Ya'll might find it interesting to see who are Obama's neighbors in his hometown of Chicago.
Here they are:
Tony Rezko- Convicted Felon (Federal Courts) and waiting to be sentenced. He was a high fundraiser for Obama's Illinois State Senate campaigns and good friend.
William Ayers- Unrepentant terrorist with the 60s group, Weather Underground. They liked to bomb public buildings. He isn't in prison because of a technicality and currently teaches at the University of Illinois (what were they thinkin'?).
Louis Farrakhan- Supreme Minister of the Nation of Islam. He thinks Obama's the second coming (no kidding folks!).
And of course Obama himself: Belonged (still?) to the socialist group, New Party established in 1992. He is connected heavily (although they continue to lie, I mean deny, this) with the ACORN voter registration group. ACORN is now being investigated in numerous states for voter fraud.
So, that old adage must be true. People judge you by the company you keep! What a group of winners (not)!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A BIG Reason Not to Vote for Obama
The article below comes from the April 2008 issue of Citizen Magazine. It is very too the point about what Obama voted against in this legislation and paints a very disturbing picture of his true beliefs. How anyone can be for this kind of barbaric action and still call themselves a Christian and believer in Christ is beyond my comprehension.
Read the article carefully and let if fully sink in. I pray that it gives those of you out there who are thinking of voting for Obama in a few weeks, some serious pause in your consideration. May the Lord guide and direct you as you read the article below.
God Bless these forgotten babies.
Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act
by Jill Stanek, guest reporter
He often stood alone as an Illinois lawmaker in opposition to protections for babies who survived abortion.
Note: This report first appeared in the April issue of Citizen magazine.
On Jan. 10, 2005, newly elected U.S. Sen. Barack Obama visited former colleagues and staffers at the Illinois state Capitol, where he had served seven years as state senator. I happened to be at the Capitol that day, too, and a friend and I took the opportunity to speak to Obama, who had not yet achieved rock-star status and was still approachable.
We were in Springfield to lobby for passage of the state Born Alive Infant Protection Act, legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who survive an abortion. Obama spoke against the legislation in 2001 and 2002 and single-handedly defeated it in committee in 2003.
My friend stood in Obama’s path and said, “Senator, we are going to pass Born Alive here in Illinois this year.”
Obama smiled smoothly and agreed, “I think you will,” adding, “I would have voted for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois had it been worded the same as the federal bill. I think that’s the position the Democrats should take.”
There’s just one thing he forgot to mention: Obama had stopped his committee from adding the federal wording.
With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.
First encounter
An Illinois lawmaker offered the first draft of the state’s Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2001 after I revealed publicly that Christ Hospital left babies who survived abortion — viable babies whose delivery was induced, and whom the abortionist intended to kill but somehow survived — in a utility room to die.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick O’Malley of Oak Lawn defined “born alive” using language identical to that of federal legislation introduced in 2000 by Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., who in turn drafted wording developed by the World Health Organization in 1950 and adopted by the United Nations in 1955:
The term “born alive,” with respect to a member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.
I first encountered Barack Obama on March 27, 2001, when I testified before the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he was a member. My testimony included my description of holding a premature aborted baby until he died:
One night, a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down’s syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have time to hold him. I could not bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived. He was 21 to 22 weeks old, weighed about ½ pound, and was about 10 inches long. He was too weak to move very much, expending any energy he had trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if he was still alive unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall. After he was pronounced dead, we folded his little arms across his chest, wrapped him in a tiny shroud, and carried him to the hospital morgue where all of our dead patients are taken.
Obama questioned whether the born alive legislation would impede the right to abort and doctor/patient decision-making. He and an American Civil Liberties Union attorney speculated Born Alive would force doctors to resuscitate nonviable aborted babies.
Obama opposed Born Alive in committee, but voted “present” — neither “yes” nor “no,” but merely “present” — on the state Senate floor, one of many “present” votes that Hillary Clinton has cited as evidence that Obama lacks leadership skills. Clinton voted for the federal Born Alive bill, putting her on record as more pro-life than Obama.
Constitutional blindness
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 10 years. Both schools are listed in the top 10 law schools in the country.
But Obama revealed his constitutional blind spot in his book The Audacity of Hope:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created [emphasis added] equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
....(T)he essential idea behind the Declaration — that we are born [emphasis added] into this world free, all of us; that each of us arrives with a bundle of rights that can’t be taken away by any person or any state without just cause; that through our own agency we can, and must, make of our lives what we will — is one that every American understands.
Note Obama’s choice of the word “born” over the word “created.” Perhaps that helps explain his support for unrestricted abortion. Also note that our "bundle of rights” can be “taken away” with “just cause.”
Obama clearly considers abortion a “just cause.” Here is how he argued against Born Alive during Illinois Senate debate in 2001:
… I just want to suggest … that this (legislation) is probably not going to survive constitutional scrutiny.
Number one, whenever we define a pre-viable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we’re really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a — child, a 9-month-old — child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place.
I mean, it — it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an antiabortion statute. For that purpose, I think it would probably be found unconstitutional.
The legislation passed the Senate but did not survive in the House.When Rep. O’Malley reintroduced Born Alive and its companion bills in 2002, they headed again to the same committee, where Obama rewrote history:
"Ms. Stanek, your initial testimony last year showed your dismay at the lack of regard for human life. I agreed with you last year, and we suggested that there be a Comfort Room or something of that nature be done. The hospital acknowledged that and changes were made and you are still unimpressed. It sounds to me like you are really not interested in how these fetuses are treated, but rather not providing absolutely any medical care or life to them."
Of course, Obama had not agreed with me the year before, and I was the one who had told him about the Comfort Room, which the hospital created in response to my testimony: "We now have this prettily wallpapered room. … There is even a nice wooden rocker in the room to rock live aborted babies to death."
The hospital made live birth abortions look nicer, but the end result was still dead babies.
“What we are doing here is to create one more burden on women, and I can’t support that,” Obama concluded, and voted “no” in committee again.
The bill went again to the Senate floor, where Obama was the sole speaker against it, claiming that it would impose a “burden” on physicians:
[T]his [legislation] puts the burden on the attending physician who has determined, since they are performing this procedure, that in fact, this is a nonviable fetus.
Troubled conscience?
Democrats won control of the state Senate in November 2002, and when Born Alive was reintroduced for the third time in 2003, it was directed to the Obama-chaired, infamously liberal Health and Human Services Committee, where he simply refused to call it for a vote.
