Go Go Girls

Hello All, 

     I hope all of you have been doing well. The last month has been more than a little stressful with Cliff being laid off about the same time one of my jobs hired an Office Manager to streamline our processes. Change is often good, and I'm sure it will be in the case too, but for me it is rarely if ever fun. It certainly would not of been my choice when I was already stressed out of my mind with some extended family issues, and Cliff out of a job. My shoulders have been tied in knots and yesterday when I went to the Chiropractor he told me that my stress had traveled from my thumb/wrist area that's had me in a splint up to my shoulders and down to my lower back where it was causing me to have pain my bum. Since Cliff being out of job is the major contributor to the stress, I asked him if he would put it in writing that my husband was a "pain in the butt" he declined. Trust those guys to always stick together. 

    Mom and I have been walking every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at a local home center store around 7:00 am. This has been such a good thing for us on so many levels. It's a great place to walk, plenty of room and the Employees have been so supportive. They always have a smile for us, ask us how it's going, how far we walk and are just over all encouraging to us. This morning we were getting a drink of water, one of us said something at which point we heard Dennis say from the employee break room, "Oh the Go Go Girls are here" then he comes out to chat for a few minutes. This is the same man I mentioned in a previous post that saw us eating breakfast at McDonalds and said "all that walking and you're eating here?" He also threatens to chase us with the sweeper if he doesn't think we're walking fast enough. He is such a hoot and really does brighten our walking days. Mom and I really enjoy the time to just visit with each other, I'm happy to report I've finally gotten to the point that I have enough air to walk and talk at the same time most mornings. We pass a mirror closet door every morning as we walk across the back of the store, I am finally seeing a difference in the reflection which is very encouraging. To be loosing instead of gaining in the middle of such a stressful time in my life can only be a God thing, normally and left on my own I would of already packed on 10-20 pounds over the last month. Last week a very good friend took me to see Safe Haven. I really enjoyed the movie but I've gotta tell you I really really enjoyed fitting in the seats and being able to sit comfortably through a movie for the first time in years. It will be interesting to see how the seats fit at the Cedar Park Center when we attend a public Easter Service there that our Church is sponsoring. If any of you are in the Cedar Park area, please join us Easter Sunday at 10:30 am, admission and parking is free and childcare is available for children from infants to 4 years of age. 

    Today was a day full of good news. Cliff had a very promising interview on Friday, we know they are interested in him, we're just waiting on them to get back to him. Colton is waiting on the results from a drug test and physical before starting work for Firestone. I also received word that the extended family issue that has been weighing heavily on me for the last several months is finally about to be resolved. Several of the major obstacles that had to be overcome were hurdled today. I expect to get very good news on that front within the next few weeks. All these things along with less behind, and a nicer reflection in the closet door made today a pretty good day. To quote one of our past preachers "God is Good, All the Time"

   Take care and hang in there, God always has something good in the works! We just have to be patient and wait on His timing. 

René

Busy Busy Busy

I just wanted to drop a line to let you know I'm still alive and kicking. The last few weeks have been very chaotic on the work and personal front. Lots and lots of stress but we know God is in control and we're hanging in there. I remind myself a little more of the old poster of the cat hanging on to the end of a rope by his last claw, that said "Hang in there, Friday's coming" than I'd like but it's still all OK.

In the midst of everything that's going on there have been huge blessings. For many years I've been involved with the JOY Class at our Church, this class is made up of our Senior Adults. They are so well named, they are certainly a JOY to me and my family. Their love is unconditional, they've walked so many of the paths we're on before us, they have been such a wonderful example of what a Christian walk should be, and they are ferocious prayer warriors. 3 of them in particular I've come to think of as the 3 Graces. Belva, Wanda and Alice I love you so much and I'll never be able to express how much your love and support means to me.

My own class at Church is just as wonderful. I've always said I couldn't imaging finding a more loving group of people, or a group you'd want in your corner more than the JOY Class...but as I was saying to my Mom the other day the Legacy Class is as loving as the JOY Class. We are so fortunate to be in the class. The people in there are so great and so caring. We have a wonderful teacher, Jon asks the hard questions and helps us see what God wants us to see and how it relates to our everyday life. We really support each other and watch out for each other. Mom's reply "you know yall are the next JOY Class" I don't know about anybody else but I think she's absolutely correct and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be when I grow up.

I wrote the paragraphs above on Monday and saved it thinking I'd proof it and get it posted a little later. Here it is Sunday and I'm just now getting to it. I wasn't kidding when I titled this post Busy, Busy, Busy.

