I KNOW YOU'RE WONDERING WHERE I'VE BEEN!

To all of my precious readers, new and old, I would like to explain to you where I've been and encourage you to keep checking in with me.


My home computer is no longer running, so I've done everything from go to a precious friend's house to blog and look at other things I need, to go to the library, which is where I am now. I will have my computer running again, hopefully in a couple of weeks, or I will be trying to make more visits to our local library. No, going to the library a few more times than I usually do a week isn't convenient, but it's better than not having access at all. I'm also looking into getting a laptop, but only God knows whether we'll be able to afford that or not. We'll see.


Please be patient with me. If you don't hear from me for a few days at a time, I am still out there, just not able perhaps, to make it to some place with computer and/or internet access. The funny thing is, not many days after I went to a friend's house to do my last post, her computer went out too. With her, she believes that she had previously gotten a virus or bug on her computer and neglected to take care of it until it fried her hard drive. So now, I can't even go to her house which was not 5 minutes from mine. Oh well...:)


How Do We Get There From Here? is still a viable, up and running blog so, don't take me off of your "visit list" or put me out of your mind if you enjoy visiting here. I'm glad you find my blog interesting enough to stop by. I always say that I am surprised but so humbled by that. There are so many great blogs out there. Thanks for being so loyal (or just plain curious about me) up to this point. Hopefully the Lord will allow me to continue.


You'll be hearing from me soon. Have a wonderful day today!!

201st POST ON MY 200th POST CELEBRATION!!

Okay, so it seriously slipped my mind that my last post was supposed to be the celebration of my 200TH post!! Instead, my Thankful Thursday post was my 200th post and that should have been my 201st, if I had planned it right. Oh well!!! I'm so thankful to the Lord for all that He has done in my life that I don't mind my TT post being my 200th. But, I must still officially celebrate with a "hoopla," "song and dance," "all out party" type post (okay, not quite all that!), so, here it is. Okay, truth is, I'm not sure how I want to celebrate. I want it to be different than my 100th post celebration though. What shall I do? I must think of something creative. I simply must!!

Okay, I think I've got it!! I'm going to post about 100 facts about God and the Bible, well-known, perhaps unknown, reminders, promises, names of God...all that good stuff!! Oh now, don't get bored on me already. I know you were expecting something EXCITING, BIG, JUICY!! But, what's more exciting, big, and juicy than some really cool stuff about God and the Bible?!!!! I promise, I think I can make it worth your time. Stick with me. Let's celebrate (instead of little old insignificant me) THE ONE AND ONLY! Are you with me?

1. Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God? Both. He became fully man when he came down and humbled Himself to be like one of His own creations. (Philipp. 2:5-8) He is also God. He has been here from the beginning (Col. 1:15-18, 19,20)
2. What does the name Christ mean? Meaning: anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word translated "Messiah"
3. The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen. 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen. 22:18), the "Prophet like unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15), "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1, 10), the "Immanuel," the virgin's son (Isa. 7:14), "the branch of Jehovah" (Isa. 4:2), and "the messenger of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1). (this information from christiananswers.net)
4. Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh. (this information from christiananswers.net)
5. The word "trinity" is not found in Scripture. It is a word used by Christians to express the doctrine of the unity of God as consisting of three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Greek word trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Latin trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. (this information from christiananswers.net)
6. A number of years ago, Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman wrote a book entitled Science Speaks. The book was based on the science of probability and vouched for by the American Scientific Affiliation. It set out the odds of any one man in all of history fulfilling even only eight of the 60 major prophecies (and 270 ramifications) fulfilled by the life of Christ.
   The probability that Jesus of Nazareth could have fulfilled even eight such prophecies would be only 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That's 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. But (and this is a big but), all of the prophecies have been fulfilled except the re-building of the temple and the second coming of Christ.
7. You should know that the church is --
   Built by Jesus Christ. -- (Matthew 16:13-18)
   Purchased by the blood of Christ. -- (Acts 20:28)
   Built on Jesus Christ as the only foundation. -- (1 Corinthians 3:11)
   Not built on Peter, Paul, or any other man. -- (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)
   Composed of the saved, who are added to it by the Lord, who saves them. -- (Acts 2:47) (Information obtained from highstreetchurch.net)
8. Jacob, one of the patriarchs mentioned in Genesis, had twelve sons whose names were given to the twelve tribes of Israel:
   Reuben, Dan, Issachar, Simeon, Naphtali, Zebulon, Levi, Gad, Joseph, Judah, Asher, Benjamin
9. Levi was the priestly tribe. David and JESUS descended from the tribe of Judah.
10. God delivered ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would let the Israelites go. The plagues were: blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain of cattle, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of firstborn
11. The books of poetry in the Bible (OT) are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs), and Lamentations.
12. The Pentateuch (meaning five books) are the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
13. Most people think that Eve bit from an apple. Where did we get that assumption? The Bible does not name the fruit. The important point is that Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
14. How long did it take to build the ark (in Genesis)? About 120 years. WOW!!
15. Where are Sodom and Gomorrah? The ruins of these cities most likely lie under shallow water in the Dead Sea. God destroyed the cities because they were so sinful. Today, the nation of Israel runs oil wells near where these cities may have stood.
16. What is a mandrake (such a thing was mentioned in Genesis 30:14)? It is a plant. It has purple or white flowers. Its root is large and sometimes shaped like a human being. People in Bible times thought that it had magical powers (information taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
17. Manna was a special food that God gave his people, the Israelites. God gave it to them everyday they were in the desert, except for the Sabbath. The Hebrew meaning for the word "manna" was probably "what is it?" The Israelites discovered that manna tasted good and was good for them.
18. Did you know that Saturday was the Sabbath in Bible times? On this holy day, the people of Israel were not supposed to work. Many Christians keep Sunday as a special day or rest day. It is the day Jesus was raised from the dead.
19. When Jewish men prayed, many tied special little boxes holding Bible verses to their arms and forheads called phylacteries. Jesus told the Jewish men that they should not do this as a way to feel or think that they were especially holy. Do we do that? Do we have little things we put on, wear, carry around, etc. that we want people to see so that they can think we're "real" Christians or holy? Are are we allowing Christ to live through us in our day to day lives--modeling Him and His ways--putting on Christ, not things.
20. In the time of the NT, a day's pay was a single coin, called a denarius. This was enough money to buy food for one day and to rent a small room for the night. The coin was made of silver and was usually stamped with a picture of the Roman emporer.
21. A disciple is a learner. A disciple does not lead, but follows. Are you a disciple of Christ? Jesus taught His disciples to preach and teach. He wants to teach you how to follow Him and teach others about Him. Yes, God uses ordinary people (just like the disciples were) like us and makes us extraordinary!
22. Ecclesiastes means preacher or speaker.
23. A prophet is a special messenger from God. There are five major prophet books but only four prophets. These books are called "Major" only because they are longer in length. Every prophet who wrote one or more of these books can be placed in the history of Israel, which is covered by the twelve books of history.
24. The book considered historical in the NT is Acts.
25. One thing that must be understood is that God lives in Eternity, that is, he lives outside of time. A billion years, or fifteen seconds, is the same thing for God. Time has no real meaning to him, beyond his knowledge of its meaning to us. (Psalm 90:2-4) (information taken from my studies and SeekersTrove.com)
26. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. A covenant was stronger than a promise, with the intent of never being broken.
27. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.
28. Most often in Bible times clothes were washed by dipping them in water and beating them with sticks. People who washed clothes for a living used ashes to treat clothes and then whitened them in the sun. (taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
29. The desert owl of Bible lands chooses to live in lonely places and is very afraid of people. Zephaniah uses this picture to show that Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, will lie in ruins (Zeph. 2:14). Desert owls live in Nineveh's ruins even today, because no people are there. (taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
30. People in the Bible (and also today) prayed in many different places and positions. When Daniel prayed, he got on his knees to show his respect for God (Dan. 6:10). Moses was so upset because of Israel's worship of the golden calf that he fell face down before the Lord to pray (Deut. 9:18). Paul told believers to lift up their hands when they prayed (1Tim2:8).
31. Did you know that Miriam was the only female named in the Levitical priestly lineage in the book of 1Chronicles (spec. 6:3)? Though it is possible that Miriam could have had sisters, women were only mentioned in priestly genealogies if they were prominent and well-known to the reader. For Miriam, her inclusion in the lengthy list was an exception because of her significance in the life of Israel.
32. There were female prophets (they were called prophetesses) in the Bible. Miriam was one, Deborah, Huldah, and Anna (in the NT). There were two false prophetesses though--Noadiah and Jezebel. (side notes from the authors of The Principles of the Women of the Bible-Book One)
33. The Hebrew "Neviah" is the feminine form of the word "prophet," which means a speaker of oracles, one who spoke not his own words, but those which he had received from God.
34. Because of leprosy's contagious nature, in Bible days, those inflicted were required to separate themselves from other people and had to cry out "Unclean! Unclean!" when anyone came into view.
35. God changed Abraham's wife's name from being Sarai (My Princess) to Sarah (just Princess). While the change may seem insignificant at first, when God changed the name, no longer was Sarah to remain just Abraham's princess only, but now he would share her with a family that would multiply beyond belief.
36. Quote from the authors of TP of the W of the B-Book One: "Past faith is no guarantee of future victory--every day we must trust God."
37. Another quote from the same authors: "The main reason for consequences to sin is not the sin itself, but our unwillingness to deal with that sin God's way." (These are great quotes, and although they didn't come from the Bible, they are about God and I thought I'd throw them in for a little variation in the list.)
38. Quote #3: "Every time I sin, someone else is affected. Either they share in the bad that results, or they are robbed of the good that would have come if I had not sinned..."
39. Word study by the same authors the above quotes are by: Rahab's pagan family named her with a mythological and symbolic term meaning "the raging monster" or "the impetuous one." Yet, because of her faith, commended in the NT, this once gruesome term is ever associated with the woman who believed God.
40. Quote #4: "You cannot alter your past, but you can put your past on the altar." I like this one.
41. Middle Book of the Old Testament...Proverbs
42. Middle Book of the New Testament...2Thessalonians
43. Longest Book of the OT...Psalms
44. Longest Book of the NT...Luke
45. Longest chapter in the Bible...Psalm 119
46. Shortest verse in the Bible...John 11:35
47. Longest verse in the Bible...Esther 8:9
48. The longest word (that I can find) is Maher-shalal-hash-baz ( a person's name-18 letters long) found in Isaiah 8:3. The symbolic name meant "Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey," something the Lord had quoted in v.1 of the same chapter.
49. Methuselah lived to be 969 years old.
50. Read the story of the birth of twin boys (Perez and Zerah) where one had a scarlet thread tied on his hand before he was born. Gen. 38:27-30
51. Laws of morality were so stingent for the Israelites (to keep the purity and testimony of the people and the nation) that Deut. 22:22 says "If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel." That's serious people!!! Suppose we had these laws today. Adultery and divorce would probably hit an all-time low. Hmmm....
52. Deut. 22:5 gives the sundry law of men not wearing women's clothing and vice versa. It was an abomination to the Lord. Upon some study of this verse, it is believed that this law was enacted to prohibit such perversions as transvestism and homosexuality, especially under religious auspices.
53. In Judges ch.20, when the tribes of Israel went up against the tribes of Benjamin, the tribes of Benjamin actually had 26,000 men who drew the sword and 700 choice men. The 700 choice men were...ALL LEFT-HANDED! It is said in v.16 that these choice men "could sling a stone at a hair and not miss." With all of that awesome, left-handed talent, Benjamin was defeated anyway.
54. Absalom was said to be the most handsome man in all of Israel. He had no defects from head to toe. He had long, beautiful hair and got it cut once a year.
55. There was a man of great stature in the book of 2Samuel (21:20) who had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot, giving him 24 digits.
56. Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines. It is said that he loved Maacah, the daughter of Absalom more than all the others though. He fathered 88 children.
57. According to statistics from Wycliffe International, the Society of Gideons, and the International Bible Society, the number of new Bibles that are sold, given away, or otherwise distributed in the United States is about 168,000 per day.
58. The Bible was written in Hebrew, some Aramaic, and Greek. (If there is another language it was written in out there, tell me because I don't know it.)
59. The wisest and richest man in Scripture is Solomon
60. The most beautiful woman described in Scripture was queen Esther
61. The justification chapter-Romans 5, The sanctification chapter-Romans 6, The glorification chapter-Romans 8
62. Most ancient writings do not even profess inspiration, but the Bible professes not only to be inspired, but to be the ONLY inspired writing (Isa. 8:20). The central character of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, professes to be the ONLY way to Heaven. Unlike the ancient philosophers, the men of the Bible are men who speak with great power, certainty, and authority. (taken from www.av1611.org)
63. Another interesting design in God's word is His unique way of attaching meanings to various numbers. Developing a basic knowledge of what a number is generally associated with can be very helpful.
    One is unity. Two is division. Three is trinity. Some say four is the earth (?). Five is death. Six is man. Seven is perfection, or completeness. Eight is a new beginning. Nine is fruitfulness. Ten is the Gentile number. Eleven is a mystery to me. Twelve is Israel's number. Thirteen is rebellion.
64. The Author of the Bible is STILL ALIVE, so He can help you understand it (James 1:5; I John 2:27; I Kings 3:5-12). When is the last time you asked the Lord for understanding?
65. Quote: "I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible." Moody
66. Quote: "I enter a most earnest plea that in our hurried and rather bustling life of today we do not lose the hold that our forefathers had on the Bible. I wish to see the Bible study as much a matter of course in the secular colleges as in the seminary. No educated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible, and no uneducated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." Theodore Roosevelt
67. I don't know the author of this quote, but I really like it: "Other books were given for our information. The Bible was given for our transformation."
68. I love the use of words in this quote: "I have always said, I always say, that the studius perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands." Thomas Jefferson (Don't you love "...the studius perusal of the sacred volume..."? I've got to use that.
69. I love this quote too and believe it very much: "I Thoroughly believe in a University education for both men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college education is more valuable that a college education without the Bible." William Lyon Phelps
70. A little funny for ya: "Honey, go get mother that grand ole Book that she loves so well," a woman said during a pastoral visit. The girl returned with the TV guide. (Ouch!! This wasn't my little funny. I found it on a website)
71. The word Hallelujah is Hebrew for "praise the Lord"
72. The only two books in the Bible that don't contain the name of God are Song of Solomon and Esther.
73. Despite the fact that most people believe that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, it is more probable that the "great fish" mentioned in Jonah chapter one was not a whale because whales are very rare in the Mediterrean Sea.
74. The last word in the Bible is AMEN, meaning "so let it be" or "may it be so."
75. Another interesting subject that is found throughout the word of God is angels. Interesting Bible facts reveal what angels look like and why they were and are important to Christians. God sent angels to minister to those who are to inherit salvation. Another important fact that God's word shows us is that Christians are not to worship angels. God uses angels to spread good news, do spiritual battle, and to protect His children. He also uses angels to execute judgment. He sent His angels to Lot and his family to rescue them right before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness of the people. (taken from christiannet.com)
76. Although the Bible was written over a period of about 1400 years, its text has come to us in a remarkable state of preservation. This preservation was possible because of the large number of manuscripts found.
77. The books of the Bible originally had no chapters or verses. Now that is a cool Bible fact. Most people don't know this, but can you imagine now, reading your Bible without having it broken into chapters and verses. There was also no punctuation like ours used either. If you study the Greek language and text of the Bible, you'll know by words' endings where the text is supposed to stop, etc.
78. The authors of the New Testament appealed to their audience because they all had first hand knowledge of the Person of Jesus Christ.
79. Quote: "A little lie is like a little pregnancy it doesn't take long before everyone knows." - C. S. Lewis (Don't you just love him?)
80. A Bible in the University of Gottingen is written on 2,470 palm leaves.
81. The word ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek word ‘biblia’, a word of Latin origin and simply
    meaning, ‘books’. This word had its beginnings with the word ‘biblos’, which referred to any kind of written document, but originally to one written on the inner bark of the papyrus plant, imported from Egypt.
82. A collection of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible were discovered in 1947 in a cave in Wadi Qumran on the north of the Dead Sea. Among this collection was a 23-foot leather scroll containing the complete book of Isaiah. This copy of Isaiah is unique proof of the reliability of the Holy Scriptures, for the text agrees exactly with what we have in our present day Bible. From a total of 11 caves many more scrolls of different books were discovered. In the early 1960s a special museum in Jerusalem called, the Shrine of the
    Book, was built to house many of the scrolls. (taken from bibleinformation.googlepages.com)
83. The word ‘Armageddon’ only appears once in the Bible, but would be one of the most recognised Bible words today (Rev.16:16).
84. Hebrew words that start with a ‘Y’ sound have mostly been given a ‘J’ sound in our English
    Bibles. The Hebrew name ‘Yehowshua’ becomes Joshua or Jesus in English. The rather long name, ‘Yeruwshalayim’ becomes Jerusalem in English. ‘Yarden’ becomes’ Jordan, ‘Yizreel’ becomes Jezreel, ‘Yeriychow’ becomes Jericho and ‘Yowceph’ becomes Joseph.
85. Jesus is our Mediator in heaven (Rom.8:34; 1 Tim.2:5; Heb.4:14-16, 7:25, 9:15)
86. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible.
87. Salt is mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible.
88. Names for God in Hebrew: El-Elyon (The Lord Most High-Deut 26:19), El-Shaddai (The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His people-Gen 17:1,2 Job), Jehovah-Elohim (The Eternal Creator-Gen 2:4, Gen 1), Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord our Provider-Gen 22:14), Jehovah-Ropheka (The Lord our Healer-Ex 15:22), Jehovah-Rohi (The Lord our Shepherd-Psalm 23)
89. The prophet Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead (1 Kings 17:21-22)
90. The prophet Elisha brought back the son of a grieving couple (2 Kings 4:35)
91. A dead man placed in the grave of Elisha also returned to life when his body touched the prophet's bones (2 Kings 13:21).
92. The fish was used as both a secret code and an anti-Roman symbol by those who were persecuted in the early days of Christianity. Why a fish? Not, as one might expect, because in Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Rather, it was because each of the letters in the Greek word for fish, ichtus, are the same as the initials in the phrase Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter: Jesus Christ, of God the Son, Savior. (taken from truebeliever.012webpages.com)
93. The first of the 14 healing miracles Jesus performed was in Capernaum, when he cured the nobelman's feverish son (John 4:47-53).
94. Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. (I couldn't resist this timeless truth)
95. "The truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
96. The Most Common Name in the Bible--There are over 30 Zachariahs, with Azariah a runner-up at nearly 30. Third place goes to Meshullam of which there are over 20.
97. Under sundry laws in Exodus, these were crimes punishable by death: "(Be)" a witch." (or allow a sorceress to live)- Exodus 22:18, "Sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only." (or sacrifice to any God other than the Lord alone would be utterly destroyed) - Exodus 22:20, and "Doeth any work in the Sabbath day." - Exodus 31:15
98. "The truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
99. Jesus really is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
100. John 19:30 says Jesus uttered, " It is finished." Just like this list!

Thank you for reading all the way to the end, if you did. I hope you found this list quite interesting, useful, engaging. I hope it prompted you to look up some of these things for yourself. If you found any error in my information, please comment and let me know. I like to be corrected. I tried to personally look up all of the facts that I got from other sources, otherwise, the other facts were ones that I had studied and found to be true myself. Thanks for celebrating with me.

TAGGED--8 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

Nice lady Tracy at Seed Thoughts (http://takeck.blogspot.com) has been tagged by her friend Joanne at An Open Book to play along, telling others 8 random facts about herself. The rules of the play-along says that once you're tagged and you post, you must tag 8 other people, and that's how I came into the picture. Tracy picked me as one of her 8 people, and I've decided to play too. Below are the official rules, and then after that, look out for 8 really random facts about me. Leave me a comment and tell me whether you're surprised about what you found out. It's all true though.


Rules:1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.


And now, for what you've all been so anxiously waiting for, because my life is just so interesting (Ha! Just kidding!)...

1. I've told this before on another post, but I'll tell ya here again--I co-owned a pure breed Myotonic Goat (mistakenly and incorrectly called Fainting Goats) farm (Ebenezer Loop M Farms and Lab) some years ago with other family members. We raised for the goat meat industry, for pure breed stock, and for Myotonic goat promotion and care.
2. I wrote articles (2 of them) for the Goat Rancher magazine.
3. I drink green tea more than any other kind and I order directly from a small, family-owned farm in Japan.
4. I am 9 1/2 years cancer-free from a rare cancer that resulted from a molar pregnancy. The cancer was called Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. It's pretty rare. Thank God for my on-going health!! I needed no treatments, only surgery to be cured from the cancer. The surgery got it all.
5. I have 2 sisters and all 3 of us were pregnant at the same time twice. We all have 4 children apiece.
6. I lived in Hawaii for 4 years.
7. I lived in Petaluma California for a year, took the police officer's exams (I don't know what I was thinking at the time), and went through physical and psychological testing, passed everything with flying colors, but never went to or through the actual academy. I ended up moving away.
8. Finally, I have a child on the way to college in the spring, one in high school, one in middle school, one in elementary school, and I babysit one that's a toddler. Yes, my day's are full!

This has been fun! Now let me see who I can tag.

Robin at Pensieve (www.pensieve.typepad.com)

Kary at Palai Schole (www.palaischole.blogspot.com)

e-Mom at Chrysalis (www.chrysaliscom.blogspot.com)

Iris at Sting My Heart (www.eph2810.com)

Gina at Chats With An Old Lady (www.chatswithanoldlady.blogspot.com)

Momma Roar at Lifting Hands (www.liftinghands.blogspot.com)

Christina at Mustard Seeds (www.christina-mustardseeds.blogspot.com)

Linda at Remote Treechanger (www.remotetreechanger.blogspot.com)

I did it!! I was able to think of 8 people! Now I just pray that they don't all think that I'm some crazy wierdo out there that they don't know that much about or don't want to play along with. Sorry guys. You're in my favorites, so I just thought I'd ask if you'd like to play. I was tagged, so I tagged you. Hope you don't mind. Have a great evening.

Just a little Thursday news

Hello, my precious readers!! I apologize for having no fresh, new material up, but I left sort of last minute this past Sunday, to go to Memphis to help my little sister, whose baby is STILL due any day or hour now. I came because she thought she was going into labor finally, since she is more than a week overdue, and knew that if she didn't go into labor, she would be induced on Wednesday. While I don't have time to tell you the whole story with details, Wednesday came and went, and she STILL hasn't had her baby yet, and now her doctor is saying that the next time she can be scheduled is this coming Saturday!! SATURDAY!!! I came here to spend a whole week helping her clean, arrange, get prepared, shop, and help her take care of her newborn, and now she won't be induced until THE DAY I have to leave to go back home?!!!! I can't believe this, and I am sorely dissapointed. I want to see my nephew, and I don't want to feel like I came to Memphis and spent a whole week doing...NOTHING!! Well, not quite nothing. I am getting to spend time with family and give lots of attention to my niece and nephews...BUT STILL! I want to see my new nephew too, and now, there is a possibility that I won't be able to. I can't stay in Memphis longer than Saturday because of obligations I have at home. I'm just going to have to pray that she goes into labor naturally BEFORE Saturday.


