Kindness from a 5th grader & why is it Thanksgiving already?

November 17, 2014November 17, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

The other morning, while my Miss Neenee was eating breakfast, she posed a question to me.

“Mama, if you have $17 how much more do you need for it to be $25?”

Seriously, I don’t need this kind of stuff that early in the morning. But, I tried. I looked around for my phone. I obviously needed to consult my calculator. My calculator doesn’t care how simple the math problems are. My calculator respects the fact I need math help. But, my phone was still plugged up, back in my bedroom. So, I had to take drastic measures. I figured it out in my head. Which really made for a bad morning & by the way, made my head hurt.

I said,

“Probably about $8. Why? Who needs $25?”

Then, she begins to explain that she didn’t think a boy, in her class at school, had enough money to go on a field trip with everyone. She said her & her bestie decided they would try to help pay for him to go. She said the money had to be turned in by tomorrow. So, today they were going to figure out how much money they had between them.

My heart melted right there over the ham sandwiches I was making. You know, 5^th grade has been hard, so far. They are changing classes & have different teachers all throughout the day. The kids are getting more responsibilities. The kids are maturing. They are a bit dramatic & wearing their sassy pants for sure. I worry & want Miss Neenee to keep her head on straight. Be her own person & not get caught up with all the goings on around her. But somehow, she always comes around with her kind heart.

The apostle Paul instructed the church at Ephesus in

Ephesians 4:31-32

³²And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (NKJV)

Miss Neenee & her friend are definitely working on having the Fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)

I just pray she can keep a pure heart. Kids will be kids. I am not a perfect parent. However, I believe the main ingredient in the recipe of raising kids is this:

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. (NKJV)

That means I have some responsibility to my kids. I have to keep my own heart clean.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (NKJV)

Do I fail? Sure, but Jesus knows I am doing my best to remain faithful. (Revelation 2:10) That is what is important- remaining in a good standing with Jesus. My prayer is not only for my own children, but for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or any small children close to you. For them to understand the importance of being kind & loving a great God. We are all in this together. Whether you want to admit it or not. We are responsible for helping each other. That’s what the Lord would want.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I love it when you take time to visit. We had some snow last night. Of course, we were all in a panic. This morning, by the time we made it out the door, there was none to be seen anywhere. On another note, has anyone told you next week is Thanksgiving?? As in, not this week, but next week? My sweetie and I have already been contemplating the turkey. This year, I’m afraid we may just out do ourselves. We shall see. I hope you have a great rest of the week. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

And don’t get me started about how I am tired of seeing Christmas trees up before Thanksgiving. I’m with the turkey on this one.

photo credits: pinterest, gadel.info,mysocalledjunkylife.blogspot.com,marionsmeeping.blogspot.com, afttimes.com

Why we have pain & suffering & yes, I’m a band wagoner

November 12, 2014November 11, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Do you ever ponder the question why? Why do we have pain & suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are there starving people? If God is all He says He is, then why do all these terrible things exist? I think I found out.

This morning, I was listening to Matthew 26 & 27, on the way to work. The scripture was at the point where Jesus was prepping his disciples of what is fixing to happen to Him. Jesus was getting ready to suffer beyond belief. Not only was He going to be crucified on a cross for our sins, His very best friends in the world, were one by one turning their backs on Him. Judas betrayed Him. (Matt. 26:25) Peter denied Him. (Matt. 26:74)

The other disciples ran off & left Him.

Matthew 26:56 ….. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

And now, He was being hung on a cross. Jesus begged God to rethink His plan. But, ended up praying

Matthew 26:42 ….“O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”(NKJV)

I think I’ve got problems. My problems will never match up to what Jesus had going on. I haven’t ever been treated the way Christ was. So, I start to ask myself

“Where was God?”

Why did He let this awful thing happen to His own Son? It was God’s plan to save mankind. He knew what He was doing. Why does God allow bad things happen in the world? It’s in His plan. Job said in

Job 2:10 Shall we indeed accept good from God & shall we not accept adversity?(NKJV)

We are so willing to take all the goodness God gives. However, just can’t understand when bad things come our way. God gave His only Son for our sins. He let Jesus go through some awful things. Remember that then next time you ask God, “Why me?” Why not you? He crucified His own Son for our own good. He may let some less than pleasing things happen to us, for our greater good. It’s all in His plan. He has promised He will never allow satan to tempt us over & beyond what we are able to handle. The apostle Paul wrote in

I Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We have to trust in God to take care of us. Even in the worst times, we have to have enough faith to say, “I have some big problems, but I have a really big God that’s going to see me through it.” Always remember, God promised us a safe landing, not an easy passage. He allowed His own Son to die on a cross. I am fairly certain that turned out pretty good for me & you, huh? That was God’s plan. We just have to trust Him. He’s got this.

