My Rock

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."  Psalm 62:1-2

I find that when I am getting a little beat up in the waves of life the Psalms are a great place to go. There are for sure days when I wonder why I wanted to be a grown up. Lately life has been so full of change and difficult decisions for my husband and I, that I have had days when I am not sure if I should even get out of the bed. I read this scripture today and admit that I am feeling a little guilty that I have had days where I have not held to this truth. I have not let him be my rest and I have been shaken. 

If we look forward in this passage, we find in verses 5 and 6 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." King David is repeating himself?  There is a pastor that I love, Steven Furtick, and he talks about Preaching to ourselves everyday. He has posted in multiple places truths and promises from God's word so he can "Preach" to himself throughout the day. I will admit I am not a theologian but it seems to me that King David is preaching to himself what he already knows about our God because he needs the reminder. He was speaking the promises again and again that he was holding to. The enemy can relentless in reminding us of our faults and we need to be relentless to remind ourselves over and over of God's love for us and his promises.

Prayer:
Lord,
   I am feeling a little shaky right now but you Are my rock and my salvation. You are my fortress and my desire is to find rest in you and only in you. I know that you are my only hope and the only complete and real truth in my life. Thank you that I don't have to do this life on my own but that I have you as my help and my guide. 
Amen

Let's Get Psyched for Sunday!!

I know the last song I posted was by PJ Putnam but let's face it, the guys got skills :) So I think an awesome song should be Saturday's post to get us Psyched to meet with our Lord on Sunday. Unless you go to church on Saturday night and then well... I've got all the bases covered!! The words of this song say it All. All that matters in this life is captured by the words of this song. The most important moment in time and the reason we sing and worship, is relayed in this song. I hope if you have not experienced The most Beautiful Love of all time, you will not wait a moment longer.

Wonderful Love!!

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" Romans 8:31

I find that a bad day can be turned right around with Romans 8:28-39. We all have those days when nothing seems to be working in our favor. So many irritations and that little voice, that I have previously mentioned, creeps in an tells us how no good we are. It seems like possibly every one you know may in fact not like you. And of course this is all in our heads, but we just can't help but feel like the whole world is out to get us some days.

But I love verse 35 "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute or in danger, or threatened with death?" If you read on you will find the answer to be a resounding NO!! This makes me think of how I am with my children. I discipline them because I love them. I try to correct them because I love them. But at various points through out the day I work diligently to remind them that they are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. Can I promise them that they will never face a hardship or that everyday will be sunshine and fun? NO and it would be crazy to even promise that nothing difficult will ever happen to them. And just like I work to make sure that my children know, despite a difficult day, their existence makes my world awesome God so desires to remind us that our existence makes his world awesome too. That is why I just love this passage in Romans that even though life is hard and we will face trials, God's love for us and his power in our lives cannot be taken from us. If that doesn't turn around a bad day, I don't know what will!

Prayer,

   Thank you Lord that Nothing in this world can separate me from you or your love and that you are for me. You are good and you never change and I hold to that daily. You are my rock and my redeemer and I trust in you. Remind me daily that while in little irritations or big life difficulties you are never going to leave me and you love me with a love that I can't begin to comprehend.
Amen

Weeding the Garden

"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults." Psalm 19:12

We were out pulling weeds in our garden last week and I was in one area pulling and pulling and pulling. Thinking I had done a pretty awesome job I look and there in the middle of this nice clean spot is a Huge Goat Head patch!! How did I miss it?! And I immediately thought of the scripture in Matthew 7:4 about how we are so quick to point out the little faults in others but are blind to the Huge faults in our own lives. Right there in the middle of what we think is going pretty good, a Huge Goat Head Mess.

Today I came across this passage from Psalms and it made me think of my weed pulling session. This entire chapter is very inspiring about God's goodness and his Law, that we should meditate on day and night to live a right life and then we come to verse 12. Exactly!!! How can we know every sin lurking?! 

