It's A Wrap

It's just about time for 2013 to be a memory.  I would have to say that as I look back I can honestly say that it's been a pretty good year.   This is the first year that I can remember actually sticking to many of my resolutions.  Sadly, I didn't keep them all, but that's what New Year's day is for.  Time to start anew!

I set out to get healthier and I think I have done that.  I gave up diet drinks and anything with NutraSweet or aspartame.  I also stopped smoking at the end of August and have not even snuck a smoke.  That's the one that is the most amazing to me.  I am still using my ecig, but less and less every day. 

I want to keep the changes I've already made and then add a few more in 2014.  Maybe that's the best thing to do, just make a bunch of resolutions and then come closer to keeping at least a few of them.  So anyway, here's what I am thinking about for 2014:

I think everybody lots of folks say that they want to be more organized every year as a resolution.  So I am saying it too, but I am going a little further than that.  I'm wanting to put some kind of a plan in place.  By plan I mean I would like to set down and plan my meals ahead of time on a monthly basis.  I know monthly is a bit of a lofty goal, but I really want to do this!  I feel like it will help me budget better for groceries and also save me a ton of time after school.  As bad as I hate math I ran some numbers and this is what I found:  If I cut out the after school shopping trips I usually make during the week (at least 3 or 4 a week) I ought to save 24 hours a month!!!  I can think of a ton of things that I would rather do with that 24 hours, and maybe having that time back will let me get some more stuff done during the week.

That leads me to resolution #2.  I want to make a budget and keep to it!  Johnnie and I earn plenty of money every month.  To quote him, "We poof off a lot of money every month".  It will be interesting to see what happens when the money is really accounted for.  We've lived on far less than we are making now and to the best of my memory, we didn't live much differently than we do now.  That tells me that there is a lot of waste going on.  I just want to see if I can stop the waste.  I have some ideas and will share them once they are set into motion.

Resolution #3 has to do with health.  Now that the artificial sweeteners and cigarettes are gone, the plan is to take it a step further.  Johnnie did better than I did because when he rid himself of diet drinks he changed to unsweet tea and water.  That's what I want to do!  I am afraid to do away with caffeine altogether, but I do think that I can limit mine to coffee and tea, or at least that is what I want to do.

Resolution #4 is simply to increase my activity level.  I think that in many ways I have done this already, but it needs to be pushed to the next level.  Just like meals and money can be organized, so to can exercise.  That's what I want to do.  I haven't decided if this needs to happen at a gym or at home but it needs to happen.  I want to look back in 6 months and be one of the success stories.

Finally, I want to continue to strengthen my spiritual life in 2014.  One resolution that I am saddest about not keeping was the one in which I wanted to read my bible all the way through in 2014.  I'm going to try to do that again and I'm gonna try harder than ever to be successful at it.  I know that my spiritual life has improved over the past few years, but in this area there is ALWAYS room for improvement. 

I don't want my relationship with God to be an afterthought.  I don't want to think about myself as a Christian simply because I obeyed the Gospel 25 years ago.  While I am forever grateful to my uncle Phil for sharing that good news with me all those years ago, I am ashamed of myself that I haven't done more with the information I was given.   

I try to live my life so that people can see Christ in me, or at lest I hope that I do.  I just want to take it a step further.  I  hope that we can find a church home that we can grow in.  I have thought about having a more active spiritual life for a while now.  I really have enjoyed going to church in Shreveport and West Monroe, but in the back of my mind I am still wanting more.  I don't want to just be a Sunday morning Christian.  When I look at where my life is now and the life that Johnnie and I have built together I know that the blessings are from God.  My best laid plans have never come close to this life that I am living now.  I owe the praise and glory to God!  I want God to use me to the best of my abilities, and not simply be a Sunday morning Christian.   Johnnie and I have talked about finding a local church home and I really hope that this is the year that we will do it! 


As I look back on struggles this past year, and in all the years before, I can see that my greatest worry and heartache came as the results of me wanting what I wanted, when I wanted it.  I planned for things (either in my mind, or with others) and then if the plans didn't fall into place exactly as I had envisioned them I was left irritable and anxious.   This led to anger and frustration and second guessing and all kinds of feelings that are meant to do nothing more than tear a person down.  I have spent nearly the entire first half of this school year with some internal turmoil that has caused me to question everything I have worked for during the past few years.  It brought me to my knees! 

