Tomorrow one of my babies heads to the Ukraine on a mission trip.  She is so excited to be doing God's work.  My heart is swelling- knowing that she loves the Lord this much.
I am incredibly blessed.

Please keep Sierra, and the others who are traveling with her, in your prayers. Pray for safety, that they grow in their relationships with Christ, that they positively touch the life of all those they come in contact with (during all parts of the trip), and that Heaven ends up a little fuller because of those they reach.


This is Sierra's blog.   You can read her posts about this trip.

Schools Out For Summer!!!

Wow.  Over a year.  SO much has happened.  
One of the biggest things- I graduated nursing school!!!  YEA!!!
I graduated CumLaude and received a couple honors:  I received the Greater Cleveland Nurses Association's Graduating Senior Award, and also Tri-C's Spirit of Nursing Award.  
I found out about the first one when I received a phone call from the GCNA.  They also did a write up in Cleveland Magazine.  Unfortunately (in my opinion) it included a pretty large picture.  Oh, how I hate having my picture taken...
The second surprised me during our pinning ceremony.  To say I was shocked would be a tremendous understatement!  I am still very honored and incredibly humbled.  I appreciate both of these awards, but I still can not believe that I was chosen.

Another biggie- TIMMY GRADUATED!!!  Woo Hoo!  He did very well and we are really proud of him.  He also graduated his 2-year program at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center in Computer Programming!  Now he is planning to go into the Air Force and is in the process of signing up.

Sierra is still taking college classes and will graduate with her associate's this year as well as graduating high school.  She will also be leaving soon for the Ukraine!  She is going on a mission trip with 6 other teens (and two adults) for 11 days.  Prayers for her safety and for God's will upon this trip are definitely appreciated.

Garrett graduated 8th grade and will be entering high school.  WOW!  He is doing so well and he is working very hard.  He is a great kid and we are really proud of him!

Well, that's a quick update.  Tim also started a new job, and he's really happy there.  Things are good and God is great!

with the subtleness of a bulldozer...

Yes, just as I decided I NEED to lose weight and get healthy... I KNEW this is what God wanted from me.... but just in case there was ANY doubt at all.....
Tim decided we needed to sit down & talk.  About what???  About how he/we need to get healthier- start eating healthier, get some exercise, and lose weight.  And while we are having the conversation, a friend calls to tell me that she has not only decided to lose weight, but to enter a friendly competition while doing so.

Ok, God.  I get it.  I need to get it in gear and You are going to make sure I get the message.

You see, God really gets me.  (shocker, right?)  He hears my prayers when I beg Him not to be subtle with me.  He knows I may not get it if He is.  Not only do I now know that this is what I must do right now- I'm actually excited about it!  Lord, please keep me this excited the next time I have a chance to  pig out on pizza with extra cheese and anchovies...

Oh yea.  I entered the weight loss challenge with my friend.  Nothing like some friendly competition to keep a girl motivated!

So I was thinking.....

That statement alone should be enough to strike fear in the heart of anyone who knows me!  

I  have been, of course, busy.  Now I've added a new job to my list of  "crazy things I think I can do at one time."  I'm working as a Patient Care Nursing Assistant at South Pointe Hospital- Cleveland Clinic.  I've done a couple weeks training on first shift, now a couple on second shift, then I will begin on third shift.  You know... in my spare time.

I am really enjoying it so far, and I'm learning a LOT that will be helpful in nursing school.  It's not easy, nor is it glamorous.  It is, however, quite rewarding.  The floor I am working deals with a very diverse array of medical situations, and I think I tried to cover as many of them as possible last night.  This would have been tough under any circumstance, but I'm getting sick to boot.  (sigh)

I'm also very determined to finally lose this weight.  No, this is not a New Year's resolution.  It's a "I can't stand feeling like this anymore" resolution.  Working this hard AND not wanting to eat have been quite helpful with this endeavor. 
See?  There is a positive side to everything. 

So anyhow... what I was thinking about.......
I was trying to think of a verse that would help me hang on during this self-induced stress, and I thought of Isaiah 26:3.  Then I thought about how long it had been since I've updated my blog.....
Now I really should go take a shower and keep Garrett working on this paper I'm making him write....

"The steadfast in mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts You." ~Isaiah 26:3

Who was more homesick?

It was very hard to say good-bye to all three of my children Sunday afternoon.  My youngest was finally old enough to to join his brother and sister at camp for the week, and couldn't have been more excited.  I didn't cry when I left, but it wasn't because I didn't want to... at least a little bit.  Does it make me a bad mother then, that that heartache I felt was soothed when I received a call at 10 pm telling me that Garrett was feeling a bit homesick and needed to talk to me?  (YEA!  He still loves me!  ha ha!)  

