Blogging Break

I am going to take a break from blogging.
There have been some massive things going on and I am very unsettled.
I don't want any of these things to touch you--so I am going to take a week or two off.

This has nothing to do with any of you.

Please pray that I will see myself as He sees me.
I need my feet to be planted on the Rock.

Thank you.

May His will be done.

Just a little more

I just want to do some talking here concerning the last post. I loved your comments!
It is sad that so many of you said that they had not been to a true revival in a long time. What does that say about the state of the church? Revival is a time of cleaning.
Spring comes around and we clean. It is time for a cleaning in the body of Christ.

The last post is a post that should have made us think----even made us a tad uncomfortable.
God's words should always shine a light on the state we are in.
And even if we think we are in a good state--there is always something to work on.
Once He shows us where we are--then we are responsible for allowing Him to work.
As scripture says--In that day- do not harden your hearts.......

The Bible says that in the last days there will be a great falling away. To my understanding you can not fall away unless you have been somewhere already.
What would cause them to fall away?
Hard times? Hard times of testing?????
Will we be found with oil in our lamps?
--------

The Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. I think this shows that there is to be a fear of the Lord in us. If we are not careful we can get lost in the love and forget that His holiness should bring a Godly fear to our hearts. We read the word and we see that He is holy and that He expects His people to be the same.
No, we are not perfect.
But ---we are called to be perfect as He is perfect.
Am I perfect?
What a laugh.
But, each day-I pray-the Holy Spirit is working on this temple.
He is revealing the things on the outside that must go, so that I can be part of the ones that are set apart for God. A people set apart-Not a body that looks so similar to this world
that we are Christians in disguise.
As my outside changes-- so should my inside.
The Holy Spirit-by the cleaning of the word and by prayer should be revealing the things that are hidden to me that God wants to change. Now that "wants"--it is not a
"please let me if you will".
It is a requirement that He makes of the people called by His name.
For years I thought- I had my ticket to heaven and I could live as I wanted.
Now, I am not saying that I always wanted to live a horribly sinful life.
I wanted to please Him--but if I messed up-oh well.
I would just say I was sorry until the next time I wanted to do -(fill your choice in here)- again.
Hey, I was not perfect!
And, I do believe I was being one of those Christians who could only handle milk.
I was satisfied being a baby.

But, then God puts us through a time of testing to grow us up.
He says, It is time to stop acting like a child.
I also believe that God is looking for a "few good men" and women.
He is looking for those who when they have been tested and tried will still follow hard after Him.
Hearts who are more interested in what God wants than what this world wants.
He wants a people who trust Him. Trust Him enough to say----
God it feels like you are scrubbing away all that I am--will there be anything of me left? God this hurts! God help me stay in the tub!
I want to be what you want me to be. I want to trust you more!

Till the day I die--I WANT TO STAY IN THE TUB.
I want to be broken before Him.
He is the only thing that matters. He is a consuming fire.
He was with the three in the fiery furnace.
They met Him there with everything they had.
In that fire He burned off all that bound them.
Then He released them as a testimony to the world. A testimony of His greatness.
They walked free unbound and not smelling of their past.

Do we want to be free?
It was for freedom that Christ set us free. We are no longer to be bound by the past.
Do you want to be free?
Do you want to be cleaned up and ironed out as Pastor Lisa said in her comment?

He is looking across the fact of the earth for His remnant.

Will He find you?
rem·nant

1.	a remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like.

2.	a fragment or scrap.

3.	a small, unsold or unused piece of cloth, lace, etc., as at the end of a bolt.

4.	a trace; vestige: remnants of former greatness.

–adjective

5.	remaining; leftover.

Processing..........

I took this the other day--thought it was cool how the sun was shinning on the cross.

Revival ended last night.
I am still processing. One thing that really hit me is that God is going to return--VERY SOON--and He is coming back for a bride that is to be prepared for that return.
A bride that is not found wrapped up in the arms of another lover....... when He holds out His hand and bids her--COME!

I have said before ......... I know and fear -as a bride-we are not ready.
I can evaluate my own life and say that I am not without wrinkle or blemish.

