Taking All You Give

Well since I am such the great blogger I have decided to move and go to another site...well actually I'm returning to Blogger. I have explained why over there. I will keep this one too but will be "more" at the other site.

Here it is....

http://www.sirmax70.blogspot.com/

Okay so I'm 30 minutes into the 2nd day of my 101 things....I haven't even finished my list...goodness....not sure how I'll do with the list! I'll keep you posted as to my failures ;-)

So...what's happening in my life? Not too much. I'm on midnight shift this month so that means I don't really exist. I sleep more on this shift and I don't get much done in my life. I haven't been to church in 3 weeks and I hate missing it. The one bright spot is my Tarheels are in the FINAL FOUR!!! Man alive I love college basketball. I got to go to the first two games the Tarheels played in Raleigh. What a great time I had. I'll post my pictures later. I really wanted to travel to Charlotte for the next two games but work (and lack of funds) didn't allow that trip. I'll be glued to the tv on Saturday night and if we win I plan to be on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill on Monday April 7th watching the game. So that's my world right now. Spring is here and I love the warm weather so I'll be getting out and about once I'm done with the awful shift I'm on.

You may now carry on with your life. Have a great day!

I was talking to my brother last week about this holiday weekend. He was telling me about the Good Friday service his church was going to have and then his next statement really made me stop and think. He asked me if I had ever really thought about Saturday. You know...we say that on Friday Jesus died and HALLELUJAH on Sunday Jesus rose. We never mention Saturday. Our Lord Jesus was DEAD. Not swooning, not pretending....DEAD. He was wrapped and buried and put in a tomb. Let me say it again. He was DEAD! Have you ever really sat and thought about how his friends and family were feeling. They had just celebrated the Passover which should be a joyous time. Then they watched or knew that Jesus had been crucified. They were heart broken, confused, scared and in disbelief. They spent an entire day knowing their friend and Lord was dead. I have never given much thought about it because I like to jump ahead to the HE IS RISEN!!! part of the story. Stop and think about that....Satan must have thought he had really won. He and his demons were probably celebrating in the heavenlies and the angels were probably at a loss as to what was happening.

Now...what a glorious thought to know that Jesus didn't stay dead. How the heavenlies must have been turned on a dime when God told Jesus to arise (not sure how it happened but I can just see God smile and say as the NewSong song goes "Arise my love"). Celebrate that your Lord and Savior is ALIVE!!! But remember that in order to celebrate that fact we have to allow our minds to wrap around the fact that Jesus really died. Jesus really stayed dead for days/hours. We can't have Easter morning without Good Friday. Thank you Jesus!!!

Please read the following devotional. It is from Greg Laurie GregLaurie@HarvestDirect.Org

Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt as though your friends and family had abandoned you? Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood? Have you ever had a hard time understanding or submitting to the will of God for your life?

If so, then you have an idea of what the Lord Jesus went through as He agonized at Gethsemane.

Hebrews tells us, "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it" (4:15–16 NLT).

Consider the fact that Jesus, who was God, was omniscient. He was all-knowing. Therefore, He was fully aware of the horrors of the crucifixion that awaited Him.

He knew His disciples would abandon him. He knew Judas Iscariot would betray Him. He knew that Simon Peter would deny Him. He knew they would rip His back open, press a crown of thorns into His head, beat Him, spit in His face, and crucify Him. Worst of all, He knew that all the sins of the world would be placed upon Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3 NLT). But the sorrow He experienced in Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion seemed to be the culmination of all the sorrow He had ever known and would accelerate to a climax the following day. The ultimate triumph that was to take place at Calvary was first accomplished beneath the gnarled old olive trees of Gethsemane.

Jesus told Peter, James, and John, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch" (Mark 14:34). Jesus' sorrow and anguish was so powerful, it threatened His very life.

In the face of this dreadful prospect of bearing God's full fury against sin, Jesus knelt to the ground and began to pray. This was not a quiet whisper of a prayer. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, "While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God" (NLT).

It is interesting that the very word Gethsemane means "olive press." Olives were pressed there to make oil, and truly, Jesus was being pressed from all sides that He might bring life to us. I don't think we can even begin to fathom what He was going through.

Maybe you are at a crisis point in your life right now—a personal Gethsemane, if you will. You have your will; you know what you want. Yet you can sense that God's will is different.

Would you let the Lord choose for you? Would you be willing to say, "Lord, I am submitting my will to Yours. Not my will, but yours be done"? You will not regret making that decision.

Sometimes, we are afraid to do this because we have a false concept that God's will for us is not good. You might be thinking, "How about His plan for Jesus? That didn't seem very good."

No question, it was very difficult for Jesus, to say the least. No question, He faced the full wrath of God against all sin.

But look at what it accomplished. It brought about your salvation and mine. Because of what Jesus went through at Gethsemane and ultimately at the cross, we can call upon His name. Though it was an unfathomably painful, horrific transition, it was necessary for the ultimate goal of what was accomplished.

Maybe you are going through a difficult time. Ultimately, it will be so much better if you allow the Lord to choose His plan for you. One day, you will be able to look back and say, "Lord, thank you for making that choice."

God's plans for you are good. As Jeremiah tells us, the thoughts that God thinks toward you are "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (29:11).

In our moments of uncertainty, in those times when we think that everyone has let us down, remember that Jesus has been there and is there for us. God's plans for you are so much better than the plans you have for yourself.

