Content to sip, but asked to gulp!!

We continue to sip from our saucer as we enjoy our vacation, but today we were forced to gulp as the cup was overflowing quickly. In “our” original plan we were going to head to Hershey Park on Tuesday. We had heard that it is not as crowded and was a good day to visit and enjoy all the rides. When we arrived in PA we found out that Matt’s family had planned on us visiting the park on Monday. (God continues to provide opportunities for me to learn that I do not have to be in control and also ways to learn how not to allow my feathers to be ruffled when things don’t go as planned. He reminds me that He is in control.) So we spent Monday in Hershey park and had a wonderful time. Roller coaster after roller coaster, water slide after water slide. We had fun from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and we never stopped. I loved hearing my children scream at the top of their lungs and hold their hands in the air as I clinched the bar watching my knuckles turn white. I loved hearing them say...”Let’s do that again.” Needless to say that we were sipping loudly from the saucer all day long. I even conquered one of my greatest strongholds and allowed everyone to go to bed with Hershey Park all over them. NO BATHS!! Can you believe it? I’m not sure if that was a sip or just a spill over from the tiredness of the day, but nevertheless we all fell into our beds happy but dirty.

Our gulp came this afternoon as we learned that today (Tuesday - the day we originally planned to be at Hershey Park) there was a tornado in Hershey Park. I shared this news with the boys and Joshua said, “I love God so much for changing the day we went to the park. He is so awesome.” And I totally agree with Joshua. God is all-knowing and His wisdom is infinite. He works in such intentional, specific ways that sometimes we can’t see and we allow our feathers to ruffle all the while HE knows what is best. As Jacob has been singing all day today...”God’s way is the best way, now that I know He loves me so. His way is the best way and that’s the way for ME.” Not only did God protect us from the storms and tornados that were coming on Tuesday, but He gave us a beautiful day, no waiting in line and overcast skies to enjoy on Monday. When we received the news of the tornado today I think we all GULPED in the blessings. I gulped, but I also stood humbled before my Holy God as I remembered how I struggled to go with the flow and not allow my feather ruffling to show, but He knows and yet He is patient with me. I am so thankful for such a patient, loving, caring Father who intentionally works out all of the “coincidences” in my life for my good and for His glory. To His name be all honor and glory forever. Amen!

"Saucer Sipping"

For years I have heard my Mother say, "We are drinking from the saucer because our cup is overflowing."

As we left for a 14 day vacation with much excitement, but a little apprehension on the part of Mommy we all wondered what to expect on this "New" vacation we were taking. You see we are beach people. Same vacation, same routine every year. (No complaints here, I love it, but this year we wanted some new adventure.) We headed out on a 19 hour road trip 1 way. Today I just want to share with you some blessings we have encountered on the way as we are sipping from our saucer. And just so you know, we are sipping, not gulping so we can savor every flavor as we "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8

Our first sip came as we woke up at 4 a.m. Yes, I said 4 a.m. and loaded the car for the first 13 hours of our journey. Everyone was so happy, so excited and quickly went back to sleep. Except for Matthew. He had decided the night before that it would be fun to stay up all night and be awake for 24 full hours. He made it 21 and then we noticed his head bobbing in the backseat. Being the goal oriented parents that we are we tried to help him stay awake by laughing at him and picking on him, but soon he said in a slurred, sleepy voice, "I don't think this 24 hour thing is all its cracked up to be." With those words he dropped his head and slept the remainder of the trip and then some. I was amazed that on a 13 hour trip no one complained, no one had to stop (except me) and no one even argued. "Thank you Jesus!" "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation." Philippians 2:14

Our next sip came as we checked into our hotel, which we had blindly booked online. That always freaks me out. We were blessed to have a great rate within our budget due to a family and friends discount. (Thanks Megan) We had a booked a Springhill Suites by Marriott but you just never know about hotels. Wow, were we blown away when we walked in and saw the water fountain, leather sofas and chandeliers in the lobby of our "new hotel home for 3 days" as Jacob likes to put it. This place was so nice, big and beautiful. Wonderful FREE buffet breakfast, an indoor pool and 2 queen beds and a pull out queen sofa. I think God was just showing off for us. We were blessed beyond measure. We went to dinner our first night with Matt's brother and his family. They are so precious and easy to hang out with. The boys had a great time reuniting with their cousin and again I had to take a sip from the saucer as Jacob was so sweet to his little cousin. No hitting, yelling or bullying. Jacob is a sweet boy, but very unpredictable. Thank you Jesus that the discipline is paying off. "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20

