Test Time

David and I both had tests today. He had a Cal 3 test (yuck!!). I had a CDT certification test (It's one of those professional certifications......that add nice little letters behind your name!) We both spent most of the weekend studying.

I am happy to say that I stomped that test!(Special thanks again to Gibby for hooking me up with great study material!!) It will help me in studying for my first licensing test in a few months. So, it was worth all the hassle. David finished his test & feels pretty confident as well. So, thanks to all that prayed for both of us!

We did have a nice break Saturday night from studying......and had Supper Club (it's a group of young couples from our church that alternate hosting a dinner party at their homes). The girls even cruised around the neighborhood for some exercise... (NOTE: i was NOT one of the energetic runners...a nice brisk walk was all i was ready for... I know, I'm totally out of shape!!)

I want to put a shout out for Valerie & Byron. Congrats on little Jacob!! Byron, I know you're so happy to have another boy in the house, finally!!! We are praying that he keeps getting stronger & is able to come home soon!! We love ya'll!!

Prayer requests:
My family still needs prayer. It's been really difficult on all of us.
Plus, be in prayer for my brother-in-law, Jonathan. He had back surgery this past week & is on the mend.

Parental Visit

My parents (k-rin) came through this week. There's a lot of family drama going on......so, it really hampered the quality of the time we all spent together. I'm glad I got to see them though. I hadn't seen my dad since October. I hate that the first time off he gets..... isn't very relaxing. Although, I'm glad that they were able to be here during this time. It helped tremendously. My family just needs prayer right now. There's a lot of brokenness.

I'm ready for the weekend....

Easter

We were reminded this weekend.... why Christ needed to die on that cross. There is so much sin. So much brokenness.

Thank you LORD for your ultimate sacrifice and your ultimate redemption.

A Walk in the Park

We had a sweet little date in the park after work yesterday. Of course, we took the camera. It was such a beautiful day! I'm so glad we now have a bit of sunlight left when I get home.

Camping

Karen and I went camping at J.P. Coleman state park near Iuka, MS this past week. We had a good time not doing anything. I'll upload a pic or two later on. We ate better camping than we do at our apartment. Who knew Bald Eagle was so tender? Anyways, we had a good time and we'll be coming back there soon.

David

Easy Life Equation

I'm sorry it's been a while since my last little devotion LaLa. I'll try keep it short and simple (Ha, I always say that!!) I continue to find myself in James. It’s such a powerful little book. I rarely pick out a single verse to share. I think that can be dangerous at times…..because some will try to twist the meaning. I encourage my girls to read the entire chapter (even the entire book of James) for the context of this little fragment.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

It’s such a simple equation.
(Submit to God) + (Resist the Devil) = The Devil flees

Submit: It seems so logical…..yet, it happens to be the last thing we do.
Resist: It seems again so logical……yet, we rarely do consistently.

This must be a life pattern, a daily pattern, a moment-by-moment pattern. I can see areas in my life that God has been glorified by this pattern…..and sadly, other areas that I fail miserably in. The good news is that God is merciful when we fail.

I find it so liberating that I can make the Devil flee (not on my own… in submitting to God, we are letting Him do the fighting for us). It’s so easy to forget that we are powerful as believers. Thru faith, we can even move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Why do we forget that God is our strength, our mighty fortress? I, myself, will wonder why the Devil is really sticking it to me... and I let him. C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters" chronicles this simple life equation much more vividly than I can.

As my redneck uncle would say, "It's open hunting season......and the devil is in my scope....... Watch him run boys!!!"

Let It Snow

We got some snow here last Friday.... enough to play in, build a snowman, and have snow ice cream. Too bad David was in Oklahoma for a weather conference and missed the "weather"!! HaHa!! I (kk) played with Doug & Jeanna Bell at their hissle!! We had a blast and stayed up way too late!! It only snows like this about every 10 years....so, we couldn't help ourselves!! It's amazing to see the difference in the photos from the previous post (just one week prior!!).

There's No Place Like Home

David and I went to my grandparents this weekend. We had a wonderful time. We haven't been since Christmas. Weather & the flu kept us from visiting in February. Saturday was perfect weather. We grilled outside. We took a nice little hike through the woods to the "old homeplace" (i.e. my grandparents first house...that has been taken back by nature), the barn, the two ponds, and of course all the animals....And to top it off, we had a superb catfish dinner at the World Famous "Pap's Place"..... We'll be full for a month.