Thank You

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so many things to be thankful for but yet this year I just can't seem to be in the Holiday thankful spirit. There have been so many things that have not gone my way this year and if I was still five I would lay down on the floor and scream and kick and cry and yell "It's Not Fair!!"


But I'm 24 so I will just have to keep that all inside. Or just do it when no one is around.

When I was in High School I listened to a sermon that has stuck with me ever since. It was about Heaven, and if God loves us and created us for Himself, then why did he allow us to come suffer on Earth? Why not just let us live in Heaven with Him to begin with?

Some of you that are more bible savvy than I am may disagree but what the preacher said made a lot of sense, more now than ever. He said, without knowing pain and suffering on Earth, then we can't know and realize the Love and Perfectness of Heaven. If we don't know what it is to suffer and we don't know what it's like to be in pain, then we don't really know and appreciate Love and Goodness. Basically, you can't have good without having bad and vice versa. You can't have up without down, you can't have cold without hot. You enjoy Heaven without Earth.

So this year, I'm thankful for the stress and hardships that we are going through. I'm thankful that I have trouble paying the bills, and that Sean and I aren't getting a long as great as we could be. I'm thankful for the ill health I've had lately, and I'm thankful that Sean can't find a job. Because, one day when everything works itself out, and we don't have these struggles anymore then I'll be able to Know how wonderful I have it, I I'll be able to appreciate things so much more, because I know what it's like to not have everything.

But most of all this year I'm thankful for Earth. One day when I meet Jesus, face to face, because of my life on earth, I'll realize his glory, compassion, awesomeness, and splendor, because I've experienced the opposite and I can see the difference.

God Slapped Me

A month or so ago I ran across a Verse that really spoke to me. Then not long after that MckMamma did a post on the same verse!
I just wanted to share a little with you about how it's opened my eyes. I've had the verse on my blog since I found it. It's Isaiah 55 8:9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

It's no secret that Sean and I as a newly married couple are sometimes having to roll change to buy groceries. I mean Sean hasn't had a "real" job in three months, and I don't make that much yet. They tell me it takes a few years to make money in the insurance business. Sean is going to rodeos and working on the farm but when it rains, he can't do much on the farm and it's been a really wet summer and we've had to rely on his rodeo winnings, and I thank God that he's winning.

So now that you have our story....oh and don't pity me. Don't feel sorry for me. I'm not asking for sympathy I'm wanting to be a witness for God in what he's doing in our lives..it's just taking me awhile to get there..sorry I'll hurry up.

Anyways.. I'm what you might call a control freak. I tend to get a little bit nervous if I don't have control of every situation in my life, which tends to be a problem sometimes... OK so it tends to be a problem all of the time. I've really learned a lot in the last few months on how to relax and be OK with not having complete control. I think it has really helped my marriage and my relationship with others.

I keep a very detailed excel spreadsheet of our finances. I know when every bill is due, where are money is going, and how much we spend and I know to the penny at all times how much money is in my checking account. Sean, on the other hand, has no clue how much money he has in his account, how many bills we have, or when they are due and to be honest, I like it that way. He relies on me to tell him and I have control and I like it!

In the first few months after Sean lost his job, I freaked out. I wasn't nice to Sean because I was stressed about paying the bills and Sean wasn't worried about it. It made me mad he didn't worry. He let me keep up with how much money he had so I felt as if the burden of worrying was on me. Which now I see was stupid no one is supposed to worry, it doesn't help. I was always worried, always upset, always mad a Sean, always wondering why God allowed this to happen. I was always griping and stressing about every bill until we somehow scraped up enough money to pay them. Sean and I hated each other, we fought constantly and I realized that Money really is the root of all evil.

When I read Isaiah 55:8-9 I realized that God had just slapped me in the face. This verse said to me.."Hey, Control Freak! Stop Worrying!! Your ideas and your 'way' sucks! You will never ever be able to control God's path for you and Sean. Stressing about paying the bills, and worrying that you aren't going to make it is such a waste of time and is just like telling God you don't believe in Him because you don't believe He can take care of you. God's ways are so much higher than you ever could be.. so get off your high horse and just chill out.!!!" I immediately asked God to forgive me for not believing in Him and to help me always remember He is in control.

I've written that verse on Post It's and hung them everywhere. I've shared it with all my friends. Since that slap in the face, God has provided all we need to pay the bills plus some! Just when I think we won't be able to pay the bill, God provides the money to us in some form or fashion and it all turns out fine.

Since I've learned to relax and not worry about things I can't control, my life has been a lot happier. My relationship with God has strengthened and Sean and I have gotten along perfectly.

I still have to stop and recite this verse when I start getting stressed out, and it has helped me so much!! Maybe it can help you too! Thanks for listening to me ramble about my problems!!

