Me

BEING IN THE VALLEYS!

The  toughest journey of my Christian walk began at the end of 2009 and continues today through October 2010. My oldest sister Sherry was diagnosed with colon cancer and went home to be with the Lord in December 2009. It seemed like only a blink of an eye from when she was first diagnosed to when she drew her last breath. Somehow it didn’t seem fair as her life had always been a hard life and now she is at the age of retiring only to find out it will be a very short retirement at that. My brothers,  sister, dad, and I all made the trip to Orlando to say our goodbyes and made sure we said everything we needed to say. I wasn’t with her when her time came but somehow I knew it was time and called just as she was drawing her last breath. Tears fell and I knew I loved my sister as much as a sister could love a sister. I knew too that she was in His presence and my hope lies in that.

Coming into the spring my husband has several bouts with kidney stones only to have so many attacks that he goes again and again to the doctor for relief. In August he tells the doctor enough and wants them all removed so a CT scan was ordered. The doctor was 97% sure it was just the kidney stones. Well the CT scan showed there was a tumor in the bladder which was removed immediately. We thanked God that we caught it early and treatment begins in 10 days. He’s been healing from the surgery since August.

 Tuesday, September 29th a phone call I knew was coming at some point but never fully ready to accept happened. My brother called to say dad was in the hospital and that he said it was time to go home. So we all made arrangements to get to Largo, Florida. For six days by his bedside we laughed, cried, remembered events, loved, held each other, and knew this man had taught us so much about family and  love that that is why we could so easily fall in love with our heavenly Father. As the time drew near I asked dad if could see Jesus and he nodded. I told him that it was time then to release my hand and grab hold of Jesus’ hand to which  he did. The fond memories still swell up inside me as I think of the security, love, happiness, joy, satisfaction, challenges, and discipline he gave me.There is also the thought that now I get to pass this on to my children and grandchildren. As hard as this past year has been I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve seen Jesus every step of the way. He’s who He says He is…I know.

Road of Life

Simply put…because I love my Lord and Saviour. What an honor it is to be chosen by the creator of this world to be one of His children, especially at a young age. Not having all the understanding of what it meant to be ”SAVED” my friends from all different religious backgrounds would have me get “RE-SAVE”  because what I did with my other friends didn’t count according to their church teachings. Never-the-less I knew I was a sinner. I know I asked Jesus into my heart. I believed He died on the cross for me, and that only He could keep me from eternal damnation. The one part that I did not follow through with was the baptism…and I knew that meant walking up at the end of service where there was an invitation to let people know I had asked Jesus into my heart. But I WAS PAINFULLY SHY and it just killed me to think about walking up in front of all those people sitting in church. I couldn’t stand the thought of them wondering about me. Fast forward 12 years and many uncomfortable years of sitting in church wishing the church service was over and mostly the invitation was over.

Then as a young bride and a young mom at 20 years of age and I wanted to have our baby dedicated to the Lord…but my wise pastor at that time said he had looked over my church records and that they showed no baptism. His next question I believe was a huge turning point and revelation in my life. He asked me if I didn’t want to put things in order. I had accepted Jesus into my heart, the next step should be my baptism (public profession of faith), and then the next step should be the baby dedication for Nikki my daughter. I still remember today 29 years later those feelings I had. I was trembling by the end of the service, terrified, yet knew that my years of pew clenching every time an invitation came would soon be over. I stepped out of the pew, walked the aisle an emotional mess and made it to the front. Then I made it to the baptismal pool, and then the welcoming of a new believer in front of the church.

What I learned is that God is a God of order and that He doesn’t ask anything of us that isn’t for our own good. And in His asking it is our test of obedience in order for Him to use us for His glory. What an incredible ride my life has been. Ups and downs and twists…and through it all I can not imagine going through this life without my Heavenly Father. He is my Heavenly Father, Comforter, Peace, Provider, Counselor, Savior, and Lord of All.

FAITHFULNESS

May My Faithfulness Be Found When I’m Not Around…

Meet My Grandsons, Brady (left) & Parker ( right)…

Our family is a melting pot of adoptions…beginning with myself being adopted as His through Jesus Christ, then adopted as a step-mom, then came the adoption of the grand boys. First came Parker. As our family prayed for a baby for my step-daughter Chastity and son-in-law Bo, God heard our prayers and answered them. It started for Chastity and Bo with all the in vitro fertilization and what science could do and that came up empty. Chastity and Bo then decided they were being lead to go through a local adoption. We settled in for a long haul of waiting, thinking that the word “adoption” was synonymous with the words “long wait”. But God had different plans and answered our prayers within 6 months as a young teenage girl had selected Chastity and Bo for her little baby. From the time Parker entered this world we knew he was meant to be with us. He looks like Bo, he acts like me at times, and he is love personified every time we look into his face or hear his sweet little voice on the phone.

To let you know how God does plan things long ago (Isaiah 25:1) Chastitsy works for the American Cancer Society here in Nashville and she was working on the “no smoking law” in Tennessee. She had written an article in the Knoxville newspaper trying to gain support and to get the word out about this upcoming law…(which by the way has been enacted), and remember this article in a Knoxville newspaper as it comes into play months later.  The news comes from Mercy Ministry that Chastity and Bo have been selected by a young teenage girl to be prospective parents of her baby.  So Chastity and Bo get to meet with the birth mother and they find that they absolutely love this adorable young girl. And it doesn’t take long before the three lives become entwined as the thread of Jesus Christ is the commonality. As soon as Chastity finds out that they are in deed the ones to be Parker’s parents Chastisty wanted to find out more about this young girl and she decides to google her name to see if there was any more information on her. Amazingly enough that Knoxville newspaper popped up and right beside Chastity’s article about the “no smoking law” was an article about a young teenage girl from Mercy’s Ministry looking for the right parents to give her child up for adoption. It was in fact the birth mother of Parker. How magnificent, wonderful, merciful, and loving our Lord is!

Within the year came the desire for another baby. Our prayer life continues in petitioning for another life to be brought into our family. The blessing of a special adoption came open and thus came our Brady. Again absolute proof how God just stepped out of the heavens to answer our prayers again.

Through all of this the journey has had many tears, fears, and anxieties but yet God’s faithfulness to us never was daunted by our lack of faith. He proved over and over He’s there for me, Chastisty, Bo, and our family and for anyone who calls upon His name and believes.

Brady’s first birthday was August 8th and trying to decide on what to get him, my husband Phil and I knew  we wanted to do something different. He had plenty of toys, plenty of clothes so again the Lord nudged us to seek more of Him in this.  I decided to cross stitch a pillow for him, something that would transcend from his first birthday…so it could grow up with him into his adult life. I ended up choosing an old fashion fire engine with a dalmation dog…as Brady loves dogs. As I started working on the pillow I found myself praying for Brady in all areas of his life, now and for the future. It was amazing how the hours went by so fast and they were filled with prayers for Brady. As I began adding the finishing touches I cross stitched these words, “PRAYERS FOR BRADY” on the pillow. To add the final touch, a pocket was made for the outside of the pillow at which Phil and I sat down and wrote out all the prayers that we lifted up for Brady. We folded the letter up and tucked it into the pillow so that as Brady gets older he’ll be able to see how God… “Before he was formed in the womb He knew Brady, before Brady was born He set him apart.”

So…part of my legacy is a Prayer Pillow for each family member to take with them through life as they grow up and older and to pass on so their children can see what a MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

 Psalm 89:1
 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations

Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Isaiah 25:1
 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.