Awake.

Awake, O sleeper,


and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:14
 
I feel like this verse was written for me. If you read the chapter surrounding this verse you will see a list of things done in "the dark" and a warning to stay away from those things. Then the Bible tells us that when anything is exposed and brought to the light it becomes visible. It is no longer hidden, it can be dealt with. 
 
Well for a few months I went to sleep. I just laid down and took a nap...in the dark. But here is the issue when you have been in the light you will never be satisfied with the dark. I got sidetracked. I had two surgeries,last time I thought or prayed about adoption it was summertime the August heat was upon us and I was praying for a job that I could get insurance with so that I could be sure that all of our children were taken care of medically. Then I got the job. Before I knew it Halloween came, Thanksgiving came, Christmas came, New Years came,  and here I am 6 months down the road, we haven't applied for adoption, we have no money saved, and out there somewhere there is a child (or there will be a child) that God picked just for us and we have done nothing about it. I have even said a few times...well since my surgery I don't know that I could handle another child. I also said my kids are older and easier now I don't know if I want another child. Ugly isn't it. Human nature. The want to be comfortable, the want to do what's easy, the want to do what every one else does...but it's not enough.
 
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.12 If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
 
When I read that scripture I can't stand myself...If anyone was ever taken away to death...it would be the orphans. Maybe not all of them are in immediate danger of physical death but I went to Ch*na, I looked into the faces of children without a family, trust me they are dying inside. They need a Mom and Dad. They need a home. They need love. And I need to obey. Please pray for our family. We have to make some decisions, sooner rather than later...I don't want another 6 months to pass, I don't want to fall asleep. I want to be wide awake and busy about my Father's business.
 
In Christ Alone,

Sherri

Little is much when God is in it!

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

This is the story of The Widow's Offering. I have read it several times but today I want to concentrate on a few words in the 44th verse. "but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." I figured out what she gave and in today's time she would have given about $1.86. Not much is it? Well Jesus thought it was something.

God showed out today in my life, he taught me a lesson, one that I have to lay my Pride down and tell you about. I have been in places of abundance in my life and I have given "large" (in my world anything over $100 is large...lol. We are rich people but just not as far as the bank is concerned!) amounts to causes that God has laid on my heart. I have to admit it hasn't really made that much of a difference...didn't mean that much...didn't cost me alot...I still had plenty. But these days things are different. Because of my 2 surgeries in the last 4 months and because I am out of work on Short Term Disability and because Christmas was last month, and because our tax return is going to be non-existent this year...well we just don't have a lot of money to give these days. Don't get me wrong, God has supplied every need. We have food to eat, gas in our cars, money for things the kids need, we just don't have a lot of money left over at the end of the month...or at the end of the week some weeks. But that is fine. God taught me a long time ago to be satisfied with little or with much. Sometimes my sweet husband gets a little miffed that I don't worry about finances but I just can't worry. God has taken care of me time and time again. I can't help but trust Him! Anyway like I said right now is NOT a time when we have a lot of money to give but today God gave us a chance not once but twice to give out of our "need" (I use that word in quotations because the situation I am in is NOT poverty as the verse says, to most of the world they would consider themselves rich to have the exact same resources as I have...it is just a place of need compared to where we have been when I was healthy and working 40 hours a week.)

I am not going to tell you how he let us give because I think it's better not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing but God worked things out so that we were able to give abundantly even when we did not have an abundance of money.

In one situation I was aware of the need and I longed to help. It was for a great cause and my heart just "gets" the people I wanted to give to. I was on my way to the doctor today and I was telling my husband I want to help them. I want to give I wish we had it to give. By the time I got home God had shown me a way to give and as I write this post that family has benefited from what God gave me to do. God's word is true and when we make the desires of our heart line up with His will He will make those desires come to pass! I just can't stop praising Him! Thank You God for being able to use nothing and turn it into something!! Remember LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT!

In Christ Alone,

Sherri

P.S. I want to say one more thing...God showed me last night that I had a bit of an addiction to my IP*d touch and to my Fac*book account, He convicted me and I decided to fast from both for 24 hours. I truly believe that I would have missed both of my chances if I had my focus on that IP*d and Fac*book all day. I am not saying that using those things are a sin, I am just saying sometimes we need to see how much time we are spending on that stuff compared to how much time we are spending in God's word and ministering to His people. I am going to make sure that I keep my time in check. I don't want to be addicted to anything except Christ, His Word, His People, and His Presence! Just thought someone else might need to hear that as well! God Bless!!

So it's been awhile!!!

Hi bloggy world! I have been away for awhile but I visited one blog tonight and found myself clicking on another, and another...and before I knew it my heart was overflowing and my fingers needed to type. You girls do that to me. Seeing God in you makes me a better person. I sure love you guys!!

I will spend a few minutes telling you what has been going on around here since the last time I wrote...which was September 9th! Wow I haven't written in over 3 months...time flies when you are having surgery I guess!

Back in October I had some sickness and ended up needing my Gallbladder out, I was out of work for about a month and then went back to work and worked until the first of December. I had an MRI and as some of you may know I have had back problems for years and years. I fell about 4 years ago and ruptured a few disk's in my back. I had one surgery about three years ago and things had been going fine then about 8 months ago I started having lots of pain in my left leg. I had a new MRI in November and we found out I had a HUGE disk rupture my nerves were in bad shape, I had began to lose use of my left leg and my doctor worried that I would lose control of my bladder and other bodily functions...so less than a week after the doctor saw the MRI I had a back fusion. This is a huge deal since I am just 30. I now have 4 screws and 2 rods and a mesh "fake disk" in my back. I have been out of work for over a month now and my doctor estimates that it will still be at least 2 to 3 more months before I am able to go back. Thank God for Short Term Disability and for a wonderful husband who has taken care of me!

