All moved!

Hey girls.....I am at Mom's doing some laundry and working on our conference and I thought I would take the opportunity to check in.

The moving went great...we only lost one chair off the trailer.
It was not damaged and no one else was either. ;)
I am more than exhausted and I look forward to a few days of sleeping in
before we must be on the road to TX.

It is very quiet and peaceful out where we are.....and last night it seemed I could hear my heart beating. I am looking forward to spending some time with God and some times with Keith and Julia. Michael moved in with some roommates and so we will be on our own. I still have not processed this little move lately...probably won't hit me until we move on to N.C.
But I think this will be good for him.....he will learn all that we were doing that he probably took for granted. God will take care of him now.....well, not that He did not before...but now Mom will not be there to make sure he has what he needs.

I want ya'll to know that I think of you all daily and I am praying for you.
Don't have time to get around to visit each of you but I will check in soon.
I love you guys.
Remember that you are greatly Loved by our Savior.
Don't miss His signs of love daily!

Until the next time

The above picture is from a card MelanieJoy sent me.
I thought it was fitting for this post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will admit that I was praying that my having to log off would not happen.
But, it seems that God has other things in mind and I am o.k with that.
So, I just want to tell you all how much my life has been enriched by each of you.
How you have lifted my heart during days that would have been almost unbearable.
I have been encouraged to walk when my feet just wanted to stop and give up.
I have been blessed by the witness of your lives more than you will ever know.
For those who have not found our little section of our blogging world.....they have missed so much.

I consider you my sisters and I will miss hearing what is going on in your lives
and the lives of your families.
I want you to know that I will pray for you. I wish I could name you all so that you would know you are locked in my memory...but you know who you are. :)

Soon I will be back......Lord willing and we don't meet in heaven first. \o/!
I have such hope in our Lord that I know I will have fantastic things
to tell you about our journey.
And I look forward to the lessons He will teach me(and the lessons He will teach you) .
Lessons that will transform me into the one He has planned for me to be.
He and I will be able to spend so much more time with each other without the influence of the media that can so often distract me.
I do look forward to that.

So......behave. :)
Continue to love the Lord with all your heart ....all your soul....and all your strength.
Press in and don't let the world draw your eyes away from the One who is our hope.
As Dee says......Keep on, Keeping on!

I will be checking in the next few days but things will be very busy so I won't have time to post.

I'll check in later on as I have internet (like when I go to Mom's to work on our conference) and
when we go to TX for our conference I will check in then too.
They may not have cell phone service but they have wireless!

I love you guys!
You are a bright shinning light for our Father.
Keep on SHINNING!

On The Wings Of Eagles

For some reason today the eagle has been on my mind. Maybe it has something to do with the blue skies overhead...maybe though a thought coming from my God. I look into the blue skies with it white clouds here and there and I imagine what it would be like to soar above this earth. To be free of the ties that hold my feet.With strong wings to lift off and soar on thermal streams--gliding with carefree abandon. To not be limited in sight by buildings or trees. To see an enemy in advance with the sharp vision that God has given me. And to plummet from great heights in a death strike toward the enemy below.

And then my feet tell me that this is just a dream in my heart.
Or is it "just" a dream?
Could it not be a treasured gift or desire given to my by God?
Today as I was looking in scripture I was reminded that although I am unable to soar on my own........He can give me the ability to soar free. He desires for me to soar for Him--- unhampered by the tragedies, and earthly concerns that so often wrap themselves around my feet like shackles with lost keys.
Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)

27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.

So today let us wait. Wait for strength promised. Strength that will come and lift our minds above what so easily drags us down and causes us to stumble and fall and even drop out. Strength that will wrap itself around our hearts....manually restarting the strong steadfast rhythm.

Then we will run this race and not grow weary.
We will ride the heavenly realms with Him.....and He will point out the enemy and with sharp eagle eyes and we will see the enemy and his schemes. And then from heights above we will dive with unbelievable speeds to- by the hand of our God- destroy the schemes of our enemy.

By His Spirit----We will soar!

We will serve the God of Angel armies.

THANKS FOR YOUR WELCOME

This is amazing! Sharon is really living on the edge. Can't believe that she recruited me to assume this responsibility. This will prove, hopefully, that you are never too old to learn something new.

I certainly will not be a replacement for her, but I do feel blessed to have an opportunity to share with her special friends. I know that you each mean so much to her.

Her Dad and I know how blessed we are to have her as a daughter. We love her so much, value her wisdom and sensitivity as as woman of God, and share you enjoyment of just knowing her.

As a young Mom, I would often look at each of our children as they were growing up and try to look past their growing years and imagine who they would be when they "grew up." As parents we often get so caught up in the day by day routines, the transitions from one stage of childhood to another, the stresses of parenting, etc. that we forget the BIG picture of where God is taking the precious children that He has blessed us with.

For those of you who are in those stages of parenting your children, let me declare to you what a blessing it has been to see each of our children blossom in to amazing adults, responsible/loving parents on their own, and now not only our children, but adults who are also our special friends.

Hope that make sense.

I will share more with you later, but for right now this will be it. Just wanted to prove that I could do this before Sharon was completely out of the loop and she could not coach me.

