"OFFENSIVE"

Have you ever offended someone? Let me tell you…..I certainly have. I have been told more than once in my life that my personality alone is offensive to some. I guess because I’m a Pastor’s wife I have been stereotyped in the “quiet, off to myself, Suzie Homemaker, Betty Crocker, Proverbs 31 woman.” However, I do not fit that mold in any way. I am who I am. As a matter of fact, I am who God made me to be. Anyway…….I have found that many times in my life I have inadvertently offended someone with something I’ve said or done. I can fully understand that when it comes to my personality or something I might have said. I know how I am. Sometimes I don’t always think before I speak and as the words are spilling out of my mouth my brain is telling me that I shouldn’t be saying what I’m saying. But……….I’m not as multifunctional as most think…..the words are sometimes like a waterfall and you can’t turn that off, it just continuously flows and just because my brain is thinking it sometimes it takes a little effort to stop the flow. It’s not those times I’m talking about though. That’s a work in progress every day. I’m talking about those times when we offend someone because we have shared scripture with them; the Word of God. We have tried to witness to them and they take it offensively. Our words sometimes condemn people and cut them to the quick and most of the time it’s not effective. But, you can be assured if you offend someone using the scripture, you have done nothing wrong. The Word of God speaks for itself and it is used for correction and reproof. It is meant to “cut like a knife!” Sometimes depending on the offense, we can get cut pretty deep. But God would rather cut us and cause us to turn back from our sin than to deliver a fatal stab. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. He is our “Heavenly Father” and He knows what is best for us. He protects us in every way He can so as not to mar us permanently. He gives correction through His word and if we listen, we will learn. If not, then we are foolish!

“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is foolish.”
Proverbs 12:1

"SLEEP"

“Exhaustion is a great sleep inducer.” Those are the words my husband heard as I called him shortly after I woke up!!! Now for those who know me you are scratching your head wondering about that statement. Most people know that I “do not” sleep without him lying next to me or at least in the close proximity of me!!! In all of our married life I have never been able to sleep unless he was home!!! However, he’s been on the early shift for the past two weeks, which means rolling out of bed at 2 am, 1:45 am to be exact!! Yikes!!! I know……. that’s early!!! Obviously my body thinks the same thing!!! For the past 2 Sunday nights we have not gotten home until at least 11 pm. Going to bed at 11:30 pm, not going to sleep until midnight and getting up at 2 am is not a good combination!! I know you’re thinking “why haven’t we gotten home before then and why are we laying down in bed at such a ridiculous hour” when we “know” we have to get up so early. It’s all “in the line of duty” so to speak!!! Some things just have to be done and there’s no getting around them. Well, at least not if your last name is “Spencer” and your first name is Jeff or Darlene!!!!! Anyways……when he left for work this morning I went and laid back down in the bed, which is not really uncommon because I’ll usually lay there until he calls to let me know he’s there safely, but I totally knocked out until my alarm went off and then if that wasn’t bad enough, I dozed back off for a few minutes and then phone rang!!!! I was grateful I was half awake! I may not have heard the phone!! Hard as it is to admit, and no I haven’t the foggiest idea why, I was completely and utterly exhausted!!! Enough is enough I guess you could say!! After all, I have now found out that I am human!! Who would’ve thought!!!?? There’s only so much that you can tolerate and then you just have to give it up and give in and if you don’t then your body does it for you!!! Yep…..that’s what happened. However much I “did not” want to sleep without my husband here, my body had other plans!!! I should have known it would catch up with me sooner or later!!!

Sometimes I think that’s the way we are in our lives as a Christian. We fight and fight and we never win. We do everything in our power and we just wear ourselves out and then when it finally comes down to it we collapse due to spiritual exhaustion!! When in all reality if we had just given in and let God do what He does best, we wouldn’t have been so worn out!!!

I’m grateful that God finally “made me to lie down” and get some rest. I feel so much better!!! New energy to face another day!! Now……I’m going to bed at a decent hour!!

“He restores my soul”
Psalm 23:3

"REGRETS"

So many times in life we have regrets. Regrets about things we didn’t do……places we didn’t go…..people we didn’t see or talk to. And when the time comes and the opportunity passes we say things like; I wish I had taken time…..I wish I had gone here or there, etc. I wish, I wish, I wish. We spend our lives “wishing” things and never doing some of the most important things! The truth of the matter is that we “make” time for the things we “want,” but sadly enough many times not for what we “need” to do. Those are the times….the times that the opportunity is gone forever and that’s when we’re left to carry the burden of guilt. Those people that we love should take the highest priority in our lives, yet many times they are left unattended to until we “have” time. We need to realize that we only have ONE chance at this life we live here on earth and so does everyone else. Unfortunately many people use that as an unhealthy advantage to do things they really shouldn’t but they consider it their “once in a lifetime” opportunity. In all reality, there are more important things that in life than those times. When someone you love is hurting or in need, that’s the time to respond….right then….. in that moment. My Grannie used to say: “there’s no time like the present.” We need to realize just how true that statement was. There is no time like the present because what you did yesterday is gone and what you want to do tomorrow may never happen. Take time today to love, laugh and live life to it’s fullest. Jesus did. He loved deeply. In His Word we’re reminded laughter is like medicine to us and He lived His life to the fullest and gave it all for us. Isn’t it time we started living the example He left us? We simply “cannot” turn back the hands of time so regrets only come when we ignore the present need.

Today’s opportunities will never pass this way again so we need to live today like yesterday never happened……………..and the tomorrow we may never see.

You don't even know what tomorrow will bring--
what your life will be! For you are but a vapor
that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
James 4:14

"WHERE WILL YOU BE TOMORROW?"

The news came that there had been a fatal traffic accident and the life of one of our close friends son had been taken prematurely. “How awful. How tragic,” I thought. Only 18 and his life was ended so suddenly. Then the phone rang. “Will you sing at the funeral” I heard as the words stung my heart. Immediately I responded, “of course I will!” I couldn’t say no. I’ve always considered it an honor to be asked to sing no matter the situation or place. As I hung up the phone I began to think of what I would sing. It depended on whether he was saved or not. My usual song is “Serenaded by Angels,” but how could I possibly sing that if I was uncertain about his salvation. I picked up the phone and quickly called the Pastor in charge of the service and asked him. “Yes, when he was younger he made a profession of faith” he said. Praise God, an affirmative answer! I was so relieved. I got the CD out and put it in and began to sing it and I began to imagine all the beauties he was gazing on at that very moment. I couldn’t help but have an extremely heavy heart for his parents, family and friends, but all I could think of is how he was indeed led to the throne of God by the angels who were sent to receive him into the Kingdom of Heaven. What joy he must have felt. What splendor he must have saw as he entered the gates of that city so bright and fair. The joy he must have felt as he was met by his grandmother who had recently passed and all the other ones who had gone on before him. What a welcoming committee that surely must have met him at the gate!!

