Catching Up

Wow...so much going on lately...

So...the trip to Florida was awesome! I KNEW the moment I saw that meeting scheduled in Sarasota that David needed to go...I KNEW it would change our lives...and it has...already! I don't even know where to start to say HOW!

As soon as we were back in Georgia we started hearing about the revival in Lakeland. We were bummed because had we known, we would have taken Kyle while we were there....we weren't far at all!

Then we heard about an outpouring of that revival in Woodstock, GA...so we took Kyle last Thursday. He told me his foot wouldn't be healed there...that was un-nerving...but he was right. David's ears were prayed over as well...and he went to a prayer meeting Saturday morning and felt like he heard everything ok. But I'm not sure either of us were convinced it was DONE.

So then I had a conversation with Damon Sunday morning about prophets and how they are always *different*...and I was wondering...about how *different* I feel....and thinking...could that be why? Or maybe it's just that I'm just weird...lol

With all the talk about the Lakeland revival, Jen sent a link to watch it on the 'net...and so we did last night. Todd Bentley talked about dreams and visions and words of knowledge...and I thought about how Jenny and I used to go back and forth with all of those things...and how we haven't in so long.

He also said something that really touched me. He said that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yes. Then he said that if all of those healings and stuff happened THEN...and He is IN US today...that they SHOULD still be happening today...cuz HE DOESN'T CHANGE!!! WOW!!!

That went with what David heard at Gary Keesee's conference...that Jesus said we would do all that He did...and more!!!

So...we watched the revival last night...and Kyle couldn't leave the room. He was so tired he was falling asleep...but I believe he felt the anointing as strongly as we did...and I was AMAZED that we were JUST WATCHING IT ON THE 'NET!

At one point Bentley called out healing for the deaf...and God moved me to lay hands on David's ears again. So I prayed...and he said he felt warmth INSIDE his ears...even AFTER I took my hands away. And then he called me this morning and told me that he KNEW it was done....cuz he heard the guy at work that ALWAYS MUMBLES...and he heard him CLEARLY!!! WOOHOO!!!

OK...and so the dream thing. A few weeks ago I had a dream that was so real it woke me up. It was very intense. God told me a flood was coming...and that many people would die if I didn't warn them. I woke up in a sense of panic...a sense of urgency...but I brushed it off as a dream, thinking that God said in the Bible He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.

Then I talked to Jenny this morning...and when I told her the dream...she said she was reminded of a vision she had had a while ago...and it was one she had told me about...and I had thought of the same vision shortly after that dream...but didn't put it together.

Anyway...the *flood* is a spiritual flood...and people will die spiritually if they don't realize that God is holding them up as the water swirls around them. I'm not sure I get that quite yet...

But it also reminds me of a vision I had where I had gone over a waterfall...and I was afraid at first...but then I realized I was floating...and resting...

So...putting it all together some more...

I was thinking about the anointing and trying to figure out how what Bentley was saying fit in with other things I've learned over the past couple of years from Jim...and even Gary. And the anointing *works* in healing...because you RECEIVE the healing at that point! It's not that you're WAITING for God to WORK...but that you ACCEPT that He DID IT ALL when you receive the anointing!

So now...how do you walk in the anointing daily? Jenny got that word. It's by meditating on the Word. And that can seem overwhelming to a mom with many. But it's not about constantly sitting at the table taking in the Word...but rather meditating and digesting the Word throughout the day!

Chandler's Solo

Chandler picked out the bass...recorded it with his mp3 player...played it on his stereo...and played the solo on top of it...

This kid rocks!!!

:)

I've been tagged by Amber!

Ten silly things you may not know about me...

1) My socks have to be perfectly straight before I can put my shoes on...and I will stop no matter where I am to take my shoes off and straighten them if they get twisted.

2) I'm compulsive about keeping my desk clean...no matter what the rest of the house looks like.

3) I always wanted to sing with a rock band.

