A little "mushier" than the norm. But a revelation just the same.

I have not had the life I planned.

Two Plans for Life
Plan One:  White picket fence. Dr. Husband, 5 sons and a nicely decorated home...

My plan did not work out.

FLASH FORWARD to Plan Two:  A 2 room basement apartment with a dog. A son is living in Australia. The husband is an ex. Family spread all over the world.

I am trying to prepare to move to Albania. I don't know for how long. Everything must be sold or given away - you cannot take dog, lamps, candles and couches to the mission field.

As I look at when I have been closer to God, and consequetially more content, it is in this second scenario. What I held dear - is now out of my hands. What God is blessing is not my plan.  This was not my plan nor my dream. But, God saved me, from myself!

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My plans were not His, they were not what He dreamed for me. He had a life planned for me. A better life planned for me. Once I "lost" everything I held as dear, I prayed He would give me a new plan, a new passion to hod onto (Psalm 37:4 Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.)


What he gave me was a renewed love for Him, a desire to have more of Christ and less of me. (Philippians 3:7-8, 13-14 *v8 I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.)

Even though this was not my plan at all, not my dream, I have to trust that God is the God of the Bible, the creator, sustainer, and giver of life. His plan is better.My dreams were dust, my stuff was holding me down. I was not free to do what He wanted me to do. I was saved from myself, and made free to go where ever He wants me to go and do what ever He wants to do.

So, when my neck is aching because I am straining to look back at all I don't have, this is what I try to dwell on: the surpassing worth of knowing Christ!

Knowing You Jesus (click here)
Graham Kendrick

All I once held dear, built my life upon,
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.

Now my heart's desire is to know You more,
To be found in You and know as Yours,
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.

Oh to know the power of Your risen life,
And to know You in Your sufferings;
To become like You in Your death, my Lord,
So with You to live and never die.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.

Where the Streets have Four Names...

Hueytown Alabama.  I thought that was some fancyfied nickname for Birmingham...silly me. Hueytown is a, for lack of a better word, a Town.  I do not mean to offend the peeps of Hueytown, nor google maps, but someone was asleep in one of those places. We forgot " (insert Sues Garmon name here)  " so we had to rely on googlemaps on my iphone. (note to readers, use google earth, google maps and/or Hueytown are not right) Even tho' I "felt it in my bones" that walmart was just up the road, googlemaps and my little pulsating blue dot could not identify the road we were on and all the cross roads had 4 names. Davey Allison Blvd can be main Street or Artesian Springs Rd, or Allison Rd.   In the real world Woodward does not exist, nor Brookline. and  when you think you are Brookline, you may be on Knight or Hueytown which is Forest. There are two Fairy Alleys and one Fairy Avenue which is also Wickstead Rd.  And while you are there you must visit the People's Chapel Funeral Home, Integrity Funeral Home and Cafe Huey.  A Chest was for sale, which relieved some of us, as we weren't sure where my chest actually went.  License is spelt lisence, and I cannot remember the rest of the knowledge needed to get around "Hueyville" (as I call it).

Regardless, we arrived, got Katie and Micheal married, partied and laughed our way back to J-town. Even after "forced dilly" and "coerced dally". Once we found out what the humming was (it was Sue's "thing"). And after Ronda told her phone " I am in Alabama, I you want me to hear you call  back in an hour" and hanging up. It was then that we found the all 80"s  all the time station and we sang our way home. "no-one, no-one is to blame", "she's tidied up and I can't find anything", Duran Duran, Manic Monday, the only thing that could have made this day better was a chorus of "SSSAAAAFFFFTTTTYYYY Dance".

Thanks Diana, Ronda, Sue and Hueytown for the laughs.