We spent the evening on the oil-free beach (another sip) of the Atlantic ocean. In case you did not know, the Atlantic Ocean is cold. The boys had a blast and got very wet!!! It is so neat to watch God provide and be ready in all circumstances since we are not. As we walked back to the van, we wondered how hard it would be to strap all four of them to the top in their wet, sandy clothes, 'cause they were not getting in my van. Aunt Renee provided the next sip as she had towels and a garbage bag in her car. We stripped those boys down to their skivvies, dried them off, made them sit on towels and Aunt Renee took the sandy clothes home in a garbage bag to wash them. I love that our God is always ready!!! "But put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." I Timothy 6:17

The next morning we had a gorgeous day to spend in Williamsburg. It was amazing. The boys got to see what life was like in the 1800 and early 1900's. They had a blast and loved the things that I didn't really think they would enjoy like the tour of the governor's palace. We took a few sips that day as we forgot our stroller, but Aunt Renee brought an extra one for us to use. We were all sipping from the $10 refillable drink that at first made Mr. Money break into calculator mode, but soon proved to be the best deal of the day. Drinks and ice cream are expensive, but for $10 we could refill our mug with coke, ice cream, slushies, whatever we wanted as many times as we wanted. Thank you Jesus for calculator brains...this proved to be a great deal and we were never hot or thirsty. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38

I woke up the early the next morning as I sipped from my saucer at the beauty salon, the boys were sipping in their dreams as they got some much needed rest. My sister-in-law runs a Jazzy hair salon in Virginia Beach called "The Image." She "TREATED" me to a fun new haircut. See how God just keeps overflowing that cup. I have to admit that I was a little discouraged that morning as we woke up to thunderstorms. It was a yucky day. It also happened to be the only day we had to spend on the beach and the kids were all pumped up. When I returned with my new sassy, flippy haircut, I told the boys that we needed to pray and prepare. We needed to pray and ask the Lord to stop the rain and prepare to go to the beach. We got ready and as soon as the World Cup game was over we left for the beach under sunny, beautiful, clear skies and we had an amazing day. We played in the frigid water, we played in the sand and we rode a family bike for 1 1/2 hours up and down the boardwalk and shared an oreo blizzard. Sweet, sweet memories. Thank you Jesus for clearing the rain up just for us. We believe that He did, because as we got in the van and started driving back to out "hotel home" it began to pour down, lightning illuminated the skies and thunder shook the earth, but we continued to bask in the showers of blessings. Thank you Jesus! "I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessings." Ezekiel 34:26

We continued on our journey to the Dutch country of Pennsylvania. We enjoyed the gorgeous bridges and views as we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and God gave me an opportunity to face my fear of underwater tunnels and trust Him completely. We arrived at Lake n Woods Camp Grounds and found our cabin. It was much nicer than I expected, but even if it had not been, I would have still been blown away at the beauty of this small home tucked away in the woods. As I set up our home for the week I turned on the TV, (I know, I know, but technology is all around us) and the first words I hear are "Jesus Messiah, name above all name, blessed redeemer, emmanuel." OVERWHELMED!!! Is the only word I have to explain the GULP I took from the saucer at that moment. It was like God himself had shut the mouth of the Television and said, "I am here and I am in all things, I am above all things. Worship ME!" I soon found out that this is a Christian owned and operated camp. We are looking forward to church on the campground Sunday and a Praise and Worship service Sunday night.

So if you are wondering where I am and what I am doing just picture me on a porch, in the woods, sipping from my saucer, enjoying my family and worshipping my creator!! He is in all things, He is above all things and He makes Himself known in all we do. Watch for Him, Look for Him and Be still and know that He is God.!!

Psalm 23:5 "You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows."

Grace or Mercy?