By this time Obama was running for U.S. Senate. He won his primary in March 2004, and Republicans recruited former U.N. Ambassador Alan Keyes, who lived in Maryland, to oppose him. It was Obama’s position against Born Alive that persuaded Keyes to run, as he stated in his announcement speech:
"When I was first approached about this possibility… I have to say that my reaction was negative…. What finally caught my eye, however… what finally arrested my attention and forced me to consider whether I not only had the opportunity to oppose him, but the obligation… was when I learned that (Obama) had actually, in April 2002, apparently cast a vote that would continue to allow live birth abortions in the state of Illinois … .
"We are talking about a situation in which, in the course of an abortion procedure, a child has been born alive — is out of the womb, breathing and living on its own — and he cast a vote against the idea that we should not stand by and let that child die!"
This was why Keyes alleged during their campaign that Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, as he explained in an interview with an NBC affiliate:
Christ would not stand idly by while an infant child in that situation died. … Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, because Barack Obama has voted to behave in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved.
Obama later admitted Keyes’ comment “nagged” him and has written or spoke about it several times, although he always misrepresents Keyes’ rationale as being about abortion support when it was specifically about infanticide support. In a July 2006 opinion piece in USA Today, restated later in The Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote:
If I am opposed to abortion for religious reasons but seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all
.
Obama’s faith has come into question on the campaign trail. Accused of being a Muslim, he’s insisted that he’s “rooted in the Christian tradition” and has a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” In fact, Obama has attended the largest church in one of America’s most stridently pro-abortion denominations — the United Church of Christ — for 20 years. His church, Trinity, is located just five miles from Christ Hospital. Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, served on the board of Christ Hospital’s health care system.
It’s ironic in the extreme that the most determined opponents of preborn life — and even those who are born — embrace the name of the One who caused John the Baptist to leap in his mother’s womb.
Jill Stanek writes a weekly column for WorldNetDaily.com and is a pro-life speaker and blogger
Read the article carefully and let if fully sink in. I pray that it gives those of you out there who are thinking of voting for Obama in a few weeks, some serious pause in your consideration. May the Lord guide and direct you as you read the article below.
God Bless these forgotten babies.
Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act
by Jill Stanek, guest reporter
He often stood alone as an Illinois lawmaker in opposition to protections for babies who survived abortion.
Note: This report first appeared in the April issue of Citizen magazine.
On Jan. 10, 2005, newly elected U.S. Sen. Barack Obama visited former colleagues and staffers at the Illinois state Capitol, where he had served seven years as state senator. I happened to be at the Capitol that day, too, and a friend and I took the opportunity to speak to Obama, who had not yet achieved rock-star status and was still approachable.
We were in Springfield to lobby for passage of the state Born Alive Infant Protection Act, legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who survive an abortion. Obama spoke against the legislation in 2001 and 2002 and single-handedly defeated it in committee in 2003.
My friend stood in Obama’s path and said, “Senator, we are going to pass Born Alive here in Illinois this year.”
Obama smiled smoothly and agreed, “I think you will,” adding, “I would have voted for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois had it been worded the same as the federal bill. I think that’s the position the Democrats should take.”
There’s just one thing he forgot to mention: Obama had stopped his committee from adding the federal wording.
With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.
First encounter
An Illinois lawmaker offered the first draft of the state’s Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2001 after I revealed publicly that Christ Hospital left babies who survived abortion — viable babies whose delivery was induced, and whom the abortionist intended to kill but somehow survived — in a utility room to die.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick O’Malley of Oak Lawn defined “born alive” using language identical to that of federal legislation introduced in 2000 by Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., who in turn drafted wording developed by the World Health Organization in 1950 and adopted by the United Nations in 1955:
The term “born alive,” with respect to a member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.
I first encountered Barack Obama on March 27, 2001, when I testified before the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he was a member. My testimony included my description of holding a premature aborted baby until he died:
One night, a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down’s syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have time to hold him. I could not bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived. He was 21 to 22 weeks old, weighed about ½ pound, and was about 10 inches long. He was too weak to move very much, expending any energy he had trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if he was still alive unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall. After he was pronounced dead, we folded his little arms across his chest, wrapped him in a tiny shroud, and carried him to the hospital morgue where all of our dead patients are taken.
Obama questioned whether the born alive legislation would impede the right to abort and doctor/patient decision-making. He and an American Civil Liberties Union attorney speculated Born Alive would force doctors to resuscitate nonviable aborted babies.
Obama opposed Born Alive in committee, but voted “present” — neither “yes” nor “no,” but merely “present” — on the state Senate floor, one of many “present” votes that Hillary Clinton has cited as evidence that Obama lacks leadership skills. Clinton voted for the federal Born Alive bill, putting her on record as more pro-life than Obama.
Constitutional blindness
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 10 years. Both schools are listed in the top 10 law schools in the country.
But Obama revealed his constitutional blind spot in his book The Audacity of Hope:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created [emphasis added] equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
....(T)he essential idea behind the Declaration — that we are born [emphasis added] into this world free, all of us; that each of us arrives with a bundle of rights that can’t be taken away by any person or any state without just cause; that through our own agency we can, and must, make of our lives what we will — is one that every American understands.
Note Obama’s choice of the word “born” over the word “created.” Perhaps that helps explain his support for unrestricted abortion. Also note that our "bundle of rights” can be “taken away” with “just cause.”
Obama clearly considers abortion a “just cause.” Here is how he argued against Born Alive during Illinois Senate debate in 2001:
… I just want to suggest … that this (legislation) is probably not going to survive constitutional scrutiny.
Number one, whenever we define a pre-viable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we’re really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a — child, a 9-month-old — child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place.
I mean, it — it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an antiabortion statute. For that purpose, I think it would probably be found unconstitutional.
The legislation passed the Senate but did not survive in the House.When Rep. O’Malley reintroduced Born Alive and its companion bills in 2002, they headed again to the same committee, where Obama rewrote history:
"Ms. Stanek, your initial testimony last year showed your dismay at the lack of regard for human life. I agreed with you last year, and we suggested that there be a Comfort Room or something of that nature be done. The hospital acknowledged that and changes were made and you are still unimpressed. It sounds to me like you are really not interested in how these fetuses are treated, but rather not providing absolutely any medical care or life to them."
Of course, Obama had not agreed with me the year before, and I was the one who had told him about the Comfort Room, which the hospital created in response to my testimony: "We now have this prettily wallpapered room. … There is even a nice wooden rocker in the room to rock live aborted babies to death."
The hospital made live birth abortions look nicer, but the end result was still dead babies.
