Miss LCMS

 Thursday night, Katie Britt was a contestant in the Lincoln County Middle School Pageant.  She woke up Wednesday with her eye swollen shut and we called her "puff eye".... but it was fine... that is who she is... such a good attitude at home!  Doing her make-up work, wearing a mask, and enduring lots of hairspray and face paint... she survived! 

 I have taught her young that she must take care of her skin!!! 

 Caroline did an excellent job of curling her locks.... and putting on her mascara! 

 Old Mother Hubbard was bare... so we had to have a piece of bread for a snack....

 When the night was over, my precious angel brought home two trophies. 

 I love this picture... nothing like a daddy and his daughter! 

 And this sweet girl, Miss Ali Aycock, was crowned Miss LCMS.... she was absolutely beautiful... I have passed my trait of knowing who will win on to KB.... She called this one Tuesday afternoon after practice...She told me that Ali was going to win! 

 A little family love here! 

 So sweet of KB's friends to congratulate her. 

 This sweet boy brought her flowers! 

And this makes me laugh because KB used to be their height! 

Katie Britt was second runner-up, but I'm most proud of her being named Miss Congeniality.  I would have never received that in high school... I'm not proud of it, but it is the truth.  As her mama, it makes my heart smile that others think she is nice and kind.  I'm sure it isn't 100 percent of people, but I am glad those other 18 girls thought it.  I am blessed to have her as my child and I am proud that she represented her eighth grade class with a big heart. 

Congratulations, Sis... remember that outside beauty fades quickly.... but inside beauty is there and is more important than anything else in this world! 

Thursday 13

My self-diagnosed ADHD has kicked in and I can't decide what I want to write about today....

1.  I'm off work today and my house needs fluffing, but due to the recent cold spell.... I have ferns and potted plants filling my dining room floor... When it finally gets warm again and I move them outside... I will fluff again.  I thought working part time I would have a clean house with lines on the carpet everyday.... HA.... I just say to myself that I will do that tomorrow.... Scarlett has really come to live in this house! 

2.  I am in my last class for my Educational Specialist degree... I have to drive there three more times... I have a huge paper due Monday night... I really should be doing the research on it instead of writing this... but researching case laws and their impact on education isn't nearly as fun... or maybe it is... people sue for stupid reasons.... and win.... I'm learning daily to be careful... lots of crazy people out there who are sue happy!  Back to Scarlett....I'm going to worry about that paper this afternoon... not tomorrow.

3.  Yesterday morning KB woke up with her eye swollen shut... Not sure what happened, but we think it was her acne medicine that broke her out.... anyway.... she should look beautiful tonight in the Miss LCMS pageant with a puffy, red eye.... I loved pageants in high school and college....now... I think they are stressful... I worry what impact they make on girls... do they make the ones who don't win feel ugly... the ones who get runner-up feel like leftovers.... the ones who win feel pretty on the inside too?  It's the south though... pageants are a part of life!  Anyway... after dealing with the eye mishap.... yesterday afternoon Ben comes in crying and I thought he had killed the dogs....

4.  He was grabbing his head and crying to a point I couldn't understand him...My motherly instinct could tell he wasn't hurt...but that he had hurt something.... one of his favorite things to do is to hook up the trailer to his four wheeler and drive it around the yard to pick up sticks and pine cones.  He had been working for over an hour when this happened and I couldn't imagine anything but the dogs.... when he finally got it out.... I was relieved.... he had tried to back the trailer back into place and had swiped the pole on the shed and cracked the light of the trailer.... he said a hundred times "Daddy is going to kill me"..... I told him he wasn't and we would get it fixed.... Of course, I called Mayo and he came to our rescue.... Ben is going to do some extra work to pay for the light.... He was late to practice last night and told Mama he had a horrible practice because he was so sad.... I'm sorry that his heart is hurt, but I'm glad to know he is afraid of us... I never knew it before! 

