Friday, 30 December 2005

I am so glad it’s Friday. Three day weekend woohoo!! I got spoiled having off four days last weekend. Of course it doesn’t pay to be off as everything is still there when you get back and it was no different with me. I put off getting the newsletter out and shouldn’t have. Made me work late today. Doing the bulletin and the newsletter the same day is rather tough when I don’t have anyone to help me. At least it’s done now.

While I’m still at work Vanessa calls me and asks if I can come by to get her check and take to the bank. I finally get through about 1:30pm. I get her check and head home to see if Mom wants to make the bank run with me. I had three banks to go to. One for Vanessa, the other for me and one for the church. We head back home and it’s so pretty out I decide to take down the outside Christmas lights. So I got all the Christmas decorations put away until next year.

Keannon and Vanessa left for Houston tonight for the weekend. Keannon has a good friend down there. They took Kaidence with them and I already miss her! When Vanessa does move out and take her I may have to request visitation rights!

Here’s another excerpt from “The God Chasers” by Tommy Tenney. This one I’ve also been chewing on what was said.

            When we discover that God’s best and deepest treasures require death to self, we often don’t pursue Him any further. We don’t ask the questions we need to ask to find out why His presence doesn’t come cheaply. Perhaps it’s because we think it is impertinent or we are simply afraid of His answer. Moses persisted. He had learned that it isn’t impertinent to pursue God for His own sake; it is God’s greatest desire and delight.

            This burning desire to see God’s glory, to see Him face to face, is one of the most important keys to revival, reformation, and the fulfillment of God’s purposes on the earth.

            When Moses told God, “Show me Your glory,” the Lord said, “You can’t, Moses. Only dead men can see My face.” It would have been easy for this man to have been satisfied with God’s first answer, but he wasn’t. Moses wasn’t selfish or presumptuous. He wasn’t seeking material things or personal fame. He wasn’t even seeking miracles or gifts. Moses simply wanted God, and that is the greatest gift and blessing we can ever give Him. Yet Moses had to pursue Him, and it didn’t come easy.

The part that got me was the very last which was my bold and italics.

I must go tonight. I think I’ll meditate on that for a while.

Thursday, 29 December 2005

 Wednesday, 28 December 2005

First day back at work wasn’t too bad. I’ll have lots to do after the first of the year. Year end report, W-2’s, sending out tax statements to members that contributed to the church. But I’ll worry about that after New Year’s.

 

Mom suggested going to see Chronicles of Narnia today so when I got off work we went to the early show. It was an awesome movie! It’s rare that I want to see a movie again but I do this one. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it especially if you are a Christian.

 

After the movie we came home and grabbed some lunch. My mother looks and me and says what next? I said “I don’t know. Whatever you want I guess”. She asked me where I got my hair done. She needed her bangs (not bags---fratmom---LOL!) trimmed. So took her to the hair saloon I go to. We didn’t have an appointment but we timed it just right and she was able to use my hair dresser. How cool is that?!

 

We came home and were here long enough to chill at little before church. It was really good. The teaching was awesome but I’ll spare you tonight. Afterwards we invited Omar, Keannon’s friend to come to the house for sausage and egg taquitoes. Everyone that knows me very well knows that Wednesday night is taquito night at my house. It’s easy and very filling. Doyle loves them. Omar brought some of his mom’s homemade chicken tamales. Hmmmmm good! They were fabulous!

 

Well, the hour is late and prayer is in the morning at 6:30am so better get to bed. Let me leave you with another excerpt from “The God Chasers” by Tommy Tenney.

 

            God is calling you to a new level of intimacy. If you dare to answer His call, the Lord will reveal a fresh part of His character. He will pull you so close that you will be breathing the very rarefied air of Heaven. The only way to the place David called “the secret place” is through the door of focused worship when you lay aside every distraction and focus your body, soul, and spirit upon God. When His presence becomes so strong that you are oblivious to everyone and everything else around you, then healing can come in an encounter with God from which you will never “recover.” Your heart will be as permanently disabled with love as Jacob’s leg was left with a limp!

 

Lord I do dare to answer Your call. I want to breath the very air of heaven. I want to be so focused on worship that nothing or no one can distract me from pouring my adoration on You. If it takes a limp to do that in me Lord….so be it, I say yes to You.

Today was another mild one. Got up and went to prayer this morning. Came home and read some more of “The God Chasers” book.  Gosh this is a good book and very challenging.

