Merry Christmas Dear April

Well.... here it is finally, my Christmas newsletter. Pretty bad,huh? God has been giving me lots of content since Thanksgiving so His timing is always perfect even though I was feeling like the biggest procrastinator. Now matter how I was feeling, God has been in control all along. Why do we doubt that fact so much? C ry with those who cry O pen your home M ake a meal for the hungry P ray for the helpless A nswer the call to go where He sends S urrender your will for His S eek to be grateful I ncrease your faith by obedience O verlook insults and bless in return N ote your blessings There it is in a nutshell.... what God has been teaching me about COMPASSION since Christmas. It looks simple but we as a family have suffered to gain this wisdom and yes it has been worth it. We have cried over deaths of precious loved ones,opened our home to family and a special friend from Brazil. Meals have been prepared for those who hungered physically as well as spiritually. Prayers and more prayers have been spoken for those we love and those we will never meet here on earth. Madie answered the call to go to Brazil on a mission trip and it was the beginning of many new and rewarding friendships. Delaney surrended her will for His as she agreed to go to GCSU instead of Alabama. Ali was full of gratitude for the great doctors and nurses that took such good care of her during her jaw surgery on her Christmas break. She has healed and is as beautiful as ever. Kenny and I are so grateful to God for her healing and all the people who prayed for her and sent meals and just loved us through her operation and recovery. Sam was obedient to commit to soccer during a rough year of coaching and God was faithful to help him overcome and be victorious and a strong leader on his team. Kenny has been patiently waiting to see where God will lead in his career and it has been a challenge for him because he is such a visionary but God is opening doors and creative options are blooming as I type. As for me personally.... I have realized that hurting people hurt people as I continue to mentor women in Hope at my church. I have tried to forgive and move on by blessing those who hurt me and advising others to do the same. So let me end this "right on time" Christmas newsletter by counting my blessings. 1.Love 2. Peace 3. Joy------ no matter what the world throws our way, His presence brings all we need to show COMPASSION! May His compassion be a part of your life this year! Psalm 103:13- The Lord is like a father to his children,tender and compassionate to those who fear him. Zechariah 10:6- "I will restore them because of my compassion."

Who are you following?

Jesus said, "Follow Me!" Isn't it ironic that the catch phrase on every one's lips these days is ,Who do you follow? Who are you following on twitter,facebook,or whose blog do you follow? (I have 13 followers on mine) I recall when twitter first started and a so-called actor married to a much older actress was trying to be the first to have a million followers. He achieved that "lofty" goal and surpassed it. He probably has a billion by now. I wonder if Jesus is jealous?
Don't get me wrong here... I am not saying that we shouldn't take part in social media. It is the only way I have communication with many dear friends and family members but I will be the first to admit that I am slightly out of balance with my use of it. I even put in a safe guard to avoid it but it happens anyway. My homepage is CBN(Christian Broadcast News) so I get the daily bible reading when I first turn on my computer. Most days, I do read that first but somedays I skip past it and go straight to e-mail or facebook.
God must be jealous because he woke me up at 4:00 this morning to talk to me about this. Well , I know for a fact He is jealous because he tells us in the Bible. He says in Exodus 20 that we should not bow down or worship any other gods for He is jealous and will not share our affection with another god. And then to really drive His point home He kept me awake so I got up and read my daily bible reading. You guessed it. It was all about Moses getting the message of not worshipping other gods that we form into metal objects. Well.... if this little square thing I am typing on and you are reading this on is not a metal object you can slap my mama.
No, I am not suggesting you throw your computer or blackberry in the trash before you read the next line. When we use the metal objects for honest work and God's purposes we honor Him. But when we become obssessed with following others and their status' more than we follow Jesus and His status(reading the bible,praying and actually doing what he tells us) then He does becomes jealous.
I love the song that begins,"He is jealous for me!" He wants my love and attention and he deserves it more than anyone or anything else. And why not? He has earned it!! The last I checked, He is the only one who died to give me life!!
He knows how hard it is to keep from being distracted by all these metal objects that seem to promise such relaxation and entertainment and way too much information. He also knows they will drain us of the energy and time we need to worship Him. But, He knows the opposite will happen when He is first. We will have extra time to do what matters and be refreshed with new life. So check out His status right now and FOLLOW HIM!!!!!!!!

FALL ON YOUR KNEES!!!!

