Feeling like myself....

Ever have days when you just don't feel like yourself? My SILs and I were discussing this, apparently female phenomenon, over the weekend....each of us admitted that we have alter egos who appear at the worst possible times. (perhaps they are hormone related...tee hee). One of my SILs calls hers Lesterette, after her father's impatient attitude. I shared that sisters in my house church once named ours what ever our names spelled in reverse....ie Mary would be Yram, Nicole would be Elocin, mine was Lyrehc....
This seems appropriate since we are usually acting out the worst facets of our personalities at the time...the opposite of our usually sunny selves...:)
On the days when Lyrech shows herself I feel like a completely different person, impatient, irritated...and believe it or not, somewhat....irrational...I know hard to believe isn't it. LOL I don't care for her....she isn't a very nice girl..... :)
Well yesterday wasn't one of those days, thankfully...and by the end of the day I was feeling pretty much back to normal....thanks in part to some great blogging friends!

The subject of alter egos came up again this morning on a TV morning show I was watching. The news anchor revealed the fact that when shopping with a couple of her good friends, they each pretend they are "some one who could actually afford the things they are buying"....:) I got a kick out of that one...maybe I should take up that practice. She said that although she can't afford to shop at Sax or Bloomingdales, her alter ego Tigger Montague certainly can! Isn't that hysterical?
I need me one of those personalities cause I certainly can't afford those shops either....
hmmmm...I could be Tipper Delaney.....does that sound sophistocated and rich, said with an accent of course? ...:) Do you have an alter ego personality and have you named him/her? Humor me, ok? I'll do something more serious later...:)

Blah, blah

Hey guys, I'm not really with it today...though it could be argued that I rarely am...at least I think I am sometimes...lol
I'm just feeling the uphill climb of life today and getting a bit down over it all....don't really feel like blogging or surfing or even listening to the radio....just got the blahs.....
Although someone did bring dark chocolate M&Ms to work today, yummm...that's one plus..:)

Why don't you all cheer me up....

That's Entertainment!

Found myself in a large church meeting in a large building on Sunday....You know ministers are taught early on to have a joke or two intertwined in the sermon.....I suppose ministers these days feel the need to entertain, our entire culture is geared toward entertainment ...and the whole service was certainly quite entertaining to me. (so maybe I'm a teeny bit cynical...LOL)

Here's the joke from the pulpit this past Sunday...drum roll please...


"Hey guys, have you heard about that new cologne that's guaranteed to drive women wild?....

It smells just like Wal-mart!!"

Quote of the week...

"It behooves you, you who would seek a deeper walk with your Lord, to soon lay
aside clearly defined intelligibles. In short, lay aside everything and cast
yourself into the bosom of a loving God. Eventually this Lord of yours will
restore to you all you have dropped, while at the some time increasing you in
strength and power. (I speak of a power to love Him more ardently) In turn
this love will maintain you in all circumstances that may come into your life.
Be sure that the love which you pour out toward Him (which He Himself will
give you) is worth more than all the actions which you can ever perform.
There is little you can do for God; there is so very little in this lifetime
you will ever really come to understand of Him, I care not how wise you are,
nor how much you study. But oh! You can love Him a great deal."
Michael Molinos The Spiritual Guide.

JUST DO IT!

I read several different blogs this past week and a common thread kept jumping out at me.
The concept of fellowship with God...communion with Him....maintaining our spiritual relationship with Him...
We have been taught well in our Christian churches....we know the rules...we should spend time with God every day...we should pray and read our Bibles....we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, which means we should attend church, right? We should witness ....we should, we should, we should...

We have high expectations of ourselves...and we try...we try really hard but we keep falling off the wagon...our schedules get mixed up, trials come into our lives that prevent us from maintaining our relationship with Him other than to cry out for help, we are extremely busy, we have families and jobs and situations to deal with and its just so darned inconvenient. We are tired...we are stressed, we are overwhelmed, we forget, ....or perhaps we are just plain lazy.
Can I get an "Amen?" :)

STOP!!

Did He not say, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" ?
Did He not say "Draw nigh unto me and i will draw nigh unto you"?
Did He not say "Repent" which means simply turn?

This is the same Lord I serve...isn't it the same one you serve?
I think we forget that He desires our companionship more than we desire His. His love is greater...He is standing ready and willing to meet us anywhere, anytime...for an hour or a moment. This relationship with Him is, after all, about love...and lovers make time for each other...
All that is necessary is that we make a move...in His direction.

How hard is it to take 5 minutes..yes only 5 minutes as soon as you open your eyes to do nothing but be with Him. No knee bending praying, no exaulted praise and worship...just be.

How hard is it to write out a scripture...just one or two verses, in your own words and look at them a few times during the week....maybe breathe a prayer over them...

You'll be surprised to find how much difference just a few moments can make...
Of course if you feel the need to pray several hours daily, read chapters and chapters of scripture, listen to nothing but praise CDs or even take a weekend retreat to spend time with your Lord, I'm all for it...but really...is it truly necessary to work so hard to touch Him? To love Him?...Isn't it the small daily touches that keep us close to our families and friends? And by the way...this same principle (I hate saying that...so many people correlate principle with formula)...anyway...this applies just the same to cultivating relationship and fellowship with other believers...especially the fellowshipping together, of brothers and sisters with God Himself....
I know we love a good potluck or a night out with the gang from Sunday School and these things are good and are fellowship of a sort...on a human level...but if we want to begin to experience fellowship together with God....a totally different kind of fellowship...a spiritual one...it really isn't so hard....
Drop a sister an email encouraging her with that verse you've been looking at, share it together....meet for a quick cup of coffee and spend a moment praying together or stop by her job to say HI and offer a hug...

I have a few blogs that I read that encourage me often to simply DO SOMETHING...fellow bloggers read them in wonder and can not fathom how these bloggers continually seem to hunger after the Lord, or how they continually seem to grow in Him...they marvel at the depth and wisdom of these bloggers who seem to have found the secret...but they, the reader, don't see the secret. It is there...clearly in plain view....
What stands out about these bloggers who seem to have real relationships with their Lord is this one thing:
They DO SOMETHING about their faith. Perhaps they are ultra spiritual but I don't think so... in reality they are often driven by great personal difficulties to a place of dependence on their Lord and subsequently they have fallen in love with Him. They DO SOMETHING about their relationships with God and with His people. Practical, physical, simple exercises to touch Him and share love with Him... a walk, a drive, a break in their routine, they stay up a little later or rise a bit earlier, they forgo chores to grab a moment with Him...they meet with other believers to share their hearts and turn to Him in everyday experiences like dealing with children or spouses, nature or chores....

Could this then be part of the secret? Simply taking the time to be with the One you love?

