Prom

     This is my prom picture from May 1989.  I can tell you this was not an easy road to get here but certainly worth it.  Every girl should feel like Cinderella at least one day in her life.  I did.

     As most teenage girls do, I searched teen magazines looking for the type of dress I wanted.  My mom and I went to Conway one day looking for a dress.  Well we went into this little shop and there it was, 'the dress.'  It had a ridiculous price tag on it so I said 'let me just try it on for fun.'  Well that's all it took, my mom was sold on it.  

     So now I have the boyfriend and the dress, I'm all set for prom or so I thought.  About a month before the big day, I came home from school with a fever.  It quickly got worse with each hour that passed.  My parents took me to the ER where I was admitted with my first ever episode of pneumonia.  They drained A LOT of fluid off my lungs and started me on IV antibiotics.  I was in the hospital about 5 days.  I can't remember how much school I missed but I think 2-3 weeks.  So would I be well enough and strong enough to go to prom?  You can bet your bottom dollar on it.  It wasn't even a question in my mind.

     We had dinner at Steak n Ale and then the prom was at Holiday Inn in W. Little Rock.  Even tho I thought I'd win but didn't, I felt like the prom queen that night.

      As my friend Twylia says "He didn't promise us an easy life...He promised us help to live it."

80's Hair

     Actually this picture is from Sept 1990 but I was still sporting the hairstyle of the 80's. If there was ever a day in my life so far that I've felt like yelling 'I'm on top of the world' then it would be this day. I certainly wasn't wise at this age and had bookoos still yet to learn but I was happy in a worldly sense.
     I think the decade of the 80's was the best. The music was awesome and the fashion was hip.  As you can see, BIG hair was the desired look.  If your hair didn't stand up and out two or three inches, then you were just flat out of it.  Teasing your hair was a national pastime back then. I bet you could see 20 faces in the girl's bathroom mirror at school at one time, all with a teasing comb in hand. Oh yes, and don't forget the hairspray!  Who knew we were destroying the ozone layer?
     Maybe it's a sign of age when your favorite decade is the one you grew up in but that's okay, it also means you lived thru it.

Worth It



Morning of college graduation



NIU Graduation, Aug 1994



     If I've done anything right in my life, it was to finish school completely.  That's right I'm not going back.  I wouldn't say the academics was the hardest part for me but the going and doing it every day was.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was physically tough for me. Those huge heavy books, the constant fast-paced notetaking and the ability to get to where my class was were just a few of the challenges that stick out in my mind.  My first two years at UCA I refused to use a scooter.  Yes, I was prideful but I also knew that if I could make it without it, then it was better for me. No, it certainly was not easier to do without it.

     With my degree I was able to get my job at the lab, after two years of relentless job searching.  I enjoyed 5 great years there.

     If the joy it all brought me is not enough to express to you how worth it it all was then I'll tell you more.  I now still benefit greatly from it all financially and have wonderful health insurance.  If I only had government health insurance, woah, let's just say it'd be bad.  God knew what I needed then and now so He paved the way and gave me the strength to achieve it.

It's Better to Shop than Clean

     How thrilled do I look to be doing laundry?  This is me around 1994 in our apartment in Naperville, IL.  I did more housework than shopping back then because it was usually too cold to venture out and we had limited funds.
     Friends of mine are going to Dallas this weekend for a no-kids, all girl weekend of shopping.  How fun is that going to be for them!  I don't have a picture of me shopping but I can guarantee you my smile would be more evident in it than in this picture..ha. 
     Sure housework must be done but there is a high probability that it will still be there when you get back from shopping.  So go have fun, chores can wait.

Okay, Enough

--PG- rated video...lil bit of profanity--

     Okay, we all know people who like to hear themselves talk.  I love the scene in the movie, Planes Trains and Automobiles, when Steve Martin tells John Candy that he's like a Chatty Cathy doll that would pull his own string..haha.  Some people like to include every, and I mean every, detail with you in the story they're sharing and sometimes forget the point to the whole story. 
     Well it kind of made me feel better when I read my daily Bible reading yesterday. God doesn't want us to ramble on either, in prayer.  Matthew 6;7-8 '' And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.''  God cares more about what your heart is petitioning for than the words you use to ask for it with. If you try to use big 3 dollar words to impress whoever is listening to your prayer out loud then you should know that your thoughts are off track with your heart's prayer.  God just wants to hear from us.  There is no 500 word minimum that He requires, like your English professor.
     I'm a pretty much a matter of fact kind of gal, so if I start to ramble, tell me 'GET TO THE POINT.'

