bread and water

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  I had a busy weekend and was so tired because my baby still keeps me up all night.  I am not a napper so I am just greatly lacking in sleep these days.  My four and two year old don't understand why I don't wake up leaping off walls like they do.  I envy their energy!  I could have a million excuses as to why I woke up ill and complaining to my husband, but really I just needed to change my attitude and get right! There are always two ways to look at things; negative or positive .  I married a man who is almost always very positive...this can be annoying if you are wanting to grovel in self pity and complain!  But, he helps me see that all I need to do to have a good attitude is to  enjoy all the blessings the Lord has given me.  My husband made me a cup of tea this morning.  That should have been seen as a blessing.....but all I saw was that he put 8 bay leaves in it instead of just one and it tasted horrible! I had

I love chocolate .  I love homemade cookies and brownies (dairy free with whole grain flour and sucanat).  I love the fall.  I love spring.  I love seeing my kids smile and laugh.  I love music.  I love good preaching.  I love road trips.  I love my husband.  I love when someone cooks for me.  I love hot herbal tea.  I could go on and on about the things I love and delight in.  When I first met the Lord Jesus as my Savior I was 13 years old.  I was so in love with Him and excited about Him.  I told everyone that passed by how awesome He was.  My life revolved around Him and I talked to Him all the time.  I sang to Him and danced with Him and truly enjoyed His presence.  Life is like that for those who fall in love with their mate as well.  Then after you have gotten to know everything about them and the warm fuzzy feelings become more rare you just live with your spouse instead of delighting in them. I think it is hard to delight in someone when we don't trust them or when we

I know a beautiful elderly lady who was featured in a magazine because she was so old but had no wrinkles on her face .  She told me her secret and I am going to tell you!  She put crisco on her face every night .  Some people think this is gross.  I only put a little bit under my eyes on some nights.  It feels so good, like a balm.  Did you know "there is a balm in Gilead" (Jeremiah 8:22) and his name is JESUS .  When you are hurting or wounded, Jesus is the remedy.  Like a balm, He can soothe you.  It feels so good to be soothed by one who loves you.  When a baby cries and his mother picks him up and rocks him to sleep it soothes him.  The baby is at peace against his mother's chest.  He feels her love.  Sometimes I like to imagine myself as a little child running up to Jesus when I really need him and climbing up into his big comfy lap and laying my head on his shoulder.  I know that I don't even have to say a word because he knows whats bothering me.  I can just

Apple cider vinegar can be used for many different things.  One of the uncommon ways to use it is for your face.  It can be used after washing and drying your face with soap as a toner.  If you put a lot on it will sting your eyes and not smell too pleasant to your spouse!  If you have any brown spots or red scars on your face it will slowly take the color out of them.   It helped fade my brown pregnancy mask away!  It also helps with acne.  Like vinegar takes spots away, the blood of Jesus washes our sins away.  They once were as scarlet and now they are white as snow.  Sometimes we try to cover up our sinful ways or only let our family see our temper or hear our complaining.  Jesus, of course sees everything we do, and if thats not bad enough He even knows our motives! The good news is "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness ." 1 John 1:9 Praise the Lord that He washes our sins away!  Now when yo

I am coming out of a trial that has lasted for over a month.  When I was in the trial I felt like I was the only person who had ever been through what I was going through.  The Devil wanted me to think that I was all alone in my trial and that no one would understand my struggles .  The Devil is a fierce enemy and he is a liar .  He wants to "steal, kill and destroy" our lives.  Our enemy wants us to keep ourselves isolated .  He wants us out of church, away from godly influence, out of the Bible and he doesn't want us praying.  The Devil knows that if we persevere and pray and stay in the Bible and in fellowship with the Saints that we WILL make it!  He knows that as we share our struggles with others that we will be encouraged to see that we are NOT alone in our trials and that others have MADE IT through!  Several women have told me that they went through the same struggle that I just came out of!  They made it and so did I-praise be to God!  1 Peter 5:8-11 says, &

Licorice root is more than candy.  It's an herb that stimulates and builds adrenal glands.  Your adrenals help your body deal with stress.  This herb can be taken by children and adults to help with emotional stress.  Licorice root taken with Skullcap can relax you and help with anxiety.  Licorice root stabilizes blood sugar as well.  When your blood sugar is off it can make you irritable and depressed.  I eat several small meals a day to keep my blood sugar at the right level so I feel great.  You can buy Licorice root from the bulkherbstore.com or at The Herb Remedy store in Athens, Ga.  Drink it as a tea or take it in tincture form and stress less! 

When I was dating/courting my husband in college we always complimented each other.  It was easy to do because we were soooo in love and focused on pursuing each other for marriage.  Now that we are married with three kids there is so much more to focus on and talk about then gazing into his eyes and saying, "Oh you are so handsome !"  We can get caught up in telling our spouse the to do list, discussing money, the calendar, church stuff and forget to speak kind and uplifting words.  The Bible says "life and death are in the power of the tongue."   Our words can change the atmosphere of our home and our marriage.  Our words can build up our spouse or tear them down.      I am naturally a negative person and have to ask the Lord continually to help me be positive and encouraging.  I can be so mean with my words to my husband sometimes and not realize that he does have feelings too.  Men need to be encouraged, built up, respected and complimented .   So, this wee

The other day my husband set a trap to catch a possum that was in our friend's trash at night.  The morning after he set the trap he went over and got the trap with the possum in it, which was still alive-and ugly!  He put it on the back of our jeep and we drove it over to his parents property so he could kill it.  (I hope that isn't illegal!)  Everyone who drove by was staring at us and our trap.  My husband can be so redneck without even trying! My husband, John, gets the trap off the jeep and opens one side of it to let the animal out.  It didn't go anywhere.  It just stood there with it's face against the closed side of the trap not knowing the other side was open.  I do this sometimes in my walk with God.  Jesus has set us free from our sin, but we still live in bondage .  He has set us free from anxiety, fear, depression, doubt, insecurity, vanity, lust, jealousy, drugs and addictions, etc.   "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righte

Chamomile is a flowering herb that is useful for calming and relaxing.  Drink it as a tea for anxiety and to help you sleep.  Make it as a tincture with glycerin and water and give it to your colicky baby to calm them and settle their stomach.  To make a tincture put chamomile flowers in a mason jar and coat with boiling water.  Add glycerin and more hot water, seal the jar and put it in a crockpot for 3 days on low.  Be sure to put a towel in the bottom of the crockpot and fill it with water.  Then strain the herb off and store the tincture in a cool, dark place.  Label it with the date and contents and it's good for 2 years!

I don't profess to know much about raising kids since my oldest is 4 years old, but I do know that I do a lot of the wrong things.  I keep asking God why He chose ME to be a mother of 3 sons because He knows I don't have a clue how to be a parent!  Maybe he wanted me to raise children because He knew it would be something that I could NOT DO in my own strength and I would HAVE TO rely on Him.  I want to raise godly sons who have faith in God and trust in Him.  I want them to love Jesus and enjoy a relationship with Him.  I want them to have a good work ethic and a good attitude.  I want them to be servant leaders.  I want them to be good husbands and fathers.  Sometimes I realize that what I want THEM to be I am not!  Yesterday we were cleaning out our storage unit and my sweet husband was standing there waiting on me to tell him what to move out.  I looked around and saw mold on the high chair and a mess in there and I started complaining about how all our stuff is going t

"...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God , that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  Ephesians 6:10-11 We are in an unseen battle everyday.  ("For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:12)  Thankfully, we don't have to fight emptyhanded!  God has supplied equipment for us to fight with that we must put on daily. A good routine to get into is to put on (by praying on) the armour of God every morning when you get dressed.   "..having your loins girt about with truth.."   The truth of God's Word should be the central thing in our life.  It should, like a belt, hold our life together.  We must  read His Word everyday  to stay afloat!    "..having on the breastplate of righteousness: And your feet shod with the preparation of t

This is what we did on the snow day last year and nothing beats it!  My husband hooked a float to the lawn mower and pulled us around the yard.  It was so much fun! Getting ready... A lawn mower can be used for more than 1 thing! Benjamin being pulled on the float! My cute hubby and Elijah Redneck sledding!

There are many people in my generation who are faithful to church, but there are more who are not.  My husband is a preacher so we "have to" go to church and hardly ever think about not going.  However, the past couple weeks it has been really difficult to get up and going and out the door to church in the cold with three little ones.  It is sometimes tempting to keep sleeping instead of getting up and getting everyone pretty for church.  It is a big task for young families to get everyone out the door on time, but I want to encourage you that it is worth it!  When I change my perspective it makes it easier to get out the door to church.    I remind myself that I am going for the Lord; to hear from Him, to love and worship Him, to obey Him, and to please Him.  I go to church because I want my children to hear from the Lord and learn to worship Him.  I go to church to be with other people who love Jesus.  I go to church to encourage and be encouraged.  Even though my kids di

Did you know that if your baby has thrush in their mouth you can buy Gentian Violet at CVS for cheap and it will cure it.  It is purple and it will stain their mouth for awhile and it will stain clothing.  Take a q-tip and rub a little bit in their mouth for a few days and watch it go away!   

The other night my husband went coon hunting *grunt* (I married a manly man:)  I thought the kids would go to bed early and I would have an easy peaceful night blogging and reading my Bible.  I was wrong, but God did teach me something through my little boys.  Lesson One:  My boys turn wilder when Daddy is not home to referee.  It seems like I do that too in my christian life.  When I have drifted far from my Daddy in Heaven, my Abba Father God, then my life can turn wild with sin and struggles real quick.  I need my Daddy real close so He can referee my fights with Satan and the world.  I have to remember that God never moves, but it is I who drift away .  His Word says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded." James 4:8  I challenge you today to get alone with your Bible and call out to God.  Take the plunge and draw near to Him and you will be amazed at how sweet a meeting it will be.

Did you know that garlic is a natural antibiotic?  You can eat it raw, buy it in capsules or crush it up and add olive oil to it and keep it stored in the fridge.  You can use the garlic oil to put in your ears for an ear infection or ear ache.  I have also put raw garlic in my ears when they hurt and it takes the pain away.  Garlic rids your body of infection, just like God rids our soul of sin. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9   We all have sin in our life that the Holy Spirit wants to get rid of.  It stinks just like garlic when God is showing us our sin....but when it is gone we feel much better!  I'm glad "there is a remedy for every sin sick soul"  as the song says.  If you are lost and have never accepted Christ as your personal Saviour then that is the first step.  He doesn't leave us without hope in our sin.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift

Today my husband turned 30...he has been talking about this day all year long and it finally came.  He has been evaluating his life since turning 30 (I married a deep thinker).  He has done a lot in his life just since we have been married (the past 6 years).  He was a youth pastor and assistant, then went into evangelism by faith.  He founded True Vine World Ministries out of a trailor with his office in a small garage with no fancy desk...but Jesus was there!  He traveled to India and the Philippines to preach the gospel and do pastor conferences.  He started a church in Washington, Ga that is still going and many people got saved and baptized and encouraged in the Lord.  He served at a wonderful church in Kentucky doing many things and saw over 47 people get saved.  He has preached in many jails and seen men come to the Lord.  He has led bible studies and mentored men and loved on people. But most important, he has loved Jesus and loved me and our boys with a sacrificial love.  I ap

My husband is a preacher so I am always hearing sermon ideas and outlines...or maybe he thinks I need a lot of preaching to!  Anyway, he shared this one with me as our devotion the other day and we are trying to apply it to our life.  I give him credit for the thought and outline, but I added my own 2 cents:)  Many people wonder about God's will and if they are in it or if there even is a perfect will of God.  Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  The Bible is clear that there is a perfect will of God.  This is an exciting and fearful thing because I desire to be in it and I fear to miss it!  There are 3 things every Christian can do to prove the will of