At our house, vacation means new shoes, sunscreen, fun hats, pool toys and anything else that we just can't live without while we are away. Tuesday night I took the boys shopping for just such things. We found some incredible deals which makes Matt and Matthew very happy. As we were leaving the store with our plunder in hand Matthew looks at me and says, "Mom, what did I do to deserve all of this?" "It's called "grace" son. I love you, but you don't deserve any of it, but how awesome that God does not bless us according to what we deserve." That one sentence has resinated with me over and over again since that night. I'm sure it is the same with most children, but usually my children have this idea that they "do" deserve everything. Give me, give me, I want, I want, I need, I need...Matthew was so humbled and so confused as to why he deserved these things. We teach our children from a young age about grace and mercy. For example...Joshua disobeys and Matt takes him to the back, all the while thinking he will be punished and then his daddy does the unexpected. He looks in those dark eyes and says, "Son, you deserve a spanking right now, but I am going to give you mercy today because I want you to understand that this is what God does for us. We are sinners and we deserve punishment, but God has given us mercy. He does not give us what we deserve. Today you are getting mercy so that you can understand and learn that your heavenly Father offers you mercy as well." This all sounds great and good and like such a profound parenting moment, until the next day when Joshua disobeys and as they walk to the back he grabs is little bottom and says..."Give me mercy daddy, give me mercy." You've got to love it when those spiritual character training lessons backfire on you. No, not really, but in the Hawkins household mercy is not always given. The harder lesson I think is "grace." We are all planning to go out for ice cream and Jacob hauls off and hits one of his brothers. Well, he deserves discipline, but instead we load him up in the car and take him out for ice cream. That doesn't make sense. Exactly! Yet, that is what our heavenly Father did for us on a much larger scale. We are sinners and we deserve hell, but not only does He say "I will give you mercy by not giving you what you do deserve...Hell. He says, I will give you what you don't deserve...Heaven." Grace is being given that which we don't deserve in spite of our sinful actions. If you grow up in church or around believers you hear these words grace and mercy your whole life, but do we truly understand what they mean, the difference in them and do we fully comprehend the price that was paid. I want my children to understand that they are sinners in need of a Savior, but I also want them to understand how deeply, how passionately, how sacrificially, how unconditionally their Heavenly Father loves them. As a mom or dad, we have small scale opportunities to share this with our children. But before we share it with them, I think we must truly grasp it ourselves. The mercy concept I get...I deserve hell and my Jesus has given me mercy and I will not be receiving what I deserve. However, grace is a harder concept for me to grasp on a daily basis. Each day I am given that which I do not deserve, over and over again and in abundant portions. The problem is, we must stay humble before our God or we begin to think we DO deserve all these things which He is bestowing upon us. I love Ephesians 3:20 "For He is able to do abundantly more than all we could ask or imagine." That is grace, He does, He gives, He blesses us with abundantly more than we can imagine and more than we could ever deserve. Why? Well, first because He loves us, but I also believe he showers His blessings on us as He offers grace so that we can point to Him in ALL things. All for His glory, His honor and His kingdom. Wow, how I fall short. I like to camp out in the first reason, because He loves me, forgetting that it is not because I deserve it, but because He just loves me! When I grasp the reason, then I want to use it all to point to Him and give Him glory. My house is not mine. My car is not mine. My resources are not mine and perhaps the hardest one of all...My children are not mine. It all belongs to Him and it is all a result of His grace in my life. I am praying for myself and for my children that God would take these pious, prideful hearts and mold them for His glory as they learn to be humble and give Him glory. Daily I am better able to understand Matthew's question as I ponder over the blessings in my life, "What did I do to deserve all of this?" The answer...NOTHING. That is why grace is a free gift and I am so thankful that it is.

Isaiah 26:10 NIV

Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.

John 1:16 NIV

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Romans 9:16 NIV

It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

1 Timothy 1:16 NIV

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

"I Haven't Been To The Bathroom Alone In 10 Years"

Knock, knock, knock, "Mommy, are in there?", fingers under the door, a little nose peeking under, door opening, close it...For the past 10 years this has been my (potty) bathroom experience. As the mom of preschoolers you are never alone and you no longer call the bathroom a bathroom, but it is now a potty. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love having my children with me all the time, but there are a few moments during that day that I prefer to go it alone. Those moments actually occur in the potty. Those are the few moments during the day that without guilt I can tune out all whining, knocking, screaming and noise and enjoy just a brief moment of silence. I have a confession to make. I use my few moments alone in the bathroom to grow, to refocus, to feed my soul. Yes, I am a bathroom reader. Too personal?? If you were to poll people all across this country you would find many different "bathroom reading materials." It is interesting to see what people read during their most private moment of the day. There are even books written especially for those moments. They are called "bathroom readers." How funny is that? It is a known fact that people read during those private moments in the bathroom. I use to thumb through cute mommy magazines and look at house plan books, but then I realized that those things were making me greedy and discontent and since my flesh struggles with those things enough on its own, I did not need to be encouraged in that direction. I now keep my bible and a variety of devotional books on a shelf near my "potty." It serves as such a great respite in the midst of a crazy day. It does not take the place of spending quality time with my Savior and having a quiet time, but it keeps me encouraged and focused all day. As moms we need to be encouraged by the great women of the Bible, we need to memorize scripture, we need to continually pour God's word into our hearts so that we can deal with the craziness of the day in a way that brings Him honor and glory. Look through your personal potty library and see what you are feeding your soul during your moments alone each day. I encourage you take advantage of every moment as we continue to grow closer to our Savior and be conformed into His image "Moment by Moment."

