Big Bear Vacation!

Spending time with my family in Big Bear was a delightful time. We took too many pictures to post, but these are the highlights of the week. Cooking with Bonnie was a lot of fun! Playing in the snow, fishing and playing games are memories I will never forget. The most wonderful experience was when Zack told me he enjoyed spending time with me. It is so important as parents to know after raising your children that they will still spend their vacation with you. I love Bonnie and am so thankful for our relationship. Of course, everyone knows how I feel about my boys! LOL Then there's Manny, I am so thankful for his unconditional love for me. It is a wonderful thing to have a husband and companion that "gets me" and allows me to be me. I am blessed beyond words!

Happy Birthday Manny!

Today is a special day! It's Manny's birthday and we are getting ready for vacation. The kids are going to meet us in Big Bear on Tuesday and we have rented a fabulous place! It sleeps 12 and has everything you could wish for.

Today is also the day my Dad passed from death to life, and each April 17th as we celebrate Manny's birthday we think of my Dad and how jealous we are that he got to see the face of Jesus first! :) The hope of salvation through Christ is we will meet again and enjoy eternity together! At that time we will celebrate forever together!

I am so thankful for the gift of salvation and as we celebrated Palm Sunday I was reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for us. Bill Wiese spoke of hell, and it's reality. It shook me to my core when he said many are already there, in a place God never intended for man. However, those that reject Him choose to go there.

He also spoke of those that say "we are all God's children and there are many paths to God" or "I am good so I will go to heaven", and that is false. We will all spend eternity somewhere and God doesn't send us to hell we choose Him or reject Him.

It's all about a relationship with Christ. BIll Wiese also gave the example, if you were invited to someone"s house and they gave directions because there was only one road that led to their street. But you decided all roads lead to his house, you would never get there and would end up somewhere else. Or how we have nerve to show up at the gates of heaven pounding on the door, saying "let me in" only to hear God say "I don't know you", so there is no reason he should let us in. What a sad moment in eternity that would be for any of us.

So, I said all that to say this: God is a God of love, a God who wants us to know him and point others to the truth. We must do this...

My Heart Is Heavy

My heart is set upon you God. Make my path straight and create a clean heart in me that I may follow after your will. That is the prayer of my heart today as I wait for you to speak to me.

The world has so many distractions that it is easy to lose sight of what is important in life. It has been very difficult lately because I know what God expects from me and yet there are those that do not comprehend my heart. Of course, there are those close to me that see what God is showing us for these last days.

As the signs become more clear for the Lord's return I set my heart towards the Lord. I desire to know what He is doing in this world.
Many mock the Lord and the truth of His Word that He is returning, and that saddens my heart.

When I consider the things in life that are most important to me I think of my family.However, I find the words I speak can push them farther from me at times. I want to speak truth, but it comes across as judging. In no way do I want to sound like that. I just want to share the truth as I see it. My values and beliefs are based on scripture so if someone disagrees they can show me in the Bible where I am wrong. If I am wrong I will admit it...

My heart is sad because I know I have pushed people close to me away with my views, but I had to do it. I really feel sad though because they do not see my heart and my desire to point others toward Gods best and away from the secular worldview of what is acceptable.

I hope some day this sadness leaves my heart and I can accept that I am obedient to God and not feel the pain of being rejected my man's opinion of me.

So today I sit in the quiet and wait for the embrace of God to comfort my heart as only He can.

The Faith Of A Child!

There is a reason Jesus said "let the little children come to me." It is their simple faith and trust that touches the heart of God.

Each month our preschool has a wish list, it is a creative way to receive donations needed or desired for the children. In recent months we have collected items for us as a school. However, we also want to teach the children about giving to those in need.

Molly, a missionary to Haiti was killed during an earthquake. Her father requested shoes to be donated in her memory to those that had lost everything. Our preschool families poured out their love by donating over a hundred pairs of shoes to the people of Haiti.

Our hearts were touched when Molly's Dad came in and presented KidZone with a framed picture of Molly. It stands as our marker to give to those in need of the Father's loving care.

For those of us that are a part of the "KidZone" family we realize we work at a unique place. If you look at the building there is nothing like it in the area. It is the dream of many churches to have a building like this. For us, it isn't about the building, it is about the love of Christ being poured into the young lives of these children and their families.

Besides the shoes, our families have donated over 200 items to the food ministry, 50 scarves, gloves and hats to those in the U.S and Mexico.

It is a honor to teach these young children about sharing with those less fortunate.

We have a student, Kenta that is currently in Japan. We are awaiting his return and praying for the safety of his family. Kenta attends KidZone 6 months out of the year, and then returns to Japan to be with his family.

In February as he was getting ready to return with BaBa (grandma) I told her "he can stay, we will take care of him". She smiled and said he had to go back to his Mom. As I stood there I wanted to say "don't take him back". I really couldn't explain it but I felt he shouldn't go.

It was shortly after that Japan had the worst earthquake in their history. My heart was heavy knowing that Kenta and Ba Ba were there. Since then the children having been praying for Japan and our friend Kenta.

