Where are we today?

The week has been full of changes.

Gabe had a final water polo game on Wednesday. Becca had her good-byes at the ranch that taught her all she knows about horses for the last 7 years. We ate out wayyy too much. T and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. First one being homeless. Last harvest party at church. Hardly any school accomplished. Gabe finished up at RHS. Fun dinners with friends and chats with girl friends. let's see... we now own a trailer...almost. it will deliver our belongings to Co via the 'Burb and then transport dirt bikes. Charley LOVES the V family and Canada(the dog). She will hate leaving. We are all teary eyed when we reflect too much. So many directions, so little time! Our time frame to leave is one week and counting.

Thanks for listening,
Tuna Jones

Friday here...but Sunday's a comin'

We had some great help today from a friend of Terrell's at work. Gabe had half day of school so between Terrell, Gabe and Mike, a lot was accomplished. We are making great strides to be out by tomorrow. We have until Sunday at 4pm but we'd really like to see it happen by tomorrow night. Another great friend loaned us his trailer to use...thank you Bob! TG took my girls to class today. YAH! Lots of people coming together to make this happen. Through it all I still haven't let it sink in that in oh...two weeks, I'll no longer live in California. Weird thought as of now. I believe it will good. I read a devotion this morning by Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. I thought I'd share it with you tonight as a word of encouragement.

"My kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36
The great enemy to the Lord Jesus Christ in the present day is the conception of practical work that has not come from the New Testament, but from the Systems of the world in which endless energy and activities are insisted upon, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, for lo the kingdom of God is within you," a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives in the shop window. It is the innermost of the innermost that reveals the power of the life.
We have to get rid of the plague of the spirit of the religious age in which we live. In Our Lord's life there was none of the press and rush of tremendous activity that we regard so highly, and the disciple is to be as His Master. The central thing about the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to Himself, not public usefulness to men.
It is not its practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College, its whole strength lies in the fact that here you are put into soak before God. You have no idea of where God is going to engineer your circumstances, no knowledge of what strain is going to be put on you either at home or abroad, and if you waste your time in over-active energies instead of getting into soak on the great fundamental truths of God's Redemption, you will snap when the strain comes; but if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in God on the unpractical line, you will remain true to Him what ever happens.

I read this today and realized that the quiet we will have in Colorado will be good. Time to soak before God. I can easily be involved in "over-active energies". I'm looking forward to discovering more of God.

Thanks for Listening,
Tuna Jones

Tuesday... the day to sign

Rain, Rain, Rain. It was definitely more wet than I thought it was going to be today. Nice change, if i do say.
We accomplished more packing today. There sure is alot of stuff after 18 years of marriage and 4 kids! The rocker recliner went to a new home today too. I LOVED that rocker but it was time to depart with it. We signed the papers today and so did the BUYERS! Woo Hoo! On to the new adventure.

Monday, Monday...so good to me....

So today was a productive day. The future owners came through with the painter to look over the house and plan where to paint. We packed some more, cleaned none, ran errands, and ate what we could find. My sweet sister in law is here with the baby! So cute! Charley thinks shes a toy. So here is the plan as of today...emphasis today.

1. Move out by Sunday.
2. Put all of our belongings in a storage unit here in California.
3. Live out of a suitcase until ? that part isn't so secure yet.
4. Go to Colorado.
5. Go to Cruise ( by the way... that's BACK in California!)
6. Go to Colorado.
7. Live in Fort Collins for awhile.
8. Live in Co Springs for awhile.
9. Decide where to live.
10. Buy a home, unpack, get settled.
11. Find a church and get plugged in!

So... we are up and runnin'. Pray for energy, patience, and the love of Christ in each moment. Each of us is processing the move differently. Some tears, some excitement, some frustration. We know the Lord is in the move. We are doing our best to keep our eyes on Him and rely on His daily guidance.

Sunday is moving day!

I'm tired. We haven't stopped and there are so many details yet to be worked out. We are almost ready. I'll let you know more tomorrow.

Thanks!
Tina

Wednesday Smiles

Today was another day of busyness. I ran the kids places and made some more phone calls and finally packed. The girls tackled more of the upstairs while I tackled the kitchen. My dear friend Krissy and her daughter shared the burden! Thank you Krissy! It was also a day of research. I feel like I belong in a Think Tank. I am in front of this PC researching things all the time... houses, schools, court house hours, grades, ect..... My house is a mess! To be expected but it's just grossing me out!

