can u fathom this?

23 December 2016

NIV365-DAY:

Ephesians 2:8-9 NASBS

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

No Strings

It’s hard to believe that God knows everything I’ve done and still accepts me.

Read

Our acceptance in God’s eyes is a no-strings-attached gift. It isn’t a reward for our good behavior. It’s not something we can pay God back for by doing all the things we think he wants us to do. God gave us our salvation. Jesus paid a high price for it, so it wasn’t free; but it’s free to us. It’s a gift that he wanted us to have because he is good and loving.

Paul said it like this: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8 – 9).

Think

God’s grace is hard to grasp because in the world nothing comes for free. Grace is the way of God because that’s how deep his love goes. The awkwardness we feel when we realize Jesus died to save us and there’s nothing we can do to earn our salvation is a glimpse of how deep God’s love and goodness goes. It’s almost awkward to be loved this deeply. This is intense, overwhelming love. It’s love beyond anything we could ever repay. It’s too much. It’s too good. And, well, that’s who God is. He is too good. He is too much. He is overwhelming love.

Live

When you sin, return to God. But remind yourself of what Jesus did in order for you to do so. Then, even though it’s difficult, bring your sin and guilt to God and receive the love that he offers in exchange. Sit in the intensity of the moment; don’t run from it.

As you experience all kinds of feelings, know this: You’re experiencing the intensity of God’s love. This is God’s heart. He is audaciously loving, shockingly kind and unfailingly forgiving. Let it sink in to your heart that this is who he is and what his heart is like. He is so incredibly good.

Taken from NIV The Great Rescue Bible

my Christmas wish list...🤔

13 December 2016

NIV365-DAY:

Matthew 6:20 NASBS

[20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

Treasure

Jesus urges his followers not to collect “treasures on earth” because the temporary trinkets of the world don’t last. Some break down or rust away. Termites make lunch out of others. Instead, Jesus commands us to seek real profits — not material ones that pad only our wallets, but spiritual ones that benefit our souls. These heavenly treasures represent an investment opportunity too good to pass up. When Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (verse 21), he means that we naturally worship our first love. If we love money and worldly treasures, we can offer God no higher than second place in our lives.

REFLECT & PRAY:

*Would you describe your most important investments as “treasures on earth” or “treasures in heaven”?

*What evidence is there of your answer?

*What steps can you take to become more faithful in storing up treasures in heaven rather than here in this world?

Taken from NIV Busy Dad’s Bible

my add on:

Matthew 6:21 NASBS

[21] for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

when i remember what is truly important, and what the real treasure is, i am brought back to the simple things in life money can not buy. 

all my "stuff" and money is temporary. investing in my relationships with family and friends, sharing my struggles, victories, and me is what matters. all the "stuff" and money i have r tools to help me invest in what is eternal.

my Christmas wish list...

1) apple computer w/27in monitor

2) apple ipad pro 9.7in 128g

3) alienware laptop

4) apple iphone7 plus

i have thought long and hard on what i would like to have on my wish list.

these 4 items r expensive and not something i can just pick up any time i may want to. that is y these 3 items r on a wish list. i cannot afford these 4 items but could definitely put them to very good use in my everyday living.

notice the order i have placed them in.

the first item on my wish list happens to be expensive. but that is not y i placed it first on my list. i placed it first becuz i would like to have that one more than the other 3 items. the system i have now is functional but old. this old system does what it needs to do. however, as with older computer systems, there r problems that occur. one problem my current system has is quite major. it does not like to do a simple restart. i have to do a hard shut down. the desktop and monitor take up quite a bit space as well. there r a few other minor things with it as well.

having the system on my wish list will allow me to: 1) place it in the corner of the room on an arm so i can see the screen from anywhere in the room, 2) connect my current ipad so i can watch baseball, football, hockey(yes i like sports), and see my crochet graph patterns better, 3) allow me to play my only internet game much easier.

the cost of this item makes it a wish, as do the other 3 items listed.

getting the ipad pro would be an upgrade to what i have now. the alienware laptop would allow me to play my game, and watch videos on the go. the iphone7 would give me a bigger screen so i could see it better.

now, with all that said, am i wrong for wanting these things?

no, i am not wrong in wanting these things.

let me explain.

wanting something is not wrong. wanting something and putting it before all else is.

the old computer system i have works. the ipad air works. my laptop works. my iphone 5s works. so God and i have chatted about my wish list. He knows all the reasons y i really want them. He has also shown me that even tho these items will make things easier for me, there r more important things i need to think of first.

