ROBOT

My Christ Story

A pastor challenged his congregation to write their "Christ Story".  A lot of people think they have a "Christ Story" because their grandfather was a preacher or their parents were missionaries.  Some folks think they have a "Christ Story" because of the church they attend or the domination they support.  Many good people feel they have a "Christ Story" because of all the good deeds they've done for so many hurting and needy people in their community and around the world.  Though all these are good stories.  None of these say anything about what Christ has personally done just for them.  Jesus Christ is a personal Savior.  Jesus Christ wants to personally save and do amazing things with individual people.  I want to take a few minutes and share my "Christ Story".

There was a 17 year old girl finding herself in an unplanned pregnancy.  She was scared, alone, still in high school, no job, and pregnant.  The father was stationed in the army.  He was soon to be deployed to Greenland.  Friends and family didn't offer a lot of options.  The suggestion of abortion was a more realistic choice.  But because of the inconvenience of distance and not being able to drive...the nearest abortion clinic was going to be over a couple hours away.  The young girl and handsome soldier married on Valentine's Day 1961.  The baby was born 6 weeks early on May 6, 1961.  The young newly wed  named her baby Donna Marie.  The baby was born with some physical challenges experiencing seizures and paralysis in one arm and one leg.  After extra time spent in the army hospital and several weeks of therapy the baby developed fine and over came the physical difficulties. 

My name is Donna Marie, the baby girl born May 6th at Fort Dix, New Jersey.  I have two scripture passages that I live by.  One passage is my life verse the other is my passion.  My life verse is I Corinthians 15:58; "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord".   My passion verse is Proverbs 31:8; "Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction."  No one was speaking up for me.  While a young lady was scared and family was embarrassed and stressed no one thinks about the unborn baby.  I thank God for not having a convenient abortion clinic in the area.

 I did not always value and appreciate how God had saved my life.  It took me growing up, being married, having children, and adopting children for me to fully appreciate what God had done for me.  Before I could possibly value my physical life, I first had to realize my spiritual life needed God.  On March 1975, Easter Sunday morning, as best I knew how, I asked God to save me and to forgive me of my sins. I knew that without Him I would go to hell.

I met my husband on a blind date on March 21, 1981.  By mid April he asked me to marry him.  We wanted to get married in a month that had a Friday 21st.  The next month with that day was in June.  I thought  that was too soon.  The next month was August.  Perfect.  Five months from our blind date we were husband and wife.  Our first baby girl was born July 3, 1982.  Our second baby boy was born August 10, 1983. We were content with our little family.  One baby girl and one baby boy, momma and daddy living in the country happy and satisfied.  Until 1987, when I wanted to have another baby and could not.  After many hours of counseling, Doctor appointments and times of thinking I was pregnant and wasn't my heart was broken and heavy. (View my video clips on me speaking about my Chosen Children and pictures of the Chosen Children.)

The Lord lead me to a ministry out of Nashville.  They were a Crisis Pregnancy Center and a licensed Adoption Agency.  Our family jumped in and became very active.  We fostered 12 newborn babies, counseled over 3,000 teenagers, volunteered, directed a local crisis office, host large fund raisers, and even adopted one baby in Jan 1992.  Through this ministry I really learned just how God not only saved my soul, but how He saved my life before someone had a chance to take it.

You would think that knowing God had saved my life twice that I could stand in front of a church or a group of believers and be confident about life and answers to  spiritual matters.  I experienced abuse and alcohol in the home.  I can tell about being engaged 3 times before being marrying my husband.  I understand wanting a child and not being able to conceive.  I can share about 5 adoptions not going through.  I can even tell about my heart being broken when one of my children called me from jail because he was arrested for drug possession.  I can tell about adopting a troubled teen, being hit/threatened by her, and having to place her in a group home.  I can share about adopting a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome child.  I can share being excited about becoming a grandparent and  how our grand daughter was born with a rare genetic disorder.  I know about financial stuggles and being wrongfully sued in Federal Court on 64 counts for $20 million.   I could take all these difficult events and tell you how wonderful God is.  How amazing God was during those hard days.  But the one event in my life where God showed His hand the strongest, biggest, most comforting, and amazing was on June 1, 2009 when God once again saved my life.  Is a third time charm?  Maybe! But God saved my life in a terrible car accident.  (Watch my video clips titled "My Event".)

As challenging, difficult, and wonderful all the events were in the above paragraph, God became more real to me in a car accident where I thought I had died.  Though I am grateful for His provisions in the past events.  What excites me more, what amazes me more each and every single day is God forgiving me.  God loving me just where I am.  And He loves me and forgives me everyday. 

