After you have a transplant, every little sickness is such a big deal. There are so many drugs I cannot take, even over the counter stuff. I do take 18 pills a day every day, and will for the rest of my life. Crazy! I used to would not even take Tylenol unless I just had to. Only two of those are anti-rejection drugs, the others are pills to keep the other pills from eating up my stomach lining, and LOTS of vitamins. Plus my weight has caused me to have high blood pressure, so I take two for that. After the transplant, I basically have no immune system, well I guess I have one, it just doesn't work good.
I can catch things real quick, and it takes a long time to get over them.
Now don't get me wrong, these are just facts, not complaints. I wake up breathing every day and I am happy to be alive. It's just when I get sick, it is usually worse than everyone else gets, and it takes longer to go away. This little sickness, a stomach virus, sent me to the hospital for IV anti-biotics. Plus I have a touch of crud like everyone else where I live seems to have.
But I AM BETTER this morning. Actually am up at 5 am, which never happens. I will posts more today if I can, but thank you for checking on me... I appreciate it.
Every year my sons ask what I want for Christmas, and I always tell them the same thing- pictures. Well, they always give me those anyway, so this year when they started asking, I decided to just be honest and tell them what I want. Otherwise they both go out and spend a lot of money on things I like but don't really need.
This year I asked for boxes of canning jars, because I want to completely redo my cabinets with jars.
I asked for a new journal, because I have resorted to writing in notebooks I bought at the first of the school year 3 for 99 cents.
Coasters because mine are worn completely out.
A GC to my fave store- Hobby Lobby.
A girly box of things I love like nail polish, makeup, make my face look younger items, etc... I have always had a passion for girly stuff and makeup, and now I still love it, even though I hardly wear it.
My big 'ask for' is a new sewing machine. WalMart actually has one on Thanksgiving night for half price ($46.) They could go in together for that.
But then I asked for crafty things I need - like toilet paper rolls, old light bulbs, altoid tins, pringles cans, an old spice rack, an old mug holder, and stuff like that I need for craft things I want to make. Freebies pretty much.
They usually spend about $100 each, and to me. that is way too much. I certainly can't do that, but they love their mama, and I love them.
1. What time did you get up this morning? I got up around 8 , slept in today.
2. How do you like your steak? Well done, but not burnt
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema: Honestly, I don't remember. It's been a while.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Atlanta, GA
6. What did you have for breakfast? I have not had breakfast yet
7. What is your favorite food? Mexican
8. Foods you dislike? anything slimy like oysters and boiled okra
9. Favorite place to eat? Garduno's in Las Vegas
10. Favorite dressing? Catalina
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? a crappy 94 Buick Century wagon
12. What are your favorite clothes? shorts and a tshirt
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? usually half empty but I am trying to change that
15. Where would you want to retire? I am retired, but not where I want to be.
16. Favorite time of day? I am at my best in the mornings.
17. Where were you born? Winston Salem, NC
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? baseball
19. What is your favorite fragrance? new one I love is Kim Kardashian (even I was very surprised about that)
20. What is your favorite face cream? ROC
21. Favorite baby/kids products? not applicable
22. People watcher? yes
23. Are you a morning or night person? morning
24. Do you have any pets? Yes, a hairy Chihuahua named Dexter
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Going home for a few days before Christmas
26. What did you want to be when you were little? a teacher
27. What is your favorite memory? Having my sons, being with my Mom
28. Are you a cat or dog person? both, but DIL is allergic to cats so we gave them away
29. Are you married? yes
30. Always wear your seat belt? always, its a habit
31. Been in a car accident? yes but no one was hurt
32. Any pet peeves? liars and hypocrites
33. Favorite pizza toppings? vege pizza
34. Favorite flower? Roses
35. Favorite ice cream? Nutty Coconut from Baskin Robbins
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell and McDonalds
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? none
38. From whom did you get your last email? from Rebi at "My Butterfly Garden"
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I no longer max out cc's. Save your money and buy it. CC's are for emergencies and travel.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? played cards with friends the other night on the spur of the moment
41. Like your job? No job anymore, but I loved my job when I was working.
42. Broccoli? yes, love it
43. What was your favorite vacation? Pleasure Faire Renaissance in CA right after we married. Best vacation ever!
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Robert
45. What are you listening to right now? silence, Robert just went to work
46. What is your favorite color? green
47. How many tattoos do you have? two, one on left shoulder and big one on right calf
48. coffee drinker? no way
49. how tall are you? 5 foot 4 inches
50. hobbies? photography, travel, reading, cooking and eating, writing
Hubby and I drove to Little Rock this morning to get my monthly labs. It is a 70 mile drive one way, but we enjoy it. Gives us a chance to chat. It was a gloomy cloudy morning, but that didn't mess with our spirit today. We mostly talked about Christmas and things we are planning for next year. It is now late afternoon and is raining cats and dogs. We (the farmers) need it.
