Prophetic Assembly

Today is the last day of our Daniel Fast at church for most of the congregation. I will be continuing until Saturday though. Starting Thursday night we will be having Prophetic Assembly at church. I am on the list for prophecy for Saturday morning. I'm really excited about it. I thought I would be nervous about it but I'm really excited. I am looking forward to hearing what God has to say for me. And to see where he is leading me to go with my Christian walk.

A blessed Christmas

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas. Our family had a wonderful day together. Christmas Eve I went and spent time at church with others at 11:00. We sang some carols and had communion together. It was a nice time. Pastor Carey was asking when our favorite Christmas was.

I would have to say that my favorite Christmas was in 2004. It was Kimmie's 1st Christmas. We were living in Republic and our whole world had changed. We now had a baby and we were living in a town where the only people we knew were those from a lifestyle that we no longer lived. Money was tight and we really had nothing to do any shopping for gifts. Although I squeezed out a little to get a Teddy Bear for Kimmie's first Santa present. Our Christmas dinner was tacos, certainly nothing to get excited about. But I had everything I could have ever asked for.

I had a warm home, food to eat, and the most wonderful gift I could have ever received. On Christmas morning when my sweet girl woke up and I went in her room to get her out of bed. I said "Merry Christmas Beautiful" and her response was her beautiful smile. What better gift could a new mom receive.

That's my favorite Christmas and not because I got some wonderful gift that my husband bought at the store or because we had this amazing meal but because it was my most blessed.

I would love to hear about your best Christmas.

She did it.

This morning I got up and got ready for church. Kim said she wasn't going with me so I didn't bother trying to get her to get dressed. I was getting ready to leave and I asked our nephew (who spent the weekend with us) if he would like to go with me. He said he would and suddenly Kim wanted to go. She said she would go but she was just watching the program. Fine with me.

We got to church and settled in our seats, Pastor Carey came over to say good morning and asked if Kim was going to be part of the program and to my suprise she said YES. So we hurried down stairs to her classroom where she got her angel costume on with the rest of her class.

She did it. She sang her song and did everything she was supposed to do and had fun. I was so proud of her. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me because I didn't expect her to do it. So no pictures to share but atleast I have the memory of it.

Tonight she's supposed to go spend the night at my mom's and make ginger bread houses with her cousin and my Grandma. So I'm going to take advantage of the free evening to get the household chores caught up and the rest of my wrapping finished up.

Only 2 more days of work and then I get a 12 day vacation. I'm so looking forward to sleeping in on Wednesday and spending the day kicking back watching movies, baking Santa cookies and going to the library for story hour. We will have a friend of Kimmie's over for the day as both her mom and dad have to work and they needed somewhere for her to go, so that will be nice.

Well atleast the day wasn't a total loss

We got up this morning and we were supposed to go to dress rehearsal for the Christmas program. Kim was all for going and being an angel until she got out of the shower. Then I had to do some bribing and begging to get her to go. We got to the church and then she decided that she wanted nothing to do with it again. Not only did she not want to be in the program she didn't want to behave either. So we left and came home. I'm so disappointed in her. In her behavior and that she is refusing to be part of the program.

So I needed a break from her and my sister wanted to take the kids to get pics with Santa today. I told her that it was probably a lost cause but if she wanted to try to go ahead. So off they went. She took my mom with her to help with the kids and they got dressed up at the mall.

They were gone for a while when I got a phone call. Much to our suprise Kim jumped right up on Santa's lap and happily told him what she wanted for Christmas....A Cinderella Polly Pocket...and they took the picture. It's not the most perfect picture but getting 3 kids to sit, smile and look at the camera all at the same time is most impossible.



So I guess the day wasn't a complete loss. We'll just have to see how things go tomorrow. Maybe she'll be part of the program but I'm not holding my breath on it.

A wonderful gift

I had a nice weekend even with it being SO DARNED COLD that you can't breath when you go out. I received a nice note in the mail from Pastor Carey. It really made my day just to know she was thinking about me.

Then Sunday I went to church (by myself again as Kimmie decided to stay home) and before the services started Pastor Carey gave me a new Bible. She said it was one that they had handed out at the beginning of the year to everyone and she thought I should have it. It's a One Year Bible. Divided up so that the entire Bible can be read in 15 minutes sections each day in one year.

I was very excited about it because though I know the basic stories in the Bible I have been feeling this desire to know more. But at the same time reading the entire Bible seems so daunting and where to start. So now with it being so unbelievably cold out I have something to curl up with a warm blanket and read.

Where does faith start?

That is a question that Pastor Carey asked today at church. Where does faith start? Faith begin with the Word of God. So now we know where it starts but what exactly is faith? Faith is the evidence of hope.

Hebrews 10:23 says

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

If faith starts with the Word then how does it start with you personally. Doesn't everyone know the reason for Christmas and Easter. That they are because of God and the Son. Is there someone out there that doesn't know and truly believes that those holidays are only about Santa and the Bunny? Sadly I'm sure that there are some out there in the world that don't know. So if we know the reason and know of God where does just knowing the Word turn to having Faith? Where did it start for you? I would love to hear your story.

God has really been working on my heart the past few weeks. Bringing me back "home". And as she spoke today I was really moved in my heart to push my faith in God farther. To step out of my comfort zone. I love the worship time at Christian Life Center. Being able to stand and sing praises to God. What a wonderful feeling to lift my hands in praise and feel the Holy Spirit overwhelm me. I haven't felt that in a long time. And I'm so excited to be able to being Kimmie to the same place. I know that God brought me back.

He made it easy for Kimberly to be able to attend the Christian Academy. He let all the obsticles there fall to the way side. There the seed was planted into her heart for the desire to go to church. And then my sweet girl invited me to come along with her. From there I was drawn back to CLC and I'm so greatful to be there again.

I also had to apologize to Pastor Carey this morning. God has really been weighing the issue on my heart the past week. Telling me that I had to apologize and ask for forgiveness. Which is not an easy thing for me. But I did what I was supposed to do. And what was right. Even if she had know idea I still owed it to her. I had been being very judgemental towards her and I was in the wrong. I could literally feel the weight lifting as I spoke to her. How Great is our GOD!!

Sunday Morning

This morning Kim and I went to church at the church I grew up in. Christian Life Center. It was nice to see familiar old faces. And to worship the Lord with everyone. They had a guest speaker this morning, Pastor Ernest Gentile. They said that he had been there a few times in the past. He spoke about allowing yourself to accept new things as well as the old. Change is good and keeps things fresh. In everyday life as well as with your relationship with God. Kim enjoyed it as well. She went to Sunday school and had fun there. She was excited about going to the church that Larry and I were married in. She said she wanted to go there again which made me happy. We will be going again next week. I'm a little excited about "going home" again. I guess that's what I would call it. I haven't been to church there in over 15 years so it will be nice to get back.

After service Kim was out on the steps and climbed up on the rail. It brought back memories of us as kids doing the same thing after church. Standing out on the rail of the steps waiting for the adults to finish chatting and get ready to leave.