WHO, WHO, WHO, LET THE DOGS OUT????

The temperature was around 74 degrees when I arrived at the PD for Squad Meeting. Today was supposed to be my day off, but my seargeant asked if I could fill in on the front desk since we were short officers on the street.

So here I am answering the emergency and non emergency lines when I get this call from a citizen. He explained to me a dog was outside tearing up his trash. I listened politely, then responded with, "Sir, I can put in a planned call for animal control to come out around 8am, but they have gone home for the evening and have transferred their line over to the Police Department.

Needless to say, silence was on the other end of the line, I said, "hello," nothing but silence, then I said, "hello" again, still no answer, a third time, "hello sir?," then he answers with...."Do you mean to tell me that you are not going to come out here and get this dog and clean up this trash?" I responded, "Sir, animal control has gone home, it is two o'clock in the morning and this is not an emergency." Again, silence, so I said, "Sir are you there?" He answers, "yes I am here and I guess I will just have to take care of it myself!!!!" I responded..."Sir, do you want me to send animal control out in the morning?" He responded with, "NO!! I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT MYSELF!!" Then he hung up on me.

So fifteen minutes passed, the phone rings, I answer, "Police Department, May I help you?" This voice booms out, "This is so and so, I just called back to tell you that since you could care less about coming out here to take care of this dog, I have recorded you on a recorded line!!" I responded, "Sir, thank you for calling me back and letting me know that!" What I really wanted to say was, "well, that makes two of us cause I have you on a recorded line also!" But, I remained professional and was as courteous as I could be. Then he booms out, "Not only that, I have you on eight hours of VHS tape!!!" I almost laughed! I thought to myself...that must be pretty boring, cause I just got to work and I was sleeping for the past six hours!! Anyway, I explained again that this call was not an emergency and it wasn't that I didn't care about his problem, but it wasn't an emergency. He again repeats to me that he has me on a recorded line and on eight hours of VHS tape. I again wanted to say to him that I too had him recorded and if he called back I would get him for phone harassment, but being the sweet, kind, understanding person that I am, I let him rant and then thanked him and then hung up.

I have to remember there's a reason behind the ranting of a citizen, perhaps something else is going on that is making them so angry and taking it out on me. I always try to diffuse the situation, however there are times I want to laugh or say, "Get a life!" But I can't do that, I can think it, but I can't say it!!! Many times I silently pray and God intervenes, calms the person down and I can do my job. There are other times that the person just wants to scream at someone, so I let them rant, then I shake it off and go on. Life is too short to let things get to me. I love my job. I don't intend to let the ten percent of the people who have too much time on their hands control my emotions or actions. I am going to let the Lord be the Lord and Master over my whole life, including my feelings. I hope the man who called has a better day, I know I too would have been aggravated if some little furry creature got into my trash!

Get Your Mr. Olympia 2005 Tickets Now!!

http://http://www.2005olympia.com/global/2

The Expo - The move to the Las Vegas Convention Center means that this will be the biggest Olympia expo ever. Big enough, even, to house an octagon ring filled with UFC fighters.

So how many of you out there are going to go to the Mr. Olympia 2005? Sound like fun? My son and nephew were planning to go but I am not sure if the trip is still on or not, but I thought it was an interesting idea, especially if you are into bodybuilding.

I never thought as a woman it was a very pretty sight to be all ripped and cut, however being slim and trim, toned and sculpted maybe but all those muscles?? Ughhhhh!!! You may have a different opinion from me, but I must say I do think it is pretty amazing that the human body can be so defined that you can see every muscle.

So I am curious, how many of you out there work out regularly? Do you run, swim, lift weights, have a personal trainer, and is it to lose weight, gain muscle or just to be physically fit? And are any of you body builders? Just wondering.....

He is Always With Us

Christ is always with us. He is concerned about everything that is going on in our lives. Each of these pictures represents one of my children. The first one reminds me of Richard, my son in law, he has been working hard to get the nursery ready for the new baby that is on the way. He has been laying wood flooring after working all week. I know God is giving him strength to do all the things he is trying to do.

Precious is expecting her first child, it's a boy! It is so exciting to know we will be blessed with this little boy that God has known before he was even conceived. He is forming him at this very moment in his mother's womb. God has planned the color of his skin, his eyes, how tall he will be, his personality, how many hairs he will have on his little head. It's just amazing to think about.

Samantha is a student, she is planing to be a Civil Engineer. I can't imagine how she could even attempt this without the Lord's help. I mean Calculus, Chemistry, Statics and Dyanmics!!! All those things are nothing to the Lord. She is doing very well in all of her classes, there were struggles, but with His help she has overcome them all! I know God is giving her wisdom and He is there helping her to achieve all of her dreams.

