The Plan For Significance For This Day

I wake up each morning around 5am, and I am greeted by the God of my heart.  Sometimes the night has been long and seemed difficult.  Sleep, for several reasons often alludes me.  I have chronic pain, due to a lifelong illness, which has been my constant companion since childhood, and as the years pass, this disease process takes more and more.  Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy, and all the pain and suffering has taught me, and may the Holy Spirit this morning bear the petitions of my heart before the altar of my Heavenly Father, whose name I claim because of the blood sacrifice of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, which covers all my wrong doing .  The physical pain of my own lifetime has made in my heart a place of understanding and compassion for others who must go the same way as I.  In prayer this morning I think of that dear Saint of God, and my dear friend, Canon Andrew White, Vicar of Baghdad, and the daily struggle he endures to triumphantly meet each day, and take the high ground for the Lord.  Warriors come in all sizes, shapes, and forms, and many use a cane.  I lift him up this morning in prayer, asking the Father to meet the needs of his day today.  To give him strength physically and mentally to engage the enemy, minister to the flock, champion the needs of God's church in Baghdad, and to struggle for the ground of peace, and at least momentary reprise from the death, violence, and pain which mankind has brought to the Middle East.  Even so, let your will be Father, and Your plan brought to fruition as You claim the eternal victory and bring the everlasting peace.

I ask you God of my life, keeper of my soul, light which has brought me through so many times of darkness, when I did not know my way, did not understand the events around me, or see the road ahead, to take the day before me, guide and direct me, show me Your way and plan for the use of this day.  May, Father, I see and know Your will and purpose.

Be with Father God, my sweet husband, empower him for the noble and difficult task to which You have called him.  He is Your servant, from his childhood, his heart has been Yours.  As always, I think of David, Your Soldier, and one you called to lead, how he too in childhood, chose to love and serve You, and of the devotion of his lifetime to You Father.  I think of how You loved him, made provision for him, kept his life for Your purpose and use, and I ask that same love, grace, mercy, and wisdom for my own "David."  Thank You Father God for all the events, people, struggles, difficulties, trails by fire, and blessings which You have used to shape his life, and fulfill Your destiny for his life.  Keep him in the shelter, protection, wisdom, and safety of Your love this day.

I think of the names and faces of each of our children, and I thank you Father for the fulfillment of Your promise in each of their lives, I think of our Brian, how you are raising him up, your servant.  Continue Your work in his life, hold him safe, bring him home to us at Christmas.  Bless Becky this day, and her Andrew, draw them both each day to Your love and direction for their lives.

Be with William Father God, his way is dark and difficult, may it be made by Your love, that ultimate path to light, may it bring him to his knees and the realization that only Your ways, Your love, Your wisdom triumphs in the end.

Father God, be with my Jared, it staggers me God to be in the knowledge of how great Your hand of protection has been on his life.  Father, keep the hounds of heaven on his trail, make him the man You have always desired and faithfully draw him to be.  Continue to call him to his destiny.  May your hand be upon his sweet Misty, who brings strength and honor to his life. May Your Still Small Voice be ever in their hearts.  Be with their precious children, Father how I love them, how unique and special each of them are, how tender their hearts before You God.  Our Tristen, tiny Warrior, Conqueror, possessed of  such courage, be with him Lord, lead, guide, and direct his life, make him ever conscious of Your presence and help in every moment of his life.  Thank you God for my beautiful Avery, and Kenna Bear, how I love them, how precious are the moments I spend with each of them.  Be with Christopher, what a beautiful soul he is before You, what greatness lies within him.  Bring it to fruition Father, and my sweet and beautiful Jo Jo, thank you God for all you did for my heart through her this last time I was able to enjoy holding her.  I will treasure always her little gift, it meant so much to me.  Give Jared wisdom to know the way for this family, judgment to lead them in the way that is Your way, provide for them first concerning their eternal lives, and to do his part to stamp Your likeness upon their young lives.  Give him power over the words of his mouth, let them be chosen by You Father God.

Today you bring to our household a woman whose heart is broken, who is in need of Your love, care, and direction.  You bring also her child, also in need of Your love and care.  We are humbled before You God that You have brought her to us to meet her needs through use of our resources which were always Yours Heavenly Father.  Be with me this day, guide my actions, use my energies and others resources You have gifted me with.  Minister to her, make her know the welcome she has, the home she has here, the shelter from the storm.  May Your love for her shine through my actions and efforts in Your name.  

Father, time calls me to the work of the day, You know the needs of each of my children, my sweet grand-children, my dear parents, sisters, and their children and spouses.  Father, You know their lives, their standing within Your grace, call them to it.  Father, be with Vickie, call her heart to Your comfort and care.  Be with those Viking Warriors, may Your purpose and will continue to work in their lives.  May those young men, especially Tim Donley, remain servants and Warriors, whose every need is upon Your heart each day, and so I know it is.  Bathe them in the consciousness of Your love, care, and direction, give them access this day to the incomprehensible power that is Yours to give for their lives today.

Father, in the knowledge of Your love for me, where You have brought me thus far, and in the acknowledgment that without You, this day will be one of defeat, and with You, one of victory, I dedicate my steps, my heart, my energies, my love to You to use as You will.  Empower me for Your eternal purposes, Your plan for my life, and Your soon coming Kingdom.  Amen.

It is Hard to Title These Posts

You just have to see this, then you will understand... but what do you call the experience of viewing this story?  I love words, but I have none...

This is Way Worth the Read

http://leahnessransomed.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/a-scientific-explanation-for-evil/

Jose Canseco, It is Now Clear, Kinapped My Goat

You all know from  my previous blog post, that while I was gone 10 days from home, somebody put my goat, Rocket, in the house, with the dog, Patti, and the cat, Bluejay, and they were locked up in the house for about 4-5 days until the ranch hand found them.  Yep, that is obviously what has happened... see the following link....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511342/Jose-Canseco-pulled-diapered-goats-car.html 

See, I told you so... Jose Canseco kidnapped my goat, took her on a road trip to Florida, and like in O Henry's story, The Ransom of Red Chief, she was too much trouble so he and the girl friend brought her back and mistakenly put her inside the house...  He must be a real red neck, that doesn't know any better than putting a miniature goat in the house... 

Now try and tell me that goat in the back of that car isn't my goat Rocket!  I even know the motive for the kidnapping...  Everyone knows Rocket is the famous "Peek a Goat" of You Tube fame...  She has been on FOX News, the Red Eye Edition, and I am told she is a favorite of Ellen DeGeneres.  Canseco  just can't get famous enough...  He has to abduct the star of Soldier's Heart Ranch!  I can hear the children crying now!!!  Shame on him and that girl friend of his!  

 You know how we women love drama... so I'm making lemonade out of lemons, and now going with Canseco kidnapped my goat.... took her on a road trip to Florida, then decided she was too much trouble and brought her back... and put her in the house along with the dog and the cat...  It makes for a much more interesting story...

Yep, I can see the advantage of this story... well except with the insurance adjuster.. he's already a little skeptical about the whole thing.

Well, back to shampooing the carpets... goats gives a certain undesirable air to the formal dining room and Thanksgiving is coming, and I am going to have a lot of company... not to include Rocket, Patti, or Bluejay... but especially Rocket, the Peek a Goat...  Again, shame on you Jose...  You can't have her, get your own star goat!

http://youtu.be/1azLzLxYluY

When You Just Can't Believe This Happened to You

This evening I was surfing and found a cute little blog about five things that should not be in the house.  None of her picks topped mine.  I was recently out of town helping my daughter move for about ten days, on about day six I got the heart stopping news that the ranch hand had found out where our goat named Rocket, our outside dog named Patti, and our cat named Bluejay, (all of whom had been missing,) had been.  Someone had stolen the air-conditioner out of the window in the den, and let them in the house, then closed the window.  The ranch hand had gotten them out, and when I asked the condition of the house, after a long pause, he just replied, it was bad... 
real bad...

After cleaning for days now, I am ready for the professional goat odor removal man to come... It is less than a week til Thanksgiving and a house full of guests...

Evidently, they tried to make scrambled eggs... 

unsuccessfully tried to make scrambled eggs...

Bless her heart, Patti, (the dog,) only used the formal dining room as a potty.

Nothing was missing from our home, but note the 

 handgun from our gun cabinet left out on a sofa.

