Investing in Heaven

"Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." - Matthew 19:28-29.

Peter was asking a fair question here. He and the rest of the apostles had taken everything they owned, all their assets, and had made a huge investment. This was not in the Jerusalem stock market, either. They didn't have a diverse portfolio. They invested everything in the Kingdom of heaven. So logically, Peter asked, "What shall we have?" In other words, what was in it for them? What were they getting out of their investment? Jesus' answer blows me away: they would become CEO's in the Kingdom, receive a hundredfold for their investment, AND inherit eternal life to enjoy the dividends in. Think about that: receive a hundredfold for your investment. That's like saying you invest $1,000 and receive in return $1,000,000. Not bad, huh? If the New York stock market were that secure, this country would be made up of nothing but multi-millionaires and billionaires. Forget poverty; it would be non-existant. Life would be so much easier and enjoyable.

But let's face it: the situation in this country and worldwide is far from this idyllic scenario. Unemployment is racing out of control. People are losing homes, businesses are shutting down, and the government is scrambling to find a solution that may well take a decade to work. So many have lost money that they'd invested in stocks, bonds, IRA's, 401K's and such. It's saddest for those who were getting ready to retire, and now find that their nest egg isn't what they'd hoped it would be by this time in their lives. So much for the "golden years". The truth is, there is no secure investment in the world we live in. We can have much today, and have it all taken away in a nano-second. We work hard, save our money, try to be good stewards of what we have, but it's no guarantee. And of course, once we die, it all gets left behind.

Now let's take a look at Jesus' proposal. Invest in the Kingdom of heaven, and He promises us this: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:20). That sounds pretty secure. The treasures we invest in heaven can't be taken away from us. Even the most conservative stocks can't promise that. Then of course there's the hundredfold dividend. Yeah, I like that one alot! And eternal life. Only the One who defeated death can offer that. It's the most sound investment to date.

And it gets better! We can invest in the Kingdom now, knowing what we put in is secure in heaven, but we don't have to wait to get to heaven to start enjoying the interest payments! The more we put into our Kingdom account, the more blessings we receive here on earth. Get others to invest with Jesus Christ, and your own account will grow too. It's a win-win situation!

So, take a look at your spiritual portfolio. Where's your investment? Have you put much into it? It's never too late to invest in God's Kingdom. He will open an account to whomever asks for one. What are the requirements? Well, you have to admit that you're a sinner and recognize you need Jesus in your life. Then, name Him your Heavenly Stock Broker. Give it all to Him: your material possessions (which, by the way, belong to Him anyway), your time, your energy, your heart. His returns are guaranteed forever. Can Wall Street promise you that?

Angels from above

I don't believe in coincidences. I believe God puts us in certain places, at certain times, with certain people, so that He can bless us. He's done this for me time and time again, and He's done it for me yet again.

I'm leading a women's bible study group on Fridays. We get to discuss God's word, have fellowship, pray for one another, and draw from each other. I've done this now for 6 seasons, and I'm glad to be able to do it again. In my group this spring is a dear lady and her 2 daughters. CC happens to be a teacher in my county. I told her about the troubles I'm having with E and that I need to get him tested for a learning disability but am getting no cooperation from his teachers or the school, so I would probably need to get him tested independently. Well, God showed me why He put this wonderful woman in my group. "Arlene," she said to me, "you as a parent have rights which teachers are discouraged from telling you about, but I'm going to tell you. You have the right to request testing for your son, AND you are entitled to get him tested independently, free of charge. Don't pay for outside testing; you pay your taxes, therefore the county must pay for his tests." Now, as I'd mentioned before, the cheapest psychologist I'd found charges $1,200 to have testing done. I went to the Dade County school's website, and searched until I found the Parent Resource Guide. There I found that indeed, I have the legal right to have my child tested if I feel he needs special instruction, and if I disagree with the findings I have the right to a free of charge independent evaluation. I've informed both the teacher and the guidance counselor that I'm aware of my legal rights, which of course they can't deny, and the teacher has now referred me to the school psychologist (I think she's a psychologist; not sure, but the teacher said it's the person who does the testing). I left her a message and am waiting for her call back so I can see about having E tested before March 10 which is when FCAT exams start.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for providing CC, who has no idea how much she has helped me with just a simple phrase. Praise God for His goodness, and bless CC for her kind guidance. Praying for a quick response!

It's Finished!!!

