Been Busy

Hi, I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't gotten a chance to post anything new yet, been really busy. Marcus was in Cleveland for a few days & I was here running the office and the house. Not to mention I am working on the 'guts' of this blog...you'll see.

But hey, we got the landscaping in the front accomplished! I'll show you all before & after pictures of our home. Well, of what we have done so far... We are definitely building our home up (like the bible says to do)! That's for sure. Sad thing is, we will tap out...meaning...we have the best house in the worst neighborhood. So, if some day we decide to sell---or have to sell---We won't get half of the money we have put into it (unless this neighborhood changes).

Speaking of my neighborhood... The people in this neighborhood are bringing it down more and more day after day. There have been so many houses broken into & they steal the copper pipes right out of the house to scrap. Get this...They even steal the aluminum siding off of people's houses! I am so shocked that people haven't broken into our home yet. The police probably think we are drug-dealers or something because we work hard to have the things that we have. We make dramatic changes to the house, & people think we are rich because of it...No, we just work hard, save money, & budget to live a fruitful life. I ask that you all pray for these people (they really need help from the lord) & for the people that they are stealing from.

Anywho! I will post pictures soon so you all can see where I live!

Where I am from...

Where I am from…

By: Ila Adkins

I am from tall buildings, from mountains and streams.


I am from the loving home…old, charming, beautiful.

I am from the trees, standing tall and trying to reach the lord.

I am from Christmas gatherings and independent people, from my mom and Grandma and my younger sister Vurella.

I am from long conversations and struggling to make ends meet.
From ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.

I am from a family with faith, from God’s family, with Sundays spent in the pews soaking up the sermons and the summer’s spent learning about the Lord in vacation bible school.

I'm from Ohio, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, North America, meat loaf and spaghetti.

From the woman who worked two full-time jobs to support her little family, the one who strived to give my baby sister and I everything we needed, and from the Dad who raised us; even though he didn’t have to.

I am from the family scrapbooks, the family tree, and the family that always has a “Footprints in the sand” poem hung in the dining room. I am from fond recollections of my papa gardening and listening to my grandma sing. I am from family members that are now God’s angels, who watch over me, guide me, and protect me with their shielded wings. I am from the memories that cannot be replaced.



The poem above was inspired by Stacy's blog with a poem that she wrote about where she came from. She had a link for a template here to create a beautiful "Where I'm from" poem. It was definitely something that I enjoyed doing.

I'd like to add a note about this...

As Christians, it is certain that we shall have the answers to the questions, "Where are you from?" ,"Where are you going?", and "Who are you?"

All Christians should know without a doubt that they are a child in God's loving hands. We are from the King of all Kings. We are from the couple that were created in the begininning, Adam & Eve. We, as Christians, know that we will walk through Heaven's Gates on judgement day because our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ shed his blood for our sins. We will get to behold the Glory of God in our eyes, because Jesus died to save us. We shall have eternal life.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." ----John 10:28-30

Strong Woman

My Uncle Bill married the strongest woman that I know (she's in the picture below with my uncle). Cori got pregnant after their marriage, and got really sick. She was having complications, and she went to the hospital. She found out that she had lost the baby and she had leukemia. This is what caused her to lose the baby. They actually didn't even know if she was going to make it. Yet, she did not get down at all, I never seen her sad about it (even though she just lost a baby, found out she had leukemia, and had a 1 year old at home, and 2 step-children). She always has a smile on her face.

Then, they put her on chemo. She starting losing her hair, so she just shaved her head. I don't even think that she thought twice about it. She had a bald head and a smile. She's still battling the leukemia, and is raising 3 kids. She's had a bone marrow transplant and a ton of tests done. Yet, she is always smiling.

Cori is an amazing woman. A strong woman to say the least. She just pushes on, even though times are hard. She is an inspiration to me. I want to be that kind of woman. A strong woman, full of faith. I want to smile in the worst of times; knowing that my life is in the Lord's hands.

I hope that Cori's strength rubs off on each of you. I wish you could know her. She is definitely a role model for me, someone that I wish I could be like. She has wings and boy does she fly! Someday, I'll have wings too & I'll fly.

Messy Purse-Messy life!

Whats in my purse? Hmm...that's a good question. As of right now I have 1 extremely large purse filled to the rim with 'stuff I need' (but have transfered my bible, credit cards, id, cellphone, more junk into my other smaller (but still large purse). After fumbling through a mess of 'stuff I need', along with probably a trillion receipts (I keep them for everything--don't have a clue why I do. So, anyways...) I finally found my phone that was ringing like crazy!

So, after all that time spent fumbling through my purse (just to answer my phone). I really don't know why I have 2 purses, let alone all of the unnecessary stuff in them. Sad thing is, I find myself doing this in my life as well....filling it to the rim with unnecessary stuff (I'm working hard on trying to master the art of being content).

Let's find out what's in my purses shall we!? THIS is quite embarassing! Here's all the junk from both purses, dumped out onto my kitchen countertop! I'm generally an organized person---except the purse!

Who carries around a bunch of blank envelopes with them EVERYWHERE?! Strange but okay...let's continue on...

0o0ohhh Money! Well that's pretty cool. It's always nice to find change in the bottom of your purse (in my case, purses lol). $6.56 worth of change I didn't even know I had, and yes I counted!

This happens to be an armband bracelet with My man's bluetooth hooked to it. (I think he may have been looking for that about a month ago! lol Oo0ops! Anywho, I just thought this was funny. It made me laugh anyways...

This is the disgusting horde of receipts. Yes, I am very glad I decided to clean the purses out finally! Oh, there is also a tiny bottle of lotion in the picture and a compact with makeup in it is in the bottom half of the picture...

Umm...batteries anyone ? Well, that is definitely NOT a good thing to carry in a purse! I have no idea how they got in there either....

So, I have decided I serrrrrrrrrriously need to clean both of my purses out (into only ONE purse), and while I'm at it... I'll clean my heart out as well!!! In order to do this, I want to clean out both my purse & my life God's way... The way that it should be done. The correct way. The only way; as the bible is my guidebook for my life...

With that being said, I have to ask myself:

What 'essentials' does one truly need to have with them at all times?

MY BIBLE:

Reading the bible daily is what gives us strength as Christians. We have to keep reading the word in order to fully understand what God wants for us to do as his children. We have to read The Word, Study The Word, Love The Word, and Memorize The Word. When the world throws curveballs, we need to have answers NOW. Right there in my purse is all the answers in life I will ever need.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his Righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "---Matthew 6:33

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction is righteousness." ---2 Timothy 2:16

MY KEYS:

My keys are how I get from point A to point B. My keys are the way that I get into my office, my safeat work, and my safety room at work. My keys are how I get into my home in the evening. My keys represent faith, which is the key to a fruitful life as a Christian. Faith is the key that keeps a Christian going on day by day, good or bad.

So yes, I am going to keep my keys in my purse & my faith in my life.

The picture above shows 2 sets of keys because one is my set, and the other is my grandmother's keys. She is letting me borrow her car, because Marcus and I both work outside the home & only have 1 vehicle (which is a company vehicle).

MY CELLPHONE:

Oh, I would not want to be caught in a bad circumstance without it. This has happened to me all too many times. For example, I was driving to Cleveland, Ohio which is about 2 hours from Toledo to see my man, because he was working out that way. Low and behold the tire blows (no spare either!). I had no cell-phone to call anyone. I literally walked for an hour on the turn-pike trying to get to the next exit. People would just zoom by...I'm still walking, praying to the Lord for help. I felt so helpless, and scared too. Finally, a woman pulled over and asked if I needed a ride or if I wanted to use her phone. Thank the Lord! I called my man & he came to my rescue like the knight in shining armour that he is & he fixed the problem.

The moral behind this is that, I do not like feeling scared or helpless. Prayer is a wonderful, yet powerful thing. It is how we as Christians communicate with our Heavenly father. Pray changes things (God willing). Prayer gives us strength & security. I must put my cellphone back in my purse & keep the prayers in my life. The mere sense of security that they both give me, well that's why my cell-phone and prayer must stay.

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."

Wallet (with ID, credit cards, debit card, insurance cards, cash, etc):

My ID and insurance cards are things I just need to have in case I get into a car accident or something. You never know what the Lord has in store for you! My credit cards, cash, credit cards, and things of that nature I must have with me at all times. Why? Well the obvious is answer would be because I am probably going to buy something needed for the home/our little family. The godly reason is because for one, all money is God's money. Period. (Job 1:21)For two, we should manage our money for God. Next, Ignorance is not bliss ladies, no one wants to pay fee after fee because they don't have control of their finances. If you don't already, you better soon.

"If you have nothing with which to pay, why should [your creditor] take away your bed from under you?" ---Proverbs 22:27

A Picture of Marcus (The love of my life):

Ironically enough, I just love him so much that when we are apart (even for 5 minutes)...I miss him. So, I need to carry a picture of him with me at all times. He is my best friend and the love of my life. So whenever I miss him, I will be able to pull out his picture and think of the verse in the Song of Solomon, "This is my beloved, and this is my friend." ( verse 5:16)

The Bible says that we are to "cleave" simply meaning we are to glue ourselves to one another. The man in my life is to be my first priority [following God of course]. No others shall fall above him. A husband (in my case, boyfriend) is to come before children, family, friends, work, sewing, crafting, blogging, etc. He is to be 2nd only to God. Check out Ephesians 5:31 if you don't believe me.