Matthew 6:33 NASBS

[33] But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,...

seeking God's kingdom is more important than my Christmas wish list for one reason, JESUS. Jesus came to claim what is rightfully His even tho we still have to choose Him.

it is more important that i share Jesus with people around me than it is to have my Christmas wish list items.

my husband constantly reminds me how my ipad, laptop, iphone and desktop computer r all tools. he is totally right. they r tools! my ipad has several Bible translations on them. it also allows me to check email, surf the web, and keep up with friends and family. my laptop allows me to work remotely. my iphone5s allows me to make phone calls along with surfing the web and chatting.

these tools i can use to help others, grow my relationship with God, and entertain myself.

the money is the key thing here. what is more important to me? is it getting what i want or putting the money toward helping God get His message out to those around me?

i have thought long and hard on this.

the first part of this blog talks about treasures.

my treasure will be God's treasure. i will cheerfully share my Jesus with those around me. i will let my Christmas wish list be just that, a wish list. i will not covet the items on the list nor will i put those items above my relationship with God and those around me. i will enjoy what i already have thanking God each day i get to share what i have.

i will put my treasure in heaven and enjoy life each day.

live life sharing, u can draw people to God in ways only God can. it is really cool seeing results u have prayed for in people happen before your own eyes. seeing God do His thing in family is so special. i am watching miracle after miracle happen to people around me. so it puts my wish list in the proper perspective.

do i still want the items on my wish list?

yes, i do. but in God's time and not before.

update on our situation

to get up to where we r today...

20 September 2016

the pretrial and trial were postponed until early next year.  seems that they need more time to prepare.

the new dates: pretrial is on 13 January 2017 with the trial set for 13 February 2017. so we have to deal with this a bit longer thru another holiday season.

this entire thing has been a learning experience. and not one i care to go thru ever again.

October 2016

hubby got a job offer from Parkland Hospital. it took them just over a month to get all of the details worked out. Parkland was very thorough and checked each of my husband's previous jobs. and one was not very cooperative, which is y it took so long. a thorough background check was also done, which we were a bit concerned about. however, since God is in control of our situation, we had to trust that God would take care of it.

as we waited for the official written offer to come, hubby began to wonder. but each time, God reminded him to just trust Him. apparently, God really wants my hubby working at Parkland. so he waited.

around the 17th of October, hubby received, thru email, the writtren job offer. taking little time to mull it over, he signed the papers and faxed them back.

orientation day was set for 31 October 2016.

the friday before he was to start, they called and told him the background check was not complete. again, we were a bit apprehensive. but God and Parkland both told us that it was a hang up on one of his work history that was causing the problem. the same one that has hampered him before.

by the 2nd of November, it was all ironed out. he was good to go on the 7th of November for orientation.

it has been just over 2 weeks since he started and as usual, he has already made a difference.

22 November 2016

it has been a while since we had spoken with our lawyer. but we have come to learn that our lawyer is doing what he does best. right now it's a lot of behind the scenes kind of stuff going on preparing for the pretrial.

on the 22nd both hubby and i had separate calls with our lawyer. he was wanting to make sure about certain things and clarify others. so the behind the scenes prep is heating up.

