Chuck's Wife

Siesta Sister's Memory Verse #2

2011-01-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Today is the 15th. I have been waiting to write my second memory verse of twenty four on my blog.
I can only hope & pray that I am this zealous when I am writing the twenty fourth and have to recite all 24 at one time.
This time I have chosen John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
I chose this verse because our church also memorizes verses. One each month. This verse is the verse for January. So each month I will be using the monthly verse for our church memorization and then select one of my own.
These past two weeks in the "world of memorization" were good. At first I thought "what am I doing, I can't memorize verses"....well I did it! It took some time to figure out a pattern for the memorization, but I did it! Thank you Jesus! My January 1st memory verse was Isaiah 43:18-19 - Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
I typed that from memory! One thing that I am learning thru this is that you have to live, eat, and breathe it when you are doing memorization. Is that what Jesus meant when he said in John 6:51 "I am the bread of life".
So with all that being said, I have another 16 days to memorize the new verse. There is still time for you to join the SSMT and memorize scriptures of your choice for 2011. Check it out at The Living Proof Ministries Blog.
Oh, by the way....they now have an app for the iPhone and iPad...I told Chuck that I NEED one! Okay maybe not NEED...but would really LIKE one. Maybe for the 2012 SSMT.

Happy Memorization to all of my "Siesta" sisters!

Happy Birthday Jennifer

2011-01-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today I celebrate my daughter. In just about 2 hours from now she will have been placed in my arms for the first time. I was in love!
I can't believe that she is 36 years old today. How did that happen? Isn't she suppose to be 10 years old and still playing with Barbies? But instead she is a wife and mother herself. Time sure does fly! So today I pray that she feels loved by her family as we celebrate the day she was born!

Chuck & I are so thankful to God for the blessing of having Jennifer celebrate her birthday this year. Last year was a difficult birthday celebration. Jennifer was beginning to recover from a life threatening illness and we almost lost her to the battle of undiagnosed Hypopituitarism and Addison's Disease. But God is faithful and he lead us to the doctor with a "fresh set of eyes" who put her in touch with the right set of specialist. And we are thankful that she is continuing to be on the road to recovery.

Happy Birthday to our amazing daughter....

Celebrating Jen's birthday at work!

Journaling

2011-01-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

This is always something that I really wanted to do, I mean faithfully write in a journal, on a daily basis.
This is an aspiration of mine. Today when I came home from work, my forever friend, had brought me a blank journal and tucked it inside the door for me to find. It was a pleasant surprise and an encouragement to be reminded that journaling can help with your thoughts.
So I will begin writing in that journal....soon.
Don't get me wrong, I have started many, many, many journals. They don't ever run in a continued sequence for a full year. One entry may be in January, and maybe even for several days, but eventually the journaling gets thrown to the side and I don't make another entry for months! I have read thru some of my old journals and am amazed at what God has brought me through in my writings.
I tend to journal when I am mad, hurt, frustrated or in disbelief. Why? Because this is a point of release for me. A place that I can write my thoughts and tell God exactly how I feel. You may say how can you write and tell God how you feel? Well, he already knows. Psalm 139: 1-3 says "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise;  you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down;  you are familiar with all my ways." With that being said, don't you think that he already knows how I feel before I even begin to write in my journal. (NIV)
I wish that I would have journaled more, in the good times, but for some reason it is always easier to journal when I need to vent.
I guess that this blog is actually me journaling. This is the place that I write about the good times. But keep reading, I may forget this is public and available for all to read and just say some pretty poignant things.
With all of that being said, let me encourage you dear sisters to stop and buy a journal and begin to write your thoughts or love letters to God. He waits to hear from you, don't disappoint him!

He's 12 today...and Scripture Memorization!

2011-01-02T23:07:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that we just celebrated my eldest grandson, Andrew Mycale Thomas's twelfth birthday today. I can remember so vividly the day he was born. I was his mom's coach for labor since we weren't sure if his dad would be able to make it home before his birth. He did make it home, but he insisted that I still be the one to help her through the labor. I am still thankful that I have been able to be in the room when my three eldest grandchildren were actually born.
What a blessing Andrew continues to be. Who would have known that a grandchild would bring such joy to your life. Andrew smiles, always. He never complains, at least not to me, I am sure that his parents would have a different story, but after all I am grammie! Happy 12th Birthday Andrew! He is already counting how many days until he turns 13!

Back to things at hand. I am trying to memorize my scripture that I chose. Why is it so hard. I know it has only been since yesterday, but come on, I keep getting stuck on one word. Really it isn't that hard of a verse to memorize. I remember the address is Isaiah 43:18 (19 comes next).

vs 18. Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.

There it is. I keep wanting to say "past" instead of "former". Yikes. Am I being to hard on myself? I am sure that "past" is used in some translation...!?

vs 19 See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

That's in the near future.

Tomorrow is back to work for me. Not that I had a break for the whole 2 weeks, but I didn't go in as early and did take a few days off to be with family. I work at a school. I am not a teacher. I work in administration. I really am not looking forward to it, not that I don't like my job, I just am getting used to living a little more laid back life. Oh wait, what exactly is that? I am sure that is another blog posting sometime.

Good Night...6:00 AM comes early!

The Beginning!

2011-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

This morning I got up in anticipation of the LPM post for the 2011 SSMT. I was awake at 8:00 AM and waited patiently for the post, but nothing, then I realized that it wouldn't come until 9:00 AM EST. I wasn't the only one anticipating, there were many who posted their verse #1 before my post at 8:16 AM.

This is the verse that I chose “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? ~ Isaiah 43:18 (is what I posted on the LPM blog) but I am going to memorize verse 19 also, because it finishes it for me.

The 2009 and 2010 years were rough years for my family in so many ways. In mid 2009 our daughter fell gravely ill and then we almost lost my dad to a serious illness following minor surgery. These two events followed through into 2010, but then we began to see improvement in both our daughter and my dad. We sought God and sometimes felt as though our prayers weren't going any higher than the ceiling itself. But God is the victor. Our daughter will have health struggles "until" God gives her the complete healing. My dad has recovered nicely and is back at the home he loves dearly. I think of the time that I thought that I was going to lose both of them and then look at today and know it was the hand of God and his intervention that we didn't lose them.

I really think that I am going to enjoy blogging about the SSMT and other things that are going in my life. This will be an avenue for me to express things, which I have a hard time doing. I am more of a "do not talk about it" person for my own life, but I listen to others and pray with them about their own struggles. God is going to help me through this area in my life and teach me how to let go in 2011.

Happy New Year!

PS - I didn't get everything done that I wanted to before the new year! This was hard for me, but I am sure that it is what God wanted, for me to let go and not be such a Martha in a Mary world....now that is another post!

New Year's Eve and then a new beginning!

2010-12-31T12:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, today I am at home working and trying to clear out everything from the house that I don't want to take into the new year with me. I am getting the laundry done, the beds are all changed, I am hoping to take the Christmas decorations all done today. I have the thought that I don't want to start out the new year with any baggage from the old year. I am not superstitious, I just like things being in their place.

Today I will actually spend time thinking about the first memory verse for the new year. I don't have any feelings or thoughts on one, so I am just meditating on what God would have me learn for the first verse memorization.

Stay tuned...I will be posting it tomorrow morning bright and early.

Interested and joining in on the Siesta Sisters Memory Team. Check it out at Beth Moore's blog. http://blog.lproof.org/. I hope to make new Siesta Sisters on my journey and am really thinking of traveling in January 2012 to the SSMT Celebration...yet to be announced.

Happy 59th Anniversary Mom & Dad

2010-12-29T19:39:00.001-05:00

Today, 12/29, is my parents 59th wedding anniversary. They have always been an example to me in marriage. I am not saying everything was always perfect, but as kids we never knew about hard times that they would have. My mom is to me an example of what a wife should be. She has always respected my dad and shown the love of God to him in all things. She has made sure that he was the head of the house. My dad has always shown love to my mom. I can't remember a time in my life that he didn't pat her on the behind with a little grin and a peck on the cheek to just show her that he was still madly in love with her. Even today you can still sense the love and admiration that they have for one another. What a legacy they have handed down to me and my family. My dad always taught us children to respect our mother. He never let us speak ill of her or harsh. My mother never let us talk about our dad or down to him, she never speaks ill of him to us even today. He was and still is her night and shining knight! I think that, no I know that I have learned a lot on how to respect my husband thru them. Thanks mom & dad for being such great examples! I love you both very much.

1962

August 2009

Chuck's Wife

2010-12-27T21:58:00.000-05:00

I am Chuck's wife. Why would I name my blog that? Because that is who I am and I am proud to be his wife. He is a godly, humble man. He is a man of stature, trustworthy, loyal among many other attributes, and I am his wife, and my name is Cheryl.
We met when we were a mere 16 & 17 years old. That was over 39 years ago. We married young at 18 & 19 years of age. God had a plan even then, it just took us a while to realize that we were part of the plan.
We had our first child, Jennifer in 1975. We had our second child, Jeffrey in 1976. We didn't waste any time, no planning in our young heads, we just started our family.
A quick synopsis of our life is that I am still Chuck's wife. He is the Family Life Pastor at Fair Haven Assembly of God in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and he refers to me as "his honey" often when he ministers. Our children are grown and married to wonderful God-loving spouses. We have 5 grandchildren, 4 princes and the princess is right the middle of them.
I am starting this particular blog to post my thoughts and to write about reflections in my life as Chuck's wife, a mother, a pastor's wife, and how I juggle working a full time job with ministry and everyday life.
I am starting a new venture this January 1, 2011. I along with many others have pledged to memorize two scriptures a month together following Living Proof Ministries Siesta Scripture Memorization. I have read the guidelines and posted a comment that I am committed to give every effort and with Gods help that I will hide His Word in my heart and have memorized 24 scriptures at the end of December 2011.
I will post my scriptures that I choose on the 1st and the 15th of each month and the reason that I chose the scripture.
My prayer is that this blog will touch someone's life. Touch someone's heart. That Christ will become real to someone who is searching.
Romans 10:9