One Mommy's Life

God Wants Your FAITH!

2010-01-18T12:26:00.002-05:00

Have you prayed and asked God for something, like healing or help with your finances? And then when you didn't get an immediate answer or an answer when YOU wanted it, just chalked it up to "Oh well, it must not be HIS WILL" ?

I think many of us are guilty of this. We pray with only half-hearted expectation. We pray but don't really "expect" God to deliver on our prayers. I think what we don't realize is that what HE really wants from us is our FAITH!

Look in the Bible in Mark . It tells us many accounts of Christ healing people and answering prayers of FAITH. Christ casts out an evil spirit, heals a man with leprosy, heals a paralyzed man, calms a storm, heals a demon possessed man, and the list goes on. But, one of my favorite stories in the Bible is Mark 5:24-34:

²⁴ Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. ²⁵ A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. ²⁸ For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

³⁰ Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”

³¹ His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

The lady was healed by her FAITH!

What have you prayed for and received in faith?

In the last few months of 2009, I prayed that God would deliver me from my health problems and deliver me from emotional bondage. He has since healed my body and I am no longer taking the prescription medications that I was on for the past several years and I have begun to lose weight and have a tremendous amount of energy that I haven't had in years! I no longer suffer from bouts of anxiety or depression. MY GOD IS GOOD!!!

Recently, I prayed that HE would help us keep our home, bless us financially so that we could pay off our mortgage, and my husband and I would be able to work from home online so that we could home-school our son and do more work to build of HIS Kingdom, here in our little town. I have already seen parts of that prayer being answered. I serve an AWESOME God!

Now, go and pray in FAITH. . . . . . . and see what God has in store for you!

Difficult Lesson

2009-12-05T19:23:00.007-05:00

Earlier this week, God laid a song on my heart that I love. "Breathe" by Isa Couvertier & Dani Johnson. It speaks to my heart. It holds such meaning in just a few words. If you have never heard it, well . . . well then, you need to! You just need to hear it to see what I'm talking about.

It has been 4 months since I have worked. I was getting really angry with God. I didn't understand why I had to continue going through this. I mean, seriously, what is the deal? I look around and it seems as if everyone in my church family is suffering, too, in some form or another. Why? I just don't understand. We love you Jesus. Please help me to understand. Please open my eyes. Take away my anger and frustration. Take away my feelings of hurt and pain. Show me, Lord, how we are going to make it through this difficult time. You KNOW that we need my income to make ends meet. You know that I am broken. Not just financially, but emotionally.

THEN IT HIT ME!

I was reading updates from friends online and came upon a link to one of my favorite people. She was having a live Ustream tonight. So, to fill in the time before it started, I started watching her last one from August 2009. So many things touched my heart. But the biggest is the scripture passage that she spoke on:

Hebrews 11:6

⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

the word "reward" in greek means "pays wages"

the word "earnestly" means "not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal; purposeful; devout"

How could I have forgotten one of my favorite scriptures? :

Jeremiah 29:11 ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

He gives me HOPE. He gives me a FUTURE. He has plans to PROSPER me and NOT to HARM me! I have FAITH and seek HIM earnestly. . . so why do I allow my situation to dictate my emotions and reactions?

Because I needed to be reminded. Reminded that HE loves me. Reminded that He has plans for me and that he will prosper me. And my church family, too.

When I stopped to think about it: He HAS sustained me through all of this. He HAS shown me how BLESSED I am and given me the luxury of spending more time with my family. More time with my child, which was something that I had prayed earnestly about.

Thank you Lord. For my circumstances. For my life. For my family. For my church family. For my home. For my food. For the freedom to worship you freely and share you freely with others!

I will now wait, as patiently as I know how, to hear from you on what is next.

Sunny Day!

2009-11-20T13:13:00.003-05:00

The Fall & Winter months always tend to bring on a feeling on melancholy for me. But I am thankful for today! It is sunny and my house if FULL of sunlight! Thank you Lord for the sunshine and the warmth I feel when it is bright outside!

I was BLESSED to witness this first hand!!!

2009-11-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

My Life ~ Working From Home

2009-11-13T23:41:00.002-05:00

Working from home has really given me the opportunity to do some reflection on my life.

If I had continued to work for someone else, then I never would have had the chance to take my son to school and pick him up EVERY DAY since he started school! I would not have been able to share in his excitement when he is picked up and hear his stories of how each day has gone. I would have missed out on all of that! I thank GOD that I am able to be home and share with my family.

When I see other moms that have to go to work every day outside of the home, I feel their pain. I remember how that was. I remember not being able to see my son during waking hours. I remember the weeks of 65+ hours of work during Monday thru Friday. Trying to play "catch-up" on Saturdays and Sundays with my sleep, laundry, time with family and anything else that I missed throughout the week.

One thing that I still have trouble understanding, though. . . When people ask me what I do and I tell them and then, also let them know that I can teach them to do the same thing, they want to stay in their J-O-B. OK. That's fine. I was like that once. I used to depend on a weekly paycheck from some other company. If it is all that you ever knew, then it is difficult to see how you could do anything else. But, I have also found that there are people out there that "get it" and are EXCITED about the opportunity to be able to work from home and create their OWN DESTINY.

You see, I can plan my days around my life. I can do what I feel God calling me to do. That is to help others. I never thought that I would be one of those moms that stayed home and liked it. Funny thing is, I LOVE IT! I wish I had more kids! Ah, well. . . someday, maybe.

For now, I will enjoy my life, my family, and MY JESUS!

Psalm 96 (New Living Translation)

2009-11-13T23:40:00.004-05:00

Psalm 96

¹ Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
² Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
³ Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
⁴ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
⁶ Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

⁷ O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
⁸ Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him.
¹⁰ Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
He will judge all peoples fairly.

¹¹ Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
¹² Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise
¹³ before the Lord, for he is coming!
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with his truth.

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2009-11-05T21:15:00.001-05:00

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School Pictures

2009-11-04T10:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, it is that time of year again when the kiddies all get to bring home their illustrious portraits that we buy through the school that inevitably has something in disarray. I remember when I was a little girl that I had pictures taken each year at school and I always hated them. They were so blah. I guess that is why I took up photography as a hobby and generally take my son's pictures myself. Well, this year was my son's first real school pictures. He wanted me to comb his hair so that it looked nice and I dressed him a an adorable heavy knit, striped, long sleeve shirt. Perfect for a little boy that is truly the epitome of the "All American Boy".

Living in the Southeast, you can't always determine what the weather will be like. Apparently before it was time for the pictures, my son got hot and decided to take off his shirt and wear only his undershirt. I had told him that he could do this, but to be sure he put on his long sleeved shirt for the photo. Well, I guess he didn't remember that part and he told me on the way home from taking the pictures that he had not worn his long sleeved shirt. Great. I was not too happy with this and really over reacted. Then I realized what an idiot I had been and apologized to my little guy. I felt like such a bad mom. I mean seriously, it is just a picture and if it didn't turn out so good, then I could just have them retaken. Right?

I proceeded to tell my son a little story about one of the school photos that I had when I was little. My mom & dad had left me with family friends so that they could go out of town to attend a funeral. My mom had left explicit instructions on what I was to wear. SO, the morning of the school photos, I got up and got dressed. I had my mom's friend put my hair in pigtails so that I would be "all pretty". Well, little did I know that my mom hated my hair in pigtails because my hair was so baby fine and straggly looking. So when she got back and found out about the hair-do, she was non too pleased.

Well, he got the biggest kick out of my story and he seemed to feel much better. He even told his dad all about our little stories as soon as his dad got home.

So, he just brought the pictures home. I have already decided to keep them no matter what they look like, simply because of the story that he and I now share.

School Phone Messages

2009-10-22T21:11:00.003-04:00

Today I get a "recorded message" from my son's school that the children have ALL been sent home with VERY IMPORTANT note in their backpacks and that it is VERY IMPORTANT that we read this note. One problem . . . my son has been home since Tuesday, so I had no idea what they were talking about. In my attempts to get in touch with other moms, I don't get any answers because it's Soccer night and no one was home yet. Finally got in touch with a friend about an hour later and it was NOT good news.

A little girl in first grade passed away last night from the H1-N1 flu.

Upon further research online and local newspaper website; Heaven was only 6 years old and was perfectly healthy until October 8th when she came down with it. She has a brother that is in the 3rd grade that is also ill right now.

Please join me in praying for this family:
Father God I ask that you encompass Heaven's family with your love and compassion. We lift up her brother to your healing hand. Father please help him to deal with his sister's death. Heal this family, Lord, hearts and bodies. Show us in their comunity how we can help the family during this time of grief. ~Amen

Is it REALLY possible to work from home?

2009-10-19T17:03:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine decided a few years ago that she was going to work part time from home to make some extra cash while she was going to school. NOW it's only a few years later and she has a thriving business! She is a military wife and is able to do her part time business from anywhere in the world that has access to a phone and internet. Shortly after she began working her business, she recruited me as a customer. Funny thing is, I had used the products at various times over the past 20 years and had been getting them through my mom, but I never really knew about the business side of it.

On the most recent assignment that I had with a temp agency, I was working 65 hours a week Monday through Friday and was flat out fizzled by the weekend. I was able to pay off some of our debt and now we only have the usual monthly utility bills and mortgage. But, now I am working from home and showing other moms, dads, & college students how they can too! With the team of moms that I have partnered with, I will likely be able to retire my husband in a couple of years! Can you imagine? He will be 40 next year! I would love to retire him from working for someone else and for us to be able to devote all of our time to building God's kingdom!

Join me!

First EVER HEALTHY

2009-10-03T08:28:00.007-04:00

If you have been skeptical about the vitamins that I continue to tout as being AWESOME, then PLEASE watch this video. When you decide that YOU want them, too, call me or email me and I will get you signed up for delivery. As a Preferred Customer, you NEVER pay retail price.

Multiple Births; Healthy and Happy

Letter from HELL

2009-09-14T21:00:00.000-04:00

This is one of those videos that I keep watching to remind myself to ALWAYS share my faith in JESUS!

Heart & Mouth

2009-09-09T20:03:00.003-04:00

Taking my son to school the other day, I came across a church light board that had this on it:

"The window to your heart is through your mouth"

It really made me think. What things do I say that reflect my heart is for Jesus? More importantly: What things do I say that DON'T reflect that?

So many Christians are labeled as hypocrites and it is no wonder. They live a different way throughout the week than they do on Sunday. They talk about going out to the club and getting drunk and sleeping around and then act all "spiritual" and sing praises in church on Sunday morning. Some of them always have something negative to say about others. OR When they hear someone say something about another person that is not so flattering, they chime in with agreement or add their negative information to the conversation.

Can you imagine how this sounds to Jesus?

What about you?

Do you talk about others?
Do you ALWAYS have something nice to say about someone?
Do you take up for others, when others are saying something negative about someone?
OR Do you join in the negative conversation?

Stop for a minute and think about something that you have said about someone TODAY.

Is it something that would make JESUS happy?

REMEMBER:
"The window to your heart is through your mouth"

OK. . . I have to say something. . .

2009-03-16T11:33:00.001-04:00

This Sunday I about spewed my Coca-Cola when I heard our pastor make reference to people that constantly call or email him with complaints about various things about our church.

***PLEASE KNOW: IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO OFFEND ANY OF MY CHRISTIAN BROTHERS OR SISTERS.***

You see, this is something that has ALWAYS been a pet peeve of mine, too. I mean seriously folks, if you don't like something, then either do something POSITIVE to add value OR KEEP QUIET. I just cannot stand it when people want to make "suggestions" or "complain" about something at church and then have NOTHING TO OFFER. Especially, when it is something TRIVIAL. I mean, if someone is not going to die or get physically hurt because of whatever you are complaining about, then, maybe you need to think seriously before opening your mouth.

You didn't like the music this week?. . . So, it will be different next week anyway.

You felt uncomfortable with the message?. . . Maybe God is trying to tell you something.

You think we need our own building instead of renting the High Shool auditorium?. . . Are YOU going to pay for the land & building? Do you TITHE to help make that possible?

You feel that you are not able to find a church that you "like"?. . . Maybe you need to look inside your heart and see what it is about YOU that makes you feel that way.

You don't like the way the service is set up? . . . Have you thought about volunteering your time to help out?

You wish that there was a specific kind of small group?. . . How about volunteering to lead one in your home?

You see, I have found that when you feel the urge to complain about something in church, it is usually because something is different than what you are used to. Generally, people do not like change.

If you have ever been to our church, well, then you know that our church is different. You see, Pastor Tommy makes no bones about it. . . he preaches DIRECTLY FROM THE WORD OF GOD! This sometimes makes people uncomfortable. At least when you are part of our church, you know where the pastor stands. He stands FIRMLY on the WORD OF GOD! He doesn't act self righteous or like he is better than you because he's a preacher. . . quite the contrary. He will share with you his LIFE and make you aware of his shortcomings, so that you can see that NONE of Christ's followers are perfect. If we were, then we wouldn't need Christ.

Sadly, too many so called "preachers" do not do that. Many pastors that I have encountered over the past several years have either preached "hate" or have preached "acceptance" of things that are completely against God's Holy Word. Or worse, they completely skirt the issues at hand and never seem to broach the "controversial topics". They have leaned too much on "political correctness".

I believe that if there is something that you do not agree with or want something changed, then you need to be part of the SOLUTION. Join a Journey Group! Get plugged in! Volunteer your time to help out on Sunday morning! Don't just sit by and let SATAN whisper in your ear.

One of those videos. . . too funny!

2009-03-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

Letter From Hell

2009-02-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

So. . .

You say you are a "christian". You try to live the life of one. You go to church, read your Bible daily, pray throughout the day; for others, you do community service, spend time with widows & orphans, and anything else you believe that God wants you to do.

But tell me. . .

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT YOU SHARED THE STORY OF HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN WITH SOMEONE?

Would this be a letter that you receive from one of YOUR friends?

12 Year Old Writes & Delivers Speech on Pro-Life!!!

2009-02-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

12 Year old "Lia" wrote a speech for a class contest and was told that her topic would not allow her to participate. After hearing and seeing Lia deliver the speech, her Pro-Choice teacher decided to back her and allow her to deliver the speech. She was asked to leave out one line in her speech that read, "[F]etuses are definitely humans knit together in their mothers womb by their wonderful Creator who knows them all by name". After careful consideration, she chose NOT to leave it out and Lia was able to participate with her speech intact.

Ironically, she WON FIRST PLACE in the speech competition!

How do other moms do it?

2009-02-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

I have had other moms contact me and ask me about working from home. Some were interested in the businesses that I do, while others really just needed to know where to find information that was NOT a scam. Due to the overwhelming requests I have had, I decided to put together a website that give them all the information that they need. I love to share with other moms (and dads) and give them ideas, resources, and websites that they can turn to for REAL information on REAL work at home opportunities.

