Simply 4 God

The Little Old Man

2009-07-15T12:11:00.004-04:00

Our pastor told us this story in church on Sunday. You may have heard or read it before but I hope you enjoy reading again. The main point behind the story is very powerful. It will make you stop and think.

A young man went on vacation to Sydney Australia. While he was walking down the street taking in all the beautiful sites, he noticed this little old man across the street from him. He noticed the little old man was walking towards him. The young man noticed the man's clothes were torn and dirty. He hair was messy and he looked like he had not bathed in quite sometime. The young thought to himself, "oh no, he is coming to beg me for money".

As the little old man got closer, the young man was already reaching in his pocket to get some money. The little old man stopped and looked at him for a moment. The young man got a little scared. He thought, "what is this old man up to"? After a few moments, the little old man said these words, "if you died today, do you know where you would spend eternity"? The little old man turned and walked away. The young man stood there thinking about the question the little old man asked him, "if I died today, do I know where I would spend eternity". The young man walked on, but this question would not leave his mind.

When his vacation was over, he went back to Atlanta, his home, and attended church. He had been going to church for quite sometime but had not joined. He had not accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. The minister began to preach. His message was on Salvation. After the sermon, the young man went up to the altar. He looked at the minister and said, "I want to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior". The minister was filled with joy! He knew this young man had attended his church for a while, and had been praying that he would join and accept Jesus Christ. The minister asked the young man after service what had changed his mind. The young man told him about his trip to Sydney Australia and the little old man.

Two years later another young man went on vacation to Sydney Australia. He was walking down a street looking at the sites when he noticed this little old man coming toward him. He started to reach in his pocket for some money as the little old man looked homeless. The little old man walked up to him and asked this question, "if you died today, do you know where you will spend eternity". He walked away. The young man could not stop thinking about the question. He could not get it out of his mind.

Upon returning home to Atlanta, he attended church. He had been going to church for quite sometime. He never joined and never accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Once again the minister was preaching on salvation. After the sermon, the young man went to the altar and said he wanted to join church and accept Jesus Christ into his life. The minister was full of joy. He knew this young man had attended church for quite sometime, yet never joined and accepted Jesus Christ. The minister was a little curious and asked the young man what had changed his mind. The young man told him about his trip to Sydney Australia and about the little old man.

The minister was really curious now. Two young men in his congregation had left unsaved but upon their return both became saved. What had this little old man said to them that made them change their minds? The minister decided to go to Sydney in search of this little old man.

The minister was in Sydney for many days. He had walked many streets in search of this little old man. When he had almost given up, he decided to walk down one more street. As he came to the corner and was about ready to cross, there on the other side of the street was a little old man. Something inside of him told him that he had found the little old man he had been searching for. He crossed the street and said, "I have had two young men visit here and when they came back they accepted Jesus Christ". What did you say to them"?

The little old man looked at him and said, "many years ago I lost everything. My home, my job, and my family. One thing I never lost was my faith in God. I promised God that whenever I came across someone I would ask them this question, if you died today, do you know where you will spend eternity? I have been doing this for many years and never knew until today if those words had changed someones life. I am glad you came and told me about the two young men accepting Jesus Christ. I now know that I am making a difference. Thank you". The old man turned around and walked away.

You never know like the little old man in the story, if you are truly making a difference in someones life when you speak of God and Jesus Christ. You may never know until you get to heaven. But, just because you do not know, don't let this stop you from telling someone about God and Jesus Christ. You never know the lives you have changed by asking a simple question as,

"IF YOU DIED TODAY, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY"?

Grace and Peace

She Still Calls Me Daddy

2009-07-10T15:55:00.008-04:00

I signed up to review books for Thomas Nelson. I got my first book yesterday and read it in one night! Here is my first attempt at writing a review for a major publishing company.

She Still Calls Me Daddy
Building a New Relationship with Your Daughter After You Walk Her down the Aisle
By Robert Wolgemuth
Thomas Nelson Publisher

She Still Calls Me Daddy is more than a “book to read”. This book is inspirational and biblical based guide to help fathers, as well as mothers, understand the “emotional roller coaster” that will begin the moment their little girl says, “I do”. The author says, “Giving her away at the altar doesn’t mean completely giving up the relationship that you’ve so carefully built over the years, it just means that the relationship is going to need some substantial renovation”.

It does not matter if your daughter is two or 22, this book takes you from the moment your daughter is born to the day she says “I do”. It is a must read for any father or mother. It will aid you in the many changes that will take place when the day comes to “let your little girl go”.

I highly recommend reading this book. I read it in one night and enjoyed every moment of it. I loved the many scripture references. I loved the personal account of what the author went through himself. I also loved the examples of biblical marriages used throughout the book.

Although my father was not alive to walk me down the aisle and “let me go” I do have a daughter and this book will aid me in knowing what her father will go through when he walks her down the aisle. I will know what to expect as well.
(I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program http://brb.thomasnelson.com/)

Grace and Peace

Heaven or Hell: Your Choice

2009-07-09T15:41:00.005-04:00

Something has been really bothering me lately and I have been struggling with this within my spirit for quite sometime. What I am about to write may upset others, it may even make some mad at me but, I DO NOT CARE.

First, I grew up listening, watching and loving the Jackson 5 and Micheal my whole life. When he passed away, I cried as if he was a part of my family. In many ways, he was.

But, one thing which breaks my heart about his death is this: Do people realize how short one's life truly can be? Do people realize that you can be alive and well one day and the next day YOU ARE DEAD! Do people know where they are going to spend eternity when they leave this earth? Do they?

Do you?

My daughter asked me if God was trying to tell us something with Micheal Jackson's death. I said, "yes. This is a wake-up call for people to realize that seeing the next day is not guaranteed". After all, when you wake up, (and here is a little dose of truth), you do not wake yourself up, GOD is the one who wakes you up. This is the truth my friends.

God is the one who decides if you will open your eyes or not.

Do you thank Him when you do open your eyes.? Do you thank Him for allowing you to see another day on this earth? If not you should! God is the one, the only one, who controls every breath that you take. GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you know where you will spend eternity? Will it be in heaven or in hell? Are you in right standing with God? Or are you against God?
Have you asked Jesus Christ to come into you life?

These questions must be answered before it is to late. The time is NOW!!!!!! Where you spend eternity after you die depends upon it. Will you go to Heaven where you will never be hungry or thirst again? Where there will be no more sorrow or pain?

