Don't Worry!!!!!

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isaiah 41:13

Last night I was sitting up late talking with my son, Jeffrey. During our conversation he asked me, “Are you worried?” It was such a blessing to be able to say, “No.”

After that, him and I talked about ‘worry.’ We talked about how worrying can’t change anything except our own hearts. It causes us undue stress and takes our focus off of the Lord. It was a great time spent talking together.

You see, I used to be a big worry-wart! Fear and worry would overtake my thoughts. But the more I read my Bible and studied it; I have learned that I shouldn't worry about things because God is in control of each and every situation in my life.

Look at what Isaiah 41:13 tells us…God is holding our right hand!!! He is right there walking with me, leading me when I am hesitant, and comforting me when things are tough. He is telling me that I don't need to constantly battle my fears or worries because that is all they are ~~ they are fears, NOT truths. Fear is the expectation of something bad that I THINK MIGHT happen. Fear is worry about something that hasn't happened and with God on my side there is NOTHING He won’t help me get through.

People live in fear and worry so often that they don't really get a chance to live. Take the Lord's hand and let Him guide you and protect you. Then you can sing the song…..DON’T WORRY!!! BE HAPPY!!!!

We are so blessed.....

As we sat here tonight having family devotions I did some serious thinking of just how blessed we are ~~ especially here in America. During one of the messages we had at Family Camp the preacher talked about the things in our lives that we have a tendency to take for granted. We were talking about some of these things during our devotions tonight ~ an evening of "Count Your Blessings."

Now that my family and I have shared blessings I would love to hear from the sweet ladies that take time to read my blog......share 5 "little things" that are a blessing to you ~ things that you may not ordinarily think of. Here are my 5 OUT OF THE ORDINARY blessings:

1. A home with central air conditioning (it's 95 degrees outside)

2. A Bible cover that my loving husband spent weeks finding so it would be "just right"

3. A special houseplant (long story) that is almost 7 years old

4. Having Godly friends that I have never met face-to-face, but feel as though I have

5. Hearing my children laughing as they play in the pool

A Day at Family Camp

Tomorrow morning we are heading out for the day to Family Camp in Grand Forks. This is a camp that is dear to our hearts. We have been going for the last 15 years. This year will be a little different for us because we are only going out for one day instead of the whole week ~ but God knows the reason it worked out this way and we are just thankful for the day we get to go.

The kids are as excited as we are. They have friends they only get to see once or twice a year there, so this time is special to them too. We are all looking forward to hearing the preaching. We are leaving early enough to make the morning sessions and we won't leave until after the evening message. It will be a long day, but well worth it.

I pray each of you have a blessed and safe 4th of July!!!

Never too old to need their mom....

The last week has been a busy one, with Jeffrey ~ my 20 year old ~ having been sick since last Sunday and ending up in the hospital since Wednesday. Praise the Lord...he is home now and doing better. He even made it to church this morning!!! AMEN!!!!

One thing I have learned from this is that even though he is 20 ~ and an adult in the eyes of the world ~ there are times when a young man (who is not married) still needs his mom. This was one of those times. Even when he was in the hospital, being very well cared for, I know it made him feel better when I was there to help with things.

I know one day God will provide a wife for him and I do look forward to that day. I look forward to seeing him start a family of his own and watching them serve the Lord together. Until then I am thankful for each thing I am able to do for ~ and with ~ my children. I am truly blessed!!!

My Family's favorite cookies.....

A friend of mine on another blog (Tammy's Times) has asked for our favorite cookie recipes. I am adding mine here. If anyone else is interested just check out Tammy's blog - on my side bar - and join in the fun!!

SEVEN LAYER BARS

Ingredients
-		1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
-		1 white, yellow, or chocolate cake mix
-		1 cup chocolate chips, more if desired
-		1 cup peanut butter 1 cup butterscotch chips
-		1 1/2 cups chopped cashews, walnuts, or almonds
-		1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)
-		14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butter or margarine in bottom of 9 x 13" baking pan, tilting pan slightly to coat all sides. Mix cake mix and melted butter, pat mixture lightly to make a crust.
• Combine remaining ingredients (except condensed milk) in large bowl, then spread on top of crust
• Pour can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over top and bake 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Allow bars to cool slightly; cut while still war

I have used this recipe as one of the first desserts I teach my kids to bake. It is so simple - no measuring required - and flexible. They love mixing all the things together and pouring them onto the crust. And to top it all off ~~ they make your house smell wonderful!!!

This Little Light of Mine.....

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

We are getting ready to go to family camp next week and one of the things my kids always make sure they have is a flashlight and extra batteries. The reason for this is that their favorite game at night is flashlight tag. There usually ends up being 30 or more kids out on the baseball field after dark playing tag – but if their light starts to go dim they have trouble seeing and being seen.

The same is true with us – if the light of Christ that we have in us starts to get dim – from sin, being backslidden, being overcome by the cares of this world – we will have trouble following the path God has for us AND it will be hard for us to guide others to Christ.

I personally feel this is an area we can all work on. If we're shining bright, it doesn't hurt to shine even brighter! If people do not see a difference in us, then they will not know the importance of following the Lord.

However, being a bright light isn't something that comes over night. This is something that we have to want and pray for. It is something we have to work on everyday – I guess you could say that each day we have to make sure our batteries for our light are charged!

Being a bright light, isn't just putting on a smile. Being a bright light is helping and encouraging others. Being a bright light is not talking bad about others. It is not sitting outside of your church gossiping about why so and so didn't show up to church this Sunday! Being a bright light, is not trying to act spiritual to impress others! To be a bright light, you must have your eyes off of people and on the Lord! That means don't worry about what someone else thinks of you, worry about what the Lord thinks of you. Once you develop a close relationship, then and only then can you be a light!

I can't be a light if I'm living in sin and neither can you! If you do not have the love of God, in your heart then do not think for a moment that you are being a bright light!

How bright is your light shining today?

Is this happening to anyone else????

All weekend I have been having a problem with Bloglines and I'm wondering if it's just me. Next to SEVERAL of the blogs I follow there is a [!]. I've read the little explanation that goes along with it and I don't think it is something I can fix on my end.

Since I'm fairly new to using Bloglines I figured I would check with others and see if this is happening with you too.

Trying to keep smiling........

I am discovering I don't care for baseball very much. Now, don't get upset with me....I know it is supposed to be the American past time, but I think I'm suffering from "burn out!!"

Nick has double headers every night (except last night because we had church) this week. They start at 5:30pm and we are fortunate if we get home before 10pm. That is just a little too much baseball for me!!!

Jeff and I have always made it a point to support our kids when they are in activities - band, choir, sports, etc. We make sure we are there in the crowd cheering them on whenever possible. But ~~ this is a bit much. For some reason they have 2 weeks of almost constant double headers and then things calm down a bit. I don't know how those boys do it - I'm exhausted just GOING to all these games!!!

I have to admit (whispering this very quietly) I am really glad that Friday and Saturday's games are AWAY and I get to stay home!! The team will be traveling to Valley City for a tournament and Nick will be staying with the pastor's family there in town and they will go to the games and cheer him on!!! I am SSSOOOOOOO thankful for good friends!!!!

Now or Later?????

Exodus 8:9-10 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?
And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.

I'’m sure over the years we have all heard sermons preached about "“another day with the frogs." And I know every time I read this passage I wonder, "“why would Pharaoh want to wait until tomorrow to get rid of something so disgusting when he could have said NOW??"”

As I was reading this yesterday God spoke to my heart and told me to take time and meditate on things in my life. What things am I saying "“tomorrow"” to? And I admit there were some things I needed to repent of.

So, today my hope for each of you is that you will take time to go through your life and your heart. Are there things you are putting off until "“tomorrow?"” Things like having a consistent prayer life, reading your Bible, submitting to your husband, being the wife and mother that God has shown you He wants you to be....the list goes on and on ~ but whatever it is, don'’t keep putting it off. If God has shown you something, NOW is the time to begin to correct it.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

A Present For My Readers......

As most of you know, I have little girl (quickly growing up....faster than I would like.) As her daddy says, "she is a true girlie, girl!!!" My girlie, girl loves pretty dresses, but the problem is she just keeps growing. This means I know have a box of pretty dresses that are no longer below her knee.

Last night I had a lady from my church bless me abundantly by giving me a ton of clothes. (Have have lost 50 pounds over the last year and desperately needed things that fit better.) I had been praying that the Lord would provide me with better fitting clothes and He did just that. This got me thinking......a dangerous thing, I know.

I sat thinking last night - what shall I do with these dresses? They are in great condition, they just don't fit her. Then I thought of those who read my blog ~~ many of which have the same standards and convictions regarding dress that I do. I want to be a blessing to others, just as the lady in my church was a blessing to me.

So, ladies, if you have a little girl who likes pretty dresses, let me know. Elisabeth is 9 years old. She is pretty skinny, but about average height. I will gladly mail these dresses to anyone who can use them. (And if my camera was working I'd show you pictures of some of them....sorry!!)

Leave me a comment with your email or email me.

tloinnd@hotmail.com

A Beautiful Evening.....

We got Jeff outdoor furniture for Father's Day ~ and it is wonderful. It is so nice to just sit outside and enjoy the peacefulness and the laughter of the children as they play.

(Disclaimer) That is NOT my deck in the picture. That IS the furniture though. I am having so many problems with our digital camera!!

We are now looking for another piece of furniture for the deck - something that will allow us to sit outside much longer throughout the year. We are hoping to find an outdoor fireplace.

This is similar to what we are looking for. This would be so nice to sit outside during the fall and even later in the year (depending on how bad the winter gets.) I am really hoping we will be able to find one of these by the end of summer.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.....

This is where I think we will be spending our afternoon (in the bleachers, that is.) Nick has a game this afternoon and the weather is beautiful, so I know we will all have a great time.

I had originally thought he had a double header and we were going to have a picnic in the park across the street in between games ~ but I read the schedule wrong....AGAIN. But I figured the picnic still sounded like a great idea. So, after the game we'll head over to the park for a picnic.

I love summer time in North Dakota!! After being cooped up for so long in the winter months we take every opportunity we can to do outside activities when the weather permits. Lots of picnics, BBQ, bike rides, and evenings on the deck will be in order over the next few months.

I would love to hear from some you ~~ what are some of your favorite things that you like to do in the summertime??

I wasn't going to say anything but.....

I admit that I have a hard time with reading my Bible through in a year. It just seems to take too long. Then I read that Mrs R., from the blog Be Not Conformed, was going to read her Bible through in a month. I thought that was a little faster that I felt I could be, but then I started praying about doing something similar myself.

I started 3 days ago, but other than telling my husband I haven't said a word to anyone. I am reading my Bible through in 3 months - that is 13 to 15 chapters a day. I am loving how I do it to. I do several things, then take a break and read a chapter. I continue this throughout the whole day. So I do my indepth study first thing in the morning and then throughout the day I take in a chapter of God's Word at a time. I feel like I am just nibbling on the Word all day long - and I LOVE it!!!!!

Then, a few minutes ago I read that another friend of mine ~ Gina ~ is going to try reading it through in a month. I just think its neat that several of us are doing this together and that is why I wanted to share what I'm doing too. That way we can help encourage each other as we are reading. I know I love hearing how Mrs R is doing and I pray for her each day. I pray that others will do the same for Gina and for myself.

I have read through Genesis 34 so far and am truly enjoying being reminded of things I have read so many times before. It is like a refresher course and a way of bringing everything to the front of my mind again. A few times throughout the day today I had to stop and share something I had just read with Jeff because it just touched my heart in a special way.

I'm praying for you ladies - praying for your reading and for your commitment to accomplish something in a set amount of time.

You'd Think It Was Snowing!!!!!

We had volleyball practice this evening and the weather was kind of hot (85 degrees) but that was nothing compared to the cotton that was flying through the air!! At times the wind would gust and you'd think it was snowing!! There are places in my yard that are solid white with cotton!

It wouldn't be such a big deal, but I have horrible allergies and this stuff makes my eyes all but swell shut. Let's just say it made for a fun and interesting night of volleyball practice.

And now on to something a little more serious......

I wanted to take a minute to share something I got in an email today. It really touched my heart and says so much about how far away from God that the people in our world get more and more every day. Here is what I got.....

Face it – it’s a whole new immoral world. Think about it – an illegitimate baby gets it’s picture sold for several million dollars, and some of you who claim to be Christians probably bought People magazine to see the pictures. Shame on you. Movie star parents or not, the baby is illegitimate. Years ago, a mother of an illegitimate baby went away to have her baby where no one knew her. Immorality and illegitimacy are now the “in thing.” Today, they not only make no effort to hide it, they flaunt it. Lord, help us! Sinning is one thing, but to flaunt it is totally disgusting.

So far as I know, the word “sin” has never been removed from the Bible. In spite of that, it seems that some in Christendom are becoming numb to sin and just overlooking behavior that God defines as sin, especially immorality. What has happened to us? Why do some young people, even in conservative Christian churches, turn their backs on traditional moral values? Why?

It’s called “watering down” or easy salvation. We try to make the church so relevant to today’s youth that we soft pedal anything Biblical that would teach values and behavioral standards. We soften The Word so it won’t offend anyone. Shame on us.

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

What can each of us be doing so that we show and teach others the seriousness of sinning against a Holy God?

Loving This Blogging More All the Time

I've seen this on a couple of blogs that I read regularly and thought I would take some time this morning to answer these questions for myself. I hope no one minds me borrowing the questions!! I am really enjoying blogging and what I am enjoying even more is reading (and learning) from the blogs I have been reading lately.


How many do you read regularly?
I have 11 on my bloglines right now and seem to be adding more as I read others blog and check out their favorites.

How many are written by women? By men?
All of them are by women.

Are they all Christian? How about the same denomination?
From what I can tell they are all Christian, but I don't know about the same denomination or not. I know that the ones I read I have a lot in common with and that is what makes reading them so enjoyable. If their beliefs were too different from me or I found that I did not agree with them doctrinally I probably wouldn't read them.

What kinds of posts do you like the best?
Upbeat, cheerful posts. Posts that are encouraging in one way or another.

What kinds of posts are you most likely to comment on?
Oh, that is a hard on to answer. I love reading about daily life things, children, church, and funny things. Mainly things that just touch my heart and make me think and smile.

What makes you add a blog to your favorites list/bloglines? Or conversely, what drives you away from a blog?
Definitely what the author tends to write about. I steer clear of ones that are caught up in arguing or controversial types of topics and are drawn to ones that encourage me and a Christian, a wife, and a mom.

WhatÂ’s your favorite kind of post to write?
That's hard to answer. I still consider myself pretty new to all of this and I haven't really found one type that is my favorite.

What do you think is your biggest strength blogwise? Biggest weakness?
I love to be encouraging and hope that shows through my writing. My biggest weakness....Learningg to be consistent (but I'm getting so much better at that.)

What do you want to change, if anything, about the way you blog?
My topics seem to jump all over the place and I would like to have more of a common theme throughout, but that is hard for me to do. I do hope that through everything the love for my Saviour and my family always shows through.

How many times a day do you say the word blog?
Not that many at all.

How many bloggers have you met in real life – not counting the ones you knew before they started blogging?

I've met one - but I don't know if she was blogging then or not. I know I had off and on but was not consistent about it at that time.

Our Menu For The Week

Today I am going to do my weekly shopping, so that means I needed to get my menu done up. I love having a menu hanging on my refrigerator door. It takes the guess work out of dinner, helps my stay organized, and stops the question, "What are we having for dinner tonight?" from being asked by each of the kids at some point throughout the day.

Elisabeth is now helping me make the menu since she is helping me cook more and more now. I figured if she's going to be involved in the cooking part she should also be involved in the planning. So, this weeks menu is about 75% Elisabeth's and 25% Mom's.

Tuesday ~~~~~ CHICKEN ALFREDO, BROCCOLI, AND FRESH FRUIT
Wednesday ~~~ STEAK & RICE, SALAD, AND HOMEMADE ROLLS
Thursday ~~~~ CHICKEN FAJITAS, CHIPS, AND SALSA
Friday ~~~~~~ MEATLOAF, BAKED POTATOES, & CORN ON THE COB
Saturday ~~~~ HOMEMADE PIZZA
Sunday ~~~~~ RICE CASSEROLE (LUNCH) / ROAST, & VEGGIES (DINNER)
Monday ~~~~ SWEDISH MEATBALLS, RICE, SUGAR SNAP PEAS


What is everyone else having this week??

Going Through Trials.....

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Every one of us has gone through ~ or is going through ~ difficult times. But don’t let yourself get discouraged during those times. God gives trials to us to make them stronger in the Lord…and He never makes us go through them alone. He does not want us to be baby Christians; but He wants us to grow in the Lord.

When we overcome one trial with the grace of God we will be able to minister to others who go through similar trials. If we are filled with anger and bitterness or insist on complaining and blaming God, things tend to turn from bad to worse. If you go through the trials with thankfulness and praise to God, then you are learning, growing, and gaining strength through it.

God is our Father and we are His children. So He will not allow anything to happen to us without His knowledge. During each trial, if we put our trust in the Lord then he will give us the strength to go through our time of testing.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Praise the Lord!

When you go through a trial you need to know that you are not alone, and that He is with you and His promises are with you. This will give you the strength to overcome the trial.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

I can’t think of one single personal trial that did NOT make my faith grow deeper and bring me closer to God. Even though many of the trials itself was very intense, I held onto those promises of God that He would never leave me, nor forsake me.

Ladies, if you are going through a difficult time, take it to the Lord in prayer, but don't carry the burden alone. Let Psalm 55:22 give you hope.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Trials can be a purifying fire and a cleansing water. God doesn’t want us to get burnt or drowned in the problems ~~ He wants us to be refined and renewed.

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

My life verse.....

This afternoon I was browsing through verses that I like to read on a regular basis. While catching up on the blog by Mrs. R and Mrs B - http://be-not-conformed.blogspot.com/ - Mrs. R shared her life verse with everyone. I love seeing others life verse and learning why they chose those verse.

For many years I never could really choose just one verse. I love the Scriptures, but I never felt that the Lord had showed me just one that spoke more than the others. That all changed for me about 7 1/2 years ago.

Just days after our son Steven went home to be with Jesus, as I was reading my Bible, God gave me a verse that has meant the world to me ever since. That verse is Colossians 2:5.

Colossians 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

This is MY life verse!! So, what is yours ~~ and why????

Another week is almost gone.....

I am always shocked at how fast time goes by!! I remember when I was younger (and I'm really not old ~~ not even 40 yet) time seemed to go by so slow...especially if I was waiting for something like a special weekend activity or trip. Now time just flies by and I am left wondering "where did it go??"

This will be a busy weekend for me, but I sure am looking forward to it!! Tonight we have volleyball practice and then we have tournament games Sunday evening after church.

This evening, after practice, Jeffrey (my oldest) and I are going to start rearranging furniture in a couple of our bedrooms. The bunk beds in Elisabeth room are being moved into Brett's room and Elisabeth is getting a new "girlie" bed. She is so excited!!!

The bunk beds will look great in Brett's room - they are red and so is his room (it is a Nascar theme.) We are sure what Elisabeth's bed will look like yet because we haven't picked it out yet, but I do know it will be white. Her room is pink with a princess theme throughout. Hopefully I will have it all done tomorrow evening and then I can post some pictures!!

Jeff also have a wedding to do on Saturday, so we will be at the church for several hours for that. I love weddings and this one have such beautiful decorations. (I'll try to get pictures of them too!!)

A little about me.....

My friend Tammy had this on her blog, so I thought I would "borrow" it and share a little about me for anyone who may be interested. Thanks for sharing Tammy!!!

1) FIRST NAME? Tami

2) WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope

3) WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Just last week – had some special time alone with God while at the coast

4) DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Usually

5) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Thin sliced roast beef

6) KIDS? Six

7) WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I would like to think so

8) DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Only here

9) DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No, I don’t want my kids to pick up on it, so I avoid it.

10) DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

11) WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way!!!!!!

12) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I don’t really like cereal

13) DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I very rarely wear shoes and when I do they are usually slip on types (that way I can get them off as soon as I sit down!!)

14) DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No, not really

15) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? The only kind of ice cream I like is bubble gum

16) SHOE SIZE? 8 or 9 ~ depends on the shoes

17) RED OR PINK? Pink

18) WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I have on a denim jumper and a pink short sleeved shirt ~~ and I’m barefooted

19) LAST THING YOU ATE? Half a cheese sandwich and some celery

20) WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Classic Gospel Radio by the Kingsmen

21) IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue

22) FAVORITE SMELL? My husband’s aftershave

23) WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My brother in law

24) THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? The first thing I notice about my husband was his eyes

25) FAVORITE DRINK? Water and coffee.

26) FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? I love to watch Nascar, basketball, and football

27) HAIR COLOR? Brown

28) EYE COLOR? Blue

29) DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes

30) FAVORITE FOOD? I love buffalo burgers

31) SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings

32) WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Pink

33) HUGS OR KISSES? Both!!!!

34) WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? My Bible and a book on church history

35) WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don’t have a mouse pad

36) WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I didn’t watch TV last night – I visited with my mom

37) WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? August 7th in Simi Valley, California

Sweet Memories......

I always try to give my kids little bits of fun trivia. It’s enjoyable and keeps them thinking at the same time. Today I hung a note of the refrigerator letting everyone know that June is NATIONAL CANDY MONTH!!!!

Now ~~ what kid wouldn’t like to celebrate that month?? Then at lunch today I asked them what their favorite candy was and why. Now they are sharing this information with everyone they see and asking them what their favorite candy is.

So let me ask you ~ my faithful, few readers ~ what is your favorite candy and why? Send me a comment or post about it on your own blog and send me the link. And while you’re at it – share a special memory from your childhood about candy.

Here is a picture of my favorite candy ~~ warm, homemade caramel. I LOVE IT!!

I’ve never been a big fan of chocolate, but I have always loved caramel. I remember spending evening at my grandparent’s house. My grandma would put one of her aprons on me, pull up a kitchen stool to the oven, and her and I would make a huge batch of caramel. I would get to stir and stir until it was just the right consistency (tasting it several times throughout the process, of course!!)

Then, once it was just right, we would pour it onto a cookie sheet to cool. None of that was my favorite part though – my favorite part was spending the rest of the evening sneaking into the kitchen with my granddad to "steal" just a nibble! He made such a game out of it.

Now it is years later and I know that grandma knew what we were up to the whole time, but it was all just part of the evening. I loved those times and I really think the memories make the caramel sweeter even to this day!!!

I'm back from vacation.....

and trying to get things back to normal around here. I thought I'd share my devotion with you all today - and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to be a little more personal!!

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?" Proverbs 6:6-9

Sunday night we were at a park playing volleyball after church. While we played volleyball Brett and another little boy were watching ants, which led to a great discussion with his dad on the way home. Brett kind of laughed when his dad said we should be like ants ~ but then Jeff explained what he meant by that.

Ants do their work without being asked, without being supervised, and early - before it is such a necessity that the job has to be rushed through. That is how all of us should be - with everything we do, for our families and especially for the Lord.

We should be gathering riches in Heaven now, not waiting for someone else to do it or telling ourselves that we can do it later. We aren't promises a later ~~ only a NOW.

I know good works aren't what will get anyone to Heaven, but they are what shows others our faith and our love for our Saviour. How many times do we put things off or only done things with a half-hearted effort?

That's not the kind of response we want our children to show toward us, so why would we think the God would expect anything less of us? We expect our children to "obey right away" (I've taught my children that saying since they we babies), so give God that same thing….OBEY RIGHT AWAY.

When you know you need to be spending time in God's Word reading, studying, and praying…DO IT. Don't wait until later and then give God a token 15 minutes just to say you did it. When you know your husband expects certain things…DO THEM. Don't wait until just before he gets home and make a mad dash through the house halfway doing things and trying to cover up what you couldn't get done.

Be like the ant - and reap the blessings as you go along.

What a neat idea.....

One of my very sweet friends has a blog that I just love to read each day. Over the last week or so she has been writing about aprons and yesterday she asked people to share their aprons (and apron stories) with her ~~~ so, this afternoon I am planning on doing just that!!!

Tammy, I'll email you and I'll add your link to my blog this afternoon!

Straight From the Heart....

Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

I was reading this the other day and realized something – when Jesus was watching people put their money into the treasury, He wasn’t just watching the people ~~ He was watching HOW they cast in their money.

The rich people were just casting in their money. It probably wasn’t a major sacrifice because they were rich…they were just giving of their abundance. But that wasn’t the cast the poor widow.

We can learn so much from this lady! While the rich were tossing their money in because they felt they had to, Jesus said the poor woman gave more than all of the others. This was because she gave from her heart. Her heart was in the right place.

Giving ~ just like everything else we do ~ is supposed to be a gift from the heart. If someone gives you a GIFT it's not because they have to, but it's because they WANT to. That is the kinds of gifts God wants us to give. He wants us to give from our hearts, in everything we do.

My prayer for each of us today is that we are all giving from our hearts – not out of obligation or duty, but truly out of love and desire.

What a great day for a walk.....

Proverbs 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

We went on a 5 mile walk today, so this verse from our daily Proverb really stuck out to me!!

Our walk started at our house this morning (okay, actually we started out on our bikes.) From there we rode over to the house of one of our church members. That is where our walk really began. We left their house and walked to the Bismarck Elks Club. This was where the MS Walk began this morning.

The husband of the family that we met up with this morning has MS. This year we got several of our church members together, all wearing our church t-shirts and walked the walk together. It was a great time to fellowship and to show this family that we are there with them through all that they are going through.

We left the Elks lodge and the first part of our walk took us past the Bismarck zoo. It was a great way to start everything off. The kids were entertained with all the animals and it allowed
for a slower start for those of us that are still
trying to get in shape!!

After we passed the zoo it was on along the path that goes by the Missouri River. It was so beautiful!!! Since spring is finally here everything has turned green, trees and flowers are blooming, and birds are EVERYWHERE!!

After we went past the river we walked through a park and made our way back to the Elks Club. There we shared some pizza and fruit and headed on our way back home. After getting back to our friends house and getting our bikes we came home and COLLAPSED!!!!

And to think - we did all that before noon!!! No wonder I'm ready for a nap now!!!

A Dripping Faucet or A Happy Home

Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.


Being a pastor’s wife I see a lot of family issues that are truly heartbreaking. One of those things is a husband who hates to go home and a wife who has nothing good to say to him when he is there. They has no joy – not in their marriage, their home, or in their own hearts. Pretty soon it shows in the kids too.

After a while no one can say a nice word to each other, no one gets along, and no one wants to do anything together. They are nothing more than a group of people living under the same roof.

I don’t ever want that ~~ for my family or any other family. There is so much misery in our world today. Why not try to make our homes a place of refuge. A place where we long to spend time, with people we long to be with. Some times it takes more work than other times, but it is SO worth it.

My heart just breaks every time I see a family falling apart. My prayer for each person that reads this today is that each one of you will do something to bring a smile to the faces of those you live with. You’ll be amazed at what will happen…one smile will lead to two smiles, two smiles will lead to a laugh, and soon you will all be enjoying your time together.

I did great this week!!!!

I got all my shopping done for the week yesterday (a major chore for me, since I do NOT like to shop) ~~ and the great part is I spent less than $100 dollars!!! That's a big savings compared to the average $130-150 I usually spend. This included all my groceries, my Wal-mart essentials and some panties for Elisabeth (she'd die if she knew I just told everyone that!!)

I'm just so impressed, because we have some really good things on the menu this week, yet groceries cost me a lot less than normal.. Here is what we are eating this week.....

Wednesday ~~ French Fry Casserole with fresh veggies and dip
Thursday ~~~ Chicken w/ artichoke hearts, pasta, fruit, & French bread
Friday ~~~~~ Meditteranean fish with rice pilaf
Saturday ~~~ Crock pot ravioli, salad, and corn on the cob
Sunday ~~~~ Honey mustard chicken (crock pot) and baked potatos
Monday ~~~ BBQ - ribs, burgers, and veggies!!!!
Tuesday ~~~ Eating out with friends

ARE YOU WEARY???

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

I think all of us have had times when we just feel so weak and feel like we just don't have the strength to go on. Those times are hard and tiring, but then a day comes when we are renewed and we are given strength from God.

When we get that strength ~ that hope ~ it feels like we've got the wings of an eagle and we're flying high. Our strength is renewed, our spirit is renewed and we feel like we’re ready to fight the Devil with a squirt gun!! (That was one of my preacher’s sayings…LOL)

Things get tough, and some things are tougher than others, but we just have to wait upon and trust the Lord. When we do, we will find that time where we are renewed and there really is no feeling that can compare to that moment, especially after a long trial. Whatever you're going through right now even if it feels hopeless, there is hope and there will be a time of your renewing and there will be a time where you will be delivered and when that time comes you will find joy unspeakable.

Think about it, if you were always strong and you never felt weak and you always had that strength, would you appreciate it? Would you even think about where it came from?

When we're weak we hope and wait for this strength to come from the Lord and when we get it we are ever so appreciative for it, but if we always just had it we couldn't appreciate it. If we always had it we would just think that it's normal and that it is of ourselves and not of God, but this strength comes from God!

It is the tough times that we go through that bring glory to God in our deliverance and our renewing of strength. It is when we long for something that we appreciate it so much when we get it and thank God for it.

Watch Your Tongue

As the kids and I read through Proverbs 15 today one thing really stood out to us – this Proverbs deals a lot with words, how we talk, and what we say. It made me think of

Matthew 15:18 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”

So, this morning we talked about this subject. We talked about how if a person claims to be a follower of Christ they need to make sure that they do not speak in an evil, unkind, or ungodly manner.

The way we speak is one way many people know what kind of person we are. If we speak evil, people think evil of us and that doesn't make us a very bright light for the Lord. If we speak like the world, we are a part of the world, but if we speak as Jesus, spoke and do as He did, then we are not of this world, but of God!

What comes out of our mouths comes from the treasures of our heart. If we speak evil, our heart also has that evil within it. If it comes out of your mouth, it is coming from somewhere and that somewhere is the heart!

You can often tell how close someone is to God, by what comes out of their mouth. A person really close to God will really hate to speak any evil. Why? Because that person will feel like he has let down the Lord. Also, the closer you are to God, the purer your heart is.

The power of the tongue holds life and death. With our tongue we confess that Jesus is Lord and we are saved! Also with our tongue we can deny Jesus and be a horrible testimony to those who hear us.

The lesson for today…watch what you say! Keep a clean heart and mind. Your words reflect your heart!

Giving to Get

Proverbs 13:7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

To the world this verse may make no sense. In today's times it seems everyone is out to see how much they can get with the littlest effort of work - but according to God's Word that isn't how it works.

If you truly want to be rich in this world (and I'm not just talking about money and material possessions) than start giving to others. The more you give to others the richer your life will be....God promises!!!!

Over this last week I have been richly blessed by giving. We had a family move to our town and join our church. They moved here from California and they didn't bring anything but their clothes, pictures, and important papers with them. They got an apartment but literally had NOTHING in it. Throughout this week I have been finding things to furnish their home - boy, do I LOVE Freecycle.com!!!!

This family now has a love seat, a beautiful upholstered chair, a coffee table, a bed, and 4 book shelves - plus some extras to pretty everything up. They are thrilled and so I am. I have been richly blessed this week and so have they - and so has everyone in the community that has donated stuff for them.

All those people that gave could have chosen to hold on to those things and felt that they were "rich" because of all the "stuff" they had - but instead they gave it to someone who needed it more ~~~ now we all feel richer!!!!

My Shopping day have changed....

I ended up doing my weekly shopping yesterday, which means that my enu that usually runs from Friday through Thursday is currently running Thursday through Wednesday. Oh well, I guess a little change is okay. Here is what we will be having over the next seven days.....

Thursday~~~FARM STYLE PORK CHOPS (CROCK POT)
Friday ~~~~ SLOPPY JOES & TATER TOTS
Saturday ~~ CHICKEN PARMESSAN OVER NOODLES
Sunday ~~~ PICNIC IN THE PARK / BBQ AFTER CHURCH
Monday ~~~MARINATED CHICKEN (CROCK POT)
Tuesday ~~~TACO SALAD
Wednesday~CROCK POT RAVIOLI

As you can tell, I love to cook in my crock pot. I actually have two, so that I can have two things going at once. My reason is that I do so much of my household stuff early in the day ~ including cooking dinner.

I try to plan the menu around events going on throughout the week and everyone's schedules. Many times my boys need to take dinner with them to work, so on those days I try to plan things that are easy to transport and heat up later (such as the sloppy joes tomorrow.)

I love seeing people's weekly menus - anyone who wants to share theirs with me please feel free. I'm always looking for new things to prepare. Email them to me if you would like to:

tloinnd@hotmail.com

Watch That First Step

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.

When I first got married I was determined to make my new home perfect. Back then the only way I could think of to do that was to clean and clean and clean and clean. I look back now on those first few years and it is pretty much all I remember doing. I literally became obsessed with it – vacuuming and dusting 2 or 3 times a day, not to mention everything else I could find to clean. It really was very pathetic.

It all came to a screeching halt one afternoon though. I had run out of things to clean that day and was desperately searching for something. I looked at our long hallway floor and decided it wasn’t shiny enough. So, after my baby was down for his nap I got out a cleaning towel and got to work on that floor. It took me about 2 hours but by the time I was done that floor it was the shiniest thing you would ever see.

Jeff got home from work a little bit later and took his work boots off and started down the hall to put them away. He took one step on the hall floor (in his socks) and slid the rest of the way down ~ bumping walls and finally ending up on his behind at the other end of the hallway. When he got up he was NOT happy. (That was the day I found out that its not a good idea to shine the floor with Pledge furniture polish!!)

I said all that to say this. There was a false balance in my home. I had become so obsessed with cleaning that our home was not a delight any more. Jeff wasn’t happy (especially that day) because all I ever did was clean and made him feel guilty if things got messed up and I wasn’t happy either – because my focus wasn’t right.

I had to learn that a "perfectly" spotless house was not what made our HOME. I had to find a balance between cleaning and living. As I found that balance, our home became a delightful place to be. We had fun and loved being there and loved being together.

Cleaning may not be where your balance is off, but many times if you take time to look you will find that something in your life is out of balance and stealing the joy in your life the God wants you to have. Take time today to see that the scales are even ~ that you don’t have something out of balance (honestly, too much of a good thing can become bad!!)

Jeff and I laugh about my Pledge hallway now, by the way, but only because we’ve got a balance and a delightful home.

I've been trying to post all day.......

I don't know what the problem was, but for some reason I couldn't get to this page. I have been trying so hard to make sure I write each day and I didn't want to miss today - but honestly - it is WAY past my bed time.

I did want to share one special blessing we had this evening though. We had the Fuller family here, from Victory Baptist Church in Milton Florida. They sang for us (I could have listened all night) and presented their church's Bible publishing ministry - Victory Baptist Press. What a wonderful evening we had.

I will share more tomorrow - and continue on with some thoughts on tomorrows Proverb.

Are You Ready????

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Have you ever had company coming that has you so excited you couldn’t get ready soon enough? I remember when my grandparents were coming to visit us ~ I would have the house ready 2 days before they were due to arrive. The day they were supposed to arrive I was up early making sure everything was just right, getting the kids ready, and preparing a nice meal for them before hey arrived. I was READY and I was EXCITED.

Yet there have been other times when people were coming that I wasn’t all that excited. I usually ended up putting off getting everything ready until the last minute and didn’t really go the extra mile, so to speak. Sure, I was somewhat ready, but I wasn’t very excited about it.

Well, ladies, we don’t know when Jesus will be arriving. We are told to watch ~ why are we watching?? Because He is coming!!!!! So many times I see people going through the motions. Yes, they go to church, they even keep their Bible handy (that way they LOOK like they’re studying it.) But putting up a front of being ready and truly being ready are two different things!

Ladies, God sees our hearts. He knows if we are taking time to get ourselves ready (every day.) I don’t know about you, but I am excited at the thought of getting to see my Saviour – that excitement makes me want to be ready at all times. How about you?

Jamie Tagged Me....

Jamie tagged me to tell 14 things about my Mom. My question to her is why 14?? That's an unusual number don't you think??? LOL

That's okay, Jamie ~~ you don't have to explain. I know someone started this before it got you to you!!

14 THINGS ABOUT MY MOM

1. She love her girls with all her heart.
2. She grew up in Southern California.
3. She is always there when I need her.
4. She still knows how to make me feel better when I'm sick.
5. She can't cook!!!! I say that lovingly - she'd agree with me!
6. She has a dog named Casey that sleeps under the covers.
7. She loves to decorate her house and rearrange furniture.
8. She has 6 grandchildren (all from me.)
9. For the first 12 years of my life it was just her and I - and no matter what the circumstances were she made every Saturday that I can remember a play day for the two of us.
10. She moved to North Dakota to keep our family closer together and watch her grandchildren grow up.
11. She works at a hotel.
12. There isn't a craft around that she isn't good at.
13. She loves to sew and quilt.
14. Her favorite flowers are lavender roses.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?????

IT'S NATIONAL NO SOCKS DAY!!!!

Since I love to go barefooted this is a perfect "Wacky Holiday" for me to observe! I suggest you all go get a pedicure, slip on your favorite pair of flip-flops and spend the rest of the day letting your feet get so air!! They'll thank you for it, I'm sure.

Guess Who

Proverbs 8:22-32: "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways."

I love this portion of Proverbs 8, because although it is speaking of Wisdom, it is the PERFECT PICTURE of Jesus Christ.

Wisdom ~ like Christ ~ existed even before the earth did; thus Wisdom is eternal and was there in the beginning. We know by this statement, that the Bible is saying that Wisdom is more than a wise method of doing things, but rather, Wisdom is actually the person of God Himself. Just as the scripture refers to God as Love, here, God is referred to as Wisdom. When we are instructed to follow the ways of Wisdom, we are being instructed to follow the ways of God.

This portion of scripture is also a beautiful description of the creation of the world and is in perfect harmony with the account in Genesis 1. I won't Put the whole text here, but take the time to read Genesis 1:1-10 with this portion of Proverbs 8. It is wonderful!!

It is a very sad thing today that there are groups out there trying so hard to do away with the Biblical creation of the earth. However, many of these theories are being proved false as new discoveries are made, and new evidence is being brought to light that gives credence that the Bible is true in its record of how the earth was created. It is foolish to believe that the earth just happened or that it evolved from some "blob" and that a "Big Bang" just happened, and out of one of those things, there suddenly came order, and the human race was born. The universe did not create itself. There was not just a chance encounter with a passing star that caused our solar system to be set in perfect order, with the rotation of the planets in their exact orbits, so that they do not collide with each other. No ~ only God create such a well organized universe!!

Jeff loves to study creation...he actually teaches college courses on Creation Vs. Evolution. He can show people how the earth is positioned at just the right distance from the sun, so that is not too close to burn up, nor too far away so that it would freeze. That didn't happen by accident! Look at what God says about our world:

Genesis 8:22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Just looking at creation itself, is evidence of a designer behind it. This Master Designer was God. Wisdom ~ Jesus Christ ~ was there when He created the solar system, the earth that contains mountains, oceans, lakes, forests and fields. God even set the boundaries of the oceans; they are there by His command, as it says in Proverbs 8:29.

We're not here by accident. There was much wisdom put into not just the world we live in, but into the live we lead. God wants our lives to be patterned after Him, godly examples to the lost around us. Today when I go through this Proverb will my children I want them to see just how important Godly Wisdom really is.

A Day in The House of the Lord....

What a beautiful weekend are having! Not only do we have beautiful spring weather, we have had a wonderful morning with our church family. After church about 20 of us met at one of the local McDonald's for lunch (not my first choice for lunch - but the fellowship was worth it!!)

Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

As I was reading this verse this morning one thing that I thought about was how the world's view of things and God's view of things are so different. Most people think of laws as things that are harsh, restricting, or ways of punishing them ~~ but that isn't how we should look at God's law. It should be the "apple of our eye" - precious, meaningful, and adored!!

So, what about you....do you look at God's law and see it as the apple of your eye?

The Ants Go Marching One By One....

Proverbs 6:4: "Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man."

I am such a morning person!! I LOVE to be the first one up ~ alone in my living room, watching the sun come up and enjoying a hot cup of coffee. To me, sleeping in is staying in bed until 7:30 a.m., because usually I am up between 5 and 6. But, the rest of my family thinks I’m crazy!! Around 9 or 9:30 they will start to stir. And by 10 they are all up and about ~ and of course, by then I have been up for hours!

Today’s Proverb always makes me think about my family and I and the differences in our sleeping patterns, because it warns us about being lazy and wanting to do nothing but lay around and sleep. My family isn’t that way (for any of you beginning to wonder) we are actually very active and busy ~ just not all at the same times. I do must of my work before they are up, but by about 9 p.m. I am done! Jeff and my older boys are just the opposite ~ they are going strong then. Jeff does his best studying after the kids and I go to bed.

One thing though ~ I don’t ever want my children to be what Solomon calls a sluggard. What does the word "sluggard" mean? It comes from the same root word that our word "sluggish" comes from. It has the meaning of one being slow or lazy; actually a habitually lazy person. In these verses there is a comparison made of those who sleep, because they dislike work, and those who are workers and provide for their house.

In verse 4 Solomon isn’t talking about what time you get up after getting a good night’s sleep. He is talking about someone who wants to sleep their time away and choosing to be IDLE instead of being productive. Do a study sometime on the word IDLE in the Bible. God has NOTHING good to say about it.

Do you know that the ant is one of God's hardest working creatures? So, it is no surprise that Solomon tell us to use the ant as our example of a hard worker. We are told to be wise like the ants. They work hard without having to have a guide, overseer, or ruler standing over them. Some people only work when they have to or when somene is watching them.

I don’t ever want to the Lord to say to me, "How long will you sleep?" or "When are you going to get to work?" There is too much that needs to be done and not enough of us to do it. Make sure your awake today and ready to go to work at whatever it is that God has for you to do. There are things we must do in our lives, things we need to do for our families, things waiting to be done for the Lord. We need to ask the Lord for His strength to do them all, just as Jesus declared He must do the work of His Father.

John 9:4: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."

More Thoughts Regarding The Proverbs...

Proverbs 5:1-13: "My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

As most of you know, I am a mom of teenage boys (although Jeffrey just turned 20 yesterday, so that’s one less teenager.) And since all of my kids just had their birthdays in the last month and a half I have spent a lot of time thinking about them getting older. One thing I can say is that Jeff and I have always worked on teaching our children to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord – and so much of what we have been teaching them comes out of Proverbs.

There is much wisdom in the book of Proverbs; especially for the age that we live, when there is so much emphasis on sex, which has led to so many acts of adultery and fornication. One of the miracles of the Bible is that it speaks to all generations and all people. Those things that Solomon was teaching in the Proverbs hundreds of years ago are still so relevant today.

Sin in the heart of man has been our downfall from the time of Adam and Eve ~~ and our children are just as susceptible to falling into sin as they were.

Even though Solomon is addressing the above verses to a son, the same warning is applicable to my daughter. All of our children need to be taught discretion. They need to know that there will be those of the opposite sex who will try to entice them and lure them into sin.

Read through all of Proverbs chapter 5. It lays out a progression of events that leads to destruction. Then, think about how many times you have heard of people in the news who have fallen into that progression. Temptation lures people by the pleasure that it offers. But verse 4 says, “But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.”

Moses gave up the pleasures he could have had as the Prince of Egypt and chose rather to suffer with the people of God. He could do this because he had eternal vision and knew God would reward him later.

Hebrews 11:24-26: "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."

The Bible tells us to flee from fornication. It warns young people not to get themselves into situations that would entice them to sin. It tells them to stay away from the wrong crowd.
This is advice that we all need to follow ~ not just younger people. The devil has destroyed many marriages because as people grow older they allowed themselves to be lulled into believing it could never happen to them.

Many honorable men have lost their honor, and are in the news today, as their illicit affairs have been exposed. If they have forgiving mates, they may still have their marriages, but their reputations are permanently damaged.

Sin is progressive, just as on the positive side, righteousness is progressive. Each day, we will become more like our Lord by obeying His Words, or each day, we will become more wicked by giving into sin. Each day I pray that my children will follow the steps that God has for them. That they will not stray off that Godly path. God doesn’t want anyone to end up with a wasted life. The choice is ours.

Deuteronomy 30:19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

The Instruction Manual.....

Proverbs 4:13 - Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

From the time I was just a little girl I was a very stubborn child, to say the least. Over the years I’ve been told I was “driven,” “focused,” and even “obsessive” about things. But really it comes down to stubbornness.

I never wanted to admit that I could NOT do something, or that I needed the help of anyone else. I remember when Jeff and I were living in Minot. We had a queen sized waterbed and a double pedestal base and I decided I wanted to rearrange the bedroom ~ but I did NOT want to drain that bed!! Well, I did move that bed…completely full of water. I used my back and my feet, wedged myself between walls and furniture and pushed it completely across the hard wood floors. (By the way…I don’t recommend doing this.)

I was so stubborn I wouldn’t wait for Jeff to help, I wouldn’t ask for help, and I ended up really hurting myself. Over the years I have had to learn that that kind of attitude is sin.

1 Samuel 15:23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”

God wants us to ask for help, from Him and from those He has put in our life. I had to learn that I couldn’t do everything on my own (and honestly, I don’t want to.) I also don’t have to always do everything perfectly or have everything perfect around me.

Over the past years, I have come to the realization that it is okay to ask for help, and that receiving instruction is so important. God gave us His Word so that we can have all the instructions we need while we’re here on this earth.

But just having those instructions is not enough, as the verse I am looking at in Proverbs today shows us. Solomon hit the nail on the head when he instructed us to "take fast hold of instruction, and let her not go." So many of the daily problems in our lives would be much easier to overcome if we humbled ourselves and spent time studying our “Instruction Manual.” No matter what the situation there is always that one constant, infallible source of instruction: God's word.

Accepting or looking for instruction does not make a person any less wise or knowledgeable. It takes much more wisdom to seek instruction, to take fast hold of it, and to never let it go ~~ a lesson that I have learned the hard way many times.

Where Is Your Trust??

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

There are so many things in life that happen that we just can't explain. Usually these are the things that are completely beyond our control. But today as I was going through Proverbs I really took some time to think about this. God tells us right here in His Word that we are not to lean unto our own understanding, but instead we are to put our trust in Him.