My website won't be finished until sometime in March, but one of my favorite resources is the CWAHM.com website. Below you will see the new course that is being offered and I strongly recommend that you check it out! It is F-R-E-E and you can TRUST the information that you get through the course. You have definitely got nothing to lose by checking it out. . . and besides, how many times have you "paid" for information on working from home only to be disappointed?!?!

CWAHM.com Announces Work At Home 101
A FREE online 3 week course designed to give moms a work-at-home starting place.

Most people are curious about working from home. We know others do it, but aren't sure how they do it.

CWAHM.com's Work at Home 101 is designed to give you an overview of the choices available that will allow you to work from home. This online course will give you the starting place you've been searching for.

Best of all - it's completely free! CLICK HERE!

Some of the things covered during Work at Home 101:

* Where to Start
* Telecommuting

* Home-Based Businesses
* Avoiding Scams

* Entrepreneur Tips
*AND MUCH MORE!

Thank God for Trials! . . . Really!

2009-02-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

We have recently started a wonderful Small Group study on the book of James. Tonight we will go over Chapter 1: 1-18. Now, if you have never read the book of James, you simply don’t know what you are missing. Just those first few lines basically tell me that I am to “consider it pure joy” when I face any kind of trials because the “testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:4 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Now, you will probably think “this lady has totally lost her mind” when you read the rest of my note here. But, I actually DO thank the Lord for the trials that He has seen me through. I count it as a sign that I am in His Will for my life. If I am following the Lord and trusting Him in all that I do, then I MUST be thankful for what he allows in my life. Now, with that said. . . I don’t always necessarily LIKE what I have to go through, but I know in my heart that HE is in control of everything in my life and if HE allows it to occur, then HE will get me through it. James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

In my life, I have had several times when finances were of the utmost concern for me. I was always afraid of not having enough to cover the bills. Well, in 1996, I was confronted with my parents splitting up, my marriage fell apart as well, and having to figure out how I was going to make a house payment, car payment, credit card payments and utility payments on my meager $20,000 salary. Since I had been depending on my husband’s salary to pay a good portion of things, this really stressed me out. However, when I gave it all to God to handle, I was able to get a second job working 60 hours a week (nd getting overtime for any hours over 40). With this job, I was able to pay off my car, the other bills and pay ahead on my mortgage. God got me through it.

I remarried in 2002 & had a son in 2004. My son was only 5 months old when he was diagnosed with an infection of E-Coli in his kidneys. For several weeks, we went through grueling tests and treatment, all the while praising God for our son and knowing that He would take care of everything. AND HE DID! We had several people praying for him and prayed OVER him for God to heal him, as we knew that we had dedicated him to God and we believed that God was not finished using him here on earth. While we will likely never know the reasoning behind God allowing this to occur, we have our guesses. We were sent to a children’s urologist that I had heard wonderful things about over the years. And when he got the video results back from the VCUG that our son had done, he was speechless. You see, on the video you could see where there had been a blockage that had stretched the ureter tube coming out of the kidney, but then it didn’t go any farther. Basically, you could see that the blockage had DISSAPPEARED! The way the Dr explained it to us was that if the blockage had gone back into his kidney, we would see it on the video and if it had been “peed” out, it would have stretched the tube all the way down, since it is not an elastic type of tissue. We believe that God used our son to witness to this doctor. He had been a children’s doctor in the area for over 20 years and shortly after that he moved to California.

Now, I am facing surgery. . . for the 4th time. Over the last 3 ½ years I have had trouble with excessive hemorrhaging when I had a menstrual cycle. To the point where I could not go out of the house during that week of the month without a FULL Box of SuperPlus Tampons and a FULL package of overnight pads DAILY! Yes, it was that bad and I was on Iron supplements, my hemoglobin dropped one time below 5 and that was pretty scary, considering my heart was skipping beats. I’ve had 3 D&Cs, 2 hysteroscopy, and other tests and procedures I can’t even remember the name for. NOW, I am scheduled for next Thursday for a D&C, hysteroscopy, and uterine ablation (Novasure). It is supposed to be fairly quick at healing and I should be able to return to work on the following Tuesday. But no more pregnancies for me. I had hoped that we would have more children, but with the quality of life that this is not allowing me to have, I just don’t think it’s fair for my son and family to stay this way without treatment. I have been trying to avoid it for about 4 yrs. Besides, if I am supposed to have other children, then God will provide them too.

You see, God allows stuff to happen so that you can PERSEVERE through it and be rewarded in Heaven. He is such a loving and giving God! You may not like the stuff, but trust in HIM and KNOW that HE will get you through it ALL. He is NEVER CHANGING! And remember, OUR REWARDS ARE IN HEAVEN, NOT HERE!!!

FAITH FILLED

2009-01-18T11:47:00.001-05:00

What kind of FAITH do you have?

Is it the kind that you LIVE out everyday? Or do you claim to have FAITH, but never really show it in your actions?

Funny how all last week I had been thinking about my faith and how much I rely and depend on God to take care of everything for me. Then today, our pastor speaks on Faith.

I have been keeping account of several of the things that have happened in my life, since really learning to depend on God, and it's really amazing what a testimony it is. I remember a time when I would have had a meltdown if I were to lose my job or for some unexpected crazy bill to come in that I didn't have the money for. But, over the last several years I have come to the realization that I truly do not have any REAL control over anything that occurs in my life. . . only the way I choose to respond to it. That is where my wonderful husband has helped me. He has shown me how to REALLY trust in God and not to "worry" or "stress" over things.

Our life together has been like one of those bad comic books where the good guy always has something happen to him. Of course, we laugh it off. . . what else are you gonna do? Cry about it? Seriously though, every time we turn around it is some major catastrophe, usually when it comes to health or finances. For example, we got a few unexpected hospital bills that the insurance did not cover, we thought we could take care of it when we refinance the house. . . but the house appraised for less than we expected. Then, dear hubby needed brakes on his truck. . . only trouble is, it ended up needing two new rotors, too. . . $950. . . I need my van inspected and it needs four new tires, breaks, and an alignment. And you know that is not going to be cheap. Life is just crazy here. Any way, you get the point. . . and that all happened within 3 days. Yeah, you see what I mean? So, instead of freaking out and wondering how it's all going to work, I look to Him to show me what we are to do about each thing that occurs and HOW he wants us to handle it. Now, sometimes, I have apparently not done exactly what God wanted me to do, and he has gently reminded me. However, I have found that if I do something in error and that I truly believed I was doing what He wanted me to, then He is a loving and forgiving God! Good thing too! Heaven knows I've made my share of mistakes!

Sometimes, I look to heaven and ask Him. . . "How much longer, Lord?!" And, I know that it is a mute point, because it's gonna happen when He is good and ready. Thankfully, I have my FAITH in Him and all that He has planned for me. Christ is my SOLID ROCK that I stand on. . . all other ground is sinking sand! I've LIVED it, not just talked about it. I have prayed and said "Lord, you are just gonna have to take care of this, because I cannot do it on my own." And within literally HOURS, seen him lay something in my lap and it is the answer to my prayer. We have prayed for others and seen Him answer those prayers. . . prayers of healing, prayers of comfort. God is SOOOOO good!

I have become so dependant on God to show me what it is that he wants me to do with everything that occurs in my life, that I sometimes find myself becoming impatient with loved ones that claim to have strong faith, yet do not live it the way we do. <<>>

I am not saying that it is easy. If anything, He tests me at times and I find myself wanting to scream out "enough already". But, then I remember how much He loves me and all of the wonderful things that He has planned for me that I do not even know about yet. . . and it makes it all worth while!

What do YOU think?

2009-01-15T12:31:00.000-05:00

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Recently, I have noticed that several of my Christian friends are going through some really difficult times. Whether it be financial, health, or family issues. . . everyone has got "something" going on in their lives. This really hit me just before the holidays.

I see the devil working hard to distract God's people right now. I know, he has been working at it for most of his life. But have you stepped back to take notice of all that is going on around you? I was sitting in my home office the other day, looking out the window, remembering when I was young and the issues we dealt with in our day. They are miniscule compared to what our children have in front of them. I used to wonder what it was like for my grandmother to have seen so much happen in her life time. . . now I know. I mean, there were no TVs when she was a kid, and their phones were what we now call "vintage". I liken that to what I have seen in my lifetime:

TV sets have gone from the typical "floor model" to hanging them on the wall
Floor stereos that had a turntable & 8 track are now ipods
We can now carry our phone with us where ever we go
Our cars can be tracked via GPS
A 1500 sg ft home when I was a kid was about $55000. Now, it is $165000.
The latest "toys" for kids are electronics
Atari has evolved into XBox
Clothing styles have gone through 2 cycles, full circle

These were just a few of the things that most people my age would be able to come up with pretty easily. But, some of the things that really bother me are:

How easily it is for most people to watch TV & movies that have such "filth" in them
How busy people are that they do not have time to visit their neighbor
How some think that "we deserve everything" and forget about those less fortunate
How open people are about their sins, and unrepentance of those sins
The TV shows that once did not have a curse word, now are riddled with them and various other things of ill repute
How kids today have to deal with gangs, drugs, guns, etc AT SCHOOL
People now think that they are "entitled" to whatever they want to buy and will put it on credit to get it. . . never thinking about how much the item is REALLY going to cost
How hated Christians are for our belief in the BIBLE and what it says, yet any other religion is "off limits" for anything negative to be said about it
How God has been taken out of the very things that we grew up knowing He was a part of

Well, I could go on and on. . . but I think you get my point. The moral decline in our country today is holding true to what the Bible says about the last days. Many people are following "false" teachings and "false" prophets. God told his apostles "Take heed so that no man will deceive you". I think that statement is needed even more today!

Take heed dear one, the time is nigh and it is IMPERATIVE that you stay in the WORD of God! Read your Bible every day, Pray every day, show Mercy to others. People, it is time to wake up and hear the call of God. He loves you and wants you to be with Him in His kingdom someday. He loves you so much, that he sent His ONLY son for you. He is the ONLY way. Do NOT let anyone tell you any different. If you are truly seeking and want to find out more about God, He WILL reveal himself to you. You will come upon irrefutable evidence that HE is THE ONLY WAY!

Giving

2008-12-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

It is the time of year that people tend to give a little more than they do at any other time of year.
G-I-V-I-N-G

Have you thought about how you could help someone less fortunate than you? I know that I have. What kind of difference do you think you could make? One little gesture could be all that it takes to make an unbeliever a BELIEVER! I know that some people are very hesitant to help someone who asks for money or food. But, have you thought about what it is that God may be trying to teach you through that person or circumstance? Take a moment to look over the information I have gathered below and take a chance on making a difference!

Who knows, maybe you can make a difference in someone's life TODAY!

Here are some ideas:

Go to http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ and order a box of food for $30, then take it to someone that you know really needs a helping hand this month. If you don't know of anyone specifically, ask around your church, daycare, school. I am sure that someone knows of someone with a need and you could be the answer to that person's prayers.

Check out the site http://www.2hands.org/ and see if there is anyone in your area that you could help out with their need. If not, check out other areas and surprise someone.

Volunteer with the Salvation Army. Did you know that if they don't have enough volunteers to ring the bells for donations at the holiday, that they have to pay someone? Can't physically get out there to ring a bell? Then follow the link on my blog and join my Red Kettle Team and start emailing people that you know! Or start your own team!

These are only a couple of examples of ways you can help your community. Take the time to "do unto others". I guarantee that the rewards you feel in your heart will far surpass anything you could have done for yourself!

I Saw God Today!

2008-11-30T11:55:00.000-05:00

I awoke to a cold and rainy day today, wishing it was still Saturday. However, I should have known that God had something great planned!

Our church has been trying to get as many coats as possible for the Christmas Mother in Amelia, Virginia. This year is a really tough one for so many individuals and as cold as it gets, everyone needs a coat. We have been able to get a few, but people forget or don't really think that they have anything to give.

Today was different.

As most of you know, I am part of the worship team at my church and love to sing praise songs to the Lord. Today our pastor spoke on sacrificial giving. How giving sacrificially is so much more rewarding than giving out of abundance. Thankfully, this is something that my husband and I learned early in our relationship with God. There were times when we tithed & we had no idea how we would pay our house payment or car payment, yet God always provided for us because we had obeyed his direction to give sacrificially. (This is a whole other story for another day)

Well, at the end of the service, our pastor challenged everyone in the service to give sacrificially. . . he challenged everyone to give the coat off of their backs. Before John and I could leave the stage to give the coats that we had, people had already started bringing up their coats!!! Now, these were not just "extra" coats that people had brought in, because the extra coats were dropped in the bin outside of the auditorium before people came in to the service. So, all of the coats that people brought up were literally the ones off of their backs! WOW! What an outpouring of love and giving!

I don't think that the day could have been any better than this!

Another day in the life. . .

2008-11-24T14:59:00.001-05:00

OK, for those of you that know me, you know that I have been telling my husband for years that he needed to get a Sleep Study done to determine how bad his Sleep Apnea is. Well, after all of the problems he had this year with his lungs and being diagnosed with a Pulmonary disease, this Dr sent him for one.

Well. . . it didn't go so good. They said that he stopped breathing 22 times per hour! They didn't even let him go the rest of the night without a mask that feeds air to him while he sleeps. They also said that he never made it to REM sleep. No wonder he tells me that he doesn't have dreams! He really doesn't! This would explain a lot about a lot. He has said for years that he never feels like he went to sleep and that when he gets up in the morning, he feels like he had just laid down. So not only does he have sleep apnea, he also has narcolepsy.

Now the part that really stinks is the fact that we have new insurance and he was referred to a "non-participating" provider. I have no clue how much it is going to end up costing, but you can bet it won't be cheap. Just the sleep study was $1600! Two visits to the Pulmonary specialist was $550. Yes, that is for 2 OFFICE VISITS. I had to laugh when I got the EOB from the insurance, because it is always something like this going on in our lives. I just looked up to Heaven and said, "Well God, here's another one you are gonna have to take care of." Of course, every time we have had some kind of catastrophe in our lives, whether physical or financial, God has ALWAYS sustained us and gotten us through it all.

One good thing, though. . . He is being offered another position by his employer that would get him out of the weather and in an office environment. I am praying that they will compensate him financially so that it doesn't end up costing him more than he is earning. You see, he currently has a truck and gas card, and has been told everytime he was due for a raise that he needed to figure the truck and gas card as part of his salary. SO, how much is that worth? Well, when we sat down and crunched some numbers, it ended up being around $16,000. Now, I doubt very seriously that they will offer him that kind of compensation. However, it is a BLESSING that he will no longer be out in the weather and breathing welding fumes all day long. I am thanking God for that !!!

Now we are just praying for a decent salary so that we can pay the difference in him driving to and from work in his 10 miles per gallon pick up truck.

Another day in the life. . .

2008-11-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

A Piece Of History

2008-11-05T12:08:00.001-05:00

Barack Obama will be our next President of the United States.

I believe that the next four years are going to be quite different from the last eight. It is going to be interesting to see what other countries have in store for us, how they will treat us, with our new President. I believe that his wife is a classy lady, and behind each strong man there is a WOMAN of strength. She appears to be a devoted mother and wife, and I pray that she stays strong through his Presidency. His children are beautiful and must be very excited to be part of a piece of History. A piece that is life changing; not just for them, but for the United States as well.

While I do not agree with his stand on many issues, I will continue to pray for him and his family. Yes, I said "continue", because regardless of WHO is in the White House, they will ALWAYS have my prayers. He will be our President and with that comes a H-U-G-E responsibility. He will have quite a lot on his hands when he enters the White House in January: our economy is in quite a mess, people are without jobs, people are losing their homes.

I will also pray that he looks to Jesus Christ for direction, when he is looking at the "Changes" that he will implement.

God Bless You and Peace Be Unto You President Obama, Michelle, Sasha & Malia!

Humbly,
One Mommy

Does this look like one of YOUR days?

2008-10-30T07:57:00.001-04:00

http://view.break.com/593274 - Watch more free videos

I am humbled. . .

2008-10-29T12:38:00.001-04:00

It is amazing the love that Christ has put in my heart and the feelings of urgency to share that love with others. I know that I was not a good example of His love all of the time when I was younger, but I have been HUMBLED! He has shown me what it is to be loved and to love. He is my ROCK and my SALVATION. And laltely my heart has been bleeding for many of the people in my past. I know that it sounds weird, but up until recently, I couldn't remember the names of several people that I went to school with and all of a sudden, the other day, names started flooding my mind. Names that I believe that God has put there for a reason. He has a plan and YOU are part of that plan. If you think I am nuts, then so be it. But, I am going to contact every person that God has put on my heart before I leave this earth. I know that our days are numbered. . but do YOU know that?

I have thought a lot about how I used to be versus how I am today; and I have to say that I am NOT proud of the person I once was. I know that in my youger years, that I was not always the easiest person to be around. Sometimes I could be real bossy OR just absolutely "clueless" to the feelings of others around me. . . and when I was in college, I could be absolutely "stupid" sometimes and some of the things that I did, were not that of a follower of Christ. But then again, as I have said before, I really didn't understand the true meaning of that until 2000. I did not always show respect to others who had a difference of opinion. . . and for that, I am sorry.

I apologize to everyone whose feelings I may have hurt or whom I may have offended.

I REALLY AM SORRY!

Now, I don't expect that any "specific" person is going to forgive me. But, I want you to know what is in my heart. If you could see me now, versus then, you would know that Christ has indeed changed me. And that He is giving you that same opportunity. Don't let it slip by without so much as a glance. He Loves YOU!

Life OR Death?

2008-10-27T10:40:00.001-04:00

My heart is aching, I have been having trouble getting to sleep. I can’t seem to get enough of God’s Word lately. I feel excited and nervous, happy and sad, relieved and concerned. I know, I know, it seems like I may be on the “verge” of. . . something. God has given me a tender heart. SO many things over the past couple of years have really affected me both mentally and spiritually. For the better, of course; and God never brings you to something without getting you through it. And we have been through a lot; as a person, a family, and a nation.

Last night as I lay in bed thinking about the day and the upcoming week, I could not sleep. I was sobbing. Not really sure as to the specifics of “why”. But, I was feeling strongly about how much love I feel for my family and others around me, and knowing that Christ is coming soon and there are still so many lost. I don’t understand all that I need to about the end times, but the more and more I study it, the more and more sad I become. As a Christian, I am thrilled with the anticipation of “going home” to Jesus. Yet, I am saddened because I know so many people that have not accepted Jesus as their Savior or think that they are “saved”, but continue to live in sin. . . . . .

Some examples of what I am talking about: People who profess to be “Christian” and then proceed to preach “hate”. Like the people that picket funerals of our military men and women; people who scream out “you are going to HELL because you ___________________” (fill in the blank for yourself, since there are a lot of things that could go here). If you continue to live in sin, regardless of what sin you are committing, whether it be fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, cheating, evil thoughts, pornography, hatred, whatever the case may be, you will not be with HIM. In order to stay on the path that God has set forth for you, you must stay in His Word. God sent His Son here to die for us so that we might have everlasting life.

This Sunday, my pastor likened it to a person standing at a fork in the road. There is a person that sees you coming, and lets you know that if you continue on the path that you are going on, you will D-I-E, as the bridge is out and it is a L-O-N-G drop to the river. Then that person says, take this path; and points you in the direction of safety, which is L-I-F-E. Essentially, that is what God has done. He sent his Son here to die for us, so that we could have “EVERLASTING LIFE”.

Life in His kingdom.

Life with Him.

Life with Jesus.

Life with the Holy Spirit.

Which will YOU choose?

Life

OR

Death?

Countdown To Eternity - Biblical Last Days And The End Times

2008-10-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

Concerned?

2008-10-24T18:10:00.000-04:00

You know, back in 2007 Newt Gingrich spoke at the National Press Club and discussed the war on terror. I can't help but wonder, where is this nation going to be when my son grows up? Or will he even get that opportunity?

Take a few minutes and check out what he says in this brief video. If this doesn't concern you, then you have got to be blind!

VOTE YOUR VALUES

2008-10-23T09:48:00.000-04:00

2008-10-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

We Are In The Midst. . .

2008-10-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

I can't seem to emphasize this enough to everyone that I know. We ARE in the End times, people. Those of you that are atheists that conversate on some of the blogs that I frequent, I am having a real hard time holding back my tears for you. Everyday, I pray for you and cry. Yes, I said I cry for you! I cry out and pray that your eyes will be opened and that you will see the proof before you. . . before it is too late! America IS the Church of Laodacia. Those that call themselves "Christians" but are NOT living their life as such, will be LEFT BEHIND to endure the 7 years of Tribulation.

God states in Revelation 3:16 "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth"

Come on folks. Let's get it together. Christ IS coming soon and you NEED to be ready. Time is of the essence, and I beg you to listen. You did not just happen to find this blog for NO REASON! God SENT YOU here! He is giving you ANOTHER chance, another sign. DON'T waste it! Christ DIED for you. WILLINGLY. He didn't have to. He could have ignored it all together and not even bother to give us a chance. But he LOVES US!!

What are you waiting for? How much more proof do you need?

2008-10-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

Driving in to work today, I was listening to the radio. I couldn't tell you what was playing or what was said. I simply don't remember. All I could think about was how grateful I am to be able to serve Christ and still have that FREEDOM. I couldn't help but wonder if my son will have the liberty to worship openly, like we do now, when he grows up. Things seem to be going in the wrong direction for this country, OR maybe they are going in the right direction . . . a direction of prophetic fulfillment. Lately, I have found myself reading more and more on the end times and realizing how little time we have left here on earth to bring others to Christ. He doesn’t want any to perish, but many will.

That is why I have decided that from now until I die, I will spend time sharing the Word of God with as many people as I can. Whether it be through this blog, internet, in person, at the grocery store, library, work. . . where ever! That is our job as Christians. I also feel that it is my job to share what I know with others, especially brothers and sisters in Christ. That is why I will have links on this blog to inform you of information that is pertinent to OUR beliefs! I know that some of you have said that you love to see what I will share next, AND a couple of you have mentioned that you felt that I was offensive. , I speak strictly from my beliefs in the infallible Word Of God, The Bible AND from my heart. If you find what I say as offensive, then I am sorry. My intent is to spread the TRUTH!

“TRUTH” is not something that you can “decide for yourself”. It is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. Lately I have felt it necessary to be more assertive in MY BELIEFS, since I have had the agenda of others crammed down my throat for years. Well, I am through eating my words. I am tired of hearing from our Senators, Congressman, etc. that I (being a Christian) should be more “TOLERANT” and that I should allow my child to be taught things that we (my Christian family) DO NOT agree with as morally correct.

One example:
The San Francisco Chronicle reported: “Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner.” Ok now, this is one of the things I am talking about. It is ok with government for a “public school” to take the kids to something like this, but do you think that they would have taken then to a “traditional wedding”??? NO, that would never happen.

Yet, get this:
In September a boy was suspended from school for wearing “anti – Obama” t-shirt. Now tell me, where is this kid’s right to “free speech”?! His First Amendment right was violated! Why can’t he express his opinion?

ACLU Filed a lawsuit against students for Praying and for holding Christmas concerts in local churches! Yes, it’s true! Check out this article.

So tell me, what do you think? Do you think that we are losing our rights as Christians?

A Day In The Life. . .

2008-10-14T07:56:00.001-04:00

Things have been quite crazy lately. I know, so what else is new?! John hass been really sick and was put in the hospital last Wednesday. They released him on Saturday, so I set up an appointment with his primary care Dr. Well, she was NOT happy that they Dr at the hospital released him AND he was NEVER seen by a Pulmonary Specialist. NOT GOOD! So, SHE set up a chest X-Ray with contrast and an appointment with a Pulmonary Specialist for today. It seems like everything that happens to John is always something like that. The same kind of craziness occurred when he went to an orthopedic surgeon for his back. The guy called John a liar and then when he got the results back from the MRI, he found that John was in fact NOT lying and that he DEFINITELY had reason to be in pain. He has 3 herniated discs and degeneration in his back. Any way, that's a whole other story.

So, this morning he has the X-Ray and this afternoon is the appointment with the specialist. So many things could be wrong. . .or right. But, when I found out about all of this last night when I got home, I was reminded of another story that I had read online. It must be why God directed me to it. It was husband writing about his wife and what it was like when they found out she had cancer. She went through treatments and they were able to get through it knowing that either way “she wins”. (If she made it through the chemo & surgery OR if she died.) She ended up living another four years and then, when it was time, she died. You see, they both knew that if she made it, she would have a little more time with her family. But, if she died, then she would be with the Father above and no longer suffering. Either way, she won!

I know that no matter what the Dr has to say today, that God will get us through it and He is in control of EVERYTHING. Funny how things aren’t as difficult to face, when you KNOW that. Now you might be thinking, so what?. . . big deal. . . he has an appt with a specialist. But, what you may not understand is this: The specialist handles serious respiratory issues like COPD, lung cancer, etc. So, the prognosis is likely not a good one. However, God is good and merciful. He will keep us strong through whatever we are to go through. I know this because of the many other things that we have gone through.

1. Shortly after we were married, I became pregnant. I miscarried just before the 2nd trimester.
2. When our son was about 5 months old, he was diagnosed with E-Coli in his kidneys. The Drs were amazed that he was even alive, as sick as he was. (The power of prayer is amazing!) he is now 4 1/2 yrs old!
3. A year after I had my son, I almost died from hemorrhaging when my hemoglobin dropped below 5 and my heart was skipping beats. I had to have 3 D&Cs in the timeframe of 2 years in order to get my “mommy parts” working properly again.

See what I mean? These were not “little” things by any imagination. However, as always God got us through. And these are only a couple of things. We have had something crazy occur at least three or four times a year. But, like Job, we will NOT falter. Jesus Christ is our Savior and HE is the ONLY way to Heaven! He keeps us strong and died for us. SO, no matter what we have to endure here on earth, we know that one day we will be with HIM and all of this isn’t going to matter.

Fireproof - Passion

2008-10-01T09:21:00.000-04:00

On the way in to work this morning I was listening to the Radio and I heard the host talking about what a hit at the box office the movie “Fireproof” was over the weekend! Now, keep in mind that this movie was only in 850 theatres and it STILL came out in the TOP 4!!!! What does this tell you?!? What could it mean?!? Is it possible that America wants more “FAMILY” oriented movies? . . . more of the kind of movies where the family actually works things out? Instead of a bunch of movies selling “lust, infidelity, fornication and all round non-traditional family values”??!!?? Wake up HOLLYWOOD! Take a queue from “Fireproof”. Looks to me like there is a NEED out there for this kind of story for the silver screen!

The host of the radio station was also talking about “The Passion of The Christ”, another movie that went over tremendously well at the theatres and even more so on DVD. As a follower of Christ, I found it extremely hard to watch the scene where Jesus was beaten by the soldiers, before his crucifixion. I now have a greater understanding and appreciation for how much Christ suffered for OUR sins! I don’t think that I will ever be able to wrap my mind fully around how truly severe it was; because I just can’t fathom that kind of pain. It is said that most people did not make it through the beatings and that if they did, that they would die within an hour or so on the cross from suffocation. Christ was given 40 lashes. . . 40!!! There is NOONE in this world that could have made it through all of that and not have come out with broken bones. . . and yet, HE DID! And He did it FOR US!
I can’t keep tears from coming to my eyes when I think of how God must have felt seeing His Son go through such horrid treatment. Can YOU imagine? Sit down alone in a quiet room for a minute and imagine how you would feel if it were YOUR child that you had to watch go through this. What? You can’t do it? You are right. . . not if you have an ounce of LOVE for that child. It hurts too much and you simply can’t wrap your mind around it.

If you have never seen this movie or do not believe in Christ, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. . . take the time to get this movie, sit down and watch it; even if it’s by yourself. I promise you, you will come out of it a changed person. I don’t know of anyone that has seen it that has NOT been affected by it.

Are you an UN- Believer? Do you simply think that Christ is some made up deity that was created in our minds to make us feel better about death? Are you an atheist? I would love to talk to you. I am open to ALL comments, so share your thoughts.

Go Ahead. . . I Dare You!!!

2008-09-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a rather awesome day. . .as always. This week we continued our discussion on "Families on the Edge". Our Pastor put a challenge out to the men & women in the church to follow the journal. "The Love Dare", and offered them a free copy. Needless to say, all 30 books were picked up!

Now, if you haven't heard of this, then you need to crawl out from whatever rock you've been hiding under, because this may very well be the answer to your prayer! A new movie came out this past weekend, "Fireproof". The father of a young man that is on the verge of divorce, gives his son a book "The Love Dare". It is a 40 day challenge to work through and learn how to REALLY LOVE your spouse. Now, I don't know if you have a wonderful relationship with your spouse or not, but no matter what your relationship is like. . . it CAN benefit from this process.

The book offers things for you to ponder and pray about, as well as things to do for your spouse. By taking the time to go through this, you can only come out in a better position than that which you started with. As a follower of Christ, you need to know that there IS a way to get through the rough spot you are going through with your spouse. You've got nothing to lose. . . go ahead, get the book and follow it for 40 days. . . I DARE YOU!!!

