Wednesday Blessing

Today was Ladies Bible class day. We are currently in a study by John Ortberg called "God Is Closer Than You Think". This is only the 2nd week, but boy does this study have some rich tidbits to think about. I wish that I had read the book 2 years ago because I think it would have made my journey just a little bit easier. What I am learning more and more everyday is that even though there are days I cannot sense God's presence like I would like He is always there. It is like a storm covered sky that we all watch in anticipation of the sun breaking through. We cannot see the sun, but it is there. Dark cannot penetrate light, but light will always penetrate the dark. We learned today that the promise "I will never leave you" is the promise God makes the most in the Bible. I wonder why I tend to forget that?? Ortberg talks about the different kind of days that we encounter: A rainbow day (where God is easy to see), An ordinary day (where we have to look a little harder, but God is there), don't look at me God day (where I think I can hide my sin from him) a.nd Mystery days (where it is difficult to know what God is up to). If we always had Rainbow Days we would find that we become complacent and there would be no more amazement at what God can do. Instead we now appreciate the recognition of His presence as a gift and something we have to cultivate. It was just so refreshing to me to realize that there is nothing wrong with me if everyday is not a Rainbow Day!

On the way home, as God often does with me, I heard this song on the radio which went right along with what He was trying to speak into my heart today (don't know that I had ever heard of Big Daddy Weave before?):

You can listen to it on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w70xy8sPEE4

I am sure all of heaven’s heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I’m finding everything I need
And everything that You areTo me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it’s true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That’s less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with whatI say
But everydayIn a way that my life is lived

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I’m finding I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

Ongoing Technical Difficulties

I know that when we deal with an electronic world that nothing lasts forever. Computers are wonderful when they work but when they don't? Major frustration. So you may remember 3 weeks ago(tomorrow) my computer just quit working. Dell replaced it with another computer since it was still under warranty. Unfortunately they did not replace it with the same model. My previous computer was an Inspirion, this one is a Vostro which means that the hard drives are not compatible. So I hired Brian Vaughn to retrieve the records on my old hard drive and put them on the new computer. So that is done. Now? They did not give me the software that I had on my old computer so I can't access any of my old emails or any of my documents that were created in Office. So back on the phone with Dell today for over 45 minutes.

I am sorry if I come across as intolerant here, but you would think when you are in need of techinical support that you could speak to people that you can understand. Perhaps I just need to spend more time with people of Indian decent so that I can be more familiar with the accent. (Side bar: I had the same problem with several of my nurses in the hospital) Anyway...
the final result? There is nothing they can do. Guess the software was included with the original order and since I still don't have the disks we could not reload it. I don't have the disks because the computer was a gift from friends, church and family when I was first in my accident so I would have computer access at the hospital. The box was at the house but when friends packed up my house for the remodeling project we don't know where the box and disks ended up. Told the representative from Dell my story, he said he talked to his supervisor and because they no longer have the 2003 edition they could not give me the new edition free. So I am back to square one. I did download a trial version and can access some documents so that works for the next 60 days anyway.

The irony in all this? The representative's name was Angel....somehow the experience today did not seem very angelic!

Then this afternoon the Maytag repairman came and told me we have a broken seal on the washing machine and it will cost $350.00 to repair it. So guess we will just buy a new one. The humbling thing about his visit is he had one of the neuromuscular diseases and his body was so twisted and he walked on the edges of his feet. I was so humbled and once again found strength in realizing whatever I think my handicap is, it is nothing compared to what some people live life with. This man could very easily be living on disability and here he was repairing Maytag appliances. May I continue to be grateful for what I do have and think less of what I don't.

Dreaded Mondays

I always dread Mondays. I am not sure why. I guess because it is a sign the weekend is over. I find it hard to get motivated on Mondays. Then the crazy thing is that once Monday is over the rest of the week speeds by and the next thing I know it is Friday.

But a couple of postive things happened on this Monday. I rode 6 miles on the stationary bike instead of my usual 5. And then I walked the entire store at Albertson's and did my grocery shopping. $260.00 later, I was on my way home. I know this may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but for me it is a continual sign of progress. I don't know what the difference in a day is, yesterday I went to a craft show in Plano. It was all carpeted, yet I was in so much pain the entire time I found it very hard to walk. Then today at the store (no carpet) and I did pretty well and was not even wearing my ankle brace.

In my Bible reading today it was on Saul and David and I had to wrestle with how God sends an evil spirit to someone? I don't have a problem understanding that we can all be tempted by Satan, but it just does not line up with God's character that he would send an evil spirit to inhabit someone and then why was it the evil spirit would leave when David played the harp? I realize that Saul disappointed God and He wished He had never made Saul king. I assume Saul could have repented, instead he just became more and more evil. Anyway...no earth shattering thoughts today. But thanks for reading anyway, hope you had a good Monday.

High School Musical

Well God was good again and American Airlines center could not have gone better. First of all we got the first row of handicap parking. Walked in the door and our section of seating was right in front of us!! Then there are rails going up and down the stairs there so that made it easy and there was good leg room so my leg did not cramp up. So all in all, a success!

Then there was the production. I thought it was okay. Most of the skaters were just amateurs so they did not wow you with their skating, but it was choreographed fun. I think Kayla and Logan were a little disappointed that the real cast was not on skates. They just mimed the words so that seemed a little hokey as well, but hey... What amazed me the most was all the paraphernalia for sale. And better yet all the people buying it for their kids!!!! I cannot imagine after paying $30.00 a ticket to get in that parents would spend $20.00 on a program, $12.00 on Cotton Candy (that came with a hat), $20.00 for a bear,$15.00 for light up glasses, $8.00 for a snowcone in a cup, etc.) Then at intermission Pizza, popcorn, hotdogs, nachos, etc. Just amazing to me!!

What has made this musical so popular with the kids?? I am not sure I get that either. I guess it is the "G" rated version of "Grease" for this generation. Wonder how many more they will make?

It Really Is Friday

So thank you for all of you who read my blog and did not point out to me that my post yesterday entitled "Friday Woes" was mis titled because yesterday was actually Thursday!

Today was not a whole lot better. The plumber came and looked at the washing machine. Fully loaded and emptied it three times and nothing happened. Doesn't charge us for the visit, but really doesn't have any advice for me either. I then proceed to wash the wet rugs from yesterday and then there it is water all over the floor again??? Not to mention the rug that I put in the washing machine had a rubber backing that decided to crumble everywhere. Took me about an hour to clean out the washing machine. So now I have a Magtag service person coming to see if there is something wrong with the machine itself.

Still without my computer today. Perhaps this was God's way of showing me that I spend way too much time on the computer. I wish I could say I have been doing something productive with all the spare time, but mostly I have just been working word puzzles. I have such a pile of books I need to be reading and just have not.

Tomorrow morning I am taking a couple of kids to see High School Musical on ice. I was suppose to take my new "special friends" but they had already seen it, so I am taking Kayla and Logan Strother. It should be fun! I am just anxious about how I will navigate the American Airline Center. Hopefully, I will do okay.

Thursday Woes

Today started out okay. A sweet friend from church Terri Fullerton was so kind to come over and clean out all the leaves from my flowerbeds. She had heard me talking a few weeks ago about how I used to keep my yard pretty nice but the past few years I have not been able to work in the flowerbeds. My mom came over and helped as well and it looks so much nicer out front. Tomorrow we will go and buy some wood chips and finish up the job.

Then I was so excited because my new computer finally arrived! Well, I guess they don't make the model I had anymore (it was 3 years old) and replaced it with a different model and wouldn't you know the hard drives are not compatible!! So while I am back on it and have loaded a few programs I have no access to any of my old files. Brian Vaughn is going to come over tomorrow and get it and see if he can recover the files from my old hard drive. That would make me so happy and the lesson learned? Back Up!!!!!!

In the meantime I was doing wash and went in to put the 2nd load in the dryer and found water everywhere!! We had a plumber out a few weeks ago to work on the plumbing as water was leaking into the garage when we did laundry. But this time it was in the garage and in the laundry room and in the pantry. Yes, it was fun moving the washing machine out and cleaning up all the water. When is the last time you looked behind your washing machine?? It was so yucky, and all that lint being wet did not make for an easy clean up. So the plumber is on call coming out tomorrow.

Don't you just hate technical difficulties? Nothing ruins a day more than these unexpected events. But...once again in the midst of all of it, all I could do was thank God that I was able to take care of it myself. A year ago I would not have been able to do that. So while it wiped me out, I did survive. Have to admit though I was thankful Steve was willing to stop and pick up some chicken for dinner because I didn't know how I was going to have the energy to cook something. So come on Friday...let's see what you will hold.

Talon is One

In the past I have posted some pictures of my great nephew Talon, and wanted to share with you all his One Year Old picture. I know I am prejudiced, but I think he is just adorable.

I know all of you who are parents know that they grow up so quickly!

Hope you are having a very blessed Wednesday.

Thoughts On Bible Readings

The past few days my Bible readings have been in Joshua and Judges. While in Joshua it was renewed to me how quickly the Israelites would forget all about what God had done for them and return to worshiping idols. Even though he had told them to teach their children daily and remind them as they got up, walked through the day, lied down, and even when at the Jordan River they had built an altar so that when their children asked they could remind them of what God had done, in Judges 2:10 it says "That whole generation also died, and the next generation forgot the Lord and what he had done for Israel." That was amazing to me. Could that also happen to our children? What will they remember about the Lord after we pass?

Then how many times does God extend compassion before he gives up? Over and over the Israelites would forget Him and marry pagans and worship their idols. How do you give up the real thing for an idol? What can an idol do for you? Yet they did, and he would allow them to be captured and oppressed and then they would cry out and He would hear their cry and rescue them only for them to turn around and forget Him again. It seems so difficult to understand, and yet I do because it is so typical of me to do the same thing. I forget the marvelous things the Lord has done for me and fall back into my patterns of not spending time with Him and returning to my idol which in my life is television. As to my original question how long before he gives up? I don't know the time limit but according to Romans 1:28 He does give up " And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome."

My last thought is why in the world was Samson so dumb? Three times he found out that he could not trust Delilah, so why then would he tell her the truth on the fourth time? It is an example of how powerful love with an unbeliever can be and testifies to the importance of making sure we have a partner who shares our faith in God. As I have gotten older I have seen the importance of especially stressing this to our children more than we have in the past. Since it all begins with dating, perhaps it is important to set those standards even then. I know there is a possibility that while dating a non-Christian that there is a possibility you could convert them, but have we not also seen examples of where people walk away because of the pull of their non-believing spouse? Is it really the tight rope that any of us want to watch our children walk?
Over and over again God warned His children not to enter into mixed marriages with the pagans and over and over again they did anyway and lost His blessing. 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?" (Amplified Version)

Anyway...these readings have once again convicted my heart of the importance we all have of teaching our children the importance of loving God with All their heart, mind, soul and strength and the ONLY way we can do that is through example. May the Lord bless us all as we attempt to do just that.

Resurrection Celebration

Even though it was a little chilly today, at least we did not get the rain! Hope everyone had a great resurrection celebration. Steve and I were blessed by the service at Highland Oaks. I personally was blessed by watching an elderly lady (75-85 ish) worshiping as she had the most beautiful expressions on her face. I had to go visit with her afterwards and just tell her how her spirit of worship had blessed me. The other thing I enjoy when I visit Highland Oaks is their deaf interpreters. I have often wished that I could take classes. Guess there is no reason why I can't, just have to want to dedicate the time bad enough. I especially enjoy watching them sign songs. Always interesting to contemplate who invents such things.

This morning as I was getting dressed I heard "In Christ Alone" and it just really helped me to focus my thoughts for the day. Hope it will bless you as well.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Grieving

Ever since I retired from ministry I have had days of grieving. There are so many things about being in full time ministry that I miss. I still feel like God was calling me to step down, but I still struggle with what I am suppose to be doing now. This weekend I went out to the Anatole for LTC. For 15 years I have participated in LTC and I volunteered to be a judge this year. Each church has to submit so many judges per events you enter. In years past it was somewhat challenging to fill those judging spaces and so I thought I would volunteer. I judged two different hours of chorus. It still was hard though just attending and knowing that I had not helped any of the kids prepare this year. The room where everyone was staying was a difficult walk for me, so I chose to stay downstairs, missing out on the fellowship. It was the end of an era for me. And I just found myself grieving. That is okay, it is important to grieve in order to move on and now I can do that with one more area.

An observation in judging chorus. Why is it that boys do not like to sing? Every chorus the girls outnumbered the boys almost 3 to 1? Isn't it just important for our boys to know that God loves to hear them sing? Why is it that singing for them is tied to their masculinity. However, I have to admit there were a few 11-12th grade groups where the boys were just awesome. I was so proud of the R.E. kids because for the first time in several years there were a bunch of boys singing. About 3/4 of them were Jr. High boys, so maybe that means they will keep on and by the time they are 11 and 12th graders they will have shown other boys that it is really a great thing to just sing praises before the Lord.

Hope everyone has a great resurrection celebration tomorrow. Steve and I are going to be guests at Highland Oaks in the morning. We considered going to another fellowship tomorrow, but we just did not want to go somewhere where we wouldn't have communion on Easter of all Sundays. I am just so very thankful that we serve a risen Savior!!!

Faithful Friend

I don't know when I first found food to be my faithful friend? It was at a young age though because I lost 50 pounds my senior year in high school because I was overweight. Over the years food and I have had our ups and downs. Most days I know it is really not my friend, but on days like today for some reason it is the first thing I reach for. The difference? Today I really didn't find comfort in food as I wanted, I just found guilt for trying to find comfort there. It really isn't important that I share all the reasons I needed a friend today...I am just not sure why I couldn't reach out to a flesh and blood friend instead of a pizza? Or better yet why I couldn't just find comfort with the Lord? Of course now I am letting my self be attacked by my faithful accuser who convinces me that I am a loser (not of weight though). I know, I know I am telling him that "he that is within me is greater" and I am trying to believe it. Steve will be home tomorrow and I know that will help because my very bestest friend will be back in place and he is such a good listener and just keeps loving me through all the junk. I am thankful that he reflects God to me, because He is a great listener too and yes,He keeps loving me through all the junk as well. Thank you God.

Hope you all have had a "Good Friday" and will have a great day preparing for your day of Resurrection celebration. Thanks for being my listeners tonight.

Wednesday Ramblings

FYI I paid $3.08 today for gas at Racetrak on Independence Pkwy. and Plano Parkway today. Just thought I would pass that on for anyone else looking for a better deal on gas.

Wow! did we get the rain or what?? Looks like we got about 6 inches at my house. I thought my swimming pool was going to flood my house, but fortunately it never did come up over the edge.

I heard something this morning that was an "aha" for me. The speaker was talking about the last days of Jesus and was talking about Barrabas. He said "no one understood better than Barrabas what it meant for someone to take his place and get what he deserved." I had never thought about that before. Barrabas was chosen because he was the Suddan Hussein, Charles Mason, Adolf Hitler of his time and Herod was so sure the people would not choose him over Jesus and he could set Jesus free because he knew he was not guilty. However, the crowd did not go with the plan. Imagine how shocked Barrabas must have been. He knew he was guilty and someone else was going to pay and he was going free. It was just slightly a different slant than I had ever thought about before. I do think we can gain great insights when we try to put ourselves in the shoes of the different characters in the Bible. I had just never put myself in his shoes before. However, I have contemplated over and over again why Jesus would take my place and am still dumbfounded every time I think of it. I definitely don't deserve it, but for ever will be so thankful for that gift.

