Truth

The conference is over. Yet I am still shaking in the spirit. To say I was blessed would be an understatement. Cleveland did not understand what they had in their midst and all but 13 missed it. There were about 70 in attendance. 70 very blessed people. I say Cleveland did not know what they missed because they had two MAJOR prophets, speaking 100% accurate word of the Lord. They have spoken to Kings, Queens, Presidents of many nations and what they have spoken under the annointing has come to pass. 100% of the time. It saddens me that Prophets have been kicked out of the church. It burdens me that America has not heard the prophets warning, that most are closed to hearing the words of the prophet. Even as I type this I can sense the response on the other side of the screen. There has been so much twisted doctorine. There has been such much falling away of the true things of God; the deep things of God. Truth. The truth is that there are still prophets walking the earth today. There are still healings and miracles. There is such a thing as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There is such a thing as speaking in tongues. Today. This generation. Some teach that these things are of old. They don't happen any more. Some don't understand it so it must not be so. There is more to our Lord than grace. Oh how I love my Lord. How I love his correction. He is Holy. And I revere Him.
I have entered into a time of transition. It is time for things to be put in proper order. It begins in my home. My husband is the head of our home. It is time for him to take that place. How I rejoice. It is what I have been praying for, for a long time. As some one spoke to me a few weeks ago it is a prayer I prayed long ago and the Lord heard. It was like a bomb you see in the cartoons. The stick of dynamite with a long wick. It was lit and it has been working it's way. Let's just say, it has exploded. The Lord did such a work, I stand amazed. Breakthrough. With it brings transition. Transition is hard. I recalled tonight at dinner transition in birth. It was hard. It was painful. There was the promise of something beautiful to see it through. That gave me encouragement that it was all worth it. That is where I am at. I am so excited about the changes. I am praising the Lord for the fruit that is coming. For the release in ministry that will come with things being in proper order. Yet I know that some of it will be hard. Things that did not used to matter to my husband now will. Things that he has given me control of in our home must be reevaluated. My home needs to physically come into order. I have struggled with this in the past. Yet I know that I must have victory in this. I must get rid of the clutter. I must cleanse the home. I must care for the children. I must teach my children. Beyond the ABC's, I need to teach them about the Lord, about the Word. God is raising them to be a light in their generation. They are called to speak truth, to worship and praise. They will heal the sick, the blind will see by their touch. They will cast out devils. They will stand when others around them fall. It is not just them. It is not just their generation. It is now. It is today. It is for ALL believers.
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpants; and if they drink of any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Did you read that? I mean really read that. It is from the Word. What do you think of when you read that? Really, what do you think? It says those that believe. So I ask you do you believe? What do you believe? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you believe He died and rose again? Does it end there? Do you believe the bible is God breathed? Do you believe every Word? Or do you take bits and pieces? Have you read the entire bible? Do you know the Lord of the Old Testament? Do you know Christ of the New Testament? Have you been baptized? Water? In the Spirit? Do you know the Holy Spirit? Or as the King James puts it, the Holy Ghost. In Matthew 3 John takes about baptism both water and the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I , whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Jesus baptized in the Holy Ghost. Jesus healed the sick. Jesus cast out demons. Jesus performed miracles, he multiplied the bread and fed the people. In his word it says we will do this and more.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
The Lord Jesus said he that believes, the works that I do he shall also do and GREATER. So why do we say that these things are not possible today. Why do we say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for today? Where is our faith for greater miracles?
I want to be one of faith. I want to be one that follows after the things of God. To grow in knowledge of the Word. To be free in worship. To use the giftings God has given me. I want to hear the voice of the Lord, all day, everyday. I want less of me and more of the Lord. I want to set aside my flesh and grow, grow, grow.

I want to follow the Lord and Him alone, whatever this may look like or mean.

