Family:An Endangered Species part 3

My computer is very sick, and old. sad news for it, is it's owner has given up on it. . . or just as soon as all the important stuff gets off of it, like my 1000 pictures!



anyways, here's PART 3! it has 10 points, but they are worthy, and no, my pastor's message was not long! if for some reason, you're new to britt's busy days, welcome first off! and secondly, this post is a continuation of my pastor's series of messages about family. as promised ... part 3 ....



"Whom will you and your family serve?"

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

• 10 - Children are disciplined with love and consistency - "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15 now this doesn't mean go beating your kids. it means when you see them acting up, doing whats wrong - let them know! correct them! God, our Heavenly Father does that for us everyday! HE alone paid our debt for every little thing we do wrong. HE corrects us, loves us, and is consistent. HE doesn't just do it today, not tomorrow, and then picks back up next week. My parents did great on this ; )


• 9 - Money is managed wisely and discussed openly- i can remember asking for something near Christmas time once, and my precious mother said, "i'm sorry sweetie, i don't have the money. just wait til Christmas." my childlike faith replied,"but you have checks mommy". i remember my mother telling me all about checks and what they cost that day. lol! my precious mother is so patient. i'm so not like her lol! money is the root of all evil - GOD's word tells us that too. so don't talk to your family in a bragging way about what you have. make sure your treasures are stored up in Heaven - Matthew 6:19-21


• 8 - Everyone shares household tasks - "I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." 2 Kings 21:13 yes! that's right ladies! GOD gives the men instructions,well and the women, how to wash dishes! i know some of my church family has been using this on their spouses and kids ; ) i know i'm single, and who am i to give marriage advice .. but im all about having a cleaned and an organized home. i do my part! i think it's very important for not just one person of a family to solely take care of the home. a home is made up of more than one person.


• 7 - The family has to learn to cope with adversity - adversity is something my parents despise of my siblings and me. oops! it happens, it shouldn't, but it does. it makes us humans. it should also make us closer to each other and GOD. a family that fights and uses angry words is not living according to GOD's plan.


• 6 - Family members laugh together - "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 - if your family cant' laugh with/at each other, there needs to be some searching. laughter, a smile even, can change a person's whole day! laugh, enjoy your family. you only have them for a little while ....


• 5 - Each person is treated with respect and kindness - "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as CHRIST GOD forgave you." Ephesians 4:32 - this is something my parents have preached at us kiddos, because, if we're all honest, it's fun to argue with your siblings. ok, maybe not fun, but it happens. it shouldn't but it does. it does mainly because your family are the people who are going to love you no matter what! they know exactly how, when, why and what will push your "buttons". unconditional love is the love families should have for each other. and we should let them know it. not just by telling them, but by showing them.


• 4 - Time for family activities is a priority - ive had friends tell me i wouldn't understand having a difficult family life because i have the perfect one. that's a lie! no one is perfect! my family is not, your's is not! i remember my dad forgot "doughnuts for dads" when i was in the 5th grade. when my mother reminded him, you would've thought he had been beaten!i got a cat, ellie mae, out of the deal. and no, getting a cat -who both my dad and i were highly allergic too - didn't make me feel loved by my dad. it was the only thing i can think of he missed in my life. i don't know what it's like to have the ride the school bus, or go to practice without one of my parents taking me. my family still makes time for each other every thursday night for family night. it's a night i highly cherish! it's truly a God given gift! my family is NOT perfect! maybe later i will share some things, and the "thing" that still hangs over us to get us to where we are today. but know this. we are who we are because of WHOs we are! (ok, so that part wasn't exactly part of the message but it applies)
• 3 - The Family eats and talks together - ok, so i kind of included 4 & 3. but it's so amazing,especially now since we got a huge! dining room table, to sit at the TABLE! yes, that big,thick, heavy piece of wood with four legs on it - and talk with your family over dinner. it's something my family has always tried to do. we were a very busy family, and it didn't always happen. it's always been a big deal to mom, super cooker ; D, so when she realized how crazy we were all becoming - my sisters senior year of high school, we started having breakfast together every single morning! sometimes it would be just cereal. but we prayed together, talked, ate, laughed, argued, sometimes even cried. mornings i will never forget ...
• 2 - Love is expressed everyday - it is so very important to daily tell those you love, that you love them. i fail at this daily. i take it for granted that my parents know this. every morning when i leave for work, i holler to my mom, "bye mom." she always replies, "bye sweetie, have a good day, be careful!" now, after this message we're adding "i love you". i love that my parents love me unconditionally, just as our Heavenly Father does. "Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:8
• 1 - Jesus Christ is the glue of the family! - if CHRIST is not the center of your family, i pray you will allow HIM to be! without HIM, we are nothing. my family would have been destroyed years ago without HIM. HIS mercy,grace, forgiveness, and love is much more than amazing!

