God's goal for you in life.
Life goes on, move with it
Sunday, October 2, 2011
this has been an amazing week...
Despite being sick right now I am praising God's Holy Name. He is amazing, comforting, reassuring, loving, caring, forgiving, unchangeable, unstoppable, and He loves me enough to still save my soul so I can spend eternity with Him! I don't know if you understand the depth of His love, I know I don't despite being a Christian for many years.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
an offensive picture posted on facebook.... please read....
Today's blog is in regards to a picture or a sign that someone posted on their page on facebook. another friend asked me what i thought about it. Here is my response. I hope you like it too!
Not to offend people but to give you a clearer picture as to why I wrote what I did.
The picture that was posted said:
"Religion is like a penis.
It's fine if you have one.
It's fine to be proud of it.
But please don't whip it out in pub;lic and start waving it around.
And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats."
First I immediately removed it from my page as I was not impressed, or humored, by it at all. I didn't even read it until a moment ago. Still I am not impressed. However that is the way the world thinks. We are not alone in our feelings but we are so out numbered. I hold out on God and lean only on Him, or at least I try daily to do so.
I have come to a place in my life where I have accepted that I am different then most in regards to my faith. I also know that the Bible says wide is the road that leads to destruction. Seeing as to how I, we as Christians, are different in our faith and most are on the wide road why do we expect those around us to not act, talk and think unGodly?
I have come to a place in my life that I have realized that there is nothing, but prayer, that I can do to change others thoughts and feelings or actions. All I can do is live my life to the best I can that glorifies our Lord and Saviour. After all, that is what we are called to do, to bring Him glory....
A light cannot shine bright in a well lit room however, as we all know a candle sheds a bright light in a darkened room. We are the candles ladies, let's shine as bright as we can! My advice is to just don't let it bother you so much, stand firm for Christ and He will uplift you!
(Just fyi: my hubby said - after I read him the poster and your message - that what do we expect from an unsaved world? Even the Bible says a dog will go back to their vomit and pigs go back to the mire... He also said that what bothered him that Christians are not "allowed" to whip out their faith in public but those that are fanatics about sports can wear the team's colors, logos, jerseys etc... and expect others to be ok with it.)
Christians always get the raw end of the deal as we are truly the only light on Earth that shines for Christ. ust a sun hurts your eyes when you wake up to it shining in your face, so does our light to hurt those that are the unsaved.) Mike also says (I gotta love my hubby as he sure has a way with words!!!) that we are the salt of the Earth. Salt is a great preservative and adds wonderful flavor to foods but when you get salt in a cut it hurts like the dickens!!! You can't deny that salt can be painful to open wounds.... just as our faith can hurt and convict those that are unsaved.f the salt didn't hurt then is it really salt? If we are not standing out because of our faith how strong is our faith then? It should stand out and be strong.... We should be different then the unsaved.... It is what we are called to be. :o)
Where does one go when they need to keep a meat well preserved for later? People ask for salt. Where does one go, saved or not, when they need uplifting or prayer? They come to us, God's salt of the Earth.
Love ya Holly!!!!! Love ya Karen!!!! You two are actually my favorite facebook friends as I can always be uplifted up by your posts. :o)
Sorry this is so long! lol
Not to offend people but to give you a clearer picture as to why I wrote what I did.
The picture that was posted said:
"Religion is like a penis.
It's fine if you have one.
It's fine to be proud of it.
But please don't whip it out in pub;lic and start waving it around.
And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats."
First I immediately removed it from my page as I was not impressed, or humored, by it at all. I didn't even read it until a moment ago. Still I am not impressed. However that is the way the world thinks. We are not alone in our feelings but we are so out numbered. I hold out on God and lean only on Him, or at least I try daily to do so.
I have come to a place in my life where I have accepted that I am different then most in regards to my faith. I also know that the Bible says wide is the road that leads to destruction. Seeing as to how I, we as Christians, are different in our faith and most are on the wide road why do we expect those around us to not act, talk and think unGodly?
I have come to a place in my life that I have realized that there is nothing, but prayer, that I can do to change others thoughts and feelings or actions. All I can do is live my life to the best I can that glorifies our Lord and Saviour. After all, that is what we are called to do, to bring Him glory....
A light cannot shine bright in a well lit room however, as we all know a candle sheds a bright light in a darkened room. We are the candles ladies, let's shine as bright as we can! My advice is to just don't let it bother you so much, stand firm for Christ and He will uplift you!
(Just fyi: my hubby said - after I read him the poster and your message - that what do we expect from an unsaved world? Even the Bible says a dog will go back to their vomit and pigs go back to the mire... He also said that what bothered him that Christians are not "allowed" to whip out their faith in public but those that are fanatics about sports can wear the team's colors, logos, jerseys etc... and expect others to be ok with it.)
Christians always get the raw end of the deal as we are truly the only light on Earth that shines for Christ. ust a sun hurts your eyes when you wake up to it shining in your face, so does our light to hurt those that are the unsaved.) Mike also says (I gotta love my hubby as he sure has a way with words!!!) that we are the salt of the Earth. Salt is a great preservative and adds wonderful flavor to foods but when you get salt in a cut it hurts like the dickens!!! You can't deny that salt can be painful to open wounds.... just as our faith can hurt and convict those that are unsaved.f the salt didn't hurt then is it really salt? If we are not standing out because of our faith how strong is our faith then? It should stand out and be strong.... We should be different then the unsaved.... It is what we are called to be. :o)
Where does one go when they need to keep a meat well preserved for later? People ask for salt. Where does one go, saved or not, when they need uplifting or prayer? They come to us, God's salt of the Earth.
Love ya Holly!!!!! Love ya Karen!!!! You two are actually my favorite facebook friends as I can always be uplifted up by your posts. :o)
Sorry this is so long! lol
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Anti-Bullying
Many of you know that a 14 year old boy by the name of Jamey recently killed himself. He was bi. He was tormented online by other teens and at school by classmates.This link below is the news story about Jamey's passing. Please feel free to read it.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832
I'm in no way, shape or form stating I agree with Jamey's sexual orientation, I don't. No matter what his sexual preference was he did not have to die. In my opinion, this could have easily been prevented.
Many of you already know that my son Adam w severely bullied in public school, partly for being gay (WHICH HE IS NOT) and for being autistic (high functioning). As a result of this bullying we removed our child from the high school he was attending (9th grade) and are now finishing his education at home. He will not be going back to a school institution if I have any say about it, which I do. Mike and I have EVERY say about it. We have also chosen to continue our younger son's education at home also. This is partly due to his medical conditions and mostly due to how he was treated in public school also. (Daniel was out sick a lot in 6th grade because he was always throwing up on the way to, in and after arriving home, due to anxieties. As a result, unbeknownst to him he was being ridiculed and mocked behind his back when he was out sick. When Daniel entered 7th grade his stomach issue got much worse.) Sending any child to a place that is not condusice (physically or mentally) to uplift and support their well-being is not an option to me.
Public schools toot their horns of self-righteousness by using these anti-bullying posters, quotes and programs that they use. However, actions always speak louder then words. A picture of word a 1000 words. Anti-bullying quotes and posters do not stop anyone (adults or kids) fom bullying. Punishment does!
I'm not in agreement with Jamey's sexual preferences but that doesn't mean I would not have liked him if I personally met him. From listening to his youtube videos and reading the stories about him online I'm sure he was a sweet pleasant kid to be around. He should not have been bullied. I am not saying that people needed to (or should) condone his bi-sexual status or even act like they like it, but that being said they did not need to mock him and taunt him to kill himself either.
Please, keep in your prayers these kids that are being teased, mocked, harassed and bullied. Of course ray for salvation but also pray for strength from above to rise above their tormentors. Please please pray for those that bully others. This needs to stop and it needs to stop now!
Thank you.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jamey-rodemeyer-suicide-ny-police-open-criminal-investigation/story?id=14580832
I'm in no way, shape or form stating I agree with Jamey's sexual orientation, I don't. No matter what his sexual preference was he did not have to die. In my opinion, this could have easily been prevented.
Many of you already know that my son Adam w severely bullied in public school, partly for being gay (WHICH HE IS NOT) and for being autistic (high functioning). As a result of this bullying we removed our child from the high school he was attending (9th grade) and are now finishing his education at home. He will not be going back to a school institution if I have any say about it, which I do. Mike and I have EVERY say about it. We have also chosen to continue our younger son's education at home also. This is partly due to his medical conditions and mostly due to how he was treated in public school also. (Daniel was out sick a lot in 6th grade because he was always throwing up on the way to, in and after arriving home, due to anxieties. As a result, unbeknownst to him he was being ridiculed and mocked behind his back when he was out sick. When Daniel entered 7th grade his stomach issue got much worse.) Sending any child to a place that is not condusice (physically or mentally) to uplift and support their well-being is not an option to me.
Public schools toot their horns of self-righteousness by using these anti-bullying posters, quotes and programs that they use. However, actions always speak louder then words. A picture of word a 1000 words. Anti-bullying quotes and posters do not stop anyone (adults or kids) fom bullying. Punishment does!
I'm not in agreement with Jamey's sexual preferences but that doesn't mean I would not have liked him if I personally met him. From listening to his youtube videos and reading the stories about him online I'm sure he was a sweet pleasant kid to be around. He should not have been bullied. I am not saying that people needed to (or should) condone his bi-sexual status or even act like they like it, but that being said they did not need to mock him and taunt him to kill himself either.
Please, keep in your prayers these kids that are being teased, mocked, harassed and bullied. Of course ray for salvation but also pray for strength from above to rise above their tormentors. Please please pray for those that bully others. This needs to stop and it needs to stop now!
Thank you.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
so many things to blog about tonight. Part 2 :o)
ok, I was thinking on joining these two post tonight but thought better of it. It is nice to have the first one only about those that lost their lives on that dreadful day 10 years ago.
The things that have been going through my mind lately, that I want to blog about, are....
Fall. Summer is coming to a quick close and fall is nipping at our heels. How does this make you feel? It makes me feel sad and happy. Sad because 11 years ago I lost my father in law to cancer and my mother to many physical illnesses that she could no longer fight. I miss them both a lot. some days more then others. If you have lost a loved one you know how I feel. Fall reminds me that they are no longer here to spend the holidays with, to see my boys become teens, get a job, get married and such. They are no longer here to call or joke with or to be upset at. I cannot know for certain where another's heart is but I feel that they both got saved before death took them. That brings some peace and comfort. Only some...
That year we also lost Mike's grandmother 1-1-2000. Mike's dad on November 17, 2000, My mom December 13, 2000. It sure was a hard year for us. But through it all God has given us strength and comfort and power to overcome the sadness and loss. for that I am thankful!!!
Fall is also a time that brings to light that cold is on it's way. I hate being cold!!!! I mean I really REALLY hate the cold. It's not the snow that bugs me, nor the icky driving conditions. I can deal with all of tat. I just hate the cold itself. lol The days get shorter and the sun shines less brightly which makes the days seem gloomier. It is during those times that I rejoice in my quiet time with God.