“What we are doing here is to create one more burden on women, and I can’t support that,” Obama concluded, and voted “no” in committee again.
The bill went again to the Senate floor, where Obama was the sole speaker against it, claiming that it would impose a “burden” on physicians:
[T]his [legislation] puts the burden on the attending physician who has determined, since they are performing this procedure, that in fact, this is a nonviable fetus.
Troubled conscience?
Democrats won control of the state Senate in November 2002, and when Born Alive was reintroduced for the third time in 2003, it was directed to the Obama-chaired, infamously liberal Health and Human Services Committee, where he simply refused to call it for a vote.
By this time Obama was running for U.S. Senate. He won his primary in March 2004, and Republicans recruited former U.N. Ambassador Alan Keyes, who lived in Maryland, to oppose him. It was Obama’s position against Born Alive that persuaded Keyes to run, as he stated in his announcement speech:
"When I was first approached about this possibility… I have to say that my reaction was negative…. What finally caught my eye, however… what finally arrested my attention and forced me to consider whether I not only had the opportunity to oppose him, but the obligation… was when I learned that (Obama) had actually, in April 2002, apparently cast a vote that would continue to allow live birth abortions in the state of Illinois … .
"We are talking about a situation in which, in the course of an abortion procedure, a child has been born alive — is out of the womb, breathing and living on its own — and he cast a vote against the idea that we should not stand by and let that child die!"
This was why Keyes alleged during their campaign that Jesus Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, as he explained in an interview with an NBC affiliate:
Christ would not stand idly by while an infant child in that situation died. … Christ would not vote for Barack Obama, because Barack Obama has voted to behave in a way that it is inconceivable for Christ to have behaved.
Obama later admitted Keyes’ comment “nagged” him and has written or spoke about it several times, although he always misrepresents Keyes’ rationale as being about abortion support when it was specifically about infanticide support. In a July 2006 opinion piece in USA Today, restated later in The Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote:
If I am opposed to abortion for religious reasons but seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all
.
Obama’s faith has come into question on the campaign trail. Accused of being a Muslim, he’s insisted that he’s “rooted in the Christian tradition” and has a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” In fact, Obama has attended the largest church in one of America’s most stridently pro-abortion denominations — the United Church of Christ — for 20 years. His church, Trinity, is located just five miles from Christ Hospital. Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, served on the board of Christ Hospital’s health care system.
It’s ironic in the extreme that the most determined opponents of preborn life — and even those who are born — embrace the name of the One who caused John the Baptist to leap in his mother’s womb.
Jill Stanek writes a weekly column for WorldNetDaily.com and is a pro-life speaker and blogger
Thursday, October 2, 2008
School Daze and Battling the Devil
Well, here we are in October already! It doesn't seem possible that we are this far along in the year already. And I heard today that Walmart is putting up their Christmas decorations already! A little early don't ya think?? Whatever happened until at least waiting til just before Thanksgiving for that stuff? I love Christmas. Its my favorite time of year, but this is getting to be too much. Too much commercialism.
School started a week ago yesterday. I tell ya, in some ways its kicking my tail. In other ways, I am holding up and keeping up well. I like all of my professors and they like me, I think. I have had 2 assignments, tons of math homework and 1 quiz already between the 3 classes. Also have started on a group project for my cultural diversity class. Some of the work is tedious, but none of it overly difficult. My shrink has increased my ADD medicine by 10mg to see if that will help me focus better when reading etc., so I don't feel like my head's going to explode if I read 120 pages in one day.
The cultural diversity class will be the one that is going to give me trouble. 20 years ago in college, we had no such thing and it certainly wasn't required. The reading is VERY dry and there will be some things that will come up that I am sure I will not agree with because of my Christian faith. I am not sure about the purpose of such classes, except its "PC" (politically correct) to make everyone like everyone else. Well, guess what? We aren't going to like everyone else. We were all made as different, unique individuals by God in His image. While I am sure that He would prefer that we all get along, because of our human tendencies, we are not going to. Just a fact.
Anyways, school is going well. The only exception is this virus that has spread through the campus like wildfire this week. I am not kidding. Everyone has it; professors and students alike. We all sit in class with our noses running, sneezing, stuffed up, hoarse, coughing a lung up and just generally feeling miserable. My math class this morning was certainly feeling the full effects of it, right down to the professors stuffed up nose and hoarse voice herself. Hopefully it will pass quickly as it is kicking my butt. Because of my fibromyalgia, when I get a virus like this, I hurt much worse than the average person, which I hate. This week I have felt like my muscles have been ripped apart on the inside. Ugh.
The devil has certainly been in a battle with me lately. First it started with our great power outage of 2 weeks ago. My power was out for 4 days and I lost everything in the fridge and freezer. Some people were out much longer, I am aware, and I felt badly for them. So, while all of that had our world upside down; I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything situated for school. I went full blast into school and haven't really stopped. This past Tuesday morning, we woke up to find that we had no water. Isn't that just lovely? I don't think this city can do a dang thing right. And they should for the taxes we pay (outrageous!). They have been working out on the main drag and broke the water main late Monday night. Smart. Real smart. But, I digress...
So, I have all of this going on. My power out just days before school, adjusting to school, catching this virus, no water for a full day and a bunch of little things. I really feel like the devil is doing is very best to get me down so that I will give up and quit, cause he knows that this is where God wants me to be right now. Several times a day, I have been saying to myself or out loud, "In the Name of Jesus our Lord and Father, get away from me and leave me alone you stupid devil". People say to do that when you feel like the ole devil is just meddling, meddling, meddling, so I do. I have also started reading "I Talk Back to the Devil" by the great A.W. Tozer (as if I don't have enough to read!). It is an excellent book and I think will help me with these pesky daily battles that I seem to come up against whenever I am in God's will.
My workouts have been a little weird lately. I walk a tremendous amount at school, up and down stairs, carrying a backpack some days, a roller bag others. I do still lift weights etc., but its hard after walking all of campus all day to come home and do 2 more miles just for exercise. I think it would probably help me if I can just get in the groove. Got to get in a groove.
I will tell ya that working out all summer and lifting weights made a huge difference when it comes to carrying that backpack or even handling the rolling bag. I think if I hadn't been working out all summer and weight lifting that my body would have just collapsed completely. After the first day last week, I thought I was going to die I hurt so badly. But, after small group, I came home and took an extra warm shower, put on my pjs, took meds, and went to bed. Next morning, I didn't exactly hop out of bed, and I was certainly sore and stiff, but I made it up and moving.
