"Wilderness Camping - 101!"

IF I were in girl scouts today, I believe I would have earned the "Wilderness Camping - 101" badge! Surely there has to be one. If so. . . I know I would proudly wear it. But the more I think about it - girl scouts probably never accomplished the "Wilderness" thing. Soo...I guess I would drop them and have to join the boy scouts instead. Ah well. . .

This past Wednesday through Friday, my husband and I got to experience an AWESOME adventure together!! <Whispers: I now know the absolute best time to go to Garner State Park! But don't let word get out to all those Garner lovers...or they'll know too!!> That's right....total contrast - as night and day - between going in the Summer verses going in the Summer AFTER school has started!! Unbelievable. . . 

My story takes place on a sunny Wednesday morning, as two happy people pack down their Jeep for the adventure that lies ahead. We headed out at noon and ate at a Subway in Katy. Yes...the trip would not be complete without a stop at my beloved Subway first. Why is it, for two people alone, you still must bring everything but the bed to go camping?? The packing alone is a real test of knowledge, skill, and strength I tell ya! But, I've also told you how wonderful my husband is. . . so you know he handled the job well.

Good thing the kids didn't go. Who knows where we would have stuck them!

Speaking of kids - we did indeed leave our teenage son home on his own. He was to take care of the animals as well as take care of getting himself up and TO school for the following days.....and to stay in contact with Mom. Little did Mom know - there would be NO contact whatsoever when "Wilderness Camping". Worried - No. Concerned my son might be trying to stay in contact and can't and now is a tad concerned himself - Yes. I will tell you upon arriving at home later, it was neither a concern or a worry to him. His statement - "Mom, I knew you were camping. No service when you camp." It was one of those duh moments. Yes, my son - I belittled your intelligence.

Moving along - -

Upon arriving to Garner we were met with rain. Why does this not surprise me? Each of the last two big trips we made - we were met with rain. David was saying "Well, maybe we won't be able to set up a tent and have to find a hotel." Whaaaat? that's no adventure! We didn't travel all this way for a hotel!" :) No, I'm not spoiled....just expressive.

As we got inside the entrance, we noticed not much of anyone else was around. In fact, as we walked up to the door we noticed a sign that nicely says "Closed". Did anyone know that a State Park would be closed after 5pm?? Umm....not these people anyway. It was 5:30. Now what to do? There was a phone number, but no cell service. Next. There was a After Hours Check In with no visible check in means. Next. My smart husband found a box attached and opened the lid to find slips of paper. BINGO. You were to place money inside and state the site you would be staying at. And...register the following morning before 9am. What a honor system they have! 

I haven't mentioned that we had previously been to Garner, just a few years ago - 13 of them, and camped with our 3 kids. THAT was not wilderness camping though. I will explain shortly.

With that being said, we knew we wanted to try and remember the same camp site as before. David and I both came up with the numbers 3 and a 7. So he guessed and checked camp site #337. I suggested that we possibly should go and look first to make sure. He agreed and we drove through to find our site. Afterall, no one was there to care. We spotted #337 and decided - no, that's not it. Driving on, we interchanged the numbers and still came up short. Finally, we drove on the back side of the camping areas and what should we find? Our camp site!!! Number 449! < no 3's or 7's HA!

We made a new slip, gave our money, and excitedly went to unpack!

Did I mention that we were the ONLY human inhabitants in our entire camp?!?! And this is where the "Wilderness Camping" comes into view. Yes....out of close to 120 camp sites we would be camping ALONE ! In fact the entire population of Garner consisted of somewhere around a possible 2%. A definite new experience was fast on our heels and we were taking it on...... a tad bit nervously on my part, I might add. As I mentioned, we were the only human inhabitants, but we were NOT alone. There were animal critters everywhere. We saw packs of young deer in so many directions - funny looking jack rabbits hopping in many directions - cute, but stinky skunks in all the other directions -  and man eating wild turkeys...just to name a few from the start. As far as the eye could see to the left and to the right and behind and in front - no one.....just us and God. Ok well, technically there were two houses across the river and not in the state park....just to keep it truthful.

But, what we did see was beauty. God's beauty that he beautifully created for us to enjoy in so many ways.

 

A long ago memory of our children naming this tree "Grandmother Willow"

And so we set up camp, got our grub on of delicious hamburgers made by my hubby, and settled in for the evening. What the evening held for us.....God only knew.

