Hmmmm, let's see how this goes

I'm new to blogging, and not too great at anything internet related so I guess we will soon see how this goes. I imagine it will take me a good long while to tinker and tune until I finally get this set up just how I want it to be anyway.

Today not much is going on around here....that is actually quite welcome considering the last several weeks have been so jam packed busy with one thing or the other happening. I've spent the last two days fighting off a wicked migraine so a quiet day is sweet relief. The kids are puttering around...they actually finished school already (wooo hooo).....and I have a few extra minutes to call my own (that's truly rare). Quiet time is so rare for me that even though there are 20 zillion other things I could be getting done I'm doing essentially nothing......for now.

With Thanksgiving just past and Christmas around the corner our family has been really focused lately on what we have to be thankful for. This past year has brought a lot of huge changes in our lives and all of them have been for the good....even the things I kicked and fussed about, like moving to North Carolina have all been good for us. I personally have a giant list of things that I'm thankful for but right now other than my salvation I'm most thankful that my husband got saved this past year. Our lives have been so difficult and full of one trial after the other and one ugly battle after the other until it seemed as though I was so completely worn down from it all that I was on the verge of evaporating and it just amazes me that after Troy received salvation it is all just so much easier....the battles still rage on but there are more soldiers on the field...sounds corny, but it is so true. I'm also extremely thankful for our church family. Remind me to tell you how we ended up going to church there sometime...it's a great story. Our church family has continually blessed us and they are some of the sweetest nicest people I've ever met. My oldest son says it best though.....he says "they are just normal folks, they love the Lord you can tell that, but when they talk about God you can tell they really mean it".

On the theme of being thankful....one of the writing assignments for the kids was to write down what you are most thankful for this year. Tae's was really sweet and touching so I thought I would type it out for you all to read too.

What I'm Most Thankful For
I'm kind of undecided about what I'm most thankful for. There's just so much to be thankful for. I and my family's salvation. Our church that we go to , Little River Baptist Church. I am thankful for God's guidance and grace. For His love, His mercy, for where He's brought us from and how fast He did it. I'm thankful for His patience and that He can do anything. The list goes on and on. It's hard to decide what I'm most thankful for.

If I had to chose, I'd pick God's love. Out of His love he gave salvation to me and my family. Out of love He is using my brother, Joshua, to do great things half way across the country in Missouri. Out of His love He called my other brother, Jared, to preach. Out of His love He gave us everything we have now. His love has kept our pantry and freezer full. That's not all He's done either. God's love gave us a splendid church family. God's love is working in our church, which slowly is getting larger. His love is helping us to be good witnesses to our neighbors, and to our family. It's not just us God is showing His love to. His love is cast upon the entire world and WHOSOEVER believeth on his name can have eternal life.

You see, His love is everywhere, not just in North Carolina or Missouri. It's in Africa, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, Antartica, Australia, Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina, it's everywhere. God's love has supplied protection to all the people who are over seas in the war, and to the missionaries over seas and over the border lines fighting the 'other war' between christians and satan. God's love has proven sufficient to people all over the world, not just missionaries either.

Hopefully you see now why I chose His love over anything else. If you don't, then here's a simpler reason. God's love has given me everything I have to be thankful for. If I had to chose something other than God's love to be thankful for it would be His grace....but that's a whole other long story so I'll just stick to His love and keep on lovin' Him back.

I thought that was so sweet!! I'm so glad that my kids know the Lord and that they understand how precious their salvation is.

Well, I guess my quiet time is over...the kids are all hungry and I have tons of chores to get done. I'll try to post again soon. I hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed day.