!?!?!HaPpY fRiDaY!?!?!

So maybe I should not have gone to bed last night. I should have known something was up when at 10:30 Graham comes to us and tells us that he's been coughing all day and cannot sleep. My cure? "Go to sleep!!! Then you'll stop."

Todd is hacking and sniffling and sneezing. Jonah is hacking. Drew is trying to. And Noah, well, he's just my lil toothless wonder.

Graham continues to cough~and it's not even a "real" cough, I might add. Just one of those annoying ones that he can't stop doing. It drove me insane until 11:30 or so and he either fell asleep or the cough mysteriously disappeared.

This morning arrives. Jonah and Noah are up when dawn breaks, and why the HECK is Jonah Raymon so stinkin' happy at the crack of dawn?? Ugh. I was not, needless to say.

Graham and Drew seem to think that my wake up call did NOT include them and continued to snooze.

Graham had to be at the school early this morning for environmental club and safety patrol, which meant we all had to hurry and get out the door by 8:20.

We got to school, lined up in the car line {?!?!?!?! What is wrong with these parents that want to drop their kids off that early and sit for 30 minutes?!?!?!?!}, and Graham is about to get out when he says, "Oh, Mom? I accidentally forgot my backpack."

To which I thought to myself, "Well excuse me, while I accidentally pinch you."

I had to turn around and come home so he could have his bag. Drew was kind enough to come inside and get it, then carry it in for him.

I finally got rid of~I mean dropped off~the kids, came home and discovered that ANDREW MYLES forgot the 2 bottles of soda he was supposed to take to school this morning. For his snack. That starts at 10:00. One whole hour before I go in.

I ran upstairs and threw on some non~pajama style clothes, ran back down, grabbed the soda and took off. Once again.

I hurried in and out of the school~because I happened to look hideous this morning and I had no make up on~and finally came back home.

And enjoyed my long hot shower. Until I tripped over my huge dog, who is terrified of the storm we're currently having and is trailing me wherever I go.

Ugh.

I seriously hope this is not a preview of things to come.

Can I go back to bed and start over?

Please?

The good thing about this day~it's Friday. And so help me, if anybody wakes me up before 8am in the morning, it is on.

I need some sleep. The kind that is uninterrupted. Because did I fail to mention that one or more of my kids has come and stood over me in the middle of the night almost every night this week? WITHOUT SAYING A WORD?!?! And I just "happened" to wake up because I could feel their beady little eyes staring at me?? I think they're trying to harm me. Seriously. Who, in their right mind, would DO that to somebody?

So I might have "accidentally" gotten Graham back yesterday. Because it's him the majority of the time that does that to me. Drew and him were watching a scary movie on tv, and I might have accidentally let out a blood~curdling scream while pointing to nothing behind his head.

The look on his face was PRICELESS. He said he was going to get me back and if he does, I assure you, it is GAME ON.

This Mama ain't messin' around.

Happy Friday y'all.

What I Read This Morning

Ephesians 5:33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 6:6 As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who bean the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 2:3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:10, 11 ...that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 3:1 Whatever happens...rejoice in the Lord.

Philippians 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again~rejoice!

Philippians 4:6,7 Don't worry about anything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2: 2,3 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:6,7 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grown down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

Excuse us while we interrupt this beautifully decorated dining room and bring to you...

...camouflage. Lots and lots of camouflage. Living in a house full of young {and not so much} men is truly interesting, to say the least.

I was walking by my dining room this morning and just stopped and smiled for a minute. Because my dining room is one of my favorite rooms in my house. It's all pretty and nice and kinda {KIND OF} feminine. I love it. What I smiled about was all the camouflage jackets surrounding my dining room table. Because the young men afore mentioned cannot reach our coat tree.

Which I'm thinking would be EXCELLENT if my brilliantly smart, gifted, handsome husband could find some pegs and drill into the lower portion of the coat tree. We could have the high ones for ourselves, and the lower ones for the boys. Brilliant, I tell you. Sheer brilliance.

Or maybe just desperation to get my "pretty" room back. I mean come on. It's one room in a house filled with seven others. Can I not have JUST ONE ROOM to myself??? Please???

Apparently when camouflage moves in, pretty moves out.

