No Deal!!

In Exodus 33, the LORD told Moses that they were to leave where they were and go to the land that He promised them. He would send His angel before them and they could go into the land flowing with milk and honey, but His Presence wasn't going with them.

Can you imagine? Does that not just scare you senseless? In essence, you can go Moses, but I am NOT going with you. God told him the reason was because they were a stiff-necked people and He might destroy them on the way.

They were stubborn and they were stiff-necked and Moses knew it, but listen to what he says in verse 15, ".....If Your Presence does not got with us, do not send us up from here."

What is Moses saying? LORD if You don't go, then don't send us at all. WOW!!! I love Moses' persistence. What was God's response? "...I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." WOW ~~ WOW ~~~ WOW!!!!!

I love this whole exchange. I love how God loved Moses and I love how God loves me.

You see lately I have had a VERY hard road with this knee. It was doing so good. I was making tremendous strides and then.....the pain. I was overstretched in PT and my I-T Band and Hamstring tendon started hurting so bad it put me back on crutches.

It has been a very difficult part of this journey. Pain is always hard. Hard. But God is ALWAYS good. ALWAYS. This I know.

On Friday evening, I read about the Presence of the LORD NOT going with Moses. It stopped me in my tracks. Beth Moore talked about it in the video for the week I was on, and I was overwhelmed. You see, God started asking me to write something in my journal I just didn't want to write. To me writing this was a sign of weakness. It was ugly pride. That is why I didn't want to write it. I wrote all around it and then I KNEW what I had to do. I had to write EXACTLY what God was asking me to write. Oh He already knew it, but He wanted me to be obedient and tell Him EXACTLY how I felt. Exactly. So I did.

"I am tired of this pain." I didn't want to write those 6 words. But as soon as I did, there was a release and faith rose up in me. My fight was back.

I went in and shared with my sweet Mr. Winslow what God had shown me through these Scriptures and then I shared with Him what God had asked me to write and then I told him this:

I will go through the pain, BUT I WILL NOT GO THROUGH IT WITH OUT HIS PRESENCE!!!

And in that moment I understood more about pain, not just physical pain, but emotional pain, God has been with me all along. He has NEVER left my side, but now I was going through it knowing that I HAD to have Him with me every.single.moment. of this pain. I will go where He asks me to go, but NOT without Him. What a beautiful realization. He is always with us, but sometimes we have to choose how close He is to us. We can keep Him at arms length, or we can have Him right in our space, and I totally want Him in my space, all of my space. It is so beautiful

Be close to Him. Trust Him.

And you know what? My knee is better. And today I saw the doc and he told me that I didn't need to go to PT anymore. He said after the 3 month mark, it just takes time. So he told me he knew that I would do the work. And I will. I will do the work with God right with me. His Presence ever before me. I love Him so!!!

I hope this has made sense.

We are bracing for a HUGE winter storm, which I know so many of you are. Ice is heading our way and then sleet and then lots and lots of snow. We have a Blizzard Warning. I do not remember EVER having a Blizzard Warning.

My thoughts are with you Jacquie and all of NW AR bracing for A LOT of ice. Not much snow, but A LOT of ice.

So Be close to Him. Trust Him. Let Him Guide you. He will do it!!

Tomorrow is SSMT and the start of February and the beginning of a month of "love"ly posts.

I love ya,

Sunday Letters

I am joining in on Deidre's Sunday Letters.

Dear Dak,

WOW what a week you have had. This is a week you will always remember. It is the start of a dream. You can see that it is going to come true, and you are over the moon happy. And I am so happy for you.

Friday we went to your first (and probably only) college visit at the Paul Mitchell School of Hair Design. You were so cute. You were so nervous. You wanted it to go well so badly. You wanted them to "see" you. You had NOTHING to worry about; they LOVED you!!

You did get a healthy dose of reality, and that was so good for you. You will look back on this experience and see it as a time of growth. When you asked how much it was she pulled out a piece of paper and went through the breakdown at the bottom. When she got up to get something you leaned over and said, "Mom, how much of this do I have to pay?" To which I leaned over and said, "All of it." =) The look on your face was priceless. I tried to explain that any scholarships and grants will come off of that total, and then the rest of it is where student loans will kick in. You made me smile more than once today, and for that I am so thankful.

