Off Until December 1st!!!! Please comment for your chance to win a dinner for four. Leave a comment!!

My next post will be December 1st. I have the rest of the month off! Wahooo! That is a great christmas present! Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

"It's right to be content with what you have, but not what you are."

~Author Unknown

Story of the Week: On Guard at Christmas/And Give-Away

Let me explain for a second, I enter a weekly entry at www.faithwriters.com to gain more experience in writing. I am a beginer, and the advice of other writers has helped me greatly. So, I decided to start posting my entries here too. And...please comment on the story and leave a link or e-mail addy. At the end of this month, I will be giving away something VERY special!!!!



Sitting beneath the prickly edges of the evergreen pine, Sam almost nodded off to sleep for the third time that evening. One would think that the bright blinking reds, greens, purples, and blues would keep him awake. But it did no good; it just hypnotized him back into a sleepy lull. Being as old as he was, staying up half the night was a shock to his system. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten those left over chili dogs.

It wasn’t his stomach that kept him awake; it was his excitement, mixed with a sense of duty. He was on guard that night. The kids were not allowed to come near the presents, and last year little Jimmy knocked the tree over causing some of the presents to be crushed into millions of electronic pieces. Not this year, no Sir!

Maybe walking around some would calm his roaring stomach. Glancing at the clock, Sam decided to hide around the corner of the stairs. Knowing Jimmy and Jane, 7am was 5 am to them.

“Creek, creek, creek.”

“What was that?” Sam got on his knees, listening intently.

“Shhhhh, Jane. You don’t wanna wake up Mama.”

“You shhhh too, why are ya wearing those stupid skate shoes?”

“Cause, in case Santa catches me, I can roll away faster than him.”

“Jimmy, Santa can do whatever he wants, he’s magic. He can catch you.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Uh huh, he can too.”

“Shut up Jane, you don’t know whatcha talking about.” Jimmy said in anger.

Shaking his head, Sam had heard this argument before. This was almost the same thing as last year, except, Jimmy didn’t have skate shoes, he had Batman slippers that glowed in the dark.

“Jimmy, wait, Sam might be down here. He’s gonna catch us, then make us go back to bed.”

Jimmy glanced around the corner, and saw a dark shadow moving closer to him. “Jane, run, hurry, Santa’s after me.” Running up the wooden stair case, as fast as their little feet could carry them; the kids ran into their rooms, turned off the light and waited until morning to come back down.

“I did well this year”, Sam thought to himself. Not only did he save the tree, the presents, and keep Jimmy’s foot from being hurt, he kept them from discovering what their Mama kept hidden from them, mostly because of his persuasion.

“I can finally sleep, come on little one, let’s go to bed.”


Fuzzy headed Jimmy and curly haired Jane came down the stairs for breakfast. After a big meal of chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, the kids could not stop from being giddy.

Finally, with Mama’s approval, they went into the living room to distribute the gifts. “Sam, come here!” Bettie called. “Bring your son with you too.”

Sam trotted into the room, his son jumping all over the place; thank goodness he had slept most of the night. “Calm down, Bandit, I know you are happy, but you can’t destroy the presents. Ribbons are not for eating, they are for makn’ boxes look pretty.”

“A new puppy! Thanks Mama” Jane said as her eyes danced in merriment.

“He’s mine, and I’m hav’n him be my side kick.” Jimmy shouted at Jane.

“No, he’s our puppy, and he is going to stay with his daddy, Sam.” Bettie told her two augmentative kids. “Isn’t that right Sam?”

“Resss”, Sam barked back. What a wonderful Christmas present to live with such a wonderful family.”

Thanks to all!!

Guest Blogger:Craig Sloan

"Get Ready For Rain"
Gen 2:1-72:1 The Garden of Eden Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. 4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. NKJV There is a great frustration in the earth that is crying out for true sons and daughters of God who have greatness on the inside of them. It is a cry for champions, warriors, stories that have never been told, history that has never been written, accomplishments that have never been achieved because it is lying dormant inside of you and I.Frustration can be defined as heaven inside of you trying to break into the earth, it is when you know there is something great in you but all you are seeing is ordinary, it is a great marriage wrapped up in a struggling marriage, it is living underneath the bills when God has put in you a more than enough spirit, it is taking what the world throws your way, when you are a champion that can overcome on the inside, it is knowing that true success is in you , but you wake up every day in defeat. It is knowing there has to be more, life has to better than this, I'm was born for something great, but all I ever experience is good.I hear God speaking tome tonight that He is about to break the spirit of frustration and struggle of sons and daughters who will stop shifting responsibility and blame on everybody including the devil, and realize no devil in hell, I mean nobody can stop the greatness God has put on the inside of you.We are living in day when everybody wants to blame somebody and play the role of a victim. To hell with excuses and blaming everybody, it is time we put into action the ability to respond that Go has given us.God is a God of order. God created the sun before He made the plants, because He knew the plants required light to live, He created the plants before He created the cattle because He knew the cows required grass to live. God is a God of order.There are some things that must happen in order for other things to happen. God put seed in the ground for everything the earth would ever produce. He didn't say let there be grass, trees, no He took the seed of a thing and placed it in the ground, and he did not rain on it because there was no man to take responsibility for it in case it grew.It is possible that there are seeds of greatness in you but God has never let it rain on your life because you have never took responsibility for your own personal development? I wonder how many great marriages with great kids, who serve a great God and who will do great things are inside of people like you and I because we have never taken responsibility. We can pray for rain, dance for rain, sing about rain, but until we take responsibility, God will not let it rain.Could it be that the frustration is there because you know there are seeds of greatness in you but there is no rain? We go through spiritual calisthenics like rebuking the devil, speak to every mountain, go on a 40 day fast, but still there is no rain, nothing is happening. Could it be that the breakthrough you seek does not come with a prayer line or a anointed touch but is the result of developing character and integrity on the inside.Success is not the result of you doing something, it is the result of you becoming something and no matter how gifted you are God will not rain on your gifts, He will only rain on your character. Could it be that there is level 9 blessing on the inside of you but you are a level 4 person on the inside and if God gave you level 9 you wouldn't have the inner development necessary to handle it? There are millionaire seeds, fathering seeds, champion seeds, impact seeds, dominating seeds, entrepreneur seeds, success seeds, in you but are you willing to become the person who is developed enough to handle the greatness that will come out of you. I am convinced many of the scandals we see in leadership is the result of people arriving at a level outwardly that they were never developed for inwardly.Will you do right, when right is hard?Will you be a success privately as well as publicly?Tonight I have made a new commitment to my personal development because I hear God saying that to those who refuse to die with their seed still inside of you and you desire to not just be a seedbed but garden of fruitfulness and you are willing to take responsibility for your ministry, marriage, personal devotional life, integrity... God is about to release a rain and businesses are going to come out of you, successful marriages are going to come out of you, debt elimination, success, is going to come out of you.It is not being perfect, it is will you take responsibility? It is not are your fellow employees lying and sabotaging on you, it is will you take responsibility? You are not qualified if your home is perfect, you are qualified if you will respond. I take responsibility right now for my family, marriage, future, prayer life... To the garbage with excuses and blame games, the responsibility is mine!Blessings,Craig

My Story of the Week: "I Want Teddy"

She had lucked out again this year, the stores were not as full as she had expected. Looking across the parking lot, she found her way of escape. A grey Ford Focus just pulled out, causing a short, but suitable traffic jam. Pulling her Mini van out of the spot, June Montgomery went over her to-do list in her mind, “Lights for the tree, cake mix, Christmas cards, a box of candy canes, and a cup of black coffee. Check and double check”.

Bags full of groceries and such, June juggled her load as she tried to find the house key. No matter how long she had lived at the stony, hut like house on Lake Michigan, it never cease to fail her, always the wrong key. Finally, after much fiddling, she fit the key into the lock and as she opened the door, her 7 year old daughter May threw her arms around her.

“Mama, did you bring home Teddy? I want Teddy, I want Teddy”, she screamed.
“Hold on now honey, you know I cannot bring him home. Teddy does not live at Wal-Mart. He has been gone for over two years now. Aren’t you a little old to be acting this way?”

“But I want Teddy”, she spoke sadly tromping herself back into the house.

Shaking her head June put everything away, grabbed her coffee and settled herself into her corner of the den. Picking up the box of cards, she opened it, and took out a sparkling card, showing the three wise men, bending down before the King of Kings. She always loved the pictures that Joni drew, amazing how God could turn such a heartbreak into a heart- make!

After about an hour, June had finally finished her annual Christmas Cards. The last one though, took her the longest. Her oldest son away from home, got the longest letter of all. Hopefully, his job and schooling would allow him to come home this time.

“Dinner was wonderful as always, honey.” Dan spoke lovingly to his wife of 20 years. “Did you remember to prepare the guest room for the International student from Grace Bible College who is coming over in a 30 minutes?” “Yes darling”, I did, June replied. I even put up a new picture for him. Did you happen to find out what nationality he is?” “No, they did not tell me, but they did say that his fiancée would be coming over to visit this evening as well."

“What on earth! How come no one tells me these things, now I have to go pick up some more cake mix”, June said with drama in her voice. Sighing loudly, she was about to step into the living room and grab her coat, when her cell-phone rang. “Hello, this is June, can I help you?” “Yes, My name is Mary, and my husband-to-be is supposed to be there soon. Is there anyway you can come pick me up at the bus station?” June was worn out already but said, “Of course I will, give me 10 minutes, and I will be in a blue mini-van." “Thanks so much,” Mary replied.

Mary was a lovely girl, with dark black hair, and a Southern accent. “How did you meet your fiancée?” June asked as she drove the frost lined roads back to home. “Online actually, he takes online courses, and we met on the message boards about 3 months ago.” Mary said. “That is very quick.” June thought.

Once back inside, Mary had just finished the cakes and was now frosting them, when she saw a red envelope with her name on it. “Funny, I thought I had read all the Christmas Cards.” she said out loud. Tearing it open, she found a picture of a U.S. solider hugging a child. Opening it up, she read a hand written note saying, “Mom, thanks for the Christmas card. Love, Theodore.”

Spinning around, May grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her into the living room saying, “Mama, my Teddy is here. You brought him back!! Look Miss Mary, its my Teddy! He’s home from the war!”

With tears streaming down her face, June was flabbergasted. The Christmas card from her son, was the best present ever, but even more so, was her son, Sergeant Teddy Montgomery assistant to the Army Surgeon General, back from the war in Iraq.

How I Feel...

Sitting here my heart is broken.

Not about the electron.

Not about the economy.

Broken from the hardness of loved ones heart.

Irresponsible choices and carelessness.

I have cried enough it seems over this.

I have prayed enough for change.

Hoped for something different,

Endured the throbbing pain.

Disappointment is my friend.

Being forgotten is the norm.

I want to give up.

Forget it.

Leave.

That is how I feel right now.

Is it what I will do?

No.

But it is how I feel.

Left out, left alone, and left to battle this fight on broken legs and a battered heart.

~Jessica

Big As Your Dominate Aspiration

Today is the day that shall change the history of the U.S.

We can end up having the first African American as President of the United States, or the first woman Vice-President. Whoever wins, we will be making history! I will not tell you who I voted for, as to what I do agree with, etc. What I do want to mention is that in order for you or I to be a history maker in every day life we are in need to position ourselves for the opportunity.

"You will be as small as your controlling desire and as big as your dominate aspiration."

~James Allen

Sarah Palin was in Alaska tending to her people, when out of no where she was plucked up and thrown into the national political arena. She can tell you it was one of the last things to be expected, and not too long before, she was prayed over and a word spoken that God was about to shift her into a new season of great influence and responsibility. No matter if she wins or loses, media, friends and family say that she has only just begun! I agree! Obama also represents a season of change to which more involvement from African Americans resulted in a blow-out turn out at the voting stations. No matter what stance you may have today, pray for a righteous man, woman and staff to take the positions in this government. One vote does make a difference, and be prepared for hidden promotions!!!

In His Timing,

Jessica Smith