So, none the less. The picture of Marcus shall stay.

Chapstick-100 % Naturals Lip Butter:

For me, I personally am a constant chapstick wearer. I wear chapstick in the winter, spring, summer, and fall. I like my lips to stay soft. You are probably thinking how could there possibly be a godly reason behind chapstick?! Well you see, God commands us in His Word for us to have soft answers. The way that we react as Christians to different conflicts, situations, and people all reflect ourselves as one of God's children.

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger" ---Proverbs 15:1

Lipstick:

Now you see, I wear lipstick too. So, on occasion (depending on the lipstick choice) I may need to do a quick touch up or I just may need to throw some on in the car because I'm running late for work. I am a daughter of the King of Kings, and with that said... I must try my best to be a woman of God. Carrying my lipstick for touch ups & for days on the run will remind me to be a pleasant woman. It will remind me to keep my tongue in check; meaning no foul words are to be spoken from my sweet lips, no nagging & complaining will slip through my lips, no unkind words nor gossiping shall come from me. Believe it or not, all those things come from lips. Thus, lipstick shall keep me in check!

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."-Proverbs 31:16

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." -Proverbs 16:24

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." ---Ephesians 4:29

Everything else can go...

You see, Paul had written some very strict guidelines for us to follow when decluttering our minds, hearts, souls, etc [even purses]. See the verse below, learn it. Study it. Memorize it. Apply it. Live it.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

See how the very last statement is just that, a statement. A command more a less. THINK ON THESE THINGS.

• Is it true?
  

Am I second-guessing or reading between the lines? Is the item true to God's word and the character of God?

• Is it honest?

Simply meaning, is this a noble item? Is this something that a child of God should have?

• Is it just?
  

Is this item going to inspire me to live up to my responsibilities as a godly woman; as a Christian? Does this item encourage me to take the right actions; the just actions?

• Is it pure?

Here's an easy way to utilize this point on the checklist. Would God be pleased with this item in your purse? If not, then it definitely needs to go!

• Is it lovely?

Does this item glow of spirtuality and morality?

• Is it of good report?

If someone were to steal your purse (hopefully that doesn't happen!!), would the contents of your purse speak good things about you? Would they tell the thief who stole your purse that you are a woman of God?

• Is there any virtue?

Will the item motivate me in the ways of the Lord?

• Is there any praise?

Would this item or the contents of the purse earn praise from God & others?

This is the checklist for decluttering my purse and my heart, God's way.

If anyone else was in my situation (see the pictures! lol), or even better. If you have an emaculate purse-a Godly purse. I'd love to see it as inspiration to NEVER let that mess happen again. I'd love to see the before and after pictures of your purses. I really would.

God Bless!

Ila

Starting over

Dear God,

I want you in my life, Oh Lord! I want you to be a part of every aspect of my life. At home, at work, in the car, in my (future) garden, & everywhere in between. God, I want you with me at all times... Oh heavenly father! I want you to carry me when I fall & can't carry my own weight. I believe that because the web is my largest time-waster---this is the reason that I am creating this blog. This will be my icing on the top of the cake at the beginning of each day. I want to spend my mornings reading your word & spending time with you! I haven't read through the entire bible since I was a small child (which you know of course!) and my plan is to embrace your words each day & apply them to my life as you see fit.

I am starting over...I will live my life right & you will be my guidance. The light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks so much for making me open my eyes to you again. Thank you for all of the blessings that you have given to me--including Marcus! I'm so glad that you blessed me with his love.

Love,

Ila


My notes for Today:

1. "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5)

This verse really touches my heart, because I believe that God is the source & creator for all things. God's will for me can only be done IF I accept God into my life. Without the Lord I am NOTHING. I feel so empty inside without the Lord.

1. "Oh God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You" (Psalm 63:1)

It's funny that I live such a busy lifestyle (I can't ever get anything finished & I'm always late for everything!) & at the end of the day (on a Friday-mind you) I am thirsting for God. After seeing this verse, how David spoke to God about how he would praise him in the early mornings. It occured to me...WHY DON'T I DO THAT?! WHY DONT I WAKE UP EARLIER to spend my mornings with God? He created each day for me to enjoy so why not start the morning with him? Why not Prioritize my mornings to reflect my love for the Lord? I could wake up earlier (even though I AM NOT a morning person) to read the bible & pray. This will give me the time that I need to talk to God so I don't feel empty inside & I can read the words that were created for me & everyone else in the world. What a great idea!!