Scriptures for 2011

#1 January 1, 2011 (1/1/11)

# 2 February 2, 2011

# 3 February 22, 2011

Merry Christmas 2010...

Merry Christmas to you all!

For the first time since 2006... Everyone is here. No one is a war this year. No one is away in another state. Nope, this year we are all together.

I want to savor it all. I AM taking lots of pictures. I don't care if they get tired of it... It is a need!

I have several Nativity Scenes... and this year, Aubrey helped me place them. And she has had a good time playing with them. I only have one that is "untouchable" -and I chose to leave it put away this Christmas.

I want little hands to touch. To move. To play. To know the story of Jesus. To place baby Jesus in the Manger. To talk about the Shepherds and the sheep and the star. To march the Wisemen to the scene. And I want to watch. (on a side note, she has also decided to hide some of them around the house - I keep finding baby Jesus in lots of places) Sweet memories in the making!

Yes, Jesus is the reason for this wonderful season!

and this year... we are ALL home! Oh yes, I am smiling! Oh yes, I am!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Jesus is the Reason...

As we start the Christmas season...

I pray that you will join me in taking time in all of the hustle and bustle and ponder the BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR! Seriously ponder.

Listen to this and enjoy!

Do You Set Goals for Yourself?

This summer I set two. A physical challenge and a spiritual challenge.

Both required discipline.

I decided to challenge myself to read the New Testament in 90 days. I had heard of a program called "B90X". Extreme Bible reading. There are some who have taken that challenge and actually read the entire Bible in 90 days. I decided to start with the New Testament. Hal and I have read the entire Bible each year for several years now. But this would be a new challenge. I printed my plan to keep in my Bible and began August 1st.

The second challenge for me was a physical challenge. For some crazy reason, I decided to train to run with the goal being a 5k run in our city on Oct 30. I used the "Couch-to-5K" program. This too began on August 1st.

Since I have read my Bible consistently for years, the challenge was just to read MORE each day. And to be consistent.

But the running was a different story. This was new. I mean VERY new. As in, I have NEVER run. I had thought about it some. And this past year, when some friends at church began running, I thought about it some more. But I had been able to talk myself out of the idea. I had convinced myself that since I was 52 years old, that I did not even need to start. But while reading a blog one day, the writer was talking about the benefits of running- and that he had started running at the age of 52. hummmmm.

Maybe I could.

I heard a speaker recently call that a God parade. When He starts moving in our lives - and we have that parade of things that lead us in the direction that He wants us to go. My last excuse was my age... until I read the blog of someone who began running at my age.

The first week was "do-able". The second week was ok - but the first time that I had to run 3 minutes, I thought I would die. But I kept training. At least 3 times a week, I ran. Doing exactly what the program told me to do.

I iced my 52 year old knees when I would get home. I bought some better shoes. I did exercises to strengthen the knees and to stretch the legs. I read articles about how to run.

And on October 30th, I ran the 5k. I am slow, but my goal was to run the entire race. And I did.
And the crazy thing is, I even won in my age division.

Sometimes it pays to be old.

It always pays to train for the race set before us.

This week, I had someone ask me which goal was harder. I had to think. The run was a real challenge. But the warfare that happens to keep us out of the Word was extreme. Regardless, I finished BOTH.

Today, I am thinking about what new goals I need/want to set. For I know this... if I had not set the goals, I would not have accomplished either.

Do you set goals for your life?
Would you share?

Quote from Susanna Wesley...

Back in Feburary of this year I posted a blog about all of my books and being a book-a-holic. In the course of the year and all that life brings, I have not completed any of them yet. I have however, started many. That is just how it happens some times.

I am back reading "The Grand Weaver" by Ravi Zacharias again. And have put all others down until I finish this one. My goal is to have it read completely by the time I go back home to Alabama. (In my free time while here in VA visiting with my Julia, Ronnie and baby Josiah!)

