Healed By His Love

Healed from Halloween

2011-10-31T16:31:00.002-05:00

"And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb
and the word of their testimony."
~Revelation 12:11, AMP

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My life has been a different one, of sorts.
Really, there has been nothing 'common'
about it. I am used to 'going against the
flow'. Standing boldly against the so-called
norm. And, so it is with today. Halloween.

It is so beloved by so many. Why can't I
just embrace the cute little costumes and
frightening antics? Why??

Let's venture back to October 1988.
I was fifteen years old. I was not allowed
to watch horror movies and the likes. I am
so grateful for that. But on a particular day
in that October, I decided to sneak
and watch a Geraldo news special on satanism.
Geraldo was attempting to expose the true,
grisley 'core' and meaning of this day.
He wanted people to
know what REALLY happens on Halloween,
and how it is
anything but innocent fun.
And, so I watched.
It disgusted me and horrified me to find that
babies are skinned....sacrificed.
Real, live human babies. And, animals sacrificed.
And people, children even, raped and things
that are too wretched to speak of....they happen.
Tonight. On Halloween.

After I saw this, I could not be an ostrich....I could
not pretend that I didn't know what this day and
season is all about. Not only could I not hide from
the truth....I was horrified by it.

You see, by seeing those things, I unknowingly
opened the door to the enemy (satan) to wreak
havoc in my life. I plummeted into a clinical
depression. For three months, I literally fought
for my life. Darkness threatened to envelop me.
I wanted to commit suicide. A dark cloud was
my constant companion. I was so sad and
completely miserable. My soul was in complete turmoil.
Fear was attempting to kill me, to choke out my life.

I wasn't as close to God, back then, as I am today.
But He was close to me.
See, He wouldn't let the darkness take me over.
He rescued me.
He delivered me from depression....from the grip of the enemy (satan).

One day, mid-January, as I was curling my big 80s
hair, the dark cloud (that was my constant companion),
literally parted. I could see this in my spirit. And, light
rays (like you see on a cloudy day when the sun is bursting
through) shone in on me.

The Son was bursting through to set me free.

The Lord spoke to my heart, clear as a bell,
"You will NEVER go here again." and
"There will be days when you are sad, but I am with you."

And, the depression was gone.
Just like that.

And, God has kept His promise....and He forever will.
He is like that.

There have been days that I have been sad, just
like He said I might be, but it's okay because, He IS with me.

God showed me so much during that dark time.
Among the things that He showed me was the true
meaning of Halloween. And, that 'spiritual warfare'
is very real and happening every single day.
And, since I had found out
the truth, I couldn't pretend that I didn't know anymore.

So many people have no idea that we are living in a
world where the supernatural is VERY real. VERY present.
I see people watching things that open the door to the
enemy of their very soul. I have to think that, like me, they
don't know the massive spiritual implications, the danger.

I am not here to judge you. It's not my job or my place.
I am here to tell my story....my testimony. I am here to
tell about what God showed me and about how He rescued
me from this present darkness by His (Jesus') Presence.

I am here to testify how I have overcome, by God's grace.

"And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of
the blood of the Lamb and the utterance of their testimony."
~Revelation 12:11, AMP

In His Love,
Melissa

God's Grace & The Dishwasher Principle

2011-07-08T14:31:00.001-05:00

As I loaded my dishwasher one afternoon, the
thought occured to me, why not load the
dishwasher how other people load theirs?
You know, a different way than I was
accustomed to loading my own dishwasher.

I had always cleaned my dishes off BEFORE
loading them in the dishwasher. I used soapy
water and all. I guess the dishwasher was
for a second wash, rinse and dry.

Well, on this particular day, I thought, I'm
just gonna load this thing up with dishes that
are NOT pre-cleaned. Some may have
macaroni -n- cheese juice on them, or some other
meal residue. The only thing that I
made sure of is that there were no pieces of food
left on them.

After the entire machine was loaded, I started it,
and went on with life. Later, that evening, when
I was unloading it, I marveled that THEY WERE
CLEAN!!!! As I began putting them away, I
began to think about how similar life can be to
this experience. I began to think about how many
times, I have tried to clean up my life, in my own
strength, with my own works. You know, to
make myself more acceptable to God and others.

I believe that God spoke to my heart that day
that He was showing me that wants me to come
to Him with all of my
dirt, mess, junk, failures, hurts, brokenness, yuck
(you get the picture). And, He will cleanse me
with His grace. This cleansing is constant, you see.

His blood is constantly cleansing me (and you). It
has that effect on all who are His. Why do I (we)
forget that? This object lesson from the Lord is
but one of the ways He is showing me His love,
His grace, His power. He is healing me with
His love, just like the title of this blog. He is always
wanting to show us more of His goodness. The
Holy Spirit always
wants to reveal Jesus to us. All we have to do is
ask, seek, knock. And, draw near to God and
He will (indeed) draw near to us! (James 4:8b)

If your past, failures, mistakes, habits, hang-ups,
, are keeping you from God, please
know that His grace is what will change you.
His love is what will set you free. His blood
is what will wash you. You don't have to do this
yourself.....you can't. He ALONE will do this
for you.....if you will only let Him.

So, as you load your dishwasher, try to remember
the dishwasher principle and God's grace.
You are cordially invited to give Him all of your mess
and watch what He can do with it and your life!
Get ready to be blown away by His grace!!!!!!!!!

Saved by Grace,
Melissa

Joyful + Submission + Obedience = Sweet Release Pt.2

2011-03-03T07:04:00.000-06:00

Very early the next morning, after Recovery, in the
wee 4 o'clock hour, I woke up. I sensed the Lord
gently telling me that 'I' had been those very things
that I was accusing Michael of being.

After a moment of thought, I had to agree with Him.
You would think that this would make a girl mad,
upset, or angry. But in me, that morning, His revelation
of the truth did just the opposite. I became joyful.
You see, when you think it's the other person, you feel
kinda hopeless, in a way. By that, I mean, you know
that you cannot change someone else. (Really not even
yourself, only He can.)

Now let's rewind to a week prior. I was listening to a
Joyce Meyer teaching. She said something like this, "When
God shows you an area where you fall short and you know
that He's so right. DO NOT tell Him that you'll change that,
or even try to." "Tell Him", she said, "that you agree with
Him, and you want to change, you yield to Him and desire
to line up with His way for your life." "Tell Him that IF you
do try to do it on your own, you'll just mess up again."
"Tell Him that you need Him to do it through you." "Let
Him know that you're ready and willing to be changed
by Him".

See, friends, anything that WE do, if not done by HIM, through
us, is just rubbish....it won't last. However, if we allow (surrender)
our will to His.....ah, now that's when real change occurs.
That is where real change begins and lives. That is where
deliverance abides. It dwells there. In Him.

So, instead of being mad at God, I was so extremely thankful
that He loves me so much to show me where I had been so
wrong (deceived). He is changing me to be what I could never
be on my own.

And, another transforming thought on authority. Jesus was
a man (still is) under authority. His authority is God. My husband
is a man under authority, under Jesus, who is under God.
I am now a woman, gladly, under authority. I am under Michael,
who is under Jesus, who is under God. We are both under our
pastors and leaders that God has placed us under.
This authority thing isn't so bad after all. It is another thing that
satan, the enemy of our souls, has tried to make seem 'dirty'.
It's not.

God created authority. When under authority, I am in obedience.
When obedient, the blessings flow. The joy comes. And, what
used to seem like an oxy moron, is now an anthem:
Joyful Submission....Joyful Obedience. Just saying them makes my
heart smile. It's all about persective. One Word from the Living
God will make all the difference in the world.

He still talks to His children today. Draw near to Him..... (James 4:8)!
If you are not His....please messege me....that can change today.
It will change your forever....asking Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour
is the best decision I have ever made. How about you?

Gods girl for keeps,
Melissa

Joyful + Submission + Obedience = Sweet Release (Pt. 1)

2011-03-02T21:07:00.000-06:00

Golly, where to begin?!
For my entire life...I have wanted to do things my way.
I remember early on hearing....'you would argue with a
fencepost', and 'you always have to have the last word'.
I thought those phrases were funny....I was foolish.

Fast forward thirty years or so. I am now married, have
been for nearly 14 years. I love my husband. With that
said, it has not been a smooth ride. At times, quite bumpy.
I have thought....'It's 'him'. He's stubborn, he's harsh, he's
unyielding....the list goes on. He, he, he.....blame, blame, blame.

Well, at Recovery on Monday, my dear friend and sister-in-Jesus,
shared a word on 'Authority'. As I sat there listening to her words,
I began to be very convicted. I have NOT been a woman
under authority. I have been mouthy. I have bucked. It has
been going on for years. Years. I began to think of times
through out the years that I have been stubborn, stiff-necked, harsh.
My motto, given by a friend in college, was 'my way or the highway'.
I thought this was funny, too. How sad.

I began to think of how I have not willingly lined up under the
authorities that God has placed in my life. It hurt to think of it.
Could it be that the very word (authority) that I thought was
'difficult' and 'hard' and 'unfair', would be the exact thing that
brings much freedom, such sweet release? My answer for
this question (pertaining to me) is YES!

Part two to come....

Until then,
Melissa

Meet 'Faith Barista'

2011-01-20T13:14:00.000-06:00

In blogworld, sometimes you find someone
who you can so identify with. Who urges
you to be who God created you to be. Today,
I found such a blog. It's too good to keep to
myself....so I introduce you to:

http://www.faithbarista.com/2011/01/keep-doing-your-one-thing-a-lisa-leonard-jewelry-giveaway/

I am going to be meditating on 'doing my one thing'.
Wow!!!! For people that get distracted easily, this
is a novel concept! Keep doing your ONE thing!
Focus. That has been a word that has skipped
through my mind from time to time. I need focus.
I long for focus. God be my focus.

Ciao for now,
Melissa

True Friends are True Treasures

2010-12-08T10:57:00.001-06:00

"Certain friends have a way of setting up
residence in us. They march into some
barren room of our heart and hang cheery
curtains, scatter soft rugs, dot the walls framed
prints of tender and whimsical moments, then
set about building a cozy fire beside two
sink-back-and-stay-awhile chairs.
We may not always know exactly when
such friends moved in, but we're so very
glad they did!

Some people have a way of making themselves
at home. They don't ring the front doorbell. They
slip in the back with a freshly plucked daisy or two.
No formalities. Just, "How wonderful to see you!"

They don't care if there's clutter on the floor. They'll
either help you pick it up or, better yet, step over it
just glad to be in your company.

How do these people do it? Perhaps the key to the
back door of our hearts is simply acceptance - the
kind of love that would just as soon hug you in a
tattered bathrobe as in your Sunday best.

Such people leave behind their expectations of how
others should be and what they should do. To them,
every person is a buried treasure to be discovered and
enjoyed. Differences are a source of delight.

Evaluations, judgements and makeovers are not their job.
Loving acceptance is.

When such a person takes me into her heart, it is certain
that she cannot stay long out of mine."
~above written by Susan Lenzkes

I read this in my devotional Bible, this morning.
I love how God knows
EXACTLY what we need, exactly when we need it.

True friends are true treasures, you are safe with them,
both in and out of their presence.

"...Love one another deeply, from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22

Joyful Wednesday,
Melissa

Maximize Your Mornings: Inspired to Action

2010-08-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

When you find out something so wonderful....you have to
share it with others, right?! Like when you found Jesus....not
that He was ever lost...but we were. Or, when there is a crazy
good sale? Well, there is something that I've found this week and
I am super excited about it! It is a FREE e-book called 'Maximize
Your Mornings'. I would like to read it and then issue a 'Maximize
Your Mornings Challenge' (MYMC)!

I am, by nature, not a morning person. I do not hop out of bed with
a smile plastered across my face. On the contrary...I am a 'slow
bloomer' in the morning. I need a little time to 'come to'. I have wanted
to be more of an early riser for AGES....just didn't quite know how to
go about it....until NOW.

God knows the desires of our hearts.....and when those desire include
drawing closer to Him, you better believe that He's gonna make it happen.

So.....if you would like to learn more, I encourage you to go visit,
Kat at http://www.inspiredtoaction.com/. And, I will be back on here next
week to issue the 'challenge'. I'm so excited!!!!!!!! Are you in?
Pray about it and we'll 'talk' next week!

May this weekend be blessed by His Sweet Presence,
Melissa, His Honeybee

Do You French?

2010-05-26T20:51:00.001-05:00

WHAT?!! Why is she asking me this?!!
Some may be wondering.....others may have a
ready answer, some may think I missed a word,
like 'speak'....Do you 'speak' French? No, no...
I didn't miss a word. I titled this, because something
happened tonight that got me thinking....about
something that happened last night. What????
Just read on, and please trust me....no trips to the
gutter.... PROMISE. And, I will eventually answer
that question...just keep reading. : )

So last night I was reading in a passage of the Bible
that talks about the last days, end times, you know-
now-a-days. It was a very sobering scripture. One
to be pondered.....deep, yet, very understandable.

Tonight, as I began to clean up the kitchen, only to
find that some gnats (fruit flies)...unwelcomed guests...
had been led by their sensual desires into our mustard
container. All escaped but one. The one was just too
far in and he got caught up in the mess.  It died, all
because of the strong and oh-so-tempting smells that
lured it there.

My wheels began turning.......the Lord took me back
to the scriptures that I had been in last night. May I
share it with you?

2 Timothy 3

1BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will
come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [
hard to deal with and hard to bear].

2For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered,
lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire
for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters.
They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.

3[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous
and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or
appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers,
troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and
conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.

4[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and]
inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of
sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than
and rather than lovers of God.

5For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion),
they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of
it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession].
Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].

6For among them are those who worm their way into
homes and captivate silly and weak-natured and spiritually
dwarfed women, loaded down with [the burden of their]
sins [and easily] swayed and led away by various evil
desires and seductive impulses.

7[These weak women will listen to anybody who will
teach them]; they are forever inquiring and getting
information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition
and knowledge of the Truth.

8Now just as [a]Jannes and Jambres were hostile to and
resisted Moses, so these men also are hostile to and oppose
the Truth. They have depraved and distorted minds, and are
reprobate and counterfeit and to be rejected as far as the
faith is concerned.(A)

9But they will not get very far, for their rash folly will
become obvious to everybody, as was that of those
[magicians mentioned].

10Now you have closely observed and diligently
followed my teaching, conduct, purpose in life, faith,
patience, love, steadfastness,

11Persecutions, sufferings--such as occurred to me at
Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, persecutions I endured,
but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined
to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet
with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their
religious stand].

13But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad
to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being
deceived and led astray themselves.

14But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you
have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing
from whom you learned [them],

15And how from your childhood you have had a
knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred
Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you
the understanding for salvation which comes through
faith in Christ Jesus [through the [b]leaning of the
entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in
absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom,
and goodness].

16Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His
inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof
and conviction of sin, for correction of error and
discipline in obedience, [and] for training in
righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to
God's will in thought, purpose, and action),

17So that the man of God may be complete and
proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for
every good work.

So, now that you've read that, I invite you to read it
again....ponder it for a while....pray and think about
where are you in this passage? And, where you would
like to be? There are words of caution and words
of hope here. They caused me to search my heart...
honestly....to talk with my Maker.....a real talk.
He can handle it. When I don't have it all together, I
do my best to run to Him.....tattle on myself....ask for
Him to change me. He doesn't look down upon me,
call me names, shame me....NO....He loves me, He
reminds me that I am His and that I have hope. I
further meditate on verse 15. I know this to be true.

The answer to not perishing is to found in this verse.

Check it out:

15And how from your childhood you have had a

knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred
Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you
the understanding for salvation which comes through
faith in Christ Jesus [through the [b]leaning of the
entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in
absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom,
and goodness].

This is good news....if you feel empty, void, anxious....
won't you throw yourself at the mercy of a loving God?
He is so loving and faithful and true. He is FOR you,
and NOT against you....He writes the Bible for us, as we
so need to have:

B asic
I   nstructions
B efore
L eaving
E arth

God sent Jesus into this world to SAVE IT....you and me.
This is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses:

For God did not send the Son into the world in order to
judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world,
but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and
sound through Him.     ~John 3:17

Do I french? Well, this time I didn't....I went with generic.
Mustard, that is! And, THAT is what got this ball rolling!

Finding Hope in the Lord,
Melissa

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-05-22T23:19:00.000-05:00

So, I wanted to give up on my garden. I started
out with lofty ideas....high hopes. Then, I let myself
get a wee bit discouraged about it all. The weeds
made themselves at home and I gave up, for a while.

Have you ever wanted to just give up? You know,
on anything? Relationships, people, dreams, hopes,
yourself???? I know that I have, and a while after
planting my lovely 'first' garden, I wanted to give up on
it. I thought, 'I can't do this'....it's too HARD..... and
for a few weeks to a month, I did just that....gave up!

Then, the strangest thing happened....I decided to go
out and do a little work on it....wow...it was really nice
to give it a little tender loving care. Then, I started thinking,
as I often do in my garden. I started thinking about how
very very glad I am that God doesn't give up on me. Even
though, I give him lots of ample reasons why He could.
I have 'ugly weeds' in my soul,that still need to be uprooted
and tossed into the fire. Things that are not lovely. But,
you know what?! He keeps reshaping this hunk of clay...
because He is the Potter. He sees the ugly, and He will
not stop refining me. He promises to take me from glory
to glory.....sanctify me.....and best of all, He promises to
NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME (AND YOU).
And, He is the One that NEVER breaks His promises!!!!

So, as I endeavor to tend my garden, I remember, that
giving up is NOT a viable option. Resting is....giving up
isn't. And, it feels good to not give up....to be like my Abba
Father in heaven. When I am doing what He does, my whole
being prospers, flourishes, blooms. And, He tends to me, His
wild little lily or tulip or zinnia....and He doesn't give up....I am
so deeply thankful that HE doesn't give up.

So, if you have something or someone, in your life, that you
have given up on, can I encourage you to pray your way
through....as He leads you to? He will: lead you, guide you,
encourage you, heal you, refresh you. He is doing those things in
my life; He will do them in yours....just seek Him, and don't give up!

My Spirit Sings,
Melissa

New Cupcake On The Block

2010-05-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

One of my friends is starting a cupcake business.
I am so excited for her....for the limitless possibilities!
I saw a cute and similar idea called, 'Hey Cupcake' in
Austin....too stinkin' CUTE!