¹⁶Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:16, 17)

Or in Hell where the fire never goes out and you cry out in pain, misery and torture: ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 13:49-50)

You have this one life to decide where you will spend eternity: " Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27) You have the choice to make. No one else can make it for you. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)

I pray that if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you will do so today. The one thing I pray people have learned from the death of Micheal Jackson is tomorrow is not promised to you. Decide today where your soul will spend eternity:

Heaven or Hell.

Make the decision today to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior today.
Simply pray this prayer:

Dear God, I know that I’m a sinner and that my sin separates me from You. I realize that I can’t do anything to earn my way into heaven. I believe that Jesus took the punishment for my sins by dying on the cross and coming back to life. I accept Him as my Savior and Lord. And I will try my best to please You all the days of my life. Thank You for forgiving me and saving me now. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, Welcome to God's Family!

I would love to hear from you.

Grace and Peace

(all scripture from New International Version Bible)

I Am Asking For Your Help

2009-07-07T20:27:00.004-04:00

My friends, I received this email today and I am asking all of you who read my blog to please help support this cause. SoaringWords mission is to empower communities to support and inspire chronically ill children and their families to “Never give up!”

Please click on the link above to read more about the group.

I have joined this cause as I this is close to my heart. I do not have a chronically ill child, yet I do have family members who do. I do have a special needs child and any cause which has to do with children, I will support. Children are our gift from God and when they need help, we should never, ever hesitate to do all that we can for them.

This is the email I received:

Now we need your help. We are participating in a 10,000 in 10-Day Research Challenge sponsored by Hershey’s. If 10,000 of you will open your hearts and donate your time to complete the survey, Soaringwords will receive a $35,000 grant from Hershey’s to help our cause. (Participants must be adults between the ages of 18 and 54. And, the survey will take about 15 minutes of your time, so please bear with us – we only get credit for completed surveys.)

We cannot do this with out your help, and the help of your friends. The only way we will meet this enormous goal is if each of you would also be generous enough to pass this 10,000 in 10-day Research Challenge onto at least 10 (or more) of your friends and ask them to do the same. Post the survey link on your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Soaringwords knows this challenge is a lofty one. But, as an organization that inspires millions of ill kids to “Never Give Up!” how could we not accept the Challenge? You have the power to help us make the impossible a reality.

Survey Link: www.surveyforacause.com/survey

Please take this survey and support SoaringWords.

We know that nothing is impossible with God. NOTHING! So, I am asking you, PLEASE support this cause. Tell everyone you know about this. Post to your websites! Post on Facebook! Twitter! Post in your emails! Send it to everyone you know so that we can make this happen for SoaringWords!

For those who are on Facebook you can join the cause here: SoaringWords.

Thank you and God bless you all!

Grace, Love and Peace

Forgiveness: Final Thoughts

2009-07-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

First, thanking God for laying upon my heart to write My Journey to Forgiveness. Second, to my friends (seen and unseen) for your support and love. I say this from my heart:

God bless, I love you and thank-you.

The road to forgiveness is not an easy road to travel. Forgiveness can not happen overnight. It is a process which takes obedience, time and effort. It takes FAITH and TRUST in God. It takes PATIENCE. It takes a willingness to allow God to cleanse your heart, mind and soul.

You have to remember all the hurt, pain, bitterness and anger did not manifest within your heart overnight. It took quite sometime for these emotions to grow inside of your heart. Therefore, it will take sometime for these emotions to be removed from your heart.

You can not remove these emotions on your own. You can try as hard as you want to remove these emotions, but you will fail. It is only through the strength, power, grace and mercy of Almighty God who can truly help you overcome and conquer these emotions.

God's word says,

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

We, as God's children, must humbles ourselves, seek, pray and repent of our sins. Hatred, anger and bitterness are sins against God. We have to ask Him to forgive us. We have to ask Him to forgive the one who hurt us.

Jesus said these words on the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Jesus was beaten, tortured, spit upon and cursed, yet He ask the Father to forgive them. We must forgive people who have wronged us. Jesus forgave us. God forgave us. We have to forgive the ones who hurt us.

Is this easy to do? No, because we want to hold on to the pain, bitterness, anger and hate. We do not want to let it go. It is only when we reach rock bottom that we reach out to God and ask HIM to help us.

He wants US to come to HIM. He wants the WORDS to come out of OUR mouth. He wants US to CONFESS to HIM what happened.

Then, He will begin the healing process.

He will begin to take away the pain, hurt, hatred, anger and bitterness from your heart. He will begin to create "a new heart within you". This process takes a long time. You must be patient. You must pray. You must be obedient to God's word. You must trust that God will remove all the ugliness within you. You must have faith that in time you will forgive.

Throughout your life, you will have to forgive many, many times. But, this is when you reflect back on the times which God helped you to forgive. God showed you how to forgive. God freed you from the pain, bitterness, anger and hurt. God gave you the victory. He gave you control back over your life.

What about the person who hurt you? You have to pray for them. God tells us in Luke 6:28, "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you". Pray and ask God to forgive them. Pray and ask God to change them.

God knows what the person did to you. God is the only one who can take care of this person. Revenge is not ours, it is Gods. His word says,

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." (Deut. 32:35)

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord". (Romans 12:19)

God is telling us not to seek revenge on the person. We are to turn them over to Him and let Him deal with it. I love the saying, "Let Go and Let God". Few words, but oh so powerful!

My friends, I hope and pray that my testimony has helped you realize, "that you are not alone". I have been hurt many, many times.I know I will go through it again, but I know without a doubt I will make it through with God.

I pray that if you have anger, pain, hurt and bitterness within your heart, you will ask God to HEAL you.

I pray that you are on the ROAD TO FREEDOM.

I pray that you receive the VICTORY.

God bless and keep you all.

Grace and Peace

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2009-07-05T00:00:00-07:00

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My Journey to Forgiveness Conclusion

2009-07-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

The next few weeks I read and I prayed every scripture I could find on forgiveness. The more I read and prayed, the more I could feel God cleansing my heart. The more I could feel the ugliness inside of me being replace with good.

I went into labor on June 20,1990 at 5 p.m. On June 21,1990 my son was born at 11:59 a.m. A beautiful healthy boy! I was reminded of the beautiful "angel" who visited me. How she said, "I would have a beautiful, healthy baby boy". Tears flowed down my face. I said a silent, "thank you" to her.

His father never came to the hospital to see him. A month later I found out he knew I was in labor, but decided not to come. It bothered me, but not as much as I thought it would. God is good. God is truly good.

