Wanting To Be More

I laid in bed this morninig crying for a boy Nick, who has brain cancer. Then , when I was done crying and praying for him, I thanked God for my healthy children. I once again became keenly aware of the type of mother I am.

I am rigid. The military sargeant type. I always want things in their place and I want my kids to mind. I don't want them to ask me questions they already know the answer to, because why waste time talking about it if you already know the answer? I like peace and quiet and order. How's that for my mom abilities? Pretty frightening, right?

We recently returned from vacation, which I hope to post some pics of soon. We had so much fun. The military mom was replaced by a mom who wanted to have fun with her kids. No worries just plain old fashioned fun!

Why can't I be like that at home? Why do I jump down my kids' throats for asking a simple question?

All I want is to play out in the rain with the kids and not care that there will be a puddle of water on the floor when we come in.

All I want is to be able to let the kids play in the house with friends and not care that the toys are everywhere. I act as if the house will never get back to its original state, even though I know it will.

All I want is to take the time to enjoy my kids while I can. But WHY is that so hard for me?

Why am I as rigid as a board?

Thank you, Lord for my healthy kids. Help me to enjoy them before it's too late! Help me to lose control. I'm tired of the anxious thoughts that roam in my head. Help me to let go. In Jesus' name, and all according to your will, Amen

Pressure and Time

Over millions of years and about 75 miles below the Earth’s surface, carbon under tremendous pressure transforms into a diamond. Now, while we don’t have millions of years to live here on Earth, God takes the time we do have to transform us into something beautiful.

Come join me today and read about our transformation!

Pure Beauty

First of all I just want to say that what is here today is my jumbled thoughts all thrown together. I hope they make some sort of sense...


As I was driving down the interstate the other day my mind wandered to a time long ago.

It was a place with no road signs, no tall towers, and no pavement. It was just the Earth as God had created it in the beginning. My thoughts were caught up in a simpler time (maybe...no washing machines!) :)

I was surrounded by the beauty of God's creation. I mean, even now, I see how beautiful it all is, but for a moment there was nothing to distract away from that magnificence.

It got me to thinking of Job 38. It's one of my favorite places in the Bible. I'm amazed at how many times I end up in this same chapter.

I am just a speck of sand here on Earth yet he knows my name. He is in control of my life even when I think I'm so big I can handle it myself. This scripture puts me in my place so to speak.

I have huge significance in this world yet there is someone who is more significant. There is someone who is in control...and it's not me.

I am finding myself praying more to my Father in heaven than I have for a long time. I find myself not spending as much time in his word but in conversation with him. I used to get down on myself when I wouldn't spend that time in the Bible gobbling up all he has to say to me. In this time I am simply listening more for his voice prompting me to talk with him.

If I had the patience :) I would type out all of Job 38 for you. But, I urge all of you to take a few minutes today and let God show you who is REALLY in control of your life!

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!! GOD CAN CHANGE THINGS IF IT"S MEANT TO BE!!

Writer or Encourager?...that is the question!!

Hey all! I'm sure you noticed I haven't been posting much. With summer here and the busyness of it all, there isn't much time left in a day to write.

Please know that I'm still here reading yours and keeping in touch that way. I'm feeling led to just be an encourager during this time instead of writing. I will post my devotions when they come out on the website and also anything I might feel God is leading me to share, so please do check back every once in awhile!

I'll be around leaving comments!

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus- Midweek Motivation

I loved playing in the rain when I was a kid. I walked right beside the curb where all the water gathered on its way to the gutter. The rain fell on me as I would dance. I was free...

Click here to read more!

To Lisa:

This song goes out to my friend Lisa. We have been friends since we were babies. She is an atheist. I'm almost 100% positive that she will never see this, but if by some crazy chance she does, I want her to know this...

I love you more than you know. I pray for you...










To hear more stories behind great songs- join Amy for Then Sings My Soul Saturday!

What am I...

...passive.

According to dictionary.com this means- inactive.

I have to confess. I have not been motivated to do much lately. I attend church on Sunday mornings but that's as far as it goes. I've never joined the church or any Sunday school class. I still, after a year, know no one at the church. I often wonder why that is. Why don't I reach out? Why do I always wait for someone to come to me?


I think for me the question is always, "Are we going to be moving again soon?" It is so hard to leave behind friends you've made from one place to the next. As if it's easier to remain alone so there's nothing to leave behind again. I think it's just time to not worry about it anymore. What will be will be...it's time to move on!

I'm not sure what finally got the ball rolling but we are attending a " get to know the church if you want to join meeting" this Sunday. I am excited and can't wait to get involved.

Thanks for listening to me ramble about this. I am just so glad that we are finally doing something instead of living in the past.

Blessings

Today is Friday. I woke up early this morning with the word luck on my mind. I used to say that word alot.

We should feel lucky that you have a job right now. or

We're so lucky that our children are healthy.

I learned a long time ago that luck doesn't have anything to do with it. Now I replace that word with the word blessed. I often still write the word luck and then go back and put blessed in it's place.

It's a reminder from God that he's in control of everything.

I know I'm blessed. I think about it everyday...but today I feel it in my bones.

Here is a picture of some of what God has blessed me with. But, beyond the edges of this picture there is so much more. Thank you God for all that I have.

You can't ever get them all to look at the camera and smile at the same time, can you? :)

How much more?

As I sat and watched this video I couldn't help but think of the love this father must have for his child. He apparently would do anything for him. I thought about all the pain he must have went through, both physically and mentally. It made me think of this:

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. Matthew 7:11-12

So here is the story behind the video:

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

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

Father and son went on to complete the race together.



How much more would our Father in heaven give us if we would only ask??!!

Not paying attention

So, this is what happens when you let your 2 year old watch you paint his sisters toenails and then take said sister to a school function while leaving him at home with his daddy and older brother-who are playing a video game!

Ya'll, this was not found out until we walked back in the door. I guess when they heard the garage door open "the boys" decided to get up and see where my baby was. He greeted us all at the steps looking like this.

All I could do was look at my husband and say... nice. Then, I venture off to find what he had gotten into. Fingernail polish! On his eyes!! He must have watched me put eyeshadow on before and even his eyelashes were pink. He did try doing his toenails too but I couldn't get a shot that wasn't real blurry, so you only get his face painting.

Funny thing is he found this polish in a different place than where he saw me put mine away.

The good Lord was looking out for my hubby though...there wasn't a speck of fingernail polish anywhere else but on my baby. Oh yes ya'll, the sweet Lord was DEFINITELY looking out for my hubby!!! :)

Gone...forever

I got a call the other night from a good friend. She told me someone we had gone to high school with had just killed himself.

My heart is so heavy.

I see his face. Young. Cheerful. Happy. I have no idea the road life has taken him down all these years. I wonder, how alone do you have to feel to do something like that? As tears fall down my cheeks I think, " What if?"... If I had only known, but there was no way for me to know.

This is not the first time someone I have known has chosen this road.

I am so scared of what lies ahead for my children. What choices will they make when encountered by the things of this world.

The world has gone crazy. Drugs, alcohol, murder, suicide. Can life really get that bad?

I just keep seeing his face. I wish I could reach out and help him, but he's gone. Forever.

What did he say to himself before he did something so final? My heart aches for how alone he must have felt. Caught up in a world that offers nothing.

My dear Christian friends, the time to speak is now. Don't hide the hope inside any longer. We have to share it with the world. There may never be another chance.

We walk passed them on the street. It's that single mom struggling to make it. They sit next to us in church. I'm urging all of us to not sit idle...let's go find them. There may never be another chance.





If anyone out there is as alone as he was and you are reading this, I want you to know there is hope and it lies in the name of Jesus. He will always be there to help you. If you want to know how to find that hope, email me at kcnace@kc.rr.com and I will listen. I will share with you the everlasting love of Jesus.

Oh, God please hear me. There are so many lonely people who are going to do the same thing. God please help me find them so I can share your love with them. So I can tell them they are never alone. That you will be right by their side if they would only accept you. God help them. Forgive them for they no not what they do. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

You saved me

I'm not sure why the Lord is leading me to share this today. It has been written for some time now- saved away for a better time. I have been scared to share it. Afraid of what friends might think if they knew the person I was or the things I used to do. But God has a plan and today is the day.

I was at a Christian women's conference in 1999. My mother-in-law, Cheryl, had invited me to go. She wasn't my mother-in-law at the time but I am now blessed to be able to call her that.

I sat at the conference all day listening to people's testimonies. I cried a lot listening to all their stories, which weren't so different than mine. At the end of the conference they had a time for you to come forward if you wanted to ask Jesus into your heart. I wasn't sure what had came over me, but there I was walking down the LONG isle to the front. I wanted to ask Jesus into my heart. I wanted forgiveness for all my sins. I wanted peace in my heart. I know now that it was the Holy Spirit that walked me down the isle because I am certain it was not me moving my legs. Thank you God! Oh, how I needed your help!

After the conference was over we headed back to Cheryl's house. I had planned on leaving from there right away to make the hour long drive to my house. I had plans with a couple of friends that night. We were going to be drinking and most likely, partaking in some sort of illegal drug. I was never an addict, but if God had not intervened when he did, I very well could have been.

But, what I hadn't planned on was asking Jesus into my heart earlier that day. I knew there was no way I could go home that night- so I asked Gary and Cheryl if I could stay at their house for the night. Of course, they said yes.

I didn't get much sleep that night. I was awake crying in the room. It was just me and God. I felt in my heart that I needed to confess every sin I could remember ever committing. I hungered for that forgiveness. I wanted peace in my heart.

The next morning I felt so good- though my eyes were almost swollen shut from all the tears. I ate breakfast and headed home. I went straight to my friends' house. The ones I was supposed to go partying with the night before. I sat on their front porch with them and told them that I had gotten saved last night. They looked at me like I was crazy. They said, " What does that mean?" I shared that I had asked Jesus into my heart as Lord and Savior of my life and that he had died on the cross as payment for all the things I had done wrong and that I was forgiven for all of it. They still thought I was crazy. They didn't understand what I was saying because they didn't have Jesus living in their hearts.

I went home and fell on the couch in despair. My friends thought I was crazy. I felt dejected and my joy for the Lord felt far away, as if it had left as quickly as it came. I remember sitting there on the couch with my arms folded and my head hung. I felt so alone.

Then, I tilted my head up and there on the wall was the shadow of a cross that was filtering in from a nearby window. I knew God had placed it there at that exact moment. My heart welled up with love for my God once again and my joy was brought back. In that very moment I knew that My God would never leave me. My God would never forsake me. He had seen what I had shared with my friends and wanted me to know that he was there, regardless of what they thought of me.

God can give you this same peace. All you have to do is accept his grace and love. Just believe in your heart that he died on the cross so that your sins would be remembered no more, and on the third day he rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He has risen to prepare a place for you and if he has risen to prepare a place for you then He will come back so that you may be where He is. If you feel Him tugging at your heart-- then don't waste another second. Just take that first step, believe in your heart and let the Lord do the rest.


Here is a song I found the other day. It speaks of a message very dear to my heart.
If you get nothing else from this-please get this...God can change people. I can testify to it. No matter the past- PEOPLE CAN CHANGE! Don't judge - just pray.

If there's someone out there ready to ask Jesus into their heart but you don't know how or what to do, email me at kcnace@kc.rr.com and I will do my best to help you. If there is some one who needs prayer, if there is someone who needs to talk- I am here and more willing than you know.

PEOPLE CAN CHANGE!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLXrGPES554

Go see Amy for more beautiful songs, or also here for more stories of signs, miracles, and wonders!

Midweek Motivation

I'm over here today!

No Emergencies

Okay, this weekend my house was full. There were 12 of us. Six children(5 of which are under the age of 7) and then 6 adults.

We managed to escape the weekend with only 2 scrapped elbows, a nice concrete burn along the spine, and a seriously bruised hip! But, no emergency room visits. This is truly amazing my friends, considering grown men and 1 woman decided to ride children's scooters( with a weight limit that was far exceeded) down a hill at high rates of speed.

Um, HELLO- DANGER! DANGER!

Thank you, Lord for looking out for us. It was truly a great weekend and a wonderful Mother's Day!

It's all about the hike

Since we're on the subject of dogs, I'll share a cute story with you.

It was Justin's turn to take Ralphie, our dog, out for a walk. He came back in overjoyed, saying "He's a real dog now!!"

" What do you mean?" asked Dallas, our daughter. Justin replied, " He hiked his leg for the first time when he went to the bathroom!"

My son had some how associated the hiking of a leg to becoming a "real dog." I started thinking about how Ralphie's actions had proven to my son that he is what he is--a dog. What Ralphie had done is what dogs are "supposed to do."

Makes you think about how people are watching us as Christians. Do our actions tell them who or what we are? Are we acting like we are Christians? Are we showing others that we walk the walk and not just talk the talk?

Funny what can bring God to mind...

...and the dog got a haircut...

I used to be a clean freak. Some of those who know me well still think I am, but that I have chilled out a little. I can honestly say there wouldn't have been a time when you could drop by and my house didn't smell like it had just been mopped.

Some say that might be a good thing. I say it took away time from my kids. It also didn't allow my kids to be kids because I couldn't let their toys lie around for too long.

I thought this was how I was supposed to run my house, that if I was a stay at home mom then my house had to be pristine. Over the last couple of years God had laid it on my heart that I wasn't letting my kids be kids. I was always hollering to pick this up or don't do that.

Now, you will find crumbs under my kitchen table- if the dog hasn't been under there to lap them up. Yes, I did just say dog. I have NEVER been a pet person- the smell, the hair! But, we got one for the kids this past Christmas. And that, has taken some time to get used to. For me it's like standing at the open door of the airplane at 15,000 feet waiting for someone to push you out the door. One of those things you have to force yourself to do.

But again, God has been faithful in getting me through this one too. He is my parachute. When I feel like taking the dog to the pound(which is at least once a day), I hear him say, "He won't be a puppy forever." That and the fact that I just got this dog's hair buzzed to 1/4 of an inch is helping me a great deal!

In the meantime, I pray that my house doesn't smell like a dog and that no one finds a hair in their food!

Here's Ralphie- before and after the buzz!!

Really...it's best for all involved!

:o)

A Story you won't forget

I spent 2 hours on Sunday afternoon catching up on this story. I couldn't move from my seat. I couldn't turn my eyes from the page.

Here is a 20 minute clip of their story. It's worth your time...

http://www.vimeo.com/951902


A story so heart wrenching, yet so full of faith. A woman able to write her journey of pain and hope. A mother's words...so powerful...so strong.

She needs our prayers. Visit Angie's blog to read more of their story.

Decisions...decisions...

For about a month and a half now, my hubby and I have been muling over a decision we have to make. A decision that will affect the lives of our family. ( no not divorce...we like each other verymuchthankyou!! :) )

It's a decision that I have tried "reasoning" over for much too long. I have reasons to do it-very valid ones I might add. Then, I also have very valid reasons not to do it.

I have reasoned myself into total confusion over the situation. My mind has been so on the go over this that I have rarely asked God what it is he'd have us do. I was reasoning my way right out of God's will. Isn't that just crazy, ya'll?

Anyway, we are now at the threshold and are going to have to make a decision on this too soon. We have wasted so much time debating that now there is no time left.

In my quiet time today I came across this scripture, and I know God brought me here:

It says in James 1: 5-8

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

I had a conversation with God after reading this- he basically said: " Why do you not trust me?"

I said," This is my life we're talking about here. I don't want to make the wrong choice."

* Did you all hear what I just said to God? Could I possibly be serious? I mean-who am I? It's almost humorous, isn't it?

This is what he said," I made you. I know what is best for you. I know the plans I have for you. Trust me, give it all to me and I will answer you. I will give you peace in your heart and peace in your spirit, and you will no longer have to doubt."

Wow, is he not great?!! :)

Once again I have relied on myself, on my own understanding, and it has left me nothing but confused. I am finally giving this one to God.

My most gracious heavenly Father, thank you for once again showing me that you are the way the truth and the life. All answers are from you and for you. God take this from me and do what you will. I want clarity and peace and wisdom Lord. Please bring it to my heart. I trust you. In Jesus' name, Amen

Let's go...

I am truly enjoying all this new music-a lot of which I haven't heard before. Join us at Amy's to hear some new tunes!

I believe in the power of prayer. I've seen so many of mine answered, that I KNOW He hears me. It makes me wonder why I don't spend more time praying.

I don't know if it's the voices singing this, or if it's the words- but I can listen to this song over and over again.

Do you all want to go? I Do...

Here is Dallas' Devotion----Faithfulness

** If you haven't read the short post below, go there and see why Dallas has written a devotion!

Here it is! I am so proud of her...

FAITHFULNESS

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words...the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.

Mark 8:38

Are you faithful to God? What do you "do" that makes you faithful to him?

I get up on Sunday morning and go to church. I really enjoy being there, and I get upset when Mom or Dad tell us we're not going. I like it so much because the teacher makes it fun for us and we learn a lot about God.

I also show my faithfulness to God by praying. I know it's something he wants me to do.

I feel like I should be doing more to show my faithfulness. I think I should tell about God no matter how embarrassing I think it might be. He does so much for me, and I need to respect him more for that by sharing him with others.

He says in Matthew 25:23:

" Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Wouldn't that be spectacular?

Now get on your feet, go out, and tell about God. Show him your faithfulness!


Lord, help me be faithful to You, no matter what. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen