least it isn't during our hot summer months. Nevertheless it itches and is very annoying. He broke it playing backyard football. He will have the cast on for a month. The doctor called it a buckle break and said it was common among "very active boys". LOL Well, I'm surprised we haven't seen it before at my house.

God has been talking to me about my behavior and having a meek and quiet spirit. I don't know if you are like me but when God speaks to me in an area that is very habitual it takes me awhile to get my mind around it. He talks to me in stages. I'm sure He does the same for y'all. Right? LOL Anyway, right now we are in the stage of "here is what you are doing (or not doing)." I'm sure the 'practice' stage is coming up soon. Glory!

I have such a stirring in my spirit right now. I can't explain it but it has my full attention. I know God is moving, not just in my life but in the world. I'm excited and a bit nervous. Nervous because I don't want to be uncomfortable. Isn't that terrible? I find myself saying out loud "I'm ready. But if I'm not ready, You'll make me ready." Kind of like the father who wanted his son healed. "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24 NIV.

I really believe that 2008 is going to be a changing year for me. Maybe not huge like I'll have a book published or become some speaker! :) But huge in that I will grow some more. Deepen my faith and continue with more power to live a life worthy of His name.

God keeps bringing to my mind the word integrity. I watched Priscilla Shirer on the 700 Club. She said that her parents were the same people behind the pulpit as they were at home. She said that is integrity. When she said that my spirit jumped. Yes, live a life of integrity.

I know I'm a bit all over the place. I'm sorry. I just wanted to take a moment to update my thoughts. God is good. I'm so excited about where He is taking me and my family. I know only good is coming our way! Glory!

Prayer journal

Doesn't that sound so wonderful? So spiritual? Leaving a great legacy? That is what I thought too. So I tried. I tried writing down all my prayer requests and praise reports. However, I found that I often forgot to write the answers of my prayers. I also wrote the journal like a worldly diary. I filled pages with anger, hurt, frustration, sadness and the like. I exposed things about people on those pages that I surely didn't want to share with anyone. The thought of passing them down to my children and my children's children made my stomach queasy. Or worse the thought that once I passed on people would find the journals and read things that perhaps should be better left unsaid. Yet not writing a journal didn't sit right with me either. What should I do Lord? What is this suppose to look like for me?

Then one day sitting in church it hit me. My notes. I take notes all the time. I think it has something to do with my learning style. LOL Whether I am reading scripture on my own or listening to a pastor, I am taking notes. Little scribbles here and there. Sometimes an outline. All sorts of ways I will write it out what God is speaking to me at that time. Perhaps it's a concept or a question. Maybe a dream He has sparked. Whatever it is you can bet that I have written it down on a piece of paper.

So what I am going to do now is keep all my notes. That's it. I'm just going to continue to write them out and stick them in a folder of some sort. What usually happens with my notes is that after awhile I throw them away. Especially since I also write in and highlight my Bible. I just use my notes as a way of getting the Word/sermon in my head. But now I'm going to save them. I think my notes show where I'm at in my life. I can (I'm sure you too) listen to a sermon, have God speak to me about something, listen to that same sermon a few months later and hear something else. So I think my notes will show my struggles, progress and just general walk with Christ. I'm very excited at this idea.

I think nothing beats good old fashion handwriting. I love blogs, I love them very much. :) I love emails. But nothing does more to my heart then handwritten notes. That is why I try to send them out from time to time. There is just something about it. I just get so tickled when I think about Paul and all those letters to the churches!

Well, that is what my new thing is. I'm saving all my notes. Oh and my pastor writes a little note on the front of our church bulletins every week. I'm going to save those too.

today is the day that the LORD has made!

I feel very close to God these past few days. Don't you just love that about Him? Some days His presence is just made known. You know when you have worshipped or prayed and you can feel Him. You know that He has come because He was invited. Those are some wonderful times with God. Then there are the times when He comes and invites you to fellowship. Those days when you wake up or finish making your coffee and you just sense He is there. You just about think that if you were to turn around ... He, in all His glory, would be standing right there. You almost expect to run literally into Him on your way down stairs. It is a glorious feeling. It makes my heart sing. Faith rises up inside of me. I feel as if I am truly walking on sunshine. :)

Change of plans ...

I was going to write about just some random things but I've decided to give y'all some links to some articles God has brought me to.



Alone by Carolyn Chambers



The Jezebel Profile by Debi Pearl

At the foot of the cross

Today is Good Friday. All day long the boys have been saying "Happy Good Friday!" to everyone they see. Such sweet boys.

Tonight we went to our church service. I almost didn't think we were going to go. The day was going quicker then I thought. Bo has a lot of office work to do. The boys were playing so nicely together. I ran up to Walgreens to get some fresh make-up. Buy one get one free! Then I headed over to Foodlion (grocery store) for some little items.

My heart became so burdened at the thought that we wouldn't go. While shopping for groceries I thought of the things we could do to 'make up' for missing it. We could read the Bible. We could watch The Passion of the Christ. Nothing felt right.

My hair was up in a pony tail. I had on a pair of old jeans and a VT Hookie t-shirt. It was 6 when I go home. Service was at 7. There is just no way. My kids have been rolling around all day in the dirt ... literally. We're a mess and Bo doesn't even want to go.

"Come as you are."

Oh. Yes Lord.

I pulled up in the driveway. A new feeling in my heart. I quickly unloaded everything. Chatted with Bo about our license plates. Then I went out to find the boys. I told them they had about a half an hour before they needed to freshen up. They were cool with that and I didn't care that there was dust all over their pants. I just wanted clean hands and faces. I then went in to clean up a bit. Ate a quick bite and called the kids in. While they were getting ready Bo decided that he would leave the paperwork for tomorrow.

