Wow... I just have to take a little time to say what a wonderful and mighty and majestic and loving God we serve.
I became a Christian at the age of thirteen and then after about a year I began to backslide. I spent the next 14 yrs rebelling against God. I have often wondered now that I have a close relationship with God again why I let Him go in the first place. The only answer that I can come up with is that I really didn't know Him. I didn't spend time in His word and in prayer. And slowly I began to turn from Him. It wasn't a radical decision. It was a thousand little compromises that I made on a daily basis that didn't seem to be a "big deal" at the time.
I am so thankful that God remains faithful to us even when we aren't faithful to Him. And I am so thankful that God allowed my bad decisions and their consequences to catch up with me in a way that got my attention and brought me back to Him.
The love I have for Him and the appreciation that I have for the sacrifice that He made so that I can have a relationship with Him is so much more than it could have ever been if I hadn't gone thru all the experiences that I did. I can see how God is taking my mistakes and turning them into wonderful oppertunities for me to minister to others. Only a sovereign God could turn negatives into positives.
I feel like I have discovered my first love.. like it talks about in Revelations. I was like the church at Ephesus. I left my first love, Jesus Christ. And now I have had to repent and do my first works (Rev 4:4-5). I am so thankful that I have made it back to this place. I haven't felt this energized and excited in years. I can see that God is changing me daily and I am so excited to see what comes next.
I have been reading the 107th Psalm alot lately.... it means so much to me. It describes exactly what I have been thru....
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons--
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
and despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down there hearts with labor,
They fell down and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death,
And He broke their chains in pieces.
Oh that men woud give thanks to the Lord for his goodness.
...... Fools because of their transgression,
and because of their iniquities were afflicted....
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.
And He saved them out of their distresses,
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.
Psalms 107:10-21
GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!!!
AND ALL THE TIME .... GOD IS GOOD!!!!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Friday, November 24, 2006
yo-yos
I read a book several months back called How to Make your Kids Mind without Losing Yours. A friend of mine loaned it to me. About halfway thru the book there was a chapter on yo-yo parenting. As I read the paragraphs I knew that was me to a tee. One day I am super strict. The next day I let everything slide. Then the next I am somewhere in between. It all depends on my mood, what I have been doing, how much pressure I am under, and whether I have been reading my bible and spending quiet time in prayer, etc, etc. Sometimes I wonder if my kids think they are living with the Three Faces of Eve.
Yo-yo is a term that could apply to almost every area of my life. Consistency eludes me. Sometimes I am just so faithful when it comes to spending my free time reading the bible and I get up early and do my prayer time and I feel great... but then for no apparent reason I fall away and I realize that it has been days since I have really prayed. I generally say little prayers all thru the day, but I am talking about carving out quiet time to meditate on God's word and really seek Him.
The same applies to my marriage. I go for long period of time where my husband is on my priority list where he should be and then...bam... things get busy or hectic and I realized that its been days since I have given him a decent hug and kiss or given him any affection at all. I just get so wrapped up in the minute to minute caretaking of kids and the home that I forget he is even there.
It seems like in every area of my life I run hot and cold. I really want to be more consistent. I know that there isn't a magic potion or spell for consistency. I have a sneaking suspicion that like everything in life it requires that I be more aware and not just living in the moment and that I do the work to accompliish it.
Sometimes I look at all the work I have to do and feel so overwhelmed. But then I come to my senses and realize that all I have to do is turn them over to God and then be willing to follow His direction. And instead of feeling overwhelmed I feel excited to see how He will work in my life. I know how far He has already brought me and I know that He is committed to finish the work that He has started in me.
Yo-yo is a term that could apply to almost every area of my life. Consistency eludes me. Sometimes I am just so faithful when it comes to spending my free time reading the bible and I get up early and do my prayer time and I feel great... but then for no apparent reason I fall away and I realize that it has been days since I have really prayed. I generally say little prayers all thru the day, but I am talking about carving out quiet time to meditate on God's word and really seek Him.
The same applies to my marriage. I go for long period of time where my husband is on my priority list where he should be and then...bam... things get busy or hectic and I realized that its been days since I have given him a decent hug and kiss or given him any affection at all. I just get so wrapped up in the minute to minute caretaking of kids and the home that I forget he is even there.
It seems like in every area of my life I run hot and cold. I really want to be more consistent. I know that there isn't a magic potion or spell for consistency. I have a sneaking suspicion that like everything in life it requires that I be more aware and not just living in the moment and that I do the work to accompliish it.
Sometimes I look at all the work I have to do and feel so overwhelmed. But then I come to my senses and realize that all I have to do is turn them over to God and then be willing to follow His direction. And instead of feeling overwhelmed I feel excited to see how He will work in my life. I know how far He has already brought me and I know that He is committed to finish the work that He has started in me.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Turkey-day!!!
