Thankful Thursday

As always, there are so many things that I am thankful for. Too many to write, as I'd have to turn it into a book, and that wouldn't be good on here. ;)

1) I'm thankful for knowing the Lord our God. For His purity and Love, His teachings, and His lessons.

2) I'm thankful for Jesus' great sacrifice, dying on the cross for our sins, and saving us.

3) I'm thankful for the beauty He provides of us. The wildlife, the sunrises/sets, plants, architectures, so many sites, so much beauty.

4) I'm thankful for the roof over our head keeping us dry, the food on our table each meal, a job to provide us with the means to get what we need, and clothes on our back.

5) I'm thankful for transportation, for it would be really tough to have to walk every where, or even go by horse now days.

6) I'm thankful for the church family, allowing us to be together and learning more about how to live the way the Lord wishes for us to live. To have the continuation from reading the Bible and given a better understanding of what it says.

7) I'm thankful for family and friends who are there for one another.

8) I'm thankful to have been provided good, caring doctors that are taking the time to find out what is going on.

9) I'm thankful for having the faith to know all is well, that we are taken care of and there is no need for worry.

10) I'm just plainly thankful to be alive; living, learning, breathing, preparing for eternal life with our great Savior, the Lord our God.

Government Spending

I received this in my e-mail today and think it is awesome! So decided to share it with you all. I was going to try to stick to just three posts today, but decided I wanted to get this one out here. I'm thinking this would be awesome for all of us to sign in agreement and send it to our congress, senate, etc. to get the point across that we are tired of government spending. So here is the note.

This is from an article in the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper on Sunday.
The Business Section asked readers for ideas on "How Would You Fix the Economy?"
I think this guy nailed it!

Dear Mr. President:
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!
If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes...

So if you think this is a good idea, pass it on to others. Otherwise just ignore it. God Bless!

Testimony

Don't you just love testimonies of the greatness of His love. Today I heard one of the most endearinig I've heard yet. A mother of an eight year old had e-mailed a friend on Easter Sunday and stated that her daughter had fallen off the swing and was hurt, so they rushed her to the hospital. She is 8 years old, very active and vivrant, a sweet little girl. At the hospital she had an MRI done and found that she had a tumor in her kidney. I can not recall the type, but it's cancerous.

During the duration of the treatments the little girl went through, many family and friends from all around had travele to be there while the little one went through her surgery to have the tumor removed. Mom commented to her friend that she couldn't believe all the negative messages she received. Her friend told her that her husbands and her first thoughts were, "why her Lord, why her?" The mother said, "Why not?"

You see, the mother's faith in God is so strong, her belief being in the Lord the way we hope to be. She stated that they were blessed as the daughter fell off the swing and hurt herself, and at that time had no idea that she had this tumor. There were no signs of it. By the grace of God, she had that minor accident to find it! By the grace of God, this little one had it caught in time. She is handling the chemo treatments well. There has only been one time she got sick due to missing some medication.

It's funny, so unique how He works in our lives. Pastor has talked about negativity being a downfall, and positive being the works of the Lord. This mom instead of looking at the negative aspects of what her daughter was going through, dwelled on the positive.

Think of it this way; by mom having a positive attitude, she is able to transfer this to her daughter. Her daughter picks up on it--and we all know that positive thinking helps us heal faster--takes on a positive attitude and is kept as cheery as possible and walks through her trials in a much better position than if she had negative vibes around her and picked up on them.

By having the positive thinking/behavior, the enemy was blocked. Had it been reversed, the doors and windows would have been wide open for the enemy to walk in and go to work on your exposed soul.

Did this make you stop and really think? Did this make you want to change your outlook on life? I know it sure did me. I've been working on this very thing anyhow, but hearing this, the strength of a mother who could have caved to desperation instead lifted her daughter up to the Lord. Praise the Lord for this wonderful mom and her insight.

What a great testimony, don't you think? If this doesn't open eyes to His greatness and faithfulness, I don't know what will.

Be Blessed. Make a ripple and watch it grow and grow and grow (thank you Hon for this idea). Remember to always P.U.S.H. {{{Hugs}}}

Believing in God's Healing

Received some news today. The Lord is letting me know I'd better wake up and start taking better care of myself. I'm a bit slow in doing so and I guess I needed a little extra push. Hehehe.
For starters, my chiropractor tells me I need not push myself when trying to exercise to start out slow.
Hmmm, now how does one do that??? ;) I can be very impatient. Huh, impatient, no way! But yes indeed, must admit to it. Yes, instead of riding that bike 20 minutes right off the bat, start with 7 and gradually build up. Ohhhh, that's why the body hurts so bad, baby steps instead of full board. But, but, but...I like to be active, I like to move, can't stand being idle, whah, whah, whah. Okay, finally give in, guess the right way is better.
Plus he says it sounds like I suffered a mild stroke called a TIA. Okay, had a feeling that's what was going on, but wasn't able to go to the hospital.
Then the doctor this afternoon tells me the same thing. She thinks I suffered a mild stroke. Okay, it runs in the family, but at my age, oh yeah, getting older, darn. But at my age??? Hehehe. Sorry, couldn't get off that one. Had to throw in one more. ;) So we get to go in for a brain scan, (MRI) next Wed.

I'm not trying to make a joke out of the whole thing, as it was scary going through it. Hubby and Jay were really worried. But you know what, for the first time the news was taken calmly. God does that to you. When I left her office, I told Jay--he and A went with me--and he put his arm around me and said, "wow, I'm so sorry mom." I was like, "it's okay, the Lord is doing something in my life. He's trying to tell me something. I really believe He's trying to tell me to take better care of myself." So I'm like okay, I'm believing in healing. He's going to take care of me. I just need to listen. :) And yes, I have a stubborn streak in me too. I must really have him pulling on his hair often. Thank heavens He has a sense of humor, or I'd really be in trouble. ;)

So, if you wouldn't mind taking a stand with me, praying for healing and that the MRI will come out okay, the numbness in my feet goes away, the neck pain and headaches subside for good, the back pain ends, and the FMS and RA goes no further, and all the other numbness and pain subsides, it would be really appreciated. Prayer in numbers goes a long way. I'm not asking for sympathy, as there are many out they suffering way worse conditions, and that's just now who I am, just asking for prayer. It's one of those bumps in the road where He's saying, "hey, I need your attention. You need to start taking better care of that tent I loaned you. I need you healthy and fit so you can do the work that I want you to be doing for Me!"

So Lord, I'm listening loud and clear. You are trying to help here and teach. I'm ready to take the time to really listen and follow your lead. Please forgive me for being so stubborn. I believe you are trying to help my whole family as Sarah, AA, Dad, J, and I are all suffering from many similar things. I'm here Father, take me, use me to find out what is happening so that we may all be mended and all the rest except dad being younger can be cured without all the tests. You are an awesome Daddy, and I'm believing in Your great healing for each of us. Not just my family, but for all those that are suffering, in chronic pain, with terminal illnesses, that You are going to heal them Father!
Father, I'm believing in healing all to glorify Your great Name! So we can be living testimonies to your great love! So we can go out and lead your lost sheep back to you Father. So others can learn of Your great love. Healing to be good servants of Yours Daddy. Take me, I'm Yours, lead me, guide me, I lift us all up to you to be better servants to You Father God. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Thank you and God Bless you All!

Opinions Requested

I'm asking for all of you to comment on whether you feel it is in bad taste to have a representative picture of Jesus on my side bar. I know we don't know what He looks like. Many of us, and even some Bibles including the originals have pictures used to show examples of Jesus. I'ts not intended as an idol, to say this is what He looks like or anything like that. But if any others find it offensive and any other pictures I've used, please let me know.

You all know my heart for the Lord, and know that I would never intentionally deface His great name. I do however appreciate the fact that someone commented that to call the top side bar picture of Jesus a portrait of Him was not the right thing to place on there and have therefore removed that title. Thank you all! Blessings through Him to all of you!!!

Testimonial of Faith and Trust

As you all know, this week we've been talking about faith and trust. Well, the Lord let me know exactly what it is all about today. I was put to the test to see if I'm listening to His words as I write them or not. I failed miserably. But this is a testament to God's love and faithfulness.

Today I looked up flight and car rental plans. Hubby had found one that sounded a bit high, so I went through the program I always do, Expedia.com. They've come through for us every trip we've had to make. If any one needs to book a flight, get a car rental, and/or a hotel, they are the ones to go through. It's so handy.

So I found a good deal for us, book the flight and reserved the car. We are headed to San Diego later on! But only for a couple of days. :( Wish it was a week or two, but hey, it's better than nothing. Anyhow, I got the flight booked and car reserved and found out a few minutes later that we would not be there in time for our nephews graduation.

All the graduations we've been to have been in the late afternoon, early evening. Oh no, not this one. It is in the morning. Scheduled 17 minutes before our scheduled arrival time. I told hubby not to worry that I would go back in and change the date. We decided to leave a day earlier. I get on there and it reads that the airlines would charge us 150.00 per ticket for any changes or cancellations plus Expedia would charge up to 30.00 per ticket for the same thing.

Okay, panic sets in, hubby is upset big time, pacing the floor wondering what to do. So he says, go ahead, we'll have to pay it, but that is a rip off. So I see a button where I can go change it, and it would show me what our extra charges would be. So I click on it and start over. Hubby comes in the room and says, "somethings not right. You are re-booking, not changing." I tell him not to worry.

Hee hee, the joke was on me. I get it all done and nothing came up with the charges, so I start to sweat it out...anyone catching the mistakes here? So I go into look up my itineraries and low and behold, we have not two, but 4 tickets reserved. The original booking and the changed date booking. Auuuggghhhhh. Okay, I'm in a major panic now, and tell hubby to call and ind out what happened, as we sure aren't going to pay for the tickets and all the other stuff.

Okay, now here's where I went wrong. First off, I didn't read everything carefully like one should, mainly because I had read it all before many times. Second and most importantly, I didn't pray about it and seek help. Instead I instantly thought we were screwed and was going to have a high bill that we don't need. Will I ever learn? Or should I say will hubs and I ever learn? hehehe

Hubby calls Expedia, explains what happened, gave them the itinerary numbers for both bookings and walla, it's all taken care of, no extra charges, they were great about it. We both looked up and said, "Thank you Lord." Is He good or what. Then He says, "What have you been writing about?" I'm like faith and trust. I start chuckling. Hubs asks what? I told him here I've been doing a series on faith and trust and did I use it today. No! Yet look what He does, He took care of us! He just let me know that I need to practice what I preach. (Blushing deeply now).

So I thought I would share my story with you all as it is a great way to show what faith and trust is all about. Whew! I love how He takes care of us. I just remembered; when hubby got off the phone he said, "Someone sure is looking out for us! No extra fees, they cleared the first booking and said, 'No problem since you just booked it tonight just a little bit a go." Oh yeah, He was looking out for us alright. Praise God.

Another testimony here that I just realized, Thank You Lord. I just love how He works with us. Hubs business has really slowed down to the point where he may have to lay off his partner. He doesn't want to have to do that, I may need to go back to work, and still take care of the kids. He may have to work a second job. Wow! How did we get to this point. It happened so fast. Well hubby has been worrying over that. Remember the verse from Luke about worrying?

Well today he sat down and figured up all the costs of the business and their pay, and Praise the Lord, the pretty much have what they need to pay it all! We just need to keep the faith and trust. One way or another, no matter how glum things may get and look, He comes through, He provides, He takes care of us!

With the days of economic tough times, it is more important than ever to have faith and trust in the Lord. Pray or should I say P.U.S.H. Believe! For those not in the Lord, learn about Him and give your soul to Him. He will take care of you. Be the tiny mustard seed that was planted properly and grow!

Trust and Faith Part II

Remember the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:4-7 (NKJV)?
4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."

Dr. Charles Stanley says this: "The Lord is neither cold-hearted nor matter-of-fact about finding His lost sheep and bringing them home. He takes great joy and feels great excitement in re-establishing a close bond with His wandering creations."

So if God will do everything in His power to save that one lost sheep, then why would we think He would leave us to wander around hopelessly lost? He is always there for us no matter the circumstances. When we feel He's not listening when our hearts are crying out and we are weary, remember He's carrying us at that time.

Remember the Poem by Mary Stevens: "Footprints in the Sand?" You can go here and read about the history of the poem and read the poem. The poem is copyrighted, plus it is more affective when seen with the scene and the words rather than typed out here.

Habakkuk 2:4 says: "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."

The just shall live by his faith. This right here is telling us to live by faith. He wants us to have faith and not be a prideful being which puts us in the wrong frame of mind, unable to hear him.

2 Samuel 22:2-4 (NKJV) talks about trusting the Lord our God.

2 And he said: "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies."

With this verse I am going to use the Message Bible as well. It starts out by saying: "David prayed to God the words of this song after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul."

2-3 "God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God--the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout; My mountaintop refuge, he saves me from ruthless men.
4 I sing to God the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved."

Now the (NLT)

2 He sang: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my Savior, the one who saves me from violence.
4 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies.

I like to use different translations at times as it can help those that are just coming to the Lord or who haven't yet. Sometimes one translation may be harder to grasp than another. Such as the original King James Version can be fun to read making it a bit intimidating. This is not say it's not good. All the Bibles are the same thing, it's the written Word of the Lord. Our book of instructions.

With this on trust, it is saying that God is going to save us from our enemies, we just need to trust in Him to do it, sing praises to Him and keep the faith!

So today I will leave you with an all time favorite. Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV)

1 The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of the righteousness for His names sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever!

I have to admit, I like the way it sounds from the regular KJV.

So here is the KJV

23 The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of the righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I do have a tendency to be a bit nostalgic at times. Bear with me please. ;o)
I like how Dr. Charles Stanley talks about v 1. He had a remark stating that if we have the Lord, we have everything, but without Him we have nothing. In order to have Him in our lives, we need to trust in Him and have faith in Him.

Stanley also says about v 6:
"We cannot always see goodness and mercy ahead of us, but when we look behind us, we see them. That helps us to look ahead and see more clearly, where we glimpse our place at God's side forever." Again, to me this is basically reminding us to keep the faith and trust in Him.

Be Blessed. Make a ripple and watch it grow and grow and grow! And always remember to P.U.S.H. Have a beautiful day!

Award for Everyone

This is just to remind you all that this award is for all of you who visit, as you are all my friends. I love you all dearly and appreciate all of you. So please feel free to take the award! Just click on it in the post below and show others how much you are appreciated and pass it on to those you cherish.

Award

The award came from Tami from Diary of a Mad Woman. Thank you Tami, you are such a sweet woman. This is absolutely beautiful! I too love humming birds. You done an awesome job. Someday I'll learn how to do all this stuff and make some awards as well. Your hummingbirds brightened the day big time!

Now this is what you all do. You grab the award and award "all" your blogging buddies as well. As I am awarding it to "all" of you!!! You are all the best. Love you all. Have a wonderful week!

Tagged

I've been tagged! Yes, I read her post, so I must be considerate. ;) Tami at Diary of Mad Woman had this on her blog. Play along now, ya hear. Be sure to visit Tami and read her answers.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1) Another day off!
2) Visiting Family
3) Trip to San Diego, even if it is only for 2 days.
4) Having my back and neck adjusted again so I can move more freely
5) Working in the garden
6) Being out doors more
7) Getting my house organized finally
8) Learning more

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1) Cleaned
2) Showered
3) Cooked
4) Rode the stationary bike
5) Went shopping with hubby
6) blogged
7) Took a nap (always tired now a days)
8) Read the Bible

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1) Have more time with hubby
2) travel to see all our old friends
3) Get healthy
4) Visit Germany again and see other surrounding countries
5) Walk like I used to
6) Go swimming every day
7) Know the Lord better
8) Be able to help more people

8 Shows I Watch On TV(I don't watch much TV)
1) 24
2) Dirty Jobs
3) Myth Busters
4) The Gaither Homecoming
5) Charles Stanley
6) Occasionally CSI
7) Golf
8) Baseball

8 People I Tag If you’re reading this, I tag YOU! Send me a word back letting me know if you do it, and I’ll come over to your blog and read your awesome answers!

Relax Sunday

Today I'm going to do this a little bit differently. I started the the series of Faith and Trust and this will build from it.

Trust in the Lord our God that He will provide an give you a wonderful day. Have Faith in the Lord that He will lead you to do the right things.

Relax today in His love and spread that love. Hug your children/grandchildren. Tell them how much you love them and that you thank the Good Lord for them. If you family isn't close by, call them and tell them how much you love them, and how thankful you are for them.

Take time to pray, tell Him how much you love Him and How it's all for Him.

Relax and let Him hold you and walk with you. Stay in His presence and have faith and trust that your day will be restful and relaxing. For without faith and trust in Him, your days become disheveled.

I hope you all have a beautiful relaxing Sunday and remember to include Him in your day! After all, He is the one that gave us this day of rest. May the Lord our God pour out His blessings upon you today and always. May He give you strength and wisdom to carry you through. May the love He has for us shine through us and overflow unto others. Make and ripple and watch it grow and grow.

Remember to always P.U.S.H. Love Him, Love everyone, even your enemies.

I leave you with: Luke 6:27-36 (NKJV)

27 "But I say to you who hear; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,"

28 "bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."

29 "To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either."

30 "Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods do no ask them back."

31 "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."

32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them."

33 " And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same."

34 "And if yo lend to those that from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back."

35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the un-thankful and evil."

36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."

Relax, let the sun shine in your heart! Many hugs, lots of love, and blessings to you all!!!

Please Pray for Aaron

As you all know, it breaks my heart when I know of children especially to be going through this trial. Isn't he just a cutie. Any way, he is battling a type of cancer. You can learn more about him by going to Julie's blog at Contentment Corner. You can click on the link on my side bar. Please be praying for this dear boy and his family. God Bless you all!