The funeral would be set for that following Saturday so I thought to myself I’ll have some short amount of time to get a grip on my emotions so I could sing. Saturday came and as we drove up to the funeral home we would find that there was nowhere to park! The parking lot was full, across the street was full, down the sides of the roads were full!! As we entered the funeral home we quickly found that there would be “standing room only” also!! The people were packed in like sardines. So many people had come to pay tribute to this young man. The service began and a good friend sang first. A hush fell over the crowd as she began to sing “Ten Thousand Angels Cried.” The Pastor prayed and then opened it up for whose who wished to say something in honor of the young man. It was one right after another. The story remained the same throughout most of their words. “He was the best friend I ever had. He was special, kind, loving, caring, extremely intelligent, etc. He gave me some sense of worth in my life. He will be our guardian angel now to watch over us. I can’t believe he’s gone and I’ll never see him again. I never had a friend before him. I most likely will never have another friend!” The last sentence struck me so hard. I thought, “oh if you only knew his Jesus you would know that you have a friend. One that will never leave you!” I had already prayed for the officiating Pastor, but at that point I began to ask God to empower him in a way that he could penetrate the hearts that were being destroyed by their grief. They were devastated without any hope. I realized they did not know Jesus therefore they would be tormented by their loss for a very long time. I prayed God would somehow show those young and old alike the hope that this young man had had. As each one took the podium my heart became more and more burdened and saddened by what I was hearing. The tears began to pour. Not so much for the young man’s body who was occupying the casket, but for those who had no hope of ever seeing him again!!! How horrible that must be I thought to myself!! As the last person sat down the Pastor took the podium again and as he spoke a lump formed in my throat and the tears burned my eyes. As I stood there and prayed for a peace I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was my husband. In a moment I knew he was praying for me as I felt the very presence of God fill me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. A calm fell over me that I have never known before. As the Pastor ended the service with a prayer I began to make my way to the podium to sing. I prayed that those who were in range of my voice would hear the words to my song and they would realize all that the Pastor has said about being ready for Heaven would come to life in their minds. The Pastor had given a time of invitation for those who did not have the hope of seeing their friend again. He made it perfectly clear that without the salvation that this young man had experienced there would be no glad reunion day for them, but if they did they would definitely see him again! I prayed that in some small way the words of my song would reiterate what the Pastor had said and they would receive Christ as their Savior. As I sang a song that normally has no volume without a microphone (which the funeral home had none), the words came out strong and clear and I was told later it could be heard to the back of the funeral home!! It had nothing to do with me. It had all to do with the wonderful Saviour that the song spoke of and the Pastor spoke of. It spoke of the same Saviour that this young man knew. The same Saviour he is now with. My prayer is that his friends and loved ones will realize the brevity of life. I pray they will consider the fact that his tomorrow never came here on this earth, but began in Heaven and will prepare for that place should their tomorrow never come here. I am at peace with where I know he is, but my heart still is burdened for those who know no peace because they do not know Jesus as their Saviour. I pray through this they will believe. Never go to sleep angry, harbor bitter feelings about someone or fail to tell someone you love them and mean it because you are not guaranteed to see or speak with them again. Most importantly be prepared just in case your tomorrow doesn’t start here on this earth!

“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. “
Amos 4:12

"He Knows"

Everybody has a story. As I sat and scanned the crowd there were many I knew and many I didn’t. As each singer took the stage my mind began to wander as I had thoughts of “I know about her struggles. I know his weakness. I know about their family. I know this, I know that……” I have no idea why those thoughts were racing through my mind. I had to question myself. You know what you’re doing to and how would you feel if you knew someone was sitting thinking those thoughts about you?” Trouble is, we don’t know ANYTHING unless we know the Lord. We may think we know everyone’s story, but we need to remember God knows “OUR” story. “The song came to my mind that Sami and I sing. “He Knows My Name.” That song is one of comfort and assurance that no matter what you’re going through, He will always be there for you. It became a sobering thought to me. It turned from comfort to reality. He knows exactly every intricate detail of my life. Seen and unseen. Heard and unheard. He knows our struggles, our weakness, our failures, our troubles, but the greatest thing of all is that in the midst of billions of people, He knows me!!! Every time I call on Him He answers. When He sees me, He looks beyond all my faults and failures. He never sits and thinks about what we’ve done or what we’re doing. He never prides Himself on thinking He knows anything on us!!! He never has anything that He deems worthy to “hold over our head” because all He sees when He looks at us is the Blood. That precious blood that takes the blackest heart and makes it whiter than snow.

Is there someone you look at and have thoughts of knowing their “story?” Have you shared what you know about someone? Before you decide to share your thoughts with anyone, first remember that God doesn’t share your story with anyone. You should do the same.

LUNCHTIME EVERYONE!!!!!!

This was the first day of our church serving the "WorldChangers" group that has come to our area to provide free labor to homes that are in need of repairs. What an AWESOME bunch of young people and leaders!!! It was such a joy to serve them. I haven't heard "thank you" that much since I was a kid........when manners were actually taught in the home!!!!!!!!! To many times these days young people take so much for granted. Not this group!!!! They were thankful for every little thing!!! I had the bright idea to just buy a "hodge-podge" of hard candies so maybe they could put a couple of pieces in their pockets for later and you would've thought I had pieces of gold in the container!!!! I am just blown away at the gratitude they showed!!! You could tell they had been working hard and were ready for lunch.(As you can see, some were already suffering from exhaustion!!!!!) :-)

What a wonderful thing they are doing!!!! We're praying for them every day that God will use their talents for His glory!!!

"HEAR OUR PRAYER, O LORD"

Have you ever had a nightmare that seemed so real to you that you woke up in a cold sweat with heart pounding? You were trying to scream and nothing came out. Trying to run, yet getting nowhere. Looking for a way out only to be blinded? Wanting to cry and the tears couldn’t even be forced out?

This is, in part, a response to a dear Christian lady who was trying to give me some encouragement for such a time as this. A time that we need God’s almighty power to be able to minister in the proper way to the brokenness of a family that needs to feel the sweet touch of the Master’s hand and hear His voice in the deafening roar of reality!

His return will not be soon enough for me! I pray everyday for Him to come get us all out of this mess of world we live in. It's so hard in this particular situation to minister to a family that is hurting so deeply because there are no really good or sufficient answers to give them. We live in a fallen world and sin brings about senseless tragedies like this. Man brought sin into this world and like the Bible so clearly states: “the wages of sin is death.” However, let me clarify, I am in no way saying that this family was taken from here because of some particular sin they committed, so please don’t mistake my point here. I know full well God sees the WHOLE picture.....the beginning and the end!!!!! And none of this took "Him" by surprise. I know that He is capable of bringing something good out of the most horrible of situations. I cling to Romans 8:28 like a vine clings to a wall!!! I have to or I would not have made it this far in life!! When we walked into Joanna's moms house yesterday it was so extremely difficult because there were several pictures of Ashley and Tyler laying there on the coffee table. Just to see the anguish and pain on the face of a set of parents/grandparents who are suffering such tremendous pain would have been enough to bear, but that topped it off: a family who is so broken not knowing where to start. An entire family that is suffering loss greater than we can even begin to wrap our minds around.

Please don't stop the prayers for us. I know this will be hard for my husband as he built a very strong relationship with Tyler.....they were "buddies" and Ashley helped me so immensely in Jr. Church when she would come. They will forever hold a special place in our hearts!! Pray for God to give my husband clarity of speech in his message and that God will sing "through" me because certainly I will not be able to utter one note without His strength!!! Pray for the other Pastor who will also speak and his daughter who will sing as well. If only one life can be reached for Christ through all of this mess, it will somehow be worth the struggle in a strange sense of it all.

Joanna’s mother made a statement yesterday while we were there that made an impact on me and caused me to somehow piece it together in some odd way. She said: "They (meaning Brian, Joanna and the kids) did EVERYTHING together. There was NOTHING they did apart from one another." My husband had previously made the statement that God was merciful enough to not leave one without the other. And I couldn't help but think..........that's a display of God's Amazing Grace........they did everything here together and so God, in all His loving kindness, so carefully orchestrated their “Homegoing” together as well!!!!!!!!!! Now………..is that any consolation for that family? Not hardly. I would never say it to them because they cannot see past their pain, anguish and tears right now. No one expects them to and if anyone does they are foolish. But for those of us who can sit back and look in from the outside can maybe see a dim reflection, just a glimpse of that moment when they all entered the gates of Heaven together. In life they lived and loved and in death they are still living…….Living where they will never face death again!! Death has been swallowed up in Victory for them!!! One day, hopefully they will be able to sort it out and looking back see a partial explanation to this horrifying time they were called to go through. Until then we all need to flood Heaven with pleas of mercy for them!!

We sometimes ask the question: “Lord, why this road? Why this pain?” But we have to be confident in the fact that He has never failed us and will not. He can not!! He promised He would not!! I know with all my heart that He will come shining through this time even though I can’t see it now. I guess when I asked Him to mold me to be more like Him; I forgot to mention that I didn't want it to be this painful. But, we all know the old cliché......."no pain......no gain!!!" What we all need to realize is that "His pain" was for "our gain."