As we toured, they told us about all the wonderful opportunities that you will have. They were telling us about their annual Fashion Show and how next year you will have the opportunity to submit your own creative hair designs for it, and if they are chosen then you get to work behind the scenes to make your designs hit the cat walk. You were so excited at that thought and then she asked you if you would be interested in modeling for the Fashion Show this year. You were so excited and couldn't say yes fast enough!!

Me on the other hand just wanted everything to s....l.....o......w....... down. But that is life with you; fast pace and exciting most of the time. I have trouble keeping up =)

So you have decided to say yes. You have already been accepted, now all you have to do is fill out the paperwork and commit. We have so many items to get done for scholarships and grants, but it is such an exciting time.

Son, I love you so much. I just don't think you will ever know how proud I am of you. You know I love the song by Mark Harris, "Find Your Wings":

.....So many different prayers I'll pray for all that you might do,
But most of all I want to know your walking in the Truth....."

That is my prayer for you, my sweet boy, ALWAYS walk in the Truth.

I love you,
Mom

*****

My dear man,

You have held me this week, as I have been in much pain. You have been such a strength to me. You have been close to me, so close. You have rarely walked passed me this week without a touch or nudge or an "are you alright?" or a smile. Yes, my darling, you have been so close to me this week. I've loved every moment.

You have cleaned the kitchen more than once, so I could sit. You have hung shelves so we can have more organization and all the while working 10 hour days, 6 days this week. You are my hero, Dick. My hero.

Thank you for all that you do.

I love you so,
Petrii

Some days we just need an extra dose.....

So today I got my precious Dak up for school and then I went and laid back down. (Oh this knee........somedays it is just a booger....anyway.....) and when I turned over it was after 8:00 o'clock so I dragged myself out of bed and there was Dak sitting on his bed waiting for his big (step) brother to get out of the bathroom (he'd gotten in just as Dak went to get his shoes on). I could tell Dak was frustrated and running behind. So I told him to go use my bathroom, so he did. After he dried his hair he said frustrated, "I'd brush my teeth but C is in there!"

In that moment I could see what my son needed. So I told him to not worry about it today. I told him he could be a little late for school and it would be fine. Immediately his shoulders lightened and I could see a brief and faint smile. He shook his head yes and said that was good. I told him some days we just need an extra dose of mercy and grace. To which he shook his head once again.

So I got up and went into the kitchen and there was my sweet boy standing at the counter pouring himself a bowl of cereal. For some reason it was so sweet to me. It was just a moment. Ya know what I mean? Just a sweet moment. The pressure was off, and he could be late for school this one day and even have a bowl of Lucky Charms before he left. Something he would not have been able to do if he'd been on time. Yes it was sweet to me.

You see what makes this story even more incredible is that my dear Dak HATES to be late. I know hate is a strong word, but the boy just has a strict aversion to it!!! If he's gonna be late he might as well stay home. He is just funny like that. I'm glad, because that will certainly serve him well in life, but sometimes he takes it to the extreme, like yelling at his very slow mother. It's funny (most of the time =)

So Dak left with a full belly and no pressure this morning. I wasn't harping on him to get to school on time. Not that I ever do, I just don't have to. The child is just never late for school. I honestly think this is the ONLY time this year he has been. Unless it was late for school's sake.

So this incident got me to thinking about my Heavenly Father. He is so gracious and loving and gives me an extra dose of mercy and grace when I need it. He gives me just what I need for everyday and some days that is more than others. But He alone knows how much I need for that day, because He alone knows what that day holds.

He has also been speaking to me a lot lately about DAILY going out of my tent and gathering the manna (bread) that I need that day. How do we do that in this dispensation of grace? We get our cute little selves up and grab our Bibles and we sit down for some time with Him and let Him feed us DAILY the Bread of Life. It is so very important and He is showing me just how important it is. When I do this, He speaks and when He speaks I am strengthened and when I am strengthened I can impart to others His love and mercy when needed, just like today with my dear Dak. It is a beautiful thing.

I hope you all have a Beautiful day, and remember to impart a little extra dose of mercy and grace to others where needed today.

Exodus 16:4 "The the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day....' "

Bible Study Questions: Session 2

Good Morning!!! I hope if you are joining our study that you are enjoying it as much as I am. It is ROCKING MY WORLD!!! Just sayin' =) If you are not joining along side us, I hope you are in God's Word on a consistent basis and learning more about our Amazing Father, His Son and Holy Spirit. I love learning more.

