Freedom

As I type the title of today's topic of reflection, I am picturing the end of Braveheart where they are about to kill William Wallace and he screams at the top of his lungs, "FREEDOM." Because of Christ's sacrifice, I can have freedom to be who he created me to be. Oftentimes we stifle our true selves to fit in with a crowd or not get weird looks or comments from others. The truth is that people judge us based on what they think is normal and acceptable behavior, so we succumb to the pressure and act as we think they expect. There was a time in my life not too long ago where I tried desperately to fit in with certain people. It was very important to me to be accepted and to do things the proper way according to their opinions. I am not talking about being tempted to sin or anything like that, but I was under pressure to act a certain way. The good news is that I can be the real normal Sandra and God loves me just the same. Actually, I think he shakes his head and chuckles at me when I'm trying to be someone I am not. The real Sandra likes to sing songs and dance around the room and just be a goofball sometimes just because I can and God loves me just that way. If I were to draw a picture of freedom, it would show me singing and dancing in the middle of the street in the rain without a care in the world. I don't really know when everything changed for me, but I really don't care what anyone thinks about me except God. His opinion is all that matters. Thank you, God, that I can have freedom to be me, without any reservations or hesitations. If more people would take advantage of the freedom we have in Christ, I think we'd all realize we aren't as crazy as people make us feel. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Protection

Psalm 91 (The Message) You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!" God protects us, no matter what. I got hit by someone this week while driving home from work. The damage should have been much worse than it was, but God protected me. I've learned to stop trying to figure out how or why God protects me and just to rest in the fact that he does. There is not even a dent in my car and the other driver hit me pretty hard. There's a little bit of black scuff marks that I can rub out, but that's it. Thank you God for your protection!

Hope

“Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5). I know that we have all been disappointed by situations and by people. That's a part of life. Because of Christ, I can have hope in all circumstances. I don't have to feel hopeless because God's plans are bigger than mine and he always knows what is best for me. Having hope doesn't mean that I will always get things my way, but that no matter what happens, God will fulfill his plan for me and his plan is for my good. Hope cannot disappoint me because putting my hope in God is trusting his love, which is perfect. God is motivated by his love for me to take action on my behalf. God, thank you for giving me hope.

Lent

So today is Ash Wednesday which is the start of lent. For lent, instead of giving something up, I have decided to reflect on something I have because of Jesus' sacrifice for me. I hope that this reflection will help me realize all that God has provided for me by the giving of his son on the cross. Abundance -more than enough, more than just getting by, more than I could ever hope for. God promises me abundance in every area of my life. I don't have to settle for barely enough, but can have abundance. This promise reminds me of the song "More Than Enough." "All of you is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy me, with your love. All I have in you is more than enough." The issue is not whether God is more than enough, but if we let him be that for us. Do I let God provide me a life of abundance or do I try and rely on my abilities to provide for myself? We live in a world where we are taught self-dependence and not God-dependence. When we learn to rely on God, as he desires from us, we will experience the abundance that he has for us. If I do not take advantage of the abundance God has for me, I am saying his sacrifice to provide me abundance is worthless. God thank you for your abundance in my life. Because of you, I can have an abundance of joy and love and peace.

Weekend Update

It seems like my weekends are going by faster every week. By the time Monday gets here I can't remember a thing I did since I left work on Friday. Maybe it just takes me a while to really wake up on Mondays. My coworkers would tell you it takes me a while to wake up every day, but that's beside the point. Saturday we went to visit Bop and Marcy. BJ goes up there every other Saturday and I do good to go once a month when I'm not busy working. I figured it may be last time I am able to go up there for a while as tax season is quickly coming upon us. It takes an hour or so to get to Decatur, so I got a chance to read some on the way. I started a book back in January and just haven't gotten back to it in a while. We met them at IHOP for breakfast at about 9. For some reason, IHOP was much busier than usual, so by the time we got seated I was starving. The rest of the day was filled with Phase 10, BJ and Bop going to coffee, a sandwich for late lunch and visiting. It was nice. I slept in the truck on the way home. Sleep is good. I have been so tired lately and it seems like I will never catch up on my sleep. Saturday evening we ran to Hobby Lobby to check out the 50% off wall decor sale and then I worked on my Sunday School lesson. Sunday was filled with the normal schedule plus a luncheon to raise money for Kids Camp and a shower for a lady who has just bought a new house. Sunday evening we had a Miracle Service and God really moved. After that, we went to Denny's for supper with Bro. & Sis. Beard. As you can see, weekends really are no time for me to catch up on anything. On Friday night this coming week, the youth at our church are doing a progressive dinner and I am serving dessert and games on the Wii. It should be fun if I can just get my house back in order and ready for company. Yes, I'm still as busy as I was with school, but its a different kind of busy. I am busy by choice now. I don't know if I'd know what to do if I wasn't always running around doing something.