The family I have spoken of is living out the worst nightmare a family could ever have to imagine. However, with God’s grace and by His grace only, they will be able to wake up from it one day and see through the pain. They will never, ever be able to “get over” it, but with our prayers and God’s love they will be able to “go on” in spite of it. My prayer for them is God’s Amazing grace showers them like a flood and covers them in constant waves of mercy.

“In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief…….by Thy return sweet hour of prayer.” As great as the depths of their grief, greater is the depths of our Father’s love.


“You, which have shown me great and sore troubles,

will revive me again, and will bring me up again from

the depths of the earth. You will increase my greatness,

and comfort me on every side.

Psalm 71:20-21

"My heart is aching!!!!"

As we sat eating lunch with my dad and a couple of dear friends this afternoon the headlines flashed:............."the King of Pop rushed to the hospital with cardiac arrest!!!" I could hardly believe my eyes. I immediately sat up and paid attention to the TV as I watched the newscasters flock around the motorcade that carried Michael Jackson to an LA hospital. I watched intently to see what else I could gather from the news scrolling across the bottom of the television. As I went back to my conversation with the people at the table I got lost in what we were discussing not thinking to much more about it, other than the fact that they he would somehow survive and have a strong comeback to his upcoming tour. Unfortunately as we left my dads house Shelley(our middle daughter) sent me a text message that said: "OMG!!!!! Michael Jackson passed away!!!!" I was immediately saddened by that news!!! My heart sank!! I remember listening to him "all" my life from the time I was a little girl to the very present!!! He was one of my "idols," if you will. I never, never missed American Bandstand, Soul Train or any other show I knew he and his brothers, The Jackson Five, would be on. I think I had every album they ever made. Over the years I watched his rise to fame and all the pitfalls, his failures and his successes. I paid particular attention to any news that may have related to him, rebuking those who accused him of horrifying things!! No matter what he ever did to himself, I still believed in him whether he made wise decisions or poor choices. I always had the strong inclination to pray for him. In so many instances I felt even though he was surrounded by the trillions of fans, he was still very alone and afraid in a great big world many times. Some of his songs screamed so loudly that he was in need of someone who cared. There was always a strange connection that I felt to him, maybe the musical inclination in both of our lives, I don't know. I absolutely loved his music from the time I was young until this very day. Some Christians, I know, will disagree with me and tell me I'm wrong, but that's ok. Everyone has the right to their own opinion.

For some reason God said today was the day Michael would stand before his Maker face to face. Sadly enough there were so many lose ends that he left untied. Young children still unraised and although I'm sure they'll be well taken care of monetarily, they will not have the physical presence of their father. And whether or not they had any contact with him, they will still feel the impact of his death. And I am very sure all the tabloids will focus on his failures and his fame and all the other things that surround the lifestyle he lived, but I can assure you, not one of those tabloids will be concerned where he is now spending eternity. Some will say he did not go to Heaven, some will swear he did. I'm not to say. My only hope is that one day in his lifetime he made the decision to accept Christ as his Saviour. There were many situations in his life that would have given him opportunity to do so. It seems that put in the right position, you always look to God to be your help. Maybe, just maybe in one of those very lonely, isolated times that he had here, he cried out to God for help and found his salvation in the one Whom he stands before today.

And isn't it strange that millions and millions will mourn the death of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett for many years to come, yet those same millions have no recollection of the One who hung on a cross and gave us what neither of them would have ever been capable of!!

I, in no way, want to discount the fact that many will hurt over the loss of these two great legends in their own time. I myself, will mourn the death of Michael Jackson. My prayer will be that God will minister to those left behind that loved them and that He will send someone to them that will be able to share Christ with them. However, my point is that there is no one, no thing and no amount of money that can keep you living and breathing here on this earth when God says your time here is through. When that time comes, the choice is no longer up to us.

While the choice IS still yours:

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. "
(Isaiah 55:6)

"QUIET PLEASE"

When you walk into a library you see the sign that says: “Quiet Please.” That’s because many times people go to the library to study or to write papers for some class they may be taking in school and they need peace and quiet in order to think clearly. While we are here at the Southern Baptist Convention this week, there have been many things that have pointed my attention in that very direction. However, it has nothing to do with writing a paper or being able to think clearly. A couple of messages I’ve heard from the speakers has caused me to give great thought to my speech. I know this will come as a shock to some, but I have been told on more than one occasion that my personality is a little bit too much for some. *Ugh* You know it’s always been easy for me to critique someone else and pick out their faults, but when a mirror gets help up to you, it makes one a little bit uneasy. We never like to face cold, hard facts!!! Here we go……….”Grannie” always said: “truth hurts!!” Now I’ve heard the statement to many times: “God gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth for a specific purpose.” I never wanted to admit that made any kind of sense, but as the years go by and I watch and listen, I am realizing more and more the importance of listening before speaking. I have always lived my life on the edge never giving too much thought to what I was going to say or how I was going to say it. The thought never really went through the brain before it hit the tongue and came spilling out of my lips. In recent years and especially of late, I am leaning more and more towards putting a bridle on my tongue and “spiritual” hearing aides in my ears. It has occurred to me that when we don’t think before we speak, we not only run the risk of hurting someone’s emotional feelings, but we can ruin the possibility of hurting their spiritual feelings. We can give a very wrong answer if we don’t think first and sometimes that can prove to be very detrimental! We, as women, are called to be more tender in nature. We are referred to as the “weaker” sex, but that does not mean emotionally. We were made to love and be loved. We were given tender hearts so we could nurture not only our children, but also those who might be in need. A comment was made that has stuck with me and has made me feel so much better about who I am. To me it was so profound…….to you it might be just a common sense thing, but here it is: “You don’t have to change your personality or who you are to become a “true woman” of God.” I have always thought that just because people didn’t like the extroverted personality I have that I needed to change who I am. I have rebelled against that for the greater part of my adult life. I always used the line: “God made me this way, deal with it.” It never really occurred to me that I am free to be who God made me…….not who or what I want to be!! As Christians we are called to be set apart, separate, from the world. We need to realize that we can make or break someone with our words. Not only is our every move scrutinized by the world, they listen very intently to what we say to make sure our words match our actions. If they can’t hear or see Christ in us, we have no hope of reaching them for Him. We become useless to the Kingdom and our work is in vain. We are told to be the salt of the earth. Salt flavors and is “tasteful.” That’s what we need to in order to represent our Lord well. So the next time I feel like being “loud,” I’m going to do my best to “be quiet” and let people see who Christ is in me rather than try to let them hear who I am!!!

“ instead, it should consist of the hidden person of the heart
with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very valuable in God's eyes.”
1 Peter 3:4

QUESTION

For months now I've not written on my blog.......well for that matter for months now I haven't done anything the way I used to. I've at least began posting my "Tuesday Tidbit" on here hoping that it might reach more than just the ladies of our church and the others who I send it to via email. I'm not sure what the problem has been really......plate to full will be the best excuse I can come up with!! I think I just need to slow down, which I'll be doing today. Dr. is taking me off of one medicine and putting me on a different one for all this nerve pain and the new one kept me awake ALL night long last night, so I'm sure I'll not be moving quite as quick as normal to day!!!

Anyways............I posed a question on my Facebook yesterday and got a few replies. Let's see how many replies I get here on my blog. At least it might give me a ballpark idea of how many people actually read it!!! See if you can fine the correct answer. Here's the question:

"It's time! Don't you think?"

"WHO DID IT?"

