Oh, the places we've been!
© The Knightly News 2007-2010
This woman is not old….and maybe her house is not a shoe….but…go here and see !
I think you will be as surprised as I was today when the call came for me to peek in!
Our only granddaughter. Kaylee-lou is what I call her sometimes.
She is ruler of the boys at her house! (She is blessed with 4 brothers) She has a sweet heart and a love to help mommy and daddy.
God is good! When her daddy married our oldest daughter, we were thrilled to at last, have a granddaughter! She’s been our little sweetheart ever since.
Marriage is hard for anyone, but especially so for blended families.
How many blended families do you know? In your church or your neighborhood?
Can you think of some ways to encourage and even help them in stressful times?
Prayer is key.
Sending a note or card of encouragement to both parents is good, calling their names on a daily basis is important as well. Offering to babysit for a couple hours while they go for a quick bite, or just a walk together, alone—without the whinney “I want’s” tagging along. When sending a card, include an uplifting scripture, and even a short prayer. That let’s them know they are thought of and loved. Mom’s and Dad’s need this as never before!
In the days we are living, life is stressful—the economy—medical situations—school issues—life in general. The enemy will work the hardest on families who are trying to stay in step with God—to cause them to lose sight of Him—and their goal. Heaven.
Seek out those that need your attention. Ask the Lord to cross your path with individuals that maybe just need a smile or hug. Freely give of the love that the LORD has given you!
For those of you (ladies only) who are following along with the ramblings of my hormonal days, I have posted an update regarding medication. Or, at least what I am taking. The link is included here.
I pray blessings on your weekend! God is faithful! God is good!
Read Romans chapter 8. The whole chapter in the Amplified Version if you have it! If you aren’t shoutin’ when you’re done, your shouter is broke. And you better get it fixed!
© The Knightly News 2007-2009
“Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering, with tears in its eyes.” –Fredrick Buechner
That quote is now framed on my bookshelf. It once graced the table beside my chair. It even sat quietly on my nightstand. Quietly though it sat, it spoke volumes. I gave a framed copy to my mother and another one to Bobbi, our precious family friend, who is an awesome prayer warrior, because she prayed for our Prodigal child every morning at 5:00 a.m. without fail!
The irony in this quote blasted through my heart the day our daughter ran away from home at the young age of 17. I had flipped my calendar page over that day and discovered it. Never once thinking that I would soon discover the true meaning behind it! Joy was far from our hearts and home that day. But it did come to us again. She returned home, like the prodigal son, after discovering that life was not as it is depicted in the movies. She returned with a broken heart and unprepared for the changes coming to her world. Her biggest change came just days before Christmas of her 18th year of life.
He arrived in a flurry of activity. We knew he was coming, we even prepared, but this we did not prepare for. One minute we were sitting quietly on the little sleeper sofa provided for us, the next minute we are instructed to leave the room. White skirts and coats fly around as if in a whirlwind. Movement is everywhere, with the exception of my heart. It is as if it stopped. The minute the tiny heart inside his mommy stopped, so did mine.
Today was supposed to be a memorable day. It had started off early. We had arrived at the hospital around 5:00 a.m. with our beautiful, young prodigal daughter. After a long strenuous day of labor (on our daughters part) and watching and waiting (on our part), my husband and I were quickly ushered into the hallway as the doctor worked diligently to get a heartbeat back in the little life we had yet to meet.
When the doctor came out to speak with us, the anxious teary-eyed parents, he told us he was about to do an emergency C-Section. He instructed us to “suit-up”. In Ephesians 6:13 we are instructed to “take on” or put on the “whole armor of God” so that we will be able to fight against or withstand the tricks of the enemy. I felt like this was some horrible trick being played on my family and I didn’t know for sure how “durable” my own armor was. I talked to God everyday, but there were many areas in my life that needed some work. So here I stood in hospital scrubs and “spiritual armor” shaking in my shoes, but ready to take on the enemy for the sake of my daughter and her unborn baby.
Off we rush to the surgical area and wait outside the door while they hurriedly prepare the Prodigal for the procedure. The nurse comes out and directs me quickly into the room to our daughters side and her dad to the surgery-viewing window. I held onto her hand, touching her face as I silently prayed, watched, and listened. They were frantic to get our little one into the world.
