garage sales - my musings for today

What a gorgeous day it is today. Rochester weather can be very annoying but not today. :) The weather is sunny but not too cool and not too breezy. The air felt great on our walk this morning...... :) I am not usually one to compliment the weather as I usually have not much of an opinion one way or the either. I like snow, don't mind driving in it but I hate that is is sooooooooo cold though! It is really pretty how it covers all the ugliness man kind has made on the earth.... I love the summer but I hate the sticky humidity that comes along with the heat. The spring is usually rainy and that is a good thing for our plants and crops. However, it is not so great for our moods. One can only take so many of those gloomy overcast spring days. The fall is probably my favorite season if I had to pick one. In the fall the weather is brisk, not too cold yet and still sunny most of the time. The air is filled with wonderful harvest scents; apple pies, pumpkins, spices, and so many other wonderful things. The farmer markets are still open and are selling eggplant, squash, corn, tomatoes, apples, mmmmm all the yummy things........ :)
The one thing I do not like at all about the fall is the darkness that creeps, all to fast, into our days. The sun rises later, sets earlier, the clouds are usually darker then in the spring, and people are usually busier and aggitated. So many people get so agitated over stupid things.
Like the holidays, I mean come on! We are celebrating wonderful things; the first Thanksgiving and the birth of our Saviour, so why do we get so agitated?
Mankind takes simple things, like taking pleasure in thanking our God, and turns it into such a huge commercialized event. You have the decorations. You have the food, and lots of it! You have the parades. You have the family and friend get togethers. you have the football games. My question is what in the world do any of these things have to do with Thanking God and celebrating His birth? Nothing! That is right nothing!!!  LOL... But we get so wrapped up in our traditions and our holidays that we loose sight of the reason for the season.
As a side note, I hate that saying at Christmas time, Jesus is the Reason for the Season. I know it is VERY, VERY TRUE but what I hate about it is has become a gimmick. It has become common saying through the Christian and Catholic communities that is really has lost it's meaning. I don't think we should stop saying it, I just think we should really appreciate the fact that it is true and mean every word  of it every time we say it.
Ok, back to what I was saying. The other thing I love about fall is the garage sales. Garage sales are so neat to go to because you can find so many nice things that other people no longer want. I have gotten some great bargains at garage sales. Hosting a garage sale however, can be a chore in itself. You have to sift through the things you have to find what you want to get rid of or what you no longer use or need. It is a great time to "clean house" and make room for things you do need and desire. Cleaning house makes life so much nicer to live. It makes your apartment or house more of a home and not just a place to live and sleep.
That got me thinking of where Jesus lives. I know that I need to do some cleaning up of my heart for Him to live comfortably there. (Not that I would want to have a garage sale from the things I need to get rid of in there because I would not want anyone to be bothered with my sins and have it stand in their way of a good relationship with Christ.) The idea of cleaning house has great merit though.
So what things do I need to get rid of to make Jesus' place of residence (IE: my heart) more comfortable for Him? hhhmmmm. I don't have to take much time to think this one thru. The things that have taken up my time and kept me from spending time with Him, those things need to go. If they can't go, (and I cannot stop doing them, such as my job) then I have to make them take a back burner to Christ. No matter what we do in life, it can be done for the Glory of the Lord if our hearts are right. No, I do not mean stealing or adultery can be done for the glory of the Lord for those are sins and He will have no part of them. What I mean is that is we wash cars or clean toilets we can do it to the best of our ability and in that we are glorifying the Lord with our hard work. We are to attribute all our work to Him, for without Him we would have nothing. If it is running a company, running a church of just fixing cars, prayer should be the first and foremost thing on our minds. Keeping our eyes on the Lord will help us keep our jobs being done well.
So, as you go about your day, keep your eyes focused on Him.
God Bless, Trisha

my favorite desserts

The last time I wrote in my blog a friend suggested that I relate desserts to sin and how tempting it is. I love to talk about desserts so I thought the idea had some merit.

My favorite desserts are chocolate.I love practically anything chocolate. If I had to pick a "healthier" dessert it would be strawberries. Strawberry Shortcake, strawberries and cool whip, plain strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries. They all are absolutely wonderful! There are really so many desserts that are appealing but not as tasty as strawberries and chocolate.


mmmmm.......mmmmm......mmmmmmmmmm.... good....... :)

If someone offered me a yummy wonderful dessert would I turn it down? most likely not! Now if someone offered me liver and onions, or cow's tongue, or ham hocks then NO WAY! please take the away before I get sick! But desserts....... mmmmm too good to dismiss without trying. You know that if you try a dessert that you absolutely love no matter how much willpower you have you will most likely finish that dessert. I know I would.


Ever think of sin like that? Do you think Satan would offer you some gross things to entice you with? Things that would turn your stomach and make you sick. That would not be tempting in the least. Temptation is defined as "something that seduces or has the quality to seduce". Seduce is defined as "to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises." So by definition temptation is desirable. Satan knows this. He knows what is desirable to me and what is desirable to you. It may or may not be the same thing. Just like we all love different desserts (Mike hates strawberries and will not touch them!) sin is also different for each of us. My sin issues are different then yours are. Just like my dessert choices are also different then yours. 

I know that if I eat chocolate I find it very hard to stop eating it if there is any left. I LOVE chocolate, ask Mike. I am notorious for taking any chocolate that is left in the house, even if he bought it for himself. I justify taking it because I think that when I go to the store I will buy him replacement candy bar. 


But what does that chocolate really do to me? It is a quick, yummy treat, true. But it also has high fat content and high calorie content. It is low in nutritional value which means that it isn't really healhty for us. It is a treat, plain and simple. If I ate only treats and no normal food, no veggies or meats, no fruits or breads I would be missing a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. That loss of important building blocks can increase our inability to fight off sicknesses and make us more lethargic. We are unable to fight off sicknesses and to stay strong and healthy.

Sin is like that. If we indulge in sin we loose the ability to think clearly on God's desire for us. We become lethargic in our faith and sluggish in our response to correction from God. We become more suseptibale to fall into sin. Is that what you want for you life? It's not what I want that is for sure! 

I would rather feel healthy, strong and energetic. I love having the passion for life and the energy to spread that passion. With a good daily helping of God's Word and prayer (conversations with the Saviour) my day is filled with so much more then I could have ever imagined. I am energetic to spread His word and His love. I am strong to resist the attacks of sin that can be overwhelming to a weaker person. I look forward to eating more healthy foods. 
So have a bit of chocolate but keep it minimal as it is easy to over indulge. :)

so many people in the world

Wow, the world population is now 6,871,328,019 and the U.S. population is 310,344,759 according to US Census Bureau @ 20:07 UTC (EST+5) on Sep 26, 2010. 


HOLY COW!!! now that is a lot of people. 


Those with Moebius - 2,500 world wide
Bell's Pasly - 75,000 world wide
Disabled in some way: 100,000,000 world wide
Autism of some form: 1 in 150 (2,068,962 in the US)
Blind: 40,000,000 world wide
Hearing Impaired to some degree: 33,487,702 world wide
Depression: 120,000,000 world wide


NOTE: ALL NUMBERS ARE APPROXIMATIONS. All numbers were acquired through reputable websites siting researched data.


So, why do you care about these numbers? Why do I care about these numbers? Well, with all these people on Earth, and all the technology we have here on Earth (and in orbit of Earth) how come we still have these medical problems? We should be able to fight these problems with better results one would think. At least, I would think. 
Another common question is if there really is a God and he is loving, why do we still have all these problems/ Why has He allowed (or in some accusations caused) these problems to exists? 
Honestly, I don't have all the answers, however, I have a theory.
It all started with Adam and Eve. Yes, I know here we go again. blaming it all on the first sin in the garden. Think of it though, that is really how this whole thing started.... 
Adam and Eve were made in God's own image. That means they were like God. Healthy, without faults, with out defects. Yes, you heard me right. Humans are defective, whether you have a disability or not. When He created us, we had nothing wrong with us, no defects at all. So how did it happen to come that there are so many people with physical or mental difficulties? How come we as the human race have so many defects? 
Sin has crept into our lives so much that we barely see it for what it honestly is, sin. No, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if you are sick or have some sort of disease that you are in sin and correcting that sin will get rid of the problem you are having. What I am saying i that in order to have the close relationship with Christ. We need to be honest with ourselves and with God, as to what our sin is and repent of it.  
I for one, want to admit to God and to the world, that I have sinned and continue to do so without intent or maliciousness. I pray that God restores me to my former beauty as he designed originally. Will you do that same? He desires a close relationship with you. All it takes is humbling yourself to admit your a sinful person and He is the only one that can clean you. :)

today happened.........

