Fur Babies: Great Comforters

I had no idea that as I wrote my blog on prayer last week how badly I would be in need less than 48 hours later. The reason is not something I wish to talk about publicly just yet, that will be a topic for a later blog.  What I want to talk about today is my fur baby.

What amazes me is the fact of how in-tuned to my emotional needs my little dog Dixie has been. She has always been my little shadow, but the last few days she has been my constant companion.  We brought her home on a September day in 2004. She was such a little bitty thing and at the time we didn't know for sure what kind of dog she was. In fact we're still not 100% sure, but we do know she has some Jack Russell terrier and Poodle blood in her.

As I said, she has been right with me the entire week, she lays with me on the coach. If I have been in bed, she lays on the floor by my bedside and when I move, she moves. She follows me all over the house and even when I go outside.  It is so strange that she is able to pick up on how I feel and that she has tried so hard to make me feel better and to comfort me the only way she knows how.

I can see how dogs can make such an impact on our lives and our health. I don't need them to do countless studies on the benefits of owning a pet. I can speak from first hand experience. I have to admit that sometimes she gets on my nerves with her high pitch bark, but she believes herself to be our protector and defender and I love her for that.

If you have a pet do all you can to protect them, care for them, and love them. There is no limit to the love and comfort they can show you. I honestly believe that God brings our pets into our lives to do exactly that and I believe that God expects us to do the same for them. In fact the bible says in Proverbs 12:10a, A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:. 

So grab your pet and give them a big hug today and maybe even a special treat, they deserve it for all the "good" they do for us.

"That's my "two cents worth", what's yours?"

The Power of Prayer!

I haven't really talked very much about my beliefs, but today I want to share some with you.  I am a born again Christian, meaning I believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I believe he is the Son of God, was born of a virgin, died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day.  Eight years ago this coming August, I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me, he did and my life has never been the same.  I wanted to share this with yall before I wrote on prayer. You see prayer is a very important part of my life and I know it works.  Most people only think about prayer when someone is sick or hurting, but I know prayer can work in all types of situations.  Please don't take that statement the wrong way.  There have been times I have prayed about the "big stuff",  in fact my husband and I are praying about some "big stuff" right now. There have also been times I have prayed about the "little things", stuff that would seem insignificant to others.  For example, I remember this one time several years ago when my youngest child was in need of some new pajamas for winter (the kind with the feet in them).  As you know from my post on frugal living I hate to pay full price for anything, so I made a trip to our local goodwill and on the way I prayed that I would be able to find what she needed.  As a side note, she was also wanting a housecoat, so she could be like Mommy and Sissy, so I was praying to find one of those too.  As soon as I walked into the  childrens section I saw a little pink housecoat with the princess written on it and it was just the right size.  I was also able to find her two sets of pajamas.  You can't convince me that prayer doesn't work! 

The Bible has many verses specifically about prayer:

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

There is nothing to "big" or to "little" to go to God about. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 the Bible says:  Pray without ceasing. This simply means pray at all times concerning all things. 

Of course the Bible also tells us in Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:, this means if we have sin in our hearts God will not hear our prayer.  If you are not saved the most important thing you can do today is to pray and ask Jesus to save you, that is the only prayer God will hear from a sinner. 

When we read John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In this verse we learn that God sent his son to die for all men and that all we need to do is believe. 

In 2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.), we learn that today is the day of Salvation. Please don't wait or put it off until another day. Get saved so you can spend eternity in Heaven, not Hell. 

"That's my "two cents worth", whats yours?"

* If you need more to help you understand salvation you can read what is commonly referred to as the Romans Road. It consists of the following verses: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23a, Romans 6:23b, Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9,10, 
Revelation 3:20a. The following link will give you the additional information you may need for more understanding: http://www.merrill.org/kjv1611/roman_road.html

* All verses quoted in this blog were taken from the 1611 King James Version of the Holy Bible. 

Summer Break: Vacation Time

First off I must apologize for being blog absent for so long, there has just been so much going on for us lately that I honestly have not had time to write.

One thing I love most about summer, besides school being out, is the fact that it is vacation time. I love going on trips with my family, seeing new things and new places.  Of course summer isn't the only time for vacationing. We love to go to the beach in the fall and a couple of years ago we went to Disney World at Christmas, but typically summer is when most people go on vacation. 

Most people head to the same place every year, perhaps the beach or the mountains, but not us. We are always looking for somewhere new and different to see.  We usually start about six months ahead of time deciding where we are going and then finding a place to stay. After that we work on sights to see and attractions, of course by we, I mean me.  I do all the planning then we have a family meeting to go over all the details, adding or subtracting certain ones until we have it just right.  I remember one specific vacation years ago to Pigeon Forge. We had reservations for the Dixie Stampede our first night and we needed to be there early.  I had planned for us to arrive at our hotel early so we could rest up and change, before heading over to the show, but a tractor trailer accident along with a three hour traffic jam almost did me in.  We still managed to arrive early enough to change, but with no time to rest.  I learned two valuable lessons that day: 

1. Always make sure your plans are adjustable. 

2. Vacation is exactly that, vacation, try to relax and enjoy it. 

Our family meeting this year is scheduled for tonight. I have spent the last couple of days working on the details for our trip in a few weeks. I hope my family has fun and enjoys themselves. I won't reveal our location, that will be a later blog, but it is sure to be an interesting one. 

So go out this summer and take a trip. It could be a week or just a day trip, but something is better than nothing. Spend some time with your family and make some memories that will last a lifetime. 

Happy Summer and Happy Vacationing!! 

"That's my "two cents worth", what's yours?"