Redeemed- to be free from captivity, to be free from what distresses or harms,to release from blame or debt, to buy back life... Aren't we all as believers somehow redeemed through no part of our own.

The Personality of Harper

Loves to be on the move

Loves to smell the flowers

        

Guess what I just did, poured sand all down my shirt

Love, love, loves the rain

Loves Tractors and loud noises

Chairein-Joy to You

"Chairein" sounds like Kirain from the Greek means Joy to you.  Joy comes from obedience, no one can take it from you and you can claim it at anytime.  Joy definition by Webster's standards is
to take great pleasure, to rejoice, contentment or satisfaction.  Do you have joy in all things, I am memorizing remember...when troubles come consider it a great opportunity for joy.... Something to think  about.  My American perspective is so weak when it comes to troubles. I have no clue on real trouble, as most of the world sees trouble on a daily basis.  So shouldn't my joy be easier, if not I should be asking myself why not?

James, I will come to know you

"Dear brothers and sisters, when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."
 James 1:2-4 
This is the beginning of memorization for the next few weeks, I am really going to try to memorize the whole 1st chapter of the Book of James.  I haven't really sat down and memorized a whole chapter of scripture sense I was in my late 20's.  We had a scripture memorization class at the church I grew up in, and I memorized Psalm 121.  I don't always recall the whole chapter in order but I always remember the first line " I will lift up my eyes unto the mountains, where does my help come, it comes from the Lord who made the heavens and earth."
I am very excited about this study, I have told you about Cory the new young Christan in our group. She texted me last night to ask questions about chronological order of some of the people that we are studying, she as said this will be the first book of the Bible that she will have in depth knowledge of.
She said I didn't know that James was Jesus half-brother until this study. 
What a great chapter to memorize for her.  You know as a new Christan Satan will try to distract and attack so these verses will be good for her and the rest of us...

The stare down......

Sunday Service

I have to tell you about my special granddaughter and her involvement with church. I tell myself not to be bias but today I couldn't help myself.  Since Harper goes to church every Sunday she understands that when she walks into the gym/auditorium that church service is there.  She knows that there will be music, so lots of times when she walks in she stops and claps and bounces in place.  When she was younger people thought that we were bouncing her but this is something she does all by herself.  I laugh and tell people she is our Pentecostal child.  Today was no exception, she claps and sways back and forth, she tries to sing, but what you don't know is that she really pays attention to what is going on at the front. We were singing Lion of Judah and there was a lion on the big screen and she started to growl, when it changes songs she lifted her hands like where is the lion.  We started to sing Alleluia, Holy is the Lord without saying a thing Joey and I looked and she had both of her hands in the air as if she knew what we were singing and she was participating in worship. I thought as I cried that she naturally knows who is holy and what music worship is all about.I believe it was one of the most precious moments I have ever experienced in church or out. When the song was over she yelled yeah!!! and clapped.I told Joey today that before she was born I felt very impressed by the Lord that she was going to do special things, I honestly thought she was going to be a Downs syndrome baby, I never told anyone because honestly it scared me to death, they are such special people. But now I honestly know that God was telling me she is gong to be a Godly girl who is going to reach a lot of people.  She has never met a stranger, she has more energy that you can imagine, she is very observant to things and her surroundings, she is very determined and strong willed, she loves hand-capped people and takes alot of notice in them. I truly believe that God has big and great plans for her, now we just have love her and help her grow.

James, what a spanking I got

We started our fall ladies Bible study so I read through the book of James before class.  To tell you the truth, I don't know what I got mself into.  I like to forget what it says sometimes, but now that I have set the path for this class, forward I must go.... For instance, the first chapter says alot, to consider trouble in my life great joy, because it is teaching me endurance to grow spiritually. That God gives wisdom generouslly when we ask. Don't have divided loyalty, God blesses our endurance during trials. Sinful desires lead to death, I need to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Don't just read he Bible but listen to it, and care for widows and orphans.  WoW!!! is all I can say, just in the first chapter. Are my toes going to be sore these next couple of months....

Here comes trouble

                                                Dove season begins....Here's Frank

                                              Big Dave also known as the "Gun Slinger"

                                        Joey and Little Sam, its hard to believe he is just 14

                                              My good-looking nephew... Jarrett

                                                        My handsome son....Josh

                                                         And this crazy man......ROY

                                                 They can't believe he showed up.....trouble

Let me Recap for you

The reason I think we are a little on Satan's radar right now and I think some of what my family is going through is a spiritual warfare. Since I have been back from the beach, I once again am not sleeping but about 5- 6 hrs a night, my body need 8.  I have had leg problems since birth, my mom took me as a child to every doctor she could and all they ever came up with is growing pains.  Unfortunately Audrey has inherited the same problem.  There is no rhyme or reason to the pain, it hurts from the top of the back of the leg to the bottom of our feet.  I think sometimes it is worse when we have had little sleep.  However, Our legs usually hurt on the same day, whether she is home or not.  Usually always at night but the last couple of weeks nothing has touched the pain in mine and they hurt throughout the day. I thought this might be atmospheric also. I have had severe sharp pains in my right head at times, I attribute that to allergy headache( Since I have never had one before). I have also started getting what my family calls a rhino hump on the back of neck, that these last two weeks has become extremely painful.  I have sat around with a heating pad on my neck for hrs at a time. Josh has had his first kidney stone attack this weekend.  Audrey has about 100 I mean literally 100 bites from either red bugs or mosquitoes while she went to a wedding this weekend at Outer Banks. These are a few of the bigger things physically happening.  On the spiritual side of  things, Joey and I both have had major obstacles to overcome this last week, with him as a elder of the church and me as a board member.  We are responsible for major decisions in the directions of our church, so we take this seriously.  On top of that, I am starting the new Beth Moore James series, Joey is teaching the Jr. High on Wednesday, and we both are still trying to do a EE (Evangelism Explosion) with a couple of younger people.  This is the reasons I think that we are trying to be distracted by Satan. Alot of this is confusioning  to me, Joey and I are willing to work,   I try not to ask Why, but it does come to mind and gets frustrating.