My thoughts!

I am sure by now all know that Osama Bin Laden is dead. I applaud our military for carrying out such an amazing task. What a courageous act it was for the Navy Seal men. To me the reality of heaven and hell ring louder than ever before. Does Bin Laden deserve what he got, absolutely, here on earth and now for eternity in hell. I look at myself and I deserve the same for eternity. I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I have rebelled against the almighty God. But by the grace of God and His work in my life I have been redeemed by what Christ did on the cross. I can not boast in anything I have done and I can't compare myself to anyone else to justify why I should be in heaven over someone else. I once stood as an enemy of God. By grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus my eternity is secure, not because of a single thing I have done it is only by Christ alone.

My heart breaks for so many people who think only the really evil people will go to hell. As hard as it is for our humans minds to understand if Bin Laden would have believed in Jesus and repented of his sins he would be in heaven right now. That to me speaks volume of how incredible the God I serve is. That there isn't a sin that God won't forgive. That a person is never too far gone to be reached by the grace of God. I pray that God will use this all for His glory. I pray that instead of us thinking we are good enough because we compare ourselves to one another that we will stop and compare ourselves to God. We can never measure up to Him. We can never be good enough to earn our way into heaven. The ONE and ONLY way to be found not guilty is to believe in Jesus and repent of sins. I pray that anyone who reads this will examine their life. If you have a bible read the book of John and the book of Romans. Cry out to God and allow Him to do a work in you that only He can do.

Cling to Him!

I am greatly behind the reading schedule for reading the Bible chronologically in a year, but I am still going for it. This morning I was finishing up the book of Joshua. I am going to be honest some of it I do have trouble reading through b/c there are so many names that I can't pronounce and I really don't have a clue where the land is that each of the tribes received. Then you get to a passage of scripture like this; "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." Joshua 22:5-6. My heart leaps for joy at the phrase "cling to Him". I LOVE THAT!!! The definition of the word cling is to hold fast or adhere to something by grasping, sticking, embracing or entwining. To remain close and resist seperation. WOW!!! Its having a right understanding of who God is and the right understanding of who we are that makes you want to cling to Him. This is something that God has been showing me continually over the past year or so. I didn't have the right understanding of Him or myself for so long. I still miss it a lot now too, but I am not blinded anymore to the fact that its all about Him. I was blinded to think that God saved me to make much of me. That statement is so very wrong! Of course that isn't how I saw it before. I thought I was making much of God, but I was living life the way I wanted to and just tagged God on where I wanted Him to be. How greatly wrong that is! God is all about a God-centered life not a self-centered life. Thankfully in God's amazing grace He has continued to pursue me and draw me to HIM!!!!

Why should I cling to Him?

By having a right understanding of Him-

Because He is sovereign over all. Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

He created all things. Nehemiah 9:6 You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

He knows all things. Job 37:16 Do you know the balancings of clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge. 1 John 3:20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

He sustains all things. Psalm 104:24-30 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumberable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which is formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

He is holy above all. 1 Samuel 2:2 There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

He is righteous in all His ways. Deuteronomy 32:4 The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without inquity, just and upright is he. Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.

He is just in all His wrath. Romans 3:5-6 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 This is the evidence of the righteous judgement of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

He is intolerant of sin. Psalm 45:7 ...you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. Habakkuk 1:13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous that he?

He is indignant toward sinners. Psalm 5:5-6 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those you and speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Numbers 20:11-12 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."

He is loving toward all His creation. 1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

By having a right understanding of humans. (me)

We have denounced His sovereignty. Genesis 3:6-7 so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loinclothes.

We have dishonored His holiness. Ezekiel 36:22-23 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the LORD GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the LORD GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

We have despised His righteousness. Romans 3:10-12 ...as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

We have disregarded His wrath. Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We have denied His love. Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?


After reading who God is and who we are ther is absolutely NOTHING we can do to cling to Him or have a relationship with Him. Therefore, in God's lovingkindness and to make His name known in the earth, He reached down to us through His Son Jesus Christ. God satisfies Himself by sacrifing His Son in the place of sinners. There is not another religion that has a god that has done this. When I meditate on this how could I not give my life to Him? How can I not fall on my face and worship Him for who He is and for what He has done? So by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone I have been justified. This is why I cling to Him. He is all that matters! My very life is dependant on Him. I have no life a part from Him. So I will cling to Him with all that I am because I trust Him. I know that He is perfect! There is only good in Him! God does no wrong. So even when this life makes no sense, I will cling to Him because He is my hope and my life.


(Who God is and Who we are are taken from my study guide from Secret Church by David Platt go to www.secretchurch.org to watch, listen, or read each Secret Church event.)