Hubby is off two days in a row this week, Thursday and Friday. We have some "at home" plans for Thursday, like shampooing the living room carpet. On Friday we are going to Stuttgart and maybe to a matinee movie. We need some "US" time. So I am going to make sure we get it.
I woke up this morning with all intentions of starting to clean my house. I want everything cleaned, organized, and purged by the time we go to Alabama in December. We are only going to be gone two days this trip, but I want for once to come home to a very clean house.
Oh well, that didn't happen; not today anyway. I woke up at 3 am and could not go back to sleep, probably because I fell asleep about 8 last night while watching tv. So I was on the computer catching up on everything for a few hours til hubby got up. By 6 I was sleepy again, went back to bed til 8:30. This time I started looking at a new book I had gotten in the mail to review, and it was really good from the start, so that was my day. I read almost all day.
Hubby was supposed to cook steak fajitas for supper. Then we remembered that he had a fireman's meeting tonight ( he is a volunteer fireman). So I am sitting here trying to decide what to eat and thinking of what I need to do tomorrow. lol
Good intentions are ok, but just doing it is the only way to get the job done. At least that is the only thing that works for me.
Hubby helping put out a fire (storage building for a farmer). No one was hurt, but the building was a loss.
Our town is very small and almost everyone knows everyone else or so I thought. Everyone knows my hubby because he works at the only store in town. Anyway, we have a town meeting once a month and not many people ever come. At the Friday night meeting, we were discussing ways to honor our elderly in town and since we don't have a senior center, see if we could possibly start one. That has really opened up a can of worms in my little world, lol.
After the meeting one girl came up to me and asked if she could help me in any way. I wasn't sure why she was asking me that. So I asked her what kind of help did she mean. Lol, then I almost fainted when she answered me. She said since I was elderly, was there anything she could help me with. WHAT? Me? Elderly? I didn't know if to hit her or just run. But I did the proper thing and just said no thank you.
THEN, when we get to the car, and honestly I was almost in tears by then, my hubby was opening my door for me (yes he does that), and a man walking to his car stopped and told me I had such a nice son, to be helping me in the car like that. SON?
Ok, by this point I was hurt, and mad. How old do I look to these people? I am 57 but have never thought I looked that old, even though I sure feel it most days. But a double age whammy in one night was about more than I can take. It really has made me focus on how people see me.
How do you think people see you?
Do I really look almost 60 or "elderly"? NO, Wait, don't answer that! lol
Maybe at the next meeting we should discuss building an old folks home to put me in. Ugh!
As you know, I lived in CA with my brother and his family for a while. I got a job that I loved, and was happy and content and had sworn off men forever, lol. That didn't last long. I went on a few dates with different guys, most of which either scared me or were just gross. I prayed for God to please send me somebody good, that I could spend the rest of my life with. I forgot about the prayer and went on with my life.
There was a girlfriend at work that was always trying to get me to go to church with her. I always made an excuse not to go, as I was not very into church going for a while. Finally I agreed to go with her. When we got there, we were met by a greeter at the door, who had the biggest smile and prettiest blue eyes I'd ever seen. Wow! He introduced himself as Robert. All during the sermon I felt like a stupid schoolgirl. I kept glancing at him and every time I glanced, he was always looking back at me. I would break out in this big sh*t eating grin, you know the kind.
After church every Sunday my friend and a bunch of people would go out for lunch. That day we went to a burger place right off Wilshire. He came in and sat by me, we talked all afternoon, long after everyone else left, and he took me home. During the ride home, he told me that he didn't want to scare me off, but that he had prayed for God to send him somebody to love and that would love him back just as much. He thought I might be that person. Talk about freaky! Watch what you pray for. God does answer prayers.
We have been together ever since that day. He is the best thing that ever happened to me, and still treats me like a queen. I guess my motto is: If you are looking for a good guy, pray about it. It works.
If you could make 3 wishes right now, what would they be?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mine are:
I want terribly to be healthy again, and I am so afraid that may not happen.
Money! I do not need to be rich. I just want enough to live comfortably and be able to take an occasional trip without having to save up for months to do it. Then:...........
Get one of these so I can go here -
I won a trip to Rome, Italy last year from the Rachel Ray show. Unfortunately, I did not get to take it. I was very sick, and did not yet have my passport. I wasn't even trying to win the trip, but a smaller prize. Bound for me to win the big one! So one day before I pass, I want to go to Rome for a week. Just me and hubby. On the honeymoon we never had.
This is my Nablopomo post tost today. I am ashamed as this is not worthy of a post. I have felt like crap all day, got depressed, now coming back to normal, but anything I have to say would not be worth reading. Such as what you just read. Hanging in there....
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Vonette Bright is an award-winning communicator, founder of Women Today, and cofounder of Campus Crusade for Christ International with her late husband, Dr. Bill Bright. A respected leader, sought after speaker, popular author, and well-known radio host, Vonette is committed to sharing God’s powerful truth with women all over the world.
List Price: $9.99
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736939296
ISBN-13: 978-0736939294
AND NOW...THE FIRST DEVOTION:
75 Candles
Have you taken an inventory of what’s important in your life? Birthdays are a great time to reflect and look forward. Imagine you were blowing out 75 candles on your birthday cake. What would you want to have accomplished by then?
