Fear Not.....

This is my life verse....I am so excited to see it in a daily devotion...

Fear Not...
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.—

Joshua 1:9

Standing thirty feet above me, the young girl was seized with fear. The Ropes Course at camp was one of the highlights of the week for many campers, and this particular camper came ready to conquer the course. However, fear crept in at thirty feet and literally immobilized her. It didn’t matter that she was securely fastened to a harness, or that she was wearing a helmet, or that many others had successfully gone before her. All she knew is that she was balancing thirty feet above the ground on a wire that was no more than 3 inches in diameter. Her legs locked up, her muscles began to shake and she began repeating the words, "I can’t do this, I can’t do this."
Fear has incredible power. It can literally overtake people and stop them in their tracks, both in the body and in the mind. Blood vessels constrict, heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow and our senses are enhanced. But, when fear is given permission to overtake a person, it often causes us to stop short of something amazing.

Looking back up at the young camper standing, she had made it to the final challenge, the zip line. On the platform, fear began creeping back in. The only way down now was to jump, but everything in her body screamed just the opposite. With words of encouragement from the Ropes leaders, fellow campers, and adult sponsors she finally closed her eyes and jumped! It was an exhilarating moment. She flew down the zip line, exhausted, challenged, yet victorious.
Scripture is full of examples of individuals and groups of people who had to face tremendous obstacles. In the above passage, Joshua was leading the people of God across the Jordan River. Moses, his mentor, was gone and now Joshua would take the cloak of leadership of the Israelites. His fear was justified. But read again how this is paraphrased in The Message: "Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."


GOING DEEPER:
What fear do you need to conquer today? You may find that something amazing is waiting on the other side.

FURTHER READING:
1 Timothy 1:7

Seven Seasons

I truly believe that we each go through different season in our lives, each season, God is revealing something to us. Some seasons, he is allowing us to go thru a struggle to show us that he is there with us, some seasons he allows for us to go thru a struggle so that we will trust in him. Some seasons he is rewarding us for faithful service, while some seasons he is preparing us for something he has planned for us in the future. If we had not gone thru this season, we would not have been prepared to deal with this issue, or able to help someone else thru that season.

Here are the Seven Seasons of a Man's Life; according to the book 'Man in the Mirror'

1. Season of Success: Integrity is one-to-one correlation between my Bible, my belief, and my behavior.
2. Season of Reflection: The goal of reflection is to see ourselves as God sees us.
3. Season of Suffering: There is comfort in suffering because there is purpose to suffering.
4. Season of Building: Lord, help us to say no where we should say no, so that we can say yes where we should say yes.
5. Season of Crisis: Hold on to the One who won't let you go.
6. Season of Rebuilding: Don't focus on a list of things to do, instead order your life around the person of Christ.
7. Season of Renewal: Trust God to do his part, then do yours.

I know that we are each going thru one of these seasons, sometimes it may feel that we are going thru a few at the same time. However, we each need to keep in mind that each season is for a reason, and we should accept that particular season as a gift and use the season to grow closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will continue to pray for each of you, as I ask you to pray for me as well.

I chooose

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked

He continued, "..the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'.

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything .

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Howdy

Hello by fellow bloggers and friends,
I guess I am going to stop apologizing for my lack of post, I can only ask for forgivness so many times.....I will tell you that I have good intentions of posting everyday....but my follow-though is not that great. I just wanted to up date you all on the whats new or old in the life as of today. I can tell you that everything is really great, Momma and I are as close as we have ever been.....each day I see her I jsut want to hold her and tell her how much she means to me. The tribe is doing really well, Val and Dez are working a lot, (so thankful to God for allowing them to have jobs), Ash x 2 are doing really well in school, both have almost straight A's. LM is really into Church and his Bible, it is so awsome to see and to work with him. Lexie is growing so much, it seems that everyday I come home from work, she has grown another inch and has 2 new words.....It is so awsome to watch her grow.
Other than that, life is the same, I would ask that you all continue to keep us in your prayers, as we do each of you.

Love
ME

Obeying God-How We Speak of Our Elected Rulers

I was, (still am) so excited to write today, regardless of who you voted for President, vice, or any of the propositions, we must keep in mind that we serve a GOD that is greater than any law of the land, of any other human, and greater than any other propositon. My thoughts where to write about how I feel with the results, and even how I came to some of the decisions that I made. Then I got this email from a friend, and I knew that it had to be shared....


He removes kings and raises up kings; Daniel 2:21 (NKJV)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)

Okay, it’s November 5th and we have voted for our next president here in the United States. At least half of the nation will be upset at the time of this writing while the other half is celebrating the victory of their candidate.

In either case, there will be continued voting going on over the next several days, weeks, months, and even years. I’m not speaking of the votes cast for the president or any other candidate or proposition for that matter; I am speaking of the votes cast by those who will be watching every Christian that they know of. They will be voting on whether they believe in what you have been preaching or sharing for the last few years. And they will be voting on how well you have lived what you have preached.

What will come out of your mouth if the person that was elected or the proposition that was passed does not line up with the choice that you selected on voting day?

Will it edify, or tear down. Will it speak evil of the winning person, or will it showcase the respect deserved of the office with which they now occupy?

According to the Scripture above, we can plainly see that God has a role in those who get elected. He has a clear plan for each situation, even when we don’t agree or see clearly any possible good that may come of it. That’s why He is God. God spoke to Moses and gave clear instructions about how we are to treat those who lead us:

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. Exodus 22:28 (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul spoke to us very clearly as well, when he quoted this passage in the book of Acts.

‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ” Acts 23:5 (NKJV)

And he went on in the book of 1 Timothy to tell us how we were to conduct ourselves as Christians towards those who are in the position of leadership.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 1Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)

Maybe those who hold elected office are not people of God, and maybe they don’t hold the same opinion of those who call themselves Christians, but that does not negate the fact that God has called us to lift up and pray for those who hold those positions. We are just as much at test during these times as those officials. As Christians, we supposedly know better, and we have a blessed hope in our future because we know that God is in control. So why would we act in any other way than to live Christ and to serve and respect the rulers that have been put in charge of us.

I am not telling you to imitate or condone the immoral actions of these leaders, because there are many who have defiled the office that they hold. I am simply saying that after you have done everything within your legal capabilities with respect to voting for your perspective candidate, even if it means voting for the lesser of two evils, you now have a command from God to move forward and to abide by His will. Treat those in office with respect and honor, and pray for them continually. This is your Christian duty, and it is God’s perfect will for you in this situation. To do less than this is no better than what you are condemning in that person that you speak evil of.

We are to submit to the leadership and obey them unless what they are asking is in violation of what God has commanded us. If our Christian convictions do not permit compliance, then we should accept the consequences of such refusal.

This is the way our Christian forefathers lived for Christ, and this is the example that the Word of God has given us.

I want to encourage you today to remember that God has a plan for the future. He will use the people that are in office to coincide with His plans so that all will know that He is God, and will have a chance to decide to accept or decline the offer of salvation prior to His return. I feel that there is a change on the horizon, and it is called the rapture…

STUDY QUESTION: What confidence can we gain from Romans 13:1-2?

PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you willing to pray for and submit to the leaders appointed over you?

APPLICATION: Seek God and His will with respects to your conversations regarding those in office. Find a way to turn negative conversations into positive ones. When the conversations turn negative, suggest praying for the person being spoken of.

Father, Thank You that we live in a country that allows us to exercise our freedom in casting a vote. Thank You that You have a plan for every situation, and that we can place our confidence in Your perfect plan regardless of what we see with our eyes. May we remember this each time we are tempted to doubt the future because of any specific person in office. Help me be the Christian that You have called me to be so that I may lead by example when I am tempted to criticize. In Jesus precious name, amen…

Be Blessed, Pastor Scott

You Are God's Pumpkin

This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you boast, boast only about the Lord."—1 Corinthians 1:30-31

For most of the country, the crisp cool air of autumn is upon us. A sure sign of autumn is that Christmas decorations are popping up everywhere in retail stores. Halloween costumes and disguises are sold out from shops as trick-or-treaters are ready to take over the streets. A popular symbol of both harvest time and Halloween is the pumpkin. I was thinking recently that being a Christian is a lot like being a pumpkin. Perhaps you are visualizing this orange, round vegetable and wondering how you could ever be compared to one of these squashes! Simply put, like a child chooses a pumpkin to carve and mold an image upon, so God carves and molds His own unique design in you.


The Scriptures tell us that the Lord chooses us. He lifts us up and washes the dirt from our skin. Then he opens us, connecting deep inside to scoop out all the slimy, yucky stuff, including seeds of doubt, spite, lies, fear, etc. Then He carves a new creation, and makes our faces shine by putting His light inside for all to see.


Sometimes I feel like I don’t want my light to shine because I am ashamed of a thought or action or pattern in my life. I try to hide the light Christ has put in me, and blend in with the crowd. What I forget is that when God carved me, created me, and gave me His Son, I no longer had to count on my own strength. I can count on the Lord’s. It is He who washes me clean; it is He who gives me a spirit of strength and perseverance; it is He who makes me pure; it is He who frees me from sin; and it is He who gives me hope. When I realize that my part of the equation is to rely on His strength and power, then I can do as Scriptures say, and shine His light through the power of the Holy Spirit.


What starts as an everyday squash turns into a lantern of light. What starts as an everyday person turns into a beacon of hope for all to see. At times, it is hard to imagine that we can be cleansed through Jesus. As the Scripture says, Christ has made us right with God. He has purified us and freed us from sin. Through our union with Christ, we are given the light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit who enters and dwells in our lives. It is He who picked you out and carved you just the way He wants you. So make sure you keep your lantern lit for all to see.

Word-less Wednesday

I had to steal this GREAT picture from my friend at http://pinkjagxj.blogspot.com/, she has a great blog...check her out.

We have less than 1 week to the most important election of most of our lives...as with many of you I assume, I have not made my final decision on some measures...however this is one that there is 0% question in my mind. This is a not a anti-gay measure, this is a measure that will impact every person in the US, this is a measure that takes away more rights than any of will ever know. This is anti-biblical.

Many gay right activist and those apposed to Prop 8, tell you they want to have the same legal rights as a married man/woman couple.....well they already do. This prop does not take away any of those legal rights, a same sex couple and buy a house together, have a living will together, register a child together, get insurance together, get hospital information together. And every other legal need that a man/woman couple can. All they have to do is go to a public office and register as a same-sex couple.. The legal aspect of a same sex couple, however is not the same as a marriage vow before God.

If you are not ok with a Man marrying his dog and having the legal right to do it, then you have to vote YES on PROP. 8. That was not a gay bashing joke, that was an indication of what the prop will be in the 2012 election if we allow for same sex marriages to be legal. By saying No to prop 8, we have just removed the legal realms and the biblical realms of marriage, marriage will no longer have a true definition, it will soon be a joining of 2 or more species. For the sake of your children, grand children and the integrity of your parents and grand parents marriage....PLEASE VOTE YES ON PROP. 8.

Prop 8

Jesus said: “[A]t the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.’”

God gave us His pro-life-pro-marriage-pro-family plan. Adam and Eve; Noah’s Ark: four husbands, four wives, animals two-by-two, male and female. He hasn’t authorized any other version.

Fact Sheet
Proposition 8 protects the people’s will and overturns activist judges.
In 2000 over 61% of Californians voted in favor of Proposition 22 to reaffirm that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. However, because this language wasn’t put into the state Constitution when it was approved, four activist judges from San Francisco wrongly overturned the people’s vote. In November 2008, Proposition 8 gives California voters the opportunity to reverse the court’s decision and restore the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman in the state Constitution.

Proposition 8 is simple and straightforward.
Proposition 8 contains the same 14 words that were previously approved in 2000 by over 61% of California voters: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." By putting these words directly into the state Constitution, the court cannot strike them down as unconstitutional.

Proposition 8 is about preserving marriage; it’s not an attack on the gay lifestyle.
Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gay or lesbian domestic partners. Under California law, "domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits" as married spouses. (Family Code §297.5.) There are no exceptions to this. Proposition 8 will not change this.

Proposition 8 protects our children.
Proposition 8 protects our children from being taught in public schools that same-sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage. In health education classes, state law requires teachers to instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. (Education Code §51890.) If the same-sex marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

Proposition 8 protects marriage as an essential institution of society.
Proposition 8 protects marriage and the important role of a traditional family. While death, divorce or other circumstances may prevent the ideal, the best situation for a child is to be raised by a married mother and father.

YES on Proposition 8 does three simple things.
􀂃 It restores the definition of marriage to what the vast majority of California voters already approved and human history has understood marriage to be.
􀂃 It overturns the outrageous decision of four activist Supreme Court judges who ignored the will of the people.
􀂃 It protects our children from being taught in public schools that "same-sex marriage" is the same as traditional marriage.
Vote Yes on Proposition 8!
www.ProtectMarriage.com

A Ford Convertible

This devotional was written by Jim Grams

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.—Matthew 6:33

I will never forget the wonderful driving days I had with my 1953 black Ford convertible. I got it a few days before my junior year in college. I rolled onto the campus two days before classes began and I was "cool." I couldn't wait for my ex-girlfriend to get a look at my fancy new ride.

A convertible was a "want" I had. In the verse above, Jesus promises us we’ll get what we "need." Wants and needs are very, very different. Sometimes we want very foolish things and God tells us, "No, you can’t have that!" And sometimes God surprises us by blessing us with our wants. But, He always provides what we need. Jesus tells us to look at the birds and the flowers and see how wonderfully our Heavenly Father takes care of them.

Then, Jesus asks, "Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" I was cutting lawns for $1 an hour that junior year in college. There was a gas war in town and I could fill my tank for $2! Yesterday, it took $69.90 to fill our Hyundai. God met my needs in 1959, and He met them again yesterday. He is always faithful!

