Royalty?

I have already admitted that I am a news junkie. I also have another strange obsession, I love to watch or read anything concerning royalty. Not so much the gossip, but I have always wanted to know what life is like inside the palace. I have the same obsession with the President. I like to watch interviews of the First Family in the living quarters at the White House. I have always wanted to know how the "other side" lives. Crazy, I know. Even when I was a little girl watching Mr. Rogers, I loved when we took the train ride to that pretend land, and the King would come out and talk to the people. I always wanted them to take us inside the castle (and before you ask, yes I know they are only puppets and not real) and look around.

When Princess Diana passed away, you can imagine how my interest was sparked (that is a very mild way of saying, "how obsessed I was") by the royals being in the news. Oh my goodness, I was glued to Fox News for days. I even woke up in the middle of the night, so I could watch her funeral procession live! My children still tease me about it today.

This morning during my Bible study, God showed me something that really spoke to me.
I have been going through a rough patch lately, and I ask God to minister to me in a way that would be real. He did. I read in 2 Samuel 13, about how King David's daughter was raped by her brother. She was so upset that she tore her clothes, placed ashes on her head, and lived the rest of her life desolate. She was still the King's daughter, a Princess, royalty, but she didn't live like a Princess.

I realize this morning, that I am just as important to the King of Kings as Princess Diana, George Bush, Jenna or Barbara Bush, Queen Elizabeth or anyone else who has ever been in the living quarters of the White House or inside Buckingham Palace.
I am a daughter of the King! I am royalty!
How sweet that God would use this lesson today to speak to me. He knows me so well!

As Christians, we need to start acting like royalty. Not in a arrogant way, but in a way that we carry ourselves with diginity so it will show the glory of the King.
We need to live like we believe we are a handpicked child of the King. Beth Moore says, "If you are not royalty, then He is not the King". We need to stop walking around depressed, complaining, defeated and in bondage and start living like the royal kids we are!

Christ came to bestow on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Put on your crown today and live like a royal. If you know Jesus, you are!

The Mercy of the Wind ???

I have always been a news junkie. I can sit for hours and watch news stories about the same subject. Sometimes I am so consumed I can't even sleep. The news reports of the fires of Southern California have been no exception for me.
I can't imagine having to leave my home with only minutes to gather my most valuable possessions.

On this particular news clip, I noticed the Mayor of Malibu saying, "We are at the mercy of the wind". If I were there I believe I would share with her that she is not at the mercy of the wind, but at the mercy of the one who makes the wind to blow. I am reminded of a story in the Bible when Jesus and His disciples were on a boat, and the storms came. Matthew records: The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

I pray for the residents of Malibu. I pray to the one who commands the wind, and am asking Him to intervene in this situation. I pray that the residents and Mayor will realize they are at HIS mercy.

If I had to evacuate with only minutes to decide what to take with me, I of course would make sure my family was safe and I would make sure I had my Bible and journals. That is a given. But what else would I want to take? I guess my pictures, but it would take me a while to gather them all. I guess I would take my grandmother's necklace and while I am in my jewelry box I would get the $17 I have stashed. Other than that, I am not sure.

What would you take? Please comment, I would love to read your answers.

In closing, pray for the people who have lost everything in these fires. Pray that the God of the wind and the rain will comfort them during this time of loss

What Was I Thinking?

Yesterday was a fun day. My mom and I took Kori to tour Wallace State Community College in Hanceville. We went with an open mind, but we were trying hard to convince each other that this would be a good school for her. When we got there, the school sold itself. They have a beautiful campus, great dorm rooms, several athletic teams, a choir and show choir (which Kori loves being a part of in HS), and they have very friendly people who know how to show southern hospitality. We absolutely loved it.

We looked at dorm rooms while we were there and started making all kinds of plans for her. We talked about all the stuff she needed and how she could decorate her room, and which route was the safest route to take home. We laughed and planned her meals and even talked about stocking up on supplies (like shampoo, she uses a lot of shampoo) for next year. We even discussed getting her a checking account and how we could handle all of her financial issues.

So.....this morning I woke up and thought to myself .....
HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!?!?! You can not take your baby 1.5 hours away from home. She needs to stay home. I hear that you can take on line college courses now. I see advertisements all the time. I am going to sign her up for one of those. I mean..think about it...what if she needs me.? Yesterday I told her "you will only be an hour away". Today I am saying "SHE WILL BE AN HOUR AWAY". I can't have that. So much could happen. What if she forgets to set her clock, or doesn't hear it when it goes off. That happens all the time now. Who will wake her up? What if she spends all her money on clothes or jeans and needs gas money, I can't ride up there and give her $20 dollars to last her till pay day, like I do now. Or, for goodness sake, what if she runs out of shampoo!!!!!!!!! She likes her good smelling, expensive, shampoo. Oh yea.. and who is going to buy those pesty female products for her.....she sure isn't!!! She needs me, and I am home. She can't leave and I can't go with her...so it looks like on line courses for her.

Or...... is it me that needs her. I mean... she helps me with Will, a lot. Helping family is important. She also takes my clothes out of the dryer for me, I don't mind that they fall all around my bed instead of on it, I just pick 'em up. Oh yea, and she loads the dishwasher sometimes for me, that helps me out a lot too. It is not that big of a deal that I have to ask her 3-4 times. And..... who will I ask "do these shoes look stupid with this dress"? And who will say "Mom, it is time for more color on your hair"? Kori that is who, she is staying put.

I think the real question for me is...who will I watch America's Next Top Model with? Or who will make sure the boys don't take advantage of me, or who will I eat pasta with, or who will scratch my arm or rub my shoulders? Who will I laugh with about how weird all these boys are at our house? You see.... Make no mistake, I am Kori's mother first and foremost, but somewhere in the last 17 years, she also became my friend. I trust her with my heart, more than I trust most of my friends. I honestly enjoy her company very much.

