Join me over at Heart of the Matter

Motherhood equals a Woman of many hats. I don’t mean those crazy big church going hats that are all fancy like. I mean hats that are sometimes messy. Hats that are not in the literal sense at all. These hats are the actual roles given to us to play. As a mother I can be wearing my nurse hat, my doctor hat, my house cleaner hat or my teacher hat at any given time. At times I could Read more.

Passing the Time in the MRI Machine

I am not a fan of enclosed places. In fact if I am not in the proper mind set I can easily hyperventilate. God is so gracious. He allows a quiet stillness to come over me for these tests.

An MRI of the brain today is much better and less time consuming than it was 8 years ago. Shall I dare to say I was even comfortable? So, I wanted to tell you how I pass the time on my MRI visit.

First I calm my nerves and ask God to give me the peace that only comes from Him to allow them to push me in the tight fitting circle that is much like a coffin. I take deep breaths and ask God for His mercy and grace in this. He calms my fears. I feel the sides touch my arms as I get pushed all the way back.

I am thankful for ear plugs because the noise of these machines are loud. They let off a series of strange beeps that remind me of many things, the clicks of dolphins, machine guns, a large laser printer, and the like. The person who runs the test tells me how long each series of pictures will take. The first 20 seconds, then a minute, then three minutes, etc. As I go through each round I use that time to pray for a certain thing. I guess you could call it speed prayer. I pray through each series for friends, family, church, nation, etc. It is really an uninterrupted time if you can keep your mind focused.

You see we have a choice about how we handle these things that come our way in form of various testing. We can handle them creatively in the Lord or we can be grumpy or fearful in them. I don't know what will be found or not found on these pictures but I know I can trust in God. He will lead me by His hand through this next journey of finding out what this illness is that keeps attacking me.

The Back Story - MS? Lyme? Neither?

So in case you are new here and wondering what in the world is wrong with this girl, here is the shortest possible back story.

About 12 years ago I started having strange neurological symptoms. Many doctors over these years say maybe it is MS. After six years of declining and debilitating health and seeing, cardiologists, radiologists a plenty, brain surgeons, neurologists, ophthalmologists, general practitioners, and a lyme disease specialist, I was diagnosed with late stage lyme disease. I was treated for eight months and then all of those horrible symptoms were taken miraculously away. It was a miracle from the Lord.

I then was well for three and a half great years. After that "it" hit again and hard. It hit me for about nine months straight taking on a very similar but harder form than those previous seven years. Then I was well again for several months. After that I was hit again for a few more months only to be well again. We are on a journey to find out what "it" is. Seems like we are starting over again but with each next step we are trusting the Lord to provide answers and solidity on this journey.

Simple Truths

Here is a passage from Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan Hunt and Richie Hunt:

"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother...When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, He said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into His home"(John 19).

"Jesus was so poor that He didn't even have a house for His mother." Daniel said sadly, "How kind of Him to think about her when He was in so much pain."

Now that is a profound statement. It really got me to thinking. Even in pain, Jesus was thinking of others. He was in the most intense pain anyone could experience, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He carried it all in greater intensity than any of us know. Yet, He cared for others in such a way that He did not become self-focused on His raw and gnawing pain, instead He was making plans so that His mother would be taken care of. How beautiful that picture is to me.

How often I fail at this concept when I am in my various trials or forms of pain. Looking to this exact moment of the cross is one that I want burned into my mind so I can remember to stay focused on Jesus and His ways.

The greatest beauty of this pain bearing is that Jesus died and three days later rose from the dead beating sin and death! What a wonderful Savior we have who is acquainted with anything we can ever experience. He is so amazing. His love so grand.

Also, God can work through anything. This great lesson was brought to mind through a children's book. :) Love that even more.

Thin Places Kindle Contest - My Thin Places Today

A thin place is any place that takes us to a real knowledge that our Savior is never far away. It is the places where that invisible curtain that is hung between Heaven and earth comes painfully close. So close that you know God is there.

Today I was blessed with three “thin places.” First, my husband has been dealing with some serious medical issues of the brain. These tend to kick in now and again. This is a time of great difficulty with this day being one of the worse. Yet I see God. I see Him sustaining my sweet man. I see my sweet man learning to trust more--learning to lean on His Savior. Heaven is much closer than we think.

Second, I was in a car wreck. My first one with my precious young children. The reality of life being a vapor is again realized. The realization that angels shielded us from a very bad scene amazes me. It was a thin place. A place where we see the protection of our Savior.

Third, though my husband is fighting a great deal of pain. Work systems have gone down. People are depending on them running and my hurting man is tirelessly working to get this right. It is a thin place. He knows he is not even able to think straight unless His Savior gives him the ideas of what needs to be done to fix this. The restoring power to work through systems gone down. God is right there with Him making it right.

Love & War by John and Stasi Eldredge Review

I received a book from the publisher free of charge for the purpose of review.

Wow! Seriously that is my reaction to this book. John and Stasi are very real, honest, and vulnerable in this unique book about marriage. The title does it well because we are living in a love story but in a time of very real war. Because of this marriage takes some hard work.

We are in a world where marriage is not honored by all and the ones who do see their marriages as a holy union are failing at horribly high rates. The authors explore ways to make our marriages places of safety and wholeness. That takes effort. This book helps a couple through like a battle plan or a map. Really good stuff.

My husband and I have been reading this book together. We have been seeing new things and discussing important topics in regards to our marriage. It is our goal to have a God-honoring and God-glorifying marriage. I highly recommend other couples to do the same. Because we live in a time of war on marriage and family we should all read and work through this book to aid us through.

To purchase a copy of the book from the publisher go here.
To visit the authors website go here.
To purchase a copy from Amazon go here.

Crave by Chris Tomlinson - Review and Give away

This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher (Harvest House) for the purpose of review. I also was generously given an extra copy of this book to give away. Please just leave a comment as to why you could use this book to be entered. I will pick a winner on Sunday.

What do you crave? When I think of that question immediately the answer that comes to my mind is chocolate. Yikes! Is that a problem? Really at the core of my heart the thing that I do crave is God. But why is it that chocolate comes up first when I am answering this honestly?

Well, if you are like me and desire to crave more of God. Better said, crave God more than any other thing--yes even when you are in one of those "give me chocolate or someone dies stages." Then this book "Crave" by Chris Tomlinson will be a great read for you.

I really liked how this book seemed to have a progressing pattern of the authors real life journey with wanting so much more of God. It is a very authentic and honest writing. It is something that most people can easily relate to on joining in on the journey. Chris, is a great story teller and uses great examples chapter after chapter to get the points across that he is discussing with the reader. Better yet, he is rock solid in his theology of the matter.

I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who is really desiring more of God. So, if you are not satisfied in your walk with the Lord, then pick this up and read it. Alongside your Bible of course! :)

Visit Chris' website here.
Follow on twitter here or on Facebook here.
Read the first three chapters here.

30 Days of Faith at LSOF - Check it out!

So I just wanted to feature my friend Angie's blog. Visit her by going here.
She is just the a really neat woman who loves the Lord deeply! I am excited that I get to meet her in person in March!! Woohoo!! This is a month long feature going on at her blog and I think it will inspire many in their faith walk. So check it out.

30 Days Of Faith

30 people coming together in blogworld..to talk about FAITH:)

Some of the ladies contributing to this I know and others I look forward to getting to know.

Join Me at The Homeschool Refresher Conference

February 22nd-25th

I will be speaking on the topic of Homeschooling Obstacles and the Support you Need.

Even the brightest and best homeschooling parents run into obstacles while homeschooling. Really, obstacles are a part of life. Jesus told us in this world we will have trouble. Homeschooling is not exempt from that. So when you hit the wall, what do you do? Do you just see it as a sign to give up or do you press on even harder? What does God mean by these difficulties? Learn a positive perspective in approaching those minor or major obstacles that may come, because really it shouldn't be stated what "may come" but when they "do come" your way.

Hurry because tickets are selling fast! Go here to the AWI website to get yours now. There are some great speakers and I am so excited to be joining in on this great event!

Book Review - Thin Places

A copy of this book was given to me free by the publisher for review.

Mary DeMuth has done it again. Though this book is very different from others because it is a memoir, it still has the same flow of the written word that her other books carry. This memoir is very real and very raw. It touches on so many life situations experienced by Mary but are written in such a way that any reader can relate to them. Any reader can self examine their own life through the personal experiences Mary writes about.

A thin place is essentially a place where God can be seen or experienced. Whether in realizing our desperate need for God or knowing His very presence was there with you. It was a book that really made me think through my life experiences and where God was during some of those difficult times.

I must be honest, I could relate so much to Mary's story, as I believe others will experience, that I had to read a section at times and just take a moment to process my own life and journey. I cried many times after reading a bit but in this processing it really lead me to some further healing in my own life. It was a very therapeutic book in those aspects. I am better off for reading it.

Mary was very brave to write a book like that and I am so proud of her for it. I have never read anything like that that takes the reader through her experiences but lets them experience those thin places in their own. It was written brilliantly and was not one of those boring biographies that work like a time line. I loved it though it was hard in some places to process it was a wonderful and healing read.

To get a copy of the book on Amazon go here.
Visit Mary's site here.
To see what other bloggers are saying go here.

HOTM - An Entrusted Treasure

As you approach this New Year with the last half of the homeschooling year in mind, I want you to consider this Scripture passage. Acts 17:26-28 states,

“From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

These verses are always so encouraging to me. God gave you the exact children that He desired for you to raise up for Him. Read More...

This is a post from The Heart of the Matter I forgot to link to last month!

Angels by David Jeremiah - Book Review

I received a copy of the book, Angels, free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for review.

The topic of angels would usually leave me skeptical in reading because of all of the incorrect and new age thought on the subject. However, I deeply respect the teaching ministry of Dr. David Jeremiah so I was very interested in his teachings in this book.

This book was very informative. It covered what seemed like every reference to angels in the Bible. It was beneficial in explaining who these beings are, what they are created to do, and how they relate to us. With each topic thoroughly Biblical in explanation, I really enjoyed this book. I got much out of it and learned a lot on a subject that is not often dealt with correctly.

With all of that said, if you are interested in the study of angels, I would recommend this safe and sound read. As you study and as the author points out, the study of angels (like anything else that God created) should point you to God and through it see another reason to be in awe of Him who made the visible and invisible.

To get a copy of this book from the publisher go here.
To get a copy of this book from Amazon go here.
To see more about the author go here.