March Mission Trip 08, MS Gulf Coast

Okay... so HERE it is! The slide show I've been promising.

Yes, most of our Bible study group (we homechurch now), along with a young couple from another church (and their two boys), and 4 men all headed down to do some work on a home that had damage from Katrina. (The men also worked on another site but I don't have pictures from there) I appears from the pictures above that the ladies didn't work... but I ASSURE YOU, we did! We were up by 4:30 every morning to dress and start breakfast. We cooked for 30 people, 3 times a day, each day (and CLEANED up afterwards). That counts for something doesn't it?? Hehehe... we DID help with the destruction on the first home. Yes, we KNEW our little "wrecking crew" would have some SERIOUS "SKILLS" on THIS job! ;-) HA!!! JUST KIDDING!

Seriously, we had a BLAST... I don't know how it could've been more fun. We all camped out inside a church and spent many hours working together and sharing LOTS of belly laughs. I don't know how people get the idea that Christians are boring?? There is NO GREATER FUN than getting together with other believers in work, fellowship and play!

Now, for the other news I promised....

Link's baby sister Elizabeth (aka.. Aunt Bibby) and her hubby Jason have FINALLY made connection with a couple and have started finalizing the adoption.

YES, baby girl Jenkins is due on March 23! WOO-HOO!!!! After she's born they'll have to wait 72 hours before the adoption is final. PLEASE pray with us that everything from here out will run smoothly? I'm so excited I can hardly stand it, and I'm only an aunt-to-be. I can only imagine what Jason & Elizabeth are feeling. We're just so happy for them!

Okay... there's tons more to tell but I've still got to go and update my son Brent's caringbridge site. Thanks SO MUCH for stopping in!

Late again...

Hello Friends...

I apologize for not updating already. I can't even begin to tell you how CRAZY things have been here. I PROMISE, I will get the new post up tomorrow - with or without pictures! I've tried to get a slide show up about 4 times now and something fails with my internet connection at the VERY LAST MINUTE each and every time. (Of course that means LOSING ALL MY WORK) SOOO.. I'm going to share the news even if I have to post the pics one by one on here! (Can you tell this is stressing me OUT????) LOL!!!

Okay... talk with you soon!

Quick Update...

Hello Friends..

I wanted to thank EVERYONE that's visited and those who've left comments on my last two posts. We've been out of town the past couple of days and have just gotten back home. (I like to post your comments as I read and respond to them) All of that said to say that I'll start catching up tomorrow and will post on our trip. The group we've been meeting with for Bible study went to Gulfport/Biloxi Mississippi to work on a couple of homes that had Katrina damage. We had a BLAST! I have lots of really FUN pictures and can't wait to share...

(Also, there's some exciting news in the family!) ;-)

See ya TOMORROW!

Welcome to my corner of The Ultimate Blog Party!

In taking part of "The Ultimate Blog Party" I thought I'd keep it short and sweet since so many ladies will be doing lots of "blog hopping." I wanted to start out by sharing a video that just CRACKED me UP the first time I saw it! I think it's the expressions on their faces that get me. At any rate.. You'll now know that I have a really weird sense of humor. LOL! (I always like to apologize when posting anything from youtube since I never know what advertisements will "pop up." So, you might wanna scroll down QUICKLY as soon as the video stops)

Now, I'd like to end with a yummy recipe. If you're here and have followed our son's caringbridge site for any length of time you may have already seen it. It was Brent's FAVORITE bread. I hope you enjoy...

~ Sweet Potato Bread ~

3 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, 4 eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup of chopped nuts if desired (I use 2 cups pecans)

Combine sugar, vanilla, oil, potatoes and eggs, mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and pour into 4 greased 1 pound coffee cans, or 4 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or when a toothpick comes out clean. The mixture nearly doubles in size, be careful not to get baking pans too full. I never fill the baking dish more than 3/4 full and a little less wouldn't hurt : )

For more fun you can check out The Ultimate Blog Party by clicking here.

~Thankful Thursday~

Job 8:21
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.


After much thought, I decided to post how THANKFUL I am that GOD RESTORES our JOY even after a time of great loss. I'm thankful for giggling little boys and the sound of LAUGHTER! In the days before we lost Brent I'd sometimes wonder if we'd ever laugh again. Our boys have always been such a great source of delight in our lives and I simply could not imagine a single day on this earth without one of them.







However, GOD is TRUE to HIS WORD and HE did give comfort and joy in our time of sorrow. Does that mean we don't miss Brent? Of course NOT! We're at peace that he's with the LORD and we KNOW we WILL see him again one day. I found some awesome passages on how GOD restores our joy...


Isaiah 51:3
The LORD will surely comfort Zion (You and Me) and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Jeremiah 31:13
Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Habakkuk 3:18
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.



Yes, the JOY of the LORD is our strength! (Nehemiah 8:10) I'm just so THANKFUL today that because of JESUS, we're promised a life in HEAVEN when this world is over. I'm also THANKFUL for giggling little boys and lots and lots of LAUGHTER! I'm THANKFUL that "death" on earth is NOT the end.

Now, I'd like to leave you with a picture that I've had stored on our computer for quite some time. I remembered it after seeing a similar picture on another lady's blog the other day. Don't you just KNOW that JESUS LOVED/LOVES to LAUGH??






For more posts on this Thankful Thursday check out Sting My Heart

~WORD-Filled Wednesday~

How much are you worth? You're worth HIS best...






I got a really great email from my friend Piper today. It's what inspired my "WORD-Filled Wednesday." Just as the story below tells how much we're worth to those who love us, GOD also loves us. HE loves us so much that HE sent HIS best for us. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. =-)



Sometimes we just need to be reminded..

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO'S we are.

You are special - Don't ever forget it."




To find other posts on "WORD-FILLED Wednesday" visit The 160 Acre Woods

Tuesday's In Other Words

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

~ Hellen Keller ~







When pondering on Ms Keller's quote, I started trying to think of this from a spiritual perspective. Okay, I admit it.. if I were tested for "ADD" I could not only pass it... but I could give them a WHOLE NEW LIST to test by! (Hehe..) I said that to say that mind is ALL OVER the place with this one. I know that Helen Keller was blind LITERALLY, however SPIRITUAL blindness is MUCH WORSE! That thought led me to the difference in light and darkness. (Again, on a spiritual level) Then my mind trailed over to John 1:1-13



John 1:1-13

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.



So, we KNOW that "the Word" is JESUS, and HE also represents light. JESUS "shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not understand." There are few things that break my heart more than the thought of someone without JESUS. HE is EVERYTHING to me! I too was once in darkness - but because of HIM I'm now in the Light. I'm so THANKFUL that I was allowed to sit at my Grandmothers' feet and hear them sing God's praises! Yes, I learned from a very small child that there is a GOD Who loves me.

If I had to state my vision for my family (that is the desire of my heart, and the prayer that I pray daily) I'd have to say that I envision our boys walking WITH the LORD all the days of their lives. I pray that our boys will be MIGHTY MEN of GOD - desiring HIS will and not their own. I pray that they will NEVER, EVER TURN to the right or the left, but will walk wholeheartedly with the LORD all the days of their lives. I pray (envision) them each with a godly wife who is seeking the LORD. I pray that their wives will be submissive, humble, and gentle - seeking the LORD'S WILL for their lives. I pray that they will be united in a desire to "train up their children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it. I pray they will be united in wanting to homeschool their children (and that they can do so legally). I pray that they will teach their children when they get up and when they walk along the road.



I also ask with each prayer that EVERY "seed" of ours from here after will be SOLD OUT to their LORD. I honestly cannot imagine a generation from our "branch of the family tree" could deny their CREATOR and the SON that so selflessly gave HIS life so that we might be made right with GOD.

Our children "walking with the LORD," this would be my vision for them. As for Link & Myself.. well, if we're around to see all of this happen... that would be the ULTIMATE on this side of HEAVEN.

Okay... that's it for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by and trying to make sense of my aimless chatter today. LOL! (I'm always a dingbat, but am unusually "slow" today) =-)

This "Tuesday's In Other Words" is being hosted at Mommy Monk's place. If you'd like to go by and see what others are saying you can find them here.

Marriage Monday

Want this button?

Happy "Marriage Monday," everyone! "Is Divorce Ever Right?" is today's topic and is one of those that are VERY HARD to discuss without doing some SERIOUS "feather ruffling." (Oh, and a disclaimer for myself... I didn't choose this topic, I'm just posting with others on it....hehe) O:-)

With that said, MOST of what I'm going to share today comes from the ULTIMATE Authority.. ONE Who is WORTHY to judge the heart and matters of man. (And/Or woman) Of course I'm talking about GOD. The Bible says....


Malachi 2:16
"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.


Matthew 5:27-32

Adultery
27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[e] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce
31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.


Matthew 19:1-12

Divorce
1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[c]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."



1 Corinthians 7:11-13

But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.

1 Corinthians 7:27

Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.









Now for my "two cents" on the matter. I've been married to the same man for 15 years. I'm sure we would BOTH be QUICK to tell you that it's not always been a bed of roses. (A bed of THORNS at times, but NOT always roses) Before we found out our son had cancer, my hubby was focused on making a living and I was home (24/7) with our children. I wanted LOTS of things from him that he was usually too tired to give. I won't go into all of the issues because "gossip" wouldn't benefit anyone. The point is, it took us getting down to the point of KNOWING that we were about to lose Brent before we BOTH TOTALLY SUBMITTED to GOD. Either of us could've left the other a long time ago, but divorce was NEVER an option. It was NEVER mentioned. When we said, "I do" we meant it. The BEST advice I can give a sister who's feeling all alone in her marriage is to PRAY! After we pray, then we've got to be ready for GOD to make some changes in US. I'm NOT saying that whatever might be wrong is the woman's fault... however I TRULY believe if we're COMPLETELY OBEDIENT to GOD'S WORD, something will HAVE to happen. (Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives -1 Peter 3:1)

Most women today are raised under liberal ideas. We're taught that we're just as capable of doing anything a man can do. Technically.. we CAN do MOST things men can do... HOWEVER, we WEREN'T created for those things. We were created for but one reason. To be our MAN'S helper.

Genesis 2:18-24
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man[c] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs[d] and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’”

24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.



The Bible says we were created for the man and not the man for the woman.

1 Corinthians 11:9
neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.








GOD says we're supposed to be busy at home....

Titus 2:4-5 (New International Version)
4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.







So... if we want to see GOD work a miracle in our lives we must FIRST be willing to be COMPLETELY OBEDIENT to HIM. I know that as a parent I'm NOT going to "bless" my children when they're being disobedient and I don't expect any different from my FATHER in HEAVEN. OUR JESUS IS the ONE WHO "calms the storms" of life, there is NOTHING He can't restore!





Now, I was speaking to those who are still married. I do NOT want to sound condemning to anyone who's already gone through divorce. I simply wanted to share my testimony and the MIRACLE MARRIAGE MAKEOVER that GOD has given us. Remember, it took our son's relapse with cancer, and being told that WE WOULD LOSE him before our "hardened hearts" were ready to be softened and obedient. I don't know your circumstances - your life is between you and GOD. We can REJOICE in the fact that GOD says that "if we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I KNOW I've broken my LORD'S heart countless times... but I also know that because I've confessed HE HAS forgiven me. The same is for you and anyone else that sins.

Okay... I can't wait to hear what everyone else had to say on the topic of divorce. If you'd like to read more on this you can join me at Chrysalis.

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINK~

I'm signing on this morning to wish my sweet hubby a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The boys made homemade birthday cards for him and have planned out a menu for his special day. Inside Gabe's card, "Happy Birthday, I love you ,You're my BEST FRIEND." Zach's card was also sweet. He always decorates with crosses. He even made his dad 3 crosses out of wooden sticks. Our Zach has watched one too many of those, "Myth Busters" shows.... he now LOVES to blow things up. I said all of that to say that he made Link a paper airplane and somehow stuck a little firecracker inside it. Link chuckled when he saw it and said, "Zach, I'd know YOU made that if I saw it ANYWHERE!" My guys... they're SO FUNNY!

Yes, I'm BLESSED INDEED! Not only does Link love me unconditionally, he's also a TERRIFIC Daddy. He gives the boys his undivided attention... and takes every opportunity to train them up in the way they should go...

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.


He also takes advantage of each "teachable moment" and instructs them in GOD'S WORD...

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.




Yes, we are BLESSED beyond measure... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINK, we LOVE You!!

Favorite Foto Friday

In Joining Sarah on this "FFF" I wanted to stick with her theme, leapin' leap year but I don't have any "leaping" pictures. HOWEVER, I DID find a video of Gabe at the age of 5 leaping around. He actually called himself dancing.. HEHEHE! PLEASE don't tell him you saw this?? Oh, and sometimes when "YouTube" videos finish there are some video advertisements that I DEFINITELY DO NOT APPROVE OF. I'm PRAYING the video will just stop. If something else does appear, I apologize. Now, here's that leaping video...






Ending with a scripture...

Malachi 4:2
But for you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.