THIS IS THE DAY!

Life Goes On but my God is ALWAYS faithful!!!

2011-04-21T11:01:00.008-05:00

Things have not been very easy lately. I have been hobbling around and feeling like I am 90 years old for about 2 months now. I tore the miniscus in my knee. Don't have any idea how that happened but I do know it sure has been painful! I had knee surgery 2 days ago and am on the mend now.

God has been so good! I just have to share this story and brag on Him.

The last week before my surgery I was feeling very down and depressed. I found myself crying daily. I was exhausted from the constant pain and was crabby. I was surrounded by so many things at home that needed to be done, but absolutely no energy or strength OR ability to do anything. For 5 weeks I would come home from school everyday and go straight to the recliner. I would sit there with ice packs on my knee and back. You see, my back and hip were out of whack due to the limping and favoring of my knee. The day before my surgery was very difficult. I had to prepare for 2 1/2 days for a substitute. The kids have been on high speed since we finished Terra Nova testing. I was going to miss the Easter egg hunt with my 'kinders' so I was trying to inform the room mom of everything she would possibly need to know. I had to teach Learning Zone after school. And I have really been feeling a special tug on my heart for my class lately. Anyway, Monday was a difficult day! I leave school and all the way home I am bumming about my situation and feeling sorry for myself. When I turn the corner onto my street I see a bunch of cars parked on the street in front of my house. I am thinking, "What is going on? Did someone in the neighborhood die?" As I pull into my driveway I see a friend with her weedeater in my yard. I see another friend's 18 year old son sweeping my front porch. I see my flowerbed has been weeded and I can now see the beautiful hostas and hydrangea bush. I see some more friends stick their heads out of the house and tell me I can't come in. Then Levi (my son) comes out and says, "Come on, we are going to dinner". He takes me to Pad Thai for dinner and then to Lix Custard for ice cream. When I get home, my house smells so good!! Everything is clean!!! Even the windows were washed - the carport was swept - the deck was straightened - new mulch was in my back flowerbed - dishes are done - all bathrooms are cleaned - floors have been vacuumed & swept - and there are flowers waiting for me and my favorite muffins!

I am so blessed with the most fabulous friends!!!

Since then two friends have brought me dinner and one of them made home made chocolate chip cookies here and cleaned up my kitchen again. Let me tell you - There is no better medicine that warm cookies straight out of the oven!!!

Needless to say, my whining pity party had to stop!!! I have had a smile on my face since Monday evening - even through the surgery and pain that followed I am happy and blessed.

My God is good!!!

The Grace Card

2011-02-27T00:09:00.002-06:00

Today I went with my SisterChicks to see the movie, "The Grace Card".

"The Grace Card" is about racism. It is about pain and forgiveness. It is about sorrow, grief, and love. It is about a promise to pray for others everyday, to ask their forgiveness, to grant forgiveness, and to be a friend. It is about grace.

"The Grace Card" is a wonderful movie! It made me think.

Tonight I finished reading the next chapter in Crazy Love. It was some hard stuff.

Now I am trying to process this hard stuff.

I don't think any Believer would want to be considered 'lukewarm'! Scripture tells us in Revelation 3:16 that God will spit us out of his mouth if we are lukewarm. In the past I am sorry to say that I have been through some lukewarm seasons. But I have not considered myself to be in that state for quite some time. . . . now I am not so sure.

Frances Chan gives various profiles of lukewarm Christians in chapter 4 of Crazy Love. As I read these I was convicted of my laziness - my selfishness - my greediness - my superior attitude - my shallowness. Isaiah's words are on my heart, "Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips."

Our study guide for this chapter challenges us to pick one of Frances' lukewarm characteristics to focus on for this week. I do not believe it is a coincidence that one of these characteristics was the main theme of the movie, "The Grace Card", that I saw today. ( Excellent movie, by the way!!!!) The profile for this particular lukewarm Christian is that they love others but not as much as they love themselves. They love those that are easy to love - not those that are difficult, cruel, the 'hard to love', those that are different, those that create jealously in the heart. It is easy to love our friends, our family, those that are like us. But it is not so easy to love those that are different or inconvenience us in some way.

God is speaking to me. I am broken over my selfishness. I have felt inconvenienced and frustrated that I have to give of myself to others. Woe is me! I am a woman with an unclean heart. My heart needs a good housecleaning!

Selfishness and love are complete opposites! Selfishness focuses on satisfying our own flesh and love focuses on pleasing others. Selfishness and pride go hand in hand. They are both self-centered and they produce disharmony in the heart. It is sin.

"If you display selfish behavior with God or your neighbor, God will not put up with you for very long. Because God is a righteous God, He cannot be in the presence of the proud. The proud place more honor on themselves than God. God counts this type of person as wicked and He will not know him. Neither will God put up with a proud person that slanders his neighbor. God will not suffer anyone that has a proud heart against God or his fellowman". Psalms 101:3-4

I need God's Grace.

Lord, I am so undeserving. I have been selfish. I have felt inconvenienced. I am sorry. Please forgive me, Please fill me up with You. May my eyes see what You see. May my heart feel what You feel. May my life reflect You.

I love You for providing for me - I love You for forgiving me - I love You for dieing for me, for rising for me, for saving me. I know that there is nothing I can do or say that is deserving of any of these things. It is Your Grace that makes it possible for me to sit at Your feet. Thank You for loving me. Help me to love others. May I learn to extend 'The Grace Card' to them.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:43

Crazy Love!!

2011-02-20T15:29:00.003-06:00

Love and Fear - those two words do not seem to belong together!

What does the word love mean? I automatically go back, WAY back to "Love means never having to say your sorry" - That is really a stupid statement!!! Then I think "Love hurts" - YES! It does!!! Webster defines love as "a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties" - That sounds like a good thing!

What about fear - what does it mean? I think of things I am afraid of - mice (YIKES!!); losing someone near and dear to me; physical pain. What does Webster have to say about fear - "frighten" and "to have a reverential awe of (God)".

Love and Fear - do they fit together?

Frances Chan talks about having a fear of God and not grasping the love of God when he was growing up. He points out that his own relationship with his father played a big part in how he perceived God.

The Love of God! I have met many people who struggle with accepting God's love. That is one thing I have never had trouble doing. I have always held tight to the love of God!! Perhaps it is because of my Baptist upbringing or because I felt loved and accepted by my dad long before I came to know God. For whatever reason, I have always felt like God loved me and known that he would always love me.

The Fear of God! That is something I have felt in the past. If I am honest it has been during my rebellious seasons of life. Times when I was living for me and only me. The fear I felt then was connected to shame. I remember thinking, "I sure don't want Jesus to return now and catch me doing this." How stupid of me!! Jesus knew exactly what I was doing! But when I have been living for Jesus I do not think of fear.

I always felt like these 2 things - Love of God & Fear of God were total opposites.

Until now.

After reading this chapter I see how they go together. Francis uses the term 'reverent intimacy' and he talks about being 'In Love With the One I Fear'. As I think about those 2 phrases I also think about Webster's definition of fear - to have a reverential awe; and the definition of love - a strong affection arising out of personal ties. Putting those together for 'reverent intimacy' is something like - "having a reverential awe and strong affection arising out of personal ties." I have that! I am amazed at my God - He is the Great I Am and He loves me. He made me and loves me enough to discipline me when I need it (which is quite often); He knows the number of hairs on my head and He calls the stars by name. He deserves my reverential awe and strong affection!

Now, for the final part of Chapter 3:

"Do you love this God who is everything or do you just love everything He gives you?"

Ouch! Love hurts! That reminds me of a question I heard in a sermon a while back - If there were no rewards in heaven, no promises of happiness and peace, would just knowing Jesus here on earth as we know Him now, would that be enough?

Hmmm - I have some things to think about.

Abba - I love you. I confess that I have not feared you with reverant awe. Like the song says, "What do I know of holy?" I want to fear you - I want to know you - I want to have more of you. Help me! Help me to value You and focus on You - not the many blessings from You. I am grateful for everything you give me, but I just want to be content with You! I want to be in love with the one I fear - You.

Crazy Love continues

2011-02-11T11:13:00.001-06:00

Francis Chan titled chapter two of his Crazy Love book, 'You Might Not Finish this Chapter'. Me, in my ignorance, thought he was referring to the fact that I might not like what I am reading and not finish it. That is not what he meant! He boldly pointed out that I could die at any second and that is why I would not finish the chapter. OH NO! That is not what I wanted to think about!

I like to be stroked - who doesn't?

I like to be encouraged and uplifted - don't you?

I like to feel good about me - isn't that what we are always being told by the media?

But I have been brought before the throne of God in my humility and I am reminded that:

* My life is not about me. I am but a speck.

* I am not the star of my life movie.

* My plans are nothing compared to the plans He has.

"Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13-14

This chapter took me back to a lesson I heard from Beth Moore when I saw her in Chicago with a great group of girlfriends. Beth was talking about how we act like it is soooo hard to live for Christ. We have this to do . . . Somebody did this to us . . . We don't have time to help with that . . . on and on about how big our life is. In reality and when looking at the BIG picture of beginning to end (not of our life but God's) we are here for such a short time. Why can't we do the hard thing for a short time in comparison to all of eternity?

El-Olam,

'Everlasting God'

You are the source of every good thing in my life. I want to keep my eyes focused on you and live this day and every day for you. I want to remember that my life is not about me, but it is about you. May everything I do bring glory to you, not shame or disappointment, but praise and honor.

Thank you for changing my life! I am forever blessed by falling in love with you.

Crazy Love

2011-01-29T13:48:00.000-06:00

I am beginning a journey. A journey with a relentless God. I want to be overwhelmed by Him! I want passion! I want to experience some crazy love! I am sick of myself; sick of being selfish; sick of going through the motions!!!

I have lost the AWE of God and I WANT IT BACK!!!

So I am reading and studying a book by Francis Chan. The title is Crazy Love. It starts out with a quote from The Seeking Heart by Francois Fenelon: 'To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid "big" sins - is this passionate, wholehearted love for God?'

Think about it . . . reading the Bible, attending church and avoiding big sins - that sounds just plain boring!!

The God who created the universe: stars, moons, planets, galaxies; - the God who creates life of every form: plants, insects, animals, organisms, and babies - that is the same God who knows every single detail about every single person who ever lived, who is living, and who will ever live! That blows my mind!!! There is NO way that can possibly be boring! This God deserves SOOO much more from me than complacency and selfishness! He deserves my passion!

He is my:

Adonai - Master

Beginning and End

Comforter

Dwelling Place

El Shaddai - All sufficient

Father

Guide

Holy One

Inhabitor of Praises

Jehovah-Jireh - Provider

Kadosh - Holy One

Lamb that was slain

Magen - Shield

Name above every name

Omnipotent

Palet - Deliverer

Quickening Spirit

Rose of Sharon

Soter - Savior

Tsaddiq - Righteous one

Upholder of all things

Victory

Word

eXcellency

Yahweh

Zeal

I am on a journey to fall crazy in love with my Savior. It is going to be a great experience. One I want to be on for the rest of my days.

LESSONS LEARNED

2011-01-21T14:34:00.001-06:00

I haven't written anything in a while and my soul is longing to put pen to paper (or in today's modern age maybe I should say - fingers to keys). Oh well, hopefully, you know what I mean. I have had this yearning to get some thoughts down for several weeks but, for whatever reason, just have not been intentional enough to sit down and start typing. This morning I decided to be intentional about several things - spend time with my Beloved Savior in His word and deep prayer; work on my budget; read The Missing by Beverly Lewis on my new kindle (thanks to a lifelong bestie); and journal some thoughts! I did get sidetracked a bit when Kate called and asked if I wanted to go have a peek at their first home they are purchasing.

