Gods direction

I do not have much time to share this, but this is grand. This weekend Jeff, the kids, the grandparents and I drove to Iowa City to celebrate Fall birthdays. Well the weekend was really good to begin with. But the most exciting moment was Sunday. All of us from Red oak, wanted to share with the Iowa City Folks about our home church. All of sat down together and started reading from Genesis 15. When we finished with one chapter mind you, questions started to rumble. We had a wonderful conversation about God. Then my niece shared somethings that she was really struggling with and she really felt some guilt. We talked to her about having authority over Satan and I suggested that we pray over her. As I prayed , Jeff and his mother prayed in the spirit. When we were done, there was not a dry eye in the place and we all felt something, because there were amens and hallelujahs all over. I tell you the spirit will meet you were you are. Read the word and pray for wisdom and knowledge. I believe God directed this family in a whole new way. Amen

Years go By fast

I was looking at my blog and I realized it had been a while since I made an entry. Time is going really fast, before I will know it Christmas and the New Year will be here. I started thinking about when I was a child. My mother loved Christmas. She was lighting candles and playing Christmas music in September. This was a great way to tease my sister and myself. We would ask over and over again how close Christmas was. Of course, it was three months away and it seemed like forever. Now, I look at September and panic if I have enough time to get everything done. Oh, those were the days. I remember them like they were yesterday. Well, now my kids ask "How long is it till Christmas?" And of course we count the days. But I am happy to say, I do not start Christmas music till after Thanksgiving. Tanya

Blessings

Well, I am reminded that today is Monday. Yesterday, Jeff and I celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary with Jeff's Parents. We were up pretty late and decided to go to Walmart. It was about one in the morning. So, I did not get up real early today. But, when I got up and around, I started panicking about everything. And, after having a complaining (on my part) conversation with a friend. I realized that I need to sit back and remind myself of the blessings from God. I think I rely to much on my friends and family to uplift me. I need to rely on God and let his word uplift me. I am blessed, I just celebrated seventeen years with one spouse. I have not had to experience divorce like my parents did. I have been blessed with my kids. I am a homeschooling mom, who does not have to work. I can give my children the teachings of the Lord in their schooling. I have freedoms that other mothers do not have. God protects me and loves me. I am blessed that I have such wonderful in-laws that love me and took me in, when my family would not. I really need to realize that I am blessed to live in a country where I am free to worship Jesus. I do not have to hide my bible or be afraid of who I talk to. I am blessed. Thank you God for You!!!!!

Be Careful What You Say?

I realize that in this day and age that Christians are an example of Christ's love. I believe that you should be a positive speaking person. But when your words have to be so positive that you can not speak out loud to God or speak what is on your heart, it has gone to far. God knows what is on our heart, and I do not believe that Christianity should be so hard and uncomfortable that our sister's or brother's in Christ are reprimanding us because of our verbs. I am a little concerned about this name it, claim it movement. This movement talks about naming what you want and it will be given unto you. Where is discipline and obedience? God says in His word "That he will provide all my needs, according to His riches" Phil 4:19. God's word if full of all kinds of promises and riches, but if you are going through something you should be able to talk to another Christian or talk to God. Not feel guilty because you feel that way or because your fellow christian is telling you that you may of caused it because of your speech. This to me is dangerous, does your words cause you to be poor, or does your words cause a car accident? I think this is giving Satan too much power. He is a defeated foe, he looses in the end, so why are we making fellow Christians feel guilty, because they feel this way? I realize that we should not focus on being poor, or health issues, we need to focus on Christ's love. Encourage each other, love each other as you would yourself (Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself) Matt 19:19. But do not make your friend in Christ feel bad because they are struggling with something. Take them to the word, pray over them and most of all encourage, not discourage. If we want to be positive with our words, lets start with each other. Lets look at this passage in Matthew 12:36-37 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that man shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by they words thou shalt be justified, and by they words thou shalt be condemned." I guess we as Christians have to ask ourselves, with our words are we turning other Christians away from God? If you are you will have to make an account to them. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." So the next time you talk to a fellow christian examine your life and your speech to uplift and encourage your christian brother or sister in Christ.

Would You Like To Meet My Friend?

Every day, I sit and ponder about what in the heck am I going to type about tonight. Then I sit in front of the computer and look at the screen and type different titles. I have even gotten half way throught a paragraph and end up erasing the whole thing. So, tonight as I am sitting in front of the computer I started the same old rift. I realized that I love my son and daughter and they make my heart leap with joy. So, I can share about them. But they are not the ones who got me to this point of my life, God has. He has pulled me from lowest of pits and set me on solid ground. I can remember so many years ago, of thinking about walking away from my husband and children, feeling like I was trapped and I had no escape. I wanted to run for ever and not look back. But I walked into this church and my whold life flooded and flopped upside down and this way and that. I could not get enough of this God. He was showing me things that I thought I would never see or even want to change. Like being a mother, I was not a good one. I did not have a good one, I deceided that I was going to be a good one for my kids and love them more than I had felt loved. I was even asked by my husband to Homeschool, why do that I replied. I could not believe it. But the Lord changed my heart and I did it. I would not have it any other way. I love my kids and I love my husband. I do know that I still struggle through things and I need God more than ever. He has given me a changed and repented heart. I want you to know about my friend. Once you meet Him, he will change your life! Are you ready?

My Children

Today we had another fun filled day with homeschool. My daughter and I did home education, we made cinnamon rolls. I really believe God has changed my heart. A couple of months ago, I tried to show my daughter how to make something and all I did was get so frusterated with her. But today was different. I had so much fun with her, she was patient and she listened to every direction. She had fun, and so did I. And the cinnamon rolls were wonderful. Both my children have in the past been slow learners. This year they both are working very hard and they have brought themselves up. I do believe this change has also helped because I have changed the way that I have been talking to both of them. Over the summer, I tried to uplift them, telling them both that I have been proud of both of them, that God has a wonderful ministry for them. That they are handsome or beautiful. They have both shown some wonderful growth. I am so excited to see what this year produces in both of them. My son is even mentioned college a few times, this is news to me. I am so proud of both of them and I am so blessed to see their fruit bloom. It is an experience that I am so thankful that God laid on my husband's heart. If God is laying homeschool on your heart, heed the direction. You will be blessed.

Slowdown

I was watching Sunday night television, when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came on. I always like to watch the show. This episode involved a mother's plea to finish a home that her sixteen year old son started building. Her son was also head of the family, he tragically was killed in a car accident. I was really moved, this young boy did not just take care of the family or started building the family home, but he donated his organs to others. I was so moved by this young boys life. At sixteen he touched a whole community, four other people who needed organs and left such a print on his mother and sisters hearts. I started thinking about the day and what I wanted to share tonight on my blog. It made me zone in on the discussion in my women's sunday school class this morning. Malachi 3:10 " Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." This discussion this morning was on tithing and offerings. That as christians we have an obligation to God to offer tithes to our church or other placed that we feel God is directing us. But above our tithes we need to be helping others or giving offerings to the Lords creation. This show tonight and the discussion this morning really have made a heavy impact on my heart. It is not about reconition or being better than anyone else. It is about doing the work of the Lord. I do not care who know what I am doing with the money or blessings that God has blessed us with. But, I do care what the bible says and the obediance that the Lord expects of me. If a sixteen year old teenager shows that much love toward others, where is my heart at? What am I doing to further God's Kingdom?

A long Road To Peace and Joy

Well, it has been a long road, but I am back. It is funny how you go through a trial and everything else gets put on the back burner. This summer has been a long one. Our teenager went to Oklahoma for a week and my baby went to camp for the first time. Talk about struggles, I really had a hard time letter her go. Do not get me wrong, if she was going with family, I would of been okay with it. But she went to another state. I really pulled in God for this trial. But, she made it through. In fact, when I asked her how camp was, her reply to me was, "I cried at least three nights and I got sick. So this is where I make my move, "So are you saying that you did not have fun and you do not want to go back?" " No I did not mean that, I want to go back." she replied. I had really hoped that she would not want to go back. But, life goes on and so does your children. My teenager will be 16 this year, I can remember when he was a tiny baby. Which has been making me think how short of a time I will have him at home. But anyways, this summer has been really a trial for me. A good friend moved away and there was a lot of surgeries in our family. I have also realized that I need to be a structured person. If I do not have a structure I wander around aimlessly. So, I was glad to start home school again. I am so amazed with my children, I thought that we would have to do a lot of review, but they picked up where they left off. I feel so blessed by my children and my husband. I am really seeing God's work in my heart, I have done a lot of praying and spending time in the word. Through it all I see my place as my husband's wife. I am the keeper of the home. I will do this ministry with a grateful heart and have joy. So, through this trial came peace and joy. And that is what a christians life is all about.