5.  We have six more school days until Spring Break.... that means the Masters and the Heritage are right around the corner.... my favorite two weeks of the year!  I love visiting both!  I love hearing the Masters music.... seeing the commercials.... freshening up the house.... and visiting with family and friends... planning trips, things to do, and getting ready for summer make me have an extra burst of energy! 

6.  Wouldn't it be nice if people who had big mouths and negative attitudes knew the rules and regulations of how all things work?  In the last few months, I have had many encounters with situations that I have bitten my tongue and sat back in awe....while wanting to scream "Look at the big picture folks... not a little piece of the puzzle...."  When I taught middle school there was drama every day.... when I would meet with my team of teachers we would categorize the situations and decide what to handle.... as usual.... the same names would come up just about everyday.... my friend and I would call them "sterling silver spoons"... they loved some drama... and they stirred it up everyday.... Who knew adults could be like that too?  My advice is to polish your spoon before trying to polish my family's.... We have a little protection over us.... and you can try to tarnish us.... but we don't get involved in the drama..... adults disappoint me sometimes.... I'm thankful my children recognize the difference in drama and true things to worry about.

7.  When I get rich.... I'm going to have someone come in and change my sheets EVERY day.... and do my hair and makeup.... and cook me gourmet dinners.... I honestly think I was supposed to be a princess and somewhere along the way my stars didn't aligh up and I became who I am....

8.  My spring cleaning "to do" list is so long that it will be next winter before everything gets done.... I often wonder what I did to fill my time before google search, social media, and access to work from home... While I am not supposed to be working today.... I manage to answer emails, drink coffee, type a blog, add to my things to do list, and sit in my pajamas.... maybe if the power would cut off I could get to that list! 

9.  I think the coach from the baseball game the other night should have been ejected.... he loves to run his mouth, make gestures at our team, and even acted like he was going to go after one of our boys when we played them there.... REALLY?  You are an adult and you are not setting an example for your players... these are children... yes, they are taller than me, but their little hearts are not ready for all that foolishness.... someone should really pop you in your mouth... but then that would hurt that person's character... honestly, I think that it is sad schools allow coaches to represent them with those actions.... maybe it is the adminstration's fault.... you see it... you don't do anything about it... yeah, you probably are to blame. 

10.  I asked for a pressure washer for Christmas... I didn't get one.... if I had one today I could do so much... maybe I should just google that and spend several hours researching and wishing I could find one that was affordable... and maybe even like that little vacuum for the pool....just throw it in and it does the work for you....

11.  Candy crush.... I was an addict... now I have been stuck on the same world for almost six weeks... I'm tired of it.... I wish they would make Mario for an Iphone... and they might... I'll have to google that too... I spent hours and hours doing that growing up.... and then I moved to Sonic in college.... hours wasted that I could have been doing something else.... but... I love that it keeps Daddy entertained.... when we walk in the door at his house... he passes his phone off to us to get him through the next world....

12.  Church- I look forward to going to church... I used to go for me... to see what I could get out of it... I went to check it off my list... I went because I thought it was the right thing to do.... I went to hear a man stand behind the pulpit and talk to me.... Now... I'm not really doing any of that... I look at the scripture for the message... I read it with my own understanding and some from what the pastor says... and I reflect on how this applies to me.... It's amazing how much self-reflection and growth someone can make if they just sit and listen... no one thinks exactly like me... I don't agree with everything that happens and is said... but I do know that love is supposed to be our ultimate goal.... having hatred and despising people isn't a part of who God wants us to be... being in church helps me reflect on that.... I used to think of a million excuses to miss church at least once a month... but now... it is my priority... to be there.... It amazes me the knowledge my children get from it too.... loving my children and giving them a foundation of the importance of faith is my duty as a parent.... I'm probably at a one on a scale of 1 to 10,  but I try.  I can't remember who pointed this out to me, but there are 168 hours in a week.... If someone goes to church on Sunday ( a maximum of three hours).... there are still 165 hours to do whatever you want... that is a lot of time.... I am not good at inviting people to church ( I fear rejection), I am not good about asking people why they stopped coming to church ( I don't have answers to their issues), I am not good about saying "Your life would be so much better if you devoted just a short time to God each week" (that rejection again).... But... church is important.... that desire in my heart to be with other believers is there and I feel like I have let God down if I don't go... In my heart, I'm working on inviting people who have stopped coming to church to come back.... and to invite those who don't go at all to come.... my heart hasn't hit my mouth yet because of fear....

