Angel's Reflections

Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19

I read a devotional today that I thought was very timely and wanted to pass it along.
Below is a piece of it, with a link to the full article. It is powerful if you are carrying a vision or dream that seems will never deliver. I hope this encourages you today as it has me!

Here we are, drawing to the end of another year, and many of us are still carrying around things that God had placed within us that have yet, much to our dismay, come to pass.

For some, it may be the promise of a new job or the start of a new relationship. While for others, it may be the desire for better health or a stronger church. Perhaps a new business venture.

Whatever the case may be, there are many of us as believers who still remain pregnant with a hope that what God promised you earlier this year will still come to pass.

Yet, here we are. It is December.
And for some of you, nothing has happened yet.

Well, I have a question for you today. This is a question that you may have to wrestle with for a little while. We did as a family…and now perhaps it is your turn.

Is it time…for you to induce your labor?

Streaming Faith Devotional

And the author, Milan Ford at The Pew View

I wanted to share, support and promote a film I am very excited about for a couple of reasons.

1) Because a friend of mine, Caleb Cubbison, is starring in it. I can not wait until he is a famous Hollywood star and I can say “I knew him when…” and

2) Because this film supports a really great project. A Mission project which will go to support buying Christmas for orphaned children in Uganda.
The Uganda film Project
Oasis Missions

Watch the trailer, buy the movie, do something good this Christmas!

One Person from Steven Kiefer on Vimeo.

“Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Mark 10:13-15

Fall is here. Hooray, Hooray, and fast approaching is Turkey Day! I am thankful for my life, my family, my home. I am so amazed at all the things God has done

Today I can honestly say this has been a year of miracles and breakthroughs for us! This will be the first time in 6 years of marriage that I can go Christmas shopping without worrying about whether I am spending the money to pay our bills or not.

I am thankful even more than the financial breakthrough in our lives, but for all the things God has taught us. The peace, and feeling of trust God has brought us to in our relationship with Him. I am beginning to understand what He meant when He asked us to “come to Me as a little Child”. It is that trust, no need to worry about anything being provided for or struggle to make things happen, cause God has it under control.

I am thankful that my girls are growing and learning more and more each day. We are all healthy, and together.

Even if you do not feel grateful today, as you begin to list the smallest thing to be thankful for you will turn your day around. It can be as small as “I am thankful I can breathe on my own”. (Because not everyone can.) So….What are you thankful for today?

If You change the way you look at things the things you look at change.

Today I am thankful for how creative God is! The fall is my absolute favorite time of year. A decorator told me recently that the color orange fights depression. Isn’t it fascinating that as the earth is actually dying away and going into dormancy, it produces the various colors of orange! It makes me happy just to drive down the road in my car these days. I confessed to a friend the other day, that I actually missed where I was going because I was so caught up in looking at the trees! 🙂

I am thankful that right now I sit in front of my fire and listen to the rustling of the leaves, oooooh the nostalgia. I can not even begin to describe that feeling, but then again I bet I do not have too! In the end it is always the simple things in life that we are most thankful for.

What are you thankful for today?!

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise…He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready.We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.(Romans 5:1-2;7 TM)

Sunday, Anna and I had a rough day of it. We had been traveling over the weekend, she had not had a nap in a couple of days, and late nights made for a very ill 3 year old. Even taking this into consideration, she was in her rare form. Antagonistic to her sister and us, pee-pee “accidents” 3 times over the course of the day, and tantrums of destruction. I had come to my end by Sunday evening, and when we got home made her take a little nap, and an early bedtime was in her near future. (This all being for me to have a break more than anything.) Before leaving the room I told her “I love you, but your behavior today was unacceptable. And you really need to think how you can do better. ok?”
She said yes.

After some downtime,she came into the kitchen where I was. She reached her arms up to me and said nothing. I lifted her up into my arms at which point she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed as hard as she could. “Mommy, I always love you.” She said. “I know baby, and no matter what I always, love you.” In that moment all of the day had gone away. And I felt these words. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

See, Anna is 3 years old. She is, by nature, selfish and self-seeking. By nature every child and infant, though maybe innocently, is selfish and demanding. Wanting what they want, when they want it, and will cry, scream, and make your life miserable if necessary until they get it. But you love them anyway. There is this strange emotion and pull that comes over a mother when a child cries out in the middle of the night. Yes, it may get old and tiring, but ultimately we love them too much to ignore them. And why? Have they done anything to prove their love for you? Have they poured into your life anything besides their existence? Have they proven or made their selves deserving of your unconditional love? No. But yet, even on the worst of days it only takes a hug around the neck, and an “I love you” to melt away everything.

How many mothers have grown children who have cut them with their words, or embarrassed them with their actions? Yet that parent will be there as soon as that child says “Mom I need you”.

How much more is God’s love to you and me? How much more? While we were yet sinners…. He saw beyond the sin to the “I love you daddy” on the other end, and it was all worth it to Him. All He really needs and wants from you today, no matter what you have done or walked through, is to reach your arms up to Him, crawl into His arms, wrap yourself around Him and say “I Love You Daddy” and everything else melts away.

I had a rough morning, really starting last night. I cried quite a lot at the results of this election.

