More than enough

Christmas is upon us. Somehow it crept up on me again this year. 💚

This week, there was a discussion at work about buying gifts for our children and a co-worker mentioned a concern about buying those gifts. I've experienced the exact feeling so I think it must be pretty common. He stated that when he thinks he's done shopping he keeps going over in his mind, "Well, maybe I should get them this or that..." So, he buys more gifts. Then he said even when it's said and done and he's completely finished shopping, he worries about what he bought them and wonders, "Is it enough?"

Sadly, it puts a lot of stress on parents. We don't want to disappoint our kids. We want to give them everything they dream of receiving for Christmas and more. Sometimes, that's difficult and expensive.

I admit this year, for whatever reason, I've found it difficult to feel the heart of Christmas. That feeling that I love so much that's not found in decorations, shopping, cooking or even celebrations and parties. I've felt a little bit like Cindy Lou Who singing the song, "Where are you Christmas?"

This morning we went to a breakfast at a friend's house that they have every year on Christmas Eve before we went to church. I developed a headache and almost decided to skip church and go home. But I popped some Ibuprofen and we headed to the busiest service of the year at Long Hollow Baptist Church.

Finally, it was there amidst thousands of worshipers singing a simple Christmas song that I finally found my heart this Christmas. My emotions overwhelmed me in thankfulness and love for the child who came to give us everything.

There were no thoughts of whether our gifts to our children this Christmas are enough or not because what He gave us is more than enough. These three words that I've had on my mind all week were also used by Pastor Robby in his sermon this morning. 💜

Thank you God for your perfect plan in all things. Thank you for giving us the perfect gift that is MORE than enough.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV 

Closing Doors

A couple of weeks ago, I took my daughter-in-law to the mall shopping for a new dress. After we looked around and didn't find anything she cared for, we decided to go to a different store down the road.

Somehow, as we were getting into the car to leave the mall, I shut the car door on my left foot as I was climbing inside the vehicle. I yelped in pain and grabbed my boot-clad foot stunned that I slammed the door shut on my own limb. 

Finally, the pain subsided enough to drive and I had to laugh at myself. I couldn't remember ever doing that before. Why did I think I should close the door before I was all the way inside of the car? The top of my foot turned purple to remind me of my clumsiness.

Last weekend, I stepped outside onto the deck to feed my poor, hungry cat who stared at me through the glass every time I walked by. As I stepped back inside the house after feeding her, I shut the patio door on my left pointer finger. 

I grabbed my finger writhing in pain and immediately it became numb, swollen and turned purple. Luckily, it wasn't broken. 

Wait...
Didn't I just do this same careless thing less than two weeks ago to my left foot? (Which, by the way, just healed up and the color is back to normal.) Why am I closing doors on myself and causing my own pain? 

Most of us have heard the phrase, "When God closes a door - He opens a window." It's really a nice thought and I wish I would have coined the phrase. 😉 But what about when we close the door? And it hurts...

Sometimes we do this in life. We try to exit before we should. Maybe we're hurt, angry or just plum tired and we can't take it any more. It could be a job, marriage or even giving up on a dream. Have you ever closed a door that should have been left open?

Closing doors in life is usually a difficult decision but closing it before we should can be more painful. (Just ask my left foot and pointer finger...lol)

But they that wait on 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. AKJV

God advises us to wait for Him. If we wait, we will be strengthened. Then we will know when to close the door. Or maybe leave it open. ❤ 

   

Someone

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. ❤ But I'm particularly thankful this year for someone.

I hoped one day I might get a grandchild. I prayed God would bless me with a little granddaughter since my own attempts for daughters brought me spunky little boys instead. (And God knows I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world.)  

However, my son Jestin and daughter-in-law, Sydney are expecting a baby girl in January, 2018. She is already formed in the womb and growing bigger and stronger everyday.

My mind is blown at how clear sonograms are these days. This picture is at 23 weeks and is a 4D sonogram. I can see by this profile shot that she will look a lot like her Momma. I'm sure my son's traits are there too but not visible yet.

This photo is my favorite because she seems to be deep in thought. ❤

With today's technology, we're able to get a small glimpse of what God sees and reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Psalms 139:13-17

I want to kiss this little cheek so much! I know I already ADORE this child. How precious to know she is part of our family.

