Random Postings

I have had so many "potential posts" running through my mind, but NO time to sit down and write one out. Let's see how many "posts" I can get crammed into one....

Things

My husband's employer required us to take an inventory of all of our belongings (with dollar amounts and serial numbers), for insurance purposes. Wow! What an eye-opener! You don't really realize how much stuff you have until you go through, room by room, and write it all down. Looking back over our completed list, I feel almost ashamed at the amount of money it all adds up to. Were all of these purchases necessary?? I'm sure they were not. Yet, when it comes time to sort through your belongings and get rid of the excess, it's hard to decide what you can live without. I hope to use more wisdom in future purchases.

Grocery Guilt

I keep track of the budget in our household. When we lived in the US our grocery budget averaged around $300 a month (for a family of 3). In Okinawa the price of everything increased, and we didn't have a Wal-Mart to do our shopping at, so that bill jumped to an average of $450 a month (for a family of 4). Now, we spend about $800 on average, every month for FOOD! Now, more than ever in my life, I make so many of my foods from scratch. I don't buy canned or processed products, and we aren't dining on steak and lobster. We rarely buy junk food and other treats. Yet, our grocery budget remains so high! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that cheese is $7 a lb and ground beef is $5 a lb. A box of cereal is around $5 and milk is about $6 a gallon. Or maybe it's the 15% tax they add on at the end! But Praise GOD, he is faithful to supply all of our needs!

A Happy Heart

At any given time I have at least 2 books that I am actively reading. I'm halfway through Gail Riplinger's "New Age Bible Versions" (which I highly recommend), and last night I finished "Secrets of a Happy Heart", by Debi Pryde. This book was the first in her "Titus 2" series, and it is wonderful! I can't recommend it highly enough. I've actually had it setting on my bookshelf for about 2 1/2 years without having read it. I bought the whole 3-book series on a whim really. I read the other two right away because they seemed to be what I thought I needed. Those books are about marriage and child training, and they are good. But I honestly thought that I didn't really need this book about a happy heart. Boy, was I wrong! She brought up many things that I hadn't really thought of before, or at least didn't realize that they were issues for me. I especially liked her chapters on anger... very good! This would be a great book to read as part of your daily devotions.... check it out.

Long Lost Relatives

After typing out that title, I just realized that it has a double meaning. I have relatives that I have never met; and they are not saved... neat how that came together. Anyway, on to my point! Later on this year we are hoping to have an amazing opportunity, if it's the Lord's will. We are planning a trip to England for vacation, and to meet my family. My Mother is British, and her entire family still lives in England (my Mom's a Texan now). I have never met any of this family! My Granddad is 84, and I would like to meet him while I still can. I also have a half-sister (my Dad's daughter) whom I have only met once, 20 years ago when she visited the US. She has a son now too, my 12-year-old nephew, that I'd like to meet. As exciting as all of this sounds, I have a small dilemma. I am in prayer about it, so I have no doubt that the answer will be revealed to me in time; but for now it remains unanswered. Besides having never met these people, I also haven't kept in contact with them. We don't really know anything about one another. I do know one important thing though... they are all lost! My sister grew up as a Catholic, but I honestly don't know what she personally believes. My Granddad is an atheist, which is where my Mother got her beliefs (or lack thereof), and I can only assume that my aunt and her family have adopted this as well. These people need the Lord! But is a two-week vacation, at a time when you're just getting to know someone, the proper time? Is there an improper time?? We are commanded to GO, and PREACH to ALL. Not, preach to some when you feel like it. But, we are also to use discretion and wisdom. If I say something right away, before they know me and can see my testimony, that could ruin any chance I might have in the future to witness to them. Unfortunately, there is already some proof of this happening in our family. My brother witnessed to our Mom after he first got saved, and now she has disowned him! He has two children, her grandchildren, that she won't even acknowledge! All because he made her aware of her sinful state. Out of her 4 children, I am the only one that she will speak to, and that is maybe once or twice a year by a two sentence e-mail. I've made known to her my beliefs and let her know where my trust lies, and it always makes her upset; but I guess I haven't pushed her over the edge yet. I've left a clear, open door for her to talk with me; but she says that she will never walk through that door. My point in telling you this is not to disrespect my mother, but to show you the delicate balance in which the souls of my family lies. I must be very careful with how I step. Not with pounding stomps, yet not tip-toe either. Please pray for God to give me HIS wisdom!!