Life of a Christian Wife, Mommy & Nurse

House update from 12.27.08 to 1.3.09

2009-01-03T21:38:00.011-05:00

my arm & house

2008-12-29T22:44:00.005-05:00

So, about a month ago, I fell off of my back porch. One foot slid and the other one didn't, sending me forward onto my out stretched hands. It happened really, really slowly....almost slow motion like. After my son and husband got done laughing at my 'almost fall,' we laughed about how my shoulders would probably be sore in the morning but that it could have been alot worse.

The next morning, my collar bones felt like they were broken. Even breathing hurt them. Slowly, over days, the pain changed to across by shoulder, shoulder blade and the back of my neck.

A few weeks ago, I got into my doctor and told him about my problem. He got some X-rays but they came back clear. So, a week later when I was back in there (and it wasn't any better) he gave me a shot of cortisone in my shoulder. OH, the bliss, OH, the joy! It was wonderful! BUT it was full of Lidocaine, also. The bliss lasted about 6 days. Some people get relief from steroids lasting up to months.....but not me.

I go for an MRI of my right shoulder on December 31st. My doctor thinks I have torn my rotator cuff to some degree and an MRI is how you see how much and of what. He said he thinks he will be sending me to an orthopedic surgeon when the results come back...if he is right. I have checked online places that should know what they are talking about like webmd. Everything they describe is what I have wrong with me.

My prayer is that if this is the problem, that this will fix it. If it isn't the problem, that we will find it soon. My arm really hurts.

On a lighter note: we have begun the first steps of construction on the house. I live in a 14 X 70 house trailor with three small bedrooms and one bathroom. Not nearly enough room for 4 people. We outgrew it when I got pregnant with Abbie ( and she is 5 ). The plan is to double the space and then some. The new part will be 16 feet wide and the length of the existing trailor long...so like 66-67 feet. It will have a master bedroom, another 'kid' bedroom, and another full bathroom. Then, I plan to knock out the wall between my kitchen and Abbie's current bedroom and expand the kitchen. In the end, when its all over with, we will have 4 bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and a huge kitchen/dining room/living room......OH, the space!!!!!

Currently, there are holes full of concrete for the foundation in the front yard and a pile of block waiting to be used. Tomorrow, is back of the house. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Corinthians

2008-12-28T20:32:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 13 - Christmas Version! If I decorate my house perfectly with red bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny stars, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator. If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of mince pies and preparing gourmet meals but do not show love to my in-laws, I'm just another cook. If I work at a soup kitchen and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing. If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and sparkling snowflakes, and sing in the choir but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point. Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband or wife. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the children to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in being able to give to those who can't. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Computer games will break, cashmere jumpers will wear out, puzzle pieces will get lost. But giving the gift of love will last for ever. Merry Christmas!

update on me and mine

2008-11-15T23:31:00.005-05:00

So, I have been hearing from some of you how disappointed you are that I have not blogged lately. So, sorry....I have been busier than usual. YAY!

I DID get my job....and it is wonderful! God planned this for me and made it for me. The hours are perfect, days are perfect and the women I work with are a delight.

I have, this last week, had the plague. I hate being sick. Not just the snotty, coughing, headaches, fever and sore throat. I hate feeling like I can't get anything done in spite of those things.

It is getting better but I still feel bad, sometimes.

Christmas is coming......hee heeh hehheeeehhehhee I love this time of year! The cold weather, big sweatshirts, carols, snow flakes, boots, hot cocoa.....everything.

It is official: I am a Daisy Girl Scout Co-Leader with Kim, Teonda & Christy. Troop # 500. WHHOOO WHOO the four of us and 17, that's SEVENTEEN 5-6 year olds! We are cool and having loads of fun!

We just recently watched the newest Batman movie: The Dark Knight. Oh, I loved it but I am a fan of Christian Bale and of Batman in general. At the end, which I won't give away for any of you still waiting to see it, there is a line by a character about Batman, which was: "We will hunt him because he can take it." It perfectly fits the movie mood and plot BUT...........

The more I thought about it, it fits lots of things in our lives. - We can let the responsible people in our lives handle/take care of everything because they can take it. - We will let mommys clean up our messie rooms because she can take it. - We will let the minister handle that person because he is paid to do it and he knows how to handle it....he can take it. - Jesus was nailed to a cross because He really could take it. - God allows things (not makes bad things happen) to happen to us because He knows we can take it ~ with Him by our sides.

I ramble.....that's just me, call me the Rambler. Sometimes my family calls me Brook........as in 'babbles like a brook.' Loads of love there......

Who am I

2008-10-28T08:16:00.003-04:00

http://www.mychurch.org/blog/30635/coolest-video-ever

Be sure to turn up the sound. This is SO SO COOL!....

Ah, the power of a black light to add to the experience!

Obama!?

2008-10-26T20:29:00.003-04:00

I have gotten SO many email lately about Obama being the Anti-Christ and that the Bible talks about him in Revelation.

I am not picking sides...neither am I for or against Obama or McCain.

I hope that this clears things up. Whether Obama becomes President or not, the world will not come to an end.

ORIGINAL EMAIL CONTENT:

The Bible has warned us that 'A man will come from the East that will be charismatic in nature and have proposed solutions for all our problems and his rhetoric will attract many supporters!'

When will our pathetic Nation quit turning their back on God and understand that this man is 'A Muslim'....First, Last and always....and we are AT WAR with the Muslim Nation, whether our bleeding-heart, secular, Liberal friends believe it or not. This man fits every description from the Bible of the 'Anti-Christ'! I'm just glad to know that there are others that are frightened by this man!

Who is Barack Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it.'www. snopes. com ..' confirms this is factual. Check for yourself.

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita , Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii.

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, 'He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.' Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.

Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.

ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran. Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

Do you want someone like this as your PRESIDENT? Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own!

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THIS, HOWEVER, IS HIS REAL STORY! Be sure to read the whole thing, lest you not be convinced that all of the above issues were covered.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/antichrist.asp

***Snopes is copy-righted so I couldn't simply copy and paste it here.***

Again, I am NOT for or against either candidate but if you check www.snopes.com, it will tell you that this email is a lie! Check it for yourself. I'm not saying that I am necessarily voting for him but this is just crap. He is black, big whoop! He has a questionable heritage, don't we all!?! Don't judge him by things that are not his fault.

Check out what is really the truth. Just because it says that they fact-checked with snopes.com doesn't mean that they actually did.

Snopes has NOTHING to gain, some email sources would/could have something to gain!

God is SO good to me

2008-10-20T22:53:00.002-04:00

Okay, so my plan has been all along to go back to work after Abbie started kindergarten. As the years went by, I kept thinking, yeah, going back to work some might be okay. Eventually, I figured out that part-time, day shift, maybe in an office somewhere would be what I needed and wanted.

*Abbie gets on a bus at 8am and off a little before 4pm. There is not a nursing home or hospital in the world that runs banker's hours. Day shift is 7am - 3pm, evening shift is 3pm - 11pm and midnight shift is 11pm - 7am. There is no way to do that.

* I could work evening shift BUT I tried that when Nick was little. I got home from work at midnight, picked him up from my parent's house (asleep), went home, got up the next morning and saw him for an hour maybe before putting him on a bus. I was back at work before he got home from school; getting off the bus at my parent's again.

* I have worked midnights before as well. Not good for anyone.....me, my kids or my marriage.

As I said, I had this plan and I was going to hold out for it. Maybe I was being a little bull headed but, God worked it out anyway.

On Thursday, we got a small loan to expand our current home. Not much money and we can afford the monthly payments AND it will only help our credit. We couldn't do it alone, I have to thank my parents for that.....the love, the support and the signatures. They helped us ALOT.

On Friday, I went to the school to see Nick's Renaissance Fair. *Picture above* It was great and he had a wonderful time....not in class. While I was there, I applied to be a substitute cook in the kitchen. My Mom is the head cook and had said they needed subs.....part time/on call. "Sounds good," I thought, "I'll get to play with Mom and make a little money, how fun!" There is going to be some school board meeting on Tuesday and I will know more after that.

On Saturday, My Dad was working, visiting, (I don't really know) with some people we go to church with. Jane asked my Dad, about half hearted, if he knew anyone that needed or wanted a part time job because the doctor she works for needs someone. Dad told her that I was looking for just that kind of work and that we should talk.

On Sunday, my church had it's "100% Sunday." I missed alot of it because I was working with Mom, Joan, Cheryl, and many other women preparing lunch to feed over 350 people. It was so fun, work, but fun! I was supposed to talk to Jane then, but with all the people there, we never even saw each other. BUT, I called her that afternoon.

LONG STORY SHORT: I GO TOMORROW TO TALK WITH THE DOCTOR ABOUT THE POSITION! I think, think I have a job....no, no, make that two part time jobs that will make a little money, give me something to do BUT will not effect the time spent with my family.

God had a plan for me and my part time job years ago. He has truly blessed me recently. He always blesses us, just sometimes it's harder to see than others.

Pro-Life all the way!

2008-10-18T21:18:00.003-04:00

Typical pro-choice arguments:

1) "A woman has the right to her own body." First off, it's silly to think that the law cannot tell us what we can't do with our bodies. We can't put certain drugs in them or sell ourselves for sex. Second, this statement totally ignores the fact that the unborn are completely separate individuals from the mother. How can someone have two heartbeats, two different blood types, two sets of DNA? And, if the unborn is a male, how can a woman have a male part of her body? Yes, the unborn need their mother for nutrition and safety, but that does not make them any more a part of her body than some food she swallows is a part of her body. To refute this statement, I'll tell a story about a little boy who had surgery for spina bifida before he was even born. At the end of the surgery, the baby reached out of the uterus and grabbed the doctor's finger. My question is this... who grabbed the doctor's finger? (full story: http://joseromia.tripod.com/samuel.html )

2) "What if she was raped?"1% of all abortions performed annually are due to rape/incest. Although this is an extremely small number, this situation must be approached with great compassion, because the victim has already been through one violent act. Why would we subject her to another, that of killing her own child? Two wrongs do not make a right, and abortion will not alleviate the trauma of the rape. The victim needs love and care, and both she and her unborn child deserve better than abortion.

3) "You can't impose your morality on others." Using that logic, should we release all the rapists and murderers from prison to go free on the streets and allow them to do as they please, because we "cannot impose our morality on them?" Of course not. if you saw someone beating a child bloody on a playground, would you not try to stop it? Even if that's imposing your views on others? We do not need to be given the right to speak up for the voiceless.

4) "You're all just a bunch of self-righteous Jesus freaks." Not all pro-lifers are religious, but one doesn't have to be to have a sense of morality and know that killing a defenseless human being is wrong. Simply because many pro-lifers are motivated by religious beliefs doesn't mean abortion a religious issue. (the civil rights movement was sometimes led by pastors and led in churches, but that doesn't mean civil rights is a religious issue).

5) "It has nothing to do with you. stay out of other people's privacy." If everyone were to follow this idea, then we would not have any security in our nation at all. If everyone just "stayed out of people's privacy," children would be molested, women would be raped in their homes, and people would kill each other and no one could do anything to stop it. We would have no security, no police force, nothing. Should we stay out of someone's privacy' when they film child pornography in their basement? Should we stay out of a man's 'privacy' as he beats his wife in their bedroom? Should we stay out of a woman's 'privacy' as she goes to have her child intentionally torn limb from limb?

6) "If it is illegal, then women will die in illegal abortions." Abortion advocates are flat-out lying when saying thousands of women died each year from illegal abortions and their own research proves it. In 1986, the AGI (Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of planned parenthood) gave proof that shows in the fifteen years before abortion was legal, the average number of women dying from illegal abortion in America was 136 per year and falling. Remember: pro-lifers don’t perform abortions. If we made abortion illegal right now, and illegal abortionists came about in the next few days, each one of them would be pro-choice. Think about it: any woman that ever died or was hurt during an abortion, legal or not, it was because of someone who was pro-choice. Basically, the abortion industry tells us, "if you make abortion illegal, women will end up dying because of it." But what in reality they're saying, "if you make it illegal for us to kill babies, then we'll start killing women."

7) "It's not a human because _______." This is when people start making up their own definitions of what a human is in order to dehumanize the unborn. Science undoubtedly proves that at the moment of conception, a new human being is formed, with 46 human chromosomes and human DNA. At that moment, everything about that new human being is determined: gender, hair color, eye color, metabolism, whether they will be right-handed or left-handed, etc. The definition of "human" and "human being" are interchangeable. Wherever you look, you will see that when either is defined, the other is one of the definitions. In order to be a human being, biologically speaking, one must be a member of the genus homo sapiens, which the unborn are.

8) "It's not a person." According to the law, no. But if the law suddenly decided that those under age one are not considered persons, would you be morally comfortable killing them too?