Morning Prayer

In my home Lord, be the center. Be the head. Lord, I give our home to you. Let it be used by you for your glory. Help me, Lord, to be the keeper of my home. Help my eyes to see the work to be done. Give me wisdom on how to see it through. And strength to my hands, to my body, to accomplish it, Lord.

Let our home be a place of rest. A place of peace. Let caos not rule our home, but your perfect peace. Let our home be a place of freedom. To praise and worship you. To grow in the knowledge of your ways. Lord, let there be freedom to be the person you have called me to be. A wife, a mother, a friend, a follower of Christ, a minister of His gospel, a dancer for the King of King.

Who do you say that I am?
What do you say about me?

Let not the words of others, or the things of this world bring me down. Lord, for it is you that I choose to please. It is you and your words I want to hear. Oh Lord, that I may hear your voice all the days of my life.

I love you Lord! Praise your name.

Under The Annointing

The cards to our hotel rooms do not work. It is quite hilarious, everytime we go to session and return the cards no longer work. The annointing apparently strips the cards. We are not the only ones, and it has happened mulitply times.

Never underestimate the power of the annointing!

WooHoo!!!

I get to see my husband tonight!!
He has been gone the entire month of October on bussiness. This is not normal. He may travel on occasion but for short trips, this time it was an entire month. Originally it was going to be a couple weeks then he called and let me know it was going to be extended. And I had peace about it. I feel like God has ordained this time to do an amazing work in both of our lives. As individuals and in our marriage. It has been a time of growth, for both of us.
I have a new respect for single moms. I do not know how they do it, day after day. One of the struggles I had was when to ask for help, having someone watch my kids. At times I felt like a burden, having to ask, yet again, if someone could take them. In reality, I could not have done the entire month by myself. There is no way. I am so thankful I have my parents, friends and a teen sitter that are more than willing to help. Very thankful.
Today, I leave for my conference. I am excited. I know God is doing an amazing work! I know it is good. I may just have to do a little dance, I can not contain myself. Praise be to the Lord!

If I Didn't Know Better

I WOULD THINK I WAS PREGNANT!
I'm not. Yet today as I was reading a book to my son, I was a puddle. The story was sweet and the more I read the harder I cried. I actually had to stop reading at times from the tears and quivering voice. My son laughed at me. I asked "Why are you laughing?" His reply "Why are you crying?" Good question.
It does not stop there. On Saturday I went to a craft show with my mom. A craft show people! It was a fund raiser for a local high schools marching band. So at one point some band members got together and played some songs. Yup. I cried. Streams of tears. As I am listening I ask myself, "why am I crying?" I have not a clue.
It is like some nostalgic cry. Memories. Good memories. Brings on a good cry. Please tell me I am ok. Really I am not pregnant. You would think but no.
Oh and just in case you are wondering the book I was reading today...Chicken Soup for Little Souls The Best Night Out With Dad by Lisa McCourt.

The Orchard

A couple weeks ago we went to the u-pick orchard.

Little girl picking a beautiful Fuji.

This tree here gave me a cool picture of abundance...you only get a glimpse of it in this picture, but the WHOLE tree was overflowing.

Eating an apple along the road.

Some of the scenery along the way.
While we were there we were able to watch tem make cider, sort apples for bagging and partake in some scrumptious fresh pumpkin donuts. Yummy!
Such a great way to spend a fall afternoon.

Worth Mentioning

Here are some of my favorite site's:

Starfall is the best when it comes to phonics. Even my three year old can handle this site. It is meant for kids to do it hands on, so it shows them where to click by using spakling stars. If you have children ages 3-8 you must check out this site.

Teacher2Teacher Teacher/parent resouce. I am using the sight word cards with my son.

Steve Spangler has some of the coolest experiements EVER!! He is the guy that discovered the diet coke and mentos reaction. He has a complete online science store and I have subscribed to his weekly science experiment e-mail. I love it. My mom and I just sent in an order for some stuff and I can not wait for it to arrive. I ordered this and these. And my wish list is quite large.

Handwriting for Kids has some great reproducible worksheets. Print their already designed sheets or make your own. I discovered today they have some bible verses and King's Kids verses to print. Very cool.

Listen to children's stories online on this site, Storynory or download them for free to an Ipod for car trips. I love that you can see the whole transcript of the text so you can know what the story is about before your children listen to it. You can also subscribe as they add at least one story a week.

These are some of my favorites, check them out I think you will enjoy them as well.

How about you, any sites you know of that are worth mentioning?

R*E*A*D*I*N*G

This spring I got word that the Pizza Hut Book It Program is available to homeschoolers. So I signed up for my son to participate. The coupons arrived and the program is now underway. After talking about free pizza, he was excited to get started. I got out a beginning reader and he read it, without any problem. He was so excited! You want to talk about smiling eyes and jumping up and down. He called all the grandparents and his cousin to share his accomplishment. Little did he know he HAS BEEN reading, for over a month! I know I have plugged it before but really, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is GREAT!
This is his reading portion from the lesson he just completed:
he said, "can I eat cake?
she said, "go sit with the cow."
he said, "no. I will not go."
she said, "go sit with the cat."
he said, "the cat has cake."
she said, "go sit with the cat and eat cake."
so he ate cake.
he said, "this is fun."

My son can read that!! That amazes me! Not to mention we just completed lesson 43, 57 more to go.
Congrats son, YOU ARE READING!!!

Go check out the book it site, they have some great recommendations and printable charts to encourage your kids in their reading goals.

5 Minutes For Mom

I've been interviewed and listed in the awesome mom blogs directory at "5 Minutes for Mom". If you're new to 5 Minutes for Mom, take a look through all the different types of blogs and mom-owned stores they have listed. They have all over a dozen categories of blogs and stores with cool stuff like kids golf carts and play kitchens.

Susan and Janice, the moms who run the site, want to help women promote their sites and spread the word that we can all help support work-at-home moms and mom bloggers by visiting their stores and blogs.

Building Excitement

It is now only a week until the Power of Jesus Crusade in Cleveland!!! I am getting pretty excited. All but one of the husbands of our small group is going, WooHoo! The Lord worked out a series of miny miracles yesterday to get my dear friend there. 1. She received her husband's blessing. 2. She was able to get childcare for the one day her husband could not care for them. 3. Her ticket was PAID FOR IN FULL, when I received a call from a friend who had registered for the conference and was unable to attend. She was wanting to bless someone by transfering the registration to someone that could use it. PRAISE GOD!! I have been believing by faith that she was going to be there. I knew God did not just want to bless her by the overflowing of our return, he wants to equip HER. YIPPEE!

I am excited....can you tell?

My Cat

We have a cat. She is an indoor cat. At least we have told her this.
In fact she does love it indoors. She likes the warmth. She sleeps in the coziest placest. Often we find her cuddled next to little girl in her bed. Other times up high on top of my kitchen cabinets. She has a good life here. She is well fed. She is much loved.
So why, oh, why does she want to go outside? Over the last year, she has made a statement. I want to be out, as often as I can. And with little children in the home it is not difficult to find the door open. The kids are learning to shut the door and sometimes are very mindful of it. Yet still she goes into stealth mode and plans her escape. Once out, she travels the neighborhood. Sometimes she is out all day, sometimes over night. I think she knows she has it good, because she always returns.
Last night we arrived back to the house late. We come in and she goes leaping out. I let her know, "It's going to be a cold one, you should come back in." She meanders away, ignoring my warning. Ten minutes later there is wailing at the door. Pitiful "MEOW, MeOW, MEOW." I open the door and she comes running in. She decided to listen to me afterall.
It made me think, "How often do I do this?" What does the Lord say to me? This morning as I thought about it, I sensed He said something like this...."I have fashioned you. You are exactely where you need to be. Stay with me where you are cozy and warm. In my presence. You have it good here. Don't go looking out to the world. It is cold. It is harsh. Stick with me. Yes I know, sometimes you have your own plan. You want to do things your own way. Please don't. My way is best! Yes, if you test it out I will welcome you back. I will sweep you up in my arms. And remind you once again of my unfailing love!"
Wow. I have it good. I know I do. I have a loving Father, that longs to be with me. I am safe in His arms away from the harshness of the world. Makes me want to obey and stay near Him.
Now only if my cat would get that message too.