Anyhooty, I just wanted everyone to know why the blog seemed suddenly "closed for business." I will be back on by Saturday or Sunday. I'm looking forward to getting back to writing, responding, and reading your comments, if you leave any. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in checking in with me the days that you can, reading my material. I appreciate that. I thank God for the opportunity to write. I've discovered this year that this is a privilege that isn't always priority on my list that day, but a privilege nontheless. God, family, and home come first, but behind all of that, I like getting the chance to get on here and write and share. I've learned so many things from all of you, and I like to know that there are some things here on my blog that you find interesting as well.


Take care all. Pray for my sister, the baby, and I, and that God works it out that I can be of the most help possible to my sister and the baby and that I at least get to SEE the baby before I have to leave.


Have a great and blessed week!!

6 QUIRKY THINGS ABOUT ME

I'm playing along with Kristen at Taste Buds (http://www.kschiffman.blogspot.com/) and a couple of her friends as they each post 6 quirky things about themselves. It's fun and neat to see what's really, shall we say, "peculiar" about our personalities. Maybe some of our friends and family know some of these things about us, but then again...maybe they don't:) So what's up with me? Can I be labeled quirky because:


1) I love tea, but only if it's hot and mostly if it's green. I hate iced tea and always have (and I'm from the South where this stuff runs in your veins). I'm not a real big fan of black tea, even if it's warm, but I can tolerate it. Green, white, and oolongs are my favorite.


2) I can't drink milk and couldn't, even as a baby, yet I can eat other dairy products with no problem, like sour cream, cheese, ice cream, butter, etc. They don't make my tummy hurt, but straight milk does.


3) I get cold, even in the hottest part of the summer. I only get hot (to the point it's uncomfortable) after I've stayed out in really high temps for longer than most people could tolerate. I freeze in my own house with the AC on, but so that I won't burn everyone else up, I just keep out my little throw blanket. I sleep under a sheet, a blanket, and a comforter year round.


4) I eat oatmeal or cream of wheat every single morning. Rarely do I change that habit. I like them a lot, and I need them too.


5) I can cook and bake very, very well, but don't like doing it. I'd rather do things outside, ministry work, things with the kids, do all of the laundry, or study, than cook or bake. I love my own food; I just hate to take the time it takes to prepare and cook it. I cook out of necessity, not because I want to. The kitchen is my least favorite room in the house. I'm not a bigger eater either, so I guess that doesn't help.


6) While most women love to shop, I do not, or at least not regularly. I don't have to hit the shops or the malls weekly, like some feel compelled to do. Like cooking, I shop out of necessity...usually (sometimes if I'm out and I find a smart deal I can't pass up, I get it, if it's in the budget). I do not like malls much at all. I do like to find good deals on my families clothes and shoes, but I like to find it, get in, and get out. I like quality items and mostly timeless clothing (I try not to do trendy--in today, out tomorrow), but they don't need to cost a fortune. I won't pay full price for anything we wear.


So, is that stuff quirky or what? You be the judge. I don't mind. I know I'm a little "different."

Hope you had fun. Hop on over to Kristen's and see what she and her friends had to say. Enjoy their lists.

PARTY! PARTY! PARTY! PARTY!

That cute little busy Robin over at http://www.pensieve.typepad.com/ has been bitten by the creativity bug again and she has created something cool and special--A Blog Hop! Because some could not attend the BlogHer Convention (?) in San Francisco (I haven't been blogging long enough to know how exciting the convention was supposed to be), she decided to party back home, so let's get together, why don't we, and party with recipes, meet-n-greets, and the like. Wanna know more about the purpose of this blog? Click on My Blog's Welcome Letter in labels. Wanna know some things (all true, but some peculiar) about me, click on Photos in labels. There you will see me, places I've been, my boys when they were little and more, but, you'll also get to see a list at the bottom of 10 things about me. That's where you'll see a picture of me at 18 (I'm far from that now) in my "back then, I thought I was pretty in mint green prom dress" picture. Oooh my, how times have changed, THANK GOD!! If you click on the "Miscellany" label, you'll see some interesting posts (I think there's a picture of hubby and I there too), AND you'll see how really raw (or green) and new to blogging I really was then. The post layouts and errors are terrible, but the content is probably interesting.

Anyhooty, I wanna leave you with this recipe. It's so easy to do and great for parties.

It's Neufchatel Cheese Dip

• You just get 1 8oz pkg. of Neufchatel Cheese (It looks just like Philly Cream Cheese in the grey box)
• Cut it in chunks into a sauce pan on med. to med. low heat (so it won't scorch)
• Add one can of Ro-tel tomatoes and green chilies (you can get mild, med. or hot. I like hot.)
• Melt and mix all ingredients together until cheese and Ro-tel are smooth.
• Pour into a dipping bowl and use Tortilla chips

Variations on the above are to use Philly Cream cheese, of course.

You can add baby shrimp and chopped, green bell peppers to the mix

You can do half Neufchatel and half Velveeta

You can add finely chopped ground beef

I've had these and a couple of other variations to this dip and all of my family loves it! It's almost a contest on how experimental we can be to come up with a new variation when we get together back home.

Now get yourselves over to Robin's place to Blog Hop with other Hoppers and get to know some new folks!!

PARTY ON PEOPLE, PARTY ON!!!

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! HAPPY 4TH TO ALL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY AND HAPPY 4TH TO YOU ALL!!

I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful and eventful fourth of July, filled with celebration, appreciation, and GOOD FOOD!!!

We're so excited here because it's my husband's 50th birthday today and our country's independence from foreign rule to become it's own wonderful country. Boy, we fought so hard and so long to get here, but WE MADE IT didn't we? Aren't we grateful for what so many gave up to make us free? I'm happy to be living in the country we live in. I count it a privilege, and I thank God for it and what goes along with being American.

Robin at Pensieve gave us something to talk about and share today, and I thought I'd participate. She asks:

How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? What are your long-standing or newly-inaugurated traditions? Favorite recipes, special events, or memories? What's the most bizarre patriotic display you've ever seen?

Well, first I'll get the recipe out of the way. Our family loves this, and it's easy to take along to 4th of July picnics. This is easy. You know how you normally make deviled eggs right? Well, consider adding deviled ham and finely chopped black olives to your egg yolk mix before spooning the mix into the egg white shells. Sprinkle a little seasoned salt and just a dab of red pepper (if you don't like these seasonings, don't add them--it's still good without them, just even better with them) to the mix and then spoon into the shells. Let me tell you, your guests, if they like regular deviled eggs, will love this. Like the BAM BAM man, you would have kicked these babies up a notch!! Sprinkle the tops of the finished eggs with paprika for color and a mild bite of flavor upon eating them.

Because I was just married a couple of years ago, we don't have a regular tradition for the 4th established yet, but we're working on blending what the kids and I used to do (because we did have our own tradition) with things my husband and his daughter want to do. This year though, we're going with neither. His brother and sister-in-law invited us to her relatives' home for a picnic, water toy play, and fireworks. Even my husband has never done this with his brother before, so that's what we're doing this year. We're taking along those famous deviled eggs mentioned above, steak that some friends gave us, to put on the grill, hot dogs, a big birthday cake for my husband, and juice pouches for the kids. All of the families involved are bringing something. It should be a good day. I pray so. No, literally, I prayed about this day this morning, before I got out of bed.

We also don't forget to tell the children why we celebrate the 4th. We realize that most people we know feel like it's just another holiday, a reason for people to be off from work, a rest during the long weekend, a reason to eat too much, and watch beautiful firework displays. Well, those things (most of them) are good, but like we should at all holidays, discuss the reason they exist, give meaning to them, be grateful for them, celebrate them, thank God for them.

HAPPY 4TH TO YOU!!!

CELEBRATE DAD! THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS TO!

