Neena's amazing first year of blogging

Wow! the first year of blogging slipped by....the only hits were my own! I quit and then decided to return to the world of blogging when I received this email from my daughter in law:

" I think I need a vacation ...my sister found a poopy pull up in the diaper drawer when she was babysitting............"

Anyone have any better evidence of the need of vacation???? The only one I heard that almost compared went like this:

Husband to wife "I am ready to get the taxes ready. Where did you put the receipts?"
Wife replies to husband "They are in the freezer. I did not want to lose them."

Both are wonderful true stories of the world of precious women!

After one year a way from the blog I am back! Talk some more tomorrow thats all the chit chat from Neena tonight

Impact of leadership of President Obama on Jacob who just turned 8

My oldest son just sent me this email and I thought it worthy of posting. I was proud of his response to his young son. We must pray for our President and other leaders. I pray they will come to repentance, hear God and as a result be God-led. I believe it is the duty of parents to teach their children the ways of God during every moment of the day. (check up Deut. to start with)This was a great example of that. Our nation was created on the word of God ...including the matter of economics. The Word is the only safe direction. It is a foolish man who chooses to lead another way. God loves His people so much He will do whatever it takes to bring them back to him; even taking their money and letting them have their own elected rulers( without regard to background or experience when elected) just based on the self-motivated quest for change. It will be exciting to see God work. Parents just make sure you hear the right voice as you will have many opportunities to teach in this new season of opportunity. The only way you will be able to discern the truth is if you study the truth and it is not in the newspapers. Now for the the email:

A kind of funny yet not so funny story happened last night. I was
putting Jacob to bed and we were going through our normal bedtime
routine. Jacob's tooth was barely hanging on so he decided we should go
ahead and pull it. So we yanked it out, put it in a ziplock baggie for
the toothfairy.

As I was leaving his room, Jacob asked, Dad, does the US government give
the tooth fairy her money so she can give all of the kids the money? I
quickly corrected him and said no, that the tooth fairy has an amazing
private business and uses the teeth for some special reason. Because of
this, she can afford to give out $1 per tooth and the government is not
involved at all.

Crazy.

Micah R. Hobart

R's to forgiveness

For some reason I like "R"s to help me remember. Forgiveness (repentance is another subject) is on going and so I have gleamed from treasured mentors this easy map of forgiveness:

Reveal the offense (reveal to heal) (no closure without disclosure)

Release the offender and the offense (actually are two separate steps) When we face giants it is a time to call and use the name El Shaddai Hebrew for Almighty God. The root emphasizes the power and mightiness of God over the frail, feeble attributes of man. We need to learn the names of Jesus and call on those names

Reclaim what was stolen through the hurt (go directly to God with this) (Gen. 21:22) "...God is with you in all that you do." This is called divine fellowship...God wants us to come to HIM as our daddy....He wants us to give back to us those things the enemy tried to steal through lack of forgiveness. EVEN if the other person does not forgive or see wrong God honors OUR decision

Replace hurt,bitterness, anger etc with compassion and blessing for the offender (model Jesus gave us)

Remember it no more (treat the offender as it never happened before) ( Genesis 16:13)

"...You are the God who sees ; ...Have I also seen Him who sees me?"

Repent (for your offenses in the matter...) (2Kings 22:19) "...because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place ...you tore your clohthes and you wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the Lord"

Remember God's grace repentance and forgiveness is NOT about behavior it is about changing the heart....there is nothing we do that God would love us less for but it is the transformation of our heart that He is seeking. Repent for the motive that separated you from God and let God transform the behavior.

Receive freedom and joy and return to the journey of his building His kingdom (Le. 26:12) "..I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people."

If anyone of these steps is missing you know that you have not completed the process of forgiveness and just start over again. God sees and understands our heart. He stands by and will carry you through this precious act of obedience He is with us in all that we do. (Gen.31:5) "...but the God of my Father has been with me..." This is called divine presence that God gives to us for comfort and courage.

