Seven Days To Go

The Countdown is On...
Hi everyone! I just wanted to give you a little update on the progress here. We move one week from today! I can't believe it! We are doing well on getting packed up but I'm not doing well at living in a state of chaos! Things are boxed and stacked and there is clutter everywhere. When I think about loading all of my stuff onto a truck and moving it for the 8th time, I cringe! I take comfort in the fact that the Lord is behind this 100%, and He will help me move again. (But it is still no fun!)
Please pray for Northside. We are praying God will send them a good man to pick up the mantle here and go forward. The people are starting to perk up a little and think about the future, so that's a blessing. They are such sweet people! Whomever God does send is one blessed family! I am really getting excited about our move. I have been setting goals and making plans. It is fun to think about starting over fresh. I have made mistakes here, and I hope to have learned from those mistakes. It's nice to think about having a "clean slate." I know I will make mistakes there, but I hope not the same ones!

As for our move, this is the order in which I do things every time I move: (I've highlighted the step I'm at now)
1. Sort items in drawers, closets, etc. - Here are my categories: give away, throw away, yard sale and storage. After eight moves, I'm very hard-hearted. My throw away, yard sale or give away piles are huge! You wanna know if you should keep something or not? Ask yourself, "Would I be willing to move this eight times?" And you'll have your answer! (Haha!)
2. Pack all items for storage.
3. Clean and pack away items such as fans, seasonal decorations, etc.
4. Remove all items from walls, dust/clean and pack.
5. Pack items from closets. (Blankets, clothes we don't wear a lot, etc.)
6. I save the kitchen and bathrooms for last.
Since about three-four moves ago, I've been buying bubble wrap for the fragile items. It costs more than newspaper, but it's worth it! Things are safer and my dishes do not need to be washed upon unpacking when I use bubble wrap.
I leave these areas for my husband: Garage and Yard. He takes sole ownership of these and I have no say. I'd just like to say that I enjoy having no say over this. I have my hands full with the other 3,200 square feet! (3,800 square feet total)
Another update, we did some checking on local Internet access in Hope. There is a company that offers it, but it is way out of our price range. AT&T, our local phone company there, doesn't even offer dial-up!! We are going to do more checking after we get settled. We may try going wireless to see if that works. Or, we may not have it. :[ If not, that's okay. I know I'll make it. I will miss all of you though! You all have been so great to me to read my blog and comment or email me. Thank you so much.

Just a thought...
We recently found out that a local pastor has resigned his church and left his wife. It is heart breaking. We just saw them at a restaurant recently. She is such a sweet lady and they have two kids. I am reminded of some important things:
1. I need to keep a close walk with the Lord at all times.
2. I need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's nudging and/or screaming. A good rule of thumb is, when in doubt, DON'T!
3. I need to help and encourage my husband in his walk with the Lord in every way I can.
4. I need to pray for my husband and our marriage.
5. I need to be on guard against "the adulteress who hunts for the precious life".
6. I need to be sure that I am not portraying any of the characteristics of the adulteress myself!
This is a wake up call. I think of 1 Cor. 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. I want to take heed now before it's too late!

She's Looking for the "Precious Life"

In just about every church we've been a part of, we have dealt with the wicked sin of adultery. I suppose it isn't discussed very much because it is of a delicate nature. I am not going to be crass today, but I believe all of us women - Christian women - need to be on guard. Notice that I stated that this is happening in our churches. Of course it is rampant in the world. It goes on everyday, unrestrained. But why in our churches? Do we not realize that Satan wants these types of sins to pervade the Church more than anywhere else? If he can fell a Pastor, evangelist, youth director, missionary, deacon, or Sunday School teacher with this heinous sin then hasn't he accomplished so much more harm on the cause of Christ than if Tom Cruise is brought down by this sin? Don't we already "expect" to hear of such wickedness in Hollywood? But Church? Nah, those are "Christian people."
I know this isn't a popular topic, and I hope I don't lose good friends for writing about it, but I don't care. I'm tired of seeing Christian homes destroyed by sensual lust right in the church pew! It's so wrong, and so avoidable...if we listen to Scripture.
Proverbs 6:26 says For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Notice that last part, "the adulteress will hunt for the precious life." That means that she sets her eyes on the prize! She goes for the person with a reputation. If you have been a godly wife to your husband, then he is happy. If you have bragged on him and encouraged him, and loved him, then he is confident. These are the qualities the adulteress wants. She wants someone who is confident, but she doesn't want to marry and build her own man up, she wants one who's already "assembled" so to speak.
Now, I'm a blond, but I'm not dumb. I have a sixth sense about people, and especially women, that I believe all women have!It's something our husbands just don't have. You've heard of "women's intuition"? Well, I believe it's the Holy Spirit if you're saved, but there is something that we women have that helps us to protect our families. We need to listen that "voice" that's telling us when something isn't right. I've been able to warn my husband that some woman, or teenage girl, doesn't have the right motives. And he has always stepped back and said "You know, I believe you're right! I wouldn't have seen it if you hadn't said something."
I have invested almost 10 years in my marriage, and I pray I get about 30 or 40 more! But if we're going to make it that long, then I need to guard my family from the adulteress who's hunting for the precious life - mine! I understand there are some men who go searching for that sort of thing, and that is just as wicked. But I see the warning about "the strange woman" so many times in Proverbs! We need to do our part to protect our homes from the wreck and ruin that Satan would love to see take place in our families - as Christians. Let's stop and listen to that voice - and keep Satan out of our marriages!
Oh, and by the way, while we're on guard against other women, let's be sure that we don't dress or talk like the "adulteress" ourselves! I never want a lady to be uncomfortable with how I carry myself in the presence of her husband! With God as our helper, we can safeguard our homes!