That's one thing I have been so thankful for. The Lord has certainly blessed me with being able to sleep well since school started, and He has equally helped me each morning to get up when the alarm goes off and helps get me moving. I feel Him right there with me each step of the way, every day at school. Even through the people I have met in class or sitting in the hallways.
My church just finished a sermon series about how to "Fireproof" your marriage to coincide with the release of this Christian movie last week. I have not seen the movie yet, but the sermon series was really good, I thought. I especially liked the first and last sermons in the three sermon series, although it was hard to sit through me and not bawl like a baby. This weekend, we are going to start in on a in depth study of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to that as well. It sounds like its going to be very good.
I am very thankful for New Life and for the friends I am making there. They have been such a great support to me over these past months. Just really surrounded me and enveloped me in their love and Christ's love, and some of them I haven't even met! They just send me a postcard saying they prayed for me that day, or they are rejoicing with me in something that God is doing in my life at that time, just anything and everything.
They do a tremendous job of connecting with the body of the church even though it is so large (all together about 1500 people, give or take a few hundred each week.). So. I appreciate that they make such a great effort at that. The services lately have just been awesome for me, from our time of worship and praise to the sermon, it has just been a great time for me to remember to turn everything over to God and give it all to Him. Let Him worry about the details of this or that, let Him have totally control in my life. It has just been a tremendous experience for me, really, since last May. I am so thankful to be there and have met the people I have met; in addition to learning more about God and drawing closer to Him on a truly daily basis, allowing the Holy Spirit to work the way it needs to in my life.
So, although the devil is trying his best to make me trip up or give up, I am not going to let him. With the power and help of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is one battle that devil isn't going to win.
I wanted to share a song with you that we sung at church this past weekend. I had heard it before and sang it before, but this time, it really got me and I could hardly get through it without the tears running down my face. It's all about 'Surrender'. Are you willing to surrender everything in your life to God and the Holy Spirit? Everything? Maybe it will give you something to think about the rest of this week after you listen to the song.
"Surrender" By Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yk0Sj7oglk
Maybe today is your day to truly surrender all to Him. All of it. All of the hurts, pains, fears, happiness, joy, confidence, your spouse, your children, grandchildren, everything. It's a hard thing to let go of it all because we as humans want to hold onto it all and "fix" or take care of it all ourselves and we can't. No matter how many times we may try, we can't. Only in Him do we find that true peace, that true settlement, that true reason for why we are here on earth. All we have to do is surrender; surrender it all. God will do amazing things once you let go.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you. May you learn the true love and grace that is found by only being in His presence on daily basis, all day. I am going to leave you with a Psalm that these days is mostly heard at funerals or the place of someone who is in serious illness. However, I think that the Lord meant for it to be so much more for us than a prayer; we should see it has stating facts and praising His name. Read it out loud and listen to the words as you read it, let it speak to you like it never has before.
Psalm 23 (NASB)
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; (Praise His name that He does this!)
He guides me in the path of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me; (PTL!)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
AMEN!!!
God Bless Ya'll till we meet again.
School started a week ago yesterday. I tell ya, in some ways its kicking my tail. In other ways, I am holding up and keeping up well. I like all of my professors and they like me, I think. I have had 2 assignments, tons of math homework and 1 quiz already between the 3 classes. Also have started on a group project for my cultural diversity class. Some of the work is tedious, but none of it overly difficult. My shrink has increased my ADD medicine by 10mg to see if that will help me focus better when reading etc., so I don't feel like my head's going to explode if I read 120 pages in one day.
The cultural diversity class will be the one that is going to give me trouble. 20 years ago in college, we had no such thing and it certainly wasn't required. The reading is VERY dry and there will be some things that will come up that I am sure I will not agree with because of my Christian faith. I am not sure about the purpose of such classes, except its "PC" (politically correct) to make everyone like everyone else. Well, guess what? We aren't going to like everyone else. We were all made as different, unique individuals by God in His image. While I am sure that He would prefer that we all get along, because of our human tendencies, we are not going to. Just a fact.
Anyways, school is going well. The only exception is this virus that has spread through the campus like wildfire this week. I am not kidding. Everyone has it; professors and students alike. We all sit in class with our noses running, sneezing, stuffed up, hoarse, coughing a lung up and just generally feeling miserable. My math class this morning was certainly feeling the full effects of it, right down to the professors stuffed up nose and hoarse voice herself. Hopefully it will pass quickly as it is kicking my butt. Because of my fibromyalgia, when I get a virus like this, I hurt much worse than the average person, which I hate. This week I have felt like my muscles have been ripped apart on the inside. Ugh.
The devil has certainly been in a battle with me lately. First it started with our great power outage of 2 weeks ago. My power was out for 4 days and I lost everything in the fridge and freezer. Some people were out much longer, I am aware, and I felt badly for them. So, while all of that had our world upside down; I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything situated for school. I went full blast into school and haven't really stopped. This past Tuesday morning, we woke up to find that we had no water. Isn't that just lovely? I don't think this city can do a dang thing right. And they should for the taxes we pay (outrageous!). They have been working out on the main drag and broke the water main late Monday night. Smart. Real smart. But, I digress...
So, I have all of this going on. My power out just days before school, adjusting to school, catching this virus, no water for a full day and a bunch of little things. I really feel like the devil is doing is very best to get me down so that I will give up and quit, cause he knows that this is where God wants me to be right now. Several times a day, I have been saying to myself or out loud, "In the Name of Jesus our Lord and Father, get away from me and leave me alone you stupid devil". People say to do that when you feel like the ole devil is just meddling, meddling, meddling, so I do. I have also started reading "I Talk Back to the Devil" by the great A.W. Tozer (as if I don't have enough to read!). It is an excellent book and I think will help me with these pesky daily battles that I seem to come up against whenever I am in God's will.
My workouts have been a little weird lately. I walk a tremendous amount at school, up and down stairs, carrying a backpack some days, a roller bag others. I do still lift weights etc., but its hard after walking all of campus all day to come home and do 2 more miles just for exercise. I think it would probably help me if I can just get in the groove. Got to get in a groove.
I will tell ya that working out all summer and lifting weights made a huge difference when it comes to carrying that backpack or even handling the rolling bag. I think if I hadn't been working out all summer and weight lifting that my body would have just collapsed completely. After the first day last week, I thought I was going to die I hurt so badly. But, after small group, I came home and took an extra warm shower, put on my pjs, took meds, and went to bed. Next morning, I didn't exactly hop out of bed, and I was certainly sore and stiff, but I made it up and moving.
