Red on Head...On Fire for Jesus

Lesson from a toddler

2006-08-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

A friend joined a group that helps change the way they see themselves. She asked me to name some positive qualities that others say about me. Then she told me to apply that characteristic to my health and how I take care of the body God gave me. For example, she said I am a planner so I would be great at planning healthy meals for myself. It's something to think about for sure.

Tonight one of my great-nieces is spending the night and going to church with me tomorrow. She is 17 months old, smart and pretty as a picture...looks just like her mother did at this age.

Playing with her has been so much fun. Watching her reactions to being told "no-no" causes me to wonder if this is how God sees me. Sometimes she has immediate obedience and sometimes she doesn't. There are "pretties" that she knows she isn't supposed to touch but does anyway...until I say "no-no" and then she will put them back where they belong. Do I go back to those things that God has said "no-no" about? Yes. I wish I didn't.

Two weeks ago I was reading in 1 Kings. Most of the kings were horrible and disobeyed God in every way possible. Some kings turned back to God but didn't take down the high places. That's me too. I have such a difficult time taking down the high places...seems like it's one brick at a time.

They say others see us as we feel about ourselves when no one is looking.

I'd rather others and myself see me as God sees me.

Birthday Wish List

2006-08-17T21:11:00.000-04:00

I can hear DL and Lenore laughing now. This is probably the longest I've gone without giving a birthday countdown. Maybe it's because I am getting older and the number is starting to scare me a little.
Here's my list. It may surprise you.

Not necessarily in order of importance.

No more drama!
Agape love for friends
Unselfishness
Discipline
Spiritual maturity
Wisdom
Power, Love and a Sound Mind

Oh Happy Day

2006-08-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Two celebrations today!

Happy 14th Anniversary to DL and my "brother" MC. It's a full moon. When should Lenore and I start planning the baby shower?! HA!

Happy ReBirthday to a new friend and brother in the Lord. He prayed and asked Jesus to be the boss of his life tonight at church. We celebrate with God and the angels around the throne.

"If we win, we will praise Him. If we lose, we will praise Him." Facing the Giants (the movie)

Revival started early

2006-07-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

Scheduled revival begins August 6. However, God has started early. Amen?! Our worship services today were just that....WORSHIP!! God was there in our midst in a mighty way. Personally, it was one of those services where everyone else around me seemed to almost disappear. In the presence of Jehovah...Just like the song we sang...It changes everything.

Anytime that revival is taking place in the life of a believer, the schemes and fiery darts of the devil increase. For at least the past two weeks, as soon as the services are over, the enemy shoots at me. I have been on the mountain top not expecting to be in a battle so soon. Maybe I drop my guard during worship.

At any rate, I need to pray on the armor and claim the power that raised Jesus from the grave as my own. I forget that He has given it to me so I feel defeated and helpless in the midst of the battle.

That's when I go to the bathroom to pray. You make think that's strange. However, there isn't a quieter, more private place to call upon the Lord for help. A lady in my office knows that there are times I go to the bathroom to pray. We sort of joke about it but it's real. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me.

God is faithful. He hears. He helps this poor woman out of all of her troubles. He loves me just the way I am.

I love Him!

Penny for your thoughts

2006-07-29T17:29:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I think...alot. DL says I think too much. ha ha

Here are some things I've thought about and want to know your opinion.

Since God is concerned with every area of our lives as well as world-wide problems such as famine, disease, and peace in the Middle East...what does God care about the most? What is the number one concern of His heart? Or are all things equal to Him?

This is not a test. All thoughts are welcome so please comment.

Fun Photos of Friends

2006-07-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

Hotties!

Brian's Angels...before he got married ;o)

They spoil me!

The process continues...

2006-07-11T06:02:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you that it was more painful than I imagined. Oh the grossness (is that a word?) that was brought to the surface. There are things about me that I thought had been removed from my heart a long time ago. However, the ugliness reappeared in such a way that I'm not sure which upset me more...the actual situation or the way I was reacting.

