Baggage

My pastor has taught several lessons on baggage, the baggage we carry through life and how it hinders us. We don't think about it a lot but everything that happens to us in life becomes a part of who we are and how we act. If good things happen we are happy and are ready and willing to help the next person that comes along, but when things go wrong in our lives we have a tendency to to become angry , bitter and get to the point that we don't care about the person next to us.

How can we be effective witnesses and do a work for God if we allow all the "bad" baggage to start piling up on us? Think about "running the race..." as Hebrews 12:1 states "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us". In order for us to run this race we have to lay aside every weight, that means our baggage has got to go. So you may ask what do you mean by baggage? Well it can be anything from growing up being told you are nothing, failures in your life, abusive situations, disappointments and the list goes on. I can look at my own life and see a lot of baggage that has accumulated. How can I be what God would have me be and be an effective witness if I am using all my strength and energy to carry around all this baggage? I can't! I have to let it go. I have been guilty at times of taking my burdens to the altar but before I left I picked them back up and carried them away with me....why? Sometimes we just don't know how to let go. I have found that in my life, the things I have faced that the best way for me to let go of baggage is to just let it go.....stop beating myself up over the past, I have prayed and asked God to help me now I have to exercise faith and leave it in God's hands.

Another common mistake many make is the one where they think if I ignore it, it won't be there. That is not true at all...we have to claim the baggage as our baggage before we can dispose of it. This reminds me of when my children were younger and they would spill something and make a mess....they had a habit of ignoring the mess, thinking that if they ignored it long enough that mom would no longer see it....like it would magically disappear or something. That sounds so silly be we do that in our lives many times, we ignore bad decisions or issues that are going on and expect them to just magically disappear. go, find the baggage claim and claim that baggage then take them and get rid of them.

As a parent I have to be careful that I don't pass the bad baggage on to my children. They will accumulate enough in their own lives to deal with, without me giving them my baggage. I have seen where a girl who grew up being told she was ugly and useless really felt and believed that and when she had a child they are now in the same boat because if "mom was ugly and useless then I must be too" Please be careful how you influence those around you.

An interesting fact about camels.....did you know that camels can carry anywhere from 330 lbs to around 950lbs? That's a lot of weight to carry around. that is not what I found interesting though. What I found interesting is that when a camel has a load on them "when they are carrying baggage? there is really only one way to get that load off the camel's back, The camel must first get on it's knees. WOW! That is even true for us. The best way for us to unload the baggage in our life is to go to our knees in prayer.

I have made the decision in my life that when I see myself traveling along and life's baggage is stating to pile up on me I am going to discard it quickly so that my life may be full. I am ready to live a victorious life, free from baggage, so that I can be used by God for the glory of His kingdom.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

Nathan got the Holy Ghost!

October 28, 2009 will be a very special day in the life of my youngest son, Nathan, He received the gift of the Holy Ghost. He has been praying for the Holy Ghost for several months now and last night God just reached don in the most awesome way and filled him with the Holy Ghost. Nathan was praying and was actually getting to a point where I thought he was going to stop and I just leaned over and encouraged him to continue pray as long as he wanted. he put his hands back up and started praying again...within 10 minutes he was speaking in other tongues. I thank God for His many blessings and for the hand he has on my children.

May God bless each of you!

I'm back.......

OK so I took a little vacation from my blog. It was not an intentional one but my life has taken several turns and it just seemed like I could not get into the groove of things. I am now settled into a routine more and feel like I have some sanity. I have had several friends tell me to get back on and start blogging so here I am, I am back and ready to rumble.....be watching for new blogs coming up...... :-)

Where I am and what I have been up to :-)

Well it seems like forever since I had time to sit down and write. I am settling in to life in KY. I am with my grandparents from 7:30am-6:00pm Monday through Friday and then i am on call if anything is needed at any other time. i stay busy looking after them, cooking,m cleaning and helping out with whatever I can. I am enjoying being able to spend time with them and hope that I can be a blessing to them. Grandma and I have times of great conversation. I look back on their lives and all the great things they have done and I hope that I can be used by God half as much as they have been through the years. "Lord help me to have the faith of my grandparents and the the heart of service so that I may serve You and Your kingdom."

We have moved into a 3 bdrm townhouse and are very happy there. Matthew is helping out here and there taking care of things around the house and helping out around Grandma and Grandpa's house. Nikki and Nathan are enjoying being in KY. All the kids are starting to make friends and get involved in the things at church. Vacation Bible School is next week and Nathan and Nikki are Soooo excited.

Remember me in your prayers that God will give me the strength and wisdom needed to help my grandparents.

