I BELIEVE!

As I prepare my heart for the Easter/Passover season I heard this song.  As in the past, I love to share the songs that are stirring and strengthening my walk with my Savior.  After the meeting on Human Trafficking I needed to be reminded that God is still on His throne and holds us all in His hands.
www.traffick911.com


 I hope you are encouraged by these words and song.  Here is my Sunday Singing, dedicated to my Grandmother.

Words and music Newsboys

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only One Foundation
We believe, We believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only One Salvation
We believe, We believe

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He's comin' back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, We believe!

We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back again!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live love our God will see
We believe, We believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the vail!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, We believe!

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back,
He's comin' back again!
He's comin' back again!
We believe!
We believe

I Want It NOW!

The joys of grand parenting can't be measured.  This grand mommy is taking in every minute and hiding each one in her heart. 

This past weekend we had the joy of having our grandson sleep over.  He will be turning three in a week and just like my own children, three seems to come roaring in with "I am INDEPENDENT!"  He expressed his independence this weekend.  "I want to walk by myself" he announced as I tried to hold his hand.  I remember well looking at my own with a giggle.  There they were, so pint size, and yet they would proclaim their independence to someone who stood several feet taller and out weighed them.

We took our little "independent" guy to church.  Ben dressed him and then he robbed Grand Mommy's jewelry chest for beads and bracelets.  Grand Daddy did stop him from wearing them into church.  He did wonderful in his class, yet as we stepped out of the church he again expressed his independence.

He wanted to see a donkey.  He was convinced a donkey was in the pasture next to the church.  He goes to see a donkey regularly and I am sure the environment looked the same.  However, there wasn't a donkey in the field next to the church.  We tried to explain there was no donkey. In his three-year-old independent voice he says, "I want to see a donkey, NOW!"  Grand Daddy and Grand Mommy just looked at each other with a giggle.  Then he said, "okay then I am shutting my eyes!"  This little man was making his statement.  If we didn't produce a donkey NOW then he was going to walk with his eyes shut!  Again we weren't impressed with his demands.  We calmly continued to walk to the car as he stumbled around with his eyes close, which even became funny to him.  He made it to the car, because he has two older and wiser grandparents helping to direct his path.

I am so much like my grandson.  I look up at God and demand, "NOW!" through my own unbelief.  I impatiently don't want to wait for His timing and, therefore, I close my eyes!  Yes, I close my eyes and start to stumble around.  He lovingly watches and continues to guide me even through my announcements for "independence."

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— I Corn. 2:9

I AM Guilty!

The email came through from the school.  I have to admit, I literally sucked in air as I read it.  My knee jerk response was, "Oh give me a break, I don't know how to parent in this society.  Let me just take my boys to the hills."  My tiredness. produced by just trying to pay bills, had led me to be just like the ostrich................put my head in the sand.

I naively wanted to say, "No this will not touch our home. No this has nothing to do with me."  Even though, in the past, I had supported all efforts to shut down this evil, which seemed to be far away from me, I now needed to engage. (my sidebar shows organizations that fight against this)

The email was for all parents of my son's high school.  The seminar would be Human Trafficking 101, presented by, Stop the Buying and Selling of Children, and the dangers to our high school students.

My heart jumped. I was allowing my own new adjustments to justify me putting my head in the sand.  In so doing, I was also putting my two younger children at risk.  I was also not putting up a fight against this injustice to other children.

This was my second wake up call in the last few weeks.  I was at another event while mothers shared what was happening in their schools.  One lady was a counselor and she expressed her concern about the issues before the students she was counseling.

• pregnancies in the elementary school
• phone apps that allowed pictures to be sent then they were erased in seconds...girls were sending pictures of their bodies to boys...they didn't know that the pictures were now property of the owners of the apps
• boys being listed as sex offenders because of pictures they received on their phones...remind you sent to them, not them sending pictures
• apps that allow activity to seen by the youngest ages
• the list went on and on and on and on................my heart grew heavier and heavier

Many will assume that home school households are like the ostrich.  That in a home school house you don't deal with the issues other children are exposed to.  May I say, after 25 years of home schooling, SIN was always evident in our household.  It walked straight in the door and violated myself and my children more times then I would like to admit.  Home schooling did allow me to cushion some of the ages that my children first became exposed to certain evils, but it didn't allow me to shelter them from the world.

I now have two in school, and Benjamin is exposed  earlier than my other children.  This is also because of modern technology.  When my older children were home schooled there wasn't Facebook, social media, internet on phones, I-Pads, Apps...so in some ways it was easier to keep them innocent a little longer.  To be honest, technology has brought both good and bad.  As much as I restrict it, it is still here to stay.  

"So, Janette, what are you rattling about?"  "I really can't say, except, the cold water in the face this week means, it is time to stop making excuses.  It is time to get my head out of the sand.  First step..........go to the conference and engage."

Is there something that God has placed on your heart to engage in?  Is He calling you to put down the excuses and engage?  Life moves forward, with bumps and bruises, dreams lost and struggles.  Scripture tells us that, but the best way for the enemy to triumph is when we allow those things to keep us out of the fight.  My children are worth the fight and so are my grandsons.  All those children affected my human trafficking need someone to stand and fight.  I am pulling my head out of the sand.

Learning and Re-learning

This year seems to be a time for reviving some of the old knowledge I once possessed, while

learning how to update my old knowledge with new technology.

There are days that my brain and yes, my bottom, ache.

New technology means learning how to use my computer and applications for my business.

Yes, there are days I yell at the computer screen, as if it should just respond to my frustration.

I dusted off my old knowledge, grabbed my necessary glasses, and headed to my sewing room.

Years ago I seemed to be able to sew in my sleep, reality said pick up my ripper.

For one of my clients I would be using a workroom to sew window treatments, for another

I would be the seamstress.

Treading my needle became a bigger issue then I remembered.

I now see why people pay for a self-threading machine.

Evernote is still getting the best of me, as I try to learn how to convert my decorating business onto

computer and apps.  My paper work and self-drawings are yelling..."time to learn more technology."

If my bottom will not expand over the edge of my chair seat, I might get to the point where modern

technology is more help then frustration.

Here is just one peek at my decorating job with my son.  I have to say, seeing my selections and designs 

become reality is fun, however, the stress and I still haven't become friends.

My son's work is always excellent.

Before and during transformation. The whole bathroom was cleared out and everything came in new.

The finishing touches, including window treatments, are being added this month.

This is drawn out in my notebook.  Seeing it come to life was exciting. 

To go from computer, marble, tub, faucets and lights selections, to finished constructions made the drawings reality, and happy clients.

This still isn't  finished.  I call the faucets perfume bottles.  The mirror made a nice finishing touch.  The pulls hadn't been put on at this point, nor other finishing touches. After the window treatments are installed I will get better pictures.  Along the other wall is a large shower. This is only one room in this home we are redesigning.  More pictures to come. 

Spring break came and went.  My friend's wedding took me out of town to help and celebrate.

Monday I pick everything back up and start juggling again.

Learning and re-learning along the way seems to be an ongoing theme.