Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Lord's Hand

BOY, if you have doubted it, ASK ME! His hand has been seen in my life in the past week. He has been working on me. Molding me. Creating. Preparing me for what was coming... and it has started. I'm not sure what this all means in my life, and you probably think I am crazy because this doesn't make sense.... but the LORD'S hand is at WORK!

ALSO, as I have seen the LORD's hand, I have also seen SATAN! BOY is he hard at work! He is working hard on our marriages! Lean in towards the LORD ladies, and men (if I have any men readers!). Seek guidance. Seen wisdom! HEAVY spiritual warfare is happening around me! I'm arming myself, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? If you don't see it, open your eyes! I ASSURE YOU!!!
IT IS AROUND YOU!

Lord, don't let us sit around NOT preparing ourselves! Prompt us LORD to see urgency in this! Show us ways, people, books, speakers we need to be filling our lives with! THIS IS BIG STUFF and we can't DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Twas the first DAY OF SCHOOL!

Well, my alarm went off at 6:15. As I laid in bed, Parker and Bowden came bouncing in announcing they were dressed, hair and teeth brushed, and that Parker had dressed Bowden. He said he woke up at 6:00 am.


I woke Emaline up closer to 7. This was here after I said: Good morning Kindergirl!!!







B had to carry his lunch that I made him. He even took it into the kids school. He wanted to eat his lunch about 9 am!

Both kids had good days. Emaline was upset when I picked her up from school. She finally told me that it was because she didn't get to do anything. She said she didn't get to go to PE, she didn't get to go to Art. I asked her if she got to go to Music, and she said yes, but that wasn't good enough. She is funny. She is also upset that I signed her up to bring her lunch all week. She told me that Ms. Peters explained to her how to use the cafeteria and that she was ready! I assured her I knew she was, but I also expect the lines to be longer and I wanted her to have time to eat her lunch. I know, I am mean.

Parker had a great day! Not much on the details, but his class has 4 new students, and he said he made friends with them. This year he isn't with any of his good 'buddies'. That was heartbreaking at meet the teacher. Heartbreaking for me. He seems to be dealing very well with it. I love him and his confidence. I know he will have a great year!

B and I also had a great day!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Don't like your story?

I keep being in awe of the lessons I am learning from Rick Atchley at the Hills church, and from Chris Hatchett.

Today, in class, begins a time where we will share our story. Chris started out the series by giving part of his story. He also quoted a book about 'stories' and basically said- if you don't like your story, then change it! I love that idea. It does help mentally to think, YES, I can change it.

What if other people are writing chapters in your book?

How does that work?

Chris also spoke about about conflict, about even though we don't like it, it's an important part of our story, it makes up our story.

Yes it does! As I think back over my 'story' it is full of conflict. I have always said- I have a choice. I can choose to be a better wife, a better mother, a better sister, a better daughter. I have a choice of what examples in my life I will choose to follow.

We watched Chronicles of Narnia for the first time this weekend. We watched the last one. Still haven't seen first ones, but I was meant to watch this one. It spoke to me a few different times.

I thank the Lord for loving me. For being enough! He is who fills me! He is whom I aim to please. He can fill me with JOY! I will be stronger. I know that. He has walked me through some of these same struggles over and over in my life. He is always there, again and again. He NEVER lets me down. HE never hurts me. Oh HOLY Father, fill me with your SPIRIT!

.... and hopefully my next post will be full of laughter and goodness.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

For real REAL.

I posted that yesterday, and really today mostly was a day where satan just started poking me. Just an annoying poking. MOST OF THE DAY! I prayed against it. I prayed for help. Got some relief, then tonight it has hit so hard that I almost can't breathe. The anxiousness is overwhelming.

Here is a small spit up: So, I look forward to Women of Faith like all year. ALL YEAR! I was looking forward to it beyond belief. I needed to hear what these women were going to say. NEED it! Tomorrow is Meet the Teacher at the kids school. I had a plan. Husband was going to meet me there and I would go to both teachers and one of my WOF companions would pick me up from school and we would head straight there. We would join our 3rd party and eat afterwards this time. Sounds great! It's been on my calendar for months. It has been the weekend before school starts for years. Guess what I just found out? IT ISN'T THIS WEEKEND!!!

It's next weekend.

Next weekend. You mean, the weekend where my kids begin soccer games!! Did I mention I am the assistant coach?? Oh, and Stacey's mom's side of the family is having a fish fry on Saturday out in East Texas!!! Did I mention I was beginning to pack? No wonder WOF companion coming in from out of town hasn't told me where we were staying! I'm not meeting her there TOMORROW, it's NEXT WEEKEND.

Oh, I just want to SCREAM! It would alarm my husband who is now asleep beside me. Oh, and we had a difference of opinion on something. Nothing major, you know, just one of those things and it hit right after I found all this WOF stuff out. He was super supportive about missing E's FIRST GAME, and about missing the family cook out. He understands. It is just ALL MY FAULT that I wrote the wrong date on my calendar MONTHS ago! MONTHS!

CALGON! Oh yeah, my bathtub doesn't work.

Let me wipe my mouth now.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Let's get real

I mean it, let's get real. How are you doing? How do you usually answer? Do you give the 'Fine' answer or do you tell it? Do you choose who you 'tell' it to, and give the 'fine' answer to 99% of the other people?

Well, I'm tired. Things in my life have been tough. I mean tough. AND I AM TIRED.

I don't want to use the 'fine' word, but I also don't always want to be the 'throw up' person. Do you know a 'throw up' person? Well, I am that person if you are the 1% person I 'tell it' to! You know, you ask a friend how it is going and they throw up all their problems all over you. Lately, that is me, because I have been stretching my 1% of confidants to anyone who will listen, it seems. I don't want to be the 'throw up' person. I want to spread kindness and cheer, really I DO! But satan is real. I MEAN REAL! And let me tell you, the past year and a half have been... well, the hardest of my life.

I am tired. Tired of hearing that yet?

Recently someone I love said that church is such a hard place to visit because everyone looks so nice, and sit in their perfect pews, and seem perfectly perfect. I assured her that no, NO, some of those perfectly looking people are HURTING inside. They are STRUGGLING just like you are. They are praying their heart out to take the pain away, to show them the way to go, the words to say, the steps to take, and aren't so perfectly perfect.

Our story. I'm not going to 'throw up' on blogger tonight, but OUR STORY, YOUR STORY is important! THE stories do bless others and doesn't allow satan to hold onto that darkness. I believe that satan LOVES those little secrets, the-it's not your business- secrets. Rick Atchley mentioned this a bit in his sermon last week. I grew up with the -it's not your business- attitude. I grew up being told not to trust. Oh, how satan loved that dark side of our life. I do think you need to be careful who you tell, I'm not telling you to call up US magazine and take out an article of your deepest darkest secret that you haven't even told your BFF, but it is freeing- maybe 'throwing up' just a little just might help someone else. There may be a connection with that person that they just may know the exact words to pray! It may be they know someone who has walked a similar path and can help encourage you.

So be careful asking me how I am doing, you may need to duck- sometimes it comes out projectile! I am trying to spread more positive, uplifting messages of hope and bring others joy. I don't think I succeeded tonight. Did I mention I am tired?


Saturday, August 13, 2011

More birds!





Our baby birds

Oh yes we did! We had the cutest baby birds outside our window. RIGHT OUTSIDE! The birds had created a next in our bush, right outside our window, and even created the entrance for our viewing. We sat up our video camera on a tripod and captured HOURS of their activity. Not sure when we will watch it, but we have it!

I've got LOTS more pictures... I'll post a few more.