My Husband Rocks Friday!!

Today is Friday and I'm joining Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure for My Husband Rocks!!

You know, I could pull out the big guns and really brag and tell you what an awesome man I'm blessed with. I could brag about how hard he works to support his family and I could tell you how incredibly Christ-like he is and I envy that in him.

But I'm not.

I'm just going to tell you the facts.

This man loves and accepts me just the way I am. In 25 plus years of marriage, he's never tried to change anything about me. Not once.

He loves me if I'm the perfect weight or if I'm 75 pounds overweight (and I have been) or if I'm somewhere in between.

He always tells me I'm beautiful even when I'm covered in garden dirt and my hair is stringy from sweat. And he means it.

He quietly indulges me when I act 10 years old and even smiles when I dance to music he can't understand a word of.

He's patient if I've had a bad day and he can't kick his way through the house. He hates clutter, but he'll never complain.

He holds his tongue with me even when I haven't held my tongue with him.

He won't dunk me under the water in the pool, even though everything in him wants to, because he knows it scares me.

He'll watch chick flicks even when he'd rather be watching a documentary or something on the History channel.

He loves drag racing as much as I do, but when we go, he'll watch me because I get so wound up when the racing is going on.

It always amazes me when I stop and think about it how awesome God is.Even before I had a relationship with God, He picked out this man and blessed me with him.

Salvation aside....what a debt I owe.

Thankful Thursday

I am SO ready for Thankful Thursday this week!!!

God has richly blessed and I'm eager to share my 5 thankfuls!!

Here we go!

1) I am thankful that DD's graduation was such a blessed event. We were surrounded by friends and family and it was such a beautiful time for all of us. It was such a blessing that we even got pregnant with this beautiful child and to join her in celebrating such a milestone in her life.....

2) I am thankful for the wonderful time I had with R yesterday and our kids!! Yes, it was loud! Yes, it was chaotic! Yes it went quickly! But God blessed us with safety and fun...

3) I am thankful for a ministry called Celebrate Recovery. I have a friend who is going through a very difficult time with her oldest son and his addictions. This ministry has given her hope and strength.

4) I am thankful that God watched over my DH today. For some reason he is experiencing dizziness, tightness in his chest, and unusually high blood pressure (for him). We went to the Dr. today and Doc doesn't seem overly concerned, but he has ordered some tests for him.

5) I am thankful for praise and worship music. Nothing brings me before the throne quicker than making a joyful noise before my Father.

For more Thankful Thursday, join Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey.

Our Story

To catch up with Our Story, click on the Our Story label on the left side of my blog.


The End of Cancer...Going Home


Her entire head was wrapped in bandages. The little girl had never seen so many bandages on one person in her life! Was this Maw? Her Maw? The person in this bed barely moved. She looked up at her mommy who was looking down at her little girl. Mommy took a deep breath, put her hand on the little girl's back and together, they went towards the bed.

Mommy put her hand on this person's shoulder and the bandaged head moved. The little girl was able to see this person's eyes and she knew at that moment this was indeed her Maw...
Afraid to speak, her thoughts inside her head went wild..

"Is cancer so bad you have to be completely wrapped up in bandages?"
"Who did this to Maw?""She looks like she is going to die!"
"Can't we just go to Maw's house and find Maw...this has to be someone else!"

Suddenly the person on the bed moved her hand and patted the spot beside her...just like Maw would do. The little girl looked down at the hand and noticed how much it did indeed look like Maw's.

Slowly she crawled up on the bed and noticed that there were tears in this person's eyes. She felt the hand move to touch her face and the little girl just laid over on this person's...Maw's...tummy and cried. This was her Maw and she was going to take care of her and make her better so those bandages would go away and Maw would be back to normal.

Maw rubbed the little girl's hair and listened to Mommy while she filled her in on the trip and where they were staying.

Looking back, she realizes how hard this must have been on her Mommy because 22 is so very young to be so far away from home with a little one and all alone.

Each day over the next two weeks, the little girl and her mommy would get up early and make that long walk all the way to the hospital. They would sit with Maw and talk to her even though Maw couldn't talk back. The little girl would read books to Maw and play dollies and every now and then, Maw felt good enough to sit up so the little girl could climb behind her and brush her long white hair. Maw had such pretty hair...

They would make this trip to Maryland 4 more times, staying anywhere from a few days to two weeks.

On one such trip the little girl and her mommy were walking towards the hospital and talking. By now, she had gotten used to the mean woman where they stayed and even the walk didn't seem quite so long.

"Baby, when we get to Maw today, you'll see that she won't be wearing any bandages."

Yes!!!...Finally..she'd be getting her Maw back!!

"You've got to understand the Maw is going to look very different."

"How?"

"When she came here, they had to operate to take the cancer out of Maw's mouth. In order to make sure that they would get rid of all of it so Maw would never have to come back here, they had to take out these bones."She looked up at her mommy and noticed mommy was rubbing her jaws and chin.

"In order to get to the bones, they also had to take away all of this skin."Mommy was still rubbing the same places.

"They are going to fix Maw's face when they are sure all of the cancer is gone, but in the meantime, she might look very scary to you."

"Is Maw going to be able to talk to me yet?"

"No. Not until they fix her mouth. I know you want her to be like she was before the cancer, but she will never be that way again. Do you understand that?"

She didn't really understand, but she'd been around Maw long enough since the cancer to know that she was just happy that Maw was still alive.

"When the do fix Maw's mouth, she won't look the same and she will have a very hard time talking.She's going to have to learn to talk again and you're going to have to be patient when you try to understand her. Okay?"

"Yes, Mommy. I'm a big girl. It will all be okay. Maw didn't die and it will all be okay."
Mommy rubbed her little girl's head and they went in the hospital.

Sure enough the bandages were gone and in their place was a mask like the doctors wore..but it was okay. The doctors would fix Maw's face soon and they would never have to come back to this place again.

Over time. Maw did go home. Her face never looked the same again and like Mommy said, Maw had to learn to talk again and the little girl had to become a better listener. But it was okay. Maw was alive and there would be many more mornings of homemade biscuits and homemade yellow gravy. There would be many more walks up the mountain picking flowers. There would be many more bee stings.

And speaking of bees....

Just Me and My Buddy....(And the Kids!!)

Oh what Moms will give up for their kids!!!

I have mentioned before that me and a friend of mine have a standing Girl's Day Out once a month. It's never on the same day. She and I have so many schedules to balance we could never schedule the same day each month. It's sometimes amazes us that we can even get out once a month at all!!!

This day is very important to us and sometimes it seems as if we have to move heaven and earth to make it come together. It's not that we do things that are just over the top fun and crazy....Most days find us getting a bite to eat....well, we always are getting a bite to eat....and usually we'll end up at Target and the Dollar Tree, for sure. Sometimes we'll go to the Thrift store and usually a Christian book store.

