Jonah's Prayer

Good morning peeps! For some reason I was ready to rise at 5:30am today. Danny, Paul and Oreo were all still asleep. I had some quiet time and did a reflection. It is very nice to start the day doing this. Do you think I can get up everyday at 5:30 and do this? Maybe...

Ok, at my ACTS meeting on Monday night, we heard the story of Jonah - his prayer..from CH 2. The prayer teaches us many things: 1. obedience to God 2. willingness of spirit 3. gratitude 4. compassion 5. God's mercy 6. God's patience

From the book of Jonah 2: 1-10
"But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. From the belly of the fish Jonah said this prayer to the LORD, his God: Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the flood enveloped me; All your breakers and your billows passed over me. Then I said, "I am banished from your sight! yet would I again look upon your holy temple." The waters swirled about me, threatening my life; the abyss enveloped me; seaweed clung about my head. Down I went to the roots of the mountains; the bars of the nether world were closing behind me forever, But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD, my God.
When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; My prayer reached you in your holy temple. Those who worship vain idols forsake their source of mercy. But I, with resounding praise, will sacrifice to you; What I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the LORD. Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore."

One thing that came to my mind is where Jonah prayed...in the belly of a whale! How crazy is that really?! This shows us no place is amiss for prayer. AMEN? AMEN!
So, you can pray anytime, anywhere.....amidst the chaos of 3, 4 or 5 children....stuck in traffic.....on an airplane....in the public restroom....in a restaurant....in a bar....at a sports event.....at a concert.....in the car while your son is visiting the horse.....at the office....and even while on Facebook. Go for it!

To quote a commercial and cell phone ad.....Can you hear me now? Do you ever feel that your situation is so hopeless and entangled that God could never bail you out? The belly of the fish is a lot safer place than the depths of the sea. God is moving Jonah through various stages on the way back to following Him.

My thought: as long as you can still pray there is still hope.

Another lesson we can learn from Jonah's prayer is the God of the second chance hears our desperate cries despite the depths of our distress. GOD’S DELIVERANCE IS NOT CONSTRAINED BY THE DEPTHS OF OUR DISTRESS! I have been what I call "down deep in the pit" and every single time...God has delivered me out of it!

And I believe the Lord wants to train us to be merciful instead of judgmental and prideful. Do you agree?

Here are some questions to reflect on...if u are so inclined as to share your answers with me..I would love that! You can do so here...make a comment or to be more private..email me.

1. When have we felt disconnected from God? How have we seen Him still respond to our prayers and pleas for help?
2. How have we learned to be merciful to others from God showing us mercy?
3. What vain idols have we had to turn away from in order to faithfully maintain our loyalty to our God?
4. How are we encouraged by resting in the sovereignty of God – "Salvation is from the Lord"?

Oh my...my cardio class is in one hour.....wish me luck!

The Start of a New Week in SA

The Cedar pollen is awful! Paulie has a cough now too. I gave him some medicine before going off to school. It's also cloudy and hazy today...not pretty at all!

This past weekend was fun and busy - as usual. I got my hair cut--well, really trimmed and Tonie said now that my hair is longer - we can do some straight across bangs..but I can still sweep them to the side too. Works for me and I do love it!

We went with our friends Greg, Ginger and their boys to the AT&T Center to see the Freestyle Motorcross (FMX) event. We had fabulous seats! So great that when the woman was going to be shot out of the cannon..she came over and asked us to move up. Why I asked? Her reply...."if I miss the net and go over..I will land right here..maybe even on you!" That was all we needed to hear and an usher took us up 20 rows. This part of the night was amazing!!!! After she shot out, flew in the air and landed in the net safely...we were able to go back down to our seats.

recap:

The preliminaries started off well with Justin Stoltzfus putting together a nice run that included a solidly executed Kiss of Death. He set an early standard scoring an 85.7. Bustin’ loose next was Jason Rowe. He went big, but had a sketch or two during his run and it was reflected in his score as he was only able to post a 74.0. The third rider out was the rookie, Nick “six guns” Dunne and he had a flawless run that looked to have him in the finals with an 89.8. The final rider in the first set was Derek Burlew and he looked great. The spacious floor set up nice for him and he held onto a rock solid until he was darn near on the ramp. But his 88.7 would not hold up for a trip to the finals.

During our first break Geoff Aaron thrilled the crowd with an acrobatic display of trials riding. Showing us why he is the ten time national champion and what allows him to have such great results in Europe battling with the top names in his sport. AMAZING!!!

After intermission we had the incomparable Jennifer Schneider who puts the whoa, in whoa Nelly. The Cannonlady took flight and I was exhilarated with her stunt! We all were!

One of my favorite tricks is now the Captain Morgan....the pose from the bottle of 100 proof rum..you know right? This is Dunnes signature trick and it is fun to see. Go here to see examples of some of the stunts.

But the hero of the night was definitely Matt Buyten. Matt broke a back flip nac nac and a massive dead body to take home the hardware with his 93.3. Impressive!

And I wish we had a video of Paul's reaction to the whole night. It was great!! He hollered, cheered, clapped, jumped up and down, said things like, "oh my goodness" and "can I do that?" and "I want him to try that again." and "pass the popcorn, coke and cotton candy!"

Here he is after the event with his new FMX hat...it came with the cotton candy..ok?!

Sunday was a lazy day of playing with Paul, catching up with friends and family and talking to my niece Lauren. It was Lauren's 8th bday and when I asked her how 8 feels her reply was, "Aunt Susan, it feels pretty cool!" Sorry Tom and Alleson -- she is a lot like me! Since I cannot be around her too much - they live in Denver - nice to know she still picks things up from me. She had 7 friends over Fri night for her first sleepover and they stayed up until 2:30am. WOW -I was shocked! My brother must have filled them up with sugar! Will Paulie ever want a sleepover?!

Danny is now studying for the Series 24 Exam. He is a sales manager - over the financial advisors we have in credit unions all over TX and the western half of the US - and it is encouraged to have this license. So--he was at the library in the afternoon and then at the kitchen table (again) for a couple of hours in the evening. You have to give him credit......working for a bank for 16 1/2 years......rising up to the top....being laid off in Nov 2001 and then moving forward to his dream job. And he never once was down on himself..ok, well maybe once last Sept when he got the letter he missed passing the CFP by a lousy 8-10 questions. But what did he do....got right back to it and took the exam again in November. And we were just informed - he passed! WOOO HOO !! So see--if you know people who have been laid off - it WILL all work out..have faith and move forward..press on.....get keyed up.....no pity party!

I am headed to the gym shortly. My legs are not feeling so good today. I worked them out hard Sat morning and I think they hurt more today than yesterday. It's tough to walk! So, I will do cardio and arm and ab work. My marketing extraordinaire friend invited me to run in the Diploma Dash on Feb 21 at UTSA. I registered this morning. It is only a 5K..I used to do 7-8 of those each year with my friend Kara and her Mom when I was 11-14. However, we all know I am not close to that age anymore....... Julie said we could walk a little if we needed to. She and I are training for the half marathon in November..the Rock n Roll Event. And Nov will be here before you know it.

Tonight is our ACTS meeting. I am on music ministry. We are going to play a song at the beginning of the meeting to get the ladies calm and bring the Holy Spirit in and close. We all have such hectic lives that sometimes it is difficult to calm our bodies and minds. I hope the song Out of Darkness by David Kauffman will help my Sisters in Christ tonight get prepared for a great planning meeting! The retreat is April 2-5..but there is a lot to prepare. We want to make it so special for the 42 women who will be joining us.

Time to head to Spectrum. Have a good day and be kind to people!

The Road Less Traveled

I posted a great song to my FB profile by the fabulous George Strait. He of course lives here in SA - The Dominion, and his ranch is north of SA. Hi Norma! (his wife) Listen to this song.....The Road Less Traveled....really listen to the words and it will inspire you. And if it doesn't - then you are dead. And for that matter......listen to Run. I have not heard either of these songs in a while - but they are awesome and I am glad to have been reconnected to them today.

Speaking of being reconnected - what is up with Facebook? It's a reunion everyday! So fun and SO addicting! Or am I the only one who spends too much time on it?!

Let me tell you about the past 2 days and then I will write something to hopefully inspire you....... I know I was tired when I woke up. And I worked for 4 hours on a project I am doing for a nice businessman in SA. He is the one helping me break into St. Anthony Catholic School - he IS St. Anthony! I won't tell you his name..... I went to see Bride Wars at Northwoods..by myself. Danny is nice that way to allow me head out and do something I love. And I don't mind doing it alone - apparently, some people would never think of going to a movie alone?! Why not---there is NO talking during a movie....but making out is nice I suppose...if you are with the right person. :-)

As I was literally walking in the door--Danny was on the phone and looked panicked. Rhonda was on the phone upset. I have been helping her on the computer organizing all her digital pics and getting them off her hard drive. She had deleted a folder with several pictures accidentally...how did she get it back? Susan (oh and Mick) to the rescue. I immediately told her to go to her recycle bin...she could not find it. Then it hit me.......go to your desktop Rhonda...........uh, my sweet friend did not know where to find her desktop..or what is was......I then told her..close ALL your programs which are opened...she did..and I told her..look at those icons you and Terrence have on the desktop (which I think is wrong) - and look for the green arrow guys on a trash can....Ah ha--she found it! Find file..right click and click RESTORE! Praise God--Amen! Thanks Mick for your help too! But wait - then Mick and I suggested she clean out everything in her recycle bin -- I have a program that does it every week - she told me there was a TON of files b/c she had been busy since last week cleaning up her pc. She was not comfortable deleting the bin and wanted me to ask Mick.."why should I do this?" Now I won't get it exact..but this IM came onto my screen.........similar to how we take out our trash at home..why do we do it? Cause if we don't - the shit will stink!. Is that how it went down MJG?

Today started with taking pics of Paulie being silly before going to school. He is a hoot and a half! I then went to Rhonda's to start moving all our new folders to a CD so we can get it all off her hard drive. And people - we are talking about pics from 2004-present. If I had to guess.....thousands of images!!! I want to get her set up for from here on out--she can better manage all of this. :-) Love you Rhonda Murphy!

So---problems arose and we needed help. I called 3 people and damn--they were all busy--working. ??? Crapola----oh well. We had to wait. I then went to Nordstrom since I was nearby. I was on a mission to buy some new 4 inch heels. Found them! I used a gift card from Christmas. And the best part-----I have money left on the gift card! WOO HOO

Here are my new shoes - I think they are fabulous and I love them.

And yes--if you are wondering..not only can I walk masterfully in them...but I can dance too! I almost think 4 inch heels make me a better dancer!

I am about to make some dinner and then go get Paulie. It works well that his school is only 5 min away! I am headed to Spectrum at 6:30ish to work out! I didn't get it in this afternoon..too busy shopping I guess.

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven." My reflection on this verse: Jesus empowers us to bring a life giving light to this world, a light that will help dispel the darkness around us. You may not always see your own spiritual aura, but it is there! You may not be able to judge your own light---but others can.

All For You

Good morning...I can say that b/c it is now 12:24am. Sitting here enjoying some wine and writing this entry.

So, the title of today's entry - should come as no surprise to those of you that know me well......it references music - 2 completely different songs and both are on my IPOD! And tonight I heard both...with one song in between. All For You by Janet Jackson and All For You by Big Daddy Weave.

A little taste of Janet Jackson's lyrics: Shakin' that thing Like I never did see Got a nice package alright Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight A ll my girls at the party Look at that body Shakin that thing Like you never did see Got a nice package all righ Hit it: 4, 3, 2, 1[Chorus:]All for you If you really want it All for you if you say you need it All for you if you gotta have it All for you make a move All for you

And now Big Daddy Weave's lyrics: will give my everything. I'll be a fool for You, Because I am in love with You. I wanna sing and shout. I wanna dance around.I wanna forget who I used to be And embrace Your truth. So when I sing and shout. And when I dance around. When I lay my pride down, It's all for You. It's all for You.

See how they differ--uh yeah! And Paul is definitely his Mother's child - b/c one of his favorite songs to dance to and shake it is All For You by Janet Jackson. Now, don't be calling CPS on me - I know - the lyrics are not quite right for him - but he gets the beat and has some great moves! I MUST get it on video soon and share it with you! He does like to perform for the camera......

And then there is this song - Shake Your Pom Pom by Missy Elliott...which as special meaning for me. JFK people probably can guess why! I am going to choreograph a dance number and teach it to other high school classmates so we can perform it at the next reunion..who's with me?!!! This song gets ya movin!!
A little of the lyrics.....
I see you got low
And you got plenty more to show, go
Shake it like a pom pom, like a pom pom
Shake it like a pom pom, like a pom pom
Go, like you tryna win a contest for sure
Oh, I'mma show you how to shake it
How the booty shake
Show you how to shake it
Let you see the booty shake

Tomorrow is 9:30 mass, Spectrum to work out and then Paul and I will do something while Danny is playing golf in the afternoon. I do miss playing..it's been since 2004! Too much $$$ for a babysitter for us both to play at the same time. And at 3, I meet with my care receiver. I haven't seen her in a few weeks......she has come a long way and her journey has been amazing! I wish I could share all about it --but it is all confidential....or as Tony, Mick, Barb and Colleen would type..COS!

I have my half birthday next week...yes, 39 1/2 is right around the corner...this coming Wed. Do you want to know my wishes? If so - let me know and I can provide them at no charge. :-)

To finish up for tonight - I leave you all with this.....

If you wanna live your life
Live it all the way and don't you waste it
Every feelin' every beat
Can be so very sweet you gotta taste it (mm-hm)
You gotta do it, (you gotta do it) you gotta do it your way
You gotta prove it (you gotta prove it)
You gotta mean what you say
You gotta do it (do it) you gotta do it your way
You gotta prove it (prove it)
You gotta mean what you say

Life's a party, make it hot
Dance don't ever stop, whatever rhythm
Every minute, every day
Take them all the way you gotta live 'em ('cause I'm-a live my life)
You gotta do it, (you gotta do it) you gotta do it your way
You gotta prove it (you gotta prove it)
You gotta mean what you say
You gotta do it (do it) you gotta do it your way
You gotta prove it (prove it)
You gotta mean what you say

One True God

Christian artist Mark Harris sings this very beautiful song - One True God. I just ran a quick errand after my walk and heard it on K-LOVE, and it inspired me to write an entry on my blog.

I know so many people who have a crushed spirit. I get it b/c many times during my life - I have had one too. My faith journey has been truly amazing and so many people have played an important part. I pray each day that I can help others on their faith journey and recognize that God holds us close and we need to turn to Him on a daily basis and not just when we are in trouble or have many worries. He alone is the One True God. Even through everything we all go through - He remains One True God. He carries all of our worries and forgives all of our sins. And He loves us no matter what. I learned this about 5 years ago and it changed me forever.