My son Eddie loves running, riding his bicycle and working out at the gym. His friend Maxsim from Russia works out with him nearly every day. I know again that Christ is there, He is involved even in the things we enjoy, the small and the big things in life. I am comforted knowing He is working out his plan in Eddie's life, I can trust Him with each of my children, knowing that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose!

Decisions, Decisions!!!

I want a motorcycle!!! I need a motorcycle!!! Think of all the fun I could have on a motorcycle!!! My hair blowing in the wind, sun in my eyes, feeling free as a bird!!

I have owned three in the past, but all of them were smaller than this one. This is a Shadow VLX 600.



I have owned a Honda, Kawasaki and a Suzuki,
but they were all much smaller bikes. My best friend Debbie recently bought a Suzuki recently and she loves it.

I want a Honda, I think but I must say I do like the Kawasaki KLR 650 Dual Purpose bike really well. I just can't seem to make up my mind for sure.

Well do any of you have a motorcycle and do you have any great wisdom I need to know before I make a decision???

I plan to ride for fun, but also to conserve gasoline. I am spending $120 a week to drive my Dodge QuadCab and that is far more than I want to spend!

.....Continued from Yesterday

....so after deciding I was going to believe in faith that God was going to heal my daughter, I went home, and began to pray and confess that By His Stripes she was healed. I never looked at the circumstances again. I just put all of my faith in God and His Word. Even though one of Precious' legs was five inches shorter than the other, I knew God was able to do abundantly more than I could ever ask or think.

At the time this was going on, I was attending a little Baptist church. My husband went to the preacher and asked him if God heals and the preacher told him that went out with the apostles. Still I was convinced if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He healed the sick, made the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear and raised the dead back then, of course He was able to still do those things today.

I began to look for a church that I had heard about that prayed for the sick. Finally I found it. I told my husband I wanted to go visit there and have Precious prayed for, so he gave in and we went on a Sunday morning.

When we got there, we loved the service, the music was tremendous, the sermon was wonderful. However they had crutches hanging on the wall, wheelchairs, braces, different things people had left when they had been prayed for and healed. My husband pointed and said to me, "do you see all that, it is to get money, that is all that is for, God does not heal." I told him, "whatever" and we left, but returned to the evening service later that night.

After the evening service, they began to pray for the sick. We had taken the kids to the children's church next door, so I elbowed Chuck and told him to go get Precious because I was going to have her prayed for and God was going to heal her. He kept telling me no and I kept insisting. Finally he got mad at me and got up to leave. He said when he got up, he had no intention of going to get Precious or even coming back to the service, but on the way out of the church a thought came in his head to go get her and to bring her back and prove to me that he was right and I was wrong.

So off he went to the children's church, he got Precious. He brought her back and was taking her down the aisle, when one of the ushers met him. He told him what was wrong with her and the usher told him to sit down that they were praying for people's backs and he would come get him afterwards. So at the end of the service he came to get her, Chuck took her up to the pulpit, the preacher asked what was wrong with her, he explained she had scolosis and they wanted to put a steel rod in her spine, but we wanted her prayed for. So the preacher replied there is nothing too hard for the Lord. So he sat Precious up on the pulpit and got down on his knees in front of her. He put two fingers under each of her ankles and held her legs out straight in front of her. He prayed and asked God that day to heal this child's legs in the name of Jesus. He said, " God you didn't create this seven year old like this and I ask you to heal her in Jesus name. Her leg began to grow out right in front of our eyes, then the preacher said, "both legs Lord, and the other started to move out too until they both lined up the same length. I was jumping up with my hands in the air, tears streaming down my face, praising God, I kept saying over and over, I knew you healed, I knew it!! People were laughing and crying and hugging me. Precious jumped down and had ahold of the preachers hand and ran all the way around the auditorium. Chuck was still standing in front and was bent over crying his eyes out. He cried for three months after that and even today if he tells someone about it he cries.

On the way out of the church that night, he told me that he believed God healed Precious to show him that He was God and He could do what He wanted, when He wanted, How He wanted and where He wanted, whether he believed or not. He said to me on the way out, "God showed me tonight, He is God and He is able to do anything."

I could tell you who the preacher was and the church and all of you would probably recognize the name. But it wasn't the church or the preacher who healed Precious that day, it was God. Only God can heal. Does God heal everytime? No. Why? I am not sure. God's ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts. All I know is He healed my daughter that night.

I remember for a year, Chuck's father would call him and ask how Precious was doing and how her leg was. Chuck would reply God healed her, she is fine. Finally one day, about a year later, he said you know Charles, that was a miracle. Chuck said, that's what I have been trying to tell you Dad.

So I just want to give God all the Glory. I will forever be praising Him for who He is and for His wonderful, marvelous works. He is truly Jehovah Rapha, my Physician!!! I hope you are blessed by hearing this story and I hope in some way your faith is increased to believe God in a greater way and to allow Him to work on your behalf. He is able to do abundantly above all you could ever ask or think!