Ok, so now what to talk about? hhhmmm.... hives! yup, hives, those red welts that spring up out of no where that itch and itch and itch. They make your skin look like it is sunburned in patches. Now, I personally have never had hives. THANKFULLY!!! Daniel did. Actually he had them for the first time about a week ago. It was so sudden and so bad that we took him to urgent care. Although the prednisone and allergy meds have kicked the hives butt we still have no idea what caused them. Daniel seems to have recently developed allergies. We know that Soy bothers him, now this. hhhmmmm. It makes me wonder why. As long as I figure out what he was allergic to I don't care why. I just don't want him to get hives again. lol
What else??? ADAM! Yes, Adam, my 16 year old son. Adam is an amazing kid, but I am little biased, just a little. lol Adam is coming into his own, as one might say. He is finding his own niche in life and becoming more (dare I say it?) responsible. I never thought I would say that about Adam. Adam has Asperger's Syndrome and at times can be very irresponsible and immature. Not so lately though. Adam has had a rough couple of years and has been introduced to some awful temptations. He has struggled, and still continue to struggle, with one particular temptation. He knows that it is wrong but as with any sin we might (and usually will) encounter it is very very tempting. We heard a teaching years ago that was about avoiding sin. Adam seems to have taken this to heart. His actions speak louder then any words ever could! The teaching basically said that when you see temptation coming your way you cross the street and avoid it as much as you can. (Ex. a gambler might have someone in charge of his money for a while so that he doesn't gamble it all away. Or a womanizer might avoid places that he would be primarily around women. a person with internet addictions would just get rid of (or pack away for a while) the computer.) You see, these examples all have one thing in common; they took steps to make sure they were help accountable for their actions and they found ways to prevent temptations. Adam has done that!!! On his own he has asked for help and suggested ways he can be held more accountable. He is taking action to avoid the temptation so he doesn't fall into sin.
Wait, did I say that right? Yes I did. The temptation is not the problem. Everyone will be tempted more times they they can count during their lifetime, some of us many more times than that! It is when we follow the temptations that is the problem. That is when we fall into sin. sin is an ugly thing covered in sweet decadence. It is enjoyable so we think well, this couldn't be so bad. I can do this just this once. No one will know. But God knows. You ever hear the saying don't feed a stray cat or you'll never get rid of it? Well, that is they way sin is. Once you fall into it doing it again is only easier. It is hard to stop once you gone that way before.
So I want to publicly say that I am very proud of my son asking God for help and asking those around him to also help him. He is showing restraint and spiritual growth. I am impressed and in awe of his actions.
I had other things on my mind but now they seem to have escaped me. I will say good night then and remind you to pray for the families that lost loved ones on that dreadful day 10 years ago.
God Bless.
The things that have been going through my mind lately, that I want to blog about, are....
Fall. Summer is coming to a quick close and fall is nipping at our heels. How does this make you feel? It makes me feel sad and happy. Sad because 11 years ago I lost my father in law to cancer and my mother to many physical illnesses that she could no longer fight. I miss them both a lot. some days more then others. If you have lost a loved one you know how I feel. Fall reminds me that they are no longer here to spend the holidays with, to see my boys become teens, get a job, get married and such. They are no longer here to call or joke with or to be upset at. I cannot know for certain where another's heart is but I feel that they both got saved before death took them. That brings some peace and comfort. Only some...
That year we also lost Mike's grandmother 1-1-2000. Mike's dad on November 17, 2000, My mom December 13, 2000. It sure was a hard year for us. But through it all God has given us strength and comfort and power to overcome the sadness and loss. for that I am thankful!!!
Fall is also a time that brings to light that cold is on it's way. I hate being cold!!!! I mean I really REALLY hate the cold. It's not the snow that bugs me, nor the icky driving conditions. I can deal with all of tat. I just hate the cold itself. lol The days get shorter and the sun shines less brightly which makes the days seem gloomier. It is during those times that I rejoice in my quiet time with God.
Ok, so now what to talk about? hhhmmm.... hives! yup, hives, those red welts that spring up out of no where that itch and itch and itch. They make your skin look like it is sunburned in patches. Now, I personally have never had hives. THANKFULLY!!! Daniel did. Actually he had them for the first time about a week ago. It was so sudden and so bad that we took him to urgent care. Although the prednisone and allergy meds have kicked the hives butt we still have no idea what caused them. Daniel seems to have recently developed allergies. We know that Soy bothers him, now this. hhhmmmm. It makes me wonder why. As long as I figure out what he was allergic to I don't care why. I just don't want him to get hives again. lol
What else??? ADAM! Yes, Adam, my 16 year old son. Adam is an amazing kid, but I am little biased, just a little. lol Adam is coming into his own, as one might say. He is finding his own niche in life and becoming more (dare I say it?) responsible. I never thought I would say that about Adam. Adam has Asperger's Syndrome and at times can be very irresponsible and immature. Not so lately though. Adam has had a rough couple of years and has been introduced to some awful temptations. He has struggled, and still continue to struggle, with one particular temptation. He knows that it is wrong but as with any sin we might (and usually will) encounter it is very very tempting. We heard a teaching years ago that was about avoiding sin. Adam seems to have taken this to heart. His actions speak louder then any words ever could! The teaching basically said that when you see temptation coming your way you cross the street and avoid it as much as you can. (Ex. a gambler might have someone in charge of his money for a while so that he doesn't gamble it all away. Or a womanizer might avoid places that he would be primarily around women. a person with internet addictions would just get rid of (or pack away for a while) the computer.) You see, these examples all have one thing in common; they took steps to make sure they were help accountable for their actions and they found ways to prevent temptations. Adam has done that!!! On his own he has asked for help and suggested ways he can be held more accountable. He is taking action to avoid the temptation so he doesn't fall into sin.
Wait, did I say that right? Yes I did. The temptation is not the problem. Everyone will be tempted more times they they can count during their lifetime, some of us many more times than that! It is when we follow the temptations that is the problem. That is when we fall into sin. sin is an ugly thing covered in sweet decadence. It is enjoyable so we think well, this couldn't be so bad. I can do this just this once. No one will know. But God knows. You ever hear the saying don't feed a stray cat or you'll never get rid of it? Well, that is they way sin is. Once you fall into it doing it again is only easier. It is hard to stop once you gone that way before.
So I want to publicly say that I am very proud of my son asking God for help and asking those around him to also help him. He is showing restraint and spiritual growth. I am impressed and in awe of his actions.
I had other things on my mind but now they seem to have escaped me. I will say good night then and remind you to pray for the families that lost loved ones on that dreadful day 10 years ago.
God Bless.
so many things to blog about tonight. but one is most important :o)
First and foremost I see what the date it. It is 9-11-2011.
10 years ago in about 8 hours I was woken up by a phone call. My sister from AZ called me practically in hysterics telling me to turn on my TV. As I was still sleeping when she called, I was still groggy. Turning on the tv shocked me. It was devastating to say the least.
Now thinking about it it truly is more devastating then we actually think. I suspect a large number of those people were unsaved. Now they never have the opportunity to get saved again. They are in eternity suffering. It truly breaks my heart.....
I know some people say to pray for the souls that are lost, but I ask what does that actually do? The people are dead. Praying isn't going to help them anymore. I ask you to pray for the families of those that died that tragic day. Those families might either pull towards God looking for hope or hate God for letting it happen. Either way, salvation for them is paramount.
I say a somber prayer for those that mourn.
10 years ago in about 8 hours I was woken up by a phone call. My sister from AZ called me practically in hysterics telling me to turn on my TV. As I was still sleeping when she called, I was still groggy. Turning on the tv shocked me. It was devastating to say the least.
Now thinking about it it truly is more devastating then we actually think. I suspect a large number of those people were unsaved. Now they never have the opportunity to get saved again. They are in eternity suffering. It truly breaks my heart.....
I know some people say to pray for the souls that are lost, but I ask what does that actually do? The people are dead. Praying isn't going to help them anymore. I ask you to pray for the families of those that died that tragic day. Those families might either pull towards God looking for hope or hate God for letting it happen. Either way, salvation for them is paramount.
I say a somber prayer for those that mourn.
Monday, August 22, 2011
life lessons: so many blessings
hi. When I thought to write this blog today I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about, just that I really wanted to write. :o) That is usually the way my brain works. lol It's great on the spur of the moment.
Ok, so as I sit here I am reminded of how blessed we are. Yes, I mean my family but I also mean each one of us, including you, the reader. We take so much for granted that we don't even see all the wonderful things we have. Now, I'm an optimistic person by nature, or so I think I am. I like to think of what I have rather then what I do not have. Maybe that is from my childhood. I grew up dirt poor, I mean REALLY dirt poor until I was 7 years old. I then moved into a foster home in a upper-middle class neighborhood with what felt like wealthy people to care for me. This is where I was raised for the next 14 years and blessed with everything I needed to live comfortably. Then I grew up and I moved out. I moved into a small studio apartment with my new husband, Mike. Then we moved to a small (tiny) 2 bedroom that was literally falling apart and drafty as all get out. Finally we moved here, where we live now. We live in a comfortably sized 2 bedroom apartment in a nice small town. We have lived here for 14 years now. We love it here.
Over the course of my life I have been on both sides of the spectrum a couple of times, back and forth. Poor, well off, poor, well off.... back and forth... Now, even though Mike and I are not financially well off we are very content with what God has blessed us with.
We do not have cable, high speed internet nor call waiting and voice mail. We eat simple meals rather then steaks and chops or lobster and crabs. Mac & cheese, hamburger helper, hot dogs, and chicken are all staples in this house. These foods tend to fit in our price range and fill us up enough so that we are not going through tons of food. (They are also foods which we enjoy eating, sometimes a bit too much!) I don't have an expensive coat, purse or pair of shoes. I shop at Wal-Mart and Aldi's frequently. This saves money. We try to watch our budget and plan for upcoming events, such as doctor visits. When we get our tax return we set it aside, broken up into different categories for things, such as clothes, that we will need in the coming year. We very rarely go to the theaters for movies and we do not buy a lot of dvds but rather borrow them from the library or friends. We have only one car that gets Mike to and from work. I use it only when I need to to save gas $. So you see, we really have to careful we do not over spend. We pray before we do our budget, we do the budget together and we try to be good stewards with what God has bestowed upon us.
Where am I going with this? Well, I am showing you that even though life seems wonderful from the world's view, things aren't always wheat they seem. We are not rich and we do struggle in more then one way in our marriage and life in general. It's during these rough times that our true character shows. Where to we go to when we need help, guidance, comfort? When things are going well who do we thanks? When we feel blessed who do we give credit to? All these things are vitally important in being content.
When you wake up in the morning who do you thank for the breath you take? Can you put your feet on the floor and stand up? Can you comb your own hair? Can you read the cereal box as you eat your breakfast with your own two hands? Do you have fmaily or friends that call you or talk to you frequently? Whom do you thank for those friendships?
Bottom line: who is in control of your life? God? or yourself? Do you think that you have made all the things in your life possible? Are you blessed by your own hard work? or did God bless you? He gave you the air to breath and lungs to filter the CO2 out and O2 in. He gave you those hands to lift the spoon to your mouth and the phone to your ear. He gave you those feet to put into those nice shoes he provided the money for you to buy.
Everyday we take things for granted. We assume, expect, that there will be food in the cupboards, money to pay the bills, clothes to keep us warm. What if you woke up one day and found that you had nothing? I mean nothing... no house, no bed, no clothes, no food and worst of all no money to get any of those things? Would you still be happy? Would you still thank God for the air you breath? The ground you walk on and that ability to walk on that very same ground?
I would like to think I would seeing as how I have seen the good and the bad of being 'rich' and poor.... I'm not sure that I would be so thankful though. Once you live comfortably in a nice area you tend to get used to it and expect it to always just get better. But it doesn't always, does it?
All this is on my mind today as a result of a couple of things. One, our pastor's teachings lately have been on following God and living for Him, and what happens when you don't. I am also thinking of a Liberian family that left their homeland with nothing. the mother died not that long after coming to America and the father was blinded because of his faith in Christ our Lord. Refugees.... that is really what they are. They still have fmaily in Liberia. Their family has had many of the men killed in the civil wars, leaving many of the women and children husbandless and fatherless. Seeing how woman are generally thought of as lower class in many of these poor countries (I'm not sure about Liberia, this is my assumption) these poor women have to try to survive and take care of themselves and their children. These poor women are burdened with all the responsibilities of both parents in raising their children in a country that doesn't have much and the poor have the least of all. My thoughts run wild wiht questions like are the kids going to bed hungry? Do they have clothes that fit them? are thy going to school? Do they have the supplies they need to have a proper education?