9) "Well, it's not a LEGAL person so they shouldn't have more rights than the woman." We are not advocating that the unborn have more rights than the mother. We are advocating that their rights are equal. If America was killing off women by the millions so kids could live the way they wanted, the pro-life movement would fight just as much to end that mass slaughter as well. Everyone has the right to live how they want, but they can't kill others in order to do so. When we say someone can't shoot someone in order to get money to buy a house, it's not to say he has doesn't have a right to buy a house or that he has fewer rights his victim; we're saying that someon's right to life is of higher value than someone else’s right to buy a house. This idea also applies to abortion. The abortion industry’s own data shows that at least 93% of abortions are done for non-health issue reasons on a totally healthy baby and a totally healthy woman who just doesn’t want to be pregnant, which shows that the abortion conflict is between the unborn's right to life and a woman's wanting to not to be pregnant, and even though that desire may be rational, she can't be allowed kill for it.

10) "The fetuses are parasites and a woman doesn't have to be a fetal incubator if she doesn't want it." Parasites are something of a different species than the host. Since both the woman and the unborn are members of the genus homo sapiens, they are both human beings, and therefore of the same species. Also, during pregnancy, a woman's body goes through changes to deliberately provide nutrients and protect her baby. This does not happen with a parasite. When a woman decides to engage in sexual activity, she risks pregnancy, even if she uses birth control. An innocent human being should not have to pay with his/her blood because someone's birth control failed. If one is ready for sexual activity, one must be ready to handle the consequences of their actions. The pro-choice thought is that if people are "acting responsibly," they should not have any consequences. But even if people "act responsible" when driving their cars can still have accidents, and are still responsible for any damage they cause. In the case of engaging in sex, "acting responsibly" is more than using birth control to avoid pregnancy. It's also accepting (before having sex) that the woman may become pregnant, and abortion is about allowing people evade this part of responsibility at the expense of a child's life.

11a) "I don't think life begins until ________." Thing is, it doesn't matter when you think life begins. Science proves it begins at conception. No scientific, biological, or medical text reference states that life begins at any other point. Besides, pure logic demands it. Life cannot come from non-life. If, at the moment of conception, the unborn are not, at least, alive, how is it that from that moment they are able to grow and develop?

11b) "No one knows when life begins." This means you are acknowledging the fact that it very well could be at the moment of conception, yet since they are unsure, it should be an acceptable practice to destroy them. This is like sentencing someone to death before it's proven whether they are innocent or guilty. Ridiculous, isn't it?

12) "The fetuses aren't sentient. They don't feel anything. They don't care." Would it be acceptable to kill people in their sleep, then? Or if someone you don't like very much is unconscious, is it ok to kill them? How about someone who is paralyzed? Whether one can feel when they are being killed or not does not mean it's ok to kill them. Besides, if any of the pro-choicers took a little initiative and researched fetal development, they'd realize that nerves are developing by the eighth week, possibly even earlier. If touched, an 8-wk-old unborn human being will respond to the touch; they will move away from the stimuli; they will grasp an object placed in the hand. And during an abortion, they will thrash around in a pathetic attempt to escape the sharp object that is ripping them apart.

13) "It's a legal right. It's about giving women a choice." Just because something is a legal right doesn't make it right. This is merely implying that the issue here isn't abortion. It's "choice", and that is saying that what is being "chosen" really does not matter. This is completely illogical, because we know that not all choices are equal. Choosing what house to buy, or what color car to purchase, is entirely different than choosing whether to produce child porn. Pro-choicers think intentionally killing an innocent unborn human being perfectly fine, simply by choosing to have one.

14) "Abortion isn't about convenience. A woman only gets one if she really needs to." Not only is this statement a lie, but planned parenthood's own research arm, the Allen Guttmacher Institute, proves that 93% of abortions are done because of convenience (ie, the mother is single, the child would interfere with plans, the mother doesn't want (more) kids, etc), 6% are due to deformities with the unborn/health of the mother, and 1% are because of rape. ("underlying reasons for abortion" http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2411798.html )

15) "If abortion is murder then masturbation is genocide!!" Whoever said this either does not know the definition of genocide or needs to go back to middle school and pick up a bio book. Life begins at conception. Not before, not after. We established this earlier. Abortion is genocide. What you do with your sperm... whatever. 23 chromosomes. Not a human being.

16) "Don't like abortion? Then don't have one!" Typical pro-choice arrogance from those who realize they can't defend their stance on abortion! Of course, abortion can't be defended on its own twisted merits anyway, so the fact that many resort to this pathetic statement is quite understandable.

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This was quoted from a Facebook group that I belong to.

Yikes!

2008-10-18T01:05:00.001-04:00

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the senator. "Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity." "Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the senator. "I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises .. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven." So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The senator reflects for a minute, then answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell." So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above... The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. "I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?" The devil looks at him, smiles and says....... "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted."

Levi Paul Kellough

2008-10-13T16:47:00.004-04:00

Introducing Levi Paul Kellough, first born son of Zeb & Shannon Kellough

Born: October 10th, 2008

9 pounds 4 oz & 22.5 inches

Second grandson of Linda Lewis-Evans

(her first grandson is Stephanie's son Jackson ~ below)

CONGRATULATIONS! MOMMY, DADDY, AUNTS, UNCLES, COUSINS & GRANDPARENTS!!!!!

Memo

2008-10-09T15:23:00.014-04:00

To: YOU

Date: TODAY From: GOD Subject: YOURSELF Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you. P.S. And, remember... If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now. If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them! Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know! Now, you have a nice day....God God has seen you struggling, God says it's over.

Christina

2008-10-07T22:28:00.004-04:00

This is from my good friend, Christina. She has such an amazing faith and love for and of God, that I had to share it with the world.

I find myself very early this morning humbled by a truth I cannot ignore. My life, although spick and span on the outside, has been covered with webs and excuses on the inside. I have held a grudge, not against any of you, but against God. My need to have what I want, has turned into a spoiled princess temper tantrum.

How dare I turn my nose when God wakes me up every day.

How dare I eat a meal without thanking him for supplying it. And how conceited am I to believe that God owes me a baby. Because I suffered hurt when I miscarried? Is this my reasoning? Did God not hurt as He watched His son tortured for me?

When I see my mother's picture, I have a sigh that uncomfortably follows. A sigh that is supposed to excuse my actions, because I don't have a mother anymore. A sigh that half says to God, you can't expect much from me since you took her. Like I get time to mess up and God will understand without me asking for forgiveness. Why do I feel like I have this right? I don't.

Somewhere along the way I got tired of thinking about what the right thing to do is. How does that happen? I don't get a card that allows me to take a break from life for grievance. And just because my mother is gone doesn't mean I don't need to thank him that everyone else I love is still here, safe and secure every day that I wake up.

So I sit here, after just having a conversation with a friend, realizing that in my heart I thought I was where I needed to be. I go to church. I sing the songs. I bow my head for prayer. I help other people. I love my neighbor. And I just want to scream what is missing God, what am I doing wrong? And then it clicked. I know what it is.

It's what I'M doing. not what I'm letting God do. I was hurt, so I decided to take the reigns. Somewhere I decided I didn't trust God anymore and pushed him out of the driver's seat, not wanting another broken heart.

So here I am God. Giving it all back to you. I'm not saying I expect not to hurt again, I 'm saying if I do, I know you'll hold me while I cry. And I'm sorry for blaming you. For my babies and my momma leaving. You had a reason, and I will see them again. And you don't owe me anything, if you never give me another breath of air again, I still owe you!

Thank you for loving me regardless.

Thank you for all that I have.

And I'm asking you to guide me again in life, and use me to help others. God I never again want to find myself in a position of hindering others from coming to you with my attitude or actions.

God heal the heartstrings from me to you.

And thank you for showing me the answer.

bailout plan

2008-10-07T17:10:00.004-04:00

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up....

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage housing crisis solved. Repay college loans what a great boost to new grads. Put away money for college it'll be there. Save in a bank create money to loan to entrepreneurs. Buy a new car create jobs Invest in the market capital drives growth. Pay for your parent's medical insurance health care. Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean or else.

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( 'vote buy' ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG liquidate it. Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can 'never work.'

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, the plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

A very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

I am a Christian

2008-10-06T17:00:00.001-04:00

Christians by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain,

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Thanks, Sabrina for sending this to me!

Baby Gracie Jean

2008-10-02T23:39:00.003-04:00

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/graciejeanlockyer Dear Ones: thanks so much for the continuing prayers and words of comfort and support and most of all the prayers. Many have been enquiring about the arrangement for our little Gracies memorial service. The calling hours will be held at the J.C. Green Funeral Home on S.R. 109 just inside Davidson county in Winston-Salem N.C. Directions: On I 40 in Winston-Salem as you go East toward Kernersville take the 109 Thomasville Rd Exit. This exit is the 1st one past the 52 north and south interchange going East. Follow the exit through the first red light and continue until it dead ends onto St. Rt. 109. Turn right and go 4 miles. Funeral home is on the right just past the Gumtree Rd /Wendys light. The Funeral service will be at the Vernon Forest Baptist Church at 2:00 P.M. Saturday. Calling hours will be at the JC Green Funeral Home in Wallburg on Friday from 6-9 p.m. This home is very near the church. Directions to the Church are the same as to the funeral home except you turn right at the Wendy's onto Gumtree Rd and take the next Rd to the right, Mt. Vernon Church Rd. Church is on the right just after turning onto Mount Vernon Church Rd. Thank you- Grandpa Brown for Todd and Amanda and Haddon

Princess Megan

2008-09-29T23:08:00.004-04:00

This story and little girl are particularly close to my heart. When I was a kid, my parents ran around with John & Teresa. (Dad & John have been friends since school.) They have three daughters: Tanya, Rachel & Leanne. They have divorced now and John has remarried but my parents are still very close with him.

Princess Megan is Rachel's daughter.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/princessmegan

Please, pray for this family. They have so many questions and seem to get the answers SO slowly. God is and always will be in control!!!!

baby GRACIE JEAN

2008-09-23T23:02:00.006-04:00

For the full story, go to:

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewJournal.do?method=executeInit TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 08:09 PM: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENCOURAGING NOTES TO US! PLEASE PRAY HARD ABOUT A TENTATIVE MEETING TOMORROW AT 12:30 p.m. TOMORROW WITH MANY DOCTORS!! THE MAIN TOPIC OF THE MEETING IS TO NAIL DOWN A COMMITMENT THAT IF GOD KEEPS GRACIE HERE UNTIL THE SHUNT IN HER HEART BEGINS TO FAIL, THAT THE DOCTORS WILL GIVE HER THE NEXT OPTION OF SURGERY. THIS IS AN OPTION THAT IS AVAILABLE….EVEN THOUGH IT IS HIGH RISK AND TODD AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SHE MAY NOT SURVIVE THE SURGERY. Here is our reasoning….Imagine that your loved one is in a severe car accident and is rushed to the emergency room. The doctor comes out and says, “(Your name), your loved one is very critical and is dying. We must do an emergency surgery. The chances of your loved one coming through surgery are very low. But, if you choose to not do the surgery, it is only a matter of time.” So, there we are. If we do nothing, Gracie will die at some point. If she has a very risky operation when her shunt begins to fail, there is hope. God is able to take over here and can bring her through this surgery if it is His will. It is also His right to take her home with Him before she has to go through another operation. Todd and I understand that it is in His hands. But, we are in the ER--saying--do everything you can do. The doctors have said there is more they can do; it is just very risky! They are saying that maybe we shouldn’t put her through this. Well, if Gracie dies fighting….it will be no difference from how she’s lived every moment of her life. But we’re going to try every means possible! Also, let me make this clear to all. Gracie is rather stable at this point. SHE HAS LIVED 19 DAYS WITHOUT A VENTILATOR AND SHE IS ON LITTLE HEART MEDICATION. SHE IS ON NO OTHER LIFE SUSTAINING MEDS OR EQUIPMENT AT THIS TIME. SO, IF I WERE TO GO RIGHT NOW AND TAKE HER OFF THE VENT MYSELF…SHE WOULD LIVE FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! IT WOULD NOT BE A FAST PASSING AWAY MOMENT IN MINUTES--MORE A SLOW AND SUFFERING APPROACH AS HER BODY WEAKENS OVER A FEW WEEKS. THAT IS WHY WE ARE SO ADAMANT ABOUT THIS. Of course, that’s how Gracie looks today. She is breathing a fast and her gases have looked worse than better today. We are praying that she starts looking better and not worse. So please pray about this also. We know you will and we love all you for loving and praying for Little Gracie. Todd and Amanda MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 09:08 PM: I AM LEAVING THIS UPDATE UP FOR AROUND 48 HOURS. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO READS GRACIE’S PAGE NOW AND THEN, PLEASE ASK THEM TO READ THIS UPDATE AND PRAY!! URGENT REQUEST FOR PRAYER: My brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, Todd and I are calling out to you tonight to bind together with us in prayer for God’s deliverance, guidance and power. Gracie looks beautiful and strong today. She has breathed the calmest she has in days, even though she continued to run a fever on and off. But she looks like a fighter and she has been in mommy’s arms all afternoon. But, there are some very influential people at this hospital who have NO FAITH. They do not believe in God. They only look at scientific evidence. THEY BELIEVE THAT GRACIE IS DYING AND THAT TODD AND I ARE TRYING TO “MAINTAIN” HER LIFE LONGER THAN WE SHOULD. HOW DO WE KNOW THIS? Because TODAY they sent a representative for Ethics/Humanity in to speak with us. He told us that some doctors and nurses and others are of the opinion that Gracie is dying and we are prolonging the inevitable. I’VE SEEN WHAT GRACIE LOOKS LIKE WHEN SHE IS DYING….SHE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THAT TODAY! So, we feel this is a BATTLE FOR LIFE!!!! OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS, MUCH DISCUSSION IS GOING TO BE MADE ABOUT GRACIE AMONG DOCTORS. THE GOAL IS TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR HER CARE. TODD AND I HAVE MADE IT VERY VERY CLEAR THAT WE WANT GRACIE TO HAVE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE…AND AS LONG AS SHE IS ALIVE…WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. WE DO NOT DESIRE TO BE SENT HOME WITH PALLIATIVE CARE. SHE HAS FOUGHT TOO LONG AND TOO HARD TO GIVE UP NOW. Because Gracie’s shunt in her heart is “wearing out”, she is going to need another operation or procedure before we are able to get home with her. We want every attempt made for her and we KNOW THAT GOD CAN BRING HER THROUGH IF IT IS HIS WILL. We want her to get her next surgery no matter what. I couldn't begin to start explaining all that has been said today during our “ethics” meeting about Gracie and her future, but we have to pray that God turns hearts and minds towards what He desires--away from what they are thinking!!!! I do not believe He (GOD) would bring Gracie this far for us to lose faith and give up or withdraw support! So, PLEASE PRAY ABOUT THIS WEEK. IF THE LORD TARRIES, WE HAVE A BATTLE ON OUR HANDS TO FIGHT. WE MUST PRAY THAT EVEN NON-BELIEVERS GIVE FAITH A CHANCE AND GIVE GRACIE A CHANCE. GOD WILL TAKE HER HOME WHEN IT IS HER TIME. WE BELIEVE LIFE AND DEATH ARE IN HIS HANDS. THAT’S WHY WE WILL FIGHT UNTIL HE DOES NOT FIGHT ANY MORE. I have been very concerned about how to word this update. The most important factors of our life and this situation are the lost souls who need to meet our Jesus and accept Him into their life. There are many lost people at this hospital and we are trying to reflect the love of God through our actions and words to all we meet. But, this is a very difficult day and we feel that each and every person involved in her care needs to make the commitment to us that they will fight for Gracie until the end. The discussion we had today has challenged Todd and I about life and the sanctity of it. There are many people who feel that life is not worth living unless the quality of life is one of comfort and peace. That out rules Down Syndrome children, handicapped children, sick children and many more. If we believe that God created each and every living soul for a reason…then we believe that God created Gracie just the way she is. He has allowed her to continue in intensive care for almost 7 months by His power. He could have taken her home many times. He still could. But, IT IS UP TO HIM ALONE. HOW DARE WE STEP IN AND SAY IT IS TOO LONG? The problem is that Gracie looks beautiful today. A few days ago, when she went into renal failure and was puffy and her pressures were low…I could accept that she was dying. But, right now, she is fighting alive and God is not finished with her. She is warm and pink and looks like the picture where she is smiling. Please pray with us that God ALONE will decide when Gracie’s appointed time is. We know that no one else can change that. Still, we are asking Him to do a miraculous work in her life so that the doubters and the scoffers will know that He runs that hospital and life and death are in His hands. True ethics is the Bible. Humanism is a man’s attempt to prove they are good--when the truth is that without God--we are nothing. FOR NONE OF US LIVETH TO HIMSELF, AND NO MAN DIETH TO HIMSELF. FOR WHETHER WE LIVE--WE LIVE UNTO THE LORD; AND WHETHER WE DIE--WE DIE UNTO THE LORD: WHETHER WE LIVE THEREFORE, OR DIE, WE ARE THE LORD’S. FOR TO THIS END CHRIST BOTH DIED AND ROSE, AND REVIVED, THAT HE MIGHT BE LORD BOTH OF THE DEAD AND THE LIVING. (Romans 14: 7-9) WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TESTAMENT OF GOD'S LOVE AND THE FAITH OF THESE PARENTS!

Abbie's Bible

2008-09-19T00:40:00.006-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Abbie was able to recite all 66 Books of the Bible. This past Sunday, September 14, 2008, she received her Bible, from our church, handed to her by Rich Book. It is kind-of a reward for the kids' efforts and even comes with their name on the front. For many of them, including Abbie, it is their first "big" Bible. We are so very proud of her. I want to thank all the women that have taught her class and helped her learn her books.....with all those silly songs, activities & projects. They are GREAT! And we couldn't have done it without you.

how "Daddies" should be....

2008-09-19T00:40:00.003-04:00

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'. They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes'.

For those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island.

Father and son went on to complete the race together.

~Get your tissues out and prepare to cleanse your soul with tears!~

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

Today

2008-09-09T13:03:00.004-04:00

Today is like alot of other days for alot of other people in the world. We go to work or to school, pay our bills, complain about the weather, worry about current events, fix meals, work on cars, walk dogs, wait for a school bus, go to practices, find lost socks, find lost dirty clothes in a teenager's room, play online, listen to the radio, fight with accounts departments, plan for what is to come in the evening and even the next morning. A day of nothing much certainly is full, all of a sudden.

Today, I sent Eric to work, even though today should be his day off. He was scheduled an extra 8 hour shift....I am sad he's gone but happy it's not a 12 hour shift, which is normally what he works.

Today, I put Nick on the bus. He will have school and not get home until 3pm and then have football practice at 5:30 to about 7:30 - 8pm. Shower, eat, brush teeth and bed by 9:30pm at the latest.

Today, I put Abbie on the bus. She will have school until 4pm. She has library today and that is always a big deal...she loves books and the idea of reading. She will then get to run around with me taking to Nick to and from his activities. Bath, eat, brush teeth and bed by 9pm at the latest.

Today, is no different that any other day EXCEPT today is my Grandpa Shumway's 90th birthday. I don't think that he cares....I don't believe that Heaven keeps track of birthdays. But it brings back the grief of losing him all over again. It's a little bit different 5 months later but the family still doesn't feel right, probably never will.

I don't know whether to make a big deal out of Grandpa's birthday or not. I remember, so I'm sure so does everyone else.....but do you bring it up, out loud, or just let it lie and the day pass for fear of stirring up painful emotions again?

Matthew 5: 3-5 (NIV) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

I just LOVE these verses, they speak right to me and to my heart:

Matthew 5: 14 -16 (NIV) You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

That sounds like MY Grandpa!!!

the videos

2008-09-02T06:42:00.002-04:00

Abbie's video of her singing the 66 books of the Bible.....or most of them, anyway. My personal favorites are the books of "Joans" and "Rude." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZZtGxIeFck Nick's football video from the last game. He comes from the right & grabs the ball. He doesn't make it far but gives a great, great effort. I do apologize for the squealing at the end....I just love that kid! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtJrMr17pyg

What's new?

2008-09-01T23:08:00.004-04:00

Well, I'll tell you. Abbie is getting along great in Kindergarten. This will be her second week and she is still very excited to go to bed early (earlier than we do on weekends). She is a social creature but she has a big, big streak of her father in her. Normally, it doesn't even phase her to talk to anyone about anything. But every once in a great while, she clams up and pretends to be shy. NO signs of that yet at school. She has made new friends and is more than willing to tell you about them....."my friend Sarah in the blue shirt"........"my friend on the bus says I can come over to play but I have to talk to you first." To which I reply, "What is your friend's name?" And she says, "I don't know, she told me but I can't remember, but she lives right up there." Nick seems to be having a good year this year, so far. Football is a blast. Well, it is for me. Nick is always sore and worn out after practice but the games are wonderful. During this last game, he recovered a fumbled ball and ran with it. Doesn't sound like much, but he's never touched a football during a game.....he's always tackling the kid. Anyway, he got about 10 yards or so. Whoo Hoo. Minford still lost the game but we were all smiling........until he gets to practice tomorrow.....I've heard they are gonna RUN! Eh, ya win as a team, ya loose as a team, ya run as that same team.

A Simple Life

2008-08-22T18:49:00.001-04:00

Just watch it:

http://worriersanonymous.org/Share/Thecarpenter.htm

forever changed

2008-08-22T10:15:00.003-04:00

My life is forever changed, again.

Abbie is officially a kindergartener &

Nick is in Junior High.

are you paying attention?

2008-08-13T21:24:00.003-04:00

Here's a one-question IQ Test to help you decide how you should spend the rest of your day...... There is a mute who wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. Now, if there is a blind man who wishes to buy apair of sunglasses to hide his eyes, how should he express himself? *Think about it first before scrolling down for the answer...* He opens his mouth and says, 'I would like to buy a pair of Sunglasses.' If you got this wrong, please turn off your computer and call it a day. **************************************************** Intelligence Test Instructions: Write each of your answers down, it makes a difference! You will be allowed 10 minutes to complete the test. Write your answers in the spaces provided. Are you ready? What is the time? Start. 1) Some months have 30 days,some months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days? ____________________ 2) If a doctor gives you 3 pills and tells you to take one pill every half hour, how long would it be before all the pills had been taken? ____________________ 3) I went to bed at eight o'clock in the evening and wound up my clock and set the alarm to sound at nine o'clock in the morning. How many hours sleep would I get before being awoken by the alarm? ____________________ 4) Divide 30 by half and add ten. What do you get?____________________ 5) A farmer had 17 sheep. All but 9 died. How many live sheep were left? ___________________ 6) If you had only one match and entered a COLD and DARK room, where there was an oil heater, an oil lamp and a candle, which would you light first? ____________________ 7) A man builds a house with four sides of rectangular construction, each side having a southern exposure. A big bear comes along. What color is the bear? ____________________ 8) Take 2 apples from 3 apples. What do you have? ___________________ 9) How many animals of each species did Moses take with him in the Ark? ____________________ 10) If you drove a bus with 43 people on board from Chicago and stopped at Pittsburg to pick up 7 more people and drop off 5 passengers and at Cleveland to drop off 8 passengers and pick up 4 more and eventually arrive at Philadelphia 20 hours later, what's the name of the driver? ____________________ Answers: 1) All of them. Every month has at least 28 days. 2) 1 hour. If you take a pill at 1 o'clock, then another at 1.30 and the last at 2 o'clock, they will be taken in 1 hour. 3) 1 hour. It is a wind up alarm clock which cannot discriminate between a.m. and p.m. 4) 70. Dividing by half is the same as multiplying by 2. 5) 9 live sheep. 6) The match. 7) White. If all walls face south, the house must be on the North Pole. 8) 2 apples. I HAVE 3 APPLES, YOU TAKE 2, WHAT DO YOU HAVE? 9) None. It was Noah, not Moses. 10) YOU are the driver. ************************************************ First Question: You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in? . . . . . . . . . . Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person, you take his place, so you are second! Now answer the second question, But don’t take as much time as you took for the first one, OK ? Second Question: If you overtake the last person, then you are…? . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person? You’re not very good at this, are you? Third Question: Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only. No pen, paper or calculator allowed. Try it. Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10 . What is the total? . . . . . . . . . . . . Did you get 5000 ? The correct answer is actually 4100. If you don’t believe it, check it with a calculator! Today is definitely not your day, is it? Maybe you’ll get the last question right….…Maybe. Fourth Question: Mary’s father has five daughters: 1. Nana 2. Nene 3. Nini 4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter? . . . . . . . . . . . . Did you Answer Nunu? NO! Of course it isn’t. Her name is Mary. Read the question again!

Happy Birthday

2008-08-12T23:52:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOMMY,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I LOVE YOU!!!

God's coming down....

2008-08-11T21:09:00.002-04:00

I took this picture a few days ago, while me and my kids were swimming. We were just loving the beautiful clouds and Abbie says, "It looks like God is coming down to swim with us."

Well, all I can say is that God is more than welcome to swim with us and thanks be to Him for the lovely sun rays.