By the way, the picture at the top of this blog is "my man" (to use Sharon's term ) and me when we were on a business trip to Atlantis a couple of years ago. It was great fun especially since we won this trip from the company that we work with. Just wanted you to know that this man and woman love each other dearly even after 45 years of marriage.

Have a blessed week-end.

Introductions to my Mom

My sweet Mom and Dad.

Well, the time is getting close to me signing off for a while.
I am not going to get all mushy...because I don't believe that is going to be a good-bye.
I know that there will be points here and there where I will be able to get on line and check in on each of you. Till then ....my sweet Mom is going to post updates here and there.
My worst fear is that I'll come back and ya'll will be gone and I'll have to start all over again finding girls with hearts like mine. That would be sad.
And I would get mad......just kidding.
So.......while I am gone none of you are allowed to quit blogging. ;)
Agreed?
O.k, now I thought it would be fun to let you introduce yourself to my Mom.
That way when I talk to her on the phone she can tell me who she has heard from...hey, maybe she will grow to love you just the way I have.
Since you are going to tell her a little about yourself...I'll tell you a little about her.

My Mom's name is Judy.....if you are from the Mississippi area....Judith Ann.
She and my Dad...Dewey...have four children and 12 grandchildren.
She spent most of my growing up years as a teacher
and then as a principal at one of our local Christian schools.
Since I was five they have been doing Christian camps for a group called Christian Business Men.
They have done as many as 4 during the summer but they are now down to 2. One in North Carolina and one in Texas. We do both of these conferences with them and my sister and her husband attend and teach at the one in North Carolina.
It is a family thang since my older brother lives there too....and yes, soon us too.

Mom and Dad have a home business that they do during the year.
It is called Prepaid Legal.
I promise my blog will not become and advertisement. ;) Dad is the sales person...lucky you!
But it is a really great business and keeps her and Dad very busy.
They zip here and there for conferences and in a few weeks they are going to Cancun because they got a trip as a reward for there dedicated hard work.
They are both of retirement age but they are still going strong.

Mom would love nothing more than to be in her yard working and she has a green thumb..like me. She loves Southern Living magazine and hopes one day to use all those clippings she has kept in a new home she will decorate on her own.
I would like you to know that she has a heart like me. Tender and huge!

When you meet her....you just love her. She has a huge heart for God....I love this about her.
That love spills over into her relationship with others.
She has been a great Mother to me and my brothers and sister. She will apologize for her short comings as a Mom....but we all think she is pretty great.
And we love her bunches!

So that is my Mom........
Be nice and leave her a little note telling her a little about yourself.
She reads almost all my posts so she probably is familiar with some of you already.
I'll be back later this week to post.
Love you guys!

Mom and Dad on their last visit to Cancun.

Sandi Patty 1983 We Shall Behold Him

Yesterday while talking to one of my friends on the phone I brought her over to ~you tube~ to watch this video. She was not brought up in the same world I was and she missed a lot of this stuff. I'll never forget one day when she called and asked me if I had heard this fantastic song. I wish I could remember the name of it.........but it was a main stay hymn of the churches I grew up in. I have enjoyed introducing her to some of my favorites and seeing that she "gets it". Kind of like the first time you let your child eat ice cream or chocolate. ;)

This song brings back such great memories of a time when Christian singers were still just willing to let their songs bring others into the presence of God.
When Sandi Patty was coming to the forefront of Christian music along with Amy Grant-- I was in high school. While others were listening to bands that I can not even remember the names of---this is what I was listening to.
I got a chance to see Sandi Patty in New Orleans. I remember -vividly- sitting in the audience and for the first time hungering to see the face of the one she was singing about. He was real!
In a new way.
He became so close as my heart was raised in praise. That feeling you get when you feel like your chest has opened up to expose your heart and He reached right on in to touch it.
A lot has changed in the world of Christian music since the early 80's.
I sometimes wonder if we are drifting a little to close to resembling the world. Don't get me wrong-- there is some great music out there that touches my heart....but it is few and far between and sometimes it is just great words and music.
And then every once in a while you come across a singer and a song that ushers you straight into the throne room and your spirit soars.
This song does that for me.
It brings tears to my eyes and a longing to my heart that will never be full filled until I see Him FACE TO FACE.

We shall behold Him~ soon....

Beyond My Faults By David Phelps

Last night I was watching a rerun on TBN and they were doing a recap of a program for Dottie Rambo. She recently went home to meet the God she loved and wrote about so often.This woman of faith wrote countless songs for our Lord. This songs words are important and incredible.

Joyce Meyers has been speaking on grace the last few days. They asked people what one of their biggest questions was about God and their relationship with Him. You know what they wanted to know? How do I know when I have done enough?---- Enough praying, enough reading my Bible, enough good works. I think you and I can at times identify with this.

Instead of just coming to Him because we love Him---satan gets tangled in our thoughts and we do it because we owe Him.....more...more.....MORE. And then when we don't sometimes it is easy to feel like He is mad at us. And like Joyce said this morning.....who wants to be around someone who you feel you must always be walking on egg shells with.

