The Best Blueberry Muffins & Bread Ever!

Yesterday I made a batch of blueberry muffins for my husband to enjoy. It has been 10 weeks since I have made him anything from scratch, and since I was feeling pretty good, I decided to try it.

These were the BEST blueberry muffins that I have ever made! I made 6 Texas sized muffins for him and I used the remainder of the batter to make a little blueberry loaf for my neighbors to enjoy as well.



Here is the recipe. So easy to make and so delicious to eat!

Mrs. Fink's Best Blueberry Muffins Ever

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 - 2 cups of fresh blueberries (frozen will work if that is all you have)
2 1/4 cups of flour*
1/2 cup milk

*use can use whole wheat flour, all purpose flour or my favorite combination of oat & all purpose flour ~ I make this by grinding 2 cups of oats in my blender and then adding 1 cup of all purpose flour to it. makes such a light and healthy muffin, you will love it!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffins cups or one loaf pan (if you want to make it as a bread).

In a mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar together, add the eggs and beat until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt. With a spoon or spatula, fold in half the flour and half the milk. Repeat. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon into muffins cups or bread tin. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you like. Bake muffins for 25 minutes and bread for about 50 minutes. If you are making mini bread loaves, bake for about 35 minutes.

I glaze mine with a mixture of powdered sugar and orange juice ~ put 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl and then add just enough orange juice to make a thick glaze.

These are delicious and special enough to share as gifts ~ Enjoy!

"Two Times!"

Yesterday Sabrina was over and shared with me the cutest story about our little 2 1/2 year old grandson Conner . . .

"Mom, you know how I have been busy training Conner to obey me the FIRST time that I tell him something. We have been singing the "I Will Obey Right Away" Patch the Pirate song, I have been reminding him that he is supposed to obey me the first time I tell him. I even have him repeat it to me. "How many times should mommy have to tell you to do something?" "One time," he will answer. "You need to obey me the first time," I tell him, "Yes mommy," he says. And then you know how silly he gets, sometimes when I ask him, "How many times should mommy have to tell you do something?" He smiles and says to me, "Two times :)!" And then I have to remind him, "No Conner, this is not funny, he must obey me the first time you are told."

Well, apparently he got in trouble for not doing something the first time he was told the other day and after he got a spank*ng, she told him that she loved him and reminded him that he is supposed to obey the FIRST time he is told.

She said that a few minutes later he walked into the room, put his little hands on his hips and a pouty look on his face and said, "Two Times!" and then ran off!

Isn't he something? When he acts like this we tease and say that he is the spitting image of his father :)! But the truth of the matter is that he is the spitting image of all of us, isn't he? Is there a one of us that doesn't get their feathers ruffled when they get corrected? And how many of us would LOVE the opportunity to say the last word if we could :)!

Children are a blessing from the Lord and they are a great responsibility as well. I pray regularly for my daughter as she works hard teaching and training her little fellow each day. It's not an easy task. But it sure is a worthy one.

And if she will stay faithful to the task, one day he will grow up and make her proud and she will be so very glad about that.

Coffee for One and Other Neat Things I'm Enjoying

Ever since I became the "one armed bandit" ten weeks ago (following my shoulder surgery), I have been trying so many new things and I am loving so many of them. One of my favorite things is enjoying flavored coffee served in my "tea for one" set that my daughter Kina gave me a few years ago. I am 49 years old and the first cup of coffee I ever tasted was about a week ago and now I am hooked! I especially love the Butter Toffee flavor from Gloria Jeans.

This is the creamer that I have bought to pour into my cup of coffee. It is Almond Toffee from International Delight and it is soooo delicious! I'm not really sure that I love the coffee as much as I love the fact that it provides a place for me to enjoy this creamer :).

Ever try flossing your teeth with one hand? It's pretty difficult with the traditional string, but these little floss piks do the trick! My daughter Sabrina found them for me at CVS and I don't think I will go back to the "string way" again :).

The sweet ladies from my church brought meals to my house for the first 8 weeks and that was so nice of them to do that, but after 8 weeks of being helped, I thought it was about time that I helped myself. The only problem was that I still didn't have functional use of my right hand, so I have depended upon the expertise of Bertolli and their package meals to help me fix a delicious dinner for my husband and me each night. These meals are quick and easy to fix and are fabulous! They taste as good as something you would order at Olive Garden.
Some of you may think this is vain, but after looking at my bruised and sagging arms lined with newly formed scars, I longed for a fresh "lift" to my skin. I found exactly what I was looking for in this tube of Loreal Sublime Bronze Tanner lotion. This stuff is amazing. It dries quick and it makes you look like you have a beautiful tan. It brings with it a little bit of shimmer when you first put it on, but it goes away after you shower. This little product has also helped my legs look a little nicer in sandals at church on Sundays and Wednesdays since I am still not able to put on a pair of nylons.

Another product I have tried for the first time in my life lately is yogurt. I find that all of this medicine is tearing up my stomach and I craved something cool, creamy and dairy. Yogurt fit the bill perfectly and it's good for me too!


And since I have not been able to properly "get my hands on my face", I am also enjoying Clinique's mild cleansing gel, #2 exfoliating toner and their exfoliating scrub!

I am also very thankful for my husband who must still fix my hair for me and my daughters who are still helping me with my housework. I still have many weeks to go until I am able to actively use my right arm and I don't know what I would do without them!

Letter to My President

This morning I received an e-mail telling about some derogatory statements that our President made about those of us that stand for traditional values. I'm not usually very politically responsive (I allow my husband to handle this), but today I felt like I had to share my voice.

This is the note that I e-mailed to our President this morning concerning the statements about those of us that haven't embraced this whole "gay rights" thing:

Dear Sir,

I have just read the quote you made in regards to those Americans that aren't totally supportive of the gay rights movement about our "worn arguments and old attitudes." I would like to remind you sir, that these are biblical arguments and God's attitudes about this sort of thing. The Bible tells us the following truths in regards to wisdom, knowledge and understanding:

Psalm 111:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. "

Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

And THIS is what He has to say about the homosexual lifestyle:

Leviticus 18:22, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

1Kings 14:24, "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel."

And this is what the GOOD Kings did when they ruled the land:

1Kings 15:12, " And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made."

1Kings 22:46, " And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land."

2Kings 23:7, "And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove."

You have been given the privilege to rule this nation as a gift of God, I would encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity that you have been given and do His will . . . this is what is best for our nation . . . and doing what is best for our nation is supposed to be a President's highest goal.

Respectfully Yours,
Mrs. Julie Fink

Now, I love gay people as much as I love anybody else, but just because I love them as people, doesn't mean that I support their lifestyle. God made them male and female and this whole "gender blurring affair" is a tactic of Satan to destroy our great country in the same way he encouraged the destruction of ancient Rome and Greece. I want to encourage all of you to write to the President and let him know what you believe about this whole matter. You can e-mail him easily by going here.

Learning from the Life of Sarah

Today we are going to learn from the life of the woman that God chose to be our example of a great Christian wife. Please turn with me to I Peter 3:1-6 and let’s discover who she is.

Who is this woman that God says that we should pattern ourselves after if we would desire to be a godly sort of wife? It is Sarah, the wife of the patriarch Abraham.

In I Peter 3:5-6 the Bible teaches us that Sarah was a wife that was known for her trust in the Lord and her obedience to her husband Abraham. Let’s take a few minutes and read what the book of Genesis has to say about Sarah’s life.

In Genesis 11:29 ~ 12:17 we find the first description of Sarah’s life:

*She was the wife of Abram (later renamed Abraham)
*She was barren
*She lived in many different places
*She was asked to lie about her identity (we also see this again in Genesis 20:1-5)
*She was protected by God

In Genesis 16:1-2 we read about how she “helped” Abraham conceive the child that God has promised him, and in Genesis 17:15 we find God blessing Sarah and making it clear to her that it is through HER that Abraham chosen descendants will come.

Then in Genesis 21:1-8 we find her rejoicing after giving birth to baby Isaac at the ripe old age of 90! And then finally, in Genesis 23:1-2 the Bible records the death of Sarah at the age of 127.

Sarah was an amazing woman, that is for sure, but to be honest with you, the Bible is FILLED with the testimonies of amazing women, isn’t it? What made Sarah’s testimony as a wife so special?

I believe it was her great faith in leadership that was provided by her flexibility in following it.

Evidences of Sarah’s Faith

1. Sarah’s faith in the leadership of her husband. The Bible teaches us in I Peter 3:6 that Sarah referred to her husband Abraham by the term “lord”. When she called him this she was acknowledging the he was her superior, and that as her superior, he had the right to rule over her in that office. As her ruler, she believed that he was responsible to direct the affairs of her life and that it was her duty to be subject to him.