Cascade Review

The Fed-Ex man showed up on my porch yesterday. I love packages. I had ordered some computer CD's recently so I expected to find that inside the package. No, not even close. Rather than CD's there was a complete bag of Cascade 2in1 ActionPacs! Cool. I read through the info that accompanied it and tucked the 20 count bag under the kitchen sink. I did not yet have a full load of dishes. I decided I was really going to put this product to the test. After lunch, I did not rinse the plates. I put them in the dishwasher with globs of ketchup. I thought to myself, that will be a nice dried mess by the time I do wash them. For dinner I made chili. Bright red chili. First I had to brown the meat which produced a gross greasy pan; again I did not rinse. In went the chili pot, I resisted the urge to do a quick rinse. Time for the test. The dishes looked gross and I had my doubts. Should I take the chili pan out and rinse it? NO, it would not be a true test of these Cascade ActionPacs. So I take one self contained pac out of the bag and put it in the normal spot that I usually have to squirt and over squirt the detergent into. Nothing more required, I start the dishwasher and wait.
Fastforward to this morning. I went to unload the dishes and WOW! Needless to say I was amazed. All of them were perfectly clean. No residual red from the chili. No stuck on ketchup. No grease. If fact I have never been able to get my spatula as clean as it was this morning. Thank you Cascade ActionPacs! You have made a believer out of me. I will be using you from here on out. In fact I am a bit sad that I still have a relatively full bottle of the "other stuff," that I will need to use up before getting more of you.

There you have it folks. Cascade ActionPacs are amazing. Even my five year old agrees.
If you are interested in getting your own sample of this marvelous product, leave a comment including your email address and Samara (the nice lady that sent me the product) will send some to you as well. You will not be disappointed.

That Is Not How I Remembered It

Dwelling in my Daniel study these days and I came across some things that I didn't quite recall. Those of you with small children will most likely have seen the Veggie Tales reinactment of Daniel and the fiery furnace in the tale Rack, Shack and Benny. As the story goes Daniel and his friends work at the chocolate factory, they are promoted, given special ties and everything. They were important stuff. The owner builds his chocolate idol and all are asked to bow down. Recall the scene where Laura is begging them to "Just do it, bow down." What I am reading in Daniel somewhat surprises me and this is why. Laura would not have even been there. That's right, she was JUST a factory worker. Let's read from Daniel and see WHO WAS there...
Daniel 3
2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

If I understand this correctly, it was those of importance that were summoned, NOT your common folk of Babylon. That is how Beth equates it too. If fact it appears that they are listed from the most important of offices to the least. Huh! Not the common folk. Not the Lauras or the factory, or the Sarah's from the home. Those in office. Imagine with me George Bush and his cabinet, the Supreme court, the Senate, the House, the Govenor of your state, are you imagining with me here. Imagine them all gathered together in one place and asked to bow down to a large statue (or notion) from another nation. Because in the text it said men of EVERY langauge. The men assembled were not just Babylonian officials, they were men from all of the world. Men of prominence. Why does that matter? He didn't want the worship of just anyone, he wanted it from the elite. Nothing more than to stoke his own ego.

I found this to be interesting. How about you?

Originally posted as Dave and the Giant Pickle..oops, that would be the story of David and Goliath.

Dove Film

http://www.youtube.com/v/iYhCn0jf46U

This video is definately worth watching. Way to go Dove!

