Victory!!!

 The Surgery is OVER!!!
  I am thanking God for his faithfulness!  All went well, and Craig is recovering.  I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief, but we must continue to pray for his recovery.  My heart is so full right now, but my mind is very tired.  Hopefully soon I can report some awesome details about this whole ordeal.  I'm so thankful for my friends Craig and Casey, and their family!  I'm so thankful that they have so many wonderful people that love them and rallied around them to believe for Craig.  When things like this happen, it's a wonderful reminder of what's important in life.  Everything we have is a gift from God, and it's by His grace that we even have all that we do.  I'm so amazed by the wisdom it took for the surgeon to perform this surgery, and all the technology available to find the tumor.  I am amazed and very grateful!  I know that this wisdom comes from God, and we are made in His image.  My heart is also overjoyed at the wonderful outpouring of love, prayers, and concern for Craig and his family.  It is a great picture of what we, the church, are supposed be for one another.  God's loves us so much!  We can share His love with others, and be a source of hope for them!  His heart is to be here with us...He's working on that!  Until then...He left us His Spirit...He loves through us!  Be a source of hope for others, offer encouragement, and simply love!

"You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great."
(Psalm 18:35)

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(1 Corinthians 15:57)

Urgent Prayer Request!

A dear friend is having surgery tomorrow to remove a tumor from his brain at 6:30 am.  His name is Craig.  He is a wonderful godly man with a wife and four children.  They are a beautiful and precious family.  We are very good friends with this family, so they’re extremely dear to our hearts.  Please pray and agree that the surgery will go well and for God’s protection during the surgery.  Also, please pray for the surgeon, Dr. Guthrie.  There are more details, but for now, the main concern is the surgery tomorrow.  Thank you so much!  I know I don’t have many followers, but I do have a few…and some anonymous readers out there…let’s all pray and agree in faith that the outcome will be good and he will be 100% healed!  God IS able!  I’m expectant of a good report tomorrow!  There is so much I'd like to say, but I'm very tired and I want to be up bright and early to pray before and during the surgery, so I’m turning in…goodnight.

Oh, if you would like prayer for healing, I would love to agree in faith with you!  Please feel free to leave your requests by just posting it as a comment, or contact me by email.  There is a great site I found on Kelly's blog called Prayergates where you can leave your prayer requests for people to stand in faith with you.  Prayer is powerful!

O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me."

(Psalms 30:2)

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."

(Isaiah 53:5)   

Updates: Operation Christmas Child and Camera

Update #1

Hooray!  I'm a little late here, but we found out our shoeboxes went to the Dominican Repulic.  You can read my original post about Operation Christmas Child here!  It was a lot of fun doing this project with our children, and it's great to know that we are blessing four other little children across the miles!  This makes my heart happy!  Our church really got involved in this project, and made it so easy to drop off the gifts once they were all packed!  

Update #2

I want to say a big “Thank You” to all of you who offered me camera help! You can read all about it here!  I finally got a camera for Christmas! My sweet Honey Boy (Ha! Ha!  I hope this name embarrasses him!) let me help pick it out, and we wrapped it for Christmas to open with the kids. It was a rather hurried decision-we went to a store and he just said "let's go get your camera!"  But I would have taken all of 2010 to keep researching…that’s just me!  I over-obsess, over-perfectionize, and over-analyze Everything! I’m glad sometimes for my little Honey Man (Ha! Ha!) who helps me to make decisions at times. I really need that! I really would’ve been researching for at least another 2-3 months with this whole camera thing…seriously...and he wanted to get it for me for Christmas!  I’m so glad to have it!  I just cracked open the box for the 2nd time today! The first time I just opened it and looked at all the papers…today I read the quick start guide briefly. Am I nuts? I guess I’m just waiting for the perfect time so I can savor the moment. It’s one honker of a camera!  I'm sure it's not top of the line (I wouldn't even know what that is btw!), but it's a huge step up from my little point and shoot camera!  I was grateful for my old camera, and it served me well…it’s just broken, and it was time to move on to bigger and better things! Well, I must clarify-it's just a little broken down…not totally broken…just frustrating to use…on the brink of broken…broken lens cap…gotten a little slower now…you get me?!!!  I can't wait to add some pictures on here from my new camera!  Perhaps even this year!  Ha Ha! 

Resolutions

I went to the gym today and did a one hour class called Bodyworks, and boy did it work my body!  I'm hoping to keep at this working out thing and hopefully a new, healthier, more fit me will emerge.  I'm not big on resolutions, because I try to continually assess my life and perpetuate change.  However, I needed a fresh start.  I started running at the beginning of summer '09...went on a short family vacation and didn't start running again until the end of summer!  I ran until the first round of cold weather hit...and here I am doing nothing again.  Husband and I (I meant to say "husband and I," by the way! :) really need to get healthy, and it's so good to be on the same page!  We did a workout with a Pilates DVD one time a few months ago...yes, only once!  So, we joined a gym.  Exercise isn't new to either of us, it's just been awhile!  This was my second time, and I must say that I think I'm going to like it!  I have to get away to exercise...too many distractions...housework...kids...need I say more?!!  I definitely want to incorporate exercise into my life again, and it's a great time to start! 
I guess if I had to give my New Year's Resolutions, these are the things that I would like to put into practice. 

Here goes:

1. Daily Bible Study/Quiet time/Prayer

2. Exercise-Take better care of my body

3. Sleep-More of it (I think I'm allergic to it!)

4. Organization-some type of system, especially for paper clutter

5. Exercise my Love Muscle-love like Jesus loves!

Okay, so these are my resolutions!  How about you?  Did you make any this year?  It's going to be an awesome year!  Do you have any goals, desires, or things that you'd like to start...or stop?  If so, you're not alone if you know Jesus.  It's a good time to start fresh and new!  What we can't do on our own, God can help us with!

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And with His help, "all things are possible!"

(Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27)

I will be posting some organization inspiration photos soon!  I know that excites you!  C'mom...do some cartwheels or backflips now!

;p

I went to the gym today...

I'm going back tomorrow...

The End.

New Year, New You!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

You knew I was going to say that, right?!!  Well, it is a new year, and I'm hoping yours will be full of the most wonderful blessings!  So...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  We had a great time here!  My heart is so full, and I'm realizing more and more what is important in life, and to cling to those things.  I was so blessed to have my family come to visit.  When you've been a military family for awhile, you really appreciate visitors.  My kids get excited about the UPS man and the pizza man ringing our doorbell!  Okay, so here's who came to visit:
My Mom from Murray, Ky.
My brother and his girlfriend from Destin, Fl.
My brother-in-law and his Fiance' from Clarksville, Tn. 
Yay!!!
Overall, it was a good visit and Jay and the kids and I had a blast!  But I was so busy that I realized I didn't really take many pictures!  I'm kind of sad about that.  I was really looking forward to this time.  I was in need of a break from life and needed to relax and have a good time and laugh.  We always do a lot of laughing when we get together, so...Mission Accomplished!  I did some praying during the time leading up to the Holidays because I really wanted everyone to be able to relax and have a good time and get along well together.  We added FIVE people to our family of 6 for nearly a week, so I was praying for peace and for everyone to experience God's presence here!  Some really great conversations took place and no one was knocked out, so I'm confident God heard my prayers and answered! (Ha Ha!) 
I'm so thankful for my family and I love each one of them dearly.  I don't take it for granted that they were all willing to come from so far away to see us.  It meant a lot to all of us.  We had so much fun with everyone.  As for me, I am so so so very tired.  I was an absolute zombie today, and I felt really groggy all day.  I think all of the lack of sleep during this time has finally caught up with me.  It's so hard because I felt like the time was so short, I wanted to pack it all in.  We always have such lofty plans, but there's never enough time when you live so far away.  We felt a little lonely after all of our company left...it was so quiet!  But now we're okay and hopeful about the New Year and all that's in store for us.  We are so hopeful and expectant about this new year!  We truly believe that great things are in store for us!  I'm so excited!!!  I feel like we're going into this new year with new mindsets, a new resolve, and a fresh start!  My heart is so thankful!  2009 was a great year full of God's blessings, and was a year of many changes for us...many good changes!  I can't stop thanking God for all He's done, and as I look back I can really see His hand in all of it!  He always has a plan and purpose!  I'm realizing that although we may not always understand why, God is always busy working things out.  Although we may not see it at the time,  He’s always busy with a plan to work things out for us and it WILL come to pass at just the right moment! And…If we’re willing, there’s always opportunity to really grow our character. The magic word…“IF.” We should desire that. There’s always opportunity to grow and learn in life. As long as we're on this earth, there will always be something to learn that we didn't know, and there will always be the potential to grow and develop our character. Remember this! It's simply human nature to always want everything our own way, to be selfish, impatient, unkind, etc.,&...a... BIG...ETC.!!!  So, continually seek wisdom and keep stretching yourself even when it's uncomfortable.  There's always something to gleen for your life at the day's end.  When you learn something, don't forget to put it into practice! Otherwise, what good is it to have knowledge of something if you don't apply it?

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." 
(James 1:22-25)

I'm working on this, and really trying to live my life not just for myself.  A friend and I discussed recently what our lives would be like if we could seperate ourselves from our emotions at times.  Imgine that for a moment.  What would that look like?  I think of how that would be in my relationship with my children.  I know I would be such a better mother if I could put this into practice.  This is a new concept for me, and I'm relying on God's help for this.  I don't believe it is possible without Him.  So, I am determined to NOT be moved by things that have the potential to stir up negative emotions, and to put love into practice instead.  Let me tell you a little about what love looks like, 'cause it's more than an ooshey-gooshey feeling!  Did you know that?  Listen:

LOVE IS [a CHOICE to be]:

patient

kind

LOVE ISN'T:

envious

boastful

proud

rude

self-seeking

easily angered

LOVE DOESN'T

keep records of wrongs

rejoice about injustice

LOVE DOES

rejoice when the truth wins out

LOVE ALWAYS

 protects

trusts

hopes

perseveres

LOVE NEVER

FAILS

(I Corinthians 13:4-7)
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
(Read this over slowly...and really think about it!)

 Each and EVERY DAY, we are faced with decisions of whether or not to love.  With all that Life may throw at you today, what will your choice be?  It's a New Year...how 'bout a New You? 

How about a LOVElier you?!!

May you have a blessed and prosperous
New Year!