WANNA RECOGNIZE THE MAN IN YOUR LIFE? LET HIM AND OTHERS SEE HOW IMPORTANT AND APPRECIATED HE IS!

www.heartofthematteronline.com is hosting a wonderful Father's Day recognition meme. Here's the details:

Welcome to the Heart of the Matter Online meme: Father's Day Edition. By the way, what exactly is a "meme"? Anyone care to explain this concept and its origin to us men?Anyway, today's theme is similar to the uber-popular Wordless Wednesday. We want to see your favorite picture of your husband and your kids, or your husband and yourself, or just your husband alone.If you do not have a blog, but would still like to share a picture, email us and we'll talk one of the lovely ladies into hosting it on their blog for you.Please link directly to your post. Failure to leave a direct link will result in the removal of your name from Mr. Linky.All participants of this photo meme will be entered to win a one year subscription to The Family Handyman Magazine. The "Family Handyman Magazine" is an indispensable guide to home improvement and repair. Fool proof, step-by-step photo instructions help amateurs turn out professional results on a wide variety of home projects. In every issue: Reviews of new products; using tools safely; auto and appliance repair and other handy hints.

Well, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to post a thought and picture of Honey, Daddy, My Man, our Priest, Protector, and Provider. He is all of that and more! We're proud of him and we thank God for him. He is a special gift to our family and all who know him. "Honey, thank you for being a man of God." We recognize and honor you this Father's Day and everyday. You're the Man!!

LAST POLL RESULTS AND A NEW POLL IS UP!

NEW POLL AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

GO SEE AND PLAY ALONG.

It's been a long time since I've put up a new poll question, but finally, there is a fresh, new one at the bottom of this blog page. Scroll all the way down and leave your answer. At the closing of the poll, I'll post the results.

The results to the last poll, "Are you a liquid soap person, a bar soap person, or both?" went like this: Only ONE person answered and that person (thank you to whomever it was that answered:) was a liquid soap person. Me...I do both. I have liquid soap at the sink in the kitchen and on the vanity top in the bathroom for hands. I use bar soap in the shower and I use a special kind of bar soap for grimy kitchen and garden hands that are especially dirty. All of my specialty and handmade soaps are bar soaps too.

So much for that. Come see me at the bottom for the new poll. Don't forget to look at the post below for a chance for a giveaway, and make sure you check in tomorrow for some Friday Fun posts. You'll have a chance to join in the fun too. See you then.

This is late-breaking but, I also just added a totally brand new page element (that you'll get to see on my blog daily now, so come back often and test and/or increase your Bible knowledge) at the bottom of the blog page, right above my poll, called Daily Bible Trivia Quiz. I found it tonight and I think it's so neat! More knowledge about the Word and the Lord--you've now got a really good reason to come back and see me...everyday.

Bloggy Giveaway...And this is a good one! LISTEN UP!!

Guys, this is a good one! You should really really really participate!! Okay, Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer (http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/) along with WOW Hits at http://www.wowonline.com/ has an awesome giveaway that I think that some, if not all of you would be interested in. Here's what it is and how you can win, and what Shannon says from her blog:

For Your Summer Listening Pleasure,

Subtitled: That Is a Big Honkin' Bunch Of Music
I have a giveaway for you today that will positively wear out your CD player.
WOW Hits 1 is a new compilation CD, full of hits from some of my favorite Christian recording artists, including Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin. You can see more details here. The nice folks behind WOW Hits 1 are offering TWENTY winners each a boxed set of 17 CDs, one CD for each of the artists represented on WOW Hits 1.
Did you follow that?
TWENTY of you will each win the following boxed set:
1. Barlow Girl - How Can We Be Silent2. Aaron Shust - Whispered and Shouted3. Cadia - Cadia4. Point of Grace - How You Live5. Skillet - Comatose6. Brandon Heath - Don’t Get Comfortable7. Michael W. Smith - Stand8. Third Day - Wherever You Are9. Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago10. Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door11. Steven Curtis Chapman - This Moment12. Chris Tomlin - See the Morning13. Matthew West - Something To Say14. David Crowder Band - Remedy15. Jeremy Camp - Beyond Measure16. Newsboys - Go17. Toby Mac - Portable Sounds
::AND:: You will also win a copy of the WOW Hits 1 CD.
Y'all. That's a lot of CDs.
Here's how you can win (this is a little different than most of the giveaways I host,

so please look closely):
This giveaway is only for bloggers (sorry, non-bloggers!). Public blogs only--no password-protected sites. Only U.S. bloggers are eligible to win

(sorry--shipping all those CDs is expensive!)
Put a link to WOW Hits 1 somewhere on your blog: that's http://www.wowonline.com/. You can post about it, you can put the artwork of the album in your sidebar, whatever you'd like. (If you want to put the graphic on your blog, here's how you do it.) As long as you have a link to http://www.wowonline.com/ on your blog, you're qualified.
You don't have to link back to this post of mine, but you can if you want to.
Enter your link in the Mr. Linky below, so I can find you!
I'll close down the Mr. Linky Saturday morning and will draw 20 (holy shmokes!) winners.

Okay guys, what do you think about that?!! Well, what are you waiting on? Get on over to http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ or http://www.wowonline.com/ and participate! BTW, I want to win these BIG TIME!!

MOMMY (Caregiver/Mentor) MONDAYS (#14)

I'M BACK EVERYBODY, IF THERE'S STILL SOMEONE OUT THERE READING ME BY NOW!!

I'm back from my son's week long events for graduation. His graduation was very nice, although the work going into the whole week was very tiring. I'm glad to be back home and the chance to get back to my normal routine. It's funny how we can get tired of what seems to be a monotonous daily routine until we have to go somewhere and do things that put us out of the routine, and then we start to cherish that routine. We start to love what God calls us to do for ourselves and our families everyday. I think we love what we do anyway, but we really appreciate it and our homes when we're away for a long time.

If I can get the pictures off of my son's camera, I'll send pictures of his brother's graduation and you can see how proud we are of him and how handsome he is:) !!

I'm realizing more and more how much time I need to spend with my children while they're young. I looked at my son the whole time and I couldn't believe he was 18 years old. I couldn't believe he was actually graduating from high school. I couldn't believe that he was not my little boy any more. There are some things that I feel like are gone, never to return, that I'm actually grieving over to some degree, although, I am glad that God brought him to this point and he has accomplished what he has. I am wanting him to go on to do exactly what God wants him to do, but a mother misses certain things. I don't want him to be anywhere but where he should be, so I must grieve in my little way, and move on. I'm ready and willing to do that. I need God's help with it at certain junctures though. He has been faithful to me.

Lately, I've noticed that the kids, even my 15 year old son, are still willing to go anywhere with Mommy. I love it!!! I will cherish every single moment. I want to do as much with them now as I can, while I can. It has been so rewarding, and I hope they know it. I will remind them regularly of how much being with them means to me. I want them to pass this on to their children. I want my children and their children and their children to have a great sense of family. I really thank God for the privilege of being a mother and having time to do things with them.

Well, tomorrow will be TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAY, and I hope I have something interesting to tell about all things tea. I love it so much, and I want everyone to find some kind of tea they can love and appreciate. There's so much out there, that there must be a kind for everyone. Anyway, until tomorrow, I bid you farewell. Have a great Memorial Day and a great time with family or someone you love, or who loves you!!

NEW POLL AND MESSAGE FOR YOU

My precious readers, there is a new poll at the bottom of the page, and I'd like for you all to participate, just for fun!! Sorry I hadn't updated and put out a new poll lately. I try to do one once a week, but the last couple of weeks have been mighty hectic, and when I posted, I forgot all about the poll. The answer to the last poll's question, "Which word means 'of persons given to using long words?" was the word sesquipedalian. I learned something new too. I never knew that word before I put the poll out. I love learning new words and their meanings!


