Directly from our CD:

Gotta Have Faith

8082012

I have been blessed time and time again to see God provide in amazing ways for the things I need! Last week I received a free tire and my school bill for summer got paid off! It amazes me to see God work things out time and time again. However, last night I got a little wake up call from God as I realized I have trusted Him for big things, but not little things.
I was spending some time focusing on praying for myself and things I am dealing with and said to God, “I’m sorry, I keep asking for things and having to trust you to give it to me.” What a terrible thing to say to the God who promises to provide for me! Who calls me His child and says He will not withhold things from me. How awful of me to keep Him out of parts of my life that He desperately wants to be a part of because He knows what is best in each situation. I realized that God wants to be part of everything I am part of. He wants to me to make known the things I want and need and He delights in giving them to me. It does not mean that God is my personal Santa that I can make a wish and have it come on demand, but it is about the faith involved in believing that I am not expected to take care of everything myself. He wants to provide for me! So I am making a decision to trust God for all the things I want and need allowing Him to work it all together and be my provider!

If you are reading this please take the time to be a part of God’s plan to help me register for school this semester. Simply go to http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E2088316&from=MYEVENTS&verify=true and make a purchase! I will receive 20% of the commission made from your purchase. Plus you will be entered in for a chance to win $25 in free products when the fundraiser is over!!! Don’t miss this opportunity to support not only me, but all the people I am directly influencing this semester! Share the link with your friends and get the word out there!! Thank you so much!

Thank you for reading and sharing our journey.  If you are interested in purchasing from ThirtyOne Gifts to help us raise funds, we would be so appreciative! 

Praise God from whom ALL blessing flow....

God's girl,

Pamela

The Founders' Key by Larry P. Arnn - a book review

I'm not too sure how to begin....I usually love reading but this was one book that I really struggled to just pick up!

My apologies to Mr. Arnn, I simply did not like this book.

Many times while trying to read it, I felt it was written in circles and that while I had already grasped the concept he was trying to get across, I would then get lost in the wording and have to re-read the section to fully understand what was being said. And, I'm not even sure that made sense.

I do believe we need to gain a better understanding of what our Founders' wanted to establish for America, though, and if you are a very deep reader this book may be just the one for you.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

God's girl,

Pamela

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

God provides....

Update:  All the monies due were miraculously given in time for CD to move in and begin working with other YFN interns!!!  I knew that God would provide!  Her next due date is the beginning of July, to finish paying for this summer session.  She still needs quite a bit, but I am still confident that my God is big enough to provide for what He has called her to do!  Thank you for your part!!!

I'm not even sure how to begin.....my heart isn't heavy, but life didn't go the way we had planned today.
CD had planned to move back to school today and start on her summer internship, working at the Summer youth camp they host.  She has been so excited, basically sitting on pins and needles the few weeks she has been here! Being a dorm counselor at youth camp has been a dream of hers for a very long time!

We packed up her car and she headed off. About an hour later, she calls.....she can't move in until she has paid a registration fee for this Summer session. We thought that when last semester's bill was paid off that she would be able to register and pay out the Summer monies over the next few weeks.

Obviously, we were wrong!

I know that God provides and I feel very strongly that I am supposed to post this on my blog....even though it goes against some of my rules of personal sharing.

I'm not specifically asking anyone to come forward and pay it, but rather to join with us in prayer, knowing that God does provide!

God has never failed us!!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow......like needed finances!

God's girl, Pamela

Mother's Day....different

I have battled within myself for several hours just how I was going to write this post....and I've decided to take the high road! Years from now, if one of my precious girls comes across this blog, I want them to be proud of me - and that I did it different!

This is my last "Mother's" Day....not that I plan on going anywhere any time soon, but rather, the last Mother's Day that I choose to make the day for myself and my family - and it's not even Mother's Day. This is Cupcake's senior year and when she moves out of the house, there will be no need for me to fix them breakfast in bed! And I don't plan on doing it again for quite some time!

See, I realized many years ago that if I was going to be a Mom on Mother's Day, I had to take some things into my own hands. My Dear isn't really good at 'taking care' of celebrating birthdays or special days and I spent a few years frustrated; I was feeling like he must not care very much about me if he wouldn't be willing to take a moment of Mother's Day to actually make me feel special!

I did the whole pout and stomp routine, the silent treatment, the whine....to put it simply, I acted like one of our children! And that was not the way I wanted my girls to see me on Mother's Day!

So, I prayed!

The meaning of Motherhood is selflessness, right? I wanted that to be what my children saw, I didn't want to be THAT Mother....the one they remembered more for being selfish than selfless. So, I continued to pray! I realized that I could make the day what I wanted it to be....I alone could choose to be happy!!! My Dear and my girls are not responsible for my happiness - that is up to me.

Now, before you think the worst of My Dear, let me say that he is not perfect, but I bet most men aren't! However, he loves me well. He doesn't 'believe' in celebrating days that are only special on a calendar....i.e., Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays. He believes more in making random days feel special; he brings home pizza on a Wednesday evening, just so I don't have to cook and clean the kitchen! He invites us up for lunch on days off from school, just so we can spend time together. He takes us out after a big rainstorm to look at the swollen creeks - and that is a really fun adventure where we get to see different kinds of wildlife that we normally don't see.

Sometimes, though, I would really like those special days to be celebrated, and when the girls were small, Mother's Day was one of those.

So, God answered my prayer - and gave me wisdom instead of a more compliant husband or children!!!

About 10 yrs ago, I thought instead of whining about always being the first person up and not getting breakfast in bed on Mother's Day that I would take them breakfast in bed that morning....it is Mother's Day after all, and that means Mother gets to do what she wants, right??

That has become the tradition around here and coming upon this Mother's Day, I found myself looking forward to taking them breakfast in bed and made the decision that since this is Cupcake's last year of high school - really??? - that I would make this the last year to make them breakfast and take it to them in bed. Then, we figured out that Cupcake's prom is the night before and that CD would be moving her stuff back home that day from school.

The meaning of all that....neither of my children will be here the morning of Mother's Day! At first, I kind of kicked and screamed and told Cupcake that I didn't want her staying out all night 'cause the next morning was my last Mother's Day to fix breakfast for her. Then, I sadly realized I was being THAT Mom again.....hanging selfishly on to what I wanted of the day! Man, I am really selfish, huh???

You see, that is why I got up this morning and fixed Monkey Bread for my precious family. CD was up before I could take it to her in bed but Cupcake and My Dear were awakened by the yummy aroma of me carrying it into the bedrooms. I would say overall, it was a huge success.

Besides that, both of my girls have found an opportunity this week to thank me for specifically being their Mom....life affirming words from my precious girls that I would not trade for anything - especially breakfast in bed!

I do still feel that Dad's should teach their children how to honor Mom, even on Mother's Day, but I can't change my sweet man, only God can do that if it is necessary.

I am loved and that is what matters at the end of the day. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.....like My Dear, CD and my soon to be grown Cupcake!

God's girl, Pamela