hope you enjoy! God bless

"God , who has called you into fellowship with HIS Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." 1 Corinthian 1:9

FAMILY

ok ... so my computer is on the total blitz ... kel or t won't be surprised by that : ) i think that's a great christmas present idea for either my parents or myself : ) i had this blog all typed out last wednesday and it didn't post! i just realized that! yikes! so, as i posted in a previous blog - past to the future - my pastor has been preaching an awesome series of messages entitled:FAMILY:an endangered species. in the previous post i summed up part 1 - how to build a 3-d marriage. todays' post will be part 2 and 3 if this computer will allow

FAMILY:An endangered species PART 2 "Do you read me? .... Over"

"My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." James 1:19

*Listen Intently - there are steps of listening. you may hear all day long, but to listen is different.
process the information, give your feeback (only if needed) and then continue.
"If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Mark 4:23

it's so hard for me to just listen sometimes. if you know me, as i'm sure 99% of my readers do, you know i love to talk and have good conversation. listening is part of conversation,and it's the part of conversations with my Savior i fail most. i'm working on that ...

*Speak Carefully, but honestly!
Proverbs 13:3 - "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly wil come to ruin.
this part was not from my pastor, but from my mom. she has always "preached" to me to "think before you speak". she would always remind me that i didn't like to have my feelings hurt, and so i shouldn't want to hurt anyone else's feelings. so thinking before i speak should solve that problem, right? well, this is something I've dealt with a very long time. the above verse, literally made me speechless ... and people say miracles don't happen : )

Proverbs 24:26 "An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips"
my pastor had fun with this one LOL! if you only could know him! he's precious! a jolly, grandfather, retired police captain. he's so in love with his wife and he told the joy of kissing his wife on the lips ; ) it was sweet but hilarious!

but as mom and pastor have preached - think before you speak. just think of the problems that could be solved in any relationship if we just did that simple task?!

*Avoid Angry words - "angry words have wrecked more homes than tornadoes and termites" bro richard

that statement is funny, but so true! he talked about how married people will say, "well next time around i'm marrying someone who makes more money,cooks more, does this, does that, and so on and so forth. the problem is, divorce is a sin. saying things like that to your spouse, a friend, co worker and etc will nearly ruin any relationship

Proverbs 15:18 "A hot tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel."
Proverbs 16:32 "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper that one who takes a city." - how bout WOW to that last verse! patience is something i struggle with. my mom says i'm like my dad, a bull in a china shop. sometimes i just need things to get done,and if something gets broke that i don't need at the moment, ok. then when i need it, uh oh!