I know that they are all having an absolutely wonderful time, and by the breakfast the next morning, he probably had to really concentrate to remember what I even look like.  I am incredibly blessed, knowing that all the youth at Beulah Beach this week with Impact camp are in wonderful and reliable hands- not only the hands of the leaders we sent them with, but our Heavenly Father's Hands.  There are none greater.

I didn't say WHEN....

Well, I said I'd be back....
I've been thinking about this blog lately, but I just didn't know where to start.

I'm still in school.  I begin the R.N. program the end of August!  I got into the evening program at Metro.  I'm more than a little nervous...  Everyone suggests that a person get everything that is not a Nursing class out of the way before beginning the program, and I can't begin to explain how happy I am that I've  done just that!  I'll have classes Mon-Wed evenings and clinicals on Saturday & Sundays from 7am-2pm.  I know I'll have to fit lab practice in there at some time as well.....

Sierra will also be taking most of her classes at Tri-C in the fall, but she'll be going during the daytime.  If all works out, Timmy will be at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center during the days too.  So, I'll just have Garrett home during the day.  That should really benefit him for homeschooling.

I'm trying to spend as much time at the campground this summer as possible- trying to gather any shreds of sanity before school begins in the fall!  If you'd like to join us out here at Pier-Lon Campground, just give me a call.  We'd love to have you join us!

Ha!

Not quite a year since my last post...... and this will barely quailify as a post.

Just a quick note: Yes, I am alive. Yes, I am still in school. Yes, I am still homeschooling.

More to come.......

Catching my breath

I have been absolutely & unbelievably busy! So much to share!

Timmy & Sierra went to camp with church the morning after we got back from our mission trip to Appalachia. Garrett went to Grandma's for a few days. You would THINK I'd get some serious tv & bon-bon time in, but nooooooooooooo........

We went to see Jeff in the hospital to visit him & his new liver Monday night.
The next day I went to visit another friend in the hospital who the doctors didn't know what was wrong. They were concerned about liver failure, but later found out it was a bad case of mono. (That was my second adult friend to get mono this summer!)
Wednesday is bible study
Thursday we went to pick up Garrett from Grandma's out in Vermilion and to visit Timmy & Sierra at camp. Luckily, I knew about this "hair thing" ahead of time:

Timmy & Sierra at Frontlines Camp
Friday we sat for hours at Garrett's orthopedist. He'll be getting orthodics for his shoes....hopefully soon.
Friday night I had a karate demo in Northfield Village.
About midnight Friday night we picked the kids up from camp.

The following week was insane, but AWESOME! It was SPORTS CAMP week!!!!

Our church has a very cool version of vacation bible school. We offer sports for the kids! They can chose from soccer, basketball, cheerleading, and now this year karate & flag football! We have camp from 9-12 in the morning, and from 6-9 at night. I taught karate at both sessions all week. (Sierra & Timmy helped, too.)

We had about 160 kids in karate. I had the3rd & 4th graders, and I had about 50+ kids between both classes. I was exhausted, but there wasn't anywhere else I would have wanted to be.

We had 629 kids at Sports Camp this year with over 200 volunteers. It is an amazing outreach. On Sunday we have our CELEBRATION! There are blow up, music, food galore, and demonstrations from different groups. And everything is F-R-E-E!!!!!!!!!

Our karate demo team performed and then we promoted all the kids who were in our karate class that week to their first belt: orange! They were so excited, and my class rocked!!!! The parents were taking pictures and were so proud of their kids.. and they had every reason to be. Those kids worked HARD that week.... I really miss them!


After that, we had two weeks off to relax and try to recover. Yesterday, we started school. Yes, it seems early to me too. But I use an e-school and Timmy is now in high school. His classes are very different now, and he needs to start when they start. Sierra is also taking high school English, even though she is still in 8th grade!

Maybe my biggest news: I am going back to school! Yup! I start classes on Sept 8th. I'm going full time. Right now I plan on going to become a surgery tech. Who would have thought, huh?

And last, but definitely not least-
A friends son put together this video about our Appalachia trip. Enjoy!!!!!

Appalachia Mission Trip: The Movie from Spencer Tuckerman on Vimeo.

Isaiah 6:8: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Ok... I promised a post about our Appalachia mission trip....... This year was great. There. How's that? More details????? .....fine...............

WEDNESDAY:
We left on Wednesday. The trip "officially" starts Thursday, but a core group of us go down early to get everything started. Tim drove the box truck down that carried most of the supplies our mission trip would use during out time there. Timmy rode down with him. Sierra & Garrett rode down with me in the car. We beat Tim there, but not by much. He must have really been flying around those curves in that truck.... glad I was driving myself! After we arrived and got settled, we met with the other early arrivers in the lobby of the lodge that we stay at. As we were all talking, Abby T starting screaming that Jeff P was going in for surgery!
***Jeff P is a dear, dear friend who has been fighting liver cancer. His story deserves is very own post, so short story: God is so good! He has been going through chemo and had just been moved to the top of the list on Monday. Here it was, Wednesday at about 11:30 pm, and he just got the call to come the hospital- his new liver was on its way!!!!