The thing I am most convicted of right now is not that I should spend more time with God or work on my relationships in the body....
The thing I am most convicted of today is to JUST DO IT! Do something, do anything to turn to Him, either alone or with sisters/brothers in Christ, to love Him and Be with Him...to JUST DO IT! Its really very simple and can take only a moment...but I need to MOVE...I need to draw nigh...I need to DO SOMETHING....ANYTHING...to turn to Him....to make time for Him....to love Him.
...its simpler than we think...
JUST DO IT....

New Bloggers

Just wanted to introduce you all to a couple of new bloggers, Bekaboo and T Texas Red...these two are full of fun, wit and interesting stories so I know you'll enjoy. Check out their new blogs if you get a chance and tell em I sent you :).....Bekaboo is my newly wed daughter and T Texas Red is my sis...

Monday Again...

Good Monday morning!
Caught up with my kiddos over the weekend......

Son is very busy...playing music with some old buddies on weekends...they like having him around...he's something of a celebrity....he is in school, working, and... in school...yep, 2 schools...always very busy between tours....leaves again next Thurs...
Busy boy but still time to call his Momma. :)

Newly wed daughter is...well... newly wed.....waiting on the Navy to tell them which way their lives will go...a bit of a trial now with the w..a..i..t..i..n..g.... :)









Baby girl is getting over sickness, settling into a new job and looking to move to a new apartment..lotta stress for her...Out with her bestest friends from childhood over the weekend...they are a bit younger than she and my how they are all growing up!


Talked to Jadabear on the phone...she informed me that she was "bad" at school last week...a fact confirmed by her Maimaw and her Mommy....(time outs everyday I believe...lol)
I, being the Gigi was of course, sympathetic, asking what she did...."Me and Victoria turned the chalk board over on CJ" "Oh dear....were you being mean or was it an accident?" "It was a accident"...Her Mommy says, "it was not an accident, the teacher saw the whole thing!" LOL
I think cartoons were banned that evening as punishment....
Being newly 3 and in a new class with the early morning schedule of back to school does not make for a happy little girl apparently...:) ( I always hated those first couple of back to school weeks...everybody is out of sorts)....

We, hubby and I, spent yesterday lazing around, took a walk, a Sunday drive and read a book.... does it get any better???
Hope your weekend was fun....what'd you do? ....Blogger won't let me upload any more pics!

Calling things that are not as though.....they are.

I'm still hearing Man of Lamancha songs in my head today...and this may be a stretch for some of you to understand but I'm going to take a shot at explaining it anyways...:)

In the story the hero, who is actually a local squire, believes himself to be Don Quixote a brave knight and a nobleman. He has set off across the country to prove himself in gallantry, bravery and heroism. He meets Aldonza, a scullery maid of ill repute, a woman who has been battered and worn by all the terrible things in life....but in his eyes...she is beautiful, she is pure and to him she is a lady, his lady...the lady of a gallant nobleman. She has a hard time buying that since she knows all the horrible things she has done and had done to her but he will not hear her denials and christens her with the name of Dulcinea which means Dream...She IS his dream girl.

It may be weird to you but when I hear this story I see the Lord....does He not call His Church, His Bride pure and holy? While we, as members of Her see the ugliness...the unsightliness...the dirt if you will...She is not pure, She is not spotless and of course He can never return until She is...so we keep working and hoping and praying that She/we can do better, get cleaner, be gooder....all useless...She/we will never become pure and spotless in our efforts...He alone can look upon His Bride and make Her as lovely as She is described in scripture....and He does...by His own faith, His own vision, His own actions..His own speaking of Her to BE as He sees Her. In so doing, He makes Her into the woman He needs and wants for His own.
On occasion...if we are very fortunate...we too can see with His eyes...we can see Her as He sees Her...beautiful, radiant, spotless, perfect....and when that occurs...the words of this scene seem so appropriate...

DON QUIXOTE: (enters the inn)

Sweet lady... fair virgin...

(Don Quixote averts his eyes worshipfully)

I dare not gaze full upon thy countenance Lest I be blinded by beauty.

But I implore Thee - speak once thy name.

ALDONZA: Aldonza.

DON QUIXOTE: My lady jests.

ALDONZA: Aldonza!

DON QUIXOTE: The name of a kitchen-scullion... or perhaps my lady's serving-maid?

ALDONZA: I told you my name! Now get out of the way. (She clears past him to the table.)

DON QUIXOTE: (Smiling, sill keeping his eyes averted) Did my lady think to put me to a test?

Ah, sweet sovereign of my captive heart.

I shall not fail thee, for I know...

I have dreamed thee too long, Never seen thee or touched thee.

But known thee with all of my heart.

Half a prayer, half a song, Thou hast always been with me,

Though we have been always apart.

Dulcinea... Dulcinea...

I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea,

And thy name is like a prayer An angel whispers...

Dulcinea... Dulcinea!

If I reach out to thee, Do not tremble and shrink

From the touch of my hand on thy hair.

Let my fingers but see Thou art warm and alive,

And no phantom to fade in the air.

Dulcinea... Dulcinea...

I have sought thee, sung thee, Dreamed thee, Dulcinea!

Now I've found thee, And the world shall know thy glory,

Dulcinea... Dulcinea!

Isn't it amazing when we as mere mortals can see with the eyes of God and see His Bride as pure and holy as He says She is and can actually reach out and touch Her? She is real, she is pure, She is spotless...not because She tries to be...but because He says She is.

In the story of Man of LaMancha, Aldonza finds that she desperately wants to be Dulcinea...and because Her Lord and Master sees her as a pure and beautiful woman, deserving of his love and devotion...she can eventually, with his help, see herself as such and somehow...miraculously...become that woman.

The Church of Jesus Christ is much the same, don't you think? As we hear in our spirits more and more how He sees Her...we can believe more and more...and sometimes, if we are very fortunate...even see Her with our own eyes and touch Her with our own hands...That pure and spotless Bride worthy of the Lamb.

Tomorrow is Aug. 11th...does 11 have some special meaning?

I was at work at my desk on Sept. 11th when we heard the news of a small plane flying into the World Trade Center. My first thougths, "oh dear, those poor people, what a terrible thing to happen"...then shortly afterward, the report of a second plane hitting the second World Trade Center building and the the slow dawning that something here was not right...this was not concidental....then the frightening realization that it was intentional. I was one of the first people on my floor to realize that something so big was happening that work should wait....I hurried down to our conference room to the one TV I knew of, to find one other employee busy trying to get a channel on a televison usually used for Powerpoint presentaions and training videos. We found a channel as the room began to fill with shocked and disbelieving co-workers and together, we watched both towers collapse.
This morning, I did not feel that same sense of disbelief...I am now, unfortunately, a seasoned victim of terriorism...but I was once again gripped with the overwhelming realization of just how real and how close this war on terriorism is and how big this one incident could have been. Can you even begin to imagine the horror of up to 10 planes falling out of the sky while enroute to the US?!?! September 11th multiplied and spread over the world...chaos in every corner!

I have travelled in and out of Heathrow Airport many times...my husband flies internationally often and we both know how very strict they are at Heathrow and now we know how on guard the British government has been as well...Thank God!
All I can say is THANK GOD! people are continuing to fight this horrible thing called terrorism, daily following leads, never taking their charge lightly, doing their jobs. THANK GOD for conscientious citizens who notice strange things going on and report them to the authorities. THANK GOD for HIS protection thus far in this war we have been dragged into, that we have had no repeats of that dreadful September 11th day though we may never know how close we have come. We are innocent no more but when things like this happen we are again made accutely aware to stand guard, to pay attention and never to take the life we know in this country for granted, there are those who would like it to all come to an end.

Broadway

Ahhhh, I'm missing my Broadway....
I'm a huge fan of musical theater...
From Fame and Tommy, to Guys and Dolls, Annie, Hello Dolly, Man of LaMancha, Ragtime, Miss Saigon, Chicago, and Mamma Mia,... to Rent, the incomparable Phantom and my most favorite, the amazing Les Miz....perhaps the best Broadway play ever.
Many of these hold special memories for me....I guess they all do...

My daughther acted in several of these in high school, Fame, Tommy, Guys and Dolls (she won the lead)
My sister and I took my mom to see Hello Dolly with Carole Channing starring for her 60th birthday.
I went to see Mamma Mia with my mother and my daughters for Mother's Day one year, and yes, there was dancing in the aisles...it is ABBA music after all. :)
I saw Annie, my very first on stage professional performance, in London, 27+ years ago.
Watched Rent long after memorizing the score and long after meeting the likes of Mimi, Angel, and Roger live and in person in a real life AIDS clinic. (La Vie Boheme ain't all its cracked up to be, people)
Saw Les Miserables and Phantom in NY on Broadway...incredible!....
Les Miz had such an effect that I have repeated the experience and even co-written a short play based on Les Miz, songs and all. What an experience that was!

I love them all...each for different reasons, some for the high energy and dancing...some for the shear power of the music or the harmony, some for the depth of the words...some for the incredible moving story line, or the heartwrending message....some for the pure joy of life. Nothing quite enwraps you in the story and makes you a living part of it for 2 hours like musical theater. Its miraculous really. Movies cannot compare.

The ones I really love are the ones that speak to me of something deeper. Today I dug out my Man of LaMancha CD...and drove to work singing at the top of my lungs....I like remembering that calling things that are not as though they were is something God encourages me to do just as Don Quixote called Aldonza, the scullery tramp, his Dulcinea, his dream.... impossible dreams are worth dreaming and stars are within our reach...

"Man of La Mancha is the story of one man's hope for a life of love, valor and compassion. It is at a time when we desperately need mad men like Don Miguel Cervantes' sixteenth century nobleman to keep us believing that there's sanity in dreaming impossible dreams and reaching for unreachable stars. "

"to dream the impossible dream. . .to reach the unreachable stars. . .to fight for what's right without question or pause. That is my quest" ---from the show's anthem song.

Its still hot here, folks...

Its only 93 today......yay! its cooling off! LOL
and it rains every afternoon around 3-4pm...I thought I moved out of Florida!

Actually its humid too...yesterday my front windows all fogged up...after that daily storm of course....

LIF

One morn­ing it came into my mind as I went to la­bour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gra­cious Ex­per­i­ence of a Christ­ian.’ As I went up Hol­born I had the chor­us,
‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.’
In the day I had four first vers­es com­plete, and wrote them off. On the Sab­bath fol­low­ing I met bro­ther King as I came out of Lisle Street Meet­ing…who in­formed me that his wife was ve­ry ill, and asked me to call and see her. I had an ear­ly tea, and called af­ter­wards. He said that it was his usu­al custom to sing a hymn, read a por­tion, and en­gage in pray­er, be­fore he went to meet­ing. He looked for his hymn-book but could find it no­where. I said, ‘I have some vers­es in my pock­et; if he liked, we would sing them.’ We did, and his wife en­joyed them so much, that af­ter ser­vice he asked me, as a fa­vour, to leave a co­py of them for his wife. I went home, and by the fire­side com­posed the last two vers­es, wrote the whole off, and took them to sis­ter King…As these vers­es so met the dy­ing wo­man’s case, my at­ten­tion to them was the more ar­rest­ed, and I had a thou­sand print­ed for dis­tr­ibu­tion. I sent one to the Spir­it­u­al Mag­a­zine, with­out my ini­tials, which ap­peared some time af­ter this. Bro­ther Rees, of Crown Street, So­ho, brought out an edi­tion of hymns [1836], and this hymn was in it.

Edward Mote
Let­ter to the Gos­pel Her­ald


MY HOPE IS BUILT

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Been singing this for the last couple of days...Do songs ever just come to you?...they do to me...I haven't been in a church meeting where this was being sung...I certainly haven't heard it on the radio.....my hubby did mention a line of this hymn to me a few weeks ago in reference to a loved one standing in a storm....maybe that's where it came from...or more likely, the Holy Spirit within resounds with what I need to hear at this moment in time.....I can't say...but there it is...surfacing into my consciousness at random moments...I find myself thinking on the chorus...humming the tune under my breath at work...praying the verses...reminding myself, encouraging myself....

My Hope is in Christ alone...
Whatever may come, He is the Rock on which I stand,.... and when I can't stand, His Life supports me....
He never changes and His love and grace never change....His view of me never changes
I stand faultless and blameless before His throne....

These are things I need to be reminded of often...don't you?

Jada's 3!

I can't believe it!! This can't be happening!!

3 years ago this very day, my daughter brought forth her firstborn child...my firstborn grand child...

She was almost a whole month early and still weighed in at 6+ lbs. With a head of silky dark hair and skin a bright pink tone...I mean hot pink...she took our breath away.....
and she is still taking it today...

Happy Happy Birthday my "most beautiful", my Jada!

Not My Way, Please!

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'"~ C.S. Lewis ~

This quote reminds me of the scripture below...one that I have unfortunately had to learn the hard way...

Luk 20:18 "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. "

I thought I wanted to comment on this quote when I linked to it but let it suffice to say that this is the scripture that comes to mind upon reading it....and I type it with a wry smile on my face...

I do know...

It is truly a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God....

Lord let me turn quickly to you....yield swiftly to your desires, laying down my own in exchange for yours...let me never forget that You alone are Sovereign...You know exactly what You are doing and You will accomplish your Purpose. Help me to fall readily on You.

Jada

Quotes from the week:

Gigi, you're my best friend!
Is Poppy home yet?
I want to ride my bike and wear my knee pads.
Will you read me "Babar"?
Who was that boy who gave me Animal Crackers? (Mr. G., Poppy's boss)
There's a bug in my sandbox!!
Can we play in the sprinkler?
Poppy, you're my best friend!
We went to the museum...I painted a picture.
Can I read to you?....."Sometimes Sister Bear is too bossy!!" (from the Berenstein Bears series)
I don't wanna wear these anymore.
I'm playing house with D.W.
I don't like lightening bugs, Gigi..... Get it!! get it!! Put it in the jar!
Granny, (my mom) can we watch cartoons? You're my best friend!
Sing with me Gigi!
and....
Jada, "That's me in the picture".... Gigi, "Really? Are you sure?" Jada, "Yes, that's me" Gigi, "Do you have blue eyes?" Jada, "Yes." Gigi, "Do you have blonde hair?" Jada, "No, I got this." (pointing to her head) LOL
and the topper...Jada, "I'm a black girl and a white girl, all mixed together!" Gigi, "who told you that?"...Jada,"My mommy!"

Great week with Jadabear. We had such fun with her. Nothing like waking up beside a sweet little something and having her put her arms around your neck and say you're her best friend!

Disappointments

They come in all shapes and sizes, don't they?
Some are small, like the restaurant being out of shrimp, when that's what you came for in the first place...or those gorgeous shoes not fitting, even though you have tried every size...they just won't work after all.
Then there are the bigger ones, like when our weekend vacation got cancelled due to an unexpected business obligation or when our darling granddaughter was supposed to come to visit and was unable to make it.
These are all overcomable...not the end of the world...Small hills in the rollercoaster of life...just not what you were expecting. They are unsettling in some way....like taking a big drink of iced tea only to find your glass filled with soda instead....yuck! ...though I love em both... :)

Then there are the larger disappointments that invariably come our way....losing that great promotion, finding out you aren't pregnant after all, the house you wanted selling before you could place a bid....disappointing but still managable...
And of course there are the Colossal ones.....the ones that hang you up by your heels and drop you into darkness like you've never known...whirling to the very edge of disaster emotionally, mentally, financially or all of the above.
The heartbreak of a failed marriage, a child who determines to go their own way when you and eveyone around them can see that destruction lies ahead,..... failure to make it in your career of choice...like not passing the barr after all those years of law school....
never seeing your particular dream come true....
The kind of disappointments that seem to much to bear.

Yet even in the darkness or when everything seems to be spinning out of control so much of life can change at a moments notice...turn on a dime...just as with a wild and crazy rollercaoster ride...there are dips and turns and sharp curves. With hardly any notice at all you may be standing on your head screaming at the top of your lungs, plunged into blackness, or on top of the world.
Yes, the top of the world is also an option with rollercoaster rides...though in keeping with rollercoasters, they don't seem to last long, do they?

Things can change just that dramatically...from devastation to rejoicing, blackness can turn around to dazzling light and what is perceived as tragedy may become victory.... how we handle those crazy, unexpected, scary moments may well define our lives....

Can disappointment bring out the best in us? Can it cause us to see who we really are, encourage us to make changes, see what we can actually do and who we have hope to become?
I suppose this is along the same lines as the post about grace and peace ....But be sure, what ever is in us will come out when the rollercoaster of life slings us around...be it good or bad.....
This is when, as the saying goes, "the rubber meets the road"...the times when true character is defined...
What you have inside, what your life is made of,... is clarified, solidified, and usually made terribly public.... the places in the ride that you cannot hide....they are huge like Six Flags' Goliath and can be seen for miles...you cannot smile and pretend everything is fine...we all know better...

As a fellow blogger said to me..."at least its not a merry go round".....and right she is...where would be the fun in that?

On this wild ride called life, how will you hang on?.... what will you hold to?
May goodness and grace, character and common sense, and above all a sense of adventure come flying out of you as you ride this rollercaster called life, with all its ups and downs.... and hang on.....
Hang on to Jesus Christ ....He's never been thrown for a loop yet. :)

Hooray!!

She made it!
We drove 6 hours round trip to meet her mommy halfway and pick her up. She will now be with us the entire week! and we will do it again next Sunday to return her. The sandbox was a huge hit! (pics to follow) she loves it and can't wait to get back out there today. She also loves her Poppy! and won't let him out of her sight. He is babysitting all day today! I expect I'll have to tuck them both in tonight. :) ...after we catch lightening bugs...LOL

Life really IS a rollercoaster ride!

I'm so bummed!

Jada didn't come! They started out...but an hour or two from home the car began to have trouble so they had to call for assistance and ended up going back home for repairs. She probably will not get to come at all...We are SOOO disapointed! and the sandbox looks so lonely! ...and its raining....:(
Very sad....boo hoo!

LIF is yours

I don't really have any Lyrics I'm Feeling today...which is very unusual...as you may know.. :)
No lines of songs floating through my head or unceasingly coming out of my mouth driving my family nuts....nothing moving in my spirit, song wise anyway...:) guess I have a lot of other stuff on my mind just now.

So how 'bout you? Any songs speaking to you lately? Share a few lines with us and what they mean to you....it would make my day.

Truth

More drama in the house...well...maybe its more internal drama than external...
My sweet youngest is going through very hard times...you all have seen some of her stuff over the past few blogs and there is more, much more that I haven't posted....anyway...I am trying to feel my way along in how to talk to her, share with her, help her...without...you know...being a mom, too much...(how do you stop ??)
Today I am really seeking the Lord...will you also, on my behalf?

I don't ascribe to the point and click method of Bible reading or finding direction from God,... you know the method where you just open the scriptures, close your eyes and point to something, then apply it to your situation....I heard of a man once who did this and read "Judas went out and hanged himself", so he tried again and the verse said "go thou and do likewise"...not really a reliable plan. :)
However...today I had no idea where to go for this situation I am dealing with so I basically did just that...
First, I got out my VERY old bible...it is the one I had in highschool and is literally in rags...
It is also well marked with verses that applied to my life back then, dealing with the things teenagers deal with. I don't know why I got this one out...it was handy??
It fell open first to Jn 18:37 when Jesus, before Pilate said "to this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice".
Next the old book fell open to I Jn. 2:27-28 which says.. "But the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you and you need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

It seems that perhaps, what the Lord wants me to convey to my dear daughter, is wrapped up in these verses....she knows the truth, deep down she cannot deny it...she has known the Truth, she can hear His voice, this I am sure of. I can really only encourage her to hear that voice and to abide...He can speak things to her that I never can...
.....I never take for granted the prayers of the saints, you are my friends, my sisters....Pray for us today, please.
********************************
Is life always a rollercoaster ride?!?!

I know you are all waiting with bated breath....

We got it!!

65.00 -sandbox
17.00- sand
15.00- gas for truck
50.00- $19.99 rental + mileage
____
147.00 - total


....the look on her face when she sees it...Priceless :)
_________________________________________


.....So this is how our budget gets out of control....hmmmmm

Shopping for

This

for you know who....

Now, how to get it home... it won't fit into either of our cars....

we may have to resort to renting a truck!

Oh brother! the things we do for love!

Re-Cap

Good weekend...
new air conditioning...Yay!
clean...and I do mean clean bathrooms
funny book to read
sun to bathe in
Sale to shop at
movies to watch
"new" chair in the living room (lol)
good news...Jada is definitly coming on Friday!!

