My peaceful place

This … one of my most favorite places I've ever been ever, so far.  First Beach in La Push, Wa.  I don't recall ever feeling that kind of peace in the world.  

Something to talk about

Our wedding anniversary recently passed... it was only a few days ago to be honest.  My husband got me a new lap top, because lets be real … mine was ancient and so very slow.  So now, I'm at a place where I try to figure out what I can use this new laptop for.  

See the thing is... when I purchased my last lap top, a long, long time ago I was taking some online courses.  So, I'm trying my hand at blogging...again. See, back when I first started blogging, I was also at a weird place in my life. The other night when I blogged I read through my last blog, in January and it flowed a lot like tonight's blog.  Now I don't remember exactly what my blogging was way back when this all started, that was a couple of blogs ago. Way back in the original Money Butt blog, but today I'm here... still working on this thing called life, this testimony of mine.  This journey of my life in pursuit of my love of Christ.  

So we shall see!  I don't know if I'll remember to take the time to blog often or daily or whenever. But I do hope that I can at least come up with something interesting to say …. occasionally. 

Goodnight 

Hello. ... is there anyone else out there?

I'm at a loss, I'm at an intersection of my life.  I imagine that's pretty odd, or pretty common. I can't be sure.  It doesn't feel as simple as what I'm eating or in what direction my nutrition will send me.  

These don't seem the greatest importance a lot of the time, but they do weigh on my distractions.  The majority of my existence seems kind of mundane. Unfortunately I've not changed much or grown much in this life.  I trust and love my God, but I feel like it is never enough.. And though I know it's probably enough for Him, I feel like a failure daily. I cant say why because I'm not to that stage of my understanding yet.  

So to sum it up, I've still no idea what I'm doing or why I'm even doing it sometimes.  Looking forward to the next chapter, whatever that may be... Hoping I can figure it out myself.  

New Year New Me, Crap

It's hard to believe another year has passed, welcome 2020. I've read a lot of "New Year new me" so far this year. This is to be expected, I know, it happens every single year.  But honestly I feel like it's all a load of crap, just like it is every year.  This is rightly because deep down I'm not sure that people change without real commitment and real determination and lets face it ... that is not the world we live in today. However, I'm going to keep the faith and pray that they are indeed their "new me". That the new self they've chosen to take will stick and that they have a blessed and happy 2020.

Being on the subject, I felt I'd share a moment of what I've been battling the last few days.  Because lets be frank here, the New Year rang in and I felt like the same old me.  It was a hard year and by the end of it I just felt defeated.  Not only that I felt down, I felt like I was losing or had lost my grip and honestly was slipping into an oblivion.  I found myself looking around in search of my strength, my focus and my hearts desire.  

I felt as though I'd ran too far from my hope, my strength and my hearts desire.  That He couldn't or wouldn't see or hear me anymore. I was traveling back down the rabbit hole and into hell, again.  But, praise be, Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength.  I need my strength to carry on. I need my strength to get through this next phase of my life.  Because it's truly time for change, it's truly time to move on with this life.  Out with the old and in with the new and to embrace the One who is truly going to be there with me through it all. The One who will never tell me I'm not good enough. The One who through no matter what I've done or how many times I fall down, like a good Dad he's there encouraging and brushing the leaves from my hair and hugging me through the tears.  

John 16:33 says, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

I know trouble, I know the heart ache and the tears and the sadness and the feeling that no matter what you will never love enough and will never be enough to those in the world... But to God, I am everything.

Because you see, I'll spout all of this about my heart being in Washington and how much I love it and want to be there and while that is true, in a sense.  It's not all that I am, all that I am is Him. And if he wants me here, then this is where I'll have to be.  And I will be OK with that, because this doesn't mean I can't go back to Washington, it just means at this time of life, it just won't work.  But I love it, I love those tall and beautiful trees.  I love those vast and freezing shores coming into that amazing west coast.  Oh my heart longs to return to that peace, but I have an even better peace only a prayer away.  Praise Him. 

My hearts desire is to please Him.  I've messed it up, over and over again and there no guarantee I won't do it again. By His grace I get another chance, another year, to attempt to make it right.  I'm not a new "person" but I am going to be a new focused me,  with this year I'm going to be determined to be focused.

I refuse to stand still anymore. 