2. Sarah’s faith in the protection of her God. When Sarah was asked to say that she was Abraham’s sister (rather than his wife) did it with no recorded fear. The Bible tells in Genesis 20:5, that she told King Abimelech herself that she was Abraham’s sister, it wasn’t just something that he said and made her agree with. And how could she do this crazy thing (twice for that matter)? Because she had faith that God would protect her as she did.

3. Sarah’s faith in the plans of God for her life. The Bible told us in Genesis 17 that God wanted Sarah to be the mother of Abraham’s promised son and that He was going to bring it to pass when she was 90 years old! And Genesis 21 tells us that she rejoiced about it when it happened!

Sarah was an amazing woman of faith! And her faith was PROVEN by her flexibility to her husband’s and God’s commands.

Evidence of Sarah’s flexibility

1. Sarah was willing to follow her husband wherever he felt that he was supposed to go. Wherever God seemed to send Abraham, Sarah was willing to follow him and go.

2. Sarah was willing to be whatever her husband needed her to be in any given situation. If he needed her to be his sister, she was his sister. If he needed her to be the mother of his promised child, she was willing to be that too.

3. Sarah was willing to “work outside of the box” in order to help Abraham conceive the son that God promised that he would receive. Many people chastise Sarah for offering Abraham the opportunity to bear a child with her servant girl Hagar, but what they fail to recognize is that God had not made it clear at this time that Sarah was supposed to be the mother. Of course, after the big fiasco with Hagar and Ishmael, God makes this clear to her, but before this, she was just working within accepted tradition to help her husband fulfil the promise that he had been given by God.

4. Sarah was willing to be used by God to bring forth the promised baby, even though she was very old and way past the child bearing years!

Do you want to be remembered as a great wife and woman by God and those that lead over you? I know that I do. And if we do, then we must decide to be women that did like Sarah did: trust in the decisions made by our leaders and be flexible enough to do whatever it takes to obey
what they say.

The Fate of Ms. Kate

On the Sunday before I went in for surgery, my friend Karen gave me a gift bag filled with "get well goodies." In that bag were some yummy chocolates and a book entitled, "Multiple Blessings."

The book was about a couple named Jon & Kate Gosselin and how they came to conceive and care for eight little children. I have to be honest with you, when she gave me the book, I didn't know a thing about this couple. I have since learned that they have a show on TLC, but it was something that I had never seen.

I read the book one night as I was up struggling alone with my pain. My husband is a pastor and he is often gone many nights during the week. I'm thankful for things like books and tapes that often keep me company during times like these.

After I finished the book, I had two thoughts and I came to one "almost prophetic" conclusion. My thoughts were ~ it is very sweet how determined this woman is to be a mother of children, and it is very sad how manipulative with nature that she is willing to be to achieve it. As a woman that has lived to almost the age of 50, I have learned from experience that women who feel the need to control and manipulate their everyday world around them are women that suffer from a very small amount of faith in God.

Kate Gosselin is a very controlling and manipulative woman. I don't think any one would disagree with me about that. But this wasn't the conclusion that I came up with as I closed the pages of that book and put it away on the shelf. The conclusion that I came up with is this ~ this couple will be divorced before these sweet children turn ten years old. Even though there was a lot of talk about God and church and working together for the good of the kids, this Kate woman made the worst mistake a wife can make in her marriage . . . she made HER AGENDA the main focus of the family.

You know dear friends, most men can handle a controlling and manipulative wife. They may not particularly like it, but they will usually deal with it AS LONG AS she is willing to center the family life AROUND HIM and his agenda for life.

Why are men like this? Because that's how God made them to be. He created them to be the provider, the leader, the lord, the one that sets the pace and keeps up the race. And whenever a woman goes against this God-ordained plan, there is trouble. Big trouble.

To this date, I still haven't watched one of their shows on TLC, but I have caught wind of bits and pieces of the destruction of their marriage through the news reports that I read each day. And it's sad, very, very sad. Sad for her, sad for those kids, and sad for him as well. "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder," the admonition goes, and when men and women do allow their marriages to be put asunder, there is always lasting heartache and pain.

What can be done between them at this point? Well, if they were to come to us for marriage counseling, we would tell them this ~ forgive and get back into your biblical roles. This is the way God designed things, and because God designed it, it always works.

I'll be praying for this couple in the days ahead. Praying that they get the good godly counsel that they need, and then praying that they will humble themselves and heed the good counsel that they receive.

You be praying for them too.

The Missing Link

A few weeks ago I came across this saying: "To know the problems, spend time with people; to know the solution, spend time with God." I liked this saying so I wrote it down on my calendar and began to meditate upon it.

And the longer I meditated upon it, I began to think that there was a missing link to its truth.

I mean, of course we all know that people have problems. I'm one of them and I have my sure share of them. And if I were to ask you about it, you would admit that you have them too.

And as born again Christian women, we all know that God's Word is FILLED with the solutions to our problems. I don't think any one of us would contend with this fact.

But here is the missing link . . . how does the person with the problem LEARN HOW to apply and benefit from the solutions that are found with God and His Word? They do it by spending time with people who have found solutions to their problems through the applying of God's Word!

And where do we find these kinds of people? Sometimes in the pews of our local church . . . but most often in the pages of biographies of great Christian women and men.

When I was a young Christian, I was always reading a biography of some great Christian person. This is how my faith gained its courage and how my focus stayed heavenward. I remember so vividly being encouraged by the prayer life of George Mueller, the tenacity of Hudson Taylor, the perseverance of Susanna Wesley, the hopefulness of Darlene Diebler Rose, the courage of Brother Andrew and the great faith of Susanna Spurgeon and Ann Judson. It was as if God used the godly testimonies of these folks to "connect the dots" between the problems that I was facing in my every day life and wisdom of the Word of God that I was reading every day.

I'm ashamed to say, that over the past many years, I have replaced my reading repertoire with "How to Do the Christian Life" kind of books and it has been so long since I have walked with a "How They Made it With Christ" kind of saint.

And you know what? I'm weaker spiritually because of it. Oh, sure I KNOW a lot about this and that, and yes, I still DO what I am supposed to do when I need to do something . . . but I am starting to notice that my passion for doing it is starting to flicker and fade . . . and this is something that I am not satisfied with.

I have always wanted to live an abundant life with Christ. It has been my goal to keep the fires of my faith hot for God and to keep a bounce in my step as I serve Him. I never wanted to become one of those casual Christian women that hid behind the "well, God is sovereign" kind of excuse.

And yet, in the midst of dealing with so much pain and being out of my regular servant routine for so long lately ~ this is exactly where I see myself heading, and the time has come for a directional change.

I'm putting down the next "how to live the Christian life book" that I was about to read, and I'm reaching for a book ("Evidence Not Seen") about a woman named Darlene Diebler Rose that suffered in a Japanese prison camp. I need to be reminded how to put this pain aside and keep my focus on learning how to give praise and glory to God during this time.

I'm so thankful for the great Christian men and women that have lived before us. They are the missing link that we need to show us how to apply the solutions from God's Word to the problems that are robbing us of our Christian joy and spiritual strength.

Moans, Complaints and Other Signs of Stress

"Stop moaning," my husband must say to me a million times each week. "I can't stand that sound. Stop it."

"I can't. You don't understand. I'm in so much pain, and when I moan it helps to relieve the pain."

"I don't care, stop it, I can't stand to hear it."

"I'll stop when you stop," I then tell him.

"Stop what?" he says in response.

"I'll stop moaning when you stop complaining. I'm just as tired of listening to you complain as you are tired of listening to me moan."

"I don't complain."

"Oh yes you do. You complain every time you have to do anything to help me. I moan because I am hurting and you complain because you are unhappy. I'll make you a deal ~ I'll stop when you stop."

And so goes the conversation showing the signs of our stress level these days. It has been nine weeks since my shoulder surgery today and this whole process is starting to wear both of us very thin. I'm sick and tired of dealing with the pain and he is sick and tired of having to help me as I recover through it.

Will we make it through to the other side with our relationship in tact? The Bible tells us in Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." We will make it if we keep our focus on glorifying God through all this . . . but in order to do this we must take the glare off of ourselves.

My husband goes to the gym to gain the clarity he needs each day . . . I've learned to turn on my music and shuffle my stress away.

This morning as I was moaning and moving around the living room, this particular song encouraged me and I'm sure that it is something that will encourage some of you going through your stressful time as well . . .

