Pete....What do you say about him

We have a great friend whose name is ..you guessed it...Pete. He is a very large white man(I mean very large) who was raised in Africa. His parents were missionaries when he was young, so when they moved back to the US years later to become a pastor here in the states, Pete missed his homeland. He and his wife and children now live back in Africa. He stopped by last night for a visit with his home church and we took him out to dinner afterwards. If you wanted to describe Pete you would have to say first he is passionate about spreading the gospel. He can motivate you like no other. He is a visionary who never slows down. And like I said a very large man with the sweetest smile. He likes to stay large because in Africa they look at him as something royal. Because heaviness means rich. So he is a mega-rich. He has such sad stories of people and children who are dying because of the simple things in life that we take for grant it. Medicine, Food, clean water, and sanitary toilets. They had a flood there recently and Pete tried to think of ways he and his church could help in the community,and with 400 dollars he went out and bought plastic potties for the people to use, the mayor of the city had him on TV and the Lord used a small amount of money to make a great difference in that community at that specific time of need. Its like Pete said, God can use the small amounts to make big differences if we are just available. Remember Pete in your prayers, our Great Commission Fund with the Alliance are cutting him out of financial sponsorship at the end of the year and Pete believes the Lord wants him there so he will be raising his yearly salary on his own so that he can stay there to educate, build hospitals, and reach the lost.

I love sunsets and sunrises. I am more awake for sunsets. I tried to capture the beauty outside my backdoor last night. Life right now is not so beautiful in many ways, there is so much sadness, sickness, loneliness and anxiety, that sometimes you just have to stop and look at the beauty in the small things. Which really a sunset isn't a small thing when you think about it, we just take it for grant it. When you stop and think of all the colors of a sunset and how every night they are different. It makes you remember what a very creative God we serve. How his art is original every day and is never replicated. So we have a priceless piece of art work daily to enjoy if we just take a minute from our hard lives and say well done God, how beautiful are the creations of your hands.

Pain

Have you ever had pain that made you fall to your knees. I am experiencing my first and hopefully only kidney stone. We women here in the south are taught to behave no matter the situation. We are suppose to be ladylike at all times. Well let me tell you, all I wanted to do at 2:30 in the morning the other night was moan and scream as loud as I could, but my southern up-bringing only aloud me to do it with me face in a pillow, so that I wouldn't wake the rest of the house up. Only me and my cat, Buster, who I know thought I was going crazy. I finally went into my bedroom and woke up my dead to world husband at 4:30 and said you have got to pray for me right now because I think I am dying..... He prayed, I expected the pain to disappear immediately, however our prays were not answerd at that time. Joey said lets go to the hospital, I kept telling I don't want to go and spend all that money (Because we have crappy insurance, that we pay a lot for) I told him I think it is a kidney stone, it can't be that much longer before I feel better, but the pain got the better of me.. When we finally arrived at the emergency room, you'll never believe it but.....My pain stopped right when I walked through the doors....I
decided to stay and let them check me out, it took 3 hrs of sitting in a room (shift change) , 1 scan and a PA who says I know your pain I've had 10 stones. For them to send me home with medicine and the knowledge that that little stone is still high in my kidney and that there is more pain to follow. I'm so excited........

These are my children, son Josh , daughter-n-law Abby, and daughter Audrey. I look at this picture and cannot believe that how fast time flies. I have come to the conclusion that one of the reason life goes so fast is that every month we have to pay bills and just when we have the last bill paid for that month its the first of the next month and we start all over again. When your young you have no responsibilities so life seems to take its own sweet time. But as you get older you do realized what a short time here we have. We need to enjoy it. Take time to enjoy your kids when they are small, snotty nose, dirty diapers and all. Take time to enjoy those elementary school years when they want you around and aren't embarrassed to see you at their school. For some reason when your kids hit middle school life goes even faster. Stop and try to enjoy those middle school years when their attitudes are bigger than their bodies. Then High School, there is driving, dating, driving, phones, after school activities, driving, boyfriends and girlfriends and all the drama that goes with growing up. Then they leave............... So stop and enjoy because it goes way to fast.

Beauty

Do you stop and really look at people. I went to a wedding this weekend and the bride was absolutely beautiful, as her mother says "Isn't she pretty." I have known this child since birth and have always thought she was an attractive girl. She is quiet, not flash, sweet, & your first thought might not be wow what a knock out. But when I really looked at her Saturday, I thought Wow!!! what a beautiful woman. I told my daughter I guess I just took for grant that she was attractive. My daughter said, I always thought Erica was one of the prettiest girls I know. Sometimes the quiet, sweet and unassuming people in life are more beautiful than we realize, we just overlook them because they don't stand out, they aren't yelling " Hey,look at me". Stop and really look at people you come in contact with every day. You might be surprised at the beauty before you that you never noticed.

Bored to Distraction

I love this picture, the colors, the simpleness of it. It has nothing to do with today's blog, just wanted a little art in......

Be very careful how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Are you bored.....? Why????? Sometimes boredom leads to distraction. Are you making good choices. Have you made a bad choice because your bored. A friend of mine from church mentioned that sometimes we as Americans have to much time on our hands, if we were having to find food to feed our families, or a place to live for the night or a way to protect ourselves from others who are trying to harm us we wouldn't have time to be distracted. . I need to make wise choices. Even the small stuff is what gets you. When I am bored my mind wanders which sometimes leads to bad choices. I need to remember the days are evil, and I need to make the most of every opportunity I am given. The verse above says to Be Very Careful.....How I Live......

Are you discouraged?

I don't know about you but everywhere I see sadness, anxiety, worry and frustration. I try to see the glass more than 1/2 full. But there are days when Satan tries to rob me of my joy. You have to make yourself see the good around you. You have to stop and look at the big picture, find something positive in all the negative. If you are feeling down and discouraged please stop, look up this song www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJEPg7fKOtc - and say Thank you to the one and only living God, who will help you to see the hope that is out there. This song has been by (life song) for the last year and when I feel depressed, down, & discouraged I stop and listen to the words and lift my hands and say Thank You to the King of all kings... Maker of everything....The One who knows all things and is in control of all things....