We are particularly blessed to have a "helper" that King David did not have, the Holy Spirit. We are particularly blessed to have the ultimate sacrifice that Christ Jesus gave on our behalf. And because of that sacrifice we have Grace. Is Grace a reason to keep sinning? In the words of the Apostle Paul, Absolutely Not!! But if we daily weed our garden by searching His word and Speaking with our creator, it will get easier to see those Goat Heads before they get so big they flower and then we have stickers all over the place. 

Prayer:

  Lord,

     Help me to see the sins lurking. Those things that keep me from knowing you completely. Those things that push others away from you and not to you. I know that I can never be all that you expect on my own and I thank you for the price that you paid that I could not. 

Morning Joy

Psalm 90:14- "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives"

I was up today at 6:30 at the request of my handsome husband, who was leaving for work, to turn the water off to our garden. Our 8 year old was already up playing his DS and the 5 year old was still fast asleep. So while waiting on the garden, the 60 pound 8 year old sat in my lap and we played DS together. Then I had some coffee and then the 5 year old got up and sleepily sat in my lap for 10 minutes and it was such a glorious morning. I love my days off when they are like this because it reminds me of when they were babies. Remember how they would get up and were so happy to see you and they would let you hold them? 

Truthfully on my day off I wanted to sleep in a bit. I could have let the early rise put me in a mood but look at the blessing I would have missed. Quiet beautiful moments with each of my children. Not a single doubt in my mind that this came from the Lord. So many scriptures I found today about rising early in the morning. The morning is a new beginning and a new time to get started on the task the Lord has set before us. Often mornings are such a difficult time for moms trying to get the breakfast and lunches and clothes on and teeth brushed and, and, and....  But clearly from this verse above we are to sit in His unfailing love EACH morning so we may have JOY!! I am not an early riser but experience tells me that when there is quiet time in the AM and the day is not rushed and frantic, it goes much smoother. Acts 2:28 says, "You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence." Two different books by two different authors, each proclaiming the Joy He brings. When we are in His presence quietly and humbly, Joy is sure to be there.

Prayer:
 Lord,
  Thank you for the sunrise and the promise that a new day brings hope and renewal. Please be my Joy today. Life can be chaotic and difficulties can abound but you changed our lives and NO one can take that away. 
Amen

I Love my Kids!!!

"As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle and patient."
  Colossians 3:12

This verse becomes exponentially hard to do when you have multiple children in your house. Today my 8 year old has hidden the TV remote from the 5 year old because the little one has learned how to use it and the 8 year doesn't want her to change his show. Well now we can't find the remote!! And the fighting has ensued!! AND we only have 2 children! Today with the, what I am sure is mild chaos compared to house holds with several more children than us, I have had wondered how we are going to homeschool these children?!?! I will not lie, I am not in general very patient, yet God calls us to live in Peace and Harmony (Ephesians 4:3).

So what do we do when the frenzy is almost more than we can take? How in the World do we live in Peace and Harmony with fighting Siblings?  I must admit as soon as I read this verse this morning, I had a good laugh. God always knows exactly the right words at the right time to bring light and wisdom to a situation. Here we are again, that we need to be in His word everyday if we are to raise these young Neanderthals up in His love, knowledge and grace. In addition, we need to be memorizing scripture, because the Holy Spirit will be Faithful to bring it to mind at the exact right time. Write it on your walls!! I often have a sticky note at my desk at work with scripture that God has put on my heart to memorize. We can do this, not only for ourselves, but our children too. Have a weekly family verse that will be a focus for our children. Lastly, for myself I know I need to take a breath. I need to remember that the little irritations are not life altering and I need to remember the bigger picture.

Prayer:

  Lord,
     Help me to be loving, sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle and patient today with my children. Such a tall order I know that cannot do this on my own. But I do know that if I can show them your love, they will shine your light. Your word instructs that a gentle answer deflects anger and harsh words make tempers flare. Help me to have your word in my heart that I would not sin against you, and that I would lead my children to you. Help me to lead by example and not by my own desires.

Amen

I'm not sure, Lord.

"When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even much more will be required."  Luke 12:48

    I think we often think of money when we read this scripture but today when I read it, I thought about my kids.
We all remember back to before we had kids and daydreaming about how awesome it would be to have a new baby and we could hardly wait. Of course we would not trade our children for anything but let's face it, there are days when it is so difficult we are not sure how we will make it through the day. Perhaps we have all felt in the madness of screaming kids, laundry up to our eyeballs and a house that looks like a bomb exploded, "God I'm not sure I am up for this!"
 
 For those who know me, you know my oldest child has severe food, drug and environmental allergies. Most of the time our days are easy and we live just like every other family because now we are adjusted. But there are days when I am not really sure what God was thinking choosing me to be his mom. Being a nurse most would think I would be the obvious choice, but there have been times I have confided to my husband that I am not sure that God made the right choice. Then I laugh because He is God and I am... well... me. I recently went to the New Mexico home school conference and many times I heard, "God knew exactly what he was doing when he put your child with you." I know this to be true but I worry as all moms do, am I gonna totally ruin this kid?!

    The charge in this scripture can be completely overwhelming. When we are given children, we are given the greatest blessings of our lives. And it is very true that the greatest accomplishments are the things we have to work hardest for. We are naive when we hold our newborns in our arms and even when people tell us how hard it will be, we don't listen. And praise GOD, we don't listen because look back and see all the blessings we would have missed!! And if you are like me, you now see a much better view of God's love for you.
   
So how do we face the charge in Luke 12:48 head on and not get overwhelmed in the day to day weight of it all?  1 Peter 5:9-10- "Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sister all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation."

     First, you are not alone. Moms everywhere are going through, and thinking and feeling all the same things you are. Next, be encouraged that God will restore you and support you and encourage you! I think however this needs to be a little more participatory on your part. If you are sitting at home every day, this is not good. You need to get out. Maybe you need to find a group of moms who encourage and support you and then when the roles are reversed, you support and encourage them. Then you bring new young moms under your wing and help them along too. If you are not a part of a church family, you need to be. We will find in life that some of our closest "family" is not by blood at all and many of these people we meet at church. Church is where you get your batteries recharged and where we hear encouraging words from our Lord. If we are not spending time with the Lord, we are missing the peaceful rest that only He provides. Which leads me to my last point, and as a mother is the hardest, we need to spend time with the Lord daily. Daily we need to sit at His feet in quiet and hear a word from Him. He always supplies what we need for the day!


Prayer:
 Lord,
      I know you gave me my child/children each for a specific reason and I am the best person to be his/her mom. I will admit there are many days I am not sure what that looks like or how in world we are going to get them to what you have called them to. BUT I know you are God and you are Good. I know that you love my child/children so much more than I do and I will daily seek you and your will for their lives. Give me what I need daily to be their mom and to raise them in your love and your knowledge. Help me to show them who you are.

Amen

Did God Really Say?

Genesis 3:1  The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"

I decided for my first daily devotional I would tackle a topic all moms face on a daily basis, the lies the enemy puts in our heads. As we prepare to begin the homeschool journey, I seem to hear this lie more frequently from the enemy, "Did God really say you are to homeschool these children?" And I find myself increasingly afraid about how we are going to do this. I am sure that there are many homeschooling moms who are several years in and feeling worn out and feeling bombarded by the lies just like this newbee, who has not even started! 

Maybe you are not a homeschooling mom but you are facing the lies everyday as well, "Did God really say_________?" Fill in the blank!  Fear and all the what ifs can leave us defenseless and that is what the enemy wants. We however do not have to let him do this to us. As my handsome 8 year old son has to quoted to me several times in the last week "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline" 2 Timothy 1:7. (Don't you just love when the Lord speaks through your children?) And our pastor reminded us last Sunday "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. I think humility is really the key here! I can NEVER teach these children in my own power. When we come humbly before the Lord and let Him lead, I believe there is nothing we can't accomplish! And with the Lord beside us, it often turns out much better than we ever anticipated.

Prayer:

 Lord,

    As I begin my day with my children, I know there will be challenges. Bind the enemy from my mind and my home. I know that you have changed my life and you bring, power, love and self-discipline where I cannot. I have heard you clearly and I know you will help me. Thank you for my children and the charge you have put upon my life as a mom.
Amen

Glorious Friday!!

I have been considering for a while now to start blogging again. And 
this week I have been on a PJ Putnam kick all thanks to my good friend
Carl :) I have decided to post this video because it really has been my 
like pre-fight pump me up song this week. Honestly if this does not get 
you going, I am not sure what will? Our God is Glorious and Good all the
time. He Never changes and that brings so much comfort in a constantly 
changing world. Happy Friday Everyone!!

Music Monday- The Franz Family

Maybe I am late on the scene but I recently found
this jewel of a family!! The Franz Family and WOW!!
I could listen to them all day. I do not yet know all
that much about them but if you watch all their videos,
you will see that all of the children play various
instruments. And I love how the parents are in the
back ground supporting them in instrument and love.
If you watch closely, you will see the parents glowing
from time to time.

I think I can say for all of us that I aspire to
have a family with my children that is this bonded.
Maybe for some it would not necessarily be musical
but I know that I look forward to the day when my
children are grown and I can look on them with pride
like these parents as they give back their talents.

Music Monday- Anthem Lights

Alrighty it is has been a week since I posted. But back to
it this week with Music Monday and a song for all of 
you ladies out there. And well I guess you men too. Take
some notes fellas. A fairly new group of handsome 
young guys called Anthem Lights! 


What I love most about these guys, is their love for Christ.
Nothing unmanly about making a stand for the Lord.
The song I am posting today is not actually their song.
(But you should take a listen to all of their music 
because you cannot go wrong with any of their songs.
Each guy in this group could stand on his own but
together is WOW!!) Today's song  is a cover from 
Bruno Mars and I think they kill it!! 
They are singing about how men should love women. 
AND the fact that you know that they love Jesus makes
it even well... hotter! I respect this song SOOO much more 
coming from these God fearing men then I do coming
from the one who actually wrote it. 

  Ladies, you want a man who loves you for who
you are inside and out. A man that sees your true
beauty. A man that loves you with a real love that
expects nothing in return. And I personally believe
that men who love Christ with all that they are, will
know better how to love you with all that they are.


AND you are welcome!!

Music Monday- Brooke Fraser

Many of us hear Brooke Fraser on the radio

every day but may not know her name. At least

I didn't. Brooke Fraser is from Hillsong which

is a church in New Zealand. Many of us know 

her from her song Hosanna, which rocks. This 

woman is a wonderful example, to me, of being 

in the world but not of it. She has been on the 

scene in New Zealand since she was 17. She was 

writing songs and performing as a teenager. She 

has toured with John Mayer. She plays piano and 

guitar and sings and write songs and, and, and... 

But what I love about her is that it is never 

a secret that she is in love with Christ. 

The song I am posting today for Music Monday, she

wrote. I like this song for so many reasons. First,

the video is beautiful. Second, for some reason I

love that all of the string players are elderly. 
Really goes along with the songs theme of loving 
Christ for life. Each string player is playing

so beautifully and with such heart.I also like 
that even though she has an amazingly powerful 
voice, she does not blast it in this song. It is 
very personal and very intimate. A love song, 
if you will, for her savior. Lastly, I love that 
she reminds me that being a Christian is not about 
keeping score of the good and bad that we do. 
It is about a relationship it is about wanting only 
Christ with all that we are.

Have a blessed week everyone and remember

it is not about the Arithmetic!