Ok, so today was busy. First, we woke up, feeling relaxed and not rushed. We spent some time together as a family, which we rarely are able to do first thing in the morning. I made eggs and toast for breakfast. (yummy!!!) I liked this family time a lot! Then Mike and I went to church for the prayer time. I never thought prayer could make me feel so good. I feel in awe at prayer. I know, I know, I know... I should have started going years ago. But I didn't so I shouldn't complain over things in which I have no control of. It certainly is not like I can go back and change things. I do think I did the right thing by postponing attend the prayer meetings though. Mike, now Mike and I, carpool to prayer with his long time friend, Terry. I know my husband rarely gets time to socialize with other men and I know he cherishes that time with Terry. I did not want to impose on that time. I still do not, but going to prayer has tunred out to be a blessing in more ways then I could imagine.

After prayer we moved some supplies around at church and then went to Wal-Mart.  We finally arrived home later then I had hoped. I was beat! My amazingly wonderful husband allowed me to sleep for nearly 2 hours when we arrived home. :) I really needed that nap.

Now here is the biggest event of the day. The person I was blogging about before, the one that I got into an argument about, well, I called her. We talked for over an hour. Although some of the talk was heated some it was good.  I have learned over the years to let things go. It's a hard lesson to learn but one that everyone must learn at one point or another. Sometimes it is better to let go then continue to argue. Being right isn't always the most important thing. (Not saying I was -or ever will be- COMPLETELY  right, mind you.) But being right is't all it's cracked up to be at times.

It got me thinking, why isn't it the best thing? You know, when you were a kid you would argue with your friends or siblings as to who was right? Back then being right was awesome! Being right gave you some aura of superiority, almost like standing on ground above those you are arguing with. But you see? There in lies the problem. You are above others, alone, singled out, set aside. For what? What do you really have to gain by being set apart, by being right? Well, for one, you have a great feeling of superiority. You also are proud of your stature. You are looked up to. But you are alone. ALONE. When you put yourself above others, in anyway, you loose sense of reality. You become egocentric, whether you believe me or not, you do.

How can we protect ourselves from such a place but not always give in to others' way of thinking? I have really only found one way. I have tried other ways. I have tried convincing others to see things my way. I have tried to justify my way. I have stayed solid in my belief and bold in stating them, therefore lost friends. I have not succeeded in protecting myself. I have only succeeded on hurting myself in the long run. People could tend to think that I might be snobbish, conceited, judgmental, rude, or pushy. At times people have thought that. And at times, they have been right.  So again, how can we protect ourselves from people thinking that and still be right? Easy. Humble your self and give God the reins to guide your words. Now, this is not easy to do. But it is necessary if we want to keep our witness and keep our friends. As humans we want to do things our own way. We want to be in control, just like we want be right. As an example, think of children. They always want to be right. Remember when you were a kid? You always thought your parents were too hard, they were wrong and you were right, they were mean, they were punishing you for no reason and so on. I know I did at times. I pretty sure you did at times also. Now that we are adults, or almost in some cases, you can see the error of your ways. you can see how your attitude contributed in escalating the punishment or correction, even if you were right. It doesn't matter if you are right. It matters how you express that, or if you express that at all. Sometimes it does not needed to be pointed out.

Handing God the reins to guide our words keep us in check. It helps us stay humble and realize that to keep a good friend you have to be a good friend. Sometimes that means shutting your mouth and not pointing out all their faults.

That was my mistake. Yes my part of the argument was, in my eyes and in my memory, correct. Pointing that out caused a huge argument. I did follow the Scriptures about helping your brother if he is in sin. I did follow the Scriptures to do so in love. However, pointing out everything is not so good an idea... sometimes you need to stop in your tracks and start taking baby steps. We all needed to learn in baby steps when were young. Non-believers and young Christians alike, need do that too. Just like you cannot make a baby walk before their time you can not point things out to someone who refuses to see them. God will show them in His time. Until then, just be a friend. Humble yourself, I'm speaking to myself here too, before God and allow Him to take the reins in your relationships. You'll be glad you did.

not sure what to say

Boy these last couple of days have been pretty nuts here. Not in the usual way either. I mean in ways that I am not used to, I mean arguing. Yes, I know we all have arguments from time to time but they come and go and you move past them. This argument isn't one I can move past very easily. You see it is very complex and very frustrating. 

When you are a Christian you ask Christ to save your from your sins, to guide you in your life, each and everyday. You desire to learn more about Him. You desire to be around others of like minds. Those that love Christ want to be around others that love Christ. They want to continue to learn and grow closer to the Saviour. Their conscience keeps their hearts focused on Christ which keeps them more aware of when they sin. Sin is confessed and your heart is cleansed through forgiveness like only Christ can give. 

But what if you know someone who is not following that but insists that they are saved? Well, scriptures tell us to go to our brother if we have a problem. It also says to guide those that need it.  But it emphases to do so in love without condemnation. 

Matthew 18:15-16 (King James Version)

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Galations 6:1

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

(I encourage all of you to read this article at this link:
http://webhosting.mastertemplates.com/webhosting/division-within-the-body-of-christ-part-two.html )

 I am trying really hard not to judge this person who I argued with. I do not want to judge them as individuals but rather show them their sin issue and have them correct that, with my help if they desire. Is that so wrong? Not according to the Scriptures, from what I read.

So, I guess this my argument with this particular person. They asked me what was wrong, why I was frustrated with them. I told them as nice as I could with as much love as I could, that their actions were affecting our relationship and more importantly it was affecting their relationship with Christ. I was worried for their salvation and their Christian walk.

OH MY WORD! You would think this person thought I was going to literally kill them! 

This person got so defensive and upset. I feel horrible for upsetting them but at the same time I do not. You see I am torn. I did not intend for this person to take offense to my words or my pointing things out, but I also felt led to point these things out knowing this person would not like it very much. I did what I felt I  had to do according to the Scriptures. Am I wrong for that? I do not believe so. Would I change my actions and the way I worded my letter to this person if I could? No, I wouldn't despite knowing how angry they are with me right now. You see, to me my relationship with Christ is more important to me then any other relationship I have with anyone here on Earth, even my husband and my children whom I love more then any other human being. 

Ok, so if I knew ahead of time that this person would be so angry at me and that my saying something would ruin the friendship I have with them why would I go ahead and say it? You know, you come to a realization in life that Christ's way is the only answer and you have to follow it, not because you are being asked to or made to but because you want to make you Father happy and pleased with you. You see, the relationship I have with this person is only temporary, for as long as I live here on Earth. However, my relationship with Christ is for eternity, longer then I can ever imagine...... :) Which relationship is really worth in the end? Which one will make me happier in the end? I think you know the answer to that one but I will spell it out for you. The relationship with Christ is more important to me then any other relationship I could ever dream of having here on Earth. It is one to be cherished moment by moment and have every attempt to make it stronger and stronger each day. 

I am deeply sorry this person is angry at me. Please always know that I love this person dearly. They do mean a lot to me and I would never change the experiences I have with this person as they make me what I am today. :)

Ok, so now you now my life story! lol Have a great night!

a spur of the moment

I was sitting at my computer earlier today and thought of this poem. Just a random thought at the spur of the moment. :) 

My life to Him I give,

For it’s He that makes me live.

In ways I could never dream or see,

On my own I’m without humility.

I trip over every branch and stone,

Since my life I make my own.

Giving it away to thee

Is the only way to make me free.

my favorite desserts

The last time I wrote in my blog a friend suggested that I relate desserts to sin and how tempting it is. I love to talk about desserts so I thought the idea had some merit.
My favorite desserts are chocolate.I love practically anything chocolate. If I had to pick a "healthier" dessert it would be strawberries. Strawberry Shortcake, strawberries and cool whip, plain strawberries, chocolate covered strawberries. They all are absolutely wonderful! There are really so many desserts that are appealing but not as tasty as strawberries and chocolate.

mmmmm.......mmmmm......mmmmmmmmmm.... good....... :) 

If someone offered me a yummy, wonderful dessert would I turn it down? Most likely not! Now if someone offered me liver and onions, or cow's tongue, or ham hocks then NO WAY! Please take the away before I get sick! But desserts....... mmmmm, too good to dismiss without trying. You know that if you try a dessert that you absolutely love no matter how much willpower you have you will most likely finish that dessert. I know I would.

Ever think of sin like that? Do you think Satan would offer you some gross things to entice you with? Things that would turn your stomach and make you sick. That would not be tempting in the least. Temptation is defined as "something that seduces or has the quality to seduce". Seduce is defined as "to lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises." So by definition temptation is desirable. Satan knows this. He knows what is desirable to me and what is desirable to you. It may or may not be the same thing. Just like we all love different desserts (Mike hates strawberries and will not touch them!) sin is also different for each of us. My sin issues are different then yours are. Just like my dessert choices are also different then yours. 

I know that if I eat chocolate I have a hard time stopping if there is any left. I LOVE chocolate, ask Mike. I an notorious for taking any chocolate that is left in the house, even if he bought it for himself. I justify taking it because I think that when I go to the store I will buy him replacement candy bar. No harm done. Or is there?



