1 Peter 5:5-11

Yesterday, Our Daily Bread had an awesome devotion. I think one of my most favorite verses right now is 1 Peter 5:5-11 5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Verse 8 -9 really keeps me on my toes. I firmly believe Satan is lurking everywhere trying to pull me away from my Creator. I have to be careful and watch my words & tone, my attitude and my actions. I have to keep my eyes & my heart focused on God and constantly renew my mind with His word or else I'll fall into Satan's trap. So, yesterday when I read the devotion, I was happy. I know that the LORD is continually working on and in me. I'm not perfect, but He is refining me and I welcome it. Here's the devotion. Hope you all enjoy it and get as much from it as I did.

October 26, 2008
The Ripening Self
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DownloadREAD: 1 Peter 5:5-11
May the God of all grace, . . . after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. —1 Peter 5:10
In his early years of ministry, the English preacher Charles Simeon (1759–1836) was a harsh and self-assertive man. One day he was visiting a friend and fellow pastor in a nearby village. When he left to go home, his friend’s daughters complained to their father about Simeon’s manner. So he took the girls to the backyard and said, “Pick me one of those peaches.” It was early summer, and the peaches were green. The girls asked why he wanted green, unripe fruit. He replied, “Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet. So it is with Mr. Simeon.”
Simeon, in due time, did change. The warmth of God’s love and the “showers” of misunderstanding and disappointment were the means by which he became a gentle, humble man.
The God of all grace works in all His children, humbling the proud and exalting the humble, to make them ripe and sweet. Our task is to take hold of God’s grace to endure our afflictions with patience, without growing weary.
In time, He will “perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle” us (1 Peter 5:10). We must “wait on the LORD” and “be of good courage” (Ps. 27:14). — David H. Roper
Our fruitfulness and growth in ChristWon’t happen instantly,But meditating on God’s WordWill bring maturity. —Sper
Salvation is the miracle of a moment; growth is the labor of a lifetime.

One Proud Boy = Happy Mommy & Daddy

Tonight was Nate's next to last game. All season long we've tried so hard to get him to run. He can hit and back up first base very good, but no matter what we said, he just wouldn't run when it came to running bases. I had almost given up hope that he'd get a game ball. There are so many more experienced players on his team. However... I would like to CONGRATULATE Nate & his friend, Nicholas, on them both getting game balls!! Nate for running & getting hits off of pitches and Nicholas hit at least 3 balls all the way to the fence! Their team won 12-8! They did a great job & we're so proud of them. After the game, we took our boys to Dairy Queen for an ice cream!! Nate is so proud of the gameball that he will not turn loose of it for anything! I can pretty much guarantee that he'll sleep with it tonight! Mommy & Daddy are so proud of you, Nate!! Gooooo YANKEES!!!!























Nate & his good friend, Nicholas














Nate backing up 1st Base

Baby Say Turns TWO

Today our sweet Seth, also affectionately known as "SaySay" by his brothers and friends, turned two years old. "Say" became his nickname when after he was born Nate & Alex would introduce him as "Baby Say". It was one of those names that just stuck! I know people in public probably wonder what in the world we named him when I call him Say Say!!
Today, to celebrate his BD, we met up with friends at the new McDonald's near our church for Happy Meals & Cupcakes. 8 Boys and 1 Girl! We are very blessed with such great friends & family! Seth really had a great time playing & eating! He partied so much, he just couldn't take it anymore & layed down in the floor & went to sleep! What child goes to sleep in a McD's Playground?! haha.. he was beat! Mommy was very thankful that it's a brand new McD's or else she may not have let him take a little snooze!! :) Ben & Clara, we missed ya'll today!! Thank you to the rest who were able to join us! Love ya'll bunches!

Enjoy the pics of our sweet Seth & his pals!

Seth's 2nd Birthday Party

Seth had a fantastic time at his Curious George Birthday party. He was surrounded by family & great friends. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us in celebrating our baby turning TWO! I think everyone had a great time playing, eating & toasting marshmallows on the fire!

Note To Self.... Never Leave Kids Unattended...

...even if it's only to watch the VP Debate!

I heard the water going in the bathroom, but I just figured it was Seth washing his hands over & over as usual. Well, Allan goes to get him out & calls me in there. Apparently, Seth thought his feet & socks were dirty because there he sat! UP on the counter, water wide open & he thought it was the greatest thing ever. Crazy Kiddo!

