Integrity...

Patrick and I dated for the rest of the school year until I had to go back home to IL. I wanted to stay the summer, but my parents would not let me. Right before the school year let out though, my dorm roommate stayed out one night. The dorm mother came and woke me up the next day asking if I knew where she was. I did not. She then told me that my “aunt” was on the phone downstairs in her office, which I thought was weird because none of my aunts ever called me…it was my roommate. Long story short, I was then in the hot seat to tell my dorm mother what I my roommate said and I did. I was told by her and other dorm resident that I should be proud of myself that I did the right thing and that I was a woman of integrity, but I didn’t feel like it at all! I felt horrible. I just ratted out my friend and roommate. Her staying out all night was a violation of school policy and grounds for dismissal. Not only that, she was in America on a student visa. If she was expelled, she was sent back to her country. I felt sick.
I went ahead and attended classes that morning. I had a break in the afternoon and decided to get a few things out of our room. When I got there, she was there and yes, she was packing – they had expelled her. When I opened the door, I was standing face to face with her and she was angry. She attacked me – literally. It was awful. I got away and hopped into my car. I headed back to the college and into the office there. They put me in a room where security took pictures of my injuries, admins took my story down, teachers and officials became involved…it was very humiliating and embarrassing. I understood why my roommate was mad and I chose to forgive her right then and there. My choice came easily as I let the Holy Spirit lead me. I know that it was only by God’s grace that I could have forgiven her in that moment.
My parents came and wanted me to press charges against her. I never felt right about this, but they are my parents, right? They know what is best right? I filed and we settled things with a mediator. My parents had gone back to IL at this point, so Patrick drove me and was there by my side. If I had to do it over, I would not have pressed charges against her. However, you live and you learn and my roommate and I eventually forgave each other, but still, it was a very hard lesson in relationships.
I went home for the summer, but things were not as they were. Things changed. I felt like an outsider in my own home. I felt excluded in everyday life and it was very hard for me to find my place once again. I reacted - negatively. I ended up on the phone with Patrick almost every night and in July of 1996, Patrick came to my house in IL and I moved out.
~Janice~

The story continues...

Okay, stopped is a bit extreme, maybe I should have said paused for a while. On March 15, 1994, after I drove my younger brother and sister home from school and we got our after school snack, we started on our chores. My brother decided that he would rather practice his basketball. There was only a slight problem…my car was in the way. To avoid an argument, my sister offered to move the car. She was already 15 and would have her license in the fall, so I thought, why not? (My mom was at a long awaited hair appointment - in which she was going to get a perm…)
My sister got into my car and proceeded to pull it into the garage as I stood in front to direct her into it. As she pulled the car into the garage, I guess she was a little nervous and at the very moment that I motioned for her to stop, she accidentally hit the gas pedal. The car hit the corner of the chest freezer and as I ran back and jumped up, the car hit me and pinned me up against the wall. I ended up with my legs tucked completely up against my bottom, my right hand up against the wall, and my left hand on the hood of my car holding me in place. My sister said that she does not remember moving the car, but as she backed the car I tried to stand and fell to the floor. My head was telling my legs to work, but my legs said natta! Now my brother, who was in boy scouts at the time, began treating me for shock as I, as strange as it sounds, stayed calm. (It was the Holy Spirit keeping me calm, I know it!) My sister freaked out! She called mom – thankfully they had not started the perming process on her hair! Boy what a mess that would have been!!
My mom rushed home and drove the car out of the garage to the other side of the street as I still lay there on the floor in front of it. After she moved the car, my mom came to my side and began spiritual warfare over my body. She prayed for some specific things that would have never crossed my mind as a 17 year old. I am thankful that she did. You never know when you pray what you may be helping to prevent or protect. PRAY…PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!!
I was concerned about my sister and told mom to go check on her. When she did, the ambulance came. They loaded me up and we all went to the hospital. The paramedics were amazed that I was hit the way I was...they said had I been standing straight up, I would not have legs. The bumper of my car exactly matched the cement block foundation of the house. (Whoa...)