Prayer for Gracie

2008-08-09T00:09:00.001-04:00

I got this email from my friend, Sherry Lawson. Hey guys I wanted to send this email out to you and ask if you do not already have Gracie on your prayer list that you add her. She is in some serious need of extra prayers in the week ahead. Her mommy is wearing down after the last 5 months it has been hard on her parents & grandparents & without the comfort & refuge in our Heavenly Father, I am sure they would not have made it. Gracie's story is truly amazing, that's where she gets her name "Amazing Gracie". God has brought her through so much & those who have been following this journal has seen the many miraculous things He has done, yet there is a long road ahead & right now seems bleak. The doc's are giving her mommy grim hope yet Amanda still has that undying faith & trust in her Father & knows He can pull her through. Be a part of that "POWER of PRAYER" pray diligently for her. If you do not know her, Amanda's dad (Jim Brown) used to be our pastor at Grace Baptist, then prior to going to Winston Salem, he was at Madison. They are a wonderful family, I admit I have cried many tears reading the journal entries but it has also been an inspiration & blessing to me to see the strength & faith they have, God has a plan & purpose here and lil Gracie has already touched so many lives. Please check out her journal at http://caringbridge.org/visit/graciejeanlockyer. Also tell everyone you know to pray for this baby so that her parents & little brother Haddon can take her home one day soon. Thanks- Sherry

Satan has struck again

2008-07-30T01:12:00.002-04:00

So, we are 4 days away from Nick's 13th birthday party. It is always an event. We have squirt guns, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, cake, ice cream, Slip-N-Slide, water balloons & a slime fight...for anyone who wants to be slimed. This year, we are doing that and going to add horse shoes, bad mitten/volleyball, 3 legged race, party horns, and spinning yourself dizzy with a bat....I don't know what you actually call it. Its when you hold the ball bat up right on the ground, bend over putting your head against the end and then walk around it several times until you are dizzy AND THEN racing your friends, that are also dizzy, past the finish line. I have seen it done before but this will be the first time for us. Then, on Sunday I get the privilege of teaching Children's Bible Time at our church to the 6-8 year olds. I really love doing that. I love the kids, the planning, the crafts, the songs, everything.....and I get to do it for the whole month. SATAN HAS STRUCK AGAIN......Eric is sick with a cold/flu something and has a fever that has gotten up to 102 degrees. He feels horrible. Nick and Abbie are both running low grade fevers but haven't gotten the full blown attack yet. Abbie is a little whiny but Nick actually missed football practice. There have been times I have thought that he would rather chew his own foot off than miss football....he must be getting it. I felt yucky earlier today but at the moment, feel fine. Thank you, Jesus. It comes in times of great plans of great fun, when Satan stands so proudly in our home. "Knowing is half the battle" to quote the old G.I. Joe cartoon of my childhood. He will try anything to make us doubt. But I don't doubt, he will lose and I will win because I am on God's side. My wonderful husband recently made me so proud to be his wife. I can not and will not go into details but the situation was a woman he knows very well told him that she was involved in a relationship with another woman. She is married to a nasty man and has every reason to leave him. When she told Eric this, he was amazed. He never thought that was who she was. He said that he thought about it for a little while and then took her into a private room and simply said, "Don't do this. Don't do this. When you are standing before God on Judgement Day, you know better than this. Don't do it." She started crying and finally told him the truth, that her husband had been abusing her for months and she would rather people think she was leaving him because of another relationship than that there was physical abuse. How sad?!?! In this pitiful world we live in, it is better to be a lesbian than a battered wife. I personally think it has to do with pride. Letting others know that someone has that kind of power over you and, in this case, that you haven't left and have put up with it for so long. Pray for her and her children.....that God gives her the strength to be who and what she is, exactly the way God made her. And on a less serious note: Eric is now a Brown Belt in Karate! He belt tested on Monday. Again, he makes me proud.....and safe to be in a dark alley ;-)

Doubts?

2008-07-29T14:20:00.003-04:00

Doubts about your purpose? Doubts about your reason here on earth? Doubts about God?

Just watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

When you look at science and the Bible agreeing on something....it blows your mind.

Thanks, Jennifer, for finding and sharing this.

Recently....

2008-07-24T12:14:00.008-04:00

Recently, some people that I know have died. This is very sad and I am so sorry for their families. Grief and loss are horrible emotions to survive. Sometimes it destroys families forever, when arguments and hurt feelings are pushed in the wrong direction. A very confusing time, to say the least.

For these people, I don't believe that is the case. Kay, Annette & Rick loved the Lord. They lived their lives for Him and with Him. You didn't have to ask or listen to them speak to know, you could see it everyday, by the way they lived and loved. A greater testament cannot be.

Their families will never be the same. Family reunions and holidays are changed forever.

But, take comfort. They are in HEAVEN rejoicing and singing praises! I can just see Annette and my Grandpa reliving old times together. They grew up together their entire lives, same school, same area, same church. I'm sure they are happy to see each other and have lots to talk about.

God IS good ALL the time!

Rick Richmond, 37 Richard "Rick" Otis Richmond, 37, of South Webster, died Monday, July 21, 2008, at the Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth. He was born in Portsmouth on June 15, 1971, to Richard and Brenda Baker Richmond. Rick was a 1989 graduate of South Webster High School. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed the outdoors, where he liked riding motorcycles, ATVs, and horses. Rick also loved spending time with this family. He was a member of the New Boston Eagles Aerie 2271 and the Sunshine Church of Christ in Minford.

He is survived by his wife, Rushie Rakes Richmond, whom he married on May 22, 1993, in Scioto Furnace; his daughter, Rikki Lynn Richmond, at home; his parents, Richard and Brenda Baker Richmond of South Webster; grandparents, Howard and Garnet Hill of Wheelersburg; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Delmer and Thelma Rakes of Oak Hill; six uncles, Arnold Richmond, Tom Richmond, Larry Baker, Don Baker, Les Hill and Kirk Hill; eight aunts, Fern Duncan, Anna Holcomb, Rita Shumway, Barbara Dingus, Patty Chamberlin, Camie Holbrook, Beverly Stiles and Karen Miller; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Kay E. Peach Coriell, 61 Kay E. Peach Coriell, 61, of Portsmouth, died Sunday, July 20, 2008, at Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth. Born Nov. 3, 1946, in Portsmouth, a daughter of Stanley Peach of Portsmouth and the late Wanda Maddy Peach, she was a retired elementary school teacher from Minford Local Schools. She was a member of Sciotoville Christian Church and Shawnee Nature Club.

In addition to her father, she is survived by her husband, Steven Coriell, whom she married May 28, 1966; two sisters, Joan (Mike) Coriell and Polly (Bob) Warnock, both of Portsmouth; and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Mary Annette Coriell, 90

Mary Annette Coriell, 90, of Minford, died Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at her residence. Born May 16, 1918, in Scioto County, Ohio, a daughter of the late Walter S. and Virginia Mansfield Coriell, she was an occupational therapist and had worked for the Receiving Hospital in Portsmouth for 15 years and VA Hospitals in Huntington, W.Va., and Lexington, Ky. She had worked in Home Health Care in Lawrence and Scioto Counties and taught school in Minford and South Webster School Districts. She was a graduate of Minford High School in the Class of 1935 and attended the former Alfred Holbrook College in Manchester, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University in the Class of 1946. She was a member of Sunshine Church of Christ near Minford.

The "Triplets": Annette, Abbie & Scott Gampp.....all born on May 16th, varying years, of course.

Dad's voice

2008-07-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

So, today I spent some time with a friend of mine and her daughter and a little while with my Dad in the pool. It started clouding up and so she and her daughter went on home and Abbie and I went home. As we walked home, we heard some distant thunder. Nothing much to worry about, I thought.

I started some laundry and started thinking about supper. Then, the rain started......then, the wind kicked in. "Wow," I said looking out the front window, "I don't ever remember seeing the trees bend that far in the wind."

I was walking to the phone to call Dad and tell him about how we were getting the storm that the news guy on the radio said we wouldn't get. (just to torment him, duh, he could see the storm coming as well as I could) The phone rang. The Caller ID said it was my parents, which kind-of creeped me out a little. It was my Mom and she said, "Your Dad is worried and you guys need to come up here."

***My father and I have an interesting relationship when it comes to weather happenings. I do NOT like storms! He is not fond of them but will stand out on his porch and watch them. I watch the weather channel and when I see something coming, I am the first one to move next door to Dad's house until it passes. #1-its a house with a basement #2-I live in a house trailer that I don't feel like is much protection in a storm situation.

Dad or Mom usually calls and says something like 'the weather is a little if-ie and if you want to come up, you know that you are more than welcome.'***

The tone of my Mom's voice speaking my Dad's message was enough to move me. I simply said, "Okay," and then grabbed a few things and we were on our way to safety. (I understand that a storm can bring down any structure but to me, their house is going to stand up longer than mine in storming conditions) While getting in the car, Eric pointed out to me the fallen tree about 30 feet from our house. That is my guess, it was too close to me.

My Dad and I fight....I mean, REALLY FIGHT sometimes. Most of the time we are fine and get along great. Regardless of which it is, I listen to him, I hear what he has to say about things and what his opinions are. I might not follow what he says BUT I HEAR HIM.

When I hear my Heavenly Father's voice or nudge, I move. No questions, no fears, no hesitations.

Comedy?

2008-07-06T23:14:00.003-04:00

I LOVE to laugh! Ask anyone that knows me...I LOVE to laugh and make others laugh. Few things in this life are better to me than laughing about something with friends and family so hard that you cry. And then, hours later, a single word even remotely related to the subject, will make you start laughing again. There are many comedians out there that have the same effect on us. Words and phrases get stuck in our heads and we laugh for days or weeks after. For politeness and legality's sake I will not mention the name of the well known comedian that recently past away. For five decades the Grammy award-winning comedian, actor, and author has been making audiences laugh and think with his salty, provocative style of stand-up comedy. He is best known for his loud, negative thoughts about God and religion. Here is a cleaner version of a direct quote from December 2005: *********************************************************** When it comes to ***, big-time, major league ***, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest *** story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time! But I want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is *** up. Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of *** you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful *** a long time ago. And by the way, I say "this guy", because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man. ************************************************************ I can't believe any person out there, even of the secular world, would ever be so bold.....and so wrong. He found a way to make a living, support his family, achieve all the fame and fortune anyone could ever want.....but at what cost? I read about things like this and it makes me sick, and then it makes me sad. He now knows how wrong he was. Philippians 2:9-11 (The Message) Because of that obedience, God lifted Him high and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that He is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. I believe God loved/loves this man. I believe God had great plans in store for him. I believe that the man, not God, made the choice to do something else with his life. Colossians 1:16 (NIV) For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. Now, I am not his judge and I do not know what happened between him and God in his final moments. I would be more than thrilled to see him in heaven but God calls us to act now. Love now. Spread the joy of His love now. To love God first, others second, and ourselves last. When someone you do or do not know is "googling" your name after you die, what will it say? What will you leave behind? Is your life a video worth bringing home from the movie rental? or something those people hide and hope know one they know sees them with it? Jesus left everything we need to know about Him, His life and how we are to live, in black and white. Faith and prayer combined with God's mercy and grace finish it off. It's a perfect package! The first step is you. What do you believe enough to tell other people about it? Romans 1: 18-20 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Vacation Bible School highlights

2008-06-27T23:16:00.004-04:00

Lost city of Jericho: Eric, me, my Dad, my Mom & Mike Oh, so sad, its already over. I love Vacation Bible School. I love getting ready for it, planning and decorating, reading the stories over and over to get them right, thinking like a child to make sure they will understand what I'm saying, just the all over feeling of excitement! It is very worth mentioning the children I usually bring with me.....they are the reason for doing it. My children and I have a couple of girls, that are sisters about Nick's age, that live next to us. They are wonderful kids and we love them. Every year, I mean EVERY year, one of them calls or comes by to ask about when VBS is and what the theme is, usually 4 or 5 weeks ahead of time. I don't know if they attend church anywhere regularly or not, but they live for our VBS. This year we ended up taking the two of them, and another girl and boy that are about Nick's age. How wonderful! Could it be any better? The third girl said she had NEVER been to any church except one VBS with a cousin when she was 5 and she doesn't really remember it. That in itself is sad. But how blessed I feel to get to take her and show her what God's people can be. She had said that her mom doesn't think much of any of the churchs that her mom had attended before. Talk about God opening a door! When we got home this evening, we got a phone call from this girl. She asked us when Sunday services were and if we could give her a ride. GOD IS AMAZING!!!!! One of the sisters that lives next door was disappointed about one thing. She knew her memory verse by the second day and there wasn't any contest for it. (Some years there has been.) She sang and sang that verse all the way there and all the way home. I am exhausted but the room has already been taken down. Its sad that two days of work is gone in 25 minutes. Thank you Mike & Becky for helping to put it up and take it down. I feel blessed to get to be a part of such a wonderful out reach program that obviously touches people of all ages in the community.

