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.

Foolishness or the power of God, which shall it be?

What is your response to the cross of Calvary?

For every man down deep in his heart must decide,

Will the gospel be believed or denied?

Perhaps life’s greatest question, aimed at you and me;

Foolishness or the power of God, which shall it be?

What will we do with the Savior crucified?

Will His blood to our lives be applied?

Down through the ages God is longing and reaching

Every time the cross is at the center of our preaching.

Foolishness or the power of God, which shall it be?

A choice that will affect eternity.

A wondrous opportunity, the greatest of good news

Some will run to the altar, while others cling to the pews.

One day we’ll hang our heads in shame or rejoice eternally.

Foolishness or the power of God, which shall it be?

Written 11-27-09

1Corinthians  1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1Corinthians 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

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!!

1.

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.

1.

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.

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!

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.

Working with autistic children has definitely been interesting, and I am enjoying it for the most part. One thing that I have learned is that it’s important to have the right reinforcers or rewards in motivating the kids to want to work.  Trix cereal works great with one of my kids. I tell him “sit down”, he sits in his chair, and then I reward him with a few of those sweet, round morsels. Another boy I work with likes “surprise” reinforcers. I will bring something for him inside a brown paper bag and say “first tie shoes(or whatever skill we’re working on) and then, surprise.” He is usually very compliant in doing what I ask so that he can get his reward. These little reinforcers need to be changed up from time to time, because if they are not, most likely the child will come to the place of SATIATION.  He’s had his fill of Trix, talking books, paddle balls, peek a boo, etc. and therefore is no longer motivated to want to work.

I was thinking about these things and how they can apply to our relationship with God. Did you know that there are rewards in living for God? Psalm 103 mentions a few of them.

Psa 103:2

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psa 103:3

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Psa 103:4

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Psa 103:5

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

In the book of Genesis, we can read the first time the word “reward” is mentioned.

Gen 15:1

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

God is not only the rewarder, but He is also the reward too! What a privilege it is to be able to have a relationship with Him, to be able to pray and worship and actually feel His presence! There is nothing else like it in the whole world. I wonder what would happen if every single time when we prayed we felt God’s presence? Could we get to the point where we grow so accustomed to feeling the presence of God when we pray or enter into the house of God that it suddenly doesn’t mean anything to us anymore – where we have reached spiritual satiation? We can just take it or leave it? I don’t know about you, but I’ve gone through seasons in my walk with God where I am worshipping Him with all my heart and trying to serve Him to the best of my ability, but I don’t feel a thing. It’s like the heaven’s are brass, and God is a million miles away.  Sometimes I wonder if God allows this to happen so that we will not take Him for granted.  Whatever the case, I don’t ever want to get to the place where serving God, praying, reading His Word, feeling His presence and just plain living for Him becomes “old hat.”

Isaiah 9:6 speaking of the coming Messiah(Jesus) tells us that His name would be called “wonderful”.

Wonderful………………..full of wonder.  May He be so full of wonder in our eyes that we can never, ever get enough of Him!

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.

He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Jim Elliot