THURSDAY:
The next morning I hurried to check my email- Jeff had gone if for surgery at 5:45 am. We all prayed! Time to get to work!
There are a LOT of jobs we do while we are down there. I began with painting one of the houses that are on campus at Appalachia Bible College. There were quite a few people on this job. Most of those people had the sense to paint on a SHADED side of the house. Not Kathy & I however. We wanted to feel the full effect of what it is like to suffer the heat & humidity. That would HAVE to make us better people, right? LOL Well, it did make us a bit miserable... fortunately we were both able to laugh at how stinkin' miserable we were.
Only by the grace of God did we stay there and continue to paint. If that were MY house (or even YOURS for that matter) we would have been soooo outta there! But blazing sun, pitiful humidity, wasps, nor high ladders could keep us from our task at hand! We held out until Greg called it a day. Then we did a happy dance, cleaned up, packed up, and headed for the showers!
(Besides... the guys would have never let us live it down if we wimped out!)

Tim & Timmy had been driving the truck around to the different jobs and unloaded whatever materials they needed there. There were several construction jobs going on: building of a 10' x 20' wood shed for a men's shelter, forming & pouring concrete to build a basketball court for that same shelter, painting that house on the campus, another building project on the campus that I wasn't familiar with, cleaning & staining steps at ANOTHER men's shelter that we had built two years ago. We also held a vacation bible school in the town of Keystone, a women's luncheon & outreach in Keystone, as well as visit & bring supplies to two different women's shelters, etc, etc...

After a much needed shower, we got some food and joined the rest of the team (there were about 110 of us) at the lodge for instruction and fellowship. I managed to check my email again and found that Jeff's surgery had gone great, and he was recovering. Praise God!!!!!

FRIDAY:
Although the painting job was going to last the whole weekend, my time there was done. Today I had outreach work to do.

This began with shopping for groceries for a family we have worked with for (I think) 4 years now: Nancy and Pete. Pete is 39 and developmentally delayed. He lives with his mother just outside of Beckley. As with most of the people in that area, they are quite poor. We were going to visit them and bring them enough groceries to last them quite some time! One of the women on our team had just spoken with Nancy, and we knew they were going through a very stressful and trying time. A 14 year old neighbor had recently taken to shooting at them with his bb-gun whenever he saw them. They were afraid to leave their home because of this troubled young man.
When we arrived at their home, the damage caused by the neighbor was immediately obvious. He had shot out a couple windows of their home. Now mind you, they didn't have a whole lot to start with. Like those around them, they lived in an old trailer. They don't have the financial resources to fix the window, and the they knew that if they DID fix it, it would just be an invitation for this young man to aim at it again. We also found out that he was now shooting at THEM when they would step outside! He had also caused major damage to other parts of their trailer, and had broken in on at least two occasions. Nancy told us that when she DID leave, she had to pack all their medications and anything of value and take it with them, or it would be gone by the time they returned.
We also found out that their refrigerator was not working. Nancy said she would take the perishables to a friend's home. (One of the guys in our team was back there the next day to work on her fridge.)
As we stood in front of their home, the neighbor stepped outside to take a look at what we were doing. Then he went back in. Yes, we were a bit leery, but we had God on our side. We did make sure that we were between this teenager and our own children..... just in case. We prayed together and visited for a bit. We talked Pete into coming to the Celebration Picnic we had planned at the church in Beckley later that day! Pete had not left home for a few months because of anxiety.
We hugged & prayed again, then went about our work there.

That evening was the picnic. I'd love to report that 100's came from miles around....... really I would. (sigh) However, the weather wasn't very cooperative so we settled for the handfuls that did show. It also gave us a chance to get to know the others on our trip!

SATURDAY:
Saturday was spent in Keystone. Keystone is a small town about 1.5 hours from where we stayed in Beckley. Keystone was founded in 1892 by the Keystone Coal & Coke Company. It now is an amazingly poor town with a population of about 450, and an annual median household income of just over $13K in 2007. I'm guessing that figure is lower today.

I was in charge of holding the Women's Luncheon there. We hoped that the moms would all come while their children attended vacation bible school. Not all the moms came, but I got a pretty good showing.

We began with jewelry making! A couple of the young teenage girls are very good at this, so they brought all the supplies and taught the ladies. They LOVED it!!! They made some beautiful necklaces and bracelets while we got to know them.
After about an hour, the program began.

