Just up in the night thinking.....dangerous right(?), but my thoughts are turned to the Lord and thinking about how good he is to me. I am so blessed....and I certainly don't deserve it. I am also rejoicing for the answered prayers I witness all around me.
So what am I thinking? Well, I have come to the conclusion that instead of thinking (sometimes turning to worry), I need to start praying ...and then listening.
Sometimes when I am praying I find myself trying to bargin with the Lord and I don't believe that is what we need to focus on. I want to do more listening because I need to hear from HIM! I know how sustaining those Words are.
There are times when I felt like I could fly when I knew I had actually heard from heaven and the God of the Universe loved and cared for me! ....so why would I not do more listening? Crazy isn't it? Well, I guess it is because sometimes my heart is heavy and I have requests that only He is able to solve...and I am self centered and so very impatient.....and let's face it, talking is just easier and it seems to be what most people think of when they say prayers. Also, I also fear I will not hear anything and my faith won't carry me through that dry place.
Don't doubt I will keep seeking an answer to prayers....keep knocking as the scriptures instruct us to do...but I am also going stop and meditate on His words more and focus on all His attributes and then LISTEN for His voice.
Ok...I am rambling and redundant, sorry. But listening, trusting.....as in TOTALLY trusting just doesn't come natrually either and I guess I needed a little self pep talk. And as trite as this sounds.....this is such a wonderful time of the year to practice focused listening as we are ever mindful of the Lord's greatest gift of all, Jesus.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Bring on the Holidays
After two roller coaster weeks Jim and I are finally coming back to life. We've been under the weather (to say the least), then well, then sick and for now, about 95% well. We are now wondering what exactly we've had. One doc in our area attributes all of it to the swine flu while another says it is just the seasonal "crud". The doc told Jim it was not the right symptoms for "pig flu", but when we saw the list on the internet we disagreed. No, we have not had super high fevers or been as achy as some, but we have had low grade fevers and some aches and also all the fun that goes with a head/chest cold....coughs, sneezes, and watery eyes. (The watery eyes deal was really getting to me!!) Anyway, I have not dared quit the Musinex. If you have not used this miracle over the counter drug, it is just amazing how much better you can breath while taking it. I tried going all day without it yesterday and ended up having the most embarrassing coughing jag at WalMart! I may never quit taking that stuff after that. I was waiting for someone to throw a net over my head and cart me into the back of a van headed for the TB sanitorium.
Jim kept plugging along and I have not missed any school this whole time. I nearly did last week, but I think enough other people were out I couldn't get my phone call through to tell them to get a sub, so I just gave up and went in. I never went in with a fever...seems those always popped up during the night. Aspirin, Musinex, and Alka Seltzer Plus have been my mainstays, but We also tried some Sudefed and various other cough syrups and cold pills I found in the medicine cabinet. I washed my hands obsessively and cleaned the tables and desks with Clorox wipes. Thankfully, there is a sink in the my work room so I didn't have to run down the hall just to wash my hands. As far as I can tell nobody has caught it from me and for that I am thankful! So now Jim and I say, "Bring on the holidays!"
Jim kept plugging along and I have not missed any school this whole time. I nearly did last week, but I think enough other people were out I couldn't get my phone call through to tell them to get a sub, so I just gave up and went in. I never went in with a fever...seems those always popped up during the night. Aspirin, Musinex, and Alka Seltzer Plus have been my mainstays, but We also tried some Sudefed and various other cough syrups and cold pills I found in the medicine cabinet. I washed my hands obsessively and cleaned the tables and desks with Clorox wipes. Thankfully, there is a sink in the my work room so I didn't have to run down the hall just to wash my hands. As far as I can tell nobody has caught it from me and for that I am thankful! So now Jim and I say, "Bring on the holidays!"
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Thanksgiving
Here is a sweet picture from our Thanksgiving visitors....or to be more exact the day after Thanksgiving. Just thought this was a sweet pic and wanted to share it.
Monday, November 23, 2009
On the Same Page
Full article is found at this link below.
http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2009/11/18/worse_than_taxes
Here is part of John Stossel's column. (I have been a big fan of his 20/20 contributions....remember the "Give Me a Break" segments?)
(Bill) O'Reilly told me that America is ready for a tax revolt. I hope he's right. But I don't think it will happen until more people see the ruling elite for what it is: a gang of arrogant bullies that has the audacity to believe that they know how to direct our lives better than we do.That's why, bad as the taxes are, I'm more upset about ObamaCare, Medicare, the "stimulus," the auto bailout, the bank bailouts, the Fannie/Freddie bailouts, the trillions in guarantees, and on and on.The politicians' spending schemes represent presumptuous interference in our lives. They are an assault on our autonomy.
http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2009/11/18/worse_than_taxes
Here is part of John Stossel's column. (I have been a big fan of his 20/20 contributions....remember the "Give Me a Break" segments?)
(Bill) O'Reilly told me that America is ready for a tax revolt. I hope he's right. But I don't think it will happen until more people see the ruling elite for what it is: a gang of arrogant bullies that has the audacity to believe that they know how to direct our lives better than we do.That's why, bad as the taxes are, I'm more upset about ObamaCare, Medicare, the "stimulus," the auto bailout, the bank bailouts, the Fannie/Freddie bailouts, the trillions in guarantees, and on and on.The politicians' spending schemes represent presumptuous interference in our lives. They are an assault on our autonomy.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Playing Catch Up
Frazier's Wii Family....bet you can pick him out. We are hoping Josh and Randi will try it out while they are here and Frazier will being able to play in a few years. Frazier was on my baseball team the other day and he was the only team mate to make a home run! He is going to take after cousin Paulie for sure! I wish you could see these better. Virtual Josh and Randi really do look like Josh and Randi...Frazier, not so much. Wii Deb is more accurate than Wii Jim, but it is amazing how you can edit these. Yes, I am still among the living and I still like to arrange my thoughts on "paper" periodically... so here goes.
Today is the first day of our Thanksgiving holiday so waking at 5:30 sorta bugged me, but old habits die hard. By the time I get the hang of sleeping in, school will be back in full swing and I will dragging around the library trying to wake up....soooo think I will try to get up early each day.
News from the home front: Jim and I have a new Wii. There was an offer on home shopping we just happened upon and it was a flex pay deal we couldn't pass up. We now spend each evening bowling a few games and also playing some tennis. Tennis is not Jim's cup of tea so I have a lot of pleading to do if I want a tennis partner. I just love the sound of the balls hitting the rackets...sooooo life like! Anyway, bowling is a lot of fun and as of now I am the champ! That would never happen on a non-virtual bowling alley as Jim has always been a good bowler. The secret to my 213 game is lofting the ball. The more I loft the better my score. Go fig!?
We also have a Wii Fit Plus. I have done a bit of yoga and played some of the balance games. When I did a balance test the machine told me my Wii age was 40! That made me happy, but mixing in my mental age was something like 63....and I don't think it meant I was old fashioned. Standing on one foot while counting on your fingers is just not as easy as you'd think! Had it not for my good balance I probably would have been 80! The test was not that hard, but you have to be fast. "Math" and "fast" can't be used in the same sentence with my name. I will have to try it again. I talked to a kid at school and he said his Wii age was 85 so I think I feel little better.
Gutters! Our house now has seamless aluminum gutters. The truck came and made them in our driveway. Jim worked for three days putting in pipes underground and even under sidewalks to direct the water from the downspouts. He is not done with all of them, but he is well on the way to getting our drainage problems licked. French drains......huge french drains are the next project on the agenda. Hiring help for this is the plan and I hope he can find some good workers who like to dig.
Lets see.....what else? We had a wonderful revival at our church. Jon Randles, via Dallas, came and preached. I didn't get to the afternoon lunch sessions, but Jim did and he loved it. You can google Jon. His next stop was going to be Longview and I was hoping he was going to be speaking at Josh and Randi's church, but alas not this trip. He said he has been to several churches in Longview so maybe sometime in the future they will be blessed by him. I had seen him in 2005 at Temple church. I think he has been there two times, so he was not new to me, but Jim had never seen him and I surprised how much he enjoyed him. Like I said, check Jon out! (Lori, you and your church chicks would have loved him!) He is a history prof. and is also involved with FCA so lots of sports analogies, but he has a heart after the Lord's own heart. His knowledge of history is impressive and he loves sharing what he knows about those who lived in the ancient world...their customs and their cultures. It opens a whole new dimension of the scriptures. He has been all over the world studying and owns an extensive collection of rare books. I wish I could sit in on his history classes.
On the agenda today: New Moon at noon. (poet and didn't know it?) Yes, I read all the Twilight series and yes, I am sorta embarrassed to admit it let alone going to see the movies, but they are a good Romeo and Juliet type story even though half the characters are the undead. (Creepy! I know. Jim will not be going.) I didn't think the writing was amazing, but Stephanie Myer does weave a great story and even though the first book was painfully boring I was sucked in as the plot was enriched with a variety of distinct characters in each consecutive book.
So what does this week hold in store? Obviously there is Thanksgiving with the turkey and all the sides we traditionally make. "The kids" will be coming and we are always thrilled to see them and their new addition, sweet little Frazier James with the smile that melts my heart. (Much the same way Josh's still does.) That will be the high point of the week for sure!