My friend is trying to think of names for her new
business. Do you have any ideas for great names?
How about cute cupcake ideas? Let's hear 'em!
Don't be shy.....post a comment, and help a sista
out! ;D

I pray that her little business takes off like wildfire!
I'll keep you posted on the name she chooses.....it
just might be one of the names YOU suggest. <3

Have a 'sweet' day,
Melissa

Finish Strong

2010-05-06T19:32:00.006-05:00

Wednesday morning, I laid in bed thinking....."I don't
wanna get up and finish my study and go to CBS."
Then, that thought was followed by, "But you really
want to finish strong, don't you?!" And with that new
thought I got out of bed.

As a totally random sidenote, I don't ever use an alarm
clock...instead, I ask the Lord to wake me up at right
time. He's never failed.....not even once!

Wednesday morning was no exception. He woke me
at 7:00 a.m. with plenty of time to finish up my study in
silence and to get my children up and ready to go.

It is so true that the flesh is constantly at war with the Spirit
of God that dwells on the inside of all of God's children. The
flesh always appeals to the 'easier' choice; while the Spirit
gently reminds of what we really desire.....deep down.

This all got me to thinking about how I am usually very
enthusiastic, out of the starting gate, with most things.....
but then I sometimes lose vigor. I lose my pace. I forget
that I want to finish strong. But then, God through His
precious Holy Spirit speaks to me and reminds me that
what I really want to do is FINISH STRONG and never give up.
See, He is with my always, He promised and He keeps His
promises. He has overcome the world, so I can 'finish strong'
through Him and His strength....He strengthens me.

God says that in the end times, people will be lovers of
themselves and lack love for others.....I don't want this to
be true of my life. When I mess up, because I sometimes do,
I want to acknowlegdge
to that person that I was wrong, and learn. I desire to love
fervently....like Jesus did....no matter how I 'feel'. No matter
if I feel slighted or rejected. I mean, think about it, He did that.
On the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them for they know
not what they do." And, 'they' were killing Him, mocking Him,
hating Him, rejecting Him.... Now folks, THAT IS LOVE. 'That
while we were YET sinners, Christ died for US.' He is our
example in this crazy world. He shows us PERFECTLY how
to FINISH STRONG.

Later Wednesday morning, at CBS, I sat down in the chapel,
after core group study time, and guess what the title of the
lecture was that day? It was titled, 'Finishing Strong'. God
speaks in themes like that....confirms things that He speaks to
us. He makes sure that His beloved hears Him. I did......loud
and clear, yet, ever so gently.

Even if my lying flesh says...."quit, be lazy, be down, give up, cuss".
I choose to say to that lying flesh, "Shut UP! Submit!! Finish Strong!!!

Pressing forward,
Melissa

"I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own
[yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies
behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the
goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ
Jesus is calling us upward." ~Phil. 3:13-14~

I also shared this post on Ann Voskamp's, Walk with Him Wednesday.

Who's Helping Who?

2010-04-30T22:52:00.001-05:00

Have you ever agreed to help someone, just to
realize that you are the one walking away blessed?

See, I told the Lord that if He would bring young
women into my life that I could minister to, out of what
He's done in my life, that I would do that, gladly. I am so
happy that He is using me to be real and share what He
puts on my heart to share.

When God brings people into your life, and puts them
on your 'radar', minister what He has given you, and I
promise you will never be sorry that you did! He is so
perfect at connecting the right people. He is so concerned
with every detail of your life....if you need someone to
talk to, to get things off of your chest.....go to your
loving Father in heaven, pour your heart out to Him....
He wants to hear it and can handle EVERYTHING. Then,
if you desire someone with skin on, to talk to, ask Him....
He delights in answering the prayers of His children and His
children-to-be.....that means everyone....He will make your
path cross with someone that will totally 'GET' you!

I have heard it said, that we should always have someone
ahead of us, that has been on this journey longer than we
have. Ones that will mentor us and share openly with us. I do
have a couple of women like that....I am so grateful for them.
Marcie, Monica.

Then, we should always have peers that are on the journey
alongside us....to 'sharpen' us....to encourage us....for us to
encourage....to laugh with.....to grow with. I am blessed
to have a few of these, also. Tammy, Vicki.

And, last but certainly not least, someone that you can mentor.
Someone that is younger than you and seeking to grow in
the Lord. Someone, that perhaps reminds you of a younger you.
Someone that you can pour into....love....share with.
Nikki.

It is vital to have people like these in your life. Seek God, and
He will bring the ones that He wants to into your life....only ask.

I wanted to blog about this last Saturday, but I am just now
getting around to it.......I went to bed that night with this blog
title question in my mind....."Who's helping who?" Thanks Nikki.
You blessed me....I love you, sweet, young friend, and sister-in-Christ!

My Spirit Sings,
Melissa

Prairie Girl-at-Heart

2010-03-13T13:29:00.000-06:00

God has led us to the place that my heart feels
most at home on this earth. We live in the country,
and I abolutely love everything about it!

Here are some things, just to name a few:

~neighbors that are like family
~safe places for my little ones to explore
~my clothes line
~cows in the pasture
~birds chirping when I wake up
~beautiful sunrises
~breath-taking sunsets
~fields of flowers
~fruit trees
~climbing trees
~my first-ever garden
~miles of gorgeous Texas sky
~clear blue skies
~the stars are BIG & BRIGHT here in the country
~the sweetest little country home

And, knowing that God pulled this all together....
KNOWING my heart's desire(s)....I love what
He does for His beloved! I love, more than words can
say, that I AM HIS BELOVED!

And, as if things couldn't be better, about nine months ago,
God placed us in a church that is also HOME, HOME, HOME!
We are all learning and growing in the Lord, and making
Kingdom connections that will last for all eternity.

My Soul Sings,
Melissa

Oh Where, Oh Where Do I Even Begin.......

2010-01-22T18:24:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad to be back! I have so much to say....
God has been busily working on our behalf and I
am utterly and completely grateful for His faithfulness
and unfailing love. And, I can't forget His tender mercies
that are new each and every day.....He blows me away.

I have been in close dialogue with Him....you know, talking
to Him....listening to Him....watching Him work.....in AWE.

I hope to journal on Word about all He is doing in and
around me. I don't have access to the internet very often,
so once or twice a week, I'll try to post my journalings.

If you take anything away from this post, please take away
the fact that the God of the universe cares intimately about
each and every detail of your life.

Love in Him,
Melissa

Missing Loved Ones This Time of Year?...I Understand (My Story)

2009-12-22T15:16:00.005-06:00

This time of year brings lots of joy,wonder, love, beauty,
fellowship & yummy food.But, this time of year also brings
memories, longing,and sometimes sadness.

I'll explain..................................... !
When I was about five years old, my parents divorced.
They fought for my brother and I, it turned out that
we moved to inner-city Chicago with my mom. These
years were hard. I have many difficult memories from
the two years that we lived there. My mom struggled
with demons of drug abuse, among other things. She was
hopelessly beautiful, deeply hurting (hence the drugs),
looking for love in all of the wrong places and faces, and
LOVED the party/disco lifestyle. I was the mom to my
brother who is two years and four months younger. I
was raised for my first five years in the country, so the
city life was NOT for me. I witnessed many things that
I still remember, and could have done without. I do know
that despite all of this, my mother loved my brother and I
very, VERY much. She would take us to the Catholic church
that was right across the alley from our apartment building.
Sometimes, she was high, but she still wanted us to know
Jesus! I know that she longed to do better, but sometimes
it can seem just out of reach for addicted people. She would
also let us attend an inner-city Saturday School (like Sunday
School on Saturday). A big bus would come and pick us up and
take us to a big warehouse that was a church. We would see
puppet shows about Jesus, sing songs about Him, and receive
pure love from people that knew and adored Jesus!!!
I fell in love with this Jesus at a very young age. With Him,
I felt safe, protected, cared for, and loved. I am so thankful
that my mom permitted us to attend this.

Fast forward to two years later, I was a 7 year old little girl, and it was almost
Christmas time. {Oh, the tears are starting to come}. I JUST
realized that while missing my mom today, it was 28 years
ago today that I saw her, for the last time, in this life. She took
us to the airport to fly to Kansas, to be with my dad, and grandparents.
I have a pictureof us together, at the airport, for the last time.
She looked like she wasthere, but far away. She had a chance to
go to Kansas, but she declined.On January 3, 1981, as I sat at the
kitchen table at my paternal grandma's house, the phone rang.
When it rang, I somehow knew that my mom was gone. She was
found murdered in her apartment. God put a buffer around my
brother and I to cope, for the longest time. And, as a small child,
I could climb trees, ride bikes, play with friends, and "forget". Or
so I thought. When I was 15, the "forgetting" faded and I went
through a clinical depression. It started at the end of October of
1988 and lasted until January of 1989 (only three months, PRAISE GOD!).
I would wake up every night and cry and "spill my guts" to my grandma,
who helped raise us. She was the vessel that Jesus chose to use.
She would listen and saythe most profound things. She wouldn't
remember saying them, [as this would happen each night] somewhere
between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. . Jesus repeatedly spoke through her.
And on that fateful day, in January '89, as I was curling my BIG 80's hair,
getting ready for school, the clouds parted.I mean LITERALLY, the clouds
parted. It was like this: the dark cloud that had been my unwanted companion,
overhead for the past few months, then parted, and light rays from heaven
broke through the clouds, and shined down on me. God delivered me from
depression RIGHT THEN, and spoke to my Spirit that "You will never go
there again (depression)." "Yes, you may be sad sometimes, but that is okay,
because I am with you!!! "That was my personal life-saving spiritual encounter
with God.

And, do you know what? He is a God of His Word, I have not been depressed again.

Sure, I've been sad, but HE HAS BEEN WITH ME!!!

He has won my trust ETERNALLY.

My past, family quirks, lots of love, my
own unique experiences makes me, 'me'. He has given me a heart for the
broken-hearted, hurting, lost, & those deemed 'odd'. Through it all, God
has continued to rescue me, draw me closer to Him, show me His unending
AWESOMENESS in how He loves me. So, even though I don't have a momma
(and, I miss her like crazy now that I'm a momma, too),I have God and an
fantastic husband, and sweet children that show me TRUE love daily.

May you remember that in your sadness, you are not alone. God is there.

He loves you beyond description, beyond imagination, beyond words!!!!!!!!!!

Joyful Holydays. : }

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Forget the Past....

2009-11-11T12:18:00.002-06:00

This is what God has been telling me for the past
few months. He keeps speaking two specific sets
of Scripture to me. I am grateful that He tells me
over and over. He knows how forgetful I can be,
sometimes.

Here are the verses that are changing my sights:

Philippians 3:13-14 (Amplified Bible)
13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured
and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do
[it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14I press on toward the goal to win the
[supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ
Jesus is calling us upward.

and....

Isaiah 43:16-19 (Amplified Bible)
16Thus says the Lord, Who makes a way through
the sea and a path through the mighty waters,
17Who brings forth chariot and horse, army
and mighty warrior. They lie down together,
they cannot rise; they are extinguished, they
are quenched like a lampwick:
18Do not [earnestly] remember the former
things; neither consider the things of old.
19Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it
springs forth; do you not perceive and know
it and will you not give heed to it? I will even
make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Man! If the devil has tried to ruin your future by
tempting you to keep mourning past hurts, regrets, losses,
THESE SCRIPTURES ARE TALKING TO YOU, TOO!!!!

If God is your God and Jesus is your Lord and Saviour,
THEN you are free from the past. Remember, that
EVERY morning HIS mercies are new for us. Shouldn't we
be just like Him in this and extend new mercy to ourself and
others each day, too?!

Good Stuff, compliments of the King of kings and Lord of lords!!!

In Him for Eternity,
Melissa

Don't Wanna Go One More Day.....

2009-10-30T16:05:00.004-05:00

These lyrics are some of the chorus from
Matthew West's song ~'Motions'~:~
I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't wanna go one more day,
Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything, instead of going
through the motions?"
~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trY3QyBWcdc

This is my heart's cry. I don't want to just be"getting by".
I want to live a life of passion and
love like there is no tommorrow.....starting with
my family. I don't want to give my best to others
and then give my family the scraps anymore. I've
been guilty of being better to those outside of my home
than to my own precious family. I want to love them so
well and completely. I do not want to take them for granted.
They will be my family forever....I want to sow love into
them so abundantly so that that seed will grow in their
lives and they will sow love where God shows them to sow.

During my quiet time this morning, I picked up a devotional
that I've had for a while called, "God, Only You Can Change Me."
It's by Kay Arthur. I picked up where I left off.....I read the
passage that she instructed me to....Matthew 23. It's about
hypocrisy. I sadly could relate with some of the things in this
passage.....being nice to outsiders, more than the insiders(my family).
Ouch.....but thank you GOD for pointing out that ugliness.
I can pray and forsake it, first though, I had to recognize it.
Then, this song "popped" into my head. I heard it for the first time
a couple of weeks ago.......it goes with the work that He is doing inside
of me. I'm tired of just going through the motions....ready for His lasting
change!Until we meet again......Bee blessed, my friend~Melissa

My GRACE Birthday Is Today!!!!!

2009-10-02T13:01:00.003-05:00

Wanna read all about what AMAZING GRACE means?

Please look at the post after 'Happy October' and enjoy!

Held by His Grace,
Melissa

Hope your weekend is filled with revelations of God's grace!!!

HAPPY OCTOBER!

2009-10-01T16:15:00.003-05:00

Happy October!!!!

I used to dread this month! I had my reasons.
Back in 1988, I watched a Geraldo special on
halloween and all of the satanic things that go
on in the month of October. My eyes were
opened to a lot of bad things; the things that
this dark holiday is REALLY about. I plunged
into a deep depression. It was bad. Really bad.
{And,while I still don't like halloween (at all)....
I look at the beauty that GOD MADE all around....
things that have nothing to do with death and
scary/ugly things.}

A few months later, in January of 1989, as I was
fixin' my big '80's hairdo, I had my first ever encounter
with the Living God. It was so amazing. The dark cloud
of gloom that is overhead when depression lingers.....well,
I could spiritually-speaking 'see' the dark cloud PART and
sunbeams of light SHINE in! It was nothing short of miraculous,
and for the first time that I remember, God spoke to my
heart and said,"You will NEVER go here again!" Guess what?!
I haven't.
God is not a man that He should lie, His Word says!
If He says it, HE means it!!! I took that word from Him to mean
that He would notlet me fall to that depths of depression or lower,
ever again! If those lying spirits (depression & anxiety) try to
come back, and I know when they have (unmistakably BAD feeling),
I speak to them in the authority of Christ Jesus, and I say, "God
is not a man that He should lie, you must go now, in the name of JESUS!
Then, they are gone. GONE. They must obey and bow to Jesus.
He has ALL authority. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and promise-keeping!

That is 21 years ago!!!!

What a FAITHFUL God I serve and LOVE!!!

Okay....now fast forward 20 years from '88....to last year at this time.
On October 2, God gave me my first taste of grace that I
actually"got" and tasted it's sweetness. I know that I've
existed because of His grace, but I never really understood it...
until last OCTOBER.

So, guess what.....NOW I very much enjoy
the month of October, as October is my "Grace Birthday"!
Is God an awesome Redeemer,or what?!

The crisp autumn weather, beautiful leaves, nice cool walks.....
I love Octobers now, God opened my eyes to all He's done............

Kept in His Perfect Love,
Melissa

p.s. If you are depressed, God wants to take it away.....
call on Him....
He is no respecter of persons....if He did it for me, He'll do it for you.
Just ask Him.....He is FAITHFUL....FOREVER FAITHFUL!
Get into His Word. 1 John is a great, little book to begin with....
it tells of His great Love. And, pray....it's not hard or scary, just
open up and talk to Him like your best friend. He MADE you and
HE LOVES YOU ENDLESSLY! See John 3:16&17. If you don't
have a Bible, go to www.biblegateway.com.

Feel free to email me, I'd love to converse if that'd help you:
Godsgirl4keeps@yahoo.com

It is for freedom, He's set us FREE!!!!!

God's Grace Is SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-01T16:06:00.003-05:00

Okay! On October 2, 2008, Alene and I were having
one of our first ever conversations. I talked about
my uncertainty of being 'good' enough for God, you know,
REALLY forgiven.
Alene asked, "Melissa, do you belong to God?" " Is Jesus
your Saviour?" To both, I knew deep down that the answer
was and is a resounding....."YES!" He has shown me His
faithful, sweet, unfailing love time after time in my life. No
doubt about that!

Alene went on the explain that if I am His, then
ALL OF MY SIN IS FORGIVEN FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRR.
I still didn't "get it".UNTIL........she continued on with this truth
of God's grace.She said, "You know how Jesus died over 2000
years ago for the sin of the world?" I replied, "yes......" She said
from that point in time, all of our sin was 'future sin', because we
hadn't been born yet." I agreed. She said that before Jesus hung
his head and died, He said, "It is FINISHED!" What He meant is
that He had been the sacrifice for the world's sin. Not just the
people of that time, but the whole world for ALL time. WOW...............
are you starting to "get" this the way I did on thatday? She said, "
Melissa, your past sins, sin from today, and the sin that you commit
tomorrow are all already FORGIVEN." "There is not anything that
you can do that will make God love you moreor less if you are His child."
"Whoa! That was sweet freedom beginning to sink in."

Get this.........The whole world is forgiven, all and only because of JESUS,
but some haven't "accepted" the amazing invitation.They don't know
that they've been forgiven, that there is no need togo to hell. God tells
us that Jesus (the ultimate sacrifice) was sufficefor all sin. People!
This is the good news that people are already forgiven, all they must
do is believe Jesus did what God's Word says,and receive it as atonement
for their sin. On that day, I FINALLY"GOT" it!!! The gospel didn't sound
like doom and gloom, it magnified HOPE, HOPE, AND MORE HOPE!
And, ya know how 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins."? Well, when we ask Jesus into our lives,
and confess that we need HIM to forgive us of our sins and live in us forevermore.
You know, when we're 'BORN AGAIN'? From that point on, He is faithful
and just to forgive our sins FOREVER. If this was not the case, we'd all be
doomed to hell, for who can remember to confess EVERY bad thought, word, or deed?
NOONE CAN, EVER. It's just not possible.

Now, grace is not a license to sin. Not even close. It's an extension of love
that many of us have a hard time grasping, it's so BIG! When we"get"
(or understand) this grace, that is a gift from God, we DESIRE to
give Him our best~~~~all our LOVE and all our DEVOTION. And,
when we mess up ('cause unfortunately, we are all still 'earthlings'),
we can know that THERE IS NO CONDEMATION IN CHRIST JESUS!!!
We can get up, tell God that we wanna do right (Phil. 2:13), and live
out loud for Him, brightly letting our little light shine!

My friend Alene,
has learned so much that she never knew about God'struly AMAZING
GRACE from Joseph Prince Ministries. So, if you arehungry for more grace
and less guilt, start a topic study on God's Grace in your Bible, also,
Google: Joseph Prince Ministies. It's good, sound teaching!
There's a whole world out there waiting for some GOOD NEWS.
Go get'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God's Love and Amazing Grace must be made KNOWN.

