Many are the plans in a man's heart...

But it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. (proverbs 19:21)

Yeah, we've had lots of plans - we want to finish our fenced in patio, pour a sidewalk from the house to the machine shed, plant some trees, redo our main bath - complete with a tub deep enough for soaking, replace the deteriorating shower in our master bath, get new carpet on the main floor, finish the basement and the most exciting of them all - for our vacation this year... take our kids for 2 "firsts": first time on an airplane and first seeing the ocean. Well... those were the plans WE had, but it doesn't look like these things will happen. I pray that the Lord does have a purpose in this. I'm reminding myself to be anxious for nothing... but I find myself feeling quite anxious. I woke up the other morning dizzy and nauseous and this doesn't happen very often, but when it does it seems I am nearly always stirred up about something big or a lot of little somethings.

We are the kind of family that has to work very hard for what we have and while we live a comfortable life and our NEEDS are always met, the finances are usually pretty tight. My husband's company announced recently that they would no longer be matching 401K. FOOEY. That kinda stinks because they already told him that nobody gets the bonuses or pay raises they were promised. With the economy as is, we are sincerely grateful that we have a source of income right now - many people have been laid off and are losing their homes and can't find work and have no idea how they will even provide for their family. It breaks my heart that times are so tough. I thought that after Christmas when my sales were so fantastic and I heard complaints all around about how sales were down. I guess I shouldn't have been so foolish to think that it wouldn't catch up with us too - lots of people are hurtin'.

For whatever reason (divine subliminal thoughts?) I got it in my mind this last week that I should begin looking for a part time job. I know, I am running my soap business... but it would seem that people are buying necessities more than "extras" right now so things have been pretty slow for me. My January sales were just sad and I actually felt concerned about how the dollars would stretch - but I made it ok and am praying that things begin looking up for February and the months to follow into the spring. I don't know... I just feel I need to be smart about this and I am capable of contributing to this family, so why not? So, I talked to honey man about it and of course he doesn't love the idea of me going out and looking for work, but realizes that it really would help our family. We've got a child getting ready to start college in the fall and wow... it's a bit overwhelming. I got online and found some job openings for part time office positions that I thought looked promising. All applications and resumes have been submitted, so now I guess I just wait for someone to decide they are impressed by my credentials and call me for an interview. It's been a seriously long time since I've applied for a job (about 5 years) so I had to update my resume. This presented a challenge because I couldn't remember specific dates. Geesh... some of these work experiences were a loooong time ago. But... I did get it done and got them sent off for all 5 potential positions.

The day after I made the decision to look for part time work it became clear to me why I felt the need to do this. Honey got a call saying that all employees in his company will be taking a 5% pay cut. WHAT?? pay CUT??? UGH!!! You cannot be serious. I guess for a couple of days I just felt numb about it like... "what can we do... they took away our retirement, now they're taking away $$" I think it's finally sinking in. We called and had our investment company quit taking $ out of our paycheck to put into 401K. It really kinda makes me sick, because one day we are going to need that, but we need it now to supplement what's been taken away. You just do what you gotta do, right? Surely the Lord has a fabulous plan and his purpose will prevail in the end! I trust that it will, because he has been proven faithful to our family time and again. Praise Him for that!!

Looking at the glass half full... they are cutting back travel expenses and my man will only travel away from home 1 week out of the next 4, I guess that's good. Ok, that maybe lightens the blow a little. ?? Trying to think positive here. :) Please pray for my potential job opportunities, and especially for my husband, that he wouldn't be angry and discouraged, and that our needs will continue to be met and that our eyes are wide open to what it is that we're supposed to be learning or gaining from this trial. Right now it just feels like a trial and not a blessing - but my prayer is that God will turn it into one in His time.

Heartsick

I seriously feel heartsick today. There are so many things about this world that I don't understand, but this topic is the mother of all "I don't get it" 's. *sigh* I'll warn you... this is going to be a passionate post, so if you don't wanna hear it... that's up to you. I know it's controversial, but I'm goin' there. I have to.