You Is....

     I recently watched the movie, 'The Help' and it's a very good movie. It's funny yet thought provoking. I like movies with a point, unless it's political. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it yet but instead draw from it.
     An encouraging word or statement to someone in an unchangeable, discouraging situation can give them the hope and self-esteem to push thru it.  This is what the maid did, in the movie, for the little girl whose mother didn't take time to love or care for her.  All people, but especially children, need to be told how special they are.  They need confidence building words spoken to them.  A child who knows that they are loved, appreciated and important will be more confident, ambitious and less vulnerable to peer pressure.
     Your words sink into the minds of others so make them positive and encouraging. Be a joy booster to someone because 'you is kind, you is smart, you is important.'

Broken

     I am an avid animal lover. There is like a 2 percent chance that I won't cry if a dog dies in a movie, 98 percent for people.  I know some people think that's wrong but animals are helpless and innocent.  We are responsible for their care. They can't say 'hey, I'm going in for my checkup on Thursday. It's just a short walk but I'll be back by 3pm.'  Neutering your pet is an important part of their health. The shelters are full of dogs and cats that need a good home. Thankfully, you can't adopt one without it being fixed.  A dog or cat that has been fixed will have a longer, healthier life. Puppy mills are horrific.  They are like a 3rd world prison for animals who prey on them for money. 
     Please respect the animals around you.  As Bob Barker used to say 'please spay and neuter your pets.'

Guide Them

     Okay so how many of you are glad that the Christmas break is over and you can send your kids back to school?  I don't have any kids but I'm glad.  It means you can go to the movies or the mall with a lot less chaos and distraction.
     Some people homeschool and others send their kids to public or private school, it's a personal choice.  Either way, learning takes place both in and out of the classroom.  Proverbs 1;8  ''Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.''  You can't expect your child's teacher to take care of your parenting responsibilities too.  An absent parent will reap what they sow.  The public schools have especially taken God out of the curriculum but that doesn't mean your child has to do without.  2 Timothy 3;16-17  ''All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.''  Use God's Word to raise and guide your child daily to keep them on the right track.
     Learning and teaching is 24/7.  Do your part with the Bible as your resource tool.

Strong Enough

     Many of the people who know me now have only known me since I moved back here.  Depending on how well you know me, one might assume that I've always been in a scooter. Well that's not true.  I gave up walking for the most part around the age of 26. You might ask, 'how could you give up something so important?'  Well I did fight the inevitable. I had one of those grocery bag carts that I'd use in the house or to practice walking with up and down the driveway.  I soon realized that all I thought about was not falling and wasn't enjoying going anywhere I went.  I was working full-time at this point and that took alot of my energy.  I wanted to do it all..x, y and z.  My disease is progressive so it's like a pin-hole leak in a glass of water. You can try to refill it a little on the weekend but it soon will be drained empty.  So you make choices.  It was a dream of mine to work so my energy went to that and the scooter was a way to adapt.  I could now go places without fear and at the speed I wanted. Yes, there is a downside of being weaker over time.  If I had fallen tho and broke something, it would have been worse.
     It does take courage to accept a new reality in your life or in yourself.  You adapt but mostly you trust God to see you through it.  If you don't see how this can apply to you then consider if you had to move, or get a hearing aid, or change jobs, or any of life's unexpected changes that will come.

FBF Prayer Requests for January

FBF MISSIONARY PRAYER REQUESTS FOR JAN 2012



TED AND PRISCILLA CLARK

1. Pray for wisdom for us this year, in planning other evangelistic outreaches and considering various ideas for evangelism.  We feel an urgency to focus much time and energy on evangelism this year, as we are convinced that the time is SHORT before the Lord’s coming!

