Thanks for Everything, Even the Bad Stuff....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oops, I am a little bit late, aren't I?

Anyway... I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We did. The Bug and Boo behaved (that almost sounds like a tongue twister), and no one ate so much that they got sick. Anytime it does not involve a trip to the emergency room, it is a good day.

What did YOU have to be thankful for this year?

We have many things in my family to be thankful for: people that needed jobs now have them, cancer has been fought, specialists for other ailments have been sought out, we have a loving family and church family that are very supportive of us, and our children are in good health.

But...

Come on, you knew there would be a big "but" coming sooner or later...

Sometimes it is hard for us to see and focus on the positive aspects of our lives, especially when there are still negative things going on. It is kind of like that old saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". In our lives sometimes negative things seem to far out squeak the positive, and what we focus on becomes our outlook and attitude.

But listen to this, I am not telling you to focus on the positive instead of the negative, although I do firmly believe sometimes that helps immensely. In fact, I am telling you to praise God and thank him through everything, including the dark times.

Let us turn to exhibit A, um, I think I have been watching too many cop shows on TV lately. Or you can just listen to "Blessed be your name" by Matt Redman, or Bug's favorite, Veggietales.

Job 1:21  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.   The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away, may the name of the LORD be praised."

In case you do not know the back story, Job had just been told over a matter of minutes that he had lost all of his animals (his lively hood, his source of income), his servants, and the last one, all of his children. At the same time.

After hearing all of this, Job had the courage and strength of character in that although he was grieving immensely, he was able to praise and thank God for what he had and the time he had it.

Do we possess this character? Let us put it all into perspective. I am not saying that we are not allowed to be sad or grieve, I just do not want us to take our eyes off of the eternal. God gives us everything. And sometimes, for whatever reasons, he takes them away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Today is a day that we try to set aside as a country to remember and honor those who have, and continue to, serve in our military to help make and keep this country what it has become today. No matter how many things our country does that are right or wrong, we must admit there are not many other places that we would have as many rights as we do here. We even have the right to complain when we do not like something, which is something many in other countries do not!

I would like to say a special thanks to anyone who served in active duty and was away from their homes and families. I do not think I could do it, but I do thank God that there are people out there who can, and do, for all of us. Words can not express the real thanks that we owe all of you.

I would also like to thank everyone else in the military. Whether you were called to serve in action or not, you were always trained to be ready, just in case, and ever vigilant. Thank you, as well.

Big thanks to both my Dad and Granddaddy, who both served in the military until they retired.

Let us all remember that today is not just about getting a day off of work, but remembering those who will fight for us, no matter what the cost.

I Love the 80s!

Does Veggie Tales singing the 80s mean that I can now listen to 80s music in the car with the girls, without having to skip or speed up past certain songs or lyrics?

I love the 80s!!

Well, the 80s music anyway. I'll have to be the first to admit that the 80s fashion, which I am sure made perfect sense to us all at the time, was a bit much. There is only so much neon that the world can take before it implodes on itself, and I believe that we almost exceeded our limit during that one decade. That is without even mentioning the parachute pants, t-shirt ties, rolling up our jeans (don't look so funny, if you are even close to 30 you know that you did it too), side pony-tails, leggings under long shirts and sweaters, and mix matching everything.

Oh, wait, am I still describing the 80s or am I talking about now?

Wow-- that is a scary thought!

Taterbug adores the "new" clothes and the look that goes with them. I figure it is better than bell bottoms and peasant shirts. She also loves the music. The poor child has to, though, because after riding with me for MANY hours back and forth while we lived away from here, she was subjected to more 80s music than someone her age should be. Add that to the fact that there was an AWESOME 80s station in the city we lived, and yeah, the poor bug did not stand a chance.

I think the only part of the 80s that she does not understand at all is the men's hair styles.

We were looking through some of my sister's cds one day to see which ones I wanted to *cough*borrow*cough* for maybe an extended period of time *cough*months*cough*years*cough* when we saw one for the Labyrinth soundtrack. It had a picture of David Bowie on the front as Jareth, with his long, full, tall?, very big 80s style hair.

What did she say?

"Hey, mom, who is this ugly woman on this CD?"

After we covered the fact that even if someone is, um, homely, we should never call anyone ugly because that would hurt their feelings and we wouldn't want someone to treat us like that, my sister and I then had to explain to her that in the 80s guys just had really big, really long hair. She told us she didn't get it, and asked how could we tell who was a girl and who was a boy.

Yeah, you answer that to a (then) 5 year old.

Kids, gotta love 'em.

Excuses... and More Excuses....

In the mornings my Granny and Grandaddy, who for some unknown reason to me have always woken up at a ridiculous hour before sunrise, listen to the local radio station while they eat breakfast and prepare for their day. When we lived in another city we would come down some weekends and stay with them, so I have witnessed this routine many times first hand.

First of all, I'd like to say that my Granny makes the BEST pancakes in the world. You might think that yours does, but you would be sadly mistaken. If it would not embarrass her to pieces I'd even let Granny do a cook off to prove her status as Pancake Queen. My kids love them!

Sadly for Bug and Boo, when mine aren't the frozen variety, they still come out of a box that I can just mix with water...

Anyway....

On Sundays there is one song that is almost always called in and requested on this radio station. Excuses, by the Kingmen. Here are the lyrics if you are interested:  http://www.songlyrics.com/kingsmen/excuses-lyrics/
It is basically a song about all of the excuses someone can come up with for not going to church.

Man I know how that feels! 

It is hard for me to get up and go to work, which I might add I have to be at a LOT earlier than church, but somehow in my mind work is in the "have to" column, and I seem to have put Church into the "when I can" column.

Yep, seeing that in black and white, that just ain't right folks.

So, here's to all of you people like me, who need to log off of the computer and go to sleep so that we can go and worship with our fellow believers tomorrow.  Back away from the computer... I know you can do it.... just remember to come back another day and read again.   :)

Hebrews 10: 25  (ESV)

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

A Dad Life... A Video!!

I'm just posting this because I absolutely love it!! Especially those pulled up white socks with the sandals, yeah, he's rockin' those...




Happy "Almost" Friday, Everyone!!!

Old Mother Hubbard

Happy Early Halloween my peeps! Ok, don't call me out on that one, I am well aware that I am WAY too old to be using the word "peeps".... but I like the way it sounds, so I use it anyway. Grr... aren't I a rebel?

Tonight my church is having Trunk or Treat. For a lot of families it is a nice, safe alternative to going up to strangers houses and trick or treating in the dark.  We still go on Halloween, but that is only to the families' houses so that they can take pictures of the girls, "ooh" and "aah" over them, and then give them a bucket load of candy that somehow I believe I wind up eating most of.

Our theme tonight is "Once upon a time".  I am sure there will be plenty of people there with wonderful ideas of how to dress and a game they can do with the kiddos.

As for me, I am going to be Old Mother Hubbard.

Yep, that old lady that didn't have food for her dog, that is going to be me. I think I'm going to sit in a rocking chair covered up by a blanket, and have a pail for kids to toss dog treats into to feed my ceramic Scooby Doo. And yes, it is mine, most people think it is my kids but my in laws got it for me 3 years before I even had kids, because they love me and are aware of my Scooby addiction.

I have already looked up this rhyme on the internet, because lets face it, that was a long time ago and I had no idea how the words actually went. And I am now printing off dog coloring pages for the girls to color to put on my poster. Yep, free labor for the procrastinator. But hey, if it looks bad and people find out a kid did it, all of a sudden it is the cutest thing in the world!!

Bug and Boo are quite the little artists, I might add.

So whatever you are doing for this season, if anything, remember to do it in the spirit of Christ. Tonight we will have fun and fellowship with some of our wonderful church family. Life is good.

Horses, Teddy Bears and Stuffed Dogs, OH MY!

Ok... so I made the mistake of going back to what we call the "girls'" end of the house. Yep, as sad as it may seem pretty much everything past the hallway belongs to the two lovable little urchins in my life, with maybe the exception of the hallway bathroom. Then again, the toilet seat and step stool in there seem to keep most adults except for well worn grandparents out of it. Goodness knows my brother makes an awful face if he has to move the bio hazard of a potty seat....

This weekend is Taterbug's birthday. Having survived her tonsil surgery, she is hoping to be well enough to choke down some cake this weekend with whatever friends can make it here, as well as probably every living relative she has. (Our family loves us!).

This brings me to my new dilemma... the black abyss known as the playroom... (insert scary "ooohhhh" sound here).

Here is the gist of it. The room is too small for a lot, and we had to use the whole closet for our new air conditioning/heating unit, so it became the playroom. Everything that does not fit in the girls' bedrooms finds itself cast into this place. Now, not only with taterbug's birthday looming, but Boo's birthday not only a month following, and then CHRISTMAS-- yes people, some things will have to go.

It is OZ, and unfortunately I have to be the Wicked Witch that tells Dorothy and Toto that they have to part with some of the stuff they have managed to collect.

The hardest part of this for me? I AM A HUGE PACK RAT!!  That is right. I will stand up and admit it and pay attention for at least a few of the 12 steps to freedom before my mind begins to wander... what was I talking about? Oh yeah... These poor girls learned it from the best. I keep pieces of paper that I am pretty sure I will never need again, books and magazines that I may look through one day, and my filing system consists of piles-- lots and lots of piles.

I'm glad that my hubby is organized, or else we would probably live in a paper pile and plush toy prison.

But I don't like it too well when he goes through my stuff.

So it is time to adopt a new attitude. One where we do not focus on the material things, or we at least take care of the things that we do need to have. Time to purge the rooms and toy boxes to make room for the next wave that will come in this season.

My biggest solace in this is that we will be having a yard sale, and what we do not sale will go to the Salvation Army. Most of these toys are in great condition, some have never been played with. If one kid gets to have fun with something they might not have otherwise, then it is worth all of the yellow bricks in the road to me.

Hey, maybe I'll get to keep those cool striped socks that go so well with those ruby slippers.

Do We Come With Spare Parts?

Here's a little quiz for you....

What functions do the following do for our bodies: tonsils and adenoids?

Do you know the answer? If not, let me help you. After many hours of exhaustive research, many antibiotics, and sleepless nights, not to mention missed days of work and school, this is the conclusion I have come to:

The sole purpose of tonsils and/or adenoids is to irritate the body they are in to death, catch every airborne/mucus born infection, and hold on to it until the body must ultimately rid itself of these burdens by having them taken out and donating a nice chunk of change to some surgeon's vacation home account.

Yep, I am pretty sure that is correct.   :o)

So, in case my bitterness has not made it apparent, the Taterbug had to have her tonsils taken out last week. We did it during Fall Break, so she wouldn't miss too much school. But the poor thing felt awful this weekend, didn't go today, and I am not sure she will be able to return tomorrow just yet. However, the offensive golf balls formerly known as tonsils are safely out of her throat.

They must have been huge. The other day she told me her throat felt empty. I thought she meant she was thirsty. She said, "no, mom. Where my tonsils used to be, my throat feels so EMPTY.".  Wow.

Another "wow" moment.... 3 days after the surgery she tells me she is sick of eating ice cream. We were eating chicken at the table and she stood over me, looking at it, drooling worse than any dog I have ever seen. I have taken to eating only foods I know she despises when she is around... It was unsettling the way she was watching my nuggets.

I mentioned getting pizza Sunday because we were all tired, to which she glared at me and replied, " I would have been jealous".  Needless to say, no pizza that night.

There are a few good parts to this though. First of all, this should severely cut down on her strep infections... hopefully, anyway. That's the goal! The second is that we have all spent more time together lately. It has been great having more time with my daughters and my lovely hubby. I thank God every day for all the blessings he has given me, even the ones that come with spare parts and hospital bills.

I'm not me, I am a Princess

The other day I called my youngest daughter (Boo) to me by her name. She answered with, "Mom, I am not Boo. I am Princess Boo. See my costume and my crown?" She was, in fact, wearing a Snow White costume. Bad mommy for me to not realize that her personality had changed along with her wardrobe....

What exactly does it mean to be "me"? To be oneself? Although it seems a very simple, if not rhetorical, question, digging deeper it means so much more than that.

Have you ever considered how many different "faces" we put on each day? There are so many: the spouse, the parent, the child, the employee, the employer, the customer... the list can go on and on.

When troubles arise in our lives, we may handle it in different ways depending on what "face" we are wearing at the time.

As Christians, something else needs to be there- something so strong and so much a part of us that it is in our character no matter which face we are wearing at the time. Christian-- our love of God needs to permeate us to the point that it is the underlying foundation of all that we are and do.

Our christian character should be apparent no matter our circumstances-- whether we are watching our child on the ball field, asked to do something at work, whether a customer is being rude to us, or if your mother in law says she hates your cooking in front of a house full of guests. (That must be for you guys, my maw-in-law loves me. Maybe not my cooking... but me enough not to do that) :o)

God's love needs to shine through us ALL the time, no matter what face we are wearing, even if you happen to be a Princess.

A Long Time Coming!

Hello all you happy people!!

Long time, huh?

Guess what happened? Life, that is what happened. I do not mean in a bad way, either. Actually, the majority of my absence was actually a really good time for my family and I. My husband did get a job, we actually moved back closer to our family, and things really seemed to be looking up.

Anyone notice that the word "seemed" was in the past tense in that last paragraph?

