Getting back at my kids....

I this an email from a friend last week. I thought this was HILARIOUS!! ESPECIALLY the part about being called to dinner. I hope it brings a smile to your face too!


When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture...wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry...I'll run...if I'm able!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross my eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"



God Bless All Moms and Grandmas everywhere!

Favorite Foto Friday #28 - THEN AND NOW

I've been looking forward to joining Sarah at "Kiss the Frog 4 Me" in "Favorite Foto Friday." After we lost Brent it made me all the more THANKFUL for the pictures we have of him, and him with the boys.

Psalm 127:3
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him


SOOOOO.... I'm not sure if I have any newborn pics of the boys stored on the computers. I'll be working between the TWO that actually DO have pics on them. (An older laptop is with a friend being worked on) I'll try to make some sense of this by noon today. HA!!

This is a picture of Brent (our firstborn) with my niece Ashley...






These are of Brent, then Brent & Zach (Zach's our second-born)






The first of these is a pic of the boys stacked up on top of their daddy... I LOVE it! It's one of my favorites! Then there's Brent & Zach in the wagon and another of Brent.





And a few of Zach as an infant...





And here's one of the last (and most recent) pics of Brent...







Okay... so Gabe's the third child. I'm having a little trouble locating "baby pictures" of him. Check back later... HOPEFULLY I'll have found something. ha!!!

~Thankful Thursday~

Psalm 51

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of Your unfailing love.
Because of Your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.

2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.

3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.

4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in Your sight.
You will be proved right in what You say,
and Your judgment against me is just.

5 For I was born a sinner
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

6 But You desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
You have broken me
now let me rejoice.

9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

11 Do not banish me from Your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and make me willing to obey You.

13 Then I will teach Your ways to rebels,
and they will return to You.

14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness.

15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise You.

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

I chose to focus on FREEDOM in CHRIST on this "Thankful Thursday." FREEDOM from all the LISTS that man has set before us. There was a time that GOD called for sacrifice of animals (to cover our sins). There was no "magic" of course in the animal... GOD wanted us to realize that without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness of sin. (Hebrews 9:22 - In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness)



Of course we're not "under the law" anymore. Because of what Christ did for us, we're now under GRACE. I'm ESPECIALLY thankful that there are no ordinances for us to keep, no sacrifices to bear, and no status to be attained in order to achieve Salvation. All that GOD asks of us is a broken spirit and repentant heart. (After of course, believing in and accepting JESUS as LORD of our lives) People can become prideful in their "religious status." GOD did NOT set that standard for us.. MAN did! HE simply wants us to LOVE HIM with all our hearts, our souls and our minds. I'm thankful that we depend on JESUS to get us into HEAVEN and NOT on rules made by man.


Isaiah 29:13 (New International Version)

13 The Lord says:
"These people come near to Me with their mouth
and honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me.
Their worship of Me
is made up only of rules taught by Men.




If you'd like to read more posts on this Thankful Thursday check in with Iris at Sting My Heart

Word Filled Wednesdays

I'm joining Amydeanne for today's Word-Filled Wednesday..






Titus 3
Do What Is Good

1 Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.



4 But—“When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, 5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a] 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” 8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Tuesdays ~ In Other Words

"Momma prayed, momma cried, momma laid awake at night.
She would fight my battles while I slept away
Cause momma knew life is hard
without somebody on your side
I don't know how, but there is power in the way,
The way my momma prayed."

Words and music by Jeremiah Olson of 40milesNorth




Oh, to be known as a praying mama! There is no greater legacy we can leave our children than that of a Christian heritage and a praying parent. I hope (and PRAY) that our boys will look back and KNOW that what we've taught them was genuine. I hope they'll learn that they can run to GOD with ANYTHING, GREAT or small.

Prayer has been a part of the boys lives since they were just babies. When our Brent was sick... they prayed for his healing. They prayed for him when they blessed the food, when they were in bed at night... whenever they prayed, they lifted their big brother in prayer. I'll never forget the first prayer (blessing over the food) that our youngest son (Gabe) lifted after Brent went to HEAVEN. He started out thanking for the food as always, and you could tell he was so confused when he almost said, "And please heal Brent." That's what he'd been praying for the past 2 years and 3 months.... and when his big brother was gone... well, he just didn't know what to say. I quickly interrupted him and said, "Thank YOU, LORD, for HEALING Brent."

YES, if there is ever ANYTHING they're sure of (other than GOD'S PERFECT LOVE for them)... I hope it's that they KNOW they've got a Mama who's ALWAYS praying. Praying for their protection, their future, the heart of their wives, and children. Praying that NO SEED from here out would EVER be lost. PRAYING for SALVATION to STAY in our blood line.

I'd like to end with a really cute picture that I took of the kids a few years ago.




My sister's children (Ashley & Clay) were sleeping over. They were in Gabe's room bowing in prayer before they went to bed. In the picture from left to right was Ash (she was probably 9), then Zach (guessing 6), Clay (7?), Gabe (3) and Brent (8). I'm basing everyone's ages on the fact that Gabe was still sleeping in his baby bed. (He couldn't have been any older than 3 and MIGHT have been only 2. If that were the case you could subtract a year from all the other kids. You may notice that I had one of those zippered nets over the top to keep him from climbing out... HA!) Gabe wasn't even 4 when Brent was diagnosed with cancer.




Yes, LORD, let us leave our children a legacy of PRAYER....

Psalm 20 (New Living Translation)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.[a]
3 May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
Interlude

4 May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

6 Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
8 Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.

9 Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help.

Getting it all mixed up

We met with our church (homechurch) family last night to watch a movie. It was a little confusing at first, but MAN, after watching it... it confirmed what we'd recently learned. It is so evident how WRONG many of us are about sharing the gospel.

We've discovered this past year that JESUS met people where they were. (You're thinking, DUH!!) hehe... Well, my point is... we've always been taught that when we've got unsaved friends we're to "bring them to church." What did JESUS do??? He met them where they were! JESUS shared the TRUTH as HE went about his daily life. HE didn't "lasso them in" and carry them to the temple. (HIS disciples went about their daily lives sharing the TRUTH as well)

I guess part of what I'm sharing is conviction. For YEARS I worried that I'd get it all mixed up if I tried to bring someone to JESUS. I thought there was a formula - something you had to learn in order to successfully win someone over to Christ. Worse than that... I thought that inviting them to church would be a fix all. Now, don't get me wrong.. I'm NOT saying that meeting with other believers is wrong. ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Bible tells us.....


Hebrews 10:25 (New Living Translation)
25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of HIS return is drawing near.




HOWEVER, when we use the church to do what GOD has called us as individuals to do... well, then that's where we get it all wrong.

Coming to JESUS is so simple. Why is it made to appear so hard? The Bible says...

Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.



How hard is THAT?? Just believe and confess! If we desire to surrender to JESUS and let HIM be LORD of our life.. if we BELIEVE what the Bible says about HIM is true, and we confess HIM as LORD... that's it! We're saved! (I'm ashamed to think how many opportunities I've missed in sharing the gospel simply because I thought I had to have a certain amount of scripture memorized or something I should quote from memory)

The really cool part?? GOD is the ONE that does the "drawing" (people unto HIMSELF). All we have to do is be obedient and listen for HIS direction and the rest is up to HIM! (As you can see... I've had things REALLY MIXED up!) =-)


Okay... I guess that's about it. I'm just sharing from my heart today and TOTALLY AWESTRUCK at how GOD CONTINUES to show HIMSELF to me.

Thankful Thursday

I always love Thankful Thursdays because I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Since it IS Valentine's Day, I'll start out by saying how THANKFUL I am to have a loving husband. GOD has done A MAJOR "makeover" in our marriage, and I couldn't be more blessed. I love him more today than the day we married. (I guess it's SUPPOSED to be that way huh?)


I'm thankful for all my friends, my family and all the LORD has given me. Of course I'm MOST THANKFUL for JESUS, and the fact that HE LOVED me enough to die for me - KNOWING that I would continue to sin. I'm thankful that HE loves me (and you, and everyone else) enough to discipline me/us when I/we sin. More than that, I'm thankful that HE forgives us when we confess those sins!




What does God tell us about love? God tells us in HIS WORD that we are to love one another..... That of course is a an AGAPE love - loving each other when we may not be lovable.


John 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.




HE also assures us that NOTHING can separate us from that love....


Romans 8:37-39 (New Living Translation)

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.




HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, my friends

Tuesday's ~ In Other Words

"Why do our days seem so unimportant, filled not with romance and adventure but with duties and demands? We feel unseen, even by those who are closest to us. We feel unsought--that no one has the passion or the courage to pursue us, to get past our messiness to find the woman deep inside. And we feel uncertain--uncertain what it even means to be a woman; uncertain what it truly means to be feminine; uncertain if we are or will ever be...And in all the exhortations we have missed the most important thing of all. We have missed the heart of a woman.

Quote taken from: "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge




My SWEET friend Susan told me about this subject and encouraged me to post on it. I must admit, there have been SO MANY things vying for my time... as well as things that LIFE deals us. I'm HAPPY to finally "come out of hiding" and join in... even if it IS late.


I'm going to take a different approach and try to pull "negative" ideas from this quote and make them positive. So... the first part is what REALLY caught my attention. No, I can't say that... the whole quote stirs many emotions inside me. I'm SO PASSIONATE about what GOD CAN DO in our lives - because I KNOW what HE'S done in MINE!

First, the quote seems to be focused on "self." There is a neat method to true JOY.

J - Jesus FIRST
O - Others SECOND
Y - YOU LAST

The "world" encourages us to be all about self. GOD DIDN'T create us for this. We were created in HIS OWN IMAGE. We were created to WORSHIP & GLORIFY HIM. If we run around screaming, Me! Me! ME!!!! Then HOW does it bring HIM glory? YES, there have been times in my life that I've felt alone. (At times there still are) However, when we put our eyes on JESUS and all that HE has done then everything else is so small it doesn't matter.


Second, we (as married women) were created to be a "help meet."

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

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



It is GOD'S calling on our lives for us to be "keepers of the home....."

Titus 2:4-5
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.


IF we are doing these things, and they are GOD'S calling (and not our own) then how can we NOT be fulfilled?



Sisters, if you're feeling alone in your marriage - and are wishing your husbands would be "this or that" then I've got "a word" for you. It's a lesson learned the hard way. We (again, speaking from my own experience) tend to want to change the men in our lives thinking we'd then have "the perfect marriage." GOD has shown me that I had to change MYSELF FIRST! I know that I've quoted from "Created to be His Helpmeet" before, but it's worth mentioning again. I learned from this book (that was BASED on the BIBLE) that we were created for the man... and not he for us. I learned the power of a smile. (I'm home with two little boys all day - BELIEVE ME, there have been days that I wanted to run SCREAMING as soon as my husband walked through the door) We MUST be careful how we respond to the men that GOD has given us. There are and always will be women out there who WILL show our husbands the respect due him. They WILL smile at him and laugh at his jokes. Don't think for one moment that the devil isn't out there waiting to POUNCE on our marriages. If given the chance, he'll take us under.

Now, I don't mean to come across as a "know it all" because I DEFINITELY have MUCH to learn. HOWEVER, there are younger women out there who have yet to learn the lessons I have. I want to be obedient to GOD'S WORD and the "Titus 2 woman" that GOD has called me to be.

Perhaps if we "remember our first love" we WILL have the marriage we desire.

Revelation 2:4
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.


Yes, after reading MANY books (by Christian authors) I've learned the importance of treating my man as a king. To show him respect by NOT questioning his every move/decision. I've read the importance of not "back talking" him. He's NOT going to be won over by nagging, fussing or even screaming. It's a quiet and submissive heart that GOD desires, should we expect any less from our husbands? If we start to view him as our "head" or "leader" or even our "king" of our homes... he WILL take notice and treat us differently. (Remember, Sarah in the Bible called Abraham "lord" as a show of respect)

As for feeling feminine, or missing the heart of a woman - well, I can honestly say that I've never felt more feminine than when I FINALLY gave up the battle to "rule our home" and started seeing myself in the role I was created for. To be my husband's servant - to be his HELPMEET.

Painful Anniversaries & GOD'S SPLENDOR

Hello Friends!

It's been SO LONG since I've checked in. I think having the holidays behind us now will help. We've also just gone through the "one year mark" of Brent's going to his HEAVENLY HOME. It was all so hard, but I've learned that if we give it to GOD EVERY DAY HE WILL carry our burdens. Even better than that... HE WILL CARRY US!

I do hope to get back into a routine of updating here and on Brent's site. You all have been so sweet and supportive. I hope in time to visit each of you at your blogs. I'm still relatively new to the blogging world (although I kept up our son's site for almost 3 years now). Somehow "blogging" is different. At any rate.. I do look forward to vising you all and making even more new friends. (Perhaps a better way to put it is "meeting my sisters in Christ?" =-)

Okay.. so I saw something really neat on AOL the other day and wanted to share it here. GOD'S "handiwork" just BLOWS me away! I KNOW you'll enjoy the pictures too! (The pictures AND the information on them was taken directly from AOL)

I pray you have a WONDERFUL weekend! Prepared to have your socks knocked OFF!




Even galaxies get bullied. Here, a so-called "death star galaxy" blasts a nearby galaxy with a jet of energy. Scientists said that if this happened in the Milky Way, it would likely destroy all life on Earth.






Feel like you are being watched? This infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Helix nebula, a cosmic starlet notable for its vivid colors and eerie resemblance to a giant eye.







The Cassini spacecraft's 2005 flyby of Saturn's moon Hyperion reveal its sponge-textured surface. This image was colored to bring out the surface's details. Hyperion has a notably reddish tint when viewed in natural color.






This star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, forming a cocoon around the star's remaining core. The burned-out star, called a white dwarf, is the white dot in the center.







Though Jupiter looks like it has a mild case of the measles, the five spots scattered across the upper half of the planet are actually a rare alignment of some of Jupiter's moons and the shadows they are casting.






Here, bright blue newly formed stars are blowing a cavity in the center of a star-forming region and eroding the outer portions of the nebula, with numerous galaxies delivering a grand backdrop for the stellar newcomers.







The small open star cluster lies in the core of the large emission nebula in Sagittarius, about 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Some of the stars in this cluster are extremely massive and emit intense ultraviolet radiation.








Hubble Heritage Team / ESA / NASA
This is one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras, a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of a star's birth and death is taking place.






ESA / NASA
These are views of an unusual phenomenon called a light echo. Light from an erupted star continues outward through a cloud of dust surrounding the star. The light reflects or "echoes" off the dust and then travels to Earth.





NASA / AP
This eerie-looking Eagle Nebula, a tall, dense tower of gas, is one of three-quarters of a million photos of the cosmos taken by the Hubble Telescope








Getty Images
This image of the Whirlpool Galaxy is one of the sharpest Hubble has ever produced. The telescope has obited the Earth for 15 years and has taken more than 700,000 images of the comos.





This is one of the universe's most photogenic galaxies, the Sombrero Galaxy. Its hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy.







Resembling the fury of a raging sea, this is actually a bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen gas and small amounts of other elements such as oxygen and sulfur within the Omega or Swan Nebula






JPL / NASA

This dramatic shot of the Orion Nebula offers a peek inside a cavern of roiling dust and gas where thousands of stars are forming. More than 3,000 stars appear here, some of which have never been seen in visible light.






Jeff Hester, Arizona State University / ESA / NASA

The Crab Nebula is a six-light-year-wide expanding remnant of a star's supernova explosion. Japanese and Chinese astronomers witnessed this violent event in 1054.







Dan Bayer, The Hutchinson News / AP

Comet Hale-Bopp passes over a rural Rice County, Kan., windmill, just north of Hutchinson, Kan., on Thurday, March 27, 1997








STScI / ESA / NASA

The Hubble Space Telescope "caught" the Boomerang Nebula, which is a reflecting cloud of dust and gas with two nearly symmetric lobes of matter that are being ejected from a central star.








NASA

This nebula is the glowing remains of a dying, sun-like star. This stellar relic is called the Eskimo Nebula because, when viewed through ground-based telescopes, it resembles a face surrounded by a fur parka.








ST-ECF, ESA / NASA

A pair of huge interstellar "twisters" -- eerie funnels reminiscent of terrestrial tornadoes -- are seen in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula about 5,000 light-years from Earth.








Peter Tuthill, Palomar / Keck

The Red Square is among the most symmetrical objects ever observed. It was created by a dying star spewing its innards from opposite poles into space.




Romans 1:19-20
New Living Translation

19 They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Psalm 61:1-4

Hello to my fellow blogging buddies!

I don't have much to share tonight but it'd been so long I thought I'd check in. I've not updated our son's site in forever either... I finally did tonight. Gosh, it's just been such a struggle getting through the holidays. Thanksgiving wasn't so hard, but once we rolled over into December it's kinda gone down hill. I think it's because it's this time last year that we finally accepted that it wasn't GOD's will for Brent to get his earthly healing. This was our firstborn... I spent many hours (YEARS EVEN) just praying for that baby to come into our lives... I NEVER, EVER dreamed his precious life would be so short.

It's also hard to remember the condition he was in and how badly he just wanted to be a "normal kid." I remember standing in line outside a store in Vermont to purchase a Wii for Brent. We got it in part because his games had become the only source of "normalcy" that he had... and also because he'd become so weak that he could no longer play his PS2. Then to see the disappointment on his face when he couldn't handle the remote for that game system either. As much as it breaks my heart to remember things like this.... it's also those VERY MEMORIES that help me to accept that he's gone. I have to stop and PRAISE GOD that Brent is HEALED! He's FINALLY FREE and is enjoying life in ways that our minds cannot comprehend. As I shared on his caringbridge site.... We're just SO VERY THANKFUL for the PROMISES of GOD that were FULFILLED through JESUS! Because of HIM we KNOW that we get to see Brent again - NEVER TO EVER be separated... EVER AGAIN!

You know... I just can't get "down" without RUNNING to GOD! Oh how BLESSED we are that HE will carry us!

I'd like to end by sharing a beautiful passage from the Bible....


Psalm 61:1-4 (New Living Translation)

1 O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
I cry to You for help
when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for You are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in Your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of Your wings!

Yes, GOD'S WORD is ALIVE and TRUE! I'm just so THANKFUL we have it!!!

Alrighty my friends... I guess I'll sign off now. I hope you're having a WONDERFUL CHRISTmas holiday season!!!