The thought of reading my Bible came to mind as a way to get peace. But I heard a lie from the enemy and believed it. So I continued to freak out and obsess over what I could not control and did not go to the source of true peace. :o(

Eventually I talked to Pattycat, who is always speaks Truth into my life. She reminded me that when you cut open a wound, all the nasty infection rises to the top. That's what was going on in my heart. YUCK!

Sunday morning's sermon was just for me. For the first time in years, I recognize my thirst for revival. I think I've been in a drought and didn't know it. Kind of like where I live. We've had a water ban in the summer for so long, I barely remember what it was like to water the grass in the summer on any day you want.

Obedience comes before blessing. I am in the "casting down idols" and "returning to God" part of obedience. Not doing it to get the blessing, unless you mean Him becoming my enough. Actually, it's not that He is incapable of being my sufficiency because 2 Corinthians 3:5 says that our sufficiency is of God. I have to let go of all the things that present themselves against the knowledge of Christ and trust Him with ALL my heart.

My first post said I am on fire for Jesus. Maybe that was a spark and not a flame. Whatever the case, my soul longs for Him like never before. I am thirsty for Jesus.

p.s. Thanks to those who have and are praying. God hears and responds!

Bad dreams and random thoughts

2006-07-05T00:36:00.000-04:00

I wrote the blog for DL thinking it would help me get back to sleep. It didn't work.

About an hour ago I woke up from a bad dream and now I can't get back to sleep. Ever have those dreams that are so real that you think it was real?? Emotions and all. My heart was racing for a few minutes after I woke up.

So here I sit, praying for sleep.

There are so many things going through my head. Some I can publish, some need to stay between me and God. He is the best secret keeper I know.

I'm reading "Authentic Beauty" by Leslie Ludy. It's about falling in love with the Prince. In order to make room for Him in my heart, the first thing I am doing is throwing out all the trash. This is going to be a slow and painful process, neither of which I enjoy. However, the payoff should be worth it in the end.

So in saying all that, my dear readers....all 5 of you ;o) please be patient with me during the next few weeks as Christ continues to show me areas of trash in my heart that has to be removed. I hope to not be a drama queen about it and will keep it between me and Him. But you know I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am not making any promises about tears and abnormal quietness. Thank you in advance for the extra grace I may require.

Going to try to sleep again. yayyy I yawned!

Goodnight. I hope!

Just for DL

2006-07-05T00:08:00.000-04:00

This update is because DL said my blog is boring and I never update.

Last week I was at Super WOW with 9 youth from church. We had a fantastic time. They called me Momma all week and the title fits the love I have for them. Each one has a special place in my heart. What a blessing it was to see them worship the Lord and to hear what God was saying to them. One youth accepted Christ as her personal Lord and savior. Three others gave some stuff in the life over to Christ. Those were just the decisions made by our youth that we know about. I personally witnessed a few of them talking about an issue and forgiving each other. I know adults that don't/won't do that! It was a pride moment and humbling all the same.

While we were waiting for the last youth to be picked up at the church when we got back, one of the leaders asked if I was ready to go back. I told him I didn't want the trip to end in the first place. How many youth chaperones can say that? So, after getting about 3 hours (max) sleep a night, helping them obey all the rules that were for their own good, keeping up with their Bibles, pens, and even their trash...I love them dearly and wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

Oh did I mention that the girls in my room were the highschool girls that take over an hour to get ready? Don't let that fool you. They were ready for small group devotion every morning and one led it on the last morning. Makes a momma proud.

One of the speakers for the week is single. He mentioned it several times in his "sermons". He said he doesn't date for relationships, just for the jokes. He was kidding....I think. Well, one of my girls, I'll call her Princess, tried to get me to go meet him one night after the worship service. I told her no. She doesn't take no for an answer very well because later I found out that my fabulous girls went to him and told him that they had a chaperone that he should date. (insert shocked face here) He made a joke about little old ladies always trying to fix him up. I love them for thinking enough of me to do that. However, if they ever do that again, Momma will make them go to bed ALOT earlier than on this trip.