Hope you are having a contemplative week filled with thanksgiving as you prepare for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Answered Prayers

Thank you so much for those who posted and let me know they were praying for Steve and his mom, I cannot tell you how much it means to know that others are covering you in prayer and the strength that comes from that. Mary Jane was able to be released from the hospital early last night. Got a message from Steve this morning and she had a good evening at home. They were up by 4:15 a.m. this morning (her regular arise time) to take the dog out for the morning.

My specific prayer now is that God just protect Steve from sickness as he just sounds so very tired. He spent both nights at the hospital all night with his mom. Hopefully they can take some catnaps together throughout the day. She is a strong willed person and does not accept assistance from anyone very easily, so I am sure Steve will be exhausted just in his efforts to get her to slow down. The blessing is that at least she is still here for him to tend to.

I think the plan is for him to stay until Saturday and if she is doing okay to return home that afternoon. I miss him, but especially on a day like today when the weather is so nasty I miss him even more.

Thanks again for your prayers and concern.

Another Prayer Request

We would really appreciate your prayers for Steve's mom. We thought she was doing okay after the wreck but early this morning she passed out. Steve's brother could not get a pulse and she was not breathing, but finally got her to breathe and the paramedics got her to the hospital. Her oxygen levels are extremely low but they have not determined the cause as of yet. Steve was able to get a flight out and was in Omaha by 3:00 p.m.

Please pray for Mary Jane's healing and that Steve is able to be a blessing and comfort to her and to his brother who is her primary caretaker. Steve had been in bed sick for 2 days himself, so pray that the Lord will just give him the strength he needs to minister to his mom and brother.

Thanks so much!!!

Praise God With Us

Tonight I had my aunt and uncle from El Paso and my mom and dad over for dinner. Steve came home sick from work today so he was not able to join us. The phone rang while we were eating and I did not recognize the number so did not answer, but it rang again with the same number so I picked up and it was my brother in law calling to tell us that Steve's mother had been in a car accident and was at the hospital. She is 84 and evidently there was some road construction she could not see around and she pulled out and was broadsided. Fortunately it was on the passenger side. By the Steve got hold of his other brother (who lives in Omaha with his mom), they were releasing his mom from the hospital and Steve was able to speak with her for a moment. Fortunately, she had no serious injuries. So please say a prayer of praise to God for that. Needless to say it was a very tense moment for us as I had to wake Steve out of a deep sleep to give him the phone and tell him the news and that brought back significant memories for him of almost 3 years ago when my mom had to awaken him out of sleep to tell him about me.

I was brave tonight and tried a new recipe (which I don't usually do with company for fear that it will not be good). I made stuffed pork chops with cranberry chutney. When I went to the store of course I could not find even frozen cranberries so I used a mixed berry mixture with some dried cranberries and it still turned out very good. A few months ago Brooke Cole fixed this awesome asparagus for a CAREcorp dinner and I have been trying to emulate it ever since. Tonight was my third try and it was close. Each time I am broiling it too long. But tonight was close and it still tasted really yummy. This was a big deal for me because it was my first time to cook a meal, use a recipe, set the table, etc. all by myself since my accident. Yes my feet were absolutely killing me afterwards, but it felt like another milestone just to be able to do it.
So another praise to God!

Update on the computer. Called Dell who put me on hold for 12 minutes before I talked to a technician that I could not understand as he was Indian, the second guy was also Indian but I could understand him some better who had me totally disassemble the computer (taking out the hard drive, the memory chip, and something else I can't remember) Actually I had to wake Steve up because I had no idea how to get the screws undone. Come to find out Steve had a special set of screwdrivers in his office for computers. What did the guy think I was suppose to use? Then after 30 minutes of taking everything apart, nothing worked anyway and so they are sending me a box to send my computer in. Another praise is it is under warranty until June 16th. So while I will be inconvenienced by not having it for 5-7 days, at least it should not cost us anything for the repairs.

Electronic Blahs

Well, don't know what happened but my laptop died tonight. I took it to church to show the ladies retreat committee some pictures we had taken of the retreat center and shortly after coming off it just turned off and would not turn back on. Couldn't be the battery is dead as I had just unplugged it at home and it should have had 3 hours of time. Came home and plugged it back in and nothing, just a totally dark screen. Aaargh. I just hate computer problems. It is so convenient for me to just put my feet up in my chair and spend time on the computer. So thankfully we have the main computer in Steve's office, so came in here and had to try to remember passwords. I hate it when not all the sites take the same amount of letters so I have like 4 possible passwords. Then it asked me for my security answer which for some strange reason was not my mother's maiden name (like all others) but what is my favorite movie???? Do you think I could remember what I said my favorite movie was?? After typing in several, I guess I finally got the right one when I didn't capitalize any of the letters. Sure hope it is an easy fix?

Today was my father's birthday. He is 84 years old. We are so thankful that God has allowed him to see another birthday as when he took himself off dialysis in January 2007 we were prepared to say goodbye fairly soon. He had been doing pretty well for a couple of months but in the past three days had taken a turn for the worse and did not feel like getting out of the house to celebrate his birthday. My aunt and uncle (my mom's brother and sister) are here visiting from El Paso, so my mom cooked him a meal and we just ate at their house. At least he felt well enough to sit at the table with us for a little while. It is really hard to watch my father be so discouraged at his quality of life. He really wants to just go be with the Lord and is growing more discouraged that it is not his time. We try to get him to focus on the positive that he is of sound mind and not in any pain. He is not suffering, just very weak from inactivity. But the past few days he has been having some significant abdominal pain. So of course none of us knows what the future holds, but I pray for his remaining days, months or years that he will not have to suffer. I am so thankful for the Buckingham Road church of Christ who has not forgotten him in the year he has not been able to attend. Someone usually comes to visit him at least once a week. Once or twice a month someone brings them a meal. It is such a blessing for my mom and dad. I was going to post a picture of him with his cake but my camera went funky today too! Guess it was just an electronically challenging day. Which results in major frustration in my world.

Opinions Please

Tonight I realized the song that I had playing when you opened my blog page was "O Come, O Come Emanuel" which is usually associated more with Christmas. So as I went to change the song I was trying to decide which song to choose. So this is my question. When you are reading a blog would you rather listen to a song with words or without words? I started thinking that perhaps songs with words might distract from reading? I realize that you can turn off your sound and not listen to the song at all, but just for future reference I thought I would just take a poll and see who likes which best. So which is it with or without words?

Silent Retreat

On April 11th some ladies at R.E. are going to be enjoying a Silent Retreat at Riverbend Camp in Glen Rose. It is interesting the different reactions I received this morning in trying to get ladies to sign up for the retreat. Why is it the concept of having quiet meditation time so intimidating to so many? The last Silent Retreat we had was wonderful and for me it was so refreshing to just have this slow pace and be able to sit out in nature and have some really special time with God. It is interesting to think about that some cannot even entertain the thought of a three hour periods of silence when there are actually people in this world who take a vow of silence.

Friday, two other ladies and I drove down to where we are going to have the retreat because we had not seen it. It is really nice. I am posting some pictures just in case I can entice some of my blog readers to join us. Two years ago when we did this retreat all 26 evaluations came back that women were pleasantly surprised what a blessing the quiet time had been. Sometimes I think we are just afraid to experience the unknown. So I guarantee anyone that joins us will not be disappointed.

Walkway up to Lodge

Back Porch of Lodge

Kitchen area

Main room


Two of the 4 bedrooms downstairs (all are decorated differently.)

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Today I got an email from do_not_reply@kidzmatter.com which started out with this article from their president Ryan Frank.

"Today my wife called one of her friends to tell her that she had missed her at church the past two weeks. The family had been fighting the flu. That is, everyone but 7-year-old Chesney. She missed church because everyone else was sick. She told her mom, "My teachers are going to miss me! Maybe not though, they haven't called me!"

As soon as I heard this, I picked up the phone and called Chesney! Although she was too shy to talk to me, she knew that I have missed her. This was a subtle reminder to me about the importance of letting my kids know when I miss them. How are you doing in this area? Hey, even kids need a shot in the arm now and then."

The reason this was interesting to me is I just had a parent tell me last week to stop sending cards telling their child I was missing them on Sunday because they had made a family decision not to come to Bible class. Of course I wasn't sending the cards to offend anyone, I really thought the child would be like the one above and want to know they were being missed. And I actually did miss them! Guess you never know? So all you can do is say you're sorry and hope the next family that gets the card will not feel the same way. On any given Sunday we have 10 kids missing in class and you don't always know the reason. Last week one of the girls was out with pneumonia. So this email encouraged me not to be discouraged about this parent's reaction, I will assume they are the exception and not the rule.

A Thankful Wife

I apologize for another post in one week extolling the praises of my husband but I just can't resist. Tonight Steve told me that while he was at CVS today that he got out of the car and saw a pile of trash on the ground and could not help but notice that it was a pornographic magazine. He said he did his best not to look at it, but did not want to leave it there for a young person to see, so he bent down and and crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can. I thanked him for the blessing of being married to a man of integrity. He could have put that magazine in his truck and kept it there for weeks and I would have never known.

Sunday morning I listened to Ed Young Jr. give a really good sermon on Lust. Don't know that in my lifetime I have ever heard an entire sermon dedicated to lust. Of course he preached it in his normal creative way by his points all ending in "ize" for "eyes". You can actually view that sermon at http://www.edyoung.com/watch.php

He quoted Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." He talked about his own covenant and how he does not subscribe to movie channels for that very reason and he does not channel surf. I had thought at the time how many times I have seen Steve's eyes go to the floor when an advertisement came on T.V. where women were scantily clad. Or when I have on Dancing With The Stars and he will not look at the skimpily clothed dancers.

When he reads this blog he will be quick to remind me that he is not perfect, and I know that he cannot live in the world we live in and not be tempted from time to time, but I am thankful that he does not succumb to the temptations around him and honors me with his commitment to purity. I am indeed blessed!!

Pray It Anyway

I ,may have mentioned it in the past but Steve and I subscribe to a magazine entitled "Pray". Over the years it has had many articles that have enhanced my prayer life. The March/April issue is entitled "Cries from the Wilderness: Praying When Life Hurts". There were so many good articles. I just thought I would give you some of the quotes that caught my attention.

"I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me. I will call on him as long as I live." Psalm 116:1-2

"I went through times when it was difficult to pray because I didn't dare to be honest with God. I was hurt, angry scared, and confused. Anything I might have said to him wouldn't have sounded at all like the pretty and polite prayers I was used to hearing in church. It was then that another friend pointed me to the psalms. She observed that the psalmists were gut-honest about how they felt and that God seemed capable of handling their negative feelings. So in that season, I learned to lament." --Cynthia Bezek

"Suffering either makes you better or it makes you bitter."
"Anyone who is called to intercession is called to participate in both the joy and the pain of God."
"The fact that we are struggling is actually the mark of a vibrant faith, not unbelief."
"When we suffer the enemy tempts us to embrace isolation--to draw up the drawbridge. But these are the very times when we need people more than ever."
"We need to be careful not to confuse the silence of God with the absence of God."--Peter Greig

"Those who wrote many of the psalms didn't pray in a protected environment. In fact, their circumstances were often much more exhausting than mine. But somehow they managed to turn their eyes from the visible situation to the invisible God."
"Praise is a determined resolution."
"Prayer honors God most when it's worshipful in the absence of visible reasons to worship. That type of prayer declares who He is when the declartion isn't self evident. It's a defiant statement that no matter how much the world, the flesh, or the devil obscure His goodness, He's still good."
--Chris Tiegreen

"Because hurting people need the freedom and courage to be honest in expressing their difficulties, we, too, need to be authentic with every word we offer in prayer. For me this often begins by admitting my own inadequacy. For example, I may pray, "Lord, I don't have a clue how to begin..." or, "Father, You're the only one who knows what the real need is here..." or, "Jesus, to be perfectly honest, this whole thing stinks..."
"When we prya real prayers from our heart those who suffer breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that they don't have to hide their hurt from us or God."--Tricia McCary Rhodes

Only In America

Today I was shopping at Albertson's when some girls asked if I wanted to buy some girl scout cookies. I quickly told them I had already bought some from the girls at my church. Then I was ashamed that I felt so uncomfortable with these girls and their moms. You see they were dressed in black and wearing hijabs.

I am not sure why it made me feel uncomfortable it just did. It just seemed strange to me that they were girl scouts. I felt guilty so I pulled my car up and asked them if they were participating in the send cookies to soldiers program. They said "no" but they were giving boxes to a nursing home, so I gave them some money and drove away. Then I thought "oh my goodness, was it the wrong thing to ask them if they were sending cookies to soldiers?" Oh well, hopefully God will honor my attempt to look past my uncomfortableness and try to do something positive.

On another note. If you haven't already seen this video on Youtube, you have to check it out. 5 girls from the ages of 8-13 from Lubbock singing the National Anthem. They are amazing! I have taught 3rd to 6th grade chorus for about 15 years and have never heard kids that age be able to harmonize so well! Cactus Cuties indeed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284

It's Official

Today Steve and I signed the paperwork for him to retire! What a big step! I am so proud of my husband and the hard worker that he is. He has given 25 years of his life to the City of Dallas. He has provided for us well. He hasn't always had the easiest of time, but He faithfully fulfilled whatever duties were given to him. During the time we have been married he was happiest with his job when he was working within the fire department. He just liked being in the know of what was going on and especially the special camaraderie between all those people. The thing I am most proud of him for is the wonderful reputation he has with all his co-workers of being a Christian man of integrity. He is one of two people left who was part of the installation of the accounting system that the City uses. I know that he will be missed as a resource person.

Just to be clear, we are both way to young to join the ranks of retired people :) But just really blessed to be able to do so. We are really looking forward to seeing what God is going to call us to next and are looking forward to being able to do it together!

So please indulge me as I thank my hubby for a job well done! I love you Steve and am so very thankful for the way you live life with excellence. The City of Dallas knows you as an excellent worker, I know you as the most excellent husband and am forever grateful that you are mine!
I am looking forward to April 23rd (your actual retirement date) and watching to see what God is going to do next!

When Is Easter???

Maybe you are smarter than me (actually you probably are) and already know why the dates of Easter vary from year to year and why it actually seems really early this year. But today I read about this link on Ryan Inlow's blog and went out and discovered the answer's to my why's.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/easter/earlyeaster.asp

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here 's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Psalm 103

Today in Ladies Bible class one of the ladies referred to Psalms 103:6. When I looked it up I read the entire chapter and was reminded once again what a loving and compassionate God we have. I thought I would post the chapter here in case you had not read it lately either and you can also give thanks that God is in your corner! (I chose the Message version)

O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God, don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.

God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we're made of mud.
Men and women don't live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
God's love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.

Yahweh Yireh

This week in my Praying The Names of God the focus is on Yahweh Yireh or Jehovah Jirah, the God who provides. The author Ann Spangler definitely provided me with my "ah ha" for today.

"A real man, a real boy, walked up the mountain together--the young man bent under the wood for the burnt offering, the father striding behind, carrying the fire and the knife. 'But where is the lamb for the sacrifice?' Issac asked. 'God himself will provide the lamb for the offering, my son' Abraham replied.

We have heard the story before. We know how it ends. But what if we didn't? What if Isaac had been our son, the fulfillment of a promise God had made to us? Could we have traveled for three days to Mount Moriah, the place of the sacrifice, dreading the moment yet walking steadily toward it? Could we have taken the knife in our own hand, willing ourselves to obey the command we did not understand and wished we had not heard?

It is hard to read the story without imagining how Abraham must have felt. Was his hand shaking as he held the knife? Was his mind reeling under the burden of the terrible command he was about to obey? It is not hard to imagine his agony.

But have you ever considered it from God's point of view? Watching the man and his son, did God feel something tearing at his heart, knowing that what he asked but did not require of Abraham--the sacrifice of his only son--he would one day require of himself?"

Wow! I sure had never thought of that! I am so thankful that the lover of my soul was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to provide his son as the ransom for my soul. Thank you Yahweh Yireh.

Academy Awards

Did anyone else watch the Academy Awards last night? I thought they were rather boring this year. I had not seen any of the nominated movies or any of the performances of the nominated actors, actresses, supporting actors, supporting actresses. That is pretty unusual for me. I had never even heard of the movie that won "No Country for Old Men"? I think the only two I had heard of were Juno and Michael Clayton. And what in the world is "La Vie en Rose."??

When they showed the 79 movie winners of year's past I counted and I had seen 33 of them. I have always enjoyed movies. I just wish that there were more good ones. Where I used to see at least one a month. Now I see 2 or 3 a year! Of course that doesn't include cable where I usually watch one or two a weekend.

Anyway....don't have much more to say about that. I did appreciate that most of the women actually had more modest dresses this year. Oh! and was it just me or did Mylie Cyrus (Hannah Montana), as cute as she is, just seem out of place?

Our Testimony

I know I have posted alot on testimonies this week. God must be trying to tell me something. But today in my Encouragement For Today on www.crosswalk.com there is a devotional thought about our testimony that touched me so am hoping it will touch you as well.

Inspired Messages

Lysa TerKeurst

"I am the way and the truth and the life..."John 14:6 (NIV)

Devotion:
There once was a little girl...
with a battered heart.

She was told by the first love of her life...
that she was unwanted.

Her Daddy's silence made her cry. His words made her broken.

Then one day she was given an old typewriter...
and when she placed her fingers on the dusty keys, her heart settled.

Words came from her fingertips that her lips couldn't produce.

Her poems cryptically told of hidden abuse.
Tears often smeared her little girl masterpieces.

Years passed... her fingers stilled, her heart grew cold, her lips cursed God.

But there were other people busy at their keyboards... pouring out inspired messages.
Messages that would one day reach her - in deep places - places long ago hidden away. Messages that told her she didn't have to be a child of a broken parent. She could be a child of God. She was wanted.

She is me.

Jesus used their key strokes to produce words, messages, books, and Bible studies -- their words unlocked me, released me, held me, exposed me, and helped put me together again.

And then my fingers found their way back... and dared to strike a key or two or ten thousand. Letters became words. Words became chapters. Chapters became books. And somehow others were unlocked, held, exposed and helped.

Every one of us has words inside that were never meant to just rumble about, hidden away. They are meant to be shared. Given. Released. Spoken. Written.

But somehow, Satan has deceived us by making us think we are not good enough, smart enough, educated enough, or eloquent enough to be able to share the reality of what Jesus has done in our lives. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He goes on to instruct us to let our light shine.

But we don't have to do it in our strength. For right at the point we dare to say, "There's no way," Jesus steps in and calls Himself--- "The Way."

And your story is the best thing you have to share "the Way" with the world.

Dear Lord, thank you for weaving a story of redemption throughout my life. Give me the honesty to live it in such a way that honors you and the courage to share it in such a way that blesses others. Today, as you scan the earth looking to strengthen hearts fully committed to you, I raise my hand high and say, "choose me, I am willing." In Jesus' Name, Amen.

How Things Have Changed?

"June 30, 1922. Washington policeman Bill Norton measuring the distance
between knee and suit at the Tidal Basin bathing beach after Col. Sherrell,
Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, issued an order that suits
not be over six inches above the knee."

This site has some other interesting pictures from days gone by.
http://www.shorpy.com/node

Another Testimony

For those of you who are not able to attend Ladies Bible Class, you missed a blessing yesterday.
We are currently studying the book of Nehemiah where the theme is restoration. Restoration of the walls and restoration of the people. Lori Rickman gave us the story of her life and the amazing that restoration that God has done in her life. Not just physically but also spiritually.
The blessing for me was hearing Lori testify to the power of Christian community. She was not involved in a church nor had accepted Jesus as her savior when she ran into Hal Pruessner at Albertsons seven years ago. Hal reached out to Lori through a chance encounter at Albertsons. She remembers coming to RE the first Sunday with him expecting people not to accept her with her many piercings and combat boots. She was surprised to find that there was no judgment at RE but just acceptance.
She went on to talk about how God stopped her in her tracks physically and how so many different people at RE ministered to her, befriended her, helped her find a place to live, etc. There was so much more to her testimony than I am reporting here. While it is great to know that right now Lori is doing so much better physically; in fact she is trying to find a way to move out of the nursing home. But the biggest blessing was to just glorify God for what He has done in her life spiritually. She is His daughter, she has been redeemed and her life has been restored. She is now a walking testimony of what God can do in a life that is surrendered to Him.
Her talk was a reminder that God is ready to use any of us if we will just let Him. Praise God that Hal heard His prompting to speak to a stranger and invite her into community. Praise God that RE is a community that extends love and grace to anyone who comes. Praise God for all those that did not give up on Lori but discipled her and held her accountable. Praise God for Lori who responded to His love and mercy and has allowed God to glorify Himself through her and the transformation He has done in her life. All of us that were in class yesterday thank Lori for allowing us to listen and rejoice in a God who is ready to restore us all.

Encouragement for Today

I have a couple of daily devotionals that I subscribe to and one is Encouragement for Today on crosswalk.com. Today in Ladies Bible Class our lesson was on Nehemiah and the speaker highlighted several times how God uses the possible to do the impossible, or the ordinary to do the extroadinary. Then after class I am reading these thoughts and they reinforced what God had already said to me today, so I thought I would share them with all of you.

One Day Completely With God
Lysa TerKeurst

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere."
Psalm 84:10a (NIV)

Devotion:
Why do I often want to settle for less than what God has for me? What if I truly lived today completely obedient to God's word and in tune with His voice? What if before every choice I make today, I held up my options to the Lord and chose obedience over convenience and righteousness over my rights. God has never asked me to do great things for him. All He has ever required of me is to allow His greatness to enter me, change things around in me, and be revealed through me. Not to do for Him, but rather to simply be with Him. So, just for today I will live this way. Just for today, I am making the choice to not settle. Just for today, I will not let the subtle influences of pride, what is best for me, what is easiest for me, and what I want overshadow my desire for more of God in my life. Today, I will believe with absolute certainty. Today, I will obey with complete surrender. Today, I will seek with complete abandon. For today, I want God to find in me a haven in which to rest. Isaiah 66: 1-2 (NASB) says, "Thus says the LORD, 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,' declares the LORD. 'But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.'" My soul jumps at God's question, "Where is the house you could build for me -- where is a place that I may rest?" He is the God of the Universe - so big and so mighty and so capable. Yet, asking almost a vulnerable question to a completely unworthy human - "Can I abide with you today?"


If the president of the United States called me today to inquire, "Can I come and stay for a while? I'd like to sit and find rest with your family today," I would be left utterly speechless. How much more so that the God of the Universe actually desires that with each of us today.Unimaginable. Uncontainable. Unfathomable. Yet completely true. There are no great people in the kingdom of God. Just simple people. But every now and then a simple person makes a great choice. Oh God, let me make that choice today. Even if it is just for a day - how I long for it to be more - but even if it is just for today, may it be completely so. For one day completely with You, is better than a thousand elsewhere.

Lent

Steve gave me a book entitled "Small Surrenders: A Lenten Journey" by Emilie Griffin. It has a meditation for each day of the 40 days of Lent. I had always thought that Lent was just a time where the individual chose to give up something. This book has helped me see that is is actually a season of surrender and not just one thing, but surrendering your heart to be examined by God. A time of repentance. Today's reading especially spoke to me and I thought I would share portions of it with you.

"God wants our honest thoughts and feelings, as any lover does--not what we're supposed to say or feel" Murray Bodo

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, an authority on death and dying, assures us that we can put our toughest questions to God. We can be angry with God. We can complain. The truth is, God can take it.
Even more important, God is seeking a genuine relationship. God wants more than a polite, diplomatic sort of conversation in which the cards are held close to the vest. He is looking for a frank and open dialogue. If we don't put our honest thoughts and feelings before God, we will never have a chance at a real exchange. In the spiritual life, such honesty is fundamental, necessary surrender. God says "I don't want your sacrifices, your burnt offerings. What I want is you." Only our frankness will make such intimacy possible.

Sometimes I think I am too outspoken with God. But this author has helped me to see that my conversations are actually a positive thing. Who do I think I am kidding anyway? God can read my mind and nothing is hidden from Him, so when I put it out on the table I am inviting Him to talk with me. The question is do I really want to hear what He has to say?

Testimonies

I am not sure why we don't share testimonies more often? Everyone has a God story to share. Testimonies help to authenticate faith. Testimonies are not meant to glorify the testifier but God. I am thankful that the Aikman's were able to give us their testimony last night. They showed us all what surrender looks like in the flesh. I hope that we can all learn to share with one another about the ways that God works in our lives. May we learn to pass the stories down from generation to generation. We all need to know that God is still active in the lives of His people.

Psalms 145
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. ^[b]

They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,

so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.

The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.

The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

Motherhood

Today I went to Suzanne Boyd's baby shower. I think besides Suzanne there were four more pregnant women there. Do you know what pregnant mom's talk about? Their pregnancies. Then there were several other young mom's there who could join in the conversation because it had not been too long since they experienced it. Then the rest of the room was full of mom's who though their experiences were further removed could still participate in the conversation. Nothing wrong with this picture...it is exactly how it should be.

Tonight at our Life Group, Randi Kerby had invited Paul and Angie Akeman to speak. If you don't know the Akeman's they have an almost 3 year old child named Avery who has had many health challenges since the day she was born. You can read more about them at http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=averygraceakeman
Paul and Angie gave their testimony of faith. Angie read an entry from her journal where she was struggling after 5 years of infertility. She wondered if she would ever get to experience motherhood, to fit in with other women, to not always be on the outside looking in. Her words really hit a cord with me.

She couldn't have known that I had been to a baby shower today and had come home depressed as I do from most baby showers which for me are a continual reminder that I will never be a mom myself. Most of the time I don't give this much thought anymore, but baby showers tend to bring it up. I am not sure why it was not God's plan for me to have a baby. A lot of people over the years have tried to offer words of encouragement like "God gave you lot's of children, or He knew you wouldn't have time to minister to other children". Noble efforts, but they do not help. I know that Steve and I could have adopted but we never thought that was a viable choice for us.

Yet as difficult of a reality this is for me, it does not compare to what it must be like to have your dreams of a child not be crushed because you are childless but because you have to watch your child suffer every day of their life. It was not the way you dreamed it would be. Yet in the midst of this suffering, most of these parents would take life the way it is over not having a child at all. They just find joy in parenting no matter what the challenges.

I am not sure what the point of this post is. Perhaps to those of you that are blessed with healthy children, I pray that you give thanks for that blessing every day and never take it for granted. To those who have children with "special needs" may the Lord continue to bless you with His strength everyday as you surrender the control of your child to Him. (Angie Akeman's words, not mine) And to others like me who are childless may we continue to believe that our loving and sovereign God sees the emptiness in our hearts and longs to fill them with His amazing love.

Wow! It's Friday!

How can it already be Friday?? This week has really flown by. Hope you all had a great day with your Valentine's. Steve and I got to spend the afternoon together and then we went to a wedding last night. Tanya Jones got married to John Lloyd. Wouldn't you know I forgot my camera! Because they got married at LDF Silks in the Art District of downtown. She works there and it was so cool because she did not have to worry about her flowers as there were all these exotic displays everywhere!! It was so pretty! The only negative is the floors were all concrete and we stood a long time which was not very comfortable for me.

Today I took my mom and dad out for a belated Valentine's lunch. We went to P.F. Changs. I had never been there. We all really enjoyed it! I will definitely go back in the future.

Hope everyone can bundle up and stay warm this weekend! I think I will start another jigsaw puzzle :)

Valentines or Thanksgiving?

I saw this article and could not help do I not take for granted so often the freedom's that we have by being blessed to live in the United States of America?? Yes indeed.

(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday.

With a ban on red gift items over Valentine's Day in Saudi Arabia, a black market in red roses has flowered.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women, " Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari, a scholar in Islamic studies, told the Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper.

Every year, officials with the conservative Muslim kingdom's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice clamp down on shops a few days before February 14, instructing them to remove red roses, red wrapping paper, gift boxes and teddy bears. On the eve of the holiday, they raid stores and seize symbols of love.

The virtue and vice squad is a police force of several thousand charged with, among other things, enforcing dress codes and segregating the sexes. Saudi Arabia, which follows a strict interpretation of Islam called Wahhabism, punishes unrelated women and men who mingle in public.

Ahmed Al-Omran, a university student in Riyadh, told CNN that the government decision will give the international media another reason to make fun of the Saudis "but I think that we got used to that by now."

"I think what they are doing is ridiculous," said Al-Omran, who maintains the blog 'Saudi Jeans.' "What the conservatives in this country need to learn is something called 'tolerance.' If they don't see the permissibility of celebrating such an occasion, then fine -- they should not celebrate it. But they have to know they have no right to impose their point of view on others."

Because of the ban on red roses, a black market has flowered ahead of Valentine's Day. Roses that normally go for five Saudi riyal ($1.30) fetch up to 30 riyal ($8) on February 14, the Saudi Gazette said.

"Sometimes we deliver the bouquets in the middle of the night or early morning, to avoid suspicion," one florist told the paper

CAREcorp

Today was my third time to work CAREcorp. For those of you who read my blog that do not attend Richardson East, CAREcorp is our program for helping those who need money to pay rent or utilities and for distributing food. Even though I have only actually interviewed people these three times, I have seen people come and go for the past nine years. I have to really ask God to help me with a judgmental heart as some of the people just do not appear to be authentic and seem to be just working the program. Only one was like that today, but it is always one too many in my opinion. She came in for food only. She listed her income as $1200 a month. Said she only needed food for one and then when she was allowed to take the bread items on her own (we sack the canned goods) she took 2 cakes, 2 containers of 12 cupcakes, 4 containers of rolls and bread. Maybe I am wrong but that seemed like a lot for a single person. But it was just her attitude as well, not as humble, not as grateful as some others. I realize I need to be so very careful for the Lord tells me He will judge me with the same measure I judge others and I definitely need all the grace and mercy I can get. At the same time there was the sweetest grandmother raising her seven year old grandson that was my blessing to meet today. You could tell she did not want to be asking for help and was so very grateful for everything we were able to do for her. I am sure there are definite correlations to my own relationship with God. Some days I just take advantage and am not very grateful and other days I am overwhelmed by His goodness and oh so thankful for every good gift.

God Continues To Speak

Last night after my post on God speaking to me about our faith glorifying Him I was on the Richardson East website and noticed that our young couples class is posting commentary about the Romans study happening on Sunday mornings. In Kellie Litton's commentary she mentioned a couple Conor and Boothe Farley who had lost their newborn baby to an uncommon chromosomal abnormality, Trisomy-18 (or Edward's syndrome). I went out and spent an hour getting to know them through their blog. Oh my goodness!!! Their faith is absolutely amazing! You can get to know them at http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com

This is just part of one of Boothe's post after her daughter lost her eight day fight for life "I don't mean to sound morbid or even to depress anyone, although I know I'll find it hard at times to smile or to simply 'go on' as normal, despite the absolute necessity of that at some point. I remember thinking last night that I can't believe I actually fall into the category of people who have endured one of the hardest things life can hand someone. It doesn't seem real. And yet that word - endure - stands out and reminds me that somehow, as I sit in the darkness of my bedroom and hope I have the strength to face Copeland's bassinet in the kitchen, I realize that God is giving me what I can't give myself, what even no amount of Bible verses fail to give were it not first for His Spirit imparting to me an understanding and a thirst for Him. I confess I long to understand - to believe - in what I can't right now. I long to believe heaven is real, that my girl is being rocked by caring, loving arms, that she is absolutely healed from the effects of her cruel disease and that never again will she be hungry or frustrated at her inability to breathe. That she will look on the gates occasionally, waiting for her mommy and daddy to appear. My conversations with God right now are more like those you have with a junior high boyfriend as you pass them in the hall at school: necessary in order to remain in a relationship, but short, probably somewhat insignificant to any on-lookers. "Hey." That's about all I can muster at this point. What do you say to the God of the universe who chose not to heal or save your baby? Who, though they are giving you strength to endure, moment by moment, actually allowed the situation that require endurance in the first place? I call on you to pray for me. I will not turn my back on Him. But words fail me."

I could so relate to Boothe's feelings and yet have no idea what she is feeling, but I was so thankful that for some reason God led me there to show me that faith can indeed glorify Him.
Then this morning during my Bible reading I had the stereo on and this song came on.
All Is Well by Kathy Troccoli

Lord, I need you, help me see you
Through the darkness, covering my heart.
I've been fighting, but I am so tired
It feels like my whole world is torn apart.
When I am weak, In my faith, by your grace, I can say

All is well, All is well
You are Lord and all is well
You're the hope for my heart, and a peace beyond myself
You are Lord and all is well.

Thank you Jesus, for your presence
Even when it feels like you're not there,
You remind me that you love me
You have felt the pain behind my prayers.
Though the storm rages on, I am safe in your arms.
When every thing's out of control
Your love will not let me go.

All is well, All is well
You are Lord and all is well
You're the hope for my heart, and a peace beyond myself
You are Lord and all is well.

You have to understand that I had a CD player with 50 Cd's in it. I have the setting on shuttle so that it just picks songs at random. So for this song to come on this morning AND the fact that I do not honestly remember ever hearing it before??? I am confident that it was not a coincidence but God wanting to get my attention and confirm what He has been putting on my heart....He is there even when I cannot see Him.

God Speaks

Along with my daily Bible reading I have been spending time in a book entitled Praying The Names of God. Today's reading was on El Shadday (God Almighty). It is what God called Himself when He appeared to Abraham and made him the promise that he would become the Father of many nations. At the end of the reading there was the question "How have you experienced God's almighty power working on your behalf?"

This is what I wrote" An almighty God for whom nothing is impossible is the God that I believe in but not the God I have seen for awhile. Or is it the God for whom nothing is impossible is not doing the possible for reasons I do not understand? He is doing what is best but my humaness cannot understand how not healing a 2 year old so she can eat is best, or not stopping the constant seizures of another precious girl is best. How not keeping an infection from taking part of my leg was best? The parents of these children have such amazing faith and we marvel at them and their faith. Didn't you say you allow such things in order that you might be glorified? Well, we marvel at their faith not your almighty hand. However, I will continue to trust in you the Lord Almighty for whom nothing is impossible"

I tell you that because the next thing I did was pick up my Journey which is a daily devotional magazine I also read. Today's reading was on Jesus being the Vine and the fruit we will bear when we cling. The very last sentence was quoting I John 15: 1,5,8 "by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples".

I started crying because I immediately knew God had corrected me in His usual gentle way. Kim and Steven, Angie and Paul, God may not be healing your children in a way that we can see but He is being glorified through you and the way you are clinging to the Vine. Your faith is the fruit and it testifies to all of us that you are His disciples. Thank you for showing me what faith in the flesh looks like. Thank you God for letting me know that you are indeed being glorified in the lives of these sweet families and you will forever be El Shadday, God Almighty.

My Sunday Doings

This morning started with me watching Charles Stanley's In Touch program as I do every Sunday as I am dressing for worship. It started with a group that sounded like they were right out of the Appalachian mountains singing "Farther Along". They were so "hick" sounding. Charles' spoke on "When God Is Silent" and just had some really practical thoughts to share.

Steve had sinus problems and did not go to worship with me. I don't know if I will ever get used to sitting by myself but it makes me more conscious about the women who come weekly without their spouses.

If you are reading this and know Mona Otenti please send a special prayer up for her and her family. She was able to come to Life Group tonight and just share with us the daily challenges they are having in caring for her mom who has dementia. I admire them so much because it would be so easy to put her in a home and let someone else care for her, but Mona and Bob are doing the self sacrificial thing and just giving her mom the best therapy/medicine possible-unconditional love.

When I came home tonight I was watching the end of Extreme Home Makever. Oh my...a real tear jerker. A Marine veteran who lost a leg in Iraq whose wife deserted him and four children.
There was a scene where he was visiting other disabled veterans and he said he thanks God for allowing him the opportunity to use his lack of a leg to bless others as he is a walking example of how God can use your brokenness to heal others.

I then ended the evening watching the final part of the Grammy's. This is the one show that just makes me face the realization of how much I have aged. I don't recognize 90 per cent of the musicians and can't understand 90 percent of the lyrics. And by the way can anyone please help Kanya West with his self esteem? I think he needs to think more about himself. NOT!!!!!!!!!

Day of Organization

So what does it say about your pantry if it takes 3 hours of your day to reorganize it?? That is what I did today. It had become such a mess and we kept buying things we already had because we didn't know we had them. So now everything is together and I even labeled the shelves to that when other's help me shelve groceries things will get put where they go and hopefully we won't get back into this dilemma again in the future. So I felt good about that accomplishment until I realized I have three more cabinets and two closets that need it just as bad and a refrigerator that needs cleaning. Oh well...one day at a time.

Hope you all had a great Saturday and will have a good night's rest.

Cloud Has Lifted

Thanking God that the cloud has lifted and things are better. There are just times when I get that 1, 2 punch and just have to fight for Satan not to give me the TKO. It is a fight to look at the positive and not the negative. Sometimes I am just not as good at it as other times. But I keep returning to what I know instead of what I feel and eventually I always come around. I think this time an added factor is for 2 weeks I threw caution to the window and began ingesting more carbohydrates than I had in a couple of months and I think they made me more lethargic. I returned to my healthier eating and at my weigh in today I had lost 12 lbs! Really crazy I know. But I was thankful. I just want to keep moving toward my goal and not discouraged when there is a set back and I am thankful that God rewarded me for those good choices this week.