I have been here.....I think we all have. God is not mad with us. He is not going to allow sin in our lives but HE LOVES US. So tender are His thoughts towards us. He just wants us to know Him and enjoy being with Him. Can we do that today?

Just enjoy Him today.

Remember if it were not for the love of our Trinity.....we would be lost!

What amazing grace....and just in time.

Have a beautiful day and remember HE LOVES US!

He Looked Beyond My Fault
Lyrics by Dottie Rambo
(to the tune of "Londerry Aire")

Galatians 5:1
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free,
and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Amazing Grace, shall always be my song of praise.
For it was grace that brought me liberty,
I do not know, just why He came to love me so.
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
To view the cross, where Jesus died for me
How marvelous, His grace that caught my falling soul
He Looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

The View from behind..........

Good Morning to You!

Sunday morning was a sweet time with God.
I got a chance to catch Charles Stanley on my computer-slept too late to catch him on t.v. ;)
It was on grace.....and yes, as usual I highly recommend it.
He closed the sermon with a little experience he had had recently while talking to God.
I don't know if ya'll know but he is a great photographer.
He was telling God that he had not had an opportunity lately to pull out his camera and he missed it because it was so relaxing and it makes him feel close to God.
As he was talking to God he looked out his window and there sitting on his bird bath was a beautiful dove. He quickly went and grabbed his camera and set up the tripod all the while the dove stayed right there. He took the picture and it really was beautiful. He said that to him it was a sign of the grace of God. God knew what would prove to him God's love for him. And God gave it to him. He said if it had been a sparrow it probably would not have meant as much....but the dove representing the Spirit...well it just touched his heart.

So, some of ya'll know that I have a thing about red birds. I posted a story one time and of course I can not find it--but from the time I heard the story of a mother who had cancer and how God
sent a red bird each day to sit on her window sill to watch over her as a reminder of His love...well the birds have just become a special reminder of His love for me.
(boy... sorry for that never ending sentence)
Anyhoo...so as not to take another's sign from God --I told God that I would watch for the red birds but our little special bird would be a woodpecker. Now I don't know about you- but I don't often see woodpeckers. And so that would be a supper sign to me that He was reminding me He was there and of His great love for me.
So as I was sitting in my chair playing around on my computer something outside of the glass door caught my eye. I jumped up and grabbed my camera
and went to the glass door very slowly.
This is what was on a tree not far from the doors.
But He did not just send me one---

But TWO!
One flew off but the other allowed me to open the glass door and take this picture too.

Can I just say I got a tad excited?!
So of course I had to show Julia and Keith and then I came back to my computer
because I had to share this with you.
I sat back down in my chair and looked toward the door
where I had seen the birds very clearly and this is what I saw.......

I asked Julia to come and get behind me to see if she was seeing what I was seeing.
I asked her how she thought I saw the birds.

We both decided that God had done a little boxes moving.

He love US.....He really does.
Don't miss the signs of His love today.

No weapon..............

We may not all be familiar with the man in the above picture but he is Bono from the group U2.
I am actually not a fan but I have become aware in the last year or so that Bono claims to be a believer. He has become very much involved in social issues that need to be addressed.....such as the war on aids in Africa.
I just wanted to share a story I heard and tie it in to where I am right now.
As I was watching a sermon this morning on t.v the pastor shared a story that touched my heart-there have been a few things that spoke to me this morning but here is one of them.

As the story started Bono, spoke of a threat against his life that was given in a note before a big concert. The note said that if Bono and the band sang a certain song and in particular the second verse of that song that at that point the person would shoot Bono in the head.
He would never know where it was coming from-but it would happen.
The band discussed if they should cancel the concert or perhaps have it and just not sing the song or the second verse of the song.
After much discussion they decided not to cancel the concert and
to go ahead and sing the whole song.
The time in the concert came to sing the song and Bono began to question their decision.
The song began and he and the band sang the first verse but by the time he got to the second verse the fear really began to sweep over him. He thought what if there really is someone in the rafters or maybe they are right on the front row.
So as he started to sing he just closed his eyes.
He sang the song and as it ended he opened his eyes to view the crowd.
But when he opened his eyes it was not the crowd he saw
but the back of the head of one of the band members
who had stepped out in front of him while he sang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did that hit you the way it hit me?
Right now I feel I am about to sing the second verse.
Instead of a shooters note-I have been hearing the voice of my enemy.
he has been telling me that if we step out and follow God....God is going to let me fall flat on my face and we will be destroyed and fail.
Fear is trying to overtake my emotions.
The decision has already been made to follow God and go. But now the roof over our head is getting ready to be gone and the resources to move forward have not materialized yet.
Overwhelmed I close my eyes and throw satans lies to the wind and continue to proclaim the faithfulness of my God even when my emotions threaten to overwhelm me.
I will sing His song of faithfulness.
He has promised to never leave me or forsake me.
And one day soon the end of the song will come
and I will open my eyes to see that He has been standing right in front of me.
Because........ He promised that He would go before me and be my front guard.
My God is faithful to fight off all the enemies threats both real and imagined.
No weapon formed against me will prosper!

