Even though there are many reasons people have money problems, much of the tension in our society is caused by materialism, greed and what the Bible calls “the love of money.” Concerning this issue and how it affects believers, here is what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy as an admonition and warning:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:6-10

Paul begins by talking about the issue of contentment. It is the opposite of greed. A spirit of contentment is crucial in financial success because it is able to wait for things. Also, as it waits, it is thankful to God for what He has already provided. Contentment does not mean I don’t want more. It just means that as I pray and believe God for more, I trust Him for His provision as I thank Him for all He has done in the past.

Without contentment, we are driven to get more and many times take for granted what God has done. Even worse, discontentment is often unthankful and negative about present circumstances. That is offensive to God and is an attitude He won’t bless. Even though He always loves us, He is like any good parent. He rewards thankfulness and obedience and won’t reward bad attitudes and rebellion.

The fruit of discontentment is debt, division in your marriage and being deceived into believing that money and material objects will fulfill you. The worst result of discontentment is the loss of intimacy with God. Because we are not thankful and dependent upon Him, money becomes our god and replaces the Lord as the object of our attention, affection and trust.

Paul also warned Timothy that people who desire to be rich fall into temptations and snares that lead to destruction. We need to realize that God wants to bless us financially. Wealth is a blessing from God. The issue is not that God does not want us to be rich. The issue is that money should not be the chief goal of our lives and the love of money should not overshadow our love for God.

The number one desire of our lives should be to please God and obey His will for us. Even though this is true, we must also acknowledge that most people today don’t live primarily for that purpose. Most people love money more than God. Even though they may give lip service to God, their lives reveal the truth.

Money is important in life and in marriage. God wants to bless you and give you your heart's desires. He is a good God. However, the way God blesses us is as we thank Him daily for what He has done with a spirit of contentment. We unashamedly pray and plan for more, but are willing to wait until He guides and provides. This is the secret of a financially blessed marriage.

Also, the goal of our marriage is to please God and obey Him. Never do we allow the love of money to infect our hearts and replace our love for God. We must reject the lie that possessions will make us happy. Only God can truly make us happy.

I challenge you to thank God every day for giving you food, covering and the basics of life. I also challenge you to pray together about your financial needs, desires and dreams. It will transform your marriage and your relationship with God.

Blessings,



Jimmy Evans

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

NEW YORK (AP) — A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained that they had been in line since Thursday morning.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said.

Items on sale at the store included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Damour, 34, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

———

AP retail writers Anne D'Innocenzio and Mae Anderson and contributed to this report.

Christians  

 by Maya  Angelou   

 'A woman's  heart should be so hidden in Christ  

 that a man  should have to seek Him first to find her.'  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''  

 I'm whispering 'I was lost,  Now I'm found and forgiven.'  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.  

 I'm confessing that I  stumble and need Christ to be my guide.  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.  

 I'm professing that I'm  weak and need His strength to carry on.  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.  

 I'm admitting I have failed  and need God to clean my mess.  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,  

 My  flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it. 

  When I say...  'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..  

 I have my share of  heartaches, so I call upon His name.  

 When I say...  'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,  

 I'm just a  simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!  

There are so many things I am am thankful for. I'll list a few of them today.

I am thankful for soft T Shirts.

I am thankful for warm blankets.

I am thankful for comfy house shoes.

(Can't you just see me curled up on the couch right now?)

I am thankful for my husband's time off from work that we can spend together.

I am thankful for unemployment checks!

I am thankful for our boys and the privilege of homeschooling them.

I am thankful for good coffee!

I am thankful for God's grace and that He has extended it to me.

I am thankful for the opportunity to take the good news of God's love and salvation into the local jail.

I am thankful for our church and freedom to learn, fellowship and worship there.

I am thankful for those men and women that sacrifice so much so that we can have that freedom.

There is so much more I could say but one of our little blessings is awake from his nap and ready for something to eat.

Bye for now.