In response to this tragedy we are collecting Chapel offerings for the missionaries in Japan. We prayed for Japan during our Chapel, and told the students we would give money to help buy food and clothes for those that needed it.

Yesterday, I walked into a classroom and one of our precious boys ran up to me with excitement and said "Miss Susan, Miss Susan I need the container. I have money for the people in Japan." ( he pronounced it apan)
I told him I would go and get it for him. When I returned to the room he walked over to his cubby and there were pennies, nickels and a dime. He carefully picked up each one individually and put them into the container. As he dropped each one in he said "this is to buy food, this is to buy clothes, this is to buy a jacket". His faith touched my heart, he had designated where each coin would go. We prayed and asked God to help the children in Japan and bless this little boy for his gift.

As I returned to my office with the container of money my heart was touched by this child's faith in God's provision for the people of Japan. So this is my prayer "Lord, give me the faith of a child, to trust that you mean what you say, give and it shall be given to you..." -Selah

So today, as I pray for my loved ones I will use that visual of dropping each coin into the container to remind me God is aware of every need.

Motive Of My Heart

As I write I realize a deep need and desire to unravel the thoughts and deep convictions within my soul. It's not only for myself but for others that might want to know who the "real" me is.

Sometimes when I am writing I think about what others may see when they read my thoughts. Today I considered why it is so important for me to express myself.

It is because God is so real to me, and I look into the eyes of those on a daily basis that have no hope. Oh, they think they do, but in reality without God there is no hope.

So if anyone wonders who am I there is no doubt, in all my weakness I am a true follower of Christ. God's view of me and my life is more important than any man's.

Many times I express myself in ways that frustrate others, and I do regret that. But, I sense time is running out and I find the need to be blunt to get my point across. (which is Jesus is the only way) Maybe I am wrong in my approach...

I pray that God will lead me and guide me to do and say the right things to point others to His great sacrifice of love...

I pray for those around me to experience the love that is found in Him alone.

These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~1Corinthians 13:13

The Right Path

Friday night I spoke to Benjamin and Samuel on the phone, William was already tucked in bed. :) Benjamin and I talked about going to the Grand Canyon. Samuel talked about...everything! :) His favorite line right now is "guess what?" So I wanted to play off that line...

Guess what? There are a lot of people looking for the right path.
Many think they have found the right path, and others are trying to get on the right path.
Still more, want to make their own path.
Lastly, there are some that sadly don't care about the path...

So I wondered what does God say about which path we should take, and how to get on it, or back on it as the case may be?

In Psalm 119:105 it says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." So my first thought is I need the right map to find my way. In this case it is God's Word. This is where many struggle because they don't value God's Word. They want to look to other sources to lead and guide them.

So how do we encourage those that have found their path without the Bible as their map? To be really honest, I'm not sure at this point. I do my best to point them toward God, but the world has so filled their minds with thoughts contrary to this idea it is almost like hitting a brick wall. In fact, many have no need for the Bible or Church. Which amazes me because people are so messed up and say "organized" religion is not necessary.

Then there are those that are so weary and tired from being on their own path they embrace the thought that God may have the answer.

I do know that when the scripture says "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" Proverbs 16:9
that God is more than aware of our need for direction.

So my prayer is that we will look to Him and His path for our lives.

Many of us think we know which path to take but in the end we find we took a wrong turn and regret where we have ended up.

So, today I pray Lord, lead me and guide my steps that I may follow after you, and If I should start off on the wrong path, guide me back and point me in the right direction. -Selah

It's Been A While....

Well, it's been awhile since I have written about life's adventures.. and now it's time to start again. It's a beautiful morning in the desert, the sky is blanketed with a few clouds left over from the rain. One of my favorite things is the amazing sunrises in the desert, each one outdoes the other.

Life has been hectic with work and I feel like it's time to regroup, just last night Manny said when are we going to see our Grandchildren? Good question, how about next weekend.

The daily commute takes it's toll on seeing family and friends, and we appreciate when they come to visit because our days consist of at least 4 hours a day on the freeway. Unless you commute you don't appreciate the few valuable hours at home.

New Years' came and went... Valentine's Day was nice, Manny gave me the cutest card. It had a picture of Gracie on it and a dollar inside. She was contributing to a shopping spree, I thought a dollar was pretty generous for a cat. :)

God has been so good to me and I am constantly aware of His provision. In the midst of this economic turmoil we have been protected. One lesson I have learned is sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get ahead. We don't get to live like others because of living in the desert and commuting so far, but we do have everything we need and we are not in debt. If I could give advice to others it would be this: Put God first, Seek His will for your life and live wisely.

I am aware of how society pushes us to be number one. However, that is opposite of what God directs us to do. If we want to live a life that pleases Him we must put God first, others second and ourselves last. I am not talking about being a martyr, I am talking about looking around and meeting the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The world is full of so much unrest, and the Lord is coming back soon. It is my prayer that those followers of Christ that are living for the day will realize we are living in the last days. Many mock that thought, but it is true. I pray for my family that they will accept Christ as the true redeemer and not regret it for eternity.

Each day is evident of our need for God's direction in our lives, and it is my prayer that those I love will see that need and embrace the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit.