My Verse for Now

My scripture verse to memorize / study / focus on for the first 15 days of January is perfect for me. I have been praying & seeking the Lord regarding various issues, problems, situations that we need wisdom & discernment. Sometimes in life we face things that because of the cirumstances or people involved are difficult to know how to handle or proceed. My verse comes from Isaiah 34:4 (NIV) I sought the Lord, & he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (MSG) God met me halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears. What a refreshing thought! Thank you Lord for bringing people into my life that will push me & help me be more accountable for spending more time with you. Sometimes in the midst of our busy schedules we don't realize that all we need to do is stop & spend a few moments with our heavenly Daddy. It reminds me of when I was little & curling up in my Daddy's lap. Those were the times when I felt so loved! Its time to make sure that I curl up in my Daddy's lap daily. Focusing on my verse daily hopefully will help me do that. I am very excited about 2011 & the things that it will bring my family. One of those miracles is on the way now & I can't wait to see if we need more pink or if blue will be the new color. Hope everyone enjoys today - its my anniversary. I have definitely enjoyed today. I have a wonderful, perfect for me husband, Gary! Thank you Lord for this man & the love he has for me, our children & grandchildren. Good night everyone. Love y'all!

Our pets are like our children...

If your not an animal lover you may not understand the above title. Our pets (mine are dogs) have a way of wrapping themselves around your heart. The Lord knew when he made animals that they would give us comfort, support, companionship, fun but most of all unconditional love. We love our pets almost as much as our children & they become a very important part of our family. They don't require anything of us. They are always glad to see us. You may not understand this but when our animals are sick its just like our children being sick. We want to make them better. I can not imagine having a sick pup & not being allowed to see them. This post is for Monica & Gracie. Monica took Gracie to the vet hospital on Tuesday because she was sick. They did MRI, surgery & Gracie is in ICU. Monica has not been allowed to see Gracie since Tuesday. How cruel to them both!!!! They need to be able to love on one another. Monica also needs to be able to talk to Gracie (who btw is probably scared & wondering where Monica is) & let Gracie know that she's there waiting on her. I remember when Sable (our chocolate lab) was hit by a car. She had to have surgery & a few days stay at the vet. We were allowed to see her & let her know that we still loved her & were waiting until we could take her home. This also helped her recovery. Hang in there Monica & Gracie, we are praying for you! Yes I'm praying for a dog because the last time I checked they are one of God's creations too. BTW we prayed every night for Sable & she made it!

Some Random Thoughts!

Where are you going today? What is consuming your mind? What people (family/friends/strangers) will cross your path today? Will you be given a chance to minister to anyone today? WILL YOU TAKE THAT CHANCE?????? Here's my chance to minister: Our Heavenly Daddy wants you to know that he loves you more than words can say!!! He has tried to show you by actions. He sent his ONLY son to die on the cross so that you can have eternal LIFE!!!! He wants to be your everything!! He wants to be your shelter, protector, provider, sustainer, comforter, supporter (& the list could go on forever)! He's your biggest fan sitting on the sidelines of your life! He's there & all you have to do is call on him-----he's always listening!!!!!! Take a moment today to answer some fan mail from your #1 fan! Talk to him today - have an ongoing conversation all day today with your best friend! He gives the best advice/counsel! Just listen to all he wants to share with you! Enjoy the day with your bestest friend/fan! Just some thoughts! Love to y'all! Joannie

I need to be more like my children???......

This was a phrase that my husband shared with me Saturday morning. Needless to say, I was very surprised! Let me try to explain this. Beware: This is going to be brutually honest!!! As you know from my previous posts, Douglas has been having serious problems with his seasonal asthma. It began last Tuesday. I took him to the dr. She prescribed all the asthma usuals: inhalers, asthma med, antibotic, & steroid. We went to the pharmacy to get scripts filled & BAM! He has not had insurance coverage since 11/30/08! (His father is required by the divorce to carry health insurance.) I WAS SSSOOO UPSET!!!!!! After talking with his Dad, long story short no real explanation but no coverage! I can't begin to go over all of the ways that HD has taken care of Kirsten & Douglas over the past 4 months of not having coverage but also how HD's hand has been at work just since Douglas got sick!!!! But now to get back to explaining the title of this post. Momma (me) has been more than frazzled! I've felt the stress of a sick child-who has experienced the fear of not being able to breathe. The stress of a little boy wanting to practice ball & not being able to even be outside. The stress of what to do legally to fix the insurance thing. The stress of missed work (no work---no money)! Then the real problem--ANGER!!! I have been very angry over all of this!!!! To see what Douglas has gone through. To be put in a situation to make an adult be responsible & mature. ITS MADE ME ANGRY! I've prayed about it A LOT! I asked friends to pray about it also. I appreciate that my friends even the Jonathon ones have said its just the Momma coming out in me because someone was messing with my babies & my anger is justified! OK, but I'm a Christian & I know what the bible says about anger. Anger turns to bitterness & bitterness will consume you from the inside out! If I let this anger continue it will become an open doorway & take control!!! I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! I was talking to my wonderful, supportive, loving husband (Gary) about this Saturday & he told me that I have to be like my children with all of this. Yes, I was very confused! WHAT? He explained that the children get up every day & never give a thought to what they will eat (you always have food for them), they never worry about what they are going to wear (you buy them clothes & make sure that they are cleaned), they never worry about anything because even if they are sick & don't have insurance they know that you are going to do whatever to take care of them. You have to put your faith into action & know that HD is taking care of you & you don't need to give it a second thought! Just be thankful that he(HD) is!!! Give your anger over to HD every time it comes to your mind! WOW - Gary is a man of few words but those few words --- WOW! The anger part has been enlightening! I have had to pray every time I give Douglas his meds, make him calm down (meds make him even more hyper), and hear him cough-----HD take away my anger replace it with love, help me to forgive & forget! I'm still praying its not gone yet. But if it were taken away immediately would I be learning anything!?!?!? Like everything about my relationship with HD, its a daily walk/journey not just a destination. I've taken several steps backward over the last week. The positive is that I'm moving forward again!!! Pastor Jason spoke to me Sunday & again tonight. I love the fact that his words are hitting me where I live. They apply to the situations that I'm facing. I am an overcomer! So......to sum this up for you-----had some bad days, HD taking care of me even though I wasn't paying attention & appreciative, working on letting go of anger & replacing it with forgiveness. Honestly can't say that I've accomplished this goal completely but definitely working hard on it! I'm very appreciative of HD, Gary, Pastor Jason & my Jonathon friends who are speaking to me & keeping me accountable! Also, if your faith is not being stretched....is it really faith????? HAHA-& you thought I wouldn't leave you with something to ponder!!! Love to y'all! Joannie

Douglas a good heart even when sick

Hey friends!
I seem to be continually apologizing for my lack of posts. I have A LOT to share but as most of you know that have children....blogging (or anything else) has to wait when your children are sick!!! Douglas has been sick! His seasonal asthma is in full force. I took him to the doctor last week but he went back to school & was around other sick children (there were 15 out sick last Tuesday when he was out). The problem is most of those parents sent their children back to school even though they were supposed to stay home! ANYWAY....Douglas got worse. He was in a healing service Sunday at church & he was so sweet Sunday night before he went to bed. Momma, Jesus healed me, I haven't coughed as much today as yesterday! He was right but the cough was still deep & sounded worse than when I originally took him that I had to take him back Monday. His doctor increased the number of times he takes his inhaler & gave him more medicine. He has really been pitiful! (He's on 2 inhalers, allergy med, antibiotic, & steroid.) He has wanted to be held & upset that he can't practice ball! It has been hard to find a happy medium for him. He's out on Spring Break & can't get outside & enjoy the weather, his medicine makes him mean one minute, crying the next & then he's sleepy & has to have a nap. Its a bad cycle! He has been very sweet too! He has been so loving at times & apologizing for being sick!! It has been a roller coaster of emotions! We have been through so much over the past week!! (Those details to follow in a different post!) Please pray that Douglas will be better soon!!! He really wants to practice ball & play outside in the sunshine. Thanks for the prayers & I'll post more details later today about the events of last week. Love to y'all! Joannie

