Where did this energy come from?

October 29, 2008 I am on the fast track these days with bundles of energy. I attended my weigh in this morning at Weight Watchers and I have lost another 5.2 lbs. Yeah! I cannot believe I lost 5.2 lbs in one week which now brings my total weight loss to 11.4 pounds. I am gaining energy with each week and I am staying busy at home. Sometimes I don't know where the energy has come from but I pray it does not go away. I love my coach. She always ends our meeting with "belly be gone", and "bye bye thunder thighs." She is a wonderful older mentor. I do not know if she is saved or not and I am gradually introducing my faith to the group as the Lord lays upon my heart. In our meeting today, Susan (coach) asked me to share with the group what I had done this past week to lose the weight. I told them that I was planning meals that were healthy and exercising. I am walking up to 1.5 miles a day now and I told them that during my last 10 minutes of brisk walking that I would say over and over out loud, "I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me." Phil. 4:13 This is my adopted motivational verse in my journey toward weight loss. I know that God is in this and he desires for me to be healthy both physically and spiritually. My WOL devotions this morning was out of the book of Mark, Chapter 1:36-45. Jesus had great compassion on a man with leprosy and healed him but Jesus was seemed almost irritated by the fact that there was so much sickness and diseases (verse 43) and that God was so powerful that he could have changed all this but he then tells the man not to go and tell of the healing but to be right unto the Lord and have a testimony to show. The man did not do as Jesus had asked of him. I think about how self serving I can be just as this man was. We want Jesus to move on our behalf but do we desire to serve him in the same matter? No wonder he can be frustrated with us. But he shows us such great compassion. He loves us beyond what we can imagine. I got a text this morning that Jeremy and Tiffany are proud parents of Caleb Joshua Pollard. I am so excited for them and the picture of the baby is precious. I don't know if Jeremy will be there tonight or if he will stay with Tiffany. I am going to miss them so much. I really hope they visit us often. I have snacks tonight for WOL and we are doing sandwiches, chips, and cake. Stephanie Odell is helping me out and I appreciate it greatly. It is a lot for one person to take care of. I am saving money. I made the cakes myself and found some good deals on cake mixes and frosting. I have some pumpkin stuff to put on my table for our pumpkin theme. I spoke with my sister, Lynn today and she started crying on the phone. She is struggling with some things after my dad's death and I am praying with her. I always let her know I am praying for her. I know that I actually took some of the anger that I had towards my father and placed them on my mother. After my dad's death, I noticed that I was angry with my mother and God showed me that the only reason I was angry was that nothing really had changed from my father's death. I guess I thought that through his death, there might be some changes in the relationships of our family but I realized that if people are still in darkness, there can be no change. Christ is the only one who changes us on the inside and from that change we strive to be Christ-like. I am so far from it but I press on each day. My greatest prayer answered would be that my family (mother, sisters, brother) would all be believers in Christ and living our lives for him. My brother and I are the only ones that are serving the Lord and we are both saved. My sister, Lynn is saved but she does not attend a church. She has a place at the beach and the people beside her are Christians that were members of Union Grove. They have invited her to attend the church down at the beach with them and I pray that she will go and introduce her son, Tyler to Jesus. My brother and his wife both serve in their Church in Jupiter, Florida and they both work at the Jupiter Christian School. They have 3 boys: Luke, Isaac, and Caleb. They are handsome boys and I love them dearly. Janine is a wonderful sister-in-law. The best you could ask for. She is so giving and is not at all selfish. She always puts others in front of herself and she gives more than she ever gets. She loves the Lord and it is so evident in her life. I have more things to do and must get busy. Pray for my sister and pray for me.

October 24, 2008

Its Friday and I am looking forward to the end my work day. I am going to work the RU daycare tonight for a good friend. Her parents are coming to town an I want her to be able to visit with them. I don't have any big plans other than trying to get some laundry and housework done but it can wait. I once heard someone say, "there will always be something you need to do in your house, so just leave it for another day and enjoy the day that God has given you today!" I guess I have been enjoying the last week because my house is a wreck! I will work on it tomorrow. Jimmy called at lunch and he found some pumpkins for Rachael to carve. I am going to try and put out some fall decorations and her pumpkins. I don't think you ever get to old to carve a pumpkin. She enjoys doing this and we enjoy watching her. Jimmy and I went to the parent teachers conferences last night at the school and got good reports on Rachael. A few of the teachers questioned why we were even there, but I told them as parents Jimmy and I wanted to know how we could help them and if there were any areas of behavior that Rachael needed to work on. Mrs. Pressley is very sweet and gave us a wonderful report on Rachael. She said she loved Rachael very much and that Rachael was always very respectful to her. Mrs. Hartman echoed Mrs. Pressley and said that Rachael was very smart and was doing great in her advanced math class. Mrs. Hernadez also gave us a good report but wanted us to work with Rachael on studying more for her quizzes and keeping her notes organized. She seems to think that Rachael is sprouting a few wings and "gazing" on the boys. I laughed. She then proceeded to tell us that Rachael is a "social butterfly." I did not interrupt her, but I could have told her that Rachael was a social butterfly the day she began to talk. She has never had a problem talking. She loves to have fun with her friends and she loves to socialize. She must get it from her mother. She can be so hyper and giggly but I love that about her. I love that she loves life and I pray that she never looks back and wishes for more. I want her to know that her mom and dad loved her with all their heart and how very very blessed we have been to call her our daughter. I was not raised to show many emotions and hugs were few and far between in my home but with Rachael, God has made it so easy. She has a sweet spirit about her and even when I am ready to "pinch her neck off", I can still see the sweet spirit inside her. Sometimes when we have to say something to her about school or homework or her behavior, she gets mad and responds with a rebellious tone. I will look at her and ask her if (1) are we deserving of her anger? and (2) is God pleased with her anger? Of course, in her mind, the response to number (1) might be yes but she doesn't express it verbally but I can always see the humbleness come out in her to number (2). I can see the immediate conviction upon her face and she becomes quiet. Rachael loves the Lord. I see this in her actions and attitude. She desires to please him and I am very thankful for this. Jimmy and I were talking last night and we were on the subject of family. We talked about how Rachael really doesn't have any relationships with any of our family because sin has kept a lot of us separated but that our church family is her extended family. I don't know what we would ever do without our church family and our close friends. They love our daughter like their own and that means more to us than they will ever know. I really tread the days of dating though, and I know me and Jimmy will probably be hiding out in many bushes and trees. (ha ha) I miss Rachael being a child as much as I love the young lady she is becoming. I pray that she and I will always be close as a mom and daughter. I don't ever want her to question if she was loved and how valuable she is to me. I tell her and that is what I focus on; making sure I tell her so that she always knows the truth. Lord willing, I will be there for every aspect of her life. She is trying out for basketball this week and I am looking forward to the season. Rachael loves basketball more than any other sport and I pray that she does well. We are supposed to go to a chili cook-off at some friends Saturday night and Jimmy is getting his championship chili recipe ready. I hope that it is lowfat and not full of points. Haha! We are still going strong with our healthy lifestyle change and weight watchers. Please continue to pray for us. Kelli might come home this weekend and I pray that she does. We would really like to spend some time with her. Nick came by last night and we got to visit with him for awhile. I really wish he would come to church. We pray for him and Kelli but we also want them to know that the door is always open for them in our home. We love them very much. There has also been some sadness this week and celebration. Our youth pastor, Jeremy Pollard announced his resignation Wed. night from the church. He is taking a children's pastoral position at a church in Durham and we are happy for them but sad for us. We will miss them terribly and we don't always want to willing let go of those we love, but God is moving them in a different direction in their lives and we must accept this and pray for them. I hope they come to visit often. I did not know Jeremy and Tiffany very well when they first came to Union Grove but the last 2 years, Jimmy and I have come to love them very much. We enjoyed going to WOL camp with them this past summer and having them out to the house for dinner. They are a blessing and true friends. Rachael will have a hard time with them leaving. She loves them dearly and Stephen is precious to her. She tells me every morning she just cannot believe they are leaving. I just tell her to enjoy them while they are here and to pray for them as they continue to do God's will. I have used all my lunch time, so I am going to get back to work and get busy. Jimmy is calling (again). These city workers have "way to much time on their hands." ha ha!

Still going Strong!

October 22, 2008
This morning I went for my second weigh in with Weight Watchers and I was down another 2 lbs. This makes my total weight loss for 2 weeks to 6.2 pounds. I was a little discouraged that it was only 2 lbs and my coach (Susan) fussed at me. She said, "how in the world can you be so hard on yourself, you have lost 2 lbs." She then proceeded to tell me that I am never to feel bad again about losing or gaining but that part of my journey is to learn to accept the successes as well as the failures and to get back up on my feet and continue the journey. I can be quiet hard on myself and I think some of this came from childhood. I worked so hard to please my parents and to attempt to gain their attention. It took 40+ years of my life to realize that getting their approval is not going to make them love me. I had to come to the realization that God loves me and no matter what I do or don't do, HE STILL LOVES ME! I also told Susan that I had gone to the beach and eat out at 6 different restaurants and ate "cow patties" and brownies. She laughed and asked me if I enjoyed myself and I responded with a Big YEAH! She then looked at me and said, "its in the past, forgiven and now lets move on." She has a way of making me really look at my accomplishments as a success and not a failure. I am walking a mile now each evening on the treadmill. I walked outside yesterday evening just to get a change of scenery and I walked about 2 miles. It was a little chilly but I enjoyed it. Jimmy went down to the prison where he does his prison ministry on Tuesday night so I called one of my neighbors and we went walking down around her neighborhood. It circles around and has hills so you get a good workout. The volleyball team went to the state playoffs in Fayetteville and lost. Rachael called me yesterday evening and said they played real well the first game but did not play as well the next 3 games. She said it seemed as if everyone just ran out of energy and never regained the will to play. This means they will not play this weekend so I will probably take her out to get her new cell phone. Her contract is up on her old one and she desperately wants a new one. Jimmy and I reward her for her good grades so I will take her and let her pick out a new one and renew her contract. I am going to try and not "indulge" any this week and see what I lose next Wednesday. I am really starting to push myself and I purchased a weight watchers cookbook today that has some really nice recipes in it. I am looking forward to trying some of them. Tonight is church night and we are doing spiritual themes in the gym for the teens. I have got some presents I am going to put on the table and some small gifts for my girls. I love Wednesday nights and I love seeing my young ladies. I love seeing all the teens. They are such a blessing to me and I hope that I am a blessing to them. I see so much potential in so many of them and I pray that God uses everyone of them glorify his kingdom. I found a piece of paper on the ground today that looked like a paper out of a fortune cookie so I picked it up and it read, "you will soon be perfect." I cracked up. The first thought I had was, "I had better up my insurance because I have to die to be perfect." I'm glad I don't believe in fortune cookies or I might be making my funeral arrangements. All joking aside, when the Lord sees fit to call me home, I'm ready. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to hurry him up, but I look forward to seeing my heavenly father as well as my earthly father, grandmother, grandfather, and aunt. It will be a wonderful reunion. I must go now and get ready for tonight. Just wanted to update and post my weight loss. This blogging helps me to stay focused and on track.

Its been way too long

October 21, 2008
Hello and I might add its been awhile. I definitely have fallen down on this "trying to be faithful to blog each day." I have not done well at all but I will try to do better. Lots of different events have occurred since I last blogged and I'll try and cover a little of each in as much of a condensed version that I can. First of all, I went to see FireProof. Oh my goodness, I recommend this movie to all couples. It is AWESOME! I loved this movie and would definitely go see it again. Yes, I will buy it if it comes out on DVD. The movie has such a powerful message and speaks directly to trials that any marriage can go through. I was so moved by the message and the actors. Work has been really hectic lately, so I have been busy taking care of many things. I did get over my cold, well actually it turned into a nasty sinus infection but I got medicine and I am doing much better now. ("Thank you LORD") The varsity volleyball team did win their CCC conference game and are the CCC champs. The last time we held this title was back in 2004 so the girls were very excited to win. They are now going to the State Championship and I pray they are "GAME ON." Rachael is excited and she was so glad to be a part of the Varsity Team. She has played well this year and we are proud of her accomplishments. She has been in the Lexington Dispatch several times and one of my best friends have told me that I need to video tape her because she could very well be good enough for a scholarship to college. That would be awesome if God so desires. Financially, that would also lift a burden for me and Jimmy. This will be a matter of prayer over the next few years. I went for my first weigh in with weight watchers and lost 4.2 lbs. I was very excited and my coach was tickled. She kept praising my accomplishment in the meeting which gave me the incentive to keep it up. I really want to get healthy and stay healthy. Jimmy and I went to the beach with some really good friends and I must say, it was a wonderful time of fellowship. I know without a doubt, that God orchestrated this trip with exactly the right people in mind. We had such a good time of fun and laughter. Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones. I can tell you that even on the way home, I was able to share some real burdens that Jimmy and I have with good friends and get the encouragement that I needed. I know that our friends will pray for us and prayer is what is needed. I will not go into the burdens that we have out of respect for the privacy of our children. I will tell you that as much as we love them, we also weep for them. Every parent sees the deeds of their children as a reflection upon them, and Jimmy and I are no different. We have made mistakes in the past and God has forgiven us. We did not set the consistent examples that our older children needed growing up but we are praying that they see Christ through us now. There are going to be some hard consequences for one of them coming up and I just pray that God gives them comfort. Jimmy and I want so desperately just to jump in and rescue them, but that is not where God is leading us. God has clearly given us the direction and part of being a parent is allowing the child to reap the consequences of their actions. I can tell you, its very hard. Jimmy and I have struggled each day and our hearts are very heavy. Pray for us because God already knows the situation and he already has the answer. He is in control. We are busy this week and Rachael got her report card today. She called me on the way to a volleyball game in Fayetteville and told me she had 4 A's and 3 B's. I told her that we are very proud of her and that she is doing a great job. Rachael is smart and she can do very well in her studies. She gets lazy sometimes and we have to push her at times to do her best but we are well pleased with her grades. We always ask her if she has done her best. We ask her to search her heart before she answers and if she has done her best, then that is all that we require. She also got a call last night from the North Davidson Library that she had won a MP3 player. Yuri, the boys, and Rachael went to the library last week and entered into a drawing. Rachael got a call last night that she had won and they want her to come pick her MP3 player up and have her picture taken. She was excited last night when she got the call and I was excited for her. The weekend is going to be filled with the State tournament if they win but I don't mind too much because the weather is supposed to be rainy. You cannot get a lot accomplished on the outside when it rains. I usually try and work in the house and get some things done. I had better get off this blog and start supper. Next time, I'll try and blog sooner.

October 9, 2008
Today is a good day to blog. The weather outside is cloudy, drizzling rain, and pretty much an inside day for work. I went out earlier this morning and got some things done and came back in for lunch about the time the rain began to fall. We went to the fair last night and the concert was wonderful. Mandisa and Matthew West did an awesome job. The weather was "blah" but the worship was AMAZING! Mandisa did all of my favorite songs and did a wonderful version of Amazing Grace. I would love to have her sing at my funeral (if any of you out there in blogging land have connections). Matthew West was great and he too performed a lot of our favorite songs including, Only Grace, You Are Everything, Next Thing You Know, and Something to Say. He also performed a song that is on his latest album release called The Motions. I really love this song. He speaks of the same discussion I had with my teen girls at my table in youth last week. Our relationship with Christ should be more than just the motions. The words say:

This might hurt, it's not safe But I know that I've gotta make a change. I don't care if I break, At least I'll be feeling something' Cause just okay is not enough . Help me fight through the nothingness of life I don't wanna go through the motions I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,"What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?" No regrets, not this time. I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind. Let Your love make me whole. I think I'm finally feeling something' Cause just okay is not enough Help me fight through the nothingness of this life' Cause I don't wanna go through the motions I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,"What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?" take me all the way (take me all the way)take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions) take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real) take me all the way I don't wanna go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?" I don't wanna go through the motions I don't wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?" take me all the way (take me all the way) take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go) take me all the way (through the motions) take me all the way I don't wanna go through the motions.

There is so much truth in this song. We can get so consumed with our everyday lives and forget what our daily lives should be about. We should be doing God's work here on this earth while we still have the time in which to do so. I am guilty of this myself and I have opportunities and chances to witness to others and sometimes I walk away knowing that the Holy Spirit could have used me for a witness.

The kids seem to have a good time last night and enjoyed the rides. They rode even in the drizzle of the rain which was not that bad. Rachael and a few others got on this ride called Top Spin. This ride is unbelievable and my little daring, adventurous child stepped right up and got on this thing. It spins you over and over while the whole ride spins over as well. You have to see it to understand it but I know I would have to be knocked unconscious before I ever got on it. My crazy husband rode this thing last year with my sister and said he would never get back on it. Last night, I told him that Rachael rode it twice and he was said, "Your kidding, she got on that ride!" He could not believe that she rode it not once but twice. They enjoyed the concert as well and we had to make them leave the fair by 10:00pm so we could get them all home and in the bed for school today. Rachael got her first detention yesterday ever. She was humming in class. Yes, my child was humming. She has gotten into a really bad habit of humming and we are trying to break her of this habit. She hums when she eats, does her hair, brushes her teeth, and even when she does her homework. She saids she is not aware that she is doing it but we told her last night that it must stop. The humming is disruptive which is what the detention was written up for and Jimmy and I have explained to her that this is her one and only warning. She is serving her detention after school today so I am sure I will hear all about it when I pick her up from school. She will have to face the music with her volleyball coach as well because her detention time is also pulling her away from her vollyeball practice.
I still have my nasty cold and I asked Jimmy to make his wonderful chicken stew tonight because I love to have something hot on my scratchy throat. I can't seem to taste much of anything else and I am watching my points. I weighed in on the weight watchers and I go back next Wed. for my meeting. I'll blog my weight loss number (not my weight). If I lose, I'll post it and if I gain, I'll post it. Lets pray that there will be more losses than gains unlike all the people praying for the stock market. HaHa. Must go and get busy with more work.

Its that time of Year!

October 07, 2008.
Well, It's that time of year. You know, the time when the season changes and us allergy sufferers endure our first allergy cold of the season. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling as though my eyes were matted together and had that "blah" feeling. I climbed out of bed, my feet stood still, but the room was spinning. I took my shower and felt somewhat better so I prepared myself for church and Jimmy, Rachael and myself went to services. We had a very good Sunday school lesson. Jack Holt taught on the dangers of being led away by false teachers and how we as Christians should avoid these wolves in sheep clothing. I had nursery duty for the 11:00 am hour so I was not able to hear much of Pastor's message. I did see them do a memorial dedication to the members that had died in 2007 and my father's name was read and his surviving children were named. Jimmy accepted the carnation from the church and as I looked at the television monitor from the nursery, I began to cry. It was all so real that it had been 5 months to the day that my father died. I am thankful that the church recognized him during this special homecoming day and I will forever be grateful to my pastor and his wife. We came home and ate a light lunch and I started to cook for our homecoming celebration at 5:00 pm. The longer I stood in the kitchen, the worse I began to feel until finally I told Jimmy I just could not go back to church. I had a horrible headache that was followed by feelings of nausea. I went to bed and awakened about 6:30 pm. Jimmy and Rachael had stayed home also and I think we were all pretty exhausted. Rachael slept until around 7:30 pm and I made her get up and start her homework. I went back to bed and on Monday morning called into work and told them I was taking the day off due to my sickness. I slept most of the day and Yuri called a Sunday night and Monday to check on me. She is such a good friend to me and I love her dearly. God has enlightened me a lot of what defines Christian friendships. We are to uplift, encourage, and hold each other accountable as Christians. We are to bear each other's burdens and pray for one another. I hope that I am a good Christian friend to others. I fall short sometimes and don't always remember to call or send a card but the amount of love that I have for my friends is always in my prayers and thoughts. Rachael has a volleyball game today and the tournament is this weekend. We are going to Pastor's house tonight to enjoy some crab cakes and shrimp. Kim's Aunt is in for a visit and we all get together and enjoy her cooking. She loves to cook and is very good at it. Jimmy, myself and some other friends are going to see the movie, Fire Proof this weekend and I am looking forward to it. I have heard that every married couple should see this movie. The big news in my life right now is that starting tomorrow morning, I will be joining Weight Watchers. Yes, I have to do something about my weight so anyone reading my blogs, please keep me in your prayers. Pray that I will keep the strength to change my habits to healthy eating habits and that the LORD will provide all the nourishment that I need through his word and not through my own devices (food). Food seems to be my outlet for all my emotions, whether I am happy, sad, excited, bored, or just lazy. I love to eat good food that is not good for me. I know that I can do this. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. This is the verse which I will adopt as my verse to give me strength through this journey. Jimmy is going to do this with me and we are going to walk together and on the treadmill at home. A friend of mine at work, Wanda Holt, has been a big encouragement to me and is the one who finally just asked me to set a date to start. I need others to push me and encourage me. My middle sister, Lynn has just recently had some knee surgery done and I have been calling her to find out how she is doing but I have not spoken with her in about 4 days. This is normally too long for her and I not to speak. Growing up, we were probably the closest 2 out of the family. I looked up to her for everything. She is my "big sis" and always took care of me. We have been through some pretty tough times together and lean on each other for support. I don't know that she will ever realize how important she is to me. I pray for her and her family and she has shown tremendous strength throughout her life in dealing with some huge obstacles. She has won victory over some very bad things in her life and for that I am very proud of her. She knows the LORD and he is her strength. She has some beautiful children and grandchildren. Yes, she is a grandma and proud of it. Her youngest daughter, Katie is expecting a baby now and Lynn is handling this latest news well. As a parent, you choose to love them unconditionally just as Christ loves us unconditionally. She has great resolve in her life and she is the rock of her family. I love her bunches. Well, I must go and run some errands. I have got to get some things and work doesn't stop for anyone. I'll try and blog again soon.

THEY WON!

October 3, 2008 Friday.
Yeah, the varsity volleyball team won their game against Woodland Christian School. We needed this win in order to go to into the tournament. Rachael played a good game as so did all the girls. They were definitely on their game and playing as a team. They have struggled this year with coming together as a team and with the "heart" to play. They travel today to Cramerton which is down around the Charlotte area and I always pray for safety for them when they travel. I am not going to make the game because I have the RU daycare tonight. The people that were scheduled for the daycare this evening cannot be there so I will be taking the daycare this evening. I am looking forward to this weekend. Rachael and I are going with the Grove Girls to a corn maze in High Point on Saturday and it should be a great time. The Grove Girls is simply the teen girls that attend our youth on Wed. night. Tiffany Pollard came up with the concept of the Grove Girls and is actively getting them involved in different ministries so that we can all grow together as women in Christ. I love Tiffany. She is so sweet and her family has definitely weathered some storms. Tiffany's husband, Jeremy is the youth pastor for our church and his family was involved in a head on collision last year that almost took their lives. We as a church are so thankful that the LORD saw fit to leave them here to continue to do his work. They are such a blessing and Tiffany is pregnant again. She is expecting towards the end of October and I am excited to meet Caleb. Sunday will be homecoming day for our church and as Baptist, we will eat and we will eat well. I am looking forward to the celebration and the music afterwards. I have some things I need to get done this weekend around the house and maybe I'll find some time on Saturday after we return from the corn maze. Next week will be filled with volleyball games and on Wednesday I am taking Rachael to the Mandisa and Matthew West concert at the fair. They are some wonderful Christian singers. I don't normally not attend our youth group on Wed. night but I am at peace with this decision to take Rachael to this Christian concert and worship the LORD. Yesterday evening at the game, I got to hold Claire for awhile and she is so funny. She is the daughter of my Pastor and his wife, Kim and I love them dearly. Claire is precious and she is talking now. She saids "Ray Ray" for Rachael and I am trying to get her to say "Ang" for Angie. I chased her around the gym after the game and she just laughed. She has a really cute laugh. She loves her mommy and anytime we got near to Kim, she would say MaaaMa. They are so blessed to have her and went through some valleys before they stood on the mountain. God has blessed them with a beautiful adopted Japanese daughter and she is so blessed to have them as parents. I am happy for them and love to just watch them together as a family. It is literally watching prayers answered and reminds me of how GREAT OUR GOD IS! They have been such good friends to Jimmy and I and when my father passed on May 5th of this year, I could not have faced the days without the support of my close friends. Pastor and Kim came down to my dad's place the day we found him and I could not have endured the day without their support and prayers. Jimmy had called them and was on his way down from work and I felt so alone at that moment but gained comfort from God. There are no words to describe how anyone will deal with the death of a loved one. Whether your relationship is good or whether it is bad, the outcome is still the same. That person is gone from your life here on earth, never to see them or hear their voice again on this side of heaven. I cannot go into full details of my relationship with my father because that would be a book to be written. I can tell you that it had its ups and downs. There was a very sweet, caring, gentle side to my dad and that is the qualities that I choose to remember. I had taken the good memories like the ones of him playing "dodge ball" with us kids growing up, taking us the store each time he came home from a trip (he was a truck driver), taking us to Disney World, Six Flags over Georgia, the mountains, and making us candy. My dad made the best homemade chocolate candy. He would take a cast iron pan and put cocoa, peanut butter, butter, sugar, can milk and some other ingredients and constantly stir the pan until the candy started to hardened. He would then pour the batter into plates and put them in the refrigerator. I can remember the taste of that candy like it was yesterday. It melted in your mouth and sometimes he would add pecans. All the kids in our neighborhood would always ask, "when is your dad going to make some more candy?" I miss that. I miss him walking up to my front door with a bouquet of flowers picked from his flower bed and giving them to me. He loved to plant flowers. He loved to be in the garden. He could grow anything and had a giant green thumb. Growing up, our yard always was the envy of the neighborhood. He passed his green thumb onto my sister, Lynn, and her yard is always beautiful to look at. I have his stubbornness and determination. I know that and I don't try and deny it anymore. Jimmy used to say to me, "You can be just like your dad." That used to make me mad, because he would tell me that when he was mad at me and we tend to view the negative attributes of a person when we are in a spat with our spouse, but now I am okay with that statement. I know that I possess traits of my father just as I possess traits of my mother. I inherited my father's stubbornness but I also inherited his determination and brains. My dad was a smart man and determined. When he set his mind to do something, well, he just did it. I know I have that because I refuse to give up or give in. I look at the glass 1/2 full and I hope beyond hope. My sister saids I am always hopeful and that I never give up on our family. Psalms 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. My dad also loved "fireworks." He also did the best firework display on the 4th of July and growing up it was like being at a "national event." He did not hold back and we loved watching the show. He introduced my daughter, Rachael to his fireworks show in South Carolina in 2004 and she was just amazed. She said, "Did you see Papa and all those fireworks?" Dad loved Rachael. He was the 3rd person to hold her after she was born next to me and Jimmy. He always told her how proud he was of her. I never heard my dad say that to me until a month before he died. He called me over to the hospital and we had not spoken for over a year. He told me he loved me and that he was sorry for things that had happened with us. He then looked at me and said, "I am so proud of you." "You and Jimmy have raised a good child and she loves the LORD." That broke my heart that day. But I will never forget those words said in that hospital room. I know that father is in heaven and I look forward to the day that I see him again. He assured me, Rachael and my Assistant Pastor that he had accepted Christ as his Savior and he knew he would be eternity in heaven. Those were some of the last talks we had in the hospital with him. I am thankful that I had so many church family and friends to support me when he passed. Missy Hege came to my house that evening and just spent the evening at my house talking with me. She dropped everything that she was doing just to come to my house and to be there. Yuri called and just let me cry. I am just thankful there were good Christian friends to hold me and my family up in prayer. That was the hardest week of my life. But GOD was so GOOD to US and sent love to us in so many different ways. I probably will not post a blog this weekend because I have so much to do. If I get a chance, I will but if not, I will post on Monday. Hope everyone has a great weekend and a wonderful time of WORSHIP and PRAISE on Sunday.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I had a good birthday celebration yesterday and it ended with my husband and daughter taking me out to dinner after church. It is a privilege for me to serve with our teen department at our church and we divide up into tables. I lead a table with 4 teenage young ladies (11th grade girls) and what a blessing it has been to serve with them. The Beverly twins made me a birthday cake (yum, it was very good) and I received lots of well wishes and hugs. I also got a nice gift from a really good friend (Patty Fletcher) and she is always thinking of others. God gave her the "gift of giving." I enjoyed my day and as my friend, Yuri would say, "it was all about me." This morning in my devotions I got a chance to really understand the value and importance of prayers. In I Timothy 2: 1-7, Paul stresses the importance of prayers and the 4 main components of prayers being supplication, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks. It is very important that when we pray that we have the faith that God will answer those things for which we are praying for and to give him the thanks before he answers our prayers. I am so glad that God does not always answer our prayers according to my measure of faith. Sometimes I believe I would fell miserably if my faith in my prayer was the only thing that God looked at before he decided whether or not to move on my behalf. That is why it is so important that Christians pray for one another, to lift up one another in prayer and to encourage each other in our faith. I am so in love with Jesus Christ and I am so glad that he loves me! Last night at our Teen meeting, the message was on the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In our table discussion after the message, I wanted my girls to understand how important it was that we not look at our relationship with Christ as a chore or duty but to fully understand that as Christians, we must love Jesus Christ and fall in love with him more and more each day. To just "do go" as one of my ladies stated is not enough. We must desire to serve him out of our love for him and this is accomplished by abiding in him. We must stay in the Word for the Word to stay in us. I am understanding this more and more each day with my walk in Christ. The more I abide in his word, the more I love him and see how his mercy and his grace is the abundance in my life. I really enjoyed the devotions this morning and it gives me the strength I need for my day. Jimmy and I are going to Rachael's volleyball game this afternoon and my step-son, Nick is going to come. I am very thankful that Nick stays involved with his younger sister and that his loves is evident for her. If anything were to happen to me and Jimmy, I would want Rachael to know that she can always turn to her brother and sister for the love, support, and comfort that she would need. Nick will soon be 28 and he is dating a school teacher, Melissa. We love them and look forward to many memories with them. Nick is a hard worker, very smart, and has a sweet and humble personality. He can worry too much though and we have to help him find peace at times with things but he always has good intentions. I do wish he would find a good KJV Bible preaching church to attend and as his stepmother, I have expressed these desires and prayers for him. I know that Nick is saved and I know that he loves the LORD. Sometimes we lose our way but I cling to the verse in Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Nick knows the truth. I love him dearly and pray for him daily. Kelli is my step-daughter and she turned 23 this year. She lives in Charlotte and we don't see her that much. Kelli is a private person and much like her father in personality. She has a lot of his features and is a beautiful lady. She works hard and is very ambitious. She knows what she wants and goes after it. We always thought that she would be the one we would have to "push" out of the nest and then help support. She proved us wrong BIG TIME! She went to college at UNCC and in 4 years, she a degree and continued to live and work in Charlotte. She has never looked back since leaving home for college and sometimes we have to remind her that she still has family back in Lexington. We are very proud of her and again like Nick, we express to her our desires that she get back in church. They were grounded in their faith as children by their acceptance of Christ, the faithfulness of their mother to take them to church, and I believe that God will bring them back to that foundation. Jimmy and myself had to accept our responsibility in not setting the examples before them that we should have in their childhood, and we have sought their forgiveness. When your lost and living for the world, you never value the importance of setting the examples for your children. My dad used to coin the phrase, "monkey see, monkey do." I never liked being referred to as a monkey but I get the gist of what he was trying to say. ?" That's why it is so important to instill in our children at the youngest age possible, the knowledge of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We have to be the "example setters" as my husband would say. We must give them an example to follow. And as parents, we must never stop praying for them. I Thess. 5:17 Pray without Ceasing. I hope I did not "rattle" the cage too much but part of my blogging is to be honest. One day when God calls me home, I want my family to know the true feelings, desires, longings, and legacy that I pray I will leave with them. I've made plenty of mistakes in my past and I'm sure I'll continue to fumble my way through things in this world but the difference is that in 2001 I obtained the Pilot for my life, Jesus Christ!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Wed. October 1, 2008. Today is my birthday. Sounds kinda "korney" to wish yourself Happy Birthday but I woke up this morning singing to myself. Psalms 144: 15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. Jimmy was next to sing and give me a nice birthday kiss. Rachael followed the room with sleepy eyes but never uttered the words. There are not many teenagers that I know that are morning people. She begins talking about the time I drop her off at school. Jimmy told me later, " don't be mad at her for not saying Happy Birthday because she has "big" plans for you later. " I'm not mad at her and even if I were, I could never stay that way. You see, Rachael is my joy, my sunshine, and the most precious blessing God has given to me. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with her. Actually I think I knew before it was confirmed. It was February of 1994 and I was flying back from San Diego, California with my mother. We had been on a week long visit with my brother and his family and were looking forward to getting home. I knew I still had a couple of weeks before I could "officially confirm" but I just knew. Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, I took a pregnancy test and it was official. I started my nine months of documentation, ob-gyn visits, and nesting syndrome. I loved being pregnant (at least for the first 7 months). My craving seem to center around chocolate milk. I would leave work at lunch and buy a 1 quart carton of chocolate milk and it would be gone before I returned to the office parking lot. At my 6 month check-up, I remember my doctor saying, "I don't know what you are eating, but you must stop eating so much of it. You have gained 7 pounds in 2 weeks." That would be the last time I would indulge in my milk habit. The memorable part of my pregnancy had to be my fall from the attic. Yes, I fell from the attic taking the attic frame and stairs with me. It was around the end of September and I was in my 7 month of pregnancy. My sister, Lynn was over for a visit and we were taking some items down from the attic that would be used for the baby. Without hesitation or thought, I climbed up the attic stairs and into the attic. Just as I had made my way into the attic, I heard a "popping" noise and down I went. I don't remember falling but I do remember the landing. I took the blunt of the fall on my elbows and behind. I remember thinking if I could just protect the baby. My sister screamed and soon was in a nervous shake, calling my husband to let him know what had occurred. I picked myself up from the floor and miraculously, felt fine. "God is Good!" I don't know how I managed to fall 9 feet from top to bottom, 7 months pregnant and not sustain any injuries to the baby or myself, but God does. He is always in control. Rachael was born in November of 94 and took our breaths away. She was a little over 7 lbs and was 21" long. She had no hair but was still beautiful to watch. Getting ready to take her home was a bit scary and I wasn't quite sure how to be a mom but as everyone told me, it will come to you naturally. The LORD must have known that Jimmy and I needed some lessons in patience because the next 6 months would prove to put us to the test. Rachael was "colic." She cried from the day we brought her home until 6 months later. The pediatrician said "it might go away in a couple of months or it could last a year." Thank Goodness, the Lord saw fit to teach us patience in 6 months. As much as she cried, she was still beautiful and she was coming into a personality of her own. She is daring, adventurous, sociable, talkative, hyper, determined, athletic, persistent, stubborn, and beautiful. She never slows down and she is sensitive to others. She loves children and the most of all, she loves the LORD. She witnesses to others and her dad and I love the way she brings up God in conversations with others. She once asked a cashier at the Dollar Tree, "do you have a church that you attend?" "Could I invite you to ours?" She begged me one evening after a long day at work to take her to the Sheets store so she could take tracts into the employees. I am so thankful that she desires to see others come to know Christ. She has to be reigned in from time to time (after all, she is a teenager), and times are not always filled with bliss in our home. She does get into trouble, mostly for not doing things that we have asked her to do and sometimes for expressing her opinion when no ones desires to hear it. But she is a hard worker, loves school, does well with her grades and loves sports. She sure can play some volleyball. She got her athletic abilities from her dad. It will be interesting to see what she has in store for me this evening. I'll post again tomorrow if the Lord allows me another day here. For now, I'll enjoy the blessings of today!