Thursday, March 2, 2017

Changing your "Why God?" into a "Wow God!"

I recently encouraged a friend of mine who has an incurable disease to pray for a miracle. I asked her to challenge God to change her "Why God?" into "Wow God!" so that He could be glorified. This got my mind to thinking that quite a while back, but God laid a thought on my heart and I shared it on my blog. I would like to post it again. I'm not sure if it was just for me, my friend or if you are reading this and God knew you needed it as well. May this be used to bring you encouragement, hope and glory to God

Have you ever asked the question "Why God, Why Me"?

Well if you are a human and your heart is beating then there's a  pretty good chance you have. No matter how great of a Christian you are or how much faith you have or how much you read the Bible; there just seems to be times in our lives that certain situations  bring us to our knees asking God "Why??"

 I  pretty much live my life with unwavering faith in God. I have a very optimistic personality and see the good in situations (most of the time) However, there have been heartbreaks, disappointments and struggles that have left me wondering "Why". Some of those situations, I can now look back on  and say "Oh, that is why, Thank you God" And then other situations that have left me utterly amazed saying "Wow God!"

Such is the time when God struck my heart with the  thought of how He alone can change our "Why God?" into "Wow God!"

You see, God took me on a journey and during this journey I was filled with doubt( lots of doubt), a little bit of bitterness and some resentment. But God's sweet love took me out of the dark dungeon of doubt and set me on the beautiful mountain of mercy.

It all started on a dark snowy, icy evening which left me in the ER waiting for the Dr. to confirm that my foot was  broken. This dreadful evening comes into my mind very clearly, every detail still raw and fresh as if it were just yesterday.You see, it was the night my husband and I were in a terrible car wreck and the night I was first told I would never have children.

The story begins when we were on our way home from work. Due to the snow and icy road conditions we decided to meet up at my husband's office, leave my car in town and ride home together in his truck.We debated just taking my car but he decided last minuted on his truck instead ( a rather small decision that saved our lives). We drove very slowly and carefully and were only 5 miles from home, I remember telling my husband that I trusted his driving but it was the other drivers I did not trust.

It seemed those words were no longer out of my mouth when my husband shouted "Hold on!" I looked up just in time to see a large SUV heading straight towards us. The driver had obviously hit ice and lost control of his vehicle.

I closed my eyes and grabbed on to the handle of the door as if bracing for the impact. It took only seconds for the two vehicles to collide into each other and for the horrific crash to be over. But in those few seconds it literally felt like an eternity.

I remember, the feeling of everything happening in slow motion and life at that moment being out of my control.  I remember the terrible sounds of metal hitting metal,  the sickening sound of  glass shattering into a million pieces, the blunt  force of my body being slammed back and forth several times into the dash board while the truck was being slammed again into a ditch.

I remember the pause button being hit  and almost immediately everything stopped then the bone chilling, eerie sound of complete silence. I remember for several seconds being terrified to open my eyes to the unknown. In that split second, I was scared that when I opened my eyes  I would find myself in Heaven. I quickly tried to take a breath and realized that I had held my breath the entire time of the accident. It was in that breath that I felt a sharp pain in my chest and knew, I was alive. Then the horrible fear of opening my eyes and turning my head to look at my husband. What if he was not okay. I could not find the strength to open my eyes, I was literally scared to death,.

My eyes were still closed begging God to let him be okay, when I heard my husband's frantic voice asking  if I was okay. My eyes quickly opened and I looked over at him. I could tell he was okay but the current situation was not. It did not take long to observe that he was trapped in the truck.

It was then that we were somehow snapped out of our slow motion time warp and brought into a rather fast forward present state of being. Immediately,  people came to our rescue. I could hear them trying to open the jammed doors and offering words comfort . Amazingly, one of the volunteer helpers was a police officer who already had an ambulance and other officers on the way. We were told by everyone that they could not believe we were alive.

Honestly, the events that occurred after this are all a blur, I was put on a stretcher and put in the ambulance and out of the corner of my eye I saw my husband being rolled in next to me.  While the  paramedics were getting us situated, one of the helpers (who ended up being one of my husband's co-workers) kindly searched the truck and found our cell phones, insurance information, my purse and my husband's wallet. He thoughtfully did this for us, because we were still in shock and never thought to get these items out of the truck

We were then rushed to the hospital and they immediately  took us separate ways. And we would not see each other again for several hours.

 They took me in for several X-rays because my chest hurt terribly and  I thought my foot might be broken.After several rounds of MRI, CAT scans and X-rays, they brought me back to a room to wait on the DR and what seemed like a lifetime passed before he or anyone else ever came back into the room.

 The kind DR ( total sarcasm here ) who had absolutely no bedside manners or compassion and didn't seemed to have any enjoyment in his job, bluntly told me that my foot was not broken. Then he quite dryly told me that during the CAT scan they discovered that I had several large tumors in my uterus. He said they needed to be removed immediately. He asked me if I had any children. I was still a little stunned to answer, so I nodded my head no and wondered to myself if this meant I had cancer or if I was dying. He very abruptly told me that I would never be able to have children and that I needed to have a hysterectomy as soon as possible.

 I felt as if he had just kicked me in the gut and slapped me in the face  all at the same time. I couldn't breathe and my foot, that I just knew was broken, was sending a sharp pain all the way to my heart. ( Or was my heart breaking from the news the DR had just given me). I was trying to concentrate on what the DR was saying but he was talking so fast and matter-of-factly and my foot hurt so bad and my brain felt like mush and the next thing I knew I heard him say, "Now do not ask me any questions, save those for your OBGYN" and he turned around and left just as quickly as he had entered.

 There I was, left alone, confused, shocked in terrible pain and not able to talk to anyone. The tears began to pour down my face as the words "You will not be able to have any children" rang in my ears over and over and over.

I began to pray but my mind began to spin out of control.
"Why God? Why me?"

It didn't seem fair. I couldn't understand how this could be happening to me.
This was not part of my plan or part of my dreams.

I want to be a mother! Who is this man to tell me I can't!

 How would my husband  take this news, we had only bee married a few years.

Where was my husband and when would I get to see him.
 How was he? Gracious, was he okay?

There I was left  alone with my crazy thoughts and this heartbreaking news

 Several hours later, my husband was released and  brought into my room. I was a total mess by that point! I  was crying uncontrollably and my poor husband thought I was dying.

 I explained to him what the DR had said. He was very supportive and encouraging. The poor guy had a broken arm and a broken foot but was far more concerned about me than his own pain and injuries. We were soon released to go home and start our recovery process.

 Due to our injuries, we were both off work for quite a while. I was in physical therapy for my foot, which was not healing.and after a month of very painful  therapy and new x-rays, the Dr. discovered  my foot was indeed broken (ha!) My husband's truck was totaled and we were down to one car. Between the injuries, the heartbreaking news of no babies and the never-ending pile of doctor bills, I began to slip into a depression. I would regularly ask, "Why God? Why me?"

I knew I needed to visit my OBGYN to get another opinion. So once my body had recovered and I  was healthy enough to make the appointment I had the hope she would correct the silly ER Doctors information. However, she sadly confirmed what I did not want to believe. I had several large fibroid tumors and due to the location that they were in it would be impossible for me to have children. She also did not recommend  having them removed but recommended  having a hysterectomy when I was ready.

My husband was there with me and could see the disappointment all over my face. We left her office and were on our way home we decided that we would put the matter in God's hands. We promised each other that we would not become bitter but that we would be the happiest married couple in the world and serve God with our whole heart.

If you know me or have read  my blog or follow me on Instagram,  you know that this is not the end of my story.  Nope, it was just the beginning...

But back to my first big "Wow God!" moment. This moment  was when He financially took care of every single penny we were out due to the wreck. The man who hit us, did not have insurance and there was some confusion with our insurance and we did not think they would cover us.

Let me tell you, there is so much more involved  in a wreck that you never even think about. Yes, you expect the Doctor bills and the medicines but you never think about the totaled truck, the towing prices, the cost of your truck sitting in a junk yard, the $20,000 ambulance ride to the hospital. I mean the bills were mounting sky high and on top of it all my husband still needed  a truck.

I remember collecting all the bills and laying them next to my Bible.  I began to cry and beg God to do a miracle. I specifically recall challenging God to take care of every penny we were out, and take care of the money we still owed. I remember mentioning  that He owned the cattle on a thousand hills and He could financially take this burden off of us.

I don't remember the exact timeline but it was a very short time after that prayer when we got a phone call from our insurance company asking us to meet with them and bring all or our bills.

In that meeting we soon discovered that they would be taking care of every single penny we were out. They wrote my husband a check for his truck, paid the towing company, the junk yard, they paid every penny to the hospital, the Doctors, all of our medicines and the physical therapy bill. They even wrote each of us a personal check for pain and suffering. I remember looking at that check with  tears forming in my eyes and saying "Wow God"!

God had answered our prayer and showed us that He is faithful and He will take care of our needs. I can not tell you what this did for us. I am not sure if there is anything sweeter in this life than to see a prayer request answered. We knew in that moment that God loved us!


