What is Impossible for God?

This may seem like a dumb question, but the reality is that many people doubt that God actually cares for them. I know all too well how that feels. However, any time that I have ever called out on God, He's been there to hold me up! Testimony time! There was a point in my life that I had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. The doctors were going to remove part of my cervix. They all told me that after I had the cancer removed I probably would never be able to carry a child to full term. My ability to have a baby was very risky and I should not consider it without knowing fully what I would be getting into. I had a lady who randomly showed up at my doorstep and said that God told her to come a pray for me. The whole "christian" thing was way new for me so I was a little skeptical. I went back to the doctor for my pre-op appointment. When they went to mark the places for removal, all the cancer was gone!!!! It didn't shrink or heal gradually.....It was GONE COMPLETELY!! The doctors were astounded and they knew they had witnessed a medical miracle. Now I have three (3) beautiful children who were born perfectly in every way!! I am truly a blessed woman, but not because I did anything great! God proved himself to be mighty on my behalf and now I give Him all the Glory!!! Just like he cares for me, He cares for you. Whatever your struggle is, Let me ask you a question? What is Impossible for God? NOTHING!!!!
Love ya,
Jolie

Do not Fear! Help is on the way!

Kayla, age 9, says, "Angels pull people out of burning cars and out of quicksand, and keep people from being shot or falling out of airplanes, and they help you with subtraction too, (by Dandi Daley Mackall)." What comparisons! We all have difficult things we face, but God is always right there with us, if we let Him! In 1972, Vesna Vulovic was a flight attendant on a DC-9 airplane that blew up over Czechoslovakia and fell 33,300 feet to the ground. She survived! This is what God says, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:11-12). There are a lot of things we don't know about angels, but we do know God can use angels to help protect us. Ultimately, God is our Protector. Yet that doesn't mean we won't have trouble. "Though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand" (Psalm 37:24). We may stumble through life, wrestle through troubles, but the Lord holds onto our hands. Do not Fear, Help is on the way! Your assignment for today: During the day, think of all the ways God is protecting you. Don't forget to say thanks!
This, of course, was our morning devo. I asked my kids, "Where do you feel the safest?" Brooklyn said, "in God's presence." Dylon said, "at home." Where do you feel the safest? I feel the safest when I know I'm in God's will!
I didn't get to exercise, per say, yesterday, but I did walk a long ways, give a presentation, come home, bake three pies for a soup supper, go teach 2nd grade art, drive kid's home, and then, work the soup supper for an hour and a half! I did get in some calorie burning activity, trust me!
See ya tomorrow!
Jolie

HERE I AM!

I know! I know! Well, alot has happened since I've last written. I'm now a college student who is making presentations in Media and Technology, Observing classrooms in public high school for Foundations of Education, and doing a telecourse at home in Psychology. Plus, I'm way pumped up because I passed the Spanish clep(sp?) test. It was way hard. Anyway, yes, we've still been doing our morning devos. Let me fill you in. It is so my heart to help grow lifelong followers of Christ (discipleship). Our students are bombarded with junk the world would tempt them with, and some of our kids are standing strong. The majority, however, fail miserably. So I asked God, "What can I do?" He has let me know that my goal should be to help grow lifelong followers of Christ. So what's my game plan? Well, of course, I'm gonna need help! My challenge to you is this: Find someone that God lays on your heart and help mentor them. What?!? Yes, I said it! I don't mean get all caught up in this person's life that you don't have time for your own. Just give them a phone call, a letter, encouraging them in the things of God. Ever heard of prayer? Yes! Pray for them. That's where it all starts. Then, follow up on your prayer. Ask them about the situation. When God meets their need, Praise Him together! This may sound too easy, but it's really simple. The hard part is taking the steps to "JUST DO IT!" Wow! Now I sound like NIKE. Anyway, give it some thought. Let's help change our nation!
So, you want to know about my workout schedule? Well, I'm proud to report that I've been rollerblading this week. 30 minutes on Monday, 30 minutes on Wednesday, and I walked 20 minutes today. Believe it or not, we had 4 inches of snow on Sunday. We played in it and had a snowball fight. Would you believe I was sore from bending down, picking up snow, and throwing it at my lovely children? Not good! Well, I am trying to remedy that by working out! Keep me accountable please!
Until tomorrow
Jolie