Until we meet again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,Melissa
p.s. I really love your comments, let me know what'cha think.
Most of all, thanks for stopping by, come again soon. I'll leave the"light" on for ya! : }

Gentle Reminders.....

2009-09-19T20:17:00.003-05:00

You know when sometimes you
find yourself 'majoring on the
minors'? Picking out the faults
in those close to you, instead of
encouraging them? That is sadly
where I've been lately.

But, you just gotta hear how gentle
God is at correcting the things that
need correcting.......

I was blessed with a little one-on-one
time w/ my baby (four year old son), today.
He held the door open for me, and then
asked me, "Momma, am I super strong?"
I affirmed him and said "You ARE super
strong!!!!" Then he ran and said, "Mom,
am I super fast?" I said, "WOW! You
ARE super fast!!!

As this heart-melting dialogue continued
between me and my little slice of heaven,
God gently reminded me about how very
important it is to give our guys positive
words of affirmation, atta-boys, to be filled
with wonder and marvel at their strenghs
(and let them know about our admiration).

I say 'our guys' because I am blessed to be
wife to a wonderful man and momma to a
bunch of boys! Men and boys NEED respect
and admiration, they don't just 'want' it....
they need it! My little man's gentle reminder
left a lingering imprint upon my heart.

I am so thankful for God's gentle reminders!

In His Love,
Melissa

ONE DAY

2009-08-27T23:54:00.002-05:00

My words would fail to adequately describe this song.
The lyrics are so powerful..........you just have to hear them
for yourself.

The artist is a Jewish Reggae artist, he sings about peace.

This is by far and away one of my favorite songs!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pehz98Vygs

Until we meet again........
Bee blessed,
Melissa

p.s. This song is a helpful reminder to pray for Israel.
They are God's chosen people, and His Word promises
that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those
who curse Israel will be cursed. Let us pray!

At The Foot Of The Cross

2009-08-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

Feeling insignificant.....not good enough?
Take those feelings to the foot of the cross.

I pray that you will be blessed by this song.
Let it minister to you...............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRiTPIepv-E

Until we meet again,
Bee blessed,
Melissa

BOUGHT

2009-08-22T23:13:00.003-05:00

Insecurity tries to consume me,
Makes me feel lesser, and I want to flee.
It nags at my thoughts.
Doesn't it KNOW that I'm bought?!

Yes........bought!

Bought with a price...
The ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ!
And, in Him, I'm secure.
This I KNOW for sure!

So insecurity ~ YOU FLEE!!!
'Cause in JESUS - I'M FREE.
Made whole by Him.
In His grace, I shall swim.

And sing freedom's song-
Knowing that I DO belong.
Secure in His arms-
Where I'm safe from all harm!

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

As I laid my head on my pillow tonight
to go to sleep, the Lord began to give me
this poem to express myself.
He gave it, I wrote it down. :D

Glory to God in the Highest,
Melissa

Surrender and Such..........

2009-08-20T09:58:00.004-05:00

This morning, as I began to fold a mountain
of clean laundry, I did something that I rarely do ~
I turned on the t.v. . I am not a big fan of the television,
so it is rare for me to tune in.

But, today, as I found what I wanted to watch as I fold,
fold, fold. I realized that it was God's annointed and
appointed plan that I hear the end of a messege that
was JUST what I needed to hear!

Joyce Meyers was wrapping up her messege, and she said,
(as verbatim as I can remember) :

[This is how she prays a prayer of SURRENDER* to God]

"God, I give you all that I am, and ALL that I am not. And, Lord,
since you make all things out of nothing (i.e. the universe, etc.),
do you think You could make something out of me, too?"

I love this honest and humble prayer. It is my prayer now, too.

She talked about how mature Christians don't beat themselves
up over past mistakes. She said, God made you, knows you and
approves of you. He even knows the dumb things that you'll say
next week, and HE STILL LOVES YOU. HE DOES THIS THING
THAT IS HARD FOR US....HE LOVES UNCONDITIONALLY.
He doesn't want us to stay stuck in the past.

For the past, I'd say,
week, God has brought a certain scripture to my attention MANY
times in different settings! I think He's trying to tell me something
IMPORTANT!!!!!!! :D

Here is that scripture, about turning away from the past (a theme, here):

"I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid
hold of me. One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us,
as many as are mature, have this mind. Philippians 3:12b,13b-15a NKJV

*SURRENDER ~ another thing that God has brought up time and again
over the last few months. I first heard about it REALLY EXPOUNDED ON,
last summer, and that began to stir something in me to want to FULLY
SURRENDER............GOD KNOWS OUR HEARTS, AND HE WORKS.....! :D

I so love how God tells us things OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!!!!

Oh How He Loves Us!!!!!

Until we meet again.........
Bee blessed,
Melissa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE

2009-06-30T00:04:00.002-05:00

Today, my husband turns "29".....plus 15! (grin)

He is my lover, my friend, my handyman, my
bodyguard. He is the Spirtual leader, the head
of our home, the breadwinner. And, as he would
say, he's, "The man standing next to THE MAN(Jesus)!"

Thank you, Jesus for Michael! He is a blessing to
me in so many ways. I praise you for he is fearfully
and wonderfully made...by You. On this day of his 44th,
birthday, I stand thankful to You for this great gift,
that You gave me, and our children. We so LOVE him!!!

Lord, may his life abound in Your
wisdom, love, grace, mercy, joy and peace that you have
for him, all the days of his life. Lord, may he be blessed with
a long, healthful life. May He be a mighty
man in Your kingdom, all for Your glory, all of his days.
Lord, I thank you for all that you've done for Michael and
continue to do. He is a miraculous testimony of Your healing,
redeeming power. Most importantly, Lord, I praise You that
he shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.
Thank you for keeping your children, safe in You.

Happy Birthday, Honey Bunches of Oats (Michael)!!!!!!!
I love you for keeps,

Yours,
Melissa

Hurting

2009-06-28T01:10:00.010-05:00

What do you do when you're hurting?
Do you run?
Do you hide?
Do you ball up inside?

Or, do you run to the One who can shelter you?
The One who longs to take away your blue?
The One who promises to carry you?
The One who can make you all brand-new?

When you're lonely, and long for SOMEONE.
Snuggle up in the arms of the heavenly ONE.
He's waiting for you, to heal your hurt. Run to Him.
Just run to Him. Pour your heart out to Him.
He's your foreverfriend, your God, your Love.

Breathe Him in.............ahhhh. (Now, do it again.)

Thank you God for Jesus, your Son.
He's the healer of all things broken. Indeed.

~Inspired by and All Glory Goes To: God
~Jotted down by: "Melissa D. ~ His Honeybee"

Zucchini Salsa

2009-06-25T10:18:00.002-05:00

Hi Folks!

Hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC SUMMER!!!

Here's a recipe that I JUST found in the local newspaper.
I don't know if it's yummy, but I'm SURE gonna try it, soon!!!

ZUCCHINI SALSA

1 zucchini
2 tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions (stems & all)
1 jalapeno, seeded
1 can jalapeno salsa *
Cilantro
Salt, to taste
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Slice and chop, finely~ and combine.
*Small can in authentic Mexican food section at store.

It might be yummy to drain & rinse a can of either
black beans or black-eyed peas, and mix them in!
Also, I often use yellow squash & zucchini, interchangably. : ]

Enjoy!!!

Until We Meet Again,
Bee blessed, my friends~
Melissa

MIA Echoed

2009-05-27T14:01:00.003-05:00

This is a post from a blog I follow. Have you ever
echoed something so loudly, that it resonates within?
This is what this post was like for me. It was written
by my blog sisterfriend, MommyDesiree. ~Melissa

And I quote:
"I know I've been quiet here in bloggyland. I'm
going to try and work it back into my schedule.
The thing is I've really had to reassess my priorities,
and my goals. I love blogging, but I also know
I have a tenancy toward additive/obsessive behavior.
So I've stepped back. From the Internet, the TV, the
phone. I've removed a lot of the auxiliary distractions so
I can focus my life on what I feel is it's purpose; Real
authentic relationships.First, with my sweet Savior
who shows me his Mercy and astounding Grace daily.
I have always chatted with Him. I've never been good
at the pretty prayers. Our talks are much more
conversational. I used to feel like that was wrong.
If only I could focus better, study more, and speak
more eloquently...if only. I have never liked praying out
loud for that reason. Then while reading The Shack He
gave me such a breath of fresh air. I felt such peace. He's
my Savior, my Daddy, My Friend- my everything
OF COURSE I can chat with Him. He wants a real meat
and potatoes relationship with each of us.... rambling covos
and all. He is my primary focus.

Then with my husband. There are many parts of our
relationship that are growing and flourishing like all the
lovely flowers this time of year. When I decided to be
the wife God ordained me to be and step out of that
place of control God really did step in. In so many
ways we are stronger. My husbands faith is growing
stronger as he tries to fully wrap his mind around the
beautiful life changing concept of Grace. I'm loving every
moment of his growth, but that doesn't mean that the
issues we have as a couple just disappear. Some weeds it
seems have very deep roots. But spring is here. In reality
and in my soul so I'm doing some gardening. This takes
time, time I would usually devote to my blog.

Next of course
is my relationship with my children. When deciding to
home school I didn't really realize how deeply it would
change me. Through all my studying and preparations
for this fall I have discovered that there are a few
fundamental truths I had been ignoring. I think I've
been a good mother- actually I pride myself on that
fact BUT there is always room for improvement. My
children are not people to be that I must control, and
form with my own plan and labor.I don't always need
to fret about the "man or woman" they will become.
They are fully themselves and people just like I am now.
I don't need to form them; God did that work- and He
only creates masterpieces. If I truly believe that they
are full of untold potential and capable of processing
their own knowledge then I am not smarter or better
then them just because I'm an adult. They crave
knowledge and experience. That is what separates
the adult from the child. Yelling doesn't give them
either of those things, but fully authentic engaged
relationships do. I'm not saying I was a checked out
mom, but at times I've felt too overwhelmed to function.
The thing is, that now that I see them in this new
light of seekers of knowledge and experience things
aren't so daunting. When Joan asked me where I've
been I told her living, because that's where I am.
Here in the moment living, enjoying my children,
and loving almost every minute of it.

Finally, there
is my relationship with all of you. My friends, my
Sisters, my unknown readers. I want to be a great
authentic friend and servant to you. I want to pray
for your needs, and help where I can. I want us to
grow both in our faith and our friendship. These
times are scary. I want us to think of Christ as our bon fire.
He will keep us warm as we sit focused on Him and wrapping
each other tightly in blankets of prayer. Our unified praise
will feed His presence. His light will be all we see, His grace
and mercy will taste sweeter then marsh mellows ever could.
But to enjoy this kind of moment I know I have to find a
place to block the city lights and distractions.So there you
have it. To this purpose I have been MIA. I am seeking
deeper relationships in living. In the here and now. They
call it the present because it truly is a gift. Here is when
my God works, here is where my marriage and family grow,
and right now is when I'm reaching out my hand to you.
Please pray for me in this endeavor and lifestyle adjustment.
I am seeking balance over obsession. Thank you all, and
hopefully it won't be too long before we chat again."
All credit for the content of this blog goes to:
http://mommydesiree.blogspot.com.

So, there you have it, my friends. That's where I'm at, too.
Love Always~

Until We Meet Again.......
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Can Fiction Be Fabulous?

2009-05-20T11:14:00.004-05:00

My answer is, YES! Two of my favorite fiction books,
stirred up such a hunger and love for God, as they point
you right to Him, like a compass. God can be honored in
everything, and certain authors do, just that!

I'm so thankful that I didn't hear any discouraging
reviews before reading The Shack. I read it w/o
hearing any of the bad reviews and for this I am so
grateful! I got to make up my own mind about it
and not let anyone make up my mind for me.
It points to JESUS all the way! That's what I got
from it anyway. Maybe it's from the point of view
that we're reading that matters. If it pointed to any
other God but our One True God, I would've tossed
it.
There were a few quotes that began each chapter,
and a few of the authors ideas that I didn't agree
with, or buy 'hook,
line and sinker' at all, but I didn't "throw the baby out
with the bath water, either". So glad I didn't.Michael
read it too, and really liked it. You may like it, ya never
know.What I took from it was grasping more about the
love of God. I remain that it was excellent (for me).

I wrote this poem after reading it.

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

"God, I am so giddy for YOU-
You've touched my heart so deeply!
And, through Jesus, You've made me brand new;
I want YOU so much, my heart leaps.

I've never hungered for YOU like THIS before;
It beats all I've ever known!
And, there's nothing better than saying, "I'm HIS girl!"
And knowing, into my life, God has blown.

"What has He 'blown'?", you may ask;
He's blown His sweet love into me.
And I know deep inside- THIS LOVE WILL LAST!'
Cause with this intense love, I'm set free!!!

I used to wonder, "Am I good enough?"
"Can I really be loved by God?"
He's pursued me relentlessly with His Great Love~
To HIM- I'm not strange ~ I'm not odd.

I long with my being to feel His Great Love;
And all I must do it: SEEK!
His strong arms lifted me from here to above;
And HIS undying Love makes me weak.

He says, "when I'm weak; HE is strong!
"I believe Hiim because He never lies!
I burn with desire, and I know it's not wrong;
I'm HIS bride and He's the Love of my life!!!"

