The Last Little Bird In The Nest

Our youngest daughter, who just turned 26, is about to fly the coup!

She was planning on moving to another area we're not familiar with and I thought when she bought her new car last week, that it meant she wouldn't be moving out right away. Her Dad felt the same way, so imagine our shock when she announced to us that she and her best friend's sister are actually still going to move to the Natomas area of Sacramento into a 2 bedroom apartment in a complex that hasn't finished construction yet. 

Her friend will be working in Rocklin and Beth commutes to Woodland. She's has a very stable job situation so things are speeding up on me with regards to all of this. Like I said. This was totally unexpected!

I'm grateful that all of my kids have graduated from "home" so successfully. I have my oldest son, who just bought a house 2 years ago, my oldest daughter is making buku bucks at Dolby in San Francisco, where she only has to go in one day a week and telecommutes from home the other four. Then there's my youngest son, who enjoys entering his car into car shows and working as a cashier at Trader Joe's, and is content as can be. He takes after me that way. Beth is more adventurous. She's done 3 police ride alongs now. I wonder if she'll join the academy at times?? I've always thought she'd make an excellent cop!

My husband and my children have been my whole life. Time just flies you know and now all of my children are gone, but I could still die a happy lady tomorrow. All four of my children are successful in life and they all seem to be pretty happy. Totally happy would just be a lie. They all have issues, but it's nice to have a pair of  "Mom Goggles" to look at them through and see only the good things about them. 

I'm starting to have flashbacks of the first Christmas we had in this house. We had moved in on December 15, 1993. We had opened all the presents, and all of a sudden we couldn't find Bethany anywhere! All of us were looking for her. She was 6 months old & still crawling at the time. When we found her, she was sound asleep under the Christmas tree, obscured by wrapping paper. She was adorable then, and now, and I don't know what I'm gonna do after she's moved out and moved on with her life.

When she does? This time, it's gonna hurt. She's my little baby girl. I love having her here. I never thought she'd actually leave, but her wings are full and she's had her test flights, etc., and I know she's ready. But I'm not. 

I'm not worried about her ability to take care of herself. She's a 911 operator, and has been for almost a year, so she has people she can count on who will be there for her if she finds herself in a situation she can't handle. She's cautious and very careful about who she gets close to. She's never even been on a date! She just doesn't trust men. She's way smarter on that front than I ever was, in fact she is wise beyond her years.

I hate that she's going to go, and I'll probably be crying off and on for DAYS when she does, but at least I know she'll have a safe home, a safe vehicle and a very safe working environment. She's a real grown up now. She and her siblings don't need me anymore. They'll call to check in, or I'll call them, but they're all doing just fine and a mom couldn't ask for anything better than that.

Thank you Lord for the children you allowed me to raise. They are all kind, beautiful, dedicated, individuals with special talents that bring goodness into the world. I couldn't be prouder if I tried. I really hope they feel and know that. Please watch over them Father as they continue to make their way into the world. 

For all of our graduates this year, I pray you'll behave honorably as you continue to grow and become adults. Life is what you make of it so don't squander even one minute of it. Have fun, but have safe fun. Be smart. Be cautious and above all else, love each other. Be there for each other and stay in touch with your best friends because you'll never find replacements for them. Trust me. I know.

God bless you all. Congrats to our grads, including my little girl who's graduating into a life on her own. We'll miss her, but she'll only be a phone call away, just like the other 3.

It's been an honor being your mom. I love you Bit. As you go forward in your life, please remember to just enjoy what God has provided and just "Live with Abandon!" 

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Hi everyone. I know I've been away for over a year, but I've been having some health issues that are affecting my ability to remember things. 

I also have trouble speaking and writing, which has made things especially difficult for me since I truly enjoy writing this blog and I really miss it. 

It's kind of like having writers block but the thoughts I do have, leave my brain before I get a piece of paper and a pen to write it down. If I don't do so immediately, I lose that thought, which is extremely frustrating. I've taken to using several words that will help me remember once I have the pad and pen in my hand and can actually write it down, which is working fine. I've been having a lot of cognitive difficulties which are very upsetting. There's a lesion on my spinal cord in the neck, and my doctor thinks that it may be invading the spinal cord. 

Jesus spoke about the end times and what we could expect. He explained everything that would be happening, and now, all of the prophecies have been fulfilled. I'm excited about the prospect of going home to Heaven! (I am literally so heavenly minded, I'm no earthly good these days!). I pray every day that the Lord will find me worthy because the Lord Jesus is not going to tarry much longer! The days of Noah? Yup! They're back! Read Matthew 24 and Luke 21. 

There's a list and it's all already happened! Jesus could literally come at any second, so please don't delay in getting right with God? His precious Son, Jesus, died on a Roman cross so that we would never be separated from Him again, unless of course, we sin. Sin is what separates us from God. 

I do hope you are all well. Please say a prayer that I can get my writers hat back on and deliever some great posts for you all to read. I've been going a little bit nutty with how good things are going at the moment, except of course, for my health for which I have many questions and no answers as of yet. Please pray and ask God to do a miracle in the area of my health, which is now a minute by minute battle! 

