Happy 24 Years!

Happy anniversary! 24 Years........

Purse Mission Conference this weekend

My favorite little Missionary from Czech! Sean

My favorite Rose

My favorite Husband

who I will celebrate 24 years of wedded Bliss with on Monday

Friends from around the World

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Brandi Cantrell, missionary to Vienna. She works for the Mercy House of Prayer! Love this girl

I did it!

Well, in June I started Couch to 5K! 2 weeks ago we travelled to Grapevine, TX and I ran my first 5K! My goal was to not walk! and I did it! Woohoo

Perspective.......

I am taking Perspectives!
There is so much great info and lot's of reading to do. I am so behind on my reading so went to a local coffee shop today and got lot's of reading done! I am pretty sure I would have done so much better in college if there had been coffee shops and Ipods!

Non laboring Post

It's Labor Day and I enjoying a Day of NON LABOR!!

I read an interesting online article this morning of the History of Labor Day. Always interesting to know WHY we do what we do! ha
My poor hubby had to work today and ridiculously early I might add. Tough when the lazy one has to be woken up at 5 am. I am not bitter however and was able to go right back to snoozeville!

I am about to make cookies! A couple of varieties. My favorite a Choc/Oatmeal/PB no bake and can't decide between choc chip or some type of yumm-o bar cookie with eagle brand milk. All quite healthy! lol

I am taking a class this semester called Perspectives. First class was last week. I all ready love it! Speaker was great and I have all ready had a "mind" shift with regards to "my purpose" for life.
Are you blessed??? You are not blessed for your own sake but for a God Ordained purpose. It is a responsibility to be blessed! Blessed with a nice home, a good spouse, great kids, good friends??? What are you doing to give back in that area? You can host an in home bible study, lead a marriage class, volunteer at your kids school. ETCCCCCCCCC
Love a small vector thought change and it changes your whole direction! woohoo!

thoughts from my reading in Nehemiah

1st Peter 5: 8-11
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

So, with that as our premise. These are a few things I have learned lately from Nehemiah....

Nehemiah 6:7 Message.
"The word is out among the nations—and Geshem says it's true— that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. That's why you are rebuilding the wall. The word is that you want to be king and that you have appointed prophets to announce in Jerusalem, 'There's a king in Judah!' The king is going to be told all this—don't you think we should sit down and have a talk?"
8 I sent him back this: "There's nothing to what you're saying. You've made it all up."
9 They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, "They'll give up; they'll never finish it."
I prayed, "Give me strength." (one version says: So, I prayed for strength to continue the work)

You will hear lies from the enemy! You have to "send it back to him" Devil, there is NOTHING to what you are saying! YOU have Made it ALL up!!! He will try to intimidate you into quitting!!!
You must PRAY for Strength. And ask trusted friends to Pray for you as well!

According to Nehemiah 7:5 God can put things into your heart.

God can give you ideas. I love this thought. When you are stuck you can pray for the Lord to give you creative ideas to work thru situations and seasons!

And Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 11So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved." 12And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

AWESOME!!! You can have JOY because you hear God's words and UNDERSTAND!!!

BUT BEEEEEEEEEE CAREFUL!

Nehemiah 9:28 “But as soon as they were at peace, your people again committed evil in your sight, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times! 29 “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. 30 In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them. 31 But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!

Soooooooooo,

• there is an enemy out to get us
• we must recognized and not let him get away with it
• we must continually pray for strength and creative ideas
• there is joy in understanding God's word and just when we get comfortable with that
• we will screw up
• we can CRY OUT
• God is gracious and merciful to forgive us!