Cover to Cover... God is Faithful

We are one quarter of the way through reading our Bible cover to cover chronologically! I have never read the Bible through and I have you to thank for holding me accountable. I have learned so much every week. Here are a few things that have been lingering for me from the book of Joshua...

Joshua 14:8-9
"...I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly."

Lord, I want to follow you wholeheartedly. I don't want to give you only part of me, I want to give you everything I've got! I want less of me and more of You! Thank you for loving me that way! Help me to be a wife and mother who loves "wholeheartedly". Forgive me for those times when I have given them only leftovers. Help me keep my priorities in the right order with you being #1.

Joshua 20: 1-3
Cities of Refuge
Then the LORD said to Joshua: "Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.

Lord, I thank you for being my shelter. You continue to protect me and I am forever grateful. Thank you for taking such good care of me. Please help me make my home a place of refuge so those who come here (especially my family) feel it is a safe place for them to feel welcome and free to be themselves. Help me to love them unconditionally even when they mess up . It's a crazy world out there.

Joshua 21:45
Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Lord, people in this world continue to fail me and disappoint me. People break their promises. I can trust you, God. Thank you for your faithfulness and for keeping your Word. Please forgive me when I have not been a woman of my word and for those times when I disappoint my friends and family for not being "there" for them when they need me most.

Much love and gratitude from your daughter,
Angie xoxo

Thank you for being my friend!

Happy God Stop Friday!

This post is way overdue! I was so blessed by a fairly new blog friend a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Kelley over at Aroma of Joy. Don't you just love that name? I love the names my Christian Siestas choose. This is one of my favorites. Anyway, she gave me the sweetest award. I was so honored for her to think of me! Thank you, Kelley!

I also received this from my friend, Kat at Just a Beach Kat. She has been the sweetest girlfriend since the beginning of my time on here! Thanks, Kat!

When it comes to passing on these awards I always feel uncomfortable. I hate the feeling of being left out. It must go back to my childhood and the rejection that scarred me for life! I don't ever want to leave someone out! I remember too well the feeling and my heart still sinks when I think about it. Girls can be mean. I remember when I was in about fourth grade and a friend (well, I thought she was my friend) had a party and invited everyone but me. I also remember my mother trying to protect me from the pain and called the girl's mother to have me invited. I actually went to the party! I still can't believe I went. I missed a good lesson on handling disappointment. What I really needed was a hug from God alone.

Long story short, I want to pass this on to every girl whose heart was broken by a friend either when they were just a little girl or even yesterday!

God is so good to me and has brought me many friends along the way. I am blessed by so many in real life and in this blog world. I have a map on my sidebar and really don't check it often, but when I do I realize one thing. Our world is small and gets smaller every day. We are all just little girls looking for love and acceptance. Thank you for being my friend!

This was a God Stop for sure!
Love you,
Angie xoxo

For more God Stops please visit Patty who is so sweet to host this day! TRUE STORY: I just posted this and went to check it. I clicked on what I thought was Patty's blog and made a mistake when linking her. When I did, it said "This blog is open to invited readers only". God is funny! I corrected it! :)

SUNDAY: This is from my friend... Annette!

Thankful Thursday for Lifelong friends... Barb & Jay

You ask what I am most Thankful for this Thursday?


These are my parents with lifelong friends, Barb and Jay a long time ago.

This story has a good ending, but it is quite difficult to find the right words to explain it to you. My parents have been friends with Barb and Jay B. since I can remember. They had 8 children and my parents had 7 children. To this day we consider ourselves one big family. Their kids were each almost the same ages as us. It doesn't matter how often we see each other we pick up right where we left off. They are my parent's best friends.

My parents helped them when their son, David passed away at 24 years old from a rare heart problem. Barb & Jay were there to help mine get through the loss of my sister, Vic 10 years ago. Mine were with them when they lost another son, Danny about 5 years ago. Barb & Jay were with my Mom when my Dad passed away 3 years ago. Now, it's time for us to be there once again...


(This is Gary in the middle of my parents. He was a beautiful musician with the biggest heart!)

Let me just tell you something. There is nothing besides the Grace of God to help Barb and Jay make it through burying their THIRD child, Gary. He was in an accident the other day. It doesn't look like he is going to make it. There is not enough alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, food, or gambling that can numb this kind of pain. THEY NEED JESUS CHRIST ALONE.

I am praying tonight for their family. If you can please pray for the Buckner family and his 14 year old daughter, Dominique I would appreciate it. I pray they will feel God's presence and feel His arms wrapped around them and know and trust...

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;




This brings me to the part I am thankful for today, Thankful Thursday. It is my understanding that Gary just accepted Jesus into his life about a month ago! He began going to church recently and the day he was baptized he was all dressed up and was excited to tell everyone that he was showering twice that day. He was showered in the blood of Jesus.


