Here we are again nearing another Christmas! Wow. Where does time go?
Well, I am sooo thankful for our new experience this Thanksgiving. We, as a family went to a school cafeteria along with some wonderful church family members, formed huge lines to make 1800 meal trays, filled boxes, stuffed those bad boys in sedans, suvs, trucks, MONSTER suvs, mini vans, compact cars, vans, and armed with addresses and love, drove food to families all around our communities! Awesomeness!
I could have never been prepared for the faces we would see next. These are faces of our brothers and sisters right in our own back yard who are struggling. Struggling to find their next meal. Struggling to find a job. Struggling to keep warm. Struggling to keep their children warm. Struggling to hide their fear and tears from their children as they worry about these things.
We got to pray, and quite frankly almost cry with these people. I almost feel inadequate to pray with them when I sit here so overly blessed! It really opened our eyes to the lack of real problems in our lives. How dare I complain about a thing. What was awesome is that one of the families wants to join us for church Sunday morning. They have no vehicle. Yes, a family of eight (actually two families in one household) without a vehicle. Our transmission just bit the dust....but Praise God we still one running vehicle! So, we may not know just yet how we will get them there, but we will get them there. And God will provide for us to get our transmission fixed....maybe not right away, and that's okay.
My main point is this...Here we are at yet another Christmas. What are we doing running around finding things to overflow our homes? Stuff. Stuff. More stuff. I personally am being convicted. I have been simplifying my life. More of Him and less of me....and less stuff.
Do we even remember Christmas is truely about? If it is truely about Christ, then we should be out there being His hands and feet. Not getting into fist fights on aisle 9 at Target on black Friday over a Cabbage Patch doll. For a world dripping with stuff, and then always wanting more, we are very empty inside.
This verse hit me hard...... I refuse to sugar coat the Word, and take it for what it says....
They will give back everything they worked for.
Their wealth will bring them no joy.
For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
They foreclosed on their homes.
They were always greedy and never satisfied.
Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.
Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.
“In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
and be overcome by misery.
~ Job 20:18-22
Friday, November 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
When you learn from a 5 year old....
Our son RJ will repeat anything! As I am sure is no different from any other 5 year old. But, the trick is not to say anything that you would not want them to say.
So, we are riding through the neighborhood in the car letting the kids trick or treat. It is cold so they are in and out of the car as we go house to house. As we come up to this one house, my husband says without thinking, "alright, go get some candy from the grouchy man's house."
Ok, I must explain the reasoning behind this thoughtless comment. We have heard numerous unsolicited rumors about this guy since the day he moved in about how rude and unfriendly he is. One person says that they have had a door shut in their face, while others say he just won't even say as much as a "hello" when spoken to while out in the yard. Well, I guess somewhere amongst the rumors and gossip we let some of it sink in as truth even though we had not yet met the new neighbors ourselves.
Well, I bet you can guess what happened next! Yep, our innocent little five year old runs full speed to his front door with intentions of getting a hand full of candy while spilling the beans about what his daddy had just said about him in the car! Turns out he was the nicest guy up until the moment my son blurted out the words, "my daddy said we should come get candy from the grouchy man's house, and you are the grouchy man!" When they got back to the car I felt so small, and wanted to vanish from the car!
Here we were feeling like poop. We had never even met this guy and had just ruined that chance with a quick, thoughtless comment based on rumors. I am a firm believer in taking what people say with a grain of salt. I don't base my opinions on what others may say.
Well, to explain what happened next we first had to apologize to our son for the wrong choice we made in making a mean comment about someone, before we could dare tell him that what he had said to the guy was wrong. My husband then took RJ with him back to the neighbors house to apologize. He confessed that he had made that comment in front of our son and that it was wrong. Turns out they all had a great conversation and we now know for ourselves that he is not a grouchy man, but a really nice, understanding man.
This is why I really dislike gossip. Whenever I have even fallen into the gossip trap, someone always gets hurt and it is usually me too! All it does is open the door wide for the enemy to put up a wedge between me and others. I want my children to know that the tongue is a powerful weapon and we have to guard it carefully.
As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger! ~ Proverbs 25:23
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18
So, we are riding through the neighborhood in the car letting the kids trick or treat. It is cold so they are in and out of the car as we go house to house. As we come up to this one house, my husband says without thinking, "alright, go get some candy from the grouchy man's house."
Ok, I must explain the reasoning behind this thoughtless comment. We have heard numerous unsolicited rumors about this guy since the day he moved in about how rude and unfriendly he is. One person says that they have had a door shut in their face, while others say he just won't even say as much as a "hello" when spoken to while out in the yard. Well, I guess somewhere amongst the rumors and gossip we let some of it sink in as truth even though we had not yet met the new neighbors ourselves.
Well, I bet you can guess what happened next! Yep, our innocent little five year old runs full speed to his front door with intentions of getting a hand full of candy while spilling the beans about what his daddy had just said about him in the car! Turns out he was the nicest guy up until the moment my son blurted out the words, "my daddy said we should come get candy from the grouchy man's house, and you are the grouchy man!" When they got back to the car I felt so small, and wanted to vanish from the car!
Here we were feeling like poop. We had never even met this guy and had just ruined that chance with a quick, thoughtless comment based on rumors. I am a firm believer in taking what people say with a grain of salt. I don't base my opinions on what others may say.
Well, to explain what happened next we first had to apologize to our son for the wrong choice we made in making a mean comment about someone, before we could dare tell him that what he had said to the guy was wrong. My husband then took RJ with him back to the neighbors house to apologize. He confessed that he had made that comment in front of our son and that it was wrong. Turns out they all had a great conversation and we now know for ourselves that he is not a grouchy man, but a really nice, understanding man.
This is why I really dislike gossip. Whenever I have even fallen into the gossip trap, someone always gets hurt and it is usually me too! All it does is open the door wide for the enemy to put up a wedge between me and others. I want my children to know that the tongue is a powerful weapon and we have to guard it carefully.
As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger! ~ Proverbs 25:23
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ~ Proverbs 12:18
My husband rocks!!
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ~ Corinthians 11:3
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. "At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of a man." This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
~ Genesis 2:22
My husband rocks because.........
... he is the most selfless person I know.
... he will kill any bug for me (or take it outside if I ask him not to kill it)!
... he is an amazing father to our children and they adore him.
... he can fix ANYTHING!
... he is a hard worker.
... he will light up the grill or cook for me even after a long day at work.
... he helps around the house and with the kids.
... he puts up with me.
... he's always supported anything (mostly) I've wanted to do.
... he doesn't get mad when I call him 50 times a day at work.
... he spoils me rotten.
... he loves and respects my family.
... he lights the candles around the tub for me.
... he's my best friend.
... he cleans and vacuums out my car without me asking him.
... he tells me everyday that he loves me.
... he will go to the store alone, stand in the feminine product isle and pick just the right kind of pads and carry them to the front and pay for them....THAT IS A MAN ;)
... he pumps gas for me even when he knows I barely made it home on fumes so I did not have to stand and pump it myself.
... he brings me asprin and water when my head hurts.
... he allows me to have extra pillows and take up most of the bed at night.
... he makes awesome sweet tea.
... he laughs at me, even if it may not be funny.
... he is a goofball.
... he trusts me
... he is a Godly man, husband, and father.
... he let us keep a dog and a cat that he never wanted in the first place...(and now he loves them;)
... he never agrees with me when I feel ugly or fat.
... he LOVES me just as I am!
I want to honor my husband and let him know how awesome I think he is. I also want to help by spreading the idea that marriage is an institution worthy of honor, not the insignificant, tired, old ritual often portrayed in today’s society.
Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
~ Proverbs 25:24
Thank you to my hubby for not climbing onto the corner of the rooftop! I love you!
*
~ Genesis 2:22
My husband rocks because.........
... he is the most selfless person I know.
... he will kill any bug for me (or take it outside if I ask him not to kill it)!
... he is an amazing father to our children and they adore him.
... he can fix ANYTHING!
... he is a hard worker.
... he will light up the grill or cook for me even after a long day at work.
... he helps around the house and with the kids.
... he puts up with me.
... he's always supported anything (mostly) I've wanted to do.
... he doesn't get mad when I call him 50 times a day at work.
... he spoils me rotten.
... he loves and respects my family.
... he lights the candles around the tub for me.
... he's my best friend.
... he cleans and vacuums out my car without me asking him.
... he tells me everyday that he loves me.
... he will go to the store alone, stand in the feminine product isle and pick just the right kind of pads and carry them to the front and pay for them....THAT IS A MAN ;)
... he pumps gas for me even when he knows I barely made it home on fumes so I did not have to stand and pump it myself.
... he brings me asprin and water when my head hurts.
... he allows me to have extra pillows and take up most of the bed at night.
... he makes awesome sweet tea.
... he laughs at me, even if it may not be funny.
... he is a goofball.
... he trusts me
... he is a Godly man, husband, and father.
... he let us keep a dog and a cat that he never wanted in the first place...(and now he loves them;)
... he never agrees with me when I feel ugly or fat.
... he LOVES me just as I am!
I want to honor my husband and let him know how awesome I think he is. I also want to help by spreading the idea that marriage is an institution worthy of honor, not the insignificant, tired, old ritual often portrayed in today’s society.
Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
~ Proverbs 25:24
Thank you to my hubby for not climbing onto the corner of the rooftop! I love you!
*
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