I refuse to deny my soul what it truly longs for.  The happiness only found in the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  

I will not be shaken, anymore. 

Go

Everything is shouting "Go".  But I'm scared

I'm scared to say it out loud, as if willing it so 

I'm scared of what people might thing

I'm scared of the reactions I will get

Most of all I'm scared of being told no. 

This is where the boldness I so desire would come in handy

This is where the eloquence I so need would be desired

This is where everything I tell myself should be exercised

Pray for my boldness

Pray that God give me the words

Pray for guidance 

PNW: Episode 3

 Going from Georgia to Washington state means you have to take an airplane...  usually.  Of course you could drive and trust me that was definitely an option I had SERIOUSLY considered and would still consider, but this trip wasn't going to be that long (unfortunately).

So because we'd planned a weekend style trip, we would have to fly.

So I flew...

It all began with a delay, which came to us in a notification on my savvy husbands trip app.  So we'd planned on a delay, but the delay got longer and longer as we got closer and closer to the Atlanta airport (of course why wouldn't it).

We finally make it and I forget my phone in the van and my dad has to come back through that mess to bring it to me.

 Thank the good God above for such an awesome dad!  He came back without any fuss!

By this time our flight had delayed for many many hours, we were planning to leave like 6-7am but was looking to be more like 10-11am.  Luckily when we went to check in there was another flight available for us to take. So we'd fly to Colorado, which turned out to be REALLY cool seeing the mountains.  Originally I think we were to fly into LA with a much longer layover. Luckily, it all worked out well.

Long story short... There wasn't much to complain about with my first traveling experience.  I'd never been on a plane before and I think I expected there to be a little more legroom, luckily I'm pretty average in height.

The take off was weird, the landing was ok.. I really hated the part where it has to get ready to land.. There was a lot of turning and swooshing and I'll be honest I just wanted to puke!

The mountains in Colorado were really cool!!

-MB

PNW: Episode 2

Hiyah folks!

So I'm going to kind of piggy pack on the last post, because this was a little note worthy but I didn't get to it in the last post, because I couldn't find the photo.

Remember this guy?

He's the coach there at the high school and he's been doing tours  for people like me since Twilight began and as I said in the last post... this was the very last tour as they were going to have a groundbreaking ceremony the next day in preparation to tear down the school.  

I'm pretty sad about that

So once the tour wrapped up and we were all hanging out in the lunch room taking photos he had some Twilight items to give away and holy crow I actually won one of them. 

I.Never.Win.Anything.

And though I have at least two copies of the Twilight Saga as well as a few other books I enjoy and collected over the years, I did not have this book.  

Which is super cool!! 

I still can't believe it's true.  

There's more... Don't stop stopping by.

-MB

PNW: Episode 1

This isn't quite the theme I have going in my blog, but this is truly something (no matter how secular) that I just LOVE.  I don't love it as much as Jesus, or family or friends or my kids, but I LOVE IT.  For those who have followed me over the years, you know this already.

In May of this year (2019) we took an amazing trip to the Pacific North West.  This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, from since before Twilight even became.  As a teenager I really loved Nirvana and the Seattle scene. 

Keep reading ...

But one day I came upon this in my facebook scrolling ...  --------->
And I knew almost immediately that ONE: as lame
 as it may be and TWO: as lame as I may look, I couldn't miss this!!!
I'd already agreed not to go for a preview of the movie, there was
no way I could miss this. I mean hello ...   So we committed and I began planning, because I couldn't fly all the way across the country and only see a High School  before it's destruction (although I would have done it) Because hello it's the last tour EVER!

YOU GUYS!  WE WENT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SEE A LUNCH ROOM AND HIGH SCHOOL FROM MY FAVORITE MOVIE SERIES EVER!  Y'ALL !!!!!

Let me calm myself,  I know I'm yelling at myself here pretty much, but whatever..

Let me show you .

The hallway heading to the science class 

The classroom, where Edward hates Bella 

The hallway leading to Bella's locker 

Bella's locker where she notices his eye color change

The lunch room!

That's no Edward Cullen, but that's definitely the door he walked through

The Cullen table is right over there!

More shots of the doors 

Ahhhhh 

cafeteria shots , you guys I'm totally fan girling

the last tour of the school where Twilight was filmed!!!