I hope you have had a good week. We had a wonderful time with my family in Oxford, Mississippi, this past weekend. We may or may not have had the biggest tailgating tent at the entire Ole Miss campus. Just sayin’, it was pretty fabulous. Normally, I could care less who is playing ball. But this year, yep, I’m on the band wagon! :)I love being with my family. I got home just in time to be with more of my family. This grandparent gig we have going on is the cat’s pajamas. We play all day & it’s a good thing. I always get a wonderful night’s sleep on Sunday. (Not that it has to do with all the running around those kids have me doing.) Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Not that ya’ll care, but this is where the tailgating fun is.

Inside the Hotty Toddy Hangout…

If I were a bettin’ woman, I bet this guy was pretty tired when he got home. He did this every time Ole Miss made a touchdown.

Lovely cousins

These sweet girls had such a good time together.

Me & my Miss Livy

Time change is for the birds & my secret sister

November 6, 2014November 5, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Ooohhh, the time change……..Really, is this change necessary? I mean, at work Monday around 2:30pm, I thought it was time for me to go home. Imagine my surprise. Since, I work until 5pm, that was definitely upsetting for me. Next time they take a vote for cancelling daylight savings time, will someone let me know? I perhaps have a strong opinion about it. Thanks ya’ll. Because time change is hard.

Isn’t it wonderful the love of the Lord never changes? It is a very constant thing for those who are His. Do you wonder sometimes if Jesus still cares? He does. He never changes. We all get discouraged. We all have struggles. It’s every day, for some of us. Not just occasionally. It is nearing the time of year that is, harder than normal, for us folks who have lost loved ones. Times come when you feel you just can’t go on. It may be the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, a divorce, or sickness, whether it be you or someone you care about. Things happen. Things that we don’t plan for. Change happens. But, I am here with some good news, the Lord is here for us. The whole time. Not just for the parts that are easy. He will be with you as long as you will let Him. He wants us all to have a home in heaven. Now, that’s a change I am happy about. I will gladly change my earthly address in exchange for a heavenly home.

David talks about his own troubling times in Psalms 30. David had a man killed, so that he could take his wife. David & his new wife had a baby & the baby died. (II Samuel 12) David was so full of grief. He called on God. He knew His love was there. Never changing.

Psalms 30: 2

Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. ^{v. 3}You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. (NKJV)

The Lord obviously loved David. He was right there for him. Even though David did wrong, God came back to him, when he repented.

Psalms 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.(NKJV)

Have you ever stayed up at night & wanted relief? Didn’t things look much better in the morning? David found favor with God. God made sure he was there for David. Why? Because God’s just awesome like that. He’s a dependable. He never changes. And after the baby died, David went to worship the Lord. David was changed. He knew the same Lord that allowed bad things to happen to him, was the same Lord that blessed him. He knew God was going to take care of everything. And He did.

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. Did you know it’s only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving? I am so excited! I can’t wait for all of our family to be together. There is ne’er a dull moment with my bunch. There will be lots of cooking, eating, & fun times. And too, my secret sister, from the Only a Breath encouragement project, sent me a card this week. She wrote a beautiful scripture in it. Do you know where it was from? Psalms 30. I had been reading & studying that very scripture the same day I got the card. Now tell me the Lord didn’t just send me a friend! I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: deposit photos, pinterest

Prayers for Lightning McQueen & you know what I think?

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

As you may already know, I love to pray. I love prayer. I believe without prayer, we are helpless. I try to show the little ones in my Wednesday night Bible class how important prayer is. We have a prayer pail, where we put the names of people we want to pray for on popsicle sticks. Then, each child draws a stick out of the pail. When they read the name on the stick, that’s who they pray for. I enjoy this activity because it gives the class an opportunity to lift others up in prayer. I especially like to hear who the kids are concerned about. We have all kinds of prayer requests. One of my favorites came from a little boy, who obviously has a tender heart. One Wednesday night, as the kids were getting settled in, I asked the question,

“Does anyone have someone, they know of, that needs prayer?”