I am not ashamed to say that I have suffered with depression since oh, about age 13 or 14. It has been a constant battle and will probably continue to be a part of my life --and the life of my family and friends. I am blessed so many people support me and love me no matter what! April 2004 I had a plan to commit suicide. During a meeting with our couples' group one Sunday evening - an Angel tapped me on my shoulder and helped me to divulge my plan for the upcoming Thursday. Basically I learned that I had no self worth and it had been that way for at least 20 years. With the help of many resources - counselor, Danny, an ACTS retreat and a Stephen Minister - I won the battle and starting believing I am worth gold and God loves me no matter what. I also learned that me performance as a Mom, wife, employee did not equate with my self worth and the love God has for me. I wish everyone knew that and lived it!

So many people have a crushed spirit. Whether it is being alone, losing a job, or illness - people are more than ever asking - what now? IS there hope?! I say YES!
Proverbs 18:14 tells us “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” Or in the Living Bible it says “what hope is left?”

Each area of our lives requires that we are making deposits of success. Even tiny withdrawals with no replacement deposits will lead to bankruptcy in relationships, physically, spiritually, and socially as well as in jobs and finances. I know that in crisis the area of most pain gets most of our attention. But often it is by making extra deposits in other areas that a person can springboard back to success in even the most critical ones.

Try these things...even just one or two.

Seek out a Godly mentor. Much of the success of AA has been in having another person to call in the lowest times. Don’t isolate yourself. Maintain strong family and friend relationships.

Reduce TV watching and instead read or listen to inspirational material at least 2 hours daily.

Volunteer for a worthy cause. Helping someone else in need is a great way to ease the inward pain.

Forgive everyone in your life. Make peace with your past. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

At the end of each day, complete these two sentences:"Today I am thankful for......""Today my most significant accomplishment was......."

And I know this next one takes a leap of faith in many cases - Match Your Passion to your Work. I am doing just that - finally! I am headed back to teaching in the Catholic Schools and am so excited I cannot even begin to tell you.

Mercy Me has a song titled Bring the Rain. Listen to this and reflect. My spiritual mentor, David, once told me -- and I practice it daily - we need to praise God not only for our successes and good things, but also praise him for our worries and difficulties. I challenge you to do this....and let me know how it changes your spirit and faith. As you climb the praise ladder - keep praising God - even when you hit the dark clouds. Push your way through the dark clouds - keep praising Him and you WILL get through the dark clouds sooner versus later--and reach a beautiful sky with sun and maybe even a rainbow!

Shifting now - Happy Birthday to my high school classmate - Dean Gallagher! I wish you many blessings the upcoming year. Tell me, how does 40 feel brother? I will be there in July.......

I am meeting my Sister in Christ and good friend Rhonda (FB friend too) for lunch. We're going to PF Changs and then I am going back to her house to assist her with some computer and digital picture issues. Yes, Mick - I really am good at this stuff. I just had an off night recently.

Danny should be getting his letter from these people on whether or not he passed his CFP exam in November. On average - only about 52% pass the exam each time it is given - which is 3 times a year in the United States. I know he passed and when he can add those impressive initials after his name - he can charge more for his financial advising! Woo Hoo! Go Danny Go!

How Many Things Can One Person Take On...?

Well, if you're me - a lot! And your husband would say it's all too much SuSu!

Let's recap all the things going on in my life - beyond the usually wife, Mom and Cinderella duties........

1. Running for Queen of the Vine. Trying to raise money before the end of February so I can be the candidate to raise the most and be crowned for a Fiesta Event called A Taste of the Northside. I am planning on hosting a Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament on Sat., Feb 28 and my goal is to make $10,000. I need to get players, the food and drinks donated and the prizes - all donated. I need to get going on all this today! Shae at Brighton created the flier for the event....go
HERE (and click on blue link to the flier) to see it! Any people in SA who wish to help or attend - let me know!! I need much assistance!

2. We are involved in a Catholic Couples' Movement called Teams of Our Lady. We have our monthly team meeting this Sunday and we both still have to read the two chapters...one is on Emotional Intimacy and the other - Intellectual Intimacy. And we are planning and hosting an information meeting later this month at church. So I need to prepare for that too!

3. I have been asked to be on another Women's ACTS Team. We had our first meeting last Monday night. We'll meet every Monday night for about 10 weeks. The actual retreat is April 2-5. I have been on a team twice - the second time serving as the Spiritual Director. This time I will be involved with the music ministry. Although, I cannot sing (but do) and I do not play any instruments. Well, maybe the harmonica and a tambourine..... There is a great deal of planning that goes into each retreat. Please keep all of us (25 or so) in your prayers as we go along in this journey. Each retreat has a theme--chose by the directors. And a scripture verse..... This is ours: from Ephesians 5:14 "Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." In other words--hey, pay attention.....wake up.....allow Christ to enter your heart and shine on you--and then you can shine His light onto others. Our theme song is: Christ Be Our Light.

4. Oh and I am getting applications completed to become a substitute in a few Catholic high schools here in SA. So far--three are most interested. One school invited me to come next Friday to mass at 9:15am and then tour the school and visit with one of the administrators.

5. And I have been using some incredible products from a Wellness Company named AGEL. I am thinking of beginning to grow this business and share the products to help us all. If you check the site out - each day I take 2 of the products and often take 2 addl on additional days. EXO, UMI and often times FLX and FIT. I am going to talk to my parents about trying some of this to help their heart disease, pains and high blood pressure. This is all awesome stuff and let's face it...I think we all need to focus on preventing illness and help what currently ails us - b/c one day soon - it will be mighty $$$$ to cure anything that comes down the road. This is also why I have begun a new fitness program and eating lifestyle. And I am training for the Rock n Roll half marathon in November. So, I need to also work on my business plan.......

What am I missing......

6. Oh yes - working out/training 3-4 times a week....

I know I am still missing something..or two......

I leave you with this tonight..........
Be alert for circumstances that present tests of faithfulness and loyalty, and know that in the midst of trials and great tribulation that even if those around you are faithless, I remain faithful. I will not allow the enemy to wreak utter havoc, for I have placed a hedge of protection around you. These tests are not to bring destruction, but are to bring clarity and understanding that will help you see your own level of faithfulness and loyalty to others and to Me, says the Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:6-10 "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."

Facing The Giants

Love this movie! I found it while flipping channels and was able to watch the second half. Watching this movie tonight comes at an important crossroads in my life. I am struggling with a few things and one is being unemployed and trying to have the faith and not worry that God will provide. I have many giants I face each day and it really is easier when I turn to God and trust Him. I have the soundtrack for this movie and need to add a few of the songs to my IPOD. If you can - go to ITUNES and search for "With You" by Mark Willard. Amazing song - and it speaks to my heart and can for you too. The lyrics are below...

Verse 1: You have been so good to me
How can I find the words to thank You?
Healer of broken hearts and broken dreams
Lord, I will never cease to praise You.

Chorus: With You, all things are possible. Like an eagle I can soar.
With You the giants fall. They rise no more.
With You I overcome when fear and faith collide. There’s nothing I can’t do.
Anything is possible with You.

Verse 2: I am constantly amazed
You are a God forever faithful.
As I look back on my history of grace, how could I be anything but grateful?

Chorus

Verse 3:No mountain is too high, there’s no valley that’s too deep
You’re calling me to walk by faith so I will take a Leap...take a Leap

Chorus x2
Anything, anything is possible with You
With You
It’s possible with You.


Here's to a year of growing closer to our sweet Jesus...Lord, be near to us as we seek to know You more and more... AMEN

Psalm 139

For the leader. A psalm of David. O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all.
5 Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach. Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too. If I fly with the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea,
10 Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light" --
Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one. You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be. How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them! Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.
19 If only you would destroy the wicked, O God, and the bloodthirsty would depart from me! Deceitfully they invoke your name; your foes swear faithless oaths. Do I not hate, LORD, those who hate you? Those who rise against you, do I not loathe? With fierce hatred I hate them, enemies I count as my own. Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my concerns.