Each week it seems as though God throws something at me and makes it very evident that this is what I should write about this week. Well this week is no different. And each week I walk away feeling “preachy” BUT I remind myself that I needed reminded about these things too! Well again this week is no different

I have a dear hubby. He loves me so very much and right now he is really pouring all of his energy into a house  where we are not always on top of each other. I know you ladies are probably all sick of hearing about how great each other’s hubbies are. Well I am kinda going to go down that road BUT not quite.

3 things happened this week that made me appreciate my hubby even more.

1.  This week marked the one year anniversary of a friend passing due to cancer. He left behind a wife and young daughter.

2.  Valentine’s day (like I had to tell you)

3.  Hubby got hurt and potentially in a very bad way  He must go to the doctor today to get his arm checked out. The whole incident involved a chainsaw, a tree and a branch…Thankfully he still has All of his appendages  BUT he (by all rights) should have fallen from the tree and by God’s grace he didn’t. (did I mention this happened on valentines day?)

The last thing just knocked it right into my head that each and every moment we have with our husbands is a wonderful gift from God. And for today I am thankful…OH SO THANKFUL for the wonderful, talented, Loving, God-fearing hubby that God saw fit to give me. I am Blessed!

We all need  it  and I am no different.  I am so excited…yes excited because this is something I have been praying about for almost  years now.  God will bring someone to mind and I will pray about it, then talk to them.  I get two major responses with some varied in between.

#! No time, I’m too busy!

#2 Yes I’ll do that for you –AND IT NEVER HAPPENS!

It’s not Like i am  some half- hearted  believer.  I am a pastor’s wife. I NEED to be held accountable.  For the things I do,say and believe! Well after many  “rejections”(it starts wearing on you after a year and a half) God provides someone I believe will do the job well…NOT half- heartedly!  She is a pastor’s wife and she is busy too. BUT we make time for the things and people that are most important to us!   And would you believe we haven’t seen each other or talked in nearly 5 years!

We were talking on FB she wanted to share some really exciting news she had going on in her life ….Sowe chatted for awhile. Reminisced about Seminary WivesFellowshipand the Disciplines Bible Study class we took together!  She lives in Ohio and I in New York    We had talked about our families and what we were doing now and at the end I just felt God prodding me…Ask her..ask her…So instead of holding off and praying about it first. I took a leap of faith and stepped out on the proverbial water….You know what i found out….BOTH of us have been living and experiencing the same thing!    We then discussed what we expected out of this and how we were going to go about it…WE MADE A PLAN!  First  call tonight during Awana.

So I am very thankful  for a coupleofthings concerning this..

1. BIGGEST OF THEM  ALL- God answers our prayers…maybe not on our time and in the way in which we thin He should BUT when He does it is SOOO obvious!
2. A friend who is as passionate and dedicated to excellence.  She will keep her word.
3. Telephones  because  everyone locally is too busy.
4. Wisdom to not be too scared to ask and follow God’s reading!
5. A friend who cares!

there is so much more that goes into this story and I wish I could share it all BUT alas I can’t and I shouldn’t…SO happy thankful Thursday!

Howdy!  It’s Thursday again and  this week has been sooooohard to try to figure out!  Not because i don’t have anything tobe thankful for BUT there is just sooo much for one post!

As I sit here typing away my son just finished watching Veggie Tales.  I am so thankful for people who make uplifting and God honoring Media for families.  Last week i talked about movies!  And that fits into this category too, but it’s notlimited to just that.

Here are somethings our family uses in our everyday  lives to enhance our walk with God and keep our mind focused on the Good things as we are commanded to do in Philippians 4.8.

Growing Godly families list

• What’s in the Bible? with Buck Denver (look for another blog post just about this coming soon!  http://whatsinthebible.com/  and the kid site http://www.jellytelly.com/
• Focus on the familyhttp://www.focusonthefamily.com/
• Focus on the Family’s Plugged in Movie Reviews (they also review music and video games and TV!) http://www.pluggedin.com/tv.aspx
• Christian radio
• Christian TV programs like Way of the Master http://www.wayofthemaster.com/
• Christian bookstores….I will just say this now I am NOT a fan of Christian Romance, and I will never endorse it,,,But that is another Blog post entirely!
• Christian websites.

And the list goes on and on and on!  So what are some of the things you are thankful for?  What has helped your family grow inside, in their walk with God in the media?

Hi all!

This week has been full of realizations that some things just needed to be changed!    Hubby and I have been spending a lot of time talking about what we would like to see  change in our family. And though it has been an absolutely exhausting week, it has been an encouraging week.

Yesterday I got to go to our kids school and watch Tornado’s awards chapel!  As i sat there and realized just how small their school was I was impressed with the fact that I (Really we) got to choose this for our children.   Some of you know that I have had the opportunity to visit  a Communist country when I was a teenager (19).  At that point I never knew what kind of impact that would have on me BUT now that i am in my 30′s I realize that this trip impacts everyday of my life AND it should! I need to make sure that I don’t take certain choices for granted….let’s  see a few of them!

There are many things  for which we can be thankful!  But today i am finding myself Thankful for God’s word.  It says that it will NEVER return void!   we forget that until we are reading a familiar passage and something  just happens to POP out at us.  It surprises us as we exclaim…”why Have I never noticed THAT before?”

As  I have begun to enjoy a regular morning devotional time again I am reminded of these things almost every morning.   We  take for granted our times with god and sometimes rush through without paying attention!!!   Thankfully God loves us so much He repeatedly brings us backinto focus!  And forthat I am also VERY Thankful!

Well i have to admit, as I woke up this morning with  the feeling of Sand in my eyes I was NOT full of thankfulness BY ANY means!  And as i hit the bathroom and my Sinus’ felt at though they were going to to explode My heart did NOT yell PRAISE  God and as I winced in Pain as i tried to swallow My  voice did not echo an AMEN!

No it was different….”why now” or “I have too much to do”, all crossed my mind.

So Here is my list of thankfuness’ (Is that even a word..I don’t think so)

1.  iam thankful we are not moving for another month and a half!

2.  I am thankful that my Dr. has same day appointments (AND SATURDAYS TOO)

3.  I am thankful for science and the discovery of Penicillin!

4. And Iam very thankful God saw fit to create TEA!

5AND that God is the Great Physician !

I hope you have a wonderful thursdayand we will see you next week!

So for this week I am thankful for the new year.  Actually new Beginnings is more like it.  I look forward to the beginning of each year because then i can refresh my outlook!  NOW it is NOT limited to the beginning of the new year BUT each day has a new beginning, was week has a new beginning.

NOW as believers we had the ultimate new beginning when we accepted Christ as our Savior.  No one but believers get that kind of new beginning!

Now new beginnings does not mean you get a clean slate.  we live in a fallen world and we will suffer consequences from either our decisions or someone Else’s.  now our immediate thought is “that’s not fair”  well as a believer our faith is not  built on what’s fair”  if it were we would all end up in hell  BUT because of a perfect man willing to sacrifice everything he had (his Life).  He didn’t deserve to die and That was NOT fair!

So if you don’t get a clean slate what is no great about new beginnings….OUTLOOK!  Or new focus.  At any point you can get a new focus or outlook!  Which coincidentally if you are a believer should ALWAYS revolve around Christ!  What’s a good outlook to have How about 1 Corinthians 10:31 which say

Whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do do ALL to the glory of God.  We have made this our family verse for the year BUT more on that in a different blog post!

So I hope you have a wonderful New year.  And i am praying that it will be a Christ centered new year at that!

with each house we have owned our possibilities have been limited…mostly because of space limitations!  But we have also had time limitations too!

Well after talking with hubby last night We have a new possibility with our new to us home!

First of all it’s scay when hubby starts off a conversation with…”you may not like this idea but…” Nine times out of ten i love the idea but it cracks me up just the same.  and this case was no different.

It starts in our unusually LONG living room…where there is a rather large tiled entry way…it is the THIRD entrance on the front of the house. We were orginally going to take out the door and replace it with a large window like the one right above it on the second floor BUT now hubby is gonna  build a wall thereand make it into an office with an outside entrance!  this is a great idea for a couple ofreasons…..

1. it will have limited light which is great fro hubby since light bathers his eyes

2.  it is bigger than the room upstairs that he was going to use for his office

3.  walls are easier to build than changing a door to a window.

now there is a hidden blessing in this new  possibility!   And that is what to do with that tiny room upstairs?  Well what we decided has me beyond ecstatic!

I already have a craft room and a closet dedicated to crafting and the like BUT it is still considerably smaller that what i have now…LOL GO FIGURE!   A huge house with a small craft room No big deal at all BUT I was wondering where my sewing machine was going to go…there was just no place for it….Now I know…That room hubby said could be my sewing room and what a blessing to have possibilities.  thank you Lord for answers in the small stuff!

SOOOOOO as I was thinking about to write one thing kept popping into my head…Our new house.

We took possession on Monday!   we live in a perfectly lovely home now. Welike it a lot BUT it just wasn’t made for a family of six.   How we found the house was of God.  We drove past this house so many time and never noticed the reality sign so as we were driving past one day I said to hubby “what’s wrong with that one?”

We turned around and went back , we pulled into the driveway and said we can at least have our realtor check into it”    Copy the number down”  so I began typing it into my cell phone….I was confused when I looked up and said that can’t be right  that is so and so ‘s number from church.   Hubby looked at the sign and sure enough it was owned by someone in our church.  It’s perfect in every ay and we never would have thought this house could be are But God knows what we need best and if we are faithful He will bless and he has…above and beyond our wildest dreams!

Today has been a BUSY day…i intended on writing this post this morning.  But things quickly went against my original plan.   As everyone knows this is DECEMBER 1st.  Simply crazy in my mind!!

But as i prepare for one of the greatest holiday’s we celebrate as believers I think about all the gifts…..Not gifts that i get but giving   I make almost every gift  i give.  Not all BUT most.  And i I think about these things i am reminded of the Kings .  Tho they were not present  at the very first Christmas we often see them in most manger scenes with their pots of gold, frankincense and Myrth.  They are usually ornate pots.    then i think of my gifts, the ones I am making,  not nearly ornate enough to be fit for the most high King.  but then i remember i am not giving them to HIM but to my family or friends.  Those who can use these items . BUT then I thought …hmmmm…Maybe i am  giving something to God.   That’s my time, my diligence my love.   i pour over these things and i use my gifts and talents.  I give it all i have and yet it shows God I love him enough to use what he has given me…just like when my loved ones use the very items i make and give them.  And in turn i am showing my loved ones the Love of christ as I sacrifice time for them.  It would be much easier to buy something BUT I love them.

So i am super THANKFUL for the many gifts and abilities that God has given to me and i pray that i can use each one of them  to the best of my ability and that God would be glorified through each and every one of them    Have a VERY Happy December!