Cell Phone?

2008-09-26T16:30:00.001-04:00

Yes, I know. . . everyone has one and no one could live without it.

Whatever. What happened to the days of just going somewhere without having to have a phone? I remember when I was in high school and we would go out driving on the weekend nights and we would just cruise around looking for our friends to see which hangout they were at. That was part of the fun! Now, everyone has a cell phone. Even kids!

Well, I got rid of mine last summer and ended up buying a Tracphone, because I don't use it often enough to warrant paying an exorbitant fee every month for something that I don't even spend 300 minutes on in a month. Now, I only pay for minutes when I need them and they are only 9 cents per minute. Besides that, I travel enough that I didn't want to have to pay 35 cents per minute when I am out of my area! I have had it for over a year now and have only used about 1300 minutes total. The cool thing is that I don't have to pay a monthly fee, nor do I need to sign any contract! I have a phone that is perfect for me and my family; and I don't have to worry about "budgeting" for this added expense every month.

Anywhoooo. . .

As a little child

2008-09-25T13:59:00.001-04:00

Kids soak up everything like a sponge, especially what they see & hear their parents do. Every night when we (my husband, Elijah, & I) crawl into bed, I read the Bible to our son and say our prayers together. We always include "mommy & daddy", but lately we have been more specific in our prayers for my husband's back. He has 3 herniated discs and degeneration in his back. The Drs told him that he has the back of an 80 year old man (he is only 38). SO, when Elijah & I pray, we've been asking God to heal daddy's back and to take away the pain.

Well, the other night at dinner, going through our evening ritual of "How was your day" at the dinner table. When it was Elijah's turn to tell us about his day at pre-school, he informed me: "we prayed for you today, mommy". I said, "you did?" and hesitantly asked "what did you pray about honey?". . . 'cause you just never know what they may be praying about : ) However, he said that they prayed for my RIB. AAAWWWWWWW. . . with tears in my eyes I hugged him and thanked him. <>

Now, out of all of the things that I have done as a parent, thankfully that was POSITIVE duplication. Because you know, if you are a parent, that usually the things our kids duplicate is something that we really should not have done or said. The gritting of your teeth when you have to repeat instructions to get ready for a bath or when you jam your toe and say something that is less than pleasant. . . those are usually the things that you expect to come out. But thankfully, John & I are reaping the benefits of sowing the seed of Christ in our son.

With so many things happening in today's world, it is important that we give our children the FIRM FOUNDATION of the Word of God to stand upon. Because, as the Bible says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." [Proverbs 22:6] We pray for our son every day. I know that God has a special plan for him, the same way that He has plans for all of us.

God does listen, you know. You just have to start talking to Him.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-09-24T20:13:00.001-04:00

Summer 2008

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-09-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

For other Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

SUMMER 2006

End Times Prophesies

2008-09-23T12:58:00.000-04:00

"So much to do and so little time." I have heard that saying so often that it is almost silly. But when you apply it to the work we, as followers of Christ, have yet to do. . . well, then it doesn't seem so silly.

Growing up in Suburbia, I never really thought about it. I felt that it wasn't my place to discuss politics or religion. Had I been reading my BIBLE more, then I would have known that it is my JOB to share Christ with as many people as I can before I die. I beleive that there are many ways that you can do that, too. You don't have to walk up to every stranger on the street to share the love of Christ. If you are living the life that He wants you to, then it should be evident in your face. I don't mean you have to be happy 365 days a year. Just simply, that your response to things should be that of a follower.

Reacting negatively to the bad things that happen in your life is not a positive testament to Him, nor to your faith. I have found that by really turning things over to Him, that I don't react the way I used to 10 years ago. For example: I work in the city and encounter rude, wreckless, and incompetent drivers every day. I am almost sideswiped on a weekly basis and at least once a day someone cuts in front of me and slams on their breaks. Seems as if the whole world is in a hurry. But rather than react to what they have done, I take a moment and pray that the Lord would surround him with his Love, soften their hearts, and lift them up and through whatever it is that is making do the things that they are doing. It seems as if everyone has something on their minds and driving is sort of the 2nd thing.

Got off on a tangent. . . . back to the subject at hand: The End Times. There are so many signs that are happening now that are indicators of how close to the End we truly are. There are still several prophesies to be fulfilled, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we were to see Christ's return in our lifetime. If you look at the way things have progressed over the last 60 years, then it makes sense. We have become so far advanced in things; (medicine, technology, etc.) that if you look at it from that perspective, then you can see that the advance of things over the last 60 years far surpasses what has been done for 600 years prior! Things are moving faster and faster. Hence, our time here is short.

We need to get off of our duffs and get out there and share the gospel with as many as we can. Now that does not mean that you need to shove it down someone's throat. It just means that you need to be more bold in your faith and share it more readily with others. God wants us to tell others about Him. As Americans, I think many of us tend to be highly conservative with sharing our faith. If you were to share it the way that many of the people at VOM have done, then you would realize that you are not doing enough for God's Kingdom. Take a moment to visit this link and then tell me: What have you done lately that even compares to what these people have done?

Family

2008-09-21T16:09:00.000-04:00

Today at church we talked about our responsibility as Husbands, Wives, and Parents. When you are living life as a follower of Christ, certain things are just not an option. Things like D-I-V-O-R-C-E. God created marriage to be holy and binding. . . "til death do you part" Now, I am not saying that you are going to hell if you get a divorce, I am simply saying that as a follower of Christ it is within your power to work through things together, especially if you are both followers of Christ.

I went through a really bad divorce back in 1996 and was hurt deeply by the man that I believed I was supposed to spend my life with. I tried to work through things, but it takes two to work it out. Funny thing is I learned what real and true unconditional love is through a new friend, I then was able to get past my hurt and anger and move on with my life. I worked 2 jobs and paid off everything. I spent my Sunday's at church and made new friends.

Five years later I married the friend that taught me about unconditional love and he & I will be together until we die. We have been together for 11 years. Life is not always easy, but we have Christ at the center of our lives, so we are able to get through the rough times. God is good and He has been the ROCK in our relationship. I still have a lot to learn as a wife but thankfully he is patient and encourages me in all that I do.

I know that many people are not as fortunate as I am and they are with a spouse that doesn't follow Christ and wants out of the relationship or has already left the relationship. I pray for them. Because I know how hard it can be. But God turns EVERYTHING that happens to us into a greater good and we can rest in His arms knowing that HE is in control.

Politics & Religion

2008-09-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

Ok, so today I was listening to one of my favorite radios shows and the host said that he had an odd feeling that something was going to "break loose" before the election on Nov 2nd. He asked for others to call in and say if they felt the same way and what it was that they thought might happen. He also asked for any "conspiracy theorists" to call in if they felt like there may be something to what they were thinking.

Well, some of the calls were just funny, while others really made you think. One of the callers said something that was rather controversial. . . he said that he wondered "how someone could take the name of Barack Hussein Obama and then become a "Christian" without ever changing his name?" He also said "What better plan could "Al Queda" have than to have one of their own "pose as a "Christian" for years, convince others of that and then to run for President?" Talk about a "conspiracy theory"!

I was surprised at some of the things that people said and believed. It was kind of scary to even think about some of the things that they said. I mean, seriously, if you think about it long enough the stuff gets your mind wandering.

I admit, I am not really pleased with ANY of the choices we have out there on the ticket. . . However, I believe that McCain/Palin is the best choice we have as Americans AND followers of Christ...

The only thing Obama ever did was to be a "community planner" whoopee! Big Deal! I have done similar tasks. I can't believe that any follower of Christ would even consider voting for Obama. I have a hard time believing that he wasn't affected by his pastor's teachings in the church. I mean, good grief. . . Obama said that Wright was his MENTOR for gosh sakes! I don't think that is a good sign! the Rev. Wright obviously has racial issues and does not truly love his "brother", unless they are of the same ethnicity.

End Times

2008-09-15T21:31:00.000-04:00

After reading the news over the past few days, I can't help but see that we are truly in the end days. I see more & more prophesies fulfilled and wonder how much longer it will be to Christ's return. I am amazed by the number of things that have arisen over the past few months. Floods in places that have never been flooded, storms unlike in past years, illnesses that are getting harder and harder to treat. And my heart continues to break for so many out there that are clueless to His WORD.

One of the things that I recently encountered on Youtube was several people blaspheming Christ. When I saw this, I began crying. It wasn't just adults that were doing this, it was kids too! All I could think about was how God must feel about the children, seeing them do this and not really know what they are doing. It really struck a nerve with me. I have become even more passionate about sharing God's word and allowing Him to work through me unlike ever before.

I don't care if people think I am crazy. I know that I am right and that the WORD of GOD is true and unfailing. I want to share Christ with as many people as I can before I die. I never really understood what it meant to be a follower of Christ, until I quit trying to live my life the way I wanted to, and let GOD direct my path. Things have been bumpy at times and downright difficult. But, I know that He is in control and that when all is said & done that GOD'S plan is far better than any I could dream up!

SALVATION

2008-09-11T13:34:00.001-04:00

I went to visit my brother a few weeks ago and we had a conversation about politics and religion. I know, I know, it is something that is not a great topic to go in to and I sometimes hesitate when I talk to him about these subjects, as we generally do not agree and he tends to get a little heated in the conversation. But I was intrigued by some of hi thoughts.

One of the things that we discussed were regarding our salvation and sharing that salvation with others. He told me that he believes that Christ is his only way to salvation, but that he did not feel that it was right for him to shove that same belief on someone else. He said that Christ may not be the way for some people. When I had him elaborate on this, I found it very thought provoking. So much so, that I had to do a little soul searching and Bible searching for myself.

This is what I found:

Christ is the ONLY way. . . regardless of what anyone thinks. He is the ONLY way for ANYONE to get into heaven. Whether you want to agree with this or not, it is a FACT. The Bible has been around for over 2000 years and God's word has been proclaimed for even longer.

HIS word says:
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
"And this is the way to have eternal life - to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth" (John 17:3)
Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."
Salvation is available only through Jesus Christ! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

I could go on & on and list a bunch more passages, but I think that you get the gist of what I am saying. So, I firmly believe that the ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN IS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. . . and that is for EVERYONE! AND everyone will be given that opportunity. What you choose to do is up to you, as we all were given "free will".

Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? Will you accept him today?

God's ways are not our ways. . .

2008-08-06T22:59:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder why God has you in the situation that you are in? I used to. But every time something different happens, I now find myself looking at it very differently.

I was in a really difficult situation earlier this year. I needed additional funds to pay off some bills, so I got a J-O-B close to home. It was just enough to pay off some of my Business debt that I had incurred last year when I tried to start a business. The thing is, I was working with this really nice Office Manager and she & I got along great. Unfortunately, the owner's wife apparently did not like me.

I should have known that something was not quite right when all they ever talked about was the prior people that had worked there and they didn't have a nice thing to say about any of them.

Then, on one occasion she told me to blow my nose, when I had just returned from the restroom doing just that, and said that I was "sniffing" too much. On another occasion she made comments on my "cough". (I have mold allergies and the mold count was really high, hence causing me to cough) On another occasion she heard me eating M&Ms and had to make some snide remark about that. There were also comments about how she wanted to see me "overcome this" weight issue. Funny thing is, I didn't ask her. These are only a few of the things I had to listen to.

What finally did it for me was when she called me a liar and then got really snippy with me in front of her husband AND the office manager. I quietly sat down and proceeded to write my letter of resignation. Unfortunately, I chose to wait until they returned from out of town 2 days later to discuss it with her and she said that she just didn't feel that things were working out. Oh, thank GOD I thought I was totally losing my mind! I asked her if she was willing to accept my resignation or if she was firing me and she said that she would accept it. SO she told me to email it to her for my file. Sad thing is, she lied to her husband and said that I asked if she would accept it so that it wouldn't look bad on my employment record (which I never even mentioned) and her husband emailed me with "Apparently you don't understand what transpired on such & such a date" he then proceeded to tell me that I had been "fired". OK, whatever. . . Does it really matter?

God obviously had me there for some reason, whether it was for me to learn from them or them to learn from me OR BOTH. It was not even worth it to write back a response. I felt that it was just best to leave it as it is. I just simply pray for them and ask God to continue to chip away at their hearts. Sadly, I now understand what it means when I read the verse in the Bible that talks about how difficult it is for the "rich" to get into Heaven. All they ever worried about was money. You never heard them talk about their "concern" for a person. Only sarcastic comments about people and nothing nice to say.

I don't harbor any resentment toward them and I know that somewhere deep inside that they have love in their hearts and God can touch people unlike anyone else. I am thankful that I got to be a part of their world for a little while. I definitely have been humbled.

Job's Life

2008-06-26T12:29:00.000-04:00

Things have been pretty tough lately:

My husband's back finally went completely out on him and he can't feel in his right leg and has excruciating pain in his testicular area. He also has 3 seperate locations in his back that he has excruciating pain in. He was taken to the ER on Tueseday, they told him to go to his PCP and also to an Orthopaedic surgeon. So, he went to his PCP Wednesday to get a referral to the Orthopaedist and they examined him and referred him to a Neuro surgeon instead. Then they decided that he should go ahead & see the Ortho since he already had an appt for them, but keep the MRI appointment on Monday.

Well, he went to see the Ortho Dr and the Dr was really rude and condescending to my husband. My mother went with him since I couldn't go and she said that the Dr was horribly arrogant & rude to my husband. Thankfully, my husband is a man of God and he was able to keep his cool. The Dr basically told him that he is a liar, that there is no way he could be standing if he was in that kind of pain, and that he was fat.

Elephants in Church - Pastor Tommy

2008-06-23T11:01:00.000-04:00

Our pastor has started a new series of "Elephants in the Church". Below are some of my thoughts on the matter.

I believe that as Christians, we tend to forget the true basis of our beliefs and focus too much on the "grey elephants". What I mean by that is, that we focus on issues that are truly debatable and not "black or white" in the Bible. For example, nowhere in the Bible does it say that it is a sin to drink alcohol. As a matter of fact, Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding and many people drank it. However, it mentions that we are not to become drunk. Basically, saying it is OK in "moderation".

There are some people that may drink wine with their meals and that is perfectly fine, as that is a freedom that they feel OK about. Yet, as christians we must remember that there are others that struggle with alcoholism every day and we need to be mindful of them. If you KNOW that a fellow brother or sister in Christ has a struggle, do you think that it is right of you to order an alcoholic beverage in front of them?

Let's see what Romans 14:13-18 says:

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food[b] is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
'

So, while I may feel perfectly fine about eating pork, I certainly would not eat it in front of one of my Jewish friends who does NOT eat it. Same principle.

