Gosh!!! Again!!! REALLY??

You know those mornings when nothing will do.. and patience goes right out the window? 

The kids will not get up or dressed. Yelling at the kids as you run out the door with breakfast still in the oven. Driving the car like your behind the wheel of a race car.. pulling into the school on two wheels.

Then your  left asking yourself what kind of parent am I? If I love Jesus why do I feel like I'm loosing it sometimes?

Matt 7:24-27 says that everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on rock… 

This is a story of two men. One man built his house on rock and the other man built his house on sand. 

They both experienced rain, full over flowing streams and winds. Yet only one stood!

The house built on sand fell. The house built on the rock stood.

God knows the desires of my heart. The bible says wherever your treasures is, there are the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:21

My treasure is in Jesus and the desires of my heart are for my children to fall in love with Jesus. For them to follow Him all the days of their lives. For the love of Jesus to be the pulse of their hearts and for them to change the world because of who Jesus is in them.

For Pat and I to always provide a stable God fearing home for them. To always be God's hands and feet. To allow God to use us in what ever way He wants to.

After reading Matthew 7:24-27. This was what God spoke to me while I sat with Him for a while.

I am imperfect! It’s ONLY because of Gods amazing grace that I’m saved and it’s because of Him I can ask for forgiveness for my imperfect behavior.

We have built our house on the ROCK! It will stand through any storm or any crappy morning. 

God choose myself and Pat to be the parents of our children. He designed us for that purpose. 

He choose you to be the parent of your child.

I will not allow this world or satan define me as a parent. I'm a parent deigned by a Holy God. Yes, Imperfect but forgiven. 

So dry your tears, sweet mama. Today is a new day. A day when we will only be defined by God’s truth and grace as we navigate this wild wonder called parenthood.

~ Lysa Terkeurst~

This mamma is praying for you today! You got this!

I'm Desperate

 I have sat here for over two weeks looking at this computer screen. Reading this post over and over. Praying that when I post it that it will get a epic response. That will not taking lightly and then forgot about.

Okay well .. Let's move on. I don't have time to waste on all the explaining .
This is a quick blurb about Tom. Tom is my step dad.. Well not really but anyways he has been living with my mom for a super long time. I mean years and years and years.

Tom has done his share of drinking, using, selling, and making drugs. He owned a few strip clubs and bike shops over his 70 years.
He is not that person at all anymore. In fact I don't remember him ever being that person. Well... I have been around for the bike shops and a few years of trying to drink physical pain away.

Those choices have caught up with him and his heart no longer is functioning as it should. There is nothing the doctor can do at this point. No surgery, no stints, no medications, nothing will fix the damage done.
We called hospice almost three weeks ago.. This is extremely difficult for mom, me, sister, the kids and our family.

Death should be sad but beautiful. Who wouldn't want to walk on streets of gold and never feel a day of sadness or hurt again But, for Tom he isn't interested.
For years I have talked to him about Jesus and tried my best to live a life that glorifies Jesus. He still finds not interest in knowing the peace that is found in Jesus. 

I really think that Tom is mad at Jesus and himself and doesn't feel worthy of the forgiveness and joy Jesus brings.
Here is way I think Tom is mad at God and doesn't feel worthy of God's grace. Don't hold me to all the details of this story seeing how it is never really talked about but, I will sum the facts up for you.

When Tom was a kid around the age of 12 he and a friend were playing. Tom's twin sister was doing what every other sibling does. She wanted to hang with her brother and his friend. To make a long story short Tom and his friend took off on their bikes and began run away from her. She did what my kids do on a daily basis and followed them. 

Tom and his friend crossed a busy street and as she followed them a tragic event took place. 
As she crossed the street in a hurry she was hit by a 18 wheeler. Tom saw the whole thing and from what I have been told he was blamed by his parents for her death. He has blamed God and himself for what happened. 

He has asked the question .. why would "God" if he is who people say he is take the life of a child or allow someone to hurt a child?.
Why would "God" forgive a man like myself who has spent his life doing horrible things?. Bottom line he is just not interested. He is angry! I guess I understand where he is coming from but, I have experienced God's loving grace and forgiveness. I can't wrap my mind around why Tom wouldn't want peace, joy and forgiveness. 

So.. as I close this post I am asking that you pray for his salvation. That you ask God to give the the family the words to say. That we would live a life will lead him to the feet of Jesus.

Lastly, Please share this post!! Let's get the prayer warriors praying! 

Thank you for reading, sharing and praying for Tom and the family!

Love,
A Desperate Daughter

The Student Binder

 It brings me so much joy to see my son carrying a binder full of duct type and duck tape full of bible verses. Our Children have something that they want to teach us. Not just us as parents but their peers also. 

Walking around the halls of school with a binder full of bible verses and words of encouragement takes boldness. That boldness is empowered by the spirit that lives inside of us. 

Hebrews 2:1-18 is just one of the many in has inside and out of his binder. Enjoy!

 We have to listen to the truth we have heard or we will drift away. The messages from God have always stood firm! Every act of disobedience was punished.  So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore the great salvation Jesus himself announced and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?

God confirmed this message by signs and wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit with whoever He chose!

Because Jesus suffered death for us He is not crowned with glory and honor!

By Gods grace Jesus tasted death for everyone!

He was a perfect leader, fit to bring us salvation through him!

Jesus and the ones who accept the gift of salvation now have the same father!

This is why Jesus calls us his brothers and sisters.

Jesus said, I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you!

Because we are born of flesh and blood Jesus chose to be like us! Because we are his brother and sisters

Only by dying could He break the power the satan, who had the power over death.

This is how we are set from from this kind of death.

Because, Jesus himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested!

Thanks Bubba! 

The man you are becoming is glorious!!!

You have been bathed in prayer my sweet baby boy!

I love you!!

Love,

 Your Super Proud MOM!

Conditional Love?

  Kenya

It's a place where love happens! Not the kind your used to! It's something deeper! It's breath taking,  joyful, contagious, overwhelming, and I crave it!!!
When I was preparing for KENYA I had shots and meds to take so I wouldn't come home from Kenya with something from there! I packed snacks just in case I didn't like the food. I packed hand sanitizer so my hands would stay clean!
Little did I know.... NONE OF IT MATTERS!

1Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart.

1Peter 4:8-10 Above All, love each other deeply, because  love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love your have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

John 3 :16 For God so loved the world that he  have his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

My family in the village get this!!! They love and live in a way that it's seen not said.

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

So how do you love in the village??
Whole hearted?? With guards down???
I did! Not even noticing it!

To hold and kiss and wipe tears of a child who is not our norm but is my fathers norm! Do you think our father loves with conditions?
No, he doesn't. So why do we?
I loved deep! Putting fear and insecure feelings out of the way.
I kissed a dirty, muddy, tear dried face and just soaked every second of it up like sweet tea on a summer day!

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

A sweet child with every bit of his love, and energetic  personality running as hard as he could leaped into my arms and held on as if life stood still! I just stood still! In love so deep that the only way to explain it is the love of my father! Jesus Christ loves me more than that! He wants us to leap into his arms and just be still! Just to be quite and savor the moment. Which is what I did! 

I breathed in every moment of it! The smell of him, the feel of his sweet African skin, and the beat of his heart!! I serve a God that loves me so much that he allows me to love like that! And to know that he loves me more!!
Just like I had the chance to do... Fix a wound, to wear his sweet blood on my shirt and to hold him during the pain. Jesus did the same for us! He died and wore our blood! He carries and holds us when we hurt and he does just as I did! I kissed him over and over and said Nakupenda, Nakupenda, Nakupenda !!!

My Daddy is amazing and I stand still in His loving grace!

2 Corinthians 6:3-10