Psalm 91 PROTECT US FROM THE STORM

When I was in the 6th grade, our home in Marietta Georgia was hit by a tornado. Ever since I have been deathly afraid that one day I would relive that scary day. Our home was not destroyed, but damaged by tree's that had been thrown around the yard. There was no tree left in our yard at that time. The biggest tree in our yard, a HUGE pine tree, was perfectly cut, as if done by a chain saw, into three pieces (about 40 ft long, and weighing hundreds of pounds each). Each piece rested on a different side of our home. All just resting peacefully, as if set there on purpose, nice and neatly against the house on all three sides.

Now, there is just no way that could have possibly happened if it hadn't been for divine intervention. Even bushes that were only 5 feet tall up against our home completely disappeared. Yet, our home still stood. I believe firmly that the Lord had his hand on our home that night protecting us from harm.

Psalm 91 reminds us that God protects His people. That is not to say that bad things won't happen to us, but His promise is that no matter what does happen to us, that He has us in His hands, and will take care of the situation. When the tornado's came through North Alabama in April two years ago, people asked "How could God let this kind of thing happen to us!?".  I've felt that same feeling when things have gone severely wrong in my own life, but who are we to question God's will? I believe that every trial we face comes at us for a reason. Our brains simply cannot even fathom the vastness of Gods plan, and perhaps that's why we question it all the time.

The bible also says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understandings, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.

I know that hard times, bad storms, or even tragedy may come my way, but I trust that God knows what He's doing- whether it be to take care of me here on Earth, or bring me to Heaven to live with Him.

10 Things That Change When You Become A Mom

When we are young, we just can't wait to be married! Its a dream us girls plan nearly from the day  we are born. We carry around our baby dolls and dream about being married to daddy one day just like mommy. Cute, yes. My oldest daughter asked my husband the other day if she could marry him when she grows up. I think he thought it kinda strange, but in research about child behavior I find that it's perfectly normal for a little girl to think that daddy is the perfect person to marry one day.

BUT, Does anyone ever warn us that once we are married and have children that our lives will completely change? That all of our wants and needs go out the window while we are taking care of our families? At least, that's the attitude a woman SHOULD have when she has a family. I've sacrificed a lot in my life since being married and having children. There are some women who manage to have families, and yet their lives do not change at all. They still do the things they want, go where they want, and pursue their dreams because they hire someone else to do the "mommy duties", or they simply just ignore their children and the children end up raising themselves. I'm kinda in the middle now. I, for years, followed my husband wherever his ministry took us, and stayed at home doing nothing but taking care of the kids all day and night. But, I've learned in the last year or so that I CAN still do that, AND have some time for myself. I was in a deep depression because I never was able to do anything for myself, or have any time alone just to vegge out. I really wore me down. I've learned that you've got to put your family first 90% of the time, and leave at least 10% of your time to just be alone and do something nice for yourself. Get your nails done! Get your hair cut! Go shopping by yourself! If you don't have anyone to watch your kids, rent them a movie, pop some popcorn and tell them to stay there and do not move for at least an hour while you take a hot bath with the door locked or read a book or some other thing you enjoy!

Here is a list of things that Change when we become moms:      :)

1)Sleep is a word that you must just erase from your vocabulary! Especially if you're a mom of a newborn. However, it doesn't get that much better as they get older. Even one's that start out in their own beds at the beginning of the night find a way to sneak in your bed.

2)Clean Clothes. At some point in your day your child WILL find a way to ruin that brand new top you wore for the first time today with their little spaghetti fingers! ALWAYS keep a spare outfit in the trunk. Clean laundry is also a challenge because I find that I always wash their clothes first to make sure they have something to wear, forgetting about myself-leaving me in sweats and a t-shirt for the third day in a row! LOL

3) Vacations IF you are able to take vacations at all, those vacations you once knew are a thing of the past! Your vacation is no longer about relaxation and that special alone time with your significant other. No, your vacations now are about what the kids will enjoy-Destinations with plenty of activities to keep them busy and entertained. While you may have a good time watching them have fun- from now on its all about THEM :)

4)PUKE is the new "normal". If you're like me, before I had children I could not stand the site or even sound of someone throwing up. If I saw or heard it, it was all over for me as well!  But, when you're little one is sick as can be, throwing up all over you and your bed, your "mommy gut" kicks in and you simply do what you have to, and tho it may gross you out a bit, its no longer the same issue as it was before.