I needed a car to drive from Oregon to Missouri for college. I needed a car to go mow the grass across town. I wanted a convertible to impress the girl who had broken my heart the semester before. Sometimes our wants and needs come together. That same girl has now been my wife for almost 48 years! I love it when God surprises us with His blessings. He is a loving Father!



GOING DEEPER:
1. Are your prayer requests full of wants or are they about your needs?

2. I’d like to suggest you take a few minutes and make a list of your needs. Then carefully make another list of your wants. And then, go to prayer.

FURTHER READING:
Matthew 6:19-21; Philippians 4:11-13; Colossians 3:2

Kindness

Do you consider yourself to be a kind person? Why is this simple question so difficult to answer? I believe that we each would automatically say that Yes we are kind, however would others agree with you. How about those that the closest to you, your spouse, kids, co-workers? Yikes, maybe I am not so kind. The dictionary definition is, 'of a sympathetic or helpful nature'.

The book, The Love Dare states that kindness is Love in action. Some how this simple definition struck me as truth. Each time that we demonstrate kindness, we are showing our Love in action. In addition LD (love Dare), breaks kindness down into 4 Categories; Gentleness, Helpfulness, Willingness and Initiative.

Gentleness-When acting in kindness, you attempt to be gentle in all your actions and words. If you had to tell your spouse that an outfit did not look the best on them, you would choose your words very carefully to ensure that they did not hurt their feelings. You would be gentle.

Helpfulness-When acting in kindness, you show this by being helpful, by recognizing what actions need to happen, and then doing them or helping to do them, without being concerned for your own agenda.

Willingness-When acting in kindness, you show this by being willing to do what needs to be done, not what you want to do. By being willing to do what your spouse wants to do rather than what you want to do. Such as going to lunch with her after church rather than hurrying home to watch a Football game. You are willing to put her needs above yours.

Initiative-When acting in kindness, you show this by taking the initiative and doing things before being asked. After years of being married, our spouses have somewhat of a routine on certain actions. If you know that Sunday is laundry day, you could take the initiative to separate the clothes so that she can just put them into the machine without having to separate them first. Of if you know that basket needs to be taken up stairs, you could do it without being asked, and even put the clothes away.

My dare today is to show kindness to my spouse.....look forward to this challenge...

The Love Dare

As most of you know, I have been raving about the movie, 'FireProof', this is one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. Please go to http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/ to see the trailer and read the thousands of positive reviews. I would recommend this movie to everyone, especially anyone that is married or in a relationship. Heck, if you want to ever be in a relationship, you should see this movie. I would recommend this movie to moms and dads to take their kids to, to tell them this is the type of man you need to seek for your husband, or this is the type of husband that you need to be......I loved this movie.

The movie is based upon a book, 'The Love Dare' by Alex and Stephen Kendrick. Both are pastors at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. The book is a 40 devotion that dares you to look at yourself, your spouse, your relationship to each other and most of all your relationship with your God. At the end of each dare, there is an opportunity to journal how this dare impacted your thoughts, your life and your partner. You can do this dare alone, or you can do these dares are a couple. I would recommend that if doing as a couple that you each have your own book, so that you can each journal, or at least have a separate journal.

I can tell you that I am going to do the dares...For the 1st time I am going to do the dare for momma, she knows that I am reading the book, she has watched the movie with me, so she is aware of the principles, however she does not know what each dare is. I can tell you that Momma and I are going strong, we are not having any major problems, as a matter of fact, we are at the best that we have ever been. On the way home from the movie, Momma asked me why I was going to do the dares, we aren't getting a divorce or even arguing...My answer to her was, 'This is the best time to do it, why wait until we have problems or when it comes to a point that I have to do it." I can do the dares and hopefully learn to love Momma even more, learn to appreciate her more, but most of all learn to be the husband that God intended me to be to her. By doing this I will honor our God, honor my vows, and honor my family. My intentions are to share some of the dares and some of the results with you via the blog.....In closing, this book is less than $10 at Amazon, even if you are not in a serious relationship, I believe that this book will help you to see yourself in a new light, one that will make you a the person you have always wanted to be and the person that God intended you to be...

Unconditional love is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.The Love Dare, as featured in the popular new movie Fireproof (from the makers of Facing the Giants), is a 40-day challenge for husbands and wives to understand and practice unconditional love. Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, The Love Dare is a journey you need to take. It’s time to learn the keys to finding true intimacy and developing a dynamic marriage. Take the dare!

Out of gas

I have to start off by saying that we serve an awesome God! Now I know this day in and day out, but some days he is just so awesome that I have to share. As I have talked about in earlier post, some days I cannot wait to write, everything I see, do or think, I see God in them, or I at least ask myself WWJD (what would Jesus do). Last night after showing no self-disciplined eating way more than I should have (mommas cooking is so good, if you don't believe me...look at my belly!!!). I was just about to sit down and finish watching the Angel game (don't get me started on that) when the phone rang, Dez was ready to come home from work. Now I will admit I was probably not paying as much attention as I should have been to my surroundings (I was trying to find the game on the radio), but on my way home, I noticed a car stalled in the slow lane under the freeway, it was stopped on a hill and really blocking traffic. As I passed the car I saw 2 older ladies in the car. I pulled up to a gas station on the other side of the hill and walked back to the car to see if I could be of any help. (Although we all know I don't know anything about cars) But I honestly just thought that maybe they had stalled on the hill and were not experienced enough on a stick shift to get going. Well actually they had ran out of gas, could not think of a worse place, other than maybe in the car pool lane of the 91 freeway during rush hour traffic. Well I though that I would try and at least push them to the side of the lane, just so that they were not in the middle of the lane. However I did not come prepared, I was wearing flip-flops, so the grade of the hill, along with flip-flops was more than I could handle. So I offered to go and get them some gas, but they said they had already called and someone was on their way. About that time, about car pulled up to assist, but I told them that help was already on the way, right then another car pulled up and a man came to ask if they needed help, I told him that they had ran out of gas, I asked him if he could help me push them out of traffic, he said yeah, since he had shoes on!!!! we were able to push them not only out of the way but all the way to the gas station. How does this lil event show what an awesome God we serve is, well while pushing the car, the guy told me that his wife saw the 2 ladies stuck and she drove home to get her husband to come and help. That touched me, I was passing by and stopped because it was 2 older ladies, I will be honest if it was a guy I probably would not have stopped. But this lady and her husband both went way beyond the call of duty and came back to help, without them, we were not moving that car up the hill. Gods commandment is to love thy neighbor, by taking those 5 minutes and helping those two lovely ladies we not only loved our neighbor, we served our God by helping his people. As mush as my body hurt on the outside moving that car up the hill, my insides were on fire with pride. Not for anything that I did, but what that man did. He stopped whatever he was doing and came and helped, not knowing what the issue was of if the car was still there. I thought was what would I do if momma came home and said that I needed to come with her because there was a car broken down a few streets away.....