Before Bill and I were married, I never would have imagined the Lord would use my husband and me so dramatically. God guided us to start Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization that has become a worldwide ministry with more than half a million workers.
Our goal from the beginning was to put God first in our lives and do all we planned for His honor and glory.
So, dear one, let me ask: Have you let God be the center of your life goals? Are you willing to let Him use you? Ask God today to take over every area of what you do. He will do a marvelous work with your life too.
Whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
This I Believe
You can never go wrong putting
God first in everything.
I love this little book. This small, yet thick book is filled with wonderful devotions for women. They are short, yet sweetly inspiring and tied to the truth of Scripture. Each page includes a scripture, message, and affirmation. This book would make a great gift for any woman walking with God. The front cover is attractive and the book addresses such a wide range of topics that anyone can benefit from using it. 5 out of 5 stars
Thanks to Harvest House Publishers for my review copy. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are my own.
Nablopomo:
When was the first time that you realized that your home was not like other people’s homes?
I grew up in a white house on a hill. We had a huge front porch that went all across the front of the house. I had my own room. I had no idea we were different than other people until I was about twelve or thirteen and started having friends over and going to their houses. My friends were daughters of a doctor, a lawyer, and a few businessmen. I lived with my Mom and Grandparents. My Mom was a waitress at that time, my granddad a barber and grandma was a beautician (hairdresser as she called herself). They were good Christian hardworking people.
Anyway, I noticed very quickly that my friends all had nicer homes and lots more stuff than I had. All of a sudden, I made a new friend and her Mom decided she could not come see me after she saw where we lived. I did not understand until my Mom talked to me about it. I understood, but really didn't. How could people be so mean and shallow? My Mom taught me the word Shallow that day and what it meant. Anyway, the older I got, maybe around 14, friends started to change and I discovered "class" and "cliques". Both are so stupid.
I started being more drawn to people in my social class, what I then considered us to be the in-betweeners. Not rich yet not dirt poor either.
I married my high school sweetheart when I was 17. He had a good job at 3M Company and is retiring with them next year. We were upper middle class for a while. So were most of our friends. But our families were both still the same old folks in their same old houses. I guess it all changes as we grow and change. We lived in a nice brick home and I raised my sons there.
After we divorced 25 years into our marriage, I left and went to my brother's house in CA. So I had no home for a year. After I worked awhile and got established, I moved into my own small apt. (very small). Things then changed because I changed. I was on my own for the first time in my life, and low and behold, I discovered I was happy. I thought I was happy anyway, but I had not been for a long long time.
Then I met my hubby now, moved with his job 5 times, and always had a nice apt until now. After my transplant and him becoming ill, we struggle, as many do today. I now live in a small government apartment in a very small town. Do I feel lower class or feel that my home is different from others? Here is the kicker: I No Longer Care! and I'm still happy!
So judge people for who they are and not what kind of house they live in. It doesn't matter if it's different.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
For over 30 years Joan Hunter, President and Founder of Joan Hunter Ministries, has ministered tirelessly, preaching and teaching God’s Word worldwide and serving as a conduit for His healing power. She is the author of four books: Healing the Whole Man Handbook, Healing the Heart, Power to Heal, and her most recent, Supernatural Provision. Joan has been featured on many television and radio broadcasts in the U. S. and around the world. She lives with her husband, Kelley Murrell, in Pinehurst, Texas. A mother and grandmother, Joan has four grown daughters and Kelly, four sons. To learn more about her or attend one of Joan’s conferences or speaking events, go to her website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
In these uncertain economic times, many are struggling to make ends meet, allowing credit card bills to pile up with no plan on how to pay off their debts. Others may not be suffering financially, but fear the future and are unable to find peace. In her latest book, healing expert Joan Hunter has plumbed the pages of the Bible for wisdom on securing financial freedom and managing it according to God’s instructions that results in peace that surpasses all human understanding. Maintaining that God wants to bless His children in every area, Joan shares fresh revelations that will ignite readers’ faith to: overcome debt and loss, remove roadblocks to God’s blessings, discover the blessings of faithful stewardship, and unlock the windows of heaven. An audio teaching CD is included with each book.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Whitaker House (November 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603744355
ISBN-13: 978-1603744355
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
“WORD” ECONOMICS
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
—Jeremiah 17:7–8
When you hear the word economics, you probably think of the largely secular discipline that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. You may think of the stock market, which rises and plummets in an alarming pattern. You may think of taxes and tariffs and currency exchanges. The realm of money may seem incompatible with faith, having little or nothing to do with the supernatural.
Yet the Christian life is not a dichotomy of material and spiritual, natural and supernatural. Those of us who call God our Savior and Lord know that every aspect of life has a natural and a supernatural component—economics included. Our financial wellness matters as much to God as our physical health, and we should not look at our finances from a standpoint that’s informed solely by secular investment analysts and stockbrokers. No part of your life can be understood without revelation from the Holy Spirit.