I'm in love 

The flags will be moved to the next school but there was talk of maybe auctioning off other hot items that didn't' move over!

You guys this guy was the coolest, he's been doing these tours for literally 10 years now, since Twilight. It's amazing and he was the coolest coach I've ever met!

Guys this was an amazing trip and  because there is more than this, I'm going to do episodes and I hope you'll check back for more. 

Be blessed

-MB

connections

We started "connection groups" at church within the last year or so and it's really becoming quite a blessing to me and hopefully to others as well.  I've started attending two currently and have started a ladies dinner meeting style thing once a month. 

God's really moving and showing me a lot of new things. It's really wonderful.  Keep praying and I'm praying for you.

Be blessed, Jesus loves you
-MB

Share the love

real life post coming...

I've been blogging more lately, mostly about Godly things.  Tonight's post isn't really my thoughts on what God has for me. It's just a real life thing.. I guess.

There's a lot of addiction in this world, addition to drugs, alcohol, porn, social media... The list can probably go on and on and on, I won't attempt to name them all.  Over the course of my thirty something years of life, I've known and know more than my fair share of addicts (see list above). While I've never had a real addiction per se, for many years I drank too much alcohol.
It was a time in my life where I rebelled from the life I should have been leading and took a crowded road on a path to hell! I've come a long way since then and I no longer drink or smoke or party and my life has changed entirely.  I don't even know that person anymore.

circa 2010

I have several friends who aren't as lucky. Several friends who are stuck on that road to hell and whether they just don't want to figure out how to get off the road or they just.don't.care. It genuinely just breaks my heart, because well ... I love them all. Each their own way and for different reasons and at different times of my life, but it doesn't change the love. They hold a special place in my heart and I just hate to know they're battling something to dark and evil.  My brother in law is addicted to heroin and well he's been in and out of jail and rehabs and just back and forth and on and off and he just can't shake it.  I've recently found out that the brother of one of the men at church is also battling addiction, he has a small child and a large family that loves him and recently found out he has cancer as well.  It's a real mess.  But just yesterday I read a news report about a group who was arrested in our county. I saw it on a friends social media and she'd tagged a friend, she knew one of the people.  Being nosy that I am, sometimes, I clicked it and read through it and low and behold I knew two of them as well.  My heart broke a little, because I'd always cared about one of them and though I'd never met the other, they were in a relationship so naturally I cared for them as well.  Well I sent it to my friend and we chatted about it and talked about the disappointment of it and well that was really it.  Tonight I couldn't shake the feeling that I just had to contact my friend. So I sent a message on social media, a kind message but in this message it contained my feelings toward the situation. Kindly of course. Telling this person that what had happened sucked and that they were better than that and that I'd pray for the situation.  I was shocked to get a reply. I didn't expect to hear anything from them honestly.  We had a very good conversation and I come out of it knowing about three things.

1. my friend isn't addicted to hard drugs
2. I got up on my soap box with this person and told them how I felt, because I genuinely care about them. I've always cared about them. I care about a lot of people and addiction is a real thing and it's terrible and horrible and it's hard and I was scared.  But I did it, I said what I thought and I told them I cared and that I would pray for them.
3. I don't make enough contact with others on their addiction.  The ones that I'm closest to and related by marriage to I don't say enough to them. I try to encourage but after this conversation I see that it just may not be enough and that maybe it's doing more harm by not just saying how I feel about the whole thing.

It's really got me to thinking... I think  it's time to make some changes in the things I say and how I say them, because some people need the words and they're not hearing them.

Just like the world needs the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and there aren't enough people willing to do it. 

I'm going to show the love of Christ and share the love of Christ. 

making new friends, i hope

I had the most amazing, encouraging conversations with a stranger yesterday. I say "stranger" because while we were talking, she was a stranger. I'd never met her before, though I had heard her husband speak before. Luckily my remembering her husband and my misunderstanding that he was on the missions field is what started the conversation. I'm not normally the one to strike up a conversation with someone I don't know but I was curious.  I'm so glad I did!

We chatted and laughed and talked about the mission trips that her husband goes on and things of that nature.  I mentioned how I really wanted to go on one of those trips but couldn't figure it out while having 4 children. Her words of encouragement and later her and her husbands words really pulled on my heart strings.

Yall pray for me, join me in prayer. I'm really doing a lot of soul searching and trying to determine His will for me.  I want to live this life for Him, because He gave it all for me.

Prayers with you all
-MB

In over my head

"I have come to this place in my life

I’m full but I’ve not satisfied

This longing to have more of you

I can feel it my heart is convinced

I’m thirsty my soul can’t be quenched

You already know this but still

Come and do whatever You want to 

I’m standing knee deep but I’m where I’ve never been

I feel you coming and I hear Your voice on the wind

Would you come and tear down the boxes that I have tried to put You in

Let love come teach me who You are again

Take me back to the place where my heart was only about you

And all wanted was just to be with you

Come and do whatever you want to

Further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours

Further and further my heart moves away from the shore

Whatever it looks like, whatever may come I am Yours 

Then you crash over me and I’ve lost control but I’m free

I’m going under I’m in over my head

And you crash over me and I’m where you want me to be

I’m going under, Im in over my head

Whether I sink, whether I swim

It makes no difference when I’m beautifully in over my head

I’m beautifully in over my head

I’m beautifully in over my head"

In over my head (crash over me) Bethel Music 

This is the song I'm currently working on, it really speaks to me and it's really pretty much exactly how I feel.

-MB

Pastoral Theology, eh

(photo credit)

Good evening again friends,

Tonight was a successful ladies fellowship dinner at a local restaurant. I say successful because well last month only 3 of us showed up and tonight we  had seven. So, pretty amazing for my standards as I am not very interesting.  It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad it's taking off.

So I'm taking some new courses, in Pastoral theology and also church administration. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but a part of something weighing on my heart lately has a little to do with this. 

Pastoring... Now I'm no expert and I'm sure I fall short of all of the required criteria to be a pastor. I mean can women even be pastors? Biblically, I mean.  That aside..  I can't say I'm feeling a call to pastor.. but it's definitely something.  I'm feeling confused. 

I know I'll continue to pray about it I talk to God about it before I blog about it, but I thought I'd share anyway. 

Continue to lift me in your prayers, as well as the family who has lost their loved one.  I'm praying for you as well. Please leave me a message, how can I include  you in my prayers? 

Mondays thoughts

It's with a saddened heart that I make mention one of the men from church has passed away this morning.  Heaven got  a lot cooler when he arrived and I know it was an homecoming celebration for sure. My heart hurts for his sweet family, I love them all so much but I don't tell them often enough.

Please join me in praying for their family, it's never easy to say good bye to those we love. Even when there is peace knowing where they are, there always seems to be a void where they use to be. 

I'm excited and curious and praying dutifully at a recent tug I have. I haven't told anyone yet, so perhaps here isn't the right location to bring that information out.  haha..  But I feel like God is tugging on my and His tug is stronger when I'm reading, studying and trying to hear Him.

Be blessed yall bloggers and tell me what's on your mind this week?

How can I include you in my prayers?

_MB

He loves us

photo credit

Good morning Blogging friends, it's Friday thank goodness. The children went back to school (Kindergarten and 9th grade) yesterday.  Needless to say it's always an adjustment to get everyone back on page when we have long breaks like that.  I was happy for the holiday and the break though.  I still take them to school because well, he's in kindergarten and well .. I'm that parent. 

So I've been reading and praying and just trying to make myself available for God to speak to me.  Giving myself the time and the stillness  to discern His will for my life. If you read my previous blog you noticed my feelings of being forgotten and lost. 

An update to that is that I'm feeling better. God has really been showing me some things and I praise His name for that, because we all know how it feels to feel lost and unlovable. 

But today's post, it will be short I promise. I mentioned that I've been reading more since the last post. I actually stumbled upon a book I'd purchased a while back because I saw it somewhere online and it looked good. So I found it on my shelf and last night as I'm working on my work stuff I decided I'd pull it out, blow the dust off and really get into reading. It worked!  I read half of the book in one night, while my late night kid watched kitten videos on youtube kids.  I tell ya, if this kid naps he doesn't like going to bed, but avoiding napping is hard because well... we still have to venture out to pick the kids up in the afternoon. 

Back to what I was saying, I power read through the book, loving it and not wanting to put it down. I caught myself crying at her stories of sadness and crying tears of joy as she and her children approached a man in the cafe and asked him if he knew Jesus. 

But the most profound, thought provoking point she made in the early chapters of her book was a reference to Adam & Eve.  We all know the story, Adam and Eve the first man and woman.  They lived in the garden of Eden with God. Adam and Eve were free to do what they wanted but their only command was not to eat from a certain tree. We're aware that it didn't work out that way and sin entered the picture and they ate of the tree.  Now here's where I always believed that because they disobeyed God was angry and made them leave the garden. Their lives would be hard, women would suffer child birth, they would have to work hard and that they would die.  But last night in her book, she said something else.  That God loved Adam and Eve so much that he made them leave the garden, because the garden contained the tree of life.  The tree of life would have them live forever, but because of their sin they were apart from God. God loved them so much that he'd have to leave Him because His plan was to send His Son to save the world.

I thought this was a really neat perspective on the subject of Adam and Eve and their sin. This isn't to imply that God is OK with sin, but that He loves us.  Sin is forgivable, but we must first repent of it. 

What are your thoughts?

ps. I've decided to put a hold on my bachelors degree in order to devote more time to the One who really deserves it.  I've neglected that in my desires to further my education.  He's really speaking to me lately.

When's the last time you heard God's voice in the darkness?

Life... a parable?

I sat in church this morning trying to focus and concentrate on everything my pastor was saying and trying to make a real understanding of it . If we're being honest, I find myself lost in some abstract thoughts most of the time, listening but never fully understanding what the meaning of it all really is.  It's frustrating if we're still being honest. Am I the only one who feels this way?  I feel like, when Jesus is speaking the parables to the men and he's doing this because some would not understand them, I feel like those who aren't understanding. I pray I'm not taking it out of context of misunderstanding that as well.

"He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Matthew 13:11-15

Commentary tells me that the peoples choosing not to listen and receive the message is why he spoke this way. Now I'm not writing a post on understanding parables, because lets face it... I'm just not that smart.  But I truly feel I have no unwillingness to hear Jesus. With that being said, why must I feel as though I'm just not getting it!?  It's a rhetorical question, I think.. unless someone has a genuinely smart and understandable answer? I'd love to hear it.

Tomorrow is December 31st, 2018. Another year has passed, that's nothing really note worthy, just a typical observation for time of year.  It's just another ending to another year, nothing major. But it is major, in a thought. Because time passes, slowly and extremely fast.  I pass over memories on social media and I'm like wait, that was eight years ago?!!  It seems like it's only been a short time now.  It's puzzling for me, I feel like I'm an onset of forgetfulness, and I'm only thirty seven this year.  It's been almost nineteen years since I graduated high school and it's weird there are times when I'm like man that wasn't that long ago?!! But, it was eighteen years!  That's incredible really. 

During my lost years (ya know the ones where you run from God?), and there were a lot of those, I never thought I'd make it this far. I had no idea where I would be or what I would be doing, nor did I care.  Now I'm here, with a few children, married and living right next door to my childhood home that is vacant of my mothers presence and while I love my father so very much and he is what keeps me  here, I have these deep feelings that this just isn't where I am suppose to be in my life. Maybe it's simply not the time for me to be anywhere else, but perhaps I have this crisis of the heart and mind that tells me I should be doing more and I should be doing it somewhere else.  But without clear evidence that it's what God wants for my life, I can't make a move. I'm frozen with fear, of the unknown, and indecision. Also promises that I'd made to my mother.  How I wish life were easier.

I'm hoping this post isn't a long one, but there is a lot on my heart and I know if I don't grab this opportunity, it's going to slip away from me, just as it always does.

So I sit here tonight, after the quake of my unruly children destroying the home we live in, AGAIN. My husband yelling over the destruction and making his opinions well known about how he feels about our home. I'll admit, it's not the home I ever wanted and I only committed to moving here because of it's location (conveniently located next to my parents). If we get down to the grit of it, I'm just unhappy.  I don't feel connected to anyone,  I just don't think they like me and that  I don't understand them. "After the life I've lived and the sin I've committed, I just don't think I fit in and if they knew all I've done... they wouldn't love me at all." 

Insecurities aside, being unhappy goes against all that I believe.  I understand and believe truly that we as Christians should be the happiest people there are.  Because by the grace of God he sent his only son to die on an old rugged tree to save someone like me, some old sinner who just can't learn a lesson like me.  It breaks my heart, truly it does. 