Sweet little Presley Lynn Cooper. I cannot wait to meet you. 💗

Carry me

We just got back from a wonderful beach vacation ❤

We haven't taken a family vacation for about five years, it seems. So, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The downside was that we got there when a hurricane was hitting the gulf. But it was a Category One and we weren't directly in it's path. When we arrived, the water was all the way up to the dunes and as muddy as the Mississippi River.

Even though the conditions were not ideal for relaxation, we figured we'd never be at the beach again during a hurricane so we tried to make the best of a bad situation. It was definitely exciting. 😅

So, we went shopping and drove to see sights the next day because the beach was too wild to enjoy. Wind and waves, wind and waves. But by the next day, we could go sit on the beach and listen to that wonderful relaxing sound of waves rolling in and splashing on the sand.

By the last full day we had to enjoy the beach, it was finally the way I imagined our vacation would be. The brown water cleared up as the shoreline receded from the dunes and there were more folks enjoying the day alongside us on the beach.

There was a little girl there about seven or eight years old who spent the majority of the day using a skim board directly in front of us. She had some pretty good skills, I must say!

As we were about to leave the beach and go eat dinner, I noticed that she and her daddy were walking out into the ocean together. Each time a big wave came, they'd jump and walk on farther out. Eventually, he was holding her hand and then finally she was riding on his back with her arms wrapped around his neck. (How I wish I would have snapped a picture of this!)

I was reminded of a dream I had right before we went on vacation where my dad was with me and I was hugging his back in a similar way and he said, "What a wonderful surprise!" Then he called me by my nickname he rarely uses these days. When I awoke from the dream, I pondered it and realized it's been a long time since he called me that and I haven't hugged his back since childhood.

Seeing the little girl in the ocean with her dad brought back to memory the safety I felt riding on my Daddy's back when I was young. I completely trusted that he would carry me safely to our destination, wherever that might be.

I took a break from my daily Bible reading while we were traveling so when we got home, I settled back into my routine. I was taken aback by some of the first verses I read considering the little girl riding on her Daddy's back was still fresh in my mind.

"Listen to me, family of Jacob, everyone that's left of the family of Israel.
I've been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, 
And I'll keep on carrying you when you're old.
I'll be there, bearing you when you're old and gray.
I've done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you." Isaiah 46:3-4 

Honestly, I read it over and over. I found great comfort in those words. ❤

I know that God demonstrated this to me before we left for vacation with the dream and while we were at the beach with a picture of a little girl clinging to her Daddy's back with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he walked her out into the great depths of the ocean. The water was over her head but it was not over his.

No matter what the future holds and even when I'm old and gray, I know He will carry me. 

PS. I'm not that far away from old and gray...tee hee  ❤

Humbled

About five years ago, as I walked across the basement floor toward my Sunday School classroom at church, God spoke to my spirit, "You need to humble yourself."

Humble myself?

What exactly does that mean? It concerned and confused me because I didn't feel that I thought of myself more highly than others.

I was raised in a humble home getting the things in life we needed and not much else. I'm from a big family raised in a little town. I started working at 13 years of age as a waitress at the local YMCA (back when you could work that young!) and have never been one for fancy things.

My first car was an old Toyota Corolla that you could start with a butter knife!

Plus, I never finished college. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life at that age.

So, I pondered this instruction from God and wondered what exactly it was He saw in me that He didn't like and I needed to change.

Unknown to me at that time, I was coming into a season of life where I would be humbled. I would be humbled to the point where nothing was what I thought it was in my life and only God was who He said He was.

As I look back now, I know why I needed to humble myself. It wasn't that I thought too much of myself compared to others. The problem was I didn't think ENOUGH of who God is and who He is not.

He was the one with me 24/7 during the most difficult time of my life. He was the one by my side when I was alone. He was the one I cried to daily begging for help during my darkest hour. He never left me. He never forsook me. He loved me at my lowest and through the darkest time of my Christian life.

I couldn't have imagined thinking any more highly of God at the moment I walked across the basement floor at church that morning five years ago. He was in a very high place in my life. But during the season of testing that followed, He rose above ALL else. He took His rightful place in my heart, mind, spirit - my entire life. 

How humbled I now am because of who HE is.

He is everything to me. He is perfect. He loves in a way that we can't comprehend. He parents His children in the most wonderful way. Teaching us the difficult things in life.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 1 Peter 5:6 (ESV)

The heart of it...

My parents always sliced a watermelon when I was young. 

We kids would grab a slice, sit on the porch together and a seed spitting competition would begin! Definitely a happy childhood memory! 

