Miracles still happen!!

Well, I'm back to blogging after a week long battle with the flu (my son). Over the past 21 days I been experiencing some supernatural events as my church is in a series called Awakening. We, as a church, have been praying and fasting for 21 days. My family has been pressing in hard to God, asking for Him to speak to and guide us. Boy, did He pull through in a BIG WAY! So, I'm gonna try to fit the miracles we have seen in just the past 21 days in this little blog...you ready?

As many of you know, Alan and I have been looking for a new house. We needed something bigger for our rather large Brady Bunch. We discussed what we were looking for and it sounded extravagant...3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage, bonus room, large yard...yeah, something we we never believed we could have. So, we have found a few houses and called about them. They all had MOST of the things we wanted, but none of them had ALL we wanted. We decided we were just going to have to settle (due to our budget) and do without some of the "luxuries" we had hoped for. To make a long story short God was at work the whole time. As I have been fasting and praying, He has spoken to me through other people and verses. God's Word says he doesn't just want to give us what we want, He wants to bless us beyond what we can even imagine or dream. Through some cancelled appointments by other people, some patience on our part, and some supernatural miracles God showed us a house that has EVERYTHING we initially wanted. Funny thing is that today, the last day of the fast, we put our deposit on it :) It is officially our's!! We are so happy, but the ONLY way to explain this is that God's Hand was all over it. It was nothing we did, except be faithful and trust in Him.

Just when we thought we may as well quit looking and stay where we were, God showed up. If we hadn't listened to Him, we would be in a house that was out of our budget and not what we needed. I'm so thankful for the committment we made to trust in and follow Christ. The best part of this whole story....this house is less money per month than we are paying now!! God is good. So, I say all this to say, we HAVE to let God work in our lives, even when it makes no sense. If it was all laid out in front of us, it would be easy, and everyone would do it. God wants to see dedicated people who will trust Him even when they can't understand why thigns are happening. We can't just pray for things to happen. It would have been a mistake for us to pray, "God, please GIVE us this house we want so bad". We need to want God's will. Do you realize that He is all powerful, He could suck up all the air on Earth right now if He wanted. He is Mighty. Who are we to think we know better? Let's step aside and let the Creator take control...trust me, it's alot less stressful when you let life go and put it in His hands.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for planning out my life. You knew me before I was born, and you know when I'll take my last breath. Thank you that You don't want an average life for me, You want me to be blessed beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you for whispering to me so that I never give up. I want life to be all about You. Please help me to step aside every day I wake up so people will see less of me and more of You. I am so honored to be your daughter and I want to make You proud. Thank you for miracles and for putting all the pieces together.

Amen

Even when we feel like....

Our poor little boys have been so sick. Cody spent last week in the ER and doctor's office with a final verdict of acid reflux. Now, Dylan has the flu. He is so pitiful. He wants to feel better so bad, but his little body is just struggling to fight off this yucky bug. He's trying to eat, and laugh, and play, BUT he just doesn't have to energy. Today he felt so bad he asked me to stop rubbing his head because it hurt to touch him. It is so sad, as a mom, to watch your child lay in bed and hurt. We have an instinct that makes us want to care for, make better, and protect our kids (and even other kids). We want what's best for them. When we see them hurt, we hurt. When they smile, we smile. We they feel joy, we do. I found myself constantly checking on Dylan today..."do you feel better, honey", "is there anything I can get you?" Until finally he said, "mom, I just want to sleep!!"

So, I decided to leave him alone and spend some quiet time with God (my usual time is 5:30am) but it's always nice to have MORE than the normal. God revealed something to me...He is the same way towards us that moms are to their kids!! God is constantly checking on us...when we hurt, He hurts...when we smile, He smiles...when we don't feel like holding our head up, He wants to gives us some medicine (which is usually is Word and Prayer). But too often, we respond to Him just like Dylan did to me..."God, can You leave us alone...we just want to sleep!!" It's time we wake up, respond to Him, accept His cure, and experience life the way He intended for us to. He didn't send His son for us to live an average life with the "flu". He wants us to be full of joy, kindness, love, compassion, strength, wisdom, and generosity. It's no wonder unbelievers don't want to know God if we, as believers, walk around with our heads down, sick, and gloomy. Let's show the world that we are experiencing a new life, a life full of hope. Although we will get "sick" sometimes, we have a Savior that will follow us around until we accept His help to get well.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us life. Thank you for healing us, and making us feel better. I am so passionately in love with You and I am believing that You are getting ready to do big things in my life. It is my prayer, Lord, that when those big things happen, You get the glory. God, give me wisdom and guidance to be more like You. Feel my heart my love and my eyes with opportunities to make a difference for Your Kingdom. I want more of You and less of this world.

Amen

Diagnosed

We have spent the last few days traveling from the emergency room, to the doctor, to the internet looking for homemade remedies. Our youngest son has been having chest pain, severe chest pain. So much so that he has been asking us if he's going to die. We have reassured him that he will be fine, we will figure out what is wrong, and everything will go back to normal.

So, after the doctor explained what was wrong today and prescribed him some medicine, his stress level has decreased. When we got home I said, "Son, I told you the doctor would say everything was okay." "Mama," he said, "you're not a doctor, so I needed to hear it from her." WOW!! Interesting how we have to hear things from certain peoepl to believe it.

Today's blog message is real simple...listen to the Master physician, the Great teacher. The enemy wants you to listen to all the wrong people. Stand against that and committ to spending time with God everyday, just listening. He wants to bless us, He wants to speak to us but we're always so busy asking Him for things that we can't HEAR from Him. Stop and Listen...that's why we have 2 ears and 1 mouth...to listen more than we speak!!

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me a spirit of listening. Lord I love talking, and I thank You for blessing me with a personality. But God help me to learn to listen more. I want to hear from You daily. Help me recognize Your voice. I pray for the Holy Spirit to stir inside me so I can always feel Your presence. I need God moments all day. Help me to be more like You and may You get all the glory.

Amen

We CAN control our behavior

Have you ever heard people say, "I was just so mad I couldn't control myself"? I wish I had a quarter for everytime someone claimed they could not control their actions and what they say. It is a proven fact that the smallest, yet most difficult muscle in our body to control is our tongue (that's why Satan uses it so much). Just imagine the wars, divorces, lost jobs, broken hearts, and broken kids that are found in our world...and to think they all occurred at least to some extent) because of someone's lack of control over their tongue. Now, think of the opposite. How many lives could be saved, children taught to be world changers, thriving marriages, positive work relationships, and mental health issues could be solved (or at least improved) by changing a negative word into a positive word. It's all about control!! What is the majority of us learned to control our tongues...what a wonderful world it would be!!

Here's another example for my teacher friends...when you are at school, your students act one way. When you have a sub, they act a COMPLETELY different way. Proving the fact even more that humans control their behavior. The determining factor in whether we control our behavior or not is who we are trying to impress. In other words, if you are around someone who you are trying to impress, you can magically control your behavior. Ever been in this situation...horrible day, kids are arguing, 2 more weeks until pay day, nothing in the freezer to cook for dinner, bad day at work, and even worse, you and your spouse are arguing. Things are getting pretty heated and your screaming at your kids to stop fighting and get to their room. Suddenly, the doorbell rings. It's a guest (you can fill in the blank....neighbor, pastor, friend, stranger). Just like magic, your fit of rage turns to a cheerful smile. Your rough tone changes to a polite welcoming voice. See what I mean?? We CAN control our behavior.

We have to quit praying the pity prayer (God, I just can't do it....) We have to speak revelation into our lives. Pray with authority. We are on the winning team, so act like it. If we are willing to control our behavior for a stranger, shouldn't we give it our best to the Creator, the King....everyday, every minute. Be bold...pray for revelation that God would give you wisdom and guidance. Don't beg Him to change you. He will help, but we have to put our big boy/girl pants on and do some work too.

Dear God,

Thank you for saving me. Thank you for looking beyond my flaws and loving me. Thank you for giving me something I don't deserve. Give me wisdom to make the choices that will make you proud. I want to make You smile down on me, and I can't do it without Your help. Direct me, grow me, stretch me. I want to be more like You. God, in Your name, I demand that Satan take a backseat. Satan has no business in my life, around my family, in my school...there is only room for You. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not where I need to be...but thank You even more that I'm not where I used to be.

Amen

Busy Lives

Up at 5:00 am to drink my coffee and spend time with God, 6:00 am kids wake and begin the morning routine which includes brushing teeth, eating breakfast, and getting dressed, 7:00 am leaving home for a 7:30 meeting at school (somewhere in between the God time and kids' routine, I managed to get dressed). 8:15-4:15 make a difference in as many lives as possible while teaching the basics of Reading and Writing at the same time. 4:30 leave straight from work and head to grad school. Class from 5:30-8:30. Bust it home to see the kids before they go to bed and to spend some time with my wondeful husband (who has supervised homework, cooked dinner, and made sure everyone got a shower). 9:00 do some homework, 9:30 blog, and finally, go to bed.

REPEAT PROCESS BEGINNING AT 5AM.

Ever wonder how we manage to pack so much into our day? I believe if God had made a day to be 48 hours, we would somehow figure out a way to stay busy. People often say, "how do you do so much?" My answer is, "I think it's a blessing that I am ABLE to do so much." Idle hands (when you have free time on your hands) get in trouble. Now, don't get me wrong, don't ask me to do anything on Saturday. I think we all need a "recharge" day. God gives us talents to use, goals to reach, and people to help....BUT He doesn't want us to get so busy that we miss the point. Through all of my acitvities, I am constantly talking to God. Praying that He will direct my next step, that He will get the glory, and that people would see less of me and more of Him. So, if you're bored....get busy. If you're too busy...be still and meet with God, He's been waiting on you.

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing me with health and energy to accomplish all You have placed in my heart. Thank you for giving me talents and goals in life. I pray that I would never lose sight of the big picture. I pray that I would never get so busy that I don't have time for You. Please help me prioritize my life, keeping You at the forefront. Thank you for my husband, who steps in while I am pursuing my goals, and makes sure our kids are taken care of. Bless our family, send your mercy and grace to us. We adore you, we are passionate for You, we want to walk beside you so reign in our lives.

Amen

Bachelor - The Rose Ceremony

Love watching the Bachelor, but love even more picking out the "evil" girls (probably not the most Christian thing to do). Isn't it so clear to us (as viewers) who should get kicked off. The most awaited part of the show is the rose ceremony. It's pretty cool to see the same girls getting a rose each week. I wonder how many roses the winner will have received by the end of the show? I also wonder if the guy has already made up his mind about who he is going to choose? Funny thing is, we receive roses everyday too. Each new day we wake up is a rose, each new friendship is a rose, each newborn child is a rose, each promotion is a rose, each gift God gives us is a rose. In the end, what we are chosen for is indescribable, it's more than any tv show could ever glamorize.

The girls and the bachelor are in a moment of utopia, good feelings, amazing dates. However, none of that compares to the feeling we should feel as Christians. The Creator of the Universe picked all of us during the final rose ceremony. He will not make us compete against each other for His love. He has given us ALL a rose, a rose garden. What we do with our rose is up to us. There is no bachelor that compares to our God. He is the knight in shining armor that will save the day. He saved our lives. He died for us, so shouldn't we at least water the rose He gave us.

We should never allow competition, flashy "things", other relationships, and gossip get in the way of our pursuit of Him. Let's help each other, not deter each other from getting all we can from this confusing thing called life.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me a rose. Help me to realize that I am a daughter of the King; that I have no reason to doubt Your love for me. Help to see that Satan wants nothing more than for me to be depressed, anxious, self doubting, and regretful. Satan wants me to feel like You haven't forgiven me, but I know You have. You wiped it all away. I pray for a soft heart, one that listens more than speaking. One that always sees people the way You do. Thank you for giving me a rose even when I didn't deserve one.

Amen

Wipeout

Have you ever watched Wipeout? It's a gameshow where contestants attempt to make it through an obstacle course. The winner is rewarded with $50,000. The trick to this whole thing is that the obstacles are nearly impossible, beating people, bruising people, bending in ways they never knew they could, and literally causing WIPEOUTS!  We love watching this show for 2 reasons...to watch people WIPEOUT and to listen to the hosts of the show.

Sometimes our days feel like complete wipeouts. We feel beaten, bruised, punched, bounced, and flipped. Somedays we don't feel like we can get up one more time, and other days we breeze right through the course. We should handle both of those types of days in the same way. On the days we feel confident and motivated, we should praise God. Thank Him for all His grace and mercy. Thank Him for everything we are and everything we have. On the days we wish would hurry up and end, we should do the same. Thank Him that we still have breath. Thank Him that we are competent enough to understand that we are having problems. Thankful that we have a God that creating the universe and allowing us to share it with each other.

Nothing bad comes from God. Even when our circumstances FEEL terrible, God is using it for some purpose. God works all things together for our good. There is always a bigger picture. God doesn't MAKE bad things happen to us. Sometime the bad things are a result of our bad choices. We need to quit blaming God for everything and start thanking God for everything, even the unwanted.

Dear God,

Thank You for another day of breath. Thank you for filling my heart with a dream, and God, I need You to help me make that dream come true. I have put aside Cristi things, and have made a committment to live for God things. Please give me the courage to keep that committment. Please give me the enery and faith to pull through even when I wipeout. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons when I do wipeout, it strengthens my faith every time I stand back up. I love you for saving my life. Thank you for using me to help others, open my eyes to those who need me.

Amen

Life Sentence

Imagine this scenerio for a moment...you are standing in a court room facing a trial that could change your life. The verdict comes back GUILTY. You are now standing in front of the judge, the one who holds your future. You plead your case, but he doesn't seemed interested. He is about to sentence you to LIFE IN PRISON. Suddenly, someone appears in the back of the courtroom and suggests to the judge that they serve your sentence for you. This person is willing to watch you go free regardless of what you did.

This is what happens in every one of our lives. We are all "criminals" in this life, sinning on a daily basis. No matter how hard we try, how much we pray, how loud we turn our Christian music, we are human. We will never have a day where we are perfect. HOWEVER, we have the Creator of the Universe that is standing in the back of our courtroom saying "I want you to be FREE". Jesus Christ was sent to this Earth, walked a sinless life, and died for us to be free. If you were allowed to walk out of that courtroom after facing life behind bars, would you return directly to a life of crime. NO!! Let's show God how thankful we are for His favor by living a life that makes Him proud. When an ordinary person encounters our extraordinary God, something amazing takes place. I wish everyone could feel that at least ONCE in their life. That would change everything.

Deat God,

Thank you for taking my place in the life sentence. Thank you for letting me walk free. I am so thankful that Your grace covers me, that Your mercy is extended to me on a daily basis. I want to be more like You..please guide me. I want wisdom, power, and passion. Please open my eyes to God things, not world things. Help me to realize that Satan wants to mess me up. Keep me focused, so he doesn't win. The battle is over...the victory is ours. Thank you for that...I'm so glad to be on the winning team.
Amen

Surviving vs. Living

As I left work today, I asked someone how their day was. There reponse to me was, "Well, we survived!" As I walked down the hall, I found myself in another world thinking of how we manage our daily lives. I don't want to ever just survive, I want to THRIVE. Now, I'm not saying the lady who answered my question was trying to be negative, I'm sure that is just a common phrase we use around the world of education. However, I do believe we should be careful about what becomes "normal" to us. If we don't watch ourselves, we will allow small words/thoughts to become a part of our lives and before we know it, our attitudes begin to change. On the popular show SURVIVOR, the goal of the game is to simply be the last person standing. If I were in charge of reality shows, I would create a SURVIVOR that had as many people as possible standing in the end. You see, I believe that anyone can survive (God gave us that fight or flight sense that allows us to do so). However, it takes a believer, a faithful servant to not only survive life, but to actually enjoy it.

I don't want to look back on my life and think to myself, "that was fun, I should have smiled." I want to smile now!! I don't want to merely "make it", I want to be above my circumstances (no matter how bad they may SEEM). It takes a humble person to encourage others on days when they themselves could use it. If we begin to speak postive words in our own lives and into the lives of others, it may just make us feel better. If what you're doing right now isn't making you feel like you are thriving, try speaking LIFE into and about people, rather than negative thoughts. Sometimes we don't even realize we are being negative...that's where Satan likes it. When he can fool us without us even being conscious of it. Don't fall for it!! Even when you don't feel like it, speak LIFE. I'm not saying we should be fake, but often people think they have to change the way they feel BEFORE they can change the way the THINK. When, in all actuality, the opposite is true. We should change the way THINK which will lead to a change in the way we FEEL. Act "AS IF"...(as if you are THRIVING, not just SURVIVING). The most perfect man to walk the earth didn't die on a cross for us to survive, He intended for us to THRIVE!!

Dear God,

Please fill my heart with what you want my mouth to say, and give my tongue the power to say it. Open my eyes to people who need me and opportunities that need encouragement. God help me to realize that our mouth is our biggest enemy and strongest asset in life, and give me self control to make it my asset rather than the previous. Help me to know that staying silent is not always what You want. give me courage not to play it safe, but to be brave with positive thoughts. Thank You for all you have blessed us with, thank you for Your unending grace, and thank You for planting a passion in my heart to help people. Give me guidance to make that vision become a reality.

Amen

Little Things Can Change Everything

Schools out, too cold to play outside, can't drive anywhere, and the only thing on tv is the latest update of "severe winter weather". Isn't it funny how it all started with ONE TINY RAIN DROP. Most of the choices we make in life seem insignificant and small at the time, but when you compile them all together and look back, they drastically change (for better or for worse) the direction of your life. I guess it's comparable to a diet. The decision to change one meal at a time will lead to a healthy DAY...a few days of these choices will lead to a healthy WEEK...MONTH...and soon the results of weight loss will be noticeable.

Most things in life do not suddenly happen (which is the opposite of what people like to think)...there is usually a build up of smaller choices that lead to an event. What's funny is that we, as humans who don't like to accept the blame for things, somehow justify our crisis by blaming it on LIFE. When it all actuality our crisis is typically the result of our poor judgment of several small decisions which have escalated into something HUGE. Let me break it down...one small purchase at a time (which we justify and feel like we deserve) can eventually lead to debt, arguments, and an overwhelming stress. My word for 2011 is FREE...hopefully, my family will experience freedom this year as we make a conscious effort to pray about the small, daily decisions. Don't let the routine of daily life allow you to take for granted the importance of EACH CHOICE you make, they are ALL important. Without each rain drop, the winter storm wouldn't have been so severe.

Dear God,

Today I pray that we would make you proud. I pray that we would consult you for every single choice we make. Thank you for giving us free will, but thank you even more for being here with us helping us use our free will wisely. Please give us wisdom daily so that the small events build up and create positive experiences rather than a life changing crisis. Humble us...we can't do this alone. We need you to give us passion and positive attitudes, so that we see things through Your eyes. The world wants us to believe we deserve material things...please open our eyes to see that You gave us forgiveness and grace which we didn't deserve. Thank you for staying the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Amen

Balance

Remember in elementary school when you were first learning how to use a balance to weigh things? Sometimes you may put too much on one side and the whole things would fall apart. It was really hard to get just the right amount of things on each side to make it balance just right. Well, isn't it funny how almost every lesson in life can be compared to some childhood experience?

Life as an adult is all about BALANCE. the most difficult thing about being a mom, wife, teacher, student, friend, and every other realtionship is this simple word. Sometimes we get so engulfed in something that the weight becomes distributed in all the wrong places, and the balance falls apart. As a teacher who loves her job, I often find myself putting so much of myself into my work that the balance is not steady. Bringing papers home to grade, surfing the web for new teaching ideas, packing lunches, giving baths, helping with homework, cooking dinner, doing my own homework, and still finding some time to spend with my husband and God is oftentimes a crisis. It is my prayer that I would stay balanced.

God,

Thank you for your wonderful gift of relationships. Thank you for choosing me to be the mother of 2 healthy children who I adore. Thank you for my job. Thank you for the students I spend so much time thinking about. Thank for family and friends that encourage me and make me laugh everyday. Most importantly, thank you for giving us fresh starts, second chances. Thank you that I can mess up today, and you will cover me with grace. Please give me passion and balance in my life. When my scales begin to tip in one direction, please direct and guide me to get the balance back. Help me to be an enouragement to people daily as I depend on you for my encouragement.

Amen

Fresh Start

As I embark on this new venture of BLOGGING, I feel compelled to share my purpose. I decided this year not to set a New Year's Resolution...only to committ myself to one word for the next 365 days. The word I chose was "FREE". I am making a conscious effort to be FREE. Financially free, stress free, worry free, drama free, free to live and worship, free to live passionately for Christ, my kids, my husband, and others. As I think we all feel at the end of a year, I was ready for a fresh start, a clean slate. What a better time to begin fresh with a clean slate and live free than RIGHT NOW. I have chosen to journal this adventure in order to keep me accountable and, even more important, to encourage others.

I will begin this journey tomorrow, so please join me...become a follower...and receive some encouragement along with plenty of laughs from our crazy but wonderful life :)