Still thinking....

about freedom...about free...
Why is that we have such a hard time with Free?......We always think there is a catch, we always think there is some hidden agenda...
I read a blog once where a lady and her friend had decided to have a Free Yard Sale...I guess that would be a Yard Free...haha
They wanted to give their stuff away rather than sell it....I know, novel idea...
What I found most interesting was the reaction of their patrons.
Said blogger reported that people asked repeatedly if the items were really free?
When assured that they were, the customers would either grab as much stuff as they could and hurry away or take one or two things furtively avoiding eye contact, as if they were actually stealing and didn't want anyone to see them.

Isn't this interesting??
Don't we treat God much the same way....spending most of our time looking for the catch, looking over our shoulders...feeling like we really should pay something?...some pennance? At least we should try really hard to "do good".
Or on the other end.... we take the freedom He offers and run with it as far as we dare....hoping and praying He really means it and will forgive us in the end...

I pass a florist on my way into work each day and sometimes, like now, they run a special promotion...If your name is __________ come in for a free flower. Today the name is Bobbie....do you think ayone who is not named Bobbie will come in and ask for a free flower...Not on your life...

we subconsiciously think...I suppose from years of experience, that there must be a hidden price somewhere....
we must pay some penalty...even the florist requires us to have the correct name after all.

But the gift of God is truly FREE, .....to us that is....it is in actuality very pricy, but to us...it is offered completly free...just ask...just receive....not only forgiveness from sin...oh no, that's only the beginning...the tip of the iceberg.
We are completely free...
from our past, from expectations, from our future, ...from our selves
we are free to soar in Him, explore Him and His kingdom...to love and be loved...

and yes, even free to sin...if we are foolish enough to....
He loves and forgives and accepts us...freely...always....
Of course we are also free to reap the consequences of our actions....and to find ourselves far from the freedom we originally embraced because sin enslaves...
but not to get off on sin...its well covered in church most Sundays...and I'd like to swing the pendulum the other way for a change.

In conclusion...(now you have your sermon for the week ;))
We are free in Christ, to love Him, to pursue Him, to know Him, to be one with Him, to experience Him in every way.....no strings attached....really.....

How free is free? Its as big as God Himself, as Free as He is..."because as He is, so are we in this life" I Jn 4:17

FREEDOM

Ahhh...I'm all better now...at least until the next crisis...lol Thanks to everyone for giving me the freedom to whine...:)

...and speaking of freedom......

What does this word mean to you?? Its been popping up in my blog conversations this week...it seems to be a theme He is reminding me of.
It is a very important word to me and I would love for myself, my friends, my family...everyone, to experience more of it...in the context of Christ.

freedom: below I have listed definitions per the good ole dictionary: now try thinking of them in the context of Christ and just how far reaching His freedom is. Just pick one and carry it out to its natural conclusion and see if God doesn't open you up to thoughts you've never had before, possibilities you've never dreamed of in Him....How free is free?

1) (in Christ) The power to act, speak, or think without imposed restraints.
2) (in Christ) Liberty from slavery, detention, or oppression.
3) (in Christ) Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority
4) (in Christ) Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: ie. freedom from want.
5) (in Christ)The capacity to exercise choice; free will
6) (in Christ) Ease or facility of movement.
7) (in Christ) Frankness or boldness; lack of reserve.
8) (in Christ) The right to unrestricted use; full access.( I really like this one!) :)
9) (in Christ) The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship. (this one too!)
10) (in Christ) A right or the power to engage in certain actions without control or interference.

How free is free?...He led capitivity captive....Whom the Son sets free is free indeed....
Dare we believe?

Waiting and whining...

We're waiting for the second doctor's OK on Jada. She seems completley fine although she did break out in hives yesterday when the first doctor poked around in her nose and she got upset...the hives have dissipated now and all seems well. He says she looks good but wants to see her back in a month....second doctor is proving to be difficult to get in to see....does she need to see her or not?!? she's the one who said to bring her in this week....so we don't know yet if Jada will be coming up to visit....ahhhh me...life certainly does drag on doesn't it?

We are having a new air conditioner/furnace unit installed in our upstairs...the old one broke down about a month ago but we have managed...with the aid of a travelling mother, a downstairs sleeper sofa and a trip to the mountains, to go this long with out getting a new one...it is no longer possible to drag this one out...it is too hot, at 7:30 am to get ready for work ( we live in the deep South people, its HOT)....on Friday, after the exchange of several thousands of dollars...we will once again have cool air upstairs. At least if Jada does come she will be able to sleep....

I'm very tired of dealing with life's many details.....yesterday it was the AC, today its car insurance and car repairs (Kate's car was broken into and trashed while at the hospital)....tomorrow.....who knows what crisis will arrise......all while waiting on doctors....Arrgh!

Sorry. I'm feeling a bit cranky today...must have caught some of Tammy's hormones...

The World Cup and Pirates

Did you see the World Cup final? Unbelievable! To have an amazing career tainted by such an ugly display....and to lose the match in the bargain....to those of you who did not see...the star player for the French, who is retiring after this game from an incredible career, lost his temper and flagrantly head butted an Italian player getting himself thrown out of the match which the French eventually lost.
Just goes to show that what is inside will come out under pressure....its true for all of us isn't it? I hope I ooze grace and mercy when the heat is on...but I know that sometimes ugly things come out, just when I most want to stay under control, or "be a good witness"....
I don't think the Lord is ever surprised by what comes out of us, becuase He knows our hearts already, but I sure am surprised sometimes...guess He wants me to be aware, yet again, just how dark my heart can be....it keeps me needing to be filled up more and more with Him...so He can be what oozes out of me when the pressure is on.

Did you see Pirates?? spooky, fun and funny(I laughed a lot)...never cared for Johnny Depp til he became a pirate :).......but just when you think the movie is finally going somewhere......its over til next year! I have no spiritual metaphors for this one....only frustration......we have to wait til next May?!?! :)

Ahhh, happy Monday!

LIF

My hubby and I sang this together as we trekked through the incredible NC mountains this past weekend...I particularly relate to the last verse.....He has truly broken the many chains that bound me and though always and forever free, I never feel freer than when I am alone with God in His creation. I don't know who wrote this...maybe a brother in one of the churches we have fellowship with...



I give You all the honor and the praise thats due Your name
For You are the King of glory
The creator of all things

And I worship You
I give my life to You
I fall down on my knees

As Your Spirit moves upon me now
You meet my deepest need
And I lift my voice to praise Your name
Through all eternity

And I worship You
I give my life to You
I fall down on my knees

You have broken chains that bound me
You've set this captive free
I will lift my hands to praise your name
Through all eternity

And I worship You
I give my life to You
I fall down on my knees
and I worship You.......

We're baaaacckk

Back home, back to work and back to blog...;)
fun fun fun in the mountains...actually very relaxing...uh yeah, isn't that how va-cas are supposed to be?? duh...how come mine never seem to work out like that...we were stressed to the max before departing so maybe we really felt the relaxation this time. :)
Jada girl didn't go home from the hospital til the 4th...she did end up having a piece of the wooden stick lodged in her sinuses which they discovered and removed on Monday nite. She is recovering nicely but staying with her other grandma this week as she cannot go back to school yet and her mommy is starting her new job....oh yeah, except for mommy's terrible cold she caught hanging out in the hospital...they actually sent mommy home yesterday from her first day on the job...poor baby...she's had her plate full these past couple of months!
Please God, let things settle down for them for a while now!

We had a wonderful few days hiking, biking and generally tromping around Pisgah National Forrest and the cute little town of Brevard where, believe it or not they have white squirrels...yes they do! Not albino...an actual species of white ones.
I read a complete novel one day, ate out plenty, had a campfire and toasted marshmallows, and heard the Declaration of Independence read in the town square on the 4th. Our fireworks got rained out that evening so we just packed up and took the scenic route home on Wed. And I do mean the scenic route...that would be the Blue Ridge Parkway....It was gorgeous!
We definitley will be purchasing a mountain cabin somewhere one of these days!

Remind me to tell you what mini revelations I had regarding fire and water....:)
I never go anywhere without the Lord so He was there to whisper in my ear and keep me company while sitting by the fire or hiking to some hidden waterfall....
nature itself teaches so much of God....

Hope your 4th was fun and that you were reminded just how much we have to be thankful for in this country! I'll get by your blogs soon...gotta get some work done right now! lol

Gone Away

We are on vacation for a few days!! (Up north they say "down the shore or gone away" when they are vacationing..which seems to be every weekend or sometimes the entire summer, those lucky ducks!)
Yay for us! Our first in a long time and our first ever officially with no kiddos! :) Didn't know for sure if this was gonna happen with all the Jada drama(she didn't go home after all...3-5 more days in hosp. with IV antibiotics but her face is looking much better and Kate has lots of help)... but looks like we're gonna make it. Here's to a few days here, in the NC mountains, hiking, biking and generally relaxing (we don't fish but we love the camping without a tent thing and it was short notice. lol). I even got new hiking shoes...very cute ones...:)

Thanks again sooo much for all your prayers!!

Have a Happy 4th! God Bless America!!

More Than Wonderful - LIF

My family is a family of singers...my great grand parents taught singing school, have you ever heard of singing fa so la?? :)
My grandmother on the other side played the piano by ear and I'm sure sang along...
my mom sings...my dad sang and played guitar, my sisters both have been singing publicly for years.....my son sings and plays saxaphone in a band right now.....my daughters sing...one in musical theater and one to her baby....its in our blood.
A long time ago...I used to sing publicly....I sang whenever and wherever I could. I sang in choruses and choirs...in ensembles and a band...I sang at weddings and graduations.....I sang in my car and in the shower....I sang alone or in groups.....but mostly I sang in church. I loved the Lord and I loved to perform.......After rehearsing for a performance one Sunday, I remember one church member, at a church I had recently joined, saying..."I knew you could sing...but I didn't know you could sing!" :)
Songs move me...they speak to me and for me....such deep things that I cannot articulate nor communicate by myself....God surely did an awesome thing when He created music and song and shared them with us.
One of my sisters and I often sang together, in the good ole days...she alto and I lead.....I heard this song we used to perform, last weekend....the first time in ages....and I've been singing it all week long....
It is more powerful to me today than it was then...maybe I've grown...I hope so!...but it resounds even deeper in my spirit now that it did 25 yrs ago. Wish I knew how to link the sound of it for LIF....

More Than Wonderful

Gary Valenciano

He promised us that He would be counselor
A mighty God and the Prince of Peace
He promised us that He would be a Father
And He would love us with a love that would not cease

Well I tried Him and I found His promises are true
He's everything He said that he would be
The finest words I know could not begin to tell
Just what Jesus really means to me

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams
He's everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He'd promised and so much more
More than amazing
More than marvelous
More than miraculous could ever be
He's more than wonderful
That's what Jesus is to me

I stand amazed when I think that the King of Glory
Would come to lie within the heart of man
Oh, I marvel just to know He really loves me
When I think of who He is and who I am

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He's more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams
He's everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He'd promised and so much more
More than amazing
More than marvelous
More than miraculous could ever be
He's more than wonderful
That's what Jesus is to me

She's going Home!!

Jada Update...
Yaay! Doctor says there's no foreign matter in there, after an early morning CT. He is sending her home with 10 days worth of IV antibiotic, they put in a pick line so her mom can administer it at home...(has anyone ever heard of that??).
We are all so thankful!
Her mommy has another log to add to the blaze... last night her window was smashed and her car broken into...nothing stolen, but still..one more headache..when it rains it pours....

thank you all so very much for your prayers!!

My Sister

I love my sister! Well, I love all my sisters and though I only have 2 biological ones I have many in the Lord. They have stood by me through thick and thin and I can't thank the Lord enough for them....however....right now I am particularly grateful for one of my biological sisters... She is 8 yrs younger than I and we grew up in different worlds so she has always been a bit seperated from me...just by practical dynamics. Still she has won my heart and we are sisters in two realms which is by far the very best kind of sister to have!

She moved into my house to live when she was 18. I had 3 small children so to them she was their radiant big sis. Always time to play and bringing them presents and such. When we left our home town and moved 1000 miles away to Philadelphia, she came with us.
When I couldn't get to the class party for one kid because of a sick one at home..she went...
when I could only get a few simple gifts for Christmas or birthdays because of the demands of a house and family...she bought great surprises.....she always had time to read stories or go shopping or to the movies with them and some of my kids' best childhood memories are of her and her hubby taking them out, playing games with them, or taking them to MickyDs...

She was the "emergency" number on my kids' lists at school and strangely enough...each time my youngest, Kate, needed someone in an emergency, I was away and my sister was called. She has been there and held Kate in crisis many times. Through hospital trips and stiches as a child to broken hearts and trying circumstances as a teen, to baby sitting for Kate's own baby when she as a single mom had to get a job and go to work at the tender age of 18.
Now in this crisis, she is there...acting as my surrogate once again...standing in, standing by, supporting my baby, loving her and loving me in doing so....bringing cash for food, books for Jada, calling me and filling me in as an objective voice when my little girl is overwhelmed and stressed beyond her 21 yrs.
Thank you Lord for always having her nearby when Kate is in trouble, for providing a second mommy for my little girl who has had so much life dumped on her door step at such a young age. Lord, you are good! We are so blessed! You are there in that hospital room with my girls in many ways.... one is in the form of my sister.