O wait, I almost forgot to tell you!!
We got in the Jeep and went "spot-lighting" that night and would do it again the following night! It was so freakin awesome !!! As we would drive through the dark, we would shine our flashlights out into the night and see alien-looking eyes of the night piercingly looking back at us!! Talk about adventure....who knew what all was out there among us!!! O my gosh....such fun it was!!! 

At all of 9:15 pm, David and I stood out on the now very dark road, lit only by the less than half of a moon, alone staring up into the vast sky, filled with thousands of stars. It was a wondrous feeling....it was a nervous feeling. Knowing that not a single soul knew we were here and yet God knew all along right where we were. If you've never had the opportunity to have such a situation, I recommend you try it.
The utter and extreme silence was beyond imagination!! My kids would have went literally CRAZY (they can't stand even the very word: silence)
We were living in a more than perfect Sasquatch moment indeed!!! :-)

Shortly after, we decided there was nothing else but to go to bed for the night. Can I just say 9:30 is a never happen kinda thing back at home unless you're sick. Yes....it was early....but yet at the same time.....all around us told us it's LATE! We zipped ourselves into the tent. We had no light left on - I did not want any crazies to know we were here. The dark, our black jeep, and our well set back tent hid us quite nicely. But, then there was the fact that we also had no electricity - meaning we had no fan to mute out the imaginative and REAL sounds of the night. You see there was sites with electricity, but we chose this one out of sentamentalness of days gone by. Soooo....with all that said.....this girl could hear everything known to prowl the darkness. My sweet husband told me we may not be able to get our KSBJ Christian radio app to work, but that he did have some christian music previously downloaded onto his phone. He played the music and held my hand. It helped..... and I thanked him.

About an hour into our journey of the night, I decided I wasn't going to make the night without going to the restroom. Just as we were about to venture out into the night, we both heard a cry shrieking out! No lie!! I said "Ok...so we are not going now!" David insisted we were. He knew there was no choice. He gave me a flashlight and togther we scurried to the Jeep. Yup....bathrooms were NOT in walking distance for the nightime. Did I mention we were "Wilderness Camping"?! Once we got to the restrooms, David had to scare away a skunk in the darkness. First rule of thumb, humans do not SCARE skunks....thankfully skunk scurried off. With business taken care of, we drove back to eerily dark and very silent camp site.

Needless to say....this girl didn't get much sleep that night. I heard coyotes.....I heard posinous dart blowing animals....<<if you're saying "HUH?" on that one - don't ask me, all I know is in the middle of the night I heard an animal come by our tent and shriek twice and it sounded something like what a posionous dart blowing animal would sound like>> and YES David heard the coyotes too....but not the posinous dart blowing animal. Ha! I could hear creeping, crawling noises along the ground too. All the while, I did not move for I didn't want to scare whatever the heck was out there and make it come eat us! :-) David and my son would later tell me "You WANT to make noises so they will run away....not come eat you!" Silly Mom.

I must have got some sleep though because I distinctly remember a baby leopard sitting on top of our tent while the mother leopard was coming for it and we were frantically trying to shoo it off. :-)

All in all....we did survive the night. No animals ate us.....and we lived to tell about it. No crazies found us. God was so good. Even in our fears and doubts - He still holds us and carries us through.....whether it be to the other side....or just the morning. But, I did have one small suggestion for the next night. Let's move to where there is electricity and maybe some people. :-)

Upon registering, we did find out that the employees were a bit confused to see someone actually at the spot we had designated. That's ok....we do like to do things differently. We had driven around, before registering, and had our pick of the park as to where we would move next. We decided to still remain in the vacant area of the park, only this time - we had electricity! And with electricity comes this beloved machine!!



Hooray!!! Now I could sleep!! And all those man eating critters out there would just have to find something else to chow down for the night!!

Next order of the day - - go hiking of course!! Hiking is one of our absolute favorites and we try to do it often!! In fact, we are in training for an up and coming BIG hiking trip we are taking that is just around the corner!! We are going to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and hiking to as many water falls as we can!! So, this was a great opportunity for us to try out our new hiking adventure clothes!

