A Family Holiday

~January 17th~

Bible Verse for the Day:

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits"

~Psalm 68:19~

THE BIG 45.....

for my husband, that is!!!!

Yep - today is my husband's birthday and the whole family is taking the day off. No work, no school ~ just all of us enjoying the day together. Here are some fun facts about this date in history:

1795 - The Dudingston Curling Society was organized in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1806 - James Madison Randolph, grandson of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, was the first child born in the White House.

1916 - The Professional Golfers Association was formed in New York City.

1928 - The fully automatic, film-developing machine was patented by A.M. Josepho. 1916 - The Professional Golfers Association was formed in New York City.

1928 - The fully automatic, film-developing machine was patented by A.M. Josepho.

1994 - The Northridge earthquake rocked Los Angeles, CA, registering a 6.7 on the Richter Scale. At least 61 people were killed and about $20 billion in damage was caused.

Jeff Shares His Birthday With:

Benjamin Franklin 1706

Al Capone 1899

Betty White 1922

Muhammad Ali 1942

Jim Carrey 1962

A New Year With New Thoughts

~January 16th~

Today's Bible Verse that I am meditating Upon:

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Thought for the Day:

When we need its safety, God's Word is a place to hide.When we desire direction, God's Word is a guide. When we need its comfort, God's Word gives us hope and peace. God's Word will always have what we need ~~ we just need to be willing to look for it!

Random Thoughts:

I'm sure you have all heard the saying, "If you love something set it free. If it comes back its yours, if it doesn't it never was." That saying holds to for people, just as much as things.

Even though it has been very painful, I have had to do that over the last several months. I will admit it has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but I was very overdo in it. I have held on to people for years that had let go of me (if they ever really held love for me to begin with in some cases) a very long time ago.

Do I still love them, people may ask? YES. But holding on and trying to pretend there was a relationship there when there was really just me trying to force one is actually more painful than the letting go.

I pray every day that over time - and with a lot of changes - those things and people I let go of will return to me. That is in God's hands now. His way will ALWAYS be better than mine.

Have a great Sunday Everyone. And remember.....This is the day that the LORD hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!!

Dancing in the Rain

For the last two nights we have had some SERIOUS rain here in Bismarck. The title I gave this devotion made me think of Gene Kelly in the old movie Singing in the Rain. If you haven’t seen it I would strongly suggest it.



There is a scene where he danced with great joy, by himself, in a downpour of rain. I don’t remember why he was happy but he didn’t wait under an awning for the rain to stop. He didn’t care about getting soaking wet or looking really peculiar…he just danced for joy! How many times have I literally stood still by my kitchen door--or in a store--waiting for the rain to get less intense so I can get to my car without getting wet? TOO MANY!!

Now, how many times have you stood still at your heart’s door waiting for the storm in your personal life to pass before you stepped out, wet with tears, to praise God, smile, encourage others…and fulfill your place of service? Truly, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”


What does God say about this matter?

Psalm 30:5 “….in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

I have the promise…the promise of God that my weeping will end. I am told “in his favour is life:” and I know to be in God’s favor I must walk in obedience, abiding in Christ.


My joy is found in my abiding in Christ—trusting Him and believing His Word. So, in effect, I choose when to dance; praise, thank, glorify the Lord: I choose when to dance by choosing to do right, think right, be right with God in the midst of every storm of life. God will, when I have set my heart and relationship right with Him, do the turning of my sadness into joy so that I can praise Him,

Psalm 30:11-12 “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”


Psalm 149:3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.


Psalm 150:4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.


Ecceliastes 3: 1 and 4 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:….A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

There is a time to weep and grieve over loss and heartache as long as we do not grieve as the world does…without hope. I know from much personal experience that we can grieve and have sorrow and still praise, thank and do all God has asked us to do BECAUSE of Who He is, not because of what is happening in our lives.

I Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”


This morning I am reminded of David and his great sorrow of heart. I am reminded of how he called out to God and remained serving, thanking and praising God, through it all. David said, “my flesh also shall rest in hope.” He did not sorrow as those who have no hope.


Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.



Are we dancing during the rain of our lives? Remember, we can only see a rainbow through the rain…and the rainbow will come!!

Time Flies

I’ve been going back and forth in my mind about adding to my blog for quite a while now. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had posted anything until I looked at my blog today. WOW ~~ July 13, 2009. It has been almost a year!!

A lot has gone on in that year. We got back into our church in August, but it was not completely finished until December......yes, it took a whole year to finish it. I must say, though, it was worth the wait.

The beginning of 2010 started off busy for – which is nothing new. Between home, church, work and the kids schooling is was amazing that we ever fit anything else in, but we always seem to.

In March we had a surprise occur in our lives – although nothing surprises our God and for that I am thankful. My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. This has drastically changed the lives of many in my family....especially my mom. She is doing great and keeping a very positive attitude, which I truly believe is half the battle.

We moved her in with us since she lives 75 miles away from Bismarck, where all her treatment is taking place. That has been quite an adjustment for all of us.

During all of this time and transition with my mom God decided now was the time to give us a house. We know it was of the Lord because we had stopped looking. We are all very excited....expected closing (and moving) day is July 15th.

Other exciting news is that we start our Annual Missions Conference tomorrow evening!! We will have Pastor Adams with us. Jeff and I are so excited. We haven’t seen him in over 15 years. He holds such a special place in our hearts and lives that I can’t even put in into words. He will arrive today so we are in countdown mode!!!!! The only thing that could have made this even better is if Mrs. Adams had been able to come. Maybe next time!

On now, my devotion for the day.....
Are You Just Existing or TRULY LIVING??

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
John 10:10
Over the last few months I have spent a lot of time in clinics and the hospital with my mom. I know it is not the happiest place to be and I decided at the very beginning to always try to show those around me a happy face.

Ever since I made that determination in my own heart I have paid special attention to the faces of the people around me ( no matter where I am ~~ home, church, the store, etc.) and I have been disappointed by the small number of people who were actually smiling.

There was a song in the 80’s called Jack and Diane. Part of the lyrics to that song say, “Oh yeah, life goes on....Long after the thrill of living is gone,”

Well, what about your life? Have you lost the thrill of living? I hope not.

To live life to the fullest is COMPLETELY different than merely existing.

In fact, Jesus said that part of His mission was to enable us to live life to the fullest:

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"
(John 10:10).

He came so that we could experience life to the fullest ~ not according to the standards of this sad and evil world ~ but life as it was intended to be. It is life according to the designs and desires of the God.
By coming to provide forgiveness for rebellious, broken people, Jesus has made it possible for us to live a life of joy and hope in a world of despair. Don’t let the trials, care and concerns of this present world steal your joy. Don’t go through life just surviving. Make sure you live each day God gives you to the absolute fullest...no matter what that day brings with it!!

Jesus came to bring us life-Abundant living, full and free;
Trusting Him to save and keep us
Gives us joy the world can see.

To know God puts a song in your heart and a smile on your face.

Does Trouble Follow You?

Have ever noticed that there are just some people that can’t stay out of trouble? If they aren’t in trouble, they are surrounding themselves by people who are. And then they complain about all the things that are going on in their life!!

As I was doing my devotion this morning a verse in Proverbs showed me why that was so:

Proverbs 13:19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

According to God’s Word – it is an abomination for these types of people to leave their ways of evil. How sad is that?!?!?!?

Life does not have to be made up of drama, hardship, and evil. Those are the kinds of things you find when you are not on the path that God would have for you. Sure, there will be trials for the faithful Christian, but the trials aren’t made up of trouble and evil! And the trials are there to strengthen us ~ not to chasten us.

Don’t live the life of a fool. Depart from evil and read the benefits of doing so:

Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalms 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Proverbs 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

It’s been almost 6 months since our church caught fire and finally we can say things are starting to come together. We can say.....WE HAVE WALLS!!! They aren’t finished walls, but at least it’s a start.

The sheetrock has all been hung (upstairs and down) and this week the plumbers are supposed to finish up their part and the taping a mudding should begin. That could take a week all by itself – and longer if our weather doesn’t dry up ~~ AND WARM UP!!

Back in February Jeff told them the church HAD to be ready by June 30th. He has a wedding to perform on that day. They still keep telling us, “No problem.” I keep thinking its going to take a big miracle to have it done by then. I am also thankful that I serve a God that is very able to perform that kind of miracle.

Please, if you think about it, pray for the completion of our church building. Right now we are actually starting to outgrow the place we have been worshipping in since the fire (which is a GREAT problem.) Yesterday morning before services I was worried we were going to run out of chairs. An even bigger problem is that we have no nursery right now. Many of the new people we are having come in have little children that have never sat through church before and when you have all of us in one room that can be quite the distraction. Usually I end up taking them all out to an indoor play area in the mall where we are meeting.

Anyway ~~ here are a few pictures of our walls:

MOVING FORWARD

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

I don’t know what the Lord has in store for me tomorrow...I don’t even know what He has in store for me this afternoon. All I know is that I need to live my life in such a way that my actions bring Him honor and Glory. If I do that then I can look forward to the day when He will say to me, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Do I always live up to these expectations? NO. But I keep trying. When I fail, I get up and keep moving forward. How about you? Are you moving forward today or are you stuck looking back, or worse yet, moving in reverse?

Take time today to put your life in forward motion. Don’t worry about tomorrow; it’s not ours to worry about. Just make today the best you possibly can!!

Trying to get back to normal.....

It is such a blessing to be home. For some reason on this trip nothing felt “right.” I didn’t feel like I could get into a routine – and Jeff said the same thing about him and the kids back home.

Now that I am back I hope to get things back on track again. This includes my blogging, my exercise routine, my sleeping schedule, etc!!!!! One good thing.....I did lose 8 pounds while I was gone. That thrilled me!!!

Here is a picture of my beautiful granddaughter, Maddie, in the dress I got for her in India.

The other picture is just one of the many I took for Brett and Elisabeth ~~ that is Hope and Tennishead having breakfast in Germany.

Have a great day everyone!!!

TRAVELLING ABROAD

Sorry no pictures….I haven’t figured a couple of things out with my camera and this computer. Obviously this is when I need Jeff around to make it all work for me!!

I have been in India for almost a week now and things are going very well. I miss everyone back home though, and am praying that we will be able to cut this trip short. I would love to be home before Memorial Day.

One thing I promised Brett and Elisabeth was that I would bring TennisHead (yes that is a name) and Hope on this trip with me. They are two very special stuffed animals…currently sitting on the bed with me. While on this trip I am taking pictures of them throughout the trip. This is why I am very disappointed that I haven’t figured out the whole camera thing yet.

So far they have been photographed at several locations in Germany and India – but more locations will follow.

I must say that I am very thankful for technology, especially while travelling. Because of technology I get to talk to (and sometime see) my family twice a day. I also get to “attend” church (although, due to the fire, it is not my church.) While I’m here I get the privilege of hearing live services from Hope Baptist Church in Toledo, Ohio. This is a church where a dear friend attends. What a blessing to know that even be halfway around the world I can still sit in on wonderful preaching. It truly makes me feel closer to home.

Tomorrow I will try to get someone to help me with my computer and camera and get those pictures downloaded for my kids to see the WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF TENNISHEAD AND HOPE!!

TO MY FAMILY ~~ I love you and miss you very much. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!!

TO MY FRIENDS ~~Thanks for your prayers. They are very much needed and appreciated.

My Mooser

Nine years ago today I had a doctor’s appointment at 10am. At that appointment my husband, my doctor, and I had decided I had been pregnant long enough....(actually, I thought I had been pregnant WAY TOO LONG.)

She told me to go home and get my stuff together and meet her at the hospital in an hour. We got there around 11am and got all signed in. There was a lot of excitement and also a lot of emotion. The last eight months had been really rough for our family. This baby was our bright spot, our joy, and a feeling of hope.

At just after noon my doctor broke my water and then said she was going to grab some lunch and head back to the office for her afternoon appointments. Little did she know, she wouldn’t get to do either one.

About 25 minutes after my water was broke Jeff was finding the nurse and telling her, “It was time!!” Of course, they didn’t believe him ~ it hadn’t even been a half hour. The nurse finally came in and discovered we knew exactly what we were talking about. Our baby was ready to enter this world.

We hadn’t found out what we were having, so we were waiting for the moment of surprise, the moment we would not just meet our baby, but find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Jeff was absolutely convinced it was a girl. I had gone back and forth throughout the whole pregnancy.

45 minutes into my labor the doctor was finally there, the nurses ready, and my baby made his entrance into the world. God blessed us with a precious baby boy!!! He was the biggest baby I had ever had – weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. Like his brothers and sister, he was born with a head full of thick hair too.

Jeff was so shocked to see that we had a son, but the joy was written all over his face. Actually the joy that filled the room that day was indescribable!! I think I saw tears from just about everyone in the room. Everyone there knew that we had lost Steven just 8 months earlier. Needless to say, there were a lot of emotions. But the most overwhelming emotion was the love we had for this little boy in our arms.

Brett Samuel was named by his brother, Steven. And the name was perfect. It just fits him to a tee ~~ although I must admit, I usually just call him Mooser!

So ~~~~~~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY MOOSER. MAMA LOVES YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

Two Steps Forward ~~ Four Steps Back (Church Update)

We thought we were at the stage of rebuilding, but we are back to the demolition phase. The majority of the upstairs sanctuary had not been torn out because between the contractor and the insurance adjuster they were not sure it would need to be done. Well....when the temperatures warmed up this week, the smoke and fire smell came back full force!!

Due to all of this, they are now demolishing the entire upstairs sanctuary and attic area. This means all the wiring, heating, and plumbing also has to be redone. Below are new demolition pictures taken yesterday:

Day-to-Day life, A Fire, Grandchildren, & A Trip to India

What do those things have in common??????

They keep you too busy to blog!!!!

I'm going to try to make more time to keep this up to date ~ especially since I leave in 13 days and will need to update this regularly while I am away.