Tonight this family needs Only Jesus! I pray they cling to Him, the Only One who can bring comfort...God!

Thank you so much!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Monday Morning... He lives!

Good Morning, Siestas!

My mom is still here visiting from North Carolina until tomorrow. I have not done my chronological readings for this week. I am so far behind and I am not happy about it! I do not want to get too far behind. I really shouldn't be on here right now, but I had to post just ONE more music video. I will catch up on my readings and participate next week... I promise!

I just played this video for my mother who has never heard this song before!
I love it! I know that I know that I know that I know that I know...
My Redeemer Lives!



Much love to you today!
Angie xoxo

Happy Easter

IN CHRIST ALONE!

Happy Easter!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Good Friday

Watch The Lamb!

The Wonderful Cross

Last night my son got injured during his lacrosse practice. (He ended up with a bad sprain. He's okay today. Praise God.) As a mother, I panicked when I got the call. I wanted to rush to help him. He lives about an hour and 15 minutes from our house and the fog was so thick I couldn't go be with him. He had to drive himself to the ER and didn't even know where the hospital was located. I am telling you this because I can't imagine anything happening to my son (or daughter) let alone watching him endure the pain and agony of the cross. God loved us so much that He gave His Only Son for us. He trusted His father every single step of the way. Thank you, Jesus!

We had the best Passover service at church tonight! I am so grateful for reading all about this recently in Exodus as part of our chronological reading of His Word.

God is so good and His love endures forever!
Angie xoxo

Cover to Cover... "Remember"

Yes, it was just yesterday when I did a post saying I was going to be away for awhile. I realized I just need to get a grip and limit my time on here. I didn't want to miss our Cover to Cover chronological reading of the Bible. I made a commitment to do this and I don't want to miss out because I have issues with time management. So...

This is such a special week in the life of Christians. It is a time to remember what happened all of those years ago. Today is Palm Sunday. During our service they showed a video of interviews on the streets of our local cities. The interviewer was asking random people if they knew the meaning of Palm Sunday. Most had absolutely no idea what it is all about. I had to admit I didn't really know myself. It had been a tradition where we did a long reading standing in the Catholic church and I remember how I hated the part that said, "Crucify Him"...repeating it several times but that was about it. I loved how our pastor explained it as rolling out the red carpet (with palms) for Jesus' entrance on a donkey. I love this Holy week as it is a time to remember what He did for you and for me!

As I was doing our readings for this week the words that kept popping out to me were "Remember", "Do not forget" and "children".


Deuteronomy 4:9
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

Deuteronomy 6:12
" be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."


Deuteronomy 11:19
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I don't ever want to forget what God has done in my life and in the lives of my family. He has brought us so far and I want to remember all of the details. We've made it so far together and I want to teach my children to trust God so they will teach their children who will teach their children.




I hope you remember...
I love you,
Angie xoxo

By faith...

Hey, Friends!

I woke up this morning feeling very overwhelmed by life in general and I've decided that I've been spending too much time on this computer blogging and I have been avoiding some things that I need to be getting done. I am worried that it's becoming a bit of a problem so I am going to start this new day living the title of my blog.

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's word is alive and active in me.

I'm Believing God!

By faith... Angie will be gone for awhile. You will all still be on my mind and in my prayers. I've become very attached to you and will miss you. I'm not sure how long it will be, but I feel it's the best thing for now.

All my love,
Angie xoxo

Thankful Thursday...just a few reasons

The weeks are just flying by! It's already time for another Thankful Thursday. Here are a few of the reasons I am so Thankful today...
I am most thankful for my husband, who is working so hard for us. He is in his 6th week of business and things are going great. I am thankful for God providing him with patients who have entrusted him with their pets. I am so proud to be his wife!
I am thankful for my daughter, Meghan. She probably won't be able to come home for Easter but she is so sweet to try. This will be the first holiday we won't be together and I am praying she knows how much we love her and will miss her, but understand completely. I'm also thankful that I am not a basket case about it. Who would have ever thought?
I am thankful for my son, John. He is such a special guy. He makes me so proud to be his mother. This weekend is the start of his Lacrosse season. I look forward to watching him play his heart out. He gives his all and I am so thankful for him and his work ethic. Go State!
I am thankful for my friend Meg (with her husband, Bob). She treated me to a late birthday lunch this week. I don't have a lot of friends who know my shoe size and what color looks best on me. She bought me the cutest flip flops and tee shirt! She is a real friend in so many ways. God has blessed me with a very sweet friend!
I am so thankful for Stacey. Last weekend I was unable to join her for Breakaway in Wisconsin. We've gone together several times but this year I couldn't go. Stacey was so sweet to text me many times during the weekend so I would feel I was there. She shared what she learned. Go here if you want to read about it. I am so thankful for her!