Understanding divine financial provision and the supernatural flow of money requires a personal revelation from God, just like every other area of Christian experience. Men cannot understand God’s methods using the world’s logic, which tells us to save x dollars each year, invest in certain funds, and otherwise make our own way. Most Christians have subscribed to worldly financial thinking: only 10 to 20 percent of all churchgoers tithe faithfully, which indicates that many do not believe that God will enable them to do more with the 90 percent they keep after tithing than with the money they save by refusing to tithe. Others are ignorant of the Bible’s teachings on tithing. They have not discovered that God keeps covenant with His children and provides for their needs from His inexhaustible riches in glory, not their limited incomes.
Christians must know the difference between world economics and “Word” economics—the divine ways in which God provides for His children as they advance His kingdom on earth. His Word—the Holy Bible—is the answer book for questions about the realm of personal finances, especially as it concerns the call of God on your life. In these end times, the economy of God is not the same depressing picture that the world paints, with its buzz about deflation, inflation, recession, depression, unemployment, et cetera. His economy is thriving, with enough provision for you to do everything He has planned for you. He knows what works all the time.
A Steady Constant amid an Economy in Flux
In the world’s economy, it’s a “buyer’s market” one day, a “seller’s market” the next. The stock exchange is unpredictable, with investment brokers changing their tune every day. The threat of market crashes haunts investors everywhere, so that an atmosphere of panic and confusion permeates Wall Street and financial analysts.
Who is the author of confusion? Who is the author of scare tactics and lies? We all know that it’s God’s opponent, Satan. Because he is God’s enemy, he is also our enemy, and he will do anything and everything to discourage Christians. If he can get us to doubt God’s provision and live in paranoia about unemployment, bankruptcy, and the like, he has the upper hand.
The great thing about God’s economy is, it never changes. While the world’s economy is in constant flux, the principles by which God’s economy operates are eternal; they do not shift according to the latest trends on Wall Street. The current economic conditions do not limit God. He doesn’t have more money when stocks are soaring and less when the market tanks. “The earth is the Lord’s” (Exodus 9:29); He owns it all, all the time. He could turn stones into loaves of bread if He chose to. (See Matthew 4:3–4.) He used ravens to feed the prophet Elijah. (See 1 Kings 17:6.) He supplied sustenance for Noah and the other inhabitants of the ark during the great flood. (See Genesis 6:13–9:1.) He can provide for those who trust Him in any situation.
When the enemy tries to tell you something negative, laugh out loud! If he whispers fear and paranoia into your mind, call him a liar and quote God’s Word to him, just as Jesus did when Satan was tempting Him in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4:1–11.)
Heed the True Anchor, Not the News Anchor
Most Christians read the Bible and pray when they are at a crossroads and need wisdom on what to do. Yet many of them make the mistake of seeking the Bible’s wisdom for every area of life except their finances! They consult the Word of God for answers to questions about health, emotions, relationships, and the like, but neglect to search the ultimate source of wisdom for financial advice—with tragic results.
I know a woman whose husband could not stay away from the news. He listened to, watched, or read the news all day and long into the night. Panic invaded his mind on a daily basis and also permeated his marriage and family, and his wife was at a loss for how to deal with the spirit of fear that had taken over her home.
Sadly, many people devote much of their attention to the news, whether by watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet, or checking Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites for updates. The news from these sources is almost always from man’s perspective, not God’s. Granted, being informed about world events is useful—how else can we know when to pray for change or when to rejoice over the fulfillment of God’s promises? But the fact remains that most news broadcasts emphasize the negative and end up inciting panic and undermining our confidence.
Watch What You Lean On
How many people do you know who trust the news without question? They are totally consumed with the opinions of man as their ultimate source of knowledge; they “lean on” worldly news and then wonder why they do not have peace and joy!
Does the Bible say, “Trust in the news with all your heart, and it shall direct your path”? No! God’s Word tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). In the midst of a seesawing stock market and high unemployment, trusting in God’s provision can be a challenge. The key is to be more focused on His promises—His economy, as revealed in His Word—than on the world economy.
Guard Your Ears
You may be familiar with Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What you may not realize is that, like faith, fear also comes by hearing—listening to the news, to the world around you.
If we try to keep up with the world’s financial reports and heed messages of economic doom and gloom, we are bound to become anxious and prey to fear. Fear, as you know, is the opposite of faith, and it is not from God: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Again, if the news is what you focus on, a spirit of fear will pervade your thoughts. Your spirit will be dominated by whatever you feed your mind.
As I wrote earlier, the “news” that bombards us 24/7 should not be our primary source of information, especially when it comes to our finances. Instead of depending on the newscasters, we should turn to the Word of God. The more we depend on the Word, the more content and confident we will be. Where do you go for answers? God’s Word or the news broadcasts?
Guard Your Mind
When you spend hours surfing the Internet, reading the newspaper, and watching TV news anchors broadcast their negative messages, what will enter your mind? Negativity. Junk. Trash. Fear. Poverty.