But what does that chocolate really do to me? It is a quick, yummy treat. It lasts only a few moments and then is digested. It turns into fat. Fat that goes right around my waste! Now even though the chocolate was yummy and I enjoyed it I do not particularly like the results of added weight. 


Think about sin like that. Sin is tempting, enjoyable and seducing at first. It feels good and it feels right (sometimes) but afterward you are left with guilt, shame and regret. You may wish that you could go back in time and not commit that sin. No matter how tempting it was at the time you now know the result of committing it. You can't get rid of the dessert that you ate without making your self sick. You can' go back and redo events to not commit that sin.

But there is hope! Just like exercise helps you loose the extra weight you have gained from all the desserts, Jesus helps you feel better by forgiving you when you repent from the sin you fell into temptation with. 

~~  Jesus is like execise for the soul. :)   ~~

I hope that when you regretfully indulge in sin that you go to get your spiritual exercise by talking to our Lord and Savior. Ask him to cleanse you. :)

workboxes!

Ok, so today is officially the 2nd day with the workbox system. I Love LOVE, LOVE it!! I'm not sure how the kids feel about it but it worked well for us for today. The weekly schedule leaves me free from scheduling the remainder of the week. It also lets the kids take charge of some of their own time and school work.
I think we may change Literature for Adam though. It is a bit above his understanding and  a huge amount of reading out loud for me considering that I read Biology, History and Literature out loud to both boys. By the end of the day my voice should be hoarse! lol

I want to put some pictures on here about the workboxes but I have two small problems; one is I have no idea how to do it and secondly I have no pictures taken yet. lol My batteries are charging so I can take pictures soon.

So far the workboxes are set up, instead of drawers the way Sue Patrick designed it, as binders. Each kid has two binders. one binder is for this week we are working in. The second binder is for completed and graded work. In each binder each subject has it's own folder. Int he "this week's" binder the work to be completed goes in the left pocket. Once it is completed it is then moved to the right pocket. at the end of each week there should be nothing in the left pockets. Once all the work is graded the kids put it in their completed work binder in that subjects folder. In the front of each "this week's" binder each kid has their assignments listed for the whole week. It is up to them to make sure the work gets completed. They can do it in any order they want as long as it is all done by Friday afternoon.
Each kid gets a drawer to put their binder and pencils/pens in so they know right where their supplies are. We use a bookshelf for all the text and work books and their completed work binder. Each child gets their own shelf also. Their text/work books stay on their shelf. All the teacher's manuals are on a shelf for me. Everything is easy to find and in clear site. 
this has made my mind clearer then it was last year. Last year we went day by day. I know it wasn't a good system but I was just to lazy to figure it out and to plan ahead. This year I am determined to plan ahead. lol
The original system can be found at http://www.workboxsystem.com/ .As you ca see I have adapted it to use binders instead of drawers so it would work in the small space we have and so the kids would be more interested in using it. I thought they might think it was babyish if I used drawers for each subject. After talking to them about it I was right. They said no way... hahaha
You can also google workboxes and find ways others have adapted it. 
Well, I think that is all for this post. I will keep you posted as to how it continues to wrk (or not work) for us.

Always make your homeschool cool for you and your family. Don't make it a school but a place of learning. :)

a few things on my mind

First and fore most may I say that my husband has got to be the most wonderful husband there is! Why do I say this? Not because he did something special like get me flowers or chocolates. He didn't take me to dinner, in fact I cooked for him. He didn't need to discipline the kids for me either as they have been great all day. :) I just think he is a wonderful husband because I love him so much. He loves me and shows me each day with the little things he does. Each morning, whether I am awake or not he has kissed my cheek before leaving for work. He calls me each day on his lunch break just to say hi. The first thing he does upon entering our home after work is give me a hug and kiss and ask me how my day was. There is so much for him that I could do but since I get wrapped up in my own life I don't always show him the attention I should. So, I would like to shout to the world that my husband is awesome!!!
I was going to write a few other things on other subjects, in the blog today but I want to keep this particular entry just about my husband. It's the least I could do seeing as how much he does for me.
So Mike, I love you!!!!

How to Identify a Fool

This is originally posted on FaceBook by Ellen Gerwitz. Thank you for allowing me to repost it Ellen. :)
We've been studying Proverbs on Sunday mornings and this morning I had the thought that it might be interesting to put together a "checklist" if you will of the characteristics of fools so as to identify them more easily.  Below is my result.  I've included the scripture references, but have only summarized the concept of each verse.  It was convicting on a few points.  Let me know what you think!

How to Identify a Fool
Pro 1:7     Despises wisdom and instruction.
Pro 1:22   Hates knowledge.
Pro 1:32   Prosperity will destroy him.
Pro 3:35   Inherits shame.
Pro 10:1   Causes his mother grief.
Pro 10:14 Speech is full of foolishness.
Pro 10:18 Hides hatred with lies and slanders others.
Pro 10:21 Dies for lack of wisdom.
Pro 10:23 Finds getting into mischief entertaining.
Pro 11:29 Causes trouble in his own house.
Pro 12:15 Thinks he's always right.
Pro 12:16 Shows his anger.
Pro 12:23 Heart proclaims foolishness.
Pro 13:16 Shows his foolishness.
Pro 13:19 Hates to depart from evil.
Pro 13:20 Companions will be destroyed.
Pro 14:3   Has prideful speech.
Pro 14:8   Deceives himself.
Pro 14:9   Mocks sin.
Pro 14:16 Continues bad actions, despite being warned.
Pro 14:24 Wastes time with his foolishness.
Pro 14:33 Shares his foolishness with the whole world.
Pro 15:2   Mouth pours out foolishness.
Pro 15:5   Hates being instructed by his parents.
Pro 15:7   Does not speak with knowledge.
Pro 15:14 Loves to talk about foolishness.
Pro 15:20 Hates his mother.
Pro 16:22 Instructing him is a waste of time.
Pro 17:16 Has no desire to gain wisdom or knowledge.
Pro 17:21 Causes parents grief.
Pro 17:24 Focuses on anything except wisdom.
Pro 17:25 Causes grief and bitterness to parents.
Pro 18:2   Doesn't want to understand anything, focuses only on himself.
Pro 18:6   Constantly argues and seeks violence.
Pro 18:7   Mouth gets him in trouble.
Pro 19:13 Causes disaster to his father.
Pro 19:29 Constantly in need of punishment.
Pro 20:3   Seeks out strife.
Pro 21:20 Wastes resources.
Pro 23:9  Despises words of wisdom.
Pro 26:7  What he says is not reliable.
Pro 26:9  What he says causes pain.
Pro 26:11 Continually returns to the same behavior over and over again.
Pro 29:9  Argues and contends in every situation.
Pro 29:11 Speaks his mind all the time even when it's inappropriate.

too scared to be near it

Hi. Right now my kids are playing with their Nerf blow dart guns their father made for them. To see my kids laughing and playing, and their father being silly with them, has sure made this day wonderful!
Adam, my oldest, has been suffering all weekend with side pain and nausea due to a kidney infection. Daniel, my youngest, was sick this morning also. :( I hate when the kids are sick.
Anyhow, today Mike and I went to church by ourselves because both boys were sick. It was an enjoyable teaching but I did miss my children. The teachings at church have been phenomenal lately. I have learned so much! My pastor's wife, Ellen, has come up with a list of foolish traits one might have in regards to their relationship with Christ, as found in Proverbs. I will include that list in another blog. Right now I want to tell you what happened to me on the way home from church. It scared me beyond my imagination. I feel quite stupid about it but I wanted to share because I had a thought when it happened that I got excited about. ~~~ If only....... mmmmmmmmmm (sorry daydreaming! lol) ~~~~~

Ok, I'm awake now. We own a Dodge Caravan, gold in color. It has bucket seats in the front and two benches in the back. I was sitting in the front (bucket) passenger seat and Mike, of course, was driving. We were going along with no problems when I happened to look down at my lap. OM MY GOODNESS!!!!!

If you know me you know I hate spiders. I have tried and tried and tried till I am blue in the face not to be and I have gotten much better over the years. I am not sure why they freak me out so much as I know that I am bigger then then and I can kill them with barely a thought but for some illogical reason they still scare me.

Right next to my leg was a small hairy, black and yellow (or so it looked) spider. If you can imagine this happening to someone who hates spiders, but trying to be brave, you can see how I would feel. I was trying to keep "brave" and not be squeamish, just gasped a little bit. (Enough for Mike to look over at me though.) then it happened!
IT JUMPED!!!! on to my LEG!!!!!!!  That was it! I shot across -- towards mike, who is driving, -- the passenger seat until less that half my body is on the seat. Most of it was suspended in the air between the seats. I was not happy at this moment. In fact, much to my dismay (and embarrassment) I was terrified. I have no reasonable reason though as I know I m bigger then this spider.