Steve told me an interesting quote by someone he heard on the radio named Ron Mehl. Why was Jesus born in a manger??

Because where else would a lamb be born?

Don't you jut love moments like that when you just say "Aha". I had never thought of Jesus being the lamb born in that manger. I am just so sorry that He had to be the lamb that was slain for me. Yet rejoice that I can walk in the confidence that His blood offers me continual cleansing for my sins.

In my bible reading today several times God is consumed with anger because the Israelites are complaining and not trusting Him to provide. I don't know why He looks on us with so much more grace today than He did on them? But I pray that I never take that for granted!!

Would You Ever?

Would you ever be so desperate to be at the beach that you would endure this?
http://www.rense.com/general80/dayi.htm

I tried posting the pictures but Blogger did not want to cooperate, so hopefully you could see the pics by the link?

I guess if it was all that you had you would settle? Just makes me thankful that I can find beaches here in the states where no one else is even 100 ft away. Especially since going to the beach is one of my favorite things to do.

Several Gripes

So I have a couple of gripes today. First of all I hate large SUV's. I hate when I am trying to turn and they totally block your view, but even more I hate that they don't fit in regular parking places and when they park next to my car I cannot get in it. Today at Cafe Max I deliberately scooted over in my slot to leave room on the drivers side. When I came out a Ford Expedition was next to me. And parked crooked in the spot to boot!! Fortunately they had running boards or I would have probably had to put a dent in their car to get in mine.

Secondly, when you bring children to the Social Security Administration where there is a two hour wait, why wouldn't you bring something to entertain them with?? I understand that you might need to bring them with you as you cannot find childcare, but to bring them with nothing to do just sets them up to be fussy. Then when you walk in and get your number and it is 303 and when you sit down and hear them call 247 you know you are going to have a long wait ahead!! I asked the guy that waited on me if there was a better time a day to come then the afternoon and he said not really, that it is particularly bad right now because of tax season.

A good thing was Ladies Bible class was really good on the book of Ezra. I don't know that I knew that much about him before today. Just contemplating God's mercy and grace in letting the Israelites return from captivity to rebuild the temple was good for me. Listen to this prayer that Ezra prays in Ezra 9:
"My dear God, I'm so totally ashamed, I can't bear to face you. O my God—our iniquities are piled up so high that we can't see out; our guilt touches the skies. We've been stuck in a muck of guilt since the time of our ancestors until right now; we and our kings and priests, because of our sins, have been turned over to foreign kings, to killing, to captivity, to looting, and to public shame—just as you see us now. Now for a brief time God, our God, has allowed us, this battered band, to get a firm foothold in his holy place so that our God may brighten our eyes and lighten our burdens as we serve out this hard sentence. We were slaves; yet even as slaves, our God didn't abandon us. He has put us in the good graces of the kings of Persia and given us the heart to build The Temple of our God, restore its ruins, and construct a defensive wall in Judah and Jerusalem. And now, our God, after all this what can we say for ourselves? For we have thrown your commands to the wind, the commands you gave us through your servants the prophets. They told us, 'The land you're taking over is a polluted land, polluted with the obscene vulgarities of the people who live there; they've filled it with their moral rot from one end to the other. Whatever you do, don't give your daughters in marriage to their sons nor marry your sons to their daughters. Don't cultivate their good opinion; don't make over them and get them to like you so you can make a lot of money and build up a tidy estate to hand down to your children. And now this, on top of all we've already suffered because of our evil ways and accumulated guilt, even though you, dear God, punished us far less than we deserved and even went ahead and gave us this present escape. Yet here we are, at it again, breaking your commandments by intermarrying with the people who practice all these obscenities! Are you angry to the point of wiping us out completely, without even a few stragglers, with no way out at all? You are the righteous God of Israel. We are, right now, a small band of escapees. Look at us, openly standing here, guilty before you. No one can last long like this."


What if I could be that confessional and repentant with my own sins? I remember a few years ago there was such a blitz about the prayer of Jabez. Perhaps it is time to promote the prayer of Ezra?

God Speaking

I am trying to be more intentional about my daily Bible reading. Steve bought me the Narrated Bible in Chronological Order for Christmas this year and he and I are reading it through together and discussing it at dinner. The last couple of days the reading has been rather redundant as it has been the exact specifications for the building of the temple. Today I really needed a voice of encouragement from the Word and today it was the numbering of the Israelites, where they were to pitch camp and what they were to take care of. It was not really speaking to my heart.
Then I picked up a 40 day devotional book I began reading yesterday from Max Lucado's new book 3:16. Here is what I read "God is whispering to you. Those are his arms you feel. Trust him. That is his voice you hear. Believe him. Allow the only decision maker in the universe to comfort you. Life at times appears to fall to pieces, seems irreparable. But it's going to be okay. How can you know? Because God so loved the world and
Since he has no needs, you cannot tire him
Since he is without age, you cannot lose him.
Since he has no sin, you cannot corrupt him.
If God can make a billion galaxies, can't he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course He can. He is God."

I was glad that God did speak to me today after all. I needed to hear these words. It is so easy to lose His voice when other voices are speaking in your ear. I am still not sure where the darkness that has engulfed me the last several days has come from, but I am thankful that God gives me the hope that the light will once again shine and He will show me the way out of the tunnel. I am indeed very thankful that HE IS GOD.

Superbowl Commercials

So I was surprised that none of my 25 or so blog friends posted anything about the Superbowl commercials today. I was interested in hearing what everyone's favorites were. So just in case anyone is interested, I thought I would post my top three.
1. Budweiser's commercial with the Dalmatian training the Clydesdale to be picked for next year's team.
2. Fed Ex commercial with the pigeons wrecking havoc on the city.
3. Career Builder commercial about following your heart.

Just to let you know Steve's favorite was the Bud light where the guy fly's and gets sucked into the plane.

Now did I think any of the commercials were worth 3 million dollars?? Or did any of them cause me to consider trying their product? Nope.

So, what was your favorite? Inquiring minds want to know.

Blog Readers

Thanks to the post I got from Alaska and the encouraging words. I am always amazed at who is reading my blog that I don't even know (I mean personally know). I am not sure that I read blogs of people I don't know and if I do on occasion I would not post a reply. I'm not sure why because i enjoy reading posts on my own blog. However, I wouldn't if they were crazy like our friend Kristi seems to get? It is rather sad that some individuals get their kicks from just posting comments that are meant to agitate the reader. So far I have been blessed that when I do get a comment it is usually someone being kind. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it continues to be the way it is.

We had a nice Super Bowl get together at the Autery's. I played two new games Buzzword and Apples to Apples. Both of them provided us with lots of laughs. It is true what they say "laughter is good for the soul".

In A Funk

Don't know what is wrong, just know that I have been in a dark fog for two days now. I don't have a clue why and I have tried to talk myself, pray myself, read myself out of it. The only thing I haven't done that I usually do is eat myself out of it. Perhaps that is the reason for the funk in the first place, when I weighed in yesterday after missing the last two meetings because of Nashville and Ladies Retreat I had a significant weight gain. So with that comes a lot of negative messages. I really do not want to be on a diet. I honestly want to be making positive lifestyle changes. I knew I had not made the best choices in Nashville and on the Ladies Retreat, but also knew I didn't make the worst choices. So in two weeks time I gained what had taken 2 months to lose. How does that happen? Anyway...don't know why I am posting about it, guess I was hoping if I saw it in writing I would understand it better. Thanks for listening (or reading in this case).