Here are a few more examples of the "Grey Elephant":

A friend of ours became a pastor for teens at another church and wore Khakis and a golf shirt every Sunday. Several weeks later, the head pastor came into his office and said "You need to start wearing a suit on Sunday" Somewhat confused, the teen pastor asked "Why?" and was told that he needed to give his best to God. . . well, that teen pastor WAS giving his best to God. Those WERE the BEST clothes he had. . . he didn't own a suit. This is a good example of one christian brother hurting another, unneccessarily, over one of those "disputable matters".

A teen pastor had been speaking with one of his students about a friend of his and that he had really been trying to get him to come to church. Finally, one Sunday, the teen was able to convince his friend to come. His friend came walking in the church with torn jeans, a t-shirt, and a ball cap. Nothing with any obscenities, mind you. One of the deacons came up to the teen pastor and told him to tell "that kid" to take off his hat. The teen pastor said "No, I won't do it, because I'm just glad that he is HERE!" So the deacon went over to the "kid" wearing the hat and told him, rather rudely, to take off his hat in church. The kid got up and left. This is a prime example of a Christian brother hurting a "potential-believer", unneccessarily.

Now, I know I have been guilty of these types of thoughts, because I was raised in churches very similar. However, as I have continued growing in my walk with Christ, I have learned alot about these "disputable matters" and have felt very strongly about our portrayal of a "judgemental" religion. Judgement is NOT up to us, it is up to God. Lest we forget.

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is that time of year, kids, when we celebrate our dads! How are you going to celebrate Dad today?!

For Elijah's daddy, we are cooking out on the grilltoday. His favorite, New York Strip. But first, we are all going to church and worshipping together with our friends. Here are some special pictures for you, dear John!

I wish I could see my dad this year, but it has been nearly impossible to get in touch with him to find out when he is going to be around his house. I was hoping to go up to visit him for the weekend. His schedule is so busy, all of the time. Oh well, I still love you Dad!!! Wherever you are!

2008-06-14T22:58:00.000-04:00

Top 5 Dogs for Families with Kids

2008-06-10T13:28:00.000-04:00

Oh yes, that is what I said. . . PUPPY! Working around dogs all day has made me really want a Boxer! My neighbors have 3 and they are absolutely beautiful. And the one at the office is an absolute big BABY! I have been reading up on the breed and how their temperament is with children and they are rated as one of the TOP 5 dogs for families with kids.

Well, unbeknownst to me, my dear hubby was researching them, too. he said that when he realized how much I wanted a puppy for our family that he wanted to check into the breed a little more. Turns out that he was just as excited about getting a new pup as I was. : )

So, we drove over 300 miles this weekend and looked at puppies. We ended up coming back to the very first litter and getting the one that my husband fell in love with first. She is absolutely adorable. I had originally wanted a Brindle, but when we saw Sugar, we just fell in love with her. Even though there is a higher incidence of deafness in White Boxers, we chose a white one. We figured that she was the one that God wanted us to have, so regardless of any issues that may arise, she is our newest baby!

She has slept like a rock both nights and she did really well in her crate last nite. My husband was like a kid with a new toy. . . he picked up a crate, lead, collar, and book on his way home last nite. : ) I guess he was a little excited. She was outside with us most of the evening and followed us around as we watered the flowers and Elijah played with her.

I'll post a pic later.....

Cyber Bullies

2008-05-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

I just heard that they are indicting the woman (Lori Drew) that was at the center of Meagan Meier's suicide. Justice is going to be served! I can't even begin to imagine how Meagan's parents must feel right now.

From what I have read about this whole thing, Lori was supposedly a "friend" of the Meiers and a neighbor. ((Gee, with friends like that you definitely don't need enemies.)) If she really thought that Meagan was talking trash about her daughter, then she should have had a "grown up" conversation with Meagan's parents. What kind of person gets the bright idea to create a Myspace account and pretend to be a teenage boy in hopes of gaining the girl's confidence and engaging her in conversation that would lead to her saying something negative about her own daughter?!? I mean, H-E-L-L-O. . . . what the heck was she thinking??!!!??? Yeah, that's really the grown up thing to do.

People seem to forget that words can be very hurtful when they are "hate filled" and to a teen, it can seem like the end of the world. It is bad enough when adults say things to each other, but to be an adult posing as a teen and hurting a child like that. . . well, it's just plain wrong! My prayers are with the parents of Meagan, the ordeal is far from over. But, at least justice is being served. . .right?

On the flipside of this story, I can't imagine how the Drews are handling this. Her husband and her daughter must feel incredibly ashamed that their mom & wife did such an awful thing. Her daughter was part of it, too, so I can't help but wonder if she feels bad? I mean, her mom supposedly said that she didn't feel that bad about Meagan's suicide, since she had attempted suicide before. W-H-A-T?!?! What kind of mother says something like that!? Obviously a mother that has some issues.

Opinions anyone?!?!

Rain, rain go away. . . come again a DIFFERENT day!

2008-05-16T14:18:00.000-04:00

I feel like I am never going to get the opportunity to plant all of my flowers! Every time I take the time to plan out my day to plant, it rains! I was supposed to plant some tonight, but it has rained on & off all day. Dear Hubby has to work this weekend, so it is going to be interesting seeing ME drive his truck and trailer to the local "Yardworks" to get mulch & compost. At least we will have it for when we DO get to plant this stuff.

I broke down & got a tiller last weekend, so that should at least help with breaking up the soil where I want to plant my dwarf day lillies. They are bright red and I am planting them along the sidewalk. I also have several bulbs that I am going to plant when I finally decide where I want them. LOL.

I have also decided that I definitely HAVE to get some Peonies. A lady I know growss them and gave a huge bouquet of them to a friend of ours. They were beautiful and they smelled soooooo nice! She said that they are some of the easiest things to grow in the FULL sun. . . and believe me, I've got plenty of that! THREE WIDE OPEN ACRES!

Dear Hubby planted a small orchard last fall and we actually have fruit this year! The trees are only about 5'-6', but the fruit is beautiful! The little birds that are on our front door seem to like the trees, too. This is our 2nd round of baby birds and they are so tiny. I didn't realize how small they could be. I mean, the eggs are smaller than a jelly bean! And when the babies hatch, they are so itty bitty. I love it, though, because my son has been able to see the babies grow and fly away. It has given him an appreciation for animal life. He was not very happy when he saw a dead bluejay in our front yard, nor when he found a broken egg in the grass. I was glad to see that he was sensitive to that, but that he understood that it was part of life.

"You look tired, Mommy"

2008-05-15T11:43:00.000-04:00

Yeah. . . that's what my 4 year old told me this morning on the way to school. He then continued: "your eyes look like you didn't rest well". WHAT?!?! I was just thinking how nice I looked today in my bright red capris and my floral summer blouse and my new black sandals. . . nails painted bright summer red & my hair even cooperated for me today. I guess, when I look good. . . which is so rare lately, that to him I look tired. And when I really look tired (to me) that it is normal to him?!?

Ok, so maybe that's a bit far fetched, but you get my meaning, right? I mean, how often has your child said something to you that you were a little taken aback by? Seriously, this was not something I expected to come out of my 4 yr olds mouth, so early in the morning, especially when he had not been up for more than 15 minutes at this point. Yes, I said 15 minutes. I get him dressed & comb his hair while he is still in the bed, because it is just easier that way. Otherwise, he wants to play or watch his movies and then I end up running late.

I must admit, I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say to me this afternoon when I pick him up. Ought to be quite interesting.

Cracked Ribs

2008-05-07T20:44:00.001-04:00

YES. . . that is what I said. I have had this yucky bronchitis - virus - cold - hacking cough - achy body thing for about 2 weeks. John has it too. . . and now, I have a cracked rib. Thanks to the coughing fits. Now, this ought to be fun trying to plant all of those plants this coming weekend with this.

John got several loriope (sp?) plants from a friend of his, we got our Nursery order in, John's mom gave us about 30 Easter Lilies to plant, AND my neighbor is coming by this weekend to give me a whole bunch of her perennials!!! I must say, our humble little abode is starting to look like a real home. 3 wide open acres is quite a palet to design some really nice perennial beds. We are going to have quite a busy weekend ahead of us. Want to help?!?

Anyway, it has been nearly impossible for me to keep up with my blog and all of the emails & voicemails I have been getting about the business. If you are one of the many who has contacted me in the last 3 weeks, please be patient. . . I WILL get back with you!

BLESSINGS!
~Kim

You Are CALLED To Be An Example Of Christ

2008-04-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

How many times have you heard a "fire & brimstone" sermon?
Ever seen some other "christian" protesting about some sin or another and yelling get right up in someone's face???
Do you think that these things are ok with God? Do you think that it is ok to point out others sins and scream at them about how they will be going to HELL?!?

I am asking you this because some people protest in the name of JESUS, yet forget that He is a God of LOVE. He says so in Corinthians and in various parts throughout the Bible. The GREATEST commandment is LOVE. Sharing the word of God does not have to be an "impending doom" conversation. I think as Christians, people get caught up in the fact that by continuing to sin that they are not right with God and want to force that same feeling on others. But what we must remember is a sin is a sin is a sin. Doesn't matter how bad YOU think the sin is, it is ALL sin in the eyes of God. AND it can ALL be forgiven. Whether you have lied to someone, stolen something, committed a sexual sin, or killed someone. . . God doesn't look at is as if one is worse than the other.

Jesus died for ALL of our sins and we simply need to seek Him and ask forgiveness. He LOVES you and wants you to be with him in Heaven. Are you ready? Do you know Him? Where are you going when you die?

FLDS Cult?

2008-04-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

Wikipedia: "Cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream."

What is your opinion?

I believe that it is important to see that this organization is one that is just as confused by the "outside world" as we are of them them. I believe that EVERYONE regardless of anything has the RIGHT to freedom of religion. I also agree with many of the comments that people have made on several news articles regarding "religious freedom". HOWEVER, with that being said, I must also bring into light the FACT that in the UNITED STATES we have laws protecting the innocent, here refferring to CHILDREN. 1)protection of being married off while underage 2) protection from being forced into a marriage that they do not agree to 3) POLYGAMY is illegal in the United States.

Now, 1 & 2 are pretty self explanatory. But #3?. . . . . By teaching the children that this behavior is right and good, it is teaching them that it is OK to break the law and that the law does not pertain to them. So, where does that leave them? Even in the BIBLE is says that we are to abide by the laws of the land unless it tells us to worship another god.

I have read a lot about FLDS and studied various other reeligions & their belief systems. But this is one that leaves me reeling. I would love to know more in order to understand it.

If you are a member of the FLDS, I would sincerely be interested in hearing from you via email as to your thoughts on this and how it is affecting you, personally.

BELOW:
Copyright © 2007 by Visionary Classics, LLC From the book Escape by Carolyn Jessop, co-author Laura Palmer, published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

"By 1995, Warren Jeffs was becoming a subtle and more powerful presence in our daily lives. This struck me as odd because there were many other men who were more powerful in the FLDS than he. But he was Uncle Rulon’s favored son, and the prophet would often say that Warren spoke for him.

Warren spoke in other ways. He began teaching special priesthood history classes in Salt Lake City where he still worked as the principal at a private FLDS school. The classes were taped, and Tammy’s sister came to our house one day enthusiastically talking about how much information they contained. I wondered why anyone would care about whatever Warren Jeffs had to say. Tammy’s sister said that these tapes were not available to just anybody. Only the privileged could purchase them.

Once the tapes gained exclusive status every family in the community wanted a set. Some people who heard them found them disgusting and said they were little more than Warren’s racist rants. He claimed that the black race was put on earth to preserve evil.

I decided to listen to them myself. Warren based his talks on foundational FLDS. doctrine. He spoke in a strange, trance-like voice that seemed deliberately aimed at hypnotizing the listener. One set of tapes described how God would destroy everyone on the North and South American continents. Then he went on and recited a lengthy list of things a person would have to do before he or she could be lifted off the earth.

Anyone who hoped to ascend had to live with a burning in their chest at all times and that burning was the spirit of God. The tapes were becoming so popular that there was a frenzy among those who were trying to get them. There exclusivity gave them great status and everyone wanted to get hold of a set.

Warren spoke at church and elaborated on how the burning in our chest would presage being lifted from the earth. Those who didn’t have it would be destroyed along with the wicked.

It was around this time when Warren banned the color red. He announced that it was inappropriate to wear the color red or have red items in our home because it was reserved for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He preached that when Jesus Christ returns he’ll do so in a red robe and wearing that color prior to the second coming is unholy.

He made the pronouncement one Sunday in church and those wearing red went home immediately and changed clothes. Other families got rid of every red item they owned. This was a hardship for families without much money. Children lost a lot of clothes, coats and boots. Women with red in their dresses had to get rid of them; for some this meant throwing out a sizable percentage of their wardrobe. Some families adapted to this with a more moderate approach; when the red clothes, toys, or household items wore out, they would abandon them. The more extreme families discarded all red items immediately.

One teacher told her students red wasn’t a bad color, it was beautiful. The students reported her rebellion to their parents. The parents complained and asked that the teacher, who was not a member of the FLDS, respect their beliefs and asked that red be removed from her classroom.

Merril had always liked red. In our family we went through the closets and eliminated most of our red clothes. That evening I watched the sunset — a blaze of orange and red. If God wanted red preserved for Jesus Christ alone, did he spread it across the sky in such abandon?

When some of us gathered for coffee later that week at Linda’s the topic of having a burning in our chests as a proof or righteousness came up again. Jane, my high-spirited cousin I played “Apocalypse” with as a child, kicked off the discussion. “Ladies, I have one question. What the hell is this burning in your chest all about anyway? I always thought that burning is mastitis.” (Mastitis is an infection common to nursing mothers.) Everyone laughed. Someone asked Jane how she dared question the requirements about being lifted up. “Well,” she said, “If I have to have a breast infection to be lifted up, then no thank you! I would rather die with the wicked!”

The discussion then became more serious about what felt like a new extremism taking root in the community that felt more radical than anything that we’d known in the past. One of the women recounted a harrowing story about one of the police officers in the FLDS.

(All of the police officers in our community were FLDS members which complicated matters if a woman tried to escape, because she’d get no help or protection from police. It also made reporting domestic violence almost meaningless because the police would always side with the husband.)

I had rarely ever heard a story as disturbing as I did that morning. The FLDS police officer wanted to take his wife up to the Steeds ranch to teach her a lesson in obedience. He put her in a pen with a bull and then tied a rope to the neck of the bull. He told his wife, who was pregnant, that she had to control the bull with the rope on orders of her priesthood head. She tried to hang on to the bull but he ran off and she ended up being dragged until she let go of the rope.

Her husband got into the pen and handed her the rope again and told her she had to hold on. But the bull pulled away from her and her husband became enraged. This time he took the end of the rope and tied it around the neck of the bull and told her she better hang on this time. But it was impossible. The third time he tied the rope to her so she could not let go. She was dragged around the ring again and so badly injured she lost the baby — which then became her fault because she was so disobedient.

When I heard it I told the group I had a burning sensation in my chest—I wanted to kill the guy. The others agreed and we talked about what we’d do if he ever pulled us over. The story was well -circulated in the community because the man’s stepmother became aware of what he’d done to his wife and was so incensed that she started talking about it. No one went to the authorities because we knew the woman would deny the whole thing. We all knew we were powerless when it came to protecting ourselves. I feared that it was an example of hysteria that was manifesting itself in extreme ways. This police officer had carried the notion of “perfect obedience” to a criminal level.

The obedience Warren preached was a woman’s complete submission to her husband. He said women should not work outside the home and should not even leave home unless allowed to do so by her husband.

We’d always kept our coffee meetings quiet, but now we knew we had to be even more careful. We began to be much more circumspect about what we were doing as changes swept over our community. As women were required to leave the workforce because of Jeffs’ new doctrines, it became harder for some families to make ends meet.

The changes Warren Jeffs mandated were obeyed because it was believed he was the voice of the prophet, Uncle Rulon. People did not resist the more oppressive policies he advocated. Instead, it was widely believed that we were being called to a higher way of living the gospel. This wasn’t oppression, this was grace. God was giving us a new and better way of being more faithful to him via the prophet and his mouthpiece, Warren Jeffs.

People who feared these changes and sensed danger, like me, kept quiet. It wasn’t safe anymore to talk about what you were feeling. Women now were not even supposed to go into town without the company of a man. Our husbands were our lord and supreme master who held exclusive power over our lives. It was seen as no longer acceptable for a woman to enter into the same room as her husband without first saying a personal prayer asking God to put the same spirit on her as her husband’s.

I saw this as a real dilemma for because most of the time when I entered the same room as Merril he was usually in a very bad mood. If I had the same spirit that he had one of us might get hurt. This doctrine was one I decided to ignore."

Carolyn Jessop
Former FLDS Member/Co-Author of “Escape”
Editor’s Note: The following an excerpt from Carolyn Jessop’s memoir “Escape,” which recounts her life inside of a polygamist community and her dramatic flight.

FLDS Nightmare

2008-04-23T11:12:00.000-04:00

SAD. . . SAD. . . SAD
I am so sad to see this whole story, but thankful that someone has done something to get these kids the REAL help they need.

You are probably saying to yourself, what business is it of mine? Well, there are several things wrong with this picture. . .

First of all, as a mother it breaks my heart to see kids abused in ANY sort of way. Teaching young girls that it is NORMAL to be given away in marriage and have babies at the young age of 12 - 14 is ABUSE. If you don't believe that this sort of thing happens, then read the book "Escape" by Carloyn Jessop. I know that after I read this book, I had a very different perspective about the whole issue of their "religion".

Secondly, we are not in some 3rd world country that does not have laws. Why are these people any different than anyone else in the United States?!? You simply cannot say that it is none of our buisiness because of "religion" I believe that everyone has a RIGHT to believe however they want to, but when it affects another human being in a physically NEGATIVE way, then it is time to intervene. I mean, it's one thing to say that they don't "believe" a certain way, but quite another to commit the dispicable acts that they have been accused of.

My prayers are with the children and the young girl that was the one to contact the authorities. If I could talk to her, I would take her into our home and raise her with my family. She would NEVER have to worry about being "married off" to some old man, or to ANYONE for that matter. . . SHE would have the opportunity to meet others and make her own choice about marriage. God Bless her for standing up for what is RIGHT and JUST!

You are on my heart!!!

2008-04-21T19:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, YOU! If you have crossed paths with this blog and are not familiar with Jesus Christ, then YOU are the person that was on my heart today. I was listening over an over to a song that I sang this weekend and just kept listening to the words. . . my heart was ready to explode as I had tears streaming down both cheeks. All i could think about was the number of people in this world that continue to deny that Jesus is the Christ. It breaks my heart to hear of someone that blatantly denies HIM and thinks that there will be no repercussion. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Jesus is THE MESSIAH. . . HE IS THE ONLY WAY! OPRAH is leading the masses to HELL and some of you are too blind to see it!

I don't want to see you go in the direction that she is leading. . . whether you want to admit it or not, we are among the days of the end times and it is fast approaching. Jesus tells us in the scriptures that He will come again an that in the end EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD!!!! If you don't believe me, check out "The Case for Christ" written my Lee Strobel, a self proclaimed atheist for years who went on a several year journey to seek the REAL TRUTH. . . check out his website & see for yourself.

If you would like to know more about Jesus or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to email me. Blessings to you!!!

Music Ministry

2008-04-17T12:33:00.000-04:00

Well, I am coming upon the 3rd week of singing as a part of our new church and I am LOVING it! I had forgotten how good I feel when I am worshipping Christ with so many other believers! I am really looking forward to getting our Journey groups started this summer! We are still in need of more musicians. Most of the ones we have now are only there to help get us established, but we are going to need members that will be with us most of the time and be able to rotate for playing on Sundays.

If you live in the Amelia/Powhatan Virginia area and are interested in becoming a part of our music ministry, do not hesitate to contact us!!!

Faith, Jesus, & Intelligent Design

2008-04-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

DO you walk by FAITH!?! I have learned in my 39 years that it is something that is an absolute MUST if you are a Christian and want to walk in the light. I remember a time, not so long ago (twelve years or more) that I would freak out if I lost my job or didn't have enough money to pay a bill or various other things that I had no control over. I have learned that it is just NOT worth the stress since I truly have no control over what happens in my life. I only have control over the way I respond. As a Christian, I do my best to live the life that GOD has called me to live and I beleive that is what He expects of me. This is something that I share with others that are having difficutly in their walk with Christ. I do not think that God wants us to fret over the things in life that are out of our control, but He wants us to be open to Him and what He has in store for us.

I just heard about a new movie that Ben Stein has put out and it is coming to theatres tomorrow! It is called "Expelled" and it is about how the science community has 'expelled' certain indiciduals for believing in the possiblilty of Intelligent Design. Now, I am not usually a big movie enthusiasat, but I am really looking forward to watching this documentary. Some of the information that I have gotten off of the net about it has been pretty interesting. The trailer was quite funny.

It makes you think about how the world seems to be going in the exact direction that the Bible says that it will. And makes you wonder how ANYONE could be an atheist. To that point, I strongly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. He was an aetheist, who also was an award winning journalist with the Chicago Tribune. He was educated at Yale Law school and decided to investigate Jesus for himself. He felt certain that he would be able to bring tumbling down Christianity's claims about Jesus. . . however, he was quite surprised by what he discovered.

Rainy Monday

2008-03-31T12:49:00.000-04:00

This is definitely a typical "Blue Monday". . . rainy, grey, depressing outside. But, I am determined not to let it get me down. It is still a wonderful day to be alive. I am blessed with a wonderful family and friends!

We attended our new church again this weekend & it is amazing that there were people there this Sunday, even though it was sleeting. We are joing the Music Ministry, Worship, and Small Groups teams. I am really excited about getting to be part of a music ministry again. I was very active in our old church, but when we went through a change of pastors. . .several things changed. It would have been difficult to make it to practice anyway, so it all works out. : ) We beleive that God put us out here in the country for a reason and now, I see that this area is going to be building up and we will be a pioneer in the new church. YEAH! I am looking forward to getting to know the people in our community and seeing how we can best serve them. There are so many here that I know are having a difficult time, I pray that God will provide a way for us to assist them in His work.

Tomorrow is the illustrious "April Fools Day" and I still have not come up with anything good to tease my dear hubby with. I would love to have any input on a good joke to play on my husband, that is funny and won't be mean! leave your comments and let me know what you think. He is really hard to "get" so I need something really u nique!

Photo Momma

2008-02-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's me. I have been taking pictures of children at our local pre-school for the parents and they turned out GREAT! I hope that my hobby turns into a profession! I really enjoy working with the kids and making them smile. It's funny. . . some of the ones most people can't get to smile, I have been able to get to smile for me & my camera. I LOVE IT!

I took some really cute pictures of my child, too. . . and one of them is absolutely hilarious! The lighting wasn't that great, but I'm going to post it online soon anyway.

FINALLY>>>>>>>

2008-01-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

OK, I know it has been over a week since I last posted, but things have been a little wild around here. I have been applying to local businesses for a J-O-B. Yes, that's what I said. . . I sat down with my dear hubby and decided that I wanted to pay off our debt in the next couple of years, so I figured if I had some sort of definite income coming in, other than my home based businesses, then I could set it all towards our debt.

I have a couple of really good potential positions, one is actually doing what I LOVE! Photography! I won't know anything until the week of the 11th on that, but I am praying that whatever God has planned for me, that it will all happen before I run out of money!

Have you ever met someone like this?!?

2008-01-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

We had my SIL staying with us until she ended up being hospitalized. She is Bi-Polar. She doesn't want to accept her diagnosis, therefore she chooses to "self-medicate". . . meaning, she takes it whenever she feels like it. Unfortunately, with her illness she NEEDS to stay on the meds on a regular basis. We took her in for a short period of time, because her roommate accused her of assault and swore out a warrant. I took her to the Magistrate to get processed and they released her on her own recognizance. Her brother & I were concerned that if she stayed with the roommate until the court date, that there may be other problems.

We have decided that we will NEVER do that again. We have tried for years to get people to understand that she needs weekly observation in order to ensure that she takes her meds on time and regularly. She also needs a counselor with whom she can confide in about her anger and deep emotional issues. Well, that all came to a head on Wednesday, 23rd. She apparently really showed herself.

My mother was home when it all happened and my MIL was here visiting and making us dinner (her way of thanking us for stepping in). . . apparently while my MIL was in the kitchen preparing dinner, my SIL came storming in our front door from her walk and my mom asked her how her walk was on such a beautiful day. . . her mom, my MIL, also said "Yeah, its a beautiful day for a walk & you must have walked 2 miles". . . well, that set her off and she started ranting and screaming at my MIL and cursing, getting up in her face. My mom was flabergasted. After about 3 minutes, the phone rang and it was one of my SIL friends & she completely changed her attitude. . . was calm, gentle, very polite & spoke with her for a couple of minutes. . .

THEN as soon as she hung up, she turned around and started back in on her mom. . . well that did it for my mom.

Thankfully, I had warned her about these outbursts that she would have with her mom and my mom was better prepared. . . if she thinks you are afraid of her, then she will really play on that. . .but my mom is a firecracker and she didn't put up with it. She flat out told her to sit down and shut up and that she was NOT going to listen to her talk to her own mother that way! my SIL tried to ignore my mom, but when you get my mom upset, there is NO WAY you can ignore her! She got her attention and my SIL sat down & shut up. My mom just told her how it was.

My husband came home and was able to talk with her calmly for 45 minutes. She CHOSE to act that way with her mom, but she knew better than to act that way toward her with my husband home. . . remember, "conscience decision"!?!

Now, she's in the hospital & has been TDO'd and I have no idea when she is getting out. She has called us a few times and rants about how she feels betrayed & tries to lay the blame on someone else other than herself. Having worked with the mentally ill in a group home setting as a "trainer", I am very familiar with what is REALLY part of their illness and what is a CONSCIENCE decision on their part. . . Her mean, hateful, beligerant attitude is simply a decision NOT "part of her illness". I have seen what the right medication can do and what counseling can do. . . but as long as she doesn't believe that she is Bi-Polar, then she will continue to go through these Manic episodes.

I can't stand how she treats people when she gets angry or ticked off at them OR when she doesn't get her way. She acts more like a 4 year old and not a 42 year old. . . NO, that's not true. . .my 4 year old doesn't act THAT bad!!!

Blah Blah Blah. . . .

2008-01-20T12:35:00.000-05:00

Blah blah blah, yada yada yada, whah whah whah. . .

that is all that I seem to hear this weekend.

REAL Opportunites E-Book

2008-01-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

I was recently checking some statistics on the Bureau of Labor:

For every 100 people that start working at the age of 25, by the time they are 65:
29 are dead
63 depend on Social Security or charity to live
4 have enough money to retire fairly comfortable
ONLY 1 is WEALTHY!

So, basically 95% of the people 65 and over are either dead or dead broke.
Sadly, most are forced to work until they die! Financial Security in today's American workplace has begun to disappear. And the sad fact is that you will never get rich working for someone else and not knowing how to KEEP what you earn!

NOW. . .

Did you know that every 10 seconds in the United States, someone starts a home-based business? What? Yes, I said every 10 SECONDS!!!!

Several Hundred Thousand people walk away from their JOB working form someone else and walk into a much better way of life! They have greater flexibility of time, money, and life!

Did you also know that the home-based business industry generates over $427 billion a year?!?!

What do you do? Where do you begin? How much will cost? What business do you start? Well, I am working on an e-book that will help you to figure all that out. I personally work a couple businesses from home and enjoy a lucrative income. However, I have found that NOT EVERYONE wants to do the same businesses.

So, I have a list of people that I know personally and feel very comfortable referring others to. I also have done a lot of research for my e-book that shows you REAL, LEGITIMATE businesses that you can work from home doing.

I myself started my search for a way to work from home shortly after I had my son. Now, 3 1/2 years later, I am VERY HAPPY with my business. I have the flexibility to spend time with my family, friends, hobbies, AND 12 hours a week I volunteer at my son's pre-school!

I have met several young women that thought that they would never be able to make a decent income, since they did not have a college education. . . but the truth is, ANYONE can do the types of work I am talking about. If you have a phone and a computer. . . IT IS POSSIBLE!!!!

If you are interested in the E-book, please email me and I will email you as soon as it is completed! Shouldn't be much longer.

Photography!!!

2008-01-11T21:02:00.001-05:00

I have such a wonderful husband! He bought me the new Nikon D40x SLR camera for Christmas along with a couple of lenses, and all kinds of accessories. I even have a class tomorrow morning on how to use some of the features that I am clueless about. . . he he he.

I am really pleased with the quality of photos that I have been able to produce with just the "auto" focus. I prefer the 200m lense, as I have been able to get some really great shots of the kids at my son's pre-school. I know how hard it is as a parent to get some really good pictures unless you carry your camera with you everywhere (which I do) so, I will be able to offer several of the parents prints of their kids that they never would have gotten otherwise.

I will post some of them this weekend so you can see what I mean. The quality is awesome and the clarity is unbelievable!

What do you do for a living?

2008-01-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is what my 3 1/2 year old son asked me the other day. "Mommy, what do you do for a living?" Now, as many of you WAHMs know, that is a LOADED question! It's more like, "What DON'T you do?!?"