Here we are, close to a year to the date of my last post, and this time neither the hubby nor I have a job. However, that is and easy fix and will be done soon. Granted, maybe not what we would love to do for the rest of our lives, but enough to pay the bills and that is the part that is important. Our long bout with unemployment last year did teach us a thing or two about the power of stretching a dollar, being happy with what you do have, and keeping faith that it will work out and not getting depressed.

Many in the family (mine and his) have been sick, anything from pneumonia to bone cancer. Good news- at the moment treatments are finished and we are all praying that the worst is now over.

For everything bad, there was always something good. So why did I stop writing?

It is confession time. No, nothing that I will have to go to jail for, I am not THAT crazy, but still there is something that I need to say. Somewhere along the line last year I stopped having my daily time with Christ. I kept my faith, and attended church regularly, but I stopped my daily nurturing of the relationship that I had with Christ. That is the real reason I believe that I stopped updating, God was not telling me anything because I was not listening to him.

Slowly I have felt my spirit moving, and not in the right direction. Or maybe it would make more sense to say that my spirit has been stagnant... not going backwards, but not moving forwards either. After finally figuring out what i was doing wrong, or in this case not doing right, it is now time for me to get back on track!

My dear little soon to be accountability partners, here is what I intend to do to get back on track. I am good with study groups and books, but I have never quite got the hand of self study without them to guide me. I know nothing of the ancient languages, or enough about the cultures, and a lot of times you need that background info to really dissect passages and get everything out of them that you can.

I can, however, read Proverbs!

So beginning tonight (mainly because, let's face it, if I put it off until "tomorrow" it will never happen) I will begin reading the Proverbs before I go to bed. The cool thing about Proverbs is that they are not really that long, and there are 31 of them, one for each day. Since today is the 20th, I will read chapter 20 tonight.

This will not be the extent of my studies. I have always felt my absolute best when I was deep in a study of God's word, and have just recently realized how I feel my life has been floundering around since I stopped daily searching God's word. But this is my step in the right direction.

Anyone want to take this step with me?

My Bright Side

"Thank you Lord, for the day you have given us today. For all of the gifts you have given us, not the least of which is the life we have on this earth, and the eternal life we will have with you when this earthly life is over. Thank you for all of your blessings, for taking care of us, and for working all things out for Your glory. Amen."

Ah, but life should be so easy.

I say that prayer almost every day. And I mean it, I mean it with all that is inside of me. But sometimes it is much easier to say than others. Right now for instance- my husband has no job, I work part time, and we are almost 3 hours away from our family.

But God wants us to dwell on what we have, not what we do not have. The things he provides for us, sometimes even in spite of ourselves, because there can be no way we deserve it.

Here is my bright side: so far, all of our health is good, we managed to save some money over the last few months to cushion this blow, I DO have a part time job (much better than none!), the wonderful friends that I have made at work, and I have my loving family, not to mention my loving God. No matter how bad things are, we have a roof over our head, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Shelter, food, transportation, and the hope of an eternity with God. When I can focus on these, what trivial earthly matters can bother me?

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Easter - He is Risen!

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Tomorrow is Easter. In the minds of so many, even us Christians, the first thoughts in our mind when Easter is mentioned are those of eggs, bunnies, and new clothes for our kids that they usually only wear once.

Praise God, Easter is so much more than that!

I remember when Bug was 3 and learned the true meaning of Easter. When she learned that people had killed Jesus she broke down crying; she looked as if she'd lost a friend. Then we told her that he came back to life and went to heaven to live with God his Father, and that he is making a place for anyone who believes in Him to live there with Him.

As adults, we need to remember the true reason for Easter as well. In my opinion, and everyone has their own, the Easter bunny is just as ok as Santa is. There is only one time in life when you are small enough to believe in such fairy tales. However, we need to make sure our children, our families, even US as individuals, remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

If Jesus had not died, as an innocent for unjust people, and then if he had not risen 3 days later just as he said he would, then what is our faith? That being said, if we are a people of faith, how faithful are we honestly if we do not celebrate that which is the essence of our belief? The life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He is not buried anywhere now, we do not have to go and view his bones or anything such as that, we do not worship a mere mortal man, we worship GOD! God, who is large enough to place a small part of himself as the Holy Spirit into each person who becomes a believer in him and accepts his gift of grace and eternal salvation. How marvelous is our God!!

Romans 5: 7-9 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (NIV)

Being Lazarus

We all have things that happen to us in our lives that we do not like. They can come in various shapes and forms, from something as small as a car that will not start and makes us late, so something as serious as a life threatening disease or death of a loved one. Or something more in the middle, like a virus that just knocks us off of our feet for a bit.

