Need More Sleep?

Daylight Savings Time ends on November 2 (for a large portion of the USA), so many of us will get to sleep an extra hour Saturday night. The official time change time is Sunday, November 2nd at 2 am. Of course if you want extra sleep I recommend changing your clock before bed :)

It's also a good time to change/check the batteries in your smoke detector. Our local fire fighters encourage the community to change their batteries twice a year for maximum effectiveness of our smoke detectors.

Special Prayer Request

Please be in special prayer for my friend, Lynetta who is pregnant with twin boys - her due date is December 6. On Friday, October 24th her water broke for baby A. They admitted her to the hospital for close monitoring. This morning some complications arose and they moved her back to labor and delivery. Her doctor said she will have the babies one way or another TODAY! They aren't sure whether the placenta has detached or not - once they know they will do what needs to be done for the safe arrival of James and John. If everything is okay with the placenta they will start her on Pitocin to get labor moving. Please pray! I will update in the comments section as I hear from Lynetta.

Prayer Request

Pray for me - I've had a hard day - really exhausted and have been having Braxton Hicks contractions all day long - too early for labor - still have six weeks to go as of Saturday. I'm trying to get ready for the floor guy to come and install a new kitchen floor tomorrow along with my normal responsibilities and I'm worn out. I'm babysitting right now and as soon as the parents get here I'm taking a nice shower and hoping that will make me feel better. Thanks for your prayers!

Discernment Tests

My friend, Carla sent me a neat email and I thought it would be beneficial to share with others too. Carla was my room-mate in college and she has interesting perspective on life (that we could all learn from) because she grew up as a missionary kid in South America. Her pastor preached a sermon a couple weeks ago that included the following:

1. The World Test – (Does it make you part of the world?)

2. The Quality Test – (Is it good for you?)

3. The Temple Test – (Your body is God’s temple. Is it good for your temple?)

4. The Glory Test – (Does it glorify God?)

5. The Blessings Test – (Can I ask God’s blessing on it?)

6. The Reputation Test – (Will it damage my testimony?)

7. The Consideration Test – (How will it affect others?)

8. The Appearance Test – (Will it look bad or immodest?)

9. The Weight Test – (Will this hold me back from doing God’s will and running the race?)

10. The Coming of Christ Test – (If Christ came back while I was doing this would I be ashamed?)

11. The Companion Test – (Can I invite Christ to be with me?)

12. The Peace Test – (Do I have perfect peace after praying about it?)

Remember: There are some sins that even when they are forgiven you will still carry the scars.

Operation Christmas Child

As the Christmas holidays quickly approach, I wanted to take the time to share about a ministry that my church enjoys participating in - Operation Christmas Child. Basically what we do is collect shoe boxes (adult male shoe boxes work best) and fill them with goodies that a child would appreciate receiving at Christmas. It breaks my heart realizing that the gifts I can squeeze into this little box may be all this particular child receives for Christmas. My children love to go shopping with me to select gifts for a child of their age. It's a great project for young and old to join together and share their blessings with others.

From the Samaritan's Purse Web site:

Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered across the globe. People of all ages can be involved in this simple, hands-on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ.

National Collection Week is November 17-24.

How to pack a shoe box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Samaritan's Purse

For more information you can contact Samaritan's Purse by calling (828) 262-1980 or checking their website.

Four, Four, Four, Four...

Kay from Loop de Loops in La La Land (love the name) tagged me with a Four Meme. Kay's blog is one of the first blogs I started reading when I began this blogging journey.

Four, Four, Four, Four...

A) Four places that I go to over and over:

Church, library, grocery store and the bathroom (I’m 7 months pg)

B) Four people who e-mail me:

Katie, family, Carol, my Pastor

C) Four of my favorite places to eat:

Panera Bread, Logans, Sweetwater, and home

D) Four places I would rather be right now:

Sleeping comfortably, Getting a massage, With my daughter reading a book at Panera Bread by the fireplace, With a friend having fun

E) Four people I am tagging: You can answer here in the comments section or on your own blog.

Tammy Bowers, Renee, Faith, and Jel

F) Four TV shows I watch:

None anymore, I spend my free time reading books and blogs.

So I’ll change the question – Four Blogs I read (I'm so cheating on this question because I can't list just four) These 13 blogs (in four categories - does that count for anything?) are all unique, bring smiles, and are thought provoking:

Kay’s – 1, 2, 3 (and her family – 1 - Julie, 2 - Kay's Mom, 3 - Jen, and 4 - Jen's Mom), Choices are Mine, Carol’s 1,2, 3, 4, and Life Adapted

Special Prayer Request

Please pray for my little friend, Suzanne (9 months old). She is having surgery this afternoon at 12:30 (Eastern Time). Nearly two weeks ago she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance when she stopped breathing while eating. She has several medical issues. Once they stabilized her they transported her via helicopter to a bigger and better hospital where she is now. She is scheduled to have two surgeries today and possibly a third depending on how things go.

I will update in the comments section when I hear from her mom how surgery went later today! Pray also for her parents and big brother. Thank you for your prayers!