                                                                                   
They really enjoyed this recliner...

                                                                             

 Of course it isn't a party without chips!  They seemed to have enjoyed

                       the Cool Ranch Doritos best, they ate two bags of those.

 

There was so much more damage, but the worst was, 

Rocket ate my favorite hat!

Find This Web Site, You Will Be Inspired

 

I love the scripture that says, "A three fold cord is not quickly broken," which represents God's promise that a marriage anchored in His love has an advantage.  Certainly the marriage of this young couple portrays this love anchored in His love.
My husband served 30 years, two of those years in Afghanistan and Iraq.   We have son-in-law who didn't have a wife when he was seriously wounded in Iraq in 2003, so I have some knowledge of the sacrifice this young couple has endured.  I am sure the young Soldier in this video knows the blessing that a godly wife brings to the life of a man.

To avoid his mother being upset and worried, our son-in-law didn't even tell her he had been wounded as he recovered for months at Ft. Sam Houston, about four hours from where she lived.  How lucky this young Soldier is, and how lucky my son-in-law is today, for God has gifted him with a loving wife, and her whole family's love and respect as well.  He is a hero, as is this young man, in every sense of the word.  He suffers still today the physical effects of his wounds, although they are not readily visible, but his heart long ago triumphed over them.  

My husband continues to serve in Iraq with the State Department, determined that the ground gained in Iraq and Afghanistan against terror in the world, and those who commit it, will not be lost.  Today in Afghanistan our troops are still on the ground, still in harms way, still sacrificing every day.  Keep them, and those who struggle, having paid the price for the ground thus gained, in your prayers, and look for ways which you can support them now.

From 1 Corinthians 13

New International Version (NIV)

 1.  If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 

 2.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

 3.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 4.  Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 5.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

 6.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

 7.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 8.  Love never fails.  But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; whee there is knowledge, it will pass away.

 9.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10. but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

11.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;  then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13.  And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love. 

Amie's Birthday

My daughter turned 40 on Saturday, and we had a birthday party for her.  I know the tradition for a 40th birthday is to do it in a black theme, but I love glitter and color, lots of bling, so I compromised with this theme.  She loved it!

Three of my children, and my parents, live in Sweetwater so I made the long trip, (about nine hours as often as I need to get out and stretch,) and we had the birthday party at my mother and dad's home.  They are such sweet people, and were excited as my daughter Meredith and I decorated the tables for this event.


                          


 Since my gift to her was all the supplies to begin making jewelry, part of the table decorations included a jewelry display form with the strands of jewelry making beads hung on the display.  I used grocery store cakes, and featured her favorite desert, Oreo cream pie.  We had both white and black helium balloons tied to silver weights at each end of the table, large candles in silver glittered boxes were a part of the center piece, and a triple chocolate cake and a red velvet cake completed the setting.  Disposable clear plastic plates and glasses, along with the better clear plastic flatware ensured a dish duty free party.  White linen napkins wrapped with black glitter tulle, tied in bows, gave a more formal look to the  plastic ware.  Silver cake trays were placed on the   table as part of  table-scape.

 We are a large family, and even though not all those living out of town could attend, additional tables were required for seating.  I broke from the black white and silver in one detail, and I added a red satin tablecloth to the mix, using the same design elements as the other table.  

 On all the tables, gift bags with the same pattern as the main table cloth, were filled with different chocolates wrapped in silver papers, and tied with silver glitter bows.  Each woman also had a set of beads selected for her, so that she could make jewelry as well.  A small white bottle with bubbles for blowing during the festivities kept the children amused as the evening progressed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              







The smallest table included silver tulle, and features black plates.





The guests began to arrive, and the food, served from the kitchen bar filled the plates.   Brisket, ribs, chicken wings, beans, corn, green beans with new potatoes, fruit salad, and mashed potatoes were served with hot rolls and assorted soft drinks and tea.  Along with the cakes and pie, cream puffs filled with whipped cream, and chocolate eclairs rounded out our deserts. 



My daughter, Amie, was the guest of honor, and also her husband John arrived.  John could not be persuaded to try on the black boa provided for the birthday girl, but before the evening was over, there would be a male who took the dare!