URGENT prayer request

2008-06-16T21:48:00.000-04:00

This was sent to me, by email, by Mary Collins: I don't know if you guys remember or not but about 8 or 9 months ago I requested prayer for a co-workers baby granddaughter, Krisma, who was going to have major heart surgery. That surgery was a success at the time, however, as her body has grown in length, she has not gained a lot of weight. She turned 1 yr old on Friday, June 13 and she is only the size of a 7 - 8 month old. A little over a month ago she underwent another surgery to replace the aortic valve with an artificial one. She has not been able to be taken off the ventilator since. They have been keeping her in a drug induced coma. She has continued to become weaker, fluid keeps building up in her lungs and they keep draining it. They had to do a heart cath last week and they are saying that the mitral valve is not working properly and the left ventricle is also not functioning right. Her parents were told this weekend that they need to make the decision of whether or not to put her on the transplant list. The doctors say that a heart transplant is the only option now. However, they don't know if she will survive long enough to receive it or even if she would survive the transplant. This baby is in critical condition and I would appreciate if the whole church would please start to pray for this entire family. Linda (grandmother and my co-worker) is financially supporting this whole family and is in danger of losing her job because of the time she is needing to take off to be with them and her only granddaughter. Adam and Michelle (father and mother) are only in their early 20's with another child Keaton (2 yrs old), they are living in the Ronald McDonald house in Columbus and taking turns being with their daughter. They are devastated and completely overwhelmed. There are so many questions that no one can answer. ***I removed the last names for privacy....and because God doesn't need them, He already knows who they are.*** God can do all things and in His own time. Please, pray for this family and their physical, spiritual and emotional health. Prayer is the only thing that really matters here.....obviously, the doctors are at a loss and have hit the end of what they know to do. Krisma (the beautiful baby girl) is in God's hands.

She can swim!!

2008-06-13T01:00:00.003-04:00

We spent some time in the pool today. Oh, it felt great....just enough sun and just enough cool breeze. Humid and 90 degrees to everyone else, to me, I was 3 feet from heaven...Oh, it was good.

So, my friend Becky and her children, and me and mine were having a wonderful time. Our big kids are like fish, the littler ones (both 5 years old) are very interested in "swimming like adults." Those are actually the words Abbie used. She wanted so badly to get out of her inflatable ring. She kept trying to prove herself by closing her eyes, holding her nose, taking a big breath and putting her head under the water....but only for a minute.

Today, she took off. I held her under her belly and she was "paddling" her arms and legs, as you would to actually swim. After a few, few minutes, I was only holding her by a finger under her middle. I stood very close and watched carefully, and took my hand out from under her. It was like teaching a child to ride a bike. Letting go of them, when you see they are ready, but without them knowing it.

My parents' pool is 4.5 feet deep and 24 feet across. After only a few trys, Abbie made it 3/4 of the way across the pool, completely by herself...no rings....no swimmies....no help.....but with me right beside her. She is SO proud of herself and so am I.

Sometimes I know that is how God and I are, how our relationship falls. I beg and beg for something that I really want or think I need but only God knows how deep the pool is, how to swim and what I am actually asking for. Its too big for me to see.

Summer classes

2008-06-05T12:26:00.002-04:00

Summer Classes for Men AT THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED by Friday, August 17th 2008 NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM Class 1 How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation. Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM. Class 2 The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself? Round Table Discussion. Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours. Class 3 Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice. Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours. Class 4 Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics. Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks. Class 5 Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink? Examples on Video. Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM Class 6 Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.Help Line Support and Support Groups. Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM Class 7 Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming. Open Forum Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours. Class 8 Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health Graphics and Audio Tapes. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours. Class 9 Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials. Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined Class 10 Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks? Driving Simulations. 4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours. Class 11 Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife. Online Classes and role-playing Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined Class 12 How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques. Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM. Class 13 How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late. Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours. Class 14 The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used.Live Demonstration. Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined. Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors. *********************************************************************** How funny is that?????

the ABCs

2008-06-04T22:50:00.003-04:00

Although things are not perfect Because of trial or pain Continue in thanksgiving Do not begin to blame Even when the times are hard Fierce winds are bound to blow God is forever able Hold on to what you know Imagine life without His love Joy would cease to be Keep thanking Him for all the things Love imparts to thee Move out of "Camp Complaining" No weapon that is known On earth can yield the power Praise can do alone Quit looking at the future Redeem the time at hand Start every day with worship To "thank" is a command Until we see Him coming Victorious in the sky We'll run the race with gratitude Xalting God most high Yes, there will be good times and yes some will be bad, but... Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Thank you

2008-06-03T23:41:00.004-04:00

A couple of weekends ago, I was sick. Really, really sick. I will not go into the details, those of you reading this blog...I want you to come back, but it was bad. I recovered. Then, a few days ago, I started sneezing and coughing and had immense pressure in my head due to sinus allergies or infection....I still don't know for sure. It is getting better but I still have a cough once in a while.

My point comes to something that HASN'T happened in nearly a year.

For a year, about a year ago, I had incredibly bad bladder infections. In that year, I had 11 infections. Count that up. I was miserable. Anyone who has ever had one knows the pain. Those of you that haven't, its like peeing fire,having the urge to go every 10-15 minutes, headache, fever, nausea, & chills. I couldn't play with my kids most of the time, clean house, or even leave the house, at least not the way I wanted to. All I could do was sit and cry and wait for the antibiotics to kick in or the doctor to call back. NOT HAPPY TIMES.

I prayed and prayed. I cried and begged for mercy.

Then, something occurred to me. I prayed while I hurt, and thanked God when it was over, but I didn't continue my thanks during the between times.

I am not saying God cursed my bladder because I didn't pray enough, please, don't misunderstand me.

But, it did stop. Partly, because I started telling a few close friends about it and they began praying as well. But mostly because I gave it to God. The doctors and I were not able to do it without Him. My thankfulness is endless. God gave me my life back and the ability to take care of my family.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Jesus

2008-05-30T14:51:00.003-04:00

You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air. The sound is high above you. A trumpet? A choir? A choir of trumpets? You don't know, but you want to know. So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open, and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing out of the grocery store. The Little League baseball game across the street has come to a halt. Players and parents are searching the clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never before been seen. As if the sky were a curtain, the drapes of the atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the earth. There are no shadows. None. From every hue ever seen and a million more never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky. North. South. East. West. Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison, and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy... The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who join the angels in worship. Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy, holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words, but you know you must. Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and there He is. Jesus. Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his declaration: I am the Alpha and the Omega. The angels bow their heads. The elders remove their crowns. And before you is a Figure so consuming that you know, instantly you know: Nothing else matters. Forget stock markets and school reports. Sales meetings and football games. Nothing is newsworthy.. All that mattered, matters no more.... for Christ has come. What is important to you today?

Psycho Test

2008-05-26T23:25:00.002-04:00

Read this question, come up with an answer and then scroll down to the bottom for the result. This is not a trick question. It is as it reads.

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met this guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing, so much her dream guy she believed him to be just that! She fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister. Question: What is her motive in killing her sister? (Give this some thought before you answer). Then, SCROLL DOWN.

Answer: She was hoping that the guy would appear at the funeral again. If you answered this correctly, you think like a psychopath. This was a test by a famous American Psychologist used to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly. If you didn't answer the question correctly good for you! If you got the answer correct, please let me know so I can take you off of my email list unless that will tick you off, then I'll just be extra nice to you from now on. Be sure to share the test.

Prayers to the Chapman family

2008-05-22T15:36:00.003-04:00

(Left to right Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaoey, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily) MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE... 5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, transported by Life Flight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters. This tragic story is not in the headlines today, but I wanted to share with those of you who may want to pray for this family. Many of you many know Steven Curtis Chapman from his success as a Christian music artist. He and his family have also become strong adoption advocates, and they are the founders of Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation that awards grants to assist adoptive families. The 5-year-old daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman has been struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle driven by her brother. Authorities in Tennessee say the girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway at the family home today south of Nashville and died later in hospital. The Toyota Land Cruiser was driven by the girl's teenage brother. Reportedly several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident. The brother apparently did not see the little girl. No charges were expected to be filed. Chapman and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria. They also have three biological children. The singer's web site says the couple was persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption. The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the web site. More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife Mary Beth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles. In lieu of flowers, the Chapmans request any gifts be directed to Shaohannah’s Hope.

My husband

2008-05-20T23:26:00.002-04:00

I have recently realized, again, what a wonderful man that God has given to me. My husband Eric is truly a gift.

He lets me be who I am, without insisting I become something that I'm not.

He believes in my feelings, that they are real and something worth spending time on.

He is willing to hold my hair while I puke and clean it up afterward.

He gives me all the time I need to recover from something, even if it doesn't feel like that big of a deal to him.

He takes his role as father and husband with the utmost respect for the position. He steps very lightly and carefully, in any direction, in guiding a nearly 13 year old boy and a 5 year old girl.

He never gives me any grief for the time I spend away from the house, just playing with my girlfriends or my mom.

He is always happy to come home to me and the kids, even when the house is in the same shipwreck, pig sty shape it was in when he left.

He supports my faith, my feeling of the Spirit moving me. If I feel "the call" to do something, whether he feels it or not, he is right beside me.

I don't have to "ask" him for his permission....we talk and come to an agreement...usually.

Even though his job is sometimes a life sucking experience, he goes without complaint because he is responsible for us and takes that very seriously.

He bravely goes into work, where people die, get sicker, get hurt, complain and rarely are ever happy and comes home to do it again the next day.

He makes me laugh. Everyday. Sometimes we just look at each other, know what each other is thinking, and start laughing.

He holds me so close and so perfectly when I cry. My shoulder fits just right under his arm; my head sets right on his shoulder. I don't know what I would have done recently during Grandpa's funeral, without him beside me.

He would happily step in front of a bullet for me. People say that but I honestly believe that he would.

He is my protector and my rock. I don't go anywhere and worry about my or my children's safety.

For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive. Romans 7:2 He is not perfect but he is perfect for me. It sounds like God has a wonderful plan in store for me!

Our worth

2008-05-11T22:19:00.002-04:00

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked,"Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said,"I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the bill up. He then asked,"Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied,"What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air."My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him.

Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us,"as the apple of His eye."

THOUGHT: The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE WE ARE! You are special - Don't ever forget it!

Mothers and Moms

2008-05-11T00:20:00.005-04:00

MOTHERS and MOMS

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay, honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or softball games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart?

Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is and hug her child when she hears news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us... Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can.

Tell them every day that we love them. And pray and never stop being a mother... Please pass along to all the mothers in your life.

'Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall.'

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, I Love you!!!

Oh, so much has happened....

2008-05-07T23:36:00.011-04:00

So much has happened and is going to happen.

Life is getting back to some degree of normal after Grandpa's funeral. It's sad to say, but I feel like I am spending so much more time with Grandma now, than I did. Why is it that we do that? When something happens, we begin seeing things differently.....to treasure people more than ever. Grandma and Grandpa have always had each other.....now, we, the family, have to figure out how we can "fill" Grandpa's shoes. No one will ever be able to replace him.

We are already counting down the days until the end of school AND until football conditioning starts. Nick is so excited.....so am I. I love to see him play!

Abbie's 5th birthday party is this Saturday, though she doesn't actually turn 5 until the 16th. This year we are doing a Monsters Inc. theme.

Remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned Eric & I had some plans for the future and I ask that anyone reading this pray about it? Well, some of those things might be happening. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I really feel like God might be at work.....well, I know God is at work, but sometimes you can't see it. I can see this in front of me. There is still a long time before we know anything and that means a long time to continue to pray for guidance.

This year at Vacation Bible School (June 23rd - 27th), the theme is the Lost Cities of the Bible. Each room or space will be decorated as a different city and have the story told as the lesson. I have Jericho and I am so ready. I have been planning how to do Jericho, in my head, for years. It is just a wonderful story of faith, prayer, and believing in God's power being greater than your own ideas.

The Youth Rally was great! It is wonderful to be surrounded by people, of all ages, whose only goal is to worship God. I have posted pictures.

I would ask you all to pray for Grant Kallner. He is the infant son of Jodi & Aaron, friends of ours that also attend church with us. He was born Monday, May 5th and was soon after transfered to another hospital with a NICU because he was having real problems breathing. I have heard that he is doing better now but still needs all the prayers we can offer.