What does this have to do with the INtentional parent? Everything. They must see us model accountability for our imperfections so we are not seen as "perfect gods" but we count on the highest source Heavenly Father for divine instruction and understanding. By modeling John 21:25 "Feed my lambs." Feeding the children is righteous living begins with the obedience to forgive. Repentance is modeling the humility as we admit the sin in our own hearts. Lambs (regardless of age) are STRONG in desires but have little else to direct their hearts so parents must be quick to show mercy and grace and model the grace and mercy of God. Parents showing imperfections blocks controlling attitudes toward their children

God answers prayers even when He's last choice!

God chooses to bless us even when we make Him last...Confident that Fry's would be the fix all for my laptop's surgical needs I hauled it in to the customer service department. He returned after a brief time with my service agreement in hand and said, "The "P" can be fixed under our service agreement and the agreement allows a replace computer for you to use while it is being serviced." I was cautiously happy. The service agreements I have purchased in the past have not been what I thought they might be and ended in a total waste of the dollar spent. On top of that grim news, Fry's has not always been my best friend. Just when I thought it was going to be different he comes back with a parting comment, "but I see the "e" looks like it has a drop of sticky something around it; which makes the e not covered in the service agreement." I said, "Well I do not know about the sticky but I would not be surprised, however, I am not worried about the “e” because it is working and the "p" is not." This man speaking is the one who has the nametag on representing Frys and his eyes have that threatening look of one in authority so I decide to politely listen. I am still optimistic that with the clarity I just gave him about the “e” he will reconsider what he is thinking but he does not. He continues, "You see this means that if we fix the p that is covered with a new keyboard then the e which appears to have a sticky residue around it would be fixed too and it is not covered due to liquid damage. It negates the loaner computer and would take 12-16 weeks because we would send it off to get fixed. You would be charged for parts and labor which will amount to $40.00 for labor and the keyboard we don’t carry and would have to send for which is around $180.00." Being a naive consumer I could not understand what the working e with the sticky residue had to do with the non-functional p so I ask. Obviously I was not able to be very clear or convincing as he just handed me the computer back without a word or any sign of a crack on his face remotely resembling a smile. I said, "Well I guess this leaves me no alternative but to pray about it. God has a fix and I just have to hear it." The guy looked at me in astonishment as if I were crazed. I really did not think too much about his look because he looked at me as if I were crazed when I said the working e had nothing to do with the service agreement because I came about the non-functional p. It took me a few minutes to gather all the stuff back in one of my many bags I always carry so it gave the man time for one last question: Do you really plan to ask God to fix your p on your computer? I looked at him and said, "Well sadly to say when I came in here it never occurred to me to ask God I just figured my service agreement with Fry's would be honored. The next thing I must admit is when I said it I did not mean it as I was just being a frustrated jerk. I guess the frustration alone is enough to ask the Lord about and I might as well see if He would fix the P" The man said, "Did He fixed the p?" I said, "I don't know I have not tried it out yet." The guy laughed and said "Be sure to call me at Frys if God tells you." I turned and left and as I walked by a counter there was a can of something called "dust off" for $1.99. It caught my attention but I left it. I walked by the door and there was another table with "dust off" on it but it was $16.99. It must have been the deluxe version. It was at that moment I went back to the $1.99 table bought it took it home sprayed it on the p and started typing. God puts up with me consistently making Him my last choice. I can not believe He loves me so. It sounds so cheesy, but it was really a big need and He fixed it even though I came to him as the very last resort! It was not an accident. I did not happen to buy the right product. God just blessed me in His grace and His mercy. Something so small...a non-functional "p" what a blessing for a really big need! God is just soooo good!

Neena's Valentine Sweetheart is smoke free!

