The Real Me~WARNING~this is not a "Pretty Little Package Post"

UPDATED
I have been going through some stuff lately. My back (that God healed) has begun to hurt again. I feel this was because of a single act of disobedience on my part. I am not saying that if you are hurting it is because of sin but I know what I did that my Sweet Heavenly Father told me not to do and I can honestly say that this is my fault. Now I know God has forgiven me and I believe that he will touch me again and I will walk in my healing but the fact of the matter is I belong to him. My life is his, my children are his, my bank account is his, my bills are his, it's all his. I don't own one thing and when I begin to act like I do...well I get in trouble. I am thankful for that correction because it means I am HIS CHILD! Praise the Lord for that!


Well back to the story; this has all driven me back to a crossroad in my life. Do I depend on God and his strength or do I allow myself to be sucked back into the "Egypt" I once was a slave in? Well I know the answer to that I depend on God but typing those three words on this screen is A LOT easier than walking them out. So today I decided to get up with a purpose in hopes that I can stay focused on the life Christ intended for me instead of being drawn away by things that don't matter so I decided to make myself a list. A list of 10 things that I HAVE to do today. Things that will get me up and moving and will require me to spend time with God instead of pushing him away. Even if it hurts.

I want to be real on this blog so I am going to share my list...

List of 10 Things to do Today

1. Clean Kitchen (Don't do dishes (this is my dear daughter's chore and she is paid for it :-))

2. Clean Dining Room

3. Fold Clothes on Love Seat (they have been laying there for at least 3 days!)

4. Wash at least three loads of laundry...since I haven't done laundry in 3 days this made sense...lol)

5. TAKE A SHOWER (you guys think I am kidding but I'm not. I have to take a shower sitting on a chair right now so this is quite a process!)

6. Fix a good supper for the family tonight (no fast food junk).

7. Read my Bible (Hello?! It's where all my help comes from why do I seem to want to put it down when things are hard?!)

8. Write for 30 minutes (I don't think I have talked about this yet on here but my Dad and I have been working on a book for over a year...we brainstorm, we make an outline of what we want in each chapter and then I write it...well the first chapter isn't even finished...and I have been doing this an entire year!!! God has called us to something awesome after this book is written but I may be 75 by then.)

9. Be NICE (even to the people I live with)...ugh!

10. GO TO CHURCH TONIGHT!

I mean it's ugly but it's the real me. My flesh is at war with my spirit and my brain is caught in the middle. So I am starting small. I have a little over 10 hours to get all of this done so I have to accomplish one thing an hour...For my first task I cleaned the kitchen and started a load of towels...so I did get to cross one thing off my list already praise the Lord! I am so glad to know that no matter where I find myself God is with me. He loves me. Isaiah 54:10 says "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you," He's not going anywhere...he knows the real me and he loves me ANYWAY! PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!!

So I got everything accomplished on my list EXCEPT spending 30 minutes writing...I just kept putting that off...but I did bake a cake for dessert after a great dinner of homemade soup...so I guess I did pretty good! I had a great time at church and I feel alot better. One of the main things I want to avoid is having to rely on the pain pills again so please pray that God will help me with this! Thanks for all the prayers!!!

Amos Story...the heart of a parent in the midst of adopting.

I believe every parent who longs to adopt will feel like this song is a personal testimony. When I heard it on a friends blog I wanted to just go through the computer screen and hug the guy singing it. I get it. Even if it takes my last fleeting breath....I WILL GET YOU HERE!

In Christ Alone,

Need to go Full-time...x3

I am posting this in answer to Linny's Crazy Love Challenge #2 you can visit here... http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2010/04/crazy-love-challenge-2.html

I am just going to jump right into my need so you will have time to move on and read other's needs...

I have a great job that is a "flex position" basically it means that I only work when they need me and during most of the year that is only around 20-30 hours per month...during the fourth quarter I can work up to 40 hours a week. Well it is a great job for a Mom because I can be off for plays and field trips ect. but right now I need more.

I need to go full-time for three reasons...

1.) I need health insurance. I have several health issues and I have no other available options that are even remotely affordable.

2.) We want to adopt. If I am not working full time we don't have a group health plan that would cover a child without pre-existing conditions and because we want to adopt a SN child this is a big deal. (Also my Employer gives $5,000 toward the cost of our adoption if I am full-time.)

3.) We want to be able to buy a home that can hold all of the children God wants to send us. Right now we rent a small home and we just chopped off part of our living room to add a VERY VERY small bedroom for our son so we have grown all we can here. We don't want an extravagant home we just want something clean, safe, and large enough to grow our family. To own this home I need to be working for awhile so that we can pay our debt off and get in the position to buy. Right now we are just getting buy...unable to save or pay debt down.

There are no open jobs in my department but I KNOW that God can make a position for me. He has done it before. I can not move to another department until December of this year (my 18 month mark with the company) and I really LOVE my job and would LOVE to stay in my department. Please pray that God would give me favor with my bosses and that I will be able to go full time. I work hard and I believe that God will honor that. Please join me in praying about this! Thank You so much!!!

In Christ Alone,

Sherri

The Cost of Caring

Hello everyone! I hope your Easter weekend is going well. Things have been busy here! Mitch had surgery about two weeks ago, I spent a few days in the hospital at the beginning of the week with some heart issues and Colton is having surgery Monday! As I said busy!!! I just stopped by some other blogs and I realized that not reading and blogging latley have a little more to do with my attitude than they do my schedule. Honestly it is hard to read about journey's and look at little faces when my dream of another little one seems so far away. But as I read a few blogs of families getting ready to travel I realized that this is part of my calling...to care. I must read and I must pray and I must keep my heart broken for these children. I am afraid that if I don't I will end up wasting this life on things much less important than giving a child a family. So even though it may hurt to care I will chose to allow my heart to be broken for the things that break His heart.

In Christ Alone,

Help bring 2 boys home!

Hi guys! Please go to http://mattmandi.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post.html and read this awesome story about how God is using one family to give a home to not 1 but 2 little boys in China. PLEASE go visit them and if you can also drop by http://www.bringingdrewhome.blogspot.com/ that is their fundraiser website. They are adopting one younger child and one young man who is about to "age out" of the system. This means there would be no other chance for him to be adopted and he could end up living on the street. They need our help!

Thanks!

In Christ Alone,

Sherri

Memorial Box Monday: LOOSED TO LIVE

Click on the picture above to go read all about what Memorial Box Monday is. This is my first Memorial Box Monday post...God has been so good to me I am sure there will be lots more of them.


Several years ago on a Sunday morning I fell as I was coming down the stairs into our garage. My heel got caught on my dress and I fell about 3 1/2 feet and landed on concrete. My husband came to my rescue and helped me up and took me straight to the ER. I didn't break anything but I was in pain. I lived in pain for over a year. My back hurt my legs hurt; I couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did. I finally went to see a doctor and they ran an MRI and I had 2 ruptured disks and 2 bulging disks. I tried several things and after almost another year of Epidurals and meds I decided to go ahead and have the surgery.

I had the surgery and lived the next 2 and a half years with NO pain! Praise God for that! Well last year for no reason whatsoever that I can think of I had a little back pain one day...and a little more the next, and by days 3 and 4 I was calling into work because I could barley walk and I yelled at really inappropriate times because the sharp pains were so bad. I would lay in bed; lay on the couch, walk and cry. I lived like this for a couple of weeks. I was so miserable. I knew I could not have a second surgery. I had no insurance and I knew that it would be quite awhile before I would be getting any. The doctor who did my first surgery told me that this would not be a permanent fix but he said I should get at least 5 years out of it. After only half that time I was in just as much pain as before and I was heartbroken at the idea of living in that pain for any length of time at all!

So Sunday morning rolled around and I woke up in pain, I had to get my husband to help me out of bed so I could go to the bathroom. I was tired. I laid back down and began to cry. I just could not even fathom the idea of having to live like that for much longer. I laid there and I begin praying and I realized that God's will was for me to LIVE my life not LAY my life away. I knew that I could not fully live my life with the chains of this pain on me.

I began thinking of all the healing Jesus did, of how people just touched the hem of His garment and were made whole; I thought of how he broke the chains of people possessed by demons and restored sight to the blind. I believed that God could do the same kind of miracle in me. I looked at my husband and said "When I get to church today I am going to have Dad (Who is also our Bishop or Senior Pastor) and our church pray for me and I am going to believe for my healing." Mitchell said something like "Well God can sure do it" and I thought for a minute and realized he was right GOD could do it! A light went on in my head and it was like, oh wow Jesus said "Your faith has made you WHOLE" so all it takes is MY FAITH and HIS HEALING TOUCH...NOTHING ELSE!!!! So I started to pray...not a little prayer like...dear father if you decided to maybe do this thing for me....I mean I felt a GODLY BOLDNESS come over me and I stormed the throne room of heaven and asked my HEAVENLY FATHER to please touch and heal my body. Well after I got done praying I laid there completely still for a minute and I realized I wasn't hurting. So I moved a little...no pain...so I SAT UP (I hadn't been able to do that without help and then it was still a process) NO PAIN. Well I just have to be honest here and say that after that I really don't remember exactly what I did according to my family I ran, skipped, shouted, jumped and just had myself a little fit all with NO PAIN! I praised the Lord all over my house I praised the Lord in the shower and I praised the Lord all the way to church and I told everyone I came into contact with about my Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God (stole that from Linny can't help it I love that description of Him!!)

I am keeping my eye out for a Memorial Box for our home and when I find one I will put a little doll house bed in it to remind me of the time that He LOOSED me to LIVE and not LAY!!!

Blog Parade!

This is the first time I have ever joined a "Blog Parade" but I am looking forward to it!

So here goes:

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?

My favorite time of day is when I walk in my door after work or dropping the kids off at school (on days I am off) I love being home! (This is NOT my door but I think it is pretty and I don't have a pic of mine!)

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?

Chicken Cassarole...It's my favorite!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?

I would love to have a house full of babies from all over the world...I want my kitchen table to look like a NATO conference...only with more smiles and less drama!

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?

I didn't do this but I very well could have...I am a BAD driver...which isn't good since I commute almost an hour to work!

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?

A Walk In the Clouds..I think this movie is full of beautiful moments. I love the female lead she is strong but soft all at the same time!

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?

I would love to be able to sing...like Norah Jones!

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?

I would rent a beach house and lay in the hammock for a few years.

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?

Christian Music that sounds like Norah Jones

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?

I love, love, love that store!

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?

I was born in 1980 and I fit right in!

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?

PINK of course!!!

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?

(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

Simply because I don't like any of the other options!

 

13. What's the last album you listened to?

She rocks!

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?

I have a tattoo on my left shoulder...I love it and I would really like another one on my foot. It doesn't fit in with ANY of the rest of my life but I love art and I like being different.