Youth Rally

2008-04-25T11:21:00.002-04:00

I am so excited about our Youth Rally this year! Eric and I get to be big kids at our Rallies. Nick is big enough to be in a cabin with the other kids and Abbie is staying at home with my parents. I will miss her, yes, but we get to just be "us" - single "us" - like we have never been. Eric & I have never been just a couple, without children in tow. That might sound selfish but, for short periods of time, it really is fun. When we eat, I only have to get my own plate. When I have to pee, its only me. ....yeah, that sounds pretty silly. I have prayed and prayed that God will bless this weekend.....that all of the kids, younger or older, will walk away from this a step or two closer to Jesus. I know, having been involved in the Youth Rallies for years now, that the adults have no choice....God touches you. He opens your eyes and your heart. This weekend rains down blessings on the adults because of their selflessness, their effort and their desire to share the love of God with children. Work for God always has benefits, in this life or the next. Even if no one come forward and is baptised, the seeds are planted, the eyes have been opened, the hearts have been pricked. The theme is "Go." Like, Go into all the world or when God moves you, you need to Go. I can't wait to see what has been prepared for us and, then, what God does with it. So, Eric, Nick, Alex, Nathan & I are off to the Rally this evening. I, of course, will not be blogging again until, at least, Sunday afternoon. Yes, I will post some pictures.

football

2008-04-23T00:15:00.004-04:00

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20821208 http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20109801 I couldn't get it to load these, so I had to put the link on instead. Nick is in a red jersey and is #24, usually in the center of the viewing screen....you may have to watch it more than once to see what actually happens. This just brings a tear to my eye everytime. I love that kid!!! I would suggest that you turn the sound up enough to hear it but not too loud....there is alot of squeeling and cheering at the end of each.

My tears

2008-04-22T23:56:00.002-04:00

I am crying right now as I type. Why? I'm not hurt. I'm not sick. I'm not even tired. What I am is PROUD! I was looking through my pictures on my computer and got to Nick's last year's football album. He is quite a football player. The first 3 years of Pee Wee football (grades 3-5) he didn't really play much and not very hard when he did. But he loved to do it, so we continued with the games and practices. Last year, in the 6th grade, he figured it out. WOW, he figured it out. I am so proud of him...not for hurting someone, not because its football (which I love). It's because I see him doing his best and trying his hardest. I think God does the same with us. Working hard, doing our best and making Him proud by our actions and our hearts, brings a tear to His eye. I would imagine, He swells with pride, just like I do.

the Great Physician

2008-04-19T22:02:00.004-04:00

Prescribed by the Great Physician! The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember. Noah was a drunk Abraham was too old Isaac was a daydreamer Jacob was a liar Leah was ugly Joseph was abused Moses had a stuttering problem Gideon was afraid Samson had long hair and was a womanizer Rahab was a prostitute Jeremiah and Timothy were too young David had an affair and was a murderer Elijah was suicidal Isaiah preached naked Jonah ran from God Naomi was a widow Job went bankrupt Peter denied Christ The Disciples fell asleep while praying Martha worried about everything The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once Zaccheus was too small Paul was too religious Timothy had an ulcer.. AND Lazarus was dead! And Don't forget Jesus Helped them all!!!! Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger. And one more thing...Share this with a friend or two... In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential. 1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. 2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's Me. 3. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. 4. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted. 5. Do the math ... count your blessings. 6. Faith is the ability to not panic. 7. If you worry, you didn't pray . If you pray, don't worry. 8. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day. 9. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape. 10. The most important things in your house are the people. 11. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot. 12. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. 13. He who dies with the most toys is still dead. Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and He can certainly use you! Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of problems in their life. So, Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.......

Funny, funny, just too funny....

2008-04-19T00:04:00.020-04:00

Definition

2008-04-19T00:04:00.003-04:00

What defines me? I stay at home with my children. I am not a highly paid professional. I am physically imperfect. My pancreas stop working properly when I was 6, I am near-sighted & somewhat overweight. I am not a model. I don't always wash my supper dishes. Sometimes I wait and do them the next day because something else is going on that needs my attention more. I never went to college. I went to nursing school and got my license but that was at a vocational school, not a college or university. I had my first child too young. I have made some incredible mistakes in my life. Some I knew better when I did it and some I didn't. I am not defined by what I do. The definition of who I am is simple: I AM A CHILD OF GOD! That is all that needs said. I try and fail. I walk and stumble. I listen and forget. I speak and don't think. I sin and I am forgiven. period. The Will of God will not lead you to where the Grace of God can't cover you. He is everywhere.....walking two steps in front of you and two steps behind you, picking up the pieces.

My prayers

2008-04-17T23:48:00.002-04:00

Do my prayers come from the heart or are they just habit? I Cannot Pray The Lord's Prayer if: I cannot pray "OUR," if my faith has no room for others and their need. I cannot pray "FATHER," if I do not demonstrate this relationship to God in my daily living. I cannot pray "WHO ART IN HEAVEN," if all of my interests and pursuits are in earthly things. I cannot pray "HALLOWED BE THY NAME," if I am not striving for God's help to be holy. I cannot pray "THY KINGDOM COME," if I am unwilling to accept God's rule in my life. I cannot pray "THY WILL BE DONE," if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life. I cannot pray "IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," unless I am truly ready to give myself to God's service here and now. I cannot pray "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD," without expending honest effort for it or if I would withhold from my neighbor the bread I receive. I cannot pray "FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US," if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot pray "LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION," if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted. I cannot pray "DELIVER US FROM EVIL," if I am not prepared to fight with my life and my prayer. I cannot pray "THINE IS THE KINGDOM," if I am unwilling to obey the King. I cannot pray "THINE IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY," if I am seeking power for myself and my own glory first. I cannot pray 'FOREVER AND EVER," if I am too anxious about each day's affairs. I cannot pray "AMEN," unless I honestly say "Not MY will, but THY will be done, so let it be." "But when you pray, use not vain repetitions..." -- Matthew 6:7

FAMILY

2008-04-12T23:15:00.003-04:00

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,

'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, 'Please excuse me too;

I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.

We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,

My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.

'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.

I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,

God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,

You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.

He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,

You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.

By this time, I felt very small,

And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;

'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'

He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.

I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;

I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'

He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.

I love you anyway.'

I said, 'Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers,

especially the blue.'

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are

working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.

But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work

than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY =

(F)ATHER

(A)ND

(M)OTHER

(I)

(L)OVE

(Y)OU

God & His timing

2008-04-10T23:22:00.004-04:00

God has amazing timing. He, unlike me, is ALWAYS on time....in the best time. My Grandfather's passing was at the best time, now that I can think about it more.

1. All but a few family members had just been in to visit with him and Grandma, some just hours before.

2. He died in the middle of the night. That is so Grandpa! He wouldn't have wanted a huge crowd in the middle of the day. Most of us had said goodnight and gone home.

3. My cousin Tim's family had plane tickets for the week before but somehow they got changed for them. They ended up being there at the exact right time to say goodbye.

4. One of my best friends Julie was to watch my children Saturday so I could go to the hospital. Saturday morning, she called and said that she knew I was at the hospital until late and that I should just bring church clothes with the kids and she would take them to church in the morning, saving me a trip out to get them that evening. When the call came at 1:16am, I was so thankful that I didn't have to deal with what to do with them in the middle of the night.

5. God and Grandpa removed decisions from our path. The family would have had to have decided his code status, feeding tube or not, breathing machine or not......we are blessed to have had that burden taken from us.

6. Grandpa is no longer in any pain. Asking or begging for more time with him would be selfish. Wanting him to suffer so that I was comfortable....what kind of granddaughter would I be to want that?

7. God's timing was for Grandpa to go home. His time in this world is over and now he is singing with the angels & dancing down the golden streets with a huge bag of M&Ms in his pocket. There is no doubt in my mind that he is also discussing the construction of his mansion with anyone that stops by.

Grandpa's funeral was perfect. Wayne, Steve, Tim, Dwight & Dad did a great job of focusing on what was important: Grandpa's example of how God wants us to live. Simply and contently. I believe Grandpa had it right. His soul was God's which left him able to enjoy and be in awe of everything in this world.

My only regret is the M&Ms. I'm sorry but I have to tell this story. On Friday, while Grandpa was having the endoscope that would revel the cancerous tumor in his esophagus, I was waiting in the waiting room with Grandma. I went downstairs to the snack/vending machine room and got some snacks. I got Grandma some apple juice and a pop for me. Then, I got Grandpa a small bag of regular M&Ms. He was a chocoholic!!! I told Grandma, when I got back, that they were for Grandpa when the sedation had worn off and he could eat again. He would love them. Well, the results were not good and they put him on a full liquid diet. In less than 36 hours, he was gone. He never got to eat them. I didn't think anymore about them until my cousin Jennifer brought up that she had them, she didn't want anyone else opening and eating them. I didn't know what to do with them now. Eat them? Save them? Then, we figured it out. At the funeral, Irmalee and the other women that cooked the wonderful dinner for us, had put out bowls of M&Ms on each of the tables. My sister knew what I had planned and got some in a baggie or Saran wrap or something. Then, before the funeral services started, Jennifer, she & I went up to Grandpa's casket and with tearful eyes and careful hands put the M&Ms in with him. My sister's lay by his right hip and I put that original Friday package tucked under his right arm. Now, we are not pretending to be Egyptian, we know he doesn't actually have them in heaven, but it was the only thing to do.

In my Father's house are many rooms;

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come back and take you to be with me

that you also may be where I am. John 14:2-3 NIV

A friend

2008-04-06T05:35:00.004-04:00

I have a friend named Jamie. He always has something to say to make me laugh or think. He always has a smile in his face. He lives for God and only for God......to take care of his family, his congregation, and see to it that he helps to spread the Word of God to the world. Sometimes goofy, sometimes serious, I always love talking to him. I was telling him how happy it appeared to make Grandma when he visited her and Grandpa in the hospital. How she smiled when he put his hand on her shoulder and held her hand. His response, complete humility. He thanked me for telling him and told me how important my grandparents were to him and how he loved them. I want to thank the "Jamies" of this world for doing what God calls us to do - to love each other. And do it for and because of God......not for Jamie. The greatest worship of Our Lord is outside the church building, not in it.

my Grandpa

2008-04-06T05:35:00.003-04:00

It is now 5:35 am on Sunday April 6th, 2008 and I am finally home from the hospital. I spent all day there and had come home about 9pm. At 1:16am, the phone rang. It was my Dad. My father has the most calming, soft delivery of bad news. He said, "they called and we need to go to the hospital." My Grandpa Willis Shumway passed away at about 1am this morning.

I have mixed feelings about this and I'll tell you why.

I am full of loss, sadness, and sorrow. There is an emptiness in me. I have cried so much I don't think I can cry anymore. He walked himself into the doctor office on Thursday evening. They admitted him for pain control, found spots on his lungs, bladder by CT scan, believed the fractures in his spine were due to cancer, too. He hurt so much. I wanted healing...................

.....................I guess I got it...............HE IS AT HOME WITH OUR LORD!!!! What could be better? He passed away quickly and we believe and were told that he didn't suffer, as he died.

I feel blessed to have spent the day there with him. At one point earlier in the day, I got to hold him as he held on to me, to transfer him from his bedside to the chair. He moved so slowly, I had all the time (it felt like) in the world to talk to him. I told him to hold on to me, that I wouldn't let him fall, that we could move as slowly as he needed us to. He had his face buried in the left side of my neck. I love how he smells. I love feeling his breath on my neck and him holding onto me. I love looking into his big blue eyes.

The last thing I said to him this evening before I left was, "I love you, Grandpa. You get some rest and I will see you in the morning." Okay, so I won't see him in the morning BUT I WILL SEE HIM SOMEDAY!

Please, pray for me and my family in the coming days, weeks and months.

A long day

2008-04-05T23:42:00.003-04:00

It is official: my Grandpa has cancer. We know for sure that there is a tumor in his esophagus that is cancerous. The doctor will know more Monday, but we think its in other places also. My friend, Julie, has been watching my kids alot lately. In getting ready for her day with Julie, Abbie needed her fingernails clipped. This is my job and is an easy one. So, I get to a finger that Abbie has been picking at for a few days....it was a hangnail. I clipped the nail and then trimmed the hangnail so it wouldn't hurt and maybe she could leave it alone. She looked at me and said, "Wow, Mommy, you are good at that, it didn't even hurt. Thank you."...and off she went into the other room. Sometimes, I think God has to clip our nails and sees a hangnail that we can't leave alone. If we let Him, He can do what needs to be done. Even when we believe it has to hurt, sometimes God can do it without us even knowing it. Do you get it? I have had a really long day and am not composing my thoughts well. I am sure that after church in the morning, I will feel better. I always do.

Holy, Holy, HOLY!!

2008-04-03T23:24:00.010-04:00

Holy, Holy, Holy!

2008-04-03T23:24:00.004-04:00

My friends are a blessing from God, there is no doubt!

Whatever happens

hold on to these thoughts...

You are stronger than

you imagine,

Braver than you know...

And cared about so much more than words could ever tell...

I'm here for you always.

I got this in an ecard from one of my very best friends, just when she and God knew I needed it.

Today, has been an extremely trying day for me and my family. For the sake of privacy and all around politeness, there will be holes in the story I am about to tell.....just bare with me.

This morning I got an email saying that one of my friends' sister had died last night in a car accident. She was 16 years old. I don't know her personally and, now, never will but I do adore her brother (my friend). I can't do anything for him to help him or his family feel any better BUT I know someone who can....GOD! I pray that my prayers will give him and his family comfort & peace in the days ahead.

