The Enemy's Perfect Plan
Author Unknown
Let's not allow the enemy to distract us...
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds" he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."
"Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR, CD's and their PC's going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there.
Has the devil been successful at his schemes? You be the judge.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
What have I done to deserve this?
As I sit and think about what I have been through in my life I wonder what I have done to deserve this. Now some might think that I'm having a pity party for myself.
So when I was a very young girl my dad was in a car accident. He was left paralyzed from his shoulders down. I was only 7 when this happened but it made a huge impact on my life. When I was 17 my mom and dad got divorced. Yet another trial in life that played a role in who I was and who I would later become. I got married at 17 in a fit of rebellion. I was married for 3 years. My ex-husband and I got along from time to time but he was addicted to drugs. I soon found myself divorced after splitting up EIGHT time in the 3 years we were together. Just when then sun started shinning I found the love of my life, Ryan. Things we going good. We got pregnant (unexpected) and we thrilled. We delivered Carly 3 months early and she only lived for 4 months before passing away from a heart defect. Exactly 2 weeks after Carly passed away my little brother was in a car accident. He was air lifted to the hospital. He was in a natural coma and we were told to hope for the best but expect the worst. They didn't think he would survive but he did. It was a very trying time right after losing Carly. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like my world was completely gone. My life would never be the same again. While spending every waking moment at my brothers side I found out I was pregnant again. Sadly at 32 weeks our 2nd daughter Hannah passed away. She was born sleeping (stillborn). One year after losing Hannah we started to try again for another baby. I got pregnant on the first try. It wasn't without fear though. I started to bleed at 33 weeks and was put on bed rest. Noah was born at 35 weeks and was in the hospital for 2 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. He has been a sick baby with all his airway issues. He has finally just had surgery (read prior post) and is coming home tomorrow (praying he does anyways).
OK so that's my story in a nutshell (if you didn't already know).
Deserve what you ask?
Well why do I deserve the love and grace of God? Why do I deserve to be given a beautiful LIVING son? What have I ever done for him to continue to love me and continue to protect me? What have I done to deserve the strength and courage he has given me? What about the peace, why should I deserve that? His love is never ending, never failing. What about MY love for him? Sure I love Him but do I show it everyday like He does to me? No. I'm am and will always be a sinner. I try to do good but I still fall. I'm not strong like people think I am. I have a short temper and far from perfect. I haven't been to church since December 2010. Noah has been sick and we just can't take him in public. Soon that will all change no that cold and flu season are over. Still though, I don't read the Bible like I know I should. I have found that I have fallen away from the relationship that I use to have with Jesus. I need to find it again. I'm given so much and the least I could do in return is be the friend He is to me. So what have I done to deserve His love? NOTHING! That's just it! I'm the most IMPERFECT person there is! I'm a sinner. I do wrong everyday. I think thoughts that I shouldn't think and I say words I shouldn't say. I pray daily but it seems as if it's the same ole prayer day in and day out. I don't "talk" to Him like I use to. Still He is there. I may have slipped away but He has stood FIRM. You could never ask for a better friend than Jesus.
So if you think you are to bad for God or that you are in a tough spot and that God just wouldn't accept you, you are wrong. He wants you just as you are for just WHO you are. No matter what YOU do He will ALWAYS love you! You just have to ask him into your heart. You have to trust and know that Jesus IS the son of God and that He was crucified on the cross to die for our sins. You have to trust and believe that in 3 days He rose again. If you believe those things and ask Him into your heart He will love and protect you too. It's a love like none other. None of us humans deserve the love that He gives but He loves us anyways!
It's like trying to love your BFF if she slept with your husband. Could you still be her friend? God would, it's THAT kind of love.
So when I was a very young girl my dad was in a car accident. He was left paralyzed from his shoulders down. I was only 7 when this happened but it made a huge impact on my life. When I was 17 my mom and dad got divorced. Yet another trial in life that played a role in who I was and who I would later become. I got married at 17 in a fit of rebellion. I was married for 3 years. My ex-husband and I got along from time to time but he was addicted to drugs. I soon found myself divorced after splitting up EIGHT time in the 3 years we were together. Just when then sun started shinning I found the love of my life, Ryan. Things we going good. We got pregnant (unexpected) and we thrilled. We delivered Carly 3 months early and she only lived for 4 months before passing away from a heart defect. Exactly 2 weeks after Carly passed away my little brother was in a car accident. He was air lifted to the hospital. He was in a natural coma and we were told to hope for the best but expect the worst. They didn't think he would survive but he did. It was a very trying time right after losing Carly. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like my world was completely gone. My life would never be the same again. While spending every waking moment at my brothers side I found out I was pregnant again. Sadly at 32 weeks our 2nd daughter Hannah passed away. She was born sleeping (stillborn). One year after losing Hannah we started to try again for another baby. I got pregnant on the first try. It wasn't without fear though. I started to bleed at 33 weeks and was put on bed rest. Noah was born at 35 weeks and was in the hospital for 2 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. He has been a sick baby with all his airway issues. He has finally just had surgery (read prior post) and is coming home tomorrow (praying he does anyways).
OK so that's my story in a nutshell (if you didn't already know).
Deserve what you ask?
Well why do I deserve the love and grace of God? Why do I deserve to be given a beautiful LIVING son? What have I ever done for him to continue to love me and continue to protect me? What have I done to deserve the strength and courage he has given me? What about the peace, why should I deserve that? His love is never ending, never failing. What about MY love for him? Sure I love Him but do I show it everyday like He does to me? No. I'm am and will always be a sinner. I try to do good but I still fall. I'm not strong like people think I am. I have a short temper and far from perfect. I haven't been to church since December 2010. Noah has been sick and we just can't take him in public. Soon that will all change no that cold and flu season are over. Still though, I don't read the Bible like I know I should. I have found that I have fallen away from the relationship that I use to have with Jesus. I need to find it again. I'm given so much and the least I could do in return is be the friend He is to me. So what have I done to deserve His love? NOTHING! That's just it! I'm the most IMPERFECT person there is! I'm a sinner. I do wrong everyday. I think thoughts that I shouldn't think and I say words I shouldn't say. I pray daily but it seems as if it's the same ole prayer day in and day out. I don't "talk" to Him like I use to. Still He is there. I may have slipped away but He has stood FIRM. You could never ask for a better friend than Jesus.
So if you think you are to bad for God or that you are in a tough spot and that God just wouldn't accept you, you are wrong. He wants you just as you are for just WHO you are. No matter what YOU do He will ALWAYS love you! You just have to ask him into your heart. You have to trust and know that Jesus IS the son of God and that He was crucified on the cross to die for our sins. You have to trust and believe that in 3 days He rose again. If you believe those things and ask Him into your heart He will love and protect you too. It's a love like none other. None of us humans deserve the love that He gives but He loves us anyways!
It's like trying to love your BFF if she slept with your husband. Could you still be her friend? God would, it's THAT kind of love.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Name Change!
Ok so I wanted to change the name of my blog to be a little shorter. I will keep the "My Angels In Heaven" for a while and put "Life After Loss" behind it to help people know that Life After Loss is still me. After a while I will probably drop the first half and just keep it Life After Loss.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Hospital Update and Photography
So Noah came to the hospital on the 23rd of March for surgery on his airway. They did the cricoid split (see below) and he was in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) 4.5 days. He was moved to a regular floor on Monday around lunch time. We were told we could go home on Tuesday but he got worse over the night after completely stopping the steroids. So everyday has been a new adventure with breathing issues. They think he has a chest cold/virus but it could just be his airway. They started him back on the steroids through his IV, started antibiotics to prevent a chest infection and started him back on scheduled breathing treatments. We hope that tomorrow he can go home (even though I've heard that every day since Monday I kinda believe it this time). With all the crap this poor little guy has been through he is still a very happy and playful little boy. He even attempted to get on his hands and knees last night while in his crib.
I bought a new camera yesterday. Nothing wrong with my old one but it doesn't have a hot shoe on it. My Sony was a point and shoot. This new one will allow me to use flash studio lighting. My goal is to have an in home studio. I want to work on taking pics of Noah, family and friends first. If (I hope) I get good at it I want to have a photography business. At first I thought I just wanted to do it for fun and leisure but then got to thinking that if I was good why not make money off of it and still be able to be a SAHM? I have the perfect space for a studio in my house. So next week I plan on buying a flash lighting kit. Then, all I will have left to get is a backdrop and a backdrop stand. I will eventually get several different backdrops and props but this will have to be a slow go. I didn't realize how much money would really have to go into something like this.
This pic wasn't taken with my new camera but my old Sony. It is very blury because Noah was on the move while I was trying to get a pic of it. This is a pic of Noah's incision where he had the surgery.
I bought a new camera yesterday. Nothing wrong with my old one but it doesn't have a hot shoe on it. My Sony was a point and shoot. This new one will allow me to use flash studio lighting. My goal is to have an in home studio. I want to work on taking pics of Noah, family and friends first. If (I hope) I get good at it I want to have a photography business. At first I thought I just wanted to do it for fun and leisure but then got to thinking that if I was good why not make money off of it and still be able to be a SAHM? I have the perfect space for a studio in my house. So next week I plan on buying a flash lighting kit. Then, all I will have left to get is a backdrop and a backdrop stand. I will eventually get several different backdrops and props but this will have to be a slow go. I didn't realize how much money would really have to go into something like this.
This pic wasn't taken with my new camera but my old Sony. It is very blury because Noah was on the move while I was trying to get a pic of it. This is a pic of Noah's incision where he had the surgery.
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