finished another website

I just finished a website for N E Fish Will Do Guide Service. So check it out. http://www.nefishwilldoguideservice.com

Monday

I haven't posted in a week and I'm sure B.J. just can't believe it. The first week I had this blog, I posted almost every day. And now, already, I've abandoned my blog for an entire week. I'm not sure if anyone reads my blog anyway, but just in case, I figured I should post again to keep my promise of at least one post per week. On Friday night we had our church Valentine's Banquet. I was in charge of games and everything went smoothly. We got to sit by Kim and Tony and talk, which hasn't happened in quite a while. They are our best friends and live next door to us, but between their busyness and ours, we haven't really hung out in a while. Saturday we went to Mimis for breakfast. Our hopes were to beat the craziness that is Valentines day dining, but apparently others had the same idea as us. We waited for about 40 minutes, but it was yummy and worth it. Then, we went home and played Monopoly on the Wii for a little while. We took our old couches up to the church and put them in our Sunday School room. The couches have been in our garage for at least 3 months, so I'm glad we got that done. We went grocery shopping and bought all sorts of stuff that we don't usually think about cooking for dinner. I guess we were both getting tired of the same 10 meals. BJ grilled steak which we had with garlic pasta and steamed squash for dinner. We watched Ironman while we ate. This is the first weekend this year that we have both been home and got to just hang out together, so it was nice just spending time together. Sunday was busy with church and then we went over to Kim and Tony's for supper. They invited some of their family over and we joined them. I made homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert and they went fast. It was a pretty nice weekend for us and I got to relax some. Hopefully I will get one more of those before work gets crazy busy again.

Nothing on TV

Why do they put all the good shows on TV on the same night and absolutely nothing on Mondays? The good news is that I don't have to miss any television to get things done. We are having a Valentine's Banquet at our church on Friday night and I am in charge of the games. We usually play some version of the newlywed game and have a lot of fun. Tonight I hunted down some "props" at various dollar stores for my game. Now, I'm onto coming up with questions. Today at work, it felt like I was on the phone ALLLLLLLL day. Elaine and Shannon were at a client's, so I got fielded their calls in addition to my normal calls. It's okay being in charge, but it would really be nice to get something done I can bill someone for. And just in case you didn't notice, BJ actually posted something, so you should take this monumental occasion to listen to the video.

great testimony

25 Random Facts About Me

Here is 25 facts about me that you may or may not know. 1. I was born in Nebraska. 2. I am very competitive. My friends at work realized this when we had a walking competition. I proceeded to walk something like 30,000 to 40,000 steps because my team was behind. 3. I am not very athletic, but I love sports, especially college football. There is just something about being raised a Nebraska Cornhusker that I can't let go of. My dad and I watch the games together and yell for our team as if we were actually there. My quiet husband has yet to join in on all the commotion, but I believe that one day he is going to surprise us all. 4. I love to memorize and remember things for a long time. The people at work affectionately call me rain man. 5. I have vivid memories of my childhood from age 3. 6. I love fried pickles, thanks to BJ who introduced me to them almost 9 years ago. 7. I can be overly organized and tend to over plan things. Every day before I leave work, I have to put all the projects up and clean my desk. My bed has to be made before I leave for work or it drives me crazy all day. 8. I eat meals one item at a time, usually vegatables first. 9. I played bass guitar in a Christian rock band for 7 years. 10. I've played piano at church since age 14. 11. I am an overachiever by nature. 12. I teach the college/career Sunday School class and love it. 13. I love Boy Meets World and Saved By the Bell and still watch them when I see reruns on TV. 14. My favorite movie of all time is Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. 15. My Christmas tree was up until last weekend, February 1st. 16. I love Italian Cream Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Yummy!! 17. I love kids, probably because they don't intimidate me like some adults do. 18. I worked at Children's Palace - Grand Prairie for a year and a half. I started in infants and was teaching 11 two year olds when I left. 19. At one time, I had memorized 12 books of the Bible. 20. I competed in Accounting UIL in highschool and made it to regionals. 21. I took three years of German and remember very little of it. 22. I like to work Algebra problems in my free time. 23. I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip when I was 13. 24. I am a perfectionist, but am trying to not be so hard on myself. 25. I can sleep through anything, in any position, at any time.

Freeday

So, I'm finally getting a Saturday off and I can't decide what I want to do with it. There are a few things I need to get done like grocery shopping, cooking for Sunday lunch at church, and finishing my Sunday School lesson. BJ is going to Bop's (his grandfather's) and I plan on going to a birthday party for one of my friends sons. There are so many things I'd like to do and I can't decide. I haven't scrapbooked for a while so I may do that. I'm mainly looking forward to sleeping as late as I want and doing whatever I decide. I know that when I have kids the thought of a freeday will be unheard of, so I am taking advantage of my time while I still have it. I am one of those people that love being by myself and I am looking forward to a day to relax and get somethings that are long overdue off of my neverending list. Whatever I decide to do, I plan on taking some pictures, so hopefully my next post will include some pictures for your enjoyment.

Beth Moore - Believing God

We started this Bible study at lunch today and it looks like it's going to be a good one. God had shown me what I was teaching in Sunday School this week on Monday and my topic came up again in this Bible study. I am just amazed how God confirms to me that I am following his plans and not my own.

It's all finally sinking in.

I've been teaching the Stars on Wednesday night at church for a little over a year. If you know me, I'm really big on memorizing scripture and I don't let them get by with anything less than total memorization. I think its really important to know what God's word is telling you and be able to find a verse when you need some encouragement or a weapon to use against the devil. Anyway, last night at class I found Alissa, one of my older girls, encouraging the girls while we were working on memory work. She was telling them that they could do it and the more they work on memorizing the easier it got. I'm so proud! I think I'm finally getting to them. When I first started pushing them to memorize, they fought me, trying to take shortcuts using their short term memory and not really memorizing the verses for long term. Not any more. For the most part, they know what I expect of them and they work extra hard to hide God's word in their heart. I pray that someday, they will see that it was worth all the struggles. And if you've never memorized scripture or don't think you can, I dare you to find a passage that means a lot to you, and memorize it. It gets easier over time. You can do it and God's word will come more alive to you than you ever thought possible. Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

The Influence of BJ

So BJ is not so much for posting blogs. In the future, you will know BJ has played with the blog if the formatting has changed or there have been pictures added. Currently the influence of BJ is seen in the list of links on the right. No, I do not visit the Texas Fishing Forum, but BJ visits it regularly. It amazes me how fishing brings BJ into his element. If you have ever met BJ, he is very quiet and basically doesn't say anything just to be talking. However, the "friends" BJ has met on the forum, he talks about as if he actually knows them outside of the forum. If he is out fishing and he sees someone from the forum, he actually goes and talks to them. I have no idea how he knows people are from the fishing forum, but that is beside the point. I would never feel comfortable going and introducing myself to someone I only know from the internet. When BJ and I first met in person (see post below) I don't think either one of us said anything. We were in a group of my friends and we each knew who the other was, but starting a conversation with the other was out of the question. Somehow, talking about fishing brings BJ out of his shell. So for that reason, if no other, I'm glad for the fishing forum, even if I do think it is ridiculous how much time one person can spend on there.

Here it is.

So for a while I have thought about getting a blog. I mean, we each have a facebook, and a myspace, and a xanga, but maybe we need an adult blog where I just write what I'm thinking or what's going on for us. -One central place where all the other items can link to and where anyone who is interested in our lives, as simple and sometimes boring as they may be, can know what's going on. So, here it is. B.J. is the web-savey one of us, so I'm sure, once he knows that I have started this, he'll do some adjusting and making the layout and all that stuff better, but for now, this will have to do. I must admit that there are several people, who I have never met, but feel like I know all about because they have blogs and are linked to blogs of people I actually do know or know about. For example, many of my coworker Shannon's friends feel like my friends because I read their blogs regularly and I know all about them, or at least what they share on their blogs. It's very addicting, almost like a TV series, waiting for the next post to see what's happened since my last reading. So, for that reason, I will try to post something interesting, or exciting, or at least something once a week so that all those people who may be reading this that I know or don't know have at least a moment of entertainment or enlightenment into our lives. Someday, when we have kids, this will be the place for all the family to keep updated on the happenings around our house. Someday. So, for all of you who are reading this and know nothing or very little about B.J. and me, let me give you a little background. BJ and I met on the internet in spring of 1999. We started dating in September and got married in May 2004. During our dating years, BJ lived about an hour away for the most part and came down to Grand Prairie to see me every weekend. You could call it a long distance relationship, but I didn't really see it that way. I was very busy with school and playing bass guitar in a Christian rock band, so it was a nice break to see BJ on the weekends, but during the week, I really needed time to take care of school stuff. This way, I didn't have to feel guilty for ignoring him and I could get things done. BJ has always treated me well and he still opens the door for me and buys me little things for no reason at all. I tell people he is the only one that could put up with me and I totally believe that. God sent him my way to deal with me and love me for me. When I was growing up, I never dreamed I would marry someone as quiet and laid back as BJ, but God knew what he was doing when he put us together. God always knows what he is doing! To Be Continued....