Well, it is finally here.... Thanksgiving.....I am stuffed to the gills. One dinner down... one to go. I went to Mr.Clean's family dinner today at lunch time. And tonight we go to my family dinner. I will fast for the remainder of the week and exercise diligently to undo the damage I've done today....Nah... I don't have the self discipline for that.
I took two new recipes today. Well, one is a revamped old recipe. The revamped one was potato casserole..it has hashbrown, cheese, sour cream, and cream of mushroom. I decided to add some bacon to it. I love loaded potatoes or cheese fries with bacon. I don't eat them, but maybe once a year if that, but I sure do love 'em. The bacon made it so much better. I might experiment next time with adding a little ranch mix or dressing. I am determined to have a recipe of my own that everyone begs me to bring. (I am the youngest sister in law, so everyone else has there 'thing' that they do best and bring already.)
The other thing that I took was a peppermint patty cake. I don't like peppermint patties, personally, but Mr. Clean does. I just used a really decadent recipe for chocolate cake and then put a mixture of cool whip, chocolate pudding and some peppermint extract between the layers. Then I iced it with chocolate icing with peppermint extract mixed in and then just garnished the outside with chopped up peppermint patties. It was a huge hit. Next time I might use Andes mints instead of the peppermint patties. They were sticky and hard to chop up even when they were cold.
Enough food talk.... In the spirit of Thanksgiving I'm going to do a top ten list.
What I am thankful for.....
1. God and His plan for salvation ( I could go on and on here.) His mercy, kindness... the fact that He created the universe and everything in it an yet He still wants to have a personal relationship with each of us. The fact that He loved us so much even though we are sinful and flawed that He sent His only begotten Son to come to earth and go thru temptations and suffer and ultimately die on a cross for our sins.
2. My wonderful hubby. Each day I love him more and more. He is such a good man and loving husband and terrific father to our boys and great provider.
3. My wild and rambuncious little boys. They are the light of my life. They are so much work, but it is so worth every minute of it and every 'sacrifice' that I've ever made. I can't imagine my life without them. They have been a true blessing from God. He has used them to bring my closer to Him and understand Him more.
4.Our health. My hubby, kids, and I have been blessed with good health. I am so appreciative of the fact that we are all well.
5. My friends and extended family. It is such a blessing to have so many people that care about me and that I care about. I think about how lonely people must be when they have no family.
6. My home. Our home is a really old home and its really small.... but its cozy, warm, and homey. We have a brand new couch that I have been wanting for a few years now. So we have a great new place to pile up with the kids and read.... and in a few weeks watch all of the old Christmas movies on ABC family channel.
7.My mini-van. I am so thankful that we were able to get a van after the birth of #2. It has made my life so much easier. I could nurse and change diapers in the car. Mr. Clean's parents are old and not able to drive themselves. Now that we have the van, we have room for them and us. And that makes it so much easier for them.
8. My church. I am so thankful that we go to a great church and have a great pastor. We have so many friends that have kids the same age as ours that we've met thru church. Our church has given me the oppertunity to teach a women's group and I love every minute of it.
9. Our neighbors. We live in a great neighborhood where everyone looks out for each other. And all of our neighbors are friendly.
10. I am thankful that I was born and raised here in the mountains and that I am still able to live here. These mountains are a comfort to me. When we go on vacation, even though I enjoy it, when we drive up the interstate and the flat lands start to roll and I see those big, beautiful mountains in the distance.... I know everything is okay and that I am home. I have seen lots of beautiful places, but none I would trade for the Appalachian mountains.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. And may God bless you.
I took two new recipes today. Well, one is a revamped old recipe. The revamped one was potato casserole..it has hashbrown, cheese, sour cream, and cream of mushroom. I decided to add some bacon to it. I love loaded potatoes or cheese fries with bacon. I don't eat them, but maybe once a year if that, but I sure do love 'em. The bacon made it so much better. I might experiment next time with adding a little ranch mix or dressing. I am determined to have a recipe of my own that everyone begs me to bring. (I am the youngest sister in law, so everyone else has there 'thing' that they do best and bring already.)
The other thing that I took was a peppermint patty cake. I don't like peppermint patties, personally, but Mr. Clean does. I just used a really decadent recipe for chocolate cake and then put a mixture of cool whip, chocolate pudding and some peppermint extract between the layers. Then I iced it with chocolate icing with peppermint extract mixed in and then just garnished the outside with chopped up peppermint patties. It was a huge hit. Next time I might use Andes mints instead of the peppermint patties. They were sticky and hard to chop up even when they were cold.
Enough food talk.... In the spirit of Thanksgiving I'm going to do a top ten list.
What I am thankful for.....
1. God and His plan for salvation ( I could go on and on here.) His mercy, kindness... the fact that He created the universe and everything in it an yet He still wants to have a personal relationship with each of us. The fact that He loved us so much even though we are sinful and flawed that He sent His only begotten Son to come to earth and go thru temptations and suffer and ultimately die on a cross for our sins.
