A Ticket To Heaven

Today I would like to tell you how VERY Proud I am of my children. I am such a Blessed Mom to have 7 wonderful kiddos. Yes, they still make mistakes as we all do. Yes, I still get frustrated like all parents.  Knowing that my children are trying to live for Jesus & find HIS WILL for their lives makes me overflow with pure Joy!!!! Outside of their Salvation, finding HIS WILL is the Most Important thing to me. Today I wanted to share with you about my daughter Sarah Beth who will be 12 this Friday 4/29.  Last year when Sarah Beth arrived home from church camp she proudly told me that she knew what God wanted her to be.  She told me without a doubt that she was going to be a Missionary.  We talked alot about Missions, different places in the world, and how God places different calling's on people & how God gives people different gifts.  We talked about friends we have that are Missionaries...... the McMath's who are going to Spain, the Jacob's Family in Nepal, & several friends in Haiti. She has continued talking about this off & on since last Summer.  OK, so fast forward to Easter Sunday (2 days ago)........ 6 of my children were riding in the van with me as I was going to see a patient.  Unable to make it to church because of work we were having a BIG discussion in the vehicle during our 30 minute drive!!  We were talking about Jesus dying on the cross for us & how much he loved us.  I wanted to make sure they understood how he suffered for us.  He gave up HIS LIFE for all of us.  They were EXCITED to talk about His Resurrection, what that meant, & how that changed our Relationship with him!!!  Sarah Beth looked up scriptures & read from the Bible to share with her younger siblings as I drove.   (another Proud moment as a mom) :D  When we were finished with our discussion Sarah Beth had gotten quiet, she seemed to be in deep thought.  After a minute or two she said, "Mom, I had a really weird dream last night."   I asked her if she wanted to talk about it.  She smiled & said "it was really really weird!!"  I laughed & said "people have weird dreams all the time."  So she began to share......... We were all in an airport & had lots of luggage with us.  I think we were leaving the country.  The weird thing was there were a lot of people who didn't want me to go.  They all kept trying to give me stuff & Promise me lots of things if I would stay.  Being a Mom I asked the BIG question....."do you know who it was???"  Sarah Beth said "No, I couldn't see their faces, but I think they were friends. People who loved me.  They were trying to give me Candy, they were promising to take me on trips & buy me anything I wanted if I would stay."  So then that is when my Sweet SarahBeth said to me  "I asked them if they could give me A Ticket to Heaven."  The people said "No, we Can't."  She said "well, I'm sorry I have to go!! This is what God wants me to do!!!  She said that's when she picked up he luggage & started walking toward her plane & then she woke up.  I HAD CHILLS ALL OVER & WAS TRYING TO FIGHT BACK THE TEARS as the 11 years old said "isn't that weird mom, but it seemed so Real."  WoW!!  That is when I took the opportunity to talk about the many ways God talks to us and about following God even when others don't understand, even family & those who love you most! THANK YOU LORD FOR THOSE SPECIAL MOMENTS WITH MY CHILDREN!!!

This is a picture of SarahBeth & I from a field trip to New Orleans yesterday!! The day after our Big discussion!     Lord what do YOU want me to do? (Ac 9:6 NKJV) 

Calm in the Storm?