We'll Give You Something to Blog About

Ok... so I've been having a touch of bloggers block. Not much going on and I guess the kids must have sensed that. Today while putting together Seth's BD Party Invite, I hear Nate say, "This is a great slip-n-slide". I go in the kitchen to find about 1/2 a bottle of baby powder dumped ALL OVER the floor and they are running and sliding in it. They were even making snow angels in it ! So, I go get Allan to let him see and what does he do?? He joins the party! The whole kitchen was so smoky from all the powder in the air **cough cough**!

Now.. what to clean it up with?? Enjoy the pics!

Meeting the perfect Father

I can't believe that 20 years ago today, my Uncle Billy lost the battle with pancreatic cancer. It seems like it was just yesterday that Mama & my Papa came home from the hospital to tell us the news that he had passed. It was the first funeral I ever experienced and I remember being broken & so sad. Even at the age of 11, I had a heavy heart for my cousin losing her Daddy, almost 1 week before her 3rd birthday. I, too, had grown up without a daddy and knew that it would be a difficult road. I spent years in school & life feeling left out when there were events that required attendance of two parents. I wanted to be a Daddy's Girl so badly. But, NOW I know that all along I had a PERFECT Father...He resides in Heaven and sits on the Throne & can perfectly meet my every need far better than any humanly father ever could! Oh, how I wish it didn't take me almost 30 years to figure that out. I am a daughter to the King that created the heavens & the earth (Gen 1:1) and later created me, for I am fearfully & wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:4) And, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! (Phil 4:13) See what I mean by perfection... He is perfection at it's finest.
I am so thankful for His faithfulness to never leave me when I walked away from Him. Praise Him for his discipline, forgiveness, grace & mercy!!

Hebron Baptist Cardboard Confessions

WOW. I was so moved by all the testimonies of several of our members in church this morning. It's so amazing to see how God has moved mountains in their lives. People on the brink of divorce, addicted to substances, anger & depression, suffered the loss of loved ones... all the stories are different but the one thing that remains constant is that God was with them every step of the way & saw them through the various storms in their lives. He is faithful!
To watch and I want to encourage you to do so... it is well worth your time... but let me tell you, have your Kleenex handy! You will have tears of joy streaming down your face when you see the hand of God in these people's lives! PLEASE WATCH!!

Go to http://hebronchurch.org/media/media.htm and scroll down and select "video on demand
To watch past services, click here. "

Go down & select to see September 7th 2008 What's Your Story? Personal Testimony. Be amazed!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame....

..... in the 95 degree heat! Wow... what a day to open the season. Nate, Alex & Seth were all in a fantabulous mood *sense my sarcasm*, it was scorchin' hot and they were all hungry. That combo didn't make for the best day. I had a pretty hard time adjusting to the new rules in Tball. Going from Pre-T to T is a big jump. These coaches are pretty die-hard coaches and it's hard for me to see my baby getting "coached". Granted, he wasn't running his best, but I wanted to say give the kid a break... they had batting practice for an hour BEFORE the actual game! They are tired and HOT. Anyway, I might as well suck it up b/c alot of other moms have told me it gets more intense. We had about 20 minutes in between games to come home, eat a Sonic corndog and get back to the field for Alex's game. Thankfully, today is the only day we have 2 games on the same day. Otherwise I'd be saying Game Over!
Here's a couple of my fave pics from today.

Goooo Yankees & RedSox!!

First Day of Preschool 2008-09

Today was a fabulous day! Nate & Alex started Hebron Weekday Preschool again. We missed Daddy this morning. He had to go into work, so I took as many pics as I could so he wouldn't totally miss out. I made them their initial pancakes. They love them & ice cream sprinkles make them extra special! We just love Hebron Preschool! Their teachers love the LORD and love our boys. You just can't get much better than that! I know they are going to have a fantastic year. They were both so excited to pull into the parking lot & couldn't wait to get out of the van. They both walked right into the school like they owned the place & didn't even look back at me. *SNIFF SNIFF* Our boys are growing up so fast! After dropping them off, Seth & I headed to Community Bible Study where I'll be teaching children with my friend. That is going to be exciting as well. So, all of us started a new year this morning & we're going to be busy, busy!
Here's a few pics of the boys getting ready for their first day of Preschool!

My Poor Neglected Blog

Well, I feel bad. I said forever that I would NOT join facebook. I held out and was strong for about 2-3 months. Then, I joined and because of it, my poor blog has suffered.

What have we been up to?? ... well, let's see...we're getting geared up to start back preschool, we're running around for 2 different Tball practices and about to start Tball games for 2 different teams and I am teaching older 2's in my Community Bible Study which I am super excited about. I think that's about it.

We took the boys to the movies for the first time last Thursday night. It was a lot of fun. We saw Wall-E and treated them to Steak & Shake afterwards.