"Anger Is"

Anger Is

By: Matthew Hawkins

Anger is fire in a dessert

it will disappoint you.

Anger is a flame in Hell

it tortures you.

Anger is a fight occurring

it will hurt you.

Anger is wearing a winter’s coat in summer

it will make you wish you hadn’t chosen it.

As I was walking down the 4th grade hall at Matthew's school I found this poem on the bulletin board outside his classroom. My first thought was that he had copied it from a book. I did not know that my son wrote poetry. I have always known that he was a deep thinker, but I did not know that those thoughts could come out in the form of poetry. I know I am his mother, but I was very impressed. I admit that when it comes to my children I am easily impressed, but then Matt read the poem. Matt is not easily impressed and this poem blew him away. We were both amazed at the depth of his understanding of anger. Anger does disappoint, it tortures you and those around you. Anger can hurt you. It can hurt others. It can cause bitterness. It can be a stronghold. I have to admit that my favorite line in the poem was the comparison of anger being like a winter's coat in the summer, you wish you hadn't chosen it. The implication here is that anger is something we put on. It is a choice. The wrong choice. To think about wearing a winter's coat in the summer makes me feel heavy, it makes me sweat, it makes me nauseous. It can cause dehydration and heat exhaustion. To be completely frank...it is stupid. You wish you hadn't chosen it. The same is true with anger. Anger is usually a choice made in haste. It does not come from sound, controlled, reasonable thinking. We make the choice from our own selfish rights and desires and after the damage is done we too wish we hadn't chosen it. Scripture says, "In your anger do not sin." Which implies that we can be angry as long as we don't sin. We are also told that Jesus was angry, with a righteous anger when he turned over the tables in the temple. Let's be honest, we as believers often use these scripture references to allow ourselves to be angry. If we were honest we would understand that more often than not our anger is not righteous and it is not without sin. It is so hard for us as mortal man to be angry and not sin. The line seems to be so cloudy. It is so much more beneficial for us to allow the fruit of the spirit to reign in our lives as we demonstrate self-control. I love that at the age of ten Matthew recognizes anger as a choice. He knows that it is possible not to choose it. He understands the far reaching repercussions it can have on our lives. He gets that our anger can torture us and hurt us. Wow! I wish I understood anger that well. Easily impressed mommy or profound truth from a ten year old. You decide.

Ephesians 4:31 NIV

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

Colossians 3:8 NIV

"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips."

James 1:20 NIV

"for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires"

"Has Tired Ever Gotten The Best Of You?"

We spent most of yesterday at the pool. That seems to be our summer routine and we love it. Jacob is learning to swim and our time at the pool is very exhausting for him. We came home to fix supper and Jacob took off his wet bathing suit. I instructed him to put it in the dirty clothes and go and put on some dry clothes. It was taking him a while to come back to the den so we went to check on him. I found that precious little guy completely naked, drawer open, clothes in hand and sound asleep on the floor of his room. He was trying so hard to obey, but tired got the best of him. Has that ever happened to you? It has happened to me. Actually it happens to me often. My heart wants to obey, but my physical body chooses to submit to its own will and the result is actually disobedience. Don't get me wrong, I was not upset with Jacob. He is 3 and he was tired. I am just blessed that he fell asleep while obeying. What God opened my eyes to see however was the fact that "tired" becomes my crutch to justify my own disobedience and I cannot use the excuse of being 3. I want to obey and discipline my children according to God's word, but "I'm tired" so I let their disobedient behavior slide. I want to bless my husband and minister to his needs, but "I'm tired" and I selfishly fall asleep without even a consideration to his plans. I want to be a witness and reach out to my neighbors and to those around me in the community, but "I'm tired" so I quickly move about my busy life and duck back into my house. "I'm tired" seems to be such an easy yet believable excuse. Is it a justifiable excuse? No, not when God requires obedience. Don't get me wrong I know we all get tired and God's design is for us to rest, but tired can never be an excuse not to obey. God requires obedience and even gave us the ultimate example to follow. Jesus was obedient even unto death, death on a cross. I am so thankful that He was not "too tired" to obey that which God had called him to do. He is our example. He is who we follow. We must obey. Pray and ask the Lord Jesus to fill you to overflowing with the desire to obey and the energy to obey. It may require not spending energy on certain things in your life that are selfishly screaming for your attention so that you can do what God requires of you. I don't want to be found holding in my hands the key to my obedience all the while sleeping instead of obeying.

