Oh, Yeah! We hammered him!

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I was downstairs when I heard furniture scraping across the floor above. Steve never moves anything outside of an airplane, so I dashed upstairs with a journalistic attitude thinking, “This is going to be good.”

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Steve scooted the file cabinet away from the wall. “I got a mouse cornered.”

“Do you want some poison?”

“No!” Steve shook his head. “I want the hoe.”  When I returned with the yard tool, he said, “Now turn it around.”  I watched as the man started hunting a mouse with an upside down hoe, spear style.

Steve stabbed at the critter, but the mouse was quicker and it skirted away. So he chased the mouse and cried out, “Help me! We need to get him cornered.” So I helped him box in the gray mouse again. Steve arched his tool high and brought his weapon down to crush the mighty mouse but the wood handle bounced off the concrete floor and flung the sharp end into his temple. Blood was drawn!

The mouse, sensing a complete moron, got away and scurried into an old heavy metal frame. “Get the hammer,” Steve ordered. (Now it was serious.) With a hammer in my hand, Steve ordered me to the end of the pipe so he could ram the mouse. “Hold the hammer still.”

Now I’m a bit squeamish when it comes to mice, so I wasn’t excited about being that close to a disease-ridden-fur-ball. So I tentatively held the hammer in place, while Steve shoved the stick through the pipe. The mouse plopped out at my feet. Steve yelled, “Hammer him!”

I screamed and brought the hammer down ever so gently on the mouse’s head. (Hey, I’m not out for blood.) The mouse wiggled, and I danced about on my tippy-toes and screamed louder.

Steve kept yelling, “Hit him! hit him! hit him!” The pressure was mounting. I felt like I was in grade school again.

As I squealed, I brought the hammer down on top of the mouse’s tiny head. The mouse jumped straight into the air, and I let out a blood curdling scream that would have stopped traffic on the runway!

Steve cried, “You hit like a girl!” He picked up the semi-conscious mouse by the tail. “I’ll just give it to the cat.”

“Wait!” I cried, “Let me get my camera.”

After the snake and mouse hunting debacles, Steve has decided he doesn’t want to hunt any more!

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” Gn 10:9

Yea, Though I Walk

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: though anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23

Nightmares Be Gone!

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Nightmares are from the devil himself. So when Lili awoke to seeing spiders, I went to work. I didn’t hesitate to pull out the big guns — Jesus Christ, the blood, the word, and the warring angels — I’m a whole arsenal kind of gal.

I cannot tolerate Satan’s antics in the middle of the night. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care for them during the day either, but at night we’re vulnerable and he knows it. And when Satan gives a child nightmares, they become fearful causing great harm to Godly ways.

So first thing the next morning, I sat down to give the three-year-old a lesson. This is an extremely bad idea. I’m not very articulate early on (or ever) without a cup of coffee.

Our abnormal conversation went something like this: “Lili, did you have a bad dream about spiders last night?”

“Did I?” She asked.

“Yes, you had a nightmare last night,” I reminded her. “Just tell them to go away. Jesus.” (Incomplete sentence.)

“Is Jesus bad?”

“No, I want you to say Jesus?” I said trying to keep it simple and failing miserable. “Jesus is the light and you have to fight the dark.”

“Okay, can I have some apple Juice?” Lili asked.

“What are you going to say if you have a nightmare?”

“Jesus!” (Pat answer when speaking to grandmother.)

A few minutes later she looked down to find a bug on the floor next to her bare toes, the frightened Lili cried, “Jesus!”

“Lili, I want you to call on Jesus when you have a nightmare,” I reminded her.

“What’s a nightmare, grandma?”

I’ve decided for now that I’ll do the praying for all of us! After a good cup of coffee or two!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:10, 11, 12

Steve gets Froggy

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Lately, Steve’s diet has taken a turn for the worse. Various kinds of food are falling off the list fast and for many different reasons. Take shrimp for instance. He loves shrimp, so I bought a bag of frozen delights and added it to his salad. He ate a quick dozen and then complained of a sore throat, so like any old couple,we went to bed.

Now I’m a great sleeper, but that night I kept waking up to a gurgling, non-normal breathing sound. And like a real trooper, I went back to sleep. After all, he was still breathing, right. By the next morning his face and throat had swelled to the size of a watermelon, and in a heavy mumbling voice, he said, “I almost had you take me to the emergency room last night, but I didn’t want any more medical bills.”

I couldn’t help myself, I started singing, “Jeremiah was a bull frog, was a good friend of mine.” My sympathy and compassion knows no bounds. Every once in a while Steve gets froggy and threatens to eat more shrimp to get even with me. I always say, “I recommend a small portion. I might not wake up the next time.”

This story is to remind you that nobody is perfect. Even a caregiver. Many families live with discontent, often blaming others. However finding fault in people, merely points toward your own sin — being judgmental. We’re all sinners and only Jesus Christ can save you and mold you into that awesome individual you need to be. So go ahead be exuberantly joyful even in the face of judgement.

When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 2 Sam 23: 3 & 4

Send an Angel

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Recently, Mike over at Resting in His Grace suggested I use an ANGEL in my post, and Cathy over at Did Jesus have a Facebook Page? asked me to share one of my angel encounters to encourage others.

So here’s my angel story for you: A couple of years go my son, Brian, was working in the oilfield. It’s a very dangerous job, so I would send out the Lord’s angels everyday to keep him safe. One day his boot slipped over the drilling hole just as a thousand pounds of pipe came crushing down over his boot. Everyone  froze and watched in horror. They knew, without a doubt, that one of their buddies had just lost their foot.

Suddenly, everyone started screaming and scrambling at the same time to locate the missing foot, and the driller cried out, “I can’t find your toes!” Another hand was working to get the damaged boot off my son’s foot, when Brian called out, “That’s because I still have them!” As he wiggled his toes in the air, everyone on deck stared dumbfounded.There was no psychical way that my son’s foot should still be intact.

Later, my son told me, “Mom, I couldn’t have moved my foot back into my boot far enough to save my toes. I’ve tried, it’s not possible.  Keep sending those angels they work.”

So now your asking — do ANGELS really exist? A big resounding, “YES, they do!” I recommend sending out the Lord’s angels daily to help your children, family, friends, and church body. You can send them to comfort, to fight evil, to protect, and to keep loved ones safe. Go ahead — save a life today!

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11&12

Happy Mother’s Day!

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This story is dedicated to all the mothers who find themselves rolling with the punches.

I decided to change Kaden’s diaper on the airport sofa. Lane & Lili, my little helpers, were standing by watching the process. Assuming Kaden had accomplished his primary goal, I handed the diaper to Lili, 3, who dashed off to the garbage yelling, “Ewwww,” the entire way there.

Lane, 5, fished for the necessary wipe as the 3 month old released his hose in a mighty gush. A timely stream arched perfectly in the air and puddled precisely in my lap. Lane’s expression turned grave as he realized Kaden was obviously unaware of grandma’s potty rules.

In the meantime, two pilots were headed toward the terminal for service, so I hurriedly diaper Kaden, and stood to relocate. With urine running down my legs, (No, it wasn’t mine.) I found a better place to hide my soggy lap from the customers. The men then discussed at length were should they eat. There are only three choices in this tiny town — pick one!

Warning: Some carriers come with leaking hoses!

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.  Prv. 31:26, 27, 28