Daniel's Praise

In my Daniel study this morning, it highlighted this verse of praise and thanks.
Daniel 2:20-23
20 and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."

We have been charged to memeorize it, and I shall. It sums up what alot of what I feel right now. He reveals. I am thankful. All things are in His hands. He changes things. He sets things up. He reveals deep and hidden things. WOW! He has given me wisdom. He has made known to me. I am amazed at His goodness and power.
God is good, All the time!

Early this morning I had a dream. It was not a thus saith the Lord, kind of dream. In it I was in a group setting when an evil man came into our presence with the intent to harm. I think my first reaction was shock, a split second of fear and then a reminder that the armies of the Lord are on hand. So I began to pray. That the Lord's army would fight on our behalf. In the room, angels begin to materialize, they did what not one of us ladies could do. They fought on our behalf. As they fought I spoke the words "the blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus..." repeatedly. Others joined in, until the whole room was speaking it. Not one of us was harmed.

I pray that this actual event does not happen. I do not wish to be tested on this. Yet it felt like a training of sorts. In this circumstance I should call forth the armies of the Lord and pray the blood of Jesus over us all.

Have you ever had a dream that prepared you for a true circumstance?

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever!

You know you have great friends...

When they read your blog and they call and offer to help you clean your home with you! THANK YOU Kristen!

The day was productive. I found myself drawn to the computer a couple of times only to see that the screen was indeed black. The moments I am most vunerable to veg in front of the computer are first thing in the morning, after school or when whining has accelerated. I will be trying out different methods of self-control over the next few days. We shall see how that goes.

My son did something rather amazing tonight. The three of us decided to go out to dinner. DD and I wanted Famous Taco...I love Famous Taco. Really I love all Mexican food. So it was set, that is what was decided. Half way there my son says (in a pleasent manner) that he did not want tacos, he wanted to go to dinner with grandma and grandpa. He was not arguementative or whining, just stating his case. He was trying to convince us to go with grandma and grandpa too. But little girl and I had our minds on tacos and salsa and tostados and...you get the point. As we pulled into the parking lot of Famous Taco, I could tell he was disappointed so I said "How about a deal? You come into Famous Taco with us and if you do not eat one single bite of food here, I will let you go with grandma and grandpa to dinner. Is it a deal?" He asked "What about chips and salsa?" "Not a single bite!" "Hmmm...OK...deal!" So we walked in, as we passed by the gumball machine, he asked, "How about gum?" "Not a single bite." "OK, I know, I know." We sit down. The chips and salsa arrive at the table. Little girl and I dig in. I look over at him, testing his resolve. "You sure you don't want to eat chips and salsa." "No." He distanced himself away for a bit. The waters came and at first he didn't even want a sip from that. I assured him, drinking the water would be fine. So he did. Then he came over and sat near me. "Well they do look good. I would eat chips and salsa, but I am not going to." He didn't touch them. The meal came. He didn't waiver. He had decided he was not going to partake in this food. The meal ended and he stood firm on his decision. He paid our bill and left. A smile of accomplishment on his face. He arrived to grandma and grandpa's and they were more than willing to take him to dinner. After, I went home for some money, I joined them for dessert. A carmel brownie sunday...yum!
So I was really proud of my boy today, apparently he has some self-control. Maybe I should ask him his secret.

Snippets

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind on the corprate level. The weekend I have been responsible for, was nearly canceled. Through prayer times, dreams and counsel with others, it was evident that the Lord was doing a mighty work. For the first time ever it has been rescheduled, NOT CANCELED. Praise God! There has been burst of activity in preperation. I have been on the phone enough that the battery has died a few times on me. Yes it helps to remember to put it on the charger. I am more convinced than ever that He is good, He has a plan and I can trust Him to see it through.

As a part of the above, I am excited in my own spiritual walk. I am hearing from the Lord and I am amazed. It is one thing to hear from the Lord and a whole other when things are confirmed. Very thankful!

Friday I had an amazing time of worship at Visions. The post Oh, How I love you was an outpouring of that time. Worship is amazing! I love being able to dance and sing and pray and interceed. Ministry, I love it!

My dog turns one tomorrow. We got her a huge bone. She still is quite puppy. Big, but puppy.

My house looks like a tornado has blown through. With all the phone calls and preperation for the weekend, I have neglected my home. Anyone wanting to take my kids for a few hours, or a day, or a sleepover?? My game plan for tomorrow is to focus as much as possable on getting my home in order. In the midst of school and beyond.

Due to my obsessive computer habits at the moment, I will be turning off the comuter for the day. I will return after the kids go to bed tomorrow (Monday) night. If only I had the self-control to get on and leave it on while leaving it alone. I currently don't. It is an escape of sorts that I get sucked into spending more time than I really dare calculate.

So leave lots of comments. And I will see you all when I return.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Dear Daughter,

You are incredibly sweet. This last year you have gone from a baby to a little girl. You would tell me you are big, not little. In fact you are so big, you don't wear diapers anymore. And you did it all on your own. You claim independence to the nth degree. You like to pick out your own clothes, get yourself dressed and brush your hair. Sometimes you will ask for help, sometimes.

I am thankful for you. You are teaching me how to be a girl. From you I am learning how to do hair and paint nails. You have more nail polish than I do. You lips are almost always shining with lip gloss. You can color coordinate, matching outfits is no problem; for you. When you wear your hair in pigtails, I could eat you up. You are so sweet and beautiful.

I love your heart. You wake up in the morning with a song of praise on your lips. You go throughout your day singing little songs. It melts my heart when you sing to God. And when you pray for daddy, it gives me a glimpse of who you are becoming. You are not afraid to dance and raise your hands to the heavens. Although you tend to be shy around unfamilar people.

In learning you are joining us at the table. You spell your name. You count to 14. Say your ABC's (you skip k). You want to do everything your brother is doing. As he does his reading lessons you say all the sounds and words along with him. If he is cutting with scissors, you do too. If he is glueing, so are you. If he does it, you pretty much want in on the action. I can tell you are learning everyday. You "write" letters; as you spell things out you make a circle for each letter. While your brother does book work you like to play with the hands on stuff; pattern blocks, bears, blocks and puzzles.

In play you love to be a mommy. You carry your babies with you throughout the house. You tell me all the time when you get big you are going to be a mommy. You also enjoy riding your tricycle. A few weeks ago I discovered you love to run. I can't wait to see how all things will come together as you grow.

Little girl, you are spunky and fun. You are independant and I am learning how to guide you, without discouraging you. Your giggle is contagious. I love you. You are the best daughter in the whole wide world. I am so glad your a part of our family.

Love,
Mom

Laughing

Little girl is three!!
Yesterday we celebrated her birthday.
Among the gifts; Barbie and Tanner.

Feed Tanner (the dog), then he poops, then you get to clean it up.
Sounds like fun! My 5 year old boy thought it was pretty cool.

Oh, How I Love You

Have you ever just danced with abandon before the throne?
I pray that if only for a moment you can experience this!



Oh, how I love you Lord
You are my God and King
I praise your name on high
Oh, how I love you

I will dance for you
I will sing your praise
I will clap my hands
Oh, how I love you

There are parts of me
Longing to sing out to you
Feet to move
An inner rhythm that cries out

I will praise you Lord
with my mouth I sing
With my feet I dance
I dance before you

There's a new song
There's a new dance
Longing to reach your throne
Oh, how I love you

So I will sing
I will dance
I will praise you
Oh my Lord and King

Yes I will sing
I will dance
I will praise you
Oh my Lord and King

This is my song to you
This is what my heart speaks
Oh how I love you!


**I was reading last night after this and came to Psalm 47, how fitting!
****And this morning I went back to the Word and this chapter really spoke to me; Psalm 63.