Do You Believe God Can Do Anything?

Precious is my daughter. She is dark haired, dark eyed and has beautful tan skin. When she was born, I thought she was the most beautiful, precious little girl I had ever seen, so I named her Precious. When she started school in the first grade, the teacher would call her name and all the kids would laugh and say Preciousssh! She would come home and tell me how she hated her name and she wanted me to change it. I would explain to her how her name came about and she would be okay with it again for awhile.

Precious was always a very strong willed child. She loved sports of any kind. She fished, she danced, she played basketball, soccer, football, whatever the other kids were doing, she was in the middle of it, most of the time she was the one who got everything going. When Precious was seven years old, she had scoliosis. One of her legs began to draw up until it was difficult for her to walk. She would sit in the lawn chair by the patio door and watch her sister, brother and friends play soccer, she wasn't able to even walk to the lunch room. Her hips became so out of line that her leg drew up around four or five inches and she walked sideways. I honestly thought she had multiple sclerois or something. I didn't know what was happening to my little girl.

I was very much of a new Christian at the time, but I believed if God is God, He was able to do anything and if He couldn't, then He was just like me. I read in my bible the scripture that says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Then again in James 5:15 where it says the Prayer of Faith will heal the sick. So in my heart I knew if Christ healed the sick back then, and He is the same, then He heals now. I figured if I could heal my daughter, I would do it and if God loves us more than we can imagine or more than humanly possible, then He too would heal us.

So I first took Precious to a regular medical doctor who recommended a Chiropractor. For a year, we went to this chiropractor four times a week. Her leg would seem to improve but not for long. Finally one day I decided to take her to a specialist. I made an appt and took off to the hospital about fifteen miles away. We arrived, they took her for xrays, the doctor calls me into the hallway, he begins to show me the results and tell me they will have to operate. He advised he was going to put a steel rod into her spine and she would never wear high heels or play sports or run again. The doctor left the room and tears began to stream down Precious' little face. I leaned down and asked, "Precious, why are you crying?, all the while everything in me wanted to scream and cry too, but I told her as boldly as I knew how that we had Jesus and He was going to heal her.

On the way to the hospital that day, I had been listening to christian radio and a preacher was talking about someone who had sugar diabetes. He made the statement, " what do you mean you have sugar diabetes? The report in heaven says, all sickness and disease went to the cross two thousand years ago and by His stripes you were healed!" Well, my faith was new, I again believed God worked in the impossible realm.....I mean I figured if God is God He can do anything and if He can't, then why should I believe in Him because if He couldn't heal my daughter then He was just like me.

I stopped at a gas station on the way home and called my husband to let him know what the doctor said and then I told him, that I didn't care what the doctor said, that God was going to heal Precious and I didn't want him to ever confess anything different. Of course he thought I had lost my mind, but I was pretty adamant so he listened although I knew he didn't believe in healing, but I knew God could do anything, after all He works in the impossible and nothing is too difficult for Him. Either I was going to trust in Him and Him alone and His Word or I didn't believe it at all.

This Testimony will Be Continued Tomorrow..........

Half Pomeranian, Half Rat Terrier

Our new addition to the family is a dog whom Joseph calls Sexy. She is a little older than this picture and spoiled rotten. Honestly the last thing I want to do is keep this little dog, but Joseph has attached himself to her and I guess she will remain a member of the family. Every night when he comes home, he looks for this little dog. I had her in the kennel outside yesterday and he went to get her, she has to watch TV and sleep with him. Maybe he needs her, I don't know.

I have always heard dogs are very therapuetic, so I guess maybe she will be good for him. Dogs loves you unconditionally and they are alot of responsibility, so I set him down and told him he has to care for her or we will have to give her up. So far he is taking good care of her, so we will see how it goes for now.

His Boss Cursed Him Out!!!

In this post, I am going to give you some background before I explain the title, so bear with me as I share this story with you.
Joseph is a young man who was incarcerated at the Correctional Facility where I volunteer. His childhood home is in San Antonio, however when he was released from the facility, he decided to go into independent living rather than return home. His reasons were because he wanted to change and he knew if he went home, he would either end up in jail again or dead.

His story goes something like this. By the time Joseph was twelve years old, he was a cocaine addict. He has no idea who his father is. He shared with me one day that his mom passes photos around of two different men and talks about how he looks like each of them. The pain is obviously there, I can see it in his eyes.

He remembers as a child going to church and always believing there was a God, but He felt God was not involved in personal lives of people. However there was seed planted in His heart at a very young age, but due to a lack of discipline and being left to himself to make his own decisions, he became more and more introverted until a friend introduced him to marijuana. He became so addicted to it, he couldn't function without it. He eventually experimented with other drugs and became addicted to heroin. He was in and out of trouble, finally landing himself a nine month sentence for Burglary of a Habitation, by this time he was eighteen.

