Faith, Saints, Superbowl........

As we go into this week...I wanted to share this. As Saint's fans we always say "Gotta have FAITH!" We've stood behind this team for over 40 years cheering during some of the worst games ever. Never giving up because we have FAITH! Our shirts say FAITH, our bumper stickers say FAITH, and one of our mottos say FAITH. 

(Matthew 17:20 says that "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain Move from here to there and it will move" NOTHING is impossible for you.) (Matthew 19:26 "....With God all things are possible")

 

I know that all of us die-hard Saints fans have had faith in our "Bless you boys" but remember to keep faith in all areas of our lives. :-) The joy that all of us feel in this city right now is awesome, right? We are on cloud 9! We have a pep in our step, We're smiling at the drivers that we are usually yelling at, for some of us it's the happiest we've been since before Katrina. During this "Breesy" football season...we've put aside race, subdivisions, whether we are rich or poor....  we've come together for those 3 hours a weekend and cheered on the Saint's with the same passion and put aside ALL of our differences. None of those things mattered, we were on the same team!!! :-)

 

We do not have to stop after the parades end....This happiness and joy can continue in our lives with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Hope, FAITH, and Love......

 WHO DAT!!!! :-)  Shawna  <><

Christmas is here....

Christmas is here....   I have a couple of things on my mind...For one....Can you believe it is DECEMBER?.?.?  I always heard when I was younger that the closer you get to 40, the faster time goes by...NO DOUBT IT'S TRUE!  (40 in 2 months!)   Every new year I get so excited and refreshed to start over..almost like a cleansing of the hectic year, and every new year I say  "Lord, I pray this one is the best one yet!" Unfortunately and fortuntely every December I think...."what a year...*sigh*"  I should write a book, no one would believe my life!!! lol Throughout the year, we've had about 150 doctor appts, countless hospital visits, gazillion homework assignments, bus/car accidents, and then if I really wanted to dig deep...how many loads of laundry would that make?, how many times did I have to say stop texting, Is your homework done?, why are the lights in every room of the house on? lol  OK nevermind, my brain would explode if I really had to dig deep. Every mother gets it, right??

In the midst of the craziness of life...there were countless blessings....some big and some so small that could've easily been ignored... So there will be NO complaining on my part because every single moment this year has been a gift from our Lord Jesus!

 

I'm not only writing to possibly be an encouragement to others but it also helps me too. Christmas is such a hectic time of the year. It stresses everyone out to some degree. For parents, trying to get the christmas presents bought, the right ones, and the right amount. If you have more than one child then you are trying to make all the gifts equal etc. Still following me?? ( I have 3, that's my biggest challenge...making it EQUAL!)

 

Christmas is also the most wonderful time of the year....celebrating the birth of Jesus!

Unfortunately the stresses tend to become overwhelming and the real meaning of Christmas is buried under the presents, parties, decorations, events, and school break.

 

The same amount of time given to our children on their birthday or the attention we want on ours. ;-) should be given to Him. Spending time talking to Him, listening to Him, and thanking Him for all He does all year long.....and thanking Him for our future that is in His hands.

 

Just a thought :-)

 

><> Shawna <><

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me and when you seek me with all of your heart"

 

Satan is not stealing my joy!

Satan is NOT stealing my joy

 

I want to start off by saying...I used to blog almost everyday and the site that I used is no longer available so I stopped writing...but the Lord led me to start doing it again and this has been on my heart for the past few days. I have had ALOT going on, can I stress again ALOT going on. lol  It's been so much more than anyone knows but I know that God has it all under control. It's so hard sometimes not to try and control the situations that are happening around me because my flesh takes over but reality is...I cannot do anything without Him. It takes FAITH.

 

I see that through all of this craziness, I've allowed myself to lose joy. I don't mean silly, goofy, laughing, joy...I mean the joy within me. The joy that Satan tries to steal.  Nehemiah 8:10 says.....the joy of the Lord is our strength. So the joy of the Lord brings strength in our lives...If we do not choose joy, we lose strength. Everyday we make choices. We choose to go to store, we choose what to wear, we choose to call our friends, we choose what to watch on TV. I know you get the point ...and we can choose to NOT allow Satan to steal our joy. Sometimes I do not even realize Satan is at work, I mean how did Satan make Brandon need surgery,  Devin's bus accident, Hospital visits (5) in a week, bills pile up, school stuff, etc.? He didn't...however, in the midst of my rushing and worrying through these times, I allowed the doubt, fear, and anxiety take over....during THAT time, I believed his lies. The more I doubted the more he lied. Make sense yet?

 

If the joy of the Lord is our strength....and I lost strength during those moments...I've opened a door for Satan to walk through and put thoughts, fears, and doubt into my head 

which led to my heart. See God wants us to be joyful....even during the hard times. Our joy is not determined by what is going on around us...it's determined by His promises that He has made for us.

 

When I wake up in the morning, I get to decide whether I'll be happy or not (sounds easy right? lol) but then life starts happening and things start happening and I tend to lose that joy (typically before lunch lol) but that's about when we need to remember that we can also choose our reaction. give it to God,leave it with Him, thank Him for it, and take JOY in knowing that it is on it's way.

 

Phew--not easy I know...but if we don't choose to keep our joy---the devil will kindly steal it!

 

Random acts of kindness...

Let me tell you how cool this is...Yesterday I was driving in the car with my oldest son and we were going to grab a bite to eat. As usual, I see a dog that was obviously lost walking down the street. It NEVER fails that I find lost dogs all the time or is it that I notice them more than other people and I stop? Maybe I just have an eye for them....either way..it drives my kids crazy that I cannot pass a dog unless I see that there is an owner around or I can tell that it lives at that house and just taking a walk to the sidewalk. This is probably the 3rd time in a month that I've stopped to pick up a dog. Ok I'm getting to the point....

 

So, my son rolls his eyes at me as I slow down to check out the cutest lil pup in the world (next to my Yorkie of coarse). I got out of the car, instantly she/he ran to me and I thought for that split second..PLEASE have a phone number on your collar. No, it did not but I did find the owners anyway. Ok I'm working on the point....... My kids always ask me why do I have to stop for EVERY stray or lost animal that I see??? Well, because If it were OUR dog, wouldn't we want someone to help us find him? or we could be keeping this animal from getting killed on the street. So, I'm closer to the point now.. :)

 

I was driving down the street today and on the radio I heard about a Pastor named David Ferguson from Naperville, IL that walked into a Kinko's with a cup of Starbucks. One of the employees asked him "Where's mine?" so out of complete kindness, he asked the employee as well as 2 others what was their favorite drink? He returned with 3 Starbucks. They were so excited and it gave him the idea of the 365 club. He was asking that everyone do 365 acts of kindness this year.....and I instantly knew that I wanted to be in the club.  So how about it? Would you be interested? We do not actually HAVE to be in HIS club...we can all have our own little club. I'll call mine the  365 Random Acts of Kindness Club. (kinda rings a bell, whatever that means..lol)

 

There are so many ways to help others randomly. Send a card to someone just to say you are praying for them, give a dollar to the cashier towards the person's order behind you, pick up someone's garbage can out of the street, cook a meal for someone just to give them a break on a busy night,  there a countless ways to help someone even if it's being an encouragement....just making sure that we go out of our way to do these acts. If we all did 365 acts of kindness this year, can you imagine what a nicer place this world would be?

 

 

Two years ago today....

Last year I wrote a blog called ONE YEAR AGO TODAY...well, TODAY is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina..It's been TWO years now.

I wan't to start off praising God in this storm. Katrina may be gone but the storms following have not stopped coming. Thank You Lord for the great plans you have for us!

TWO years ago..We evacuated the day before just like ALL the evacuations we've done. We packed a few days of clothes, fed the pets, and left. I even made the beds before I left because I KNEW I'd be home in a few days...A few days turned into almost 2 months..The beds were still made but between the flood water and mold it was not the way I had planned to see it again. The city looked like a war zone when I returned. Sadly enough, it still does in many many many areas of New Orleans today.

TWO years ago...Many lives were lost by death. Over 1600 died and still 100 remains have not been identified. We not only mourn those that have died but we mourn those we lost due to moves or due to the destruction...We've lost friends, family, coworkers, stores, homes, routines, schools and churches. Although everyone here in New Orleans has a different story to tell...There is one that we all share, it is the loss of our everyday normalcy. Our lives have never been and never will be the same since August 29, 2005.

TWO years ago..Our conversations have changed....Everything is either BEFORE Katrina or AFTER Katrina..crime rate is up, murder rate is up, and suicide rate is up. Our city is hurting.