Ginger began for us. Ginger is a pediatric nurse, so she spoke to the women about basic care of babies and children. I know that for many of you, this seems odd, but many, many of these families do not understand many of the basic necessities of child-raising.
Ginger explained about diaper changing, the need to hold your baby, and to never put water or soda in a baby's bottle. She taught about basic hygiene and dental care, developmental goals, and positive discipline.
She used scripture to put this all in a spiritual light. This is the second time she had done this, and she was wonderful!!

Susan was next up. She gave her testimony about growing up in an alcoholic home. This really spoke to the women as alcoholism and drug addiction are EVERYWHERE there. She is also a counselor and author and was really able to touch the women there with her story.

I finished up the talk with my own testimony. I don't always share my "low of the lows" story with everyone, but I did that day. I wanted the women to know that NO ONE is too lost or too bad for God to love them! That ALL sin separates us from God: drug addiction, promiscuity, gossip, envy, or greed. These are all sin. Nothing we do can earn our way to heaven. Being "better than those others" won't get us to Heaven. Only by the mercy of God and by His grace can we be saved! I prayed for each of them, and asked them to pray for themselves and for others. To never give up on those that are lost, but to keep praying for them.

After I finished my testimony we took time to talk more intimately with each of the women. I got to pray one-on-one with some of them. THIS is what mission work is all about!!!!

One of the women of that church there approached me about coming again in the fall to speak. I started to cry again and said, "Of course. I would LOVE to." Another member of the church, a male leader, also spoke to me about this. I don't have any definite plans yet, but this has been a dream of mine for some time. I know that I needed to go through everything I went through to get to where I am now. And I am in a GOOD PLACE!

I have felt God telling me to share, share, share my story.
I believe that my past was not intended only for MY salvation to happen, but to help others change their eternal address as well!

Next we had lunch! After all, what is a luncheon without lunch?! This was another chance for fellowship with the women of Keystone. The lunch was very nice (sandwiches, desserts, and sweet tea) and we gave them each gift bags filled with personal pampering items.

Our youth then performed the "Lifehouse" skit there before we left. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I've posted it here. This was done by a different group of youth at our church about a year ago, but the story is the same- AMAZING!



We left food, household supplies, and toiletries for many of the families of Keystone, then headed to Welch.

*****

We have visited a battered women's shelter in Welch each year for the past 5 years. The stories these women have vary from very sad to horrific. This year there were 25 women there, most of them have children or grandchildren with them. The women in the shelter LOVE it when we come. We do all we can to pamper them while we are there. We provide the residents there with haircuts & styles, manicures, & make-up. We bring many, many supplies including food & toiletries. We bring books & movies for them. We bring school supplies and backpacks for the children. We do activities with the children there. This is a wonderful opportunity for the young people on our trip to interact with the young people there. When everyone is together, we all 'just people'. My kids LOVE working with the kids there! We also get a chance to minister to the women there and lift them with the hope of Jesus. That is the saddest part... many of them just don't have hope anymore.

Our youth performed the "Lifehouse" skit there. I believe this was the highlight at the shelter. They were all in tears and asked the youth to perform it again. Most of the women were praying with our women after this. God is SO good!!!! We left there and headed back to the Bible College

SUNDAY:
Sunday is the day we all head home. We pack up, eat breakfast together, and hit the road for the 5 hour drive back. We are all excited to share our stories at breakfast, but we are all exhausted.

The ride home is usually nothing remarkable, really. However, about 2 hours into the trip Tim called me.

"Well, the vacation is over, " he said.
I thought the truck had broke down. Oh man.... the kids need to get home... they leave for camp early in the morning..........

"Yea," I said, "what's up?"

"I'm going back to work tomorrow morning."

I was too in shock to whoop or cheer.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Wow."

LOL. After 8 months of being laid off, that was how our conversation went! I made some calls to let people know, and so did he. THEY all got more excited than we did! Go figure....

So that, was our trip. Totally and completely awesome from start to finish!

GOD IS NOW HERE!!!

Have I told You lately that I love You???

This week celebrates something that we aren't exactly celebrating- Tim has been out of work for 5 months. He's in construction, so it's not unusual to get laid off for a short time in the winter. But he has NEVER been out this long. And there doesn't look to be anything in the near future. (sigh) He's put out resumes, went to see people, and followed the scarce leads that have come in. But, in this economy, any place that isn't laying off employees has a hiring freeze. We are just one of many in this situation.



However, I think we are unique to many others because we have hope. Our hope is not in politicians' promises, the evening news, or the stimulus bill- our hope is in Christ. His promises are never empty!

He tells us: "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."



I wasn't fearful at all, really. We cut our budget to the bare bones & then some. I got a part time job. The input & output were almost equeal, but we made it. Then my hours were cut. The numbers weren't close anymore. But we made it. God is SO good, and He made it work!



Then came April. For the first time, I was anxious. I was so angry at myself. How could this be happening? I kept telling myself that I was putting my trust in the Lord, but the numbers.... oh, the numbers. I knew it was time to kick up my prayer.... not praying for the numbers to work, but praying for peace. Praying as in James 4:7- "abide therefore in God. Cast out the devil and he will flee from you."

Satan loves it when we are fearful. He is the prince of fear!



I prayed constantly for God to fill my heart so much that there was no room for Satan and his baloney. I won't lie... it took constant, serious prayer. Satan kept reminding me that 5 months is a long time and the job front wasn't looking any better than it did 5 months ago.



But God is soooo much bigger!!!



The fear is gone. And with the fear gone, God kept working in my life. He is the King of Miracles. Nothing is too big for him- especially our measly little budget.



I love You, Lord. Not because of what You do for me, but because of who You are. I don't deserve You, and that makes it even more amazing that You love me so much.



Thank you, God. I love You!!!!!

In the (my) dark ages

I got brave last night and decided to put my maiden name on my facebook account.

I am in a very good place now and very happy with life. But it wasn't always that way. I used to be kind of a mess. Ok.... not kind of.... I was a SERIOUS mess. But that seems soooooo long ago. I actually refer to it as my previous life....... BC...... before Christ. It really WAS a previous life. He has made me a completely different person that I used to be.

What is sad is that I had to leave so many people behind. Some of those people are dangerous. No, that is not an exaggeration. Some of those in my past are quite dangerous. Maybe (probably?) to themselves, but definitely to me. I do not want them to know where I am now- for my own physical protection. Sad, huh?

So, I got a little nostalgic last night and decided to look up a few of the people from my past. I was hoping to find that some of them had also turned their lives around. I was hopeful.

Most of them I didn't find. Maybe I'm just too ADD to take enough time. Maybe that fact that it was almost midnight had something to do with it.

I had one person in particular in mind. He has a pretty common name, so after going through 40+ pages on Google I decided to try a different route- I searched court records. He's earned himself 2 more DUI's since I last saw him. Now he's at a total of 4. The last one wasn't all that long ago.
Another is dead from a drug overdose.
Another is in prison for aggravated rape.
Another is on her 6th marraige.

I could have been these people.

What breaks my heart more is that they could be where I am now.

They can't do it on their own. I didn't.
It's totally a God thing. He changed me, He can change them. He wants to change them.

Why do so many push Him away when they are in such a dark place?

I spent last night praying for them. They can try all they want to put out that flicker of Light, but if they just take the chance and turn it up a bit they can have joy beyond anything they ever imagined.

I don't have any deep & amazing to say....
I'm sad for them.
But I am OH SO GRATEFUL that God loves me!

Do not fear

Call me frugal (or cheap... I don't care)

Tim has been out of work for 4 months now. A little over 4 month, actually.

But things are good. Really!
Although we already lived incredibly frugally compared to many, we found we had many, many places we could still cut.

I've had discussions with others and it amazes me how many people either never think of these things, or think they can't live without them:

1. Fabric softener. 'cmon... it's nice, but necessary???? Paleeezzzzze!
2. Dryer sheets. (see above)
3. Flavored creamers. Not only are they expensive, but have you read the ingredients in these things???? ewwwwwwwwwww
4. Eating out. You can buy a whole WEEKS worth of food for what you would spend on one meal! If you don't believe that, then you need me to teach you how to shop.
5. Fancy shampoo/conditioner/soap/lotion/etc. The cheap stuff works fine. Get over it.
6. Soda. I know... this is like asking you to stop breathing. But seriously, it might be the HEALTHIEST thing you ever do! At least cut down. A lot. And don't buy that bottle of soda when you stop at the gas station/convenience store. Buy a case and ration it out.
7. Convenience foods. Go the the library and get a cookbook. Seriously. It isn't hard and it will taste a million times better than that shelf-stable caca.
8. Movies- theater or rental. Watch tv. There IS enough on there. Try watching some classics or something educational. If you REALLY need a movie, move away from the cookbooks and check out (ha ha) some of their movies. The Cuyahoga Public Library System was rated #1 in the country for a reason!!!!
9. Driving- stay home! You'll save a lot of money! LOL At least consolidate your trips. Plan ahead so you don't have to go out for that one thing you forgot. We have a conversion van and a Ford Focus. We drive the Focus unless we absolutely NEED to use the van.
10. Use the clutter. Do you have a few dozen half used bottles of shampoo? Consolidate & use them up. Go through your make-up. Chances are you really don't need to buy a new blush/eye shadow/lipstick if you use the ones you already have. Look in the cabinet & use up all those odd n' ends cleaners instead of buying the newest one on the commercial you just saw.
11. Bleach & vinegar. They clean just about everything for less than half the price.
12. Fridge clutter: you can either google those things you don't know what to do with and find recipes, or use www.allrecipes.com and search under the ingredients tab. Use it up, don't throw it out.