Joseph rarely attended church during the two years he was incarcerated. He planned to go back home and go back to the Thug Life. He told me he never thought he would ever be free of drugs, he figured he would be just like the stepfathers he had growing up.

I remember one day Joseph came to church at the facility, he sat on the back row in the middle, he raised his hand to ask me a question, so I acknowledged he had his hand up. He said, "Miss, I don't want to go to hell." I wasn't expecting him to say that, but I told him to come up front and let us pray for him. Joseph accepted Christ that day. Afterwards he began to attend bible study and eventually was released into an apartment in the area with another young man from the facility. At first they both held each other accountable, until the other boy began to start drinking and not coming home. They both worked for the other boy's uncle. Then Joseph finally moved in with one of the other boys who was doing well and landed another job.

It seemed all was going well, he continued to come to the facilty to church, he stayed in contact, then slowly but surely he slid right back into the sinful life he once knew. A year passed, he continued to work, pay bills, but his free time was spent doing drugs and drinking. Here he was, in a new town, with a job, an apartment, but going back to the familar things in his life.

Then one day, his roommate decided he wanted to move out on his own. So Joseph was going to move in with another friend. Then our phone rang. It was him, he was asking if he could move in with us, he said he was tired of his life and he wanted to change. We prayed and talked, finally saying okay. That was six months ago.

Joseph is still working, he is doing very well. He attends bible studies on Wednesday nights, church services on Sunday and is totally drug free. He is running around with the boys he is involved with in Bible Study, they go play ping pong alot. He was telling me he had never played ping pong before, but the difference in his new friends were they were always talking about today and the future and his old friends only talked about the past and were always drinking, doing drugs. Already he is seeing a huge difference in the kinds of friends he chooses.

Another amazing thing is seeing God transform this young man. He has gone from wearing 36 inch waist baggy jeans with a 36 inch length to buying 32/30's. He quit wearing XL shirts and now wears shirts that fit him, he quit shaving his head and now goes to the barber. But the most amazing thing is not the outward change, it's the inward. He has called and witnessed to every one of his old friends. He has witnessed to his mother, brother, sister and even to his coworkers and supervisor. He led his first person to Christ last week. How amazing is that?

It is so exciting to see this young man growing in Christ. He listens to only Christian music because he said music is something that influences him and he doesn't want to give the devil a foothold in any area of his life.

So now I am going to go back to the title of this post. Today Joseph came home and said his boss had cursed him out like he had never been cursed out in his life. He was really down. This is not an unusual occurrance. Joseph works laying water line all day in heat, his job is trying, but his boss is very much of the world and is full of anger and unfortunately, one day he is tolerable and the next he is verbally abusive.

Joseph has very much of a servant's attitude. At home you never have to ask him to mow the lawn, weedeat, feed the dogs or anything, he does it all without having to be asked. He is always saying he can't wait to get home away from all the cursing and problems that go on there daily.

At work he endures racism, because he is the only hispanic working there, along with enduring an angry abusive supervisor. So I write this post to ask all of you to pray for Joseph. He loves the Lord so much and he wants to see his coworkers and supervisor come to know Christ. He has such a big heart. I know God hears and answers and if all of you would agree with me in prayer, I know God can move mountains and work miracles.

We were eating lunch after Church last week and one of our volunteers asked him if he liked his job. Joseph said no, he stated he has learned a great deal but he wanted to be involved in some type of inner city ministry and he wanted to go into the mission field. Again, I was amazed!!!

One more thing..... pray for Joseph's little boy. He has a son who is three years old. He pays child support and loves the boy dearly. His son lives with his baby's mother who is non christian, so lift her up if you would. Joseph recently told me that He told God that his son was the thing he loved the most on earth, but he was going to trust God to take care of him and he wasn't going home to San Antonio as often because the temptations were too great. This is a huge step for him because he has always gone home for his boy's birthday, all holidays, vacations, etc. The only thing is, he has always abused drugs while he was there. So this too is a big leap for him.

That pretty much sums up most of the story about Joseph. He was so down when he came home today. Please pray for him and his situation at work. Pray God uses him in an incredible way there. Thanks everyone, I so appreciate your prayers. I know God hears and answers!!

Stop Sinning!!

Can We Get Rid of Sin in Our Lives?

First, God's grace should motivate us to try to eliminate sin from our lives. The Bible says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2)

We choose to stop sinning because we are so moved by God's great love for us. We want to thank Him for His love and compassion by giving our lives completely to Him.

We have been bought with the very high price of Jesus' blood; shouldn't we then give ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, which the Bible says is "holy and pleasing to God"? (Romans 12:1)

At the same time, it's important to remember that we cannot earn God's love or salvation by not sinning. He has loved us since the beginning of time and nothing can take His love away from us. He loved us while we were still deep in sin. We don't want to get caught up in the way of thinking which says that we have to stop sinning in order to make God love us. He loves us in spite of our sin.

So can we be totally free from sin? I personally don't think so. My reasoning is... when we are born again, our spirit is changed, but the flesh is still the same flesh, we must take authority over it. It still wants what it wants, it wants to go where it wants to go, do what it wants to do and then the mind sometimes goes off on it's own, it's a continual battle.

I do know we have a personal responsibility for our actions and the bible says to be a doer of the Word and not a Hearer only. So tell me, what is your input on this? I really want to know. Do you think we can be sin free? What do you think God expects of us? I have heard so many opinions on this and I know mine, I was just wondering if you would share your insights with me on the subject!!

In the meantime I will be gone for two days, but I will ck back in to see what insights you all can give me! Have a wonderful day!!

PRAYERS FOR MY MOTHER

Please pray for my mother, she has been sick for about two years. I thought we were going to lose her many times, but God has been so good! She continues to improve and is very upbeat, is even walking on her own, although not without a cane or walker. However she is afraid to stay by herself for even a moment, she has to have someone with her twenty four hours a day. She has seizures and a blood clotting disorder.

A little history.....
My mother had polio when I was two years old. I went to live with my grandmother until I was in the third grade. My older brother and sister lived with my dad at home, he was a police officer who had been run down on his police Harley Davision motorcycle by a drunk driver. He raced up into the driveway of the gas station, jumped from his cycle and the drunk ran over him. He had a crushed collar bone, crushed his leg, had to have a steel plate put into his leg to replace the bone that was crushed. I am not sure what else, but he was pretty messed up.

He was in the hospital for a year then when he got out, mom was struck with polio. So although Dad was out of the hospital, he was in a full body cast laying on the couch, mom was in an iron lung at the hospital not expecting to make it. She was also in the hospital for a year. Later they separatred and mom worked three jobs supporting myself, my brother, older sister and my little sister.

So now mom is at that stage in life where she wants her independence and cannot have it. She can laugh so easily and give you a tongue lashing all within a matter of seconds. You can't help but love her, but sometimes it is so sad, because when we get older we have to depend on others. She thinks people are stealing all of her things, she wants to be in her own home, but doesn't want to let any of her money to be spent on her care, she wants us to drop everything and do it her way. We try to do the best we can, we reassure her, call her, let her come visit when we can, and spoil her as much as we can. Mostly I pray for her and let her know her feelings count and we want her to be involved in all decisions affecting her.

But no matter what, it is still sad seeing mom go through this. I know we may not have her too much longer, but she amazes me all the time so only God knows for sure. But if you all will, pray for mom to have peace and to be strengthened in this time. I would really appreciate it!!!

Much love to you all!!!

POISON IVY - OUCH!!!

I haven't posted in a few days because I had a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy! I usually get it every year, but this year benedryl and benedryl spray didn't affect it at all. I have it on both arms, then I got it on my eyelid, yuck! Then, it started to break out on my foot and my legs, so I decided it must be in my bloodstream. Sure enough I went to the doc and had to get a shot. She put me on steroids and gave me some cream, so it quit blistering, but the itch is still present. Guess next year before Poison Ivy season I better go get that shot that lasts for a year.

Don't ask me how I got it, only thing I can figure is my pomerainian had gotten into it or I got it from the air. All I know is I don't want it anymore. So tomorrow I will be back to blogging normally again!!

The Two Greatest Commandments

Mark 12:29-31

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

Today I will go share with fifty two boys who are incarcerated that Jesus loves them, that He gave His life for them and I will remind them that if they don't remember anything else we tell them, to remember this one thing, there is a better way and that way is found only in Jesus Christ. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me. His way is the only way!

Everyone's always trying to figure out what is wrong in the world, why do we have all the violence we have in the world, why the gangs, why terrorism, family violence, rape, abortion, burglary, hate, predjudice, the list goes on and on.

In this world, it's all about me, my myself and I, us four and no more, it's not about my brother, my sister. God said we are our brother's keeper. He told Cain, what have you done? Your brother's blood cries to me from ground!

The answer to the problems we have in the world lies in the heart of man. Sin has hardened our hearts and separated us from God. Evil lies in our hearts and until we have been changed the problem continues. There is no amount of money and programs that can change a man's heart, there is only one who can take the heart of stone out of us and give us a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:23-32). He gives us a new spirit and in doing so we are changed.

The hate and anger that lies in a terrorist's heart is what causes him to do what he does. The boys I minister to, do what they do, because of hate and malice in their hearts. They turn against their families, they join gangs for identities and acceptance, it's a form of brotherhood, they turn on each other too, because they feed on hatred, lies and deception. Family Violence is a lack of love flowing between a mother and child, a husband and wife, a brother and sister. When God's love does not flow between us, there is a crack in the foundation, we need God, we need Christ to save us, we need redemption! We are living under the curse, but Christ can redeem us from the curse of the law.