Is this cool or what!?
We serve a merciful God!
Wait till you hear the next thing that happened this morning.
But you'll have to wait till tomorrow for that......got some more boxes to pack.
Love ya!

Deuteronomy 32:10" He found him in a desert land,And in the howling waste of a wilderness;He encircled him, He cared for him,He guarded him as the pupil of His eye."
Thanks Leslie ;)

It's JUST a dot!

Is it any wonder we won't need light bulbs in heaven?

Can you even imagine seeing Him face to face?
I once heard someone describe life as the dot before eternity. It would look something like this.

. -----------------------------------

The dot is our life-the space between is death and the line is eternity.
God reminds me not to get so wrapped up in this life and its ups and down...........when we step into eternity this life will seem a dim memory-- if remembered at all.
In the light of His glory why would I want to remember hands smudged from newspaper print, boxes overflowing with items needing to be packed and pizza that showed up two hours after being ordered?
The good thing about the last one.........dinner was Free!
Sometimes it pays to have someone forget about you. ;)

Have a great day..............and if you start to get a little stressed about the details of life-----
try and remember
this is just the dot.

Exodus 34:29 (The Message)

29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn't know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.

Cleaning Toilets

(no this is not what my toilet facility looked like when I was growing up ;)

O.K, I am posting this devotion because it sparked a memory
and I thought I would share it with you.
When I was young one of my job at home was cleaning the bathroom. Mom trained me very well.
She would hide little things in the bathroom like a small piece of string behind the toilet-and when I told her I was finished she would know just where to check to see if I had done a through and through job. Very sneaky....but then we are good at that as Moms -aren't we?
Anyway as I got older and I was given jobs it seemed like cleaning bathrooms is what I always got assigned to do. Even in college.... I cleaned the bathrooms in our dorm.
Have I mentioned that I have an intense dislike for cleaning bathrooms? ;)
I began to think that when we got to heaven-- if we were given jobs to do---I knew what mine would be.......cleaning heavenly toilets.
But that would be fine....although I do hope we don't have to
clean bathrooms when we get into eternity. How about you?
I am sure we all have chores we would rather skip.
But when I get to heaven..... if that is the job I am given.......I will do it willingly
and with great pride.
I always say that this world is a training ground for what we will do for eternity in heaven.
:0
Maybe I'll get a promotion........wonder what a promotion would be for a bathroom cleaner.....hey, maybe a cook! Maybe that is what those years in the restaurant business were all about.
Wonder what God's favorites are?

I thought the following devotion was good.....and how awesome that it is about
a GUY cleaning toilets. That sounds mighty good to me. \o/
O.k back to packing!

Washing Toilets
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
05-15-2008

..."those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled' (Dan 5:19).

Paul desired a career in the building industry. Early in his career, he was working with a large ministry to help direct several of their construction projects.

As the projects were completed, Paul was asked to stay on for future projects. To keep him busy he was given a number of jobs - one of which was cleaning toilets. He recalls getting down on his knees each day and complaining to the Lord, "Lord, I'm a college graduate!"

Discouraged, Paul told the Lord, "I will not leave here until You promote me. Please give me contentment with my circumstance."

Paul felt totally forgotten by God. A few months later, Paul received a phone call from a man in the Midwest who owned five successful businesses who wanted to interview Paul for a job. This came as a total surprise to Paul. As he drove to the interview, he told the Lord, "I only want your will in my life, nothing else. I am content to remain obscure for the rest of my life if I have You. You must override my lack of experience for me to get this job."

The owner of the company asked Paul a surprising question: "If I asked you to clean a toilet, what would you do?" Paul sat there, stunned. He wanted to burst out laughing. Paul assured him that he would simply pick up a sponge and start cleaning.

Amazingly, Paul was hired even though other candidates were more qualified. After several months of success Paul asked his boss why he hired him. His boss replied, "Paul, I still have a large stack of applications from people who wanted this job. Do you remember the first question I asked you in the interview? I asked each one the same question. You were the only one who said he would clean the toilet. Paul, I am a wealthy man, but I grew up dirt poor. I clean my own toilets at home. I can't have people running my businesses who are too proud to clean a toilet."

Sometimes God places us in situations to see if we will be faithful in those

Don't Forget to keep praying

Just a little update on our schedule and progress.
The crunch time is here.
We will have to be all out by the 29th so that the floors will be cleared for the carpet cleaners to come in on the 30th---yes, that is this month.
Soooooo I am trying to be good about packing.
I can not be like Scarlett and say I will think about it tomorrow. :)
I am beginning to close things out...phone, cable and other important things.
So by the end of the month no internet for awhile. But I will be back!

We had our FIRST call today about our property in Covington. I got a little excited about that.
That means this whole thing is real.


It is going to happen.
God has a plan and He is watching it through to completion.
The appraiser went out to our other property in Franklinton to get an appraisal together for its sale. We have a guy who is interested in purchasing it already. He owns the lot next door and he has wanted ours for awhile. Both of our lots are located on rivers....so we hope they will go faster. Again...God has someone already picked out.
I have been wondering about going with a agent ...but for now I think we will let God act as our agent until He lets us know otherwise.
My brother who lives in N.C is very excited about us moving into his area--I am too. ;)
He has started looking around for us.
Exciting!

I have never really had my OWN house.
When we got married we moved into Keith's families home and we lived there until we tore it down and moved into the camper and then here.
I look forward to making a place my own.
We will see where God takes us. But, I don't mind getting a fixer upper.
Nicki from Three Girly Girls got one and she and her husband did great things with it.
I look forward to seeing what type of creativity comes out of hiding in our new place.
Maybe if Nicki is close enough I'll bring her in to give me some ideas. ;)

Well, that is enough for now-time to get busy.
Looking for extra boxes....got any?

KEEP PRAYING....for my ability to work smart and for the sell of our two pieces of property.
Oh and Keith is having some problems with his back. He has never had any before and this is not a time to start seeing that we need to start moving things.
Oh, and he will be doing some more job hunting....so you can add that to your list.
THANK YOU!

clapping hands

Just a little fun

The following came from a website called Office Spam.
Thought you could probably use a smile.

Tell Me This Won't Happen To Us!

LOST IN THE DARNDEST PLACES

An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into.

She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: 'They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!' she cried.

The dispatcher said, 'Stay calm. An officer is on the way.'

A few minutes later, the officer radios in. 'Disregard.' He says. 'She got in the back-seat by mistake.'

FAMILY

Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, 'Was I getting in or out of the bath?'

The 94-year-old yells back, 'I don't know. I'll come up and see.' She starts up the stairs and pauses 'Was I going up the stairs or down?'

The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, 'I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.' She then yells, 'I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door.'

SENIOR DRIVING

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, 'Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on Interstate 77. Please be careful!'

'Heck,' said Herman, 'It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!'

DRIVING

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car - both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself 'I must be losing it. I could have sworn we just went through a red light.' After a few more minutes, they came to another intersection and the light was red again. Again, they went right through. The woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous. At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was red and they went on through. So, she turned to the other woman and said, 'Mildred, did you know th at we just ran through three red lights in a row? You could have killed us both!'
Mildred turned to her and said, 'O No , am I driving ?'.


Not there yet....how about you?

The Sign Of Your Love

Lord, I lift my heart to You
purify it
renew it
and fill it
with the fire of Your Spirit.
Lord, when my eyes drift to
the world around me
Lovingly draw them back to Your face.
When my ears hear the call of another love-
send Your sweet words
my heart to embrace.
And when my feet stumble
and right themselves
on the wrong path
gently put Your hand
in the way
and let me see
the sign of Your love
In the palm of Your hand.
s.b.



I don't know why this morning this little piece reminds me of fresh picked fruit
being pressed through a fine sieve.
I see the fine mesh screen with blackberries being pressed and ground into the wire surface.
Below sweet dark juice flows out ready to be turned into jelly for the winter months.

Each person who takes the time to reach through the thorns for the berries usually does so knowing the pain that will come inevitable as one of the thorns makes its way through sleeves to delicate skin. But the thick juicy berry....... they know will be worth the pain.

Lately I can't help but think that God has felt that dealing with me has been like picking black berries. He knows what the final out come will be and so He reaches in to pluck the fruit that has been produced. But because of my flesh.....I know many times He comes away hurt.
And again it seems I cause Him to shed blood.

And once again He holds up His hand and He says......See, this is how much I love you.

There have been a lot of briers lately in my life. Situations that have seemed to block my view of Him. I know He is there.......times like this morning remind me of His consistent love.
But I miss the times of sitting at His feet without a care in the world.
Times when I would just look into His face and relish in the fact that I was His.

May we all take some time today just to sit at His feet.
Rest your brow against His knees and wrap your arms around His legs and just breathe.
Feel His hand as it comes down to gently rest on your head.
And hear the smile in His voice as He says........Welcome back.

Love you guys. Have a beautiful day with Him.

A Little Of This And That

As we have been getting ready for our move we have begun to take pictures of some of the jobs that Keith's company has done. I am very proud of my man. His guys do some beautiful work. The homes are a little bit more than I would ever want.....but the people here will enjoy his work for years to come. Don't you just love the fireplace on the bottom? We have taken pictures only in one of the subdivisions he has worked in. The lots in this subdivision go for around 200,000 so you can imagine what the homes go for.
I am thankful that some people have this much to spend on the homes they live in.
God has blessed us with the work here for about the past 11 years.
We look forward to seeing where God is going to take us next.

I do hope that each of you had a peaceful day yesterday.
Our was very nice.
It was fun to be able to spend time with my family--we had a pretty large group.
Dad got the chance to baptize one of his grandchildren. My sister had Dad take care of it in her pool right after lunch. This little man is a hoot and I do believe God has big plans for him.

This is my oldest Michael. It was good to have him come for a little while......you know teens and their busy schedules. I had Keith grab the camera....so I could capture a Mothers Day with Michael. This will probably be our last together for awhile since we will be moving and Michael is not coming with us.

We also took some mother daughter pictures.
I do not enjoy having my picture taken...but sometimes ya just have to.
On the right is my baby sister and of course mom is in the middle.
We were being a little sill...but we love our Mom!

Off to take care of some necessary stuff!
Have a great day!