Did I mention that Bug has a tummy virus? No? Well, she does.

But that is not really what today's blog is about. This pertains more toward the more serious things that can happen to us or those we love. Sickness. Loss of job. Losing your home. Death.

So I bring you a familiar passage, but maybe we can shed a little different light on it and have you think about things from a different perspective.

These are a few excerpts from the Bible, from the story of Lazarus. The whole story is in John 11:1 through John 12:11 if you would like to read it. All scripture quoted below is from the NIV translation.

John 11:4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

John 11:14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

John 11:25 Jesus said to her (Martha), "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11: 40, 43-44 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

John 11:45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.

John 12: 9-11 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

I know we have probably all heard this story before. As a side note, if you have not, you should really check it out. I remember mainly thinking of this story in terms of what Jesus did for Lazarus and for his sisters. He gave Lazarus another shot at life, and he gave his sisters their brother back. Wouldn't that be amazing? To be mourning the loss of your loved one, and have them be able to come back and have a second chance! Or even more so, to have your days on earth done and be given a second chance by the Son of God himself to accomplish even more for his kingdom. How wonderful a gift!

However, if you read all the verses you might be able to tell that is not my focus this time. Jesus tried to tell the disciples, and us, the reason that Lazarus got sick and eventually died. Was it because Lazarus sinned, did something wrong, or was sick for no reason? No. Was it so that Jesus could give him and his family the wonderful gift of seeing him come back? No, although that was a nice side benefit for them.

No. God let it happen so that his Son Jesus would be glorified through it. As you read further, you will see that many people came to believe in Jesus because of this miracle and the walking testimony of Lazarus himself. So much so that when the priests started plotting to kill Jesus, they even discussed killing Lazarus because of all the people who believed because of him.

Bottom line is this. Sometimes when we go through trials and difficulties, especially when it seems things are as bad as they can get, we might be going through that very thing just so that God can be glorified. Not for us, not for our better good necessarily, but for the good of God. He will work all things out for His glory. Take comfort in your trials. God might be preparing miracle that you can give the testimony for and give all the glory to God. Sometimes to do that he has to take us to a place where there is no other hope or way out, except for him, just so that everyone will be able to see that God was the only way you could have gotten out of your trouble.

In God alone, through God alone, and for God alone

Praise be to God, that sometimes he lets us take part in his wonderful work to bring people back to him. We should all hope to be Lazarus someday. Not that we want to die, but so that we could be used for him.

Being Lazarus. A walking, talking testimony of the love of Jesus. Proof that what was once dead spiritually can now be alive. How wonderful!

Carrots vs Shells and Cheese

Bug hates vegetables. That is the 5 year old. Luckily so far the baby will eat anything that gets remotely close to her mouth and does not move. But Bug hates veggies. And she hates most fruit also. We have expanded her culinary horizon greatly compared to a year ago, but it is still like waging war to even mention what veggies are going to be on her plate at dinner time. She can have a plate full of shells and cheese - her absolute favorite - but all she sees and talks about and WHINES about are those few spoonfuls of carrots beside it that she must eat also. You would think I was making her go on a strict vegetarian diet with absolutely no chicken nuggets in sight to hear the way she acts when a few measly little veggies find their way onto her plate. It's like she doesn't even see the food she likes, she is too busy focusing on what she does NOT like.

As adults, I have noticed that we tend to act this same way about things in our life to our heavenly Father. He puts a few things in our path for us to go through to either grow, strengthen our character, or just to simply learn to rely on him instead of ourselves while we get through the mess. When these things happen we seem to instantly forget about all the great and wonderful things he has done and is continuing to do in our lives, and only see the horrible big bad obstacle that is now before us. Why are we so short sighted? We want our shells and cheese, but can't seem bear down and struggle through something we don't like long enough to eat our carrots.

Do you ever have one of those days? You know--you wake up late, all the shaving cream is gone, work is awful, the kids are in a bad mood, your spouse is having a bad day also, no one seems to care, you realize you forgot to mail a payment, you find out they are having layoffs at your work, and then the very last straw is when you burn dinner to a crisp! Ever have one of those days, or those weeks? The little things chip away at us slowly and if we do not notice and take action, when a big obstacle comes up it will tear a giant chunk of us off.

Lately a lot of things have been going on in the lives of people I know, and my personal life, that can bring on worry, doubt, and even discouragement. Fortunately, the new series our church is doing right now is on HOPE. This has been very timely for me! I am also reading a book Having a Mary heart in a Martha world, that speaks a lot about worry and discouragement.