2. Please pray for great wisdom for us concerning the decision about buying a piece of land in Arumbaro to be used for a permanent, central location for teaching Bible studies to larger groups together, holding children’s activities and advancing the work there in general.  The land we were considering, which was ideal, has doubled in price within a few months.  Pray that if the Lord wants us to have this land, the owner would soon return the offer to his original, more sensible price (which was even a little on the high side).

MONICA SERNATINGER

1. Please, continue to pray for Coral. She has decided to follow Christ and to break up the engagement, but he, Mario, does not understand or want to leave the relationship. We need wisdom, and Coral needs strength to continue obeying God.

 

2. Please, continue to pray that the Lord would provide a missionary family to come and continue with the church planting ministry here in Puruandiro.

BOBBY AND NAMATHA AVILEZ

1.       Pray for the Avilez family as they plan a deputation trip to the US this March. Pray for churches and other opportunities to share the House of Hope Orphanage ministry!

2.       Pray that more of our kids would have a born again experience this year!

LESLEY WOLFE

1.       Aaron & Amy Speitelsbach --- current partners.  They will begin their return from Monrovia, Liberia to the village (Freetown, Liberia) on January 5^th (hopefully!) and should be back into full time language study beginning January 9th.  Pray especially for Aaron, that he will make good progress this year in his study and useage of Glaro --- that the Lord will help and enable him to learn, retain, and speak Glaro well! 

2.       Guy and Keyla Burkhead --- our potential partners.  Haven’t heard from them in a while.  They just finished up their training in December, and I know that he was needing gainful employment this year.  So, please pray for this need of his/theirs; and also for the Lord’s direction as to where they should serve --- i.e., w/NTM, and more specifically with the Glaro work; or, stateside in fulltime ministry.

You're an Example

''Sometimes the best thing you can do for others is to be a good example."

     They say the best sermon is one that is lived and not preached.  Others are watching you, whether you realize it or not.  The other day the oldest member of our church, Roy, said to me 'we missed you the other day.'  He noticed and remembered I had missed the Christmas morning service.  Your actions are stronger than your words to alot of people.  Alot of us don't know how or feel comfortable in witnessing to others verbally but the way in which you conduct yourself daily will speak volumes to others.  Others see how you respond to trials in your life, is it with fear or grace?  Others see who you credit your blessings to, are they self achieved or God granted? 
     Whether you're a child, a teen, or an adult, you are an example to others. Have you ever heard or thought 'well so and so did it, why can't I?'  Be a positive influence and example in the eyes and ears of others.

Dreams

     This caption is so me!  I think 80 percent of my dreams have to do with school somehow.  I don't know why since I've been out of school for forever and a day..or 1994.  The dreams are often about being late or not being prepared for a test.  Well I still hate to be late and like to be prepared for things so I guess it relates to things I personally struggle with and don't like about myself.  It does make me anxious when I don't feel on top of things and racing to catch up to where I think I should be on my self-imposed timeline.
     A friend and I are starting the Bible in a year challenge together today.  I know, we're already a day behind..lol.  I've done it before alone but I'm hoping our accountability to each other will help me keep on track.  I want to avoid any dreams of being behind on this task.
     Here's the website, if you want to challenge yourself to read the Bible this year...
       http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/oneyearweekly.php?version=51&startmmdd=0101

2012 Begins

     I've had this caption of this cute lil guy for quite some time and have been trying to figure out what he's saying.  Now I know, it's ''HAPPY NEW YEAR.''
     What does the new year have in store for you?  I honestly don't know myself.  I know there will be trials and opportunities because God has the plan all worked out for me.  Trust and obey is all I have to do to complete His agenda for me in the upcoming days of 2012.
    May your year be filled with blessings and the comfort of His love.

2011 Recap

Psalm 40;1-5  ''I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.''

Psalm 40;10-11  ''I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.''



     In Psalm 40, David is praising God for his salvation but I also want to apply it to this past year that I was blessed with.  As most of you know, 2011 has been a year of recovery for me.  At the beginning of the year, I wasn't even strong enough to go to church for an hour. I sent my voice recorder to most of the services so I wouldn't miss out entirely.  Then before long, my hair started falling out.  I learned to become a little less vain through that unwanted trial.  Things began to improve slowly but surely.  I began to venture out in short intervals and enjoy life again beyond these four walls of the basement.  I did have many wonderful friends who visited me during my home-bound months that helped sustain my sanity.  I think it was in June, or maybe July, that we took the motorhome to church camp for two nights and then to Branson for a few days.  I'm not saying my endurance was great but it was a blessing to go at all.  I did do better than expected.  In September, I turned 40 and had a great birthday party with about 40 friends.  What a great show of love and three friends traveled a great distance to be there.  Finally, this Christmas season has been filled with great joy.  Attending all the fun events has meant so much to me.
     This is just a short recap of how God has been gracious to me this year.  As David said His thoughts for me have been too numerous to count this year.  I just want to give God all the credit for not withholding His compassion for me this year.  What a year it has been and I trust that whatever 2012 brings, He is in control and it's for my benefit.  May you put your trust in His hands in 2012 as well.

What's Your Role?

For the church to function fully,
We must all fulfill our role;
While the Spirit’s gifts are many,
They combine to serve the whole. —Sper


     My church, FBF, has had a work week this last week of December.  It is not mandatory to participate but voluntary.  The new sanctuary is still a work in progress but the Sunday school rooms are already in use.  So much gets done during the four days because everyone has different skills and abilities to offer. The variety of the member's skills is a benefit because we don't need 20 plumbers, no electricians and 1 cook.  We use our skills to complement each other and build on them.  Everyone has something to contribute, even me, whether big or small.  I think one of my spiritual gifts is encouragement.  I doubt anyone wants me leaning over their shoulder saying 'you can do it' or 'good job' while they finish their project today.  Instead, I sent donuts to start their last workday off with a sweet bit of encouragement.  I'm sure its true for both men and women but they say 'to get to a man's heart, you go thru the stomach.'  haha.
     Ask yourself the next time an opportunity arises, 'how can I help?'  You really don't have to wait tho, there are opportunities every day to use your spiritual and physical gifts. We just have to open our minds and hearts to recognize them and make ourselves available.

Romans 12;4-8  ''For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ''

Shhhh!

     Have you ever felt like you have been set up for trouble or failure?  Well I'm going to share with you the story of my arch-nemesis of second grade.  Of all my years of education, this one teacher still leaves a bad memory in my mind.  I can honestly say I probably tested her more than I should have, lol.
     We moved to Stuttgart right before I started 2nd grade.  I had been in private school until now and this would be my first taste of public school. We had small class sizes back then so the desks were arranged in a semi-circle design.  Well my new best friend, Tina Lee, was on the other side of the circle. I don't remember her ever getting  in trouble for talking. I, on the other hand, could be found touching my toes during recess, out in the hall, or writing ''I will not talk in class'' a hundred times as punishment. Being an only child, I got my 'writing' done without my parents knowing there was any trouble at school. I don't think my teacher liked me and the feeling was mutual. This same year at Halloween, somebody had the bright idea for the teachers to dress up at recess as witches and such and come out on the playground. It scared me so much that I ran home and they had to call my dad to bring me back to school.  My memory of this year and the teacher may be a little biased but she did get fired the next year for her harsh punishment. I bet it was her paddle with holes in it. I had heard about one of the third grade teachers that you needed to pray that you didn't get chosen to be in her room, Ms. Bowen.  Well guess where I ended up?  It turned out that she was great and is one of my favorite teachers to this day. I still have the bald eagle made out of colored rice that I made in her class.
     To be a good teacher takes a special gift and attitude.  I hope you had a special teacher in your life that you have fond memories of.  You can thank a teacher because you could read this blog.

Tone

''Listen not merely to what is said but to the tone of voice in which it is said.''


    This may be one of those blogs that requires you to wear steel-toed boots.
    The tone of our voice is quite revealing as to what our temperment is at the moment.  You can say the exact same thing verbatim but it can have quite a different meaning with different tones.  ''Will you take out the trash?'' or ''WILL YOU TAKE OUT THE TRASH?''  If you haven't said this both ways, then you get a gold star.  Jerry Seinfeld says he didn't even know he had different tones till he got married.
     Why do we do it?  Usually because we're exasperated.  Lack of patience would probably account for most of it.  We might think our point will get across without the use of profanity, if we just use a more definitive tone.  Some people use a fed-up tone whether its a 911 crisis or spilt milk.
     Take a moment by yourself and examine how not only what you say but how you say it comes across to others.  If you think it's uncontrollable, think of the tone you use in moments when you're not on pins and needles. So calm down, use that tone and you'll see the trash disappear faster than you would otherwise.

Got His Eye on You

 2 Corinthians 4;17 ''For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.''
2 Corinthians 4;8  ''We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.''


     Do you know that God is always looking out for you?  He always has his eye on you and the protection that goes with it.
     One morning, while living in the duplex in Springfield, I took my dog out to let her go to the bathroom. I was on my scooter in my nightgown with no shoes or braces. I just took Brandi across the street, not too far since I was half dressed. This was supposed to be quick. yea right?  I took Brandi for walks every afternoon after work down this street.  So when I turned the handlebar of the scooter back towards the duplex, she unexpectantly snapped the handlebar with her leash back the other direction to go for a walk. The weight of my body was on my arms and the force threw me off the scooter into the middle of the street. I landed face first right into the asphalt.  Thankfully, the leash stayed on the scooter so Brandi was safe from running off.  I, on the other hand, was stuck in the street with blood pouring out my nose and mouth.  I saw a truck coming down the street.  My first thought was 'I hope he sees me and doesn't run over me.'  As the truck went around me and was passing me, I was stunned. 'Are you kidding me??'  He did stop after he got around me. He got out and said 'you stay right there, I'll be right back.'  Umm, ok..lol..if I could get up I wouldn't be in the street?!  An ambulance finally came after circling the block for ten minutes trying to find my street.  My neighbor put Brandi and my scooter in the duplex for me.  I was taken to the ER to be patched up.  You would think I was safe now but not so.  They left me in a room alone with blood still draining down my throat.  I felt like I was choking and drowning in my own blood. There was no nurse button and I couldn't yell for help.  I was able to wave down somebody and that suction device didn't leave my hand from then on.  My good friend, Georgia, came and took me and my broken nose home.
     I tell you this story to show you how alone I was and without my own devices to help myself and yet God provided for and protected me in each frightening moment.  You are never alone.  His very name, Emmanuel, means 'God with us.'

Politics

     I am not a political person at all.  I think I've only voted twice in my life.  I think it's important to exercise our right to vote and to choose a candidate with similar values but my true trust is not in them.  They are human just like the rest of us and have a sinful nature.  Their campaign 'promises' are often just words that are a means to an end with little value. Our country's future lies in the people turning their hearts back to God as our forefathers intended, not in a smooth talking candidate.
     Aren't you glad that God's promises are faithful and true?  He and His Word are never changing and always guiding us to a future that is good for us.
     I went to a Christmas program earlier this month and I thought the ending was misleading.  It portrayed people's problems in life going away because they chose to believe.  That's not true.  God doesn't promise His children an easy path in life of no troubles. He gives strength and comfort to get thru them. 


From the Daily Bread.....''Don’t ever let your worship of God become an avenue to good fortune.  We worship God because of His love for us and because of who He is, not because loving Him can help our bottom line.''

Expectations

     Well it's Christmas Eve.  I was out earlier today delivering a few presents to friends around town.  I was expecting heavy traffic but to my surprise, it wasn't bad at all. We went thru the Schlotzkey's drive thru and our dog, Jack, wasn't expecting anything but he got a free piece of ham.  It's now his favorite drive-thru..lol.
     People sometimes have high expectations of how the holiday season will be and reality disappoints them. We watch Christmas movies that have the huge tree with countless presents under it and the huge buffet of food at the pleasant family meal. Then we start comparing our situation with that make-believe world. Focusing on what we don't have instead of feeling blessed with what we do have can lead to a negative feeling for the holidays. We can instead make the most of things as Charlie Brown did with his Christmas tree. He was happy with his one ornament on the few sprigs of a tree he had. His positive perspective was from knowing he had good friends that loved him.  Linus even shared with him the real meaning of Christmas.
     Don't set yourself up with expectations on how things are going to be.  Just live in the moment and enjoy it.