23 November 2016

today is a good day. last nite hubby shared that he is to "micromanage" the projects he is working on. there is a lot of work to do to get the hospital systems in a more efficient working order. gonna be painful as the IT department gets things working just right. but hubby has told me there r some really good people that actually know what they r doing and, they r good at what they do. i get the idea that he is gonna enjoy working with them. 🙂

so there it is. thank u all for keeping us in your prayers.

until next time...

hmmm... good question

below is a question posted on blog for a yarn give-a-way. i had to really think on my answer. it has been hard at times to keep my focus on y i always loved this time of year.

a few days after thanksgiving in 1997, my dad graduated from this life to Heaven. ever since, this holiday season has never been the same for me. decorating the house became a chore and i was no longer "in the spirit of the season". i tried for many years to get it back the way it was. i decorated for the kids sake and then my grandchildren.

last year, in 2015, was the last time i decorated the house. no tree, only the small stuff was put out. there will be no grand celebrations here as my family has been torn apart by a horrible accusation. my heart is no longer in it.

thanksgiving has made me think about what is most important.

i am thankful for a house to keep me warm.

i am thankful for a husband that seeks after God.

i am thankful for a husband that loves me.

i am thankful for food to eat each day.

i am thankful that Jesus took me in and made me His child.

i am thankful for my children and grandchildren. tho my oldest is out of our lives at the moment.

here is the question and my answer for the yarn give-a-way. i can only hope to win this beautiful yarn as many have entered. here is the link if u would like to enter for chance to win http://www.ilikecrochet.com/ilc-blog/win-yarn-to-make-the-sugar-plum-hat-cowl/#comment-49317

check out the rest of her blog as she is very talented in designing patterns and CAL's.

what do i love most about this time of year?
hmmm… let me think.
i truly enjoy the time with family, remembering those who r no longer with us and celebrating their lives as we gather together and give thanks for what we have. even the travel time to get to the destination is a fun time with the anticipation and excitement building. there is comfort and peace and lots of love when we gather together and share in a feast of thanksgiving. yes, thanksgiving is what i love best this time of year.

in Christ,

sandi

Positive Encouraging K-LOVE

Positive Encouraging K-LOVE

update on our situation...

have been busy...

here's what i have thus far...

29June2016:
today we had a court date.

our lawyer had asked the special prosecutor to reassess this case and let him know how they saw the case. 
special prosecutor came up with a recommendation of 12yrs in prison. our last court date in May, had no restrictions for ken concerning bond. we couldn't believe what the special prosecutor was saying.

our lawyer and ken did not accept this. 

we r now set for trial on 24October2016. pretrial date is set for 21September2016. 

again, we r standing on God's Word. in 2 Kings 19, Hezekiah went strait to God in the temple. he laid the letter out and prayed. God answered. both of us believe God will take care of our situation in a similar way. 
both Ken and i have a peace that passes understanding. the peace we have really cannot be explained. this experience has really let us see God's hand working in our lives. our relationship is stronger and deeper. individually, our relationship with God is stronger and deeper as well. with each step, we r seeking God.

once again, i thank u all for praying, standing, and remembering us. please continue to pray for truth, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

26July2016

started out like a normal day but ended up bein' everything but that.

after hubby arrived at work, it wasn't long b4 he was asked to "step into my office". the conversation had him in total shock. in fact, the entire management were in shock of what they had to do.

from what hubby tells me, the management were told that morning to let people go. so at 1100 hrs, ken was back home without a job. he tells me that the man who had to this had tears in his eyes and sadness that he had to let good employees go. from what ken understands, the firings r related to the company making changes. his guess, offshoring.

what makes this a surprise to him was he had no prior warning in his spirit. otherwise, he would have been looking b4 he was let go. this time whwn he came home, i sensed some stress that wasn't there in the previous times this happened.

how r we gonna pay our lawyer? the bills? even if i get a job, it would not cover them. we placed this in God's hands and ken started the search for a new job.

16September2016

just found out that out pretrial date is being changed. no idea when the pretrial date will be reset. becuz pretrial date is changing, the trial date is also changing. no idea on that date either. will let u know when dates have been set.

going on in background is the gathering of information. we were told by our lawyer that he has been doing his "homework". the cost of this case is staggering but God is supplying everything we need up to this point.

ken is still looking for a job. he has an interview on Tuesday, 20September2016. looks promising. will let everyone know how that goes as well.

22September2016

found out on 20September2016 the new dates of the pretrial and trial. looks like we have to walk a few more months with this hanging up in the air. we know God has this all in His hands so we walk with His strength and peace.