We just really enjoy the time out together. No hubbies. No kids.

Well, this will change today....

Today, R and I are on our way to Huntsville. It's about a 2 hour drive from our houses and she hasn't been there in, like, forever and I haven't been there in, like, forever...so we plotted and schemed. Planned and persuaded...and today's the day!!!

No husbands...no kids.....ooooppps....well actually, we have kids. 3 (possibly a 4th) to be exact.

R still has a son at home and both of mine are still at home. R also has a daughter who lives about and hour and a half away (she's where the possible 4th child comes in).

See, when our "precious" children found out we were going to a land with huge shopping malls, enormous thrift stores and food courts beyond your wildest imaginations....they ALL put in for the day off of work so they could go with us!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO US???!!!

Well, actually, they made us feel guilty....

You know that whining that ALL kids can do. Makes you feel like you NEVER let them do anything......

"Why don't we ever get to go to the super cool malls?"

"We don't ever get to go anywhere fun."

"How could you go without us? Won't you miss us?"

"Don't you love us enough to want us along with you??"

Oh....puhleease!!!....You'd think we were running away to another country....but it worked.

They're going with us.

And it's okay.......sort of....I guess.....

No really. These kids have grown up together and are more like brothers and sisters than buddies.

So..with that we're off!! Off to enjoy (?) a total of 4 hours in a van with teenagers singing and yelling and squealing and annoying their sisters and 4 different voices asking in unison, "Oh!!! Can we stop there??!"......and 'there' being 4 different stores.....

Think I need some chocolate and a Vanilla Bean frappacino from Starbucks.....(Didn't you know that's what makes Target even better????!!)

Signing off......2 Moms and a Van Load of Fun..........

Looks Like She Made It!

I made it.

Yes, I cried....almost immediately. Yes, she cried..privately, when she hugged my neck and whispered in my ear, "Thank you."

We have graduated our first born from high school.

She looked so beautiful and we were so proud. Not just of her academic achievements, but of the young woman she's become.

So many family and close friends there to celebrate this wonderful moment in our lives.

Those that were there the day she entered this world. Those that were there when she took her first steps, said her first words. Those that were there when we decided to leave public school and those that were there when we took our first steps into homeschooling. Those who've cried with her over broken relationships and the deaths of friends. Those who sold her her first car and who watch (with their stomachs in their throats) as the poor car never stays in the driveway for long. (She bought her car from our neighbors)...Those that were there who work with her everyday and mean far more to her than the label, 'co-worker'.

Those that couldn't be there, but were lifting her up in prayer because they knew that meant the most.

THANK YOU.


Friends and family listening to Beth speak on her school years.


Holding the gift that her 'little brother' gave her.


Beth with Mom and Dad after receiving her diploma.

Only a Little While Ago.......

Today is a very special day in our family.

Today our oldest is graduating high school.

I absolutely can't believe it...!!! These 18 years have gone by quicker than I could have ever imagined!!!

It seems only a short time ago we were trying fertility drugs to even get pregnant in the first place and now....graduation....

Only a short time ago I was in labor for 37½ hours. Only a few days ago, I gave birth to a beautiful 6lb 3oz, 19½ inch long bundle of perfect, sheer joy.

Only a little while ago she was taking her first steps and saying her first words.

Only a little while ago she was begging me to put "percoy" (makeup) on her beautiful little face.

Only a little while ago she was living on "dubby dubbies" (pickles).

Only a little ago she would fall asleep in my lap while we read stories.

Only a little while ago she would put my face in her hands and say, "I love you so much Mommy".

Only a little while ago she was starting kindergarten.

Only a little while ago we brought her home and decided homeschooling was the route God wanted us to take.

Only a little while ago she was jumping in the mud, running in the rain and tracking it all through the house.

Only a little while ago she lost her first tooth, got her first pair of high heels, her first pimple.

Only a little while ago she squealed every time a fish sucked on her leg while she was in the Gulf.....well, actually...she still does that!

Only a little while ago she went on her first date, got her drivers license, a job and a car.

Only a little while ago she walked out of her bedroom in her first formal gown and went to her first prom.

And now today...another first.

She's so excited...and deep down, I am too. But this mom is going to have a very emotional afternoon. I don't know how I will ever get through the speech I have to give...only by the grace of God I'm sure.

I do have a request of my bloggy friends......

We live in the Central time zone. At 4:30 pm, we are going to be gathering around Beth and laying hands on her and lifting her and her future up in prayer. I ask that whatever time zone you are in, that you would line up with 4:30 pm Central, and pray for Beth and her future. Whatever God lays on your heart, just join us in prayer.

There is tremendous power in prayer and united prayer is incredibly powerful.

I will try to post some pictures next week.

Umm..experiencing difficulty....

For whatever reason, I'm not able to get on some of the blogs I love to read. The ole' puter or internet or something tells me it can't allow me to get on the site.
(Thus no button for My Husband Rocks)

Anyway, if the sites I visit regularly hasn't heard from me in a while, you're probably one of the ones I'm not "allowed" to access.

I'm working to figure this out and hopefully I'll learn it's not me but a glitch in the technological world..

Love you all....but not so much this computer right now!!!!!!!!

My Husband Rocks!!

I'm joining up with Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure today to share how My Husband Rocks!!

When our kids were tiny tots, we thought that we stayed oh so busy and ran on little or no sleep most of the time.

There were doctors visits and endless loads of laundry. There were nights that they just wouldn't go to sleep or got sick. There were middle of the night feedings and diaper change after diaper change.

It seemed like DH and I walked around in a perpetual state of zombie-ness.

When they were a bit older, we were able to set and maintain a bedtime and a schedule and it seemed, at least for a time, that we were in a happy routine of playing and enjoying in the evenings, then baths and stories, hugs and kisses, prayer and bedtimes.

DH was thrilled and all was right with the world.

Then we entered the world of teenagerdom and oh my.....well.....let's say....we've found that zombie-ness state again.

Oh I'm not complaining.....I am blessed with the ability to function well if I've had 8 hours sleep or only 3. It doesn't really bother me that much.

DH on the other hand.......well, let's just say this new routine isn't settling as easy for him.

The kids are very respectful when they go out and are home by 10 if Dad has to work the next day. The only time they are later than that is if they have to close at work.

Like me, DH can't go to sleep if the kids aren't home. He does dose a bit (I can't even do that) but he doesn't fall into a deep sleep and even if he could, he wakes up when they come through the door, then has a hard time falling back asleep.

Every Thursday night, DS has a group of buddies that he works with that gets together and has "guys night" Actually it's only guys "couple of hours" because some are still in school and all have to work at some point the next day, but anyway, it usually goes on till about midnight.