One more thing I need you to know before I go; I will not be home to post for an entire week, starting tomorrow, so don't forget about me while I'm gone:), and I apologize for not being able to give you something fresh and new. For those of you who would like to pray whenever you think about my family and I, please do so. We welcome the prayers.

Come back to see what's new posted by this weekend, and we'll prayerfully be back in blogging or posting business!! I have a son who is graduating, and he has a week's worth of activities that I must attend to. That makes Mommy out of commission for a while. I will return as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding. Have a wonderful week in the Lord!!

100TH POST CELEBRATION DAY!! IT'S FINALLY HERE!!

I AM CELEBRATING BIG! WELL, TO ME ANYWAY! TODAY IS THE CELEBRATION OF MY ONE HUNDREDTH (100th) POST!! I AM SO EXCITED!! CAN'T YOU TELL BY THE MAJORLY BIG, OVER-SIZED, OFF-THE-DEEP-END SIZED LETTERING I'M USING AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ALL CAPS?! THOSE ARE CELEBRATION LETTERS HONEY!! SO, COME ON!! CELEBRATE WITH ME!!

All right, so you want to know what we're doing to celebrate? Well, I've thought about this, and I had a couple of ideas, but I couldn't come up with anything better than the idea given to me by a blogger named Kelly @ kellykirbyfisher@blogspot.com. Go check her out when you have time (but not now people-read on!). Kelly suggested that I give my testimony as an alternative to the typical 100th post theme, which is usually to tell 100 interesting things about yourself or things you are or were interested in doing. Just that whole fresh, different approach and the opportunity to be frank and transparent was appealing to me, and prayerfully, will be helpful to you; if not helpful, at least you can be grateful to God to be who you are and not who I was. So, with no further comments from the peanut gallery, here we go: (BTW, if you don't have time, you don't have to read this all in one sitting. It'll be here, so come back to it another time!)

1. I was saved when I was a young girl (before my teens), but I can't remember the age.

2. I didn't know what being saved really meant, but I wanted to be saved. In our family and church, you just were prompted when it was "time." You didn't disagree, question, or disobey. This was the thing you do before you get older because it's "right."

3. I probably got saved at a revival with my siblings. This was usually the time for us when it was done.

4. I belonged to a very small, Christian Methodist Episcopal church in Memphis, TN. (This is no longer my chosen denomination or where God wanted me to remain)

5. Most of my church (90% or more) was comprised of my family members.

6. I realized after I got to my early teens that I hadn't learned all that Christ wanted me to know about Him. I knew that something was missing, but I didn't quite know what it was and what I was supposed to be looking for.

7. Our little church closed its doors for good by the time I was a pre-teen or teenager and I never joined another church in Memphis until after I was grown and had children. I visited places regularly, but never joined or became an official member on the role anywhere. I was still trying to figure out my relationship with God.

8. I got married for the first time when I was 21 years old, apparently looking for what I didn't have in Christ, but I didn't know it at the time.

9. I moved to Ft. Campbell,KY with my Army husband and started looking for a church to attend regularly there. I was looking to go to church because it was the right thing to do, I wanted my son to go, and I may have been in pursuit of that "missing" thing that God wanted me to discover.

10. My then-husband played piano and keyboard, so when we were in search of a church, he naturally wanted to be a part of "plugging in" somewhere, so he chose to use his gifts that way.

11. We were happy doing this at first, and I thought that we would be one, big happy family, one that would go to church regularly and live out that fairy-tale marriage. It was right to be a church-going family that wanted the best for your family, work hard, and play regularly right? Where was the personal relationship with Jesus? I didn't know I could have one at the time.

12. I found a very conservative church eventually, that we wanted to be a part of. I didn't find out until later that, while they were very God-loving, people-loving, God-fearing people, they were extremely legalistic.

13. I wanted to be a part of this church because I thought these people had it together; not perfect, but they were pursuing something (later I realized it was what they perceived as pursuing Godliness) I desired. I was the one missing something and they were living nice, holy lives.

14. I thought to live holy meant that you had to give up some things (not just the things that you need to give up to be transformed to the image of Christ, but things like pants, short hair, all music but Christian hymns, and much more). I was willing and ready to give things up to get this holiness I saw and to get that "missing" component I had been looking for.

15. To these (I ended up moving around in Hawaii, and landed last at a sister church of the first church we joined) church's credit, they told me who God really was (the trinity), they told me all about my salvation, they were humble people who genuinely loved the Lord, and I got to see that played out in the way they lived, talked, and did life together. I wanted that!

16. My then-husband started to feel the pressure of living a Godly life, realized that we were not on the same page, had the desire to live a double life (a lot of what he wanted to do and a little of what God wanted), and didn't seem to have anything in common with the church people anymore.

17. I kept going deeper in this church, but I'm not sure I was going much deeper in Christ. The church and its activities were doing it for me. Oh, I was doing what I thought I should be doing, and I was growing more than I ever had before, but still, something was "missing." I was glad to be active and have my children active in church though.

18. My desire was to have my children know and love Jesus earlier than I did. That desire still remains although I see Jesus through different eyes now.

19. My then-husband eventually filed for divorce because obviously we were not pursuing the same things (and Person), and he admitted that he was not willing to do what it took to "fix" things.

20. Though I wasn't perfect in the marriage, I wanted to stay to do what I could and keep my family intact, but again, he was not willing. This was divorce #1.

21. Since my relationship with the church and God seemed to be working for me at the time and was really starting to be somewhat of a comfort in the midst of all of my turmoil, I continued on with church, church stuff, teaching my children (had 2 boys by then), etc.

22. Somewhere between #21 and #24, I moved to a little town outside of Ft. Campbell (my ex had been re-stationed at F.C.), was pursued by this same husband again at some point, and out of my desire to keep or get my family back together, I married this man a second time.

23. We were re-stationed back in Hawaii (2 tours there-Yea!!). We were divorced again, for the same reasons he filed the first time, not more than a year or so after I had moved back. Divorce #2. (I was still looking for love in all of the wrong places, and valuing a relationship with someone above my relationship with Christ, but I didn't recognize that I was doing that. I thought I was doing the right thing. Somebody was getting cheated, and I don't think it was my ex!)

24. I moved to California with a friend to start a new life and continue to raise my children. I lived in northern California.

25. My friend was active duty Coast Guard and she was also a single parent. She thought, out of her graciousness and kindness, she would invite me to live with her for a while until I found a job and a new place to stay of my own-help me with a fresh start.

26. I loved northern California, and so did my children at the time. My oldest son went to a little school there so small, that it couldn't have been more than 70-80 students from K to 5th grade. It could have been even smaller than that. He only went one year. I homeschooled him after this.

27 We lived in California for almost a year. I did get a job, I applied for school, but never got a chance to go, and I took the written and physical tests to become a police officer in my small town and passed them with flying colors.

28. I attended an old, historic church in California (another conservative, legalistic one, of course, but less legalistic than the last), that had been split and practically abandoned years before I came, but the church was still struggling along with very few "leftover" people who were committed to staying. People were just "existing" at this church, but they were very humble and were trying to have programs and a sense of purpose again.

29. I really liked the people at this church because most of them seemed to like and live the old-fashioned way. One lady who went even spun her own wool, from her own sheep, that she sheared herself. This and other things I discovered were so fascinating to me!

30. Something came up, and I needed to move back to Memphis before I could apply to the cadet school to become an officer.

31. I had one of the highest scores that they had ever gotten on the written, and I passed all of the physical tests without having had prior prep or training except I couldn't seem to pass the test of scaling a flat, smooth wall. I have no idea why. It took me forever to learn how to do it, and after a week of going at it, I finally did although it wasn't pretty!!

32. I moved back to Memphis with the intent of living independently of needing my parents, and with the intent of finding a church and continuing on with that. I had learned to love church and having my kids involved in some incredible programs. "Programs"...boy that makes a church doesn't it?

