Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Trusting God in Uncertainty

This morning my hubby told me he had an interview with an employer in Arizona. It went well and he was offered a job with good pay, good insurance, nice place to work and a pleasant boss at that. I was excited but heard a sense of hesitancy in my husband's voice. He was not so sure we could find a place to live after having been through this year's trials. The outcome has not been pretty.

Uncertainty visits us all, especially in these times of economic trouble.
God reminds us to "Trust in the Lord always and lean not on our own understanding", Proverbs 3:5 Gods ways are so much higher than mine so why should I lean on whatever understanding I have of any situation? Trusting in God leads to peace, God's will, assurance and security. Leaning on my own understanding usually gets me nowhere.

My family has had to trust God so much this past year and I must admit it has stretched us in so many different directions, but always closer to Him. We have not understand why my husband lost his job in January, our home at this present time, and our grown children have been scattered throughout three different states. We still don't know what His plans are for us, but we have chosen to lean not on our understanding because it is vain. Trusting God is the most logical, obedient and safest thing to do right now.

His plans for us are good, not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future, Jeremiah 29:11. Why should we worry when God is for us? Who then could possibly be against us? Trusting God is the right thing to d;, it's the only thing to do.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Marriage Code Part III

Unlocking the code to your marriage will take work, dedication, patience,you'll need enthusiasm, intelligence, creativity and most of all, God's help. Moving into the dynamics and living above the line are the backbone of a successful marriage. Because we live in fallen world, sin abounds and temptations are everywhere. Remember though, Jesus has overcome the world and since He crucified our flesh for us, we no longer have to yield to sin's power and control. The victory is ours if we'll just reach out and take it for all its worth.

At the end of chapter 1, Bill and Pam list some questions meant for dialogue over dinner or a cup of coffee. Take these to heart, spend time thinking about them, learn to truly appreciate your spouse for who he is. Make your love last a lifetime.

Attempts to live below the line creates distrust, insecurity and will always be unsuccessful. A husband and wife do themselves a world of good to find out what makes eachother feel secure and successful, loved and respected, and most importantly, accepted by one another just as God has accepted each spouse.


To order Bill and Pam's book The Marriage Code, go to http://www.farrelcommunications.com/

The Marriage Code Part II

Knowing the marriage code sure makes a world of difference. Bill and Pam Farrel tell us in their book, The Marriage Code, the username for wives is wife and the password is success which gives her access into a workable relationship with her husband. A woman's greatest desire is to connect with her husband emotionally, spiritually and financially. She wants her husband to experience the same emotional fullness she does. I have to agree with Bill and Pam. Come on ladies, think about it. Do we not want our hubbies to feel the same things we feel, understand how we understand and love us like we want to be loved. Let's be honest now. I know I am guilty of this. What happened to the giving part of the relationship? All of a sudden somehow, somewhere, as wives we begin to get caught up in the selfishness of being a spouse and the next thing you know, life is all about us. Not good....

Bill and Pam also say that the username for husband is husband and the password is security. Using these gives husband's access into workable relationships with their wives. His greatest desire is to help his wife succeed at what she wants to do in life. Meeting a wife's security need first in all things. This goes against a man's most basic instincts, but if a husband accomplishes this task, he draws his wife towards him and the relationship becomes relaxed. All simply because of the marriage code that can radically change a marriage.

Knowing issues within our marriage can make a world of difference once we know how to access the marriage codes that provide succession our husband's and security for us wives.


To purchase their book go to: http://www.farrelcommunications.com/

Saturday, November 21, 2009

A Tribute to Dusty - a Fine Buddy Indeed


Today, Dusty went home to heaven. It was sudden, so sad and sorrowful. Tiffany is heartbroken. She had Dustbucket since she was nine years old. He was bleeding some on Thursday, Tiffy called the vet and he was going to come at the beginning of the week. Bad call indeed, Dusty never made it.

