I laid in bed this morning struggling to get out of it. I wanted so bad to just lay there for the rest of the day. But then I thought to myself, Samantha today is the day the Lord has made. Today is a holy day. Today is the day you get the opportunity to worship the Lord in his house. I am always striving to do what God wants me to do....so I roll out of bed (literally) and begin to get everyone fed and ready for church. As I was getting ready, I realized that I had two girls that needed their hair fixed. I rushed them in the bathroom starting fixing their hair and my two year old son decides to get into everything on the bathroom counter. My 9 year old decides to try to be helpful and starts taking everything away from him. Whoa!!! You would have thought someone was pulling the teeth out of his head! He was just screaming so obnoxiously. After a few minutes of all the screaming I start to get major stressed. I have approximately 30 minutes to finish getting myself ready, get the girls ready, get caleb ready, get his bag ready, and get everyone loaded up in the car. Sunday mornings are so stressful! Why are Sunday mornings so much more stressful than any other morning? My theory: The devil. He will try every thing to get us to just give up and stay away from the Lord. So through the temper tamtrums and all the dressing up in a hurry I just slapped that devil in the face and put a smile on my face as I rolled into the parking lot of church..On Time!!!!! No hes not gonna win in this house! God must have smiled down on us today and rewarded us with a wonderful sermon. After a refreshing morning in church, I spent the afternoon with my mother. I love sunday afternoons spent at her house. Kids enjoy it as well. We ate lunch, played outside, cut calebs hair, cut kaylas hair, and the dogs hair! As five o clock was approaching, that exact same stress came tumblind down on me. We had around 30 minutes to get cleaned up and out the door on the way for afternoon service. Caleb decided that he would much rather stay and play...so that was a fight. Kayla didnt want her visitation with her daddy to end. She was upset. Bless her heart. Then she didnt have flip flops like hailie was wearing because all she had was her high heels she wore to church earlier. That upset her just a little. Hailie was on top of her game so that was helpful.. 10 minutes until church time and were finally making it out the door. All the time caleb screaming for his dinosaur he left in the house. I couldnt give in. I had to just get in that car and go! It would have been so easy just to stay and relax the rest of the afternoon. But again God rewarded us with another great sermon! He is such a rewarding God. You reap what you sow.
So if your mornings are like mine...put a smile on that face, push that devil to the side, and enjoy what God has given you.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
life, death, and faith
Ecclesiastes 3 1:22
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...
I was recently informed that a dear friend of mine passed away. So many have passed away in this last month. My heart hurts for the families as they grieve. My heart hurts because this is such sad news. As I have a slide show of pictures going through my head of all the great memories my friend and I have had, I cant help but feel a tug at my heart and a comforting feeling all at the same time. I know that he is gone, I cannot change that. But I am so comforted by the fact that I had the pleasure of knowing him and having such great memories. Boo was such a great friend when i was in high school. He was always so kind and so full of energy. I never seen him without a smile on his face. Highschool went by...I married....he married and we both had kids and we just lost touch. Now i wish that I had taken the time out of my busy schedule to say "Hi". My heart hurts for his wife, his children, and his mother. I cannot imagine losing my husband, father, or child. Their lives were turned upside down in the matter of minutes. I never want to say that "i wish i would have" anymore. My children will know that I love them every second of the day. My parents will know that i love them every day! My husband will know that he is the love of my life every single moment. My friends will know how much I love them and appreciate them. I will not take this life for granted. My God will know that I serve him with a steadfast heart!
Thessalonians 4:13-17
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Amen, to those verses. I know that I will be reunited again with all of my lost loved ones. I have hope that comes from my Lord. He is my comforter. He will lighten my heavy heart.
Phillipians 1:3
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...
I was recently informed that a dear friend of mine passed away. So many have passed away in this last month. My heart hurts for the families as they grieve. My heart hurts because this is such sad news. As I have a slide show of pictures going through my head of all the great memories my friend and I have had, I cant help but feel a tug at my heart and a comforting feeling all at the same time. I know that he is gone, I cannot change that. But I am so comforted by the fact that I had the pleasure of knowing him and having such great memories. Boo was such a great friend when i was in high school. He was always so kind and so full of energy. I never seen him without a smile on his face. Highschool went by...I married....he married and we both had kids and we just lost touch. Now i wish that I had taken the time out of my busy schedule to say "Hi". My heart hurts for his wife, his children, and his mother. I cannot imagine losing my husband, father, or child. Their lives were turned upside down in the matter of minutes. I never want to say that "i wish i would have" anymore. My children will know that I love them every second of the day. My parents will know that i love them every day! My husband will know that he is the love of my life every single moment. My friends will know how much I love them and appreciate them. I will not take this life for granted. My God will know that I serve him with a steadfast heart!
Thessalonians 4:13-17
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Amen, to those verses. I know that I will be reunited again with all of my lost loved ones. I have hope that comes from my Lord. He is my comforter. He will lighten my heavy heart.
Phillipians 1:3
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Being the salt and light
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
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My instructions from God. I remember the song I learned when I was a child "this little light of mine". At that time i thought the importance of that song was waving my finger in the air pretending it was a candle.... Oh how I was so wrong. "This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine". Now I see it so differently. God called me to my salvation so that I can follow his word and show other people the amazing life of a child reborn of God. The song goes on to say: "not gonna let Satan blow it out I'm gonna let it shine"... Wow! Amen to kids songs!!! The book of Matthew tells us "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." This is a simple instruction! Do not hide your love for God, let it shine bright! Shine so all of mankind can see the glow from miles away. Do not pass up a chance to do something good for someone or something.... Show them how gracious our father is through these works so that they will believe and follow God. Or maybe just be an inspiration to someone. My goal is to be the salt and the light!
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
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My instructions from God. I remember the song I learned when I was a child "this little light of mine". At that time i thought the importance of that song was waving my finger in the air pretending it was a candle.... Oh how I was so wrong. "This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine". Now I see it so differently. God called me to my salvation so that I can follow his word and show other people the amazing life of a child reborn of God. The song goes on to say: "not gonna let Satan blow it out I'm gonna let it shine"... Wow! Amen to kids songs!!! The book of Matthew tells us "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." This is a simple instruction! Do not hide your love for God, let it shine bright! Shine so all of mankind can see the glow from miles away. Do not pass up a chance to do something good for someone or something.... Show them how gracious our father is through these works so that they will believe and follow God. Or maybe just be an inspiration to someone. My goal is to be the salt and the light!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
what im loving today
HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY CAITLIN!!!!!!!
BABY SHOWER FOOD!!!! :)))))
MY FRIENDS AT JACKIES BABY SHOWER
MS. JAYLEE GRACE OSTEEN
THE MEN IN MY LIFE
MY CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
fighting my demons
Did I just say the unforbidden word? Yes, yes I did. You did read that right I said "fighting my demons". Even a christian woman like me has demons in her life. Now I am not talking about those possessive horror film demons, I am simply talking about those things that come between me and my father in Heaven. Even though my last post was full of spiritual upliftings and blessings in my life I still fight these demons everyday. First demon, anger. So many times I let anger come over me and without stopping to pray for peace I am quick to respond to this anger. .... feeding that demon....putting fuel on that fire. I must learn to stop, step back, talk to God, and learn how to deal with the problem without jumping to rage. Second demon, misplaced priorities. I have put my foot down...{Loud Stomp}!!!! MY GOD WILL COME FIRST OVER EVERYTHING. He did not put me second while he was on that cross. Serving God and doing what he wants me to do will come first in my life over everything. I know in the future this will be a problem for some to understand.. but they will learn to expect this out of me. Third demon, judgement. Yes, I know what the bible says. Judge not lest ye be judged. I can say all day long that I am not judging but __________ insert whatever im about to judge them on. But if I look at the big picture, I am doing just that. Lord help me fight that demon. And my last one is control. I feel like I must be in control of every aspect of my life. If a problem arises I often do not first turn to God but instead I look for a way to fix it myself. I must learn that God is the ultimate fixer upper. I must lay every problem big or little at the feet of Jesus. Are you fighting any demons tonight?
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Even though I fight these demons I know that I can turn to God and he will fight that battle for me. Praise him!
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Even though I fight these demons I know that I can turn to God and he will fight that battle for me. Praise him!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
My daily....
Schools started back. Thats a good thing, right? Maybe it is for some, but for a mother of 3 school starting back begins with high stress, no money, and early awakenings. Stress from the mountaning cost of school supplies (and we will not even touch on school clothes). The cost of school supplies and clothes is the reason my bank account is so thin.. Its not just the kids who enjoy summer break, I do too. I enjoyed not having to get up as early. And, yes, that whole extra 30 minutes makes a huge difference for me. Let me just say that the first day of school and the week after have been a major success. Both girls love their teachers and seem to be doing pretty well adjusting to the upper grade. Kids were on time!!!! Yay, Go me! I should get brownie points for that one :) Now here comes more to add to the stress: Extra Curricular Activities. And, yes, that is an option. But for me, I feel like the more involved my kiddos are in activities they will be less likely to become couch potatoes!!!! So Girlscouts here we come! So by now I am running, running, running, helping with homework, cook, clean, bathtimes, and bedtimes. Did I mention I maintain a 40 hour job also. And in between getting the kids off to school and work and homework I also have a two year old who needs my undevided attention at all times. We have recently took custody of another child so now my life is a whirlwind of beginnings and new emotions. Beyond this crazy new beggining I have also started a new beginning spiritually. I truly want to be everything God wants me to be. I want to let go and let God be in control of every aspect of my life. This is hard to do because I have major control issues. I have the need for everything to be planned out and non-sparatic. So pray for me on that matter. I want to be what a christian woman is supposed to be. Last night I attended a revival at Solitude. It was the best most up lifting revival I have ever attended. God spoke through our preacher directly to me. As Pastor Marcus was preaching about falling in love with our fist love again it hit me...I have allowed so many things come in between me and my savior. God has blessed me beyond means. He is always there for me and never fails me. He is always there no matter if im not. He started to talk about the prodigal son and how he left his father and returned home and his father never shunned him away but took him back with arms wide open. Thats what our saviour does for us...We fall away, but hes always there to accept us back in his arms. Praise you Lord. In conclusion, I will continually praise my God for all the reasons I am stressed. There will always be school cost and craziness in this world. But I have three beautiful children to raise and for that I am blessed.
Luke 15:24
24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
New Beginnings
This blog is being re-started because I feel the need to share that the road to being a true christian is not always easy. There are bumps in the road. There are skint knees, Boo Boos, and meltdowns. There will be changes. Out with the old and in with the new. Cheers to new beginnings. My daughter, Hailie, started fourth grade last week. Man where has the time went? She is so beautiful and smart. She never ceases to amaze me. My son, Caleb, is growing up way too fast. I just want to keep him small forever. With each passing day he learns new words and new sentences! Just recently we took over custody of a six year old beautiful little girl named Kayla. She has been a blessing to us. I knew that getting custody of her is exactly what God wanted me to do. Life is grand right now. I am a sunday school teacher and a wednesday night youth teacher! I love my youth kiddos with all my heart and I love to watch them learn! All my Praises are to my father in heaven.
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