I See What You're Saying! YAY!

Okay, here it is. For all the world to see. Or at least the three of you that will stop by today.

Enjoy!



Yup. I'll be here all day.

But go see some more fun over at Second Cup of Coffee. You won't regret it.

Calling All Prayer Warriors - Urgent!

Would you please stop right now and pray for this precious two year old little boy named Noah? He has what's called a Mito disease (that's short for a long word I can't spell...mitochondrial???) Anyway, it's in his genetics. Most children with this disease do not live very long, but there have been a few who have, from my understanding.

Among all his "normal" issues he faces with this disease, he now has a terrible bacterial infection that they can't seem to kill with high-powered antibiotics. They will know more tomorrow, but this infection has got to get under control...and quickly.

I've been reading Kate and Jeff's blog called Our Quiverfull for over a year. I didn't realize that it was even a "blog" when I started it. I came across this family through their homeschool website (they used to sell curriculum) and I just thought it was part of their site.

Anyway, they are a beautiful Christian family who have been holding on very tightly to the Lord through this whole ordeal. Kate has always made it a point to post their "thankful" list once the scary parts have passed, and that has always been such an inspiration for me. But this sounds like one of the scarier moments for them yet.

One important note: I encourage you to go to their blog at the link above. If you do, when you see the "TPN" mentioned, just know that that is Noah's lifeline...literally. He cannot receive nutrients by eating. At all. So he is totally dependent upon this TPN line, and he can only receive a certain number of them in his lifetime! So they are doing everything they possibly can to save this central line he currently has.

I'm sorry for the sad post, but this little boy and his sweet family need the Bride of Christ to lift them up! I'm sure they have many people praying for them already, but how much more fragrant would it be in the Throne Room to have prayers coming from all over the world!

Thanks for reading...and praying.

Your, eh, My Autumn Test Results

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a playful, spirited person. You have a limitless imagination and amazing creative talents. When you are happiest, you are calm. You appreciate tradition and family. You enjoy feeling cozy. You prefer change to come slowly. You need a long transition period when your life changes. You find love to be the most comforting thing in the world. You feel at peace when you're with your loved ones. Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine. You are very impatient. You spend more time waiting for something than actually enjoying it.

The Autumn Test

I found this test over at Dena's Green Acres. I do llllooooooovvvveee autumn something fierce, so I just had to try this. I have to say, most of this is pretty much dead on! Well, this makes me sound a little more playful than I probably am. At least now that I'm older than 12. Back then, yeah, I was pretty playful! :-)

How about you? Do you like autumn, too?

Fireproof Movie -- Let's Show 'Em!

Several weeks ago, I posted about my opportunity to get a sneak preview of the movie Fireproof. If you didn't read that post, please go back and read my review (no spoilers, I promise).

I wanted to post a quick reminder that the movie opens today, Friday the 26th in theaters everywhere.

I mentioned in that post that there is a high importance for God's people to show our support of this movie in the first week it's out. If a movie doesn't do well in its first week, it will be taken out of the theaters.

Let's show Hollywood that the public wants to support movies with wholesome messages, clean storytelling, and *gasp* even Godly influence!

Treats and Traits Thursday -- First Edition!

My dear sister, Rachele (aka Chel - An Abiding Branch), has started a new carnival called Treats & Traits Thursday.


The idea is, in Chel's words, "Blog and say that the Lord is good! Tell us all why He delights your soul and what one of His names means to you." Seriously, His attributes are as endless as His Word! There's plenty to choose from.

If you're not sure where to start, just hop on over to her blog (you can click on her link above or on the picture at the top) and she's got a short list you can choose from. This can and will be a wonderful exercise for any who will attempt it!

Okay, on to my post...

The Name I've chosen for this first Treats & Traits post is "Jehovah-Jireh," which means "the Lord will provide." I have also seen it translated to mean, "the Lord sees and will see to it."

I just love that. For one thing, sometimes I get the image in my head that my God hears me like I hear my kids sometimes...and that He responds in some of the same way. "Oh alRIGHT already!" But He never responds like that.