At some point, when I became an adult and paid for my own watermelons, I decided that scooping it out into a dish was my preferred way to eat it. Slices are too messy.

Once, when we were staying with my in-laws, I bought a watermelon and helped myself to some in my usual way. Later on that evening, my father-in-law took the foil off the partially eaten watermelon sitting in the fridge and with great shock at what he uncovered said, "Who took the heart right out of the watermelon?!"

I said, "Umm....me." Suddenly realizing that he was old-school and thought scooping the heart out of it was the WRONG way to eat a watermelon!

He might be right. 😉

The heart is the best part and when it's gone, the rest of the watermelon is not quite the same. It's still good but it gets more distasteful the further you get from the heart and the closer you get to the bitter rind. Then what's left gets thrown out.

Sometimes, we do this same thing in life. We take the best part and leave the rest. I guess it's human nature.

As a woman, I know that this happens to us. We give and give of ourselves until we have nothing left taking care of our homes, families, spouses and working jobs. Then we walk around feeling empty because the heart is gone and that's a tough place to be. Empty, numb and sometimes bitter.

When we get so far from the heart of things, we just want to get the sweetness of life back. We want to get back to the heart of it all.

I'm so glad that God gives the best part instead of taking it.

When we have nothing left and it seems that all the good parts have been scooped out, is when He fills us up again...to overflowing.

He never fails.

Trust Him.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 NIV

Roots

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I get picked on a lot. ❤

It seems that my childhood stories (and some from adulthood) get twisted and used against me.

All in fun, of course!

One of those stories is about roots. It usually comes up something like this...

We are eating a meal and someone complains or makes a comment about something we are eating. Then somehow it turns into a question geared toward me, "Didn't you used to eat roots?"

Then I argue, "No! I did NOT eat roots!"

They all laugh at me. Then I go into the "roots" story explaining that when I was young, my dad was a part time pastor and worked full time in the lead mines. At times, he was either laid off or on strike and had to provide for his large family. One of the things he did during these times was dig ginseng roots. They are interesting looking and worth quite a lot.

When we kids got home from school, he would make us clean buckets of roots with a toothbrush. After they were washed, he laid them on the roof of our house to dry in the sun. Then he sold them. I remember how proud he was once when he got his check and was able to buy groceries!

I have to say that even though it's a joke on me now-a-days, I'm sure this work ethic displayed for me by my dad greatly impacted my life. He found a way to get us through those difficult times.

It's no joke to me that these are my roots. I'm glad they are.

I'm thankful for parents who worked hard and made an honest living as an example for their children. Even if it makes for a funny story later in life ❤

Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful. Colossians 2:7-9 (CEV)

Maybe we're lame...

I ran away from home once before I was even old enough to be in school yet. My mom made me angry because she wouldn't allow me to wear a blue ruffled dress I'd received and I felt strongly that I should be able to wear it around the house if I wanted to.

So, I went outside and stewed over it.

My oldest sister, Kathy, saw me sitting on the sidewalk and asked what happened. I explained my plight and she said she'd run away with me if I wanted to. I gladly agreed and thought it would be a good way to get even with Mom.

She took me to the creek about a mile down the road where we spent the day skipping rocks and catching tadpoles and crawdads. Finally, I got tired and hungry. She suggested we eat some crawdad tails but I scrunched my nose up at that idea.

"Good," she said, "cause I forgot to bring ketchup!" We laughed and walked back home. Mom never mentioned me running away and I didn't mention the dress again either. ❤

I have to say that I've grown up a bit since then and now it really takes A LOT to make me angry. I generally just shrug my shoulders and am like "Okay...whatever."

But there are a couple of things that I have no patience for and that's a liar and a thief.

Either of those two things will make me very angry. Especially if I know the truth and if the person is a Christian.

What if another Christian's lies tear our world apart?
What if their lies cause months of tears and constant heartache?
What if they never say "I'm sorry..."?
What then?

Shouldn't we be more forgiving and grant grace and mercy as God has done for us?

Yes.

But maybe we are lame. Feeble and weak. Incapable of the depth of forgiveness needed to move past the pain inflicted by fellow Christians. Maybe the problem is our own. Our great expectation of other Christians is completely delusional.

Only by the healing power of God Almighty will we no longer be lame. 

I find this definition interesting...(of a person or animal) unable to walk normally because of an injury or illness affecting the leg or foot. 

Sadly, we can be spiritually injured by other Christians as we journey through this world. But God is our healer. Nothing is impossible for Him.