In Christ,

Shirley

Okay. I have written this twice already and the first time I somehow made it disappear. The second time I wrote it my computer froze just as I tried to save the entry and I lost it. So, this one will be much shorter than either of the first two. But I am going to type it again...because it is so awesome that I just have to share it with you all!

To make a long story short...we needed a new front door. We have no money to buy one. When my uncle Stan was laid off from his job a few weeks ago I told my aunt Kathy that if he ran out of projects to keep him busy at home, my front door was in desperate need of attention. I then told her that I was kidding about having him look at it, not that we wouldn't welcome his help, but if the door could be repaired we don't have money for supplies and if it couldn't be repaired (which is what Tommy thought) we don't have money to buy a new door. So, really it would just be a waste of Stan's time to mess with it. But he did run out of things to do at home and he can't stand to sit around and do nothing. So they came to our house so that he could look at the door and see what needed to be done about it. He agreed that we did need a new door. And he just happened to have one that he wasn't using! He put it in on Saturday! It is four inches wider than our old door. It has a bigger window too, so it lets in a lot more light! We have a new door and it didn't cost us a thing! Our electric bill and our gas bill are sure to go down now. Isn't God wonderful! Uncle Stan is pretty great too. He is always helping other people. If he sees someone with a need that he can meet...he does. It would be great if a lot more people were like that. It would be great if more Christians and churches were like that.

Okay...I'm going to save this entry before it disappears again!

Bye for now!

In Christ,

Shirley

November is our month to do the jail ministry at our county jail. We've done it several times in the past but we haven't had the opportunity for two years now. It's finally our turn again! I hope to get a permanent spot for next year. That way we can go on the same day of the week at the same time all year next year. That would be great! Of coarse I'd have to find a (Lisa) brave (Lisa) soul (Lisa) to watch my kids (Lisa) for a few hours (Lisa) every week (Lisa). I have no idea who I'd get (Lisa).  I just realized that I haven't asked anyone to watch the boys for us while we are there tomorrow! Panic is setting in. Gotta make some calls. No one seems to be home...ah...the unsuspecting uncle! Maybe he will watch them. Well gosh! I can't find anyone at home! Oh well God will provide someone. I hate to ask Lisa again. She watched them last week. My brother says he can watch them. See...God will always provide!

Anyway, I get to do the women's service at the jail. We have a lady from church who is going so that we have someone to play the guitar. Boy she can sing! Anyway I am so excited to be able to go into the jail and tell them about Jesus. I hope you all will be praying for us!

Jacob just woke up from his nap...I better go.

Bye for now!

In Christ,

Shirley

So many times lately I have watched my kids do something funny or seen something on the news or come across a scripture that spoke to me and I thought to myself, "I'm gonna write about that on my blog. Obviously, I have not done that yet. Things are always so hectic around here. It seems that I never have a quiet second. Of course, I'm sure you all can relate. My time has been especially restricted since Tommy has been home. I love him being here. I will miss him beyond belief when he goes back to work. It's so helpful having him here when it's time for school. School goes faster and is much more fun when Dad is helping out! Today the boys are going out to pick pecans up off the ground under the pecan trees. We will use them for some baking we plan to do. We have four pumpkins. But before we bake with the pumpkins we are going to have a pumpkin race in the back yard. The boys will take see who can roll their pumpkin across the yard and cross the finish line first. If that isn't challenging enough for them, they can roll them with their noses! I think we will all have a blast. Especially the one taking the pictures...me! After we have the pumpkin races we are going to have a messy and fun time preparing them for baking. Then we will roast the seeds. As we clean and cook with our pumpkins and pecans we will talk about the many uses of each and how God provides for our every need. We will talk about how we should be thankful for even the simplest of things that He gives to us and how we often overlook His provision and His blessings. We will also talk about the indians and the pilgrims a whether they used pumpkins and pecans. We also have walnut trees out there. I'm not sure if we will be taking advantage of the abundance of walnuts or not (at least the kids anyway) because hulling them is always so messy. Maybe Tommy and I will take care of the walnuts and the kids can just help us crack them and cook with them. That way we can keep the walnut mess to a minimum. Maybe we can use our baked goods as gifts for our family and friends. I'm sure the boys would be very proud to give something they made themselves. I think we might mix up some batter and freeze it so that we can bake it for Christmas. I'm not sure what will freeze well and what won't. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