Be careful about the thoughts you entertain. Instead of dwelling on negativity, use your God-given discernment. When the financial forecast is dire, you will be free from anxiety and fear, because the truths about God’s economy—the promise of His supernatural provision and inexhaustible resources—will keep your soul at peace.
In addition, when you renew your mind (see Romans 12:2), you will have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). And, when you think with the mind of Christ, you end up making wise decisions based on your faith in God and your obedience to His Word.
Guard Your Tongue
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21 kjv)
It may come as a revelation to you, but your words can affect the level of your material wealth. You can bring in money by the words you use. You speak by faith and you act in obedience to the Word of God. No matter how you feel
Consider the words you speak. Are they words of peace and faith, or are they expressions of fear and panic? When you choose to fill your mind with God’s truth and speak words of faith alone, you withstand the spirit of fear and dwell in the prosperity of God. If anything is blocking your income, you must pray positive words over your finances. Declare good things. Speak increase and prosperity. The words of your mouth will determine your success, not the naysaying of the newscasters.
We have this assurance in the Psalms:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1–3 kjv)
When we set our minds in agreement with the promises in the Word of God, we can expect incredible blessings from our Father, for He supernaturally blesses His people!
Faith for Finances in Tumultuous Times
In the midst of the housing bust and economic downturn of 2008–2009, our ministry had to relocate. On top of that, my husband, Kelley, and I moved. The logistics of such an undertaking are usually overwhelming, not to mention the added difficulty of my having to help direct the process from a distance due to my extensive travel schedule. Yes, I continued to travel wherever God sent me during this time and usually found myself out of town.
Despite the circumstances that surrounded us, our needs were met supernaturally. Our ministry has more workspace than ever before, and our new home is beautiful. We are grateful for God’s blessings, and we excitedly anticipate the blessings to come as we faithfully follow His leading.
True prosperity is found in the Word of God. If we feed ourselves continually on the things of God, our souls will prosper. As our souls prosper, our bodies and minds also prosper. The effects of these blessings overflow into every corner of our lives.
Is everything in our lives perfect 24/7? No! We still live on earth and daily face challenges to overcome. However, we are so blessed that we just hop over each challenge to catch the next blessing. We listen to God’s Word, speak His Word, and believe His Word.
When you turn to the Word of God, you receive only good news—the promises He has in store for you. As we have discussed, a steady diet of world news produces nothing but fear, worry, and anxiety. What will you listen to? Whose report will you believe? (See Romans 10:16–17.) Will you continue to rely on the world’s economy, or will you walk into and stay within the economic principles designed by our Creator? Every day, you will make such a choice. Choose carefully.
Man may fail you, but God never will. And He is the greatest “personal financial adviser” you could hope for, because He always has your best interests in mind.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 niv)
Which will you trust? The words of man with doom and gloom, which plant seeds of doubt and disbelief, or the wonderful Word of God with its promises of abundant life? If you answered “God’s news,” read on. In this book, I will reveal financial principles from the Word of God and show you the joy of putting your faith not in a paycheck or another source of income but in your ultimate Provider, the Lord God Almighty.
God has only good things for you, but you have to turn to Him and open your mind and heart to hear, discern, understand, and follow His plans for you. When you deposit faith for your finances in the bank of heaven, you will receive the greatest possible return, and His peace and prosperity will permeate your life. May it be so for you today!
God heals believers not only physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but financially, as well. Speaking from personal experience with overcoming financial hardships, best-selling author Joan Hunter shares biblical wisdom and shows you how to:
See miraculous breakthrough Overcome poverty and loss Become debt-free Prosper in the midst of adversity Have all your needs net Apply wealth-building secrets Thrive in uncertain times
You can walk in Gods abundant blessings.
The essense of the book is that God can take what you have and make you plentiful. There are many prayers and personal testimonies, and I am going to try to live these priciples better in my own life. A bonus cd is also attached.
Thank you Whitaker House (Anchor Distributors) for sending this book. I was not paid for my review and the opinions are my own
We have started, because it takes us a few months to buy for all the girls and everybody else we buy for. But this year we are doing it differently, and cheaper. You would not believe how much I spent on the family last year. I shopped literally all year and by Christmas, it was just ridiculous. We actually bought the little ones more than their parents did. I'm ashamed to admit that.
This year I have already talked to my boys, their spouses, and the kids. The big girls get a gift card each and I let them give me 3 stores to buy from. I already have these. The little girls all get one nice gift (around $25) and a few dollar store things thrown in. My sons and their wives each get a gift card to a restaurant. That's it. That may sound like a lot to you, but it is nothing compared to years past.
Then we buy a few small gifts for others. Hubby exchanges a gift at his job's Christmas party, and we do here at our apt. complex party. I buy our friend Jerry something and our landlady's daughter Heaven a toy. That's it, Done!
Other than the party gifts (just because we don't know who we are buying for yet) everything will be purchased by the end of November. Then we can actually enjoy our Christmas this year without the stress of which kid has how many presents.