Life isn't about jobs, titles, money, houses, sports, music, family, friends, places, clothes, list of do's and don'ts, and not even church.  These things are a part of our lives and our daily affairs.  They play a part in our faith and our worship.  But the priority is JESUS.  JESUS.  JESUS.  Am I going to heaven or hell?  Are you going to heaven or hell?  Are my children going to heaven or hell?  Who I work with .....are they going to heaven or hell?  Who I go to church with....are they going to heaven or hell?  Do I live, act, talk, make decisions based on how my choices may effect someones decision on heaven or hell for themselves?  

I love telling you about my children.  I can brag about our son playing college football.  I can show thousands of pictures of the most beautiful grand daughter in the universe.  But what excites me more than anything else is that God has forgiven me  He's forgiven me of sexual sins, impure thoughts, lies, pride.  God spared me from a life of deep sin. But my sins still nailed Jesus to the cross.  I was a sinner going to hell.  God forgave me.  HALLELUJAH!!!! Can I say that again.  GOD FORGAVE ME of my sins.  Nothing can give peace like a clean heart and a clear mind.  God is good.  I've seen God's amazing work in people I care about.  I want to see God do amazing work in all 5 of my children and their family and children.  God is a mighty and an awesome God.  God is good.  God is AMAZING.

My only regret is that it took my life being out of my control and placed in the hands of God for me to get to a point where I give God ALL the GLORY for anything I may ever do for HIM.  I can not praise Him enough.  We serve an Amazing God.

"There is a river.  That flows from deep within.  There is a fountain that frees a soul from sin.  Come to this water. There is a vast supply.  There is a river, that NEVER shall run dry."

Jamin's first college PAT

Chrystal's 13th birthday_

Adoption News

Dedication of our Baby

Time With Our Grand Daughter / Summer 2010

I will Serve Thee

eating spaghetti

Mikayla loves Elmo

Mom-Mom June 2010

Mother's Day Card

My husband for almost 29 years gave me the sweetest Mother's Day card.  The message was so perfect for us.  My husband, Robert, has never forgotten to buy a card for any special holiday or occassion.  God put us together through a mutual friend.  We agreed to meet on a blind date March 21, 1981.  On that first awkward date we knew we were ment for each other.  By the first of April Robert asked me to marry him.  In the month of May he gave me an engagement ring.  We chose a month that would have the 21st on a Friday.  That month was August. 

On August 21, 1981 I married the love of my life.  Through the years we've been through some hard times.  But we've had more happy than sad.  For that I am so grateful.  The Lord has given us 5 beautiful children.  We have been truly blessed.

This Mother's Day I want to share the card my husband gave me...

For My Wife

Hand in hand, we've met

life's changes

and challenges.

Side by side, we've shared

our most precious dreams.

Together, we've made

a beautiful family

and a loving

and lasting partnership

we both can depend on.

On Mother's Day

and every day.

I hope you know that I grow

more in love with you each year

and more thankful that you are

my wife, my love,

and my very best friend.

Love Robert

If It Were Up To Me

I've listened to others stories.  And thought that if it were up to me I would have done this or that.  It seems a lot easier to admit what I would do if it's someone else's event.  I've had a few events in my life where I've even thought that "If I had to do it all over again, then I would do....."  I think we've all done that.

There's been events occur that I'm glad that God made the decision.   There are some decisions that are hard to make.  I believe God is a sovereign God.  He knows all things and sees all things. I don't always understand "why" God would choose events the way He does.  Honestly, I can't understand some of His choices.  How could my little brain ever be able to conceive the heart and mind of God?  He created me and the scripture says the "He knows the intent of my heart."  "He knows the number of hairs on our head."  He knows more about me than I know about myself.  The Bible says my "heart is desperately wicked who can know it?" 

As a parent, I have had to make choices for my kids.  They didn't necessarily agree.  When my kids were toddlers and they wanted a cookie 30 minutes before dinner, they would be very upset with my "unfair" answer of "NO.".   Toddlers don't understand how close dinner is and that they need to save their appetite for the meal.  God does that same thing for us.  We don't always see the near future or see what is best for us.

Also, I would let my children choose some things for themselves.  For example, they may ask for some cookies, pieces of candy, or something.  I would answer, "You can have 3 or 4."  I know they will pick 4.  But I was giving them the opportunity to pick the lesser one. Sometimes they would ask to stay up later.  I would give them the choice of 9:00 or 9:30.  And of course everytime they would choose 9:30.  They felt like they were really making some big decisions on their own.  When all along they were really choosing what I wanted them to choose. 

