Hey, Remember Me?

Hey, remember me? My name is Beth and I'm the girl who used to blog three times per week whether I had something worthwhile to say or not. I'm the person who used to be addicted to blogging and reading blogs and was always quick to leave you comments. Maybe you remember me, maybe you dont. Sometimes I wonder if I even remember myself (I know all mothers can relate).........


Well, I suppose it would be stating the obvious to say that I have been off the blog for a while now. A much needed break from my self-imposed blogging schedule. I have to admit, that I have not even clicked on my blog link for well over a month now. I havent visited any of yours either.....sorry for not being more supportive and in-touch, but sometimes a girl just needs to disconnect (so to speak;-).

I would say that I havent blogged because I havent had anything to say, but you all would know I was lying. I ALWAYS have something to say - right or wrong - I have something to say. I would say that I dont have useless random thoughts floating around in my brain, but again, that would be a lie. I have just been busy doing life.

It seems like June flew by without even waving to me. Now we are 8 (or is it 9) days into July and I havent even blinked. So, I am thinking about returning to the blog....minus the self-imposed three times per week schedule.....we'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks........and who knows? Maybe I'll actually have something to say that you will want to take the time to read....;-)

I have missed you guys!

Checking in.........

Just checking in since it has been a few days since I blogged (okay more than a few but who's counting?). To give you an idea of how our lives are going here in East TN, here are just a few highlights of the past few days.....

*Youngest nephew graduated from high school (same school I went to only there was no police chase during HIS graduation - there was a police chase during mine - Go Cougars!)

*My dad came to visit for the weekend.

*We went to a Barbecue cook off and paid $10 to get in, but you couldn't actually EAT the barbecue. We found out that little detail AFTER we paid the $10. Apparently the Health Dept. said that the BBQ vendors could compete for prizes but no one could eat their food. It has been advertised on the radio and TV for weeks now, but no one mentioned that little (HUGE) fact.

*Kaden fell and broke his nose Saturday morning. I have always told my kids "If you are going to do something, do it right".....he must have listened because he did a number on his little nose. It looks much better today than the past few (he looked like another kid - nothing like my sweet little baby-faced Kaden). We go to the ENT today at 1:00 to hopefully have it "set and splinted". If it is too bad to set, they will have to put him to sleep. I know that there are parents at St. Jude's who would give anything if all that was wrong with their child was a broken nose, so I am trying to keep that in mind as I am tempted to cry when I look at him.

*Don't tell Kaden, but he is so pitiful right now that he could pretty much ask for anything and I would do it, get it, go to it for him......it breaks my heart to see his little black eyes and crooked nose.

*Lake's last day of school is tomorrow (1/2 day). My personal opinion is that kids should never go to school before Labor Day and never be in school after Memorial Day, but the School Board has never asked for my opinion, sooooo ........

*We are finally finished building our house, but now another house is being started across the street.......guess it's our turn to be annoyed by hammers, nail guns, concrete trucks, delivery trucks, etc..... ;-( What comes around truly does go around, huh?

*We had Memorial Weekend off from t-ball/baseball.......it was a much needed break, but baseball is back on tonight......Kaden's t-ball team will have to do without him for a couple of games, I suppose......He thinks they will lose if he doesn't play.....how does one teach a kid humility without causing him to have low self-esteem? ;-)

Time to get ready for the Dr. -- should be fun---- ER doc mentioned shots in the nose and face....Kaden is never happy about shots. Taking my mom with me for moral support and backup.

A Quick Thought

I was just reading my Facebook page. I have noticed a distrubing trend on Facebook.....unashamed promotion of sin. Yes, I know it isnt something new, but it seems to be getting much worse. Okay, you might be thinking I sound like a preacher from the 1800's when I say that, but hear me out on this (or read me out as the case may be). The Bible says we should not do anything to cause our brother to stumble, right? Yet, I see Christians on Facebook (and out in public as well) promoting their sin as if it isnt sin at all. Are you pickin' up what I'm throwin' down here? It's one thing for a non-believer to promote and glorify their sin....that's just what nn-believers do.....they do not believe in God, so they dont see sin as sin, but they see it as fun. But for believers (or "so-called" believers) to blatantly and openly advertise for satan on their Facebook status, well, it just bothers me to no end.

It begs the question(s), do we really believe that God is real, and that He actually is Holy? Do we believe He expects US to be Holy? Do we REALLY believe Jesus is coming back (and SOON)? And do we even CARE how He will find us? Are our actions and words building other believers up in the faith or are thy causing them to stumble?