I have a quote that I want to share...
John Wesley had asked his mother, Susanna Wesley, to define sin. Here is her answer:

"Son, whatever weakens your reasoning,

impairs the tenderness of your conscience,

obscures your sense of God,

or takes away your relish for spiritual things;

in short, if anything increases the authority and

power of the flesh over the Spirit,

then that to you becomes sin,

however good it is in itself,"

I agree with Ravi Zacharias- I doubt any theologians could have done better than she did!

Certainly we all would do well to use this as a guide to search our lives and our decisions and our choices.

The World of "Mother"

As a mom, it is hard to explain the emotion of knowing that YOUR baby girl is in labor and about to give birth. You want to do something... and there is absolutely nothing you can do. Nope, she has to walk this road... on her own.

When we arrived in VA - we were able to go back to the room and visit for just a minute. Our first born baby girl was in labor. Her hands were shaking from the meds - and I could hardly contain the emotion. But I did. As I said, I just wanted to do SOMETHING. So, I prayed. And went back to the waiting room. And continued to pray. And went to sleep curled up on a small chair. And prayed. And waited.

She did so well - of course! You can read her story here.

It is the beginning of motherhood. The beginning of being able and willing to give your life for your child. The beginning of sacrifice. The beginning of a love that is incomprehensible and unexplainable and unending.

And for the Mom of the new Mom - it is certainly another "No Greater Joy" moment..

Welcome, my Julia, to the world of "Mother".








(P.S. - there will be pics of our Baby Josiah coming soon!)

The Other Team's Fight Song...

Do you ever find yourself singing the other team's fight song?

I grew up in a city where there were two High Schools - one was a city school and one was a county school. They were actually close in location. There were only a couple of city blocks and a set of train tracks that separated them. As rivals - they were definitely on different sides of the track.

Then in my home state - there are two big College Football rivals. And the lines are clearly drawn. You are for one team or the other. The colors are defined. Crimson and White are completely different from Orange and Blue. I know this is true in other states as well. The point is that in the game of football - we clearly choose our sides. (well, those of us who like football do).

For those reading who are not sports fans of any type - work with me here - I am trying to make a point! I am sure you understand what I am saying.

So, I return to my post title... and ask this question: "Do you ever sing the other team's fight song?" Do you ever cheer for the other side? Do you ever wear their colors?

For those avid fans - I know the answer. It is a resounding NO! NEVER!

Yet, as Christians, we often do.

Light is totally different from darkness.

But it is so easy to say that our particular issue (sin - hobby - lust , etc. ) is ok. It is so easy to compromise and straddle the fence when my own pleasure is involved.

Now, I could make a list of compromises. But the truth is I don't have to. Because as Christians, the Holy Spirit of our Living God indwells us and He will convict of sin. He will fill in my blank________ . He will fill in your blank________.

Let me share a few scriptures for us to meditate on:

I Peter 1: 14-15
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you
lived in ignorance, but just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you
do; for it is written: "Be holy because I am holy."

Ephesian 5:8-13
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live
as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and truth) and find our what pleases the Lord. Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in
secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is
light that makes everything visible..."

Luke 11:23
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me
scatters."

and look at this same passage from the Message Version:

Luke 11:23
"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side,
you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse. "

"nuff said. That last passage says it pretty strong.... "there is NO neutral ground"

So, the question remains... Do we ever sing the other team's fight song? What is our life humming?

Any thoughts?

Coming Soon...

In the next few days or maybe a week or so...

... I should be getting a call from my Julia that grandbaby #3 is on the way. We will jump in the car and hurry to VA to greet our little Josiah Daniel Mayhew. I have already resolved myself to the probability that I will not be there when he arrives in this world. But I will be there soon. And I will be staying for a while.

What I have not settled in this heart of mine is how in this world I will be able to leave after a couple of weeks. I keep trying to prepare myself... but I don't think it is working.