That's one thing I have been so thankful for. The Lord has certainly blessed me with being able to sleep well since school started, and He has equally helped me each morning to get up when the alarm goes off and helps get me moving. I feel Him right there with me each step of the way, every day at school. Even through the people I have met in class or sitting in the hallways.
My church just finished a sermon series about how to "Fireproof" your marriage to coincide with the release of this Christian movie last week. I have not seen the movie yet, but the sermon series was really good, I thought. I especially liked the first and last sermons in the three sermon series, although it was hard to sit through me and not bawl like a baby. This weekend, we are going to start in on a in depth study of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to that as well. It sounds like its going to be very good.
I am very thankful for New Life and for the friends I am making there. They have been such a great support to me over these past months. Just really surrounded me and enveloped me in their love and Christ's love, and some of them I haven't even met! They just send me a postcard saying they prayed for me that day, or they are rejoicing with me in something that God is doing in my life at that time, just anything and everything.
They do a tremendous job of connecting with the body of the church even though it is so large (all together about 1500 people, give or take a few hundred each week.). So. I appreciate that they make such a great effort at that. The services lately have just been awesome for me, from our time of worship and praise to the sermon, it has just been a great time for me to remember to turn everything over to God and give it all to Him. Let Him worry about the details of this or that, let Him have totally control in my life. It has just been a tremendous experience for me, really, since last May. I am so thankful to be there and have met the people I have met; in addition to learning more about God and drawing closer to Him on a truly daily basis, allowing the Holy Spirit to work the way it needs to in my life.
So, although the devil is trying his best to make me trip up or give up, I am not going to let him. With the power and help of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is one battle that devil isn't going to win.
I wanted to share a song with you that we sung at church this past weekend. I had heard it before and sang it before, but this time, it really got me and I could hardly get through it without the tears running down my face. It's all about 'Surrender'. Are you willing to surrender everything in your life to God and the Holy Spirit? Everything? Maybe it will give you something to think about the rest of this week after you listen to the song.
"Surrender" By Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yk0Sj7oglk
Maybe today is your day to truly surrender all to Him. All of it. All of the hurts, pains, fears, happiness, joy, confidence, your spouse, your children, grandchildren, everything. It's a hard thing to let go of it all because we as humans want to hold onto it all and "fix" or take care of it all ourselves and we can't. No matter how many times we may try, we can't. Only in Him do we find that true peace, that true settlement, that true reason for why we are here on earth. All we have to do is surrender; surrender it all. God will do amazing things once you let go.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you. May you learn the true love and grace that is found by only being in His presence on daily basis, all day. I am going to leave you with a Psalm that these days is mostly heard at funerals or the place of someone who is in serious illness. However, I think that the Lord meant for it to be so much more for us than a prayer; we should see it has stating facts and praising His name. Read it out loud and listen to the words as you read it, let it speak to you like it never has before.
Psalm 23 (NASB)
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; (Praise His name that He does this!)
He guides me in the path of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me; (PTL!)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
AMEN!!!
God Bless Ya'll till we meet again.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
This Is My Prayer
It has been a stressful week from Sunday to today. Our power came back on sometime overnight. The dog and I are home again and happily so. I have just been feeling so stressed this week and turned upside down, after I did my 2 mile walk this afternoon, I had some prayer/praise time with Petra.
Nothing calms me down like worshipping the Lord. Nothing else makes me feel so settled. And so, I wanted to share their song with you that means so much to me. This Is My Prayer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjW7TXyLisQ
Nothing calms me down like worshipping the Lord. Nothing else makes me feel so settled. And so, I wanted to share their song with you that means so much to me. This Is My Prayer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjW7TXyLisQ
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Lights Out
It has been a very interesting week, starting back with last Saturday. It is only Wednesday and I feel like I have had a years worth of stress etc., just since last Saturday.
I went out campaigning last Saturday with the Steve Stivers/Jim Hughes teams. We ended up walking about 3 miles going door to door. It was cloudy that morning, but that was just a tease. We met up about 930am and got going about 10am. By then, the humidity was sweltering, soup-like. We were only about 10 minutes into our first street of door to door, and we were both sweating like crazy. By the time we got done with the first half, we were both covered in sweat, soaking! I had it running down my legs, I was sweating so much! We took a break and got some cold water and sat in the air conditioned car for a few minutes. Then we were back at it. We got done with all of our addresses a little after noon, and by then I had given up trying to keep the sweat at bay. I just let it roll. I hung out for a few minutes when we got back, resting a bit, then said my goodbyes and headed home.
Once I got home, I changed out of my soaking clothes. Then I did my usual Saturday housework, sweating more. After I got all of that done, I took another shower, some Motrin, and laid on the bed to ice both knees which were thoroughly swollen. Nice.
Sunday morning I woke up so sore, it hurt to just get out of bed. I padded to the bathroom, painfully, and realized I was not going to make it anywhere that day. My feet hurt so badly, I could hardly stand to walk on them. I haven't had them hurt like that for quite some time. They were still swollen on Sunday morning. I iced them a few times on Sunday during the day, trying to help the swelling to go down.
As many of you know, we got the remnants of hurricane Ike on Sunday afternoon. It just kept getting more and more windy. The trees twisting in the breeze like crazy; stuff banging up against the back and side of the house. The electricity flickered a number of times, but always came right back on. I just kept praying that it would hold. It did not.
About 4pm, my electricity went out again and this time did not come back on. I waited a half-hour before I called the electric company, to see if it would come back on its own. Finally at 430pm, I called the electric company and reported the outage. They told me at that time that they estimated my power would be back on by 6pm Sunday evening. It was not. The dog and I had one flashlight and the batteries in my radio still worked, that was it. She spent most of the day in the closet, scared from all the wind and banging.
About 6pm, the tree in my front yard fell over, roots sticking out from underneath, nothing but dirt left in the ground. It made a loud racket when it fell, but thankfully fell into the front yard, missing the house, and not the other way into the driveway. The neighbors and I were outside numerous times, checking on things, making sure that the roof wasn't coming off, things like that. About 7pm, it started to get dark and I came to the slow realization that we were not going to get our power back Sunday night before bedtime. I left the bathroom light switch on, fully expecting the power to come back on sometime during the night.
The dog and I slept fitfully, waking at every little sound and not being able to see a thing in the pitch black. We managed to get some sleep, however, for which I was thankful. We woke up Monday morning and waited a bit. I went down into the dark basement and did my workout for that day. Waited til about noon and just about went crazy. My mother in law invited me over to get out of the house and be around others, even though they didn't have electric either. I readily accepted the invitation. What normally takes about 20 minutes on surface streets, turned into a 1 hour trip trying to get over here. Trees and branches down everywhere, no traffic lights, no power.
