Abba's Girl

Thursday I will board a plane to fly to Colorado Springs, pick up my rent car and drive on to South Fork, CO. I am looking forward to cooler weather and nature! I hope to spot a moose, I have always wanted to see 1 in person. My cousin asked me to drive by my parents' old house and take a picture for him. He used to stay there in the summers as a child and an adult. I am posting a picture which was taken just up stream from their old backyard. I am taking 1 book, my Bible, and not much else. I am trying to decide if I really need a blow dryer, my hair won't be as wavy and curly at 9000 feet and little humidity. I will post something Sunday or Monday. Everyone have a safe Labor Day weekend and a blessed Sabbath. Love, Annette

Fear not is probably the most common phrase in the Bible, but it's hard to live life without an incident of fear every now and then. My hours were cut at my part time job, a part time job is great for me at this point with my parents' health concerns. I also own a business which I scaled way back last year due to my situation, so if I am fired next week I will pray to determine whether the Lord is steering me to work elsewhere or build my business up a little bit but not too much so I can work around 30 hours a week. This is the 1st time since I was 14 I am facing being fired. It's weird, part of me is OK and part of me can feel the fear trying to needle me. There is nothing for me to fear in the natural or the spirit realm, if God is for me, who can be against me! I know this part time job was a God thing because I prayed one morning about closing my business and what to do as I was taking more time off to drive my parents to the doctor, etc. I said Lord, I am so tired, if...

It our 23rd wedding anniversary today. In our 23 years of wedded: 1. bliss 2. tight budgets 3.buying boats 1 weekend over my dead body 4.graduations 5.deaths 6.illnesses 7.joy we have loved each other through it all. I met my husband when I was 19, married him just after my 24th birthday, lots of joy, some tears (joy & sorrow), a little anger, and much love, through it all over the years we knew this was it, staying married was our only option and we better make it work. (Even after I painted your bathroom in 1986, it was peach not pink.) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persedangveres. I love you dear! Annette

You may be watching too much of the Olympics if you discover a new sport you never knew existed - team handball - and you could care less about it, have no idea if the USA has a women's team and you watch Norway and South Korea anyway. (Norway won.) You may be watching too much of the Olympics if you notice Brazil and Belgium are playing soccer/football and you turn the station from MSNBC to watch it on Telemundo and you don't speak Spanish. My husband and I watch soccer, baseball, and basketball on Telemundo when teams from Spain, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean are playing because the sportscasters are so animated. For example today when Brazil scored, one of the sportscasters yelled SCORE and Viva Brazil. Belgium almost made a goal and the announcer sounded like Ben Steines . You may be watching too much of the Olympics if you cannot stand water polo and complain all they are showing is water polo. You may be watching too much of the Olympics if you comp...

I am thinking of all my Siestas who will be in San Antonio this weekend. I have a wristband, I checked the hotel, there are still rooms, but I had a spirit check several weeks ago and will not be attending. I will pray for you, Beth, the worship team, and Living Proof staff some during the evening Fri and the day Sat as I pray for Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield as they minister in Alpine, Texas. The following is from Revelation 3: "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. I do not attend the church I am a member of regularly ...

From the time I was 4 or 5 I can remember on Sunday mornings saying the Nicene Creed if we were celebrating Communion or the Apostles’ Creed if we were celebrating Morning Prayer. For some reason, I determined God was right handed and Jesus was His right hand. This was further enforced when I came across the following verses at various times during worship and Sunday School when I was a little older: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (I decided Jesus was His righteous right hand.) Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. (In my young mind, Jesus.) After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. (I guess I missed the word sat.) Ex...

I hope this blesses you as much as it blessed me this morning: In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. The entire passage excites me, but if I had to pick out the most awesome part it would be: The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. I don't really need to expound on the passage, needless to say, it stands on it's own without the official Annette paraphrase. I hope everyone has a ble...

It's been a long but pretty good week. Took my dad to the Med Center for a test at St Luke's Tower, of course there was road construction, thankfully he knows all the side streets down there and as navigator helped me avoid most of the construction. We then stopped for lunch at a Houston institution, James Coney Island. I was shocked because he rarely eats that type of food. I can hardly wait to weigh in this morning after a meal at JCI ha ha ha, I have lost 7 lbs about 50 to go. It's a start and I have to remember through Christ Jesus all things are possible. I am re-reading a book by Anne Graham Lotz, The Vision of His Glory, I read it about 10 years ago and decided to re-read it because I will be leading a study on Revelation early next year. She talks about the omnipresence of Jesus which I find so thrilling and so humbling at the same time. Jesus is the Lord God who is, who was, and who is to come (Rev 1:8b). He has the same personality in heaven as when He walked on e...

We all know God’s timing and message is perfect. Since I posted Persedangverance last week, Scriptures concerning perseverance as well as God’s plan for me have popped up in e-mails, devotions, NOGS homework, & other people’s posts. Do I think God is telling me something, no – I know He’s telling me something. He is telling me to hang on, He has never dropped me in the fire and He never will. He is telling me His plans are to prosper me and not to harm me as He carries me through the circumstance, I have a future. His word says: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Therefore, since we are surrounded ...

Last month 3 men open fired on an apt unit because they were mad at someone who lived there over a set of car rims. Inside Velia "Belle" Ortega was sitting in her wheelchair visiting with the family and watching TV. She was shot in the chest. Belle was 78, she Houston's 1st Hispanic female police officer and had a beehive when I was a child which defied gravity. She worked with my great aunt for a while. My great aunt also had a beehive beyond belief. The 3 suspects in the shooting were apprehended. I know the Lord will take this evil and use it for His glory. My prayers are: the family can and will forgive and the murderers will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and spend their days proclaiming the Gospel. They will probably spend the rest of their days behind bars, but they can be free in Christ.

I sat outside Sunday evening and watched hummingbirds chase each other and listened to a Carolina Wren sing its heart out. I had taken my Bible outside to read Joshua 3 and 4 and a couple of random chapters in the Old Testament. I should have read more the day before. Saturday I decided to watch a movie, I flipped to a cable channel, a woman was complaining to a friend her daughter was having sex, the friend in all her worldly wisdom said she’s 18, I hope she finds her truth. (Don’t get me started – her truth, give me a break.) I flipped to a channel which airs mysteries. It had nudity; I didn’t know we had any channels with nudity. I flipped through a few more, came back to the mystery channel and a teen was narrating the scene and said they say the truth sets you free, but that is not true.(I could really get going here.) No wonder I watch I Love Lucy and Keeping up Appearances DVD’s so often. So many people have never heard Jesus saves, heals, and delivers. To them, He is just their...

If you attended the Beth Moore Esther study last fall you may have learned a new word: Persedangvere which sounds so Texan I wonder if my British relatives will recognize the root word – persevere. The most common definitions of persevere are: Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness. Diligent, Hard Work, Insistent The Bible has much to say about perseverance, here are just a few verses: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ...

I took my mother's car to have the oil changed the other day and noticed as I returned her car the inspection sticker was expired. I told her I would take it to be inspected and to drive dad's car. She called me, his inspection sticker was expired too. I took them both yesterday (separately I might add) to be inspected. This a.m. as I was doing NOGS homework, I realized I needed an oil change, a Holy Spirit oil change. I seem to be very lazy this summer. I asked the Lord if I am tired because I am lazy or am I lazy because I am tired. I am still waiting to hear His answer. Maybe I am experiencing a really hormone depleted day today, but I was more tired than I was last week. I have been eating better, am back on vitamins, but have not exercised yet. Hopefully tomorrow I will get up early and walk. My husband installed our new washing machine this afternoon. I read the directions and cannot get it to start. I thought I am 47 and should be able to follow directions. I could feel...

The betrothal period for a Jewish couple lasted about a year, during which the groom returned to his father’s house and began preparing a room for his new bride. When the room was completed, a priest inspected the room to ensure it was better than the current living conditions for the bride. (Can you imagine the average American man building the room and waiting to pass inspection?)Meanwhile, the bride prepared herself for the wedding ceremony. She knew the ceremony would begin approximately a year after declaring their betrothal, but the exact day or hour was unknown. As the bride, she and her wedding party attendants were to be prepared at a moment’s notice. (Can you imagine the average American bride to be and this custom? My hair...my make up...my manicure....)At last the anticipated day arrives, the wedding feast and ceremony started with one of the groomsmen leading the bridegroom through the streets, yelling, “Behold, the bridegroom comes!” After a shofar sounded, the entire wed...

Mr Ed is moving in further east than anticipated, so my area should receive rain and a few wind gust around 1pm or so. You never know with tropical systems, you just have to be prepared - just in case. As Christians we should be prepared because we know it's not a matter of just in case, it's when, the following text is from Matthew 25: 1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9" ...

It looks like Tropical Storm Edouard will make landfall in the Galveston area which may mean a lot of rain for the greater Houston area, something we need, but we don't want the 36 inches we had with Tropical Storm Allison in 2001! It's too hot to go outside and move lawn chairs into the garage and take down hanging plants and wind chimes so I am blogging. I will wait until 7p or so to go outside. I think the weather forecasters are excited to have something to say besides it's sunny, 100% humidity with a high of 99. (Some of them seem disappointed it's not a Cat 4 or 5 storm.) Tomorrow I will listen to the rain, spend extra time in the Word and spend extra time in prayer. I think I will decide which book to read as I have given up on The Shack. I cannot see myself finishing it in the near future. I have since moved the outdoor furniture and hanging baskets. I left a couple of birdfeeders and hummingbird feeders out, I will dash out in the morning and grab them. The hu...

I rarely post of Sunday, but I will today. My husband is still tired from his fishing tournament. My dad is still tired from the hospital, my mother is exhausted. I did take a nap yesterday. This morning I sat outside with my cup of coffee and watching hummingbirds chase and squeak at one another. I love watching hummingbirds! I was asked about a couple of Texas Festivals/Events. The Electra Goat BBQ Cook Off, is in Electra which is in north Texas near Wichita Falls…I once received a ticket outside Electra for driving 80 mph in a zone posted 55 mph. Scariest state trooper I ever encountered, she almost scared the socks off me. (Texans speed, we have a long way to go to get most places.) The Rattlesnake Round Up is in Sweetwater which is in west Texas. I am going to visit a church this morning which is kinda scary in a way because I have attended the same church for almost 20 years. I began attending Calvary when I was 28. I went from being a pew sitter to being an involved member to t...

Last night I planned to be out in the yard by 6:30am to work in the yard today. It's 7:25am and I am drinking coffee, have not gotten dressed, and am dreaming of ways to avoid going outside. The heat index is supposed to be 105 or so today and somehow the weatherman with a straight face said humidity would be down and it would be more of a dry heat. I thought, I will show you dry heat. I read the newspaper online and sent in a couple of coments, one was very nice and one was oh so tacky...I realized then it was time for coffee...and then time to get in the Word and stay there for a while! My father is home from the hospital. A physical therapist and home health will come by for a few days. He is thrilled to be home. I think my parents will take a nap today and I know I will. I can feel my body relaxing from the "chair" position which is not a yoga term, it's a term which describes the way you feel after sitting in the chair in your loved one's hospital room. My hu...

My father will be released from the hospital today. We are so thankful for the prayers. We give God all the praise and glory!