He came to us out of a pasture, calm and gentle and full of life. As a youngster, Dusty would follow us everywhere we went when we were outside with him. One time, he even stepped inside the door from the backyard ready to come inside our home. He was so humanized. We loved him so very much. He was definitely a part of our family and it was not hard for him to weasel his way into our lives the way he did.

He grew to became a stunning boy, showing nicely in 4-H, the arena and trail. Dusty became Tiffy’s buddy; comforting her, loving her and staying by her side. She’d spend hours brushing him, bathing and just hugging his big, strong neck, sharing her dreams and sorrows with him. He would nudge Kenny's side as Ken was building a pen for the sheep when Dusty was about nine years young. Tahlya and Nathen loved riding him and what a love he was to anyone on his back. This past spring Chrissy got to show him and then this summer Tiffany enjoyed her last showing with Dusty. He did wonderful. What a pair Tiffany and Dusty made.

When Jeff Murray, Dusty's farrier, would trim his feet, Dusty would turn around and take off Jeff's hat with his lips. Dusty loved water and would play with the hose when we filled up the water trough. He'd grab the hose with his teeth and throw his head all over, getting Jesse all wet while she was standing by for her own drink.
Dusty was gentle with all creatures beneath his feet whether it was Tahlya as a toddler or a puppy that had escaped its mommy's reach. He was like a person when he touched you with his muzzle. He was always so curious and would come up to you, in your bubble and sniff your breath as if to say, "Hello." Dusty so carefully would take an apple from Nathen's hand without ever touching Nathen's hand or fingers.

Just about one month ago I was with Tiffy while she was working Dusty and Jesse. While I was standing on the outside of the round pen, I felt something push me gently on my back. I turned around and Dusty's gigantic rear end was against my back and his head turned towards me, eyes staring at mine letting me know he wanted his rump scratched. It was hilarious. He'd actually backed himself against me while I was leaning against the chain link fence. He didn't want me to forget him while i was watching Tiffy work Jesse. I just laughed, squeezed out of the way of the fence and gave his rump a nice long scratching.

We learned so much from you Dusty, like how to enjoy life, be silly, curious and relax. How everything is worth exploring and nothing should be taken for granted. Thank you Dusty, for your many lessons in life.

We truly miss you Dusty. Rest in peace, run free in heaven, graze and lie in the warmth of God’s love. Life will truly not be the same without you in it.

Monday, November 02, 2009

The Marriage Code

My husband and I have been reading The Marriage Code by Bill and Pam Farrel and wanted to share a few things we thought might interest all who are married, and those who might be one day.

Discovering our own secret love languages has imperical value these days. We can find this language through understanding the secret code in marriages. Living in a world that uses codes has its advantages. We have usernames and passwords that get us into our email, facebook, twitter, eBay, blogspot, myspace, craigs list, amazon accounts, why would we not think there might be a code to delve inside the best parts of our relationships? Well there is. Taken right from Bill and Pam's book are a few tidbits to get yo thinking.

* It is obvious when the code is in place because your relationship works well.

* It is just as obvious when the code is not in place because almost everything is out of sync.

* Entering the marriage code into your relationship is a daily exercise. In the same way that you need to enter a username and password into your computer each time you start it up, your love relationship needs an access code every day.

* The marriage code is based on the most common needs that men and women have.


Relationships are not as simplistic as you may have well found out by now. Men and women have different needs at the core of their very beings. These core needs shape how life is approached and how relationships are interacted within. Bill and Pam believe every person has these two core needs within them; the need for security and success. Security being the belief it is safe to be who we are. Success being the belief that our lives are workable.

Read more each day to find out what makes The Marriage Code such a life changing book every married couple should be reading!Whether you have figured out the marriage code in your own relationship or not, this book will give you keen insight to help other married couples. It can also be a valuable tool used in premarital counseling to give engaged couples an edge on their lifetime commitment of marriage.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Choosing to Blossom Along the Journey

The other day I was thinking about how a seed is rooted in the ground, nurtured with water to sprout, emerges either strong or weak, is pumped full of vitamin D from the sun and grows useful or dies pitifully. Kind of like the human life, wouldn't you say?

