Essay Time

I will be working on an essay for Ottawa School of the Bible over the next few days so I may not be posting for a bit. If I can or if something is very strong in my Spirit to share I will but other wise be back in a few days. Miss you all but e-see you soon!

Names

This is our up to date family portrait. I am happy that they turned out so nice. We have not had them done since Jacob was 12 months and now he is almost three so it was a really nice CHRISTmas gift.

Well, I really put the picture of us here to show you all of our kids. I find it really neat that we named our children from the Bible even before we ever Knew Christ. Jordan is "the river Jordan" and I " had" to find a middle name that began with C so that his initials would be J C Davidson (get it Jesus Christ-J C) so I searched the name books and came up with Jordan Cole even though I had never even heard of the middle name Cole before. I wanted "J C" Davidson so Jordan Cole it was. And Jordan has fully committed His Life to Christ and I Know Holy Spirit is going to do amazing things through him.

Matthew 3:13-17 (the message)

Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized, not you!"
But Jesus insisted. "Do it. God's work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism." So John did it.
The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life."

When we were expecting our second child I searched through the Bible for names. I was not reading it yet (oops-to say the least) but I "had" to find a name from the Bible "for some reason." I came across Elisha (I thought it was a girls name though oops again) but he was a prophet who did many amazing miracles in the name of the Lord and I Know our Elisha Dawn (born at dawn) is also going to do many amazing things for our Lord.

2 Kings 3:12 (NIV)

...the Word of the Lord is with Him (her)

Now, Ezra I got directly from the book of Ezra in our Old Testament. And I am amazed at all that Ezra the scribe, priest and teacher did. Ezra the priest rebuilt the Church in the hearts of the people. When he spoke the people were saved. Now our Ezra is still young but he is already learning his Scripture and he freely speaks to people out in public about our Lord. On the bus, at the grocery store and in the taxi are just a few times he has started a conversation about Jesus to people. I Know Jesus is going to use Ezra's Life for some amazing work also.

Ezra 7:6 (NIV)

...for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

And "so far" lastly, little Jacob. Our Jacob is named after Jacob "after" he wrestled with God and he even was renamed Israel. Little Jacob is going to do big things for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and help bring many people Home.

Genesis 32:30 (NIV)

"It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

So I think it is so cool that even though I have spent most of my life with a great hunger for God but for so many years I was surrounded by a black wall separating me from Knowing God but even threw that time we named our children very significant Christian names. It really shows me God is in control and He really does have a plan and purpose for each of my children and well, for all of us.

Yey and Amen!

Answering Lori's Taking A Break ?s

1. What’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why? (Two sentences max)

Homeschooling (on the good days) but I do not get paid so I do not know if that is work. Instructing aerobics was a really fun job. I enjoyed doing something that was helping others and myself and it had meaning too (good for our bodies)

2. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (One sentence max)

long distance running and weight training

3. Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (One sentence max)

missionary work with my family- the right set of circumstances have not yet manifested.

4. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (Two sentences max)

play the harp (I will in Heaven) and sing because Christian music touches my heart so much I want to share that with others.

5. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it, be and what would you hope to learn? (Two more sentences, max)

Jesus Christ and I would hope to learn to live this Life in His ways.

6. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?

spiritual, excitable, weird or is that odd or possibly funny?:-)

7. Now list two more words you wish they described you as…

loving and faithful

8. What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes– three sentences max)

Sharing the Saving and Healing power of Christ.

Christian Family Ministry (my family and I working side by side in a full time Christian Ministry)

Sharing Christ in creative ways to touch more hearts.

9. Write–and answer–one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max)

What is the purpose of Life?

I think it is to save ourselves and others into Eternal Life through Christ.


Yey, I did it!

To Clean Or Not To Clean - Addendum To Tracy's Blog On Cleaning

Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.
Galatians 5:1 (cev)

Alright Tracy I love this one. Let's do this!

I have to give you a bit of background here. I responded to this blog the other day and just as I was about to post it, my computer said server error try again in 30 seconds well I kept trying for many minutes and realized that I was not going to be able to retrieve what I was about to post. It was very late so I am not sure if this was my computer lack of skill + tiredness or if it was God wanting me to share this message differently than I had just shared it or if it was an attack from darkness trying to prevent me from sharing this because it was meant to be shared and was going to be used by Holy Spirit to help someone, somewhere. Whatever it was this topic has not left me and many new and exciting insights have been coming to my mind. For me this is a signal that it is time to share.

This is so exciting. You know, it is easy (ok maybe not easy especially with the issues that hurt and bound me for so many years and when they were attached to so much shame to share an issue that I am free from (eg in my past I had eating disorders but I got treatment almost 7 years ago by the Drs. and I was able to not have eating disorders anymore but when I became a follower of Christ and began the process of surrendering my whole Life to His ways for some reason He FREED me from food issues (not just like the Drs. taught me what to do but He took that issue away from me)) but to share an issue that I am still struggling with is much closer to the core and harder to bring out in the open. Yet I bet that is exactly what will be the most healing and helpful and allow Holy Spirit to work through us to help us heal collectively.

When I was healing from the eating disorders I went through a process. The first decision I made was that it was more important to live than spend my life controlling (actually being out of control) what I ate and my weight. So I gave up my physical body and told myself no matter what is in store for me health and weight wise I surrender. At the hospital I ate whatever type and amount of food that was presented to me no matter what I thought about it and how those thoughts made me feel. Usually the Drs. stabilize your weight within a healthy zone during the program however I was the first person they had ever had that was going through the program carrying a child so they did not do the stabilization part for me. By the time I had Ezra I was quite large and even had to use a cane when my knee was acting up due to the extra weight. For several years and another pregnancy I would not go near anything that was to do with control of my food or exercise because I did not know how to control my eating and exercise in the flesh safely(staying away from getting back into the cycle of control and loss of it that encompassed the eating disorders).

Yes I will be relating this to cleaning, really I am getting there.

After I met Jesus and gave this part of my Life to Him, He started guiding me through Holy Spirit on how to eat. Not only was I free from the chains that bound me but to my surprise my body was balancing out to a healthier size. For His purposes my body is gradually balancing out. Eating is safe for me when I am following the guidance of the Spirit. God is a God of order and His ways balance out over the long haul (no quick fixes) So an eg. of eating in Spirit is I may think I do not want a treat but if it is offered in fellowship I have it and enjoy it (yum) and I get satisfied. If I think I want a treat but for the wrong reasons (I am upset about something) I say no to myself. The same goes for eating what I think of as healthy foods because for me healthy eating was just as much an issue of control as unhealthy eating. If I check my heart and mind and ask myself the purpose of my eating choice then Holy Spirit guides me and if I stay in obedience to Him then my body is balancing out. When I justify eating the way I want my body feels like crap.

So now back to cleaning. This is an area of my life that I am not free in yet. I say people before things and I believe it but I do not know how to walk it yet. I can get caught up in 'the battle' if I am not very careful. I see signs that warn me I am not free. I have given up the dream of a clean fung shuay(spelling-sorry) home but I must be holding on to some of the chains that go with that dream when it is done in the flesh and not through the spirit. When I say no to situations that the Holy Spirit is guiding Rick and I to (eg. inviting people over for fellowship) then I know that I am bound (controlled) by this somehow. When I start dealing with situations with a fight or flight response then I know I am still bound.

I need to continue to put God's Word in my mind so He renews my thoughts and the Holy Spirit can guide me into how to ask and receive a clean fung shuay home in the Way that is Christ-like. I know God wants us to be in a nice clean orderly environment because He is a God of order. But I wonder if the house and it's order is simply a tool He uses to bring us to His Order for His purposes because after all it really isn't about my home and it's state after all is it. He will use my home and all of Life for His Purposes. God is soooo good

Does this mean I am going to do nothing about our home until I am Free? Absolutely not. I am going to press in, pray for guidance to accomplish this task and continue trying as I learn His Ways of doing it. Until the day our Lord and Saviour sets me Free to the home of my dreams just show up for a visit (I may be too bound to invite you-i'll pray on that) and you will be welcomed for fellowship or maybe we could get together at Tim Hortons oops I mean Starbucks for a visit.

So I pray Holy Spirit will show me how to ask for the things that would make Life enjoyable in the Way that is of Life(Jesus) and I pray that if there is anything any of you are getting caught up in the flesh instead of being Free in the Spirit that our Lord reveals it to us and we continue to be set free.

Well I got to go and get something to eat and do some cleaning. See Ya All.