We were out the door by 6:45.

We went just as we were.

It was a wonderful service. Always is but this year it was different. My boys are older. I'm older. Tonight marks the end of a year for me. Meaning I feel like tonight is December 31. Sunday morning is my "new year". Spiritually speaking. I can't explain it. Not really the point anyway. :)

I don't know about y'all's Good Friday service but this is what we do.
We have six Scripture readings. After each reading we sing a song that is very low key like "Once Again" You know "Jesus Christ, I look upon Your sacrifice". After each Scripture the room is darkened. Then after all the scripture is said and we have sung the last song. We sit in the darkness and write (if we want to) down a sin (or sins) that we are going to leave at the cross. Then each row is dismissed. We walk up to the cross that is on the pulpit and place the paper on a nail. There are four nails about a foot long on the cross. One for each hand, one for Christ's head and one for His feet. After you place your sin on the cross you walk over and take communion. After everyone is done our pastor says a final prayer and we all leave in silence. I tell you what. It is very humbling to walk up to the cross in the dark holding your sin that put Him there. Whew!

The boys blessed my heart so much tonight. Each one wrote out a sin that they have been struggling with and put it on the cross. Bo and I didn't even say anything to them. We were too busy writing our own. :) I can't express the feeling I had as each one knelt down and put it on the nail that was at His feet. Which is the one I had already decided I wanted to do. I had such a beautiful vision of just laying it down at His feet.

Then we took communion as a family. Which we do every month but today ... today in the darkness I really was remembering Him.

Happy Good Friday ... See you Easter Morning!

Matthew 27

Wednesday ;)

Well I'm back to Living Well. I haven't been to the gym in a little over a month. Things just got in the way. I took the boys on Monday. They really love the Interactive Zone. So while they were playing in there I was on the treadmill. I choose the "Forest Walk" mode. It felt good to be moving. And even though the lady next to me only had my speed when she was cooling down, I felt refreshed! I also lifted weights. That felt really good. The stretching and tightening of my tired muscles was so rejuvenating. We are going back tonight. There is a step class for beginners tonight. I'm excited. Bo is going to come too, not to the class but to the Y. LOL

I'm ready to do this thing. I'm tired of being tired. I don't want to be heavy any more. I have 57 pounds to loose to get to my goal. That is my long term goal. I have no idea how long it will take me but I'll get there. My short term is to be under a certain number by April 1.

It's funny, my devotional this morning was about making our bodies a living sacrifice to the Lord. I do want my outside appearance to represent my heart.

Enjoy today and LIVE WELL!

Keepin' it real ...

Check our Sandy's post today.

An orange

I just have to give a shout out to our Lord. He is so merciful and wonderful.

It's no secret that the past eight or so months have really been awful for me. It seems that the more I press into the things of God the further away I feel. I have a week of nothing but lovin', servin', worshipin' the Lord and then everything falls apart. Yes, I understand the enemy. This was different. You know the feeling. The feeling that the Holy Spirit gives you when it's all about you and God.

So one day last week I was in my kitchen just full of despair. I couldn't wrap my mind around what was wrong. Why did I come so far with the Lord to just stop here. Not even really knowing where here was. I closed my eyes and God showed me an orange. I watched as He peeled back the skin. Then He held the raw fruit in His hand. He held it there for a while. Exposed, naked yet still together. Next He began to open the fruit. One piece at a time until all the pieces were separated. Whole but separated.

God spoke to my spirit then. I felt our Lord telling me that when we began my healing journey, about five years ago, that that was when He peeled the skin off. Now it was time to go further. To start dealing with each piece, each section of my heart. A complete and total healing.

I am so blown away. I'm ready. I know that God has good things for me. I know that He doesn't want me to still have chains on. He truly does want me to trade my yoke of bondage for His yoke of freedom (Gal 5:1).

And He wants me to accept His forgiveness ...

Checking in ...

Well hello everyone!! I certainly didn't intend to stay away so long. I wish that I could say that I've been gone for nearly two weeks because of some deep encounter with our Lord. Although I have been drawn closer to Him and He has reveled some things to me about our walk but it wasn't all sunshine and tulips. I will post later about that but first let me share the non-sunshine part ...