13.  The last one.... Dear Winter... I'm really ready for Spring... I would like to be able to wear a cute outfit to the Masters... spend some time tanning at the Heritage.... and also get all these flowers out of my dining room... you have been here long enough... you have done your damage.... you have shed those old leaves.... knocked down old limbs....and caused cracks/ pot holes in the roads... one my friends "Spring" is bursting out buds and getting ready to come visit.... I need to see her.... She gives me energy... she gives me hope... she starts things anew.... So... go away Winter... tired of ya! 

~Homesick~

     By the time I was in the 2nd grade, I had attended five different schools.  With two brothers who constantly picked on me I thought that they were telling the truth when they said that Mama and Daddy were going to leave me the "next" time we moved.  Yes, I slept with Mama and Daddy until I was in the fifth grade... I would have stayed longer, but for some reason I decided to go across the hall and sleep in my bed. Mark and I were destined for each other because Betty Carol says he slept with them too!  
     The summer of my sixth grade year I signed up to go to majorette camp at UGA.  The day times were wonderful... the night times were awful.  I wanted to be home... I cried hard into my pillow at night... embarrassed that I couldn't have fun like the other girls...
     Boo-ma came by our house every afternoon... she blew the horn three or four times.... we got the mail... she asked us how the day was... and she asked if we knew anything.... Mama would come home and cook a meat and three... we would watch tv... ride around town... Marion and Velda would come over... we would go to Ina's and visit.... we stayed with family and at the time... I never knew the impact it would make on me...
      I went to cheer camp four years in high school and I didn't cry, but I didn't like it... I loved being home... under Mama and Daddy's roof....
      Yes, when I went to Georgia Southern... the same thing... I would cry on Sundays all day.... cry the entire way back.... and cry myself to sleep.... I slept good on Monday nights from crying so much... and I couldn't wait until Thursday nights... I could go out... stay out "just about all night"... and get up to head home... I smiled the entire way and never even thought about going to sleep because I was ecstatic I was on the way home.... Mark and I dated just about my entire college life... and nothing was better than going out to eat and coming back to watch tv with Daddy... many nights we brought friends with us... at all hours of the night.... and Mama and Daddy would get up out of the bed to listen to us... cook for us... or find out who was making all the noise.  I loved being at my house....
     It never got better... I hated Sundays because I knew I had to go back to school... sometimes it would be so bad that I would wait and go back on Monday mornings... who cared that I had to get up at 4:30 to get there in time.... not me... I got to sleep in my bed at home! 
     Some of the best years of my life were when I was just beginning to teach, lived at home with Mama and Daddy while Guille and Jim were already out of the house, and I had breakfast in bed, lunch packed, clothes ironed, and gas in my car!  It was great!  And then.... I got engaged... my dreams of living in Lincolnton were shattered that day in March that Mark told me we would be leaving Georgia and headed to Carolina...
     July of 1996, I married and moved to Greenville.  And .... yes, I cried... and cried... and cried... Mark left on Sundays (and I would have that same pit in my stomach feeling) and he didn't come back until Fridays.  I worked on my Masters four nights a week at that point, but I would still cry because I was by myself and I wanted to be home....
     I didn't have the best pregnancy with either of my children, but KB's was especially hard.... I woke up one morning not long after I found out I was pregnant and I knew something wasn't right... I cried that day too... I wanted to be home with Mama and Daddy to take care of me... I decided to drive to work and I immediately burst into tears with my principal and she took such good care of me... and of course our school secretary.... Neena called my mama and told her I was having a baby and I was having trouble....That homesickness on top of being pregnant was terrible....
      It happened again Christmas Eve of that year... I came home from the hospital with a brand new baby and as happy as I was... I was also sad because I wasn't home with the family... I was missing Christmas in Lincolnton....
     With Ben... I didn't cry when he was born until Mama left after staying with me a week.  Those times of homesickness were sickening to me.... Of course... we would come home many weekends... and I dreaded Sundays even more... It was a long standing joke with us that we would start leaving at 1:00 on Sundays and end up still being here for supper.  Guille and Jim would pick on us about who was going to drive while the other slept... I hated Sundays for that reason! 
     Seven years ago this month, we found a house in Lincolnton.... it took many years for that pit in my stomach on Sunday afternoons to go away on Sunday afternoons... It still comes back sometimes... just randomly... but it is still there...
     This past Sunday, it was raining and dreary... and I had to head out to Athens for the  majority of the week...this time was no different.  I was leaving my family... my babies... and I was  miserable.  As I drove to Athens, I thought about how many tears I have shed due to being homesick.  How many times had I wished to be sitting in Lincolnton with my family? 
     I write all this to say.... I experienced homesickness this week.... I have decided it is a disease... I think I have passed it on to my children.  For once...I'm glad they have this gene.... they like to be with their mama and daddy too... they don't like spending the night away from home.... they like to be here when the sun goes down... and I couldn't be happier.  Tonight, as we say our prayers and do our devotions... I'm thankful for this little family of mine that has this disease too.  I'm thankful for the love I felt and for having a desire to be home.... I'm thankful that when people hurt me... or treat me unfairly... or make me mad and sad.... I can always go back home and feel supported. So being homesick isn't all bad... it is there because I find comfort in that place! 
      One day... I hope my children will sleep upstairs in their own beds... and one day I hope they will leave our nest and go to college... and one day I hope they start little families of their own.... I also hope they always remember that no matter where they roam.... this will always be their home.... and if they feel like shedding a tear or two as they drive out of our driveway on the way to camp, or to go to college, or to get married, or to their own homes.... I hope they know that I'll be standing on the front porch shedding a few tears too! 
    