Things have been rough we went through Christmas with me barley able to sit and it was hard not to be able to do the things I always do for Christmas. But God provided and we improvised and everything worked out!

I have to say I have been a little bummed because of the outlook that I have been given with the steel in my back. I won't be able to bend as easily and I really can't be lifting or carrying anything or anyone...this makes the idea of adopting seem a little far fetched but I know all things are possible through Christ and I look forward to being surprised by exactly what I am able to do after my healing is complete.

I will continue to try and catch up with everyone..I hope that you are all well! God Bless!

In Christ Alone,

Sherri

Operation Giggle

Operation Giggle is in full swing! Please visit the blog at http://operationgiggle.blogspot.com/ to learn more!

In Christ Alone,

Sherri

Memorial Box Monday: Writing on the Wall

One day I was having a particularly down day. My love tank was on the south side of empty and I honestly just didn't feel very great about myself. I was having a bad hair week, my clothes felt all wrong, I had realized I put on a couple of pounds...just felt like YUCK. Know what I mean?! Well I called my husband, hoping to get a little pep talk and when I started whining talking to him about how I felt he pretty much told me to get over it...he was busy at work and I think he just didn't feel like dealing with an emotional wife at the moment. Well I decided to stop by a store that I loved and I parallel parked and sat in my car and started praying. I just spilled my guts to God about how awful I felt and I asked Him to please help me feel better about things. I got out of the car and I happened to glance up and I saw this:

My heart skipped a beat...who wrote that? How did someone get up that high to write it? I know you can't tell from the picture but this is very high...I was holding my phone up over my head to get this. I'll never know what human hand wrote this or why but it sure felt like a message straight from my Heavenly Father to me and I suddenly didn't feel quite so frumpy.

It's amazing how God knows just what we need and He cares enough to provide it.

I am going to print off this picture and put it in my Memorial Box to remind me that even on my ugliest days God sees the beauty of what I can be.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!

God is so real. I know that seems like such a silly statement. But the REALITY of HIM is so wonderful that it has me breathless. His Spirit is such a rich wealth. I know sometimes I take it for granted but where HIS SPIRIT is there are healing, freedom, salvation, power, and so much more.


I have been listening to an online service and even though I am sitting in my bedroom. I can feel the Holy Spirit all over me. It is everything I can do to keep myself sitting here at these keys. In the service I am watching there was just a soul saved. The Spirit of God is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing we can have in today’s church and sadly it is the one thing that is THE MOST LEFT OUT. We come in at an appointed time, we have our appointed prayer, our appointed songs, our appointed message and we go back to our appointed cars and drive to our appointed homes. The problem is that we need less appointment and more anointment.

God would rather that we have one anointed service that HIS SPIRIT is the MAIN ATTRACTION at than a weeks worth of perfectly planned productions. I am convinced that it is up to us. The sons and daughters of God to show this world that they are missing something and it’s not there name on a church role, it’s GOD’S SPIRIT!

They will never come to church just because we have so much fun, they will never come because our program is so well put together. The thing that will bring hungry hearts to Christ is to allow our own hearts to be come ravenous for CHRIST and HIS SPIRIT.

Then we must FEED on the WORD of God and allow HIS WORD to shape who we are. I know that God is doing some reshaping in my life.

Take me LORD! MAKE ME DISAPPEAR! I want anyone who looks on me to only see YOU!

Transitioning...again.

Hello! I haven't blogged in awhile but I NEED to blog today.

Life is great but busy. I got my new position at work, PRAISE THE LORD! I needed insurance so I can get my health concerns under control and now I am going to be able to do so. However I am having to work 40 hours min per week. Couple this with homeschool and my health problems and I have been stretched VERY thin.

We have been homeschooling since July and we honestly have had a ball so far. Don't get me wrong it is SUCH a challenge but it has been so much fun. That is why the decision I am facing is b.r.e.a.k.i.n.g me. I know God led me to homeschool. I felt it so strongly and I still feel such a great need to educate my children. However I am not super woman and I am putting in some MAJOR hours right now at work. I honestly have no choice. I need back surgery that means I need insurance and my job is the only way to provide that insurance. I have prayed so hard about all of this and I feel very defeated at the idea of "giving in" and putting my children back in school.

The only sense I can make of it is that God wants me to take a more active role in my children's education. I plan on still teaching the Science portion of our curriculum because I know they are not learning about creation at school and it is my job to teach them the truth. I have also developed a new love of reading with my children that will continue no matter what I decided to do. We have also made daily bible study priority and I want that to continue as well. But is that enough? Is that enough to satisfy the longing God has given me to teach these children? I am not sure. But I do know that my plate is full and the last thing I want is my children's education suffering because of something I have done or not done. Opinions, comments, and general chatter are welcome but please be gentle and kind...even if your opinion is that I am making a huge mistake say it in love. I want to hear what you guys think. Is there anyone out there that supplements what the schools teach...how is that working for you?!

Also please pray for my children the school they were going to is very crowded and has lost a few teachers so we may have to make a switch to a new school. They are both ok with it but I am worried about how they will fit in. Please pray for my family during this time.

In Christ Alone,

Sherri