Seeing is Believing or Is It

Today's society has become so jaded that many refuse to believe something unless they see it for themselves. Others are so naive that they believe everything they see & hear. Then there are those that are a mixture of the two. Not taking everything at face value, but still having hope there is good in the world.

We certainly aren't the first generation to corner the market on trust issues.

All down through history, people have spread rumors before they knew the truth, people have jumped because King so & so told them to, people have lied, cheated, & stole to get what they want.

"People" have always been fickle.

John 20: 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

As I read this verse this morning, tears flooded my eyes. I am so thankful that I didn't have to see Jesus crucified to KNOW how much He loved me. I didn't have to see His death to KNOW He suffered for me. I didn't have to see His resurrection to KNOW He defeated death, Hell, & the grave.

I don't have to wait to see Heaven to KNOW that it's real! And most importantly, I don't have to wait to see Jesus stepping out on a cloud to KNOW that He is coming back for His children!

I may have many doubts throughout my life, but I'm thankful that I didn't have to SEE to KNOW that my father is the KING OF KINGS!!!

How Ready are You

We all lose focus from time to time. We all get caught up in the hustle & bustle of our lives that we forget to worry about anything else around us.

In just the past few weeks, lives have been changed forever.....

Several people that I went to school with have passed away. These are people MY AGE. And folks, at 37, I'm no where near old enough to be concerned about dying yet.

A few different families have been irrevocably altered with tragedy, death, and bad news while on vacation.

A whole community has been turned upside down due to a years old grudge.

A family sits around waiting for a saint to breath his last.

And these are all people I know! We won't even talk about all the death, destruction, & what not going on in the world.

Again, I have been reminded of just how precious and fragile life is.

Death is inevitable.

No matter what your name is, how much money you have, who you know, where you live, or what your beliefs are, there is no escaping it. At some point everyone...EVERYONE must face death. And unlike life, where we often share experiences with others, we must face death all by ourselves. Sure you may be surrounded by those you love, but when it comes time, we all must cross over alone.

When we finally see our Lord face to face, we are the only ones accountable for our decisions. It won't matter who our friends were, where we worked, or why we made the choices we did. The most important thing once we die is if we were saved, if we accepted Jesus.

Knowing this & knowing just how short & uncertain life is, why not get this settled NOW before its too late!

Once you take that last breath, once you see His face, once you stand before the gates, its too late!

I Didn't Know

We were on vacation last week. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing. This vacation was planned and paid for back in February. We spent a week in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

I didn't have any real "ideas" to how this vacation would go, I just knew I wanted to go somewhere we've never been before. I also didn't know that we would be staying in an almost dead zone as far as internet signals were concerned.

I didn't know that the fire call that my husband ignored Monday morning because we were trying to get on the road would change a community. Who knows, if he would have responded, he could have been one of those fighting for their life.

I didn't know the family whose life was changed forever while they were simply on vacation. That could have easily been us.

I didn't know that America as we know it would be turned upside down in a matter of minutes.

I didn't know any of this was going to happen while we were on vacation. I didn't know that I would have to struggle to get bits & pieces of information because I couldn't just look it up any time I wanted to.

I didn't know, but GOD did.

He knew where I would be when all of this happened. He knew ages ago where we would all be. He directed us to where we needed to be & where He wanted us to be.

The struggles that went on, not just last week, but last month, last year, every single twist & turn in the road He already knew about it. He's been carving out the road in this life from the very beginning.

Why do we worry so about things we have no control over?

Happy Birthday Logan

4 years ago today, God completed our family.

I thought after Makenzie was born, we were done. Then after we lost a baby through an ectopic pregnancy, I knew we were done.

God knew differently. He knew that our family needed this little bundle of energy that tries my patience & leaves a trail of destruction an F5 tornado would be envious of. He knew I needed this little elf in my life to bring me flowers & give ugga muggas (Daniel Tiger fan here) & sleep with every stuffed animal invented by man.

He knew I needed another reason to smile.

THIS is why I have up drugs years ago

Can I just be honest for a minute here? 

I am hurting. I am smack dab in the middle of fighting off the flu and a UTI. 

In May none the less. Who gets the flu in May?!

I haven't had the flu in over 9 years.

This thing came out of the middle of nowhere & ran me over like a freight train. 

So what does this have to do with drugs? 

