AMERICA CELEBRATES

There have been several events to happen since I last blogged.

Congresswoman Giffords was seen walking on her own! All praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Lord!

She was boarding an airplane headed to Florida to watch her husband's last space flight ascend into the heavens. Sadly, all did not go as planned with the shuttle launch, and it appears that it will not happen until at least May 10. Thankfully whatever was wrong was found so that it could be repaired. The last thing our nation needs right now is another space shuttle tragedy!

To see her board that plane on her own was miraculous! I am sure most all of us remember just a few months ago how unsure we were if she would survive this tragedy. Tragedy turns to triumph in the life of Gabrielle Giffords! Oh, the battle is not over for her, but she has made remarkable recovery! Her life truly is a miracle to behold!

The other big news since I've blogged is the death of Osama bin Laden by our military! Lord, forgive me for rejoicing in his death. I honestly do not know if it is a sin to rejoice over his death. If it is, I truly pray that God will forgive me. However, I know that God specifically commanded the Israelites to kill their enemies in the Old Testament. Sadly, I highly doubt that Osama bin Laden found Truth and Salvation in Jesus Christ before he was killed.

This man was evil incarnate. He orchestrated the deaths of thousands of people! Not only was he the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, but he was also behind the bombings of the very same location in 1993.

He lived to terrorize those who did not believe as he did. Justice has been served.

Today I pray for his family. I pray that somehow, some way, they will see that they are being lied to by a religion that teaches hate and terror to those who believe differently than them. Whether or not the moderates of the Muslim religion are just "backsliders", so to speak, or not, I cannot honestly say. But the extremists who seek jihad must not be allowed to terrorize the world. Their actions bring consequences just as all of our actions do.

There was literally Dancing In The Streets in America on Sunday night when it was announced that Osama bin Laden has been killed.

That night President Obama addressed the nation, and the world, to give the official word that Osama bin Laden was dead. This is the first time I truly saw our President behave presidential! The speech he gave was the best speech he's delivered to date! Thank you, Mr. President!

Thank you, President Bush, for sticking to your guns and doing what was right no matter what the critics said. You were right on September 14, 2001, when you said: 

"I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!"

They DID hear us! Osama bin Laden most definitely heard all of us, and the rest of the world heard all of us as well!

To the true heroes who made this happen- The United States Military! May God bless each and every one of you! This would not have happened without your sacrifice, training, courage, conviction and commitment to bring justice to the families and friends of all who were lost on September 11, 2001. I pray for your continued safety. The fight is not over by any means!

Lord God, I continue to pray for this nation. She so desperately needs You but refused to acknowledge where she is wrong! Even in our celebration of the good things there is much division.

I continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords. Please forgive me for not posting daily prayers for her as I had been previously. Though I am not posting daily, I still pray for her daily! I continue to pray for her husband, Mark Kelly, in the preparation for the final space mission. I pray for his and the entire crew's safety and wisdom.

I pray for President Obama. Keep him safe, as his life has been threatened by many throughout the world since the killing of terrorist Osama bin Laden. I pray for wisdom for President Obama. Already there are many discrepancies and changed decisions. Lord God, help him to make a decision and stick to it, no matter what the media says. Please help him to see that We The People need him to be a leader! He made the decision, I personally support him in the decision. I pray that he will not allow this to turn into more of a circus than it is threatening to be. He had to make a tough decision. He made it.

I pray that our military will be successful in weeding out even more terrorists using the information they obtained in the raid.

Lord God, please be with us and keep us. We truly need Your mercy, though we do not deserve it.

I pray all of these things in Jesus Name- Amen.

WHO CAN SATISFY?

I love music. And when I like a song, you know it. Yes, I am one of "those" who will play a song over and over and over. I have literally had one song on perpetual "repeat" for weeks at a time. It drives my husband crazy.
Some time ago, I was listening to a sermon online by Dr. David Jeremiah. Before the sermon started, the choir at his church sang a song that drew me in. It's just one of those songs you cannot get out of your head. So, I went searching. It's not a highly popular song, so I have not really been able to find a decent recording of it. Oh, how I wish I could have a copy of his church choir singing it!

I will enclose the lyrics of the song, as well as a YouTube video of it at the end of this post.

In listening to the song I began to think about the words and the meaning of them in my life. I guess that is one reason why it hit me the way it did.

Putting all this in perspective in another way is the fact that I am doing my Spring Cleaning. If you read my previous post you know that it has turned into a completely different project this year than it has any other year.

I- we-  my family... has all this STUFF! So much of it there is absolutely no purpose or reason for having it. It is just here, occupying space, and in some instances, actually getting in the way.

I am actually a very sentimental person. After my first husband's suicide I went through counseling and Survivors of Suicide group therapy. One thing that I realized through that process and my overall healing is that all the stuff is not the memories. The memories last forever. The stuff is just that... stuff!

Another thing I came to realize over the overall healing process is that sometimes we hold onto things for sentimental reasons and rather than helping us they in fact hurt us. While I loved my first husband, we had a very tumultuous relationship in a lot of ways. No, he never physically abused me, but in many ways we did not treat each other with love and respect.

I've gone through several different periods of cleaning out. Before this process I would have held onto everything I could just because it was some link to the past. But as I began the deep soul-searching in my healing I realized that in some of these things the memories are not pleasant at all. So I began to question myself on why I would hold onto things that do not bring me happy memories.

This Spring Cleaning is different from that in that I am not getting rid of bad memories... I am simply getting rid of things that do not have a purpose and a reason to share space with my family and I in our home.

So, in all of this, again, my mind has been whirling. I'm sure by now, if you've read any of my blog, you know that I tend to think things over too much sometimes. So I have been asking myself, "Why? Why do we have all of these things if we do not really need them?" As I've pondered this, I've come to realize a lot of things.

I am not the kind of person that thinks "things" are the key to happiness. I am also one of the rare women who absolutely DETESTS shopping! If I go shopping I go get exactly what I need and get out. I absolutely HATE shopping for clothes with a purple passion because I know I am  going to have to try things on! This just takes up too much of my time!

But yet I still get caught up in this rat race. I too am looking for "satisfaction" in things.

For me I think it is more the "satisfaction of being prepared"... you know, "well, one day I may need this!"

And yet, interestingly enough I am absolutely not a pack-rat! Everything has to have it's place! Unfortunately, too many things have a place!

How often we look for everything in the world to satisfy our soul. We chase fame and fortune, friends, the coolest car, the best job.... the list could go on and on.

We are chasing everything and everyone to give us the satisfaction we crave. There is an overflowing fountain that can and will satisfy every craving of our soul. He is The King of kings! He is a victorious Warrior fighting for us in all that we do. He is The Lord of everything that is, has been or ever will be. He is my Rock. He is my Shelter. He is my very own! He is my blessed Redeemer Who reigns upon the throne! He is indeed the only One Who can satisfy the cravings of my soul.

My Jesus... You alone satisfy all that I need! I have many blessings in my life, but the only true satsifcation is in You.

Lord God, please forgive me for losing sight in the rat-race that is life. I am the world's worst in slowing down. I know that You understand me like no other person ever will. You created me. You know what makes me tick. And You know how to reach me when I'm fluttering around. Most of the time it is through music.

I pray tonight for anyone who reads this blog and sees themselves in anything that I have written. I pray that You will use my passion for writing to bless other lives.

Lord.... tonight I pray for those of the Muslim faith. This has been an issue that has been truly on my heart. I've not known exactly how to pray for them, but it has been a constant on my mind and heart for years. I know that You know my thoughts and prayers even when I do not. Tonight, I put this before You. I pray for the women who are victimized by this religion. I pray for any and all of those who are training to martyr themselves in the hopes of paradise. Lord God, this is nothing but a lie from the very pits of hell! I do not understand how anyone would so freely serve a god who expects them to die and kill others to earn their reward. I pray for the people of this religion- that their eyes will be opened. So many say that they serve the same god we do. No, this is not at all true! You, Lord God, are the God of love and peace and forgiveness! You have never called us to kill unbelievers! You tell us to forgive those who hurt us.  The Muslim god calls for death to those who do not believe as they do.

I continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords. Continue to heal her heart, mind, body and soul from this vicious attack against her.

I pray for this nation. I pray that we would be united, standing up for what this nation truly stands for!

I pray for our president. Give him wisdom. Humble his heart.

I pray for the nation and people of Israel. There is such a hatred for Your chosen people, Lord God. I know this is foretold in Your Word, but my heart truly aches at the hostility that is directed at them. Protect them and keep them always!

I pray all of these things in the precious Name of Jesus Christ- Amen.

Who Can Satisfy
Words and Music by Dennis Jernigan

Who can satisfy my soul
Who on earth can comfort me
And love me like You do
Who could ever be more faithful and true
I will trust in You
I will trust in You my God

There is a fountain
Who is a King
Victorious warrior and Lord of everything
My rock my shleter my very own
Blessed Redeemer
Who reigns upon the throne

Who could ever be more faithful and true
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
I will trust in You my God

Who reigns upon the throne
Who reigns upon the throne

© 1989 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc.

This recording is not very good, but the song is AWESOME!
My victorious Warrior reigns upon the throne!

YES, THIS COUNTS!

I received an email today that is going to be the topic of today's post. My brother sent me the email, and he had added a note that yes, this was his niece (his wife's sister's daughter). I called him and asked him if he could get their permission to post the picture on my blog entry for today, because I have never seen anything so beautiful in all of my life!

When I talked to my brother after he talked to his brother-in-law, he told me he was surprised to find out that it is not his niece! This is an email that was actually forwarded to his brother-in-law. They are all amazed at how much like this little girl my brother's niece actually looks.

So, I am going to post the picture, as the note at the bottom of the page says to forward to your friends. If the parents of this child sees the picture and would like it to be removed, please let me know. I would never want to offend them in any ways.

So, before I go any further, here is the email text, as well as the picture, of the original email I was sent:

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

DOES THIS COUNT?

Yes, this most definitely counts, sweetheart!

This little girl understands more than most adults do. While I believe that it is imperative and very beneficial to read, study, disect, meditate and analyze Scripture to grow in our faith, walk and understanding of God, I beleive that a lot of times our analyzing gets in the way of the true heart of the matter. As my husband has said before, too often, the most "intellectual" of minds have absolutely no faith in God because He cannot be explained. Faith is believing in the unseen.

A WRETCH LIKE ME

This time of the year is extremely special to me. On February 25, 2004, a movie was released that reaches down into the very depths of my soul. While I know the story well, I've never seen it depicted in this exact way.

The movie I am referring to is, "The Passion Of The Christ".

Within the first month after the movie was released, my husband and I went to the theatre 7 times to see it. At the time, we were Youth Leaders at our church. Since the movie was rated "R" due to the extreme violence depicted, we were required to view the movie before taking students to see it. For the students to see the movie their parents had to sign a permission form, for the exact same reason.

I was raised in a Christian home. I often joke that I went to church before I entered the world, and started my entry into the world at church! My Mom actually went into labor during the Sunday night service. A funny side story here that my mom loves to tell. She went to the restroom, and her water broke. Obviously, she had to send someone in to get my Dad.

My grandparents, as well as a couple of my aunts and uncles went to the same church. My Dad sent one of the ushers in to let my grandparents know what was going on. It was at this very moment that the congregation was sitting, and the choir was getting ready to sing. My grandfather did not realize what was going on, so he was standing up, in the middle of the church, looking at my aunt, who was in the choir, shaking his head "yes" So this is how the congregation knew I was ready to make my entrance into the world!

Well, I've gotten a bit off track here. But, the point of telling this funny little tidbit of my life is to say that yes, I attended church regularly as a child. When the church doors were open, we were there. I knew the words of the old hymns by heart. In fact, I was even known to give a concert for my grandparents at the drop of a hat! There are even pictures of the performances, my "brush microphone" in hand.

Even if you are not a church-goer, it's quite likely you know the words to the ever-famous hymn, "Amazing Grace." In fact, there is now even a movie of how the hymn came to be. This was one of the songs that I loved to sing the most.

Strangely enough, though I have known the words of "Amazing Grace"  by heart pretty much since I uttered my first words, It was not until I was 31-years-old that I truly grasped the true meaning of this beautiful hymn.

LIFE IS A PUZZLE

After my first husband committed suicide, my life as I knew it literally ceased to exist. Everything that I knew, believed and lived shattered into a million pieces. It was at this point that God lovingly picked up one, single piece of my shattered, brokenness and placed it in the middle of His canvas, which is my life.

All of the shattered pieces of my former life are still there today. While it may not appear that way, the shattered, broken pieces have been lovingly healed and mended by the hands of The Master Who created me and loves me so dearly. Many, many pieces have been loving placed where they belong, and yet, many others still are in the process of mending and healing.

One thing that God showed me, after my husband died, was how yes, we are indeed created in the image of God. However, as humans, most everything we do is opposite of the way God does things. It is a strange concept, in one sense. Yet, it makes perfect sense as well.

An image is a reflection of an actual thing, not the thing itself. When you look in the mirror at yourself, it is the opposite of reality. Your right side appears to be the left side, and vice versa.

When you work a puzzle, what is the first thing that you do? You start with the outside pieces, and put the entire border together. At least, this is the way I do it, and this is the way I've seen most people work a puzzle.

God began to show me that my life is a puzzle in progress at the work of His loving hands.

YOUR WORD IS ALL YOU HAVE

There is nothing more in this world that I detest more than lying! I have seen the affects of lying in my life, personally. It literally almost destroyed me.

Unfortunately, by nature, I am a "sneaky, manipulative" person. It has taken me many years to be able to acknowledge this, but as Dr. Phil says, "You can't change what you don't acknowledge!"

While this is my nature, this is no longer the person I am. Many years ago, I was faced with the reality of what my lies were doing to myself. At this point I am not going to even talk about how it affected other people in my life- I think that is a given, and understood by most everyone who is reading this blog.

However, what most of us fail to realize is how our actions affect us. For every action there is a consequence, good or bad.

As a child, I was very "sneaky". Unfortunately, I was good enough at it that I got away with a lot of things that were dangerous. If I had not been so good at sneaking around, maybe I would have been caught at the harmless things as a child, and it would have taught me not to be so sneaky, and this may have prevented me from putting myself in so many dangerous situations. Many of these dangerous situations have harmed me, and some still have lasting affects on my life today.

Being sneaky goes hand-in-hand with lying. It is basically the opposite side of the same coin. While you may not be out-right lying about a situation, if you are not being completely truthful, or you are trying to hide things, you are being dishonest.

FREEDOM

"Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!" 

~ William Wallace ~
"Braveheart"

Last night, I watched one of my all-time favorite movies. It's been a long while since I've watched it, but I happened to be flipping through the channels and saw it was on. What a perfect time in history for me to be reminded of the bravery of William Wallace.

Obviously, I am talking about the Mel Gibson movie, "Braveheart".

If you have never seen this movie, I definitely recommend it!

Though this is a "fictional representation" of history, it is based on the life of a real man in 13th Century Scotland. I won't give a synopsis of the movie here, because I do not want to ruin the movie if you have not seen it; and if you have seen it, you know the intricate beauty that it encompasses.

There are many, many aspects of this movie that draws me in. Number one, I love history. Number two, I am a hopeless romantic at heart. Number three, the fight for freedom is in my blood. I guess in reality, the number three reason should be my number one reason.

Without freedom, we are truly slaves. This seems to be a given, but it amazes me how this is not obvious to the masses. It's strangely eerie how so many aspects of this movie can be applied to current day affairs. Change the setting and the characters, and you have the exact same scenario today, in modern day America.

YOU GOT TO KNOW WHEN...

As I've thought over my previous post, I am reminded of an old Kenny Rogers song, "The Gambler". I'm sure that if you've read my previous post you are wondering how in the world this song comes to mind. The post has nothing at all to do with gambling, playing cards, or anything that entails.

However, the course speaks volumes for me, in my life:

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

Now, one thing you will learn about me is that I march to the beat of a different drummer. I've always been this way! In fact, I grew up in the '80's and was always known for wearing a "different style" of clothes... and this is in the '80's, when "different" WAS the style!

Maybe the reason this chorus reverberates over and over in my mind as I look back over my life experiences is because so much of the time I did not know when to hold 'em, fold 'em, walk away, or run. So much of my life I have made the wrong decision, no matter what decision I made.

I'VE COME TO A REALIZATION

I just got finished with a major rant on Twitter. My husband just showed me an article that has blown my mind! For your reference, here is the article that caused my rant:

U.S. Debt Jumped $72 Billion Same Day U.S. House Voted to Cut Spending $6 Billion

Now, why in the world would this send me into a tizzy, you are probably asking. It is quite obvious that our debt and continued spending is completely out of control. It's been one of the main topics of discussion for- oh, I don't even know how long!

So I will tell you- my rant was caused by the sudden realization that no one in Washington gets it! And I do mean NO ONE! I say this, because if anyone at all truly got the enormity of this crisis, this would be the ONLY thing that was being discussed!

I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:3

Israel is the time piece and compass for everything that happens. Israel is God Almighty's time piece.

God makes it very clear that all blessings and curses are administered by how Israel is treated.

OVER MY COLD DEAD BODY

I read an article today that made my blood run cold, and in the very next second, my blood began to boil! I am attaching the link for you to read.
The Islamic Demolition of the Statue of Liberty

No matter your political views, if you do not look at the State of Liberty and get choked up, you have no business living in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.  The image of this tall, brave lady standing on our shores, beckoning to all who seek a life of liberty, freedom, and the opportunity to become all you dream to be. No, she doesn't GUARANTEE you success- but she provides every opportunity you could ever imagine.

IT'S ONLY A MIRACLE

I believe it is truly only a miracle of God that has prevented more violence and tragedy to come out of the political divide that is going on in our country.

I know I've said this many times already, in this prayer blog, but it saddens me to see where our country is. Our current president has done nothing but cause a larger divide between the citizens of this country. He is supposed to be a uniter. He SHOULD be a uniter! He is the first black president this nation has ever had! That is a HUGE accomplishment, given our historical past. He is in a very unique position where he could literally abolish the majority of racial tension. However, he has done the opposite.

Things always roll downhill. So if the leader of an organization seeks to divide, the organization itself grows into a huge tool of division.

OH, THE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED!

Once again, today is a day that I had to think about what I would write and pray about. As I have said previously, some days I just know all day what is on my heart, and what I feel God wants me to pray about publicly. Other days it becomes late in the evening and I still have no clue what direction God wants me to go. So I sit and wait on Him.

I am committed to praying every day for this nation. For our people. What started out as a prayer blog for Congresswoman Giffords after she was shot has turned into something very intriguing to me.

Today, for Congresswoman Giffords, I am still singing songs of rejoicing! It was reported that she is now talking. She was able to ask for toast this morning! I bet that had to be the best toast she has ever tasted!

Oh, the things we take for granted! I am sure Congresswoman Giffords never imagined that asking for a piece of toast would become a major milestone in her life. For a woman who has accomplished much in her life, and now represents the people of Arizona in Congress, I am sure she never imagined that her life would change so drastically in a split second.