The Potter Knows The Clay

I know you're going through the fire
It's getting hard to stand the heat
But even harder is the wondering
Is God's hand still on me
It's lonely in the flames
When you're counting days of pain

But the potter knows the clay
How much pressure it can take
How many times around the wheel
'Til there's submission to His will
He's planned a beautiful design
But it'll take some fire and time
It's gonna be okay
'Cause the potter knows the clay

Friend, I just came through that fire
Not too very long ago
And looking back I can see why
And that my God was in control
But on the hottest days I'd cry
Oh Lord, isn't it about time

Isaiah 64:8 reminds me, "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

God is busy making and molding me into His image. At times it is a painful process. A very painful process. But when I remind myself of the potential of being made into a beautiful vessel for Him through this . . . I'm strengthened and encouraged to move forward and do the next thing. I know this will help me to glorify God during this time and when I glorify Him with my life, even in the hard times, He becomes very happy with me.

Now if I can just learn to do it without moaning ~ my husband will be happy with me as well :).

Learning from the Life of Eve

Last Sunday I began a new series entitled "Women We Can Learn From". This is going to be a GREAT series and I thought that some of you might want to follow along with us :)!

Today we are going to begin a series entitled, “Women We Can Learn From.” Over the next thirteen weeks, we will be learning from the lives of a variety of women in the Bible. The Bible teaches us in I Corinthians 10:11 and Romans 15:4 that those that have gone before us are our “ensamples” and that the story of their lives has been left for our “learning” to bring us hope.

We are going to begin our series by studying the life of Eve ~very first woman that was ever created. Turn with me to Genesis 2:7-3:8.

How was Eve created? She was created from the body of the man.

For what purpose was she created? She was created to be help meet to the very first man.

What was the man doing at this time that she was supposed to be helping him with? In what ways do you think she was able to be a help meet to him at this time?

The very first woman was created from the rib of the man, in the midst of the beautiful Garden of Eden for the purpose of being a help meet to the very first man.

Life was going along pretty perfectly for this first woman wasn’t it? She had everything that she could want and everything that she would need. And then along came that subtil serpent, the devil himself, to do what he could to steal, kill and destroy the opportunity for her to enjoy the great life that God had desired for her. (John 10:10)

The main lesson that I want us to learn from the life of Eve is that each one of us has an ENEMY who has come to steal, kill and destroy the good life that God desires for us to live as well!

How does he do it?

1. He speaks to us through words of doubt. Genesis 3:1-4. “Hath God said?” “Ye shall not surely die.” He comes whispering in our ears words of doubt about the good things that God has called us to do and enjoy in our lives. What are some of the ways that the devil has whispered words of doubt in your ears? What have you done with them when he does? Do you respond by telling him the truth? John 8:44 reminds us that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies! Be careful who and what you are listening to! Make sure that you are listening to people and things that are encouraging you to obey the Lord and live the abundant life that He has laid out for you!

2. He tempts us by showing us things we don’t need to see. It is so important for us to be careful with our eyes! The Bible tells us that Eve was fine until she SAW that the tree was good and pleasant and to be desired. So many times we allow the devil to get the best of us because we allow our eyes to roam where they don’t need to be looking. Where am I talking about? I am talking about looking at your friend’s good marriage, your neighbors beautiful house, the model in the magazine’s gorgeous body, your best friends perfectly behaved kids, someone else’s new car, gorgeous wardrobe, attractive furniture, etc., etc., etc.. You know what I’m talking about ~ all those things that you look at that cause you to doubt the goodness of God in your own every day life.

3. He encourages us to be brave and reach out and taste of the forbidden fruits in life. “You won’t surely die” the devil said in Genesis 3:4 encouraging Eve to be brave and taste that forbidden fruit, “for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And sure enough, after spending so much time listening to his words of doubt and focusing her attention on that which was forbidden . . . This first woman gave in to the temptation as “she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Eve allowed the devil to tempt her to disobey the commands of her loving Creator and now she found herself being separated from the abundant life that God had planned for her to enjoy.

And you know what? Her eyes did become open to the negative side of life. And ever since then, when women follow in her footsteps and allow the devil to whisper words of doubt into their ears, parade things that they shouldn’t see before their eyes, and talk them into doing that which is forbidden by God ~ their eyes are opened to following negative aspects of life as well:

1. Discontentment ~ they lose the opportunity to be happy with what they have

2. Discouragement ~ they lose the peace of being happy with who they are

3. Disappointment ~ they lose the opportunity of being happy with what they do

How can we avoid falling into the same trap of temptation that Eve fell into?

1. Keep our ears listening to the words of God! Read the Bible daily. Listen to good Christian music throughout the day. Attend church so that you can hear the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Make godly friends.

2. Keep our eyes focused on God’s blessings in OUR life. Spend time looking after your own husband, your own children, your own home, your own things, your own self, and the other beautiful things that surround your own life.

3. Keep our hands and feet doing what God has called us to do. What are the things that God has called us as Christian women to do? Titus 2:4-5 gives us this list, “to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands.” And if this list isn't long enough, you can read MORE about how to appropriately spend your time in Proverbs 31!

So, what did we learn today from the life of Eve? We learned that we have an enemy that has come to steal, kill and destroy the abundant life that God has given to us to enjoy.

Forgiving Living

The other day I was sitting on a quilt out front with my two grandsons and a basket filled with toys. The two and a half year old was playing with his little golf set and the nine month old kept busy crawling around and standing up with a toy in his hand. It was such a beautiful afternoon, and I was so happy to have Sabrina and her two little boys around.

Then the infractions began. Conner decided that he was done playing golf in the yard and decided that he wanted to sit on the blanket with me and Hayden and play with the toys in the basket. That was all fine and good until he realized that playing on the quilt put him into "Hayden banging range."

Hayden is nine months old. He is the cutest little fellow on the planet. And he loves his older brother more than any other young person in the world. But he is a baby. And the way babies play is by banging things around.

"He's hitting me!" Conner cried. "Hayden's hitting me with his toy!"

"I'm so sorry about that," I told Conner, "He doesn't mean to hurt you. He's just a baby and that's what babies do."

"But he's hurting me!"

"I know, come over here and sit with me. I'm sorry that Hayden is hitting you. That isn't very nice, is it? But he doesn't really know any better, so you must forgive him." I told him as I rocked him and held him real close.

"But he's going to do it again!"

"Yes," I said to my little wise-beyond-his-years grandson, "He probably will do it again. And we must forgive him again . . . and again and again . . . because he really doesn't know any better."

After I said this Conner gave me a warm and happy look and we just snuggled safely together for a few minutes and then he forgot all about being offended and went off to play with his golf set again.

I have been thinking a lot about this little encounter over the past few days. I have thought about how important it is for ALL of us to realize that in this world, we SHALL have tribulation . . . but take heart . . . Jesus has come to help us overcome the world.

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

And how did He overcome the world? Through the forgiveness of sins! I think as born again Christian women we sometimes forget about this, don't we?

We remind ourselves of the death, burial and resurrection, the miracles that He performed, and the way that He is preparing a place for us in Heaven when we die . . . but we forget the purpose of it all . . . and that was to provide us with the forgiveness that we need so that we would be able to SOMEDAY enjoy it all.

Forgiveness is such an important thing. If Conner doesn't learn to forgive his little brother now, he will ruin the wonderful relationship that he was meant to enjoy with him later on.

The same goes for us. Every day we are offended by someone we love who doesn't really mean to offend us like they do. The ungrateful husband. The stubborn child. The self-centered friend. The frustrated store worker. The greedy brother or sister. The negligent mother or father. Sometimes it seems like some people LIVE to offend us in one way or another, doesn't it?

But the truth of the matter is that most people don't really know what they are doing when they offend us like they do. They are just like little baby Hayden ~ doing what they know to do, without any idea of how it may be harming you.

Learn to forgive. Learn to let things go. Understand that because people are sinners, and that sometimes they are going to sin against you. And when they do it again, forgive them. And when they do it again, you must learn to forgive them again. And when you find yourself struggling with this, remind yourself that you are a sinner that sins against other and offends people too.

I was reminded of this after Conner got up and went back to playing with his golf set. It wasn't but a few minutes later that his swinging was starting to affect the safety of the baby.

"Conner, take that golf set over there," we told him, "You are too close to the blanket and you are going to hurt the baby."

"Ok," he said, and then he just kept playing right where he was playing.

The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 and 6:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," and "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Don't you think that since God gave us the gift of forgiveness through Jesus that we needed . . . that we should be able to give others the forgiveness that they need . . . through Him . . . as well?

Happy Birthday Sabrina!

Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. She turned 26 years old today. I remember the day Sabrina was born just like it was yesterday.

Sabrina was born on a Wednesday afternoon at around 3:00 p.m.. She was due two days earlier, so it seemed like she would never come!

Being so that Sabrina was my second child being born, I was interested in "seeing" the whole process of her birth for myself so I brought my glasses along with me in the delivery room so that I could clearly watch the whole process. Well . . . after witnessing a whole bunch of blood flowing . . . I took those glasses off and allowed myself to just "experience" the rest :)!

Sabrina was the most pleasant baby. Baby Hayden reminds us of her when she was little. She was very easy going, loved everybody, took a bottle when she needed to (even though she was nursed), walked early, talked early, potty trained herself, and loved playing with her bigger sister (who was only 15 months older).

I am so proud of the young lady that Sabrina has grown up to become. She is the wife of a full-time Christian servant, a Bible college graduate, a mother of two, a sincere helpful servant, a loving daughter, and a good friend to many.

I would like to share a simple acrostic using the letters in my daughters name to express some of the attributes that I feel describe her at this time of her life:

Sweet natured

Adorable

Beautiful

Realistic

Intelligent

Nice

Adaptable

Happy Birthday Sabrina! I pray that God blesses you in a special way today and that this is your best year yet!

Love,
Mom

Baby Beautiful

Hayden is nine months old now and just gets cuter and sweeter as each day goes by. My husband and I are enjoying him in a special way because he reminds us so much of Sabrina when she was a baby. He looks like her and acts like she did as well. Sabrina was such a happy and pleasant baby.

Hayden continues to crawl, climb, stand up and let go and he has suddenly decided that he isn't afraid of his Noni's dog anymore. When we were over there the other night dropping Sabrina's birthday gift off, he crawled right up to the dog and grabbed a good hold of her fur! Good thing she is such a mild mannered dog. She took it all in stride and just ran far away as soon as she could escape.

Sabrina is such a sweet mother and Hayden loves her so much. His whole face lights up when she walks in the room and when she picks him up he clings tightly to her just like a little koala bear.

He also loves his Papa, my husband. Last night my husband took Sabrina out for her birthday and my husband said that Hayden just sat there so peaceful in his lap the whole time. He really is such a perfect little baby.

We keep telling him that he is not allowed to grow up . . . and he keeps on growing anyway. What a pleasure it is to have Sabrina live so close to us during these years. It is so nice to be able to enjoy every stage of our little grandbabies lives.

Pleasant Words

Last night, while we were sitting at the table eating dinner my husband told me that the missionary that had visited our church the night before had telephoned him and said the following pleasant things . . .

"I just want you to know how much me and my family enjoyed your church service. The spirit is amazing and we loved the way you started out the service with humor, the organization of it all and the friendliness of the congregation. Do you know that we received more money from the people of your church for just being a visitor than from the last meeting that we were invited to share our work in? You have a generous people. You are doing any amazing job. My wife and I both agreed that if we lived in your area, we would definitely be a member of your church."

The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 16:24, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." The words of those missionary candidate were used as a honeycomb in my husband's life as they brought sweetness to his soul and health to his bones.

The Lord encouraged me in a similar way through a phone call that I received from Mrs. Debi Young, the wife of the president of Hyles Anderson College this past weekend when she called to ask me to speak in a special Thursday afternoon session at the Ladies Spectacular this year.

"Thank you so much for asking me to speak for your session Debi," I told her, "That was so kind of you to think of me like that."

"Not at all," she said, "You were one of the first people that I thought of! You are a good teacher, have a happy spirit and are interesting to listen to. I know that you will keep the ladies attention. I made sure that I requested your name early so that I could have you in my session."

Debi Young always has something nice to say to me. Her words are pleasant and they bring sweetness to my soul and health to my bones.

Are you thinking some nice thoughts about someone today? May I be bold enough to encourage you to share them with the person that you are thinking of? So many times so many good things are left unsaid, aren't they? Let's determine today to do more than just think them . . . let's put feet to those thought and say them as well.

Friends Indeed!

This is the first week since my surgery that I will be making my own meals. For the past six weeks the ladies from my church have been bringing me meals every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and some Sundays. In addition to this, some of them have come over and cleaned my house, washed my linens, driven me to doctor appointments, taught my Sunday School Class, attended meetings and done my grocery shopping for me. For past six weeks I have been a friend in need and they have proven themselves to be the best friends indeed!

The women of my church are great people and I am so very thankful for each and every one them!

Mothers Together Seminar

Tonight I am hosting a "Mothers Together" Seminar at our church. I have invited Mrs. JoBeth Hooker, from First Baptist Church of Hammond to be the special speaker for the night. JoBeth is the mother of six grown children ~ all girls ~ and everyone of them has grown up, gone to Bible College and are serving God full-time with their lives.

I met JoBeth about eleven years ago while my husband was attending Hyles Anderson College. She is a very wise woman and the ladies will be greatly blessed by the messages that she will share with us tonight.

I have asked her to speak to us about the following two things:

"Encouraging Family Unity"

"Making Your Children Feel Loved"

JoBeth has a wonderful testimony in both of these areas and I would love to encourage all the ladies in our area to attend this seminar tonight. The cost is free and it begins at 7:00 p.m.. I am encouraging the ladies to bring a dip or spread to share and our very own "Haggy & Baggy" will entertain us and even have a little game as well.

It's going to be a great night. Hope to see you all there!

My Cup Runneth Over

Today is my birthday. I turn 49 years old today. The other day my husband asked me what I thought about turning 49 this year and I told him that I was thrilled about it!

Why am I so thrilled about it?

Because at this stage in my life I am blessed in so many wonderful, wonderful ways. I have a good husband who serves the Lord and loves his family, two precious daughters that have grown up to become incredible young ladies, a fine son in law that I am very proud of, two adorable grandchildren that I love more than words can express, a church family who have also become my dearest friends in this world, an extended family that love and care for me, a beautiful home to live in, and modern medicine and a great Orthopedic Surgeon that is helping me to gain my physical strength again.

My cup runneth over.

Last night at church I was showered with so many gifts and good wishes. I have already received many telephone calls, text messages and e-mails wishing me a happy birthday today. My daughter Kina will come over in a short while and we will go get our nails done together (my husband gave me a deluxe pedicure for my birthday). Then later on Sabrina and the boys will come over and we will enjoy a special birthday dinner of grilled pork steaks, rice, salad, and a yummy birthday cake that Kina has made.

My cup runneth over.

While I am at the nail salon with Kina, I encouraged my husband to go golfing with Kina's boyfriend Jonathan and our son in law Jeremy. I am so happy that the sun in shining and that they will be able to do this together. This makes me so happy. Kina dating a wonderful Christian young man makes me so happy.

My cup runneth over.

When I opened the cards that I received from the church trustees I discovered three very generous gift cards to my favorite places and money for me to buy a pair of glasses. Some of the other cards held generous amounts of money and gift cards as well. I'm going to have so much fun shopping!

My cup runneth over.

When I opened the many gift bags that I was given, I received so many nice note cards, chocolates, journals, frames, candles and other neat stuff. What a wonderful feeling it is to be loved by so many good friends.

My cup runneth over.

My husband gave me a very special surprise gift this morning (in addition to the pedicure gift card) . . . he bought us tickets to An Evening with IL Divo on July 7th! I'm so excited about this! Many months ago someone sent me a link to a video of them singing "Amazing Grace" in the Roman Coliseum and watching it griped my heart and moved me to dears. This four operatic young men are absolutely amazing and I'm so excited to go see them perform with my husband.

My cup runneth over.

I love birthdays and I have always believed in celebrating them as something special. I love celebrating the birthdays of my family and my friends in a special way, and I feel really blessed that they desire to celebrate mine in a special way too.

Forty-nine years ago God chose to give to me the gift of earthly life. Twenty-six years ago I put my faith in the saving grace of His Son and He blessed with the gift of eternal life as well. I am precious to God and He is so ever precious to me.

My cup runneth over.

If you have a birthday this week, happy birthday to you too! May God bless you richly and may you be loved by many . . . so that you will also join me and say . . . my cup runneth over.

Dancing the Pain Away

"What are you doing?" my husband asked me as he was busy getting ready for work today.

"I'm dancing. I'm dancing the pain away."

He just shook his head and smiled. I gave him a wave and I danced myself out of the bedroom and into the living room where my cd player was playing.

"Someone's coming, could this be him? No, I'm not the one, just Abraham. On Mt. Sinai, when you saw the ram, it was just a picture of the coming lamb . . ." were the words that I heard when I walked in the room.

I just kept dancing. Moving my arms back and forth, swaying my feet from side to side. As long as I kept myself focused on the words of the songs and moving to the rhythm that they were sung to, I was ok, the pain seemed a little further away.

