Faith Battle.....God WINS!!

God is so good!!

In March, my little brother left to go to Iraq. It was an extremely difficult time for our family. My brother had been down a very rough road and signed up for the National Guard. Although he lives in Arkansas, this was the longest we had gone without seeing him and the farthest he had been away.

There was alot of praying involved and of course alot of crying, but God gave me such a peace. I knew that God would bring him home safely. There were trying times when we wouldn't hear from him or his girlfriend, but God would remind me of his promise. He came home in November for a couple of weeks. Then had to go back. While he was there, a woman commited suicide by blowing herself up just feet away from the checkpoint he was working. He saw the whole thing. There was an election there and people were trying to scare everyone. I know there was a bomb blown up too. This was the worst it had been the whole time he was there. We were worried, but My God had made a promise and I knew who was in control.

I am proud to say that there is a sweet boy sleeping on my Mom's couch. He isn't the little toot that played barbies with my sister and I anymore. But he is a Hero and someone that I am very honored to call my brother.

God is so very faithful. He is deserving of all honor and glory. And I give it to him. Without his peace, I would have been a mess. And for anyone that knows me, I am usually a mess in one way or another. So, thank you God, for being who you are!! And THANK YOU for Kyle's safe return home.

ChristMAS

It's that time of year again! And I for one am super excited about all the holiday cheer. I love the crisp winter air. The smell of smoke coming out of chimney's. (I firmly believe this should be the next scent of a candle, if it's not already!) All the hustle and bustle of busy little shoppers trying to meet the deadline. And I love the generosity and friendliness that all the humbugs adapt around this time of year. It's more than just the "Spirit of Christmas" and shopping and drinking hot chocolate and flavored creamer for your coffee. It's about the sweet the gift that God gave us thousands of years ago and continues to give us everyday. His unconditional lYve. Jesus. Without him, there would be no Christmas. There would be no reason for giving and receiving gifts or putting up a tree. In all honesty, if we weren't so selfish, we wouldn't see a need for those things either. But I, like everyone else, enjoy getting presentse and I love to see a full, pretty Christmas tree all decorated with love and lights. It's those things that make the holiday fun. But more importantly, it's the giving. Whether it's your child opening up his most desired toy for 2008, or your spouse ripping open the surprise gift they told you not to get, or the unfortunate being thankful for the little given to them. It matters. It all matters. God has done miraculous things and he started with impregnating a virgin. When I think of Christmas this year, I want to remember all that has been done for me, physically and spiritually. And I want to have more of Christ. In Spanish the word MAS means more. I truly believe that Christmas means MORE OF CHRIST. Share more of him, his story and his love. Share the light that he has put inside of you. Share the gift of giving.