Jada update....
They are still keeping Jada in the hospital. She is getting 2 antibiotics by IV and her face is red and swollen but then whose wouldn't be with a stick stuck into their sinuses...yuck! If there isn't significant improvement by tomorrow they plan to do a CT scan to make sure no pieces of stick or rock candy are still in her nose/sinuses.
She is feeling fine and dandy and very tired of the whole hospital experience. She keeps asking to go home. So does her mommy. :) The hospital brought round a goodie bag with play doh and coloring books to entertain and they have an awesome playroom at Wolfsons Childrens Hosp. where she is so they are surviving. It is a hard and stressful time but surely they will send her home tomorrow...how could an infection even get started with all that antibiotic?! Thank you all so much for your prayers...we need them/Him still.

Drama in the House

Got a midnight call last nite...and you know that's not good news...
Yep, the baby is in the ER....she fell over a doll and rammed a lolly pop stick up her nose...
Oh Lord, how do they live to be grown?!?!

I asked my daughter what was happening...she says...we're waiting to be x-rayed before they pull it out...to make sure it hasn't punctured her sinuses....Jada is asleep.....
I ask, are you alone?, Who's with you?...she says...Everybody!....I say, who is everybody? She says...James(Jada's daddy), Jamar (Jada's uncle) Jiselle (Jada's aunty), Maimaw and Papaw and Gili (her best friend)....

I go back to sleep peacefully....there is an army of people standing by who love my daughter and my grandbaby. Thank you , Lord!
One hour later she calls back...they are keeping her overnight for observation and antibiotics (the stick was wooden and had been in her mouth) ....

This morning I spoke with Jada....she told me all about it very articulately and said she was a little bit scared but OK now. She will come to visit me next week and play on the swings and ride her bike with her Poppie...she's fine.....Thank you, Lord!

Kate's a bit on the frazzled side....ahh the joys of motherhood...and allniters in the hospital.....

***********************************

4:00pm UPDATE
Jada may not be responding to the antibiotic...her face is very swollen...they are trying a different antibiotic and keeping her again overnight....apparently this is a dangerous area for infection.....her young mommy and daddy are very stressed.....Please pray

Name Droppin...

My hubby is doing a fashion layout for some magazine today...he's dressing up a young upcoming star who's just finishing shooting the latest Matthew McConaughey movie....
He gets all the fun jobs!!

Ain't he purty? I do believe I could survive my Sunday drive with a few more distractions such as this along the way....lol

On a more serious note...I can actually FEEL you guys' prayers...thanks! They don't have to be long and loud for God to hear them....:)

Sunday drives, lawnmowing and other meanderings

I don't really like Sunday drives....you know, the aimless, lets just wander around and see what we can see kind of drives....I need a direction...a destination...a clearly defined route between point A and point B. I always take the Interstate when I travel so that I have more time at my destination...no detours....well, only if a detour is planned...then I'm OK with that...:)

I like deadlines...I like due dates... I need to finish things....goals and accomplishments are important to me. Bill paying and balancing the checkbook are, if not pleasurable, at least satisfying...(unless there isn't enough to go around...:))

I like to cut the grass...I can clearly see where I have been and where I am going....and when its all done, I can look over my handiwork and be satisfied in a job well done....there is nothing I enjoy more than looking over my lawn and seeing everything neat and trimmed, blooming and beautiful.

Now I realize that all of this can be taken to the extreme...and believe me, I have been there...obsessively, compulsively cleaning my house or critiqueing my work. Staying up into the wee hours just to finish some self imposed project deadline....I can be a very hard taskmaster....yet when something important to me is finished I feel a real sense of completion...a deep satisfaction. It is just the way I am made...the way God has hardwired me so to speak.

Unfortuanately I also like real, I don't do superficial very well although I have learned to make "small talk" over the years...:)
....I like to feel as if my life matters, that the things I say and do change things somehow, for someone, for the better...is that unique to me? I don't think so...lol...that's why so many of us blog...:)
But it is more important to some than others, hence the reasons people chose to work in healthcare or volunteer. I find a deep sense of fulfillment in making a difference somehow..... My life in the church has always been where I felt I really mattered, other than to my husband and in raising my children, of course. The church has always been the place in this world that I could make a difference. I am experienced, I've been a believer for years...I have seen absolutely everything in the church and I have seen God...I know Him....therefore I have found great satisfaction in sharing my faith and my experience. In some way, I suppose I think I'm aiding God....:) funny huh?

So this is what makes me uncomfortable in the position I currently find myself....a new empty nester...so no children to oversee with their many demands....my household runs very smoothly with few messes to clean up and few scheduling conflicts. I tolerate an unsatisfying and boring job with no deadlines, projects, things to take ownership of or anyone to aid....so although I make decent money, I feel pretty useless and unfulfilled there and worst of all, I have virtually no church life. My situation is such that I cannot simply "find" a local church, its not that easy for me, so....I have few outlets for sharing my faith or sharing the Lord with other believers, which is the core of my life, so all this is adding up to pretty frustrating.

Basically...I have no purpose and no direction with very little satisfaction or fulfillment and this is driving me nuts!!
Per my personality, I'm sure you can understand...
I am asking the Lord for direction, so far He's not answering... LOL...
any kind is fine...a new job?... hey, I'm game and I'm looking.
A new group of Christians to fellowship with?...sad to say it takes so long to build relationships that I don't forsee this one happening quickly by maybe He'll surprise me....
Some big new project?....I'm up for that as long as I know its Him and not me, and that there is a purpose that has some real benefit to it....
For now, I'm drifitng...I'm willing to go in any direction...really, I am...but for now the current is just floating me along aimlessly....

I don't like to waste time.....I need to see things happening.....things getting done.....making a difference somewhere or to someone, a point to it all....
I don't drift very well....

I've heard that patience is a virtue...:) so I'm trying.... I need all the virtues I can get :)
Pray for me...

Lord!

Hooray its SUMMER!

Hey, its the first day of SUMMER!!!! Of course here in GA its been summer for at least a month but we'll celebrate anyway! Forecast for today is sunny and 97 degrees...How's that for a summer kickoff? I'm always up for anything cool and fun during these hot summer months so heres one for you........

This is pretty cool and fun!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH
It takes less than a minute .
Work this out as you read ...
Be sure you don't read ahead until you've worked it out!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator.

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756 .... If you haven't, add 1755.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are .......

YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)
THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2006) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS...

Hooray for summer!!

Christ the Fountain

When I spend time alone with the Lord I almost always have the thought, impression, sense...whatever....of water.....
usually bubbling springs cascading over mossy stones, but sometimes quiet rivers or ocean waves crashing....I suppose depending on what He is saying in me at the time....