It has been six weeks today since I had my shoulder surgery and as of today, I am still in a great deal of pain. Nights are the worst it seems for us shoulder surgery recoverees, and first thing in the morning is pretty bad too.

So, what do I do? I just put in my happy Christian music and I get busy moving. And as I keep busy moving, pretty soon my shoulder loosens up and I begin to feel a little bit better. Oh, the pain is still around, but it becomes more of a dull ache, rather than a raging storm.

And I notice that the longer I dance, the clearer my mind becomes and I am able to think about the day ahead. And as I start to think about something other than my pain, my body begins to loosen up and I am able to tend to my morning chores . . . like making beds, emptying the dishwasher, making coffee for my husband, getting in the shower myself.

You might be thinking that I am crazy to start my day out dancing the pain away . . . but I have come to the conclusion in the past six weeks that it is a whole lot better for me to begin my day trying to dance the pain away rather than gripe and complain about it which seems to invite it to stay.

Dancing my pain away is not a new thing in my life. It is something that I have been practicing for the past 25 years or so. Almost as soon as I became a Christian, it became my habit to play happy Christian music and dance whenever ANY kind of pain came my way.

In my early years as a Christian, I experienced a great amount of relationship pain in my marriage. When my children were older, I experienced the pain of worry as their mother. In the past 8 years that we have been in the ministry, there have been many painful times socially, emotionally and physically as well. And each time the pain comes around I'm reminded to bring my happy Christian music around too.

How does singing and dancing to happy Christian music help my body chase it's pain away? It helps because of WHO it brings into my life . . . and that WHO is the Holy Spirit . . . which is the comforting arm of God.

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" Ephesians 5:18-20

Birthday Wish List

I have a birthday coming up on Thursday this week and since I am blessed with such a great group of family and church friends, my husband and I have been asked many, many times what kinds of things I would like for my birthday.

Isn't this a wonderful problem to have? I am so blessed and I'm so grateful to be loved by so many.

I have promised many of them a list, so to those of you that have asked, here it is . . .

Things I would love to receive for my birthday:

perennials to plant in my flower garden
note cards
small pretty notebooks
nail polish in clear, pinks and reds
boxed candy filled with chocolate nuts and chews :)
neutrogena facial peel
neutrogena ageless lotion for oily skin
facial masks for oily skin
pedicure
curel lotion for dry skin
instrumental Christian cd's
Il Divo cd with Amazing Grace on it
More Love to Thee ~ biography of Elizabeth Prentiss
Marriage to a Difficult Man ~ biography of Mrs. Edwards
Southern Grace ~ book written about Mrs. Hyles
Southern Gospel cds (that are happy and not "rocky")
dish towels
kitchen oven mitts
Make up mirror (large stemmed silver one run on batteries)
Toaster Oven (that fits under the cabinet)
Sheet Set (queen size ~ white)
bathroom rug (medium blue)

My favorite places to eat are . . .
*Panera Bread
*Corner Bakery
*Red Lobster
*Pancake Cafe

My favorite places to shop are . . .
*Macys
*Christopher & Banks
*Target

Things I am saving my money for . . .
*eye appointment and new pair of glasses
*new comforter set for my bed & curtains for my room

I sure hope this helps! Thanks a bunch for being so kind and loving and thinking about me this week! I sure do appreciate it!

Love You!

Driving Miss Julie

Last night I went driving in my car for the first time in almost six weeks. It is something that I need to get back to doing. And it is something that feels very strange to do.

Why did it feel so strange? Because my arm is still "frozen" in its "sideways" motion. Driving with both hands on the wheel felt a little therapeutic and exhausting at the same time.

Why is it time for me to start driving? Because it is time for the rest of my family members to get back into their own routines again . . . especially my husband. After almost six weeks of having his schedule interrupted on an almost daily basis to take me somewhere that I needed to go, his "servant spirit" is running thin and it's time for him to be filled, rather than drained again.

Today is our monthly Sunday School teachers meeting and soul winning day. It is important to me that I attend this meeting. I had to miss the last one. I've had to miss too many things lately.

It's been almost six weeks that I have been recovering. And although I know that I still have a long way to go as far as therapy goes . . . I am making great strides in being able to take care of myself and my home on a daily basis.

What am able to do so far? I am able to load and empty the dishwasher. Cook oatmeal. Clean out the refrigerator. Shower and get myself dressed. Put most of my make-up on. Get my own medicine. Pick up shirts from the cleaners. Mail letters at the post office. Type up my Sunday School newsletter. Write my own thank you notes. Dust my furniture. Wash & fold my clothes. Walk one and a half miles. Call those that need a friend. Read my daily devotion. Pray with more focus. Attend an evening church service as well as the Sunday morning services. Have company over. Attend a birthday party. Go to Home Depot with my husband. Massage my own arm. And as of last night, I am able to drive my car.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Happy Birthday Pastor Dave!

Today is my husband's birthday. He turns 51 years old today. I met my husband when he was only 22 years old. A month after I met him he turned 23. I remember that first birthday celebration together just like it was yesterday.

We were both living in Beaufort, South Carolina and the weather was already hot. Very hot. He was a drill instructor at the time and he had to work for most of the day. When he got off we went out to eat and then I surprised him with presents, a cake and candles for him to make a wish over. When I pulled the cake out, I thought he was going to cry. He said that no one ever really made big about his birthday before. He came from a home that didn't really celebrate special days in a special way. He made his wish and blew those candles out and sharing birthday celebrations in a special way has been our family tradition ever since!

I come from a family that celebrated everything in a special way. And we especially celebrate birthdays in a big way! After all, a birthday represents the day that God brought you into this world as a gift to your parents and a blessing to society in general. A person's birthday is a very special day!

And the birthday of my husband is a very special day in our family indeed! Today Pastor Dave will open lots of presents, eat his favorite foods, we will do whatever he wants and then later on, our daughter Sabrina is hosting a birthday bar-b-que at her place. Kina will bring the cake and we will all gather together as a family to celebrate the special fact that God brought my husband into the world on this day.

Yesterday, as my husband was planting some more flowers around our house, as we were talking a little bit about him turning 51 years old and he said this to me, "Julie, I am so blessed. I have a beautiful home, a wonderful family, two grandsons, a meaningful job and so many people that love and care about me. God has been so good to me and I am so thankful for that."

Yes, God has been good to my husband for the past 51 years. He has given him abundant life. And for that we are thankful and we are glad.

God bless you honey! Happy Birthday to You! And may God bless you with many, many more years to enjoy!

My Dear Sabrina

Every Wednesday, for the past four weeks, my dear daughter Sabrina packs up her two little boys and comes over to help me for the day. On this day, she does a variety of things that have been a great help to me ~ and one of them is to write my thank you notes each week.

As many of you know, I had surgery on my right shoulder five weeks ago, and writing things down on paper is still something that I am not able to easily do.

The other day, as I looked at her sitting in the chair with a pen in her hand and a pile of blank notes on her lap, I couldn't help but think of a PBS documentary on the many "Ladies in Waiting" that help Queen Elisabeth keep up her personal correspondence each week. The Queen receives thousands of letters each month and is adamant about answering each one of them with a handwritten note.

Although I don't receive thousands of letters each month, I do receive dozens and dozens of gifts and meals and other gestures that I want to make sure I respond gratefully to, and I'm so thankful for my very own "Lady in Waiting" that I have in Sabrina.

I sure do appreciate everything that Sabrina has done to help me in the past few weeks, and since it would not be appropriate for me to dictate a thank you note for her to write to herself, I thought I would take this opportunity to type her a note publicly so that she will know just how thankful I am for her willingness to be such a sweet servant to me in my time of great need.

Here it goes . . .

My Dear Sabrina,

Just a note to let you know how much I appreciate EVERYTHING that you have done for the past five weeks to help me. Mere words cannot express the gratitude that I feel in my heart for the kind way you have cared for my needs in such a gracious way.

Thank you for coming over every week and cleaning my house, making sure my laundry gets done, and going to the grocery store for me. Thank you for writing my thank you notes for me and returning phone calls for me as well.

Thank you for organizing and hosting the shower for Ashley this past weekend, she loved it and everyone else thought it was a great success! Thank you for stepping up and giving the devotional and making sure the church was all cleaned up afterward. You are amazing.

Thank you for helping me put together the home school yearbook. I appreciate your willingness to put your artistic ability to work and get this project done for me while I am busy at home trying to get better.

Thanks for figuring out my ice pack machine and making sure I get "iced" up while you are here.

