Washers, microwaves, TVs and toster ovens OH MY!!

So the last couple weeks Dave has been having trouble turning on the TV, It just won't turn on, but when it finally does it seems to work OK. Then on Monday morning I was in the kitchen, Brooke was in her room, the dog was even in our room -- The TV turned itself on in the living room--I kid you not this really happened. Hasn't happened since-but it did. It reminded me of a couple years back, our microwave would turn itself on when ever-- I woke up once in the middle of the night and the microwave was running. So we bought a new microwave, the old one was only about 20 years old. That is about how old the TV is, we really don't remember where or when we got it-- But it is a GE and the salesman (SHAUN, LOVE THE SPELLING) said they (GE) haven't made TVs for about 18 years. So we did it, we bought a new TV.

In Sunday school Sunday we were talking about needs and wants we shared about looking at TVs (we actually were going to get one for each other for Christmas-- but then the washer broke and we bought a new washer, this one had only lasted 6 years the washer before we had for 20!) We even had a toaster oven that we had received for a wedding gift that lasted us for 25 years, we bought a new one that lasted 14 months.-- Anyway we had been looking at TVs for a while knowing that we would soon be in the market for one. We know that having a TV is not a need, but we have been praying about it. (I wonder what God thinks when we pray for stuff?? but we feel he provided us with this one!) We wanted a TV and now we have one--It is crazy we set up housekeeping almost 28 years ago when we got married, Now slowly appliance by appliance we are getting new things, (that we know will not last like the old stuff!) not because we just want new stuff, but because we have worn the old out. (I never did figure out how to turn the old TV on properly through the VCR). It just amazes me the different things that we have purchased. When we first got married very few people had microwaves, I thought we would never get one because we had both lived without one all our lives and it was not a necessity (of course as young married people we didn't have much extra money either. ) We didn't get a microwave until several years in to our marriage--actually we had moved to Ohio and bought it with a Christmas gift certificate probably about in 1987--then there was the computer, we had gotten a few used ones and used them until they were unusable, then we even got the internet. When I think about all the technology we have purchased since Shaun died I am amazed. We thought new microwaves, computers, the internet and big screen TVs were nothing we would ever have. --Now we don't have a toaster oven--But I miss it, we will probably get another one one of these days. But for now I will enjoy our new TV. Thank you Jesus!!

GOLD

There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel hears his plea and appears to him, "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."
The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.
The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.
Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase Peter says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
But the man explains to him that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough,. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!?!" (Revelation 21:21)

Happy New year Have a BLESSED 2008

Well here it is 2008, As I look to the year ahead I wonder what will happen. We have a few things that our family is looking forward to doing/celebrating, Things we hope will come to pass. Dave is hoping to go to Mexico on a mission trip. Caleb is planning on graduating from Hesston College in May, and working someplace for 10 weeks this summer helping people somewhere. Brooke is planning on graduating form High School May 25, working at camp Luz this summer and attending Bluffton in the fall. I plan to support my wonderful family on all of the exciting things they have going on in there lives. WOW 2008. The year my baby girl will graduate. Time just seems to march on. We are as the song says a flower quickly fading, a vapor in the wind, But we who love Jesus belong to him, he will see us through all that lies ahead in 2008.
Who will have their life changed by death, cancer, an accident, or other illness, Who will be left behind as loved ones move on to heaven. The pain of being left behind when your child dies in immense.

On Christmas eve a senior at one of our local High schools was killed in a car accident. It really bothers me how many people came up to me and said something about how hard this must be on me (and my family) to hear and have a slight connection to this young persons death. We just celebrated our 10th Christmas with Shaun in heaven...10! (It is not any harder on us today than any other day, we think about Shaun all the time, we do not need to hear of another tragedy to rememebr Shaun.)This family survived their first Christmas with their daughter in heaven. No, time does not heal the wounded heart, but you do learn to live with it. When I learn that a young person is killed in a car accident It does bring up hurt that we have learned to live with. Our hearts are so heavy for this family. The pain is so intense. They wonder if they will survive the day, they cannot even look to the future at this point. They are in indescribable pain. Emotional pain I pray I will never have to go through again. Please pray for them. If they are like we were, they are not capable of praying so we need to intercede for them. Pray that they will recognize the Holy Spirit and that he will comfort them as they need comforted. You see we have survived several years with out Shaun, I finally felt like celebrating Christmas this year, not just surviving. Learning to adjust to someone you love living with Jesus is VERY HARD. You are not sad for them because you know they are with Jesus, you are sad for you because they have left a huge gaping hole in your heart and life.