I mean, as a WAHM. . . I volunteer 12-14 hour a week at my son's pre-school to cover his tuition, I work my home based businesses, I have a HUGE photography hobby that is slowly turning into another home based business;

DAILY: I do laundry, cook breakfast & Dinner, (lunch is usually something simple like PB&J or grilled cheese) prepare snacks (granny smith apples & PB or orange slices & string cheese) straighten the never ending mess we call HOME, run errands, well. . . you get the picture.

So, I politely answered: "Well, honey, what do you think mommy does?" He said: "Ummmmm, well, you teach, ummm, you do.... um.... you work from home and go to school with me."

Hmmmnnn. . . out of the mouths of babes. I guess he has SOME sort of grasp on what I do. Ha Ha Ha..... at least I think.

Business Opportunities and Life?!?

2008-01-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

I have been part of several different business opportunities and have had different results with each of them.

I have been scammed by a few and completely lost on HOW to do things with others.

No matter what opportunity you choose. . . You MUST have a good leader!!! If you think that you can sign up with just ANYONE in the business you are interested in AND be successful, then you are sadly mistaken. Don't get me wrong, you might get lucky and sign up under the right person, but more often than not, that doesn't happen.

Let me tell you a little story about when I started looking for ways to work from home in SUMMER of 2006:

FIRST: During that summer, I mistakenly signed up with a "travel company" that has GREAT benefits. . . but my "upline" could not show me HOW to be successful. I felt duped! A couple of thousand dollars later and over a year into it, I dropped it. Major LOSS!

SECOND: I signed up with an International health & Wellness company that I am VERY PLEASED with and continue to use their products myself. I have grown a nice team with this business and I am extremely supportive of my team members and all of their team members. Several have become VERY SUCCESSFUL! My upline is TREMENDOUSLY helpful and I can call them on the phone anytime that I need help. They understand what it is to really be a "TEAM"!

THIRD: I purchased a publication for the area in which I live, for local small business owners to advertise their businesses. It is a Full Color publication and is free to pick up. The advertising is VERY reasonable, but there is a lot of competition for advertising. I still do it though. : )

FOURTH: I signed up with a Weight Loss company and was very happy with the product. I still use it AND love it! But, had trouble marketing it myself. My upline is great and they are supportive, but I can't figure out how to market the stuff myself.

ANYWAY. . . My point is this, If you are serious about starting a business from home, then you really really really really, did I say really?!? need to do some research into finding out who is who in the company ranks and who REALLY helps their team members become successful. You want to find a leader that will work with you til you get the hang of things and is willing to walk you through the steps that it takes.

I love working from home and I love helping other people be able to do the same thing. It takes time and effort. It is not something that you can just "pay to get in and hope it works". Too many people have the mindset that if they pay for something, that it will work. . . but they forget that it TAKES work to make it work.

I've been blessed to work with and know some really wonderful leaders in several different industries. If you are interested in a specific company, feel free to email me and I will let you know if I know a good point of contact.

Wednesday, normally "wordless"

2008-01-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

Seemed like the Tuesday just sort of flew by & I fell asleep without posting. But I wanted to get my Wordless Wednesday Picture out there. Hope you enjoy it!

PATHOLOGY REPORT

2008-01-07T22:40:00.001-05:00

Well, the Doctor called today and said that the pathology report came back today and that there were NO abnormal cells in my uterus! Which, of course, means NO CANCER! GOD IS SO GOOD & MERCIFUL!!!! Yet, another "daily miracle". . . You know, it is amazing how much the body can go through and still be such an amazing piece of work. Only a creator like GOD could make such a wonderfully complicated system.

It's funny. . . I never cease to be amazed at all that I have been through over the last 11 years of my life and yet, God continues to take care of me. I so desperately want to do His will and I continue to pray about it. Since sometime around Christmas 2005, I have felt Him calling me to be a "speaker". I know that He has a message for me to get out there and I know that He will provide that venue. I have no idea how He plans on doing it, but I just know that He will. He has gotten me through so much and continues to do so. And, I have had others that know me say to me " You should write a book about your life". Now, don't get me wrong. . . many other people in this world have been through far greater and more horrible circumstances that I, but I remain devoted to Christ and He continues to uplift me. Even an old boss of mine had said to me at one point that He was going to have be start praying for Him since He saw how wonderfully my prayers were always answered. Funny thing is, I was praying for him and that God would show him what He wanted him to do with his life . . . and He heeded the call. Now he is in business for himself and has created a really cool tool that has already proven to be a real hit!

If you have a story to share, about your life and a recent miracle. . . PLEASE email it to me as I will be composing a list of special stories for an upcoming series I will be doing on one of my blogs! onemommyslife@gmail.com

Addicted to blogging?!?

2008-01-06T10:18:00.001-05:00

81%

Want to be a xray technician?

ok, so I didn't score as high as I thought, but this just goes to show you how much I love blogging!

Another Surgery. . .

2008-01-05T22:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I made it through another surgery. Everything looks good & the pathology report will be back sometime the middle of next week. God is so good! I was blessed to have the same anesthesiologist that I had in 2005! He is really good! And the Dr. said she felt that everything looked really good. She doesn't expect anything to come up on the report. I don't either. I was a little surprised that no-one called to check on me. But then again, I don't remember if I even told anyone other than a few of my co-workers. HE HE HE

Maybe now we can work on building our family... God willing. If not, then that is fine too, since I know how BLESSED I am to already have such a wonderful family!!!

I also got my van back from Toyota. They covered everything under the Class Action Settlement from January 2007. Yet, another miracle! See what I mean?!? God IS so good! It would have cost me over $6000 to repair it with a used engine and Toyota put in a NEW one and covered it all! It really pays to keep good records on ALL service on your vehicle. I will only get my service done at the dealership, now.

2008-01-03T18:19:00.001-05:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Other Religions?

2007-12-29T18:27:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered about how other religions got started? or what their doctrines and beliefs are? Well, I have. So, I thought that I would do a few posts on some of the more controversial religions. This is meant to be a conversation starter, so please feel free to post a response. . . especially if you are a part of one of these religions. Any responses that are mean spirited or hateful, will be deleted. . . so be NICE!

The first one I was curious about was FLDS, since I recently read a book about a woman who left them. I have looked up lots of information on them and am surprised by their beliefs... Especially since they claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. I would love to hear from you if you are a member of this particular religion and could shed some light on the subject for me.

Weight Loss Mom

2007-11-24T11:15:00.000-05:00

For so long I have heard people say that their Number 1 or Number 2 goal for the New year, was to lose weight. Well, I am getting a jump start on that goal for myself. I decided to do a 9 day cleanse and see how much I can lose BEFORE the New year. That means I will have less to lose next year. LOL!

If you want to see how I am doing it or would like more information, just click on this link.

I will be posting my before photos with my results photos at the end of the 9 days.

So, stay tuned for more. . . !

I'm working with a Multi-Millionaire

2007-11-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's what I said! I now am working with Dani Johnson as my success coach. She has trained up several thousand leaders in business. It doesn't matter what type of business you have, she is AWESOME! Out of all of the seminars I have been to, she is by far the BEST!!! She is the only one that keeps it real. You can click on this link and sign up on her website for FREE training! She has an awesome website and she truly has a humble heart. . . something you rarely see in a business seminar!

Dani teaches business principles that are directly from God's word! WOW, talk about a wonderful weekend!!! It was so good to hear someone that could really TEACH you something that you didn't already know and show you HOW to achieve a 6 or 7 figure income, without a bunch of silly hype. I know that I was truly impacted by several things that she had to say. You could feel the Holy Spirit in the room with us. We had training all day Saturday & all day Sunday.

Saturday night, we got to listen to an awesome Worship band (Isa & Nina) and Dani spoke on the "Funnel of Favor". WOW, an even greater night!!! People were healed, people rededicated their lives to Christ, and there were others that came to Christ that had never known HIM!

Now, seriously, how many business leaders do you know that would do that?!? Well, I am proud to say I know ONE!!! I'm telling you. . . if there is any way you can get to her next seminar in January, then you NEED to go. It really doesn't matter what kind of business you have, she can redirect you back to scriptural principles. She also teaches you how to determine what type of personality you are and how to interact with the other three types in life, business, and the REAL world.

Well, needless to say, my trip to Dallas last weekend was VERY PRODUCTIVE!!! If you want to hear more. . . email me.

Travel!

2007-11-09T05:03:00.000-05:00

Oh the joys of travel. . . finally got everything packed late last night for the trip today. I am really looking forward to it all, now. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of flying, but since it will be a non-stop flight, it really shouldn't be too bad. I tell you, I am so blessed to have a mom that is so supportive. She is also going on the trip with me! This seminar is going to benefit us both! I just know it!

So, when I get back, I will tell you all about it. But until then. . . blessings to you ALL!

God is SOOOOOO Good!

2007-11-01T17:20:00.000-04:00

Just another day. . .maybe to some, but not to me! I am so excited, because today I got to see God answer another one of my prayers! I have been praying for quite some time that I would be able to go to one of Dani Johnson's seminars.

Now, let me tell you a little about Dani. . . When she was only 23, she found herself homeless & alone, living out of her car with only $2.03 to her name. This is a woman who was emotionally & physically beaten down in life by not only her family, but the family of God. Within 2 years, she was able to rise to success and made her first Million!

She has mad a dramatic lifechange and is a follower of God and His word. She shares her story and helps others overcome their own fears. Now, I get to go to one of her seminars!!!

Today, when I logged into my computer, I was blessed to read an email from a fellow business partner that had a spare ticket that she was going to GIVE away to the first person that responded! Well, I called her and emailed her. . . and left messages. It turns out, that I was the first to respond. Wow! If that wasn't an answer to prayer, I don't know what is! Now, you might be thinking that she was aware of my want & need to go, but she wasn't. The fact is that her mother was going to go, but needed to stay home to babysit her grandkids and was praying that someone that could really benefit from the ticket would be blessed to receive it. Pretty Awesome, huh?!

So, now I get to go to Dani Johnson's seminar and be blessed by her message and then I will be able to bless someone else, someday! Check out her story, if you haven't already, and if you decide to sign up for one of her seminars, then please use my name as a referral. Kim Bodie

Blessings to you!

Oh the crazy days of . . .

2007-10-31T21:02:00.000-04:00

Halloween. . .

Yes, it's true. Today is Halloween. Not a particularly fun day in the life of mom. The costume, the candy, the sugar high. . . and that is just for MOM. HA HA HA just kidding. Today was actually really fun! I volunteer at my son's preschool in the afternoons 3 days a week and I work with the 3 year old class. They are soooo funny. All afternoon, they talked about tonite & trick-or-treating. I imagine that tomorrow is going to be a really long day for the teacher that will be there in the morning. He He He

We only took my son to 2 places: our neighbor's house and our favorite restaurant. keeps the candy to a minimum. I'm sure I won't be able to get away with that for too many more years. Once he starts going to grade school, all of his friends will likely tell him how much he is missing by not going door to door. But I will enjoy this while I can : )

His preschool had a "Harvest Party" where they could dress up and we couldn't find part of his actual costume, so he wanted to dress up like his dad ~ "a welder" Pretty cute huh?!

Don't Stay Fat!!!!

2007-10-29T11:44:00.001-04:00

Ok, so now that I have your attention. . . yes, I have started something that I am really excited to share! I have been trying to kick-start my weight loss for quite some time and I finally have found the product I have been looking for. One that is safe & natural and that is actually GOOD for you. Not only that, but I can also help other women achieve their financial goals as well!

Check it out: www.DontStayFat.com

I am so excited!!! If you are interested in losing weight OR just getting healthy. . . CALL ME!!

Great Weekend!

2007-09-24T19:35:00.000-04:00

Well, we are back home and made good time on the road. Not a lot of traffic on Mondays! I will definitely remember that for our next mini trip. Eli had a wonderful time with his Mammaw & Pappaw, uncle Joe, & aunt Anne! He & his uncle Joe really had a blast. They were so funny together! It was so fun to watch him with each person... but one of the coolest things was how quickly he took to my step mom's dad. It was really neat to see them interact and to watch how gentle Eli was with him when he was around.

Eli really stuck to his Pappaw, too. Like glue. He talked about going back to visit on the whole trip home. We will definitely be going a lot more often now that I have seen how well he travels. AND he was so good in the van! No arguing, no fussing, and used his manners. Very pleasant trip indeed! I love the fact that it was a smooth trip. Now I won't be so apprehensive about going that far again.

I think next time we will plan something specific to do so that he can interact with his mammaw & pappaw on a different level, other than "hyped up 3 year old".

Weekend at Pappaws

2007-09-22T11:18:00.000-04:00

Well, we made it!
Eli & I drove to WV to visit my dad & step-mom and he was GREAT on the whole ride here. I was not so sure how he would do for a long trip, but he did really well. Normally he says after about 20 minutes, "this is a really long drive". . . but not this time.

He was so happy to so them. He was bouncing off the walls last night and this morning he got up at 8:00 and wanted them up too.

SO far, he has walked around the neighborhood with them about a dozen times, tried to find the kitty's, keep up with the dog, played in the swing on the porch, and gathered flower seeds for him to take home & plant. He is really enjoying himself.

Today his uncle Joe & uncle Rob are supposed to ome over to see him and spend time with us. We will likely cook out or something. Maybe even make some s'mores.

Anywhoooo....have a blessed day & enjoy your weekend!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-19T12:56:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-19T12:54:00.001-04:00

I LOVE MY MOMMA!

GOD IS EVERYWHERE!

2007-09-19T12:05:00.001-04:00

The News Story below was in our local paper this morning... please feel free to pass it on. It is so nice to see a newspaper actually print something like this where someone's prayers WERE truly visibly answered!!! She prayed to God to shield her bus and He DID.

'I hoped to God to shield my bus'
Richmond driver who protected 14 kids tells of harrowing gunfire
By JIM NOLAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Bus 189 took the same route home yesterday, carrying the same precious cargo -- 14 preschool students -- who just the day before were terrorized when their bus was struck by gunfire during a shootout in North Richmond.

This time, there were no stray bullets to punctuate the ride home for the 3and 4-year-old children who spent yesterday at the Head Start program at the North Richmond Community YMCA on Old Brook Road.

"Today was a good day, and we are very glad for that," said Richmond schools spokeswoman Felicia Cosby.

But the woman who drove the bus on Monday, Arlene Smyre, was not behind the wheel yesterday.

Smyre, who kept her students safe during the frantic moments of the daylight shooting near East Ladies Mile Road and Hazelhurst Avenue, was traumatized by the event and said she was unable to work yesterday.

"I feel drained and still shocked over what happened," Smyre, 52, said yesterday over the phone from her eastern Henrico County home off Laburnum Avenue.

"I'm just glad that everybody was OK -- my monitor, my kids. I'm glad there were no tragedies."

She recounted the harrowing ordeal and the actions she took that kept her kids safe.

Smyre said that she had stopped her bus at a stop sign on Hazelhurst and was about to cross East Ladies Mile when she heard the sound of tires spinning furiously.

"I noticed a car driving wild and crazy," she said. "I thought, 'I'm going to have to get my bus out of the way.' Then I heard shots coming."

The car zoomed past Smyre's bus. She made the decision to stay put at the stop sign. She told the children and her bus monitor, a woman she knows only as "Queen," to get down -- and pray.

"I didn't know where the bullets were coming from," Smyre said. "I just prayed, just hoped to God to shield my bus."

Smyre heard what she thought were approximately 10 shots, one of which was followed by a "ping."

"You wonder, 'Where are those bullets going?'" Smyre said. "Where are they going to land?"

When the shooting stopped, Smyre lifted her head. The bus, she said, was quiet.

"If the adults stay calm, you can keep the children calm," said Smyre, an eight-year bus veteran who grew up in Richmond and has two grown sons and daughters.

Instead of crossing East Ladies Mile, Smyre said, she maneuvered her bus down a side street first to check on the children, who, like her, were shaken but unharmed. Then she made her way to Donnan Street to drop off a little girl.

That's when she turned off the bus and got out to take a look. She found a penny-sized bullet hole through a control panel just below the driver's seat.

"My life flashed before my eyes," Smyre said. "It didn't really hit me until I saw that bullet hole."

"The Lord stopped that bullet, cause it didn't go through," she added. "The man upstairs shielded that bus."

Smyre said she's glad she didn't panic during the crisis but is still feeling the emotional effects. She said she plans to return to work in a couple of days.

"I'm getting myself back together," she said. "The sooner I get back out there, the better I can get over it."

As Smyre recovered, police investigators yesterday continued to piece together the events that led to the 3:10 p.m. shootout Monday.

A man wounded in the shooting was released from VCU Medical Center with a non-life-threatening injury. Police were also looking for a teal green Honda Accord that fled the scene shortly after the exchange.

As of yesterday evening, no charges had been filed in the shooting, which police believe stemmed from an argument.

Cosby said that in light of Monday's incident, officials were stepping up efforts to publicize and prepare for the school system's previously scheduled "Safe Schools, Safe Communities" forum Oct. 4 at Boushall Middle School.

Monday's shooting incident, she said, "just underscores the importance of getting all of the community together. It's not a Richmond Public Schools incident -- it's something in the community. But it's something in the community that our kids face, and that we have to deal with on a regular basis."
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.

Times-Dispatch research assistant Jennifer Perilli contributed to this report.

Life Changes

2007-09-13T20:04:00.000-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me the number of parents today that are separating for various reasons. It breaks my heart to see the eyes of the children that are affected. I know of a few children whom their lives are in a true upheaval of sorts, due to the fact that their parents are not together or not a part of their little lives.

Please, do not think that I am trying to make those parents out to be bad parents or anything like that... I know that there are circumstances that cause separation & other issues in life, I am just simply saying that it makes me sad.

I can't begin to tell you how my heart grieves for them. God loves us so much and He does not want us to be apart from His love, yet, that is what it must feel like to a little child whose parents are apart, or not part of their lives. I look at my life with my husband and son and I am so thankful that God has given them to me and watches over us constantly. It makes my heart melt when I see my son give his daddy a hug or a kiss. I grew up with both parents at home, but it was not the Cleavers'... if you know what I mean. My dad worked all of the time & when he wasn't working, he was busy in his workshop making things out of wood & never seemed to have any time for me or my brother. Mom was always working, too. And when she wasn't working, she had her nose buried in a book & couldn't even hear you talk to her.

Now, don't get me wrong... I love both of my parents with all of my heart. They loved us kids and provided for us. I am just simply pointing out that you don't have to be physically separated for things to be difficult for kids. I grew up feeling inadequate as a woman and was constantly craving for someone to love me ~ my brother was the same way.

I married young & our marriage was not good. We did not build our relationship on a strong foundation, Christ... we built it on shifting sands. After only 4 years of marriage, my husband began cheating on me. For 2 years, he continued to do so, while I was mostly oblivious to it. When I finally knew it for sure, I confronted him with it. It took him a week to finally admit his most recent affair... but when he did, he was full of tears and begging me to forgive him. He ended up moving out and continuing his relationship with his recent affair. After a few months apart, he wanted to come home. He begged me to forgive him & try to work things out. I let him come home just before Christmas of 1996, but within less than a week, I caught him with her again and told him that was the last straw. We finally divorced and I swore I would never marry again. I had no desire to go through what I had been through ever again and through myself into work & church.

After about 10 months of just hanging out with some really great NEW friends, one of them asked me out on a date. . . and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. John and I did everything together. We hung out with the same people, had the same beliefs, were both terribly silly, and enjoyed making others happy. In May 2002, we married. Our pastor married us under the trees on the church property with only God & us present! It was the most spiritual thing that had happened to me other than being baptized!

We immediately became pregnant, but miscarried 2 months into the pregnancy. This was a devastating blow to me. I had never in my life felt such anguish. I wanted to die. I was afraid to become pregnant again. . . what if I miscarried again? What if I could never have a child? Finally, I was blessed again and was able to carry the baby for 37 weeks. And OH was he beautiful!!! When he was born and I saw him for the first time, he took my breath away. I had never before felt such love for anyone or anything. Finally, I understood God's love for me!

It took years for me to realize that the love I was searching for all along, was found in the Bible with my heavenly Father. I am a much better woman now than I have ever been. I have a wonderful husband and a precious little one that is truly a gift from God. My husband has the patience of Job and He is truly a gift from the Lord to me. When I have a bad day or am having a difficult time with my emotions, he loves me and shares God love with me over & over. He doesn't want me to forget how much Christ loves me.

We share the same with our son. When we go through our day, we talk about all that Christ has done for us AND all that He continues to do for us. We tell him how important it is that we share God's love with others so that they will know that He loves them, even when they feel like no-one else in the world does.

Tired of all of the HYPE of working from home?!?

2007-09-13T16:56:00.000-04:00

It is amazing how many "opportunities" are out there on the internet that are REAL work from home opportunities and how many there are that are SCAMS! I have tried SEVERAL of them and have been scammed a few times, but thankfully, I NOW have TWO that I work with and they are both absolutely better than I ever could have imagined!

I really do work with 6 and 7 figure earners, and I am here to tell you. . . they definitely think about things quite differently than most people I have known! God has blessed me to be able to work with other Christian WOMEN and have them show me and encourage me on my pathway to six figures!

My passion is to help other women out there that are TRULY interested in making a substantial income and helping others do the same. It really is a wonderful thing to help others achieve their dreams!!!

Don't stay in the dark ages and work for someone else. . . let me show you how to work from home with a REAL opportunity and let me help you achieve the success you have only dreamed of!!!

http://www.DontStayFat.com

Internal Cleansing!!!

2007-08-20T14:01:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally did it. . . I ordered the Isagenix Nutritional Cleanse. I have been looking for a way to "de-toxify" the inside of my body, since I have converted our whole house over to NON-toxic products for cleaning and laundry. I researched lots of different cleanses, but this one kept standing out. I have prayed a lot about what to do & I really feel that God has put me with a wonderful cleansing coach and mentor within Isagenix. Funny how He works, huh?

So, why am I telling you this? Well, I am going to log my journey HERE, for the whole world to see and to share in my ups & downs of it all! Am I crazy? Well, only you can decide. Once I get my pictures developed, I will upload my before pictures. I will also list my pounds and inches lost.

If you want to join me in this journey, feel free to order through this link. I would love to have a "weight loss" buddy.

Blessings to you!

God is so Good!

2007-08-10T22:50:00.001-04:00

This week has been extremely busy. God has provided some wonderful things in our business and I have been able to help some people that really needed it. Our prayers have been answered in so many wonderful ways. I am so thankful!

I was able to introduce several people to the wonderful world of working from home! Our team has begun to grow by leaps & bounds. I am so excited for them! This is such a tremednous opportunity for moms that want to work from home AND they don't even have to work full time! I show them how to work 10-20 hours per week and how it IS possible to make a six figure income working from home FOR YOURSELF!

I have a hard time understanding people who request the information on how they can work from home & then choose to say NO. There is NO reason to not even try. There is NO RISK involved. No selling. No inventory. No stocking of any kind of products. No home parties. All you need is internet access and long distance. I mean, if you don't want to put forth any effort, then there is no way you are going to earn money, and maybe that is the problem. . . That people just want everything handed to them. Well, that is NOT going to happen in the REAL WORLD. But I will tell you, anyone that is on my team has a much greater chance of succeeding because I help them build their business.

God blessed me with the opportunity to work from home and the ability to share that opportunity with others.!
http://www.onemommy.com
http://daddysdreamjob.com

Is Your Cross Too Pretty?

2007-08-08T13:43:00.000-04:00

I am a member of His Holy Space.com and this video was on one of our members sites. The message she shares is powerful! Please listen.

2007-07-31T23:10:00.000-04:00

When I read the story below in the News today, I was saddened to hear that more Christians are being persecuted. . . But, what the Taliban don't seem to realize, is that CHRISTIANS KNOW THAT THEY WILL BE PERSECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH! ! ! ! !

Taliban sets Wednesday hostage deadline
07/31/07 - 07:35 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jul 31, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Taliban extremists set a midday Wednesday deadline for Afghanistan to release prisoners before they execute more South Korean missionary hostages.

The threat came less than 24 hours after the bullet-riddled body of a 29-year-old male church volunteer was found beside a road in the Andar district in central Afghanistan.

Taliban rebels abducted 23 South Koreans -- 17 of them women -- from a bus on July 23. Last Wednesday, the group's leader was executed, al-Jazeera said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said senior leaders decided to kill the male captive Monday night because the government hadn't met demands to trade eight prisoners for the Christian group, The New York Times said.

The latest execution angered regional Gov. Mejaruddin Patan, who issued a statement saying: "Today the Taliban proved to the world that they are criminals. Even while our negotiations were continuing they killed another hostage."

URL: www.upi.com

Earn commissions on everything in your OWN mall!

2007-07-28T00:20:00.000-04:00

While looking to add things to my work at home mom site to help other moms earn from home, I found this special brand-new concept. You have GOT TO GET IN NOW!!! Don't you wish you had bought Microsoft stock in the 1980's? Well, this is a ground-floor opportunity like that was -except this is totally FREE! Company has only been up and running about 3 months (in the planning for 5 years) and is exploding!! Macy's, Sears,Target (over 1000 stores) are participating in this venture-which speaks to its legitimacy.

Ginny Dye, our founder, will soon be taking this to television and the new people recruited for My Power Mall will be distributed under those who are already enrolled. This is like winning the lottery - get in now- your base will be ready-made for you. This is a fantastic opportunity - and I have been duped in the past - I refuse to do that to anyone else. Keep in touch with me, I will relish in your success as much as my own.

You really owe it to yourself and your family to take a few minutes to view a video about the hottest new way to make great money. The company is also very much into donating money to worthy causes. Great company to work with. Never a fee for anything. Don't kick yourself a year from now for passing this up. JUST ANNOUNCED -- SOON WE'll BE ABLE TO BUY GROCERIES ON MY POWERMALL - this is huge!! May be done through gift cards then taken to grocery stores - THIS IS HUGE!!!!

The video presentation is well worth your time!

Blessings to you!

Mom Entrepreneur

2007-07-20T19:16:00.001-04:00

WOW! What a blast these past few weeks have been. Helping others to see the benefits in advertising their business has been tremendous! I can't wait to see so many of the small businesses that are going to advertise with The Home Resource Directory, come out successful!

I had an interview on American Family Radio on July 10th. It was about my Melaleuca business. You will have to listen to it! People were surprised by some of the facts that I talked about. I even had several people call me asking me for a copy of the toxin checklist. I'll add a link.

God has truly blessed me in so many ways!!! It feels good to be doing God's will in my life and following His plan for me, even if it is a little uncertain for me at times. At least I know that whatever happens, GOD is in control. I finally have time to start blogging again! Yay!!!

July already?!

2007-07-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been extremely busy starting a new business and it is BUSY! I have not taken the time to log on to my blog & update things, so there has been a lot that has transpired and I will have to take some time this week to update you. It is amazing how good you feel when you know that you are following God's plan for your life. I have pushed away from the path that He had for me, out of fear...but the more I read my Bible and the more I prayed and spent time with God, the more I realized that He does not give us a spirit of fear...that is from the devil!

I have also made the decision to start a new exercise routine. I ordered Turbo Jam and I am going to start doing that workout when it comes in the mail this week. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Mother's Day

2007-05-12T21:34:00.000-04:00

I was blessed to have a wonderful Mother growing up. We didn't always see eye to eye, but she was always there for me. (Big surprise... what teenager does?) My mom worked a full time job and sold crafts and Stanley home products, for extra money. She did all of this so that my dad could be a police officer and so that my brother and I could have things like other kids. She used to make dinner almost every night for us. My mom was great! My friends enjoyed coming over to our house, because she always cooked up something yummy and listened to us without being judgemental.

MY MOM IS STILL GREAT!!!!

When I was pregnant with my son, she was always there for me when I had problems and difficulties. She really helped me out. When I was in labor, I had her there in the delivery room with me & my husband. She was AWESOME! This was something that she had never experienced other than having her own kids. : ) She really enjoyed being there and we loved having her! I am so thankful that we could experience this together. I couldn't have asked God for a better MOM!

She supports me in ALL that I do. When I found out that I was going to lose my job and decided to start a work from home business, she joined me. My mom shared with me the love of helping others. And because of that, I have had such a wonderful time sharing my business with others. Mom taught me how to be selfless and know the joy of doing for others and seeing the joy on their faces. God is so good! He gave me the BEST MOM EVER!

My son loves her so much, too! He calls her "olde gramma". This is becasue he has spent the most time with her of all of his grandmas. She was around just about every week for some period of time and then when we built our house in 2005, we lived with her for 6 months. After we moved in, my son kept asking when grandma was moving in . . . : ) She comes out to our house at least once a week and usually stays the night. I am so thankful that my son will know my mom. He loves it when she spends time with him. When I was a child, we lived too far away from both sets of grandparents for me to really know them. . . 3 of them died by the time I was 11 years old.

I pray that my son has the wonderful opportunity of getting to know my mom as he grows up. She is my best friend.

I Love You, MOM!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-05-02T12:44:00.000-04:00