Thanks for sitting around and talking to me. For listening to me. For making sure that I have something to read and something to eat. Thanks for calling me all the time to make sure I am ok.

Thanks for bringing the little ones over so I can visit with them. It brightens my whole day when I get to see them.

Thanks for ironing my clothes, cleaning out my fridge, cooking me breakfast and lunch and washing my bedding and blankets. Thanks for caring for my house like I would while I am not able to.

Thanks for picking up Dad's shirts from the cleaners, for making Dad lunch when he comes home, for being such a loving daughter and for being such a great friend.

I don't know what I would do without you Sabrina, and I'm so glad I don't have to know. You are such a blessing to me and I appreciate you so very much.

With So Much Gratitude & Love,
Mom

Sabrina really is amazing. In addition to taking care of me for the past five weeks, she has also kept up her duties as a wife to her busy husband, and mommy to her little children, a servant at her local church and a keeper of her own home duties! I'm not really sure how she does it . . . but I'm so very grateful that she does.

Busy Getting Better

Tonight is Friday night and I am sitting here at home alone.

Again.

I was supposed to go to a graduation ceremony at Hyles-Anderson College tonight with my husband and oldest daughter. Her boyfriend is graduating tonight. We were supposed to meet his parents together. I was so looking forward to the opportunity to go. I even had my outfit picked out.

And then it happened. Just as I was busy "proving" to my husband that I was ready to go out and do something special, my body proved otherwise and overreacted to something as simple as my just trying to eat an early lunch. In the middle of my meal, I doubled over with a pain in my side that felt worse than labor pains, turned pale as a ghost, and panted for breath.

Even I was scared.

Fortunately for me, Sabrina was here cleaning my house and the kids were playing at our friend Debbie's house.

"Mom, are you all right?" she said to me as she turned the corner into the kitchen and saw me bent over.

"I don't know," I honestly told her, "I don't know what is wrong. I have the worst pain back here and I can hardly breathe. I feel like I'm going to throw up."

I stumbled to the bathroom and it was here that I learned about the pale color of my face.


"Oh Mom! You are white as a ghost. You don't look good. I'm calling Dad."

No, don't do that, I thought. He is not going to be happy with me. I tried so hard to prove to him yesterday that I was doing fine. We had so much fun together. Sure, I was worn out by the end of the day, but that is to be expected after a busy day . . . right?

Needless to say, my husband came home and he wasn't happy.

"That's it! You are not going anywhere tonight. We overdid it yesterday. That was not a good thing. You are not ready for all of this. I told you that you aren't ready. But you never listen to me."

"I never listen to you?" I couldn't help but ask him, after all, a good submissive wife must stand up for her good Christian testimony, even when she is doubled over in pain.

"Well, you didn't listen to me about taking your medicine like you should. You halved the one dose and have you been taking that medicine to help you with the intestinal thing?"

"Not regularly, but I just did. And I'm sure that is exactly what the problem is," I told him, "And then I couldn't help but say, "And you are not being very nice to me. Sabrina is worried about me falling over and dying and all you can do is point out how I haven't been listening to you. Next time I'll tell Sabrina to call Mary my doctor first, at least she is nice to me when I am hurting :)!"

We both smiled as I eased my way to lay down on the couch. The pain was subsiding and we all were glad.

"I am nice to you," my husband couldn't help but add, "It's just I don't like to see you feeling bad."

I know this. And you know what? I don't like to see me feeling bad either. As a matter of fact, I am down right sick of it!

You know why? Because as I am down sick, the whole world is out there being busy and having fun without me! And I have to be stuck here at home, keeping busy getting better.

So, while the world around me spent their evening out and about and on the go, do you know what I have been home all by myself doing? I have been laying on the couch taking a nap. I have been laying on my bed and walking around my house doing my shoulder exercises. I have been nibbling on saltine crackers and drinking bottled water. I have been sitting on my sofa and watching the birds eat their food out of their bird feeder.

And as I spend my time doing these seemingly mundane things, I can feel my body settling down and feeling better.

My husband is right. I'm not ready to attend those special events yet. I must stay home and keep busy doing other things . . . like taking naps, doing shoulder exercises and watching the birds eat from their bird feeder.

So Thankful

This morning, as I was sitting on my bed taking a break between my "shoulder exercise sets", I was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude for so many things.

"Thank YOU Lord," I began to say out loud to the world around me in general and to God specifically, "Thank YOU for blessing me with so many great things."

"Thank you for this beautiful home that YOU have given me to live in an recover in."

"Thank you for the wonderful husband that YOU have given me to help me as I recover."

"Thank you for the wonderful daughters that YOU have given me to help me with my housework and grocery shopping."

"Thank you for the kind and thoughtful church family that YOU have given me that have brought me so many delicious meals and come to visit me."

"Thank you for this wonderful view that YOU have given me to look out at each day."

"Thank you for the amazing doctor that YOU gave me."

"Thank you for the hot water that YOU gave me in the shower that I just enjoyed."

"Thank you for the desire that YOU put in my husband's heart to fix my hair in such a nice way each morning."

"Thank you for the strength that YOU are giving me to do these exercises that make me stronger each day."

"Thank YOU for everything that YOU have given to me Lord. I feel so blessed. Thank YOU so much."

Ever have days like this when you are so overwhelmed with gratitude that you just have to speak out about it? I seem to be having a lot of these days lately. God has overwhelmed me with His love and mercy lately, and I'm so thankful for everything that He has done.

He Likes Me

"I like you."

My husband has been saying this to me a lot lately.

He is saying it after I listen to him talk about whatever he is thinking.

He is saying it after we laugh over the funny things we have to work out now that I am partially 'handicapped'.

He is saying it after we take our walk around the block together.

He said it to me as we sat down to eat our lunch together after church this morning.

He said it as we snuggled down in our quiet house for a nap this afternoon.

And he said it again tonight as he was making himself a snack to eat before he went downstairs to relax and unwind.

"I like you, do you know that?" he said, as he reached over and gave me a kiss a few minutes ago.

"I like you too," I told him . . . and I do. I like everything about him very much. He is my kindred spirit and partner in this life. We are soul mates. We are buddies. He is my best friend and I am his. And it brings me great joy to know that after almost 28 years of marriage, that we are not only lovers, but very good friends.

He likes me. Even though he knows everything about me . . . my faults, failures and limitations . . . he likes me. And at times like these, when I feel so limited in what I can do to help him in any way . . . those words, "I like you" are so comforting to hear.

He likes me. And I like him too.

A Family Affair

This past Sunday our church hosted a baby dedication during the special Mother's Day service. Since we have a little eight month old grandson, this was a very special service for the WHOLE family to attend.

We are so blessed to have a son in law that was raised only 30 minutes from where we live. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to enjoy all of these special family events with his family as well as our own.

After the Sunday morning service we all headed to the Pancake Cafe for brunch. It has become a little tradition for us to do this on Mother's Day and I love it! Kina's friend Jonathan joined us for this event and we couldn't be more thrilled to have him around. Seems like he has been joining us for many special family events lately :).

Just like you, I love my family so very much. And because my children are now grown and don't live at home, I especially enjoy the time when we ALL gather together to just hang out or celebrate special events.

This past Thursday afternoon Pastor Dave invited Jeremy and Jonathan out for a round of golf and while they were gone the girls and I just enjoyed spending time doing "regular" things together again. Once the guys finished, Pastor Dave bar-b-qued some hamburgers and then we all just relaxed and visited until late into the evening. My favorite part of the whole night was watching Conner "play golf" outside with a little plastic golf set that I bought for him. I also enjoyed hugging and kissing my little Yum Yum Hayden . . . who by the way is crawling everywhere and pulling himself up and letting go on everything.

Today most of the family is gathered together at our church's annual Youth Conference that Jeremy has planned and the church family has helped to pull off. Our favorite Brother Eddie Lapina from the First Baptist Church in Hammond is preaching today and I'm so sorry that I am here at home missing it! Brother Eddie is the pastor that officiated Sabrina and Jeremy's wedding and so we like to think of him as family too!

Great News!

Yesterday I had two very important appointments ~ one with the physical therapist and one with my Orthopedic Surgeon. The first one was to determine my progress thus far and the second one was to let me know if I had progressed far enough along to be able to shed my arm sling and begin to properly use my right arm again.

"We are going to take two measurements today Miss Julie," Kim, my physical therapist said, "I want you to grit your teeth and hold on because we are going to reach as far as we can up and out today."

"Okay," I told her. Gritting my teeth and holding on is something that I have become quite accustomed to doing in physical therapy sessions over the past few weeks.