Ephesians 5:26-28 (King James Version)

26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

We want to wear the label--CHRISTIAN-because it is our ticket to heaven--but have we truly put ourselves on the altar as a sacrifice unto God?
Are we walking away from a world that says they believe in God but don't believe in the TRUTH and POWER of God? We don't believe that God truly has the power to make for Himself a perfect bride. So we will just live the way we want till we get to heaven.

2 Timothy 3:4-6 (King James Version)

4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

I have thought in the past, Well, I may not be perfect but one day God is going to come for me and I will be perfect as He is perfect. That is part truth. But, if you go back and read the verse in Ephesians, Jesus is coming back for a bride that is without spot, wrinkle. A HOLY bride.

That should make us think.
Am I............ Holy and without blemish?

Now, the most common response to this would be--Well, the blood has made me Holy and with out blemish in the sight of God. True--in part. But, can I sit down here and live the way I want to live and sin the way I want to sin and still think God is looking at me as
Holy and without blemish?

I don't think so.
If that was the case then why in Ephesians 5: 26- would Jesus be about the work of cleaning up His bride by the washing of the word?

When is the last time that you allowed Jesus to go about the work of
sanctifying you?

sanc·ti·fy --from the dictionary

1.	to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2.	to purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts.

3.	to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.

4.	to entitle to reverence or respect.

5.	to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

This is not something we can do ourselves. This is the work of Jesus through the word and the Holy Spirit.

If we try and do it ourselves we become no different than the Pharisees. We become a religious organism instead of the living word of God here on the earth.

This is stuff we have all heard before. But, I pray that this time we would allow the Holy Spirit to shine a light on our insides. Let Him show you the hidden spots and blemishes that our enemy keeps us from seeing. He is the deceiver-that is his job. So we can all admit that we have been deceived at one time or another in our life. The important thing is that we allow the Spirit to show us that deception.

Remember--man (that is us) looks on the outside and thinks "hmmmm, not bad".

But, God looks deep into our inner man. He is coming for a bride without spot or blemish or wrinkle. Ask Him to show you what that means . Then ask Him to get you ready for the coming of your groom.

Let us not be found in the arms of another lover.

Tomorrow I will talk about what that word wrinkle means.

And the winner is.............

Thank you to all who participated in my little blogging t-shirt contest.
I am thankful for the talents God gives us and it is good to support our sisters as they
strive to glorify God with their talents.
Thank you to Denise of Samaritan Woman and Sew the Word for taking the time to
produce this great t-shirt.
I hope as we wear them people will ask questions and it will give us a chance to-
share the word with those who do not know Him
and
maybe send a few more women into the great world of blogging where they can be
encouraged and loved.

Now I asked Julia to pick a number for me and the winner of the t-shirt is....................
Iris of Sting My Heart.
Congratulations Iris!
Go on over and tell Denise the important stuff so that she can send the t-shirt straight to your door(I have already taken care of the other important details ;).

-----------------
I have not been around much the last few days-I'm sure you could tell.
We have been in revival at our church and will be through tomorrow night-----Monday.
I am doing some processing of some important information.
When the dust settles I'll have some good stuff to share.
I'll be checking in on ya'll, but I will probably not post again till Tuesday.
Thanks.

I'm giving away a FREE t-shirt--STICKY POST

This is a sticky post till next Monday--new stuff below.I want to do a little something special for someone. I want to give someone a free T-shirt!
Denise over at Samaritan Woman had designed a t-shirt just for us women bloggers.
Yes, you heard me right--something special for us! Isn't the design great?
Now summer is coming and all of us could use an extra t-shirt to wear with those shorts or capris. Sign up as many times as you want. Next Monday I will draw a winner!!!!!
Go on over and see all the different colors and styles so that you can let me know what you want......... when you win!
And how about putting a little something on your blog to let other women know about what Denise has done.???? Let's pass the word.

Just Cuz I am tired and trying not to fall asleep before church

Just Cuz I 'd like to be camping

Silent NO more!

