Good stuff...

Well, land sakes. God is good ya'll and He just cracks me up! After the day started like it did I have to tell you how it ended. I still am not feeling all that great, but with the illnesses I have, such is life. My thorn, if you will.

After my kids got home we went to go pick up my other kids (the Jeu De Vine's) to take them home. On Wednesday's I usually have to sit with them for 30 min or so til Grandma gets home so we're sitting on the couch yesterday and the middle child comes over and starts showing me this "cool book" her mom has. It's called "Prayer Portions". Now I don't know if any of you have ever seen or participated in this book, but every time I've ever done it, I get the BIGGEST zit on my face! No lie! The purging just causes this incredible mass on my face! =0) So as she's flipping thru the book she gets to this section on personal prayer and praying over personal sins and she takes her little finger down the list and says "Oh, self-pity, that's a tough one don't ya think Ms. Val?" Yeah. I know!!! I didn't know if I should smack her or hug her! hahaha So I had to spend a few minutes with the Father making sure my grief wasn't taking me to a place of self-pity. OUCH!

Ok. So then, my middle son gets home and he's struggling BIG TIME with his science homework so we miss church because I had to help him. He has a test this morning so we had to nail it down. (Lord, help it come to his mind today.) So I get everyone in bed and my man comes home from church and I'm telling him about my day and apologizing to him for blasting him, via email (the chicken route), for putting one of my favorite shirts in the dryer and shrinking it. Yeah. Special. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the girl from earlier also pointed out "Demanding your rights. That's a tough one too isn't it Ms. Val?" in the personal sins book. (See why I get a zit every time I pick up that book?) So, I had to fix that too. SPECIAL!

So as if that wasn't enough, I turn on Life Today for some Wednesday's with Beth. If you didn't see it, go to the Life Today site and watch it. LAND SAKES! So she's talking about Paul and Silas in prison from Acts 16:16-35. Yeah, you know where this is going don't you? She starts talking about how praise can alter our attitude on a daily/hourly basis even. She said the more we engage in praise and not speak about our misery the more we'll want to praise despite our feelings. Ok, I want to know which one of you called her and told her about me? haha She reminded us how powerful the mouth is and instead of staying in the cycle of feeling sad, lonely, depressed, opressed, whatever and then speaking about how bad we feel, making us feel even worse (sound like anyone you know? sure sounds familiar haha) we should just open our mouths and praise the Lord! Praise Him even when the first word isn't sincere! It will become sincere, heart-felt praise, because of who God is!

She talked about the season she's come thru - losing her dad and all - and how she was getting ready to speak but didn't "feel like it" so she put on her Kirk Franklin music - which I have to just stop right there for a minute. Get the visual with me. Here's this tiny, little, dare I say 40-50ish white woman (sorry Ms. Beth) gettin her praise on with Kirk Franklin! That just cracks me up!! Anyway, she was listening to "Revolution" - the song I put on my blog last night - and how when Kirk said "Do you want a revolution" she looked at her ipod and said "Yes I do - woo woo" I'm tellin ya I about fell off the chair. Even my man was rollin!!! I just had to share that with ya'll. It doesn't at all pertain to me, but it's still so stinkin' funny!!!! LOVE IT!!

Ok, so this morning I choose praise. "I will rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word." Ps 119:147 "I will life up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Ps 121:1-2 "I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone." Ps 71:16 "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Ps 69:30

I praise you Father! If you choose to never bless me again I will still praise your name! I love you Father! I thank you Father! You are Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha, my Jehovah-shammah!! Thank you Lord for loving me, for caring for me and for reminding me that it's time to stop the misery cycle and praise!!