So, Rob got "pasteurized" (Pastor-ized) last night. He's officially ordained and as of today licensed!! How cool is that/?? It is waaaaaay cool. We've been praying and waiting and waiting and praying and now HERE WE ARE!! Yay GOd!!! God is so good. I tell you what, never in my wildest dreams did I ever understand or think that God loves me so much. Yeah, we sing "Jesus loves me" from infanthood, yeah we say "I know GOd loves Me" God loves you! BUt hey, let me just tell you what, that part in the Bible where it says he gives better gifts than any earthly father--it's right. The part that says He loves us, it's right. That part that says He wants for us only the best and knows absolutely the desires of our hearts---it's right. God gave us everything we could ever of dreamed of and then some. Right down to what the back yard is like. Where the church is. Where the house is. What kind of house. How much space we needed. Every single detail and some we didn't even know. How could you ever doubt your Father's love when he knows you so well???? I just stand in awesome amazement of the ultimate Dad's love for me. And that's not being overly-familiar---Jesus called Him "Abba" that's like Hebrew "daddy" you know. I love that. I think about that all the time. I have and have had a wonderful relationship with my earthly Daddy and still call him that "Daddy". I am finally understanding that my heavenly Father wants to be "Daddy" to me too. He wants us all to feel that comfortable and close to him. To love him that way. I stand in awe, I kneel in amazement. Last night at Rob's ordination, I stood in front of like 50 some people and cried for 20 minutes or so while 12 different ordained decons and pastors prayed over my husband and I. I hate crying in public. But, there was just no stopping the tears.
Keep us in your prayers, we sure need them now more than ever.
J

We're moving!!!

pray for us as we pack our house. We have too much stuff. We're cleaning out, but hey, 5 people require right much stuff!!! :)
We're getting the truck today, leaving sometime tomorrow. We covet your prayers as we begin this new phase in our lives with anticipation and excitement. Love you all!

YIPEE! YAHOO! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Can you tell??? We got the church. We are thrilled. There was no doubt left in our minds by the time we forced ourselves to leave, that God wants us in that church. Don't know why. Just know it. CanNOT wait to go! We are just bouncing around thrilled...and scared!! Wow. What huge responsibility! Now that we've got the church...we need your prayers that we remain in God's will and serve in the way he'd have us!! Gotta go...waaaay to much to do! :)
Will keep you posted!

I can't stand this quote:

It behooves a father [or mother] to be blameless if he expects his [or her] child to be.
~Homer


Man, Homer must not've had kids... LOL! Ok, maybe he did....maybe he needs to get his nose out of my house! :D

ok. So. Here I sit. Day after tomorrow it all happens. :)
I am So excited. It's almost uncontainable!!! It's like Rob said one day when we were waiting to hear after the interview...."It's not like waiting for a 'yes' or 'no', it's like waiting for an answer you already have!" It's like that in many ways and at many times. SOMEtimes, though. I get scared. What if it's NOT God giving me peace? What if it's NOT God sending me comfort and assuring me that this is it?? What if?Whatif?Whatif? What if the house doesn't sell quickly, I mean hey, EVERYONE loves telling me just how bad the market is, right?? Well. I am choosing NOT to buy into that negative mindset. God DOES love us. God IS big enough to sell a house...no matter where, no matter the market. God IS the one sending us, right? I sure am glad my God is bigger than those worry-warts' god! :) Sorry. That was a bit mean, right? Sorry. I am just in this mind-set that I will not live my life in fear, I will not worry about every little tiny material thing that could go wrong.

I've been cleaning out, you know...what with the most-likely impending move. I am actually getting joy from just dumping stuff. And I mean STUFF!!! I have sent a couple truck loads to the thrift store already. Crazy, right??? Where did all this stuff live, you say? Everywhere. In every crack, crevice, closet, you name it. Man. Who knew it was so liberating to throw stuff out or give it away??? I am having to be careful not to give away stuff I may actually want or NEED! Yes, me. The pack rat. Cleaning out. I do, however, find it amusing that my husband is only somewhat impressed...he just doesn't know the real volume of stuff that has exited this building. I did have a friend suggest a dumpster....of course she was married to a military man...Teeheehee. They keep nothing, right?? Who would having to move so much? Me, I'm a firmly rooted, stay in one spot, kinda girl. Now think about the trauma I'm getting ready for in moving again...after only like 8 years! EEEEK! You have to understand...my parents live in the same house they bought when I was 6 months old. I'm gonna turn 40 in a couple weeks. See? Firmly rooted. I've had family in this county since,oh...I think the mid 1700's...maybe earlier. Firmly, deeply rooted. I've had people in this country since the 1600's!! Crazy, right? There's not many to beat that who actually have the names written down....who aren't native americans. I love it. I like to think about all the names that've gone before me...that they most probably walked where I walk...all that cool stuff. Very firmly, very deeply rooted.
Now my goal is gonna be to become firmly, deeply, positively, absolutely, permanently rooted in the word of God. In HIS love, HIS word, HIS way.
Can't wait. I cannot wait til Sat., Sun. or any of the rest of it. I cannot wait to see the big UHAul or whatever pull up in the front yard so I can start loading boxes!!! Woohoo!!! Well, you all just pray real hard for us this weekend, Rob needs you support the next couple days so he can get his school done and finish the sermon and WE need you this weekend!!! :D You all KNOW i'll post Monday a.m. if not Sun. night! Love you all!
Oh--Tony C--welcome, I clicked the wrong button on fb, can you resend the request? Sorry!

Mercy...

Why on earth does God think I need to learn this lesson? Have you ever asked yourself that? You know, when you feel like you're maybe being picked on? by God? What a dreadful thought!! Some days, when I'm particularly draggy, down, over the whole gotta-get-up thing, i wonder why i'm being picked on. Mostly, I'm ok. I'm not of such a victim mindset that I actually believe God is picking on me, but I am capable of seeing when God is working on me! This broken knee-cap thing--while I don't think God threw me down on the sidewalk (that was a scooter left by a hapless kid)I do believe God can and IS using this experience to teach me. I am learning just how difficult life can be when you lose one little ability--like bending one knee. How hard can it be ? You ask. Try doing laundry for five people in a two story house and putting clothes away and folding clothes etc. w/o bending one knee--ever. Try going to the bathroom while not EVER bending your left knee at all. Try putting a sock on your left foot. Try putting on underpants. I'm not kidding. I'll wait. Just try it. Now think about that elderly person down the road who lives alone. I can guarantee they are suffering from reduced mobility--the kind a hover-round cannot fix. Try running for a screaming, hurt toddler without bending a knee. It breaks your heart. Think about that person down the road who's hurt or just had surgery. Do something nice! Do all those things "church ladies" do. Even if you're not a church lady. Sometimes I get mad at people who say "I don't 'do' organized religion" because I wonder if maybe they prefer "disorganized" religion and I think about church and say, Hey! They really HAVEN'T been to church lately! There's not a thing organized going on here this morning! LOL! Sorry. anwyay, but for those of you who have had bad church experiences...I know you exist, I know bad churches exist, I've even been to some. You can be Christ's body in your community. Take a meal to a neighbor with small kids, just because you can. I can tell you, food is frequently a great way to make friends. Take cookies....just go visit! sometimes being a stay-at-home mom is lonely! New people in your neighborhood? Go visit. It's hard to make friends in a new community. Show the world Jesus' love. Let His light, His love, His concern, His mercy--show through you. That's what is meant by being a "witness". You live it daily. If you're not doing it well--you may just be giving a "bad" witness. No wonder people get mad at church folks. Aren't we often "clique-y"? Don't we have our little groups, and meetings, and studies, and ways we do things and we really DO NOT want that new person messing up a good thing, right? She dressses funny....her kids are loud...That is why we're here. God loves every single person the same. THE SAME!!! Can you believe it?? That's just incredible to me. I can name right many people He should love more than me! Afterall, I'm frequently unfaithful in following EVERY command. I get cranky. I don't love my neighbor as myself...hey, she's cranky too! RIght? No. That's not right!!!! Well, she may be, but have I asked why? Maybe she needs someone to talk to who won't judge her or her grown children for whatever....maybe she's scared....maybe she doesn't really believe the Lord is gonna heal her husband...or her...who knows. We really have to be careful to think of every HUMAN--born or unborn--as someone God dearly loves. Equally.
I love you guys. Keep us in your prayers, we need them.
J

John's Corner of the World: On the art of sacred-cow tipping . . .

Not sure if this link will work, but it's a cool post to read if you have time. J




John's Corner of the World: On the art of sacred-cow tipping . . .