At the time, my dad was either in Detroit or Canada, either way, he was far away and caught the next flight out of there. After a couple of hours in the ER, X-rays, and visits from our church family, I was sent home with a pair of crutches and some medication. The doctor kept scratching his head at the whole thing. No broken bones! I didn’t break one bone. I had a fracture on my pelvic plate, damage to my nerves on one shin, and a chip of bone that now ‘floats’ behind my knee-cap, even though, I still could not walk out of the hospital. In fact, I could not walk for two weeks. When they brought me home, my pastor and worship leader had made a sling out of a blanket in order to carry me into the house.
I lost most of any modesty that I had during those two weeks. I had to use the restroom when I first came home and had to have my sister and my mom help me get ready for it, get on it, and then…for the first time in my life, I passed out on it. Yep! Buh-bye modesty!! For the most part I am a pretty independent person, but I had to let go of all of that and the Lord showed me how to receive service. It may be easy for some of you, and now as mothers, we wish we could be in that place of receiving service all the time, but for me it is HARD!! My grandma came and stayed with us during that time. They had to wash my hair as I hung off the side of the couch! I had to give someone a 20 minute heads up if I needed to use the restroom because that is how long it took us to get me there. I would practice every day to get up on my crutches, only to fall in agony, pain and humiliation.
I remember the day that I did it. I ‘swung’ myself to the dining room table. I still couldn’t walk very well, but I could swing on my crutches!! Graduation was quickly approaching and I had doubts about it. I didn’t want to be swingin’ on my crutches down the aisle to receive my diploma and yet, I also knew that I had a lot of recovery ahead of me. I am happy to say that I did walk – on my own – in heels – to receive my diploma. My God is able to heal, restore and revive!
I graduated Salutitorian of my Senior Class of ’94. I received a two year Presidential Scholarship to the local Community College in Olney, IL. I only used one year of it before I wanted to spread my wings and fly to World Harvest Bible College in Columbus, OH. We got everything ready, dad and I visited the college and I was on my way in August of 1996 to pursue a degree in Praise/Worship. I had to get a job to pay for my expenses and dorm rent, so I got one in sales at the local Sears Outlet selling appliances and furniture. It was here that I met my first husband, Patrick.

~Still more to come...Janice~

High School Years...

(Janice's testimony cont...)

The next few years, I still struggled socially. We ended up moving three hours away in the middle of my 8th grade year. We now lived in Galesburg, IL and the Junior High there was not small AT ALL!! I went from a class of 30 to a class of 300 and rode a bus to school for the first time! I saw this as a chance to start over socially and began searching immediately to find my place. I attended High School in this same town and that is where I really compromised myself. I began to get more involved with boys, I started smoking, I gambled, I lied, I cheated, I stole, I cussed, I didn’t care…I didn’t respect myself. I found myself in a VERY dangerous place...self disrespect.

Our bus would get to school 30 minutes before school started, so we would go to the pool hall to play and smoke before school started. I will never forget the day my dad walked into the pool hall, took me by the arm and pulled me out of there...and out of school. My friends thought he was an undercover cop. (I can't tell you how thankful I was at that very moment that I didn't have a cigarette in my mouth!) When dad put me in the car, I remember asking him, “What are you going to do with me?” I was scared. We went straight to the principal’s office. Because there was only 3 weeks left of school, it wasn’t feasible for me to start another school, so my parents sent me back to Catlin, IL to live with my grandma and go to school there until finals.

So now I found myself pulled away from my school in Galesburg to now be back in my school in Catlin. But! Because Catlin was already doing their finals, I had to sit in the library the whole day, by myself, doing my assigned work from Galesburg. Wow… Even when I did go back to Galesburg to take my finals, I didn’t take them with the rest of my class. I was alone with my teachers… I know my parents did what they thought was best and right for me at the time.
We ended up moving back to Danville, IL that summer. Mom and Dad enrolled us three kids in the Baptist school there. This was now my sophomore year of High School and it was here that I found my social fit. I finally learned how to make good friends, but I still had a heavy focus on boys. It was this school year that I threw a lot of parties! My parents didn’t care…I know now why. All the parties were at my house…they knew who my friends were, what they were into, what we were doing, etc…smart.

Now, because of my dad’s job, we ended up moving to Olney, IL the summer after my sophomore year, which is 2 hours south of Danville, IL. Mom and dad found a church there that we became heavily involved in, which also had an ACE school. (ACE – Accelerated Christian Education) It was here that I hit the height of my school years. Almost overnight, I became popular! I was no longer the youngest in my class, I became a teacher’s aide for the elementary classes, I put together one of the school’s only yearbooks, my sister and I inquired and started our school’s Volley Ball team, which I was a captain of and earned 2 MVP awards my senior year (#27 BABY!!) You ask, What made the difference? I found respect for myself, I found a confidence I didn't have before and I had a REAL relationship with my Savior. In our church, I became more involved with our music ministry as a backup singer on our Praise Team, I ran our church nursery program, led worship in our youth, helped a lot with our church youth outreach downtown; The Cross, among other things. I began to see a glimmer of God’s calling on my life.
1994 was off to a good start! Senior year was going great, and I was in the final stretch to graduation…until March 15, 1994...My world as I knew it stopped.

~The Story Continues...Janice~

Key to A Blessing - Confidence

I love today's topic - CONFIDENCE. You might be thinking, how on earth can having confidence be a key to a blessing? Ah-ha! It's scriptural! I'm not talking pride, greed, power, 'I'm better than you' kind of confidence. I'm talking - having a GOD given confidence. You see, in Philippians 1:6, it says, "being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it it until the day of Jesus Christ." That verse is excellent but it gets even better....if you now read Luke 22:52, Jesus says right as they were getting ready to arrest Him, "Am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?" When you put those verses together it causes me to realize how amazing Jesus was. He was an amazingly confident person. He resembled strength, peace, love - someone that knew what His missions was and where He was going. He had a life mission and He accomplished it in such a powerful way so that WE could live an abundant and dynamic life.

