I am one happy Granny!

My new Grandson Mace and his very proud Granny!

Economy

I'm a little tired, I gave up on politics a while back, I gave up on changing things by casting my vote (but I did) I gave up on trying to help people make better choices by preaching at them and have got it in my head rightly so that all of the demise of our country is actually the fault of Christians. Christians that are empty, Christians that are afraid to live in faith, Christians that are afraid to proclaim Jesus, Christians that are afraid to go to the lost, Christians that take children to church, but don't pray for children and with children, Christians that don't understand that the very reason that that live in a free and prosperous country is because God loves America, it was founded on Christian principles, it was a place Christians could worship freely. I think of all the Christian churches, many denominations, yet it is hard to find unity within one. I think we all have a little repenting to do, I think we all need to turn our hearts to Jesus, I think we need to talk to our Lord and Savior about revival in our hearts, before he is going to give us revival in the community, and country. It's funny but the very things that bring us convenience like this computer and Internet, cell phones, the things that should make it easier to communicate, really just steel our time and keep us from seeking out people in the flesh. God help us! I think God is calling and were not answering the phone, were to busy doing what we want to do to serve him. Shame on us! Is God going to bring us to our knees? Is our economy going to get that family, friends and neighbors are dependent on each other again, that families , friends and neighbors are on our knees together praying together for food for our children. Is that what it is going to take for God to show his glory through the Christian. I have felt in my heart for years now that God is disgruntled with America, we have had some small revivals through the hardships of 911, and Katrina, what will it take for a big revival. Do we touch the lives of lost by sending food and clothes to the orphanage, by giving to local charities, no - we might help meet the physical need of people, but do we stop and tell them they can have spiritual fulfillment. Do we share with them how and why we are able to help, because we have a God that meets our needs. Really what it boils down to is do we risk being called crazy, do we actually share our hearts our love of Christ our love for people.

Neighbors

Today the daughter of one of my dear neighbors died, this was her last living child, she is 90 years old and just got out of the hospital Tuesday, after having a bad infection. Anyway, she is Joda's paint instructor and Joda goes down there once a week and paints with this lady and I didn't even know her daughter was ill. My heart ached so bad for her and I started crying as soon as I heard, because I have children and I knew how hard this must be for her. I felt really bad that I didn't even know the burden on her heart and I was telling someone at work about it and how terrible I felt that I had not known of the daughters illness, and that I hated to think of the terrible things people I love and care about are going through and I get so wrapped up in my own little crisis. I told my friend at work that I am like the Israelites that I forget all to fast that my God has already took care of my problems for me and all I have to do is live in faith and love Him and my neighbors, anyway she said to me "Debbie God sent you down here to talk to me, I have been focused on a problem at home that I don't need to focus on and you have walked in and reminded me of how Great is my God" So, I stand in awe of the ways God uses things and people to accomplish his purpose in so many hearts. What is really funny about the whole thing is I don't usually stop at work because I just work two hours in the am and two hours in the evening doing wound care and the patients I needed were busy, like in the shower, or with physical therapy, I actually punched out and decided to take a break and the first person I visited with, reminded me how Great is my God.

On a different note Nick and Sydney are spending the night with me tonight and Nick is wanting me to go to bed with him now. We usually sleep on the fold out couch, but it kills me so I drug up two twin mattresses from the basement and added an egg crate in front of the TV and right now we are watching Sponge Bob, once I made the mistake of watching Happy Feet and Sydney got a bad case of Happy Feet and I thought she would never settle down, anyway I stopped and said a prayer with Nick and he is fast asleep. How great is that! One down one to go, but Joda has gone to the movies with Drew, so I can't really go to sleep till she is safe at home or can I? After all this blogging about faith, I guess I could exercise some and just go slumber with my sweet Grandchildren.

Spiritual Warfare

We are positioned as a force of righteousness if we are dependent on God to manifest himself through the Holy Spirit at all times. The flesh screams to do things my way and many times I revert to this barbaric, sinful nature, yet Thank God through Christ I get to try again. Even when I fail to properly serve God he hears my cries and delivers me from the depths of hell.I stand in awe today that my God is so righteous, so powerful, so loving and kind. The hardest lesson for me to learn is that people are not the enemy, this whole life is a spiritual battlefield. Our carnal nature does not like submitting, to letting God fight our battles. We live in fear of the unknown, so we order up our lives like we want it to go. Every time in my life I have had some sort of God experience that increased my faith, and every time I move closer and more dependent on God, the more I am enabled to serve him, all hell breaks loose. (When I say all hell breaks loose, I mean it in a very literal sense) Satan knows my weaknesses and oh that angers me! He knows exactly what he has to do to get me down, and the stakes keep getting higher as I come to recognize the areas he strikes me in. I should be trembling just thinking about it, yet know that as long as I remain in God and him in me that satan has already been defeated. I have had a trying few weeks, and I did not prevail, but my God did. How great is my God! I cringe to think of the times satan has used me and it brings me to a very humble position that I hope not to forget in the near future. This spiritual battlefield is a different kind of fight and I can only pray to turn into the kind of warrior that brings glory to my King.

Saying Yes to God

It is awesome to look back at your life and see where you were as a Christian 20 years ago, 10 years ago and even 5 years ago, if your growing but if your not, I would have to think it would be kind of sad when you look back. I can see where I have grown during trials, but the really incouraging times is when you see some growth during good times. I go through some growth spurts, but what I want to go through is continous growth, no down time. Moment by moment never ending growth. I have learned some things recently, that when you are reluctant to change roles in the Church body you risk stalling growth for yourself and others. We recently changed Churches and Joda went to visit the old Church and she was impressed to see in just a couple of months how people had grown and stepped up to fill the role she had played in the class. I thought this was such a lesson to all of us that sometimes we get comfortable in our little role and never think for a minute that as long as we stay in the same spot, no one will step up, and how we are not making ourselfs avalible to God in other areas because we have found a comfort zone. We have been very blessed in our new Church body, and have expirenced a fellowship that is a growing opportunity each time we come together and it is so welcomed, it feels less like a town hall meeting and more like fellowship with God. I do not think for one minute that God wants us in our comfort zones, he wants us to be dependent on him to put one foot in front of the other, he wants us to grow in faith, he wants us to get out of the kitchen at least spiritually, he wants more than good deeds, he wants us to make sure that we love every single person he sends our way and give them real food to chew on. The food of life.

Glutton!

We had a great Thanksgiving, Joe, Amanda and Natalie went to Dallas and I missed them, but all in all it was good . I let Keely in my kitchen this year to help me. This is kind of funny, I've never been good at sharing the kitchen, not because I don't want help, not because I'm totally impossible to please, but because I can't think with to much activity in the kitchen and I'm afraid of messing up. I asked Keely to come over on Wednesday and we would bake pies and do what we could to get ready for Thursday. We did and chopped celery and onions for the dressing and made cornbread for dressing. I was bragging about Keely's help and she was like "Yea Mom let me chop the celery and onions" She might not want in my kitchen any more! No- actually she made pies and offered much support. We made eight pies and I sent pies with everyone! It was one of my best Thanksgivings. I even ate more than usual, I think because it taste better when someone else cooks! I am going to start sharing the kitchen more!

Thanksgiving really peeked my interest in my family history this year and I started some research and I have found out that I am a mutt and I found some history I can be very proud of and some that does not make me to proud, and all I really learned is that I hope that someday when one of my descendants look back at me, they can say that she fed people. I have been blessed so, fed so well physically, spiritually, and emotionally, I just hope I can give the same to yet another generation to carry on.

MySpace

I was just thinking how many people have a distaste for Myspace and I understand, but I like MySpace and Facebook, because I can see so easily what the kids are doing and much of the time what they are thinking. They do expose a lot of information. I do think if you have a child on MySpace you should be monitoring them and their friends. Yet I have to remind myself that just because not all of my friends hold fast to my moral standards, nor do Joda's that my way of life is not the only way of life and I am not great about getting out there in the world, and I am not the authority on life styles. However, with that said if you want to date my daughter, you should know I'm looking at you and is the picture you paint of yourself on MySpace really the one you want me to see? Is it the one you want employers,teachers and your Mother or Father to see? I do think that kids tend to put up a profile of themselves that they think the other kids will like, and sometimes they are really as shallow as they look, but much of the time we have to look past some of the surface things to really see their heart. I like MySpace I get to see the kids that my daughter is in contact with.