A Subject That Requires More Work On My Part!!!

This week's lesson in our small group is on stewardship. Of course one of the scriptures brought out was in Matthew 25..the parable of the talents. What are we stewards of??? The first is TIME......A significant life is not a result of how much time I have but of how I use that time. Where do I spend my time? The priorities in my life are shown very clearly by where I spend my time. Guess I need to spend less time on facebook farming! :) I DO need to balance my priorities and be certain I spend time in God's word and being a good steward of the time he has given me. The second area of stewardship is my TALENTS. Everyone of us has God-given talents that make us unique and God wants us to use those talents for him and others. The third area is our TREASURES. Money and possessions, like Time, can be wasted and most of us are very good at this! One can tell alot by looking at another's checkbook to see where his priorities or values lie. The third area of stewardship is being a good steward of TRUTH. What do I do with the message and christian life that God has entrusted me with? Do I share it? Do I let others see Christ living through me? Not always....sometimes it depends on the day. The message is pretty clear...."It is NOT about ME!!" I was created by God....all that I have is God's and he has entrusted it to me to use WISELY!! My time, my talents, my treasures and his truth. Am I doing a good job with all he has entrusted to me? Not always and NOT nearly good enough!!! Sometimes I fail pretty miserably!!! How do I do better with this???? It frightens me to read the verse in Luke 12..."And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him will they ask all the more." We as Americans have been given SOOO much...truly one of the most blessed nations on Earth....so how much is going to be required of us? ALOT! In order for stewardship to be effective in my life's decisions, I must be operating on an ETERNAL value system. I must place my highest priority on things that are important to God and that will last in eternity. Otherwise my scales of decision will be very unbalanced!!! So...this chapter humbled me and really made me take a greater look into my life this week. Am I doing ALL that I can with my time, talents, treasures and God's truth?? The answer is NO! I have given much more thought lately to allowing God to use me and trying to be open to his guidance. I am making efforts to that end...but I seriously have a long ways to go. I am so blessed materially, physically, spiritually, etc... Yet I know I could do more. Why do I try to keep up with the "Jone's" when that really does not matter....Where are my priorities and what DOES matter???? Our church leaders are asking for revival right now. There is NO doubt in my mind that if we as Christians would get our priorities right and love like Christ did, pattern our lives more after him...nothing would be impossible!!! No revival would even be needed! So my prayer today is first thanking God for LIFE and all he has blessed me with and secondly that I will keep this message at the forefront of my thoughts and become a better steward of all he has given me.

GOD IS GOOD :)

Just arrived home from a LONG trip to Arkansas in the past two days. We took Anita's son, Brian, back to college for his senior year. Brian Grubbs can do this trip in a 24 hour period...but not this lady! I was up at 5:30 Am Friday and we left here Friday afternoon about 6PM. We arrived at Harding University in Ak. at 6:30 Am our time....so not bad time....but I found no matter how tired I am....I cannot sleep too well in the car. :( We hit a detour on I64 between Charleston and Huntington....must have been a terrible accident...cars stopped for hours....I am glad we got off on a detour! Then outside of Nashville, we saw another terrible accident, around 2AM. :( I just took a moment and thanked God it was not us! The stars and clear sky were just fantastic Friday night! I seldom take the time to gaze into the late night sky...but Friday night gave me lots of time to just look up through the sun roof and gaze at God's own fireworks! From the comments on facebook....they were more beautiful than the fireworks at the P-burg homecoming....because I truly enjoyed the sight! Gave me time to pray for our safety on this trip also...as I gazed! There seemed to be sooo much traffic all night long! I was surprised...should people not be sleeping at those hours??? I bought some "go-go juice" to drink and it did help somewhat for a few hours...but by 2 PM Saturday afternoon as we hit Bowling Green, Ky. on the way home...we decided to give it up and settle in for the day. Anita and I both have a touch of the brochitis and colds that are going around and it seemed best to get some rest. So...We filled our bellies, showered and hit the bed at 5:30 PM!!!! I woke up at 4:30 Am....Anita was able to sleep a bit longer...then we headed on down the road to home.....a little more alert than the last time we had driven. :) I had placed the jeep in the garage Friday AM to get an oil change before we left and have them check a "knocking" in the steering column. It turned out to be the tie rod that was bad and they replaced it! I am soooo glad I had it checked out! I had one of those rods break on me years ago doing 20MPH and I WOULD NOT want one to break on me doing 70 MPH!!! So...again..thankyou God! The jeep did just fine on the trip. So....all in all it was a good w/e. Tiring....but we made it and tonight I am grateful for the safety God provided us with and the quiet moments I had to enjoy the beauty of his sky. Also, glad this is Brian's senior year at Harding and pray it is a great one for him! Hard to believe he is a senior in college this year!!! Time flies! So...thank you God for a safe w/e of travel and for HOME! :)

A Simple, Cheap Gift!!!!

One of the deepest principles of human nature is the craving to be appreciated. You never know when a few kind words can change a life forever.

Excerpt from
The Simple Truths of Appreciation
by Barbara Glanz
When I speak about appreciation, I use this quote by Albert Schweitzer:

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light."

A man listened to this speaker one day. She challenged the audience to think of one person in their lives that had made a diffference and been an inspiration to them. As the man pondered the question, he thought of his fifth grade teacher. After leaving the seminar, he tracked this teacher down, and when he finally found her, he wrote to her.

The following week he received this letter:

Dear John,

You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I am 83 years old, and I am living all alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My family's gone. I taught 50 years and yours is the first "thank you" letter I have ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter until the day I die.

He just sobbed on the phone as he told about the letter. He said, "This teacher is always the one we talk about at every reunion. She was everyone's favorite teacher - we loved her!" But no one had ever told her...until she received his letter.

My wish is that we would all become more appreciative as we go through our daily lives. We can see from this story the life-changing GIFT we can give by simply sharing our appreciation with those around us. So...today, I challenge each of you to wrote a note, give a hug, make a phone call, or send an email, to anyone who has been an inspiration or made a difference in your life. Such a simple thing to do but yet, something we NEVER seem to find the time for or are too uncomfortable to do it. So give the GIFT of appreciation and make a difference in someone's life TODAY!!!! A simple, cheap gift that WE ALL NEED!!!!! Have a blessed day all! :)

Last Hours In ND

It has been a wild and crazy week here. Started with temps in the 60's and ended with temps in the 90's. We started the morning with dark clouds and a bad thunderstorm with quarter inch hail! The kids were pretty excited about Ice falling from the sky. Amanda was not so excited because the car was sitting outside! But it did not get hurt. We then left and spent some time with Amanda and the kiddos shopping and driving through Grand Forks. We met Adam for lunch and then went to the mall. We bought a few books on sale and also bought our little Honduran kiddos some Spanish children's books. We watched the boys tonight as Adam and Amanda went out on a date to relax some without the kids. I am truly going to miss the kids and their parents...but know it is time to get back to my life also. Payton has grown soooo much and has really began trusting Anita and I...just in time for me to leave him again. :( We fly out of here around 4:30 tomorrow eve and will arrive in Columbus at 10PM...then we have to drive home...so should make it home around 1-2 AM! Then I get to lie down in my own bed! :) Home will certainly be quiet and boring after this place! :) But...sometimes that can be a good thing. :) I do love and miss the kids though...wish they were closer....but as long as they remain happy and healthy.....momma is good! :)

Fun Day With The Grandkids!! :)

It has been a great day with the grandkids today. We took them to the mall, the movie, "Ice Age 3" and then to a water park with another kid park beside it. It was fun to have the kids to ourselves and get to spoil them a little bit. :) Grand Forks is a nice little town. It is a town of about 60,000 but seems so clean and since it is the University town....it seems very modern and has sooo much to do. Brittany Spears is even coming in Sept here! Makes we want to fly back! :) NOT!!!! I have watched little Payton who was afraid of us again when we first came, change to hugging us and kssing us several times per day. Tonight he would run from daddy to me for "safety." It is sooo neat to watch these little ones love, laugh and learn so quickly. Brennen is becoming quite the card player and loves to play Uno and chicken foot and does it nearly as well as we adults and he is only four!!! Him and Taylor love to read and spend each evening reading books. Today we bought them a search and find puzzle book and Brennen was working with it tonight and did well with it. I am just awe struck at kids...their innocence, their love, and all that brings them joy. I will truly walk away from here Saturday afternoon in tears again. :( It has been three years since Amanda and Adam married, but missing them and these kids never gets any easier!! Adam is such a kind man and I am glad that God has blessed my daughter with him. :) He is a good provider and a great father to my granchildren. He is so kind to my daughter and myself also. I am sure it will be another year before I see them again....I just thank God tonight for the technology we now have with phones, internet, skype, etc....all this does help somewhat. So....I will end now, a little tired from a long day. Been a long week for this old grandma....missing my own bed, I suppose...never have slept too well away from home. But I thank God tonight I have had the opportunity to visit with my family in ND. I am also thankful that Anita's son, Brian is going to be able to come home for a few weeks before he heads back to Harding University in AK. At the last moment he decided to change his flight and come back to Columbus and visit for a few weeks before he begins his senior year in college. Anita's heart is happy tonight as the final arrangements have been made and she will be able to hug his neck on Monday. :) So life is good, we are blessed and God is good! :)

OK...It Is Finally Hot In North Dakota!!!

It has been 90 degrees here the past few days....feels like home! :) Beautiful day here today but all these ND people are complaining about the heat and humidity....they are definitely not used to this! Life has been good today...got to feed a few babies, bathe the boys, play with some kiddos, and do lots of my farming on facebook!!! Both my farms had to be done today...that took awhile. Anita and I both got to talk to friends and family from home today. Life does go on....even in ND!! :) We also went to a small mall in East Grand Forks, MN and managed to drive there ourselves and not get lost!! We went to Cabela's and bought a few things on sale and then went to a movie, "The Proposal." Had to be on vacation to get time to see it. I loved Betty White in the film. :) We had friends of Amanda and Adams for dinner and the kids love them....neat to watch them interact with others. We fixed Talopia and Mahi mahi, pasta salad and beans....it tasted very good. I am sure I have gained another five pounds this week!! But that is what vacations are for I suppose. I got the honor of sleeping with Brennen last night in his double decker bed. Good night but early rising with Payton beside us in his crib and awakening at 7AM.....Rest is not something we are getting this week....like I said....these vacations between Honduras and here are very similar!! Jason called me today to tell me his little guy, Kyle, has been diagnosed with asthma and will now be on daily meds....I assume they will do more testing to see if certain things or allergies are making it worse for him. Jay and Jennifer are a little upset by it all so keep them all in your prayers, please. Tomorrow we are taking Brennen and Taylor out for the afternoon....should be fun...we get to spoil them some! So...this is my life today...Hope yours has been a good one also. Have a blessed day!

Beautiful North Dakota!

Ok the rain left and we sent it East to Ohio! :) Yesterday we went to the badlands of ND to the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It was indeed beautiful!! God really outdid himself in the badlands. BJ...we tried to get a picture of a cowboy but it came out a bit blurry! :( Today it was 80 some degrees here and we went boating on the Missouri river again. It was fun to watch the kids tubing and Adam skiing. Not so much fun to worry about Brennen jumping overboard though. Gives a grandma a heart attack! Tonight we are wore out and just chilling a bit. We head back to Grand Forks in the morning. Amanda and Adam have to go back to work...so Anita and I will just get into whatever the rest of the week. I tried to post a few pics of the badlands and the boating today but could not get it to work...instead i just emailed them and placed on facebook. Have a blessed week!

