It's the Things We Can't See We Have To Worry About

Spring is finally here! Everyone is saying it from all forms of social media the message is clear. Spring is in the air. Although for some, winter still presides like a sentry that won't give up its post. We know it's coming but it certainly is taking its time getting here. For me as I sit here at my desk typing this blog post, I am looking at the window watching tiny snow-like pollen drift into the winds that are blowing westward to some unknown location. For us here in the desert in California, we have had only two days of rain that made up our "winter." It spells disaster because we are already suffering from a horrible drought. Every time I drive past the water reservoir in Gilroy, it deeply saddens me. Every lake is well below the drought lines more so than ever before and its frightening. For us, the season hasn't changed like we had hoped. Winter simply never showed up and that means it will be a brutal summer.

For me, it means that allergies are going to be worse than ever before. I now have to monitor things like the pollen forecast because of the things in the air I can see, but much worse is the things I can't see that will make me miserable. It means having boxes of tissue handy, allergy medicines and keeping the windows shut tight and avoid outdoor activities like sitting in the backyard and enjoying all the beautiful flowers that are just beginning to bloom in abundance. All those flowers like freesia, carnations and lavender that I have been patiently waiting for, I can't really enjoy because it might mean days of allergies, difficulty breathing, sneezing and watery eyes.

But you know, I can't pass up the opportunity when the winds aren't blowing or in the cooler evening hours to get outside for a short time and enjoy it as brief as I can. Sin is a lot like that. It begins in the smallest of ways. It creeps up on you when you least expect it and before you know it, you are in hot water. It begins in the most innocent of ways. Talking to people about your marriage problems with the opposite sex, even if they are simply your very best friend. Sampling a slice of bread while struggling on your diet, or taking just a bite of something you know simply isn't going to help you get to your weight loss goal. There is never such a thing as one innocent bite. That is how cravings form.

We need to be on guard for the things we can't see. The ones that destroy in the subtle ways, slowly at first. It begins in our thoughts, then moves into words and before we know it action. Sometimes we don't even realize it's happening before we are really in a place we wish we had never been before. The Bible is very clear that our enemy is always looking for a way to bring us down. To find a place where we are weak. The battle is never ending for him and he is looking for a way to devour us and lead us away from doing what we know we should be doing.

That is why we need to guard our thoughts. Nothing is innocent simply because we think about it. I mean we aren't doing it right? Wrong! Those thoughts are your own. Ask God to remove those thoughts from you and to think on things that are of God instead. Picture this if you're unsure about your thoughts...if you had a giant television screen above your head where everyone could see what you are thinking, are you okay with what they are seeing? If not, you might want to turn that program off and pray.

There is nothing like a white lie or a little sin. Sin is sin! We need to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't take root and make our lives miserable. It's the things we can't see, that we have to worry about things like pollen and things like sin. We have to take preventive measures to ensure we aren't miserable. For me and my allergies, it's my allergy medicine and doing the right things to prevent myself from being attacked either way. For protecting myself against sin, it's spending time with my Bible and learning more about God's truth so I can see the lies when they come. It helps me have a more happy life and set better examples for my family. It's realizing as long as I am living, those attacks will come but I don't always have to fail. With God's help, I can enjoy my life and bring glory to His name everyday walking in the life He has planned for me. It's so much better that way than trying to do it myself.

James 1: 13-15 NIV ~ "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Philippians 4:8 NIV ~ "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Gardening with God

Why do we look for weeds instead of flowers in our daily walk?

If you’re like me, I love to garden! I love spring for the benefits of great smelling lavender, roses and herbs. I have a couple of gardens in my backyard. I have a border of roses along my fence of all different colors. I prefer roses that have a long lasting smell and vibrant color. I also have incorporated lavender as well because the bees seem to prefer it. If you can attract the bees, your flowers will bloom like crazy. Plus an added benefit of the lavender is that our hummingbirds love it from the occasional sugar water we have out for them.

I also have two gardens that my kids each have. In one, I have a dwarf, granny smith apple tree and the apple blossoms in the spring are something unforgettable and beautiful. Caitlyn has some mini roses in her garden and a rose bush that produces some vibrant purple/pink flowers. Kailee on the other hand has mini roses and night blooming jasmine so that we have fragrance all day and night long. We also have some freesia plants that grow in containers alongside our spa. Love that tropical smell!

