I adore Tim McGraw. I love his voice, love his songs .... love THIS song:

                                                          "Better Than I Used To Be"

I know how to hold a grudge
I can send a bridge up in smoke
And I can't count the people I've let down, the hearts I've broke
You ain't gotta dig too deep
If you wanna find some dirt on me
I'm learning who you've been
Ain't who you've got to be
It's gonna be an uphill climb
Aww honey I won't lie

(chorus)
I ain't no angel
I still got a few more dances with the devil
I’m cleaning up my act little by little
I’m getting there
I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see
I ain’t as good as I’m gonna get
But I’m better than I used to be

I’ve pinned a lot of demons to the ground
I’ve got a few old habits left
But there’s still one or two I might need you to help me get
Standing in the rain so long has left me with a little rust
But put some faith in me
And someday you’ll see
There’s a diamond under all this dust

...Say what you want about "cliche country songs", but this song is true for all of us - or at least it should be! We aren't perfect. We haven't conquered every temptation that will come our way. But we are working on it. We are improving. We're becoming who we want to be - who we need to be. 

Spiritually speaking we are all either growing or shrinking backward. There is no standing still. So which way are you moving??

       Sooo, I missed a week of updating - oops! Robbie was on a business trip all of last week, which totally messed up my schedule (how dare he ... ha!). Meanwhile, his Uncle Gary was put in the hospital in St. Louis - part of his intestines had died due to a blood clot, and they ended up removing quite a bit of his intestines. Now, exactly a week later, it seems to be one thing after another. They have found more blood clots, his blood pressure is unstable, and this evening his kidneys are failing. We are doing a lot of praying - and would appreciate it if you would too!

       One good thing did come out of this hard time though - since I drove up to meet Robbie in St. Louis Saturday when he flew in, we were in St. Louis for church Sunday morning, which allowed us to attend the Kirkwood meeting. We heard a sermon that I LOVED  - it was on something we've all thought about before - the purpose of life/our purpose here on earth, but it was presented in a way that I needed to hear. It boiled down to this:
      - When we think about the plan of salvation, we often think that God saved us because He loves us. And that is part of it - a HUGE part of it - but its not the whole thing!
      - We are here to serve God, to love God, and to live to the Glory of God.
      - When Satan told God "your servants only serve You because you are so great to them" (paraphrasing, of course), God allowed Satan to take EVERYTHING away from Job  -- he did that to prove to Satan wrong.
      - Every time we chose God over temptation, we are proving Satan wrong.
      - We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12 - paraphrased). Those are spiritual beings we're fighting with!
      - Every time we chose to serve God, even when its hard and there are lots of temptations, not only are we keeping Heaven in our sights, not only are we serving as an example to those here on earth, but as the preacher-man said Sunday we are "kicking Satan in the teeth" and proving him wrong. We are living to the Glory of God...

And what a huge responsibility that is!

Freedom

       I am sooo enjoying my spring break! :) It might have something to do with the fact that I am still sitting on my couch drinking coffee at 8:25 in the morning! Yesterday I worked out in the yard all day (we have been clearing out a huge mess of poison ivy and brier bushes ... and I think I finally finished it yesterday)! Today, all I HAVE to do is water the grass seed I put down and sweep the floors. I do love teaching, but it is wwwaaayy nice to be free for a week. "Free as a bird" you might say (in fact, that is exactly what my mother-in-law said!).
       Lots of people use that phrase or at least wish for the sentiment. No restrictions, no to do list, no boss. But a bird, and I would argue any other creature, is not truly free. Instead, a bird is a slave to instinct, constantly fearing for its life and trying to survive. Likewise, we cannot be truly free. We ARE better off than the bird though -- we get a choice! We get to choose what we are slaves to. We have the freedom to choose whether we want to be slaves to sin, a path that leads to death, or slaves to righteousness, a path that leads to eternal life. Having "no master" is simply not one of the choices....

Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon".

For a great post, check out Tenneil's blog!

Finding Courage

        I thought about starting a blog long before I did. You wouldn't think that starting a blog would take courage, but for me it did. See, I am not one for confrontation of any kind. Often times I'd rather bite my tongue than cause an argument or correct someone. However, I know that when it comes to sharing God's word, I need to be more outgoing. A great preacher-man (Larry Morris) said these words in a sermon and they have given me lots of confidence:

      " If a person you are trying to study with is truly interested in the truth, there is likely nothing you can say wrong. Anything you say will spark them to study, to discuss, to search the scriptures. If they are not truly interested in the truth, there is likely nothing you can say right. Anything you say will cause them to be defensive, angry even. So, teach the truth. Then pray, and know that you have done all you can do."

       This was so comforting to me because it reminded me of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6 - "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." When I talk to someone, I can have peace in knowing that if I am speaking truth in a loving way, I am doing my part. It is not my job to do everything - I have God backing me up (and leading the way, too!)! It is still tricky for me to know when it is appropriate for me to speak up and share God's word, and sometimes hard to know what to say and how to say it. So, I pray for confidence and wisdom daily - and I keep taking small steps towards growing!

What helps YOU be confident and stand up for God? Any brilliant tips to share?

Narrow Minded - this blog's inspiration.

        I have come to the conclusion that I am narrow minded. In the past I have worked at being open minded: try new food? Check. Listen to all types of music? Check. Try new activities, games, hobbies, etc? Check. Listen to both sides of an argument? Check. At one time being “narrow minded” would have really bothered me … but no more.

        Now, my narrow mindedness is different than some. It is not accidental, not something I learned from my parents, not a result of ignorance. Rather, my narrow mindedness is intentional. Decisive. A result of deep thought, careful consideration, and intense study.

        Why? Because truth is narrow. Truth is not “anything you want to believe”. Truth is exclusive. It is neither relative nor circumstancial, but definite and un-debatable. Truth cannot be questioned or falsified – it is truth.

        I still question everything. I am not one to accept much at face value or take what “he said...”. I will gladly look at things from every angle. I will happily study an idea, a thought, a concept. I will listen, discuss and listen more. I will research and study. I will study to find the truth; the only, honest, narrow truth.

        So, ask me your question. Tell me your idea. Disagree with me. Then study with me. Discuss with me. Learn with me. And if you feel the need, call me narrow-minded. That is a compliment I'll take any day.

**Matthew 7:13 - “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it”.