I'm happy to announce the bathroom remodel is D-O-N-E done! And it turned out beautifully! Won't you join me for a tour?
Upon entering the bathroom, it is easy to appreciate the colors in the tile, and the sage green bathroom curtain. I bought a new curtain because the previous curtain, though also lovely, has tie-backs that would need to somehow be, well, tied back. I tried several methods but to no avail, and I refuse to drill holes into the tiles to put in a hook, so I got this curtain at Target. It works with the swag from the previous curtain and matches the colors of my other accessories.

Ah, the commode area. Whenever I look at this I laugh. So much time, energy, and resources go into designing a bathroom, yet we all know what it'll be ultimately used for. Come on, you MUST be able to see the humor in that, can't you? The picture on the wall was in our living room for years, until I was given a picture that hung in my office at work that matched the furniture perfectly. I had this picture of orchids put away, and remembering that it was in my closet, hung it on the wall and voila! Like it was meant to be there.

Here's the vanity that took the longest to get finished. My brother-in-law built it from a drawing and picture I gave him. I think it turned out gorgeous, especially the color which looks nice with the granite and the rest of the colors. The granite slab is the one we were offered for $100. The owner had it cut for one of his customers on Fisher Island who then cancelled, so we were able to get it for a great price. It has all the colors in the bathroom so it matches perfectly.

Here's a better view. I think the bathroom turned out more like a luxury spa than a master bath. I'm so pleased with the end result. Now we need to do bathroom #2. This will happen in about 3 weeks. My daughter is due home for spring break, and 5 people sharing one bathroom can be catastrophic, so we'll wait till she goes back to school before we tackle the next project. Till then I'll enjoy the cleanliness of my home!

The Challenges of Parenthood

My youngest son was quite a surprise. Our 2 older children were 12 and 9 when I found out I was expecting. It came as a shock, especially since we were trying not to have any more children. Although I love children as does my husband, another c-section was not something I looked forward to. But this child has been a blessing from day one. He's 9 years old now, and he is a joy to be around. He's funny, cheerful, compassionate, and loving. He always wants to help. He makes friends easily and talks to just about anyone (unlike Mom who quite the introvert). He's been an easy child to raise except in one aspect: school.

Now understand, my son E is an intelligent little boy. He's articulate, curious, willing to learn. His math skills are strong. But when it came to reading, it seemed that E just could not progress. I couldn't understand it, either. My 2 older kids are avid readers, and so am I. He loved having any of us read to him, would follow us around with a book if we didn't. And he learned his alphabet and sounds at what appeared to be a normal pace for a 5 year old. So I couldn't understand why reading was such a chore. His first grade teachers would give the kids a list of 25 words per quarter that they needed to learn to read on sight. Simple words like the, and, it, as, if, and then longer words like this and that. He struggled to learn these words, and although we went over them regularly it was as if he would just forget. His first grade problems I justified with, "He's just getting started, once he gets it he'll catch up." But second grade proved to be more challenging. His handwriting was atrocious, though his older brother & sister had had similar problems and had worked them out. Still, there were times he was getting failing grades simply because the teacher could not read his work. I met with his teachers by the third quarter when his SAT scores came in. He was in the 76 percentile for math, which was acceptable, but only in the 26 percentile in reading. I asked if he might have some sort of learning disability. One of his teachers said she thought his problem was that he was easily distracted, and I might want to discuss this with his doctor. I was totally against the idea of medicating my son for ADHD because I knew for sure he wasn't hyperactive, and while he may not pay attention to things that bored him, he was very intent on those things that interested him. I felt we just needed to help him get focused. He started working once a week with a tutor, and I bought him some workbooks to study during summer vacation. By the time he started the third grade his reading grade was a B.