“What happened here,” the mother says. The reply comes; “she did it!” And another one comes; “no, she did it!!” Ah yes, the age-old mystery!! Being the mother of more than one child I have heard that phrase at least a million times if I’ve heard it once!! That’s the most frustrating answer in all of time if you ask me. If you’re not standing right there when the offense occurs how do you know truly “who did it?” (Some of you are shaking your head right now because you know exactly what I’m talking about!!) It’s obvious one of the two is not telling the truth. One of them did it, but neither of them wants to take the blame. And then as the conversation continues you hear; “well, she made me do it!” We, as human beings, have the uncanny ability to shift the blame everywhere but where it belongs: on ourselves! We don’t want to take responsibility for our actions. We don’t like to admit that we’ve done wrong, so we come up with every excuse we can find for the wrong we’ve done or are doing. Admitting wrongdoing might call us to a higher level of accountability and make us live above reproach. What it boils down to is we simply just won’t own up to our “sins!” When you find yourself not wanting to take responsibility for something, it’s usually a “sin” problem. No one wants anyone else to know that they have sinned, but we do. It’s a fact of life!! The Bible says so in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Unfortunately, those who do not want to take the blame for their sin say they have none, which the Bible also plainly disputes……..”if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves” (1 John 1:8) and make God a liar and His Word is not in us!!! (1John 1:10) It’s far easier to shift the blame to something or someone else. We push it to the back of our minds or put it on the back burner so to speak. As Christians we need to be aware of the fact that one day those things will be clearly exposed. It would be better for us to deal with it now, own up to it, repent from it and live with a clear conscience so we can serve God wholeheartedly. Our kingdom work will be hindered if we don’t!! I personally don’t ever want anything to stand in the way of me serving my Lord and believe me; I have done some pretty awful things! I’ve tried to own up to as many as I know to be my fault, but I’ve also played the blame game many times. However, God always without fail, calls me on it and I have no choice but to make it right. It’s not always easy and sometimes it’s quite painful and calls us to do things in a different way than we want to, but if we expect God’s blessings to continue in our lives, it’s a must. If there’s something you’re dealing with and trying to push it off on someone else, it’s time to do something about it on your own before God does it for you! It’s much easier to own up to it on your own than to have your faults exposed by a Holy God! Take your faults to the one who can fix them!!! The “blame game” has existed from the beginning of time! Remember in the Garden when Adam “blamed” it on Eve!!??” God knew then who did it and He knows now. It’s an ancient sin with the same fix. Where would we be if Christ had played the blame game? Fortunately for our sake He didn’t do that. He took the blame for something that truly was not His fault and He bore our shame on Calvary’s cross. There’s nothing to hard for Him so take it to the foot of the cross, leave it there and start fresh and anew!

“Can one say about anything, "Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.”
Ecclesiastes 1:10

"HURRY UP AND WAIT"

Well, you guessed it. That’s what “Grannie” always said!!! “Hurry up and wait.” Or…….”the hurrieder I go the more behind I get!!!” For what?! For nothing. For more headaches, more heartaches! Does it really pay to be in a hurry? The more hurried we get, the more opportunities we pass up. As moms we pass up a golden moment many times because we’re in too much of a hurry to stop and pay attention to that child. Something that can only be captured in that “hurried moment!!” As wives we miss that one kiss or hug that we might not ever have opportunity to get again. As Christian women we may miss an opportunity to witness to that clerk at the grocery store who may just need to be given a smile because her day is not what she had hoped for. Maybe even her life is in a shambles and we were put in her path that day to encourage her but because we were in such a “hurry” we didn’t take time to notice the opportunity God gave us……..until it’s to late and the moment is past. Unfortunately all to many times that happens. Our lives are so filled with “things to do” that we get in such a hurry because there’s never enough time in a day to do everything that’s on our list. And if any of you are like me, it just kills you if that list is not complete at the end of the day!!! Issues………I think that’s what they tell me it’s called!!! J So many times lately I have found myself “coming and going” if you will.........burning the candle at both ends!!! There are so many things to do, so many people to see and so many places to go, it seems like I get absolutely nothing accomplished. As “Grannie” would say: “to many irons in the fire,” which in turn causes you to get in that hurried state!! The things that are most important get pushed by the wayside and the people who matter the most become less important and you never make it to the place that you truly needed to be!!! As Christians, we have become so hurried that we have hurried our devotional time. We want our church services to be scheduled to accommodate our needs. We want the Preacher to “hurry” the message along because we have things to do!!! We even “speed read” the Bible because we’re in such a hurry. It seems to me that in every account of Christ’s life on this earth, He was always busy, but I don’t recall Him ever being in a hurry!!! Hence, the death of Lazarus. When He received the news of Lazarus’ death, He did not immediately drop what He was doing and rush to his side. Let’s see, if my memory serves me right…….He was “four days late!!!!!” He always took time to pay attention to the needs of others, to talk to a child, to heal the sick or to raise the dead!!!

I think it’s high time that we get “unhurried” and take the time to call that someone special, send a card, make a visit to the hospital. Time to maybe make dinner ahead of time so you can sit and talk with your loved ones or play game with your children or grandchildren. Make a conscience decision to slow down. It’s simply time to show love to the unloved and give hope to the hopeless.

Here’s one more: “stop and smell the roses along the way!!!!” What a sweet aroma there is if we just take that time!!

“ So when He heard that he(Lazarus) was sick,
He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”
John 11:6

"FREE.........REALLY??"

“Nothing is for free!” Funny……seems I heard that comment just the other morning. And then in the afternoon as I was driving home from the grocery store I passed a house that had a huge sign in the front yard that said “FREE.” There had obviously been a rummage sale and the owners did not want to “re-store” all of their things again so they were giving it away. There was even a man in the front yard flagging people down saying “STOP! It’s all free. Whatever you want. Come take a look!” I was in a hurry so I did not stop. Something must definitely be wrong with me!! Me? Pass up a yard sale? I do U-turns for yard sales!!! I nearly cause accidents for yard sales!!!! And to pass up a free one? Come on!!!! I have to think about that one. Maybe I need to go to the doctor and be checked for something!!!!?? No unnecessary comments, please! :-) Anyways, back from my distraction……..when that comment was made the other day I replied: “Oh yes, there is something that is free!!! Salvation is free. All you have to do is ask for it and it’s yours.” Immediately it occurred to me that, NO, salvation was not free. It cost a great deal. It cost my Savior His very life!! How free is that? Well, not free to Him, but most definitely free to us. And everyday, people refuse it. They pass it by, just like I did that yard sale. Even though there are many, many Christians standing out in the front yard of life waving signs and trying to flag people down telling them that it’s free!!! But, just like I did, they are in a hurry. They don’t have time to stop and look or listen. I’m sure I could have found some small treasure amongst that heap of junk laying in that front yard if I had only taken the time to stop and look. If we could only get the message across to people what precious treasure we have to share with them they would stop and take advantage of that “free” gift that is offered to them by Christ. Maybe we as Christians should start wearing signs that says: “I have something FREE for you!! Just ask!!!” I wonder how many people would actually take time to ask or would they do like me and just pass it by and wonder what could have been there if they had just stopped long enough to inquire!!! On the other hand, would you be willing to wear a sign that said that and then actually share what it meant if someone were to ask!!!!????

“ to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

Acts 26:18

Makes "Cents" to Me"

Well, I nearly had a heart attack!!!! Here we are in the car again on the way to a "Rescue Weekend"as I call it now!!!! Well, a "rescue day" if you want to be technical. It starts tonight at 5:30 with dinner and then the session begins at 6:30, runs until 9:00 pm and ends at 11:15 am tomorrow. Still, it is time "away" from the normal everyday things, which I thankful for each time!!! Anyways......I turned on the computer and tried to sign on the to Internet and the keyboard was not working, bit was doing all kinds of goofy things. Each time I tried to type a word, it did something totally off the wall and absolutely not what it was supposed to do!! I had had problems with it yesterday because something was trying to download a virus program, which caused me undo stress and "panic!!!!" I called the "computer genius" (my hubby) and he tried to walk me through it and we thought we had fixed it yesterday, but found out it was still there!!! The thought of riding all the way to Indy "without" the access of my blog or Facebook caused me to nearly hyperventilate!!!! I mean it was serious!! I wanted to cry.....really!!!! I know......I've been told I have issues. It's nothing new!!! They've been there all along. They are just becoming more prevalent as the years go by!!!!