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk." Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. John 5 6-9

I love that Jesus saw him lying there, and knew...

He knows we are lame. He knows the areas in our life that need healing. He knows how we got the affliction. He knows how to heal it.

When God does something - it is DONE. ❤

The Nest...

About a month ago, a bird started making a nest underneath the roof that covers the entrance of the business where I work.

I couldn't believe a bird would try to make a nest there because my employer has gone to great efforts to prevent such a thing. I assume they don't want bird droppings all over the concrete outside the front door! 

There are spikes set all along the inside of the roof covering and this is why it was so interesting to see a bird actually make a nest among the spikes. 

I snapped a few pictures of her building the nest and to tell you the truth, almost forgot about it. Until, last week, when I heard birds peeping inside the nest and the mother bird feeding them!

I felt a wonderful feeling inside when I saw that she'd succeeded in building a nest there and that her baby birds were alive and well.

It seems such a simple, natural thing for a bird to build a nest, lay eggs and mother her babies. But the extraordinary effort she went to to build her nest and provide a safe place for her babies amazed me. I was so proud of this mother bird outside the window at work! lol

Even though she was discouraged to build a nest there, she did it anyway.
Even though it was an unusual place to build a nest, she did it anyway.
Even though the spikes were sorta dangerous, she did it anyway.
Even though we were all staring at her like she was a crazy bird, she did it anyway. HA!

I guess I love this bird.

To be honest, she couldn't have chosen a better place to build a nest. 💗

Look at the birds of the sky: They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Matthew 6:26 (HCSB)

Stress TEST

Heart trouble runs in my family. Dad had a heart attack a few years ago. My oldest sister, Kathy, passed away at 49 of a heart attack. Momma has congestive heart failure and a leaky heart valve. I have had an arrhythmia for years along with a leaky valve and high cholesterol.

That being said, you'd think I'd exercise all the time, watch what I eat and be the picture of health. But I'm not. It's REALLY hard to eat healthy all the time. 😏

So, I had a stress test a few years back and passed with flying colors. But the test itself was difficult. By the time I finished, I was sweating, exhausted and ready to go home. No fun at all.

The funny part of this story is not about my heart but about how I think. (Tee Hee) I saw this post on Facebook from one of my friends and instead of thinking of the traditional stress test like the one I had for my heart, I thought she was stressed out that afternoon and being tested.

I said a quick prayer for her once I realized what she meant but had to laugh at myself. I'm such a goofball. 😁

But her post did get me to thinking about how God gives us 'stress tests' to get our attention or show us an area in our life that needs work. It can come in the form of marital stress, work stress, financial stress, etc. Life can be very stressful.

When we are tested, it can seem that the test will never end. 

We become tired of the stress and completely exhausted but that's the exact place we need to be to see what the problem is. God is not in a hurry to make sure we get it right quickly but wants to make sure we understand what He wants us to learn.

Ironically, we get a stress test ordered by our heart doctor when we're having a heart issue so he can figure out what is going on with it.

When God orders the stress test He already knows what is wrong with our heart. The test isn't for Him to see what the problem is but it's for us to see. When we understand the issue, we can change it.

A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 (HCSB)

Doug and Frankie...

Doug Smith is one of Eddie's best friends. 

They met back in 1993 or so, not long after we moved to Tennessee.

Eddie worked at a brickyard and Doug went to work there, too. They became instant friends and both enjoyed music and fishing.  They soon discovered that the acoustics were great in a railroad boxcar which was one of the places they stowed away on breaks to sing a few songs.

Doug was single at this time and about ten years older than us. We were a young married couple with two small children. Doug moved from Louisiana while we moved from Missouri to Tennessee with music as the common denominator.

I wondered why Doug was single and would have fixed him up with someone if I'd known anyone available because he is a really nice, funny guy who can tell a story like NOBODY I've ever met in my life.  Not to mention, he is a talented singer/songwriter.

We got to know Doug better over the next few years but decided that we wanted to move back home to Missouri. I was homesick and music wasn't going much of anywhere so we sold our house and moved to our little hometown of Potosi, Missouri. We lived there for a couple of years and then packed back up and moved back to Tennessee. (Kinda crazy, I know.)

During the time we were away in Missouri, we discovered that Doug had gotten married. I was shocked by this news. I didn't realize he had a girlfriend! But he did and her name is Frankie.

Here is where I have to make a confession. I'd never met Frankie and I have a vivid imagination. (That's why I like to write fiction...) So I imagined her completely different from who she actually is. I guess there's a jaded part of me who thinks that a middle aged man (almost) would choose someone much younger than him. Would choose a completely different type of person than the person he actually chose to marry - Frankie.

So, when we finally got to meet her, I adored her. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, most gentle spirits I've met in this life so far.

They have become dear friends to us over these past twenty years or so. Always there when needed. When we went through the worst year of our marriage, they were there for us to lean on. Helping out in a way that was desperately needed at the time. 

From fishing trips gone awry to Thanksgiving dinners together, BBQ's, horseback riding, putting up hay, etc... We couldn't ask for better friends then these two have been to our family. We don't have family here but this is about as close as it gets. 

Thank you, Doug and Frankie, for your friendship. It is truly a blessing. 

A friend loves at all times...Proverbs 17:17

On the fence...

I got this text message from my husband the other day.

I studied the picture of his work truck but couldn’t figure out what was concerning to him. 

I looked closer and finally saw what he thought was concerning.  There were two crosses hanging on the fence. 

He told me that when he reached the end of the paved road, he stopped his truck because the rest of the road was gravel and looked to be someone's driveway. That’s where the crosses were hanging on the fence. He wasn’t sure if some people died there or someone buried pets there but something happened at the end of the road. 

It struck me because I thought of being ‘on the fence' when you come to the end of the road of life and that’s NOT a good place to be and is definitely something to be concerned about.

Having been raised in the Primitive Baptist church, this is not something that used to concern me because we were taught that God chose His children before the foundation of the earth and nothing could change that. But as an adult and having grown up spiritually, I have to say that even though we are covered by Grace (thank God!) we are still called to tell others the ‘good news’ about what Jesus did for us on the cross.

There is still a point in one’s life where we make a decision for Christ or decide to follow Jesus or surrender our lives to Him or whatever you want to call it. That is when the relationship begins through Jesus Christ and it is necessary to have the LIFE on earth God intends for us to have and everlasting life in heaven. 

Besides, when you are truly born again – you can NOT shut up about what God has done in your life! It’s second nature to tell others. J

But, just in case you haven’t come to that place on the road of life – don’t wait until you come to the end of the road and find yourself ‘on the fence’ with God.

Seek Him.

Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2 NIV

Fur Baby

We recently got a little puppy. He's a miniature Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix.

We waited a long time to get a puppy because we've had a few indoor animals and they never worked out.

We took dogs from others who needed to get rid of them. These pet owners gave us the dog, kennel, food, toys, etc. Obviously, they didn't want the dog any more. Sadly, we soon found out why. Most of those pets had issues we couldn't deal with and their previous owners couldn't either or didn't want to.

We did have one indoor dog named Riley that we loved and he was a great pet! But we ended up sending him with our son to college and he now lives with our son's best friend.

A couple of years ago, my husband brought a baby kitten home from the hair salon. They found her in a ditch and were trying to give her away by the end of the night. He called me and I agreed to take the kitten. She worked out for a while but guess where she is today? Living it up in the great outdoors! I have to admit, she makes a better outdoor cat than an inside pet.

So, with our bad history with indoor pets, I was not excited when my husband recently got dog fever. He started wanting a Boxer as an indoor pet. He browsed the internet and Facebook for Boxers. When he began bringing up the idea of getting one, I was apprehensive due to our past experiences with indoor pets. He doesn't like pet hair. He doesn't like cats getting on the counters and tearing up furniture. I have an issue with pet odor in the house. Plus, I knew I wouldn't like a large dog in the house. So, we put it off.

Then we went to a wedding shower for my son Jestin and daughter-in-law, Sydney at her Aunt's house. They had an adorable miniature Australian Shepherd and Eddie was enthralled with this pet.

So, the search was on. We'd decided this would be the perfect indoor puppy for us. They were small, soft, smart and lovable. :)

Last week, Eddie found a couple of puppies for sale not far from us and showed me a picture of a cute little black and white puppy. It was nine o'clock at night when he messaged the owner on Facebook and she said to come take a look because they were almost all gone.

Needless to say, he came home with a fluffy little black and white puppy. He was the cutest puppy I've ever seen. He was the sweetest puppy I've ever met. He loved us right away and we love him. He lays on me and puts his arms up around my neck like a baby. I adore this puppy we named Lincoln.