We hiked....and we hiked......and we hiked...... it was truly awesome!! We made it to the top of the mountain and found out that we had a temporary signal to reach anyone back home that we needed to. We continued on ..... It was really GREAT training, and I felt often like the mountain goat that apparently had been following us at one point. Steep and rough terrain......AWESOME!!

This next sequence of events is a true highlight to my story. . . . too awesome for words, in fact!

We hiked to a cave....Crystal Cave. We had been here before with our 3 kids, and about the bravest we had been was to simply stand several layers up from the cave entrance. Sooo....that was about as far as we thought we would go this time as well. Actually, David may be a little farther into the opening than before.



 

I decided to get my "brave" goin on and took my shot at posing in front of this menacing place too!

Little did I know what lay ahead. . . .



As we sat down to rest, another human soul appeared to be hiking also. Wow, someone else inhabited this mountain afterall! We made friendly talk with him and then down he went, just like that, into the cave....alone....no tour guide.....Heck, I didn't even see a flashlight on him!! At that point, I was determined to wait for him to come back out and tell us of his adventures!! He finally appeared.....he told us it was a really awesome place! I told him thanks for being our eyes and that he won the bravery award for that day! As he walked away, David said "Alright, are you ready to hike on?" That's when my adventure chromosome really kicked in.....I wasn't ready to leave! I kept looking to the mouth of the cave, and David saw the direction my eyes were directed to. He said "Are you wanting to go down in there???" I shook my head yes and got up with all the go-girl power I had summoned up. I was going to do this!! Have I mentioned that there is a "slight" fear of the fear of enclosed, dark, super creepy places?? As well as a fear of fear of claustraphobia?? I say a fear of the fear because David says I don't really have those things, but rather I'm just afraid that I do. Haha! I'll go with that. Since I was going, David decided he would join me. I was going first though. I climbed further down into the darkness. Upon peering inside for the first time, I noticed just how LOW the ceiling was....that was when I started balking at the decision. David coaxed me on and before you knew it my legs had carried me all the way into that deep, dark hole!! David came and walked further into the cave. Shining his flashlight up on to the ceiling, he said "Did you notice all these bats up here?!" I freaked out a TAD....."What....NO!!" He laughed and I came to where his light was. Although it was NOT bats it WAS spiders!! The ceiling was literally full of crawling spiders scrambling over one another!! How nice.....

As we stood there, I decided I wanted David to take my picture of my bravery!! I think it's such a COOL  picture. . . .

Shoot!! This girl was ready for more adventure!!

That's when I told David dear to go up and out of the cave and take more pictures of me....still inside the cave!! And.....he did......

I was just a speck and still very much inside that cave - hopefully just me, God and well - the spiders!

You can still see me only because I'm shining a light on myself. IF something decided to appear, out of the darkness, I knew I was not getting up and out of there anywhere fast! The rocks, climbing up and out, were slippery!! It was such an exhilarating feeling though!! O my gosh....I love feeling brave and adventerous!! :-) I do and can draw the line on some things, but this one...I didn't....and I was so glad!! 

I did climb out.......

And we continued our hiking. 

Afterwards, we had a nice lunch back at our camp site, and then we were off to have a bike ride. By the way, bike rides rate up there with hiking also....another favorite of ours. Riding on mountains of ROCK though can be rather B U M P Y! After the bike ride, we did indeed make it to the water. For those of you who may of thought that Garner is simply all about the water - there is so much more! :-) 

Although the water was waaaay down and we saw that floating it on our tubes pretty much wasn't going to happen....we had the best time! We found our own oasis. A pool of water with small waterfalls cascading around us. When we weren't in the "pool" we were in the "spa". The water was perfect too.....not too cold and not bath tub temp either.

That evening, we had a nice dinner of hot dogs, an adventure of spot-lighting, and then to bed.

This time, we had an elderly couple show up and camp within sight of us. We were not alone anymore. We did have a strange encounter though, as time went by into the night. A very odd couple with 2 kids seemed to want to arrive late and try out several different sites. They would drive ever so slowly by ours, and more than once it appeared they were pulling into our site. Great....just when you think all is gonna be well and settle down for a good rest....you get the strange ones coming out. By morning I don't know how many sites they had tried out ...they were still on the move! That's when the mysterious stories start conjuring in your mind....kidnappers? aliens checking you out from every angle? camp site testers? Haha! Life's always an adventure!