I have to start today's greeting by sharing a blessing in the Hobart House! 16 days ago my husband completely gave up smoking....after 42 years he is smoke free! My prayer was that God would just deliver him from the unbearable craving that is so well documented. God answered that prayer on day 1 and has continued to do so. That does not mean that it has not been terribly hard and continues to be challenging but not because of the craving for tobacco! Anyone out there needing someone to support them in a similar venture just log on. Rich would love to blog your way from a deadly idol!!! (Idol would be my vocab...Rich would say habit. lol just a little husband-wife vocabulary difference!)

Neena's 1st Newscast for families:Intentional Remember/Forgetting

This is my first time to blog! I read on another blog that it is like talking to everyone and at the same time talking to no one! I have to agree but I am going to give it a try so please join me! To add a little excitement, my keyboard is sticking so it may be a real adventure just reading Neena's first newscast for families. Maybe you know me as Ms. Karen, Mrs. Hobart, Karen June, or Momma and to some I am called KJ but I welcome everyone! (To give a clue the letter lmnopq is missing)
What is the biggest stumbling block that families encounter? 38 years ago I brought home my first of what would be seven children home from the hosp-ital. I panicked as I looked at my 5lb. dream we named Micah and I called my Momma who lived 300 miles away. This was my question: "Mom, what do I do now to not screw this u-?" Now I must say the question is worded a bit differently than the one earlier stated never less the meaning is the same. My Momma's answer had the air of simplicity but I would discover it was far more complex. Her answer seemed almost magical: "Honey just keep- a good memory; remember what built you u- as a child and forget all the mistakes that caused you to stumble." The culmination of 39 years of marriage and 6 more babies created the stage for me to understand just how complex that simple answer was.
I was to learn that forgetting was impossible if your inside was filled with so much anger and bitterness that it would just overflow out of control. The inability to do the "forgetting" part created a real stumbling block to the "remembering your blessing" part! It became an exhausting work that I named the "art of forgetting" that always failed. Fortunately for me I was introduced to my Heavenly Father and discovered that forgetting could only ha--en by FORGIVING and being FORGIVEN! Micah was 41/2 and Seth Aaron was 6 months old when my love affair with our Lord began and consequently my life began to change.In Our Daily Homily, F.B. Meyer wrote a short reading that he titled "Remember past Blessings" The following are some bit and pieces of his extraordinary wisdom: "...we may encourage our faith and comfort our hearts, by musing on the hand of the Lord which has been u-on us for good." As I have coached parents I have paraphrased Mr. Meyer by saying, "God wants us to give His blessing back to Him in the form of worship, thanksgiving, and praise. As we do, the blessings will crowd out the hurtful feelings as there just is not room in the heart to house both!"
Mr. Meyer addresses forgiveness in the following beautiful manner: "God does not remember the sins of the past. When God forgives, He forgets. He erases the record from His book, and deals with us as though no sin had been committed. When we get to heaven and study "The Way-Book" we shall find all the deeds of love and self-denial carefully recorded, though we have forgotten them; and all the sins blotted out, though we remember them."

"Tune in" with me for my second broadcast tomorrow and I will share more on the necessity of remembering and forgetting as it concerns the INTENTIONAL PARENTAL. I welcome your comments and questions. Thank you for dropping in and I hope the keyboard added to the excitement of reading rather than the absolute frustration that I felt every time I clang on the "letter P"
Forward my blog to others that might have fun with our chats. Goodnight and we'll talk some more tomorrow. I am signing as NEENA because that is what my first beloved grandbaby named me after he woke from his nap-. He was 2years and one week when he made the announcement: "Nana I think I will call you Neena, is that OK?" As the coveted 1st grandchild the answer is always yes. He gets the honor of the name. Jacob is now 8 years old and he leads the pack of 5 soon to be 6 grandchildren who call me Neena. With my history exposed Neena says "Good night and May God bless each of you."

(Since my P is fixed I decided to come in and put the P back in for easier reading! Thanks for reading and please share your thoughts by posting a comment.)