"OPERATION WORSHIP"

It was God at work, when a ministry named Operation worship was kind enough to donate bibles to me. The vision was to hand out bibles to all the different offices of the arm forces. Today, was the day the vision became a reality. All recurites will recieve bibles prior to departing to boot camp. I was fortunate enough to meet several soldiers who just returned from boot camp and were on leave; it made my lifetime to see a soldier reading through a bible he had just recieved.

A special thanks to:

Erich Kerstan> Open Window Foundation - Operation Worship> www.operationworship.com - Main site> http://blog.operationworship.com/ - Blog> www.operationworship.com/store - Bible store> www.operationworship.com/resources - Online resources> erich@operationworship.com - email> Toll Free (888) 799-7669 x 103>

You may not know me, but I know you.

So that from the rising of the sun, to the place of it's setting men may know there is none besides me.

For all people who say I believe in a higher being, positive energy, creative design, evolution, the universe, mother nature, space and a bigger power.
It doesn't matter " He knows you" and eventually you will know him.

Level of Potential

Everyone has "Potential" it's up to us to set the bar and stop waiting on someone else to
set our level.
We need to STOP waiting on others to show us what to do.
Take initiative and make the template for others. We need to surround ourselves
with people who are reaching their GOD potential and put that knowledge to serve.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But,one thing I do. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward the "goal" to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Jesus Christ.

Preparation

It is time to prepare? We need to take an interactive approach to our lives and prepare. The world as we knew it has changed considerably in the last several months. A mom and pop shop is now virtual and the only real employment exist within the world wide web. Get started and take online courses to become a business in this new e-commerce of possibilities. Don't just sit there and wait, sit there and type, scan, and create your financial future. I will keep you updated on how it is working for me.

44th President of United States

We registered people, we canvassed neighborhoods and then we voted. My kids were very involved with me in this process. We knocked on 22 doors and Ayden was a part of my intro, his line was "Change". Today, I awoke to the news and am excited for our new President, because I do believe that our God knew the outcome and knows the plan for this country. My prayers will be with this administration to do the honorable and get this country back on track.

Friends and Grace

When God weeds out people from your life we should take notice and understand that he does not need you to work in their lives. So mind your business and focus on your relationship with him, stop and get out of his way. I am so guilty of trying to help people and get to involved in their lives. However, it is not my intention to enable them, but I do. So, recently I have decided to just focus on my relationship with our God and take a diplomatic approach and not get in his way.

Running for a CAUSE

My son and I dedicated this walk to our nieghbor who suffers from this illness. I was so proud of my boy to assist me for this cause. We did a total of 9 miles and it was a great bonding moment. If it wasn't for my Marine workouts this would not be possible.

Civi Duty

In actions everyone takes notice. Last Thursday and Friday I made a last minute effort to register people; to exercise their right to VOTE. It is very important for every one to get involved to use their voices by VOTING.

Run and vomit

It seems to me that I am improving, but I can't seem to master running a mile without vomiting. Today, was day 6 for me and we did some exercises that; by appearance looked easy, and then you did them and it was soooo hard. We had to leap over fellow squad members with both feet in the air, as they kneel fetal position on the ground( heads tucked between knees) it almost looked like a childhood game called leap frog. It was exhausting, the sergeant is an animal, I mean that in the best way. He shows us up every time. Workout two was similar, but your fellow members are squatting with chins tucked into their chest. I landed on the back of my first victim recruit Perez ( I'm sooooo soooorrrrry) the rest got my crutch to the back of their heads, sooo NASTY. Thank God they were facing the opposite direction. By the time I was done, My sweat was EVERY WHERE unimaginable, It is a pleasure and a privilege to work out with these men.

Oooohhh RrrOUCH...

Day three of my Marine workout was brutal. I learned you can run and vomit at the same time. My squad never left me. It has been an amazing opportunity to answer questions about the misconceptions of what it is to be a Christian and questions regarding woman and virtue. They hunger for information, and it is the perfect opportunity to fellowship and serve our soldiers before they get shipped out for training; and then the battle field. I feel humbled to fellow to these wonderful men and woman, I hope I can encourage them in Christ and be a witness, when they decide to get saved before they get shipped out.

Semper fi

Unbelievable!!!! I have been on a workout kick and it has been difficult to shed those extra pounds. My belief is no pain no gain. I am the kind of person that truly believes that exercise is the key to weight lost. This is my approach to get in shape and I just recently decided to think outside the box. Yesterday, we had a new member to our high school ministry and he was talking about working out with his recruit squad, This boy is a future marine core soldier and I am proud to work out with him and his squad. Today, was my first day and Ooooh Rahhh. It was the hardest workout, I have ever experienced. The mom of three finished with the squad, Oooooh Rahhh to that. Don't get me wrong my kids were my biggest critics as they laughed and called me a slow poke. But, the squad would say "come on Stolfi", and it was soooo worth the sweat and wobbly legs.