Now here I sit at my computer pondering my time with Jesus this morning. The devotion I read this morning was about facing fears and putting ourselves out there - not being embarrassed or ashamed to seek help. I have faced many fears and shame in my life and I have learned a HUGE lesson from these feelings.

Lesson #1: Shame is not from God!!! Shame is from the enemy. He bogs us down with negative feelings and thoughts of not being worthy - losing friends - not being accepted. The TRUTH is: We are unworthy without the shed blood of our Savior! When we live under the forgiveness of Jesus we are accepted and loved!!!

This is what the Lord says: Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don't you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land. Isiah 43: 18-19

Lesson learned: Face the lie with the truth!!!

Lesson #2: Embarrassment and humiliation keeps us from reaching out to others. Once again, the enemy thrills at our embarrassment - he reinforces our fear of humiliation. I have heard him whisper in my ear, "you can't let that be known or every time someone looks at you they will think . . .". The TRUTH is: There is power in the light of Jesus.

All day long my disgrace is in front of me. Shame covers my face because of the words of those who insult and slander us, because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. Psalm 44: 15-16

Lesson learned: Flee from the enemy into the arms of Jesus.

Lesson #3: Satan works hard to dull our spiritual connections. During my younger days of living under shame, embarrassment and humiliation I listened to the enemy. I now realize I was listening to the enemy. I even listened to him when he said "you don't need to voice your concerns, God know whats in your heart - there is no need to put those requests on the table, you have already told God about them." The TRUTH is: There is power in prayer!!!

So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God's approval are effective. James 5:15

Lesson learned: Seek prayer from others. Stay connected to the One who has the power - not the deceiver.

Blessed is the person who does not

follow the advice of wicked people,

take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers.

Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD

and reflects on his teachings day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside streams -

a tree that produces fruit in season

and whose leaves to not wither.

He succeeds in everything he does.

Wicked people are not like that.

Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.

That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment

and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

The LORD knows the way of righteous people,

but the way of wicked people will end.

PSALM 1

Abba -

May I only seek advice and direction from fellow believers.

I want to be deep in You! I want to begin my day with You and Your Word and end my day with You and Your Word!

Bless my efforts - may my life show Your fruit!

I pray that you know my ways - that I always stay in Your shadow and that my life will be a reflection of You always

2011-01-01T18:21:00.002-06:00

I read this on Heart to Heart With Holley. It was a great reminder to me of how steadfast my Lord is!

Lord,

There are many uncertainties in our world but what matters most will never change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

We believe You are with us, for us, and surrounding us with Your love.

So do not fear, for I am with you…I will strengthen you and help you. Isaiah 41:10

No matter what happens, You will guide us and fulfill Your purposes for us.

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Even in hard times we can be confident that we will have victory through you.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

We trust you will take care of us and bless us in more ways than we can imagine.

God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

We give each moment and every day to You. Most of all, we give ourselves too.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 5:10

Amen.

written with love for you by holley

Christmas with The Hennrich's

2011-01-01T17:15:00.005-06:00

Kate and Jacob Musgrove

Levi, Tasha Carter (Levi's girlfriend),
Maddie (Tasha is her nanny) & Findley (Tasha's puppy)

Seth, Jessica, Colby & Carson Hennrich

Anytime family is together life is wonderful! Christmas just makes it that much better! I love the decorations and there is nothing like the excitement of children during the holidays. We have simplified things quite a bit the past few years and that does not affect the thrill of the season at all. It actually makes it better. I am thankful for the love we share!

This year for Christmas we enjoyed a dinner of Baked Ham, Potato Casserole, Corn, Deviled Eggs, Glazed Fruit, Crescent Rolls, Pecan Pie and Gooey Butter Cake. I am thankful for an abundance of food!

We have some new faces in the family this year - Jake (Kate's husband) and Tasha (Levi's girlfriend). I am thankful for these new faces in our family!

My 3 children together on the couch at Game Night!
(I don't get to see this often enough)

The Hennrich Family loves Game Night!! I believe over the 2 weeks of Christmas we must have had at least 3-4 game nights!! We can get pretty rowdy and very intense at times! I am thankful for a family that plays together!

Christmas with The Hennrich's came to an end on New Years Eve when Seth and Jessica loaded up their sweet little boys and headed back home. :(

I am MOST thankful for my family!!!

HAMPTON FAMILY CHRISTMAS

2011-01-01T16:58:00.002-06:00

Dad and Gayle were not going to be here over Christmas so we decided to have The Hampton Family Christmas Party the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We had wonderful food - Chili, Hot dogs, Chips, Dip, Little Pizzas, and lots of other stuff.

Everyone was in attendance - Dad & Gayle; Ric's crew: Laura, Jordan, Abi along with her friend Brandon, Tyler, Claire; Seth's family: Jessica, Colby, and Carson; Kate & Jake; Levi & Tasha; and me - that's 18 of us!!!

We did get a picture of everyone - but I don't have access to it yet. It was taken with Dad's camera, but I will post it as soon as I get it.

After dinner - we played our 'Dirty Santa' game - with some 'honorable' stealing going on.

The evening ended with some good ole family game time!!!

The final night of my Best Thanksgiving EVER!!! I am so blessed.

Girl Time

2011-01-01T16:51:00.002-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving Kate, Jessica and I went to The Fox Theatre to see "The Wizard of Oz" Broadway Show. This was the first time either of them had been to The Fox. It is such a beautiful theatre.

We had lunch at The Best Steak House which is located across the street from The Fox. It is a little whole in the wall place with 'the best steaks'!!

As we were heading to the theatre a man stopped us. He had a camera and was wanting someone to take his picture in front of the theatre marque. Kate took his picture for him. It turns out he was the Wizard from the play and said "This is the most beautiful theatre they would perform in and he wanted his picture in front of it". I thought that was pretty cool!

We had a great time watching the show - it was VERY good!!

Another wonderful memory from my Best Thanksgiving EVER!!!

So much to be thankful for!!!

2011-01-01T16:31:00.006-06:00

Gayle, Carson, Jessica, Colby and Seth

Kate, Jake, Levi & Tasha

Gayle and Carson

Dad at the head of our Thanksgiving Table

I do believe I had just about the BEST Thanksgiving I have ever had!!! My house was full - Seth, Jessica, Colby and Carson & Dad and Gayle all came in on Wednesday night. We heard some BIG news - Seth & Jessica are expecting baby #3!!! We are hoping for a girl, but, of course, we just want a healthy baby.

Our Thanksgiving dinner table was loaded with lots of yummy food - all the tradition Thanksgiving foods along with some of our favorite dishes. We were all at one table - 12 of us (my nephew, Jordan, joined us - we had already taken pictures :( when he arrived)

Thanksgiving night several of us attended the midnight Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart! What an experience that was. It was fun for us - but I do not understand why people would go and be part of the madness if they are not going to have fun with it!! There were way too many crabby people there.

OCTOBER

2011-01-01T16:15:00.006-06:00

Me in my Grandpa Pogue's arms with Grandma Pogue nearby! I loved them sooo much!!

Mom & me

The month of October is a very important month to me. My mom's birthday was in October. So every October I am thinking of her. Also, my Grandpa's birthday was in October. I miss them both very much. But I know they are living pain free and clear minded with Jesus!!

Colby and Carson

The best part of October is both of my grandsons have birthdays!!! Colby turned 5 this year and Carson turned 2. Even though they live almost 350 miles away Kate and I have been blessed to be able to spend every birthday with them so far!!! Unfortunately, Kate could not attend this year. But Tasha Carter, Levi's girlfriend, accompanied me on the trip and we had a great time! Grandkids are AWESOME!!!!

Wow! Amazing!!

2010-09-14T19:17:00.001-05:00

I have had a very rough start to this new school year. I was beginning to think that this kindergarten teacher is getting too old! I have a very difficult group of children. They are great kids but some of them are 'high maintenance' and several boys that are easily excited and a bit immature. Six days into the school year I had a severe kidney stone attack and missed the next 5 days of school! I went back for 1 day and thought I was going to lose my mind!!! Thankfully, it was the only day before a 4 day weekend for Labor Day. And

I had the best Labor Day weekend EVER!!!

Friday I boarded a flight and headed to Dallas, Texas to spend 4 days with my life long friend fro high school. Tina and I have been friends for . . . well, let's just say, since 7th grade! We have been through everything together! Dating, mistakes, good times, bad times, our weddings, and unfortunately, our divorces, babies, a miscarriage, soldier sons - one of which has done 2 tours in Iraq and is now in Afghanistan, some fantastic trips, loss of loved ones, and soooo much more! Anyway, she is my BEST friend and she has been here for me through so many things! So when she called me and said I need you to come down, my response was "I'm on it!"

The flight down was quite interesting. I was all comfy in my seat (haha - who can be comfy on an airplane?) with my book open and ready to read some more of Staci Eldridge's, Captivating when someone needed to sit next to me. So I scooted over still thinking I was going spend some time with God and learn all about how He loves me! But . . . I guess God had a different plan because for the next hour and a half I had a very interesting conversation with a man named "Joe". I learned that "Joe" is an educator, has 2 kids, is turning 40 this year, loves to travel, is in an unhappy marriage, and was raised in a dogmatic church that preached legalism. Near the end of the flight he asked me "Do you go to church? Do you believe in God?" I told him I did and asked if he did. He said, "No" and it was soon VERY clear that "Joe" had NO understanding of the gospel. He believes "there are many ways to heaven and we just all have to be good and do our best. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all sister religions anyway. So it's just about trying to do the right thing." WOW! Lord, I could have just kept reading my book about how much you love me and I would have been just fine. But my Father had a different idea for my plane ride. I tried to point him to Jesus and tried to explain that God is not about rules - that He is about grace and love. And then our plane landed.

As I got off the plane I prayed for "Joe". I asked God to send his children into "Joe's" life and for him to find Jesus and experience God's grace.

Next . . . Tina picks me up and we begin our Friend Weekend!! We always like to shop and eat. So naturally we began with the eating of some fine italian cuisine. One issue that my sweet friend was having was her need for a new vehicle. So, naturally, I decided we were going to take care of that issue ASAP! And after many hours at the car dealer we had a 2010 Acura tl to drive!

We had so much fun driving around in it! Navigating Nancy talked with us all the time (haha)

Saturday we were pampered with pedicures and did a little shopping. Then we returned to the car dealer to seal the deal. That proved to be a bit more difficult than we anticipated . . . But we finally, after 4 hours, left with a new car for my BFF!

We continued on with our weekend with some more shopping, eating, and some yummy new drinks!

I discovered that Margarita Swirls are quite refreshing!

I also tried a Lemon Drop Martini - my very first martini - and it was yummy!

Sunday was an AWESOME day! We started the day in her Sunday School class. Tina has a wonderful teacher and the lesson was from Max Lucado's book, Facing Your Giants, and it was on unspeakable grief. Well, who can't relate to that. Grief comes after us in so many forms and we have to go through it or it will eat us up. Next, we went on to church for a great message from the book of James about faith vs. works. It had been an emotional morning with all the grief talk and the message and then the ending song came. I have never heard such a beautiful song!!! It has become my new favorite and it is "The More I Seek You". You can check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GijrnfStk. But just in case you don't, please read the words:

The More I seek You

The More I find you

the more I find you

The more I love you

I want to sit at you feet

drink from the cup in your hands

lay back against you and breath

feel your heartbeat

this love is so deep

it's more than I can stand

I melt in your peace

it's overwhelming

Can you imagine anything more wonderful than leaning back against Jesus and feeling His heartbeat! I tear up just thinking about it! It is overwhelming!!!

After church I had a great visit with my Dad! I don't get to see him often enough. Before I knew it Monday came and I had to head home. It is always hard to say good-bye to my dear friend. So I am at the airport trying to get everything checked and get myself to the right place and, guess what . . . I missed my flight!!! They put me on stand by for the next flight - 2 hours later. So now I am in tears and freaking out!!! I called my other BFF from Farmington - she was picking me up at the airport and I am in a state of panic and crying and my friend, Gay Ann, says in her sweet voice, "It's OK - no big deal - this is only a dot. I will be there to pick you up when your flight comes in." Isn't that GREAT!!! I was fine after that.