On that same note, this morning while reading our morning devotion together, a verse was given to me, Proverbs 16:9

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

Wow, that is such a powerful verse, it touched my being on so many levels. As a man we try and have everything planned, each week we try and figure out how we are to get the needed things accomplished, each day how to manage our time to serve our God, our family, ourselves and all of our commitments. With every decision we make it is a step towards something, now that something is occasionally a dead-end, while other decisions lead us to the desired results. However, if we do any of this without our God, it is a dead-end, regardless of what the step is. I am so encouraged by knowing that I may try and plan the course of actions to get to what my earthly mind believes is the desired results, but my ever-loving, ever knowing God, determines the steps to get to the true results.

Love ya

Monday Madness

Good Monday Morning to you all,
I hope you all had a chance to get some much needed rest, it has started to cool down here in California, which is really nice. We finally turned off the air, we had it on since June, non-stop. And I know that the argument is always going to be there, is it better to leave the air on all the time, or only turn it on when needed.....? The other great thing is we got some rain on Saturday, more of a drizzle than rain, but it was some water....and as much as I love the California sunshine...I do love to watch it rain. (as long as it doesn't cancel my softball games!!!!!). By Sunday the rain had went away, and it was sunny again, although it was cooler, the 60s-70s.

Service on Sunday was really nice, we had a guest speaker and he did a really good message, talking about using our mind to put ourselves in a place to receive all that God has to offer. he shared that so many times, we all allow our thoughts to think ourselves out of victory, we allow negative thoughts to hinder our actions. We 2nd guess ourselves in almost every major decision that we make, we are always thinking about what happens if we fail, instead of the rewards. He shared many examples of thinking ourselves out of the full rewards of our God. We as humans sell ourselves short in many actions that the Lord has provided for us.

This message had me thinking, because I had sinned I continuously beat myself up, coming up with every excuse for why I did, and blah.blah, blah. Instead I should confess my sin, ask for forgiveness and move on, do not dwell on my negative action and focus on the positive action/relationship I have with my God. One of the points he brought up, was what if we knew that Jesus was coming back tonight, and our eyes were focused on him, would be able to turn from sin if sin entered into our mind, would we be able to rebuke the sinful thought and remain focused on Jesus. Most of us felt that we could, why...the reward is greater. He then challenged us, to take this approach one second at a time, if we continuously look up to God and focus on his rewards, we then can rebuke the sinful thoughts. By doing this on a continues basis, each time it will be a little easier, however this is a forever battle, sin has always been part of our lives and will be until the final days. The wonderful news of that, is that we have a wonderful loving and forgetful God that loves us unconditionally and is always waiting with open arms to hold you.

Have a blessed day

Free 4 All Friday

TGIF....hope this lil blog finds you all healthy and happy. Life in the Tribe is going really well. We are all so busy, that I have come to the decision that I am buying one of those big calenders to list where everyone is on each day. With both the older girls now working, LM winter ball practices (2 days a week) and games on Sat or Sun. Ant has practice one day a week, my softball games and it goes on and on and on! So we need an agenda for each day so that we can ensure that we all get to where we need to be....some days it seems so crazy, but right now writing it, I feel overwhelmed!!!!
Last week we had Ashs Quiencieta (15th birthday party). Although it was such a beautiful ceremony, and it was great to see her so happy with friends and family....I am so glad that it is over, the time, money and work that went into it was crazy, I have already told the girls that they have to elope, we are not paying for anymore big parties!!!!!
Yesterday I did something sorta weird but rewarding, I went back and re-read every blog post that I have written so far, and each of the comments that were sent. I will tell you that I felt really good reading them, for many reasons, the main being that I was real in each of my post, and although some of them did not show me on my best day, it was me. I feel that I was honest and sincere. I want this blog to be a tool that helps to strengthen my faith and everyone that reads it, a tool that bridges the distance between friends and family, and a message of encouragement to all.

Love you all

The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 Rule

This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."—James 1:2-4

The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses. It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. I think this law comes into play in our lives as well. Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it.
There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations – gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top. And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given everything they would need to succeed, only to wind up in the depths of a broken life. How you choose to respond to what life hands you not only says a lot about you, but has a huge impact on your life. You can choose to either spend your life blaming your circumstances for misfortune or heartache, or you can learn from those things and move on.
When James writes his letter, he tells the people to "consider it joy when they face trials." This is so contrary! Joy? How can you consider it joy when you are robbed, raped, lied to, fired, are having marriage difficulties or friendship problems? James is not saying to pretend to be happy about a painful situation, but simply to have a positive outlook and know you can learn from it and not let it drag you down. The only thing we have control over in this life is how we choose to respond. And how you choose to respond, especially under pressure, shows the depth of your character. Instead of complaining about your struggles or blaming your trials for the bad choices you make, look at them as opportunities to grow, not opportunities to assign blame for your misfortune.
If life is truly 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it, be thoughtful each time you react to something that has happened or each time you make a decision.

Word-less Wednesday

Try explaining to your wife that you got tired and spent the night at the rest stop off of 'no name' !!

Fire Proof Friday

I would have to say that one of the coolest things about this blog is that I get to stay connected with friends and family that I may not talk to on a regular basis. On that same note, I get to share things that are going on in my life, things that excite me, hurt me and most of all the things that God is doing in my life. Today, I think I get to share something that touches each of these emotions....it is a movie! Opening today is a new movie called, FireProof, it is starring Kirk Cameron, (he was Mike Seaver from Growing Pains).
Without giving the movie away, it is about a fireman that has become a national hero by saving some people, although the movie shows that he cannot save his marriage. That is all I am going to say about the movie, I have added the link for the trailer for you to watch it yourself.
On this though for a movie, it really got me thinking. I truely feel that I am a good husband, I try everyday. Although I do know that everyday I could be better, I don't do all the samethings that I did when we were dating, all the things that I did to show my love for her, yet I love her more today than back then, but I show it less.....does that make sense? As a long marriage (in todays society) We get so busy with the day to day aspects of life that we forget to spend quality time with the ones that mean the most to us, each day our #2 priority is to show love to our spouse. (#1 is to worship our GOD with all of our heart) by doing #2, we are still doing #1, since Gods commandment is to love one another.
With so many movies coming out these days, and lets be honest, most of the movies that are doing well are not the type of movies that any of us really should be seeing, I really want us all to go see this movie, show society that we want movies that both touch our heart, make us laugh, but most of all movies that we can relate to, movies that help us grow, not clog our minds with unrealistic unpure thoughts that only damage our spirits.

Just a quick side note I heard this morning on an interview with Kirk Cameron, in the movie there is a scene with passionate kissing, and it looks to be the actress that plays his wife in the movie, but in reality, his real wife is a stand in so that he and his wife honor their marriage. This meant so much to me, all we ever read and hear about is 'it is just acting, its my job'. Great Job Kirk...

http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/

Word-less Wednesday

When was the last time you just laughed....as we get older, we worry about everything...sometimes we just need to laugh...and then laugh some more....