A new day dawneth and we were off on another hike!!

We hiked way up high and all around......

Did I tell you I may have seen one of those coyotes?!? We followed the way he went too!! Which was it more of.....me being tired and just wanting to go the closest way to the car OR the adventure that ensued?! Haha!

In fact, we hiked so much that David dear literally walked right off the soul of his boot! Thankfully, as he stumbled while doing so, that we were not on the moutain anymore!!  We had just come off the moutain and were walking down the road to our car.

We arrived back at our camp site, had a nice lunch, and loaded up the Jeep for our journey home.

Would you believe someone was actually waiting on our spot?!?! Out of all the countless sites available it seemed we had chosen one of the best....I guess. I think that's what those "strange people" were really wanting that night too! Haha!

It was truly a wonderful time..... a time of trust and a time of faith on our part. But, also a time of seeing God's true faithfulness to carry us through any situation in life - whether it be on the mountain tops or the valleys below. . . caves too. :-)

Thanks for letting me share as always!

And ..... live life as an adventure everyday! Even in the everyday mundane things of life there can be an adventure lurking around the corner just waiting for YOU !

"Slam the Door....HARD!"

What DO you do when the past comes knocking?

Do you answer it curiously? Do you resolve that THIS time you can handle it, and answer it knowing your strength will see you through? Do you answer it hoping no one else will know?

 -OR-

Do you slam the door shut, knowing NO good will come of it whatsoever?

I want to share something very personal with you regarding myself. Why? you may ask. Because in ALL things and through ALL things...I want God to be glorified and lifted up! And....because I want to encourage YOU to know that you're not alone in your struggles. There is HOPE !

This past weekend a voice from the past came calling. No, it wasn't a voice inside my own head, but rather a real voice. A voice I had NO desire whatsoever to associate with. And to let you know - I absolutely, positively chose the option mentioned above of slamming the door SHUT knowing NO good would come of it whatsoever! But, after I did.....fear began to creep in. Fear of things from the past that had been overcome through God's grace and healing, somehow resurfacing again. Fear of why was this voice even contacting me. Basically....fear of fear. As my heart was racing and I nervously prayed, God began to calm me. I read my Bible, and prayed, and wrote out memory verses, and wrote out God's promises, for the next two hours until my husband got home. I can testify to you that God was my anchor to hold onto during that time. He held me in his hands.

Upon my husband arriving home, I began to nervously unfold the evening to him, really not being sure of how he would react. Have I told you that the very character of God Himself has been placed inside my loving and dear husband? This beautiful gift, of someone more than a husband, is beyond describing what a true blessing he is to me. God knew in the beginning, before time ever started, who this girl would need in her life.....thank you God, with the most sincerest thanks. My husband not only listened to me pour my heart out, but also lovingly reassured me each step of the way<<<just as God did/would. He then prayed out loud for me. I did ask him if he would and he very willingly agreed. That is such a strength and one of the truest blessings to hear your spouse pray out loud for you. I encourage you to do it!! One of the things David prayed was that I would view God as the Father that He is - protecting his children, not letting anything happen that was not allowed for our own good. (A sidenote here: the next day at church, we sat behind a family. I watched the dad with his young daughter of about 7 or 8. He always kept his arm around her while standing or sitting. It was a beautiful picture of what our Lord does for us. Except I believe He holds us in his strong arms and carries us closest to his heart. But He never, ever lets go.)

To keep it clear and focused here - - God and God alone is the One to bring me through any of life's hurts, fears, shames, regrets, pain. He needs no help at all. My total dependence IS on the Savior of not only my salvation, but also my Savior Who lifts me from my problems of everyday life. God's beautiful grace is sufficent for me. I thank Him with a full heart for being enough for all my life's needs. 

And I know that He has also given me a help mate to walk with me through this life. To encourage me, to calm me, to hold me, to love me just as I am. Again....the very character of God. 

I don't want any confusion of someone thinking I esteem David as the one to get me through everything. 

I want to bring God's Words into this Blog. For my words can be taken as "O that's great and nice for her - - but what about me?"  So, it is for all those "me's" I share the following verses. May it bring God's encouragement and strength to your heart.

Psalm 55: 16-18 "But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battles waged against me, even though many oppose me."

Psalm 34:4 "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from ALL my fears."

Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped."

