Why am I not happy all the time?

The other night after our devotion with the boys, Blake asked, "If I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, then why am I not happy all of the time?"

Good question, I thought. I certainly know that I have asked myself the same question time and again. I know the answer... but many times, I too struggle with it. God never promised that being a follower of Christ would make our lives without sadness, sorrow, or loneliness. He just promises that in Him we have hope and an eternity with Him apart from all sadness. We should be thankful for the Giver and not for the gifts that we are given. At the end of the day, every good and perfect gift is from above. So, we should rejoice in our Lord, and know that he will give us the peace and happiness that our hearts desire.

I know that is very difficult when we feel pain in our hearts, and loneliness. We (I) tend to have pity parties and turn inward, feeling sorry for myself and asking God why He would let me be so sad. Truthfully, He wants me to "Praise Him when I win, and Praise Him when I lose"...something I continue to work on. I guess Blake gets his sensitive heart honestly. I am just so thankful that he does not let his loneliness befriend negative influences just to keep him from feeling alone. Blake continues to be very intentional in making friends, making sure he truly appreciates the company. It is just my prayer tonight, that God will find favor with Blake and I both, and will send us special friends. However, until then, I will praise my God, and thank Him for this day. If I receive no other blessing today, the day itself was a giftfrom my Savior!

Peggy's Posts

Peggy Bourland (10:30 last night) This song has been in my mind for the last two days, " our God is an awesome God he reins..from heaven above , with wisdom, power, and love , our God is an awesome God! Just wanted to share. I love you all, God Bless, Peggy & Boys, and family

Peggy Bourland (this morning) Thank you for your praying heart. I could not be making it through this with out my Lord Jesus Christ and the support of all of my many friends,family and people I don't know. Love always,Peggy&boys

Peggy Bourland (Little before 11:00 am) No new news to report. I did ask for info about the 6.0 quake they had this morning,whether not it affected the Hotel site or if they had to stop briefly. They will be checking on it for me and calling back soon. I was told that a 7.0 quake is 22times stronger than the one they just experienced and it was a little further out than the first.


Peggy Bourland Post (11:00 a.m) I got my phone call. The rescue efforts came to a brief halt during the tremor and they immediatly went back to work.No damage at the Hotel site.I leave you with this" Trust in Him at All times;pour out your heart before Him;God is our refuge."Ps.62:8 This was shared with me from my little boys childrens ministry direc...tor.Thank you all so much and Stay True In Your Faith,Ken is alive,Peggy


What a powerful testimony of pure faith and God's strength!

Peggy Bourland (this afternoon) I would like to share with you all, that one of Kellie's friends called her this morning and with Kellie's help asccepted Christ as her Lord and Savior....In the misdt of pain and suffering God is working miracles and giving hope and peace to His children..Love to all Peggy&boys,Kellie,Bobby,Bill,Dennis and Adrienne

I Will Rise

I checked Peggy's status first thing this morning and she had posted pictures of Ken and the family. I know she is still holding onto hope, but I also realize that it is day 7 since he has been trapped. My eyes stung with tears for her and the emotional turmoil she must be dealing with right now. Yet, she is still holding onto Jesus for every breath!


I look at all this poor woman is dealing with, and then feel awful for my own pity party I continue to have for mysleffcxz. As I was coming home after taking Gavin to school, I heard one of my favorite songs. I just sat and listened to every word and rejoiced in it's truth.

Chris Tomlin "I Will Rise"

There's a peace I've
come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say, it is well

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagle's wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise, I will rise, etc...

Still praying for the Bourlands...

Toxic Traveller

We travelled back from North Georgia today, where we spent the last 4 days with Russ' mom and dad. It is a 6 1/2 hour trip, that is very for the most part, a very simple trip. Today, was no ordinary day. We should have know better when Holden woke up EARLY this morning crying and with a toxic "backdoor blowout" that was bath worthy. Well, we cleaned him up and we were on our way. Yet, a few short hours later, we would relive the same backdoor blowup from before, but with only wipes to aid us in our toxic cleanup.

We teetered on calling OSHA to file a report, but managed to take care of things on our own, once again. I think we all broke a sweat during the clean up process, if not from the work, then from the nausea!

After we had cleaned him up, we grabbed a bite and got back on the road. Not ten minutes later, the exhaustion must have caught up with him, because even his tasty apple was not enough to keep him awake. It must have been a hard morning for Holden...

Heartbreaking...Haiti

For the past five days since the earthquake in Haiti, a story has weighed heavy on my mind. Apparently, Peggy and Ken Bourland went to the same church that we were attending in South Florida, First Baptist of Weston. Although I did not know the family, he was Air Force and had been in Haiti during the tragic earthquake. His wife, Peggy, had exchanged an email with him 10 minutes before the event. Following the email, she went to turn on cartoons for her son, and saw the news brief about the Haiti disaster. She immediately sent an email to her husband asking him to tell her that he was ok... an email still unanswered.

I have been following her Facebook status and waiting and praying alongside of her for the safe recovery of her husband. Her faith is so strong and she is so inspiring. Yet, I find myself in tears for her... for her children... for Ken, who, if alive, is struggling to survive while waiting and hoping to be discovered.

I know that he is not the only person trapped in Haiti in this unfathomable disaster. My heart is so heavy for all of the poor people who are waiting for word of their loved ones. SO many will never know what happened to their friend or family member. They are burying masses of people in holes or burning them in mounds to get rid of disease and body wastes. What year are we in? It seems like in this day and age, this would not occur. Yet, life goes on normally, everywhere, but in Haiti. Please pray with me, for this country and for all of the people affected by this tragedy.


I will leave you with a few of Peggy Bourland's posts. I


http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/17/airforce.major.missing/index.html


Peggy Bourland Post (yesterday afternoon): We know you are praying for us as we can feel the Spirit's power giving us strength. We also ask that you would pray for Ken to have strength. The strength that comes only from God to those who have put their trust in Jesus, as Ken has. We are hurting and can only image what Ken is going through. We are believing God for a major miracle!!!

Peggy Bourland Post(last night): Sorry so late for the update but my boys needed their mommy for bedtime tonight:) I heard from my contact that the status hasn't changed, but they are working very hard 24/7 to find Ken and the many others still trapped in the Hotel. I still have HOPE ! I will not stop praying..Thank you again for the encouragement and... constant prayer. I am at a loss for words. God Bless You All ! Peggy

Peggy Bourland Post(this morning): I spoke with mine and Ken's good friend from Southcom this morning and there is still no new news to report but that they are working very hard. We know that God is a miracle worker and "if you seek Him you will find Him". Our faith is in the Lord our Saviour. Ken, we love you and we are not giving up !!Hold on they are coming ! I love you all,Peggy and family.

Peggy Bourland Post(this afternoon): "I will be strong and courageous.I will not be terrified,or discouraged; for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go." Joshua 1:9..I sent this verse with Ken to wear around his neck while he served in Iraq in 2004. I just felt the need to share it with all of our friends and family who are still praying for us..Love Peggy

Gone...but ... Forgotten?

So...has it been a while since I have whined about being lonely? Well, we have been "relocated" for the last 7 1/2 months... and I just have to say...it sucks. It sucks to move. It sucks to leave and for life to go on without you. Does anyone miss us as much as we miss them? Probably not...because life goes on. Someone just steps in as we step out, and life goes on for those we leave behind. IT SUCKS TO FEEL SO REPLACEABLE!



However, for us...it is a whole new intoduction of ourselves. I feel like we are trying to win some type of beauty pageant just to get a dinner invite. Apparently, we are still "runners-up".



Russ says that he is the only friend I need...yet we still don't even have a sitter to allow us husband/wife time that couples need. So, tonight, I am praying for friends.

Family Fun???

So, I thought it would be lots of fun to play board games with the boys today. We are all home, sitting around the fire, it is soooooo cold outside, and it just seemed like something fun to do. Not to mention, if I heard, "I'm bored!" one more time, I thought I might lose my religion. Really? Wasn't Christmas a week ago, still not time for Santa's sleigh to cool down from the long trip and they are BORED!? Don't even let me get started!

So, there was about 10 minutes of bickering over WHO would be the Banker. The decision was handed down that I would be the banker, no more arguing. Then, I got the money all handed out to everyone, we were rolling the dice to see who would go first, and Blake opts out of the game. Seriously? Okay, so we are down to Landon, Gavin and me! We played for a short while, until Gavin landed on Go To Jail and learned he had to roll doubles to get out. (Quitter #2) I talked him into continuing to play. The game continued for about another hour...until Landon AND Gavin quit on me. Then ran off saying how BORED they were. OH MY WORD! Who's kids are they?

Friday Funny

Gavin: "Dad? Dad?"
Dad: "Yes, Gavin?"
Gavin: "Blake is "Boss Hogging me!"

Weight Watcher... Post Holiday Trauma

The holiday food took control, and I lost it! Not weight...mind you...control over the battle of the bulge! It is time to get back on track! Lord grant me the discipline to stop eating everything I want whenever I want it...to step back into fitness...and to be able to wriggle back into my clothes comfortably!

Happy New Year! Ringing in 2010!

I am soooo thankful for a new year! I am looking forward to the opportunity to make a difference for my Savior this year! I am looking forward to the spiritual growth of my family, both as individuals and as a family! We welcome your prayers for us all as we seek to glorify our Creator in the coming year!