I want to clean, cook, and Wii it up some, watch some football, and READ. I have several books. One is Angela's Ashes and several other YA books from school. I also want to get a hold of Sarah Palin's recently published memoir, Going Rogue. It is sold out every place and Jim believes the whole first printing is sold out, so that might not happen for sometime. She is a person we both greatly admire and am hoping she will have great influence in or out of office because her common sense is so needed in this country now. Why is she so polarizing? Well, I believe it is due to her firm faith, but Jesus predicted this 2,000 + years ago. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." John 15:18
Today is the first day of our Thanksgiving holiday so waking at 5:30 sorta bugged me, but old habits die hard. By the time I get the hang of sleeping in, school will be back in full swing and I will dragging around the library trying to wake up....soooo think I will try to get up early each day.
News from the home front: Jim and I have a new Wii. There was an offer on home shopping we just happened upon and it was a flex pay deal we couldn't pass up. We now spend each evening bowling a few games and also playing some tennis. Tennis is not Jim's cup of tea so I have a lot of pleading to do if I want a tennis partner. I just love the sound of the balls hitting the rackets...sooooo life like! Anyway, bowling is a lot of fun and as of now I am the champ! That would never happen on a non-virtual bowling alley as Jim has always been a good bowler. The secret to my 213 game is lofting the ball. The more I loft the better my score. Go fig!?
We also have a Wii Fit Plus. I have done a bit of yoga and played some of the balance games. When I did a balance test the machine told me my Wii age was 40! That made me happy, but mixing in my mental age was something like 63....and I don't think it meant I was old fashioned. Standing on one foot while counting on your fingers is just not as easy as you'd think! Had it not for my good balance I probably would have been 80! The test was not that hard, but you have to be fast. "Math" and "fast" can't be used in the same sentence with my name. I will have to try it again. I talked to a kid at school and he said his Wii age was 85 so I think I feel little better.
Gutters! Our house now has seamless aluminum gutters. The truck came and made them in our driveway. Jim worked for three days putting in pipes underground and even under sidewalks to direct the water from the downspouts. He is not done with all of them, but he is well on the way to getting our drainage problems licked. French drains......huge french drains are the next project on the agenda. Hiring help for this is the plan and I hope he can find some good workers who like to dig.
Lets see.....what else? We had a wonderful revival at our church. Jon Randles, via Dallas, came and preached. I didn't get to the afternoon lunch sessions, but Jim did and he loved it. You can google Jon. His next stop was going to be Longview and I was hoping he was going to be speaking at Josh and Randi's church, but alas not this trip. He said he has been to several churches in Longview so maybe sometime in the future they will be blessed by him. I had seen him in 2005 at Temple church. I think he has been there two times, so he was not new to me, but Jim had never seen him and I surprised how much he enjoyed him. Like I said, check Jon out! (Lori, you and your church chicks would have loved him!) He is a history prof. and is also involved with FCA so lots of sports analogies, but he has a heart after the Lord's own heart. His knowledge of history is impressive and he loves sharing what he knows about those who lived in the ancient world...their customs and their cultures. It opens a whole new dimension of the scriptures. He has been all over the world studying and owns an extensive collection of rare books. I wish I could sit in on his history classes.
On the agenda today: New Moon at noon. (poet and didn't know it?) Yes, I read all the Twilight series and yes, I am sorta embarrassed to admit it let alone going to see the movies, but they are a good Romeo and Juliet type story even though half the characters are the undead. (Creepy! I know. Jim will not be going.) I didn't think the writing was amazing, but Stephanie Myer does weave a great story and even though the first book was painfully boring I was sucked in as the plot was enriched with a variety of distinct characters in each consecutive book.
So what does this week hold in store? Obviously there is Thanksgiving with the turkey and all the sides we traditionally make. "The kids" will be coming and we are always thrilled to see them and their new addition, sweet little Frazier James with the smile that melts my heart. (Much the same way Josh's still does.) That will be the high point of the week for sure!
I want to clean, cook, and Wii it up some, watch some football, and READ. I have several books. One is Angela's Ashes and several other YA books from school. I also want to get a hold of Sarah Palin's recently published memoir, Going Rogue. It is sold out every place and Jim believes the whole first printing is sold out, so that might not happen for sometime. She is a person we both greatly admire and am hoping she will have great influence in or out of office because her common sense is so needed in this country now. Why is she so polarizing? Well, I believe it is due to her firm faith, but Jesus predicted this 2,000 + years ago. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." John 15:18
This is all the news from Lake (well, the gutters are going to cure that, right!?) Wobegon. :)
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