But in its place, I must say, is something every dad should be so lucky to have.

A son {or four} who admires everything you are and stand for.

A son {or four} who wants to do everything just exactly like his daddy does.

A son {or four} who cannot wait to go hunting with his dad.

A son {or four} who screams and shouts at the football game on the television, just like good 'ol dad. And who tells everyone, "I'm starting football next year." Why? Probably so he can go to the University of Alabama and play football so his dad can come and cheer him on.

Okay. Maybe I don't want my pretty room back.

Maybe I'll leave it exactly like it is.

Maybe I'll even take a picture of it and frame it, so that when my house is all clean and perfectly neat and straight and quiet, I can look back on that day and remember all the happiness we had in this house of young {and not so much} men.

Or, maybe I'll just post it on this here bloggy blog.

For your enjoyment.

Or mine.

Whatever.

Well, I had this other thought in mind for my blog today, but life got in the way. And boy, am I thankful.

Thank You, Lord, for my messy boys. Thank You that we love, live and play in this house. Help me to never take one day for granted. Help me enjoy this time that I have with them. I ask this in Your name. I love You, Lord. Amen.

a movie, a cold night and a good friend

The weather here yesterday was so....blah. It was the perfect night to stay home in comfy clothes and curl up with a great movie. Which is exactly what I did.

Todd had to work for the sheriff's department last night, so I invited my friend Christa over. I got Chik~Fil~A for the boys and myself, and she brought her own pizza. Not because I was rude and didn't offer her food, but because she wanted pizza, and we'd had that the night before. I am a good hostess, I promise.

The boys love when she comes over. They were all snuggled around her at one point, and she was trying to teach Jonah and Noah how to blow bubbles with their gum. Because I can't seem to explain that right. ? Who knows.

I rented 2 movies~Space Chimps for the boys and Twilight for us. Ohmygoodness. Call me whatever you want, but I loved it. I read all 4 of the books {in a ridiculously short amount of time, I might add} and my expectations of the movie were pretty low. I was very pleasantly surprised. Of course I also kept in mind that all these books were written for teenagers, so I expected some of the dumber parts.

Now I can't wait until New Moon comes out in November. I am making a date to see it with Christa and Katie. :) What a happy thought.

Today we're being lazy. My husband and Graham and Jonah are at Costco, I'm here doing the bloggy thing, and Drew and Noah are in the backyard with the neighborhood kids. What a great day. And the sun is shining!! Hallelujah! I lurve me some sunshine after a few days of gloominess.

This afternoon we're going to my dad's to carve pumpkins and cook hot dogs, then we're going to ZooBoo! I'm so excited~I've never been, and I can't wait to see what it's all about. It's going to be another cold night! Yay. I also lurve me some cold weather! Especially if it involves yummy sweaters and scarves and snuggling up next to my man.

Well speaking of him, I have to go. He just told me to get dressed so we can leave to go eat lunch. Bye! Love y'all!

The Names of God

Elohim~strong One, plural of majesty, the Trinity~God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit

El Shaddai~God almighty

El Elyon~Most High God

El Olam~Everlasting God

YAHWEH~YHWH~to exist, to be, God the independent and self existing God of revelation and redemption

Jehovah Jireh~the Lord will provide

Jehovah Nissi~the Lord is my banner

Jehovah Shalom~the Lord is peace

Jehovah Sabbaoth~the Lord of hosts

Jehovah Maccaddeshcem~the Lord your sanctifier

Jehovah R'Oi~the Lord my shepherd

Jehovah Tsidkenu~the Lord our righteousness

Jehovah Shammah~the Lord is there

Jehovah Elohim Israel~the Lord, the God of Israel

I had to write out the names of God and their meanings for Bible study, and I was fascinated by all of His names. Yet He is the One, the True, the Faithful God. The only One.

I am learning all about His character through my Bible study~not just His plans for my life, but I am learning all about Him. Just Him.

He is all these things to me~especially Jehovah Jireh. Which one is He for you? He can be all of them. I love Jehovah Nissi~He is my banner! Wow.

I'm falling for Him all over again.

Are you?

Now would be a great time to find that post I did on my new favorite song by Israel Houghton and listen to it while you read His names.