Friday (Feb 22) I was hit by the flu. At first I thought it might have just been a slight cold. So instead of just chilling around the house I continued on with life. We still went to the Co-Op, still meet with my friend Caitlin on Wednesday, still took the boys to the library, etc. Then Friday night (Feb 29) hit. We moved my mom to her new home, went out to dinner and back home. I thought I was going to die. We had plans to go to Staunton VA on Saturday morning. I really wanted to go but just couldn't get up. So Bo took the boys. I spent all day on my couch with the T. V. remote, a good book and a cup of coffee. It was heaven. On the way up they stopped and picked up Grandpa. Everyone had a great time. I received a phone call around 8:30 that night from Bo. They had left a little later then planned and would be spending the night at Larry's. Wow! A whole day and night to myself. My sick self needed that.
My plan was to get up, go to the Holy Spirit class at 9:30 and then hit the second service at 11:15. Well, at 7:40 my cell phone rings ... it's Bo. Matthew woke up puking. I told Bo to get him some 7 Up and drive slow. :) I still went to the Holy Spirit class but opted to come home to snuggle my baby boy. They arrived home shortly after I did. Matthew looked so sad. He had puked three times at Grandpa's and two more times in the truck. We got him in the shower and made him a little bed on the couch. He slept off and on through out the day. Meanwhile I went into my begging prayer of "Please dear God, don't let us get sick. Especially the Mama!" Monday came and went with just Matthew being sick one more time. I could tell by his conversations that he was feeling better.
Tuesday morning came early for me. Ryan woke up at 3:30 complaining that his tummy hurt. By 5:30 he was throwing up ... in my bed ... Good Morning Lord. It's me. Bo took care of cleaning up Ryan while I quickly changed our bed and did what all of us moms have had to do. Tuesday was much like Sunday and Monday. A lot of snuggling, quiet play and cartoon watching. So much for trying out my new homeschool schedule and Language Arts stuff. Tuesday night came. Every one went to bed. Ryan had his bucket "just in case" Matthew was feeling much better. David didn't seem to have any problems. Bo and I were going to sit down and watch American Idol. Life was good. About 8:45 my stomach turned. I began my begging prayer again "Oh Lord please anything but throwing up. You know I won't do it. I'm stubborn. I'll fight it." And I did for the next hour. I fought the urge to be sick. In the hour, David came down and told us his tummy was upset. Here we go. I gave David a bucket. By 10 p.m. David and I began our journey. I was downstairs and he was upstairs. Bless his heart I was of no help. Every time I heard him I sent Bo up there. Yes, Bo stayed down with me. What a sweet man. David is like me though. He likes to be alone when he is in the act of being sick. But being the mama I am I hover so that when that panic begins of feeling like you can't breath or that it will never end or the "I think my toe nails are going to come up" I can say reassuring words. Words like " I know Buddy. This sucks. God is going to heal you." Oh and don't forget, you have to have a nice cool rag to wipe your face. So in between my drama I was waking Bo up to take care of David. About 2 in the morning Bo decided to ditch me. LOL He needed to sleep. I crawled up to David's room to touch him. The mama in me just knew he was lying on the bathroom floor dying. But he wasn't. He was sleeping in his bed. Cool rag on his little face and bucket placed beside his bed. I prayed that the Lord would watch over him. I knew I couldn't stay upstairs. I think he may have been sick one more time that night. About an hour later I woke up to Ryan complaining of his tummy. I crawled back upstairs. I told Ryan he could come downstairs and watch cartoons but that I was sick and could not lay with him in his bed. He joined me. He did not throw up. Praise God. But he did wake me up every half hour talking to me. Sweet boy. Finally morning comes with the sound of my husband being sick. Yes, the stomach virus has hit the whole family. Wednesday was a bad day. Bo and I were laid up on the two couches while our precious children took care of us and each other. It's in these moments that you realize what they are made of. No one complained or argued. When we asked for water they brought it to us. When we were hot they turned down the AC. When we were cold they brought us more blankets. My favorite was when I puked out my guts out I heard the reassuring words "I know it sucks Mom. God is going to make you better. Just relax. Here is your cool rag." Makes my heart happy.
My mom ending up stopping by just because. The last we spoke only Matthew and Ryan were not feeling good. She was great. Mom gave the boys a break! LOL She bought us a ton of calming tummy sodas and Popsicles. She treated the boys to gum and pizza. By Wednesday night things were looking up. My stomach had calmed way down. My head pounded so hard and I was ready to sleep. We all fell out by 9. David was the only one who threw up one more time that night.
Thursday morning came and I felt a bit better. I actually wanted some coffee. So I made a little and nursed it all morning. I ate a little. Bo went back to work. The boys and I spent the day eating Popsicles. I cleaned up the house very slowly. :) Then we watched Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring. We had not seen it before. Matthew and I really liked it. After about 1 1/2 David and Ryan lost interest. So they only watched the battle parts.
Now today is Friday. I feel so much better. The boys are feeling better and so is Bo. Our world was rocked! The last time this happened to us was back in 06. So we just may be safe until 2010. Glory!
God did make us all better.

taking a break

I'm going to be taking a little break. I think for about a week. I am feeling a bit blue and really need to dive deep into the Word. I'll be reading Romans 1-8. God has been calling me to Romans. I've actually read up to chapter 6 but stopped. This isn't the first time I've read Romans by any means but I know God has something fresh for me. He needs my undivided attention. :) My mom is actually reading it too. We have decided to read two chapters a week. Really dive into it. Meditate on it. Chew on it. Then we are going to meet up Thursday evenings to discuss. I'm looking forward to it.
Another thing I'm doing this week is starting a monthly prayer meeting with my girlfriend Lori. We are meeting once a month, the last Wednesday, for an hour or so for prayer. Not sure what all we will be praying about but I know that God will meet us there. Lori and I are the kind of girls who are not afraid to call out strongholds and really do some warfare. I'm so blessed to have a prayer warrior within arm's reach. My other warriors are a bit far away in miles. Never in heart or phone calls! Glory!
So, I'm heading out ... Check back soon though. :)

Just one more day

Please read this. Maybe life will look a little different tomorrow morning.

Because honestly ...

Isn't this how it should be?

Today ...

I have no real reason for writing other than I just want to write. I should be getting ready for bed but I'm not. I really need to run up to Walgreens for David's medicine but I'm not. I will do both though and soon.

I actually have some prayer concerns to pass along to y'all.
There is no order to them really. Just some troubled spirit ramblings ...

Pray for my little boy David. He has developed a new symptom with his disease. Well, let me clarify, not a new symptom but a symptom that is showing us that his body is growing faster again. I know God is healing him and I totally trust the Lord. There is just a comfort in knowing that there are a lot of people laying him before the Throne. I should have the lab results in about three weeks. We are looking for normal blood work and his bone age to be around 9 years old. Well, that is what my 'mama' self is thinking. However, I want God to move and I have learned not to presume anything.

Pray for me. I have been in a funk lately. When I say funk I mean depression, confusion, low self-esteem, etc. Just an attack I know. Please stand with me. :) My sweet friend and I are starting a prayer group of just the two of us. :) Our plans are to meet once a month and pray for our families and other things. My desire is that God will show up and move mightily. I have no other expectation. When I let my mind wander I quickly grab hold and surrender them to Christ. I don't want this to be anything other then His desire for our meetings.

I guess that is it. My heart feels a hundred times better just sharing it with y'all.

If you have any prayer requests and do not feel comfortable leaving them in the comment section, feel free to email me. You can find the address at the side bar. Nope it won't link up. I messed something up with my widgits and well, something’s I can't figure out. It's all good though. :)
God Bless!

No words

There are no words to describe this clip. I first saw this at a Beth Moore conference. My body was numb, tears just streamed down my face.

Then my church played it once. Same thing happened.

Now every time I see it, I am in awe of Jesus!


Check it out ... Turn up the volume! :)

Blah

*forgive me in advance ... my spell checker is not working!*

Today I feel blah. Today I feel like I am sitting on a fence. I can either choose to be cheerful and full of grace or I can choose to be quiet, pouting and grouchy.

Which will I choose?

I have had a great week. Honestly, Bo and I have had some great talks and gained a strong holding on our foundation. The boys have been a lot calmer with one another. Not so much school work ... but that is another issue.

We found one of our favorite T.V. shows that was cancelled last year. Well, the Discovery channel is re-running season one. So that is awesome. Especially since we caught it towards season two a couple years ago.

My van was up for an oil change. How is that great, you ask. Well, it was a free one! :) Buy four get the fifth one free. ;) So we had the tires rotated. Always a good thing.

Work is coming in again. Glory!! Let me clarify ... homeowner work is coming in. See, contractor work you have to wait on your money. Typically. Homeowner work, however, pays you when you are done.

God has answered a huge prayer for my mom. Within a month she will be on her way to financial security. God is so amazing and His timing is perfect. PERFECT!

Grandpa in Richmond remembered Matthew's birthday on his own. Bless his heart! (wink, wink Lori)

Our mortage is paid every month. All our bills are paid every month. Glory to God! Thank you Bo for your hard work.

My house is always presentable to company. ;)

We do need haircuts but I'm calling our youth pastor's wife later today. She cuts our hair for next to nothing. Not only that but she is in her early to mid-20s. So she is hip and with it. She encourages me to go bold but has no problem cutting my hair the same way ... every 2 or so months. LOL Although she is no Sarah! Can I get a witness Bree?!

I have a dear friend, we have been friends for about 16 years! She is not saved and her almost 10 year old kid is having some problems. God gave me such a burden for them about 6 years ago. Somethings have come up and I know God is wanting me to talk to her. I'm a bit cautious. However, I know what I have heard and I will be obedient.

I have another great friend who is a lot of miles away. We don't even share a coast! :( I miss her terribly. I am blessed though because I know she is no further then a phone call away.

God is truly an amazing God.

Oh! I almost forgot! A new book that was just published by Mindy Starns Clark came out. Well, my beloved library order it and not only that! But I caught it before it hit the shelf. And, not only that! I was able to put a hold on it! Not only that but! I just received an email from my beloved library! It's here!!
*sorry for all the grammar and puncuation silliness! :) I'm just so excited!*

Well, I'm off to switch out the laundry and clean up the downstairs. I pray you are having a great day.

Oh and to answer my question ...

I'm choosing to hop off this fence! I'm landing in the yard of cheerfullness and grace! Will I see you there?

Blog blooper!

I posted an entry on my homeschool blog that was meant for this one. :)

Head over there and check it out! :)

My oldest is a decade

Yes, it's true. My precious oldest boy is 10 today. Of course I am going through all those motherly emotions. ;) Matthew is such a treasure and joy. When he was around two I picked out a song for him. A song that I would like to dance with him at his wedding. I don't play the song as much as I probably should. It's Forever Young by Rod Stewart. I do pray that I am serving him well (that is taken from a line in the song). Saturday we are having a Laser Quest party. He is so excited. It looks like all his little buddies will be there. I emailed him the other day. Yes, I said email. :) We just "hooked" him up. LOL It is so neat, anyway. I emailed him the other day and expressed so much love to him. In the email I told him that I can see glimpses (my new word) of the man he is going to be. He is growing up so fast. He emailed me back with a sweet and simple reply ... "I love you too Mom". I have done a lot of growing up because of him. Those first few years were rough. Not because of him, no way. He was/is perfect. I made a lot of mistakes. Still do. But Matthew is such a forgiving boy. I pray that his kindness and gentleness continues in life. So ... there you go. My baby is 10. I can't believe I am sitting here, writing to you and crying! Sometimes a mother's heart is so full it over flows. ;)

HAPPY BIG 1-0 BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!

Rooms to let ... fifty cents

So I was folding clothes in my room when I started thinking about how I pray for each boy when I am either in his room or pass by his room. I thought "You know, if you assigned each room a prayer subject and every time you entered that room you would be lifting a lot of things up to God through out the day."

Here is a glimpse inside my house. :) Below is a list of rooms and areas with the subject it represents. My prayers change depending on the situation. But this will give you an idea. ;)

I pray this inspires you to look differently at your home.

