Where has the time gone?

So apparently--my thinking in January was way off--thinking I'd get on and post more blogs. Well, my intentions were good, it's just been a busy first quarter of 2009! But, things are going well, I'm extremely happy and looking forward to the future. Lots of changes in my life in the last few months and many more to come, but thankfully, GOD is in control! It's going to be a sweet ride. I'm so blessed to have a loving and caring family including my church family. I don't know how I'd get along without any of them.

So...it's Easter weekend, with today being Resurrection Sunday, Praise the Lord, HE IS RISEN!!! What a glorious thing! I am sure that with all of the storms today that a lot of the sunrise services got off to a very wet start and lots of Easter egg hunts had to be modified as well as family picnics and what not, but, what a beautiful day it turned out to be.

I hope you have had time today to think about the huge sacrifice that was given for us...so humbling because I know I am not worthy, but I am so grateful! Thank you Jesus!

I hope you have had a blessed day and that I hope that you have a great week.

Seriously?!?

Why is it that prayer and the name of God and/or Jesus come under such scrutiny for this year's inauguration? Wasn't this country founded on Christian principles and morals? Doesn't all of our money say, "In God We Trust"? I realize that silly people have tried to have that changed, and weren't successful, but I was just astounded the other day when I heard that some atheist in California had filed an appeal to have prayer removed from the swearing in of our new President when he takes his oath of office this week. Really? What??? I just don't get it. I also don't understand how people can say they are atheist. I mean, take a look around. Can a person seriously think that everything just appeared? That we evolved from fish or monkeys or whatever?? And what about the miracle of children? The beautiful clouds in the sky, the birds that sing, whatever it is that keeps the oceans from flooding the lands...all miracles of God. God's creation. Each of us is a creation of His, just as each and everything in and on this earth is as well as the earth and all things surrounding it as well! How can people not get that? I just don't understand. But if you want to say you don't believe, then that's your right, I suppose, we do have freedom of religion, (and speech) so therefore, let us continue to freely exercise our right as CHRISTIANS to be free from the atheist ways trying to tell us that we can't pray, that we can't use the name of God or Jesus in a public speech. We don't like what you say but we can't stop you, so why do you think you should be able to stop our prayers and to our sharing the Gospel??

Praise the Lord that a judge overruled that filing from that atheist to have the prayer removed. I can't imagine what things would be like if that had been allowed. I don't mean just for the inauguration, but for America in general. We need to stand up for our rights, our freedom, for our beliefs. God is REAL, He is Mighty!!

Pray for our country and those who haven't come around. Pray for our leaders, our safety. May God continue to bless us and the USA!

Honest Scrap

So, my friend, Kerri Pearson tagged me in this game called Honest Scrap. You have to tell 10 radom truthful things about yourself and then tag 7 more people do to it too. I'll have to tag most of mine in email since I have only 3 people that I know who blog, and Kerri is one of them! So here goes:

1. I love to cook! Cooking is a great pasttime and has a wonderful reward. Food Network is my favorite channel and I would love to meet Paula Deen and Rachel Ray!

2. I have always wanted to be a teacher. Probably teaching at church and hopefully one day being a trainer for my job is as close as I'll get to classroom training, but Junior English has always been my dream!

3. I had the most awesome job in high school working in an accounting office. Learned a lot about finance, business and life.

4. I have only traveled out of Texas 3 times in my life and have only flown once, although I'd do it again any time.

5. I have always wanted to go to New York at Thanksiving and although I'm NOT a fan of being cold, would love to spend Thanksgiving morning at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade!

6. In addition to cooking, I love to eat! And I mean just about anything, although not a fan of beef, but pretty much anything else!

7. I don't drink coffee, but I'm addicted to Dr. Pepper. My mother says I was addicted before I was born! LOL

8. I love to be happy and smile. I don't like being grump and I don't like not smiling. I think there is a lack of joy and smiles in the world today and I'm always astonished at the number of people -- who know me well or hardly at all -- notice that I try to always smile and am most of the time genuinely happy.

9. I have no biological brothers or sisters, but I have a sister at heart that means the world to me and 'my person' is as close to a 2nd sister as I could get and I'm very blessed to have them as well as my other great friends. God has Blessed me with an abundance of true friends.

10. I miss all of my grandparents tremendously and I attribute my love for cooking and sewing to both of my grandmothers. I have many fond memories of cooking and sewing with them as well as attending church and what a great influence they have been on my life and I hope to inspire my family and friends and everyone, really, the way they inspired me.

Email Buddies...look out, I"m about to tag you...and I also tag my blog friends, Connie and Meghan.

Where has the time gone??

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last blogged! Wow... Hopefully I can stay up to date now. This time next week, we will be 3 days into 2009! For me, this has been a long and short year, all at the same time. It's the time of year though that we begin to think about the future...the future of what the new year has to hold for us, our hopes, dreams, goals, resolutions and the like...

People look forward to the new year for lots of different reasons. Sometimes, I look at it as just another day--another month, only instead of only remembering to change the month when you write the date you also have to remember to change the year. :-) Some people have already started working on new years resolutions...setting goals and making plans. Me? The new year is definitely going to hold changes, that's for sure. Things that I know will change, and others that I hope to change, but one thing is for sure--God is in control! Not me. I make quite enough of a mess of things and He doesn't need my help. But I don't always remember that as I try to plan things, change things or fix things...I need to remember that He has a plan for me and for everyone and that His plan is perfect, even if it doesn't always seem that way at the moment when you question the purpose or reason for something.

My challenge to myself and to you...make sure that you invite God into this next year. Invite Him into every single day and moment of your life. Call on Him for all things and thank Him for all things. So, as you maybe sit down and think about the approaching new year, consider what God has planned for you, not the other way around.

I hope you had a very blessed and Merry Christmas and I wish you a very safe and happy 2009! May God Bless You!

How fitting!

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is there your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21.

These verses are listed today on my blog in the daily verse. How fitting! For several months now all we've heard is how bad the economy is and how doomy and gloomy everything is. Election was this week and while some think the earth will now come to an end since Obama will be president and others think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread and is just what the this country needs...either way, what we have here is not what we should be concerned the most about. The condition of our heart--our personal relationship with Jesus is the main thing to be concerned with. Whether time goes on for another 2000 years or whether Jesus returns tonight, we need to be ready. All of our possessions here on earth are just that--possessions, which can be taken away at any moment for any number of reasons, just as Jesus spoke about.

I know that we all are concerned about the economy while we are still here on planet earth and that's fine, but do not be consumed with it. Consume yourself rather, with Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but thru Me." Do you know Jesus? If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I challenge you to contact me and I would love to share this with you. Contact someone and don't wait. Salvation is free and it is the perfect treasure! I want to see you in Heaven when the time comes for us to be there. I love you--whether I know you or not, I love you. More importantly, God loves you too. "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever (that's you and me) believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Romans 3:23, "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Unmistakable, undoubtable truth that God loves us and that Jesus has paid the price for our sins. He was perfect and had no sin, yet He died for ours so that we could be saved. That's Amazing Grace!

Food, Food and MORE food!?!

I am stuffed! What a weekend! It all started with 5th quarter Friday night...hot dogs, candy, pop corn balls, cotton candy, sodas, more candy, and raw pumpkin if you dared! (from the carving contest of course!) All was great. Then Saturday, breakfast with friends as we began to plan for the retreat, brisket from a church sale and then this morning... high attendance Sunday and so we had a pancake and sausage breakfast at church. Homemade divinity dropped off from a friend and that's my favorite and a few pieces of chocolate over the weekend too and then tonight--bonfire and LOTS more food for SNAC. You'd think as much food as I will have eaten by the time I go back to work tomorrow, that I wouldn't need to eat again for a week! And need to, I don't, but I will. Food is awesome!!! LOL Seriously though--it's getting to be that time of year where there will be lots of parties, festivities, get togethers, and many occasions to share in food, fellowship and other goodies. I hope that we don't over do it...I hope that I don't over do it! It sure is easy to do.

I think part of this weekend's massive food fest is due to the end of 40 Day Revolution that we've been doing at church and it's a time for celebrating that and coming off of our fasts. I must say that while I gave up beef, chocolate and Google for my fast, I am mostly glad to get back Google. Chocolate 2nd and beef lastly. I think I have some sort of intolerance for beef now, actually. It doesn't set that well with me. I'll test my theory as we go, but I may be in the same boat with my friend, Judy, and have to say no to beef! We'll see. But hooray for chocolate and Google!

For all the youth and parents and leaders who participated in 40 Day Revolution...I'm proud of each of you. It was a great time to reflect on things going on in our schools and around us, praying thru those, praying for change, and fasting to draw nearer to God. I'm glad to have had this opportunity and I'm so proud of each of you who stuck it out with us.

Where did the time go???

As the expression goes..."time flies when you are having fun" ... and I say "and sometimes even when your not!". Either way...whether these are fun times for you or not...can you believe it is almost November?? Only 6 days until Neewollah...(Halloween if you can't read backwards!). Our last 5th quarter of the season at church and the nearing of the end of the year. I just can't believe it. Lots of things have gone on this past year, some good, some not so good, but it is still really hard to believe the year is almost up and then we'll be writing 2009!

I must say,though, I'm REALLY ready for elections to be done. I early voted today, and I hope you have or will do the same. If not, then go on election day...exercise your right! Speak up, America!! I just get so frustrated with all of the political ads and signs -- mostly all of the negativity that goes along with election season. There is way too much mud slinging in every election, not just in the Presidential campaign. Can anyone take a stand for what the believe, their goals, their opinions, and just campaign on their strong points and not dance around, tossing mud and picking apart their oponent? It's ridiculous. It seems as though they spend way too much time slinging mud, and down playing their oponent that they end up not answering the question to defent their stand on things. I think "election season" as I like to refer to it gets worse about this every year.

I think that a lot of people will stick to being "Republican" or "Democrat" just b/c they have always been that way, b/c their family before them were that way. Do you ever think it might be better to not be such a stickler for the party, but more pay attention to the person and what they stand for? I do! I don't think you can just say "I'm Republican" or "I'm Democrat" anymore. I think we are way past that. I'm not a real political person, but I think it is time that we look at people and their values and opinions and their backgrounds and things that are important and not what party they are on! Again--my opinion and you get what you pay for! LOL

I do believe however, that it is our constitutional right to be able to vote and it is a privilege to live in this wonderful country and have this right, privilege and freedom, and I think that it is important for each and every American to register and exercise their right to vote! It's important! If there was an election for the favorite football or baseball team, you'd be sure to vote and that's just sports. This is important, so PLEASE, vote! If you don't vote you don't have the right to gripe when you don't like the outcome!

I believe you have until 10/31 to early vote and if you miss that...go on Election day, November 4!!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!