My side of the family is getting together at our house this year. I think we are going to use our fall art from school to decorate the house for Thanksgiving. I think the boys will be psyched about displaying their creations for everyone to appreciate. Knowing that their work will be on display might also inspire them to do their very best. I always tell them that it isn't important whether their work turn out perfectly and beautiful. What is important is that they do their best. They get frustrated when things don't turn out perfect the first time and they want to give up. When I ask them to keep at it they won't try anymore, They only do little enough to get by. Maybe knowing Mamaw and Papaw will see it will make them want to keep trying.

Jacob has started doing the funniest thing. He has always hated having his diaper changed. He cries the whole time and squirms and fights. Now when he hears the word diaper or when he sees one in our hand or if he even suspects that we may be going to change his diaper he runs to the coffee table and crawls underneath to hide. He won't come out until he feels that the threat has passed. Yesterday he ran away with the wipes and when Tommy told him to bring them back he stayed as far away from him as possible. He stretched his little arms out as far as he could in Daddy's direction. When Tommy asked him to bring them closer he threw them in the floor and they slid to a stop at Daddy's feet and Jacob smiled and ran to the coffee table, crawled underneath and refused to come out. It was the funniest thing ever! I think it may be getting close to time to potty train...don't you?

Well, I'm sure I had more to say but I should go and rescue my poor husband from the boys. He's at the bottom of the cutest pile of arms and legs I've ever seen.

Bye for now!

In Christ,

Shirley

Go HERE. Read this. You will laugh your self silly! And if you don't laugh your self silly, well then... read it again!

Busy, Busy, BUSY!

I'll write more when I have a few more minutes.

In Christ,

Shirley

8:36pm and I am so ready to go to bed! It's been a pretty good day...but a long one. I got up early this morning before anyone else was awake. That's something I haven't done since Tommy's been home. I use to get up really early with him and then when he left for work I had several hours of quiet time. That is usually when I could spend time with God in prayer and study. Then I could get prepared for the school day. But Since Tommy has been home (he lost his job, for those of you who are just joining us) I've been sleeping late. The whole house is just completely out of order. My schedule is so messed up (not to mention my kitchen). It's like I've been on a staycation (a stay at home vacation). I'm trying to get back on track though. We got a lot done in school today. We are working on our phone number. They are doing pretty well. I hope to be able to begin a new unit with the new month. I'd like to do a unit about thankfulness. I found a pretty neat one one www.HomeschoolShare.com. I hope that it goes better than our first unit. I'm sure it will because I'm getting a better idea of how much to plan for one day. I kind of over did it the first time around.

Jacob is sitting beside me on the couch. He's so wiggly! And loud. Gosh he babbles so much. He points at everything and yells, "Whassat?" That's Jacob speak for what's that? He climbs on everything and he has recently figured out that he can get much higher if he pushes a chair around with him to climb on. When he gets caught getting into something he shouldn't and we tell him to stop, he gives us this annoyed face and says, "AAAHHHHGGGG!" It's quite funny. He loves to be outside and he always screams when its time to come in. He really likes wind chimes. He could stare (and point) at them for hours. He and little Tommy are buddies. They wrestle with each other all the time and they chase each other around the house. Jacob gets upset when he isn't included in everything the big boys do. I'm trying to include him in school as much as I can without putting the other boys behind. Jacob is so funny. He just picked up a toy lion, stuck his finger in it's mouth and yelled, "Ow!" What a goof!

Well, I guess I'm just rambling on and on about nothing important so I'm gonna hush for now. Bye!