One of my "kids" said I am Gangsta. Not sure what that fully means, but I think it's good.

I also gained two sons which I am very proud of and would gladly claim as my own. One made random comments such as "I like eggs." He also had "intestinal vibrations" during our family time. His male chaperones sprayed him with Febreeze. It was hysterical.

The other son read the Bible with one of my girls to help her prepare for the early morning devotion. Seeing two teens reading and talking about the Word together...an indescribable blessing!

I guess that's it for the youth retreat. We are sharing about it Wednesday night at church so the adults can receive a blessing from our experiences.

Thanks for your prayers concerning the trip. They were answered!

What was I going to say???

2006-06-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

I told Queen or Special K that I was going to blog again when I got home from Twin's house. Now I can't remember what I was going to blog about. (wonder why?!) ;o)

Was it about guys and how cute they are and how they smell so good but I can't understand them to save my life??
Was it about how I had been worrying that my past was soon becoming my future??
Was it about how everywhere I look Proverbs 3:5-6 continues to appear. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your crooked paths straight." (MPV-Marie paraphrased version)

This week has been an emotional roller coaster ride like you wouldn't believe. Some of it was warfare and other stuff was just plain life. Through it all God kept telling me to trust Him and not be afraid.

Fear...oh that's a whole other blog all by itself.

He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fears, gladness for mourning and peace for dispair.

Praise the Lord!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-06-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

I graduated with honors last Thursday from GTC. Wahoooo!
Pattycat and her boyfriend threw me the BEST graduation party ever!
Then I blew it! I was selfish and hurt some dear friends. If I could turn back time...
My mother went to the ER on Monday. To go to Gastro dr soon.
Her 70th birthday was yesterday.
We are giving her a surprise party Saturday. Shhh! Don't tell!
God is teaching me a lesson about my selfishness. I didn't realize how selfish I could be.
It hurts!!
I'm emotionally retarded, partly because of my parents divorce when I was young and partly because I don't learn the lessons from God when I should. Let's just say if Life were school....I'd still be in middle school.
I thank God for my friends who love me inspite of myself. That's real love!
Monday - Friday of next week I will be at Super WOW (beach reteat) with the youth from church. This is my first time to chaperone one of their trips.
I miss the youth kids from the OC. They love me! They still call me Mom and "the Warden."
Seeking peace....need time with Jesus like you just don't know. I have lots of baggage to dump on Him and He is strong enough to take it.

Question....

2006-06-16T18:30:00.000-04:00

Does God, in His omnipotence, cause all suffering?

This is something I have been thinking about and studying in a book we received at work. What do you think?

Let's be real

2006-06-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart...

Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness....

These are verses I keep hearing in sermons, advice from a friend, and in different daily devotionals.

The pastor gave an illustration about the grass in his yard. There's the good kind and then there are the weeds. He said he likes to walk around barefoot in his yard, pull out the weeds and replace the patches with good grass.

He asked," What is in your life that needs to be pulled out and replaced with things of the Lord?"

OUCH! That hurt!

Do I REALLY trust Jesus with every part of my life? The only way to know for sure is to try Him at His word. But I am afraid.

Why is it so hard for me to trust Him with all my heart concerning this one thing?

Why is it so hard for me to accept His "No" when it is what is best for me?

Why is it so hard for me to to be instantly obedient?

Delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Any words of wisdom or similar thoughts?

Who needs brakes anyway???

2006-06-07T20:04:00.000-04:00

Today I worked late. So late that the only cars in the parking area belonged to the cleaning crew. Once in drive my car made a horrible screaching sound, until I touched my brakes. I drove about half way up the driveway and stopped. The noise stopped. I drove toward the street passing a police officer and two cars pulled over in our driveway. Not sure who was getting the ticket. (Look out Leadfoot DL)

I turned right and went to the gas station on the corner so I could look under the hood. I saw the fan belt spinning, checked the fluids, made sure nothing was sticking out of my tires (that was a long short but I was grasping at straws).

I prayed!! Trying to respond in faith like Job.

About the time I was going to pick up the phone to call for help Queen called. I didn't even take time to ask what she needed. I started telling her about my car. Maybe God had her call me at that moment...maybe she was an answer to prayer. She called her dad and he said it is the brakes. Her husband agreed. So did "sdt" and my brother T who both returned my voice mail messages. Thunderchuck wasn't sure, thought maybe it was the fanbelt.

It was one of those times when everyone I knew wasn't out of town or in church or working at the hospital.

Who but God would send a pregnant, self-proclaimed Diva Queen to help me with my car trouble.

The majority think it's the brakes so I will be taking the car someplace tomorrow for a look-see. Hopefully, brakes are covered under the 3yr/36,000 miles warranty. If not, God will provide.

(Trying to respond in faith again Lord.)

Thank you God for your provision.

I will look to the hills whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord!

"F" is for....

2006-06-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

Heather from http://heathersrollercoasterlife.blogspot.com/ gave me the letter "F" and my job is to list ten things about me with the letter "F."
Here goes....

Friendly - I never meet a stranger.
Faithful - Great is His faithfulness. I desire to be faithful to Him.
Fast - It's how I like to drive!
Free - It is for Freedom that Christ set me FREE. Galations 5:1
Funny - I kill me! :o)
Feeling - I feel things deeply. It is a strength and a weakness.
Forgiven - Praise the Lord! 1 John 1:9
Forgetful - Who am I and what am I doing?
Favorite - I am my mother's favorite child. Just kidding! We all know that's my brother T.
Fire - On Fire for Jesus!

If you would like to play along, leave me a comment, and I'll give you a letter!

ABC's

2006-06-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

Accent: Southern. Country and southern.
Bible Book that I like: Psalms, Ephesians
Chore I don't care for: Dusting
Dog or Cat: Dog
Essential Electronics: Cell phone
Favorite Cologne: Curve (Can I get an Amen from the GBC crew?)
Gold or Silver: Gold
Handbag I Carry Most Often: Birthday gift from Lisa, Shell and Mom#2
Insomnia: Every now and then, depends on the caffeine intake. I like sleep.
Job Title: Financial Secretary
Kids: Definitely someday, have to get married first.
Living Arrangements: Upstairs Apartment
Most Admirable Trait: Comforting spirit
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Talking back to my parents. I always had to have the last word.
Overnight Hospital Stays: When I was about 3. You don't want to know.
Project: Completing this qtr and graduating with honors on June 15.
Quote: "It's not all about you" Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Religion: It's not about religion, it's about relationship. I'm a Christian. (I agree wholeheartedly with Christy, Susan and Heather, so I'm keeping it here!)
Siblings: 2 older brothers, 1 older sister
Time I Wake Up: Working on getting up at 6am...
Unusual Talent or Skill: I can put my fist in my mouth.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Eggplant
Worst Habit: Carrying on my own conversation
X-rays: Mouth, Spine, Cat Scan
Yummy Stuff I Cook: Brownies, cake, green beans, BBQ pork chops, Southwestern Chicken
Zoo Animal I Like Most: The elephant that ate out of my hand. See a few posts back.

Did you learn anything new about me?

Your turn!

Life insurance, losing weight, and loneliness

2006-05-17T09:35:00.000-04:00

What do those three things have in common? I'll tell you.

Life Insurance

On Mother's Day, and every past holiday for at least a year, one of my brothers insisted that we talk about my mother's funeral, which by the way has not happened and we don't want it any time soon.

I was in the living room playing with my great-nieces when I heard him say that I could move back into our mother's house after she died. That immediately got my attention! I joined the adult conversation in the kitchen. Why does he think I will be still be single?

