God at Kroger

Well today I did my usual trip to Kroger after Hannah Beth's ballet class(this is her first year taking and she LOVES it!) With all this talk today about how bad the economy is, I just wanted to give a little testimony of God's faithfulness at Kroger today.

This week Kroger is having a decent sale on the items we use. I was able to get everything on my list, and also stock up on a few things that we use regularly. I was looking at the meat and said, "Man meat is so expensive." As if EVERYTHING is not expensive right now. I no sooner had gotten those words off my lips when I spotted 2 packages of marked down ground beef. You know the kind that expires in a day or so and is perfectly fine if you are going to freeze it or cook it that day or the next. They were marked down about half of the other. Y'all, I wanted to lift my hands and shout right there, but I refrained and just said thank you God! Thank you God. What a great opportunity to share with your kids about the faithfulness of God. I went down a little farther and some deli meat that was on sale last week and I failed to get any was on sale this week too.

God just continues to remind me that He cares about the smallest details of our life. Since I have been struggling with that over the last few weeks, it was great to see that in action. You just never know where God is going to show up! Keep your eyes pealed, because God WILL be at Kroger, and Target and Wal-mart and the mall and...

God Stop Just in Time

Well I made it! There are still 1 hour and 15 minutes left on this Friday. It has been a long day. Form the time my feet hit the ground I have been going all day. Schooling, Doctor Appointment and doing clothes in between. Amidst the mounds and piles of clothes I am stopping to think back over this week and what God is showing me.

Thanks Patty for being faithful in the And reminding us to take time and think about what God is showing us each week.

I am not going to lie and say this was a fun week. It seems like over the past week and a half really, things are happening one right after the other. First it was the car(the new to us car that we have only made 2 payments on), then Jarrett needing stitches, then I tore my only pair of contacts and haven't been to the eye doctor since we have been here(3 and a half years)so I can't order more. Several other things have happened too, but this was just a bad month financially for us. God is showing me that 1 there are a lot of people worse off than me. 2 Strangely I have had a peace during this whole thing. 3. I am Believing God to take care of these needs. I know he will in His own time, but I think God is teaching me to walk with Him even though I can't see where I am gong.

Wed. night I led the youth in a similar trust game. They all wore blindfolds and I led them around the church grounds. They had to totally trust me. Even though they couldn't see where they were going they all relied on me to lead them because I could see where we were going. God is teaching me the same thing. God is saying, "Amanda even though you don't have a clue where I am leading you, come go with me. IF you do, I will give you the ride of a lifetime but you HAVE to totally trust me." That is powerful. Only God could lead you to do that activity with the youth the very week that I was struggling with all these things going on in my life. Thank you God for reminding me this week that I need to trust you in every area of my life even in the smallest things like your contacts.

Trust Him with everything because He is who He says He is!

It's That Time of Year Again

Well, I don't know about you but I LOVE fall! The crispness in the air, football, and the leaves changing colors are some of my favorite things. There is one thing that I dread though. The clothes switch over!
Since we have so many kids we cannot keep all their clothes in their draws or in there closets so we have to rotate them in the spring and in the fall. As you can imagine, it is an ordeal. I know that a lot of people do this and experience the same dread as I. I am going to begin the process today of getting the clothes from the storage building choosing what is going to be worn this fall and winter and then washing them all. I then have to empty all the drawers and put away or give away what we are going to save for the next child. It usually takes me about a week to do this and our house is upside down. With schooling this year and everything I am going to attempt to get this done over the weekend. We will see... I hope you are all having a great week. See you back tomorrow for God Stop! Have a great day! :)

Another One Down!

Noah lost his first front tooth last night. Of course the battery in the camera is dead so I had to take the picture with my phone. The quality is not great but you can get the idea. Loosing a tooth is always so exciting! Have a great day!

A New Day!

Today is a new day! Aren't we glad that God allows us to start fresh everyday. What a mess I would be in if I couldn't! This week starts a busy time in our life. We start Co-Ed softball tomorrow night and Jamie and I are both playing, we have meetings just about every night, not to mention that dreaded thing called school.
I know that school should not be a dread, but that is what it is to me right now. Please pray that God will reveal what we are supposed to do. I really struggle with this on a daily basis. Also, finances this month are tight for the last week and a half. With the extra trips and paying taxes(as a pastor Jamie is considered self-employed and we have to pay quarterly.) God has never let us down before but it is always a hard week and a half.
As I read in my Believing God study this morning that I will bless the Lord no matter what. His praise will CONTINUALLY be on my lips.
With all that said, I pray that your Monday goes well. "I will Bless the Lord at ALL times."
Love you!