In Christ,

Shirley

Today is Friday. The first of Tommy's unemployment checks (no job yet). Guess what? It didn't come. Maybe it will be hear tomorrow or Monday at the latest...right? This is one of those times that I will have to practice what I preach and wait on the Lord as I trust Him fully. Right? Right! Our Heavenly Father has never let us go hungry or without shelter. I don't believe that He's about to start now. I told Tommy that the much anticipated check did not arrive and he made no comment at all. I'm not sure how to read that response. But I don't think he's worrying. I think He's just waiting...excited to see how God provides our every need as it comes. I must say that I'm a bit excited to witness that as well...and I'll let you know as He does it.

I am looking forward to getting back on track with school next week. With all the doctor's appointments, hospital visits and my feeling puny, we haven't been able to keep our schedule as we should. But I pray and believe that next week will be better. I'm not sure about my choice of unit studies. Maybe I've just made them too long and drawn out. Maybe they should be shorter and simpler. Maybe a week long unit. Maybe just a day. I don't know. I want so badly to get it all together and have the perfect unit that is centered around the majesty of our Lord. I just can't seem to get it together. it would seem that more prayer is in order.

I have discovered in myself a love of photography. I really enjoy taking pictures of everything. And I seem to view the world differently. I look at everything and immediately decide whether it would make a good photo or not. I see what an amazing artist that God is and I feel so blessed to be able to get a small piece of His beautiful creation on camera. I also really like taking pictures of people. I'd like to do that as a job. I'd like to take family portraits and record special events for scrap books and such. I enjoy taking pictures of my family. I'll have to learn how to use my camera first though. It's pretty fancy and I don't know what all the functions are for yet. I also need to learn to use the timer and then I can be in the pictures with my family. Of course, a hobby is one thing but a job is quite another. I will have to pray quite a bit about that. For now I'll just be taking pictures for fun.

I guess that's all for now.

In Christ,

Shirley

We had a great day today! As you all know, my husband has been laid off since the 10th. We've had a lot of time together and it has been awesome. I joke with him and tell him that if he doesn't go back to work soon I'll have him banished to the back yard! But really, I love having him home. He helps out with the boys and school. He's even been helping me cook since I haven't been feeling well. Most of the time he's looking for something to do. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to do around here. More than enough to keep him busy for months. The thing is that he needs money to complete any project he has to do. Money is something that we don't have a lot of right now. I mean we are paying the bills and feeding the family (that is definitely a God thing...always has been, always will be). There just isn't any extra money to spend. We don't go out to eat or buy anything we don't absolutely need. We don't do a lot of driving around. We try to get all of that kind of thing done at the same time. Of course it doesn't always happen that way but we try. Anyway, today we had to go to the shop (where he worked). There is a chance that he may get called back to work and the Lord hasn't given him another job yet so he still has lots of tools at the shop (in case they get more work and call him back). He needed to pick up some of his tools so we all went along and made it  trip to the mountains. We didn't have to go very far out of the way and we found a pretty easy trail to hike with the boys. They had so much fun. Tommy and I enjoyed it too. Poor Jacob tired easily but had a good time for the most part. The slide show at the top of my page is pictures from today. God is an amazing artist. When I look around at all that He has created, I'm just in awe. He must have some kind of imagination. I mean do you ever wonder how He came up with the designs for some of the beautiful plants and flowers He made? And the bugs and the animals. It's just amazing. Today we walked up to this huge rock. It was taller than my husband and twice that big around. The boys ran up to it and one of them yelled, "Wow! who made that!" And I said, "God did." They said, How cool!" They had so much fun today and they learned a lot about God and His creation. I am so thankful for the time our family has been given to spend together lately. What a blessing! Isn't it just like God to bring a blessing out of a rough situation! He has a knack for doing that. I don't always notice it or appreciate it. I take so much for granted. He's so good to me! I have this great devotional called, How Great Thou Art. It's Compiled by Steve Halliday and William Travis. I haven't read very much of it but what I have read is wonderful. It's all about the glory and majesty of our Heavenly Father. I'd like to share some of it with you sometime. I have been trying to share a prayer devotional on my prayer blog. I haven't been able to add devotions daily. There's been so much going on around here. We've been getting that mobile home ready to move. It's all unhooked and ready to go. We are just waiting for the electric company to take the power lines from the pole so we can move it out of the way. The mobile home movers can get the home out without taking the pole down but they will have to cut some limbs from Bobby & April's tree. The pole has to come down anyway so we might as well just get it first. They should unhook it tomorrow. Monday at the latest. The good news is that it will be moved by the last day of the month. THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

Well, it's been a while since I've updated my prayer blog. I'm gonna go do that. Why don't you visit and share your requests? I sure would love to pray for all of you and I 'd sure appreciate your prayers as well!