Well............on to the "real" topic!!!! This "rescue weekend" is for Pastor's and their wives and from what I understand it's going to be somewhat of a financial seminar, which I'm surprised my husband is even bringing me to in the first place!!! We are not on the same page where finances are concerned..............well, not even in the same chapter.........probably not even the same book!!!!! Oh.........I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I should stay out of the stores and stop spending his money being a shopaholic!!! Oh to the contrar my dear!!!! Tis' not I!!!! His idea of money management is "if he has a dime in his pocket he "manages" to spend it!!!! (Don't misunderstand, He tithes without fail...so it's not that money he spends!!!) I, on the other hand, will take that same dime, guard it with my life and not spend it until necessary!!! Of course, my idea of necessary and his idea of necessary differ greatly!!! We have a "favorite" grocery store we go to.......I say favorite because it has a "clearance" aisle in it, which we go down EVERY time we are in there. Well we just happened to go by there today on our way out of town and I found it "necessary" to spend that dime!!! Oh the bargains I found!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!! They had Cranberry-Grape juice for $1.00 a bottle. Ocean Spray.........the good kind....not even the generic!!! A 64 oz. bottle no less!!! Normally that same bottle would cost $3.29!!! There were probably 15 bottles of it. My dear, sweet husband asked me how many of them I wanted as he began to pile them in the cart. Of course, I said "all of them!!!!!" Did you hear me say I got it for $1.00!!!??? Obviously he didn't!!! :-) And then there were two huge boxes of cereal for $1.00 that were 5 for $10.00 in the front of the store for the very same kind!! Honestly, I simply do not care if the bottle has a dent in it or the box is a little smashed on one side. Does it make a difference in the taste of what's inside of it? Absolutely not!!! Sooooooooo.........therefore, I shop!!!!!! Listen............our meals and snacks depend on what's on sale! The "other" grocery store we go to has a discounted "meat" section!!! What a blessing, huh!! Needless to say, we eat a LOT of chicken!!! That's usually what's on sale. I know how to cook chicken just about any way you can and then some!!! Hmmmmm........let me see............doesn't the Bible tell us we are to be good stewards of what He has blessed us with? Just trying to be Biblical!!! Hey..........I try my best in some areas, ok? It just makes "cents" to me to save as much as I can in every area that I can!!!

Well...........we're here and I'm ready for all the financial advice they want to pass my way!!! Pray for my husband though.....it's finally time his toes get walked on instead of mine and it won't even be from one of "my sermons!!!!"

"STAYING ON TASK"

I have had the privilege of being a “stay at home” mom for the last several years, which in some people’s opinion is the easiest thing in the world. Let me tell you; it is not. There have been many times when I have truly wished I could work “outside” the home again. It’s much easier! You usually have one particular job to focus on and really one area of expertise to deal with. My job was entitled “certification analyst.” I determined if workers were actually in “real time” work, if they were furloughed, on leave of absence, etc., to certify if they were entitled to pay. That’s all I did all day long; well with the exception of having to answer the phones sometimes when we would get swamped with calls, but mostly it was the same thing every day, all day. Staying at home is much the same with the exception there are many tasks to be carried out in a day at home. Oh, I did those same tasks when I worked outside the home, but I guess because I was gone all day long, I had somewhat of a schedule to keep as far as housework, laundry and other things were concerned. Being home during the day all day gives you more freedom to do whatever, whenever, which in theory sounds good, but it is not!! I have found since being home I truly believe I have a slight (hahahaha) case of ADD or maybe even ADHD!!! I find myself starting a task in one room, finding something that goes in another room, taking it to that particular room, seeing something that needs to be done in that room, starting on that, seeing something that goes in another room, taking it there noticing while I’m in that room that something needs to be done there, starting on that project, finding yet another thing that belongs to a different room………………are you getting the picture? It seems I’m easily distracted these days and can never “finish” what I started. It’s a vicious cycle that is occurring in my life and it feels as if I’m going in circles like a dog chasing its tail!!!! Nothing ever truly gets accomplished which is becoming more and more apparent!!!

That’s how our lives can become as Christians if we’re not very careful. We have “good intentions” of doing what we’re supposed to do for Christ, but there are so many things that go on in our every day lives that many times cause us to get distracted. We find ourselves telling God that we’ll have our “quiet time” at such and such a time and we even manage to get our Bible out, set our coffee down, sit down in the chair………and then the phone rings!!! Well, goodness me, every woman knows you can’t just let the phone right. You HAVE to answer it!!! It might be Sally or Mary with the newest gossip and we wouldn’t want to miss that!!! *Ugh*……gossip!!! That’s a whole other discussion!!!! So…………..we answer the phone, get into a 45 minute discussion and by the time we get off the phone maybe one of the children are up milling around and then of course, you can’t have “quiet time” at that point, so you close the Bible, all the while telling God, “I’ll do it later when the baby goes down for a nap.” And then, there are some encouragement cards that you need to send out so you go to do that and all of a sudden are reminded that you didn’t lay anything out for dinner so you make your way to the kitchen to find whatever it is you are going to fix and in the meantime, something else steals your attention and the cards never get made out.

Some days it’s just hard to stay on task. We as women in general have so much to do and our minds never shut off, unlike men, we are constantly in “go” mode! We don’t have time to step back and look at what we are about to do, we just do it. It’s almost as if we are on “auto pilot” and don’t even realize it most of the time. However, I have found that even though I’m blessed to stay at home now, I still have to have a “to do” list and stick to it. If I don’t, nothing gets accomplished. First things first though. Our tasks have to be prioritized and when God does not take first place on that priority list we fail and we only make our life harder. I know in my own life that when God gets my full attention at the very beginning of every day, it makes my day much more tolerable than if He gets shoved off to the side for every other things I have to do. Somehow, somewhere we have to find a happy medium. We must be intentional about putting God first on our “to do” list otherwise something else will grab our attention and we’ll be whisked away into our day. Does that make the day “perfect?” Certainly not, but it sure does throw a “monkey wrench” into the plans that the ol’ devil had for you that day and it surely aggravates him!!! That’s my goal!!! Aggravate satan as much as he tries to aggravate me and ruin my life!! I want my days to go smooth and I want God to be in complete control of them even when I don’t feel in control of me or what I’m doing. As long as he guides my day, the right things get accomplished and all is well.

“Grace be with all of you.”
Hebrew 13:25

"CRAB LEGS ANYONE?"

“Father…….forgive me for I have sinned!!!” Well, that’s the prayer I was praying on Saturday. As many know I have had more health issues this year than I have had in all my years and as one more issue has been added (Shingles) I think and my husband, wonderful man that he is, is trying his best to do “anything” and “everything” to bring some kind of relief to me!!! Bless his heart!!! He’s better to me than I deserve that’s for sure!!! Well, he found this quaint little place called “Gaucho’s.” He saw a coupon for it in the paper and decided to take me there. It’s a Brazilian restaurant. Needless to say, it was quite different than I had ever been in before; a very different atmosphere than a normal restaurant. I won’t give it away and ruin it in case you haven’t been there!! You really should try it (but ONLY if they are running a special unless your name is Bill Gates!!!!!) J Well, anyways, they were running a lunch special that included “all you can eat”, prime rib, pork tenderloin, chicken “something or what” and crab legs!!!! Normally I don’t get my money’s worth when we go to any restaurant because I don’t eat enough. Let me tell you………they lost money on me Saturday!!! I swear I must have eaten 10 pounds of crab legs!!! The waiter took away 3 plates full of shells if I count right!!! Did I mention crab legs are my ultimate favorite? It used to be shrimp scampi, but I think crab legs have truly won out in the last year or so!! I just kept eating and kept eating…….and kept eating……until I was completely and utterly miserable!!!!! I felt so guilty. I never eat that much!!! I couldn’t take anymore and just had to say “no” to more!! It was wonderful while I was filling up on them though!!!! However, I felt kind of sick after I was done. Too much I guess!!!

When we left I thought about that little prayer…..you know……the “Father, forgive me prayer?” I got to thinking that me with those crab legs is like us with sin. We all have that one particular sin that seems to draw us more than others and we feast on it!!! We indulge every now and again. However, after we have filled up on it we begin to realize we can’t take anymore and we have to say “no” and stop. It begins to make us feel uneasy and leaves us feeling sick. It’s at that point we go to the Father and ask for His forgiveness. He gives His true forgiveness, not some little prayer that many make fun of. It’s an earnest prayer knowing that we took in more than we could handle. But, thanks be to God, He is there just waiting to hear our plea ready to freely give that forgiveness to empty us of the guilt we feel and the sin that sickens us. And just like me with the crab legs, knowing the very next time I get the opportunity, I will do it again, He will be eagerly awaiting my request. He is faithful and just to forgive every time we indulge in that sin!!!!