So, Mike pulled over, being the wonderful husband that he is, and spider killer to boot. He got out of the car, opened my door while I jumped into the driver seat, to kill that big (rather tiny actually) ugly, hairy. jumping spider. Only he couldn't find that stupid icky spider!!!!! So, I trying again to be brave feeling stupidly scared, move back to my seat and he gets in his seat. We start to drive home. Then, as I am taking a sip of my water, I see the spider again, close to me! My heart races, I gasp again and jump towards Mike. My lovely, wonderfully supportive husband again pulls over to get the mean ole spider. This time he finds it and swooshes it out of the car, freeing me from it's terror. Meanwhile, I am having a hard time keeping my breath steady and almost on the verge of tears, again, feel so stupid while sitting in the driver's seat again.

All the way home I am peeking everywhere I can see from my seat while I am buckled safely in, and UNABLE to jump out of the way if a wayward spider decides to scare me again. My breathe is not steady and my heart is beating out of my chest. I am left feeling scared and worried and much to my embarrased thoughts, feeling really stupid for being scared.

So why am I talking about all this if it embarrassing? Well, because of the thought that crossed my mind on the way home of course! lol

What if we could jump out of the way of sin when it comes near us? it sure would save us a lot of time, energy wasted on the sin and the frustrating, humbling time picking up ourselves after the sin is done. If only we could just, like Mike, swoosh it out of the way. That would be so nice! It would be much easier for us to keep the relationship with Christ free and clear so we can be more intimate with Him.

I would love to be able to wake up one morning and not have to worry about if I sin that day. I could just look at the day and jump out of the way of sin that is trying to distract me from my Saviour. :)

If only.... I would love to be too scared to be near it. wouldn't you?

what a day. :)

So, today I woke up feeling fairly good for a change. So many things have gone on in my life recently that I feel as though I barely have anytime to breathe. :) Although this week did not go as I had planned, or at least had hoped it would go, I am here to tell you all about it now. This week consisted of a migraine, a trip to the docs for me to get rid of my migraine, some school (although not nearly as much as I had hoped), lots of phone calls (way too many!), cleaning house, laundry, going through curriculum books, organizing the school bookcase, a major (MAJOR) fight with Adam, friends visiting (love ya Jennie!!), Adam's doctor appointment, Wal-Mart a couple of times, library a couple of times, baby sitting, blood work, and finally a cranky teenage boy in pain with a kidney infection. I think that about sums up my week. Oh! Did I mention Adam's bike got stolen? lol Oh MY! What a week we have had here!

So what did I get out of this week? Make the most of what I am given each day, despite how I felt physically. I was able to breathe. I was able to walk. I was able to cook a wide variety of foods to satisfy my family. I had clothes (too many Mike would say!) to keep me warm. A roof over my head that keeps me dry when it rains and in the shade when the sun shines. Medicine to make me feel better and a family to love me.

All in all, I think it was a pretty good week.

I know each of us has our bad days, some more then others. I also know some of us aren't as lucky (actually blessed) as others to have all the things that we have. But, I also know that if you are reading this you are alive and that is something to be thankful for!

You know, you might look at my life and think what does she have to be unhappy for? She's happily married, has a nice place to live, goes to church and has great friends. How could she relate to the life I have? Well, there is so much you do not know about me and tonight I feel led to share.

When I was a wee babe I lived with my biological mom and dad and 5 siblings. We lived in a run down house that we rented, in a crime ridden, cockroach infested part of the city. I was beaten so bad that I should have died. I have had all the bones in my body broken at least once, including my neck. Actually we all were, all six of us kids. When I was 7 my whole world fell apart.

My father and mother had signed all of their kids over to the State of NY. They didn't want us anymore, or so it felt at the time. All 6 of us kids were placed in foster homes. God blessed me with two wonderful things that year. One, that I was one of only two of the 6 kids to live with a sibling. The other one was my older sister, Loana. We lived, for the next 14 years, with our foster parents. They were amazing parents. I never went hungry anymore, I always had fresh clean clothes that actually fit me and were not hand me downs with tons of stains and holes, I went to a nice school where I did not get ridiculed each day, I was no longer beaten daily, and most of all I learned that Jesus died to save my soul.

When I turned 21 I married the most wonderful man I had ever met. Our life started out great, so I thought. I had a horrible pregnancy with my oldest son right after we got married. I had always had muscle and joint pains but now they were getting much, much worse. I couldn't take care of my family like I needed to because of the pain and the post-postpartum depression. I started my marriage thinking life would be glorious once I got married. Boy, was I wrong! Having all these new responsibilities, having a new baby and being in more pain then before all the time was a bit too much for me. My new husband had no idea what he had got himself into either! He thought he was marrying someone that was healthy only to find out she (me) had one medical problem after another.I found out I had Fibromyalgia and Endometriosis. I have had a complete hysterectomy and two foot surgeries. I am on meds for the rest of my life for health issues and pain. We had unresolved issues for a long time. After while we started to talk about the issues and, with God's guidance, we were able to work things out.

As the years have gone on we have not only grown closer to each other but, more importantly, grown closer to God. It takes each day waking up and putting God first in your life, in your marriage, in your parenting to stay close to Him and have a happy marriage. Parenting isn't all it's cracked up to be either! I thought when I had kids things would be ok. We would live the normal "2.5 kids, a house and a dog" lifestyle that is so common in the US. After that first rough pregnancy and delivery Mike wanted no mare kids. Adam was a handful too, so having kids right away wasn't really an option for either one of us. Then after a bit we changed our minds (and God creates in woman the ability to forget what having a baby is really like!) and we had Daniel. Now I thought Adam was a handful. I had no idea what having Daniel would be like.

Both my kids have special needs that each have their own challenges. Adam has severe learning disabilities with reading and writing, Asperger's, Sensory Processing issues, and hypermobility. Daniel has Moebius, Sensory Processing Issues and Anxieties. Daniel was also born with a malformed kidney that needed to be removed when he was 10 months old. Between both kids we have seen a ton of doctor's and read a ton of books. We have talked to other parents that have kids like ours and gleamed a lot of useful information. But no matter what help you get, having special needs children requires a lot of time and effort. Now we are homeschooling both boys again after having 3 - 4 years off (they were in public school).

So you see, life isn't all peachy keen and a bed of roses. Life is hard, for everyone. I know life can give you lemons and you should make lemonade with them. Easier said then done! lol With God though, things sort of fall in to place and He provides help and comfort from the oddest places.

I know life can be rough. Alright, it can be down right crappy at times! But God is there through it all. He is waiting for you to take His hand and let Him lead you. I guess that is why, after such a horrible week, I am thrilled to have experienced it. God has been great to me this week. I still have my health (even if that has problems too), my wonderful family, a great place to live, clothes on my back, food to eat, and a car to drive. I could go on and on and on with the blessings God gives me each day but I think you get the point.

So, think about what God has given you the next time you think life is rough. Think of those that are less fortunate then you. Remember that God loves you so much that He doesn't want you to suffer. All He asks in return is for you to love Him back and follow His lead. I hope you do that. I know I will!

what to feel

I'm not sure what to write today but I feel as though it might help me to feel better, so here I am. I am still feeling down since Adam's fit the other day. That was the worst I have ever seen him. Part of me is numb I guess, not wanting to believe he can act that way. Part of me is not surprised though. I think about his attitude and then I am reminded of our attitude to God. There really isn't a difference at times.
What does God think of us?!?!?!? We reject his guidance more often then not and we argue with Him just as much. He is our Father! We are supposed to obey, with out question, with out hesitation. Yet we don't. How must He feel about us when we behave that way?
Thinking about this makes me disgusted with myself. I guess that is part of what is making me feel so down today.

Dear Lord Jesus,
I am an ugly animated dirt ball. I am not worth the love and  care you give me, but still you give it freely. Lord, I do not understand your love. It is unconditional, never ending, and all encompassing. I know my love for my children is nothing like that. I want it to be but reality sets in and although I love my child in my mind my heart rebels and at times, wants nothing to do with them. If only I had your kind of love to give them. I know I do. It is free for the asking. I really want it but then the feeling of not deserving it steps in and refuses to let me take a hold of your love.

We are only human. We are sinful, disgusting, bratty children in your eyes. But still you love us no matter what we do. I do not understand. with these human eyes I am not able to understand. wth this human mind I can not comprehend.
Lord, let me see with your eyes, let me feel with your heart, let me be like you. Only then can I truly be happy.

Thank you for loving me no matter how crappy I behave. Thank you for forgiving me no matter what the sin was that I committed. Thank you for never forsaking me, always being by my side patiently waiting for me to return to you.


Love your daughter, Trisha

the kids are in bed

You ever feel so angry or disappointed in your children that you can't wait for them to go to bed? Sometimes it's hard to even look at them when you get that upset at them. Well, that was sort of how I felt today. No I did not hate my child, nor was I rude to him, but I was not interested in being around him today.
Adam is in a stage of life that we all have been in. He is trying to find his place in the world and trying to find out his status in society. He is a teenager.