Philemon 1:21 NIV

"Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."

Why Do You Have A Good Marriage?

Matt and I are leaving today to teach a marriage conference in Griffin, GA. As I was giving my final instructions to the boys and saying my good byes Joshua ask a very thought provoking question. "Mommy, why do you and Daddy have such a good marriage?" "Well, Joshua, it's because we pray, read our bibles and listen to the Holy Spirit guide us in our marriage." "So if people don't have a good marriage does it mean they don't read and obey their bibles?" WOW! Out of the mouths of babes. First let me say how blessed I am that my 6 year old thinks we have a good marriage. That speaks loudly to me and lets me know that they are watching. His comment also spoke truth to my heart this morning. There is only one way to have a good marriage, the best marriage. We must be obedient to the Word of God. How can we expect our marriages to become good or even better when we are leaving out the glue (Jesus)? So often we know what we need to be doing, but it apparently is not important enough to us that we are willing to die to self. I thought about it this way...you have a headache and you know if you take tylenol your headache will go away, but instead of stopping what you are doing and seeking out the remedy you continue to suffer all the while complaining about "this headache." The same is true in so many marriages, we know that a closer walk with Jesus, spending time in His Word and fellowshipping with Him in prayer is the key to "fix" the problem, but we would rather complain and hold on to the hope that a miracle would come along that would require us to do nothing, than to die to self and actively seek what is the "only" answer. God has been teaching me the trick to never having an argument with my spouse. Matt and I do not fight. We never have. We occasionally have disagreements and get irritated with one another, but they never last more than about an hour or 6. I am fixing to share with you how you can never again fight with your spouse. Are you ready for this? Luke 9:23 NIV "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Do you see that little four letter word in there...deny....that's it. That's the secret. Fighting in marriage is a result of selfishness. Wanting our way, wanting the last word, wanting to be right, thinking we don't deserve to be treated that way. It's all selfishness. Jesus says that if we really want to come after Him and be known as one of His then we will deny ourselves. How often? DAILY! That means that today it is ok if I don't get my way. It is ok if I don't get the last word. It is ok if my husband makes a decision that I find utterly ridiculous. It is ok because I am following Jesus and denying myself and HE will take care of the rest. In Ephesians we as wives are instructed to respect our husbands and submit to their leadership and husbands are instructed to love their wives just as Christ loved the church (giving up his very life). Hey folks this is not my opinion, this is scripture so take it up with Him. If we are respecting our husbands and submitting (all of which require denying self) and if our husbands are loving us as Christ loved the church (giving up His very life because of his love for her) then where is there room for fighting? The "secret" sounds like an easy solution right? It sounds easy in theory, but the problem is bound up in the foolishness of our hearts. It is so hard for us to die to self and deny what our flesh so desperately longs for. This is where we get back to Joshua's question..."So if people don't have a good marriage, does it mean they don't read their bibles?" My answer to Joshua was this..."It's not actually reading the Bible that produces a good marriage, but it is obeying it and doing what God says to do. He has written it all out for us, but we have to choose to obey what it says. When we are studying the Bible and seeking to obey everything it says, then we can have a good marriage." That's the secret, walking so close to our Savior that we know the truth of His word and we OBEY it. It is not enough to just know, but we must put into practice that which was first knowledge. Our knowledge has to grow feet so that it can become faith. Knowledge alone is a dangerous thing. It puffs us up and can harden our hearts. It's knowledge that leads to obedience and there in that humble obedience we find a heart that is pliable willing to be molded and shaped into all that God desires for it to be. Do you want a good marriage? I do! I want a great marriage. I want the best marriage. You can have it today. Following the secret...DENY yourself, Abide in His word, Obey His word and watch Him pour open the flood gates of blessing in your marriage.