I also tried my first herb garden this year after trying to grow a raspberry plant for two years and saw no results. So we uprooted that, and now have strawberries, cilantro and chocolate mint growing. We had an early snowfall this year, which dumped some two feet of snow and killed our tomato and basil plants. So we will replant in the spring and try again. Gotta love growing your own produce. I really want to try to plant a lemon and orange tree if not for the blossoms but for the fruit as well. Plus think of all that freshly made orange juice and lemonade.

It is often too easy to become distracted by being ungrateful in our daily lives. Too often we spend our prayer lives asking for our own personal wants and needs, our adversities to be lifted, our trials to be eliminated or shortened, occasionally toss in the needs of a friend or love one and we forget to thank God. We forget when our prayers are answered to stop and say thanks to Him. We often pray with needs in mind but not thanksgiving for what we already have. Another beautiful day, filled with the breath of life, a healthy body, loving kids, warm homes, a car that starts when you turn the key. How come we take for granted this things and think we don’t need to thank God for them. Is it because we think we deserve it or because God just does it without being asked or is it that we simply take such things for granted?

“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NCV).

I have to pass along a story from Sidney Connell I read recently. When her brand-new bicycle was stolen, she called her dad with the bad news. He expected his daughter to be upset. But Sidney wasn’t crying. She was honored. “Dad,” she boasted, “out of all the bikes they could have taken, they took mine.” Gratitude is always an option.

I believe we should make gratitude our default option and you may just find yourself giving thanks for the problems of life.

Management consultant Robert Updegraff wrote:

“You ought to be glad for the troubles on your job because they provide about half your income. If it were not for the things that go wrong, the difficult people with whom you deal, and the problems of your working day, someone could be found to handle your job for half of what you are being paid. So start looking for more troubles. Learn to handle them cheerfully and with good judgment, as opportunities rather than irritations, and you will find yourself getting ahead at a surprising rate. For there are plenty of big jobs waiting for people who are not afraid of troubles “.(Alan Loy McGinnis, “The Balanced Life: Achieving Success in Work and Love (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1997), 56-57.

As you can see as a gardener, sometimes, all I can do is find those irritating weeds that grow in my garden. You know the ones that despite how many weed killers or organic home treatments you try, so many inches of mulch, they just keep on coming back. We need to indwell a garden of grace. God’s love sprouts around us like lilacs and towers over us like Redwood pines, but we go on weed hunts. How many flowers do we miss in the process?

If you look long and hard enough you will always find something to complain about. So quit looking! Lift your eyes off the weeds and major in the grace of what God has to offer.

Welcome to my Garden and Prom!

Even though prom was on Saturday, it has taken me awhile to get these up and posted. First, I talk about my garden and how I love spending time in the oasis Steve has been so lovely to create for me, I wanted to take you all on a tour. So we start off by coming into our two story lovely home that God has blessed us with. Notice the sky? This is standard stuff here every day.


Here the some of my most fragrant roses right by our front door. We simply open these windows and let their fragrance enter our home.



Stepping into our backyard from the back patio door looking to the left this is our view, yup even more roses! I can name them all and tell you when I got them and from whom. This is why my hubby doesn't buy me cut flowers any more. He simply cuts them from our garden. Just in front of you lies my first freesia plant, I keep them in containers so I can move them out of the winds when necessary!



Continuing on in front of you lies even more roses! In the containers in front of the posts are carnations in containers!



Now past the grass and rose beds lies our patio with Bar-B-Que, patio table and chairs and our latest relaxing addition from three years ago, our spa. Steve custom built the gazebo covering for me on my plans. I wanted some partial shade from the hot desert sun but at night I still wanted to see our star filled skies! The pink carnations are spilling over the pots on either side of the spa steps!




Looking past the patio table next to the Bar-B-Que you see our strawberry garden with more freesia in them along with marigolds to bring in the hummingbirds and butterflies. Further beyond that lies our apple tree with more roses, marigolds and ground-cover assylum. Steve is planting giant sunflowers in the garden as well so we hope to see those tower over our fence this summer.


To the left of the spa is the bird fountain with even more roses bushes and night blooming jasmine climbing the fence with another table and chairs for sitting by the spa.

Here is a close up of the fountain which sounds amazing if you are just hanging out in the backyard or enjoying the spa.


Or you could sit in a more comfortable place on the side of the spa and hang out if you don't want to get wet while reading a book your reviewing cause you are still recovering from surgery per doctors orders.

