Make a Smilebox slideshow

Safe at home

Have you ever been so scared that all you could do is cry? Tonight was one of those nights for me. I went to Muncie for a Christmas dinner, at Olive Gardens I wouldn't miss a chance to eat there it is one of my all time favorites!! I knew going over there that it could be risky business but I was determined! I had had a bad day at work, in fact yesterday and today weren't good, so I really wanted to get away and enjoy the company of some of my church family. The fellowship was wonderful got to meet and get to know people I only see at a glance at church, the meal was wonderful, portabella mushroom stuffed ravioli yummy( yes I know Mindy that is not on my food list but is anything at Olive Gardens?) Anyway I was smart enough to put a piece of cardboard on my windshield when I went in and when I came out~~~~~~~~~~~~~ well it was kinda stuck to the window and the rest were covered in ice. I filled up with gas before leaving Muncie only $1.59!! that was a good thing, then it was out to the road. MY oh MY!! By the time I got to the by pas I was so scared all I could do was cry. I couldn't remember one single bible verse about Fear so had nothing to fall back on. I know that part of the reason for the tears was because it was roads like that that took my husband's life. I have never been afraid of driving in any kind of weather that is why I am usually the one to drive, but tonight alone on the road was different. I had JOY FM on and wished that tonight they were playing praise and worship songs instead of Christmas songs which I dearly love. Finally I prayed Lord please get me home safely. At that point the songs began to calm me down and my phone rang, a friend who was willing to talk to me all the way home till I parked in the garage and turned the Jimmy off. God answers prayer.
I knew Sunday when I said YES to something that God is asking me to do that I would begin a battle like no other. It seems like all kinds of things go wrong, my emotions are all off the charts, and this Monday was a Monday like no other. Today things just kept getting worse so I texted a friend and simply said PRAY she did and guess what things began to calm down. I know when eternity comes it will all be worth it but I sure don't like this process of being molded and fired, broken and molded again!!!!! =:)
Does anyone out there have a really good verse to rely on when fear grips you so strongly that cry is all you can do? If you do will you share it PLEASE?

Kids Zone yesterday was awesome!!! I needed a reminder that God is in control and guess what their verse is this month?!?! Jeremiah 29: 11 my personal verse: the Lord says"I know the plans I have for you plans for good not disaster, plans for hope and a future!!! Thank You Jesus for your reminder.
As I was bringing up wood for the fireplace I thought about all the preparations that need to be done for so many things in the near future and my mind went crazy and hasn't stopped yet. Got to set things in motion for Christmas and New Years, for New Orleans, summer, for the house winter etc. I am trusting God for some BIG answers to some BIG questions I have.
More on all this later. Got to go to work now, plenty of preparations to do there for the next 8 days too!!!
Have a GREAT day!!

It's almost time for the alarm to go off only I don't need it. I went to bed at 11 so tired I figured I would sleep way past the 5:30 alarm, instead at 1:30 I woke up wide awake and couldn't get back to sleep. I hate nights like this, there is nothing on TV, I can't concentrate on a book and I don't even have any new emails to read!! What's a lady to do? Well I did read some devotionals I get daily on the computer and I read some things that I have written down so now I want to share some with you.This is from Girlfriends in God; How much do you know about the 3 Wise Men? Were there really only 3? Were they really Wise men? Kings? Magi? How old was Jesus when they arrived? Did they get there on Christmas night or was Jesus a toddler when they arrived? Apparently, God did not think the details were important, what was important was the gifts they brought.
Gold stood for the riches of a king. Jesus was the King of Kings.( Revelatations 19:16)
Frankincense was incense used by the priests in the temple worship. Jesus would be ourt high priest who would go before the Heavenly Father and intercede for us. (Hebrews 4:14)
Myrrh was a perfume used in burial services, pointing to Jesus' death on the cross - a holy sacrifice for our sins (Romans 5:8)
Now it's your turn. I gave this challenge to our growth group, Make a list of the ways that Jesus is your King. Make a list of the ways that Jesus is your high priest. Make a list of the ways that Jesus' death and resurrection changed your life.
Give these sentences some thought and see what you come up with.