This morning caught me listening to Joyce Meyers again.
I really think she is a great speaker that most can understand no matter where they are
in their relationship with God.
You don't need to know and love Greek or Hebrew to enjoy her.
Today the topic reminded me of a really cool thing I had heard by Beth Moore.
Today they were talking about how important it is to open our mouth and speak the word out loud. How the atmosphere changes when The Word is spoken-not in our minds but OUT LOUD.
They mentioned that when the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness and satan met Him there---Jesus opened His mouth and refuted the lies satan spoke.
Satan spoke lies and Jesus spoke back--OUT LOUD-- with the WORD OF GOD.

Daily we have lies that are fed us either by people in our lives, by the media, or by our own thoughts spurred on by our enemy.
We don't have to know the whole Bible to be able to open our mouth.
But, we do need to know some. And we don't have to worry about not remembering it-- because The Word tells us that the Holy Spirit will remind us of what we need to remember.
But...........don't you just hate that word?.............but, why is it so often that I don't open my mouth. Instead I turn tail and run. Not quite what The Word means when we are told to flee evil. :) God is teaching me to open my mouth.

I think the most incredible example given of why we should open our mouths was given by Beth Moore. I hope that I can retell it so that you get the biggest impact.

Beth was retelling a conversation that a Mom had had with her son.
The little boy was talking to his Mom about hearing God speaking to him.
His Mom asked him to tell her what God spoke to him. The little boy was a little frustrated because he told his Mom that when he heard God speak--he knew it was God speaking-
but when he repeated those words out loud it just sounded like his little voice.

I have had the same experience. I would get so excited about something that God had spoken to me but then when I opened my mouth to retell--it just sounded so flat.

Beth then talked about the importance of opening our mouth and speaking the word.
Now here is the punch.
She said when we open our mouth and speak The Words of God we sometimes hesitate because
coming from our mouth it sounds so puny. But, the truth is-- that when we speak the words of God--that is exactly what satan hears. In other words- the word that is alive and active comes to him just like God is speaking it. He knows the authority of the words.

Picture this.
Satan is on the attack. My mind is awash with self doubt and fear. I am becoming worried and stressed. Then from deep in my spirit I hear--I have not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
Hmmm.......yes I think, that is truth and I feel so much better.
For a little while.
Then the thoughts come back again..stronger.
The thought crosses my mind that I should open my mouth and speak the truth. The only problem is that deep inside I think--what power do my words have to fight off satan?
And truthfully...my words won't scare off satan.
But, when I open my mouth and speak the Word's of God---that is exactly what satan hears.
Words from THE VERY MOUTH OF GOD!
Satan hears the voice of God, and knows the power of God behind those words .
God promises that His words will not come back void--would that not work when it comes to chasing off our enemy?
His words are sharper than any two edged sword--it cuts things apart.
When that Word is used in our lives it changes us.
When we use it on him(our enemy)--it brings about the end of his power.
So I open my mouth and say---
"Satan you are a liar!
My God says, I was not given a spirit of fear-- but a Spirit that is powerful, full of love and on top of that I was given a sound mind.
The mind of CHRIST!
And He says, His perfect love casts out all fear!
Thank you Jesus that You SAY--the TRUTH will set us Free!"

Ready to open your mouth?

The Winds And Waves Still Know His Voice!

There are times when the events and circumstances of our lives start to
take a little too much authority in our lives.
This morning as I was watching Joyce Myers she said something really basic that just hit me.
God never intend you to be controlled by things on the outside.
That is pretty good--better yet........ it is truth!

How great would that be?
How great-- never to be swayed by events or peoples actions--dear God, bring it on!
I am not there yet. But, I do wonder if I am reacting differently to things today than I would have six months ago. Has there been growth?
I guess God is the only one who really knows that-although I would like to think
there has been change.

I do know that when my emotions start to swing lately that
I am really trying to hold on to the truth that does not swing.
I can count on that truth not changing. I can count on God always being the same.
I can always run to Him. Matter of fact lately you will find me clinging to His leg.
And I find my prayer a lot lately has been pretty simple--
Dear God help us!
Yesterday I was reminded of this verse twice- "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I have heard that verse so many times in the last few years. It has become a very popular verse--probably over used. Sometimes when that happens we begin to say, "yeah, yeah" when we hear the verse.
So, when I hear a verse twice in one day--from a different sources....... my ears perk up.