My God is awesome!!! I so needed time away and everything about the weekend was perfect. I didn't have to do any work, no laundry, no cooking, no dishes - I didn't even think about school. I just relaxed and had fun and in the midst of it all God overwhelmed me with His love. He ministered to me in so many ways - from "Joe" on the flight there to Gay Ann picking me up at the airport. And I now have a new favorite song! I love having a new favorite song!

The More I seek You

The More I find you

the more I find you

The more I love you

I want to sit at you feet

drink from the cup in your hands

lay back against you and breath

feel your heartbeat

this love is so deep

it's more than I can stand

I melt in your peace

it's overwhelming

May you be overwhelmed by His love!

SUMMER - WHERE DID YOU GO?

2010-08-04T13:18:00.003-05:00

Wow! I don't know what happened. It seems like I JUST got out of school and now it is time to go back - and man oh man, I am in some kind of funk this year, and don't want to go back!!

Let's see - - - what have I done this summer?

* Recovered from the wedding - that included getting my house back in order as well as emotionally adjusting to my daughter being married.

* Spent time with the grandkids! I had 10 straight days with them - that is the longest stretch I have spent with them. It was soooo much fun!!! We went to the Tiger Sanctuary, The Magic House, The Zoo, and Black River. It was also soooo exhausting!!! I think it took me 5 days to get rested and recovered. But it was WELL worth it!!!!

* Enjoyed several outings with my Sister Chicks!!! We went to Caledonia for antiquing, bar-q-cue, candy, and ice cream. We went shopping in Cape and ate at My Daddy's Cheesecake. We went to the Delmar Loop for a day of pottery making and visiting Soulard's Farmers Market. We went to the movies together. Lots of good times with my girls.

* Enjoyed time with my kiddos. Life with adult children is so different. They are so much fun and I love spending time with them. We have cooked together, played games together, and just hung out together.

* Attended 3 weddings!!! My Kate got married. My BFF's daughter, Molly, got married, and Kate's BFF got married! All 3 weddings were beautiful and all 3 couldn't have been more different. Lord, please bless all three of these marriages. May they grow closer to You and to their mate each day.

Wow! It has been a busy summer! It has been a LOT of fun and I am so blessed!

I am glad I sat down and wrote this today. I have been in a bit of a pit! I even said these words yesterday, "I hate my life!" Lord, forgive me for being so ungrateful!

It has seemed that almost everything I touch breaks. During the past month I have had:

1. my lawn mower quit working
2. my car was leaking water on the passenger's floor board
3. my garbage disposal broke
4. the light on my carport is hanging by 1 wire
5. my cell phone broke; and YESTERDAY
6. I came home on the hottest day of the year (100 degrees) and my air conditioner was broke

7. Even my corn cob holder broke off in my hand last weekend!!

BUT - God you are faithful! You are my provider! You are awesome!

You sent my dear friend, Gay Ann, to my aid. She got me motivated in the right direction to deal with these issues.

1. Jake fixed my lawnmower. He is a good son-in-law and a great addition to our family!
2. Kate's friend, Jason, fixed my car (along with Jake). Bless Jason and his family, Lord. They are facing some financial hardships since he lost his job.
3. I can live without a garbage disposal and am doing just fine! :)
4. Jason said he could fix my carport light - so I bought a new one and am waiting to hear back from him.
5. I got a new cell phone - an ipone and I love it!
6. I spent the night with Kate & Jake last night (that was a sweet blessing) The air conditioner man was here at 8:30 this morning and it was a lose wire. So, the air conditioner is fixed and I am once again a happy gal! AND
7. I bought me some new corn cob holders for .97 at Wally World!

Thank you, Father, for showing me what a Wonderful Life I have! It is all because of You that I have such amazing friends and a fantastic family. Thank you for providing for my needs.

I really wish I could live my life in complete freedom from doubt and despair. Satan likes to sneak in and whisper lies in my ear. It seems that he camps out on my shoulder a lot. But today I am reminded to face those lies with the truth! The truth is that I am a daughter of the King and He is bigger than that stinking old devil! I am going to listen to the Voice of Truth!

Wedding Day

2010-05-23T19:45:00.003-05:00

The Beautiful Bride

I can't believe it! 23 years ago today I gave birth to my baby girl and today she is off on her honeymoon. Time really does fly and I was determined to enjoy every bit of this wedding stuff - from the engagement to the planning to the shopping to the anticipating to the decorating to the ceremony to the reception to the opening of the gifts and finally to the honeymoon departure. It has all been a fantastic time with my daughter! But now, Kate's wedding has come and gone. I don't want to ever forget this weekend!

WEDNESDAY, May 19, 2010
Kate and I began the day with tanning and that was followed with pedicures. It felt so good to sit and enjoy someone pampering us. Our toes looked so good and our legs and feet felt so good! Next we went looking for an umbrella since the weather forcast was NOT good - calling for rain on Thursday and Friday! We did not have any luck finding an umbrella and she decided if it rained we would just get one from 'good ole' Wally World.
Next we went on an interesting adventure to Proffer Produce to pick up the fruit we had ordered for the reception. Once we found the location we had to find the office. After driving around several buildings and walking around we finally located the office. Then we were questioned about our qualifications to be purchasing from their wholesale warehouse. I believe the little man felt sorry for us and was infatuated with my daughter so he gave us our fruit. We were then on our merry little way to Lana's house to drop off the forbidden fruit! Finally, we headed home to wait for Tina to arrive. Wednesday evening we did some last minute gathering up of wedding stuff. We ended up at Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. purchasing some last minute wedding stuff. The entire day was full of prayers for no rain! It seemed like every 2 hours one of us was checking the weather forecast!

THURSDAY, May 20, 2010
Tina took me out for a birthday breakfast at Huddle House! She is such a blessing to me - thank you friend!! We had a lot of rain during the night and it was raining lightly as we went to breakfast. BUT after breakfast it was NOT raining!! Thank You God!!! Tina, Kate and I headed out a little later on a mission to locate some tulle for ceremony decorating. We ended up going to Hobby Lobby to get the ribbon and some more last minute wedding stuff. I remember Lana telling me "You will be making several trips to the city the week of the wedding". I thought she was crazy - there was no way I was going to be doing that. Well . . . she was right! And when we got back to Farmington we had to make a stop at . . . you guessed it . . . Wal-Mart! My third trip in 24 hours. I was a little concerned they might put a blue vest on me!! Dad was at the house when we got home! It was great to see him. He came from Fort Worth, Texas to be part of his granddaughter's big day. Next, it was time to head down to the vineyard to hang lights and get ready for rehearsal. We did encounter some stressful moments during this part of the weekend, but I don't want to dwell on the lack of communication between the event planner and the staff (nough said). We had some sprinkles as we were hanging lights - but NO rain for rehearsal. Thank You God!!! After rehearsal we all went to Pasta House for the rehearsal dinner. While we were there Seth, Jessica, Colby and Carson arrived. Colby came in carrying a BIG bouquet of flowers for my birthday!!! What a sweet surprise!!! After dinner we headed home and Tina and I prepared breakfast for the Bridesmaids Brunch the next morning.

FRIDAY, May 21, 2010
The big day arrived! We had a BIG storm during the night - But NO rain in the morning! I knew God was going to bless this day with NO rain!! At 10 a.m. we had brunch of Egg Souffle, Breakfast Pizza, Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars, and Mimosas! It was yummy and was a good start to the day! The cars were loaded, our tummies were full, and we were eager to head to the Vineyard for decorating! We arrived and more stress began! But. . . I don't want to go there - so, moving on to the good stuff! We were hustling around FAST and trying to get everything done so Tina and I could get home by 2:30 to get ready. We did not have to fight rain, but we did have to fight the wind. Finally at about 2:30 Tina, Jessica and I headed home to get ready. Actually, Jessica and Tina went to . . . Wal-Mart to get different vases because the wind kept blowing over the vases we had. Kate and the bridesmaids were up in the guest room of the Restaurant getting their hair and makeup done. At 4:00 we were headed back down for the pre-wedding pictures!

How many people does it take to zip a wedding dress?

Isn't she beautiful! She was so excited to marry Jake! She was waiting for the horse drawn carriage that was going to take her down to the ceremony sight in the vineyard. Unfortunately, he had vehicle problems and we found out 10 minutes before the ceremony that he was not going to make it. I hated to tell Kate that! But she took it so well! She just said, "Oh, that's okay. I'll just walk down. It will just give us more money for the honeymoon."

After walking down the loooooong driveway with her dad and friend, Bekka carrying her train, she walked down the aisle to her waiting groom.

Ben did a marvelous job with the ceremony! They took communion. The funny thing was they were suppose to actually drink the wine from the glass but there was a fly in it so they just dipped the bread instead. Kate wanted to do a sand ceremony so she bought pink sand for her and green sand for Jake and then she wanted to incorporate white sand to represent Christ. They were learning about the marriage covenant and wanted that incorporated into the sand ceremony. It was a beautiful part of the ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Musgrove

The reception was a blast!! The food was delicious! We had appetizers of Crab Rangoon, Chicken Pot Stickers, Jalapeno Poppers, Shrimp Cocktail, and a beautiful Fruit Bar put together by my awesome sister chicks - Lana, Gay Ann, Tracy, and Ann. Dinner was salad, bread, meatballs, spaghetti, fettuccini, grilled chicken breasts, mushrooms, and seasonal veggies! Yum Yum!!

Haley had a sweet toast and Anthony gave Jake some great advice!

The DJ was fantastic!!! He had some fun activities for the crowd! Ric won the dance contest with his Michael Jackson impersonation. He beat out Tina's River Dance impersonation, Haley's John Travolta impersonation, and Jordan's air guitar performance. Jake and his groomsmen did a paper bag dance contest that was hillarious!!! Anthony has some great dance moves and a great sense of humor!

Kate did an awesome job of planning her wedding! But . . . all the glory goes to God! Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God forever!!

Lord, Thank you for the wonderful relationship I have with Kate. Thank you for the wonderful and beautiful young lady she has grown into! Thank You for blessing us with the perfect weather for both days!

Now I want to ask you to bless their marriage together! May they always keep you at the center of their lives! May they be obedient to you and serve you. I pray they remember their vows and the covenant they have with you, Lord. Most of all, may You be glorified through their lives always!
Amen

Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

2010-04-01T21:53:00.003-05:00

The Hennrich house is in FULL Wedding Planning mode!!!

The countdown is on - less than 2 months till my baby becomes a Mrs.
It really is hard to believe.

I have been having such fun and I hope Kate is having as much fun as I am.

I really thought that most of the work would be finished by this point and we could
spend the last few months coasting into the wedding.
But . . . I was wrong!!!

All major decisions have been made.
Everything is booked and purchased.
Invitations have been mailed.

What could possibly be left to do????

Well . . . let's see . . . let me count the things . . .

music selections
shoes for the bride and mother of the bride
RSVP's to keep up with
last minute food decisions
programs to be created
bridal showers
and . . .

Tomorrow is the second dress fitting, possibly the final one; and tonite I sit here and
remember. . .