Precious Children

Well I guess I got a little too focused on decluttering the hall closet today. Before I knew it, Jacob decided to do his art work of marker (and sister Elisha's lip stick), on his face instead of his Cars coloring book! Here he is as proud as can be but I know he will not enjoy getting the artwork off his face. And I had told Ezra(who liked the artwork on Jacob's face so he add some to his own face) and Jacob if they rolled out a roll of ribbon from the craft box (Ezra loves to wrap ribbon and string around things-do any of you have kids who like to do that?) (Jacob likes to do whatever his brother is doing) that they needed to clean it up afterwards. So I see the ribbon disappearing from the floor but Ezra is in the bathroom and I cannot figure out what is happening. I go and open the bathroom door and this is what I see.How ingenious I never would have thought of that way to clean up the ribbon.

But I know they will turn out just fine ( because I have a promise from God) and our two oldest ones are doing just fine so far. Jordan shovelled the driveway without being asked (Thanks Jordan) .

They both made me a lovely birthday dinner of spaghetti last night and the cake turned out great too. See.

Notice it was so good that it is all gone now. But dad got 2 things of icing and we found out that more it not necessarily better it is just sweeeeeeeeeeeter so we know now to only use 1 can of icing even if we have 2. Even the younger ones helped Elisha make the cake (even though she had to clean up an egg that Jacob got before we could get to it.) And Jordan set a lovely table even though his younger brothers kept trying to play with the forks.

I am so thankful we finally got a chance to celebrate together. I am so thankful that my children are a part of my life. Thank you Lord for such a lovely family.

When I Found Out The Truth About My Husband

My husband is so precious to me. When we were first dating I just knew he was the one for me. He was perfect and I wanted to be perfect for him. It seemed that there was nothing that we could not accomplish together. When we were about 5 years into our relationship the most unbelievable realization occurred to me. My husband was not perfect, he could not save me, basically he was not God. I could not believe it. I thought he was the one, the answer to all my problems and needs. I was shocked.

As I look back I can see that I started having serious "adult temper tantrums" in a desperate attempt to fix what was wrong and to make myself whole, to find "the answer" to "the problem"(even though I was unaware of what "the problem"was). The realization that my husband was not God helped me discover that I too am not God. I am not perfect and I cannot save him either. This was another shocker for me (actually I knew I was far from perfect but I thought if I just kept trying I could save him and myself and whoever else may cross our path- that showed me that in my subconscious somewhere I thought I was God). I was reading my Bible recently and this passage struck me and reminded me of how I felt.

2 Samuel 22:5-7
Death, like ocean waves,
surrounded me,
and I was almost
swallowed
by its flooding
waters.
Ropes from the world
of the dead
had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
in my
path.
I was in terrible trouble
when I called out to you,
but from
your temple
you heard me
and
answered my prayer.

2 Samuel
22:17-20
You reached down from heaven,
and
you lifted me
from deep in the
ocean.
You rescued me from enemies
who were hateful
and too powerful
for me.
On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked,
but you
defended me.
When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me
because you
love me.

I spent 3 years in therapy which included marriage therapy as well trying to work this all out. Rick and I got through it and we were better and stronger than before. However our marriage really started changing and healing when I gave my life to Jesus. When I discovered that He was real and I felt Him in my heart after desperately searching, since childhood for God but being blocked by a dark wall of blackness. The Lord has also touched Ricks' heart and has Saved us both. This comes with a promise that you and your household will be Saved. So that means our children are Saved as well.

I am so happy and blessed to have gone through this journey with my precious husband Rick. When I walk in Christs' ways I am able to truly Love him, myself , my children and whoever God places in our path (even though I am not sure how to do that on my own) . When I "fill up" on the Holy Spirit I do not get caught in the place of "fight or flight" when my needs and fears are not met. I can stay grounded in Love because my survival is not based on the people around me but I Know the Lord and His ways determine my survival. This frees Rick and I to focus on how we can, as the Loving partners we are in Christ, solve the issues of this life creatively, constructively and most of all helping each other instead of getting trapped in a battle for survival.

So when I start getting caught up in the flesh (my needs, my ways) and I start getting uptight about whatever is undone in our life, I pray that the Holy Spirit will remind me Who is, the Way, the Truth and the Life, so I can let go and let God.

I love you Rick. Thank you for persevering through this life so far with me. I know you wanted "real-without masks" well you got it, eh? It was "real" good (I think?) but it was also "real" bad. I Know our Lord had His hand on us all the time. There is no way we could have survived together without His Grace and Mercy helping us even before we Knew Him, isn't that amazing!

Mark 10:8
AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Thank you Lord Jesus for SAVING this family so we can live for You in all we do!