”for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Romans 3:23 -24


Until next time!!!
Love lots,
Always,
Darlene

THE RAPTURE

I just can’t begin to say what a wonderful time we’ve had in the past two weeks. It started with us, Deliverance, singing at Kolas Bookstore last Saturday night, our Association sing last Sunday afternoon, two revivals last week that were just out of this world and then the Annual Spring Association Meeting last night!!! The songs we’ve heard and sang, the messages we’ve heard preached……..oh how AWESOME they all have been!!! In this day and age people just don’t seem to be interested in the things of God too much anymore, but I’m here to tell you that for this last two weeks I have seen people come out and just enjoy hearing God’s Word through song and some preaching that has been out of this world!!!!!!!! Most people just don’t have time in their schedules to fit in any of that “churchy” stuff!! Mostly Sunday morning suffices their purpose and they’re good to go until next Sunday!!! I’d starve to death!!!!! I still hunger for His word after Sunday morning service, Sunday night service, Wednesday night Bible study and Thursday night Bible study!!!!!! Schedules are just to cluttered up with all the other things on our agendas. (We had to rearrange some of our schedule to make some of these meetings, but we did it and it was well worth it!!!!) There’s just so much “stuff” that satan throws in our way to steal our attention away from the truly important things!! I’m sorry if you think a sporting event, taking a nap or even spending time with family is more important than being about God’s business, you’re wrong. There’s nothing more important than doing God’s work. I make no apology for saying the “important” things are those that have to deal with God and His service!!! It’s just good to be together with brothers and sisters in Christ that love the Lord with all their heart and have a desire to serve Him in any way they can!!!! I truly believe we may very well be living in the age where we will be the generation that will get to be a part of the Rapture!!!! Yep, that’s what I said: “The Rapture!!!!!” That’s not a word that I’ve ever heard used up in here in Northwest Indiana ever, but we used to sing a song when I was at home called “I’ll See You in the Rapture.” These are the lyrics of the song:

"IF WE NEVER MEET AGAIN, ON THIS EARTH MY PRECIOUS FRIEND.
IF TO GOD WE HAVE BEEN TRUE, AND WE'VE LIVED ABOVE ALL SIN.
THEN FOR US THERE'LL BE A MEETING,
YES A HALLELUJAH GREETING.
I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE SOME SWEET DAY.

TO MY LOVED ONES LET ME SAY,
THAT THERE'LL SURELY COME A DAY.
WHEN OUR LORD WILL COME AGAIN,
AND TAKE HIS BRIDE AWAY.
SO GET READY NOW TO MEET HIM,
WITH HALLELUJAH'S GREET HIM.
I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE SOME SWEET DAY.

CHORUS

I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE YES…...I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE
I'LL SEE YOU IN THAT MEETING IN THE AIR
THERE WITH OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR
WE WILL LIVE AND REIGN FOREVER
I'LL SEE YOU IN THE RAPTURE SOME SWEET DAY."

Oh how I’m looking and longing for that day. Unfortunately there are so many who are of the idea that they still have so much life to live and so many things to do before that time. Now really………………what could possibly be better than to meet our Lord in the air!!!!!!! It couldn’t’ be to soon for me!!! In these meetings that we have attended, of late, would have just been a superb time for Him to split the Eastern sky and call His children home!!!! We ALL know someone who needs salvation and the Bible says, “today is the day of salvation!!!” It’s time we tell them before it’s to late. One day we’re going to be separated from someone we dearly love because we didn’t take time to make sure they had a relationship with Christ because we were to busy doing other things thinking we still had time!!! One day it’s going to happen at the least expected time. Don’t let it be to late for you or someone you love!!!!

Then two will be in the field; the one will be taken, and the other left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; the one will be taken, and the other left.
Watch therefore: for you do not know what hour your Lord will come.
Matthew 24: 40-42
Watchin’ & waitin’
Love lots!!!
Always,
Darlene

"DELIVERANCE"

That's us!!!!! The "new" Deliverance!!! God is sooooooo good!!!! Up until Thursday, I didn't have much of a voice from all this allergic reaction stuff that's gone on with me, but God in all His goodness, allowed me to have enough voice to do the concert on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon!!!!! I'm so grateful!!! I'm even more excited about June 6th. We went to the Christian bookstore last week and had a shopping extravaganza!!! We bought new music for the concert in June!! We had such a great time picking out the music. As a matter of fact, me and Sami were having such a good time dancing and singing in the middle of the store, we didn't realize that we had an audience!!!! Two of our friends walked in while we were in the middle of our "performance!!!!" Then we proceeded to "hog" the stereo's!!!! We tried to share.......really we did!!!!!

Our concert on Saturday night at Kolas' was great!!!! I think they said they sat up chairs for 70 and they ended up having to put more chairs out!!! We were so excited!!! I'm sure there were some poor unsuspecting souls that came not knowing what they were in store for, but they got it anyways!!! We had a great time in the Lord and you could just feel the Spirit!!!

Sunday was great too at Grace Baptist in Portage. I just love those people!!! They are so great!!!!! There were lots of people there too. We had such a fun time and was blessed so much!!! I look so forward to the times we get together at those singings. It's one of the highlights of my life!!!! Of course, then again, as one of my friends tell me.........life is a song to me!!!!! Everything is a song!!!!! I live to sing. I'm just praying that I find out what's causing all these allergic reactions and I can get them under control. Not having health insurance makes that kind of hard though. I'm just trusting God to take care of it........just like He did this time!!! I guess as long as I have a voice to sing when I need to, I'll be ok!!! My family loves it when it happens, but not me!!!!!!!!! It's encouraging to me though to know that I will indeed be able to be in Heaven for that 30 minute silence!!!!!!!!! :-) When my hubby was explaining about my voice loss yesterday there were some "hearty" Amen's that I heard!!!!! I know exactly where they came from too!!! :-) I took names!!!!

Dentists......*UGH*

Four hours in a Dentists chair is enough to unnerve anyone. It's not a pleasant experience for me to begin with and it takes 2 Valiums to get me to sit still in the chair without causing bodily harm to the Dentist or his Assistant!!!! And tonight was especially bad when I smelled "BLEACH!!!!!" As if I haven't had enough "allergic" reactions lately, while the Dentist was working on my mouth all of a sudden I smelled bleach very strongly. I couldn't talk so I motioned for a pen so I could write but I managed to get the word bleach out of my mouth and the dentist replied "yes!!!" My heart nearly beat out of my chest. Sheer panic and fear fell over me!!! He rinsed out my mouth and immediately I said: "I'M ALLERGIC TO BLEACH!!!!!!!" That was my first experience with my throat closing....using bleach one day to clean the tub with!!!! He began to tell me it was a very watered down version and that he had "always" used it when he worked on my mouth. I NEVER recall smelling it before and just the thought of knowing when I had inhaled it caused my throat to close, I couldn't imagine what using it in my mouth would do!!! Surely I would die in the Dentist chair!!! He sent the assistant to get the Benadryl and asked me if I was itching and I said: "No it doesn't make me itch, it makes my throat close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" At that point I could see the despair on his face and in the sound of his voice as he told me not to worry they had every thing they needed including the adrenaline!!!!!! Yeah......remember me mentioning that in a previous blog!!!? As if I wanted that, right!!!??? He quickly told her to pull my entire chart and I'm sure at that point he was probably contemplating calling the Paramedics!!!! I know it was rushing through my mind!!!! Needless to say, he quit for a few minutes and the assistant kept a close eye on me as all the while I was praying for peace and calm.............I just kept thinking of the verse Shelley had shared with me all day long: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (II Timothy 1:7.) That helped tremendously!!!! Peace fell over me like a blanket. It was great!!! And every time I got scared again, I would quote that verse in my head and ask for that peace again. And, every time it was granted!!!! God is so good. Needless to say, I made it through the appointment and now am the proud owner of a new set of "temporary" crowns!!! The real ones will be in by the 16th of April. Yeah!!!! In time for June 6th!!!! New pretty teeth like I used to have!!!!! Well, the Dentist didn't use that solution on me anymore and he notated my chart not to use it again!!! Thank goodness!!! More so I'm grateful to God that he grants peace and comfort right when I need it the most and NEVER fails!!! Although unworthy.....He still hears and answers me!!! What a great God we serve!!!!