You would be proud.... at 70!

     You would be 70 today... I know the first thing you would say is that isn't old...or either there is no way that I'm 70, but in order for us to grow ... we have to age... and today... you would be proud.

     I always said Ben was special to you... he was the only grandson... his first words were "PaPa" and "gofcot".... and you would ride, and ride, and ride him... until the ice cream truck came... and then you would get two "hunkies" and share them with him.... He still loves to ride, and  ride, and ride..... and his favorite dessert is ice cream.  This past year has been great for him... that spunky personality and devilish attitude have made him stand tall in his not so big body at ten years old.  He played football, is playing basketball, and is signing up for baseball.... I can't help but think that you are there with us during those games... just last night I watched as Daddy and JMac sat on the bench taking up for him at the basketball game... and I know that you were sitting right there with them... we giggle, we laugh, and I know you are there... He is truly a McKinney... Mark reminded me of that this week... when I was discussing his ability to play basketball and enjoy it, I talked about how he was a Mattison... Mark quickly pointed out that you, Betty Carol, and he all played... and Daddy was the only one who played on our side.  I can only imagine that you would smile and be so proud of his athletic abilities. 
     I also know that he gets a lot of his "smarts" from you... Daddy told me you were the smartest man he knew... Ben looks at something and "gets it"... whether it be how to crank a weedeater... the four wheeler... or where to stand when shooting the basketball... he got his common sense from you.  Thank you for that!  Common sense is hard to come by!  I am proud of the young man he is becoming... and I know you had a hand in how he is being raised... and it continues to this day because of Mark.
 