I wish people wouldn't only remember Shaun when someone else has a tragedy in their lives. I also wish people would ask us what can they do to help this family. I wish that when people saw our family they would see a family who survived a terrible tragedy, and are now living again. (There is a big difference between survivng and living) A family that has grown closer to Jesus, and let Him hold them when they needed to be held. Please don't feel sorry for us any more, use us and our experience to find out ways you could possibly help someone suffering. I could go on... maybe someday I will write a book about this, But most Christians failed at supporting us. Or they just didn't care.

I didn't intend to got there with this blog, I was just going to look ahead and wonder what will happen this year that we plan, and what will happen that we do not plan. No matter what remember, Jesus loves you He will never let you go. So don't let go of Him in 2008.

A special thank you to Brooke for posting a more current picture of me. She chose one of me and my Mom. My mom is great, I hope I am like her when I am 80, or I am in heaven!!

AN INVITATION

You are cordially invited to

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25 but He's always around, so the date is flexible...

Time: Whenever you're ready. (Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.(You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay. He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone...(He says you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway...it cost Him everything He had. But you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything else. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)

RSVP This us very important He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)! Hope to see you there!


God GAVE us Jesus for Christmas--


Your invited to come dine with me,
From now through all eternity.
Believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
And dine with Jesus as your host.
TO live in Heaven eternally
all you must do is RSVP.

HOPE TO SEE YOU IN HEAVEN SOME DAY!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Barber

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.' 'Why do you say that?' asked the customer. 'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things.' The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: 'You know what? Barbers do not exist.' 'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber. 'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!' 'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.' 'Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.' 'Exactly!'- affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him.

'Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you’re not willing to move your feet.'

I am Thankful that thorns have roses!!

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze.
Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son.
She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took the life of her unborn child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her. "I ... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."
Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara ... let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped. There were no flowers!
"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her chest.
"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh ... she just left with no flowers!"
"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.
"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."
"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk," and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.
"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly.
"I've always thanked God for good things in life and never to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement ... twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"
No ... I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from 'thorny' times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific 'problem' and give thanks for what that problem taught us."
As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too ... fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."
The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first." It read:
"My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns.
I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns.
Teach me the glory of the cross I bear;
Teach me the value of my thorns.
Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain;
Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Be thankful people are not like dogs--I do LOVE my dog

Well I haven't posted in a while and here I am at work --still-- working at a grain elevator during harvest means long hours. I can't complain because I work less hours here than anyone else employed here during the harvest season.(I am the only part time employee) I have had more then 40 hours in here for over a month, plus I work 2 days at the restaurant. Needless to say I am tired of working 6 days a week. Tomorrow is my day at the Barn and I am looking forward to not arriving at work until 10:30. Working here 8am-7pm is getting old. I know Dave and Brooke are getting tired of hearing me complain too-- So off to more important things.

Our church did an event called Heros Unmasked on October 31. Dave and I were a part of the team that helped to pull this event off. (we were in charge of the games) It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun too. Instead of having simply a fall harvest party. We had Heros from the Bible at our event. (My very special daughter Brooke came as Queen Esther, She did a great job too talking to the kids and telling them her story --read Esther to find it out if you do not know it!!) We also had David, Moses, Elijah, Noah, and of course the ultimate hero JESUS. We had several games, if you use your imagination you could relate to our Bible hero. Like hurling marshmallows at Goliath, playing a game similar to broom ball called Moses red sea sweep. Queen Esthers crown decotating, Guessing the number of animal crackers in a container-- you guessed it Noahs cookie count. I can't forget Elijahs flaming chicken race, as well as the secret of the empty cave- Jesus arose!! Plus many others. We got all of these ideas from GROUP resources. It was a lot of work, but we feel it was also a success. I don't know if any one came to Christ, but one of the leaders received a call from a mom saying her daughter is looking up and reading about the heros in her Bible. (The Heros each handed out a card like a baseball card, with info about them and the scripture on it) We had many kids who came who do not attend church.

I guess Dave and I do miss working with the JYF (Jr Hi) kids after doing it for 12 years, This was a nice way to get involved again, but with my job, it added to the stress involved this time of year.

We are planning on going to see our son Caleb at Hesston College in Kansas over Thanksgiving I am excited.(Moms love to see ther kids!!) Brooke is not going to go with us :-( She is going to be going east instead of west to spend the weekend with a very special young man and his family. I still do not know what we are going to do with Jasmine our boxer while we are gone. Jessica and her husband Jeremy usually keep her for us, they are thinking about going to Washington DC. I asked a young man from church, but now he is thinking about going to Hesston with us!!

With thanksgiving just a couple weeks away I want to leave you with this tidbit.(Someone shared it with me a couple years after Shaun's death) When everything seems to suck and your life seems to make no sense, and you are having a hard time feeling thankful for anything - You can always be thankful that we do not say hello--like dogs do, smelling each others butts!! Thank you God for your wisdom!!