This afternoon, my near 90 year old grandfather had a doctor's appointment. About two months ago, he fractured 2 vertebrae in his back due to osteoporosis. He was admitted to our local hospital for pain management, after his appointment today. While there or during the appointment (I wasn't there to be sure which) he was told of other scans and tests that hadn't come back they way that they should have. So, he will be having further things done while he is admitted.

This is terrifying to me. He has been like my father, in my eyes, in that they were invincible.....like Superman. He's not supposed to get old, get hurt, or even think about dying. My only comfort is, again, God. He is there, of that I have no doubt!

I know that I am acting very selfish. If it is his time to go, he is a Christian and will go home to be with Jesus. AMEN, who could ask for better? I am not ready to bury him yet. He has alot of spunk and life left in him.

For anyone out there reading this, pray for my friend and my Grandpa. My friend needs comfort and medicine can't do anything, for Grandpa, without God being a part of it.

House cleaning

2008-03-31T00:03:00.013-04:00

Last week, I threw out worrying, it was getting old and in the way. It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way. I threw out a book on MY PAST (Didn't have time to read it anyway). Replaced it with NEW GOALS, started reading it today. I threw out hate and bad memories, (Remember how I treasured them so)? Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago. Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL, and I MUST. Threw out I might, I think and I ought. WOW, you should've seen the dust. I ran across an OLD FRIEND, I hadn't talked to in a while. His name is GOD the Father, and I really like His style. He helped me to do some cleaning and added some things Himself. Like PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE, Yes... I placed them right on the shelf. I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door. I FOUND IT- its called PEACE. Nothing gets me down anymore. Yes, I've got my house looking nice. Looks good around the place. For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space. It's good to do house cleaning, Get rid of the things on the shelf. May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it all. Malachi 3:10. May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever hope for. Philippians 4:19.

Sunshine's Spirit Club kids

2008-03-31T00:03:00.012-04:00

Make me cry!

2008-03-31T00:03:00.011-04:00

Make me cry!

2008-03-31T00:03:00.010-04:00

Every, EVERY time I see this video, I cry. Not a single tear falling down my cheek like you do when you watch a sappy romance movie but, full out gushing, my soul pouring from my eyes, can't see through my tears - crying. I really cry.

It is so beautiful and moving....a near perfect portrayal of Jesus' desire to love us and protect us and how we are constantly "dancing with the devil."

For me, this is almost like my own memories. I can paste my face on the girl and see my life. There is a very dark period of my past. For years, I knew God was there and that He loved me but somehow convinced myself that what I was doing wasn't that bad. I physically feel ill when I think about all the things I did, things I said, where I went, how I got there, etc. Those of you that know me personally only know the half of it. Honestly. I'm sure God was there....but He was in the back of my mind, not even close to the front.

At the end of the tunnel, after years of searching for something, I found Him standing there, patiently waiting on me to figure it out and want Him again. He removed so many ugly, sinful, disgusting elements from me. It wasn't me, I am small and tried before to do it. Only He is big enough. These things only bother me when I allow Satan to whisper in my ear, to remember...then, the feelings of shame and guilt come flooding back.

But I have an amazing and powerful GOD! One prayer to Him and Satan has no power over me!

Now days, I have a basically boring life...and I'm thankful for it. Drama is fun on TV but not in real life. I deal with the same stresses that everyone does....house, kids, spouse, bills, practices, appointments, snotty noses, pets dying, etc. The difference, in me, is in me. I lay these at the feet of God, smile, and walk away. It's that simple. Hand it over to Him and have faith that He will battle it, fix it, deal with it for you.....let Him protect you.

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

I will say that I needed to see this video tonight. It was shown at my church during evening services this evening and I had playfully complained to my friend that I hated this video......only because it makes me cry. Actually, it is exactly what I needed to see to remind me of what I have.

Easter time pictures

2008-03-27T00:12:00.020-04:00

No, I don't know why the pictures landed in this interesting arrangement. Hope you like the picture anyway.

Band-aids & french fries are blessings from God

2008-03-27T00:12:00.006-04:00

So, as my job of "Mother" reminds me frequently, I get to do things that are not nice to my children. Good for them, the best for them, but sometimes not "nice"........or they wouldn't so say anyway.

Abbie is quickly going to be 5 and I thought it would be good to go ahead and get her Vaccines for Kindergarten. The summer flies by so quickly and the fall will come before we know it.

I called a got an appointment with her pediatrician for last Thursday morning. I talked with her about everything. She is much happier knowing what is coming, even if it is bad, than being surprised. We talked about the shots, how many and where. That they would hurt but only for a minute and she would get cool band-aids afterwards. She asked why she needed to get the shots and I told her that they would keep her from getting some illnesses. I also told her she had to have them before she started school.....that everyone she knew, that was going to school, had had these same shots.

Well, like the little warrior that she is, she was ready and even excited. You could just read her face "if this is what I have to do to get to go to school, then let's do it!"

The night before, she had a bath and then we painted her nails to be ready for her appointment. She got to pick the colors, Grandma Ruth red on her toes and light blue/grey on her fingers... only my child.

The next morning, Eric was off work and Nick was out of school for Easter/spring break. BUT it was freezing cold and no one was moving fast enough so I ended up calling and rescheduling for Monday. You would have thought I killed her puppy in front of her. She was SO disappointed.

Monday, all went according to plan. We got to the appointment on time and Dr. Ditraglia was his delightful self. He is a great children's doctor. So, time for the shots was upon us. Abbie, cool as a cucumber, took her shirt off, held still and smiled. She ended up with three shots. The first two in her right arms and the last one in her left. The first two, she didn't cry AT ALL. Nothing. But whatever was in the last one, must have stung.

She got her band-aids and was all smiles by the time we left to go get "comfort" french fries.

Going too soon, Dr. Deeb

2008-03-17T23:44:00.005-04:00

After years of "doctors" instructing me and my parents on how to balance my blood sugar correctly, we pretty well gave up. Not on keeping me healthy, but on anyone with a medical license knowing anything more about Diabetes than we did. Move more, eat less, don't change the insulin.....that's all we ever heard. That is fine advice but doesn't work very well for a child.

***My parents love me very much. They did NOT stop taking me to the doctor to hurt me. They stopped because the "experts" at the time were stupid. We really did know more about the disease than they did. The practical, everyday kind-of stuff. They read the books, but we actually lived it.***

I am diabeticly perfect! My heart, my eyes, my feet, my kidneys, all the way they should be. I thank my Mom & Dad for that. Apparently, we DID know something, huh?

So after I had Abbie in 2003, I got the chance to meet one of the BEST doctors I have ever known....Dr. Wasim Deeb.

Eric, Abbie (3 weeks old) and I went in to meet him for the first time. As I sat on the exam table, I laughed with Eric as to how I didn't need this and we should just go home. Anyway, Dr. Deeb walks in and introduces himself with a smile, and asks me about my history, what's been going on, etc. Then, he gets to "and who has been managing your Diabetes for you?" WHO, I thought? Who else, me! But I said, "I have. My insulin is over the counter so I don't need a prescription. I don't need a doctor for that." He looked at me funny and said, "Why don't you have a doctor?" "Well," I said, "because I know more about this than they do and, quite frankly, I'll be surprised if you do either." (Oh, I was bold.) He looked at me and smiled, again, and said, "Well, I did borrow this lab coat from my friend down the hall, but I will do my best!" We both laughed. And thus the beginning of a beautiful friendship, both in and out of the office.

He discovered my thyroid issue and solved it. He discovered my Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and solved it, as well. That is a funny story. He ran a bunch of lab work, like he loves to do and found that my Testosterone was off the chart, like it should be less that 30 for a woman and mine was 133. Yeah, can you say aggressive? But, like I said, he found it and fixed me. He has been a blessing to me every time I am in there.

I have talked him up to everyone I meet that sounds like a medical mystery that would be up his alley. I have said to many people, "Between God and Dr. Deeb, it can be fixed!" I really feel that way.

So, I got my letter in the mail. Dr. Deeb and his family are moving in June to Florida. I thought my heart would stop. The man that made me believe in doctors again, was leaving. I don't know what I will do without him.......or how I will pay to fly to Florida 4 times a year for my check-ups. HA! HA! HA!

I will miss looking forward to doctor's appointments. I will miss running into Fidaa at Walmart. I will miss seeing Elias, Danny & Alex at Vacation Bible School. I will miss being able to talk to him about ANYTHING relating to my physical OR emotional health. I will miss them.

The Lord our God is the GREATEST PHYSICIAN but

Dr. Deeb is at the top of the human list, for me.

A word

2008-03-13T11:28:00.002-04:00

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4, NLT

(This is Klove's Encouraging word of the day, today)

Two days ago, Eric, Nick, Abbie & I were just sitting around, like we do sometimes, listening to Eric play music from the computer. Abbie & Nick love it and do their best to dance to whatever is playing. This particular song was instrumental, or at least it was at this point. The kids are dancing, Eric & I are laughing and clapping and then it happens. Abbie, which looked like she needed a loin cloth and a bonfire, stops, raises her hands & face to the sky, says, "I Love you, Lord, I love you, I love you, I love you, God!"

You have heard the saying to dance as if no one is watching. Well, Abbie was dancing as if no one but God was watching.

Just an example of how I think pure joy in God's love expresses itself.....unconcerned with what anyone thinks, how it looks, even if your socks are falling off at the time. She doesn't know to lower her voice, put her hands down (that's something adults have come up with).....when she is talking about the "guy that can fix and do anything, and he's really big and loves me!" She's thinking of Him, not being distracted by everyone around her.

God and the T-Rex

2008-03-11T23:15:00.004-04:00

The T-rex turns and strides quickly back towards them. It circles, slowly, bending over to look in at them through the window. Grant and Malcolm sit trembling in the front seat, watching as the giant legs stride past their windows.

GRANT (a quivery whisper) "Keep absolutely still - - it's vision's based on movement!"

MALCOLM "You're sure?!"

GRANT (pause) "Relatively."

Malcolm freezes as the rex bends down and peers right in through his window. The dinosaur's giant, yellowing eye is only slightly smaller than the entire pane of glass. The T-rex pulls away slightly, then reaches down and BUMPS the car with its snout, rocking it.

Okay, we all remember Jurassic Park from 1993 and how crazy it was. For some reason, while trying to go to sleep last night, my mind was racing (as it always does) through things done, things needing done, what is coming up to prepare for, etc. Somewhere in all that, I started thinking about this silly movie. "It's vision is based on movement" kept coming to the front of my mind.

I shifted gears and began my nightly prayer. I prayed for the many people in my life, their illnesses, struggles, hopes, dreams. Then, I always pray for my own heart. I have a very colorful temper and a quick mouth. Both of which I wish God would end for me. Then, my thoughts again went to "it's vision is based on movement." Why am I thinking about that while trying to pray? The last time I saw that was years ago, it's not recent in my memory.

It occurred to me that maybe God or my own guilty spirit was saying something. I think that I think sometimes that if I do something, but I move slowly and step lightly, God won't catch me. Or won't see me for what I am trying to get away with. (this is a deep thought, not on the surface where we would be aware of it) I KNOW God doesn't work that way! I know He sees all and knows all. But far too often, we think God works the way that we do.....thinks the way we do.

~My motive might suck but if the end result is good enough, then I will look good enough to the people around me.~

EXAMPLE: As a nurse, I know that when you give out narcotics, you have to sign them out on a count sheet. The number of pills left needs to equal the number that is reflected on the sheet. Simple enough. However, if a nurse pops the pill out, signs the pill out, and drops the pill into their pocket/purse....no one would ever know, with some patients. Because some people can't tell you that they didn't get their medicine because of a physical or mental issue. So the count sheet is right, the patient is nuts (but she/he always is) and the nurse got away with it. The nurse STEPPED SOFTLY ENOUGH TO NOT ATTRACT THE T-REX! Now, its possible that her mother is suffering with cancer and can't get any relief and she is trying to help her. Its possible that she is trying to kick an addiction herself and is simply weak. Its possible that she doesn't think the patient needs it, but its ordered, (she has to give it) and she is just trying to make her paperwork match. Lots of things are possible....that doesn't make it okay.

This, of course, might not be the best example, but you see my point. We can look good to everyone around us, we might even fool ourselves into believing we are good people, but God IS NOT FOOLED. He sees us crystal clear.

“You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). Genesis 16: 13-14

If I don't wake the beast, nothing will bite me. Well, God is not a beast and He NEVER sleeps.

A letter to you, from Satan

2008-03-07T23:29:00.003-05:00

A LETTER TO YOU FROM SATAN

I saw you yesterday as you began your daily chores. You awoke without kneeling to pray. As a matter of fact, You didn't even bless your meals, or pray before going to bed last night. You are so unthankful, I like that about you.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have not changed your way of living, Fool, you are mine. Remember, you and I have been going steady for years, And I still don't love you yet. As a matter of fact, I hate you, because I hate God. He kicked me out of heaven, and I'm going to use you as long as possible to pay him back.