This little boy answered, “Lightning McQueen! Because those other cars really get after him.”

Just thinking about this makes me smile. My little Bible student understood the concept of asking Jesus to help. He knew if he went to Jesus in prayer, he was making a wise choice. In our class, we do pray for actual people. Even though, we have also been known to pray for a flying squirrel, too. Hey, if you had of heard the sad story of how sick this squirrel was, you would have been praying along with us. These kids have the kindest hearts. They know Jesus will take care of whatever they ask. They trust in Him. That’s all any of us should strive to do.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Prayer is comforting. Last night, I got a text message from a sweet friend that simply said,

“I’ve been thinking of you & praying for you.”

That automatically made me happy & feel good inside. Like chocolate gravy & biscuits good! You see, just knowing I am thought of & loved is a wonderful feeling only Jesus can give.

On another random note- not that ya’ll care, but I have a little list of things, I have written down in the past few weeks, that may or may not have to do with the fact I ran out of hormones. These are in no certain order of how I have felt about some events in my life. You may or may not agree with them, but here is the list titled :

You Know What I Think?

1. I think if you are in the passing lane you should pass.

2. I think blinkers are put on vehicles for reasons.

3. I think some middle school teachers should rethink their career path.

4. I think people should do more of what I say & less of what they think is a good idea.

5. I think 15 lbs of corn meal would make a big pone of cornbread.

6. I think spoken words should be put off until later on in the morning.

7. I think coffee doesn’t judge me. Coffee understands.

8. I think folks should be thankful for what they have instead of trying to ruin it for everybody else.

9. I think people could use some of the time they spend checking Facebook to read scripture on their Bible app.

10. I think your mood should not dictate your manners.

I hope everyone is having a good week. We have had some lower temperatures in northeast Mississippi this week. We have our hayride at church Saturday night. It should be lots of fun. Until then, I should be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: photoswithquotes, Disney, pinterest

Tired of waiting? The Lord has a remedy for that & my sewing project

October 9, 2014October 9, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

How many of you love to wait? Ok, why is no one raising their hands? Probably because you are like me & do not care very much for having to wait. We live in a society that, the quicker we can have results, the better. Our time is too precious to be wasted on waiting. However, there is a wonderful virtue to be had by learning to wait. That is the characteristic of patience or sometimes referred to as longsuffering.

Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law

God has patience. So it must be a good thing. He doesn’t ask us to do things He wouldn’t do himself.

Psalm 86:15 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁵But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

The Lord is very patient with us. He wants everyone to have a home in heaven.

2 Peter 3:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,^[a] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

If you get tired of waiting, you should know it’s ok. It’s a work in progress. God wants us to discipline ourselves to wait. This leads to being righteous & will finally give us a home with Him in heaven.

Romans 2:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:^[a] ⁷eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

Life gets hard sometimes. You want an answer. You don’t want to have to go through a rough time. Nobody does. God’s patience even runs out.

Jeremiah 44:22 New King James Version (NKJV)

²²So the Lord could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day.

But we must realize if we are patient, there is a reward for it.

Galatians 6:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Matthew 25 : 46 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴⁶And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalms 62: 1 New King James Version (NKJV)

Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.

Being patient, waiting & wondering if God is even listening can be disheartening. But God is good. He is right on time every time. When your patience is being tried, & you’ve prayed & prayed & waited for an answer, remember- there are 3 answers to prayer.

Yes

& wait

God’s not being mean. He’s trying to mold you into what He wants you to be. And goodness gracious who does not need some improvement in their lives? We just need to understand waiting & patience is necessary for our walk with the Lord. So, you see my friend, patience is something we must have. We have got to condition ourselves to wait on God. We have to empty ourselves of doubt, fear, & gloom & doom. Then we can fill ourselves with the things of the Lord, like faith, hope, & love.

And talk about somebody needing patience. I made this little dress for my granddaughter. I may have had to re-do some certain parts a time or two. Me & bias tape have this love/hate relationship going on. Oh well, it all worked out. She’s going to look so sweet in it!

