Choose Wisely

Last week the girls and I went to rent a movie, something I haven't done is about 15 years. When you don't expose yourself to tv and movies, it's amazing how much more aware you become of the sinful and evil nature of the shows that are being produced these days.

While I was paying for the movie and the girls were looking through the candy section, I noticed this candy on the counter, Twilight Sweethearts.

This movie is being depicted as a love story between a teenage girl and a vampire, and it has created an incredible love in this nation for all things vampire. Sadly, even Christians have fallen for this. A vampire is defined as a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and sucks the blood of the living. In other words, this story is a "love story" between a teenage girl and a demon in a dead mans body.

Lets look at what some of these hearts say. Dazzle, Lamb, Live 4 Ever, Bite Me. The definition of Dazzle is to overpower or dim the vision of by intense light, to shine or reflect brilliantly, to excite admiration by brilliance. So when we look at the first three we might believe it is referring to Christ. Jesus and only Jesus is The Light and The Lamb that gives us Life 4 Ever. But one of the hearts says Bite Me, referring to a vampire (a demon in a dead persons body) sucking the life blood out of a human by biting them.

Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. For the life of a creature is in the blood... Leviticus 17:10

According to this scripture, God sets His face against vampires. Vampires are about death, God is about Life. Satan is the great copier. He copies everything about God because he wants to be God. He is the great Liar and twists the truth to deceive God's people. Even the reference to the Forbidden Fruit on the box and in this picture clearly point to the first sin when Satan deceived Eve and convinced her to do what God had Forbidden.

If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. Leviticus 5:17

We are in the last days and we must be more vigilant than ever to teach our children to make wise choices that will lead them into Truth. We have to stop reasoning that because something is fun to us it is safe, and right in God's eyes. How can we teach our children to choose what is right even when it is hard, if we don't do that ourselves? In the words of Jim Elliot. "He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16

Visit these Bloggers for additional information on this subject.
Kathy at Blessed Builder
Kelly at Chatty Kelly

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Security Tips to Safeguard Your Family and Home

Many people are traveling now and with Christmas shopping and gift giving, this is a busy time for burglars as well. Here are some excellent tips to keep you, your family and your home a little safer.


13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You
8 More Things a Burglar Won't Tell You





"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Giving Thanks

This is my Apple Pecan Braid. It's a recipe I created as an alternative to apple pie. My daughter, my grand-daughter Word Girl, and I all love it. The little ones, Miss Personality and Computer Girl don't have the same opinion. I hadn't made this in quite some time so I decided to make it one Sunday while the girls were over. I knew the little ones weren't fond of this but I had something else they could snack on so I went ahead with it. Being the oldest, Word Girl takes a back seat to the little ones a lot. I'm really very proud of how well she handles it too. So sometimes I try to consider her first when I'm making these decisions and she was thrilled at this decision.

Miss Personality hung out with me in the kitchen while I made it and happily stole apple slices from my stock as I worked. We talked about the ingredients and she confirmed that she loved them all except the pecans but that she could pick them out. So she was sure she would like it and she wanted a piece when it was done.

After it came out of the oven I let Word Girl drizzle the icing on it. Now the icing was something they all loved. About that time Computer Girl came to watch. She knew she didn't like the braid and had a look of disappointment on her face but didn't voice any complaints. I let her taste a little piece of the crust with some icing on it and her eyes brightened up so I asked her if she would like a piece from the end where it is mainly crust with icing and she liked that idea.

As we were all enjoying our pastry and each other's company, Computer Girl looked over at me and in her sweet little voice said "Thank you Grandma." That one little expression of gratitude said so much. For one thing, it said that she felt loved. It also said that she was content with what she had been given. We both knew that it wasn't what she would have picked if she had been given the choice, but still she was content with it and freely offered an expression of gratitude without any prompting. That expression melted my heart and made me very proud of her.

God doesn't always give us what we want but He never discounts our desires. We can choose to complain about what we don't have or we can choose to be thankful and content with what is given. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, and throughout our lives, may we melt His heart and make Him proud.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Psalm 118:28

Please join me at Titus 2 in Action where I am a contributing author every other Wednesday.







"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

The Lord Directs Our Steps - Part 2

Picking up where I left off yesterday, if you didn't read yesterday's post you can read it HERE.

During that time, the economy got worse and I was wondering how I was going to make ends meet. Many people that I knew had, or were looking for a room mate to help share expenses. Car-jackings and freeway shootings were becoming a big problem and my daughter started hanging out with the wrong crowd and getting into lots of trouble. Things were terrible at work and I was at a breaking point. I knew it was time to find another job.

Just about the time that all of these things were weighing heavily on me, my cousin told me that his wife's younger sister had decided to move to Texas with her dad when she graduated high school, which was a couple of months away. My cousin had made plans to drive from Texas to California to pick her up and said that if I wanted to move, we could arrange for all of us to make the drive together. The seed had sprouted and roots had taken hold.

I knew the decision had already been made but it took about a month before I could actually voice it. It was hard leaving my Grandma and other family members but I was sure that this was God's plan for me. I gave notice at work, sold almost everything I had and drove to Texas. On the way I remember feeling like I was going home even though I had never been there.

I had almost no belongings and only a small amount of money but within six months of my move, I had purchased a brand new house. Owning a house was never even a thought before this time because it was so expensive in California, but God had it all planned out. Years in advance He orchestrated the circumstances that planted the seed of a thought to make this move, and He developed it to fruition through a series of unrelated events to bring it about in His perfect time.

Thank you Lord, for taking care of me and guiding me in the day-to-day. Thank you for this home and all that you have provided. I love you my Ish. ~ In Jesus Name, Amen

His unseen hand is at work in your circumstances today. Trust Him to direct your steps.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 MSG

I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

The Lord Directs Our Steps - Part 1

The other night I had the pleasure of talking with Karen at Surviving Motherhood. What a fun and very sweet lady she is! One of the perks about my blog design business is that I do get to talk with some of my bloggy friends sometimes when we are working out what they want. Karen and I talked for about an hour and a half, and if you're wondering, no it wasn't all about the design. :)

One of the things we talked about was where we grew up. This got me thinking about how God orchestrates our circumstances and directs our steps in the everyday events of life.

Many of you know that I was born and raised in California. My family was actually from Texas but I had never been there. I had a friend and coworker who was from the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas. Shortly after my dad passed away in 1985, she told me that she and her husband were thinking about moving back and asked if I wanted to go with them. I had never even considered leaving California before but her question made me realize that my dad was the real reason I felt that way. Now that he was gone, it was as though the tie was broken so I began to think about it, but before I had made a decision my friend and her husband changed their mind about leaving so I dismissed the thought. Little did I know that God had planted a seed.

A few years later a close cousin of mine made a decision to move to the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas. It seems that his girlfriend's dad lived there and was having some pretty serious health issues that prompted their decision to move. It was also during this period of time that I responded to God's call to I give my life to Christ. My cousin and his girlfriend later came back to California to get married and I had the honor of being in their wedding. It was after this that they began asking me to move to Texas.

The seed was being watered and I began to pray about making the move. Deep in my heart I think I knew that the decision had been made from the first planting of that seed but I needed to pray it through and work it out in my mind. I didn't discuss it with anyone, but I continued to pray about it for about a year and a half.

Come back tomorrow to find out what God was planning.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Project 365 - November 15, 2009

Does this still need an introduction? Please visit Sara and join us for the last few weeks of this meme. I have a lot of pictures this week but sometimes it's really hard to choose just one. Thanks for understanding. :)

Sunday - Word Girl wanted to rake the leaves for me. How sweet!

I helped Computer Girl disguise this turkey. Bet you thought it was a princess huh?

Tuesday - This was the tool I started out using in my failed attempt to disconnect my battery terminal. Notice my handy dandy tool kit on the left.

 

Wednesday - The saga continues. I took Alice's husbands advice and went to Auto Zone. They tested it and said probably the gas cap, but I had replaced the gas cap the week before so the guy disconnected the battery waited a minute and connected it. The light was still on so he did it again. The light was still on so I brought it home and disconnected it for 15 minutes. That's this picture. When I tried to reconnect it, it started sparking and the washer fluid for the headlights started spraying all over me. Twice this happened. Ugh! So I called AAA at Kat's suggestion. The nice man hooked it right back up. But the light was still on. Go to next picture.

 

Thursday - I got up early the next morning to take it to be serviced and when I started it the light was OFF! Yay! Praise God! I was SO thankful! So I took it straight to get it inspected so I could get my tags. Everything seemed to be fine until I was paying and the guy tells me it failed. Then he asked if my battery had been disconnected recently. It seems that when the battery is disconnected the computer needs time to get ready before it can be inspected. I just needed to drive it 50 - 100 miles then take it back. At least the light is off.

 

On a brighter note, I came home and found a package at my door.

 

Rita at Meemaw Moments had a giveaway and I won this BEAUTIFUL candle holder! Her husband makes these in a variety of styles and they really are exquisite. Thank you so much Rita! I just love it!

Friday - Tobi and I have taken up walking at the park to try to get in a little exercise. We went twice this week and walked 2 miles both times. I would have liked to walk 3 but I don't think Tobi could handle it. She's not as young as she used to be. So here's the one mile marker on the path.

 

This park has residential property backed right up to it almost all the way around. These are miniature horses in one of the yards. They stand about 3 feet tall. They seem to enjoy the company of people. They come right up to the fence when we walk up.

 

 

Same property but a different section.

 

I think these horses are on the same property too. After I took this picture they immediately turned their back on me.

 

Another spot along the way we saw these lambs. I was really excited to get this picture because they weren't too close and as you can see, I had to peek between some tree branches to see them.

 

These flew overhead just after I took the picture of the lambs. They were moving pretty fast.

 

Does she look tired or what?

 

Thanks for sticking with me. I have announced the winner of the blog makeover giveaway on my Graphic Design blog.

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Thankful Thursday - November 12, 2009

Joining Sonya at Truth for the Journey for Thankful Thursday. Thank you Sonya for hosting this.

This isn't your typical Thankful Thursday post and I have listed more than five. Sorry for breaking the rules this time.

Can I be honest here? Sometimes not having a man around who will take care of stuff like this, drives me to the brink of tears and cussing like a sailor. I didn't cuss like a sailor, in case you're wondering.

Instead, God sent me over to visit Karen at Surviving Motherhood. Karen was encouraging us with the Psalms. Specifically this one that speaks of boasting in the Lord.

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3

So I cranked up some Casting Crowns and praised, worshiped, and boasted in the Lord.

1. Today I am thankful for our Veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. It was so wonderful to see so many people honoring our military men and women on Veteran's Day yesterday.
   
2. I am thankful for Sue J who remembered my birthday and made me a bloggy birthday cake.
   
3. I am thankful for Karen for redirecting my focus.
4. I am thankful for Tammy, Heidi, and Kelly who helped me feel normal in dealing with this battery situation.
5. I am thankful for Warren's advice and perspective that gave me some direction.
6. I am thankful for Alice and her husband who even called me to see if they could help and prayed that God would help.
7. I'm thankful for Kurt who told me to get away from the positive terminal. That's what you get from a military, Christian biker type, protection. :) I really wasn't going to mess with the positive but I sincerely appreciate the concern.
8. I'm thankful for Rosel for asking her husband and providing a suggestion.
9. I'm thankful for Kat who was also concerned about the positive terminal and suggested AAA. I didn't even think about AAA. Will they come out to disconnect a terminal and they reconnect it after a minute?
10. I'm thankful for Greg's advice about the terminals too.
    

If you are wondering why I want to disconnect my battery terminal, it is just to reset the Service Engine Soon light. My gas cap was popping off and it caused the light to come on. I replaced the cap with a new one but the light won't go off. With the light on, it won't pass inspection so I can get my new tags. I can't afford to take it to a dealer and pay for them to *find* something wrong with it. If I disconnect the the terminal, it will reset the light. If there is still really something else wrong then the light will come back on even after I reset it. It's a very simple procedure... if you're a man.

Thank you LORD for all of my bloggy friends who make me feel not so alone when simple things turn into major undertakings. I ask that you pour out rich blessings on them this day and throughout their lives. ~ In Jesus Name, Amen

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Precious Gems

When my seventeen year old daughter told me she was pregnant, one of the first things I said to her was "I am not raising your child." I told her it was her responsibility and that I would help her, but I wasn't going to be her built-in babysitter or allow her to push her responsibility off on me. I was sincerely trying to instill an acceptance of the responsibility and consequences for her actions. What I didn't realize was that I had adopted the self serving way of the culture.

Soon after my grand-daughter's birth, God began showing me that being a grandparent carried much more responsibility than this culture would have us believe. It's not just fun and games and give the kids back when the fun is over. Lets look at these key phrases: "I am not raising your child" and "I am not a built-in babysitter". These are what I refer to as culturally correct phrases, but what do they say about who I am living for and who I am living to serve? God did not put me here to live for myself, but to live for Him and to serve others.

Yes, parents do have the primary responsibility to raise up their kids. But grandparents have so much to contribute to the lives of their grandchildren. Even if it means taking on some added responsibility. In some cases that may be what is necessary to protect the child or it may be the only opportunity the child has to learn to know and love the Lord.

I'm not suggesting that grandparents take over the role of the parent, nor am I suggesting that we become enablers. What I'm saying is that we do have a responsibility to contribute to the teaching and training of our grandchildren, to the extent that God will allow it. Grandparents have a big impact on the lives of these precious gems and we need to use it for Kingdom purposes.

From the time my first grand-daughter was born eleven years ago, you could hardly get her out of my arms. I was always praying over her and singing "Jesus Loves Me" to her to comfort her. Now I have been blessed with three beautiful grand-daughters. Three precious gems that I intend to polish so that the light of Christ shines brightly from them. I have purposed in my heart that I will do all that I can to teach them to know and love the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul.

I hope you will join me every other Wednesday as I share some of the lessons my grand-daughters and I are learning together, as well as some lessons God has taught me over the years about the impact of our actions for generations to come.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9

Please join me at Titus 2 in Action where I am a contributing author every other Wednesday beginning today!







"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Help Me Please!

Can anyone out there please tell me how to disconnect my battery terminal? I'm feeling pretty stupid right now and that sounds like a pretty basic question but I'm used to terminals that look like these.

My terminals look like these. Look at the red one. I have found on the internet that I'm supposed to use a 8mm wrench but I cannot for the life of me figure out what it's supposed to connect to. The end that is sticking out is the only part that isn't round and I can fit a 5/16" socket on it but I can't turn it. It doesn't actually look like a bolt either so I don't want to waste my time trying to turn something that is actually welded on. I know I sound like such a girl but I am and this shouldn't be this hard. If it is the end thing then I'll take suggestions about how to make it easier to turn cause it's on there tight!


This is what it is supposed to look like when it is disconnected. Thank you.

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Project 365 and A Give-away

Joining Sara and the rest of the bloggers for Project 365. This is such a fun meme. Thank you Sara for sticking out the year with this.

Monday- I actually noticed this on Sunday, 11/1/09, right after my "Service Engine Soon" light came on. If you are with law enforcement, please don't look at this picture.

Tuesday - Biscuits and gravy for dinner. This is bacon gravy not sausage gravy. This is the way my grandma made it and it is SO GOOD!

Wednesday - A little color in the neighborhood. Fall is trying it's best to get here.

Thursday - Tobi gets so excited when she gets to go for a ride.

Saturday - I opened the front door so Tobi could watch for evil cats and look what I found waiting for me! I was so excited when I saw the name of the sender on the package!

A very dear bloggy friend that I will meet someday, remembered that tomorrow (Sunday) is my someteenth birthday and she sent me a wonderful gift! Look at how cute she made that bow, and she claims not to be creative. Ha!

The back of the card refers to who it's from, not the contents.

Clearly this is a dearly beloved Friend! That's a picture of us. I'm the one in the plaid. Notice what a mess our hair is? I think we're bungee jumping.

And a special birthday wish on the back from MY ADHD-Jo. Thank you my Friend! You made my day!

Found a prominent place to display my new treasure.

Since it's my birthday I decided that it would be a good time for a give-away. Visit my graphics site Rich Gifts Graphics and Blog Design to see how you can win a blog makeover. Feel free to pick up a Scripture Tag while you're there.

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Thankful Thursday - November 5, 2009

I'm joining Sonya and all the others for Thankful Thursday today. Thank you Sonya for hosting this so faithfully every week.

1. I'm thankful that God has been encouraging me with so many messages and scriptures of my worth in His eyes and that He loves me even when I mess up. It's sometimes difficult to see from His perspective.
2. I'm thankful that He hears my prayers and saved me about $2000.00 on plumbing repairs when I could just use a $12.00 bottle of root killer to keep the tree roots out of my sewer line.
3. I'm thankful for the business He has been sending my way and that He always carries me through my work. I'm also thankful for the extra time I have now that I'm not watching the girls during the day so I don't feel like I'm working all the time. But not having them here sure is an adjustment.
4. I'm thankful for the way God orchestrated the circumstances that led me to a new church where the girls have more opportunity for spiritual growth.
5. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a contributing author for Titus 2 in Action. It launched this week and is led by our dear Sonya who also leads us in Thankful Thursday. I hope you will join us there.

Thank you Lord that you are in every detail of my life. That you love me in spite of my weaknesses and flaws. That you care for me, and that you won't drop me. Help me to view myself and others through your eyes Lord. ~ In Jesus Name Amen

"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou