Steve and Rita Prayer Request

Dear friends and prayer partners, please join me in prayer for Steve and Rita.  I just learned that Steve has once again been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer in his throat and will need to undergo chemotherapy.  When he underwent this treatment before, he was overweight which actually helped him deal with the chemo, however he has since lost a lot of weight so the treatment can have a negative impact on his overall health.

Steve and Rita are getting ready to move into their dream home with a nice workshop for Steve to make his fishing rods and a pool for them to relax and get exercise in.

Stand in agreement with me that in the mighty and precious name of Jesus, this cancer must once again bow to His authority.  We declare that Steve’s throat and every organ, tissue and fiber of Steve’s being works in the perfection it was created in and cancer has no place there.  We cast this disease back into the pit from where it came.  Every drop of blood in Steve’s body rejects any illness and disease in the name of Jesus.  We bind the enemy and his evil works and loose the power from Heaven to destroy him.  God, cast a hedge of protection over Steve and Rita and cover them in a blanket of Your peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.  Give them unshakeable joy, and hope and take their burden upon Your shoulders.  Give Rita and Steve the strength to endure this battle and the courage to face each day.  Lord, You are our Shepard, we are your sheep, hear our voice.  We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Twas The Month Before Christmas

Daniel, one of my blog buddies sent this to me and I loved it so of course it’s going on my blog.  Read and enjoy and if you feel a tug at your heart, know that it’s the Holy Spirit reminding you that Jesus is the reason for the season!

FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOUR, WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD.  LUKE 2:11

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST ON EARTH,  PEACE GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN….LUKE 2:14

AND THOU CHILD (JESUS) SHALT BE CALLED THE PROPHET OF THE HIGHEST FOR THOU SHALT GO BEFORE THE FACE OF THE LORD TO PREPARE THE WAYS…TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION UNTO HIS PEOPLE BY THE REMISSION OF THEIR SINS.  THROUGH THE TENDER MERCY OF OUR GOD, WHEREBY THE DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH HATH VISITED US…..TO GIVE LIGHT TO THEM THAT SIT IN DARKNESS AND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH TO GUIDE OUR FEET UNTO THE WAY OF PEACE.  LUKE 1:76-79

T’was the month before Christmas When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday ‘.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say                                                                                                      Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!

WHEREBY PUTTING AWAY LYING SPEAK EVERY PERSON TRUTH.  EPHESIANS 4:29

THE SON OF GOD CAME FOR THIS VERY REASON TO DESTROY THE DEVILS WORKS.  I JOHN 3:8

Alan Weinerman – Prayer Request

Dear friends and prayer partners, please join me in praying for Alan.  He was visiting his brother in Florida and suffered a terrible fall.  He broke his hip and had surgery in Florida.  He was doing okay and decided to return home.  He has a home based business on the bottom floor of his home so the constant up and down of the stairs combined with the long car ride home has caused one of the screws in his hip to back out causing him great pain.  Now, to correct the problem he must have another surgery.

Please pray that the procedure will be a simple matter of tightening the screw and that his healing will be swift in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

George Brown Prayer Update

11/18/2007 Hello saints and prayer warriors.  Back in March of this year I posted this prayer request for George Brown:Please pray for George.  He had an anuerysm that went into his heart and exploded causing him to have a  heart attack.  He is out of the hospital and now in Manor Care for rehabilitation.  He has lost a lot of weight, and is on the road to healing and we need your prayers to help him regain his strength.  George was working 14 hour days which is very stressfull both physically and emotionally, so pray that he does not have to return to such a taxing and stressful schedule once he fully recovers.  I am not sure if George is saved, so it can’t hurt to ask God to surround him with people who believe and love the Lord, and that can be a witness to him.  Thank you everyone for your diligence, commitment and prayers.

Now I am reaching out to all of you once again to lift him up as he has suffered another massive stroke.  Ask God to keep people around him that will lift him up in prayer and help him as he recovers.  Pray that God renews his heart from the inside out and that his muscles and arteries function and perform in the perfection that God created them.  Pray for God to lay His healing hands upon George to strengthen and comfort him, in the matchless name of His Son, Jesus, Amen.