Think about it: Jesus wasn't someone who I would think of as a 'dangerous person' the way the soldiers were reacting to Him but if you put a little more thought into it, they obviously knew and recognized He was a man of great power and ability. He was dangerous enough to take a stand in what He believed in and never backing down to peer pressure, what-would-others-think syndrome, or fear. He chose to live a FULL life - walking in confidence the promises of His Father. So much so that Pilot did everything he could to destroy Him but I can't help but think of Mc Hammer's song: 'Can't touch this!' lol! You can't touch what belongs to the KING!! You are a part of his Kingdom so that includes you as well!

Guess what? It's the very same Father that Jesus lived His life for when He walked this earth that we live for. It's the same Father that gave Jesus the confidence and strength to do what He called Him to do. Don't ever forget that what God has called you to do, you can do it in confidence because you are a 'dangerous' woman of God - on a mission. Living life knowing that if a cliff came, (not a 'real' cliff - lol!) - with your confidence in God, you won't be afraid to jump because it's not your wings you are flying on but God's.

So, Fly!! Walk out your life, your dreams - no matter what the 'world' circumstances might look like. Be confident and know that you belong to the KING!

Excited, Tracee, Livng her 'Once Upon a Lifetime...'

Key To A Blessing - Laugh!

Ok - So I've been a sicko all week but I'm still alive so no complaints here. But, for today, I just couldn't make my brain think but I will tell you a secret. Are you ready, did you know that laughter is a blessing? Bring back to your memory the verse that says, "The Joy of the Lord is your _________________" STRENGTH!! That's the missing word. Having joy GIVES YOU STRENGTH. So, joy is a blessing and it freaks the world out cuz they don't get the joy that we get from loving on Jesus. So, in closing, here's a laugh for you today!!

Love you girls, Tracee

Key To A Blessing - Trust

Trust - that's a BIG word. It means to have confidence or faith in. It's not something that is always easy done but when you do it, it is life changing and an incredibly peaceful place to be. Imagine trusting in God w/out any doubts, whatsoever!! Imagine reading His promises and believing in them! Remember the story of when Jesus was hanging with his disciples, they had breakfast together and then He said, "Let's get into the boat and go to the other side of the sea." While on the boat, Jesus fell asleep. During this time a storm came and Peter starts freaking out. So much so that he went and woke Jesus up. I love Jesus' response, "Didn't I tell you we were going to the other side?"

God know's exactly where you are, what you are doing, what your circumstances are - His promises are true...just as He told Peter they were going to go to the other side and that's what they did - even in the middle of the storm, Jesus KNEW that they were going to make it no matter what. So, TRUST in your Heavenly Father. He's amazing, He's beautiful, He believes in you!

Psalm 23 (The Message)
God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.

Trusting, Tracee, even if it's by a thread, I CHOOSE to trust :)

The Key To a Blessing - Attitude

This week let's take a journey on the Key to a Blessing. The times we are living in are historic. As gloomy as they might be, God's blessings are always there, waiting to be poured into our lives, no matter what the world looks like. That is what is so phenomenal about God. What He does in our lives and throughout is not based on worldly circumstances but heavenly. So, check out this blog everyday this week for a 'key to a blessing' thought that will propel you through this season of life.

I can't take the credit for the main 'advice' today - but instead I rec'd this in my email and thought it was brilliant so I am sharing it with you.

Attitude
by Mac Hammond

William James wrote, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind." God has a wisdom word for you today and that word is "attitude." Throughout the Bible, God stresses the impact your attitudes have on your quality of life.

On numerous occasions the apostle Paul exhorts us to keep our attitudes humble, positive and pure. For those who do, the Bible promises peace, increase and fulfilling relationships. Pastor and author John Maxwell has called attitude "the speaker of your present and the prophet of your future."

God's wisdom word for leaders today is attitude.

It's me again! ;) Attitude - The Key to a Blessing is your attitude. I love what John Maxwell says how what you speak today in your present can prophetically affect your future! Powerful thought. So, check your attitude - if it stinks, leave it at the door and don't entertain that green monster anymore. Life is really about choices - you choose the outlook on life you want. So, choose to be positive, uplifting and determined to live your best life, starting with today!

Moving Forward, Tracee - I'll trip over something I'm sure, but I'm going to keep moving forward! :)

T.G.I.F!

Thank God It's Friday!!! Enjoy your weekend and remember - smile and laugh alot - it does your body good!

Smiles,

Tracee, ROFL

Women Drivers

Alright all you women - please tell me you don't drive like these women in this video! lol!!

Smiles,

Tracee, a good driver :)

Snow

I laugh histerically everytime I see this...I am not very fond of the snow and the cold either!!! HA!!! ENJOY!!! And be sure it's your own car you are cleaning off before you actually do!!!

~Janice~