I told Ben when I was a teenager I did not care about Politics. However, I feel strong about honoring and praying for authority even if you do not agree with them. Bush was the first President I was able to vote for. So this is the first President I have had to commit to pray for and honor that I do not agree with.

This morning my seven year old, Emily, got up and asked me “Mama, who is our new President?” She was very disappointed in the answer. I told her well we can be excited that we are able to witness a historical day. I explained that we have never had a black President before. (She loved learning about MLK,Jr. this year, and what he did, so she fully understood the significance of this day.)

Then I told her we will continue to pray for him like we do President Bush because he will need our prayers more than ever. And I said no matter what God raises them up and God brings them down, so if he allowed Obama to go in He must have a plan.

She said “Mama. Has there ever been a female President?” I said “Not yet!” She said “I think I will be the first Female President.” Of course I high-fived her and cried again. Ben said “Well hopefully we will have a Female President before you are old enough to run.” “But You can be the BEST female President” I said. She smiled at that thought.

As she walked out the door she said “I think when we have prayer requests today I will pray for President Obama, and for the cat to stop eating birds and Squirrels.” (the cat caught a bird this morning LOL! )

This was encouraging to me to be able to teach Emily about the Democratic process, winning and losing, to explain that while we do not agree with his politics we can honor the significance of this day in history and still respect his position of authority because God commands us to.” It encouraged me because I am teaching my daughter to trust God even when we do not always understand why He allows things or does what He does.

And I had hope, hope that she will be a candidate of change in her lifetime.

I do believe in my heart God has not been de-throned, and He is still in control.

~Angel

I could not resist bringing a little laughter to the day. I knew, related, and DID every single one of these! 🙂 I have now arrived the day when my day is retro. Ha ha! Too funny!

You Know You Grew Up In the 80’s IF:

1. You’ve ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do theCarlton

3. You know that ‘WOAH’ comes from Joey on Blossom

4. If you ever watched ‘Fraggle Rock’

5 It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that
would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.

9. You played the game ‘MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)

10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.

11. You know the profound meaning of ‘ WAX ON , WAX OFF’

12. You wanted to be a Goonie.

13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us…head-to-toe)

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like
before his nose fell off, his cheeks shifted and his nationality became questionable.

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

16. You took lunch boxes to school…and traded Garbage Pail Kids in the schoolyard.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

18. You still get the urge to say ‘NOT’ after every sentence.

19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave
because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.

21. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.

22. After you saw Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure you kept saying
‘I know you are, but what am I?’

23. You remember ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’

24. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.

25. You have ever played with a Skip-It.

26. You remember boom boxes and walking around with
one on your shoulder like you were all that.

27. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.

28. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.

29. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.

30. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool…
and don’t even flinch when people refer to them as ‘NKOTB’

31. You knew all the characters names and
their life stories on ‘Saved By The Bell,’ The ORIGINAL class.

32. You know all the words to Bon Jovi – SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.

33. You just sang those words to yourself.

34. You still sing ‘We are the World’

35. You tight rolled or french cuffed your jeans.
And still debate on which is the right term!

36. You owned a bannana clip.

37. You remember ‘Where’s the Beef?’

38. You used to (and probably still do) say ‘What you talkin’ ’bout Willis?’

39. You’re still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren’t you!

Duty is ours, results are God’s. ~John Quincy Adams

Today, I exercised my right to vote. It has been a long hard journey for America and it is nearly over. I have been offended, provoked to thought, had to bite my tongue on more than one occasion for the sake of peace, and am sure I have done the same to others. I hope that if you are an American that you have taken the time to let your vote be cast.

As I stood in line this morning to vote, preparing for a long line but found a short one instead (yeah), I looked around at everyone standing in line with me. I felt united to all standing there, a sense of pride that we all cared enough about our country to be there taking the time to express ourselves. And not forgetting that only a couple of generations ago I would not have been able to cast my vote and we should be sure not to forget that.

No matter what the results I know God is in control. I have an overwhelming peace that God knows. And whoever the candidate is, He can count on my prayers for God to give him clear direction, safety, and peace for the next 4 years.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” ~John Quincy Adams

“You will never know how much it has cost our generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you make good use of it.” ~John Quincy Adams

Hot -Spot: A place in your home that attracts clutter, if not dealt with will eventually take over.

Do you have a table in your home that stays cluttered, it’s just the catch all for everything? This was my dining room table, and I don’t have a kitchen table. There were many nights I would have to spend 10 minutes putting stuff away before we could eat, or everything just shifted from the table to the counters until after dinner. Well not anymore. I read this tip, and it was so simple I felt I had to try it.

Keep your table set all the time. When it looks nice it deters junk and clutter. Bonus is it encourages you to actually eat at the table. Now I have a clutter free table. And it looks beautiful. For me, this was so important especially because when you walk in my front door you are looking straight into the dining room. Now you see a beautifully set table! This is an inexpensive way for you to bring added decoration to your room, and remove the clutter.The first few nights I was establishing this habit, I would bark at my husband, “Don’t you put anything on my nice table, go put that where it goes.” It only took a few times for everyone to get what I was doing. Now I love my table, and we all love sitting at it for dinner. So try it! I think you will be amazed at how easy it is, and how much clutter you can aleviate.