GAIHN

Yes, this is pronounced just like the other gain! But it stands for something a little different. Let me share with you what Hubby has been a part of through our church recently...like continuing through this Sunday morning!

He is on the Outreach Committee at our Methodist church. One of the mission projects that we are supporting is helping out homeless families in the community. You know, we as Christians will dig deep into the pocketbooks and wallets to share our wealth. We will purchase extra groceries for the local food banks. We will write letters to missionaries and pray for them. How about inviting homeless families into your church and giving them a warm, dry and comfortable place to live--rather than under a bridge or an abandoned building! That's what GAIHN is. The photo is the trailer that carries the "stuff" of those less fortunate to host churches. A certain number of churches sign up to serve "the least of these." For one week, we will serve these families by providing shelter--converted Sunday School classes; providing meals--lovingly cooked by a variety of SS classes, circles, committees, etc., and providing love---given by the entire church family. Then, the folks that we are serving will go to another host church the next week. Right now, 13 churches are involved. So, in 13 more weeks, our church will be doing this again.

Y'all, at first, no one was really sure what we were getting into. Lots of prayer and trust and obedience had to occur. One of our church members had been involved in this at her previous church. That's it! Just one! Well, Hubby felt called to help her by co-chairing this project. And...what a blessing it has been! Wow! We have been more blessed by these two families than they have been by us. Everyone was calling the house this week asking what could they do. "Mrs. Co-chair" didn't have a clue--I was at my Mama's and nephew's birthday party on Sunday night when these folks moved in!! Hubby had to spend the night--two church members spend each night with them. Sleeping on a cot for one night is doable! So, I really didn't hear about everything until Monday evening.

Wednesday night, I had the opportunity, the blessing, to meet these wonderful folks. We have a mom and her 14 year old, and a younger family with three small children. The oldest boy turned eight on Wednesday. Well...y'all know what that means!! Party!!! After our Wed. night supper, the kids in youth choir and many adults surprised him with a cake, candles, oodles of presents. Precious! I have awesome pictures that I WISH I could share....but due to privacy issues, just use your imaginations. The smiles, the joy, the paper and ribbons were justa flying! Whoohoo! God was in the middle of it having a great time! The mom of this child was more excited about the new socks than she was the power rangers and bay blades and games. Socks, people...socks!

I am going to my most favorite place in the world after while--yep, Wal-Mart--to develop these pictures and to put them in a photo album for her. Wouldn't you do that for your friends too?

I want to tell you a little about this last picture I have for you to see. The five year old little girl--who I could just bring home with me!!--had a fit over my camera. So...being the mama that I am, surrendered it to her until the batteries ran out. "J" had a ball! She was snapping pics of everybody--and making sure that they were posed for the moment!

She has attached herself to my Hubby--she adores him just like me!!! When she sees him, he has to carry her, eat with her, and play with her. Hubby is a great daddy, and it shines through in his desire to serve this child of God as he does his own boys. So, I leave you with Hubby --the one in the picture who is bent over posing for this darling little girl. Remember, this is from the perspective of a tiny five year old! Please remember to lift up those without shelter especially during this winter weather we're having. It's only 17 degrees here in the sunny south. Thanks so much! Have a great weekend.

Many Blessings,
Susan

81+6=FUN!

My sweet Daddy, Mama, Child #1, and Child #2

Hey, y'all! Greetings from busy "Mama Central!" Whew! I subbed three days last week--as well as today, and ran all over the place the other days. I've got a few minutes before I pick up the boys from track, so I thought that I would share some family fun with you all!

My sweet Mama (age 81)and darling nephew(age 6) share the same b'day month. Their b'days are only 4 days apart, so darling sister entertains all of us at her home in Lexington. She is a fabulous decorator and cook--I got none of those genes!! Oh, well!

Darling nephew enjoys some of his Sponge Bob cake!

After church, the boys and I took off to celebrate. We left hubby here doing church work--I'll post about it later this week! By the time we all were together, we had a group of 9. We simply enjoyed our day together. It made me think of how God told us to keep the Sabbath Holy. How often do we find ourselves running errands--that could PROBABLY wait until Monday? Or cleaning house and finishing the laundry because we ran out of time during the latter part of the week? I'm guilty as charged. But...I'm aware of this, and I intend on praying about it and trying to make some changes. Changes that will glorify Him and settle my heart as I prepare for a new week ahead. I read something by Louis Giglio recently where he talks about how God wants us to simply enjoy His creation--and He gave us Sunday on which to do it.