* hearing the fantastic words "It's a girl!"
* rocking my sweet baby
* watching as she picked out her first pet - the scrawniest kitten in the bunch that she insisted on rescuing
* taking that first day of school picture and leaving the kindergarten classroom as she sat with a big grin on her face assuring me she was ok
* watching in amazement as she worked so hard to keep up with her 2 big brothers
* how she always wanted to help me
* that special night when she prayed asking Jesus to live in her heart forever AND the very special Sunday that she was baptized!!!
* how very much she loved spending time with her grandma and how she helped her grandma during her final months of life (I knew without a doubt then that my baby was destined for great things)
* watching her on the volleyball court, soccer field, and basketball court and thanking the Lord that she was not like me
* hearing a teacher tell me that "Kate is comfortable in her own skin and you should be proud of that" - and I was!!!
* helping her get ready for her very first formal dance and thinking "Oh my gosh - she is so gorgeous!"
* being amazed at how she made her mind up about her career and went full steam ahead to achieve that goal
* how proud I was when she found out she was accepted into the RN program and then finding out she was the youngest in the program
* being even more proud of her when she graduated and attributed her nursing choice to her grandma
* the excitement of her first job as a Registered Nurse
* helping her move into her own apartment - I couldn't believe the independence she had at the tender age of 20!!
* the shock of hearing her say, "I think I want to do Nurses Without Borders"
* the apprehension I felt as she traveled to Nicaragua (another step towards her goal of changing the world) and the pride I felt at the same time
* the fear I felt when she announced, upon returning from Nicaragua, that she was going to contact Nurses Without Borders (I had secretly hoped the mission trip would change her mind)
* the humility and tears shed as I realized my baby really belonged to my Heavenly Father and I had no right to hold her back!
* the look on her face when she told me she met someone and the next month when she told me she loved him

And now here we are . . . in less than 2 months she will no longer be Kate Hennrich - but will be Mrs. Jacob Musgrove - Kate Musgrove.

I don't know what the future holds for my baby - But I do know who holds her future!! She may no longer be considering Nurses Without Borders - but together with her fiance they are considering mission trips together. I also know that she loves the Lord and God will use Kate and Jake in a mighty way for his kingdom's work!

Blessings with a Heavy Heart

2010-02-14T14:01:00.010-06:00

My heart was heavy this morning!

Yesterday a young man I watched grow up across the street from me and who went to school with my children decided life was too hard and took his own life.

Last night I heard about a 6th grade boy in the community I teach in who had an accident with a wood splitter. He lost 3 fingers and was facing 18-24 hours of surgery in an attempt to repair the damage.

I continue to feel great pain for the people of Haiti as they face such devastation, pain, suffering, and loss.

On my way to worship this morning I was praying for these huge situations and crying out to God!

As always He is faithful! The service began with "Blessed Be Your Name" and these words washed over my soul!

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

How awesome that the God of the universe;
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
the Creator of everything would take time to
remind me of the privilege of knowing Him!

Pastor Lance spoke of how our life should be a
pursuit towards God, not things!
My life should work around God not the other way
around!

But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your
life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get
what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with those who store up things
for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Luke 12: 20-21

Life is so much better when we depend on our
Heavenly Father. He knows best and He has great
things planned for us!  I want to pursue Him and the
permanent things of heaven, not the trivial things
of this life - not the temporary things.

Father,
You are my sanctuary!  
You are my rock and my fortress!
I want to pursue you with everything in me!
I want to praise You!

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise!
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I'm gonna say

Blessed be the name of the Lord -
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord -
Blessed be Your glorious Name!

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Blessed be your name!

I want to always remember to praise
and bless your name -
in the good and bad -
in the happy and sad -
in the joy and in the pain.
Blessed be Your Name Jesus!

From Helpless to Hopeful

2010-01-17T17:28:00.002-06:00

Do you ever feel empty? Useless? Tired? Burdened? Overwhelmed? Helpless?

I think a LOT of people are probably feeling some or all of these feelings these days.

The bills after Christmas burden us!

The sunless days of winter make us tired!

The fast pace of society wears us down!

Someone we love faces a medical scare and we feel useless!

A dear friend loses a loved one and we feel helpless!

ALL of these things have happened recently and I have been feeling empty - burdened - tired - helpless and overwhelmed!

And now...

The devastation in Haiti ... It is overwhelming!!!

This earthquake kind of puts things into perspective, don't you think?

God has been prodding me and reminding me that He is the only source of strength!

God is our protection and our strength.
He always helps in times of trouble.
The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
Psalm 46:1, 11

He is our only hope!!

He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. The people who trust the LORD will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired. Isaiah 40:29, 31

My SisterChick, Lana, has a daughter, Heather. Heather is married to Gerson, a Haitian, and they have been living in St. Louis. During the past week Lana's father passed away and then the country of Haiti experienced the devastating earthquake. For days Heather and Gerson knew nothing about his family. Thank God they have found out that his family is alive. I cannot imagine the fear that gripped them. They have such an amazing faith and have continued to place their hope and trust in our Heavenly Father. Heather and Gerson are traveling to Haiti this next week with a medical team from our church.

It is so exciting to see God at work!

What Satan meant for evil for the country of Haiti, God can use for good! Many people have come together to help the poor people of Haiti. God can and will use them to make a difference for His kingdom! May His will be done.

Abba, You are mighty and You are God! That is all we need to know - but You have provided us with so much more! Your word assures us that You are the Great I AM - the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End - the Creator - the Great Physician! In James, Your word tell us "When a believing person prays, great things happen". Father, all over this world believers are praying for the people of Haiti and for the overwhelming taks that are ahead for them and the relief workers. We anticipate and claim the promise of the great things You have planned for Haiti.

I ask that You provide strength, materials, workers, and provisions for these selfless people.

I pray for the many, many people who still do not know if their loved ones are dead or alive.

I pray especially for Heather and Gerson as they return to Gerson's family. I know that there is no way they can be prepared for what they will see, Lord, but just hold them close and may their faith be seen by others.

I pray for Jon and Lisa Bird, Dr. Killion, and the others from our community who are giving of themselves to help the injured and hurting people of Haiti. Father, guide them and provide for them as they are Your hands and feet in a lost and hurting part of Your world.

And Father I ask that you would work in my life. I have so much to be thankful for and yet I am so selfish! I want to stay focused on You, Lord. I want to live for You. I want to listen to You. I want to be obedient to You. I want to be fueled by You on a continuous basis! I want everday to be about You - not me!

I love you, Jesus!

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-02T13:14:00.004-06:00

Wow! My Christmas break is almost over!!! I can't believe that I have had 2 weeks off. It seems like such a blur - What did I do? Hmmmm - let's see -

Kate and I went wedding shopping! that was fun

I baked some goodies - yum

Cleaned the house - yuck!

Got caught up on laundry - yea!!!

I wrapped the few gifts I purchased - since we have simplified Christmas that is not near the job it use to be!

I decorated the Christmas tree - it stood bare for several days - poor thing!

I picked my Dad up at the airport on Christmas morning! - slipping and sliding the whole way and I believe I saw about 10 accidents!!

We had Christmas lunch at Jack in the Box - that was a first for me!

Games and Carols Night was a little different this year - the kids had some new people join us and Seth & Jessica arrived just in time!

I had 3 wonderful days with the grandsons! They are getting so big!! It is so cool to watch my son interact with his sons! Colby and Carson have great parents!!!

More wedding shopping - this time with Kate and Jessica!! - we also purchased some honeymoon lingerie - ooh la la!!

Got my house back in order after all the company went home - that is always a sad day!! :(

Enjoyed New Years Eve with some wonderful Christian friends!!!

Took down the Christmas tree and packed up all the Christmas decorations - always seems like a bigger job than getting it all out.

Cleaned my house - everything is back in its spot!

Did laundry - again!!

Wow! I'm exhausted and need a break!!!

That's my Christmas - a big bluuuurrrrrr of activities!!!

Did I take enough time to focus on the One that Christmas is all about? Did I give anything to Him on His birthday? I am ashamed to say that I did not focus on my Savior enough during this Christmas season.

Lord, I am sorry that I lost focus during this season that is suppose to be all about you! I am so very thankful that You never lose focus of me!

As I look back at 2009 I remember how You worked in my life - how I was sweetly broken by You - how You molded my life each day - how You surrounded me with Christian friends - how You made me eat my words. I imagine You must have said SO many times "Oh yeah Jeanna. You think so? Well, daughter, I have a different plan for you. A much better plan that is going to change your life for the better."

I love You Jesus and want 2010 to be the year I grow closer to You and more like You. I want people to see you when they look at my life. I want these same things for my children and grandchildren.

Lord, make this Your year!!!

I love You!!!

Your child,
Jeanna

WHAT? It's almost Christmas?

2009-12-19T12:37:00.002-06:00

I have been so busy thinking "Wedding - Wedding - Wedding" that I haven't got my tree decorated!

It is standing but it does not have a single ornament on it and Christmas is less than a week away!

I haven't wrapped any gifts yet either!

Yikes!!!

I better get busy!!!

A New Season of Life

2009-12-19T12:04:00.006-06:00

Life has been crazy lately! My beautiful baby girl, Kate, is engaged!

Kate & Jake

She has set her wedding date for this coming May and we have been very busy making wedding plans!! It is SOOOO much fun!! I am relishing every minute of it and want to make the most of sharing this very special season with my daughter!

So far we have booked the venue. She wants an outdoor wedding and reception and selected Vance Vineyards. It is a beautiful setting and will provide minimal decorating and a gorgeous backdrop for pictures.

Vance Vineyards

We have also shopped for and bought the wedding dress. What an exciting day that was. Kate tried on somewhere between 10-15 dresses and the one she selected seems to have been made just for her. Sorry - no pictures to be posted of the dress! You will have to wait for the wedding!

Kate and Jake have selected the wedding party and last weekend I was blessed to shop with Kate and her bridesmaids for their dresses. Not going to post these either. But I will say that her colors are hot pink and lime green. That usually gets one of two responses - "Ooh that will be pretty" or "Really?" I have to admit my response was "Really?" but after shopping with her and seeing everything, I think it is going to be beautiful!

She has picked out and ordered her cake.

http://www.dianescakery.com/photo-gallery/wedding-cakes/

She has book the photographer and scheduled engagement pictures for this weekend.

http://www.simpliphotography.com/

She has booked the pastor.

And last weekend we purchased a whole bunch of silk flowers and accessories.

Religion and The Gospel

2009-12-02T18:44:00.003-06:00

I grew up in church and lived most of my young life in and out of God's will. Most of my 'life choices' were made when I was out of God's will and have had a lasting impact on me. However I always felt His presence and could hear him whispering to me that I was making a mistake - I just didn't care enough to listen. The battle within me was raging between my flesh and the Spirit. I couldn't quite turn lose of myself and trust God to run my life. Several years later I decided that I needed to get my act together for God. So I began doing the "right" thing. You know following all the rules - serving in the church doing whatever I could to make me feel good at the time. I wasn't doing all those really big bad sins anymore and the good things I was doing were most certainly cancelling out the little sins in my life. Then God slowly began to teach me about grace. I began to realize I couldn't do enough because He had done it all!!! I had no trouble accepting God's love - I just needed to understand the concept of grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit I do understand God's grace - I know that there is NOTHING I can do to warrant His magnificant abundant grace. That concept alone makes me want to worship and praise Him!

However, I have still struggled with some theological issues. I guess because I grew up in a strong denomination and in a Christian home I have always had some strong beliefs. I recently have come to realize alot of those beliefs are legalistic, not very scriptural, and have not been very healthy for me and my relationships. God has been teaching me about the spiritual war that has gone on in my life for a very long time! Conquering Addictions has helped me lay to rest several things from my past that have haunted me; and it continues to teach me new truths from God's Word. I have become aware of the battle between religion and The Gospel. I think I have had a clear understanding of The Gospel, but I have been guilty of holding on to man's laws and judging others based on man's law instead of leaning on The Gospel. It can be a struggle to live under the umbrella of God's grace and not get tangled in the web of legalism. The past few years I have felt a release from being judgmental. Today I was reading Galations 5 and felt a fresh understanding of God's Word. So I decided to see how this scripture was worded in The Message.

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. ...
Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. ...
Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law dominated excistence?

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat compettion; all consuming yet never satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

But what happens when we live God's way?
Galations 5: 13-22

I love the wording of these verses in The Message!

I want to 'live freely and animated' for Christ!
I want to be 'motivated by God's Spirit'!
I want to 'escape the erratic compulsions of a law dominated existence.'

And that list of destructive behaviors - 'a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; all consuming yet never satisfied wants; divided homes and divided lives; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions' - Why do I let myself get caught up in such things when I know there is so much better for me! God has such a better desire for me!!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galations 5:22-25

(The Message vs 26 - That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.)

Lord Jesus - Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for stretching me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your abundant grace that continues to cover me. I pray that I will be motivated by Your Spirit; that I will live freely and animated for Christ. I pray that the Fruit of Your Spirit will empower me each day. Remind me each and every day to ask for Your power and strength to live for You. Help me to escape the erratic compulsions of a law dominated existance. I want to avoid emotional garbage and chaos. May You be the only thing I am addicted to!

Freedom from Bondage

2009-11-10T23:54:00.003-06:00

Conquering Addictions continues to stir up the pit and at the same time my God continues to sweetly break me free from the bondage that has held me for 35 years!!! It is amazing to me and greatly saddens me that I could be forgiven but still held captive by sin that has been repented of and turned away from!

Last Tuesday the topic of discussion was confession - not just confession to the Lord but, of all things, confession to another believer. I have never been one to believe in public confession - God alone forgives my sin so why would I need to tell any human of my transgressions? Well that is not what we were taught last week. We were reminded that God's Word does say "confess your sins one to another". Another one of my biggest arguments with this whole thing has been that Satan likes to remind me too much of my past failures - I do NOT need to give him an opening to rub certain things in my face again. So I have been adament that I was NOT going to participate in confession and revealing my 'inventories' to anyone - it was just going to be between myself and my God! Well, as usual, the Lord had a different plan. He began to pester my about a shameful secret from my past (35 years ago).

This particular sin has been a heavy burden that Satan has repeatedly told me "If anyone finds out about this, you will lose all respect and they won't want to be around you anymore" "God may have forgiven you, but you will never be rid of this - it is way too BAD for you to forgive yourself".

As I prayed about this particular situation and asked God first of all to 'please don't make me do this - please don't make me confess this to anyone - there certainly can't be any good reason to confess this - I have been forgiven and turned from the sin never to return to it in 34 years.' But God kept reminding me of something that Tim had said during the teaching. He said "There is freedom from shame when you can confess the sin to someone." The Lord would not leave me alone about this. But at the same time Satan kept whispering those lies to me. And I was confused! Did God want me to confess or did Satan want me to ruin my reputation with my friends.

On Thursday morning all the way to school I was praying about what God wanted me to do. I told Him I wanted to be obedient more than anything else and would He please make it clear to me what I needed to do. I got to school and within about 10 minutes my dear friend, Nina, came into my classroom and sat down across from me. Now, this is not unusual! Nina comes into my room every morning. However, she usually starts talking or working on something. What was different on this morning was she just sat down and looked at me like she was ready to listen. I could hear God saying, "Go ahead - tell her - get rid of your shame and be free!" So I very reluctantly began to talk to her about this big secret I had harbored for 35 years. She listened and she very tenderly talked with me about what had happened and about the things in my life that followed the incident. She helped me understand a lot about my choices during my late teens and how they related to this particular incident.

But the biggest thing I now realize is that there IS power in confessing to another believer. I now know that my dear sisters in Christ will not turn their back on me. I know that even though I had been forgiven I was in bondage to shame. But the good news is: Satan can no longer rub that shame in my face - I am free!!

Lord Jesus - You are awesome! I praise Your holy name! Your power has saved me and set me free! Thank You for my dear Sisters in Christ! Thank You for Nina and her amazing friendship! May I always remember the lessons You have taught me this week.

Addictions and Grace

2009-10-17T11:36:00.003-05:00

I have been taking a 16 week course at church - Conquering Addictions. We are on week 6. Everyone has an addiction, you know - it might be drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography, eating, shopping, etc. This course has been offered several times and we were 'strongly' encouraged to participate. Some of the comments were "So much Bible" - "Great discipleship" - "Best thing I have ever done" - "It will bring you so much closer to God" - "It makes you go deep". I am one that LOVES Bible, discipleship, and going deep; and I am all about getting closer to God. But...this conquering addiction thing was not that appealing - not so sure I want to go down this particular road. But guess what - God kept pestering me and finally brought me to the point of knowing it is time to dive in and face my demons! Now, this is not an easy thing for anyone!!! Even though I am not battling the 'biggies', my battle is still a difficult one!! I like to eat and I like to shop! Both of these habits have gotten me into trouble throughout my adult life.

We began the course at the beginning. Sounds so simple - but I mean the beginning of the Bible. You know, In the beginning God created... I remember week 1 thinking - "OK, are you kidding me - I know this stuff forwards and backwards - don't think this is going to make me go deep"
Guess what? I was wrong! Imagine that. I have learned so much!!! I have been reminded about being created for fellowship and my need for counsel from my creator. I learned that after the fall when God told Eve her desire would be for her husband it meant she would want to control him - OMG - isn't that what every woman wants to do - control her husband, but men are made to be the head of the household - there is the problem - the battle for control!!! I have been reminded about the awesome story of the Gospel - about redemption, justification, and sanctification.

Last week we started addressing certain experiences we may have had in our past - things like sex, anger, and resentments. I thought "God, I DON'T want to do this!!! We have been over these things and you have already forgiven me! Why should I have to put this on paper and share with others? Can't this be just between you and me? And since you have forgiven me in the past, it is forgotten!! Case closed - I don't need to do this". Well, once again, NOT! He won't let me! God is making me think about people and events that I am harboring anger and resentment toward. Can you say, "Yuck!!" This is NOT fun!!! It is painful. I don't mean just painful having to dig down and pull out the past and recall how angry or hurt I was at the time - but painful to realize and accept any responsibility I may need to own for the resentment. I am not the type of person who likes to admit my faults! (The Lord has been working on me with this for quite a while.) And, you know what, all this pain and resentment recall has been making me kind of crabby!

But today I am reminded of God's grace:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,

Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
"How He Loves" by David Crowder Band

Lord, you are awesome! Thank you for your love. Thank you for loving me so much that you are jealous for me - jealous for me to live a life in the fullness of you. Thank you for pushing me, for molding me, for not giving up on me, and for forgiving me. Thank you for allowing me to fall in your grace as if I were sinking in the ocean. No matter how much I resist these inventories for Conquering Addictions I do want to be transformed for you!

Disappointments and Forgiveness

2009-09-27T15:27:00.004-05:00

I have been disappointed again!!! Life is full of disappointments. Maybe I have too high of expectations of others. I expect people to treat others with respect - I expect people to think of others - I expect people to treat each other the way they would want to be treated. I was raised hearing the Golden Rule almost on a daily basis (it seemed like it anyway). "Do unto others the way you would want others to do unto you". I also tried to instill that in my children. I hope I didn't preach it at them on a daily basis though!

I am struggling with the decision of giving someone another chance or being a doormat!

I wonder if it could possibly be God's plan to have put someone in my life - and for this person to hurt someone I love very much - all for His glory. Does this make any sense? I don't want to mention names but I will call this person Suzy Q. I am feeling like I am suppose to talk to Suzy Q, who has made me very angry!!! I don't think I am to talk to her about my anger - but I think I am suppose to talk to her about my Jesus.

I have watched Suzy Q become part of my family - we all love her! She has been very respectful and helpful - a wonderful person. She has willingly participated in the spiritual part of our lives. And now - BAM!!! She has done something that cuts me and my family to the core!!! People are saying 'kick her to the curb' - 'you are just asking for more pain' - 'you can't trust her and you can't have a relationship with someone you can't trust'. But I somehow feel like God is saying, "Love her" - "Forgive her" - "Talk to her" - "Don't put your faith in her, put your faith in me" - "Tell her I love her and what I have done for her" - "Plant a seed".

So I think 'okay, I want to be obedient - maybe God is getting ready to do something big here and I have an opportunity to be part of it, so, YES! I will talk to Suzy Q!'.

Then I start to think, 'I am trying to make this all about me - I just want to be part of something big for God so I can feel good about myself. Who do I think I am?'

What am I suppose to do here! Lord, please make it clear!!! So I am going back to what I have always heard about God's will - If it goes against His Word, don't do it. I think it is always God's will to share His love with others. Satan would NOT want me to do that - so he must be the one telling me to forget about it - Funny how he uses my pride issue to try and talk me out of sharing Jesus.

Lord, this life experience has reminded me that I am not to depend on others to fill me up. They will always disappoint me. Only You, Lord - the Living God - can fill me up. So fill me, Jesus, with you - Empty me of me and let me be a light for You in this dark world. I want to be obedient to You Lord. Allow me the opportunity to share You with Suzy Q and grant me the right words to say. Help me and my family to forgive her and to be an example of Your love. May you be glorified through this disappointment!

Happy Birthday Levi!

2009-09-06T11:46:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a fun day!! We celebrated Levi's birthday a little late. Levi, Kate, Jake, and I went to The Incredible Pizza Place in St. Louis. Cole joined us for a while. We ate pizza, pasta, salad, dessert, etc and then took on the big game room! Jake, Levi & Cole did their best to impress us with their strenth at some type of hammer swing game and also a punching bag. We had fun playing mini bowling, Wheel of Fortune pin ball, skee ball, dunk the alien, guitar hero, a Sega dinosaur hunting game (till Jake and Levi were told they had to share the game by an employee), bumper cars, and flaming fingers (this one was quite addicting!). We actually accumulated roughly 1200 tickets in our hour and a half! Then we had the tough decision of what we wanted to get with our tickets! Levi chose a BIG tennis ball and candy, Jake and Kate got hackie sacks, Kate got a spiny squishy pink ball and candy, and I got 2 large foam dice and a spiny squishy pink ball.

Next we headed to the mall. Everyone made at least one purchase and we enjoyed some cookies and a cherry icee!

Last stop was PetSmart. I needed to pick up some breath mints for Pixie girl. The kids had fun checking out the dogs for adoption. Levi kept threatening to try to smuggle one home, but he couldn't pull it off. That didn't scare me as much as when Jake threatened to smuggle a snake home! Yikes!!!

We made it home safe and sound with no new pets!!!

It was a great family day - I loved every minute of it - just wish Seth, Jessica, Colby and Carson could have been in on the fun!

Jesus Saves!

2009-09-06T11:24:00.002-05:00

I received some very exciting news a week ago! My nephew, Jordan, accepted Jesus!!! He is a freshman at Southeast Mo University and had just moved down a few days before classes started. He walked into an open area (not sure where) but anyway there was 1 guy sitting at a table so Jordan went over and sat down and started talking with this guy. Turns out the guy is planning on being a pastor. This guy asked Jordan if he could share something with him and started talking with him about salvation. After several hours, Jordan asked Jesus into his heart! Jordan's words to me were: "I've never felt this good! I don't want to spend another day not living for Jesus!" He has been attending a Bible teaching church and is getting involved in the Campus Ministry! God is so awesome! I am so grateful that this one guy was obedient and bold enough for Christ to share his faith with Jordan!!

Lord, thank you for this young man who spoke out for you. He has made a difference in your kingdom and I ask your blessing on him. Father, I pray for Jordan - may his faith in you grow and may he fall deeply in love with You. I pray for the road that is ahead of him. Grant him the strength to face the temptations that Satan will place in his path. Help Jordan as he tries to be a witness to his family and friends - may they see the difference You have made in his life! Father, I pray that I could possess a bit of this boldness for You and I pray that others can see You in my life!

Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Desire and Delight

2009-08-30T12:46:00.004-05:00

What an AWESOME weekend this has been!!!

The Beth Moore Simulcast was such a blessing. It seems like just yesterday that my SisterChick Tracy challenged the ladies in my Bible Study with these questions: What has God placed on your heart to do? What is He calling you to do? Are you being obedient to Him? Being a host church for the simulcast came out of those little questions and God blessed our obedience tremendously! What began in March as a simple question of obedience transformed into 178 women being blessed by God's Word inside The Bridge Community Church. We were able to be part of over 90,000 women world wide in 45 states and 5 countries experiencing the message of "Coming Home to the Desires of Your Heart" delivered by Beth on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Find your delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desire. Psalm 37:4

I learned:

The desires of God's heart need to be the desires of my heart!

Nothing dictates our lives like our desires. In my natural state I will always do what I want.

Beneath the desires of our hearts is the heart of our desire. Glory and destiny are at stake.

Delighting in God adapts our desires into inevitabilities. When we are living consistantly in His will and delighting in His presence, it is inevitable that our desires will be in line with His.

Nothing external can steal our right to delight.
If I am missing out on the desires I need to check my JAW - Am I...
J - jealous - Do I have any jealousy?
A - angry - What am I mad about?
W - worried - What am I worrying or fretting about?
These things can take a bite out of my desire!

Repression will make me sick - Rebellion will make me stupid - Reverance will make me real!

To make room for delight, I must commit.

Nothing is passive about patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight. Sometimes God wants me to shut up and listen to Him. Sometimes He wants me to praise Him in the pain.

Till faith becomes sight trust God and do good.

I am called to be a mighty woman of God.

It amazes me that Beth could get all of that out of 1 verse!!

It was a blessing to feel God's presence during the Simulcast.

It was a huge blessing to see 178 women blessed by His presence!

But words cannot explain the blessing of obedience!

Lord,
Thank You for the message I received from You this weekend. Thank You for Tracy and her urging me to obedience. Thank You for a church that supported the dream You gave me. Thank You for the lessons I learned during the preparation - the lesson of focusing on Your plans - about not allowing Satan to get me side-tracked with the pettiness of this world. It was a challenge but it was Your power that gave me the strength to look outside of myself and keep my eyes focused on You. I know that I failed several times but I am so greatful for Your gentle reminders! Thank You! I am Yours!

Then - today - Celebration was AWESOME!!! Tim's conclusion to the Summer on the Mount was fantastic!!! Our God is amazing and He will not let go of me! I want to continue to live for Him, to be obedient to Him on this earth, and to anticipate eternity with Him!

Fresh Appreciation

2009-08-26T18:55:00.002-05:00

You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God. Colossians 3:10

Hmm - I have left my old sinful life and the things I did before. That is so true and it was a long time ago! I need to think about those 'things' I did; not because I want to think about the 'good ole days' but because I am desiring a fresh appreciation for what Abba has done for me.

I was in the dark - now I'm in the light.
I was living to please others - now I live to praise Him!
I was dirty - now I'm pure as a fresh snow.
I was lost - now I'm found.
I was ashamed - now I'm forgiven.
I was sick of myself and hated myself - now I'm full of my Father's love.
I was full of sin - now I am redeemed!
I was chained by my sins - now I'm free in Jesus!!

Thank you, Jesus, for not leaving me to my own destruction! Thank you for delivering me from the pit of sin I was in. Lord, don't let me forget where I was - not because I want to remember it, but because I want a fresh appreciation for the life I have in You. Keep moving me forward in the plans You have for me.

Back to School with a New Attitude

2009-08-17T09:27:00.002-05:00

Well, it's 'Back to School' time! Time for new 'sharp' crayons, new 'clean' folders, new 'unchewed' pencils, new clothes, new names, new faces, new smiles, new relationships, and LOTS of prayers.

Everyday on my 25 minute drive to school I sing praises to my Lord and spend time in prayer for my 'little ones', reminding myself that I don't know what each one has endured since I last saw them and at the same time beating myself up for my failures the day before. "I wasn't as patient as I should have been." - "Why didn't I really listen and look at little Suzy when she wanted to tell me that story?" - "Did I laugh with the class at all?" - "Did I praise Joey enough?" So, I would pray for a 'fresh attitude' and go do it all over again. And always feeling like a failure for all the things I had done wrong.

So I am asking myself if I truly want to touch each child with my Father's love and I am asking for the ability to make a difference on a daily basis, why am I failing? Why do I not turn to Him in the stressful moment and then berate myself later?

Well, yesterday's sermon was on prayer and God taught me a few things.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. " Matthew 7:7-8 (TNIV)

"My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him." 1 John 3:18-22 (The Message)

Yesterday as I sat in church listening to the sermon I jotted the following notes:

"Pleasing God gets His ear"

"We must ask! God wants to bless us - but we MUST ask! Ask daily for: wisdom & Holy Spirit's power"

"Prayers for us should be to magnify Him"

"He sits and waits for us to ask for more of Him"

"God loves persistance, but He especially loves persistance in His will"

So, once again I am asking myself "If I truly want to make a difference in the lives of my 'little ones' and I am persistantly asking for more of Him what is the problem?" Well...if I am really honest I have to ask myself the following questions:

Do I really want Him to be magnified or do I want to be known as a 'great teacher'?

I may be persistant, but am I persistant in His will?

As 1 John 3 says I need to stop beating myself up for my daily failures and I need to truly love others. I may not like everything about everybody but I can love the people God created - with His help of course. If I truly love others just because He made them (after all, who am I to criticize what He created) and I stop beating myself up for failing (because I am NOT perfect and I WILL fail) then I will be bold and free before God. Then I will be able to stretch my hands out and receive what I ask for because I will be pleasing Him.

Well, that sounds simple enough - don't you think? Just love others and forgive myself. Okay God, here we go...

Father, I am asking that for this new school year I receive a new attitude - an attitude of love and forgiveness. Love (real agape love) for others and the ability to forgive myself of my failures. You know I am a perfectionist and I want to be the perfect teacher. Help me to turn lose of this perfection rope that binds me and instead cling to You and the freedom I can have in You. I want it to be all about You, Lord! Give me an attitude that pleases You! Make Your desires my desires! May You be glorified through Your work in my life! I love You and I want this new school year to be about You and how You will mold me and make me more like Jesus. Empty me of me and fill me with You!

The Finished Dining Room

2009-08-14T08:33:00.002-05:00

It's Done!!! I am so excited - the dining room is finally finished!

This wall of crosses holds the inspiration for the entire room. Kate gave it to me for Mother's Day and I loved the wrought iron look.

I found the sage frame over the piano at Jour de Fete in Ste. Gen over the weekend. It will hold our family picture that we had taken at Engler Park.

While Seth, Jessica, Colby & Carson were here, we had a celebration dinner of the new dining room. We enjoyed salad, spaghetti (Colby's favorite) and garlic bread - yummy and fun!!!

2009-08-06T09:05:00.002-05:00

Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Love and truth are in all you do. Psalm 89:14

Love is a difficult pursuit and truth is a tough one, too. According to Max Lucado, "put them together, pursue truth and love at the same time and hang on baby, you're in for the ride of your life. Love in truth. Truth in love. Never one at the expense of the other. Never the embrace of love without the torch of truth. Never the heat of truth without the warmth of love..."

This seems like a hard task - to be loving and honest at the same time. I'm not sure if I have ever been able to accomplish this. I pray that as I grow everyday to be more like my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I will experience the ability to embrace truth with love. What a sense of peace to know that God is able to handle both - He is love and He is truth!

Father, teach me what it means to pursue truth and love at the same time. May I be able to show others what it means to combine these two tasks into one singular task.

Captured

2009-08-04T17:38:00.004-05:00

As a single woman it is very easy to get depressed about being alone. Everywhere I go I see couples - young couples in the early stages of love - older couples who have been together for 50 years and they are still holding hands - grandparents relishing their grandchildren together - and families with a mom and a dad together. All of these can be painful and if I am not careful I will fall into the trap of feeling sorry for myself and thinking one or more of the following, "I did not sign up for this life!" "How did I end up alone?" "I am going to grow old alone and die alone!" "Who is going to take care of me in my old age?" "What is wrong with me that I am alone and rejected?" and on and on and on. This state of mind is not a good place to be and it is definitely NOT what God wants for me. I was reminded of this today!

LOOK, YOUR SAVIOR COMES!

Regarding, Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut,
regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You'll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called ruined.
You'll be call Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beaulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
Isaiah 62:1-5 (The Message)

That is awesome!! I am not rejected! I have captured God's heart! My God is my bridegroom! He loves me and is happy with me! You can't get any better than that!!!

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for Your word! You knew I needed to hear these very words today and you placed them in front of me. You have a new name for me! You hold me in Your hand! I am not rejected because You love me and You have plans for me. You delight in me! I am Yours, Your beloved, Your bride and I will live for You!

It only took 3 days!

2009-07-28T13:41:00.003-05:00

A few years ago I did a little makeover on my main bathroom. New porcelein tile, new paint, new light fixtures, and new faucets. It looked really nice. But I could not afford a new countertop so I just lived with the yucky white with gold specks.

Then someone told me about an inexpensive way to transform it! Rustoleum hammered paint

So I hunted and hunted and ended up having to order it on line. I bought it in two colors - bronze & copper - I didn't know which one I would want, but I did know that I wanted it to go with the antique bronze fixtures and faucet. I decided on the bronze, but decided to keep the copper. Here is how it all played out!

Day 1 (Saturday)
Tape off the counter and begin applying bronze hammered paint.
Coat 1 and wait 2 hours: "hmmm"
Coat 2 and wait 2 hours: "that's a little better"
Coat 3 and wait 2 hours: "now we're gettin somewhere - maybe one more coat and those brush marks will be gone"
Coat 4 and wait 2 hours: "oh man...those brush marks are still there. Well, maybe I can use a different technique to get rid of them - I will just pat the counter with the side of the brush and give it a faux marble look."
3 hours later I wanted to be DONE so I applied a coat of polyurethane and off to bed I went! I am not very patient when it comes to projects!

Day 2 (Sunday)
Somehow the counter did not look as good in the light of day as it did at midnight the night before. "Oh no! What have I done! I should have never applied that polyurethane yet. What can I do to fix this?"

I soon had it all figured out!!

After church, I stopped at Wal-Mart and was told by the Master Paint Man that I definitely should not use polyurethane because it will turn yellow - I needed polycrylic ($17 a quart - "yikes it must be white gold in a can!"). I also purchased some small wire brushes and sandpaper block.

"Wow! If I hadn't messed up last night I never would have known that! I would have put on 2-3 coats of polyurethane and it would have eventually all turned yucky yellow. So glad I made that mistake!"

So I headed home and...
Levi went to work sanding off the polyurethane. And...I decided to add more coats of the bronze hammered paint because now the counter was all dull looking. So . . .

Coat 1 and wait 2 hours: "lookin good"
Coat 2 and wait 2 hours: "oh yeah"
Coat 3 and wait 2 hours: "almost done!"

Next I used the small wire brush to dab some copper hammered paint onto the bronze. Then I took a wadded up plastic wal-mart bag and swirled it. Voila!! "Yes! That's what I wanted!"

Next it was time for the 'white gold in a can'.

Coat 1 and wait 3 hours
Coat 2 and wait 3 hours

Day 3 (Monday)

Remove all the tape & caulk around sink and counter top.

Are you ready . . .

Drum roll please . . .

Here it is!

The transformed bathroom countertop!

So 3 days,

7 coats of bronze hammered paint,

1 coat of polyurethane applied & removed,

1 faux copper finish,

and 3 coats of polycrylic

and we have the finished product!

So? What do you think?

It's Almost Here!

2009-07-28T13:04:00.003-05:00

I am transforming my living room into a dining room! Some might think that is an odd thing to do, but I have a good reason. I don't have a dining room. My kitchen has a table that seats 4 - or 6 if you put an extra chair on each end and then you cannot get around to the kitchen cabinets because the table and chairs are wall to wall. My family is growing! I thank God for that every day. This past Thanksgiving and Christmas I was sad at family gatherings because 4 or 5 people would sit at the table and the other 8-10 people would go downstairs to the family room and eat around the coffee table or off their laps. So I had a revelation!!! It went something like this - "Jeanna, you need a dining room table. But where would you put it? Well, there is the living room that you hardly ever use. Why not transform it into a dining room? Great idea!!" So that is how it began. The decision was made - I would use my income tax money to buy a dining room table!

So in January I went shopping for a dining room table and I found one - but...it wasn't there - they had sold it but... they did have a picture of it. I really liked the picture! They made me a copy and I proudly hung it on my refrigerator to remind me of what my income tax money would go for.

Well income tax preparation day was very sad. There would not be enough money to buy my dining room table. So my plans were put on hold.

I soon decided that summer school money would provide me with my dining room table. The picture continued to hang on my refrigerator as an inspiration of what was to come!

Summer came and it was time to make it happen!

So step one was to paint the walls. The walls were a faux pink - kind of reminded me of being inside a bottle of pepto bismol. It was rather calming and I liked it. But I gave them up for my new inspiration. I chose 'Desert Fortress' as the color for my new room.

I also added a brown scarf to the window treatments.

I was going to paint the fireplace, but was talked out of it by 2 very special people (daughter, Kate, & friend, Gay Ann). So I just painted the fireplace mantel and hearth. The mantel was a dark walnut and the hearth was concrete. This is a BIG improvement! I chose a color called 'Boston Legacy'. I love paint names! It really does influence my choice! Crazy, don't you think?

I soon discovered a problem. There is no overhead light in the living room. An overhead light is a necessity in a dining room. So I had to find a light and someone to wire for it and hang it. Finding the light was easy - it was even on clearance! Finding someone to wire it and hang it was a different story. But I finally did and he took care of it this morning! So....

The light is up!!!

My dear friend, Gay Ann, went shopping with me for the dining room table and chairs. We checked out several furniture stores. Of course we went to the store that provided me the picture and this time they had the actual table and chairs! But we were still looking so we drove down the road a ways to the next furniture store. We found a beautiful set and it was less expensive than the previous one! It has been ordered and should be here within the next week.

I will be sure to post a finished picture of my new dining room!!

Let's see . . . next will be a rug for under the table, table linens, dishes, wall decor . . . the list goes on and on!

Focus

2009-07-27T08:55:00.004-05:00

I have a hard time staying focused.

I go to the store for a few items and "oops" come home with 2-3 bags full of stuff not on my list. I walk into a room to get something and "oops" get sidetracked with other things and leave the room without what I went in for. I'm driving down the road and "oops" my mind starts going somewhere else and I miss my turn. I'm praying and "oops" I cut God off. Ouch - that one hurts!

Why is it so hard for me to stay focused? It is easy to blame my wandering mind on the fast paced world we live in. But, is that accurate? Maybe sometimes, but probably not most of the time. I think I just need to be more disciplined. That might make a big difference!

I sure am glad that God doesn't lose His focus! He has always had His eyes focused on the end result. From the first day of creation (actually before that) He has known where He was going and what He was going to accomplish. He has known what each individual on this earth could accomplish if they would focus on Him. He has known all the pain I could have avoided if I would have kept my focus on Jesus. No sense crying over spilled milk. It is time to move forward!!!

Lord, thank you for being such an awesome God. Thank you for the tender, loving discipline You use to mold me into what You want. Thank you Lord for the constant focus You have for me. I am so glad that Jesus kept His focus all the way from the manger to the cross! Today, I want to keep my eyes focused on Him!

For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

Awesome Wedding Entrance

2009-07-24T09:20:00.001-05:00

What a great way to start a marriage!! Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

WARNING!!!

2009-07-21T11:56:00.003-05:00

How many times have I ignored warning signs? Too many!! Ignoring a warning light on the car dash has led to major mechanical problems; ignoring a physical pain has led to significant health problems; and ignoring bad behavior in my kids has led to more of the same and bigger issues down the road! All of these issues could have been avoided if I had only paid attention to the warning signs!

Now, what about warnings from God? Oh my - ignoring the warning signs and small whispers from Him have led to such pain and sorrow that could have been avoided so easily. As I look back over my life I wonder just how far would God go to get my attention? I am so thankful that He has never given up on me! And I hold tight to the hope that He never will!

However, I am tired of having to learn things the hard way! As Beth Moore has said "Do we always have to learn the lesson on a field trip?"

Father God, I want to see Your warning signs with my eyes. I want to hear Your warnings with my ears. And I want to be obedient to You with my heart. But, Lord, if I fall back and fail to see, hear, or be obedient, then, please, take me on the field trip - don't leave me to my own devices!

Come back to the Lord your God, because He is kind and shows mercy. He doesn't become angry quickly, and He has great love. Joel 2:13

The Love Chapter

2009-07-20T10:44:00.006-05:00

1 Corinthians 13 has always been a favorite. This morning I read it in The Message.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first",
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end. (vs. 4-7)

Well, it looks like our society doesn't know much about love! And I am ashamed to say that includes me. I have gotten better over the years, but I have a LONG way to go.

...when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. (vs. 10)

YES!! The promise - I just love it when I hear a promise from God - He doesn't expect me to get it right everytime - He knows I am incomplete and unable - BUT, one day it will all change!

When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. (vs. 11)

Just like I thought earlier, I have gotten better over the years. I have grown - God did not leave me where I was 10 years ago and He will not leave me where I am now, as long as I am actively seeking Him.

We don't see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly just as He knows us! (vs. 12)

So much of my life I spend trying to figure out: What makes that person tick? Why would so-and-so do that? What happened that made her so bitter? Why isn't this Christian joyful? What can I do to fix this situation? Why can't people keep their negative comments to theirself? What does God want me to do? Why can't I hear what God wants me to do? Verse 12 explains it all and reminds me that it's always going to be like this until He returns! When Jesus comes back we will see Him and be like Him! Oh Happy Day!!!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (vs. 13)

Lord, I want to be more like you, Jesus, everyday! I want to trust You completely! I want to cling to the hope I have in You with all my might! I want to love others extravagantly! Help me to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and love with Your heart. Thank you for reminding me that it is not all about me - help me to put aside my 'me-first' attitude. Help me to not 'revel when others grovel' and I do want to 'take pleasure in the flowering of truth'. May each day I depend on You because I know that without You it is impossible for me to do any of these things. Thank you for not leaving me where I was - and just so we're clear - I do not want to stay where I am! I want to be more like the Creator!

Holy - what is it?

2009-07-16T14:27:00.012-05:00

HOLY - I have always loved this word - HOLY

For some reason today the word Holy is at the front of my mind and I don't know why, so I decided it must be a God thing and to just go with it.

First, I looked up the definition:
Webster defines Holy as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness."

Next, I went to God's Word and was reminded of this verse:
Psalm 99:9 "For the Lord our God is holy!"

I love music, so I naturally thought of one of my favorite old hymns, "Holy, Holy, Holy".

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed trinity!

I must have sung that song a million times and never realized the connection between "Holy, Holy, Holy" (3 times) and the trinity. Wow!

One of my new favorites is "The Revelation Song". When this song is on I really belt out the following part:

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty

Who was, and is, and is to come!

Addison Road recorded the song, "What Do I Know of Holy". I have the CD and pulled it out to read the words. I can sing a song a hundred times but there is just something about reading the lyrics that causes me to really get the message. This one hit me!

I've made you promises a thousand times

I've tried to hear from heaven

But I talk the whole time

I think I made you too small

I've never feared you at all, no

If you touched my face would I know you

Looked into my eyes could I behold you

What do I know of you

Who spoke me into motion

Where have I even stood

But the shore along your ocean

Are you fire, are you fury

Are you sacred, are you beautiful

So what do I know

What do I know of holy

I guess I thought that I had you figured out

I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about

How you were mighty to save

But those were only empty words on a page

Then I caught a glimpse of who you might be

The slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees

What do I know of Holy

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame

And a God who gave life its name

What do I know of Holy

Of the One who the angels praise

All creation knows your name

On earth and heaven above

What do I know of this love

What do I know of Holy

What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame

And a God who gave life its name

Wow! Lord, I sit and I think - I am almost speechless - I am humbled.

Was this song written for me? No, I don't think so, but I do

think you led me to it today and I thank you!

I have made you so many promises, just like this song said, and I

have done all the talking most of the time. I have even said

"I don't fear God - He loves me, so why should I fear Him?"

I am sorry for being arrogant and thinking, "I know all the stories

and I have you figured out". I thank you, Lord, that you showed me

this glimpse of 'holy' and brought me to my knees.

I now realize that I don't really know anything of 'holy'

I cannot fathom the wounds of Jesus that healed my shame.

and a God that gave life its name.

But I am so grateful that I do know The Holy One - Jesus!

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." Revelation 4:8

Holy - I have always loved the word, and I will always love the one it stands for - my Jesus!

Grandkids are IT!!

2009-07-14T13:44:00.008-05:00

I have been out of town the past 9 days and 6 of those days

I spent with my awesome grandsons, Colby and Carson!

What a grand time we had!!

Carson is 8 1/2 months and he is working hard at walking! I can't believe it!

None of my children walked early. He was up to 9-10 steps by the time I left.

As you can see in the above picture he gets lots of practice pushing big brother, Colby,

around on the tricycle!

Colby and I spent lots of time playing ball! He knows just how he wants

the ball thrown and was certain to tell me, especially if I throw it wrong!

Sometimes it had to be high

Sometimes it had to be low

Sometimes it had to be rolled

I could always count on him letting me know if I did it right!

Carson crawling!

Carson doesn't crawl like most babies!

He crawls on his hands and feet - I don't even

know if that counts as crawling?!?

He looks like a monkey! But this way

he is always ready to stand up and work

on his walking!

Seth took Colby fishing one night and this is what he caught!

He was so proud!!!

I was thinking about how much I love my children
and how much I love these two little guys!

They are called grandchildren for a reason.

Just take the love you have for your own child and double it
and that is what you feel for your grandchildren.
I wonder what it will be like with great-grandchildren.
I will be waiting a LONG time before that happens - thank goodness!

Thinking about the love we feel for our children and grandchildren
makes me think about the love God has for us.

His love doesn't grow with each generation like ours does.
He has always loved and will always love all humankind extraordinarily!
I cannot even imagine the love He has for us but I am SO grateful!

His love is BOUNDLESS!!

His love is EXTRAVAGANT!!

His love is NEVERENDING!!

His love is enough for me!! What else could I possible need?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1

Abandoned

2009-07-03T13:19:00.005-05:00

I can always find something in the book of Psalms that speaks to me. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 40:1-4.

I wait patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

and out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth

and a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Lord, thank you for lifting me out of the pit!

Thank you for placing me on the solid rock!

Thank you for the new song you put in my heart every day!

Thank you for changing me!

I pray that many will enter the mystery of Your grace

and abandon themselves to You!

I'm Losing My Mind

2009-07-02T09:36:00.004-05:00

I am wondering what my day would be like if I kept at the front of my mind that everything I say, and most importantly, THINK, was heard by Jesus. Wow!! That is a scary thought!!! I know this happens - but - I don't remember it often enough and I certainly don't have that on my mind when I am frustrated or angry or disappointed.

Lord, today, I surrender my thoughts to You.

Help me to remember that everything I say and think goes by You.

I am going to adopt the attitude that ALL my

thoughts are being spoken to You, Lord.

I pray that my mind will be continuously molded to become more like the mind of Christ!

Today I pray that I will not bring shame to You Lord.

But that all I say, think, and do will bring glory to Jesus Christ!

I want to lose my mind to you!!

50th Birthday Celebration

2009-06-30T11:35:00.018-05:00

Wow! I can't believe I am 50 years old!

It actually happened about a month ago, but this weekend was the fun celebration. My best friend from high school, Tina, flew in from Dallas, TX and we celebrated our big events together.

Kate and I picked her up at the airport on Thursday evening and began our fantastic weekend with dinner at St. Louis Bread Co! Yum!! When we got into Farmington we stopped and rented 6 movies so we would be ready for the weekend. We went home and watched "Last Chance Harvey" and went to bed - we aren't what we use to be!!

On Saturday we braved the heat with a 'Winery Day'. First stop was lunch at Vance Vineyards in Fredericktown. We enjoyed appetizers - stuffed portobello mushrooms, crab cakes, and toasted ravioli. For lunch I had a grilled pork loin sandwich, Kate had a club sandwich, Tina had a chicken club sandwich and Jake had shrimp fettucini - Everything was delish!!

Next stop was The Cave Winery - a place I have always wanted to go! It was a bit of a drive but very beautiful! We traveled down narrow roads and gravel roads, paved roads and more gravel roads! But we finally made it! After tasting and deciding on a wine, we purchased a bottle along with some wonderful chocolates and then rode a shuttle down to 'the cave'.

We were so excited to enjoy our wine in this nice cool cave - What a neat experience this was going to be!

Well!! It wasn't long (maybe 1-2 minutes) before we were getting dripped on. Oh well, we thought, we can handle some drips for the experience - you know ambiance and all! Then Kate says to Jake, "Is that a snake?" Tina and I bolted out of our chairs! Needless to say we removed ourselves from the 'nice cool cave'! Forget about ambiance and the experience!!

Me and Tina, my BFF from high school relaxing inside the nice cool cave!

This picture was taken before we heard the word "snake"!

This picture was taken at the entrance to The Cave (after we heard the word "snake")

So after the snake incident and picture taking we left the cave - Back into the 100 degree heat - Unfortunately the nice shuttle did not show up to take us back up the hill and we had to walk. But all in all I am still glad we went to The Cave Winery!

Last stop was Sand Creek Winery - the newest one in our area. Again it was a beautiful drive and again we were on pavement and then gravel.

At Sand Creek we enjoyed cheese and crackers and homemade potato chips with homemade dip!

Kate and Jake

Aren't they cute!?!

Levi, Jordan (my nephew), and Tommy & Cole (2 of Levi's high school friends) joined us at Sand Creek.

Jordan, Levi, Tommy and Cole.

After getting home we watched a movie - "Fool's Gold" - we enjoyed that one. We tried to watch "Surfer Dude" but it was really bad. Later Tina had to have her 'white castle' fix. Kate and I had Sonic - no belly bombers for us!!

On Saturday we decided to get some sun and hit the pool at Kate's apartment. Unfortunately, Kate got a little too much sun! After sun bathing we had to have Hunt's Burgers (it's a Farmington thing). Then we did a little shopping at the shops around town. I actually purchased 3 plaques to match the 1 Kate gave me for Mother's Day - they are for my up and coming Dining Room!

Saturday night was movie and popcorn night! We watched "The Bridges of Madison County" - an old movie we had both seen, but we still cried! We had to make a taco bell run at about 1:00 in the morning! Tacos were one of our favorite late night snacks back in the day!

Sunday came too soon!! After enjoying lunch at Ruby Tuesday's we did a little shopping and then it was time for Tina to go to the airport and catch her flight.

I had a blast celebrating my 50th birthday with my life friend!!

I thank God for her - she has always been such a blessing in my life!! I pray we can celebrate many more birthdays together!

Summer 2009 Project

2009-06-29T13:05:00.002-05:00

Rose Corner - This was originally full of weeds and old plants and was held in place with landscaping timbers. Now it is beautiful with an older rose bush and 3 new knock out rose bushes! Can't wait to see how this will look next summer!

Summer 2009 Project

2009-06-29T12:59:00.003-05:00

This is the Butterfly Garden. I had a large pine tree in this corner of the yard that died. After cutting it down this area looked barren and yucky due to an old clothes line pole and the trunk of the tree along with pine needles, etc. So using my mom's bird bath as the focal point this butterfly garden was brought to life. I really like it!

Summer 2009 Project

2009-06-29T12:55:00.007-05:00

Back Yard Landscaping - This area was all grown up with unhealthy lilac bushes and other things that I have no idea what they were!! But now it has hostas and azaleas. Hopefully, they will bloom next summer.

I was very hesitant to get rid of the lilacs because it took me back to my childhool. My grandma had a beautiful lilac bush at the corner of her yard. So we took one that seemed to be the healthiest and replanted it in another area. I am excited to watch it grow!

Hello Again!

2009-06-29T11:56:00.010-05:00

It has been a very long time since I posted anything. This summer I have once again taken on some projects - painting, landscaping, cleaning out things, etc. So far I have got the painting and landscaping finished!

I am converting my present living room (which very seldom gets used) into a dining room. My ever expanding family cannot fit around the small kitchen table so I decided it was time to invest in a nice size dining room table and the only place to put it is in what is presently the living room. So the first step was to paint. Step 2 is to get an overhead light installed (I haven't got that done yet - but I have purchased it). Step 3 will be to purchase the dining room table (I have a picture of it hanging on my fridge for motivation).

The landscaping project actually began last summer with the front yard (you saw pics of the front yard at the beginning of this post) and this summer I did the back yard. As with any project it leads to more and now I am thinking about the side of my house.

Oh the woes of home ownership! It just never ends - I do believe I could stay busy year round coming up with things to do around the house.

Back to School

2008-08-10T18:54:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that it is time to go back to school. I have been busy working in the classroom - arranging furniture, cleaning, throwing out LOTS of stuff, rearranging, organizing, stuffing folders for Open House, and getting everything ready for my students. I love the beginning of the year - Everything is clean and new and everyone is eager! I can't wait to meet my 18 little ones. We are going to have a great year learning, playing, and growing together.

News from Kate

2008-07-24T22:36:00.002-05:00

I received an e-mail from Kate this evening. They are still waiting for 4 bags to arrive - hopefully tomorrow. Here is part of her update:

"The past 2 days the medical team has gone south of where we are staying, about 2 hours away, to a church up on some mountain. It's pretty cool weather up there. We had to go down some mud road that was like randomly cut out of the bush and then people live all back in there. It's kind of crazy. The little kids took us to their school today and showed us their classrooms. Yesterday I was one of the "doctors." Haha, talk about practicing medicine without a license. We had a little 2 month old baby come in with pneumonia. Oh and today Jon and I cut off a little tumor/growth thing from some ladies ear. It was pretty cool."

I know everyone is being blessed by this experience and appreciate all the prayers that are being sent up on their behalf!

On Mission

2008-07-22T15:54:00.007-05:00

Yesterday Kate left with 24 other believers for Project Chacocente, Nicaragua.

They will be providing medical services; helping with construction and farming; and teaching and sharing Jesus with the people of Nicaragua.

Kate called me while they were in Atlanta. She said that they were not sure that all of their luggage had made it on the plane. Each member of the team had taken 2 check bags and 1 carry on. Apparently, they were on a small plane from St. Louis to Atlanta and someone thought they saw some luggage being taken away from the plane. Many of the bags contained medical supplies and school supplies. Please pray that all luggage arrived in Managua, Nicaragua with the team so they can carry on with their mission.

I will try to keep you posted if I learn any news from the trip!

You can learn more about Project Chacocente by visiting the link below:

www.projectchacocente.org

Proud to be an American

2008-07-20T23:51:00.004-05:00

Our National Guard Battalion just returned to Farmington! They have been in Iraq for the past year. We went out to welcome them home. The streets were lined with people waving flags. Law Enforcement from all over the county escorted them to the Armory where family members were waiting. The Fire Department had a big American Flag hanging for the chartered bus to drive under. It was all so cool! I am proud of these men!

Some Summer Fun

2008-07-14T22:03:00.009-05:00

Levi, Haley, Kate & Colby at Grant's Farm

Colby is visiting us this week! Yesterday we took him to the city for some special summer fun! We began at Grant's Farm. After riding the tram and seeing some deer and elk in Deer Park we decided to feed the goats. What an experience - those little goats are aggresive!! You would think they never get fed. Colby had to hold on to that bottle with a death grip! He had 3 goats trying to get to it and the biggest one would take it away from the littler goats.

But everyone survived the experience and we enjoyed all of the animals at Grant's Farm. Before leaving we got close up with the Clydesdale Horses! Colby just wasn't sure about that big horse right behind him! We couldn't get him to look at Nana with the camera - He wasn't about to take his eyes off that big horse!

Next, we went to Chuckee Cheese for pizza and games. Colby played games and I think he must have ridden the little Merry Go Round about 15 times. After Chuckee Cheese we went to Maggie Moo's for ice cream before heading home. We had a wonderful day - The weather was perfect - Everyone had a good time - It was relaxing fun!! The best kind of summer fun!!!

Cool ABC Book

2008-07-07T00:07:00.003-05:00

I love books!! Being a kindergarten teacher, I am always on the look out for cool and unique books for the classroom. I found this really cute book on line. I can't wait to share it with my class when school starts. Hope you enjoy it!

http://lookybook.com/mainpage.php?name_id=1632

Happy 4th!!

2008-07-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

God Bless America

2008-07-03T18:16:00.001-05:00

As we prepare to celebrate our freedom tomorrow I wanted
to share this with you:

My oldest son, Seth, graduated from Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX a little over a week ago. My daughter Kate, my daughter-in-law Jessica, grandson Colby, and myself went down for the ceremonies. Everything was a new and great experience for us. One of the things that was optional was church at one of the Base Chapels on Sunday morning. Seth asked if we wanted to go with him and, of course, we eagerly accepted the invite!

It was a really cool experience! The whole front half of the church was full of trainees shoulder to shoulder from one side of the auditorium to the other side. The music and atmosphere was contemporary worship with a band. Everyone was celebrating, clapping their hands, raising their hands, swaying - it was a 'joyful noise' service. The back half of the auditorium was full of the grads - Airmen - and their families. As I stood there watching these big strong men and small women praising & worshiping, some with tears streaming down their faces, I began to think that this may be the first time that some of these young people have ever been in a church service or had the opportunity to hear the gospel message. I became very interested to see what the chaplain had to say. Was it going to be a 'feel good' message or a 'meat' message. The sermon was to be about family and I wondered if that meant literal family, spiritual family, or military family. Turned out he talked about all 3 and brought them all together. He did an awesome job of combining the gospel message with the military message. He explained what needed to be done to surrender your life to Christ and made himself available to anyone who wanted to talk with him. Young men & women are graduating every week from Lackland and a new group of trainees comes in every week. Each group was recognized & encouraged at the end of every service. Every week they show the video from Mark Shultz' "Letters From War" - we were late and missed it though.

The military has a great opportunity to reach a large segment of people who come from a variety of backgrounds. They encourage the trainees at Basic to attend church and provide a variety of chapels to meet the various worship choices. I realize that these young people are homesick and in a vulnerable state but our Heavenly Father uses every situation to speak to his children and draw them near to him. God is in control and His work is being done all around our country and world.

God is Good!!

I am proud to be a citizen of this great country and I am proud to be a child of God!

I love this picture of Seth & Colby after church on Sunday.

2008-07-02T14:47:00.001-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1
or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

I'm on a Roll

2008-07-02T13:59:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling pretty good about this! I have my page set up and am ready to blog. So here goes.

I am so proud of Kate! She just called and had an interview for a ER position and she got it. I know she will be great in the ER! Here's Kate at her pinning ceremony last spring. Of course, she looks different now with her hair shorter and wearing scrubs instead of nurses cap & dress.

My First Blog!!

2008-07-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

Wow! This is my first attempt at blogging. I am trying to figure out how to get the page set up and what all I need to do. I'm sure this is going to take some time.