Will you let Him choose?

HE IS RISEN!!!!

Okay I'm going to add to my list now..... (see previous post)

42. Not to shopping at Target for a month

43. Participate in a charity walk/run of some kind

44. Go parasailing

45. Go fishing (I haven't been in YEARS!)

46. Recycle more than I do

47. Take a photo of self at least once a month (stole this from someone's list...thought it was cool)

48. Take my dogs walking at least 2 times a week

49. Redo bathroom (replace sink and floor)

50. Drink green tea every day

51. Organize music on laptop

52. Call my dad at least once a week

53. Call my brother at least once a week

54. Go see Brian's sister in Massachusetts

55. Go see Brian's sister in South Carolina

56. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast Inn with Brian

57. Go to a Tarheel basketball game

58. Go on a cruise

59. Read my National Geographic EVERY month

*I'll be back*

I got this from Traci who got it from Day Zero. I have been working on my list....I only have 41 things right now so I will finish the list and start on April 1st (no fooling!!)

1. Go to Greece

2. Paint/redecorate spare room (making it my scrapbook room)

3. Pay of credit cards

4. Learn the guitar

5. Take a photography class

6. Buy and learn a PhotoShop program

7. Go back to California

8. Learn a new language

9. Lose 10 pounds

10. Walk/job at least 5 days a week

11. Sing at my dad's church

12. Go skydiving (no kidding!)

13. Clean out my attic

14. Pay off my house

15. Read ALL my books I own

16. Read the Bible in a year

17. Finish the scrapbooks that I have started

18. Replace the kitchen floor

19. Watch a meteor shower

20. Visit all the museums in Raleigh

21. Learn to clog

22. Pray earnestly daily

23. Clean out garage

24. Learn the sound board system at church

25. See Wicked on Broadway

26. Meet Clay Aiken

27. Meet Chris Daughtry again

28. Get Day of Fire to play at my church (or somewhere in Raleigh)

29. Go see my 40th Third Day show

30. Go to New York

31. See Scott get a new place of his own

32. Go to Europe

33. Watch Highlander Seasons 1-6 in order

34. Replace windows in my house

35. Get very involved in Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child ministry

36. See a George Strait concert again

37. Walk on the beach with Brian

38. Fix my PC (reconfigure and add memory)

39. Sing with my brother again

40. Go kayaking at the Outer Banks

41. Attend Creation Fest in PA

*off to thinks of more things*

Those few of you that read this probably have no desire to sit in one spot for hours and watch college basketball. Well that is where I've been for the past 2 days. I LOVE this time of year. I believe college basketball is the best sport ever. It is so exciting. I love to watch these guys play their hearts out. I watched all 4 of the ACC games yesterday along with switching channels to watch whatever else was on tv. If I had 10 tv's I would watch 10 games. I think next year I am going to subscribe to the $70 special the DIRECTV offers to watch all the NCAA games.

Well it's halftime and my Tarheels better come back out playing better than there did in the first half!

Enjoy your day....I'll be sitting here in my LazyBoy (yes it's MY LazyBoy not Brian's) with the remote (Brian loses possession of the remote this time of year) with my sweet tea and snacks.

GO HEELS!!!!

No matter what your opinion is on the US being in Iraq I ask you to keep praying for all those over there. My son Scott did his first tour and will be returning there this Sunday. I was okay the first time he went...no real worries. I am not a worrier by nature (I leave that to my husband) but this time I have a different feeling. Nothing really bad just "not again" feeling. God took care of him the first time and I'm trusting Him to do the same this time. His tour is for 15 months...that's a LONG time. Anyway...pray for Scott if you think about it. Thanks.

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Well those of you that read this blog will understand when I say my heart hurts. It's hard for people to understand why I should be upset about a band member leaving a band. ( www.thirdday.blogs.com) Well Third Day has been a big part of my life for over 10 years now. I first saw them in 1996 and really began to follow them in 2002. I've been to over 30 shows and now have good friends all over the world because of this common interest. I have met the band many times and have no issue with calling them my friends. Well....when one of the friends will no longer be a part of the scene it hurts. I don't know why and I don't need to know why. I just know that God is in control of all and I just pray that Brad and Mindi are blessed beyond measure with this new venture. I also pray that Third Day will continue to be who they are and continue to praise Jesus with their music. I will see them tomorrow night at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach without Brad. It will be bittersweet but nice just the same to spend time with good friends.

Change sometimes hurts...this does but all will be well.

Thanks Brad for rockin' my face off all these years!!!

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Me and brad vegas

It's been a month since my sweet Australian Shephard Alex died. She was over 12 years old (we don't quite know how old she was when we got her but we got her the year before Brian and I were married...we've been married for 11 years). Anyway....she had arthritis and was losing her hearing. She didn't come home for dinner on the evening of January 10th. Brian and I went looking for her...we found her lying in the ditch as if she had just laid down and went to sleep. She was not mangled but we believe she was hit by a car. She never went in the road so we don't know what made her do so that day. I was actually okay with it all. I took Max (my Yorkie) to the vet 2 years ago to be put to sleep (he had throat cancer) and that trip was awful. I think God took her before she got worse. I was just thinking about her tonight and how much I miss her so now I'm telling you. Here she is....isn't she pretty...