33. Back in Memphis, I found another church that we would call home for a while. It was as legalistic as the first one I joined in Hawaii. I thought this was the way to live, so this was the kind of environment that I would naturally look for. Again, these were wonderful, warm, serious people about the Lord, and I'm still trying to fill in the gap of what I was missing. By now, I may have even thought that gap was filled in.

34. In between all of this time, I took classes in college (I had already gone when I graduated high school), went to beauty school very briefly, and worked really good jobs that paid me well enough to live on my own, pay my bills, and raise the children.

35. Somewhere in these years, my oldest son's father and I (different man than my first and only husband at this point) met again, wanted to pick up where we left off when I was 18 and dating him heavily (so heavily I got pregnant while in college and had my first child), and he wanted to see and claimed to want a relationship with the son he'd never seen up to this point. My son was now 8 years old.

36. I had had the above mentioned son at 19 and delivered at 20 (so I went into marriage #1 with a son already and then had a son in that marriage. I'm just bringing you up to speed. You gotta keep up. This turns into a roller coaster ride.). Never considered one second giving him up though. I thought, as hard or unsure as life was for me at that time, I already loved this unborn child, I would survive somehow, and if I did what it took to conceive him, I needed to be that purposeful and decisive about raising him.

37. I moved to my present city, dated him for a while, got pregnant with my daughter, and married him, because...well, I loved him when I was 18, he loved me very very much when I was young, I had his child and was about to have another one, I wanted to keep family together again, if at all possible, this could work.

38. Nope, I didn't ask God. I just hoped He approved because 'this could work based on what I knew about the guy back when and what I hoped for right then.' I'm still, at this point, looking for something from somewhere.

39. I never had to have a man, because I stayed by myself contently when I was single, so I figure the only reason I got back with them was a sense of having my own intact family, making sure the kids had a father (I only had children by both my husbands, after all, and I didn't sleep around with other people or have babies by other men.), and hoping that things worked out for that sense of "happily ever after."

40. I'd always wanted to be married as a young girl, and I knew I wanted lots of children. I didn't want to ever be divorced or fight like my parents. (Ha! I had superseded my own parents in #'s of divorces by then. I could have taught THEM something! So much for that idea as a girl)

41. Even though I didn't have to have a man to be content or happy with myself, I still had a hole that needed to be filled, but it wasn't being filled by them. What was happening here?

42. While I wanted things to work out with their fathers, and I loved at least one of them, I wasn't completely devastated beyond repair and didn't feel like I was going to die when they wanted a divorce. I was hurt and wounded, but I always knew I would recover, and at this point, I knew that God would help me. I just wasn't making Him the center of my life.

43. Bouncing off #37 above, I soon realized that my life had changed drastically since I was 18 and knew this guy (when I was young, dumb, and full of fun!), and he realized that I had changed too.

44. He discovered that I was interested in God, in an ever-increasing way, and that we had grown so far apart over the years that we really didn't know each other after all, not any more.

45. We kept trying to make things work. He didn't recognize that he had some deep-seated issues that he had never gotten help for. So they affected him very negatively over the years that we had not seen each other. This issues affected our family in devastating ways. He decided that he didn't care enough.

46. The Lord kept drawing me closer, kept protecting me, kept filling that hole, kept loving me until I lay prostrate on the floor one day, after having wept all day and all night about my present situation, my stupidity, blindness, and ignorance in the past, and how much I just desired Him, plain and simple.

47. I begged for his forgiveness (which He had already given me at the cross), repented of lots of things, asked for guidance, made some promises to Him, asked for peace in the middle of what had become a tumultuous storm, and asked for the protection of my children until this man changed and accepted Him, or until He could give me a right way out where my hands would be clean of any further sin.

48. The Lord gave me that peace that surpasses all human understanding by the next morning. My life had changed without a doubt. I couldn't feel any more pity or pain. I had been broken, but He had delivered me. He had brought me through the storm. He had heard my cry and my call and saw my sincerity. He knew that I had recognized my utter need for Him and Him alone.

49. My husband asked for us to leave the home within a matter of weeks. I had remained peaceful with him, non-combative, non-argumentative, etc. He was trying to figure out what was going on. He had gotten to the place where it was vexing his spirit to pass by me and see me read my Bible, pray, teach the children about the Lord, etc. He hated when we went to church. He hated preachers. He hated the sheer presence of the Holy Spirit.

50. God had filled the hole! Praise God Almighty!!!

51. My three children and I left, with no knowledge of where we would go. I had no money and no job because I had stayed home with the children while he worked.

52. Although I had no money and no prospect of a place to go, I had to be one of the happiest people on earth at that moment. I was happy to be kicked out with my children in the street.

53. I was FREE after all! When I packed my stuff and pulled out of that driveway for the last time, I never even looked back in my rear view mirror.

54. God freed me from that den of hell where I had been married to and sleeping with the enemy or at least one of his henchmen.

55. I didn't have to file for a divorce (like I didn't want to be responsible for doing), I didn't have to be the one to just walk out on my husband without trying to win him over with my behavior and conversation and spirit, and I didn't have to kill him for his abuse, neglect, and abandonment that we had endured the whole time we were living there!! Yea!! God rescued me from a whole lot of things!

56. He put us out so...WE COULD LEAVE! The man told us to never come back again; that he didn't want a family. He wanted to be single because he functioned better that way (I managed to have the monopoly on marrying "strange" men). God is so clever with helping you fix your mistakes, and He does it all without helping you sin.

57. While I had been in "earth hell," and had received God's peace, He allowed me to learn incredible things about Him. I figured out how much He really loved me. I figured out that He could do a good job being my all in all.

58. I had consumed so much of God's Word while I was with this man. All I had had time to do was read, meditate, pray, read, meditate, pray. God gave me all of that time at home everyday to focus on the kids and just READ!

59. He was going to use it later. He knew I'd need it. He grew me up (spiritually) so quickly, it was unbelievable! It seemed that I had learned what it was to really live. My belief system changed while I was there, not about God, but about life, His will, His plans.

60. I learned that I had two jobs here on earth, and those were to glorify God and tell others of Him.

61. I determined to live life only as God had spelled out at this point. I determined to give my children a sense of total dependency on Christ. I wanted them to see me madly in love with Him, not a him.

62. I had already been attending a new kind of local church in my city, so at this point, I was praying about whether this is where God wanted my children and I to remain.

63. I moved in with a friend temporarily, got a job, saved up money, put my boys in school temporarily (I started homeschooling again later.), and eventually found a place of our own.

64. I moved, gave my children a much-needed peaceful home environment, and eventually got another job that kept me from working all night. I had been working third shift while living with my friend and it started to take its toll because I was working all night and looking for a home, taking the kids to school, running errands, helping with homework, and then preparing for work again all day.

65. God had proven Himself to me. He made good on His promises. I loved Him more everyday. I had never felt this way about the Lord in my whole life. I knew that I had been saved, I had been finally taught about the trinity in prior years to this, but I had a personal relationship with Christ now, and nothing else mattered. I wanted to be alone with God. I just wanted God and my babies!

66. I found a 2nd shift job that allowed me to homeschool all 3 of my children during the day and continue to teach them to be independent and responsible, so that when I went to work, they could function and do well without me.

67. God protected my babies in my absence. I had to pray with them and for them day and night. I had to pray for myself so that I wouldn't stress out worrying about them and, I could work peacefully.

68. My boys did a great job taking care of themselves, doing assigned chores, studying, and feeding themselves what I had prepared for them (on schedule I might add) or what they had learned to cook from my teaching.

69. They would pray together or seperately, go to bed on time, didn't let anybody in our house while I was gone (that came later when I wasn't working any more, but left to run an errand. Go figure!), and had themselves prepared for school the next day. My oldest would even check the windows and the doors to make sure they were locked safely in.