I have felt a little like someone that has been picked on a little much the past two years.
All of us have struggles. What is stretching for me....... may be nothing for you.
He orchestrates events in our lives to grow us.
I have found myself thinking lately, THIS IS FOR MY GOOD?????
Um, God--could you explain, please?????
So..... I look at that verse and I remind myself--He is not trying to harm me.
There are no ooopses where God is involved!
It does not matter how I feel. The TRUTH in all of this is
(if of course I am walking in a Godly manner)
what is going on in my life is working to give me a HOPE and a FUTURE!
I don't know what it is going to look like--but, I am so glad He is in control.
So......................... be still my heart--My God is on my side.
Better yet......I AM IN HIS HANDS!
DO YOU HEAR THAT STORM?
MY GOD IS GETTING READY TO TELL YOU TO PIPE DOWN!!!!!

"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be put to confusion" (Ps 71:1 AV).

MeMe Monday

Well I was not going to participate today but it seems I do have some things to take care of.
I know that I have a few awards that need to be passed on but if you don't mind I will leave that to another Monday.
O.K, since we are all o.k with the above I want to take care of this tag by
Melanie over at Livin' With Me.


I was selected by her as one of her top favorite blogs.
I am honored! How cool is that.
Pretty cool.
Melanie and I have been hanging our for awhile--so this is sweet.
Now to pick only five--goodness the reason I blog with the people I do is because I have picked them out as my favorites.
I am sure as times go by I will find more--but for now I have to watch the computer time.
Yes, you know what I mean. :)
No bowing down to computer allowed! ;)
Thinking...thinking....thinking.......

Here goes!

“TOP FIVE HOTTEST BLOG MEME”

RULES:

1. Simply choose five blogs you want to be included in your “top five list”.
2. Give a short line or explanation why you put them on your list. One explanation for each blog.
3. Now tag as many blogs as you want. You can also tag those blogs you have listed in your TOP FIVE….you can also put your own blog in your list if you want.
4. For those who have been tagged, you can also vote for a blog that has been nominated already (besides, this is what this meme is intended for, to know how many bloggers will nominate your blog)
5. Submit you TOP FIVE HOTTEST BLOG ENTRY here.
Submitted blogs will be the only one to be included in the tally
6. Remember: Submissions of entries starts from MARCH 1 2008 to MARCH 25 2008 and top five hottest blog winners will be announced on MARCH 29 2008
7. Enjoy listing your top five!!!

***end copy here***

Here is my list.........and I cringe as I type this becaus e I don't want to leave anyone out..you know who you are. If I come by and visit....it is because you are on my list. In other words according to this you are "hot"--in a totally Godly way of course! :)

1. Nicki at Three Girly Girls--she has such a heart for God and she is real. When Gods eyes roam to and fro across the face of the earth looking for those who love Him...He sees her jumping up and down waving her arms madly. :)

2. Melanie at Livin' With Me---ever thought of someone as your little sis? Melanie is someone that is that person. She has a sweet heart and is just herself. She is a great Mom and enjoys being a SAHM. You will always feel welcome on her blog-she is a great encourager.

3. Maria of Free To Fly.......Maria is new to me in the last few months. I have enjoyed reading her thoughts on a walk with God. She is real. And you know that I do like to stay honest with putting out there-who you really are. She makes me think and I love that. Bottom line--she has a heart that yearns to be who God wants her to be. And..she is my spiritual cuz! :)

4. Leslie at Do You Weary Like I Do?----Here is another newbie. There is something sister like about this girl. She puts her heart out there in her posts.It is a heart that is longing to be more God like every day. And since I am all about spiritual heart health--her blog is good for my heart health. Ha....she has a heart healthy blog. Maybe that is an idea for a new award button. Hmmmm......

5.Denise of ShortyBears Place-Denise has a real heart for encouraging. She sends me sweet things each day that lets me know that she is thinking about me and praying for me. She has a positive heart with all that she is going through in life--that is something. You really could not maintain that without God. She has been a great encourager of mine.