I adore Him.

He is magnificent and holy.

Promises

Psalm 25:14 The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.



Psalm 27:13, 14 I am still confident in this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.



Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.



Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.



Romans 8:37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.



Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

catching up

I don't know what's been wrong with me. I've been so uninspired to blog. Isn't that sad? It makes me sad, even if it doesn't you.

We had the crud again~mild stomach issues with 3 of the boys and myself. Between my stomach being nauseated and my head KILLING me, I've not been in the best of moods. Headaches + 4 loud boys = me not being a very nice mommy. :(

Ok. I'm finished complaining. It's a new day and I'm claiming victory over my headaches!!! In Jesus' name!!

It is a gorgeous day, here in the Ville. The sun is shining brightly, I only had to pack 3 lunches this morning, I have NO plans tonight~this is going to be a great day. I just know it. OH! And it was hat day today at school, so we didn't have to deal with uncooperative hair in the back of the head! Yes, the small things make me happy.

I even vacuumed up all the dog hair last night! Y'all don't know how thrilled I am to say that. I've been so busy that I haven't had the time to do house stuff. I have yet to catch up on laundry, but I feel that day is soon in coming.

I'm excited about this week~starting this Thursday, I'm going to be helping out in Noah's class at school. I can't wait to get that started and get to know his classmates better. I know most of them, but I don't KNOW THEM, know them, if ya know what I mean. I lurve getting to know their friends.

I have one more field trip to go on this week, and after this one we are done with those until Spring. Jonah and Noah went on a walking field trip to the fire station yesterday that Todd and I both got to go on, and on Friday Graham is going ... somewhere, I forgot!!! ... to see a civil war reenactment. I'm excited about that one. I lurve me some history.

I cannot believe that is #1 of his last 2 field trips in elementary school. Ok. I'm done with that thought, that's a whole other blog post. No tears. No tears. NO TEARS!!!

I have to run~love to all and have a blessed day!!

Fall Fun

Yesterday dawned early and dreary. Drew was so excited about his field trip, he could hardly sleep the night before. This year the 4th grade took a 6 mile round trip walking field trip to the Wolf River. This picture below was taken from the board walk. It was beautiful back there~I'm ashamed to admit that this was my first time back there. I know, I know. We have this beautiful area near my house, and we've never used it. But, I have to admit that I didn't know about it until the last year or so.

This is my adorable daddy with Drew. Yes, this precious man went with us on his field trip. I had to leave after about an hour, but my dad was able to stay until after lunch. He went with Graham on this same field trip last year, too. This was when we stopped to look at six or seven deer in the woods.

There were different stations set up along the boardwalk, and this one was the one on meteorology. This was the only station I was able to go to, since it was a mile and a half walk back to my car. The kids had science journals that they made notes in, since this was an all day learning field trip. Cool, huh?

The beautiful Wolf River. We were right on it. It was worth the mile and a half walk.

On my way back, of course I had to stop and appreciate the scenery that God gave us to enjoy. I thought this was a cool picture.

It turned into a breathtaking day. Seriously, we have a God who gives us all this to enjoy. Isn't He amazing?

The only thing that would have made this picture more perfect would have been my kids posing. Because they just make everything look better, ya know??

We ended the day by going to Tom's Farm. This is our third year to carry out this tradition in October. The kids LOVE going out there every year. We took our own hot dogs and makings for s'mores and roasted them over a bonfire. The kids played on the rope swing, they ran all around on the land out there, and after we all ate, we all loaded up for a hayride. There were 17 of us, total. Three couples, then all the kids. We had an amazing time. Graham didn't feel good. :( He was freeeeeezing!

And little Jonah was just precious, hanging around with his daddy all night. Jonah is all about some bonfires, y'all. He would have been right in the middle of helping get the fire going, if we'd let him.

And I am sad to say that those are the only 2 pictures I took the entire night. I'm so disappointed with myself. We were having too much fun for me to remember to dig the camera out. It was a great night. Graham looked at me at one point during the hayride and said, "Mom, I love doing this every year. Thank you."

Ahhhhhhh. So do I. So do I.

