My Lord is Jesus Christ, the Son of God

I got a comment on my last post saying that Allah was the Lord and that Jesus was just a messenger sent by him. I wanted to apologize to anyone that might have seen it. I have since deleted it because it is completely opposed to my beliefs. And since it is my blog, I can do whatever I want. Some might say that I am not being "tolerant" but I do not care. The truth of the gospel is not tolerant and it may offend people but Jesus never apologized for the message of a fallen man in need of salvation so I am not going to either. Jesus Christ has saved me from an eternity of separation from Gods' presence and I am so thankful. He continues to show His love to me and has commissioned all believers to share the good news of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus is everything to me and I will proclaim his goodness boldly and without apology. If it offends you, please feel free to find another blog to read. But I pray that you might take the time to search out the God I serve and come to know Him as your Lord and Savior. He is a loving, gracious and compassionate God that has created all things and longs to have His children call upon His Name.....the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Update

My grandfather is in the hospital right now recovering from open heart surgery. The surgery was a huge success and he is doing phenomenal. Today he is up and walking around. His surgery was Monday. It boggles my mind that it is possible to open up a body, stop a heart, hook up a bypass machine, operate and correct clogged arteries, reattatch them to the heart, restart the heart, close up everything, wake the person up and they can walk around 2 days later. The human body is a marvelous thing. But the creator of that body is truly the ultimate in magnificence and marvelous. He was with my Papa and continues to heal his body and I am so thankful and grateful.

A few things happened while we (my family) was over there to support my Papa and Nana. Some of them made me step back and count my blessings, especially when it comes to my children. They are healthy, physically, mentally, developementally. They are growing the way they are supposed to. They are blessings!! Some days when I am overwhelmed and frustrated I am not mindful of the obvious and I forget to be thankful. I was reminded. Thank you Lord!

I also realized that there is only one person on which I can rely totally on for all my needs. His name happens to be Jesus and He wants to be my everything. Anytime I try to rely on someone else or somthing else to meet a need in me it is doomed to failure and destined to leave me feeling like I have been run over by a Mack truck. When will I learn? Hope it is soon. So glad the Lord doesn't give up on this stubborn woman.

I was without my two sweet little boys while I was out of town. I missed them sooooooo much. I missed their banter, their humor and their ability to make me smile and laugh no matter what. I am truly blessed!!!!

You know what? I am also blessed with a tremendous sister that happens to be a wonderful mother and my bestest friend in all da wurld.(smiles, Mal) Her sweet little boys were such breath of fresh air the past few days. Nothing like the smell of a newborn, is there? And my brother. What an awesome man of god. I am honored to have such a man in my life. His wife is an inspiration and such a sweet woman. And their little boy make me want to keep my lips attatched to his cheek forever. What a cutie!! He even showed me how to watch youtube videos on the phone. He is not quite 2 and I am 31. I think I am lacking in technology training.
And I am blessed to have the best momma in the entire universe. Sorry to all of you out there that think your mom is. But my mom is the best. Her strength, humility, reliance on the Lord and determination to do things Gods way is a constant challenge to me to let God do things His way and to die to myself. She has gone through so much but she continues to stand in the strength of the Lord and I am anxious to see what tremendous blessings that God has in store for her. Thanks mom!! I love you!

Blessings come in many ways. And I am determined today to think on these things.
I AM BLESSED!!!

Grow up!

I Corinthians 13:11-12 (Amplified)

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man (woman), I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.
For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

God has been dealing with me about growing up in all areas of my life. He gave me this scripture and it has been a constant reminder that I don't know what He knows. And my rebellion and disobedience aren't going to get me closer to being the person that I know I want to be. Being a grown up requires discipline and work. It is time to step up and quit making excuses for where I am in my life. Nothing is going to change unless I make different choices, speak different words, think different thoughts, and do things different. Do I have the guts and determination to do it? I pray for His strength and grace.

Funk Buster

Today I woke up in a funk. I drug around the house feeling overwhelmed and aggrivated. I called my hubby to vent and he was so kind, compassionate and loving. He encouraged me so much. But the thing that helped the most was when he said "when you get home, I want you to spend some time with the Lord, go outside, sit under the tree, tell the boys to play, tell them you need some God time, they can handle it". It was a timely reminder that I cannot be the wife, mom, sister and woman that God wants me to be if I am not taking the time to make sure I am built up in the Lord. Hearing my husband audibly give permission to put aside the things that consume me was like a breath of fresh air. So I did. I came home, fed the boys and we went outside. They played and I spent some intentional time with my Heavenly Father. And just like every other time, He showed up. He spoke to me through His Word and encouraged me. He led me to scriptures that I can say to speak to my situation and to build my faith. My God never dissapoints. It is only when I get mired down in myself that I forget that wonderfual attribute.

Please make the time to build yourself up in the Lord.

Here is a song that the Lord has been using to encourage me. Hope it ministers to you as well.

You Talking To Me?

I have realized that as I read books, blogs, e-mails, listen to sermons, do Bible studies that there usually comes a point and time that I begin to feel "uncomfortable". We all know that feeling. The feeling inside that screams "how could they say that?" or "who are they to say that?" or "Hmm..I wonder what is up their butt?" or even "that is so off base" and I begin to take things personally. I try to figure out what they were "really" trying to say. But the more I think and pray about it I have realized that most of the time that I begin to get that gnawing feeling is because what they said hit a little too close to home. It made me think about things I would rather forget and not deal with. And it is because I am feeling that way that I need to dig my heels in and face whatever the Lord is trying to tell me. He is truth, He is grace, He is mercy and because He is who He is, it will make my flesh uncomfortable. My flesh might even want to revolt and cast blame on those that are sharing the truth of God's Word. But true and lasting change is only possible through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. So it is time that I let myself be uncomfortable and sit at the feet of Jesus and get to know Him for all He is. And to be thankful for all the people who love the Lord enough to speak truth, even if it isn't popular and makes us "church folk" uncomfortable.

It's Not Gonna Hurt, Is It?

Today was "go get our flu shots" day. I had been preparing the boys that we would be going to get them and trying to reassure them that they were brave and that it wouldn't hurt too bad. However based on their previous experience, they were reluctant to believe me. We even called other people who had already gotten their shots and they were told that it didn't hurt. So they were getting braver bit by bit.

I could tell that my oldest was worrying when I picked him up from school. So we talked about it again. He asked questions and I answered the best I could with the knowledge that I had. We grabbed lunch (at a drive-thru....that is a HUGE treat for us) and then went to see their daddy. Then we were off to the doctors office for what I thought was going to be a no nonsense, quick trip for shots. Yeah right!

We signed in and then sat and sat and waited and waited and waited to be seen. Now I am used to waiting at the doctors office and it wouldn't have been a big deal EXCEPT I called them last week and again yesterday to make sure we didn't need to make an appointment. They said "no it is done outpatient, in and out". So that is what I told the boys. So after waiting for over an hour my boys were getting more and more nervous. Once we got into the room, the nurse then proceeded to draw up the shot IN FRONT OF MY CHILDREN. Not sure if it is her first week working with kids or what but I have never had a nurse even let the boys see the syringe, much less put them through the agony of watching her pull the inch and a half needle out and fill it full with stuff she is going to stick in their leg. At this point, my oldest started going into major freak-out mode. I had to lay on top of him and hold him down while he was shrieking and thrashing about. All the while my youngest is on the other side of the room junping up and down and running in circles because he just knows we are killing his brother. The nurse finally gave him the shot and he stopped screaming and said "that didn't hurt that much". So little brother is put on the table for round two and big brother tells him that it won't hurt that much. Round 2 went smoother. He didn't thrash, just alot of screaming. They did get cool stickers for their "good behavior".

I went directly to Walgreens and got my flu shot. They were worried for me but I had more knowledge and experience on my side and I am proud to say that I did NOT freak out and punch the nurse. It didn't hurt at all.

Anyway, this whole experience got me thinking about things. A shot is never a pleasant experience but I had more knowledge and experiences on my side to help dispell any fears. My boys were relying on their knowledge of shots to cope. And guess what? The experiences they have had gave them a perspective that no matter what SHOTS ARE EVIL AND MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COST. As their mother I know the benefits of shots, a little pain now to help avoid a greater pain later. My perspective is different than theirs. How many times do I walk into a situation and bring my perspective which is skewed by my experiences instead of relying on God's perspective? He can see so much more clearly what I need. He will never lie to me. My boys thought I had lied to them when the shots were not what they had been told. I didn't lie. I spoke the truth. God speaks the truth and is truth. Just because things don't work out the way I think they should does not mean that God lied or led me astray. He knows better than me. Why can't I just trust Him?