I will be getting back on track with my posting (hopefully) so stay tuned :-)

Love and Prayers to all

Life's Twists and Turns

Well it has been a while since I took the time to update my blog and so much is happening in my life. So I will try to catch everyone up. As you know I moved to TX the end of December. Me and the kids were so excited about the move and loved getting into the church here and making new friends. I lost my job the end of February and have not been able to find anything since. My grandma fell and broke her hip around the time I was moving to TX and she had surgery and was in a nursing home doing Rehab for several months. She is now home and doing good, but they are in need of someone being there with them full-time to help care for them and make sure things are going as they should. All this being said i am moving again. I will be moving to KY to be the caretaker for my grandparents. I am very excited about this opportunity to spend more time with them and that my kids will be able to get to know them more. I am in the middle of packing boxes and getting ready for the move.

I never would have thought that 5 months from moving I would be moving again, but all I can say is no matter what life throws at you God has a way of working things out. Sometimes when we are "planning out" our life we see things in a certain light, but when "plans" change we have 2 choices. One we can moan and groan about how hard life is and how "unfair" things are or we can say Thank you Jesus for knowing where I am, what I need, and allow ourselves to be used in ways we may not have even thought of. In talking to my grandma she was saying how excited they are that we are coming up there. I am glad that they are excited, but I am looking at this as another blessing in life that God is giving me. Not only to spend the time with them but also hopefully to be able to really get to know them and their life in a way that I have never known before. They have done so much in their years and what an opportunity to learn more about the struggles, good times and blessings that God bestowed upon them.

I thank God for my family, my heritage and if this is a small way that I can help my family then I am blessed and excited to do this. Remember though all things God knows where you are, what you need and if you allow Him he will direct you on a path of greatness.

Who is watching you?

The kids and I were sitting at dinner last night talking and having a great time and I said something that wasn't too good, "crap". I try to teach my children not to use slang terms and say things like that, seeing as how my parents never wanted us to....but it slipped out all the same and no sooner had I realized what I had said Nathan looks at me and says "Mommy you shouldn't say things like that, remember that Jesus doesn't like us to use words like that." Wow now I am being taught by my kids.

A few days ago I walked into my room to find Nikki standing in front of the mirror smacking her lips together with lip gloss and smoothing over her hair....she had this silly grin on her face and was talking to herself saying things like " I have to watch what I am eating...." "I have to stay on target with my excerises" "Oh My, what am I going to do with myself.." I let out a chuckle and she turned around stunned...I asked her what in the world she was doing and she simply said "I am pretending that I am you...."

Last week I was driving the kids to school and after I had dropped Nathan and Nikki off, i was headed to matt's school when we got pulled over.....Evidently I did not come to a complete stop at a stop sign...(in the middle of a quite neighborhood) anyway....as we pulled away from the cop and headed on to school Matt, who is 15 and ready to start driving, says "So today's lesson was what not to do when you are behind the wheel right mom?"

I love my kids but with these simple and funny things that have happened in our home over the last few weeks I really got to thinking about who is watching us. We never know who sees us, or what they see. My neighbor lady stopped by my door last Wednesday evening before we headed to church and said "I know you go to church and that you are a strong Christian, I would like to ask you to pray for my Dad who was in a car accident last night and is in ICU." So I want to encourage you to remember two things ...First, remember that there is always some watching so make your choices wisely and Second, If you see someone do something good....go to them and compliment them, tell them they are doing a good job....there is no such thing as too much positive encouragement.

God bless each of you and have a great week!

They that wait upon the Lord!

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

I have read this passage many times but when it was in front of me this morning in the morning devotion that Sis Benson, our Singles Director sends out every morning, I really began to think.... As you know I have been "waiting on the Lord" for about a month and a half now... After waiting and waiting you start to wonder "When Lord?" It seems that just about the time I feel at the lowest point God has a way of showing me that He is still in control and that I need to rest in His arms. What does it mean to wait.....well I believe it means just what it says...wait, standfast, hold on, but I don't believe that is all it means....we have to also couple with our waiting, praying!

I am holding on to this scripture and I am believing that one day soon I will have renewed strength and that I will come out of this valley a better and stronger woman of God.

If anyone is out there and wondering how long they have to wait I finally have the answer....Wait until your breakthrough comes, until you have the answer, until you have overcome the trial as a victorious person, I know that is what I am doing.

May God bless you all!

For the sweet tooth in you :-)

My mom emailed this to me and I thought it was just too good not to share since we all like to indulge our sweet tooth from time to time. So here here what she had to day......

I don't know if any of you have tried 'Warm Delights' by Betty Crocker. I'm not sure how much they cost, around $1.90, if I am not mistaken. I picked up one in the store one day just to try it. It's very easy and GOOD! I thought I would experiment, so I bought a 99-cent cake mix and made my own. (Now you can probably get 4 of these out of cake mix.) You can experiment in all kinds of ways.

Here is the one I tried a little while ago with a cup of coffee.
Take any kind of cake mix, I used German Chocolate.
Mix 3/4 cups cake mix into a small microwaveable bowl
Stir in 1/4 cup water until well mixed.
Here's where the fun (and your imagination begins). I added a few pecan pieces and then drizzled a little Carmel topping (like you use on ice cream) over the mixture.
Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 1 minute 15 seconds.
Cake is done when a few dime size or smaller wet spots remain. if you think necessary, microwave 10 or 15 seconds longer.

Caution: This is hot. Put on a heatproof surface and let stand for 3 or 4 minutes.
You can add a little whipped cream on it, or a scoop of ice cream, if you desire. OR--just eat the warm gooey cake just as it is, but don't forget the coffee.

Can you believe it? In less than 5 minutes from start to finish you have a personal size warm delicious little sugar fix.

Go WILD...I got to find a way of doing a carrot cake with a little cream cheese added. How about a spice cake with a little applesauce.

There are just no limits....
Enjoy,Vickie R.

Thanks for sharing mom...Love Ya!

God will always provide

I never get tired of God's amazing ways! It seems like everytime I am at the bottom and I can't seem to figure out how to pull myself up, God steps in and takes control. I often wonder what people do when they are going through things in their life and they don't know God. "Lord, make me an instrument, use me to lead more souls to you so that they can find the love and peace that I know I have in you".

For those of you who know me, I have always been somewhat of an independant person. I don't like to ask for help, for some reason. But with recent circumstances that I have gone through I came to a point where I could not refuse help, because I could not make it on my own, then I came across the scripture in James 4:10 that says "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." I have been in church all my life and have never had a problem believing that God could and would provide for people (other then me) :-) It seems like when it becomes a personal battle that it is so much harder to have FAITH! When I read that scripture in James it made me think that I may need to get to the point that I can no longer rely on myself or on the solutions that I can come up with, but that I need to humble myself, and guess what...when I did God once again provided.

"Lord thank you for your strength and guidance that you constantly give and for your faithfulness"

If there are any that are struggling and wondering the hows, whys, wheres of situations remember that God can and will see you through if you will only turn to Him, believe in Him and live for Him!

God bless all!

When the climbing gets rough...WORSHIP!

I am so thankful for my church and my Pastor. Pastor Carl McLaughlin preached a sermon recently that really spoke to me and I wanted to share my thoughts on that with you. Before I do that I want to share what has been going on in my life recently. We moved in December from Mississippi to Texas. I had a new job that I thought was going to be a great opportunity. About the time we were getting al settled in and things really started to look good I lost my job. My last day at work was Friday February 28th. I have been unemployed for 4 weeks. I have never been unemployed since I started working at the age of 16. What a scary time. Single mom of 3 in a new place with no income....Lord I need you more then ever.

I just kept believing that everything was going to be ok and I kept believing that God would provide but I felt as though I would conquer one hill only to face a mountain beyond that. I heard so many sermons over the last few weeks that have inspired me and lifted me up but one in particular really spoke to me and that is what I am wanting to share.....

So as I was saying my pastor preached a sermon entitled "When Worship Climbs the Rough Side of the Mountain" He spoke about the Gentile woman (mentioned in Matthew 15) that came because her daughter was vexed with demons and the disciples kept trying to send her away, even Jesus himself ignored her. Can you imagine going through trials and hardships and turning to those you think would lift you up only to be pushed aside and ignored...not my idea of fun. There is a lot we can learn from this woman though. Inspite of what she faced she STILL worshipped Jesus. I want to be like this woman...so I purposed in my heart that I am not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of my worship. Nothing, not Hell, Accusations, Trials or Valleys will not stop me….there is only one way to survive and that is to worship.
It may be tough right now but i need get that bounce back into my worship. God has always been faithful…all the good days outweigh the bad days.

There were 3 things her worship had to overcome
1. She had to overcome loss of daughter (LOSS and GRIEF)
2. She had to overcome demonic activity
3. She had to overcome rejection (even from the disciples and Jesus himself)
My worship is going forward….sometimes people that you want to rely on to help you over the rough side of the mountain…..sometimes they are the ones that push you down….STILL don’t lose your worship.

I still trust you Lord no matter what is happening with my life right now. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord.

How long do you climb? Until you overcome loss, Until the rejection stops, Until the demonic activity stops and there is a spiritual breakthrough. How long will this be…long enough to build your faith like you have not had faith before.

How do I do it….worship no matter what…one step at a time and worship will carry you through.
Whatever energy you have use it for worship….

How long….everyone is different all I know is if you keep worshipping you will get through.
Be encouraged….don’t let anything steal your worship, I know I won't!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

May we all be COFFEE :-)

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again... I received an email a few days ago and I loved the story...it seems to fit so well with my life that I thought what better way to start my new blog then to share this inspiring thought.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots She did and noted that they were soft.. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently... The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE :-)