Long story short, we(I) are(am) getting a life insurance policy on my mother to pay for her funeral because none of us can come up with about 12K on short notice. My mother's death is something I am in denial about and am very comfortable staying there. These conversations about her health issues and how everything will be distributed causes such extreme tension to build up inside me to the point that I feel like running out the door screaming. Why can't I stay in the safe haven of denial?? It's nice here.

Losing weight.

Well, that's something I was working on a few months ago, but got off track. One of my best friends has lost over 16lbs in the past few months and I am so proud of her!

For me though, I can't seem to fight the emotional eating enemy alone. Most of the time I don't think about being obese or that I am different that most people. However, yesterday I tried on a graduation gown before buying it and it did not fit. The very nice bookstore lady brought me the largest size they have, it didn't fit! She placed a call and emailed someone in hopes of finding one my size. I wanted to cry but my pride wouldn't let me. I have worked too hard for this degree to not walk at the graduation ceremony!

Loneliness.

Seeing a couple in love, hearing how they miss each other when one is out of town, remembering back to when that was me and someone else...

Watching two "twenty-somethings" test the waters to see if the other is attracted or interested, seeing eyes light up when a certain name is mentioned, standing back to observe how it all unfolds...

I miss:

missing someone

phone calls when he was out of town

fighting

making up

flirting

back rubs

late night phone calls

all day emails

deep discussions about the Lord

praying for and with each other

I miss being free to love someone until it hurts, knowing that person loves me too.

So what do life insurance, losing weight and loneliness have in common? Me.

Disclaimer: Please do not tar and feather me. I do not miss that person!!!!

Blurry vision

2006-04-27T12:55:00.000-04:00

How's your vision? Is it 20/20? Today I remembered that my vision is not 20/20...my spiritual vision that is. My focus gets stuck on the situation right in front of my face and I couldn't see the big picture. Thankfully someone made a comment that got my attention and brought me back into focus.

Here's a shocker for you.

Are you ready???

It's not all about me!

I know! I know! I am as surprised as you are!

That wasn't the comment made, just part of the realization of it being about the bigger picture and not my small view.

He works all things together for good to those love God, who have been called according to HIS purposes...not mine. (MPV = Marie Paraphrased Version)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory, while we do not look at the things that are seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

So it's been a while...

2006-04-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

You know how you plan to do something tomorrow because today is so busy, but tomorrow never comes. That's how it's been with me and updating the blog. I meant to tell you more about my weekend in Cedartown...like when the security alarm people called the police on us because I am alarm code, button pushing challenged. Also about hearing the civil tornado siren wailing and realizing I was on the floor between two sheet glass windows. I thought I was going to be killed by shards of flying glass. Yes, that's a little dramatic, but when you are scared of storms and it's about 3:30am and everyone else is sleeping through the tornado warning...your mind can imagine the worst. I prayed ALOT!

Since my last blog....

I began my last quarter of college. Graduation is June 15. I can't wait!!
I went on a "Testosterone-free weekend" with beautiful ladies that have been my best friends since we were teens. Of course, that's only been a couple of years, right girls?! ;o) They signed confidentiality agreements and will not tell any of my teenage secrets.
We began preparation to move our organization to a new location. My office suite will be moved first. How many boxes do you think are packed? I mean, come on, seriously. We have 20 more days. Plenty of time, right?! NOT!!

On a different note, one of my dear friend's baby Caleb went Home to be with Jesus on Monday night. Please pray for her, her husband, and their families.

That's it for now. I will try to manage my time better and keep up with the blogging.

No, I mean it.

I will.

Stop laughing.

giggle, giggle, snort

My Weekend, Part One: A stray dog

2006-04-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

Thursday night I went to Cedartown on a Singles Leadership Team planning retreat. We stayed in the cabin of a relative of a friend. It was a nice cabin in the middle of no where. My "bed" was on the floor...a stack of thick cushions that you melted into while sleeping. Very comfy!