All day this has been irritating me, nipping at my emotions, making me upset and feeling hurt. Tonight, however, I am left feeling somewhat different. I am left hinting of questions whose answers bother me a great deal.

Do we ever really grow up? Aren't well teenagers in God's eyes? Yes and no. Yes, I think that no matter how old we get we will always have more to learn from God. We will always need to be corrected by our Father. Yes, I feel that in some respects we all act like spoiled teenagers at some point in ours lives. Some of us (this is the no part) do learn and humble ourselves before God. Some of us, like my son Adam, have a really hard time with that. humbleness makes you realize that no matter how important you feel you are there is always someone you are accountable to. Someone is in authority over you... That is something you can never escape.

Today I think Adam has started to understnad that no matter what he feels is right we will not abide by his interpretation of how the world works. He feels that God put us all equal. That the Constitution states we are all equal. Well, after lots of research tonight I came to find out that it really doesn't say that at all. The Declaration of Independence does but not in the context Adam is thinking.

You see what dawned on me tonight is that we all act like Adam at some point in our loves. How many times have you stuck to your own thoughts about something because you feel you are right?  How many times have we 'manipulated' things to make it fit what we want it to fit? I know I have. I know you have also at one point or another.

What does God think of all that? WE ARE ALL SINNERS. No matter what sin we commit, it is all sin. But, just like I will eventually forgive my son for his attitude God forgives us even more so each time we sin. All we have to do is believe in Him, follow Him, and ask him to forgive our sinfulness.

For that to happen though we have to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to His authority. Tonight, I am doing that.... are you? Will Adam? I do not know what the answers to those questions are but I do now that one day we will all have to submit to God whether we like it or not. It's just easier to do it willingly.

today is almost done - good

ok, so now it is 5:32 and I can not wait till bed time. Yesterday was a horrible day despite my best friend coming to visit with me. Although I totally enjoy her visits my son's do not always share my thoughts. My oldest is in a rebellious stage where he feels he is always right and therefore doesn't have to respect me or obey me. My youngest is one who likes to be active so sitting around and chatting is not to his tastes.

Yesterday started our with a huge migraine. Then I went to the  doctor's for two shots to get rid of the migraine and that made my arms hurt a great deal. Today my one arm, the right of course! hurts even more then before. After arriving home from that my son starts up with this attitude of "I'm not doing anything you say, do it yourself." So now I am tired, sore, embarrassed in front of my friends and upset. Not a good mix of feelings.

Mike arrived home to an angry house. He dealt with it and now he is frustrated and depressed. Today we are feeling the same way as we did when we went to bed, worn out and unmotivated. Adam's behavior is better today but he is still in an upset mood also. At least he is obeying now.Daniel was fine from the beginning and has been helpful yesterday and today.
I'm not sure why I am writing this except to ask for prayer. What is rebellion and what is asperger's? What disciplines work for our son? I know every person has their price and we have to find that price for Adam. Right now he has no privileges (computer ps2 friends...) and he was punished last night too. I just pray this helps.
I am worn out and ready for bed now... and it's only 5:40.........

being healthy

Today feels like a long tiring day but there really is no reason for that to be. The house has been straightened up a lot over the last couple of days, and this morning. The laundry is folded and put away, except the socks which I will fold this afternoon. The dishes are all done and the kitchen is clean. So I feel like I have been productive. No wonder I am tried right? Nope, you are not correct. Yes, I have done lots of things over the last few days between helping with a birthday party, cleaning house and getting ready to start school today with my boys.

I think I am tired because all of these things are mundane, boring meaningless mind-numbing tasks... My brain is tired which makes my body tired. 

What do you to when you are physically or emotionally tired? I don't know about you but I do one of two things, eat junk foods or fall asleep. So, what do you do when you are spiritually tired? I usually "eat" "junk food"or sleep. Again, neither are beneficial to my over all, long term health

We all know what junk food is, you know chips, cookies, drive thru fast food, high carbs and high salts usually. So what is spiritual junk food? It can't be cookies or candy, can it? Actually metaphorically, yes it can. Things such as listening to the world's way of solving our problems, always taking meds for things rather then finding out the rot of the problem, getting therapy instead of talking to God, reading self help books, not disciplining our children so we do not ruin their self esteem, you get the idea. 

I know plenty of people who would disagree with me on this and that is ok. They have every right to disagree but that doesn't make them right. Based off the Word of God being a Christian is not always easy. He never promised us an easy road thru life. Narrow is that way, thru the eye of a needle, those who are persecuted for my sake, brother against brother sister against sister, etc... etc... 

So why would anyone want to become a Christian, if it is dry difficult to do? Well, let's back up a step. What is the benefit of eating healthy and exercising? You have a happier, less medically-stressful, longer life. So what would be the benefit of living spiritually healthy and doing spiritual exercise (reading the Word)? You not only live a happier Christian life and are a witness others while doing so but you live a more fulfilled life. One that is more rewarding to Christ.

Think ofit this way, if you could switch bodies with anyone in the world for a day, (they had your body and you had theirs), how would you want your body treated? Would u want this other person taking care of it or woul you mind if they gorged themselves with all the unhealthiest of foods, smoked, did drugs and drank? Of course you would mind! After all, it is your body that you live in. You will be getting it back and you want to make sure it is in good shape when it is returned to you, right?

Well, think of it this way. God lives in us, He has given these bodies to us to use while we were here on Earth. We will one day be returning them to Him to do with as He wishes. Do you want to give him a crappy, run down, dilapidated body that died early from the addictions you allowed it to get into? Or do you want to give God back this body well taken care of and working good?

Me? I want to hear Him say "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have treated this vessel with care. Thank you."

I know some days I do not eat healthy physically or spiritually, but I do try to make sure my over all eating habits stay healthy. I hope you do too. :)

getting burned

Ok, so maybe you all think I got burned tonight. Not that it would surprise me, but no I did not actually ge burned in the typical sense of the word. I do however has a burning sensation on my lips. It is all Adam's fault! hahahaha Ok, not really his fault, it's mine. I can blame him though, right? lol

I bought the kids some fresh picked hot peppers the other day. I thought they could make hot sauce with them. Adam loves (LOVES) spicy foods. He gets very proud of himself when he mixes spies to BBQ sauce to make a hot and spicy BBQ sauce. So, being a nice mom, and being bored tonight, after everyone went to bed, I roasted the peppers to give a nice flavor and remove the skins. This way the kids (mostly Adam) can make the hot sauce in the morning with out help from me. :o)

I was careful not to wipe my eyes or lick my fingers and stuff like that. I know these peppers are spicy hot. I do not like spicy hot anything so I was very careful. Apparently I wasn't careful enough though. lol You see, hot peppers that are having the skins removed let off some juice in the air. OH MY! My face is right above the plate I am using to put the peppers on. My eyes get the heat and I blink quite a bit. It gets better, no problems. My lips though!!! HOLY COMOLY!!! It is as if all the juice that the pepper let off seemed into the skin around my lips. Fifteen minutes later I am sitting here and my lips are still burning!!!

I try to do something nice and I get burned. Ever feel that way? I sure do at times. I try to help someone and they get mad at me. Or I get someone a gift and they hate it. Or, well, you get the idea.

It's at times like that I wonder if I did what God asked me to do, or, did I read more into it then God actually said. I fel like I got burned when things don't go as I expect them because someone changed their ideas of the situation. It is like the hot spicy burning sensation burning my lips. It hurts at first, then the pain lingers, trying to make it go away irritates it more, then I get upset at what ever caused the burning sensation in the first place.

Getting mad at the peppers is pretty senseless and ridiculous, right? Well, so is getting mad at someone else, or even at God Himself, when you get burned. If I had waited for the peppers to cool I might have had thta burning sensation as bad as I did. If I wait for God to show me what to do I won't feel as though I am being burned by God, circumstances and other people.

Wait on the lord to avoid getting burned. He will always direcxt our paths straight if we jsut humble ourselves and ask Him.

a headache kind of day.........

Today has been a day full of lots of things, including a migraine!!! Oh how I dislike migraines. I have not had this bad of one in about a year or so and I was blessed with only minor headaches regularly rather then major ones. God sure has been good to me for the last year. For this alone do I feel honored and blessed beyond measure!

That got me thinking........ God is so good to me. I was severely beaten as a young child, but God protected me and I am still alive today. He had me raised in a foster home that loved the Lord and went to a born again church.  My foster parents were wonderful and they raised me as if I was one of their own. Over the years I was never in need of anything and barely in want of anything for it was all, and them some, provided for me. I felt welcomed and loved......

As an adult, even tough I do not have foster kids of my own, I still try to give back. I am not giving back because I want to justify why I was treated so well, not because I think I can earn anything by doing so, not to look good in front of people. I give back to show my god I love Him and am thankful for protecting me all those years, and still doing so now. 