As we were preparing to make supper on the grill Monday night, the power came back on here at their house. We were all so glad. We grilled out anyways, but were glad to have lights and TV. I stayed til about 8pm then headed back to my house in the pitch black. The whole neighborhood was encased in the darkest black. I didn't like it. Made it through another night, sleeping fitfully again, but God kept us safe.
Yesterday I woke up and still no power. By now, everything in my fridge and freezer is warm and thawed. Yuk. All of it into the trash; about $40 worth of meat, milk, etc. That was painful. My mother in law had taken yesterday off, so she called me and told me to come over again. I did, thankful for being able to go someplace that had power and all. I ended up staying here last night, it's just too hard being over at home without power. I have done all that I can without lights. I went home for a bit this morning and did a few things; lifted weights; got the trash all ready and out to the curb for tomorrow's pickup; got some clothes and other things. Took a shower in the dark.
In today's paper, they had a color coded map of our city. I found my neighborhood and according to the color, they don't anticipate having the power back on there until Friday at the earliest. What a thrill. My system is all out of whack; the dogs system and nerves are a mess. She did sleep well here last night and is sleeping again now. I am thankful for that.
So, I am temporarily without a place to live that has modern day conveniences. I appreciate the fact that my in laws have provided shelter and warm food for the dog and I. Makes things interesting for me and the hubby, since we are separated. But, I am thankful to have a roof over my head that has electricity!
I have been busy today trying to get things situated for school that starts next week. There was some confusion about my financial aid and I have spent the afternoon and half the morning trying to straighten that out. I will have to go down to the campus tomorrow and do some things to get it all situated in time for classes next week. Need to get my parking sticker and school ID anyways. I will probably be there all day tomorrow, whoopee! But, at least we did get it all straightened out and I do have money for school and books! God does provide! There were many prayers that went up last night when we realized there was some hang up; but God worked it out, hearing those prayers! Thanks God!
Election Day is approaching fast and furiously. I have not found a steady, regular job yet, but do have a job working at the polls on Election day, which will bring in decent money. Better than nothing. I keep hoping that maybe all my campaign work will pay off in some manner in the way of a part-time job. That was just be awesome if that's the case. A job in the political world while still in school would be a tremendous opportunity!
Time is moving faster and faster. I am up to 2 miles in my walk and 10lb weights(starting today) for the weight-lifting portion. My muscles are sure building up well, and I like to see them, shows my hard work. My cousin should be home from overseas in November, and I am so looking forward to seeing him and hugging him. He's a good kid and I am so proud of him.
So, that's been my life the past 5 days, although it seems like it has been a year. Everything is just upturned and upside down right now and I am more than ready for it to be settled back to normal, in my house, with my electricity!
I thank God that no family or friends were injured (that I know of as of now) during the wind storm on Sunday. I am thankful to God that the tree fell the way it did, missing the house. That He kept the dog and I safe the 2 nights we did spend over there in complete darkness. And I thank Him for family who shelters and opens their arms when your world is upside down like this! Thanks family! Thanks to God!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You til next time.
I went out campaigning last Saturday with the Steve Stivers/Jim Hughes teams. We ended up walking about 3 miles going door to door. It was cloudy that morning, but that was just a tease. We met up about 930am and got going about 10am. By then, the humidity was sweltering, soup-like. We were only about 10 minutes into our first street of door to door, and we were both sweating like crazy. By the time we got done with the first half, we were both covered in sweat, soaking! I had it running down my legs, I was sweating so much! We took a break and got some cold water and sat in the air conditioned car for a few minutes. Then we were back at it. We got done with all of our addresses a little after noon, and by then I had given up trying to keep the sweat at bay. I just let it roll. I hung out for a few minutes when we got back, resting a bit, then said my goodbyes and headed home.
Once I got home, I changed out of my soaking clothes. Then I did my usual Saturday housework, sweating more. After I got all of that done, I took another shower, some Motrin, and laid on the bed to ice both knees which were thoroughly swollen. Nice.
Sunday morning I woke up so sore, it hurt to just get out of bed. I padded to the bathroom, painfully, and realized I was not going to make it anywhere that day. My feet hurt so badly, I could hardly stand to walk on them. I haven't had them hurt like that for quite some time. They were still swollen on Sunday morning. I iced them a few times on Sunday during the day, trying to help the swelling to go down.
As many of you know, we got the remnants of hurricane Ike on Sunday afternoon. It just kept getting more and more windy. The trees twisting in the breeze like crazy; stuff banging up against the back and side of the house. The electricity flickered a number of times, but always came right back on. I just kept praying that it would hold. It did not.
About 4pm, my electricity went out again and this time did not come back on. I waited a half-hour before I called the electric company, to see if it would come back on its own. Finally at 430pm, I called the electric company and reported the outage. They told me at that time that they estimated my power would be back on by 6pm Sunday evening. It was not. The dog and I had one flashlight and the batteries in my radio still worked, that was it. She spent most of the day in the closet, scared from all the wind and banging.
About 6pm, the tree in my front yard fell over, roots sticking out from underneath, nothing but dirt left in the ground. It made a loud racket when it fell, but thankfully fell into the front yard, missing the house, and not the other way into the driveway. The neighbors and I were outside numerous times, checking on things, making sure that the roof wasn't coming off, things like that. About 7pm, it started to get dark and I came to the slow realization that we were not going to get our power back Sunday night before bedtime. I left the bathroom light switch on, fully expecting the power to come back on sometime during the night.
The dog and I slept fitfully, waking at every little sound and not being able to see a thing in the pitch black. We managed to get some sleep, however, for which I was thankful. We woke up Monday morning and waited a bit. I went down into the dark basement and did my workout for that day. Waited til about noon and just about went crazy. My mother in law invited me over to get out of the house and be around others, even though they didn't have electric either. I readily accepted the invitation. What normally takes about 20 minutes on surface streets, turned into a 1 hour trip trying to get over here. Trees and branches down everywhere, no traffic lights, no power.
As we were preparing to make supper on the grill Monday night, the power came back on here at their house. We were all so glad. We grilled out anyways, but were glad to have lights and TV. I stayed til about 8pm then headed back to my house in the pitch black. The whole neighborhood was encased in the darkest black. I didn't like it. Made it through another night, sleeping fitfully again, but God kept us safe.
Yesterday I woke up and still no power. By now, everything in my fridge and freezer is warm and thawed. Yuk. All of it into the trash; about $40 worth of meat, milk, etc. That was painful. My mother in law had taken yesterday off, so she called me and told me to come over again. I did, thankful for being able to go someplace that had power and all. I ended up staying here last night, it's just too hard being over at home without power. I have done all that I can without lights. I went home for a bit this morning and did a few things; lifted weights; got the trash all ready and out to the curb for tomorrow's pickup; got some clothes and other things. Took a shower in the dark.
In today's paper, they had a color coded map of our city. I found my neighborhood and according to the color, they don't anticipate having the power back on there until Friday at the earliest. What a thrill. My system is all out of whack; the dogs system and nerves are a mess. She did sleep well here last night and is sleeping again now. I am thankful for that.
So, I am temporarily without a place to live that has modern day conveniences. I appreciate the fact that my in laws have provided shelter and warm food for the dog and I. Makes things interesting for me and the hubby, since we are separated. But, I am thankful to have a roof over my head that has electricity!
I have been busy today trying to get things situated for school that starts next week. There was some confusion about my financial aid and I have spent the afternoon and half the morning trying to straighten that out. I will have to go down to the campus tomorrow and do some things to get it all situated in time for classes next week. Need to get my parking sticker and school ID anyways. I will probably be there all day tomorrow, whoopee! But, at least we did get it all straightened out and I do have money for school and books! God does provide! There were many prayers that went up last night when we realized there was some hang up; but God worked it out, hearing those prayers! Thanks God!
Election Day is approaching fast and furiously. I have not found a steady, regular job yet, but do have a job working at the polls on Election day, which will bring in decent money. Better than nothing. I keep hoping that maybe all my campaign work will pay off in some manner in the way of a part-time job. That was just be awesome if that's the case. A job in the political world while still in school would be a tremendous opportunity!
Time is moving faster and faster. I am up to 2 miles in my walk and 10lb weights(starting today) for the weight-lifting portion. My muscles are sure building up well, and I like to see them, shows my hard work. My cousin should be home from overseas in November, and I am so looking forward to seeing him and hugging him. He's a good kid and I am so proud of him.
So, that's been my life the past 5 days, although it seems like it has been a year. Everything is just upturned and upside down right now and I am more than ready for it to be settled back to normal, in my house, with my electricity!
I thank God that no family or friends were injured (that I know of as of now) during the wind storm on Sunday. I am thankful to God that the tree fell the way it did, missing the house. That He kept the dog and I safe the 2 nights we did spend over there in complete darkness. And I thank Him for family who shelters and opens their arms when your world is upside down like this! Thanks family! Thanks to God!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You til next time.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Remembering....
I tried to think and find an appropriate poem to place here today for the remembrance of what happened September 11, 2001 here in our great country. I couldn't find one that I liked well enough or said what I wanted to convey on a day such as this.
Then I remembered that great song, "God Bless America"; I listened to it once again and found that yes, it conveyed all that I wanted to convey on this day. The only person I know that does this song the best way is the great Kate Smith.
So, as you go about your day today, pause for a moment or two and remember those who died 7 years ago today in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and that lonely field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Also take a moment and remember our troops that are now serving in our war against terrorism and say a prayer for them and their safety.
May God truly Bless America!!!
Take it away Kate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCavKL2zdjM
Then I remembered that great song, "God Bless America"; I listened to it once again and found that yes, it conveyed all that I wanted to convey on this day. The only person I know that does this song the best way is the great Kate Smith.
So, as you go about your day today, pause for a moment or two and remember those who died 7 years ago today in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and that lonely field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Also take a moment and remember our troops that are now serving in our war against terrorism and say a prayer for them and their safety.
May God truly Bless America!!!
Take it away Kate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCavKL2zdjM
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesday, Tuesday
Well, here we are at the second Tuesday of September already. It is hard to believe how fast time is flying by as we have moved from the summer into the fall. It seems time is moving faster and faster as we have gone through the year. I guess part of that is because I have been busy.
I intended to write on here yesterday, titling it 'Monday, Monday' after the song from the Mamas and the Papas, but I didn't get it done. Thus the title for today's post, even though its not a song from the Mamas & the Papas.
We had storms come through here overnight that surprised me with their intensity. I knew that there was a cold front coming, but since it was at night, I figured it wouldn't be that bad. I was surprised when I saw on the late news the storms that were out there and headed this way! I heard the first thunder from a small storm before I fell asleep. The big boomers woke me up briefly when they came through later in the night, but I went right back to sleep. And it's so nice and cool today!
Had to take the dog to the Vet yesterday. When we got up Sunday morning she had a bit of a limp, but I thought she had perhaps laid on her leg wrong. Later in the day on Sunday however, the limp got worse and there was some swelling on the wrist of her right front leg. Yesterday morning, the limp wasn't as bad, nor was the swelling. So, I decided to watch her for a few days and see if things got better or worse. I went about my day yesterday, doing some "fall cleaning" and applying at yet another place for work (23rd application). By yesterday afternoon though, she is in very obvious discomfort and pain, crying a bit. So, I called the Vet and they saw us yesterday at 430pm.
He seemed to think she had some sort of soft tissue injury. He gave her a shot of cortisone and told me to have her take it easy for the next 7 -10 days. He said if after the 10 or so days, she was still limping and/or still in pain, to bring her back for x rays and such; but he felt sure it was just a small soft tissue problem. I was so thankful. She will be 10 yrs old next month and I was worried that it might have been something more serious. So, she has been resting quite a bit since our visit to the Vet. Still limping, but doesn't seem to be in as much pain.
I went to a Christian rock concert at my church Sunday night. They are a local band (my church is their home church) and are slowly branching out. The concert Sunday night was a CD release concert for the second CD; it's titled "Perspective". They were really excellent and I enjoyed the concert thoroughly. They are a loop band, which was different experience for me, and it was interesting to watch them work everything throughout the concert.
I was equally impressed with their heart for the Lord and their desire to share His word and message with the world. They are a good group of kids who were not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves and share some personal experiences. The groups name is STATION 2. If you would like to check them out and hear a bit of their music, you can find all of that on their website: www.station2music.com. Give them a listen!
Classes start at college two weeks from tomorrow. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. Am taking a full load, 14 hours each quarter this year to get everything done that I need to get done before transferring over to the school where I will actually get my degree. The actual class schedule is not that bad, but it will be a challenge keeping up with that full load. I need to get a backpack, notebooks, pens, and actual school books yet; in addition I need to get my parking sticker (which is expensive, I think) and my school ID. So, I have got quite a bit to do in the next 2 weeks before classes start. I had hoped to have a job by now to help offset some of these costs, but so far, nothing on that front.
I have been a little discouraged about finding a job. There is nothing worse than looking for work, I think. I have tried to do 2-3 or more applications/resumes a week, and am not getting any real bites at all. However, I am not alone in that. I have friends and family who are also looking for work; all of us looking for different kinds of jobs; all of us requiring different pay, benefits etc; and all of us are just not having much success in finding that job. I have tried to stay encouraged, knowing that God is in control. He knows what I need and I am really trying to be patient and trusting in Him to bring about the right job at the right time. My humanness wanted something two weeks ago, but evidently it wasn't in His timing. So, I am doing what I can in finding work and just trying to trust and rely on God to provide what I need at the time that He knows is right.
I will be back into a small group Bible study starting tomorrow evening. It's a group of just women, which is very different for me, but I think it will be a good experience. I have really missed my Beth Moore group, but see some of the ladies from time to time at church and its always good to see them. I don't know what my new group will be studying, but I am looking forward to it.
Our church is starting a series this Sunday on relationships and marriage. They are doing this to coincide with the release of the Christian movie about the same thing, called "FIREPROOF". In some ways I am looking forward to the series and the movie and in some ways not so much. It will be difficult to sit through at times, I am sure, because of what I am going through right now. But, I am also looking forward to whatever God would like for me to learn from or about etc., from this sermon series and movie. So, I am looking forward to it with a little nervousness. God will be there with me though and help me through it and to learn from it. He has been with me every step of the way these past 13 weeks and I know He will continue to walk with me; guide me; direct me; comfort me.
Well, I guess that's about it for this time. I hope that ya'll are doing well and living in the Word. Remember to pray for our country during the final days of this election season; its going to get very intense, I think. Also, if you would remember my cousin who is finishing up his tour overseas for continued protection and safety. We are anxious for him to come home and super anxious to see him!
Ya'll take care of one another. May the Lord Bless you and keep you.
I intended to write on here yesterday, titling it 'Monday, Monday' after the song from the Mamas and the Papas, but I didn't get it done. Thus the title for today's post, even though its not a song from the Mamas & the Papas.
We had storms come through here overnight that surprised me with their intensity. I knew that there was a cold front coming, but since it was at night, I figured it wouldn't be that bad. I was surprised when I saw on the late news the storms that were out there and headed this way! I heard the first thunder from a small storm before I fell asleep. The big boomers woke me up briefly when they came through later in the night, but I went right back to sleep. And it's so nice and cool today!
Had to take the dog to the Vet yesterday. When we got up Sunday morning she had a bit of a limp, but I thought she had perhaps laid on her leg wrong. Later in the day on Sunday however, the limp got worse and there was some swelling on the wrist of her right front leg. Yesterday morning, the limp wasn't as bad, nor was the swelling. So, I decided to watch her for a few days and see if things got better or worse. I went about my day yesterday, doing some "fall cleaning" and applying at yet another place for work (23rd application). By yesterday afternoon though, she is in very obvious discomfort and pain, crying a bit. So, I called the Vet and they saw us yesterday at 430pm.
He seemed to think she had some sort of soft tissue injury. He gave her a shot of cortisone and told me to have her take it easy for the next 7 -10 days. He said if after the 10 or so days, she was still limping and/or still in pain, to bring her back for x rays and such; but he felt sure it was just a small soft tissue problem. I was so thankful. She will be 10 yrs old next month and I was worried that it might have been something more serious. So, she has been resting quite a bit since our visit to the Vet. Still limping, but doesn't seem to be in as much pain.
I went to a Christian rock concert at my church Sunday night. They are a local band (my church is their home church) and are slowly branching out. The concert Sunday night was a CD release concert for the second CD; it's titled "Perspective". They were really excellent and I enjoyed the concert thoroughly. They are a loop band, which was different experience for me, and it was interesting to watch them work everything throughout the concert.
I was equally impressed with their heart for the Lord and their desire to share His word and message with the world. They are a good group of kids who were not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves and share some personal experiences. The groups name is STATION 2. If you would like to check them out and hear a bit of their music, you can find all of that on their website: www.station2music.com. Give them a listen!
Classes start at college two weeks from tomorrow. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. Am taking a full load, 14 hours each quarter this year to get everything done that I need to get done before transferring over to the school where I will actually get my degree. The actual class schedule is not that bad, but it will be a challenge keeping up with that full load. I need to get a backpack, notebooks, pens, and actual school books yet; in addition I need to get my parking sticker (which is expensive, I think) and my school ID. So, I have got quite a bit to do in the next 2 weeks before classes start. I had hoped to have a job by now to help offset some of these costs, but so far, nothing on that front.
I have been a little discouraged about finding a job. There is nothing worse than looking for work, I think. I have tried to do 2-3 or more applications/resumes a week, and am not getting any real bites at all. However, I am not alone in that. I have friends and family who are also looking for work; all of us looking for different kinds of jobs; all of us requiring different pay, benefits etc; and all of us are just not having much success in finding that job. I have tried to stay encouraged, knowing that God is in control. He knows what I need and I am really trying to be patient and trusting in Him to bring about the right job at the right time. My humanness wanted something two weeks ago, but evidently it wasn't in His timing. So, I am doing what I can in finding work and just trying to trust and rely on God to provide what I need at the time that He knows is right.
I will be back into a small group Bible study starting tomorrow evening. It's a group of just women, which is very different for me, but I think it will be a good experience. I have really missed my Beth Moore group, but see some of the ladies from time to time at church and its always good to see them. I don't know what my new group will be studying, but I am looking forward to it.
Our church is starting a series this Sunday on relationships and marriage. They are doing this to coincide with the release of the Christian movie about the same thing, called "FIREPROOF". In some ways I am looking forward to the series and the movie and in some ways not so much. It will be difficult to sit through at times, I am sure, because of what I am going through right now. But, I am also looking forward to whatever God would like for me to learn from or about etc., from this sermon series and movie. So, I am looking forward to it with a little nervousness. God will be there with me though and help me through it and to learn from it. He has been with me every step of the way these past 13 weeks and I know He will continue to walk with me; guide me; direct me; comfort me.
Well, I guess that's about it for this time. I hope that ya'll are doing well and living in the Word. Remember to pray for our country during the final days of this election season; its going to get very intense, I think. Also, if you would remember my cousin who is finishing up his tour overseas for continued protection and safety. We are anxious for him to come home and super anxious to see him!
Ya'll take care of one another. May the Lord Bless you and keep you.
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