"I Obey On Thursdays"

Last night as we were preparing to go to bed, Jacob and I were in the kitchen getting what he calls his "bed night drink." I was pouring his juice as he was scaling the cabinets to crawl and perch on the counter top. As I recall I had said maybe twice, "Jacob, get down." Feeling weary from the day and living in apparent parental disobedience I ask a question with great frustration. "Jacob, do you ever obey Mommy?" His reply was priceless. "Yes, ma'am, I obey on Thursdays." Lucky for me today is Thursday right? The more I thought about this the more the Holy Spirit began to speak to me personally through this small voice of truth. In Jacob's mind he does obey. Maybe only on Thursdays, but nevertheless, he would say that he obeys. He wants to be characterized as an obedient child. The same is true for me. I want to be obedient to my Heavenly Father, but it's not enough to just obey on Thursdays. As believers we often fall into this trap as we train our minds to think like Jacob. If I obey in this situation, but tell a "white lie" here (which by the way is code for a big black sin) or allow my mind to wander in this situation, or speak a careless word today, but I still obey most of the time, then can I still be considered obedient? His word is clear that we are to obey His word, follow His precepts, walk in His ways. It's worded in many ways but the meaning is the same. He speaks, we obey. Bottom line! I expect the same from my children. Actually I expect them to obey All the way, Right away and With a Happy Heart. Don't you think our heavenly Father expects no less from us. If we only obey on Thursdays (or in certain areas) but choose to walk in our own ignorant ways the rest of the time, then we are characterized as disobedient. I have hope and faith that Jacob will one day be characterized as obedient. It will take discipline and a mommy who is not lazy, but it will one day happen. I have 3 others that are a testimony of this. Does God have the same faith in me, that I will one day be characterized as obedient? Jacob is able to justify his disobedient behavior, unfortunately so am I. He comes by it honestly. There is however NO way to justify being disobedient to a heavenly Father who gave His very life for me. He deserves COMPLETE obedience. We must choose to walk in total obedience everyday. So the next time a "white lie" will make the situation easier or your tempted to "give that waitress a piece of your mind" or "you don't care that it's wrong because it makes you happy" just remember that these disobedient acts that we have the gift to justify are the very things that held Jesus on that cross. They are the very things that made the nails, the crown of thorns and the flogging necessary. They seem like such little things to us, but the weight of that cross was a really big thing to Jesus and to our Father as He had to turn away and could not even look upon His son. Obedience!! That's my goal. Remember delayed obedience is disobedience so start obeying today, after all it is Thursday.

"I Recognize That Apple"

You've heard the phrase "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." To be quite honest I have never really understood this phrase. Of course it doesn't. Apples fall from the tree and they stay on the ground near the tree. Where else are they going to go? It would seem strange to say, "that apple fell from that tree and ended up way over there." Do you see what I mean? The same is true with our children. When they are raised in our home and with us day and night they are going to resemble us. Good or Bad!!! This week I have had no trouble recognizing my little apple. Matthew is so much like me in so many ways. I see many similarities that are me made over today and some that resemble who I use to be when I was younger. Matthew has a precious heart all the while standing for truth and justice. The first day of school he came home and shared with me that he was having trouble knowing how to minister to a certain young girl in his class. "Mommy, she doesn't believe in Jesus and I don't know how to share with her." Matthew has prayed for this young lady this entire school year. He has taken every opportunity to share the love of Jesus with her even to the point of standing up to a band of bullies that were picking on this friend. Matthew shared with me today after some dramatic circumstances which I will share later, that he has one week left to share Jesus with this friend and he feels like he is failing. Earlier last week Matthew decided to write her a letter as one last attempt to plead with her to accept Christ. Possessing his mother's lack of grace and his father's lack of tact, this is what the letter said, "Please become a christian. I know you believe something else but if you don't after you die you will spend eternity in hell.(i am not cussin) But God has given us a second chance. You see every one (except Jesus) should be in hell. But God sent Jesus to die the most painful death so we could go to heaven. Please become a christian." Don't get me wrong, I am so proud of his boldness and his zeal and love for the Lord Jesus. I love that he prays and hears God speaking to him. He has prayed about how to share with this friend as the year end approached and God told him to "Be Bold." I love that he heard God and he obeyed. He and Matt had a long talk about focusing on the aspect of Heaven and rejoicing with Jesus instead of focusing on the impending doom of hell. Even though we know hell is a real place and we believe in it, we want unbelievers to understand the joy of spending eternity with Jesus. I shared with Matthew that salvation belongs to God. It is not Matthew's mission to save his friend. Only God can do that. Matthew has done what God has called him to do. He has been the light of Jesus this whole school year. He has been her friend and he has stood for truth. He may never see the fruits of his labor. He may merely be the seed planter, but he has been obedient and he has been bold. That is all that God has asked of him. What an awesome learning time for Matthew. Yes, he scared a little girl. Yes, he upset her parents who are of a different religion. Yes, Matt met with the assistant principal to find out about all of this, but oh such a small price to pay to learn how to obey Jesus and then have the faith to the leave the results in His hands. I do not want Matthew to back up, let up or shut up. I want him to continue to share the love of Jesus. We are helping him work adding grace and tact to his presentation and on having the faith and patience to leave the results to God. Matthew has had a defining moment of growth this week, but so have I. I have had to ask myself the question...when was the last time I shared my faith so boldly, not walking in fear of rejection or consequences. Matthew also gave his teacher a letter saying he would receive any punishment that might be coming as a result of his letter, but he had to obey God. He was not punished in any way, but he was willing to face punishment if necessary. His heart was obedience and the focus of his existence this year has been to see this friend come to faith in Christ. He may never know the outcome, but he was obedient. I love him for that. May you and I be as bold and share our faith with as much zeal, passion and persistence as Matthew has this year all the while leaving it in His hands. Salvation belongs to our God, who sits upon throne.

Matthew 28:19 NIV

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 28:31 NIV

Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

"The Secret of Contentment"

Contentment has always been a word that I have struggled with. When I was a little girl I wanted to be older, to have more responsibilities, to have more privileges. When I was in high school I wanted to be in college. In college I wanted to be married. After we were married I wanted to have a baby. There has always been something else. Some next thing that I long for. I have wanted a bigger house, a better car, a newer computer. Want, want, want!!! In recent years I have thought that my heart was more content than it ever had been before. I am so blessed and so happy and so filled to overflowing with joy. I really began to think that I had this contentment thing down pat. God has used some recent events in my life to show me that I have not yet conquered the obedience of contentment. My contentment has been very dependent on circumstances. Our circumstances have just been very good and calm for a while. Don't get me wrong, I don't want a bigger house or anything material, but I have been allowing my joy and excitement to come from the "good" circumstances in my life. So when the unexpected disappointments come along then what? Crying, sulking, bad attitudes, the desire to give up, are all things I have struggled with this week. That is not the fruit of a heart that has learned to be content in any and every circumstance. This is a heart whose contentment is controlled by circumstances. Philippians 4:12 NIV "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Paul said that he had learned the "secret" of being content in every circumstance. Why was it a secret? Because people can tell you how to be content, you can read books on contentment and still struggle with being content. The secret is learned as you seek God's word and listen to His voice. As we listen to that quiet whisper that screams so loudly in our souls we learn the secret of contentment. You see learning to be content is something that is spiritually discerned. If you look at Paul's life you see the journey to contentment. You see the growth and you see God's hand at work in his life. He says that he has learned to be content and he boldly proclaims "I can do EVERYTHING through Him who gives me strength." It is the strength of God that comes and walks us through those difficult times. Through His strength we can be content. We must be walking with Him moment by moment. Earlier in Philippians 4 Paul was explaining how we can have the peace of God in our lives, how we can not be anxious and how we should think to accomplish all these things. "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." Contentment begins with a right relationship with Jesus, relying on His strength and with a disciplined life of living according to His Word. I am still "learning" the secret of being content in any and every situation. I look forward to one day saying with Paul "I have LEARNED the secret of being content." How about you?

"How do you dance?"