He Chanllenges me....

Wow, It is soooo hard to understand your spouse???
My marriage goes through a lot of rough patches, sometimes we have a blue sky, all is clear and then the storm rolls in and we have a lot of thunder and lightning.
My biggest challenge is falling or reverting into old behavior which tends to be negative and destructive. Recently, we were doing blue skies and all of a sudden, I must have missed the weather report a storm rolled in right under my nose. There I was, at a church function waiting on my side dish to arrive. It arrived alright, screeching tires and all. While my seven year old held my hand saying what's wrong with Papa and me in shear shock, scratching my head and then he disappeared behind the exhaust smoke. I looked at my son and said he must of had a bad day at the office and continued with our plans. We met this incredible couple who are missionaries that traveled from China to visit with our church. Listening to this couple speak of the AMAZING works being done in China and watching them sing, as the husband played the piano and the duo sang to us, all I could think about is how can I get to this, Lord.
How long is it going to take, my patience is wearing sooo thin, please help me be that wife and heal my heart. As I was serving our kids and finished grace, he arrived and sat like a frog on a log with a pout on his face. I went about my dinner and was acknowledged and loved by all; that evening more then usual. I had my fellow sisters in Christ give me hugs, admiration, and some of my girls from our youth ministry tell me how they thought I was the best.
The ego boost was unnecessary, but God did show me love, that night. I sometimes wonder if my husband feels so disconnected from me and our boys that he does not know how to fit into our lives. God is so glorious that we go unfazed by my husbands tantrums.
However, they weigh heavy on my heart, because I am very hard and tough, I am not nurturing to him, and he needs that, he wants me to sulk in his pity party, or for me to accept his behavior and not call him out on showing our boys to be so frantic and have no self control. As of today we have not discussed the incident and I am praying about it. I guess, writing is my therapy, if anyone has God advise,please feel free.

Rock the Universe

We are on our way....
I am soooooo excited!!!!!!
It has been so long since my last concert and I never had the opportunity to experience a Christian venue,I am a newbie. I will warn all, I plan to ROCK out.....

Children Obey your Parents.

What ever you say, we will do....

I was trying to get an evaluation from our son August, I read this in a book. Every so often we should ask our children; How are we doing? Is there anything we can do different? What grade would you give me, if I was a test? For our son August, he looks forward to these conversations. So, last week I was asking If you could give me a grade, what would it be?
He said, it would be over a hundred and I would pass to the seventh grade, because that is the highest grade he knows. I proceeded to ask, Do you think I do a good job? he replied you play uno,video games, help us with homework, laugh and play light savers.
Then, I asked. Do you think I can do anything different? and in frustration he barked.
Mom! If you want to take us to Chuck E Cheese, you can. If you don't, that's fine.
If you want to take us to eat junk food, that's fine, if not that's fine, too.
"What ever you say, we will do"
WOW! .... How impactful ...This response comforted me to my core.
To my children my decisions are so trusted, that they are not phased one way or another.
It means the world to a parent, when their children are obedient and undeniably trusting in their parents guidance. The ONLY time a child should not obey their parents, is when the parents decision is against Gods provisions. God has a will for our children as well, and sometimes we as parents get in the way. This is when our faith is really tested, and as a parent with a prodigal I can say from experience, pray,pray, pray, God loves him more then you ever will..

Remember Jesus obeyed his Father til his death.

"Children, Obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord".

School started for a moment

The boys started their first day of school and I am happy to get into the mode.

We woke up at 5:40 a.m. and were out the door by 7:00 a.m.

I am one of those moms and took the first day of school pic posing with each teacher, my kids are use to me being sentimental and I am going to exploit this action. I know once they become tween I will not get this privilege. Our school week was postponed due to Faye and were reverted to staying home all over again. We passed the time by playing Uno and the boys, enjoyed seeing mom not win a single hand out of five games.

Technical Difficulties

What happens when we get soooo dependent on our virtual world and stop depending on our GOD SOURCE?

I thought my virtual reality stopped for a moment, I have counted each day as I wrote on my things to do list; write on blog. My frustration was my computer did not cooperate, this delayed me by two weeks and I was on thought overload. My husband finally had his IT guy, fix it. Whoosh, I have a lot to catch up on. Please pardon my continual post.

Humbled

Several weeks ago, I had this whole experience with family members and it seemed we had a lot on our minds. I took this as a way to get out of Gods way and he put a mirror to all of us and humbled us from our egos. I thank God he has me within his grasp and I don't worry about the details.

I know he will work it out, and I need to work on appreciating the resolve.

Peace be with you

I believe that the enemy is working over time in dividing and destroying within our Church.
I wish people would not allow conflict to handicap their growth in Christ, in ministry, relationships and their God potential. I remind myself how easy it is to fall from grace and believe me it happens often.

Why is it in Church we take a Poll of public opinion? I always say I have ADHD when it comes to somebody else's business, I choose not to validate or participate.

One of the best saying I have ever heard is " What ever you think of me is none of my business". It should be made into one of those bang your head here signs; So, people don't get so caught up.

The difference between a Shepard and a Sheep:
Sheep need to be in a flock to feel safe and secure.
A Shepard faces the fear alone with faith as his shield.

Peace is a strong word that cuts through all or any bitterness,resentment, and unforgivness. It says exactly what God does every time we make a mistake


Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10.
then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11.
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke,
12.
because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
13.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,
14.
for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
15.
She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
16.
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17.
Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
18.
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.

Family Support

My boys are the best.... I fell a couple of days ago and my back has been a little stiff, so I have been taking it easy. Well, to my surprise the boys have assisted with breakfast, cleaning up and assisting me with house chores. AMAZING.....
I am so proud on how mindful they are and eager to assist.
August, is advising his lil' brother on preparing for school. I overheard a conversation they were having.
Ayden was asking: What is school like? August response was: The teacher wants you to know how to read and you need to raise your hand for everything. Let's practice reading so you don't get in trouble. OMGoodness how adorable.
I try to mind my business, when they have these types of conversations, because it's a big deal to them and I don't want to minimize it. I said to them to sit and practice so I could listen on how well they are both reading.
Little Ayden has discovered reading during the summer break, it has been exciting to see him put words together. August is learning the different parts of the guitar and will be learning the strings in the next lesson. I have been teaching the boys basic Spanish and they have been very willing to learn on their time off.
Since, we did not take a vacation this year I wanted them to get a leap. We are very disappointed with the Charter School not opening and are concerned with our options for little Ayden, since we did not register him for any other school. We are looking into a scholarship program for a Christian school to enroll both boys, however space is limited.
My husband received a potential interview for Penn State Medical Center and we are praying that we can move closer to family and have one of the best public school systems in the nation for our boys. At this point, our faith is in the Lord to place us where he wants us.

Rock the Universe

Set the Date. We are on our way to One of the Best Christian Concerts in South Florida.

Blessings

I feel so blessed, God truly sends us the best people to guide us. It felt like a week of celebration, from the 80's event, anniversary dinner and it ended a dinner dedicated to our marriage. Friends of ours made us dinner in which included a decadent chocolate cake. I discovered I am no longer allergic to crab. How often can we say other people make that kind of effort? And because of that " It's a BLESSING"

Enjoying Eachother

Wow, that felt soooo good......
We both Dressed up, wrapped gifts, made special arrangements for dinner and Enjoyed each other.
We ate in the Cave of the Oakwood Grill (completely private) in Palm Beach. We got a chance to talk, laugh, and even give marriage advise. Our hostess ask us how long we were married and the funny thing; she was surprised by our answer. How do you do it? Without any hesitation I said "God". Our advise to her was to pray as a couple, that is the BEST advise my husband and I, got from our Pastor ("It works"). No matter how many problems we might experience this is what sustains us. I'm eager to plan next years anniversary.

I Survived the 80's

Totally spectacular! We did the wap, conga, jumped around and got down.....
My highlight was being road kill on the cat walk; walk off competition. Hysterical..........
It feels soooo good to have this much fun with our kids, they were great participants. We stayed up all night having a great time.

Wow it took awhile to remember all my favorite musicians.
LIKE:

CC Music Factory, Duran Duran,Rob Base,Wham,Pat Bennetar,Ciny Loper,GoGo's,Bangels,Death Leopard, BON JOVI, MADONNA,UB 40,Information Society,Micheal Jackson, Salt&Peppa and many more........

Going to sleep now, must be refreshed for my anniversary dinner :)

Peace

Celebrating Anniversaries

I experienced my 8th year wedding anniversary and like the past 6 it was spent without my husband.. I have been guilty of not making our anniversaries a BIG deal.
My marriage has not been the epitome of happiness and we have worked through a lot of differences. It has taken us, this long to finally learn some conflict resolutions;
God.
Today, It bothered me that I have not made a big deal of one of the longest relationships, I have been involved in. (aside from my son Austin or my friends)
We made a commitment and Until today I never saw it this way.

So, Married woman everywhere " Make a Bid Deal! not all of us get to celebrate"

I got busy looking up websites, I came across a website called aboutmarriage.com it's all about tips on every issue a marriage encounters and it also gives tips and ideas on "Anniversaries" (thank God for the Internet) I read on the history of anniversaries and tips on how to celebrate them. Why? Did I not ASK all the married people we know.......
This is what I learned.

TIPS : How to celebrate a wedding anniversary

1. Plan the way your going to celebrate it, weeks in advance with your spouse.


2. Plan for just the two of you. No kids allowed.


3. Plan a weekend getaway.


4. Take a family Portrait every year .


5. Celebrate with friends; have a party (Have a receiving Line)


6. Melt your wedding candles to make one and burn it every year.


7. Give each other gifts (No matter how small or how lavish, It matters)


8. Create a Anniversary journal and both of you write in it.


9. Ask family and friends to write a card describing How your marriage has influenced them?


10. Have your family(kids) write or draw How they love you both.


11. Write each other a Love letter and mail it.


12. If your making a special dinner use your wedding bouquet and linens to set your table.


13. Dance to your wedding Song.

I have planned a special evening and will make it a big deal, till death do us part.

80's Flashback

We're having a costume party with the youth ministry and I'm excited to get dressed up as my favorite 80's character.

Guess who?
Clue she was a music artist with short black hair and is mentioned below:

I grew up in the eighty's it was when Madonna, Cindy Lopper, George Micheal, Pat Bennettar and Rap was started. It was my wonder years, I remember two tone jeans, Micheal Jackson leather jacket, boots with frills, sneakers with rainbow poca dots, lace leggings, Denim Jackets, everything Neon, Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans, head bands, and Sooooo much more.
When the kids ask me who I was going to dress up as, I would say a name and (ready for this) they would say WHO?
How humbling, to discover you have just become the 80's encyclopedia of pop culture :)

Who is Listening?

Sometimes I am not sure on who's listening?

When I speak to friends it boggles my mind; on what information they choose to get out of a story. Whether, they heard it, saw it, or read it. It's typical for me to want to get my opinion and have them see it from another perspective. We have to accept there are different interpretations on Relationships,Life, and God.

When I see I'm not the person God has chosen to help another person grow, I've learned to get out of the way.

We sometimes have to make the decision to listen and have an open heart.

Quiet your heart and receive God's word:

If anyone... sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?

Your Birthday?

It was my Birthday yesterday, and even though I had a great day I had to do something very tragic. It has never been my nature to take life from anything. Not even a spider, (and they creep me out) I usually sweep them out the door, but yesterday I made a decision from a mothers point of view. It's easy to make mom decisions for your children, you know; simple things like what clothes they wear, what doctors they see, what school they go to, and what friends they keep. But, yesterday I had to make a life changing decision whether a living thing lives or dies for the safety of my children. I have never encountered such a decision. On Sunday Pastor Scott spoke of this very thing, but his perspective was very different, he wanted to put an animal out of his misery. I killed a snake and it bothers me. Gods creations are wonders of the earth and even though us humans take all of it for granted. Some of us who are conscious are bothered by given the power that is not our own to take life from a living thing. I threw up, cried and even prayed for such an action. I know it sounds emo but for me it was a big deal....... My neighbor identified the snake as a pygmy rattler. All I can remember her saying "you don't want that roaming around with the boys in the yard" and Do you have a shovel? and that was all I needed, to take action... Climbing over the lawn mower and grabbing the shovel and holding the broom that had trapped the snake, while my neighbor did the deed. After it was done we put the snake in a large zip lock to take to animal control to dispose and identify. The kids were inside gleaming with curiosity on the next possible pet. I entered the house and ran to the bathroom as the boys followed and waited for me to stop getting sick, eagerly waiting on an answer; Can we see the snake and hold it?
I explained to them about my regret and how I had to kill the snake for their safety, they were confused. We are animal people I have exposed my children to snakes, lizards,iguanas,rabbits,horses,cows,chickens, ducks, sheep, domestic birds, exotic birds, dogs and cats. We have taught them not to be afraid of any type of animals. So, to my kids they were confused. I pulled out the National Audubon Society guide to Florida and read the pages regarding poisonous snakes. We took a trip to animal control and a field inspector explained to us what to do and how to identify the different species of snakes in our area. The kids left with pamphlets and safety instructions. It was very comforting for them to understand the dangers.

So, When I think my sins are incomparable to what we Christians consider the more serious like: Steal, murder, and Cheat.

F.Y.I . People:
There are no degrees in sin.

God created ALL and I could never bring back what he has created. I can only pray for forgiveness and know that he is a forgiving and merciful God.