I am excited about going to share this morning. There is no greater miracle than the miracle of salvation, there is nothing more amazing than the miracle of a changed life! Praise the Lord, He welcomes us with open arms. Tell me blog world, Do you know my Jesus? Are you excited about His mercy, His Grace? I want to shout it from the rooftops!!

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND!

"LOVE NOT THE WORLD, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (I John 2:15-17).

I remember when I gave my life to Christ. my husband and I were allowing our children to go to church on the church bus. We were not attending church at all. Then one day they came home and asked us to go to church with them on Father's Day. Our lives were a mess, we were out of control, we were miserable and had even discussed divorce.

This was at a time in my life when I was unhappy, I felt empty, I was angry, lonely and I felt hopeless. I can remember I would walk outside of our home at night and I would stare up at the stars. I would pray and ask God to help me with tears streaming down my face. I didn't think God wat hearing my prayers, I felt like they were bouncing off of heaven. I had no relationship with him and the sin in my life had separated me from Him. Night after night I would go stand outside alone and pray, but nothing happened.

Then back to the day when the kids came home and asked us to go to church. I went to my husband, Chuck and told him they wanted us to go and they would get a prize if they got him to come. He replied to me that he wasn't going and he wasn't changing his mind. I went back to the kids and told them not to worry, we would be going.

So Father's day came. I got up early, got the kids ready, then went back to our room and put Chuck's suit on the bed. I told him to get up that we were going to church. He said he wasn't going. I then replied, if you don't get up and go, then our marriage is over, I can't live this way any longer. He was drinking alot at that time, he had gotten me to start drinking, we were going to clubs and our lives were a mess. So anyway, Chuck decided to get up and get ready, he told me later, he was ready to leave and get a divorce, but he wasn't going to do it on my terms, that he was going to leave when he got ready to leave.

We all finally get ready and in the car. The church we were going to was about twenty miles away. However, the first little church we come to, Chuck pulls into the parking lot. I said to him, "this is not the church we are going to." He replied, "you said we were going to church and we are at church and this is where we are going." So we pull in, get out, go inside, and find about ten people there and half of them were the pastor's family. The church was new, it was being held in a small trailer type building.

Chuck told me later he chose that church because there were hardly any cars there and he knew no one would bother him. Anyway, at the end of the church service, the pastor gave the invitation to come forward to accept Christ. Neither Chuck nor I got up although I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me of my sin. Then the pastor passes the offering plate at the end of the service and we had filled out visitor cards, and on the back it asked if you would like a visit from the pastor, well, I didn't tell Chuck but I checked yes.

So finally we leave. We go home and put on our cutoff jean shorts and head for the lake to swim. It was a sunny day, not too hot, just comfortable. We arrived at the lake and we were all swimming around, when I felt this light coming through the trees. I remember looking up and it seemed like this light was shining down on me and I began to cry. Chuck swam over to me and asked me what was wrong, I replied, "if I were to die today and stand before God, I know He would turn His face from me, I know I would go to hell. " With that Chuck decided it was time to go home, so we got the kids in the car and rode silently all the way home.

We had barely gotten in the door when there was a knock on the door and it was the little Baptist pastor from the church we had attended. I said wait a minute and I closed the door, I knew I had to prepare Chuck, because I remember one night, some men knocked on our door that were witnessing and they asked Chuck if they could ask him a question. He said, "ask", they proceeded to ask, "do you know if you died tonight if you would go to heaven or hell?" Chuck replied, "no and neither do you," He said, "I have eternal life here on earth, God doesn't want me and the devil doesn't want the competition." Needless to say they left. So when I saw that pastor at the door, I had to tell Chuck I had invited him in order to get him to let him in the house.

So I let him know he was there and then I went to let the pastor in the house. We went in and sat at the kitchen table. He began to share with us, how Christ knew everything about us, yet He still loved us and that He wanted to be part of our lives. I remember looking across the table and tears were streaming down Chuck's face. I had no idea he was even close to wanting to accept Christ. Tears began to stream down my face too. This little preacher continued to share the gospel with us, then asked if we would like to pray and ask Jesus to come and live in our hearts, we both said yes. We held hands, I remember the brokenness in Chuck's voice as he prayed in his own words and asked for forgiveness, at times he couldn't speak. Then I prayed and asked Christ in my heart. So we both received Christ on the same day, we are exactly the same age in the Lord.