Chance are these questions are answered most of the time wiht a no, they do not.... But here we sit, in front of our few hundred dollar computers, with our cell phones sitting on the desk next to us and a nice afternoon snack or yummy foods and a comforting beverage. In the other room we actually have a bed with a few blankets and a pillow instead of a blanket on the cold hard ground. We hear the television mumbling in the background instead of the moans of our hungry children....
This is a lot longer then I had planned. I do feel that we as Americans really need to stop and thank God for all that we are blessed wiht. It is not by our might, nor our power but by the power of the Almighty that has blessed us with such great things that surround us every minute of everyday. We need to stop moaning about not haviung the latest and greatest game system, ringtone, sneakers and hair styles. We NEED to start thanking God for our blessings. I hope you agree....
Next time you wish you had something you can't afford remember those children who have to search the garbage dumps for cardboard to sell just so they can eat something that day.... Be thankful to God for all your blessings. :o)
Ok, so as I sit here I am reminded of how blessed we are. Yes, I mean my family but I also mean each one of us, including you, the reader. We take so much for granted that we don't even see all the wonderful things we have. Now, I'm an optimistic person by nature, or so I think I am. I like to think of what I have rather then what I do not have. Maybe that is from my childhood. I grew up dirt poor, I mean REALLY dirt poor until I was 7 years old. I then moved into a foster home in a upper-middle class neighborhood with what felt like wealthy people to care for me. This is where I was raised for the next 14 years and blessed with everything I needed to live comfortably. Then I grew up and I moved out. I moved into a small studio apartment with my new husband, Mike. Then we moved to a small (tiny) 2 bedroom that was literally falling apart and drafty as all get out. Finally we moved here, where we live now. We live in a comfortably sized 2 bedroom apartment in a nice small town. We have lived here for 14 years now. We love it here.
Over the course of my life I have been on both sides of the spectrum a couple of times, back and forth. Poor, well off, poor, well off.... back and forth... Now, even though Mike and I are not financially well off we are very content with what God has blessed us with.
We do not have cable, high speed internet nor call waiting and voice mail. We eat simple meals rather then steaks and chops or lobster and crabs. Mac & cheese, hamburger helper, hot dogs, and chicken are all staples in this house. These foods tend to fit in our price range and fill us up enough so that we are not going through tons of food. (They are also foods which we enjoy eating, sometimes a bit too much!) I don't have an expensive coat, purse or pair of shoes. I shop at Wal-Mart and Aldi's frequently. This saves money. We try to watch our budget and plan for upcoming events, such as doctor visits. When we get our tax return we set it aside, broken up into different categories for things, such as clothes, that we will need in the coming year. We very rarely go to the theaters for movies and we do not buy a lot of dvds but rather borrow them from the library or friends. We have only one car that gets Mike to and from work. I use it only when I need to to save gas $. So you see, we really have to careful we do not over spend. We pray before we do our budget, we do the budget together and we try to be good stewards with what God has bestowed upon us.
Where am I going with this? Well, I am showing you that even though life seems wonderful from the world's view, things aren't always wheat they seem. We are not rich and we do struggle in more then one way in our marriage and life in general. It's during these rough times that our true character shows. Where to we go to when we need help, guidance, comfort? When things are going well who do we thanks? When we feel blessed who do we give credit to? All these things are vitally important in being content.
When you wake up in the morning who do you thank for the breath you take? Can you put your feet on the floor and stand up? Can you comb your own hair? Can you read the cereal box as you eat your breakfast with your own two hands? Do you have fmaily or friends that call you or talk to you frequently? Whom do you thank for those friendships?
Bottom line: who is in control of your life? God? or yourself? Do you think that you have made all the things in your life possible? Are you blessed by your own hard work? or did God bless you? He gave you the air to breath and lungs to filter the CO2 out and O2 in. He gave you those hands to lift the spoon to your mouth and the phone to your ear. He gave you those feet to put into those nice shoes he provided the money for you to buy.
Everyday we take things for granted. We assume, expect, that there will be food in the cupboards, money to pay the bills, clothes to keep us warm. What if you woke up one day and found that you had nothing? I mean nothing... no house, no bed, no clothes, no food and worst of all no money to get any of those things? Would you still be happy? Would you still thank God for the air you breath? The ground you walk on and that ability to walk on that very same ground?
I would like to think I would seeing as how I have seen the good and the bad of being 'rich' and poor.... I'm not sure that I would be so thankful though. Once you live comfortably in a nice area you tend to get used to it and expect it to always just get better. But it doesn't always, does it?
All this is on my mind today as a result of a couple of things. One, our pastor's teachings lately have been on following God and living for Him, and what happens when you don't. I am also thinking of a Liberian family that left their homeland with nothing. the mother died not that long after coming to America and the father was blinded because of his faith in Christ our Lord. Refugees.... that is really what they are. They still have fmaily in Liberia. Their family has had many of the men killed in the civil wars, leaving many of the women and children husbandless and fatherless. Seeing how woman are generally thought of as lower class in many of these poor countries (I'm not sure about Liberia, this is my assumption) these poor women have to try to survive and take care of themselves and their children. These poor women are burdened with all the responsibilities of both parents in raising their children in a country that doesn't have much and the poor have the least of all. My thoughts run wild wiht questions like are the kids going to bed hungry? Do they have clothes that fit them? are thy going to school? Do they have the supplies they need to have a proper education?
Chance are these questions are answered most of the time wiht a no, they do not.... But here we sit, in front of our few hundred dollar computers, with our cell phones sitting on the desk next to us and a nice afternoon snack or yummy foods and a comforting beverage. In the other room we actually have a bed with a few blankets and a pillow instead of a blanket on the cold hard ground. We hear the television mumbling in the background instead of the moans of our hungry children....
This is a lot longer then I had planned. I do feel that we as Americans really need to stop and thank God for all that we are blessed wiht. It is not by our might, nor our power but by the power of the Almighty that has blessed us with such great things that surround us every minute of everyday. We need to stop moaning about not haviung the latest and greatest game system, ringtone, sneakers and hair styles. We NEED to start thanking God for our blessings. I hope you agree....
Next time you wish you had something you can't afford remember those children who have to search the garbage dumps for cardboard to sell just so they can eat something that day.... Be thankful to God for all your blessings. :o)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Wow! Still learning
Ok, so I am 38 years old. I will be 39 in November. This goes to prove you really never stop learning. If we stopped learning that would say that we know everything. Then we would be God. We are SOOOOO NOT God! Therefore we do not know everything. Therefore there is always room to learn. :o)
Ok, so what did learn? I learned that you can't please people who obviously do not want to be pleased by you. I also learned that in order to have your heart right with God you have to be willing to put things behind you. If you are always looking behind you thinking of what u was then you can't very well watch what is in front of you. You miss out on tremendous blessings that way!
Today was rough. I was trying so hard to get things scanned, emailed, printed and snail mailed out today. My printer/scanner wasn't working as fast as I wanted it too. The documents were too large to email so I had to adapt them. Then I screwed up the address on the envelope and had to rewrite it.
After that was all completed I found out that someone I know fell into some serious temptation. They felt horribly guilty and needed some comfort and wisdom. Another friend come over in tears. I felt so bad for her. Teens are difficult to raise as it is, but her struggles today were like hitting a brick wall. (((hugs))) (you know who you are. luv ya!!!) After all that we finally were able to put our house back in order and get somethings cleaned up before heading out to McD's on our way to Worship Jam at church. I expected the worship jam to go smoothly and for me to end up feeling blessed as I always do there. Apparently that was too much to expect. lol Boy does our flesh get us into trouble!!!!
At Worship Jam I was blindsided by another parent regarding something very petty in my eyes. I was hurt and let those emotions get the best of me. When I gt hurt I get angry at who hurt me, especially if this person has done this before to me. This person has hurt me in the past and they certainly know they have so my anger was getting high. I let it get like that. I felt justified. I felt I had every right to let the world know this person was self-centered.
I asked to speak to a terrific sister in the Lord about the situation. If anyone could help refocus me on Christ it was this woman. She has an amazing way of seeing the world and helping others see it through God's eyes too. So I calmed down and enjoyed the songs. When we had a snack break during the worship jam someone said something to me, in a very playful way, that was a reminder of the whole situation I had just, or thought I had, gotten past. Well, you know your heart holds onto things a lot longer then it should because I was not over the situation. The hurt and the frustration all came back. It made me cry, more out of my inability to stop feeling so hurt then out of the situation itself. I HAD to give it to Christ and leave it in His more then capable hands. That is much easier said then done though.
So now here I sit. I am thinking of the whole situation in a new light. In the light that my dear friend tried to show me when I was crying and fuming at church earlier. God's hands are stronger, larger, more gently, more protective then mine ever could be. I think he can take care of a few hurt feelings since He IS the one that created the universe with only a few small words.
After al this I see what a fool I was to let this person get under my skin. I see what a fool I was not trusting God to hold me close and love me despite what this other person thought. I see how God's loving hands are always there to help us through the struggles. I just need to start seeing myself leaning on those same loving and attentive hands.
Ok, so what did learn? I learned that you can't please people who obviously do not want to be pleased by you. I also learned that in order to have your heart right with God you have to be willing to put things behind you. If you are always looking behind you thinking of what u was then you can't very well watch what is in front of you. You miss out on tremendous blessings that way!
Today was rough. I was trying so hard to get things scanned, emailed, printed and snail mailed out today. My printer/scanner wasn't working as fast as I wanted it too. The documents were too large to email so I had to adapt them. Then I screwed up the address on the envelope and had to rewrite it.
After that was all completed I found out that someone I know fell into some serious temptation. They felt horribly guilty and needed some comfort and wisdom. Another friend come over in tears. I felt so bad for her. Teens are difficult to raise as it is, but her struggles today were like hitting a brick wall. (((hugs))) (you know who you are. luv ya!!!) After all that we finally were able to put our house back in order and get somethings cleaned up before heading out to McD's on our way to Worship Jam at church. I expected the worship jam to go smoothly and for me to end up feeling blessed as I always do there. Apparently that was too much to expect. lol Boy does our flesh get us into trouble!!!!
At Worship Jam I was blindsided by another parent regarding something very petty in my eyes. I was hurt and let those emotions get the best of me. When I gt hurt I get angry at who hurt me, especially if this person has done this before to me. This person has hurt me in the past and they certainly know they have so my anger was getting high. I let it get like that. I felt justified. I felt I had every right to let the world know this person was self-centered.
I asked to speak to a terrific sister in the Lord about the situation. If anyone could help refocus me on Christ it was this woman. She has an amazing way of seeing the world and helping others see it through God's eyes too. So I calmed down and enjoyed the songs. When we had a snack break during the worship jam someone said something to me, in a very playful way, that was a reminder of the whole situation I had just, or thought I had, gotten past. Well, you know your heart holds onto things a lot longer then it should because I was not over the situation. The hurt and the frustration all came back. It made me cry, more out of my inability to stop feeling so hurt then out of the situation itself. I HAD to give it to Christ and leave it in His more then capable hands. That is much easier said then done though.
So now here I sit. I am thinking of the whole situation in a new light. In the light that my dear friend tried to show me when I was crying and fuming at church earlier. God's hands are stronger, larger, more gently, more protective then mine ever could be. I think he can take care of a few hurt feelings since He IS the one that created the universe with only a few small words.