2. My wonderful hubby. Each day I love him more and more. He is such a good man and loving husband and terrific father to our boys and great provider.
3. My wild and rambuncious little boys. They are the light of my life. They are so much work, but it is so worth every minute of it and every 'sacrifice' that I've ever made. I can't imagine my life without them. They have been a true blessing from God. He has used them to bring my closer to Him and understand Him more.
4.Our health. My hubby, kids, and I have been blessed with good health. I am so appreciative of the fact that we are all well.
5. My friends and extended family. It is such a blessing to have so many people that care about me and that I care about. I think about how lonely people must be when they have no family.
6. My home. Our home is a really old home and its really small.... but its cozy, warm, and homey. We have a brand new couch that I have been wanting for a few years now. So we have a great new place to pile up with the kids and read.... and in a few weeks watch all of the old Christmas movies on ABC family channel.
7.My mini-van. I am so thankful that we were able to get a van after the birth of #2. It has made my life so much easier. I could nurse and change diapers in the car. Mr. Clean's parents are old and not able to drive themselves. Now that we have the van, we have room for them and us. And that makes it so much easier for them.
8. My church. I am so thankful that we go to a great church and have a great pastor. We have so many friends that have kids the same age as ours that we've met thru church. Our church has given me the oppertunity to teach a women's group and I love every minute of it.
9. Our neighbors. We live in a great neighborhood where everyone looks out for each other. And all of our neighbors are friendly.
10. I am thankful that I was born and raised here in the mountains and that I am still able to live here. These mountains are a comfort to me. When we go on vacation, even though I enjoy it, when we drive up the interstate and the flat lands start to roll and I see those big, beautiful mountains in the distance.... I know everything is okay and that I am home. I have seen lots of beautiful places, but none I would trade for the Appalachian mountains.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. And may God bless you.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
blogger beta
I switched over to the blogger beta the other day. I like it, but it just makes it way to easy to change my blog template. I have dial up internet, unfortunately... so it is pretty darn slow. But now it takes just a few seconds to change the colors and the template. Not good. I am extremely indecisive. I may have a different looking blog every day.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Christmas Plans
The holidays are upon us. I can already feel the pressure mounting. I am doing better each year about getting rid of things that don't work for our family and adding in more traditions that do. Some of this tweeking is a little upsetting to extended family, but....that's the way the cookie crumbles.
This year I think our Christmas Eve tradition of going to my grandparent's house is going to get the ax. I have given it alot of thought and I really think that it is for the best. My grandma passed away four years ago and my grandpa hasn't decorated or had the meal at his house since. It is now at my mom's house. We don't usually get home until late and the kids wake up cranky on Christmas morning. --We are going to invite my grandpa down for a special dinner of his own with us on the 23rd that we still get to see him.
This year we are going to stay at home and start a tradition of our own. We are going to make a special meal. Not really sure what... but something out of the ordinary for the kids so it will be memorable. And then we are going to read the Christmas story and talk about the true meaning of Christmas. I am determined to put Christ back as the focus of our Christmas. I would like to find a Christmas cartoon or something of that nature that we could pile up and watch.
We have also added another new tradition this year on tree decorating day. This year we are going to buy each of the boys a new ornament that symbolizes something that has been important to them and let them open them at the end of decorating. So that will be the last ornament on the tree.
I am also looking for an advent calendar or coloring book or something of that nature so that we can talk about something Christmas related each day leading up to Christmas. I am going to use it instead of the devotional that I usually use with the kids each day.
I am really looking foward to Christmas this year. Despite some ruffled feathers, I think it will be the best Christmas ever.
This year I think our Christmas Eve tradition of going to my grandparent's house is going to get the ax. I have given it alot of thought and I really think that it is for the best. My grandma passed away four years ago and my grandpa hasn't decorated or had the meal at his house since. It is now at my mom's house. We don't usually get home until late and the kids wake up cranky on Christmas morning. --We are going to invite my grandpa down for a special dinner of his own with us on the 23rd that we still get to see him.
This year we are going to stay at home and start a tradition of our own. We are going to make a special meal. Not really sure what... but something out of the ordinary for the kids so it will be memorable. And then we are going to read the Christmas story and talk about the true meaning of Christmas. I am determined to put Christ back as the focus of our Christmas. I would like to find a Christmas cartoon or something of that nature that we could pile up and watch.
We have also added another new tradition this year on tree decorating day. This year we are going to buy each of the boys a new ornament that symbolizes something that has been important to them and let them open them at the end of decorating. So that will be the last ornament on the tree.
I am also looking for an advent calendar or coloring book or something of that nature so that we can talk about something Christmas related each day leading up to Christmas. I am going to use it instead of the devotional that I usually use with the kids each day.
I am really looking foward to Christmas this year. Despite some ruffled feathers, I think it will be the best Christmas ever.
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