Gifts!

There are so many things to be grateful for, but one of the many gifts I received this year is to be on our church's Youth Mexico Outreach Team.  Yes, that means McKenzie is a freshman in high school!  I can't believe it!  It is a joy to join in on the fundraising and team meetings and see how God is using this outreach to bless McKenzie with new friends and developing leadership skills -- that girl is beauty in motion! 

Another, most amazing Gift has been to go through a great season of Football with T.Michael.  This fall there were some intense character development moments as T faithfully worked at every practice and game!  I admire his commitment to get good grades at school while working hard for his team -- he's a good sport too, he's good at lending a hand to help a tackled opponent back up...right after ruthlessly plowing them down!

Life is a Puzzle!

Life can be like a sliding puzzle!  You have so much to do (many "first-world" problems to tackle!) and so little time to do it.  We had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday, fun with family then lots of visiting and a movie...then somehow we got the notion to get a new mattress.  Sound simple?  NOT! This began the big ripple effect of life!  Here's how:

We needed a new mattress

Somehow this morphed into new bedroom furniture also (a very good thing)
This resulted in two IKEA trips -- one on Black Friday (which is against our religion)
McKenzie would get our bedroom furniture

T.Michael would get McKenzie's bedroom furniture

T.Michael's furniture would end up at the Pine's home, since they're hosting Australian basketball players  and need an extra bed
All this resulted in finding dust-balls the size of our cats

This was not quite enough chaos so the kitchen sink decided to leak (trying not to take it personally)

On the way to run an errand the battery in the van was dead (I'm not making this up)

I decided to take Dave's car instead, and a headlight was out

Upon returning, I realized the street light and McKenzie's bedroom lights had all burned out

...All because we "needed" a new mattress!  Life can be so fun!

Bouncing Balls

Whether you call it spinning plates or bouncing balls, I find I can't do too many at one time!  It seems I can bounce a few balls real high, but I never seem to keep many going very high for very long...What am I talking about?  Life!  We just got through Football, now we're heading into Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mexico for Spring break.  I love this season of life, I just feel like:

Try as I like, I can't many balls very high at the same time!!

Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. - a quote by Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest - June27

These are hard words to follow -- impossible without knowing Jesus Christ. When I was in my 20's and went to live in an orphanage in Honduras, I was hurt and betrayed by a few select "friends" back home. I found out during a rare call home that while I was pouring myself out in service, and suffering through several types of physical afflictions (including a desperate case of "Mom-itis" = homesickness) one of my "friends" was spreading vicious, unfounded rumors about me. This was a bitter blow, especially since I had no way to defend myself. Even though it took a lot of trust in God to step out in obedient faith and go live in a Honduran orphanage, for me it was even more challenging to trust god with my good name and my reputation back home. It was no coincidence to find that my daily devotional -- My Utmost For His Highest was about that very issue. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares that when we are living for Him, there is no time to "stand up for ourselves." Like I always say, "We have to keep our eyes on the prize (Him) and He will guide and direct our steps. He will take care of our name and reputation. This is not an easy road to take, but this kind of trust is always rewarded. I've attached a copy of June 27 My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers:

June 27 The Overshadowing Personal Deliverance June 27 The Overshadowing Personal Deliverance “I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:8 God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally – “Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey.” That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are a matter of indifference, we have to sit loosely to all those things; if we do not, there will be panic and heartbreak and distress. That is the inwardness of the overshadowing of personal deliverance. The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on Jesus Christ’s errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, Do not be bothered with whether you are being justly dealt with or not. To look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will begin to grouse and to indulge in the discontent of self-pity – Why should I be treated like this? If we are devoted to Jesus Christ we have nothing to do with what we meet, whether it is just or unjust. Jesus says – Go steadily on with what I have told you to do and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance. The most devout among us become atheistic in this connection; we do not believe God, we enthrone common sense and tack the name of God on to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts.