Live Learn Grow

I CAN SEE!

2007-02-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

I am now wearing my first pair of glasses. I just got them last night. I really had no idea how many things I was missing out on because I couldn't see clearly. Everything looked just fine to me until I took my eye test in order to renew my driver's license. I am a little concerned now because I clean houses for a living. When I put my glasses on yesterday evening, I looked around at everything in the house and saw things in a whole new way. I even saw dirt on my kitchen cabinets that I can't see without my glasses on. I just kept looking at the places on my cabinets with my glasses on and then with them off. I couldn't believe it! I wonder how much dirt I'm leaving behind at everyone else's house if I couldn't see to clean my own....haha! I can only pray that they are as blind as me I guess....haha!

Since this whole ordeal with me needing to see better started happening, I've been thinking alot about it all in a spiritual way. Shocked aren't you?

The glasses are like the Holy Spirit. They help me to see things that I didn't even notice before. Because of the Holy Spirit, I am able to understand things better. Like humans who think they don't need God, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my eyes and I thought I could see everything just fine. I really thought I still had 20/20 vision. It wasn't until I was "tested" that I found out just how much I couldn't see.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see"

Do you need glasses? Spiritual glasses? We all do. The sooner you get your eyes checked, the sooner you'll see your need for seeing things differently and soooo much clearer.

Go put your glasses on!

My Very First Eye Exam

2007-01-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

As I type this, my eyes are dilated. So, if I misspell something you'll understand.

I am now in need of glasses according to my right eye. Well, actually, according to my eye doctor. My eye doesn't tell me anything.

I am to pick up my new glasses in a couple of weeks. If you know anything about me, you know that I am not someone who likes brand names or other words on my stuff. I like things plain and simple. To me, that makes something beautiful.....it's simplicity. Anyway, just so you know, my glasses will be the exception to this rule. Simply because I like the size, shape, fit and the way they make me look....I will be the not so proud owner and wearer of eye glasses with the name of "Juicy" something. I think it's couture or something. Never heard of it but I'm told that they are very expensive glasses. We have great insurance so I'm not bothered by this. I am although, bothered by the fact that I'll be wearing something called "juicy".

So, what have I learned today?

1. I look good in glasses, even if they are juicy.
2. My pupils being enlarged like this makes me look like a cartoon character.
3. I'm not going blind.
4. My eye doctor is great! ;)

Sense of Humor

2007-01-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

What I learned today was:

Don't worry so much about fixing your hair if you're going to go out on a windy day.

Just because everything looks good in the mirror doesn't mean that everything is going to look good on your driver's license picture.

As a matter of fact, when I got my driver's license renewed today, my picture came out really blurry. Funny, I asked God to make me look alright in the picture. So, using His mighty fine sense of humor, He just blurred all of me....hahaha! Honestly, I've never seen a blurred driver's license picture before. I guess I'm so special to Him that He decided to make mine unique.

You're better off laughing when God tells a joke. It's not recommended to do otherwise.

Short Cut

2006-12-16T12:27:00.000-05:00

The other day I was talking with God about "stuff" and He gave me these words.

He said: "When things aren't going your way, it's because they're going MY way."

Now, I thought that was pretty clever. As it should be considering the One who said it. ;) Just maybe you have already heard those words from Him before, but to me it was like "Duh!" only in a very spiritual sense. It's a very obvious statement and yet it's so deep. It tends to make me not want things to go my way. If that actually happens to me, then imagine the life changing things that would occur. I would not get so uptight about stuff and I wouldn't get so impatient about things not happening when I think they should. I would actually get the point!....You know, the point God tries to make with all of us------"It's not about you. It's about ME!"

For a human being to let go of their own agenda and let someone else take over, not just some, but completely, is tremendous! When are people going to get it in their thick skulls that EVERYTHING God's way is the best way to do anything. Why settle for less?---Hah! There's an advertisement for 'ya.

Typically, short cuts are a bad idea because you tend to get yourself into trouble when you take them. You see this in building projects or in business matters. Short cuts are just not a good idea for the most part. Short cuts spell out LAZY and CHEAP as far as I'm concerned.

Then, there is a different kind of short cut. One that should be taken. It's called doing things God's way instead of your way.

You know, you can start out doing things your way or maybe even someone else's way but you'll always fall flat on your face. Most people continue to do things their own way and fall and fall and fall. Then they actually have the nerve to blame God for their troubles because they "keep trying" and always fail. The obvious short cut to take is to just make the decision to do things God's way the FIRST time. You could save yourself alot of pain and disaster by doing it that way.

There's nothing lazy or cheap about taking this short cut either. Taking this short cut spells out COMMON SENSE to me. So, take my advice and use a little common sense and take the short cut to abundant life-----Jesus!

Attitude

2006-11-25T08:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's new house that she just bought. I got there around 1:00pm and stayed until around 7:00pm. I had many things to do at my own house but chose to go and help her instead because she needed help. She never asked me to help. I volunteered and she seemed grateful. Who wouldn't be?

We arranged furniture, talked alot and removed kitchen wallpaper that came off beautifully. There was a great deal of brainstorming going on about what she should/could do with certain pieces of furniture and wallpaper and such.

I was alot more tired when I got home than I thought I would be. I truly didn't realize how busy my body was for so many hours. When I was getting my pajamas on and heading off to bed, Tim was still up and about and told me that he would soon come in to join me since he had to work today. He then told me something very valuable. He told me that he was so proud of me. He went on to explain that he was proud of me because I went over to his cousin's house and spent the day helping her with her new house when I didn't have to. Then he kissed me on the forehead and hugged me. This was interesting to me considering the fact that I am way behind on my own housework. Tim came home to a very dusty home that needs swept, the dishes done and the laundry done as well as the bathroom needing cleaned and the blankets on the bed needing changed, etc., etc.

He came home to all of this, and yet, he looked beyond everything needing done and saw what was really important. Helping someone.

I told Tim how guilty I was feeling for always being gone and never getting our home cleaned up the way it needs to be and he told me that he can't think of a single time that I have been out doing something that wasn't worth while and he didn't think I was wasting time doing anything that would cause him to think I should be home working on the house instead of doing that particular thing.

Do you know how loved and important I felt when he talked to me that way? My husband's heart is huge! ....and his love for me is incredible! I am thrilled and blessed by God to be married to a man who respects me and has the ability to look beyond himself and his own needs and see what really matters in life.....helping someone else and loving them.

What I learned yesterday was how much attitude can affect everything that goes on during the day. Your attitude can determine everything including how people think you feel about them whether you realize it or not.

I thank God for Tim!

God Doesn't Sleep

2006-11-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced God waking you up in the wee hours of the morning to have a conversation with you? I have.

God doesn't sleep but I do. God likes to talk to me even when I'm not conscious. So, He has to wake me up. Sometimes, He has to wake me up during the day time when everyone else thinks I'm awake. Everyone needs shaken a little at different times in their lives.

God likes to wake me up from my sleep while I'm in bed more often than not. It's as though He's waking me up to say "Umm...you forgot to talk to me last night before you went to sleep. So, I thought now would be a good time." God is not rude. He's funny. He has the best timing I've ever seen. It's amazing because those times when He wakes me up, I feel completely rested and able to talk to Him about a few things that have been on my mind. Sometimes, when God wakes me up, it's not because He wants to hear me talking. It's because He wants me to listen to Him. Lying in my comfortable bed with my comfortable "jommies" on in the dark is a very good time to get me to slow down and listen....hahaha. Amazing that He knows this! He must be God or somethin'!

Many times I will wake up only to have a situation or a specific person pop in my mind. I immediately start praying about it and then drift back off to sleep. These are the most confusing times for me because I'm like "God, can't you take care of that situation or that person yourself? Why do you need me to tell you about it?" Ever wonder that?

God doesn't NEED me to do anything. He's God. He needs nothing. Yet, He does have wants. He wants people and He wants relationship and He wants obedience and He wants sincerity. Have you ever wondered why God exists? Alot of the time we hear a big bunch of controversy about whether or not God exists. BUT, I want to bring up the thought of WHY God exists. What is the purpose of God ....well, ......to be?

What are your thoughts?

He Leads Me...

2006-10-27T09:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I had some errands to run.

God did too.

He decided He would just come along with me and so we shopped together. I was shopping for material things and He was shopping for people.

We ate at a place called "Helen's Bakery" on Market street, downtown. Then we headed over to "My Favorite Things" across the street. The sun was just starting to rise (spiritually speaking) as we were in that store. We were very possibly just "tilling up the soil" there. We then moved on to one of my new favorite stores called "A Different Daisy". I bought what I needed to get and then visited a little while with the owners. After the visit, we walked on down the street to one of the little craft/folk art shops. We spent a great deal of time in the smallest one because the soil was so ready for planting! I stood before the owner of the shop and listened to her speak of all the many things in her life that she worried about and how she knew she needed to get back into church. At no point did I say anything to her about her coming to church with me or anyone else. God can get by with a whole more than I can and so I've decided to just remain silent and let Him speak to the people while I listen to them.

God was amazing! You should have been there to see Him do His stuff! I find myself in these situations thinking to myself in a proud sort of way "That's my dad!". I didn't even know He was going to go shopping with me until He just kept showing up in each place I went. He led the conversation in the way He wanted it to go and by the end of the conversation, the woman had invited herself to come to my church. I didn't invite her at all! God did!!! Honestly, my dad makes things so easy when I just show up when and where He wants me to and let him do all the talking.

It's as though He wants to show off in front of me and as we approach a situation He wants to work in, He says to me "Now, watch me!"

What a day I had with Him yesterday!

Part Of My Life

2006-10-12T16:48:00.000-04:00

Apparently, being able to check off a number of these tells you that you have really lived life. The ones I have done will have a little star. ;)

HAVE YOU EVER...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it *
09. Hugged a tree *
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise*
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables *
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper *
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity*
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope*
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment*
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight *
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can*
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse *
34. Ridden a roller coaster*
35. Hit a home run * (playing kickball in grade school only once)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking*
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment *
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends *
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip *
48. Gone rock climbing * (does rapelling count?)
49. Midnight walk on the beach * (I don't know what time it was but it was dark)
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero *
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain *
63. Played in the mud *
64. Played in the rain *
65. Gone to a drive-in theater*
66. Visited the Great Wall of China* (I will be doing this when we go get Zoe)
67. Started a business *
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class *
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married *
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch*
78. Won first prize in a costume contest* ( I won the "cutest" award)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason *
84. Performed on stage *
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date* (he kissed me but I didn't kiss back)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house *
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart* (mostlikely)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone * (my pinky toe)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse *
119. Had major surgery* (throid surgery)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper *
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about*
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes *
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions*
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream *
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you*
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life* (very possibly without even knowing it)

My Water Bottle

2006-08-21T07:44:00.000-04:00

I love drinking water. I have been taught all of my life that water is the best thing you can drink. The human body is made up of a great deal of water and therefore works best when it has plenty of water to work with.

I carry large containers of water with me everywhere I go. I am never thirsty without having something to drink nearby. This is important to me since I am thirsty for water often. I have had to train myself to crave water rather than other drinks like juice or pop. I havn't drank pop (or "soda" depending on where you're from) for about 4 years now. I decided that enough is enough. Pop is damaging to your kidneys as well as a host of other parts of your body and it's not worth it to drink it now only to suffer for poor decision making when I'm old and lying in a hospital bed. When the time comes for me to lie in a hospital bed, I don't want it to be because of something I did when I was younger simply because I was living for the here and now and wanting comfort and such while not caring about what I'd be going through in the future. I am a planner and I want to take care of my future, as well as the day I'm living in right now.

I have gotten some flack about always being seen with a bottle of water in my hand. It's especially bad when I carry my large brand name water containers. They hold 32 ounces of liquid and they look pretty rediculous sitting on a table top in a restaurant. I just don't care anymore.

What has been kinda' hurtful and surprising to me, is that there has been a family member, who apparently doesn't know me very well, ask me in a whispering voice "What's in that bottle?" and then said that her brother in law wanted to know as well. Both of them are up in their years. Apparently, they had feared that I was drinking alcohol or something. So, I explained that it was water. The same person asked me a few months later when I was drinking from the bottle, "Is that really water in there?". By this time it was starting to hurt my feelings. I have never drank a day in my life! I have made that clear to people as I have grown up and fully expect everyone who knows me or even knows about me, to understand that I don't put things like that into my body because it's stupid! I don't chew snuff. I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't say cuss words. I don't cheat on my husband. I don't do alot of things that seem to be the norm now-a-days. Not doing all of those things doesn't mean I'm a good person. Jesus Christ is the only good person who has ever lived. Although, I am made whole and righteous through Him.

I have allowed my friends to tease me about my water bottle and I've even gone along with it and had a great time. They have meant it all in fun and I don't believe they ever want to hurt me. They understand how I am about things and that's what makes the jokes so funny. We all know how rediculous it is to even suggest that I am an alcoholic and need to carry my "secret" drink around with me everywhere I go....haha! I keep telling Tim that if I was going to be an alcoholic and sneak drinks around with me everywhere without drawing attention to it, I sure as heck wouldn't choose to carry around the largest container with the brightest color I could find! Duh!

So, friends and family, go ahead and continue to tease me about my water bottle if you must. BUT never accuse me of drinking what should never enter my body. Thank you. ;)

My "Poor" Story

2006-08-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

Tim works with some people who enjoy telling one another what they refer to as "poor stories". They're always looking for a story to top the other person's story about how poor someone is. I grew up rich in love but poor in material things and so I shared with them my "poor story" a couple of years ago and they were thrilled. They're a bunch of silly people but I enjoy talk to them when I can.

I use to live in a church bus. My dad felt this would be a good idea while we built our home. I spent from first grade through sixth grade in that bus while the house was being built. My parents built it themselves and bought supplies as they could afford it so they didn't have to use credit cards, etc. We fixed it up like a camper and it was so cute. I had a few friends who thought it was really cool but there were also a few kids on my school bus who made fun of me almost daily when the bus would pick me up or drop me off. My friends thought it was cool to stay all night with me.

Our front door was of course the door with the steps. Our back door was the emergency exit. We had tons of windows all through the house and so air circulation was never an issue. I have twin sisters and we all three shared the top bunk while my parents shared the bottom bunk bed. My mom and dad built a tiny little room next to the bedroom that held a deep pot for us to use the bathroom in. We took our baths outside behind the bus in a large container that is normally used for feeding animals. We had no running water for a period of time and so we used the well inside our tiny little well house. We would pump it into a bucket and carry it back to the bus and heat it on top of our wood burning stove in order to take hot baths or to wash dishes. Each day, we had to empty the pot we all used the bathroom in throughout the entire day. No one liked this job! Duh! My mother sews very well and so she made curtains for every single window in the full lenth church bus. That's a TON of curtains!

My favorite part about living in the bus was opening the front door. That was the one part of riding on the school bus that we were never allowed to touch and so it was pretty darn exciting for us to be able to open and close the door. My dad was always embarrassed about having his family living in a bus like that and was constantly appologizing to us. My mom made the best of everything that she was given and did an excellent job, I might add! We as kids, loved living in the bus aside from the mean kids who made fun of us.

It was one cool place to live and the understanding I have gained about living poor is something that I am eternally grateful for. I am simply not able to look down at other people who live in rougher homes than I do now or who dress in clothing that is not as nice as my clothes are now. This is all because I have been there and lived it. I was a happy child and it had nothing to do with how much money we had or what clothing I was wearing or what my house looked like. I wouldn't change my childhood one bit. I treasure it because of what God has shown me through it!

Do you have a poor story that you would like to share? I would love to hear it!

A Test?

2006-06-03T13:41:00.000-04:00

Today, Tim and I went to Sam's Club to get a few things. As we were leaving, we noticed a young woman standing next to the intersection and we stopped next to her at the stop light. She was holding a sign that said she was traveling and ran out of gas money.

Now, it's at this point that I needed to make a decision. Do I act like I don't see her and continue on with my day? OR do I roll down the window and hand her money?

I rolled down the window and gave her money. As a matter of fact, I ended up giving her alot more than I had first intended to give her because as I began counting through the money in my pocket book, I realized just how blessed I truly am and couldn't help but give her more. The young lady seemed embarrassed and scared. I just can't stop thinking about her!

We went to a drive thru restaurant up the road and then came back by the intersection where the young lady was standing. She was gone. She could have stayed there all day long and made quite a bit of money, I would say, but instead, she apparently took the money and used it right then. I began to tell Tim that she could have very well been an angel of God who was sent to test us in our willingness to give. So, do you think we passed the test?

Many times before, I have been guilty of ignoring the person and going about my day as though nothing had happened. Of course I have terrible guilt by doing nothing about it while hearing voices in my head from all of the people in my life who never gave a dime to someone standing around holding a sign. I always remember being told that you can't trust people to really be in need and that the people standing around asking for money are just lazy and don't want to work or they'll just use the money for drugs or to get drunk or something.

WELL, I don't believe this kind of thinking ever helped anyone! As a child, I saw a need and wanted to do something about it. My Jesus-like heart when I was small was squelched by older people who had been hurt by the world and learned not to care for anyone but themselves.

But, I ask you, "What if they really were in need of food or whatever?" If they were, you just missed your chance to make a difference in someone else's life, that's what.

If you give to those who are unable to help themselves, God will replace what you give with more than you can possibly hold. God is a great giver and He simply cannot ignore us in our great need. If you ask Him, He will provide all you need but you must look for Him and His answer and you will find it!

God Bless You in your living, learning and growing with giving to others!

Learn To Stay Away

2006-05-23T19:23:00.000-04:00

I havn't post anything on here for a while but I sure have been learning stuff. It seems that most often, I learn things the hard way.

I've been learning that you can't trust everyone like you want to be able to. There are evil people out there who, for some reason, want to hurt you. There are people out there who are very manipulative and anything you tell them is going to get repeated only after they twist your words in order to benefit themselves.

I've been hurt by people like this more than once and it's really enough to make you want to never speak again. But you know what? That's exactly what they would like you to do....make you silent so that everyone will listen to THEM. These are evil people and we all need to stay away from them for the benefit of our own sanity and all that's good.

More than anything, never, ever allow these kind of people to turn you against your family and friends. This is the very thing I have been allowing people like this to do to me.

Today has been a day of change though because I have talked to all members of my friends and family that I was believing lies about, and our relationships are stronger now. I decided yesterday that I was no longer going to communicate with the evil person who has been terrorizing my friends and family for a very long time. I am no longer interested in what this person has to say because they care only for themselves and want only to hurt everyone around them.

I realize that this is a negative post. I don't mean for it to be, but I wanted to announce my new resolution on here as a result of what I've been living through in order to learn and grow.

When growth stops, decay begins!

Coveting Lesson

2006-05-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

Monday, I was babysitting my nephew and 2 neices. Our neighbor had given an Easter basket to the 5 year old at an earlier date but hadn't been able to give the 8 and 3 year old kids their Easter baskets. So, we all walked over to the neighbor's house so she could give them their baskets. Naturally, this caused problems because 2 children had candy and 1 didn't. The 5 year old decided that it wasn't fair for the 3 year old to have candy and not be willing to give it to her. I told her that the candy was his and that she had already eaten hers a long time ago. I decided to try and offer her other candy that I had in the house (which she always wants to have) but she refused to take any. The only candy she wanted was the candy the 3 year old was eating.

This became the perfect opportunity to teach a lesson on coveting. I know that God gave me the words to say to the kids because I honestly had never even thought about the reason why "thou shalt not covet" is one of the 10 commandments. I learned a little something too!

I told her (or shall we say, God told all of us) that it was wrong to want what belongs to other people. I told her that kind of thing is called coveting and God doesn't want us to do it. I asked her if she knew why God doesn't want us to covet and she said "No." I told her that when we want what someone else has , it makes us sad and miserable because we can't have it. This also makes God sad because He doesn't like to see us sad. I told her that God made these rules for us so we could follow them and be happy all the time. The rules are there to help us!

This seemed to stop the issue altogether and we had a great day from then on.

The lesson learned is:

Stop looking around at what everyone else has and what everyone else is doing. Look ONLY at Jesus Christ. He's the only one who can fill that need that you have!

Wild

2006-04-06T08:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I learned that it's not a good idea to wear pigtails around 2 and 3 year olds.

Before leaving the house to go to church and help teach the 2 and 3 year old class, I carefully fixed 2 pigtails in my hair. I kept adjusting them in order to get them even in the back.

Well, after class was over, it's hard to tell what the back of my head looked like....hahaha! My earrings were also in question during the class. Either way, it kept the wild ones occupied and I didn't have to get up and grab them to put them back in their seats. I found myself somewhat allowing the kids to mess with my earrings and pigtails just for the sake of teaching them to stay in their seats.

I am positive that the two kids I was wrestling didn't learn a thing from the bible lesson the teacher was presenting to the kids. The other kids learned something from the lesson though, because I sacrificed myself to the 2 disruptive ones. ;)

The two I was dealing with learned something too. Only I was the one teaching them. The little boy is learning each week how to treat girls. He's learning to be gentle when he touches them. He has a fascination with hair. As he touches the hair of the little girl next to him, I tell him to be easy and so he is. I also say "pretty hair" and he smiles. So, does the little girl. I teach him not to hit....especially girls.

The little girl isn't so sure she wants to be touched at all and tends to reject anything someone does to her at first. After a while, she gets use to it and it becomes a game. She will do everything you do to her only she'll do it harder. You patting her pretty hair becomes a slap in the head for you!

A few weeks ago, I decided to set the two wild kids next to each other to see what would happen. I sit right behind both them each week and hug and kiss on them while telling them that they are being a good girl/boy. They both respond very well to how I treat them and I have noticed a tremendous change in how they behave and how well they mind me when I tell them to do something. They are doing SO well and I brag on them everytime they do something right. They are all smiles when I do this and it causes them to want to do more good things.

Whether my pigtails are pulled or my earrings are yanked on.... Whether my hand catches spit up fish crachers combined with spit...... Whether I get bit or hit in the head.... Whether my legs hurt from the position I must sit in on the floor in order to maintain some kind of order with the kids in the classroom............... I love children!

Lessons learned from the 2 and 3 year old class:

You've got to be quick and ready for anything.
You've got to be careful because you never know when a child is going to decide that you need a slap in the face.
Don't wear pigtails unless you want your hair pulled.
Children respond well to positive remarks from adults.
Some things can't be taught in a book....unless it's the bible.
Change will happen and it's always exciting to see it in a child.
Patience, consistancy, firmness and calmness is key to working with young children.
You have to really love children to subject yourself to such treatment as you will receive in a group of little ones. :)

It's Ok

2006-03-17T14:11:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks I have been playing my favorite Nintendo 64 game (Mario Karts 64). This is a racing game and my nephew and two neices love racing against me. Talia, my youngest neice, enjoys watching me race more than racing against me. She gets wildly excited and happy when I win and she gets furious when I lose. I quickly discovered that she was responding to my reactions of the race results. I then decided that this was the perfect teaching opportunity. I began pretending as though I wasn't greatly irritated when I got 2nd place or 3rd and so on. I explained to her that it was o.k. if I didn't get first place. I told her that even if I got last place, it was still good because I didn't quit....I finished the race. She's now to the point that she consoles me everytime I get 2nd place. She says, (while patting me on the shoulder) "It's ok to get second place. That's good too."

So, what exactly am I teaching my neice here? Am I teaching her to get rid of all of her ambition and drive to be her best? I think not! My intentions are to teach her that finishing something she starts is crucial to living life. I want to instill in her heart, mind, and soul the foundations for perseverance in the Christian life. Far too many people give up and quit because life is too hard or things just aren't working out like they thought they should. I say don't give up because there is great reward in staying with The Lord! I pray you discover this for yourself by giving your soul to Jesus. If that's the case, then, I'll see you in Heaven......that is, if you persevere! ;)

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12

10+ Lessons learned

2006-03-10T07:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I was taking care of my nephew and two neices (ages 3, 5, and 8). Each time we come to the table to eat, we pray together. There is usually an argument about who gets to say the prayer. So, Vanessa, the eight year old, suggested that we pray just like we did a while back, where we each say something and then tap the hand of the next person to continue the prayer while the last person is the one who ends it and says Amen. They all love this method praying. I agreed that we should do it and we began. Vanessa was first, but before she started, Talia, the five year old, reminded Vanessa that she should pray for the people in the ambulance we just heard off in the distance. So, the time came for Vanessa to start the prayer. She prayed for her pets at home, who are very dear to her, and she prayed for all of the sick people at the hospital. Then she whacked the table right in front of me hard enough to give me a start. I suppose to keep me on my toes! I prayed for the food the kids were going to eat. I thanked God for giving me the food so I could give it to the kids and I asked Him to help us have a great day with no fighting. I also asked Him to help us to learn more about Him in everything we did all day long. Then, I told Shane, the three year old, it was his turn to pray. He got a serious look on his face and said he wanted to say the "God is great prayer". I told him that was fine and so he began his little ritual. He said "God is great. God is good.", then he hit the table next to Talia for it to be her turn to pray. It kinda' through all of us off when he didn't finish the rest of the prayer we were so use to hearing and saying. But wasn't what he said enough? Now it was Talia's turn to pray as well as being the one to end our chain prayer. She prayed for her cat at home who had apparently ran off. She asked God to bring her cat back but wanted Him to make sure the cat treated her nice and had kittens for her to play with. She cried a little during her prayer. She said "Amen" and they all began to eat. Talia, then anounced that she forgot to pray about something. So, I told her to go ahead and pray. Amazingly, the other two stopped eating and sat quietly while she spoke to God. When she said "Amen", they began eating again. Children learn respect at a young age--if you teach them. After about a minute into breakfast, Talia announced that she forgot to pray for something else and asked me if it was ok if she prayed. I told her "Sure! God is always ready to listen and you can talk to Him anytime you want." What a lesson!

So, lessons learned yesterday:

1.) It is enough to proclaim "God is great. God is good."
2.) Respect during prayer to God is important.
3.) When you hear an ambulance, pray.
4.) You can talk to God as many times as you want. He's always ready to listen.
5.) Cats are important to someone.
6.) When you ask God to show Himself to you, He does.
7.) God hears your prayers but you need to fine tune your senses to make sure you don't miss
the answers.
8.) Where two or more are gathered in His name, He is there with them.
9.) Don't let yourself get so caught up in ritual that you miss out on the beauty of simplicity.
10.)There is nothing more beautiful than listening to children pour out their hearts to God!
11.)We should all want to pray bad enough that we argue over who gets to do it (so to speak).

Don't Leave Me!

2006-03-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

Today, I went shopping with my grandma. One of the places we went was Walmart. She wanted to buy a new futon mattress because her old one was mashed down too much and it wasn't comfortable to sit on anymore. During the course of the shopping trip, I managed to lose her. I found out later that we both were looking for one another at the same time and she had even gone so far as to look for me out near the car in the parking lot. We finally found one another and when I saw her, she was just standing at the end of one of the isles tapping her foot and looking irritated. She said "And just where have you been?!" To which I replied "Looking for you!" Then I grabbed ahold of the lady and said "Don't leave me like that!" I'm sure by the looks on several people passing by us, someone thought I was going to abuse this old lady or something....hahaha. I didn't grab her THAT hard....good grief!

For quite a while, during the time we were apart and I couldn't find her, many things ran through my head. My grandma's memory is not good at all alot of the time and as a matter of fact, if she knew I was blogging about this to the world, she might just grab ahold of me alot rougher than I did her!....HA!! I really became a little scared of what would happen if I never did find her. What would I do? I began thinking about how this is a little bit like losing a child in a store. Not exactly the same kind of panic but still a sense of worry. I would rather lose an old person in a store any day than a child! For a short moment I even started to think about how I might feel when my grandma dies. Would I find myself emotionally searching through the isles of my heart and mind looking for the one I had lost? The funny part of the whole thing was the fact that each of us believed that it was the other person's fault for getting lost and not our own. I guess I got that stubborness from someone!

In any case, all is well for the time being and when the time comes for my grandma to leave me on this earth alone, it will all be o.k. in the end. We WILL meet again and we will never forget where we are ever again! OH, how I look forward to THAT day!!

Obedience

2006-02-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my aunt on Tuesday this week about developing film. She suggested that when I go to Walmart to get my 3 rolls of film developed, that I should get them on CDs that way I am not paying for all of the doubles of any pictures that I may not want to keep. She said it only costs $3 for each CD and I was thrilled! I rushed right down to Walmart and asked a ton of questions about how all of this worked because $3 was just too good to be true. But, it WAS true! There was a new lady working there and she was the one who was taking care of receiving my film and writing everything down. I told her that in my mind I had pictured having each roll of film on a separate CD but if putting them all on one CD would be cheaper then I wanted to do that. She explained to me that one CD would definately be cheaper because it would only be $3 instead of $9. So, naturally, I decided to go with her advice and get all 3 rolls of film put on one CD. Each roll of film had 24 exposures and that would have given me 72 pictures on one disk! I was told they could do this in one hour but since they were so busy, she asked if I could give them another 15 minutes. So I spent an hour shopping around Walmart and a dollar store within the same shopping mall. I came back to find out that the machine wasn't working right and that they needed 20 more minutes. I thought, Ok, no big deal. I walked around more and came back to have the lady ask me if I could just come back tomorrow and pick up my CD then. I was sad about this but didn't let her know about it. I agreed to come back the next day about 2:00 or so.

So, after gettting off work the next day, I went to Walmart to get my CD. When I arrived, there was another new lady working there. She was the one who took my name and found my CD. She looked at the package really strange and then asked me if they had already explained things to me. I had no idea what she was talking about. She then showed me the price on the CD package. It honestly said $38!! I was shocked! I only make $50 a day cleaning houses for people. How can I afford nearly a whole day's wages for film??!!! This lady was not willing to work with me at all, even after looking at the initials of the lady who helped me the first day. I told her I didn't have $40 with me and she said "Well, you can come back tomorrow". I told her that I would be right back with more money. I then drove to the bank and cashed my $50 check that I had just been given and drove back to Walmart. I was so upset that I felt tears starting to come. I prayed and prayed to God and simply asked Him to make everything right. I told Him that I was going to pay the $40 bucks for the film and trust Him to take care of the situation. He told me I should go ahead and pay it but not to complain about the price at all. This sounded very hard to do but I agreed to obey.

When I went back to the photo lab at Walmart, there was yet another woman there working. I have delt with her in the past and found her to be very nice to deal with. She looked for my CD and when she found it, she looked really surprised and bothered about the price too. She also asked me if they had already explained things to me and I told her my original story. She listened with a great deal of care and told me to wait a second while she went back and did some figuring. I waited and waited. She then walked over and showed the CD package to the second lady I had talked to and said things I couldn't hear. While she talked to her, her face looked so concerned and even got a little red and embarrassed looking. She then came back to me and offered to re-do the CD all over again so I would only have to pay the $9 and get 3 different CDs. She said it would only take an hour. I stood there with $40 in my hands debating whether or not I wanted to wait another hour or spend $40. I heard God tell me that I needed to save my money and just wait one more hour. (Boy, I've heard Him say "wait" before!) So, I decided to have her re-do them and wait one more hour and only pay $9.

After telling her my decision, she then told me to wait a minute while she did some more figuring. So I waited while she walked back and used the calculator or something. She came back and asked me if I wanted to save time by just paying for the regular developing fee for one roll of film with doubles plus the $1.76 processing fee for all three rolls. Before I could answer, she was already calculating what the total would be. It came to $14.70 with tax! I smiled and said "I can do THAT." As soon as I said that, a man from my dad's church came up beside me to pick up his film. He recognized me and spoke. I then found out that he and the lady I just paid new one another. The guy was talking to me about bible study on Friday nights at 7:00pm at their church. He invited me and told me to make sure I invited my husband to come too. I thanked him and headed out to get in the car.