When I got home from the hospital, my mom would not let me do a thing. I had ample time to read God's word and to pray. I found out just how powerful God's word truly is. I could not believe I had spent so long turning my back on God. I could not believe He still loved me. What a loving God we have.

About a year and a half later, I was walking with my son. I looked up and there coming toward me was his father. I said a small prayer to myself, "Lord, give me the strength to make it through this. Your word says you will never leave me or forsake me. You will always be there for me. I know you are with me right now and everything will be all right. Thank you Father."

I stopped. He stopped. I looked at him. He looked at me. I smiled! I could not believe I smiled at him! He said, "so this is my son". I said, "yes, isn't he beautiful". He said, "yes" and started to walk away. I turned around, yelled his name and said, "I FORGIVE YOU"! He said nothing but kept walking.

I thanked God for removing the hatred I had for him. I thanked Him for helping me to forgive. I thanked Him for being a God who keeps His promises. I shouted, "thank you Jesus" and had the biggest smile on my face! I had tears flowing down my cheeks. Not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

My best friend came to my mind. I decided to give her a call. I did not know if she would pick up the phone or not. To my surprise she did. I asked her if she would like to meet somewhere. She said, "yes". We met at a park because I wanted her to see my baby. She said, "he's adorable". I looked at her and just gave her a big hug. I told her I was sorry for the words I had said. I told her how much I had missed her. I told her I still loved her. I told her I had forgiven her.

She pulled back, looked at me in my eyes and told me she was sorry. She never meant to hurt me. She started to say some more, but I stopped her and said, "Shhhhh, don't say anymore. It is in the past. Let us live for today. Let us begin to be best friends again".

Nineteen years later we are still the best of friends. His father, well he came to visit his son when he was two. Then again when he was three. I told him if he was not ready to be a full time father, do not bother coming to see him again. It was not fair for him to have a "sometime I will" "sometime I won't" father. He has not seen his son since that day. I found out years later he was hooked on crack cocaine and was basically living on the streets. I pray for him. I hope that one day he will get his life straightened out.

My husband now has become the only father my son knows. We have talked to him about his real father. I told him the truth from beginning to end. He said, "it is okay mom". He looked at my husband, walked over to him, gave him a hug and said, "My dad is right here with me now". Tears rolled down my cheeks. I said, "thank you God. Thank you".

I remembered the visit from "my angel". I remember she said these words,

"trust in God. He will make everything all right".

I did place my trust in God. I let Him heal me from the inside out.

God did make everything all right. He gave me freedom. He gave me victory. He truly glorified Himself through me. I could not have done this on my own. Only God helped me through this nightmare. Only God set me free.

Grace and Peace

My Journey to Forgiveness pt. 6

2009-07-03T09:00:00.003-04:00

I thought and thought about the beautiful woman who sat on the side of my bed for days. I thought about what she said. I had to forgive. I had to ask God to help me forgive. I had to somehow come before the throne of the Almighty God. I had not come to His throne in a long time.

I went to church for the first time in over a year. My mom was so very happy. As I entered the sanctuary, tears just automatically flowed from my eyes. I dismissed them as "over active hormones". As I sat next to my mom, the preacher began to speak. The title of his sermon, was How to Forgive...Why You Must Forgive. My mouth hit the floor. I knew God was speaking directly to me in this sermon.

As I listened to him speak, one thing got my attention. He said, when you hold on to the anger, pain, bitterness and hatred for the person who wronged you, you have given them control of your life. You are the one who is not enjoying their live. You are not happy. You are truly, truly miserable. Trust me, they are truly enjoying theirs and not thinking twice about what they did to you. So, why are you letting someone like this control your life?

I thought about those words which pierced my very soul. Why was I letting my boyfriend and my best friend control my life? Why? The more I thought, the tears came flooding down my cheeks. The weight of the burdens I was carrying were so heavy. I felt as if my chest was about to rip open and pour out everything.

He closed with these words: Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:12-13

It was now time for Altar Call. He said, "anyone who is burdened whose heart is full of pain, bitterness, anger and hate come forward and let the power of God cleanse your heart and soul. Let Him make you whole again".

I did not realize I had left my seat. I did not realize that I had dropped to my knees. I did not realize I was crying to the point my whole body was shaking. I could not speak. The next thing I knew I was laid out on the altar asking God to please remove this heaviness from me. Please set me free Lord! Set me free! Forgive me Father! Forgive me!

The minister put his hand upon my head and said a prayer. When He was finished I still laid there. My mom came up to me and tried to get me up. I would not let her. I was in the presence of God and I did not want to go. I could feel my body become lighter. I could feel the peace overflowing within my soul. I could feel God's arms wrapping around me. The small voice said, "you are free my child, you are free. I will make you whole again. Depend on me my child, I shall set you free".

God was setting me free. God was helping me to forgive...........

Grace and Peace

All Prayer Warriors!

2009-07-02T11:49:00.005-04:00

I received a prayer request from my daughter in Christ, Paige who authors Light It Up. I have copied and pasted the request below. I am asking all my prayer warriors to please join in unity for our sister and daughter in Christ.

She has grown so much in her faith. She is truly a woman of God.

Please click on the link to her site and leave a comment for her which will encourage, uplift and empower her and her family.

Pray for God's hedge of protection around her and her family.
Pray for Him to strengthen and comfort and protect her and her family.
Pray for this attack against her and her family to end in the mighty name of Jesus.
Pray God's grace and mercy upon her and her family.
Pray for God's Guidance.

Let us stand united for our daughter in Christ and her family.

Please pass this to others you know who has gotten a prayer through to our Father. Let us stand united together as one in Jesus Name!

it's me Phoebe of lightedpen.blogspot.com...^_^

I would like to ask for all of your prayers..lately my family's going through a lot of problems..but it's ok we're fine. Why worry if I can pray, right? However, i've been feeling really down because of my visa status.

We are waiting for our category in the immigration to open so that we can apply for green card before I turn 21 or else I will no longer be included in the application and I might go back in the Philippines.

I am really worried because I don't want to be away from my family again. I am also sad because I had found my church and community here in New York.

Please help us pray for our petition that the EB3 Category on the immigration will be current by August.

Thank you very much my mother in Christ.

Paige my sweet daughter, know that I am praying for you and your family right now! I love you and know that I am always here for you and your family!

The victory has been won!!!!! AMEN!

Grace and Peace

My Journey to Forgiveness pt. 5

2009-07-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I looked at this beautiful woman sitting next to me on my bed. She took my hand in hers. She smiled. She said these words, " I know you are hurting. I am here to let you know everything will be all right. You will have a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Your life is not over, it is just beginning. Trust in God. You have to forgive the ones who hurt you'.

I asked her, "how do I do this? How do I learn to forgive"? She said, "trust in God. Ask Him to help you to forgive. He will do it. But, you have to ask Him. You must trust in Him. You must depend on Him to help you through this. You are not alone." I started to say something else and just like that she was gone.

I woke up and realized I had only slept through the night. But, the woman sitting next to my bed. Where did she come from? Who was she? The words she said to me stayed in my mind. I told my mom about her. I described how she looked. My mom started crying. She said, "the woman you described sounds like my mother, your grandmother who died before you were born". I looked at the only picture my mom had of her. The woman who visited me last night and the woman in the picture were the same.

The angel who appeared to me last night was in fact my grandmother.

I told my mom what she said. But, I told her I was not ready to forgive yet. I simply was not ready. I asked her, "how will I know when I am ready to forgive". My mom looked at me and said, "you will know honey. You will know."

Little did I know that I would find out the answer to my question sooner than I thought.............

My Journey to Forgiveness pt. 4

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

I sat and thought of the many ways I could hurt him. I sat and thought of the many ways I could hurt my best friend. I could slice the tires on their cars. I could key their cars. I could call their parents and let them in on their "little" secret. I could run them over with my car. Oh how sweet revenge would be! I wanted them to suffer as much as I have suffered. I wanted them to hurt like they hurt me. I wanted them to be in pain like I was in pain.

I WANTED THEM TO DIE!!!!

I was dying inside. I no longer had the desire to live. For days I sat in the apartment. I did not eat anything. I did not answer the phone. I did not do anything but sit, rock back and forth and cry. I was in such a depression that I do not believe anyone could pull me out of. I did not think about the life growing inside of me. I simply wanted to die.

Finally after three days, my mother sent my dad to see if I was all right. I didn't answer the door at first. He knocked about five times before I let him in. He looked out me, held out his arms and I just collapsed in his loving embrace. He did not ask me any questions. He simply said, "Come home". I was in such a daze, I did not remember walking out the door and getting in the car with him.

When I walked through the door, my mom was there. She just started crying. She held me in her arms and the whole story poured out of my mouth. She looked at me and said these words, "Valerie Lynn, you have to remember you are carrying a gift from God. You have to think about that and put everything else aside. You have to think about the health and well-being of your baby".

I knew she was right. I knew I had to think about my child. A child which was still growing inside of me. A child which depended on me for survival. But, all I could think about was,

REVENGE! REVENGE! REVENGE!

The only words I said to my mom were "I hate them, mommy! I hate them"! She simply held me in her arms and rocked me like she use to do when I was little. Oh! how I wanted to be that little girl now! Not a care in the world. Not a problem to worry about.

But, I was not that little girl anymore. I was a woman betrayed. I was a woman scorned. I was a woman who wanted REVENGE!!!!!!!!

I went upstairs to my room. It was exactly the way I had left it when I moved out. The posters on the wall. The teddy bears on the bed. My collection of porcelain bears still in the same place. Nothing had been touched. I feel on my bed and drifted off to sleep.

I felt like I had slept for days. I woke up and sitting beside me was a woman I had never seen before. She was beautiful. She was dressed in white. The white was so bright that I could hardly look at her. Her face glowed. Her face was full of love and peace. I felt safe with her.

I said, "who are you"? She looked at me and said, "I have a message for you".

The message would change my life forever.........................

My Journey to Forgiveness pt. 3

2009-06-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

The phone call. A call which would shake the very foundation of my life. My best friend calls me and says she "really needs to speak with me." I could hear in her voice that she was really upset. I asked her if she wanted me to come to her house. She said, "no, let's meet at McDonald's for lunch". I did not think anything about it because I craved McDonald's french fries!

I got to McDonald's first and waited for her to show up. She was late, which was not like her at all. When she walked in, I could tell by the expression on her face that she was really upset about something.
I gave her a hug, we ordered and then sat down.

We had started eating and I finally asked her, "okay what is wrong". She looked at me with tears streaming down her face and said, "I don't know how to tell you this". "Tell me what"? She took a deep breath, looked at me and said these words which ripped out my heart, "I have been sleeping with your boyfriend". I thought I heard her wrong. I asked her to repeat what she said. She did and the words did not change.

My very best friend in the world had slept with my boyfriend!

I felt sick to my stomach. I could not breathe. I could not look at her. I felt as if she had took a knife and cut out my heart and soul. How could she betray me like this? How could see hurt me like this?

How?!!!!!!!!

I looked at her with hatred. I asked her, "how many times, when and where"? She said she has been sleeping with him for over a month at different hotels. My heart stopped. I could not believe the person I loved, the person I considered my sister had betrayed me. She had done the unthinkable.

I lost all control and stood up, screamed at the top of my lungs "I hate you! I never, ever want to see you again! How could you do this to me! If you died right now, I would not care. We will never, ever, ever be friends again"! I stormed out and went home.

I waited for him to come home from work. Amazingly, he had to work that day which was a Saturday. He usually had Saturdays off. I waited, and I waited and I waited. He never came home. I called his brother and asked if he had seen him. He told me "no" but I could tell by his voice he was lying.

Finally, around 3 a.m. I went to bed. He walks in the next afternoon around 2 p.m. I asked him where he had been. He did not say anything. He just went to the bathroom and took a shower. He acted like it was not a big deal.

I was furious!!!!!!!

I went out to his car. I looked through it. It smelled like perfume. I searched his pockets. I found a phone number. I called the number and a female answered. I asked who she was and how long she had been seeing my boyfriend. She hung up the phone. I called back, she did not answer.

Finally, he comes walking out of the bedroom and I laid into him. I asked him how he could sleep with my best friend? How could you sleep with the woman whose number this is. HOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He looked at me, and said these words, "We are over". I do not want to be with you anymore". I was crushed! 'What about our baby"? He said, "I do not care about the baby either".

I did not realize he had a suitcase in his hand. He was leaving me! My legs got weak and I sat down on the couch. He simply walked out the door. Not another word was spoken. Not an answer from him on why he had ripped out my heart. Why he had hurt me so.

I just sat and cried. I was five months pregnant. The man I loved so very deeply had simply walked out on me and his child. He just tossed me aside like yesterday's trash.

Five months pregnant. Alone. Betrayed. Bitter. Angry.