That's the first dozen ideas just off the top of my head. I'll post more later, and feel free to share any of yours!

Ketsup

Or catch up.... whatever.......

Where do I start?

I'm still working, though not as many hours. The study I'm on is nearing the end, so my hours were decreasing. I also have leadership classes at karate as well as teaching cardio kickboxing every Tuesday. So my hours went from 36 a week, to 16. The drop in hours stinks, but I think I'm probably a bit nicer than I was when I was working like a dog.

Wednesday I got an email from work that they wanted to train me for a higher position! YEAH! It is more interesting, more challenging, and more pay. God is so good!

The highlight of the last couple months was on March 8th at about noon, when Garrett decided he wanted to ask Christ to be his personal savior!!!! We knew he KNEW Christ, but this was a step only he could decide to take. This is my greatest wish for all children. Without Christ, nothing else they do will ever matter.

A couple weeks before this, our church, Cuyahoga Valley Church, did Cardboard Testimonies. Both Sierra & Garrett participated. (Sierra's started with "God was boring to me", and Garrett is second from the end.)



I'll add more tonight or tomorrow!

She's alive!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I AM still alive, just overwhelmed.

I will do my best to post later today!

Thinking till my brain hurts

Our small group studied this passage for the past week:

Luke 7:36-50 (NASB)

36Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,
38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner."

Parable of Two Debtors

40And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher."
41"A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42"When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"
43Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."
44Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45"You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46"You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
48Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
49Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"
50And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

We spent quite a bit of time on this. I love our group because I always leave thinking!

We rehashed one idea that we had brought up the week before when studying different scripture:
"Does someone who lead a really bad life before being saved, have more sin that needs to be forgiven?
Do they then appreciate what God has done by forgiving them even more than someone who led a not so bad life before being saved?"

I know (and hopefully you do too) that ALL sin separates us from God. So, we are all sinful- little or much- we can not EARN our way to heaven.

So, is Jesus saying that one person is more sinful and is forgiven more so they love Him more? Or is He saying that some of us see our own sins less than the sins of others? If so, is He then saying that THIS person is more sinful because they THINK they are more righteous than the person with the obvious sins? Or is He saying that forgiveness is forgiveness, and therefore no one is forgiven more than another?

We spent a LOT of time on this, and I don't think for one second that I am going to solve this in this post! But I AM curious to what anyone else may think, so please feel free to comment!!!!



Now, my past is very ugly. I know many people who are not proud of who they were before they found Christ, but I am truly ashamed. I've shared my testimony with several people from church and elsewhere. I even gave my testimony to a group of women while were were on our mission trip in the Appalachian Mountains. I talked for about 30 minutes. I cried and so did several others.
I've shared the 'condensed version' several times since then. I am NOT going to put it in this blog for a couple reasons:
1. I have family who may read this and are NOT ready or able to hear it.
2. I know that some younger people, who know my children read this, and I do not think it is appropriate for them or my own children to read. Yet.

But last week Rick talked about how, if someone was in a really, really, really bad way before coming to Christ, they have an appreciation for the amazing grace He brings us through salvation. People who haven't been there can definitely experience His grace- I'm not saying they don't. But can they REALLY know how close hell can be right here on earth??? I hope not.

I've seen and experienced things that I will never admit to anyone. But God knows. He knows everything I did, everything I thought, and everything I felt.
And He loves me anyways!!!!!
He doesn't just put His fingers in his ears and say "la la la la la la"... He wipes the sin AWAY! It is GONE!
When I mess up again, He doesn't give me a dirty look and think "figures. Look what you did in the past. You are a screw up and you will always be a screw up," while He sigh heavily and rolls His eyes. Instead, He draws me closer and keeps loving me.

It took me about 12 years after I accepted Christ to forgive myself. To realize that God wasn't holding my sins over my head, forgiving me for most of my sins but holding onto the super ugly ones. He never says, "I forgive you. Well, except for those ones. You know... those doozies.... those..... wellll....."
Nope. They are gone too.



Soooooooooooo.....
Do I love Christ more than someone who didn't lead their life running and screaming away from Christ? Do I appreciate what I have in Christ more than that person?

I would tend to think so, but I dont' know for sure.

I know that Satan thought he had me securely in this grip. And I was in his grip. No doubt about that. But securely?

Naaaahhhhhh......