PROGRESS ON THE CHURCH

Slowly, but surely, we are seeing progress at the church. The demolition is complete. Windows have been replaced and most of the framing in the basement has been done.

It’s been over 3 months now. Back when all this started I don’t think anyone thought it would go on for this long. I can say that there have been times when we get a little frustrated by not having our own building – such as right now with everything going on with the flooding in our community. We know with our building we could be doing so much more than we are now. But, overall, our spirits are high. We are excited about the progress that is getting made and looking forward to our first service in the new auditorium!!

I don’t know how many people know, but I leave to go back to India on May 1st. I will be coming back June 3rd. There is a little part of me that hopes the church either gets done before I leave or does not get done until I get back. I don’t want to miss the first service.

GGGGRRRRRRR

I got up an hour and a half ago - looked out the window - saw at least 7 inches of new snow and more still falling.

I tried to keep a positive attitude......and do you know what I have positively decided??????

I'M GOING BACK TO BED!!!!!

WOW - What a week

As most people know ~ at least if you watch the news at all ~ North Dakota is experiencing a lot of flooding right now. This last Wednesday we were woke about at about 5am by the police, telling us we had to evacuate our home.

After two days in a hotel we were able to go home and, thankfully, we experience no damage. Here are a few pictures from the last 5 days:

This was a picture we took Tuesday - before we were evacuated. For those who know where I live, this is right across the street from us. Notice the tree going under water....that tree has now been washed away.

This boat is actually on my street, bringing in sandbags and helping people get things out.

This is about a mile from my house, an area called Fox Island. They got the worst of it.

Again, this is looking across the street from where I live, just looking in the other direction. This was also taken on Tuesday. By Wednesday the waters were flowing over the road we were on when we took this picture.

Madison is 2 weeks old today!!

I can’t believe how hard it has been to find time to get here and post new pictures of my precious granddaughter!! She is doing great ~ as is her mommy, daddy, and big brother.

I can't believe how much she looks like Nick....(and like Elisabeth!!) She is such a sweetheart.

Does she look so peaceful?

You have no idea how hard it was to get a picture of the two of them together!!! By this point I was getting desperate!!
Elisabeth finally helped me get this one - and as you can tell, Braden was not cooperating.

OK - I admit it.....I just love this picture!!!!

Braden had just gotten up from a nap and came into the livingroom where I was holding Maddie. Elisabeth got behind me to take the picture. I had to laugh, but he wasn't really happy about the fact that Grandma's lap was occupied by "baby."

LITTLE IS MUCH....

PROVERBS 15

Proverbs 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.

This verse really spoke to me today. When you look at how our economy is going right now ~ businesses going under, foreclosure rates at an all time high, and on and on and on ~~ it makes you realize that having what the Lord provides for you (which may seem like little in the eyes of the world) is far better than having all the toys, gadgets, and extravagent things of the world and all the debt that goes along with those things.

PROVERB FOR THE DAY ~~ THE 14TH

Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Jeff and I were talking about the progress being made at our church building. It seems like the tearing down and destruction of it went very quickly ~ and with little effort. There was no real expertise needed in that part of it.

But now we are at the rebuilding stage....and let me tell you....it is slow going.

Those trained in specific areas have to come in to do the electrical, the flooring, the plumbing, etc.

Think about it....it doesn't take much to destroy our homes ~~ mean words, bad attitudes, an unfaithful testimony, setting a bad example instead of a good one.

But there must be effort put forth to BUILD our homes. We need to show love, be a Godly example, be consistent and compassionate.

Make sure that each day you're BUILDING a stronger home, not doing damage to PLUCK it down.

MADISON HAS ARRIVED!!

Sorry it has taken me a while to post this - but things have been a bit hectic around here the last few days. Sunday morning Nick and Aundrea called and said they were bringing Braden over because it was time to go to the hospital. We got there around 8am and at 4:53pm my beautiful granddaughter came into this world!!

There were some scary moments, but both mommy and baby are now home and doing great. Here are a few pictures.....more will come later.

A FEW PICTURES OF HOW THE CHURCH LOOKS TODAY

Not much has changed (visibly anyway) since the last update. Most of what has gone one has been between the city, the contractor, and the insurance company. That should change starting next week though.

As you can see ~~~~ WE HAVE LUMBER NOW!!! YEAH!!!!!
The only thing that has changed from this angle is the doors on the right now open and close. Before they were unuseable. We will be putting the sound and recording room back there now and that will be the entrance to the room.

Jeff likes this picture. He is actually up on a ladder in the attic looking all the way down to the basement. The plywood laying on the boards is the main level. Then underneath that is the basement floor.

This is part of the main steel beam that had to be reinforced before anymore work could be done. This was taken on the main floor, then you can look down into the basement.

More shots of the lumber. Hopefully next week these boards will be walls!!