PRAY FOR JULIE!

A dear woman in our homeschool co-op is getting a long awaited new lung. Please pray for Julie.

You can also follow her blog :www.breathelifewithjulie.blogspot.com

I am so excited for her family I can hardly stand it. He is so good!

Home Alone

The night before the kids left for grandma's house, I was overcome with sadness. A majority of my day is spent in direct relation to their needs and wants and the keeping of our home. It suddenly hit me that I don't know what to do with myself if they are not around. I had been looking forward to this time alone with my husband but for a brief moment at the setting of the sun the night before their departure, I became panicked.

The one thing I miss the most when they are gone is laughter. There is a stark difference in the feel of the house when they are away. It is quiet and still, bland and dull, lacking zest and just plain appealing. The house may stay cleaner but it certainly isn't the warm and cozy place we love when the kids are here. Dustin and I are pretty quiet people and yet God gave us these two very loud, energetic, hilarious kids. They certainly spice up our lives.

Dustin and I our first day together alone. We cleaned up a little bit, walked around downtown Ventura, coked a mean meal and enjoyed fellowship at our church for prayer. But it was weird to get out of the car and not have to herd little people to the curb. And it was really weird to take communion at church this morning and not have a child in our arms as we explained why we partake in the bread and juice. This afternoon we went through the kids toy boxes and made some room for newer toys that will arrive for Christmas. I just miss the quirky comments the kids make and how they make me laugh.

Tomorrow is a full day of appointments. We have my social security hearing and then two doctor appointments. The kids keep calling and leaving long messages about how much fun they are having. What a beautiful thing to have a close relationship with grandparents. Something that I miss out on. So I am joyfully setting my face to the Lord and enjoying my time with my husband knowing that what my kids are gaining is far better than me just missing them. Maybe I should see if Dustin will tell me some knock-knock jokes in the interim. ;)

MAP CURIOUSITY

You may notice a tiny map near all the ads. I just added it to see where people are that read my blog. I love how small the world seems when using the computer. Although I do not expect there to be many red dots on it from readers, I thought it would be fun nonetheless. I got it from Sally Clarkson's blog. She has 40,000 people just inthe US that read her blog! Crazy. Anyways, she has a fantastic blog and you can read it at http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/

Revival

The last several months have been exciting and difficult at the same time. Exciting in that we see God at work in many areas and difficult in that some of those areas God was showing us beliefs or habits that needed to be changed. There has been confession and repentance and transformation and abundance. In that order! What a beautiful thing it is to see that God is continually working to complete His work in us. Don't get me wrong, a couple of weeks ago I would not be able to have written this blog with a joyful attitude because the sin that God had brought to light were painful. But now, now that we have been forgiven and set free from bondage, we are rejoicing. Recently our pastor challenged the body to fast for Advent.

I know I was like, what? Advent? What is Advent? (I am probably the only one who didn't know.) Anyways, from November 29-December 24, we are going to corporately fast in whatever way God directs us to. To tell you the truth, I was afraid to ask God what He would have me to give up. I'm selfish! Gimme a break. After my panicked heart settled down I knew that I had to rise up to this challenge because I know my God and He wants me to want Him more. So I began to pray and seek what God would have me to give up. Surprisingly enough, the answer came quite quickly. I am going to give up my Friday and Saturday night TV time with Dustin so I could be in the Word more. We have viewed Friday and Saturday our date night since we watch our favorite TV shows online. It is a time that I have jealously guarded. And then I heard my sweet Lord calling me to be with my true groom, Jesus Christ.

With that settled I no longer feel anxious but am excited about the wonders and treasures God will show me. Funny thing is, I thought that wasn't enough to give up and began to let God know that I would give up all movies and TV for that time to make it harder and more dramatic. And once again, my sweet Lord reminded me that He did not ask me to give up those things. He asked me for a very specific time and days. To make it more would be for my glory rather than His. Isn't it like us humans to blow things out of proportion. I am so glad that God is ever patient with me. I am really looking forward to this fast. I am excited to see the way God will not only grow Dustin and I but also how he will grow our church body as well.

Pray for us. Pray for First Baptist. Pray for Ojai. Pray for revival.

Naomi update

Naomi continues to do well. Her skull has remained where it should be. We are currently visiting the chiropractor two times a week to keep her first vertebrae in line. It continues to slide out of alignment since the muscles were holding it wrong for so long. But the treatments are being needed less and less. Another wonderful praise is that God is miraculously providing through Dr. Plaut (our chiropractor). He has been so gracious to give us free visits. It is very hard for me to accept and I have been humbled more than once to just accept it and allow God to be God. Ouch. We just keep praying for healing for her and thankfulness to God for His mighty work.