Now girls if you want to play--enjoy!
And if you know me you know that I am cringing as I click...publish post.
So here are the ones I would include if I could do more than 5---Ha! I just knew there had to be a way to get around those five. :)

Samaritan Woman
MelanieJoy
The Vicarage Kitchen
Sting my Heart
Edge of Design
Organizational Determination
Shore Stories
On The Upside
Brooke In The Forest
Sunny Susan
Mary's Writing Nook
Little Red Hearts From God
Thus Far The Lord Has Helped Me
Still His Girl
Karen's Ramblings
Crown Laid Down
Mimi's Toes
D's Health & Weight Loss Journey
Did You Ever Think About
Overflow Of A Forgiven Soul
Riding Free With Deb
I'm In Another Place In Him
LifeSongs
Windows To My Soul
SouthernSass
Beloved By Name Beautiful By Grace
In His Foootsteps

Yes, still a little rebellious by heart. I just couldn't leave any of you out!
So if I missed someone---SORRY!
I don't do a blogroll so I try to keep up with you all.
I love you guys!

The Year Of Romance

It is that time of month again! ;)

This past month has been a dosey! So much physical and emotional upheaval.
But, do you remember the verse where God promises to work all things together for our good- if we love Him and are walking according to His plan?
Today, I tell you it is............. TRUTH!

Most of you know that my father in law passed away about a week ago.
I had spent almost a year taking care of him while he lived with us.
There were many times that I struggled with him being a priority over my husband.
And, I knew that my husband felt it and understood the struggle.
We tried to take time when we could just to renew our perspectives.

Without being disrespectful to my FIL's memory -I almost felt like we had taken on a new child when he came to live with us.
You know how it is after you have a baby and all the family has to readjust to new schedules and routines? Well, that is where we were.
Now our addition has graduated and moved on to his eternal reward and we are experiencing a few new readjustments. :)
We are glad he graduated with honors!
We are proud of him.

Keith and I are adjusting together.

If you will remember I once described Romance as...... something that touches your heart.
We are both experiencing this at this time. It seems strange that at a time when both of our hearts are hurting that God would also allow the comforting taking place to
renew our feelings of romance.
Strange.
But as I hold my husband and comfort him with touch and words--
my heart is touched.
The tenderness I feel reminds me how blessed I am to have him.
I thank God that He has taught me to trust my husband and feel safe with him.
You and I both know that without the above-- true romance is not even available.

So as we walk through the coming days and weeks I look forward to being able to
meet his needs both in words and deeds.
As we hold each other we are able to cry together and laugh together at our memories of time spent with Paw Paw.
It draws us closer together and touches our hearts.
And remember, a heart that is touched by a spouse---is a heart that has been romanced.

This post is a little strange--but it is where my heart is.
Hope it made sense.
Hard times do not have to drive the romance from our marriages!
And thus--all things can work together for our good.
;)
He is a good God!

And visit Maria at Free To Fly for more women participated in the Year Of Romance.

The state of the bride?

Feb/14/2008

I saw the mass lying broken and mangled
No longer bloody
But now healed and deformed in nature
a Spirit of light is moving
over the carcasses to
reveal each bent and twisted limb
As it goes
it will reveal
each fissure and splint under broken pressure
Now I see the hand of God
coming down
to grasp the limb
He gently
takes it in both hands and
re breaks the bone
exposing a marrow that is gray
and crumbly
He takes the spit from
His mouth and touches
it to the edge of
the broken bone
and the bone
once gray with
ash color now becomes
white and the marrow
becomes moist and thick
filling the bone once again
With gentle hand
He put the bone back
together closing the
fissure until there is
no evidence of the break
Red muscle tissue once
again wraps and clings
to the bone
wrapping
Its way up strengthening the bone
And then flesh
Pure pink baby flesh
but resilient
the mass heap begins
to move
limbs untangling from
the trash heap
faces smiling
hair luxurious bright eyes
clear complexions
and then She reaches
out with both hands
and says come
but she is drawing the
wrong one to her
chest
He is a deceiver
see his sly Knowing
smile
He is not the healer
he is an interloper
God can’t she see
Does she not Know-can
She not feel he is
not the healer
God help her!
the shock on her face as
she realizes
that she has
drawn to herself
the deceiver