After al this I see what a fool I was to let this person get under my skin. I see what a fool I was not trusting God to hold me close and love me despite what this other person thought. I see how God's loving hands are always there to help us through the struggles. I just need to start seeing myself leaning on those same loving and attentive hands.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
a sense of accomplishment
Wow! Today has been filled with such a sense of accomplishment. First, I started off the day doing the work of the Lord. Our church is doing a help the community service week rather then a traditional VBS this week. I love it! It is a great way to instill within the youngsters the importance of helping others. Our two boys have not gone for the first two days this week but they will be going tomorrow and Thursday. On Friday I am not so sure that they will come. Friday it depends on if we have enough room in our vehicle to take and bring them home, as we are taken home two to four other teens. Now you may ask, and rightfully so, why would we make room for other teens instead of bringing our own children. Well, there is a multi-thought process that brought us to that decision. One, our teens are still recovering form a bug that has worn our family out a lot this summer. Two, Adam, with his Asperger's and his knee problems sometimes causes more of a fuss and tends to be overly lazy, which would bring stress on others that are there to work. three, A lot of today and yesterday was getting up and down and going up and down stairs. With Adam's knees, which have a tendency to give out on him we thought it best not to bother bringing him. Not bringing Adam means (rather then listen to the attitude) not bringing Daniel. Besides Daniel is the one who has felt physically unwell more often then his big brother, so this gives him more time to recover. Fourth and final reason is that on Friday we will be taking more kids home afterward leaving a limited number of usable seats in our van. Since Adam seems to be more melodramatic over things and lazier then the average teen (ok maybe not) we thought it best to all ow room for those teens that actually will put their best foot forward and help out as much as needed, which I do not think Adam will be willing to do. So, you see we have truly thought this through. lol
Our comminuty helping week satrted yesterday, so we weeded the church's yard and helps beautify the place a bit. We also cleaned up the inside of the church area. Afterward, on our way home Mike and I were able to tackle a few errands before heading home. Anyhow, at church this morning we organized the clothing closet and prepared it for public access, not that it wasn't ready before but now we just made it more ready. lol Although we did not complete the job we will did accomplish way more then I thought we would! We still have a few things left to do with the clothing closet but that will be worked on and finished on Friday. After church today, Mike and I were able to visit with a friend of ours for a brief time before heading home. Mike took Daniel out to have father son time and Adam had his friend, Josiah, over. I love Josiah!!! He is a terrific teen, sweet respectful, appreciative and a wonderful godly young man.Daniel then came home and the boys played all afternoon. When Josiah was here I took the boys to the pool and swam with them for a while. They trulky are crazy teen boys that is for sure! lol While I was in the pool I decided to see how long I could tread water for. The first time I tread for 12 - 13 minutes. I was amazed!!!! The second try I could have done more but stopped after 5 minutes. It was a wonderful day!
I think over the last two days we have accomplished a lot of things, both in and out of the house. We did the laundry, made some important phone calls, fixed some computer issues, bought a new blender (which I so badly wanted) and generally got a lot of little things done....
When I get a lot done like the last two days have been like it makes me think about how God must feel at what He has made. I know He is happy in some of him flock but not all. I just pray that I am one of those that has made Him happy. when I pass on I can't wait to hear well done, good and faithful servant!!!
so what ever you are doing this week, do the best you can at it and second, do it for the Lord, not for yourself or other people. Doing it for the Lord brings a greater amount of joy with it then you would ever get waiting for it. Doing things for yourself (glorifying your abilities) brings with it dissatisfaction and sometimes brings with it disappointed.
I pray thta no matter what I do with my life I do it for God and only to gloify Him!
Our comminuty helping week satrted yesterday, so we weeded the church's yard and helps beautify the place a bit. We also cleaned up the inside of the church area. Afterward, on our way home Mike and I were able to tackle a few errands before heading home. Anyhow, at church this morning we organized the clothing closet and prepared it for public access, not that it wasn't ready before but now we just made it more ready. lol Although we did not complete the job we will did accomplish way more then I thought we would! We still have a few things left to do with the clothing closet but that will be worked on and finished on Friday. After church today, Mike and I were able to visit with a friend of ours for a brief time before heading home. Mike took Daniel out to have father son time and Adam had his friend, Josiah, over. I love Josiah!!! He is a terrific teen, sweet respectful, appreciative and a wonderful godly young man.Daniel then came home and the boys played all afternoon. When Josiah was here I took the boys to the pool and swam with them for a while. They trulky are crazy teen boys that is for sure! lol While I was in the pool I decided to see how long I could tread water for. The first time I tread for 12 - 13 minutes. I was amazed!!!! The second try I could have done more but stopped after 5 minutes. It was a wonderful day!
I think over the last two days we have accomplished a lot of things, both in and out of the house. We did the laundry, made some important phone calls, fixed some computer issues, bought a new blender (which I so badly wanted) and generally got a lot of little things done....
When I get a lot done like the last two days have been like it makes me think about how God must feel at what He has made. I know He is happy in some of him flock but not all. I just pray that I am one of those that has made Him happy. when I pass on I can't wait to hear well done, good and faithful servant!!!
so what ever you are doing this week, do the best you can at it and second, do it for the Lord, not for yourself or other people. Doing it for the Lord brings a greater amount of joy with it then you would ever get waiting for it. Doing things for yourself (glorifying your abilities) brings with it dissatisfaction and sometimes brings with it disappointed.
I pray thta no matter what I do with my life I do it for God and only to gloify Him!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
76 out of 100
Ok, so I came across this tonight as I was browsing walls on facebook. I thought 'Wow! This is really interesting.' So I copied, adapted and then pasted it here.
Please feel free to copy and repost where-ever you like. I have marked wiht an 'X' what I remember from my childhood. Please when you repost, delete my X's and mark with an 'X' the ones you remember from your childhood.
thanks, Trisha
Audio-Visual Entertainment
[X ] Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.
[ ] Super-8 movies and cine film of all kinds.
[X ] The number of TV channels being a single digit. I remember it being a massive event when Britain got its fourth channel.
[X ] Standard-definition, CRT TVs filling up half your living room.
[X ] Rotary dial televisions with no remote control. You know, the ones where the kids were the remote control.
[X ] High-speed dubbing.
[ ] 8-track cartridges.
[X ] Vinyl records. Even today’s DJs are going laptop or CD.
[ ] Betamax tapes.
[X ] MiniDisc.
[ ] Laserdisc: the LP of DVD.
[X ] Scanning the radio dial and hearing static between stations.
[X ] Shortwave radio.
[X ] 3-D movies meaning red-and-green glasses.
[X ] Watching TV when the networks say you should. Tivo and Sky+ are slowing killing this one.
[X ] That there was a time before ‘reality TV.’
Computers and Videogaming
[X ] Wires. OK, so they’re not gone yet, but it won’t be long.
[X ] The scream of a modem connecting.
[X ] The buzz of a dot-matrix printer.
[ ] Using jumpers to set IRQs.
[X ] DOS.
[X ] Terminals accessing the mainframe.
[X ] Screens being just green (or orange) on black.
[ ] Tweaking the volume setting on your tape deck to get a computer game to load, and waiting ages for it to actually do it.
[ ] Daisy chaining your SCSI devices and making sure they’ve all got a different ID.
[ ] Counting in kilobytes.
[X ] Wondering if you can afford to buy a RAM upgrade.
[X ] Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.
[ ] Turning a PlayStation on its end to try and get a game to load.
[X ] Joysticks.
[ ] Having to delete something to make room on your hard drive.
[X ] Booting your computer off of a floppy disk.
[[X ] Recording a song in a studio.
The Internet
[ ] NCSA Mosaic.
[X ] Finding out information from an encyclopedia.
[X ] Using a road atlas to get from A to B.
[X ] Doing bank business only when the bank is open.
[ ] Shopping only during the day, Monday to Saturday.
[X ] Phone books and Yellow Pages.
[X ] Newspapers and magazines made from dead trees.
[ ] Actually being able to get a domain name consisting of real words.
[X ] Filling out an order form by hand, putting it in an envelope and posting it.
[X ] Not knowing exactly what all of your friends are doing and thinking at every moment.
[X ] Carrying on a correspondence with real letters, especially the handwritten kind.
[ ] Archie searches.
[ ] Gopher searches.
[ ] Concatenating and UUDecoding binaries from Usenet.
[X ] Privacy.
[X ] The fact that words generally don’t have num8er5 in them.
[X ] Correct spelling of phrases, rather than TLAs.
[X ] Waiting several minutes (or even hours!) to download something.
[ ] The time before botnets/security vulnerabilities due to always-on and always-connected PCs.
[X ] The time before PC networks.
[X ] When Spam was just a meat product — or even a Monty Python sketch.
Gadgets
[X ] Typewriters.
[X ] Putting film in your camera: 35mm may have some life still, but what about APS or disk?
[X ] Sending that film away to be processed.
[X ] Having physical prints of photographs come back to you.
[X ] CB radios.
[X ] Getting lost. With GPS coming to more and more phones, your location is only a click away.
[X ] Rotary-dial telephones.
[X ] Answering machines.
[X ] Using a stick to point at information on a wallchart.
[X ] Pay phones.
[ ] Phones with actual bells in them.
[X ] Fax machines.
[X ] Vacuum cleaners with bags in them.
Everything Else
[X ] Taking turns picking a radio station, or selecting a tape, for everyone to listen to during a long drive.
[X ] Remembering someone’s phone number.
[X ] Not knowing who was calling you on the phone.
[X ] Actually going down to a Blockbuster store to rent a movie.
[X ] Toys actually being suitable for the under-3s.
[X ] LEGO just being square blocks of various sizes, with the odd wheel, window or door.
[X ] Waiting for the television-network premiere to watch a movie after its run at the theater.
[X ] Relying on the 5-minute sport segment on the nightly news for baseball highlights.
[X ] Neat handwriting.
[X ] The days before the nanny state.
[X ] Starbuck being a man.
[X ] Han shoots first.
[X ] “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.” But they’ve already seen Episode III, so it’s no big surprise.
[X ] Kentucky Fried Chicken, as opposed to KFC.
[ ] Trig tables and log tables.
[X ] “Don’t know what a slide rule is for …”
[X ] Finding books in a card catalog at the library.
[X ] Swimming pools with diving boards.
[ ] Hershey bars in silver wrappers.
[ ] Sliding the paper outer wrapper off a Kit-Kat, placing it on the palm of your hand and clapping to make it bang loudly. Then sliding your finger down the silver foil to break off the first finger.
[ ] A Marathon bar (what a Snickers used to be called in Britain).
[X ] Having to manually unlock a car door.
[X ] Writing a check.
[X ] Looking out the window during a long drive.
[X ] Roller skates, as opposed to blades.
[X ] Cash.
[X ] Libraries as a place to get books rather than a place to use the internet.
[X ] Spending your entire allowance at the arcade in the mall.
[ ] Omni Magazine.
[X ] A physical dictionary — either for spelling or definitions.
[X ] When a ‘geek’ and a ‘nerd’ were one and the same. ok. ok. ok... now I feel so outdated!!!! Even though I am only 38 right now I feel like this shows I m in my 60's!!! lmbo!!! It was fun though. Enjoy! I got a 76 out 100. Holy cow I feel old!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Extreme Couponing....
Ok, so I tried this Extreme Couponing thing everyone is getting gung ho about. My first initial thought was I don't think I can do this but I can try it and see how it works out. If it works, great, if not, no biggie… Well, with some guidance from a neighbor and from facebook friends I started collecting my coupons. I bought the Sunday papers to get the weekly coupons; I made sure I received all the local grocery store and drug store weekly ads. I ‘liked’ practcally everything on facebook. I bought a binder and organized it well. lol So, you see I did really invest time into this. If it worked out well and I saved some money it would be worth it to me. Well, was it really worth it? To me, well no.