4) Even though my kids tell me I'm a goof ball all the time, I'm having a hard time thinking of ten silly things!

5) When I can't remember the name of the child whose attention I'm trying to get, I call them by their birth order number.

6) I get my kids' names mixed up...but I can tell you exactly where the poultry seasoning is in my kitchen....which cabinet, which shelf, which side, and what it's next to.

7) I love to make up words to sing with popular tunes to my babies.

8) I will write a book someday called *And I Give You - The Platypus*...because I'm convinced that God finds watching me more humorous than that silly-looking creature.

9) My daughter picks out my clothes for me...cuz everyone KNOWS a 40-year-old can't dress herself!

10) That's funny in itself...*I* am 40!!!!

Let's see...Jenny doesn't have a blog...so maybe I'll talk her into starting one just so I can tag her...he he

So...I'll tag Kaelyn, Mom, Michelle, Kris...and I'll have to get back to you on the last one!

So busy

I have to laugh at the name of my blog...Daily Life...HA...like I'm here daily!!!

Anyway...lots going on here....

Mom-mom's in the hospital...broke her hip yesterday...having surgery today...will be in rehab for a while after...not sure how that will affect their move down here...

Daddy's going back to the hospital this morning for more abx for the dog bite...may or may not be admitted...depending on if/how much it's improved...

David's OT has been cut out completely. Orkin can't seem to figure out to run this branch...what a mess! Waiting to see what God has next there...

Got our tax return back...but with no more OT it's more or less gone...ugh!!!

Noelle's got her first *cold*...of sorts, anyway. She seems to wake up around 5 or 6 a little congested...but once she's upright...and the rest of the day she's fine. She was cranky yesterday...but I have AWESOME helpers! (Thank you David, Kaelyn, Chandler, Corey, Chris, Kyle, and Josh!)

Good stuff...

Gary Keesee's message is AWESOME! It's wonderful to have hope again! And to hear confirmation of things we've thought!

Fast from Wrong Thinking...well...that's been a life-saver. Had a rough day the other day...but had lots to focus on...didn't have to *search* my mind in a panic to find the truth...it was RIGHT THERE!

Seems like just a couple things...but they're HUGE things!

ABC's

Kaelyn was teaching Joshie his ABC's yesterday. He was singing the alphabet as she was writing it on the dry erase board. Here's how the conversation went...

Kaelyn: Go ahead Joshie.
Joshie: (singing) A B C D A F G
Kaelyn: (interrupting) *E* F G
Joshie: giggles...then...H R S
Kaelyn: *H* *I* *J*
Joshie: giggles...then... Ello Mello P
Kaelyn: (stomping her feet and laughing) *L* *M* *N* *O* *P*
Joshie: giggles
Kaelyn: What comes after P?
Joshie: (jumping up to stand up on the desk) Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way

Needless to say, everyone within earshot lost it at that point. Oh, how I wish I had security cameras in this house! That's the only way I could ever catch these gems!!! That would DEFINITELY have won us some money!!!

Another Monday

Well...we seem to have a pattern with Noelle on Mondays...she only catnaps! Needless to say, with all the regular stuff to do in a day...plus extra laundry...it's been a very challenging day. I'm so grateful I have older children to help me with her...cuz I think I'd truly be insane today otherwise!

Jenny told me about Pastor Tim's message yesterday...so I took a few minutes and listened. Really made me miss Ocala...although I don't know that I'd want to be part of such a large church again...too easy to get lost in the crowd! I LOVE the relationships that are developing at Hamilton Life!

Anyway...the main idea of the message is that spiritual health in my home starts with me. That can be overwhelming at times...when it seems like I'm the only one heading in that direction...but he also said that *my* spiritual growth will influence the others in my family to grow...and THAT is encouraging!

He said that spiritual growth is intentional...and that's so true...cuz life gets in the way all too easily. It's something that requires my full attention...cuz if I'm not giving my attention to growing, then it's more than likely on something that will NOT be healthy (like worrying about the stupid tax return!).