Yey, We Saved Him Because He First Saved Us

1 John 4:19We love because he first loved us

My son got me a stuffed Jesus for my birthday. He is so cute. This is Him in His normal handsome and dignified self.
And this is Him when He was in the desert for 40 days being tempted.
(boy He looks awfully good for being under attack for 40 days eh?-gosh, if I get under attack for just a few minutes this is how I look. )
Oh, sorry that was me after just second!!! here's me at........
1 Minute.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.>.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.

2 Minutes.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.












3 Minutes.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.(Oh God I am so thankful he is my SAVIOR!!!)

Well He is God incarnate after all and I am simply human. I guess that is why He really can handle things better than me and He came to Save me/us.

Anyways, one of our kids was sick in the night and after it was all over and it was time to assess the damage and start the clean up the first thing that came to mind was, oh I hope Jesus didn't get "it". Well wouldn't you know it, He was COVERED! I mean absolutely COVERED with the "sickness". Oh, it was disgusting. All through His hair and beard and just all over Him. He really took all of it upon Himself even though He never was" sick" and was incapable of being "sick". Isn't that just like something Jesus would do and DID!

Well, I had to wash him twice and even soak him for awhile to get the stench out but I am so happy to say we have saved Him, phew.

Happy Birthday MOM!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, MAY YOUR FORTIETH YEAR BRING BLESSINGS BEYOND YOUR YEARS!!!(WHICH IS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO DO ;~)
FROM YOUR LITTLE HACKER (AND TECH GEEK) JORDAN.

Time For What?

2 Timothy 1:9who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

In Jesus' name I claim protection and guidance on the time You have given me. I surrender "my ways" of using time to You. Lord, I do not know how to fit " it all" in but I am putting my trust in You to show me. I Believe in your Wisdom and Knowlege and I KNOW that You will allow me to serve You, my husband, my children, my extended family, the Body, my friends, and the "world" in Your Purpose for the Life Everlasting that You have blessed me with. Thank You Father.

Amen

P.S. If anyone else out there is struggling with how to use the time God has given them Lord please let this prayer touch their hearts and minds and bring them under Your wing of protection too. Thank You Jesus.

So I know that the Lord will reveal to me what and how to use my time (Thank you Jesus) but I know what I don't have time for ! I don't have time to "not" read my Bible, I don't have time "not" to cry out to our Lord and Saviour in Prayer and Thanksgiving, I don't have time to be short or yell at my kids!, I don't have time to "not be there" for my family and any other commitments that the Lord has placed in my life, I don't have time to get caught up in emotions and lies that prevent me from really living for Him, I don't have time to say "I don't have time" for the people in my life, I don't have time to waste doing things that don't have any meaning and purpose in God's Ways, I don't have time to be fearful, I don't have time to dwell on missed opportunities and bad choices in my past, I don't have time to let thoughts of judgements on myself and others pollute my mind, I don't have time to fight the people in my life to do things my way (supposedly the "right" way), and I don't even have time to worry and get anxious over how I will use time.

It is His time and I am ready and willing to be a good stuard and with His guidance I am even "good enough" to live a blessed life in Him.

What "time" is it for you? If I can live in God's time than so can you, Amen?

Mater

I like Mater. He reminds me of, well, me. One of my favorite characteristics about Mater is his spiritedness. There is a scene where Mater sees Ramone doing some fancy driving down the fixed up town road. Ramone uses his specially designed hydraulics to lower his back end just a bit so that he creates a few flashy sparks. When Mater sees this he just throws his rusty old battered up chaise down and scrapes along the road for all he is worth with a big smile on his face. Similar to the innocent way of children-they see-they do. I am thankful for the ways of children and I am thankful for the way God has made me. And I am also thankful that (as Pastor Barry puts it) He Loves me just the way I am but He loves me enough not to leave me the way I am! Life may have taught me to look and act like Mater (and that has some important qualities for God's purposes) but the Lord wants to use me to demonstrate the class of King, the caring of Sally, the loyalty of Mack, the vulnerability of Red, the teamwork of Luigi and Gueto, the fun and flash of Ramone, the healing and recovering abilities of Doc, and even the speed and perfection of McQueen (after he learns his "purpose". I believe our Lord Jesus wants us all to be available to run His race and win. I believe if we learn His ways and incorporate them into our life the Holy Spirit will drive us where He needs us and we will ALL win.

Jesus My Pop Up

I am so thankful that Jesus has always been a pop up in my life,even when I don't even know it. Do you know what I mean? I choose this program or that program and the Lord pops-up and gives me the choice to take a redirect. I can cancel His council and continue to do my thing my way or I can push the OK button and find out where He would have me go. The interesting thing is that I wonder how often I may have pushed cancel on His protection and guidance and the program I am insisting on continuing may lead my life and thous I love and influence to crash.