Update 11/19 – Friends, it is with a very sad and heavy heart that I tell you that George has gone to be with our Lord.  I received word a bit ago that George passed away sometime last night.  His smile and sense of humor will be greatly missed.  Please join me in prayer for his loved ones.

Why I Love Mom

I got this from my very dear friend Gloria, and I loved it so much I wanted to pass it along to you.  Enjoy and God bless ^i^

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, ‘I’m tired, and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.’  She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunches.  She rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button.  She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.   She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, ‘I thought you were going to bed.’  ‘I’m on my way,’ she said.

She put some water into the dog’s dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.
She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV’s, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals. 

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. ‘I’m going to bed.’  And he did…without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer…?
CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL….. (and we can’t die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

Works For Me Wednesday – Helpful Tips!

I didn’t know what to post for my WFMW and then my friend Doris sent this to me in a email, I just knew I was going to use it for this week’s WFMW.  Feel free to email this link to your buddies and have them check it out!

Do you feel like a prisoner to your home phone?  I used to have Caller ID, but when I became too sick to work back in 2004 and the budget got tight it was one of the first things to go.  We’re on the Do Not Call list, but the calls keep coming and most of the time they are calls from our credit card companies trying to sell us credit card protection or computerized phone surveys.  Or, it’s a charity organization I’ve donated to in the past asking for help, and again, with my being out of work my giving is strictly limited to our monthly tithes and these people just don’t want to take no for an answer.  Well, below are some tips I’ve recently learned about that should help alleviate a lot of these calls:

Tips for Handling Telemarketers
Three Little Words That Work !!
(1)The three little words are: ‘Hold On, Please…’
Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.
Then when you eventually hear the phone company’s ‘beep-beep-beep’ tone, you know it’s time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.
These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.
(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?
This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.
This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a ‘real’ sales person to call back and get someone at home.
What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer !!!
(3) Junk Mail Help:
When you get ‘ads’ enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these ‘ads’ with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.
When you get those ‘pre-approved’ letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.
Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage ‘IF’ and when they receive them back.
It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.
One of Andy Rooney’s (60 minutes) ideas.
Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn’t get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn’t on anything you send them.
You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 37 cents.
The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let’s let them know what it’s like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they’re paying for it…Twice!
Let’s help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that’s why they need to increase postage costs again You get the idea !
If enough people follow these tips, it will work —- [ whoever authored this stated they have been doing this for years, and they get very little junk mail anymore. ]

Now, I myself took advantage of some free junk mail stoppers a few months ago and I must say that I still get junk mail, but I only get about half of the junk I used to get!  You can also notify your credit card and mortgage companies that you do not want to receive special offers which should help cut down on the junk.  Here are some sites you can visit:

www.mailjunk.info

www.spamfighter.com

www.junkmailstopper.com

www.stopjunkmail.org

How Do You Like To Spend Thanksgiving

I was just sitting here today thinking back on Thanksgivings of yester-year and wondering how others like to celebrate.  Over the years we’ve gone over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house, we’ve stayed at home and last year we went to my sister-in-laws home.  This year we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving at my daughter’s place – this should prove to be interesting.  We’re still trying to decide who’s cooking what and we like to go to the High School football game too!  I’m excited though, she lives in Phila with her boyfriend Chris and they have a really cute apartment, not to mention room for us to all sit at a table together rather than having to do the buffet thing and sit at TV Trays in the living room (we don’t have a dining room and our kitchen is small too)

Let me know how you like to celebrate your Thanksgiving.  Do you like to visit family and friends and let them do the cooking, or do you like to stay home and have everyone come visit you.  Or perhaps you like to go out and eat!

However you spend your day, I pray that God blesses you abundantly and above all you could ask for and may the peace that only He can bring be with you and your loved ones.

Everything – Eli Christmas Giveaway

Check out Everything-Eli for a chance to win some $$$ just in time for the holidays!

