Thankful Thrusday 13

1. I am thankful for God, He is my great reward.
2. I am thankful for my children, and the relationship we have together.
3. I am thankful for good friends.
4. I am thankful that my good friend Kim made it through surgery today.
5. I am thankful that Gary and I are moving towards the destiny God has for us.
6. I am thankful that we have had such beautiful weather lately.
7. I am thankful for summer vacation.
8. I am thankful for our church. The River of Life is awesome.
9. I am thankful for the gifts that God has given to me. (Spiritual Gifts.)
10. I am thankful for Gary not having to work last night and spending time with him today.
11. I am thankful for the peace that passes all understanding.
12. I am thankful for having a wonderful husband I can talk about anything with.
13. I am thankful for the knowledge that I am moving in the right direction, and that I am blessed.

Can't thank God enough!!!!!

I just can't thank God enough for the word given to our Pastors wife during praise and worship. We were singing and praising and the Holy Spirit spoke through her for the people of the church. We were in prayer and asked if there was a need to raise our hands, and for those around them to pray for them. I did not raise mine, I always feel there are bigger problems than mine. But God felt otherwise. He spoke through her to my husband and I. Not by name mind you, but our circumstances. She said, "There is someone here with a financial burden. Let me tell you that God says, every bill will be paid, every mortgage payment will be paid, every utility bill will be paid." Tears flowed from mine and my husbands eyes and we praised God for that. We have been going through, what seems to be the worst financial time we have ever faced. I will not give any detail, only that we have bills that need paid, and those bills are due to be paid VERY soon. So, when we heard that, it was like a two ton weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. God has this under control. It is funny, sometimes I don't even realize that I am concerned about things, then I get a word from God, and He knows me better than I know myself. Cool huh? So, I am thankful everyday, yet somehow I am expressing it so much more these past few days. I have been in a constant state of praise and thanksgiving. And I will tell you, it is a wonderful state to be in. It is a warm state, because the Son shines on you all the time.
God Bless you all.
Praise God, because He is worthy of your praise.

My Thankful 13 5-24-07

1. God: Because He is so good. All that He has done for our family and so much more. He loves me, and I love Him. If I had nothing else to be thankful for, it would be enough.

2. My life: I am happy and content, at peace with who I am, where I am, and where I am going. I am led by God and I am trusting Him 100%.

3. My relationship with my husband: Again, just happy. Everyday we love each other more and more. We had an issue last weekend,(next blog entry) but it was resolved and through the situation a deeper level of love and happiness has developed.

4. Our kids: Everyday I look at them and realize, God gave them to us. He trusts us to raise them, watch over them, guide them, teach them, and prepare them to do His work.

5. My friends: To know that there are women who care for me, will pray for and with me, share my joys and triumphs, cry with me, bare my burdens with me, and that I can do and be that same for them.

6. New things: Starting to write back and forth with Katie will be such a blessing. ( Katie, I haven't had a spare moment lately but, I promise the first of many letters will be coming your way soon.)

7. Knowing I am not alone: This one correlates with #5. I'm not alone, I have my friends, and family.

8. Summer: i am enjoying being outdoors much more this year.We've been out playing, taking walks, and just enjoying the weather, the T.V. has been off till evening all week. A huge thing in our house. Also, since it is summer, I am thankful for soothing aloe. Hot sun + fair skin = red skin. My shoulders are burnt. I am tanning everywhere else. Also an oddity. A good one though.

9. Playing: This afternoon I spent the day playing hide-n-seek with the kids. It was so much fun. We had a wonderful time.

10. The day after Gary's night off: These are the days we try to get alot of stuff done. Most of the time we get alot accomplished. We do it all together so, whatever the outcome it is a success because we are together.

11. Setting up our pool: It is a 4 ft. Intex pool we got free last year from our friends across the street. They bought a new one and gave us this one. We had to set it up and fill it up twice but it is up and the kids, Gary and I included have a pool to play in this year.

12. God's plan for my/our life: I am building up the courage to post on our neighborhoods Yahoo group for my moms group. I am very excited about this. I am going to get it out there and leave it in God's very capable hands. Also, my journey to a greater understanding of His Word through reading the Bible one chapter at a time from Genesis to Revelation.

