Just wanted to update you all on the car business! We ended up having ALL the tires replaced on the little car since Costco has a rebate special..... When one blow you have to buy 2 anyway so why not just get all 4.
The van...... it is so odd how that all worked out. We figured it would be a huge expensive thing because we thought something in the van was draining the battery. Come to find out that the 2 things that wear out more frequently here than anywhere else in the country are tires and batteries. HUH, and for our family both like to go around the same time! :o) Since we changed climates, eventhough we replaced the battery in the van, just over a year ago it was so badly drained it needed a new one! I guess it was even bulging on one side too which I suppose would be a bad thing. Our pastors wife told us to keep our receipt from the battery replacement since most warrenties are still in effect by the time it is needing to be replaced again! Crazy weird but kind of a blessing I guess? I made sure they checked it several times to see if anything was drawing from the battery when the car was off but their little computer machine thing-a-majiggers found NOTHING! Anytime we had the van in before this for repair it always topped over $1000 so when we heard it was only going to be $170, this was quite a nice change! Hope you all have a wonderful Turkey day with your friends and family! HUGS!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Funny how things work out....
Yes, I know...... Two posts in one day? It has been an eventful day and unfortunately this is not a funny haha but funny in an ODD way! We have been having trouble with our van for about a month now. I will spare you the details but we were asking around to find a good mechanic and made an appointment to drop it off tonight so they could look at it tomorrow. So, when John got home from his long day at work, we jumped the battery in the van and caravaned off to drop it off at the repair shop. On the way there, we were not further than a mile away from home and all of the sudden I can't see John in the review mirror anymore. Odd I thought, but since traffic was pretty heavy due to the time of day and the increase in population, I figured he just got behind so I kept going and stopped on the side of the road till he caught up. Well, he never came, so I back-tracked trying to figure out what had happened. The 'good car' that was going to keep us moving while the van was in the shop, blew a tire. By the time I found John he had already changed the tire and had the spare on. After dropping off the van, we tried to get to somewhere in time to buy a new tire but because of all the delays everything was closed! As soon as it happened, John immediately knew it was just an attack, but knowing this still doesn't make things any better..... Please pray for John as he uses this car to get to work tomorrow that he makes it there and back safely........ the county owes him some hours so he is going to try to get some time off to get his tires fixed and pick up the van after they fix it! I guess the praise in all this is at least it wasn't 2 tires or 2 cars in the shop due to mechanical issues!
My retreat
The retreat this weekend was pretty neat. Only 5 women went from our church and this was a nice time to become more acquainted with them! There were quite a few churches within the Miami area and other surrounding churches there and I think ours was the only one from the gulf side of the state. It was weird that this was my first retreat where no body knew who I was...... while sometimes this is a wonderful thing, it was also kind of sad since everone already had their own friends and stuck to them pretty tight. I now have an understanding of how the Pendleton church must have felt at our retreats. Maybe a little isolated and alone in a crowd.
The theme for our retreat was called "The Way of Wisdom" and our guest speaker was Debbi Bryson, from California! She was an excellent speaker and if you want to check out who she is here is her webpage! http://www.abidinginministries.com/
One of the most informative descriptions of how to do a quiet time was really neat so if you are struggling with this check out this resource from her website that helps us to dig deeper into the word and pull out what applies to us: http://www.abidinginministries.com//images/stories/bible%20bus/Developing_Quiet_Time--Bus_Manual%5B1%5D-2.pdf
There were a couple phrases she shared that are in bold print that go with each concept she wanted to nail home......
First one goes like this:
Growing old is inevidable,
growing in wisdom is optional!
Most of the retreat we camped out in the Proverbs 4 as it pertained to where wisdom begins, where it comes from, how to preserve it, guard it, the cost to live it out.
Wisdom defined was: Clear thinking, good judgement, tact, discretion, balance, unshakable foundation regardless of circumstance.
Fear of the Lord defined: Reverence/respect/aww for the Lord
The opposite of wisdom looks a lot like 2 Timothy 3:1-7
Hence the next phrase worth remembering:
Much of life's pain and suffering comes as a result of indulging in what we want NOW while sacrificing what we want/need MOST
Many times Satan wants to rob us from this wisdom.
*he uses our desire to seek out a friend rather than to the Lord.