For a time, it was a bit of an argument between father and son because son really wanted to join in on the fun and father wanted his sleep. DS finally came to the agreement though, that it wasn't fair to dad to keep him up so late on a work night.

Since DH has had a reduction of hours at work, 1 Friday a month he doesn't work. Today is that Friday.

Last night DS rambled around and in a very running around the bush way, inquired if he could go. DH basically said, "No. I've got a lot to do tomorrow and I need to get an early start."

Now, I admit that there are times when I don't always agree with DH's decisions, but because I'm convicted about living the Titus 2 life, I stay silent.

This was one of these times.

I didn't agree with DH, but it was a decision he made.

DS didn't say anything and I was very proud of him for accepting Dad's decision and not arguing.

A little later DD got home from the movies and the mention of guy's night was made. She simply asked why little brother couldn't go.

At this point DS said that he wasn't angry just hurt. He doesn't ask if he can go anymore when Dad has to work the next day, but he doesn't understand why he can't go even when Dad doesn't have to work.

Fair statement....(my thoughts exactly).

And, amazingly...that was all that was said.

I got up to wash a few dishes, DS got on the computer and DD walked her boyfriend out to the car. DH was left alone and (I know) began processing what DS said.

A few minutes later, he called DS in and told him to go on to guy's night and be home by midnight. Then DS says, "No, I'll be home before midnight. Thanks, Dad.."

Well, this lady was doing the happy dance right in the middle of her kitchen. The two men she loves most in this world came to an agreement without mean words, loud voices or hurt feelings. It was great!!!

How does this tie in with how My Husband Rocks???

Well....he listens. When any of us go to him...in the right attitude...with something we disagree with, he listens. Does that always mean he changes his mind?
No. But he truly does listen and when he's wrong, he admits it and if it's possible, he'll make it right.

He doesn't walk the path of power hungry, dominating, "My way or no way" man.....No, he walks the path of "I love my family and want to be a godly example before them"... and hey, that screams My Husband Rocks!!!!!

Thankful Thursday

It's time to link up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday.

As always, I really enjoy this time of week to reflect and thank my Father for the blessings He's provided.

Here we go!

1) I am thankful for a new family of baby birds on my front porch. (I would have had a picture, except every time I open my door, they duck their little heads back into the nest!!). For 4 years now, I've watched little birds hatch, grow and spread their wings. I never tire of that bittersweet blessing.

2) I am thankful for friends in the bloggy world. You really blessed me this week with encouragement and prayers while I was under the weather.

3) I am so thankful for DH's job. I was reading in the paper this morning and a neighboring county has got an unemployment rate of over 15%!!.....God, for whatever reason, has shown favor on us...

4) I am thankful that DS got his research paper turned in on time....(I was so afraid I was going to have to hand out a consequence to my procrastinating son!!..and that is the thing I most hate to do as a parent.)

5) I am thankful that God kept DD safe yesterday. Her tire blew out (literally) on her way home from work. She didn't lose control or anything. God just kept that car upright and gave her a safe place to pull over. He is SO faithful!!!

For more Thankful Thursday, click here.

A Sidenote to Our Story

For those of you keeping up with Our Story on Wednesdays, you may be wondering who Scott is.

Somehow a chapter of Our Story didn't post...I'm not sure why, but never-the-less, it can't be found.

Scott is a tiny boy that I met on my first day of Kindergarten. He was much shorter than me and very shy. He had incredible white (not blond...white) hair and I was drawn to how beautiful that hair was. All of the younger boys on my dad's side of the family had white hair, but Scott had really white hair. I just loved it!!

I walked to school since it was only 4 blocks away from our apartment in Cicero, Illinois, and Scott walked the same route I did.

After a little while, Scott became my first "boyfriend" and looking back, my first real friend.

.....I hope he's doing great, wherever he is now.....

To read past chapters in Our Story, click on the Our Story label in the left sidebar.

Our Story

Cancer and an Airplane


There were dark days in her young life. Times she remembers, that she'd rather forget. Things she saw, things she heard, things that happened that shouldn't have.....she's worked through them all and only through the power of God has she been able to be victorious. Maybe someday...when the time is right...she'll be able to take you back to that time, but not today.....

Cancer.

At seven years old, she didn't understand what that meant. She only knew that Maw had it in her mouth and it was a very bad thing.

She was playing tea party with her dolls. Mommaw had bought her a table and chairs for her bedroom. The table was round, but otherwise, it looked just like the grown up table in the kitchen, and she loved playing mommy, working in the kitchen and fixing yummy food. While she served pretend tea and cookies to her dolls, she couldn't help but overhear the muffled sound of Mommy and Daddy's voices from their bedroom. Mommy and Daddy hardly ever went in their room to talk, so this really made her tummy feel funny on the inside. She heard Mommy and Daddy talking. She heard Mommy crying and Daddy getting angry. Daddy could get really angry sometimes, but this time he sounded a different angry. He sounded like he was hurt, but angry.

It wasn't long and their door opened. Mommy wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were really red and her voice sounded funny. Daddy wouldn't look her way. He just went in the living room and turned the tv on.

Mommy sat on the edge of the little girl's bed and patted the spot beside her. She ran to sit by Mommy because she could tell this would be a "big girl" talk and Mommy didn't like her to "lolly gag".

"I don't want you to be scared, but Maw has cancer. Do you know what that is?"

"No...but I bet it's bad."

"It can be bad yes. Daddy's mommy is very sick. She might die if she doesn't get better."

Die?? Maw?? Strong, big Maw who could outwork any man around?? Maw who kept a switch hanging over her front door to whip the daylights out of any kid who wasn't minding her? No...not Maw....not her Maw.

"Can't the Doctor fix her?"

"Maw's doctor can't fix her but he wants her to go see a doctor very far away from her house who maybe can."

Far away from Maw's house!! Where could that be? It took them, like, forever to drive to Maw's house now!!

"Will I ever see Maw again?"

"Well, you and me are going to get on an airplane and fly to a place called Maryland. When we get there, we are going to stay at a place kind of like our apartment and we are going to visit Maw while she's trying to get better. Okay?"

An airplane?? She had to go in the sky to see Maw?? Maryland was that far away??

Even though she told her mommy that she would go, she was very afraid. She'd never been in an airplane before and she didn't like the idea of it now.

Daddy wasn't going to be going with them because he had to work. This made her even more afraid.

Just a few days later Daddy drove them to the airport. This place was huge!! SO many people going every which direction!! She and Mommy gave Daddy a kiss and a hug and he was gone. He disappeared so fast!!

She looked at Mommy and she could tell that Mommy was very afraid. That made her even more scared. She had seen Mommy sad and she had seen Mommy angry, but she couldn't remember if she'd ever seen her scared.

