Slowing down

I haven't been on here since July! Wow, that is way too long! I love to write, yet I just find many other things to do. I have been ill this week, and I am hoping that I feel better soon. Also, I am hoping that the kiddos do not catch this! My stomach has been very achy, and I just do not feel up to much. I am trying to take it easy, as I learned last time when I was ill, sometimes I have to learn to slow down a little. (or a lot). I do like to be able to take things slow or have a relaxing day every once in a while. I do not mind being busy on others. I remember on Thanksgiving, when Macy did not sleep in, I thought this is a day to relax with family, not get up early. (I did get up early on Sunday to make a turkey for our church family, but my step mom was cooking the Thanksgiving one at her house) But when I feel that I should be up and doing things for my family, it is sometimes hard to rest. I am used to cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. for my family. And I feel bummed out when ill and cannot do the things I normally do. It is great to be healthy and do what you need to do. But this week, I am a bit sick. I have to take it easier. I am not having school. I am sitting or laying when I can. I have to take care of myself, so I can take care of my family. I learned that the HARD way last month, when I got so sick. I was overdoing it. I was trying to go and do everything that I normally did. I was not resting much.... I ended up being badly ill. I had to rest. I have learned from that experience, that if I need to rest, I need to rest. So I will relax today, and let the kiddos relax too. I did do a few things, and I am writing this post today, but other than that, I will be resting. I have to rest in the Lord as well. I find that I do not always rest in God like I should. So I am trying to slow down this week until this has past. And I am hoping by tomorrow, I feel much better.

Low risk, low reward.

I am not a big risk taker in some things. I do not want to fly in an airplane. I sometimes do not want to try new foods. I am afraid of sky trams and ski lifts. I do not like elevators that go up high when you can see out of them. I will not volunteer for elective surgery any time soon(like donating a kidney or something). Well, Andy for a few days was telling me: low risk, low reward. I do not want too many risks most of the time. I like the same old-same old most of the time. Andy can get me to try some things. He gets me out of my shell a lot more than I probably would. In fact, when I started dating him, I had got myself so scared of things that I barely wanted to leave my hometown! He got me to exploring the world again. I have panic attacks sometimes, if I get too worked up about something, or stressed too much. Being overly tired can sometimes get me to be more anxious. Too much caffeine will do it too. I need to rest in the Lord in these times. But some of that is for another story, another time. On our vacation, I was thinking about the low risk, low reward. I was nervous about going to Florida. I wanted to go, it is just very different to my normal. Well, different area than I was used to. I have to go outside my little box sometimes. I have to take some risks. I have to try some things. Florida ended up being a wonderful trip. While on vacation, I tried this grilled patty thing (I forget the name right now), it was corn and mozzarella cheese together. It was great! If I had not taken the risk to try it, I would have missed out on something yummy. Also, at a restaurant I tried some type of fried root (I can not remember the name of this either), it had a light taste like fried zucchini. It was pretty decent. So I DO try new foods sometimes.... Andy was going to try alligator meat, which I wasn't sure about. BUT I think that Andy is more willing to try new things than I am. Again, it makes me think: low risk, low reward. We can use this principle for Godly things as well. If we risk little for the Lord, we will have a lower reward in Heaven. We will not have all the blessings that the Lord can offer us either. Yes, there might be more persecution if we stand for what we believe in. Yes, it might be harder to do the right thing. But it will be worth it all when we see Jesus, as the song says. I want to do things right. I know I do not always do the right thing. I mess up. I go my own way sometimes. I need to strive to do right in the Lord as a Christian. If that means it is not popular with others, then what is better? Following Christ is better, I believe. I want to remember this low risk, low reward. I had asked Andy to stop saying it, after he had said it a few times to me. It just made me feel like I did not take enough risks in life in a general sense. Then, I thought about it. I want to remember it now. It is a great reminder!

Finding Our Way Home: Blogging for Books

I enjoyed this book. Sasha Davis, is the delicate ballerina who after an injury, can hardly get around. Evelyn Burt, very much opposite of Sasha, comes to stay with Sasha to help Sasha out. Sasha, at first, is a bit mean to Evelyn. Sasha is consumed with what she can not do. She pushes people away, because she is upset with her injury. Sasha only lets the doctors and Evelyn in her life. Evelyn is good for her though. Evelyn is cheerful, and happy. She keeps a good attitude, where Sasha is dwelling in self-pity. They learn from each other, and discover a great friendship in each other. Sasha gets encouraged to push forward, and move on. Evelyn prays "Grace, Amen" when she prays. Sasha thinks maybe this pray is too short. But Evelyn wants grace through everything, which we all need. In the end, Sasha is able to cope, and is moving much better. Over all, an encouraging read to push on in life, no matter the circumstances. This book was provided to me byWaterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as a review item, the book was free and ALL opinions about it are my own.

Illness and God's plan

I am glad that my blog is letting me put capital letters! (It didn't want to capitalize for me one other time when typing from my phone) Anyway, for two weeks we had it rough around here. My grandpa passed away the one week and Reagan and Macy were sick as well. RaeAnn had a cough that week too. Well, on the day of the funeral for my grandpa, I took Reagan to the doctor for possible dehydration. They admitted her to the hospital then. We found out she had pneumonia then. She only had to be there til Sunday, thankfully. She had not wanted to eat or drink much for that week. She scared me, and I was praying hard for her. It has been such a blessing to hear her little laugh again, and see her beautiful smiles! Macy and RaeAnn, however, where still sicky on Sunday. I took them to the doctor and found out that RaeAnn had strep throat and Macy had an ear infection. Whew! Morgan, thankfully, did not catch anything. How I do not know, because even Daddy and Mommy have had the colds and or flu too! I feel that our little family has been through a lot in two weeks! I know that I do not understand why fully. I am wondering if God wanted me to appreciate the girls more? Not taking any moments for granted? Life is so short. I know God has a plan and purpose in everything! . I am thankful for the girls, and I am praying about some personal things right now. I want to do as I should for my little ones. I am so thankful for God planning for Andy and I to have these girls. Sometimes I wonder if I can handle 4 kids. A lot of times I don't think I can train them right. I try. I am so glad our family is doing better! I pray that I can be the mother I need to be for them. I hope for them to be good Christians as adults. I am hoping that we are done with sickness, at least for a little while. In the mean time, I will be thankful for good health!

A poem

I am running or sometimes walking this race, I must, yes, must, find a good pace. I can not give up, I must go on. I can with God's grace. I can not race without God's armour- I need it. I am weak, so weak on my own- I fail it. I can walk and even run with His help. I turn to His Word- I read it. I can be fed with fountains and wells, Taking in some living water, I can tell- By the refreshing I have. How does one walk on without God?

Going back

I became another year older a few days ago.   I actually like birthdays.  The celebrating part excites me I guess.   I do enjoy celebrating the girls birthdays even more.  I still can not believe that RaeAnn will be 10 in a few short months! 
I was thinking, after a friend made me to be only 18 this year, that it would be great to be younger than I am.  But then, I thought more.  I do not want to go back.  I was 23 when I got married.  I got saved also at 23.  I was 26 when I had RaeAnn.  Since then, I have had 3 more beautiful daughters.  If I could go back to 18, as I was thinking when the friend commented about it, I would not have all the blessings that I do now!  I would be younger, maybe more immature.  I have grown, changed, matured (uh oh, now I feel old).  I have been married to Andy for 13 years in May!  Wow!  I cannot hardly believe it!  I am so so thankful to God for allowing me to have Andy for a husband!  We have 4 beautiful blessings!  And despite the world changing all the time, we remain constant.  We are trying to be solid, in this crazy world.  God knew that Andy and I would work well together.
I want to be younger, but not if it would mean going back to where I was then.  I am glad that God has chosen this path for me.    I hope that I can continue to grow in Him as well.  Thank you, Lord for your many blessings!  Instead of going back, I want to look forward to what the Lord may have for my family.  And the best thing of all, I know, that even if things start to look scary in the future, Andy and I have the Lord to walk with us.

My testimony

I apologize to the ones reading my blog that I have not posted this sooner.  It is most important that all people know Jesus!  So I should have done this a LONG time ago, to be a witness on here.

I grew up in the Lutheran church.  I knew of God and about things of God.   If you would have asked me then, I would have said, yes, I believe in God, yes, I believe that Jesus died for my sins.  But I realized, even then, that I didn't have something in my life, something was missing.  I did not know Jesus in my heart.  I did have head knowledge of God, but I had not taken Jesus into my heart.  I did not understand true belief.  I had asked God to come into my heart back then, but didn't truly come to Him.  Maybe that is hard to understand for some.
I did not receive Jesus at that time.  I went through confirmation where a child learns more of the Bible and after 8th grade gets confirmed, saying they believe.  I had a pastor from MY church ask me if I knew Jesus.  I was kind of confused about his question.  Why would he ask me that since I was going to his church.  Of course I believed. He made me nervous at his question.  For our high school Sunday School class, the teacher's daughter was in the class, and asked how do we know who is going to heaven?  The teacher could not tell us, who was going to heaven.  It made me feel sad.  Could a person not know that they where going to heaven?  Wasn't she as the Sunday School teacher supposed to help us understand how to get to heaven?

We were asked on a private poll in confirmation class if we knew we where going to heaven or not.  Most of us answered that we were uncertain.  The teacher then asked us why we were uncertain.  I think it was answered back how could we know?  So much uncertainty! I don't remember what else was said that day.

This I do know now!  I met Andy, and started to go to a Baptist church with him.  (A church does not save you, but I believe that the Baptist church has the most Bible-led beliefs)   I learned that you could know that you are going to heaven.  I learned that you can get saved to know this.  That a person needs to have Jesus in their heart.  "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12   I had to believe, really believe, in my heart.  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13  I needed to call on Jesus in real belief.  I took a few years to get truly saved.  Andy should not have even dated me because I was not a Christian.  But he didn't give up on me.  God didn't either.  I married Andy in May 1999.  I did not get saved until January 2000.   That is when I received Jesus into my heart.  That is when I was ready to give God my all.

I do not believe that a certain prayer will save you. But a person needs to truly repent of their sins, and take Jesus into their heart.  Head knowledge is NOT enough.  The devils even believe in God!  I prayed in my heart, the day I got saved.  I was so upset about my lost condition that I had trouble talking, I was crying pretty hard.  I knew that I was ready to get saved, so I took Jesus into my heart that day, twelve years ago this month!  Wow!
  Do you know that you are saved?  Please, if you are not saved and are reading this, get saved today!  Call upon the name of the Lord. Mean it in your heart.  He will save you!  If you need more scripture, tell me, I would be glad to help. Believe, truly believe today!