Let me tell you why though. I am not one that has a lot of free time as it is. I hate to sit still for too long and if it is not really important to my family and I, I won't usually do it. Yes, the couponing would benefit my family and myself but the benefits did not outweight the inconvience it created. What were the benefits and what were the inconviences you might ask? Well, I will break it down to the best of my ability.
Pros: (Benefits)
Saving money
Getting product we might not usually get
Many local stores take Internet coupons
Cons: (Inconviences)
Time consuming (for me this is a huge con!):
Searching for the coupons online
Looking through papers and ads, clipping coupons
Time used to travel to multiple stores
Costly to start, as you have to build your coupon base (as you have to buy some of the papers to get the coupons).
Boring, for me at least
Ok, so now you see the pros and the cons. Why are the cons such a problem for me? Well, to put it simply, I value my time. I value it more then just saving money. My time to me is time with my family, time praising and worship my God. Time reading and learning, time cleaning and making my home a stress free environment for my hubby to come home to and for my kids to live in. Bottom-lining it, my time is being sucked away by this extreme couponing and I hate that! My hubby is not to thrilled with it either. My oldest son even commented on how much time it takes and he hates that I am so wrapped up in it. In reality I’m sure it would take less time as I get used to doing it but I would rather not keep doing it.
Pretty soon my time will be even sparser due to searching for and then teaching my kids curriculum. I do homeschool them and that is one of my biggest responsibilities. I also have othe projects I want to work on. I wish to go through all my pics on the computer and organize them. I wish to scrapbook quite a bit as I have lots of ideas but little time and even less energy to do so. I wish to work on other things as well. I will also be babysitting come September and that is one thing I am looking forward to doing. I do not want couponing to cut into that time either.
Most of you know that I have fibromyalgia and this brings with it pain and fatigue. Now, with my medicines I am fairly ok most days but the fatigue is a hard thing to manage sometimes. The pain I have gotten used to out of necessity. The time and energy I have I want to use to the fullest to benefit my family and flourish our relationships with God and each other. I do not want to spend that time and energy clipping and searching for coupons. I do not want to spend that time running from store to store to get the sale items.
Ok, so the pros sound so good, right? Well, it really depends on your perspecitve I guess. Yes, saving money is a nice thing to do, but at what expense? In my house it seemed to be at the expense of family time. So not worth it in my book!!! Trying new things is also a nice thing. I am finding out though many generic items are of equal quality to the name brand, at least in our opinion, and can be cheaper then the name brand even with a coupon. Internet coupons are a huge plus but for us it is not that easy to get. You see, we have dial up and that makes the Internet slow. Why do we have dial up? For a number of reasons, price being first and foremost, but safety racks right up there too. I am picky about what my kids do, see, listen to and hang around. That means I know what they play with, toys wise and games wise. I know what music they listen to and I know what they read. I know all my kids’ friends and their families. Yes, my kids are teens and I may not "need" to because they are growing up. But that is exactly why I do it, why I am so watchful of my family. There are so many things out there that can tempt young minds away from God, our personal Saviour and the King of kings. The boys are still finding their place in the world and their relationship with Christ is still developing. I do not want things to lead them away from that growth. Keeping the interent at bay keeps the temptations at bay too. Having a fast Internet would be nice to play games and such but it's not worth risking our kids’ spiritual stability, at least in our (my hubby and mine) eyes.
Now, having the stores accept Internet coupons is wonderful also but not all our local stores take these Internet coupons due to fraudulent use of them. The stores actually can lose lots of money on accepting coupons that they may not be reimbursed for. They also lose on the money that was doubled (or in some cases tripled) on those same unreimbursed coupons. Therefore it is not as easy as some might think in using these great coupons that you can print out at home.
When I shop I want to get in the store, get my stuff and get out. Yes, I do love window shipping and I do not mind and taking my time while shopping. My issue is I rarely have the time to take my time, if you know what I mean. I'm usually on a tight time schedule. I can't take the time to do multiple transactions at the same store just to use my coupons. I also cannot take the time to go to multiple stores. I alos tend to have one or more kids with me, which brings distractions causing me to forget certain items or using certain coupons. That defeats the purpose of couponing… lol
I don't want to hold up the other customers either, as I feel that is rude. I wouldn't want to wait for one person to have 5 - 10 (or Lord forbid 18) transactions before I even get a chance to have one, so why should I make others wait for me to do that?
I know some people make their weekly meal menus from the sales that they find that week. Well, that is not practical for us. We have one child with a soy allergy, which eliminates many products that are on the market, one child that is extremely picky and a husband who is very picky also. I have a sensitive stomach so I also have to be careful what I eat or I will pay for it for the next few days. Having two people in my house with Asperger’s (a high functioning form and autism) makes having different meals difficult. We tend to have the same stuff over and over. We do have some variety but not too much. It is the way my husband likes it and I like him to be happy. I do not usually plan my meals ahead of time either. I buy what foods we like and each day, depending on how tired I feel or how busy I have been, I chose the meal that is practical for that night.
So, you see, I have tried the Extremem Couponing and have decided it really isn't for my family and I. Will I stop using coupons entirely? No, I'll still use them here and there but only for things I will get even if I have no coupon. I will not plan my shopping around the coupons. I will not plan my meals around my coupons and around store sales.
I hope this opens your eyes to the possibilities of Extreme Couponing and the pros and cons that go along with it. Take what you will from this post and leave behind what you don’t like. I know what works for my family and the couponing thing wasn’t it. We, here, are okay with that too. We are cautious with what God has given us and try to be frugal and wise with our finances. God has always gone before us and therefore I am not worried for our finacial future. Keeping Him in the forefront of our hearts has kept us debt free so far. He has always provided and I know that He will continue to do so. :o)
Let me tell you why though. I am not one that has a lot of free time as it is. I hate to sit still for too long and if it is not really important to my family and I, I won't usually do it. Yes, the couponing would benefit my family and myself but the benefits did not outweight the inconvience it created. What were the benefits and what were the inconviences you might ask? Well, I will break it down to the best of my ability.
Pros: (Benefits)
Saving money
Getting product we might not usually get
Many local stores take Internet coupons
Cons: (Inconviences)
Time consuming (for me this is a huge con!):
Searching for the coupons online
Looking through papers and ads, clipping coupons
Time used to travel to multiple stores
Costly to start, as you have to build your coupon base (as you have to buy some of the papers to get the coupons).
Boring, for me at least
Ok, so now you see the pros and the cons. Why are the cons such a problem for me? Well, to put it simply, I value my time. I value it more then just saving money. My time to me is time with my family, time praising and worship my God. Time reading and learning, time cleaning and making my home a stress free environment for my hubby to come home to and for my kids to live in. Bottom-lining it, my time is being sucked away by this extreme couponing and I hate that! My hubby is not to thrilled with it either. My oldest son even commented on how much time it takes and he hates that I am so wrapped up in it. In reality I’m sure it would take less time as I get used to doing it but I would rather not keep doing it.
Pretty soon my time will be even sparser due to searching for and then teaching my kids curriculum. I do homeschool them and that is one of my biggest responsibilities. I also have othe projects I want to work on. I wish to go through all my pics on the computer and organize them. I wish to scrapbook quite a bit as I have lots of ideas but little time and even less energy to do so. I wish to work on other things as well. I will also be babysitting come September and that is one thing I am looking forward to doing. I do not want couponing to cut into that time either.
Most of you know that I have fibromyalgia and this brings with it pain and fatigue. Now, with my medicines I am fairly ok most days but the fatigue is a hard thing to manage sometimes. The pain I have gotten used to out of necessity. The time and energy I have I want to use to the fullest to benefit my family and flourish our relationships with God and each other. I do not want to spend that time and energy clipping and searching for coupons. I do not want to spend that time running from store to store to get the sale items.
Ok, so the pros sound so good, right? Well, it really depends on your perspecitve I guess. Yes, saving money is a nice thing to do, but at what expense? In my house it seemed to be at the expense of family time. So not worth it in my book!!! Trying new things is also a nice thing. I am finding out though many generic items are of equal quality to the name brand, at least in our opinion, and can be cheaper then the name brand even with a coupon. Internet coupons are a huge plus but for us it is not that easy to get. You see, we have dial up and that makes the Internet slow. Why do we have dial up? For a number of reasons, price being first and foremost, but safety racks right up there too. I am picky about what my kids do, see, listen to and hang around. That means I know what they play with, toys wise and games wise. I know what music they listen to and I know what they read. I know all my kids’ friends and their families. Yes, my kids are teens and I may not "need" to because they are growing up. But that is exactly why I do it, why I am so watchful of my family. There are so many things out there that can tempt young minds away from God, our personal Saviour and the King of kings. The boys are still finding their place in the world and their relationship with Christ is still developing. I do not want things to lead them away from that growth. Keeping the interent at bay keeps the temptations at bay too. Having a fast Internet would be nice to play games and such but it's not worth risking our kids’ spiritual stability, at least in our (my hubby and mine) eyes.
Now, having the stores accept Internet coupons is wonderful also but not all our local stores take these Internet coupons due to fraudulent use of them. The stores actually can lose lots of money on accepting coupons that they may not be reimbursed for. They also lose on the money that was doubled (or in some cases tripled) on those same unreimbursed coupons. Therefore it is not as easy as some might think in using these great coupons that you can print out at home.
When I shop I want to get in the store, get my stuff and get out. Yes, I do love window shipping and I do not mind and taking my time while shopping. My issue is I rarely have the time to take my time, if you know what I mean. I'm usually on a tight time schedule. I can't take the time to do multiple transactions at the same store just to use my coupons. I also cannot take the time to go to multiple stores. I alos tend to have one or more kids with me, which brings distractions causing me to forget certain items or using certain coupons. That defeats the purpose of couponing… lol
I don't want to hold up the other customers either, as I feel that is rude. I wouldn't want to wait for one person to have 5 - 10 (or Lord forbid 18) transactions before I even get a chance to have one, so why should I make others wait for me to do that?
I know some people make their weekly meal menus from the sales that they find that week. Well, that is not practical for us. We have one child with a soy allergy, which eliminates many products that are on the market, one child that is extremely picky and a husband who is very picky also. I have a sensitive stomach so I also have to be careful what I eat or I will pay for it for the next few days. Having two people in my house with Asperger’s (a high functioning form and autism) makes having different meals difficult. We tend to have the same stuff over and over. We do have some variety but not too much. It is the way my husband likes it and I like him to be happy. I do not usually plan my meals ahead of time either. I buy what foods we like and each day, depending on how tired I feel or how busy I have been, I chose the meal that is practical for that night.
So, you see, I have tried the Extremem Couponing and have decided it really isn't for my family and I. Will I stop using coupons entirely? No, I'll still use them here and there but only for things I will get even if I have no coupon. I will not plan my shopping around the coupons. I will not plan my meals around my coupons and around store sales.
I hope this opens your eyes to the possibilities of Extreme Couponing and the pros and cons that go along with it. Take what you will from this post and leave behind what you don’t like. I know what works for my family and the couponing thing wasn’t it. We, here, are okay with that too. We are cautious with what God has given us and try to be frugal and wise with our finances. God has always gone before us and therefore I am not worried for our finacial future. Keeping Him in the forefront of our hearts has kept us debt free so far. He has always provided and I know that He will continue to do so. :o)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
amazing love
Recently we have been witness to so many difficulties in relationships. This has forced me evaluate my own relationships; with God, my husband, my kids and my friends and other family. What have I done that could potentially screw up those relationships? What have I done that has helped cement those relationships? What can I do to make things better in the present & future?
