Makeup Services

by Dora's Makeup

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Great places to check out...

If you are into coupons and saving money on stuff you MUST check out these two sites! These two sites have links to other great money saving sites!

www.refundcents.com

and

www.delightsofdeals.blogspot.com

Saturday, November 8, 2008

In the quiet....

found this in an old journal.. don't know where I got it from, but it's good..

In the Quiet...

When I feel closed in
And anger confuses me
I look for you
Spirit of God
Deep inside me
Comfort me
Heal my broken heart
Erase the memories
From past hurts
Failures and unrequited love

I look for You
And find You
In the stillness of Your peace
I look for You
And find You
In the quietness with hope
In Your eyes is love, hope
And the destiny of man

Loving Father
Hold me here to You
Where I feel safe, secure
And loved
Share with me
In Your still small voice
The secrets and plan
That would fulfill me
And how you will train me


Father
In your eyes, I see
The answer
To my hearts longing
Perfection
Is in Your eyes
I would like to
Come here often
But
It seems, natural, mortal life
Takes me away
With it's schedules, traditions
And rules.

Let me never forget
Your loving eyes
That hold me
To Your heart
There is a peace here
And the air is fresh
Is this what heaven's like?

Father,
I lay my head on your lap
And let your love
Wash me away
My anger, my hurts and frustrations
And dry my tears
That I shed
From the past
that now is dead


No longer running after something
I can never catch
I stop my search
But ONLY to look to Your loving eyes
Father of mine
Maker of the Universe
Your face shines with a smile
And touches my face
I leave this quietness
fulfilled and REVIVED

BUT
What You've given me
In my heart
Carries me
And stays with me
And I will be back again

===Rosemary Edwards

Thursday, October 30, 2008

OBAMA VS. WILLIS FAMILY

Reverend Scott and Janet Willis, whose six children were killed in a tragic accident involving a truck driver who had obtained his commercial drivers license through bribery, drive three hours to the state capital in Springfield to testify in favor of a “Choose Life” license plate; proceeds from the specialty license plate would be used to help fund adoption expenses. Echoing pro-abortion groups, Obama calls the issue “contentious.” NARAL calls it "aggressive propaganda," and the vice president of the Illinois National Organization for Women calls it "a violation of free speech." Reporters fill the hearing room, eager to record the expected emotional Willis testimony; Obama calls only his friendly witnesses, ignores Scott and Janet Willis, and then abruptly adjourns the hearing. Obama reconvenes the hearing the next day, after the reporters have returned to Chicago, listens to testimony, and then has his Democrat-controlled committee kill the legislation. [412,413,414]

Thursday, October 16, 2008

SAVING MONEY!!!! YAY!!!

Well, my friend Anne is a money saving wizard and I was so inspired by her that I joined the website refundcents.com and for about 9.50 for 3 months I get a magazine sent to my home and online access to the BEST WEBSITE EVER!!!! This lady makes saving money SO EASY!!!! She goes through all the ads in your town and shows you how to save money, and sometimes even get money back with coupons, instore coupons and rebates! IT"S AWESOME!!!!!
I am enclosing the link if you want to check it out,
you can access the site for free today and tommorow (thursday 9-16, friday 9-17)
with the username and password being COUPONS
you should check it out and if you decide to join
please use my husband name (whom the account is under) as the referral--- his name is RODDRICK WILLIAMS, by the way! :-)
honestly if you join and you don't like it and all it has to offer, I WILL SEND YOU THE MONEY BACK!!! That's how much I love this site!
send me a comment and let me know what you think!
have a great day! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!
DORA
go to this address below and check out the site
http://www.refundcents.com/index.asp?RefID=FNSF
also check out deal divas!
http://www.refundcents.com/dealdivas.asp

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

JUST CALL ME SLACKER!!!

I am such a slacker at blogging! I can't believe I haven't blogged since July!
So much has been going on...
I am still going to the YMCA and trying to lose weight.. it is a slow and HARD process! and it seems like it is taking FOREVER! However, I got a job at the Y working in the kids zone and teen center.. basically just watching kids! It's great because I can bring my kids with me to work and I get paid to watch them! nice! AND I get my membership free! I love it, all the people are nice and I enjoy it very much!
Isaiah and Kendall are getting so big! Kendall is just so chatty now! He copies everything Isaiah says, he follows him around and mimics him! It is so cute! And Isaiah started school this year, only two days a week, but he is doing great and he loves it! I can't believe I have a child in school! Time is flying by soo fast!
Isaiah is so smart and he says the funniest things.. he hears everything and repeats everything.. scary! (school pictures coming soon)
Everything else is going great.. love my church and my family..
My husband Roger is working working working.. doing double shifts almost everyday seems like.. but the Lord is good and He has been very healthy!
Our Grandson (my stepgrandson) D'Marrius is getting bigger everyday and he is doing really well.. he shows hardly any signs of brain damage.. the only signs are just his legs and hands, but he gets therapy so that is doing well! He is so cute and I know the Lord has great plans for him.
well, that is everything in a nutshell... life is busy around here ... and that is great.. The Lord is Good ALL THE TIME! He is very faithful, even when I am not so faithful... I feel so blessed.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Is it JULY already?!!!




Not much going on here.. just super hot and muggy!
My kids are growing up so fast!! Kendall is starting to really talk clearly.. he is saying all kinds of funny things! And Isaiah! He is such a character! He is into Transformers, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman and Superman! All at the same time! Next month he turns 4 and he has decided he is having a Transformers party for his Birthday! Yay!
My Husbands health is doing a lot better, but his father's--not so great.. his kidneys aren't holding up too well! Please remember to keep him in prayer.
Well, I have been going to the Y, every Monday-Friday... I am trying to get my sexy back.. ha ha.. not working! Having kids has wreaked havoc on my bod! But I go faithfully and feel my energy level has raised tremendously.. the boys love swim class. I am going to start working at the Y, starting next month..with the kids.. we will see how that goes! It's nice because I can bring my kids with me to work!
Just stopping in, facebook is my main stop on the internet! so easy and so many friends on there!
Well, I am going to add some pictures.. have a great day and God Bless You all!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!

This last week has been a doozy! We had terrible weather, some say the tail of a tornado went through the city and did some damage. Anyhow.. lots of trees down, and power outages, on the days it is FINALLY nice outside.. in the 90's! So, that happened friday, and we JUST got our power back yesterday! It has been a little stressful, but I have learned some lessons through out all of it! That no matter what we think we need and want, God gives it to us in HIS time, not ours! We were waiting for our stimulus check and it was taking forever because we had our fee taken out at the time they did the direct deposit, so we had to wait for the check in the mail. It was supposed to come on friday... and we needed groceries, sooo bad! The fridge was practically (sp) EMPTY!!! I was so sad and disappointed that it didn't come and I was worried because I had a lay a way due at KMart that day,too! I was stressing.. Well, the Lord provided.. Roger got some money from working on cars and he was emptying out the poll barn because he had a lot of metal stored in there, so he went to cash it in.. We got some money to hold us over for gas and fast food while the power was out. The Lord also provided a place for us to stay.. we stayed at Roger's parent's house. They have a beautiful house with a huge furnished basement, central air in the house and basement, and a guest room.. so the kids and I stayed in the basement (on the pull out bed) and Roger stayed upstairs in the guest room. It was so great and perfect for us, they had a fridge and full bathroomin the basement so I could get up a couple of times a night to get milk for Kendall and go to the bathroom without waking anyone up. And Lucky Roger got a whole guest bedroom for himself, so he could rest for work the next day! The Lord was watching over us... we got our stimulus check on Monday and I was stressing ... I went to pick up our layaway and since it was 3 days later,they put it back in stock! I was so freaked! But the Lord still was watching out for us.. I went back through the store and got all the stuff and it ended up being way cheaper than our actual lay a way because everything was on sale! wow! what a blessing!
Monday afternoon we were going to go to my parents house and stay with them for a couple of days, to give my inlaws a break... and we had heard that the power wasn't going to come on till Thursday.. like two days from now Thursday! so I had moved alll of our stuff to my parents house and went to the store to pick up a prescription and then to the house to get something and saw that our power was on! YAY!!! sooo happy! Sooo, I lugged all our stuff and the kids home.. it was so nice to be home...
but we lost everything that was in the freezer and fridge.. thankfully i was in desperate need of groceries, so we didn't lose tons... which comes back to timing.. if we had gotten our stimulus check on friday.. we would have probably lost about 300 dollars worth of food! (calm down, I shop monthly for groceries)
SO GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! HE KNOWS WHAT WE NEED AND WHEN WE NEED IT!
I learned so much about being thankful and trust in the Lord and LETTING HIM take care of us!
okay.. I think I covered it all..
oh yeah.. do they make battery powered fans? I couldn't find one! that would have come in handy!
Hope everyone is doing well!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

What's new?




Well, it's been a while.. again! facebook, I tell ya! just seems easier!
Anyways, we are recovering from a weekend of sickness.. the boys both had some sort of stomach bugg and today was the first day we were able to get out and about! yay! I think we were all having cabin fever! So we missed Sunday, last Sunday night (we went with my parents to their church to see friends visiting from out of town.) and the Sunday before that I was sick (kidney stones and infection!)
so it seems like we haven't been in church in AGES!!! so hopefully we will hop back into being regular again.. now that everyone is feeling a little bit better! for now!
I started going to the YMCA everyday, since about February... so that has been helping with my kidney stones A LOT!!!! but some times an infection will sneak in there, like last week! so we are keeping an eye on that... the boys love the y and were so sad that we had to miss yesterday and friday! they were glad to be there today! they also missed swim class last night and were sooo sad!
Well, if you think of it.. I hope you will pray for my father in law John Williams.. his kidneys are failing and they are at 9% and he doesn't want to do dialasys.. so just pray for him..for whatever happens. Thankfully he is saved.
so that is a little bit of what has been going on lately, the boys are getting so big and Kendall is starting to talk more and more everyday! he copies everything Isaiah says! so cute.. Isaiah is so smart and funny and comes up with great stuff everyday! they are the Joy of my life! I am so thankfull for them!
Have a great day and I am enclosing some new random photos!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Easter....



Wow, is Easter here already? wow! that was fast..
well, I have to run out and get Easter baskets for the boys and get ready for Sunday...
Kendall has bronchitis and we had to go to the Doctor this morning! I thought they were done being sick for the year! this weather is killing me...
hope everyone is doing well!
Pray for me to stay serious about the gym.. I had to miss today because I took Kendall to the Dr. But i have been going everyday during the week for the last three weeks! I hope that I start seeing the fruits of my labor.. it is really helping with my kidney stones! who knew!
I hope everyone has a peaceful and blessed Easter Sunday with their families.. hopefully we will take some pictures so I can post them!
Have a great day and remember that the Lord is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!!!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

SORE!!!



Well, I have been going to the ymca for two weeks and I am feeling a lot better, more energy and it helps my kidney stones ALOT! but I am also kinda sore.. but I guess it's a good sore...
My boys are getting so big.. Isaiah is so smart and funny! He is always coming up with funny things to say! Kendall wants to be like him and follows him around trying to say everything he says! so cute!
Not much else going on here, just waiting to for the spring to get here! I am ready for the green grass and no coat weather!
Here are a few pictures since I haven't put any up in a while..
I had to add pre approval to my comments since I have been getting anonymous comments from people who have nothing nice to say.
have a great day and I hope everyone is doing well!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Interesting.....

This is so interesting and definetly something to consider!!!!!!!


Obama 'Frightens Me'. The Bible has warned us that 'A man will come from the East that will be charismatic in nature and have proposed solutions for all our problems and his rhetoric will attract many supporters!'

This man is 'A Muslim'....First, Last and always....and we are AT WAR with the Muslim Nation, whether our bleeding-heart, secular, Liberal friends believe it or not. This man fits every description from the Bible of the 'Anti-Christ'!

I'm just glad to know that there are others that are frightened by this man!

Who is Barack Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it.

snopes.com ..' confirms this is factual. Check for yourself.

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita , Kansas.

Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii.

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.

When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, 'He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.'

Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's
education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta.

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches. Do you want someone like this as your PRESIDENT?

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Thankful...

