A Different Kind Of Christmas, A Different Kind Of Life

If you’d like some advice on how to have a self-less Christmas and a more self-less kind of life, please take time to read a challenge that my daughter wrote here.  I hope you are blessed and challenged as I was.

I’m Thankful Four – Day #4

1.  I’m thankful for the relatives and friends who are coming to share Thanksgiving with us today.  Each of them makes this day special in their own unique way.

2. The food that will grace our table today – Turkey, stuffing(made by Molly my niece, no “holy smoke” stuffing this year from Kiki – if you want to know the story behind that click here. )Greek stuffing made by my husband, Florentine lasagna, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, English pea salad, green salad, homemade French bread, cranberries, Nilla Praline cheesecake, cherry cheesecake, pumpkin pie and a few other yummy desserts.

3. The bustling about in the kitchen on the 2 days before Thanksgiving. Tuesday night Jennifer and I were in the kitchen doing the prep work to make the lasagna. She did most of the work. All I did was coach when necessary and slice the mozzarella cheese. We had a good time working together. On Thanksgiving eve, the hubby was in the kitchen working on his Greek stuffing, and Jen is making Nilla Praline Cheesecake and french bread.  Just the comaraderie of being in the kitchen together is cool.

4. The Thanksgiving holiday itself – Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I enjoy the fact that it seems to be the least commercialized of all the holidays. It’s a day that really makes me stop and count my blessings, and life is more enjoyable when we stop to consider God’s goodness in our lives.

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS!!

I’m Thankful Four – Day 3

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My mother – Mom turned 70 in August, and I am thankful that she is still around. I truly have been blessed with a wonderful mother and am thankful for the sacrifices she made for all of her kids over the years.  She taught me a lot just by having a good attitude about situations in life that were not pleasant and would have made others complain. I love you mom, and I’m glad you’re coming over for Thanksgiving!

2.

 

 

 

Our dog – Misty is a great little pooch. When I am at home, she is my shadow. She follows me down the stairs each morning and likes to sit in the recliner and be close by while I’m praying.  She is hilarious at Christmas time, for she loves to open gifts and has been caught snooping around the tree a time or two. All we have to do is put a gift on the floor in front of her, and she will savagely tear at it until it is open.  We certainly love our Misty pooch.

3. Good health – The only times that I have stayed overnight in a hospital were when I was born and when I gave birth to my two children. I’m very thankful for that, because I don’t enjoy hospitals. I’ve heard the saying that “when you have your health, you have just about everything”. It should be “when you have a relationship with God and have your health, you have just about everything.  I’m thankful right now that I have both. (even though I am battling a cold as I write)

4. Laughter – The Bible says that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” I’m thankful I have some “good medicine” in my life , and  lot of it comes via my husband, son and daughter.(mostly my son) I don’t think it’s good to be too serious, and I have had times in my life where I start to spiral downward, because I’m consumed with life’s situations and not taking time to laugh and enjoy life. Thank you Lord, for the gift of laughter!

Okay, I’m going to tell you something that may surprise you. A couple of years ago, my husband and I were spending some leisure time with another pastor and his wife. The pastor’s wife and I were looking around in a quaint litte shop, when she came across a book which she picked up and began reading. She was laughing, so I came over to see what she was laughing about. The book she had picked up was entitled Walter The Farting Dog. I started reading it with her, and we were both standing there laughing hysterically. Flatulence can be inappropriate at times, but other times it is just plain funny. That book was a real gas.

I’m Thankful Four – Day 2

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The Bible – I am so thankful for God’s Holy Word, the Bible. There is no other book like it! I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have received strength, encouragement and direction through the teaching, preaching and reading of the Word of God. This book is inexhaustible. It’s so amazing to read a passage you have read before and have God show you something that you didn’t see the last time you read. It is our road map to Heaven, and without it, we would be lost. Thank you, Lord, for you divinely inspired, infallible, holy,  powerful,  unchangeable Word!

2. My church – When I say the church, I don’t mean the building, although I am thankful to be in our present location. I am talking about the people, my brothers and sister in Christ. I’m thankful for the way my life has been blessed through rubbing shoulders with all these fine folks, and it is a joy when you can see your brothers and sister growing in God.

3.

 

 

 

Our house – We came close to losing our home several times this year, but somehow God has seen fit to keep us in it, and I’m very thankful. We’ve made some great memories here, and it would be hard to leave this place, so I’m thankful that God is helping us to work things out with our loan situation. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us too.

4. My job – I really had no desire to go back to work after being at home for the last 13 years. I had no idea what I would do either. I thank God for answering prayer and blessing me with a good part time job. The pay is better than I expected, and it is rewarding to be able to work with these children and their families.  I’m believing God to use me to reach out to these with whom I have contact.

I’m Thankful Four – Day 1-

It’s simple. For the next four days I am going to list some things(or people)for which I am thankful. It would be impossible to list everything for which I’m thankful, but at least I can make a start.

1. GOD – I don’t know where I would be without the Lord. I’m certain my life would be a mess, but I’m so grateful that Jesus came into my life 30 years ago. He truly has been a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and it’s so wonderful that He has promised to never leave or forsake me. It’s a privilige to be able to have a relationship with Him and 24/7 access to the throne of grace. Thank you Lord, for calling me out of darkness and into your marvelous light!

2. My husband – I am thankful for the wonderful husband that God blessed me with 26 years ago. I could not ask for a better man. He has been a loving husband, faithful provider, strong spiritual leader and fantastic father. I love you, darling!

3. My daughter – Jennifer, I am so thankful to have you as a daughter. You may be 18 now, but you are still our baby gal. It’s been a joy to watch you grow up, and I am thankful that you are following God and seek to please Him each day. You are the best birthday present that God ever gave me. I love you!

4. My son – Paul, you are a wonderful son, and I’m thankful that God has blessed our lives with the gift of you! I am proud of the fine, young man you are becoming. You can make me laugh like no other, and I appreciate all the little things you do for me, like holding my door open, helping bring in groceries, giving me foot massages and sharing all the word plays, jokes and puns that you make up.  I love you loads!

The Week Since My Last Post

I haven’t posted since the 11th, but I surely have had a wonderful week. My family and I were blessed to be able to attend West Coast Conference in Fresno, California. This is by far our favorite church conference to attend. The thing I love about this conference is that it is so “retro”. It is Pentecost the way it used to be 25 years ago when I first got in church. The worship is very Spirit filled, and I’ve never seen any of the musician’s display a “look at all the talent I’ve got” attitude. The preaching has been phenomenal in the past, and this year was no exception. I’m not going to go into detail about the messages, but here are some of the titles of them.

The Evolution Of Iniquity And The Power Of The Blood

The Danger Of Divided Loyalties

The Valley Of Achor For A Door Of Hope

What To Do When You’ve Been Cheated

Another great thing about this conference is to be able to fellowship with likeminded people. It’s very easy to stay up until the wee hours of the morning eating, laughing and talking.

Super Sunday!

On Sunday, we were blessed to have Brother Joel Pace from Dallas, Texas come and preach for us. The power of God was so strong in the service and Brothe Pace preached a message that really stirred our hearts and had us earnestly seeking and crying out to draw closer to God. Sunday evening, we traveled down to Madera(about 2 and 1/2 hours away)to hear Brother Pace preach at the church of some friends of ours in the ministry. He preached on The Death of Pride, and the Holy Ghost moved in a mighty way. That was one message where almost everybody had something over which they needed to repent. Elder Pace was very specific in naming areas of pride that we can have in our lives, and God was definitely speaking to hearts about getting rid of that pride. Afterwards, we had pizza with some of the ministering brethren and didn’t get home until almost 3:30 a.m.!

Three Strikes, You’re Not Out!

