Friday!!!!

I have never been so ready for a week to be over! We are heading out to Chattanooga today to visit my brother and my Dad - then taking the kids to my Dad's cabin tomorrow for all of us to work pulling weeds and clearing up some of the property. Coming back Saturday night, hopefully working around the house after church on Sunday and then I am working Monday morning. I am going to TRY and get some pictures this weekend if I can borrow a camera and hopefully post them on Monday.

If you get a chance, please vote your opinion on my poll (to the right). Let's see if we get it right! I bet we do.

If you think of us, please lift our family up in prayer regarding some important work decisions we are in the process of making and also for Chris' upcoming Walk to Emmaus next weekend.

God has been so gracious to us!

Melissa

Quotes for the Day

In matters of style, swim with the current; In matters or principle, stand like a rock

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.


Both quotes by Thomas Jefferson, (1743-1826).

Miss South Carolina Speaks Out

Okay, okay - I apologize. I just couldn't help it. And NO it is not the original video. It is a spoof. (You will not understand this unless you have seen the actual Ms. Teen South Carolina's goof-up on TV).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUE1Cu04Jzo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emefeedia%2Ecom%2Fentry%2F3382314%2F


Also if you vote in the poll over to the right I will NOT be able to see who you picked - only the percentage. It is completely anonymous. I am just curious to see who people within my sphere of contacts think will be nominated.

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.



If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.



If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.



The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.



Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.



The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.



People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.



What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.



People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.



Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.



© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

Our Utter Dependence on God

I was asking a dear friend to pray for me regarding a stronghold in my life. She quickly brought to my attention that sometimes strongholds are not removed in order to make us realize our utter dependence on God. Not what I wanted to hear - but true all the same!!

Question: "What was Paul's thorn in the flesh?"

Answer: So that Paul would not forget, God allowed him to be inflicted with a constant reminder of his weakness. Countless explanations concerning the nature of his thorn in the flesh have been offered. They range from incessant temptation, dogged opponents, chronic maladies (such as eye problems (Galatians 4:15), malaria, migraine headaches, and epilepsy), to a disability in speech. No one can say for sure what his was, but it probably was a physical affliction (for the work of Satan in this, cf. 1 Corinthians 5:5; 10:10).It is understandable that Paul would consider this thorn a hindrance to wider or more effective ministry (Galatians 5:14-16) and that he would repeatedly petition God for its removal (2 Corinthians 12:8). But he learned from this experience the lesson that dominates this letter: divine power is best displayed against the backdrop of human weakness (2 Corinthians 4:7) so that God alone is praised (2 Corinthians 10:17). Rather than removing the problem God gave him grace and strength in it and through it.

From: Gotquestions.com

Jeff

My brother has been moved to a step-down unit as of this evening. He is doing extraordinarily well! Once again, thanks for your prayers. Love,

Melissa

P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister Melanie who turned 29 today!

P.S.S. - If you click on Comments below each post you can let me know what you think or how you feel or just THAT SOMEONE IS READING MY BLOG! :) Please leave comments with your thoughts or ideas of something I can blog about the next day!

We Have Everything We Need

Some of you may get tired of me posting Scripture, but I just do what I feel the Lord is leading me to do.

As I have grown during the past few months in God's Word, I have noticed that Scripture really speaks to me in some ways now that it never has before. This passage of Scripture is one of those that really spoke to me this morning.

I know that I have spent a good deal of my life thinking that as soon as I get myself straightened out (emotionally, mentally, physically, you name it), then I can be like all those other women who are such good leaders or servants of Christ or seem to just "have it all together". Not so - the Bible tells me so! God has already given me (AND YOU) everything we need to for this life and for godliness. All we have to do is add to what He has given us by studying his Word. We also need to dump all the baggage, let go of the past, confess our sins and GET ON WITH IT. Let's get out of the pit and out of the mire and go be what God wants us to be. Who cares what we have done in the past (God doesn't if we have confessed it to him!) and who cares what other people think of us! Let's study God's Word, pray for direction and go out and serve others in the way we feel God leading us too. :) Love and blessings to all and have a wonderful week!

I Peter 2: 1-11

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Sunday Fun

The kids had so much fun today. They were singing "Our God is an Awesome God" when I took this picture. So sweet!

Hang in there

This is an audio clip from Beth Moore that I thought someone might find encoouraging today.

http://swn.edgeboss.net/download/swn/saved/oneplace/mp3/2411424/qwb20070823.mp3?siteid=register

TGIF!

Even though I have to work tomorrow, I am definitely glad it is FRIDAY! Quick update:

My brother is doing wonderful (saw him last night). I don't want to go into a huge amount of detail - but the Lord has answered your many prayers and the amount of recovery he has made in just one week is amazing. Thanks to everyone who has lifted him up in prayer.

I have a 7th grader in full blows of puberty - Pray for me and my household!!! :)

We are getting ready to crank up on all our Fall activities, i.e. soccer, basketball try-outs, full fledge homework and tests, youth group, teaching Sunday school, etc. and although I am excited, I am already tired just thinking about it!

Have a great weekend!

Love and Blessings,

P.S. This is a picture of Jacob at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona last Summer. I can't even begin to describe to you how beautiful this is in person. Absolutely will take your breath away. I wish I were there now.