"Here we go," Kim said, and then she began to stretch my arm up and above and back and to the point that we could both get excited over, "Hooray! We are at 114 degrees! Whoo Hoo! The doctor only wanted us to get to 110, we are doing great!!!"

We both rejoiced over that one.

"Now the side measurement. This is the tough one. This is the one that started at 0 degrees because of your frozen shoulder. Here we go, I know that it going to hurt, but just hang in there."

I did my best to relax while I clenched my teeth and grabbed a hold of the side of the table with my good hand.

"30 degrees! Whoo Hoo!!! This is unbelievable! Dr. Zillmer is going to be so happy!" Kim said so excitedly. "The hard work that you are doing at home with your exercises are paying off."

Kim is always so encouraging.

"You are amazing Kim, and I thank you so much. Without you and my husband I wouldn't stand a chance at getting better."

"I'll write you your note to take to the doctor. She's going to be so happy. Stop by afterwards and let me know what she says."

She gave me the note and I left with a bounce in my step and a glow on my face.

When I got in the car I told my husband about my good report. He was so happy to hear the great news. We had been working so hard . . . and our hard work had paid off. This was such great news.

"What do you think the doctor is going to say when you see her?"

"I'm hoping that she is going to tell me that I can stop using my sling next week and start driving soon. After all, next Tuesday will be four weeks."

"Wow," my husband said, "Can you believe that it has already been four weeks?"

"I'm so encouraged that things are going so well, I'm just so encouraged."

We stopped home so I could change clothes and then we grabbed a bite to eat at Taco Bell before we headed to our next appointment.

"How are you feeling?" the receptionist asked me as soon as I walked into the doctor's office.

"I'm feeling great!" I told her, "Just great."

"That's good," she said, "Just have a seat and the doctor will be with you in a moment.

A moment later the doctor's assistant called me back and got me all situated for my appointment with Dr. Zillmer.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. Zillmer said to me as she walked in the room. I wish every person in America who needs an Orthopedic Surgeon could be a patient of Dr. Zillmer's. She is just such an amazing and efficient doctor.

"I am feeling great!" I told her.

"Your report looks good. Everything is progressing quite nicely. Let's look at your incisions. They are looking great. Let me look at my calendar . . . you had your surgery on April 21st . . . this Tuesday you can come out of your sling. May 19th you can come out of your sling."

"Hooray!" I told her, "Then what can I do? Do I start doing everything again?"

"Oh no," she said, "You will take everything slowly. As a matter of fact, I want you to have your husband take the padding part off of your sling so that you can wear just the sling part during the week when your arm gets too tired. But after that week, put the whole thing away because it will do you more harm than good after that."

"When can I start driving?"

"In a couple of weeks. As soon as your right arm becomes stronger and you feel that you will be safe behind the wheel."

"What about pain medication? Should I keep taking this same stuff?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, let me write you another prescription for it. Cut the tablets in half and only take as needed. You will need them for physical therapy. And by the way, physical therapy will last from 12-20 weeks."

"Wow, that's a long time."

"Yes, it is, but it is necessary for everything to heal. And remember, even though you will be out of your sling, absolutely no lifting, pulling or pushing for the next few months. I can't stress that enough. But you can certainly begin to type, eat, wash and move your arm to do simple things again."

"Okay. Thanks so much for everything."

"And keep up your exercises at home. Show me what you are doing at home."

"Well," I told her, "This is what my husband is doing for my arm, he has been the one moving it during our home sessions."

"It's time you give him a break and start doing them yourself. I'll have the physical therapist go over the form again with you and I want you to do them yourself."

"Sounds great to me!" I told her with a smile that reached from here to eternity.

"You are doing great because you have such a great attitude. Keep it up and everything will continue to progress as it should. I'll see you in three weeks."

So, there we have it. Today I begin to do my home exercises all by myself. Next Tuesday I will be free of this cumbersome sling. In a week or two I will be driving again. And in a few months I will be as good as new . . . thanks to the help of my husband and physical therapist who work so hard to strengthen me, my daughter Sabrina who keeps my house in order, the ladies of my church who bring us meals so that my husband doesn't have to cook and the many wonderful family and friends who have been willing to pray for me regularly.

A great big thank you to all of you! Thanks for helping me get to the point where I am able to hear such great news!

p.s. I stopped by to tell Kim about the great news and she was so happy to hear about it too!

Humbled . . . and Grateful

This past Saturday my husband treated me to a manicure and pedicure at a nail salon near my house. When he left the house early that morning he told me he would pick me up before he went soul winning and drop me off to have my nails done while he was knocking doors and passing out tracts.

That was fine with me. I was safe with that. The night before I washed my hair, and even though I wasn't able to have it blow dried and styled, I figured I would smooth it the best I could and everything would be all right for the short time I was out.

And I prayed. I prayed that I wouldn't see anyone that I knew. I am one of those women that is very self conscious about her hair looking nice. That's how you get when you are born with thick, coarse, unruly hair.

The time came for me to be picked up. My husband drove up and opened the back door and yelled, "I'm here, are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I told him, "I'm ready to go."

What I wasn't ready for was a man from our church standing in my garage as I walked out.

"Charlie's here with me, he's going soul winning with me so I just brought him along to take you to your nail appointment."

If looks could kill . . . my husband would be a dead man.

I got in the car and hardly said a word. Mr. Charlie kept trying to make small talk, and kept wishing that I could disappear back into the safety of my home.

How could my husband do this to me? Didn't he have any feelings?

When we arrived at the nail place I quickly got out of the car and ran into the salon. I was safe now. It didn't matter that the salon was filled with people. They were people that I didn't know and I was so relieved to be there.

It was so nice to have my hands and feet done. Ever since I had my shoulder surgery, I haven't been able to tend to these things. My newly painted nails looked so pretty . . . and the longer I sat there waiting for them to dry . . . the less mad I felt and the more grateful I became.

My husband really is a nice man. He really does care about me and my welfare. He didn't realize how devastating it was for me to be seen by a church member that morning. I really do need to let this thing go. Knowing Mr. Charlie, he probably didn't even notice my weird hair. After all, he was just so excited to go soul winning with the wonderful Pastor Dave.

When my husband picked me up he asked me if I was happy with my nail treatment. I told him I was. Then he asked me why I was so upset with him before he dropped me off there. I reminded him how self conscious I am about my hair not looking good and then I shared with him how embarrassed I felt when I saw his friend in the garage. "You know how I feel about this kind of stuff, you know." I told him.

"Yes, but I figured that if you were willing to go out to a busy nail salon with your hair not fixed that it wouldn't be a big deal if someone else saw you as well."

Well, it was a big deal. But he didn't know . . .so I needed to let it all go and just chalk it up to another one of those experiences . . . the kind that humbles you in the process but you are grateful for later when everything is all worked out.

And once again, I'm grateful that we were willing to work things out.

Sweet & Silly Things I Remember About My Mom

Next month my mom will have been passed away ten years. Ten years! My, how quickly that time has passed by.

Moms are such special people, and no matter how long they are gone, the memories that we have of them stay so fresh in our minds, don't they?

I would like to share with you some of the sweet and silly things I remember about my mom~

My mom drank a tall glass of coke first thing every morning.

My mom was a size 0 when she got married.

My mom loved bologna and mayonnaise sandwiches, olives and pork rinds.

My mom never said a negative thing about anyone. If she didn't have anything nice to say, she just didn't say anything at all.

My mother was an immaculate housekeeper.

My mother hated wearing dresses and outdoor exercise.

My mom's hair was reddish brown and it never turned gray.

My mom had beautiful skin.

My mom loved doing cross word puzzles. Especially the hard ones that you find in the newspaper.

My mom was a very organized person.

My mom adored my father and enjoyed every opportunity to be a good wife to him.

My mom loved chocolate bars, but she would only eat one piece of them at a time.

My mom was the middle child and had five sisters and four brothers.

My mom was raised in Tallulah, LA.

My mom's father died when she was just sixteen from a terrible bout with cancer.

My mom knew what it was like to have only one outfit and one pair of shoes.

My mom loved to wear comfortable clothes.

My mom had six daughters and loved each one of us in a very special way.

My mom loved buying "treats" for her girls.

My mom loved to eat out at fast food restaurants after we all grew up and left home.

My mom organized a wedding shower through the mail for me after I got married.

My mom loved to bowl and was very, very, good at it.

My mom loved watching Jeopardy each night.

My mom loved eating fried livers from Maryland Fried Chicken.

My mom came to stay with me for two weeks after I gave birth to each one of my daughters.

My mom loved being a grandma and used to travel often to visit us when my husband was stationed all over the place as a Marine.

