Abba's Girl

I pray you have a blessed Sabbath.

It's almost time for our next Siesta Memory Verse. How can that be? Last year I wanted to learn 12 new verses and decided to learn the verse listed each month on my Living Proof Ministries 2008 calendar. It had been years since I really endeavored to learn Scripture and not paraphrase it in the Annette Texan Version. I rushed my father to the ER 01/08/08 which set off a chain of events and drama as many of you know. He was hospitalized for a total of 10 months in 2008 due to a doctor's error and died 01/28/2009. It was a long year, I did not memorize Scripture. Last December I decided enough's enough, I am memorizing Scripture. And then Beth Moore challenged us to do it, just the accountability I needed. A couple of times a verse has popped out at me. A couple of times I thought my verse will be God is love or Jesus wept. March 1st a couple of verses jumped out at me, I thought maybe that's it, maybe not, it's 2 verses. I attended church that night as a friend's...

As some of you are aware, I made a little error while transferring my blog list to blogs I follow Monday afternoon. I deleted the blog list before I had transferred all the information into the Blogs I Follow...thankfully, through comments left on my blog and via Facebook, I located all the info and everyone that was on my blog list is now on listed in my profile...whew, I thought Annette, it wasn't so very long ago your ancestors thought drama was fighting Native Americans in central Texas...and a generation before that, some of my ancestors fought white men...why was I going to let lost Blog addreses upset me so? I don't have a UBoat heading my way, I am not in the line of fire in Iraq, I am not in ICU hooked up to machines...But I reacted to losing the info as if it were the most dramatic thing in the world. Funny how such a little thing can almost steal our joy, can make us tense for a few minutes. In the grand scheme of things, this was an inconvenience, not a tragedy. The...

How in the world is it Monday again...so soon...wasn't it just Friday. It was a beautiful weekend in Southeast Texas. A little windy for boating or fishing but perfect weather for just about anything else you wanted to do outdoors. I spent Friday evening at the rodeo with 2 of my nieces instead of at home cleaning out a closet. I have wonderful nieces and nephews..., went to the rodeo finals with Valerie Saturday afternoon, and attended church with my mother and then headed to our favorite local, Mexican restaurant Larry's. Most of the waiters still expect to see dad walk in the door with us on Sundays. My husband was in Matagorda over the weekend, all of the bluebonnets are alive and thriving, which makes me very happy. I will go down in a couple of weeks and add verbena, salvia and maybe black eyed Susans. Stay in the Word this week, praise the Lord through out the day not because of what He has done or what He will do for you but because He is the Great I Am, Who loves you s...

Worship our God today!

Since Monday, our mornings have been extremely foggy. It's has not begun to burn off yet. Come on sun! Sometimes our minds are foggy due to medication, illness, stress, fatigue, but thankfully our Lord Jesus helps us through the fog. He carries us in times of trouble, He carries us through illness, He carries us through stress, He carries us through the death of a loved one. His word says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorr...

I woke up a few minutes ago and smelled something. I walked out to the kitchen, my husband had left the oven on, I turned it off, got a drink of water and realized I am wide awake. The dogs are sound asleep, he is sound asleep...I suppose this is not a good time to tell him about the oven, so I will live out one of my Siesta Memory Verses, Eph 4:2-3, Be completely humble and gentle, be patient bearing with one another in love, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

I am so thankful for the rain we received Thursday through Sunday night. I hope we receive more next week. So much of Texas is in serious drought. My area became dry after Ike hit which is common after a large hurricane moves through an area. It takes a lot of moisture out of the area when it moves inland. We too are in drought when we do not stay in the Word. If we remain in a drought like state for long, we are in serious fire danger...the enemy is just waiting to throw a fiery dart. We may be so spiritually dry we cannot quench it with our shield of faith because our faith level is so low our shield is small. Spend time in the Word, it brings life, it builds our faith, we begin to really believe what God says to us and we live it. Drink from the well... John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will f...

In keeping with my Siesta Memory Verse, I chose this song to post. Worship the God of Wonders today, the Lord of all Creation, praise Him for Who He is, make a joyful noise!