5)Non-Mommy Friends Disappear  You are no longer "cool" or fun to hang out with when you have children. After about the third time your friend calls you to come hang out or go to a party and you say, "I cant, I don't have a sitter" or "I cant, my baby is sick", you probably won't hear from that friend as much as you used to. No matter how good a friend she/he may be, if they don't have kids, then they don't have the same restraints as you, and they are going to want a friend who has the same freedoms to do those fun last minute plans out on the town!

6)Taking Showers/Baths are now considered a LUXURY! I've always been afraid to take a shower or bath with the door closed or locked because I'm just so afraid something might happen without me realizing it. Therefore, my relaxing bath time turns into the baby playing with the bubbles, and insisting she join me, while the older ones comment on every body part I have still visible from the bubbles, as I try to grab a towel to cover myself. I've learned I have to pick my bath time wisely to actually get anything relaxing out of it.

7)MINE is no longer YOURS. Now, everything you have your children think is theirs as well. Am I the only one who sneaks a Dove candy bar to my bedroom and hides beside her bed so she doesn't have to share?

8)FOOD My little one will sit forever and not eat a single thing off her plate. But, put her in my lap and she will eat every bite on MINE. For some reason the food on mommy's plate tastes so much better than she same food on her own.

9)Weight Many women will never see that size of dress they wore or weigh the same as they did before having children. Mainly because your body changes so much during pregnancy, but also because we get so busy rushing our little ones around that fast food and anything that is convenient becomes part of your normal routine. Fast and convenient almost always equals unhealthy and/or full of fat.

10)Personal Appearance Before having children, I would never, ever, EVER let another human being see me without my hair done and full makeup. I also tried my best to always wear something cute, just because you never know who you are going to see while you are out. But, after having babies, I've come to realize that no one cares what I look like, and what does it matter now anyway? I mean, I've got my man, who else do I need to impress now? My main problem is not having the TIME to get myself all dolled up before getting the kids out the door in the morning. I'd much rather have that extra 45 minutes of sleep that make sure I'm wearing mascara. However, in the last year I've begun to care a little bit more about myself. I may not get fully dressed or makeup on before taking the kids to school, but now I at least attempt to go home and make myself cute before being seen in public :)

These are just a FEW things that change when you become a mom. We might can touch on some more of those later...

One thing is true no matter what changes we go through or have to make once we become a mother, and that things is ITS WORTH IT :)

Cheerio's are the enemy!!

  With a 2 year old, 7 year old, and 8 year old, my house is never...should I say...clean. Not even a little. Because the minute I clean one room and move to the next, the first room I cleaned is now an absolute mess again because my 2 year old is the most mischievous, curious, independent child I know. She's been climbing since she was 6 months old, and hasn't stopped going 90 miles to nothin' ever since!  I've never been one to be "tidy" in the first place, and having children has only made things worse. I'm awful at organizing and I really would prefer to not be cleaning every single day. For my home to actually be clean, I would have to clean about 5 hours every day just to keep up with those little feet running amuck constantly pulling things off shelves, finding her big sissy's things to destroy, pick up every crumb she drops. IM JUST NOT THAT KIND OF MAMA!  When I have the energy, I try to get things more in order, but that's just not something that happens often.    I'm not usually easily distracted when performing a task, but when it comes to cleaning, there is just SO much that needs attention that I move from thing to thing without always finishing the task I originally started. I can clean for hours, walk in the room, and I can't even tell I lifted a finger! It is exceptionally hard with a little one running around behind you pulling out the things you just organized and put away.   Cheerios are Savannah's favorite snack, but I've come to realize they are my worst enemy! If I have to clean up another pile of Cheerios from the floor I think I just might scream! No matter how many you pick up, you ALWAYS find another one! Finally, when I've crashed on the couch, I spot it from across the room. It stares at me! It taunts me from across the room! Knowing I just can't do anything about it laying there! Just when I can't stand it any more... the baby walks by, notices it, and eats it! HAHA! Take THAT Cheerio! It won't hurt her, right? God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt! At least, that's what I choose to believe :)

15 Things Every Preacher's Wife Should Know

 (Ephesians 5:22-24). If the Lord calls a man into the ministry, He calls the whole man, and that includes the man's wife and his family.

Negative Vibes

"Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way." Proverbs 23:19

My life has been everything but normal, simple, slow, or easy....I've probably lived life for about three other people-other than myself. I've been through so much that I think sometimes, without realizing, I come across being a little negative sounding. In my head, I'm simply explaining what is happening to me, but others seem to take that "sharing" as "complaining". However, I never tell it in a way that sounds like I'm complaining, I'm simply sharing the facts about what is going on. My best friend still lives in the Atlanta area, where I grew up. And all my college friends have moved on and we lost contact once I was married and started having kids. So, I really do not have anyone in my life, other than my best friend, Portia, who is still in Atlanta- which is about 5 hours away.  I find myself sharing about my day and things that are happening on my Facebook page as a "release", mainly just because I don't have anyone to talk to. I get pretty lonely not having a best friend near me to spend time with. One of my other Bama Wives/Dixie Divas told me that she thought I was the most "negative" person in the cast because I was always sharing my life on Facebook and it was very rare that she saw something positive on my page. But, I'm over here like...well, does ANYTHING good ever happen to me? If it did, I would share it just as I do anything else! I don't know, it just really struck a cord with me, and made me think more about the things I say on Facebook. Regardless of what is happening in my life, I've tried to lighten things up and not share as much about my personal life. I've also tried my best to make sure I put something positive and friendly every day.  As the Proverb above says, I'm trying to be more wise about my decisions, and think more positively and in the way of the Lord. Jesus wants us to just be thankful for what we have, because He gave it to us. I'm trying to rely more on God to take care of the things in my life that are not perfect, and just be content in knowing that I am a child of God, and that is all that is important!

Naughty Nature

Have you ever wondered why so many pastors have so many children? Or why, most pastors, seem to just be Ga-Ga over their wives, no matter what they do?  Well, I have a fun hypothesis! Here is what I think....See, pastors have a certain reputation they must live up to. In public, they are supposed to appear to be blameless, sinless, and an example of how others should live their lives. Being a pastor's wife, I've seen this first hand! We are all born into sin, and no matter your position in the community or society, you just cant get past that sinful nature that is in us no matter how hard we may try to suppress it, and do good. People without the title of "pastor" or "religious leader" do not have that same pressure to never be seen doing or saying something they shouldn't. Pastors have to try much harder to be that example they know the community is expecting them to be.  So, where do they let out all that frustration? Stress? Sinful nature?.....yes, I AM going there....IN THE BEDROOM!  Now, Of course, if you are married, what happens in the bedroom (or any other room in the house) is not a sin, but I believe that this may be the place where pastor's and other religious leaders may let loose, give in to their desires, and be a little naughty. This is one of those situations where it's a pleasure to be a preachers wife :)

Women pastors

Just a little church humor today :)

A church had to hire a new pastor. Over the protests of one very vocal male member, a woman was hired as the new senior pastor.

After the new pastor had been there a few weeks, a member of the congregation offered to take the new pastor fishing. The vocal objector reluctantly agreed to allow them to use his boat and to go along. He figured he could use the opportunity to his gain somehow to prove women do not belong in ministry.

The trio got into the boat and motored out on the lake. When they got ready to fish, they realized that all their tackle had been left on the dock. One of the men commented that he guess they would just have to go back and get it!

"that wont be necessary", said the woman pastor;
and she got out of the boat and started walking across the water toward the dock.

The old grouch said, "See I told you we never should have hired that woman. She can't even swim!"

Funny Song about A Preachers Wife - YouTube

Funny Song about A Preachers Wife - YouTube

Walker, you're gonna kill me...but this is just too funny not to share! hahahahahahaha

Ain't THAT the truth!!

In the beginning, God created the earth and rested.


 Then God created Man and rested.


 Then God created Woman.


Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.

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Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I Love Ya! Tomorrow! You're Always A Day Away!

A few days ago a friend of mine posted this picture on her Facebook page. I immediately thought "Girl! You know better than that!" It makes me so sad that so many people out there think that when they die- that's it! Zilch! Nada! You're just...GONE. If I believed that, I guess I'd be unhappy too! These people are missing out on, not only an eternity with Jesus, but the Joy they could be experiencing here on earth knowing that there IS TOMORROW! You may not be here on earth, but you WILL spend the rest of eternity SOMEWHERE! Where will you be? With Jesus, it doesn't matter what happens tomorrow because He told us not to worry about it! He said "I got this!". (Matthew 6:34). As Christians, the promise of tomorrow is not the promise of another day here, but an eternity of awesome tomorrows! I am reminded of this old hymn, Who Holds Tomorrow, you can find on youtube sung by Allyson kraus, take a listen :) Take some time to think about it...if tomorrow never came...where would YOU spend it? I sure hope its in the eternal arms of our Lord, Jesus. If you are unsure, then get down on your knee's and pray that the Lord guide you, and speak to your heart. If this post has touched your heart, then its time. Its time to stop worrying about where you spend your eternity. Without Him, we are nothing. And without Him living in us we are destined to an eternity of tomorrow's in hell. I don't want anyone to have to face that. So please, give your heart to Jesus, ensure that tomorrow is bright and with God no matter where you are when you wake up when this day is through. If you have questions, feel free to email me or contact your local pastor if you are seeking salvation or just simply have questions! God Bless! AskThePreachersWife@gmail.com

Sickness

I'm a mom of three little ones. When one gets sick, then the other, THEN the other, THEN the cycle starts all over AGAIN!  For example, my baby, who was the first to get sick four days ago, was better until 3am this morning, when she woke me crying and wanting something to drink. She was hot as fire, and was just plain pitiful! After some much needed drink and ibuprofen she settled down about 430, but of course, I was wide awake and up for the day. I am SOOO not a morning person! UGH!  She took two naps today which is WAY off her normal routine since its hard to get her to take even one these days. After picking the other two up from school, settled in, I came in here to check my blog. Once again, she climbs up next to me in the bed just now and coughed so hard that she threw up all over the bed, and ME!  EEWW!
Anyway, for some strange reason I started to think about this from a biblical perspective. I know, I know, How in the world could there be a message in this?? You're weird! Well, it made me think about how we are all, from time to time, spiritually sick and how Jesus sees us when we are in that state. When I see my babies hurting, so sick they just can't seem to move, and just don't know how to help themselves- it makes my heart hurt! I can't stand to see those weak little eyes looking at me, wanting to cuddle up next to mommy and wanting to be held. I imagine when we have strayed away, involved heavily in sin that makes our spirit sick, Jesus looks down on us, as we look up at Him with our sad, weak eyes, and I bet he wants more than ANYTHING for us to want to curl up next to him on that Heavenly Comfy Couch up in the sky and feed us Chicken Noodle Soup until we are better. I imagine He hurts when He seesour hurt- and wants nothing more than to make us better. God is not just a distant God up in the sky that keeps the earth moving. He is compassionate. He is merciful. He wants nothing more than to be close to us and heal our bodies and our souls when we are sick. So, next time you're sick-whether you are physically sick or spiritually sick or weak- Turn that illness over to Jesus and embrace yourself in the medicines He has to offer such as prayer, the Bible, and fellow believers who can also pray for you and help keep you accountable for your life decisions.
Now, let me go wash my sheets so I can actually go to bed tonight. Again, I say....EWW!

Prayer Request

At the conference I recently went to the youth group leaders and pastors were asked to help Council students who were making a decision for salvation or any other decisions. The first girl who came forward could not tell me why she came forward, nor could she tell me what Salvation was or why she was seeking it. I am afraid that no real decision was made that day. Mainly, because I do believe that there was something mentally wrong with this girl. Who Am I to say that she did not ask Jesus into her heart that night, but I do not believe she truly understood what was going on. If everyone around the world could pray for this girl then that would be wonderful. Please pray that God speaks to her heart and helps her to  understand what it means to become a Christian if she does not already. I believe in the power of prayer and if people all over the world are praying for her I believe that, if not already, she will come to salvation. If you are praying for her please comment PRAYING so we can see how many out there are supporting her in prayer! :)

Where Is Jesus NOW?