Cuz God knew He was going to get me back.
He just had some work to do in/though/to me first.

Happy New Year

Wow.... I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. I've meant to post many times, but just never got around to it.

Let's see..........

I am now working full time. The job I'm doing is truly a blessing. I'm working from home and I thank God for that opportunity. The fact that I'm working 36 hours a week doesn't exactly thrill me, but it IS helping to give us those nice frivolous little extra things like heat and electricity. It has just been SO long since I've had to be on someone else's schedule.....

I know I posted before about how we were doing just great without a dryer. Well, I was sick for quite a bit and spent Christmas night and the next week pretty much in bed 24/7. It's kind of hard to catch up on all that laundry when I can only wash & hang 2-3 loads a day- if that much even got done around school & work. Finally, I figured we could cough up $50-$60 for a used dryer. Of course I wasn't finding anything like that on Craigslist.... and any even CLOSE to that price were electric. So, I posted under household that I was looking to buy a used gas dryer. My post went something like:
Wanted: GAS dryer
Hubby got laid off, so we can't afford a new one.
Gas is a must.
Working is a must.
Ugly is just fine!

That night I got an email from someone offering to sell me theirs for $100. Maybe they didn't realize how ugly I was willing to go?
The next day I get an email from Robert that says:
I have a white Kenmore gas dryer in my garage that works fine. I live in an all-electric house, so I have no need for it anymore. You can have it for free, but you will have to come to my house and pick it up. Let me know, ###-###-####, Robert
After I realized that my mouth was hanging open like fool I felt the tears start. God is SO good! Tim drove out there a couple days later (I had to work) to pick it up. Come to find out that Robert and his wife lead the children's ministry at their church. They have been trying to give this dryer away for a year! God kept them patient all this time until we needed it!

I've been in prayer quite a bit the last 24 hours.
*A very dear friend and sister Christian got in touch with me yesterday to let me know that her 11 year old niece just had a brain tumor removed. The doctors said that if they had found it even 7 days later, she may not have made it.
*Another friend ended up in the hospital yesterday. This person is going through LOADS of testing to try to find the source of this particular problem. The couple are dear, dear friends of ours. We are praying and praying and trusting God. I do wish there was more we could do. Seeing their faith at work melts my heart.
*Yet another friend ended up in the hospital after enduring back problems that couldnt' be diagnosed for WAY too long, the doctors found staph infection in his back. Praying for healing for him as well.

Puts my whining about my dryer, or lack of one, right into perspective, doesn't it?

Today, on our way back from karate class, I had to stop at the post office. Another nasty storm had just started. As I was waiting for a left turn arrow, I see a man standing outside of his car in the driveway at Walgreen. Something (someONE) made me open my window and ask, "Do you need to call someone?" The man who was standing closer to the road, who I thought was with the man by car pointed to other guy and said, "I think he does".
So I pulled in behind him to offer him my phone.
This man tells me, "I need to go across the street to get some gas (he had run out of gas) and my baby is in the car". Not sure exactly what he wanted, I asked him if he wanted me to watch his baby while he went. He said yes.
(Now, if you weren't there, you might wonder why he didn't just take his baby daughter with him. It was VERY nasty out. It was snowing ice- ice that feels like it is cutting into your face. And crossing that street wasn't exactly safe- it was sooooo icy & slippery.)
His car was locked (I presume... I didn't attempt to open the doors) so I just stood outside his car watching his beautiful daughter while he went to get gas. She couldn't have been more than 8 months old and was as happy as could be. She just watched Sierra & I (Sierra was not about to pass up the chance to gawk at a baby!) while we waited. 5-10 minutes later, dad was back- newly purchased & filled gas can in hand. We chatted for less than a minute when I realized he was pulling money out of his wallet to hand me.
"Absoluetly NOT!"
"Please"
"No. This is what people SHOULD do. People SHOULD take care of each other."
"You're right. We should"
We shook hands, and he waved as we drove away.
God was SO THERE!

And for me and my intense, deep 'dis-like' of winter..... It was warm & SONny for a short time today in Garfield Heights, Ohio.

Hung out to dry

I've said before that I hang almost everything to dry... everything except sheets and blankets. Well..... add sheets & blankets to that list.

Yup- our old dryer died. And by old, I DO mean old. We bought this dryer for about $30 a year ago when our previous dryer died. That one was about 14 years old. One of our dear friends, Dave Brunswick, helped Tim move it here and downstairs while Stacey & I hung out. (Man, I miss those two!!!) The dryer was quite old... at least 30 years old, but it worked. DID work.

