Does God have a specific plan for me?

In church we are starting a short series on knowing the will of God for your life entitled Will.I.Am.  This topic has come up in conversation with several people lately.  I think he specifically has a plan for me, other friends think he only has much more broad things of the world laid out and leaves more specific things of each person's life to fate/chance.

What I do know is this:  We are here to worship God (John 4:23), become part of his family (Romans 8:14-16), grow in spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:14-15), serve others in the church (Ephesians 4:16) and be a witness to the world of God's love and grace (Acts 1:8).  God wants us to serve those who are less fortunate (Matthew 25:34-40).  God wants us to become more like his son (Romans 8:29)

What we talked about today was that even when Jesus was on the earth his followers asked him to just tell them plainly who he was (John 10:24).  Seems like patience was not plentiful then either.  There really is nothing new under the sun.  We still have the "I want it now" attitude.  Jeremiah 29:12-13 is a promise that we all claim and we would like spelled out with who we are to marry, what house we are to buy, how many children we are to care for, and when we should retire.  It would also be really good if God would follow our pre-thought out plan for our life that we present him with every time we talk with him.  He does say in these verses that he is here to be found by us if we will come - ask - and seek him.  Matthew 7:7-8 says when we don't have an answer to ask and he will answer.

Evidence that God has a plan for us:  1Tim 2:4, John 6:40, 1 Thes 4:3-7, 1 Peter 2:15, 1 Thes 5:16-17

Psalm 119:105  His words are to be a light to our path (not a beacon to our future, but a light to the path right in front of you).  We must study and know the word of God.  The longer you build and live your life on the Word of God, the easier it is to know and do the will of God.

Eze 36:27, Rom 8:27, Pro 11:14
Prayer is really to conform our will to God's will.  It is for us to come before the King and lay our problems and concerns at the feet of Jesus.  Ask him to show you the things you don't know and that you can't see about your situation.  God already knows what you want to do.  Lay aside what your heart tells you and listen to God.

Circumstances in our lives can be manipulated just like our heart and feelings.  Family and friends can give you the wrong advice in good faith.  Only the Word of God and revelations from God given through fasting and prayer can confirm the will of God in your life.  Paul went away for 3 years to be alone with God (Gal 1:11-18) just to confirm God's will in his life.  To truly know the will of God in our life, we need to put everything else down and spend time alone with God.

Oceans

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown, where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed, and You won't start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior 

 

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours, and You are mine
I am Yours, and You are mine

The Biltmore

I know I am not very reliable to post very often....but mom suggested that I post about my recent trip to Asheville, North Carolina. It was in late April and it was beautiful! Springtime in the mountains is perfect. We stayed at the Grove Inn and enjoyed a spa day. Nothing like a good massage and "lounging" beside the pool to make you feel like a new woman. The Biltmore house was amazing. It is really hard to imagine that people lived there. I want to go back and do some of the behind the scenes guided tours and I would love to shop in the Biltmore village that is just outside the grounds. All of the tulips were in bloom making the gardens lovely.

Baby Photos

These are some photos of my siblings and I when we are little. The blackheaded child is my sister Meredith....and we wonder why we think her children look like me and my brother!! I think the photo of me in a turtleneck is when I was like 3 or so - note the long hair ;-) Meredith had long hair by the time she was two!

Chloe's Video

Barry had to do a project for a class he is taking and Chloe became the guinea pig :-) She had a great time narrating and loves seeing herself on film! Enjoy.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow I fly out of Huntsville at 6:15am....and I am not a morning person! I am going for the weekend to see my new nephew Zeke Barreth. I am excited :-) It has been forever since I have held a baby and she also has a toddler that is a doll. Now tonight is the hard part for me. Packing.....I tend to overpack and I am limiting myself to one suitcase (carry on) and one personal bag. I mean, how much could I need for two days?

Snow in Alabama

Chloe and Clay were so excited to see the big 1" snow we had today. It really was beautiful as it fell in big white flakes. The kids got out of school at lunch and are out of school tomorrow in anticipation of icy roads. Chloe made a snow angel before we left home this morning! I wish we had a foot of snow :-)

2010

It is a new year....and I am going to try and update our family blog weekly. At least that is the plan at the moment. I would like to have something to look back on and see where we have been and where we are going. For tonight, we went bowling! I have been bowling only two or three times in my life and the kids have never been to an actual bowling alley (they only bowled on the Wii). We had a blast with the bumpers and some very lively people bowling in the lane beside us. Chloe and Clay celebrated after every ball rolled - regardless if it was a strike or a near gutter ball. Hopefully, they will be ready for bed soon :-)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mother's Day 2009

My darlings made me flowers at school out of egg cartons for Mother's Day and my sweetie gave me real flowers for Mother's Day (or perhaps for my birthday too).  I thought they were all lovely :-)  We went to Chick-Fil-A and ate one Tuesday and found the cow.  Notice that neither Chloe nor Clay is standing close enough to touch the cow.  We still (at 6 1/2 years old) haven't sat in Santa's lap, talked to the Easter bunny, does anyone else see a trend here?  They did love the balloons and ice cream.  This is the only meal that Clay eats faster than anyone else.  I am sure it has nothing to do with the playground!!

End of kindergarten

I can't believe that the kids have completed kindergarten.  It really is amazing what all they have learned.  They can read simple books, add, count, use a computer.....I think all I did in kindergarten was color.  I do remember coloring in a phonics workbook.  Chloe and Clay both had a grand old time at field day and kite day.  Just for you readers looking into purchasing a kite, Clay's kite flew so much better than Chloe's kite.  I personally recommend the cheap feeling plastic kite.  I am a pretty pitiful kite flyer :-(  Luckily, the kids were just happy to be outside!

Gardening

These are some random shots of the flower bed, the "new look" of the house without the ugly tree, Chloe and her petunias she planted, Clay and his beloved bike and our small garden that we have strawberries, tomatoes and cabbage growing in.  I even have three volunteer tomato plants!!

Kids and Cats

I just happened to be outisde when Pepper and Spice wanted to go outside....we are going to try that later this summer.  Today was Kindergarten Awards day in which each child gets a certificate for attending class.  Clay and Chloe were quite proud of themselves and are very excited to be going into the first grade.  Two more days of school!!!

Grandpa's Surgery

Grandpa had cataracts removed and then had his eyelids "lifted".....at least that is what he is telling people.  Chloe and Clay think that Grandma has been very mean to Grandpa!!  Personally, I think my dad lost whatever fight he was in.  The kids love to look at the stitches :-)

More photos from trip

I have been busy.......

It is the best excuse I can come u with n short notice........it has been lovingly pointed out that I have not updated my blog for months :-)  

We have been busy!  Really busy!!  We traveled to Kansas City, KS on an airplane :-)  The kids had a ball flying.  We visited a shopping center that had Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz theme....Chloe really thinks that Dorothy lives in Kansas somewhere.  We ate at a restaurant that served each table by "trains" that ran on a track around the place.  Even I had a good time.  

Baby Gwen was a delight.  She is sooo cute and a good baby.  She just laughs and coos.  Mom taught her to wave bye-bye.  Bless her heart, she has no hair!  She likes musical toys.  Reminds me of my kids when they were little, the louder the better!

Cleaning up the mess

Today Barry and I took the Christmas tree down, put up the decorations and cleaned the garage!  Whew....it makes me tired thinking about it.  It really wasn't bad since we did it together though.  We managed to clean up the living room and most of the kitchen and I made tea using my new water heater and teapot mommy got me for Christmas.  It worked wonderfully.  I made it back to the gym tonight.  Boy, can I tell I have skipped a few days and ate my mommy's cooking :-(  I am going to have to hide at my house with only a head of lettuce for the next month to get rid of the three pounds I gained over Christmas holidays.  I did enjoy seeing my sister and her husband with their six month old baby.  Gwen does nothing but smile and laugh....until it is nap time.  I think she is a good baby.  I can't wait for Spring Break.  I think the kids and I are going to go and visit for a few days.  

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008 was a hit!  Imagine that :-)  Chloe and Clay both were blessed by Santa Claus and family, friends and neighbors.  In fact, they have two more gifts to open when they return from visiting their dad after the holidays from the neighbor across the road.  Christmas morning found Clay in my bed waking me up at 6:00......He finally admitted to being up earlier and going through all of the presents.  I figure he was up half the night!!  He took a two hour nap at 10:00am on Christmas day :-)  He was sooooo tired and crabby.  Chloe was dragged out of bed Christmas morning by her darling brother.  She was not all that happy about it.  Merry Christmas to all!!

Santa's Village

Tonight we went to Santa's Village and made reindeer out of metallic pipe cleaners!  We played with some old wooden toys and wrote a letter to Santa.  We also decorated gingerbread men cookies with icing and ate them.  We took a vote and decided not to stand in the long, long line to see Santa since we had no intention of sitting in his lap anyway.  My darlings are six now and have never, ever sat in Santa's lap or told him what they want for Christmas.  The closest we have gotten is 50 feet away and waving.  Chloe really does have a thing for people dressed up in costumes.  So, we went to the Olive Garden instead!  Chloe and I split a Tour of Italy and she ate as much as me....amazing that she still only weighs 38 pounds.  I probably gained 38 pounds!  She was mad because I wouldn't let her order a plate of olives.  Ha!  Clay ate macaroni and cheese and acted like the perfect gentleman.  He even opened the doors of the car for Chloe and I.  Then when we all got in the car, I found out why we were being so helpful......he wanted a dollar :-)  Industrious, don't you think?  I don't think he will ever go hungry.  We were talking about what we were going to be when we grew up on the way home and Chloe was just beside herself because she couldn't figure out what she was going to be.  I told her that she had a few years to figure it out.  (Although, I am a firm believer in having a goal before starting out on a new project-like college)  My children really are funny.  We went by Books a Million to buy the second book in the Twilight series (what fabulous books!!) and we saw Mrs. Pendley!!!  She looks good and feels okay I think.  She was looking for a book too.  The kids were really excited to see her.  Chloe told me on the way home that she is tired of all the other teachers and Mrs. Pendley just needed to come back.  Cancer is a hard thing for kindergarteners to wrap their brains around.  Lumps growing where they shouldn't and having to take medication that makes you feel crummy and get sick easy....I guess it just doesn't make much sense to them.  Anyway, for whoever is reading this----Have a Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Break!!!

Today was the last day of school before an extended break for Christmas and New Year's.  We had a party in the classroom where we made two ornaments, a paper chain for the tree and ate lots of "not good for you" food.  The kids loved it!  Then we all attended a school wide Christmas Carol sing a long.  It really is a site to see 500 children and their parents singing Jingle Bells at the top of their lungs.  Even my non-singer Clay had a great time.  The principal, Mr. Kimbrell, dressed up as Hannah Montana to celebrate the wonderful job the kids did collecting cans for a food drive in November.  The children made a video for Mrs. Pendley and tied knots in a prayer blanket for her too.