     Katie Britt was special to you too... We still discuss how you gave up two full days to take her to school her first two days.... Without a doubt... she gets her smarts from your side of the family too... maybe BC a little bit, but I think the math has to come from you and Mark!  She has surpassed my abilities at this point... and I just hope that you guide her hands some days when she is writing out those long equations. 
     She is loving sports and able to handle the stress of homework, middle school peer pressure, and athletics... you had an easy-going attitude... I think she has that too.
     Many times this year, I have thought about the fact that you and Don would probably be watching your two grandchildren... best friends... and "boyfriend and girlfriend" turn into young adults... I'm sure no one would ever be good enough for KB for you, but I have to believe that you would smile in the fact that she chose someone with a good family... You may want to help Mark out in all this as his little girl is growing up and he isn't so sure about all the paths ahead of her. 

And Mark... wow... you would smile and be even prouder of the man he has become.... he puts on such a good face... I watch him bite his tongue often... and while he has that little spunky attitude like Betty Carol, he has enough of you in him that he sits back and watches how things play out before spouting off at the mouth.  He is a great daddy, a great husband, and a great role model to our children.... he wants to be perfect and truly strives each day to focus on them and be the best he can for them.... He got that from you... he watched you work endless hours, he watched you give the best education opportunity for him... and he watched you love your children more than life itself. 

Today... you would be 70... you would be proud... and you would smile at these babies.... 

I miss your laugh... I miss fighting with you over the crossword puzzle... I miss cooking for you... I miss watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy with you... I miss my lampshade being crooked... I miss the door being left wide open (nevermind... Ben does that in your place)... I miss you... I know life for us all has to end one day... so for today's birthday... I share happy tears... as I know you would be one proud daddy and granddaddy..... You did a great job with that son of yours... and you would be proud of the man he has become! 

Mark's Birthday

I sat up until almost eleven last night writing a sappy post about how good Mark is to me and how much he provides for us... and how much he loves us... and how good a daddy he is... and how our lives wouldn't be complete without him... and when I got finished... I just wasn't happy... for some reason... I didn't think I needed to post it... it's erased now.

This morning at five.... he started talking... for those of you who are close enough to him to know that he talks continuously and NEVER SHUTS UP.... it was that type of talking.... I napped off and on from 5:00 until 7:00AM.... while he watched Napoleon Dynamite and laughed to himself and talked to Pedro....yes, my morning to sleep in and he is talking... when I got up... he started singing Happy Birthday to me... then when all three of us (who are not morning people) told him to be quiet... he started humming... reminding me of Snoopy singing.... awful....

So... I say all this to encourage each and EVERY ONE OF YOU to go to his facebook page and tell him Happy Birthday... and then text him... and then call and leave him a message.... and another little secret.... I know that since he got up at 5:00 AM he is going to try to take a little cat nap during his lunch hour.... I feel sure it will be the time that I need to dry my hair to go to work this afternoon... and run the vacuum through the den.... and make me a smoothie with the Ninja.... I also hope UPS delivers my textbook I ordered and he has to go to the door.... and a telemarketer calls to ask for money.  I hope every bell and whistle on his phone goes off ALL DAY LONG!

Yes, I do love that man who has so many good qualities... but I am also blessed to live with an aggravating, picking, joke playing, annoying, forty-one year old man!  Happy birthday... I love you today... but I don't like you! 

But you are a great daddy! 

Bloom Where You are Planted....

     I feel sure the purpose of today's message in church wasn't where I am going with this, but I think it is perfect for my family and me right now.  I'm sorry that I didn't listen much after this phrase was said, but I immediately began to think, to wonder, and to be thankful. 
     The sermon was an account of when Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree with beautiful leaves... but no figs.  When He reached the tree, he said, May no one ever eat fruit from you again. (Mark 11:14).  The fig tree wasn't ready when Jesus was ready to eat.... it would never produce fruit again. 
     And then the words were spoken... Bloom where you are planted... and I began to think....
     I looked at my life and thought about the garden that I am planted in and what fruit I will produce.  My first garden involves being a part of the educational society.  There are so many weeds in this garden... deadly weeds that steal my desire and love for teaching and allow me to become overwhelmed with paperwork, following state mandated rules that make no sense, and learning about forty-two acronyms for things that have to be done immediately.... RTI, SLO, TKES, LKES, DOK, etc, and etc, and etc.... Now... I could focus on all these weeds and let them overtake me and my precious blooms, or I can cut those weeds back and focus on the sun, the rain, and dirt that I am planted in with my roots.  Those weeds aren't going to go away... there will surely be more to replace those weeds that do get cut away, and I feel sure that for many more years to come weeds will prosper throughout education.  My blooms are the children... what is right for them... what weeds do I cut and throw away... what leaves need to be pruned... the leaves may be green... but they aren't bearing fruit.  Focus... it's all about focus... I want to produce good fruit... I do hope that I am a bloom... and not a weed in this garden of education. 
     Another garden that I am a part of is the little small town I grew up in... I'm here on a daily basis... interacting with all kinds of people.  I try to go to every sporting event, every awards day, every performance that the students are involved in.... they are our blooms... we want a town full of beautiful flowers when they graduate... not a lot of weeds that overtake things and make them ugly.  These little babies, who are sometimes much taller than me, need to know we care about them personally.  One of my favorite memories from high school was a pep rally my sophomore year.  All the teachers in the high school participated and made complete idiots of themselves.  I loved it.  We thought they would be so embarrassed because the game was to make them look like they were kissing.  They were perfect!  I knew then that they loved us.  They also did Faculty Follies and poked fun at us and made us see ourselves through their actions.  I can't tell you one thing they taught me... but they made me think that they loved me.  When I came back home from college, when I had babies, and when I moved here... they still acted like they cared.  This little town made me a bloom... I may be a weed in some people's eyes, but I'm trying to prune those weeds and produce some good fruit to follow in their footsteps.  I want the children to be blooms in this town... I want them to know I care about them!  I might try to prune them a little too much... but I sure do like when they come back after they graduate and ask my opinion. 
     The final garden... my home.  The most important... the place where I am the true gardener, no matter what, and I can take a weed out quickly... and boy do they show up at our house.  Last week Mark told me he didn't want KB to be a part of a pity party... and neither do I!  I never knew how many people read this and how many would contact me... Now... I am somewhat leary of putting everything here because of that... but I will say that while we let a few weeds sprout up in the house that week..... we never let them take root and bloom.  Many comments I would have loved to jump on and be negative in agreement with them... but we didn't... the cards fell where they did... and I have personally seen blessings already that make me sit back and giggle and say... I should have known you were taking care of us God... This morning in Sunday School we were asked if it was okay to ask God "WHY?" when things happen to us.  I immediately knew it was absolutely fine to do that... Sometimes there isn't a clear reason as to why... and sometimes... it is very evident.  I say all this... to say that no matter what weeds show up in my house... I have to concentrate on the fruit I am producing and cut the weeds out... As I sit here and type this... I have two beautiful blooms on my den floor doing research on Benjamin Franklin for a school report.  They are sweet right now... loving... and helping.... I feel sure by the end of the night there will be unkind words, a hit or two, or maybe even a fight... but those two blooms... they are my fruit... I have to be rooted in good things to make them continue to bloom... If I let hatred, anger, bitterness, and any other emotion that might come along ground me... it will spill over to them. 
     I remember attending a church in Fountain Inn when Mark and I first got married.  The preacher was discussing praying for children... he said the most profound thing...  "Bathe your children in prayer... even before they get here!".... I never really thought about that until he said it, but it is so true... life is full of disappointments, defeats, desperate measures to get on top by others.... but if we focus on those and don't pray about them... they become weeds that take us over and consume the bad and good in our lives. 
     Tonight in church we listened to several questions that can be answered to make sure of salvation for those who are unsure....

Am I bearing fruit?  What are you doing?  What fruit are you producing?  Are you grounded in Jesus? 

Am I following Christ?  Am I doing things that please Him?  Am I following what He says? 

Am I fishing for men?  I am not active fisherman... or fisherwomen, but is the way I am living bringing people closer to Him or are people sitting back and saying..."She calls herself a Christian... but look how she is living!" 

Am I faithful?  For many years, I thought I didn't need to be at church everytime the door opened... Sunday morning was good enough... and maybe Sunday school.... but now... I am at the point that I want to know more and more... I'm hooked and want to know what the Bible says... life is so much easier now that I am faithful in attendance... and daily devotions... and prayer... I'm better on the inside for doing these things... but I am nowhere near where I need to be...

Am I repulsed by sin?  Well... I think I am... there are so many things that I look at now and think I don't need to do that... and I did it once... I shouldn't have... I'm growing... and that is all in the plan... daily growth.

Am I depending on Jesus and Jesus alone to get to Heaven?  Yes, I am.  I know that He is the only way. 

So tonight... I leave with this... I want to be a good bloom...from the tree I sprouted from... and I want to be a good tree for the two blooms I have in this house.... I want to be the best mama I can be... I want Ben and KB to look back and say that I gave them lots of things, but the most important thing I did was to give them an example to live by... what a task that is... especially when the world around us conforms to new trends and new ideas that aren't necessarily what needs to be done. 

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

Let me bear good fruit... no matter what garden I am in... no matter the weeds around me... let me get rain, dirt, and sunshine in my life to make good blooms... and most of all... let me "Bloom Where I am  Planted"! 
    
    

Earthquakes

I had just turned the light off in the office when I met Mark at the edge of the desk... he was looking for the phone charger.... at first I thought it was him trying to scare me... and then I saw his eyes and knew that it was something else.  Ben screamed and ran to my arms...and I wanted to scream... I thought something was blowing up.... we ran to KB and and just watched each other.... it really lasted that long.  Ben said he thought it was Mark making the noises (just like me) because he and KB had been laughing and playing while he was trying to sleep....

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. Isaiah 13:13

Our first reaction was to check facebook... for the next fifteen minutes we read from our friends all over the southeast that they had felt it too.  Simply amazing that it could be felt that far... then we read and saw on the map that it happened right near Betty Carol's.  Mark called to check on her and she was regaining appropriate breathing habits... scared her too!  This morning I see it was a 4.4 magnitude and the epicenter was near Edgefield, SC.  I can honestly say that I don't have to experience that anymore... once was enough for a lifetime... but it will come again.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. Hebrews 12:26

This morning I read my usual devotion that gets me through the day until my 7:00 PM app pops up on my phone for another verse, but I was curious... what does the Bible say about earthquakes.  I am learning the more you want to know... the less you really know.  Of course I googled about earthquakes in the Bible and found lots and lots of verses. 

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  Matthew 28:2

So then I started playing the "what if" game...  you know the one.... I decided that I think I want to die without the fear of something crushing me to death, or burning to death, or starving to death... I just want to die with no pain.... I think the best would be to just fall asleep and not wake up.... I also realized that I don't want my children to ever experience the fear that was in their eyes last night... I want them to be pain free as well. 

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.  Acts 16:26

We all live a prison life... we are bonded by things emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.  We really can't release all these things and live a human life though.  I grew up in Sunday School all my life.  I remember several lessons, but the one that sticks out the most to me was the Sunday I sat with a group of girls (who were much older than me) and the question was asked..."If this were your last week to live~ what would you do this week?"  When it was my turn, I said I would be nice to everybody, I would come to church every time the doors opened, I would read my Bible every day, and I would hope that I went to Heaven.  Our teacher was quick to tell us that we don't know when we will go... only He knows.  We should strive to live like that every week. 

There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.  Luke 21:11

We have had an ice storm, an earthquake, and some have experienced "famines and pestilences" in the way of having no power this week.... I could go on and on about the verses that deal with earthquakes.  But my eyes have been opened that I should pay attention to the signs.  I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. 

Behold, I am coming soon!  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.  Revelation 22:7