The Things of This World are Sometimes Not Fair

I have always been told things happen for a reason...

Sometimes these reasons are beyond our control. Does a child abuser deserve a punishment? How about a man who assaults his own step-daughter in ways she can't even imagine? But now I ask, does an innocent man deserve to be punished for something he didn't do? You hear everyday in the news of the many people who get off with doing things that by law should sentence them to just a few years or maybe even life in jail. So how does an innocent man get time in jail?

I take offense when it hits close to home...and in a time like this the only place I can turn to or better yet the place I always turn to is God and His Word. The first thing that came to my mind was Integrity--> the quality of being honest. So I set out to find scriptures on integrity.

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found

out."

-Proverbs 10:9 ESV

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."

-Proverbs 11:3 ESV

"Whoever walks with integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall."

-Proverbs 28:18 ESV

So why can't people just have integrity and be honest and own up to what they did? Instead of puttin' it off on someone else. Just a few more parting words. I just want to tell that family member, I love you and we will get through this...all of us.

With God's help that is!

Could It Be Christmas Time Again?!

Growing up in the South is awesome! You always get to learn about truck drivin', fishin', huntin' and best of all how to drive a tractor! But a day on the farm can be quickly ruined when Pops favorite tractor breaks on him and that bad day can quickly turn into a bad couple of weeks and soon a bad couple of months when you can't find the right parts for the broken tractor.

Why? You may ask! Cause Pops got a tractor from an old friend Gene Garvin and unfortunately that tractor was a victim of an assembly line change so findin' parts for it was darn near impossible! This made my Pops very sad...cause he likes nothing more than to ride his tractor.

But his sadness quickly changed on this very cold rainy day...yes that would be today!

His tractor part came in! He opened the box like a little kid at Christmas Time. All the while sayin', "Could be my part? Could it be my part?! It is Erika! It is! Oh boy! The only part left in the whole world! Erika take my picture!" And so I did...

Look at the Joy on that Southern Man's face!

You would never think that a tractor part could make one person so happy! But when that one part was the last part needed to fix the Farmall that has been out of commission for nearly a month. Well I say...

THAT'S ENOUGH TO PUT A SMILE ON ANYONE'S FACE!

Just Sit Right Back...

In a way I remade the Gilligan's Island Theme song a long time ago...I found it on Facebook but I decided in light of current events that I had to make a few changes. So here it goes!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship.

The Mate was a mighty sailin' women,

The skipper brave and sure.

Five passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour, a three hour tour

The weather started getting rough, the tiny shipped was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost, the Minnow would be lost.

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted dessert isle

With....

Gilligan

The Skipper too,

The Millionaire

and his wife,

The movie star

The Professor

and Mary Ann,

Here on Gilligan's Isle.

So this is the tale of our castaways, they're here for a long, long time, they'll have to make the best of things, it's on uphill climb.

The First Mate and His Skipper too, will do they're very best, to make the other comfortable, in the tropic island nest.

No phone, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury, Like Robison Crusoe, as primitive as can be.

So join us here each week my friends, you're sure to get a smile, from seven stranded castaways, here on Gilligan's Isle!

Left Behind!

So I started this little collection of the "Over 50,000,000 Sold In Series" books known as the Left Behind Series! It all started with my sudden interest in the Book of Revelation lead on by the famous Jimmy Steen. He did a study in our youth group on the Book of Revelation from chapter 1-22 and that's where it all began! I now own every book from Left Behind to Kingdom Come. And now I found out there are yet 3 other books the awesome writers of "The Left Behind Series" went back and wrote! So now begins my journey again...

Some people may think it seems strange that I have such an interest in "The End Times". But if you were to ask any of my friends or family members what my favorite book in the Bible is they would answer, "Well that's easy Revelation". That would be true! I don't know why it has become my favorite book when many would say that it's the scariest book in the Bible. But to those of you out there who think it's the scariest book in the Bible you would be right and wrong...Revelation is all about Jesus coming back to take his Church or His Believers to Heaven with him. Now on the flip side those left behind will experience what the writers of "The Left Behind Series" would call Hell on Earth. I for one will not be one of those! So I guess that's why you could say I find the book of Revelation as a Glorious Book. It's a promise to those who make the commitment to follow Christ it's a promise from our Lord Jesus Christ that he will one day soon come again and take us with Him. I for one can't wait until that day comes!

Are you ready for His return?

It All Started With A Whiteboard & A Marker

If someone where to ask you, "If you could pick anyone in the whole world to be like who would you pick?"

Well those of you who know me would probably say that I would pick...Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS, Jimmy Steen, Captain Bobby, Rhonda Pippen or my favorite Chuck Norris. Those of you who say that would be completely WRONG!