Something else I realized this week: My Bible is FAT!!!! Not fat from all the stuff I keep in it but fat from use! You know when you first get your bible how slim and trim it is? How all the pages kinda stick together and they seem so fragil? After years of reading and studying the pages seem to get tougher and the book gets fatter, I am glad that my bible is getting FAT.
Could I use that same thought process when it comes to my weight struggle?Hummmmmmmmm

I'm Back!!

Bet you wonder where I have been don't you? Well I have been lost in a sea of pain, loneliness, confusion and wondering who I am for the last year and a half but today I realized how far I have come and that I am my old self yet a new person at the same time. I cooked today and I enjoyed it!! Except for holidays I have cooked very little and if I had to take something somewhere I would just go buy it but not today. As you can see in the picture I made Beef Enchiladas, Poppy seed Chicken Casserole, and Candy Bar brownies. I got to lick the beaters, haven't done that in a long time. The brownies are out of this world, I even think they may give La Donna's candy bar brownies a run for the blue ribbon!! Yes I sampled the casseroles too, well I can't take them somewhere if they are gross now can I! The kitchen was a mess I can't cook and keep clean, boy do I love my dishwasher!!!

Now we come to the snow; do you see the plant here? It is still alive and green. I love this plant because it thrives in the heat of summer yet keeps on giving in the cold and snow. I have no idea what it is called I only know what it looks like that's how I buy it each spring!

I used to love snow I mean really really love it but now that I have passed another year I like it less and less. I really don't like the cold more than the snow, could we have a white Christmas and have it be 75?

This is where I enjoy being now. By the fireplace with a book and a cup of coffee or hot tea. This is where I have my devotions in the morning and where I chill at night. I love being able to sit and gaze at the tree and the dancing fire. Wish I could have a fireplace in the bedroom too so I could go to sleep watching the flames.

I had the chance to talk with a long lost friend today, she lost her husband of 32 years a couple of month ago and when she saw me she almost ran to hug me. As we were talking I realized just how far I have come on this journey and I am seeing some of the ways God is using me. Isn't it exciting to be used by God and realize it?!?!?! She is a Christian and is surely questioning why she is a widow, as she said " I'm too young to be a widow" as we talked we shared how God has given us verses from his word that has gotten us past different roadblocks on this road. I was able to share with her that even 22 months later it hurts but I am able to move forward again, to laugh, to serve and know that it is okay.

As I thought about that encounter in Walmart today I am reminded of how many times I have had the opportunity to share my faith in the last few months. Before I was so shy about talking about what God had done for me but now it's different. I can share in the isle at Walmart, I had the chance to share with someone at a dance-yes at a dance, imagine talking about God at a dance! In emails I have had the chance to share how my faith has brought me from devastation to new life. I did not see all this until today when he showed me where I have been, he still hasn't shown me where I am going but that's okay cause I am now enjoying the journey!

If you are uneasy about sharing your faith like I was I would like to tell you that you don't have to have fancy words, you don't have to preach, all you have to do is be yourself. One door that opened for me this week was when someone asked how I could have such a smile, a sparkle in my eyes and a glow about me. Wow I didn't realize that I was that way but it opened the door for me to say " It's because of my faith in God" how simple was that? Just take the moment and run with it and be proud that you have a God that is alive and caring and is taking care of you.

I really don't have much to say tonight, I am house sitting for my good friend, being loved by her two dogs. I was catching up on my emails and came across this I think that it is really good and makes me think of how wonderful heaven is going to be and the potluck meals that are already going on there.