Written on 10-18-008
Melissa Hisle Doddridge
All Glory to God
~~~
I'm glad I looked at this again today, as the
Francine River's book, Redeeming Love, further
drives home the AMAZING, UNFAILING LOVE
AND GRACE OF GOD!

There are certainly some
books that I won't touch with a ten foot pole like
Harry Potter, Twilight, Divinci Code, and the list
goes on , quite extensively. For me, if it doesn't
point to Jesus, but to darkness, I want no part of it
(Like if the theme is: magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and
the likes). That's how I'm convicted.

I wanna honor God in all I do.
I don't do that perfectly, but I'll die tryin'.

Until We Meet Again,
Bee blessed, My Friend~
Melissa

God's Wonderful Word

2009-05-12T12:01:00.004-05:00

Isn't God's Word just wild and wonderful beyond all.......

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall
love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. But I
say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray
for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Matthew 5:43-44

I am so thankful for God's instruction. His BIBLE is truly,
as a song (I don't know who sang it) says,

Basic
Instruction
Before
Leaving
Earth

I am so glad that He knows what we need.....when we need it.

Until We Meet Again.......
Bee blessed, my friend!~
Melissa

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

I have more to say than I have time to right now.
I must get a move on and get to church!

For now, I'll tell you about a great giveaway that's
to honor ALL parents!!!

Happy Mother's Day! In honor of all the parents out
there, I am giving away Vision Forum's
The State of Parental Rights in America DVD. All
Things Granola is all about the building stronger
families. Families that will stand through tough times.

All Things Granola wants to put the emphasis back
on our roles within the family, specifically the mothers.
Go back to the "granola" lifestyle and enjoy being a
mother and wife. We are losing our parental rights
quickly and quietly here in America, but that doesn't
mean we can't fight it!

So to win this DVD you need to leave a comment
before May 12, midnight. Comment what you love
about being a parent or what you cherish about your
parents. You will get an extra entry for linking to this
post. Just leave another comment letting me know
where to find your link!

Make sure you leave contact information.
Check it out at: http://cookhealthyfun.blogspot.com.

Until We Meet Again.......
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Annie

2009-05-08T15:46:00.003-05:00

MY ONE AND ONLY DAUGHTER

I have only one little girl, and her name is Annie.

She is one tough cookie and a princess, all at the

same time. She looks like a mini-me, I've been

told, time and again.

She fell out of a tree, face-first, this afternoon.

She came in the house wailing and bleeding.

As I helped her get cleaned up, I told her that

"she is the toughest little girl I know." She is

one of my "middles", and a very independant

child. I love that about her, and I anguish over

it, sometimes, too.

This week has been a tough week for me, in

the mommy part of life. My "middles" have

pressed every possible button. I have wondered

where to go to turn in my resignation. I don't

REALLY want to call it quits, I just get exasperated.

But, today, when I helped Annie get cleaned up,

I realized how much I truly DON'T want to be

a quitter (emotionally). I love my babies, fiercely!

Now, to let it come out, even in the midst of

frustration.

As I cleaned up Annie's blood, I thought of King

Jesus' blood. And, then the song, "By His Wounds",

came to mind. And, part of the lyrics say, "The

punishment that brought us peace (the peace I have

not diligently strived to KEEP, this week) was upon

Him."

I have felt like a failure on these "crash & burn"

parenting days, but PRAISE GOD........we need not

trust our (fickle) feelings!

Instead, I shall............

"Trust in the LORD with all my heart, and lean not

on my own understanding; In all my ways acknowledge

HIM and He shall direct my paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Until We Meet Again.........

Bee blessed, my friend~

Love Always,

Melissa

Motherless Mommies :.(

2009-05-05T23:09:00.002-05:00

As this special season of Mother's Day
rolls around, I can stop myself from
mourning and grieving over the fact
that I don't have a mom, anymore. I
lost her when I was nearly 8 years young.
I miss her now that I am a mom, more
than ever!

I am not trying to be a downer here, I
am just wanting to vent about this very
uncommon thing.

See when young adults are in their child-
rearing years, having a maternal grandma
is a big thing (for most). I will never know
that for my babies.

I have a book called, 'Motherless Mothers'
by Hope Edelman. It is nice to read, as I
know that I am not alone in this 'vacancy'.

On Saturday, I am blessed to be signed up
for a Motherless Daughters Day Banquet.
All during my growing up years, I so resented
Mother Daughter Banquets, because I would
never be able to attend on of those with my mom~
EVER.

I look forward to attending this banquet, and
remembering my mom with other ladies that
are missing their mommas, too! I hope to share
something from this event with you at a later time.

I've really been tossing around the idea of creating
a messege board especially for Motherless Mommies/
Daughters. I don't know when and if it will come
about, I'll give this to God and see how He leads!

I do think that I will be having a Monday dedicated
to us Motherless gals to "get together" here in blogland.
Again, I am giving this to God for Him to lay the
groundwork. Any ideas for a good name for this day?

This is a very neglected subject. The number of books
and resources on it are next to nil. And, from exper-
ience, I know that there are women out there missing
that strong mom connection. I hope to be a part of
creating a safe place to vent, encourage, and uplift
one another.

If you have any friends that are momless, and would
enjoy being a part of a larger group of similar women,
please give them my blog addy or email addy:
Godsgirl4keeps@yahoo.com.

And, if you do have a mom alive, by golly,
LOVE YOUR MOMMA!!! You only have one
you know!!!!

Until We Meet Again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Love Always,
Melissa

My Little Guy

2009-05-03T22:55:00.003-05:00

This is my

youngest

fella, Nate.

We call him,

"Nater" or

"Nater Potater"

"Nater Tater

Toski Bater".

You get the

picture! Lots

of funny little

nicknames.

My Nater is quite the little minister! He blesses me when

he tells me of new things that he's learned in CBS class or

Sunday School. He is a quick learner, and I know that God

is planting seed into the rich, fertile soil of little Nate's heart

and spirit!

A few weeks ago, Nate comes out of his CBS (Community

Bible Study) class, and asks me boldly (wearing a lanyard

that they made as a craft project), "DO YOU KNOW JESUS???"

I answered back enthusiastically, "I DO!" and then echoed

his question. He said, YES!!!!!!! He was only 3 at the time,

but I know that he does know Jesus, and is getting to know

Him better, all the time. : }

And, today, Nate told me what he learned in Sunday School.

He (again, very boldly and confidently) told me that, "JESUS

TOOK MY PUNISHMENT!!!" Okay, my heart was so filled

with joy and thanksgiving to our Father. One, because JESUS

TOOK OUR PUNISHMENT, and two, because He gave me a

four little spiritual sponges. I must have asked Nate to tell me

what he learned again today over a dozen times. Each time to

have my ears met with the miraculous and melodious answer above!

Thank you, God, for ordaining praise out of the mouths of BABES!!!!!!!

You are a faithful Father, and I am so humbled by your generous LOVE!

I thank you for Nate and his exuberance and passion to share

what he has learned with others! Hallelujah, keep it coming forevermore,

Lord, until we are in Your Presence without end, I pray. Thank you, JESUS!

Thanks for reading! Your comments mean a lot to me!!! God BLESS you!!!!

Until We Meet Again............

Bee blessed, my friend~

Love Always,

Melissa

My Husband ROCKS...........

2009-05-01T15:49:00.003-05:00

See that picture to your right?! Well, it reminds
me of my MAN!

You see, to me, he rocks because he is someone
that I look forward to focusing my gaze on, and
tiptoeing for a kiss from his beautiful lips. I look
up to him. Not just because he's taller than me,
but also because he is a fabulous husband to me!

I just love his hugs and kisses. Thank you, God,
for giving me a wonderful husband in Michael!!!!

Until We Meet Again.....
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

p.s.~
Don't "bee" afraid to comment! I rather love comments! ; }
Also, please "bee" my blog friend and follow this blog, I'd sure
"bee" glad for your company!!!!!!!

Have a bee-u-ti-ful weekend!

2009-05-01T09:40:00.001-05:00

Count your blessings instead of your crosses.
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your smiles instead of your tears.
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your health instead of your wealth.
Love your neighbor as much as yourself.
~Author Unknown

I just LOVE this, and had to share it w/ you!!!

Until we meet again.......
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Got Belly Fat?

2009-04-29T21:33:00.003-05:00

"Speed Walking and Belly Fat
Walk Off 5 Times More Belly Fat
Exercise Breakthrough: Scientists discover the
best way to stride off pounds without dieting
Pop quiz: Two women go walking. One finishes
quickly; the other takes her time. They each
burn about 400 calories. So who sheds more
belly fat? The obvious answer: It's a tie. But
a surprising new study shows that the one speed
walking actually loses more.

Researchers from the University of Virginia found
that women who did three shorter, fast-paced walks
a week (plus two longer, moderate-paced ones)
lost 5 times more belly fat than those who simply
strolled at a moderate speed 5 days a week, even
though both groups burned exactly the same number
of calories (400) per workout. Those speed walking
also dropped more than 2 inches from their waistlines,
pared about 3 times more fat from their thighs, shed
4 times more total body fat, and lost almost 8 pounds
over 16 weeks--all without dieting!

The improvements didn't stop there. The high-intensity
exercisers lost about 3 times more visceral fat--the dangerous
belly fat that wraps around organs such as the liver and
kidneys and has been linked to diabetes, heart disease,
and high blood pressure. "Vigorous exercise raises levels
of fat-burning hormones," says lead researcher Arthur
Weltman, PhD, director of the exercise physiology
laboratory at the university. It also increases afterburn
(the number of calories your body uses postexercise as
it recovers) by about 47% compared with lower-intensity
workouts.
So how do you make all this science work for you? Start
with our 8-week progressive walking plan, which includes
both shorter, high-intensity workouts and longer,
moderate-paced ones. Add in the Flat Belly sculpting
moves to firm your ever-shrinking middle. In just
2 months, you could walk off 1 or 2 sizes--without dieting!
Then celebrate your success by joining Team Prevention
to walk a full or a half marathon. The 8-Week Plan will
prime you for the challenge while flattening your belly,
and our Walk-a-Marathon (or Half) Training will keep
you on track to get in your best shape possible."

This entire article (contained within quotations) is from
http://www.prevention.com/.

I take NO credit for it, at all!

Until We Meet Again.........

Bee blessed, my friend~

Always,

Melissa

God BLESS You~~~Always!!!

2009-04-27T22:46:00.003-05:00

My Grandma Ruth sent this to me tonight via email. It
is so special that I just had to post it! I am so very thankful
for each and every one of you my blog sisterfriends!!!
I do not know who wrote the following prayer and quote, but
I sure do like it!!! I hope you do, as well.

"Dear God:
The lady reading this is beautiful, classy and strong,
and I love her. Help her live her life to the fullest. Please
promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations.
Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to
love. Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you
the most, and let her know when she walks with You, she will
always be safe.
Love you, friend!!!!

God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the
people you NEED - To help you, to hurt you, to leave you,
to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be."

Good Night, my blog family! {{{hugs}}} (warm smile)

And don't forget.........
Bee blessed, my friends~
Until we meet again..........
Always,
Melissa

p.s. As the swine flu is striking fear in many, find comfort in God's
protective and strong, loving Arms. Read Psalm 91, like it's your
defense against this, because IT IS..............if you are His!!! And,
if you don't know Jesus as your Personal Lord and Saviour, I'd be
happy to introduce you to Him. He LOVES YOU ENDLESSLY, and
HE'S BEEN WAITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please Pray for the Freeman Family

2009-04-27T15:48:00.003-05:00

Now, more than ever, this family needs prayer!

http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/

Please pass this to any one that will pray!!!!!!!

The little button on the right column of my blog,
is Kayleigh's blog button. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

More on APRONS.........Yayyyyyyy!

2009-04-24T21:56:00.002-05:00

Aprons, Aprons, and MORE APRONS....what's a gal to do??
I have found yet another blog that I SO enjoy!!!
Look up lots of ideas for apron-making on
Civilla's blog. My thinker is working.....she has
many great ideas.

It's her April 24, 2009 post under the heading,
"Frugal Friday/Super-Saver Saturday".
This is just way to cool, girls. If you have a creative
bone in your body AND like aprons, then~
THIS is for YOU!!!!

Enjoy, y'all!!!

http://civillascybercafe.blogspot.com/

Until We Meet Again............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Mother's Day Giveaway

2009-04-24T15:07:00.002-05:00

Do you like giveaways? I think they're fun!!!
I learned of one today that might be of interest
to you. Check it out on my side bar.

The site that is sponsoring this giveaway is called,
FIVE MINUTES FOR MOMS. Neat name, huh?

My Husband ROCKS.........

2009-04-24T14:07:00.003-05:00

Because he loves me, ANYWAYS!!!

I have my "quirks". I can be bossy, sloppy,
overly spontaneous, willy nilly, hormonally-
challenged, are you getting the picture????

I am no perfect mate. No, not even close.
But, I do love my man. He's a keeper, to
me!

Neither one of us are without
mistake or blemish, but we choose
to walk thru things together. Not
quit, when it ain't "pretty".
Know what I mean? ; }

There are times when Head-strong Honeybee "me"
has a real problem with dying to self and letting hubby
take the lead. Not something that I'm proud of; something
that I desire to be different in. God is working on me.....thankfully!

Today, I'd like to share a card about what marriage is........
I hope it will bless you, like it did me (on a day that I needed
this reminder).

"Marriage Is.....
A commitment. It's success doesn't depend on feelings, circum-
stances, or moods ~ but on two people who are loyal to each other
and the vows they took on their wedding....

Marriage is....
Hard work. It means chores, disagreements, misunderstandings,
and times when you might not like each other very much. When
you work at it together, it can be the greatest blessing in the world.

A relationship where two people must listen, compromise, and
respect. It's an arangement that requires a multitude of decisions
to be made together. Listening, respecting, and compromising go
a long way toward keeping peace and harmony.

A union in which two people learn from their mistakes, accept
each other's faults, and willingly adjust behaviors that need to
be changed. It's caring enough about each other to work through
disappointing and hurtful times, and believing in the love that
brought you together in the first place.

Marriage Is....
Patience and forgiveness. It's being open and honest, thoughtful
and kind. Marriage means talking things out, making necessary
changes, and forgiving each other. It's unconditional love at it's
most understanding and vulnerable~ love that supports, comforts,
and is determined to triumph over every challenge and adversity.

Marriage is a partership of two unique people who bring out the
very best in each other and who know that even though they are
wonderful as individuals... they are even better together."
~Barbara Cage

"Success in marriage depends on being able, when you get over being
in love, to really LOVE...." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Isn't this beautiful spoken? I hope you liked it. Don't be shy, let
me know what'cha think!!! I really like to hear your comments!
And, would you consider following this blog? I'd love the company! : }

Have a beautiful weekend...........

Until We Meet Again.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Ever Had An Abortion?

2009-04-22T11:13:00.002-05:00

..........Ever judged someone who did?

I haven't personally had one, but I have not dared judge
someone who has. No rather, my heart hurts, right along with them.
I was a promiscious teen and young adult. Unfortunately,
I looked for love in all of the WRONG places. I am noone to judge,
I've been there with my sins. I understand when Paul tells us that
he is is a "cheif sinner". I really do.

Why am I saying all of this??? Well, a blog that I've recently
found, and is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite blogs, shares from
the heart today. I love her, for WHO SHE IS!!!! And, I am so
thankful for her.

Her blog is the "coffee" one at the top, right corner of my blog!
Grab a tissue, click on it, and prepare to be blown away with
refreshing freedom, openness, realness, transparency, a girl
who LOVES JESUS WITH HER WHOLE ENTIRE BEING!!!!!!!

Gotta run for now, my boys are invited to a 'Mountainman'
birthday party. They'll be eating RACOON, and throwing a
tomahawk. Oh yeah, they are EXCITED!!!! Sounds like fun!
Starts at noon............so see ya around!

Until we meet again.............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Do You Really "Get" Grace????

2009-04-21T18:05:00.002-05:00

........The Rest of the Story.....

Okay! On October 2, 2008, Alene and I were having
one of our first ever conversations. I talked about
my uncertainty of being 'good' enough for God, you know,
REALLY forgiven.

Alene asked, "Melissa, do you belong to God?" " Is Jesus
your Saviour?" To both, I knew deep down that the answer
was and is a resounding....."YES!" He has shown me His
faithful, sweet, unfailing love time after time in my life. No
doubt about that!

Alene went on the explain that if I am His, then ALL OF MY SIN
IS FORGIVEN FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRR. I still didn't "get it".
UNTIL........she continued on with this truth of God's grace.

She said, "You know how Jesus died over 2000 years ago for the
sin of the world?" I replied, "yes......" She said from that point
in time, all of our sin was 'future sin', because we hadn't been
born yet." I agreed. She said that before Jesus hung his head and
died, He said, "It is FINISHED!" What He meant is that He had
been the sacrifice for the world's sin. Not just the people of that
time, but the whole world for ALL time.

WOW...............are you starting to "get" this the way I did on that
day? She said, "Melissa, your past sins, sin from today, and the
sin that you commit tomorrow are all already FORGIVEN." "There
is not anything that you can do that will make God love you more
or less if you are His child." "Whoa! That was sweet freedom begin-
ning to sink in." Get this.........The whole world is forgiven, all and only
because of JESUS, but some haven't "accepted" the amazing invitation.
They don't know that they've been forgiven, that there is no need to
go to hell. God tells us that Jesus (the ultimate sacrifice) was suffice
for all sin. People! This is the good news that people are already
forgiven, all they must do is believe Jesus did what God's Word says,
and receive it as atonement for their sin.

On that day, I FINALLY
"GOT" it!!! The gospel didn't sound like doom and gloom, it magnified
HOPE, HOPE, AND MORE HOPE!

And, ya know how 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins."? Well, when we ask Jesus into our lives,
and confess that we need HIM to forgive us of our sins and live in us
forevermore. You know, when we're 'BORN AGAIN'? From that point
on, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins FOREVER. If this was not
the case, we'd all be doomed to hell, for who can remember to confess
EVERY bad thought, word, or deed? NOONE CAN, EVER. It's just not
possible.

Now, grace is not a license to sin. Not even close. It's an extension of
love that many of us have a hard time grasping, it's so BIG! When we
"get" (or understand) this grace, that is a gift from God, we DESIRE
to give Him our best~~~~all our LOVE and all our DEVOTION. And,
when we mess up ('cause unfortunately, we are all still 'earthlings'),
we can know that THERE IS NO CONDEMATION IN CHRIST JESUS!!!
We can get up, tell God that we wanna do right (Phil. 2:13), and live out
loud for Him, brightly letting our little light shine!

My friend Alene, has learned so much that she never knew about God's
truly AMAZING GRACE from Joseph Prince Ministries. So, if you are
hungry for more grace and less guilt, start a topic study on God's Grace
in your Bible, also, Google: Joseph Prince Ministies. It's good, sound teaching!

There's a whole world out there waiting for some GOOD NEWS.
Go get'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God's Love and Amazing Grace must be made KNOWN.

Until we meet again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

p.s. I really love your comments, let me know what'cha think.
Most of all, thanks for stopping by, come again soon. I'll leave the
"light" on for ya! : }

Meet My Friend, Alene........

2009-04-20T11:08:00.003-05:00

Can I introduce you to a special friend of mine?

Her name is Alene. I first 'met' Alene, when I

found her beautiful redwork designs in a little quilt

shoppe in Corpus Christi, Texas. That was some

ten years ago. Alene wasn't there, but her beautiful

designs were, and they captured my attention. I left

the shop, but Alene's sweet designs never left me. I

moved away from the area, and from time to time would

try to find the designs online........everywhere.......to no avail.

FAST FORWARD ABOUT 8 YEARS......................

........I remember Alene's name, and what state she lives in

so I decide to look for her through the white pages. I thought

maybe if I could find her, she'd have a way that I could order