What are we to do when it feels as if everything, and sometimes everyone, in our lives has turned against us? Should we lie down and give up, get mad and pitch a 2-year-old type tantrum, go shopping (sometimes even if we have no money), go out to eat and try to drown our problems in food? Or, worse yet, I have several people I know that just seem to "check out" of life when everything goes wrong. Their bodies are here, but their minds are not and they have no joy about anything, they just go through the motions of life.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy about your life (Amplified Bible)

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

God knows that things bad will happen in our lives. Jesus tells us that bad things WILL happen. He also tells us that we should not dwell on them. Not that we should not be concerned and do what we can, but in the end we are to realize that everything is from God. Therefore we should turn all things over to God and let him work them out and spend our time focusing on God, instead of focusing on our problems. Think through your difficulties, then prayerfully turn them and your thoughts over to God.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. (NIV)

When we spend all of our time dwelling on our problems we magnify them in our mind. Whatever we continually think about will be our perception of the world. God wants us to think constantly about the good things he has done and will do for us instead of any troubles we may be going through that will depress us. Remember, even if nothing else is going right: God sent his son to die for YOU. That is right - YOU. So that you may be redeemed. How could we let anything overshadow that simple truth?

In short, if all you see are carrots, then that is all you feel the world is. If you can hunker down long enough to eat the carrots, you can get on to the creamy shells and cheese of life.

So, eat your veggies. God wants you to have the cheese.

The Evidence We See

I don't know if I have mentioned it before or not, but I have 2 daughters. The oldest one, Bug, is five; and the baby, Boo, is 1yr. They are almost exactly 4 years apart. Most of the time you will see stuff about Bug in my entries more than Boo, just because she is older, can talk, and by those very reasons alone gives me more material to write about.

Among the many things Bug got for Christmas, one was her very first board game. It's cute, and both my hubby and I have been suckered into playing it a lot lately because Boo can't and would probably just eat the pieces. We have tried to tell Bug before that "it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game", and "just try your best", and "don't be mad at them if they win; do you want them to be mad at you if you win?". Apparently, all of this has fallen on deaf ears. She had fun while we were playing, but both times I won. The first time she didn't take it too bad, the second time she lost her "attitude coin" for today and I made her get ready for bed early. Now she says that she understands the rules of how we play and share, that she knows about being a good sport, but what do her actions show?

That may be a bit much, after all, she IS only 5 and still learning; but I want you to think about us as adults. We claim to be Christians. We claim to know right from wrong. But how do other see us? To others from the outside looking in, what do our actions show?

James 2:18-19 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. (NIV)

Apparently we people do not change much over the centuries. "Good" people that did not believe in Christ had the same argument in Biblical times as they do today: "I am a good person and do good things, so I will go to heaven. I'm better than that such-n-such preacher on TV that claims to be all righteous but is just a hypocrite. Just look at my deeds versus his!"

There are 2 major points in these verses:

1. Deeds alone will not get you into heaven

2. If you really have faith, you will want to do good deeds out of the abundance of love and gratitude in your own heart, and that will show others the evidence of your faith.

So what about the people that claim to be Christians that backslide? Well, we all continue to sin, whether we like it or not. But the trend of our lives should be farther and farther away from sin the longer we walk with Jesus. If the trend of our lives gets farther away from him instead of closer, then we should examine whether or not we really have a relationship with him. Like the old joke of the elderly couple riding to town in the pickup truck - the wife claims there is so much distance between them as she sits by the passenger door-- her husband tells her that he is not the one who moved. People, if we used to have a wonderful relationship with God and we feel we don't now, he is not the one who moved away, we did, and we are the ones who need to move back.

A little side note here, the verse also says something about people who believe there is a God, even people who believe that Jesus came and he was the son of God. The demons and Satan know that too, but does it save them? No! Why not? Head knowledge never equals heart knowledge in God's kingdom. You can know everything possible, memorize the Bible from front to back, yet if you have not asked God to come into your heart, asked Jesus to take your place for the punishment of your sins, well then folks, you are no more a Christian than you are a car just by knowing all about the mechanics of one.

As for my Bug, she is only 5, and we still have more time to work on her character development. In a way this game was a good thing, it brought it to our attention, and maybe we can have some time to work on this before school starts. She is already good at winning, you should see her "happy dance"!

Contentment- the ugly "C" word

Let me tell you a secret you may not know about my two daughters. They are spoiled. Royally spoiled. Rotten to the core. My husband and I love to point out that this is due to both sets of grandparents, and not to us. They are my scapegoats and that is the story I am sticking with.