PRETRIAL: 13 January 2017

TRIAL: 13 February 2017

please continue to pray that truth, mercy, forgiveness reign as we walk in this during holidays. our lawyer has done his homework and is ready for the "fight". 

ken:

on 20 September 2016, ken went for a physical interview.

from what ken told me, he hit it off well with the interviewer. he, himself, was impressed with interviewer as well. of course he had to answer questions about handling job requirements as well as questions about himself.

ken left there feeling good about the man he would work with if he got the job. appears the gentlemen is a believer in Christ. and ken liked the reason he went to work there: he wanted his work to make a difference. that statement stood out to ken.

since God is in charge of ken's job situation, we wait to see what happens next. a background check is sure to be done on those chosen.

thanks for praying for ken and i. we really do appreciate it. God has done some awesome stuff in us, for us, and with us. one day i hope to share it.

until next update, keep building your relationship with JESUS.

gone home

today, we lost a strong warrior, loving father, and teacher at CHRIST FOR THE NATIONS. Dr Carrol Thompson collapsed while teaching at CFNI this morning. his oldest son, Victor, lives in Forney and carries on in his dad's footsteps of preaching and teaching God's Word. please pray for the Thompson family, family of CFNI, and the students who walked thru this.

http://cfni.org/ for more info. 

Dr. Thompson's classes were always full and he cared deeply for each of his students. i experienced his teaching in DELIVERANCE class. he took us thru the Temple showing how it related to forgiveness and deliverance. he was also one of the men who baptized my family at CFNI. he made quite an impression on me.

Dr Thompson was always willing to talk with u and would pray with u. i know that he prayed for every student holding a special place in his heart for the foreign students. he had a large heart for missions and was heavily involved in the mission trips. he often shared his experiences while teaching and often hung out with the students.

i sometimes witnessed my father and he chatting and/or praying. my dad even built a few cabinet pieces for his kitchen. DrThompson was always in demand. seems God gave him wisdom that helped many of us in our daily lives.

Dr Carroll Thompson will be greatly missed at CFNI. he will be missed by all who knew him. i pray that all his family will be filled with God's joy, peace, strength as they and the rest of us mourn his passing.

celebrating a life lived in Christ with joy, smiles, and peace will be how i remember a man who made such a difference in my life

date is set... ongoing situation

just got notification that a court date has been set for 17May2016. we do not know what this court date is for. 
over the past couple of months, it had been very quiet due to assistant DA's walking out becuz of the DA here in the county of Dallas. 
please continue praying for truth, peace, strength, forgiveness, wisdom, and knowledge for all involved.
ken and i have been experiencing "new" things in our walk with God, both individually and together. we have experienced the courts of heaven:

COURTS OF HEAVEN
ROBERT HENDERSON
Fisher of Men Productions
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=courts%20of%20heaven&sm=1

and r silencing our accuser as God reveals what the accuser is saying about us. this is our 'working out our salvation' and sanctification. believe me! this is life changing. all the accuser has been saying, to this date, has been silenced. We have seen God's cleansing righteousness in action. God's passion has been witnessed, experienced and is totally awesome!
so, as we prepare for this court date, we r ready b4 God. there is no fear, anxiety, or trepidation. we r standing on God's word and trusting that He has this in His complete control. giving ALL praise, thanksgiving, glory, and honor to God as the song in Revelation says.
thank u again for standing with us in prayer b4 God our father.

update! another grandbaby? definitely! boy or girl?

looks like i may have more blessing coming my way.  otc pregnancy test gives positive about 3-4 weeks along. will know more after her doc app't.

Gabriel just turned 2. Elijah will be 1 in may. in 9 months, possibly, another grandbaby will be celebrated. hhhhmmmmm..... 

update

the clinic confirmed the pregnancy. my youngest daughter is about 5 weeks and due in early December. yes, i am excited. and my mom will add another great grandbaby to her clan. 😊 will share more when i know more.

update

doc has confirmed pregnancy. it's officially official. 😃 grandbaby #5 is definitely coming.

please pray for my youngest as she carries this precious cargo. they r wanting a girl. my daughter is extremely overweight, having difficulty walking due to the weight the knees have to carry. she is trying to loose the weight but struggles to keep moving for any length of time. and being pregnant brings its own set of struggles.

