I'm Back

After a long hiatus I am back on the saddle again ready to blog. For some reason the holiday season takes its toll on me and I slip into a funk. Spring is in the air and I am rising up from the ashes. So join me as I continue my journey. Be prepared for a new post in a few days.

Pictures of Lady

Here are a few pictures of our dog, lady, an English Springer Spaniel. She was having a relaxing evening in Richards Recliner..."old faithful". Ain't she just the cutest things!

Tis' The Season

Christmas is just around the corner. Let the chaos begin! Tempers will flare, kids will convince their parents to get the one toy, plastic or electronic, they so desperately need. All the while the parents are aware they will risk sanity and possibly life and limb during the annual fighting of the aisle just to get it. In the end Santa Clause will get all the credit and that toy they screamed and hollered for will be chucked to the side in a matter of a week or 2.

Then its on to Christmas dinner at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Well much more like a cottage where 40 people cram into the house the size of the old lady who lived in a shoe and had so many kids she didn't know what to do. Aunt Geraldine will gripe how the kids are running through the house, Grandpa will complain how cool it is while consistently turning up the heat, and everyone else is running outside just to cool off. And then there is that one family member who will say something stupid....you know the family member that apparently should've gone to see the wizard for a brain or asked Santa for one, And this of course will have your wife or husband raise an eyebrow and give you the look that says " Get the kids and head for the car now!"

Everyone returns home tired, exhausted and ready for the much deserved nap as a reward. But then you look around to the wrapping paper, toy boxes, and other trash trailed throughout the house from that morning and then it hits you. Next year we'll just stay home and I'll tell the kids there is no such thing as Santa Clause!

Happy Thanksgiving

I can hardly believe that its that time of year already. This week families will be traveling, and scrambling to get home for thanksgiving. Tables will be adorned with food fit for kings and queens. We will eat too much, complain how full and miserable we are and 3hours later we'll do it all over again! And no doubt it will be that one relative that makes you speak in tongues and quote scripture in your mind for the entire time that you are there. Who doesn't love the holiday season?

As we all prepare for Thursday, let's start the week with entering God's gates with praises and thanksgiving.

Paralyzed By Fear

I've been sitting on the post for a while. (1) thinking it over in my head. (2) Have been sick and just now able to post it. But the thing that I wanted to really concentrate on in this post is a serious thing for me. It's what drives me sometimes to do nothing. This thing causes me to doubt. This thing causes me undo distress in my life. This thing snaps at my heels like my little lap dog. This thing is FEAR!

Fear paralyzes me at the most needed times in my life when God is trying to tell me to do something. I can't because I'm immediately paralyzed with fear. It controls my life to the point that I am absolutely terrified the majority of the time. Ask my husband Rich, and he will tell you that when we go somewhere he's not the only driver in the car. And believe me it drives him crazy. To quote him "Stop side seat driving!" I'm always afraid that something is going to happen. And when it comes down to it I'm afraid of failing God! There I finally said....Lord I am so afraid of failing you! There have been many times that I have failed.

I'm always afraid of saying the wrong thing....afraid of messing it all up. Our pastor has been teaching out of the book of Galatians on liberty. What true liberty is in Christ. As he taught one Sunday it dawned on me that I've never been free. I've never really experienced that liberty. Because since I was a child I have been fearful. I've carried fear around with me as long as I can remember and it has eaten away at me for years. Though I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ I've never allowed him to give me liberty.

Everyone has grown up with some issues that hamper our ability to truly be free in Christ. The question is what are we going to do about it? I memorized Isaiah 61:1-4 verses months ago. "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because he has annointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." However, I must admit that it never hit me in my heart until recently. Because it was just recently that I realized how jailed I've been by fear.

Lord you came for me. You came to open the prison that I've willingly walled myself in. Day by day help me to walk in freedom and liberty.

Love Thy Neighbor

Recently, this past Sunday, our pastor issued the congregation a challenge. Show the love of God by Baking something for your neighbor. Our family decided on chocolate chip cookies. After leaving church I was excited about the prospect of baking something for a couple of my neighbors. What better gesture than baking something for someone else. It shows them that you were thinking of them and action is always better than words.
I've already baked my first batch of cookies for the neighbors on the left of us. It has always given me great pleasure to do things for others. I went over with a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies in hand. They loved them. I have one more batch of cookies to bake for another neighbor. But this one is a bit tricky. Let me explain.

Everyone has that one neighbor that will drive you crazy and test the limits of your niceness. This is the neighbor were you ask God to hold your tongue so that nothing mean or harsh comes out of your mouth, even if they would do good with a good thrashing of the tongue. I was standing in the kitchen the other night talking to Richard and said, "I don't want to do this, its way too hard." He replied "that's the entire reason for all of this, pursuing and showing the love of God to those we'd rather run from."

This particular neighbor has the tendency to say exactly what's on her mind, no matter how out of place it is, thinks that his/her child can do no wrong and mine are somehow the blame for whatever may happen with his/her child. Has used some inappropriate language in the past regarding my race, after been repeatedly told that the N word is not to be used in my presence. Let me just say it was never used in a malicious way. The list is endless. Since living in this house and getting to know this particular neighbor I'd rather not know this neighbor. In my mind I can see giving her the cookies and then her invading my life at the most inopportune moments.

In that instance I knew that this is something that I have to do. Anyone can do the easy thing, but the hard thing...that takes something else.......that takes humility, and the love of God. So with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in hand I will love my neighbor and let God take care of the rest.

Having a form of Godliness.......