May Challenge

May Challenge:

Oh be careful little eyes what you see,

Oh be careful little eyes what see,

There's a Father up above,

And He's looking down in love,

So be careful little eyes what you see.

Oh be careful little ears what you hear,

Oh be careful little ears what you hear,

There's a Father up above,

And He's looking down in love,

So be careful little ears what you hear.

This was probably one of the first songs I learned when I was a little girl. It goes on to say for the feet to be careful where they walk, and the hands what they do, etc. but this month I'm going to focus on the eyes and ears. Its called using your head!! :D

Satan has so much ways to tempt us, and he always has and always will use whatever tool he can to get us to falter. The last while Media has been a HUGE tool in his hand I think. I'm not saying media is wrong, but as a tool in the wrong hand it can do major damage.

I have decided to follow Christ, and as part of that decision I have decided to OBEY Christ. When He said not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain He meant it! I think the Jews had a good idea when they decided not to use His name at all, rather than the chance that it be taken in vain. His name is so Holy-so majestic- how DARE we even listen to others take it with such little regard?!?!

I'm not just talking about swearing here either. There are many things that God has given us, that the world has turned around and desecrated. Or that Satan has given us, for reasons you very well know why.

As Christians we should NOT put up with this! Imagine the huge difference we could make to Hollywood if everybody who CLAIMED to love God put their action into words and threw a huge fit anytime a movie came out that did not honor Him. A large percent of population claims to be Christians, but the name Christian should only belong to those who follow Christ, in word, in spirit, truth, and charity. Are there some good movies? Yes, but the majority is not. So, how do you tell the difference? There are times when I've turned on a movie that was supposedly a good christian movie and I've had to turn it off during the middle. DON'T BE DECEIVED INTO ALLOWING YOURSELF TO 'JUST FINISH THIS ONE, ITS NOT TO BAD' If we aren't willing to turn it off, what will keep us from 'trying the next one to see if its good' and then, of course, not turning it off because you started the story and want to finish it.

This months challenge is just focusing on DVDs, but I would highly recommend that you keep track of every DVD, every music CD, every book, and any other thing that uses language or scenes not pleasing to God. He created us for HIS glory, not to be entertained by life and our own imaginations. :-)

This months Challenge:

Go through all your DVDs (even your books and Cd's if you can) and get rid of anything and everything that isn't 100% free of any swearing, cussing, or sexual scenes. In some cases you might want to check out violence as well. I'm not quite as picky about violence myself, but pray about it, and get rid of ANYTHING that isn't pleasing to the Lord.

Keeping our minds clean as possible of this will help us as we journey on through life, believe me, it will!

My Man--Harvey

 One and a half years ago I started working for a wonderful gentleman-Harvey. Me being almost the only one that was available for days at that time, I ended up spending a lot of time with him. Like any job, there can be ups and downs, but all in all I have REALLY enjoyed working for this man. He, like everybody else, has had such an amazing and full life. Anyway, the other day I realized that after me being with him all this time, I didn't have ONE picture of him! I happened to have my camera in the car and snapped a few pictures of 'my man' :p

In the first picture Harvey (He doesn't like to be call Mr. anything) was closing his eyes, unaware of my sneaky little tactic to get a picture taken of him.

Second picture, after the flash went off he told me he'd show me the way the 'real' cowboys like their picture taken...covering his eyes with his hat.

Third picture, I promised him this would be the last one, since he isn't a bragger, and doesn't care for his picture to be taken. Alas! His eyes were closed...again!

I love this man, he is such a kind and considerate man. BUT he IS a jokster! He gets me quite often, and loves to make people laugh.

In a way he is so much like my dad...just the personality. I told my dad that I knew exactly how he was going to be when he was 92!