Vision

Wow...God is Good....is all I can say!!!! God has been speaking to my heart for the last couple of weeks, but either he was only giving me a lil at a time, or I was trying too hard to figure out the rest of the puzzle that I only confused myself, so I could not understand what he was showing me. Well now that I have you all confused, let me tell you what has been on my heart and mind.
About 3 weeks or so ago, I was listening to 'Give me your eyes' from Brandon Heath, it is a song about a man that goes through the day and for notices things that he has seen millions of times, but looked right past them with no though. yet one day he begins to notice, and the song asks for Gods eyes for one day. Not sure why, other than God planing seeds into my heart, but I really started to thank about my 'eyes' and the concept of having Gods eyes for one day got me thinking.
During the next few weeks, it seemed that I had lots to do with my eyes, the family went to our annual eye doctor appointments, (my eyes are getting worse from staring at a PC all day long, so I getting sexy glasses!!!!), on that note it got me thinking how much my eyes lead me to wander from God, I see things that I should not see, my vision leads to my thoughts and imagination and leads to bad thoughts....that is a whole blog in itself. On that same note, without my vision, I would never be able to see the wonders that God has created.
Even though I thought that this was all that God was showing me, was just the physical aspect of my vision, there was still more that I was not getting, there was more that God was trying to reveal to me. As most of you know, my walk with the Lord has taken a long, windy road, don't get me wrong, I have always seen God walking the path with me, there were just times when I choose to walk on the other sidewalk of the street, I still saw him there, and we both ended up at the same destination, many times I just choose to walk on my side...I used the cross walk a few times to get back with him, and there were a few times that I 'J-walked' to get to him sooner, and I remember a few times that I ran through traffic to hurry to him. Now I am happy to be on the same sidewalk as him, allowing him to guide me though the path of life. My walk has been so much better allowing God to lead.....Because I feel that my relationship has grown, I have felt God laying on my heart that I no longer need to be making excuses and really give my whole life to him, I need to serve him with all my heart and all my time, all of me. I give God most of me, some of my time, but I know that we could all give him more.
I remember the times when I was serving God 24 hours a day, I could not wait to talk to someone about my God, about the wonders that he is, and how he has touched my life. I was the man of God that I felt that he was asking me to be. I am sad to say that I am not that man....at least not right now. However, as God has been speaking to me, I have been asking him back, what is it that you want me to do? I know I am not where I need to be, I am still lacking in my devotion time with God, my prayer life is not where it should be, I still have to give more of my life to God. But then God is telling me, I will take you broken now and mold you whole to the form that I desire. My heart says....Yes Lord, I am here, ready to carry my cross! However, my mind remains human, and tries to think of every reason why I can't. As confused as you each probably are right now....so was I. I didn't know what the Lord was asking...and to be honest I still don't completely....however I got a little clarity yesterday at church.
Pastor Ken just got back from Guatemala, he had been there the past week. While there, God was really speaking to him, and on one of the last days. God gave Pastor Ken a vision, a vision of planing churches in the South America region. Yet on that same note, God still wants pastor Ken to continue to grow the pass region (Beaumont & Banning area). In order for all this to come to....there is going to be leaders that are going to have to step up and allow the Lord to work in them....I believe that this is what God is preparing my heart for, I believe that the Lord wants me to be part of Pastor Kens vision, he wants me to step out of my comfort zone and be the Godly man that he has called me to be.....I am so excited....

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Pepsis

We have all seen this type of post with a reminder of how we need to set priorities in our life, we each know that we have 25 hours of things to do in each 24hr day. I am willing to bet all the money I have ever earned that we could not find 1 person that would say on their last days, that they wish they would have worked more instead of spending time with family and friends, yet each day (me included) we fill our day with task and jobs that are not family centered. I hope that this lil message hits home, and reminds us of what is truely importatant.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Pepsis

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Pepsis.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your spouse out to dinner.
Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the pepsis represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'
The Pepsi just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Drinks with a friend.'

Word-less Wednesday

House or Home

Hello my friends, family and fellow loggers,
Life has been really good as of late, well actually it has always been good, just sometimes I look at life through my earthly eyes, and I do not see the wonderful life that I have, that we all have. With the everchangining world that we live in, I / we tend to only see the negative, we all know that is all the news ever reports. I have gotten almost to the point where I don't watch the news, or read the newspaper, it is the same sad depressing stories day after day. However, this is not what I want to talk about today.....honestly I do not know what I want to talk about. Thus the reason for my lack of post, some days / nights I cannot wait to write to each of you, other days, I just get to this point and stare at the blank screen, not sure what to say. I feel like I have lots to say, but sometimes it just seems irrelevant to the world. Then I read some of the other blogs that read each day, and I get inspired. So for all you blogger out there, don't be a me and think that what you have to say is irrelevant, it is touching someone...so keep those fingers moving.
With 'IKE' over, the economy still dropping, train crashes because the engineer was text messaging and ran a red light, etc...etc.....the family and I are still going strong. The other day I was talking to the kids and I asked them did the new house feel like a home yet, or was it still just a house. I got some interesting answers, 'RED' said it was still a house, because it is so big, we all have our own lil house so we don't spend as much time together. ( I have to work on that one). The other girls said it is getting there, but they were so used to the old house, it is taking time. LM just said that it is a home, no exact reason....Momma just looked at me weird and I could see from her facial expression, she was thinking, 'where does he come up with these thoughts'!!!! Well, I think that it has become our home, although it was only been about 6 months, we have done some amazing things in our new house. First thing is we dedicated this house to our God, this is his house, we are there just for upkeep. By doing this, we know that our God will bless everything in our house, so that we can focus on serving him and not all the outside distractions that come with being a home owner. I say this is a home because this is where we pray together before each meal and at the end of each night as well as many times throughout the day. I say this is our home, because this is where we are raising our family, this is where we are going, soon our lil boy and girls will be leaving to begin their own adventures as adults, but this will still be their 'rock' to return to....this is why this is our 'home'.

Love ya all

9-11

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan ..
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God
During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are
doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally it
is only 1 minute.) All you have to do is the
following:

Stop and think and appreciate God's power
in your life, for doing what you know is pleasing to
Him. If you are not ashamed to do this, follow the
instructions. Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of Me, I will be
ashamed of you before My Father'

If you are not ashamed, copy and send this message...only
if you believe 'Yes, I love my God. He is my
fountain of Life and My Savior. He Keeps me going day and
night. Without Him, I am no one. But with Him, I can do
everything. Christ is my strength.'

Blue Rose

Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry and
there's no detergent? I guess it was time for me to do my 'Dollar
Store' run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags and
Clorox. So off I go. I scurried around the store, gathered up my
goodies, and headed for the checkout counter only to be blocked in the
narrow aisle by a young man that appeared to be about sixteen-years-
old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize
that I was there..
This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared
in a loud voice, 'Mommy, I'm over here.' It was obvious now, he was
mentally challenged and also startled as he turned and saw me standing
so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise
exploded on his face as I said, 'Hey Buddy, what's your name?' 'My name
is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother,' he responded proudly.
'Wow,' I said, 'that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my
name is Hal.' 'Hal like Halloween?' he asked. 'Yes,' I answered. 'How
old are you Denny?
'How old am I now Mommy?' he asked his mother as she slowly came over
from the next aisle. 'You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy
and let the man pass by.' I acknowledged her and continued to talk to
Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I
watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center
of someone's attention.
He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section. Denny's
mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to
talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at
him, much less talk to him...I told her that it was my pleasure and then
I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the
prompting of the Holy Spirit.
I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in
God's garden, however, 'Blue Roses' are very rare and should be
appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a
'Blue Rose' and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their
heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a
blessing from God.
She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked,
'Who are you?' Without thinking I said, 'Oh, I'm probably just a
'daffodil or maybe even a dandelion,' but I sure love living in God's
garden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please the next time you see a BLUE ROSE don't turn your head and walk
off - take the time to smile and say Hello. Because by the grace of GOD
this mother could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece,
nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their
family.
From just a daffodil.
~ ~ ~ Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised ~

Word-less Wednesday

A pic from last years vac. I sure hope this rocks holds up.

Who Am I Video

This is a video that was sent to me.....I am so thankful for seeing this...I love this song and the work of these people is amazing......I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. I do not know the originators who performed this but they deserve all the credit and God all the gory.

Here is the video and the link so that you can forward to others....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7x3VnrqbA

Worldess Wednesday

Are you in that big of a hurry, that you couldn't wait for the next one?

Monday Madness--'Pay it Forward'

Hello my fellow friends and bloggers, I hope this post finds you all well. My streak of writing came to another llong pause..I have been working at a different building the past week, and have not had PC access...and by the time I got home, if I sat at the PC to type I would have fallen asleep so my awake time, I wanted to spend with Momma and the kids. Overall I have been really good, I have been working a lot, and I miss the family. I was sad to miss Church yesterday, but I had to work. I should be back on Wed to my normal routine so the post should start to come back on a normal basis.....I wanted to just ask a question today to each of you, Have you ever paid it forward before? What I mean by this, is have you ever paid back a favor forward, for example did a good deed for someone and rather than receive monatary payment you told them to pay it forward, do a good deed for someone else. There was a movie made about this, called 'Pay it Forward' Actually a really good movie and one that you can watch with the kids. This was brough to my attention again this morning, while listening to Air1 (90.1) or air1.com, there is a church in Texas that is asking all of its members to do this. Air1 then challanged all of its listeners to do the same......so I am passing on the challange....do a good deed for someone and rather than receiving anything for it, ask them to pay it forward, do a good deed for someone else. One of the examples is to pay for the car behind you in the drive thru, just tell the person working the drive thru that you want to pay for the car behind them, if the drive thru clerk ask you what do you want them to tell the car, just tell them that God loves them, or to have a nice day. Who knows what is happening to the car behind them, that you could have just changed their life, just by doing this one deed. Do the deed, don't expect anything in return and you will be blessed...I promise....let me know if you 'pay it forward'!

Mick

Free 4 All Friday

Sorry guys I am a bit late and I missed yesterday. As for yesterday I remember waking up and I remember going to sleep, everything else is a blur....It is great because the day flys by, but then it sucks when you try and remember it. Today has been crazy but not as bad, so I wanted to just say Hi and leave you with a few thought / feelings that I have had the last few days.

Yesterday on my way to work, I was listening to Air1, if you live in socal, it is 90.1 ( I highly recommend it, it is a christian radio station, but I guarantee that it plays music that you will fall in love with) I am not sure if I was just sensitive yesterday more than other days, but I almost cried twice yesterday, I actually had tears formed, while I was driving! The first time was from a 14 y/o girl whose dad is leaving for Iraq at the end of the month, she was asking for the DJ and the listeners to pray for her and her family. She was really sad and scared, since I know the feeling of leaving a family for a military commitment, I could really sympathize with her. On that same note, I got pretty angry. I got angry at the news media, each night you see the news and the updates from Iraq, and what do you see, the # of people killed, the destruction...negative...negative...negative!!!! Now don't get me wrong War is War and it is not pretty, I 100% understand that. However, I just wish the news showed the wonderful things that are happening because we are over there, the millions of people that are alive and have a better life because we are there. Kids and well everyone only see one side, this little girl was scared that her Dad was going to go over there and die, because that is all that the news shows...I was really angry.
On that same note....I am mad at the US people right now, I don't care if you are for or against the war, that is your choice (that is why we have solders fighting for you to have that right). I am mad at the people because regardless of positron they should be supporting our troops. It seems to me, that since we have been there for so long, we have forgotten about the men and woman who are away from their family so that we don't have to be. We ALL need to say a prayer for them and show our thanks in our own little way. If any of you are interested, at Air1.com, there is a prayer wall, that you can get a name of a solider to pray for, or you can post a note for one to read. I can tell you personally that you feel every prayer, and you re-read every note 100 times....
On that note...I love you all....have a great weekend....

Wordless Wednesday

Have you been watching the Olympics? I can tell you that I love the Olympics...obviously I am rooting for the USA in every event, but I am watching every event that I can, even if USA is not competing..I have watched the Olympics in English, Spanish, Chinese and another language that I have no clue what it is. I told Momma that I would take 2 weeks vac. just to sit at home and watch it...I love it that much.......anyone out there think I am nuts...or do you agree?

I am Back!!!!

I guess I should start off by apologizing for my lack of post, I have received a few emails and phone calls to ensure that I was ok, I am. I could tell you all the reasons why I have not written in a while, but to be honest they are just excuses, I was being selfish, not only to myself but to God. As I have stated in earlier entries, I feel that God has put things into my heart and my mind that he wants me to share with others, and by not taking the time to write I have been selfish and disobedient. I know it sounds weird, but this lil blog has been really therapeutic for me, I really enjoy writing and many times, I feel that God puts words onto the paper just for me to read, it is a lesson that he is teaching me.

With all that being said, I will give you a readers digest version on what I / we have been up to the last 2 weeks or so. I have been working a lot, at 2 different sites so my schedule has been thrown off a lil bit, but I will admit that I enjoy the breakup of routine. In addition, I have been doing some training and as we all know training takes time and one-on-one dedication. Yet the best thing that I've done is that the family and I took a trip to SF for a week.

We have said that we were going to try and go on a vacation once a year, with the kids growing so fast and involved in so many things, it is extremely hard for all of us to get away together. For those same reasons, it is so important for us to go and spend that quality time together. We all felt that last years 9 day trip to Texas and the other 7 states that we went to, was going to probably be our last big trip for a few years, we had plans to buy a house and we needed to save as much as we could, plus we figured that the girls would be working and the baby would not be that much fun having in the car for long periods of time. And to be honest all that is true, but as each passes I see the kids growing up and soon out! So family vacations are just not a possibility for much longer, so I am going to take advantage of them for as long as I can.

Yet on that same note, with buying the house and all the other good stuff that comes with buying a new house....there was just not the money to go on vacation, but as I have said before, we serve a loving God, a God that provides and last minute we were able to access some additional money that allowed us to go on vacation.

Although SF is an 8 hour drive, going there was a nice drive (I waited until 3am, so that everyone slept while I drove!!!!!) I will admit sometime I just don't think before I do things, and I planned on not getting a hotel until we got there, so that we were not limited to where we could stay, however for whatever reason, there was just no vacancy anywhere. So we got stuck staying about 20 minutes away and all of us in 1 room, not the most comfortable, but hey could have been a whole lot worse. The next 4 days we just spent time together and did touristy things, took lots of pictures and had millions of laughs....when you get teenagers to want to spend time with mom and dad....you know it was a good vacation.....!!!!!! Coming home was not as pleasant because everyone was awake, and they did not enjoy the drive as much, lets just say we have started to outgrow the expedition.

Well we are back home, safe and happy. Everyone is ready for next year, the planning has already started. I think another trip down the Mexico coast is in order. I think that we may try and bring some more family with us...but as you all know that is much harder to coordinate, and I am not always the best host, or companion...but we will see.

As I close for today, I just wanted all of you to know that I missed each of you, I missed reading your comments and I missed sharing with you. So until tomorrow....God Bless!

Word-less Wednesday

A Sweet and Successful Error

This is a daily devotion that I received that just seems appropiate for me today, I thought that I would share it with you as well. Since we only see things our way, we do not always see the big picture, Gods desired results. Sometimes our mistakes are not mistakes at all but rather needed steps to success. So the next time you make a mistake, rather than get mad at yourself, look to God and ask him what the next step is.

A Sweet and Successful Error

This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder

"Taste and see that the LORD is good;"—Psalm 34:8

I have a new hero. Okay, maybe "hero" is a little overstated, but Ruth Graves Wakefield is credited with inventing my favorite comfort food of all time, the chocolate chip cookie. The story goes that she and her husband purchased a toll house that had been built in 1709 for the purpose of housing weary travelers. In the 1930’s, they built on to the house and began serving travelers at the Toll House Inn, where Ruth’s incredible desserts were well-known. One day, while making Butter Drop Dough cookies she realized she was out of one critical ingredient, baker’s chocolate. Whether she made the next decision out of necessity or ingenuity we may never know, but she made the now-famous decision to chop up a bar of semisweet chocolate and drop it into the batter thinking the chocolate would melt into the rest of the cookie. Lucky for us the chocolate didn’t melt. Instead, it held its shape but with a wonderful creamy texture. Voila! The chocolate chip cookie was created.

The truth is, many of the world’s best inventions started out as a mistake. What turned these mistakes into successes? Much can be attributed to the attitude, perseverance, and creativity of the person behind it all. Playwright and Nobel Prize Winner, George Bernard Shaw, says of making mistakes, "A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." And Dale Carnegie said, "The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way," which is exactly what Ruth Graves Wakefield did. She later began a professional partnership with Andrew Nestle, the candy maker who agreed to place her recipe for Toll House Cookies on the back of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Following Christ is often a series of sweet and successful errors. Some of these errors will seem more bitter than sweet, but if we can understand that we are on a journey with Jesus, following closely to Him and reaching for the dream He has placed in our hearts, then we are right where we belong. Yes, we might make a mistake or two along the way, but I believe the old adage is true, "It’s better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all."



GOING DEEPER:
1. I am suggesting that far too many of us never step out beyond what is "safe" in order to taste what is "sweet." Psalm 34: 8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good;" Maybe today it’s time to take a risk and try something new; begin to seek the dream God has placed in your heart.


FURTHER READING:
Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 30:21
Leslie Snyder is a youth and family ministry veteran currently serving in the Kansas City area with her husband and three kids.

Monday Madness

Good morning my friends, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I know if you live here in CA, you were probably a little hot but it was beautiful outside. Did you each get everything done that you needed to? As for me, the answer is no, I did not get everything done that I had on my list, but I did get some things done that I wanted to.
The weekend started really nice, I got up early and went to the mens breakfast, I have to admit it feels so awesome to see so many men step up and be the spiritual leader of their family, the godly man that he is created to be. When I look around and see this many men, I know that everything can be accomplished for God when we surrender our manly attitudes, our egos and our schedule and serve God...It is so encouraging!!!
Later I drove the motorcycle to get worked on, I think that it is just a simple clean the carbs, an oil change and should be good to go. Although the bike is not ready to really be rode, it did feel great riding it, I will miss it. ( I sold it already, just wanted to sale it working). While at my parents, we bought their treadmill, I am excited about this, because momma and I have not been very good about our walks, so we are hoping that we can shed a few pounds on the treadmill.
On Sunday, we had a wonderful message at church titled, "Attitude and Altitude', Pastor Ken does such a great job of putting the word in everyday situations that each person can relate to. I know that I have said it before but I really love this church, I love the leadership, the kids program and the direction that it is going, it is amazing to see a body that is submissive to God. Leaving the service, we were challenged to have a better attitude for an entire week, just look at the positive in every situation, rebuke the negative and to turn to God, when our attitude is not where it needs to be. If our attitude is correct, then our altitude will be higher and then instead of crashing into the mountains we can soar over over them.
Sunday night, I had a baseball game, it was a good game, defensively I had a great game, I caught the whole game, and made some great plays. Offensively I was so-so, I think I was 1 for 4 or 1 for 5, I lost count, but I was mad at myself because I struck out with the bases-loaded, ( I just could not be patient with the curve ball, i was too eager and chased 2 bad ones). I tried to have a positive attitude, but the competitive side came out in me.....well as I sit here I am a bit tired and sore....but I have to admit...I miss playing..

See you tomorrow.

Word-less Wednesday

In today's world of technology, I cannot understand how anyone can ever get lost. It seems that almost every car has a GPS, 'Tom-Tom' is our new best friend. With this new technology, we can get to any location in any city with street by street directions. It has become so advanced, that now we can type in 'Starbucks' and it will give us the closest 20 to our exact location, while this technology is great, it does take away from the fun that we used to have in just stopping somewhere and eating, just because it was there. Or what happened to just going for a drive (besides $5 gas prices) and stopping where we stopped. So I guess we can all agree, we should never be lost again.....although I am not sure everyone is using the right GPS....

People may not be lost when it comes to finding that restaurant, but in today's busy unethical world, more people are lost than any other time in history. People are always looking for something, trying to get somewhere without knowing where they are going. More people are going their own directions rather than using the directions that God has provided for us.

Where is it that you are trying to go? If you are lost or need directions, use the only real GPS,

Gods Personal Script....aka the Bible

See you on the road....Mick

Monday Madness

Wow...I am so thankful for this long 3 day weekend, although when I look back on it, all I did was rest, spent time with family, friends and the TV......in that order. But that is what I needed, after weird sleep patterns last week, I needed to rest up, and I needed to spend QT with momma and the kids. And for those of you that missed it, there was a great UFC fight on Saturday night....