Since that day, we have been growing, learning and continue to be blessed by the love of the Father. Our lives have never been the same. We quit doing the worldly things we were doing, we began to read our bibles and study. God has allowed us to share his love with many people since. We no longer enjoy the things of the world in the way we did before, we have a different appreciation for life. I am thankful He chose to save us that day. We both served Satan for many years, but God took us right where we were and we will serve Him for the rest of our lives. Everything in this life is temporary, only what's done for Christ will last. I don't want to waste a single moment of the life He has given me, I plan to make the most of every opportunity to share there's a better way, and He is the only way, His name is Jesus Christ!

I've Got Your Back!

I found this poem and thought I would share it with you!!

I am a small and precious child, my Dads been sent to fight...
The only place I'll see his face, is in my dreams late at night...

He will be gone far too many days For my young mind to keep track...
I may be sad, but I am proud.Because My Daddy's got your back.......

I am a caring mother.My son has gone to war...
My mind is filled with worriesThat I have never known before.

Everyday I try to keep my thoughts from turning black....
I may be scared, but I am proud, because My son has got your back......

I am a strong and loving wife, with a husband soon to go...
There are times I'm terrified in a way most will never know...

I bite my lip, and force a smile as I watch my husband pack...
My heart may break to pieces, but I am proud, because My husbands got your back......

I am a Marine, Soldier, Sailor & Airman......Serving Proudly, Standing Tall...
I fight for Freedom, Yours and Mine by answering this call....

I do my job while knowing, the thanks it sometimes lacks...
Please Say a prayer that I'll come home soon.Because it's me who's got your back.....

Loves Music, Loves to Dance

I love music and I love to dance. Do any of you have a Trail Dust Steakhouse near by? We go there to eat a good steak, with Texas toast, Ranch style beans, Corn on the Cob, Fried Mushrooms, Salad with Ranch dressing and while we are waiting we dance. As I said in other posts, I am just a country girl, I want to enjoy every moment of life God gives me, and one of the things I enjoy doing is Dancing.

I don't drink, smoke or partake in drugs of any kind. I don't even like to take an aspirin unless I truly have to. I don't need anything artificial to enjoy life. I go to the movies now and then but not very often. I love to swim, dance, and spend time outdoors.

I could swim all day long if you would let me. I love to fish, go boating and laugh. I am easily humored and it takes a lot to ever get me upset. I am very optimistic, I have a difficult time dealing with moody people, I avoid them at all costs.

But my greatest joy of all is the fulfillment I get when I have the opportunity to share Christ and what He has done in my life. I look for opportunities to share. Tonight it was in the Video store in our small town. Joseph, (a young man from the Ranch who lives with us) wanted to get a movie so I took him before I went to work. So while I was there I decided to witness to the girl behind the counter. They were slow and there was no one there to interrupt, God quickened my spirit so I shared. Just planting seeds wherever I go, and watching the seeds grow into small plants, then into trees. Our God is an awesome God.

PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT & TROOPS

Pray for our Troops and our Commander in Chief. In his speech launching his Presidential campaign, Bush said, "I believe in grace because I've seen it, and peace because I've felt it, and forgiveness because I've needed it." He regards himself as a "lowly sinner" who is saved by God's grace, a concept that has humbled him.

"I am... a lowly sinner who sought redemption and found it, that doesn't make me better than anybody, it just adds perspective, I hope. I think people are going to find that in tough times... they're going to see a steady hand because the rock on which I stand is something other than the moment, the emotion of the day. Faith can be a steadying influence."

Asked in a debate what "philosopher" he admires most, he responded, "Christ, because He has changed my heart." He continued, "When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as Savior, it changes the heart and changes your life, and that's what happened to me."

''I find great comfort in my faith, It helps me realize that I am a person that has a lot of responsibility, but I am just a person -- nothing more than a human being who seeks redemption, solace and strength through something greater than me.''

I feel so impressed to pray for our President. God is in control, He hears and He answers. These are tough times with difficult decisons. President Bush needs wisdom, strength, and our support. Let's seek God who is the Commander of the Armies of Heaven on behalf of our Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour" (I Timothy 2:1-3).

THE HEART OF GOD

I love this picture! It makes me think of how God's heart must break when he sees our world and some of the choices we make.

He loves us so much and has chosen to give us a freewill to choose our way and a choice to follow or not to follow Him. We have His word and still we try to justify sin. If He said it is wrong, it is wrong! It doesn't matter what we think, it matters that He knows better than we do and He gave us a standard to live by because He does love us and He can see the bigger picture. He says NO to protect us, not to keep us from having fun.

Last night I was talking with this girl. She was telling me she has a hard time believing in a God who would allow things to go on in the world, such as child abuse, murder, rape, etc. I proceeded to explain to her that man has a freewill. I also explained He is a just God, He loves us and shows us mercy but we also will each stand before Him and give an account of our lives. I went on to show her that God has done all He is going to do at the cross. We are not puppets, we have a choice to live the way He has laid out for us to live or we can choose to live as we please.