I never got to know my mother's mom. ive heard wonderful stories about her, and frankly i wonder if i would be a different person if i had grown up around her. i don't think i would be. where i work now, is my mom's home town. people still remember her. the thing about her death is she's been gone since my mom was 15! that was 35 years ago the end of july! how crazy is that?! she was 41 when she passed away, so she's nearly been gone as long as she was alive. my mom's cousins say mom is a lot like her. quiet, kind, compassionate, a true woman of God. and i'll add an excellent cook, especially the mac and cheese right girls?! ;) One saying my mom has passed form her mom to her kids is this:"If you squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube, can you put it back? no. that's just like words out of your mouth. once they're out. they're out!"

so, i challenge you, and myself, to listen intently; speak carefully, but honestly, and avoid angry words to those you have any kind of relationship with. show them love and compassion. and if you really are leaning on Christ, patience.

i'll post part 3 later ... just as Mary, the mother of Jesus, ponder the thoughts of HIS birth in her heart ... hopefully this has given you something to ponder

getting better ...

i appear to be getting better at this blogging business! for some reason, i'm sure it's a pure operator error, i can't get blogger to work on my black -aka crack- berry. if so, man what the blog would have on it! lol! small town and daily "trials". which everyone has, even if they don't admit it.

sister used to blog everyday. most days were about her random dramas. i always have said two things -#1:"God looks out for stupid people!" and yes, i'll admit i'm one of those. i'm not excluded! and #2:"if you allow drama to be a part of your life and follow you, it will." i HATE drama! i'm over high school, and for that matter pretty much hated high school. SBA -my cosmetology school - had it's own drama too. everywhere does. i just strive to stay away unless it's going to harm me. in my last post - past to the future - (meg, i need to know how to link this kind of stuff please :] ) i informed everyone of some small town drama where i work. nothing bad has happened, but i still have my guard up. the new is bound to wear off and the crazy that's been dormant will appear. i pray i'm not around when it does. so that's an little update.

i had the great idea to keep sharing on what my pastor has been preaching a series of messages on: " Family: an endangered species." i started with week one in my post - "just when you think ... it all changes". in that post is where he preached about "how to build a 3-d marriage." well, he's had 2 messages on the subject since. i'm hoping for 2 posts with that ... check back tomorrow b/c i'm off! woohoo! sorry had to plug in my off day : )

well, as earlier stated, sister sometimes would post her "soap box" ... this is going to be one of those posts starting now ....

when i finally got up this morning, i turned on my tv. usually i listen/watch music videos. i got an amazing book by the most fabulous christian fiction author ever! Karen Kingsbury,sunday. i was so sad to put my book down at about 1130 last night, and was so excited to read it this morning while listening to the music. well, i'm a HUGE music lover, so the music was diverting my thoughts away from the book. i then decided to turn it to "the today show". bad mistake! now, if you're a facebook fan of mine, you've probably seen somewhat of this "soapbox" today on my status! the dugger family was on for the brief, and i do mean brief, time i watched/listened. meredith vierra said." so you have an announcement for us huh? let me guess ... you're getting a puppy?" lettme insert here .... you could tell by the expression on MV's face (who i loved and was an easily read and always up for good arguments on the view) that mrs dugger was pregnant. now for those of you who have been hiding under a rock; the dugger family has 18 kids and counting - literally all her and her one and only husbands. they have a tv show on tlc. which i'm sure is helping pay for the huge house, the several washing machines/dryers etc etc etc. not only do they have 18! kids, but the oldest one is married, and she's expecting a girl in oct. welp, the duggers are indeed pregnant with baby #19.

As i have previously posted, i've had lots of invites to baby showers, weddings and bridal teas this year. more so than ever. i love children! i even went out to eat sunday with 2 couples that are friends of mine from church with their 4 kids. i loved it! and so did the parents and kids! i think i was the one with the lack of adult conversation, but that was great with me! i'm against abortion. i'm not sure if ive ever posted this or not, and i'm sure to most readers, this is something you already know. i'm a PK - aka preacher's kid. i love every minute of it! i love my God, His son Jesus, more than i love myself or anyone else for that matter! life is a gift from God. i'm also a very honest, blunt, outspoken kinda gal too. plain talk is easily understood. i don't believe in abortion for any reason. i'm also, no one's judge. if you want to have 19 kids. ok with me. even if i don't know you, but know this about you, i'm going to pray for you. and your child. my bff that just had a baby was very concerned about birth defects and shes only 24. this lady is in her 40s. she's about to be a grandmother! i've never really watched the show, but i do know the older kids take care of the younger kids. i pray this baby is healthy,and mom is too. after all, she has 18 other kids to take care of. i cant wait to have a family of my own one day. i say now, that i would love to have anywhere from 2-4 kids, but probably just 3. 3 is a great number of kids to have. i want mine fairly close in age too. i just think after 18 kids, a grand baby on the way, your inching closer to 50 every day, when are you going to stop having kids? maybe i'm just talking crazy. anyways, thanks for reading my soap box.

