Icy Winter Snowland

Well the first storm of 2010 and the new decade came sweeping across the plains of Oklahoma. We ended 2009 with a Christmas Eve Blizzard and have begun 2010 with a major ice storm. It isn't the worst ice storm we have had. We had 2 major ones in 2006 and 2007 in which we lost both of our Bradford Pear trees in our front yard. This storm had major potential and ended up going further south than expected. There have been several hundred thousand without power and countless trees and electrical lines snapped by the weight of the ice. We still ended up with at least an inch and a half of ice and are definitely iced in.

We are blessed to have power, a warm house and food to eat. I am blessed to be home with my family and enjoy their company. The last two days Alexis hasn't had school and I have not gone in to work. I felt it was too dangerous to even attempt. There comes a time when safety is more important than paycheck.

The kids have been sleeping pretty good the last two nights. On average, Alexis has slept till at least 9am and Micah has slept till 8am. Aiden has been the surprising one; since he is the baby. This morning he woke up at 8:45am. I asked Michele what time he went to sleep and she said 11:45pm. Lately, he has begun to sleep more and more in between feeding sessions, but wow, he slept 9 hours straight! Woo hoo!

So today, we will spend time watching movies and playing games and enjoying the blessings the Lord has given us.

***update***

since about 11am this morning it has been snowing like it did during our Blizzard on Christmas Eve. Wow, so we have gotten the best and worst...Ice then snow...so blessed to not have gone to work today.

It is a beautiful sight outside and I think the kiddos and I will be playing in the white powder and having fun.

Wait upon the Lord

I am facing many challenges and decisions in the last few weeks and weeks to come and I know that I must wait upon the Lord and listen. The Lord is preparing to move in a mighty way. There was a word given to me from the Lord through one of our elders that confirmed some things I heard in Israel and that is to slow down and cut out the busyness of my life. I am to rest and wait upon the Lord, just as it says in Isaiah 40:31. The song below also is a good description of what we all need to do.



"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31, KJV






While I'm Waiting

John Waller
The Blessing


I’m waiting.

I’m waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I’m waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait


I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience


While I’m waiting

I will serve You

While I’m waiting

I will worship

While I’m waiting

I will not faint

I’ll be running the race

Even while I wait


I’m waiting

I’m waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I’m waiting on You, Lord

Though it’s not easy, no

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait


And I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience


While I’m waiting

I will serve You

While I’m waiting

I will worship

While I’m waiting

I will not faint

I’ll be running the race

Even while I wait


I will move ahead, bold and confident

I'll be taking every step in obedience, yea

While I’m waiting

I will serve You

While I’m waiting

I will worship

While I’m waiting

I will not faint


I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting

I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting

I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting

I will serve You while I’m waiting

I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

40 days: Lost in the wilderness or embarking on the promised land

We have been extremely busy in the last 10 days and that has a lot to do why there has been no blogs written. Not only have we been busy with doing the "family" thing, getting back into the school schedule and routine, but we have also been busy with church. On January 3rd we began our 40 days of prayer and fasting. During the first few days either Michele or I would trade nights going to prayer, but then the Lord convicted us in not taking the whole family. We are longing for a breakthrough and believe it will happen this year with our family and in order to get a breakthrough, you gotta push through the distractions and things that aren't of God. We have allowed too much filth and junk from the world to infest our lives and its time for a spiritual cleansing.

I know in my own personal walk it has seemed like I have been walking around in the wilderness thirsty and hungry not realizing that the promised land the Lord has for me is within view. The Lord is calling me along with my family out of the wilderness and into the promised land to enjoy what He has for us. One of the things Michele and I have agreed upon this new year is to get into the Word together. And just about every night, except for 2, we have read the scriptures on the daily reading plan to read the entire Bible in a year. It is our goal to be in the Word together and learn more about what God has for us, help us understand Him better and to have a transformation like never before.

We feel like if our children go with us, they will be influenced by this lifestyle and that you eventually become what you "hang" around. So if my children are around the Word of God and prayer, then they are more likely to develop a lifestyle with these key elements in the mix.

I will continue to update as I have things to share and write down. I will say this, the Lord is getting ready to move in a mighty way. We are believing and expecting great things from Him in 2010 and will not settle for 2nd best.

All the best!

Anthony

Don't stress, be blessed

I decided to spend some early morning quiet time with the Lord this morning. This is something I haven't done much of lately and felt the need. I normally will pray as I am driving to work, but that is different. Praying on the way to work requires my eyes to be open and focused on the road. I feel like I am not able to really focus on Him during this time. This morning I just let Him enter the room and read a short devotional.

It was about when God has our hearts. The scripture reference was Matthew 6:25-26, ""Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

It went on to talk about if God is first in our giving, then He has our hearts. And if He has our hearts, then he is able to guide us and meet our needs. In fact, if He has our hearts and meets our needs, then we have no reason to worry about anything. He will provide for us. He is Jehovah Jirah, He is our provider! We need to quit worrying about every little thing that we encounter. We get so busy and so wrapped up in the things of this world, that we lose focus on our source. When we lose focus on our source, we tend to let our guard down and become susceptable to every fear, doubt, issue. We allow ourselves to get bogged down with things that don't deserve the time of day.

We need to take a deep breath, slow down and quit worrying about things. We need to have our eyes fixed on Him, just as a hunter locks a deer in his sight. If we lock Christ in our sights, we will soon see that He is our source and will provide everything. We need to simplify things and just relax. Don't you think if God takes care of the birds that He will take care of you? Just relax and trust Him. Besides, He is the one who created us. Don't stress, be blessed!

It is better to give than receive

This past Saturday we ventured to Sperry, Oklahoma to celebrate Christmas with Michele's family. The reason for such a late celebration was due to the blizzard we had on Christmas Eve followed by the kidney infection that Alexis suffered through for that entire weekend.

We bundled up and headed out about 9am on Saturday the 2nd of January and made the 2 hour trip down the turnpike. We arrived at the Higdon's around 11am and settled in. Michele's brother and his wife were not expected to arrive for at least another hour and so it was just a matter of watching college football and visiting. Michele's mom was scheduled to go pick up the barbeque at noon for us to have a massive feast. Michele and her mom returned around 12:30pm with some awesome smelling food and still, no Raymond or Sarah. They finally arrived about 12:45pm and had apparently overslept; must be nice to sleep that long.

We then had an incredible meal that consisted of barbeque brisket, ribs, little smokies and Michele's famous cheese dip. In addition to the main courses, we also had a variety of desserts that consisted of some killer pumpkin pie, a tasty lemon pie along with some others. Needless to say, the food was outstanding and definitely hit the spot. After getting our stomachs full, Alexis was chomping at the bit to begin our gift exchange. Everyone agreed and the festivities continued...I always enjoy this part of Christmas, watching others open their gifts and seeing the excitement on their face when they open their gift. Alexis, Micah and Aiden cleaned up yet again and the afternoon was topped off with their big gifts coming when they least expected it. Alexis received a new 24" bike and Micah received an electric-powered 4-wheeler and boy was it awesome. They both were very surprised and enjoyed riding them around in the garage, since there was snow on the ground outside and it was bitter cold.

Later that afternoon, Alexis made a comment that Michele later relayed to me that really bothered me. She said, "All I got was a new bike, some clothes and a watch set." It made me realize how spoiled our children can become. I later explained to her that she needs to be blessed and happy with what she receives as there are many children that never receive Christmas gifts and would love to get what she received. This comes as a teaching moment for myself as well. It is the thought that counts and definitely better to give than to receive.

During this Christmas, I have realized the importance of giving. In John 3:16 we are told of the greatest love story and best representation of giving. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life." God so dearly loved the world that He gave His only son. HE GAVE. What a gift indeed. He gave His son to us so that we may be rescued from our sins and the death sentence we should have. Another great example of giving is found in John 10:10, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." This shows that Jesus came to give His life and to give us life to the fullest. We need to focus more on giving than receiving.

In this New Year, we should consider giving more and see how God uses it. Three things that we should seriously consider doing during this New Year to make an impact on those around us should be the giving of: OUR TIME, OUR RESOURCES and OURSELVES through relationships. If we can make a valiant effort in these areas we are sure to make a difference. It is a sacrifice. It will cost you something. If you are willing to put forth the effort you will not be disappointed.

Blessings.

Anthony

Welcome 2010: A New Chapter

2010 is here and couldn't come sooner. I am so blessed with the life my God has given me. 2009 was a challenging year and while I am blessed with the lessons the Lord taught me, I am looking forward to the new lessons in front of me. I know there will be more challenges and tests this next year and I will be preparing myself better for those this season. My biggest New Year's resolution is to be in the Word of God every single day. This past year I was not faithful in this area and I look to make higher marks in this area. I have found that without having the Word of God as a daily staple in my life, I struggle, get beat up and lose my focus on what God wants me to do. He has called us for such a time as this and He has a mighty calling in my life, but I won't hear clearly if I don't quiet myself and listen and I won't successfully pass the tests if I don't study.

So here is to a new chapter in the book that the Lord has been writing. The Lord began the book and is allowing me to be his co-author, but the entries that I have written have created some confusion and chaos in the story that He had in mind. I must begin to edit my entries and make some changes and with that I will begin to write more creatively and ensure that my work is proof-read by the Lord before making my entries.
I welcome the peaks and valleys, victories and defeats that are on the horizon of this new chapter in my life. With that, I welcome 2010 with open arms.

Lord Jesus,

I pray that you guide me and direct my every path. I give you my all and ask that you mold me and shape me into the man that you want me to be. Help me to listen and receive direction and guidance. Teach me, oh Lord, to pray the way you desire me to pray and fill me with your presence every day so that I may walk in your ways and be led by Your Holy Spirit. I give you full access to my heart and ask that you take full control of my life! I pray this in mighty name of Jesus! Amen