I also had something of a breakthrough about the panic attacks. It seems that they started because of something that happened when *I* was vulnerable. That makes sense...but I've been in that *vulnerable* place 4 times since then...and it hasn't happened every time. But I also realized that I'm probably limiting God from delivering me from it by trying so hard to understand the *why* behind it. Then again...if they'd just quit...then I wouldn't have that need to understand them in the first place! Anyway...I'm working on being grateful for deliverance...whether it happens this minute or not.

Claudie sent me a site for a 40 day fast from wrong thinking. I checked out the first day, and I'm very excited to work through it. My thinking has been horrible since I started grappling with the taxes...and I hate the feeling that I'm going backwards in the way I see my life.

Speaking of taxes, a friend is checking into some questions we have about our tax return. The whole thing is just a mess to me...and losing all the paperwork in the accident surely didn't help. If we EVER own our own business again, it will be a business that makes enough money to hire an accountant!!!

Believe the Positive

As usual, I'm working on several projects at once...nothing like multi-tasking. I'm reading 3 books...Goodbye Chaos, Hello Peace; Something More; and Taking the Limits Off God. The first one is helping me get my house in order, the second is helping me get *me* in order, and the third is helping me get my relationship with God in order.

Goodbye Chaos is going fairly well. I've decided I want a treadmill that I can stick under the bed when it's not in use, since we don't have anywhere to leave it up. I thought I could do my reading while I walk. Since I'm reading 3 books at once, the extra baby weight should be gone in no time...once I get the treadmill, that is. I'm working on my laundry system this week...which is already working well...just needing to be tweaked a little here and there. The biggest thing that could help would be to get the garage cleaned up so I can use the shelf for the laundry baskets like I was doing for a while. Right now the laundry piles up in my room, and I have to resort the whole pile every day...rather than just adding it to the laundry baskets in the garage.

Something More is going well, too. It's given me a lot to think about...since I LOVE introspection so much! I'm really struggling to see myself past the facade of being who I thought everyone WANTED me to be all these years. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in that!

I just started the Limits book this week...after a friend reminded me about it. It was definitely God's timing...cuz I was really getting down about a lot of things...and I needed a boost. In the first chapter, I was reminded that God CAN and WILL take care of me...and got back to a place of peace about some major issues.

The last couple of days I've been pondering something mentioned in chapter 4. Jim is talking about our self-esteem...and how it's so high when we're little...like when we're learning to walk...because we're not punished or made fun of when we fall...rather, we're loved and cuddled and accepted. But then as we get older, *life* isn't so kind when we fail.

"As adults, most of us derive our self-esteem, not from the love and acceptance of our heavenly Father, but from our ability to succeed at certain tasks. We feel good about ourselves based on our accomplishments, rather than on whom we are in Jesus."

The answer:

"Like the toddler learning to walk, his self-worth is derived from the loving relationship he has with his Father through the Lord Jesus, and not from his achievements (works)."

How? By renewing our minds...and re-writing our hearts....so that we become convinced of the TRUTH...that we ARE loved and accepted by God....period.

Sounds so easy...but after 40 years of negatives...it can be exhausting (to say the least) trying to renew my mind...as the negatives present themselves over and over and over again.

How do I convince myself of God's love? What does *love* look like to me? And is what it *looks* like the important thing?

I KNOW that God met me...almost exactly a year ago now...right where I was...completely ugly...with no interest in hearing from God...angry...bitter...frustrated...but He showed up...and He DID something to show me that He loves me. Yet...even with that experience...I STILL struggle in the face of negatives to remember that God loves me.

So what I understand, then, is that it's a choice...every day...to BELIEVE that God loves me...no matter what *things* look like...not matter how I feel...no matter what's going on.

Situations and circumstances can take away a feeling...with or without my permission...but they can't take away a choice...only *I* can give that up. So I have to DECIDE not to give up my right to choose...and I have to CHOOSE to believe that God DOES love me...and all that His love means.