I can only say one word that has made all my relationships work in the past and in the present, God. With God I am blessed with an over abundance amount of His agape love, His amazingly powerful love.
When I was little I did not personally honestly, know His love for me and for others. Oh, I was raised in a Christian home and I was told about the love God has for His creation, including human beings. I thought I knew it. I thought I was part of it. I didn't realize until I became an adult how much I was missing out on. When I was a kid I had head knowledge. Now that I am an adult I have heart knowledge. Now let me tell you there is a whole world of difference between the two!
To know God personally and be able to talk with Him at any moment in time, is an amazing feeling!!! to know I am never alone, that God is with me every moment of my life is comforting and reassuring! To knwo that god watches over me and guides me in all my comings and goings, in all my sayings and listenings, in all my ups and all my downs, is the best feeling I could have ever (or will ever) experience!
Without God I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my marriage would not be nearly as happy and wonderful as it is, if it is happy or wonderful at all. Mike and I have had our ups and our downs in our marriage. We have had our arguments and I have packed a bag to leave on more then one occasion. Without God our marriage would have failed years ago. Putting God first in our marriage has made being in the number 2 place so worthwhile! Once you put God first He helps you align all else in your life in such a way that it brings glory to Him and makes all that happens bless you. Whether good or bad happens in the long run you see, over time, how God has the ability to use it to help you grow stronger as a person and in your faith.
So, before I go to bed let me simply say I am blessed to be counted among God's children. I am blessed to knot hat without a shadow of a doubt if I were to die tonight while I sleep or in a car crash tomorrow I would end up with Jesus worshiping Him forever! I am blessed to put Him first in all that I do and I pray you are also!
I can only say one word that has made all my relationships work in the past and in the present, God. With God I am blessed with an over abundance amount of His agape love, His amazingly powerful love.
When I was little I did not personally honestly, know His love for me and for others. Oh, I was raised in a Christian home and I was told about the love God has for His creation, including human beings. I thought I knew it. I thought I was part of it. I didn't realize until I became an adult how much I was missing out on. When I was a kid I had head knowledge. Now that I am an adult I have heart knowledge. Now let me tell you there is a whole world of difference between the two!
To know God personally and be able to talk with Him at any moment in time, is an amazing feeling!!! to know I am never alone, that God is with me every moment of my life is comforting and reassuring! To knwo that god watches over me and guides me in all my comings and goings, in all my sayings and listenings, in all my ups and all my downs, is the best feeling I could have ever (or will ever) experience!
Without God I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my marriage would not be nearly as happy and wonderful as it is, if it is happy or wonderful at all. Mike and I have had our ups and our downs in our marriage. We have had our arguments and I have packed a bag to leave on more then one occasion. Without God our marriage would have failed years ago. Putting God first in our marriage has made being in the number 2 place so worthwhile! Once you put God first He helps you align all else in your life in such a way that it brings glory to Him and makes all that happens bless you. Whether good or bad happens in the long run you see, over time, how God has the ability to use it to help you grow stronger as a person and in your faith.
So, before I go to bed let me simply say I am blessed to be counted among God's children. I am blessed to knot hat without a shadow of a doubt if I were to die tonight while I sleep or in a car crash tomorrow I would end up with Jesus worshiping Him forever! I am blessed to put Him first in all that I do and I pray you are also!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
My thoughts on Extreme Couponing
Written on 7/4/11.
Hi. I have been himming and hawing over what to do about this extreme couponing thing. I know many people LOVE couponing and swear by it. There are a whole slew of websites devoted to it. There is a television show devoted to it. There are so many facebook pages started to help others start couponing. I even have a couple of friends who are into it.
I was thinking about my reasons for starting to coupon and my reasons why it might not be a great idea when I came across this article. I found it interesting and saddening at the same time. Apparently, some of these people, a good amount from the sounds of it, gang-cut their coupons. Now I had no idea what gang-cutting was until I read this. Now I know why it's detrimental to the companies out there.
http://www.jillcataldo.com/gang_cut_coupons
So knowing this has left me in a bit of a conundrum. Do I continue to coupon like this or do I stop? Now, before we go any further let me clarify a few things.
1) I DO NOT gang-cut coupons. EVER.
2) I DO NOT get more then 2 papers on Sundays if I get that many.
3) I think Gang-cutting is wrong therefore making it sinful.
4) I DO NOT want to (even remotely appear to) be participating in sinful acts.
So you see I am left wondering is the extreme couponing a sinful thing to do? Am I actually participating in Extreme couponing and therefore in participating in a sinful act?
My husband, Mike, says I am not sinning by using coupons. I am using the coupons the way the manufactures have intended them to be used and therefore am not sinning. My dilemma is do I participate in something that can be so sinful, even if I, myself, am not sinning doing it? Mike says that everytthing on this Earth can be sinful in some way and that I don't need to worry about it.
Ok, my original reasons for starting to coupon again. I have tried it before but not particularly very well. lol I would forget the coupons all the time and decided it wasn't worth it to cut them and collect them if I forgot to use them at the store. So I stopped using them. Ok, my reasons, were simply two fold. One was to see if I could do it and two was to try to save money. Having two teens and a hubby that drives 19 miles one way to work 5 days a week make the money we do have not go as far as we would like it to sometimes.
BUT!!! I never intended to do the "Extreme Couponing" and go crazy like some people do. I will not spend money on things I do not use nor need. I will not stock pile the items. Maybe having two or three on hand in case I run out might be a nice idea but I do not need (nor do I want) 10 of the same item! lol
My last thought about this couponing thing is I am not trusting in God to provide all we need if I coupon? I want to trust the Lord as I know that is not only right but it is an act of faith that has ALWAYS brought us blessings. I want God to know that I trust my life and the lives of my children and family in His more then capable & loving hands. Will couponing pick away at the amount of trust I give God? I DO NOT ever wish my trust to be diminished by anything!
So, in conclusion, I am trying to the couponing thing until God gives me a clearer direction to proceed with. I trust God to provide all we ever need but I am also trying to be a faithful stewardess with all that He already given me. I am trying to be wise with the finances we have and fully rely on Him to help me through this whole experience....
I would appreciate any and all thoughts on Extreme Couponing that you might have. Thanks!
Hi. I have been himming and hawing over what to do about this extreme couponing thing. I know many people LOVE couponing and swear by it. There are a whole slew of websites devoted to it. There is a television show devoted to it. There are so many facebook pages started to help others start couponing. I even have a couple of friends who are into it.
I was thinking about my reasons for starting to coupon and my reasons why it might not be a great idea when I came across this article. I found it interesting and saddening at the same time. Apparently, some of these people, a good amount from the sounds of it, gang-cut their coupons. Now I had no idea what gang-cutting was until I read this. Now I know why it's detrimental to the companies out there.
http://www.jillcataldo.com/gang_cut_coupons
So knowing this has left me in a bit of a conundrum. Do I continue to coupon like this or do I stop? Now, before we go any further let me clarify a few things.
1) I DO NOT gang-cut coupons. EVER.
2) I DO NOT get more then 2 papers on Sundays if I get that many.
3) I think Gang-cutting is wrong therefore making it sinful.
4) I DO NOT want to (even remotely appear to) be participating in sinful acts.
So you see I am left wondering is the extreme couponing a sinful thing to do? Am I actually participating in Extreme couponing and therefore in participating in a sinful act?
My husband, Mike, says I am not sinning by using coupons. I am using the coupons the way the manufactures have intended them to be used and therefore am not sinning. My dilemma is do I participate in something that can be so sinful, even if I, myself, am not sinning doing it? Mike says that everytthing on this Earth can be sinful in some way and that I don't need to worry about it.
Ok, my original reasons for starting to coupon again. I have tried it before but not particularly very well. lol I would forget the coupons all the time and decided it wasn't worth it to cut them and collect them if I forgot to use them at the store. So I stopped using them. Ok, my reasons, were simply two fold. One was to see if I could do it and two was to try to save money. Having two teens and a hubby that drives 19 miles one way to work 5 days a week make the money we do have not go as far as we would like it to sometimes.
BUT!!! I never intended to do the "Extreme Couponing" and go crazy like some people do. I will not spend money on things I do not use nor need. I will not stock pile the items. Maybe having two or three on hand in case I run out might be a nice idea but I do not need (nor do I want) 10 of the same item! lol
My last thought about this couponing thing is I am not trusting in God to provide all we need if I coupon? I want to trust the Lord as I know that is not only right but it is an act of faith that has ALWAYS brought us blessings. I want God to know that I trust my life and the lives of my children and family in His more then capable & loving hands. Will couponing pick away at the amount of trust I give God? I DO NOT ever wish my trust to be diminished by anything!
So, in conclusion, I am trying to the couponing thing until God gives me a clearer direction to proceed with. I trust God to provide all we ever need but I am also trying to be a faithful stewardess with all that He already given me. I am trying to be wise with the finances we have and fully rely on Him to help me through this whole experience....
I would appreciate any and all thoughts on Extreme Couponing that you might have. Thanks!
friendships
Written on 5/28/11.
friendship is one of those things that requires strength and wisdom.
Is this person really a friend?
Are they trying to "pull the wool over your eyes?'
Can you trust them to tell you the truth?
Are you honest with them?
Can you connect with them on various topics of life?
Do they have a similar mind set?
Well, Recently I have been posed with just the questions in regards to a few "friends" in particular. One I will call Lynn and one I will call Sarah. A third "friend" is one I am still a bit confused over what type of friendship there is. Her name I will say is Emily. To my knowledge none of these ladies or their families are saved.
Now, at our first interaction these three ladies left me with three different feelings entirely. Now I knew Sarah I could trust. I had a good feeling about Sarah. She seemed like a great lady who has made some bad choices in life but realized her mistake and has tried to do good after that. When I met Lynn, I got a uncomfortable feeling but she was nice so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Seeing how I would have many interactions with this lady I thought it was worth it to become "friends". I'm not so sure now. Emily, well, she is nice and we got along from the get go but I also have reservations about her. Although we get along well I still have this strange sensation when interacting with her. It's as if I feel a whisper saying be-careful. Maybe it's my own mind playing games with me seeing as to how one friendship just broke up in a bad way, maybe it is God's warning and guidance. I do not know. I guess we will see how these friendships pan out over time.
Ok, so I wrote the above a while ago. Now on 7/5/11 I am updating this before posting. I am still friends with all 3 of these ladies. I say "friends" but I'm not sure how far that friendship actually goes. Now Sarah, I know I can trust, I like her a lot. She is sweet funny and a great friend. I have known her for years and have been blessed by our friendship. Lynn, well, I am still not sure where that lies. lol she is a nice person but I feel like everything I hear from her is said with some ulterior motive, whether it is meant to deceive me or make me think better of her I'm not sure. Either way, my biggest pet peeve in life is being lied to. This bothers me greatly about this friend. Now, Emily and I also get along great. She is sweet, helpful and fun to be around. However, I still get that "be careful" warning in my head so I am listening to it.
Either way no matter if these ladies are my true honest to goodness friends or not is yet to be seen. I know that the only person I really need in life is Christ. I have Him without fail each day of my life. :o)
friendship is one of those things that requires strength and wisdom.
Is this person really a friend?
Are they trying to "pull the wool over your eyes?'
Can you trust them to tell you the truth?
Are you honest with them?
Can you connect with them on various topics of life?
Do they have a similar mind set?
Well, Recently I have been posed with just the questions in regards to a few "friends" in particular. One I will call Lynn and one I will call Sarah. A third "friend" is one I am still a bit confused over what type of friendship there is. Her name I will say is Emily. To my knowledge none of these ladies or their families are saved.
