I was going to go someplace else today.....

but I do believe God wanted me to write this!

I want to share God’s amazing love in a real way today!

I use to hate history. Maybe because in my day, it was all about the dates. Memorize those DATES! I did not fall in love with history until I fell in love with genealogy. Genealogy, or family history, requires you to learn the whats and whys of the times, as well as the whens.

I am almost ashamed to be a southerner, since our visit several years ago to Camp Sumter in Andersonville, GA.

We ran across it by accident on a trip to Florida. It had two of my great loves—history and a cemetery (you have to love and embrace them in genealogy too!)
After seeing and hearing the horrific way the Northern Soldiers (Yankees) were treated, I was ashamed!



There was absolutely no ‘southern hospitality’. But, to their defence, no one could imagine that the war would last so long and cause the need for so much space and supplies.


Here another view:

Andersonville Prison as it appeared in August 1864. Drawn by Thomas O'Dea, former prisoner.
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words


I never drew a picture before in my life. Were I an artist, I could have completed it in a short time. I commenced this work in the winter of 1879 and finished it in 1885 devoting to it my leisure moments for over 5 years....

...In executing the work, I had no picture, map, plan or scale to guide or instruct me, but I relied upon and drew the whole subject from memory. To the casual observer, such a thing may be looked upon as absurd and impossible, that it is impossible after such a length of time for "memory" to retain such a perfect list and one of details as here portrayed and that I must have had assistance from some other source to be able to present such a vast combination of characters and situations in so perfect manner. Ah my friends, had you been there and experienced the sufferings that, in common with the thousands of other unfortunates who "were there," you too, like myself, would have the whole panorama photographed in your memory to remain there to your dying day....

Thomas O'Dea, 1887

Yet, even with this, God showed his grace and mighty love and mercy. I visited this site and it was awe inspiring—almost like you where on Holy ground. I can’t imagine what it must have meant to the men who had been drinking sewer water….here is a part of the story….

September 2005
ANDERSONVILLE/CAMP SUMTER
By Kevin Frye(to view this webcite click here.)
As presented to an American Civil War chat on AOL
The stream that crosses the prison site is Stockade Branch, the principal water source for the prisoners and one of the deciding factors in locating the prison here. From this small stream the prisoners obtained water for drinking, bathing, and laundry. In addition, the toilets, or sinks in Civil War terminology, were built along this brook on the downstream side of the camp. Stockade Branch may have been sufficient water supply for the 6 to 10 thousand men for which the prison was originally designed. However with the overcrowding, this stream was quickly overburdened. Wastes from the bake house and the guard camps upstream polluted Stockade Branch before it even entered the prison. In their search for a better water supply some prisoners located small brackish springs along the hillside or dug wells. Those who located water often sold it to their fellow prisoners.

John Ransom, a prisoner here, wrote in his diary on May 18th: "Some of the wells dug by the Yankees furnished passable water, am improvement anyway on swamp water. Well water, in great demand, is sold readily for such trinkets as the men have to dispose of." During the hot dry summer of 1864, the prisoners' need for water became so great that they began to pray to God for help.

In August, a heavy rainstorm transformed Stockade Branch into a raging torrent that washed away part of the stockade wall. It also gave the camp a greatly needed cleansing. According to legend, during the storm, lightning struck the ground. Upon investigation a spring was discovered flowing were the lightning had struck. Since many prisoners felt this was the answer to their prayers, it was named Providence Springs. John Ransom simply wrote on August 13, "a nice spring of cold water has broken out in camp. Nearly enough to furnish all here with drinking water. God has not forgotten us.

A memorial building over Providence Springs was erected in 1901. The spring still flows today.


Okay, this was a stretch for me to put together....because I'm not all that smart, but I do believe God gives me messages to blog about.......



No, I don't hear voices and I don't get a meesage on 'my space' or emails from Him, but when something catches my eye and heart in a certain way, I file it for possible future use.

I haven't been blogging much lately, because I don't blog just to stay busy....I'm a mom and a wife....get real, I gots lots to do! But I open myself to God to be obedient, therefore I have this blog!


My Father is the King of Kings, therefore I am a Princess!

But I did feel God letting me rest and really get some Bible studying, lots of Bible reading, and the hardest for me, from Psalm 46:10--Be still, and know that I am God. Oh, I know He's God, that's not the hard part....it's the BE STILL part...but to know God's heart....it's a must, therefore, before I actually publish a post, I pause, and yes, some of them have gone on the back burner and some have actually been deleted, because I felt it was my message and not God's!

So, here is the verse He gave me today:

John 16:33 (New International Version)
33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I finally got it with the Andersonville thing, the water thing and boy, they had trouble! In this world you will have trouble!

Boy, I can testify to that! But until you have truly experienced PEACE that comes from God, you haven't experience anything!

And then the last part--'I have overcome the world.' COOL!

I wish when I became a 'card carrying' Christian, I would have been given new words, or a new language (the official Christian language). It just doesn't seem right to use the same words I used for worldly things, before my devotion to Christ, and now use these same words to describe the love and peace and mercy and grace and joy that I get from God!(and by the way--we don't carry cards--it's just I began to walk in the way of the Lord, my Savior and my guide.)



I hope this flowed together for you, because it became so clear to me. I have learned how hot is miserable it can be here in Alabama and I'm sure Andersonville, GA is at least as bad, so these men need a sign from God.

And I'll leave you with this sign from God:




Not some things, not most things, not really hard things....but

ALL THINGS

May God use these words to bless you!

When........

was the last time you really prayed?



Was it at dinner....because it was a habit.....



or was it during critical times and you knew you needed intervention to change something?



I once heard that prayer does one of two things. It either changes the circumstances your going through or gives you the Power to go through it!


Why is it we don't turn to God during the good times as much or as automatically as we do during bad times?






Have you ever listen to a little child's goodnight prayer? My daughter use to bless everyone and everything....sometimes because she was that sweet, and honestly, sometimes because she didn't want to go to sleep yet!

I recently saw a sign on a church that said:

The Power inside me is greater than the task ahead of me!

That power is the Holy Spirit, paid for by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for all of us!

Prayers are always answered. Sometimes things change, sometimes we need to wait for God's timing and sometimes it's 'NO, but here is MY amazing strength to get you through this!'

I KNOW one thing........



I'm more a constant prayer than a formal, sit down (can't kneel anymore--bad knees), bow your head and don't get up for an hour kind of prayer! I find my morning prayers go better if I journal them, and I have a list close by to remind me of things I've said I would pray for, or people I need to include.

I'm also trying to use God's words to pray back to Him,


it's a great lesson and His words and promises are great.

If I try to pray off the top of my head, my mind starts to stray! I think of what going on with Laura and school,


if I need to get something from the store


and any other chores that pop into my mind

and before long


and I'm

until I make it about God! Anyone else have that problem? I'm in training, but I know it's a process, or as Joyce Meyers say, I'm not where I want to be, but praise God, I'm not where I was!

I'm going to use a youtube item that our music minister sent as an encouragement of an upcoming celebration of our church. I truly believe each one of these people had to be in prayer and received God's amazing strength to air their 'dirty laundry' and praise God for their new robes He supplied! Get the tissue boxes out!


My cardboard testimony:

Drunk for
18 years!

By the Grace
of God
Sober for 19!

God can change the whole world and here is only one plan to do it:

Psalm 67 (New International Version)

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,

2 that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

3 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth.


5 May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

6 Then the land will yield its harvest,
and God, our God, will bless us.

7 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

We have local elections tomorrow and just in a few months we choose new power in the White House. I ask everyone to bow and ask God to lead their decisions. Not the polls, not the news casters and not the politicians, but give the power to God and let Him choose our next leader.





May God bless you all!

TIME.........

How many of us have recently sat and looked at our children (or in my case....my child) and wondered where has the time gone!

I think we are all so busy with the day to day routines and 'madness' of what needs to be done, that we lose track of 'time'.

Here is a story behind a beautiful song:




Now, here is the beautiful song, 'Cinderella' by Steven Curtis Chapman:


Now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story:


Last night, on Larry King, I watched the Chapman family, first Steven and his wife, and then the three older children, including Will, the son that has to live with the fact knowing he was driving the car, that caused the fatal injuries.

I was so proud to be in God's family with them and their continued faith, that the mercy of our God is getting them through, day by day and moment by moment.

And now there is my daughter....where have the 16 years gone? It took us 21 years after marriage to have her....and now in a few short years....she will be gone!

Here is our darling daughter at her 14th birthday party.......




notice the headband.....I guess it's my fault the child loves to wear something on her head, because I loved buying outfits with hats......



this one she 'borrowed' for the picture, because, oh, my, she had a 'naked' head!




And this one she was happy to model the hat mom had made for her!




This was a picture 'dad' snapped of her for an id card we made for her school trip to Washington, DC.



And this one of her 'compitition' of Guitar Hero at the famous Moulton, AL 'Chicken and Egg' Festival!




And now our Cinderella prepares for the ball---actually it is the Bob Jones Homecoming dance--but notice the 'crown' on her head!





And then along comes this BOY!!!

But look at that smile on her face!





And now they are together alot!




Is HE her prince charming? Is this the one God has chosen to be there for her? I don't know, but I do know he comes from a good family that has raised him in a Christian home and church and has impressed on him good morals and the imporatance of education.

To end this today, I want to say, don't miss an opportunity to enjoy those moments we still have together....whether it be with our parents, siblings, spouses, children and friends......we never know when the time we see them will be the last, until we cross over..and we must never ignore God's timing in spreading the 'Good News'.....




I miss you my friend!



Majesty(Here I am) - Delirious