With Thanksgiving on the horizon....

With Thanksgiving just a handful of hours away, I'm going to follow in the footsteps of my dear friend, Sandy Broome (love you!) and voice some of the many things that I am thankful for this year...

* My salvation. I know that I am a child of God and He is my Heavenly Father. Regardless of the mistakes that I make in my life, He still loves me and always will. Thank you.

* My husband. He is the backbone of our small but precious family. I thank him for his love, strength and hard work to provide all of the things that we enjoy. Thank you.

* My Dad and Mom. I have so many things to thank them for. The wisdom that I use in my everyday life, some was education, most was my parents. I am proud to say that they molded me into the respectable adult that I am today. Thank you.

* My brothers. They are all such awesome men! I am thankful for their humor. If ever I may need a laugh, any one of them can make me laugh to tears. I'm enjoying watching them all grow and find their own ways in life. I love them so much! Thank you.

* My In-Laws. All of them! I could never have asked for a better family to have married into. Like my birth family, they all have their quirks, but that's what keeps life interesting! To Leigh and Jamie, I grew up with awesome brothers but I will grow old with awesome sisters, I love you both dearly! Thank you.

* My job. I'm thankful for the additional income that it provides for my family and the friends that I have met along the way. I'm also thankful for the knowledge I have gained and the new patience I've acquired! Thank you.

* My friends. I am so abundantly blessed to have so many awesome people in my life that I call friends. Some of them close enough to be called family. Each and every one of you add something to my life that is irreplaceable. Thank you.

* My life. Each day is a precious gift. I thank God for giving me the days I have had so far and, His will be done, the days to follow. Thank you.

* My country. Whether the land of the free and the home of the brave is in turmoil or not, it is still my country and I will stand for it. It is still and forever more, one nation under God! I am thankful for the freedom to pray for it's rulers! Thank you.

There are days where I find myself longing for more out of life. It is those days where something is said in passing or I see something on T.V. and I am humbly knocked to my knees to realize that I have so much. The most humbling part is that those that have much less, give abundant thanks for the little they have and here I am asking for more.

Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 107:1

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

Next Tuesday, November 25th!

It's getting cold, everyones getting pale and if you're like me you had to revamp your makeup to keep from looking dead! If you need some tips on how to create a "winter glow" or just want to sit in for a free make over, join me Tuesday night, November 25th (that's next Tues!) at my Mary Kay training center in Belmont, right off I-85. We'll meet from 6:30-8pm, refreshments served. This is also a good opportunity to get some really cool holiday gift ideas for everyone in "your circle", men and teens too! If your interested give me a call on my cell (704)460-2381 or email me at rachelsprings@ymail.com. I'll provide any extra details or directions if you need them! I hope to see some new faces join us and bring a friend if you'd like!

Peaceful Assurance...

On Sunday night this past weekend, I had two terrible dreams. Nightmares, you might call them. Not ones where somebody is chasing you with chainsaws or ghosts or goblins trying to eat you. It was vivid and frightening and much what I feel like the world will be after Jesus comes back.

To keep it short, the first dream depicted men rampaging our house during a sunny afternoon barbecue with guns and for no reason other than hate, shooting the people that I care for the most in my life. I woke up in a cold sweat with tears running down my face, scared to death to go back to sleep and see anymore of this horrific incident. Finally after an hour or so, I dosed back off. The second dream was even more confusing than the first. Again, a gathering at our home. The door bell rings and I answer to find a women with a group of what looks to be 6-10 orphans. The lady explains that she is searching for homes for these children and asks if I would be willing to foster. I let them in, after a few short minutes, the children start to pull syringes from their pockets containing poison and stabbing my friends and family. Needless to say when I woke from this, there was no going back to sleep.

Jimmy woke up a couple hours after I did and one look, asked me what was wrong. I began to sob and tell him about these dreams. He assures me that they are just that, dreams. No need to worry or fear for your life, that he'll never let anything like that happen to me/us.

This morning my mom send me the below devotion, words that I already know in my heart but without fail seem to forget when fear enters my heart...

Psalm 70 –
Be still, My child, and know that I am God! Wait thou patiently – I know the path you trod. So falter not, nor fear, nor think to run or hide. For I, your hope and strength, am waiting by your side.
Psalm 71 -
4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.
5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.

I know that these words are true and I know that the words of my sweet husband are also true. I also know that some may think that I have gone mad! I think that my mind is wandering into the unknown of what could come if people choose to turn from God. There are paths of destruction, whether crime or just temptations, that lead us astray. Last night I prayed the hardest I have prayed in a long time and this morning He sends me words from the mouth of my beautiful mother. Praise God!

the decision has been made....

The elections are over and the people have chosen their next president. Barack Obama will take office January 20, 2009. Barack Obama promises change to this country. Lets all pray it's good change and Godly change. Even though Obama was not my pick and I have several reasons why not, he is still going to be my president. I have to accept that as do many other Christians that took a stand and voted for McCain. McCain is a man that fought for and served our country for several years and knows what it takes to have the freedoms we all take for granted. McCain stood for pro-life. He has his faults as do I but the facts are he took a stand in regards to some very importnant issues that Obama didn't. It is unfortunate that many others couldn't see that.

Whatever happens in the days to come, I know that I stood for my God and my faith and LIFE! I will be the first one to say that I hope Obama proves me wrong. I hope for every citizen in the United States of America, that he is the best person that could have been chosen to lead this country. I hope his promises have positive actions behind them and that the words that he has spoken weren't just to prove that he could become president with the right people behind him.

More than anything, I pray that all of God's children continue to pray harder than they have ever prayed before for our country. Barack Obama may be going to the White House but my God is and will forever be on His throne. I will continue to stand behind that fact!