The only thing on my mind was getting revenge and getting revenge in a big, big, big way........

Grace and Peace

My Journey to Forgiveness pt. 2

2009-06-29T10:16:00.004-04:00

The first time he heard the babies heartbeat, you would have thought he had just won the lottery! He shouted and jumped up and down for joy. He looked forward to the doctor's visit. He would ask me "when is the next one? I can't wait"! When I had an ultrasound and saw the beautiful life growing inside of me, we both cried. It was at that moment that our baby became real. He kissed me and told me how much he loved me.

I was in heaven!

Well, needless to say, the enthusiasm soon subsided. I would tell him I had an appointment on Wednesday and he would say, "Oh, okay. Tell me what the doctor said". Him going to the doctors had all but stopped. He never asked me questions about how the baby and I were doing.

It was like he was living in another world.

I soon found out that "chillin with my girl" was about to come to an abrupt end. When I was about four months pregnant, he began to go out about once a week with his buddies. It was usually a Friday or Saturday night. At first, this was fine with me. He needed to get some "male bonding" time and I needed some "alone time" with myself or spend the evening with my best friend.

He would not be gone all night. He would come home around 1:00 a.m. and most of the time I would still be up watching a movie I had rented or something on television. He would come in, kiss me, plop down on the couch and "rub the belly."

Our life was still good.

Well, the "once" turned into "twice" and then "three" times a week. The coming home early would turn into 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. His behavior began to change. The giving me a kiss and "rubbing the belly" had in all essence stopped. I figured he was tired and partied a "little to much".

After all, he was still coming home to me, right?

I would ask him, "how was the night with the fellas"? At first, he would give me detail by detail information on the nights events. Then, it went from a few words to "okay". I just figured the night did not go very well.

No big deal.

My "inner voice" was telling me something was not right, but I just ignored it. I loved him and trusted him. Nothing ever happened before, right? He is still coming home. He is still telling me he loves me. I am sure nothing is going on.

Until, the phone call...............

Grace and Peace

My Journey to Forgiveness

2009-06-27T19:59:00.001-04:00

I wrote a post on the Power of Forgiveness and this one question kept coming up: HOW DID YOU LEARN TO FORGIVE? I thought about this question and the best way I can tell you HOW to forgive is by my own personal experiences. I am not certain how many posts this will take, so bear with me okay?

When I was 20, I began dating a man (not my husband now) who I met through a friend. He was really nice and said all the right things to me. He asked me out on a date and so I decided to go. The first date was the beginning of what I thought was a beautiful relationship which would last forever.

About a year later we moved in together (very much against my mother and father's wishes). Our apartment was small but nice. It was our first "home" together and that meant a lot. He asked me to marry him the day we moved in. Wow! I was so happy! I said "yes" and was on cloud nine!

Not long after the engagement, I found out I was pregnant. When I told him that I was pregnant, he was so happy! He said "he could not wait for the baby to be born". I was happy as well because I was not certain how he would take the news. We had never discussed children. It was a subject which never came up.

The first few months of my pregnancy were perfect. He would come home from work and rub my belly and sometimes he would talk to the baby. I always laughed because it seemed silly, but it made him happy. He would sometimes bring me flowers or a box of chocolates. We would sit together and think of baby names. His buddies would call and ask him to go out and he would say, "no, I am going to chill with my girl and my baby". To me, life could not get any better.

I was about to realize my "perfect" life was soon to become "imperfect."

My fairytale was going to become a nightmare........

Grace and Peace

What Do You Think?

2009-06-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

Well this is the template I have chosen. What does everyone think?

Please look at my blog roll and let me know if I have forgotten you. I did not mean to as I have not updated my list when I copied it to notepad.

Also, if I had your blog graphic listed, could you please let me know so I can visit your site and get the code for it.

Thanks for your understanding and patience!

I love you all!

Once Again

2009-06-26T15:29:00.000-04:00

Ok friends, once again my blog template has totally screwed up! I have lost widgets and graphics. So, I am in search of a new template which is reliable (if there is such a thing) LOL. So, my friends if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I hate re-decorating, but it must be done.

Thanks to all.

The Power of Forgiveness

2009-06-25T09:05:00.003-04:00

As I was browsing my devotionals this morning, I came across one which hit so close to home with me. The Power of Forgiveness. These words struck a place in my heart:

"When a deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive." Forgiveness is hard. But life without forgiveness is harder still—in the high calling of our daily work.

Alan Paton

His words are so very true. When we are hurt by someone and we keep all the pain, hurt and bitterness inside of us, are we really hurting the one who hurt us? NO! They are going about their everyday lives not even thinking about the hurt and pain they caused.

We are HURTING OURSELVES!

We are the ones who are miserable. We are the ones who do not have peace and joy in our hearts. We are the ones who remember daily what the person did to us. We can not live our lives in peace, love, joy and happiness. Do you think the other person cares? NO! So why let that person make your life a living hell for the rest of your days? Why let them control your life?

Why?

Because we do not know how to LET IT GO!!

We want to hold on to it. We do not want to let it go. This gives the person who hurt you control over your life. This gives the person power over your life. Why let them have this power over you?

LET IT GO!!!!!!!!

The only way to release the hurt, pain, bitterness and anger is to allow God to work within the person's life who hurt us. He and only He can help you remove the pain, hurt, anger and bitterness within you.

YOU HAVE TO LET GO AND LET GOD DO WHAT ONLY HE IS CAPABLE OF DOING!

Once you release your pain, bitterness, hurt and anger over to God, sit back and allow Him to begin to fill your life with joy, love, peace and happiness. This will take time to do. It will not happen over night, but oh how great you will feel when God begins to change your heart. What a new and happier person you will become!

There will come a day when you will be able to walk up to the person who hurt you and say, " I FORGIVE YOU." That day will change your life forever. You are no longer controlled by bitterness, pain, hurt and anger. You are now free to live the life God destined you to live. You are now walking in love!

YOU ARE FREE!!!!!!

How beautiful!!!!

The person which hurt you will not know what hit them. They will be absolutely stunned and not know what to say. But that is their problem to deal with, not yours. You just keep praying to God for Him to change their heart.

I know first hand how powerful forgiving someone truly can be. The weight of anger, bitterness, hurt and pain is lifted out of your heart. You become happier. Your spirit is no longer in turmoil. You have a peace which you can not explain. God is able to remove unforgiveness within your heart. God is able to set you free! I know because He did it for me! Thank you Lord for setting me FREE!!!!!!!!

I know without a doubt He can do the same for you!

Are you living with unforgiveness within your heart? Make a decision to let it go today. Ask God to help you to remove the anger, pain, hurt and bitterness. He will and oh how beautiful it will be.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive , and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:37-38)

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28

Let Go and Let God my friends! Let Go and Let God!

Grace and Peace my friends!

Extra! Extra! I Got Two Awards!

2009-06-24T18:24:00.003-04:00

Praise the Lord! To God be all the glory forever! I received these two awards from my loving, kind and sweet friend, Tammy who author's the blog, Omah's Helping Hands. What an honor to receive two awards in one day.

Tammy my friend and sister in Christ, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for these two lovely awards. How precious they are to me as they mean so much. They are truly a blessing which brightens my day! God bless you my friend and I love you very much.

Of course, all honor and praise belongs to the Lord. He is the one who gives me the strength to write. He is the one who inspires me to write. He is the one I have dedicated my life to. God and God alone is the love of my life. I will forever sing His praises!

I have been asked why I blog? Is it for fame? Is it for my glory? Is it for the awards I receive? Is it to put myself on a pedestal? (Yes, I have been asked these questions).

Here is my reply. I do not write for fame. I do not write for my glory. I do not write with the intention of receiving awards. I do not write to put myself on a pedestal. I simply write for GOD. God has brought me a mighty, mighty long way. Without Him reaching out to me and lifting me up when I was at my lowest point, I would not be writing at all. I may not be here to write. All that I am and all that I ever will be, I owe it all to God and God alone.

I also write in hopes that just "one" person will read my writings and know that they are not alone in what they are going through. I hope that someone will know that there is hope. This hope comes from God and God alone. I hope someone will invite Jesus Christ into their life. Their lives will not be easy, BUT it is a lot easier with Christ in the lead.

So, these are the reasons why I write. God has seen me through so much. He continues to see me through each and everyday. I have hope which only comes through God. I have peace which only comes through God. I have love which only comes through God. I have compassion which only comes through God.

Now, the rules of these awards are easy. There are not any rules!!!!
So, please, from my heart to yours, accept these two awards. Every blog I read is so deserving of these awards. I hope that when I visit I will see these two awards.

I love you all.

God bless

Grace and Peace

He Never Complained

2009-06-21T15:51:00.008-04:00

First and foremost giving my Heavenly Father a great big Happy Father's Day!! I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!

I would like to say to all the many FATHER'S, STEP FATHERS AND SPIRITUAL FATHERS A VERY, VERY, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I pray your day is filled with love, joy, peace, happiness and many, many blessings!

My dad passed away 17 years ago. Although he is not here with me physically, I will always, always remember and cherish my memories. I was DADDY"S LITTLE GIRL. I loved my daddy so! He may be gone but he will never be forgotten.

My dad was not a tall man. My dad was not an educated man. My dad was not a man who made a lot of money. My dad was a simple man. He was a man who I respected. He was a family man. He was a man who could tell you a "tall tale" yet you believed it was true. My dad had a smile which made you smile right back at him. He had a hearty and deep laugh which made you laugh as well. My dad was my first love. My dad was my "super hero".

Daddy would take me with him everywhere he went. I was, "Daddy's little girl". I loved going places with my dad. When my mom would have to go out of town, dad would always get me a large pizza all to myself. The funny thing was, I did not know my daddy "the Super Hero could not cook"! LOL!!! We took many trips to the ice cream store. He would let me go to work with him and he always got me snacks from the snack machine. He was my daddy and I was his little girl.

When I turned 16 before I could drive the car with all my "girls", I first had to drive my dad around for a week before he would let me go out on my own. During that week he taught me how to check the oil and change a tire. He taught me how to tell if something was wrong with the car. That was my dad, always teaching, always protecting and always, always loving.

When I turned 23 my dad was diagnosed with throat cancer. Back them, treatment for cancer was not as advanced as it is today. Daddy went through chemo and radiation but to know avail. The doctor's had to remove part of his tongue. His right ear got so severely burned from the radiation that part of it had to be removed. Daddy went through immense pain and suffering...yet he NEVER complained.

It was now time for me to take care of my daddy. He had to use a feeding tube. He had to have his mouth suctioned many times a day. My mom would become so weary taking care of him. I would say, "you go momma, I will take care of daddy". This was the hardest thing for me to do. Daddy was such a strong man with a strong spirit. Yet, although he could not talk to me, I could still see his spirit alive in his eyes. I could still see the love.

The day my daddy died, I will never forget. He was in so much pain, yet he did not complain. I prayed to God to please take my dad so that his pain will go away! Please God! Please! Daddy looked over at me and with tears streaming down my face, I went over to him. I told him how much I loved him and I knew that soon he would be with God and his pain would be no more. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to him. He whispered these words, "I love you". Remember he could not speak because part of his tongue was gone, but I heard the words loud and clear.

He then looked at a spot in the wall and cried out, "Momma, Momma". He was crying for Grandma. Grandma had passed away five years earlier. He stretched out his arms as if she was right there in the room. He smiled. He closed his eyes, took his last breath and went home to glory.

Through all his pain and suffering, HE NEVER, EVER COMPLAINED.

There was not a doubt in my mind that Grandma came to bring her son home. There is not a doubt in my mind that daddy is whole and once again with Grandma. I miss my daddy, but I will never forget that moment in the hospital. I am at peace with him being gone, although there are days when I cry because I miss him so. I am so glad I was with him when he died.

I am so glad that my heavenly Father took my pain away. I am so glad my heavenly Father let me know that "I AM NOT ALONE". Although my earthy father was gone, my heavenly Father let me know He would never leave me. He will always be with me.

I LOVE YOU DADDY! I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN............

I pray that all of you whose father's are still living, you will cherish every moment that you can with them. If you are upset, angry and bitter at them, do not let another minute go by without telling him you love him because you never know when and IF you will see him again. I know how fast someone can be here today and gone the next. You do not want to let your father pass away without telling him how much you love him. You may never get that chance again.

Grace and Peace

I Am So Glad.. I Am So Thankful

2009-06-18T13:41:00.005-04:00

I was thinking about how busy my life has been lately and how I have not given God the time that I should be giving Him, I was reminded today about something which I am so grateful for. I received an email which truly made me stop and think about how much God truly loves me.

Thank you my friend Angie for this beautiful reminder. I love you my sister!

What would happen to me if God got so very busy and did not take time out for me? What would happen if God was so busy with others, that He did not remember me? What would happen to me? What would my life be like?

Have you ever thought about these questions? Maybe you should.

I am so glad I do not have to worry about the answer to these questions!

I am so THANKFUL that God DOES NOT get to busy to remember me! I am so THANKFUL that He is PATIENT. I am so THANKFUL that He is MERCIFUL! I am so THANKFUL that He does love me with all my flaws and insecurities! How wonderful is our God!

As you read this poem, I pray that you are reminded just how wonderful, merciful and compassionate God is.

God is ALWAYS, ALWAYS there for us no matter what.

GOD NEVER GETS TO BUSY FOR US.

I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.....

All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need.
But at last the time, the time to die

I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God! held a book;
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said:
'Your name I cannot find
I once was going! to write it down...
But never found the time'
(author unknown)

Praise God and thank Him for having time for you my friends. Thank Him and ask Him to forgive you for the times you got so busy, you forgot about Him.

Grace and Peace

Miss Busy Body..That Was Me!

2009-06-16T08:26:00.007-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, "Miss Busy Momma" was just to busy. I was getting very little sleep. I was worried about my son's Senior week activities and his graduation.I was busy with the youngest three and all the "year end" activities at their school. I had to do all the "momma" duties and do them fast and quick!

Things had to be done!

Why wasn't anyone helping me!
Can't they see there is so much to do!
So much to get ready!

Yet, I was suppose to be happy and joyful, right? NOT! I was "Miss Busy Body" and my joy was not there.

WHY?

Because my mind, body and spirit were exhausted. I knew I was doing to much, and my body, mind and spirit were giving me warning signs. God was giving me warning signs. I just ignored them. I ignored HIM. I thought I would be all right going at the fast pace.

I just kept going, going, and going just like the Energizer Bunny!

My actions reminded me of Martha in Luke 10:38-40:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."

Hmm, sounds a little like someone I know! MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Martha, Miss Busy Body. Valerie, Miss Busy Body.

Martha was worn out and getting frustrated, yet Mary was relaxed and content. Martha gets frustrated that Mary is not helping her and complains. (Sound familiar, does to me!)

Jesus says this, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42 ESV)

What was Jesus telling Martha?

(by the way did you notice He called her by name and said it twice)?

Do you think He was trying to get her attention?

HMM, sounds familiar to me!

He was saying, why are you worrying yourself over these things? All you are doing is getting yourself worked up over nothing! What matters most is sitting right here, ME! No matter how hard you try, you can not do it alone. Put Me first and everything will work out.

Jesus is right here.Jesus is what matters. Jesus is all you need.

Wow! What a revelation!

God spoke to me through His Word. He reminded me that the things I worried about and became frustrated are things I do not have any control over. What matters is that God is in control of my life. I have to keep God first. I can do nothing without Him. He is all that I need to make it through these hectic days in my life. I have to find my rest and peace in HIM and only HIM.

So do you.

When you find yourself becoming "to busy" for God, remind yourself of Mary and Martha. Read Luke 10:38-42 and let God speak to you through His word.

Don't get upset when you fall down, just remember to pick yourself back up and keep on keeping on with God as the head and center of your life. He loves you and will always be there to lift you back up.

Grace and Peace

I Have Been One Busy Momma!!!!!

2009-06-04T13:39:00.003-04:00

Wow! Since my last post, I have been one busy momma! I apologize for not posting like I usually do. I miss it, but the "Momma duties" must be done. (LOL). I wanted to let everyone know that I have not forgotten you and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

My oldest son is graduating tomorrow and with all his senior activities and getting things ready for his graduation, I have not had time to breathe! On top of all that, I attended "year end celebrations" for my daughter and my two youngest boys. I have not had time to catch my breath! I have about fifteen minutes before heading out the door yet once again!

But, God is good and He alone is giving me the strength to get through all the madness this week.

Thank you Lord for your strength and mercy! Thank you for keeping me lifted up Father God. Thank you for being my peace in the midst of this hectic week. Thank you for not putting more on me than I can bear. For you and you alone have seen me through. I will forever praise your MIGHTY Name! I love you so much and can not live my life without you! AMEN!!!!!!

I thank all of you for your prayers and encouraging words on my last post. I thank God for the beautiful relationships I have formed on this blog. God bless you all and I love you!

Well, gotta go! Please continue praying for me (and a big prayer for my son who is graduating tomorrow) and I will continue praying for everyone of you.

I don't know when I will be able to post again this week. Hopefully, next week everything will settle down back to normal. Blessings!

To God Be the Glory!

I love you!

God bless and keep you!

Grace and Peace

All I Have Is Hope In God

2009-06-01T13:22:00.004-04:00

Psalm 42:11
Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 31:24
Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!

My spirit has been down since Friday. Why, because it seems as if my family is not getting ahead. Nothing but bad news has hit us since last Friday. I could feel my spirit sinking deep into despair. I could feel my spirit going from joyful to depression. I can not let this happen, yet I can not fight it by myself either. I need help. I needed someone to whisper in my ear,

"Valerie Lynn, everything is going to be all right. Just hold on to God's unchanging hand."

What did I get instead? A little demon "imp" filling my head with doubt, gloom and despair.

"Valerie Lynn, things will not look up for you. You are just wasting your time. Why are you even trying? You are just believing in something which will never happen". These are the thoughts which came to me.
"My God, help me", I cried!

The "still small voice" inside of me said, "Keep your hope alive in God. Keep your hope alive in God." I read the above scriptures out loud until those nagging and doubtful thoughts went away. I read them out loud until I could feel my spirit begin to be lifted up once again. I was determined I would not stop until my mind was renewed in God's word and His promises.

I know that my hope in God is all I have. The mess my family is in can not be fixed by anything we do. We have tried, and we have failed. BUT GOD!!!!!!!

God will indeed take care of it. We just have to be patient and allow Him to work everything out for us. I know He hears our prayers. I know He knows what is in our hearts. I know He knows how much we love Him. I know He knows and understands that we are HUMAN and will have these, "doubting days". I know He knows that we in fact believe in Him. I know He knows we are clinging to Him for dear life.

HOPE. Yes, my Father, I will keep my hope alive in you. Yes, my Father, I will Trust, Depend and Lean on You. Yes, my Father, I will wait patiently knowing in my heart that you are already working things out for us.

Yes, my Father, I will wait Patiently and with Great Expectations for you.