Psalm 31:1 In you O Lord have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame, deliver me in your righteousness."

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 31: 14-15 "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those that pursue me."

Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

These are some of the verses I have been committing to memory and using them. I strongly encourage to memorize verses if you are not. It helps in such enormous ways! In fact it is essential in two parts of wearing the full "armor of God"......the "shield of faith" and the "sword of the Spirit". Try it!! You will be glad you did!

Some others - -

Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by who we cry Abba! Father!"

Mark 5:36 "Don't be afraid - just believe."

Romans 8:37 "We are conquerors through him who loves us!"

Jeremiah 30:17 "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds declares the Lord."

Jeremiah 30: 10-11 I inserted my name and you can do the same - "Debby will again have peace and security and no one will make her afraid. I am with you and will save you declares the Lord."

Exodus 14: 13 "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. Verse 14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Lamentations 3:22 "Because of the Lord's great love we are NOT consumed, for his compassions never fail." 

Isaiah 41: 10 My most favorite verse in the Bible - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Before I end up quoting the entire Bible to you....I will stop for now. God's Words are just SO powerful and SO full of HOPE !! They are what we base our everything on.....hope, peace, joy, comfort, faith, trust, victory, freedom, ....... and the list goes on.......

And not only has God given us his Words through the Bible, but also through song! Friend, I also strongly encourage you to listen to christian music. . . for it uplifts the soul in so many wonderful and God honoring ways!! It truly has been such a source of encouragement and strength for me in my life.....and to think there was a time I had NO desire to listen to it at all. Thank you God for bringing me thus far.

I know my Blogs get long-winded....but please allow me to share through song also. . . 

Darlene Zschech with Israel Houghton : "In Jesus' Name"

"God is fighting for us. God is on our side. He has overcome. We will not be shaken. We will not be moved. Jesus, you are here - carrying our burdens, covering our shame. The resurrection power of Christ is alive in me and I am free! In Jesus name I will live, I will not die. I will declare and lift you on high. Christ revealed and I am healed. In Jesus name God is fighting for us. Pushing back the darkness. Lighting up the kingdom that cannot be shaken. In the name of Jesus enemy's defeated and we will shout it out."

A song I've never heard until this past Sunday sung by a person I've never heard as well. But, it spoke volumes of God fighting for us - not being shaken - he carries our burdens - covers our shame - and HIS power is alive in me!!

Forever Jones - "Hold Me Still"

"You said don't worry bout your future daughter. Just think about the things that matter. So I won't magnify the small things anymore. I'll only glorify the Father. Cause you hold me still. When the waves around me began to build, I'm in your hand. Though it's sometimes hard to stand. You have made my heart and you hold it still. So, don't involve yourself with useless chatter, just talk about the things that matter. And when you feel the world around you shatter, just lift your eyes up to the Father and he'll hold you still. Oh, I see the waves - I'm not afraid. I see the storm - I'm not shaken. I feel the world quake - my ground is stable."

Another song of strength, through the Father, when fears, doubts, worries try to come. He holds us still. No matter what - trust his strong arms around you, child of God.

A very favorite artist of mine - Mandisa: "Overcomer"

"Whatever it is you may be going through, I know He's not gonna let it get the best of you. You're not going under, cause God is holding you right now. God is the overcomer in you. <Yes I changed up the words a tad because I'm NOT the overcomer, but rather HE is the overcomer in me!> Just take a breath, don't forget to hang on to his promises. The One who overcomes death is living inside you. Fix your eyes on the One who holds your life. For there's nothing he can't do."

God overcomes in us what we cannot do for ourselves!! Thank ya Jesus!!! Nothing consumes and nothing overwhelms....because we hold onto his promises.

Just one more song!!!!!

Chris Tomlin - also a favorite - "Our God!"

"Into the darkness you shine - out of the ashes we rise. Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, He is higher than any other. Our God is Healer and awesome in power. And if our God is for us then WHO could ever stop us? And if our God is with us then WHAT can stand against us?" My answer-- NOTHING!

Nothing formed against us shall stand......period. For God IS stronger, greater,  and higher than any other!! 

Friend, as I said, I know my Blogs are long, but there is just SO much of God's goodness to share with you!! I could keep listing song after song as well as verse after verse!! And along with Chris August, I will sing to you - -  "I will sing about your love, I will shout it to the sky. I will tell of what you've done, when the people ask me why I live my life this way - I'll say that I am unashamed of You!! For what your grace did and what your grace does!!"