Some would say "What is sin to you, may not be sin to someone else"....I beg to differ! The Bible explains sin to us pretty clearly, and I think it's safe to say if there is a question, it is always better to err on the side of caution. In other words, if what you are doing could ruin your witness or cause a Christian brother or sister to sin, it's best not to do it.

Before you accuse me of being "holier than thou", let me just say that I'm not claiming to be perfect, as a matter of fact, I hate to think of the times in my life that I have been a poor witness for Jesus.......

I feel as though sin holds no more shame for the believer than it does for the unbeliever anymore.........I suppose it's a sign of the last days when even the church will fall away and you guys know I am all about prophecy, but shameless promotion of sin on the part of believers is troubling to me. I hope it troubles you too.

A Couple Things

Okay, I have about three minutes (literally) to say hey to my blog peeps. I have about a million - gillion things I should be doing rather that sitting in this floor typing.....yes, the computer is still in the floor. This moving thing is a slow go, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to write a few lines and let you know I am still alive and kicking...or should I say still alive and barely breathing? Whatever. No big random post, but here are a few random things I need to get off my chest......in a short amount of time...........

1. As I was watching the train wreck that is American Idol last night, it occurred to me that I was sitting there watching darkness take over my living room. That Kate Perry who sang reminded me of a Vegas karaoke show gone bad (although she was better than some of the other AWFUL singers AI has hosted lately). She looked like Elvis meets WWF meets Betty Boop! Everyone loved her! What????!!!! The dark part is that Danny (who I really think is the best singer - and not just because he is a Christian) was sent home in favor of a goth looking gay guy who screams out rock songs and America thinks he is the bomb! As we were watching, my husband said "What are we doing? It is so sad that America has come to this. Thinking this abomination is entertainment"......It is so true. I love American Idol, but some of the things we have been seeing the past several weeks are not entertainment....they are sin on stage and we are becoming immune to the sight of it. It's a big deal when One Nation Under God decides that morals mean nothing and that the dark side is the right side.

2. I thought yesterday was Thursday......so imagine my surprise/horror when I wake up to another Thursday today......

3. Remember when I told you I was freakishly strong? Yeah? Well, I still am. Today is junk removal day in our city and yesterday I single- handedly (well, I used 2 hands but they were both mine) moved our old couch (all 8 ft of it) out to the road so it could be removed this morning. I might run away with the circus to be a "strong woman" side/freak show.

4. I am 36 yrs old and freakishly strong, but also completely stupid at times. I spent 4 1/2 hours at Lake's field day Tuesday and did not put on sunscreen. Needless to say the heat radiating off my arms, legs and face could melt butter faster than a microwave. I am on Fiyah!!!! Did you know that too much time in the sun can cause blisters on your lips? And did you also know that those blisters HURT????? I'm just sayin' that kind of thing COULD happen, not that I know from experience ..........

5. Kaden (5) is playing t-ball and Lake (almost 8) is playing baseball.....we have never had 2 kids in sports at the same time until now.....why didn't someone tell me we would never see our home again until the season is over?????

6. Lake is playing actual baseball (not t-ball) and after the first game, I realized we are playing for blood now. They are 8-9 years old, who knew? The parents and coaches are s-e-r-i-o-u-s! This could get ugly before the season is over.......

Well, that is all I have time for....I have gone over my three minute limit, so I better say good-bye for now. Steve and Missi at Jesus Is Lord, if you are reading this, I have not (repeat) have not forgotten you! I WILL be back sometime! For those of you who are interested in Bible prophecy and how current events relate to it, check out the Jesus Is Lord blog.

I wish I had a few more minutes to catch up on your blogs....it is gonna take me years to catch up with you all......so much can happen in a few short weeks! Have a great day!!!

Feet Time

It's no secret that I hate feet. I guess hate may be too strong a word....how about if I just say I don't like the look of feet? I have never seen a pretty foot and just the thought of feet kind of grosses me out (other than baby feet - baby feet are cute). I appreciate feet for their usefulness, but they are simply not aesthetically pleasing to my eye....any of them (sorry, don't mean to offend anyone or your feet).
As I sat down to type this, feet came to my mind for some odd reason, so I did a Bible Gateway search of the word "feet" and got 262 results. (I promise I am going somewhere with this....stick with me). Alot of those results were relating to measure, such as in Ezra where the temple was to be built 90 feet high and 90 feet wide. Or in Esther where Haman had (his own ;-) gallows built 75 feet high. And you will remember that Goliath was over 9 feet tall compared to David who was just a young boy.
Other references to feet were about people whose feet were lame like Mephibosheth and Jonathan. Or what about when Ruth lays beside Boaz and uncovers his feet waiting to see if he will fight to be her kinsman redeemer? There are verses about foot washing, feet being like feet of deer, feet being cut off, people walking on foot, wiping dust from feet and moving on, enemies being under our feet, the feet of those who bring Good News being blessed......the Bible is full of references to feet.
But......
The foot references I like the best are the ones where people fall at the feet of Jesus. I wont list them all, but over and over in the Gospels we see people falling on their knees in the presence of Jesus---falling at His feet.

