Shine Today

Christmas is upon us once again. The end of 2008 is just around the corner. I am truly convinced that this year has been the fastest year ever! With all of this, I was trying to figure out what to write since I have not blogged for a bit. And I wanted to focus on this time of year. So much of this time of the year gets focused on buying gifts, decorating and cooking that we often forget the most important thing. I mean, sure, we all know that it’s celebrating the birth of Jesus, but how often do we take time to consider the story? The preparation? One of my favorite stories is found in the book of Luke, in fact, the very beginning- In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered wh

No, not to be jolly, although a group of people think it is. The truth is, this time of the year brings much to the table. Lots of emotions change during this season, not just because Santa is bringing gifts, but because of the focus on Buy, Buy, Buy! And, watch out if you don't buy enough, you must not be a "good" person. Let's face it, why shouldn't our children have the latest? (I hope you sense the sarcasm!). And, let's not forget Thanksgiving - it's all about the food. Well, it's not. It's not about the gifts. It's not about the food. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy making a feast and giving gifts (ok, getting them too!). BUT, too often we miss the mark. We fail to see the needs of those standing right in front of us. And now we have this company who feels it is necessary to take the approach of "why believe in a god?" Fox News has the latest... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450445,00.html It's a sh

We are in a time very different from say 30 years ago. A time where we have the first African American candidate for VP, a first female candidate for VP, a time where same sex marriage is accepted, has been made legal and is now up to change again, an economic...hmm, what should i call it? an economic something. But, through all of this, I heard from a wise woman today. And this is what she has to say about one of the above issues. "You know, as much as God is against the same sex thing, He also doesn't like people who judge. He is our only judge, so why should we, as people, be the ones to make a choice to ban something that someone chooses to be and do? I am not saying it is right, but I'm not going to vote to stop it...I see how much it hurts them. They feel like they're outcasts and aren't accepted in a lot of places just because of a choice they're making personally. Who are we to tell them what's right or wrong? Who are we to stop them f

This is from a gal by the name of Nancy Campbell. She has a ministry called "Above Rubies." Thought I'd share this one... ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." David longed for the "House of the Lord." It was his favorite place to be. But David could not be in the house of the Lord continually, as much as he longed to. He was king of a nation. He had battles to fight; administration to attend to. But dear mother, we have the opportunity to live David's longing. Let me explain. The house of the Lord is no longer one temple as it was in David's day. It is not even a church building where we attend on Sundays or Saturdays today. The house of the Lord speaks of His presence. God wants your home to be His house where His presence dwells; a place where you ab

OK, now that's frustrating.... I was already having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to write, started typing some things and my internet decided to quit on me. So, what I had written I have now lost...not that it was much. So, I will leave it at this - there is much on my mind and I'm having a hard time trying to put it into words. When I do, I will post. Until then, below is a list of things that either really inspire me or stir something unexplainable within me. It may not make a whole lot of sense, but it's what I'm posting... Family pictures Hearing about divorce People having sex before marriage or affairs Relationships Pictures, especially black and white Sharing what is good, truth Wanting people to know God’s truth Fellowship Cooking for others, cooking period Serving Giving: time, resources People who stop going to church People who talk about things & won’t let go Unforgiveness The freedom in forgiving Music Education Movies Seeing people in nee

i want to do what You want me to do i want to be who You created me to be i know that at times i look at things other people do and i get all excited and want to do it. that's mainly because i hear the excitement in them about what they did. it's not necessarily that i want to do exactly what they did, like when i listened to everyone's testimony about the Philippines or when i hear the passion in someone's voice sharing something that happened, or hearing about lives changed. i guess it's that passion i want. that's what it really is - to do things well; to be passionate about whatever i do;to let out that feeling that starts to come alive in side of me when i see, do or hear certain things. i don't know how else to explain it. i've never been able to find the words to make it make sense. and, to begin to say "when i do this...that's when that feeling comes" doesn't mean "that" is what i really want to do. but