I met with his teachers before the end of the first marking period in October. His reading grade had already slipped to a D average. I had watched him carefully and could see signs that indicated he might be dyslexic. I discussed this with his teacher, pointing out that he had b-d confusion, and that he had trouble reading and remembering what he'd read. His teacher's response was, "That's very typical in children his age. We just need him to practice more at home." Foolishly I let the teacher convince me that if we got him to read more he would progress. The amount of frustration we both experienced was immeasurable. There were times I just had to walk away and ask my older son to help E with his homework because I felt I was going nowhere fast. Sitting with him to read a simple first grade book would take an hour or more, never mind the chapter books he was supposed to be reading. I would push him to try harder, and I could see that he was, but instead of progressing it was like we'd hit a brick wall. I began mentioning to my daughter that I really believed he might be dyslexic, and my fear that he wouldn't pass the FCAT. FCAT is the Florida Comprehensive Apptitude Test which students take in the third grade. A failing grade on the FCAT means he won't pass to the fourth grade. My daughter had just started a biology class and was studying learning disorders. I went down the list of things I'd noticed in E, and she told me, "Mom, he is a textbook case. He's dyslexic. You need to talk to the teacher about this." Just as she and I were discussing this, E's teacher called to have a parent/teacher conference. She began to show me his work. Spelling: words that they go over the entire week, my son cannot spell. Words like "laundering", he spells "luondering". Letters get left out or are in jumbled order. This is typical of dyslexic children. His handwriting continues to be an issue. I told her point blank, "When can my son be tested for a learning disability? Because what you show me are classic signs of dyslexia." His math teacher then jumped in and said, "Oh, but his math score has gone down also." Of course, upon questioning her, she admitted the math they were doing was all reading, not numbers, so of course his score was suffering. Yet once again the teachers tried to make it seem as though he just needs more focus, more practice, more reading time. I finally was able to convince his teacher to seek testing for him, only to have her tell me it won't be done this year due to a backlog of children that need all types of testing. As you can imagine, this did not go well with me.

I went online and found this website dedicated to dyslexia. As I read all the symptoms associated with dyslexia, I just sobbed. My son has an overwhelming amount of symptoms that apparently his teacher cannot see because in a classroom of 40 children many times these things get lost. (I told his teacher this, and I don't think she took it well. I wasn't being rude, just honest). So now I'm on a mission. I've called the school counselor and am pushing for testing. He called a few minutes ago and said he'd spoken to E's teachers who don't believe E needs to be tested. I made it clear that I strongly disagree with them, and that if I need to get outside testing will the county reimburse me? You see, I've gotten a price from a psychologist, and testing costs $1,200. I will pay it if I have to, but as I'm not currently working it would be a hardship for us. It's the reason I'm pressuring the school to do the testing instead. I'm extremely upset at his teachers, who are NOT psychologists yet think my child is perfectly fine despite their own records which prove otherwise. If you find it in your heart to include us in your prayers I will be forever grateful. I know God has a plan for my son, and I also know He gave me this precious little boy so that I can raise him, train him up, and do the very best I can for him. I'm not going to let God down. I will do whatever it takes to get my son the help he needs so he can fulfill God's purpose for his life.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, February 23, 2009

Outside my window...a bit overcast. Hopefully we'll receive some much needed rain. Weather's been in the 60's to 70's range.

I am thinking...about my youngest son who is a poster child for dyslexia but his teacher doesn't seem to agree. I need to take care of this, and now.

I am thankful...for the friends God has put in my life. They're not only good listeners, they help direct me and encourage me in my life and walk with the Lord.

From the learning rooms...I had a conference with E's teacher last Monday. I finally was able to convince her that my son needs to be tested for dyslexia, but she indicated that, although she would put the paperwork in, testing wouldn't happen until next school year. This is unacceptable. Some wonderful ladies in my church who are also teachers have steered me in the direction I need to go to get this resolved quickly.

From the kitchen...pork tenderloin in one crock pot, Puertorican style pea soup in another. I love crock pot cooking!

I am wearing...lime green t-shirt, green khaki capris, flip-flops, and I left my hair curly because I need to get it colored. My natural hair color is black but I don't appreciate the white highlights that have invaded it after I turned 40, so I color it auburn.

I am creating...not in a creative state of mind currently. Got too much other stuff going on.

I am going...to probably make another trip to Target to get a shower curtain. I'm not liking the one I have right now.

I am reading...1 Samuel for morning devotions, still on Matthew for S.O.A.P. devotions, chapter 3 of Really Bad Girls of the Bible and trying to finish up The Case for Faith.

I am hearing...nothing but the hum of the computer. It's really quiet.

I am hoping...that my husband gets out of jury duty. He had to report today and it causes him all kinds of stress because he's the only one working (my son has a part-time job but that pretty much pays for his expenses). I'm also hoping my brother-in-law will get here today and finish the bathroom vanity.

Around the house...the normal stuff, cleaning bathrooms, do some laundry, but really the house is pretty tidy.

One of my favorite things...is turning my house into a home. I like our home to be our family's sanctuary.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I'm going to make an appointment with the school councelor about getting E tested before FCAT exams, also see about independent testing. Awana on Wednesday, small groups on Friday. Don't have much else planned, but God can change that when I least expect it.

Here's a picture thought I'm sharing: actually, I'll have more pics later in the week as we wrap up bathroom remodeling. I think it's going to look spectacular!

To join in the fun, visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook. Have a blessed week.