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you! (Isaiah 41:13)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

(Titus 3: 5-7)


So, now as an adult I try to live my life for Jesus each and everyday. I admit I am not perfect, actually I am far from it!!! Neither and I sinless but rather I just sin less. So today, I thank Jesus Christ the Son, God the Father and the Holy Spirit in helping me sin less and less each day. I will never be sinless but I can try to always sin less. :o)

As another note of interest I have been receiving a lot of rebuke from one person on facebook. I shared, very briefly and nicely, an invite to my church. I could have just put it on my facebook profile wall page but I felt led to ask people thru a private message instead. Well, as I expected just not to this extent, someone thought I was being "pushy" in my religion. pushy? Me? Obviously he has no idea what I am like. lol!!! Too funny!!!!!! I mean, if you know me well, I am honest and open about my faith and my relationship with Christ, however you would also know I am not pushy.

so my point is if you feel lled to share, by all means LISTEN TO IT!!!
SHARE YOUR FAITH!!
Jesus requires it. After all Scriptures talk about not hiding your light, to go forth and spread the good news, to be bold. They will know you by your fruit. If we are timid and do not share then we will produce no fruit. I'm sorry but I do not want to be hewn down!!! I do not want to be cast into the fire!!!!!!!
So, despite the slack I received, and will expect to continue to receive, I will be vocal about my beliefs. If you do not like it, please ignore me. delete me or do not read this blog.

Matthew 7:15-20 (King James Version)

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

If you do share my thoughts please comment below how you share your faith each day. Are you a quiet secret person who helps in the background or are you front and center helping out where ever needed? Do your friends know you are saved? If not... why? Do strangers you meet get the feeling that you are different because of your beliefs or do you resemble everyone else in your actions? 

They (the world) will know believers (us) by our fruits. Are you known by yours? 

 I pray daily that the people I meet will always see Jesus before they see me. :) 

lesson learned

Today has been a rough day for me with my walk with God. Not that I have not felt close to Him or anything. I have not been disobedient, to my knowledge. I have actually prayed quite a bit today, feeling thankful for all He has done for me. So why has it been rough? Well, not only was I taught one lesson today, I was taught 2!

First might I explain what happened today... Well, I have been in a slump, feeling frustrated and sad because I feel compelled, almost "required" to break contact with someone I once was very, very close with.  Due to once being close to this person breaking off the relationship, in my mind, is inconceivable... It is not something I want to do. This someone has always claimed to be saved, to Love the Lord God with all their heart. This person and I have been through a lot (I mean A LOT!!) together. Not talking to this person, albeit very seldom as of late, brings sadness to my heart. If I feel so close to this person why do I feel compelled to break contact? Well, it is easy. They have offended my God, the one True God. Their behavior is not only atrocious and wrong (according the the Word that they say they follow) but they have lived their life this way for some time, a lot longer then I care to admit. To sit idly by and watch this person disgrace the God that I love so much hurts me deeply. I have tried to talk to this person. I have tried to reason with this person. I have prayed and prayed and prayed.......... but my compelling feelings have not changed, nor has their behavior.

Then a couple of days ago, this person was very rude to me because their views differed from mine, which were based on Scriptures. When I asked this person not to be rude, I was then told off... This was not the first time this type of situation has come up. So, you see I have a choice........ do I sit back quietly while they continue to act opposite the Scriptures while telling everyone they are Saved, and stay friends with them therefore seeming to condone their behavior? OR Do I cut my losses, end the friendship, live for Christ and leave it all up to God?

Gee, let me think.................. It's a no-brainer right? Yes, but, (you knew there would be a but, right?) since I was really, really close to this person it is hard to let things end. I know I haven't had much of a relationship with them lately but to say we are done for good is such finality......... It has been troubling me so much lately. I feel betrayed by this person, hurt deeply. They know the truth yet they will not live by the truth, but they say they are Christians...... To me, that is slapping God in the face by saying you worship him but live opposite to His Word. I can not, nor will I, sit idly by and watch them slap my God in the face. I can't just do that... It's wrong!

So, where did I learn my lesson? At dinner tonight of all places!!! We always read a devotional to the kids while we eat dinner as a family. Tonight we chose to read My Utmost for His Highest. We do not always read that day's reading; we sometimes open it up and read what it opens to, other times we "search" (skim) for something that may pertain to what we are going through. I did the last option today. Since I had been struggling with this situation I thought Jan 11th sounded promising. It is titled "What my obedience to God costs other people". It talks about how if we live our lives according to Scriptures and keep obeying God people around us will ridicul, be upset, or angry at us because sometimes our obedience to God causes them an inconvience......

Like going to the movies. If a friend asks me to go to the movies with her and some friends, and I say yes. then I find out it's a horror movie they are going to see. I then change my mind because I don't agree that watching a horror movie is edifying. They might get mad at me and call me little miss goodie two shoes...

So you see, in that circumstance my living for God inconvenienced and upset my friends... So getting back to my situation I learned that no matter what this person feels about me, whether they get mad at me or think I am stuck up or whatever it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things........ My God is happy with my obedience and that makes me happy. :)

Ok, so one lesson learned now about the second lesson......... That was caused my the disobedience of my son. My oldest son has never really "got things" and understood why in fact something was wrong that he did. As he has gotten older this has happened less often but it happened tonight. Mike and I found out that Adam defaced property belonging to our apartment complex. He did it when his friends were around a while ago, apparently. We just found out about it tonight. Of course we were furious!!! Mike was extremely upset because eviction can be the end result of defacement of complex property... We have lived here 14 years already, with never a problem. We do not want any problems, especially caused by our children. Most kids would have remorse and understand the depth of their sin. Adam, not so much. He was confused. Although he knew it was wrong, he understood he did it willfully, he was lost on the idea that his friends were around when he did it and no one told him he was wrong for doing it. (I know I know! Most people would totally get that without an explanation, but not Adam, not with his Asperger's.) So it took some time to get it through to him it doesn't matter what others thought, or said. He knew the right way to behave. They are not his conscience. God is... then it dawned on me.......

Here is the second lesson. How many times have we acted that same way towards God? How many times have we told God (directly or indirectly) that "everyone's doing it" ~~ I don't understnad why we can't do it? What is so wrong with it? It's not all that bad. ~~  You see where I am going with this.

It doesn't matter who is doing what, or when or how. We have the Scriptures to guide us, we need to take responsibility for our own actions. We need to stop leaning on our friends to help us stay out of trouble. We need to stand up in our faith and live for Christ, even when we don't understand or when everyone else is disobeying... It is up to us to behave and act responsible. God expects us to. I expect me to...

So that is my lessons learned today. You know I feel much better now that I have shared all that. :)

:o)

animated dirt balls

I do the things I ought not to do and do not do the things I ought to do...
This is the story of my life. My pastor, Matt Gerwitz has a saying that I really love becuase it really puts things into focus for me. He calls humans, mankind, animated dirtballs. well, It sure is true...

Tonight for instance, after a busy but wonderful two days I had had enough emotional stress..... Dnaiel, being my lovely, wonderfully caring son, was asking me to take care of something that someone did to him today. I had already taken care of that problem earlier in the day... I didn't understnad why I was being asked again about it.... so, I got upset.... I became a dirt ball.

A living, talking, walking animated dirt ball...

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for loving me despite my faults. Thank you for being willing to be born to this filthy Earth sot ath you might willingly be put to death for crimes you were not guilty of just so I could be with you in Heaven for eternity... I love you because you first loved me.
                                                                                       your beloved, Trisha

Remember that next time you do something you know better then to be doing it, we are all animated dirtballs but are washed clean and accepted in to the fold of the Lord by His flowing blood and resurrection.

sorry it has been so long

As I sit here I think "ok what am I going to write about?" Even though I have been busy getting ready for the new school year and Mike has been on vacation a few times this summer it seems as though there isn't a lot to write home about. this summer we have done many family things around the Rochester area. I love spending time with my family.
At church we have had a number of extremely good teachings, not that Matt's teachings are always good mind you. Lately he has focused on challenging the congregation to improve their walk with Christ and here on Earth. Recently his biggest challenge was to get someone you know to hold you accountable for something you need to improve in your life, a sin issue. so, I took the challenge, in fact Mike and I both did. My accountability person is Ellen. (THANK YOU ELLEN!!!) So how does one hold someone else accountable when they do not see them daily? It is based on trust.... trust is funny thing.

Trust is a two way street, like most things in any relationship. Does Ellen trust me to tell her the truth about my sin issue and how I have progressed with making it better? Do I trust Ellen to hold me accountable for behaving in an inappropriate way against God? I sure hope so. I know I trust her, otherwise I wouldn't have asked her. I pray she trusts me to be honest. I am, you know, really...despite how it hurts how I look.