I have fallen in love. I look forward to seeing him each morning when I wake up and can't wait to hold him in the evenings.

I'm afraid I've turned into a puppy snob. I think he's the cutest, sweetest, most adorable puppy on the planet and he is ours. I now understand why people call them "fur babies".

Count me in...

I grew up in a church where we didn't have Sunday School classes. We were taught that Sunday School was something "man" had added to the church and was not Biblical.

I remember when I visited another church once for some special occasion, there was a board on the wall with a count of how many people were in Sunday School and how many were in the service. It intrigued me since nothing like that hung on our church wall. So, of course, I asked what it was and why it was there. It was explained to me as a way of counting those in attendance and again, it was not Biblical and something man added. There were no musical instruments used in our church services either for this same reason.

As a baby Christian trying to grow here, I found myself thirsty and starving for more than what I was receiving spiritually. I longed for conversations about God with others. I desired to serve in some way other than just preparing food for meals and cleaning up the kitchen after lunch.

Eventually, God moved me.

Later in life, as I grew in my relationship with God, I found myself a member of a larger Southern Baptist Church where I LOVED Sunday School, singing in the choir, teaching VBS and working on staff as the Financial Secretary.

Working in the church for many years, I learned about church finances and membership records. I can definitely appreciate the inner operations of the church much more than I did in the church I grew up in.

I remember what I was taught when I was young and I am very thankful for that.

But I'm also thankful for what God has done in my life and where He led me. I'm thankful for Sunday School classes. I'm thankful for choirs singing beautiful songs about the one I love so much. I'm thankful for sermons that teach the deep things about Him and bring me tears of joy for what God has done for His children.

Today, as I sat in an even larger Southern Baptist church, where we are not members yet but have been visiting for several years, I found myself being counted in the balcony along with everyone else for their records. I smiled and thought, Count me in!

I count it a privilege to be numbered among God's children gathering together to worship Him. I don't want to be missed in the count.

Numbers are important to God. There is even a book in the Bible named Numbers... 😏

Why shouldn't they be to us?

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:21

Promised land...

My parents are getting older. It seems Momma is in and out of the hospital weekly and Daddy doesn't do well when she's not around. They've been married for 62 years which is amazing but honestly, I'm not sure what they are going to do without each other.

As with many older folks, Daddy's memory is getting worse with age.

We don't go to visit in Missouri as often as we'd like to and sometimes all three of our boys don't go with us. Dad will ask me how many kids I have and if they are all boys or he'll ask me if I like living in Tennessee. Occasionally, he'll ask if I am going to be making my home there. We've lived in Tennessee nearly twenty five years now but he still doesn't want me living so far away. lol

But one thing he never forgets is the story of how he got his land. He tells it to us pretty much every time we visit, at least once. I love to hear him tell this story.

He ALWAYS credits God for giving him the land. But also, that God gave him a dream about the land before it actually happened. Through God's grace he ended up with the land he dreamed about exactly the way God showed it to him in the dream. He says that for some reason God wanted to be good to him even though he didn't deserve it and gave him the land and decided to tell him about it beforehand.

Being a dreamer myself, I truly appreciate this story.

Dad used to always ask me, "Have you had any dreams or visions lately?" Then we'd converse about dreams for a while. I loved that there was someone I could share these things with who understood them and was interested in hearing about them.

Most Christians, it seems, don't experience this. And if they have not experienced it, they don't understand it. Some would say it is mystical but for Dad and me - it is typical. It's just one of the ways that God works in our life.

But these days, Dad doesn't ask. He doesn't remember our conversations about them either. This (among other things) breaks my heart. A part of him is gone. A part of him that I loved. I can never go to him and say, "Hey Dad, remember that dream I told you about?" Because I know that he will think for a moment, shake his head and say, "No."

I'm so thankful that he remembers the story of the land God promised him and how it came to pass.

This is one thing I believe he will remember forever. And that is how it should be. 💗

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Mary's Place

I recently shared a brief story about a young lady in our home town who was fighting cancer. She truly fought an amazing fight and touched so many lives in our area.

Her mother shared a post where she'd made a decision to build a new bedroom for her daughter even though she was nearing the end of her battle - with good reason.

When word spread about her decision to build the room for Mary, volunteers stepped up and it wasn't long before the foundation was laid for the addition to the home. Then walls were framed and it seemed in no time at all they were working on the interior. All the while, Mary was still fighting for her life.