A few weeks ago I went to eat lunch with Joshua at his kindergarten. Lunch is the last main event of the day. After lunch they play outside, have rest time and then pack up to go home. This particular day it was raining so instead of recess the class was having a "dance party." This sounded like fun to me so I asked Joshua if he wanted to stay for the party. He said "No ma'am, I want to check out." As we pulled away in the van I asked Joshua why he did not want to stay for the dance party. "Because it's no fun. We have to dance like you would at a wedding. We can't boogie or break dance or anything fun. I don't like to wedding dance." First of all I did not know he knew how to boogie and I certainly didn't know he knew about break dancing. I had to ask this question..."How do you dance at a wedding?" "You know mommy, like a butterfly. We have to sway, float and twirl. I like to dance!" This precious 6 year old who was raised "southern baptist" likes to dance. Can you believe it? I can!! We dance a lot here at home. We don't boogie and we don't break dance, but turn on some awesome praise music and we have been known to worship the night away with our feet. After all, David danced before the Lord. For David it was a form of worship. How do you dance? How do you worship? The other day I was in my bedroom singing "No Sweeter Name" at the top of my lungs with both hands raised in praise to the Lord. Caleb walked in and said, "Who are you waving to? When you do that it looks like you are waving to someone. Hey Jesus, what's up? How you doing up there?" Caleb can always make me laugh. I explained to him that it was kind of like waving to Jesus. That it was a symbol of lifting Him up, giving Him all glory and honor and acknowledging that it's ALL about Him. It is worshipping Him with reckless abandonment. The same is true for dancing before the Lord. Now I have never been known to break dance before the Lord or even do a Holy boogie, but when I am worshipping my Savior I just can't stand still. I get so excited! He gave His life for me! It is ALL because of Him that I am alive and blessed. It is ALL about Him. Knowing that, how could I possibly sing or even say His name with stirring something deep within. The very mention of His name brings comfort, joy, excitement and causes my soul to bubble over. We dance at wedding celebrations, we scream and do the wave at football games, we applaud and hold our arms up at concerts, we laugh and cry at movies and television programs, but we enter the presence of the Lord with very little excitement, emotion or acknowledgement. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ nothing should move us like the mention of His name. God has been impressing upon my heart more and more the meaning of the verse John 12:32 NIV "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Jesus says that we are to lift Him up and He will draw all men unto Himself. He doesn't need out help drawing them. He alone is enough. We are to lift Him up, to proclaim His name, to worship Him and He will do the rest. "Lord Jesus, may we worship you with reckless abandonment. May we proclaim your name to all the nations and watch with great rejoicing as you draw all men unto yourself. You alone are worthy to be praised."

"You May Have Lost The Game, But You're A Winner To Me!"

Caleb is 8 and was asked to play on Auburn's "Thunder Team." Thunder is a travel team made up of the best of the best. Ok so I'm a proud Momma! This weekend we traveled to a tournament and he played in four games. We came out strong and won the first game. We played a really tough team in the second game and lost. We should have won the third game, but we played at 8:00 in the morning and the boys were still asleep. I heard one young man say he couldn't feel his legs yet. In the last game of the day they were on fire. Caleb had actually scored 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the game. If you are a soccer lover then you will understand this incredible goal. His teammate made a corner kick, Caleb jumped in the air towards the waste high ball and popped it backwards with the sole of his shoe. SCORE!! The other goal was not quite so dramatic, but it was a goal. We were winning 2-0 and the boys were playing harder than I have ever seen them. We had about 15 minutes to go in the game and somehow the other team had managed to equal the score. Caleb was exhausted. He looked at me and with tears streaming down his face he said, "Mom, I just can't run anymore. I'm so tired." I told him to press on, to pray and ask the Lord for endurance and to give it his ALL. He replied with "Yes ma'am" and he finished strong. According to the score board and the books they lost, but in my book Caleb was a winner. As we stood on the sidelines trying to cheer up our exhausted, deflated team I was approached by three moms from the other team. "Who does #3 belong to?" (I was a little concerned because I had noticed a few trips and an elbow or two, but knowing I needed to claim him I said,) "He's mine." These moms began to brag on Caleb. Never had they seen a player run and play with such determination. They could not believe his endurance, his skill and his determination. But then they said something that I will never forget. "We were most impressed with his manners even in the midst of exhaustion and defeat." You see as the coach would yell instruction from across the field Caleb would respond with "Yes, Sir." As I was doing the unthinkable and coaching from the sidelines Caleb would say, "Yes, ma'am." These moms noticed his manners and they were impressed. In my book, Caleb is a winner. He played hard, he gave it his all, but more importantly he had an attitude that was honoring to the Lord Jesus. I would love to tell you that this was always the case, but Caleb has struggled with his attitude on the field this year so this was an even greater victory for him. I was so blessed to hear these moms recognize that Caleb was a wonderful soccer player, but I was even more blessed that they saw a respectful young man who had an attitude that honored Christ. So often we are concerned about the score and winning and losing that we forget about our attitude during the game. I'm not talking about soccer now. I am talking about me and you in everyday life. We are concerned about being right, about the end result, about how it will affect us that we forget to WIN in the process. We need to honor Christ with the fruits of our lips and the attitude of our hearts. Caleb put his all into that game today and the score says they lost, but I say Caleb was a winner today. One day those scores will be nowhere to be found, but Caleb's attitude and testimony will forever be etched into my heart, it honored his Savior who will never pass away and hopefully it will be remembered by those who witnessed this Christ honoring attitude. Remember that it's not the game but the attitude that makes you a winner.