What I won!

While I was away last week I received some prizes that I had won! I had entered a few book giveaways.....(Let me just add this was BEFORE I became a book reviewer ) :) anyhoo ~ Clif at Musings of a Minister
is one of my favorite bloggers and he is an independent book reviewer and is able to review ALOT of books. He has many giveaways so if you like to read you will want to check out his blog and enter his giveaways for sure! I won 2 books
"God will do the Rest" by Catherine Galasso-Vigorito. This book really spoke to me and I can't wait to dig in and read it. I also won
"The Woman who named God" by Charlotte Gordon. Clif told us that this book will get you out of your box.....well I live that way :) He said it was one of the most challenging, provocative and informative books. He also shared that there are some things that will scare some Christians with the verbage so he clearly warned us. I assured him that it would not scare me and I also can't wait to dig into this one as well! So Thankyou Clif for allowing us the opportunities and doing such an amazing job of reviewing books for us :) I am blessed to be your follower

I also one the (IN)courage TSHIRT! I was so thrilled to receive this and hope this picture does it justice. It is a very nice tshirt and I twisted it so you could see the scripture on the back of the shirt! I know some will say I should have modeled it but everyone is away so it just didn't work out. If you all are not followers of the (In)courage website I really recommend it.....I am (in)couraged daily!

When I went to my mailbox I got yet another card today from my friend and (sister, because we are sooo much alike) It just made my day! I took my honey to the airport this morning and it was raining like CRAZY and you know my son said last night....Mom, do you realize in the past 4 months we haven't all been together for more than a week and a half, and now dad is going away tomorrow.....Made me sad. My son wasn't complaining but he is just sweet that way so I was just sad to say goodbye yet again, so coming home and getting that card was a bright spot in my day :) Thanks Kat, I love you dearly




I also won this award today from Kat at Heart2Heart



Anytime you win an award particularly one that is about friendship it is humbling! This Blog world has been such a blessing and to say that I have found friendships that are so special is truly not even the half of it! We are a circle of friends ~ a family, a body of believers, a group of prayers warriors, brothers and sisters who love support and encourage one another with our stories, our comments or posts that particular day! Thankyou Kat and to all of my followers please know that I want you to have this award because each one of you completes this circle!

love and blessings to you all

September 8, 2009

For Today...

Outside my window... sunny, humid but in the 80's

I am thinking... how thankful I am that my Dad had a better day yesterday eating 3 meals and walking around which was a TOTAL switch from how I left him! How much there is to do in these next couple of weeks....my daughter is turning 17 on Friday :( my husband is traveling 3 days each week for these next couple of weeks and my surgery is scheduled next Friday. Lord teach me to make the most of my time!!! :) thanks KAT

I am thankful for... the Lord and His presence and speaking to powerfully to me, my family and friendships!

From the kitchen... roast, potato, carrots and then simple since hubby is away, then birthday celebration but don't know what that is yet ......ah teenagers ;)

I am wearing... comfy clothes to work around the house today

I am reading... oh mY!!! When I got home I had received 2 books I won :) thanks Clif and one that I got from SarahMae's like a warm cup of coffee called Grace of for Sinners ~ wow! amazing read so far and then still Nancy Guthries Hearing JEsus speak into your sorrow....continue to go back to it

I am hoping... to get a plan for this birthday party and some organization for while I am down.....meals, cleaning done etc.

I am praying... for my Dad, my friend Beth and Jimbo & family,who just lost their friend JD and for his family and wife Lois, for Alle and Ron, Mary and her daughter, my friend Nicole and a friend here Tonya who had just found out she had colon cancer but she had surgery 2 weeks ago today and I saw her at walmart yesterday praising the Lord and looking awesome! and for my husband in his job and all my LOAM girls.....love them! Kats mom, Rosel and the young boy Andrew!

Around the house...

One of my favorite things... the hint of fall is in the air.....football has started and I am sooo ready to start making soups and break out the hoodies and have a campfire

A few plans for the rest of the week... being all the God wants me to be, doing all He has for me to do, hearing HIS voice and obeying the call!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you..