Thank you Lord for continuing to be my - our forever pop up!

God's Presence in the Presents

So God really had a lot of fun with Rick (my husband) and I this CHRISTmas- O.K. He might of smiled, at least- and maybe it was just Rick and I that had all the fun-after all God already knows His presence in EVERYTHING so it might not be as amazing for Him as it was for us.

This is what happened.

For CHRISTmas I thought I would like to get our kids a talking plush Jesus. Well it did not work out so I let it go.

Then one of our little ones was grabbing another little ones stuffed toy at playgroup and the other little one was getting upset and I felt bad for him. So I talked with my little one and told them not to touch the other child's toy because we do not want to hurt our friends feelings and we want them to feel that they can trust us and we care about them and respect their words. Then I thought maybe if I get my little one a stuffed toy then maybe he could share his stuffed toy (giraffe) with his friend and they would learn about sharing. So I was up late 2 nights in a row searching on the Internet for a nice stuffed giraffe and it was just not working out and I asked the kids what kind of stuffed toy would you like and it ended up that they wanted to get a stuffed snake. And I almost got one. But it was just not "sitting" right.

Then I remembered what I really had on my heart to get our kids and it was the stuffed Jesus and I am about to get them a stuffed snake and wasn't that just too coincidental and odd and well, what it really was, was God. So I told Rick all about what was going on and He thought, like me, that God really was trying to get it through to my mind that this is not the way this was supposed to go. So we did not get any stuffed anything and I let it go.

Well CHRISTmas morning rolls around and one of our kids was opening a gift from the Church and what does he pull out but a stuffed giraffe!!!!!! Rick and I looked at each other and we started to laugh and praise Jesus out loud (Ricks parents were visiting and they thought we had gone loonie-they could not imagine why in the world we would be praising the Lord in the first place and especially over a stuffed giraffe) But Rick and I were stunned with God's great sense of humor and His presence in the presents.

God is sooo Good and Thank you to whoever got our little ones the stuffed toys God worked through you.

Thank you to all who blessed us a CHRISTmas God worked through all of you! And best of all others around us who are seekers even if they don't know they are seeking see all of this work of the Lord and we are planting seeds, yey!!

The Biggest Blessing

I love the way that God blesses us in every area of our lives and in the smallest as well as the largest of details. He has been doing this in my life even before I knew Him. I remember years ago when my favorite colour was green, I walked into value village (where I do most of my shopping-along with salvation army) and there on the shelf was a brand new pair of green suede birkenstocks for something like $10. I knew it was God and that was before I was able to feel Jesus. There are countless of these blessings I could share, the list is endless and many of the blessings that He provides I am not even conscious of.

About a month ago my family and I were shopping at value village and there were a pair of pink suede birkenstock style sandals for $5. Guess what my favorite color is these days? God you are sooo great, thank you. However even though the Lord provided me with exactly what I needed and liked I put them back! Can you believe that! I passed up God's perfect blessing for me that day. Now every time I go to playgroup and I don't have those perfect sandals for my feet I think of how amazing God is. I am more open and alert to not put His blessings back on the shelf. Thank you Lord for showing me this, You are pretty cool, to say the least.

I am also very thankful that I have not missed Jesus' biggest blessing - the seal of His blood on my life that cleanses my sins so I can be one with God. Thank You Thank You Thank You.

Do you have some blessing stories to share with me? I would love to hear them.

My littlest is awake so I must go for now.

On My Heart for 2007 and Beyond

I have a tremendous need to claim and walk God's Living Word in every aspect of the life Jesus has allowed me to steward. My heart experiences great distress when I fail to live as the Holy Spirit guides me to live.

Oh dearest Jesus I NEED Your guidance! I cannot live this life, along with all the roles you have blessed me to be part of, without your help. When I try to live on my strength I stumble. Even my best intentions for You, my family or anyone You put in my path, done "my way" falter.

I have experienced the Peace and Joy that comes when I am surrendered to You. I want to live that always and all ways. I want to model that for my husband and children, so they can touch and feel and taste what "living in Love with You" really is, through me. I ask you Lord to make me mute when I am about to spout off anything that is not of You (especially to the children) Please Lord I Love You and I want to do Your will but I am simply human. I thank You for Your Grace and Mercy. I pray that I use Your gift of Life for Your plans. Please show me Lord how to really LOVE.