When we arrived home from West Coast Conference, we received news that we had been denied for the third time on our request to receive a loan modification on our home.  I thought, “Well God, it doesn’t seem like there is too much more that can be done. I sure would like to stay in this home, but thy will be done.”  Today when I came home from my morning shift of work, my husband informed me that he had been on a conference call with our bank and another organization that has been trying to help us. We have been pre-approved for a loan modification! I don’t really know all the details, but this is the first ray of hope we’ve had in this area. Praise the Lord!

Surprise Review

Today in my afternoon session of work one of the behavioral analysts was also there with me. To my surprise, I found out she was doing an evaluation on me. Being observed like that always makes me really nervous, but she went over her review with me when she was done, and I did pretty good. It looks like I still have a job.  Thank you, Jesus! Okay, that’s all for now. It’s time for some one on one with my son.

Happy 18th Birthday, Jennifer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a goofy picture that Jen took of herself on Sunday. It shows the fun loving side of her personality, and believe me, Jennifer likes to have fun! Jen, you are a joy to be around, and I always enjoy it when we can spend time together.  18 years ago, God gave me a precious gift when He gave me you.  It’s been wonderful watching you grow through every stage of your life, and I am proud of the fine young lady that you have become.  Happy 18th birthday, baby!

All my love,

Mom

*** If anybody wants to see some really nice pictures of Jen(taken by an awesome photographer) click here.

When You’ve Been There

Several weeks ago, I got a call from a lady who has visited our church on and off for a few months. As soon as she started talking, I knew something was wrong, and she went on to tell me the story of how her 8 month old granddaughter died in her arms.  An autopsy was done later and a cause of death could not be determined. They are considering it SIDS.  My heart broke for her. She was struggling with all the “whys”, battling depression and dealing with feelings of anger toward God for letting it happen. I told her what I felt God wanted me to say at the time, prayed with her over the phone and really encouraged her to be in church the next day. She was in church the next day and cried through much of the service. My husband talked with her quite a bit after service too.  During the next few weeks we did not see her. Every time I called or tried going by her house she wasn’t home. Her daughter who lost the baby lived an hour away, and she was spending a lot of time with her. Although I couldn’t get in touch with her, I tried to make it a point to pray for her often. One of the things I prayed(besides for comfort)was that God would give her a new perspective and help her to see what happened through His eyes.

Last week, she came to church after being gone for a few weeks. During testimony time, she stood up and began to tell how God helped her to break through the darkness that had been surrounding her. The Lord brought the thought to her mind of how Mary must have felt to watch Jesus die on the cross. Although it was a difficult thing for her to endure, it was meant to be. This simple thought has brought her to the place where she is not crying constantly anymore.

Monday night, we had our monthly ladies’ prayer meeting at church. This is where we get together and pray specifically for our children, grandchildren and any other kids we know that need healing, salvation, etc. This lady and her sister came to the prayer meeting.  As we were getting ready to pray, this lady began talking about her granddaughter, how much she missed her and how it was still hard for her. Then the leader of our prayer group began to share something with this lady that she had been through. She had lost a child herself, something that I did not know. She began to share some of the things she went through, walking away from God, drinking, almost losing her marriage, etc. As she was talking another one of our ladies who was a little late came in and sat down and started listening to the conversation. When things got quiet, she too began to share how she had a grandson who died when he was 8 months old and all that she went through. I was so proud of these two ladies that had “been there” and allowed God to use them to help this other lady.  By the time we were through talking, praying, crying, laughing(yes, we even laughed some!)and having a snack together, I know this woman went home with a lighter heart.

I said all that to say that sometimes we go through things that are difficult, and we may wonder if we’re going to make it through or why God has allowed the thing to happen. If we’ll hold onto God and not allow our hearts to be overcome with doubt or bitterness, I believe God will one day bring us to the place where we can help someone else, because “we’ve been there.”

Although the death of this little girl has been difficult, God has already brought to pass 3 miracles.  3 infants were in need of heart surgeries to save their lives. The mother of the little girl who passed away was approached about organ donation, and first said no, but after some time and consideration, changed her no to a yes. All 3 of these infants came through their surgeries and are doing fine. Who knows what special plans God might have for these children.

Romans 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

 

Update: October 11th – I just read a beautiful post written by blogger friend Karen that deals with this same subject. It’s amazing that we both posted about this on the same day. I encourage you to stop by and read Karen’s post. It’s well worth your time. Here is the link to it.

http://khopper.blogspot.com/2009/10/layer-by-layer.html

Going, Going……………..

not quite gone, but it was close. This has been an interesting week for our family. It’s not every week that you come within a day of losing your house through foreclosure and having it sold. The sale was supposed to be on Thursday, but through prayer and lots of phone calls, faxes and e-mails, the sale was stopped, and we’ve been given a 30 day reprieve while our paperwork is being reviewed.  The week began with both of the kids getting sick. Our first day of school was supposed to be Tuesday, but that didn’t quite happen as planned. Friday morning, we sprung a leak in our bathroom while my husband was shaving. Fortunately, my husband was able to fix it with some parts from Home Depot that only cost a little over $12. Today, we received a call that another church which is about 1/2 a block away was on fire. We were concerned that it might spread and reach our building. The neighboring church ended up losing their preschool facility before the fire was finally contained. Because our air conditioner was on at the time, we did have some smoke get into our building, but it doesn’t appear that it will cause any lasting damage.

Even in the midst of all of this, God has been extremely good to us! No matter how bad our circumstances may get at times, there is always something for which we can be thankful.  These are some Scriptures that have come to mind this week.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

 

All things that happen to us are not good, but God can work them for our good if we will put our trust in Him.

Romans 8:31“What shall we then say to these things? If God

be for us, who can be against us?”

Gen 42:36

 

 

“And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”

 

If you know the story of Joseph and how things turned out for him in the end, you can see that Jacob was wrong in what he said here. These things were not against him. God had a plan. Jacob just couldn’t see it at the time.

I’m glad God has a plan for our lives, even when we experience adverse circumstances or don’t understand why things are happening to us.  I’m also thankful for two verses in Proverbs that have been an anchor for me over the years.

Proverbs 3:5,6

 

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  

There is no safer place to be than in His hands! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Craigslist Conundrum, Craigslist Celebration!

Craigslist is something else. You just never know what you might find on Craigslist. Early Saturday evening, we returned home from an absolutely fabulous church conference. I went to check our answering machine and noticed we had 45 messages. We were only gone 3 days, so that is a significant amount for our household. I listened to the first message which was a call for Pete concerning the 2 bedroom apartment in San Francisco for rent. “Huh?’ I wondered. The next 3 or 4 messages were basically the same thing of people inquiring about the 2 bedroom apartment for $1100 a month(a great deal in San Fran). My husband who was exhausted from our trip, had fallen asleep on the couch. I woke him up and told him about the messages we were getting on the answering machine. He hopped up and got on the computer, and sure enough, he found the ad on Craigslist. The ad has been removed, but we still do not know who placed it. We think it might be one of my husband’s preacher friends playing a joke. 

Now for the rest of the story. That same evening, my husband came across a notice on Craigslist from a church that wanted to give away some pews. My husband was able to contact the person who only lives about an hour from here. Today, he went to see the pews. He called me all excited a little while ago. The pews are in excellent condition and look brand new. They are ours for the taking, and we’ll be taking them tomorrow morning. With these pews, we will be able to double our seating capacity. If we were to buy these pews, they would cost at least 10 grand, but we are getting them for free. Hallelujah! Once they are in our possession, I hope to be able to post some pics, but for right now, I just wanted to share this miracle.

Update – 8/25/09 p.m. – All 21 pews are stacked up in the church right now. We will need to get the anchoring hardware and contact a professional to get them installed correctly. I went down to the church and took a few pictures. I’m so excited and thankful for this wonderful blessing!