Adorable Giveaway ♥

My friend Kathy at Blessed Beyond Imagination is hosting a Valentine Giveaway! She made this ADORABLE apron just for us!! Isn't that just the sweetest thing!! Yep ~ she's good that way :) So go on over and visit her today, leave her a comment, write her a poem that will blow her away ;) Don't you know it will just make her day. ♥


Love and Blessings

T.G.I.F.

It's FRIDAYYYYYYYY :) Yes, I AM SOOO EXCITED!! Today, I get to stay home ~ No physical therapy ~ no appointments to be at ~ just me and my puppies and I plan to catch up with my bloggy friends and spend some serious quiet time with the Lord today.

It is also Friday Funny day which always makes for some laughs! Today Kim asked for "family funnies" and how very appropriate that is since I am going to share a video of Tyler. He is Jenna's boyfriend and they made this silly chicken cup video and we have laughed too many times. One day Tyler said you need to use that on your blog so here ya go! Hope you enjoy his silliness :0) Be sure to visit Kim for more funnies or maybe even join in with your own!!




Happy Friday

Thankfulness

Please join Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for Thankful Thursdays.


I am thankful for many things ....what exactly ~ you are asking? I will share :)

My new Bible study titled Anointed Transformed and Redeemed with Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur ~ It has already spoken volumes to my heart and I love learning and growing deeper in the Word! Thank you Lord!

Friends ~ I have been able to spend some time this week catching up with some friends ~ having lunch. It seems like I haven't seen anyone in so very long since I was gone for most of December and with the holidays so catching up with them has been such a gift. God has blessed me with such wonderful friends here at home and in this blogging community! Thank you Lord!

Ministry and Church ~ I feel the Lord is leading us back into ministry and into a traditional church. We have been a part of a home church for awhile and this season is ending so we are seeking HIS will and where exactly HE wants us ~ It is fun and exciting to see what the LORD will do!! I am soooo ready! Thank you Lord!


Patience ~ from you all. I have not been able to get around to soooo many blogs and I feel awful. It means so much to me to have your friendship and comments so when I am not visiting you and sharing my heart I miss each one of you, and I feel awful! So, thank you for your patience. I am hoping things will be calming down soon. I will be returning to Florida soon to see my Stepmom. It will be good and very hard to be back at Dads but I know it will also be healing as well. (not sure how that popped up LOL) Please know that my not visiting doesn't mean I don't care ....it just means life has gotten tooo busy and I will be back SOON.
Thank you Lord for my bloggy friends patience.


Mentors in this blogging community ~ I have found some blogging friends that have come to truly be mentors! They are such a gift to me and I learn from them everyday whether it be in their posts or for some the relationship has grown and we email or even talk on the phone. I love this and the fact that I never would have found them if it wasn't for this blogging community. One sweet lady I would like to share with all of you because she is soooo full of wisdom and has an amazing beautiful heart for the Lord is Kathleen ~ The Sassy Granny. She began blogging for her grandchildren, in hopes that her words will inspire them for many years to come. What a heritage she is giving her family but because of the blog I am able to reap these benefits as well! Thankyou Lord for Kathleen and others who are such godly examples and bless me as I sit at their feet learning daily!

I will end with this one ....I am very thankful for Maggie and Tyson becoming friends and playing together, sleeping together and having fun!! I was so worried about Tyson for a few days which I shared in a post but almost immediately after posting that they began playing and he has warmed up to her more and more each day! THANK YOU LORD :)
here is a sweet pic of the two of them sleeping with my son ♥



Love and Blessings,

The Judas Ride

Honestly, I don’t like giving a bad review, but I feel I MUST be honest and I pray that my words will not hurt anyone especially the author.