 Now for my 2nd big "Wow God!" moment, which is my biggest miracle.

For the most part my husband and I were truly happy in our marriage but I would be lying if I said I never question God or  that my heart did not long to be a mommy.  I still asked God "Why". But God does not have to explain why. He works in ways we can not understand. His ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts. God  loves to work with the impossible and loves to still preform miracles.

 In 2013 we had the shock of our lives when we found out that we were pregnant. My Doctor said it was simply a miracle and she could not explain how it could possibly have happened. But she didn't have to, we both knew it was God. We had put the matter into His hands and He alone would get all the glory in this pregnancy.

When my son was born his DR and the hospital  named him the Miracle Baby. And he truly was. I was allowed to see a modern day miracle in my life. God changed my "Why God?" into "Wow God!" and I have been able to share my testimony several times with other ladies. I am able to give God all the glory. Every time someone has mentioned how cute he is, I am able to share the fact that he is a miracle.


 Maybe you are going through something to big for you and your world had been rocked and your feet have been knocked out from under you. You feel as if you can not breathe another breath. Maybe your "Why God" is your health or a financial struggle. Maybe your sorrow is causing a depression you can not get out of. Is it loneliness or rejection, heartbreak or disappointment? No matter if it is  your job, your family or your church that has left you pleading "Why God?", just remember He is in control and NOTHING is too big for Him. Give Him the opportunity to change your "Why God into Wow God". Whatever it is put it in the Master's Hands and let Him take control, isn't it wonderful that nothing is too big for God.

The words of the child's song are very inspiring words for us to remember, "My God is so great, so strong and so mighty. There's nothing my God can not do".




 A picture of my husband's truck. Most of the front end had been pushed into the truck and trapped him in. He had to be helped out of the truck.


 This picture was taken several weeks after the wreck. My broken foot and his broken arm and foot had us hobbling along and we were quite a mess. Thank God for our Aunt Wendy who took us in for several days and took us to Dr appointments and then for my dad who came and stayed with us for 2 weeks. Neither of us could drive, work or take care of one another, so these 2 were such a blessing to us in our time of need.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

I Am A Princess

I Am A Princess? 

I Am  Royalty?

I Am the Daughter of a King?

We have all watched the movies, read the books, dreamed it, wished it, played it and imagined it.

I’m talking about a Fairy Tale Princess.

As little girls, it’s our biggest fantasy. We want to hear every story, own every dress-up gown and watch every Disney movie about a Princess. There is just something about a Princess that captivates the smallest girl to the “most mature” seasoned lady. 
Maybe, it’s because she is unique, different, rare, gracious, beautiful, and kind. Maybe it’s because she lives a life we can only dream about or maybe because she is the daughter of a King. ( Or it's because she has the most exquisite gowns and a sparkly crown...just keeping it real!)
          `                                                       
Then there is another type of a Princess....
The ordinary girl who meets a Prince.
There is just something about the girl who gets the Prince!
There is magic in a story when an ordinary girl becomes a Princess. 
She wasn't born of Royalty, it doesn't run through her veins, yet, she is as much as a Princess as the Prince is a Prince.

I think that is why most of the world has fallen madly in love with Kate Middleton.
I would dare say that almost the entire universe watched her wedding.
All eyes were glued to the television. Every woman anticipated to see what her dress would be like. What type of veil she would be wearing. How her hair would be styled.  What color flowers she would choose.

Why? Because, she is a modern day fairy tale.

She was just a normal girl who is now a Princess.
We love to see how she is dressed everyday.
We love to hear her speak.
We adore the pictures of her beautiful family.
She has such grace and humility yet she is confident and poised.
We just can’t seem to get enough of her.

I believe this is how Christian ladies should be.
We should be wrapped in grace and humility, yet have the confidence of a princess.
There should be something different about us.
We should walk different and talk different.
We should have all the confidence that Kate Middleton has.

We have the ability to be self-assured, positive and poised.
Not because of Who we are but because of Whose we are.
We belong to the King of Kings and we too are a Princess.
We are a child of the King.
Yes, we belong to the Royal family.
We are a Princess!

We were that ordinary girl and then the King of Kings took us into His Royal Family.
We are also a modern day fairy tale.

However, I believe we should live in a manner that is a little different than the Royal Family. There should be some differences in our lives.

1. We should be approachable.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would throw myself on top of the Queen and give her a big ole hug. There are rules and protocols you have to follow when you are in her presence.

In the old days if you came before the King uninvited he could simply order “Off with your head” if it pleased him.

But the King of Kings has a different way of ruling His kingdom. In Hebrew 4:16 He says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” We have an amazing God who is totally approachable. We do not have to fear coming before Him. He wants us to come to Him. He even said we could come boldly before Him.

As Christian ladies, we should live in the same mindset. We should be approachable to the people around us. We should never give others the impression we are better than them. We should not be stand-offish. We need to be the type of ladies people know they can run to in the time of need.


2. We should draw people to us.
The Royal Family attracts attention everywhere they go.
People draw to them.
They want to be near them.
See them. 
Hear what they have to say.

Our King was also this way. But He drew people in a different way.
He served the people. He ministered to the people and preformed miracles.
When word got out about this Miracle Healing Man and what He could do; people flocked to Him.
Men, women, boys and girls wanted to see Him.
They wanted to be near Him.
They wanted to hear what He had to say.

I believe this is how we should live. We should live in such a way that it draws others around us. James 4:8 says Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…”
We should have such a walk with God that people can feel His presence on us. Others should want to be around us because they know there is something different about us.
We should draw people to us, not because of who we are but because of Whose we are.

3. We should live our lives differently
The Royal Family has to live life in a different manner. There are some places they can not go and some things they just can not do. And I believe as a Child of the King, we are representing the King of Kings in everything we do. There are some places we should not go and some things we should not do. There are words we should not say. Drinks we should not drink. Music we should not listen to, clothes we should not wear. Friends we should not have and jobs we should not take.

Now wait a minute, you are going just a little too far with all of this Royalty stuff!!!
Am I?

1 Corinthians 10:31 has a little to say about that.
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”
Everything we do, as a Christian, reflects back to the King. It will either bring honor or dishonor to His name.  I Corinthians 6:19-20 goes on to say “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Although this is not popular teaching in today’s society, we live in a “if it makes you happy ,then do it” generation, but that is a very ungodly way to live. We are to do what makes God happy and He calls us to be different, bold and in a manner that pleases and glorifies Him.

This is why so many people do not want to go to church or have anything to do with God. They see how many Christians live Monday- Saturday.  They see there is no difference between them. So why should a lost person want Jesus. Why should they go to church? Why should they sacrifice a day off?  That is a great question.

I pray my life and your life will be lived in such a way it naturally draws people closer to God. A light that shines so bright the lost world wants what we have. A kindness so rare and so genuine everyone around us knows there is something different about us. We need to live a Holy life. A life that reflects God and makes the lost world want and crave what we have.

We should be separated.
We should have peace the world can not understand.
We should have joy unspeakable.
We should extend mercy and grace to others.
We should be hard workers and honest.
There should be places we don’t go and things we do not do.
Not because we are better than anyone else but because we represent the King of Kings and we should desire to bring Him glory through our lives.







Tuesday, January 24, 2017

A family trip to Branson

Have you ever been to Branson during Christmas? Put it on your Bucket list if you haven't.  I went years ago with my parents and sister one Summer and fell in love with the town. But put Branson and Christmas together and it becomes this magical Santa-land. It was absolutly awesome and I highly recommend for everyone to do it once in their lifetime.

This trip was exciting for us because we were taking a mini Christmas trip to meet up with my husband's siblings. We had not seen them since we moved to KC back in September. This is the longest we have gone without seeing them.

 We rented a cabin right smack in the middle of down town. So we were close to everything. There are so many fun family activities, lots of shopping,  amazing restaurants and of course,  Silver Dollar City.


Due to my husband's work schedule, we got in late Friday night. I was bummed about this because I hate being the last person to arrive. I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun. The drive there seemed to take forever. Once we finally arrived, everyone was already comfy cozy in their PJ's and a big bowl of Chili was ready for us to eat. The kids had fun running around and exploring the cabin.

I was so excited to get my hands on those active little twins. My little Lilly Bug was glued to me for the rest of the weekend. She is an Aunt Dorothy 's Girl all the way and it totally melts my heart. However, sometimes the little Arlee Bug get extremely jealous!


After we put the kiddos to bed we stayed up talking for a bit, then we watched a movie. The next morning we got the kids bundled up and went to a local Pancake House and enjoyed a yummy fattening breakfast. Then, we dropped the kids off with the men folk back at the cabin and we girls enjoyed some long over-due shopping time!


And of course, we had to have matching shirts!


After the Kids had a good nap we loaded up and headed to Silver Dollar City. Not knowing what to expect or how cold it would be, I brought a wagon and packed it up with blankets. Good thing too, cause it was freezing!








Most of the rides were closed due to the cold weather, but luckily, a few of the kids rides were up and running and Arlee and Jackson had a blast.


Below is a picture of Arlee in a Bounce House, it was pretty challenging for an adult. You had to crawl through very small spaces, dodging tons of hyper screaming kids, all while trying to keep  up with a 3 year old who refuses to wait on you. The kids loved it, but none of us adults were crazy about this one


While we were there we found out they would be having a Rudolph the Red- Nose Reindeer Parade. We were told the parade started at 5. So, we found perfects seats and we waited, and waited and waited. Don't know if you have ever done this with children...you know, freeze your fannies off and tell kids to keep waiting....well, the parade never happened. The twins were past the "I'm Tired" mark and we were all so cold. We found out that the parade didn't actually start till 7....ugh. So, that was our sign it was time to leave and get warmed up and find some dinner.




The sight there a simply spectacular at night and the Christmas music was so festive and fun....pictures and words never do somethings justice. Even though it was cold, it was so much a wonderful day. 






We found a fun little pasta place and to our luck they had a special guest that night. The kids were all excited to see Santa until the little girl in front of us pitched a fit and screamed the whole time and that did it in for our kids. So, Sarah and I got to be a kid again and talk to Santa too. 


That evening we go snug as a bug in our matching PJs , took some fun pics and made Gingerbread House....oh the memories!









Imagine all that sugar right before bedtime!!!!!

The next morning we had a lazy morning and enjoyed pancakes in our pjs. We got ready and went to an outdoor mall. It was very misty but at least the rain held off untill the very end of our shopping. We stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant and the kids enjoyed a little more playtime.






All to soon we said goodbye to Jessica and Tanner and the rest of us headed back to the cabin. We started to packing up process and before we knew it, it was time to leave. 

Living 9 hours away from our family makes goodbyes a little harder. But knowing we would see all these faces again in a week made it somewhat easier....






Thursday, January 19, 2017

Recap of the Holidays- Festivals and Pumpkins Patches

It always amazes me how quickly the holidays fly by. In fact, other than the extra pounds I gained, there is no evidence they even happen, I feel like I blinked and they were gone.

With a calendar full of activities, I seemed to have gotten behind on my family blog posts. So, If you will bare with me, I am going to do a recap of all of our holiday activities. And of course, I'm going to start where I left off, my favorite season of all...Fall

 (Fall is the official holiday kickoff for me and my family)

Fall is no doubt my most favorite time of the year. Being raised in the South, I'm not sure if  it's just in my blood or part of my heritage, but when the first signs of Fall appear and the weather begins to get cooler, I get giddy.

This year living in MO it seemed we got to enjoyed Fall a little longer. We moved here in September and I thing we only ran the AC maybe 2 or 3 times. The rest of the time we  opened the large windows and welcomed the fresh Fall air into the house.

I know for a lot of my Southern friends Fall means Football, Tailgating and Halloween. But for me it's the fresh air, the beautiful radiant colors of the trees, the hayrides and  bon-fires, the cool nights, the pumpkin patches, the corn mazes,  family time, traditions and  memories made. (and yes, maybe a little football..lol)

This year with us living away from all of our family and not getting to be a part of our family traditions there, we ventured out and made our own family memories.

We heard about an Apple Festival in a town about 45 mins away and thought we would give it a try. They had a Farm Market, a live band, lots of yummy food and several kid friendly activities. The first one that caught Arlee's attention was the hay maze.....





        I honestly did not think we would ever get him out of there..... we may have bribed him with food...lol



 His first time trying a caramel apple and my first attempt at fried Oreos. They were good but, I think I prefer regular doubled stuffed Oreos and milk
                 The music was awesome..it was a jazzy, cajun group that was very entertaining



 My favorite moment of the day was when he was riding his pony and grabbed on to me and said "Mommy don't let go." Well,  you don't worry,  my sweet little darling, Mommy won't ever let go!

It was a great day with some wonderful memories made. 




Our next fall family outing was the Pumpkin Patch. The KC area had so many to offer and it was a bit overwhelming trying to pick the best one for us. One caught my eye above all the others because it included a train and with my son's love for trains it seemed the obvious choice. Plus it was the closest to our house which was a huge bonus.( The words pumpkins donuts may have had a huge pull too...lol) 

                                           of course, our first stop had to be the train ride....
                                                       proudly showing off his train ticket....




 after walking around and watching the pig races we hopped on board the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch...







After having some fun in the pumpkins patch it was off to the playground, some lunch and then the barn...







Arlee loved feeding the animals. He told me he will be a "barmer and have a barn and lots of chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, camels (yes, camels..lol) horses, bunnies, dogs, cows, kitties and a tractor." 

We had a wonderful time and ended out fun day with a pumpkin donut! Cant think of a better way to end a perfect day.