His family called me at a time when I had no job, and really needed the money, and at the time I was DETERMINED to never do a home-care job again! But, somehow the Lord provided me with this job, and although I'm not saying I will or won't do home-care in the future (I'll leave that up to the Lord and try to be willing to do whatever He calls me to do) I do feel like this is where God wanted/wants me at the time, and I am grateful that I can get to learn more about this gentleman/ farmer/ cowboy/ railroad man/ historian/ horseman. Jokes and all!

Moving horses

I LOVE rounding up the horses and moving them from the fields!

Only, instead of the old-fashion cowboy way of riding up close enough to them and roping them with a lasso we cheat and use grain and 4-wheelers :/

Its a lot faster that way...

 Horses behind us

 Going down (Or should I say up?) the road

 Lead horse #1

Lead horse  #2

Joe's horse (above) is my absolute FAVORITE horse out of our whole herd! I use to think he was super ugly, but his trusting laid-back personality, as well as his spirit and endurance has made him top on my list!

He's a TRUE Tennessee Walker <3

Aprils Challenge

Wow! Here it is the 10th of April and I haven't gotten around to posting my April Challenge! :'(

One of the things I noticed in the Bible is the call to be caring, and support those in need. The reasons the followers of Jesus appointed deacons was for that very reason. However, we people as the church NEED to be careful that we don't always push it off on others, or assume that others are doing it. With food stamps and SS the poverty need may not be quite so important as it was back then, but what about encouragement? Or love? To me that is just as important as physical food.

Working in the home care business I can see a HUGE difference in the lives of the people who have others caring about them. Even if they never see their children, just the knowledge that their kids call, or care gives them a reason to live compared to those who never had children, or feel like they are loved by anybody.

Even if they're not related, can't we as the children of God love the things that God loves, including lonely people, no matter the age? He cares SO MUCH about people...more than we as humans can EVER comprehend!

This months challenge:

 At least once a week find somebody that may be lonely, or busy, but starved for a word of encouragement, or needy, and encourage them! Send them flowers or food. Visit them. Write a card. Talk to the fast food worker on break. ANYTHING, just go give a piece of the sweet pie of Gods love to a starving person!

Depression

Depression:

A depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface.  

sadness; gloom; dejection.

I don't think there is one of us humans alive that hasn't been depressed at one time or the other. Its something we all go through. I've struggled a LOT with depression pretty much all my life. It was, and still tries to be a lot of my mindset. Many times there was absolutely nothing to be depressed about, but I would be depressed anyway.

It was really crazy. I mean, Christians aren't supposed to get depressed, right? They have a goal and purpose for life. And they don't have to feel lonely because they have Him with them all the time, and that's all they need. Right?...RIGHT?!?!

However, even with that mindset, I would get depressed. And I think Satan used it as a tool against me. I'm not saying that all those who get depressed are being used by Satan. I'm saying he used it on ME.

Finally, I started realizing what a crutch it was to me. I would get home from work and just SIT there till bedtime, thinking how horrible life was. Or when I would work around the house I just didn't feel like there was any reason for it. It was so monotonous...
I've never really grew up with a certain 'close' friend like my sisters had, so I would undermined the friends I did have, thinking that because I didn't have a 'close, sisterlike' friendship with one certain girl, like my sisters had, that I didn't have any friends. Always wondering why I had to be made with the personality that I had. My siblings had to put up with me. And I'm sure I hurt them! They would want to do something fun and I was so selfish because I 'felt depressed' that I wanted 'me' time. And, I started to get this lingering fear in my heart. I can't explain it, I just had a fear. Or maybe it'd be a more accurate to say a dread of life.

I'm not saying that I didn't have good deep communion with God at this time. After getting saved I had a deep peace and joy from knowing Him. But Satan finds ways to try to drive a wedge between us and our creator! He knew that if he could get me depressed than I wouldn't feel like putting my whole heart into serving the Lord like I should. There was a deep joy in my life, but it would be clouded over with a deep dark cloud of something else...

It was in this communication the God over a period of a few days that the Holy Spirit started to reveal to me that with allowing the indulgence of having my 'Let me just be depressed' times, it was becoming more and more of a mindset, and a wedge between us. What started out as a few pondering moments started to become a habit and mindset that was keeping me from seeing some of the promises of God, and the HOPE that is there!

It just hit me a couple days ago how much He has helped me make a complete turn around! Before there was the occasion when I would feel excited about life. Now its more like the occasion when I'm depressed. I still do get depressed at times (Who doesn't?) but with me learning to daily ,moment by moment focus on putting my trust in the Lord and then leaving it there (Instead of trusting the Lord, but still thinking about lifes battles) I think my mind has been trained more into seeing the good and excitement of life!

Training my mind moment by moment to look at the good of things took a lot of effort for me. I had to concentrate on praying and asking God to help me see the good, and learn from the bad, and not allowing my family to have to see my depressed times, and making myself be happy for them. But, with the Lords help I can look back and be amazed on the difference there is from just a little over a year ago!

Having the Holy Spirit live inside me is SUCH a blessing! Little did I realize at the time that there even was a wedge, and I'm so glad that He brought it to my attention before it became something big.

I know this is like a totally boring post, but for me it is so encouraging to see how He completely changed my whole mindset from what it was a couple years ago! And my cup is so completely overflowing with not only joy, but an excitement to live this life that He has given us :D

I am so glad that I have a companion to helps me see the weeds and traps in the road as I continue on this journey of life with Him <3

Its a small world!

The last couple years I've been especially AMAZED at how small our world actually seems to be!

During our last trip we went to a church that told us about some missionaries to the Arapaho Indians they are supporting...Guess who we met last week at some revival meetings here in Powell?!?! Yup! We got to meet them :)

The other day I got on facebook and seen that two of my friends from different states than mine, and different states than each other, with little in common were friends...its like 'Wow, I didn't know they knew each other!'

Or when working at Dairy Queen a couple times in the past people that I've met on our tours will happen to come in!

Walmart is our biggest meeting place! I can't tell you how many times we've met, re-met, or seen people that we knew in the past, or that somehow knows our relatives or something! Its really neat! Part of its because we live in a big tourist town, but really...how often would they stop in at walmart the EXACT time we do the same day? I wonder how many people we actually miss!! (Maybe I should start working there :-D)

March Challenge

March Meditation

This year at my ladies Bible study we've been studying how is Israel in Isaiah's time professed faith, but they did not possess faith. I think in this day and age its so easy to say we are going to obey/trust in the the Lord, but then we tend to do our own thing.

So, a great way to posses more faith, is to realize that we have to trust in Him. In Israels day many of them were turning to false gods/idols. Many of them believing that there were more than just the one and only God, the alpha and omega.

We as Christians tend to do the same thing. We might not worship some handmade idol made of gold, but we put other things in place above God. For example, trusting in the fact that if we make enough money for the future that maybe we can have ourselves a nice house, maybe debt-free, so we never have to worry about the bank taking over. And guess what...before we know it we have put our trust in MONEY, thinking that our future will then be 'safe'. Spending more time at work trying to get money than time with God, trying to get to know Him better. OK I know, when you have to work you have to work, and there is nothing wrong with it...as long as you don't place it above God!

It is easy though, to let things or thoughts get their little foot in the door, which is why I'm going to post this challenge for this month. Any meditation on scripture is good, but for this month I'm going to specifically try to remind myself to stay away from and 'idols' that may be trying to wiggle their way into my life.

This Months Challenge

Find out what your potential 'idol' might me. Remember, and idol is ANYTHING that is put higher than God, it may be something good--like family--but if its put higher than God its an idol. Find at least two verses to back you up on why, how, or what you might do to place God first in your life, or how this might be an idol in your life. Basically on how you can be reminded to place God first in your life.

Write these verses down on post-it notes and place them in different places that you would be able to see through-out the day (Sock drawer, fridge, steering wheel of your car, etc.) As you read them this month memorize them, and determine in your heart you are going to put God first in your life <3