Merry Christmas,
"Fall on your knees,oh hear the angel voices,oh night divine,oh night when Christ was born!"
These were the first words I heard on my car radio a few days ago. The first Christmas song I heard for this Christmas season began with"fall on your knees". When was the last time you fell on your knees? It is not something we do naturally when we worship. If you were fortunate enough to have a parent or grandparent that you saw on their knees in prayer, then you know how it made you feel. You felt like you had stumbled into a sacred,holy place. 'Falling on your knees" is not just symbolic for showing reverance to God but it actually takes you to a deeper place into God's presence. In Ezekiel we read about the descendants of Zadok, a line of Levite priests who alone were allowed to approach the Lord and minister to HIM! Yes, minister TO Him,not for Him! Can it be possible that God in all His glory and power desires ministry from us, His lowly saints? We are always seeking God for Him to minister to us, but could the real secret to living an abundant life be our ministry to HIM!!!
If you have never fell on your knees in worship and prayer, I challenge you to take time to do this during this Christmas season. Go to that deeper place,that sacred,holy place where God is waiting for you to touch His heart! Give Him JOY! Give Him LOVE! While you are giving to others For Him,don't forget to give to Him personally. Remember.... it is a personal relationship. No personal relationship is one-sided. If you are burn-out and stressed already just thinking about Christmas,then perhaps "falling on your knees" is where you should start. As you give to Him, He will give back to you more than you could ever ask for or imagine. So go ahead,"fall on your knees", He is waiting for you there!!!
My prayer for you is that you will grow closer to JESUS during this wonderful season. Please comment through my e-mail or on facebook and share ways this blog inspired you to do this. In Him,denise

A Parent looks at Fifty!(Stolen from Jimmy Buffet)

So here I am, a fifty year old woman with a husband,4 kids,a smelly dog and an abundant life. How did I get to this place and what have I learned?
First, I got here because somebody else invested in my life. Someone believed in me,encouraged me to be better,try harder and have faith in God. That is the balance that keeps me sane and healthy. Doing my best and leaving the rest to Him. It's why I sleep so well at night no matter what is happening around me.
Second, I have learned to listen to that still,small voice that whispers when the rest of the world is screaming instructions at me. You have to be still and quiet yourself in order to hear The Holy Spirit. Sometimes He speaks words of comfort or affirmation. Other times, I hear statements about my behavior that need attention or commands or instruction. I not only listen but I obey or take the time to deal with these areas that His light shines on. This brings order and peace in to my life so I can end each day with no regrets.
And last but not least, I have learned to have HOPE! In the past fifty years I have lived through many heartaches and tragedies from my own personal suffering to the suffering of family members and loved ones. I have seen our world in such sorrow over natural disasters and attacks from heartless enemies. The media has made sure we never miss one minute of the bad news but PTL I also hear the GOOD NEWS! God's amazing outpouring of love comes shining through when others are hurting. Jesus,with skin on shows up in so many people to help lift up those who are down. God is faithful,even when we are not. When things are hard,my favorite saying is,"This too,shall pass!" His word says that sorrow may be in the evening,but JOY will come in the morning!
As a parent....these are the most important things I can teach my children. May they learn them long before they turn 50! I will pray that you and yours will ponder these truths. In Him,denise

God,Family and Beyonce' and my first 10K

High Five me friends,family and foreigners! I did it! I ran for 6.2 miles without stopping in 1hour,12 minutes and 27 seconds. This from a 49 year old woman who as a teen had exercise induced wheezing and kept Primatine Mist by her side" just in case" for many years.
How did this come about? My daughter, Ali took a running class last semester at U. of A. and decided that she and I should sign up to run the Peachtree Road race on the 4th of July. At first I balked and then I remembered a prayer I had prayed when I turned 49. " Oh God, next year when I turn 50 I want to be healthier than I was at forty,off these blood pressure pills and truly able to do whatever you need me to do physically as well as spiritually." Running the Peachtree also just happened to be on my "bucket list". Praying I wouldn't kick the bucket in the middle of the race, I agreed to "go for it" with her.

I had recently lost about 10 lbs through Weight Watchers so I had some help in this area for my training but I am not gona lie I had never been a runner and it was hard to begin. The first couple of months I mostly walked and ran down a few hills. Ali came home for the summer and really pushed me to run longer. As the weeks went by I was running 3 miles without stopping and had lost 7 more lbs.

My husband was very excited to see me making such progress in my weight loss but especially in the running. He had always been such an exceptional runner in his teens and in most of our marriage until injuries slowed him down. We began to have a new topic to discuss together that we both were interested in. This new hobby was certainly proving to be good for my marriage.

Race day proved to be one of the mildest days on record for the 4th of July. One of my dear friends who has run the race before joked with me and said,"It's only this nice because you are running it." I do not know exactly what she mean't by that comment but if God was smiling down on me or if it was just good timing on my part, I would count my blessings".

Ali and I stood side by side and felt all the excitement in the air as the flag fell and we began our run. I did not preset my ipod to a special playlist but just let it begin randomly wherever it had left off. The first song was,"Our God is an Awesome God". I began to praise God for getting me to this place beside my oldest daughter doing something I had never done before. I then turned the music down and enjoyed the crowd. Ali and I high-fived each other at each mile marker until we got to the 3rd one and she gave me a look like,"I am out of here,Mom". I nodded and she took off. I was left alone with 50,000 other strangers and I thought this is as far as I have ever run and cardiac hill is coming. I needed some inspiration as I began the slow incline. I tuned back into my ipod and Destiny's Child was singing," I'm a survivor, I'm gona make it,I'm not gona give up." God spoke through Beyonce's powerful voice and I kept running through marker 4,5 and 6.
On the last .2 miles the song Kenny and I had chose to have sung at our wedding 27 years ago began to play on my ipod. God reminded me that my husband was such a huge inspiration to me and that we needed each other to see our dreams come true. So, when I crossed that finish line this is the thought that I had. God,family and Beyonce' got me here. "Let us run the race that is set before us,looking unto Jesus(and whoever he uses). " God cares about us so much and wants to see us succeed and He truly has a sense of humor. Running with Him means you will always finish the race and finish better that you could ever ask or imagine. Ponder that as i pray for all of you to begin something new that God is calling you to do. In him, de

Proverbs 31 Woman-Part3- P.I.A.T.D's

Hello Friends,family and foreigners,
I am finally ready to reveal what P.I.A.T.D's are. It is found in Ephesians 2:10. "For we are all God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God
Prepared
In
Advance for us
To
Do.

How exciting to know that God has very specific things for us to do that he has prepared us to do from the time of our birth. The sad thing is that many of us miss these opportunities for being blessed and blessing others because we are neglecting the "givens" and are tied up with the 'ought to's". P.I.A.T.D's give us JOY and Satisfaction that nothing else can. Once you begin to do the good works that God has prepared you to do, life is filled with purpose and the "abundant life" you have always heard about becomes a reality. This is where "heaven on earth" is felt.

All of us on this Christian journey of following Christ suffer in some form or other but to be in the center of His will doing what He has called us to do, gives a sense of relief and comfort when our suffering comes. I have found that God has prepared me and continues to prepare me to encourage and give hope to Christians who are frustrated with the way they have been living their life. I feel so alive after I have counseled someone and they walk away with their spirits lifted and they see Christ in a new and powerful way. This blog was started to do that very thing and I pray that God is speaking to you through it and encouraging you in your walk with Him.
Ponder your P.I A. T.D's and let me know what God reveals to you. In Him, denise

Heavenly Ponderings

Happy Memorial Day!
Here I am again and the month is almost gone but I made it. Yesterday was the last day of school and our family survived another year of public school,homeschool and college life. Everyone is safe and under the same roof again which for me is like heaven. Last night we all sat out on the deck and had dinner,which everyone but me, prepared. See, now doesn't that sound heavenly? Believe me, I need to cherish this while it lasts because by the end of the summer I will be looking forward to the first day of school.
The best part of the evening really came after we had ate and began to share what we each thought was the best and the worst of the school year. The worst were very serious such as the death of a sweet friend and special family member. There were very serious upsets in relationships,heartache over bad decisions and failures in different areas of our lives but the love of God and His faithfulness to our family was evident as we began to share the best stories.
No matter how difficult or long they had to wait, my children came out victorious in their academic endeavors. No matter what frustration they encountered with friends, they remained a good friend. They still have alot to learn about "how to win friends and influence people" but they are trying to keep their head above the water for now and not be dragged under by the constant pressure to be and act like everyone else. This is not easy and they suffered for it in countless ways. Our whole family feels as if we have just come through a very rough roller coaster ride that has left us a little shook up and exhausted. But at the end of this school year we were able to look back with gratitude and laughter. Sam, my now 7th grade son, gave us the closing chuckle. What was his response when asked what was the best and worst of his year?
"Asking out a girl and asking out a girl." :)

PS- I know I promised I would finish up my Proverbs 31 message by talking about P.I.A.T.D's, but I couldn't resist sharing about the family so I will finish up next posting which will be much sooner than the last one. In the meantime.... I haven't heard from many of you in a long time and would love to hear about your year and what you will be pondering this summer.
In Him, denise