Today is election day. I enjoy excercising my freedom to vote.  What I don't like is the mail in ballets. Honestly, how many people have pencils laying around? If you are not going to school or have children in your home, finding a pencil can be a challenge.  I have pens, I have a computer, I have even colored pencils. But your #2 pencil is a bit harder for me to find in my house.   I was beginning to think I would have to miss this election. Just hoping I would find one before next election in 4 years. But just as hope almost died. I found a perncil,  quite likely  from last election.

This year I have a grandson voting for first time.  Tis makes me feel very old.  Regardless of my weird thinking.  I am thankful we still live in a country that gives us the freedom of worship, to vote and bear arms.  Don't take this freedom lightly.  Pray for wisdom and get out there and vote!

hubbys surprise birthday party

So the kids here had their heart set on a birthday party for papa because it had been so long since they could have one. We wake up this morning and he announces he wants to go out of town for week end. I stopped that by saying I had been so sick and so little sleep. I did not want to do it. Besides I had alot of baking to do.  He could not arge that has I work every day. I needed my Saturday. So we had planned( kids and me) to have party at heidi's after prayer meeting tonight. His mom calls to tell me she overheard him say, he is not going , he needs to study.  Ok this is my man who NEVER misses prayer meeting. We took it in stride. Changed party to our house. and if he decides to go to prayer meeting after all, he will come home to his party.

He was feeling rather sad, that here we move back home and kids didn't even call him.  I told him, oh John usually remembers just before he goes to bed.  Needless to say he was surprised when kids and grandkids are ringing doorbell and singing to him.

All in all, we pulled it off !

God's timing

As many of you may know, my husband has been a bus driver for 10 years.  One of the problems he  had has been frustrating.  When it came to updating his physical every couple years.  He would have low blood pressure till he walked into the dr office and than it would go clear out of acceptable range.  Even the dr said he had what is called white collour blood pressure. A nervsoness of drs and medical world.  When we moved to oregon.  We went to get our new lisence and the clerk recommend that John would keep his cdl on his lisence, because everything transfer. So all he needed was a physical. It would increase his chances for work for next 10 yrs.  It seemed easy enough except for the blood pressure thing.

So John went took the advice..  As he sat on the table talking to the dr, He felt his feet go to sleep like as before.  When it dawned on him, his legs are s horter. so they don't reach comfortably and so cause his legs to go asleep.  He asked the dr if this would cause blood pressure to go up and dr said of course it would. Theychanged how he sat and presto blood pressure was low.

There was a reason why that was never thought of when he lived back in wisconsin but obviously the Lord has something in mind for the future.  There many jobs besides being a bus driver that require a cdl lisence.  We will see what God has in mind.

autumn

...I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, 10th October 1842

Autumn is a favorite time of the year for me.   The crisp feel

in the air. The smell of burning leaves.  I am so happy

to have rain. I love rain ,have always.

There were some years I could not walk in the rain. In 1995 God healed me from MS. The thrill when I could walk again holding up a umbrella...

not loosing my balance.  Every day, I am walking and on my feet with only a 15 minute break in the 5 hours. chasing after kids and sometimes carrying a sad boy. I can only say thank you Jesus for what you have done for me.

Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

Abiding in Joy: Random question

Abiding in Joy: Random question

Random question

Why did the cow  jump over the moon. Do we really care? Will it make a difference in how we view the jersey cow? When does animal control step  in? Your thoughts......

What I am looking forward to

So many things will be happening in Nov-Dec. So many years I long to be with loved ones, doing family traditions. Well that time has arrived.  Cookie baking time, thanksgiving and Christmas meals. The programs, the shopping, the excitement on dear ones faces. I will be doing all that plus work every day and taking classes to help my job.  It will be a busy time but a fun time.

As I sit here this Sunday morning, I reflect on what a great big God we serve.  How much he loves us and longs to do so much for us....if only we let him. This morning our message in church brought out how people are watching us. How they are paying attention to see if our actions live up to what we say.  That loved ones who still may need the lord, can find us faithfully living for Jesus.  Arr we being lifter ups or tearer -downers? Are we encouraging others in the way?

I was challenged to live my life faithfully every day. In the big stuff and the little stuff be All for Jesus.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs;
All my thoughts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
  All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
  All my days and all my hours.
  All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
  All my days and all my hours.

faithfulness

Steve Green sang a song that touchs my heart

Momma,I miss you

Wow , I look at my last post. Its been a year.