these oh-so-cute, hard-to-find designs. Well, guess what???

I FOUND HER. Today, I'll share a couple of those cute designs

with you. Tomorrow, I'll finish this story about how God used

Alene to FINALLY (after 35 years of living) drive home the truth

of HIS TRULY AMAZING GRACE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't wanna miss it!!!

If you've struggled with feeling of shame, condemnation,

or wondering if you're 'really' forgiven, you have to know HIS truth.

It's all about HIS GRACE!!! Come back tomorrow, or email me

anytime, at: Godsgirl4keeps@yahoo.com. When you're His, you're

'right as rain' with God, all because of JESUS.......

.....................you gotta "get" this, it'll set you FREEEEEEEEE!

You can find more of Alene's designs at:

www.designsbyalene.com.

Until We Meet Again..........

Bee blessed, my friends~

Always,

Melissa

It's Me...........His Honeybee

2009-04-18T21:30:00.002-05:00

I have changed the name that will appear at the bottom
of my posts, and when I leave comments. I've noticed that
there are so many 'Melissas' out there, so I've decided to
use 'His Honeybee'. Same picture, diff name, same ol' me!

Just wanted to let ya know.

Until we meet again............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Two APRON Giveaways!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-18T17:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, I really have to be somewhere soon, so I
shouldn't even be on here, but I am. I just found
out about two apron giveaways. To find out more
check out this new and very cool blog.

http://iloveboojiboo.blogspot.com/

Love you all deeply from the heart!!!

Until We Meet Again........
Bee blessed!
Melissa

My Husband ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

Okay........my husband rocks for so many reasons,

but today, I'll blog for the first three that come to

mind.

1. He went grocery shopping today, and made a

plate of hummus and pita chips and sat it down right in front of me (while I was working on the computer)!

It was yummmmmmmmmmy....he surprised me ; }!

2. My van has been making this strange humming

sound for going on 2 years now. Summer before last,

I drove through a HUGE puddle, and every since then,

my van made this high pitched humming/buzzing sound

on rainy days, when parked. Today, Michael walked by

and heard it, and KNEW WHAT IT WAS and FIXED IT!!!

I love it..........he loves JESUS, is good-lookin', and smart.

I am so very thankful to Him for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. He's fun and funny! Last night, I looked at him, after

he changed out of his work clothes~and did a double-take.

He was wearing a pair of my cotton calf-length(on me) capri

workout pants! ROFL.....it was toooooooo funny, and he knew

it! I told him that he looked like a pirate. He cracks me up!!!

Ahhhh......Laughter is the best medicine. Thank you, God,

for this FREE and FUN medicine and tummy workout: laughter.

Until we meet again............

Bee blessed, my friend~

Always,

Melissa

Lisa Leonard Designs: A Jewelry Giveaway

2009-04-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

I found this beautiful work by a jewelry designer and mother on a blog called, 'A Soft Place To Land'. I really like this jewelry. I am not into 'bling'. Just not my thing! But, I think the simplicity and heart that this jewelry displays is remarkable!

To learn how you can sign up for this giveaway, visit: http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com. It's the April 14 post.

Hurry! The winner is to be chosen on April 20th.

Please Pray for Jesse!

2009-04-17T14:08:00.001-05:00

Please

Lift

Jesse

Prayer!

Our

Father's

the

GREAT

PHYSICIAN!!!!

To learn more, go to: http://jessecatron.blogspot.com.

All About Aprons

2009-04-14T20:39:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else share my love for aprons?

I think they are the greatest thing! They help

make my kitchen work better. I really need

one while washing dishes, or I'll be soaked. I

just get really involved with this job! :D

This lovely apron is from a blog that I enjoy.

http://knittinpeace.blogspot.com.

This artist has an Etsy shop, too! Her work

is so unique and beautiful! Go to her blog, and

click into her Etsy Shop. You won't be sorry.

Also, I'd like to share a neat thing that I received

a while back. It's called 'History of the Apron'.

The principle use of Granma's apron was to protect

the dress underneath, but along with that , it served:

~as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

~to dry children's tears and to clean out dirty ears.

~to carry eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched

eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

~to throw out chicken feed on the ground.

~as ideal hideing place for shy children.

~as a wrap for grandma when it was cold.

~to wipe many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

~to bring chips and kindling wood.

~to carry all sorts of vegetable.

~to carry out the hulls of the shelled peas.

~to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

~to dust furniture when unexpected company came.

~to signal the men in the fields that dinner was ready.

It will be a long time, if ever, that someone will invent

something that will replace the "old-time apron".

~Author Unknown

Wasn't that fun?!

I really liked it and found it fascinating and true!

Until we meet again............

Bee blessed, my friend~

Always,

Melissa

Thinking of Julie

2009-04-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

Today, I'd like to blog about someone that I am especially fond
of. Her name is Julie. Julie is my husband's
first cousin. She is so delightfully sweet and refreshing!!!
At the moment Julie is going through tests because of
something that showed up on a recent mammogram.
Julie talks about it on her wonderful blog at:
http://shabbywears.blogspot.com.

Another blog that I follow is Beth Moore's blog.
As I read her April 10, 2009 blog entry, my thoughts
went back to Julie. I will share the part of Beth's entry
that made me think of my cousinfriend.

And I quote:
"Several months ago, Melissa (Beth's daughter) had insisted
upon going with me to have a dye test to follow up a suspicious
mammogram. (No rumors please. I do not have breast cancer.
Because my mother died with it, however, I never get the
luxury of drama-less annual check-ups.) We were sitting in the
waiting room and a rack was within arms reach offering all
manner of brochure on various cancers. Melissa took one out
after another and glanced over them, shaking her head. She
looked up at me with that classic expression of hers and said,
"Life is brutal, man."I nodded.We both sat silently for just a
moment. Then she said one of the most profound things I've
ever heard."He knows it's scary to be us."Yes, He does. Yes,
He does. He does NOT take the fact lightly that we go through
medical tests to see if we have a raging cancer. He does NOT take
lightly that some of you are secretly fearing that the monster has
come back. He does NOT take lightly that some of you are going
through the cancer treatments of your own children. I had to pause
and put my hand over my mouth on that one. Holding back
the tears. Son of David, have mercy on us! You know it's scary
to be us! It's almost too much here, Lord. It's almost too much.
And the thunder crashes in the heavens and the earth grows
dark in the middle of the afternoon and a man, beaten to a bloody
pulp, cries from a cross between two thieves, "It is finished!"
And death is overcome. One day, Sweet Darling. ONE DAY. We
will trade that hem for the real Him and there will be no more sickness.
No more death. No more sadness. We will all be healed. Bliss.BLISS. "

If you'd like to see the complete entry, you can find it at:
http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com.

Please keep Julie in your prayers, as we know that God hears!!!!!!!

Until We Meet Again.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

Our Family Has GROWN........

2009-04-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Yep, you read it right.......our family has grown since
we last "visited". It has grown precisely by four feet.
No, no, I haven't had two babies, or anything (though
I rather wish~I LOVE BABIES!!!).
We've been blessed to receive a beautiful Golden Retreiver!
His name is Rocky Tex Doddridge. He's the redhead, I've
always wanted!!! He is 5.5 years young and playful and BIG!
We all love him very much. We found him on Craigslist.
Rocky was in need of rehoming, and we are so thankful that
his original family picked us to receive him into our family.
I look forward to sharing a picture of our new family friend
with you soon!
Oh, and, by the way, I am SO GLAD TO BE BACK!!!!!!!!
I look forward to sharing with you the awesome things that
God has been teaching me and doing in this heart and life!!!

I am being beckoned to snuggle, so I best go for now.

Until we meet again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Always,
Melissa

See You After Resurrection Day

2009-03-02T08:49:00.000-06:00

Please do not think that I've dropped out of the
blogging world (that I so enjoy); rather I've given
it up until after Resurrection Day~for my Jesus;
the Saviour of the world (that I so adore)!

Bee blessed, my friends!!!
And, God be with you until we meet again.

I'll check my email daily (or almost daily).
That's:
Godsgirl4keeps@yahoo.com

I look forward to "visiting" after Resurrection Day!

In His Love,
Melissa

The Seven-Word Challenge

2009-02-27T16:50:00.000-06:00

I got this fun idea from Beth Moore's blog.
http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com.

Going along with my normal Friday blog,
My Husband ROCKS, I found this one:

“Bumpy road, kissed toad, recovery mode!”
-anonymous blogger comment

I so loved this one. I can soooo relate!
When I read it, I thought~that's me...that's me!!!

Let's change up the challenge just a bit, and add one
word to this challenge. In seven words, sum up your life.
On your mark, get set, GO!!!

Here's mine:
"I long to love like He loves."

I hope to hear from you all!!!! Happy Weekend.

Until We Meet Again...............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband ROCKS

2009-02-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

My husband is such a hard-worker! He takes providing
for our family VERY seriously!!! Today, he is feeling very
crumby. He has had a bug that has knocked him down
since Tuesday; but, he is still going to work, and so desires
to take good care of us.

We both know that God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider~to
whom we are FOREVER GRATEFUL! I also thank God for my
wonderful husband, that, though being a mere (hu)man , loves
me like Christ loves the church, and cares for our family deeply.

Also, I used to love how my grandpa would sing and whistle
merry tunes, often. Well, God gave me a husband that does the
same thing. This morning, I listened to him sing in the shower
(he has a gorgeous voice) and smiled inside! God thinks of everything.

So, truly YAY GOD FOR MICHAEL!!!

Until We Meet Again..............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Happy Gratituesday!

2009-02-24T16:09:00.000-06:00

I thank God for giving us new inspiration!
This morning as I was looking at Mt. Washmore
(the laundry),I thought of how that, too, is a
marathon type job (in our house!).
Then I started thinking of this cheer that I once
used to do in school.
It goes like this:
"Never give up! Never give in! Fight to win!!!"
I started thinking of how this really applies to all
areas in my life. In our faith journey we are in a
spiritual battle(not with flesh & blood; but, with the
enemy. We are to NEVER GIVE UP
and FIGHT W/ THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT!

In our relationships and love walk, we are to
NEVER GIVE UP. When I say "fight", I do not
mean physically or even verbally. I mean in the
Spirit ~ get tenacious!!! Dig your heels in and let's
win; let's determine to not give the enemy ANY
GROUND!!!

Hallelujah!! !!!
"Never Give Up, Never Give In, Fight to Win!"

Until We Meet Again.................
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband ROCKS

2009-02-20T13:54:00.000-06:00

Michael, a.k.a. "My Hunky Hubby" rocks my world
in the best ways! He is so extremely caring and generous!
This morning, as he took our 8 year old little guy to get
his "fave" cereal, I asked him if he could put a little gas in
my van. And, guess what?! HE FILLED IT UP!!!
I am so thankful for Him. He is such a good daddy, and
my little people could testify to that. Take for example,
yesterday~Michael was making his way back to us after
being in Austin this week. A few times throughout the day
one of us would go out the front door, and all three or four
times, you would hear a chorus of......."DADDYYYYYYY!"
I am so thankful to be married to him and I love him so very much!

Loving Like Jesus.......

2009-02-17T16:40:00.000-06:00

At the weekend LOVE retreat....we learned more
about how to love like we are called to love. It was
simple, because His command to love is SIMPLE,
but HARD. You know, it's like He simplified the
Ten Commandments into two. Love God with
your EVERYTHING, and love you neighbor as
yourself. It's not as easy as it sounds, but the reward
for loving that way is His peace and Presence.
There is a verse out of one of my perpetual calendars
that has spoken volumes to me on more than one occasion!

"People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn
esteem by overlooking wrongs. Avoiding a fight is a mark
of honor; only fools insist on quarreling." Prov. 19:11; 20:3

Let's love one another like we're suppose to, even if we're
hurt. Love covers a multitude of sins. And, love never fails!

My grandpa used to say: "Kill 'em with kindness."
I SOOOOOOO loved this saying. To me, it means ~kill a
mean spirit with love and kindness~.

And, you know how in the Bible it says to be kind to your
enemies? It says something about 'heaping hot coals on their
heads'. Well, I've heard a couple of very good explainations.
One is, the coals are like the 'refining fire'. And, the other is,
that in Arab cultures, many times in their turbans, hot coals
will be put in there to keep their heads warm and keep them
warm and alive! Isn't that beautiful? So, our kindness can
warm others and help keep them alive and free from a hard
heart, maybe?!

And, when we get hurt or rejected along the way, let's just
be like a duck, and let it "roll" right off our backs! I told my
oldest son, 11, that he reminds me of a duck for this reason.
The little guy is the most loving and resilient friend I've seen. : )

I'm glad that you stopped by. I pray that the Lord will pour out
heaping helpings of His amazing and unfailing Love on you and yours!

Until we meet again.............
Bee blessed, my friends,
Melissa

Thank you GOD for Jesus, and that HIS BLOOD covers our sins!!!!!!!!

My GOD ROCKS!

2009-02-15T22:37:00.000-06:00

Okay! You know how Fridays are normally
'My Husband Rocks' Fridays? Well, I would
like Sundays to be 'My God Rocks' Sundays!

I could truly boast in the Lord every single day!
This weekend, He showed me His tangible, detailed
love. It really started on Thursday. My new
friend, Cher, and I went out to dinner. The place
that we ate at normally would not have music on
a Thursday night. Well, on THAT Thursday night,
they had a young man playing the acoustical guitar
and singing glorious praise songs to My KING!!!
I almost cried as I sat there and contemplated
His amazing Love for me. To show up at 'The Winery',
through this young man's music, and bless me
with an early birthday present. He is in the details!
My spirit was beyond giddy over this early present.

Then, on Friday (2/13=my birthday), my husband
and I had a five hours to attend the first part of a
retreat by ourselves. It was so good, and someone
blessed us with a gift that was unexpected and very
kind. He told Michael that God told him to give it
to us, and asked Michael if he would PLEASE accept it.
That was just one of many things that were sprinkled
throughout that wonderful day. The Meal-A-Day lady
blessed us with a yummy lunch for our whole family,
after we ran our Friday delivery route. And, my sweet
man, gave me all kinds of 'sweets' with even sweeter
notes attatched to tell of his love for me! I LOVE HIM.

Then, on Saturday, we went back to the weekend
family church retreat with our whole family. Our children
had such a good time, and we did, too. I made a new friend.
Her name is Linda Vermillion. She so blessed me with a gift
that was so unexpected and so beautiful beyond description.
You see, Linda is creative, through and through. She creates
this beautiful jewelry. She gave me a choice of three of her
FINE creations. I chose one that was a teardrop prizmy looking
one. It looked like a 'honeybee' or angel, depending on how you
look at it. It was such a wonderful and unexpected surprise, and
her Titus 2 friendship was a special gift that God had planned
even before I ever knew it. She is a LOVELY lady.
Mmmmm : ). (happy, thankful thoughts)

THEN, as if God hadn't done enough. He topped off the weekend
with ANOTHER surprise. My husband won a weekend at
this retreat center. WooooooooHoooooooo! We (in our nearly
12 years of marriage) have only gotten away for ONE WEEKEND
without our little ones. SO, for our 12 year anniversary, we,
LORD WILLING, will be getting away for some ALONE time,
courtesy of my generous, loving, wonderful beyond description GOD!

And, He has given me many loved ones that expressed their
birthday wishes to me in various ways. Hallelujah! : }

So, as you can see, my GOD ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, on one of my perpetual calendars, another gift from God
was that the scripture for the day was Isaiah 55:12.

It says:
"For you shall go out with joy,
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you."
Isaiah 55:12

Until we meet again,
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

We're SECURE in Him (Jesus)

2009-02-10T22:38:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to write about the messege from
church on Sunday, but have been trying to figure out
how to relay it. I'm gonna do my best. It so touched
my life and heart. I know it was a messege for me!

The messege was about insecurity. He began by telling
us that he is so tired about how our insecurities are
getting us off track in our faith journey. He explained
about how our insecurities are ALL LIES. {I am very
much paraphrasing the messege.}

He told a story about how he was a football player in
high school. He was chosen to play as varsity QB in
his sophmore year. He gave it his all. Then, one day
he overheard the coaches talking about their "plan"
for their offense for the next year. They said that he
would not be the right QB for the team, because 'his
arm wasn't strong enough'. He explained how much
that hurt and placed a feeling of insecurity in him.
He said, he thought, "If I am giving this my all, and
that STILL isn't good enough, then I'm not giving
ANYTHING my all, anymore".
I thought, "Whew! Does that ever hit home?!"

He went on to tell us that God doesn't want us to be
insecure! We have VICTORY on the inside of us in
our Saviour, JESUS!!! You know, there were even
Bible "stars" that felt insecure and incapable of the
job that God had assigned them. But, ya know what?
God doesn't make mistakes! Nope.... not even ONE!

So, if someone has sown word curses or doubts into
your life, and you've believed them. Today, as an
act of your will, tell God that you believe HIM more
than any other naysayer in your life. And, if that
naysayer is yourself; have a "heart-to-heart" with
yourself and remind yourself of what God says about
you! He loves you fiercely!!!!

See yourself as ABSOLUTELY SECURE IN CHRIST!
I used to think, "Well, if so & so said ________ about
me, then it must be true?!" NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!!!
HALLELUJAH!!! I BELIEVE THAT I AM THE
APPLE OF HIS EYE. MORE THAN A CONQUEROR
THROUGH CHRIST JESUS! We don't have to believe
the "smack" that the devil, others, or ourselves throws
at us! Nope.............don't even entertain that junk anymore!

Remember what you are in Christ, and that's complete!

Two of my all time favorite scriptures are:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 and Philipians 4:8

Look 'em up and meditate on them.
You'll be so glad that you did!

Love you all....................we're COMPLETELY SECURE in HIM.
Don't forget that, ya hear?!

Until we meet again..............
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Have You Seen This Yet????

2009-02-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

This is a video that will do your heart good.
Treat yourself to watching it. It's not long, and
it's worth every second!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b6c7b995da9705f7695b

(Hint: it's not anything about the amazing movie,
"Facing the Giants", but it's AMAZING, all in it's own right!)

Oh, and by the way........
I am EVER SO GRATEFUL for every one of you blog sistas!!!
I love you!
{And, more importantly, THE God of the UNIVERSE does more!!!}

Until we meet again...........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband ROCKS

2009-02-06T16:35:00.000-06:00

This entry is gonna be short and truthful!
My husband rocks because he loves me, and
I happen to be a mess of magnificent proportions!

After reading some of Julie Ann Barnhill books,
I realized and found the courage to admit that I
am a mess. See, she is also a self-professing 'mess'.

Anyway, enough said..........and because my husband
rocks, I gotta go be his rockin' wife!

God is in the Details

2009-02-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

During my time with the Lord, I've been reading a
book called, God's Whisper in a Mother's Chaos.
It brings me to tears daily as I read these words that
so speak to where I am, right now. By the way, it
is written by Keri Wyatt Kent.

I sit in awe that God loves me so much, that He puts
THIS book in my hand at THIS time. You know, there
are billions of books in this universe, yet He places just
the right one in my hands at the right time. Only the
One True God could do that!

So, today, I am reading the chapter about, "Knowing
the God who Whispers", and it speaks of His GREAT
love for us. It reminds us that because of Jesus, we
are "right as rain" with the only God that would give
HIS ONLY SON, so that we could be reconciled with
Him~once and for all~FOREVER!

Then, as I wrapped up that chapter, I began the next
chapter, "Learning to Trust". Guess what happened,
to help the author learn to trust. Anyone???? :o}

Her husband lost his job. Yep, in this time where this is
where we are at, God let her trial to learn trust be the
same one that we are walking through, right now.
One word: AMAZING.

And she writes, "To pray 'Give us this day our daily bread'
suddenly takes on new meaning when the sole breadwinner
is not winning any bread. But the situation allowed us to see
how generous God can be. Earning money through our work
creates an illusion that we are in control; that it is our sweat
or smarts that provides for our needs, rather than God's
generosity. And while we need to play our part, everything
we have is from God. I could not see this until we were forced
to rely entirely on God."

Must go for now....
Time for our school to start.
Honor God Academy begins for the day!

Until We Meet Again.......
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

The Yo-Yo

2009-02-03T08:24:00.000-06:00

My 11-year old son, Nick, has taken up the
yo-yo. It has been so fun and refreshing to see
him really "get into" something that is not electronic.
He and his 8-year old brother, Noah agreed, yesterday,
that the yo-yo was MORE FUN than the Wii. How cool
is that?! My husband has been telling them about tricks
that he used to do, and trying to show them how to do
them, too. It's surprising how something so simple could
create such unexpected joy and determination.

Then, I started thinking about yo-yo on a different
level or note. I started thinking of how, at times, I
resemble a yo-yo. I have ups and downs. And, I
want to be more steady. I believe that, in the last year
of my life, God has been working at stabilizing this girl.
I am so thankful that He made us all uniquely, and even
through our ups and downs, He's there. And, when we
look to Him, call on Him, lean on Him~He ordains the
praise that flows from our lips in the "up" times, and
holds us tenderly in the "down" times. I still struggle
at times to know Him as He is and not from my own
distorted image, filtered through my own experiences.
He loves so deeply, and I so long to soak it up, and then
permeate His love to others.

May you see Him in the ups and downs of life today.

Until we meet again.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband Rocks

2009-01-30T22:14:00.000-06:00

Michael is truly a man after God's own heart, and a man
who already has captured mine! He has been reading the
book, The Love Dare, from the Fireproof movie. He is so
committed to loving me like Christ loved the church, that
it is nothing short of humbling. I love this man more than
I ever have before, and thank God from the depths of my
heart for him. I'm not trying to make like he's perfect, but,
he IS pressing into God to have his wrinkles ironed out, and
his spots removed, and his blemishes cleared up. He's a man,
husband, and daddy that I admire immensely!!!

Thank you, Lord, that you made Michael. : )mmm.

Until we meet again.......
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband Rocks

2009-01-24T00:09:00.000-06:00

Boy, does he!!!!!!!

I was worn out, on Thursdayand asked him to

go to the grocery store for me, and he did. I didn't know

that there was a huge sale going on at that time. He

went and did an amazing job, shopping for things that

we need, all for low, sale prices!

Then, he picked up a yummy coffee drink for me.

Nevermind, that I need to lose weight on this big

weight-loss challenge that, I'm on. I gladly drank

half of it, and enjoyed it very much!

And, on Friday, he whisked me away to a date night.

He took me to dinner and to a movie. He opened the

door for me, and treated me like royalty.

What a man!!!

And, oh~I mustn't forget that he made me a delicious

breakfast this morning, that fit perfectly into the

eating guidelines that I'm attempting to follow.

Even though, our finances have been tight, lately~

(no job and no pay for six weeks, eeeks)

Michael has chosen to invest in our marriage and me.

Thank you, Jesus, for Michael. He truly ROCKS!!!

Until we meet again..........

Bee blessed, my friend~

Melissa

King Ranch Chicken Nachos

2009-01-20T18:33:00.000-06:00

Have you ever 'stumbled upon' a great recipe?
Well, last week, I did! I am an explorer and
adventurer, and I cook the same way!!! It is
amazingly EASY, and astoundingly DELICIOUS.
What could beat that combo?

Here's what you need:

1 chicken (frozen, whole)
1 can Rotel
1 crockpot (lg. enough for chicken)
flour
salt
milk (or sour cream)

Okay, first you stick your chicken in your crockpot.
Pour the Rotel (or diced tomatoes) in, turn that baby
on high and cook it for 5-7 hours. Then, use a big
sturdy spatula and lift the bird out onto a plate.
With the liquid and tomato/gr. chile left in the pot,
add flour & milk(or sour cream) and salt(I don't measure,
I just sprinkle/pour it in) and begin to whisk to
make it a nice creamy consistency.

Pick your chicken off and put it atop of tortilla chips.
Use a ladle and put the sauce on top of the chicken.
Enjoy! Do what you like to it, to make it your own!
I made it for the first time last week, and it is so very
YUMMY!

I hope you like it as much as we do.

Please pray for me, it's my first day of the BABES weight-
loss challenge, and it has been challenging. I'm not sure
if my body is detoxing from caffeine, or what, but I sure
do need your prayer and any encouragement that you have.
I'll keep you posted on my progress. This BABE needs God!

Until we meet again.....
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Me and Mary Magdalene

2009-01-18T09:06:00.000-06:00

I am a Facebook-junkie at times. There, ANOTHER
confession! It is just too fun. And, every great once
in a while, I will take one of those Facebook quizzes.
I don't take them much, and I don't accept those special
things sent or send them much, because 'once' I got into
a "pickle" (read Dec. blogs, to find out how~promised laugh!).

There was one quiz, a while back, that I decided to take.
It was something like, "Which Woman of the Bible are You
Most Like?". I figured it would be interesting and fun; I just
never knew how ACCURATE it would be! Wowwwwww-eee!

My popcorn testimony is that, when I was in high school and
college, I "looked for love in all of the wrong places and faces",
only to find my True Love at the end of my college career.
While I was working with a youth group, I had the privilege
of serving with an amazing youth pastor and many other adults
that were ON FIRE for God! I really felt alive in HIM, and it was
amazing! I accepted Christ, at a retreat, in Rockport/Fulton area.
I was 13 years old then. I knew that something had changed inside
of me then! I could feel His presence, and was just at the beginning
of the sanctification process! I can even look furthur back, on my
childhood, and see God's fingerprints ALL over it!
He was my and is my Protector, Comforter, Deliverer,
Redeemer, Counselor, and more!

Anyway, God renewed the joy of my salvation about ten
years after I invited Him into my life! It was an AMAZING
time in my life. Without a doubt the highlight of my college
career, serving with the youth. The youth director and his wife,
loved me unconditionally. They are forever etched into my heart
as 'grace givers'. They loved me, despite me! They are Jesus
with skin on today~awesome conduits of HIS amazing love and
grace. Several youth from this amazing group have continued on
to lead youth groups, and make an AWESOME impact on this
world for Christ Jesus! I am so grateful that God wrote this
chapter in my life!!!!!

So, one day, I confessed my sin of promiscuity to the youth
leader. I could tell that it pained him, and that it hurt him
(as sin does hurt). But, guess what he did next. He read to me.
He read me the story out of John 8. As I write this, I feel tears
welling up inside. He loved me like JESUS!!! He didn't condemn
me, he pointed me to my Saviour and Redeemer. From that time
on, I always loved that story of the adultress that Jesus forgave
and instructed 'go and sin no more'. I loved how he told the accusers,
"If any of you are WITHOUT sin, cast the first stone." And, noone
could throw, even one stone. Because, after all, we have ALL sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

Okay.......back to the quiz from Facebook. It said that I was
most like Mary Magdalene. I couldn't agree more with what
it said. Here it is:

"She was forgiven much & loved much,
and you certainly love much!
You are a passionate person,
who loves God & life. You have
a tendency to count your blessings
and be very grateful, even in small things.
You are an overcomer, and will not allow
any life circumstances to hold you down."

I thank God for His forgiveness, grace,
and LOVE!!! (And, boy, do I need it.)
It is healing me ~ from the inside, out!

Until we meet again....
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

My Husband ROCKS!

2009-01-16T14:34:00.000-06:00

SO ~ THIS IS HOW MY HUSBAND ROCKS ~ 1/16/09

My husband is a fantastic man. He has a heart that loves
to give to me and our family (and others!). He has cleaned
the kitchen twice this week, when it was so bad that it was
exhaustingly messy! I've been baking and need to clean up
as I go! I've awakened this morning and the other morning
to a kitchen that is gloriously CLEAN!!!!!!!

And~tonight and tomorrow, he's gonna be on full-time daddy duty
as I get to go to a Women's Conference called "Redeeming Love"!
I am so blessed and so thankful to have Michael for my husband!

He has been a trooper while being laid off for the last month+. We
have grown closer, even though, I know that He is itching to get back
to work to provide for our family. He is a very dedicated hardworker!
I've tried to go to work to help, and he makes it clear that I am where
I'm suppose to be ~ at home, caring for him and for our babies!
He is a hunk, in my book, and he truly ROCKS my socks off!

Yay God for Michael! : }

Okay! I have found a COOOOOOL idea for loving my
husband, better. I would like to introduce you to my new
"Friday Blog Theme" ~ MY HUSBAND ROCKS!

I saw it on one of the blogs that I follow,
http://mercyeverymorning.blogspot.com.

She referenced:
http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com

And, SHE referenced:
http://www.frommetees.com/about-us/

Christy from 'Mercy Every Morning' shares:

"I am going to share the 30 day challenge that I heard
on Revive Our Hearts a while back, and need to do again.
Say something you love about your husband to his face,
or even better...to other people, but in his hearing...every
day for thirty days. See how it blesses and encourages him."

Until next time.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Urgent Prayers Needed...........

2009-01-14T21:19:00.000-06:00

Michael's former employer says that they
are sueing him and Mark (a fellow employee that was also
laid off on Dec. 12), and the new company that wants to hire them.
The two guys that are going to the new
company and competitor that offers EVEN MORE than the old company.
Please lift this in prayer. Please pray that 'no weapon formed against Michael
and Mark will prosper', and that God will make a way where
there seems to be no way. He IS Waymaker! Pray for Michael
to not be discouraged, but to remain unmoved in his faith. When
he started working for the old job, they made him sign a 'non-compete'
clause. But, they are the ones that laid him off and didn't pay severance
or ANYTHING. Texas is a "right to work state", and I pray that that
will make ALL of the positive difference in this matter! Pray that God
will make this thing not hold up and that Michael will be able to start on
Friday, as planned. And for HIS peace to reign in our hearts through it all.
We need all of the faith-filled prayer warriors praying for this matter NOW!!!

Thank you a million, zillion times for offering your prayers to our FAITHFUL God!
I will post the praise report when it comes!!! : }

Until Next Time..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Thank You Lord for Praying Coaches

2009-01-12T23:52:00.000-06:00

Sulphur Springs, Coach Owens.....

As promised, here is that picture that does my heart good! It is my screensaver. I love for my boys, who are sports nuts to see what it's REALLY all about! What an example!!!!!!!

And, God honored this man of God with, no less than a State Championship.

Again, if you haven't seen the dvd called 'Facing the Giants' yet, what are ya waiting for..........go rent it, snuggle up, and ENJOY!!!

Until we meet again.....

Bee blessed, my friends~

Melissa

Bush Moving Out; Obama Moving In.......

2009-01-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

Good Morning, Blog Readers!!!

I wanted to share something that I thought was
too good, not to share! It comes from one of the
blogs that I follow. It is from Olivia at:
http://adaughterathome.blogspot.com.
She put the following so perfectly well, I thought!

And I quote:

"Dad is watching Pres. Bush's last press conference.
Sad. I'm gonna miss him being our president. I haven't
always like all of his choices or everything he has done...
but I do think he was a great leader. He seemed to always
do what he believed to be right whether it was popular
with the masses or not. He's probably looking forward to
getting back Texas though. ;o) Well, President-elect Obama
will be taking over shortly. I do truly wish him all the best.
We can tend to be all for letting the people decide who should
be president until they don't decide on the person we decided f
or. He will be president whether he was our choice or not and
as Christians it is our duty to respect him as president and
pray for him. I don't envy anyone having to try and sort out
messy situations that Janurary 2009 presents. Plus, we should
remember that God is sovereign and not blocked in or boxed
out by any elected official. His ultimate plans are always
accomplished. So here is to hoping for the best in the next 4 years!"

Thanks, Olivia, for putting it so well! Let's pray for Obama!!! : )
Yay God, for ALWAYS being in charge and in control!!!!!!
Hallelujah, that NOTHING surprises you or is out of Your Sovreignty!

Much love to you~

Until we meet again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

Praying Football Team Wins State Title

2009-01-11T21:54:00.000-06:00

Miles Today: 3 miles
Miles for the Month: 11
Thank you, Lord!!!

Have you ever seen the movie, Facing The Giants?
If you haven't you should do yourself a favor, and
watch it as soon as possible. It is a great faith-building
movie! One of my faves, for sure!!! You know, one of
those that you can watch time and again, and still not
tire of it!

Well, in our little town of Sulphur Springs, TX, we have
a coach, like the coach, in that movie. And, our high school
football team, led by praying coaches WON STATE this
year!!!

We attended the big bash that our town threw for the team
and it was FUN!!!! All of the banks provided DELICIOUS
free food (chicken and beef fajitas, foot-long sausages on sticks,
hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken stew & the fixins). I mean it
was in BIG, GRAND TEXAS STYLE.

Here are some pics from it, if you'd like to take a peek!
http://www.frontporchnewstexas.com/wildcattailgateparty09.htm

My screen saver has been one that I found online with the
coach, Greg Owens, praying over winning the semi-finals.
The picture is AWESOME! The coach, team, and fans all have their
heads bowed in prayer! Oh, I love that picture. I can't figure
how to get it from my screen saver to here, but, please believe
me when I say; it's a picture that does a heart good! If I can
figure out how to share it with you, I sure will!

YAY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! YAY SULPHUR SPRINGS WILDCATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until we meet again..........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

**Old cheerleaders never die; their pom poms just get saggy!** :D

LAMBS OR 'KIDS'?

2009-01-07T19:58:00.000-06:00

Miles Walked Today: 2
Miles for the Month: 5
Home Exec. Accomp.:
made brownies, made breakfast bread,
cleaned a very messy kitchen ('been bakin')

Some time ago, I was convicted about calling
children, 'kids'. Then, yesterday, I came across
a poem that confirmed what I felt in my heart.
This is some great food for thought. From now
on, you may see me call my children, 'littles',
'sweetums', 'lovies', or other things that are en-
dearing~just NOT 'kids'. Lord, help me change
my thought process as I speak, and my words
(for I know that our words have power, Your
Word tells us so!!!) Thank you, dear Lord.
In Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LAMBS OR 'KIDS'?
Oh the precious little children,
Placed here for our tender care;
Do we realize how little
Will on earth with them compare?

Jewels costly, rare and precious,
Never can their place refill;
When in years they leave their childhood,
Or when death will lay them still.

Little lambs they are for Jesus,
In their years of innocence;
We must guard these little jewels,
Lest they stray outside the fence.

Little lambs they are for Jesus
Leave the name of 'kids' outside
This was not what Jesus called them.
Nor should we this name ascribe.

If, when comes the separation
Goats are placed upon the left;
Don't be saying, 'kids' for children.
Of their right they're not bereft.

Though to us it may seem common,
And no harm that we can see,
Yet we know by serious thinking,
That from Satan this must be.

Oh be careful! For the devil
Fast is claiming lambs for his own;
Consecrate them all to Jesus
Let the lambs be His alone.

Poem by Irene E. Witmer
from "The Shadows Tell"

Until next time.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

I'm God's BABE

2009-01-06T19:43:00.000-06:00

Wow! I am feeling blown away by God's tangible love!!!
Hmm....where do I start, anyway? Okay, I'll just dive in.
Hold on, rabbit trails COULD be ahead. [lol :D]
Here we go!

On Sunday, in church, a weight-loss challenge called BABES
was announced. I have been looking forward to this since
I first heard of it, as it sounds EXCELLENT and FUN! But,
as I sat there and read the words, "No Child Care Provided",
I began to think, "Well, there's my answer, I can't do it; there's
no childcare and we can't afford it right now, anyway." So,
later that afternoon, that 'doubt & despair' took a hike, as I got
an idea. Now, I deeply believe that all of my great (or even good)
ideas come from God. He gets all of the credit for everything good
that comes out of this life!

The idea: "I could crochet dishclothes,
and I could bake zucchini bread to sell. I could sell them for
$5 each!" "I could make the money that it will take to attend
BABES!" So, I sent out an email to friends and acquaintances
that are local, and some family. Okay, mind you, this all started
night before last. Tonight, I have made $65, and have $15 in
orders to still fill. A dear friend, that I've met through our local
Freecycle group, gave me a gift of $20 to help with my endeavor!
That so touched my heart.......GOD is sooooo good; all of the time!!!

I have been so encouraged, as God is making a way for me to do
this, where there 'seemed to be no way' in my mind. I am even
being encouraged that I can continue to help out in this way to
help with our families finances, both now and in the future. As,
some of you know, my husband was recently laid-off and is dili-
gently seeking gainful employment right now. {Oh yeah, please
pray for him, as he is DRIVING from TX to VA for an interview.
He is very hopeful, please lift up his travels and opportunities.
Thank you for praying for him, God is listening and so FAITHFUL!)

One of my friends once told me, that I have so many entreprenurial
ideas, and that one of these days, one was going to just "take off"!
I SO totally RECEIVE that! : } I love being creative. You know, my
Daddy (Abba) is the Creator of the Universe! I get that 'creativeness'
from HIM. I feel most alive when I am SERVING HIM by LOVING
AND SERVING MANKIND AND BY CREATING!!!
How about you? What makes you feel MOST alive?
I'd love to hear about it!

I'm so thankful that my friend, Maralee, taught me to crochet in
Nov. or Dec. 2007! It is allowing me to create and help out financially
like the Proverbs 31 woman. It's exciting to be able to help. I thank
God for being the giver of all good things! I am content and mighty
blessed tonight, as I feel hope bubbling deep within. Mmmm good!

If you'd like to pray for my little business, it's called Honeybee Handiwork.
Honeybees are creative little creatures, full of energy and vigor! They also
defy odds of aerodynamics. They aren't even suppose to be able to fly!
BUT THEY DO!!! God is in the 'defying odds' business, among other things!
I believe, He rather delights in doing the impossible! :D Let's expect Him
to defy the odds in our lives, too!!!

"B" ~ Bee aware of Who you are in Christ
"E" ~ Eliminate the negatives
"E" ~ Eternal Value

Have the BEST 2009 EVERRRRRR!

Until next time.........
Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

p.s. BABES is a Christian Bible Study/Weight Loss Challenge that
stands for Beautiful Accountable Babes Exercising Sensibility. I am
POSITIVE that I am gonna do great, I have the confirmation of how
I am getting there to reassure me of it! YAY GOD! I'm so thankful!!!

I'm Back

2009-01-04T19:50:00.000-06:00

Hi friends,

I am back online. I am learning that a little goes
along way with my computer usage. By admitting
that I have a time mgmt./self-control problem, it
has made me A LOT more conscious of how much
time to spend online. I can see a direct link between
how my frustration level with my family goes way
DOWN when I am not immersed in the online-world.

I have my eyes wide-open to the things that God is
teaching me. I am ever so grateful that He keeps
shaping this clay and refining this gold, called 'me'.

On an exercising note:
My goal for the month is to walk at least 70 miles
this month. I am shooting for walking 4 miles for at
least 20 days. I know that is 80 miles, so I am shooting
high! ; } Word, Water, Walk, Worship!!!!

Miles for the Month: 3 miles

Until we meet again...

Bee blessed my bloggy friends,
Melissa

Do You Need a Smile?

2008-12-31T23:34:00.000-06:00

A Humorous 2009 Greeting

My peace break into your house and
may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become
a magnet of $1000 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline
and may laughter assault your lips!

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires
and may happiness slap you across the face and may your
tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address!

In simple words ............ May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!

AND, LAST, BUT NOT LEAST ~ MAY GOD GET ALL OF THE GLORY!!!

Not sure when we'll "meet" again. My fast from being online begins
in 20 minutes! So, I guess I can safely say, I'll "see" ya when I "see" ya! : }

Bee blessed, my friend~
Melissa

A CONFESSION

2008-12-31T10:24:00.000-06:00

I never thought that I'd BE ADDICTED! I have
been spending to much time on the computer,
lately. It's all "good stuff", like christian parenting
msg. board, Facebook, blogs, and email.

But, when I am neglecting my duties, it's too much!!!

