It's Amazing ~

Isn't it amazing how someone (me) with good intentions (trying to be intentional) can let a month of time slide by?  That's me this past month.  It seems like I am continually setting new goals, to get on the healthy track, to be intentional with my time and not just slide by each day and yet God meets me where I am.

I am trying to get caught up on The Wandering Workentins blog - currently up to August 15th which is where I share about our day to day lives.

This morning in my scripture reading Wait...a couple of weeks ago I grabbed my Bible out of the window (where we keep them for easy access) and found out with all the moisture that had been in the air my Bible was now wet, not damp but soaked about 1/3rd of the way up :(  I laid it out to dry but even after a week the pages were still a little moist and reeked of moldy misty smells...time to get a new Bible...I like devotional Bibles and so the search began.  First I was blessed by Mike & Elaine Loscher,

who were visiting us from Texas who bought me a beautiful Bible case for whatever new Bible I found.  And so the search continued online, in a couple of stores and then finally at Books a Million I found a PURPLE Bible~ New Kings James Version ~ Women of Faith Devotional Bible.  I was looking for a New International Version as that is what I have used for years but couldn't find a devotional Bible so I went to the NKJV and found this Bible.  It meets my criteria: a devotional (this one has 365 devotions broke down into 12 categories - the first one being Grace, leather bound and being PURPLE was just a gift because God knows I love PURPLE!!

Last Sunday night (9/23/12) after cheering Erv & Anita Bach over the finish line at the Branson 70.3 Triathlon (Ron's cousin and his wife) and being so proud of Anita as she has battled 3 surgeries and Breast Cancer since January of this year that she FINISHED the race.  I thought to myself I have no excuse to not be INTENTIONAL in what I do each day so I had another one of those FAMOUS self-talks about being intentional with my day, my eating, my exercising, my spiritual & emotional life, my relationship with God, family & friends and went to sleep praying for the Lord to help me get up in the morning and be Intentional about what I do.

So yesterday I met my goal: time with the Lord first thing in the morning, a 15 minute walk around the campground, good eating choices OK, I could have done better and enjoyed being with the people who came into my life throughout the day.

Today is Day 2...got up at 6:30 a.m.  (my goal is 5:00 a.m.) but that is better than 7:45 and flying out the door at 8:30 to get to work.

This morning in my scripture reading and prayer time I read my devotional for the day: Theme is Grace.  Scripture was 2 Cor. 8:1-7 and was immediately challenged by the Lord.

To:
~ Love my enemies
~ Bless them that curse me
~ Do good to those who hate me
~ Pray for those who despise or persecute me

And just what I needed this morning as we once again have a hearing with the Texas Workforce Center regarding Ron's Unemployment Claim from April 4 to May 6th and the Alamo Area SKP Co-OP (LSC) and the fact that they are once again appealing the TWC decision in granting Ron his benefits.  We have many questions: Ron filed for unemployment after we were fired from LSC and was granted benefits.  Marti O'Hare, BOD President appealed.  We filed a report, had a hearing and was once again granted favor and Ron was approved for benefits.  And then lo and behold, Marti et al appealed once again.  The claim then went in front of the TWC Commission.  And last week we were notified we have another hearing on October 11th... (How many times can she/they appeal the decision is one of our questions?)

And yes, ANGRY feelings surfaced, PANIC raised its ugly head and I found myself once again crying out to God "how long is this going to go on?"  What else can we say or do?

And then this morning God led me to the verses above along with Jeremiah 32:27 where God asks "is there anything to hard for Me?"  And I am once again reminded He is in control and loves me more than anything and He will provide for me/us.

And so as I went on my 15 minute walk around the campfire, up and down those darn hills, I prayed for everyone involved: the TWC commissioners, for Marti - don't know what we did to turn her against us and that is not for me to figure out...praying for a good day for her and for her to get things right between herself and the Lord, for the Lord to heal any hurts she is dealing with and for me to extend the same GRACE that God gives to me each day to her.

And continuing to pray for the Lord to find favor on us regarding this claim...Ron is and has always been a hard worker and deserves his unemployment and we just pray that the Lord will show that to the TWC commissioners and we can hopefully move forward and get past this situation.

And I ask that you pray along with us that God's will will be done, that we will rest in Him and continue to trust Him with our lives and every aspect of our lives and to continue to live life the way we believe the Lord wants us to...extending grace to others just as HE extends to me!

Now off to work, drinking lots of water and making healthy food choices and being intentional in my interactions with those who come into contact with me today!!!