Apparently both sets of grandparents held up a toys r us each and brought all the goods to my house, at least that is what it looks like in here. My older girl, Bug, (not her real name.. just in case anyone thinks I actually am that crazy, I'm not), anyway, Bug got a lot of Littlest Pet Shop toys for Christmas among all the zillion of other things. The first thing she did when she opened one of the packages was to take out the paper flier that has pictures of ALL of the LPS creatures and start telling us which ones she did not have. She already had a lot on her dresser and got around 18 for Christmas! Yet all she was concerned with was getting more... having them all! I had to gently remind her that she was never going to have them all, because if she did then those Pets would have to live in the closet with the tub full of Thomas the Tank Engine and ALL of his friends, or in the large backpack that has Lightening McQeen and ALL of his friends, including 2 Mac trucks and all of the Dinoco Cars, from the movie Cars. We are running out of places to put stuff and it cost too much to throw or give away. I think we'll just hold on to it and when she is 17 I'll start auctioning it off on Ebay to pay for her college tuition.

This snippet brings me to my bible verse for today:

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions." (NIV)

So here is what you are probably thinking: the manna verse is much better suited to a "God supplies our need" blog than a Contentment blog. And that may be so. The wonderful thing about the Bible is that many verses can be used for many topics. There is a wealth of information waiting in every word if we just stop and look for it, kind of like trying to find the last piece of good chocolate at the bottom of your kid's Halloween candy sack.

The part I'd like to focus on is "the people are to go out EACH DAY and gather ENOUGH FOR THAT DAY. In that way I will TEST THEM and see whether THEY WILL FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS." (emphasis mine).

The Israelites were only supposed to take enough of this life giving food for each day. That may not seem like a lot, but it meant that they were not supposed to keep any for the next day at all. They had to fully rely on God, and not themselves, to take care of their needs for the next day. At the same time they had to be content with what God provided for them each day to meet their daily needs. When we pray for God to "give us our daily bread", we need to know that sometimes that is manna, or bread and water, and it does not mean we will have enough money in our banking account to have a ribeye every day. Yet we must be content with what God provides. He may not give us what we want, but he will always give us what we need.

We usually have a difficult time telling the difference between "enough" and "too much". Our culture does not really help the situation, in fact, it generally makes it worse. Look at commercials very closely, who is happier? Is it the lady that is shopping at the mall, or the one wearing older clothes? Is it the family eating out every night at a restaurant or a family striving to cook something at home that no one wants to eat. Do people love their new cars or homes? Why yes they do-- until someone they know gets one better or newer or bigger... well... you get the idea.

Why do we care? Why do we want more? Even in a child as young as mine, the urge is already there to have it all. And what can we do about it? You can try to influence your own family, but you must be prepared with a backup plan because you are not the only influence they will have and you will need to weed through the others to determine what you can let stay and what you must weed out for good.

In the end, there are very few things we actually need. Food. Shelter. Water. Above all of this though, we need a relationship with God. He alone can fill our needs, our hearts, our need for a savior. Maybe if we focus more on him, and less on this world, we can learn to be more content.

In the mean time I suppose Barbie's dream house will have to build an addition to hold all of the pets that have taken over the black hole that is Bug's room.

Attitudes and Leggos

First let me tell you what has happened today; yes, all of this just TODAY, then I will get on to what I had planned to write. Plans usually don't come to fruition with me very often.

I will start with the most serious and go from there.

1. The wife of a long distance family member was found dead this morning. It may not be very close in relationship, but anytime someone dies it is important and heartbreaking. To make it worse, it appears to have been suicide, although not all details are known.
2. My mother met with a surgeon today and is going to need surgery on her arm. She has been having problems for a YEAR and they just now figured out that her tendon is torn off of her rotator cuff. As bad as that sounds she is happy just to finally know what is wrong and that it can be fixed!
3. My lovable little urchins were all smiles today, until the older one had an attitude meltdown and the small one flushed her first Lego down the toilet. Yippee for me! Does she know it's a Holiday?

Like I said earlier, the first two notes are much more important, one sad, and one happy. So goes our lives. Always something to rejoice in, but at the same time something to cry over also. The last one is basically just a tribute to my state of mind as I write tonight.

I have found two bible verses: neither of them may be where I got my paraphrase "God won't give us what we can't handle", but in a way, both of them can be seen in that light.

II Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (NIV)

In this verse I see several points, mostly about how we react when STUFF HAPPENS TO US.

• God's grace is sufficient. Doesn't this just sound like a nice neat little package to tell someone and hope they quit whining? But read the verse again, it is the truth. God is telling us that his power is made perfect in our weaknesses; and boy, do we ever have some weaknesses. I don't know about you, but God has a lot of room to be made perfect in me!
• We will have sufferings I know some people say if you love God enough or do all the right things you will not suffer. But it is just not so! God never tells us that we will not face tough times, what he tells us is that he will be with us and get us through them. We need not think God has abandoned us when things go wrong, instead, he will use that situation to glorify himself in ways we could never have imagined.

This is getting rather lengthy, so let me get to my next point. This verse is about OUR REACTION TO TEMPTATION. Let's face it, sometimes stuff happens to us because we first did something we knew we were not supposed to do. Blame it on the devil, the mailman, the mean person in traffic that cut you off, the kids for being horrible all day, the people at work for being total life draining maniacs, but when it comes down to it, we all have a choice.

I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (NIV)

• Temptation is normal See, I told you so. Everyone has temptations. And unfortunately for us our tempter has been around long enough that he knows just how and when is the perfect time to tempt us. But do not feel alone or discouraged, for you are surely not alone.
• We will not be tempted beyond our control Ok, everyone who has ever failed at a temptation may argue this one, but there it is, in black and white (ok, blue and white). All of us have failed, we are all human, but if you look back at it, especially the BIG ones, there was a way out of it if we had just taken the harder road. Which comes to the next point...
• God will provide a way out God always provides a way out. The key is to stay in his word, to stay in him, so that we can recognize it. I have done some things before that I honestly felt I had no choice, only to look back now and clearly see that God had left an escape route open for me if I had chosen to make a run for it. If you are honest, you probably have too.

So what more for tonight, on this New Year's Eve (it is already the new year now where I am). Well, I'll do a backwards countdown of my top three at the beginning of the page, and lets try to find any bright spots that we can along the way. Although #1 will be very difficult.

#3 Well, I didn't hurt any of the girls for either the attitudes or the Lego in the potty. I thought that was doing rather good for me. Actually most of this happened when my hubby was watching them so I could cook supper. As a stay at home mom that is one of the few times I get without kids around my feet, although hearing what is going on without being able to intercept or handle things MY way is sometimes difficult. If you have a hubby that parents his way, and it doesn't exactly jive with your way, let me offer some advice. Let him do it his way. It's good for him and the kids and if you just interrupt him all the time he will stop "parenting" because of nagging and be one of those guys that only gets up from his spot in his chair to feed, sleep, or potty himself.

#2 I really must praise God that my mom may have finally found the answer she is looking for and hopefully some relief from the pain she has been in for over a year. But I must admit, I am skeptical. This is not the first time someone thought they found the reason and had the "cure". So until it is over and done with I just pray that this time it is right and almost over. I guess that is why doctors "practice" medicine.... I'm just tired of my mom feeling as if she is the guinea pig.

#1 How do you find something hopeful in the possible suicide of any other person? Well, it is not easy, that is for sure. I did not know her myself, so I don't know if she had her eternal affairs in order. I pray she did. The best I can come up with right now is to pray that during whatever service is held for her and her grieving family, that someone preaches the gospel and hopefully reaches some people that might not have been reached before. And maybe someone looking from the outside in, that thought suicide might be the answer to all of their problems, maybe that person will realize that it doesn't solve anything at all, it only hurts the ones that love you.

Rejoice in life, we will get to eternity soon enough.

Happy new year to you all, and I hope you all have many, many more.

Blessings vs. Patience

Blessings abound, Patience does not.

Do you wonder what that means?

Here's how I see it- It says in the Bible (not sure where, but I will find it before Friday!) that God will only give us what we can handle. Ok, so maybe that is a large jump at me paraphrasing it. But that is the way I've always heard it used in context.

This blog will be about me, my life, my crazy family (God love them all) and all of the "blessings" we have received. Many of them did not look like blessings in the beginning, and we have honestly wondered if God really thought that we were capable of handling such traumatic events, but always later, we can look back and see God's hand at work.

So blessings do abound.

But patience does not.

Did I mention that while we are in the throes of one of these "blessings" we tend to look everywhere and to everyone OTHER than God for suggestions, reasons, or even ways to make it all just stop? Patience is much easier in hindsight, or for that matter when you are talking to someone else about THEIR problem. It is not nearly as easily found when it is you or I going through the actual pain or problem, or anyone we care deeply for. (Many of these will be about my parents and in laws, to name a few)

I try to be my own voice of reason through these time. I try to say to myself, "come on, TinaLou, you know that last time God worked everything out, and 6 months later it all made sense!"

That is true. And on more than one occasion.

Ah, but getting through the six months? That felt like eternity itself, and it does every time.

Let it begin!