Looking back I see where as the week started getting crazier and crazier, the less time I spent with God. I started missing my daily devotionals and reading my Bible. No big deal right, it was just a few days. WRONG!!! As a result of my bad choices and not putting first things first, when the week got crazy, I wasn't where I needed to be with God, and I did not have my ears open to hear that still small voice to remind me to plug into God's power source, consequently I spent a frustrating week trying to handle things I was not equipped to handle on my own. This was my own fault, God was there ready to take on my battles, but I didn't have enough sense to ask Him to. I didn't plug into my power source. How silly and what a waste. 

My prayer for myself and for each of you this week is to make better choices put God first where he belongs and remember to stop and ask God for His help in dealing with whatever issues you have going on, all He's waiting on is an invitation. 

I'm hoping this video copies over, it's a powerful song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I 

Hello...is anybody there?

Do you ever have times when there feels like there is a jamming device between you and God? That's where I've been this last week, it just doesn't feel like my prayers are making it to God's ears. I'm so glad I've walked with God long enough to know just because that's how it "feels" that doesn't mean that's how it "is". I keep going to back to the Bible and finding scripture that reminds me God is with me. Psalms 46: 7 & 11 both say "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Twice in one chapter, God says The Lord Almighty is with us. He doesn't say He's with us occasionally, or He's with us when we're obeying Him, or when He feels like it. It says The Lord Almighty is with us. So for me it becomes a choice; I can believe what it feels like or believe what God says. I am reminded of a devotional I heard several years ago, right after I got laid off the first time. The man was telling us that we needed to keep doing what we knew we supposed to do but that to worry about all the things we could not control was a waste of time and a lack of faith. I choose to believe that God is with me and not only with me but that He delights in the details of my life just like it says in Psalms 37:23-24. We are just going to keep doing what God tells us to do, keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep on believing and trusting that God is in control and God has a plan just like He promises in Jer 29:11, a plan to prosper us and not harm us.  

Goals Update

Well I'd love to tell you the brown pants from the previous post are all loose and comfy but we're not quite there yet but I can tell you they are more comfortable than they were when I wore them a week or so ago. The big news of this update is when I look down now, I don't see my belly sticking out any more. I am not what you would call flat chested so when the belly sticks out further than the endowments it bothers me a lot. Looking down to see the belly sticking out too far has always been a major indicator for me to know I've let my weight slide too long and way too far. Needless to say when I looked down this week and did not see belly it was a very happy day  This is especially true given all the stress in our lives the last few weeks, with Cliff's lay off. In the past I would of quickly gone more than a bit off the wagon and reached for massive quantities of chocolate and pasta. Not following that old patter is indicative of one of my other goals - to gain weight spiritually being met. It is only through the grace of God and His strength that I didn't go on a binge. I want to think all of you who have been praying for us, we feel your prayers, God hears your prayers and they have made a positive difference. 

I have been walking between a mile and a half to two miles at least 3 times a week. God was good and showed my Mother a perfect place for us to walk. I've been meeting her and spending 30 to 45 min before work walking and visiting. We are both enjoying this immensely. I should also point out here that you find accountability in the strangest places. One of the workers in the Home Center Store we're walking in saw us out at breakfast, and shook his head at us. He said you just did all that walking and now you're eating. Last night I found myself (get ready for a shock) craving salad. Cliff and I both had a huge salad for dinner with romaine lettuce, broccoli slaw, cheery tomatoes, fat free croutons, cracked peppercorn smoked turkey breast. and mozzarella cheese with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yummy!

Rib-bit, Sniff Sniff

My husband and I have had such a nice day today. Our son is working and it's just been us. I cooked us breakfast and lunch and we've been working on projects around the house. It's been very relaxing. 

I've seen a couple of Facebook postings in the last few days that really inspired me. A friend of mine just got a teaching position teaching Special Ed at the Elementary School level. She is a sweet sweet woman and the kids are so fortunate to have her. She says her class mascot will be a frog. A frog you say, why a frog. It's to remind her to Fully Rely On God. I'll  never look at a frog the same way again. Rib-bit has a whole new meaning to me. 

I saw the picture below, and it spoke to me as well.

I mean isn't this the truth, we can be so focused on the negatives in life that we never take time to appreciate and smell the roses. No doubt Cliff being laid off is a definite thorn, but look at all the roses on the bush. We have wonderful friends that are praying for us and lifting us up. God's still in control and has a wonderful plan in place for us that He'll make clear at the right time.  Cliff's had time to work on his truck and it's finally up and running for the first time in months. He's had time to process the deer he got last week, which means I didn't have to do it in the midst of all my week's craziness and we have meat in the freezer. He's a heavy machinery mechanic and jobs for that are a lot easier to come by than those in many other fields. He has 10 years of experience as a Maintenance Supervisor. His management experience should make him more marketable and even though they did lay him off, at least they did it with a small severance package. 