Friday, while the dryer was trying to ignite, it kept clicking. And clicking. And clicking. Tim just took out the part that would need to be replaced and went to the appliance repair shop that a friend owns. Lo and behold, those parts are too old to be carried anymore. (sigh)

While I was looking for a picture of a dryer that resembled our old monster, I came across this handy contraption. I thought it looked pretty cool, till I saw that it cost $149 plus shipping.
I think my style of hanging clothes on hangers in the basement works just fine!


Since we are NOT in the position to buy a new dryer right now, I've learned that I DO indeed have room enough to hang sheets downstairs.

2 Timothy 4:7- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith

We head to West Virginia tomorrow! YEAH! The kids are so excited they can barely sit still. Tim, Timmy, and some others from church will load the box truck tonight, and Tim will drive it down there tomorrow. Sierra, Garrett and I will follow in our car.

Last night was our karate Christmas party. It is always a nice time. Last night it was even more special because MANY families brought in food & supplies for us to bring with to Appalachia. Many of these families are feeling the budget crunch themselves, but are still willing to reach out to others.

I was asked to lead the blessing last night. My amazing pastor, Rick Duncan, helped me with part of it. Thanks, Rick! I know you are incredibly busy, but you still took the time to get back to me. You are such a blessing to me and many, many others!
It was NOT a "bless this food, keep us safe" type of blessing. My intention was not to offend, but I refuse to be so concerned about NOT offending, that I do not reach out.

This is what I used:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us together safely tonight. We thank you for all you have given us, and ask that you always keep us humble, remembering that to much of the world we are rich beyond imagination- we have a safe place to live, clean water to drink, clothes to keep us warm, and enough food to eat. I thank you for those who thought of others that do not have these things, and brought food and items to help those families in Appalachia.

We ask that you keep us safe in our travels home this evening. We ask you to bless this food- that it nourishes our bodies and keeps us healthy. We ask for your blessings on all our karate families. Especially for J's grandmother, for M's father, and for K's father. Lord, you know what they are going through. We ask for healing, but mostly for the love and comfort only You can give them.

2 Timothy 4:7- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Dear Lord, You are the Creator God. You made our bodies to be used for Your glory. Thank You for giving us the privilege of using these bodies to learn karate. Help us to always use our skill for Your purposes. There is evil in this fallen world, and one day You will make all things right. But meanwhile, help us to fight- body, mind, and soul- against anything contrary to Your wise and good purposes. Help us to help the helpless and to defend the defenseless. Use the disciplines and skills we have learned to equip us to fight the good fight of faith. May we finish well. May we keep the faith. And may we honor Jesus, the only One who perfectly fought the good fight of faith, who dies and who rose again to save all who believe. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

****

I'm sure this didn't go over well with everyone there, but I pray that it worked on thier hearts. One of the people there is staunchly anti-religion. This person was included in the prayers for healing. I pray that this didn't anger that person, but instead helped them to experience the love that ONLY comes from a relationship with Christ.

Re-Born Identity

Friday we will be heading to Keystone, WV again. We do mission work in the Appalachian Mountain areas with others from our church. We began in the Beckley area, and in the last 5 years we've branched out.

We first went to Keystone 1 1/2 years ago in the summer to clean up the park area, to spend one-on-one time with residents while we pampered them, and to hand out food and supplies to needy families there.

MOST of Keystone is living in poverty. It is a small coal mining town near the southern tip of West Virginia. The mine used to employ about 1000, until it was exhausted in 1986. Now the mine there only employs a small handful of people. There is very little work to be found anywhere nearby. As bad as the rest of the county thinks the economy and unemployment are now..... it's been that way for years and years in Keystone. They were also hit his 2 big floods in the last several years.

This will be our second "Christmas" trip. Yes, we bring presents. Yes, we bring food. But the most important thing we bring is hope in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The time I've spent with individuals there brings joy that just cannot be measured!!!!!

This past summer I was approached by a woman there. After hearing my testimony the day before, she searched me out. We talked for just a short time when I knew that she not only HAD struggled with drugs (as she had told me), but was currently using and was high right then. We prayed together, and we had others pray with us. One of the other women I was with then put her in touch with services to help her get clean. I can't wait to see if she will be there this weekend!

One of the biggest highlights of my trips to the Appalachians was my time with Josh. Josh had been speaking with one of the men on our trip while getting his hair cut. The two of us sat and talked for quite awhile. He opened up about his past with drugs and how he was determined to stay clean when he left the half-way house we were visiting him in. I began sharing Christ with Josh and he was more than a little receptive. Finally, I asked Josh if I could pray with him to accept Christ into his life and he said YES. We prayed as I held his hands in mine. By the time we finished, we were both crying. I hugged him and told him that I loved him and God loved him. He said, "I love you too. Thank you!"

As a mother, I can honestly say that nothing in the world compares to giving birth.

And I can honestly say that nothing in the world compares to seeing someone be born again.