So how do I look? Not to people, silly lol, but to God? When we sin it is gross, disgusting, dirtier then anything we have ever seen or imagined in God's eyes. Can you imagine bringing something into your house that is so gross it makes you physically sick? that is makes your family want to run out of the house throwing up? that is how it is between us and God. OH WOW! When you put it like that it is really cruel that we sin against God. so why do we do it?
Honestly, because it feels so good... Our human nature desires to do what feels good to us. when we sin it makes us feel like we can do anything. Oh it's just a white lie, nothing big. Or it's just a pen I took from the bank when I wrote my check, no biggie... Even, taking a longer break then you are supposed to (by even 5 minutes) is stealing. So you do not have to be a murdered, commit armed robbery or be a pathological liar to not be looked upon favorable in God's eyes. We all do. All the time.More then we ever know.
So, can we ever be found favorable to God?

YES!!!!! YES AND YES!!!! That is the awesome thing about God. He is not one to hold grudges. He forgives you each and every time as long as confess your sin and repent. God loves us all the time, no matter how disgraceful we behave. He wants to have that close relationship with us and wants us to desire to have one with Him. If we are always bringing dirty gross sin into the relationship He has to turn his nose at it. How can He not? But if we clean the house, (repent our sins) and invite Him to join us in a clean place washed by His blood He rejoices to spend time wiht us. Do you rejoice at that too? I certainly do!
well, this was much longer then I anticipated, but I think it turned out well.
Remember that in order to be close to Christ, you need His blood to clean you.

God Bless, Trisha

thinking of my blessings

Today I am thrilled thinking of some amazing news. I am blessed beyond what I thought I could ever be. God is so good to me and my family!!!

Why am I so happy? I'm not really sure. I guess it could be the news I have, or the fact that we have had a great vacation with my husband, or it just could be that I am over tired. lol Anyhow, I'm happy so I'm not complaining about it. :)

Too many times in life we sit and wallow in our own depressing thoughts, what ifs and how comes... If we are so consumed with the what ifs in life we miss out on the amazing things happening all around us.

I'm hesitant to share my news on the internet for now but there will be a day soon I will share it. (No I am not pregnant!) Suffice it to say that God has answered our prayers in ways I could not have imagined. He always surprises me in how awesome He is and how He nurtures us so much. :o)

So what does this news mean to me and to the family? Well, now we can move forward with our lives with a bit more comfort and take time to enjoy God's glory even more.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how our life has been so crazy. She told me that I needed to give things to God and then let go. Her words were convicting to me mostly because 1) I knew she was right and 2) I didn't want her to be right. lol

At my house we have a saying for situations like that.... If the person talking to you is being convicting we tell them they are "talking"... that implies I do not like what you are saying so stop talking please... he he he
So I told my friend to stop talking and we both laughed...

There are many times I feel God is asking me to give my problems to Him and I refuse to let go of them. He can't help me if I won't let go.

Think of it this way. If you are vacuuming a room and your 5 year old wants to help you out. He comes over to take the vacuum from you so he can help. You don't want him to take the vacuum because you know you can do a better job at it. Do you let him take the vacuum from you or do you tell him no and do it yourself, in the process hurting his feelings... Or do you wish he would just say you know mom/dad I know you are trying to clean the room so I will leave you alone to do that.

I know you all wish the little child would leave you to your vacuuming because you can get it cleaner in a faster amount of time. Right? Well, thinking of that analogy, compare it to our problems and God. Are we letting God have the vacuum or are we insistent on helping Him solve our problems? Well, I have news for you, He doesn't need our help, none of it, zilch, nada, nothing. He is really capable to handle anything that comes our way. He can protect us, guide us and watch over us every moment of every day.
so let Him do just that.

Well, that is all for now. Good night. :o)

Trisha

changing my mind

I started this blog this afternoon titled I am lost. Earlier today I had been going through some really trying times. I had told Mike that I would read Proverbs and fast. Well, before I knew it I was mindlessly eating and Proverbs hadn't been read today. : ( How many times do we say we will do something only to get distracted with something else? Well, it happens to me quite a lot. I have to determine in my heart first, then in my mind, that I will spend more time with God; worshiping Him, praising Him and most of all praying to Him. Reading scriptures daily has never been my strong suit. I don't think it is a strong suit for many people. Spending time with God is a necessity of anyone's spiritual life, and something that is usually pushed aside.

So, here on the internet, in front of how ever many people actually look at this, I am committing myself to read the Scriptures more and praying (praising rather then asking) to God more during my days.
I pray you do also. if you do, please post it here for all to see and hold you accountable. I find that if we are not held accountable we tend to become lax and not reliable. Whether it is diets, stopping a bad habit, or spending time with God, accountability goes a long way. So please hold me accountable.

I am not lost anymore, He found me and saved me by shedding His righteous blood. Thank you Jesus! 

Good night to you all. I'm praying for you. :o)

our filing cabinet

Today has been the third day in row I found myself sitting on the couch organizing papers. Why do I have so many papers you might task. My kids were in public school for a period of time; 3 years for Daniel and 4 for Adam. Adam, being special ed, ended up with the most paperwork... of course.
Why is it that we feel we must keep every little scrap of paper the school gives us? Now, don't get my wrong, I am very good at throwing junk papers out. Reports on grades, behaviors, meeting and IEPs I keep. After organizing them I find I have a binder full of papers, just for Adam! Yes, when the kids were homeschooled, being in NYS we have a lot of record keeping and report filing for homeschooled students. However, I have never had this much papers to keep.

This makes me think, what does God's filing cabinet look like? When we are unsaved we have all these papers being filed about us. Each and every time we sin a paper goes in that file for us. Each time we screw up or need correcting a new paper goes in the file. After just a couple of years you can imagine just how full the average person's file must be. I know, I know, the average person is not an ax murder or a pathological liar, right? Well, maybe not but the unsaved are sinful. So are the saved. But I thought that the saved were in God's glory, how can they be full of sin when they are in God's good grace? Back to the filing cabinet, will we?

The unsaved have a large file of sinful acts, even the little white lies are in the file. The file stays there accumulating paper after paper... even after it seems like it will be too full to fit in the cabinet. The saved also have a similar folder. The difference is with repentance after salvation.

Each time a saved individual sins, for any reason be it minute or huge, the paper is added to his/her file... When one repents, (ie: confesses and ask for forgiveness) that paper is then removed and covered with the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross, making it unreadable.... no longer available for God's recall. As a saved person this gives me quite a bit of hope. It doesn't give me the right to go out and sin, but rather gives me comfort in knowing that when I do sin it it has been reconciled for through the blood of Christ.

To me this makes sense and helps me understand a spiritual aspect in a secular world. If I have confused you or if I am mistaken in something, biblically, please correct me. :) 

I love my husband

Ephesians 5:22-28; Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

A marriage is more then just two people living together having relations... it is more then two people  sharing their lives together doing similar things with each other. It is two people, under God's blessing, committing their LIVES (not a period of time) to each other with no strings, prenuptials, or other legal mumbo jumbo....

There have been many times in the last 16 years that Mike and I could have split up, even a few times that I wanted to leave for good. But I knew in my heart that wouldn't have been the right thing to do. I'm sure when we got married we were totally unprepared for the lives God had laid before us. But did we quit? did we leave or bail on each other? No. Why?

Well, to us, marriage is not a commitment before men but a commitment before God himself. are we qualified to break that commitment? I do not think so. So, what if the marriage turns out to be more then we bargained for? What if I decided that Mike was not the right guy for me or if we "fell out of love"... what then? Well, under the commitment I made before god that is just too bad.... If I want a happy marriage then I need to work on things. Do things and take steps to rectify the marriage I let slip away... things didn't go bad from one particular moment in the middle of the night while we were all sleeping. Things got worse, we went our separate ways, over time... without even noticing most likely... So it takes work and effort to fix the problems, to mend the hurt, to set right the wrongs. Relationships fail for one main reason... two people stop working at things. It takes two to tango as the saying goes... So, it took two to let the marriage go down hill it takes two to fix it up again.,... It is fixable, no matter what the problems, if both people work at it and give God the center of the marriage place where HE belongs!

I do not mean to be preachy here. I just mean to elaborate my reason for writing this today... I love my husband!

Mike is not perfect bu the is wonderful. No matter what we have been thru, all the ups and downs, he has stood by my side with loving arms ready for me to be held in. There have been times when, as I said, that I wanted to leave, to run away from our marriage. Now that I type that I am horrified at that fact, but it is true. There have been times when his lack of understanding upsets me so much. The way he handles situations is not only much different then the way I would but it confusing to me when he explains his perspective.

What Mike is is caring, thoughtful and loving. He is patient and understanding of all my faults. Like today, with it being so hot..., all the stress I have been under, the kids not really obeying, Adam having his own teenage issues, and the house looking a mess I was very under the weather mood wise today. He came home, gave me fresh picked berries (which he hates btw!) and made me fresh homemade berry jam (that he finds disgusting to eat btw). He is wonderful and kind and caring. He forgives me of my faults daily, sometimes moment by moment... He is the man that God has brought to me and he has worked his way into the very depths of my heart.