Somebody said something over the speaker, Mommy grabbed her hand and they took off running...and they were running fast!!!

They made it to this lady with a friendly smile who took their ticket and they boarded the plane.

Her little heart was beating so fast. She was sure it was going to pop right out of her chest!!

They found their seat and Mommy let her sit by the window. It was a tiny window, but she could see outside and that was really cool!!

They buckled their seat belts and in just a few minutes, the pilot came on the speaker and told them his name and said something about a great flight.

She turned to look at Mommy and then it moved!! Whipping around to look out her window she saw everything outside start to go by. Faster and faster until she couldn't even make out what anything was!! Her heart had calmed down, but now was beating as fast as the plane was moving!

All of a sudden she felt like someone was pushing her back in her seat and they left the ground. The little girl didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. Not long after, she felt her body returning to normal and the stewardess asked them if they'd like something to drink. "Are you kidding?!", the little girl thought, "I just might throw up if I try to drink something!"

After a while she settled down though and she actually began to enjoy the plane ride. She loved the different colors of the clouds. She saw blue clouds and white ones. Even red and orange clouds. She'd have to remember that when she colored pictures of clouds. She wondered if Scott had ever been in a cloud? Maybe she would ask him...

It wasn't too much longer and the pilot came on the speaker again. He told everybody that they had to buckle their seatbelts and put everything away. As she looked out the window again she could begin to make out the ground below and then the houses and before she knew it..... A hard bump!! She felt like she'd been slammed into the ground!! Mommy grabbed her arm and then she heard something crash!! Oh was she scared!! Mommy was holding her tightly and she could hear Mommy's heart beating! This had to be bad! She knew this airplane thing was a bad idea! But..slowly the plane came to a stop and the stewardess apologized for the plate breaking and scaring everybody.

She was glad she was in Maryland, but she hoped they could figure out another way to get home.

Once they got their bags and went outside, Mommy soon flagged down a taxi and they were off to their room apartment.

Mommy knocked on the door of the apartment and a lady answered the door. She took one look at the little girl and made an awful face.

"You have a child with you?", she asked Mommy.

"Yes. I had no choice but to bring her. She's a very good girl and you won't hear a peep out of her, I promise."

"I'd better not or you'll be finding another place to stay."

Humph. Who did this lady think she was anyway? The little girl knew right away that she was not going to like being in this room apartment.

Once they got in their room and unpacked, Mommy found the address to Maw's doctor. Maw had gotten here a few weeks before and Mommy said they had to operate on Maw. She told the little girl that Maw would look different but it was still Maw under those big bandaids.

Downstairs they went, out the door and began the walk to the hospital. Blocks and blocks and blocks they walked. The little girl tried hard not to whine, but she was getting tired.

"Mommy, why didn't we just call a taxi?"

"Because. We don't have a lot of money and we're going to be here two weeks. Just be a big girl. We're almost there."

A few more blocks found them standing in front of the biggest building she'd ever seen. This place was bigger than her apartment back home. It was even bigger than her school!!!

Even though Mommy told her that Maw was going to look different, she wasn't prepared for what she saw when she entered Maw's room......

Join Me at The Well

Happy Tuesday bloggy friends!!

Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement! I am feeling so much better this morning (just a wee bit of a headache is all that's left).

Today I'm posting over at The Well. I'm talking about......the temptation of laziness!!!

I know you're shocked!! I was too when I realized that I can indeed be lazy!!!

Please, join me over at The Well today to see if laziness is plaguing you as well..

Under the Weather........yuck.....

Just wanted to check in with the bloggy world and let my friends know that I haven't ran away!!! (Can't get rid of me that easy!!!...) I'm just feeling a bit under the weather, but I am going to do my best, with God's help to be ready to hit the floor running tomorrow.

Average Jane

Today is the day that I normally join Katy Lin over at The Great Adventure for My Husband Rocks, but I just really wanted to share this with you today.

I do encourage you to visit Katy Lin and link up with others sharing how awesome their hubby's are.

Yesterday while doing my devotions I had one of "those" moments. You know what I'm talking about. One of those moments when the Spirit just reveals something to you and it sticks.

The Scripture I was in was Matthew 4: 18-22.

"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers- Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew- throwing their net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!' And they left their nets at once and followed Him.
A little farther up the shore He saw two other brothers, James and John sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And He called them to come too. They immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind." NLT

The devotion I was reading went on to say that in that day, Jewish boys often attended rabbinical schools until their 13th birthday, at which time only the best and the brightest would be chosen to follow the local rabbi. These chosen ones would follow the rabbi going where he went, eating what he ate...doing what he did.

Those who didn't "make it" picked up a trade--carpentry, fishing, being a shepherd.

It then pointed out that Simon, Andrew, James and John didn't "make it"....they were fishermen.

That's when I "got it"!! I believe these 4 men were awesome men of God, but in their world's eye, they didn't "make it". In their world's view, they weren't smart enough, rich enough, handsome enough...they didn't fit the mold---but they fit the mold just perfectly for Jesus.

They were just average Joe's who didn't make the world's cut and were trying to make a living working their family's businesses.

Me...I'm just an average Jane. Nothing special, just me. But God plainly showed me yesterday--and what's even better is that I got it--He wants to use this average Jane. I've just got to allow Him to do that. If I'll just do what He asks, He'll equip me for whatever He has in store.

I'm not saying that God can't or won't use the highly educated or wealthy people. NO SIR!! Jesus died for them as well and wants to use them just as much as any average Joe or Jane, but so often our world focus on those who shine. Those who have acheived great things. For me..just an average Jane...it was a great, eye-opening blessing to realize that Jesus chose those that had been rejected by the world's standards.

Makes me look at washing laundry, cleaning house and chasing kids in a whole new way......

Thankful Thursday

As I'm sitting here mentally going over my Thankful Thursday list, I'm listening to the birds sing. There are a few windows open in my house, so it's just the least bit chilly. I love mornings like this. The hardest thing is making myself stay up and busy since DH has left for work when all I want to do is jump back in the bed and curl up under the warm covers and go right back to sleep!! Too much to do today for that pleasure though.

On Thursday's I link up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey to share what I'm thankful for this week.

As always the list is changing, but sometimes.....things stay the same.....

1) I'm thankful for....MORE strawberries!!! I was able to visit with my MIL this week and she blessed me with more strawberries!! We have really enjoyed making a syrup with these and pouring it over pound cake....(BIG smile!!!)

2) I'm thankful that I finally figured out how to make things look right on DD's graduation invitations. Now, maybe that's not a big deal to most of you, but to this computer illiterate lady...it's HUGE!!!!

3) I'm thankful for a wonderful pastor. He was talking to DH about some things last night and shared a few things that really blessed our entire family. He's young (only 27) but he is a wonderful man of God.

4) I'm thankful that our youth pastor's daughter made it safely in the world! A beautiful 8lb 11oz bundle of joy!! Welcome Abbey!! (Mom is doing great as well!!)

5) I'm thankful that my cousin's house was spared from the floods. (she lives in Kentucky) Her yard is a mess and her driveway is torn up, but this time, her house is okay.

Sometimes it's so easy to overlook those small things that make us smile and enjoy warm fuzzies. We believe our problems are so big and take for granted the blessings. I encourage you to stop and look around. God is in the blessing business and I'm sure He's pleased when we focus on the blessings He gives.

For more Thankful Thursday, click here.

Our Story

It's Hard for Him to Remember


He wishes he could remember more about his childhood, but no matter how hard he tries, memories before his teenage years practically eluded his mind.

He can remember a few though and the first one that comes to mind is just a small snippet.

He was in kindergarden and he remembers having to climb up some stairs. At the top of those stairs was a room filled with huge blocks that looked like the blocks on some of the homes in his neighborhood. Some buddies and he began building with these blocks and he was surprised at how light they were when they looked so heavy! What to build, what to build. They began piling block upon block and before long a fort was built. How much fun they had playing in that fort!!

His first real memory was one of taking a trip. One morning Momma woke him up an told him to get dressed. He couldn’t understand why she was waking him up so early, but he loved Momma and did what she asked.

After getting dressed he went through the house and smelled something yummy..breakfast!! Sitting down and eating quickly he wondered what was going on.

After breakfast Momma told him to gather up his things and get in the car. He could feel the excitment in the air and with each mile got more and more anxious.

Daddy was driving and Momma was sitting beside him. They were talking and laughing and he just couldn’t stand it any longer..

"Momma, where are we going?"

"You’ll see.."

Sitting back in the seat he wasn’t happy about the answer he received.

After a while Daddy asked him if he could read the sign that was in front of them.
He tried really hard, but right now all he could read was little words and this was a big word.

"No. What does it say?"

"Welcome to Michigan!"

Sitting back again he thought Michigan? We live in Indiana. He’d looked at the map of the United States in his classroom and he knew that they were in a different state. This wasn’t making any sense….

After a while, Daddy started slowing down and they pulled into this place called Deer Forest.

He asked Momma what Deer Forest was and she replied again, "You’ll see." If nothing else, he decided that he didn’t like that answer to a question. Funny thing is, years later he would do that to his own children……

After parking, they got out of the car and paid for their tickets. Momma also paid for a big, colorful key. What in the world could a key that big be used for??
They walked through a gate and he walked into a fairytale!!! He looked around with big, wide eyes and couldn’t believe what he was seeing!! He saw Humpty Dumpty and Jack and the Beanstalk. He saw Old Mother Hubbard and The Old Woman in the Shoe. Scene after scene and they all looked like they jumped out of his rhyme books!! Daddy took the key and showed him how to put it into a box in front of each scene. When you turned the key, someone inside the box would start telling the rhyme!! It was the coolest thing he’d ever seen in his young life!
After the nursery rhymes there were a few rides you could ride on. Rides like he rode on at the fair, only smaller.

He was having so much fun that he didn’t notice his tummy rumbling, but when Momma suggested they sit down and eat the picnic lunch they had brought, he didn’t object! He can’t remember what they ate, but Momma was a good cook and she’d always taken such good care of him…he knew it was good whatever it was.
After eating they began walking again. They came up on a petting zoo. He wasn’t sure what that was, but after just a moment he knew. They actually let you pet the animals!! There were goats and rabbits and llamas and deer…hey!!…maybe that was why this place was called Deer Forest. There were alot of trees and here were the deer…made sense to him.

Daddy would take a quarter every now and then and put it in a machine that looked like a gumball machine at the dime store. When he would turn the knob, corn would come out instead of bubblegum. He would give it to his son and then the little boy would hold out his hand so the deer would eat out of it!! That was scary and exciting at the same time!! He was amazed that the deer would even come so close to him, much less eat out of his hand!

All too soon the day came to an end and it was time to go home. As they piled back in the car, he laid down in the back seat. It had been a wonderful day and he would remember this forever.

And he did…..

Try It Tuesday!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's day!! I was very blessed to spend the day with my DH and kids, going to church, out to eat and enjoying a brand new.....bread machine!!!! Oh people, I was very excited about this as my bread machine had long since died and I was making bread the old fashioned way....buying it at the store!!

No, seriously, I would buy some bread at the store, but I was making homemade bread the old fashioned way....and some days I just didn't feel like making bread which would be met with 3 (4 if DD's boyfriend was here) sad faces and the words, "You mean you didn't bake any bread today????"

I got 2 wonderful books from my kids because they know that Mom has an addiction to books. One was a devotional by Joyce Meyer (whom I just love!!!) and the other was a book of 100 favorite Bible verses!!

My mom had to work Sunday (she works at a nursing home) and so my sis and I took her out yesterday and spent the day with her. We did our run of hitting the Dollar Tree and the thrift store, decided we were finally hungry and headed to the best Chinese restaurant in town...(and I'm not crazy about Chinese food!!).

While sitting there and talking, this elderly lady walked by and Mom spoke to her.

Turns out she is a resident at the nursing home where Mom works. Her daughters had brought her out for the day as well to celebrate.

After a few words and some laughter, this sweet lady walks on and Mom shares her story with us. It really tugged at my heart strings and got me to thinking.

Mom has worked in a nursing home for many of the last 35 years. She has seen many residents never have anyone visit them. No one to just drop by and say hi, or read to them or just brighten their day.

She's seen the longing in their eyes as other residents enjoy their visitors and my mom being the awesome lady that she is, will go out of her way to make these resident's day a little brighter.

Over the years, my kids and I have visited different nursing homes and "adopted" residents. We will usually go once a week or so for just a couple of hours to talk or read to someone.

It's very easy to get connected with residents who never have visitors. Just a few minutes with the director and they can usually pair you up with a resident.

My challenge for us this Try It Tuesday!! is to adopt a resident at a nursing or retirement home.

I know..you're already strapped for time. I am too.

You have tiny tots. I did too.

It makes you uncomfortable. It did me too.

What will you say?? I am very shy around people, but I've found all you really have to do is say "Hi! I'm ______. How are you today?"...and the resident will take over from there.

DD is my social butterfly and DS is like his mom.....smile and move on. But even when they were tiny tots and we'd visit the nursing homes, there was never a dull moment. These residents absolutely dote on little guys and nothing embarrasses them.
One particular resident comes to mind........

Each week we would visit our local nursing home. We visited with all that we could, but each of us had our own "adopted" resident.

As we would go inside the building, there was always an elderly man standing near the door looking out the window. As we would walk in, he would look at DD who was about 3 at the time and he would say, "Hiya Shorty." He never smiled and he never said anything else, just "Hiya Shorty".

Having been taught to be respectful, she would say hi and move on. When we'd get around the corner DD would tug on my shirt and motion for me to bend over. In my ear she would whisper, "Dat ole' man makes me sssoooo maddd!!!" I would tell her I understood, but praise her for being respectful and not hurting his feelings. You have to understand the old guys still pick on her. At 18, she stands a very tall 5'3"!!! (her "little" brother is already at 6 feet!)

I'm not sure how long this went on...at least 3 months.. when my mouthy little social butterfly couldn't stand it any longer.

On the day DD finally broke, we walked in the nursing home.

This man was still standing by the window and doing what had become routine, he looked down at DD and said, "Hiya Shorty". No smile. No other words.

Just as we got past him, DD snatched her hand out of mine, turned around to face this man, stood completely straight up making herself as tall as a 3 year old could, put her tiny little hands on her tiny little hips and said as loud as she could, (and believe me, she could and still can be VERY loud!!) "I'm not Shorty ole' man!!!"

I just stopped. I was mortified!!!! All I could think was, "Gotta do damage control, gotta do damage control. Oh, I'm gonna git that girl....!!"

It seemed like an eternity, but was only a few seconds. DD still has her hands on her hips and is staring straight at this man. He stares at her and then....the blessing....he breaks out in the biggest smile and from the very depths of his gut, laughs!!!

He can't control himself and the laughter was very contagious.

He ruffles DD's hair and walks away.

That became the norm.

"Hiya Shorty!" ...now with a smile.

"I'm not Shorty ole' man!!" ...still with hands on hips.

So how about it?? How about taking some time to pray and asking God to direct you to a nursing or retirement home where He can bless others through you.

Trust me. The blessing you are can never match the way you'll be blessed.

Cafe` Chat

Today's Cafe` Chat really speaks to my heart.

I find my heart strings being pulled in so many ways and sometimes get overwhelmed by it all.

The questions Kim poses today are:

1) What are things we can do as wife (friend, relative, etc.) when we have a husband (friend, relative, etc) who does not know the Lord?

2) What are things we can do as wives when our husbands once had a growing relationship with the Lord that now seems to be stagnant? (Remember feel free to substitute the wife/husband relationship if you are not married)

3) Last, what are things wives can do to help our husbands grow deeper in their walk with Christ?

I am so blessed that my DH is a strong Christian. He is very much the leader of our home, the provider for our family.

He is faithful in reading his Bible and a strong prayer warrior. Many times I've walked in a room in our home only to find him on his knees in prayer. It convicts me beyond belief because my prayer life doesn't come close to his....and I'm thankful for this conviction!!

I do have a couple of very dear friends though, whose husbands are not saved. Their marriage is good--but could be so much better if the hubby would surrender to the Lord. At times, I even feel guilty (?!) because I'm so blessed....I love my friends and want God's best for them (salvation for their hubbies) as well.

My true brokenness comes from having so many family members who don't know the Lord and aren't interested in learning anything about Him.

Many times we've had to defend our convictions and desires about going to church. They don't understand how we love to be there and want to serve.

For me, witnessing to our family is hard. I love them so much and enjoy being with them so much, that I hesitate to rock the boat. "Just enjoy the time together....Don't upset anybody, we're all having so much fun....we so seldom get all of us together at the same time..don't worry about it."

The fact is, if I don't step out in boldness, they could step out into hell for all eternity....kind of puts it in perspective when I actually see it written out.........

DH and I have both went through dry periods. Times when God felt so far away because we'd become so complacent in our walk with Christ. It's at those times we really lift each other up in prayer. We ask each other, "Did you spend time in the Word today?"

We will send each other devotions that speak to our heart through e-mails or we'll share verses in the Bible that especially spoke to us that day.

We'll really have a heart to heart with each other about what's going on in our day that is pulling us away from Christ..why we've slacked in growing in Him.

Usually this will pull the other out of the miry clay and set us back on that Rock to move us forward.

For me, helping my DH grow deeper in his walk with Christ begins with my walk with Christ. How can I possibly be the wife and encouragement for him if my walk with Christ isn't what it should be?

I also need to make sure that I'm fulfilling the Biblical role that God ordained for me to have as his helpmeet. In doing things God's way and in the order He's set forth for us, we will find that we are great encouragements for our husbands.

Sometimes the truth is we may be the only Bible that our husbands....or anyone else for that matter....ever reads.

Why not click here to visit the Cafe`. We can't wait to visit with you!!!!

My Husband Rocks

It's Friday and time again for me to share with all of you just how awesome my hubby is and why he just plain rocks!!

I love contemporary Christian music and quite honestly.....I really tend to lean towards the rock side of it. Maybe even some rap..at times...depending....

Just give me some Skillet. Toby Mac??? Oh yes!!....Fireflight?? Uh huh!!! Kutless?? You bet!! See....Kind of outrageous for a "woman my age"....but I just love this kind of music.

Now, with that being said, I'm not the southern gospel kind of girl. No, this really isn't my genre` and many times I just kind of sit there. There are a few songs, especially hymns, that I love...but then Jars of Clay and Third Day have put out cd's with hymns that have a bit of a.......quicker beat...to them. I really love the remakes.

Anyway....the first of this post is about me so you can better understand why DH rocks.

For the record, I did buy him tickets for Christmas a couple of years ago to go see the Gaithers in concert. Yes I went with him and yes I enjoyed it...well, most of it. I especially enjoyed Jeff and Sherri Easter and Earnie....somebody.

But, more often than not, when we go to a concert it is the kind of music I enjoy.
I remember a time, not long ago, when Skillet came to town. Oh my goodness.....I HAD to go to this concert and DH knew how badly I wanted to go. So he, along with our own teenagers and about 40 other teens and adults loaded on a bus and went to see Skillet (among other awesome bands!!)

He waited in line over 3 hours and sat through over 4 hours of music that was loud, bright and (by his own admission) he couldn't understand a word that was being said.
Me? I was jumping up and down and praising and worship and clapping and just totally consumed in the Spirit. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

DH is so totally perfect because he loves me enough to put up with music that is totally out of his comfort zone so that I can get lost in praise and worship to our Savior.

Philip...you absolutely rock!!

For more My Husband Rocks, visit Katy Lin at The Great Adventure.

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm going to be joining up with Sonya again over at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday.

For various reasons, I've not been able to post a Thankful Thursday in a couple of weeks, so to begin..I'm just thankful to get to do this post!!!!

It's so easy to fall into the poor me trap and think that everything around us is falling apart...what do we have to be thankful for? Believe me, on more than one occasion, I've found myself in that very spot and I don't like it there.

I think that's why I really do love Thankful Thursday posts so much...It causes me to stop and recognize all I have to be thankful for.

So...here we go with my 5 thankfuls for this week!!

1) I am so thankful for the joy that I have in Jesus. Last night at church, the evangelist was talking about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness only comes when things are happening and that's available for change at a moments notice. Joy comes from a relationship with my Heavenly Father. Even in the midst of storms, I can have joy.

2) I'm thankful for a new friend that God has brought in my life. He brought us together in a most unusual way. Even though we've never met face to face, I feel like I've known her forever!! (Hi Linda!!)

3) I'm thankful for the thunderstorms last night while I slept....or tried to sleep. Now, before you think I'm off my rocker, the storms weren't severe, but the thunder and lightening was intense and something I enjoy very much. So..to me...that was just something God gave me to bless me, and it did.

4) I'm thankful for the strawberries that my MIL gave me Tuesday. I LOVE strawberries and she gave me a gallon out of her strawberry patch!! YUM!!!!

5) I'm very thankful for God's protection over DH yesterday as the storms got worse and a tornado went over the hospital he works at and actually hit a bank just across the street....God is so good and worthy of praise!!!


For more Thankful Thursday, click here.

Our Story...

She doesn’t remember how old she was, she just remembers it was Christmas Eve and she was sleeping on the couch.

Her uncle was visiting and he was sleeping in her bed. She didn’t mind because if she slept on the couch, Mommy would leave the lights on on the Christmas tree and it was so beautiful!

The tree was so big! It was almost as big as Daddy, and he was a big man..
The tree was silver and when they were busy putting it together it would scratch her skin. Oh, it didn’t hurt..just felt a little funny.

She doesn’t remember shopping for it, but she does remember how big the box looked sitting in the livingroom floor. Mommy opened the box and took out all the pieces. That tree sure looked funny in the box, but Mommy promised that once they got it put together it would be beautiful….and she was right.

Once it was put together, Mommy began to put the lights on. They were beautiful!! Blue and red, green and orange and the best part was…they blinked!! She wondered how many other little girls had trees that blinked.

Then Mommy brought out this stuff that looked like shiny, red rope. They worked to get it wrapped around the tree, standing back every now and then, tilting their head one way then the next to see if it was even. She really didn’t understand what even meant, but she did understand pretty..and this tree was pretty.

Next, she and Mommy sat on the floor and put hooks on the most pretty ornaments she’d ever seen in her little life!! There were shiny balls and icicles. There were little Santa Clauses and elves! Mommy even had a couple of angels. After getting all of the hooks on, they began to hang them on the tree. She was so excited!! Excited to the point that Mommy had to keep reminding her to be careful!! Oh..she surely didn’t want to break even one of these beautiful trinkets.
For the next few days at school, they would make an ornament to take home and hang on their tree. She wondered if Mommy would let her do that. After all, the tree was so pretty and her handmade ornaments…well..weren’t.

That first day she carried home a piece of white paper cut in the shape of a ball. She’d spent so much time making sure each piece of colored macaroni…and by the way, how did that macaroni get all of those different colors??….was in just the right spot. Then she took paste and pasted each piece carefully to the "ball". Oh, darn!! No matter how many ways she tilted her head, it just didn’t look right, but, it was time to go home and so, with ornament in hand, she began her trip home.

By this time, she was used to the walk and now even Scott waited on her and they walked hand in hand until he had to turn off on his street. He was a little shorter than her, but that was okay..it made it easier to look at that beautiful white hair…..

Once inside her apartment, she carefully laid the ornament on the table. Turning on Captain Kangaroo and sitting on the couch, her eyes would wander from the tree to the ornament. There was no way Mommy would hang that awful thing on their beautiful tree. She even thought about throwing it away before Mommy got home from work, but just maybe there would be a chance…..

She heard the now familiar sound of the locks clicking open and turning, saw a snow covered Mommy walking in the door. As usual, Mommy was tired, but she always had a hug ready and wanted to hear about her little girl’s day.

Sheepishly the little girl showed Mommy the ornament, trying as best she could to hold back the tears. It was truly an awful looking thing….but to her surprise and absolute astonishment, Mommy went and got one of those hooks and put it on her construction paper and macaroni ball and hung it right in front on the tree!!! Not only did Mommy think it was beautiful but she even gave it a place of honor!! She had the best Mommy in the world!!

So laying on the couch on Christmas Eve night, her eyes wandered from the macaroni ball to the Santa Clauses and the angels. The lights were blinking and she knew she needed to be getting to sleep so Santa could come but that tree was just soooo beautiful……

She heard a noise. Like someone was moving the presents under the tree. Peeking through her sleepy eyelids she saw him!!! You know…HIM….Santa Claus!!!! He was bent over putting things under the tree!! Oh no!! What would happen if HE knew she saw him? Should she sit up? No… Should she cough? No…Should she even breathe??? She was so excited…she was actually looking at the real Santa Claus! No one was ever going to believe this…not even Scott!

She decided she would just hold her breath as long as she could and peek out of her eyelashes so that maybe Santa wouldn’t realize that she was awake.
"Oh no!! He’s turning around..he’s looking at me!! Don’t move. Don’t even breath…"

The next thing she knew it was morning. When did she fall back asleep and when did Santa leave? Did she really even see Santa?? No matter. Sitting up she saw all of those presents and knew he’d been there and it was time to wake up Mommy and Daddy. Running through the apartment and jumping on the bed she tried to explain to them it was time to get up. Wake up uncle and let’s get busy opening those presents!! And by the way she saw Santa….Mommy just smiled and told her that she couldn’t have saw Santa, he don’t let people see him. But she knew she saw him…didn’t she??

To this very day when she shares that memory with Mama, Mama just smiles……

Try It Tuesday!!

I am really enjoying meeting with God at my friend's church this week. Sunday night's message was great, but last night was even better and lined me up for this week's Try It Tuesday!!

Last night, the evangelist asked the question, "Do we have a teachable spirit?"

He reminded us that we're never to old or too wise to learn and when we reach the place that we're not teachable, we are in dangerous territory.

I love it when Scripture is given to back up these thoughts. If you can't give Scripture, then it could very likely be your opinion, in which case, various among every person.

He began by telling us that Jesus possessed a teachable spirit. Now, that caught me a little off guard since I'm positive Jesus knows everything. How could He possibly need to be taught something?? But here's the Scripture:

"Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered."
Hebrews 5:8, NLT (emphasis mine)

In order to learn something, you've got to be taught. Jesus learned obedience, He was taught...He had a teachable spirit.

Paul, one of the great men in the Bible, had a teachable spirit.

".....I have learned how to be content with whatever I have."
Philippians 4:11,NLT (emphasis mine)

The disciples in Luke 11:1 made a request...