*he keeps our focus inward ~ causing us to question the Lord and His provision which lead to discontentment
*he gets us alone where we are isolated and out of fellowship with other believers
For many it is a progression that leads to sin/destruction:
Listen with our ears ~ seeds are planted
Listen with our hearts ~ seeds are cultivated and rooted
Acted upon ~ Seeds are now shooting up into plants and fertilized
Unfortunately our sin and destruction not only stop at us but has a snowball effect!
Proverbs 29:12 states this: If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
90% of the Christian life is wanting, while only
10% is asking.
When we are seeking God and in a right relationship with Him, many of the desires for wisdom, spiritual gifts or _______ (fill in the blank) are from Him! Hence the verse below:
Luke 11:
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
We have not because we do not seek to ask for it!
Hope you all are well! Love to you all!
The theme for our retreat was called "The Way of Wisdom" and our guest speaker was Debbi Bryson, from California! She was an excellent speaker and if you want to check out who she is here is her webpage! http://www.abidinginministries.com/
One of the most informative descriptions of how to do a quiet time was really neat so if you are struggling with this check out this resource from her website that helps us to dig deeper into the word and pull out what applies to us: http://www.abidinginministries.com//images/stories/bible%20bus/Developing_Quiet_Time--Bus_Manual%5B1%5D-2.pdf
There were a couple phrases she shared that are in bold print that go with each concept she wanted to nail home......
First one goes like this:
Growing old is inevidable,
growing in wisdom is optional!
Most of the retreat we camped out in the Proverbs 4 as it pertained to where wisdom begins, where it comes from, how to preserve it, guard it, the cost to live it out.
Wisdom defined was: Clear thinking, good judgement, tact, discretion, balance, unshakable foundation regardless of circumstance.
Fear of the Lord defined: Reverence/respect/aww for the Lord
The opposite of wisdom looks a lot like 2 Timothy 3:1-7
Hence the next phrase worth remembering:
Much of life's pain and suffering comes as a result of indulging in what we want NOW while sacrificing what we want/need MOST
Many times Satan wants to rob us from this wisdom.
*he uses our desire to seek out a friend rather than to the Lord.
*he keeps our focus inward ~ causing us to question the Lord and His provision which lead to discontentment
*he gets us alone where we are isolated and out of fellowship with other believers
For many it is a progression that leads to sin/destruction:
Listen with our ears ~ seeds are planted
Listen with our hearts ~ seeds are cultivated and rooted
Acted upon ~ Seeds are now shooting up into plants and fertilized
Unfortunately our sin and destruction not only stop at us but has a snowball effect!
Proverbs 29:12 states this: If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
90% of the Christian life is wanting, while only
10% is asking.
When we are seeking God and in a right relationship with Him, many of the desires for wisdom, spiritual gifts or _______ (fill in the blank) are from Him! Hence the verse below:
Luke 11:
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
We have not because we do not seek to ask for it!
Hope you all are well! Love to you all!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
This one is for Sharon!
John's old boss asked us to post a picture of John when he gets to wrestle and alligator and since he didn't get the fish and wildlife job, this is the closest he will get! Looks a bit more like he is lovingly laying on the beast but really there are just TONS of fake alligator statues EVERYWHERE you go. Parks, libraries, ect. The real gators are behind the netting! While this one is a pretty nice size replica of a real one......
Here is a pretty big boy! Yes he is a real one and I think they feed him so much that he doesn't move very much! This was at a place in Bonita Springs where they have a natural wild life preserve.
Here he is from another angle!
Here is a sea otter. They do live in the wild here around the canals but we were warned, while they look very fun and playful, thier idea of playing is biting you and running off! SO when we do get to see one we just watch from afar!
Not much going on here. I leave tomorrow for our womens conference in a hotel in Boca Raton. Sounds kinda snobby but I am sure God speaks there too! He He! God Bless and Hugs to all! I will post more about it when I get home!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Amazing story and video!
Frank Jenner: The Man from George Street
"Sir, are you saved? "If you would die tonight would you go to heaven. For years Mr. Jenner, an ordinary man as you and I witnessed to people on George Street, Sydney, Australia never seeing anyone coming to Christ but through his witnessing the lifes of thousands of people were changed and transformed for ever. If you are frustrated because no one seems to respond to the gospel then watch this amazing video and receive fresh fire for evangelism and don't forget YOU ARE a history maker. God is using You to influence persons and change their lifes and destinies.
This is an amazing video of one mans faithfulness to be bold and not knowing the seeds he had planted! PLEASE WATCH!
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=555e221b560fe5d5dd2a
"Sir, are you saved? "If you would die tonight would you go to heaven. For years Mr. Jenner, an ordinary man as you and I witnessed to people on George Street, Sydney, Australia never seeing anyone coming to Christ but through his witnessing the lifes of thousands of people were changed and transformed for ever. If you are frustrated because no one seems to respond to the gospel then watch this amazing video and receive fresh fire for evangelism and don't forget YOU ARE a history maker. God is using You to influence persons and change their lifes and destinies.
This is an amazing video of one mans faithfulness to be bold and not knowing the seeds he had planted! PLEASE WATCH!
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=555e221b560fe5d5dd2a
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Praise and prayer.....
WOOO HOOO! WE have finally been here for 3 months and now have medical, dental & vision coverage! YIPEE! To some families this is not too big of a deal and maybe just something they can very well do without, but for our family it really is a necessity! Praise God that my last insurance allowed me to stock up on my prescriptions so I never had to pay any outrageous out of pocket expenses while we were not covered. Being that I take 3 pills a day and each pill retails for about $3 a piece, this is a huge savings and a neat way for God to provide for us!! We are still getting our bearings here and so the next order of business is to find doctors. It is funny because the term 'family doctor' is really not true to the meaning. I wanted to find a Dr that would at least be a primary for myself and the kids (John prefers the 'doc in the box' places where you don't have to have an appointment), however quickly learned by making some calls that due to the influx of elderly in the area you pretty much have no other choice but for me to find a woman Dr and the kids HAD to see a pediatrician. Family doctors only see teenagers and up and a majority of their clientel are elderly. Oh yes, the same goes for dentist and eye doctors as well. You pretty much have to call around to find ones that specialize in taking kids because when you call and ask if they take children you may get the response of "well I suppose we could see your kids too"........ My thought is NO THANK YOU, I prefer someone who actually likes kids!
Another thing that is weird here is the fact that, because John works for the jail, as an officer we automatically get gratuities from local businesses. Meaning, most businesses appreciate their law enforcement officers so much that they show it by giving a discount. I love to get 'discounts' but sometimes it is just odd. I took the dog to the vet and was chatting with a woman at the office; nice lady who is paid to visit with the customers, take pictures of their animals for their file and just be personable....... really ODD job description, but I think it is just the vets wife maybe? IDK? Well, in chatting she asked why we moved, where John worked, how many kids we had, ect...... After checking out and paying for the visit, this lady ran out to the car and asked why I didn't tell the ladies up front where my hubby worked? I explained to her I didn't think to mention it since I am not used to this kind of gesture as it is not normal where we come from. She just looked at me all cock eyed and said, "Well then we will just have to put a credit on your account to go towards your next visit". This side of the country is so odd, but this part makes me not want to mention where John works at all because then people fawn all over you and make a big deal about it...... I think it is a nice concept that people appreciate your service but just a bit uncomfortable?
A prayer request if I may...... The Lord has been laying some things on John's heart that he isn't exactly sure what to do with. It is one of those things that make you go "hum" and just keep seeking the Lord as you do not know what it all means. So if you could just pray for clarity that would be great....... Also, he is the only one that is in the group of people that were hired together, that hasn't gotten his schedule yet. He isn't sure why....... the Seargents basically bid for who they want to go where....... John is hoping it is because God is going to work a miracle and wants to put him on days after his training is through but also wondering if his supervisors just forgot about him? He wants to be where ever he will get the most opportunities to witness so I think God is doing some orchestration behind the scenes there! Prayers for a permanent schedule would be nice since this has made planning things pretty difficult past the end of November.
Also, there was a gentleman that came to church 2 Sundays ago. He had recently been through a detox program from alcoholism and you could tell it was taking a toll on his body. He went to detox because the lady who was renting him a room (she goes to our church) told him he had to go to detox or he would get kicked out of her home and not be welcomed back. He decided to go to detox at her ultimatum and was visibly going through withdrawls and shaking pretty bad during church. The Tuesday after the Sunday he came to church, he accepted the Lord as his savior and two days later, that Thursday he had a massive stroke and God took him home to be with him. He was only in his mid-50's but the pastor and John agreed that it was probably God's graciousness that ended his suffering and brought him home so that he would no longer be tempted to go back to his old lifestyle. If you could be praying for comfort to the lady who took him in and witnessed to him during this time in his life, and also for his unsaved family & friends. Not only for comfort, but that the people who don't know Jesus would also come to know the Lord through this!
HUGS!
Another thing that is weird here is the fact that, because John works for the jail, as an officer we automatically get gratuities from local businesses. Meaning, most businesses appreciate their law enforcement officers so much that they show it by giving a discount. I love to get 'discounts' but sometimes it is just odd. I took the dog to the vet and was chatting with a woman at the office; nice lady who is paid to visit with the customers, take pictures of their animals for their file and just be personable....... really ODD job description, but I think it is just the vets wife maybe? IDK? Well, in chatting she asked why we moved, where John worked, how many kids we had, ect...... After checking out and paying for the visit, this lady ran out to the car and asked why I didn't tell the ladies up front where my hubby worked? I explained to her I didn't think to mention it since I am not used to this kind of gesture as it is not normal where we come from. She just looked at me all cock eyed and said, "Well then we will just have to put a credit on your account to go towards your next visit". This side of the country is so odd, but this part makes me not want to mention where John works at all because then people fawn all over you and make a big deal about it...... I think it is a nice concept that people appreciate your service but just a bit uncomfortable?
A prayer request if I may...... The Lord has been laying some things on John's heart that he isn't exactly sure what to do with. It is one of those things that make you go "hum" and just keep seeking the Lord as you do not know what it all means. So if you could just pray for clarity that would be great....... Also, he is the only one that is in the group of people that were hired together, that hasn't gotten his schedule yet. He isn't sure why....... the Seargents basically bid for who they want to go where....... John is hoping it is because God is going to work a miracle and wants to put him on days after his training is through but also wondering if his supervisors just forgot about him? He wants to be where ever he will get the most opportunities to witness so I think God is doing some orchestration behind the scenes there! Prayers for a permanent schedule would be nice since this has made planning things pretty difficult past the end of November.
Also, there was a gentleman that came to church 2 Sundays ago. He had recently been through a detox program from alcoholism and you could tell it was taking a toll on his body. He went to detox because the lady who was renting him a room (she goes to our church) told him he had to go to detox or he would get kicked out of her home and not be welcomed back. He decided to go to detox at her ultimatum and was visibly going through withdrawls and shaking pretty bad during church. The Tuesday after the Sunday he came to church, he accepted the Lord as his savior and two days later, that Thursday he had a massive stroke and God took him home to be with him. He was only in his mid-50's but the pastor and John agreed that it was probably God's graciousness that ended his suffering and brought him home so that he would no longer be tempted to go back to his old lifestyle. If you could be praying for comfort to the lady who took him in and witnessed to him during this time in his life, and also for his unsaved family & friends. Not only for comfort, but that the people who don't know Jesus would also come to know the Lord through this!
HUGS!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Fall has arrived
It appears like 'fall' comes on Florida much like it comes into play in Wa. Warm one day and the next it only gets up to 65? Last night the weatherman was making a big deal about the fact that temperatures last night were only going to be in the low 40s and high 30's inland. This was a record low for the area I guess. Later on this week it is suppose to back into the 80's though so the temps are not really consistently cooler. Silly me, thought I had closed all the windows only to find that the one left open was in my room by my bed. Needless to say, I was awake at 4am freezing searching for where I put all my blankets!
This morning the kids woke up chilled a bit and asked me to put another blanket on their beds. Michaela was complaining yesterday that the high of 75 was COLD but yet still insisted on wearing shorts and a T-shirt? Today she is bundled up in sweats and not complaining one bit! Meanwhile I had all the windows and doors open and enjoying the nice cooler weather (with a sweatshirt & capri pants on) I think we have become acclimated a bit to the warmer temperatures. John is still wearing shorts and t-shirts claiming it is beautiful out even when the temp dips below 60. He thinks we are all just sissies! The rainy season is over so it is not wet on a daily basis anymore and it looks like hurricane season is also done too.
John has been working in the downtown jail for about 2 weeks now. They have him in with the violent high profile offenders right now, which is rather exhausting. Nothing he can't handle can't exactly let your guard down for a minute. The kinds of crimes that are committed here are much more frequent and haneous than back home just because people are sinful (no big surprise on that one) and the population is larger. He was told that this part of the jail was really 'hopping' and every day he would experience one kind of physical altercation or another but he doesn't seem to have that experience. The inmates seem to feel at ease with him so this makes his job much easier.