love my daughter very much and wish i could help out more but i do not live close enough to help. she has a loving husband and 2 rambunctious little boys. such blessings they r. 😀

homemade chicken tenders

making chicken tenders for first time along with sweet potatoe fries. 😀 here is a pictorial of what i did. the recipe can be found at allrecipes.com best ever chicken nuggets.

and there u have it! home made chicken tenders made with gluten free 1to1 baking flour.

and here's the taste test...

so my tenders made their mark. they r good.

next time, i tweek the seasoning and coating a bit. 

until next time... enjoy the day!

ongoing situation

well, it's been awhile since we had news of what's going on with our situation.

late tonite, hubby received a message from our lawyer. we now know y nothing has moved forward in our case. there is no one in DA office to handle anything. apparently all the ASS'T DA'S walked out.

our lawyer asked ken if he should push for a trial. ken responded asking him to ask for a dismissal.

will let u know more when i learn more.

thank u all for praying. please continue praying.

oh brother!

just got back from picking up ken from behind the doc's office.

at 1834 hrs, i received a facetime call from hubby. he blew a rear tire while in a turning steeply. he has superficial injuries for the most part. however, his right shoulder did pop as he landed on his elbow, which took the brunt of the fall.

apparently, as he was in the approach of his turn, the rear tire lost air causing him to go down. the scrapes look bad but r definitely superficial. the crank side of the bike is visibly damaged. the brifters, also, were slightly damaged. and with the wind and he in a turn, i can see how the bike could have handle bar damage.

the good thing? he is gonna be fine. the bad? he has to replace the back derailer, more than likely the brifters, and maybe a rear rim.

we have about one month b4 the first bike rally.

ongoing situation...

as of 15 February 2016, there is nothing going on in our case right now.

i keep praying that our situation will soon be done but the inactivity over the past 2 months has me stumped. but since God is in control, i rest in Him.

this ongoing journey is really a blind one for us. we have never been part of anything like this in our lives. the one thing we can hold on to is Christ Jesus and God's promises. i have been doing that.

i have also fully released my oldest daughter to God. i pray for her but am no longer holding on to her. she has made her choice. it is up to God to handle her. and like most of us, He's got his hands full.

in the past fews days, i have cried about the loss of our first grandchildren. but until they r of age, they won't be part of our lives. i came to this realization just after my granddaughter's 8th birthday. it came and passed. we could not wish her happy birthday except in our thoughts. it hurt!! even now i have tears and my heart breaks. the same will prolly happen in April when my grandson's 5th(?) birthday comes. but God will get me thru that, i know He will. the pain, hurt, and tears will be close but God has it all in His hands.

hubby is doing ok under the circumstances. he goes to work, comes home, relaxes, and if weather allows, cycles. no, he is not the same. in fact, i have to go to him if i want a hug, a kiss. we no longer pray together. i don't know why. 

on a ☀️ note, i am getting my stuff organized. it is taking a bit longer since the both of us have been sick. so i am taking it all in stride and getting what i can done. it seems that God is using my desire to get things organized to teach me. i'm liking that. God is using my activity to help me grow. God is so cool! :)

i have lost 4 sizes and weigh 191.8lbs now. very happy about that. i intake lots of protein and get my daily supply of fruits and veggies in our protein drink. also make healthy meals and snacks like peanut butter fudge and chocolate mints. will also be making protein bars we can have during the day so the store bought ones can be for cycling.

sadly, i have not been on a bike for 3 weeks. can't wait to get back out there. hopefully the weather will cooperate soon. it is still winter season.

well until next time...❤️

two question

just wanted to share...

