Our Lord has answered our prayers in so many ways! I see things changing...I see progress, although it feels very slow to me, it is happening...It is not easy...the many personalities,,,hurts and dysfunctions of this world make it seemingly impossible sometimes for change...but I am steadfast...I have seen change in myself as well. Great change and for this I am eternally grateful.

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” ~~ 2 Corinthians 13:14

How TRUE this is!

I stand in awe of how powerful and great our Lord is! He is most precious to me and I give thanks to Him for all that I have in this human life here on earth. Thank you so much Lord for giving me peace, health and all the wonders of this world.

I continue to pray for those who do not know you and I pray that someday as it is your will, that they will come to you,,,truly. May their eyes be opened and I lift them up to you Lord...my children, my husband, parents, siblings and inlaws..friends and aquaintances...open their ears and unveil their eyes...

In Jesus' name...I pray.

"and as I wait I will rise up like the eagle -- and I will soar with you, your spirit leads me on in the power or Your Love."

I have not been to church this month due to work and then vacation stuff, but I do have to get back into the swing of it into August and then definitely into Sept. I am in hopes that they will start an evening surface during the week as I would be able to attend more often. I also need to start contributing more to the tithe. I have more resources now and just need to be better about it and so I pray on this as well.

"And so I thank you Dear Lord for all you give me, the many many blessings in my life and I thank and praise you in Jesus' name...Amen."

During my spiritual growth of these past 10 years have come rude awakenings, harsh enlightenments and profound discoveries I had never realized before in my own world, personal and otherwise.

The sadness and despair among us are profound, the crime and disloyalty among our goverment officials out of control and people in general living with emotional and physical pain, committing horrific acts of violence and taking their children's lives and their own. It's almost unimaginable to me that situations in this life can become so chaotic and futile.

Driving home tonight from a ride in the country I noticed all the beauty around me, the trees, the green fields fresh from cutting for hay -- the gorgeous sunsets past the four different lakes we passed, the ominous clouds that forcast stormy weather due to the humidity today and the beautiful double rainbow...and I think, how can the world be so out of control? How can it be?

Then there are the days I come to work and learn of co-workers losing loved ones at their own hand, the sadness in their lives, chaos and addictiveness that drive them to the point of total despair and hardened hearts and I really start to wonder about the predicament of this world we live in. The heartache, discontent, bitterness and hardship and it saddens me to my core.

I know with God, ALL things are possible and there can be peace and a future where NONE of this will exist. No more pain, no more sadness and I long for that especially when I see the gorgeous sunsets, the big fluffy clouds parting just enough to shine through the sun's rays and I wish for the this world to go away and for all to have peace and the wonderful joyous comfort of knowing our Lord is with us and will protect us from this world's grief and suffering forever!

"I pray dear Lord for all those hurting tonight, for lost loved ones and the pain endured by those who do NOT know you. Keep them close and give them peace and place your gentle hand on their hearts...in Jesus' name -- AMEN"

I continue to grow in my faith and trust in Him, ALWAYS---There is nothihg I can't endure knowing God is near me, his LOVE surrounds me. I think of Him daily, but it's still very hard for me to share Him with others...I am surrounded by so many that do not believe or share my faith. My thoughts are not always kind nor the words that escape my lips and so I continue to ask for forgiveness and I continue to pray for all whom I hold near and dear to me.

"The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
:~ Luke 8: 11-15 :~

I don't like listening to it, but I do find myself catching things here and there...the killing, the stealing, the drugs and war. Father's maiming their families, mother's drowning their children -- guns -- Our country's economy is in the toilet and all the bail outs in the world, aren't going to change that. Greed has overpowered, the devil is certainly in control of this world...

Our government is not going to dominate us or any other world power. They may try, they will fail, miserably.

The state of the world is in a very very sad situation. Nothing improves, our environment suffers as well. Bats by the thousands are dying, the honey bee as well. Mad Cow disease, swine and bird flu, cancer is on the rise as well as all of these scary and damaging auto immune disorders. Our health care is out of control when one hospitalization and a few tests will cost many thousands of dollars. Medicare and Medicaid are broke, private health insurance is outrageously expensive...but without it one could lose their home and if they lose their job they lose medical and their home.

People don't seem to stop and think about the cost of things. They complain, and rightly so, about the state of things, but doesn't everyone just want to be a millionare today? Doesn't everyone want to make $90 an hour and do little to earn that wage?

Our greed has taken us to a point of no return. I do not or cannot believe that our government or any other super world power will fix this for us.

Freedom of choice, our will, our determination to have things the way "we" want them and not the way they should be and so, here we are...

I pray to our dear Lord and Saviour daily. I accept Him and do my best to follow his ways. Do I worry about the world and it's state? Of course I do. I have so many loved ones that are not saved nor believe and I fear for them, but I continue to pray because whatever in the world is going on it is NOT good. It is not going to get better, maybe for a short term, but long term it is not, not until our Lord comes again and he is...there is HOPE.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
[2Peter 3:9]

So I pray Lord that I can push this "worry" out of my mind and go to church with a happy heart and not let the ones who "snub" me bother me as I know it is you I am worshipping and not what others think of me or don't think of me or whatever it is they feel behaving in that way means...

And I thank you dear Lord for allowing a wonderful day yesterday with my mother. Putting aside our differences and hurts to get together and spend the day. We had good conversation, a nice lunch and enjoyed buying flowers in the rain!

I thank you Lord for these blessings and I continue to pray for understanding among us, peace and spiritual growth.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

~I Corinthians 13:4-7

I thank you Dear Lord for your love and guidance and I will continue to honor you and give you the glory for all that I have in this world, your blessing on me, my life and family. I pray for the continued safety of my children, my husband, our health and all we have to give.

Amen.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

~ Ephesians 2:4-5

The joy of Easter...

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

~ Matthew 20:1-10

Today, however, I had a unique opportunity to discuss Him with several people on the internet, Facebook to be exact! It was AWESOME to share my faith and scripture and have people welcome it and ask questions and share their thoughts as well. I prayed I would find the right words and I think I did!

How AWESOME is His Grace! And the funny part is this all started over a note someone posted regarding the failing economy and AIG bonuses! But...it gave me the perfect opportunity to talk about the Bible and scripture and end times. I had never realized that people know about and have researched things regarding our government and the "NEW WORLD ORDER" but do not associate it with scripture, but they are afraid...as they should be!

Wow, I just feel great being able to share with others and I pray I can continue to find the words and opportunities to share His word esp in these very difficult times. How AWESOME it would be to bring others to Him, people I NEVER thought would have come!

I managed to get gifts out to everyone in my family that I usually do and they all arrived on time. I tried not to go overboard this year with Christmas and I think I did better than in years past. Bought things that people could really use or enjoy without spending a fortune. (that is something I grew up with so trying very hard to not continue this)

November did not turn out to be a very good month for either hubby or myself. First his Mom went in for surgery to try and correct her vocal cords from a previous surgery back last March to remove a large tumor around her throat. Well, the surgery went well, but three days later she ended up in the ICU and on a ventilator and had suffered a mild heart attack as well. We received a phone call very early Sunday morning on the 23rd from his sister saying the hospital had just called her to tell her she was there in ICU. So we headed right down and it was not a pretty picture and Andy was quite upset about it all.
She ended out there for two weeks before returning home with his sister for another two weeks of recooperating.

Then, on the 29th of November, my father was injured again in the woods and broke his pelvis while riding the black horse out of the woods. She slipped on some ice and went down and he couldn't stop the impact in anyway and sustained a broken pelvis, back and front. Thankfully some hunters found him before dark and helped him out of the woods while still on the horse!

When my mother called to tell me, it didn't sound too serious and he INSISTED on going to the VA hospital, which for him, is over a 100 miles one way! In the meantime, I hadn't thought he sounded very good so decided to drive out to see how he was and it turned out to be an AWFUL scene! I never saw anyone is SO much pain as he was. He nearly passed out at one point. After much standing around debating on what to do and listening to him bellar in pain I told Dev to call 911 and wouldn't you know the nearest ambulance was 45 minutes away!

But...he made it to the local hospital where they confirmed a broken pelvis and said he needed to be transported to an out of state hospital for surgery. Well, that went over like a lead balloon as my father is DEAD set against any type of technology and surgery was NOT going to be an option for him, EVER! After doping him up with some pain medicine he had my youngest brother and a friend of his drive him to the VA whereupon they shipped him across the river to the hospital he needed to go to in the first place! So he was there for several days arguing about not wanting surgery and finally they sent him home where he continues to heal quite well and is getting around with his walker.

My oldest brother Frank came home from FL to help out with everything and on Christmas morning the rest of my father's barn came down as well! (It had been caving in for years.)

But, because of HIS grace in all of these things, everyone has come out of them fine, a bit scarred maybe, but ok, healthy and intact.

And...I survived the holidays with my family and even remained calm through a conversation with my inebriated sister a couple days before Christmas. Hadn't dealt with one of those phone calls for some time, but...again, through Him, I have learned to accept the things I cannot change and continue to pray, always.

Christmas Eve for sure was a BLESSING as my brother Frank came to church with us again and Devon went. She has been holding out on me where church is concerned, her way of battling with my will for her, but she came without any comment or frustration on my part.

And that was my GREATEST Christmas gift this year!

~: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. :~

Hebrews 11:6

My mother is EXTREMELY emotional so much so that her emotions often get the better of her as well. She is not articulate when trying to express herself so for her it's yelling, screaming and making you feel like a piece of dirt by saying some really cruel things. I don't know what this produces other than hurt feelings and then guilt on her part, but it's the way she is, always has been.

We've had some dewsies over the years, but after I had my oldest daughter and got out on my own and went to college and began a life for myself, things seemed to settle down for us. I have never missed a holiday at my Mom's with the exception of one Christmas & Thanksgiving when I lived in FL. Otherwise, I have always gone to her home, with my family, for the holidays. I take her shopping or at least invite her most of the time when I go, I've taken her on several big vacations with me, one being the BIGGEST of either of our lives. I mean, I've tried very hard to be good to her, I've let the past go, I don't drudge it up, but rather move on, but...when she has the chance to hurt me again, she will and that hurts, a LOT.

At any rate I felt it best this last time to just distance myself from her and see where things went and I prayed, a LOT! My Mom is not saved, has NO relationship with God and shows no interest. None of my family does except for my own children and I pray all the time they will continue this the rest of their lives!

But, God has heard me, he's seen me struggling with all these hurt feelings, guilt and anger and He's allowed for some healing and that I am SO grateful for!

~: For in him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, "For we are also HIS offspring." :~

acts 17:28

He started by saying how the Father of the family is held most accountable. I knew this, but listening to him today really shed a lot more light.

I, like the pastor today, was not raised in a christian home. Neither of my parents used the Bible or God in their training or teachings or discipline and I have followed suit, for the most part. He said how this will go on for generations and generations and it does. I have allowed myself to raise up wrath in my own children by my own anger with them and I have seen them, in turn, do the same with each other.

And as with my parenting I have also chosen these paths with the friends I have made in life, those not of the faith or belief in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

I feel and believe that in the past 10 years I have tried to change and pull on the armour of God and stand against the wiles of the devil. It has NOT been easy.

It is a constant stuggle for sure, but I believe and I continue to pray that I am making strides with this. I catch myself all the time, I stop and think, "This is not what God would want me to do or say." And I think for me it has been even harder, more of a stuggle, because my immediate family, as a whole, are not saved and so I find myself struggling with things they do and say to me and not wanting to overreact or say something foolish or selfish because they will be quick to persecute me because of my beliefs. And this has happened and continues to happen.

The pastor today said something to the affect that, "Stirring anger in your own children takes the wind out of their sails." This has happened to me just recently and I know I am guilty of it as well.

What gave me encouragement today though is that discipline is NOT comfortable, it is painful and when we discipline others we WILL be persecuted ourselves.

How true that is...

~: Children, obey your parents (in the Lord), for this is right.
"Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise,
"that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth."
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord. :~

~:Ephesians 6:1-4

AMEN!

Family trials have been my burden the past several months and I have prayed on this and finally a break through. I am still hurt and bewildered to some extent, but I am realizing more and more that so much, if not every struggle in this life, is for a reason.

I frequently pray for all of my family and I will continue to do this. Sometimes I think that is all we can do even though our human nature will tell us otherwise!

~ Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me. ~

~: psalm 86:6-7 :~

Trials and tribulations come for a reason and nothing I deserve compares to Him, this I know.

The daily grind can make us forget about what is truly important in life. We get so busy with the day to day, kids, work and getting by in this crazy world, but at the end of each day I know He has been with me and I have thought on Him often.

My soul sings, my heart beats strong and I am so grateful for all I have. I am blessed in so many ways. Things may be hard at times, I don't understand why things happen as they do or why we react the way we do sometimes, the challenges we face but I can only pray that He will take these burdens from me as well. I lay them at the foot of the cross and pray for all who do not know Him as I do.

Thank you Lord for all you have given me, good and bad, and make me stronger for it. You are my strength, my sheild and most importantly my saviour! More precious than silver.