Friday morning, I walked up the driveway and down the street. A stray dog decided to join me. He chased bugs, birds, squirrels and marked his territory on every mailbox and patch of weeds on the side of the road. My new friend stayed ahead of me just far enough that he could be there to protect me, or so I thought. On the way back to the cabin, two mean looking dogs ran from behind a mobile home. My fierce protector looked up at me and whimpered as if to ask for my help. I told him that he was supposed to take care of me. ;o) We ignored the scary dogs and kept walking. When we got to a cross roads, I realized I couldn't remember the way back to the cabin. I am directionally challenged. (See previous post) I decided to ignore the "Keep out! Private Property" sign and followed my canine escort onto the gravel road. It's a good thing because soon I saw the house number at the end of the driveway. I said outloud "That's where I live." The dog immediately walked down the driveway and up to the front door of the cabin. The irony is the motivational phrase "Walk your dog even if you don't have one" came to mind just before I left the cabin. And I prayed for God's protection too. Hmmmm. Maybe that brown dog was an answer to prayer.

Do you belong in the zoo?

2006-04-03T08:47:00.000-04:00

Some of the singles group (and some alumni) from church went on a "behind the scenes tour" of Zoo Atlanta on Saturday. We woke up to rain but decided to go anyway. I am so glad we did! The skies cleared and the sun shone brightly with the perfect breeze. What a great day! (Thanks for the prayers, HL!)

We saw the lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Actually they were koala bears. :o) So very cute and cuddly. The twins gorillas were so adorable too. The bird show was fun, even with a hawk flying over head. Our tour guide and friend J said husbands and kids can be trained but wives can't. All the women in the crowd mumbled. It was like "Oh no he didn't!"

My favorite part, much to my surprise, was feeding Kelly who is a sleek and slim 7500 lb elephant. They want her to weigh as much as the other elephants, somewhere in the 8000s. The trainer was feeding her wheat bread. I wanted to tell Kelly to eat the bread and some chips, take a nap, eat some cake, take another nap, eat some pizza, take another nap....etc etc etc. That would bulk her up really quick! :o)

Kelly's eyelashes were long and so pretty. I wanted to curl them. The trainer realized Kelly was napping every time after eating a piece of bread (atta girl Kelly!) and decided to feed her some large pellets. They looked like large pieces of rabbit food. LARGE pieces! BIG! HUGE! So we all got a handful of the pellets...did I mention they were big?....and Kelly ate them out of our hands. It was totally gross and totally cool at the same time! Like totally! Oh my gosh!

I couldn't wait to wash my hands after that. Then we walked by the tractor hauling the elephant poo...yes, it smells as bad as you can imagine...and were free to roam the zoo on our own. On the way home, AC and I stopped and got Icee's at Burger King. Possibly the best Icee I've ever had.

Later that night, we had snow cones at the Towel's apartment. YUM YUM! It's great to be a kid!

Directionally Challenged

2006-03-31T08:24:00.000-05:00

"Officer. He was wearing a blue hoodie, jeans and was about this tall. Yes, that's Mrs Towel, that's her."
Yesterday, my great friend Mrs Towel called me to see if I could leave work early. She had to go a complete stranger's house to pick up a FREE coffee maker that she found on http://atlanta.craigslist.org/. Mrs Towel is one of the bravest people I know so I was really surprised that she wanted me "chicken little" to go with her...I guess to identify the body should anything happen. Unfortunately, I was not brave enough to ask my boss if I could leave early so I could go pick up a FREE coffee maker. Mrs Towel said she had Plan B and we hung up. Not ten minutes later my boss "asked" me to run an errand so I got to leave work early. I called Mrs Towel as soon as I could. She was safe and sound with her FREE coffee maker. The guy she was getting it from left it on the curb for her to pick up. Maybe he was as scared as she was. Oh the joys of living in Metro Atlanta.

