Our Gotcha Day

This last week we celebrated Davie Anne's "Gotcha" day. She has been with us for 5 years already. It doesn't seem possible. Rather than go on and on about her, which I certainly could do, let me just take a moment to challenge you to watch this video and pray for the children who remain orphans. I want to do more. I am challenged to do more. I receive information about unsponsored children with Compassion and am challenged again with all the needs in this world. God is calling me to do more and I believe He is calling all of us to care at the very least...to care that there are people who don't have the basic necessities of life...at the very least to slow up enough to weep over those who don't have...to pray that He will meet their needs and to be willing to be used by Him to do so. I don't enjoy feeling overwhelmed with all the needs. Sometimes I resent it. I want a check list, not unlike the pharisees, and I want to know when enough is enough...but Jesus calls me to more than that...He calls me to truly care...and then just possibly to act...its a struggle, a tension in the Christian life that I am not always open to, but He isn't gonna give me a check list...He's calling me to care and that requires an open heart and a willing heart and a heart that rests in His abundance. He isn't lacking in anything. I need to care as much as the needy need me to care....I need to be fully alive and fully present and fully feeling their pain...I know that...don't have anything else figured out yet...but I do know that I need them in order to become more like Him. He loves them so. Oh, and you too :) Growing in His love, js
By the way, you can go here to make a donation if you are able and show the kids without blankets that you care. That's one of the places we will be supporting this month.
p.s.thanks Jac for the conversation...your words have impacted me. I'm wrestling and that's a good thing)
p.p.s.thank you sweet Brandi for the opportunity to give to the very province our Davie girl was from...oh what we could have missed...

I'm Tagged

Sweet Kelly tagged me to give you people 15 things I'm not afraid to admit....so here goes...

1. I'm 47 years old(that's for Amanda)

2. I love to study the Bible.

3. I would adopt more kids if I could.

4. Lots of times I cry over the kindness done to others(just today they sent cakes to the soldiers on The View and I started to cry)

5. I hate to exercise...probably not a secret.

6. I am learning to save money with coupons...thanks to the coupon queens at our church(they know who they are)

7. I am crazy in love with David Eddie Lopez Chuck Wimberly.

8. I am a sinner saved by my gracious Savior and I hope I never forget it!

9. I have 5 kids that challenge me to change and become more like Jesus in my attitudes and actions on a daily basis.

10. LOVE LOVE LOVE a good country song. I will so be watching the awards on Wed night(cause our frugal women's group isn't meeting)!

11. Sometimes my kids embarrass me...oh wait, I mean sometimes I embarrass my kids.

12. I am crazy about nature. I'll talk birds and butterflies all day(right Kelly?)I actually grew four caterpillars into butterflies in the last two weeks. Let my last one go on Sunday...it was a proud moment as the little guy flew into the sky. I've seen him/her in my backyard even today!

13. I love the women in my Sunday night small group. They have totally kept me sane these last couple of years.

14. One of the most interesting ministries God has given me in the past is my foot massage ministry. I have given my pastor a foot massage on more than one occasion...Christie was there too...actually I should have said, I have given my pastor, his wife, and her sister foot massages...I think all on the same night. I've also given one to an elder, his wife, and their daughter. (maybe I am embarrassed to admit this...:)

15. I am a voracious reader and love a good story...so here's a funny one about me...on my honeymoon...I got all ready for bed...David changed in the bathroom and I changed in the hotel room and it was just like in the movies....he came out and I was waiting in my white long negligee...we started smooching...laid down on the bed when suddenly David said, "Baby, did you mean to leave the price tags on?" and then we rolled out of the bed laughing hysterically. I had somehow forgotten to take the tags off my nightgown. It was a classic moment and the beginning of a LOT of funny stories to come.

Soooo, that might be more info than you wanted to know...I'm tagging Robyn, Erin and Karin cause these are some funny gals who are also very entertaining writers! Blessings...love, js

Top Ten Reasons for Having Babies Later In Life

A friend(actually I can't count the times I've heard this) casually mentioned that she was glad she wasn't raising toddlers at this time in her life and it got me to thinking...drum roll please...

No.10-I still get to buy really cute clothes for my little girls

No.9 They have to wear what I buy

No.8 At least someone still thinks I'm the prettiest woman they know

No.7 At this age its reassuring to have someone around who wants to know what I think

No.6 I have the hope of two possible granny nannies since the first 3 have already declined the job

No.5 I have to confess its nice to be needed by someone who should still need me

No.4 At my age its nice to have someone that trust my driving and NEVER ask me to change my radio station

No.3 I need lots of laughter in my life...makes one younger you know...and they provide tons of that

No.2 Seriously, it keeps me young and does not allow me to become settled in my ways. As we get older that is a real tendency and having little kids keeps me re-evaluating my parenting and household on a regular basis. I am not allowed to just give up.

No.1 Reason for having children at my age....God told me to!!! Ya gotta do what your King asks you to do. Adopting two little girls that had no family was His idea and I am so thankful to be where I am right now. It's not easy, but for our family it is right.

What are you doing right now that folks casually tell you they are glad it's you and not them? I'd love to hear about it! Many many blessings, Jackie Sue

p.s.I sure hope this doesn't sound angry...I'm not offended...the comment just got me to thinking about why I'm glad to be raising girls at my age....love y'all!
p.p.s. This post was in no way meant to "dis" my older kids. They are great kids!!! I just had them when I still knew everything....you know, when I was young :)

Don't Know What I'm Doing

Tried to post a new post that I had loaded before and still it loaded after the one that is already there...anyway, posted some other pictures after the ones in the next post...go 2 posts down if you care to see them :) My computer illiteracy astounds even me!Love, js

Just to make you smile!

Don't you just love this? Makes me smile!.

Our butterfly that we grew and watched become a chrysalis and then a butterfly. It's a Queen butterfly.

Recent Photos of some of my Blessings

Ellie in curlers!
Family "work" day!
My man lays down his life in sod for me...love in action.
Daddy and a dear daughter
Siblings
My girls and my momma

So glad He is God and I'm not!

Well, today is election day. Has that caused anybody other than me some anxiety? I just keep praying, "Thy will be done". What else can I pray? To pray otherwise would be to assume I know what God is doing in all this and I don't so I surrender to His will and trust He will accomplish all He intends because He always does. No one can thwart the will of the Almighty. For that I am truly thankful.

Today our first chrysalis hatched. It is a Queen butterfly. I kid you not, one minute it was in it's chrysalis and the next minute I looked it was out. No one but God could have thought up a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. No.One. He is so awesome. We have three more to go. They are all Monarch's. They should hatch this weekend I'm thinking. Exciting happenings at our house!

If I had some photos of Sarah in all her bridesmaid beauty I would post them, but I don't. You can check out her facebook and see some though. Oh, I have a facebook now. I had no idea I had so many friends. TONS! Makes a person feel loved....or at least known or something. I'm not really into it yet, but I have checked in a few times. The truth is it is hard to make such dramatic changes at this stage in life. First it was Myspace now it is Facebook. Who can keep up? Scary stuff. Something else that's scary is at this very moment I am listening to Rush Limbaugh on my radio in my kitchen. That's enough to scare anyone. My dad loved Rush! I told you it was scary. We become our parents...its inevitable. What a cruel fate for my children. Then again, the older I get the more I appreciate my parents. Hello. Duh.

God continues to reveal Himself in so many ways. Not just in the nature I am able to observe, but in the people around me and in my time with Him. He has shown me that my fear about the future reveals a lack of trust in Him. He promises to always be with me, that I will be an over comer, that He is greater in me than the one in the world, and that He will in the end take me Home. What do I really have to fear? The truth is that I fear that I won't have the character it takes to withstand the hardships that may be on the horizon in a way that honors Him. I truly don't want to be a wimp about things. I want to finish well and allow God to pursue holiness in me and in my children more than happiness. I guess I fear what it might require of me for that to really happen. I don't naturally posses a lot of strong work ethic. I'm pretty lazy really. A lot. So the idea of extreme hardship frightens me. I am definitely not one of those people who say "bring it on". My prayer is more like, "Oh Lord, You know what a chicken I am. Please give me what it takes to walk through this with You." Anyway, I am holding to the truth that He will get me through anything He allows and all He does is good. I'm just so glad that He is God and I am not! Many blessings. His, Jackie Sue