We are getting more traffic and the streets are now more congested with snowbirds that live here in the winter. This is good for the stuggling economy here so we don't mind the extra congestion if it means more jobs become available to those that are struggling. Our Costco is no longer a ghost town that it once was.
John got to go to a men's conference not too long ago. God encouraged him in many ways to stay on task and stay open to whatever the Lord has for us to do here. We are praying about permenancy; if God is calling us to stay in the area where we currently reside or somewhere else in Lee county or closer to Naples to be closer to his daughter? We would like to know where before we begin looking at buying, especially since there are A LOT of good deals out there. For those of you who know me, sometimes I can be swayed in the pursuit of a good deal that may seem too good to pass up. It is a good thing sometimes but it can easily become a 'flesh thing' as well. I just don't want to do this in my flesh and get stuck with the fact that I lost sight of God's plan of where HE wants us to be....... So if you could please pray for us to get confirmation on the WHERE question that would be wonderful! It appears that housing prices are not going up anytime soon and people are still giving up their homes to the bank........ It is really sad! Some of the great deals on forclosed homes come with thier own set of problems from the fact that the previous owners that were not too happy about having to give their houses back to the bank. There are yard sales going on constantly of people selling the entire contents of their homes, fixtures, appliances and all to get back at the bank for taking their home. This is why discernement on these great deals is so important! We have been told that eventhough we have till July till our lease is up we should begin looking now since sometimes the bank can take up to a year to decide to sell the home that is in forclosure. Chances are, this is a home we would be able to afford so I am sure God has just the right place out there for us!
Anyways, that is what is going on here in Florida! Hope you are all doing well!
This morning the kids woke up chilled a bit and asked me to put another blanket on their beds. Michaela was complaining yesterday that the high of 75 was COLD but yet still insisted on wearing shorts and a T-shirt? Today she is bundled up in sweats and not complaining one bit! Meanwhile I had all the windows and doors open and enjoying the nice cooler weather (with a sweatshirt & capri pants on) I think we have become acclimated a bit to the warmer temperatures. John is still wearing shorts and t-shirts claiming it is beautiful out even when the temp dips below 60. He thinks we are all just sissies! The rainy season is over so it is not wet on a daily basis anymore and it looks like hurricane season is also done too.
John has been working in the downtown jail for about 2 weeks now. They have him in with the violent high profile offenders right now, which is rather exhausting. Nothing he can't handle can't exactly let your guard down for a minute. The kinds of crimes that are committed here are much more frequent and haneous than back home just because people are sinful (no big surprise on that one) and the population is larger. He was told that this part of the jail was really 'hopping' and every day he would experience one kind of physical altercation or another but he doesn't seem to have that experience. The inmates seem to feel at ease with him so this makes his job much easier.
We are getting more traffic and the streets are now more congested with snowbirds that live here in the winter. This is good for the stuggling economy here so we don't mind the extra congestion if it means more jobs become available to those that are struggling. Our Costco is no longer a ghost town that it once was.
John got to go to a men's conference not too long ago. God encouraged him in many ways to stay on task and stay open to whatever the Lord has for us to do here. We are praying about permenancy; if God is calling us to stay in the area where we currently reside or somewhere else in Lee county or closer to Naples to be closer to his daughter? We would like to know where before we begin looking at buying, especially since there are A LOT of good deals out there. For those of you who know me, sometimes I can be swayed in the pursuit of a good deal that may seem too good to pass up. It is a good thing sometimes but it can easily become a 'flesh thing' as well. I just don't want to do this in my flesh and get stuck with the fact that I lost sight of God's plan of where HE wants us to be....... So if you could please pray for us to get confirmation on the WHERE question that would be wonderful! It appears that housing prices are not going up anytime soon and people are still giving up their homes to the bank........ It is really sad! Some of the great deals on forclosed homes come with thier own set of problems from the fact that the previous owners that were not too happy about having to give their houses back to the bank. There are yard sales going on constantly of people selling the entire contents of their homes, fixtures, appliances and all to get back at the bank for taking their home. This is why discernement on these great deals is so important! We have been told that eventhough we have till July till our lease is up we should begin looking now since sometimes the bank can take up to a year to decide to sell the home that is in forclosure. Chances are, this is a home we would be able to afford so I am sure God has just the right place out there for us!
Anyways, that is what is going on here in Florida! Hope you are all doing well!
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