OK, so here are my smiles for the day:

1. TG made an adorable keepsake album for Lina.
2. My husband and his sweet words. He had some Ah Ha's today!
3. The field on the way out to the ranch. It was glistening in the sun today from the rain.
4. Chocolate! Terrell brought some home today. MMMM!

I am off to vacuum. VRROOM! VRROOM!

Thanks for Listening,
Tuna Jones

May God grant His peace tonight to you.

Busy Tuesday

Today was busy... we are either on the phone, running errands, doing school, or talking about plans. All is moving along nicely. We secured some housing in Colorado and now we are searching how to move. Do we go with POD or UPACK? We aren't sure just yet. I am also realizing there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. I went to the ortho today for Boo. Finding a new ortho in Colorado; another task at hand. I have been summoned for Jury Duty WHEN I'M GONE! Gotta write a letter to them. On and On and On.... Busy! Busy!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

I wrote this Reality Check back in the spring...It seemed apropos for the season I am in now. We have been making so many choices lately. I pray this speaks to your heart. May God bring enlightenment to your heart where decisions need to be made.

**********************************************************************************

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. We have decisions to make everyday. Some are big and others are small. Some decisions affect just you and some affect those around you.

Let’s go through a few:

Hmm, should I eat a bowl of cereal or have those hot, syrupy pancakes this morning?
Should I have that other cup of coffee or switch to water?
Should I wash the clothes or hope everybody has clean underwear?
Should I walk to the store or jump in the car and help gas prices go up some more?
Should my kids have any extra-curricular activities or do I want a life? (Just kidding!! NOT!)
Do I really have to speak kindly today or can I just let everybody have it that comes in my path?
Do I want to buy a new car or keep what I have?
Do I stay in my job or look for a new one?
Do I serve me or do I serve others?
Better yet… Do I serve the Lord or do I serve me?

See how the questions are getting bigger? Some of these would affect me and others would affect my whole family and sometimes even people I don’t know.

Our family has a motto: Romans 12:10. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” We picked this scripture along time ago and the funny thing is that we kept tellin’ the kids, “It’s not about you!” way before Rick Warren made it popular.

Okay, I hear you sayin’ it, “The plane is a circle’n. Bring her in for a landing.” Ok,ok.

What does all this have to do with decisions?

Just this..Think before you act. Think before you speak. Think before you make a decision that is going to affect you and everyone else around you.

Have you ever asked this question… how will this decision affect my GRANDchildren? Yah, you heard me, GRANDchildren! I know you don’t have them yet, well at least some of you don’t!

I want my life to be a legacy that my kids can talk about. I want Jesus to be so much in me, through me, and with me that my children speak major kudos to their children about me.(Go Mom, go mom, go Mom!) I want the decisions Terrell and I make have an impact on our grandchildren and their children. I want to honor one another above myself. BUT IT IS SOOO HARD!!! I know. I know!! You’re preachin’ to the choir here.

To live is Christ and to die is gain.

To die to myself (that’s a tough one), to die to the world (sometimes harder). Everyday? Yes, everyday. Only through Christ can this happen. Him and Him alone. Apart from Christ it just can’t happen.

Reality Check:

What decision did you make today? Did it honor the Lord? What decisions are you putting off? Is it too tough to make? Does it impact others around you?
It’s between you and Jesus. Make it count.

Thanks for listening,
Tuna Jones

When did you say we were moving?

So.... We are moving. Question is when. We are looking at different housing options right now. Charley Girl is a BIG factor in housing. We found some executive housing that is move-in ready. I vote for this! Our other option is for a small house. Either way we are packing up and storing some stuff until we find a home. We can't quite decide when we will leave California. We really want time to finish up a few things here and say goodbye. We have a family trip the week of Thanksgiving that has been planned for a year. This is also making the transition interesting. I'll come back with a tan but come back where? :) California or Colorado? AGHHH!! So many decision to make right now. We see God's hand in all we are doing and praying for His guidance the rest of the way. My brother's sweet family is moving from Texas by December as well. My other family members are not there yet, though I hold out faith that all will one day be together again!