My mom knew how to throw a party! All the family used to get together at our house when my mom was still alive.

My mom was very patient, forgiving and wise.

My mom loved being a military wife.

My mom knew how to stick to a budget.

My mom knew how to make my dad happy.

My mom wore Chanel #5 perfume and loved pecan rolls from Stuckeys.

My mom was always nice to neighborhood children.

My mom read the Bible but refused to go to church.

My mom loved to sit on her front porch.

My mom loved pajamas and always bought cute ones to wear.

My mom loved gold chains and always bought the cutest bags and shoes.

My mom's candy dish and freezer were always full.

My mother was the most generous person I ever knew.

My mother smoked and passed away after a very painful struggle with cancer many years ago.

"It's So Scary!"

Yesterday, as Sabrina was driving Conner over to play with one of his friends, Conner discovered a dead bug in the car.

"I need a wipe Mommy. I got to clean up this yucky bug." Conner is a neat-nik and is not a big fan of bugs ~ dead or alive.

"Ok," his mommy said as she passed him back a wet wipe.

"Thank you," Conner said as he reached over to wipe up the bug.

Well . . . apparently as he reached over to wipe the bug, the dead bug reached over and landed right on our Conner's little self.

"Oh, oh," Sabrina said he began to cry out real loud and scream, "It's so scary, it's so scary, it's so scary." Poor little fellow, Sabrina said his screams were accompanied with loud sobs and great big crocodile tears.

"Mommy will help you Conner, just hold on until I can pull over."

"It's so scary, it's so scary, it's so scary," he continued to scream as he flooded the back seat with his tears.

Finally Sabrina was able to pull over and scoop that dead bug off of her precious boys little clothing.

"Bad bug," she said to that dead little thing, "You better get out of here, 'cause I love my Conner!"

The bed got gone and the little boy got happy again.

"That's right bug, you better get out of her 'cause I love my Mommy!" Conner said, now that he was all calm again.

What a traumatic experience for a little boy. He was just trying to take care of a bad situation and that bad situation turned itself around and frightened the living daylights out of him.

But then his mommy came along and saved him . . . his brave mommy saved him. Every little child needs a good mommy that can come along and save them.

When she went to pick him up she was driving my car. She had just finished doing some grocery shopping for me and stopped to get him before coming back here.

"Whose car is this?" Conner asked as he was getting in his car seat.

"It's Mom's car."

"Oh, that's good . . . 'cause there are no bugs in Mom's car."

"That's right Conner, there are no bugs in Mom's car."

Little children need to be loved and cared for by so many . . . especially mommies that save them from the bad things that do happen . . . and grandmas that make sure everything is safe and sound so that nothing bad can happen.

No Pain, No Gain

"How did your therapy go?" my husband asked me after he picked me up from my therapy appointment early this morning.

"It was fine."

"Was it very painful?"

"Yes, it was so very painful. At one point the pain hurt so bad that I just felt like bursting into tears. But I didn't because I don't want to discourage the physical therapist. She is doing such a good job and it is hard to work with someone that has a frozen shoulder and a tearful face at the same time."

"That's true," my husband said, "But I'm so sorry about your pain."

"Me too, me too."

As I was laying on the table this morning having my arm stretched beyond its available limit, I couldn't help thinking about how I just wish I could close my eyes and quit all of this. It's just too hard. It's just too much work. The pain is so intense. Why do I need my right arm to fully function in the future anyway?"

As if that wasn't bad enough, I also began thinking, "And what did I do to deserve this? I wasn't in any accident. I didn't have a fall, I wasn't in a car wreck, no one beat me up in a fight. How on earth did I end up with such a messed up shoulder?"

And then, I thought this, "I can't go on. I really can't. But I must go on, because what else can I do from here? I just can't stay in a sling for the rest of my life. And I'm going to want to be able to lift my little grandchildren and clean my own house some day, aren't I? And if I don't just grit my teeth and bear this, I won't ever be able to sleep soundly in my own bed, next to my own husband again, will I?"

No, you won't, a still small voice answered me. No, you won't.

And because you won't, you must come to terms with the fact that you must. You must face the pain. You must work hard now so that you may be more useful later. You must understand that without pain there will be no gain. And you must accept the fact that this whole process is going to take time, as a matter of fact, a whole lot of time."

"How are you doing?" my physical therapist said to me in the midst of these thoughts. "What are you thinking? Your thoughts seem so intense."

They are. They have to be. I'm not ever going to make it through if they won't be.

After I came home this morning I iced my shoulder for a long time and took medicine and slept for the whole afternoon. When the pain becomes unbearable, rest is always a welcome relief.

Dear friend, you may not be recovering from unexpected shoulder surgery, but chances are that a few of you are trying your best to recover from some other physical, emotional or spiritual trauma. And as you are trying to recover, you have come to the same conclusions that I have . . . that it is hard . . . that the pain is unbearable . . . that you can't go on . . . that you just don't care if you ever get better from this.

If this is you, please know that I love you and my prayers are with you. With God, we can do it. With God we can face it and make our way through it.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

In Times Like These

Two weeks ago at this time I was wheeled away to an operating room to have surgery on my shoulder. Before I was taken to the operating room my husband and I found ourselves alone in a pre-op room talking to a pre-op nurse and left in silence with each other.

We didn't have much to say to each other on that day. The weight of what was about to happen was weighing heavy on our shoulders. I remember him asking me if I was nervous about the operation and I told him no. He asked me if I was nervous about anything and I told him that I was very nervous about the recovery process. When I told him that, he just nodded his head in agreement. He was nervous about the recovery process too.

And why were we so nervous about my whole recovery process? We were nervous because we knew that it was going to stretch us as a couple and we weren't really sure if we were going to be able to handle it.

"What?" you may be thinking, "I thought you two had a great marriage and loved each other." And we do . . . especially when everything is going well and there is nothing between us to irritate us.

But in times like these . . . we are learning how to deal with a lot of things that are stretching us . . . as individuals and as a couple as well.

In times like these we have become very aware of our own expectations . . . both personally and collectively.

Personally we are both expecting each other to do what they can to get things done, and collectively we are expecting each other to just "know" when those what things need to get done.

Take my personal grooming for example. It has become quite the ordeal to get me showered, dressed and situated for the day. Of course my husband has been happy to help me get showered and dressed and situated for the day . . . but the truth of the matter is that I really expect more than this each day . . . I expect him to want to blow dry and style my hair, floss my teeth, shave my legs and pluck my eyebrows as well.

And when I make these needs of mine known to him, I am met with that look that reminds me that I am pushing the limit . . . especially if I am expecting these things to be done daily or better yet, before he leaves for work.

He expects me to understand that, although he is happy to help me, that his time is limited and that there are only so many things that he can get done at a time.

And then there is the issue of driving me to physical therapy and bringing home the dinner meals that the ladies have dropped during the week. He is expecting for me to schedule these things at a time that is convenient for him (which I try to do), and I am expecting him to have a happy attitude while he does them (which he tries to do).

There are so many things that we are expecting from each other these days . . . everything from getting housework done, organizing groceries to get bought, and church services to prepare for and attend.

And in times like these we have found that it is very easy to become frustrated with one another if we don't regularly practice these relationship skills:

Communication~ we are always asking each other about every little detail so that we make sure we are on the same page with things.

Patience ~ oh my, this is a biggy during times like these when the duty of our roles are reversed and my husband is having to be the servant and I am the needy one being served!

Acceptance ~ there is only so much that can get done each day with my needing so much basic help. I need to accept the fact that my husband can only do so much, and he must accept the fact that I can do only so little.

Forgiveness ~ as you can imagine, there have been many moments of hurtful feelings around here as we become frustrated with each other because of expectations that haven't been met and things that haven't been communicated properly.

Charity ~ the Bible teaches us that charity is that "unconditional" kind of love that gives us the motivation to "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

As a matter of fact, it will only be because of our willingness to exhibit charity for one other, during times like these, that our relationship will have the opportunity to grow stronger as it is stretched and not snap under the pressure and be broken apart.

And do you want to know what we are doing to keep ourselves filled with this charitable kind of love that we so desperately need during times like these?

We are keeping ourselves rooted and grounded in the Word and fellowship of our God.

Have you ever heard the words to the hymn "In Times like These"? I have been thinking a lot about them lately . . . they go like this . . .

In times like these you need a Savior
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Chorus
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these you need the Bible,
In times like these O be not idle;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Chorus
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these I have a Savior,
In times like these I have an anchor;
I'm very sure, I'm very sure
My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Chorus
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In times like these we need our Savior to anchor us in the truth that we will need plenty of His help to help us . . . as we try our best to love and help one other.