So today I challenge you. If you are married or engaged or dating, ask God to show you the love that Ephesians talks about. If you do not have that love, seek it, work for it, pray for it. If you do have it, praise God. Tell your loved one how much you appreciate them for all they do out of love for you.

Read Ephesians together and challenge your relationship to it's words...

Tell your spouse you love them and mean every word of it. :)

Trisha

more poetry

Today I was thumbing through an older notebook while I was riding in the car out to Avon. Mike was driving and I was thinking. The boys were chatting and being goofy as usual.
In this notebook I found some poetry I wrote a while back and forgot about. I thought I would share those poems with you, my reader.

My Prayer

Please, Lord, always know that you always come first in my life
Without you I would have no life, no breath, no soul
Without you I would have no desires to worship you, love you, praise you

I would not be
Fullfilled
content
happy
loved

Without you I would not be whole

My Life is Yours Lord

My life to you I freely give to with as you would wish
My heart is a lump of clay for you to sculpt and to mold
My hands are on puppet strings for you to move about
My lips wish to always move to your thoughts and your will
My eyes sparkle with the light that can only come from you
My desire is to be like you so plaease show me how

A Maiden with a Dream

A maiden was I who dreamt of a life of missionary work
but time took over and children came, my marriage seemed complete
I always thought one day I might dream that dream once again
It is remembered on and off but it was never forgotten
India was that dream once dreamt but now I wonder
God's will is not very clear but I wish it to be so
To be a missionary is my life long dream you know
To show the world your love is forever on my mind
Show me oh Lord, what you desire from me today
To be your hands and feet on Earth is my daily wish
My heart and mind to you I give today and always
Please guide it as you wish and make it shine for you
Make me a missionary no matter where I may be
Zimbobway, India or the good ole US of A
My life to you I freely give for you to shine through


So, that is my poems. Hope you enjoyed them.
God Bless!

no idea of what to say

Sometimes we are speechless because we are taken by surprise. Other times it is because we are confused. Today, I am a bit speechless partly because I am overwhelmed.
I feel as if God has me in the waiting position... you know the kind, hurry up! hurry up!!! oh, wait... UGH!!!!!!

Church issues are predominately the issue I am concerned about. My mind is clouded with Adam's testing issues for this school year, Adam's school placement for next school year, how God is working in my life, what ministries He has Mike and I in... or starting... or finishing.... teen age boy hormonal issues (primarily Daniel) and lots of little things to complete around the house...

With all of that I am left waiting......... waiting....... waiting..........

I feel like God says hurry up!!! hurry!!! then oh! wait. UGH!!!!! Now please do not get me wrong. I am not holding any grudge or animosity against the Lord here. I just wish I had some answers.

I'm not a patient person. When I was little I used to tell my sisters Patience is a virtue I do not have. 25- 30 years later, I still have not mastered that virtue. Will I ever? By the grace of God I hope so.

By the Grace of God go I because if it is left up to me I fall on my face way to often!

Adjustatorium

"Adjustatorium" is a word I saw on Cati Gerwitz's blog this morning. www.fabulousstroffee.com/ It is an unusual word and it caught my attention... From what I can see on Google's search for the word, it is a place where chiropractic patients get adjusted. But to me it means so much more.

Our life is living in an adjustatorium. God gave us this Earth to live on and be happy. He gave it to us as a way of telling us He loves us. We have taken this beautiful world and are not so slowly destroying it. Now, before you get preconceived ideas of me I am not one of those "save the environment - go green" types of gals. I am however, a gal who likes to be a good steward with the wonderful things God has given me. That being said this new word brings ideas to me head.

Adjustatorium is a place (at least to me) where everyone needs to be at one time or another. We all need an adjustment from time to time. In our lives we tend to go our own way, not God's way. Our ways leave us unprotected and heading into danger. God needs to sometimes throw things at us to adjust our direction. We need, in a sense, an adjustment.

So, as you go along your day may you end up in the Adjustatorium if you head off track. God will always give you the adjustment you need, we just need to go sit in His waiting room and ask Him.

God Bless, Trisha

my poetry from camp

I promised you the poems that I wrote while camping. I finally had a moment to type them out. They are below. If you like them or not, please comment.

Poetry written at Lazy Lakes while camping 2010

LOVE

Missing my husband
Giggles, laughter, joy
Nibbles, pecks, kisses
Arms around
Hands gooching
Sweetness



CREATING

Sawdust in the carpet
Hacksaws lying about
Wood in pieces
Making designs
Creating masterpieces
Keeping busy
Being happy
Mike


TENTING

In
My tent
I like to sleep
Cocooned in a sleeping bag
The sun is rising, the frogs are singing
Breakfast sizzling on the fire
Lots of hiking, biking and fishing
Children catching fish down at the pond
Catch and release fish, wish I could keep
Days gone by, now it’s time to go home
Wish I could stay, but not today
Tear down the tent, pack up the car,
Sadness comes when we are on our way
Home is home, but camp... is pretty special.



RAIN

Rain, you make me dreary
So plwease go away
The flowers need you and so do the drops,
But I would rather not visit with you all day.
So please keep your
Visit short and sweet
Next time we meet.


OVERCAST

Cold
Rainy
Dreary
Dark
Blah
Clouds just go away…

BIKING

Wheels go around
On the smooth ground
Coasting along
Singing a song


GRILLING

Steaks hot dogs
Potatoes, Rolls
Corn, baked beans

Ahhh, now I’m hungry


MIKE

Creative juices
Flowing through
Hands that God made
Objects coming to life
Before our eyes
Right in Mike’s hands
Swiftly smoothly
With little effort
What a gift from God.


RAIN

Wet
Cold
Dreary
Plan changing
Tent dripping
Roof pounding
You stay inside
Outside pauses
Thunder claps
Lightening strikes
Torential
Drizzle
Sprinkle
Rain

RAIN

Really
Annoying
Insistant
Nuisance

FIRE

Fire
Crackling
Embers
Light the sky
Logs
Glowing
In a ring
Toasting
Marshmallows
Perfect for s’mores
Warming
Toes
And my nose (and little kid’s noses)
Parents
Talking
Enjoying the fire

MUD

Slimy, oozy, squishy
Right between my toes
Gross, wet, sloppy
Seeping in my pores
Brown, grey, black
Turning everything dingy
Rain is making puddles
Puddle are getting bigger
Oh, I hate mud!

SHOWER

Hot
Steamy
Humid
Lather
Scrub
Clean

Relaxing………


SLEEPING

In a tent
Cold as ice
Wrapped in a
Sleeping bag
As the air around me
Cools for the night
I lay here feeling
Warm and tight
On a bed of air
I am off the ground
Tired and happy,
Comfy, safe and sound
MY BEAR

Since I was 12
He’s been around
Watching my bed
All day and night
Red pajamas
He still has but
The hat and scarf
Are now long gone
Tan, matted down fur
And worn out nose
He’s lost his mouth
But a smile
He still brings
To the little
Girl inside me
That never grew up


GOING HOME

Going home
Saying good bye
But our time is done
The fun is over
Back to my life
I’m going home

poetry

Poetry can clear the mind.

While I was camping the rain and mud really got to me. I get frustrated and bummed... so I wrote poetry. (I will put on my blog soon, just not tonight, sorry.) Anyhow, I find that no matter what I am feeling writing helps me. I can be depressed, happy, sad, frustrated, giggly, angry, or just plain normal and when I right it is if my mind gets a the moment I need to regroup and refocus... I love writing. I love reading too.

Reading the scroiptures is a wonderful pastime of mine. Some people say it is boring and I can agree with them a very small bit. I find though it is only boring whne I do not put my mind to it. When I let me mind wonder while I read or when I am too tired to focus on the words and meanings, then it gets boring. When I read I always find new things out, even if it is a passage I have read a zillion times.
So, next time you get feeloing off, try writing or reading... broaden your mind and refocus it ont he important things in life. :)

Trisha

home from camp

Hi Everyone!!!

Well, we are home from camp. It was sooooooooo nice to relax......... :)  The water, the trees, the clear sky (when it wasn't raining that is) and wonderful friends, all gifts from God. Even the rain, albeit annoying and mud creating, is a wonderful gift from God as it makes the plants grow and gives us one of the basics of life; water...

Ok, so now that I am home I am TIRED. We didn't do much today when we arrived home. We did some minor cleaning and a bit of unloading the car but there is still much more to do. Right now I am off to bed, in an actual bed and not on an air mattress. he he he

I wrote a bunch of poetry while I was camping and would love to share the poems with you but that will have to wait till the morrow...  I bid you a good night and a restful sleep.

God bless you all and thanks for the prayers!!!
Trisha