So tomorrow, we will be meeting at our ususal time and place in web-world: 6:00 PM, CST right here on Chatzy.



So let's get started.....



Isn't is a beautiful thing, that God wants to meet with man. He wants us to know Him, not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He is the One who draws us unto Himself. He, the Creator, wants to be with us in our everyday journey on this planet. What a beautiful and amazing Truth.



Beth says on the bottom of page 13: "...that is why God created us: not because He needed us but because He wanted us. The act was based on the pleasure of His will."



Question 1:

So in light of the above paragraghs, why do you think it was so important for the Israelites to build the Tabernacle exactly to spec?

_______________________________________



I love the word picture she constructs of building a bridge from the Garden of Eden to the Tabernacle. When you think about all the events, from God walking with Adam in the Cool of the day, to the fall, to the flood, the Tower of Babel, the covenant cut with Abram, all the way to Moses and the Israelites building the Tabernacle, you must conclude that God definitely had a plan and it was in motion.



Beth says on page 19: "According to Revelation 13:8, Christ is the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (KJV). God's breathing a soul into Adam signed His precious Son's death certificate. The moment the decision was made to create humankind, Christ was, in simple terms, as good as dead. We had to have a Redeemer. Although God grieved over people's sin, He was not surprised. The plan was intact prior to the people, and no one could thwart that plan!"



Question 2:



God has a plan, a specific plan for each of us and He built the bridge through Christ for us to get with His program.



What does that mean to you? How has the construction of that bridge changed you?

___________________________________________________



In week 2, day 2 we studied about The Bitter Waters of Marah. As I studied this day, and particularly the bottom of page 36 and top of page 37 about bitterness, God reminded me of an especially painful time in my life that caused much bitterness for me in the years that followed.



When I was a Senior in High School, I was asked by my Senior Class to play the piano and sing a song I had written for graduation. It was a HUGE deal to me, because you see, in HS I was VERY unpopular and picked on. So to be asked to do this was a big honor.



Well, I practiced and practied AND practiced, until I know my family was sick of hearing the same song.



I might add that at this particular time in my life and all growing up to this point, I was a HUGE daddy's girl. My daddy did no wrong in my eyes. This girl loved her daddy like no other.



Well the day of graduation came and my dad was not home yet (he was a truck driver), but he assured me he was on the way and said he wouldn't miss it for the world. Well hours passed by and graduation got closer and closer and my dad kept calling and telling me he would be there.



Well the time for graduation came and I looked over to where my precious mama and family sat, hoping my dad would be there, and he wasn't.



Well, the worst part of this story is still to come ---- the reason he wasn't there ---- but you'll just have to join us this evening to find out what happens, and why bitterness set in and how God has healed that bitterness over the years.



Question 3:



Has there been a time in your life when you were bitter? Have you allowed God to heal you of it? What did that healing look like for you? If you are still bitter about something, cry out to God, He knows your heart dear one, and let Him put His healing salve of forgiveness on that wound child. He loves you so!!!



_________________________________________________



NOTE: Everyday of this study holds a rich new Truth for me and also some familiar Truths revisited, and on day 4 week 2 at the bottom of page 43 at the bottom, I gave a hearty "OUCH & AMEN" off to the side. Anyone else?



_________________________________________________



I absolutely love how she ties the OT in with the NT all through this study. Everything points to Christ. In fact, as I write this, I have heavenly bumps (goose bumps =) from just going back over day 5. I just wanna stop and praise Him ----- He is SO Worthy!!!!!



*****



Question 4:



(Bottom of page 46)



How is Christ clothed in Revelation 19:13?



"A garment of such expense has never existed in all eternity. An unfathomable price was paid for a garment of blood. Why did His robe have to dipped in blood?"



(Top of page 47)



What does Hebrews 9:22 say to this issue?



Given Jesus' sacrifice, what does Isaiah 61:10 mean to you?



Give another verse of Scripture that you love describing Christs' love for you.



____________________________________________



Well, here we go. Our first two weeks of study complete and hopefully your faith and love for the Father and all that He did to draw you unto Himself has grown exponentially.