My daughter, our athletic trainer (on the right) and her best bud LIZ

Love and blessings to you all

Spiritual Sundays

This week has proven to be one of the most precious yet hard weeks I have experienced. To say I have been crying out to Jesus is an understatement. My emotions have been on a rollercoaster and getting on that plane tomorrow will be one of the hardest things I have done EVER. Today Dad has had a really rough day. He is weak. He is feeble. It is so hard to watch my strong Daddy who has fought this so valiantly just not have the strength to do so right now. I soo appreciate Nancy Guthrie who takes Gods Word and speaks to us in a way that is so comforting in her book called "hearing Jesus speak into your Sorrow." These words are taken from Mark 15:33-34, Matthew 28:20, Mark 6:50, John 16:13-15, John 14:16-26 and John 1:14. This is titled
Hear Jesus Speak to you as HE reminds you He is with you! I praise HIM that HE has been with me this week, with my Brother and Stepmom and especially with my Dad even though they may be unaware....HE IS! Thankyou Jesus.

I know this situation you're going through can cause you to wonder if God, our Father, has abandoned you, if he has left you alone. But you can be confident that he will never turn away from you or leave you on your own. Anything and everything that could come between you and the Father was placed on me when I hung on the cross. It was then that he turned away from me ~ but only so he would never have to turn away from you. He abandoned me that day so he could open his arms to you forever. And he will never let you go.

Even though you may sometimes feel like you are on your own, your feelings don't tell the whole story. You are not on your own. I am with you always ~ in every situation and in every moment. In your darkest, lowest experience. I am right beside you. When everyone else falls away, I will still be here. So you don't have to be afraid.

My HOLY SPIRIT is with you and within you. HE is the one who helps you hear my voice and understand it. He is the Counselor, showing you what is true and what is false so that you can embrace the truth of who I am and what I'm holding out to you. HE is the Advocate who turns the words on the pages of your Bible into something powerful and personal that can penetrate your soul and change your heart. He is the Comforter who soothes your troubled thoughts with whispers of my love for you.

Whenver you feel alone, remember that I came to make my home with you. I'm here with you even now, and I will never leave you.

Don't you just love how Nancy puts Gods words into these personal beautiful words .....I pray if anyone is having a rough week that these words will wash over you with Gods promises and HIS love will comfort you.

For other Spiritual Sundays posts please visit Charlotte and Ginger here
Love and blessings to you all!

thankful Thursday

Laurie is hosting Thankful Thursday for the month of September. (WOW, is it really September....I had to think about that before I typed it :)...)
Her theme is in regards to us slowing down.

Today I have MUCH to praise the LORD for and to be oh so thankful for!

My Heavenly Father , that has over and over pointed me to HIS Word....on peace and rest. To Jesus, who, as I cried out surrendering this day & interceding on my Dads behalf and crying out for Salvation ~ that He was too and reminding me this is our Fathers Will and to the Holy Spirit that literally held me, arms around me with a love and peace that truly passed all understanding and I knew no matter the outcome of the day HE was with me!

My friends here and at home who have reached out to me, via text messages, emails, phone calls or even messaging me on Facebook letting me know they are praying, they love me, and are intereceding on my dads behalf. to know and experience this is so humbling....some have never even met me or my dad yet they carry us to the foot of the Cross and ask the LORD to heal, to save, to cover. It is just overwhelming and to say I am thankful is not nearly enough!

My family ~ My husband who amazes me because he has a beautiful perspective on my Dad that just is seriously like a kiss from God. My husband and Dad are so much alike in ways so when I am having a difficult moment my husband will share a perspective that totally and completely turns all of my thoughts to complete compassion for my dad. He has done this time and time again and I just thank the Lord for my husband. and my kids. Oh my ~ they miss me but they tell me how glad and thankful they are that I am here and able to spend this time with Daddy. they are precious and their prayers this week have just amazed me along with the wisdom they share when they know I need to lay some of this stuff down. :) Thanks guys, I love you all so very deeply much

and to the results of todays tests!!!! HOLY MOLY! I Praise you Lord. I told you all about the nausea my dad has been experiencing and the Dr. feared that possibly the cancer had spread. Well, we got a clear brain scan !!! HALLELUAH!!
There is no swelling and no growth to the existing spots on the brain, in fact one spot has altogether disappeared!
After this news Dad met with another Dr. and he prescribed a stronger nausea medicine and will do this for a week or so and see how this works. All of this I am sooo thankful for and I have to say my Dad is as well! He knows how many were praying and I know God is sooo at work! I am resting in that!

Thankyou, each one of you for being amazing vessels of Love and encouragement for the Lord. For being amazing prayer warriors and friends that have become just like family! I love you all and Praise the Lord for each one of you!

tests tomorrow

First let me share with you all that my post from yesterday was at the moment very accurate. Seeing my dad was wonderful and he was doing really good but very quickly things change when you are battling the things he is. Lung Cancer is enough I think but then you add pulmonary embrolysm to it and the lack of oxygen and extreme fatigue life can be a challenge to say the least.

I shared with you all that my dad has been experiencing nausea and apparently it is extreme and he has been throwing up as well. I didn't know the extent until later in the day yesterday and was very thankful for the appointment that I knew was coming today with his oncologist. Upon hearing the news of his nausea she has decided to run some tests first thing tomorrow because this is not normal or because of the treatments (chemo or radiation). I will let you all know when I can but I just really need your prayers. Again, if anyone is new to my blog my first prayer for my dad is accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. and second is his health. With JEsus all things are possible. With Jesus we are overcomers. With JEsus we are new creatures and forgiven and washed white as snow. With Jesus we have Eternity and I want my Dad to experience the LOVE and have that gift and know the sacrifice that was made for him!

Thankyou all sooo very much! It means so much and I know there is such a need for prayer right now! such a need.....my friend Beth has a page that had great needs for prayer warriors and we need to be praying for Andrew the young boy with the brain tumor! We must not be defeated by all this but dig deep and claim our Spiritual Authority knowing God has each one in the palm of HIS hand!

Bless you all!

I made it

Yesterday was a long day. Let's just say I had opposition everywhere I turned. In the physical and in the spiritual realm. At least, this time I wasn't "fearful" traveling by myself. As I sat in Dallas for the 3 hour layover I wasn't able to connect to the internet bc I don't have an air card but I do have my IPHONE :) I was able to read from my Kindle and check in on Facebook. Lisa Shaw I love you and appreciate your prayer that you were led to put up as your status. God really spoke to me and I knew that these trials that had come against me were no coincidence. For heavens sakes I stood in the shower yesterday morning crying out for God to "ANNOINT me in the ways HE wanted and said HERE I am LORD: send me, use me. I am yours; let me glorify YOU"


As I was on my final plane so I took a piece of paper and wrote out a prayer and laid down the offenses that came and what lied ahead and just asked the Lord to forgive me and to let me walk in the Spirit!

I didn't see my dad til this morning. What a beautiful wonderful joyful sight to see! My daddy sitting on the couch with his blanket working away on his computer :) To think last week at this time we didn't even know if he was going to make it! but I think He looks really good. He has lost alot of weight since I left a couple of weeks ago and has the oxygen but overall I just wanted to tackle him and hug him and never let go :) His biggest hurdle is his appetite. Food just doesn't even taste good but he is trying! His throat is feeling better every day which i such a gift and he is really doing good hydrating himself! We get to see his oncologist tomorrow which wasn't suppose to happen until Sept 11 so I am thrilled to get to do that!


For now I am cherishing each moment so please forgive me if I don't get around to alot of blogs this week ~ I will if he is sleeping but I just don't know what to expect just yet and I want to spend each moment with him

love and blessings to you all

spiritual Sundays

There is no place so desolate that you cannot find ME there. When Hagar fled from her mistress, Sarah, into the wilderness, she thought she was utterly alone and forsaken. But Hagar encountered ME in that desolate place. There she addressed ME as the Living ONE who sees me. Through that encounter with MY PRESENCE, she gained courage to return to her mistress.

No set of circumstances could ever isolate you from MY loving PRESENCE. Not only do I see you always; I see you as a redeemed saint, gloriously radiant in MY righteousness. That is why I take great delight in you and rejoice over you with singing!

Gen 16:7-14 (amp) Psalm 139:7-10; Zephaniah 3:17
Jesus Calling

Thankyou Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays


May each of you be blessed on this Sunday

Book Review

This was my first introduction to this Best Selling Author and Women of Faith Speaker, Sheila Walsh and I have to say....I like her, I really like her.

Sheila's Book "Let Go" came at a very appropriate time in my life, but isn't that the way the Lord works if we allow HIM to and are aware of His voice speaking to us. This book is about women living free of the burdens we all know and experience at different times in our lives. Sheila knows there are times that as women we may feel "overworked, overcommitted, overtired or underappreciated." What do you do when you are walking through those times? Who do you turn to? Who do you seek assistance from or whose voice do you long to hear?