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This is where my mind has been for over a year now. And yes, I know it is a heavy subject.
But it needs to be talked about. So I am throwing it out here.
I have talked this over with my pastor.
-------
So we have humbled ourselves and prayed.
We have even turned from our wicked ways.?????
God has heard and healed. In the way we have let Him.
But, I am concerned that if we are not very careful---we will give credit where credit is not due.
Not on purpose.
Maybe because- once all is mended, we will turn and move on and loose sight of the true healer.
We are told that in the last days there will be wolves in sheep's clothing.
We are told that it is possible that the very elect will be deceived.
The above was a very vivid vision.
The only way we will be protected is to know THE TRUTH and bury it deep inside our hearts.
Then when we meet sheep and we our spirits are tempted to say--
My what big teeth you have.
Or.
My what what big ears you have.
We will remember the TRUTH and that truth will set us free from entanglement.
The path is narrow and few will find it.
Bury His word deep-till it becomes the living marrow in your bones.

Thoughts??????
Have you been hearing the same thing?

For your entertainment........um, at my expense. ;)

SOUTHERN WOMEN--Yes, I am a southern woman but I don't know if could "rightly" agree with all of these. :).

Southern women appreciate their natural assets:
Clean skin.--with less wrinkles because of all the humidity.
A winning smile.
That unforgettable Southern drawl.

Southern women know their manners:
'Yes, ma'am.'
'Yes, sir.'
'Why, no, Billy!'

Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions :
'Y'all come back!'
'Well, bless your heart.'
'Drop by when you can.'
'How's your Momma?'
I wish you'd hush!--that was spoken often by my Grandma. Of course hush really sounded like huuuush

Southern women know their summer weather report:
Humidity
Humidity
Humidity

Southern women know their vacation spots:
The beach
The rivuh
The crick
The mountains--says this southern girl. But the gravel pit will do too!

Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August:
Colorful hi-heel sandals-maybe
Strapless sun dresses-no
Iced sweet tea with mint-oh yes if that sweet involves sweet n low!
Straw hats and big sunglasses-uh-No!

Southern women know everybody's first name:
Honey
Darlin'
Shugah
Girl :)

Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Steel Magnolias
Gone With The Wind--this has been a favorite since I was a little girl. I always thought God messed up when he planted me in the 1900's. But then He knew I would be fond of A.C.
Southern women know their religions:
Baptist
Methodist
Football--for shame, for shame! Somebodies Ma Ma didn't teach em right! :)

Southern women know their country breakfasts:
Red-eye gravy
Grits
Eggs
Country ham
Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with homemade jelly-Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, AMEN!
Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:
Chawl'stn
S'vanah
Foat Wuth
N'awlins
Addlanna--Looks like we need some diction lessons. On my behalf --I always say, New Orleans.
Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:
Men in uniform.
Men in tuxedos
Rhett Butler--oooo la la!

Southern girls know their prime real estate:
The Mall
The Country Club--more like the back row in the Baptist church for me ;) Although I have moved up to the second row and it is no longer a Baptist church!
The Beauty Salon

Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins: hmmmm
Having bad hair and nails
Having bad manners
Cooking bad food