It's like I'm looking for a Calgon-moment, and I try
to get it by visiting with friends online. I am seeing
that by trying to 'escape', I am putting the very people
I love, on the back burner.

The results are LESS THAN pleasing. SO, I am going
on an indefinate computer fast. I'll ask God when I
should be back online. I desire to tune into God & family,
more than ever before. I am a "social honeybee";
SO PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!

The fast starts tomorrow. January 1, 2009.
So, I'm not ignoring you, I'm just not gonna be
online for a while.

I'll miss you all!!!

I pray that 2009 is your BEST YEAR YET!!!
God's grace and rich blessings!!!

Bee blessed, my friends~
Melissa

Christmas Day Pics 2008

2008-12-29T09:20:00.000-06:00

The Doddridge Family

~December 25, 2008~

Good Morning,

I just received some pics from our Christmas Day.

I wanted to share them with you all.

I hope to start sharing more pics, I'll sure TRY.

You see, I am on the tech-challenged side. I don't know how

to get my pictures where I want them on the page, though.

They keep staying at the top of the post. Hence the 'TRY'.

This Christmas, we were invited to my friend, Maralee's

house, as we are many HOURS from our family!

We had a lovely, laid-back time on our Saviour's birthday!

Good friend, yummy food, it was a great afternoon.

I've loved reading all of the great Christmas blogs.

They are truly inspiring and have been very enjoyable reads.

Thank y'all for sharing your holydays with me! :D

Bee blessed, my friend~

Melissa

Rescued and Redeemed by a Babe in a Manger

2008-12-24T21:23:00.000-06:00

Through another blog friend, I found another
'blog sister'. Her name is Mommy Desiree.
As some of you know, I love to encourage those
who are wanting to 'go gray' to GO FOR IT!
Some of us are just endowed with more of the white
stuff than others!!! : } So, from her blog, I have
borrowed some of what you will read. When the
quotes end, I begin. I hope you'll enjoy your time here.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He,
I am He who will sustain you. I have made you
and I will carry you; I will sustain you and
I will deliver (rescue) you. Isaiah 46:4**

"I will leave you tonight with that beautiful picture
of our sweet Savior cupping us in His hands -even
as our bodies age and our hairs fade to white, He
will carry us; wrinkles, burdens, sadness, joy and all....
it's beautiful......what an awesome God we serve."
~above quote by Mommy Desiree
http://mommydesiree.blogspot.com

**This scripture means so much to me for MANY
reasons. The first part, about gray hair, of course~
I LOVE!!! And, I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the part
where God reminds us that HE made us this way,
that HE will carry us, HE will sustain us, and HE will
rescue or deliver us!!!

As I am posting this, my husband is jobless. He was
laid off from a very good job on December 12th.
We didn't see it coming, but it's okay, God is our Provision!
Yet, we are being held in PERFECT peace. It is HE that is
sustaining us, and not we, ourselves! HE is carrying
us. Our children opened up gifts tonight that we couldn't
afford to give them; so, God used willing vessels to give
my children these spectacular gifts. It was through a
program called 'Blue Santa'. I never thought that we'd
need it, but this year we did. It has so blessed us, and
we want to give back when we are able to. He has 'carried'
us through people willing to be His hands and feet!

On Monday, a week ago, our pastor called my husband.
He (pastor) told him that during his prayer time, he kept
hearing the Lord speak the word RESCUE over our family!!!
Rescue is one of my favourite words in the universe. It
never means anything bad~but quite the contrary!!!
That is what Jesus did for us all so long ago~HE RESCUED US.
And, still today, God sees all and takes care of His children, and
.........rescues us, still TODAY! HALLELUJAH TO THE LAMB!!!

As we celebrate the eve of His birth, let our hearts bubble over
with humble gratitude and thanksgiving over what HE did to rescue us.

Bee blessed, my friend, bee blessed. : }

In His Love,
Melissa Doddridge

Going Deep (Part II)

2008-12-23T17:59:00.000-06:00

Okay! Let's try this again. I got up to do something
and my three-year old son 'went deep' with you!! : }
He hit send, and there you have it~ his own version.

As I was saying, this time of year brings lots of joy,
wonder, love, beauty, fellowship & yummy food.
But, this time of year also brings memories, longing,
and sadness. I'll explain..................................... !

When I was about five years old, my parents divorced.
They fought for my brother and I, it turned out that
we moved to inner-city Chicago with my mom. These
years were hard. I have many difficult memories from
the two years that we lived there. My mom struggled
with demons of drug abuse, among other things. She was
hopelessly beautiful, deeply hurting (hence the drugs),
looking for love in all of the wrong places and faces, and
LOVED the party/disco lifestyle. I was the mom to my
brother who is two years and four months younger. I
was raised for my first five years in the country, so the
city life was NOT for me. I witnessed many things that
I still remember, and could have done without.

I do know that despite all of this, my mother loved my
brother and I very, very much. She would take us to the
Catholic church that was right across the alley from our
apartment building. Sometimes, she was high, but she still
wanted us to know Jesus! I know that she longed to do
better, but sometimes it can seem just out of reach for addicted
people. She would also let us attend an inner-city Saturday
School (like Sunday School on Saturday). A big bus would come
and pick us up and take us to a big warehouse that was a church.
We would see puppet shows about Jesus, sing songs about Him,
and receive pure love from people that knew and adored Jesus!!!
I fell in love with this Jesus at a very young age. With Him, I felt
safe, protected, cared for, and loved. I am so thankful that my
mom permitted us to attend this.

Fast forward to two years later, I was a 7 year old little girl, and it
was almost Christmas time. {Oh, the tears are starting to come}. I JUST
realized that while missing my mom today, it was 28 years ago today
that I saw her, for the last time, in this life. She took us to the airport
to fly to Kansas, to be with my dad, and grandparents. I have a picture
of us together, at the airport, for the last time. She looked like she was
there, but far away. She had a chance to go to Kansas, but she declined.

On January 3, 1981, as I sat at the kitchen table at my paternal grandma's
house, the phone rang. When it rang, I somehow knew that my mom was
gone. She was found murdered in her apartment. God put a buffer around
my brother and I to cope, for the longest time. And, as a small
child, I could climb trees, ride bikes, play with friends, and "forget". Or so I
thought.

When I was 15, the "forgetting" faded and I went through a
clinical depression. It started at the end of October of 1988 and lasted until
January of 1989 (only three months, PRAISE GOD!). I would wake up
every night and cry and "spill my guts" to my grandma, who helped raise
us. She was the vessel that Jesus chose to use. She would listen and say
the most profound things. She wouldn't remember saying them, [as this
would happen each night] somewhere between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. .
Jesus repeatedly spoke through her. And on that fateful day, in January '89,
as I was curling my BIG 80's hair, getting ready for school, the clouds parted.
I mean LITERALLY, the clouds parted. It was like this: the dark cloud that
had been my unwanted companion, overhead for the past few months, then
parted, and light rays from heaven broke through the clouds, and shined down
on me. God delivered me from depression RIGHT THEN, and spoke to my Spirit
that "You will never go there again (depression)." "Yes, you may be sad
sometimes, but that is okay, because I am with you!!!" That was my first
notable and memorable experience with God, personally. And, do you know
what? He is a God of His Word, I have not been depressed again. Sure, I've
been sad, but HE HAS BEEN WITH ME!!! He has won my trust ETERNALLY.

My past, family quirks, lots of love, my own unique experiences makes me, 'me'.
He has given me a heart for the broken-hearted, hurting, lost, & those deemed 'odd'.
Through it all, God has continued to rescue me, draw me closer to Him, show
me His unending AWESOMENESS in how He loves me. So, even though I
don't have a momma (and, I miss her like crazy now that I'm a momma, too),
I have God and an amazing husband, and children that show me TRUE love, daily.

May you remember that in your sadness, you are not alone. God is there.
He loves you beyond description, beyond imagination, beyond words!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Holydays. : }

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Going Deep

2008-12-23T17:53:00.001-06:00

This time of year is filled with lots of wonder, lots of
joy, lots of love, lots of yummy food, and memories
that bring some sadness. I'll explain.oioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Side-Tracked Home Executive

2008-12-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

Remember how I told you in the first blog or two that I
am a Side-tracked Home Executive? Well, I still am!!!
In the middle of blogging the blog below this one, my
aunt called, and I talked her ear off telling her about
how good God has been and how amazingly faithful He's
been to us. After we hung up, I tried to just pick up where
I 'thought' I left off. It didn't work!!!

I left out one of the biggest way that we were blessed
through this whole deal.

On Friday night, we were getting settled in early, when
Michael heard someone at our door. When he got there
noone was there, but there was an envelope stuck to the
door! He opened it and by the time I got to where he was
he had tears in his eyes. He said, "Look at this!!!" He handed
me the card that said, "Merry Christmas! Love, Your Home
School family" and it contained almost $1,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were speechless and our children saw the body of Christ
at it's finest! Talk about faith-building and then some!
Our oldest son, 11, said, "Dad, all I keep thinking is, How GREAT
is our God!!!" That summed it up, truly HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD?!!!

Then today, after being down a bit yesterday, God gave me hope!
Monday through Friday, I receive in my inbox a prophetic bulletin.
Let me share with you part of today's that spoke volumes to my heart.

It said:
"I encourage you, My people. My name is Emmanuel,
for I am with you. I have not forgotten you. I know the
trials, the tribulation and persecution that you endure,
but do not lose hope, and do not grow weary. I am with you!
I am with you to walk with you until the very end of the age.
I am with you to heal and deliver you, to inspire you, and
teach you the way that I have prepared for you. Do not grow
weary in this season. I have not forsaken you. Even when you
feel alone, you are not. Turn your eyes upon Me, and I will lift
you up into My presence. In that place I will prepare you, anoint
you, and cause you to walk with faith in the light of My glory. It
will be in the tests that you will really get to know Me, for in those
times My tangible reality will be made manifest. I have gone
before you to prepare a place for you where your joy shall be full.
Come to Me to have your faith renewed, says the Lord."
I cried as I read this. He is soooooo very in the details of my life!

May you experience His closeness like never before!
I know He's ever-present more than I think I ever have before!!!

Happy Holydays,
Melissa

HE IS TRUSTWORTHY

2008-12-22T18:38:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've been procrastinating with my blog, here.
So many things are happening, and I keep thinking that
I will be able to articulate it "later". Well, later keeps
being, "even later still". So, this may be a bit long. You
may want to grab a cup of something warm and get comfy! ; }

We are now a week and three days into our new 'adventure'.
It has been a wild ride (in a good way) already! God is ONE
amazing Father!!!

Since we've "visited" last, here's a rundown of what it's been like:

On Monday, December 15, Michael was contacted by a company
and they wanted him to meet with them the very next day. He
was jazzed, as this was defying his idea of 'nobody is hiring over
the holydays' (I meant to misspell that! : }). So, on Tuesday, off
he goes to interview. It went well, he actually loves the interview
process (that helps). He said, they gave me a "challenge". He
expressed how he LOVES challenges. They asked him to find
3 prospects and get back to them. So, the next day he found EIGHT!!!
By about 2:30 on Weds., Dec. 17, he called to report his goal met.
They wanted him in on Thursday, things were lookin' good; we
were hopeful. Well, things went very well and they offered him
the job, only they offered him less than half of what he made in
his former job. Not good. We had to turn it down, but were very
thankful that God made it abundantly clear what was to be done!
It was good for Michael's confidence and more than anything it was
good for him to see that God's got this thing! God controls everything.
Michael said that it seems like God was just showing him that He's
hiring WHENEVER He wants, holydays or otherwise. Very COOL. : }

We've been well provided, for in the way of food. We are getting WIC
for the time being, and have received food three times already. Our
pantry and freezer is on the full side. That has been a blessing and
brought me to tears more than once. I am humbled and thankful!!!

On Friday, I told Michael that I was on the "ticked off side" because
I was trying to think of jobs that I could work at to help our family
out in this time of leanness. He kept "shooting down" my great ; }
ideas! So, he gave me a "pep talk" and we accessed my 'gifts'. It was
a very insightful meeting that we had. For my new blog readers,
Michael is my hubby. We decided that some of my 'gifts' are:
Geniune, Energetic, Thinks Outside the Box, Creative, Caring,
Compassionate, Generous, and Smart. WOW! I left that talk feeling
great about what God has put inside of me to share with others.
Michael told me that his prayer was for God to show me where I
would be able to use my gifts and love my job. God showed me
The Boys & Girls Club. I had an interview and things look good.
I know that I shared my heart and was honest and real, so the rest
is up to God, and I feel relieved for it. I shared with the executive
director of the club that when I was a child, I lived in the inner-city
of Chicago. And, that my mom was murdered when I was almost
eight years of age. I have a heart for those that are hurting and that
need encouragement. God has sent so many people across my path
in this journey called life that have been such God-sends, and I want
to be that for others that He needs me to be to.

Our family was given oodles of gifts from a program here called 'Blue
Santa'. I think that the law enforcement here collects these gifts. It
is for families in need, and at this time, that would be US. I am in awe
of how God takes care of us. He's given us some great opportunities to
give with a cheerful heart, and it has been so much fun. You know there
is NOTHING BETTER than when God lets you be a part of what He's doing.
I always tell my kiddos that I love it when God gives us the opportunity
to be the hands and feet of Christ and bring real hope and love to others.
(Really, we get that chance everyday, if we consider those around us, huh?)

On Saturday night, I wrote down EVERYTHING (tiny or huge) that God
has shown us or done for us since Friday, December 12, and do you know
something??? My hand started getting tired, it was so many cool things.
He has above all shown me that HE IS UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY
TRUSTWORTHY!!! What a lesson that is so needed in this life! I am
blown away by His goodness, and by the love of others that live in
'earthsuits'. I hope to share more with you real soon.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that your holydays are full of HIM!!!

Merry Christmas! : }

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Here We Go on an Adventure in Faith!

2008-12-13T20:57:00.000-06:00

Miles for the Month: 2 (felt well enough to walk yesterday!)

Home Exec. Accomplishments: Cleaned kitchen, 2 loads/laundry
Made a yummy and economical potato soup (yay, God!)

God's Provision: Awesome Thurs. Produce Box,
Traded produce for four cute haircuts (Thank you God for Cori!)
Uncommonly good deals at grocery store. A friend treated me to
soda and a sopapilla at Juan Pablos, and my hubby treated
me to time to go and just get away~guilt free.
(Thank you God for Michael, my wonderful husband)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, how time flies when you're having fun!!!
We are entering into a new "adventure" in our
lives. It is an adventure in faith. Yesterday
morning, my husband was laid off from his job.
He was paid a good salary in a sales position, and
is very good at what he does. He was hurt and
disappointed for a bit, until he started to think
about how faithful God has always been to him
and our family. He also started thinking about
how he has encouraged others that are in tough
and similar situations. He told me that he could
either lead by having the same faith that he talked
about, or just be "all talk". He chose the former.
So, yesterday Michael filed for unemployment. We
are unsure about some things that have to do with
that. But, we already thank God for the timing of
this all because after the first of the year the office
here that handles unemployment, etc. will move
to Texarkana (100 miles away). We thank Him
that Michael is able to handle things in person now,
and after he is set up, he is able to use the computer
for that rest of his communication.
You will notice that in addition to the other things
at the top of my blog, I will have a section where I
will be bragging on God and His miraculous provision!
Come along on this journey with us! Please lift up our
family whenever the Lord puts us on your heart. My
prayer yesterday was and remains that the Lord will
use this "adventure" to bring us ever closer to Him, and
ever closer to each other. You know how most stats say
that money problems can tear a marriage apart; but, my
petition to my Daddy is that it knits Michael and I even
closer together, as the team that God intends us to be!!!!!!!
I can already see God answering that prayer, and I am
so thankful and praise HIS Mighty Name for it!
God also put in my spirit yesterday morning the verse
in His Word that talks about being content, whether we
are abound or abased. I know about both. I have lived
both. I am thankful for both. I can remember times
when I was young when times were slim, but I have fond
memories of those times and my daddy's beans and potatoes.
My dad taught me how to be frugal, to make things stretch.
I now know as an adult how hard it can be at time to be an
adult. I so appreciate what my dad did for us back then, and
I have gotten to know how he must've felt when times were slim.
Michael desires to stay very positive about this whole situation.
He knows that from past that God takes care of us, His children.
And, one of the dearest people to me in this life, my friend Maryella,
loves the Scripture that says, "God gives us all that we need for
life and godliness". I don't know the exact addy in the Bible, but I
know that you've probably heard of it, too.
I am so thankful for so many things, I will remain to be, just that~thankful.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.........! Num. 6:24a

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

p.s. The Sulphur Springs Wildcat Varsity football team won today
and now they will be playing for the State Championship!!!!!! GO BIG BLUE!

Are You An Invisible Mom?

2008-12-10T22:28:00.000-06:00

Dear My Fine Blog Friends,

I don't know if you've ever felt like the story below, but I know that I
have. I pray that it will speak volumes to you and soothe you, too!

"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or
even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock
to ask, 'What time is it?'; I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number
is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England .
Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at
the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel
sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me
with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building
when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I
could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their
names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God
saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by
the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God
sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte . I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease
that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one
of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on.

When I really think about it, I don't want my daughter to tell the friend
she's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in
the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd
built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want her to want to come
home. And then, if there is anything more to say to her friend, to add,
'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing
it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not
only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!
Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know... I just did . Wow, I
really needed this, I hope this brings warmth to your heart today too.
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We
never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our
perseverance." ~Not sure who wrote this, but it is awesome (& anonymous)

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Laughter....The Best Medicine!

2008-12-09T21:50:00.000-06:00

How are you all on this chilly night in December, I wonder.
We're all fine and hunkered down at home, well some of us,
that is. Michael and Noah are out-of-town on business.
They will be home tomorrow. Yay!!!

Do you need a good laugh? Well, I've really done something
goofy this time! {Big sigh} Here it goes. Today on Facebook,
I found these really funny dancing bananas. I thought they
were silly and hilarious, all at the same time. Well, I sent them
out to a handful of friends and my handsome hubby. Michael,
the handsome hubby, said, "What's up with the 'dancing banana'?"
(In kind of a prudish way). I said, "Oh babe, it's just a dancing