Now, at our first interaction these three ladies left me with three different feelings entirely. Now I knew Sarah I could trust. I had a good feeling about Sarah. She seemed like a great lady who has made some bad choices in life but realized her mistake and has tried to do good after that. When I met Lynn, I got a uncomfortable feeling but she was nice so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Seeing how I would have many interactions with this lady I thought it was worth it to become "friends". I'm not so sure now. Emily, well, she is nice and we got along from the get go but I also have reservations about her. Although we get along well I still have this strange sensation when interacting with her. It's as if I feel a whisper saying be-careful. Maybe it's my own mind playing games with me seeing as to how one friendship just broke up in a bad way, maybe it is God's warning and guidance. I do not know. I guess we will see how these friendships pan out over time.
Ok, so I wrote the above a while ago. Now on 7/5/11 I am updating this before posting. I am still friends with all 3 of these ladies. I say "friends" but I'm not sure how far that friendship actually goes. Now Sarah, I know I can trust, I like her a lot. She is sweet funny and a great friend. I have known her for years and have been blessed by our friendship. Lynn, well, I am still not sure where that lies. lol she is a nice person but I feel like everything I hear from her is said with some ulterior motive, whether it is meant to deceive me or make me think better of her I'm not sure. Either way, my biggest pet peeve in life is being lied to. This bothers me greatly about this friend. Now, Emily and I also get along great. She is sweet, helpful and fun to be around. However, I still get that "be careful" warning in my head so I am listening to it.
Either way no matter if these ladies are my true honest to goodness friends or not is yet to be seen. I know that the only person I really need in life is Christ. I have Him without fail each day of my life. :o)
just thinking about life.... being bored.... lol
Written on 6/9/11.
I have not been sure of what to write lately. That is one reason I haven't written lately. When I do think of something to write it is late and I am too tired. But today I wanted to write anyhow. I have nothing on my mind and nothing exciting has happened that is so exciting that I just have to tell someone about so there really isn't anything to write about. My boys are done with school and have been for a while. Mike is on vacation starting this Saturday. We are going camping on Sunday and will return on Friday. As for extended family; well, all things are well there too. Mike's mom is doing well, all things considered, seeing as how her father recently passed away. Mike's aunt and uncle are in town for a bit and it is so enjoyable to spend time with them. My siblings are all doing well as far as I know so there is no worries there either. lol It seems to me that I live a very mundane, boring repetitive life. But through it all I feel immensely blessed.
God has given me a wonderful life. I have a husband whom I am madly in love with even after 17 years of marriage, two wonderful boys who are growing up loving the Lord. I have a great place to live, my husband has a job that takes care of our bills, and we have many amenities that make our lives easier and more pleasant. So although my life is boring and mundane I am more then happy and content. God is awesome and has blessed me in so many, many ways! For that I am always thankful!
I have not been sure of what to write lately. That is one reason I haven't written lately. When I do think of something to write it is late and I am too tired. But today I wanted to write anyhow. I have nothing on my mind and nothing exciting has happened that is so exciting that I just have to tell someone about so there really isn't anything to write about. My boys are done with school and have been for a while. Mike is on vacation starting this Saturday. We are going camping on Sunday and will return on Friday. As for extended family; well, all things are well there too. Mike's mom is doing well, all things considered, seeing as how her father recently passed away. Mike's aunt and uncle are in town for a bit and it is so enjoyable to spend time with them. My siblings are all doing well as far as I know so there is no worries there either. lol It seems to me that I live a very mundane, boring repetitive life. But through it all I feel immensely blessed.
God has given me a wonderful life. I have a husband whom I am madly in love with even after 17 years of marriage, two wonderful boys who are growing up loving the Lord. I have a great place to live, my husband has a job that takes care of our bills, and we have many amenities that make our lives easier and more pleasant. So although my life is boring and mundane I am more then happy and content. God is awesome and has blessed me in so many, many ways! For that I am always thankful!
life recently
Written on 5/26/11.
Life recently has been sort of different... Mike had off all last week because of the death of his grandfather. He helped his aunt and his mom with his grandfather's apartment a little bit. We visited with his extended family a couple of days. It was a somber but actually enjoyable time. I know that may sound bad but when you do not see family members in a long time then seeing them for any reason practically, turns out to be nice. Grandpa will be greatly missed. He was unsaved and a hard headed self mad man but loving, caring and funny. My heart breaks now that he is no longer with us.
Life recently has been sort of different... Mike had off all last week because of the death of his grandfather. He helped his aunt and his mom with his grandfather's apartment a little bit. We visited with his extended family a couple of days. It was a somber but actually enjoyable time. I know that may sound bad but when you do not see family members in a long time then seeing them for any reason practically, turns out to be nice. Grandpa will be greatly missed. He was unsaved and a hard headed self mad man but loving, caring and funny. My heart breaks now that he is no longer with us.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
what a week
Wow, this week has been rough... so many deaths, first Megan's grandmother, then Ryan's uncle, then Mike's grandfather.... Granted the only one we really knew was Grandpa but so many deaths so close to each other is rough... a funeral after a funeral. UGH! Today we went shopping for outfits to wear to Grandpa's funeral.
It's sad but we didn't have anything to wear to a funeral that was somber and respectful looking, and that actually fit. Yes, we do go to church every Sunday so you would think that we had dress clothes. Nope, we didn't. You see our church doesn't "require" us to "dress up" in our "Sunday's best". If you wish to you are more then welcome to but not everyone does. Of course we do look nice and we are clean and presentable each time we go to church for any type of service, but we don't "dress up" in dresses, suit and ties all the time... No matter what we wear God still loves us the same. You know the old saying, a rose by any other name would still smell the same? We that is the way it is with God. No matter how we change our outward appearance it doesn't affect how God looks at us. He looks on the inside, not the outside... He sees the truth behind the masks we all wear. Yes, we all wear masks whether we believe it or not... We all take time, conscientiously or subconsciously, to give society the appearance they are looking for or the appearance we want them to see of us. Do we do that with God? Do we stop and think how God would react to how we look on the outside? And the inside? I wish I did more then I do. I wish I did it a lot more then I do. It seems that since we don't physically see God that we don't think of how He looks at us most of the time. We get so wrapped up in the world's view that we forget about God's view. I for one want to change that. I NEED to change that. It's not the world's view that will have a long lasting effect on me. It's not the world's view that will stay with me for eternity. We will not stay with the world forever, but only a short time span. If these recent deaths have taught me anything it is life is fleeting....
So, anyhow, back to the outfit shopping... we went to our local Wal-Mart. Yup, that's right - Wally's, lol Mike says we practically live at Wal-Mart! I am always surprised at the nice style of clothing Wal-Mart has. Now we are simple folk and are not up on the trendiest attire nor the hottest fashions, but we do like to look nice. Wal-Mart fills that desire quite nicely. It also fits into our budget which is important too! (Don't get me started on the amount of debt people have! UGH That is another blog for another day!) Anyhow, we bought dress pants and dress shirts for both boys, a skirt for me wiht a nice blouse. I was shocked when we arrived home and found out that the pants I chose for Daniel were way too small!!!! I forget how much that boys has grown in the last 6 months or so! so, anyhow, we have to go back to Wal-Mart tomorrow to exchange Daniel's pants for a larger size. (At least I know he is growing. for a long time there he stayed so small!)
Thursday is the funeral service for Grandpa. It will be a sad day. today I was thinking of this porcelain doll
Mike's grandmother, Ida, made. The family thought Ida had given the doll a name but no one could remember it. I was looking at the doll to see if a name was etched into her anywhere. Nope, no name. I htought to myself, why don't I jsut cal Grandpa? He'll know. Then it hit me. There will never be anymore calling Grandpa. Oh how I wish that weren't true though.
It makes me stop and think about how little time we actually have here on Earth. Before we know it we will be dead and buried, or cremated and put on someone's fireplace mantle. I for one, could care less what happens to my body after I die. It will no longer have a soul, as my soul will be with Christ in Paradise. One day, I know that will happen. What type of impact will we leave behind for those who remain? What will we be remembered for? I only want to be remembered for one thing, and one thing only. I wish to be remembered for how I let God use me and shine through me. That in the end is the only thing that matters anyhow. Why worry about the rest? I'm not.
Well, it is late, 12:39 am, and I have a busy day tomorrow ahead of me. I am off to bed soon. I have a few things to finish up before heading there though. No matter what tomorrow may bring may you live your life the way Christ desires and may the impact you leave on this world bless God. Sweet dreams everyone!
It's sad but we didn't have anything to wear to a funeral that was somber and respectful looking, and that actually fit. Yes, we do go to church every Sunday so you would think that we had dress clothes. Nope, we didn't. You see our church doesn't "require" us to "dress up" in our "Sunday's best". If you wish to you are more then welcome to but not everyone does. Of course we do look nice and we are clean and presentable each time we go to church for any type of service, but we don't "dress up" in dresses, suit and ties all the time... No matter what we wear God still loves us the same. You know the old saying, a rose by any other name would still smell the same? We that is the way it is with God. No matter how we change our outward appearance it doesn't affect how God looks at us. He looks on the inside, not the outside... He sees the truth behind the masks we all wear. Yes, we all wear masks whether we believe it or not... We all take time, conscientiously or subconsciously, to give society the appearance they are looking for or the appearance we want them to see of us. Do we do that with God? Do we stop and think how God would react to how we look on the outside? And the inside? I wish I did more then I do. I wish I did it a lot more then I do. It seems that since we don't physically see God that we don't think of how He looks at us most of the time. We get so wrapped up in the world's view that we forget about God's view. I for one want to change that. I NEED to change that. It's not the world's view that will have a long lasting effect on me. It's not the world's view that will stay with me for eternity. We will not stay with the world forever, but only a short time span. If these recent deaths have taught me anything it is life is fleeting....
So, anyhow, back to the outfit shopping... we went to our local Wal-Mart. Yup, that's right - Wally's, lol Mike says we practically live at Wal-Mart! I am always surprised at the nice style of clothing Wal-Mart has. Now we are simple folk and are not up on the trendiest attire nor the hottest fashions, but we do like to look nice. Wal-Mart fills that desire quite nicely. It also fits into our budget which is important too! (Don't get me started on the amount of debt people have! UGH That is another blog for another day!) Anyhow, we bought dress pants and dress shirts for both boys, a skirt for me wiht a nice blouse. I was shocked when we arrived home and found out that the pants I chose for Daniel were way too small!!!! I forget how much that boys has grown in the last 6 months or so! so, anyhow, we have to go back to Wal-Mart tomorrow to exchange Daniel's pants for a larger size. (At least I know he is growing. for a long time there he stayed so small!)
Thursday is the funeral service for Grandpa. It will be a sad day. today I was thinking of this porcelain doll
Mike's grandmother, Ida, made. The family thought Ida had given the doll a name but no one could remember it. I was looking at the doll to see if a name was etched into her anywhere. Nope, no name. I htought to myself, why don't I jsut cal Grandpa? He'll know. Then it hit me. There will never be anymore calling Grandpa. Oh how I wish that weren't true though.
It makes me stop and think about how little time we actually have here on Earth. Before we know it we will be dead and buried, or cremated and put on someone's fireplace mantle. I for one, could care less what happens to my body after I die. It will no longer have a soul, as my soul will be with Christ in Paradise. One day, I know that will happen. What type of impact will we leave behind for those who remain? What will we be remembered for? I only want to be remembered for one thing, and one thing only. I wish to be remembered for how I let God use me and shine through me. That in the end is the only thing that matters anyhow. Why worry about the rest? I'm not.
Well, it is late, 12:39 am, and I have a busy day tomorrow ahead of me. I am off to bed soon. I have a few things to finish up before heading there though. No matter what tomorrow may bring may you live your life the way Christ desires and may the impact you leave on this world bless God. Sweet dreams everyone!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
why I do not hate Osama...
You know I have all these verse typed up and ready to post here. They all talk about not letting anger control you. But then I came across these +verses and wow! it changed my whole mind set....
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
So, although I had planned to blog today about my reasons for not hating Osama I have decided against it. For why should I argue about how God directs me to feel when the Scriptures says not to quarrel? So enough said I guess..
Have a great day....
2 Timothy 2:23-26
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
So, although I had planned to blog today about my reasons for not hating Osama I have decided against it. For why should I argue about how God directs me to feel when the Scriptures says not to quarrel? So enough said I guess..
Have a great day....
Saturday, April 30, 2011
wow
Lately, it feels as if I am being tried and tried and tried... drama everywhere I turn. How old are we people??? I don't know about you but I am 38, I will 39 in November. I am too old for drama.... leave me out of it please.
The only drama I want is the wonderful kind that comes after His Glorious appearance! I will write more soon I hope. There is so much in our lives right now I wouldn't know where to begin even if I had the time to write 50 pages worth!!!
If you think of me, pray for my little mouth to watch what I say and ,my tiny ears to be careful what they listen to... thank you!
The only drama I want is the wonderful kind that comes after His Glorious appearance! I will write more soon I hope. There is so much in our lives right now I wouldn't know where to begin even if I had the time to write 50 pages worth!!!
If you think of me, pray for my little mouth to watch what I say and ,my tiny ears to be careful what they listen to... thank you!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Easter
God:
Passion
Love
Nurture
Grace
Forgiving
Us:
dirty
sinful
unforgiving
uncaring
unloving
Why would any spiritual being love us? why would the creator of all that exists love us? Honestly, I have no idea. My pastor referred to humans as animated dirt balls. I have to say that that description does not do the human nature justice...
What boggles my mind, and we have been learning about this on Sunday mornings, is that no matter what we do, God loves us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants to be part of the closest relationship we will ever have. He wants to be part of us. His love is so all encompassing that it covers EVERYTHING, leaving nothing left unloved.
I know as a parent my love for my children is incomprehensible. I know as a wife, that my love for my husband covers a multitude of mistakes and imperfections. It makes me blind to things in anyone else I would hate. No matter if my child were a homicidal maniac who openly practices homosexuality, I know in my heart of hearts, I would love them. Doesn't that mean that I condone their sinful behavior though? No. It does not.just because I love them doesn't mean that I think they are perfect and can do no wrong. It doesn't mean that I cna over look their behavior or actions. It just means that despite the sin, I have deeply rooted feelings towards them. If my husband were to have an affair, (which by the way he is honestly the last person I would ever suspect of having one) I know that if we both desire to rectify our marriage then we can.
Ok, so how does that relate to God loving us? Just think, if we, being human with all these horrible despicable flaws, love those that are closest to us that much, how much more does God love us? I mean come on! He gave His ONLY begotten son to die so that we may one day be with Him in glory again. The only way to cover the awful sins we have committed (lieing and taking the extra long lunch breaks are committing sin, btw) was to cover them with blood. Jesus became that covering. Once blood as covered our sins our sins become forgotten. Now, I ;m not talking about just forgotten in the human way of forgetting. I am talking about the God way of forgetting - to have no memory of ever again... Not to remember and just not hold it against us but to actually NOT remember the sins once they are forgiven. WOW! I am in awe...
My God, the creator of all that has existed, exists now and will exists in the future loves me enough to willingly forget my sins when I trust and believe on Him. I'm sorry, but even though I believe that 110% I still find it hard to comprehend.
So, thank you God for all your love, nurture, care and guidance You do so much more for me then I could ever begin to repay you for. I know through all my sins you love me and cherish each moment with me. Forgive me of those things I do wrong, even at those times when I know not that I am doing wrong... forgive me and clean me Oh Lord. Make me more like you....
Easter is a humbling time of year. It is when we should take a step back and reevaluate our lives. Are we the type of person God wants us to be? Do we understand how much god gave so that we may spend eternity with him? I sure hope you do, I know I try to.
Have a wonderfully joyous eye opening Easter.
Passion
Love
Nurture
Grace
Forgiving
Us:
dirty
sinful
unforgiving
uncaring
unloving
Why would any spiritual being love us? why would the creator of all that exists love us? Honestly, I have no idea. My pastor referred to humans as animated dirt balls. I have to say that that description does not do the human nature justice...
What boggles my mind, and we have been learning about this on Sunday mornings, is that no matter what we do, God loves us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants to be part of the closest relationship we will ever have. He wants to be part of us. His love is so all encompassing that it covers EVERYTHING, leaving nothing left unloved.
I know as a parent my love for my children is incomprehensible. I know as a wife, that my love for my husband covers a multitude of mistakes and imperfections. It makes me blind to things in anyone else I would hate. No matter if my child were a homicidal maniac who openly practices homosexuality, I know in my heart of hearts, I would love them. Doesn't that mean that I condone their sinful behavior though? No. It does not.just because I love them doesn't mean that I think they are perfect and can do no wrong. It doesn't mean that I cna over look their behavior or actions. It just means that despite the sin, I have deeply rooted feelings towards them. If my husband were to have an affair, (which by the way he is honestly the last person I would ever suspect of having one) I know that if we both desire to rectify our marriage then we can.
Ok, so how does that relate to God loving us? Just think, if we, being human with all these horrible despicable flaws, love those that are closest to us that much, how much more does God love us? I mean come on! He gave His ONLY begotten son to die so that we may one day be with Him in glory again. The only way to cover the awful sins we have committed (lieing and taking the extra long lunch breaks are committing sin, btw) was to cover them with blood. Jesus became that covering. Once blood as covered our sins our sins become forgotten. Now, I ;m not talking about just forgotten in the human way of forgetting. I am talking about the God way of forgetting - to have no memory of ever again... Not to remember and just not hold it against us but to actually NOT remember the sins once they are forgiven. WOW! I am in awe...
My God, the creator of all that has existed, exists now and will exists in the future loves me enough to willingly forget my sins when I trust and believe on Him. I'm sorry, but even though I believe that 110% I still find it hard to comprehend.
So, thank you God for all your love, nurture, care and guidance You do so much more for me then I could ever begin to repay you for. I know through all my sins you love me and cherish each moment with me. Forgive me of those things I do wrong, even at those times when I know not that I am doing wrong... forgive me and clean me Oh Lord. Make me more like you....
Easter is a humbling time of year. It is when we should take a step back and reevaluate our lives. Are we the type of person God wants us to be? Do we understand how much god gave so that we may spend eternity with him? I sure hope you do, I know I try to.
Have a wonderfully joyous eye opening Easter.
Friday, April 22, 2011
tonight
Tonight I had a decent conversation with someone whom I have a small disagreement with. Having the disagreement doesn't, and shouldn't mean that I no longer like this person, nor get along with them. It's all about peace. Ok, so maybe it's not all about peace, but I certainly would like it to be. Wouldn't it be nice if people would just be honest and not take things so personally? You see, long story short is that Mike and I have different opinions about this person. I am trying not to hold things against this person while Mike is pretty much fed up. I just want to be a good witness for Christ, but what exactly does that entail? Being honest, check. Following through with what you say, check. Being pleasant and not vindictive, check. Ok, so where do I go from here?
Now, I am not perfect, by any means! I have a lot of faults, too many to list. I am not going to throw stones at anyone and I wish people not to throw stones at me. I wish that God would work through me with this circumstance and that through this issue He may be glorified. But how can that happen when the two people on this side of the issue have way different ideas of how to handle it? I just don't know.
I'll write more later about this.
Right now my son wishes to die an early death. He is playfully joking about pouring water all over my computers. Ok, so this I will kill him for! lmbo!!! such a wonderful child, isn't he? lol
Today we had a wonderful day. the weather was gorgeous, not too cold and not to warm. We had a great time hanging outside as a fmaily. Adam found these Yu Gi Oh cards, LOTS of them! I wouldn't doubt if there were a couple of hundred of them. Now, of course, my son wanted to sell them to get easy money. Two major things were wrong with that idea, one way more wrong then the other. Fist of all, about half the cards were water logged so they wouldn't sell for anything... Secondly, why would we wish to sell something that we feel is sinful? Mike and I feel that would be wrong. It is almost like helping your friend sin but not actually committing the sin yourself... you know? it is just full of bad ideas! lol So, what did we do with these cards? We had a great bon fire in our grill. hehehe It was fun! lol The kids enjoyed burning the cards and of course, Mike is a pyro anyway. With all the cards burning it created lots of smoke, so you know we had to all get showers afterwards. It was so worth it though. :o)
After that, we decided to wait on the showers and got for a nature walk at a near by park. For hiking I find this particular spot fairly enjoyable. It has a great hill to climb, it's right next to a creek, and it has a meadow that opens up after you go through the forest area. There is a concrete bridge to cross and also a smaller wooden bridge later on. It was a bit muddy in spots but mostly it was semi dry. Now, there were not many animals about and the trees barely had buds on them. There were a lot of broken dead trees down every where due to the recent wind storms. This only made the walk more enjoyable as that meant more to look at and search around.
We found this one particular tree that fell and was braced between a couple of other trees. Since it was braced fairly well we could sit down on it and take some great pictures. We had lots of laughs and fun as a fmaily in the woods. I wish it was a longer time but I know this summer we will do it again. I think that over all it was a nice day.
I'll write more later if I can. For now I am going to go relax.
Now, I am not perfect, by any means! I have a lot of faults, too many to list. I am not going to throw stones at anyone and I wish people not to throw stones at me. I wish that God would work through me with this circumstance and that through this issue He may be glorified. But how can that happen when the two people on this side of the issue have way different ideas of how to handle it? I just don't know.
I'll write more later about this.
Right now my son wishes to die an early death. He is playfully joking about pouring water all over my computers. Ok, so this I will kill him for! lmbo!!! such a wonderful child, isn't he? lol
Today we had a wonderful day. the weather was gorgeous, not too cold and not to warm. We had a great time hanging outside as a fmaily. Adam found these Yu Gi Oh cards, LOTS of them! I wouldn't doubt if there were a couple of hundred of them. Now, of course, my son wanted to sell them to get easy money. Two major things were wrong with that idea, one way more wrong then the other. Fist of all, about half the cards were water logged so they wouldn't sell for anything... Secondly, why would we wish to sell something that we feel is sinful? Mike and I feel that would be wrong. It is almost like helping your friend sin but not actually committing the sin yourself... you know? it is just full of bad ideas! lol So, what did we do with these cards? We had a great bon fire in our grill. hehehe It was fun! lol The kids enjoyed burning the cards and of course, Mike is a pyro anyway. With all the cards burning it created lots of smoke, so you know we had to all get showers afterwards. It was so worth it though. :o)
After that, we decided to wait on the showers and got for a nature walk at a near by park. For hiking I find this particular spot fairly enjoyable. It has a great hill to climb, it's right next to a creek, and it has a meadow that opens up after you go through the forest area. There is a concrete bridge to cross and also a smaller wooden bridge later on. It was a bit muddy in spots but mostly it was semi dry. Now, there were not many animals about and the trees barely had buds on them. There were a lot of broken dead trees down every where due to the recent wind storms. This only made the walk more enjoyable as that meant more to look at and search around.
We found this one particular tree that fell and was braced between a couple of other trees. Since it was braced fairly well we could sit down on it and take some great pictures. We had lots of laughs and fun as a fmaily in the woods. I wish it was a longer time but I know this summer we will do it again. I think that over all it was a nice day.
I'll write more later if I can. For now I am going to go relax.
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