Well, I'm back from my 3 days of rest in Ocean Isle.  What a wonderful time!  And to top it off I got my rental car free.  No kidding!  What a wonderful Jesus we have!! 

Enterprise was supposed to pick me up but didn't.  Then the car wasn't full of gas or clean.  I was so unhappy and my hubbie was mad at the way the manager talked to me on the phone so we were already getting 1 day free.  But when I dropped off the car today the manager told me the rental was free!  After all the headache on Friday I was so thankful they did the right thing.  I certainly was NEVER going to rent from them again.  At least now I'll entertain the thought. 

Yes, I was blessed.  God is so good. 
So I had a great and restful time AND drove the rental car for free!

Yippee!!!

Now we pack for our family beach trip tomorrow and leave Thursday morning to see my folks.  We'll stop for a few days to see them and then all head to the coast.

Oh I love summer!
IN HIM….
julie

I don't know but it doesn't look fair to me!!  Three against One!

We studied John Chapter 9 last
night in our Home Group.  The chapter is
all about Jesus healing the blind man who was blind from birth.  His disciples ask Him who sinned…did he sin
or did his parents?

I was struck by the assumption of
guilt.  How often do I assume the origin
of someone’s sin, pain, or ill behavior when all along God has allowed “the blindness”
for HIS glory to be seen?  And how often
do I need to assign blame?  Whose fault
is it?  Or how often do I feel the need
to figure it out?  Is that really my
job? 

I have a friend who believes that “figuring
things out” is one our greatest unrecognized and unconfessed sins.  She believes that when we try to figure
things out we are playing God.  I think
she’s onto something.  Isn’t our job to
still our hearts to hear God’s voice, not to intellectualize or analyze?  “Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

How often is the glory of God seen
in people our world considers “abnormal”? 
The child with Down syndrome or the “slow” child.  The mother in the nursing home.  The sick father-in-law.  I wonder how many children have been aborted
that we would have seen the glory of God through?  What have we missed?

How much do we miss because we are
seeing with our physical eyes instead of our spiritual eyes?  When I take my eyes off of Jesus and place
them on my circumstances my life either seems really wonderful or dreadfully
bleak.  The only consistency comes in
focusing on Christ.

“Lord, help me to see as the blind
man did, with spiritual eyes.”

IN HIM

Julie

We had a great weekend……..no need for words!  Hope yours was wonderful too.  IN HIM……julie

my strong and fearless hubbie!!

I thought I'd blog about what happened in our lives yesterday when we found out we were staying in SC and with the company my hubbie works for.  Several months ago my hubbie interviewed for a new job in NC.  It was appealing in some ways but not a big monetary jump so we didn't feel the other benefits outweighed moving.  So…we declined their offer. 

In the meantime we knew that we had promised to move to Memphis TN this summer and my hubbie's boss still expected us to do so.  We really didn't feel led to move but were open to the fact that God may be moving us on.  We also realized just how important this community and our church had become in our lives.  The biggest factor was that we'd made a promise and knew God wanted us to make good on that promise.

After agreeing to move to Memphis while also letting his boss know that we desired to stay here we left it in God's hands.  Well, some days we did.  Other days we picked it back up and ran with it.  I always get into trouble when I make decisions on my own.  But there are times when I am tempted to make a decision just for decision's sake.

But we kept hearing from the Lord “Wait and trust me.”.
Easier said then done, right?

In the months that have passed I've learned a lot. 

• One thing I've learned is to wait patiently on God.
• Another is that He ALWAYS has my best interest at heart. 
• And I don't need to look past today, for today is all He has given me. 
• A man's word is his honor.
• We can not operate in a vacuum.  We need friends to pray for us and to help us through the tough times.  I need a shoulder to cry on and friends who will lift me up when I can't even pray.
• God IS FAITHFUL!

I breath air with a sigh of relief today.  The time is gone.  The decision has been made.  I am so thankful that we do not have to move.  I'm thankful for a loving heavenly father that will see us through anything.  And I'm thankful for friends who love us enough and care enough to pray.

IN HIM,
julie

Oh my!!! 
Finally blog about what's going on with us!  We haven't known for quite a while now if we would have to move with my husband's job or even if he'd have one if we decided not to move.  God has had us in “the waiting place” for months.  And it's been a roller coaster ride.  We found out today that we get to stay here and we get to stay with the company he presently works with.  YEA GOD. 

We've prayed for months not to move.  Our hearts are here with our community and our church and our friends.  Although open to knowing God may be ready to move us on our heart's desire has been to stay. 

And we get to!!!!
“Thank you dear Jesus for caring about every detail of our lives.  Thank you that we can present to you the desires of our heart and you understand.  WE love you so much and appreciate all the ways you protect us and our family.  I know there are ways we will never understand this side of heaven.  YOU truly are amazing
I love you.
Julie”

thanks to all of you who have prayed for us as we've struggled in the waiting place…….
you are a blessing!!

Let me start with the most important thing first. 
MEN…
I know, you think I'm going to say “Who can live with them?  Who can live without them?” 
RIGHT?

Well, no.  I want to brag on my guy.  He left here with half of his face feeling bad yesterday and had to go for an emergency root canal this afternoon at 4pm in CT.  After calling our dentist here they recommended he see a dentist there because they were not able to prescribe antibiotics in another state.  So after a trip to the dentist, a couple shots of novocain, they send him in a cab to the oral surgeon.  Wham, Bam, Thank you sir and he's had a root canal in something like 15 minutes flat.  Want a little unsolicited advice from my hubbie?  Pick an oral surgeon with a tee time.  

After his surgery he WALKS (you'd have to carry me) to the pharmacy for some pain killers the surgeon prescribed.  As he's walking a Corvette pulls up beside him and it's the oral surgeon.  “Hop in.  I'll give you a ride.”

Can you imagine?  I guess for all that pain and suffering he deserves a Corvette ride, huh??

Now, about the mouse.  My big fat tabby cat “Little Kitty” decided to knock over the mouse tank the day before yesterday.  I hear this big thud upstairs, mount the steps two at a time to find the little white mouse running for dear life through the mess of cage, pine shavings, water bottle and glass that once-upon-a-time was his home.  All the while “Little Kitty” is in that pounce position ready for some home cookin'.

Thankfully, after a scream or two and a dive for Junior (the mouse) all is well.

Ahhhh……………….

AND my sweet little baby girl turned two this past Sunday.  TWO!
Where does time go?

So, that's it for me today.  Time to clean up that cat puke under the dining room table.  Wonder if that's payback for the mouse rescue?

IN HIM (always)
julie