More Suthen-ism's:
Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit , and that you don't 'HAVE' them, you 'PITCH' them.--I think kids all over the world have this one down pat. And that is what "a switchin" is for.
_____
Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up 'a mess.'
_____
Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of 'yonder.' --goodness that makes us sound like a mess of country bumpkins
_____
Only a Southerner knows exactly how long 'directly' is, . as in: 'Going to town, be back directly.'
_____
Even Southern babies know that 'Gimme some sugar' is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.
_____
All Southerners know exactly when 'by and by' is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.
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Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin! HA Ha! and if it is real bad..ya better show up with a lemon meringue pie too!
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Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between 'right near' and 'a right far piece.' They also know that 'just down the road' can be 1 mile or 20.
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Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po ' white trash. --I don't fall into any of the above categories--but I love a few red necks!
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No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn. Oh so ture!
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A Southerner knows that 'fixin' can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.-Not according to my Mom!
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Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're 'in line,' . we talk to everybody!-I'm working on this--seems that got left out of my southern programing.
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Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage. -hmmmmm and that is all I've got to say on that point!
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In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.
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Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.--with real butter, plenty of salt and some cheese and crumbled bacon!
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Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.
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When you hear someone say, 'Well, I caught myself lookin',' you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
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Only true Southerners say 'sweet tea,' 'sweet milk,' and 'light bread'. Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it (just ask my man-2 1/2 cups per gallon!)-- we do not like our tea unsweetened. 'Sweet milk' means you don't want buttermilk. And 'Light bread' is white bread. We don't use light bread and I prefer the fake sweetener.
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And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,'Bless her heart' ... and go your own way.
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To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southernness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!--Our revival will start next week. But it won't be held in a tent--thank ya Jesus!
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And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!
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And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads
'I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could.' --we really do know how to speak proper! My Mom would have a fit if I started talking like that!

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !

Nicole Mullen - Redeemer - Video

Amen!

Thank you

The picture above is called drops of love.
Looks like it could be tear drops doesn't it?
Many tears have been shed these past few days.
All were shed in love.
Today as I sat in the funeral I thought of all of the prayers of you wonderful women.
And I thanked my God for you.
Thank you for all of your sweet heart felt comments and your words of love and understanding.
If I could give you all a great big hug--- I would.
Please do not stop praying.
This big old house will be pretty empty without Paw Paw.
Anybody want to come and share some coffee in the morning? :)
I am back down to just one coffee drinker.


If I could ask you to pray for one more thing please.
We will have to be getting out of this rental really soon.
Paw Paw was paying the rent on this big place so that we would have a place to take care of him.
Now it is time to find the home God has picked out for us.
Pray that we would follow His lead and that I would not be without ya'll for long.
Does that sound silly?
I don't know what I would have done without ya'll to keep me company this past year.
You were ministering to my soul and you did not even know it.
I love you guys.

Thank you again!

I would like to pass this little piece of sweetness that I got from Mary of Mary's Writing Nook on to all of you who have been so close lately. Thank you for being my sister and friend.You have truly been a light in the darkness.

Gone home to be with his Daddy God

Bert Nehemiah Brumfield
1915-2008

Today around 2:30 Paw Paw walked into the arms of our Father.
He went peacefully.
He is now walking the gold streets arm n arm with his wife and family that had gone before.
Most of all
he met the One face to face-- whom he had given his life at the age of 12.

He leaves behind three children, seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren an one great great grandchild.

He will be greatly missed by us all.

Services will be held at Crains Funeral home in Franklinton, Louisiana on Tuesday morning.

Thank you with all my heart for walking through this with me in pray and love.
May God greatly bless you all for the way you have give to me through your words.
I love you

I am sorry that I have not been here in awhile.
Some of you have emailed me to see how things are going on our end.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and concern.

Tuesday they went in to check out Paw Paws heart for a blockage.
We found out that there was no total heart blockage but his heart and arteries were in very bad condition. The doctor said that there was nothing he could do--his heart had just had enough.
We planned on removing him from the respirator the next day and when we did he could not handle it. It was put back in place. Paw Paw did not wake back up and they really did not think he would.
We waited for another 24 hours and then were to try again.
The family made the decision
to not put him back if he could not handle it but to let him go peacefully in God's time .
The doctors thought that his heart would not be able to sustain him and he would go within a few hours. That was not the case.
We removed everything but a morphine drip and an oxygen mask on Thursday morning.
He did not regain consciousness.
It is now 1:00 in the morning Saturday and he is still holding on.
We have all said our goodbyes and now we are waiting.

He is ready to walk the gold streets--of that we are certain.
We look forward to his reunion with his first wife who is already there waiting for him.

I will ask you to pray for this one thing.
There are still many family members who do not know the Lord. Because God has waited to call him home we had an incredible chance to share with one of my nieces who is 31. She is right there on the brink. It was a very moving experience.
I was honored to do this with my pastor.
He and his wife have been by our sides during this experience.
Pray that the funeral will be a blaze of Glory for our Father. Pray that during the service hearts will be convicted by our Father and decisions will be made that will bring more brothers and sisters into our family.
We will be sending one brother home and we will be gaining a few more. \0/

And yes, please pray for the comfort of us all--my little man is going home and I will miss him so.
That is enough for now.