And THAT, my friend, is why I share.........

"A Day of Disappointments or a Day of Blessings??"

Ever had one of those days when your entire day was full of plans that kept changing? Ever had a day when you were actually excited and looking forward to those plans you made - only to seemingly keep being met with disappointment?

That's pretty much how my past Thursday was playing out.

It began with plans to go to Kemah Boardwalk and enjoy our delicious and much anticipated meal of pizza and Cesar salad. If you've known anything about us then you know we that we look forward to each week of driving a hour away to enjoy one of our most favorite meals of the week. We never eat anywhere else while in Kemah - only this one place. If you are wondering why I keep elaborating, it's because I want to emphasize the excitement it holds for us! :) Are you with me? This place is a true highlight to our week!

David dear remembered that he had not called about a recall on our washer. What better day to remember?! He makes the call, and long story short, he agrees to a open window time of 1-5....on our Kemah day. Wait a minute.....did you possibly forget how important this day is, dear??!! Surely not.
I was just a little set back.....ok NO I was VERY setback!! And yes....I had to pout for a time. I mean c'mon, let's be honest here. Much of my pouting is simply amusing to dear husband.....and rightly so. I'm sure I'm a pathetic case. He calmly and nicely told me "We can do Kemah tomorrow." It wasn't just no Kemah that upset me - we also had plans to do our training we are in for an up and coming adventure we are taking at the end of September. Those plans would also be put until tomorrow.

Sooo....I decided (after a bit) to make the best of it. David gave me two choices of what we could eat and I
UN-excitedly chose one. I texted our oldest daughter, before we left, thinking that she was at work. I thought I would just let her know our plans anyway. Turns out....she wanted to meet us there. Hmm...how bout that!

We met her there and had a very nice lunch as well as good fellowship.
Was this lunch a blessing? Yup!
I had previously told her of our plans to go to Kemah and she had declined saying she needed to go into work. IF we had followed through with our plans then we would have missed this blessing of food and fellowship with a daughter that needs us in her life....and we need her too.

Setback # 2- After lunch, we went our way and daughter went hers. I knew we had to stay close to home due to waiting on repairman coming. That's when I thought that hubby and I would go to the woods and train. Uhh....hubby had another idea up his sleeve. He told me "Do you want me to surprise you or do you want to know where we are going?" I normally would go for the surprise, but today, nope give it to me up front. He said "We are going to the gym and training." Did I mention I know how to pout?!?

Here we go again.....
Seriously....the gym is considered in my top 5 most  boring places to exercise!! It literally makes number 1 on the list!! We are working out on the treadmills. No beautiful scenery around you. Absolutely NO reward or incentive is given while you are sweating and exerting your full energy. I need scenery, people, like the WOODS. I need a reason to have exerted that much energy by seeing something really awesome in the woods such as a waterfall, deer, mountainsides, rivers, trees falling down....something!! Ok you get the point again....I don't like the gym.

We drive to the gym and I very glumly walk inside. And just about as glumly, I began to workout on the treadmill. My super, wonderful husband tries to make me smile and have a decent attitude. He is so super wonderful....but even so. The girl goes glumly on. During this time, a girl approaches us. That girl turns out to be our second daughter! She had come to work out also. Neither of us knew the other would be there. We were both pleasantly surprised. This second daughter we see so very little of as it is, so you can maybe imagine the surprise. As we continued our workout, she visited us for a time. She was waiting her turn on one of the machines. Once she was able to workout, she did in fact come back our way and continue the visit. She delighted herself in increasing Mom's incline as well as her speed, however. Make that dramatic increases!! Much to Mom's frantic exclamations and trying her best to keep atop this crazy machine...she laughed merrily on. O gee!
Was this encounter a blessing? You betcha!

Afterwards, we took our tired bodies home.

 - Showers done - we waited. Yes....for the repairman. To which, as you can guess, he never called and never made a showing. David called and guess what they said? "O we can schedule you for tomorrow." I shouted out "NO!" I wasn't about to give up another beloved Kemah day!! David told them that he only would allow them to come out IF they would come before 11am. No later! They could not guarantee it and required him to call the repair company himself the following day to confirm it. Yada-yada-yada......