Follow the Light

"Ligntning bugs" or fireflies are called Cucujos the West Indies and South America, where they give off a glow bright enough to read by. Some people, when they travel in the dark of night and are afraid they may get lost, and they still place the cucujos in lanterns for light.
What God Says
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 114:105
When you walk into a dark house, the first thing you do is turn on the light. That way, you won't stumble over things, and you can find your way around. Life isn't quite as scary in the day as it is at night. Those qualities of light are part of what the psalmist means when he says that the Word --the Bible--keeps us from stumbling over sin; it shows us which way to go so we won't get lost, and it keeps us from being afraid. Unfortunately God doesn't give us a spotlight. He only gives us a flashlight, just enough to show up the NEXT STEP! Step out in faith and follow the light! Your daily assignment today is 1. Come up with two ways that God and his Word are like a light that you see today. 2. If you're wrestling with a big decision, ask God to light up the next step for you to take.
UPDATE: Dylon did get first place in his speech meet. He is so excited. He worked really hard, so we took him to"Willie's Diner" for dinner last night. He also starts league basketball this week. Miraculously, he and his best friend Jordan ended up on the same team. Believe it or not, I am not coaching this team. I'm pleased to say that I will be dropping my child off for practice and watching his games. This is a big step for me, but I can't do everything, can I? Addy is doing great in school, and of course, Brooklyn is wonderful help all day everyday. We laugh all the time. The newest funny news is about a little girl at school in Dylon's class. She is always in trouble. Yesterday, she had to eat by herself at lunch. I asked Dylon why? He says, "Well, she called my sexy and I told on her. We can't be having that!" I laughed so hard. By all means, we cannot have someone tell us we are sexy! That freaked Dylon out. Life is good! Until tomorrow,
Follow the light
Jolie

Promise land

Okay, so I've been a little relaxed on the blog. Just so you know, I have been walking 30 minutes a day this week. I am up to 1 hr 30 min. We've been really busy with life, just like you. Dylon has a speech meet this morning, and as always, he is cool as a cucumber. I'm a little nervous for him, not because I'm afraid he won't win. I just know he is really good and I want him to do his best. He will! Oh Yeah, I almost forgot. On top of everything else, I'm going back to school. Classes start tomorrow. I'm only taking 9 hours. I'm technically considered a Junior, but it will take a little while to finish. I'm back in English Education (Secondary). I haven't gone to school since 1997. I'm a little concerned about managing proper priorities, but if I'm supposed to do it (I really thing I am) then God will help me work it out! Right?
Well, this was not our devotion today but it is heavy on my heart. Let me ask you, "Where are you at in life?" Are you in Egypt, in the wilderness, or in the promise land? Let me explain. Egypt is the place of slavery where you never have enough to meet your needs. I'm speaking of money, time, health, and peace,etc....Poverty. The wilderness is the place of just enough. You have just barely enough to pay your bills, feel barely well enough to go to work, are always pressed for time, and have just enough sanity to make it l tomorrow, OR do you live in abundance. The promise land pays your bills and allows you to give more for others. The promise land gives you free time to enjoy. The promise land allows you to feel your best even when your not your best. The promise land not only gives you peace, but allows you to share your peace with others. Where are you today? If you find yourself anywhere but in the promise land, ask God to give you wisdom to get up and move!!! Choose to enjoy every day of your life, especially when Satan is trying to make you miserable all the time. Kick him to the curb and Choose life. Deuteronomy 30:19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
Love you guys,
Jolie

Give it a Fling!