Bathroom Progress

We aren't done yet with the bathroom redo, but we're alot closer than we were 2 weeks ago, which is a good thing. Here's where the work stands so far:

As you can see, the showerhead is on the floor, where obviously it doesn't do us much good. The tiles were sealed by yours truly, and we were able to start using the shower, but I quickly realized the showerhead was leaking from the wall no less. Hubby took the whole thing apart so it could be tightened, but we ran into a problem.

My darling husband doesn't know his own strength. After taking the whole thing apart he realized there was no pipe tape on this connector piece. He taped it, but when he tried to tighten it, this is as far as it went. Problem was, it was so tight he couldn't get it off either. It would've been funny if he hadn't gotten so frustrated with it. He did the smart thing, though: he walked away. This afternoon he came home and fixed it. It's all better now.

The walls have been painted, also by me. The color is called Taupe Tapestry. I would describe it as the chocolate filling in a Three Musketeers bar. It's a rich yummy color and gives the bathroom class.

This is the beginning of the vanity (with the shower curtain draped over it; I had to take it down so hubby could work on the showerhead). The drawers and doors are due today. Then my brother-in-law is taking the granite countertop along with the sink and faucets to a friend of his who will make the openings and then bring it over to install. After that, we're done!! At least with this bathroom. Praise God, we have enough money left over to redo the small bathroom also, though this time my hubby and his brother will do the tile work. Hubby isn't totally pleased with the work done by our tile man. He's too much of a perfectionist, I think, and he notices every tiny flaw, but that's a good thing too. I'm sure he'll do an excellent job in our second bathroom.

My plans were to go tile shopping today, but I had to get the house cleaned up. There was dust everywhere, and I just couldn't stand it any longer. I did major cleaning, especially floors, and now I can relax in my home. Tomorrow is our first small group meeting, which I pray will be a blessing to all who attend. It's something I need, too. Decorating the house and making it a home is great, but fellowshipping with friends and drawing closer to God, well, that's just plain awesome!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - February 16, 2009

For today, February 16, 2009

Outside my window...cloudy, cool, looks like it might rain. Of course it started out that way yesterday and turned into a scorcher. Have to wait and see what develops.

I am thinking...about my friends who lost their father yesterday. He's with the Lord now but they are still sad.

I am thankful for...the hope we have in Christ. Knowing that one day we will be together with our loved ones again makes death more bearable.

From the learning rooms...have a parent/teacher conference tomorrow. Doesn't look too good. E's reading score is still low. We'll be working on a project for Black History Month today. E chose to do his report on Jackie Robinson, so we'll be reading about him.

From the kitchen...I was going to make chicken parmegiana today, but there's so much ham left it would be terrible to let it go to waste. I'll make home-made pizza for lunch and we'll have ham at dinner time.

I am wearing...a very ratty t-shirt, old jean capris, and I'm barefoot. Painting the bathroom ceiling today, so I don't want to ruin any of my good clothes.

I am creating...the design for bathroom #2. That's next once we finish the master bath.

I am going...to paint the master bathroom, or at least the ceiling. I like painting, but ceilings are hard and cumbersome, so I may not have time to do walls also.

I am reading...Judges for my morning devotions, still working on Matthew for my S.O.A.P. devotions, and almost done with The Case for Faith. I'm already on the third chapter of Really Bad Girls of the Bible and small groups haven't started yet.

I am hearing...my youngest son playing in the family room. No school on President's Day.

Around the house...I've got about 3 loads of laundry to do today, painting, and tidying up the kitchen. The house is a mess because I've been so busy cleaning and sealing the bathroom tiles I haven't had time to focus on anything else. Hopefully that'll change soon.

One of my favorite things...is my son coming over periodically to shower me with kisses. Not because he wants anything from me, just because he loves to kiss his mommy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: our worship leader, who is also our youth pastor, and his sister, who is children's ministry director and one of my very dearest friends, said goodbye to their father yesterday as he went to be with Jesus. Their father was a pastor at a Spanish speaking church in one of the low income neighborhoods in Miami. They're a large family who know the Lord and are very close, which is good during this time. Tonight is the viewing and the service which I hope to attend. Parent/teacher conference tomorrow, Awana & Bible study on Wednesday, Thursday I'll most likely be tile shopping again, Friday is our first small groups meeting, and Saturday is our wedding anniversary. Busy week!

Here is a prayer request I'm sharing: pray for those who lose a loved one and have no hope. Ask that we take the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. It may be the only time they're willing to listen.

To join in the fun, visit Peggy at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com.

Have a blessed week!