A page for Mary was created on Facebook called "Mary's Place" which I followed like many others to see the progress of Mary's Place and to read posts about Mary.

The place for Mary that was prepared for her here on earth by many human hands, is a beautiful room. Any young lady would absolutely love it!

Unfortunately, Mary never moved into her new bedroom. She lost her battle to cancer right before the room was completed. It's sad that she never got to enjoy it the way everyone would have liked for her to.

But Mary's place was already prepared and waiting for her in heaven.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3 NIV

The beauty of the place God prepared for her, we can only imagine. 💗

In the mourning...

It's been nearly a year since my nephew, Brandon, passed away. A dreadful anniversary to keep. But it's impossible not to. It doesn't seem like a year has gone by.

I know my sister's family has suffered a multitude of negative emotions - shock, sadness, depression, frustration, anger, helplessness, anxiety, grief, loneliness, guilt and regret. I'm sure there are more that I'm unaware of. 😢

Moving on without Brandon has to be the hardest thing. They're still grieving his death every day.

Grief and mourning go hand in hand but I find this definition interesting...

Mourning: the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died. 

They have deep sorrow because they loved him deeply. They're "in mourning" for Brandon, his life and what his future might have been.

Simply said, they miss him. They miss his smile, the sound of his voice, his laugh, his jokes, his personality and his big hugs. They miss everything about Brandon. I know they'd give anything to reverse what happened and have him back safe and sound.

There's a song that I love called Give Me Jesus. The lyrics include these lines...

In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. 
When I am alone, give me Jesus
When I come to die, give me Jesus
You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.


When you love Jesus -  you completely relate to this song. There's nothing in this world that comes close to what He is to those who love Him. I know that Brandon loved Him in this way.

The thing is that even death, grief and mourning were suffered by Jesus and He understands the depth of suffering we experience when we lose someone we love deeply.

Jesus wept. John 11:35

If you read the whole story this verse is from you will appreciate this little play on the words of the song...

In the mourning when you rise...

Jesus wept because his dear friend Lazarus died. He mourned and felt the emotions of the loss.

But you will also discover that He allowed His friend to die. He could have gotten there sooner and saved Him but He chose to glorify His Father instead by raising Lazarus from the dead. There was purpose in what He allowed to happen.

I'm confident Brandon is raised to new life in heaven. No doubt. We don't understand why God allows things to happen (or the purposes) but when we place everything in the powerful hands of Jesus Christ, we will rise even in the mourning.

So, when hearts are still broken even after a year and it seems the tears will never end just remember that Jesus wept, too.

Fight Like a GIRL...

I've only been in one real fight in my life that I remember and it was with another girl. I can't even tell you now what that fight was about.

But I know who I was in a fight with. We were best friends and neighbors growing up. Many days we got along great but other days we got into arguments. I'm sure the fight we got into that day started off as an argument and escalated into a physical battle.

What I remember most is that we fought like girls!

She was taller than me and was smacking me on top of the head with both of her hands. No punches were thrown. No black eyes or bloody noses were given.

Usually when someone says that you fight like a girl - it's a bad thing. It means you're NOT a good fighter. You are busy slapping and scratching where a guy would probably duke his opponent in the face.

I have this on my mind because there is someone here in town who knows how to fight! And she does fight like a GIRL but in a good way.

Her name is Mary. She is sixteen years old and has been fighting cancer now for about five years. I don't personally know Mary or her family except through Facebook. I think pretty much everyone in our small town of White House, Tennessee has heard of her by now.

She is our FIGHTER. She has thrown some powerful PUNCHES and makes us all PROUD.

She's impacted me and I know she's impacted hundreds (if not thousands) of others in this area who don't personally know her but have heard of her courageous fight.

The scripture that comes to mind when I think of her is Joshua 1:9.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong, and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. 

She lives out this scripture. She has been so strong and courageous!

She is a beautiful young lady who gives the phrase Fight Like A Girl new meaning.

If you've read any of her mother's precious posts, you know that Mary is a wonderful blessing to her family and friends.

But she is also a great example and an encouragement to those of us who don't know her personally but ONLY know of her fierce battle.

Thank you Mary for showing us that fighting like a girl is not a bad thing at all but it's an awesome thing!

Worth...

My husband and I have a plastic ice cream bucket full of old coins. Both of us collected them when we were young and "somehow" our separate collections became one big 'ole bucket of coins.

I used to work at KFC (back in the day...) and anytime I found an interesting old coin, I'd swap it out with a newer one from my wallet. I have some from the early 1900's. Which I think are super cool!