You see, Fool, GOD LOVES YOU and HE has great plans in store for you.

But you have yielded your life to me, and I'm going to make your life a living hell. That way, we'll be together twice. This will really hurt God.

Thanks to you, I'm really showing Him who's boss in your life with all of the good times we've had.

We have been… watching dirty movies, cursing people out, stealing, lying, being hypocritical, fornicating, overeating, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, being judgmental, back stabbing people, disrespecting adults, and those in leadership positions, no respect for the Church, bad attitudes.

SURELY you don't want to give all this up.

Come on, Fool, let's burn together forever. I've got some hot plans for us. This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you. I'd like to say "THANKS" for letting me use you for most of your foolish life.

You are so gullible, I laugh at you. When you are tempted to sin, you give in.

HA HA HA, you make me sick.

Sin is beginning to take its toll on your life. You look 20 years older, and now, I need new blood.

So go ahead and teach some children how to sin. All you have to do is smoke, get drunk or drink while under-aged, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and live being as selfish as possible. Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that.

Well, Fool, I have to let you go for now. I'll be back in a couple of seconds to tempt you again. If you were smart, you would run somewhere, confess your sins, and live for God with what little bit of life that you have left.

It's not my nature to warn anyone, but to be your age and still sinning, it's becoming a bit ridiculous. Don't get me wrong,

I still hate you.

IT'S JUST THAT YOU'D MAKE A BETTER FOOL FOR CHRIST.

P.S. If you love me, you won't share this

***Its amazing how much of myself I saw in this*** Who am I serving? Not while I'm at church in front of all my "churchy" friends, but who am I in front of my husband & children, at home, where there is no one to fake who I am for? Who am I telling them that I love? Who will my children follow to their grave, the Saviour or the Destroyer?

Saviour refers to a person who helps people achieve Salvation, or saves them from something; a person who saves, rescues, or delivers: the savior of the country; a person who rescues you from harm or danger; (usually with capital) a person who saves people from sin, hell.(www.dictionary.com)

Saviour - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary: one who saves from any form or degree of evil. In its highest sense the word indicates the relation sustained by our Lord to his redeemed ones, he is their Saviour. The great message of the gospel is about salvation and the Saviour. It is the "gospel of salvation." Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ secures to the sinner a personal interest in the work of redemption. Salvation is redemption made effectual to the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Destroyer a person or thing that destroys; One that destroys: a destroyer of family unity; a destroyer of our environment; a person who destroys or ruins or lays waste to; "a destroyer of the environment"; "jealousy was his undoer"; "uprooters of gravestones" (www.dictionary.com)

I can't remember who said it but I heard it said once to question the message, when something is urging you to move....because sometimes Satan whispers in God's voice (or close to it).

1. Who is speaking to you? God or Satan

2. What is the purpose of the message? What will really be accomplished?

3. Who gets the Glory? you or God

...then make your decision to move or stay

Faith without works

2008-03-03T00:08:00.002-05:00

Faith in Action ~ James 2: 14-26 (The Message) Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works? The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. Where do I fall into all of this? What part do I play in the grand plan? I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, etc.....but who am I? I believe that I am exactly what God wants me to be RIGHT NOW: FORGIVEN, REPENTANT, BLESSED....and I pray that I will continue to change until the day I go home to heaven, everyday becoming the creature that He wants me to be, not what I want to be. I want to be a servant. I want to see every person in heaven someday. I want the Spirit to move me in ways only clear to God, I don't have to understand it. I am clay. I want to go out into all the world. I want to be a part of God saving the unsaved. I don't want the glory. I don't want it in print in the paper, a billboard, or the bulletin. I want Jesus to smile when He thinks of me. I think He already does ~ its like positive, visual reinforcement to picture that in my head. I want to see the look of DEFEAT on Satan's face when Jesus claims me as His own on Judgement Day. I want God to move me because I AM WILLING! I would like for anyone out there, reading this, to pray for me and my family. The things in this life are very good for us right now. We have noticed that when we think things are the best is usually when Satan strikes. We need to be brave and strong in God and in love for each other. Eric & I have recently made some plans....some bigger than others.....many of them stretch out over the next few years. I pray that it is God's will, not just my idea. I need God's approval or the plans will be for nothing, even if they do happen. Making something happen because YOU want it so badly, doesn't mean that it is blessed. There are times when God stops your plan dead in its tracks, then, sometimes, He allows it to happen but isn't "in your corner." To me, I don't want ANYTHING if God doesn't give it to me. MY GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME, MY GOD IS GOOD!

Just some things worth sharing...

2008-03-02T23:46:00.004-05:00

Please take a moment to relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ. Allow God to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. If we can take the time to read long jokes, stories, etc., we should give the same respect to this prayer. Friends, who pray together, stay together.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things that are in accordance with "Your Will". Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrong doing, and receive the forgiveness of God.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. But I thank You that I believe.

I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly..

In Jesus' most Powerful and Holy Name, AMEN!

6 reasons not to mess with children.

(1) A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah.' The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?' The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him.'

(2) A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.' The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.' Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'

(3) A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'honor' thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat one little boy, the oldest of a family, answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'

(4) The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. 'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor'...' A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'

(5) A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.' 'Yes,' the class said. 'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position, the blood doesn't run into my feet?' A little fellow shouted, 'Cause your feet ain't empty.'

(6) The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: 'Take only ONE. God is watching.' Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

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

~I am not the original author of these ~ all of them were sent to me through various emails.~

BBQ potato chips & water?

2008-02-26T23:13:00.007-05:00

Needing a salting snack, I went to the cabinet and got out the bag of BBQ potato chips. It had already been opened and I knew that Eric & Abbie had had some the day before. When I reopened it, however, the half full bag was mostly wet. After questioning Abbie, I came to find out that she had put water on the chips, in her words, "because they were too hot." Well, that made alot of sense to a 4 and half year old child. Things are hot, you drink water to cool your mouth.

So, in many things in my day, I found a lesson from God. And you can look at it in two different ways and still find the Lord.

1. When we do something, with the best of intentions, but it turns out to be a real misjudgement: "I have a problem and I will fix. I do not need someone to help me with this. I know what to do." When you dump water on your bag of chips (to fix the problem), I think God just shakes His head and thinks: I love them but I want them to ask me for help. If only they had asked first, I could have helped them.

2. When God does something or makes something happen that doesn't make any sense to us, we question Him. Sometimes we have NO CLUE what is going on or is about to happen and, then, we question our Maker as to why. Why, why....because He knows better than we do. Maybe, He put the water (insert form of protection) on the hot chips (insert situation/problem)because He knew we were greedy and would get a big mouthful and be totally unprepared for the tongue burning that was to come.

Sometimes, God puts up road blocks as road blocks and sometimes they are just detour signs. A while back, Eric and I decided to trying to get a small loan to pay off a bunch of smaller bills. Well, for one reason or another, the loan didn't happen. We couldn't understand. We aren't buying heroin....we were trying to pay some bills. Why wouldn't God be on our side for this? ***There's that "why" again.*** It didn't take but a few short days for something big to come along that needed that money to go towards it. God knew better than we did. It wasn't a road block to stop us, it was a detour to make us go in a slightly different direction.

It's completely possible that none of this makes any sense to anyone else but it connected in my mind.

Recently, I had a discussion with a friend of mine. I love talking to this friend. I know him well enough to speak openly and yet not well enough to bore each other. It is always inspiring to hear him and his thoughts. We were talking about watching people age and how hard it is to watch people, especially people you are close to, change into someone else.....due to illness, age, etc. We talked about how it shouldn't be scary to think about dying but frequently it is. I, for one, am NOT afraid to die....eh, let me rephrase that. I am NOT afraid of being dead, a little concerned as to how I will get there...HA! HA! When, I wake up dead (again, HA! HA!) I believe, I KNOW that I will be in Heaven. There is no fear of what is after this life. When we were preparing last summer for our vacation trip, in a plane, our the ocean, my thought was not that the plane would go down....I would just be screaming as I prayed. My thoughts were, if that happened, what would happen to my children, who would raise them, would they remember me, would I see them in heaven someday? Our conversation then went like this. The Old Testament is full of talk and prophesies about Jesus and the New Testament is full of those prophesies coming true and Jesus' life & death, all the while people were being converted and becoming believers and followers. However, as far as numbers go, the majority of the people effected by the love and life of Christ has happened SINCE He died. So, from this I can gather that if I have lived the life I should have, taught my children about Jesus and His love, then even if something happens to me, I WILL see them again. If you live in such a way that is pleasing to God, people see it.....strangers, family, friends & your children. Long after you are gone, they will remember how you were, what you thought, and what you believed in.

Fern & Bamboo

2008-02-22T19:48:00.009-05:00

This was sent to me in an email and I thought it was beautiful!

One day I decided to quit.... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality..

I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God," I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me... "Look around," He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes," I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo," He said.

"In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.

"In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit," He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle," He said to me.

"Did you know, My child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others," He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high!"

"How high should I rise?" I asked. "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can." I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you........

Where to begin?

2008-02-22T19:48:00.004-05:00

I am Stephanie. I am married to Eric ( ecopas.blogspot.com ) and we share 2 wonderful children: Nick, which is 12, and Abbie, which is 4 and a half. We are both nurses here in the currently icy abyss of southern Ohio. My family attends Sunshine Church of Christ, in Minford, Ohio. ( sunshine-church.blogspot.com )

Every year, our church puts on a Father-Daughter Valentine Gala in our local high school. Some come because it is an excuse to get dressed up and be silly. But if you are really paying attention, the actual underlying theme is: to depend on and have a relationship with your Heavenly Father. It is really touching but hard to get across because the group has fathers and daughters of all ages. This year, I was asked to be responsible for the photography end of it. I love that sort of thing and was flattered by the thought of it. We have around 300 Daddies & Daughters come through the door and they get their picture taken and can pick up the printed out photo after the rest of it ends. I really work best under stress. My best work comes out of staying up all night the night before a term paper was due, finishing it up. I don't like stress but it likes me. So three days before the Gala, two days before I have this weird-freckle-thing removed from my right shoulder, and one day before Nick's Science Fair project is due, and I am sick. Really sick. Then it was cold, the kids were snotty, the phone wouldn't stop ringing....the list goes on and on. I was so crazy for a while, I couldn't tell which way was up. Then, it occurred to me. I know what's going on here....SATAN WAS IN MY LIVING ROOM. I have seen him before but this was just bold. Anything that could be wrong was going that way because it made me doubt whether or not I was doing what I should have been doing. I looked up to my ceiling and with a smile said, "Nice job, Satan, you're really working hard, aren't you?" then I looked another direction and said, "God, I know you are there and I know you can handle this. Please, make him leave so I can do what I need to do. Thank you." IT WAS AMAZING! In the blink of an eye, I felt better, the phone stopped, the kids stopped. God made a miracle happen in my living room. God moves when HE wants to move. I don't say "wants" to imply He's some spoiled child that does things when it just strikes Him, with no thought to anyone. He can see the beginning, middle and end of us. He moves when it is right to move, when it is best for us...even when we don't understand why it took Him so long to do so. The Science Fair project got finished. Actually, Nick placed 5th place in the whole 6th grade on Thursday and gets to go to the County Science Fair. Whoo Hoo! Yes, the thing was removed on Friday, leaving me with 4 stitches in my shoulder. Oh, did I for get to tell you I am VERY VERY right handed and that I had to roller paint 8 sheets of particle board (front & back) in preparation for the Gala. My arm and shoulder HURT for three days, but things got done and the Gala was a screaming success. ***Special thanks to Julie, Tim, Zack, Nick, Steve, Jake, my Mom, Irmalee, Beth, Mary, Meaghan and my wonderful husband Eric. Right now, it is Friday evening 2 weeks after all these things happened. I am happy to report the pathology tests came back clear on the freckle issue and the stitches came out reasonably easy. Praise the Lord! The doctor had mentioned that he thought it might look like skin cancer. I was surprised and then again, I wasn't. I like to bake by the pool in the summer. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to be nice and brown in my shorts and tank top. Well, those days are over. This morning everything in southern Ohio was covered with a layer of ice. I stay at home with our children but my husband had to get to work this morning. He drives 45 minutes to clock in at 7am. He got out of the driveway just fine and a couple miles up the road. Then, the car slipped on a patch of road that hadn't gotten as much salt or grit as the rest of it. He ended up nosed in the guardrail. He's okay, called off work and drove the car home. That sad car looks like it has Belle's Palsy. The bumper is sideways, the hood is sideways, the passenger head light is busted out, and that fender is bumped up some. It had a stroke in the ice. Eric, on the other hand, is fine. A little stoved up in his arms and neck, but he's okay. I don't know what lesson is to be learned from this, from God, but He definitely kept Eric safe and for that I THANK HIM!