MIRACLES. . . THATS MY GOD!

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine from Cahokia, IL. where I used to live and go to church, sent me an email asking for prayers for her Pastor. When I lived there he was the Associate Pastor, and now he is pastoring the church. Anyway, it was a possibility that he had brain cancer. The doctors had located a growth and thought it was possibly a tumor. They would be running tests and determining if it was cancer. SO we went to prayer! =)This morning I got an update and GOD IS SO GREAT! Of course there is no cancer, it has turned out to be a cyst. But that is not the absolutely AMAZING thing!! When they did a scan of his brain they found that the back half of his brain is NOT THERE! The space is filled with water. It turns out that when he was in his mother's womb he had a flash stroke and it affected the development of his brain. Here is the amazing part. . . the doctors cannot figure out how he can SEE! The part of the brain that controls sight is GONE! He should have been born blind!

Psalm 139:13 (Amplified Bible)For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb.

Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaa! GOD CONFOUNDS THE WISE YET AGAIN!

NOT SO RANDOM THOUGHTS. . .

Written November 26, 2008

This morning I was cleaning a customer's house, the kitchen more specifically, and I could hear the mom reprimanding her two young sons for fighting. I think the boys are about 8 and 6 years old. I smiled when I clearly heard one of them turn on the water works to try to drum up some pity, while the other one blamed his little brother for ALL of it and tried to make himself come out smelling like a rose. I listened as the mother sternly and clearly talked with the boys about playing together and the importance of forgiveness when the disagreements do occur, and she gave them some simple guidelines to help them to work out their disagreements before they blow up into a fight. I stood there frozen in time, looking around the kitchen at their half empty cereal bowls on the counter, the lone soccer cleat hidden under the breakfast bar along with a few baseball cards and the dog's chew toy. . .the art work they had done at school proudly on display in various parts of the kitchen, and an array of notes, permission slips, and anouncements of holiday happenings they had brought home scattered on the counter top. This was a familiar place to me. Not this house, but this scene, and it seems as though it was just yesterday. My boys art work was hanging on the refrigerator, their sports shoes and equipment finding it's place everywhere but in the mud room where it belonged, and the bickering and fighting that even the closest of brothers do at that age. . .at any age. I thought to myself in amazement, "Where did the time go? How did we get here so fast?" I tell mother's of little ones this all the time. . . savor every moment, because it FLIES by!

I remember people telling me that too, but I never realized how true those words were. I have two "children" who are already parents themselves, raising little ones of their own. I also have one son who is almost 21, a United states Marine, and on his way to Afghanistan in the next few months, and my baby boy, a Senior in High School! Where did the time go? I found myself staring at their art work on the refrigerator today, in this customer's house, wishing with everything in me that I could go back, that I could somehow turn back the hands of time to when they were little and do it all again. When my customer came in the kitchen to apologize to me for the "scene" her boys made, I assured her that she needn't apologize, and I explained to her that if I could go back to when my kids were that age again, enjoy their childhood all over again, and not have to face my son's deployment right now, I would do it in a heartbeat! As I spoke to her my voice cracked and all of my attempts to hold back the tears failed. She stood in her kitchen with me and cried with me!

Some of my customers are just amazing people! She cried for me and what I will be facing in the coming months, and she cried for her, and her son's who will one day very very soon be grown up too. This life is just a breath! And I for one, am not wasting a minute of it!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A MARINE MOM WHEN. . .

You Know You Are A Marine Mom When...

1. Your last good night's sleep was 6 months before he left for bootcamp.

2. You have finally resigned yourself to the fact that Marine mail is delivered seasonally rather than daily.

3. Your Marine gives you ironing tips.

4. Your Marine's version of pneumonia is "It's just a cold, I'm fine."

5. You realize the Marine Corps' cure-all is Motrin.

6. The mere word "deployment" has you on the phone refilling your Xanax.7. You can't quite figure out what non-Marine mothers worry about.

8. You finally realize that Drill Instructors are not the anti-Christ and are more like heroes.

9. You've mailed at least a few packages that have been on around-the-world tours.10. You forgot there were TV stations other than Fox News.