Well, hello friends! I hope all is well with you. We are doing great! We have survived our first week back to school after the break. Dylon and Brooklyn have received their second report card for the year. This was Brooklyn's fist nine weeks to receive letter grades and she has succeeded with all A+'s. She's doing great. Dylon is insanely intelligent. On his 2nd grade report card he has gotten:
Math 99
Spelling 100
Reading/Phonics 103 (how do you do that on a report card? I don't know!)
Science 100
Bible 99
Writing 96
Well, I don't know about you, but I never got a 100 on my report card. He gets money and of course, we took them out to eat for doing so good. Okay! I'm done bragging on my babies.
Our devotion today was over worry. DON'T DO IT! I seriously got tested on this today. If you know anything about where we live, it is really windy. The average wind speed here is about 13 mph everyday! We are in the house and we heard something peculiar. Nate goes outside and guess what? Our basketball goal blew over onto our van! Yes! It did leave a big dent and scratch. We had to take a deep breath and exhale. We know God will provide for us, but we are tested on our response in intense situations. I did great yesterday, but I have failed miserably today. 1 Peter 5:6-7 say, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you." It's true. I have learned that when we worry, we're actually saying that we think we're great enough to handle our issues on our own. It's humbling to admit we can't. We need God to get our backs every time. So do me a favor and give it a fling! Toss your worries over to God. He cares for you!

Back in the Swing

Well, today is officially the first day of school for my kids in the New Year. They were ready, I was not! We did very well, although it is 9:00am and Addyson has fallen back asleep. She told me at 8:00am that she needed to take a nap. I told her to wait 'til later. She said, "But mommy my eyes keep closing by themselves." Before I knew it, she was sleeping.
Well, today's devo was about rules and laws. Rules and laws are everywhere. Her are just a few of the unusual laws still on the books in some states:
It's against the law to
-Drive blindfolded
-wear a fake mustache to church
-spit in front of women
-wear slippers after 10:00pm
-carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket
-make "ugly faces" at dogs
-wear boots to bed
-throw pickle juice on a trolley
Some of these are quite funny. Rom. 13:3 says, "Do you want to be free from the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you." How do you feel about rules? I was shocked to know that my children liked them! I asked them if they had a choice to make any rule what would it be. Dylon said, "no video games except on Saturday, make his bed, and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" I asked him why? He said, "because that gives me peace." Wow! What a revelation from an 8 year old. God doesn't just give us a bunch of rules to prove he's powerful. He wanted us to not be ashamed, to have understanding, and peace. Plus, David in Psalm 119:99 said, "and I have more insight than all my teacher." Dylon really liked that verse, go figure (we'll talk about pride a different day, ha)! Our assignment for today is this: As you go through your day today, think about all the rules in place, keepig order wherever you go. Which ones are the hardest for you? Ask for God's help! We all need His understanding and peace!
I'm going for a walk now, see ya tomorrow.

A Year of Greatness!

Hey friends, I hope your new year has started off with a bang! Our church had one service yesterday morning and last night we were able to watch FACING THE GIANTS at our church. Pastor Ric comes up with all kinds of great things! I wasn't able to go due to a horrific migraine. It was so bad I thought I wanted to die! I am better today after sleeping for about 15 hours, what? Yes! I slept for a long time. I'm a little sore today but I am ready to start a new year. I don't know what your year was like in 2006, but I want to encourage you to believe that this year is going to be ever greater. The word for great comes from the greek word meg 'as, which means incredibly huge, mighty powerful, loud... It's where we get the word mega. The word effective comes from the greek word energes, which means active, operative, powerful, mighty. What God says:1 Corinthians 6:9 (The Message)
9-11Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

How cool is it to be given a fresh start? Well, just remember, nothing is impossible with God! I pray that your New Year will be filled with Greatness!

P.S. I didn't do any exercising yesterday, except to excercise the will to live!
I'm getting ready right now to do a little, we'll see how it goes.