HITCHING A RIDE ON "THE GREAT ADVENTURE"

Sometimes I find myself in a funk about my "ordinary" life.
I start asking questions such as,
Am I being used by God?
Can He use me?
What about what I know He has spoken over my life?
Just get a little bummed because I don't see what I believe.
Because I do the same thing everyday.
Then I read this.
All 7 parts.
And my soul and spirit were encouraged.
Not in the "Oh....how sweet...that just blessed me..."blah blah stuff we say when we think it is just a good story.
I mean ENCOURAGED me.
I felt it deep down in my being. How God uses what we deem ordinary to set us up for His extraordinary will. How He can do it in a matter of days. DAYS people DAYS!
So I encourage you to go read Travis' account of his life the past couple of months. Read the entire thing, starting at the beginning. Then sit back in awe of our awesome God, who has plans for us we could not even imagine.

But as it is is written: " Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)

* On a side note, I am helping start a Mom's In Touch group today. We would appreciate your prayers.

LOOK MOM

To show my mama what I made...

Homemade biscuits

Pecan Pie #2

I couldn't find the pics of pecan pie #1.

Visualize a pecan bread pudding and you have it!

From those that live here

and those that like to pretend they do,

have a great day.

UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS AGAIN

I know I have told you somewhere before that one of the enemy's favorite place to attack me is in my health. Mainly in my mind about my health, not my health itself. I have issues there too but most of them are my own doing (Oreos a no-no). It seems to never fail when I am digging deeper or feeling a fresh fire for the Lord, here comes the health. Last night was no different. I have bad cholesterol, all the way around. Bad "bad cholesterol"; bad "good cholesterol", it's just bad. It's also genetic. Doc did some high-fluten test to find that out. Anyway, one of the things we can fix is my niacin, so bring on another prescription. I chickened out of taking it until this past weekend because I knew what the side effects could be. I also know how my mind tends to spew "vain imaginations" in this area. I held out as long as my conscience would let me and then began the regime. It was not going badly at all, until last night. Last night I awoke at 2 in the morning literally thinking I was on fire and a million needles were prodding me. Well, that lovely adrenaline rush sent the blood pressure (meds for that as well ) and the heart rate sky high, or at least what felt like sky high. The fire/needles went away. The anxiety and fear hung around. I was literally saying, "okay Lord if this is it, make sure my men know I love them, and I can't believe yesterday was my last post." A tad dramatic, but you wake up at 2 thinking you are on fire and see how peaceful you are.
It is no coincidence that last night coincided with some personal choices I had made about pressing into the Lord. Or about a couple of ministry opportunities I had come up throughout the day. Same old tricks. The question is will I have the same old response, which would be to be frozen with fear, worrying and obsessing about it all day. I hope no. I choose no. I choose to believe the words of my Father, that He knows the number of my days, and that worrying can't add to them. I choose to call my doctor for wisdom and not let fear keep me ignorant. I choose to go about my day and not curl up in a ball and lament the attack once again. I choose to recognize it before it gets out of hand and to strengthen my mind with the Word of God.
I have feeling I am going to be choosing these things every minute today.
But in those choices, which I can dread, I can find strength. Because each minute I make that choice, I choose Jesus Christ. With Him comes peace, joy and abundant life. I can give my minutes to the enemy dreading those choices or I can give them to Christ celebrating Who He is and His love for me.

ISSUES...

I have them. Some days I feel like I am the only one. Like a huge, balled up mess of blah who would even think twice about being her own friend because, mercy, I wear myself out with my issues sometimes.
I had one come up this weekend that surprised me.
In John 4 we are told that "one sows, and another reaps." When I hear this verse it is usually in reference to something like Children's Ministry or Youth. You are planting the seeds and some pastor or person down the line will see the harvest in their lives. That is not my issue. What I had this weekend was seeing something I had given myself to, that I had sown, growing and preparing to be harvested by someone else. The conversation (not audible) between my flesh and the Holy Spirit went something like this,

Holy Spirit: Now, Rhonda this is a good thing.
Flesh: I know, I know, but it was MY thing.
Holy Spirit: People are being used that might not have ever been used with you there.
Flesh: I know, I know, but I should be reaping the harvest.
Holy Spirit: It was never yours.
Flesh: I know, I know. I just don't know why you took it away from ME.
Holy Spirit: If I took it away from you, don't you think there was a reason?
Flesh: Yes. But I have not a clue why.
Holy Spirit: And seeing how it was never yours, I did not take it from YOU.
Flesh: I know Lord.
Holy Spirit: Because we are in this for Me and My glory. And if I have removed you from something, it is because I am working out something else for you. Something that is better for you and something that is better for the Kingdom if you will let me. You can choose to be celebrate with the body or you can choose to keep focusing on you. What is it going to be?

Please hear me, I am not mad or upset with the ones who are harvesting. I am actually really proud of them. I was just struggling because it wasn't me.
Maybe I am the only one who battles with this. Maybe so. I doubt it. I guess I just wanted you to know if you felt like you were the only one with issues, you are not.
Even now I am impressed for my life how appropriate the title of this blog is, I Choose.
I am afraid it sounds arrogant at times and I wonder if it turns people off.
But is the over whelming heartbeat God has put within me.
I CHOOSE.
Not always well.
Not always wise.
I sought out the information that upset me this weekend. SOUGHT IT OUT! Yet even from this point I choose. I choose how I am going to let our little heart to heart be worked out in me. I choose. I choose if I am going to run this race with the winds of the past blowing in my face, slowing me down. If you have run track then you know what is like when you turn that curve and face the wind. It is like hitting a wall, literally. You are striving and struggling and running as hard as you can and getting nowhere. Or I choose if I am going to run with the winds of my past at my back, pushing me and aiding me along in my race.
I choose.
I choose.
I choose.
(the last one was for me).
I choose flesh man or Spirit man.
I choose and no one else. Not even the enemy.
I choose.
I choose not to be double minded.
I choose not to be tossed.
I choose to choose EVERY SINGLE DAY to make that choice.
Because He chose me and does it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
He chooses you every day, too.
Choose Him.

"For you are my witnesses", declares the Lord, " and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me." Isaiah 43:10 (NIV)

SNOW DAY #2

Hiding from HH

This is about 5 seconds after I took the picture of the snowman.
Notice the head is already gone.


I have no idea why.

Just an idea of the snow we got.
We NEVER get snow like this.
Maybe twice in my lifetime.
It was beautiful.

But not as beautiful as these.

Knotheads that they are.

"Come now, and let us reason together", says the Lord,

"Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV

SNOW DAY

I will tell you when we first walked out this morning to go to school MC 2 immediately stuck his tongue to the metal poles on the carport. He then proceeded,with great disappointment, to inform me that his tongue did not stick.

Small blessings.

ON DEAF EARS

Every mom has them.

Those rare precious moments,

when you see with your own eyes,

that the words you have spoken to your kids,

have sunk into their grey matter.

Your words mattered.

Your words were heard.

Your words were heeded.

This is not one of those times.

The mattress makes one rough riding bull.

All I can say is at least they wore a helmet

and praise the Lord

Audie and Grandpa came through with the vest.

Who knows what kind of damage that spared us.

One day MC 2 will hate me for posting this pic.

Payback;o)