On My Way To You

A woman enters the back of a church dressed elegantly in exquisite finery.
As if on cue....music begins to play as the doors shut slowly behind her.
Some turning to look...are fascinated and envious.
Moving as if in slow motion she removes her fur coat
and drops it in the middle of the plush carpeted aisle.
The look on the faces as they view the soft shinny heap in the middle of the floor...well, it is priceless. Some are puzzedled and some a little aghast -- surley she she does not plan on leaving it there.....why..... the ushers could trip over it while trying to collect the offering.

Elegant manicured hands reach up to remove the hairpins that hold her hat.....and they along with the hat find their way to the floor. Still covering her dress is a long silk jacket. With tender care she removes the jacket almost tenderly..... folding it,
it is gently placed on the floor as she moves on.
Many have now begun to whisper and speak behind raised hands.
None can miss the trail of jackets, hat, shoes and priceless fine jewelery that litter the aisle.

By the time she reaches the front everyone is watching.
Ushers draw near just in case they need to physically remove her.
Although extremely uncomfortable they hate to do something to embarrass themselves--maybe this was some type of event set up by the pastor to introduce his sermon.

The music playing comes to an abrupt halt as the womans feet make their way
up the carpeted steps.
The woman standing barley resembles the woman so many had admired and envied.
She is now wearing a simple white sheath dress.
Her hair is no longer perfectly fixed but simply falls straight down her back.
Her makeup is now gone-washed away by the tears that are flowing freely. With her head down cast her bare feet move hesitantly toward the cross decorating the center of the stage.
Dropping to her knees
she wrapped her arms around the old wooden cross
and leaning her head
against its strength
inhaled deeply
and breathed her last.

The once silent crowd quickly becomes a mass of out of control.
Insecurity over the situation causes some to think maybe it is just a joke.
Maybe the pastor had put this woman up to this...what a great actress she was.

These thoughts were suddenly dismissed as they were hurriedly ushered out of the sanctuary.

The next day they buried the woman. There were very few in attendance
and so they missed the message
on a tombstone already prepared
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNENCUMBERED
BY EARTH'S ENTRAPMENTS
OH WHAT JOY AWAITS THOSE
THAT CHOOSE TO LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES
IN ORDER TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD
Matthew 5:8
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S.B
I do not think that we have to wait for the death of our earthly bodies to see God. But, the Bible does say that no man shall see the face of God and live.
The answer to the puzzle I believe is found in Matthew 5:8

Hebrews 12:1-3

To All Of You Who Are Birth Mothers Or Spiritual Mothers

Month Of May

The Month Of May brings many things to enjoy
Like flowers in bloom and a birds melody as it sings in joy
Thoughts of summer are in the air
And schools are ending everywhere
But in this month we'd be amiss If a time to thank our mothers we did miss
So on this day we want to
THANK YOU-
For your generous love that Molded our hearts
For being the One who taught us good character from the start
For being alert To discipline us when we were not real smart
For being passionately patient when your Heart felt like being tart
For those time when your Energy was low and yet you still went to God
in reverent wonder concerning our hearts
And for the times you Received spiritual understanding
so that you knew when it was best to be our Mother and when it was time to be our friend
On this day in the Month Of May we gladly celebrate a day called--

Mothers Day!

Sharon Brumfield

I love you Mom.
You and I will always share a special connection of the heart.
No matter where I go I will always take a little of you with me..

II Peter 1:5-8

Secuse me?

Have you ever had one of those moments when something that you had believed
as truth--suddenly you are not so sure if it is?
You hear someone with a sweet attitude and heart and they start speaking something that is just a tad different--and it sparks a thought. You might even be lulled into listening because you were friends with them before you found out they had different beliefs.
It happens doesn't it?
I just recently went through this.
There are some beliefs that we have that are not foundational to our salvation.
There is no way to get to heaven except through the work Jesus did on the cross--that is foundational. Predestination.........not foundational.
We can agree or disagree on the later. The first as a body of Christ we must believe this.

So after a recent event I went home thinking hmmmmm, maybe I need to rethink this.
I won't mention the issue because it is not foundational and I don't want to spark any disagreements. So I got home and the thoughts that were flipping around in my head really began to bother me. I don't like unsolved questions.
My first reaction of course was to talk to God.....then to my husband.....then to my parents (thank God for my godly parents).
I knew what the word taught.
But this person brought verses also.
At this point we have to look at what we know of the heart of our God.
Do you know the heart of your God?
If you are not sure of it then it will be easy to be swayed when
their truths are presented with slight twists.
There are some things that I will never have questions about.
*No one will ever cause me to think twice about if a person can earn their salvation.
Can't be done. Our good works are like filthy rags to God.
*Some sins are too big to be forgiven.........that is a lie. His blood covers and cleans all.
*God only loves perfect people......another lie. There is no one perfect but God.
*The Bible has just been falsely misinterpreted about Gods stand on the gay life style..........
that is a bold faced slap in the very face of our creator.

--stepping up on my soapbox--

This morning I was watching the today show and they interviewed the first openly gay elected bishop in a section of the Episcopal church.
I am not an Episcopal.......I am sure there are many out there in this denomination
who love God as I do.
So this is not against a denomination.
First the man talked of how he and others feel that the Bible has just been misinterpreted when it comes to how God feels about gay relationships. He says that God does not have a problem with monogamous gay relationships. :0!
Dear God we are seeing scripture fulfilled right before our eyes.
Remember the scripture that talks about men calling right wrong and wrong right?
So Matt Lauer, who was doing the interview, asked this bishop if maybe he wasn't just changing the interpretation to fit his circumstances?
Well of course the bishop said he was not----"God is a God of love" is what he said. And how could God have anything wrong with a loving monogamous relationship.
And actually the ones that were wrong were the ones who are rising against him.
That God was giving him the ability as a "Christian" to love his enemy.
As a "gay Christian"(I hate to even put those words together) he was out to show them God is using him to open others eyes.
Dear God help us!
This guy said that scriptures tell us that when we are living a life that is pleasing to God we will face persecution.
How sorry I feel for this man. How my heart hurts for him.
He claims to have a loving relationship with God and that God is speaking to him. And that in the storm of this-- God is holding him safely in the middle to protect him.
This crushes my heart.
His position will be used by satan to draw many away with a lie.
God did not create a person to be gay. He would not put it in our DNA.
The draw toward this life style is a seduction being woven by satan.
Just like any sin.......we must flee!
I had a friend in high school who drifted into this life style. Her parents are Christians. She and I went to a Christian school. And when she went off to college.......because she had never really gotten into dating(she was a tom boy) she figured she must be gay.
She has been in this life style now for over 20 years.
It hurts my heart and I pray for her.

--stepping off of my soapbox--

We need to KNOW what we know.
You had better make sure in these last days that you know the heart of God and what scripture says about the things of our day.
Lies are being woven in with the truth even in churches today.
WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?
We serve a jealous God.
He loves us and He will not stand for us to give our hearts or minds to another.
If you hear something that sounds a little off.............listen to the Spirit of God. He is here to be our teacher. And just because the man of God in the pulpit says it is so...........you had better make sure that there are scriptures to back what He is saying. And then you check those scripture against the heart of God. satan knows scripture too.....and he knows how to twist it.
Ask questions!
And don't let anyone tell you you are being rebellious just because you won't bow you knee to everything you are listening to.
Your teacher is the Holy Spirit......He will guide you.
A rebellious heart is not from God.......so don't step into the trap that you know more than everyone else. We are never above reproof done by Godly authority.
We need an authority.....that can speak a word of God and then sometimes point out where we need to let God work.
I pray you are in a safe church home or family.
We need others in the body of Christ.
We need family who will watch us grow up and become mature adults.
ASK QUESTIONS!
Let's not be gullible.


(And maw maw just in case you read....the above is not about our different beliefs. :)

We are Back!

Goodness...how do I even express what I am feeling?
It was a great trip......although Keith says that I was not really there mentally.
I have been fighting a head cold and there really is so much flipping around in my heart and head. I tried to be there......I really did.

We started out by riding back roads once we hit South Carolina. After our first night staying in LaGrange---where God blessed us with a cheap room at a nice hotel......we headed out for the backwoods. It was beautiful......I can't help but wonder if there is not a Green Acres for me out there somewhere. ;)
We saw some neat paintings on the sides of barns.
It is nice to know that they enjoy art even in the backwoods. :)
We stopped and spoke to some of the folks in the area.....they were very sweet.
We ended up in Boone North Carolina.
This is a college town and of course known for its skiing during winter. It has history for us.
I first went here during my college years. We took a day trip here skiing and I spent the next few weeks sitting on a pillow.......that was my last ski trip. :)
But it was a beautiful time.
Fast forward.....um.....a few years and Keith and I would visit the emergency room here after I got sick on our honeymoon.
We eloped in Virginia and camped most of the way home to Louisiana.
While in the area we paid a visit to the emergency room and were very impressed with how friendly people were. We said, Boy, this would be a great place to live.
Since that time we have been back.
There is a nice little restaurant there called the Daniel Boone Inn. They serve the food home style at the table. Sunday morning we got up and got dressed for church and stopped in there for breakfast. The women dress in old style dresses and the atmosphere is homey.
Both Keith and I knew that God wanted us in church that morning to speak to us about our situation. As much as I wanted to sleep in......I really needed to hear from God.
When your insides are screaming....what the heck are we doing!!!!!.....ya just need to hear from a voice higher than your own.
So we pulled out the phone book and started looking through the names.
The one that hit us.......All Things Are Possible Christan Fellowship.
These formerly Baptist church folks were a little concerned by the four square title--but we are brave church mice. :)
We thought the church was going to be big but it was small and the people were very nice.
I got a chance to speak with one of the women and felt at home right away.
Worship was good........loved the music.
It was nice to feel at home with family in another city.
Guess what the message was on?
FAITH.......Ha!
He shared something along the lines that ----Faith is walking with a willingness to fail.
All the while my heart is screaming......But I don't want to fail!!!!.
He talked about Abraham......Moses........Yes, the passage in Hebrews that talks about our heroes of the faith.
Did I mention that the highway that we took on the way up was called......Hero's Highway?
The whole sermon was about stepping out.
The pastor even told of his story and how God led them to Boone from California.
We had a great time talking to the pastor afterwards.
He offered to help us in any way he could.
We really loved this part of the body of Christ.
Are we supposed to move to Boone?
I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!
But Keith and I both believe our time here is over.
The above pictures are ones I took along the way--the last is a picture of Grandfather Mountain...see the face?
This is a picture I took in Alabama on the way home.
Our God is a creative God. He loves beauty.......and He loves sharing it with us.

So where do we go from here?
We have two pieces of property that need to sell. Would you please pray for that?
When these sell it will allow us to pay off some things and have a nice down payment for the house God has for us.
Until then......I will be packing. And starting the process of closing down our time in this house.
Pray this all goes smoothly.
Thank you for your prayers.

I'll catch up with you all as I can.

The real me...................

A few days ago I was over at Cindy's (Still His Girl)
and her post---- How's your John Hancock sparked this post in my mind.

I know that I have mentioned before about how horrible my handwriting was in high school.
I really tried-----I really think I was just so uptight that it showed up in my handwriting. I could not relax when I wrote and if I had to write for any length of time my hand would kill me----I guess I should mention the callous I had on my knuckle from gripping my pencil or pen so hard.
Then one day Mom bought me a Calligraphy set. I already like the crafty stuff--so this was really right up my ally. I practiced so that I could use it to make presents for people.
I don't think that I really thought about it changing my own writing---I just thought it would give me a chance to do something nice for people.
Here is my handwriting before Mom gave the Calligraphy set.
And here is my everyday writing from one of my journals.
I know these pictures are not the best--but I still have not been able to figure out
the close up on my camera.
But I hope it is enough for you to be able to see the change.
This writing is now me.
I do not use that other writing although every once in awhile
I use it just to see if it has changed too.
And the answer......NOPE!
I am sure you probably know where I am going with this.
Just like I had a hand writing that had to change so that my teachers would actually be able to
grade my papers without eye strain...........I had to have a life change so that others would be able to be around me without heart pain.
The old Sharon was not so nice. She was needy, insecure, impatient, manipulative........yes, I could go on and on. I could certainly be a pain to be around.
Has that old person totally ceased to be?
No.
Will she ever totally cease to be? .....not till I get to heaven.
But I will say this......just like the old hand writing is not the norm anymore.......the old me is not the norm anymore. People who knew that old Sharon.........well, they would have to be introduced to the new me today.
And this new person is becoming the norm--for a little while. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I have to remind myself that she will not be the norm forever........because satan will try and talk to me like she is.
But then just like my new handwriting.........I can point to my life and have proof that what he says is not who I am.
I am a new creature.......a new creation. And if we loose contact and are reintroduced in several years.........I pray that I will have to introduce you to the new me.
He never changes.........but we must.
And by His power.........He will make sure that it becomes the new norm---until it is time for a new change.
-------------------------------------

Going to North Carolina to look around an spend some time alone with my man.
I will see ya'll again on Wednesday.
Be good.
Love ya!

What??!!!!!!

I was just watching one of the morning news programs.

One of the women was doing an interview on Marriage, Mommy's and S*x.
Now, this whole thing was about giving a woman ideas that would help her marriage.

They talked about the normal things that can cause problems in marriages and then gave a few things that women could do to spice things up.

First I want to make sure we know that where our minds goes our body follows.
I think you will find that in scripture along the lines of renewing our minds.

So one of the ideas to spice things up was to fantasize--add a little spice to your thoughts.
O.K
Fantasize about who and what?
Their suggestion........well, here are some ideas of who others are fantasizing about.


Now I will be honest here. Over 18 years ago when my marriage was horrible and before God was really at work in my life........I might have said......hmmm, good idea.

But then there is this little section in the N.T where Jesus said
something along these lines -------that even if it only takes place in your head....
YOU ARE GUILTY just like you had done it physically.
Yikes!
So according to Jesus ----there is a whole lot of people committing adultery on this earth.
Having a relationship in your head is just as bad in Gods eyes as...... doing it.
God's word........not mine.

Their next advice to help spice things up? Read a smutty romance novel.

Now here is a down fall I had years ago.
God closed this door in my life about 10 or 12 years ago.
There was no way that Keith could ever live up to the men in these novels. And living in a fantasy world does nothing to build a strong connection with my husband. And...stepping on soap box....if we are to not even mention the things that happen in the dark.......I think that would encompass reading about them too. And truthfully...how many of those couples in those books are married? And do we really consider it o.k to look in on another's love life? What about those movies you watch? I think that sometimes we can think because it is in writing or on the T.V--it is not wrong. When did the disconnect take place?
I could go to town on this subject. Because it was an area where satan had me bound for so long. It started out innocent......my eyes had not been opened.......but once the Spirit convicted me......it became dirty and ugly. God allowed His light to shine on it....and I saw it for what it was. Yuck!

Now these sweet ladies told you that you would need to remind yourself that you really were a good Wife and Mom. I wonder why you would have to remind yourself of this.
Could it be that....... as a man thinks in "His" mind so is "he"?

Garbage in.......Garbage out!


Climbing down off my soap box. ;)