The story of Ruth

Growing up attending Sunday School, I am pretty familiar with most of the Old Testament Bible stories; Adam & Eve, Noah, Moses, Joseph, David, etc. What I don't remember ever hearing about were the women of the Bible. Oh sure, you heard about how Eve was responsible for the fall of man because she ate the apple first. But you never heard about the other women...

It hasn't been until recently that I've really decided to delve into the scriptures & read more about the ladies. Especially the ladies in Jesus' lineage. That brings me to Ruth. What a powerful woman!

She didn't save a nation, birth the 1st baby, hide spies under a roof, but she did leave her homeland to live with & take care of her mother-in-law. She opted to desert the only life she knew to care for Naomi, to the point where she even began to follow Naomi's God. By being faithful to Naomi, God was faithful to her. He provided food & protection, a new husband & eventually children.

What a mighty God we serve!!! He can provide the desires of our hearts. All we need to do is trust.

Many blessings,
Allison

Humbled, yet again...

I've been a Christian for over half my life now. I know how to 'walk the walk' and 'talk the talk'. I know the catch phrases of Christianity. Most often I struggle with living those 'catch' phrases.

I know that God provides. I've seen it happen time & time again. Not just in the Bible, but in the life of my friends & family as well as my own life. Just last year God blessed us immensely - between a new job, a generous friend & 2 mysterious benefactors.

It's been a full year and once again, God shows that He is actively in our life.

I've been out of work for 2 months now. No real bites. Not quite sure where He wants me. I'm collecting unemployment - which isn't much, but sustains us. I'm bored out of my skull most days not sure what to do as a SAHM with kids off at school. That role doesn't suit me.

I won't say money's tight. We're ok. Our mortgage payments are on time & we've got food on the table. The weather is finally getting colder & the kids need fall/winter clothes. Christmas is coming and we were struggling with how we were going to manage it.

Craig received a card in the mail on Wednesday. The address label was computer generated & there was no return address. All we could tell was that it had been mailed from the ATL area.

Opening the card (Hallmark - when you care enough to send your very best), there was no writing. Just a few key lines underlined and a generous gift card made out to Craig.

Again, we have no idea who our benefactor is. Craig was tempted to call around to see if anyone we knew would fess up to it. But I knew that even if he called THAT person, they wouldn't admit it. It was anonymous for a reason. God used them to bless us.

Once again, we cannot thank an earthly person for bestowing this gift on us, but we WILL take the time to thank our Heavenly Father for this gift. For moving someone to be so loving.

We can only pray that we can return this gift when the time is right.

Many blessings,
Allison

Mr. Sandman - where are you?

Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you that I LOVE to sleep. It's one of my favorite hobbies (can it be a hobby?).

But sleep has been avoiding me over the past few weeks. Gosh, maybe even going on a month now. Don't get me wrong... I'm tired. Exhausted really. But when it's time to lay down, my mind is going a mile a minute. I'm gonna date myself, but have you ever watched a movie on VHS and pushed fast forward while playing? That's what my brain is like. No particular thought or subject swirling around.. just stuff.

Normally it wouldn't bother me ALL that much. Craig is wonderful & understanding and I usually get to sleep in. This weekend is different. He's away. That leaves me & the kids. Again - not a big deal. But here I am at 4:45 in the morning and I still haven't fallen asleep. The kids will be in up just a few hours - probably 2 hours. They're old enough to pour some cereal, but I don't feel comfortable SLEEPING while they are awake. Maybe a cat nap here & there throughout the day. I hope tomorrow night isn't the same.

Guess it's time to call the doctor... figure out what's going on.

Praying the sandman visits you,
Allison