OK. Now let's suppose I had decided to do things my way instead of listening to God and doing things His way. I wouldn't have been so nice to those people at the photo lab and I would have contacted the manager and complained and there would have been a big scene. This is NOT what a follower of Jesus Christ would do. I am a Christian and that means I am an ambassador for Christ. I represent Him and He represents God. I never want to do anything to make them look bad to others. If I had behaved badly at Walmart, would anyone in the photo lab have wanted to become a Christian? NO! I would have been acting like everyone else in the world acts. As a Christian, we are suppose to be different than the world. To be different than the world is called "Holy".

Something else very encouraging about this situation is that the woman who was kindest to me in the photo lab has a wonderful name. Hope. How perfect?!

For future reference:

Anything over 40 photos on a CD is considered a reprint and costs .29 each! Make sure you get each roll of film on a separate CD!

Do I Know You?

2006-02-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I was taking care of my nephew and two neices. The t.v. was on and there was a show for kids that had puppets and stuff. They were teaching about how people decide what kind of person you are by how you act and what they've known you to be like in the past. People tend to know exactly what to expect from you by what they've always known about you.

So, how can you change the way people look at you? How can you change the things people expect you to do or not to do? What needs to happen?

Well, you need to examine yourself daily and decide whether you want to be the kind of person that people admire, trust and pattern their life after. OR you can be the kind of person to make people run away, leaving you by yourself in your own misery?

Are you really trying to get the approval of people? Is that what you really want? You can never make people happy. Especially not all of them at the same time. If you're old enough to read this, you've probably figured that out by now. Well, there's good news! Life's not about making everyone happy. Life's not about getting the approval of others. Our entire existance is all about getting the approval of the One who created us in the beginning. To a certain extent, it is important to be concerned about what other people think of you, but it should never be our driving force for living. If you are living the way Jesus Christ lived, you WILL be hated by people. You will be tempted to give up doing things His way when you discover someone hates you. We tend to be people pleasers because we are in a constant search for acceptance from anyone we can find. Just so we feel cared about and loved. It's easy to turn to human beings for acceptance because we can see and touch them and we don't have to have any faith. Faith is seeing the unseen and knowing it is there. We can't see God and we can't see Jesus. Not yet! ;) Also, faith without works is dead. So, there is a call to change. There is a call to believe. There is a call to life--life through Jesus Christ. Anything else is death. People will not save your soul and take you to heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven and He is coming back one day in the future to take those He knows home with Him to heaven. When He comes to you, at the end of time, what will He say to you? Could it be that He will say "Do I know you?"

Jesus has done SO much for you. So, what are you going to do for Him? What can you give Him in order to thank Him enough? After all, He is God. He already has everything. Or does He? Does He have YOU? Ask Him a question today...."Do I know you?" I think you already know the answer. Do something about it now before it's too late. It's a terrifying thing to not have God know who you are when He is the only one who can save you from Hell.

John 5:44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Trust

2006-02-11T09:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days where I looked back over my life and realized what a huge and powerful gift I have been given by being trusted by people all around me.

Over the years, many people have entrusted me with cleaning their homes and not stealing anything. I have been given keys to their homes, security codes, and numerous other things that they would never share with just anyone.

I've also been entrusted with the care of their children and not harming them in any way. I am trusted to be left alone with my friend's husbands and not get "too friendly" with them. I have been entrusted with the teaching of the bible to small children in a sunday school class and not teach them lies.

People have simply trusted me with everything that matters to them in this world. So, how do you get in such a position that people see you as someone they can trust? You live a life of honesty at all times. News gets around about what kind of person you are and what you do when you're "not in church". Nothing is more believable to another person than consistency in being real. Being different around different kinds of people doesn't help anyone in the long run. You have to stand for something. I choose to stand for The Lord!

Every Penny Matters

2006-02-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

Last year, my oldest neice ( 8 years old at the time) decided she wanted to do something to raise money for Tim and I to adopt our daughter, Zoe, from China. She had her grandma help her collect glass jars to put on counters near the cash registers in stores everywhere in the county. She put her picture on the jar with a little note (in her handwriting) explaining that her aunt and uncle are trying to raise money for a Chinese adoption.

Well, I actually had forgotten about her doing this until last night when I was given a boat load of quarters, nickles, dimes and pennies. She was very pleased to announce to me that there was alot more at her house but that she would get it for me later. I told her that I wanted to take a picture of one of the jars to put in a scrapbook for Zoe to see when she's older. My neice then quickly informed me that we weren't removing the jars until Zoe gets here! We need to collect money throughout the entire time as far as she is concerned. She is very goal minded and seems to stick with anything she starts all the way through.

So, what I have learned is that every penny matters. Especially to a child! Do you remember how you felt when you were little when someone would give you a bunch of pennies? You just KNEW you were rich! If you had your choice of five pennies or a nickle, you would have chosen the 5 pennies because you thought you were getting more. The fact that my neice is so incredibly giving and helpful with raising money to bring home a new little cousin is so beyond anything I can put into words on this blog. The heart of a child is the most beautiful thing next to our salvation.

Our faith in God and our heart needs to be like a little child's faith and heart. Without this, we cannot see Heaven.

Thank God for beautiful examples of Himself..........CHILDREN!

He Ain't Heavy

2006-02-07T06:59:00.000-05:00

I have missed a few days of writing and I am sorry for letting my readers down. However, I am not one bit sorry for the time I have spent not writing things down because, you see, I was busy living, learning and growing. I have been used as a tool for God in a way that has been more clear than usual for me to see in the past few days. God has put words in my mouth to encourage two friends and a family member that have felt so completely troubled by things that they have done such things as admit selfishness, cried tears of pain, and/or secluded themselves from everyone and everything in order to get things straight in their life. I have been learning from God how to best carry another person's burden. The closer I am to the person, the heavier the burden load seems to be. It really hurts to carry such a weight but it's a joy to have this ability given to me by The Almightly God. There is a song from years ago that I believe is called "He ain't heavy. He's my Brother!" This title explains how I feel pretty dag gone well.

Freaky Saturday

2006-02-04T17:31:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to go to the dollar store after work and just walk around and look at things (just in case there was any lonely scrapbook stuff that needed a home). While I was walking around, I passed a old man who was talking to himself as he looked for a specific cleaning product on the shelf. He smiled at me as I passed and told me that he always talks to himself. I told him, as I laughed, that I talk to myself too and I also answer myself sometimes. WELL, this really got him started, because I was then told that he also answers himself! Somehow, this did not surprise me in the slightest. He began to tell me his reason for answering himself as well as tell me a lengthy story about a situation he was in with his neighbor. Turns out, his neighbor planned to spend the day with him but cut the visit short because he thought the guy was nuts because he always talked to himself AND answered himself. He also proceeded to tell me his age (60) and various other things.

Ok. I would love to tell you that this was the end of my adventures at the dollar store, but it's far from over. It hasn't even gotten creepy yet!

I finally got away from the conversation thanks to a wonderful little old lady who needed to pass through the isle we were standing in. Bless her soul! I continued on with my shopping throughout the isles and thought I heard something a couple isles away from me. It was the same man and he was talking non stop to himself! I began to keep an eye on this man in order to maintain a healthy distance from him. I walked over to the other side of the store thinking I would be way out of the way of him. Then, as I was looking at some stuff on the shelf, I happened to glance up and notice.....guess who? AND he was coming toward me with his shopping cart. I quickly avoided eye contact and went back to looking through the stuff on the shelf. Then, he stopped right beside me and said in a determined voice "I want to tell you something. You're pretty!" I smiled and said "Thank you." Then I looked back at the shelf. He continued to talk as I continued to look at the shelf as often as possible. He said that he wouldn't lie about something like that and that he would have no reason to. I said nothing. I then went in to my "ignore them" mode because I was very, very uncomfortable. I even became a little scared when he then went around the corner, so he was standing right in front of me, and waved goodbye with his index finger, while smiling and whispering something. I began to pray for my safety and continued to stay in the store for a very long time incase he had decided to wait for me out in the parking lot. I also had my dad's voice in my head going through all of the self defense tactics he always drilled me on growing up. This man didn't have a chance! ;)

I was glad to see that he was not in the parking lot and not across the street waiting for me to come out of the store. I checked everything out well and made a plan of what I was going to do in various situations that I could find myself in if this man decided to be more than just a customer at the store.

I know I'm sounding paranoid, but I have been trained to be very cautious. I would rather be overly cautious and not be harmed.

Here are my dad's lessons:

Be aware of your surroundings.
Check the back seat of your car before you get in.
If someone grabs you from the front, kick him in the gonads or gouge his eyes out. Then run!

Laughter

2006-02-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

What I've learned today is that a person cannot have too many blogs. ;) I had 3 blogs but still didn't have one suitable for funny, silly stuff. So, today I created a blog for just that. Nonsense! I'm serious alot of the time but I love to goof off too. Laughing is the most enjoyable thing for me. I do it alot and those few days when I havn't laughed much at all, I feel terrible. I've been laughing alot lately and I've noticed, when I look in the mirror, I look healthier. I've been feeling better on the inside too. Things just seem to go better in life when you can find something to laugh about. Even when things are going terribly wrong. Find something to laugh about.

I love thinking about God laughing. It never occured to me that God would ever laugh until a few years ago when I was listening to a Christian comedian and they were talking about God's sense of humor. I guess, for some reason, I had always pictured God either having no emotion or crying all the time. I had never been able to picture God happy. That's terrible! I would love to know what makes God laugh. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's great! I happen to know God has a sense of humor because He's the one who created humor and gave us a sense of it! Now this tells me that there must be alot more to humor than we are able to grasp. I hope we laugh in Heaven. I can't imagine doing anything else but praising God. But still, what if we got to laugh too?

The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
Psalm 37:12-14

BE CAREFUL!

2006-02-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

What I learned yesterday was....

When a total stranger offers to show you their pictures while you're standing in the photo line at Walmart, say NO. You just might end up seeing more of that person than you care to! WOW! This is what happened to me yesterday. I was standing there waiting for the girl to hand me my film and there was this man in his 60's standing at that machine that makes copies any size you want. He glanced at me. Then he looked again and spoke to me. He said he was trying to decide which picture to "blow up" larger. He wanted me to help him decide. He must have sensed the "professional" in me...hahahaha! Anyway, I saw a bit too much of this man's life because THERE IT WAS LAYED OUT FOR ME AS BIG AS YOU PLEASE!! He, for some reason, insisted on showing me the entire stack of pictures he had there, claiming that he needed me to help him decide on another picture. Well, that other picture never did show up. After he was finished showing me all of his pictures and expounding upon each one, he looked at me and laughed saying "Well, now, you just got to see the whole bunch for giving me just a little information!" I smiled and said "Yeh. I did." Then I left quickly before he had the chance to realize he had another stack sitting there he'd forgotten to show me! Whew! That was close!

My advice to you all is: Always be willing to help people when they need it....but make sure you know what you're getting yourself into and be ready for anything.....hahahaha!