God has a plan...: August 2011

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Busy, busy...

Well August has been crazy busy! This is how the first week went, Monday I enrolled Jacob, Tuesday Caleb and I went to OKC to see his prosthetist, Wednesday I enrolled Caleb, Thursday we left for Texas to visit my mom and step dad and we were there until Sunday. We went to church with them, ate lunch, packed up and headed home. Monday (the 8th) it stormed and we lost our electric around 6 pm and it didn't come back on until around 10:30 Tuesday morning! So Tuesday was spent catching up all the laundry and last minute stuff to get the boys ready for school. Wednesday the 10th was the first day of school here and it was pouring rain! Thursday I took the boys to school and stayed home all day to catch my breath and Friday mom came in. Saturday we had a birthday party for Scott and my sister, Scott's birthday was Friday and Jessie's was today. Everyone went back home yesterday evening and today we got up and went to church, this afternoon we mowed the lawn, we haven't had to do that since the first weekend in July because it's been so dry the grass was dying. So see, it has been crazy busy! This next weekend my oldest son will be in town for the weekend and the next weekend Scott's brother Bill will be in, I don't think it's going to slow down much this month! lol
Caleb is taking wrestling this year, I am still not sure about this at all! Jacob started welding in the afternoons at vo-tech, my babies will out of the house before I know it and I am not liking it at all!!! Daniel and Ben are both working out of town and I don't like that either, I like them to all be here for family gatherings and I just feel better when I know they are close.
Scott had a check up on July 14th and they are supposed to be getting him a breathing machine and scheduling surgery for a stomach tube but we haven't heard anything from them yet and he doesn't want me to call them yet. His speech and balance have gotten much worse, he has fallen several times but thankfully hasn't been injured other than some scrapes. He is still working some but has cut his hours back considerably, he has been training his replacement for a while now. I think that covers everything for now...
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:8

Casting your cares

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

How many times do I worry for days or try to solve a problem on my own? When I finally release it to Him, I think, Why didn't I turn it over to Him a long time ago?

God's Word tells us to "cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall" (Psalm 55:22). It also reads, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).

We aren't supposed to fix ourselves. We aren't supposed to worry and fret. We are supposed to "cast" and "present." Cast our cares and burdens to God, and present our requests to Him. When we do what His Word tells us to do, we can then experience peace and comfort (Philippians 4:7).

Joy

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Thoughts on today's verse
Where does your heart live? That's what these verses are all about. Is there a constant awareness in your life that God is present? Is he the unseen but always present companion in all your ups and downs? Or is God here when it is convenient and gone when things are busy? Joy comes from knowing we are never alone. Prayer is the ongoing conversation we have, Spirit to Spirit, with God. Thanksgiving is the great reminder that we have been blessed no matter what the circumstances may suggest.

Had to share this...

Matthew 9:36And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.
I struggle as much as anyone with turning a conversation to spiritual things. However, I can't escape a few truths that lead me to step out by faith:
First, I am compelled by the realization that without Christ all men are lost and without hope. Sure, there are good people that do good things, but that doesn't change the fact that we all sin naturally. I've never taught a single one of my children how to steal a cookie, yet they all have done it. It's part of their natures. And it's because of sin all men are lost.
Second, I'm compelled to share Christ with others because of the reality of hell. Thinking about hell is not in vogue today. But Christ spoke of hell as a real place of eternal judgment and torment & there is only one way to avoid it.
Third, I want to share the good news because it is the very reason for which Christ came to the planet Earth. Jesus Christ didn't go to the cross just so we could have happy homes. He came "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He is our only hope and the only thing that brings true joy.