FACES ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE

HERE'S MY TWO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS - ASHLEY AND BRITTANY AND MY PRECIOUS NIECE, ALEXA - STRIKE A POSE GIRLS AND SAY CHEESE!

When the Son of Man, Jesus, comes he will be seen by everyone, like lightening flashing from the east to the west. Soon after the trouble of those days, the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powers of the heavens will be shaken. At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the peoples of the world will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky with great power and glory! He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from every part of the world. Matthew 24:27,29-31

Miracles Still Occur Today

I am amazed at how the unexpected can happen when you are expecting a "quiet" week. Actually, is there such a thing as a "quiet" week? On Monday evening, I had to take my dad to the emergency room. We thought he was having a stroke. It seems now they are thinking it is a heart issue. We have more testing today and should know more after the test. Going through this "non-quiet" week has been challenging at times. But most of all, I am grateful to God for giving me peace and comfort. Thank you to so many of you who are praying! Bless all of you as I know our God answers our prayers in mighty and powerful ways!

I had a wonderful answer to prayer yesterday that thrilled my heart beyond belief and I consider it a miracle!!!! Some wonderful friends of mine needed their home to appraise for a certain amount in order to refinance their home before their other loan re-cast and caused a substantial monthly increase that would have put some major "hurt" in their monthly budget. They had talked with a few different appraisers and all of them were telling them what they felt the home would appraise around and gave them a ballpark figure. Definitely not enough to get a new loan to go through for them. Prayer, prayer, and more prayer! They finally were able to reach another appraiser and decided to dive in and pay for the appraisal upfront. Low and behold, miracles of miracles the appraisal came back yesterday well above the other's estimations and enough to get their loan to fly through! Praise you Lord!!! Miracles do happen even in this market:)

LUCKY DOG

Here's the cutest, sweetest, pomeranian - Lucky to be exact! He was looking so cute being patient with me as I was baking brownies for our Home Team tonight. Okay, he was begging! No chocolate allowed;). I have a wonderful Home Team from Palm Valley as you can tell from the picture! We have met for over four years now and have had the opportunity to share so much in each other's lives. Praying, caring, learning, and supporting each other has been such a privilege. I love seeing the growth in people's lives as they walk closer to getting to know Him. We have gone through a lot of "junk" throughout the years and yet the Home Team has always been there ready to cheer, cry, laugh, or just be a listening ear. If you aren't involved in a Home Team I highly recommend it. You can see a list of Home Teams at http://pvcroute66.com/ . Also, on that web page check out the blog section of our trip through scripture. It's amazing to see the different things that God is teaching each of us as we read his word.

Next women's bible study will be starting up February 18th going through the second week of May. We will be taking a break for the Spring break holiday. Breaking Free/Beth Moore is what the study will be focusing on. I know it will be challenging, stretching, and a growing study but with FREEDOM in CHRIST as the goal! Wow, it will be powerful!

For all those "Rockers' and Blues" people out there. My husband, Scott, and a few of his peeps aka - band will be playing at Pizza, Wings, N Things on February 2nd at 8:30 p.m. located on Van Buren in Goodyear. Come on down and have some fun! I'd love to see you!

That's my "rocker" in the green shirt and my beautiful daughter, Brittany singing! The other two "band members" are Greg and George! The 4-40Z are hot! If you look carefully in the mirror the guy wearing the red santa hat is Brittany's boyfriend, Brandon playing drums.

WE HAVE MANY PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES TELL US WHAT FAITH MEANS. SO, LET US RUN THE RACE THAT IS BEFORE US AND NEVER GIVE UP. WE SHOULD REMOVE FROM OUR LIVES ANYTHING THAT WOULD GET IN THE WAY AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY HOLDS US BACK. LET US LOOK ONLY TO JESUS, THE ONE WHO BEGAN OUR FAITH AND WHO MAKES IT PERFECT. HE SUFFERED DEATH ON THE CROSS. BUT, HE ACCEPTED THE SHAME AS IF IT WERE NOTHING BECAUSE OF THE JOY THAT GOD PUT BEFORE HIM. AND NOW HE IS SITTING AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF GOD'S THRONE.
HEBREWS 12:1-2

Paintball Warriors

We had a great weekend - we actually had all three of the kids together! Miracles do happen:)
We enjoyed going to the car show at the Cardinal Stadium (I have a hard time calling it the University of Phoenix Stadium) and seeing some awesome cars. I love the old muscle cars - Camaro's and Chevelle's - anything that looks like it can purrrr and go fast!!!! My rowdy side is showing! We also had a great time taking them and a couple of their friends to go play paintball. I love watching them on the field planning their strategy for attack. (I'm too chicken to play - I'm not into pain) . They did receive a few painful shots to the neck and arms but they survived. It was just great seeing them have a wonderful time and enjoying the sunshine. I loved it.

Route 66 - reading through the Bible in 2008 has been great. It's so encouraging seeing how the old testament characters didn't always have their "act" together - they were a pretty messed up bunch at times. But, I especially love seeing God's responses to them and how he showed them his love even when they didn't deserve it. Although at times it reminded me of God's holiness and setting standards that we need to live by because there are consequences to our actions.

I'm looking forward to starting our next women's Bible study. We are shooting for February 18th. We will be doing the Breaking Free/Beth Moore study. I can't wait! I have been reading the book - I'm almost done - and it has been challenging, refreshing, and soul-searching book to be sure. Beth herself has started this same study with a group of women in New Orleans this month. I'm excited we can get up under her "umbrella" of prayer! I can't wait to see how God works and reveals himself to us so that we can become more like him. It should be another great ride closer to glory!

He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall. But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again! They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired. Isaiah 40:29-31

Man, oh, Man

Wow, I tried to post my second blog yesterday and was interrupted at the very end of my posting. I was just about to save it and then "poof" it decided not to cooperate for me! The nerve!

I'm thrilled to have received my first 2 comments - I am an official blogger:) Watch out world - you don't know what you are in for I say in jest.

I am thrilled with the New Year - it's starting off great. I'm doing the Route 66 with my church, Palm Valley Church in Goodyear, AZ and we are reading through the Bible this year as a church family. I pray that God will just reveal himself in every way imaginable through his word so that I get to know him more deeply and intimately. Not only that I get to know him but also that it changes me to become more Christlike. I have a long time to make up for and I am thrilled at all the ways He has shown and revealed himself to me since I accepted Him as my Savior and Lord. He never stops to continue to shock and awe me! Praise you Lord!

I received an interesting e-mail this morning that started my day off with a slap to my face. My first reaction was a knee-jerk reaction and wanting to tell this person a thing or two. But, then God told me to stop - slow to anger - reflect on what this person must have gone through or was and is going through to be so full of anger and hate towards Christians. To give you background, I am on an e-mail mailing list and was forwarded an e-mail from that list. Well, there was a "wrong" e-mail address on that list and this man was forwarded an e-mail to which he took great offense. He responded back via broadcast e-mail to everyone on the list. We were all called red-state "Jesus loving" dips**** and had some other expletives he threw into his e-mail. I am grateful that I received his e-mail strange as though that might seem but it made me realize what a spiritual warfare we are surrounded in and sometimes as "Christians" we tend to isolate ourselves in our bubble and forget that people"hate" what they view as our intolerance or hypocrisy. My heart went out for him and I asked God to show the "e-mail man - P" - God's truth - not man's perspective on what a true Christian should be like. There are so many people who are deceived and call themselves Christians but have never truly committed to following Him as both Lord and Savior. I love 1 John - as it gives some great litmus tests to determine if we are a true believers so that you don't need to worry about being one of those who cry out to God when they get to heaven and say Lord, Lord and He'll look down and say I never knew you. Test your faith - get into the Word! Pray for "e-mail man - P!"

New Year 2008

Thank you sweet ones for your "comments." I thought I was still in "hiding." Imagine my shock and awed to see that I had "comments!" I am truly an official blogger!



Well as I look to the New Year to see all that God has in store for me, I am encouraged to see His miraculous and marvelous work in other people's lives. It makes me appreciate that I serve a God who is alive and responds "perfectly" to every situation, desire, and need. Maybe not "perfectly" on how our human mind would respond but with the bigger picture in hand He knows how to respond perfectly with His sovereignty reflecting in the decision.



I am excited to see some verses that I have read before but are starting off "fresh." James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to "all" liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (promise). But let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. I love that he gives to "all" - even "me" and that he is a generous God - he gives liberally! Wisdom is so important so that we can live life to God's glory by understanding his truths and applying them to our lives.