My all time favorite flower, lavender which is really two small plants that sit in the corner between my roses. I love picking it and adding it to my bouquets of roses or drying it and adding it to sachets! The bees just love it.

Now you've been to my garden, care to join me in a cup of tea and some words from the Bible?

So now it's time for prom. Let me tell you this was a super busy day. Starting the night before when Caitlyn's best friend, Katie showed up and the preparations began, your typical girl stuff and then movie night, The Count of Monte Cristo! Just what girls need romance before prom. At 11am on Saturday morning after showers and breakfast, we started hair and makeup when Katie's mom showed up.

Here is Caitlyn ready to leave to head on over to her boyfriends house.

Here is a picture of Caitlyn and Katie in the garden out back.

Just Caitlyn!

Caitlyn with her prom date and boyfriend Andrew at his home.

From left to right, Katie's date, Travis, Katie, Caitlyn and Andrew.

Walking down the red carpet to their prom before departing on buses!

Caitlyn, and her best friends, Rachel and Katie!

My favorite picture of Caitlyn and Katie! Just the clarity and their eyes looked amazing. Not to mention it was freezing cold and windy that day.

Got to have a silly prom picture with your BFF!

The group picture of BFF's all heading to their Junior Prom for 2010. The theme, Mid Summer Night's Dream! Pictured here are Andrew, Caitlyn, her best guy friend from Track, Manual, Katie and Travis.

Their Junior Prom was held at a lakeside lodge in the mountains. The kids were all required to go by charter bus and back to ensure their safety.

They had the best time and we picked them up at 2am. Next year they will all be driving themselves and heading to Denney's after wards. I mean who doesn't like pancakes at 2am?

Make A Big Deal Out of Your Life!

I love gardens! Ever since I can remember I have always loved hanging out in them. When I was a child about 9, my dad planted this huge vegetable garden in my backyard. He made a clubhouse for me out of cornstalks where I could just sit and hang out in the garden.

For some reason it gives me peace just sitting among God’s creations. To see the beauty and colors of the many flowers and how it attracts bird, bees and flitterbys! When we bought our first house, I had a great imagination for what kind of garden I wanted in my backyard. Half of it was landscaped and the rest remained dirt. I knew I wanted a place where I could find solace and serenity, a place for quiet time for me, but also a time to enjoy with the family.

So I began by planting roses, they had to be all different colors and extremely fragrant. The best I have found are Jackson and Perkins, which Lowe’s used to sell. Now for some reason they don’t. I have about 12 rose bushes. I told my hubby long ago before he bought me flowers to just buy a rose bush, that way; I can enjoy the beauty of the flowers all year long and not just the time that a dozen will last in a vase. They never do smell quite the same.

Then we added marigolds, and lavender to attract hummingbirds and flitterbys to our garden. Just this year we added a small vegetable garden with strawberries, chocolate mint, cilantro and soon again, tomatoes. Nothing tastes quite as good as a freshly grown tomato. We also have apple trees as well and I am searching for something that grows well in the shade. My hubby also added to fountains so we can enjoy the sound of water when the weather is nice on the patio. I guess I am creating my own heaven on earth for now, til I make it home to the real heaven at some point.

My garden is my sweetest spot in my home. Do you have a sweet spot? “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is. “ 1 Corinthians 12:7.

Too often as I pass through and read so many blogs, I find people questioning their own self worth lately. I began explaining it to my kids in the car while we went to pick up my daughter’s boyfriend from school. I told my daughters that for years I wondered what God’s purpose was in my life, since I was no longer contributing to our finances by not working any longer, and yet not doing anything besides being a mom, had also left me feeling empty for many years.

I always felt that God was calling me to a higher purpose. I told them I finally got peace about my current place in life, not only as a stay at home mom and wife, but what I believe God’s gift to me was. I honestly believe I am an “encourager”, someone who will hopefully make you feel better if you are doubting yourself. If you are down and out, I am hopefully a little bit of God’s sunlight to make your day a bit brighter.

I have always been that way, for as long as I can remember. I always wanted to be used in a bigger capacity but God has revealed that He is using me this way. Sometimes I am merely the stepping stone in someone’s life on the way to God. Sometimes, He may use me to lead someone to God, but I believe He uses me when the seed has been planted and people begin to doubt whether they are worthy enough. God is using my talents in the way. He also uses me when people are feeling low and discouraged. He uses me to make them feel better about themselves and to keep the enemy from sneaking in. I am happy with my gift and with God’s help I plan to use it everyday in every way to glorify Him!

So how do you know what God has called you to do? How can you find out if the light isn’t all that clear? When God gives you an assignment, He also gives you the skills. So study your skills, then to reveal your assignment.

What do you do best that others would struggle with, Your uncanny ability to organize the mess in your home. Your ability to nurture and help others. Your ability to be creative, to paint, to write, to take pictures. Heed that inner music. No one else hears it the way you do. Our Maker gives assignments to people, “to each according to each one’s unique ability. (Matthew 25:15). As he calls, he equips. Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.

You have one. A divine spark. “The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.” 1 Corinthians 12:7. So each of us has something special to offer. Don’t worry about the skills you don’t have. Don’t covet strengths others do have. Just extract your uniqueness. “Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.” (2 Tim. 1:6). And do so to….make a big deal out of God…..every day of your life!

Gardening with God

Why do we look for weeds instead of flowers in our daily walk?

If you’re like me, I love to garden! I love spring for the benefits of great smelling lavender, roses and herbs. I have a couple of gardens in my backyard. I have a border of roses along my fence of all different colors. I prefer roses that have a long lasting smell and vibrant color. I also have incorporated lavender as well because the bees seem to prefer it. If you can attract the bees, your flowers will bloom like crazy. Plus an added benefit of the lavender is that our hummingbirds love it from the occasional sugar water we have out for them.

I also have two gardens that my kids each have. In one, I have a dwarf, granny smith apple tree and the apple blossoms in the spring are something unforgettable and beautiful. Caitlyn has some mini roses in her garden and a rose bush that produces some vibrant purple/pink flowers. Kailee on the other hand has mini roses and night blooming jasmine so that we have fragrance all day and night long. We also have some freesia plants that grow in containers alongside our spa. Love that tropical smell!

I also tried my first herb garden this year after trying to grow a raspberry plant for two years and saw no results. So we uprooted that, and now have strawberries, cilantro and chocolate mint growing. We had an early snowfall this year, which dumped some two feet of snow and killed our tomato and basil plants. So we will replant in the spring and try again. Gotta love growing your own produce. I really want to try to plant a lemon and orange tree if not for the blossoms but for the fruit as well. Plus think of all that freshly made orange juice and lemonade.

It is often too easy to become distracted by being ungrateful in our daily lives. Too often we spend our prayer lives asking for our own personal wants and needs, our adversities to be lifted, our trials to be eliminated or shortened, occasionally toss in the needs of a friend or love one and we forget to thank God. We forget when our prayers are answered to stop and say thanks to Him. We often pray with needs in mind but not thanksgiving for what we already have. Another beautiful day, filled with the breath of life, a healthy body, loving kids, warm homes, a car that starts when you turn the key. How come we take for granted this things and think we don’t need to thank God for them. Is it because we think we deserve it or because God just does it without being asked or is it that we simply take such things for granted?

“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NCV).

I have to pass along a story from Sidney Connell I read recently. When her brand-new bicycle was stolen, she called her dad with the bad news. He expected his daughter to be upset. But Sidney wasn’t crying. She was honored. “Dad,” she boasted, “out of all the bikes they could have taken, they took mine.” Gratitude is always an option.

I believe we should make gratitude our default option and you may just find yourself giving thanks for the problems of life.

Management consultant Robert Updegraff wrote:

“You ought to be glad for the troubles on your job because they provide about half your income. If it were not for the things that go wrong, the difficult people with whom you deal, and the problems of your working day, someone could be found to handle your job for half of what you are being paid. So start looking for more troubles. Learn to handle them cheerfully and with good judgment, as opportunities rather than irritations, and you will find yourself getting ahead at a surprising rate. For there are plenty of big jobs waiting for people who are not afraid of troubles “.(Alan Loy McGinnis, “The Balanced Life: Achieving Success in Work and Love (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1997), 56-57.

As you can see as a gardener, sometimes, all I can do is find those irritating weeds that grow in my garden. You know the ones that despite how many weed killers or organic home treatments you try, so many inches of mulch, they just keep on coming back. We need to indwell a garden of grace. God’s love sprouts around us like lilacs and towers over us like Redwood pines, but we go on weed hunts. How many flowers do we miss in the process?

If you look long and hard enough you will always find something to complain about. So quit looking! Lift your eyes off the weeds and major in the grace of what God has to offer.