I found this in my room today as I was finishin' cleanin' it and the person who wrote this would be the person I wish to be most like.

Yes I know what you're thinkin'! She's a silly person! Why on earth would you want to be like her?!

My sister Marci wrote this for me long years ago...I kept it cause I thought it described her as a person.

1. Lucy is the Queen of Comedy --> Marci is a huge Lucille Ball fan and always dreamed of becoming a comedian herself. I always admired that in her.

2. Reba is the Queen of Country Music --> Marci has always said that

she could be one of Reba's back up singers...but poor thang she can't carry a tune in a bucket! But at least she try's :)

3. God is the Ruler of All --> God has always been a priority for Marci...the one thing she told me when she got back from basic trainin' in Texas was that one way she survived basic was the fact that she kept her Faith Strong.

4. I'm the Boss of You --> She use to tell me this quite often...cause the sad reality is she really did think she was the boss of me. Poor thang she knew no better!

So I'm gonna answer the question that y'all are probably dyin' to ask me...why would I want to be most like Marci?

She has always been a person that I looked up to no matter what. She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's not afraid to speak her mind. She knows how to stand out in a crowd and be noticed for who she is and not someone she wishes she were. She's a fighter and my favorite Senior Airman in the US Air Force.

I LOVE YOU SENIOR AIRMAN MARCI WILLIAMS!!

BANANAGRAMS!

Yes I know the name sounds a little cheesy! But it's actually a really good game! I first played this game at my Pastor's house one night with him and his wife. So I decided why not go out and buy my own Bananagrams game...so I DID! I lured my Mama into playin' the game with me and then my cousin Lynsey. We all three were purdy much hooked for an hour or two on this game! Not to mention my Uncle Petey thought is was purdy funny watchin' us form words that weren't really words at all...It's not as easy as you may think cause you have to form words and for a country girl like me that was pertnear hard! Cause they have to be actual words...no redneck words aloud! So that thar just purdy much through out most of my vocabulary! Next I will concur playin' Bananagrams with the Pops...of course we will have to make our own rules up and use only redneck words. Anyways I learned one thing from a night of playin' Bananagrams with my family....

I'M A BEAST AT THAT GAME!

And next time Lynsey remember that it's t-u-r-d not t-e-r-d!

Patience...

It's never been something that I was ever really good at! As a youngster I was always told to be patient...but come on I'm 22 years old now! And my patience is still very very very slim!

I had to be patient for my very first iPod, my very first car and my very first MacBook! But now this! Come on! There is nothing you want more than when someone tells you to be "patient for

a little while longer" it has the reverse affect on me...it usually tends to make me very impatient. So I decided to turn to the ole trusty Bible for my guidance with this inability to be patient.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land." - Psalm 37:7-9

So now after my fixin' from the Lord...I think it's safe to say that I am good to go! Those who wait upon the Lord to do things that you have asked for or have dreamed about or even for that matter have waited on for what seems like forever! Know that the Lord knows what he's doin'....so the best thing to do is wait PATIENTLY!

Everything Is Possible

I have always been told that God never gives you more than you can handle at one time....

These past months or so I have felt like I hit rock bottom. I have literally been turned in many different directions. God used a pretty awful trial to put me back on track...it wasn't as if I strayed far from Him but maybe I just lost sight of what God truly wanted me to accomplish in life. Between that and new people entering into my life not knowing my rocky past it terrified me. I have come to realize that the past I'm so afraid to talk about actually made me the person I am today. I have to totally Surrender it all to God...not just peaces but all of it. Because at the end of the day God's got my back!

It's like the song Surrender by Hank Murphy Band says, "It's all yours everything I am I understand Surrender and I've come to hand it in. It's all yours your spirit in me means I belong to you My King, it's not about me."

Southern Life

How do you describe growing up in the South? Well there is no other way of putting it other than it's pertnear awesome! Who wouldn't like livin' within walking distance of a nice pond or growin' up knowin' how to drive a tractor before the age of ten? It was the first thing on wheels that I learned how to drive...ahhhh the memories. But it's not as glam as you may think...you see when you learn how to drive said tractor you then directly sign yourself up for a life time of driven that tractor from then on. Which I can't complain much driven a tractor can put your mind at total ease...no wonder my Pops can always be found on one.

Speakin' of livin' in the South...I've been up North. Cause you see there is one thing that you may not know about this Country Girl from South Carolina...she has Yankee relatives that moved from this peaceful land up into the hustle and bustle of New Jersey. It's bout near close as you can get to New York with out actually livin' there. But it's too crowded for my taste. I like the peacefulness of a small town. All I can say is thank God I'm a Country Girl!