After I get home from work, Vanessa calls me to take her truck back to the body shop. They didn’t have a part they needed to fix it the last time it was there. So Mom followed me out to the body shop and then drove me back home. She went on to my SIL to visits her. She asked if I wanted to go but I really wanted to take a nap! And nap I did off and on most of the afternoon. It was beautiful outside (75) but I was cold in the house. I had on a button shirt, cotton hoodie and a blanket before I got warm. My blood sugar must have been low or I just didn’t have my blood circulating very good! I finally decide to get myself up as this isn’t very productive. I hate not being productive at least a little. I did manage to take all the decorations off the tree and take the tree down. I think I may try to take down the outside lights tomorrow.  Saturday is going to be full. One of our church members passed away Tuesday from liver cancer. Our church is preparing and serving the family dinner after the funeral Saturday morning. That is also the day of a crop at the scrapbook store. I won’t get much scrap booking done but maybe a little. Hopefully I can get my creative flow going and continue when I come home.

Well, I will leave you with this excerpt from “The God Chasers chapter 9 - Are You Waiting for the Whisper of God?” by Tommy Tenney.

            Have you ever wondered how certain people seem to have a certain attachment to God? For some reason, God just seems to be near them all the time. I can tell you that it isn’t because they preach so well, or because they are such stellar singers. No, they know how to dismantle their egos and glory. They lay it all aside just to worship at His feet in brokenness and humility. And it is for these precious few that God Himself will stop His ascent to Heaven just to whisper His secrets into their waiting hearts.

            Did you notice that God didn’t break Mary’s alabaster box? Mary had to break it. If you want to have that kind of encounter with God, then you will have to “break” yourself. The highest level of worship comes from brokenness, and there are no shortcuts or formulas to help you “reach the top” No one can do it for you; that is something only you can do. But if you do, God will stop just to spend time with you.

            The breaking of your heart arrests the ears and eyes of God, and it begins when your love for Him supersedes your fear of what others may think. You can’t seek His face and save your “face.”

 

Buttons (my mom's dog) and our long lost Joey. He's looking better than when we first brought him home and not hiding so much now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This looks like Mercy is saying "I said enough!!" Kaidence can be and is sometimes a real nuisance. She doesn't know when to quit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kaidence seems to be saying "Look at me!" Vanessa and Keannon got her a new stuffed toy for Christmas. I know you can't tell here what it is but it's a horse! I told Vanessa I didn't think it was such a good idea for her to have a "horse" to "tear up" because that's what she does. Each hoof has a squeaker in it and another one in the middle of the horse. Can you see the stuffing coming out already? I've sewn it up about 3 times now! She usually grabs it by the middle and shakes it! It's funny to watch.

Goodnight all!

 

Tuesday, 27 December 2005

I was off work again today. It was nice. Back tomorrow though and a lot to do! Have the bulletin to get ready and the newsletter for January to get out. Plus three days of mail to go through.

Went riding today. Way too pretty not to. It was 80 degrees again today. Wind was blowing like crazy though so didn’t feel quite so hot. I’m trying to decide if I should put my turtle necks back in the other closet! It is dangerously dry. There were many grass fires today and many that got severe enough to burn several homes! We are in drought conditions. The weatherman last night said it hasn’t been this dry in our area since 1956! We are desperately praying for rain.

Mom helped me with ironing today so I could go ride. I got so upset because I had several things that needed ironing and had laundry to wash. I wanted to ride so bad and didn’t feel like I could go and leave all that behind. Mom said she couldn’t remember when she had ironed last. It is really my own fault it piled up. I hate it so bad I put it off until it takes me two or three hours to do. If I would just iron it as a load is dry I would be more in control. The riding was just what I needed though. Horse riding for me is very therapeutic. It didn’t solve any problems but it did make me feel better and helped me get a little better perspective on things.

After I get back, Mom and I go to town to check out the stores that have Christmas stuff on half price. Went to CVS and got some pretty nice wrapping paper, ribbon, tags etc. I wanted to buy outdoor Christmas decorations but not knowing where we may be next year it’s hard to know how to plan.

I read something today that really has me thinking. It’s from “The God Chasers” by Tommy Tenney. I’m sure ya’ll were wondering if I was still reading it since I had quit talking about it. I am. I set it aside for awhile but picked it up again.

Excerpt from “The God Chasers” by Tommy Tenney Chapter 8 The Purpose of His Presence.

            Time and again we ask one another, “Why can’t I win my friends to the Lord? Why is it that my family members just don’t seem interested in God?” The answer may shock you in its bluntness, but the truth often hurts. The reason people who know you, aren’t interested in your God may be because you don’t have enough of the presence of God in your life. There is something about God’s presence that makes everything else crumble in comparison. Without it, you will be just as pale and lifeless as everybody else around you. No matter what you do, without His presence, you will be “just another somebody” to those around you.

            I don’t know about you, but I am tired of just being “another somebody “ to the lost around me. I have made a decision. I made up my mind and set my heart to declare, “I am going to pursue the presence of God in my life. I am going to get so close to God that when I walk into secular and public places, people will meet Him.” They may not know that I’m there, but they will definitely know that He is there. I want to be so saturated with God’s presence that when I take a seat on a plane, then everyone near me will suddenly feel uncomfortable if they’re not right with God-even though I haven’t said a word. I’m not wanting to condemn or to convict them; I just want to carry the fragrance of my Father with me.

