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