From before we were born, God knew us (Psalm 139:13-16) and had plans for us; plans for good and not for harm, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He knew us as a seed yet formed, rooted, nurtured and growing. WOW! How awesome is that?!
But, because of His great love for us, He gave us a choice. A choice to choose Him, to choose life through His Son Jesus, or to choose the world and all it has to offer, to choose death and eternity in hell (John 3:16).

When we choose life, just as with the seed rooted firmly in the soil, we can choose to be rooted firmly in Christ. God is a gentlemen, He will not force us to choose to love Him and accept His Son Jesus Christ. It just isn't going to happen. God created us with our own wills, (remember Adam and eve in the garden of Eden?), ya. We become firmly rooted when we spend time with God, reading His words to us in the Bible, filling our minds with heavenly things and being obedient to all He says. Sure, we are human and make mistakes. That was the whole reason we needed Jesus to be our Savior, but what little effort it takes to confess our wrong doings and receive Jesus' forgiveness, go on and become better because of God's unconditional love for us.

Our nurturing takes place when we love Jesus will all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, are daily spending time in God's word, memorizing scripture so that we don't sin against our Lord (Psalm 119:11), praise Him (Psalm 100:4) and allow the Holy Spirit to wash our lives with His word, empower us to lives well pleasing to our Lord and to be blessings to those God puts in our paths.

Time spent in the sun adds vitamin D to our bodies thereby enriching our very beings. So it is with time spent with the Son of God. Our lives are enriched beyond measure and as we grow in the knowledge of Him (II Peter 3:18) our lives are transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29).

Our lives are a journey of blossoming into what God has called us to become. We can either radiate the fragrance of lavander or emminate the vile stench of a corpse flower.
We can choose to grow or choose to shrivel up and die. It is all about choice; and it is a matter of life and death.



For further reflection I highly recommend-
(http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=3206)

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Trusting God in Discouragement

Today was a very hard day for me. I found out that hours I thought would be able to be used as part of my internship cannot be used so I have roughly 100 hours of interns to complete by December 11th. This is so disappointing to me as I am already committed to Lay Counseling training, co-facilitating Divorce Care for Kids, my daily blog here, have a suicide prevention and awareness training weekend in October, my monthly article for the journal as well as delivering the Journal, am taking emergency first aid and CPR next month and November and now I will be putting in about 10-12 hours per week at the Y.M.C.A. working with the kids in order to complete my internship and learn more about caring for kids, not to mention sorting through things at home and packing to move.

To top it off, Doug, my oldest son, called today and let me know all the work he and his wife have done for the past 5 months of paying off $17,000 of credit card bills and saving money to put down on a home for my husband I to move to Phoenix, is not enough. Doug and Jessica will not be ready to purchase a home until next April or so now. I was so looking forward to finally moving closer to my grandchildren, living in the valley of the sun with warmth and sunshine almost every day of the year, getting insurance through a job for Ken that we've been praying for months to get so that Kenny could be seen regarding a prolonged injury from the accident a couple of years ago and for me to be seen for my health and dental issues, as well as being able to live in a home we can call our own once again. Ken was suppose to go in two weeks to find work and then I was going to join him by the beginning of December after my interns were completed. We are just waiting to get our 30 day notice from our mortgage company to move out of our home so life could definitely be better right now.

I must admit I am extremely discouraged right now. Depression seems to loom over my head and my heart is heavy with sadness. I feel all is falling apart and hope is buried deep within my bones. I know God says in Hebrews he will never leave me or forsake me and that He has good plans for me, plans to give me a future and a hope but tonight, I just feel like the world is caving in and God is watching even though I know He is carefully holding me in His arms. Our exciting plans have been dropped just like that and while my hope is in Jesus, my excitement of a new start in Phoenix soon vanished with this most discouraging news.