banana!" Well, later that day, I thought I was really being funny
when I tried to privately send Michael a button to his Facebook
that has a pickle on it and says, "Well, Tickle My Pickle". I saw
this button on a friends Facebook wall, and thought it was funny.
I was thinking that Michael would really blush over this silly button.

Huh! Did this plan ever backfire!!! Instead of hitting 'send', I hit 'send
to everyone'. Yeah, that's right EVERYONE of my Facebook friends.
So that means, my pastor, another pastor, an evangelist who comes
to our church, and the list goes on. I wanted to crawl under a big
rock for a long time! Talk about embarrassed, that's a BIG under-
statement, let me tell you.
So, I tried to send out a little note to all of the guys that are on my
friends list, to assure them that this email was meant for my husband,
but went out to everyone. Oh...........how I am so fullllll of humble pie.

I am thinking that the lesson here is: don't "jack" with your husband,
or your "jacking" may backfire and embarrass you to no end!!!!!!!

Hope you got a good chuckle out of my mishap. You know that they say,
"Laughter is the best medicine." Well, laugh all you want, I don't mind a bit!
"A merry heart doeth good like medicine. Proverbs 17:22 : }

My daughter just tickled my funny bone. She said, "You know that girl on
Anne of Green Schnabels" instead of Anne of Green Gables. She is always
saying something that is too cute and soo funny. Last week, she told me that
she didn't have "Shrek Throat". Oh, how I love her so much! Nighty night.

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

A Poem From My New Friend

2008-12-07T23:13:00.000-06:00

Below is a poem that a new friend in Christ wrote
for me. I was blessed to meet her through another
friend, and you might say that we are kindred spirits.
I've written poems for others as God enabled me to, but
I've never been the recipient of such a cool, personal gift...
until now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. : )

For my new friend, Melissa.
I read your blog of your favorite words,
and thought I'd try to pull them all together
in a poem for you. Not my greatest work but
I did try and so this blog is to you Melissa Doddridge.

Our SAVIOR RESCUE us with His GENUINE love,
Bringing us AUTHENTIC HOPE from above.
EMANUEL our GREAT PHYSICIAN.
Our COMFORTER always without hesitation.

REDEEMER to the OVERCOMER,
He is our FANTASTIC DELIVER.
To GIGGLE with CHEER,
The BRIGHT light consumes all fear.

To LAUGH is pure medicine for the heart,
Honored I was CHOSEN to do the part.
You're WELCOME a thousand times,
Your smile as pay is prime.

Blessed with a new friend in you,
With me around you'll never be blue.
Me being HOME will be cooler than Dizmas,
But till that day I wish you a MERRY Christmas.

Written by: Tracey Marie Schnabel Pike
Live, Laugh, Love Blog:
http://gomergal07.blogspot.com

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

How He Loves Us

2008-12-06T22:51:00.000-06:00

Are there ever times that you feel insecure? I do.
I don't like that about myself, but it is what it is. It
does no good to beat myself up about it, I've tried that
approach with not the best results. Go figure. : )

Lately, while not feeling well, I have gotten a bit down.
I start "wondering" how He(God) could REALLY love
me. I think of all of the reasons that I'm not too crazy
about myself, and reason that why should He? But,
thank God His ways are higher than mine (ours). I
see through a glass darkly, He doesn't, though. He knows
all about me, and He loves me, unconditionally. Sometimes
I can "get" or understand this, so I think, and other times
I doubt and wonder about His unfailing love. I'm not alone in this,
I am reading a book right now called, "He Loves Me! Learning
to Live in the Father's Affection" by Wayne Jacobson. He
writes to tell those of us that "flail", if you will, how much
and how constantly God loves us.

I have abandonment issues from my past, and I don't know
if that is why I am so insecure sometimes. See, my mom
died when I was about a month away from being 8 years old.
I don't know if that's where it began, or if it's always been here.
I guess it doesn't really matter, what matters is finding out how
much my Daddy in Heaven loves me. It's then and only then
that I can love others the way that I was meant to, wholly.
So, I will keep looking to my Daddy to show me the truth and
complete picture of His AMAZING Love to me.

I want to share a quote out of the said book that I am reading:
"In the long run it doesn't matter whether rebellion or religion
keeps you from a vibrant relationship with the Father; the result
is the same. He is cheated out of the vibrant relationship that He
wants with you, and you never come to know how He feels about you."
~Wayne Jacobson pg. 31

May you, my friend, "get" how much He loves you and thrive on
that fact. I am praying to "get" it myself, beyond the shadow of a doubt!

Thanks for stopping by. Please say a prayer that I'll be stronger and
feeling much better soon, as I have a sweet family that is ready for that, too!

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Miracles NEVER Cease!!!

2008-12-05T14:49:00.000-06:00

Well, a miracle has just occured this week. It is the
first time in AGES that I can say that I haven't left
my house in five whole days! You see, on Sunday,
I started feeling ill. It has been a week of feeling
yucky for me. As I reflected, I was amazed by the
fact that I have been home all week. That's very odd
for an outgoing extrovert like myself. I love the great
outdoors and God's creation (people & nature), it gives
me a 'charge', but I have been one homebound momma
this week.
Today, I have been sad and kinda almost weepy. I am
trying hard to NOT feel sorry for myself because I know
that I have so much to be thankful for! Tonight, is the
monthly Mom's Night Out for moms in our homeschool group
that I wanted to attend, but it's not gonna happen. That made me sad.
But, I suppose I need to build a bridge and get over it. : )

On a more positive note:
This week my husband has really stepped up to the plate
and knocked it out of the park! He rescheduled his trip for
Louisiana so that he could work from home this week and
take care of me and our little ones. He has cooked, cleaned,
chauffered, rented movies, picked up medicine/food, a lot!!!
He is a strong, sweet man who I love so deeply and dearly.

I know why I got sick. This is a bit of chastisement from my
loving heavenly Father. Some people say that God does no-
thing bad to us. I guess I don't consider a "spanking" from Him
bad. It goes like this: Last weekend, Michael wasn't feeling good
and on Sunday morning I said something like, "Stop being a baby!"
Yeah, rude. I knew as soon as those words left my mouth that I was
in for it. Have you ever said something and then known, oh, I so
shouldn't have said that? Well, that was me on Sunday morning.
THEN, on Sunday afternoon, my little ones and I, went to a birthday
party and I ate like a glutton. SO, by Sunday night, I was SICK.
I told Michael, that I knew that this was correction for my wayward
ways. I know that God's Word tells us that if we are His we will get
corrected when we need it. As I lay there, feeling like cr*p, I was oddly
grateful to know that I am God's child and He was simply correcting me
for doing what is wrong in His sight. My first offense was arrogance and
pride (irritated at my husband for being sick) and my second, being a pig
(gluttony). I am happy to know that I am HIS and not illegitimate (the b word).

During some of the hardest times in my life, it's like God has brought this 70's song
to my rememberance. It's the one that says, "Oooooh child, things are gonna
get easier, oooooh child, things will get brighter".
I think I need to sing that song to myself today and remind myself that He is so FAITHFUL!

I pray that you and your family stays well this winter and beyond!
I'm glad you came by to visit, please do come again soon. I love your visits!!! : )

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

And, last but not least, "GO SULPHUR SPRING WILDCATS!!!" Their playing
at Texas Stadium tonight in a playoff game! *Old cheerleaders never die!!! ; )*

Words

2008-12-03T18:43:00.000-06:00

Words.......one of the many ways that God has given us
to communicate with those around us and far away. We
are told to choose our words wisely. We are told that our
words can bring death or life. Wow! The power of our
words are more massive than many know!

There are some words in the English vocabulary that
really warm my heart or make me smile when I read
or hear them. This is just the ones that I could think
of as I was laying sick in bed the other day.

* Emmanuel

*Deliverer

*Comforter

*Saviour

*Great Physician

*Redeemer

*Overcomer

*Welcome

*Hope

*Authentic

*Geniune

*Bright

*Home

*Cheer

*Merry

*Giggle

*Laugh

*Fantastic

*Rescue

*Chosen

These are some of my favorite words in the world. I am
sure there are many more, but these are some of my faves.
What about you, what are some of yours? I would love to
hear them!!!

And on a closing note tonight, I have to share some of the
humor from my day. Today, it happened to come from my
one and only daughter, Annalisa (or Annie). She came in
from playing in our backyard with a long pecan, and she said
mom look it's a limo one! A Limo pecan......I thought it was so
cute and funny. Seeing things through the eyes of a child...a gift!
And then, after her nap, she said, "My throat hurts, but I know
it's not 'Shrek Throat'!" Later, I told her it was strep, but oh how
I wish I wouldn't have, because know she's saying it right, and it
was so cute and funny to hear her call it 'Shrek Throat'. LOLLL.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strengh and Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NKJV

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Good Evening, My Friends

2008-12-02T20:01:00.000-06:00

Walked Today: Nada : (
Miles For Month: None : ((
Home Exec. Accomplishment:
Moved some laundry along....and, that's about it.

Good evening, everyone! I'm back after a few days of
being "away". I have been down with a nasty something
or another (strep/flu), not exactly sure~just pretty con-
stant pain since Sunday night. Tomorrow, it will be a week
since I've walked. I feel very rough, so laying in bed, has
been the order of the day. I am so extremely thankful for
my husband who rearranged his schedule to be home with
our little ones and myself during this time of not feeling well.
Tonight, I watched The Passion of the Christ movie. I feel
bad even saying that I feel bad after all He took on our behalf.
His Love for us is soooooooo incredible that it's hard to fully
grasp it, oh how I desire to grasp it, though. So, I seek Him.

The next part of this blog was a "tag" from my friend, Vicki.

Eight Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Worshipping Jesus with wild abandon
2. Singing His Praises for eternity.
3. Giving Him all the honor, glory & praise!
4.Getting out of this sick bed (soon)
5.Being compassionate to those who are sick.
6.Eating the yummy supper my husband is making.
7.Attending CHESS MNO at Vicki's on Friday.
8. Attending CHESS Christmas Party on Sunday.

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:
1.Felt very yucky
2.Laid in bed (a lot)
3.spent about 10 min. on computer
4.Took a shower. (ahhhhhh!)
5.Read.
6.Prayed.
7.A little laundry
8.Cleaned the litter boxes

Eight Things on my Wish List:
1. Jesus to come back soon and we all be ready to go HOME!!!
2. Clean and pure water and air
3. Michael to get his bonus before Christmas
4. No more evil people -anywhere/ever!
5. Sustained good health for all those I know for keeps
6. All to know, love, and serve Jesus
7. The funds to pay off all debt we owe to ANYONE
8. To be EXACTLY the woman God wants for me to be

Eight Shows I Used to Watch When We Had Cable:
1. Extreme Makeover -Home Edition
2. The Duggars on TLC
3. Home Improvement (early 90's sitcom)
4. Take Home Chef on TLC
5. TLC Makeover Show with Stacey and Clinton (forgot name)
6. FOX News
7. Men & Trees
8. San Antonio Living

Whew! Got that finished................................yee haw! ; }

Oh, and last but certainly NOT least, God is seeing to it that
our van will be fixed, I praise God and give Him all of the glory and praise
for always taking such good care of us. He's truly the best daddy~EVER!

Hope it won't be too long until we "meet" again.

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

God Is Our Protector ~ Worthy of ALL Our Praise!!!

2008-11-28T22:27:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful to God tonight for His Protection.

Let me back up a bit, to fill you in on the details.
On most Friday evenings, I attend a support group
called 'Celebrate Recovery'. It's a great group that
is Christ-centered. It is a group that reaches out to
those that have 'hurts, habits, and hang-ups'. A few
months ago, I thought this would be just the place to
go and to unload in a healthy way some hurts that I'd
been carrying all too long. And, be forthright about
some habits, like yelling, anger, and sometimes rage that
I do not want to embrace, but rather forsake.

So, tonight, during Celebrate Recovery, someone broke
into our van. This person shattered the window behind
the front passenger seat. They also ruined the door
handle, and now that door cannot be used until it is repaired.

In the natural, this isn't good timing, as we are having some
issues with our insurance company. It is my prayer that
God will make a way before us, and remove any roadblocks
that would be in the path to our van being fully repaired.
But, even though in the natural things don't "look" good.
I am praising my King, because He has ALWAYS been
faithful to me. His faithfulness hasn't depended on mine, He
is the author of faithfulness. He put in my Spirit, Joshua 1:9,
"Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
you wherever you may go." He has also reminded me that I
"walk by faith and not by sight". And, He brought to memory
that we are to "cast all of our cares on Him, for He cares for us."
(Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7) Hallelujah, He's got this!

You know with God, there are no coincidences. Tonight, my
four children were not with me. That is great, they needn't be
afraid! The people who broke into our van took NOT ONE THING!
My best guess is that they got startled, and weren't able to finish
what they started, or they saw that there was not DVD players or
fancy radios ~ Praise God!!! God is in EVERY SINGLE DETAIL!!!

I look forward to letting you know how God creatively resolves this.
He is a creative God, you know! Our finances are not in a good place
for this to happen, but God's are! I am so thrilled to be His child. He
is a good daddy that proved it once again by taking care of His little girl
tonight. I give Him all of the honor, glory, and praise for He ALONE is WORTHY!!!

Thank God tonight for your safety, and please pray for the person that
broke into our van. This person needs to run smackdab into the amazing
love of God. Only God can change a heart and makeold sinful ways so unappealing.
Thank you, my friend, thank you for praying for this soul. (And reading this long entry.)

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

Honeybee Poetry: Have You?

2008-11-28T12:37:00.000-06:00

Have you ever felt like you just didn't count?
Like a fish out of water?
Like the odd man out?

Have you ever longed in your heart,
For a love that was true?
That understands~and STILL loves you.

There is One; with a love so deep!
Whose unconditional Love beckons you to seek.
His strong arms that will never fail~
When the battle renders you too frail.

God said our hearts ,Are full of deceit.
Yet He never departs;
Whether we're strong or weak.

I know that I know,
I can trust His love.
He is always faithful
Unfailing in mercy from above!

Inspired by God
Written by: Melissa Hisle Doddridge

Our Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T22:12:00.000-06:00

Distance Walked Today: zipparooni (a word I made up)
Miles for the Month: 22
Home Exec. Accomplishments:
Dishes, Tidied Up House, 1 Load/Laundry
Laundry~Kept up COMPLETELY for a week now!!!**

This has been a very easy-going, laid-back Thanksgiving.
You see, this is the first Thanksgiving since my husband
has lost both of his parents, so it was a hard hump that
had to be crossed.
We enjoyed lots of delicious food and
lots of rest and relaxation. I can't remember even ONE
time that our kiddos fussed at each other today, and with
four little ones, that's a good day! : }
I hope that your day was one that will leave a good memory,
and if it wasn't, remember that His mercies are new every
morning. His, meaning God's, and HE loves you soooo much!
Thanks for coming by for a visit. I love it when you stop by!

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

**The info. at the top is to encourage me to keep on keepin' on. ; }

Wonderful Ham, Yummy Husband....

2008-11-26T17:54:00.000-06:00

Distance Walked Today: 3 miles
Miles for the Month: 22 miles
Home Exec. Accomplishments:
Made Homemade Tortillas, Homemade Salsa
Pea Salad, Cleaned the kitchen, 1 load/laundry**

.....Oh? Did I get those mixed up?! LOL ; }
I know how the Bible tells us to 'not brag'.
So, I'm not going to do that. I'm just going
to TELL you all some of my husbands accomp-
lishments (today). First, he made some
coffee and made a cinnamon streudel coffee
cake for breakfast. It was hot and ready to
eat when we all woke up this morning. He
really loves to make breakfast for us all. He
is an early bird, and he just loves to regularly 'whip'
stuff up. Then, he went to the store today (un-
announced), and BRAVED the crowds. Yikes!
and I do mean braved.....he said it was crazy
packed out there. He brought home a ham and
baked it all afternoon, and it smelled way toooooo
scrumptious. I don't even like ham, and my mouth
was watering because of the wonderful aroma!
AND, it was very yummy!

This Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for so many
things. When I try to narrow down the list, I feel
like I'm gonna leave something really great out, and
that won't work! You know, Jesus, grace, mercy,
breath, health, yummy hubby, my four little chitlins,
family, friends, cardinals, autumn leaves and colors,
etc................................................................................... .

I pray that amid this awesome season, you will break
away (even if it is in a five minute shower) and think,
really think about ALL of those good things in your life
that seem so easy to take for granted.

You see, sometimes,I make the bad mistake of taking my
wonderful husband for granted, and I don't want to do that
anymore. I want to be THANKFUL for his wonderfulness,
and show him that thankfulness DAILY.

If you have someone nearby to hug.....go give'em a big hug!
And, as you're hugging them, THANK GOD FOR THEM.

I pray that you will sense the presence & Love of God all around you.

I'm thankful for you, my friend!

Bee blessed my friend,
Melissa

**The section at the top is to encourage me, to keep on keepin' on! ; }

Meet Our Family....

2008-11-25T15:53:00.000-06:00

This is our little family.

Pictured: Nicholas 11, Michael Clayton 18, Noah 7,

Annalisa 6, Michael, Nate 3, and Melissa

Random

2008-11-24T16:11:00.000-06:00

Miles Walked Today: 4
Miles for the Month: 19
Home Exec. Accomplishments:
Straighten up a bit, house lookin' good!

OKAY! Since we're just getting to really
know each other here, I must admit to you
that I am 'random'. Random? Yes, random.
You see, I am on the board for our local home
school group, and our president decided that
we should do a leadership qualities analysis.
So, I learned concretely that I am a very ran-
dom person. I scored almost identically in the
'concrete random' and 'abstract random' areas.
I thought it was funny and verrrrry accurate!
I told Michael (my wonderful hubby), and asked
if he would take the test, too. He did! And, guess
what!!! He was EXACTLY the opposite of random
ol' me. He was an even 40/40 score in the 'concrete'
categories. I said with surprise, "We are complete
opposites!!!" And his response........."You needed
that test to tell you that?!" It just helps sometimes
to remember that for some mysterious reason, oppo-
sites do attract, and if lived correctly we will compliment
one another and not kill one another ; }. (Still working on this!)
I said all of this, to tell you that, if for some reason, I get
sidetracked and go off in left field in one of my blogs,
you will know where I'm coming from! Please just stick
with me, I'm usually 'going somewhere' with what I'm
saying. Just sometimes, I take the scenic route ; }!

Healed By His Love

Healed from Halloween

God's Grace & The Dishwasher Principle

Joyful + Submission + Obedience = Sweet Release Pt.2

Joyful + Submission + Obedience = Sweet Release (Pt. 1)

Meet 'Faith Barista'

True Friends are True Treasures

Maximize Your Mornings: Inspired to Action

Do You French?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

New Cupcake On The Block

Finish Strong

Who's Helping Who?

Prairie Girl-at-Heart

Oh Where, Oh Where Do I Even Begin.......

Missing Loved Ones This Time of Year?...I Understand (My Story)

Forget the Past....

Don't Wanna Go One More Day.....

My *GRACE* Birthday Is Today!!!!!

HAPPY OCTOBER!

God's Grace Is SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Gentle Reminders.....

ONE DAY

At The Foot Of The Cross

BOUGHT

Surrender and Such..........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE

Hurting

Zucchini Salsa

MIA Echoed

Can Fiction Be Fabulous?

God's Wonderful Word

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Annie

Motherless Mommies :.(

My Little Guy

My Husband ROCKS...........

Got Belly Fat?

God BLESS You~~~Always!!!

Please Pray for the Freeman Family

More on APRONS.........Yayyyyyyy!

Mother's Day Giveaway

My Husband ROCKS.........

Ever Had An Abortion?

Do You Really "Get" Grace????

Meet My Friend, Alene........

It's Me...........His Honeybee

Two APRON Giveaways!!!!!!!!!

My Husband ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa Leonard Designs: A Jewelry Giveaway

Please Pray for Jesse!

All About Aprons

Thinking of Julie

Our Family Has GROWN........

See You After Resurrection Day

The Seven-Word Challenge

My Husband ROCKS

Happy Gratituesday!

My Husband ROCKS

Loving Like Jesus.......

My GOD ROCKS!

We're SECURE in Him (Jesus)

Have You Seen This Yet????

My Husband ROCKS

God is in the Details

The Yo-Yo

My Husband Rocks

My Husband Rocks

King Ranch Chicken Nachos

Me and Mary Magdalene

My Husband ROCKS!

Urgent Prayers Needed...........

Thank You Lord for Praying Coaches

Bush Moving Out; Obama Moving In.......

Praying Football Team Wins State Title

LAMBS OR 'KIDS'?

I'm God's BABE

I'm Back

Do You Need a Smile?

A CONFESSION

My GRACE Birthday Is Today!!!!!