I love you Lord, forgive me for the doubts I had in my mind. I did not mean to have them. I am weak, but I am so glad you are strong! You are my hope. I know everything will be all right. I thank-you for your grace and your mercy. I thank you for loving me. I thank you for understanding what I am going through. I thank you for being my loving Father. I will trust in you. I will depend on you. I will put all of my hope in you. I love you.

To YOU, Father God, be all the glory forever and ever!

Psalm 39:7
And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.

Lamentations 3:24
The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him

Grace and Peace

(All Scripture from Amplified Bible)

God is the Sunshine in My Life!!!!

2009-05-28T13:44:00.007-04:00

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:18 (AMP)

Yes, I will rejoice in the Lord who is and will forever be the God of my salvation!

All GLORY TO GOD MY FRIENDS! ALL GLORY TO GOD!!!! HE ALONE IS WORTHY, WORTHY TO BE PRAISED! PRAISE HIM WITH ME SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! PRAISE HIM WITH ME!

Wow!! is not our wonderful and awesome God amazing?! Is He not the sunshine in your life? He is in my life and I will tell the world:

GOD IS THE SUNSHINE IN MY LIFE!

He is the sunshine which peaks through the sky on a dark and cloudy day. He is the rainbow after the storm. He is the wind beneath my wings. He is my hope in my life when I think there is no hope. He is my ONE and ONLY. He is my God and I will forever praise His name!

Why did I say all of this? Because, the You Are My Sunshine award I received from Tami did not come by anything I have done. I had nothing to do with getting this award or any other award which I have received past, present and future. God is the One who has DONE IT ALL. HE is the one who deserves the praise, honor and glory. God and God alone.

Tami, my beautiful, sweet, kind, thoughtful and loving friend and sister in Christ: I LOVE YOU! I THANK YOU! I BLESS THE DAY YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE! You have such a beautiful heart. When I am feeling down, you and your awesome blog, Diary of a Mad Woman cheer me up. You are such a blessing to me! I know in my heart and without a shadow of a doubt that God orchestrated the exact date, time, day and month of us meeting one another. I am so glad that He did and I will forever be grateful. Keep spreading your love my friend. You will truly make a difference in someones life. I know you have in mine.

I LOVE YOU TAMI!

Tami never has any rules with her awards. So, I am sharing this beautiful blessing with:

EVERYBODY WHO LOVES GOD AND KNOWS THAT WITHOUT HIM THEY COULD DO NOTHING!

Take this award and let the world know that God is indeed:

THE SUNSHINE IN YOUR LIFE!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

Grace and Peace

Another Blessing From Above!

2009-05-26T18:55:00.007-04:00

I pray all of you had a wonderful, blessed and relaxed weekend. Mine was really busy, yet it was a beautiful weekend spent with family and friends.

God is truly good and keeps blessing me in new and exciting ways. Many people think I get to excited over these awards, but that just lets me know that they do not realize that awards are blessings from God too. Big or little, I love blessings from God and I love these awards and sharing them with people who are very special to me.

One Lovely Blog Award was given to me by the author of "Lessons in the Little Stuff". She signs her posts, "Hi God, It's Me Again". Don't you love it? I know I do! She has been following my blog for a very short time, and I was simply honored with her presenting me this award. I visited her blog and it is full of information. She tells about websites which give away "freebies" to sites which offer valuable coupons. She writes about other topics as well, but I guess you will have to pop over and visit her to see what they are LOL!

I love coupons and freebies so you know this got my attention (LOL)!! Thank-you so much, my new friend in Christ for giving me this beautiful award. My heart is filled with joy! What a beautiful and dear woman you are. God bless you my sweet friend. I love you.

I am to pass this award along to 10-15 blogs which I love. Of course this is hard for me to do, but I must abide by the rules. So, I award this to the following blogs:

Sherri, "Be About Your Father's Business"
Lisa, "Sharing Life With Lisa"
Tami, "Diary of a Mad Woman"
Mikes, "Your Daily Word"
Lori, "Persevere"
Tamela, "Tamela's Place"
Tammy, "Omah's Helping Hands"
Sandy, "Random Thoughts of Great-Granny Grandma"
Connie, "Inspirational Poetry of Joy and Peace"
Christine Mayo, "Samaritan Diva"
Rainbow and Us, "Haunted House"
Denise, "Free to Be Me"
Anders Ellingsen, "Poems of A.W.E"
Jennifer, "Getting Down With Jesus"
Yvette, "Fresh Winds Ministries"

Now, you are to pass this award to other blogs which you love! Don't forget to leave them comments so they know you have an award waiting for them!

I love you all!

To God Be The Glory!

Grace and Peace

Bless the Lord O My Soul

2009-05-21T13:37:00.012-04:00

BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! Psalm 103:1(AMP)

I received a beautiful poem from my friends Rainbow and "us" authors of the Haunted House blog. Haunted House is a blog written about child abuse and neglect. I forgot to mention that when you click on the link to their blog, it will warn you of "adult content", but the blog is telling the real and painful truth about child abuse and neglect.

Their blog is truly a wonderful blog and I pray everyone will visit and show their love to them. They have truly bared their souls and the painful truth about their lives which takes much strength and courage.
(I wrote about Rainbow and "us' in my post entitled, "My Beautiful Rainbow and "US" if you did not read the post).

When I went to visit, to my surprise there was a poem they had written for me. It touched my heart and filled my eyes with tears of love. They truly are beautiful in every way. I love them so much and I guess you can say "adopted" them as my children. I have been touched by many blogs, but none quite like theirs.

Here is the poem. When you read it you will see why I was so over come with emotion. I will cherish this poem as long as I live.

"A Woman God Made"

Out of the depths of the darkest pain,

shines the wondrous light of compassion.

A heart, so giving of unconditional love,

our eyes weep for the glorious gift given.

Loving arms reach out to hold us,

we wish to stay in them forever.

Amongst the forgotten memories,

one will remain and never leave.

Acceptance without doubt,

Understanding without question.

Believing without seeing,

Giving without wanting.

Precious friend of our heart

A woman God made.

With Love,

"us"

I simply say "THANK YOU RAINBOW AND "US". I LOVE YOU SO MUCH."

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed weekend. I will be pretty busy this weekend, and probably will not post. So I will see everyone again on Tuesday.

Let us not forget to remember those who gave their lives for us so that we could be free.

Memorial Day Comments

Grace and Peace

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Links for 2009-04-21 [del.icio.us]

2009-04-22T00:00:00-07:00

ABIDING IN HOPE AND LOVE
A post about a wonderful poetry book which is a must have!