11. You find yourself bragging to friends about your Marine's accuracy with an M-16.

12. You will get in a high speed chase just to catch up with someone's Marine Corps bumper sticker.

13. When everything in your closet has Marine Mom on it and if it doesn't, you put pins and yellow ribbons on it.

14. When you recognize the haircut and ask if you can have a hug because your son is deployed.

15. Someone says to you "My son has a high ASVAB and a great GP so after he leaves PI for CL and finishes his MOS at the SOI he is going to try for MSG." and it makes sense to you.

16. When you don't mind watching military movies even though you hated them growing up.

17. You tell your nephews they need a "high and tight".

18. You and your husband buy a "good" flagpole for the front yard for Christmas and fly the American flag and the USMC flag 24/7, lighted, and money is no object.

19. You buy cadence CDs and listen to them when you power walk.

20.Your friends and family always start conversations with "How is the boy?"

21. You make sure to get up early to watch the Rose Bowl Parade so you can see the Marine Band.

22. You tear up every time you see someone in uniform.

23. When you have no small children, but you search toy stores for Marine G.I. Joes and buy them.

24. When the post office personnel and mailman both know you by your first name.

25. When your son is in Afghanistan and you dial his cell phone so you can hear his voice on his outgoing message.

26. When you always know what time it is in Iraq or Okinawa or San Diego.

27. Your son has the ability to iron his own shirt...while he is wearing it!

28. You don't mind the long lines at the post office because you are NOT leaving until you get that care package mailed to your Marine.

29. You BEG his life-long best friend to do a "Tommy impression" and then everyone eats his favorite foods.

30. When the phone rings you don't answer it unless the caller ID shows it is your Marine and then you run over husband, cats, dogs, small children and little old ladies to answer the phone, no matter what injuries any of them might sustain in the process.

31. You purchase Marine shirts for grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

32. You have a bad day at work and your co-workers serenade you with the Marine Hymn and give you a red rose and the whole office is crying.

33. Your son, who had such a messy room growing up that it was a health hazard, informs you on a visit home that you flunked inspection because of a little dust.

34. When your Marine calls YOU for information because he knows you'll get it from the other moms online.

35. When watching the West Wing you care nothing about the plot, you are just peering closely to see the Marines in dress blues at the White House.

36.You are mopping the kitchen floor and your son walks in and says "You call that cleaning?"

37. You have a blue star banner proudly displayed in your picture window.

38. You search military websites for any news of where your son might be/has been.

39. Your email has the Iwo Jima background, an animated American flag, a "We Support Our Troops" yellow ribbon icon and plays the Marine Hymn in a continuous loop.

40. When you try to read aloud to others the "You know you are a Marine mom when..." list you can't because of the lump in your throat and the tears in your eyes.

41. You taped the Marine's Toys for Tots commercial where the little boy tells the Marine "you really are Santa Claus" and you cry every time you see it.

42. Your weather check page includes Doha, Kuwait, Baghdad, Okinawa and San Diego.

43. You stalk a man at the grocery store in a Marine cap so you can tell him about your Marine.

44. You find a way to work into every conversation that your son is a Marine."Would you like to supersize that ma'am?" "No, but speaking of super, did you know that my son is a Marine?"

45. You have to move a pile of priority mail boxes, bubble wrap, and "special: to be shipped" items to sit down in the living room.

46. You leave a special message to your Marine in your outgoing voicemail/answering machine."If this is Tommy, I miss you and I love you!"

47. You stand in the checkout line with a cart full of Easy Mac, protein bars, and Roth's donuts and people stare at you and wonder what kind of strange diet you are on.

48. You sleep with your phone in your hand.

49. The new sacker at the grocery store puts your bread in the bottom of the bag and you ask to see his Sergeant.

50.Your boss asks if you are finished with your project and you say "good to go sir!"

51. You go out to your mail box with your reading glasses and a letter opener.

52. You wait for what seems like years for that first phone call from Iraq and then when you miss it by going out for the newspaper you lay on the floor and sob uncontrollably.

53. You don't really "sweat the small stuff". Just that fact that your Marine is in the same hemisphere is enough to make you do the happy dance.

54. You insist that your Marine wear his uniform to have a family portrait taken at Sears Photography Studio.

55. Your idea of a dream date is R. Lee Ermey.

56. The proudest moment in your life is when your son calls and tells you he is the most hated DI in the platoon.

57. You tell your family that "chow" is on the table.

FROM SIFTING TO SHIFTING

Written
October 16, 2008

Luke 22:31-32 (New King James Version)
And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

Sift - 1 a: to put through a sieve b: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve2: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable
That word "sift" is interesting. It implies the use of a sieve. After the harvest was brought to the threshing floor, the farmers had to separate the wheat from the chaff, or foreign matter. Part of the procedure involved a process known as sifting. The farmer put the wheat or corn into a sieve. By means of a shaking process, the smaller objects – the kernels of wheat, for instance – were worked to the bottom of the sieve and fell through the mesh onto a prepared place on the ground. From here the cleaned wheat was collected into containers, while the chaff and other rubbish still in the sieve was discarded. Essential to this sifting, sorting process was the shaking of the sieve.

SHAKING is the perfect word to describe my life in the past few months. It seems as if I have had an onslaught of attacks from every side! Have you ever been in a place like that? I think it is the one place in our lives that can make us or break us where our walk with God is concerned. I have been in the place of sifting. Did you notice something about those verses? First of all Jesus tells Peter that Satan wants to sift him as wheat, BUT he assures Peter that he has prayed for him. What an amazing assurance! Jesus is praying for us as we go through the sifting! BUT, notice what He says next. . ."And when you have returned to Me. . ." What? Satan is going to sift him. . .Jesus has prayed for him. . . . To return to Him, must mean he was going to depart from Him. . .from his faith. Jesus knew Peter would depart from his faith, even if it was for a short time.


Sometimes we do that too. We may not walk away from God, but we fail in our faith. We deny Him in our words, our actions, our attitudes and in our relationships with others! I do it. . . you do it. . .Sunday School teachers do it. . . Pastors do it. . . you get my point, we are all guilty at one time or another of succombing to the sifting.


Taking a closer look at the process, sifting is not always a bad thing. It is meant to separate the wheat from all the other useless junk. It's a shaking, that's for sure, and definitely not fun. But the end result is that we are made more useful, we lose the "junk" that was holding us back. We become more purified.


Now look at the last thing Jesus said to Peter here. . ."Strengthen your brethren!" There is a qualifying that comes with the sifting!! He can now be used to strengthen his brothers in the faith! He goes from the SIFTING to the SHIFTING! Here we see a man whose faith was tried and he failed, who was sifted and then returned to his Faith and the SHIFT began! He began a great ministry to the world! He strengthened his brothers and they spread the Gospel all over the place!! They started the Church of Jesus Christ!!


Since I have spent more than the past month in sifting and have returned to Him, here begins the SHIFT! God is moving, He is moving ME! He is moving IN me and THROUGH me and so many will be strengthened because of my sifting, because the "junk" was shaken out of me!!
It sure makes you look very differently at those who are struggling with sin and their faith than what you are used to seeing them as. Instead of that poor, weak sinner, we see a mighty work in progress!! We see the sifting and can soon anticipate a shifting!! My shift is happening even as I write this!! The sifting has been hard, and the enemy would like nothing more than to re-sift and re-sift me, but the time of sifting is over and I am SHIFTING!! Just watch what God does now!!

MILITARY MOMS

The Bonds among Military Moms are bonds that no other Moms could share or understand.

It is a bond that can never be broken or torn. It is now and always.

We are Marine,we are Army, we are Navy and we are Air Force. We are the American Military Moms.

We have raised the best of the best. The Proudest of the Proud.

We have sisterhood,that no one can understand. It is the sisterhood of the Military Moms.

We cry at night,we worry 24/7 and we miss everyday. We also are Proud all year long.

When one hurts, we all hurt. When one cries, we all cry. When one is happy, we all are happy. When one is dancing, we all dance. When one is in Pain,we share the Pain. When on has a Homecoming, we all rejoice just to see them Smile.

Our Favorite color is yellow,we love our yellow ribbons & bows. Just look at our yards and home.

But most of all we Love our Red,White and Blue. It is a symbol of our Pride for our Children. And we will defend it to the end together as our bond among each other and what we share together.