Trusting Jesus at this very moment seems so hard, but I know because I can do all things with Jesus' help, I can get through this sorrowful moment knowing these things shall pass and God's grace is sufficient for me; whether I feel like it or not.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Hearing God's Call


Lord, it is 1:30 a.m. and I hear you speaking to me and clear Lord. You have put the desires within my heart to seek and save the lost in a joint effort with You almighty God. It is by Your Holy Spirit that they are called, comforted, encouraged, found and saved. It is by Your hand I have such a drive for prevention and being used as a tool; Your tool to bring unbelievers to You.

Cause me to be worthy of this calling; I feel so inadequate. I know You are with me just as Your were with David when facing Goliath, the giant of all giants. I know Your go before me and cover me on all sides when I face the giants in these young people’s hearts. When I rise up against the powers of hell, the demons within that battle for their very souls. I could do nothing without You, without Your guidance, Your strength and power. Thank you that You have promised to never leave me or forsake me, especially in my time of need.

These kids need You. They must know they have a purpose, that they are special and loved by the Creator of this universe. How awesome is that! Help me to relay to them Your love, Your purpose for their lives, that they have worth and are valuable. Give me the words they need to hear. Because it is not Your will for even one of them to perish eternally, I thank You God for saving their souls, enriching their lives and giving them hope in a world lacking a reason to exist.

Direct me as I step out in faith and heal me that I may be whole and strong to help heal others. Drive out the darkness and selfishness, evil and apathy within my own heart that I may do Your will and be obedient to anything You call me to do. Fill me with Your strength , peace and perseverance…even unto death if it be Your will for me. Thank you for calling me to serve You, to love others and for giving me your simple gospel to share with a hurting and destructive world. I go in Your name, in Your power, for Your glory.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

God's Grace Is Sufficient

God's calling in our lives changes often from moment to moment. We know we are in His hands and He won't let anything happen to us that is not in His will. That's why we pray for His will and the necessary preparations that may come with accepting His will if it not be our own. Hearing God's calling in our lives is vital to our very breath.

It has been hard since last summer when my husband and I helped my son and his wife and my two grandbabies, Tahlya 10 and Nathen 12, moved away and out of our lives. I have never felt such a ripping of my flesh before. We had them every weekend and sometimes through the week during the summer months, from the time they were about 6 months old. We were more like a second set of parents to them rather than their grandparents. Our worlds revolved around them as well as those of my own older children. They were all like siblings. God was trying to help us get our priorities right with Him being in the center. Then, this year, my oldest daughter and her husband moved to Corning in northern California, one week ago tomorrow night. Again, my heart feels torn, but God reminds me if I have given Him my heart, it is not my heart that is tearing my life, and He's got it under control for me; I need to let go. Today, my sweet spiritual daughter who our whole family was so convinced was going to be my daughter-in-law to my youngest son now 22, moved to Portland. She came over for my hubby to look her truck over before she drove to Portland and her, my youngest daughter and I walked around the corner from my house yesterday to a garage sale, for the last time. This morning around 10, she left and yet again a piece of m life, is gone........... for good. Right now, I am not sure what God is trying to teach me. Right now, my heart hurts and grieves for the happy times of family altogether. Besides God, family has been everything to me; maybe they weren't always in the right order... I am not sure.

My youngest son is talking about moving to Phoenix with a long time friend he's known since they were about nine years old. Thought Branden was moving over with my husband and me, now, it may not work that way. I am happy for him, but asking God to prepare my heart for yet another hard adjustment in my life. I feel they are coming more often yet there is less of me to hurt each time. Not sure if that is good, or bad. When my husband and I leave in a month or so, we will wave goodbye to my youngest daughter and her husband. My heart feels like it will break and never mend. But as God reminds me, He owns my heart... so that won't happen, but it sure feels like it will.