Then there are choices in life that I am so grateful that God just goes ahead and decides for me.  Maybe I would have been afraid to choose.  Or maybe I would have been unable to choose.  When our children were teenagers, we would tell them that if they were ever invited to go somewhere and found it hard to say "No."  Then they could blame us and say, "I can't go.  My Mom and Dad won't let me."  We gladly took the blame in order to encourage our teens to make a positive choice.

There are a lot of events in life that God goes ahead and chooses.  I don't always understand His choice.  Because if it were up to me I would have made a different choice.  For example how can God allow one dedicated believer to suffer with cancer.  And an unbeliever never get sick.  I watched my uncle suffer and die from throat cancer.  He never smoked nor drank alcohol.  He was a preacher and singer.  If it were up to me I wouldn't have chosen for him to die that way. 

I know of a family whose toddler had a cancerous tumor.  Through treatments and medicines he is currently in remission.  I heard of a family this week whose 3 year is dying of cancer.  Over the week end doctors notified the family that the toddler has a few days of living.  If it were up to me I would not have this godly family loose their baby to cancer. 

I know of families with children born with genetic disabilities.  The disablilities range from mild to severe. Babies having open heart surgery at 1 week old.  Babies being born premature and risk having severe mental disabilities.  If it were up to me I would have chosen "healthy" babies.

If it were up to me I would be sure that young people didn't experiment with drugs and alcohol and then have to battle with addictions for the rest of their life.  I've attend funerals were accidents happened and babies, teenagers, and young adults lost their lives before their life began. 

You know what? I'm so thankful that life events are NOT up to me.  Because you see I would mess everything up.  There's a sense of relief to know that God chooses.  He creates and He chooses.  His purpose far exceeds my good intentions.  If believers did not experience these and many other events...how would we ever know what a great God we serve? 

Without difficult events we wouldn't know how God comforts in times of loss, grief, and hardships.  How would we know where our strength comes from?  This is how our faith grows. 

Although my flesh still struggles with if it were up to me syndrome.  I thank the Lord, He over rules my intentions and works in my life inspite of myself.  My friend, if you are in the middle of a crisis...you can truly rest in His arms.  As your heavenly Father, He sees not only your future, but the future of the loved one that's suffering or experiencing challenges. 

Like my teens felt relief and a sense of freedom to allow their parents to decide...so I can feel freedom in knowing God is good.  God is in control.  God is love.  God is peace.  God is.  And if it were up to me I will rest knowing that God is in charge of my life. I don't need to worry.  All I need to do is trust Him. 

Are you trusting the God who can make the difference?  Are you trusting the God that not only created you so therefore He knows you better than anyone?  Are you resting in the God who has shown how much He loves you by sending His only Son to die for you?  I pray you are.  Because if it were up to me...you will.

Flower Gardens & Souls

I love to garden.  I enjoy planting vegetable and flower gardens.  Working and digging in the soil is therapeutic for me.  When I select the right flowers, for the right areas of my yard, I put my gloves on and start digging.  When I finish the newly planted flower pots and/or beds I give them a good watering.

It takes a lot of time and energy to get a planting project started and finished. Yet the finished product is fulfilling.  I can walk around the yard and see the plants grow, blossom, and give off a pleasant aroma.  I never get tired of looking and seemingly watch the flowers grow.

One summer, when my two oldest children were preschool age, I was successful in growing some annual flowers up close to the house.  I don't remember the name of the flowers, but they were red and grew about 2 feet tall.  This particular summer, these red flowers grew thick and beautiful.   My son, then 3 years old, went outside and did something that was unforgettable.  He took his shoe off and knocked down every single red flower.  I mean there wasn't one petal of red left standing.

When I walked outside and seen his successful kill, I didn't know if I should cry or laugh.  I asked him, "Brandon!!! Why did you kill all of Momma's flowers?" And my sweet little preschooler looked up at me and proudly proclaimed, "It's okay Mommy.  I was trying to kill a wizard. (lizard)  And I got him!" 

No serious gardener would never take the time to nurture a plant then just go and step on it.  Thus crushing the plant and never enjoy the beauty of the blooms and/or fruit.  Yet, as believers we sometimes do just that.  Not to plants, but to people.

I know of  fellow believers who say they love the Lord.  They say they care about others souls.  They will even give a witness or ask ...."Are you a Christian?"  This is all good.  But not every Christian are good witnesses for Christ.  Just like not every person who loves flowers are good gardeners.