You'd think that's where the story ends..... but if you did, you'd be wrong!  When I was brought to my knees the answer came!  Prayer is the answer!  I came to understand that it wasn't about my planning at all.  It needed to be about my praying! 

I have learned this lesson over and over and over again and yet when I find myself in stressful situations it always seems to take a few lumps before I remember it.  Philippians 4:6 is simple and to the point:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God".  So, rather than trying to do all the planning myself I will do my part, but then give it to God and leave it there.  He's always given me what I needed and all I had to do was ask.

So that's where I will start my new year.  I want to be prayerful about every situation.  It really is just that simple.  Plans are fine, but they need to be combined with prayers.  Without exception everything that I have ever tried to plan on my own has failed miserably.  On the other hand, when I have truly humbled myself and asked for God's help the results were blessings that were greater than I could even think to ask for. 


Here come the Photos from Christmas:

First time the family's been all together in 7 years.

 

 

 

We got nearly the whole family together!  Hate that Uncle Billy and Alita couldn't be with us!

Sweet cousins playing at Christmas.

Playing with Hollis Anne's toys at Christmas.

 

 

Isn't he just the cutest!!!

 

 

Two of my greatest blessings!!!!

 

 

Santa came to see Johnnie and Amy.  We were good this year!!!

 

Santa came to Yaya and Grumpy's.  This is Beckham's loot!

We sure were blessed with some beautiful babies!!!

 

 

Johnnie loves trains!!!

 

 

My niece Hollis Anne at Christmas.

 

The first turkey I have ever cooked in my life!  It was smoked and delicious!

Hamming it up for the camera!

My baby saw Santa and didn't even cry!

 

 

My new Christmas wreath that Katie made for me!  LOVE IT!!!

 

 

 

Katie likes the little blue boxes too!

What's on my Mind

Sometimes things happen around me that are just surreal. For instance, I was out to lunch with a girlfriend a while back and we were eating in a restaurant owned by some of my family.  Of course the food was delicious. I come from a long line of world classed cooks!  

The surreal part was not that my family members own a restaurant, but that there is a gift shop associated with it and it is associated with one of the top rated shows on television right now.  So anyway, as I sat there eating my lunch it was almost overwhelming that any of it was going on for real. 

Next I go to the business owned by the same family members n purchase a few Christmas gifts and a Christmas CD that the family put out this year. I put the CD in and start listening n yep, you guessed it..... That wave of surrealness (if that is even a word) rushes over me again making me unable to listen to all of the songs. I will say, however, that my uncle Si singing "Mr. Grinch" was one of the cutest things I have heard in a while!

 Then this evening comes one of the biggest deals yet. It seems that the network that airs my family's reality show are unhappy with my uncle for answering questions in an interview that thy had set up for him. So he is on indefinite suspension n the Internet is blowing up with comments of support and damnation.  I find myself scratching my head in disbelief that a member of my family could provoke such a gigantic conversation!

Now I love my family, and I have always thought my uncle Phil was charismatic, but I never in a million years thought that he would get this many people stirred up.     

All he did was state his opinion when asked some questions. His answers were based in biblical fact even if mainstream America refuses to recognize it. 

One of my cousins preached a lesson a while ago and it has stuck with me for years. He pointed out that there are no levels or degrees of sin. Sin is sin in the eyes of god.  It gave me a lot of comfort to know that we are all on a level playing field. Until then I had always thought that my sins were worse than everybody else's making me unworthy of the grace of God. 

The truth is that I AM unworthy!  I can't do any great work to earn my salvation, but you know what?  Neither can anybody else!  There again is that level field!  I have to remind myself of this fact quite often because I think the devil knows it is one of my greatest weaknesses. 

As I have watched my famous family members on their journey I have found myself fearful on several occasions. I was afraid that members if the media were going to hurt them or shame them. In each of the instances God used the situation to teach me about faith. I was afraid, but none of them were. They were bold as they sat with people they probably knew didn't share their beliefs and philosophies.  They were bold and the interviews were great. 

This is not how the story ends however.   Just this week that controversial article hit the public and the public immediately took a side. In fact I am pretty sure the sides were chosen before the article came out. 

I read what he said. He was asked what his views were and he gave them. He even backed them with biblical fact. He knows he is not the judge and was not passing judgement. 

I believe that no matter how he answered he would have been criticized. If he had given a liberal answer they'd have called him a hypocrite. I also have no doubt that if he were asked the same questions today he would answer them in exactly the same way.  So what is the answer?

I have no idea, but I can say that I hope and pray that if I was ever in the position of having to respond to questions of that nature, that my faith would let me be so bold!!

It is not his goal to be a famous tv star.  The mission that he has been on for the majority of my life was to try and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with every person he ever came in contact with so that they can get to heaven too.  How do I know this?  I know this because he shared that same good news with me about 25 years ago. 

So with today's scandal I find myself oddly at ease for a change. I also know that the tight knit family you see on tv is not just for show. That is probably the most real part of that reality tv show!

I also can't help but pray for all the haters, that their eyes migt be opened so that they may receive the gift of salvation.  It's not owed to us and we certainly don't deserve it!  We can't win it or earn it!  It is, however, promised to us if we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

"My mission today is to go forth and tell the people why I follow Christ and what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that men and women are meant to be together.  However, I would never treat someone with disrespect just because they are different from me.   We are all created by the Almighty, and like him I love all of humanity.  We would all be better off if we loved God and loved one another."

                               Phil Robertson 

What's the World Coming To?

Its Wednesday evening, but man what a stressful week it's already been!

If I counted correctly, my husband has just a little over 12 days left to work and the mayor n town council are still trying to do away with his job!  Not only his job, but an entire police department!  Who ever heard if such?

This has been an ongoing battle between the police and the mayor/council. So it leaves the question, "In what world is it ok to do away with law enforcement on a town with a crime rate like Homer?"

At any rate Johnnie is ready to be done and I am ready for him to be done. The thought that something might happen to him when he is this close to the finish line scares me to death!  It seems like I always have at least one major worry going on at any one time so I guess this is it for now!

I don't blame him for being done. I can't imagine what the job of a police man is like. I mean, he spends his entire day telling people what hey can and can't do. And, if they won't comply then he has to make them comply. I would hate doing that. So Like i said I understand why he wants to stop doing that. 

The problem I see is when people doing other jobs have that same negative attitude about what they are doing.  I mean, we choose our vocations. We are not sentenced to do these jobs as punishment. So why then do some folks whine, complain and belly ache so badly?  No I am not some total Pollyanna who thinks that the world is rainbows and butterflies all the time. Everyone goes through some times when things might be a little rough, but the constant negativity spewed by some folks just makes me want to ask them if they remember why they chose their job in the first place!  I believe that that kind of attitude is contagious and I really don't want to catch it!

Then there are those who, no matter what you do, tell you you should have done something differently.  They don't say what they mean and you are let to try to decode the real meaning of their words. Let me be the first to say that it is exhausting to be constantly trying to figure out hidden meanings. In fact. I believe I need to resolve myself to not even worrying about hidden meanings any more!

In the world today I find myself at odds with the leadership in this country.  Decisions are being made that make absolutely no sense.  I am horrible at math, but even I know that the working class in this country simply cannot afford the debt that is being assigned to us. 

Even worse are the people who have figured out how to build a life for themselves in which they won't or don't work and have no intention to even try to work.  They aren't paying for anything.   In many cases they will be the first one to hold their hand out for freebies! I know I am ranting,  but this has been driving me crazy!!

This is not the world my parents or grandparents lived in. There was a time when people genuinely cared for one another without some hidden agenda.  Those in government had the interest of the people at the forefront of the decisions they made. Heck, politicians had real jobs outside politics and got involved in government because they were genuinely interested in making sure their town/country was thriving.  People took pride in their jobs and were genuinely conscientious! 

 So I am sitting here wondering "what happened"?  I know in my own life I have found myself at crossroads in which I had to do some real soul searching and make some real and hard choices.  With those choices came some heartache and there was some work to be done, but I can't help ur think that hard work and even temporary heartache is far better than letting that ugly blackness of unhappiness swallow you up!  

Today I find myself in a really good place. I have a marriage that I am absolutely happy in.  Our home is the peaceful safe place it is supposed to be.  I have a family that I love and who I know loves me. I have a career in which I get to encourage and hopefully be a part of shaping little people into who God wants them to be.

 

So what about the rest?  What can be done about the negativity?  Can our country be saved?  Is this what happens before a civilization collapses?  I just can't help but think we are living in some really fragile times. 

I don't have the answers. All I can do is try to do my best and offer lots of prayers. If you are reading this I am asking you to pray too. One way or the other something has got to give!