Apology

Hey Friends
Sorry for the delay in posts. Things have been very busy around our home. I've worn many hats (as we all do) & somewhere in there blogging took a back seat. I took the parents to the VA again, 2 softball games (Kirsten), baseball mtg (Douglas), Wed. church, Thursday trip to Montevallo for art (Kirsten), work, menus, groceries, meals, laundry, homework, & etc. Today has been catch up day. Its crazy though because house cleaning, menus, groceries & laundry are still being done today!!! Some jobs are never-ending (I know each of you can relate).
I want to share a few things with you! There are times when life seems overwhelming. This past week was one of them. But as I tried to put into practice what I've been learning in this Frazzled Female bible study, things didn't automatically change. They were still very busy but I changed how I was dealing with it. I put my HD first, had those few minutes of devotional time & prayer time! It helped me to stay focused not only on HD but it truly made me more organized & efficient in all the tasks that I was juggling. I can't explain it but I just know I experienced it! I don't always share the negative side of things I'm going through BECAUSE there are usually plenty of people sharing their negative situations. I try to keep a positive attitude in all I do. I hope for some of you that this doesn't appear things are always perfect or great in my world. I'm just like all of you. We wear many hats! These hats create a tremendous amount of stress. Our job is to handle each hat/task/responsibility to be best of our ability. I have just learned that if I stay positive about each of them that they are easier to deal with. This doesn't mean I don't get upset/frustrated/tired & sometimes angry. But over time I've realized that only made things worse if I stay in that frame of mind. If I focus on the positive of my blessings things work out better. HD has blessed with a nice vehicle so that means that if I want to keep it nice, I need to have the oil changed, may need to buy a battery, check the air in the tires & put gas in it. I have a nice home so to keep it that way I have to clean it. I have nice clothes so to keep them that way I have to wash them. It may sound very elementary but it really works & I'm focusing on my tasks as blessings. Our minister spoke about this one Sunday & it really stuck with me. He said that if we don't take care of the blessings HD gives us WHY would he bless us with more??????? There's some words to ponder.

Just because your positive & happy doesn't mean your fake --- your probably more real than most. At least you see that HD has filled you glass half way because if its half empty you emptied it! OUCH that hurt!!!
Love to y'all!
Joannie

Sitting with & Listening to Heavenly Daddy

There are several ways to have your time with Heavenly Daddy(HD). Be pre-occupied with HD. (We can be pre-occupied with other things, why not HD?!) Sing Praises (I do this whenever I'm in my truck, at home cooking or cleaning). Spending AM quiet time with HD-----this can be reading my bible, bible study, singing, talking about things or praying about things & people. Thinking about HD throughout my day. Invite/Ask HD to be in every detail of my day & life.
As I spend more time with HD, I'm learning several things & my love is growing stronger. Out of this growing relationship, I experience many awesome benefits & so are the people around me. Thats really amazing!!!! Our relationship with HD has a goal of intimacy and we can celebrate the journey every step of the way. John 17:9 Holy Daddy(my change) guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind. (MSG)
I try to relate this to the joy I feel as a parent when my children show me they love me by wanting to spend time with me. This may be snuggling, talking, watching a movie, playing games, etc. I always remember the love & joy I felt being in my Dad's lap when I was a little girl.
Sometimes because we are so pre-occupied with the great demands for our different roles (i.e. mom, wife, employee, daughter, sister) we forget the important one: Child of the KING! Thats when we are like Eli not recognizing HD's voice. Thankfully, HD's persistent with his love. He wants to enter our hectic schedule & minister to us by soothing us with peace & joy. We have to recognize his love. There are several ways he sends his love. These could be something said in a conversation & you know its from HD, the beauty in nature, a scripture passage or part of a sermon that you recall. I ask God to open my ears to hear & eyes to see. BTW--be prepared when you pray this prayer b/c he definitely answers this prayer!!!
A revelation that HD showed me is: I can't fulfill the call he has on my life if I'm not making HIM a priority.....no matter what "good" things I may be doing. Also, HD knows the longings of my heart & he wants to give them to me. But we have to pour out to HIM our everything--heartbreaks, sorrows, concerns, passions, loves, desires, dreams, etc. As we run to HD with our stuff, our focus goes from our stuff to HD!!!!Then HD can comfort us & ultimately give us our hearts desires. Through our prayers & bible study we gain the strength to overcome our emotions & circumstances!!! I'm praying for each of you today to see the love notes that HD is sending ya!!
Love to y'all! Joannie