Our Pitiful Bulldogs :(

This is how Saturdays should be spent! Today we just hung out around the house, done a little work and laundry and spent the rest of the day watching football.
Yes, I am a gal who LOVES football. We spent the first part of our football day watching the PITIFUL Mississippi State Bulldogs get pummeled by the Georgia Tech Yellow jackets. Jamie and I have come to the conclusion that our team is sorry. It got to the point today that I would just laugh when we messed up to keep from crying! We may not win another game this year. Next week we play LSU, then Vandy, then TN and the list goes on and on. We have come to expect this as State fans, but always hope it never comes. Oh well another day in the life of a Mississippi State fan!
I hope you all had a great day and have a great day in the house of the Lord tomorrow. Love you!

God Stop Friday

I know, I know, I know, it has been a while. If you could have only walked with me this week, you would understand.

Thanks to Patty for hosting God Stop Friday!

This week has been a roller coaster ride. Monday we were doing great until I got in the car to take Hannah Beth to ballet(this is her first year and LOVES it), and the air did not work at all. We rode to a neighboring town about 20 minutes away in 95degree heat with no air. It was miserable! Jamie took it in the shop the next day and we had to replace the air compressor. Nothing like having to put your new to you car in the shop after having it for only 2 months! God provided us not having to pay the entire amount, but the amount we did have to pay, we had to put on the CC that we are trying to pay off! There have been a lot of other financial strains this month already on top of the car.

Then on Thursday Jarrett fell and we had to take him to get 3 stitches in his head(see previous post). In the midst of all this we are still schooling which is a totally another post.

Right now I think that God is showing me that I must totally trust Him. If I don't my life will crumble. I have had a peace throughout this week that He is going to pay for everything, but it still weighs on you.

Thank you God that You are sufficient to take care of everything in my life as long as I rely on You. Please help me to continue to give all to You!

Gashes and Stitches

Well yesterday was an adventure to say the least. The kids and I were in the kitchen doing schoolwork when I heard Jarrett crying, I mean screaming in the back. I ran back there and scooped him up only to find blood coming down the side of his face. I took him in the bathroom and saw a pretty big gash. I called Jamie and the his pediatrician. They told me to bring him right in.

Have you ever been in a hurry with an emergency like that and go out of the door not caring what you look like? That was me. (when I got to the doc office and went to the restroom, I looked in the mirror and saw someone with ratty clothes and no makeup. At least I had brushed my teeth.(it was about 11:00)) Back to the story, I jumped in the car and headed t the docs which is about 20 minutes away. I got behind every slow person. I went the back way so that I could drive a little faster, because I had heard somewhere that is you don't get gashes stitched up within a certain amount of time, they couldn't stitch them up. I was going to pass this UPS truck and it went in the middle of the road so I couldn't pass. How rude I thought, so I turned on my flashers. Jamie told me later that night that it wasn't that much of an emergency, but you know us Mom's!

The doc examined him and said that he would need 2 stitches. He ended up using the big stitches and it took 3. Y'all he had gashed it open to the skull! Sorry for those of you who have weak stomachs. He is fine and doing better, but last night I wasn't too sure. He was very dazed and tired. God protected him, because he could have easily cracked his skull. This is my little man's injury.

The doc told me to keep neosporen and a band aid on it, but of course we had no little ones and this is the best I could do.

Stay tuned to the next exciting adventure in"A Day in the Life......

(this is Jarrett making his silly eyes!)

Back to the Grind

Mondays are always hard aren't they! They are especially hard if you have had some time away from your daily routine. I tell you I was not ready to come home at all!!! The time always goes by too fast. My man and I had a good time away and had some great discussions. We got to preview the new movie Fireproof that is coming out Sept.26. All I have to say is that if you are married or thinking of getting married, it is a MUST!!! The movie is done by the makers of Facing the Giants. Unlike FTG, Fireproof is dealing with adult marriage issues that would not be great for little ones. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains is in the movie too! Please, please, please support this movie! Even if you NEVER go to the movies (like us) make it a point to go on opening weekend and see this movie. Take your lost friends with you as it clearly gives the gospel message. If I haven't peaked your interest enough, watch this! They told us at the preview that Kirk Cameron was not paid for doing this movie and at the end, there is a kissing scene where they flew his wife in so that he would not kiss anyone but his own wife. This movie was done with great integrity and as I said before it is a MUST. I hope you have a great day! Love you all!

Greetings All

We made it home from our trip. I will post more about it later. Check yesterday's post from my man. This is awesome. More times than not, things don't just happen, they happen over time. I will give more background on it later. I hope you have a great rest of your Lord's day! Talk to you later!

Some Time Away!