My Lovely Shortened Week

***BEFORE YOU START READING, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ENTRY AND CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON. LISTEN AND BE BLESSED WHILE YOU READ!***

I lurve me some short weeks of school, y'all. I would lurve them more if the sunshine would rear it's beautiful yellow head.

I am soooooo tired of rain, and while I try not to be a complainer~I'm about to start complaining about all this rain and dreariness we've had lately. B.L.A.H.

We have an exciting weekend, and I can't wait to get started on it. Starting with Drew's field trip to the Wolf River tomorrow. He is so excited, he's just about beside himself. I'm going to go with him for a little while, but my dad is going to stay with him. :) Tomorrow night we're making our annual trek to Tom's Farm for a bonfire dinner and hayride with some great friends. Woohoo!! I lurve Fall and pumpkins!

Saturday night is our Missions Dinner at the church. Missions Week is my favorite time of year at church. I lurve to hear all about how they live in different parts of the world, and the work they do over in those parts.

I seriously don't ever want to experience life outside of church, y'all. The next 4 days are going to be spent with our beloved church family. I feel grateful to have that. It's something I've never quite experienced before we came to this church, and I lurve it.

Do you ever feel so overwhelmingly grateful for something? That's how I feel. And I feel that way about lots of things~my family, a job that I enjoy with people who are great to work with, health, but most importantly~God and His goodness. Even though I have fallen WAY short of His glory~still, He loves me.

Last night in choir practice, Music Man led us in worship and prayer, and at the end he gave us the chance to say what we were grateful for. I sat and just basked in His goodness as tears of joy and gratitude streamed down my face. I can't help but praise Him.

I'm attaching a video of a song that I lurve. My friend made a cd for me and this song was on it and I was hooked. Thank you, Christa! I have played it over and over. If you want, listen to this song while you read what I wrote, because it's a lengthy one. Even though it's a Christmas song, it's great to worship to. So. Listen and be blessed. My God captivates me. Let Him captivate you through this music.

Words Fail

I cannot think of words to describe my weekend. I truly cannot. I know it seems strange~me, who usually has no problem writing anything~but words fail me. I cannot describe how amazing it was to be in God's presence with 13,000 other women {well, mostly women and a handful of men} worshiping and singing. It was truly mind blowing.

Then to top THAT off, I went to Bible study Monday night and had an earth~shattering time there as well. I can't describe that either, except that Monday night amidst our group of ladies, strongholds were DESTROYED in Jesus' mighty name.

I wanted to share with you the Scripture that Beth Moore taught on this weekend. I may share my notes some other time, but for now, read and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Exodus 34:5~7
⁵ Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. ⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

That last part of the verse~He doesn't leave the guilty unpunished~was explained in a new way that made so much sense to me. That's all in my notes, though, and I'm officially out of time.

Love to all~have a great day~despite all the rain, if you live near me.

The Living Proof Live Event This Weekend In Memphis

Living Proof Live - Memphis from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Prayer For My Family

Taken from Ephesians 3:16-20

Lord, I pray that Your glorious and unlimited resources will empower them with inner strength through Your Spirit. {verse 16}

I pray that You will make Your home in their hearts as they trust in You. {verse 17}

I pray that their roots will grow deep into Your love and keep them strong. {verse 17}

I pray that they know and understand how wide, how long, how high and how deep Your love for them is. {verse 18}

I pray that they experience Your love, though it is too great to fully understand. {verse 19}

I pray that they are made complete with the fullness of life and power that comes ONLY from You. {verse 19}

I thank You, Lord, for Your love and care for them. Now all glory to You, who is able, through Your mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than than I might ask or think. {verse 20} In Your mighty, beautiful name I ask this. Amen.

Just A Line...

Oh my. Y'all. Words cannot express how amazing this weekend was! All I can say is that it was much needed, a time of refreshing, a time of thirst quenching praise and worship, and a time for hearing from my Jesus. I was blessed beyond words to have had the privilege of going on this Wild God Chase this weekend.


I'll talk about it some more later. I'm going to watch a show with my honey.

Almost Fall Break!

I am seriously ready for this week to be over. It always seems like the week before a break is the longest, ya know?