So since I did survive my dental ordeal I'm trying to s-l-o-w-l-y eat some baked chicked and cheese potatoes I made for dinner...........while I'm still numb...........and slobbering!!! :-) YUM!!!!!

Allergic!!!!!

I am so tired of being sick this year and losing my voice!!!! I'm not sure what's going on with my body these days (the first one who says the "age" word is gonna get it!!!!) , but I sure am tired of it!!!! This is like the 3rd or 4th time I have lost my voice this year and it's only March!!! I know......I know......some of you would say God is trying to tell you something!!!! Yeah, I kinda got that!!!! Anyways, I just can't figure out why all of a sudden I am allergic to everything!!! This time it was because I bought a new lipstick made by the same maker of all the other make-up I use!!! I never imagined in my wildest dreams it would be something as simple as that. Normally it has been "smells" that get me and cause my throat to get tight and lose my voice, but lipstick!!!!! And NO, I'm not about to quit using make -up so don't anyone say it!!!!!!! The saying is: "every old barn needs a coat of paint now and again!!!!!" Well, this ol' barn needs a couple of coats every day!!!!!!!!!!! I heard that "AMEN!!!!" I am proudly tagged as "Tammy Faye" by some of my dearest friends.........and foes!!!!! :-) I just wish I knew what was causing all this!!!! The first time I realized I was allergic to something it was bleach when I was cleaning the tub with it one day. I ended up in the ER with my throat literally closing up!!! What a scary experience that was!!! They gave me a "cocktail" to drink.....trying to make sure it wasn't anything to do with my heart and that was awful because I already felt like I couldn't swallow the way it was and that thing numbed my throat making it all the more worse!!! I really felt like I couldn't swallow or breath then!!!! BUT, the second trip to the ER was even worse.......they gave me a shot of adrenaline. One minute I thought my heart was gonna beat out of my chest and the next minute I thought it was gonna stop!!! I hope I never have to have that again!!!!! And then I realized I was allergic to candles, with the exception of "Party Lite" candles!!! Thank goodness I know two distributors!!!!! And then not to long ago, it was those "plug-in" things that smell good!!! At least God is giving me the good sense to realize early on what's happening and has given me a wonderful ENT who will just call me in a script for what I call my "FAT" medicine!!!! That Medrol-dose pak. You know, the one you start out taking 6 in one day and work your way down to one on the last day. Literally, I gain 15 to 20 pounds in one week!!!!!!!!!!! And people wonder why I have so many clothes!!! I have to keep a wide variety of sizes on hand!! :-) Yeah, cuz that's the reason!!!!!!!!! Thankfully within about a week or week and a half it all goes away!! Unfortunately, we have two concerts coming up in the next few days and I will have to wear one of my "fat" outfits. So much for the 15 real pounds I have lost lately!!! :-) I'll be happy to wear the fat clothes as long as I get my voice back to sing!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me.....just keep it up!!!!

"Wake-Up" Call!!!

I just read one of my girlfriends blogs. It showed a picture of our current President at some type of sporting event with a glass of beer in his hand!!!!! Although that did not shock me in any way, it startles me that this picture would be available for "normal" people like us (well.....Wanda, you and I are far from normal, but anyways........) to get our hands on and be able to post. Of course, there's a lot out there that people can get ahold of these days, but really, to take a shot of the President of the United States.......the leader of our Country.....drinking a beer? Come on. I'm sure there are other more important things he can be doing. I'm just startled at the fact that we, as Christians, teach our children that alcohol and drugs are wrong and then have to have them exposed to pictures like this of one who is in a position of such high authority that encourages what we try to discourage. Then again, he does not claim to be a Christian either. But he is the leader and he should set a good example. I'm sure that picture would not not phase most people and probably not even many Christians, which is sad, but true. Somehow we've gotten away from our true roots and core values of what's right and wrong!!! However, we need to realize as Christians, there are going to be a lot of things this President does that we will not agree with.............hence, our tax dollars now paying for abortions!!! Abortion is murder no matter how you cut the cake. Some people argue that point..........there is NO argument about it!!!! The Bible says it is, therefore, it is!!!!! Well, that's an entire different subject to post for another time!!! As time goes on, Christians get your head out of the sand; realize what's going on!!! I did not vote for this man, but I sure lift him up before a Holy God who is in control of everything no matter what we do!!! And.........as I see things happening I am encouraged!!!!!! After all, the Bible says: "lift up your heads, redemption draweth nigh!!!!!!!" Signs of the time are everywhere!!! Jesus is coming soon!!!! Get ready!!!! That's my daily prayer!!!!!!!

“OBEDIENCE”

Usually from the moment a couple conceives a child they begin to speculate who the child will look like, the color of its hair or the eyes. Will it be a boy or a girl? Will the child be healthy? Most likely they decide they will have to move to find more suitable housing for a “family.” They talk about the location they might possibly move to, the foods they will feed the child, what activities they will involve the child in. They begin to talk about the process of raising that child. The rules they will have, etc. As I have gone through some terrible growing pains, (due to a Revival I attended, some devotions I have read of late and some sermons my husband has preached) in the last few weeks I began to think of how God had my life all planned out before I was even a thought in the mind of my parents. He had the course all set of where I would be, what I would do, where I would live and who I would be with. He had the rules in place. The Ten Commandments were already “set in stone” so to speak before I was brought into this world. We, as parents, have certain standards we set for our children and we put rules in place we expect for them to follow. In no uncertain terms we lay down the law and we expect them to obey! We explain to them if they follow the rules there will be privileges given and if they do not there will be consequences to pay. God has done the same for us. He gave us rules to live by and set a standard for us as His children and even gave us the Bible as the Plumb line for our lives. He gave example after example of how we are to live. He promised blessings if we obeyed and warned of consequences for disobedience. Sometimes in life when things do not go exactly as we expect we try to change the rules to fit our own needs and desires and if it’s not in line with God’s way, we sometimes find ourselves the victim of circumstance. Many times those circumstances come our way with no warning. They were not pre-planned; they just fall into place. However, the outcome, whether blessing or burden, all depends on how we deal with the situation. Sometimes we willingly turn a blind eye and do as we please. We make excuses and try to justify our actions to fit our own selfish desires. We put other things and people before God and His service, thus disobeying His commands. We stupidly think our way could somehow be better than His!!!! BUT, we can make wise choices in wrong circumstances and still come out on the winning side. We must remember that what satan means for bad God can completely turn inside out and make it good. What satan twists and binds God unwinds to make it perfect. When we fall into sin and temptation we have been given a way out of it, but when we willingly continue to stay in the way of it, we reap the consequences. We have to diligently seek God’s direction and ask for forgiveness of the wrongdoing on our part and then run the other way. We need to repent and begin to seek the right way. Sometimes obedience can be difficult especially when it doesn’t feel fair or right to us. We need to realize just because it feels good or right does not mean that it is, understanding satan is very cunning and clever to deceive us into thinking it is. If we do not obey God’s leading we become a slave to sin and once sin is conceived it gives way to death. (James 1:15) But if we begin to come under subjection to the Holy Spirit and seek His guidance and repent from our wrong doing and thinking, He will reward us with His righteousness. I, myself, want all that God has to offer me and all the blessings that He has promised to send my way if I will but humble myself to Him. Therefore I have made the conscience decision to obey God. Although at times obedience may seem difficult, I know the outcome will only be for my benefit and my growth.

“Do you not know that if you offer yourselves

to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves

of that one you obey--either of sin leading to death

or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
Romans 6:16

FACEBOOK!!!!!

Well.........it's official..........I'm hooked. On the newest craze........."FACEBOOK"!!!!!
(Well......new to me!!!)I know this because my dryer broke today......I mean it won't work at all.......and I got excited because I had the thought......"WooHoo.........more time for Facebook!!!!!" That's bad!!! They say the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem!!! Ok.........so....."I have a problem!!!!!" I just happened to be looking at one of the girls pages that I went to school with this morning and found a new thing. It's called "Flair." It's just cute little buttons with sayings or pictures on them that you can send to your friends to put on their profile page. Oh my goodness.........I spent WAY to long looking at these little things and sending them to people. I never even knew this until last year when Amy(my friend) mentioned it because she and her husband connect with their young people at church through it. I still didn't get an account because simply I didn't feel like I had time. I had heard of "My Space" but I DID NOT want an account with that because I had heard to many bad things about it and I'm still not fond of it, but if you're kids have an account you need to have one also and be their "friend" so you can keep up with them. Heads up......if they won't accept you as a "friend," chances are, you should put a stop to their account because that probably means there are things there they don't want you to see!!! I don't even know what caused me to finally set up a Facebook account. I just did it!!!! I'm glad I did....there are so many cool things and you can keep up with everyone at the click of a button. I have found out you can find out a lot about people through it too. You should be careful what you post and who your friends are. My good friend Debbie, had a class on "computer issues" at the retreat and I learned a lot!!! I have had to "unfriend" a couple of "friends of a friend of a friend" because there were just some unsavory things that I didn't want to be associated with. Then she said "you should never IM your children's friends!!!!!" I wanted to fall out of my chair. However, I didn't go overboard with that indiscretion...........if their friends are on all I do is say "hey" and if they reply I have a conversation with them and if not, I leave them alone. I have "not" IM'd them since that class though!!!! See.......I can be taught!!!!!!! I'm learning more and more everyday and I get so excited every time another one of my friends get an account!!! If used properly it can be a very useful tool and you can share the gospel in subtle ways!!!! Whatever it takes to get the Word out is the way I see it!!!! Could this be one of the "highways" or "hedges" God talks about?? I'm not sure, but it's an "avenue" I'm gonna use as much as I can!!!

Well..........if you need me text or IM me............I'm certain to answer one of them!!!

"And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. "

Luke 14:23

WER

Here we are in the van. Yep....traveling again!!! All 11 (2 husbands are with) of us!!!! We're on our way to the WER Conference in Indy!!! I'm so excited to be taking this many ladies from our church!!! There are 9 of us!!! For a basically small church that's an excellent ratio!!! I'm so excited!!!!! I just know God has something extra special in store for all these ladies!!! I've been praying so hard for a renewed spirit not only in myself, but all of these ladies. We need a new vision for our future. A new sense of urgency to live our lives seeking the will of God being guided and filled by the Holy Spirit. We are living in a time when we need to learn how to completely give our all to God and seek His way and leave our way behind. Pressing forward to the goal in front of us!!! I'm looking forward to all the speakers and the different topics they'll speak on. I'm only sad because I won't be able to attend "all" of them. You all know how I am with "choices"!!!!!

Till later!!! :-)

Worth Waiting For

Have you ever sat and thought about just what your life is really worth? I'm sure some people have, but what I observed just the other day makes me realize that some young people don't give any thought to it. We were at the mall on Saturday for Jason's birthday (pix to come) , and I witnessed a most unsettling thing. We decided to go to the Food Court before we left because, you know, I had to have my rice. I love rice!!!! Everyone knows I am a "people watcher." When we are sitting at a restaurant or in the mall or a store, I have a tendency to "watch" people. As we sat there eating there was this young couple, young teens, sitting at the table next to us. I noticed he was eating and she was not. She had the saddest look on her face and he just sat there eating. All of a sudden he stood up and some of the words that came out of his mouth were not fit to hear let alone speak. I didn't hear the beginning of their conversation nor the end of it. I don't know the source of his irritation, maybe it was brought on by something, I don't know(the language didn't have to be what it was though) But as I watched it seemed as though this young lady was so beat down by the words that were being said to her. She just sat there with her head down. I felt really bad for her. I don't know what their relationship was......I don't think they were married and if so there were no wedding bands to represent that fact, nonetheless, they were there together. I couldn't help but think to myself, "I wonder if this is what she wants for the rest of her life?" Does she want someone to speak to her in this manner? Does she want someone to be so disrespectful to her? Now remembering......I don't know if that was just an isolated incident (usually that kind of behavior is not, but for her sake I'm praying that it was!!) However, I know in the world we live in today to many young people "settle" for less than they deserve. So many of them have been beaten down by their families, friends, co-workers, etc., that they don't really know what they want out of life. They set no goals for themselves and if they don't have a relationship with Christ, they have no incentive to reach for any type of dream in their lives. God has so much good to give us, but we fail to see it. We fail to trust in Him to fulfill our desires and dreams.

As I sat there and prayed for "both" of them, I wondered what I could do to help. I knew it wasn't feasible to get up and go sit down and talk with her understanding that their personal life was none of my business. But I just wanted so badly to go put my arm around her and tell her that God has such great plans for her life if she would but allow Him to work in her life. I'm not one, in this case, to have that "in your face" approach. I truly believe sometimes you just have to be subtle and let the Holy Spirit do what He does better than I ever could. I decided I'd just write a note on the back of one of my business cards and give it to her. As we got up to leave, I just simply walked up behind her, and put my arm gently around her shoulder, told her she was a beautiful young lady, that I would be praying for her, laid my card down in front of her on the table and walked away. I didn't turn around to see what she did. I just prayed for her until we got around the corner. I'm hoping that she kept the card and one day she will email me or call me if she ever needs help or wants to know Christ. I'd be more than happy to help either of them. My heart breaks for the young people of this world today. There are so many more pitfalls for them than there were for me. But, God is still on the throne and He is in control. I just wish more young people would submit to Him and stop rushing life and thinking they don't have time to wait for the mate God has for them. I wish when I was young having my babies someone had told me to pray for the mate God had planned for them before I ever thought about any of them. I do that today. I pray for Sami who is still not married, all my grandchildren I now have and the ones still to come that God will prepare them and the mate He has for them even now before they are ever a thought in their parents minds!!!! I wish I could make them understand........what God has for them is well worth waiting for!!! I hope this young lady read the top of what my card says: "Fully Rely On God."

Inauguration Day

Just like 9/11, most people will remember where they were on January 20, 2008. The Inauguration that made history!!! I will not forget. I was firmly planted in my chair from 8:30 a.m. until the entire Inauguration was over including the famous walk that President Obama and Michelle took as they approached the White House and some of the coverage after it. So for the most part I stopped on that day and took part of it!!! Now, as for Papa and "Weetie Pea".........well, I'm sure they will not remember a word that was said the last couple of minutes!!! They decided they would just take a little cat nap!! Or maybe they were just praying, right? :-) I don't think that's what they were doing, but that's what we should do!!! The Bible clearly tells us that we are to pray for our leaders
("First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 1 Timothy 2:1-2) and this President and his family are no different than any others we have had previously. So, if you did or even if you didn't vote for him, as a Christian, it's your responsibility to pray for he and his family!!!!

Roasted marshmallow anyone?

I took this picture some time ago. The cold weather really brings out some strange things in us. This is what you do when you are desperate for a roasted marshmallow in the dead of winter. My hubby decided he wanted one so he roasted one in the house on a fork!! Where there's a will, there's a way they say!!! And I took part in it!!! Ugh!!!

To be or not to be........

Preparing for that most wondrous role at Christmas or just to annoy Francis?? I'm not sure which one, but he sure did a good job of growing that beard!! I heard a lot tell him it made him look old. I don't think so Bro. Bill!! I like beards and I just think it makes you look......well........"distinguished", if you will!!! :-) We were enjoying ourselves at the Pastor and Wives Christmas party at Ponderosa that our Association hosts for us each year. It's always a great time and appreciated by us!! I told you I'd put it on my blog Bro. Bill.........and I did!!!!