Well, I am glad this day is here! In a few hours Jamie and I will be heading to a Pastor's Conference in Gatlinburg. We do this once a year, and have gone to Atlanta the past few years but decided to do something different. This is such a nice refreshing time. The conference is put on by Johnny Hunt from FBC Woodstock, GA. They do a great job and the best part is I get to go too! I am so looking forward to getting away and regrouping. I believe God has a specific word for me and I am open so speak Lord! I will try to blog while I am away, but if I don't I will catch you up on everything when I get back. If you are going to be at the conference let's try to look for each other! I hoe you all have a great rest of your week. My Texas siestas, stay safe!

Sing to the King!!!

What a great day in the house of the Lord! Jamie reminded us today in scripture that our King is coming for us! He preached from John 14:1-6. Anytime we are down about the things of this world let us always be reminded that our Bridegroom has gone to prepare a place for us! We sang this song this morning(minus the guitars and drums. all we had was piano, but listen to the words.) it is a great reminder of what we have to come! Have a great rest of your day!

God Stop Friday

As most of you know my Siesta Patty hosts God Stop Friday as a way to reflect on the way God has worked in our life this past week.

God really showed out in the midst of tragedy and sadness. As I posted earlier in the week Jamie's sister passed away. It was a tragic accident, and Jamie was able to speak at the funeral and share the gospel. What a great opportunity God provided. Next week we are going to our annual Pastor's conference, and with Jamie going to this funeral it left us with our gas budget gone. I didn't know how we were still going to be able to go. We were both discouraged because it seems like every time we make plans to go somewhere, another financial need comes up and we a, are not able to go or b, we can't enjoy our trip because we are stressed out about money. Over the course of this week God provided enough money to pay for the gas as well as have a little left over to pay down some of the cc debt I have been praying we would be delivered from.

God you are too much. Whatever need you have right now, give it to Him. His resources are so vast that He can take care of every area. All we have to do is be obedient to Him. Praise Gos to Whom ALL Blessings Flow! Have a great weekend. Remember this song from the children's department, " My God is so GREAT so strong and so mighty, there's NOTHING my God cannot do!!!"

*A funny note to leave you on, We were talking this morning about getting older and not being able to eat certain food after 8:00pm at night. I made the comment to Jamie that were are just getting older. MY gracious oldest daughter said, "Momma when Jarrett is 8 will you be a Granny?" MY mouth fell open and I told her, "No, but I will be 39!" Ouch!!! I can't believe I am this old! Go ahead have a laugh at my expense! Hey, I am secure in who I am in Christ(and I am definitely NOT a Granny!)

Thankful Thursday

Isn't is great how God takes care of us. I am thankful to Him for bringing my man home safe and sound. I am dying to post about God's provision for us this week, but I will save that for my God Stop tomorrow. Thank you God for protection my husband on his trip and how you took care of all those on the Gulf Coast! Check back tomorrow for my God Stop! Have a great night!

Wonderful Wednesday

I hope your week is going well so far. Mine is a little stressful. Jamie is gone to Mississippi for his sister's funeral(Jamie's dad was married before and had 2 daughters. His first wife died in a tornado.) She died in some sort of pool accident over the weekend. The funeral is today at 3:00 and then he will be driving back tonight. It is a 7-8 hour drive. Please pray for his protection and my sanity. I don't do well when he is away.

Please continue to pray for our schooling as well. It is still very stressful and I am really struggling right now. Thanks for checking in on us! Have a great day!

Back to Believing God

After the summer break, I am back to doing my Believing God study. I posted yesterday that God would continue to bring me back to the things I learned in SA. I watched the video for week 5 Believing you can do all things through Christ. Beth was talking about the fact that we don't do things for God because we are insecure and think we will fail God. She pointed out that whatever we fear we are, that Satan will use that against us and try to make us believe that lie. We are chosen and anointed heirs of Christ, Satan you have NO hold over me. Lord Jesus, help me to live my life as You see me. Help me to hold tight to You as You are holding onto to me. I am Believing You!

Day 8

This is my last installment in the Living Proof Live San Antonio series. I am a little sad, because I have enjoyed reliving the conference through each one of these points. I know that I can revisit them anytime though. Here it is, the final long awaited(not really) last statement #8:
8. I am an heir of God, I have a beautiful inheritance.
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who morn and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of morning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:1-3

"Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion and instead of disgrace, they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land and everlasting joy will be theirs." Isaiah 61:7

Our beautiful inheritance is our double portion that we receive from the Lord. Until we receive that portion, it is our job to fight and do the best we can in this life. One day, all this stuff we have had to deal with in this life will be over and we will get to spend eternity enjoying the double portion awaiting. Until then my friends, " Let us fight the good fight, let us finish the race and "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that day--and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." To this we say, "Come quickly Lord!"
Have a great week!