Sunday, November 30, 2008

The 1st Day of December

While I am writing this and there is 46 minutes left of November and I have officially put up my Christmas tree (the lights will not be turned on until tomorrow - Dec 1st), and have decorated my blog for the blessed holiday season. I will stop and reminisce of such an incredible Thanksgiving weekend.

It all started on Wednesday November 26, 2008.
I was running around town for my dear friend Shauna to see if I could find her some wicker ornaments to hang. Yes I really did go to all the Home Goods in St. Louis and could not find a single one. In the midst of my running errands, my Pastor was in the hospital and found out he has 15 blockages & needs open heart surgery ASAP. Please keep him in your prayers. While I was taking care of church business and running around, I had a great chat with my dad. It had been a while since we were just able to talk, share ideas, exchange things we had been reading in the WORD. Yeah we're cool like that and we love to get on each others nerves. Oh and did I mention I did NOT have to nanny today - HALLELUJAH!!!!!! I really do love my nanny kids, but I do look forward to school holidays, because that means I usually have the day off too.

Thursday November 27, 2008.
This was a day to sleep in and I especially wanted to take advantage of that since it was in the middle of the week. However those who love me the most decided otherwise. I received 6 phone calls before 10 0'clock. But none-the-less I refused to be grouchy. It was Thanksgiving Day and I had way to much to be thankful for. I had dear friends who invited my sister and I over to their home for dinner. My pastor was out of the hospital. The Lord supplied money for my car to be fixed. I had plenty of delicious food to eat. My family called to wish me a "Happy Thanksgiving-from Africa". I have a home, clothes, a car, & good health. I have friends who put up with my weird sens of humor and laugh with me and not at me when I think something is funny.

Thanksgiving Day of 2008 will always hold a special place in my memory bank. It was this day that Java with Jenifer Joyce was truly initiated. I made name cards for everyone that was a member of Java with Jennifer Joyce at the Shirley home. There was quite a representation - the president: Cylinda Nickel, the North Carolina chapter, Missouri chapter, & the FMD chapter. If you want to know who these people are ask Cylinda.

On this day, I was introduced to "Dang-it Gary, *squallop* Lorraine, Cindy in her midwest town, and the pickup lines could go on forever. Also on this day, I chilled with some of my very best friends: Kaylah D & Cylinda & her family. There was no pressure - just a great time of laughter, quiet moments & good food.

Friday November 28, 2008

I actually had every intention of getting up at 8:30 a.m. becasue I had to run to the bank for my dad so they could move in to their new house. OOPS - I slept in & mom called to wake me up. Sorry dad!!! I got to the bank and took care of business. Please help me pray for Lorraine (yes that is her real name). I do business with her alot for mom & dad. I would love to win her to the Lord. I came back and took a shower, got Kaylah and we went and ate Mexican food - my fav!!!!!! We were finally on our way to the party store. Thank goodness they were open. Finally we arrived at the church.

Today was the MK Thanksgiving party - WOOT WOOT!!! Kaylah & I started the decorating process. If you know me at all you know I love love to decorate. So off to the storage closet I went and started pulling out all the "fall" stuff. I refuse to decorate for Christmas until it is Dec. Let me just interject that I so appreciate attending a church that has a decorating closet. We had so much fun making the fellowship hall cozy & warm for our MK family. Everyone started to arrive and the party was underway. When it was all said and done there were about 25 in attendance and not everyone showed up. It was a great time of fun, food, fellowship, and a few moments of prayer. Since this is my thanksgiving blog - let me just say I am so grateful/thankful for my MK family!!!!

I came home from the party Friday night and was quite agitated. Sometimes I get in those moods, and nothing seems to calm me down. So when that happens I start cleaning. For the sake of time let's just say I went to bed at 2. However, my house was spotless!

Saturday November 29, 2008

I slept in today - I just love holidays. I traded back and forth between the couch and the bed with Kaylah until it was time for me to go to work. It actually doesn't feel like work. I have been babysitting sweet Karly since she was 5 months old. She is now 17 months old and as sweet as can be. I was giving her a bath and she knows what swim like a fish means. Needless to say the entire bathroom & myself included was soaking wet. I got her out and was putting her jammies on her and she would grab my face and start patting my cheek. She was definitely getting sleepy and was a huge cuddle bug. I am so thankful for the Keske family. They are super sweet. As I was leaving, I mentioned to them that we were trying to raise money for mom to come home to be with us for Kaylah surgery. Without hesitation they said to let them know and they would support us financially. I am thankful for such sweet people in my life.
Sunday November 30, 2008
Only 1 service today!!!!!! Have I failed to mention I love holidays!!!! I went to church by myself today. Kaylah is just worn out from pain. We had a good move of the Lord there. However even though Pastor did not preach, he led worship and out did himself - he really needs our prayers! I came home and made Kaylah get up so we could go get some food. We decided to go to our favorite place to eat - Elephant Bar. We love going to this restraunt. It's so relaxing, out of the way, but in close proximity to the mall. Of course we made a quick run through the mall - we would have stayed longer but they were closing in an hour. However we did manage to buy each other a small Christmas present a piece. We came home and I pulled all the Christmas decorations out and made Kaylah lay on the couch as I decorated. Like I said before, the tree is up and decorated. However the lights are not allowed to be turned on until tomorrow!!!!
Since I have typed an entire book about 5 days of my Thanksgiving weekend, I must go for now. However, I hope that as you read this you will understand that I am truly grateful for all that God has done for me. I'm not the richest person in the world, nor do I claim to be the smartest. But what I do know is that every thing that I have has come from the Father. Without Him I would be nothing, could do nothing and would never be anything that I have dreamed. Take time to be grateful and thank Him for the little things. He loves to hear our thanks and rewards us in return. I truly believe that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas for a reason. It is a time of reflection on all the good things that He has given us. We may not be able to keep up with the Jones' across the road during Christmas, but we do have the ability to remember they way that He came to earth as a sweet babe to save us and how could we ever forget to thank Him enough for that.
Happy Thanksgiving 2008 friends!!! And remember to be thankful first and then celebrate His birth!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Psalm 3

Last night I was doing my Bible Reading, and as I was about to go to bed I felt impressed to read Psalm 3. Not remembering what passage this was, I quickly opened my Bible and read the enitre chapter like 5 times.

Verse 5 hit home:
But thou O Lord,
Art a sheild for me;
My glory
And the lifter of my head.
I read this over and over again, because I knew that this was to be my verse for today. The Lord knew that Kaylah's Dr appointments were going to be stressful, our car would break down and that we would need to be strong regardless of what the doctor said.
This was definitely my verse today!!! God literally was with us all afternoon long. I felt Him the moment our car decided to start stalling all the way down Olive Blvd - He truly confirmed He was a shield for us becasuse we did manage to pull into the doctor's office safe and sound. I knew He was with us as I started calling around for a rental car - He was my glory as I found that last rental car that Enterprise had for the day. Jesus wrapped His arms around me as I walked into church - and the entire time He was the lifter of my head.
Verse 6 says:
I will not be afraid
Of ten thousands of people
That set themselves against me round about
I have strenght tonight in knowing that He truly is with us and He knows exactly where we are at. We will complete this journey with a grateful heart knowing that He deserves all the praise!
Verse 5 says:
I laid me down and I slept
I awaked for the Lord sustained me
I have comfort in knowing He is my strength and that He will give us rest. He truly is our shield and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
While these verses are out of order, they have ministered to me in this particular way all day. I was reminded of a song that I sang with chorale during my 3 years at Gateway that is my anthem today.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

From A Sincere Heart

Last night we had all church prayer, and to be honest I did not want to go. However inspite of my exhausted state I forced myself to go. I was not disappointed by no means! For the past week the Lord has been speaking to me in dreams. Now I do not mean to spook anyone and make you think I have gone off the deep end. For one instance, I had gone to bed and had a vivid dream about my dad. I woke up out of a dead sleep and just felt deeply impressed to call my dad and pray for him. I tried to ignore, roll over and go back to sleep, but to no avail I could no shake this from my spirit. So finally after an hour and fifteen minutes of battling my self will, I called my dad in the middle of the night weeping, explaining that I HAD to pray for him. Of course he was gracious enough to let me pray for him, and then he of course wanted an explanation.
I began to explain to him what I was feeling in my spirit and the things that I was dreaming about. As I was speaking the words out of my mouth, God began to reveal to me that my family was under extreme spiritual attack. Kaylah's sickness and extreme pain, Kandra's malaria situation, Tessa's struggling with depression and life changing decisions, Mom & Dad's house being rented right out from under them, and my fatigue. Now I realize that if this was happening one situation at a time I would venture to say that it's just life and it happens. However, when we are struggling with such huge issues all at the same time, I'm smart enough to know the enemy does not like what we stand for and will do everything he can to distract us. So last night at prayer I walked in under such a heavy burden and had so much on my mind that it was difficult for me to focus. I was kneeling down at the front and just listening to the different ones connect with God. While listening, my radar ears picked up a voice just to my right that moved me to tears. You see it was the voice of Ray Helm. He is a new convert and is so in love with Jesus Christ. He really doesn't know the "pentecostal" way of praying - oh wait yes he does, he knows how to connect with a Savior who loves him. He realizes the price that was paid for his soul, therefore he is so grateful for the changes that have come to his life. For quite some time I just sat and wept and listened to this man pray.
Finally, I entered my own realm of just thanksgiving to God for being so accessible. I began to praise God for being such a God that does not care about being perfect and praying our perfect pentecostal prayers. What He does desire is for His people to come to Him with a pure heart and pure motives, who are willing to show Him our imperfect state. I began to enter into a realm in the Spirit that I had not been in such a long time. I began to intercede for my family and began to access the blood and plead it over every one of us. I prayed for my dear friends the Willoughyby's, the Royers, the Marquez's, & Timo to name just a few. I didn't pray a prayer of asking, I prayed a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for what God is doing in their lives. Whatever manner He chooses to heal them is His business, however it is our business as His children to praise Him for what He has done through them already and what He will continue to do.
This blog comes from a sincere heart, from one who is doing their best to be transparent about life when it seems the hardest.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Mercy for America


The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning
Commentary.




My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.




I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?




I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'




In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.




I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Friday, November 7, 2008

Prayer - it does work!!!

Hey Ya'll,

Today has been another crazy day of doctors & hospital visits with my sister.

Life is going as good as can be expected.

Kaylah really needs a miracle ~ no other way to describe it.

Love you all.
C

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Power of NO

* I posted this around the same time last year ~ I thought it was worthy of reposting.*

If the Peanut Butter said NO to the Jelly would there be a PB&J?





If the Honey said NO to the Nut would there be HONEY NUT CHEERIOS?





If the Ham said NO to the Burger would there be a HAMBURGER?





If the Diet said NO to the Coke would there be DIET COKE?





If the Dr. said NO to the Pepper would there be DR. PEPPER?





If the Sweet said NO to the Tea would there be SWEET TEA?





If the Salt said NO to the Vinegar would there be SALT & VINEGAR CHIPS?





If the Pop said NO to the Corn would there be POPCORN?





If the Taco said NO to the Chip would there be TACO CHIPS?





Yes, I have weird thought patterns. However, humor me and see how creative this list can become. Sometimes it's good to be goofy - it really does relieve the stress.



Even though this blog started out goofy - there really is a thought behind all of this.
How many times do we take on tasks knowing that we will stress out completely before it gets accomplished. We know our plate is full and overflowing, we feel overloaded and overwhelmed, and yet we just keep piling on more. Instead of asking for two plates at the buffet, we say to ourselves oh it will fit right over here, and before long we have a huge mess of something that no longer looks appetizing and or attractive.



I encourage you today - take time for yourself.



Learn to say no when you know that the task is greater than you have strength.



If the Lord promised to never put more on us than we can bear - then why do we do it to ourselves.



The power of two little letters is so liberating.



Just say no - light a candle - grab a book - turn on some soft music - take time for YOU!!!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Stealing JR mints out of the Halloween Pumpkin.


So for the past few days I have been throwing around the thought that I think every girl thinks about when she is 25 - getting married & having a family. Thoughts like "Am I ready for this? Will I be a good wife/mom", Am I capable of juggling work, church, family & being sane?", "Will I be a good role model?" and the list goes on.


However, as I sit on this blue, little tyke chair, leaning up against the counter at my nanny family's house, I am beginning to have second thoughts. You see for the past two hours I have dealt with a screaming, colicy baby. I have been puked on three times, changed jammies on all the kids twice, paced the floors singing, praying for this sweet child to go to sleep. I have rocked, bounced, swaddled, changed diapers - folks I have tried everything. Finally, I put the screaming child in her crib and let her scream while I put the other two to bed. Oh wait - they had to go potty, and they forgot to brush their teeth, and they forgot their favorite bunny in the basement, and their binky was lost in the living room. Needless to say I was going insane. Once the older two were in bed, I went back into my screaming little girl, and for the last time, changed everything from the skin out, swaddled her in a light weight blanket, and begun the process of bouncing all over the house to get her to sleep.


FINALLY!!! SLEEP, SLEEP WONDERFUL SLEEP FELL UPON ALL THOSE THAT WERE TIRED. It was as if I had turned a light switch. All of a sudden a quiet hush came upon the house - and boy was I thankful. I was so stressed from all the hub-a-bub that I went and stole all the Jr. Mints out of my sweet little babies Halloween pumpkin and raided the fridge for a Diet Coke. Yes, I know that I am a horrible person for doing that, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!!!!


So back to my thoughts of settling down and having my own family???? I do not know if I am ready for it. I know my mom says it will all change when it becomes my own little one. However, after tonight I'm not too sure. So for those of you who are trying to matchmake me with someone - start praying real hard, because I'm not warming up to the idea as quickly as you would like me to. :O)

Please Pray

Dear Friends,

Please keep my sister Kaylah in your prayers.

She is experiencing pain again like she had before her surgery.

We really need the Lord to work a miracle like only HE can do.

Thanks for being awesome!!!