The Judas Ride was one of the most difficult books I have ever read. One of the main characters is Pastor Manny. I have never known a pastor who behaves in the way this one does. Drinking beer at church while ministering and hanging out with the young men in his church is far from what I would call acceptable. The majority of the characters in this book are teens. The young girl in the story is pregnant but doesn't know who the father is out of two young men. One, is a new Christian and wants to help raise the baby and support her while the other is an abusive young man who also is a drug dealer and gives the young pregnant girl all the drugs she desires. She plays both of them to her advantage, which could be normal for a young girl but it becomes quite ridiculous. The family issues in the story are ones we see unfortunately, far too many times in life but the issues in this book are very dark, deep rooted and very disturbing. That being said, there are times when the characters are in the middle of very strong abuse and then in the next sentence they are acting as if they know Jesus and what HE would say. I don’t understand how this can be and honestly I found myself asking over and over as I discussed this book with my husband how this was able to be labeled as a Christian book. Jesus is with us, beside us, full of Hope, Strength and Love ~ NOT giving up, nor abusive. Yes, these issues are very real and happen everyday but I felt as if this book portrayed more condemnation than it shared HOPE and for me no matter what we face when we have Jesus there is ALWAYS HOPE to face any stronghold ~ NO MATTER WHAT.

After having read this book, In my humble opinion, I don’t feel comfortable recommending it.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Judas Ride

Tate Publishing (December 8, 2009)

by

Peggy Sue Yarber


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Peggy Sue Yarber, PhD in psychology, lives in central California with her husband, two daughters, six turtles and two dogs. She works in the field of education.

The Judas Ride was inspired by her current and previous students. She has seen and experienced and seen similarities between the students and Jesus’ traitor, Judas Iscariot. She has always been fascinated with Judas. Yarber went to a catholic school when she was young and Judas was always portrayed like a mysterious rebel.

She ventures to say, “I guess he was my James Dean of the Bible. But in a good way! In the way that…he did something so wrong so that the entire world could be saved. He had to betray Jesus in order for the rest of the story. I have always wondered what it would be like to not do that one bad thing that would lead to that one great thing. So I had the Vader character sort of run through the paces of Judas.”

Redemption and reality are the two distinguishing features about Yarber’s writing. Not all teens find redemption in The Judas Ride. Yarber considered trying to show the negative outcomes as much as the positive. She wasn’t thinking in terms of positive and negative but she did try to balance the two sides. Yarber says she often sees people daily that , “…have even more screwed up lives than these characters.” Yarber admits sometimes there is not an ending to the madness unless someone dies and then even after the death the ripples still linger. She has written another novel TARE and a children’s book Rocketships to Heaven and the SOS Fuel Station. She loves to run, read, shoot guns and watch her daughters play soccer.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An unwed (and unwanted) teen pregnancy with two possible fathers. Abusive relationships. Drug and alcohol addiction. Rape and molestation. The struggle to understand grace, forgiveness, and free will versus predestination. The Judas Ride hits the road running in the opening pages, where Sonia and Xavier argue explosively about whether Sonia should have their unborn child and about who the father is: Xavier, a struggling Christian, or Vader, an abusive and abused drug dealer. As the pages turn, readers continue to meet a hodgepodge of troubled teens and eclectic characters, including Pastor Manny, a quirky immigrant pastor infatuated with John Wayne. Pastor Manny desires to help the tortured souls in his community but finds that it takes more than unconditional love to reach them. Secrets literally kill in The Judas Ride, an edgy, in-your-your face Christian novel that boldly explores the struggles of modern-day young people.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Judas Ride, go HERE

The Book of Eli

Today I will be sharing a couple of reviews. This morning will be this movie "The book of Eli" and this evening I will share about a book I have read.

First, I want to share a couple of links I was given from Karen Kingsbury's site about the movie.

This one shares a bit on Denzel and how he was so protective of the movie


This next link is in regards to the "R" rating and the language in the movie


So, as for my review ~ What I would share first and foremost is that it truly is an "R" rated movie. The Language is BAD and you don't see any nudity. That said, it is a VERY INTENSE movie with alot of killing and I mean alot. But, the storyline is something that speaks volumes. If you can handle the killing and blood then you will want to see this movie, but if you get nauseated at the sight of blood and gore then DO NOT GO! It is along the lines of Mel Gibsons "The patriot" without the Romance.
Again, though, the story shared with us a determination to Run this Race the Lord gives us until we have completed the task.










