Prayer please...

Hi all. :) I have a prayer request; a couple, actually. For me this time. :) We are having to give my poodle, Devin, back to the lady I got him from. My little sister grabbed him and he bit her several times. It's not his fault, he's just never been taught to not defend himself. Dogs have a pretty sensitive "freak out"button, especially when they have been neglected/abused like Devin. I experiance it all the time at work. They just can't help it...and sadly, we can't have that around. SO, he's going back soon. Please just pray for me; it's really hard. I love him a lot...he's a really good dog with some serious problems. And I don't have the time to fix him right now. I'm just really struggling with having to send him back to someone who can't take care of him properly. His previous owner works 6 days a week and sleeps the rest of her time; after all, she is like 67 or so. She simply does not have time for all the dogs she owns. I love all dogs, and I hate to see them uncared for; now I'm forced to place one of mine in a home like that! It's very upsetting, to say the least. So please pray for peace and that I'll be able to maintain respect for my parents; they are the ones saying I have to do this, and if I'm not careful I could get bitter/resentful towards them. I really don't want to do that. ;)

The other request: Patsy (hound mix) has a very likely cancerous lump on her belly. I'm almost certain that it is cancer; she's old, and this lump grew up very quickly. So I'm looking at losing another dog within probably a year or two. Or less, depending on what kind it is. I'm really dreading losing her....we've had her for 10 yrs now, and we all love her dearly. It's going to take me down. I've not ever lost a dog except for our Scottie, who wandered off. I was so young that I didn't really go through a lot of emotional upheaval. Patsy is going to be way different. It's going to hurt for a long time....so please just pray for Patsy and my family right now. :) We're all worried about her.

Thanks everyone!! I'm very thankful for my "family" I have via blogging, UE, and email. :)

Love,

~E

Modesty...

I've seen a lot of posts circulating about this issue. I figured that now was a good time to take my turn. :D

I want to focus on an aspect of modesty that is not always thought about: the heart. Most people look only at the clothes they are buying: how long/short the skirt is, how low that neckline plunges, etc. etc. But do we take time to also examine our hearts? I know I don't. At least, not as often as I should. ;) My desire should not be to "push the limits" with my dress and be as "stylish" as I can; rather it should be to honor God in both the way I dress AND the way I act.

Think about it this way: two young Christian girls are walking down the street together. One wears something close to a tent (:D slight exaggeration there. ;)) The other could lengthen her skirt, pull her neckline up a little, and buy a size larger. The girl in the "tent" is trying to catch the eye every young man she sees, talks and laughs loudly, and is generally being rather flirtatious; her friend, however, walks along quietly and discreetly, with a meek and quiet attitude. Which one do you think is more modest? I would personally choose the girl who could probably improve her dress standards. Her attitude and heart are to be a modest, God-honoring young women. In time, God will show her the areas of her dress that need work.

So instead of always thinking about how other girls are dressing, let's take a look at their heart. Do they honestly desire to serve God? If so, trust God that He will take care of their dress standards. After all, a God big enough to split an entire sea is probably big enough to move the heart of a women desiring to be in tune with him. :) As for the other young women: prayer works wonders.

And most importantly: don't look at others more then yourself. That's so hard, you know?! I certainly have a hard time with it. Often though, the very fault you point out in others is right there in you. So when you get the urge to judge, turn and have a good look at yourself. I know that after I've done that, I don't tend to want to look at others anymore; they seem so much better than me! :D

Until next time,

~E

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
Chorus:
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

Chorus(x2)

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

I'm not usually a fan of Chris Tomlin....but this is one song that really touches me. I really love the way my brother can sing it....I wish y'all could hear it. He (IMO) puts something into it that Tomlin totally misses. I think it's called: true and honest worship. I know that Chris Tomlin does worship God, but it is tainted with a desire to also put on a show. (That's all my opinion of course. ;)) You can watch the youtube video here: Amazing Grace

Love in Christ,

~E

Quick update...

I've not had much time to post here (as may be obvious.) but thought I'd give a quick update. My fam's been sick on and off for the past few weeks; the flu got us again. :P I've just been plugging away at work. One good thing about that: I finally went onto commission!! I was really excited about that...now I can make some real money. :D Oh, I've also started Government...we found out not too long ago that I actually had not taken Government; we just thought I had. SO, now I'm having to make up for our mistake. GRR! I just keep remembering to be thankful in all things. ;) At least it's only one subject.

OK, well, those are the main highlights of life in the past few weeks. :) Hopefully I'll get around to posting something more interesting. I'm thinking that I might say something about modesty, seeing as it is a very popular subject...hmmm. I'll just have to think about it. :D

~E