Today, Pastor Mark Goens, whom I also will miss terribly, spoke about II Corinthians 12. God's grace is sufficient for me. It says so much more, but right now, today, I can only hang onto those 6 words. I think that is what God is calling me to do at this moment in my life.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Contemplating Contentment

My husband's 45th birthday is but a memory now. As I was cleaning up the leftover food and covering his chocolate cake, I realized something. Sometimes the road to contentment is long and windy, sometimes it's short and choppy. Often times, the earth beneath our feet can seem to tremble upon every step we take. Skies can appear as blue as the sea or as deep as the ocean yet the peace that leads to true contentment comes not from the heaven's above nor from the waters below but from the Holy Spirit within.

As I contemplate being content with the new journey my family is about to embark upon, God began speaking to me about simplenenes. I'm not even sure if that is a word out of the Webster's dictionary or God just made it up, but I am certain of one thing, I must simplify for my own sanity. Reminds me of an article I wrote one time entitled just that, "Simplify for Your Sanity". Apparently I need to go examine this mindboggling concept another time.

I close my eyes, sit back and take a deep breath just imagining what might this mean. More time with God in the mornings, de-cluttering my bedroom, being able to say 'yes' when my girlfriend calls me to grab a hot chocolate with her or quite possibly when one of my grown children sit on the couch across from me and actually look me eye to eye rather than at the top of my head or back of my book. As I let out my breath slowly, a smile creeps upon my face and I realize, this simpleness, is what I have been longing for.

I can't imagine waking and sitting up against my pillow, stretching my arms and leaning over to gab my Bible, opening it to a new book with great anticipation of what God may want to speak to my heart that morning. To walk to my closet without meandering through a path of boxes or books to choose my wardrobe for the day is an almost incomprehensible task. Packing a lunch and heading to the river with my kids for a picnic and skipping stones along the river's surface has been a long-awaited activity I have pondered so many times while in class. Contentment would definitely have its place in my heart amongst these most serene conditions.

Knowing the day I was born not a single item did I possess, it should be my goal to leave this world in the same fashion since everything belongs to God anyway. Whether we keep our home or lose it, whether a better job is replaced with the job Ken lost, whether this new journey my family is about to embark on leads to anything better than what we have now, is not the question, but the answer.

Our contentment with what things we have now will determine the state of our futures. Simplifying is an art, one in which I am determined to master. If we are commanded to preach the simple gospel than why let anything else in our lives become anything but simple? This is something we all must truly contemplate.


1 Timothy 6:6-7 (New King James Version)
"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[a] we can carry nothing out."

Monday, June 01, 2009

Turbulent Times for Testing

None of us like to be tested, let me tell you. I have spent the last two years in college and every exam deadline I had caused me intense anxiety. As the date came closer and closer, I seemed to pace more, bite my lip, breath harder, shoulders lifting higher and higher with each passing day. Testing was not my cup of tea. I think I would have even done better had they called these exams another other than a test.

In I Peter 1:6 & 7, God reminds us, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the geuineness of your faith, being much more than precious gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

I most definitely could understand the testing by fire as I have encountered more hot flashes and heart palpitations during school than all my life. But God reminds me it is but for a little white, true, I graduate in Criminal Justice minoring in Juvenile Corrections on June 13th in which I greatly rejoice! The trials I have encountered this year so far have definitely been grievous to me. My husband lost his job, we are losing our home due to foreclosure the end of August and we must declare bankruptcy before moving from Oregon back to Arizona...and worse yet, without all my grown children we brought here to Oregon fourteen years ago.
I must remember though, far more is being tested than just my knowledge of criminal law. My genuineness is more precious to God than gold. I do praise God through these trials and testing, that I bring God honor and glory, and that Jesus Christ is revealed through me.

Turbulent Times for Testing; I want an A, how about you?

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Change of Heart


Alright, so a 2002 Subaru WRX pimped to the max with high performance everything and far from stock, is not the kind of vehicle I should be cruisin’ around in on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon in the small town of Grants Pass in the beautiful state of Oregon. Here's why....

Today coming home for church, mind you after I sat through a wonderful hour long sermon, that was truly fabulous, I found an open lane across from my hubby that beckoned my name. I briefly looked at him, and he at me. I scanned the rear horizon for any noticeable blue and red lights and then I couldn’t help myself. I really couldn’t. It was like an adrenalin rush before the adrenalin rush, you know what I mean? Maybe not, but you should have. It was awesome!

Just coming off a red light I gunned it in first, swiftly shifted to second and enjoyed being plastered to the back of my seat, noticing everything around me quickly whizzing by just wasn’t enough. Yes, into third I shifted and was quickly off again, my husband, well, he was but a speck in my rear view mirror, I am sure shaking his head at me, envisioning our insurance escalating and worrisome over how he will spend the next year getting me to my classes at the local college and him to work on time during the week, not if, but when I am caught.

I down shifted while turning into the right lane getting onto Redwood Highway and lo and behold a trooper coasts by with his stern grin and hot looking Charger with a complete black rack in the front of his bumper perfectly suited as a radical ramming device. Of course I innocently cruise along going no more than the posted speed limit and become restless by the second. As myself and a little black Honda, late model 90’s with a kid in the driver’s seat that looked not a day over 19 pulled up next to me, we glanced at the trooper, back at eachother and as he waved within my eyesight range I knew we were immediately on the same page; or were we?

I’ve been a Christian for over twenty-five years. My husband and I met cruising in our early model Mustang’s, and drag racing in Phoenix, Arizona. This combination together has led me to a happy marriage and speed still running through my blood. Just look at the vehicles my two son’s drive. My oldest, a Honda he’d gutted to race at the drag strip, and a very quick 2002 Subaru WRX, in which I joyfully drive throughout the streets of Grants Pass. My youngest son, an early 90’s model Honda CRX with a turbo that has seen its share of 22 pounds of boost, and a late 90’s model Chevy Camaro (he bought off my hubby and I a couple of years ago) with an LT1 Corvette motor that literally screams. It is awesome. Anyway, racing is still alive and well in my household and yet when the young man in his Honda, and I in the WRX, glanced at one another while stopped at a light while the state trooper idled just a few feet in front of us, something hit me. Would we have raced had the trooper been trooping somewhere else? All notions say yes, and I realized what a bad mentor I would have been, adrenalin and all. Had we gone for it, I would have been encouraging this young man to drag on the street, quite the opposite of what I tell young people to do in this town. What do I say, “Save it for the track.” Yet this was farthest from my mind in the middle of those glances which spoke volumes.

I came home thinking about blaming the little race car I was driving, my resisting to grow up, racing in my blood, anything that made sense. What I did not immediately blame, was the hidden rebellion in my heart. As hard as it was to admit, this was it. I couldn’t believe it. I, who spend a great deal of time mentoring students in this crime laden town with a justice system that needs quite a bit of tweaking when it comes to traffic crimes, was all fired up and ready to disobey at my heart’s will by an adrenalin rush like no other (yes, even better than drugs). What am I doing? What am I thinking? Who do I want to become to these young people? These questions began flooding my mind and I started to take inventory. This is it. I am enrolled in criminal justice classes and must maintain an attitude of obedience, not only to God but to authority. I must initiate this attitude because I know the power of the mind. As a mentor entering into the world of justice, I am not only obligated to follow the rules of the land that do not contradict the will of God, but I must walk the walk and not only talk the talk.

Wow, what a valuable lesson to learn on a bright Sunday afternoon cruising around in a sporty little WRX through a town in desperate need of mentors who can change lives, save lives and make a difference. This is the kind of mentor I want to be. Lord willing, I will make a difference in the lives of these young people, Lord knows I struggle with some of their same struggles, (grin).