A sign of Spring

Okay, I am even over this cold weather! I do enjoy the snow, but I have enough! I am supposed to be training for a 5K race I am planning on running at the end of this month, but I can't seem to get my body out into the cold. My tolerance cold weather running temperature is about 38-40 degrees. Anything less than that and I have a hard time breathing. I have been out a couple of time in the past couple weeks, but not consistantly like I need to be to be able to do the race. So hopefully soon.

The other reason I run is so I can enjoy my favorite summer tradition: ERMA's Custard!!!!! I have been counting down for a while now and it is only a few days away. Just another sign of spring, Erma's is open again for business on April 1st! Just a few more days! We are usually there most every Sunday night, so I hope to see you all there!

Isaiah 43

But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. 3"For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place. 4"Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. 5"Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. 6"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
And to the south, 'Do not hold them back ' Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, 7Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."
8Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears. 9All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, "It is true." 10"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11"I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. 12"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And I am God. 13"Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"

16Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters, 17Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick): 18"Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. 19"Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. 20"The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people. 21"The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.

25"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. 26"Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right.

I posted this scripture in October 2008. I needed to hear this again this morning. I hope it speaks to you and ministers to your soul! God love you!

A Song to share

I wanted to share a song that I have been hearing on KLOVE for the past couple days. It is written and sung by Laura Story and is the title track for her new cd coming out on April 12th. This song has really ministered to my heart and I hope it ministers to your also. You can listen to the song on her website:

http://www.laurastorymusic.com/

Here are the lyrics:

Blessings by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
But long we'd have the faith to believe

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

My visit to the Vampire

I have a love/hate relationship with my Vampire, more commonly known as my Oncologist. Sometimes even admiting I have an Oncologist is a little unnerving. It is a club I didn't want to belong to. But every three to four months, I get to see him. He would remind you of your grandfather. He is an older gentleman, very kind. It has now become my new norm. I used to pass out just thinking of someone taking blood from me, but now it is a regular routine. The appointment usually last only about 10 minutes, but within 10 minutes, my world could change drastically. It could go from one of normalacy to one of chaos. It tests all that I believe in and all that I hold dear.

When I was first diagnosed with colon cancer, it was very surreal. Everything happened quickly. Tests, more tests, waiting, scheduled surgery and more waiting. During that time, I had to come to grips with whether or not I really believed God. Oh I definitely believe in Him, but did I believe Him? Did I believe that if the worst case happened would everything be alright? If I die before I thought I should, would my girls be okay? It was a matter of trust for me. Trust in a God that has been faithful and continues to be faithful through some pretty difficult things at times. It was a matter of pride at times. Pride that said that God couldn't really take care of my children like I could. Most would just write that feeling of as being a good mom. I couldn't. I had to search deep down, uncover some deep insecurities and let God take control.

So every time I go to see my Vampire it is a reminder of the surrender that had to happen in my life to really Believe God and not just believe in Him.

Seasons

I am a warm weather person. Anyone that knows me, knows I spend most of winter freezing with many layers of clothing on my body. I love the sun. I love spending time with the family during Summer break. I love to vacation and day trips with the family, things we don't normally have time to do when school is in. I like taking bike rides, fishing, swimming, outdoor BBQs, lazy days and trips to the zoo and Greenfield Village. All the fresh fruit and vegtables that are more available in the summer. I love Summer!

I also love the snow. We live in Michigan. It gets cold and snowy here. I love Christmas! I love getting ready for Christmas. All the planning, all the cookie baking, the present finding, the decorations and the family gatherings. I love fresh fallen snow. I don't even mind driving in it. I love unexpected snow days when life seems to come to a stop for a day amidst our normal busy schedule. I love the winter!

I also love the freshnest of spring. The flowers poking their heads through the hard ground. I love when the leaves just begin to come out on the trees. I love watching my rose bushes coming to life again. I mostly like rainy days during spring, because it makes everything so green. I love Easter! The promise of eternal life and the sacrifice that happened to make that possible. I love Spring!

I also love the fall! The beginning of a new school year with all the anticipated excitement that goes along with a new school year. I love getting back into a regular schedule. I love all the harvesting, canning and baking that I do in the fall. I love going to pick apples and pumpkins to make yummy things later. I love the changing leaves, the beautiful colors. I love fall!

I guess what I am trying to say is to embrace each season when it is here. I know we all long for days that are in the future, but may I suggest to live and appreciate the season that you are in currently and embrace the beauty of that time.

So for today, I love snow!

Time to do some dusting

I have been thinking about blogging again. I'm always impressed by the blogs I read. So many are great writers and deep thinkers. This has never been one of my strong suits. I am a very simple person. I believe things people tell me as true. I am very trusting. I am a no-nonsense person. So if your looking for deep thoughts, they probably won't be posted here. Just a simple woman who has a simple view on life. Time to blow off some dust and start again. Welcome back old friend.

March is Reading Month

If you have a child in the public schools, you are aware that March is Reading Month. I have never been a voracious reader. I like to read, but it really has to be something that interests me. I have always regretted this fact in my formidable years. I do read, but it is not at a very fast rate. I wanted desperately to make sure my children had a love for reading. Both daughters have been read to from birth. They both were read chapter books from the time they could understand a story line. Both daughters enjoy reading. My oldest will read on an average of 300-400 pages a day. We spend a lot of time at the library and going to bookstores. I have scoured garage sales to find appropriated reading material for both daughters. My youngest daughter is just beginning to to love to read. It is an exciting time for her.

Reading is such a fundamental element in your life. When you read, so many opportunities and knowledge are opened up to you. There is no end to the knowledge that you can acquire through reading.

So why would a pastor's wife write a post about reading? God has chosen to tell his story primarily through his written word. This isn't just any book, but it is the one book that gives us life. His word is alive and never changing. Let me encourage you to take time to read, not only the many books that talented and gifted writers have written, but read the work of the Ultimate Writer.