Just want to say I am thankful for everything..
My husband, my children, my family, my friends, my church...
everything.. For having such a loving and merciful God who hears me when I cry and loves me no matter what...
I am just thankful, that's all...
peace out...
have a great day.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Love.....

love..
today is Valentine's day and I have been thinking about love... different kinds of love..
where would I be without God's love? when I was single and wasn't living right, I would be sooo lonely and feel like something was missing..
it was God's love.. not because it wasn't there, but because I wasn't right and wasn't living in God's will.. so I wasn't at peace....
so I think about all the people who don't have Jesus or who aren't in God's will... some people feel so sad and lonely.. or just feel like something is missing... and they don't realize that it is God. God and His love, His peace, His comfort in times of need...and all people have to do is just ask.. and He is right there... how easy.. but how hard for us to grasp.. especially because of pride or wanting to fix thing by ourselves!

anyways.. I am just venting about things I am thinking about.. how life has changed for me, and how I am so greatful for God's love and that I have learned to let God love me and show His love for me..I don't know where I would be, if I hadn't gotten right and started depending on God's love in stead of trying to find it in other places or trying to fix my own problems or letting them get me down...
God is Good all the time!
my life is far from perfect.. but I know that when I need God's love, I can depend on it! Happy Valentine's day!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

DO YOU LOOOOVE PURSES?!

Check out my friend, Jenny's website.. she sell's purses!
Never2manypurses.com

And if you are looking for a cute baby shower gift, my friend Meredith's sister-in-law makes diaper cakes... check out her site
Baby Cakes.

I think they both ship to anywhere! check it out!

I CAN'T BREATHE!!!!



Well, everyone else I know has been sick and their kids have been sick.. so I guess it is my turn! AGAIN! when will the sniffles and the coughs ever end? I am so excited for summer! that is when everyone is usually healthy! I think I need to buy some bubbles, like the hamsters have, and put the boys in there to keep them away from germs! ( I am kidding of course!)
So, Isaiah wakes up with a stuffy nose and tries to take a deep breath and says, "mommy! I can't smell! get a tissue and clean out the mocho's (spanish for buggers ?)" He is sooo cute.. he coughs and says we have to go see the doctor so he can make him feel better.. he loves our doctor and the free suckers!
Isaiah is potty training now.. he is doing really well.. no more diapers, just big boy underwear.. he still can't figure out the poopy part though.. we have had two accidents, one at church! yikes! anyone got tips on how to get a boy to figure out how to poop sitting down? he does everything else well...
Kendall is HUGE! He and Isaiah are only ONE POUND apart in weight! Isaiah will be 4 in August and Kendall 2 in June! and they are almost in the same size clothes, everyone asks if they are twins! And Kendall is starting to talk, he is sooo cute!
And I woke up yesterday feeling terrrrible! Stuffy head, runny nose! Amazingly, Roger is not sick.. but he hasn't been around much this past couple of weeks, he has been pulling in a lot of overtime.. so I think that saved him from catching the bug!
I have to have surgery on Friday morning.. a hysterectomy.. so pray for me.. pray for my mom that the boys will be good for her, I have to stay overnight!
Well, there are winter storm warnings.. so I think we might have to stay home tonight.. we live in the country, so it is a bit of a drive to church.. I'm sad to miss wednesday night service, but the kids are sick and it's too cold to go out...
Gotta go.. hope everyone is doing well and feeling good...

Monday, January 28, 2008

Little is much.....

Just what I am thinking about, today...
I have been sorta keeping up with this blogg that I ran across through my friend Devin. It's about this little boy named Tristan He was born with T-18 and he passed away yesterday afternoon! It was sooo sad.. but it really opened my eyes..
He lived 55 days.. and that was a long time for a baby with t-18. His parents really cherished every moment of his life, not knowing if it was his last.. all the while trusting and praising the Lord for their blessings. Their faith was so strong.. and they were such a blessing to me...
Sometimes I feel so sorry for myself if I have a small issue and I have to get a reality check... I am so blessed and I have beautiful children and I have to cherish EVERY MOMENT that I have with them, to teach them to do right and love the Lord!
Little is much when God is in it! I love that song! and it reminds me of this family and little Tristan.. they had little time with him.. but because they loved God and trusted Him.. they cherished every moment and meant a lot to them...

Thursday, January 17, 2008

MIchigan State Police Warning....

MICHIGAN STATE POLICE WARNING****
Body: t:
Body: ***MICHIGAN STATE POLICE WARNING***
State police warning for online:
Please read this 'very carefully'..then send it out to all the people online that you know. Something like this is nothing to be taken casually ; this is something you DO want to pay attention to. If a person with the screen-name of Rockhard abs or goes by his name Jason Stallings contacts you, do not reply. DO NOT talk to this person; do not answer any of his instant messages or e-mail . He has the ability to track your home address. Whoever this person may be, he is a suspect for murder in the death of (3) women (so far) contacted through the Internet. He is a suspect in a shooting and is known for raping and beating young women. He is located in the MID-MICHIGAN area. Please send this to all the women on your buddy list and ask them to pass this on, as well. This screen-name was seen on Yahoo and AOL so far. This is not a joke! Please send this to men too...just in case! Send to everyone you know! Ladies, this is serious! IF WE CAN PASS ON JOKES, SURELY WE CAN PASS ON A WARNING THAT MAY SAVE A FRIENDS LIFE.
Thank You.
Dorothy J. Jackson
Complianc e & Enforcement Remediation and Redevelopment Division
Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality
Phone: 517-335-6842 Fax 373-2637
email: Jacksodj@michigan.gov

Sunday, January 13, 2008

a survey about me.. tag, you're it!


I got this survey from my myspace page... it ask's a lot of questions.. but answer's some, too! :-)
I hope you take the time to fill it out and post it.. I would love to know more about my blogg and facebook friends!
name: dora williams
nickname: swtnessdg

Birthplace: Saginaw, MI
Nationality:Mexican, Indian, Spanish, Black
Job: Mom, Wife
Hobbies: I love to read christian fiction, listen to music & write music, take lots of pictures... now I love to hang with my kids and spend time with them...

Any bad habits? yeah, I guess.. once in a while I bite my nails, procrastinate

Pet Peeves? Selfish people, materialistic people, bad breath, bad drivers, loud people, people who waste time, judgemental people, diva's, when women swear (when everyone swears, of course, but women sound worse!) People who don't know how to be real... when people say haters are there biggest fans, uh no they are not.. they don't like you for a reason.. duh.. get over yourself!

Faves:
Sports: Volleyball, Basketball
sports players: Bev Oden, Magic Johnson, Dr. J
Sports Teams: L.A. Lakers, Detroit Lions, UCLA and Standford VB teams

Colors: Lavender, Sky Blue
Food: Mexican, Italian
Restaurant: Mongolian BBQ, Olive Garden, Quatros Amigos
Perfume: Amarige by Givenchy, Light Blue by Dolce & Gabanna
Sit-Com: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Friends, Gilmore Girls, Will & Grace
Type of music: Christian Cont., Gospel, R&B, Latin/Mexican/Tejano, Country
Singers: Luis Miguel, Josh Groban, Brian Mcknight, Kirk Franklin, Michael English, Celine Dion
Season: Summer
Holiday: Christmas and July 4th


Ambitions or goals in life:
To be a good mother and wife.. To honor God, raise my children to do what's right and to be treat people right.
People you most and admire and why:
My dad, he is so funny, kind, generous and unjudgmental.. he would do anything for anyone and he loves to the fullest. He loves God and his family and that is all that matters to him.
Most treasured possessions:
My children...

can you play any instruments? clarinet, some piano and the radio :-)
any piercings: ears
tattoo's? none
what is your favorite flower? pink tulip
do you want kids.. I have two
chocolate or vanilla cake? vanilla
a free vacation, where would you go? somewhere sunny and tropical!
do you like roller coasters? if I close my eyes and hold on tight! :-)
have youever caught a fish? yes
have you ever been in love? yes
do you lust after someone right now? yes
who are your best friends? mary, beth, madie
do you care about the way you look? when i go out to church and functions, I glam it up.. but for everyday, it's pretty casual and natural.

left or right handed? left

mint/bubble gum? mint
window/fan? fan
chocolate/ fruity? fruity
pool/ocean? ocean
hot/cold? depends :-)
write/read? read
incense/candles? candles! I love candles!
are you shy? no
do you have siblings? yeah, rob, martin, and valentina
who has it easier, guys or girls? guys definately!
are youa night or morning person? night
do youbelieve in love at first sight? it's rare, but yes.
do you believe that there is one person who is meant to be with another? yes
what is the best day of your life? I have four, when I got saved, when I got married, when I had my two boys!
what is the best number in the world? 5
where do you shop the most? walmart, and walgreens! my faves!
do you drink? no
do you smoke? no
do you swear? no
do you like to shop? not for me? other people? soo fun!
do you look like anyone famous? yeah, a cool chic named dora, dora the explorer! ha ha
do you like the lights on or off? um.. off.. :-)
favorite game: uno, tetris
favorite sounds? music
things you look for in a friend: someone who can hold a conversation, but doesn't have to talk all the time, someone who can keep it real.. who is respectful, and has a great sense of humor
what words are over used by you? nice, whatever, elmo, stop, no (mom words)
do you like where you live? no.. it's too cold!
if you could live anywhere, where would it be? somewhere warm all year around!
are you a party animal? no. can be if I have to, though. :-)
what is your biggest fashion no-no ever? big hair! so lame!
has your heart ever been broken? oh yeah! so sad.
who was your fave teacher? Mr. Farnham, Miss Torrey, and Miss Senn
what is the most attractive thing about the opposite sex/ what turns you on?
intelligience,loyalty, if they smell good ( I love a man wearing cologne!) smile and has a good heart
who was your first crush? roy baker
do you ever talk to yourself? yeah.. sad, but true.
SUPER LONG SURVEY!!! PASS IT ON! SOME PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Re-posted from a friends blogg.... read it, it's good!

I was reading a friends blogg.. Dave Buckley's..some of you might know him from MBBC...
anyways.. his last post is really awesome and I asked him if I could repost it onto my blogg...
For those of you who have children, this really hit's home concerning raising our children in a Godly manner and doing all we can to teach them how to deal with daily struggled in their lives as they get older..so I hope you take the time to read this and will be blessed!




Guard my precious ones!

God has blessed me with five children, and ooooooh how precious they are to me! They are not perfect, but at ages 9, 7, 5, 2, and 8 months, the heartaches of parenting have only been tasted in very small dosages.

Yet, I am fully aware of the potentialities - their flesh is weak, their minds easily deceived, their desires could develop taste buds that find evil to be delicious. I must fight for their souls! I must do all I can and am responsible to do as their father. I must earnestly pray for them, pour the scriptures into their minds, model godliness, show them their faults, give them hope in Jesus.

I fall short here. It's easy to reside in a place of ease when my kids are delightfully innocent and joyfully tender.

The following testimony, from one of my modern day heroes, caused me to feel that urgency again. He tells of the agony of having a wayward son, and what he did to fight for his son and to battle his own sinful inclinations during that time.
And, by the grace of God, his prodigal son did return home.


“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” (Psalm 126:5, ESV). My main memory of Abraham’s prodigal years is tears. As I knelt in prayer, I would remember the 9-year-old Abraham walking with me to 6:30 a.m. winter prayer meetings—willingly. I would take hold of Jesus’ cloak and cry:

“O Jesus, please, don’t let go of him.”

He was never more than a breath away. One moment I would be rejoicing over some simple blessing, and then suddenly he was there, a heaviness, an ache. I would wonder what he was doing. And I would pour another prayer into the great censer before the throne.

Then there was fear. Will he destroy himself? Will he ruin a girl’s life? Will he get a disease? Will he turn out to be an Esau? To survive I had to make the daily transfer: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Every day the sorrow was new. Every day sustaining mercies were new (Lamentations 3:23).

All the while God was making me a broken-hearted pastor. God loves His people through the pain of His shepherds. None of our sufferings is wasted. We do not graduate from the seminary of sorrows in this life. But oh, how glad I am that this class is over, and Abraham is home. Thank You, Jesus, for not letting go.


You can read Abraham's short testimony of His conversion and some excellent insights in how parents of wayward children can reach out to them (wise advice from a former "wayward" child) here

Thursday, January 3, 2008

2008?!!!


I can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged! I am totally addicted to facebook! It's nice because it is sooo easy and private!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years! The winter weather here is really harsh today and we all have colds, but I guess that goes hand in hand with living in Michigan! :-)
I am glad to say that my step-grandson D'Marrius is doing very well and is quite a cutie.. Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for him...he is a blessing.
The boys are getting so big and Kendall is almost as big as Isaiah already! I am so thankful for my boys!
Well, I just wanted to stop and drop a note.. to keep this thing a little current!
I hope everyone is having a great day!
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