Just my humble opinion,

Spiritual Sundays

Who is Your Daddy?

I shared with you all this week that I started a new Bible study with Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer titled "ANOINTED, TRANSFORMED AND REDEEMED" I wanted to share this part with you and pray it speaks as deeply to you as it did in me.

What is it that makes you feel secure? When your in the middle of doing something and fear comes on you ~ what do you do? Who do you call on? Remember how Moses reacted in fear and doubt because he was relying on himself and not the LORD.
Well, David, no matter what he did.... ALWAYS looked to, relied upon, and found his strength and security in the LORD. HE knew who his Daddy was!

I would encourage you to not just read these words but to stand in front of your mirror and ask yourself "Who is your daddy?" and then.....Read these words ALOUD and feel the Power, Love and the Security from your KNOWING who your Daddy is!


Who is your Daddy?

He is the First the Last, the Beginning and the End.
He’s the Keeper of creation and the Creator of all.
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all time.
He always was, always is, always will be. . . unmoved, unchanged,undefeated and never undone.He was bruised, but brought healing;
He was pierced, but eased pain;
He was persecuted, but brought freedom;
He was dead, and brings life.He is risen to bring power and He reigns to bring peace.
The world can’t understand Him, armies can’t defeat Him, schools can’t explain Him and leaders- they can’t ignore Him.
Herod couldn’t kill Him; Nero couldn’t crush Him.
The New Age cannot replace Him and Oprah cannot explain Him away.
You can remind yourself that: He is life, He is love, He is longevity, and He is the Lord.
He is goodness and kindness and faithfulness and He is God.
He is holy and righteous and powerful and pure.
His ways are right, His Word eternal, His will unchanging and His mind is on us.
He’s our Saviour, our Guide, our Peace, our Joy, our Comfort, our Lord, and He rules our lives.
I serve Him because:
His bond is love
His yoke is easy
His burden is light, and His goal for us is adundant life.
I follow Him because:
He’s the wisdom of the wise
the power of the powerful
the Ancient of Days
the Ruler of rulers
the Leader of all leaders.
His goal is a relationship with me.
He’ll never leave you, never forsake you, never mislead you, never forget you, never overlook you,and never cancel you appointment in His appointment book. . . .never.
When you fall,He’ll lift you up.
When you fail, He’ll forgive you.
When you’re weak, He’s strong.
When you’re lost, He is your Way
When you’re afraid, He’s your courage.
When you stumble, He will steady you.
When you’re afraid, He’s your courage.
When you stumble, He will mend you.
When you’re hurt, He’s going to heal you.
When you’re broken, He will feed you.
When you face trials, He is with you.
He’s everything for everyone, everywhere, every time and in every way.
He is your God and THAT, dear friend, is Who you belong to.
by Priscilla Shirer


WOW!!! Powerful stuff HUH!!! Allow these words to wash over you and remind you WHOSE you are

For other Spiritual Sunday posts go here

Friday Funnies

Wow I am soo Happy to be back at Friday Funnies.... I've missed posting a funny :) Hope you enjoy this.....
The girls at physical therapy showed it to me and I knew it was JUST perfect for today! Enjoy and please go visit Kim for more laughs and have a blessed day ~ TGIF ~

Anointed Transformed and Redeemed....and a sweet girl named Maggie ♥

Well I am happy to report that we indeed have our new boxer puppy! :) Her name is Maggie Mae and she is a doll! She is sooo smart! Our Schnorkie Tyson, is not exactly pleased with us so I am hoping they will become friends SOON! I hate that he is upset! I am soooooo thankful that the temperature has gone up ~ we had a heat wave ;) It is going to be in the 50's today and well folks ~ that is far better than the teens for potty training if ya know what I mean. Someone asked me if Maggie was hyper or calm....I said well, it depends on her mood LOL. She is feeling more and more comfortable in our home so we are seeing more of her personality and I can tell she is strongwilled to say the least.

The one area I have failed in already is the night time crate thing....she HATES being apart for even a second and if we wanted to sleep AT ALL then she was going to have to be in our bed. Seriously, the first night this is how it went.....every 20 min. she would yelp like she was being beat or was petrified ..... but because I was determined I let this go on until 1:30 in the morning and finally I caved. Last night I knew what we were in for so she only stayed in her crate for 30 min and we put her in bed with us....I don't know if maybe I should put her in the garage in the crate so that at least we couldn't hear her AS WELL but I know we are going to have to do this just like when you had your baby and they had to "cry it out" I know there is an end to it and all will be better off :) Maybe it will be better to start it over the weekend when we can sleep in if she finally relents ???

Things have been sooo busy around the house....Having to go to rehab sooo much is catching up with me...I feel so behind in everything around the house and even here on blogging. So please forgive me if I haven't visited you or commented lately ~ I feel awful and hope to catch up SOON

I start a new Bible Study tomorrow and I am soooooo EXCITED! Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer have given us this Bible study titled Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed. I know it will be amazing as always. It is a study of David and I have done Beth's other study on David and WOW WOW WOW ~ it was amazing so I have great expectations of this one as well!! David is one of my favorite people in the bible. He is so real and his HEART....Oh to have a heart like his. He is so humble, so transparent, so repentant! HIS WORSHIP!! SIGH....Thankyou Lord for this amazing example ~ take me deeper Lord as I learn more of this godly man who loves and adores you in every way



Bless you all and may you experience HIM in a powerful way today ~ HE knows just exactly what each of you need and desire

Isn't she ADORABLE!!!! Well, I will know in just a few short hours if she will be coming to live with us today or not......We are HOPING, PRAYING, and well just HOPING some more that it will be so :)

I have been wanting a boxer puppy for quite some time now and this opportunity came about. She is 7 weeks old today and will be going to the vet this morning and if he says she can go ....I will be getting a phone call. My kids are so excited .....I am SO EXCITED :) We can't wait. I am so glad it will be warming up this week into the 40's at least so potty training won't be AS BAD ;0) trying to do this when it's 3' would have been a bit much!


I pray everyone has a blessed Monday and a wonderful week....Please don't forget to be in prayer for Denise and her lovebug Eddie and our friend Erica is out looking for a job and needs your prayers as well! Ron and Alle too! and for a whole other list visit my friend Beth who has a prayer blog .....Many are in need today so please join in and help lift them to the Throne Room!


Love and Blessings to you all!

Spiritual Sundays

Being a New Year many people set new goals and some seek the Lord in new endeavors. Some plow head first into doing what they 'THINK" is what the Lord wills them to be doing. I have been guilty of this numerous times...Some times it works out and others well it is clear it was my Flesh and my Will that was operating and not the Lords. Was it wrong? Yes and No. Did the Lord work it out? Yes but I must say this....it was after I repented and slowed way down seeking where I went off in my direction and why I didn't do things in HIS ways/timing. Why was I so impatient....Did I not trust you Lord? Do I seriously think my ways were going to accomplish the best results? Do I convince myself that I had a clear YES from the Lord or do I ignore those promptings the Holy Spirit gives me..... It is my hopes for myself that in this new year I hear and OBEY what the Lord has for me. It is my hopes that I lead those I love to have this desire....namely my children. I wanted to share this devotional with you in regards to these types of situations....It speaks VOLUMES.....From Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I am WITH YOU AND FOR YOU. When you decide on a course of action that is in line my MY will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don't be discouraged ~ never give up!
With MY help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with ME, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, an omnipotent.

Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come. One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to ME and do things MY way, ask ME to show you the path forward moment by moment. Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let ME set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in MY presence.



One thing I have experienced in doing things in my way is that if I don't obey, If I don't listen....I can guarantee I WILL be back around this mountain AGAIN AND AGAIN until I do things the LORDS way :) until I pass the test

For other posts on Spiritual Sundays please go here ....also if you would like an opportunity to help another blogger in need please go to Rosels blog here and help in whatever way the Lord may lead you

May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying