Blessed Beyond Belief

There is story after story of families torn apart through the process of adoption. Families who are working to put their lives back together because of a child or children who have torn them apart with their own hands. Disruptions, parental right terminations, institutionalizations.... I don't want to be another statistic. I don't want to earn the rights through losing this battle to join the masses of those who've gone before us & have been destroyed. With God's help, can our experience be different? As I was praying and asking God to help our family this morning, He spoke to my heart. Our sons and one, in particular, are attempting to tear our family apart. Daily, through their dysfunction, they pull the blocks down that have held this family together for the last 24 years. And with every fiber of their being, they throw those blocks around and turn a once beautiful building into a pile of rubble and chaos. Through their physical abuse, verbal a

“Almost perfect… but not quite.” Those were the words of Mary Hume At her seventh birthday party, Looking ‘round the ribboned room. “This tablecloth is pink not white— Almost perfect…but not quite.” “Almost perfect…but not quite.” Those were the words of grown-up Mary Talking about her handsome beau, The one she wasn’t gonna marry. “Squeezes me a bit too tight— Almost perfect…but not quite.” “Almost perfect…but not quite.” Those were the words of ol’ Miss Hume. Teaching in the seventh grade, Grading papers in the gloom Late at night up in her room. “They never cross their t’s just right— Almost perfect…but not quite.” Ninety-eight the day she died Complainin’ bout the spotless floor. People shook their heads and sighed, “Guess that she’ll like heaven more.” Up went her soul on feathered wings, Out the door, up out of sight. Another voice from heaven came— “Almost

There is something about the feet of dead people.  Maybe it is because that is where we would tag them when they died in the ER. Putting the elastic name tag around their cold & lifeless foot. Feet that used to run to their children. Feet that enjoyed pedicures, once splashed in puddles or wiggled upon awakening. Feet that took them on whatever path they chose to tred in their lives.  Sometimes, I look at my feet. I say to myself, "those look like dead peoples feet" "One day those will be dead people's feet", I tell myself. Cold....lifeless....The last person to touch them , a complete stranger as he puts my name on them before zipping me up in the bag. I love this thought. It invigorates me. Thoughts of: My........Dead......Feet I love thinking about it because it reminds me why I live. Life apart from Jesus is futile. Maybe you will think about your own death the next time you see your bare feet. I hope you do. Psalm 49:10-19 10For all can see that the

T ips For Encouraging Your husband in Spiritual Leadership All the below suggestions should be done respectfully and sincerely.  My husband has read them & given his approval & input. :) E ncourage and praise his efforts to lead & serve . Don't criticize his efforts to lead spiritually, even if you  feel his efforts are simple or weak.  Seek the Lord to change both him & you.   Pray for him. Tell him you are praying for him. Do not boast about your spiritual achievements or make him feel less than you (spiritual pride). Repent of spiritual pride. Are you embarrassed of your husband's spiritual matu rity?  Does it reflect poorly on you?  Ask yourself why you want him to g row.  Confess & repent of an y ungodly motives. (We all have them) Get out of the drivers seat, so that he can get in.  Sinfully strong women often create passive husbands who do not lead. Acknowledge the difficulty he has in  finding time to do Bible study due

When people are big and God is small by Edward T. Welch Book Review by Madelyn Petta age 11 Was the book helpful to me? Yes. Very muchly. If yes, then why? ------------------------ because it told me how to overcome the fear of man, which is to look at how great and awesome god is and how tiny, helpless and putrid man is. Then you examine the ‘scary’ qualities of god, which makes you push people out of your mind. You also need to examine your fear of man closely and pick out exactly what you want from people. Look at this desire. Most likely it is not a biblical desire but a false selfish lust. People are not love tank fillers. What I learned . most of our felt needs are only selfish lusts . we need Jesus to replace our ‘People love cups’ with ‘Jesus love cups. . If God is the God who made the whole universe, the whole earth, all the never ending galaxies, planets and stars, if God is the God who made you and I, then why do we fear helpless people and not H

I have been thinking a lot about rough heels lately. You may be thinking that that is a pretty strange thing to be thinking about, and you'd probably be right, but let me tell you my rough heels story. I used to have the roughest heels in town. My heels were peeling, cracked and painful all the time but especially in summer. They got so bad in the summer time that the cracks would go down deep into my raw flesh and they would burn. I could hardly walk because it was so painful. I would have to crazy glue them closed and wear socks and tennis shoes in the summer. BLEH! Then one day I discovered this product: Artemis Woman Heel Smoother . For about 35.00 I was the proud owner of a tool that really helped my poor heels. I had to buy replacement head and it ran on batteries so it was pretty costly for a budgeting Mama like me. But it worked. I had no more cracks. My heels didn't get caught on nylons and silky things. They were....... normal again. But, after I was