In this book "Let Go," Sheila shares topics ranging from deliverance, Gods grace, judgement from others and judging ourselves to letting go of our past ~ bitterness, unforgiveness, and making peace with those things that have happened in our lives so that we can live the life we are called to. Often times when dealing with these issues we "feel" we are in a dry desert and it is then that temptation comes a knocking. Her chapter on dealing with temptation is excellent and even her view of crying out for a miracle (which I have been guilty of alot lately) she speaks pointedly about: "Jesus knew: miracles don't change hearts. Obedience does." Sheila says:
"I don't know what situations you are facing right now, but I know that Christ our Saviour has left his footprints in the desert sand for us to follow. What Satan tempts us with is never what we are really longing for. It may appear to meet a need at the moment, but it will just take us deeper and deeper into the wilderness. Christ's steps keeps us close to the heart of God."

Sheila has given you questions at the end of each chapter along with scripture verses and even a prayer regarding each subject. As with everything what you put into it~ that~ you will get out of it. Spending quiet time in the presence of the LORD and searching to get to the root of these questions can be very powerful and truly you can find yourself free of so many of these burdens along with the tools to keep you from becoming overburdened the next time they come your way.

I recommend this book to any woman young or old or for any group of women who might be looking for something during the interim time when your bible study might be on break!

Awards

I have been blessed with two awards that are very special to me

This one came from Christy Rose



It is the Loyal Friend and visitor award. This is the exact thing I have experienced from all of you this week especially. While I haven't been visiting everyone as much this week you all have remained to come here and share your love, prayers, encouragement and have been completely LOYAL to me and I am so grateful and humbled! If you all don't know Christy Rose please go visit her here YOU WILL LOVE HER and learn so much from her. She is an amazing mother and wife and has a gift of teaching no matter the subject! Thankyou Christy! Your loyalty and friendship is such a gift.

This award came from Andrea at Arise 2 Write




If you know Andrea you know what a mighty prayer warrior she is. And if ANYONE is in need of being prayed for ~ you will most likely find out from Andrea. She has such a heart for intereceding for people in need and the Lord uses her in a mighty way! She just doesn't share the needs, she also contacts Edie and helps in getting those prayer buttons you see. Edie does the work and what an amazing job she does but Andrea plays just as much of a role and I know as a person who has experienced seeing the power of prayer by so many that I don't even know It is truly inspiring!

Honestly, I am constantly inspired by each of you, your loyalty of those who follow me, those who just leave loving or encouraging comments so I am offering these awards to all of you .....seriously if you haven't received them please post them and receive them in love! One other thing I would like to point out. The most inspiring award was made by Kats (heart2heart) daughter. Isn't that awesome! What a sweet and special award to receive!!

Blessings to all of you and Happy Friday everyone!

thankful Thursday

It is Thursday again...wow! Iris has many joining her today on this day in which we offer our thanks so please go see others grateful hearts and join in if you want!

Today I am thankful to say....

The are allowing my Dad to go home!!! He is going home on Oxygen but it is only when he is up and around. His spirits are great as usual and he is proven to be a fighter no matter what comes his way! This I am so thankful for!

I am thankful to be returning to Florida even for a week! and this time my brother will be joining me the latter part of the week! wahoo!

I am thankful for the gift of friendship! I have been blessed with the love of my friends here at home and by so many of you in the blog world! I see the Lord in each and everyone of you and it humbles me and fills me with so much LOVE!!

I am thankful for the gift of a handwritten letter.....how many times do we make the daily walk to the mailbox and pull out nothing but ads, bills, and yet when you see a special stamp and stickers :) along with your name handwritten you know you what a joy that can bring! Inside I received a note from my dear friend Kat at HEART2HEART. She sent such encouragement and love and it just made my day!! Thankyou Kat

I am so thankful that my kids are adjusting to school so wonderfully. They have great teachers this year and truly are enjoying school so far!!

and to the Lord..... I am so thankful for HIS daily and sometimes hourly touch, word, peace and overall assurance that HE is with me, strengthening me and allowing my honest and transparent worries, fear and concern over these past few days to just be covered by HIS grace and mercy. He is Faithful and JUST. HE is LOVE. HE is my STRONG TOWER and knows that while I may allow these things to enter my mind or consume my thoughts at times HE waits for me to crawl into HIS lap, HE longs to bring me security and hope and for me to understand that NO MATTER WHAT .....HE IS WITH ME.