Naomi's Healing

About 6 months ago, Naomi began to complain about neck pain. Her complaints usually arose when it was time for school or something she didn't want to do so we didn't invest too much energy into it. After several weeks of on and off pains, we took her to the pediatrician. No answers were given or found so we went home. This happened four times in about four months as her complaints continued and our concern grew.

We were getting nowhere and were told to give her Ibuprofen . The Ibuprofen did not work so we went back again with a more demanding tone. So the doctor referred us to a neurologist who then concluded she was having migraines. At this point we were getting desperate because the pain was constant and there was nothing we could do to relieve her of it. She was unable to sleep well, having trouble with vision and miserable. The neurologist gave us a prescription for a heavy duty medicine that did nothing except make her even more irritable. So he then switched medications to a very powerful drug which again did nothing to ease the pain. The neurologists said she would have to be on medication for the rest of her life and being so young, her liver would be severely affected by the time she was in her twenties.

At this point we were getting desperate. Naomi was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. The worst times were when she had to be quiet and still because the pain would gnaw at her. As long as she was active and pre-occupied, she was okay because she was distracted from the pain. Dustin and I were highly concerned and fearing the worst. We began to spend our nights by her bedside in earnest prayer for her.

One evening after church, a young woman came up to me and asked if we had thought about calling the elders together to pray over Naomi. I replied yes and then she asked if we had considered taking her to a chiropractor. She then began to relate her own experience as a child and her dealings with a doctor named Plaut. I had heard of him previously from someone on Facebook and again from someone else we know. Believing that God was sending us an answer, I contacted Dr. Plaut and we took Naomi to go see him. I was very nervous about it because I have no reference to a chiropractor myself and because our pediatrician is highly against it. But since we believed God was directing us in this way, we usurped the doctor's authority and took a chance to hopefully find an answer..... and a cure.

On our first visit to Dr. Plaut, Naomi was so miserable that she would not let him touch her. He spent a lot of time with her and explaining everything to us. He knew exactly what was wrong with her. Her skull had gotten off the spinal track and the first vertebra was twisted and pushing into the skull. He would not do anything she didn't allow so we made an appointment for the next day and brought in the reserves.... Daddy.

Naomi was a bit more tolerable of the Dr. on this day but still would not let him do the full adjustment but she did allow him to use an activator and we left saying that we would be praying the treatment works. That afternoon Naomi ran inside and exclaimed, "Mama! My neck feels all better!" I could scarcely believe it. And to be honest I was a bit skeptical. When we went back the following day, Dr. Plaut was ecstatic. The skull had readjusted itself and she will not have to be on worthless meds. her whole life. She will need to continue to get checked but that is a wonderful prognosis compared to what we were facing.We were a bit in shock on Wednesday but now we are fully rejoicing our great Healer for His goodness and mercy.

The difference in Naomi has been astounding. Color has returned to her face, she is sleeping well, seeing clearly and free from pain. Praise God from whom all blessing flow.

Dexter

For months Josiah has been praying for a kitty. We have seen two litters and visited the Humane Soceity numerous times but it never seemed to work out. Either the kittens had sketchy backgrounds and I was hesitant to introduce a sick kitty to the family. One time we picked a kitty at the Humane Society only to have him adopted by someone else. Oops. Throughout it all Josiah had a very specific picture in mind for what he wanted.

A friend of ours posted some newborn kitten pics on Facebook and I inquired about it and kinda forgot about it. Eight weeks later she asked if we would like a kitty. There were two boys left and we had no idea what the kittens looked like. I gave Josiah the speech about accepting the kitty even if it doesn't look like what he wanted, which was a gray and black striped cat. They brought out the two boys and Josiah took one look and said, "That one." He turned around to me and there was the cutest gray and black striped kitty I have ever seen. Our God is so gracious to have painted that sweet kitten exactly like Josiah had been praying for. Josiah named him Dexter and he has been a wonderful addition to our family.

He is very smart. Already using the litter box, eating dry food well and knows that when he hears a crinkly sound, food is around. :) He likes to climb into our laps and sleep and plays around the house. He is so small that we had to put a collar with a bell on it so we don't lose him. I love hearing the jingling and seeing a quick grayish black blur go by. It has been a great experience to see the way that God has answered Josiah's prayers. What an amazing God we have that He even provides a kitty for a little boy.