13. Trials: I am thankful for the trials God puts me through. It is the best way to learn and grow closer to Him. To lean on Him for your restoration, comfort, peace, and provision. We are, Praise God, in a season of good times right now. But, I know we would not be here if it hadn't been for the trials He put in our path. They are a blessing, tough at times but the reward is so sweet.

Well, ladies I made it with 10 minutes to spare. May you all have a blessed evening.

Thankful Thirteen

OK, so I am a day late and a dollar short, but better late than never.
1. My salvation and relationship with God.
2. My husband
3. Our children: Jacob, Charlie Sue, Zoe, Dustin, and Kaitlyn.
4. Our church, Pastor and his wife.
5. Our home.
6. Getting caught up on everything.
7. Husbands job.
8. My friends, Heather, Katie, and Becki. Hi guys.
9. New insights from God on His word.
10. Learning new and fun things.
11. Being a SAHM.
12. Homeschooling.
13. Just being able to wake up each day to enjoy all He has given me.

So, this is just a short list of the things I am thankful for.

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Who is my family?

I have not spoken to my parents in two years. One sister in as many years, another in at least 3, another since my fourth child was born seven years ago, and my oldest sister in eleven years. Needless to say I come from a dysfunctional family. Also, it is painfully obvious that I am not missed.
Without going into too much detail, my family and I grew apart after my coming to the Lord. Someday I will write about all this, but now is not the time. This is about something different. As my walk with Christ has lengthened, and my passion for the Lord has increased, I am learning many, many things. He is showing me that I am a member of a much larger family. I am a member of the family of the household of faith.
In the household of faith there are many family members. There are sisters, brothers, Aunts, Uncles, mother, and Father. The Spirit of God are in each one, and the God is each one. Jesus told us that when we come to Him we will be heirs with Him to all His Father has. I have learned though that this does not come without losing some things. We are to lose things that are within us, that will hinder our walk. Yet this is about something else.Jesus told us that there were some things that would happen. That there would be some people who would not be able to understand. This is what He said about that.
Luke 12:51-53 "51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided : three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother in law against her daughter in law and daughter in law against her mother in law"
My family was not ready to accept me as a Christian, but God and my new family of faith was ready to accept me with open arms. Does it hurt that my earthly family has turned from me? Of course it does, but, as I lean on God and give Him my hurts, nothing can hurt so bad that He cannot make better. Jesus warns us about loving someone more than God. He tells us this:
Matthew 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." God knew what He was doing when He took them out of my life. I trust Him completely. Through this loss I have gained so much more in return. I have godly women in my life I can turn to with any issue. And they don't just fix it, they show me God's way. I have men in my life who act as father, brother, and uncle. Each one with their own specific purpose. Ladies I have a wonderful time with as sisters in the faith. Guidance, direction, love caring, comfort, prayer, support, encouragement, all this I get from my Spiritual family.
Here is what Jesus say of who is our family:
Mark 3:31-35 "The His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." 33 But He answered them , saying "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" 34 And He look around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."
So, who is my Father? God
Who is my mother? God
Who are my my brother? Jesus
Who are my sisters, brothers, friends? The Holy Spirit who dwells in those in my family of faith.
Who is my family? Anyone who does my Fathers will.
And you, you who are reading this,you are my family as well. God loves you just as much as me. Whatever He has done for me, He can and will do for you.
If you are not yet in the family of faith, and it is something you would like, it is as simple as saying these few little words. I warn you though they are packed full of power.
Lord God, I ask You today to come into my heart. To be my personal Lord and Savior. I want to have You in my life. I know I am a sinner, and I ask You today to cleanse me and make me a new creature. Thank You Lord.

Genesis Chapter 1
There were a few things I found interesting from this chapter. One is that from the beginning God has been hovering over the face of the earth. What an awesome sight to behold, God hovering. It reminds me of when a helicopter hovers, it's propellers create such a strong wind. It can be felt from anywhere in it's radius. I believe God is that way, as He hovers, His Spirit can be felt by anyone around.
Two, we are like the fruit trees. God spoke these into existence. He said specifically that they shall yield fruit, according to it's kind, whose seed in in itself. You cut open any fruit & what will you find? It's seed, and those sees cannot yield forth anything but what it is from. We are the same, our seed is in us. An apple cannot produce an orange. Same as we cannot produce anything but a combination of ourselves. Same can be said for Christians, are we not God's seed? Is His seed not in us? We are to produce godly things, new Christians, according to our kind. That is why we all have a different calling. Some are called to Preach, some to teach, some to missions, that is what according to our kind means to me.
Another thing I found remarkable is that He set the sun moon & stars in the sky. I picture Him picking each one, one at a time & choosing just the perfect spot for it. I continue to marvel also at Genesis 1:26, Then God said "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." Our. Soak that in..... From Genesis He was referring to Himself as the Godhead, the Trinity, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. All of them converging to make man. Human beings that would reign over all that They created. Think about the trust He has in us to let us have this awesome responsibility.

My Testimony

I, as many others say, can look back on my life and see where God has had His hand on me from day one, literally. My mother once told me that when she found out I was coming that her Aunt advised her to abort me. God didn't let that happen. I am the youngest of 5, all girls. No, dad never had a chance. Back to the story. I almost died at birth. My umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, twice. Thankfully God was guiding the doctors hand and he was able to unwrap it from my neck and I came into this world on January 9, 1974. When I was 2, my family went to a local mall for an RV show. Well, as we were touring the campers noone knew the back door was unlocked. I soon found out. Face first, at 2, onto the blacktop parking lot. God had His hand on me that day. The only thing that came of it was that for the next 11 years I had many many nose bleeds. And really they helped me later in my life, 2 of our kids get them alot, so it is helpful to them that mom has had experience with it.
I was not raised in church. We seldom went. I could count on one hand the number of times we went to church during my childhood. Our Sundays were spent sleeping in & reading the goodie papers. We celebrated all the Christian holidays, Christmas & Easter, we called ourselves Christians. Well, my dad always would tell us that we were Protestant. I never knew what that meant. I thought it was like Methodist, or Lutheran. I know what it means now. My dad had some knowledge of the Bible. Not the Word itself, but why it was called the King James Version, stuff like that. As I said, we said we were Christians. I have come to find there are so many that use that word. Yes, use it. They assume they are Christian because they are not Jewish.
Fast forward a few years. At the age of 15 I met a guy. He was older & had a car. Two qualities that were very important when you were 15, right? I ended up pregnant, & miscarried. Now you would think I would learn from this, but OH no, not me. I got pregnant again. This time I told the guy to take a hike. You know what, he did. So, at the age of 17 I had my first child, a boy. OK, OK I'm up. I'm Up!!!! When reality hits, it hits hard.Around that time, I started feeling a tug. I didn't know why or from where. I only knew I wanted to pray.
Another 2 years went by & I met this other guy. I started dating a friend of his. Once again, older & had a car. Boy, do I have a thick skull.... During this time the other guy went to his parents & told them that he had met the woman he was going to marry. He would constantly tease his friend that he was going to steal me away. Funny thing, he did. We became really good friends, then much more. Now, when we met he was a pot-head. After I broke off the relationship with the one guy, he was there. He asked me to go out with him to a movie. I said yes. From that day he never touched the stuff again. We started dating in August, he asked me to marry him in October, & we were married in December. WE weren't playing around. It has been 12 years, & everyday our love grows. By the way, from the first day my son has called my husband daddy. And he has never referred to him by anything other than his son.
Throughout our marriage we didn't go to church. Even though he was raised in church. After a few years his parents started taking our kids to church with them. Yes, they used my own children against me. Then our kids started asking us why we didn't go to church. Well, instead of having to answer, we started going too. Now, I was one who felt that yes, I believe in God, I know Jesus died for my sins, isn't that enough? No, it's not. I found that out. But, I didn't really get the whole church, Christian walk, thing. I didn't get what the big deal was. I had alot of reservations about church, this one inpaticular. It was what I referred to as "tent revival, bring out the snakes, Bible beaters, kind of church." And quite honestly it bothered me. I always felt & would emphatically state, that I was too smart for all this. I eventually came around.
During this time my husband was an over the road truck driver. Now he was really getting into this church thing. It scared me because I felt like he was going to not want to be with me anymore. I explained to him that I was afraid that we were going in different directions. Him to God, & me nowhere. He reassured me that he wasn't going anywhere without me. He helped me see where I was going, to Christ. It didn't happen over night, but it did happen.
Here is the story of how I came to Christ. One night (Friday the 13th) we went to bed & I was awakened by a horrible, hideous sound. My husband was growling, yes growling. He had gone to sleep angry & that was just the opportunity for the enemy to get in & try to get him back. Well, I jumped out of bed, called my in-laws & told them that there was something wrong with Gary. They told me to dial 911. After asking me what I thought it was. This is my FIL. He knew, he just wanted me to say it. I hate it when he does that. Anyway, the paramedics came, my FIL comes & Gary is fine. Up & talking like nothing happened. Then the paramedics leave, & it returns. After a while of nothing much happening, my MIL comes over. She takes one look at her son & starts praying, rebuking, & the next thing you know, it is gone. Gary is filled with the Holy Spirit, & I am a believer. No questions asked. I look back now & think of what it took for me to come to Christ. But, I have learned that nothing happens that God hasn't given His OK on. So, I have to believe that He knew what it would take for me to come to Him. That is what is so awesome about Him.
Since then we have been faithful attenders of church. OH, this was February 14, 2004 that I was born again. We have had our good times & our not so good one's. But through it all God is good. He has helped us to lean on Him by taking some things away. He has taught us humility by needing to ask for help. He has prospered us by giving my husband a great job, and the ability to buy our first home together. We continue through our test & trials, and we know He is there. They are all for our good. Our Pastor has a saying, "God is more concerned about you character than your comfort." It is so true. That is why we go through what we do. I am glad for every one. It means He is shaping & molding me to be prepared to do His work. To be His spotless, blameless bride, to be able & ready to spread His message. I can't help anyone if I don't go through things. Then one day I realized that He only is perfecting me. Why would He want me perfected if He didn't love me? He does, & I Him.

