Here are just a few of the pictures we took on the road to colorado springs....


Here we are at the alamo, in texas .

This is on the roads near san antonio, texas.

The highway leading up to colorado springs, co.

Just beautiful..

This is the photo we took from our hotel room in los vegas, new mexico on monday.

My kids at the alamo , san antonio , texas on Sunday.

This pictures was taken on the highway leading up to colorado springs, co. on tuesday.

We have safely arrived after Joseph puking for two days in the car, a broken hose, almost running out of gas on a huge stretch of road with nothing, and lots of other fun stuff. What can I say , we made it and already have seen some really wonderful things God has created...we are in awe...the highlight of this trip, other than finding a lone gas station, hallelulia, was the "BAT FLIGHT" we witnessed at dusk in Carlsbad Caverns.....wow was that awesome, cannot be described in words. Homeschool moms check it out and do a search about this the bats exit the cave at dusk and return at dawn, no kidding millions flying just a few feet overhead....God's creation is so amazing to me. He has wonderful plans for us even when we don't recognize the things that happen to us as His plans...

Looking for rest

Looking for rest can be a very frustrating experience....yes? I mean if you have experienced insomnia, you know what I mean....you have so many things on your to do list and you just feel like you desperately need to sleep, but your mind and sometimes your body just will not cooperate. Sometimes it happens to me at the worst times, times when I know I have to get rest. Sometimes when it is especially stressful; like the night before I went to see my son off to Iraq. Sleep was nowhere to be found. But sometimes when I am especially excited; like the night before we took our family to Disney World , I just quit fighting it and spent the whole night downloading crazy music for Mike to keep us entertained. The funny part is I usually can't sleep on a plane or in a car unless I am sick. This makes for interesting travel. But, what about rest in life. Jesus went away from the needs of many for quiet and rest and spent time listening to The Father. Why do I have so much trouble finding rest in my life? Is it the Martha syndrome; fretting, and worried, and striving. Why do we do that? For me, the opposite of striving is trusting and peace. If I will just stop and lay those cares at the feet of Jesus and trust that He will take care of these and work out His plan and His will for whatever it is that is troubling me: I will find peace and rest in my soul. I have always considered Psalm 23 one of my favorites. Recently, I was impressed by a specific portion of that Psalm where it reads- He makes me lie down in (fresh, tender) green pastures: He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self)... OK , did you get that HE MAKES ME ...... Apparently , I am not alone in this quest for rest and God sees and understands that He has to make me lie down. Especially when things are chaotic and not so perfect in my life. When things are not " as I would like them to be" or when they are so piled up I can't see an end in sight. That's when, in my silly human frailty, I don't have the wisdom to realize I can't do it alone. So many times out of sheer exhaustion and at the end of myself, I finally come to Him, my creator. He gives me rest and requires me to trust and rest and sit still. What an awesome God we serve. He placed in us our weaknesses that we might glorify Him and have a relationship with Him so that He might use our weaknesses and gifts to His Glory. I thank God that He makes me to lie down. I will , at times , run myself ragged. (and sometimes do). It is such a lie from Satan that moms have no needs. And we can just go and go and go like the energizer bunny. I thank God that I don't have it all together and my life isn't all figured out. Even though I don't always(in my flesh) like it, I am so grateful that He created me weak and frail... and He doesn't leave me in my disgusting self-righteous ,resourceful, supermom state. The end of that verse reads- and through the length of my days the house of the Lord (and His presence) shall be my dwelling place. OH, to be in a constant state of mind and spirit, to be in His presence, to dwell there....what a dream, what a reality .

TRANSGRESSION

Transgression- the 1828 dictionary descibes it as one who commits a fault, offense, or crime. Psalm 36 says Transgression (like an oracle)speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. There is no fear or dread of God before his eyes. dread - awful and terrible. For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes that his iniquity will not be found out and be hated. The words of his mouth are wrong and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. deceives- to cause to beleive what is false. Matthew says take heed that no man deceive you. Do not be mocked whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap. So how and why does the enemy get away with deceit especially where it concerns God's people. We have his word and he tells us very clear...woe to him who calls evil good and good evil... How do we get decieved....how does this happen... How do we tell ourselves that gross sin will go unpunished, that my sin will not affect others? That somehow the laws of order God has set up do not apply to us. That if we sin, we will not be found out. That it will not lead to the destruction of other innocent people or that it will not bring death to our lives. Death to our relationships. Death to those who trust us to do what is right. There is a way that SEEMS right to a man , but the end thereof is death. How can we be so deceived .... I have heard it said that in the quietness , when no one is watching, when you feel like no one would ever find out, or see what you are doing......that is what character really looks like. Even if no one would ever find out , A FOOL says in his heart there is no God....No GOD.....We think we know better than Him....that his word and his judgement are meant for others. Verse 4 it says he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject or despise evil....there is a purpose he sets himself, a choice....they refuse to see evil for what it is.

But, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God...... God is faithful even when we are not He will bring justice to pass..wait patiently for Him , no need to strike back against the evil that comes to steal , kill, and destroy us when we are beleivers in His Word.. He will bring about THE TRUTH eventually. He is EL ROI ...the God who sees. Thank you Jesus, in a day where evil is aggessive and seeking us, that You see everything and You are a Just God...