Crazy Week

So I realized that this is the longest that I have gone from blogging. Wow - it's been a crazy busy week getting ready for a garage sale. Daughter Nicole also brought over a bunch of things. Ok, so we were to start at 8am this morning. If you've ever had a garage sale or gone to them you know that the first day in the morning is always the busiest. Well let me tell you, by noon we had seen 4 people. Talk about lame....I can tell you that this will be my last garage sale. (It's my second one) Afternoon rained and by the time I realized it all the stuff in the driveway was wet. This just made me laugh at the day. A few more people arrived during the rain bringing my total up enough to say "ok, enough for a little cash". Nicole on the other hand made $3 today. :)

There has to be a connection between the garage sale and God - right? I can't think of one right now. Guess I'm just tired at the end of the day and can't believe that I have to start this again at 8am in the morning. (snicker, snicker)

I did read today though something from a book that I thought so profound. "Well, I guess we always have our own plan in case God's plan doesn't work out." I won't tell the whole story around it, but isn't that so true? We like to, in our own way, try to sway God to do what we think would be best. We keep a backup plan - as if God's plan seriously isn't good enough or will fall through. Seriously, has God ever left us high and dry? Sure there are times we wonder where he is - maybe we are in such intense trials that we can hardly find him.

Guess what? That's when you have to get face down before him and seek his face. He has never left us and is always there if we call on him. ALWAYS! So where do we go from here? I don't know but I can have the peace knowing that he has it ALL WORKED OUT!

I love my family. Every one of them.
Fill me Jesus every day with a new and fresh flow of your love.

God is always working on me

As I end this day I was thinking about what I learned today. A few things came to mind. First a word rang true again for me to continue to pay attention to. PRIDE - It comes in sooo many different ways. Sometimes someone can share an insight and it can convict me of something that I need to deal with. Funny how God works. Isn't pride a hard one to swallow - what I mean is, isn't it a hard one to admit that we might even possibly have an issue with? Maybe it's pride about your children, or pride toward other christians, or pride over posessions...etc. When you really look hard at the root of attitudes, pride seems to find it's way in. Yuk...I really dislike it and with the Lord's help will continue to face it head on.

Most importantly, I want the Lord to change my attitudes from the inside. I want him to clean out from inside what can cause pride to come out. He has revealed so much already and I feel like he has taken so much out, but there is still more work to be done.

So what should I seek? Humility. Listen to the following clip.

GRACE

So today I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house - I mean deep stuff, going through closets, under bathroom sinks, kitchen mugs that I don't like anymore. I'm getting ready for a garage sale and want to really purge the house of "stuff" I don't need. It feels good!

Emily isn't feeling well so she was actually home today. A rarity, she has to be sick to be home. Silly girl...get the hint chicky. We love you too....so we watched a movie tonight about a guy who gave up his life to help many others. It left me with mixed feelings but reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me and you. He wants the very best for us and was willing to die on a cross for mine and your sins. I so completely do not deserve it, but he washes us every day with his grace. As Paul says "my grace is sufficient for you." That is so beautiful to me - his grace, it's like Jesus telling us "I know you are a sinner and that you sin against me, but I love you so much that I am going to suffer in your place and give you the gift of eternal life, I know that you don't deserve this, but take it, it's my free gift of love to you."

So as I clean house, even the house inside of me, I will walk freely every day in this amazingly free gift of love that I know in Jesus. He is all I need! Dear Jesus, help me each day to walk with you leading, not me. Thank you for your love for me. It's not about me, it's all about You.

I love my husband!

Just a quick blog before I head off to bed.
God can and will take away what you need to rid of in your life. Today he freed me from everything in my life. Yes, I do mean everything. Give everything to him to control, my husband, my children, my home, my stuff in my home, my car - it's all his anyway - I just need to surrender them all to him. Be responsible, yes, control and hold onto them, NO! He can take everything and if all I have left is Him, that's all I will need. I only want to hold onto him and him alone. Take everything from here and leave me with Jesus.

I feel calmer. I am so incredibly in love with my Timothy. When you give it all to Jesus and ask him to fill you with his love you will find that you will love your husband and family even more.

FRIENDLY FLOWER

I was refreshed this morning after a solid night sleep. I'm one of those people that "needs" her sleep at night. So Tim and I went for a long walk and as we were nearing home I saw it - spread out all over the field. Thousands upon thousands of them - such a friendly flower - THE DAISY! As I usually do every year at this time, I quickly inlist the help of whoever happens to be with me to pick as many as we can hold, bring them home quickly to get in water. (they droop fast) I put a couple of huge boquets on a couple of different tables.

In the movie I mentioned yesterday there is a scene when Joe brings Katheleen a bouquet of daisies and she says "I love daisies - they're so friendly. Don't you think that daisies are the friendliest flower?"

So I was wondering what the bible said about the word friendly. I didn't find too much but I did find a lot about happy. Pretty close, right?

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

James 5:13

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 2 Cor. 7:14

Don't you just love the thought of being delighted and happy in your spirit by being refreshed by others? Then we sing songs of praise and can't help but pass that on to others. It seems like people do more complaining about others than they do refreshing them, building them up. So today - be friendly - refresh someones day in the Lord!

You too will be refreshed.

Fight, fight to the death...

So one of our favorite chick flicks is "You've Got Mail". It's about 9 years old, but one of our all time family favorites. Us girls know most of the movie by memory and my girls can recite line for line some great parts. Well, a scene in the movie became pretty real lately. I got mad the other day when I felt Satan bringing me down. I just got up and punched the air, fight, fight...

from the movie:
Joe: "I know you worry about being brave, Don't, this is your chance - FIGHT, fight to the death, fight to the death."
Kathleen: "fight (air punching fists) fight, fight"

Whenever we are in the midst of a battle, a challenge in life and/or we sense Satan attacking us. It's time to fight, fight to the death. Go ahead and air punch! I did - it feels good. There are times when we have to fight of the enemy. Ephesians tells us "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

I, like anybody else can get in a pit. When I put on the full armor - then fight, fight to the death - the enemy will always lose because I have Jesus fighting in me. He will always win!

Watch the movie - it's cute! Read your bible, draw near to God and he will draw near to you!
It rocks.

God Moves in Mysterious Ways

Read the following refrain to the song "God Moves in Mysterious Ways" by Jeremy Riddle

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.

I wish that I could put the song up for you to listen to but it's not online to post. Anyhow a young man told me about this song and said that he loves to listen to it - especially at certain times in his life. He downloaded the entire CD for me. The song is absolutely beautiful. This young man is such an awesome young man of God. I don't know that I've met a young man this age so passionate about Jesus. He must surely be an example to many other guys out there.

He and I chat a lot while I am at PT. He is doing his clinicals there and it turns out that he is in a weekly bible study group with Emily. Small world - but God moves in mysterious ways. Sometimes we get talking so much about God in the gym that I lose count on my exercises. Probably good for me because I end up doing more reps. It's been a real learning experience to talk with him. He will make an awesome Godly husband and father. Men of integrity are getting harder to find.......pass it on Brian!