Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
tag
a cure for selfishness
Galatians 5:16-24 (The Message)
16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
19-21It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
23-24Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp-T7taLzJY
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
the North Georgia FAIR
Give Aways
are these just not the "cat's meow"????
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
where we rest our HOPE
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Cabbage Patch
Sunday, September 14, 2008
sleepover with Hopie
so here we are, on our way to church this morning with Hopie!!!! of course she felt "baby Pete" should make the trip too......and might i add here....because of the "fuss" over Peter having a Cabbage Patch when he was a child....this little "baby Pete' is even funnier...because on a trip to Cabbage Patch Land some time ago , i was with Peter and fam...and found this adorable little baby Cabbage Patch ....guess who bought it for me??? PETER!!! so Hope decided she would be the "mother", but baby Pete would stay at MY house!!!.........so not only does Peter HAVE his OWN Cabbage Patch........he has a NAMESAKE Cabbage Patch!!! i am quite sure he will be delighted i decided to share this info with yall! :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Caring for others
READ: 1 Timothy 5:1-8
If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. —1 Timothy 5:8
Some of our friends have chosen to curtail or leave their ministries this year. They did so in order to care for family members—for aging parents, ill spouses, siblings, or children with special needs. All were involved in fruitful works for which they were uniquely gifted. All believed that there was much to be done.
Some have chosen to reduce the time and energy they spend on those ministries; others have left their work completely. These adjustments have been difficult because ministry has been their lifework—a work for which they spent years in preparation and had many years yet to serve.
It occurs to me, however, that they have not given up their lifework but rather have assumed another. Loving and caring for others is our life’s work, and caring for those of our “own house” is the highest and holiest work of all. To deny love is to align ourselves with a cold, uncaring world.
Not everyone can leave a career or calling to care for others. Financial realities and obligations may dictate otherwise. But is not such love the mark of one who does the work of God? Did not Jesus promise that one who gives a cup of cold water to one of His children “shall by no means lose his reward”? (Matt. 10:42). —David Roper
This was one of the things I read today and just had to write about it...it got me to thinking about my father-in-law.........
Larry's mother, Connie Hixson, had a stroke and a heart attack several years ago. It left her partially paralyzed and also affected her speech patterns. She has had to be in nursing home care since that time. It has been very hard on the family, heartbreaking in fact. She was slowing down because of age before this happened, but she is one of the most VIBRANT of women I know!!! To see this happen to her is sometimes almost unbearable. And of course it has put a huge burden upon the family members who live near. Larry's brother, Lee, and his wife, Julie.....have many added cares and responsibilities, to which they do an absolutely marvelous job. We are so grateful to know they are there. Larry is many times "tormented" to feel helpless by living so far away. He does what he can, which is limited.
Anyway..this devotion brought back a memory of not too many months ago when Larry's Dad, Wayne, was in church....and the pastor mentioned casually about participating in a ministry.......and he responded......my ministry NOW is caring for my WIFE. And he sure does! He is there every single day, day in, day out......by her side. It has so drastically changed their lives, but he is doing exactly what that devotion is talking about......putting everything else aside, to care for his beloved BRIDE!......
I can't help but inject also another memory ...and that is of my experience with cancer.......while I was undergoing treatment, which was about 4 or more months of intense surgery, chemo etc......my husband, Larry, also....put aside his very busy business to care for me every step, every inch of the way.....he was by my side most of the time.....he did not miss ONE Dr. appt. or chemo treatment........the Lord "slowed" his business down......and it picked up again as I was gaining strength! He is and was then, my HERO.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
RECIPE
no time now, but
so......as i was saying.......by PD......i am going to post a few more stories about my children and their "antics" as they "floated" around our car on road trips........so stay tuned......NO time today!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
workin my fingers to the bone
shootin the breeze
well........for starters.........i have a fellow blogger friend, her name is Bethanne please visit her VERY entertaining and well written blog, you won't be disappointed..........
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
SARAH
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Labor Day fun
finally, sleepover continued
so to end the sleepover "saga"........i will close with some TO DIE FOR quotes directly from their sweet little mouths!
i was talking to the girls about how they are almost too big for my little kid's table and i might need to put it away, then i said, well we just need some more babies! i then mentioned that maybe Hannah will give us some babies!...........Addie puts her hands in the air in a very adult manner and says emphatically..........."oh i SO wish Hannah would have a baby!"...........THEN she looked at Ava and said in such an ADORABLE manner.............."then we'd have a baby BROTHER!!!".............now i am still not sure if she meant she AND Hope would have a brother.........or that she and Ava would have a brother........i dared NOT say a word, for fear of ruining such a PRECIOUS moment...........even tho both scenarios would be WRONG!!!!...........but heck, who cares if she understands it yet or not..............i was gushing in delight to hear it!.........and btw..........NO ONE mentioned a word about a boy! she just assumes Hannah will have a BOY!!!...how funny!
another precious moment:
we have a BLOW UP BED!...that's right! a BLOW UP BED!...........it is for the sake of our grandchildren to sleep on.......and of course they LOVE the process!......and Larry always makes a big deal about it and they love to get on/off while it is BLOWING UP..........OK.......so remember, Larry is out of town and i cannot DO the BLOW UP BED.........so when the girls find this out.....they are very very disappointed!...........so Addie proceeds to say in a very sad voice.........i sure do miss Pap Pap.......we need him here to do all the STRONG things!!!............awwwwwwwwwwwwww
last but not least
somehow......not sure WHY........but the STEELERS were brought up........to which AVA said.......my daddy likes the Steelers
me: oh no honey your daddy does not like the Steelers AT ALL...........he likes the Cleveland BROWNS!...
Ava:.......(with wrinkled nose and frown).........the BROWNS????
me: yes, the BROWNS.......but YOU can like the STEELERS like i do and Pap Pap does!
Addie:. well i know ONE thing for SURE...........MY DAD LOVES THE STEELERS!!!!
(now i realize to many of you, this is NOT funny.......but if you ONLY knew the competition in our family over their OWN team choice,and how much Craig HATES the Steelers, you would understand that it is funny.........and btw...ADDIE was right!!!!)
need your sins forgiven?
(from Our Daily Bread)
READ: Luke 23:32-43
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. —Psalm 103:12
The headline in our Grand Rapids Press wasn’t good news. Fifteen million gallons of partially treated waste water suddenly disappeared from a storage lagoon in a water treatment facility. Just outside the small town of Sand Lake, Michigan, a 500- by-500-foot pond disappeared into a sinkhole.
The problem was that nobody knew where the wastewater went. According to a county spokesperson, “It will depend on where it went before we can say what happened.”
As I read the article, I imagined all the wrongs of my life as being like that missing filthy lagoon. In my clearest moments of faith, I can say in all honesty that I really don’t know where they went, but they are gone. The last time I saw the real guilt of my envy, anger, and impatience, they were all nailed to the cross of a Man suffering for wrongs He never committed.
Where did my guilt go? The Bible gives me answers that I can’t really understand: buried in the deepest sea (Mic. 7:19), as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12), erased from the eternal books of heaven’s justice (Col. 2:13-15).
No, all I can really understand is that I owe unending gratefulness, praise, and honor to the One who bore our sin—a mystery of inexpressibly good news. —Mart De Haan
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,To His feet thy tribute bring;Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,Evermore His praises sing. —Lyte
When God forgives, He removes our sin and restores our soul.