The holidays are over. Its now January 23rd, and yes I am just now taking down my Christmas tree. Yes, I AM that neighbor! Haha! While I was taking down my tree and decorations, a sadness came over me because the feelings of closure of something I looked forward to all year long was over. No more lights, no more fancy parties, family get-to-gathers, or sweet carols on the radio that warm your heart every time you hear them. What do we do now? The birth of Jesus seems to be something we only celebrate one time a year. Even at that, we fill that celebration with our own selfish rituals of gift giving and receiving, christmas programs at school and church, and the after Christmas rush to the stores to get the mark downs of all the stuff left over. When Christmastime is over, very rarely do we tend to think of the one and only special gift of Jesus again. As Christians, we need to celebrate the birth of Jesus EVERY day. Don't get caught up in the worlds way of celebrating Jesus. Jesus celebrates you, treasures you, desires to be with you EVERY day, EVERY minute, EVERY second, EVERY breath He allows you to take! Don't we owe Him,( the one who stepped down out of Heaven, to come to this nasty place to save us from this black whole) the same love and devotion? Where is YOUR Jesus now? Is He packed up with all your decorations, or is He front and center in your "living room" for all to see?

A Little Joke for Today :)

A Baptist pastor was presenting a children's sermon. During the sermon, he asked the children if they knew what the resurrection was. Now, asking questions during children's sermons is crucial, but at the same time, asking children questions in front of a congregation can also be very dangerous.
Having asked the children if they knew the meaning of the resurrection, a little boy raised his hand. The pastor called on him and the little boy said, "I know that if you have a resurrection that lasts more than four hours you are supposed to call the doctor."
It took the congregation over 10 minutes for laughter to finally stop before The pastor could continue on with the children's sermon.
OH MY! Now that's about the funniest "church" joke I've ever heard!  HAHAHAHA!

TALK TO ME!

If any of you have questions or comments you would like to share, Please write me! I cannot get comments to work on this page, so I created an email address where I can be contacted. You can contact me at  BlogOfAPreachersWife@gmail.com!

LYPO SUCTION

Have you ever considered Lypo Suction? Lypo involves shoving tubes into your body that is connected to a vacuum that sucks out all the unwanted fat in your body. Its quick, but takes day to recover because your body is in absolute shock at how invasive the abuse to your body is. Many people consider Lypo because all the fat they have on their bodies slows them down, gets in the way of the things they would like to do, and makes them feel like less of a person when they look in the mirror, their self image is severely damaged every time they pass by the mirror, seeing all about themselves they may want to change.
I have been trying to do Lypo suction myself, but not the kind of Lypo you may be thinking. I'm ready for all the toxins and fat that are in my LIFE holding me back. For example, Ive been very sick for a long time. First they told me I had Fibromyalgia. They just couldn't figure out anything else because of how awful I felt all the time, and the body pain I was experiencing. They figured I also had some sort of autoimmune disease because of my blood tests always pointed in that direction. However, with my wide range of symptoms they just couldn't hone in on which one it might be. One day I woke up with my eye completely swollen shut, with a rash all over my face and neck. I immediately went to the hospital because I just simply looked like something out of a Scooby Doo episode. They told me that they thought I had shingles. However, two days later I woke up and the rash had spread to the opposite side of my body, and down my back. Now, the common person knows that Shingles only affects one side of the body because it runs thru a nerve pattern. Nerves are positioned in your body only following one side of your body, no nerve pattern is on both sides of your body. The doctor tells me that I most probably have something autoimmune, and most probably Lupus with this rash on my face, called a Butterfly rash. I'm still undergoing preliminary treatment for Lupus. I say all this because this kind of physical attack has been on my body for years. It is very rare that I wake up and feel "ok". I'm ALWAYS sore, ALWAYS hurting somewhere, I'm ALWAYS tired. This illness has been running my life and how I plan my day and activities. But, Lupus or not, I'm ready to just take that Lupus, that hurt, that exhaustion and say "LEAVE ME, JESUS TAKE THIS PAIN FROM ME, GOD CLEANSE MY BODY AND MAKE ME WHOLE AGAIN! I KNOW ONLY YOU CAN TAKE THIS SICKNESS AND MAKE ME WHITE AS SNOW AGAIN!
Through the many hurts I've had in my life, there is ONE thing that always makes me feel better...and EVERY girl can relate to....SHOPPING!! This is where I move on to the next thing I need Jesus to take control of. To LYPO from my life. I've taken one toxin and only transferred it to another toxic thing that has become and addiction in my life I've used to try to cover up another. Now, over the years I have learned to control my shopping addiction. With the help of my husband, and his father counseling us on how to spend our money, I've been able to live within my means. But, it was only 3 years ago that I was spending a thousand dollars over what our monthly allowance was. We were in such a bad place that we turned over all of our finances to Benjamin's father. He received our debit cards, and we were given cash to spend each week. We were in no shape to handle our down finances anymore, because I obviously could not control my spending habits. Through discipline and example I have learned how to budget my spending. That is not to say that I do not still have those cravings for spending, that I do not think about the things I would like to have, but by turning over the toxic thing I was letting control me, I learned what healthy spending was.
Just like I turned over my addiction, my craving, the thing that I let define who I was to Benjamin's father, we need to turn over those same things to our HEAVENLY father. We've got to come to a point where we hit that brick wall of needing help that we just cry to Jesus "TAKE THIS FROM ME. TAKE AWAY MY OBSESSIONS AND MAKE YOU MY ONLY OBSESSION!"
It takes so much more than ourselves to purge the things on our lives that control us, we MUST turn those things over the our God that is so much bigger than our sins, our problems, our obsessions. We have to WANT them gone. We have to MAKE them gone. And only HE can make that happen.
Like Lypo, it only takes a moment to ask God to take things thing's from us, but it takes a LONG time to recover and to make the lifestyle change to KEEP those things away from us that control us. We may fail, but we gotta pick ourselves up and just try again. He's always there making us new, IF we truly want it in our heart.
Psalm 51:10 Says :  "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

And A song I think helps sum all this up:
http://www.shazam.com/discover/track/53885683      Turn Around

TAKE UP THY CROSS

When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him, I'm sure they were quite confused. Possibly thinking He was a bit off his rocker. Why? Because to them, a cross represented the worse of thieves and other criminals. When they saw a cross, it was because someone had done something very, very bad. They never saw little gold chains with shiny dangling crosses handing from around anyone's neck, nor tattoos with crosses on anyone's arm, or decorative crosses hanging on anyone's wall.  No, when they saw a cross, they knew that someone awful had happened and it most certainly was no accessory they were ever going to have!
But Jesus, I believe, I was telling them something much deeper. I think He was trying to explain to them that they are supposed to leave all that they do, all that they know, all the defines them, all that confines them, all that traps them, all that distracts them from the one true purpose of life, and make HIM all that they do, make HIM all that they know, make HIM all the defines them, make HIM all that confines them, make HIM all that SETS US FREE, make HIM all that distracts us from the WORLD. HE should be our one and only purpose for everything we do.
Can you take up YOUR cross? Or is that task still just too heavy to lift?

There Are No Victims!

People like to blame their bad decisions they've made on their circumstances. They like to play the Victims card. Just like Eve blamed the snake, Adam blamed God for the woman. But! But! Its not my fault! She made me do it! Some preachers claim Jesus was a victim so he could reach the victims. Theologically thats false. Jesus was NEVER a victim! Jesus told us ahead of time He would lay down His life, and He would also be the one to make it rise! Own your sin! Take responsibility! Stop playing the victim. Jesus didnt claim to be one, so neither do we have that card to play. The Redeemed are never helpless!

The Passion

I work with youth currently at our church. I love it. Aside from the fun I have with them, I think I mainly enjoy it because I want so much for them to learn from my mistakes. They are all at the age I was when I began making some pretty big life mistakes that I still deal with and regret today. I dont want that for them. I want to catch them now and pound it in their heads that its just not worth it! I want to distill in them that the fun they are having now will not last. There are always consequences that will catch up with you eventually. I dont want them to go thru the pain, regret, and guilt I went thru by my poor choices. But, they aren't going to learn without experiencing life. Our decisions we make are what makes us who we are, molds us for who we will become, and hopefully learn from those experiences. I love them as my own children, so I dont want them to hurt. Why cant they just learn from ME so that they know better. You can tell a child a hundred times the stove is hot. You'll get burned. But they don't truly understand what that means until they touch it for themselves and feel that pain from their bad decision.

Dont Eat The Donuts On Sunday!

As parents of 3 small children, Benjamin and I have great difficulties being clean by the time we arrive to church. Ive always got something on me by the time we arrive such as syrup, orange juice, make-up from my 7yr old thinking shes old enough for it, and I have to take it all off or else she'll show up looking like Tammy Faye, or unfortunately poop from the baby on my hand I somehow missed after an epic diaper change before we left the house! Eeeww!!! Benjamin very often has something on him, although Im not sure why. But he does. There have been many sundays Im sitting in the congregation listening to him preach, however I just cant seem to concentrate because I cant take my eyes off the huge stain on his suit jacket. Hopefully Ill stare at it enough for the whole congregation no one else will notice! Haha Remember, no powdered donuts on Sundays! Cause that stuff just cant be covered up!

Have You Seen My Mother?

When I was eight years old my mother dropped a huge bomb on me! And I mean HUGE! We were driving down the road talking about me wanting a brother or sister and she mentions a boy named Shane. She asks me if I remember him. Well, no. She informs me I actually have 3 brothers Ive never met. WHAT!!? Then, just when I think thats the news she giving me, she informs me I was adopted. She tells me my real mother was a party hound and couldnt take care of any of us kids and while she would leave for months at a time to party, would leave us kids at different peoples houses, including theirs, with no notice of her return. She suspected I was being molested as a two year old by the many men that she would bring home, and thats why she and my father decided to adopt me. WHOA! WHAT!!? My heart was broken. I just didnt understand all that I was being told. I was only 8!! I went into a severe depression, why would my real mother be that way? Why didnt she fight for me? Didnt she love me? I never talked about this with my father. He was one of those people where it was very difficult to communicate such delicate situations. He just was never comfortable being all mushy and open with sharing feelings. I do know that he knew that I knew about the situation because a friend I had told in the 6th grade mentioned it in front of him. " Is this your dad" "Yes! Who else would it be?" "Well you told me you were adopted. I didnt know if this was your real dad" My father did not speak to me for two whole days. When he did finally speak he told me he was very hurt I told people that he wasnt my real father. First of all, thats not what I said. But for some reason he felt hurt by the fact that I knew. I assured him it did not matter who made me, but that HE was my dad no matter where I came from. I remember thinking he was about to cry. At that, the subject was never mentioned again. Years later, at the age of 28, already married with 2 kids, I get a Facebook message that reads. "I dont know if this is really you, but I think you're my sister" I nearly fainted! This was Shane! The boy my mother asked me about. To be continued......

Im just...ME

This is how I feel. Ive spent most of my life with others treating me like Im trying to be better than them. When, in reality, Im just being me, and aiming to be a BETTER me. I dont care if its better than you, as long as Im being better than I was yesterday.

SAVED

Well, its been a while since I last posted on my blog. And so here comes the 4th blog since I opened this account. I promise I will do a much better job of posting from now on since Ive got a new computer.

I lot has happened since my last post, my son got saved, my father got very ill, and eventually passed, the TV show is still running, slowly but surely. I hear that Snoop Dog's mother has footage from our show...how WEIRD and yet COOL is that?

This past summer I did a children's camp at our associational campgrounds/cabins. We actually had 3 individuals come forward to be saved, one of them...was my son.
 Ive felt for quite some time that God was working on his heart. His understanding of the bible and God in general just seemed to be on more of a personal level of understanding that the abstract version most children see God.

Most children believe in God, and just believe because...well, just because they do. They don't necessarily know why, they just do because they want to, or they've been raised in the church and know thats just what they are supposed to believe. Kinda like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. They know they have never seen the one and only Santa (other than Santa's helper in the mall), or the Tooth Fairy...yet...they truly believe they exist. I think that's probably how young children see God. This invisible "being"  thats just out there somewhere who does things for them from time to time.

Will, on the other hand has had a deeper understanding since he was very young. He's always clung to bibles like they were his most prized possessions. He would ride around in his little battery powered car, with bible in the seat beside him. He would stop, pick up his bible and say...

"The Bible says we go THAT way", and off he would go in that direction.

I asked him once, when he would say this... "Why do you think that, Will?". and his
response would always be...

 "Because the bible tells us the way to go"...let me remind you that this child was only three and four years old when he started this. 

So, obviously this baby knew in his heart who his God was and who and where to go when he needed direction. Out of the mouths of babes.....

My point of sharing this is to say this....Will told us for quite some time that he had Jesus in his heart and was ready for baptism. But, we wanted to make sure he was ready. Well, thats not our place. Even as his parents, we have no right to keep any child from embracing his God until WE think he's ready...thats between God and that child. If your child says they are ready...TAKE THEM.