photo that speaks for itself...

I came across this picture today. This should rock our world! When are we going to get it?

  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
    “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
    “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
    “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
    “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
    “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
    “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
    “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
~Matthew 25:31-46

Daily prayer...cont..

So, I printed out my daily prayer. I read it aloud to my kids. Haylee had the biggest grin on her face as I read it to them. I then signed it and set it on the counter till I find a frame for it. Richie came home late that night and read it. The next morning, as I was about to wake the kids to get ready to start school, I stopped to read it and to my surprise noticed a second signature above mine. It was my husband's signature! We are in this together.

My daily prayer...

A recent display of my own selfishness in front of my children, later caused me to go into deep prayer of forgiveness and guidance with my Heavenly Father. I have had a problem with anger, selfishness and a quick tongue for a long time. While it has gotten better, I am not satisfied with that. My children(nor my husband) are getting any younger and I don't want them to look back and remember me this way. I want them to remember a LOVING mother AND wife to their father.  I stood still in the amazingly peaceful presence of a merciful and LOVING God and poured my heart out. I realized it is NEVER too late. Afterward, I wanted something to actually print out and be able to read each and every morning to remind myself of the promises that I have made to them and myself. I want the following to be my focus on a daily basis. I may even sign it in the presence of my family and frame it!

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

                         Psalm 118:24

~ I will give this day to the Lord. I will give Him my first fruits.

~ I will put my mood aside and show Love.

~ I will remember that life is but a mist, here today and gone tomorrow.

~ I will create memories of Love and Laughter, not of anger and hurt.

~ I will model Love for my children.

~ I will model a loving wife and mother for our daughter. She too will one day be a wife and mother.

~ I will model a loving wife and mother for my son. He will one day choose a wife and be a father.

~ I will strive to create a relaxed atmosphere.

~ I will make my home a warm refuge for the family.

~ I will be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.

~ I will Trust the Lord. His love will flow through me no matter what my circumstances may be.

                                        This is my daily prayer.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
~ 1 Corinthians 18:4-8

Didn't you know?...

Ok, so this my favorite Christmas time song of all time. Just wanted to share. Soak in the words.....

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know..

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

WOW!! Amen.

In a thought....

Thank you O Lord for your Word! I am blessed and my eyes and heart are opened every time I open and read Your love letter. I am so glad You got me passed looking at the Bible as just a story book. Your truths and promises are so rich and ALIVE. As my heart has been stirring and a little heavy thinking about all the STUFF we have filled this precious time of year with.......

What to buy the kids....
What treats to buy and fix...
What to get the parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, sisters, brothers, step-brothers, step-sisters, step-moms, step-dads, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, best friends, friends, acquaintances, neighbors, teachers or even our pets...
How many decorations to put up....
What size tree to get....
Cash or credit card....

I do not think these things are all bad. While some of these things are fine in moderation, they have now become the focus of Christmas. We are running ourselves rugged after these things that we have created Christmas to be. I personally don't want my children, nor myself to lose sight of what this time of year is really about. Actually, what every time of year should be about.

We have already been given the most priceless gift imaginable! That is the gift we are to share with others.

"Come all who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and YOUR LABOR on what does NOT SATISFY?"
~ISAIAH 55:1-2

Dear Journal.....

I think I will start using this blogg as a journal for myself and see where it goes from there.

So, we are down to one car right now. We really only need one to get by so I think we are blessed and will manage to get by. The only thing I really use my vehicle for during the week is to take the kids to the library. It is pretty much winter already, so we won't miss out on trips to the park and such since it is way too cool to go anyways.

We went to our Christmas party tonight with our small group from the church. We had a blast! We played dirty santa, ate some great food, and just sat around a laughed. And laughed some more! Yes, baptist know how to cut up!! It was great! Don't know what we would do without this great bunch. They even stopped to say a prayer for our car need. That is awesome. I have said a few prayers myself about the situation. I think it's either a time to worry and try to take control of the situation, the mode that is so easy to slip into by the way, or let go of and give it to Him. We are choosing to give it to Him. Now all that there is left to do is sit back, trust, and wait for Him to show off.

 We are really wanting to go to Jamacia on a mission trip in June this next year. God will provide. For both the transmission and Jamacia (is that how you spell it?). My brain tries to tell me that it's not that simple. But it is.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
~Romans 8:28

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
~Matthew 6:33

Too much stuff...

Here we are again nearing another Christmas! Wow. Where does time go?

Well, I am sooo thankful for our new experience this Thanksgiving. We, as a family went to a school cafeteria along with some wonderful church family members, formed huge lines to make 1800 meal trays, filled boxes, stuffed those bad boys in sedans, suvs, trucks, MONSTER suvs, mini vans, compact cars, vans, and armed with addresses and love, drove food to families all around our communities! Awesomeness!

 I could have never been prepared for the faces we would see next. These are faces of our brothers and sisters right in our own back yard who are struggling. Struggling to find their next meal. Struggling to find a job. Struggling to keep warm. Struggling to keep their children warm. Struggling to hide their fear and tears from their children as they worry about these things.

 We got to pray, and quite frankly almost cry with these people. I almost feel inadequate to pray with them when I sit here so overly blessed! It really opened our eyes to the lack of real problems in our lives. How dare I complain about a thing. What was awesome is that one of the families wants to join us for church Sunday morning. They have no vehicle. Yes, a family of eight (actually two families in one household) without a vehicle. Our transmission just bit the dust....but Praise God we still one running vehicle! So, we may not know just yet how we will get them there, but we will get them there. And God will provide for us to get our transmission fixed....maybe not right away, and that's okay.

 My main point is this...Here we are at yet another Christmas. What are we doing running around finding things to overflow our homes? Stuff. Stuff. More stuff. I personally am being convicted. I have been simplifying my life. More of Him and less of me....and  less stuff. 
 Do we even remember Christmas is truely about? If it is truely about Christ, then we should be out there being His hands and feet. Not getting into fist fights on aisle 9 at Target on black Friday over a Cabbage Patch doll. For a world dripping with stuff, and then always wanting more, we are very empty inside.

This verse hit me hard...... I refuse to sugar coat the Word, and take it for what it says....

  They will give back everything they worked for.
      Their wealth will bring them no joy.
  For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
      They foreclosed on their homes.
  They were always greedy and never satisfied.
      Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
 Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.
      Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.
  “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
      and be overcome by misery.
~ Job 20:18-22

When you learn from a 5 year old....

  Our son RJ will repeat anything! As I am sure is no different from any other 5 year old. But, the trick is not to say anything that you would not want them to say.
  So, we are riding through the neighborhood in the car letting the kids trick or treat. It is cold so they are in and out of the car as we go house to house. As we come up to this one house, my husband says without thinking, "alright, go get some candy from the grouchy man's house."
  Ok, I must explain the reasoning behind this thoughtless comment. We have heard numerous unsolicited rumors about this guy since the day he moved in about how rude and unfriendly he is. One person says that they have had a door shut in their face, while others say he just won't even say as much as a "hello" when spoken to while out in the yard. Well, I guess somewhere amongst the rumors and gossip we let some of it sink in as truth even though we had not yet met the new neighbors ourselves.
  Well, I bet you can guess what happened next! Yep, our innocent little five year old runs full speed to his front door with intentions of getting a hand full of candy while spilling the beans about what his daddy had just said about him in the car! Turns out he was the nicest guy up until the moment my son blurted out the words, "my daddy said we should come get candy from the grouchy man's house, and you are the grouchy man!" When they got back to the car I felt so small, and wanted to vanish from the car!
  Here we were feeling like poop. We had never even met this guy and had just ruined that chance with a quick, thoughtless comment based on rumors. I am a firm believer in taking what people say with a grain of salt. I don't base my opinions on what others may say.
  Well, to explain what happened next we first had to apologize to our son for the wrong choice we made  in making a mean comment about someone, before we could dare tell him that what he had said to the guy was wrong. My husband then took RJ with him back to the neighbors house to apologize. He confessed that he had made that comment in front of our son and that it was wrong. Turns out they all had a great conversation and we now know for ourselves that he is not a grouchy man, but a really nice, understanding man.
  This is why I really dislike gossip. Whenever I have even fallen into the gossip trap, someone always gets hurt and it is usually me too! All it does is open the door wide for the enemy to put up a wedge between me and others. I want my children to know that the tongue is a powerful weapon and we have to guard it carefully.

As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger! ~ Proverbs 25:23

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18

My husband rocks!!

 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ~ Corinthians 11:3

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. "At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
 ~ Genesis 2:22

My husband rocks because.........


... he is the most selfless person I know.

... he will kill any bug for me (or take it outside if I ask him not to kill it)!

... he is an amazing father to our children and they adore him.

... he can fix ANYTHING!

... he is a hard worker.

... he will light up the grill or cook for me even after a long day at work.

... he helps around the house and with the kids.

... he puts up with me.

... he's always supported anything (mostly) I've wanted to do.

... he doesn't get mad when I call him 50 times a day at work.

... he spoils me rotten.

... he loves and respects my family.

... he lights the candles around the tub for me.

... he's my best friend.

... he cleans and vacuums out my car without me asking him.

... he tells me everyday that he loves me.

... he will go to the store alone, stand in the feminine product isle and pick just the right kind of pads and carry them to the front and pay for them....THAT IS A MAN ;)

... he pumps gas for me even when he knows I barely made it home on fumes so I did not have to stand and pump it myself.

... he brings me asprin and water when my head hurts.

... he allows me to have extra pillows and take up most of the bed at night.

... he makes awesome sweet tea.

... he laughs at me, even if it may not be funny.

... he is a goofball.

... he trusts me

... he is a Godly man, husband, and father.

... he let us keep a dog and a cat that he never wanted in the first place...(and now he loves them;)

... he never agrees with me when I feel ugly or fat.

... he LOVES me just as I am!

I want to honor my husband and let him know how awesome I think he is. I also want to help by spreading the idea that marriage is an institution worthy of honor, not the insignificant, tired, old ritual often portrayed in today’s society.

 Better to live on a corner of the roof
   than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
~ Proverbs 25:24 

Thank you to my hubby for not climbing onto the corner of the rooftop! I love you!




*

WHY we chose homeschool...

Something occurred to me today after watching my daughter get out our lunch for the day and start preparing it. Not only because she was hungry, but also to help. I have sat back and watched as both of my children have really started helping around the house and with each other more and more each day. Haylee loves to bathe the dog, do laundry and help cook. RJ loves to help unload the dishwasher and also help cook, even if it is only requires making sandwiches. His wife may thank us one day! 
 It hit me! What we REALLY want them to gain from homeschool. Here are a few that stand out:
1. We want them to LOVE the process of learning! Not something that is FORCED, but something that leaves them wanting more.
2. We want them to learn in the real life situations. Learning is not all about books and sitting at a desk 7 hours a day. Yes, you need book time, and a good amount of it. But so much more can be learned and retained through everyday life.
3. We want them to grow into the people God made them to be. Not who society, or another peer group may tell them to be. To have a strong sense of who they are, not who others think they are or should be.
4. We want them to see through God's eyes, not the world's. It is a very different view.
5. We want to instill values that are so lacking and fading in today's world.

No, we are not putting them in a bubble. But this world around us is changing so fast and we don't want to change with it.

GOD is the same no matter how fast things change. He is the same as He has been always.

 

I am looking to Him more than ever so I can fulfill the plans He has for my life. And we are doing our best to guide our children to fulfill the plans He has for their lives.
I want to walk on the path He has set for me, no matter what it looks like to the world around us. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

~ Jeremiah 29:11

When squeezed.....

Today was yet another awesome day...thank you Lord! I always look forward to my Tuesday mornings. We take a break from the books and head to CHC (Colonial Hills Church). Haylee goes to her P.E. class and RJ goes and plays with friends while I attend the GROW (Girls Raised on the Word) class. We are going through the Chronological Bible together in groups. But man is it awesome when the Lord really speaks to the heart of the speaker and changes their topic to match what we (or someone) need to hear that particular day! Today it hit me right between the eyes!!
  One of the things the Lord has really been changing in me, is my being quick to anger. It has been years in the making! He has delivered me from such a bitter, hateful, self-absorbed attitude, but I am far from perfect. I am thankful that He is never finished removing unfruitful behaviors and pruning the fruitful!.....“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. John 15:1-2........So, one that was brought up today was how we act at home when things don't go our way. That's a biggie! It is so easy to slip back into that "all about me" mode when I am at home. For me, it's yelling when the kids are fighting with each other, not doing what I have asked of them, or doing what I have asked them not to do.
  It's like this....If I were an orange, and you were to squeeze me what comes out? When everything is going fine and dandy, just the way I want it, I can be the most loving person. But the minute something goes wrong (I get squeezed) what comes out can be the VERY opposite of loving! I am not glorifying this. I am ashamed.
  I thank the Lord that He has blessed me with two of the most loving, forgiving, and patient (got that from the daddy) kids I know! I REFUSE to take advantage of that. And I want them to see love, patience, kindness and self control coming out of me no matter what circumstance I am in. I want that for them as well, not anger. I have learned to stop, and call on the Lord when I feel like yelling. He brings to my attention usually immediately that I have no right to want my way at that moment anyway..............Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. ~Proverbs 16:32
 So, I guess what I am trying to say is that it is so easy to be fruitful (loving, kind, patient) when things go our way. But when the rug is pulled out from under us and we are squeezed, what comes (or even drips) out of us then? I only want that which comes from the Holy Spirit within me!.....
  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. ~ Galations 5:22-23

The Holy Spirit can be spontaneous!

 My daughter has gone to public school up through the 2nd grade and then this year for her 3rd grade year we started homeschooling. My son will be in Kindergarten next year. He will be 5 this month. The Lord started calling me to homeschooling back in late June. I thought at first it may have been a crazy idea that popped in my head due to the fact that I can be a little crazy and spontaneous. When I get a crazy idea it usually haunts me until I do it. I am beginning to think this spontaneous bone is called the Holy Spirit! I know, I know, sometimes it's just me being crazy. But after praying and praying and seeking wise council.....‘Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14....I realized that this is where the Lord wanted to lead us. As I looked back I could see the hand of God at work putting the puzzle pieces together at just the right time to set us up to be able to do this! He led us to the Dave Ramsey course at our church and we were led to pay off and sell cars that had payments. We stopped using credit cards and started focusing all extra cash to pay them off(almost done):). Then He started leading me to want to stay home with my children since I was now working to pay daycare and no longer needed any extra to pay car payments. So I thought I would be staying home with my son during his LAST year at home before sending him off to kindergarten....BOY was I wrong!

 So the Lord knew exactly what he wanted me to do with our new found freedom before it ever even entered my thoughts!...... So when it occurred to me that I just might be able to do this homeschooling thing I then presented the "spontaneous" thought to my hubby. Ok, so he was not exactly thrilled with the idea. I think we both were questioning whether the future of our children, academically speaking, should be left in our hands. What took a while for us to realize is that it was not ever going to be in OUR hands, but in the hands of our Creator! Man, the time we waste in life worrying about things for no reason. Well, I did doubt myself (and God) at first. I mean, I was like a D student in school. It wasn't that I could not have done better, but I did not care to. My focus was on the wrong things at that time. But what I did not realize at the time was that I was not only lacking the faith in myself, more importantly I was lacking Faith in my Lord. I was just not equipped for this. But thankfully, God does not call the equipped, He equips the called!

 I began to put my trust in God and not on myself. I was pumped up after that realization! "Ok Lord, if you want me to do this, then I know YOU will provide!!" But one problem....my husband was still not so convinced. WHAT??! Ok, so here I knew the Lord was calling us to do this but how could I move forward without my husband's consent?......"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." ~ Ephesians 5:22-24......By the way God brought me right to this verse as I was praying about homeschooling as a reminder! I do have a hard time in this area as a hard headed woman. So, I began to pray that the Lord would open his heart and speak to him in His perfect timing. He did, and my husband was soon totally on board! God is so Good! The Lord used this "minor set back" as a reminder for me to 1. be patient, 2.follow my husbands leadership, and 3. fully trust that He is able!! I have tried to be my husband's (along with some other peoples) Holy Spirit. That does not work, thank goodness.

 Now, walking in faith through this awesome journey has been both overwhelming and an amazing blessing at the same time. We just want the Lord to be our focus and at the center of all we learn and do!......Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. ~Matthew 6:33........Most of my family back home does not support what we are doing. It is hard because I get excited on certain days and really want to call and tell someone about it and I know that I can't, or shouldn't for sake of disappointment when I do not get the response back that I hope for. But I have to let that go, not hold a grudge and trust the Lord with all I have! Some think that they will not get the "proper education" by government standards. But we know that true wisdom comes from God our Creator! Who better to trust for knowledge and wisdom than the all knowing Creator of knowledge Himself?.... Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ~Proverbs 3:5-6........For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ~Proverbs 2:6

First Blog...Enter at your own risk

Dear Blog world,
 Ok, so this is my first blog....I have been wanting to do this for a while now, but how to find the time, what to write about, and trying to keep this ADD brain to focus on ONE thing at a time.....SQUIRREL... is going to be tricky! So hang on for dear life or I may lose you with my scattered thoughts and ideas.
 Well, I may just make this one short and sweet to get me rolling.
 I am a 29 year old who has been dragged(mostly willing) across the country following my husband's career along with our two children. We have been married for 9 awesome(but bumpy) years! We are from Plant City, FL. Our first adventure was all the way to Washington, DC. in Maryland, then to Oklahoma City, OK, and we are currently just south of Memphis, TN. Now, I do have to say that it was hard to move away from all you have ever known and who you have ever known! But, I can say that the Lord had a reason for every single move and I would not go back and change a single thing. I am thankful for a God who is the author of the BIG picture and stays patient with my kicking and whining until, in His perfect timing, He reveals it to me!
 So, let me shorten this up.....SQUIRREL....That is only funny if you have seen the movie "Up". At anytime the dog in the movie will be talking then stops right in mid sentence and yells "squirrel", and points, then goes right back to talking. That describes the function of my brain in a nut shell!
 Anyways, so we have been away from "home" now for almost 7 years and I really love it now. Nothing against my family back "home" or anything, but now I must focus on my own family and what is best for us. The Lord has led us here for a reason. We are part of an awesome missions style bapticostal church:) and we are right where God wants to use us in His awesome ways! We joined a small group at the perfect timing.....THAT in itself will be a whole other blog! He has really opened our eyes to the world and shown us things that we would have NEVER seen had we stayed in our little, comfy, cozy hometown in FL. Not that God is not there too! He would have met us right there too had we stayed, but MAN when you are obedient to Him and follow His guidance you cannot imagine where He will take you and what He wants to show you! And how He wants to use you and bless you!! Thank you Lord!
 Ok, so now we are at a new chapter in our lives and it is called homeschool! Yay! Not what I would have said a couple of years ago though! I would have called you insane had you told me I would even consider this as an option! You catching my drift? I CANNOT do anything like this in my own strength!! My family back in FL can back me up on that atleast! They may not agree with what we are doing but that is only because the mentality on HOW I am doing this has to change first! God does not call the equiped, He equips the called. AMEN. I will give you an idea of what I was like as a student. My mother was lucky if I brought home a C on the report card or on anything for that matter. I cared more about boys, partying, skipping school and lunch more than anything else. By the way I am NOT glorifying that in any way. So yes, I can see where the idea of me teaching my children would be cause for panic! And that is kinda what we did when I first felt the tug in my heart from the Lord to do this. My husband was not totally on board for a little while, but I did not give up and just prayed that if this is truely what He was calling us to do then my hubby would feel the same a get on board. And of course the Lord had a perfect plan to bring him on board in His perfect timing. And here we are today, being blessed by this opportunity to teach and learn right along with our kids. God is Good. That is all I need to know and rely on to get us through this. He has provided all that we have needed to get his adventure going and to keep it going.  Anything I can think of worrying about He has taken care of...what to teach...how to teach two...what books...what subjects...what money!? We know if we Seek First His Kingdom the rest He takes care of. His Word promises this and I am a living testimony of that truth!
So much for staying short and sweet....This was a little of this and a little of that, but I will try to blog on more specific topics as I blog with the Lord's guidance. Thank you for reading! God Bless!