Here is a list of praises for the day:

1. Boxes! We found many, many boxes in one location!
2. Health! We are all well.
3. Attitudes! We are not grumpy....all the time.
4. Weather! WOW! What a great fall we are having. Easy for packing and playing.
5. Friends! So many great friends loving on us right now.
6. My Amazing husband. Tim the Tool Man has nothing on Terrell. He has been Mr. Fix it, Mr. Find it, and Mr. Research. We are making a great team.
7. My Children. God has blessed them with an adventurous heart and they are flexible. Of course we have had tears of sadness but they are grabbing hold of the vision.

Prayer Request:

1. God's timing on the move to Colorado.
2. Housing. We want it to be the right place.
3. School. Pray the kids will make up the difference quickly and that I can find curriculum for Gabe.
4. Sustained strength.
5. Pray the Holy Spirit is in all we say and do right now.

This adventure we are on is so much bigger than we can see. God's plans are great and we hold onto His vision for us. I'll share more of this later on....

Thanks for Listening,
Tuna Jones

Moving Timeline

well.. moving is happening and faster than we thought....

The house closes by mid October and we will leave for Colorado by Halloween. We're renting for awhile and then finding a permanent place to lay our heads. Pray for us as we tread new territory. Lots ahead of us and little time to do it all!

Homeschooling and Moving?

So... homeschooling 3 girls, encouraging 1 boy, and moving...hmmm.. is this at all possible. Let's see, Angelina finished science, history, and math today. Becca and Boo finished what? I hoped you would know 'cuz I ain't got a clue! Lucky for me they didn't need me except to copy off a math test. I on the other hand talked with a pest man,talked with an old friend, talked to my sister- in-law, talked to my in-laws, talked to my mom on the way to the park, talked to the girls in the Bible study I facilitate, talked to my sister, talked to my kids, talked with our realtor,talked to the neighbors, talked with my sweet husband, and now I'm talking to you! I think all I did today is TALK! Is that possible? I did accomplsih some other menail task while talking:laundry, finances, copied papers for realtor, picked up Gabe, cleaned the kitchen, pet the dog...you get the picture. Today very little school happen, mostly life happened.

I'm gearing up for lots of LIFE happening over the course of a few weeks. I think Lina will have to learn by osmosis. I believe I can stay focused enough for the basics but the big stuff like learning her spelling words and getting ready for a vocab test is just gonna have to wait. Webkinz has become "learning"! "Sure honey, take the quiz...maybe you'll learn something." I think I'll become an unschooler. Can I do that? Sounds good just for a while, doesn't it? Maybe I'll be a carschooler or packinschooler. Oh, oh... how about a onthephonedoingbusinessschooler! That's sounds impressive. Nice big title. I like that one.

School and moving...it's beginning to feel like oil and water.

Thanks for Listening...
Tuna Jones

What's in a Name?

I sure am glad God doesn't have as hard a time writing our names in the book of life as I do trying to switch over my address book. It has taken me 15 minutes to figure out how to send a Reality Check with my new email system. I still haven't perfected this new address book. I may have to sit and type each name all over again into my new book. Which leads me to what I spoke of earlier. God's great"address" book. Yah, I know address isn't in the Bible. I just thought it appropriate given the subject and all. So.. do you think He had a computer before any of us? Maybe He does it the old fashion way, pen and paper. Maybe He thinks it and it appears. I don't know. I do think we will see that great book someday as we stand before Him. I also know there is only one way to have your name written in His book of Life. Through the saving grace of Jesus and him alone. God's system hasn't and won't change no matter how much we do. He is the immovable Rock that keeps order in our world. He still has absolutes in a time when absolutes seem hard to find. I gave my life to Jesus along time ago. I know the day my name was written in the Book of Life. So, when the world becomes chaotic and full of disorder I remember that day. I won't always be here. This craziness and mayhem will cease when God calls. I'm trying and sometimes badly failing to make it in this world. I have days I say to Jesus," Can't you just come back now?" But for now I'm still a pilgrim on a journey like many of you. I can't wait to see Jesus and hear the trumpet sound. I'll be jumping for Joy! Let me tell you. My prayer this morning is that you can say the same .

Can you remember when you gave your life to Jesus? If so, mark the day on your calendar. Celebrate life!
If not, it is never too late.

Thanks for Listening...
Tuna Jones

It's a New Day

It's a new day. Many of you know that Reality Check has been something I strived to do for a long time.

Now that we are on a journey as a family to start something new...I figured well, why not. Start a blog. I will post here as I can on what we are doing and where we are going. I will also give you Reality Check that will encourage you or make you laugh. I am sure there will be some humor along the way! check back regularly.

Tuna Jones