Front Porch: Our (spiritual) appearance and the world.
Dear Lord I pray that we are a beacon to our neighborhood. That our light would shine in this dark world. May Your love been seen from us in all we do. May we not look a mess but show Your love and character.

Foyer: Friendships.
Lord, I thank You for friends. I ask You to strengthen the friendships that You have given to us. Help us to always receive them with open arms. May all our friends know that we are there for them.

Office: Finances and our business.
Sweet Lord, guide our finances. Give us wisdom to run our company the way You would have it. May we always be fair with our employees. Lord protect us from unwise financial decisions.

Bathrooms: Health.
Heavenly Father heal us and keep us whole. Those of us that have a disease, touch us and heal us. Keep our bodies strong and healthy.

Dinning Room: Education.
Lord help me to teach my children the things of You. Give them a teachable heart. Give me a teachable heart. Guide our lessons so that You may be glorified!

Living Room: Family time.
Lord bless our time together. Protect our relationships as we hang out. Strengthen the bond that we have. May we truly cherish one another.

Kitchen: My role.
Sweet Lord, guide me as the wife and mother. Calm my spirit as I go through out my day. Be with me and guide me. Teach me how to be the wife and mother You have called me to be. Teach me how to have a meek and quiet spirit.

Patio: Our backs.
Father protect us from the Devil's schemes. Just like we have a sensor back porch light that turns on when something enters our back yard, may we have a spiritual one as well. When the devil comes sneaking around may the light, the Holy Spirit, shine so bright to expose his darkness.

Garage: My husband.
Heavenly Father thank You for Bo. I ask that You will guide him and protect him. Speak to him Lord, touch his heart. Keep his back strong and his mind sharp. Lord I pray that he never becomes cynical but continues to think the best of people. May You always give him a reason to smile and laugh.

Laundry Room: My quiet time.
Oh Lord I treasure my quiet time with You. May I never take it for granted. Lord I ask that You would meet me every time I invite You. May we grow closer and closer together.

Bedrooms (kids): Each child.
Father thank You for each child You have blessed us with. I ask that You will continue to keep them safe. Lord, show them how wonderful they are in You. Speak to their spirits about Your will for them. Protect their sleep and play time.

Bedroom (ours): Marriage.
Oh precious Lord protect my marriage. May we always be kind to one another, full of love and grace. Keep our fires burning for one another. May we satisfy each other in all biblical ways.

Thanks for stopping by our humble abode.
I pray that you are blessed today in ways you haven't even thought of.
May His glory fall upon your home today!

What does your Latte say about you?

So I found this blog. That blog lead me to this blog. Which lead me to this Latte quiz! :) I would say pretty accurate! Well, I may be a bit pushy ... LOL So .... what does your Latte say about you? If you wouldn't mind, leave a comment with the answer or leave your blog address so I can head over to your blog. :)

What Your Latte Says About You

You are very decadent in all aspects of your life. You never scale back, and you always live large. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are expressive and friendly, but you are never pushy.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

email me!

Okay, so with prayer and my husband's blessing I am going to post an email address for y'all. :)

servinghimwithyou@gmail.com

Feel free to email me with questions, prayer requests, and praise reports! I am so excited about this.

I just want to make it clear that I will not share info with anyone. Nor will I post anything without permission.

You and your emails are safe with me. :)

house keeping

I just wanted to encourage y'all to look at the sidebar from time to time.
When I find new blogs that I enjoy and think y'all might be blessed by (or when a friend has a new one:)) I will add it. I just don't announce it. Also, I am always reading something, besides the Author of Life's WORD, so I add that.
I know that not all homeschool but I do have a homeschool blog ... the picture He's painting. The link is at the sidebar. :)
I will be adding an 'email me' option shortly. If you have any questions, prayers, found a neat blog, etc you can pass it along to me. :)

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Cell Phone vs. Bible

Cell Phone vs. Bible
Author Unknown

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we give it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go. "Hmm, where is my Bible?"

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected, because Jesus already paid the bill!

There is no place like home

Wow! What a weekend! LOL

Saturday I took the boys to Wal-Mart. Yes, yes I did. Bo had to work and we had nothing for dinner. What could I do?

Usually taking the boys with me is not bad at all. They are older and they love to help. They each take turns pushing the cart, writing down the prices and retrieving the items from the shelf.

Not this day my friend. Oh the boys were great, believe they were awesome. The other people there were not so nice.

I will never go to Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon again. You couldn't pay me to do it. Well, let's be honest ... you could pay me to do it.

So anyway, we survived. We made it home. Home, sweet home!

The whole time we were at Wal-Mart I was praying. I truly was. I prayed for our safety, my sanity and that I would not loose one of my precious little ones because everyone and their mother kept getting in between us! Well, to back track a little ... when we got in the van to leave I had a nervous spirit. So I had us all bow our heads and I prayed. I prayed for our physical safety. I prayed for travel mercies.

Okay, now we arrive home. I am so happy. The boys are so happy. I put the key in the door and open. My spirit jumped. When I walked in, I could feel the presence of the Lord. I could just about see it hovering in our downstairs. It's all one big open floor plan.

I smiled. So thankful that God was there. I know He was with us too but folks ... this was amazing.

The boys unloaded the van while I put things away. The whole time I was singing praises to Him and thanking Him for being here in our home.

A few minutes after we were done with everything Ryan and I had this conversation.