So, we enjoyed our sweet time together. My parents are a little older, and I want to make sure that we take advantage of each opportunity to visit with each other. They live several hours away near Lancaster--outside of Charlotte. So, it's a drive that we don't make nearly as often as we should. Nine years ago, my Mama suffered a stroke. To this day, the doctors can't explain why it didn't end her life. She has been a diabetic all of her life, and this was just a double whammy. I believe that I know. God still had plans in store for her. (Jeremiah 29:11) My nephew was just only in God's plans-not even here for several more years, and Mama was still needed! It wasn't her time. She is still amazed that she's her age and going strong! The stroke slowed her down--no more driving or cooking! Bless Daddy's heart! He's become a great cook! I shared in an earlier post that he waits on her hand and foot...and loves it! He has such a servant's heart. At the age of 85, he just gave up teaching Sunday School after leading it for over fifty years. They were so excited about my Chronological Bible that I got for Christmas, that they had to have one too! They are beginning a Bible study this Wednesday at my former church. And...they can't wait! I pray that I continue to have their enthusiasm and zeal for life when I'm their age. I hope I'm still running marathons too!!! God does continue to bless us with miracles!

Many blessings,

New Year, New Dreams

Good morning! Hope that y'all are doing well on this lovely but wet and warm day! God is blessing this part of the drought stricken South with much needed rain! Woohoo! But, my outside dog is not very happy! Bless her little heart.

I want to share the scripture that I read this morning in my Quiet Time. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!" Ephesians 3:20-21. Read that again and just ponder it in your hearts for a bit. What touched me this morning was the phrase "...Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power...Notice it it God's power, not Susan's power or will or desire, but His. I have put God in a box so much that I don't expect to see great things on a daily basis!! Every once in a while, sure! But I hate to bother Him with my little things when He is such a Big God and has really important stuff to attend to. Do any of you ever feel that way? Just look at the newspaper..the Middle East, poverty, homelessness, and the list goes on. But, I want to talk with Him regarding these words from Ephesians! Will He have the time? Of course He will...He's my Abba.

For quite some time, I've wanted to have my own little business here at home. Nothing huge! I don't want to have to book a party and invite tons of my friends and have them feel like they have to purchase something for me to make a percentage. Don't get me wrong, invite me to a Southern Living at Home par--tay, and I'll be there with bells on! And cash in a little envelope! ( the Dave Ramsey plan, thank you very much!) I simply have too many commitments with the boys after school and at nights. Night time is family time--not Mama going to work time.

I have always loved to take pictures. Got my first 35 mm camera at the ripe age of 18--first job too! Had to convince Daddy (who had the credit card) that I could take better pics with a camera like this rather than the old kind that used the drop in Kodak film--I'm dating myself!!! When I produced the first pictures with this camera, he was amazed! So was I! My favorite subjects to shoot--besides my family and friends--are His creation. He just amazes me! The dazzling light on the bright yellow leaves leave me breathless! If I can capture the moment, I can enjoy it over and over again. The same with a painting. If I can capture the right curves and angles, mix the colors just right, then I just do a happy dance! I love to create things! I'm excited about what I can do, but I also know what I need to learn!

I really want to begin a business...one that brings glory to Him. I have one piece of artwork that I'm almost through with. I have several photos that are framed. I have an idea for a logo and a scripture to go along with it. I have no money, but I have the promise from a Big God that He can do immeasurably more than I can ever imagine! Trust...trust...trust.

Many Blessings,

Dangling off the Mountain

Hey, y'all! Hope that you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas! Our family surely did! I could bore you with the 200 plus pictures that we took last week, but I will spare you all because you are my friends! We are still enjoying our Christmas decorations--the lights are twinkling away on our tree as I type! I hate to take down the decorations...I simply want to continue to enjoy them! One year, I decided to leave up the nativity scene--the really nice one that I previously mentioned--all year long! We also put our house on the market that year. Needless to say, the real estate agent highly suggested that I pack it away while we showed the house! Anyhoo...I will put everything back in the attic before New Year's Day.

My last post mentioned some of our Christmas traditions. One that we do each year AFTER Christmas is a family hike. Some years, we have almost frozen to death while munching on PBJ sandwiches! This year, the weather was just a perfect gift from God! Beautiful, sunny, and warm--temps in the 60's...couldn't ask for better! We did a hike that I haven't done in almost 20 years! Boy, does time fly! We are very fortunate in living in the upstate of SC. Gorgeous mountains are within an hour's drive. So, after packing PBJ's, crackers, granola bars, water, cheap Wal-Mart cookies, etc., we headed up the road! This is where we hiked today.

This is Table Rock, SC. It is a strenuous hike and took us several hours to complete. We went all the way up to the top. But, it is so worth it! God had a ball while creating this place!

So, do I look like Vanna?? Just kidding! I am sweaty, smelly, kinky haired, and loving every minute of it with my boys!

"Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom...They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works." Psalm 145:3,5 That, my sweet little bloggy friends, is what played in my head and my heart today while hiking.

Can you tell that there are some"steep" places around here? And, I am one Mama who is scared of heights! I was a little nervous with the boys bouncing around on those boulders and drop offs!!! Yikes! I felt like they were dangling off the mountain at times! The pictures do not do this place justice! So, all of you are cordially invited to join my family for our next hike, and we can all visit! Bring your families, too! I have plenty of cheap Wal-mart cookies to go around!

I would love to hear...in your spare time-hee hee...what you and your families enjoy doing together. Or, what you enjoyed doing with your family as a child. We also have family game night at our house! We got a really fun game for Christmas this year! It's called Last Word! It's for older kids, but it is fun and pretty fast! Just an FYI!!!

I will be back posting next week. I hope and pray that each of you will be blessed this coming year by our awesome God.

Sweet blessings,

Have Yourself a Mary Little Christmas

I just LOVED the comments that you all left on my last post...which was eons ago! I had to smile when I read Sharon's comment---she mentioned a book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World", which is one of my favorites! I'm actually planning on leading a Bible study using it!

I think that part of my struggle the other week of feeling just overwhelmed was that fact that hubby was out of town, so I was being a single mom on top of all that was going on! For those of you who are single moms, bless your precious hearts! You girls are my heroes! I don't know how you do it and stay sane!

I mentioned that I would share some of our Christmas traditions with you all. Several of you said that your children receive only 3 gifts. We do that at our house as well. It is wonderful! One present for each of the gifts that the Magi offered to Jesus. Another tradition is setting up the nativity scene. We have two sets--the really "nice" one that sits in the entrance of our home. Then....we have the one that Mama found for 50% off at Garden Ridge years ago! It's a wonder that it's still in one piece!! The boys played with it when they were little--maneuvering the wise men, camels, shepherds and lambs all over the den! We placed Baby Jesus behind the stable until Christmas morning when we would celebrate His birth! Then, one of the boys would bring Him out and place Him in the manger near Mary and Joseph. They loved it then, and we still do it now! It's a great tradition.

Another tradition that I married into is the drink of choice we celebrate with at Christmas! No...not alcohol! Not even eggnog! Hubby's mom, my precious MIL, is an awesome cook! She prepares homemade custard that is to die for! Now, when I was growing up, we poured the custard into a bowl and ate it with a spoon---like pudding. It is simply yummy! The first year that we were married, I was inducted into a strange way of enjoying my custard! These darling family members poured it into a punch bowl cup--the tiny ones that are cut glass--and DRINK it! Y'all I had never seen anything like this before!! Maybe you all have your custard this way, but after 18 years of marriage, I still think it is very weird! Delicious, but weird!!

Lastly, some of my running friends and I get together and celebrate each year. We all live fairly close to each other except for Tracey, who lives 5 hours away in Roanoke! Well, bless her heart! She makes the trip each year with her three children to spend a little time with us! This year, she was in a time crunch. She left at 10 am on Monday and had to leave less than 24 hours later! That is a true friend! We had dinner at my house and enjoyed sharing little presents (like girlfriend jewelry) and pictures--from past races and road trips! Four of us had been together last month in Texas. We also share the love of good food and laughter! Debbie brought her 3 year old granddaughter with her--who was a doll! With my boys, hubby, and the girls, we had 9 lively people in the house. And...only one glass of milk was spilled!! (The 3 year old didn't do it!!)

I hope that your days begin to slow as we grow closer to the birthday of our Savior. I pray that you will soak in the beauty, the sounds, and the true meaning of the holiday. I plan on spending some quality time in the WORD (I'm getting a new Bible for Christmas!!! It's the chronological study Bible!! I got it on sale on Black Friday, and it's hidden in the back of hubby's closet!!Woohoo!). Wendy Pope is going to be leading a group of people through the Bible in a year starting in January! I've never done that, and I plan on giving it a try!

I won't post again until after Christmas, but I'll be visiting your wonderful blogs and will try to leave a comment! My Christmas cards are still in the box, but I'll get around to them! No stressing...I'm going to be sitting at the foot of Jesus listening like Mary did so long ago. Many Christmas blessings, my bloggy friends!!

Hugs!

Mary or Martha--Your Choice!

It has been several days since I posted! I could give you a list of reasons as to why the blog has been silent...but you already know them! It's that wonderful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! It's also that time of the year when we frantically run all over town trying to get everything ready for the season! I feel like Martha instead of Mary! Y'all!!! That is NOT the way it's supposed to be.

When I think of all that is coming up--all of it good stuff--I am just silently shaking my head wondering how it will all get done! I am not at my older son's church basketball game tonight because I just spent the past 2 hours--seemed liked 20!--trying to upload, select quantity and size, and order prints from Shutterfly(which I love!) These are gifts for the senior members in my family who have all that they need and simply want pictures of my family from the previous year! Sounds simple--but it's time consuming! Anybody know where I'm coming from?

Tonight, if I can get to bed by 10 instead of the 11:00 hour like last night, I want to spend time in the Word (without falling asleep while reading!) I especially need to really ponder and pray about the story of Mary and Martha. I want to be more like Mary, but until that last present is purchased or crafted, I am running around the house like Martha! I want His Holy Spirit to settle my heart so I can truly focus on this beautiful holiday season.

See if you can choose the correct answer!

1) Martha would scrub the toilets, sweep away the dust bunnies, and mop the kitchen floor while Mary would:


A) Fold five loads of laundry while talking on the phone to plan the Sunday School Christmas party.
B) See how many stores she can zoom to on Woodruff Road (the busiest road in our town) before it's time for middle school carpool and high school carpool.
C) Get up before Martha and Lazarus and spend time in solitude--praying and reading God's Holy Word.
D) Simply stop in the middle of her day to pray and reflect on the precious meaning of Christmas.

So, which one(s) did you choose? Who will you be this holiday season? I know who I want to be like...but am I willing to truly do it and let some things slide? Who's going to know if the decorations are new or are the same old ones from last year(besides me!) Who's going to remember if I bake a delicious dessert using a new recipe or if I simply run by the deli and pick up cheese and crackers? I want to truly celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and for me to do so, I am going to have to slow things down a bit at our home and change my mindset. I know that I can't do it alone, but I have a wonderful Savior who can help me if I will only ask! And...so do you!

How do you focus on keeping Christ in Christmas at your house? I will share some of the ways our family does this and some of our traditions in later posts--whether I get all of my shopping done or not!!! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Many Blessings,
Martha--uh, Susan!!

A "Gala" Event It Was!

Do you think the church sexton was pleased as punch today when he had to clean up the mess from those boas? Hope not...because we had such a blast at the Gala yesterday! Y'all....thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the prayers and good thoughts that you blessed us with!! God is soooo good! This event was truly covered in prayer. You** Know** Who tried to throw some wrenches into our plans, but God didn't allow it! I was not even nervous when I began to speak! I wasn't even shaking! Woohoo!

The girls above are part of our Leadership Team. They are just awesome! One even shared her testimony when we were introducing ourselves and telling about the various ministries that our church would be providing. It was totally unexpected except God had deemed it in His perfect timing. She is new to our church and is just darling. Up until a few months ago, her husband was not a believer. She had prayed and prayed that he would accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Still....nothing. Then, she attended a retreat with our church in Atlanta (a Beth Moore event!!). She and another girl on our team roomed together and were talking about the situation. The other gal shared with her and asked her some specific questions about her prayers. Long story short, the prayers were changed to allow God to work on her husband's heart in His way and His timing. This scripture from Isaiah 55 :8-9 popped into my head as she was sharing yesterday. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." How many times do we want to do it our way and in our timing? I do...almost all the time! I have so much growing to do in that area of my life. By the way, her husband DID become a Christian! There was not a dry eye in that sanctuary when she finished talking!

Again, thank you for covering this event in your prayers. I knew that y'all were praying and that gave me His perfect peace.

Many Blessings,