Well, it has been a while since I have taken the time to blog and I'm ashamed that it has been so long since I have posted my thoughts. I am not sure of the exact reason, but I guess it is a combination of the holidays, being busy with the kids, work, etc. but it has mainly been because I haven't felt a story stirring in my mind for several months now. Not that I have been in a rut, because I really hate the thought of that word, but I really haven't had many ideas pop in my head like they did when I first started the blog. Even now, as I am starting this post, I have no idea where I am going with it:) I am actually in the back seat of a car riding home from Valdosta. I came here for work and without three little kids tugging at my legs and screaming for my attention, I have had a lot of time to think. Unfortunately, I have had a lot to think about after the recent, unexpected death in our family last week and some other terrible accidents I have heard about lately. For some reason, when death occurs or some sort of sadness takes place, it seems to be followed by rain. This time, it was followed by a straight downpour....so bad to the point that schools were closed. It was really bad weather, but it has finally cleared up a little. Anyway, what I am getting to is this..... Sadness can sometimes be related to rain and the dreary weather that comes along with it, but the sun will come out again. Even in the flood with Noah, a dove eventually came back with an olive tree leaf to let him know that their was in fact life on the earth once again. I don't know about y'all, but this gives me hope. And the older I get, the more I realize that we may not receive all the hope we long for here on this earth. It may be when we meet The Lord in heaven before we finally live out soaring on wings of eagles like Isaiah 40:31 speaks of because the ultimate hope that Christians will experience will be eternal life. I know, that I know, that I know, that this is the only reason I can make it through some days of my life considering the loss I have experienced. That and also realizing that it could always be worse. God may not always deliver us from pain or hurt here on this earth, but one day when we are united with our Savior, we will experience joy like never before and pain never again. When I think of hope I think of it as waiting for The Lord with expectation and truly believing that He can do exceedingly more than what we can ever ask or imagine. Now how often have you truly lived with this type of hope and expectation? I know at times I haven't like I should. I pray that I can change my mindset and live with the expectation that God can do great things. I have always been taught this, but have I always believed it 24/7 and 100%? No...absolutely not. We all have had our moments of doubt. Today I believe it more than ever. Like I always say, God is so good in a world full of bad things. There are many things that satan will try to divert our attention with, but keep your eyes on the prize of Jesus and remember the best is yet to come.
Lastly, I leave you with this. When it is raining and there are thunderstorms, the kids always seem to end up in our bed. The other morning after it rained all night, I made the comment to the girls that even though they didn't like the rain, it shouldn't scare us because things need it to grow and that it comes from God. Hadden then responded back to me by saying, "Mama, I am not scared of the rain when I am with you in your bed." I just thought that was the sweetest thing ever said but the more I thought about it, the more I can see how God was speaking to me through her (which happens all the time with my little munchkins!). Like the rain, we may not always like or understand the things we go through in life but we may need these things to happen to us in order for us to grow and put our trust more in Jesus just like the plants need the rain to grow. It is also not quite as scary to go through the storms of life when we are safely in the arms of Christ just like she feels more safe in the arms of her mama and daddy. Wow. Thank you Lord for reminding me of this right now as I type this blog. Your love is never ending and your arms are wide enough to hold whatever trials we may be facing. We always have hope in Him....eternal hope. Amen and amen!