Ryan: "Mom, do you know what I am thinking about?"
Me: "You are thinking about Jett (one of our kitties and his favorite)"
Ryan: "Nope."
Me: "You are thinking about having hot dogs for dinner."
Ryan: "Nope."
Me: "You are thinking about watching T.V."
Ryan: "Nope. One last guess."
Me: "I really have no idea. Oh, maybe about your dinosaur bucket?"
Ryan: "No and you're done. I'm thinking about how wonderful our house feels today."

Ryan's remark made the other two chime in with agreement.

At that moment I knew ... what I felt and saw, the presence of our Lord, touched my children too.

Touch us Lord

Today's Quote ...

For Christmas my family gave me a little desk top calander. The kind you can tear off the day before. You know what I'm talking about. :)

Anyway, here is the quote for today. So good and so true ...

It's very easy to forgive others their mistakes;
it takes more gut and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.
-Jessamyn West, writer

breakfast

Yesterday I went to a Women's Breakfast at my church. I was my first time and I had such a great time. My sweet friend Tarra came with me. The food was so yummy and the message ... was food for my soul too!

God really spoke to me yesterday. Believe me, I was all ears. God said some things yesterday that only He and I talked about. Don't you just love that? In a room full of about 50 women, He still spoke to just me! He is such a wonderful Father!

I feel refreshed.

I have no regrets about all the yesterdays.

I am encouraged about all the tomorrows.

I am enjoying all the todays.

New year and a new look

I decided to update the look of my blogs.

I love new stuff. Like a new month because you can flip the calender over and it's a fresh new page. How about a fresh journal. I always try to write neatly in it.

I'm excited about this new year. Perhaps more then any other year. I can sense the presence of the Lord more now then ever. I know in my spirit that this is a dream coming true year. I do believe that the flood gates of heaven are going to open up on our home.

Even though I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for God to show Himself ... I have an easy calm to me as well. I think perhaps this may be the first time in my life that I am not rushing Him. My ear is down to the ground so when I hear Him move I will be ready but I am not begging Him to "come on". I'm sitting at His throne in worship and in praise.

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Psalms 16:2 (NIV)

The power of God

Lately I have been singing
"There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!"
That's it. Just those two simple sentences. I have song it while cleaning my house. I have hummed the tune while organizing my desk. And before I knew it I was actually dancing with our Lord.
There IS power in the blood of the Lamb! Glory!
The past week I have felt such an anointing fall on me. I have felt God's presence in my home in such a way that it is changing us. Praise His Name!
My sweet Lord comes to me when I least expect it too. I was overwhelmed by sadness while washing the dishes. For no particular reason, I had just been reviewing the year. Thinking over the past events of the last twelve months and my heart began to hurt. As my eyes started to burn from the tears threatening to pour out, I heard my Saviour say "Behold, I am with thee." Such a calmness came over me. I can't explain it but I'm sure that y'all have had similar experiences with our Heavenly Father. I have felt the Comforter this week in such a powerful way. I know that there are some big things going to happen in 08. I am excited. This year God has been shaking what could be shaken and I believe the time of shaking is over. Now some growth, healing, love, and ministering are going to take place. I also believe that some dreams that He planted are going to come true this next year.
May His Name be praised!

Where to start ...

Man, has it been so long since I have posted. I'm not sure where to start and I will probably will jump around. :) Just warning y'all!

I am just besides myself in love with Jesus. Really. Truly. There have been some 'moments' yet Christ has kept my spirit calm. I can honestly say that when I close my eyes at night, my soul is at ease. What an amazing thing.

Bo and I have been getting closer. Which is always a good thing. There for a little while things were tense. Once again Lord used those moments to draw me closer to Him, not Bo, but to God Himself. Where I belong. Bo and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on November 15. A whole decade! Amazing. Some days, over the years, I didn't think we would make it but we did and it has been a heck of a ride, well worth it!

I have started a Bible study on my own called Conversation Peace, The Power of Transformed Speech by Mary A. Kassian. WOW! Over the past few years God has really been talking to me about my potty mouth. It's not like I was sailor but some choice words would come out of my mouth at various times. Trust me when I say that I have done just about everything to change. Then this study fell into my lap and I can feel the change in my spirit. My four precious men have noticed. Not only have I stopped saying things I shouldn't but my tone has changed. I speak with kindness and integrity. It's different and I like it! I'm realizing that words are powerful. Really powerful. Something that I have always known but like most things hadn't truly taken to heart. Oh and God is giving me a double portion on this topic. Not only am I doing this study but guess who else is talking about this ... yep on Life Today's Wednesdays with Beth Moore. I kid you not. There are no coincidences with Christ!

God is so good, so faithful. There is just an easy and loving spirit in our home. Praise be to God.

I am a bit frustrated though, which it is stupid for me to be but ...
I messed up my blogs. Some how I changed the posting thing and now I can switch the fonts. Not like that mattered because I never did but now the option is gone. :( Not to mention that when I hit bold or italic it gives the code and I have to put the word in the middle. So dumb! I'm working on not letting that become a thorn in my side. ;)

Oh! I almost forgot ... My birthday was yesterday! Yep! I just love my birthday. I look forward to it just like a kid. I always have. Not sure why. Yesterday was my best one I think. I felt comfortable and my spirit was at ease. Bo bought me a dozen of pink and white roses. They are sooo beautiful. He also gave me a purse (that I did pick out ;)) and a sweet card. Then he took us out to eat with my mom. Which they all surprised me with a cake and the waiters sang to me. Which I love! Matthew gave me a deck of cards. He is so neat! We have broke them in playing Rummy. So fun. David gave me a pink pearl necklace that he got from a bubble gum machine. He is so sweet! Ryan didn't get me anything but every where we went yesterday he told everyone it was my birthday. Which was wonderful because complete strangers said happy birthday to me! Boy do I really love my birthday! My mom gave me a birthstone bracelet that had the birthstones of the boys. It is very pretty. I also recieved a lot of ecards and cards in the mail. Not to mention the phone calls. I truly do love my birthday! Oh and I don't mind telling y'all how old I am ... 31!