The ER doctor gave me a Valium & a Rx for Flexaril along with the usual meds. To say I'm a little loopy is an understatement. 

*note: if I say something off the wall or misspell everything, overlook me.

I don't like not being in control, not remembering, & feeling like my world is spinning. So that's the reason I'm glad I don't do drugs anymore. Well, one of the reasons anyway. 

Maybe I'll have something intelligent to say in a few days,

Don't Let Satan Steal Your Motherhood

I have carried a blog post in the back of my Bible for awhile now. I go back & read it every now & then.

Since last Sunday was Mother's Day, I shared it, through lots of tears, at church.

I should have known. I should have been ready, but I wasn't.

Satan struck back with a vengeance. And he sucker punched me right in the heart.

I received a phone call about disrespectful & disruptive behavior at school. I have cleaned all sorts of bodily fluids off of furniture. I have listened to more bickering than usual. And I have been swamped with chores.

While "in the moment", I almost let him win. It took lots of effort, not by me, but by God - ok, well maybe not so much "effort" from Him, but it sure felt like it.

But no matter what obstacles I encounter, no matter how high the mountain, or how low the valley, I am still blessed beyond measure, blessed far more than I deserve!

Anyway, here is the post. Go check out what happens when Satan steals your motherhood.

Take Another Little Piece of my Heart

A child can bring you more joy than you could ever imagine, but they can also break your heart into so many pieces you don't believe there's enough glue in the world to fix it. I'm not just talking about your own child either. If you've ever gotten close to a child that wasn't yours, you already know this.

I've always had a heavy burden for our young people, for my kids, my kids' friends, my friends' kids, my niece & nephew, my church kids....all of them. But here lately, it seems heavier.

I've taken some time to step back and watch our young people. Some things that I am seeing upsets me.

Now, I'm not too old that I don't remember being a teenager & falling madly in love with someone. But our kids fall a lot faster these days. They also recover a lot faster too.

A broken heart, a true broken heart takes time to heal. It wants the opportunity to slowly knit itself back together before it even considers feeling anything again. If that's the case, then how do you fall in love over & over & over & over again, only to break up, have a broken heart, then miraculously fall in love again, all within the span of a few days, sometimes even hours.

There's nothing wrong with switching boyfriends/girlfriends almost as often as you change your underoos, at least at this age. (Personal opinion here, if your's is different, please be respectful of mine. Afterall, this is MY blog.) There's plenty of time to be serious when you have to grow up.

My concern here is how freely people "fall in love".

I recently asked the question "what's his/her last name?" When the answer is "I don't know", please tell me then how in the world you LOVE them?! My son responded with the best answer I've heard to this question in a long time .... "it's a lie".

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner!

He's right. It is a lie!

It's a lie we tell ourselves. It's a lie we tell the other person.

Did you know that if you tell a lie long enough, you will start to believe it?

Social Media has really changed our society. For the better or for the worse, I'm not 100% sure yet.

It certainly has its advantages, this blog for one ;)

But technology has irrevocably changed us. It has made us braver, bolder, judgmental, more callous, & more cold hearted than any other single thing EVER. We think we can comment whatever we want on anything we want without having to deal with the consequences. Somethings we say or do through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat (DO NOT get me started on that one!), text, or whatever other media outlet you prefer, we would NEVER EVER even consider saying or doing if we had to in person, or even over the phone (you know, actually talking to someone - that is what phones were invented for many moons ago).

If I'm not careful, I'll get started on how jaded the next generation (& even my generation) is becoming, so back to my point...

Young people, pay attention!

Your prince is out there young ladies & you shouldn't have to kiss all of those slimy frogs to find him. Those frogs don't love you, but one day your prince will. Your prince will be tender & kind. He will respect you & those you hold dear. He will try to impress you without being conceited.

Fellows, your lady is patiently waiting for you. Be a gentleman and wait on her too. Don't push yourself on anyone. Don't fall for those singing Sirens, who might look enticing, but they only want to destroy you. Your lady will be beautiful, both inside and out.

You don't have to tell everyone coming & going that you love them. And if someone tells you that they love you, but you don't feel the same way, don't feel pressured to repeat it. Just smile and say thank you! Every time you tell someone you love them without really meaning it, you are giving away a piece of your heart.

Believe me, when you find the right one, YOU WILL KNOW! And then "I love you" will have a whole new meaning!