North Dakota Does Not Like Me! :)

OK....It is August! We woke up today to lots of rain and the temps in the 60's. So....we did not go to the badlands the the play tonight. We changed the tickets until tomorrow night. There is suppose to be sunshine and in the 70's tomorrow. We did do some shopping and sightseeing around Bismark. We then came home and ate chinese and then put on some jackets and jeans and took Anita on an adventure! :) She loves the water....NOT!!! We placed her in the back of the boat and Adam took us on a boat ride on the Missouri River. A bit chilly but nice anyway. We saw some million dollar homes along the river.....makes one almost drool! But if I had a million dollar home along the river...I think I would like a climate a bit warmer where I could use it!!!! It does not take a rocket scientist to figure that one out! We called Ginger and her and Griswald seem to be bonding quite well and Rosie and helping out when needed! We may not get him back after this week! :) So....tomorrow we are headed to the western side of ND and hopefully on Monday do more boating on the old Missouri and then back to Grand Forks on Tuesday. So....today I am thankful for the warmer temps in the MOV and the beautiful Missouri River and the homes along its shore. By the way......Have I told you all my grandchildren are fantastic??!!! :) I love em!

TIme with family and friends! :)

We made it safely to ND and got lots of hugs from Brennen and Taylor. Payton is still not sure what to think of us! He is starting to get used to these two crazy old ladies though. We traveled another three hours to Bismark in the afternoon and are now at Adam's parents house (John and Angie). They fixed us a wonderful dinner with grilled salmon and have been very gracious to let us all stay here for a few days. Tomorrow we are going to the badlands and take in an outdoor play. We are looking forward to seeing more of ND.....so far most of it is very flat and all farmland!! Even in the summer.....when I come here it rains and turns cold!!!! I am not sure what sunshine and heat is here yet! I brought shorts and am not sure I will be wearing them very much! May have to take a thermal blanket to the play tomorrow night! We will also be doing some boating on John and Angie's boat while we are here....so it is going to be a busy few days here. I thank God tonight for a safe trip here and for an awesome daughter and family and gracious hosts in John and Angie. Ginger....I hope Griswald has not driven you over the edge yet.....we will call tomorrow to make sure he has not driven you out yet! :)

Do I Listen to God Or Choose To Stay "Comfortable?"

Over the past several weeks we have been studying "Doing God's Will." As I have mentioned before it seems that everywhere I turn there are hurting people, women that need to talk, people in crisis, and people just needing a simple hug. Sometimes it is very easy to be selfish and just lay back and relax, curl up with a good book, sit out on my deck and enjoy God's beautiful woods and not be concerned about all the things that others are dealing with. But it seems that God is really after me this time and continues to KNOCK me in the head with the message that, "Sharon, it is time to get moving and do what I created you to do." We went to Columbus this w/e to take a puppy to Anita's daughter, Lisa. We went to church with her this AM and again the preacher spoke on Queen Esther and how she was placed in a particular place...."For Such A Time As This." God has a habit of placing us in particular situations to enable us to be used by him. :) I may not always like where he places me, or has placed me in the past.....but I want to CHOOSE to allow him to use me through these situations in whatever way he sees fit. Thus Anita and I are choosing once again to begin the "HOPE Group" to enable us to help some struggling women with difficult situations in their lives. I have always tried to listen when God places people in my life that need a bit of encouragment or just a friend. But is that ALL I can do???? I don't think so!!!! I would hate for God to have to knock me out cold to get the message across to me!!! But he has been pretty persisitent with this one and I feel I need to get out of my comfort zone and do what he is leading me to do again. Maybe with his continued guidance... to do it even better this time. God's persistence has been going on for about two months now and even today.....I just had to laugh at his message to me AGAIN!!! My small group studied Esther, I watched a movie recently about her life, and I have been approached several times by hurting women in these past few months. Is this just a coincidence or is God trying to get my attention??? It is just following me everywhere I go.....literally!!!! So if this is the writing on the wall....I guess I need to listen! For now I am going to ND to see my daughter and her family and continue to pray and listen. When I return, however, I want to put much more effort into reaching out to the hurting and showing them a God of healing and HOPE!!!!!