Here's an excerpt from a book I often peruse ....
"If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink!"......He does not draw from others His supplies for humanity; He invites everbody to come and draw from Him. He is not a reservoir filled up from some other sources and liable to be exhausted; He is an original, self supplied Fountainhead.....He is more than a teacher giving instruction .....He is more than a miracle worker giving healing or meeting needs.....His supreme gift to man is Himself. From Himself flows forth the recovering influence: from the inexhaustible depths of His own being, as the very God of very God, a whole thirsty race may draw refreshment. "The water that I give you shall be in you a well of water springing up into everlasting life." It is not simply profound truths that Jesus offers, or a system of doctrine, or a beautiful model of right living. He offers Himself as the satisfier: Drink me, take me into your souls, and ye will never die of thirst.....my soul thirsts for the the living Christ! .....this fountain never dries up, is never frozen over, and no sediment defiles it.....But we must drink from the fountain, if we would receive strength, joy, life. The proclamation is not, Come to the Bible and read; or, Come to the church and listen; or, Come to the altar and pray; or, Come to the font and be baptised; or, Come to the sacramental table and partake. It is "Come unto Me and drink."
The best argument for Christ is that He alone satisfies me."

Theodore L Cuyler, "Wayside Springs from the Fountain of Life"

Amen!

The Word of our Testimony

I was hitting up some of my favorite blogs this morning and this one really struck me. The Lord has really shown me a lot about sound and words so this blog stirred up some things He has shared with me. There is much power in simply speaking outloud...now don't get me wrong, I am not caught up in the "speaking things into existence" craze the "faith" movement or any of that stuff. Not to offend but it just seems too superficial to me, but hey, that's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. There is most definitley something to the whole speaking of things. God Himself spoke the world into being. Rev 19:10 ...for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. I fully believe that by speaking who He is and what He has done, you are proclaiming who He continues to be and what He is fully capable of doing.
My hubby and I are sometimes priviledged to share the Lord with groups of people and one of the most powerful tools we have is that of telling stories of God's interaction into our lives...we tell personal stories, our family's stories and stories of the churches we have fellowshipped with. They are powerful and speak louder than the mere words we use. When visitors come into our churches the saints there are encouraged to tell their stories, how they met and became a church, what God is saying in them as a church...this practice is ancient and if you think of it....very similiar to the way Jesus ministered to people and taught His disciples....He really didn't preach very much but He did tell a lot of stories.....
Also I have found that often I don't even know what I feel or think regarding a particular something until I have spoken it out loud, formulized thoughts into verbalization.....its good for me...good for others to hear...

Below I have included a quote from my very first blog post....it has similiar thoughts ...
"I have been thinking lately about His voice. I have learned that sound can actually be seen, science has proven it. But I really already knew it inside myself. I already knew that when He speaks I see Him and when His church speaks, I see Him and upon the hearing Christ is formed in me. Science suggests that sound is possibly the basis of everything. Perhaps this is true. It lends a whole new meaning to "In the beginning was the Word" and "He upholds everthing by the word of His power" Something inside me says "Amen". "

For more on this subject you might want to check out this old blog post

Had to post this...

isn't she gorgeous?!?! I know...I'm pregidious...can't help it....she's my one and only.....

Birthday weekend

fun weekend....
drove over to Birmingham(to the mall where Taylor Hicks performed on AI) on Sat to pick up my mom......on Sunday, slept in, lazed around for a while then my hubby took me out for my birthday....allll the rest of the day...we had lunch, then went shopping (he bought me some D&G Light Blue), went to dinner and a movie...love just hanging with him. Lovely day...lovely weekend...all the kiddos checked in too....:) (they love their mamma:) )
got a few cards and well wishing messages, a singing voice mail, and a wonderful beaded necklace...and that rounds out the Birthday celebration this year....
Not telling how many years but......when I was in highschool......these were in
and this was hot .......
How was your weekend??

LIF-Only You

Often, in the churches I know, we borrow the tune to a well known song and write words to it, words that reflect what the Lord is speaking in our lives and in our meetings. They are easy to learn and easy to sing and often quite humorous as in the time someone wrote "church words" to the tune of the Budwieiser commercial "When you say Bud"... LOL (we still get a kick out of that one)
Its been done for years, of course....with many Christian hymns being written to bar tunes in past history. Even the National Anthem was a poem set to the tune of a popular song of the day. Sometimes we find a song that says something close to Godly and we re-write it....borrowing the idea and the tune to suit the message of the Lord. I find it a great advantage to hear Him in a variety of ways and this practice opens my ears to hear Him even more in unexpected places....
Perhaps we should just throw off our constraints and see Him everywhere in everything...novel idea, yes?

You know this song as a Motown tune by the Platters...but I think you'll find it suitable to our life in the Lord...after all...
Only He can right this upside down world and bring light into darkness. One touch of His hand causes everything to make sense.... sing along....

ONLY YOU (AND YOU ALONE)

Only You can make this world seem right
Only You can make the darkness bright
Only You and You alone, can thrill me like You do
And fill my heart with love for only You.

Only You can make this change in me
For it's true, You are my Destiny
When You touch my heart, I understand
The love You have for me,
You're my dream come true
My one and only You.

Blogger seems to have returned to some semblance of normal....we'll see how the day goes.....

It seems terrible to rejoice that anyone is dead....but Zarqawi......I'm glad....

Variety is not always the spice of life.....

2.61
2.66
2.81
2.76

these are some of the prices of gasoline around my house in the past 10 days....


2.76
2.83
2.89

these are some of the prices of gasoline I passed on my way in to work today.....

Is anyone really in charge? and does anyone really know WHAT is going on??

the language of God...

Ahhh, Michigan was lovely! I've only been there when it is lovely....springtime, summertime, wintertime....each time beautiful. This time, flowers blooming, trees waving gently in the breeze, sun shining, temp around 73ish....yum! Very fresh and bright!
We spent a lovely 24 hours with some lovely saints.....that too, very refreshing. thank you, Lord!

A thought for you...
Revelation is the language God speaks...some speak English, some speak French, some Chinese...God speaks Revelation...
the Holy Spirit is the interpreter of that language in your ear, in your heart...

thoughts anyone????

Just in

I finally have a few cute wedding pics sent in from friends that I can post. We have almost none of myself and my hubby (all eyes were on some other gorgeous couple, imagine that!!) but had to post these adorable pics....

Hubby and I admiring our daughter and new son-in-law in their very first dance....bittersweet moment...

THE GIRLS! aren't they adorable?!?!

Me and my sis, dancin the nite away...yes, girl dances are fun, fun! :)

SIL and daughter #2

Adorable nephews!

Worse things.....

Sorry to do this 2 blogs in a row but this is too funny and I can use the humor right now.
Since I have had teenagers to deal with in the past....I can so totally relate. LOL and it never hurts to be reminded that there are worse things....
**********************************************
A father, passing by his son's bedroom, was astonished to see the bed was nicely-made and everything was picked up. Then, he saw an envelope propped-up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed: "Dad." With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands. It said...
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Joan and she is so nice. I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, her tattoos, her tight Motorcycle clothes and because she is so much older than I am. But, it's not only the passion, Dad, she's pregnant. Joan said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Joan has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for us and trading it with the others in the commune for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Joan can get better; she sure deserves it!! Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.
Your son, Chad
P.S. --Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that's in the center drawer of my desk. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.