I have been so spoiled by the first two grandbabies. They only live across town. And it takes me about 5 minutes to get to them. Or to their mom. When she calls, whether it is day or middle of the night - I can go. And I do.

Regardless, I am so excited. For Ronnie and Julia - as their world is about to be "rocked" by the arrival of their precious baby boy. I am excited for Ronnie's parents (Roger and Connie) - as this is their first grandbaby. They will join those of us who have already found out that grandbabies are as grand as we have always been told. I am excited for me and Hal - again! And then there is the excitement for the rest of the famly... we are a close knit bunch!

Life has been so busy - that the blog posts have been few lately. And I really keep thinking that I will soon be back on track - But you can know for certain that you will hear from this MommaDee when the little one joins our world!

The miracle of birth...
Coming again soon...

Not as I Planned...

A beach get-away...

It is a little bit of heaven to this gal.

Well, usually.

However, this year, my trip made a WRONG turn.

I thought I would not bore you all with all the details. But I do not know any other way to tell this story.


Day One:
Wonderful trip down to Destin. Laughter does good like medicine.

Lunch before we unload and go to the beach. - We think this was where the food poison decided to vacation with me.... and my overall excitement began it's journey down...

Supper - to be honest I do not even remember where we went or what I ordered. I was just ready to get back to the room and go to bed. This is when the AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL headache decided to join me. I thought I was having an aneurysm. Seriously. Not.Much.Sleep.



Day Two:
Started the day by going to get some supplements to help with my YUK. Surely this would help. Spent a little time with my toes in the sand - and decided to go to the room to get a nap / and I just knew I would feel better when I woke up. WRONG. I spent most of the afternoon in the bed. For those of you who know me - that tells you how sick I was. DeeDee is at the beach and I am in the room in the bed and not on the beach. I still can not believe it.



Regardless, I got dressed to go to supper. And then I FELL in the kitchen. One minute I am on my way to the refridgerator to get some more tea. The next minute I am on the floor. I have slipped and fallen on my knee. I was able to get up ... I was ok. I was ok. I could walk. I could.



I still felt YUK. But it had to get better soon.

Have I mentioned yet how much I also LOVE seafood?

So, as I sat at the table and ordered my food, I began to wonder where I would run if I did not think I could make it to the restroom. After about two bites of my SHRIMP, I excused myself. QUICKLY. Very Quickly. I did make it to the bathroom. There were three stalls. THANKFULLY. But it is hard to hide the reality that you are throwing-up everything that you have eaten for two days.



As soon as I could... I washed my hands, I splashed my face, I wet some paper towels to hold on my head and I HURRIED to the car. I did get some funny looks as I passed by. Oh well....



Back at the room, I went to bed. Not to the balcony to listen to the waves roll in. Not on the couch with a throw covering me as we watched a "chick-flick". NOPE, DeeDee went to bed.



Now, the knee starts hurting. BAD. I got up to go to the bathroom. I dug through my clothes and found some soft cotton pajama pants that I could roll up and wrap around my knee and give it some support. I was being quiet so I would not interupt the girls watching a movie. Then I realized that I was about to pass out. I broke out in a sweat...and the eyes were losing sight.



Think quick.



What do you do?



If I lay down and pass out - they will not know. That would not be good.



If I go to the door and tell them that I am not feeling so well.... I will certainly pass out and fall. That would not be good.



So.... I took a couple of quick steps and BANGED on the door - and dove for the bed.



Of course they came running. I scared them to death. Whatever - I scared me to death.



"Get me something to drink. Quick!" Orange juice. Something to get my sugar levels up. NOW.

I think I was dehydrated. Does it sound like I am having a vacation yet?



They offered to take me home. I WANTED TO BE AT HOME. But seriously, I do not think I could have made the ride. And I really kept thinking that I just had to feel better for the last day. I had to...



Day three:

I think I am going to live. I do feel some better. I ate some almond butter on a cracker. YUM. That stayed down. Then they asked what I thought I could eat. An egg/cheese omelet and a Starbucks Vanilla Latte. Yep, that was it. And finally something tasted good. But the knee was still not co-operating.



So, my girls went downstairs and got a wheel-chair for this crippled momma. Wheeled me to the beach. Helped me walk to the beach chair. And catered to my every whim. Yep. Vacation had arrived. I was finally soaking up some SunShine. And my toes were in the sand.



I did get some good seafood. I did get to go to the outlet mall. But I will never again say that I think it would be fun to be pushed around in a wheel-chair. Nope. It is only fun when you don't need it.

So, I come away with a few thoughts.
(1) Friends are a treasure.
(2) Laughter really does good like medicine.
(3) When the body functions as it was designed, it will not receive food poison and keep it. (whether you like it or not)
(4) Our physical bodies are subject to change in a moment. (the time it takes to go from standing in an upright position to the floor!)
(5) Having a Dr. J who lets me call her on her cell phone is a blessing.
(6) Sitting on the beach is still therapy for what ever ails you. (if you can get to get to the beach)
(7) Riding in a wheel chair is not as much fun as it looks like.
(8) There is no place like home.

I am thankful for the opportunity to go to the beach - but this year it was not as I had planned.

The Written Word is truly the LIVING Word of God...

We have just received word from our Soldier Son that he will soon be boarding his plane for the first leg of his journey home. This is the end of his second deployment.

In 2007, the day that he was actually leaving the USA to begin his first deployment, I posted a blog about my personal devotion. We had open house in our new church and my emotions were fragile to say the least. During my time in the Word that morning before I began my day, God so clearly spoke to my heart, and I scribbled my promise on a piece of paper. I literally held on to it all day. You can read the entire post here.

As I sat today, opened my Bible and my "read-through" plan for this year, I was taken to Psalms 73. It is a different Bible than I was reading in 2007 and an entirely different reading plan. But the passage once again JUMPED off the page - straight to my heart. Verse 26: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"

I just stared for a few minutes. How amazing - the very verse given to me for strength and encouragement as he began his first deployment - was the exact same verse given once again today - as He is at the END of his second deployment. I did not orchestrate this. I did not go to this passage just to read it again. Like I said, it was a different Bible AND a different reading plan. To be perfectly honest, I did not even remember that this was where my original promise was found.

It was if God was so clearly speaking to me and reminding me that He is true to His Word. He gave me a promise to hold on to and the promise is still true.

The Living Word...

Given so freely - to speak so clearly - when we simply take the time to hear.

He IS the strength of my heart. He IS my portion forever. I choose to HOLD ON...even when my flesh and my heart may fail.

My heart is full. My emotions are once again fragile.

But today it is from an entirely different perspective.

Cousins...

I saw many cousins today.

First cousins - with whom I have a storehouse of precious memories.

Second cousins - who really are more like nieces and nephews to me.

Third cousins - who I really do not know - but see such resemblence to the first or second cousins - that I feel like I know them.

Regardless, I think we need to take the time to get together more often. Certainly for better circumstances.

Even though it was a sad day... the service for our little Abigail was sweet. From the songs on the piano at the beginning - to the song picked out and sung - to the beautiful message of hope - and finally the song, "Jesus Loves Me" at the end (all from cousins I might add) , it was a beautiful service - celebrating the little life!

Please continue to pray for the family. We are holding on to the truth that God's Grace is truly sufficient!

In His Arms...

From today's reading in the Word - a very familiar passage - and yet with a vivid picture to me today for Brandy and Micheal... and for sweet little Abigail.

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them for to such

belongs the kingdom of God."

Luke 18:16

The picture that first comes to mind is when our Savior was walking on this earth - and on this particular day - He stops and takes time to let the little children crawl into his lap. He RECEIVES them. He loves them. He has time for them.