Don't forget about my Give Away! The People at Betty Crocker want to send you free fruit roll ups!!

Let It Shine!

Today's Blog Hop is Words of Encouragement. Now, I don't know about you, but all my words of encouragement come from the Bible.

I would like to encourage myself, and all other Christians out there to Let God's Light shine through you, no matter what Life throws at you! Be an example of a good Christian and never let your light burn out in times of darkness.

I came across a neat little quote from Elizabeth Kubler Ross:

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the
sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed
only if there is a light from within."

In John 8:12 Jesus says that He is the Light to the World, and if you follow him you will never be in the dark, but always have Light.

In your times of darkness, let Christ shine within you, and people will see how beautiful HE is. Psalms 21:1 says "the LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" You have nothing to fear in times of Darkness if the Lord is your light!

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:15

I hope you will Pray for Strength to keep your Light within shining at all times, even when things are a little bit Dark! I'll be praying for you!

It's a girl!

What a beautiful weekend! Friday Night Sean Left for a Rodeo in McAlister OK, and Banjo and I enjoyed a relaxing evening watching TV and Reading. Apparently Banjo decided to get into the Trash Friday Night to dig out his old toy I threw away. Saturday Morning I awoke to a kitchen floor full of trash, thank goodness none of it was food. Banjo did find the toy and did play with it until it was shredded into tiny pieces. Saturday morning I did a little work then went off to Wally World to buy some flowers for my porch. Here are the before and after pictures. (notice, Banjo Helped)


Before..

And After....

These cute pillows I found at the Wal-Mart home and garden center. They had some of the cutest designs! They are for the outside too! Nice and waterproof. Banjo found the chair pretty comfortable to sit in, although he knows better to do something like that!



Saturday was the most beautiful day I've experienced in a long time. Banjo and I went down to the pond and just enjoyed the day. The breeze was blowing and the temperature was perfect. It sure made me in awe of what my God can do. It's really mind blowing to me that He could design something so beautiful. (Notice my view from the porch in the before and after pics)




Congratulations to Sean for winning the CRRA membership rodeo with a time of 4.0!! There were 36 guys who entered the Steer Wrestling. That was much needed Money!! I'm very glad he's so great at what he loves so much! This picture is from 2004 or so. The CRRA Rookie of the year. (the only rodeo pic I have on my computer of him)







Saturday afternoon Sean and I traveled to Conway to pick up our new baby girl. I want to call her Birdie and Sean likes that too but thinks Birdie & Banjo might be confusing for the dogs to distinguish during hunting season. (I don't think so) So we don't know her name yet, she's just Puppy for now. She's the spunkiest puppy I've ever seen. She's scared of nothing! She tries so hard to play with Banjo, but he doesn't really care for her just yet. She bites his tail, ears, feet, lips, & just about any part of Banjo she can get too. It's really funny to watch them together. I swear he rolled his eyes at her last night when she bit his tail. This morning I put them on the porch to play and went inside to get ready for work and when I went to check on them they were in the middle of the pasture playing with the horses. Somehow the little puppy jumped 3 1/2 feet down from the porch and followed Banjo out to play.



Sunday I visited my Grandparents in Ft. Smith. I dropped off my Tahoe to get it fixed at my Grandpa's Body Shop. (Treadway Body Shop, Ft. Smith AR) Sean backed into it a few weeks ago. I had a great time visiting and hope Gramma gets well soon, she broke her hip a few weeks ago.

Now on to Politics & Religion...

This is a direct quote that I lifted from Yahoo.com's coverage of president Obama's speech to the Turkish Parliament, "In a 2003 interview with the Arab news network Al Arabiya, he [George W. Bush] said: “I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe...." So as a "Christian" our current, and past presidents believes that all religions pray to the same god? hmm.. I disagree very much so. What do you think about our presidents saying this?
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention in a interview with the Washington Post about W.'s statement in 2003 said "We should always remember that he is commander in chief, not theologian in chief. The Bible is clear on this: The one and true god is Jehovah, and his only begotten son is Jesus Christ." Another reverend pointed out that "The personalities of each god are evident in the cultures, civilizations and dispositions of the peoples that serve them. Muhammad's central message was submission; Jesus' central message was love. They seem to be very different personalities." I've talked to a lot of people who are very worried about our Nation's Leaders and what the believe. As a Christian I know God is in control and he will make sure I do not have to go through anything I cannot handle. I know he will protect me and everyone who follows Him. Regardless of what our leaders think, we should pray that they choose the right path and make the most moral decisions. God is in control, not the President.

I guess I should've started a blog a long time ago, apparently I have a lot to get out of my head. Maybe my posts won't be so long in the future.