I am so excited about my weekend!!! I'm going to see Beth Moore at the FedEx Forum tomorrow night with some church ladies, Christa and my neighbor, Katie. I am beside myself with excitement.

Especially since Christa and I are turning it into a retreat. I'm spending tomorrow night at her house. :) I told the boys, and they go, "No fair." They lurve Christa.

Saturday is more of the Beth Moore event, then that night we're going to a wedding at the Memphis Zoo! I've never been to a wedding at the zoo, and we're all excited!!

Sunday is church, and Monday and Tuesday are blessed days off!!! Praise the Lord! I lurve me some days off with my favorite boys EVER!! I know one day we're going to see the new zoo exhibit, Teton Trek, and the other day....I don't know. Whatever we want to!!

The time is already flying, people. I cannot believe it's already fall break, almost Halloween, then the Holidays! Yikes. I wish I could hit "slow motion" so we could enjoy our time more. I feel like I'm always in a race to something else, or the next big day. I think these are the times that I wish I was born a century ago. Before technology, before all that now complicates life. Anyway. That's a whole other post.

I enjoyed my night tonight. I took Jonah and Noah to get haircuts and to Baskin Robbins afterwards. Todd took Graham and Drew to see GI Joe. They've been begging for weeks to see it, so Todd decided to finally take them.

Well. Speaking of all the little devils, I am going to go now because the 3 of them just got home. Oh, and the next time you see Noah, ask him how much better he is at the "Worm" than Drew is. Love to all!!

Put The Shut To The Up...As My Sista Would Say

Without her knowing that I am doing this, I am copying and pasting my sister's post from her blog. This woman needs her own show. Her blog is on my blog roll on the right~it's Girlz A Soul Sista. Check her out, y'all, she's a trip. This is Madea made over with white skin. Enjoy!

***************************************************************************

I'm Back.....With My Earrings On!

O How I Have Missed All Of My Sista's!

Wow...what a week! Praise God our Shareathon was a HUGE success! So many people came through for us and please know that we appreciated every penny!

Now for the Reader's Digest version of why I am BACK with my earrings On. For those of you who Know me....Know me....you know that I'm not one to hold back too much but there was a "SITUATION" that needed much attention this morning down at the bus stop.

Now....let me set the scene.....My Big Boo...had a little confrontation last Friday in which he had to take care of some Bizness at the bus stop. And when I say Bizness....there was a kid that "spit" on my son at the bus stop!....I know.....I gasped when I heard the news....it made me sick. Well...he defended himself and put a wee bit of a shiner on the kid. Reported the kid to the office when he got to school and did the right thing.

Yesterday....he came home and told me that ....the boys "Mama" came to the bus stop and cursed at him in front of all the other kids at the bus stop. For those of you that know me...know me...I was so mad I was shakin....this Sista was on "Wound up ...Gitty mode! I grabbed the phone book like I was going to call somebody...... and now just who would that be?

I tried the school and no one answered....called a guidance counselor who is a friend...and she told me to report it to the Sheriff's office in which I did end up doing. So hence therefore today.....I went to the bus stop against the soulmate's wishes. I was prayin that the "Mama" would show up. I had my big hoop earrings on....that I was thinkin that I was going to have to take off if she showed up again to confront my son.

Yes...the lady had the audacity to blame my son ....for her son spitting on him. Uhmmm...imagine that. I
cannot believe what all she said to my son. I told the soulmate that I would need an extra dose of Jesus today.

I also called two other people...my boss and Shawn from Seriously...to see if they would come bail me out if I for some unforeseen reason endend up downtown in an orange jumpsuit. So ...there was a no show....for Psycho Mama at the bus stop...but this Mama was there with her earrings ON. I guess the call she received from the deputy last night scared her into some righteousness.

So Sista's if you love me....pray for me...because when people mess with your children....you aren't normal...you react....protection mode and Mama Bear comes out to protect her cubs.

Can I get an AMEN?

Debi

What To Write???

I still don't know. I just thought I'd throw that title out there. It's going great~I just haven't been in the mood to blog. I know. Shocking, right?? Usually I can't shut up.

Oh well. It's so dreary here today in the 'Ville. I am kinda glad though. Tonight is our Nat'l Night Out, and I forgot to notify the neighbors of it. Oops. What are they going to do, fire me??? Being the neighborhood spokesperson/coordinator for just ONE year is now turning into the 4th year. I'm really over it.

Now that it's canceled nobody will be mad. Like my sweet elderly neighbor next door who, I'm fo sho, thinks I'm a heathen.

I had the most amazing morning. If you're my friend on Facebook, you'll see why I think everyone should go see my chiropractor, Jason Coleman. He recommended that I start getting massages 2x a week. Darn. I guess I have to follow his orders, huh?

My first one was this morning. Hello, Lord? Can You make sure that we get massages in Heaven? Y'all. It was pure and total H.E.A.V.E.N.

Seriously.

So now that I'm like a wet noodle, I'm about to go to work. I hope my kiddos are nice to me today. I am soooo not in the mood for "rainy day" behavior.

My Bible study is going really good~it's on the right side somewhere. I highly recommend it~even if it's on your own. You do not have to have the dvd sessions. You can just read along by yourself and do the study guide. It's amazing. Last night we learned about heeding to the Holy Spirit. And waiting, listening, obeying, then believing in Him.

Well, I really must run before I'm late. I hope you all have a blessedly happy, rainy Tuesday.

A Little Word...A Lot of Prayer

I do not believe in coincidences. Do you? I believe that everything has a divine appointment from God~even ignored devotions that you get on your computer.

Yesterday I didn't read one of my daily emailed devotions. I finally settled in to read it when I got home from work. I only had 5 minutes to spare, but I opened it and began to read. If you're my friend on facebook, you'll see what verse I read. It was 2 Corinthians 12:8.

So this morning after dropping the boys off, I came back home and settled in at the kitchen table for some quiet time. I must say~the enemy is wonderful at distractions. My phone rang 4 times, my new toy kept buzzing and vibrating and making some strange xylophone sound {which, by the way, my new toy is an Iphone}, the cats were meowing, the dog was barking, the dryer was beeping. I mean come on. Seriously? It's like satan didn't want me to have this time. And after it's all over~I know he didn't want me to have that time.

So. Distractions finally set aside, I opened up my amazing women's friendship devotional that I so dearly love and read yesterday's entry. October 1. Thursday. Do you want to know what the verse was at the top of the page? Just guess. Because, I am realizing that God has a sense of humor.

Just let me write it out.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Three different times, I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

***And just a little f.y.i.~the "it" Paul is referring to is the thorn in his flesh. That's actually what my Bible says~the New Living Translation.***

It was the exact same verse as yesterday. Although yesterday's translation read, "My grace is sufficient for you."

I did not have a bad day at work. I just want to clarify that here~some people kinda thought I did, but it wasn't bad. I was frustrated with myself over several different areas. I have been praying for some pretty specific things in my life and this verse was exactly what God wanted me to hear. He is all that I need. He will clarify these things in my life that I have been praying about and for right now, He has me exactly where He wants me.

I got really overwhelmed with His goodness, needless to say, after reading the same verse for the 2nd time in a row. I love how He works~I've been praying about hearing Him speak~and I did. It wasn't in the format I was expecting, but then if He did anything ordinary~He wouldn't be God. He is extraordinary.

John 16:33 "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

This is another verse that I can't get out of my mind. I know that this life is full of frustrations~but this is His way of reminding me to keep my focus on Him. Not on what I'm going through at that moment. He is the giver of peace, comfort, strength, and joy.

Because joy does always come. Mine came this morning. If you are still waiting on yours~be patient. It will come, I know it. Ask Him to help you along that path to find it. You will be amazed at what He shows you.

Until then~dig into His word! It is the living, breathing Word of God, friends! He very specifically tells you how to handle things. If you need assistance on finding something that you're going through~I love biblegateway.com. You can type in a phrase or a word {like "joy"} and read all the verses that pop up. It's a great starting point for you~I could tell you my favorites, but do you have all day? I love so many parts of the Bible~all the "ians" books~Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Thessalonians~I love Psalm, Proverb, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Nehemiah, Joshua...

Just go to the above link if you need help~I set it up for you to be able to just click on it.

Love to all of you~if I can pray for you~just comment on here or email me. allboys@gmail.com is my email address.