Not sure if that made sense to anyone else but the events of this afternoon taught me a lesson. My life and its experiences and my perspective about those experiences have affected how I look at things and how I live my life. It is only God's perspective that is perfect and sees all things and sees how things will work out for my benefit. If I will take the time to get to know my Heavenly Father and allow His perspective to become my perspective, how much differently would I be living my life? I would walk confident, not in fear. I would walk in love and compassion, not in judgement and criticism. I would be generous, not stingy and selfish. I would be patient, not quick tempered. I would walk in faith, not walking daily in doubt and bondage. I would see the people around me as creations of God who need to know Him and His love and salvation, not people that inconvenience me in my little self absorbed world.

Today showed me how screwed up in my thinking I have been. It is time to get to know God for all He is.

I'm an auntie again!

Hello all! This past week has been a flurry of activity around here. My sister (the coolest woman I know) gave birth to her second little boy, my third nephew. I had the honor of watching her oldest son while she went to the doctor and before she was admitted to the hospital. My awesome mother in law came up and watched her little boy and my two sons so I could be there when the sweetest angel was born.

Little Rylend is perfect in every way. He is sooooooo precious and adorable. He and his mommy are both doing great. I would post a pic but I have a HUGE pet peeve about people posting other peoples news and pics before they do. I just feel that there are so few moments in our lives that are truly so special and precious that it is just sooo rude to swoop in and steal the thunder. So whenever his mommy decides to post pics I will put some up. It is her news to share and I will leave it up to her to do it.

Speaking of rude people....I went to a wedding last month and there were people that posted pics of the bride, groom, bridal party and everything before the newlyweds even got to leave the church. Hello!!! It is their day, can you just not try to make it all about you? Just saying.

My oldest has been on fall break for the last 6 days (yes, he has been counting every one). He was so excited about being out of school but today he informed me that he couldn't wait to go back to school in the morning because being at home is SO boring. He even reminded me that he needed to go to bed earlier because he had to get up early. Hilarious!! He is alot like me as a child. I loved school and while I enjoyed being home with the family I would have rather been at school. He is learning phonics and sight words and loves to get books and try to pick them out. He will be reading in no time. I can't wait! Reading is probably my favorite past time in the entire universe and I think he will enjoy it as well.

My littlest man is so funny. One minute he is Mister Independent and the next he is telling me that he is not a big boy and wants to lay in my lap and be sung to. I love that they are so unique and different and yet so complimentary in their personalities. And they love each other so much. I love to hear them giggle and laugh and wrestle. Such little boys!!! I can't believe they are going to be 6 & 4 in a couple months. They decided they want to celebrate their birthdays together with just one party. Score for mom!! That means less planning for me. Because lets face it I am not one that enjoys planning and executing anything. Especially parties. There are people who are so gifted in that area, I just don't happen to be one of them. But that is alright. I have a mom and a mother in law that love to plan stuff. Perhaps I will let them help.

I still have not been disciplined enough to try the couponing again. I need to be doing it, desperately need to be saving money while providing nourishment and neccesities for my family but just haven't known where to begin. The bottom line is that I am really terrible with follow through. I am realizing it more and more. Do they have a support group for that type of thing? Perhaps PA (procrastinators anonymous) or LB (lazy bums)? Maybe I should start one......or maybe not.

I have been in a funk here lately. Can't really pinpoint a particular reason (I guess I could just choose from the 87 that are spinning through my head) but I would really like to get out of the funk. I guess I need to just put on my big girl panties and deal with stuff. That is never fun. But I guess NOT being a funk for the rest of my life should be motivation enough to get on with it. Sorry if that was cryptic and incoherent.....

I have been trying to think of things to blog. If I think if any I will post them.

Can't Stay Focused

I got up this morning with a to-do list. And I have begun working on it. The problem is that I find I get alot more accomplished if I have music playing while I work. Otherwise I work slower and get easily distracted. But his morning I was listening to the new Passion CD on Grooveshark and kept hearing these awesome songs. So of course I have to stop and run to the computer to find out the name of the song and who is singing it. Then I have to Youtube it. So needless to say I am over an hour into my to-do list and the only thing that has been done is internet research....hahaha. Anyway, here is one of the songs that ministered to me this morning. I thought someone else might need to be reminded of how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Be blessed and Happy Friday!!