Gen 17- Gen 28:19

At age 80-ish Abraham had faith God would give him a Son. At 100, Abraham laughed at God for restating that promise... Sarah also laughed when she heard the same fate for herself.

Gen 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Sodom and Gomorah, not even 10 righteous people were to be found... What must it be like to meet Angels? What kind of awe you must be in to offer your virgin daughters over to brute men to spare them attacking Angels. Second recording of incest is Lots daughters... why was it so important to mention this? Sarah is Abraham's half sister. Was it worse for a daughter to be with her father than for a brother and sister to be together (ew either way, sometimes I am amazed and what I've forgotten is in just the earliest chapters of the bible!!!)

Abraham lies about his wife being his sister a 2nd time. Did he not learn from the first time? Hoe often do I do exactly what Abraham has done? God shows me he will protect, provide, etc. and when faced with the same situation a second time, I still fail to have faith in what God can and will do.

What must have been going through Isaacs mind as his father laid him on the alter?

Abraham's servant named a specific sing and asked God that it would be done so that he would know the woman God had chosen for Isaac

Rebekah's family recognized the servants story as being part of the Lords will, so they did not reject his offer...

Isaac immediately loved the Woman God had chosen for him and was comforted after his mothers death...

After Sarai died, Abraham took another wife, who bore him more sons...

food has been a struggle for man kind since the beginning of time...Esau felt so hungry he said he'd DIE if Jacob didn't feed him. He was willing to give his birthright away for food. How many times have I said I'm "Starving".... what have I been willing to sacrifice and compromise for food? for less than food? for friendship? acceptance? love? entertainment? All in haste for what I want in the moment?

Jacob makes the same "mistakes" as his Dad... he lies about Rebekah being his sister vs. his wife...

God will bless the children of those who are his servant, who are faithful to him, he blessed Isaac because Abraham was his servant.... "Fort he sake of my servant Abraham"

The wives of Esau "A source of Grief to Isaac and Rebekah"... may my parents NEVER feel that way about my spouse. My I never feel that way about my kids spouse, my my inlaws never feel that way about me...

Why shoould I be so surprised by the complete and utter disfunction of my family? Families have been disfunctional since the beginning.... Adam cast blame on Eve, Cain killed Abel, Ishmael was cast out from his half brother and his fathers house hold, Abraham and Isaac marry relatives and then claim their wives aren't their wives, Jacob tricks his father into blessing him over his brother....

Rebecca: If Jacob takes a wife among these hittite women, my life will not be worth living" Wow...dramatic much? Lol!!!

Day 1: Gen 1- Gen 16 Random thoughts.....

The VERY FIRST eating plan for humanity and all living things: Eat all plants the produce seeds, eat all green plants. Then in Gen 9: God gives us meat to eat.... "The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

Why am I so surprised by my own discomfort with my body, why is it so surprising that so many people struggle with body image? Even Adam and Eve were ashamed of their bodies and covered themselves up once they ate of the tree of knowledge. Body image has been a struggle for Men and Women since the MOMENT of the fall.

I've always imagined the loss of a child must bet he WORST kind of loss and my heart breaks for any mother that has lost their child. Eve was the very first mother, and the very first mother to lose a child... Abel, by the very hand of her other child Cain.

Can you imagine just beginning to bear children at 100? What must the aging process have been like? To live over 900 years?!

Kenan: a descendant of Seth with a cool name :0)

Enoch did not die. Enoch did not live almost a millennium. Enoch Walked with God and was no more....

What are nephilim? Why exactly did God se an age cap BEFORE The flood?

WHat is the difference between the "Sons of God" and "Daughters of Humans"

I want to be "found righteous in this Generation" as the Lord found Noah to be in his

In Ch. 8 God says "as long as the earth endures..." What does that mean? The Earth could stop enduring? We can use up our resources and Earth could no longer support humanity? What?

GEn says that from the 3 sons of Noah came all the people that scattered through the whole Earth...

New languages didn't stat at Babel. The started at the sons of Javan from Japheth: Gen 10:4

Gen. 11: The story of Babel.

Ch. 12 beginning of Abram's story... Abram's first mistake: Lying about Sarai being his sister to Egypt's Pharaoh.

Abram accepted nothing from the King of Soddom, so he could accredit any wealth etc. he built on God alone.

Abraham at first believed the Lords promise for an Heir, a child of his own flesh.

I would like God to help me pick out the names of my future children the way he picks out so many names in the bible. I'd also love insight into who those children are going to be... yet I wonder how I would take such infomration, like Hagar got of her son Ishmael. It WASN'T all good!!!!

Creativity....

This year, a new friend showed me how to make tutu's, and in exchange for a massage bought all the materials I needed to make them for my nieces. And... so, I let my creative juices flow, and created costumes for my nieces for halloween this year... for one day, the sweet girls got to be a butterfly and a lady bug. They were so cute and we had lots of fun dressing up!!!

A glimpse of the MOST beautiful wedding!

lonely.

This week has been a hard one.

I'm lonely.

I'm frustrated.

I've a serious lack of motivation.

God doesn't feel near.

Thing aren't happening the way I desperately want them to at work.

My dog is having some... uh hum... digestive issues.

I miss my family.

I miss my friends.

Life just seems HARD, and stagnant.

I'm starting to feel restless.

The thing is my life ISN'T that hard. Really, my day to day struggles are nothing compared to what others are going through, or even what I myself have walked through. But today, just my little plate feels heavy. I think I'm just throwing myself a pity party but, this week, I really wish I had someone special to just talk to, to share life with, to make decisions with, to help pay bills, to encourage me and uplift me. I wish it didn't feel like I was doing it all alone.

Life here in Northern California hasn't slowed down. I'm working anywhere from 40 to 50 hours a week, relishing spending time with my niece on days off, and we (my cousin, her family and myself) all moved, and my Aunt is here for an extended visit. In a couple weeks I head back to Washington for my baby sisters wedding and to visit family. It will have been almost 6 months since I've seen any of them, the longest I have gone.

I'm not sure if I announced if my cousin is pregnant! We consider this wee babe a blessing. He/she will be so loved and I'm excited to yet again be an "Auntie". These last couple days Quin has been feeling the first few flutters of the life that grow inside her.

I'm still looking for a church home. I don't always make it to church, and often work Sunday mornings. THe fun part is that I usually do get to go to church with the teenagers I work for, and that is really cool.

Work has had it's challenges. I use to be assigned the level 14 girls home, they moved me to the level 12 girls home, but lately I've been filling in at the Level 14 boys home. I thought it would be scarier to work with level 14 mental ill adolescent boys, than the girls. I was wrong. I actually really enjoy it, and maybe that is even my strength.

I'm finding it's hard to meet young people. I've made, and already even lost a few friends, just coming to a realization they weren't they kind of people I WANT to be friends with. Through that process, I was reminded why we MUST lean on God in our lives, and no depend on others to fill voids.

I'm refocusing on God, and trying to once again make him the CENTER of my life.

Summer is coming to a close and I can hardly believe that. My other nice comes home from her Dads, who lives across the country, in 2 days and I'm excited to have the sweet girl home.

That's it for now !

At work we enjoy taking the kids to the "horse program" a ranch that rehabilitates horses, and allows our kids to work with them. Since I can't post pics. of the kids, here are some that don't include them...

The newest horse. He's young and has lots of personality. His "scoop" back makes him not show quality so he's been donated. The Ranch has plans to naturally smooth out his back.

Ducks! They're so funny and have no problem sharing the pastures with horses!
Jewel, she's one of my favorites. She is a paint was was neglected and severely malnourished but has put on most of the weight she needs to in order to be considered healthy. SHe has the MOST amazing blue eyes, which I didn't know was possible in horses!!!
Just a pretty shot outside a house of my company....

sunset while camping with the girls.
They have a fun street fair/market in town every Thurs. THis Dog was just funny to see while strolling the Market.
Teaching my niece to swim... she loves water but isn't a fun of being on her back. She can float for about 4-5 seconds though!
This was in the bathroom where we got my cousins ultra sound done. This my friends, is one reason why I choose abstinence until marriage. THe chart shows how many "people" you have been exposed to if your current partner has had the same # of other previous partners as you..... so if you've had just 4 partners, and so has your current partner, you've been exposed to 14 other people...
The girls and I saved this baby gopher (who was missing a foot), from certain death! We called wild life rescue and rehab.
my bride's maid's dress and my "Nieces" flower girl dress
My puppies ears covered in weird sticky plant things. I had to shave her ears because of this, they had never been shaved before and I wanted to CRY!!! She had such soft long curly ears!
I live in the middle of nowhere, seriously, we see deer on a weekly basis, I've seen wild bob cats, heard of mountain lion and bear sighting, have saved a baby gopher, seen wild vultures and quail.. and this my friends is one in a flock of wild turkeys that round around my work.
My friends sweet son Peter and I.
Buggie and I on the 4th of July... blessed to be Free!

I've always wanted to be 24!!!!

AT 9:33 this morning, I turned 24 years old. I don’t know why but, I’ve wanted to be 24 for a long time. Something about 24 seems exciting and special. I just have a feeling this will be a big year for me. Plus, many of the amazing mentoring women I have in my life, I met when they were 24.

This is the first year in quite a few that I can say I am happy to be where I am at. Im happy to be who I am. I’m happy. I know it's because I'm working hard to no longer place my happiness on circumstances. I'm working to daily find Joy that comes only from knowing my Creator. Yet, it is also because circumstances have changed that I feel so good to be alive, and rejoicing that God has given me 24 full years on earth. It's because of the obedience I took this year in following a new and unchartered path. It's because, for me and my family, I took the road less traveled by. And God has blessed my obedience.

This year I am rejoicing in who God made me to be. Today I am remember the scriptures that say
 “


Psalms 139: 13-15 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

This year, I do and will continue to truly embrace this. I am WONDERFULLY made. All my days were ordained for me. These are things I have a hard time believing about myself. I want to embrace them.


And who knows... maybe my 25th year will be the year God shows me Mr. Right for me :0).... I've always said I wanted to get married when I'm 25..... lol. If not, I'm ok with that too. Gods showing me just how special I am on my own.