Midweek Ministry

As you know from last week I would like to post more on 

Wednesdays about the work our church is doing in our 

community. However this week I have decided to deviate 

because yesterday I heard the most wonderful and awesome 

story. You know one of those stories that leaves you feeling 

little chill bumps because you know God was working. This 

story comes from a friend and fellow believer from high

school, her name is Rebecca Helvey. At this time her 

grandfather has gone through a huge surgery and is recovering

in the ICU. Yesterday as they were wheeling him to surgery 

the most inspiring things happened and I will just copy and 

paste two of Rebecca's posts here.

  
1st post is about her grandfather:

R.J. Stevens... 84 years old. 4 heart bypass. Has spent his life as a Gospel preacher in the Church of Christ & teaches congregations all over the country how to better worship God through song. Also has a hymnal that is widely used through numerous churches called, "Hymns for Worship." So singing is quite a passion for him, 

2nd post is the awesome story from yesterday:

UPDATE on Grandpa before surgery today!! Two ladies came into PaPa J's room this morning to transport him to surgery. They were so sweet & kind to him & our family.

As they transported him down the elevator and through the halls, grandpa was engaged in conversation with one of them about God & Jesus Christ. She asked him what his favorite gospel song was, and he said, "Nearer, Still Nearer." She said her favorite was "Nearer My God To Thee." He replied, "That's a great song, too." He started singing it. Both ladies stopped the gurney and everyone sang it together - my dad, mom, Uncle Joe, Aunt Paula and even Grandma Pauline.
When they arrived at the place where they would eventually put grandpa to sleep, both ladies gave your grandpa a big hug and told him everything would be okay.
When my dad looked down at the ladies name tags, their names were RUTH and ESTHER!! This just brought tears to my eyes when my dad told me this! So uplifting to hear this and fits my grandpa's love for the Lord.

Immediately when I read this post yesterday on Facebook,

I thought several things. One, how this wonderful man was

proclaiming the name of Christ even as he was about to face

major surgery. This shows me where his focus, life and heart

is, it is at the foot of the Cross.  And second, about how God

always shows Himself to us. He lets us know that He IS 

present and He is still in control. I immagine that Papa J blessed 

those two women immensely and I bet they too blessed him. 

So this week WE are going to be the ones Ministering. The

apostle Paul was a prayer warrior and a fine example of how

we are to pray.

    "I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for

     you constantly."  Ephesians 1:16

    "Don't worry about anything; pray about everything. Tell

     God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

      Philippians 4:6

    "Devote yourselves to Prayer with an alert mind and 

      thankful heart." Colossians 4:2

    "Keep on Praying." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

These are just a few times he talked about praying. If

he talked about it so much, then we should probably be

doing it more. 

We are going to pray for Mr. R.J. Stevens today and 

in the weeks to come. God has already been moving and

working and I can see He is not done yet. Pray with me

for our Brother in Christ. Pray for healing, pray for strength

for him and his family. Let's pray that God works so mightily

in Papa J's recovery that everyone will know that it could

have only be done by our Great and Mighty God!! AMEN 

I will update you in the weeks to come as I learn more and

I know that family thanks you for your prayers because our

God is bigger than any health issue we face. Our God

is the Greatest of all Physicians.  

Music Monday

It is Music Monday again and I have a great tune for us 
to start our week! I have had a rough couple weeks and 
every time I hear this song on the radio I crank it up
because it is such a huge encouragement to me. Mainly
because it is a great song, in my opinion. But also because
Shawn McDonald, the writer has an amazing story. Adopted
by his grandparents, in his teen years he started to rebel 
big time and got in with the wrong crowd and started down 
the road of drugs. Then he came to Christ!! And immediately
the drugs were no longer a desire for him. In a moment, like it 
should be, his life was changed. And the amazing part was 
he had never played a guitar in his life! In a few short years 
he went from learning the guitar to being a well known 
Christian artist that you and I hear on the radio several times 
a day. God has a plan for each of us and He can do amazing
things through us when we focus our lives on Him.

We can rise from our troubles because He who is in us
is greater than he who is in the world! Have a blessed
week!!

Thyroid Thursday- The Thyroid

I have talked a lot about thyroid disease
in my last few thyroid posts. I decided today
to get back in the saddle with a post that
is just about the thyroid and what it does
and why it is so important to the entire
functioning of our bodies.


The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that
sits on the front of the lower part of our
neck. It is usually flat and you should
not be able feel it on your neck.

The thyroid regulates almost every cell in our bodies!!
How crazy is that? It is responsible for metabolism, 
temperature regulation, weight regulation,heart rate regulation
and energy consumption. So if it controls all of that, you
can see why it is so important for it to work well!


Now we get to the confusing part. There are several hormones
involved in the function of the thyroid and another gland
that helps. First, the hormones involved are TSH, T3 and T4.
The other gland is the Pituitary which is in our brain. 
The Pituitary secretes the TSH(Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
to stimulate the Thyroid to secrete T3 and T4. T3 and T4 are
different but T4 can convert into T3. And T3 and T4 are
the hormones that assist with metabolism. Clear as mud?


There are several ways this system can be interrupted. First,
the Pituitary may not supply enough TSH and the causes 
Hypothyroidism. Or it may supply too much and that is 
Hyperthyroidism. The Thyroid gland itself may not secrete
enough T3 and/or T4 and that can cause Hypothyroidism and
on the reverse it can secrete too much and cause Hyperthyroidism.


Ready for more confusion? If the Thyroid is not producing 
enough T3 and T4 the Pituitary will secrete more TSH. SO
if you have a TSH test done and it is High that means your
thyroid function is LOW. And vice versa if your Thyroid is 
secreting too much T3 and T4 then the Pituitary will secrete 
less TSH and if your TSH test is low that means your thyroid 
function is High. 


Hopefully this helps if you have had a Thyroid test done
and wondered about the hormones and what it all means. 
Please ask any questions if you need clarification.

Midweek Ministry

 Things at our church, First Baptist Church of Belen, have

been heating up since our New Pastor David Guerrero arrived 

this last September. Every week I am seeing our members be 

reignited with passion and fire for what the church needs

to be about. We are refocusing on what our mission is and 

week by week it is so exciting to see our church transform 

into the Acts Church.

Our Youth Minister Sean Farrell has a vision for ministry

he calls his mission "Hands and Feet". We are to be Christ's 

hands and feet. We are to do for others what they cannot do

for themselves and love them like Christ loves them. When

people look at us as believers, they should wonder why we

are different and Sean is working diligently to instill these 

core values into our youth. Our desire is that our church would

be about service to those in need. Getting out in our community

and making a difference and that is what we are doing!!

A turn of events on Presidents day brought about a huge 

opportunity for our youth group and another youth group

from a fellow church! The plan was to go to White Sands

for a day of fun in the sand. But poor weather conditions at

White Sands ended the trip. Pastor Sean said he started to 

think and pray for an alternate plan for the youth. Then it

came to him! The previous day he had spoke with a gentleman 

by the name of Rex Lewis. Rex Lewis and his family lost

their home to a fire just a few weeks ago. Our church had 

already been out to help with the clean up but there is still

lots to be done to prepare for the rebuild. Pastor Sean had

told Rex he would assemble a team and come out again soon

to help. Sean realized he had a large group of teens and youth

workers at his disposal so he pitched his idea to the adults and

then the teens. Most were on board and very excited about

the service project. Of course there were a few of the teens who

Sean says "were not excited about the not having fun," and they 

went home. Little did they realize what they were going to miss

out on!

The workers piled into the vans and headed over to the Lewis's

and started working. Several of the youth I have talked to said 

at first it was quiet and everyone was a bit somber but then

the singing started and creativity in the clean up and silliness

and fun ensued!

 Some comments about the days events were:

- "Honestly, not only did yesterday rejuvenate me, but it turned out 

   SO much better than I had planned. All in all, I am so grateful that 

   the day turned out like it did instead. Where not only were laughs 

   present, but that of which matters, acting and serving out of love and

   devotion. Plus, it reminded me that we may have our plans, but His 

   are always better."     Miranda Lucero

- "I just have to say it felt amazing to help " Mystie Sky

- "Our students lit up Facebook with how much fun they had and how 

    good they felt helping."  Pastor Sean Farrell

- " I think it was a GREAT change of events and some of the students 

     even agreed. I spent time with two last evening and they mentioned 

     it was so wonderful to be in service to others in the Kingdom 

     than just to themselves. They had a great time of fun and silliness, 

     too! It is always such a blessing to give oneself away. I was proud 

     of the work the kids did and how well they did it, too."  

     Venetia Yates -Youth Pastor


- " I think we youth should do more service projects like that. I think 
     that's what we're supposed to be doing. Going to concerts and doing 
    fun things is nice, but so many kids don't realize how important these 
    things can be to someone else. I know yesterday, God was definitely at 
    work. I noticed a few things that happened to me yesterday, that might 
    not have happened if we'd spent all day down at White Sands. Of course, 
    God works in so many ways and through so many situations."  Katie Alvarez

.

The Youth and youth workers left Monday feeling excited and 

honored to be a part of such an awesome day. Of course the

Lewis family was most thankful supplying hotdogs, 

smores and appreciation!  I think that when we help someone in 

need and get our eyes off ourselves, we find that we are equally 

blessed. What I love most of all is that everyone saw that God had a 

much better plan for the day!  

Allergy Tips Tuesday- Spring Cleaning!!

Some of the most common indoor allergens -- the ones that can trigger childhood

allergy symptoms -- are often found in bedrooms. 


I was surprised to find many articles about how to keep a child with allergies
room in tip top shape. I have always been more worried about our living room
and what lurks in our carpet, which is important too. But then it occurred to 
me that our son does sleep in his room for 10 hours every night! Wow probably 
I should pay a little closer attention to his bed. 


There are so many articles that are EXTREME in my opinion about how
to keep a child's room with allergies clean. One gave detailed step by step 
instructions on how to clean the sheets, blankets, comforters, duvet covers, 
pillows, and on and on. It was quite amazing to me. I myself have been
caught in the trap of freaking out with the littlest exposure for our son.
If you have done anaphylaxis or have done an asthma exacerbation, you
want to steer clear of doing it again. But I have come to find there has to
be a happy medium where my son is safe  and I am not being crazy lady.


Our son is allergic to 35 things that we are aware of in the areas of food,
drugs and environmental allergens. It can be very overwhelming if I 
think about it too much. So I just do my best to steer clear of things
knowing that I can not always keep him away from all of them and 
trying to keep him away from the BIG ones. 


That being said I have found that his room can cause issues. So
there are a few things you can do to keep the room a little more
allergen free. First, put a mattress cover on the mattress. We had
already done this because he was a toddler and still having the 
occasional night accident. Mattresses harbor all kinds of horrible
things that no one really wants to think about!! Dust mites being
one of the big ones. Next get a allergy safe pillow cover. We bought
our son a special allergy safe pillow and cover. They are really not
that expensive and when you think about it, that is where their face
is going to be. Lastly, you need to be washing the bed linens once 
a week. I am not that great about this in the off seasons. Usually April
to June is our son's worst time of year and I work hard during
that time to keep all linens clean. Obviously dusting and vacuuming 
are two other important things. But I think the bed is the big
issue because they spend 8-10 hours a night there and it needs to
be a place of comfort and a place that does not cause them to have
a full blown allergy attack.


Lastly, one interesting tip I read that I had not really thought about,
because we don't have bunk beds, many suggest putting the allergy
kid on the top bunk. When the dust and allergens falls, it will not be 
on the allergic one as much.


Any other tips? Chime in and let me know what you think!