Nothing is too big for my God

I am sitting here at my desk enjoying my day.  I am listening to southern gospel music.  The song playing is" nothing is too big for my God"  This week God has shown himself, so amazing in his love and care for me.

relaxing day with my daughter and 3 youngest

Ok, I really love my Saturdays.  Why can't my body know its Saturday,I DON"T want to wake up at 5:00. But here I am bright eyed bushy tailed hanging on to my coffee.

a blessed time with my Lord

Today, I pulled two shifts at work,  due to  so much illness going around.  I was pretty beat,mighty tired.  As  I was coming home from having dinner at moms. I was reflecting on how much God has healed me. I work every day 5-8 hours. Not a sitting job . I am talking about lifting,carrying, running after or consoling little ones.  I love my job. Today, when one of the young girls woke up sick, we prayed for her. I love the freedom of reading bible stories and singing about Jesus.  As I looked up in the sky the most gorgeous sunset and clouds panned the sky.  It was like the Lord smiling down. If the trumpeted sounded I would not have been surprised! I lifted my voice to praise my wonderful Lord.

My daughter was right, blogging is so relaxing.... I think I will do better at it.

Psalms121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

So much fun today

Wow,2 days in row I am posting. Went with our day care kids to pumpkin patch.  Had so much fun.  Esp the cow train.  Lucky for me, my boy wanted to go on it twice.  I an firm advocate of the cow train.  It will chase all your cares away.

A better solution is to cast all your cares upon Jesus.  That works every time.

Home again

So after living in Arkansas for 2 years, then living in Wisconsin for 10 years. We have moved back to our home town church to pastor there.  So exciting to be near our 13 grandchildren and our son and daughter and spouses. The preschoolers we left 13 yrs ago are graduating this next year. Blows the mind.

My thoughts go back to how the Lord knew all about this.  Our bus job became no more.  The company had lost the contract.  In just a few days, we knew we were moving anyhow.

God has been so good.  Both John and I have work. How I prayed about my job.  I am hired to work at a christian day care.  The joy of everyday praying over food. reading bible stories and singing about Jesus. To see how God works when you pray for those you work with.

We have a wonderful church family. Meeting new families that have come since we left 13 years ago. 



Truly it goes without saying, we left friendships once again when we moved.  I am so thankful that in this day and age it is easier to keep in contact with them. Still can share the bible scriptures every morning and prayer requests back and forth.

Heaven is going to be a wonderful place. A place where good byes will no longer exist.  Pain and sorrow will be no more.

I truly am going to try to be better about keeping this up to date. Not making you and promises but I am gonna try.....

Its been over a year since I last blogged.  It has been a crazy learning and waiting on the Lord. He has never failed us.


Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

thanksgiving blessing and my friends

Thanksgiving is here, so our minds have turned
To what time has taught us, to what we've learned:
We often focus all our thought
On shiny things we've shopped and bought.
We take our pleasure in material things,
Forgetting the pleasure that friendship brings.
If a lot of our stuff just vanished today,
We'd see the foundation of each happy day
Is special relationships, constant and true,
And that's when our thoughts go directly to you.
We wish you a Thanksgiving you'll never forget,
Full of love and joy—your best one yet!
By Joanna Fuchs

Friends are the blessings of life. I look back at the many friends I have had thru my life. Thru the good times and difficult times have formed me. You have taught me important lessons. Happy thanksgiving

thanksgiving blessing and my friends

Thanksgiving is here, so our minds have turned
To what time has taught us, to what we've learned:
We often focus all our thought
On shiny things we've shopped and bought.
We take our pleasure in material things,
Forgetting the pleasure that friendship brings.
If a lot of our stuff just vanished today,
We'd see the foundation of each happy day
Is special relationships, constant and true,
And that's when our thoughts go directly to you.
We wish you a Thanksgiving you'll never forget,
Full of love and joy—your best one yet!
By Joanna Fuchs

Friends are the blessings of life. I look back at the many friends I have had thru my life. Thru the good times and difficult times have formed me. You have taught me important lessons. Happy thanksgiving

Thanksgiving blessings

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

The Story Behind Count Your Blessings

Johnson Oatman, Jr. grew up in New Jersey in the middle of the 19th Century singing hymns with his father. His life is a testimony to the legacy left by a loving Father who sings praise to God with his children! Johnson grew up to become a bi-vocational Methodist minister and he wrote over 5,000 hymns, including Count Your Blessings in 1897. Count Your Blessings is considered his finest hymn and for over one century it has been one of our most loved hymns. It’s a song of thankfulness to God that is sung by English speaking people around the world on Thanksgiving Day and all year long.

One writer said about Count Your Blessings, “It is like a beam of sunlight that has brightened up the dark places of the earth.” Early on it was especially popular in Great Britain, where it was said, “The men sing it, the boys whistle it, and the women rock their babies to sleep on this hymn.” During the revival in Wales it was one of the hymns sung at every service.

http://www.soulshepherding.org/author/bill/

Lets make it a year long habit to count our blessing every day. Thank God for what who is and how it changed our life. I would guess right now, the song is going thru your head.