It's not often you have to wear a jacket and muffler indoors in March in Southeast Texas. Reliant Stadium must not have a heater, cold air was blowing last night, felt like the air conditioner. I knew it was cold when some of the cowboys were wearing coats as they warmed up their horses in the arena. I am so thankful for the rain which arrived yesterday and continues today. Much of the state is receiving rain for the 1st time in months. I pray we continue to receive rain, gentle, nourishing rain for the land and wildlife, no floods. My husband is in West Texas, the ice has thawed and they are receiving rain today. Hope it's still raining in Linda's neck of the woods. I have picked out my Siesta Memory Verses for March 15, how is it almost the Ides of March!!! Psalm 19:1-3, NIV The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or lang...

Funny thing in March, the weather is quite unpredictable. It was 80 yesterday, the high today is 53 with rain and tomorrow it's 49 with rain. We won't have snow like some of you, which is good since the flowers are blooming. I will resume hoping for snow in Nov. Political views change. Politicians change opinions frequently. Gas prices go up and down. Nothing is constant, life change be like shifting sand on a beach. (Bet Ang wishes she was on one right now!) Thankfully God never changes, He is constant and true, He is ever faithful, His mercy knows no end, His grace is always sufficient. His Word says: Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my w...

I love azaleas!

As little girls we were all familiar with the words - Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? As we grew older, we most likely began to check our reflections in the mirror very seriously. Had we applied our flavored, roll on kissing gloss correctly? I think it was made by Maybelline. What about our eyeshadow? Our blush? Our hair, how did our hair look? Oh no, did we see a blemish? Funny, now I look in the mirror each morning as I apply make up, curl my hair, and I try not to look at it again until the next day. It seems there is always a new wrinkle, age spot, some sort of sun damage revealing itself to me. I am now interested in reflecting Jesus, not myself. It's not about Annette, it's about Him. Do I reflect His love, His grace, His compassion? Do I ever evangelize in my daily life? Do my actions bring Him a good witness or make people think - oh yeah, typical Christian - self righteous, hypocritical, etc. Have I lost my focus on Him? Am I focused on the w...

If the wind is not blowing too hard today, I will take a couple of pictures of the flowers. The white flower in my avatar is a freesia. The freesia blooming in my yard is hot pink with a yellow throat. Spring in southeast Texas is very pretty. The one bad thing is when the oak pollen covers everything in a very special shade of yellowish-green. It causes 99% of the population to sneeze, but it's worth it because the oak trees provide shade in the summer and we need it. They usually withstand hurricanes and storms with the exception of tornadoes. I look forward to the azaleas blooming. Storms of life come and go, some last longer than others. Sisters, remember the victory is won. Our Savior Jesus Christ won the battle for us. The time we spend on earth is a blip on the radar compared to the time we will spend in heaven - which is our real home. The Bible tells us in II Cor 4:13-18 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also ...

I am so excited (it does not take much), my freesia and larkspur are blooming.

Last week as I thought about a verse for the March 1, Siesta Memory Verse, Ephesians 4 was dropped into my heart. I read the chapter and chose verses 2 & 3. As I thought about it the next day, I wondered if these were the verses...I received a post card in the mail from am friend inviting me to a church service this Friday night. Some of what he wrote reinforced Eph 4:2-3's message. I thought OK, they are the verses. Yesterday my devotional began with Eph 4:1-4, and the writer emphasized verses 3 & 4 before going further into chapter 4. God spoke to me through His word, then a friend, and lastly a devotional. I received confirmation not only once but twice. He speaks to you too. We must listen or we may miss what He is saying to us. He speaks through His word, sermons, songs, other Christians and obviously He responds to our prayers. Ask Him for confirmation and clarity. There is nothing wrong with that. Jesus said - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow...

This could be our last cold morning in the greater Houston area until Oct. or Nov. There is a little frost and a cool breeze from the north. The cardinals and wrens are singing away, one cardinal was singing around 5:47 am today, guess he or she was getting their praise on. I am about to take a walk and then get dressed for church. Is anyone else blown away by the fact it's March 1!!!!!! I cannot believe it's been 1 month since dad died. Part of the experience seems like it was years ago and part of it seems as if it was literally yesterday. My friends from school, the neighborhood, work, and the blog world have been such a blessing. I am so grateful for all of you, so thankful the Lord put you in my life. I pray the Lord blesses each and everyone of you. Have a blessed Sabbath, worship the Lord, take His joy and love with you where ever you go and share it with people. Go ahead, get some praise on. (and don't take anyone's pew...) Love, Annette Let everything...