I am SO loving this study. Be faithful to your homwork dear ladies. Nex week is going to Blow your Beautiful Minds!!!



Hold on for more soul searching times in the next week.....Beautiful!!




Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."



I love you so,

Friday Fragments #3 .....

Okay so it is Friday and that means Fragging time, so let's hit it..... =)

*****

So this week, my frags are pretty much about Sir Cuteness.

This child is such a joy to our hearts and the smartest kid.

I mean seriously, he is SO smart!!!!!

He has taken to being a photographer.

He takes my "Pod" (that's what he calls my I-pod)

and has figured out how to take pictures.

It is SO funny.

I currently have over 400 pics on my "Pod" and most of them he has taken and most are of him.

He cracks.me.up.

But look at some of his work. He's pretty good.....

I heart this picture so....

Love it!!

And here we are doing the whole sticking out our tongue thing =)

And the cheesey smile......

*****

Sir Cuteness got his hair cut this week and when he got home his daddy asked him if she washed it after he got it cut, and he said yes. His daddy said, "Your mama washed it?" to which Sir Cuteness said, "No, the doctor did" hahahaha apparently Sir Cuteness went to the hair doctor. He is SO funny!!!!! He is just the sweetest thing!!

*****

And speaking of the sweetest thing, RJ (Rebecca Jo) made Sir Cuteness and Dak THE CUTEST scarfs you have EVER seen!!!!! Dak hasn't let me take a picture of him in his yet, because well, he is a teenager =) but here is Sir Cuteness in his.

Look how wonderful it is!!!!! He loves it SO much!! He had to wear it to show his mama and then wanted me to take it back home. It was so sweet.

Thanks RJ!!!!!!!!! They are a hit!!!!!!!!

Look at Sir Cuteness with my Mr. Winslow.

I love these two so!!!!!

*****

So in other totally unrelated Fragging news.....

How are y'all enjoying American Idol?

What do you think about the judges dynamics?

I think it's going to be an interesting year, to say the least.

*****

Okay, so today is another snow day for Dak that he DOESN'T have to make up because he is a Senior. But he wanted to have school today because of all the work he has to do. Go figure. He even brought work home with him to do in case it snowed. What? Where is my son? What did the school do with him? heehee Good job Dak!!!!!

*****

Well, I hope you had a good week.

Have a Blessed weekend,

Sorrow.....

I read something in my daily "Streams in the Desert" devotional that really struck a cord in me. It was about sorrow. You see sorrow is something I know about. Having lost my 18 year old sister and my 22 year old husband of 7+ months all in a 3 month period of time back in 1986. It left me in a constant state of sorrow for a long time. Sometimes I still feel sorrow and hurt over it, but in a much different way today than I did back then.

You see sorrow has changed me, but so much for the better. Not that I would have ever asked to have gone through any of that, for that matter couldn't have even imagined it before it happened. It was hard. Very hard.

But God is so good, and knows my heart. He knew it then, sinful girl full of sorrow and doubt, and He knows it today, a girl filled with love for her Savior, still feeling sorrow sometimes, but it only points me back to the foot of the cross and all my Savior did for me. Amazing!!!

I read this today:

"Sorrow is God's tool to plow the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. If humankind were still in a glorified state, having never fallen, then the strong floods of divine joy would be the force God would use to reveal our souls' capacities. But in a fallen world, sorrow, yet with despair removed, is the power chosen to reveal us to ourselves. Accordingly, it is sorrow that causes us to take the time to think deeply and seriously."

I found that to be so true in my own life. Sorrow definitely revealed me to myself, and it was NOT pretty. It took time, but God has used that sorrow to draw me unto Himself in such a beautiful way. He is still using it, and I suspect will until He takes me home. That tender time in my life shaped me, molded me if you will, and has helped me to become the woman I am today, although at times, I still feel very much a girl. I am a work in progress.

My devotional goes on to say:

"Sorrow makes us move more slowly and considerately and examine our motives and attitudes. It opens within us the capacities of the heavenly life, and it makes us willing to set ou capacities afloat on a limitless sea of service for God and for others."

That is so true of sorrow. It has made me move more slowly and considerately and deliberately, I might add, and has definitely made me examine my own motives. And that, my friends, is a good thing. I can always use to examine my own motives. Why am I really doing something?