Now that the storm is over & all I hear is the distant periodic roar of thunder I am left with one Big question. IS THAT HOW THE DISCIPLES FELT DURING THE STORM WHILE THEY WERE IN THE BOAT??  I had been getting ready for some friends to come over for our Wednesday morning Bible study group. The oldest kids were already off to school, and my husband gone to work.  The twins were eating in their highchairs while I prepared a few things for our Bible Study. I had my coffee in hand & was talking with my 3 year old when I began to realize the storm was getting pretty bad. One by one most of my friends began to send messages saying they didnt want to get out in the storm.  I talked to a friend or two and we decided to cancel our meeting.  I guess here is where I should say that I was wondering why everyone was stressing so bad!! You see, I had grown up in Arkansas where weather like this happens ALL THE TIME.  After moving to South Alabama almost 11 years ago I had totally quit stressing over average Thunderstorms. However, within minutes the lights began to flicker & then went off completely.  They came back on almost as fast.  I began to hear something tattering on the large living room window and realized that IT WAS HAILING outside!! As I calmly walked to look out the back patio doors I realized something else.....It was getting kind of Orange/Yellow outside.  It was storming pretty bad by then. Then BLINK.... the Lights were completely Gone. It was completely black outside & I Panicked!!!! I had seen this ALL BEFORE!!!! I grabbed the twins  & ran toward my bathroom. I was trying to stay as calm as I could, telling Levi lets sit in Daddy's closet & play a game. There we were...Me, a 3 yr old, 2 sixteen month olds, and our little shih tzu all in a little closet. We had No Flashlight, just my trusty iphone & there read a txt message from a friend saying "TAKE COVER" Tornado on the ground in Silverhill.  YES PEOPLE, I LIVE IN SILVERHILL!!!! I was trying to sing Jesus loves me with Levi while listening to the storm. Poor Gabriel wasn't enjoying this at all. He was screaming to the top of his lungs, climbing up me & using my hair for leverage. I was really overjoyed to realize he had something sticky all over him & squished in BOTH of his hands. Now in my hair was what was left of his Moon Pie I had given him after he finished his pancakes!!!!!  I was SO VERY SCARED!! ALL I could think about where my other 4 children not with me.  It was Really Storming Bad outside. My Stomach began to hurt and I wanted to cry. The worst part of the Storm seemed to be right on top of my neighborhood or Very very close.  The Elementary school is just a mile or two up the road. Were my kids safe???? Were we safe??? Was Gordon working out in the middle of it all????  I then heard a loud beep beep beep.....It was my fire alarm!! I flung open the closet door & ran to the kitchen. I had left 2 candles lit right by the smoke detector. One of the big candles in a jar had a long wick & was smoking pretty bad!! I put out both candles & ran back to the bathroom. YES, I WAS IN FULL BLOWN PANIC MODE! I calmed myself and walked around the house. It seemed the worst was probably over.  As I sat & watched the kids play in the living room I thought about what had happened.  It Seriously made me think about when the disciples where in the boat during the storm. (READ Mark 4:35-41) Jesus was right there with them. He was sleeping. They were so scared that they woke him up and asked "are you going to let us drown??" Jesus rebuked the wind & told the waves to "be still".  He asked the disciples "why are you so afraid?"  "Do you still have No Faith?"
I hate to admit that there have been times when I have read that and thought SERIOUSLY??? After all they had been through with Jesus. After they had seen Miracle after Miracle......they were Really Afraid?? Jesus was right there!!!!!!
Well......here I sit. Thinking of ALL of today's events. Wasn't JESUS Right there with me?? Wasn't he at the school with my kids??? Haven't I seen GOD perform many Miracles in my Life????  Don't I know GOD has a Plan for my life and for my childrens lives???  WOW.....Where did my Faith go???

Large tree uprooted this morning during storm.

God please help me to ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TRUST IN YOU!! THANK YOU for the times in our lives where we realize that WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL OF OUR SITUATION AND THAT WE MUST TRUST IN YOU!!  THANK YOU LORD FOR PROTECTING MY FAMILY TODAY!

Treasures....