December 1, 2008 Pot Luck Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world now that you sent me and have loved them, even as you have loved me." (John 17:23 NIV)
Friend to Friend I recall as a young child, rocking on my grandma's front porch and listening to the ladies from the mission society gossip about the "heathens" whose church was across the street from theirs. It always puzzled me because the "heathens" were such nice people and their church looked just like grandma's church. As far as I could tell, there was no difference. Both believed in Jesus, wore funny hats on Sundays, and sang the same hymns. And both had great pot-luck dinners.
How did the church come up with the notion of the famous pot-luck supper (alias, covered-dish dinner)? I personally think it all began in Matthew chapter 15. The first covered-dish gathering was a great success as Jesus served more than 4,000 men (not to mention a few thousand women and children) and had leftovers to boot. All this came from one little covered dish. Actually, it was a covered basket. This was, after all, before the advent of Corning Ware.
Later the Baptists followed His lead and the next thing you know, all denominations are celebrating a multiplicity of occasions with every variety of casserole known to man, but the twenty first-century church isn't being caught simply serving up fish and chips. We have taken the notion of "breaking bread" and run with it. Not only do we break bread, but we crunch fried chicken, munch fresh veggies, scoop casseroles, slice pies, cut cakes, and sip coffees. We chew the fat while chewing our food and extend the right hand of fellowship while our left hand extends the serving spoon. No matter how much food walks through the doors, none ever goes to waste, but much goes to the waist. I'd say that covered-dish dinners are one of the most cherished rituals in the church today!
Our Sunday school class's annual Christmas party entailed such an event. It was at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Marshall McMillan. The class consisted of 150 people in a church of 1,600. It's a little difficult to be intimate with 150 congregates on Sunday morning, so the Christmas party was a great time to chat with people you didn't normally have a chance to visit otherwise. Because people tend to sit in the same seats each week, I had never really seen about half of the class.
The Christmas party was designed to remedy that problem. The McMillan's home was beautifully decorated with holly, spruce and magnolia clippings. It was filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of the season as well as the incoming aroma of the many deliciously prepared meals. In an effort to provide crowd control and proper traffic flow, our host, Marshall had posted directional signs around the house. One sign read "COATS," with an arrow pointing up the stairs to their daughter's room. Another read "HOT FOOD," with an arrow pointing toward the kitchen.
Marshall was doing a great job at his post as official greeter and traffic police.
"Hello, how are you?" He greeted two ladies and one man as they made their way up the front steps with dishes in hand. "You can take your food into the kitchen and then follow the arrows to the coat room."
The obedient threesome followed directions well and then headed to the name tag table, but a warning light was flashing in my mind.
"Marshall," I said, "Who are those people? I don't recognize them."
"I don't recognize them, either," he answered. "But you know our class is so big. Maybe they sit on the opposite side of the room and we just haven't noticed them before."
They looked like they could have been one of us. They seemed to know the drill, but something was wrong with this picture.
"Marshall, go find out who they are," I urged.
He approached the trio, who were now looking a little bewildered themselves. "Excuse me. You are here for the Sunday school Christmas party, aren't you?"
"Yes," they answered. However, their "yes" sounded more like a question than an answer. Then they asked, "This is the Sunday school class for First Baptist Church isn't it?"
"No, ma'am," Marshall answered. "This is the party for Forest Hill Presbyterian. You folks are at the wrong party."
The three embarrassed Baptists quickly reclaimed their food, once again followed the arrows to the coat room, and high-tailed it out of the McMillan's house to another Sunday school covered-dish gathering a few doors down.
Won't heaven be an interesting place? One big perpetual brightly lit Christmas party: a celebration of new birth. No covered dish required because He will sit us down at His banqueting table which He has prepared for us. One great thing about this party will be that when the Baptists stumble into a room full of Presbyterians or when the Episcopalians walk in on a bunch of Assemblies of God folks, no one will feel out of place. We will all say, "Welcome! And come on in. Take your coat off and stay a while - an eternity, for that matter. You're definitely in the right place."
Let's Pray Dear Lord, I'm not even sure how all this business of denominations started in the first place, but I do know that You specifically prayed that we would have unity among the Body of Christ. Help us to put away our differences and focus on what is truly important -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
In Jesus' Name, Amen