The battle belongs to Jesus and I am "More than a Conqurer through Christ!" (Romans 8:37). I know I can make it through this with your prayers and God's help. 

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you all!                                                                                                     

When God Steps In

Fear can make you feel very alone. Even worse is when you say you're trusting God for everything in your life, when what you really mean is "everybody in your life." 

I was telling my little cancer survivor who is now 28 years old, that she needed to be on high blood pressure meds and that she should go and get a physical. She told me no. When I began to "complain" about it to the Lord, I heard a little voice inside, as clear as day, say "How is it that you trusted Me with your little girl all those years ago, yet you don't trust Me with you?" 

Talk about God's timing? I just had the lumbar and cervical spine MRI's this afternoon. By the time I got home, my doctor had already scheduled me for next Monday, but I have another appointment I simply can't miss for another malady that popped up recently.

I really like my new doctor. He researched the furuncle situation, which is just another nice word for "MRSA" or Medically Resistant Staph. He put me on an antibiotic that nobody put me on before, and it was gone within one week! That now frees me to get the Enbrel shot I need for the Psoriatic Arthritis as well as the two surgeries I'll need for decompressing the lower spine, and the more dangerous surgery, which involves the upper spine, or the neck? It's a cord nightmare, or so I've read.

After I got home, I turned on the TV, but quickly got bored. I decided to listen to some Christian music from my iTunes play lists. When I heard this song, I began to cry. God has always had control over this situation. This song reminded me that He will never leave you or me, nor will He ever forsake us, the way we do Him! 

I need to get well, so I can get out there, get a job, feel some self respect again, gain back my dignity and start to live for the Lord, and I mean, live out loud for Jesus!

I hope this post will help the hearts of others who are facing difficult surgeries with uncertain outcomes. If you need prayer, please send me your prayer requests at BeABarnabus@Gmail.com.

Remember, when we see "broken beyond repair," God see's "healing beyond belief." I have a feeling the timing of all of this is just perfect, because God never makes mistakes. That means my testimony will be just crazy amazing!

God bless you all and thank you for reading this blog. I pray for all of you because even though I may not know you personally? God does!

The Final Warning!

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16).

I've never heard a preacher say it, but I believe that this is the "final warning" to us as Christians who have one foot in Christ and the other in the world. Our God is a "jealous God!" (Exodus 34:14). He wants ALL of us, not just half! I believe this verse is a WARNING & time is growing short! "Let him who has ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches." (Revelation 3:22).

God wants to be in the center of your life. There's a saying that goes, "When you put God in the center? Everything else comes together." I love that quote, though I don't know who originally said it. 

What we all deserve is death and eternal separation from God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we'll receive a Crown of Life in heaven, which we will cast at His feet as we kneel before Him. He died a horrible death to save us! God sent Him here for that one purpose alone and "God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God in Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Do you have one foot in the world and one in Christ? It's time to get rid of the "grey area's" in our lives and be fully committed to Jesus Christ! 

My prayer for all who read this post is that the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin so so you can ask God to forgive you. There is an old saying, a quote, actually from A.W. Tozer."Complacency is the death to all Spiritual growth." So don't wait! He's waiting on you. God loves you and wants the best for you. Eternity!

You see, when we get stuck, with one foot in Christ and the other in the world? It puts us "Somewhere in the Middle."

Sunday Funnies!

It's Time for Sunday Funnies!

Remember: Laughter is the Best Medicine!

Enjoy David Farrell!

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Have a very happy Sunday!

God Bless!

9/11 - Never Forget

To this day, 15 years after the fact, I still break down and cry over the attacks on this country on 9/11 which killed close to 3,000 people. 

As for this photo? You may or may not remember it. They found two beams that were in the shape of the Cross in the debris of the Twin Towers.

The metal hanging on the left side made me think of a large wooden cross we used to put up at our church on Easter. We had a long purple sash that hung over each side with lilies all around it as do most churches during the Easter season.

With all the turmoil in the world, I've begun to turn to God's Word to help me figure out where we are on the timeline of Jesus coming for us, and it's going to happen at any time. All prophecies regarding Jesus and His return have happened. I urge you, if you're fallen away or have never met the Lord, get right with Him now? I wouldn't want anybody, not even a mortal enemy left behind to go through the living hell that God is about to pour out onto this earth out of His wrath. 

This song was written at the request of President George W. Bush. Michael W. Smith tells how the song came about in a video on YouTube and was asked to play it at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

I hope you will remember this great country's heritage as being the greatest country on earth and making her great, once again. 

In his speech in 1964, entitled "A Time for Choosing," Ronald Reagan said, "If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth." Reagan gave this speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater who was the Republican nominee for President. Every American should watch this speech!  "A Time For Choosing". It's amazing that the things he spoke of in this particular speech in 1964? Well, they're all happening again!

Please pray for our country. We're more divided than ever, and we need another "Uniter in Chief," like Reagan. I loved him, and wish he was still here running the show. I doubt that I'm the only one. We miss you Ronnie.

God Bless you all and may God, once again, Bless the United States of America.

"If my people which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14).