I was in the kitchen this morning putting together some cupcakes and doggie birthday cake for my precious Shoogie's birthday party. She's 1 year old today!! :) Anyway, more on that later. Luke was in the bedroom getting dressed and watching FOX News as he does every morning, he yells down the hall..."Hey, Jami...guess what Obama's doin' today?" I'm thinking that I would have no idea, so I yell back, "what?". He informed me that a bill was being signed to overturn the bill that President Bush put in motion when he was president. Ya know, the one about the government funding abortions. UGH!!!! Are you serious? Our nation is in a financial crisis and we are going to give money (I believe the dollar amount was 3 billion) to people to "take care" of their "mistakes"?!! You have got to be kidding me. Obama supporters can argue all day long that he isn't big on abortion, but if this doesn't prove it, I don't know what does! He actually voted once for and twice didn't vote against - allowing partial birth abortion - in which babies that are still breathing and crying are left to die in a cold empty room - alone! I don't understand how anyone can saythat is OK. When pro-choicers are confronted with the subject of whether or not it is ok to take human life (aka abortion) many will argue that "you can't ban it because then people will just get abortions illegally, and what if the woman was raped?" Well... my response to that is... less than 1% of women that have abortions have been raped, statistics show that generally... the majority of women that are having abortions are doing it as a form of birth control as many of them have had multiple abortions.

Now here's where I start to get all sorts of wound up: Human rights vs. Animal rights.


I actually went online and looked up the animal rights laws for the great state of Kansas. Here's what I found (http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/animallaws/kansaslaw.htm)

Kansas Anti-Cruelty Statutes
KANSAS STATUTES CHAPTER 21. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
KANSAS CRIMINAL CODE (ARTICLES 31 TO 47)
PART II. PROHIBITED CONDUCT
ARTICLE 43. CRIMES AGAINST THE PUBLIC MORALS


21-4310. Cruelty to animals.
(a) Cruelty to animals is:

(1) Intentionally killing, injuring, maiming, torturing or mutilating any animal;


(2) abandoning or leaving any animal in any place without making provisions for its proper care;


(3) having physical custody of any animal and failing to provide such food, potable water, protection from the elements, opportunity for exercise and other care as is needed for the health or well-being of such kind of animal; or


(4) intentionally using a wire, pole, stick, rope or any other object to cause an equine to lose its balance or fall, for the purpose of sport or entertainment.


So let me get this straight... intentionally killing, injuring, maiming, torturing or mutilating any animal or abandoning or leaving any animal in any place without making provisions for its proper care isn't ok, but doing this to an unborn child is ok? Now I ask you, what is wrong with this world? A cat is protected, but human life is not. Anyone who knows me at all knows that I'm an animal lover, I practically kiss Shoogie and the cats until I get a hairball, so don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be animal cruelty laws, but what I get so sick about is that first part of the animal cruelty law where it says that it's against the law to, "intentionally kill, injure, maim, torture or mutilate an animal... and then our president wants to give our tax dollars to women so that they can do the same thing to unborn babies. I've seen abortion videos, there's no doubt about it... it is all those things! SICK SICK SICK. It makes me feel like vomiting. Furthermore, if someone kills a pregnant woman, it is double manslaughter. I find it interesting how the "fetus" suddenly then becomes a "baby". But if the Momma wants to kill it herself by having an abortion - NO PROBLEM! It's her choice afterall. I feel so helpless that nothing can be done to change this. The one thing I CAN do is pray - so I will.


Well, this is what is on my mind and on my heart today. Thanks for listening. :)





Precious





Far more precious!

Meet Loydi

Loyiso ("Loydi") is the precious 4 year old South African boy that we sponsor. We are so excited about him!! It was such a joy to receive our sponsorship packet in the mail and open it up to see this sweet face. :) Isn't he a cutie? He is from the Xhosa tribe and we are told that he comes from a family with 5 brothers and sisters and a momma. His family lives in the Motherwell area, an impoverished township with over 600,000 people. The unemployment rate there is over 75% and the typical home is small, with no indoor bathroom and unreliable electricity. I guess in a way, you could say that Loydi is "lucky" to have a mother, as over 1.2 million children are orphaned by aids. The statistics are so sad, South Africa is home to 5.4 million people living with HIV. There is a harsh stigma associated with this disease which makes life really hard for these children... so many of them have seen their parents die. On a happier note - Loydi loves chocolate and likes to play netball. :)


For only a dollar a day, this little guy gets food, clothing, medical care - and when he's old enough... it will help pay for him to go to school. Isn't that amazing and humbling? ONE DOLLAR/day. Makes me realize just how spoiled Americans are. Please pray for Loydi and his family. We are truly blessed by the ability to help them out in this simple way. If you would like to know more about how you can help a child, visit http://www.onelifechild.org/

What makes this so real to us is that our dear friends Dan and Kristi are missionaries there. What an honor it is to be able to call them friend. They are amazing, Godly servants. I can't even imagine living the life they live, but the best way I can say it is they are the hands and feet of Christ, they sincerely love these people. The stories that Kristi tells on her blog will touch you in such a way that you will be humbled and compelled to do something, anything to help. This week she told the story of a woman dying of aids (click link to go read it) that she ministered to. Everyone that knows me knows that I'm a somewhat emotional person, but this story really got me. I mean REALLY got me. I've known Kristi for many years and I've got to say that I am blown away by her ability to do what she does. It is truly amazing how God has transformed Kristi for HIS purpose. I'm talking about a girl that didn't like to go outside because she might get dirty or there might be bugs. Only the Lord can take a person such as this and make her passionate about living in a place where you check your bedding every night for insects. I remember when they first moved to S.A. - a little more than a year and a half ago and someone Kristi knew would die, or someone she knew had a child that died and her heart would be broken into a thousand pieces. She is certainly a mercy giver. I think she posted a while back that she had lost count how many she knew that are gone now and it was more than 25. That would be so hard, but most recently a man she knew whose health was actually improving had found out that he had cancer and then the worst - he passed away. My friend actually worried that maybe something was wrong with her because she accepted it and wasn't in a shambles over it. I shared with her that God was no doubt helping her to deal with death differently now, because it's a real part of the work that she does - she is useful in her ministry to these people and you must be strong to do a "job" like this. They also start up soup kitchens in the area and it's pretty neat - she has lots of info and photos on her blog about that too and I think you'll find it really interesting.

Well... I just wanted to share a little bit about Loydi and our friends and what is going on in that part of the world. I hope you'll click on one of the links above and take a look at Kristi's blog. I know you'll be blessed if you do. Please pray for Dan and Kristi... for safety and protection and the strength to do what they've been called to do there.

PEACE!
Jami

Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Sing Praises!

James 5:13. I just finished reading the book of James. I think it's fantastic! I love the words of wisdom found within those pages... for a book with only 5 chapters it is jam packed with great advice and challenges. Here's a few nuggets I got from James:

"Don't grumble about eachother", "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.", "Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.", "God opposes the proud but favors the humble", "If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life", "you say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this", Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin", He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession", "when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy".

Yeah, so I've really been touched today by 5:13 - "Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Sing Praises! It's easy to pray when we suffer, but do we sing praises when we are happy? I think too often we forget about God when things are going good. I sing all the time. I sing in the shower, in the car, in the soap shop, in the kitchen. I love to sing! But I want to sing God's praises!! He is so worthy. God has been faithful in my life and I will endeavor to sing his praises at least as much as I ask for help... or maybe more! :)

About prayer... so my friend Kristi (South African Missionary and fellow manic ) told me about how she has a prayer book. She writes down all the people that she's promised to pray for so she won't forget. Isn't that a great idea? I've been guilty in the past of saying I'd pray, but then after a few days or a week... I guess I just kinda forget about it. I know... SORRY!!! But I don't do that anymore. I was really convicted about my faithfulness and committment to pray for those I love, so I began this process about a couple of months ago and it works really well for me. I have so many on my list though, that I had to divide them equally and go every other day. M,W,F and T,T,S. It is actually quite effective and I feel good about not forgetting anyone. The biggest joy is when I can go in and write that a prayer has been answered. Opportunity to SING HIS PRAISE! :)

A while back... as I contemplated my friendship with Kristi, I had come to the conclusion that God had absolutely put us together as friends so that we would pray for one another. I truly believe that. Kristi is the type of person that will pray for you if she says she will. It's important to have a friend like that, praying for each other is incredible. Right about the time I had the revelation about us being "praying friends" a box came in the mail from Kristi, all the way from South Africa... and here's what it was:

It's an African Prayer Doll. The note said that I should put it in my home and whenever I dust around it or move it, I should pray for her and her husband, Dan. Isn't that cool? It's been quite a conversation piece. As luck would have it and as you can see, it has a very narrow base. Guess what that means? It falls over a lot. Falling over a lot means that I have to set it back up a lot, which means that I pray for Kristi a lot!! :) Kinda neat how that all works out. Here's how my prayer doll looked this morning as I had my morning devotion:

Yup, I "lifted her up" in prayer today. Actually their mission there is really awesome and they are feeding lots of hungry kids. It's pretty exciting. She posted today about the "Soup Clubs" they have going on where kids can get fed 6 days a week. They also have a child sponsorship program where you can sponsor a child that Dan and Kristi may even know. Our family has been talking about this for a long time, and this Christmas we are going to sponsor a child. It feels so good to give, and it's amazing how much you are giving with only $25 or $30 a month. It puts these kids through school and feeds them and gets them clothing. It's quite humbling actually. Maybe you feel the nudge to be part of this fantastic mission. If so... check out Kristi's page. She can getchya hooked up. Plus she has a lot of cool pictures on her blog.

Well, that's it for now. PEACE OUT! :)

I mean no disrespect Mr. President...

but I felt inclined to post a picture that expressed how I'm feeling this morning (minus a couple of horns)



I felt anxious as I switched on Fox News and saw that Obama had been declared President. Sick actually. But my vote was cast and the voices that are the loudest (those of the large, liberal eastern states) were heard and so I hope that President Obama is everything these people wish for him to be. Now his wife can FINALLY "be proud to be an American" for the first time ever. (note hint of sarcasm - and yes, she actually said that, and I quote, “for the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” Michelle Obama) *sigh*

I, for one, will be seeking God's face on the matter and begging him to intercede on behalf of this great nation. It's totally in his hands.

"Ahh Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm... NOTHING is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17)

What a difference a year can make!!

November 3, 2007

November 3, 2008

Praise the Lord! After a gruelling year of recovery from his double broken leg, my husband is back up on his feet walking, running and once again doing all the things he enjoys doing. He pheasant hunted with my dad and brother this last weekend and last month played paintball with his brother Marshall, and some of my cousins. Besides a bit of swelling in the ankles and some achy-ness where the hardware is in his leg... he is doing great. Tonite the kids are at an MCL music competition for school, but we still celebrated with a candlelit flat iron steak dinner and a delicious bottle of sweet rose South African wine given to us by our dear ole friends, Dan and Kristi. (Thanks guys!! We loved it!) :)

"The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up..." (James 5:15)

So we just wanted to share the joy with you all about Luke's recovery and thank you all for your prayers. Peace out. :)

Voting..."Done Didder!"

My parents went to the courthouse to register their vehicles last week and discovered that people were voting early... so of course I thought I should save myself the hassle of voting when most everyone else is and I went and voted today. It was fairly painless really - I just went into the Ellis County Clerk's office and gave my name. They had me sign a paper and take it across the hall where there were 2 "paper booths" and 3 "computer" booths. I opted for the computer and within 45 seconds had cast my vote for President of the United States! Pretty nifty. Not so nifty is that every election year it seems I have to choose the lesser of 2 evils (not that I'm calling John McCain evil, I'm just sure there has to be a better choice out there... somewhere)For me... when I don't think either of the candidates are the "perfect" choice - I then begin to consider their values and see how they line up with my own. What else can a person do, but this? Certainly Obama's values are not even in the ballpark.

The thing I've found most interesting is the number of die hard democrats that have put the proverbial blinders on this election year. They act as if Obama is the Messiah and meanwhile I wanna flip those big ears out to see if there is a "666" stamped back there. Ok... I apologize, that was maybe goin' a little too far - but I can't help the way I feel. You start talkin' about babies that never had a CHANCE because their Momma had a CHOICE and I start gettin' a little indignant. Ok, nuff said.

Funny how many folks castin' a vote this election year don't even know the basics about what the candidates stand for. I wanna share with you something I read in our local newspaper. It simply blew me away!! Mind you, I can't stand Howard Stern, but I gotta kick outta this:

"Howard Stern sent his team into harlem to interview voters. Three people were asked who they support and all said "Obama." They were all asked if it bothered them that he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate; all said "no." They were all asked if it bothered them that Obama was anti-abortion. All three of them said "no" and on of them had the gall to say she didn't support McCain because he was uninformed. Now give me a good argument why voters shouldn't have to pass a simple civics test!"

Seriously... these people are choosing the next leader of our great nation. *sigh* God help us. All the way around... God help us!