I guess that is about it. I'm just waiting on Christmas. :) We have the house decorated and the Christmas lists written out. Including mine. :) We have a real tree this year. Our house smells so good. Only one cat has puked from eating the needles so that is good. I have started selling things on eBay. My Avon business is good. Bo and I are praying about taking his business to another level. We both feel we have a green light so we have started planning little things here and there. Please keep that in prayer. Neither one of us wants to move without our Lord.

Oh, Matthew had his stitches taken out ... by himself. I mean, he took them out himself. LOL Well, they (the doctors) wanted another $50.00 co-pay. So, Bo showed Matthew how to snip the one part and pull it out. So he did it to all 6. His foot looks very well.

We also went to the annual Christmas parade for our city. I believe this is our 6 year. I love our family traditions. What makes my heart warm is that the boys love the traditions too. We all become so excited. It's wonderful.

Well, now I really think that is it.

I pray for peace in every one's home this glorious season. I pray for security, meaning phyiscally, financially, emotionally and spiritually, in every one's home. I bless you all in Jesus' name. Amen!

My first Thankful Thursday!

This is my first Thankful Thursday. I am thrilled. It's been on my heart to share what I am thankful for. I have loved reading over time all the wonderful blogs. So I thought I would write a bit too.

I am thankful for always having a good time with my Lord. He makes me smile, laugh, cry and shout Glory! I'm sure people think I am crazy when I laugh out loud for no reason. Well, no reason that they know of. It's just something special between me and Him.

I am thankful for my husband. He works very hard for our family. He is a true "family man". Our boys and our marriage are so important to him. He is so sweet, handsome and he makes me laugh too.

I am thankful for my three adorable boys. They keep me on my toes and I enjoy every minute of it. Even though I do tire of making mac-n-cheese for the millionth time ... I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I am thankful for my sweet friendships. I know that I am loved, prayed for and accepted. I can be myself, even when that isn't so pretty. :) There are three women that I just want to give a shout out to ... Tina! ... Bree! ... Lori! Can I get a woop woop?!

This holiday season my soul is at peace. Sure, the is never enough money or time but there is enough of His Spirit and then some! Glory! For that I am truly thankful!

My sweet boy!

Well, I nearly went a decade with no boy needing stitches. Yesterday at the co-op Matthew cut his foot. Did you know that there is a little window of opportunity to get stitches? I didn't. :)

Matthew was running outside and a stick stuck him just the right way. Yes, he had no shoes on. In November. What can I say? I had on flip-flops. It was like 80*!

Here are the pics ... ;) This is Matthew waiting for the doctor. Next is the actual cut. The last one is Matthew checking out his crutches.
He has to keep it covered until tomorrow night. If there is no pain he can keep the bandage off and walk without the crutches. So stay tuned for the pic of the stitches. :) Also, Bo took a picture of him sitting outside while he played 'football'. He sat in a Hokie chair while he tossed the ball with Bo and David. LOL Nothing can stop him!

What was Ryan doing? Oh, he has developed a love of Solitaire. So his free time has been spent learning how to shuffle the cards and playing the game. A kid after my own heart!

You're Invited

Earlier today I was thanking God for the day. Praising Him for the ability to stay home with our children, for homeschooling, for some personal things and the such. I prayed for the things that are near my heart like my best friend and our school day.

Suddenly I looked up the ceiling and said "God, you are welcomed in my home. Come Father and bring your grace and mercy. Lord, let me see You in my children's eyes today. Be in my heart and in my words. Please sweet Lord Jesus come, You're invited."

A sweet peaceful feeling came over me. In that instant my Lord came to me. My eyes moistened as my heart filled up with His Spirit. I gently heard Him speak to me, "Thank you for inviting me."

Even as I write this my tears are threatening to burst forward.

How many times my Lord have I taken for granted that You are here? How many times have I come to You in anger because You were not handling a situation (or so I thought)? How many times have I just assumed You knew what was in my heart? Again Lord, how many times have I taken Your companionship for granted?

Forgive me Jesus. May I never take You for granted again. May I never just assume that You know you are welcomed here.

This simple "You're invited here." moment made me think of my relationships with friends. I know that I am always welcomed in some one's home but to have them call and say "Come on over." brings joy to my heart. It makes me know that they value me and my friendship. I believe it is the same thing with our Heavenly Father. He is always with us but He wants to hear it from us. He wants us to say those words ... " You are invited. You are welcomed here."

Today my devotions led me to the Book of Ezra. I must admit I don't believe I have ever actually read this book. The first 6 chapters are all about rebuilding the temple. It was so interesting to me about the debate over it. I truly did enjoy the fact that the kings would research whether or not the Jewish people were "allowed" to rebuild it. Of course, they all found out that, yes, God's people were given permission by King Cyrus. Anyway, that is not the point of today's post. What is the message is that being New Testament believers, we, too, have a temple that we are to build and dedicate to God. It's our body. We are the temple of the Living God.

I think it is so fascinating that the Old Testament is a foreshadow of the New. So Ladies, as you read about the Temple in the Old Testament, just remember that that idea, that concept, is about our hearts and body towards Christ.