Update!

Well, I have started 2 other posts, but haven't seemed to finish them. We are still alive here in Oklahoma. We are in desperate need of rain. We are going on the longest drought since the 1920s. As of right now we still have no rain in sight.

Its been crazy busy around here. Last week we went to Duncan EVERY single day. Duncan is about a 20 minute drive for us. This week thankfully is not as busy. Byron and I have finished our Foster Parent classes. YAY!!!! We still have a few steps left in the process to becoming official and opening our home to precious children in need of love and a safe home.

March was a wonderful month. We celebrated Jackson's 4th birthday. Nana and Papa came to visit! It was so wonderful to have them here. The kids love and adore their Nana and Papa. We always hate to see them leave.

While Nana and Papa were here us adults went on a weekend roadtrip to Bristol, TN for a NASCAR race. It was a great trip and we had so much fun. Byron and his parents traveled to new parts of the country. They all got to cross the Mighty Mississippi River for the first time, too!!!

Here are some pics from Jackson's celebration! We had a small family birthday party for Jackson. He still isn't into the big parties so why have them if he doesn't care about it. All he wants is cake, ice cream, and cars! Ha!Ha! It's still hard to believe that our baby boy is 4!!! He is such a precious gift! He is full of life and energy! He goes non-stop all day long! Thankfully, God is my strengh and He gives me the endurance to keep up with our little guy! There is no telling what this little guy will get into if left to himself. He will hide in the closet and eat cheetos, he will swipe his fingers across an entire cake, and he has even attempted putting Zoe, our dog, in the washing machine. Thankfully, he can't turn it on yet!!! I am constantly thinking ahead and thinking creatively of things that could be potential dangers and messes around here. We sure couldn't imagine life without Jackson! We are so thankful he is our son and honored that God would choose us to parent him! I definitely think God is using Jackson to keep me humbled and on my knees in prayer! I rejoice because I wouldn't want to miss one moment of Jackson's life!!! Jackson we love everything about you!!!

March, are you really here?!?!

I can't believe we are already in the third month of 2011. It really doesn't seem possible and I am not quite sure where the first two months went. It sure doesn't seem like our trip to Washington was two months ago. BUT, here we are in March and March is going to be one busy exciting month.

Well, to catch you up on my tooth situation is that I am still in the process of having it fixed. I went to a specialist on Monday morning and he spent 2 hours working on my tooth. Sadly, due to extreme drainage from the infection and that the numbing medicine had run its course the specialist decided to temporarily fill my tooth and have me come back in a week to complete the re-do root canal. He also gave me a shot of antibiotics in the infected area which caused me to scream! Needless to say I still have quite a bit of discomfort. I am limited to eating only soft foods. Hopefully, after Monday the problem will be solved and I will be well on my way to having a normal mouth again.

This weekend Byron and I are co-host for THE JOURNEY WEEKEND for our youth at church. Basically, we will be glorified taxi drivers for 8th grade boys! We are super excited to see what God has in store for our youth! Praying that many will come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and praying that others will grow deeper in their walk with the Lord. Our kids will be staying with Michael, Amy, Kiley and Keely for the weekend. This will be Jackson's first time of staying the night with someone other than my parents. He is really excited. Both kids wake up every morning telling me how many more sleeps they have until Aunt A's house. My sis is beyond excited to have them come. So thankful to have a sis that is willing to take them for the weekend and love and care for them as her own!

March 16th, Byron's parents are coming to visit! We are so ready to see our Nana and Papa again!!! While they are here Nana, Papa, Byron, and I are driving to Bristol, Tennessee to the Nationwide NASCAR race! Also, Phil is flying into Nashville to join in on the trip! Can't tell you how pumped we are to road trip to one of the best racetracks in NASCAR. We will also celebrate Jackson's 4th birthday during Nana and Papa's visit. I can't believe our little man is turning 4, but that is a seperate blog in and of itself.

The last thing I guess that is taking place is Byron and I are starting our foster parent classes on Monday. We are so very excited to have reached this step in the process. Hopefully, by May we will be certified foster parents in Oklahoma. So thankful that God continues to pursue us. So thankful for His continual work in our lives. I know several years ago I would have laughed if someone would have told me that we would become foster parents. Once again God's plans are higher than our plans and His plans are for our good. Now, I can't imagine not being on this journey. By no means has it been easy, but I wouldn't trade the process for anything. God has broken our hearts for what breaks His. There are many many children who need the love of a family, but most importantly to SEE the love of Christ. If one child that comes into our home SEES the love of Christ and that changes their eternal life forever than its absolutely worth everything!!!

Not sure how much time I will have to post through the rest of March, but I am sure by the end I will need to give a much needed update on all the events and happenings that took place. I hope and pray that whatever this month brings for your family it will be filled with God's love, grace, mercy, kindness, and goodness.

Pretty Sure

having an abscessed tooth is one of the worst pains ever. My entire right side of my face hurts so much. Over the weekend I started having pain in the bottom right side of my mouth. I thought it was strange because the tooth that was hurting is one that I had a root canal done on 7 years ago and had a crown put on it 2 years ago. As the pain grew worse I knew this wasn't anything that was going away on its own. I was going to need some profressional help. Yesterday morning I called my dentist. They got me in right after lunch. Sure enough they confirmed it being an abscessed tooth and I also learned that the root canal that I received 7 years ago was not done properly. Now, I must see a specialist to have the problem fixed. This was not something I was looking forward to, but I guess that is life. Unexpected things happen all the time. I am thankful that I have treatment and care at my fingertips. Thankful for a dentist who will take my call the next day to call me in an order for pain medicine after I declined his offer the day before. Thankful that my mom lives close by to help with the kids while I make a mad dash to the dentist office. Thankful that my mom is willing to pick up my pain medicine for me so I don't have to load the kids up and drive to Duncan. Thankful that Jackson took a nap today that allowed me to take a nap. Jaycee is trustworthy enough to watch cartoons and I know she won't damage herself or anything in our house. As miserable as all of this is and how expensive it will be to have the problem taken care of I still have a choice in my attitude. The good definitely out weighs the bad. I am thankful for a God who loves and cares for me. That He hears my whining and complaining, but through His Word and the people He has blessed me with He encourages and reminds me that He is my perfect Father who knows my every need and He is my Provider and He will make a way!

Snow Days of 2011

We've had snow since late Monday night! The temperatures have been ridiculously cold! The snow is absolutely beautiful. Thankfully, we weren't hit by an ice storm so we haven't had to worry about our power going out. Honestly, I have loved this week. We haven't been able to get out and do much, but that is what I have loved. We have spent our days together as a family with Byron being at home with us. He would get out and make the rounds, but would be back home by mid morning. We went out with him in the afternoons a couple of times. It was a fabulous week. I know that we can't live all secluded in our house all the time, but its definitely fun for a few days. The kids have loved getting out to play in the snow. We made our first family snowman ever. Jackson has eaten a lot of snow. Eating snow is Jackson's favorite part of the snow. Jaycee loves to look for animal tracks through the snow. We found some bird, dog, and cat tracks throughout our outings here at the house and on the rounds with Byron. The other first for the kids has been hot cholocate!!! ITS a HIT!!! They want it all the time now!!! The first week of February has been great!!!

Hodge Podge

As I type I am looking out my living room windows seeing the beautiful white snow covered ground! We got hit last night by a snow storm. The high today is 17 and they are saying Thursday morning's low will be 2! How is that for winter weather?!?! The weather played with us this past weekend that Saturday's high was 70!!! Oklahoma weather, you gotta love it!!! Only bummer is not being able to get out and play in it. The wind is blowing 40 miles an hour from the North making it feel like its well below zero! Maybe we can step out on the porch this afternoon for a few pics!

I have completed my jury duty summons! I ended up not having to return after I reported on Thursday. I called in every evening and each night they changed our return day and then finally telling us our time to serve had been completed! Woohoo! It wasn't too bad, not fun not being able to plan anything, but that is much better than driving up to the courthouse everyday and making arrangements for the kids.

In other news, we are night time potty training Jackson! We had started out working on his eating. We drastically cut back his milk intake. He was drinking so much milk that he wasn't eating his meals. At this point, he only gets one sippy cup of milk in the afternoon if he eats all of his breakfast and lunch. Once we started that he went for an entire week dry at night! Awesome!!! He hasn't kept on that pace, but I refuse to go back to diapers! (Pull-ups just do not hold well at night.) Currently, we are getting up around 2 in the morning and taking him potty. Its pretty miserable at this point because he is very stubborn. It takes a good 10 minutes to actually get him to go potty. Even with the battle of this we are having success so we will stick with it. Hopefully, each night of this will get easier with his body adjusting to the wake up and naturally causing him to do it on his own. Also, the few times he has had accidents he had too much liquid and food too close to bedtime. Cut off time is around 7:30 p.m. for all of that stuff now. He is eating much better too so all in all its been a successful adjustment!!!

There isn't too much else going on as of now. In the next month things are really going to pick up for us. We are looking forward to it all!!!