Mark 5:33
Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.

Mark 5:22
Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet

Luke 7:44
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Luke 7:45
You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.

When we see Jesus we will all fall at His feet in worship. Have you ever pictured the moment when you will finally see Jesus face to face? I've never seen Jesus face to face before, but I have a feeling that there wont be much face time in our first "in-person" meeting......I have a feeling there will be more "feet-time" than anything. I just bet that face to face will quickly turn into face to feet (our face to His feet) and I am positive that those will be the sweetest, most aesthetically pleasing feet any of us will have ever seen.

Take a minute and try to picture what it will be like when you touch Jesus for the first time in person. Picture in your mind's eye what it will be like when He actually touches you. Whatever you mentally picture will pale sadly in comparison to the real thing, but I promise whatever struggles you are going through today will become irrelevant when you picture yourself falling at the feet of Jesus.

Not That You Care......

Hey guys! I am sitting here in the floor of the "office" in our new house. On the floor because we haven't brought the desk or chair to the new house yet.....we move like we build....slowly. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive. We are working like mad to try to get everything done. We have been staying at the new house for a week and a half, but we still have some stuff at the old house to bring here (or throw away or yard sale). The problem has been we haven't had more than a few hours at a time to do anything. It seems that baseball, t-ball, AWANA, nephew's wedding, guitar lessons, hub's work, and just life in general have completely gotten in the way of moving. I haven't even gotten to sit on my new furniture for more than 2 minutes (and I am not exxaggerating at all unfortunately). Hopefully, this week will be more productive.

One thing I have learned over the past couple of weeks while I have been out of pocket (ie. off the blog and off facebook) is that I need fellowship with you guys. I need encouragement from my Christian friends. You guys give me a lift everyday and I am so thankful for your influence in my life. My day goes better knowing that I have Christian friends who encourage me and are "doing life" and have struggles just like I do. It's good to know that I am not alone in this crazy busy life....so thank you all for being my friend (even though I have never even seen some of you in person).

I have had a heavy heart about a lot of things lately (which proves that new stuff doesn't bring you happiness --- did ya hear that? Stuff DOES NOT bring happiness). I got in the shower this morning and it was as if the Lord said "Beth, this stuff isn't for YOU to deal with....give it to ME and let Me work it out." So, today, I am trying my best to let Him deal with my "stuff" and keep my nose out of it.......pray that I can hand over the worries and keep my eyes focused on Him and I will pray the same thing for you, okay?

Back to work...................

Vague

So, we're finally moving. We are moving the same way we built the house...SLOWLY. Slowly because we have so much stuff (ie. junk)- stuff we need, stuff we don't need, stuff we never needed, stuff nobody should keep. Pack rats, we are. I hope you all are well. I am itching to take time to look at blogs and catch up on all of you, but time is in high demand. I have been packing a few hours, then going on Facebook for a few minutes just to keep in touch with the real world.....well, the real-fake world via the Internet.

Aside from my nasty house, busy-ness has caused me to neglect my landscaping. There are weeds EVERYWHERE! I hate them -even the ones that have blooms on them (a weed is a weed even if it flowers, but don't tell my boys who are constantly picking dandelions for their mama). If I had time I would stomp right out there and pluck each and every one of them and happily throw them in the garbage. If I had time.

Have you ever noticed that sin is like that? Sometimes we just don't have time to deal with it..... or maybe it's more like we just don't want to deal with it. We have to hate the sin in our lives so much we cant wait to pull it up and throw it out. If we don't hate sin, we let it grow and it will eventually take over our hearts until the are covered. Those blooming weeds? After a while we tend to see them as pretty and normal.....just like those sins we allow to remain in the garden of our hearts - we have to get rid of the sins that look pretty before we see them as normal. Make sense? Maybe not to you, but it makes perfect sense to me ;-)

See y'all soon.....Miss ya.