Life As I Know It

Quilt Raffles! Yea!

2008-12-06T13:56:00.006-06:00

I do love me some quilt raffles! We had a lady from church that handmade one and donated it to the church to be used to raise money for our building fund. It took her 10 months to make it and it won 2nd place at our local Quilt Show this year. I cannot begin to do this quilt justice- it was simply beautiful. It is a Bible quilt and each square represented a different passage in the Bible. She even put a square on the back that had that information on it. Needless to say, I wanted to win this quilt! But the best part?

I didn't win. Instead a man from Washington, Texas bought one chance for $2 and won it. He happened to still be there when we drew so we found him and let him know that he had won [he didn't hear them announce his name over the loudspeaker]. He came to pick up the quilt and the look on his face was priceless. He told one of the other girls there, that he was 80 years old and he had never won anything before in his life. So as much as I wanted it, I'm really glad I didn't win. Giving is much better than receiving. Hands down.

May we all give way more than we receive this Christmas season....

Wii Fit or Wii Not?

2008-12-18T08:10:00.003-06:00

Funny- funny stuff. But I still want the Wii Fit.... Found this video via Beth's site That's Not Me Anymore, where she was exposing the Slanket impostor! And of course, I had to watch a couple of the other videos, which is where I ran across this little Wii Fit gem. Darn, YouTube, ya can't watch just one!

The Bravest Kid I Ever Knew

2008-12-26T10:18:00.005-06:00

Kane Alexander went to be with our Lord on December 23, 2008. With no warning Kane went into cardiac arrest Tuesday morning and died at Cook's Children's Hospital in Dallas, TX. Please, please pray for his family and all the people that loved Kane.... he touched so many lives, including mine. I always said he was the bravest kid I ever knew and he really was...

All I Can Say

2008-12-30T22:53:00.007-06:00

Lord I'm tired

So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give, that's my everything

Lord didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

And this is all that I can say right now, i know it's not much.
But this is all that I can give, yeah that's my everything.
This is all that I can say right now [right now], i know it's not much.
But this is all that I can give, yeah that's my everything.

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

And this is all
This is all that I can say right now, oh i know its not much.
But this is all that I can give, yeah that's my everything.
This is all that I can say right now [right now], i know it's not much.
But this is all that I can give, yeah that's my everything.
This is all that I can say right now, oh i know it's not much.
But this is all that I can give, yeah that's my everything..
yeah that's my everything..
yeah that's my everything..
everything...

By: David Crowder Band

Oh Eight...The End

2008-12-31T10:57:00.003-06:00

Psalm 100:1-5

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

As this year comes to a close and I look back over it and remember the amazing things that made my heart light as a feather and the things that literally made my heart ache with grief, I am so, so thankful that His unfailing love continues forever. No matter if it's the first day, last day, or some random Tuesday of the year~ His unfailing love continues forever!

Happy New Year!

The Cool Factor

2009-01-08T20:13:00.006-06:00

You gotta love a song that has the sentences:

"Praise the Lord and pass me a copperhead!"
&
"A true believer can survive rattlesnakes and cyanide!"

I am a HUge fan of Montgomery Gentry. I love this song but probably my favorite MG song is "Roll with Me". Give 'em a listen...but be forewarned- it don't get more country than that!

Peace.

I Found God

2009-01-09T11:43:00.003-06:00

*********************************************************
Where were you when you found God? God had me long ago.... I was the one that had to seek Him, find Him, live for Him. I like this song and love the music. The Fray's official video is pretty awesome but they have the embed disabled and I wanted the full effect of the words and music here without having to be linked to. Hope you enjoy!

Treses!

David Crowder Band Rocks!

2009-01-10T00:09:00.001-06:00

Never Let Go

The Glory Of It All

and he told them...

2009-01-13T21:42:00.007-06:00

ACTS 7:54-60

54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen's accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. 56 And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" 57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.

Prayer request

2009-01-18T22:00:00.003-06:00

For Adam, he is a member of our church and we love him. Adam is 27 years old but since he was born with several birth defects- he has the spirit of a 8 year old. He originally went into the hospital because of an infection in his leg bone that should have been operated on and removed on Friday. But Friday morning brought a high fever and declining kidney function (Adam only has one kidney) so the operation was put on hold and he has been transferred into ICU. The infection had also spread into his blood.

It has been almost one year since Adam and his mom and dad were baptized in our church and gave their lives to Christ. They put their trust in our Lord and ask for healing if that would be His will.

Please pray.

UPDATE: Adam is still in ICU but has showed a small amount of improvement- if he doesn't show a huge improvement within the next few days, he will be transferred to a bigger hospital where he will have to be put on dialysis. Please continue to pray. Thank you so much.

Not Me! Monday!

2009-01-19T18:21:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I've decided to try my hand at this but I will tell you right now- the linky thingy completely escapes me (oops) so I will try to do it correctly but there really is no guarantee. So this is my Not Me! Monday! attempt:

I did NOT tender my resignation today when I have no prospects for a new one.

I did NOT commit to moving to a completely new town to start this new endeavor.

I did NOT get secret joy from seeing the smug looks get wiped from their faces (I know-I'm bad).

I did NOT make too big a deal out of my son's joke and yell at him.

I did NOT eat waaaay too much, like every day this past week, because I was so nervous about going off into the unknown!

I did NOT wish that God would pay back the lady that was soooo dang mean to me on Friday.

I did NOT want to be able to witness it, either.

No, I certainly, absolutely, positively DID NOT do ANY of this! Well, I did but, thankfully I've also asked for God's forgiveness and His guidance in all that I do....

So, how about it? Ready to join the fray and do your own Not Me! Monday! Head over to MckMama's site and click on a ton of other Not Me's! and enjoy! Till next time!

Finally Friday!

2009-01-23T23:06:00.002-06:00

It's finally Friday! Yea! I'm not always so excited about Friday because every other one I am just starting a 3 day stint of 12-hour days but not this one! Today started my 3 days off! Yea! The other things going on that I'm pretty excited about are:

We are moving! To a city about an hour and a half away is all, but the difference between here and there, is like night and day. Right now we live in a rural town of only 1500 people and we're going to one with 15,000 people! My oldest son is going to college there and we are very excited to be moving closer to him.

I went today to apply for jobs and apartment hunt (yes, we just moved into this house but oh well). Phill (my youngest)was disappointed that he didn't get to go and *help* look but maybe next time.

I am excited to see where we are led in this new adventure. There are soooo many awesome churches here that it will be difficult to choose. I am so going to miss my church family here... that is one the biggest struggles.

It's time though to get out of my *comfort* zone and see what God has got planned for us. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey. It's funny because every so often I would throw out the idea of moving somewhere else but Phill would always tell me no. It was always, he wanted to finish school here, or I don't know anybody, and I would be scared.... Then I mention Stephenville and he's like yeah. What about school? Don't care. You won't know anyone? I'll make new friends. You scared? No! I can't wait! Well, I am scared, a bit, but mostly excited and ready. WooHoo!

On The Mend- Yea!

2009-01-25T08:53:00.003-06:00

Update on Adam:

He's doing MUCH better! Yea! He continued to improve by leaps and bounds (thank you for the prayers), so much so that he got out of ICU last Wednesday and into a regular room, kept getting better, had his knee surgery on Friday, came through it with flying colors and according to the report I got from his brother yesterday, he is eating everything in sight, wanting to watch movies (all he's wanted to do before now is sleep), and he's giving his brother updates on all the *cute* nurses, so we know Adam is on the mend!

His mom and I talked about the vast difference there is between now and last week at this time and it's just amazing. We have an awesome God. Adam went from his 'kidney shutting down, in ICU, about to start dialysis' to "about to be discharged in the next few days and no dialysis' in the space of a week, literally. It just shows how things work when you put your faith in God and not man.

Please continue to pray for Adam and his family.

Whoa!

2009-01-25T13:14:00.002-06:00

I don't say this a whole lot, but, I love my church family. In some ways more than my real family. I know that sounds harsh but you have to understand the family I come from. It's not that they don't believe in God- they do. It's not that they don't believe that Jesus walked this Earth, died on the cross for our sins, and was risen on the 3rd day- they do. It's not that they're not good people- they are. It's that they do not submit to God's will, and sometimes it makes it very difficult to be around them. It's not that I think I'm better than them because I don't but I do recognize that I want something different, something more than just living for this world. I want my children to want more, to be willing to submit to our Lord and they won't if they see me unwilling to do that.

I finally told my church family today that we would be moving (Phillip and I) and it was actually harder to tell them than it was my mom and siblings. Go figure. I'm gonna miss them tons! But I have resisted God's plan long enough. It is time to move on and see what He has planned for us and I do hope that some day it will lead us back closer to home but if not, then so be it. Let God's will be done. No. Matter. What. No matter where it leads me. Please keep us in your prayers.

What got me started on this post was something Pastor said during his message this morning. It is so true, yet I forget it now and again. "It's not about you, it's about God." Whoa. Yep. It really, really, is.

Who I Am

2009-01-26T15:49:00.003-06:00

I snagged this from Helen (aka, Grace) over at Random Musings and it's actually pretty accurate for me. This was one of the descriptions:

I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.

I should wear a sign with this caution on it!

And I thought it was funny that there were only 2 questions and yet they got all this information. Try it and see who you turn out to be!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

* Stand up for yourself... and me.

* Be confident, strong, and direct.

* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.

* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.

* Give me space to be alone.

* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.

* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.

* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

* being independent and self-reliant

* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on

* being courageous, straightforward, and honest

* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life

* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me

* upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to

* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence

* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it

* never forgetting injuries or injustices

* putting too much pressure on myself

* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

* are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit

* are sometimes loners

* seize control so they won't be controlled

* figure out others' weaknesses

* attack verbally or physically when provoked

* take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

* are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted

* are sometimes overprotective

* can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Things That Amaze Me

2009-01-28T17:26:00.002-06:00

Psalms 139:16 NLT
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

God already knew what I screw up I was going to be and He still saved me. That is love.

Can I See The Classified Section, Please?

2009-01-29T23:27:00.003-06:00

I am officially, once again, gainfully employed! Yea! That's the good news.... the bad news- I have about a week to pack up and move! Again! I have 2 more days at my present job and then it will be a mad dash to get moved in time to start the new job! We are beyond excited and get this- the lady that interviewed (and hired) me, goes to the Cowboy Church in Stephenville- how cool is that? You know what's really cool- it's the first interview I've had that church came up in the conversation- and I instigated it. Hmmmm....... like I said, pretty cool.

Who Knew?

2009-01-30T12:58:00.002-06:00

The hidden meaning behind "Pamela"

So Helen from over at Random Musings sent me the link for this and I have to say I was intrigued, and then puzzled when I read this:

You Are Charming and Eloquent

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people.
Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. (Pffffttt... I can't even solve my own problems and you notice they said "Generally"!)
Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. (This is completely accurate!)

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. (I do and am often miserable because I constantly fail at perfection!)
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.(Again, pfffftttt!)

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.(Ha)
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! *Accurate*

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat.(Ehhh) Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible.(Spot on) But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light-hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.(Judging from this last paragraph, Mom should've went with ANYTHING but Pamela!)

I mean, there are some things that are spot on but they threw me with the whole "Charming and Eloquent" bit at the start. It left me wondering if I had inadvertently misspelled my own name but alas I hadn't! But it was a fun read- Thank you, Helen for the link...

Charming and Eloquent- who knew?

Lord, Help Me

2009-02-03T22:12:00.003-06:00

We had a young woman (wife and mother) that was baptized tonight. As always, it just makes my heart rejoice to see someone be baptized. Her dad got up and played the guitar and sang this song for his daughter. It was simply beautiful. Wish you could've been there.... enjoy!

Lovin' Me Some Quotes!

2009-02-04T13:23:00.005-06:00

Some awesome quotes that I wanted to share.... enjoy!

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.” – Booker T. Washington

“There are three constants in life; change, choice and principles.” – Stephen R. Covey

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” – Robert Byrne

Update: Found another one that I just had to add... from Florence Nightingale. And check out WHEN she said it and how it still applies today- more than ever!

Women never have a half-hour in all their lives (excepting before or after anybody is up in the house) that they can call their own, without fear of offending or of hurting someone. Why do people sit up so late, or, more rarely, get up so early? Not because the day is not long enough, but because they have 'no time in the day to themselves.' [1852]

Youth Group=Crazy Fun!

2009-02-05T21:50:00.004-06:00

My very good bestest friend Amanda (Kane's mama) felt God calling her to get involved with the youth at our church. She has been leading it for the last couple of weeks and she is doing an awesome job! We had sooo much fun tonight! There were several new kids that came and it was just amazing. Poor Phill- this is what happens when your hair is too long and nobody can see your eyes during a mean[read:fun] game of Killers! A special shout-out to Skylar for supplying the pony-tail holder and to Debbie for putting it up for him.... isn't he a good sport? Ha! He kept telling me he needed a hair cut! I'm glad I didn't listen.... look what we would've missed!

Florence Nightingale Quote

2009-02-06T06:00:00.004-06:00

You ask me why I do not write something.... I think one's feelings waste themselves in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions which bring results.~Florence Nightingale

Whoa! Think she was aiming this at future bloggers? I don't know, but I do know I need to be doing something besides sitting in front of this computer.... Will be moving in the next couple of days so we should be in the new digs next time I'm on here! See ya later, gators!

Whew!

2009-02-13T11:42:00.002-06:00

I'm baaaaack! Wow- one week with only internet access on my phone- not cool! The good people of Northland Cable came and installed cable, internet, and a (digital) phone! Yea! I hadn't even heard of a digital home phone before... Oh well, gotta head for work soon- but, it's good to be back! Looking forward to catching up on my reading!

Starting over

2009-02-16T10:23:00.004-06:00

Well, we've been here just over a week and if you don't count how much we miss our family and friends then we are l.o.v.i.n.g. Stephenville! Phillip is getting settled in at school and assures me he is making friends [please, Lord, just let 'em be good ones!] and he starts doing after school track practice today. He seems to be okay with me having to work so much but I am going to start looking for something that has better hours.

We attended another Cowboy Church on Sunday morning. They had been meeting in a sale barn but recently got the land to start building their new church so right now they are meeting in a huge tent they have set up on the new land. It was pretty cool. Reminded me of the old time revivals- of course, I've never been to one but I've heard plenty about 'em. The guest band playing was the Baggy Bottom Boys! Only in a Cowboy Church! And it was standing room only inside that big tent which is enough to make your heart glad to see God is filling up every crevice so that we may hear His word! Downside, hay bales- and hay spread out on the 'floor' of the tent- my allergies and hay don't mix in enclosed areas, but the sneezing and watery, itchy eyes were worth it. I'm having some trouble with separation anxiety from my church in Goldthwaite but I know God has led me here and I know He will put me where I need to be but I miss the familiar.... Phill really did like it and we are gonna go and try bible study and youth group on Wednesday night.

I would also ask for prayer for a lifelong friend of mine, her 2 yr old grandson passed away last week following a bout of pneumonia- he was born with severe brain damage and each day he was on this earth was a testament to the miracles that God still performs each and every day... Please pray for this family as they grieve- even when we know God has only entrusted these tiny lives for a short time- it is still a blow when we lose them.

Peace and God Bless.

Hmmmm.....

2009-05-02T21:42:00.002-05:00

Well, the truth of the matter is I got nothin'. Hence the reason I haven't posted in a loooong time. I hadn't even realized how long it has been till I got online tonight. I changed jobs about a month and half ago, better hours and more pay, what can I say. It's kept me very busy plus there's just so much more to do here that we stay pretty busy. We still haven't found a church home here which makes me sad but we're gonna keep looking. I have to work every other Sunday now so that's cut into our looking time too. If I can just get that year of experience under my belt the options will be much better. It actually won't be long now so that's cool and kinda hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly. I know I've missed some great stuff from all my blog buddies and I'm sorry about that- I will try to be better about keeping up with y'all even if I got nothing to blog about.

Peace and God Bless,

Pam