For so many years what I valued as "MY Treasures" were so very different from what they are today.  I struggled for years to obtain "The American Dream" or what my view of that was. I went to college, got married, went through lots of different ups & downs, then I thought I was there. I felt as if my life had stabalized.  At that point I was married with 4 children.  My husband & I both had Great jobs. We had custom built a nice home, had nice new vehicles, my children were involved in Sports, Dance, & Gymnastics and doing quite well at them all.  I kept myself so busy with work & activities, just like I always wanted. So Why did I find myself miserable??? What was so wrong?? We went to Church.....when we had time. I believed in Jesus....I knew he was real.  Wasn't that enough??? What was this desire I had deep in my sole that NOTHING could fix.  Not staying so busy I didn't have time to think about it. Not parties or Alcohol, or hanging out with my friends as much as possible. Not shopping, or a nice New Bigger house. Not a new Suburban or the New Car. Not going on Vacation. No, not even blaming my husband & leaving him...... Then one night as I tried to sleep I began to toss & turn. I broke out in a complete sweat & had complete Anxiety! I seriously flipped back & forth for hours. I began to think about Spiritual warfare.  How as a teenager I had been taught that we wrestle not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12)  I realized right then what was happening in my life!!! I was FAR from serving Jesus as I knew I should & Satan had a good stronghold on my life!!  I seriously flew up out of the bed very stressed out & quickly got ready and went to work. I was at work a very short time as I continued to panic & ask friends to pray with me. Obviously from the life style I was leading they thought I was Crazy & didn't KNOW WHAT I WAS SERIOUSLY ASKING!! I went to my boss & told her I had to leave. As soon as I hit the time clock & made it to my car I stopped with my hands gripping the stearing wheel & said out loud "OK GOD, I KNOW IT IS YOU....PLEASE HELP ME."  At that moment something in me BROKE & I began to weep. I dont mean cry a little, I mean I cried & cried & cried. I called Gordon & he met me to talk. As I continued to Cry & talk to him, he totally agreed that somewhere along the way we had both gotten so busy we had left God out of our lives......completely out of our Marriage. We stopped right then & called our Pastor.  He met with us that day. We talked & prayed & asked GOD to change our Hearts and Lives.  I told my husband that day that I had to completely give my life to God. I knew what had been wrong ALL that time......for Years & years. As a 17 year old Girl I knew without a doubt that God had placed a calling on my life. I knew I was supposed to spend my life commited to the work of my Heavenly Father.  Somewhere along the way I had gotten lost.....NO GOD HAD NOT LEFT ME.....My Love & Passion for the Things that really mattered in life had SLOWLY FADED....My heart had grown Hard.  I had made the decision to live that way.
  That day in December I remember telling Gordon that I could no longer be "a fence straddler", " a pew warmer", I knew I had to commit my life 200% to God & His Will for my life. I had to make God #1 in my life & in my marriage. I knew I had to give my children to the Lord & teach them as God instructs us to.  MY life was instantly changed, & has continued to change every year since then.  I continue this journey & have made my life prayer to ask God to open my eyes, my Heart, my ears.....to see, feel, & hear what HE wants me to.  I want to see where HE wants me to go & what HE wants me do. I desperatly want to HEAR my Heavenly Father when he speaks to me. I want to Feel for Others as He does. GOD continues to peel back the layers that are over my eyes one at a time....in His timing. LIFE has changed so Very, Very Much. My "Treasures" are no longer those that money can buy. The "American Dream".....whatever that was....I Dream for NO Longer. The Huge New House & Car are mine no more.  The credit cards are used No More.....getting rid of them one at a time.  Yes, I have made lots of mistakes & I'm sure I will make many more. The difference now is that I stop & ask God to direct my steps.....He is Always there to help me.  God has placed us on a path that I NEVER SAW COMING.......BUT I LOVE IT!  Yes, I'm sure I'm not the only person who didn't expect me to have 7 kids!!!!!  Adoption......I had friends who were adopted but it had NEVER crossed my mind!! Leave the US to go to the Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere to adopt 3 children & FALL IN LOVE WITH THE COUNTRY & IT'S PEOPLE........NEVER saw it coming!!! BUT.......THIS has ALL Happened!
YES, I have found a TREASURE like No Other. YES, I am ready to sell ALL for What I Have found.  Yes, I know not everyone will understand.  BUT.....IF YOU MUST KNOW.....I AM NOT LOOSING ANYTHING.  I AM GAINING SO MUCH MORE!!