I've been on my quest for a healthier me since 8/1. So, that meant that last Friday marked 3 weeks. I am on a mission to run 4 miles, 3 days per week. I do have to say I'm a bit bummed I haven't lost any weight. I feel better though, but I am hoping for weightloss to come soon. I have been eating so much better with the exception of a couple indulgences. Maybe I need to run 4 days per week instead of 3.. we'll see what the final weight is this Friday when the month has officially ended. I'm trying to only put "weight" on the end of the month weigh-in instead of going by my daily weigh-ins.

So, for my couple of faithful readers... I will try and do better about posting!

Tagged...

Okay - so Andrea tagged me on a random blog quiz. So I thought I'd be a good sport and participate!! here it goes . . .

3 random facts:
1. I was never a cheerleader, but like Andrea always wanted to be one. Still don't know why!
2. I had 2 of my three children w/ no drugs and would do it again if given the chance!
3. I can write backwards!

3 current obsessions:
1. managing my weight by eating better
2. reading food labels
3. getting the greatest tunes for my iPod for jogging on the treadmill

3 goals:
1. lose weight and take better care of my spirit's tabernacle
2. to be the wife & mother God created me to be
3. to have a set quiet time every morning BEFORE the kids wake up

3 fears:
1. public speaking
2. snakes
3.

3 joys:
1. when the scale is lower than the last time I stepped on it
2. sitting on the back deck drinking coffee chatting w/ my hubby after kids go to bed
3. scoring crazy great grocery deals using my coupons... (it wow's Allan, too)

okay - now I tag Susan Johnson, Billie Beddingfield, and Joy Stallworth. . . have fun!!

Mad Rant...

I am so mad right now. I'm mad that there are people killing and just being down right cruel to children everywhere I turn. Yesterday morning, the first four news stories I read were: 1. Man & wife indicted on charges they nearly starved their 13 month old twin boys. 2. woman's 6 week old baby found dead, later found mom in nearby county-dead. 3. woman in SC shook a newborn baby to death b/c he wouldn't drink his bottle. 4. local man, Boy Scout leader suspected of molesting 10 boys. Then today I read a 25 year old woman left her 6 week old son in the back of a car with the heat index over 100 degrees. The child died. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?? Are they just as stupid as stupid gets or what?? Senseless killing and cruelty. I get aggravated & frustrated b/c I want to help children like this but I have no idea how. These kids needed a voice to help protect them. The people who were charged w/ the starvation thing were hooked on prescription drugs I read. Why are kids in these types of environments?? Where are child protective services?? Where are the other family members who could protect the kids?? Just makes me sad to know there are children everywhere without anyone to help shield them from the stupidness of others. ...SIGH...

Observations

I can't believe I almost forgot to blog about this. We went to Barberitos tonight for dinner. A (ahem) larger sized man walked by. Nate points and blurts in the loudest voice possible...'Daddy, Look at his big ol' belly'!
M.O.R.T.I.F.I.E.D

I just looked at Allan and asked, "Did he just say what I think he said??" And, sadly the answer was "yes". I knew the day was coming when the kids start noticing the differences in people, but I was realllllly hoping it would just bypass our household. Oh well, he was just making an observation, but it was pretty embarrassing.

What would your mosaic look like?

I really liked this RBC devotion today. Wow, makes me think about how I live my life daily. I hope & pray that my daily life is glorifying to my LORD. It's my mission each day to live according to His truth and that others around me can see Him through me.

July 30, 2008

Snapshots Of Time

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12

The designers of an innovative Web site call their creation a “snapshot” of our world. Every hour, computers monitor international news sources, select the most frequently occurring words and pictures, then display them as an interactive image. Over time, these hourly snapshots compose a mosaic of unfolding world events.
If a computer could track our words and actions, what would a snapshot of yesterday reveal? Over the weeks and months, what patterns would emerge? And what theme would dominate the final mosaic of our lives?

Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses the man of God, is a powerfully honest look at the brevity and significance of life. The writer compares an entire lifetime to a dream or a blade of grass, and cries out to God: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v.12). Our days often seem so insignificant, yet they add up to so much. The Message renders verse 12: “Teach us to live wisely and well.” It is a prayer for the snapshots of life with the final image in view.

When all the pictures of our life are laid on the table, they will reveal our recurring words and actions. What story will they tell? It’s worth considering as we make our choices each day. — David C. McCasland

God has given life abundant—Live it fully every day;Though our time on earth is fleeting,He goes with us all the way. —Hess

It’s not how long you live that counts, but how you live.