Classy Mommy Giveaway

As you can see from my Giveaway’s page I just love a good contest!  I just learned that I won the Card Stix giveaway that was hosted by Classy Mommy!  How awesome is that!  Card Stix are adhesive greeting cards that stick right to the gift! You use them in place of costly greeting cards or those tiny gift labels that get lost in the gift-wrapping!  Card Stix have been seen in Modern Bride, USA Today, Women’s World and Urban Baby!  Holiday Stix and Wine Stix collections offer a fresh new way to personalize gifts for everyone on your holiday list!  Now through November 15th you can save 15% so head on over to Card Stix and check them out!  Oh, and stop by Classy Mommy too, she’s having giveaways all this week!

A HUGE thank you to Classy Mommy and Card Stix for a great giveaway!  I can’t wait to try them out!

Christmas Card and Ornament Exchange

An Island Life is having two really awesome exchanges for Christmas.  One is a Christmas card exchange which I think is such a great idea    and the other one is Christmas ornament exchange which I think is one of the nicest things I’ve heard of in quite some time! . 

Kailani is a flight attendant and was born and raised in Hawaii.  How neat would it be to get a Christmas card from Hawaii??  I think it would be wonderful so I totally signed up for that one!  I also signed up for the ornament exchange because it just seems like such an interesting idea to receive an ornament from someone you don’t even know but will be able to think about and pray for every holiday for years to come.  You can join in the merriment by clicking HERE for the Card Exchange, and HERE for the ornament exchange.

 Happy Holidays Everyone!

Denzel Washington And The BAMC

The Media (Accidentally?)Missed this one!!!!
Please read this: The troops oversees would like you to send it to everybody you know.


Subject: Denzel Washington, and Brooks Army Medical Center

I don’t know whether you heard about this, but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center, in San Antonio,Texas (BAMC) the other day. 

This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims.   There are some buildings there called Fisher Houses.  The Fisher House is a Hotel where soldiers’ families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the Hospital.  BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled
most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses.  He asked how much one of them would cost to build.  He took his check book out and wrote a check for the  full amount right there on the spot.

The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American Public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

 
The question is why didn’t this make front page news?  I’m tired of hearing about Britney, Lindsay, Paris and all the other junk that gets tossed in our faces every 5 minutes!  This story didn’t even make page 3 in the Metro section of ANY newspaper except the Local newspaper in San Antonio.

A true American and friend to all in uniform!

This needs as wide a distribution as we can create.  I was asked to pass on, now I ask you to do the same.   Share it!

Prayer Request For Yours Truly

Hello dear friends and prayer partners.  I am asking you to keep me in your prayers.  After being out of work for over 3 1/2 years due to personal illness I am re-entering the workforce.  Granted, it’s just part-time, but it’s in retail – I know, I know…UGH, but I’m really excited about it.  I got a job at the Bed Bath and Beyond and I started last night.  Perks to this job – I get a discount at BBB and get this, The Christmas Tree Shop and a store called Harmon (which I’ve never heard of before, and some baby store that I forget the name of), it’s only a 10 minute ride (mostly because of traffic ’cause I can make it to the store in about 6 minutes if I have to) and I’m getting above minimum wage! 

I felt the need to return to work against my husbands wishes because not having my income these past few years has created a deep financial strain and put us into a lot of credit card debt and it started to put a lot of stress on me.  Last week I was praying and asking God for direction and I began to read Charles Capps’ booklet on finances.  I truly believe in the principles that are in the Bible, and what Charles Capps listed in his booklet and the more I read and prayed, the stronger I felt the need to just get up and apply for a job.  I asked God where I should apply because I had put my resume back out there on Monster.com and I had been getting phone calls, but all the  job offers were for Call Center Supervisors and that is just not something I ever want to do again – EVER!!!  I wanted to get a job where I could go, put in my time, do a great job and be able to leave it at the end of the day and go home feeling good about what I  had done for that day. 