This girl has a drug problem. I explained, no one twists your arm and makes you smoke weed, no one makes you take pills, no one makes you drink. We do what we do because we choose to do it, knowing all the while whether our choices are right or wrong." I went on to explain to her, that sin demands a payment. There is a penalty for sin and Christ paid that penalty at the cross but God is not going to force us to accept that payment, but sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.

It seems many people hear the truth, but they want the best of both worlds, they want to sin all they want, they want the pleasures of this life more than the life Christ has for us, the Abundant life. This girl is so miserable and she knows it, but she forgets how bad it is and remembers only the fleeting pleasures of sin. I just pray God will open her eyes so she can see what it is that He would have her see and open her ears so she will hear what He wants her to hear.

I guess I am tired of people blaming God instead of taking individual responsibility for their actions. I mean if you are weak, admit it, if you struggle admit it. God will meet you where you are at. He picked me up out of the septic system of life, put me up on the Rock and cleaned me up and I have served Him ever since that day. Have I at times walked around the septic system, YES, did I get the stink on me, YES, but did I jump back in and put a sign up that says Dana's residence? No way!

Well, I will get off my soapbox now, guess I am just wondering how God can be so patient with us. Thank goodness for His mercy and grace!!

Go Into All the World!

There are many times when I've wondered if I was doing what God really wanted me to do, but everytime I tried to quit, I couldn't. I would be reminded not to be weary in well doing.

Sometimes when you are sharing the Good News your flesh wants to see the results, you want to see the fruit, but God told us to go tell the Good news, He didn't necessarily say we would see the fruit of our labor. So I continually remind myself to be faithful, to share the Good news of what Christ has done in my life, then the rest is up to Him. I am just a rake tilling the ground, planting seeds, sometimes God allows me to see a harvest, sometimes I see it years later. However I am going to share with you some of the times He has allowed me to see fruit, what an awesome God we serve!!!

I remember the first time I shared Christ, I was with a group of girls and we were putting a Christian play together, I felt the Lord quicken my spirit to share the gospel, so I told them to all sit down, I needed to share something with them. I began to share what Christ had done on the cross for each of us and then asked if there were any of them who wanted to accept this free gift of salvation. To my surprise all seven girls raised their hand. So we held hands, prayed and I knew heaven was rejoicing!!!

It seems I have never shared Christ one on one, I always seem to be in a group situation and God has always allowed me to share and blessed me with fruit in several of these situations.

Last year I decided to have a Girls Bible Study, so I sent cards to all of the girls on the school bus in my neighborhood and invited them to a BBQ. Thirteen girls showed up, we ate hamburgers, then I gave each of them a new bible, with a cover and bible tabs. They were so excited. I explained to them how to use the bible and asked them if they would like to meet every week to study and they all said yes.

By this time I decided to share Christ with them, so I asked them how many of them were lonely, they all raised their hands, I asked, are you angry?, they again raised their hands, then I said would you give anything for someone to love you just for who you are? By this time two of them were crying. I began to share with them, that there is someone who loves them and his name is Jesus. I shared with them how He knows everything about them, and still his love is unconditional. I began to tell them out of all the billions of people in the world, there are no two fingerprints in the world alike, that God branded them with their own fingerprints and He knows everything they have ever stolen or touched in life, every person they have hurt, etc. I then explained there are no two voice tones alike, God had given them their voice and He hears them when they pray, He doesn't look down and say, "who said that?" He knows if it is Vickie's voice and when we cry out to Him He hears us. I also explained that we are accountable for every idle word we speak and when we stand before God we will have to give an account for the things we have said. I explained how our blood type is different, no one has our DNA and they are now digging up corpses and solving murders or rapes which occurred years earlier. Then lastly I said God is the artist who paints every man's skin color, we live in a world of living color and God loves each and every one of us. He knows us individually, then I had them turn to Psalms 139:14 and we began to read how God formed each of us in our mother's womb.

By this time, one of the girls was saying she had beat up her sister so bad, (Her sister was there too), that she had left her bleeding and unconscious on her bed. She was crying and said you mean God saw me do that. I said yes, but He still loves you and He will forgive you for the things you have done wrong, all you have to do is ask Him to come into your heart and to repent, then He will forgive you.

So I asked if any of them had ever got on their knees and asked Christ to come into their heart to forgive them for all the things they had done in the past. Only one girl acknowledged she had prayed. So I asked if any of the other girls would like to pray, they all raised their hands. So thirteen girls prayed that night, they all were crying and hugging each other and I was in awe of what God was doing. I was so amazed, here I am nobody special, just wanting to share what Christ has done for me and if He did it for me, He will do it for you. God is so faithful, He is always there, all we have to do is be obedient. I am just a country girl who loves Jesus with all my heart. you can take everything I have, but don't take my Jesus, He changed my life forever.