The real gist of it is simply this, God never said it was going to be easy. And it isn't! 

(photo credit)

  
Regardless of how I feel and the curve balls life throws at me.  God will always be there to catch me. I've got a lot of thinking and praying to do. Seeking His guidance for this life I live.  I'm not getting any younger, I'm going to miss it if I keep sitting around waiting for the signs. 

If you're reading this, I pray you have a blessed day and that this helps you, I know what it's like to get down in the dumps.  We're only human. 

Be blessed.

He never gives up

(photo credit)

Unlike all the other disappointments I'm facing today, including myself.  God doesn't let me down.  I feel a heavy weight of anxiety this week. I could use the extra prayers.

Probably just tired

Discouraged tonight (not that it's anything new I guess)

I spent all last week sharing scriptures and advice and trying to make sure I share words of encouragement and today it knocks me down a peg.

The realities of being tired I reckon.

I won't discuss my problems tonight, but I will share that the devil will come at you from all angles.  He's always striking out through the same people though. 

Stupid devil .

Help me pray, that I won't lose my thoughts.  That even though I'm disappointed and discouraged I won't let it get me down and I won't take it out on anyone unnecessarily. 

Just because they aren't treating me right, doesn't mean I should stoop to their level .

I'm still tired.

but have you seen my hair cut? 

Goodnight frands

Would you say no more?

(photo credit)

Persecution. If you were facing it head on,  Would you give up your fight and denounce your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

If they threw you in a den of lions? Or an arena of beasts? Could you deny your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? 

If they pulled your children from you in attempts to harm them in some way, would you denounce our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

If they threw you in prison, tortured you over and over and over again, could you would you tell Jesus Christ NO more?  The cruel and inhuman pictures thrown in our lives, the torture and the murder of those around the world who are facing persecution for our Lord and Savior. For those who came before us who endured the ravaging of the ancient times. Our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was beaten and shackled and mocked and crucified for our sins.  It breaks my heart, my whole heart.  I think about my life, about my children's lives. I think about what the world may have to offer for us, for our children, for Christians. It breaks my heart. 

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom on heaven."

Matthew 5:10 KJV

(photo credit)

So, what if you did deny your Lord. What if, to avoid the suffering and the torture or if you just couldn't take the pain any more you denounced your Lord and Savior.  

Could He would He deny you one day when you  die and approach the throne for judgment? Could you would you spend the rest of your live begging forgiveness?  Asking for your penance and repenting from the sin. 

What would you say to your church?  Would you shame the congregation?  The name of Christ? Would they make you leave the church you love.  

Truth being, I can't be sure anyone can really answer these questions.  

Our God is a loving and forgiving God, Jesus Christ loved us so much that He took his sinless life and offered it for us, for SINNERS.  Our God is also a just God.  

I pray for those in persecution. I pray those who persecute find Jesus Christ.  

Jesus in the Old Testament

I'm curious to dig deeper in the Word and see how many more I can find.  The studies I'm working on with our connections group as well as Church History is helping. 

I've always been curious about those who came before me and those who were martyred for their beliefs, of course I'm getting a dose of a little of each.  Because most of those who came before us were martyred for their beliefs.

Can you imagine denying our Father, for no reason other than to save ones own rear? 

 Yea, me neither.

This week alone the pieces from each (my group and studies) have kind of come together, don't you love when that happens? 

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold. one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." 

the next verse is even better... 

"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Daniel 7:13-14

Tonight question in my readings on the Church Fathers, is the Old Testament really about Jesus or is it about Gods work among the Jews.

Crazy right, 

I've heard it said and preached that Jesus was the topic of the Old Testament. It's awesome to read it for yourself and go oh... ok, now I get it. 

Ahhhh that moment. 

Thank you Jesus. 

Pray for us, we're leaving for Florida in a few days.  It's only about an 8 hour car ride, straight through. I imagine with 4 kids and a grumpy me it will be more like 10-12 and a vow never to go at it again.  Keep us in your prayers as we travel and you know the Florida weather... never can tell. My oldest boy has learned a good deal about hurricanes and all that, we should be safe. 

Be blessed yall, thanks for reading. God is good, all the time.