Well, I have become the blogger that I never wanted to be! :) I didn't want to become one that let a couple of months lapse between posts, but I have. I guess I have been on a summer break! In fact, this blog has taken me weeks to finish. Anyway, throughout the last couple of months, several things have come to mind about what I could share, but I have never had the time to sit down and actually do it. The older my precious kids get, the busier I seem to be. Whatever the case may be and whether I am blogging or not, I consider the start of my blog to be a blessing to me. That is why I have entitled this entry, "Blog Thoughts." As soon as I began my blog, I considered it to be a ministry of mine, but even when I am not able to sit down and share my thoughts, I am still thinking of things I can write about.....positive things related to the goodness of our Lord. I consider all of my "blog thoughts" to be of the Lord and what I am even more thankful for is that I have these thoughts. I don't know if I am making any sense at all, but let me try to explain. This world is so full of negativity, trash, filth, sadness, fear, and things that simply disgust our God, and even when we aren't trying to be of the world, it is very easy to have these things overshadow our thoughts in a negative way. I know I struggle with this daily and even if my thoughts aren't necessarily "filthy," I do struggle with things just as bad. We all have things that fill our mind that shouldn't. This is a normal thing and something we can't avoid, but what we can do is think of other things to offset what could literally tear us down if we let it. And...I do firmly believe that God sends "blog thoughts" our way to remind us of His presence and the blessings that we have. We just can't shut them out and/or ignore them.
My dad used to always say to me....if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I know we have all heard that saying before. Because he taught me this growing up, I think of this all of the time and do catch myself stopping mid-sentence before saying some things, especially if I am with a group of people where gossip is in the making. (I wish this worked every time, because I have definitely had my share of sticking my foot in my mouth!) This can also apply to our thoughts. If you catch yourself going down the wrong lane of thoughts, stop and turn around. Nothing positive can come out of something negative and negative thoughts will indefinitely lead to negativity in your life. Well, back to where I was going with this....my "blog thoughts" are good for me because when I find myself thinking, "I could share this on my blog," it is usually something that encourages me and lifts my spirits even if it is just for a moment. Sometimes that is just what we need in the middle of a busy day that could be filled with receiving bad news, feeling sorry for yourself, feeling negative toward someone, coming across a person that was just plain out rude to you, or just waking up feeling down. Next time you have one of these days, don't block out the "blog thoughts" that God sends your way as these can be that little reminder that He is with you. And no, you don't have to have a blog to "think" them! When you feel even just a little bit of encouragement inside, I can almost bet you that it is your loving Savior just squeezing your shoulder saying, "get up....keep going....I am with you."
These "blog thoughts," are great, but on the other hand, we all go through seasons of life where we feel God is passing us by. Can you relate? We know that God never leaves us, but there are definitely times when we feel alone. I came across an old CD a couple of weeks ago that I had forgotten all about. My favorite song on the CD is Pass Me Not. It is an old hymn that has such a strong message. Hopefully we will do it in the praise band at church soon. Because I came across this hymn, I have looked into it and the true meaning of the words. So many times I have sang hymns such as this one and never really known what I was singing about. This song goes along with exactly what I spoke of above and I am speechless when I think of how God brought this all together. By reading the lyrics of, Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior, you can definitely tell that it was written during the 19th century. We might overlook songs such as this because of the way they are written, but thank God, I didn't this time.
Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Let me at Thy throne of mercy, Find a sweet relief, Kneeling there in deep contrition; Help my unbelief.
When I read this, I can definitely relate to Fannie Crosby, even though it was written so long ago. She is basically talking about how God makes calls to others and she pleads for Him to hear her cry and not to "pass her not." Have you ever felt that God is not near? Have you ever felt that our Savior is in hiding? I think we all have. I believe that these feelings do occur, but just for us to trust God even more. I know that He never leaves me (even though I have felt that way) and regardless, I trust God. That is faith. Sometimes we just need something to jump start it.
Praise God that through our unbelief, God is still there and the ONLY thing that is always believable. He is unchanging. When God sends those "blog thoughts" your way, don't shut them out. It could be something that your hear on TV, a thought of something that happened in the past, circumstances of those around us, something you read in a book, or just a simple thought that reminds you how blessed you are. Whatever it may be, these are little bits of encouragement from God. He speaks to us in all sorts of ways and He can be in any shape or size. Never underestimate His power. He may seem distant, but He is always just a prayer of faith away.