But then I had the picture of my Savior receiving this precious 2-year-old into His arms. Literally.

While the hosts cry Hosanna,

from heaven descending,

With glorifed saints and the angels attending,

With Grace on His brow,

like a halo of Glory,

Will Jesus receive His own.

(Horatius Bonar)

When Life is Hard...

It certainly would be an understatement to say that the last few months have been hard. Mostly for our precious church family. Who, by the way, ARE family to us. We have been at CBC for 15 years. Yes, they are truly family. And when they hurt - we hurt.

That is what families do...

We are there to share in the joy and it is certainly DOUBLED. Then we are there in the sorrow. To help share in the heavy load.

Burden bearers...

But this week... it is LITERALLY my family. Extended family - yet family. Lives get busy and sometimes distant in daily relationship. Oh but the bonds of love are strong.

Like we have told SO MANY lately as we have stood with them at their time of loss - we do not grieve for the one who has gone on to be with our LORD. No, they are in the arms of our Savior. Oh, but the grief of the ones left here. Life on this earth will never be the same.

My heart aches. for the precious mom and dad... for the 4 siblings...
for the grandparents...
and then for all of the others... close and extended.

Praying for comfort - comfort that ONLY our Savior can give.

I say again... my heart aches. For and with them...

2010 Blog Party

*** Please NOTE**** My party time has been interrupted by a death in our family. I have not had time to visit with you in your blogs... I will be back to visit with you all next week. Thank you for your prayers for my cousin's family and the death of their 2 year old daughter...

I participated in the blog party last year and had a wonderful time! I have not had the time to prepare as well as I would like to - but decided to go ahead and join in on the fun anyway.

So, to introduce myself... and the different aspects of my blogging.

I am a wife (of 33 years), a mother (of 3), a mother-in-law (of 3), a grandmother (0f 2 and one on the way). I am also an ex-homeschool teacher. I had the privilege to teach them for 12 years. You will find that I value this role (wife/mother/grand) as a high calling... and will share about the dailyness of our home life.

I am a pastor's wife and also the Women's Minstry Director at our church. I have a passion to support/lead/teach women and to encourage them in their various roles. I am a Bible study teacher, and have had the opportunity to speak in some Women's Conferences. My husband and I have also lead in several Marriage Retreats. I view my primary role in our church as my husband's prayer warrior. But my ministry will be to our women. I really desire to be a Titus 2 woman - and to teach/lead other women to do likewise.

Our son is a soldier - and we have weathered the challenges of two deployments. You will see that this is on my heart and will spill over into my blog. Thankfully, this second deployment is almost complete. We are all so proud of him but from this mother's perspective - I pray that he does not have to go to war again. Regardless, you can visit with me in that part of our lives with the link on the navigation bar. I have had the opportunity to minister to others who are walking this road also. Please let me know if you are facing this - I would love to add you and your soldier to my prayer list.

During this past year - my blogging has been lacking. I think Facebook is part of the problem. LOL. My plan is to use my twitter to update my facebook. And to let my facebook lead to my blog. I can add so much more information here and have more of the ministry to others through my writing here. So, I plan to detox from my addiction to facebook. Anyone else had that problem lately? You can find me here: www.facebook.com/dbwarren And if you have a twitter account you can follow me here: www.twitter.com/ddwarren

I am offering two give-aways. I did not get them sent in to have it posted on the gift page... so I offer them here.

The first gift is a STARBUCKS CARD. ($10.00). Leave a comment and let me know if you are currently a follower of my blog - or if you have added yourself to my list of followers. I will enter you twice if you will also join my list of networked blogs (see the sidebar) for FB. How I would love to meet you at Starbucks to visit in person - but since that is not possible - I will send you for a latte with a friend.

Second gift: Go to our Family Blog.... Hal and DeeDee (Ministering Together to Families). We (my husband and I) have such a heart to help families not only SURVIVE but also to THRIVE together to the Glory of God. This blog also has been lacking for the past year.... but we are ready to get it moving again. I will be giving a book: LOVE and RESPECT. You can enter two times here also: (1) follow that blog and leave me a comment to let me know that you have done so. (2) Let me know some topics that you would like to see us cover on this blog for the home and family.

Now, to let the party begin - I look forward to meeting you and visiting with you on your blog!

Daily Quiet Time

This morning, while reading Secrets of the Vine (by Bruce Wilkinson), I came upon this:

"Some Christians I know try to have their meaningful personal times with God just before bed, but I have yet to find a respected spiritual leader throughout history who had devotions at night. Unless you get up early, you're unlikely to break through to a deeper relationship with God."
(p. 107-- italics mine)

Personally, I know that I do better in my day, in my attitude, in my work, and in my relationships when I meet with my Savior first. However, I have said many times to many people - whether in face to converstation, or in class discussions, or even in teaching a seminar-- that it does not matter when you have your devotion/quiet time. The key is just that you DO IT.

But, I am challenged by this. I am going to be looking up - yet again - the "rising while it is yet night" and the "early in the morning" passages from scripture. Also, I want to do some research of men and women of the faith who have faithfully walked with God and thus made an impact on this world. (in THEIR world)

Not that I am trying to disprove the statement made by Wilkinson, I am just quite intrigued and challenged by it. Perhaps, it is the gentle hand of my Savior to once again bid me to get up and meet with Him early EVERY DAY on a consistent basis. A time set aside that is not determined by the night before, or the weekend, or the busy lifestyle that I mentioned in my last post, or the..... whatever.

I am sure that I will be back with you on this one...
But in the mean time, I would love to hear your thought and your devotion times...

Life is Busy

It is an EXTREME understatement to say that life is busy. And has been for quite some time...

I knew that January would be eaten alive. There is always time needed for recovery from the Christmas/New Year’s Holidays. Then this year we had two weeks with my Jon home. We took him back to the airport and then had the final preparations for the Couple’s retreat which was held in Gatlinburg the last weekend of the month. And *poof* January was GONE.

What I did not realize is what would happen to February. For some reason, I did not anticipate the counseling that would be needed after we got home. I should have – because it always happens after/during a Bible Study - and with Satan’s attack on the Home as it is – I should have expected the needed times for talking after a retreat on the Home. So I ask you to be praying for several who are working through some hard stuff – and for us as we try to minister to them.

ALSO in the month of Feb – Our church family had two deaths. One with cancer and then one in a tragic automobile accident. We are honored to be able to be with these families during these hard times – but we also covet your prayers for us too. It is our desire to be there for them and to help bear their burden.

Now, it is middle of March – and yet another death. Another battle lost to cancer. Another family grieving. This makes six funerals in the past 5 months for our church family.

I said life has been busy. But in reality, I think it is more applicable to say it has been draining. Physically draining. Spiritually draining. Emotionally draining. Some very high - Highs. And then some very low - Lows. Does that make sense?

Now, I have not even mentioned Hal's trip to Haiti in the midst of all of this. I hope to get him to blog about that soon.

Also, I have several other blog posts just holding on and waiting for me to have the time to put them here. Hopefully, it will not be too long.

But for now... I think I shall go to bed.

Rest.
Sweet Rest for my body... for my soul.

A Book-A-Holic...

I mentioned a few weeks ago - the need to clean/organize/declutter my study. And even though I have had short moments to begin the work, it is has been very minimal - until yesterday.

But as you know, it is tax season. The necessity to get all of the stuff together to take to our wonderful accountant is what MADE me get in that room and really do some work.

And the first need was accomplished. The tax folder is loaded and ready to go.

Much of the clutter is filed away. Lots of it went straight to the trash. But the needed filing is certainly better - and what is left is in a tray "to be filed".

But the real meat of this post is to confess that I am a book-a-holic. And that was also the cause of much of the disaster of that room. So, as I worked, I began to stack the books that I have purchased in the past year - that have yet to be read. All the while I was wondering where in the world I would put them. I did not want to just put them on one of my bookshelves (AS IF there is any room on the shelves).

Maybe I need to mention here that another bookshelf is on the purchase list...
And maybe there will be enough of a tax return to purchase it... just maybe.

However, I decided to take the books that were in stacks and bags in my room, and put them on the top shelf of the computer desk. This would be my "to read" section. There are 28. That should keep me busy for a while huh? My goal is to read them ALL this year. 2010.

How - I ask myself? Our lives ARE busy... but there IS time. I just need to manage it better. I keep thinking about the quote that I read once that said, "A person who CAN read and does not...is no better off than a person who CAN'T read at all." So, that shelf full of books is of no benefit to me - if they just sit on the shelf.

The first on my list is "Grand Weaver" by Ravi Zacharias. I had to make myself put it down to write this blogpost. I am sure that there will be quotes and thoughts about it that I will want to share with you along the way. It has already pricked at my heart...

So tell me...What are you reading? I would love to know...

Updates and Prayer Request

Just a short blog to let you have a few quick updates and also to request prayer.

1. We had a wonderful two weeks with our Warrior for his R & R from Afghanistan. We were able to celebrate Christmas with him. And then last weekend - we had a birthday party for Hal, Jonathan and Ronnie with the entire family together. (All three birthdays are within approx. 3 weeks of each other.) Such fun days together. And one desire that I had for those days is that God would multiply our minutes together - and He really did. It seemed like much more than just two weeks.

2. We have our Church Couples' Retreat coming this weekend. We love it and are so excited about the opportunity - but because of the past two weeks - we are SO behind in getting the final touches together.

So, there are two requests in here - prayer for our son and his precious wife as he serves the final months of this deployment. And then prayer for us as we lead in this conference/retreat.

Thanks so much! I so appreciate all of you. It is my desire to be more consistent with my blogging and visiting your blogs next week.

Tuesdays Together (in the Word) for 2010...

I have not completely dropped the idea for our Tuesdays Together. It was a source of accountability and encouragement for me and I believe for the others who participated with me for 2009. But it is time for a change.

So, let's try this for 2010:

I have posted a reading plan on the side bar under the Tuesday's Together Button. However, instead of limiting us to only posting from this reading, let's just share from any passage that has spoken to you during that week. It could come from this reading, a sermon, a book that you are reading, or from your personal devotion.

The goal remains the same: to encourage each other in the Word and in our relationship with our Lord.

You can link your blog if you would like. You can just leave a comment and share your thoughts even if you do not have a blog.

I look forward to sharing Tuesdays with you again in 2010.

Remember to visit the others who link with us. We all need the encouragement. What you have to say and share may be just what someone else needs to hear...

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas AGAIN!

The tree is still up and decorated. The other decorations are in place. Nothing has been put away yet.



I will have Christmas music playing all day... and I have a Christmas Movie ready to put in the DVD player. We are celebrating again with our Warrior!



The family is coming and the ham is ready to be put in the oven. The presents are wrapped and the stocking is stuffed!



I can hardly wait. (Pictures will be posted later...)



We just get to double dip this year :)

New Beginnings...

Here I am again sitting at my desk... and it really needs much attention.

Somehow, when I decided to have my house painted and new flooring BETWEEN Thanksgiving and Christmas, this study of mine is what has suffered the most.

I won't bore you with the details. Because I have covered it before. But I will say that I desire for my study to be just that. A study. A place of quiet rest. A place of solitude. A place of reflection. A place to work. And most of all, a place to sit at His feet.

With that freshly in my mind and my heart, I will not call it a resolution, I think I will call it my first goal for 2010.

Do I dare take pictures so that I can give you an update and show you the before and after? I will think about that .

But I will let you know this. It will not be fast. My calendar is FULL to the rim for January. The plan is to whittle away as much as I can for now. Little bit size pieces. But by the end of Februray... I hope to have a "goal accomplished" post to share.

So, the new year has begun...

I have recently read - and posted on my fb page - that the difference in goals and accomplishing them is DISCIPLINE.

Are you working on something? Just one thing? Let's do it!

Applauding our Soldiers...

It goes without saying, that we would applaud our soldier when he arrived home. But I must say that I was not prepared for the waiting.

We arrived at the airport early. I was somewhat surprised to see so many soldiers there. It must be one of the "hubs" for their arriving and departing. That was the first thing to prick this mom's heart. But it was easy for me to refrain from finding one to hug. My soldier would arrive soon.

Time for his plane to arrive and we moved from the food-court area to the corridor where the escalators brought the passengers up. All passengers from all flights come this way and then go to get their luggage.

We had to get behind a "barrier" to wait. The USO volunteers had a booth and were ready to make sure that all arriving Soldiers were properly greeted. We met several other families who were also waiting on their soldier. Some had made signs. All were so excited we could hardly contain ourselves.

We found out that once the plane landed, it would be nearly an hour before he actually made it up to this point because of customs. It was wonderful to get the call that he had landed. Sheer relief. Back on US soil. SAFE.

But as we waited, and as passengers came up the escalators, the moment that a soldier was spotted... Everyone immediately began to applaud! The USO ladies would greet them, and they were given a phone if needed to make a call - and then once again applauded. I have always wanted the opportunity to be part of such a group. One by one, many of our honorable men and women arrived... and we were able for a short minute to let them know that they are loved and appreciated for their service to us and to our country. For just a short moment, we could say "Thank You."

Needless to say, my eyes filled with tears, and often overflowed.

We had Brantley at the front, ready to scoot under the barrier and get to her husband as soon as we spotted him. Our first warning was just, "do not cross that red line" where the security guards were posted. But when one wife who was standing nearby, saw her soldier - she took off like a flash - and the red line meant nothing. Tunnel Vision. One thing in sight. Her Soldier. So, we told Brantley, "never-mind" the red line means nothing when you are going to greet your man.

For a solid hour, we waited and we applauded. We watched and I cried. We applauded and we waited. Soldier after soldier.

Then Hal said, "There he is!" Our boy was rising up on that escalator. Brantley did not have to cross the red line, Jonathan rushed/ran/hurried to wrap her in his arms. What a wonderful sight!

I do not have the words to express the emotion. Maybe this will capture some of it for you to see.


But I must say, you really have to be there. Seriously.

So, if you are ever at the airport as our Men and Women of our Military are arriving or departing and if you have just a few minutes to stop and stand and greet and applaud, I highly recommend it. They deserve it and you will be blessed by the opportunity.

I promise.

Hurry Up and WAIT...

We are awaiting the arrival of our soldier for his 2 week break. And we are waiting and we are waiting and we are waiting.

He left his base on Monday and we were SO excited because it seemed as if he were going to get here sooner than we had been told. What we did not know is that he was just moving to the next base to WAIT for a briefing.

So, the briefing was held and we were given a date of departure from the country. And he has safely arrived in a SAFE ZONE.

We thought we were going to the airport tomorrow morning to pick him up - and we were ready to leave BEFORE the crack of dawn to make sure that we were sitting in the terminal when he arrived. I had held off the extreme excitement - until we knew an arrival date. So I must say that last night my heart was fluttering with happiness - knowing that tomorrow morning he would be home. (even though we know that it is just for two weeks).

How disappointing to get the phone call that his flight arrangements have been cancelled. We are in WAIT mode again. Hopefully it is just a short delay. Hopefully he will be in route later tonight.

He will get 14 days at home beginning WHEN HE GETS HOME. And for that we are sooooooooo thankful. But we are ready. I will try to give an update... but for now, thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Waiting....