TWO years ago..The Lord gave me the strength to change my life and my childrens. I have never worked so hard in my life to get to this point. The Lord gets all the glory! My faith has grown tremendously and He has used me in mighty ways! Praise God!

In 2005, I lost part of me due to Katrina and my heart still hurts but I also died that year. I died to my old self and became a new. I was a Christian before Katrina but Christ was living in me after Katrina. I'm born again and I love the child of God that I am. I have a huge family that I've met and love, I have a peace within me that is unexplainable. Walking with the Lord is the absolute best thing that has happened to me. THANK YOU Lord for the things you give and take away! Unfortunately it is those of us that are truly on fire for the Lord that are attacked by others the most.

I ask today that you pray for our city of New Orleans and all affected by Katrina. I pray that people come to Christ and that lives are saved because the end is near.

Today is not just a memory to us....It's still our reality!

In Him,

Shawna

Do you?

Do you....

Believe that acquiring money and things will bring lasting happiness (see Matthew 13:22, 1st. Tim. 6:10)

Believe that consuming food and alcohol excessively will make you happy (see Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:19-21)

Believe that a great body and personality will get you what you want (Proverbs 31:10, 1 Peter 3:3-4)

Believe that gratifying sexual lust will bring lasting satisfaction (see Ephesians 4:22-24, 1 Peter 2:11)

Believe that you can sin and get away with it and not have it affect your heart (see Hebrews 3:12,13)

Believe that you can do whatever you want and no one can touch you (see 2. Corin. 11:2-4, 13-15)

Believe that people can live a life of sin and still go to heaven (see 1 Corin. 6:9-11)

Believe that you can hang around bad company and not become corrupted (see 1 Corin. 15:33-34)

Believe that there are no consequences on earth for your sins (see Galatians 6:7-8)

Believe that you must gain the approval of certain people in order to be happy (see Galatians 1:10)

Believe that you must measure up to certain standards in order to feel good about yourself (see Galatians 3:2-3, 5:1)

The believer in Christ has no business deceiving others by lying, exaggerating, telling white lies, stretching the truth, or anything relating falsehoods. Satan is the father of lies and he seeks to keep people in bondage through deception but it is the truth in Jesus that sets us free.

Who's controlling your life?

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Friday, May 30, 2008 2:50 PM

I haven't written a blog in awhile but felt led to do so by the Lord. I know that we ALL have reasons to be fearful, anxious and concerned. Look at the world today. I am a God fearing Christian woman and I know that the Lord is with me at ALL times but what is it like for a worldly person in the world?

I was worldly before and I remember feeling scared all the time. Scared of dying...Scared of what would happen to me once I died..I was so afraid of every problem I had..I lived in guilt of the past and fearful of the future. I was a wreck!

Praise God...He took the shackles off my feet and I can dance. I have the peace of KNOWING that I'm going to meet my precious Jesus one day and I'm not afraid of that day, I'm excited! Sure I want to be with my kids and grandkids and live a long prosperous life ...BUT I don't dwell on the unknown..I KNOW He has great plans.

I still have concerns in life because I do live in a worldly world...and the enemy attacks us all different kinds of ways but there is a peace and comfort in knowing that our Almighty God is watching over us and protecting us. We need to stand firm in our faith! Put on that armor of God everyday! The Lord has paid the ultimate price and He won! Why do we try to fight every issue and control our lives???

How's controlling your life working for ya? Doing it your way? Are you truly happy and at peace? Do you hand your problems and struggles over to Him every day or are you out there doing it yourself?

Life is hard and He has told us it would be....but take comfort in knowing that He will sustain us through EVERY burden! "Cast your burdens on the Lord, releasing the weight of them. He will sustain you" Psalm 55:22

Remember God knows you! He knows your heart! He LOVES you! and He chose you! In John 15:16 it says..You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Let's stop living in fear and let's start living for Him! Living for Him does mean changing your life..I bet if you are living in the world without the Lord...Your life needs some changing. He's an awesome father who paid the ultimate price for you!

I'm a living testimony of His unfailing, undying, never changing LOVE! I once was dead but now I live, I was blind but now I see.

If you don't know this love, live this life, feel this peace....Please contact me..I can help you live...for eternity!

In His hands,

Shawna