My husband would argue that those are the coins that he found instead of me. It's a bit of a joke at our house. :)

We can't help but wonder what some of them might be worth today. But whether they are worth much money or not, they are valuable to us because of the history we have collecting them, bickering over them and laughing about who really found and owns the coins.

I've had WORTH on my mind lately.

I like this definition I found...

Worth: The value equivalent to that of someone or something under consideration; the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated.

My favorite part is where it says - the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated.

Have you ever considered your own worth? Or have you ever felt worth less than others?

There will be times in life when we feel "less than" or "worth-less" than others. It's human nature. We compare ourselves.

You may not feel valued in a personal relationship. You may not feel valued in your position at work. But you are worth a lot to God.

He cares about the BIG things in your life.
He cares about the SMALL things, too.
Nothing about you is worthless to Him.
He knows you well.
The very hairs of your head are numbered. 💗

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

Super Salad!

Tonight my husband took me on a date to one of our favorite places. I love the restaurant because of the soup they serve as an appetizer. It's chicken and rice which is delicious. There was no doubt that I wanted the soup to start the meal. :)

My husband and I discussed what we would order while the waitress was getting our drinks. By the time she came back, we both knew we wanted steaks. When she asked what I'd like, I happily answered her, "We both want the same thing! The Club Steak. I'd also like soup and a salad."

"Oh, you get a super salad." She said, "What other side would you like?"

"I get another side? Hmm...Let me see." I looked at the list of sides on the menu and chose spinach because I'm trying to cut my carbohydrates. Even though I'm not a huge fan of spinach.

She left with our orders and I turned to my husband and said, "Well, guess we get extra sides. I'm getting soup, a super salad and spinach with my steak."

He looked at me cock-eyed and said, "super salad?"

"Uh huh...she said I got a super salad."

He laughed and said, "She said soup or salad...not a super salad!"

"What?! I thought I was getting a super salad." The disappointment must have been all over my face because my husband said, "I can tell her not to bring the spinach and you can just get a salad in place of it."

"No!" I responded quickly, "I'll just eat the spinach. I do not want to tell her I thought she offered me a 'Super Salad'..."

We received the yummy soup shortly thereafter and enjoyed it along with a laugh over the super salad incident.

What can I say? I literally thought she offered me a Super Salad.

In my defense, I told her that I wanted a Club Steak, a soup and a salad. So...I can't take ALL the blame for the miscommunication...

I heard her incorrectly or at least that's what I thought she said.

But I was WRONG.

How often do we do this same thing with God? He says one thing and we hear what we want to hear or we do not hear Him correctly.

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:11


(A day in the life...) lol

Dream Girl

            I followed Dad into the crisp, clear waters of Big River. Gravel crunched beneath my bare feet as we stepped deeper and deeper into the cold river until the spot seemed right and we stopped. I held my breath as cold water numbed the lower half of my body. Dad held a folded up handkerchief in one hand and my shaking hand in the other.

We turned to face fellow members of New Hope Baptist Church standing along the river bank then Dad cleared his throat and spoke, “Brothers and Sisters. We are gathered here today to witness this little child of God follow through with baptism after her decision to follow Jesus. I’m honored to baptize my daughter today before you,” he said to the crowd.

Some sniffled and wiped tears from their eyes but most were smiling in anticipation of the dunking that was about to take place.

            Then he turned and asked me, “Samantha, have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and is He Lord and Savior of your life?”

            I smiled and nodded as I said, “Yes.”

            “Then in obedience to the command of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Ghost…” He covered my mouth and nose with the folded up handkerchief as he spoke and slowly pushed me beneath the freezing water and said, “Buried with Christ in baptism…” then as he raised me back up out of the water, he finished with, “Raised to walk in the newness of life…”

            Applause broke out along the river bank as I came up out of the water and church members began to sing out of their hymnals a favorite song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus.  No turning back, no turning back…”

            I wiped my face and began to walk out of the water toward the river bank where church members were waiting and Dad followed me out of the river.

“I’m so proud of you, dear.” A sweet older lady wrapped a large white towel around me as I shivered with goosebumps on my arms and legs.

“Thank you Miss Gertrude."

The sound of gravel beneath my feet along with the melodic hymn ingrained themselves into my memory. I was welcomed into the church family with open arms and the warmth of home wrapped itself around my young heart as I stood shivering on the bank of Big River.