Over the weekend, I ended up having a movie marathon, or at least I watched a few movies. On Friday night as I was flipping channels, (all 500 on Verizon Fios), I came across, 'The Pursuit of Happiness' with Will Smith. Although I have seen the movie a few times, it is a pretty good movie, so I spent the next hour and half watching it. As with most movies the more you see it, the different things you pick up on. This time, my thoughts after it, was why is the title what it is? Other than the part where the daycare is misspelling happiness, or when his wife says she is not happy and is going to look for happiness....I did not see happiness, I saw many other qualities, but not happiness.

This leads me to my question.....what do you define as happiness. Is it money, is it health, is it family, is it silence, what is it for you?

If I told you that here is a million dollar check, (you know it isn't from me, otherwise don't cash it!!!!!!) would you be happy. Me...yeah for a few minutes, ok hours. I would say that I am less stressed, but not happy.

If I went to the doctor and he told me that I was 100% healthy and would live for 50 more years, would I be happy. No I think that I would be excited about the things I could still do in my life, the things that I could see the kids and grand kids do, but not happy.

If I knew that my family was all ok and were successful would I be happy. No I think that I would be proud and would be hopeful in their future, but not happy.

I can think of many times that I am just happy, but each of these times, it is only for a brief time period. Sometimes this is for seconds, sometimes it is for hours, but I cannot think of one thing that gives me long term happiness.

Now as I re-read what I wrote....I am thinking to myself...maybe I need to see a doctor...but that is not needed either. The reason that I am not happy for just one thing is that if I settle on getting that one thing, wither it is a possession, a position, a state of being or any other thing. Then I no longer have anything to strive for. And that is sad...not happy.

I remember a story of a man that had an ultimate goal of owning a Lamborghini, he wanted to pay cash for it and be able to drive it off the lot. Now at the time of his goal, he was in no way financially capable of making this type of purchase. However after a time, he was able to make this purchase, as he got in the car and drove it off the lot, he felt like this was the happiest day of his life. After a few miles he pulled up to a stop sign or a red light, and the realization hit him, he had just achieved his highest goal, his dream was fulfilled.....now hearing this we think that this is a climatic point of happiness, but it is actually the complete opposite, he no longer had something to work for, something to look forward to, something to dream about.

I know that I have heard it many time, the though is always better than the real thing. I think that we have all experienced this, we have dreamed about something, got it and then realized that the real thing was of no comparison.

Let me tell you of one thing that is better than we can ever dream of, that is a relationship with Jesus. I am not going to tell you that you will feel happy, I can tell you that you will feel new, you will fill encouraged, you will feel less stressed, you will feel excited, you will feel proud but most of all you will feel filled, filled with the holy spirit, now this is not a I ate too much feeling, this is a feeling of holding your baby for the 1st time feeling, this is the feeling that you just won the lottery and you did not even play feeling, this is a feeling of your kid just graduated from HS and got a full ride to college feeling. This is a feeling of pulling up to the gas station and gas is only 5 cents feeling....THIS IS AN INDESCRIBABLE FEELING!!!!!

How do you get to have this feeling.....very simple....just ask Jesus into your life. How you may ask, just say these few words:

Jesus, I need you, I have tried to live my life my way and I am not happy. I have an empty feeling that only you can fill. Jesus, my life does not mean anything without you in it, as I go thru each day without, I feel empty. Jesus, please forgive me for my sins, today I want to be your child, today I want to serve you, today I want to start my life for you. Jesus, I love you.

If you said this with an open heart, please let me know, i want to pray for you and with you. You have just taken the 1st step to true happiness, a happiness that can never be taken away from you.

Love ya
Mick

Free for all Friday

What I have learned



On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how badit seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.


I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/shehandles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.


I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life


I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a'life..'


I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.


I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt onboth hands. You need to be able to throw something back


I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you but, if youfocus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you


I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, Iusually make the right decision.


I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.


I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.


People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just afriendly pat on the back.


I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Thankful Thursday

TGIT....thank God its Thursday....I will admit I am not young anymore...or should i say I need my sleep...this whole week momma and I have been coming in @ 4am...to be honest this is not so bad, the problem is I am to stuburn to go to bed early, so it is 10 or 11 and I am going to bed, so when 230 comes around....I am just falling asleep.....so I need Friday off....the ironic part is I will probably wake up @ 7am on my own!!!!!

I just want to remind all of you...that God is Great. I have been struglling with a personal issue, that gets me frustrated each time I think about it. I know that I can go to the Lord and he will give me peace, but again I am struggling becuase I beat myself up over it, but I know better and I stil do it. Well to make a long story longer...(I always wanted to say that) today I got a devotion on the each matter that I am struggling with, I told you God is good. I know that probably 1000s got the same email that I did, and the greatest thing is that it will affect each of them as well. It may not be as direct as it was for me, but God knows our hearts, he knows our weaknessess and he knows how to teach us, how to encourage us and most importantly how to love us.

As the long 3-day weekend approaches, I just want to wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July. As you are celebrating yours/our freedom, take a second and take advantage that we have in worshiping our God openly, and give him a thanks for all the freedoms that we each take for granted. On that same note, say a prayer for the 1000s of soilders that are fighting for our freedom....even if you do not belive in the war....support our men/woman....

Mick

Word-less Wednesday

This photo is almost a year old now, it is my babies overlooking the Grand Canyon. I know this may sound really weird but I think I can cry just looking at this picture. I may cry because I am tired. Or I may cry because as we all know as each day passes they keep growing up and at some point I won't have them all just sitting there together.

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There is a love that a parent can never express, you can tell the world how much you love your kids, most people would respond with, 'you should love your kids, I love my kids' but we each know that your love for your kids is greater than anything you will ever feel, greater than any words you can ever say, greater than anything you can ever do.

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Funny thing is:

We try to give our kids the world, all they want is our time.

We try to let our kids touch the world, all they want is a hug.

We try to let our kids hear the world, all they want to hear is 'I love you'.

We try to let our kids feel the world, all they want to feel is Love

We try to let our kids have the world, all they want is you!

(A Mickey original)

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My 1st thought that came to my mind when I saw this photo is they are looking at their future, it is never ending. There are hills, mountains, plains and valleys. But when you look from above the mountains don't seem that high, the plains don't seem that flat and the valleys are not that low.

This is our life in no other words, we see some many mountains, God sees 'ant hills' we don't think we can come out of the valley, God sees a small dent in the ground, if we see the world from Gods view, we can do anything thru him.

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The next thought I feel when I see this is; as long as we are together we can accomplish anything, you may get to one of us, but the others will carry me to safety.

Each day we are challenged, some days more than others, but as long as we trust in God, keep our eyes focused on him, we can accomplish anything.

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My last thought on this picture is that all the problems of the world are behind us, as long as our eyes are focused on Jesus and not the water (peter trying to walk on water, he took his eyes off of Jesus and sinks) we can do it. yet even when we take out eyes off of Jesus, he reaches out and takes our hand.

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I am so excited to see what each of my babies will do with the beautiful canvas of life that Jesus has given them...Although I know it will be a masterpiece..

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Love ya

Mick