Did you know that I-285 at Chamblee-Tucker will NOT take you to I-85 North? I found out the hard way. Once you get on the exit ramp, there's no turning back. There really should be an "oh crap!" lane that takes you back to where you were before you took a wrong turn. Hmmm...maybe I share my idea with the GA DOT. If they like it, imagine the road construction we would have. Like we don't have any now. It's really crazy to have a "Don't go there!" segment on the news so you'll know which interstate to stay off of on the weekends. Oh the joys of living in Metro Atlanta.

So back to my directionally challengedness. I got on I-285 when I shouldn't have and was totally going in the wrong direction. Heading towards Chattanooga instead of Lawrenceville, I called Pattycake for directions. Then I called Queen because she is the Queen of Everything so certainly she could get me to my planned destination. If you are wondering why I didn't just take the next exit and circle back around, then you have never driven in Atlanta traffic at quitting time. I could have gotten to Chattanooga faster.

Shout out to Pattycake for hanging in there with me!

Shout out to Queen for really being the Queen of Everything!

Shout out to Mrs Towel for finding FREE stuff on craigslist!

And a big shout out to all the other directionally challenged people out there! Can someone pick me up for the next meeting? You know I'll never find it.

Quest for Sanity

2006-03-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

Today has been a day of varied emotions, spiritual warfare, and a quest for sanity.

First of all, the auditors are here. AGH! They'll be here about 4 weeks. yippee. I want to be an accountant because?????

Secondly, I found out a friend's grandfather passed away yesterday. We prayed for her Sunday as she was going to share with him how to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. This causes me to think about my family, especially those who are not saved. We aren't a close family, unless someone hurts one of us, and then it's "Katie, bar the door!" I've prayed for my unsaved family members for so long that I get discouraged at times. Then God reminds me that their salvation is more important to Him than it is me. So I pray again.

Also, on my mind today is a the end of a friendship. We used to be so close, on the phone every day, with secret nicknames for each other. Now we hardly talk; it seems only when we have to. When did our friendship die? Was it a slow and painful death? My guess would be yes. If it's dead, then why does it still hurt? Dead men feel no pain.

I have to pretend that I am unaffected or otherwise I will be judged as over sensitive, too emotional, and confrontational. They say that it is more emotionally healthy to be honest, open, and transparent. Apparently, they weren't talking about those of us who are passionate redheads.

So what's a girl to do? I'll tell you what this sensitive, emotional, feisty redhead is going to do.

Run to Jesus!

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears. Psalm 18:6

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalm 46:10-11

Motherhood and the March of Dimes

2006-03-27T16:40:00.000-05:00

Several of my friends have children. A couple of them are brave enough to post the ups and downs of motherhood. You will enjoy their sites whether or not you are a parent. See http://preemiehood.blogspot.com/ and http://angelsfight.blogspot.com/.

While on those sites, please support the March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/

I first became involved with MoD when my best friend's precious daughter Emily died at only 5 days old from a pinched heart valve. That same friend now has two healthy, very active sons. Very soon after that, a friend I have grown up with lost her baby. The list goes on and on of friend's whose lives have been affected by birth defects and losing a child. Conception, pregnancy, and healthy births are miracles that we take for granted. The March of Dimes walks are coming up soon. Please go online and help stop premature births and birth defects. You CAN make a difference!

The Story Behind the Name

2006-03-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

Hi ya'll

My Indian name is Red on Head. When I was a baby, two Indians tried to kidnap me in a store in Silver Springs, Florida. The humorous part is I had red (orange) hair, blue eyes, and very pale skin. I would NOT have fit in very well with the rest of the tribe. Security was alerted and I was found and returned to my parents. My friend Country Ham tells the story so much better than I. She gave me my Indian name.

Ironically, my great great grandmothers were both Native American Indians. One married an Irish man. I suppose I got my red hair from him.

Jesus forgave my sins and became the boss of my life when I was about 26 yrs old. My life has never been the same. I love Him!

That's how I got my name. More later. Stay tuned.