Because HE said so!

If I have learned anything as a follower of Christ it is this, when God gives you something to do, your "time such as this" do it! If you don't, He will find someone who will. I had such an experience today. I had been reading through the New Testament. I started in the Old a few weeks ago. I started in Joshua, and had read through 1 Kings. Then as I was talking to my husband one day, he told me he was going to read through the New, then return to the Old. I thought this was a good idea, and wanted to be on the same page as he was. SO, I began in 1 Corinthians and read through to Hebrews. Well, today I went back and picked up in 2 Kings where I had left off some time ago. As I was reading, I asked God for understanding. He told me to go back to Genesis, and for each chapter, write down my understanding of it. I thought, "Wow, this is going to #1 take a long time, He told me I had all the time I needed. #2 that this was no small undertaking, He told me to take it one chapter at a time." So, this is my time to go through the Word of the Lord & get my understanding. Already, it has been eye opening. He will be taking me on a journey, and I am ecstatic to see where it will lead.

Don't Miss God.

Yesterday, I read the story of Naaman to our children. As I was reading these thoughts came to me. The particular passage that spoke to me was this: 2 Kings: 10-13 which says - And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' 12 Are not the Abanah, and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
Naaman, feeling hurt by not receiving what he thought he would from the prophet Elisha got angry & left in a rage. Seeing that, in his mind, there was nothing special about dipping himself in the Jordan River. I think it is that he did want something special, something just for him. As he said, he thought Elisha would come out, call on the Lord, wave his hand over him and he would be healed. I feel he was also somewhat insulted that a messenger was sent to tell him what to do rather than Elisha himself. After being asked if he would have done the great thing, Naaman finally went and dipped himself in the Jordan 7 times and was healed.
I think so often we find ourselves expecting something grand. For the heavens to open and God's hand to come down and touch us, our circumstances. In a way we can actually see. Although He does, it is in a way we don't even see. Sometimes in a way we don't even acknowledge. I think we get a scenario in our minds as to how a certain situation should be rectified. How we should be cleansed, healed, delivered and when it doesn't go that way, it can be a bit disheartening. What we must remember is, if we trust in God, He will cleanse, heal and deliver us from every situation. From the one's we create, the one's the enemy hurls at us, and the one's He feels we must go through to get closer to Him. For myself, there was a situation that arose in my family that I felt warranted a miracle. That only the parting of the sky could rectify. Unfortunately, for my mortal mind it did not happen. What did happen though was the cleansing, the healing, the deliverance. Though in a way that was not anything like we had imagined. Although it was not our expected manifestation of God's glorious power, it was nonetheless a magnificent manifestation of His Awesome power. Just as Naaman may have done, if we are looking for grand movements of the Lord, we will miss His simplicity.I am reminded of Elijah, how when he thought he was the only one left and in the cave. God came to him, told him to stand on the mountain. And how did God reveal Himself? Not in the strong wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in a still small voice.