Josiah was up late last night and at first we just thought that he wasn't tired and couldn't sleep.  After holding him in my lap for awhile he gagged a couple times.  And then said, "I eat it."  From the noise he made and the words he said I concluded he must be having acid reflux.  He wasn't all that upset last night about it and eventually settled down.

This morning when he woke up he came downstairs and started complaining about his ear again.  He just finished the meds the other day and already the infection is flared up again.  My poor kid.  Then, he started having acid reflux again.  When he was a baby he had an acid reflux disorder but hasn't take reflux meds since he was a year old. 

So, I called the doctor to inform them of the issues and the nurses are going to talk to the doctor and call "something" into the pharmacy for my guy.  I hope the something works.  I asked about ear drops because so far all we have had is oral antibiotics. 

But, Josiah is in ALOT of pain and has been crying all morning so if you think of him please pray and also pray the doctors would find what he needs to get better!

Listen, if you're looking for happiness in the world's goods, you're in the wrong place, the tree of happiness doesn't grow in the cursed earth. It's not there. Physical things don't touch the soul. Did you get that? It's a simple point but I want you to think it through. Physical things don't touch the soul. You cannot fill a spiritual need with a physical substance, it can't be done. But people try to do it.

You know, if you're really in misery in your marriage, go out and buy a new car. Or if you had a rotten argument with your wife, go out and buy a new suit. You'll feel better. You cannot fill a spiritual need with a physical substance. That's foolish. You can't do the other either. When you're hungry you don't want a lecture on grace. You want your dinner. And when you're out on the desert and you're dying of thirst you don't want somebody to talk to you about the wonderful mercy of God, you want water. You cannot fill a physical need with a spiritual substance; it's just as ridiculous to think you can fill a spiritual need with a physical substance. It can't be done. Things which cannot quiet the heart in a storm cannot provide any kind of blessedness. You can't pour oil on a wounded spirit. I think about Saul when he was sore distressed, all the jewels of the crown couldn't do anything to comfort him. I think about king Belshazzar in the book of Daniel, he was carousing and drinking and living it up and they were having a wild party like few in the history of any nation then all of a sudden while he was there Daniel 5:3 says he was drinking wine in the golden vessels of the temple and he was really draining it down and everybody's cup was gold and then a figure of a man's hand appeared on the wall and wrote MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN, you are weighed in the balance and found wanting and all of a sudden the Bible says his countenance changed and you know what happened? The wine went sour and the food was like a rock in his stomach. One of the great Puritan saints who has written wondrous things that really touch the heart of anyone who is a student of the Bible is a man named Thomas Watson and Thomas Watson said this, quote; "Things of this world will no more keep out trouble of spirit than a piece of paper will stop a bullet. Worldly delights are winged", he says, "they may be compared to a flock of birds in the garden that stay a little while but when you come near to them they take their flight, so riches make themselves wings and they fly away as an eagle", Proverbs 23:5 says, "they are like the meteor that blazes but spends and annihilates itself, they're like a castle made of snow lying under the torrid beams of the sun" end quote. External things do more to discomfort the soul than to bless it.

Ecclesiastes 5:13 says, "Riches are kept for the hurt of their owners". Did you get that? Riches are kept for the hurt of their owners. There's no satisfaction in what the world offers and when Jesus came into the world, listen to me people, He wasn't offering the world stuff. And there are some people passing themselves off today as Christians who are offering the world stuff. They're promising financial prosperity, money, success. Jesus never offered that. That's never in the sermon on the mount. The opposite is here. In fact, the things of the world become fuel for pride, they become fuel for lust and they become a snare and Jesus Himself said, the things of the world, the cares of the world, the riches of the world will rise up and choke out the word. They are thorns and will do to your soul what thorns do to your shirt or your dress.

Listen, what God is saying in all of this marvelous and incomparable sermon in these beatitudes is simply this, people, you will never find happiness in this world, never. You might as well learn it. That is like seeking the living among the dead and the angel said He's not here He's risen. And I want to just borrow that concept and say if you're looking for the living reality of real blessedness in the earth you're looking among the dead for the living and it's not there you've got to ascend to another level. Paul put it this way, "If ye be then risen with Christ seek those things which are", what? "Above, set not your affections on things on the earth." John put it this way, "Love not the world neither the", what? "Things that are in the world." There's no satisfaction there. Happiness is not here, blessedness isn't in the cursed earth it's on another level. And the Sermon on the Mount is going to take you to that level. Are you ready? It's going to counter everything you hear by the fast‑pitch salesman. It's going to counter everything you see on the billboards; everything you read in the magazines it is going to give you an entirely different standard of life. Totally opposite of what the world tells you so you're going to have a tough time really living it if you don't learn it well because it's going to be bombarded by everybody coming along in the world system.

-John MacArthur
More to come!!

That wonderful FASTING (i'm going to pass out from hunger and my husband took the morning off from work to take me) blood work I had done on Thursday was done for the WRONG THING!!!  I was supposed to be getting my cholesterol checked and they called and said they checked my thyroid and the levels were high.  I was like, "Um, my bloodwork was for cholesterol. I fasted for it."  They said, nope they did TSH levels...which is a thyroid test.  I have hypothroidism so it wasn't completely idiotic but TSH doesn't have to be done fasting.

So, I fasted for nothing and my husband took the morning off for nothing.  And my thyroid hasn't been liking the sporadic way I have been taking my medication.  Well, I've resolved to do better with taking my meds 1 hour BEFORE breakfast.  See it's very hard to wake up, take the meds and then wait an hour while watching my kids eat to not just indulge early in my breakfast.  Whatever.  They wanted to up my dose but I was like, "No, I've been taking it wrong..."  haha.

Yeah, so now I have to retake my blood test because the doctor's office FAILED to test the right things...Boo!

On top of all this, I couldn't get Josiah to take his medicine at all this morning.  He fought until I was sure I would either be wearing it or the house would.  I gave up.  He's having terrible diarhea from it too.  The doctors are "looking into" a better tasting, no red 40 dyed medicine.  Right. 

What are doctors for anyway??? haha.  And why do we need Red 40???  I don't, I'm sure I could live without it!

Ugh.

But hey, it's Friday so nothing that happens can mess that up right?

And I got my phone bill fixed so that totally rocks!

Best of all God is still God in EVERYTHING we go through in our lives.  And no matter how messed up things get, how sick we are, how high our phone bill can get, and how many crazy things can happen at once....He's always in control.  And even if tomorrow holds more trouble, I know that oneday I'll be face to face with Jesus and NOTHING can take that away!!

1 John 3:1-3

¹See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

 ²Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

 ³And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Josiah and Daddy got back from the ER at 6am.  He does have an ear infection in his left ear.  That's pretty much what Josiah told us and they were able to get him to the ER and diagnose him pretty fast.  He was so exhausted he wouldn't take the meds they tried to offer him in the ER and when he got home, he begged for bed.  He fell right asleep.  We went to bed at 6am and woke up at 11am.  Yeah, I've been up a grand total of 15 minutes since 6am but in total I've been up all night.

They gave him a perscription for amoxicillian but the problem is that they color it pink and make it taste like bubblegum for babies.   Most amoxicillian is colored pink.  Of course the only way to acheive the color pink is to add a little red.  Red 40 dye that is. Unfortunately, Josiah has been allergic to Red 40 since he was a baby.  So, right now the pharmacist is in search of a medicine my poor son can take.  Hopefully he sleeps until she finds a medcine.

My poor guy.  First he has to deal with a terrible ear infection suddenly in the night and now he has to suffer until they can find something he take so he can get better.  I must interject here and say I HATE RED 40!!  I hate dyes in general.  I don't care what color it is as long as it works!!  Please pray that they will find a medicine he take ASAP!!

Ok, now I am going to eat chocolate donuts and get dressed!  Keep praying, please!

"As you look at the beatitudes, as this blessed message is given it seems somewhat paradoxical. And Matthew is presenting a kingdom that doesn't really fit what most people would have anticipated. You see, happiness as Matthew outlines it here in the words of Jesus isn't exactly the way the world would do it. In fact, it says here that the happy people are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the reviled.

Now you say, ‑ Wait a minute. I'm not sure I want that kind of happiness. Sounds like misery with another name. You've got to be kidding. Well, that's the point. There is a paradox because all the way down connected with happiness is misery and I'm going to say it right here and you'll see it as we go misery is the key to happiness. You say, ‑ Now, wait a minute; misery is the key to happiness? That's right. We'll see that as we go into detail but to most people the whole thing seems absolutely absurd. One writer said this, "It is as if Jesus crept into the large display window of life and changed all the price tags".

It's all backwards, what do you mean happiness comes out of misery? What are you saying? Why the world says man, look ‑ happiness is, we have books on that, happiness is ...... you know, we work on that a lot. Happiness is the go‑getter, the guy who can push everybody out of his way and the guy, who can get what he wants, when he wants, where he wants and how he wants, that's happiness. Happiness is macho. Happiness is doing your own thing. Happiness is grabbing all the gusto you can get. That's happiness. Happiness is acquiring the world's things. Happy are the rich and happy are the noble and happy are the famous and happy are the popular. But that isn't it. The message from this king doesn't really fit the picture. Matthew is so dynamic in his presentation because his message just devastates worldly attitudes even of the Jewish people themselves who would have read Matthew, first of all. Even Seneca, the Roman philosopher, tutor of Nero in the first century said this, quote, "What is more shameful than to equate the rational souls good with that which is irrational", end quote. What he was saying was any fool knows you can't fill up a man's empty soul with external things, you can't fill the rational need with an irrational object. That's what the world tries to do. Jesus comes into the world to announce that the tree of happiness doesn't grow in the cursed earth. Have to tell you that, folks, the tree of happiness doesn't grow in the cursed earth. But so many seek it. Think about Solomon. Solomon was the most magnificent king that ever lived. If anybody should of been happy according to the world's standard, he should. He had nobility.

Listen, his parentage was the royal line of David through which the Messiah would come the most royal, noble line in the history of the world. There was nobody with more nobility than Solomon. His palace was the paragon of the earth and. it was located in THE city, the city of God, the city of Jerusalem. His wealth was so immeasurable and his treasure was so vast that the Old Testament said that silver was as common as rocks. His pleasure was fabulous food, incredible stables. I was in Solomon's stable up in Megiddo, incredible literally thousands of the finest horses found in the world. He had the buildings and the servants and the vineyards and the fishponds and the gardens, women by the hundreds, his intelligence? Why he was the most intelligent man who ever lived. He had it all in the world's evaluation, he had it all. He should have been an infinitely happy man and all he had to say about it is this, "Vanity, vanity all is vanity", the word means emptiness. And the New Testament put it this way, "A man's life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses".

To be continued...

Excerpts from John MacArthur's sermons on the Beatitudes.  This particular piece is from "Happiness Is..."  You can find the full length sermon at: http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/2197 "Happiness is" is only the first in a series of sermons on the beatitudes.  You can also listen here: http://www.gty.org/Shop/Audio+Lessons/2198  All downloads, mp3's, and podcasts from this site are free!  I HIGHLY recommend this series.  I will only be posting short tidbits because I think this is an amazing sermon series.  So, I encourage you to listen to the whole of it or read the transcripts!