I am so glad you stopped by today. I hope everything is going well for you. With fall in the air, I think everybody is in a little bit better mood. We will be making our annual trip to Ames Plantation this weekend. I can’t wait. You can read more about this fun festival here. As for now, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: http://www.theladiesfeed.wordpress.com,www.ninapaley.com,www.art-of-inspired-living.com,www.curiositesbydickens.com

How I found Faith at the local Sonic & loving Bible study

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Does anyone besides me live in the land of convenience? We schedule everything, to our leisure. My Mamaw used to wash clothes on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, she would go out to the cellar & crank up that old washing machine. It was one of the old ones that had the wringer you put the clothes in. Similar to this one.

Now, I can load a ton of clothes in my high efficiency washer & schedule when I want it to wash. It can wash right then. Or I can schedule it for 3hours or 6 hours to commence to getting our clothes clean. Convenience. Then, there is my dishwasher. My Mamaw did not have a dishwasher. She hand washed everything that passed through her sink. Right then. There was ne’er a dirty dish in her sink. My dishwasher will allow you to schedule the washing of the china (which is actually Corelle), at 3 or 6 hours. What ever is best for me, is just fine with the dishwasher.

There are some things that we must not do out of convenience or leisure. Bible reading is one of them. Not saying reading the Bible in your leisure time is not a great way to spend your time. Just saying it should be a priority, not something you leave to do if you have time. Reading the Bible is a wonderful way of having your faith strengthened. Prayer is our avenue we use to talk to the Lord. And he wants to hear from us & what we have to say. The Bible is the Lord talking back to you. What kind of relationship would you have with someone if you were the one doing the talking all the time? You never took time to listen to what the other person had to say. That’s why I believe it is so important to make time to listen to the Lord daily. We should be hungry for his word. Not, something we just check off our daily list of to dos.

II Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

II Peter 1:4

⁴by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

What kind of promises are these that Peter talks about? If we don’t read our Bibles, then, we won’t ever know.

Satan tries to

Limit your Bible Study

Because he knows your

Bible study will

Limit him

Melanie over at Only a Breath, has begun a faith series about reading the Bible. It starts today. Go on over & see what she has to share about Bible reading. I will be joining her for this wonderful series. I hope you will make a little time to be with us.

We had a funny thing happen to us Sunday night. We attended church at a sister church. The churches in our area sponsor Campaign for Christ. Which is like an area wide meeting or revival . The preacher spoke about faith. He spoke about how to have faith, having faith, & how faith works in our lives. It was a wonderful night. There was 1,013 folks in attendance. It was a great night. (Did I already say that?) We really enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards, Miss Neenee suggested we stop for ice cream. I placed our order & waited for the deliciousness to arrive. After awhile, the carhop came out to the car. Of course we were excited to see her. She came bearing sundaes! As I was handing the treats to my daughters, I noticed her name tag. You know what her name was? Faith. Coincidence? I think not.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. My past weekend was full of little boys playing, rippin’ & rompin’. We made a trip to see the ducks & to the park. Even though there was a fare amount of ballin’ & squallin’ their eyes out when we were leaving. Fun was had by all. (Hey, sometimes little kids don’t want good times to end.) And by Monday, I was going to work to rest. Thank the Lord for sweet grandbabies. Amen. Until we go on more adventures, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Mr. Sweetie Pants blew out the candles on his Mickey Mouse cake like a boss

Mr. Sweetie Pants had a happy birthday!

Hang on boys ya’ll are gettin’ too close to the water!

Come up here & let me make your picture by this tree.

Now let’s get to sliding down the slide!

How I had my faith strengthened & it’s ok to pick up your dirty socks

September 26, 2014September 26, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

You know, I never get tired of having my faith strengthened. God is such a working God. He is on time, every time. This past week, a sweet friend shared with me a beautiful story of God being hard at work in her life.