*I feel I need to have a disclaimer. This is my view and I may be wrong but this speaks truth to my spirit.*

Live Well Wednesday ( a day late)

Okay, well, so far the whole loosing weight thing hasn't been going so well. I am committed though to seeing this thing out.

I was thinking the other day about the weight I would like to get to. 150 pounds. Now, if for some reason I reach 160 I am not going to struggle with "those 10 pounds.".

I'm just not gonna do it.

I feel good about that decision. I think it is because I am praying about this whole thing. I know I need to loose weight and get into shape. I'm just not letting the world tell me what that means or looks like. I'm seeking council from my Creator. :)

Have a great day!

MIA

I know I have been missing in action the last week or so. It's just that the Lord has been speaking to my heart and I have been silent. I'm the type of person that needs to get the words from my head to my heart before I go off jibber-jabbing.

Here are the areas He is dealing with:

Security in my marriage.
Trusting Him.
Crucifying my flesh.

I'm sure there are other things we are talking/working through. Those are the ones off the top of my head.

Glory! He is not done with me yet.

More prayer ...

Please pray for my mom. She has a huge financial burden.

The enemy is working hard with this issue.

She is keeping her faith held tight.

Prayer needed

This is from my best friend Tina. She lives in California. I received this email today.

It's a little crazy here right now. We aren't in any immediate danger, however the smoke is very heavy in the air and there is ash flying around everywhere. The fires are the closest to us that they have ever been. My friend Kristen and her family have been evacuated. They only live about 10 minutes from where our apartment was. Theresa (Tina's sister) was sent home from work today because of the smoke and roads near her office being closed. Pray specifically that the winds die down. Right now they are blowing pretty good and keep shifting direction. These are the really dry winds that blow in over the desert and through the inland valleys. Pray that the cease. Right now our humidity is only at 15%. Pray for the firemen and police who are working these fires. We need God's grace!!

Thank you mighty warriors!

Shout for JOY!

Let me tell y'all something! I can't stop giving my God some praise tonight.

Today we had a follow up neurology appointment for David. Here is some history...
September of '06 David started gaining weight. His little face resemble the moon which is classic for kidney/adrenal failure. Yet none of the test results showed it. We bowed daily, if not by the minute, in prayer. I asked everyone I could find to pray for our boy. In December Dr. Rohn, his endrogologist, said that the dosage of steroid, Dexamethosone, was too high for his age. He switched him to Prednisone. Shortly after that David developed really bad headaches. So we put him back on Dexamethosone and began to ween him off. Alternating between the two for a few weeks. The headaches went away. Glory! Then three weeks after the full switch the headaches came back. Dr. Rohn felt certain it wasn't the medicine. So we took him to the pediatrician. With my history of migraines everyone felt certain that this was David's problem. However, when the doctor looked in David's eyes she saw something she wasn't sure of. So she wanted to do an MRI. Our insurance wouldn't cover it. So she referred us to a neurologist. He, too, saw some swelling behind David's eyes. He ordered an MRI and told us to have his eyes checked out. Just to rule that out. The eye doctor confirmed that this was not an eye problem. Meanwhile we had the MRI. It showed a high level of fluid around David's brain. He then ordered David to have a spinal tap. The tube that measures your spinal fluid goes up to 35cc. David's spinal fluid rose quickly and shot out of the tube! Even the doctor performing the test was shocked. David was then put on Diamox, 500 mg. The conclusion was that David's spinal fluid wasn't draining properly. It was basically stopping in his brain, not filtering out, yet the spine was still sent the signal to release more. Causing the swelling. Now, fast forward 4 or 5 months ... David's meds are all under control. He has lost about 25 pounds and has grown 3 inches. He is healthy! Glory! At the appointment Dr. Toor, the neurologist, said to take David down to 250 mg for 30 days. After 30 days with no headaches to completely take him off that med. GLORY!!
What is even more amazing is that Dr. Rohn and Dr. Toor have had conversations about "my family's faith". Oh yes, that is right! They were discussing David and his disease, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH). Dr. Rohn expressed to Toor that David isn't text book. That David isn't sick like he should be. That David is growing and healthy. He told Toor that we pray for David's healing. God is moving here! He IS going to heal David and He is going to show His mighty hand to the precious doctors we have met. I am thrilled!
Over the years Dr. Rohn and I have talked about my faith. He is an Orthodox Jew. One day when David was two I drew a big line in the sand. I told Rohn that I believe God for a healing. That I am praying to Jesus. He, too, drew a big line in the sand. He said that he understood about my saviour but that He is his prophet. In my spirit I knew that David's healing wasn't for my faith. That David's healing was going to be for many. Since then we have had little conversations. Each time Dr. Rohn has encouraged me to keep praying. When David's bone age is to high for his real age Rohn will say "Keep praying Mom." Sure enough, the growth stops. I always knew it would. Rohn needed to see it stop. To have Rohn speak of our faith to Toor makes my heart sing. Not for me ... but for MY GOD!
Toor has asked me to let him know how David is doing. I assured him I would call. As he shook my hand he said, "Please, let me know as he grows up." What an honor. My BFF Tina said that I should send him cards with pics of David as he is growing up. That is a wonderful idea.

God is amazing.

Over 8 years ago as I sat in NICU being told that if the check up would have been 2 hours later, David would have died ... I didn't think to think about all of this. My prayers were for his life. Now, as he has grown, and our testimony is increasing. My prayers are still for his life, for his healing but also for the spiritual lives of those we meet. You truly do 'just never know'.