            If you are really hungry to see Daddy come on the scene, then you have to understand that you must stop seeking His benefits and quit asking for Him to do this and that.

            “Father, I confess that I want to see change in my life and in my church so I can bring about change in my city.

            Give me such a heart and passion after You that I may begin to see Your glory flow out of me to convict and save the lost. Release Your presence through me as You did through Charles Finney when he walked through factories and saw workers drop to their knees under Your glory and cried out for forgiveness although not one word had been spoken or preached. May the faintest shadow of Your presence in my lives heal the sick and restore the lame I meet in the streets.

            “Let Your presence so saturate me that unsaved guests can’t step into my house or be around me with unrepentant hearts. May Your glory bring conviction in their lives that leads to salvation – not because of the words I say, but because of Your presence and power in my heart.

(This prayer is not original but in Tommy’s book but it said what I wanted say so I  personalized it for me. I hope you do the same if the words I posted tonight touched your heart.)

Good night all!

Monday, 26 December 2005

One of my Christmas gifts from my husband was a new computer!! Woohoo!! It was getting to the point I was having to reboot mine several times because it would freeze up.  So I had to wait while my dear sweet husband set it up and got it running.

We had services at our church last night at 5pm so families could be together Christmas morning. We only had a worship service so we meet for an hour. Shortest service I’ve ever attended at Well of Life! Crowd was pretty thin but worship was good. Reminds my of the scripture “where two or three are gathered in My name”. That definitely holds true!

After church we come back home. Doyle finishes setting up my new computer! While he is doing that Mom, Vanessa and I are watching a local network movie with Valerie (great name) Bertinelli and Peter Faulk. It was a cute little movie. After it ended we watch “Hitch” It was hysterical. I really enjoyed it.

Wow! I don’t think I was a good as all the stuff I received! I was so blessed by my husband and daughter. I was overwhelmed! I not only got a new computer but new monitor and printer as well. Got the loading dock for my digital camera and rechargeable batteries with charger. Also got a carrying case for the camera. Got some new clothes. Vanessa gave me some new pajama pants and tank that have cute cartoon horses on them and flipflops to match! It’s a Paul Frank brand which is what they sell at the store. Of course I don’t look as cute in them as she does but that’s okay! I got a new card to put in my Compaq IPAQ which is a small hand held computer device for using like a daytimer. Doyle got me the additional memory so I can put the Bible on it! Is that cool or what!! I of course got some cool scrapbook stuff.

I’m off today and tomorrow. This afternoon it was 80 degrees. I went and washed my truck. It was in major need of a bath! Took Mother to some different addresses of potential rental property. She won’t be coming for a few months yet but she wanted to get some idea of what was available. We stopped at Dollar General and bought some wrapping paper that was half off and some name tags. Headed home. Vanessa wanted to go bowling tonight for something to do. We had a coupon for 1 hour of free bowling. Got in a couple of games. Went to pay for the shoes and because Vanessa used to work there, they didn’t charge us for the shoes either. That was kind of nice. We went to eat at Pulido’s Mexican Food. I think it was the only restaurant in town that was open other than fast food! We actually had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. That is highly unusual in our town.

Vanessa wanted to go to Walmart to use a gift card she got. She wanted to get Toy Story 2 that just came out and a CD. I checked out the Christmas stuff. I was very surprised to see that all the wrapping paper was already gone. Glad I got some at Dollar General. I did get a couple bags of bows, gift boxes and tissue paper. I also got Kaidence another Frisbee. The one she has is so chewed up it doesn’t fly right. I bought her one for Christmas from PetsMart but it’s made a little different and she doesn’t like it! I tried throwing the new one and she went after it but when she brought it back to me she stopped at the end of the porch, dropped the new Frisbee, jumped on the porch to retrieve the old Frisbee and brought it to me!! I couldn’t believe it! I think it has something to do with the shape of the Frisbee makes the new one hard for her to pickup with her teeth.

Here’s some pictures from Christmas day.

 

 

 

Vanessa modeling her new beanie and scarf!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Doyle's brother Doren. See the desk behind him. That's where I make my posts and comments on Xanga. That monitor is being replaced with a high-tech flat screen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keannon looking at his new tool box, a gift from Doyle and I. While he and Vanessa were at her other families celebrating Christmas, Doren and Doyle installed it for him. The dog at the bottom of the photo is Buttons, Mother's new dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mom and Buttons....Mom didn't like her hair. She had spent the night at my brothers and used her teen-age grandaughter's shampoo. She said her hair was so soft she couldn't do anything with it. She meant to curl the bangs but we got started before she got that accomplished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a long time playing frisbee with Kaidence. I guess I wore her out. She was even too tired to chew on her bone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Doyle reading the Christmas story out of Luke 2 before we begin unwrapping gifts. This tradition came from my Dad's side of the family and we have carried on the tradition.