For ourselves, we are going to enjoy Christmas somewhere together this year. Not sure of plans yet.
On Nov 8, 1976 a beautiful baby boy was delivered by Dr John R Waddell with a scheduled c-section. He had a head full of hair, weighed 7pds 4oz, and was 21" long.
Today he is the proud dad to 4 gorgeous girls, and happily married to his wife Regina.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!This is a must read true story. I did not expect to like this book, but I was wrong. I couldn't put it down. This is the story of the Chilean miners as told by Carlos Parra Diaz, the "Chaplain of Camp Hope". It is told by Chaplain Diaz. It is about the rescue and the faith of the miners and their community. It is a heart clincher. Have tissues on hand.
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
After serving as chaplain at Camp Hope during the 2010 mine collapse that trapped 33 miners a half-mile underground for 69 days, minister Carlos Parra Diaz believes he is now living the answer to a prayer. Today he finds himself exactly where he asked to be placed several months before the collapse when he climbed atop a hill near his home and prayed God would use him to bring awareness of Jesus to all nations.
For several suspenseful hours on October 13, 2010, the attention of the entire world lay centered on a solitary spot in the Chilean desert. It was there that 33 trapped miners emerged to fresh air and freedom and the eager embrace of jubilant family and friends, after having spent ten weeks entombed one-half mile underground. Their emergence brought an end to the greatest mine rescue of all time.
As told to writers Mario Veloso and Jeanette Windle, Hope Underground: The 34 Chilean Miners—A Story of Faith and Miracles (Imago Dei Books) records the personal journey and spiritual involvement of a local, unassuming minister with the miners and their families. In a series of circumstances that would change his life forever, Pastor Carlos Parra Diaz rose to prominence as he became the influential chaplain of Camp Hope—a makeshift tent community established not far from the site of the mine collapse.
Yet Hope Underground is clearly more than just Pastor Parra’s story. Rather, it is the story of all who came together at Camp Hope focused on asking God to do a mighty work on behalf of the miners and the overwhelming evidence of His response that followed. Told simply and from the heart, Pastor Parra describes not only his own involvement with the families at Camp Hope but also introduces the reader to those miners, family members and officials who extracted nuggets of hope from the situation and then used them to instill faith in others.
For most people, this spectacular rescue is already yesterday’s news. However, for the millions who prayed for a miracle, this event has become a spiritual heritage for the whole world, a stirring reminder that God listens to the pleas of His children.
Readers are introduced to women like Maria Segovia, the “mayor” of Camp Hope, whose quiet strength and steadfast faith daily encouraged others. We meet the miner whose wife gave birth to their first child during the ten-week ordeal—a daughter they named Esperanza (which means Hope). And no reader will soon forget the youngest miner who boldly insisted there were 34 in the mine instead of 33 because, as he explained, “God never abandoned us.”
Though on its own, the story of his involvement would provide fascinating reading, what Pastor Parra gives us in Hope Underground is so much more. With humility and reverence, he leads us through the story of Camp Hope to a new realization that God remains a never failing presence to everyone willing to call upon His name.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Africa Publishing Company (September 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0986979953
ISBN-13: 978-0986979958
My parents were devout Christians, and from my earliest childhood I attended a local evangelical church where I grew up hearing Bible stories and singing hymns and choruses. Our small town was privileged to have both a primary and a secondary school, where my siblings and I attended. The flow of life in Coelemu was unhurried and serene.
Yet I was not always happy. As one of the youngest in a large family, I constantly battled low self-esteem. I had been taught the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. I believed in the existence and power of a Creator God. But I had never placed my own faith in Jesus Christ or made any personal commitment to follow my Creator.
When I graduated from secondary school at age seventeen, there were no funds available for further education. In fact, no one in my family had ever gone on to university. I had done well in school and dreamed of a higher education. But without the necessary funds, I headed instead to the nearest city to look for work.
Seventy kilometers south of Coelemu, Concepción is Chile’s second largest metropolitan center with a population of almost a million people. One of my older brothers, Claudio, had already moved there. Boarding in his home, I quickly found a job. I worked hard, sending part of my earnings home to help my parents, saving what I could in hopes I might be able to study again someday. I made friends.
But I soon also turned my back on the Christian upbringing my parents had provided for me. The big city was filled with temptations for a young man out on his own for the first time. When I was not working, my days soon became a round of parties, dances, and other entertainments of which my parents would certainly not have approved. Church attendance was something of the past.
Once a month or so, I would travel home. My parents had no idea how my life had changed. They were simply happy their son had found work and was building a future for himself. In contrast, despite all the excitement of city life, I was not happy at all. By age nineteen, I had fallen into a deep depression. While I could point to nothing specifically wrong, my life seemed to be spiraling out of my control. I began to question whether God even existed. My self-esteem had hit rock bottom. I had a job, friends, and all my needs supplied. But there seemed no purpose to my existence, no reason to keep living.
By a certain evening when I was nineteen years old, I had come to a drastic decision: I would take my own life. I’d gone out that evening to party with one of my friends. But I could not make myself enjoy the festivities. Offering an excuse to leave my friend, I headed toward the railroad tracks cutting through that part of the city, thinking to throw myself in front of a passing train.
That particular night was clear of clouds, the stars bright against a black sky. It had been a long time since I’d thought of the God in whom my parents had raised me to believe, the Almighty Creator of the Universe. But as I lifted my eyes to that star-strewn sky, it was as though I glimpsed in the soft glitter of the constellations far above me a peace that I had not been able to find anywhere below on earth—a peace so vast and breathtaking, it brought sharply to my mind the presence of the God I’d learned of as a child, His pardon, His peace.
In desperation, I cried out in the direction of those stars, “God, if you are really there, please forgive my sins, and give me another chance to live.”
The answer that came was not thunder from heaven, but I heard its words as audibly as though spoken aloud. “Carlos, I will give you another opportunity to live. But you must live that life for me.”
I dropped my gaze from the glittering expanse of the night sky. But the moment I started looking at the darkness all around, despair once again overwhelmed me. I now know that this was a direct attack from Satan. You are worthless, he was murmuring in my mind. You would be better off taking your own life.
But the God who had created those constellations and spoken to me from heaven did not abandon me now. Before I could make any rash move, the friend I’d walked out on came rushing up. Somehow he’d sensed my earlier desperation. Worried, he’d been looking for me in all the places we usually hung out. He insisted on escorting me home to my brother’s house.
By now it was late at night. My brother Claudio let me in and told me to go to bed. We’d talk in the morning. Still battling despair, I went to my room. There I spotted a New Testament lying on a shelf. I couldn’t sleep, so I picked up the New Testament and began leafing through its pages. I don’t even remember what passages I read. But in those pages, I caught a glimpse of the same supernatural peace that I’d sensed in the stars. It was as though God was speaking to me again, giving me a direct confirmation that the earlier conversation we’d had was real and that He had forgiven all the wrong things I’d done over those last two years.
Going to bed at last, I slept like a small child, without stirring. When I awoke the next morning, I knew I was a new person, born again. From that day, I committed myself to follow God with all my heart.
“Almighty God, as I asked, You have given me a new chance to live,” I prayed. “Now I surrender my life to do Your will. Guide me wherever it is that You want me to serve. Let me live to exalt Your name among all nations.”
My next step was to find a local church where I could once again hear and study God’s Word. Locating one some distance away within the city of Concepción, I attended there for the next year or so. Then new neighbors moved next door to my brother Claudio’s house where I was still living. They were Seventh-day Adventist missionaries, a denomination I had never heard of at that time. They were friendly and kind. Within a short time, they’d volunteered to teach a Bible study in our neighborhood, which I began attending with my sister-in-law, Claudio’s wife. After three months of intensive Bible study, both of us made the decision to be baptized as a witness of our faith. On June 24, 1989, I surrendered my life in baptism. I was twenty-one years old.
From the moment I’d placed my faith in God, I’d committed my life to serve God. But I had no thoughts at that time of ever becoming a pastor or missionary. By then I’d found a good job as an administrative aide in a bank. But I still dreamed of one day getting a higher education. Then our neighbors told me about the Adventist University in nearby Chillán, a city about a hundred kilometers east of Coelemu.
“But I have no funds for university study,” I immediately responded.
That didn’t matter, the missionaries informed me. Then they explained to me the Adventist University’s unique system of self financing. Students could work one year for the university and then attend free the next year, alternating work and study years until they’d achieved their chosen degree. With great excitement, I enrolled, planning to study accounting, a career that would allow me not only to provide for myself, but to help my family. But by the end of my first year working for the university, God had made it clear that He was calling me into full-time ministry. When I finally started my university studies in 1991, it was in the field of theology rather than accounting.
For the next seven years, I alternated between working and studying. My employment for the university was as a colporteur, distributing and selling Christian literature door to door all over the city as well as in surrounding towns and villages. God had now made clear His calling on my life. But I did not want to follow that calling alone. I began to pray that God would bring into my life the marriage partner He had for me. For five years I prayed, not only that God would prepare the right wife for me, but that He would prepare me as a godly husband for that wife.
The following year was one of those in which I was not studying. I stayed on in Santiago, working in the literature ministry and also getting to know Gloria better. It was not long before we both recognized how much we’d come to love each other. Both of us had complete peace that God was calling us together as life partners.
In 2003, we moved again as a family to Chile’s beautiful Viña del Mar region, famous for its vineyards and beaches. Once again, I served as pastor and missionary to a group of churches scattered around the area. Traveling from one to another, I would preach God’s Word, teach and counsel church members, and spearhead evangelistic outreach into each community.
It was 2009 when I was asked if I would move from the Viña del Mar region to serve as an area coordinator in the northern city of Copiapó. Moving from the lush vegetation that I’d known all my life in southern Chile to the barren wastelands of the Atacama Desert would be a shock, I knew. But I also knew God was calling me to accept this new ministry challenge. In Copiapó I would have under my supervision nine churches, including a Gypsy kangiri, as this Romany people group called their church assemblies, in the small community of Paipote eight kilometers from Copiapó.
The regional capital of Copiapó is a community of about 130,000 inhabitants just beyond where Chile’s southern “green zone” gives way to the Atacama Desert. Its main industrial base is the copper, silver, and gold ore dug out of numerous mines in the surrounding area. A large copper smelter in nearby Paipote employs many local residents. Unexpectedly in such an arid zone, the second main source of employment is agricultural production. From my first visit to Copiapó, I was pleasantly surprised to find the town a green oasis, with irrigation for citrus and olive trees, vineyards, and vegetable crops coming from subterranean water sources deep beneath the thirsty surface.
Beyond the irrigated zones, the barrenness of a region that does not receive a single drop of rain is immediately evident. Since my childhood in Coelemu, surrounded by forest-cloaked hills, climbing has been one of my favorite pastimes. Once I’d begun my ministry, I’d made a practice in each new place to which God moved us of finding a nearby hill to climb where I be alone with God and pray. I was encouraged in doing so by the recognition that I was following Jesus’s own example of retreating in solitude to the mountains to spend time with His heavenly Father.
Shortly after arriving in Copiapó, I climbed to the top of a high hill overlooking the city, a peak dubbed by local residents Cerro de la Cruz, or Mountaintop of the Cross. The reason for its name was clear as I climbed. At the very summit of the hill, a large white cross rose against the cloudless blue backdrop of the sky.
As I reached the foot of the cross, a Bible verse rose to my thoughts that God had placed in my heart and mind since the very beginning of my ministry. The words were Jesus’s own as He foretold how He would soon die upon a cross: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).
Ever since God had called me to serve Him in full-time ministry, my greatest desire had been to see the eyes of everyone drawn to Jesus Christ, to see my Savior exalted among all nations. As I stood there praying over the city of Copiapó and the new ministry to which God had called me, I added a very specific and bold prayer request. I prayed that God would open the door for me to preach His good news of redemption through Jesus Christ, not just in the city of Copiapó, but across the entire region of Atacama, throughout all Chile, and—if in God’s sovereign will I was given opportunity—one day even to the rest of the world beyond Chile’s borders.
Over the next months I was very busy in my new ministry responsibilities, visiting each of the nine churches assigned to my administration, working and praying with both adults and youth for revival in the church. Together as a united body of believers, we prayed that God would show us how we could make a difference in this city and region for Christ.
Meanwhile, my family had settled in well, my children quickly making new friends at a local Adventist school they attended. When we had free time, we enjoyed hiking the hills around Copiapó as a family. But whenever I could find time, I would climb alone to the white cross on the top of Cerro de la Cruz. Each time I would pray again the prayer I’d offered up on that first day.
Never did I dream that within eighteen months of the first time I climbed that hillside, God would provide a wonderful answer to that bold prayer I’d made, opening the doors for me to speak His gospel, not just throughout the Atacama region and all of Chile, but across the entire world.
This book will not only encourage you, but you will be inspired and hopefully your faith strengthened. I believe faith can still move mountains as does Chaplain Diaz.I hope they make this into a movie. I give Hope Underground 4 1/2 stars out of five.
Thank you B&B Media for this review copy. I am so happy I got the opportunity to read this book.
Plane: The first time I rode in a plane I was 40 years old. I wasn't afraid of them. I just never got the opportunity or the nerve to go anywhere. Take off was amazing. I love everything about flying. The landing freaks me out a little, but then it's ok once I touch the ground. Now I have flown many, many times and never tire of it. I only hope our finances change so that we can fly a lot more.
Train: I have been on a train many times in my lifetime. When I was about seven, my grandma and I took a train ride from Athens, AL to Hartselle, AL. It was a special and for that day only you could ride that route for $3.00. When my granddaddy took us to the train depot, I cried like I wouldn't see him for months. We were back in a few hours.
My second time was with a guy that was evil on a train from Oceanside, CA to Anaheim, CA. His car tore up and we rode the train to go get his grandma's car. FAST train!Then when I lived in Los Angeles, I took the train and bus to get where I needed to go.
Bus: When I lived in CA, I took the bus 'everywhere'. It amazed me that usually there was standing room only on the busses. I had ridden busses in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and they made you sit down and if it was full, you didn't get on that bus. You had to wait for the next one. But not in L.A. They put as many people on one as you could pack on one. But I loved it!
Taxi: I took the taxi in Vegas a few times. I would always tell them I was a local, because if you don't and they think you are a tourist, they will drive your butt all over the back streets, and add up more charges because you don't know where you are as a tourist, and they just drive in circles.
As a kid I rode in a taxi once (again with my grandma) and there was a used condom in the backseat by my foot. It was so gross, and the driver was nasty looking. Took years of growing up before I would ride in a taxi again.
I literally have nuttin to say today. I was up all last night with a nasty toothache, so I slept almost all day. Feeling much better, just tired.
Hoping everyone had an awesome Sunday!
