Seek the Lord Sunday

Zechariah 1:11 "So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly."

Just as I am

My favorite all time hymn is Just as I am. It is the song I gave my heart to at a young age at a small Baptist church. I can never hear it without thinking about that life changing moment. Although many artists have done it many ways, I like this video and I hope it touches you and reminds you that God will always accept
you, Just as you are! God bless you!

Friday Night Lights ... revisited

There he goes ... he's off to his first Friday night football game! Does a mother ever get used to the visual of her child's car disappearing? Although his father and I would see him in a couple of

hours, I already missed him!

This is silly, I told myself. He has been training hard. He is ready. He is excited...be excited for him! And then the car disappears and I have a lump in my throat...why can't I go with him? Surely, I'm a cool mom. All his friends love me. It wouldn't be that big of an embarrassment, right? Then I think back to my high school days and Friday Night Lights....oh my...I better

re-think this!

I attended a small high school in a small town in Texas. High school was extremely fun for me. I was a cheerleader and I loved the sport of football. So Friday nights were a lot of fun. I can honestly say my Mom never went to a single game but I really wouldn't have wanted her to. Such different family dynamics!

When we got to the game, I have to tell you, we were so excited. When the varsity team walked out on the field (it was an away game) all of the parents stood up and cheered them...you could spot Josh a mile away (he is the tallest kid on the team) and I felt as if my heart would burst!

They were practicing on the sidelines for a while and then they took the field. While they were doing there warm up a group of girls came up and sat behind my husband and I. "This is so fun" one said. "I'm looking for #85 another said. To which my ears perked up. I turned around and said...How do you know #85? "He's my friend" she said.

OK, this girl is way too cute....I'm thinking....OH MY GOSH... how did I not know about this girl? Well, it turns out she knows #85 from the opposing team...haha.!! Then they needed to know what "downs" were and so I explained to them that it was an attempt to gain yardage...."ohhhhh....ok,....so, what's yardage?"....tee hee

"honey, just look for our guys to make it to that end....and those guys to make it to that end and when everyone yells....yell!" I think Jay got onto me for taking too many pictures of the cheerleaders but they were awesome...can I just say we never did those things when I was a cheerleader! It really is a sport now!

I wish I could report the game was wonderful. The game ended with the most bizarre thing I have ever seen in sports. There was a time out called and our coach walked out on the field with the other coach. There was a heated exchange of words and then one thing led to another and then there was fighting. Yes, fighting. The coaches started going at it.

You can see the scenario right....these are arch rival teams. The other coaches are trying to break it up ... some of the team players are rushing on the field to rescue their coaches and I am praying praying praying that Josh stays put. And if I see him move, I tell Jay...you will go grab him! So many parents were scared. The atmosphere got out of control pretty quickly and it was a shame.

The game was called. We were ahead and they say we won but it was no victory. I did not want to leave my son on that field but the sheriff's department arrived and made everyone else leave. The boys were on bended knees on both sides when we left. I called my mom and sister while in the parking lot and told them what happened .... ok, my sister was calm but my mother insisted I go back and get my son and he needed to take up "bowling"....ahahahaha!!!! She hates that he is playing football!

It took us an hour to get out of the parking lot and there were sheriff's called in from all the way from Leesburg. We just kept lifting up all the kids and coaches and kept asking the Lord to keep everyone calm (I think Jay was really asking for me...I was shaking). It honestly was a scary situation. High school is so different now, at least to these old eyes.

When Josh's car rounded the corner home, I finally could breathe again. We had ordered him pizza and sat and talked with him at length about what happened. He said both coaches came over to the other teams and asked for forgiveness! Praise the Lord. He said they are actually friends and both admitted that they let their emotions get the best of them and behaved wrong.

They humbled themselves and asked for forgiveness. He also said his coach spoke to them all individually and told them he had let them down and asked for forgiveness. So while Josh was a bit startled, he was glad for the overall outcome!

Never thought I would say this, but how long is football season? Whew!

Narrow is the way ....

My son Joshua and I just a few hours ago after our devotional time together. He also has on his game day jersey...today is his first football game and the game is hours away but he is already wearing his jersey...too cute!

During our devotional time today, Joshua spoke to me about the Holy Spirit guiding him and some of his friends about the 'narrow path' in his Christian walk. When I asked him what that meant for him he told me that it entailed the following:

**he would not be so concerned with the pool of popularity...he would be looking for opportunities to witness to those who looked like they needed a friend, in particularly the downtrodden

**he would be looking for the 'narrow path' and seeking it out instead of hoping to run into it. he would not be concerned with video games or things that took up a lot of his time...he wanted that time to be allotted to finding what Jesus needed him to do (gulp)

**he wanted to approach the Lord with finding out what he could do for Him instead of always seeking how the Lord could do things for Josh (double gulp)

**he also wants to try to arrange with his youth group an outreach for the kids that lost their stuffed animals in the flood waters over on the east coast (he said he saw something about this on the news)

He then proceeded to tell me that he opted out of a few of the team parties because he did not feel like that is where God would want him to be. (I did not even know there were team parties)

And he told me that this new kid, his name is Ernest, needed a friend, and Josh wanted to spend some time with him. (He had already brought Ernest over to our home the day before).

Our time together talking about the 'narrow way' was a great time of growth for me. What a beautiful reminder for us all ....

are we hanging out at the pool of popularity or are we seeking the downtrodden to befriend?

are we spending our time wisely or are we seeking the Lord to be glorifying Him?

are we saying Lord, here I am... or Lord, where are You?

Matthew 7:13, 14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it"

My husband Rocks

My husband, Jason, asked me to marry him one week after we met! Don't worry...I held him off for a year! But seriously, I kept telling him he could not be serious and I would give him a task to do to prove he was serious...now before you judge me too harshly, he was/is younger than me so I thought it was his youth talking and I thought he would tire of the tasks eventually and "whala" my point would have been made.

He never tired of them. Every single obstacle that I said needed to be overcome, he would find a way. A year later, no obstacles in the way, I was so out of things to say no about. I was crazy for him but my brain was telling me this would never work, my heart was telling me "go for it, you love the guy and he obviously loves you".

I came up with the greatest obstacle. He did not make a lot of money and I knew he could not afford an engagement ring (I write this and I know it sounds mean but I honestly was not walking with the Lord and neither was he and I just knew things were not going to work out) so I told him if he was serious about marriage, he would buy me a ring. A week later (I don't want to tell you how he did it...he still won't tell me, although I think he sold some of his drum parts)...I had a ring.

All out of excuses, I said yes. That was nineteen years ago! We have definitely had some difficult times in our journey as man and wife. However, my husband is a man after God's own heart. And he is still making grand gestures for me. He insists on cooking on the weekends. He insists on having a date night when Josh is at youth group. He opens the car door for me and he is constantly telling Josh to watch out for me when he is away.

He calls me at least 5 times a day to tell me he is thinking about me. He reminds me of his devotional time with the Lord and tells me constantly how much God loves me. He rallies his family at night to pray over us and teach us what God has in mind for the direction of our family.

He loves Jesus. He loves me. He loves our children. He has a compassionate heart for the lost.

He rocks, he definitely rocks! And I praise God for him.

Ephesians 5:25,26 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word"

Thankful Thursday

**Today I am thankful for the loving kisses that awoke me

**Today I am thankful for the "good morning mama...do you know how much I love you" from my precious son

**Today I am thankful that my Mom begins her day less burdensome, perhaps even with a smile

**Today I am thankful that my husband has a job, my daughter has a job and my son has a job

**Today I am thankful for our church family

**Today I am thankful for the word 'sincerity'

**Today I am again thankful for Jesus and His willingness to yield...love always yields

Exodus 6:7 "I will take you as My people, and I will by your God"

Faithful Wounds

I woke up this morning to a beautiful love note on my bathroom mirror. My husband was thanking me for being his bride and telling me his thoughts about me as he watched me sleeping. He then proceeded to rebuke me for some of my thoughts concerning my own self and reminded me to watch today's proverb very carefully.

We read a proverb a day in our home in order to try and memorize them. We just go by the dates of the month...today is the 27th, so todays proverb is the 27th proverb. Yes, we are simple people! haha

As I was reading my proverb I came across a note concerning verses 5 and 6 and it goes something like this..."A person who is really your friend will tell you what you need to hear, even though it may be painful. The wounds that come from a friend should be like the wounds of a surgeon; they should be designed to heal."

Imagine a doctor doing a biopsy on you and finding cancer, he knows it will hurt you to learn you have cancer. If surgery is required, he knows it will be painful, as well. But what kind of doctor would allow you to continue to walk around with a disease that would kill you because he wants to spare you the pain of dealing with the sickness?

There are many things in our lives that if they are left unheeded will destroy us. They call for radical surgery; and a true friend will point this out to you, even though they know they are risking hurting you in the process.

The note goes on to say that the Word of God is like a two-edged sword...it cuts us, but it is always cutting to heal rather than destroy...yes "open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed".

May the Lord grant us all wisdom in knowing those things that have been spoken to us that have been designed to help us see truths in our lives and recognize them as such. May we be brought to the cross and surrender past hurts and yield to being truly healed by the One who formed and fashioned us and who cares so much for us that He sent us Jesus. Praise Him!


Proverbs 27:5,6 "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But kisses of an enemy are deceitful"

God's Perfect Timing....Part II

More about God's perfect timing....no, I don't want to forget! tee hee Our son's youth pastor had his car wrecked a few months ago. He has been in need of a car since then. My beloved husband works for a company that offers their employees a great perk. They have company cars and when they come up to a certain mileage, the company allows the employees to bid on them.

So my husband checked with his boss to make sure it was okay to bid on these vehicles for friends and family. He said it was. We were told that certain processes were in place though for title transfers and insurance policies that made the process a little more detailed because everything had to go through the employee, but sure, it was okay.

We then told the youth pastor about it and we all began to pray for the right vehicle. As vehicles would come up for bid, Jay would send them to Joel. Joel found two he liked and bid on both. We found out today that we won the bid on the car he wanted! Yea! He is the proud new owner of a 2005 Ford Freestyle! He and Jay will go to Allentown, PA next week to go get it.

It will be a great car for him to haul all the kids around in. Isn't God great!!!

God's Perfect Timing

Another school year has begun. Joshua a junior...wow! When did that happen? The young man in the picture with Joshua is Joseph. He is one of Josh's very good friends. One of the many reasons God moved us to the area we are in, I'm quite sure. Talk about a young man on fire for the Lord!

God's perfect timing in everything in our lives...that's what this post is about. I'm going to remind myself to read it each time I feel burdened by "why are these things happening?" I was speaking to Joshua's guidance counselor yesterday and it turns out that Joshua will only need to take 3 classes this year instead of what we had originally planned for him. This is great news!

We have recently had to remove the renters from our Vero Beach home and put that home on the market ... not the greatest timing, but we feel the Lord is calling us to do it, so we are being obedient. So financially, Joshua's schooling was going to be hard for us this year.

We had considered alternatives, but he has worked diligently at this school for the past 3 years and is on track to graduate with honors. He currently has 19.5 credits and is carrying a 3.878 GPA. He has all of his math requirements, science requirements, and foreign language requirements behind him. Hard is good as Brad Stine the Christian comedienne would say!!

It's important to him to walk down the aisle at the ceremony, so his father and I want to make the sacrifice for all of his hard work.

The 3 classes this year means we won't have to carry him at a full time rate and we will get a discount of $800! Praise the Lord for His mercies in every form they come. I am so grateful for all of his hard work that has paid off. There were many times that he wanted to be elsewhere, for example, the beach, but school was the priority, and now he is seeing the reward of that discipline.

At this time in his life, he is extremely busy and carrying only 3 classes will allow him the flexibility he needs to take on football and work and continue with his witnessing projects through his youth group. He is also planning on going to Brazil with the church on a mission trip.
God's perfect timing.

At this time in our life, we are learning to be more responsible with our finances and we don't charge anything anymore (yea)...we are on a tight budget. My husband makes a good living, but we are no longer just throwing it out the door...so only paying for 3 classes and saving $800 was such a great blessing. God's perfect timing.

Proverbs 27:19 "As in water face reflects face, So a man's heart reveals the man"

Miracle Mondays

This is my sister, Candy (I got to pick out her name, which she loves by the way...not), who is one of my very best friends. Candy is now a sister in the Lord, as well. Praise the Lord! When you look at her now all you see is the soft glow of a mother who loves her children to pieces...loves her life...loves the Lord. Can't you see it...she is beautiful!!

She is my Miracle Monday post. Before the boys were born, Candy would not step foot in a church. She did not want anything to do with the things of the Lord. She believed it all to be
a bunch of phony hype. Her husband, Brian (who is my husbands brother---no, it's not a Kentucky thing -- sorry, Kentuckyite's...tee hee), would go to church with my husband and I
every Sunday. We all would pray for Candy's salvation.

The tugging of the Lord on Candy's heart was slow for us to see. At first, she never even asked Brian questions when he came home from church. Then she did. Just questions like "What did you learn today?" or "Was there a lot of people?" Then she and Brian decided to have their first child. It was immediately after bringing Brendan home that she decided to start coming to church. The gift of a child has amazing effects on a mother!!!

Church life proved to be profitable for Candy. She loved it. She recognized the people were not phony and she loved it. She still loves it. She loves that her children love to sing worship songs. I can not tell you how many times my heart swells when I hear her singing worship songs with her children.

My sister and I can talk about the things of the Lord together now. We can share Jesus and our love for him. She is rather quiet but she will share prayer requests with me. The biggest transformation is just watching her talk to her children about the Lord or when she has a decision to make that is a moral one that would have never even been a question before...now she handles it according to the Word.

She is a tough cookie by most standards (you don't want her mad at you) but these days I'd say that cookie is turning out to be a sugar cookie....with sprinkles!

Seek the Lord, Sunday

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork"

No Words .... Just Smiles

Brendan and Jason ... my beautiful nephews!

1 John 3:1 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"

My husband Rocks!!!

He honestly takes my breath away!
He calls me "peach".
His vulnerability in spite of his stature is so apparent and makes me love him more!
He always tries to be "poetic" when he prays at night and it makes me giggle and he tries to act like that aggravates him...but secretly he loves it!
He thinks I'm smart.
He leaves me love notes on the bathroom mirror.
He always adds Q-tips to my container before I run out!!!! (I always think he'll forget when I'm running low but he never has)
He puts shaving cream all over his head and acts like a roman soldier to make me laugh!
He loves to act like a cowboy .. he swears he was meant to be one!!
He introduces me to new people as "his beloved bride"

Yes ... my husband definitely rocks!

Song of Solomon 1:2 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth - For your love is better than wine"

Now that is love....Jesus lead on!!!!

Thankful Thursdays

I started to do a list of all the things I am thankful for today, but I am going to focus on my most thankful moment as Joshua's mom, thus far. This young man has given me many moments in my life to be thankful for, but he shared something so special from a "witnessing" moment at work that just touched my heart. I hope it will touch yours.

He was on his lunch break at work last week. He was sitting there listening to two "older" folks talk about whether or not there was life after death. The woman is in her 40's or 50's, by his account. And the man is in his 60's or thereabout. Joshua listened as the woman decided that after we live this life there is nothing more. We cease to exist...nothing more. The man said he just wasn't sure. Maybe there was more, maybe not. Nobody knows, nobody could be sure.

They went on with this debate for some time and engaged with other people and then decided they would invite Joshua into their discussion. "Do you ever wonder about these things" they asked him? Joshua said he hesitated for only a moment because he did not know either of them very well, but he could hear his father's voice saying "stand for Jesus, or fall for anything!"...and he said "No, I never wonder...I know for sure. There is a heaven and the way to get there is through Jesus"

He said you could have heard a pin drop. All of the people in the break room stopped and looked at him. Then a girl who was approximately his age rolled her eyes and said..."oh yeah, the same guy that all the serial killers in jail say they find?" (great argument, huh)...to which Joshua replies ***my proud, thankful moment *** "Well, maybe they have, that is between them and God. However, they are serial killers and maybe they aren't telling the truth. I was asked a question about what I know to be true and I know that Jesus is the truth and the ONLY WAY and I don't wonder about anything else. I'm sure"

He said the rest of the day the people treated him with indifference and he was definitely not the popular one but he was okay with that. It was well with his soul. Now fast forward to last night...the woman in her 40's who was definitely sure there was nothing...no way...asks Joshua how he can be so sure!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord!!! He had a few chances to share with her. She is
at least asking...no monumental breakthrough and she has not accepted the Lord yet...but he said she is speaking to him and asking. He is praying for the right words.

Psalm 117 "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"

Wet & Windy Wednesday...but ahhhh....Roses!!!

It may be ugly outside my home today...but inside are the most beautiful red and yellow roses!
I'm not the greatest photographer and surely haven't captured them well, but couldn't wait to once again say...the Lord amazes me through His beauty that surrounds us.

Proverbs 20:30 "Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes the inner depths of the heart"

In the morning when I rise...give me Jesus!

I have never been a morning person. Look at the time of this post...10:45. My beloved husband woke me up at 10:00 today! Actually, I'm a little afraid of storms and think I was hoping to sleep through it....couple that with the fact this one has my daughter's middle name "Fay" and you can just imagine me with a pillow over my head hoping it moves over us quickly. For those of you who know me really well...my mom used to take us into the closet when it stormed when we were children because she was afraid of lightning so you can see that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...only by the grace of God have I only pulled my children into the closet and only during a hurricane!

But today's reading in the Psalm was so beautiful...it makes you want to be the kind of person that says "Good morning, Lord!" instead of "Good Lord, it's morning". What a glorious thing to start the day with the consciousness of the Lord.

Psalm 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord: In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up"

Happy Linen Day

Mondays are my linen day. When I used to work outside of my home I couldn't remember when I last changed my linens so one day I decided I would do it every Monday. And then I decided I would turn it into a time of prayer over my marriage bed ... I would spray the bed with all kinds of wonderful smelling linen sprays from Bed & Bath places and then pray for my husband. Then follow suit for my children.

I no longer work outside of my home but I look forward to Mondays because they are linen day. They are a time for me to pull off the old linens and launder them and "freshen" up the places where we lay our heads on our pillows and say our prayers and it is a great time of prayer for me over the men in my home.

I enjoy linen day and I am thankful for the time it gives me to pray for the men in my life. May they sleep soundly at night...may they walk boldly with the Lord during the day.

1 Thess 2:12 "To be a great man, be fervent in prayer, Be fearless in principle, Be firm in purpose, Be faithful in promises. Walk worthy of God"

Waking up Crying

Have you ever woken up and you are crying? You aren't sure why? You just have an overwhelming sense of sadness and there are tears so welled up in your eyes that they spill over and you can't catch them? That has happened to me a time or two or three in my life and it happened to me this morning.

When I went to bed last night I was full of joy and sat and talked with my husband and then prayed with my Lord. I drifted to sleep in that comfort. Why then so distraught upon the opening of my eyes?

The most intimate thoughts come to me. And it is usually of the children I have lost. I have suffered through many miscarriages. The latest one was just last year. No one saw that one coming...they took two blood tests to confirm it was not a mistake. After all, my tubes are tied.
And I was going through a testing time in my marriage, so the doctors thought it was stress. It was not. Not many people know, not even some of my family members. I lost another one. And I still don't feel fully recovered. I think this morning's tears are for her...somehow I think she was a girl...maybe it is because I feel like I'm losing my other daughter too. She is alive and well, but living so far apart from Christ.

So I'm a mess this morning. The tears will not stop flowing and I want this little one to know that I loved them. I loved all of them. And I can't wait to see them again some day. And I
want my daughter to know I love her...but more than anything I want her to know how much Christ loves her. I continue to pray that "He who began a good work in her will be faithful to complete it"...I know He is...I pray for her willingness to let Him.

Gold Medal Ceremony

I was just watching the Olympics and the men's relay swim team won the gold! Yea!
However, I was just thinking...if I could award a gold medal right this minute...I would
award it to my beloved husband. He is away for a few days and he just called to say
good night and our conversation went something like this:

"good night, honey, i love you"
"i love you more"
"no, i love you most"
"i love you mostester"
"I love you mostestest"
"ahhhh....you win"...gold medal to the jake man

Just loving him...and being thankful for him.

I don't have my Bible in my lap but I'm pretty sure the scripture is Psalm 100:4 "I will enter His courts with thanksgiving in my heart, And enter His courts with praise. If not, I am still thankful for Jesus and my husband.

Isolation

This is the cabin that we go to at Christmas. It sits way up on top of a mountain in Sevierville, TN. It looks somewhat isolated, but if you look read hard, you can see there's another cabin slightly behind it. There are actually cabins all around it. There is enough distance for privacy, but they are there.

When you go inside of the cabin, you can look out to the other mountains surrounding it and see other cabins sticking out of the mountains. It really is an awesome sight. They look like they are all alone, perched up there and could fall at any slight push.

However, take a look at the base of the cabin...it is solid. It is built way down into the mountain with lots of concrete and rebar and all kinds of other building material "terms" that I have no idea what they mean. But that cabin is not going anywhere. It is built on a very firm foundation.
There is even a hot tub up on the balcony with gallons and gallons of water in it that will hold a lot of weight...and still...it holds firm!

My family moved to a new home in November of 2007. We are somewhat "isolated". The home we moved to has no familiar faces and there are no Christian families that live here. There are many liberals and older people who don't want to be spoken to but we have pretty much been isolated as far as friends go.

Our church home is terrific. However, it is one hour and fifteen minutes away and while we have become involved with the youth group and have loved being a part of that family, we do have to travel extensively and we can't be there as much as we would like.

But then we look closely, what is it we see in the background...we have precious friends who moved at the same time we did..and they are standing somewhat closely in the background. We had dinner with them last night. (Breath of fresh air)

And my home is not too far across the mountaintop ... I can peer out... and there are people there who still love me. And my home is built on the Rock. The solid Rock. It's not going
anywhere, it won't be moved and it won't fall over. Thank you Jesus!

ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND, ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND, ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND...AMEN

I can do ALL things?

My son just came in from football practice. He had to be on the field at 5:30 AM this morning. He was completely "toxic" smelling but was too hungry to feel the need to shower before eating. sigh. He proceeded to tell us how great practice was, and showed us his new "badges of honor"...bruises...and then he was off to shower and get adjusted at the chiropractor. On his way out the door he yells "oh yea, can I drive to Brandon tonight?"

Now Brandon is an hour and fifteen minutes from where we live. The straight shot down one highway isn't much of a concern for me. It's I-4. It's just a dangerous road and we are on it for 45 minutes. Our church home is in Brandon and his youth group meets on Friday nights. He doesn't have to work tonight so, of course, he wants to be there. And we want him to be there. We know at some point we will have to let him drive it, it just feels too new to us. He has only had his license for a little over 2 months.

We've just had this whole discussion on Phil 4:13 in our home. How we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. Not some things. Not just the things we are comfortable with. ALL things. So, I'm wondering to myself...does that include letting my child drive on I-4 to go to youth group?

I'm going to be praying about it throughout the day, but I have to tell you, my Mom discernometer is going off through the roof saying it's way too soon for him to do that. These are the times I am so glad my husband gets to make that decision and I get to rest in that decision.

Job 14:7 "For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease"

Orange Chicken Stir Fry & Gatorade

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

RICE
2 navel oranges
1 lb chicken
1 red pepper
8 oz snow peas
1 bunch scallions
1/2 cup stir fry sauce
1 1/2 cup pineapple chunks with juice
cashews

1. make rice.
2. cut up chicken, cut up pepper, clean peas, grate orange peels and cut up oranges and set aside, cut up scallions
3. heat up 1 1/2 tbsp veg or olive oil in nonstick stir fry pan..add meat and brown. when done, set aside.
4. add 1 tbsp veg or olive oil to pan and add red pepper. saute' 3-4 min. add snow peas cook 1-2 min. add scallions, stir fry sauce and zest at same time and cook 1-2 min.
5. add meat and pineapple chunks w/juice. cook 1-2 min.
6. spread rice over platter and add mixture. top with oranges and cashews.

enjoy enjoy enjoy

Psalm 8:1 "O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!"

The "Choosing" Ground...a menopausal point of view

I received a beautiful email from a precious friend just a day ago where she told me that this place on earth is our "choosing ground". And then she followed with what she wanted her choices to be...she wanted to be VICTORIOUS for Christ!! It reminded me of one of my favorite Bible verses...Joshua 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua chose wisely!

Now let's take a look at the choice Pilate
had to make in the book of Mark. Verses 6-15 show Pilate at the feast suggesting Jesus be released to the crowd. But he gave the people the choice of whom they wanted to be released ... Jesus or Barabbas. They chose Barabbas. The notes in my Bible give an indication of why...Jesus represented the law of God. Barabbas represented lawlessness over the law. The people chose lawlessness and they chose poorly. Today every person must also answer the question that Pilate asked the crowd "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?" This is the universal question that every person must face. It is as relevant a question for you as it was for Pilate. What will you do with Jesus. What will you choose?

The above seems easy to me. I can resoundingly scream Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. But now let's take a look at Martha and Mary. Every time I hear this story and I have had devotions with it with many friends, I have to admit, I get it. Mary chose wisely. But I still have the questions...didn't Martha also choose wisely? She chose to prepare for the people. She was diligent in her duties. She was a worker bee. She wanted everything to be ready and nice for the guests. I mean someone had to do it right? Or is that my menopause kicking in again?

I want to choose wisely. I want to sit at the feet of Jesus. I sat at his feet yesterday and spoke to Him and loved Him and heard from Him and then I went to Target to grocery shop....and chose poorly! I am trying so hard to be a good steward of my $$ that I was watching very carefully as the checker outer (see, I can't even recall good terms anymore) was ringing up my bill. She scanned my avocados that were the size of postage stamps as "large" avocados that rang up $5.97. I stopped her nicely and said "I'm sorry, those are the small avocados and they are on sale for $.89/lb." To which she replied...no, I went by the sticker. They are $2.49/lb. I asked her to please check again. She pulled them out of the bag and rang them up again and they rang up to $3.18. She threw them in the bag.....let that one slide. I said thank you. But then she gets to my meat...I specifically bought the meat that was on sale...There were stickers the size of 2" X 2" on it with a big $3 OFF on them ... she did not pull the sticker off. So I stopped her and said "excuse me, those had instant $3 stickers on them". She pulled the meat out of the bag...ripped the stickers off...threw the meat in the bag and continued. I did not say thank you.

Now, I've been having menopausal issues for about a year. I'll spare you the details but to say I fly off the handle and have had just about every person close to me mad at me at one time or another is an understatement. My ovaries are exploding and need to come out but the "old ticker" just won't allow it. I'm standing there in Target begging the Lord to help me "choose" wisely and be nice but I wanted to throw things at this young tart of a girl who was throwing my stuff. My son, that sweet kid, helped keep me somewhat in check. Most days he and my husband look at me like they are living with an alien. So Josh winks at me and says "its ok, Mom"....and out loud...just in case she didn't catch my hot flash that was coming on..I say "No, Josh, this is not ok. She keeps ringing up things wrong and I'm trying to be a good steward of our money. I have to watch her like a hawk and she just ruined our bread by throwing the tub of country crock on it. When you go to work...don't behave this way. This is wrong wrong wrong!" Guess you could say, I chose poorly. Poor Josh..he was so embarrassed he could have crawled out of Target. The checker outer was completely unphased. Next in line please.....

This mornings devotion......John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you". Thank you, Jesus. I can't imagine standing before the Lord after menopause/through menopause/during menopause without the knowledge of grace and knowing Jesus will still stand over me with his white garment robe and cover me.

Cypress Gardens ... Brandon Youth Group

I'm a grandmother!!

We recently took my son's youth group to Cypress Gardents to see Need to Breathe and Building 429. It was a fun, rather hot, day. And true to Florida, just when the concert was ready to begin, the rain began too. After a short delay, the concert began. It is truly a delight and joy to see this group of kids...hopefully I can download some pictures of them...praising the Lord, on fire for Jesus. But then the most amazing thing happened...I became a grandmother!!! How did this happen? Well, it seems the group, Building 429 is passionate about sharing their hope of stomping out world hunger by asking their audience to sponsor children through World Vision for $30 a month. They give them a free CD and a free T-shirt. They told of their experience, first hand, of going to these countries and seeing what $30 a month can do. They told of a man who gets the money to plant pineapple fields and feed his family and send his children to school. Slowly, hands in the audience went up and people began to sponsor children. It was during this time, that I noticed my son begin to bow his head and pray. After some time with the Lord, he turned to his father and I and asked us if he could sponsor a child. "I am working now. I can pay for it", he told us. I just need to borrow the money now. Lump in throat!! His father opened up his wallet and handed him the money. My son's hand went up and the monitor came and handed him a group of cards with children' faces on it. He went through them and picked a child by the name of Alpesh from India. He is 8 years old. The monitor told him that he could now go get his free CD and his free T-shirt. My son told him no, that's not why he did it. Double lump in the throat!!

We have now received our packet on Alphesh. We know a little bit more about India. We are getting a packet together for him, although we are limited in what we can send to him. We are not limited in our prayers for him, however!! And we pray for him often. It amazes me how we have his picture on our refrigerator and we talk about him all the time. We love this little guy like he is one of our own! "Little Alpesh, this...Little Alpesh, that"

It reminded me of how God adopts us into His kingdom. What an awesome God we serve and how He showed us that kind of love through Alpesh.

Matthew 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you di it to Me"

Lost Boy, A Story of Redemption

Do you ever feel lost? Does it seem that there is no real purpose in life? Come watch the story of a man who faced all of these doubts, until he found the truth! The life story of Pastor Greg Laurie.

I know most of the people seeing this post know the purpose in life and don't feel lost. But if you have somehow stumbled onto this blog and you do have those feelings, I would like to encourage you to come to see the above story.

When: Sunday, August 24, 2008
Where: Calvary Chapel, Brandon, Florida
Time: 6:00 pm

www.calvarychapelbrandon.org

Perserverance

Just posting a proud moment of perserverance for

my son. He is beginning his junior year of high school,

playing football for the local high school team, playing

guitar (no drums where we live...sigh and tee hee all at once)and an active member of his youth group.

Standing 6'4 1/2" at 16 you would think basketball right?

If you knew him you would think...no sports at all!!

Too many broken bones over the years. But as his coach

and his ortho doc say...breaks make you stronger. In

Josh's case, that is true.

Sever's disease gone...bones are strong...catches the ball and is a great target and the best part...his coach is a Christian and a lot of the kids are Christians. Yep! Even at a public school, they are praying before practices and games. Praise the Lord for all of his mercies in EVERY form they come...even football!

Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"

FEAR

I was once told, by a very precious friend, that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. I have had to pray hard before beginning this blog. But that is wonderful! We should pray hard before we begin anything, right? Right! I am a deeply private person in some ways, and in other ways, I am extremely open.

Private in the ways of the internet and I don't want just "anyone" seeing what is going on in my life because that scares me...probably my age and my mother's "scare" tactics over the years.

Open in the ways of what Jesus has done in my life and willing to share that to help anyone who may struggle in those areas of their life.

I have been told by my publisher that I should begin a blog to help promote a book that is getting ready to be published. I have not wanted to begin a blog for many reasons. For the
"private" reasons listed above and because I don't want time being stolen from the things that
God has called me to do. However, I will prayerfully approach this blog and not let fear rule
the day.

And this will conclude this first post. Enough time on this...there is a home that needs to be tended to.

Proverbs 31:21 "She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet".