We Have A New Baby!!! ~Fletcher~

I am so excited!

There were some abandoned baby kittens at Steve's job site...

He told me about them yesterday but said that he was not ready for an animal.. But he had picked this one out, and said he liked him because he has a broken tail... (Because he is not perfect, like us....)

A lady was suppose to give all the kittens away, but she still had this one.


Soooo, Steve brought him home!!! YAY! We named him Fletcher...

Trent and Drake love their new little brother!

God Is Amazing!

Let me start out with saying that: Sunday after church we were trying to figure out a way for Trent to stay until the following weekend.. In order for him to stay that long he would have to fly back to Houston, not San Antonio...

When we got home I called the airline... First they told me that they could not change cities. Period.. They said that I could cancel his ticket and get a little refund, and buy a new ticket. Their website has flights going to Houston for about $500.00, then you add on $100.00 for an unaccompanied minor fee.. We have so many things coming up, (braces, football, cavities, wisdom tooth, etc.) we just were not able to do it.

I was sad because I did not want him to go yesterday, but I just put on my brave face... (The last time he left I cried the whole day and watched as his plane took off and cried some more..) I do pretty good as long as I don't spend to much time in his room....

Anyway!!!

We get to the airport yesterday and they say it is an hour delay and the plane was in another state... No, biggie, instead of 6:45pm it went to 7:45pm... Which meant my mom and PawPaw were going to have to pick him up @9:25pm and then drive for an hour 1/2..

Then the lady came on and said that they did not know if they could fix the plane.. But, if they could then they would be here sometime around that time, but if they could not they would ferry in the flight crew and they would fly another plane, but that that one would take off @9:13pm... So, I made my calls... (Personally, I did not want him on the plane that needed to be fixed..) I didn't care, I just wanted him safe!

The last word we got was (@7:04pm) that the plane would take off at 10:50pm, mind you we got to the airport at 5:30pm... I felt at peace though... It was weird! :)

So, I asked the lady if we could put him on another flight on another day... She said that there was one the next day... But, then my brain started going a hundred miles an hour...

I prayed and asked her if there is anyway that we could change cities, and fly him back on Saturday... She made a call, did some research (I prayed), and she said that they do not normally change cities, but that she would let us change it for a change fee... (they would not even let me change cities for a change fee on Sunday PERIOD..) The change fee was $150 plus $25 UMF! HELLO!!! What was going to cost us around $500 - $600 according to their prices, ended up costing $175.00 because it was their issue!!!!!!!!!

FROM LEMONS TO LEMONADE!!

I was sad cause we couldn't change before... Decided to be thankful anyway..

We sat in the airport for 3 hours: BUT - Trent and I got to have dinner together and have some one-on-one time...

The Lord gave me the desire of my heart, and the airline allowed something that they do not do, AND we saved a bunch of money!!!!

The Lord just keeps on showing me I can trust HIM...

Like I said in an earlier blog, so many things have happened since we have moved here (I will detail in a blog soon), but inspite of it all, HE keeps on showing me who HE is and how faithful HE is... It has just come wrapped in a different package than I am expecting... This particular lesson was a fun one..

Thank You Lord! I do not deserve it, but I guess that is what grace and mercy are all about...

Trent-man!

When I think about Trent, I think: Courageous, Strong, Brilliant, Funny and Handsome... (And he will tell you that too.. He is kidding of course!)Beneath the tuff exterior he has a sweet heart.... He is alot like I used to be... (The tough exterior...) To me Trent is: my heart and strength...

He is a "go-getter", and he will accomplish anything he sets his mind to... I am not boasting, I just wish I was more like him!

He is who made me a mom, and helped the walls around my heart start to fall... I did not know what love was or how strong it could be until I had him... Thank You Lord!

My sweet boy has been here for three weeks today, and he goes back to Texas tonight... I love him so much and miss him already! But, I am going to be strong this time, and when I can't I will run to the Lord...

He is a blessing!

You May Tell Me to Sit Down, But I am Standing Up on the Inside!

This is Drakester, and he is a funny character.. He is usually the type that just rolls with the punches. I always say: "I want a heart like his when I grow up." When I think about Drake, I think: Handsome, Kind, Compassionate, Hilarious, Giving.. To me he is: my heart and joy... It does not matter how bad of a mood I am in, he can make me laugh. He is usually very positive.. (accept when we were in Texas for our visit. He was very different than his normal self..) He definitely has the gift of giving and the gift to GAB!!!
Anyway: he got in trouble the other day and I had given him plenty of chances to obey me... (He kept getting up from the table when he was suppose to be eating lunch.) So, I finally told him that he was going to have to sit out for ten minutes when everyone else went out to start playing... He was VERY sad about that! He begged me not to, but I knew I had to follow through... (watch my follow-through..)
I tell him to go sit on the couch with no T.V.
This is how the time went:
Minute one: silence
Minute two: Drake: "Mom, can I get out now?" Me: "No, it has only been two minutes...
Minute three: silence
Minute four: Drake: "Mom, do you know what time-out is?" Me: "Yes, and if you keep talking you are going to add to your time."
Minute five: silence
Minute six: Drake: "Mommy, I love you." Me: "I love you too."
Minute seven: Drake: "Can I get out now?" Me: "No, you have three more minutes."(I wonder if he still loves me... he he..)
Minute eight: silence
Minute nine: he starts singing... Me: (I say kind of in a joking way..) No, singing you are not supposed to be having fun in Time-Out.. Drake: "Well, I kind of am having fun.." Me: (I was trying not to let him notice how that made me laugh..)
Minute ten: Me: "OK, go out and play.."
Like I said, for the most part he does not let things get him down (even though he did it himself and was sad at first...) When he gets lemons in life, he makes lemonade!

Awesome E-Mail That I Received...

One Way Out

by James Robison

You're on the top floor and the building is burning. You don't know which way to go: the stairs, the elevator, the roof, a window? Which door do you take to get to a hallway that's not on fire?
With the smoke, the confusion and the sense of urgency, it is hard to know what to do. You don't know how much time you have and the wrong turn could be disastrous. Suddenly, a man shouts, "I know which way to go. Follow me!"
What do you do? If the person is a complete stranger, you won't know whether or not to believe him. If he is ignorant, it would be foolish to follow him. If the man set the fire himself, then it would dangerous to listen to anything he said. But if the man is the architect of the building and an expert on fire safety, not only would you believe him, but you would do exactly what he said because you'd know that your life depended on it.
"Go down this narrow hallway. Don't turn right or left. Go directly through the blue door that says 'Emergency Exit,'" he says with urgency. Again, how do you respond? Would you argue with him? Ask him why he knows so much about exiting the building? Tell him that you know a dozen other ways to get out?
Again, if you knew his impeccable reputation, you would know that he was attempting to save your life. You wouldn't think him arrogant, rude or cruel for telling you exactly what to do. You would probably thank him and rush to comply with his instructions. And if someone else refused to listen and died in the fire, you wouldn't blame the architect.
This is exactly how I view Jesus Christ. He is the Architect and Designer of this world, yet it's in danger. Sin is burning it to the ground. We are all trapped and there is only one way out.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," Jesus said in John 14:6. Not only does He know the way, He is the way. Do you want to live? Get with Jesus Christ!
A lot of people want to stop and argue. They want to convince you that any exit will do, as if they can see through the smoke. Some will tell you that it doesn't matter what you do because nobody gets out alive -- the building will burn and we will all die anyway! A few will tell you that the building is not even on fire, despite the fact that they're sweating and people are dying all around.
If you don't think that this world is on fire, just look around. Death and destruction are at your door. Evil abounds. Nobody is immune from pain. The real question is this: Who is Jesus Christ? Is He really the architect or is He a fraud? Perhaps He was just a nice guy who didn't really know what he was talking about.
C.S. Lewis addressed this when he pointed out that Jesus was either "lord, liar or lunatic." If he was a delusional cult leader who really believed he was God, then he was crazy and we need not bother with him. If he was a crafty, egocentric deceiver, then he was more akin to the devil than God and must be exposed. But if he was neither of these, then He can only be what He claimed to be: the Son of God sent to make a way for us to live eternally with our Heavenly Father. He lived a perfect life, setting the matchless example while conquering sin and the grave.
In this burning building called Earth, we must all decide: Who is Jesus? Obviously, the best way to answer that question is to get to know Him. We do that by reading His words, attempting to dialogue with Him and talking to others who know him (although this can provide mixed results, since people are fallible.)
We don't know how much time we have, so it's urgent that we decide whether to follow Him or plunge into the confusion on our own. If He really is the architect, then we must believe Him when He claims that there is only one way to life. Otherwise, we discard him as crazy or deceitful. If we choose to not follow Him, we can't blame Him when we find ourselves at a dead end or surrounded by flames. And we can't call Him unkind or unmerciful when other people don't listen to Him. His instructions are clear, but it's our choice to heed his words.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the real deal. He knows the building (our lives), knows the nature of fire (sin) and the only way out (Himself). I'm following Him down that narrow pathway and I know I'm safe. I hope you'll follow, too.

SOZO

SOZO:

Definition:
1. to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
a. one (from injury or peril)
b. to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health

2. to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue
a. to save in the technical biblical sense

b. to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment
c. to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance

I love the picture above... It speaks so loud to me... From where I have been, to where I am going... The sun is coming up and the darkness is fleeing... Coming out of the darkness and into the Light... Thank You my Lord and Savior...

June 23, 2004 the Lord saved and delivered me... Before this date, I was at my absolute lowest... I had lost almost everything, including my life and at the very least my mind... I call this day my blessed day of desperation... Because, it was there that I really cried out to the Lord to help me and to save me...

You name it... I have done it or it has happened to me... I come from a background of childhood victimization... (unfortunately, that is starting to become the norm.) Everyone has a story... Jesus changed mine...

I did not realize the shame and pain I walked around with most of my life... I masked it by laughing at everything, going to parties and never being alone... I was always trying to find a guy that would fill that empty place in me...

I had prayed in 95' to ask Jesus into my heart... But, I still had one foot in the world.. Then about a 2 years later something very traumatic happened in my life... I still haven't wrapped my brain around it... But, instead of turning to God, I turned to pills and alcohol... The pain was so great, I just wanted to be numb... I really did not know that the Lord could help me through this, so I went down my own path...

So after years of living this way and not wanting to, but not knowing how to stop... I cried out to the Lord... Anyone who knew me at the time knows how deep and dark a time it was... And knew that I was either going to die, or a miracle would have to take place...

I was sitting in an apartment, with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other... I was looking up in the sky and talking to the Lord... I told HIM that I wanted to stop, but that I couldn't... There was NOTHING in me that could stop... I cried out to HIM and asked Him to please help me... That night, (while drinking and smoking), I was watching Christian television and they were leading people in the prayer of salvation... I had already prayed it before, but I prayed it again, and told the Lord that I was re-dedicating my life to HIM... On June 23, 2004 the Lord INSTANTLY delivered me from all the alcohol, pills, drugs, and cigarettes... (Instantly!)

My life has been soooo amazing since then... Don't get me wrong here... IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY... Anyone who tells you that your life will just be "Hunky-Dory" after you accept Jesus into your heart, is not telling the WHOLE truth... It is one thing to accept HIM as Savior, it is quite another to accept HIM as Lord... It involves dying to self, and not doing things my way, putting others first, forgiveness (from the heart), HE says: If you love Me, you will obey Me... One of my friends says: "Christianity is NOT for wimps." That is the Truth! Sister! But, when I am weak, HE is strong!

Anyway - this does not even scratch, the scratch of the scratch, on the surface: of where I have been or what HE has done in my life... But, I just wanted to share... Maybe, it will be an encouragement to someone or for someone who has somebody in their life going through the same struggle...

Thank You Lord! I praise Your Holy Name!

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (New International Version)
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

Me Offended?

After I got back from Texas I was visiting with a friend... Before I left she gave me a book that has been life-changing!

This book totally opened my eyes to some blind spots that I had in my life... I would have never said that I was offended... I would have said that I was: "just hurt."

There were so many wonderful things that I learned in reading this book... I would encourage anyone to get it...

After I read the book and looked up (in the Bible) some of what he (John Bevere) was saying, I realized that if the Lord had decided that my time here on earth was up... I might have been in the shock of my life... It was eye-opening, and life-saving and freeing... Thank You Lord!

I took 27 pages of notes from this book... (if that tells you how much I need to change!)

Some of what I read was so hard to hear, and I know that only through seeking the Lord and asking for His help will I be able to live this way... This is where the rubber meets the road... Will I live for Him and obey, or will I live for myself? I choose to ask HIM for help and live for HIM...

Excerpts and scripture from The Bait of Satan:

(my comments are in purple..)

2 Timothy 3: 1-5

The Dangers of the Last Days
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

2 Timothy 4:3-4:

3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

-It doesn't matter how up-to-date you are in new revelations from the many seminars and Bible schools you've attended or how many books you've read or even how many hours you pray and study. If you are offended and in unforgiveness and refuse to repent of this, you have not come to the knowledge of the truth. You are deceived and confuse others with your hypocritical lifestyle.

(So basically if I am holding an offense, I am just acting religious and rejecting the Lord's power... Sometimes the truth is not easy to hear and do, BUT it will set us free if we accept and do it!) (Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. -Zechariah 4:6b)

Matthew 5:43-47 (The Message Bible)

43 -47"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

(Ouch, that one is hard... More dying to self, I guess... :) )

Agape Love: is the love God sheds abroad in the hearts of His children. It is the same love Jesus gives freely to us. It is unconditional...

-It is not based on performance or even if it is returned.

-It is love that gives even when it is rejected.

Agape: loves regardless of the response...

-When you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God...

(Wow, I am really good at this with my children, but not so good in other areas...)

Expectations: If I have expectations about certain persons, those people can let me down. They will disappoint me to the degree that they fall short of my expectations. But if I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed... We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships. The more we expect, the greater potential for offense.

(When I read this I cried... Then I thought: "what a freeing way to live, no expectations, just love... And you would probably love those people even more than you did before.." I have to admit that I am still a work in progress...") (I wish the Lord could deliver me from self, in an instant, like HE delivered me from alcohol...) (More about that later, in another blog..)

-If we don't risk being hurt, we can't give unconditional love...

-Life cannot be sustained if held onto. It must be given freely...

-Why are we so quick to betray rather than lay down our lives for one another, even at the risk of being cheated? The reason: our love is cold, which results in our still seeking to protect ourselves. We can no longer confidently commit our care to God when we are trying to care for ourselves.

1 Corinthians 6:7: (Amplified Bible)

Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another at all is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of positive moral loss for you). Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong and be deprived of what is your due? Why not rather be cheated (defrauded and robbed)? (my pride has got to go..)

1 Peter 2:20, 21 & 23 (New International Version)
20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

-God refines with afflictions, trials and tribulations, the heat of which separates impurities such as: unforgiveness, strife, bitterness, anger, envy and so forth from the character of God in our lives...

-Remember: stay submitted to God by not becoming offended; resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

- We resist the devil by not becoming offended..!

LORD HELP ME!

"Great peace have they that love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." [Psalms 119:165]

What To Do When Your Faith Gets Tested...

This is what the sermon was on today at church...

I think the Lord is trying to say something to me... :)

I know I can trust the Lord, but I still get scared, worried and anxious sometimes... It seems like it has been one thing after another, but the Lord just continues to be right in my face letting me know that I can trust Him... Thank You Lord!

A lot of my comforts are gone that I used to have... I am not complaining, I just did not realize how much I leaned on so many other things besides God... I left behind in Texas: my son, family, friends, church family and everything I have EVER known.. (being with people who really know me and I really know them)...

I am having to grow up in so many ways and REALLY put my trust in the Lord... I do have to say that through of these tests and trials I have seen some ugly things in me. :( Like defensiveness, fear, pride, anger... Some of it has taken me by surprise, but I know that HE is not shocked... He created me, so He knows me...

Psalm 139: 1-4

O LORD, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me. You know my downsitting and my uprising; You understand my thought afar off. You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

I can say that I am thankful for these test and trials, HE allows them because HE loves me too much to leave me in the condition that I am in...

James 1: 2-8 & 12

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

12Blessed 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.

Romans 5:3-5

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

This is Exciting!!!

I am excited about blogging!

One of my best friends (Kellie) started doing this and got me interested...

My goal is to share whatever the Lord places on my heart, whatever I might be going through: good or bad, and do it without a mask!