His name had been chosen as soon as we discovered through the miracle of an ultrasound that it was to be a boy. Rylan Oliver. My husband teasingly referred to him as “ROK”, indicating that he would be fiercely strong and powerful. He would be a “good ‘ole tough country boy”. The name Oliver was chosen from our “Grandbuddy”. I still remember the day I sat in Tiffany’s “reclaimed” bedroom trying out different names for our little one. I realize that I keep referring to him as “our little one”, but I can’t help it!
In just a few short minutes that felt like years, a small crying little boy with a head full of dark hair entered this world. Flailing his little arms and kicking his short legs, he was a sight! A tremendously beautiful sight, and I could hardly see through the blur of tears in my eyes! The nurse held him close to his mommy’s face so that she could kiss him and then handed him off to me to carry down the hall to the nursery. Tiffany had said, “mama, don’t let him out of your sight”, and you better believe I didn’t. He was our long awaited for “grandson”! Our hearts were full to overflowing. God was just too good to us! My face was already hurting from smiling so much! It was making me exhausted! But it was the absolute best exhaustion I would ever have! Smiling from ear to ear because of a new life!
When you stop and think of all the lives that have been brought into the world of Christ through salvation, don’t you just know how much rejoicing goes on in heaven over just one life?
Luke 15:10… there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior by believing on Him and that He gave His life for us, then our heavenly Father “doesn’t let us out of His sight”!
Matthew 10:30 says, And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Many of us have, or have had loved ones that prayed countless prayers that we might come to know the Father in heaven. When we accepted Him and became part of the family of God, we were the “long awaited ones”. Just like our first grandchild. He arrived in our lives with much ado, and we would never be the same again. Once we give our hearts and lives fully to Christ, fellow believers, we will never be the same!
“Our little one” is now 7. God has added to our family several more beautiful blessings, but Rylan was the one that taught us all so much. He has been diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy and an autistic spectrum disorder.
He was definitely our “Joy” during some tough circumstances, an unexpected gift, but one we treasure with all our hearts.
© The Knightly News 2007-2009. All rights reserved.
Not from the Jeffersons….but from our house.
This beautiful girl is a miracle~the LORD kept her safe when she was in a near fatal accident years ago and she is working hard for HIM and following HIS path!
She will (I hope) one day share her heart about that near death experience! I know GOD sent a host of angels to watch over my baby!
By the way, our oldest daughter, Tiffany, is working on starting up a blog too!
But for today, head over to Weezie’s place! Called 2 Worship! I’m not sending you because she said something sweet about me…(although she did), I am sending you because she is so sweet—and filled with godly wisdom–even though she is young, there is wisdom there already.
ONE MORE “by the way”—she has some mighty handsome boys… 🙂 Of course, I am partial…since they’re mine 🙂
SPECIAL NEWS BREAK: THE BLOGGERS RETREAT REGISTRATION CONTEST IS STILL GOING ON OVER AT MARSHA’S PLACE DUE TO BLOGGER PAGE UPLOAD PROBLEMS! IF YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE TROUBLE LOADING IT, UPLOAD MOZILLA-FIREFOX SEARCH ENGINE–MARSHA SAID IT WILL LOAD THE PAGE WITHOUT KINKS.
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Our neice, Becky—the musician… follower of Jesus…has written this song and it will bless your heart! Her cousin, Abby Ford, passed away yesterday morning at the young age of 14. Please be in prayer for the Ford family–even though Jeff and I aren’t blood related to them—we love them dearly.
In the coming days and weeks, I may disappear for a day or two. Don’t be alarmed. I am preparing for February. I’m not setting myself up for more grieving, rather for being thankful for all that God has shown me through the past year. Actually, for the past several years.
Our life journey took a rather sharp curve last February. The vehicle of our lives tipped and is still righting itself. But God still drives. Last January, I shared a bit about the difficulty my sister, Wanda, was having before she left this life for her eternal life in heaven on February 12.
I posted a bit more during our struggle with what was going on…and many of you prayed for us and with us during those hard days of life. We learned that “praising Him in the storm” was indeed, the hardest walk of our faith yet. But praise Him is what we did. For we trusted in Him alone. Wanda had already outlived all the expectations by all of her doctors by about 24 years! What faith she had!
Then during that time, Aimee and I started the Sisters of Faith site. We were blessed this past year by several sweet sisters in Christ that joined us in an incredible Bible Study called, 90 Days with Jesus the One and Only! I have felt the sweetness of the Holy Spirit in my own life and seen what He can do when I give Him full access and total control. Too often I try and control things…but I am learning…
For the past few weeks, my heart and mind has traveled back to last year. I don’t want you to feel obligated to click on each link and read it, but if you are new to my blog, then you might want to know a bit more about this journey of Trust that we have walked. Wanda had an extreme trust in God. Incredible faith. Strong heart.
So, sisters, if I can impose upon you to endure a few entries about our last few days with Wanda, and then the days that followed her home going, I will share with each of you what inspires me to keep on going —sharing—telling—writing. For HIM.
We begin tomorrow.
I have always loved the time of year from November 1, all the way through to January. I love times of gathering, fellowshipping, and most of all loving one another. This year, I will admit to the truth of the difficulty of these events.
Planning what we’re going to prepare to take to mother’s house was always top discussion between Wanda, Aimee and myself. We’d call each other every day to see if who had come up with some new fangled recipe. —To delight the others.
God is all about delighting us. I love what Beth said in her study, 90 Days with the One and Only, “In the Jewish calendar, the fourteenth day of the first month is called the day of conception. If our God of perfect planning and gloriously significant order happened to overshadow Mary on the fourteenth day of the first month of His calendar, our Savior would have been born toward the end of our December. We have absolutely no way of knowing whether or not He did, but I would not be the least bit surprised for God to have sparked His Son’s human life on one Passover and ended it on another.”
Me either Beth. Aren’t we planners as well? When planning a celebration, don’t we try to work it out so that “everyone” can attend? I don’t know about you…but I like to think that the “taking names” (for tax purposes!), was something that God used as well.
Joseph and Mary had to travel back to Joseph’s home town. I kind of imagine that he had a few friends there. Perhaps some relatives. Just for my own contemplative thinking, I like to imagine that he couldn’t go to them at the late hour for a bed for his bride because maybe he wasn’t sure of where they lived now…maybe he didn’t know if he had anyone left in town…one thing is for sure….there was no room for them in the Inn. But God provided.
By the time the wise men arrived on the scene, they were in a house (Matthew 2:11). Perhaps of a relative? I don’t know…but I do know…..God provided.
This is something I read while searching out more on Mary. What her life may have been like up to the point of leaving home and going with Joseph. “Mary had up to this time been living at the wrong place for Messiah’s birth. A little longer stay at Nazareth, and the prophecy would have failed. But lo! with no intention certainly on her part, much less of Caesar Augustus, to fulfil the prophecy, she is brought from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and at that nick of time her time arrives, and her Babe is born.”¹
The plans God has for you and me are just as detailed. When we leave the plans and directions to HIM, the Master Creator…we will find that it all works out. The pieces of the puzzle all fit together with a click as they snap in place.
The job.
The marriage.
The finances.
Even down to the decision of where to go to church. None of these are beyond His expertise!
When I read the page for day 5 of the 90 Days with Jesus Study, I immediately thought “party”.
I smiled thinking that we (or at least in our area), will turn any event into a party. Hurricane coming? Gather everyone in a safe place and let’s eat! Let’s play some games! What is that, if not a party?
Bible Study time? Gather them all together in the living room, get out some cups, plates, forks, napkins, make some coffee, have some juice or iced tea ready, plead with Jeff to make a cake with extra thick icing….and you have a Bible Study Party! You learn from the very heart of GOD and you have you some rejoicing in the kitchen with cake!
Baby about to be born? The waiting room is OURS! When waiting on that new arrival—there is MUCH prayer—some eating if he/she takes a while getting here…and then once that lusty cry is heard—it is all out party-time!
Christ’s birth is a day to celebrate! While we don’t know the exact day, we do KNOW He CAME. He lived. He died. He was resurrected. He lives TODAY! I think that is worthy of a celebration EVERY DAY of the year!
This is the LORD’S doing; it [is] marvellous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23 KJV
Father God…thank you for tending to each and every detail of my life. All the way from the difficult ones I can see…to the miniscule ones I might not notice. I praise You, for even in the difficult days as yesterday was, I felt Your presence. I KNEW You had me in Your sight. Nothing escapes Your notice. Thank You for following so closely my heart. Take tomorrow and make it YOURS. For Your glory. Not mine. I love and praise You forever. In the precious name above every name…Your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ~ Amen.
Thank you girls for being patient and coming back here to visit. I may not get back again for a few days! Life has been busy here, as well as I know it is for each of you. Please visit and be in prayer for my friend, Julie of Jewelz Sightings. Her dad will have major surgery tomorrow.
Thank you each one for reaching out to one another. We need each other as never before—-for it is when we gather in prayer that we are encouraged, the enemy is pushed back and we continue on in our faith! Stronger than before.
¹Jamieson, Robert; A.R. Fausset; and David Brown. “The Gospel According to Luke.” Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Blue Letter Bible. 19 Feb 2000. 4 Sep 2008.
“NO WAY!” That was my first response when my wife asked me to write a Thankful Thursday. She asked again (Angie can be persistent). “No way” once again was my reply.
Later that day I heard a Voice in my heart, some say that “still small voice”. In my case it is not still and definitely not small. To me, it is that voice I hear and/or feel deep inside my heart. It seems to always start with a question.
This time it was “Why not”?
“I wouldn’t know what to say. That’s a blog for women, they don’t want to hear from a man.” You know, I had all these excuses. I seem to always question the Voice or make all kinds of excuses.
This time the Voice reminds me of a Thursday morning about 20 years ago while I was driving to work. Actually, it all started on a Wednesday night at our mid week prayer service. In the old church, Wednesday nights were “Testimony Service”. Anyone and everyone had the opportunity to share a testimony of what the Lord had done in their lives. (Angie tells me that this is EXACTLY the same thing!)
This particular Wednesday night, I heard a small voice in my heart, but I shook it off. I heard it again. My excuse? “Nothing happened BIG this week—I don’t know what to say.” You know—just excuses.
I had a one hour drive one way to work, so this was my time alone with the Lord. My quiet time. My prayer time. On Thursday morning, as I was driving, I hear that same Voice. “Why didn’t you testify last night”?
I immediately started making excuses. The voice is persistent. “Why didn’t you testify?” Excuses roll from my mind.
Then I hear this in my heart….”What happened at 4:30 this morning?”
Me: What do you mean?
Voice: What happened at 4:30?
Me: The alarm clock went off.
Voice: How do you know?
Me: Well, I heard it—it woke me up!
Voice: You HEARD it?? What happened next?
Me: I opened my eyes (I know now where this is going)
Voice: You SAW the clock?
Me: Yes, I saw.
Voice: What happened next?
Me: I turned off the alarm.
Voice: You moved.
Me: Yes, I was able to move.
Voice: What next?
Me: I got up.
Voice: You were able to get up?
Me: Yes. I was able.
I am thankful for the very breath I breathe.
I am thankful I can see, feel, hear, walk and talk.
I am thankful I am ABLE to work.
I am thankful for the greatest family—both my side and Angie’s side.
I am thankful for the LOVE of God that will speak to me in that still small voice deep down in my heart. I am thankful I can respond.
(I took out that he said he was thankful for me…then he scolded me for it. So—he is thankful for his “sweet wife” —his words, not mine—for today…I was NOT very sweet. The a/c has been out of commission at our office–that’s the excuse I will use.)
Thank ya’ll for allowing me to share my thankfuls on Angie’s blog.
Working for Him,
Jeff.
(Pictured is Jeff and his sweet mom taken on July 4, 2008.)
You all need to join up at Iris’ place for the rest of the THANKFUL Thursdays!
You just never know how the Lord will speak to your heart!
Update: Jeff has been blown away by the sweet comments on this post! Amazed…eyes big and smiling bright AMAZED! Thank you all! You made his day!
Jeff & Angie 