To ask someone "if they are a Christian" then openly criticize and cast judgement on them is stepping on them.  Sometimes one may share their negative opinions to others.  Then they wonder why they haven't led someone to Christ.  How silly it would be for a gardener to plant and nurture their new plants...then go and step on them.  You may brag about planting and tell what all the varieties of plants they are.  But No One is going to come over and see and enjoy your garden with you.  There will be no summer evening with a glass of ice tea relaxing near a beautiful flower bed.  Why do fellow believers step or tear down the ones they are trying to win? 

These fellow believers can not share their faith and show others their fruit of other believers.  They can not lead someone to Christ when they are stepping on them.  When they are being critical and judgemental of others they are not going to have beautiful souls surrendered to Christ. 

You've heard the saying, "People won't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  When Christ rescued the harlot from being stoned...He did not bring up her terrible life style.  Instead He brought up the sins of her accusers.  We need to be more focused on the souls of people not the external.  We need to let people know we care.  Truly care. 

Don't fake your love for someone.  Don't act like you care.  Your true concern for them will be noticeable.  Just like a gardener who says they love plants yet they keep stepping on and killing the plants.  Here's  one example...Have you ever invited someone to go to church with you and then have a strong opinion about they look.  Not the right clothing standard, not the right hair cut, not the right clean hygiene, and not the right social status. 

It's okay to have a personal preference to outward appearances, but we are talking about bringing others to Christ.  To do that with success...you have to leave your personal preferences out.  You have to set the priority to the soul of the individual(s) that you are wanting to lead to Christ.  Love them first.  Be sure they know you care. And then you are to really care and really love. 


Do people see Christ in you?  Do others see Christ in me?  I hope so.  Because at the end of the day...that's all that's going to matter.  If they can't see Christ through His own children...how can they ever come to know Him? 

May God bless you as you live your life as a witness for Christ.   Be a spiritual gardener.  Love the souls of men like Jesus does.

Mike Reagan's Funeral Tribute to his father President Ronald Reagan

Easter Egg Hunt 2010

Come To Jesus

Tale that is Told

Psalms 90:9-17 The Bible talks about "...we spend our years as a tale that is told...." "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom..."  "...that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."  

My daughter has talked with me, on different occasions, about making a life, her life, our life, count.  She read a book about living our lives for Christ in a way that would make a good story.  One that others would want to read.  And get something out of the reading.  What if our life story was to be put into a movie.  Would people want to come to see it?  Would they enjoy the movie?  Would they watch it again?  Would they come away from the story different?  Or worse would my life story be something I wouldn't want others to see or to know about? 

David wrote here in Psalms that our life is here but for a brief moment.  IF we live threescore and ten...what would we have done with Jesus?  When we realize that life is short it should help us to manage our time, our life more wisely and for eternal good.  What do I want to see happen in my life before I die?  What can I do today inorder for that story to begin?

After having my car accident, I think more eternally than I've ever done before.  I've asked God to forgive me for being so stupid to have not thought that way before.  I quickly realized that my life could have been gone in a snap.  I had no warning.  I had no time to prepare.  I had no way to prevent or change the event.  At 55 mph, I didn't have time to move my foot off of the accelerator.  I hit that pick up truck crossing in front of me, full speed.  I can not discribe the loud noise.  The explosion and then silence.  I fought to live, to see, to wonder what was happening.

What kind of tale has my life been?  As I grow older and as I experience life's hardships and trails, what do my own children see?  Would those closest to me remember - love, faithfulness, joy, kindness, excitment in my life?

The Bible says our lives are but a vapor.  We may only have today.  Today I need to use for eternity.  Today I need to reach and touch the heart of my children.  Today I must show kindness to others.  Today is my day.  Today is your day.

Psalms 90:17 "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, my children, my friends and family, make what your hands do today count for eternity. 

"What TALE will your life tell?"

My Trash

A four year old boy once said, "Father forgive us of our trash baskets. And help us forgive those who puts trash in our baskets."

Children can make more sense out of life then most adults I know.  (Including myself)  Life is sometimes hard.  And the people in our lives can make our journey more difficult.  I once heard a lady speaker say, "I would be nice if she would let me!" 

It's always easier to point to others.  To blame them for why I am grumpy today.  To blame my own family for why I snapped back.  To blame the lack of sleep, sickness, stress, and just because.  The truth really is .... I am sometimes not so nice, because I choose to not be.  When I, even for just a moment, live my day for myself.  When I try to handle events by myself. 

The scripture, "I can DO ALL things..."  doesn't mean that I am wonder woman.  Tho I've tried to be.  It doesn't mean I've arrived in my spiritual walk.  I have to go back to the scripture and finish reading it.  "I can do all things ...THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me."  Phil 4:13

God please forgive me when I travel my life journey without You not for just the day.  But I need You for the moment.  And for every moment that I breath.