Setback #3 - Now...it was time to decide where we were going to eat dinner for the evening. We chose a place hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded. Something about Thursday evenings makes people want to go out, I'm tellin ya. The more I thought about this place....the more I really wanted to try it again. Guess what? We were met with "It will be a 30-40 minute wait." And to think this was BEFORE 7pm and on a week night!!
Here we go again....
Ok, so I only pouted a tad. But, I really was NOT excited about going to our next choice. It was close by though and my David was really hungry. We got in line and I decided to call our son to let him know where we were at. While talking to him, I casually said "Do you wanna come?" all the while expecting him to say no. To my surprise....(lots of surprises on this day) he says yes! He very rarely enjoys eating out with us and we eat out alot! He either is working, with friends, or sleeping (his favorite hobby). He met us up there and once again we were having a very nice meal and fellowship with yet another one of our children.
Was this dinner a blessing? Absolutely!

Later that evening, as I'm relaying the day to myself, I came up with the very profound assumption - - God wanted us to be with our children today! I voiced my thoughts to David and he quite agreed. He also brought light to my thinking when he confidently shared "There is going to be a Blog in here somewhere." The man knows what he is talking about. Through his enlightment of helping me to see the grander side of things AND as always God helping me to write and share.....a Blog surely did come forth! :-)

Together God, David and I put together these 3 points resulting from our day:

1. God's plans are stronger than ours.
2. God's plans are better than ours.
3. We can't screw up God's plans.

I don't think I need to spell it out for you any, for it is quite clear. :-)
We make plans - God has the  plans. We get disappointed - God shows us better.

If you would allow me, I would like to share the verses I have found to support these points. . .

Proverbs 19: 21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  
Proverbs 20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?" 
Psalm 25:11 "He will instruct him in the way chosen for him."
Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." 
Psalm 33:11 "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Psalm 75:2 "You say, 'I choose the appointed time...."
Job 42: 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."
Proverbs 21:30 "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."

So, we see that God always has the plans. He directs and instructs us in those plans. And....we canNOT screw up those plans. Thank ya Jesus!!

At times we must wait to see the plans unfold. What does God ask from us during this time?

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope."
Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." 
Psalm 38:15 "I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God."
Psalm 33:20-21 "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name." 

We wait with hope and patience and rejoicing.....knowing he will answer us in his appointed time.

For we know that he "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made." Psalm 145:13

Thank you, God, that you turned this girl's day of disappointement into truly a day of BLESSINGS!!!

"That's My Boy!"

Today....many parents, along with me, are saying it's my son/daughter's last first day of school!
Yes, my son is a Senior today, August 26, 2013. He not only is just my son approaching the milestone of graduation, he is also my baby. Woo-Hoo!! the very last one of three!! {Waving our hands in the air excitedly} For the past continous 20 years (1993-2013) we have had a child attending school. It's time to celebrate, people!!! :-)

And today, I celebrate my Levi . . .

From the days of Pre-School 2000

 The first days of Kindergarten 2001 . . .

The first days of Kindergarten 2001 . . .

 The first bus ride home 2001 . . .

The first job 2012 . . .

The first car/truck 2012 . . .

The first happy drive 2012 . . .

The first change of wardrobe for new 2nd job 2013. . .

Second new job 2013 . . .

Second new job 2013  . . .

Second new car within a year 2013  . . .

To the second new car being in a Nismo-Fest Cruise with my baby driving speeds up to 120 mph and taking hairpin curves through mountainous roads on a 7 hour journey!

And all the very wonderful memories made in between . . . today I celebrate you, my Levi.

I love YOU with a sincere heart and I am proud of YOU my son.

__________________________________________________________________________________

For my readers reading along, I share something with you . . .

I am proud of my son . . .

No, he isn't excelling in any sports. He doesn't participate in any. When he was participating, he wasn't the best, nor the second, and nor the third. He was average.

No, he isn't excelling in academics. He isn't taking any "Honors" classes. His grades aren't A's and B's. He doesn't love to read. He has no great thirst to succeed in school, but rather just to get by. He is average.

No, he isn't serving and participating in youth mission trips, evangelizing, and being "on fire" for God as a youth can be. He doesn't even attend the same church we do, but rather has chosen to go with a friend to another. He is average.

No, he doesn't have great and wonderful plans for after graduation. No, his desire isn't to go to college. He possibly is considering joining the Air Force, but in that undecided. He is average. 

No, he isn't a perfect child who has never struggled, nor strayed from what he knows to be right. No, he isn't full of obedience and respect all of the time. He is average.

But what he is is my son and God's gift to me. . . a thankful and proud mother. 

You see I've had to learn a thing or two {or three} in this life. One of them is it gets you nowhere good when you stop and compare your child with another child. Your child may excel at everything he tries and my son may not. Your child may excel at academics and my son may not. Your son may have great and grand plans for after school and my son may not. Your son may be involved in youth groups and my son may not. But does that really change the fact that your son is a blessing to you and my son is a blessing to me? I would like to think not. 

I know that my God has given me this son and placed in life where HE wants him to be. All my hopes, dreams, desires for all that I want my son to be mean nothing when they are wrapped up in the external things. What truly matters - is he seeking to live his life for God where God has placed him? I pray that he is. Is he desiring a closer fellowship with God in his daily average life? I pray that he is. Does he understand what it means to be devoted to God in this average life? I pray that he does. 

Friend, don't get caught up in comparing. It will lead you down a road you don't want to travel. 

Rather set your heart and mind on thankfulness. Thankful for who your son or daughter IS and all the beautiful blessings they bring to you.....whether they are high excellers.....or just plain average. 

For in both God has promised in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." and also in Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

TRUST those plans and good works, that God has for your child, whatever they may be....average or not. 

"Have YOU Ever Done This?"

Want to know something really COOL ? I hope so, because I'm gonna tell you!!

The Bible says God is Holy.
This means He is perfect. He has never sinned, cannot sin, and will never sin. He is so perfect that sin cannot live in His presence.

On the other hand, the Bible says man has done wrong.
I've lied - you've lied. I've coveted/been jealous - you've coveted/been jealous. I've dishonored my Mother and my Father - you've dishonored your Mother and your Father. The Bible calls wrong doing - sin.

And there is the great problem.
Our sin cuts us off from God. If sin cannot live in the presence of God and sin is in us, then we cannot live in the presence of God. Our sin cuts us off from God in this life. Therefore, when we die, we will go to a very terrible place called Hell.

But God loves us SO much!
In spite of our sin, God sent His one and only son, Jesus. This is why Jesus Christ is such a BIG DEAL! Jesus Christ came into this world and died on the cross for our sins. God took all of our sinfulness and placed it on Jesus. So, when Jesus died, He was paying our penalty for our sins. And when Jesus arose from the dead, our debt was paid in FULL ! So....now anyone can have their sins forgiven and have a personal relationship with Him.

The Bible says if you believe this is true. . .

• God is perfect
• Man is sinful
• Sin cuts us off from God
• Jesus died for our sins

and you are willing to surrender yourself to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior - then you will be made right with God.

Have YOU ever done this?

Since this is a Blog and I have no way of knowing your personal answer to that question, I'm going to give you choices of what your answer might be. You choose where you best fit in.

Yes - that's fantastic!! I'm a Christ Follower too! The Bible tells us that when we receive Jesus, as our Lord and Savior, He gives us a new heart! He gave me a new heart by wanting to know Him, seek Him, and live only for Him. How has it changed you? Where is your relationship with Jesus Christ now?

No - You can do this right NOW in this very moment!

As I've shared in previous Blogs, it's as simple as A,B,C!

A= Accept that you are a sinner in need of a Savior.

B= Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose from the grave.

C= Confess, with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and call upon Him to save YOU from your sins.

Know that Jesus is right there with you and hears you when you call upon Him.

"For EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord will BE saved!" Romans 10:13.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that NOT of yourself, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. >>If it were by works someone would ALWAYS be better than you. Whose to say where the line would be drawn??

What do I do after I have received Jesus as my Lord and Savior?

Find a church! Get baptized! Read the Bible - start with the book of John or my favorite - Psalm.

But know that these things do not seal or complete your salvation. Your salvation was sealed when you accepted, believed, and cofessed. These are just steps that God asks us to take in order to grow in Him as we should. Baptism is only an outward expression to others of an inward change.

And so as I close this Blog, I leave you with this one question again. . .

Have YOU ever done this?