A friend of mine has been going through some trials. She has had her fair share of ups & downs here of late. Sometimes, during the week, we may just get a minute to share what we have going on. At times, it’s just a shaking of our heads in passing, saying- “Pray for me.” And we do. That’s why when she sent me a quick message, this week, I knew our prayers were being heard. My friend’s mother has been in poor health. She is older & is having quite a time. My friend & her sister have been wearing themselves to a frazzle trying to take care of her. Her doctor had discussed with my friend & her family about moving her to an assisted living center. Of course, there goes more sleepless nights for my friend. She knew in her head this was what was best for her mama. But her heart kept tugging at her to keep her at home. When the day finally came to talk to her mama about staying in an assisted living home, her mama was just fine with it. The doctor talked to her mama & explained to her this was what she needed right now. She was all in. No kicking, screaming, spittin’, cussin’ or anything, from my friend or her mama. My friend was so thankful to the Lord & relieved. She knew it was the prayers of hers & her family & friends that made it all work out.

Change is hard. Sickness & getting older is hard. There comes a time that we have to make decisions we don’t want to. We have responsibilities to others. And sometimes those hard decisions may have to do with our parents. I know for me, when my mama got so sick, it was awful. It was especially heartbreaking to have to move her to a place with 24 hour nurse care. Nobody wants to have to move a loved one from their own home, to somewhere strange & unknown- even for their own good. But with a lot of prayer, we did what we had to do. We put our heart to the side & went with what our head told us to do. Our main goal was to take care of her needs. That’s what I told my friend, the last time we talked about her sweet mama. “Remember, this is something to work out in your head, not your heart.” She did the right thing. She asked the Lord for help. I think sometimes we don’t receive because we don’t ask.

Sadly very true….

James 1:6 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Just like anything, our asking has conditions. We must ask for things that are Godly & for the glory of the Lord. Not for our own selfish benefit.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

I think it was wonderful that my friend took all of this to our Lord. He was the One that made the difference. We must rely on God’s divine will. Not ours.

I am so glad you stopped by to visit with me today. Have I told you lately that I’m happy you are here? I appreciate the time you give to coming by this little blog. I also wanted to take this time to apologize to the cable man that came to fix our internet this week. I am sorry you had to see my husband’s dirty socks on my bedroom floor. I had fully intended on being home to pick them up before you got there. Don’t worry. I gave him a good scolding. Since he was the one that let you back there anyway. Trust me. I know the talking to I gave him did a lot of good. Because his dirty socks, he took off last night, were perhaps in the exact same area this morning. I do love that man. Even though he is a non-dirty sock picker upper. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend. As for me, I will be doing a little sewing for my granddaughter. She’s got to have some new things for fall & Christmas. I will share some of it with you, soon. Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Oh & p.s. Happy 3rd birthday today to Mr. Sweetie Pants!!

photo credits: http://www.abetterdream.com, http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com

Preach it brother & what happens if you ask a truck driver to church

September 22, 2014September 22, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

You know life has a funny way of doing things. Sometimes funny in a difficult way. Other times funny in a, “Wow! I wasn’t expecting that!” way. Whatever the way, God has a plan.

This morning, a guy I work with, came to my office. He told me about meeting a driver, that had come in for a load. He said yesterday, he had gone to a local eating establishment for breakfast. While there, he commenced to talking to a guy from out of town. He found out he was in town, because he was picking up a load at our company. After having breakfast together, the new found friends parted ways. As my co-worker walked to his truck, he thought, “I should have invited him to church.” So he turned back around & that’s just what he did.

The driver said, “I don’t have anything to wear.”

My co-worker kindly reassured him it really didn’t matter. He told him he would give him an hour & he would come back & pick him up. The driver agreed & in an hour, they were sitting in church together.

What was so remarkable about that situation is my co-worker was ready. He was presented an opportunity & he acted on it. What happens to a lot of us is we miss our times to present the Lord to people. I know I am at fault of the “I wish I had said this or I wish I had done that,” when it comes to sharing the Lord. And too, there are times we may do our daily Bible readings, go down our prayer list & pray, & may think- is this really doing any good? Well, yeah. We have to prepare ourselves for the times we run across someone who needs our help & encouragement. That’s how the Lord uses us for His will.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Jesus came across a Samaritan woman who needed encouragement & salvation. It was just a normal day for this Samaritan woman. That is until she met Jesus.

John 4: 7-9

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

⁹Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

This lady was so intrigued. She wanted to hear more about this living water. When Jesus was finished talking to her, she told anyone who would listen to her about her time with the Lord.

How do we know where we will find someone to share the good news of Jesus Christ with? Standing in line at the grocery store? At the convenience store, where we get our gas? At the fast food restaurant where we eat breakfast on Sunday?? God is working. Whether we see it all the time or not. He’s there, making plans, making things happen, for plain, ordinary folks like you, me & other people. People that we may not even know, yet.

Which also brings me to share with you about to an awesome project, I am so excited to be a part of. Melanie over at Only a Breath has started a “Secret Sister” mission. You can read about it here.

What it is , is a way to strengthen & encourage others- like total complete strangers. It’s for ladies only, sorry fellas. We shared our addresses & we are given 2 ladies addresses. We send a handwritten note of encouragement & hope to that person at least once a month. I got my addresses yesterday & I can’t wait to send my “Secret Sisters” a note. This will be such a wonderful way to further the cause of Christ.

I am so proud of my friend for sharing Jesus. He truly blessed someone else,by his act of kindness. You just never know when you will get a chance to make a friend. Now you know what happens when you ask a truck driver to church. Sometimes they will go with you!

I hope you are having a blessed week. We had a busy weekend. Miss Neenee had a friend sleepover. Then, after church Sunday, I got to play with my grandbabies all day long! We had an area wide youth devotional at church Sunday night. There were 269 people in attendance. God is so good to us. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: courtneyaitken.BlogSpot.com & keepcalm-o-matic.comuk

Miss Neenee & her friend having a good time touring the local boxcar.

Some high priced fun. Which mainly involved some water, dirt, mud, buckets, & 8 handsome rounders

Some high priced fun. Which mainly involved some water, dirt, mud, buckets, & two handsome rounders

What would a weekend be without a good ol game of Chunk a Chicken?

Singing to the top of my lungs & leaning on the everlasting arms

September 10, 2014September 9, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

What would you do if you didn’t know how to sing? There would be no singing in the shower, no happy noise around the house, no entertainment in the car. There would be no sayings like,

“He couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Bless his heart.”

One time we were having a Ladies Day at church & I was asked to lead singing. I was so excited! My family was full of people who could sing well. My uncle is a song leader at his church.

I asked him, “What do I need to do? Which songs should I pick out? I can’t even read music. Is that going to be a big deal?”

He said, “I am going to tell you something a lot of people don’t know. Our family sings by letter. We just open up our mouths & let ‘er fly.”

Whew! I’m so glad I got to carry on my family tradition. Because that’s exactly what I did. And I think it worked out ok. I had a lot of fun, I know that.

We had a missionary come to church Sunday. He gave a report on work he & his wife were doing in Italy & Ukraine. He showed one picture on Powerpoint & said,

“This is a time we were teaching the people how to sing. They didn’t know how to sing church hymns.”

Well, don’t that beat all? Since I have been singing in church since I was a wee thing, I can’t imagine not knowing how to sing church songs. I remember thinking my job was to sing louder than anyone. When I was 5 or 6 years old, I can remember my mama telling me she loved hearing me sing, but it was not necessary that I was the loudest in church. Do tell.

When making trips to town, as a young girl, my grandfather & I would sing Old MacDonald, in his old Corvair pick up truck. My grandmother used to sing to us kids. It was mostly songs she had made up. She would rock us & sing. It was better than anything you can imagine. She had such a way to comfort us young’uns. After church on Sundays, at my Papaw & Mamaw’s house, one of us kids would grab a song book. We would stand in the den, with my grandparents, mama, daddy, aunts, uncles, cousins, & one of would be the song leader. All of us would sing our hearts out. My brother would sing, “Leaning on Jesus Everlasting Arm” just like my Uncle Frank did at church. Everybody would “request songs” & we would sing them. Good times.

At church, there were Sunday singings after our dinner on the ground. That’s where the men of the congregation would take turns singing songs. We would go around the room & whoever wanted to lead a song could. Young, old, it didn’t matter. We just loved to sing.

Did you know one of the things we will be doing in heaven is singing? That makes it mine & your responsibility to be a practicin’!

Revelation 15:3

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! (NKJV)

It’s a known fact that everybody can sing. Some may read music. Some may sing like a bird. Some may make the dogs howl when they commence to singin’. Like us, some may sing by letter, but it’s all beautiful to God, when we worship the Lord. Even though my mama thought it not proper to sing to the top of my lungs, when I was a young lass, that didn’t damper my spirit at all. I still love to sing along with our congregation. It’s hard to sing & not just feel better. And don’t think I have not taken the opportunity of teaching my kids & grandkids to love singing. I sing to these babies & Mr. Sweetie Pants sings back to me. He can belt out, “Jesus Loves Me” or “Rock Me Mama Like a Wagonwheel” in just a split second.

I hope you are having a good week. We are going to be having some cooler weather closer to the weekend. Oh yeah! I got to see all my grandkids this weekend. We had a big ol’ time. What fun things have you done lately? I want to hear all about it. But for now, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: pinterest, keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk, fumctroy.org

Memory loss required

August 27, 2014August 26, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

Memory loss is a major concern in our society. Why, there are pills boasting improved focus & mental faculty. Medicines to improve short term & long term memory loss are in abundance. Remembering how to complete daily tasks is essential in life. When you are having a conversation with someone, it’s especially helpful if you can remember what the subject is. Just the other night my husband & I were talking. Our Miss Neenee came in the living room, where we were. She asked a question, then went back to her room. We looked at each other for a moment. Then, my honey said,

“What were we talking about?”

I paused for a moment & said, “ I haven’t got a clue.”

Those are probably times you want to be able to recall what’s a goin’ on. Other things that I do, that are a smidge aggravating, which is caused by lapses in memory, are:

Losing my keys. Which are always in the last place I look. Funny how that works out.
Forgetting to put in my contacts. On my drive in to work: “Is that a police car? Are those lights on top of that car? No, that’s a luggage rack. Whew.”
Forgetting to take my hormone replacement. Which is specifically only good for no one around me.
Misplacing bills. Not just your regular ol’ I can pay any time in the month bill. The water bill is my most popular misplaced bill. Luckily, I have made friends with a lady in the office, at the water department. Bless my heart.
Losing my phone. More often than not, Miss Neenee gently says, “Mama, it’s in your hand.” Hey, those things can sneak up on you.
Forgetting what I am doing. I’m making a sandwich. I go to the pantry to get the bread. I look into the laundry room. I forgot to put the clothes in the dryer. I go to putting the clothes in the dryer & I pick through the clothes to leave out some things that need to be hung up to dry. I don’t have a hanger. So, I go back to my closet to get one. On the way, I walk through my bedroom. There’s that bill I was looking for. I go back to the kitchen to get an envelope to put it in. Wait, why is there lunch meat sitting on the bar? Oh yeah, I’m making a sandwich. Sheesh.

As much as I need to remember things, the apostle Paul says there are some things we need to not remember at all.

Phillipians 3:13 …but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, (NKJV)

Things that have happened to us in a negative way, are not worth remembering. We need to forget how rude, stubborn, & hateful people can be. Sunday, our preacher, Bro. Brad said that people who are know it alls, hard headed, & can’t get along with types will experience much heartache & difficulty in life. They don’t think they have anything to learn. They don’t see themselves as needing any improvement in their lives. They never really realize how their ways keep them from healthy relationships. They are never ready to accept their own part of their issues. Because hey, how could anything ever be their fault? The situation is always somebody else’s doing. They miss out on the happiness, that being around others, can bring. They miss out on all the richness God would add to their lives, only if they would humble themselves. All because being judgmental, hard headed, & above their fellow man, are qualities they practice frequently.

We must strive to be humble, gracious folks. We have to know that we can just as easily not have enough – than have plenty.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (NKJV)

What if the Lord only blessed you with what you were thankful for? What if you were the only thing that was holding you back from true blessings & riches from the Lord? According to James, first you do your part, then the Lord will do His. So, you kinda are. Let’s make sure we forget to be stubborn.

Not a real good way to be humble.

You never know what life is going to throw at you. We must understand we must react with love & concern for others. And always be mindful that God doesn’t owe us anything. He gives good to us, however, can take it away, as well.

Job 1:21 And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

We need to forget to have a hard heart. No matter how people treat us. We have to be what God wants us to be regardless. We need to forget to be resentful. We need to forget to have hatred in our hearts. It’s just not worth the blessings you will miss- without all that there.

I am so very glad you came by to visit today. I got an exciting call from my aunt today. She said she had picked a big bucket of okra for me! All I have to do is go get it after work. I sure hope I don’t forget it. 😉 Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo creds: michaelkonick.com, zazzle,

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?