Look in the Mirror

Raising children is a learning experience. Every day I have to remind them to stop pointing out each others faults but to keep themselves straight. It must be human nature to always want to find the worst in everyone. Always wanting to point out each others flaws. We all have done it at one point or another. It is rare to find someone who doesn't have anything negative to say about someone else.

BUT WHY? why do we feel the need to correct everyone else behavior except our own. If we look in the mirror at ourselves and consider how hard it is to change ourselves, then we will realize how difficult it would be to change others.

I want to be an optimist, finding the good in everyone I meet. I want to look past their flaws or differences. God made us all different and I am so thankful for that. If we were all the same how boring would this world be. Everyone does not like the same food, cars, homes or clothes, and that's OK. It's what makes us all special in our own way. We are different sizes and shapes and that is OK too.

Instead of always finding the negative I want to try and find the silver lining in every day. It's not always easy but with God's help I know I can do it. You should try too. How much better would our lives be if we complimented everyone we meet instead of picking out what we think is wrong with them.

Always fighting...

In this world we are not promised peace. There is always a battle raging with our spirit and our flesh. The Bible says the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Our spirit wants to please God but our flesh wants to please the body. The struggle is real.

Its not "bipolar" or depression. If you are saved you will have those struggles in your mind. The devil cannot take away our salvation but he can ruin our testimony by tempting us to do things.

I believe music is the devils BIGGEST tool. He uses music to influence so many in the wrong way.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."    Ephesians 6:12

If you do not struggle with right and wrong, if you do not battle with good and bad decisions, maybe you need Jesus. Maybe you don't have Him living in you heart.  The devil won't bother you if you are already one of his.

We should not act like the world, talk like the world, dress like the world or feel comfortable in this world. This world is not my home I am just passing through. I want to be different. I don't want to fit it.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  1 John 2:15

He sees what we don't

 When Chris had to go out of town last week for his grandfather's funeral, I was scared. I was nervous about driving in the snow 2 hours home from the airport with our boys and without Daddy. I was scared to be in this new house in a new neighborhood alone. It was definitely not something I was excited about. But I am so glad God knows whats ahead of us. He clears the way. We saw snow on the forecast the day he flew out and I was panicking inside worried about the drive. But on the way there we passed so many snow plows scraping the other side of the interstate (for me). It just reminded me how God sees our future. He makes a way when there seems to be no way.

We pulled out of our driveway and our windshield had about 6 inches of snow on it. It was so light and powdery it wiped right off. We might not have been sure about our long drive but God knew my fear. I already prayed asking Him to clear up the weather. It was windy but the snow stopped after I dropped off Chris at the airport and the roads were clear! Praise the Lord! It's those little things I pray for that might seem so minor to you but they are important to God. He knows our fears and our desires. I am so thankful he kept my husband safe and brought him back home to us.

A Warm Church in a Cold World

Settling in.....

We are settling in this nice big house, here in South Dakota. The snow comes about once a week. But it never melts from the week before. Snow boots are a must every day.

Going out to the van we all track snow in our car. And the next day we get in to go somewhere and the snow is still in the floor, never melted. It seems so strange, so different from Georgia. We had snow there in the past but it always melted the next day.

Its beautiful here. I never get tired of looking out the window. Everything is blanketed in white. Pure clean and quiet. A stray cat goes by once in a while, but not much activity outside. The boys want to play in the snow so they get all bundled up and go out but can only stand the cold for 20 minutes or so.

It's not icy like in Georgia. It's light, fluffy snow like baby powder. So light it wipes right off the windshield, 6 inches thick, with one swipe of the wipers. They are so good about cleaning off the streets here. Salting and sanding every day and scraping with snow plows all day long.

Jacob rides his bike to get the mail every day at the post office. The ground is too frozen to put in a mailbox. So we are using a PO box for now. He enjoys his bike ride but is always glad to get back inside and get warm.

No more trips to the store every day or two. Chris takes our only vehicle to work so we just stay home and do school. We have been going to get groceries on Saturday's.

I have never really liked coffee but I am drinking more and more hot tea now trying to stay warm. Bedroom slippers and robes are a must for all of us now.

The people at the church here have been so good to us. Going above and beyond to make us feel welcome. God has provided all our needs. Our church family in Georgia has gone above and beyond to take care of us also. We are so unworthy of all of this but we are thankful God is using us for His Glory!

The Potter knows the clay...

When God has another plan...

 I started packing things in our house 2 weeks ago. Just 4-5 boxes a day then we decided to take apart Jonah & Justus' bed to use their room for storage until we moved.

 We picked up the Uhaul Jan 4th so we could begin loading it.

 It was HUGE and barely fit down our driveway. We loaded as much as we could until more help came that night. We gave away our washer and dryer and sold our refrigerator.

 Our last night at home we slept in the floor. Not the best idea but we survived.

 So the road trip began Wed. Morning Jan 6th. Two boys road with Chris in the truck and I followed behind in the van with the other 2 boys.

 Stopping for gas meant someone wanted to switch vehicles and stretching our legs once in a while.

 We drove 6 hours to Dublin, KY to visit with some friends and stayed overnight in a hotel. We got up Thursday morning and finished the trip. What we thought was going to be 13 hours turned into 20 hours.

 The snow on I-29 north in Iowa was so thick I couldn't see and felt like I was smothering. After 45 minutes of HEAVY snow (going VERY slow), a lot of praying and some crying....the snow stopped.

Then we got on I-90 west and the roads quickly turned to a sheet of black ice. So we proceeded to drive 20-30 mph. the rest of the way here. We arrived at 2:30am Friday. After getting some sleep (in the floor) men from the church came over and helped us unload the U haul. We were able to return in that same day. Praise the Lord for a good church willing to help.

 The snow is beautiful here. Everything is covered in white.

 Every room was full of boxes and I wanted to unpack SO bad. But after day 1 up and down the stairs 100 times my calves were KILLING me. So I had to take it easy on Saturday.

 I am just not used to stairs so its going to be an adjustment. We are not comfortable living in such clutter so we got the dining room and kitchen cleaned up and organized first. The bathrooms are done and the laundry room is completed.

 Our van (Pearl) is not used to all this cold weather or being so dirty. But if we wash her now when the temperatures are below freezing she will come out of the wash frozen shut. So a bath for Pearl will have to wait until it warms up a little.

 Our back yard is beautiful.

 The temperatures Sunday were below zero and barely got above zero the entire day. But it was not unbearable. We all bundled up good and took the hour drive to the closest Walmart for a few household items.

 Our first service was a blessing we had 25 in attendance. God has been so good to our family and we just want to give Him all the glory for getting us here safely and providing all our needs.

 The people in the church all pitched in and bought us groceries so our pantry is full!

 I put together my desk and bookshelf yesterday. Slowly getting organized.

 

The living room is arranged on the beautiful white carpet. Our bedrooms need some more work so I'll post pictures of them later. One day at a time, I am trying not to over do it.

Assumptions

Assuming how someone else feels by the look on their face is not a good idea. But we all do it. I have been accused of being mad or stuck up even when I have said nothing at all. I guess it's the expression on my face.

I have also done the same thing to others. It is very hard to read a persons body language if they are not talking at all. I am usually a very outgoing person. So when I get around quiet people its hard to read them. Sooooo....

We assume we know what they are thinking or how they feel. Just because someone is skinny doesn't mean they have an eating disorder. They might be sick or on chemo. And when we see an overweight person we should not assume they are just addicted to food. There are some diseases that cause uncontrollable weight gain. And when you see a person crying never assume you know whats wrong. We don't know what kind of battle they might have faced that day. If you see someone walking down the road don't assume they are homeless. Maybe they just don't have a car. If we notice a child getting disciplined, don't assume anything. We do not know what happened.

Our appearance doesn't always reflect how we think and feel inside. Our clothes DO make a statement about our personality. But every day is different and the challenges that come our way do not change the fact that we are still human and we still have emotions. Life is hard! Be considerate.

 "And of some have compassion, making a difference" Jude 1:22

God made us all so different and we should be thankful for that. If everyone was like me the world would be boring. So until we get to know a person we should not assume we know anything about them.

I am still learning this myself. Its a hard thing to do when you see a person wearing a bathing suit in walmart. I am trying to see them as Jesus sees them. A SOUL with a body. The soul is what matters most. Are They prepared to meet God? Do they know Jesus as their personal savoir? Appearance matters but people don't care what you know until they know that you care.

How you make others feel about themselves says a lot about you.

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.

The ugliest thing I have ever seen is a human being without compassion.

Moving on Up....

We have been praying for God to send a buyer or a renter for our home in GA so we can get out to South Dakota. We repaired our badly rotting back deck with the help from a man at church.

We painted the outside of the house and the shed to make it more presentable.

We have found what looks to be a good candidate for renting. Just praying for the financial support we need to make the move. So if all goes as planned we will be packing everything we have accumulated the last 13 years of being in the house and moving out to South Dakota. It's going to be quite a big job to pack and drive 1300 miles with 4 boys & a U Haul. But we know God will provide. Chris has a job out there, but its a pay cut. We are just trusting God will provide the rest. We have seen Him do too many things for us over the years so we are not going to doubt Him now.

Please remember us when you pray. They have already gotten snow in South Dakota and we will be driving out in there the first week of January.

Sunday Funday!

 The boys love getting dressed up for church on Sundays. We found Jacob a suit that fits him perfectly at the Goodwill.

Homemade cookies are the best kind!

When I'm Gone

Before I was a mother I always thought I would die before my husband. I am not sure why but I just know. Maybe it's because I have so many headaches and he doesn't have any medical problems. I am not sure the root of these thoughts or why I feel this so strongly but we have....

Holy Ghost v/s Devil

This is an old post but a day I will NEVER FORGET:

I got up one December Monday morning in 2005 to take Jaron to NYU for another NAM adjustment. We changed our return flight to stop in Boston before coming home. I wanted to meet the surgeon there and see what he thought about Jaron's mouth. Needless to say it was a long day and I was exhausted. I had a headache and was starving. Our flight from Boston back to Atlanta was delayed but the flight leaving 1 hour before was allowing some passengers to get on with them right then. I RAN to the

When I don't feel good enough....

Being a mother is a very hard job and sometimes I feel like I'm not doing it right.
Well---most of the time I feel like I'm not doing it right. I feel like a failure when my children don't behave. I feel like I did not teach them good manners and I blame myself for more things than I probably should. maybe it's just me being really hard on myself and I want everything to be perfect but that is impossible so I need

Summer Fun & Birthdays

 A silly time lapse video from our hotel stay in August. Jonah learned how

Geography Fair

We joined the other homeschoolers in our county for the first Geography Fair.

The boys chose their location and researched it themselves. I bought the boards and they decorated them with information all about their place. Jacob chose 

Mt Carmel Baptist Campmeeting

For the last 3 years we have attended the Mt. Carmel Baptist Campmeeting in Hendersonville, NC the 3rd week in September. Our boys enjoy playing with friends every day outside and we all enjoy the morning and evening church services. There is always lots of great singing and preaching and praising the LORD!

 

 

The weather was great this year. No rain and a little cooler at night. We are thankful for all God did for us at this Campmeeting!

Accepting God's Plan for Our Lives

Sometimes we don't understand what is happening in our lives. I think God allows things in order to see how much faith we have or maybe to see if we are going to follow Him.

When we were first told about the church in South Dakota in Sept. 2014 we never imagined we would move out there. Over several months so many people had approached us about the need out there. So Chris flew out in May on a survey trip and preached for them. After coming home

When the bathtub leaks....

 Our bathroom floor was feeling a little warped in some places around the toilet so we called a company to come out for a free estimate. When they found the leak and saw some mold in the

Road Trip to South Dakota

Last week we made a road trip out to South Dakota and it was Beautiful! Our boys had never been out west and neither had I.

 We put our two suitcases on top of the van to make more room in the trunk and covered them in plastic. That was not a good idea. The plastic ended up getting shredded from all the

Adventures in Boston

Jaron and I got home yesterday from his clinic visit in Boston. We flew up Friday and went to straight to the hospital. His appointment was at 1:00pm.

We met with the dental team first to look at the position of his teeth and they reviewed his x-rays sent to them by our local dentist. We discussed a palate expander for Jaron and then Dr. Padwa came in to talk more about his bone graft surgery. She said