Bye for now!

In Christ,

Shirley

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Today was our first day of schooling with Daddy home. We didn't start til late because I was helping Tommy with his resume and some online job applications. I decided to separate the boys and do school with them each individually. I wanted to see if we had any success that way. I started with Isaac and just after we began my husband asked if there was anything he could do to help. So he did helped little Tommy with his work while I helped Isaac. We got the whole day's work done in about a third of the time it normally takes. I was so tickled. So were the kids. I think I'm gonna like Tommy being home for a while. Don't get me wrong...I'll be thankful when he gets to work again at what ever job God has for him but it was great having him here and involved with school.

I think the kids are going to do much better at some things if I work with them individually. I'm learning a little more everyday. I hope they are too.

Bye for now.

In Christ,

Shirley

I could tell you all about the day but I still couldn't explain just how trying it was. I will just go over the big thing that happened. My husband did get get laid off. He has no job. He will eventually get to draw unemployment but it will bee around half of the normal amount that he brings home each week. I guess I should say that the amount he brings home each week barely covers everything. Things were getting better and I'm sure we would have been ahead soon and not just making it from week to week but then the dreaded lay off came. I was so surprised. I just knew that he was in no danger of getting laid off. I mean logically he was the worst choice. But the business owner isn't the most logical guy. We have insurance for the next 30 days. That should cover the very important work that Isaac has to have done to his teeth in 3 weeks or so. It should cover Jacob's next check up and shots. It should cover Isaac's visit with the psychologist in a few weeks. It should cover Big Tommy's medicine that keeps him from having seizures. It should cover the procedure on my heart next week and the follow up visit. But after that, I don't know what we'll do. I guess we'll just trust the Lord to do His thing and take care of his children. Tommy says that he is past being worried and is now excited to see how our Heavenly Father is going to provide each need as it arises. What faith he has. I sure love him. I am so glad God chose to put Tommy and I together. I don't know how I would get through this life without him. With God's help of course, but Tommy makes it much more interesting and much more fun. He's amazing. He's truly created in the image of God. Don't get me wrong...I'm not comparing Tommy to God. But I sure see Jesus in him a lot. He makes me so proud to be his wife. I know that I lived for 22 years before I met him but I really can't imagine my life without him. I don't want to imagine my life without him. I can honestly say that as I was growing up I had know idea that it was even possible to be this happy and to be this blessed. Of course, I didn't know God then. I met Tommy before either of us knew the Lord. It wasn't that great. But He was saved and then I was saved and only after we knew the love of God were we able to fully love each other. And the rest, as they say, is history. I'm not saying that we don't have our tough times. We do. The only thing is that now we look at each other and our commitment to each other through our commitment to Christ (who hates a broken vow). And With The help of our Heavenly Father (who is always there to help when we are willing to HUMBLE OURSELVES and pray) everything always works out and we grow closer to each other and our love for each other gets stronger all the time. We do have our hard times spiritually, but God has never abandoned us and he isn't about to start now. My husband isn't perfect. He does have his faults (as do I) but there is no doubt that he is a man called of God (I am so proud of what God is doing in him). I can't imagine life without him...or with anyone else. I'm so in love. Just when the honeymoon is coming to an end God renews my love and commitment and my desire for my husband. Isn't God great! He really does care about our relationships! What an awesome Father He is!

I guess I have ramble on enough. I feel like I could praise God forever though. I should hush now. The kids need me to tuck them in and pray with them. It's past their bed time.

In Christ,

Shirley