70. My daughter was very young so she went to a babysitter or her father's until she was a little older and her brother's were responsible enough and felt capable of watching her. (The proceedings for divorce #3 were occuring somewhere between now and #71-84 I think.)

71. My boys had learned how to fish, hunt, and shoot accurately when we lived around or visited my dad over the years, so because I owned a handgun for protection (my dad had insisted and taught me to use them also, since I lived alone and traveled alone a lot), my boys always knew where my handgun was, and they knew how to use it. They would use it if they had to. I wasn't there, so it was God and the gun as protection. That's how it was.

72. My children were discovering some neat things along the way about God also. They had seen the Christ life lived out in front of them before, but now they could see it lived out freely without someone trying to impede that at every turn. They got to discover that God was real, that He answered prayer, that He loved them tremendously, and didn't want them hurting, etc.

73. They were beginning to be more excited about Christ, fellowship with other like-minded children, and settle into some sense of normalcy. My children had been saved for a while at this point, but they could now be at peace and see God's hand directly in our lives. They learned to trust Him more.

74. My job was changing, so I needed to put my children in school.

75. I went to a local Christian school, checked them out, and told the pastor that I wanted my children, if they had to be put back in school out of homeschool, to go to a Christian school so that they would be surrounded by at least more of the mention of God and things of Him for all those hours away from me during the day.

76. I told this pastor that while I wanted that, I couldn't realistically afford tuition for 3 children out of my salary, but that I was willing to do anything it took.

77. I told him that I would sweep the parking lot for them if necessary, that I would do whatever task they gave me in exchange for tuition or to earn money to pay tuition.

78. After I interviewed with this school and the pastor saw my genuineness (and after I prayed of course, like I had learned the value of doing about everything in my life at this point), I took on a job as an assistant teacher and would sign my checks over to the school as I earned them to pay tuition.

79. I worked 2 full-time jobs at this point, one that allowed me to still be with my kids all day and keep tabs on them (and it paid tuition), and one at night that paid the bills and put food on the table.

80. I had an hour and 15 minutes between jobs to take my children home, go over homework, dole out chores, tell what would be for dinner, give out snacks, etc. I hated to do it, but I kissed my babies good-bye, and Mommy was off, missing them like crazy, but doing what this single parent had to do.

81. Somehow, God had allowed me to make every game, program, drop off at every practice, etc. that my kids were involved in. Just because I was a single parent that worked two jobs didn't mean I was going to or wanted to use that as an excuse to miss anything. I wanted to be as much a part of their lives as I could. (It was God's grace and enabling period!)

82. I got home between 12:00 and 1:00am on average every night. God gave me enough energy, after working 2 jobs to come home, wash clothes, iron my daughter's uniform and my clothes for the next day, check homework left out for me, thaw something for dinner the next day, see if I needed to clean something the kids couldn't after their own chores, do my own homework (whatever I hadn't finished earlier at my desk when I was working) from a course I was taking, read my Bible, and get myself ready for bed.

83. By the time I finished all of the above, I may have gotten or averaged about 2-3 hours a night at best. I had to get up early to get myself and the kids out for school and work.

84. This went on day after day, year after year, while I had gotten so comfortable with the fact that it was just me, Jesus, and the kids, that I didn't and wouldn't have known a prospective mate if I saw one.

85. I wasn't looking for anybody, didn't want anyboy, didn't need anybody, and had gotten comfortable with God being my literal everything. He had become my constant companion, my confidante, my priest, my protector, my provider, my husband, my children's father, my all in all!

86. What else did I need or even want?! Nothing-just Jesus.

87. I cherished my obedience to Christ, my singleness, my comfort zone I was in, my total need and dependency on Him, all of that and more.

88. God sent a husband my way, only after He was sure that I didn't need him for any reason except for His reasons. I personally thought that this was a mistake, not something of God, and just a distraction or temptation that I needed to shun.

89. For me, this was going to be easy. Just smile, be polite, and politely reject him. I wasn't against men, I just didn't need one, and I had come to the realization that no man walking on two legs on this earth could do a better job than Jesus with me and my children.

90. Well, the above fact is correct, but obviously I went from one extreme to the next. I went from living life without Christ on the center seat and allowing (although not needing) these men into my life to over-protecting myself, keeping anything that remotely looked like an interested-in-a-relationship man away from us and out of our lives. (I dated no one when I wasn't married to my children's fathers or going through a divorce and living alone.)

91. I also didn't think that I could trust my own judgement and decisions when it came to relationships and men. I didn't want to ever mess up again. I didn't want to casually date, and I certainly wasn't thinking of marriage because that could potentially (a great chance in my case) lead to divorce. I hated divorce! I didn't want my children to suffer through any more bad relationships. It was safer to just stay single. It had been working more than well up to this point. Why would God want to send me somebody?

92. I didn't want anybody to compete with God in my life. (Well duh sister me, God didn't want that either. Get some balance here chickarooney!)

93. So God sends this guy (see my Marriage Monday post for details on this one), breaks down these too-high protective walls of mine, shows me who was boss, whispers in my ear one day during class that this was His chosen person for me and I needed to submit, showed me why He was giving me this gift of a man at this point in my walk, and told me to remember whom I served and how perfect He was and that He made no mistakes.

94. HIS thoughts are higher, bigger, and better than ours evidently!

95. My husband, the one and only true one sent from God Himself, the one who seems like he's the only husband I've ever had, as if this marriage is the first and only one I've had, waited on me, waited, believed God for this promise of a wife, and prayed while I went through my questioning myself and God, while I doubted my need for him, while I doubted that I could actually give myself to anyone for any reason, while I wavered back and forth, while I did everything else and said everything to try and convince this man that this could be a potential mistake that neither of us should want to take a chance on. (Thank you God for this man. He is perfect for me! You are an awesome God and he is a wonderful man of God! Oooohooo, thank you Sweet Jesus! When I became an adult, all I'd ever wanted was a real, genuine, love-God-like-crazy, Christian husband who loved family and people's hearts or I wanted nothing at all! Look what I got!!!!)

96. My husband says that he immediately sensed and saw my heart for Christ and that attracted him so much that he knew he had to pursue this woman more and see what else she was about.

97. He watched how God had given me the ability to raise my children single, stay involved in their lives in every way, and have them behave so nicely and obediently (I didn't say what some of you see with them now; I'm talking about then, okay:). He was impressed.

98. God had allowed me to finish a 2-year Christian course and was giving me opportunities at my job, at church, at home, in Memphis, and elsewhere to use what I had learned to teach and tell people about Him or learn how to study their Bible. I was still growing in Christ by leaps and bounds. Now He would give me the opportunity to use what I had learned in a marriage, that along with the life experiences that my flesh had succumbed to and other things that God allowed.

99. God turned my bad into good, like only the God of the universe can do!

100. I still desire to love and worship Him with reckless abandonment! I pray for and hold fast to my desire to never trade my Jesus and my life-long pursuit of Him for anybody or anything. I don't have to. I am free to love, live, and die with my Jesus. I am free indeed! He makes that possible. Two of my favorite verses are 1Peter 2:9-10--We here are a peculiar people (a people for God's own possession), brought out of darkness into His marvelous light, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him! He has shown us mercy beyond measure and grace! We love Him! I hope you do too!!

And that, my dears, with many smaller details and events necessarily left out, is where God has brought me from. I was praising Him the whole time I was writing this because I know the triune God and what I've been through. It could not be done under any human effort and energy. I didn't mention that God chiseled away at my character and brought me through a 2-month parental interference (It's a nice, legal term for the non-custodial parent kidnapping your child with no intentions of bringing them back), gestational trophoblastic disease (a nice, medical term for a rare cancer in the uterus as a result of a molar pregnancy), a miscarriage, a hysterectomy, and the discovery that my oldest son suffers from a mental disease and will never be the same he was prior to 15 1/2 again. And this all happened while I was believing in, and/or following and serving Him! I am better, stronger, and more usable for it. Praise His Holy Name!!