JUST LIKE THEM HORSES...

thank u Ms Reba for a heartfelt song. this month, February, holds many events for: my birthday, a granddaughter's birthday, a grandson's birthday, my wedding anniversary, and the anniversary of the accident that changed my families life, and valentine's day. in 1997 i lost my dad. but we were on watch from 1979. u see, my dad was a walking miracle cuz God healed him from a massive heart attack. it was caused from smoking 4 packs a day and the stress of life.  in 1978 on the 18th, he watched his family be dragged and fly thru the air before the semi finally came to a stop in the front of accident we had stopped for. we lost one family member that day, my sister Chris.

as i grew up, i was deathly afraid of my dad. no he didn't abuse us but was very stern with the discipline. since i am the oldest, it landed on me quite a bit. my fear of my father caused me to hold back on many things. didn't want the anger. after the accident he realized that he should cherish us more and thus began the change in my dad. tho he was saved a few years before the accident, the change didn't happen until after it.

i grew up scared of daddy but knew he loved me. i never hesitated to go to daddy when i needed to. he was there for me. two years before he died, i wrote him a letter telling him i forgave him for the hurt caused as a child. but b4 we could really get that going, God called him home on December 2, 1997. he was the pastor of Bread of Life Church in Woodland, WA.

the song JUST LIKE THEM HORSES is a good healing song. this song is sung by Reba McEntire. love her voice! grew up listening to country. oh how i wish i could own a horse!

here is link to song

http://youtu.be/mlD31PpaZNw

pain but good

well, i have been doing better. the pain that started on Sunday nite has focused into right abdomen area. it is acting like a stone in my kidney. my hubby, ken, has kept a close eye on me. 

the pain has subsided but still lingers with sharpness every so often. enough pain to make me stop and have to either take a deep breath or hold it for a bit. i have been stretching and cleansing myself.

hubby has made sure to check on me and help me thru this. hopefully it all goes away soon. i really don't want to go to hospital.

during the time of Sunday evening when the pain first began, i called on the Lord to help me. my abdomen was so hard and i wanted to throw up. but i don't like throwing up so i didn't. i also could not relieve the pain by going. so i walked my hallway in hopes that it would help move whatever was causing this severe pain. 

about an hour after ken went to bed, a thought came to me that this could be my appendix. i woke ken and asked if he remembered what he went thru last March. he then questioned me and checked if i had a fever. he then fixed me epsom salt and water. he gave it to me and i drank it a little at a time. not long after finishing it, i was able to relieve most of the discomfort. however, the pain had now localized on my right side.

finally able to lay down, i fell asleep.

since ken was fighting a cold, he took a sick day on Monday. i stayed in bed. i did a little moving about but mostly stayed in bed. hubby kept a careful eye on me and made sure i was good. he also had me drink epsom salt and water again. the sharpness of the pain had diminished significantly. i would be reminded of pain when i laid on my right or bent over. i could still feel it when i breathed deeply. ken gave me some broth in evening.

Tuesday, ken went to work. i stayed in bed most of the day however, i did straighten up the kitchen. i was also able to do a few other things. when hubby got home, he made some broth for me and offered some veggie soup he made. i drank the broth, then asked for a small helping of the soup. i handled it well. by now ken is fully convinced i am not experiencing appendicitis but a kidney stone. me, i don't know. for now my left side has begun to hurt. not as sharp as my right but hurt nonetheless.

all this time, i have called on the Lord to help me. and He has helped. i have a peace that all is taken care of. no matter what i have to walk thru, Jesus is with me. ken is my husband and i trust that God is guiding him as he helps me thru this physical pain. i know God talks to ken and ken does his best to listen and act. my husband has trully become my covering.

i am blessed to have such a man as Ken Freeman. 

WOW!!! down 4 sizes!!!!!

today, hubby and i went out to find a new version of V-C, t-shirts for ken.

well, we found a new and better way to get what we needed without all the extra junk the body don't need. well, we r going with the powder and adding it to our shakes.

then we went to JC Penny's. found his t-shirts and even some new undies. then we went to look and see if i could find 1 or 2 pairs of pants.

it didn't take long b4 i found a nice pair. hubby found the size i needed, a 22. went to try them on and i was surprised to find out that they were really big. the biggest 😀 came onto my face. i went to show hubby and he 😊 as well and went to get me an 18. i tried them on and they fit me in the leg but were still too big in the waist. when i showed hubby the 18's on me, he went and got size 16! i tried them on and showed him with the biggest 😄. just couldn't stop 😄. after purchasing the pants, we treated ourselves to a really good Denny's lunch. hubby had the cranapple salad and i had the avocado ceasar salad. GOOD!!! 👍🏼 

this has been a good day. 😃