past to the future

This summer has nearly been a blur! at the beginning of the year i had your typical "new year" post, "Time", i said i was going to list goals. well, this year has been so crazy with sister's wedding,;14 other weddings/showers; best friend,SIL and 14 other friends having babies/showers; church - which included 2-a-day vacation Bible school where i taught 5-6th graders both sessions; dentist appointments galore!; and oh yeah! there was work! the goal thing slipped my mind! there really is a lot i would like to vent about, feelings and such, on certain matters/events, but i'm hearing my dad's voice in my head:"everyone posting all their business on the WORLD WIDE WEB is ridiculous, and it's causing all sorts of problems." so, as we so often have to do, i'll admit he's right. on this at least ...

i love my job! it never feels like work, i wish i was busier (especially in august) every day i was there. i love my schedule most weeks. i'm off on sunday and wednesdays. however, some mondays i'm so exhausted that i want to scream,cry and hide in my bed. but then i think that's everyone's view on monday. right?! well, earlier in the summer, all sorts of drama broke out at work. and not within the salon; literally outside the salon. i HATE drama! Sister's blog is usually about random drama, and she says it follows her. i always say, "it's because you allow it." anyhow this is going to sound like one of her posts. love you sister! so .....

here's the story all about how my life got twisted and turned upside down. i'd like to take a minute sitting right down telling you about how a streaker,pyro maniac got bailed out!

(sorry fresh prince of bel air's song always gets stuck in my head when telling a drama filled story)

Friday, June 5 was a beautiful,sunny, summer day. i had a full day at work, and needed to get leave early. a couple from my church was in the process of moving to another state for his residency,and we were having a " going away" dinner for them that evening. also, on my oh-so-busy calendar, was doing the fruit for my BFF's baby shower. the baby shower wasn't until the next day, but i'm a hairstylist - thus i work nearly every saturday - i had to work, run home grab the fruit, change clothes, and drive to her house. that left no time for preparing it all on saturday. so my plan on friday was work,walmart,home,dinner,back home to prepare the fruit. i was thinking that i would have a few hours home before time to leave for the dinner. how wrong was i?!

at work, as i'm finishing up 2 new clients, i look out my window (which is huge) and see our landlord's "girlfriend" (who i will refer to as crazy S) in the parking lot and noticed she was barefoot. it's early summer in alabama, don't walk on pavement barefooted! i also was thinking to myself, what is she wearing? brown capris and a brown top? as i was finishing styling my client's hair,B, the owner of the shop comes running in. she's not a drama queen. she's a matter of fact kind of gal. she yells! "i need your keys and now!!!!!" so i go running to our room and get her my keys so she can lock us in the shop. while i'm on my way to do that she says,"Crazy S is mad, nude, and headed for us!" as soon as the door was locked here comes crazy S! sure enough! the only thing she had on was an ankle bracelet! the brown outfit i thought she was wearing was just her skin! she could have been a great model for her tanning salon.hahaha. after she nearly breaks down our glass doors, cusses out B,me and my clients (who i had never even met until that day) she goes running out to the main street in front of our salon. during "rush hour" all nude and trying to get run over. finally, she goes back to her home. which, shock shock! is only across the street from our salon. she ended up being arrested, but was out after 24 hours. so the next week, we were working with our guards up. thursday evening crazy s gets drunk. no real harm done then. apparently all weekend she continued getting drunk. her daughter told landlord she passed out monday morning. and her poor daughter was trying to protect us, so her mom beat the crap out of her. well, monday night crazy S woke up. she had been given a yellow mustang by landlord the 1st time they were together. after their break up he took it back, and had it parked under an awning of his barn, where b's show horses are. well crazy s lit the car on fire. she was arrested. broke the window out of the police car,escaped,arrested again. luckily for b and her horses. the local FD was coming back off a call and saw the smoke before getting the call, and had the fire out oh so quickly. she goes to jail, and was there from early in the morning on june 16 until yesterday! and landlord,who is beyond stupid apparently, bailed her crazy tail out. she now resides behind the salon. in her statement about the fire she threatened our salon, the barn and horses, and landlord. lets just say this is one thing that doesn't have me happy!

this should be interesting. i'm hoping the interesting part will be that she has changed,and we will be in no danger. guess time will tell ................

now on to getting some things on my long to-do list off!

just when you think ... it all changes

Last week was crazy! there were bright spots - baby LJ was born tuesday morning!mom,dad, and baby are doing great! he's precious! i'm in love! had a great dinner and time with meg. had a shoe shopping trip thrown in after some yummy dinner. can't argue with that!!! the devil had really been throwing alot at me,not just me but my church family,my family and friends - and frankly i had had enough. thus why i wasn't much on blogging about it.

God has a plan. He always has,He always will.thats the awesome part abot God. nothing is ever to little,big,complicated,simple,or inconvient for HIM. i'm so thankful i'm His child!

don't get me wrong. i have been blessed with amazing parents and have been loved up with their unconditional love my whole life! but there's just something aobut HIM!

sunday,my pastor preached the most awesome message! and buddy! it was needed for many reasons and for many people,me included. his message was "How to build a 3-D Marriage". His points were simple,and even though i'm single (and buddy, did the devil remind me all message long of this) i think it applies for any relationship. for husbands and wives, parents and children, friend to friend, and God and HIS children. here's the points ...
#1 - Dialogue daily. - i have this down pat,but not like i should with the One i need to .. ouch!
#2 - Date regulary. - take time out and devote time away from text meassages,facebook,blogger,tv,so on and so forth ....
#3 -Devote ourselves. - God revealed to me last year,about this time last year actually, that singleness is a gift from HIM. it's not a curse, but a blessing. and what a blessing it is!

tonight, i was sitting in a lady's meeting at church, and got a great text message --- some friends from church found out today they are pregnant! funny thing is, God laid it on my heart several weeks ago. i shared that with her, and she said i shouldve shared that before tonight :) it's baby #3 for them. and a huge surprise! i was a huge surprise for my parents too! i started thinking after that message,just what an awesome God He is! and i think i feel in love with my church family even more. i didn't think i could love them more, but it's happening.

i've also been given the opportunity to "pay it forward" as one of the ladies put it. i can't wait! it's for something extra special in october! as soon as i got home from the meeting, i told my dad what it was,and we had a very special moment of rememberance from when we were on the other side of this ministry. i'm praying now for what HE wants done ....

sorry if i rambled. but my heart is so much happier tonight than it was last week. i'm so thankful!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

a wedding,a baby shower and a birth

ok .... so i'm getting a little better keeping this updated! yay me!

so i finally had a "real" weekend. you know ... a saturday and sunday off together? woohoo! i was so excited, until i barely slept friday night. although saturday was interesting. it was crazy really. i went that morning to my church and cleaned,reorgainzed,and set up for my SIL's baby shower. i love babies! which is a good thing considerin i'm about to be an aunt to twins. not sure if i've mentioned that lately ;) haha! when i finished up there, i literally flew home, showered and got ready of so quickly and went to a friends wedding. poor couple, the a/c broke that morning. my mom's and my seat was a nice one,and wasn't to hot. thank God! he is one of the first boy friends - like a friend thats a boy kind of friendship - i had. i called him d-dot b/c he used to spell his name "k-y-l-e- d-dot". welp, he's a happily married man,and it was a beautiful wedding. mom and i didn't get to go to the reception b/c i had things to get done at home for the shower.

so sunday came in and took us all on a ride! i got up early,got ready, went to church, finished up preparing the fruit for the shower, and then we had an amazing,wonderful,glorious, spirit filled service! so awesome! we were dismissed,and then it kind of got crazy trying to figure out what needed to be done,when, and by who. then i think ..."hmmmm .... i wonder if any of the hostesses/family has needed me and my phone's been on silent?" i check my phone ..... my poor sister! long story short ... she missed the shower,although she cooked her part of the food, and spent the entire day into the night in the ER! she's ok; they found out what was wrong and sent her home. my poor dad sat in the waiting room forever. he maybe sick after waiting there! ugh the germs in an er! meanwhile, SIL and my bro were literally "showered" with gifts! the twins are nearly set! woohoo! we went over there tonight. their room is so sweet! and man at the laundry that has to be done, and they're not even here yet!

and then there's today. i shouldve just taken off work. i have felt worse than crap today to be frank. but the plus side, i guess you could say, i got to work with my best guy friend,dg, that recently got married also. his poor wife got sick the last night on their moon. the docs thought she had swine flu. thankfully, she didn't. working with him happens every 6 weeks or so. he only does his family's hair at our shop. which can and can not be so nice. i love his family, but today his booking got off and it was crazy! or maybe it seemed that way to me b/c i felt so bad. anyways, i took my dad lunch. that made me feel some better, then ended up just leaving. i love my job. tomorrow i will be making up for it though. but that's ok! b/c i get to have dinner at my fav place - pf changs - with one of my fav friends! meg! yay!

of then theres tonight - my bff since kgrade should have been induced into labor tonight! so baby LJ should be here soon! oh how i can't wait! poor BFF has been preggers since like Nov it seems!

i'm glad i have lots going on this week to keep my mind off of 2 of my bests going back to college. one doesn't live that far away,just not convient enough, and the other one, kf, is 3 1/2 hours away: ( she's on vacay this week, and i'm missing her already! i needed her this weekend. shes an awesome friend, but then again, i have so many awesome friends i couldn't pick just one favorite! thank you,Lord, for your blessings on me

yes! i'm a terrible blogger and an AUNT in WAITING!

i know it's been forever ... forgive me! i have no excuse,although i can think of lots for why i have not kept up my blogging. i do enjoy it, i just rarely think too. also, i'm not going to worry with correct grammer rules. sorry. i'm a hair stylist, not an English teacher : )

a great friend of mine has started an awesome and inspiring blog. i've started following it,and wanted to comment on it,and thus began this post.here's an update on me:

I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT TO TWIN BOYS! can you sense my excitement?! words can not express my joy! i can't even imagine how it's going to be if i should ever have any children. the Lord has truely blessed my bro and sil! they have waited for this time for a while now! i can't wait for october!!!!

my sister got married. i was busy,busy,busy trying to be the best MOH for her. i hope i did good. she gave me my love, arthor court, deviled egg platter as part of my gift. i couldn't have been happier, well maybe a cruise ; ) jk sis, well maybe .... so now she's married,and is a wonderful step mom to jp(7) and kp (4) - kp is a lot like me,even has the crazy,unruly, curly hair.

this has been the year for weddings and babies! seriously, i've been invited to 15 weddings/baby showers!

my bff since kindergarden is expecting a baby boy - LJ - in 4 days,if not before then. i can't wait! she's been a trooper through her over due pregnancy. it's so hard for me to remember she's married,now she's a mommy : ) wow .... crazy how life passes you by!
my best guy friend, who i've blogged about before, just got married. he blew everyone away with his annoucement that he was getting married, but he's living happily ever after now! i'm so happy for them! their reception was out of this world beautiful and fun!

that's my life! work,church, family having babies and getting married, friends getting married and having babies,and yeah ... that's pretty much it! more to come later ....