The last sentence in the above quote is where I find myself today. I have been in a season of sorrow for sometime over a loved one. One that I want so desperately to come back to the foot of the cross and find all his longings and desires filled there. No one can fill us up like the Lord and that starts at the cross.

This current season of sorrow for me is now opening me up to that "limitless sea of service for God and for others", and my heart is so happy. Out of my sorrow I am able to Bless others with a kind word or deed, because of Christ in me the hope of Glory!!! It is a beautiful thing!! And isn't that what it is all about? Giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' Name. Being the hands and feet of our Savior in this current disspensation of Grace?

I'm afraid in this current season of sorrow, I have not always done that. I spent some time in reflection and some time in the city of pity, but today I am following my God to higher heights and deeper depths, because I just MUST know more about Him. Do you ever feel that way? Like you will burst if you don't get to the Word and learn more about He who loves you so? I hope you do. If not, pray that God will kindle that desire in your heart. He is faithful dear one, and He will do it.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."

Writing a Beautiful Testimony.....

Today, Gretta's beautiful 7-year old daughter Sidney, is having a big surgery on her ear. And Gretta has asked that we spread this story so everyone can be praying for her beautiful daughter, Sidney. So please go here to read her story and to see a picture of this beautiful girl.

In this post, Gretta said something that really struck me. "I told Sidney the other night at bedtime when we were talking about her upcoming surgery, that God was just writing a beautiful testimony for her to tell later in life and help others see Christ through what all she has been through in her short 7 years."



You know I must tell you, I can relate to this. You see I had my first knee surgery at 7 years old. My knee locked up and stayed that way at home for a week, so when they took me to the doctor, he put me right in the hospital and on traction (which is very painful, by the way) to try to get this knee to go straight. Yes, you read that right, in those days, they tried to force a locked knee straight. OUCH!!! I was in traction for a WEEK!! And then when that didn't work, they stuck a HUGE needle in my knee and it swelled great big and turned orange and then they took me to x-ray. They found in x-ray that I had torn cartiledge that would require surgery. So the next day it was off to surgery for me.



I was in a cast for 6 weeks and couldn't go to school. YAY!!! ahem..... and had to have a tutor. double YAY YAY!!! ahem......... and wow what a cast that was. It went from my hip to my toes, and man did it itch. I remember sticking butter knives and various and sundry other things in there to scratch. Of course, my mom kept getting on to me, but that baby itched. =)



When the cast came off my little leg looked like it had shrank. I had a hard time with it for a long time. I remember my dad taking me to school in the mornings and carrying me up the flights of stairs to my classroom and then picking me up in the afternoon and carrying me back down, because I wasn't allowed to do stairs and elevators were not required back in the day.



So I can truly say that God has been weaving a beautiful testimony in my life with these knees since the tender age of 7. One that keeps pointing back to Him. I have many people ask me, especially in PT, if I've had a TKA (Total Knee) and when I say yes they look at me with the look (you know the one) and say I'm so young for that, but then when I explain about all my knee surgeries (7 now) and that the first one was at age seven, they just look at me and ususally say something like, "You poor thing", which totally opens the door for me to say, ahhhh but God has seen me through and I am a well-Blessed woman because of adversity.



Pain is hard. Pain hurts. Hurt is the nature of pain, but God in me is my strength and He gives me strength every single day to endure this pain. I am learning so much. This pain is a Blessing in my life. It has taught me to be sympathetic toward others and it has taught me humility. Yes pain is a Blessing to me.

I have not always been able to say that. I have thrown myself many a pity party over these knees, but that ship has sailed, and now I am on the ship headed toward the mountain of strength. I know I still have a ways to go to get there with these knees, but God is with me every beautiful and painful step of the way.

So head on over to Gretta's blog and love on her and her precious daughter and family as they go through this crises.

Thank you so much ~~ I love you so,

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #2

Yep, it is time for a new verse with:

SSMT 2011!!!

If you don't know about it, please visit Beth Moore's LPM Blog right here for more information.

So now it is time for our next verse.

We have new a new verse every 1st and 15th of the month.

I did memorize my verse from last time:

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

"I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and

wait for the LORD."

And my verse this time is:

Psalm 46:10 NIV

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

I actually had another verse picked out for this time, but God changed it. Praise His Name!!!

His ways are so much higher than mine.

You may be wondering why such a familiar verse. Well, although as Christians, we probably all know or have quoted this verse to ourselves or someone else, but I believe that God wants me to know where these very familiar verses are.

If asked where it was before now, I would have probably said Psalms or Isaiah, I need to KNOW. And that is what SSMT is all about, knowing the Word of God. So now if I'm asked I can direct that precious one to Psalm 46:10. Isn't that cool?

And the other thing I found out about this verse, as I researched it, was......wait let me back up.....I didn't know that the verse contained the last two sentences, so when I studied this verse I looked at different tranlations and in the KJV it says:

...."I will be exalted among the heathen...."

So I looked up the word heathen and one of the definitions used the word Gentile.

Now just how cool is that?

Now this Gentile, grafted in by grace, is exalting her God, OH YES!!

And I hope you will join me.

One big happy blog world

EXALTING THE GOD OF ALL AND THE KING OF ALL KINGS!!!!

AMEN AND AMEN!!!!!!

You did come here to have church this morning right?!! heehee

Love you all and go get in the Word.

It is SO worth it.

Friday Fragments #2

I know this should be like Frag #7 or something for me, but I've had a busy several Fridays. But I'm thankful to be Fragging today. So shall we?.....

****

This sweet man is my husband Dick. He is the dearest thing and loves me like no other. This picture was taken on CHRISTmas Eve and that around his shoulder is not a man purse =) but a holter monitor for his heart. He has atrial tachyicardia (which we found out this week), and that was determined by this little contraption. I must tell you, when I got home on December 23 and saw him with the holter on I nearly cried. He is THE strongest person I know and my hero. It was hard to see him all hooked up to this machine. I.didn't.like.it.one.bit.




















Well, this week he went to see the cariologist and he decided medicine was in order and a stress test. So today we went up and he had his stress test. He told me NO crying aloud. He said they'd kick me out. Now I don't know if I believe that, but I wasn't chancing it. I was a strong girl this time, and no tears. (I feel like such a big girl =)

And guess what the stress test showed? Go on guess...... Okay, Okay, it showed that my man has a nice healthy heart. YAY!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! We were SO very happy. The arthymia is not causing heart damage. Such good news!!! Course now I have an animal on my hands =) He thought he was Superman before.....oh boy!!!!! =)




















*****

This past Tuesday we started our Online Bible Study again. I am LOVING this study. I did the first one, and now this one is updated and I'm sharing it with other ladies online. It is truly a beautiful experience.



















*****
And then of course there is the Sir Cuteness moments, and boy are there a lot of those.
In this picture you see him holding a friend angel that my buddy RJ (Rebecca Jo) got me for CHRISTmas, and Sir Cuteness is CONVINCED that it is the Baby Jesus. This is the cutest thing you have ever seen. He gets the baby Jesus out and wraps "her" up in the purple satin that came with it. I have a video, but can't get it to download. Boo.

So stinkin' cute!!!




















And then tonight, I was sitting on the couch resting my very tired leg, and he kept putting his hand down my sweatshirt. When I finally asked him what he was doing he said,
"I just making sure you have bra on". HUH? How old are you Mister ALL Boy?!! heehee

He cracks.me.up.

*****

I have read SO many good blog posts lately, but one of my most favorites, maybe of all time is this one. If you don't know sweet Deidre, please go check her out. Love her so.

*****

And I will leave you with Sir Cuteness and the angel baby Jesus. I love this kiddo so.




















"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14

Have a Blessed and Beautiful Friday,

Bible Study Questions: Session 1

Welcome to our New Year's Bible Study. I am so excited for and grateful for those who are joining us. This promises to be a very thought-provoking, heart-stirring study.

Let's dig into the Word this session ladies. This Word is going to move you and change you. It is just that good. God never changes and His Word is ever-lasting and will not return to Him void.

So let's get to our questions for the Introductory session:

Question 1: Where are you? Now isn't that an interesting quesion. The reason I pose this question is because it is asked of us in this study. It is so important for us to recognize the season we are in right now and just where this study finds us in life. So I am not looking for a one word answer here. Really think about this one. If you are in a hard place, then that is where you are. In studying this material together, we will find a safe place to land our feelings, hopes, dreams, and desires, and also the dreams that haven't been realized or hopes that were dashed. Here is a safe place to land with those feelings.

Question 2: What are your initial thoughts on the Tabernacle?

Question 3: I watched the Introductory Session with Beth Moore and she quotes Abraham Herschel: "A return to reference is the first prerequiste to the revival of wisdom. It begins with a revival of awe. Awe precedes faith." And that is where we need to begin. In total Awe of our God and His might.

Share two Scriptures that remind you of the Awe of God. And share your favorite verse on Faith.

Question 4: In our previous studies we have written a letter to the Lord or a prayer in the front of our study, and I'd like for us to do this again this time, and then read it at the end of our study. It is so good to see how the Father works from beginning to end. It truly is beautiful.

Our first session is tomorrow, Tuesday January 11 at 6:00 PM CST.

See you there,

Come on over.....

Wanted to let y'all know that the Chatzy site for our new Bible Study starting on Tuesday is set up. Please go on over and check it out. You can leave a message if you'd like. Go right here.

I'm looking so forward to starting our study together this week. It is Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart God's Dwelling Place". It is not to late to start. Please email me if you'd like more info. We'd love to have you.

It was suggested to me that I post the questions for our study on Monday instead of Tuesday morning, so it will give you all a day to get your answers together. Good idea G. I don't know why I didn't think about that. So hopefully I will be posting questions tomorrow.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey.

Through.....

This poem was in my Devotional for today. It is powerful and just what I needed. Maybe someone else needs it too.

THROUGH
by Annie Johnson Flint

"When you pass through the waters"
Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself has said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
"When you come to the waters
You will not go down, BUT THROUGH."

Seas of sorrow, seas of trial,
Bitter anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain -
They will never overflow us
For we know His word is true;
All His waves and all His billows
He will lead us safely THROUGH.

Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Will not sink us, will not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise will sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We will not go down, or under
For He says, "You will pass THROUGH."

Let this be an encouragement to you today.

Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

A Room with a View....

So this is my view at PT during ice time. Yep the best part of PT =) You work out hard, then they wrap you in ice. Yep it is quite the view huh?

It seems as though I see this view a lot. Because I do. Yep I am at PT 3 times a week from 1 1/2 - 2 hours at a time. I am really getting to know some of these people and some I know from my time spent in PT with my right knee. It is interesting to see God work in the lives of others, just from a few hours a week of time with them. It isn't me. No way, no how. But God is working. Just a smile goes along way. I've had people comment on my smile two days in a row this week. It got me to thinking.

The gentleman that told me I had a nice smile yesterday was in a wheel chair. His life right now is hard, and yet a smile helped. I told him it made things better. He agreed. It is all in perspective, how you see things. It reminds me of Andy Andrews great book "The Noticer". It is so good. If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favor and pick it up. It helps you with, well, perspective.

And then I got to thinking about the title of this post. The best view we can ever have is from eternity's perspective. When I think about things in light of eternity, my life takes on new meaning. It makes me want to smile more, to strike up conversations with people I don't know, to see where their perspective lies. Do they know my Jesus? Is their perspective any how related to eternity? And if not, how can I help? I can point them to the cross. To the greatest thing that ever happened to any of us. It was painful and devastating, yet liberating to all of us who believe. I want everyone to know about my Jesus. It is important. What I say....What I do..... it matters.

Just some thoughts from the heart today.

Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Another First Last.....Doc's Appt......AND Bible Study Info!!!!!

WOW now that's a lot to cover in one post, but we will get it done =)

So here we go with another, A BIG, first last. Yesterday was Dak's first day of his last Semester of High School!!! Breathe, just breathe mama. It is going SO fast!! But I'm just so excited for him and so proud of him. He is continuing to work hard, even though he probably could be a slacker at this point and get by. No, instead he traded Life Sports (easy, gravy class) for Art IV (hard, only four students accepted in this class kind of hard), and he has NEVER taken an Art class in High School AT ALL. But he was accepted yesterday and gets started right away today. He is a talented dude, my boy. Okay could I brag more? Oh, I could, but I'm afraid your eyes would get stuck at the top of your head for good =) So we'll carry on.....

Oh speaking of Dak, I just had to include this picture of him and his grandma from CHRISTmas. How adorable are these two? Love them. (Oh yes RJ, his hair is a different color again =) I knew you'd notice =)

Doc's Appointment: I had another follow-up for my knee yesterday, and I was expecting him to want to manipulate it to get further range of motion, because he had mentioned it in my last appointment. But this time, he was so pleased with my progress. He didn't even mention manipulation. Praise You Jesus!!!!!

He said that even though my numbers (range of motion) are the same, he can tell a difference from this month to last and that I'm doing good. So he gave me more pain medicine for night time (I'll be glad when it doesn't hurt at night anymore. Yuck.) and he ordered more PT. I tried to talk him into just two days a week, but in the end he wrote my script for three again, for the next four weeks. So that's okay too. I'm not sure what this will do to my PT schedule, but we'll see.

Also in other knee news, The Mayo Clinic sent me a packet in the mail last week saying that they wanted to see me. What?!! Yep it is time for a follow-up on the right. You see, the surgery I had on the right fell under research, and we had to sign papers that we would do follow-ups etc. But the good news is that they said if I couldn't travel up there right now, that I could fill out the paper work they sent (three pages) and have x-rays done. They were VERY specific about the x-rays they wanted. So when I was in talking to Dr. R yesterday, I asked him if that was something I could have done there. And he said no problem and ordered them right there. So I have the x-rays and now I just have to fill out the paperwork. Isn't God good?!! Yes He is, and all the time He is good!! I love Him so!!!!!

So I have PT today and we will see how the next four weeks will look with that. I was so excited when I left yesterday that I was praising Jesus all through the hall thinking that if someone would see me they would think I was crazy but I didn't care!!! His Name be praised!! Lisa, I was thinking of you sister as I praise walked through the halls of that Dr.'s office =) You are SUCH an inspiration to me girl!!

Bible Study: Our next Bible Study is set to start next Tuesday evening. I can hardly wait to get started!!! It is Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place".

We will start next Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM (CST). The time has changed from 7:00 PM (CST) to 6:00 PM (CST). If this time does not work for any of you that would like to participate, then we can change it back to the original time.

This is how it works. We meet every other Tuesday over at Chatzy. I don't have the link up yet, but by next Tuesday, I'll have it up and running again, and I'll let y'all know when it is up again.

On each Tuesday of study, I will post Questions pertinent to the last two weeks of study. On our first meeting, since we haven't study out of our book yet, I pose a few questions that we discuss on that first evening, just to get our feet wet. =)

Okay, so I'm off to get Sir Cuteness and have breakfast. Oh I can hardly stand it =)

Have a Blessed and beautiful day!!!

Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong, and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Love you,

Siesta Scripture Memory Team - Verse #1

It is time to begin Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2011 - SSMT for short. And I am SO excited!! I am definitely needing to start memorizing scripture again. I did this in 2009 with SSMT, but last year I didn't do it on my own. I know, bad girl. But I am ready to go again and keep going this time even if they don't do it next year. It is TOO important to my Spiritual growth.

Here is the SSMT spiral that I am using this year. I got it from the LPM site and it is so great. Love it!!! But you can using any spiral, notebook, whatever will help you keep in all in one place and one you can even take with you.

When I did it in '09 I used a spiral I got at Target. It is all falling apart now, but I still flip through it and go through those Scriptures. God did such a work in my heart through them, and I know that He will again this year. I'm SO excited!!!

So this first Scripture He laid on my heart right after I read that Beth Moore would be doing this again this year. I knew it was for me. As time went on I started thinking about other Scripture that God would bring to my mind, but always came back to this one for memorization. And God showed me last night that the first sentence is why I MUST memorize these two verses and get them deep in my heart.

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

When the Lord first laid this verse on my heart, I thought He wanted me to get it memorized completely. I know parts of it, but not as a whole. But then last night I realized that it is the "I am still confident of this" part that he is not only wanting me to memorize but to BELIEVE. That is what SSMT is all about. That is why we don't all memorize the same Scripture every two weeks. We memorize Scripture that is pertinent to our situation, and because of my pitifully small faith right now that I posted about here, he wants me to be confident, to know that I will see His goodness in the land of the living. Even when things seem out of control. He is still God!!!!! I love Him so!!!!!

So if you are doing SSMT and are posting about it, please tell me and I'll come over. If your not, let me encourage you to go here and get started. It will be one of the best things you will do in 2011!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Love you,