I have two children waiting for me in Heaven. Manasseh died shortly after he was born and Steven died when he was 12. In my own understanding I can't explain why that had to happen. If I had trusted in my own understanding through those times I think I probably would have lost my mind....literally!! But instead my family and I put all our trust in the Lord ~~ He is what got us through those times and showed us that "... all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Maybe you have lost someone you love. Maybe you're dealing with the loss of your own health or that of a family members. Or maybe you've lost a job or had a dream that hasn't come true. The list can go on and on.

How many times have you found yourself trying to lean on your own understanding ~ trying to figure things out on your own? When things don't go the way we think they should, we try to pull them apart, to dissect them, to bring about some kind of understanding. I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone say, "If I could only understand why this happened, maybe I could learn to accept it and to heal the hurt." It doesn't work that way...I know that from personal experience. Trusting God and leaning on Him is what will help heal the hurt.

It wasn't until I was willing to truly give my WHOLE heart to God, to lean on Him, and to let Him direct my paths, that I finally began to understand and heal. I had to get my focus on God ~ not on myself or my loss, but on God. I had to see that He is the only One that truly understood my hurt, thus, He was the only One to heal my broken heart.

Things may happen in your life that you don't understand or that hurt so much you wonder how you can possibly go on. Trust in the Lord during those times (in all times actually, but even more then), lean on Him (He will carry you through), and let Him direct you on the path of healing.

Going On A Treasure Hunt.....

Proverbs 2:1-5: "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God."

I marvel at the fact that every time I read my Bible I find something new. I read a proverb a day, every day…and God always shows me something different each time I go through them.

You see, if we desire to understand what the "fear of the Lord" means and find out about the things that God knows, then we must do certain things to make this happen.

First of all, and most importantly, is to receive God's Words and act on them. We must make daily Bible study an important part of our lives. As we study God's Word, and ask God to give us the understanding of it, we will find that the words on the pages of the Bible will become alive to us.

Many times, I have been reading along and suddenly it is like the words simply leap off the page and into my heart. At other times, I have read the same scripture over and over, and I really didn't understand it, so I would just read past it, wondering in my heart what it meant. I pray and ask the Lord to show me what it meant. That’s what lifting up our voice for understanding means.

Many times the Holy Spirit will bring to my mind another Scripture that will shed light on the one I am meditating about. But just knowing the Word of God is not enough; I must obey the commandments that are written in it.

Look at what these few verses are saying…God says if we seek for His knowledge like searching for silver or hidden treasures, we will find it. We have to search, dig out, and study it – and all that takes time and a willing heart!!

We can’t approach the Bible like it is a common novel. It is a Holy Book!! If we want to gain His knowledge we must first learn the fear of the Lord and have a heart that is tender to all that He has for us. If we search through the pages of His Word we will find gems of truth and treasures of gold!!!

Lesson 6 - I Don't Know Where My Blog Went.....

Saturday I did my assignment for Lesson 6 and I just realized that it isn't there!! So, somewhere out there in Blogworld I have an assignment floating around ~~ I will try to do it again now.

Managing any organization takes a great deal of work, but managing a virtual organization adds a whole new element to managing. Most organizational leaders have the ability to talk to their employees face-to-face. They can read their body language, their facial expressions, and see their work style. Those managing virtual employees and virtual teams don't have the ability to do those things, so they need to rely on other indicators and means of managing their teams efficiently.

Kevin L. McMahan wrote a paper entitled, "Effective Communication and Information Sharing in Virtual Teams". In that paper he gave 17 pointers for managing virtual teams. I am sharing them here...

• Engage the team in setting expectations about behavior and performance. Record the team's decisions and commitments to each other.
• Clearly define member responsibilities.
• Use rigorous project management disciplines to ensure clarity.
• Consider servant leadership exposure and training for potential team leaders.
• Determine, as a team, how conflict will be addressed and resolved.
• "Proactive behavior, empathetic task communication, positive tone, rotating leadership, task goal clarity, role division, time management, and frequent interaction with acknowledged and detailed responses to prior messages."
• Strive for a good faith effort in complying with the team norms and commitments, be honest in team negotiations, and don't take advantage of others or of the situation.
• Encourage social communication that accompanies task completion at the outset and be enthusiastic in e-mail dialog; look for predictable, substantial, and timely responses to members.
• Provide more formal communication than in traditional same time/same place teams.
• Keep communications in a shared database for use in new member orientation.
• Focus knowledge management attention on the tacit as well as the explicit knowledge.
• Document the tacit and embed the process into the organizational structure.
• Record and share the "context" when sharing information, preferably with a view toward future audiences.
• Match desired activities with performance evaluation factors; reward the desired performance.
• Build information sharing (knowledge management initiatives) into the organization's strategic plan.
• For a team crosscutting an organization's departmental boundaries, develop an information system to help translate terms in the subject disciplines.
• Encourage and provide feedback on all team activities; listen to it!
• Design and integrate tools that fit the team environment; don't force the team to adapt its behavior to the "latest" software.

I had several other links (in the blog that is floating who-knows-where), but through the blogs of several of my other classmates that information has already been shared. So...I will spare you all from reading the same information twice. Thanks for a great class my fellow students and I look forward to seeing everyone's presentations.

A month in the book of Proverbs....

Today is the start of a new month (and I can hardly believe it is already May.) I have been praying about some specific things over the last couple of weeks and have peace that today is the time to put those things into action.

One thing I will be doing starting today is adding an extra 15 minutes of structured exercise to my day. Do you know that 3 out 4 ladies will suffer from some form of heart problems, but adding 15 minutes of activity to your day can reduce that risk by more than half???? That's worth moving for!!!

Secondly, I am going to be studying the book of Proverbs with my children this month. One Proverb each day. So, I can't think of anything better to share with my friends than lessons learned from God's Word. Join me each day to see what my family and I dig up in the Book of Proverbs!!

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. Proverbs 1:2-6

This is our goal throughout the month of May:

• To increase learning
• To Attain wise counsel
• And to understand a proverb and the interpretation of it

Here is the nugget of treasure we found from Proverb One today:

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs 1:1

Solomon was second of three sons of King David. He succeeded the throne at a young age; between 16 and 18 years old. It was David’s desire to build a temple to God; a permanent structure for the arch of the covenant. A place they could come and worship and sacrifice honoring God. Yet it was Solomon who was selected by God to build it. David collected the materials and Solomon built the temple.

A specific quality was found in Solomon that God cherished.

God came to Solomon in a dream and asked him “What shall I give thee?”

Solomon answered, Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

No greater man has ever displayed the wisdom of Solomon and his words of wisdom are there for us to learn from and to see that the Lord is good to them that follow Him.

Not only did he have wealth, he had intelligence and his influence was captivating. He spoke thousands of proverbs and songs, and understood the deep secrets of God. People would come from all over the world to hear the Wisdom of Solomon ~~ and we can do the same by studying the book of Proverbs.

Will you join me this month??