Anita Refroe

A little while back. I posted a routine that I saw with my mom and sisters. Anita is such a great comedian, and she never ceases to make me laugh so hard that I cry! Here are some more examples of her humor. I hope you enjoy her...

My Day Out

I had a WONDERFUL day! I canceled my morning teaching and headed off to a "Proverbs 31 Women's Event". I'm so thankful I live in a day and age where we have GPS systems. I had no idea where I was going, but I trusted my faithful little traveling buddy, and I ended up at the right place. The evening event sold out long ago, so I was thrilled to hear that they were having a matinee event.

If you have never heard of Lysa TerKeurst or Proverbs 31, go to their website. I receive a devotion from them everyday via email, and they are always just what I need to jump-start my days. Lysa has such an inspiring testimony! Today she spoke on how their family came to adopt two teenage boys from Liberia. On her website you can see the story as it was told to Ophrah Winfrey on her show.

The most exciting person for me to see was Kate Gosselin from "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" which is a cute show on TLC. She is a young Christian mom that had twin girls and then sextuplets! Here are a few pictures:

Jehovah-Jireh

Did you all hear me shouting praises of thanks today? Bill called me around 11:45 with the wonderful news that he received a job! Once again we thank God and stand in awe of His loving faithfulness. During this particular "trust walk" with my Shepherd, He taught me something new about "goodness and mercy". Psalm 23 says, "Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me...". God taught me that I've been lookin' in the wrong direction! All these years I've been squinting into the future hoping to get a glimpse of goodness and mercy. Today I get it, I think. God kept telling me, "Joyce, don't panic...keep your eyes on the Shepherd. He's ahead of you. Keep your eyes on Him." But God, I'm scared! How are we going to make the house payment? And what about insurance? What if I end up in the hospital? Or get in an accident? How will we afford the medical bills? And how about groceries and gas money and college tuition and.... "Joyce! Keep your mouth shut and your eyes on Me!"

So, as I was busy pleading for God's goodness and mercy, they were there all the time, I just forgot where to look. Now, as I look back, there they are! Clear as a bell! I don't even have to squint to see them!

It's just beginning to dawn on me that I am a SLOW learner! I am, however, also beginning to realize that this journey here on earth doesn't get any easier, but my confidence in the Shepherd is growing - not because I'm any stronger or wiser - but because He is so trustworthy and faithful. He keeps proving Himself over and over and over again to this thick-headed stubborn little lamb!

Thank you, Father, for providing a job for Bill!

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles!

Last week, at Ligia's house we had so much fun blowing bubbles! The twins brought the bubble bottle to me and soon Ligia, Agustin, and the twins were all dancing aroung the kitchen as I blew endless streams of bubbles. They got over everything...in our hair, on our clothes...soon the floor and the kitchen table were covered with them! Hold that picture, and we will fast forward to today...

Ligia needed my help returning some dresses to Macy's. She purchased precious Christmas dresses for the twins, brought them all the way to Mexico, and when she was ready to dress the girls, she noticed the store sensors were still attached! She did an excellent job with her English and she received full credit for her purchases. While we were driving home from the store, the twins asked about Elise. I explained that she was going to school far away. Ligia asked when I will see Elise again. I tried to explain that I hope to see her at the end of February. I wanted to explain to her that I will be the speaker at a women's retreat at our former church in Mississippi. I knew there was no way I could explain all of that in my broken Spanish, but I tried my best.

"I will teach the Bible", I said.

"Oh, WOW!!! My English teacher is a Bauble teacher?!!?"

Knowing this didn't sound quite right, I said, "Scriptura??? Is that the Spanish word?

I will teach the Bible."

Ligia doubled over in squeals of laughter. "Oh, BIBLE! Now I understand!!! I thought you told me you were a BUBBLE teacher and in my head I thought 'No wonder she was so good at blowing all those bubbles at my house last week!'

Ah, the adventures of trying to teach English!

Dutch Cooking

Every third Sunday, our Shepherd group from church has a meal together. We have tried to think of various themes. Last month was "Mexican" and we all brought a different dish from a Spanish-speaking country. I bravely suggested that someday we should have a luncheon featuring dishes from our ancestors country of origin. So that's what we did today! We had quite a good turnout and a plethora of dishes from various parts of the world. My favorite country was Germany! It was represented by a German chocolate cake that was soooo delicious!! I brought Buttercake and Creamed cauliflower. Here are some pictures of my kitchen endeavors.

Bloemkool (Cauiflower with white sauce)
Boterkoek
The end results of my Dutch cooking adventure!

Earlier this week we had a little cold spell so I made some Dutch pea soup (snert). Either I am turning into my mother, or I am preparing for my trip to the Netherlands. My husband, Bill, says I'm just getting ready for what heaven will be like. He was born and raised in the Netherlands, so his idea of the "great heavenly banquet" is a bit askew!

Speaking of Holland, it has always been a dream of mine to go there. My room mate from college lives in Amsterdam and for years she has asked me to visit. Finally, I made plans to make a trip this spring. Now that Bill is without work, this trip is difficult for me to justify. Bill encourages me to go...what do you think?

A Song For Moms

I heard this lady sing this song on a Girl's Get-A-Way Cruise. I stumbled across the presentation and thought you would enjoy hearing her. Hope she brings a smile to all of you "fellow moms" out there. Hugs!

Sunday School Memories

On Thursday evening I received a most welcome phone call. Shannon Howard, a member of the church we attended in Mississippi, called and asked if I would be a speaker for their women's group. I can't find the words to express the "joy that floods my soul"! She asked if I would submit a little synopsis of what I would speak about. Below is the email that I sent her. I am humbled and honored by this request to speak. I have always had a heart's desire to have a public speaking ministry of some sort, but to qualify for many of the speaking cicuits, I need to have established myself for at least one year. I need to have documented places where I have spoken as well as references from those that have heard me speak. If you know of a group or an organization that may be looking for a speaker, please keep me in mind and contact me. Also, feel free to copy this post and share it with groups that may be looking for a speaker. I'm looking forward to see what God has in store!

My Walk With The Shepherd

As a child growing up in a Christian home, my parents made sure I faithfully attended church and Sunday School. Every Sunday I was expected to know the weekly Bible verse. A Saturday night ritual in our home was to quiz me on the verse. Very seldom did my father forget but if for some reason he did, he made certain to quiz me in the car on the way to church!

Once I was settled in class, the first thing my teacher did was have me recite my verse. I didn’t mind this at all! You see, if I said my verse correctly I received a "Little Card". This was a 1.5 inch little rectangular card on which a little picture and Bible verse were printed. Collect seven "Little Cards" and I could turn them in for a "Big Card"! "Big Cards" were great because I could save them and redeem them for prizes. When I was nine years old I made it my mission in life to collect as many "Big Cards" as I could in order to cash them in for a beautiful gold plated bracelet of the Ten Commandments! Why do I relate this story? Because on my "Big Cards" were always big pictures – much bigger than the microscopic ones that appeared on the "Little Cards" – and on the back of each card was printed a long section of Scripture. For some reason, I always ended up with the picture of the lost lamb and on the back of the card was the 23rd Psalm. So many of my "Big Cards" featured this picture that I truly believe this image has been permanently etched into my subconscious!

Now that I am an adult, I savor those memories of my days at home. And I especially love the image of my "Big Card". That is because I see so much of myself in that picture. I have walked with the Shepherd my whole life, but I have to admit that more than once Jesus has found me sniffing about where I shouldn’t be, and that is when He has faithfully propped me up on His shoulders of love and brought me back to safety. Sometimes I can visually see myself off, alone, far away from all the other sheep. I can almost see my Shepherd put His hands on His hips as He says, "Now where does she think she’s going?!"

I have been this journey with my Shepherd for over fifty years now. It has led me on paths where I have experienced breath-taking beauty. It has also led to places that were dark - places where the road was rocky and the scenery was barren. Out of this walk I have developed a study on Psalm 23. In it, I teach the lessons that I have learned from my many years of being a very stubborn sheep.

 How Does the Shepherd Meet My Physical Needs?
 How Does the Shepherd Meet My Emotional Needs?
 How Does the Shepherd Meet My Spiritual Needs?
 Is the Lord MY Shepherd?

Wedding Memories Put To The Test

May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O God,
Even as we put our hope in You.

When Bill and I were married, over 25 years ago, this was the verse that we placed on our invitations. This was also the verse that John De Vries preached on at our wedding. We used to have the ceremony on video (we lost it to Katrina), and every anniversary we would dust it off and take a trip down memory lane to that hot, humid night in June so long ago.

Times have changed, styles have changed, but God's word has remained steadfast and unchanging. Many, many times over the past 25 years Bill and I have quoted that verse. We have prayed that verse back to God, pleading for His help through uncertain days and sleepless nights.

Once again we draw strength from this verse. This past week Bill was called into his boss's office. He was laid off - effective immediately. Like thousands of other Americans, we now face a very uncertain future. But we cling to the knowledge that God is sovereign - and that He is FAITHFUL. He has never left us alone, and we know He will continue to walk with us during the days ahead. We covet your prayers on our behalf - that Bill will find work and that God will continue to meet our physical. emotional, and spiritual needs.

It's Official!!!

Today my new year began. I know, for the rest of you it began last Thursday, but for me it started today. Today I left the safe cocoon of my home, my warm little haven for the past two weeks, and ventured out into the world once again. As soon as I locked the door this morning, I instantly knew I had locked myself out of the house...I left my keys for car and home on my desk. I frantically pounded on the door and pumped the doorbell until a very sleepy David unlocked the door for me. After making a mad dash for the keys, I raced off to work...only to realize that I absent-mindedly got on the tollway...a road from which there is no exit for quite some time! By this point I have black and blue marks from kicking myself! OK, so I finally made it to my first student's home and successfully taught for three hours without any problems. Next, I went to the grocery store. My late class was canceled, so I thought I would surprise Bill with a nice warm meal. Normally I am not home until 7:30 and Bill usually ends up fixing something for me. As I stood in line, salivating over the groceries that would soon become a sumptuous surprise for my husband (oh, did I forget to mention I didn't have ANYTHING to eat all day - not one morsel - so maybe I was feverishly salivating by this point!), the clerk asked me to scan my card. No problem! Except when I went to pull out my card it WASN'T THERE!!!! Not only was my card missing, my whole entire wallet was missing!!! It was left on the desk at home - that same desk where I left my keys!! The clerk told me she could keep the groceries in the cooler until I came back to pay for them. No problem! I went home, found my wallet, took David to work, and returned to the grocery store. As soon as I got out of the car, there was a cloud burst - I'm talking torrential sheets of rain that came out of no where!! So much for my reentry into the world. Then tonight, after dinner, I took down the well-worn 2008 calendar and put up the brand new one for 2009. So now it's official...my new year has begun!