I guess I better go see what my girls are up to. I hear them in their room. I can only imagine what I will see when I open the door. Lately they have surprised me and pulled everything out of EVERY drawer and had a dress up show and Pate likes to get right in the middle of them! Here are a few pictures that are sure to bring a smile to your face! What blessings they are to me.....miracles.
Kam
Hadden
Pate
We can never get a picture of all of them together. This is the best we could do:)
Funny how things change with time. When it was just me and Timmy, if someone asked us to do something on a Friday night, we didn't think twice about it. These days I ask myself, "Do I want to actually eat tonight or entertain two very lively little girls in a restaurant?" :) Last night was one of those nights, and we chose to stay home. We have a lot of fun together as a family and it is much more simple to just eat at home rather than pack up the entire house to go to Statesboro, etc....
We called our evening, "Homemade Pizza Night" and Kamryn & Hadden helped and made their own little pizza. I try to involve the girls in as much things as I can these days. For example, when I fold clothes, I ask them to help. Lola (Timmy's mom) actually taught Hadden how to hang shirts on a hanger! She rearranges the lower rack of my closet almost every day to her liking! When I clean the kitchen, they always want to help. Kamryn knows just what to do and always likes helping mommy clean up (I pray this continues as she gets older!). Little Miss Hadden is always cleaning too. She likes to have everything in order.....so much like me! Here is an adorable video from a while ago when I was first getting the girls involved in helping mommy do things around the house! I just had to share! I love the way Kamryn says, "thank you!"
Tonight, the girls had so much fun making their own individual cheese pizzas. First, we spread the pizza dough, then they each spooned out their own pizza sauce, and for their favorite part.....cheese! They love shredded cheese! I like that they eat cheese, but I sure wish they liked another kind besides shredded. You can imagine what the floor under their table looks like when they eat it. We also made shell pasta to eat with the leftover sauce and they really liked that too! I just love to see them eat! When they were smaller, I had such a hard time feeding them so it is very exciting to see them enjoy food finally. Pate is another story. He will eat anything!
I know I have so many pictures of my blog with the girls only in a diaper, but I promise that I dress them! Every time I turn my back, they have undressed themselves and are usually only wearing a diaper and shoes.
Hadden was very anxious for her pizza to get ready!
They both really enjoyed it!
When the girls walked away from their table, Pate went over to investigate and pulled down one of their plates. He can pull up now and is getting into everything! He knows that food is always on their little table so he goes for whatever he can get to! After the pizza fell, Kamryn went to get her broom to help clean it up....see, children definitely imitate their parents!
I also made a large sausage pizza! It was so yummy!! Then of course I ended the evening with a diet coke and unfrosted, strawberry pop tart....you all know my ritual :)
Just as I was writing this and thinking about Pate's baby dedication at church tomorrow, I was reminded how much my children watch me every day. Wow! It humbles me to think that as parents, we have such a profound influence on shaping the thoughts and attitudes of our children. What a huge responsibility. I can't imagine taking on the feat of raising a family without the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father. It is sad to think that so many do.....
What are your kids seeing when they watch you live your life? It’s amazing how much children learn when we don’t even know they’re watching! I pray that Timmy and I along with other Christian parents will be faithful to Christ starting in the home.This in turn will overflow into the hearts of children. The future of the next generation depends on this. With the direction this world is heading, we are in trouble.....just think of Jennifer Lopez's performance Wednesday night on American Idol, which is supposed to be a "family" show. I was also just flipping through the channels on TV and I came across a movie on Lifetime where 14 year olds were engaging in sexual activity. Really??? What is this world coming to? It is up to us Christian parents to make a difference in the lives of our precious angels.
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
When I shared my testimony a couple of weeks ago, the Lord was definitely with me and it felt good to be used in a different way than the ordinary. I was very nervous, but as I got started, the nerves went away and my thoughts began to flow as I focused on praising my Savior. I am usually a "behind the scenes" type person, but at this very moment, I pray that God would open a door if I should do something like that again. I just want to be used for Him and sometimes if you stand behind the scenes too much, you may miss out on an opportunity to stand for Christ and share your faith. I definitely have a problem of wandering what others think entirely too much. While this isn't a terrible trait, it can have a negative impact when speaking to others about Christ or simply standing up for what is right. I see this in my life quite a bit. I have been in situations before where others have spoken ugly about someone or something that shouldn't be talked about. So many times I didn't say anything when I should have. Timmy and I are convicted about this and we try to stay away from those situations. If we find ourselves involved or contributing (which we are all guilty of), we acknowledge each other and stop.I need to stand up for what is right more of the time. This isn't "too" hard in front of one or two people, but in a large group or meeting, it is difficult. I pray that God will help me when I am confronted with this again. Whatever and/or whoever is right deserves to be stood up for and you and I may have to be the ones that do if no one else will. Just like God gave me the words to say during my testimony, I pray that he would guide my words when I am faced with a similar situation. Since sharing my testimony, I have been faced by certain situations that have tested me.....things that satan knows will test me. I am very aware that satan is always on the prowl and he loves strife and things not of God. Because I took a stand for my Jesus, I know he is out to do that in my life, but I refuse to let him. Timmy went to Las Vegas last week for business. I missed him so much. Usually, when one of us goes out of town, we try to have a surprise for the one returning home. I racked my brains on what I could do for Timmy this time and the perfect idea came to me. We have a pretty large closet, but between the two of us and our love for shopping, we have done a very good job of making it look a lot smaller :)! I took it upon myself to go to Lowes and add additional features and storage options to our closet.....basically, the closet had a makeover! Timmy was very surprised...most of all because I actually did it all by myself. It turned out great and we have A LOT more room. Because I had to pretty much empty the closet to start the process. Therefore, I had to weed out a few of the things that I don't wear anymore. This is so hard to do! I find myself thinking I may use it later, when I haven't worn it for a year! When I was looking for ideas of ways to organize, I came across a blog that shared this quote, "when we clear out the things that don't matter, we make room for the things that do." This statement spoke to me in a lot of ways both literally and figuratively. This is probably because I definitely have a Type A personality. I tend to take on more than I should. I am also very organized, ambitious, and proactive. This personality type also tends to be sensitive as well as impatient, which is me all over! I hope that I can take this statement to heart and apply it to my life in many ways. Not only in my closet (haha), but also in my heart and mind. I encourage you all to do the same. Clear your mind of the negative, the worrisome attitude, arrogance, pride, the gossip, the doubt, the things in life that really have no significance at all, the fear of the unknown, the fret of what others may think when we stand of for what is right........and make room for the positive, the Lord, family, church and worship(not just on Sunday morning), being thankful, things that make you smile rather than cry, your true friends and those that really love you and build you up, caring for others.....you fill in the rest. This in turn will also help us take a stand for the things of God and stay away from situations of negativity as discussed in the first paragraph....a makeover of positivity! May you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend. God is so good in such a bad world. Let's weed out the ugly in our lives and only leave room for the beautiful flowers of Christ. Be on watch because satan will be out to get you, but remember...1 John 4:4:
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
I was just reading Seeds From The Sower in the Penny Saver and what it said really stood out to me. It read, "St. Paul said, "Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong." In my prior post, I talked about how we can all be stumbling blocks, but we should also help each other get back on the right track when we struggle because it could be us on the other side the next time. This is so true and I just wanted to share. Night!
We recently celebrated Easter and we were reminded of the ultimate sacrifice that was taken for us. It definitely got me thinking about what I actually sacrifice for my Lord.
I know it has been FOREVER since I posted last. I didn't want to be a blogger that went days without writing anything, but I guess I have become one :) When I first started blogging, several things came to mind, but I haven't had any of those "thoughts" lately. I am sharing my testimony at church in a couple of weeks, and I have been praying a lot about it. It is so out of my element to stand up in front of a crowd and talk about myself and life, but I know the Lord has led me to do it. I feel good about it, but I am nervous. I just want to get my point across, and above all, I want to give Him the glory.
I am encouraged in the smallest of ways and last night, I was encouraged by something that was said on TV! I enjoy TV, probably because during the day I am unable to watch anything that doesn't involve singing the ABCs, Cedarmont Kids, or Elmo :) I refer to the shows I enjoy as "my shows" and I have one on every night but Friday! I record them and watch them usually much later than they actually air, but it is still one of my favorite past times. Anyway, last night, I was watching Dancing with the Stars, and Sherri Shepherd was voted off. I don't know much about her, but I have read that she is a Christian. I have read a lot of other questionable things about her, but I have to remember that our Lord is the Lord of second chances and I believe that with all my heart! She speaks publicly as her growth as a Christian and definitely seems to be a very positive person. It was very obvious that she was broken about being voted off of the show. She really did a good job so I was a bit surprised. After they announced her as the one who was leaving, she said something that really stuck out to me.... she said something like this.... "The thing that scares you the most and makes you say, "I don't know if I can do it" or "I'm scared," run toward it in full force because it is so amazing on the other side. We all have things that scare us, and it definitely isn't easy to face your fears, much less run toward them. How many times have you done something that you never thought you could? It makes you feel very good! When she said what she did, I thought about my testimony because it is something that definitely scares me, but because I know I am being led to do it, I am ok. I also thought about sharing my faith to others. That scares me too even though when I think about it really hard, that is so dumb! I'm sure it is because of the fear of rejection or not having the right words to say. I am sure most of you can also agree. However, like Sherri said, we must run toward these opportunities. In fact, they may be our last opportunity to share the Lord with others. I have been very burdened about this lately and all I can think about is how people that I love and care about may be in hell one day because I didn't share the Lord with them. Yes, it is one thing to live a life glorifying God and that is very important, but it is a completely different thing to have a conversation with someone about it. Two other things definitely go together with this discussion. Your testimony and daily life must reflect that which you are trying to share with someone. If you are a person who lives differently during the week than on Sunday, someone who gossips or curses, someone who disrespects their parents, someone who continually has ailments and complaints, someone who worries (I struggle with this, but I need to show others that I have faith!).....then, someone may not want what you have. I wouldn't! No one is perfect, but we must strive for our lives to be the a bible for others to read. This is very important so I encourage us all to think about this the next time you make plans for the weekend or simply get frustrated in the line of a store or if someone doesn't drive fast enough after the light turns green. Anyone could be watching. This refers to the following verses:
1 Corinithians 8:9, "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling blockto the weak." Luke 17:1-4, He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumblingblockscome, but woe to him through whom they come !It would be better for him if a millstone were hungaround his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would causeone of theselittleones to stumble.Be on your guard ! If your brothersins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. "And if he sins against you seventimes a day, and returns to you seventimes, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Wow, how about that? It's obvious that God takes this seriously. Have you been a stumbling block....everyone has at one point, but it should be our goal as Christians not to be. It isn't easy, but a command. Timmy and I were just talking about this the other day. I don't drink and I absolutely despise cursing and movies that include nasty talking. Regarding drinking, I don't judge those that do because I realize it is a personal conviction, but if I were to drink, I know I could be a stumbling block to others. This is besides the fact that nothing good comes from it....in my opinion. If you think about that statement enough, you would also agree with me. Same thing with bad movies.....If it is a movie (or anything for that matter) that you wouldn't want Jesus to be sitting next to you during, you probably shouldn't be watching it, no matter how popular it is. I am not writing this to degrade anyone or make someone feel bad. I am just as much speaking to myself because I struggle with these things every day. I was just recently reminded how I need to take this more seriously in my life. I also want to encourage others to be burdened to live a life for Christ. Yes, we will always have times that we fail, but God knows your intentions and He will see and bless your efforts.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Ponder these thoughts as you finish it out. Let's take a stand for what is right and have personal revivals on our lips and in our hearts.
Well....this morning has just been one of those "mornings!" At 7:30 am, I decided I would cook Timmy breakfast and usually when I do this, the girls hear us and wake up. This is very early for them considering that they usually sleep until 9. They either smell the food or hear us talking. The latter is probably the cause because all of you know how loud Timmy is! Anyway, we went ahead and got them up, which resulted in an ill mood. When they are ill, they definitely don't want to share and they are clingy to mommy. I love this, but sometimes you can't hold a child 24/7. That's how I felt this morning, but I made it to nap time and they are now snoozing away! :)
I never rest or take naps. People always say I should, but I can't sit still. I have to keep myself busy or I feel very unproductive. It also keeps my mind from wandering into places it shouldn't. If I stay busy, I don't have time get anxious about "anything and everything," dwell on things that may be upsetting to me, or let my insecurities get the best of me. This is something I deal with on a daily basis....just struggling with worry and fear. I know this is not of the Lord and it is very hard to deal with. Just in the past few months, however, I can see God delivering me from this. I was just telling Timmy this morning how I have a peace in my heart that I have never felt before. Yes, I still struggle with the fear of the unknown, but when I start to feel shaky or as if I can't go another step, Jesus steps in. My mind quickly diverts to thoughts of Him and sometimes I just say the name of Jesus out loud over and over. Satan definitely knows our weaknesses and tries to kill, steal, and destroy us (John 10:10). Don't let him get the best of you. This is a daily prayer of mine (from the book, Prayers that avail much by Germaine Copeland). ....I pray that I can put on the whole armor of God so that I may be able to stand against the tricks and traps of the devil. God, I stand above all, taking the shield of faith and being able to quench the attacks of the devil with Your mighty power. Today, I stand in faith, not giving any room to fear. Amen, amen!
Another thing I do to keep my mind on positive things is do something that I enjoy, and lately this has been sewing. I am loving it and I know my nana would have been so proud of me. My technique definitely isn't perfect and the under side of the garment....who knows what it looks like! But, it is the final product that matters, right? I have a list of things that I want to do at some point and this was one of them. I always wanted to learn and through the sewing class at Eastside, Mrs. Deborah Wise taught me! She is so talented herself:) There are many other things on my "want to do" list. First of all, I want to potty train my girls!! :) We are in the process and we were making progress, but now they have gotten to where they want to be like Pate and wear a diaper. I hear this happens a lot when a new sibling arrives. I'm definitely not stressing over it. I know it will happen in time, but it sure would be nice to not have to buy so many diapers every week! Some other things on that list include, learning to play the violin, which I am working on as well. Timmy gave me a violin for Christmas and through a beginner book I bought and youtube, I am trying to teach myself how to play. It is still pretty rough to listen to at times, but I am slowly getting better. I can play a few songs. I especially like to play along with Timmy on the guitar. We can play Wild Thing & Wonderful Tonight :)! Here is a video of when I first started. I am proud to say that I have improved A LITTLE since this day. It is funny that I still have the tag on the violin in this video....
I also want to lead a choir one day and sing a trio of 3 part harmony with my girls. I can't wait to teach them about music! Most importantly, I long for my kids to be as close to me as I am to my mom. I want to be their best friend and I also want them to know that their parents are their biggest fans. I wanted to share some photos of my recent sewing projects. They have brought on many late nights and many sounds of ripping out seams over and over, but it is a lot of fun for me. I really enjoy it.
I am in the process of working on this outfit.... :)
I am so excited about this project. I can't wait to finish! It is going to be a quilt for my girls made out of their old clothes. These are the squares I have cut out so far! Each have a special memory related to it.
I encourage you all to divert your thoughts if they are ones that will bring you down. Believe me, I know it isn't easy, especially if you struggle with anxiety. I struggle so much and I definitely don't always have it together. Thankfully, we can rest knowing who is in control......satan has nothing on my God!
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
