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!