I think the real issue here is me. She told me yesterday she was sort of afraid to leave home. I told her we go through different seasons in our life and this was going to be a new season for her. A new chance to grow and learn and she should embrace it. Soon, there would be a new season with different opportunities for growth. I think I am going to take my own advice.

So what was I thinking yesterday? I was thinking how God has a plan for her life, and it is not to harm her(or me). I need to encourage her in that plan, and I will. Guess I am just having a brief moment of mommydontwanttoletherkidleavehomeitous.

God only gives us a few seasons with our kids. You should enjoy the season you are in now, before it changes. Because...it will change. Well...I have to go.
I need to make sure Will knows that going away to college is over rated and he should really look into on line courses! I need to get to him while he is still impressionable. JUST KIDDING! I am going to stock up on shampoo, she is going to need it! And, I guess I should pick up some kleenex too. I am going to need them.

Web of Temptation

God has a very unique way of showing me week after week what He wants me to learn while studying for our Sunday School lesson (I mean....Life Group).

While reading the book of Nehemiah, Chapter 9, one of the first phrases that jumped out at me, (mostly because I had underlined them prior to this day) was in verse 2. ...they stood and confessed their sins... Sounds like a simple statement, nothing too convicting. After all, Nehemiah isn't talking about me, he is talking about the Children of Israel. So why do I keep going back to it, and why does my heart start racing every time I read it???? I think God wants me to dig further about this confessing of sins. Maybe later.

Then one of my children ( I can't name him because he gets embarrassed when I post about him, but I will give you a hint...he is 10) was doing something yesterday that he knew he should not do. My mommy radar went off and instead of immediately scolding him, I asked him what was going on. He, of course, replied "nothing". I said, "(insert name of child here), be careful you don't do something you shouldn't do". He assured me he was not. A few minutes later I looked around and again, he was trying to sneak and do this "thing" again. Now before you let your imagination run wild...he wasn't trying to do anything too awful, I just can't tell you because of the whole "embarrassing him" thing. So just go with me here.

After asking further questions, I realized he indeed was about to do something he knows not to do. Now with my first children, who are 7-14 years older than this one, I would have went into a fit! I am not sure why I didn't with him. Probably too old and tired. Anyway...I talked with him and told him if he went through with what he was about to do, he would want to do it again tomorrow and then even more the next day.

I was very surprised at his response, he said "Oh no, I was about to get into the web of temptation". I asked him to tell me more about the web of temptation. He said " We learned in JAM (children's church) that satan tries to get us into his web of sin, and when we get there, it is sticky and hard to get out. Just like when bugs can't get out of a spider's web. I was about to get into the web of temptation".

WOW! My heart ...my heart felt... well I can't explain it. I was proud of him and all I could think about is how many times I get into the web of temptation. I hugged him and told him to pray and ask God to help him stay out of the web, he said he would and told me he was sorry. It seemed wrong that he would apologize for teaching me such an incredible lesson! As proud as I was of him, he still was not honest and his actions warranted punishment, so we had to take care of some business I like to call "grounding".

I am asking God this morning to show me the webs of temptation I am caught in. What sin have I not confessed? How can I stay out of this web? I think God is trying to teach me something. I think I will go ahead a dig further today.

I am also thanking God for Mrs Debbie and the other adults who teach in JAM. The word she shared did not return void. My little boy is at school right now, trying hard to not get caught in the web of temptation. Are you?

Pray for Ashley

I love to read blogs. Even though I don't know most of the people personally, I find some blogs very encouraging. A few days ago one of my "regulars" posted an entry about this sweet baby girl. Please visit her blog today, but mostly please pray for her. Her story is very sad, but a wonderful testimony of how God works! People from all over the country are praying for this family. I hope you will pray too.

http://ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com/

On the Mountain

October. It has always been my favorite time of the year! I love the cool, crisp air and lack of humidity. I love it when the leaves change colors, and I love when I can wear a sweatsuit and not sweat! It reminds me of football games where you need to bring a blanket to stay warm and campfires and roasting marshmallows. I fell in love with my husband in October so I always think about love and I always want to be in the mountains this time of year.

My husband and I were married in the mountains and spent our honeymoon in a log cabin (the exact one in the picture) there. It was awesome! We rode the lift to the very tip top of that Smokey Mountain and were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. We were more in love than we had ever been (at that point). We didn't think about anything else but each other. We didn't worry about jobs, bills, kids, mortgages, little league ball, mortgages, college tuition, or retirement. We were crazy in love and thought that this is the way we would feel forever! I remember saying, "We should have married months ago, this is great!".

And then we had to go home, and the honeymoon was over. It didn't take many times for him to leave his dirty socks on the floor, for me to realize that the mountain top experience had come to an end. It wasn't long till we were faced with challenges that were hard to face. Tough times that forced us to remember why we were together in the first place. We didn't realize it at the time, but it was during those tough times that our love was growing stronger.

Our walk with Christ is so much like this. We walk away from our salvation experience on the mountain top. Then, without warning, we are faced with challenges and tough situations that are difficult to walk through. Then, before you know it, we attend a retreat or have an awesome quiet time and we are back on the mountain top. We love our mountain top experiences, but they don't last. It is when we are in the valley that we grow. Oswald Chamber says "The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle."

I will never forget my wedding and honeymoon in the Smokey Mountains. I will never forget how in love we were on that day. I have to admit however, as awesome as it was, my love for Jeff is stronger today than it has ever been. Also, my relationship with Christ is stronger than it has ever been. Both grew when we walked through the valley together.