I am thankful for the time spent chatting with my friend, Annette. She is such a dear friend who is always full of encouragement and support!

God is so good to me and I love who He brought in my life! I love all of you siestas here in blog land and I am thankful for every single one of you!
All my love,
Angie xoxo

p.s. Sorry these pictures are SO big! :)

My Loss = My Gain

Psalm 18:1-2

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.



I heard the best message called, "Faith Overcoming Loss" by Pastor Gregg Matte from HFBC this evening. I was reminded how we will all experience loss at some time in our lives. I am grateful that when I experienced some of my greatest losses God was right there all the time. I was drawn to Him and He's been my strength. If I never experienced them I wouldn't have needed God in my life. They were just the beginning of a great relationship with my Lord and Savior. In my life so far I have lost people, dreams and relationships and am comforted today because of Him. I have gained so much by those losses and I will be grateful forever!

I love you, O LORD!
Angie xoxo

Monday's Lunch Hour

It's Monday so it's time for our Cover to Cover readings of the Bible chronologically hosted by Bev. Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of time to do my readings this week, but as I sit on my lunch hour in a coffee shop this verse hits me big-time...

Numbers 11:17
“They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.”


I am so glad we don't have to go through life on our own. God keeps bringing people in my life who help me carry life's burdens. I don't have big problems, but I am comforted so many times by people who give their time and love when I need them most. God heard me when I prayed for Him to bring me good friends. I want to jump up and down and give Him some Praise! (I wonder what the other people in this coffee shop would think?) He is so amazing! I am grateful today and always. Thank you for your friendship!

Much Love,
Angie xoxo

Annie's Song

So you all know by now that music is my love language. My iPod is my greatest treasure besides my Bible (okay, and my pictures of my family). If I were on a deserted island I would only need those things to make me happy forever! As I scrolled through my music I found that I have this song sung by at least four different artists. It feeds my soul. Please enjoy this song today and feel God's Hug wrapped around you! And... I happen to love the title...
"Annie's Song".



Have a great day!
All my Love,
Annie xoxo

THE prayer

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night worrying about anything and everything? Last night was one of those nights when there wasn't anything in particular wrong that should wake me up. This prayer put me right back to sleep. Without a doubt, it's what I am Thankful for this Thursday!


Love,
Angie

the good ol' days

A friend did a fun post last weekend and asked about our favorite cartoons. I spent too much time searching for one. If I'm being honest, it brought up a lot of emotions and worries about my memory. I almost had to resort to asking my sister what our favorite ones were because she remembers everything about our childhood. We had a big family so we were not able to watch a lot of television. Instead we had to, "Go out and play"! There were seven kids in my family so I'm sure it got chaotic and was easier to have us outside. I'm not complaining now as I look back.

But, it still bothered me that I couldn't think of a cartoon. I finally remembered that I didn't really love cartoons. (Thank goodness for google and you tube.) This was one of my favorite shows and after watching I remember why.

I know there must be something God wants me to remember as I write this tonight. I think He wants me to know... He's all about LOVE! Enjoy this clip from my favorite show from way back then...


Family Affair

enough already

Our grill is hiding under the snow... can you see it? It's not this bad today, but still?

Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

Please Lord, give us endurance for one more snow storm!

We are supposed to get another snow storm this evening and are expected to get 3-6 inches of new snow. For some reason we've had so much snow this year! I have to admit, I am getting a bit of sick of it. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but enough already! The days are getting longer and daylight savings is next weekend. I can see the light. I am ready for Spring and grilling outside, bike rides and flowers!

I'm praying everyone will still be able to come over for our Daniel study tonight! It's time to put on the Praise and Worship music!



Hoping all my siestas in the south are enjoying the sun (... and the son).
Love,
Angie xoxo

Numbers

This week during our Cover to Cover reading of the Bible we are in Numbers. We are asked by our facilitator, Bev to share what lingers during our readings. At first I was overwhelmed with all of the numbers that were given. I hoped I didn't have to remember them to get a full understanding of what His Word was trying to tell me. It was stressing me out until I read something that was familiar to me from my Catholic upbringing...

I'm sure I heard the priest say this blessing at the end of each Mass.

Numbers 6:24-26

" ' "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

A lot of times I get frustrated by the fact that I didn't grow up reading a Bible. But, now I realize all along seeds were getting planted. When I read this Blessing yesterday I heard it as if it was the first time. I am so grateful. I want this to more than linger...




Blessings,
Angie xoxo