Future Firefighter

This is my husband in uniform while volunteering at a local fire department. I love this picture for several reasons, but I like it the most, because while fighting a brush fire, I just so happened to call him. So that's me he's talking to on the phone.

Please pray for my husband. He quit volunteering for the department, but has since decided to go back to school and get his EMT license. Hopefully this fall is when that'll start. He filled out an application for a fire department that is looking for help, and hopefully will hear something within the next week or two. He knew that eventually he would have to pass a very physical test, and thankfully had been working out in preparation for that test, but he found out that test has to be taken in two weeks, much sooner than he thought! He originally thought he would several months to prepare. He's known about it for one week, so all this week he's really stepped it up in the workouts he's been doing. I have to brag on him for a minute, because I am so proud of him, and how far he's come. He began eating healthy this week...I mean Raisin Bran cereal, sandwiches with nothing but some meat and veggies, yogurt, and all water. He has also started jogging/walking. When he started he was only walking. He's gotten up to jogging about a mile and half, maybe more, then walking the last mile. He's also been working out with weights, and doing cardio.

Anyway, here's where the prayer part comes in. Please pray that he will get onto this fire department he's applied to. He really needs to get his foot in the door, and while it's a hike to get to this department, it would not be forever. He has a lot of training under him, but now he needs experience. I know that if it is in God's will for him to be hired, then he will be hired. I just pray that it's in God's will. I guess if he doesn't get hired, God may have something better for him. I love this man and am so happy that he is FINALLY taking some steps in having a career that he's only dreamed about. It's a neat story about how he got started down this path, but I won't go into it right now. Just know that God is good, and faithful to us always. Please pray for him when you read my blog, hopefully that'll serve as a reminder for you.

I love you Todd.

Sleeping While The Wind Blows

I did not write this, but received it from a dear God~fearing friend by email. I hope you all enjoy.

"Sleeping When The Winds Blows"

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He
constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to
work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that
raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady
stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the
farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired
him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to
dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of
bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired
hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up!
A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you,
I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the
spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his
amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered
with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the
coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.
Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then
understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also
sleep while the wind blew.


MORAL: When you're prepared ~ spiritually, mentally, and physically ~
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through
your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had
secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure
ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word
of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to
have peace in the midst of the storms.

Happy Tuesday!

My kids are still asleep! It is 9:30, and all 4 of them are snoozing away! I just had to share that...I'm about to go make sure they're all breathing! Yes, I still do that. Call me a paranoid mom. I know.

I am finishing up the Epic Bible study this week, and we met last night. It was so good!! John Eldredge paints such a beautiful picture of creation, one that I know I don't take enough time to reflect on. When I read in Genesis, I read the part about how it all began, but then I jump ahead to Genesis 3, when the fall took place. John Eldredge challenged us not to jump ahead, but just to sit in Genesis 1 for a while, and ponder ORIGINAL GLORY. I had never heard that term before, and had most certainly never thought of it, but that is when original glory began. It helps me to picture my most favorite spot in nature (the beach or the mountains), and know how much more beautiful than that the garden of Eden was.

My study was so amazing last night...I'm going to Central church for it. My neighbor goes there, and she's the one who invited me to do this. I think I have found my forever Bible study gals. I love it there...they are so loving and kind, something that is so different than anything I have ever participated in. I will be sad when it ends next week, but rest assured I will be joining them again in the fall when they start another one!

We'll be small as we finish next week, about half the women participating are leaving to go on MAPS trips this week and next. My small group leader, Brenda, is going to Kenya on Thursday. She's really cute...57 years old and goes on these trips all the time. I would love to be like that when I "grow up"! The place I want to go to the most is to Jerusalem. I cannot imagine walking where Jesus walked. I don't know if I'd be able to even concentrate on what the guide was saying, I'd be so beside myself.

Alright, well my kiddos all woke up, and breakfast is calling my name. Hope you all have a blessed day.

Even When We're Worms!

Job 25:2~6
"God is powerful and dreadful. He enforces peace in the heavens. 3 Who is able to count his heavenly army? Doesn't his light shine on all the earth? 4 How can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone born of a woman be pure? 5 God is more glorious than the moon; he shines brighter than the stars. 6 In comparison, people are maggots; we mortals are mere worms.


I know that this is not the kind of scripture I would usually post on my blog. But how true is this?!?! God is so good, that He loves us even when we're as lowly as worms! He forgives us for the selfish, childish ways we act (when we get our feelings hurt and lash out), He forgives us for the not so nice things we say, He forgives us for our less than pure intentions.

Our pastor preached a really good sermon last night, about how we as Christians are called to RESTORE, not to rejoice over someone's falling away from Him, not to reveal when someone does something that is not pleasing to Him, not to reject someone because of their sin (for He calls us to LOVE EVERYONE), not to rehearse going over past sins, and not to repeat making the same old mistakes. God is the God of love, and because He first loved us, we should love others. Even those who strike against us.

This scripture spoke to me today...it's just another picture of how much God loves us, imperfect as we are. He will not treat us as we deserve (Job 42:8), but with as much love as He can muster. After all, He created us in His image.

Jello, Sore Abs, and Kinky Hair

We had an amazing day today! We went to Mud Island in downtown Memphis, which come to find out, is completely free. The monorail over the Mississippi River cost $4 a person (well worth it unless you want to walk ALL the way over in the heat!), but the rest was free. This is a picture of the boys on the monorail. They were strangely curious about how it worked. I think they thought it would fall into the Mighty Mississippi. We went with my dad, aka Pappaw. We had a blast! This is them below!

The boys waded in the scaled down version of the river, and eventually got wet enough to cool off. They had their swimming trunks on, so at least they were comfy!

And Jonah had to be convinced to get wet. Imagine that.

Anyway, after lunch we were walking to a big area where they could go swimming, and Drew took a step onto what he thought was a solid surface. Nope, it wasn't. It was algae. The look on his face was priceless, and one I will never forget. We made some memories today! I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while! The pics are below. Notice Drew's (the one in the green shorts) sheepish expression!

And this is me, happily agreeing it is time to go home. It was getting hot, and my arms were getting sunburned. The whole day was overcast, until the last hour, and after paddle boating in the completely flat position of me laying down in the boat, my knees felt like jello, my abs were hurting, and my hair was getting kinkier by the minute. All recipes for disaster. Oh, and the paddle boat? The guy who was SUPPOSED to be helping was nowhere to be found...until AFTER I had to CRAWL OUT OF THE BOAT. My legs were shot. Did I mention that? Yup, we made some memories today, my friends.

Opinions Needed!

I just changed my template. Is it too hard to read? Please leave a comment, if it's too hard, I'll have to pick another template.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! I sat most of the morning in the doctor's office, but praise God, all is well with my health! It was a routine checkup. My mom and I then had lunch, and I got to spend a gift card I'd gotten for my bday back in December!!! I got some great little shirts and a cute pair of capri pants! I NEVER shop for myself, just for my kids, so it was a treat.

Let me know what you think about the blog facelift. Love to all!

No Other Gods, by Kelly Minter

I am a huge fan of Bible study. I also love doing Beth Moore Bible studies. While looking at some options of her studies a while back, I came across her blog. I started reading it regularly and have been challenged in ways you would not even begin to imagine. If you would like to check her blog out, go here.

Anyway, she recommended that we all do a summer Bible study together, as an online group kind of thing. She recommended a study called, you guessed it: No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. You can go to Lifeway Christian bookstore's website to check it out.

I was not planning on doing this study, since I am in the middle of one right now, but Lifeway Christian bookstores offered a printout version of this study for those who weren't able to get it yet. I don't have it YET (notice I said yet Todd!), so I printed it out. I started reading it and was hooked. I could not put it down. So, now I'm doing two Bible studies this summer. This study is part of a "living room collection", so it's meant to be done with friends at someone's house, complete with food and discussion. I would love to do this with someone...any takers? Phyllis?

It is well worth the effort, I promise you, whether or not you're doing it with people or by yourself. It is challenging, and it stretches you beyond what you think you can handle. It brings lots of stuff into perspective, too, which is always fun. Let me know if you want to grow in God with me. Happy Wednesday!