We defend our children's choices and respect their jobs. Knowing deep down inside our hearts break for not having our children near.

We sacrifice more than any other mom could ever without even getting a simple little two words, "Thank You."

We miss sleep, we stay at the post office, we live by the phone, we watch the TV and stay close to the computer.

We are Military Moms. We are Proud, we are Strong, we are Special and we are Growing each day.

We share a sisterhood that is the best sisterhood in the World.

This is the Bond of the Military Moms.

I Love You All Semper Fi Now and Always !!
Unknown Author

THE UNITED STATES MARINE

The average age of a Marine is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances, is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old car and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rife in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a M-16 or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.He digs foxholes and la trines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.He has two sets of camies; he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometime forgets to brush his teeth, but never his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothers, and fix his own hurts.If you are thirsty, he will share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He will even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life---or take it, because that is his job.He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in this short lifetime.He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to "square-away" those around him who have not bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.Just as did his Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom.

Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is a United States Marine that has kept this country free for over 200 years.He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his sacrifice and commitment to duty, honor and country.

WHO'S FEEDING THE BABY?

Written August 05, 2008

Last week as I was praying. . .actually complaining, to God about my husband, "God, why doesn't he get this? Why doesn't he grow any faster in his walk with You? Why does he keep tripping up?" Yeah, I was griping! God spoke so clearly to me 2 questions that shook me to the core and had me in tears apologizing to God and my husband!! He said, "Andi, can a newborn babe feed itself? And if you stand a baby on it's feet to walk without teaching it how, and walk away, can you really be disappointed and look down on it for falling?" Two simple questions. With even simpler answers. 2 questions that have opened the door to a deeper study and an eye opening revelation of the state of the church!

WHAT HAPPENED TO TRUE DISCIPLESHIP? I remember when I first started in my walk with the Lord. There were so many people ready and willing to take the time to talk and study WITH me and feed me and eventually teach me how to feed myself the Word of God! Getting together was an almost daily thing. And definitely when I had a question or needed prayer, they were right there! It was prevalent in the church. People were excited about caring for and nurturing the "newborns". And the newborns eventually learned to hold their own bottle and feed themselves, and then they moved on to finger foods and well, you get the idea!

But as you look at a newborn baby, in all reality that baby is completely dependant on it's caregivers for everything! What happens to a newborn if you set a bottle down in front of it and say "Here ya go! Drink it!" and walk away? That baby has NO IDEA what to do with that bottle! Nor does it have the ability to even pick it up and try! Eventually that milk is going to spoil and that baby is going to starve! It is much the same when we throw a Bible or a study outline at a newborn Christian and say, "Here, study this!" WHAT? HOW?

For some reason we all think we are way too important and way to busy to sit down and hold the bottle in the baby's mouth! I remember when my children were infants. I made the decision to breastfeed all of them, and when they were hungry, it did not matter what I was doing at the time, or how "important" I thought it was, I had to STOP what I was doing and sit down with my baby and provide the nourishment it needed to grow. I may have been frustrated at first, especially if what I was doing, I thought was really important. But the second I sat down and began feeding them and looking into their eyes I knew my PRIMARY responsibility was to feed that baby, and I WANTED to!

If we don't feed the babies two major things happen. First they do not get the vital nutrients they need to grow and they get malnourished and sick and eventually die! Secondly, they lose a taste for the food, they lose their hunger!! Have you ever gone a long time without eating? I have. I was anorexic a few years ago, and after a few days I wasn't even hungry any more, and the smell and taste of food did not appeal to me at all. When we fail to properly and TIMELY feed the newborns, they will lose their taste for the food!! And then we stand back and wonder why they are not eating, why they are not looking for the food? Why they are not hungry? SERIOUSLY??

I believe God wants us to stand back and take a good long look at what we are REALLY doing to nurture the newborns and assure their success and growth in the Kingdom! Let's be honest, we are DROPPING THE BALL folks, and then we wonder why people are falling, and falling away!! IT IS OUR FAULT! Let's stop being so busy being BUSY and take care of the babies!! What you are doing is not THAT important!! NOT more important than feeding the babies!! NO ONE gives birth and walks away and expects that baby to survive!

Come on Church!! Thier survival depends on US! ALL OF US!!