I know God is in control of this whole situation because He gave me favor in my starting salary, it’s close to home so my son can drive me to work and have the car to run errands and such, and I can get a nice discount on some Christmas gifts too.  The hours are also really good and my payday falls on the opposite week of my husbands so we’ll have money coming in every week which is a really big plus.  The people are also really nice and it looks like I’ll be making some new friends, one can never have enough friends!

Please pray that I have the energy to make it through each day, and that when I lay my head down to sleep, that sleep comes quickly and I wake refreshed and ready to start a new day.  Please pray that while I am at work, my children work with each other in peace, harmony and love.  Please pray that my husband not worry about me and that God continues to heal him in his back and neck. 

I pray that His peace surrounds each of you and comforts you like a warm and fuzzy blanket and that His angels watch over you and your families.  Thank you and God bless,

Briggie ^i^

Thursday Thirteen 9th Edition

Okay, I missed a few TT’s but I was determined to do one this week and when I opened my email Monday evening I got the inspiration for this weeks TT.  I hope you enjoy looking at these 13 Finger and Hand pictures as much as me.

It’ll  take him four hours to do a hand. Then he photographs it for posterity. I  cannot imagine how he does the eyes so remarkably lifelike. It took him 10  hours to do the two-handed Eagle in picture  #2.

 

WFMW – Backwards Day

Okay, so this week’s theme is Backwards Day, where we post an issue or a question and ask our readers for their comments, suggestions or tips. 

Here’s my dilemma: Mildew stains on the bathroom ceiling.  About a year ago I noticed brown spots on the ceiling in my shower.  My son scrubbed them, but they came back.  This summer my son repainted the bathroom for me and it looks great – that is until the other night when I noticed spots starting to re-appear in the same location.  Aside from tearing down the sheet rock and putting up new (which we can’t afford right now) I don’t know what to do.  Anyone have any tips that have worked for them?

November Pay It Forward

First let me send a HUGE SHOUT OUT TO Overwhelmed With Joy for hosting such a fantastic giveaway every month.  It has been a true blessing to me and I have met a lot of awesome women since I have been participating in her PIF.

So, before I tell you about my November giveaway, I used random.org to select my winner so now without further ado, let me announce my October winner…Congratulations to Killlashandra from http://www.killlashandra.org/wordpress/.  Once you email me your mailing info, I’ll be able to send you the book.  I know you’ll love it, and remember to Pay It Forward once you’ve read it.

    Now, for my November Pay It Forward…November is here, the chill is in the air, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away and the next thing you know Christmas will be upon us so to get into the “spirit” of the holidays I’m giving away the book, “The Christmas Hope” by Donna VanLiere.  I love this author and I loved this book.  I read it in one night.  If you’ve ever read, “The Christmas Shoes”, or any of her other books, you will not be disappointed with this story.  It’s the kind of book you curl up in bed with and finish in one long night.  I took the annotation from the Barnes and Noble website so here you go:

…Against her better judgment, a social worker bends the rules and takes a little girl to her own home at Christmas. Through the warming presence of Emily and her penetrating questions about heaven, the Addisons will learn that there is no sorrow so great that faith cannot lead the way through.

Make sure you head on over to Overwhelmed With Joy to check out her site, and check out all the other wonderful bloggers and the great giveaways they have posted!

My contest this month will run through November 30th 5pm EST!

A Picture Worth Much More Than Words

My friend Doris sent this to me so that I could post it on my blog and I’m so glad she did as it has touched my heart and I’m sure it will touch yours as well.

***********************************************************

This needs to make headline news…not some of the other junk that makes the news these days!!!  If you agree, please share it with others.  It’s a tough, but heartwarming story…with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq.

John Gebhardt’s wife, Mindy, said that this little girl’s entire family was executed.  The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head…but they failed to kill her.  She was cared for in John’s hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan.  The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.
He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do.
This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD!  You’ll never see things like this in the news.  Please keep this going.  Nothing will happen if you don’t, but the American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we’re doing over there is making a difference.  Even if it is just one little girl at a time.
– James Gates U. S. Navy