ok, give or take a day, but... Planned a visit with my older brother and his family...they were to come out June 10th, but it was a surprise for our parents...boy were they surprised. The reason for this entry though is just to try to put some things in writing...wish i could have recorded every instance where we, the children, almost blew the cover of them coming to visit. Seems like every time we turned around one of us would say something that just brought it too close! Yet, every time, somehow, it never managed to come out that they were coming. Thank you Lord for Your hand, i know it was not us that kept it a secret! i want to remember my parent's face when they saw their oldest son and his family standing there. wish i could describe it in such a way that anyone reading this would be able to picture their faces. it was like they were dreaming, not really sure they were standing there at all...priceless. It's been 7 years since they saw my sister-in-law. and really

Why is it some nights sleep comes without an issue and sleep lasts until the lovely alarm wakes you? and why is it some nights it doesn't quite work that way? last night was one of those nights that didn't work. Even when i went to bed, although i was tired, i couldn't get right to sleep... But, figure i was out by 11pm, 1:30 rolls around...i remember because i was awake. not sure why, just woke up. but i woke up with a feeling to get up. honestly, i usually do anyway. you know, go to the bathroom and just peek in on the kids. so i lay back down, but can't fall asleep. it's not that i wasn't tired. so i move to the couch. 2:30 slowly rolls around...i think a bit, nothing too much, but i think. i started thinking about people in my past, not in a bad way, just people who have come in and out of my life. then, i start to fall asleep. i believe i saw the clock say 3ish...and you know what? i wake up to our fire alarm! talk about waking back up! of c

OK , so i took on the task of homeschooling almost 8 years ago now...whew! My oldest graduated in 2006, my second is a sophomore and my youngest will start kindergarten this fall. Just know a VERY important thing should you decide home school is for you...there is no easy answer! Each kid is different, each parent teaches different. there, i said it. Something that seems so stinking obvious, yet, we seem to forget it when we take on a huge task like homeschooling. Success stories are always good to read though, so here goes. My oldest daughter never really had a favorite subject, that is, until her last year in school. She always did the work, but just never really enjoyed the classes. There was a class that actually had her do a 1/4 semester in each topic - cooking, construction, child care and one other i can't seem to remember. She really enjoyed the cooking and was quite proud of her skill in "planing" a piece of wood (i admit, it looked really nice when s

the things that go through my mind are crazy.. scary.. it’s all suicide, hatred, love. what has become of those thoughts? the actions that have taken place.. you wouldn’t believe. why do i think these? who has made me feel such pain? i feel so much pain. slowly, I am suffocating. it’s like someone is smothering me with a pillow, whispering in my ear, "die." it brings tears. i try to fight back, i try not to listen, but his words are so strong, i start to listen. he whispers more, you’re worthless. you’re a nobody. you’re nothing. no one wants you. no one really cares about you. then he screams, you’re ugly. you slut. you’re trash. look, look at yourself. you’re filth. this seems to be taking over my mind. this, thing, it haunts me, a living nightmare i wake up to. i keep running to the light at the end, but it keeps getting further and further away. i’m grasping for air. i can’t seem to get free from what is suffocating me. my pulse is slowly fading...

Life is about learning. Life is about obstacles and opportunities. Life is about turning failures into opportunities. Life is…do we ever stop learning? Do we ever do something and NOT learn from it? I suppose we could, if we choose to simply ignore it. but truth is, we always learn. Just because we choose to not respond to it or pay attention to what we have learned doesn’t mean we didn’t learn. Our choices dictate our next step for the most part and completely define our future. So, why does it take so long for us to figure things out? Why is it that we can do things over and over with the same results yet think we will get different results? Why is it that we think we can do damaging things in our life without negatively affecting our future? Hmm, key word… T H I N K… ‘to use the mind to consider ideas and make judgments; to anticipate something happening;’ ooh, these are good- ‘to have a conscious mind, to some extent of reasoning, remembering experiences, making rationa