I AM PRETTY SURE HE MEANS ME...

I recently started the bible study entitled One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer. As of today I am exactly three weeks into it. To be honest, I was not fired up about it. Not because of the author, for I do so love Priscilla Shirer. Just nothing in my flesh was fascinated by the topic. (That should have been clue number one). I actually won this book from LifeWay Women on Facebook. (Clue #2). I had been doing my own reading and was really enjoying the Old Testament. Jeremiah chapter 42 struck a nerve. The entire chapter is God telling the people not to go back to Egypt.

I know you are scared.

I know it looks bad.

I know.

Do not go back to Egypt.

How it spoke volumes to me.

I know, you peeps that have already done One in a Million are beginning to giggle because you see it coming.

Guess what the first 3 weeks of the study have been on?

Getting out of Egypt.

Staying out of Egypt.

Making the most of the wilderness time.

Coincidence - not from my deliberate God.

This is purposeful and strategic in His timetable.

I find myself in a wilderness of sorts.

I left the work force, with God's blessing.

What I thought would be a quick journey to something else hasn't been.

What I thought would be a suitable back-up plan has not happened.

So I am out here in the middle of uncharted territory.

In the middle of my wilderness.

Having started the bible study has given me perspective.

Maybe renewed my perspective, because deep down I already knew this.

My wilderness time is not punishment.

My wilderness time is for Him.

To show Himself faithful.

To get the glory.

To draw me in.

To get the Egypt out of me.

So that I will know He is Lord.

Whatever comes.

Be encouraged if you find yourself in a wilderness time.

It is for a reason.

It is appointed.

It has been chosen for this time.

Because you are chosen.

Choose Him back.

Lay it all at His feet.

Choose to trust Him.

Choose to believe Him.

Choose to glorify Him.

Choose.

I am pretty sure He means you, too.

HE PERPLEXES ME...

I had a completely different post in mind until HH came home yesterday.

I told him to his face he provides a great deal of blog material should anyone ever fear this well should run dry.

He showed up yesterday with this.

Admittedly, I thought it was for me at first, and was completely perplexed by the fashion selection.

Then I turned it around and for the briefest of moments was really confused, and a little scared for the general public.

Then I saw the paw.

He bought it for Zoey.

He feels bad for her in the mornings.

Zoey.

The one dog they have to muzzle, and at times sedate, to groom.

And we are going to get that over her head and on her legs.

And then I am to get it off again in the mornings.

Me's thinks not.

He also showed up with this.

Meet Cooper.

Or Bubba.

Or Kitty Kitty.

This is what happens when he goes to the pet store unattended.

I ask you,

Who is this HH?

PLANNED

This past week has been a flurry of stuff.

Some expected.

Some not.

I did not plan on going to the dentist Tuesday with MC 1 after MC 2 threw something and chipped MC1's front tooth Monday night.

I did not plan on not being able to move on Friday after being hired out as farm hand on Thursday by my mama.

I did plan on a conference with MC 2's teacher this week.

I did not mean to crush MC 1 when I missed the cake ceremony after he was honored for being on the honor roll (a first for him).

Moms In Touch - planned.

Birthday parties - on the calendar.

Duck Commander - totally planned.

Just a great deal of stuff.

Life stuff.

Good stuff.

I did plan on taking pictures.

As you can see I didn't.

Hope you had a great week full of good life stuff.

THE DEATHSTAR OF ARLINGTON

I got a call last Wednesday from a person wanting to know

if I had any interest in attending the A&M vs. Arkansas game

on Saturday at Cowboy Stadium.

Let me think.......

Do I have any interest in breathing?

Yes please.

So Friday I picked up 4 tickets to the quote "Death star of Arlington" according Jay.

Saturday we loaded up the MC's and headed to the big D.

Said person felt confident the tickets were on the Aggie side,

which would have been perfect.

Said person was wrong.

Said person is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

Said person thinks he is funny.

MC 2 and I sat amidst a sea of red in our maroon

and were proud to do it.

Maybe not MC 2.

He kept crying

I don't want to sit with the pigs!

I want to sit with the Aggies.

The Hog fans surrounding us were gracious.

The two very sweet ladies who sat in front of me

kept asking about our Aggie traditions,

and I was happy to convert...I mean oblige.

We had a great time.

HH, who could care less about football,

really enjoyed the stadium.

So to said person, we say thanks.

And Gig 'em:)

MY DAY WITH MC 2......

LIKE A BEAT DOWN WEEBLE-WOBBLE...

is how I felt for the majority of last week. In other words ... fat and defeated. I pretty much spent the better part of last week battling this lovely little dynamic. The father of all lies spent his energy trying to convince that since one was true, the other MUST be a well. It took a whole lot of my energy and time to keep my head on straight about that. Even though part of what he said was the truth, the rest of what he said was not. I am fat. Nobody to blame for that one except myself, and looking hard into the mirror and facing that fact (again) was not pleasant. To see the idols I had put up, ever so quietly, one poor choice at a time, in all their splendor, well, it was embarrassing. The enemy only tried to add fuel to my flame of shame.

You will never beat this.

You will always be this way.

If He loved you He would intervene.

Blah Blah Blah.

I bet you have heard that before as well.
Different idols perhaps.
Same lies.
I had to ground myself in the Truth of God's word, by choice.
I had to repent of my idolatry.
I had to choose to accept the hope that Christ gave me.
You must as well.
Examples over and over of people falling and grace restoring.
Of hope being imparted once again.
The woman caught in adultery.
The woman at the well.
Peter.
The thief on the cross.
Paul.
Although we must acknowledge the truth about of idols,
we must never acknowledge that they have us beat down.
If we are in Christ, we have won.
The battle may wage on, the days tireless, but we have won through Him.
We may get bloodied up.
We will most certainly take some hits, but we have won.
When we fail, we repent.
We allow Him to restore our right standing, and we must choose to accept it.
Choose to believe it.
I must stand back up on these wobbly legs and press on.
The great thing about weeble wobbles is that they pop back up.
They get right again.
So will I.
So can you.
Jesus sets us on solid ground.
Choose today to let Him.

Return to the stronghold,

You prisoners of hope.

Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

Zechariah 9:12 (NKJV)

HELL HATH NO FURY....

like a MC scorned.

HH comes in to eat breakfast and smells strangely of my perfume.
Like he bathed in it.
Me: Did you spray yourself with something?
HH: No, but I smell it too, and it is really strong in the back.
Me: Well, it shouldn't be unless my bottle broke.
I go to check.
In the meantime, HH calls MC 1 in to the kitchen about something else.
Me: My bottle is not broken but it smells.
MC 1: I sprayed it.
Us: What? When?
MC 1: Last night. I sprayed daddy's pants with it.
Us: Why?
MC 1: It was payback for him trying to pop my finger. So I got the bottle and sprayed his pants with it.
Me: Hahahahahahahahah....that was wrong son, very wrong.

I can't decide whether to be impressed by the cunning it took to devise a plan to send his father to work smelling like a woman or be afraid, very afraid.
For right now, it is just funny.