I love you guys.
And i look forward to catching up with you soon.
Thank you all for your prayers.
Thank you Mom for taking care of JuJu--I love you.

Answered prayer! \o/

Thank you all so much for your prayers!

The doctors have been utterly amazed at the recovery of Paw Paw.
Last night around ten we heard the code blue for his room. Sue (my sil) and I went running. We found that as they prepared to do his first dialysis he stopped breathing.
The ICU was filled with so many people trying to save this little man.
Although he stopped breathing his heart did not stop.
After all he had been through that day with having his pace maker battery changed out and finding out that they had given him too much sedative for his age--he still would not give up.
Yesterday during one moment of clearness he asked us to just let him die. He was really in horrible condition. The heart doctor said that he really did not give him much hope of coming out of all of this.
There were several more incidents during the night and finally after incubation they were able to put in a new stint to do the stat dialysis. Because his blood pressure was so low he got blood clots in his fistula--what they normally used to do dialysis. The clots were not sever although they will have to go and clear them out.
During dialysis they gave him three pints of blood. Much needed.

This morning was great. His blood pressure was back up. His blood all clean from the dialysis--he is doing FANTASTIC.
Both the heart doctor and the kidney doctor could really not believe how great the improvement was over night!
Do you believe prayers work?
Praise God He is true to his word. \o/
I would give you all a great big hug---but that will have to wait till heaven.
I owe you one.
Tomorrow-not sure what time--they will go in to remove the blockage in his heart.
The nurses say that the high numbers he was showing just last night that show heart failure are dropping to normal range.
Is that cool or what?
He heart is working good.
They will do the procedure and then begin to move him off of the breathing machine.
They say at this moment he is pretty much breathing on his own anyway.
(Deep breath)
All of the family will be in tomorrow.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
I am tired--but so is my sister in law who is 66. We have been grabbing a little sleep here and there. I look forward to getting a good night sleep in a horizontal position. :)
And I look forward to having my house back in order and everyone back home in their own beds.
I miss getting around to all of you my extended family.
How are all of you doing?
I miss you.
I may get around some tonight to visit with you.
I thank my God on all remembrance of you!
I love you!

Update

Thank you for your continued prayers.
Paw Paw did have a heart attack and is having problems with probably a blocked artery.
He is having problems with fluid on the lungs.
They are trying to get some dialysis done.
As they began this process tonight he stopped breathing and now they have him incubated.
They will try and get some fluid taken off and then if they can get him stable they will deal with the heart situation.
God knows how much his little body can handle.
Please pray for his children.
Thank you for your prayers for Paw Paw.
I will update as possible.
You are special to my heart. :)

Prayer please

Picture taken in October at the fair with Paw Paw.

Hey it is Sharon-
Just wanted to take a moment and let ya'll know what is going on so that I can ask for prayer.
On Saturday afternoon we realized that something was going on with paw Paw
that was not right.
Short of breath and very agitated and could not sleep.
We called the doctor and were told to take him to the hospital.
I thank God that within about 10 minutes of reaching the emergency room he was being monitored, blood was being drawn along with ex rays being taken.
We were told that he had fluid in the lungs and that his heart beat was off.
And then told us that he was going into congestive heart failure.
They had to shock his heart twice to get the beat back to normal.
Very upsetting and scary.
He is in ICU now and they will let us know today if he had a heart attack.
Also they will take him into surgery and change the battery in his pace maker.
I will let ya'll know as I find out more info.
But please pray.
Thank you--I knew I could count on you.
Your Sis

Have you gotten your pedicure yet?

And Peter thought........

Sure wish I had stopped
and gotten that pedicure
on the way to dinner........

Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done to you?
You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so.
That is what I am.
So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet.
I've laid down a pattern for you.
What I've done, you do.
I'm only pointing out the obvious.
A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer.
If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.

John 13