So I think I'll adopt a frog as my personal mascot to remind me to Fully Rely On God, and I'll take the time to appreciate the roses in my life. 

Take care and God Bless.....

Long Week....

It's been a long long week for many reasons. First trying to get ready for closing out the accounting year at both of my jobs, dealing with quarterly taxes which are never my favorite thing. It's all added up to some very long hours at the offices. Saturday I had to make an unexpected trip out of town. Sunday I had to deal with a flat tire, and a flat spare tire. Then Monday my husband unexpectedly got laid off from his job of 10 years and I put in another 12 hour day at work. I'm just tired, and the storms seem to be looming large on our horizons. Also being a major stress eater, I've been hungry 24/7 and making the best choices has not been easy. 

But you know what? At least I have a job / jobs to go to. I called a friend and she dropped everything to take that little road trip with me on Saturday. Cliff and Colton were out of town when I had the flat Sunday but several of the wonderful men in my Sunday School Class helped me get it taken care of. I have a nice warm house to come home to at the end of the day and a super comfy bed to crash in. I have a wonderful family, wonderful friends in my MTC Group, at Church and reading this blog that are praying for us and lifting us up. We haven't panicked and I haven't hijacked any chocolate or pizza delivery trucks. Yeah, Cliff got laid off and I have no idea how God is going to work that out but I know He will. He has never failed us before, and He won't fail us now.  It is such a relief to know we don't have to figure it out. It's not our problem, it's God's and He is more than big enough and strong enough, and awesome enough to take care of it. We just have to put our faith and trust in Him, follow where He leads and keep on putting one foot in front of the other. 

Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 

My Portion

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)   
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

I posted the cartoon below Sunday night about running Monday is coming because it was cute and I really wasn't looking forward to getting up at 5:00 am. Nothing about the weekend had gone as I'd planned and I just wasn't really ready to move forward with the week. Little did I know what Monday was going to bring, fortunately God did, and He already has a plan in place to deal not only take care of it but to take care of it to our benefit.  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you"

My husband got laid off from his job of 10 years yesterday morning. We had no inkling this was coming. All of our health insurance is through his work, and all three of us have pre-existing conditions that require several prescription medicines each month. Our monthly co-pay for our meds is hefty. Without insurance? Lets just say astronomical is not an over statement. Then there's the mortgage, the electricity, the groceries, and all the other bills that have to be paid. Cliff has been the primary wage earner at our house for a long time. How on earth is this going to work?

My devotional reading yesterday morning was titled "God is my Portion" with the key scripture being Exodus 16:8 which is: Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” the author talked about when God gave the children of Israel manna from Heaven, He just gave them enough for one day, if they gathered more it would rot. God was teaching them to depend on Him, that they couldn't do it on their own. She encouraged me to turn to God when there is a problem, and pray. To tell the Father what's bothering me and that I don't have the strength needed to overcome up but ask Him to be my portion, ask Him to give me His strength to overcome whatever it is. The Bible is full of promises that He'll do just that, that with God, all things are possible. 

As I woke up this morning an hour before my alarm went off, I had plenty of time to put this in practice. For every worrisome thought Satan put in my head about how on earth we were going deal with everything we're going to have to deal with in the next weeks and months to come I prayed about it and asked God to take care of it, to show us what He would have us to do, I was immediately calmed He knows what's out there, He knows what's coming and He already has a plan, a plan to prosper us and not harm us.

He also brought to mind many biblical examples of His people that looked at how big their problems were and not how BIG our God is and got in trouble. The Israelites sent spys into the Promised Land and when the majority of them came back saying the inhabitants were too big and too numerous they could never triumph against them, they ended up wandering in the desert for 40 years. When Peter took his eyes off the Lord as he walked on the water toward Him, Peter sank like a stone.

So I choose to remember and concentrate on how very big God is, how very much He loves me and my family and trust Him to take care of us. He has already proved how much He loves us He sent his Son, so we could have eternal life and spend it with Him. Jesus overcame death. With God on our side, leading our way, holding our hand, directing our path we can over come unemployment, insurance issues, and whatever comes our way. 

I expect I'll spend quite a lot of time in the next few days and weeks to come blasting Casting Crown's song The Voice of Truth. Please look it up play it, there are several videos available of it on You Tube. I believe it will really speak to you. If I can figure out how to put a link to it in the blog I will. 

We should always remember this, but it is even more important when it appears that everything is out of control and totally overwhelming, God is in control and for God nothing is too big, nothing is too overwhelming, nothing is impossible and as His children He has given us access to that incredible power, we just have to ask Him and trust Him.