".....Lord, teach us to pray...." (emphasis mine)

If these great, awesome people in the Bible (and you can go no greater than Jesus Himself..) wanted to be taught, then why do we, why am I, so sluggish about studying??

This was a great revelation to me as well as a crushing conviction.

I have become so complacent in my learning. Not that I think I know it all because if I'm confident of anything, it's that I don't know much...period.

If Jesus and Paul and the disciples had a hunger to learn and be taught, then how much more should my spirit desire to be taught?

Oh man, the Holy Spirit did a number on me last night for sure.

So, for our challenge this week, let's first do a self exam....do we possess a teachable spirit?? Are we open to hearing and learning from the Word of God through the Bible, our own quiet time and the man of God?

Once we've decided that we want to be teachable, let's ask the Holy Spirit to open us up for that teaching.That we would hunger and desire to be taught and then let's begin right now to surround ourselves with things that will teach us. Let's take that time to get away each day and ask the Spirit to teach us through His Word, through sermons on cd's or television. (Be careful that you always have Bible in hand to test the preaching of those you don't know).

I'm anxious to hear from you and how teachable of a spirit you possess!!

"...Help Me Overcome My Unbelief!"

We went to church with some friends last night. For whatever reason, our church didn't have evening services (I'm truly not sure why...) but our friend's church is having camp meeting this week. If you don't know what camp meeting is, it's a revival.

The praise and worship was great and the presence of God was something I welcomed.

Then came time for the man of God to get up and share from the Word of God. Now, this was what I had been waiting for...

Have you ever had one of those spiritually dry times in your life?

God doesn't feel far away...as a matter of fact, you know He's right there with you.

I'm talking about one of those times when things are just...going. Nothing bad is happening, nothing great is happening..it's just going.

I'm there.

I'm thankful that nothing bad is happening!! After the last several months and those wilderness wanderings with our kids..just going is great....in a way....however, I want more of Him. I want to hear from Him. I want to serve and please Him. This spiritual dryness isn't working for me. Don't like it. Time to move forward.

The evangelist was talking about our struggle to believe and he took Scripture from Mark 9:14-24. This Scripture is talking about the demon possessed boy, whose father had taken him to Jesus to have the spirit removed. He'd watched his son for many years suffer with this spirit that had tried to literally kill his son.

Knowing that Jesus could do the impossible, this man approached Jesus with his heart's desire..to see his son delivered.

Jesus told the man in verse 23, "Anything is possible if a person believes."

The man replied in verse 24, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

Sounds kind of contradictory, but I get it...I believe that God can do anything....but somewhere in the back of my mind is that little nagging, smidgen of a doubt of unbelief and that little smidgen can undo every ounce of belief I have.

This evangelist went on to give 3 reasons why this father was struggling with unbelief:

1) It involved his child. Come on parents.....when something involves our children, we immediately take them before the throne of God, but it's very hard to let go and let God because this is our baby. Our flesh and blood. The only One Who loves them more is Jesus Himself, but it's very hard for us to wrap our feeble mind around that knowledge.

2) The father couldn't fix this problem. Most men...and I've just recently posted this about my own hubby...are wired to fix things. Men see, for the most part, black and white..no gray. You have a problem....here's the solution. Moving on. Drives me nuts!! It's not always that easy.

3) It had been going on for a long time. This father had watched his son suffer for so long. How battle-worn he must have been!

Now this Scripture deals with a man's son, but what about those out there who are unemployed? How hard is it to overcome that unbelief when you're finances are dwindling, you can't find another job and have been out of work for over a year? You know God can handle it, but there's that little smidgen of doubt....

Or maybe you are in the midst of a medical scare. This involves your body, you can't heal your own body and you've been sick for a very long time. You know the Great Physician and you've witnessed Him heal before, but that little smidgen of doubt keeps creeping in.....

Thing is we want our children delivered now. We want a new job now. We want our bodies healed now, and we refuse to believe God has things timed perfectly.

I loved this statement the evangelist made last night, "We are microwave Christians serving a crockpot God!" Wow!!! I see myself pretty clearly right there. I want things right now!! Over the last 6-8 months, when our children were in the wilderness I wanted them home now!!! "Don't mess around God, these are my babies and I'm tired of watching them self-destruct." God could have delivered them right away, but because of the waiting, our children learned some very valuable lessons.

Had God used the microwave method, would they have learned anything or would they fall back into the same traps and lifestyles they'd just come out of??

How about you? Have you asked God to help you overcome your unbelief? Are you a microwave Christian? Join me in studying the Word and in prayer to hold fast and believe completely in an on-time God.

My Husband Rocks!!

Over the years, one thing DH has figured out is the fact that I LOVE flowers!

They are so beautiful and smell so good!!! I just don't think you can have too many.

One of his favorite things to do is pick me wildflowers. His favorite season is spring, simply because he's had such a hard time picking wildflowers throughout the winter months! We have tiny purple flowers that are mainly a ground cover, but it doesn't matter. It's a flower and it will usually find it's way into my house.

Just last night, he came inside with his hand behind his back. I knew it was one of two things: It was either a bug to scare the daylights out of me!!...or it was a flower.

It was a flower.

Not only was it a flower, but it was one of my dark purple Iris's. This thing was beautiful and so purple it was almost black. I'd been watching it for the last couple of weeks, knowing that it was going to bloom at any moment. And when it did.......

In my early marriage days, it used to drive me nuts for DH to pick my flowers out of my flower gardens.

He would bring in a flower to surprise me and it would upset me because he'd gotten it out of my garden. Then God just spoke to my heart and told me to grow up. I have a wonderful hubby who just wants to make me smile and bless my day. The flowers would wither outside just as well as they would in the house. Enjoy the moment and my husband.

I decided God was right.

Many years ago, when finances were much tighter than they are now, I remember a tradition DH started at Valentines Day that has stood the test of time.

Many of the ladies that I worked with got flowers, usually roses, from their hubby's, delivered to them at work. We couldn't afford those high prices for a dozen roses and I knew this. I was happy for these ladies, but inside I struggled just a bit. Oh, I knew my DH adored me and would buy me millions of roses if he could afford it. We just couldn't afford it.

Then one Valentine's, DH got a brilliant idea!

Instead of buying me a few roses that would die, he decided to buy me a rose bush. THAT..we could afford.

Rose bushes were around $5 and they would give me roses for years to come, not just for a few days. With that first rose bush has come a Valentines Day tradition!

I so look forward to getting a new rose bush each year and DH takes great pains to find a different type of bush that what he's bought before.

This man is so wise and clever and so loving and considerate. My hubby truly Rocks!!!

For more My Husband Rocks, join Katy Lin and The Great Adventure.