Jesus Loves Me ... Everywhere!

This morning was too beautiful to sit inside and do school work, so the girls and I snagged the camera and went for a nature walk. The goal: find Jesus in nature ... crosses. Reminders of His love and great sacrifice for us. Here is what we found ...

And, at the end of the walk, God threw in a heart to tell us how much He loves us! I love our Heavenly Daddy!

Battle Gear

Over the summer, the girls studied about Joshua on Sunday mornings. They learned a really cool song written by Nino, our Worship Minister, complete with groovy hand movements. The chorus goes like this … “So Joshua fought, with honor and sword, and with the trumpet blare, but his mightiest weapons were God’s word, an obedient heart, and prayer!” Now that’s some powerful truth about our mightiest weapons. And, if that weren’t enough, the children (and parents) were encouraged to memorize ALL, yes I said ALL, of Ephesians 6:10-18. I am proud to say that oldest daughter was able to do it, yep, the whole thing, with amazing accuracy. She was given the honor of reciting it before the entire congregation on Sunday morning, August 31st. Here she is with our Children’s Minister, Ms. Susan …

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying.” Amen!

"Evaporation"

“If we have to evaporate, can we go to Grannie’s house?” Thus the words of my 7 year old niece. Today, my sister and her family are nestled in, safe and sound, at my mother’s house anxiously awaiting Hurricane Ike. They live in Galveston. This is the second time they have evacuated. The first was several years ago … a nightmare for my sister who got to drive 14 hours … yes, I said 14 hours (normally a 6 hour trip) … panicked ... with 2 kids, 5 cats and whatever they could pack, to our house, worrying about her husband who was several hours behind them. They got missed, primarily, with that one. We called it the “Hurrication." The nieces had a great time playing together and the damage was minimal. Not sure they will be so lucky this time. Ike is supposed to hit Galveston dead on. There is already massive flooding happening. So, please pray for our families … my sister, Brian’s brother and all the aunt’s, uncles, cousins and two grandmothers in the Houston area as they wade through Ike. I know God is holding them in His hands and there is a purpose in all He allows. I know they are in safe places, so there is no danger of them "evaporating." Reminds me of what is most important in life ... people, not things. May God be praised in this storm!

More gifts ...

101. Container vegetable gardens.

102. Starbucks Venti Green Tea Iced Tea Lemonade Sweetened.
103. Trampolines
104. My children's laughter.
105. My children's imagination.

106. Old movie classics.
107. Souped up quesadilla's.
108. The Cooking Network.
109. Roller blading.
110. The "Mark of the Lion" series by Francine Rivers.
111. "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers.
112. Camping.
113. Running into long lost friends.
114. Matriarchs, who are worthy of being called that.
115. Picking up eggs out of a hen house.
116. Seasons.
117. Black bean salsa.
118. High school football games.
119. Little girls learning to write and doing it phonetically.
120. My Paw-Paw's old (and now that I am older and really understand ... classic) jalopy truck.
121. Outdoor concerts.
122. Paw-Paw's, who are cool and fun and always raring to go!

123. Nice neighbors.
124. "Free" long distance calls.
125. Nice, smiling and helpful service people.
126. Ceiling fans.
127. Being humbled by the Lord.
128. Candidates for Vice President I can actually get excited about.
129. When God grants the request to see some one with new eyes.
130. Health insurance.
131. New blog friends.
132. Discovering me when I quit comparing.
133. Children's bedtime prayers ... well, anytime prayers.
134. Self-control.
135. Like-minded friends.
136. Encouragement.
137. Challenging thoughts or quotes or books.
138. Guacamole.
139. Love notes.
140. "God moments."
141. Prayer groups.
142. Kick ball.

143. Baby ducks.

144. Whip cream fights.

145. Daddy’s girls.

146. Chocolate chip, pecan pie.
147. Mountains.
148. PBJ or PB and banana or PB and honey.
149. Grilling out.
150. Exercise.

A Slice of Inspiration

“In our marriage we tell the next generation

what sex and marriage and fidelity look like to

Christians. We are prophets, for better or for

worse, of the future of Christian marriage.”

-Evelyn and James Whitehead

More Gifts ...

51. My Mom, who taught me and continues to teach me how to be a mom!

52. Ladybugs.
53. Fresh peaches.
54. Old pictures ...

Yes, this is some of my Dad's family. That is him in the middle of my Grandma and Grandpa ... the cute guy.

And, this one is my Grandma Schultz. Guess which of the grandchildren I am?

55. Homemade, decorated birthday cakes.

56. Quiet early morning moments with my husband.

57. Bed and breakfasts.

58. "Little House on the Prairie"

59. Homemade popcorn ... my Daddy said that white hulled popcorn is best and he is right!

60. A cool breeze that reminds me that seasons change, but God does not!

61. Flyswatters.

62. French fries dipped in chocolate milkshake.

63. Rain.

64. Porch swings.

65. Cows grazing.

66. The library.

67. Dew on grass.

68. Piggyback rides.

69. Good fiction.

70. A great first day at school.

71. Prayer.

72. Tender hearts.

73. Groceries.

74. Telephones.

75. Baby kittens.

76. French toast.

77. Yellowstone National Park.

78. Hiking.

79. Moose.

80. My Bible.

81. Love notes.

82. Pony tails.

83. Migraine medications that work.

84. My husbands big, warm hands that can massage my aching head.

85. Sweet daughters who jump in to help when I don't feel good.

86. Diet Coke.

87. Cute new clothes bought off the 75% off rack!

88. Home made tortilla's.

89. Central Market Grocery Store that inspires me to cook.

90. Wedding rings ... a symbol of commitment.

91. Money to pay the bills.

92. God's gifts and callings that are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

93. The freshness of a rearranged room.

94. Toilet paper.

95. Little girls "blankies."

96. Snuggling with my girls in the early morning hours.

97. Jesus waking me up to sit and have a chat.

98. Laughter at Whataburger with old friends and new friends at 11:30 p.m. after a women's event.

99. Seeing some one with new eyes.

100. The ability to memorize scripture.

A Thousand Gifts ...

“Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

I am driven to discipline myself to be with Jesus all the time in everything. And, I am driven to teach that to our children not just in words, but in my actions and behavior. What I want is to walk with God, talk with Him, know and feel and sense Him tangibly all the time. To be aware of all that He does for us, all He created for us, all that He wants for us and to walk in it. To breathe Him in deeply and express that to others. I believe that it starts with praise and gratitude for every thing, every gift, every little detail, and all the things I take for granted. So, I am taking the challenge. I am joining the “Gratitude Community” and making my own list of "One Thousand Endless Gifts." I am choosing to “establish gratitude as a personal soul fixture.” Isn’t that cool? The Bible tells us to be “overflowing with thankfulness.” (Col. 2:17) Now that’s a foreign idea in a world that encourages keeping up with the Jones’ and discontentment. Satan clearly comes against thankfulness and contentment in my life. “You’re weird … that’s not possible ... God didn’t do that, so-and-so did … people are going to think you are holier-than-thou.” Well, call me weird. I want a changed and thankful heart. So, I am focusing on gratitude, praise and counting all my gifts and blessings.

Here goes …

1. My Heavenly Father, who loves me!

2. My sweet husband.

3. Two precious, beautiful gifts from the Lord ... our daughters.

4. Our family restored.

5. A "new" marriage.

6. Grace.

7. Strawberry popsicles.

8. The smell of fall that gets under my skin and brings a freshness to my attitude.

9. "I love you, mommy!"

10. Home schooling.

11. Fresh baked bread ... smelling it and eating it just out of the oven and smeared with butter.

12. Quiet time with Jesus.

13. Love songs sung to Him.

14. Friends who still love you in spite of yourself.

15. Wii.

16. Little girls prayers.

17. Memories in photographs.

18. Freshly laundered sheets.

19. The smell of vanilla.

20. God's word.

21. Baby girl falling asleep to the "Kari Jobe" CD praising the Father.

22. Big girl reading books, just because ... sharing her mommy's passion.

23. Hot chocolate chip cookies.

24. Washing the car with Daddy.

25. "Mommy, can you lay down with me?"

26. Sweet faces on sleeping children.

27. Holding hands.

28. A cool breeze.

29. Freshly mown grass.

30. Old people's wisdom and stories.

31. Painted toenails.

32. A van-load of underprivileged kids playing basketball with men from the church.

33. Singing old hymns in church and seeing my Paw-Paw in the back of my mind leading worship at the top of his lungs with joy on His face.

34. Sitting outside under an umbrella with girlfriends watching children swim in the rain.

35. Daughters so tickled with each other that just looking at each other brings more laughter.

36. Pumpkins.

37. Puppies.

38. Swimming pools on hot days.

39. My favorite pen.

40. Being called to love others because I am so deeply loved.

41. Down-right, "call it like it is" truth.
42. Serving lunch at an inner city church as a family.

43. Waking up with praise music playing in my mind.

45. Making my husband coffee and breakfast in the mornings.

46. Journals.

47. Little girls playing baby dolls and house ... amazing imaginations.

48. Cookbooks with pictures.

49. Success with a new recipe.

50. Sabbath.