He sees what we need, and He makes provision for it. He always proves He's making provision before I know about it, too. It's always in retrospect that I can say, "Oooohhhh, I see what You were doing the whole entire time I was whining!"

When will I learn my Lord will always provide?

The credibility of His Name depends on it! He's not going to jeopardize the powerful Name of Jehovah-Jireh by letting little ol' me down. Or you. We might think our need is too small a thing for Him to pay attention to, but the truth is...His Name is on the line.


And as long as we are walking in obedience, He promises He will take care of our needs. (Notice here that I'm not using the word "want." He doesn't promise that we get everything we want, because it's not always what we need.) I'm just sayin'.

But He has done this for us countless upon countless times. He has never, ever, ever left us to hang out to dry. Even today He made a provision for several things all in one act. One act of kindness, mercy, and holy provision.

Because of the arrangement we received today, there are now literally 8 things that have been weighing on me for some time that can now happen. Because of what He provided yesterday. Eight. He saw it, and He provided for it all.

And I never saw it coming.

He's so good! And He sees everything we need. Sometimes He doesn't answer in the way we are expecting, which is why many times we aren't expecting Him to answer.

But He is good and faithful to His Name. Jehovah-Jireh. Oh how I love it so.

What about you? What's a Name and attribute of our God that speaks to you? Post about it and link back to Rachele's blog.

High Fallutin Edumacation

Today in school, Mini me wrote a poem.

We've been using the poem/song "America" in his language lessons for the last week. Today we learned about rhyming scheme and meter, and part of his lesson was to make his own list of rhyming words using the same scheme. Then see if he could make up sentences using the same meter (syllable count) as "America."

So, at the risk of being carted off for providing a lousy education for my kid, I thought I would share his pithy poem with some of my closest friends: you.

(Read as if singing the song, you know, "My country 'tis of thee....")

Hello, can you see me?

I like to drink sweet tea.

Do you like beef?

Star Wars has got a Luke,

He makes me want to puke.
Darth Vader wants to duke...

wants to be chief.

Ta da!!

No amount of tax dollars can pay for that.

Labor of Love

Colossians 3:23-24 states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

This verse is the inspiration for today’s question.

How would your life look differently if you embraced and believed fully what the verse in Colossians states? If the truth above is something you already believe and actively live out, how does this truth make a difference in your life?

Well, where do I start with that one?

I think the most dramatic change would be no more grumbling or complaining at the humdrum, ordinary, daily tasks.

cooking breakfast

dishes

laundry

cooking lunch

dishes

more laundry

cooking dinner

dishes

finish laundry

Every day. I know, it's insane. It's like Chinese water torture...the perpetual wheel of boredom. Constantly. dripping. Maddening. dripping. Deranged. dripping....

Nothing like a little drama to spice things up.

Well, it's not that bad. But come on, it does get a little on the monotonous side, doesn't it? It's during those times, when I start to question, "What am I doing here? Shouldn't I be doing something with a little more punch? A little more impact?" that I am reminded that God knows what He's called me to.

He knows what He's equipped me for. And He knows the reward He's set aside for me. Yes, some are eternal rewards that one glorious Day I'll get to lay down at His feet. But some are meant for this life...like watching these precious boys grow into God-honoring young men. Watching them develop their skills, academically, spiritually, and physically. Watching them develop their relationships with each other, their family and friends, and their God.

Like watching my husband grow into the man he's called to be, and knowing that I get to participate by providing a warm, loving, atmosphere in our home. I get to decide (by my attitude) if we have a chaotic mess or a safe haven of comfort and peace for him to come home to. Either of these extremes contribute greatly to his attitude about life.

Talk about impact.

I think it's all about perspective. Am I going to have the perspective that the mundane repetitions I perform are as pointless and insignificant as they are commonplace? Or am I going to choose to believe that they are instruments in the Hands of a faithful God, who will use every load of laundry and every homemade meal to grow every individual soul in this family to be his (and her) best?

If I believe that He will really do that, then I will choose to work as unto Him. There is no greater reward than to please my Creator.