Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday and Iris is talking about Grace. Thank you, Iris. If you would like to link up and tell us what you are thankful for, click here.

**Yesterday, as many of you know, I had to go to see my cardiologist for the results of a lot of my recent testing. My official diagnosis...ectopic atrial tachycardia secondary to cardiomyopathy with premature ventricular contractions. (whew!) All I want to say about all of the details is this. I left there with such a peace knowing one thing...no matter how big those words are, no matter how big this journey is, my Jesus is bigger! And I believe it is because of the prayers of my husband, my son, my family, and all of you. Thank you.

**I am so grateful for God's amazing grace and the times it has been extended to me. Where would any of us be without it? I am eternally grateful. Take a moment today and think about if you need to extend it to someone and pray about taking that first step. It may be hard, but if the Lord is prompting you, won't you please heed the call?

**Today I am thankful for an early rise. The new medicine they just put me on yesterday has some side effects. Nightmares. That's the bad part. I'm going to choose to look at the positive...I'm up early. Thank you Lord, that I'm going to get to see your sunrise this morning.

Happy Thursday my sweet sisters. May the Lord bless you abundantly this beautiful day. Try to touch someone with a 'grace' moment today. Praises to our King for Iris, our host.

1 Peter 4:10 "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God"

You've been a Friend

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My sweet friend, Sherry, has a new meme, You've been a friend. Last week she awarded me the cutest little blue button that she made to place up on my sidebar.

This week she could not get Mr. Linky to cooperate but with our sweet sister Peggy's help, I'm sure next week she will have it up and running and we will all be able to link up and share about our friends.

Sherry, I'd like to first say thank you to you! You've been a friend to me. You took the time to make me something and send it to me. You took the time to check on me and lift me up in prayer. You took the time to put up a cute song on your playlist that had all of us ladies singing a sweet tune all week long. We knew we had a friend in you.

Thank you for thinking of this meme. What a great way to pay tribute to our friends. It's nice to have someone think of you and say thank you. It's not necessary...but it's nice when it's done. And nice is good! We could use a little more nice these days.

Next, I would like to say, You've been a Friend, to Leslie. I don't know how we "clicked" on each other's blog, but I thank God for Leslie. When I go to 'visit' her, I am always awestruck at the beautiful way she writes her life to be pleasing unto our Lord, Jesus. Leslie and I have sons about the same age and play the same sport. I don't know why I can see so much of myself in what she writes and feels, but I do. She emails me to offer me prayer support and comments on my posts with heartfelt truth and blessings.

I am looking forward to this Wednesday meme because there are so many women in this blog world that the Lord has blessed me with that I want to pay tribute to. Today I will leave with a prayer for Sherry and Leslie from the book
of Numbers, Chapter 6, verses 24-26

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you; And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace"

Tagged ...

I have been tagged by my sweet sister, Mimi, who can always make me :) Just go take a look at her sweet crew and you will know what I mean. OK, so there are rules, apparently, and I've checked off number 1.

Now to share seven random or weird facts about myself. At the risk of never seeing any of you again here goes.... :) I can read backwards. I can take any word you give me and say it backwards. Most people find this fact funny and will come up to me at the most random of occasions (parties and such) and say a weird word and ask me to say it backwards to make sure I can. I can. Much to their delight. Yes, I am the life of the party! :) I just wrote my first book and it is being published and I am 3/4 of the way done on my second one, which is part of a trilogy. :) I 'm having a hard time doing this because there are so many "I's" in it :) I love roses :) I have many sewing projects that have been sitting in my sewing room half done. Apparently I can't figure out sewing and cooking. I get to a certain point and then I'm stumped. I need to go back to home economics. How did I pass that with an A when I can't cook or sew? I want to learn how to sew desperately. I want to bless others with the work of my hands. :) I love to iron! How bizarre is that? But I do...I love to press my husbands shirts and pants. I love to do laundry too. I love the smell, the idea of fresh clothes. :) I'm afraid of lightning. I don't find it fascinating like the men in my life do.

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag seven people....so consider yourself tagged...

Cheryl @ Hope for Each Day

Vickie @ Writing While Walking

Holly @ All the Days of My Life

Dee Dee @ I Have No Greater Joy

Jenn @ Jenn's Journey

Bethany @ Raindrops & Rainbows

Denise @ Shortybears Place

Ok, sweet ladies, I'm looking forward to learning seven random things about you. Blessings to you all!

Word Filled Wednesday

For more Word Filled Wednesday, please join Amy! You will be so glad you did!

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Thanks, Kim

I'm a firm believer in saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Kim, I may not use those cute pot holders as much as I should, but I'm going to! Thanks, my friend. Your kindness was truly appreciated and I plan on taking full advantage of those recipes!

Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

Run, Joseph, I mean, Joshua, Run!

I know this isn't the greatest picture, but it's the closest picture I could find of him running. And the story I have to tell you today is of my young man running...running from a situation that he found himself in...and it's a testimony of hiding God's Word in his heart so that he might not sin against Him.

Joshua has been homeschooled since he was in the 4th grade. His gifts were never in the athletic department. He was more musically gifted and definitely academically gifted. However, when we moved to our new home a year ago, he came to his father and I and said he wanted to play football. We honestly could not understand where that desire was coming from but asked him to pray about it and we would do our due diligence in prayer and contact the local school officials for information, etc.

He began weight training with the team in the spring, and for the most part, he was accepted by the guys. By the girls who are always around the locker room and who do weight training also, he was a mystery and very accepted. Can you see where this is beginning to go?

Joshua will walk into weight training and a group of girls will run up to him with hugs galore. "Do you play football?" "You have the prettiest blue eyes." These are the main two statements he hears over and over again. And yes, he has been flattered. And one girl, in particular, has begun to stand out to him. Ashley.

Ashley has begun to hug him a little longer. She has somehow found out where he works and she and her mother go to see him when he is working. She has invited him to her volleyball games. He has gone twice. They are school functions and he goes there and back so we have allowed it.

It is what Jason and I haven't heard that has had us prayerful and in discussions with our son.

"Is Ashley a Christian?" we have asked him. He didn't know.

"How does Ashley know your work schedule?" He didn't know.

"Does Ashley have a boyfriend that might get mad at you coming to her volleyball games?"

He couldn't believe a girl would invite him to her games if she had a boyfriend!

See, there wasn't a lot of talking going on ... just seemed like there was a lot of hugging going on and a lot of flattery. Jason and I were praying for his discernment and wisdom and continuing to pump into him biblical truths. Last night he came in and asked to speak to us..asking for counsel.

After practice, Ashley and some of the volleyball girls came up to him. Ashley was hugging all over him again and was telling the other girls "This is why I love him so much..look at his beautiful blue eyes...!" Then one of the other girls jumped in and grabbed ahold of Joshua and said to Ashley "You have a boyfriend, I want him". Needless to say, the comment did not go unnoticed by Joshua and he felt like the girls were all acting ...well, not like young ladies should, and he heard the voice of the Lord...RUN JOSEPH RUN (yes, I'm crying again)!

How awesome is our God, ladies! We have just finished up 2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee youthful lusts" and here was this young man being ambushed by a whole volleyball squad and he stiffarmed them and left. Praise you, Jesus! The story does not end here. Joshua wanted permission from his father and I to go and talk to Ashley at the volleyball game. He felt like her actions warranted a discussion, at the very least. And he wanted to apologize for allowing what he had allowed. He was not innocent in this either. He should have stood stronger!

We gave him permission and after the game, he confronted her. He said she came up to hug him and he put his arm out and said "no". He asked her why she was inviting him to her volleyball games and running up to him and hugging him and giving him compliments and being very forward with him when she had a boyfriend? He also asked her why she was would put him in such a compromising position? Her explanation...her boyfriend doesn't like to come to her games and Joshua is cute and nice and polite and makes her feel "special".

Joshua talked to her about Jesus and explained to her that he is different because of who is inside of him. He told her that her actions show that she doesn't care too much about herself or others and she told him that she had been told she "comes on strong before". He encouraged her to consider herself respect worthy and then he left. He also told her that he was wrong to allow her to come up and hug him. He wants to have that type of relationship with a girl he plans to marry one day.

When he came home, he talked with Jay and I about the experience and told us..."you guys were making me mad with all the questions and stuff but I'm so glad you did. God's Word is so true and I'm glad you love me enough to make sure I don't go down a wrong road"

Ready for today's scripture Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" Hallalujah

At the Well - Keepers at Home

Todays discussion At the Well is Keepers at Home. Titus 2:5 "to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God."

Sister to sister our questions posed are these:

Do you keep a tidy home?

Yes I do. Personally I don't do well amongst clutter and things out of place. In my young married years I took this to the nth degree and was the clean police so to speak and I'm sure the Lord was not pleased at all with my attitude and how I handled everyone not keeping my standards. As I grew in the Lord and wanting to be pleasing to Him, I realized my standards were not everyone elses and learned to understand the term "happy medium". As I have matured even more, it is now my joy to do things in my home that honor the Lord by doing things that bring joy to others. I truly try to have a candle lit for my husband when he comes home. I want my home to be inviting and want others to feel wrapped in a warm embrace when they are here.

If you have children at home, do they get involved?

I have one child left at home, and yes, he gets involved. He is very busy with a hectic school schedule, work schedule and youth activities, but we are teaching him how to be a good husband one day too! With the exception of Friday nights and weekends, Monday through Thursday he has kitchen clean up detail. My husband told him it will be one of the single greatest things he can do for his wife when he gets married. After dinner, pick up the plates and do the dishes and clean the kitchen for her. He is also responsible for his own bathroom and bedroom, with the exception of his linens, which I clean on Monday as I stand over his bed and pray for him.

If you are lacking in this area, why do you think that is?

I have been lacking lately due to my health. I've had some extreme fatigue going on and I just haven't felt like doing as much as I once did. I never used to sleep during the day. Now I do. 2-3 hours at a time. I'm told that's because of my heart condition. So, whereas once, I would be flitting about my home all day doing things, I'm sleeping a lot. I still try to decorate and keep things homey and stay on top of things but I find my hubby helping me a lot more these days. Praise the Lord for his willingness. I lack mainly in keeping a food menu and planning dinners. I do good for 2-3 days at a time and then I fall back into "I'm not good at this" and we eat out. I'm praying a lot about being a better steward in that regard. I just made homemade chili!

In closing I would like to say that I have a favorite Proverb in regards to being a Keeper at Home...it is Proverbs 24:3-4 "Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled, With all precious and pleasant riches" ... I'm praying for the wisdom, understanding and knowledge until Jesus brings me home.

Blessings to you today sweet sisters. I've enjoyed our time together..At the Well.