Independence?

Independence day...the 4th of July
Same old holidays celebrated a new way...
This year, we were planning to leave on vacation early the next morning and
Our April has to work tomorrow early...like 3am early,( she's doing the traffic for all you folks) so, we wanted to do somthing simple and somthing early,
so she could rest and we could pack...
Dad and Nate came up with a pancake breakfast....
Well, then the power went out, and it became more lunch than brunch- blunch.
This family is nothing if not flexible!
We moved the blunch to Nate's and Dad made pancakes...
while April and Grandma did the decorating! RED, WHITE & BLUE pancakes!

A quick dip in the pool and then back to our chores....
I love my kids....Nathan, April, Sarah, Jordan, Connor, Kaeden...
and boy! can those lil guys swim...they inherited their Daddy's love of the water.

As usual, i got home and found my pictures didn't grasp the day completely...
no pics of April, Nate or I :)

Here we go again

Oh the joys of renovation... We are updating our bathroom. I have waited nearly thirty years for this job. Our bathroom had the strangest green tile, it never matched anything sold in stores.
I had forgotten how I hate the way everything gets coated with plaster dust... At least I've learned to cover some things -like my books, the piano.... I know I will love it in the end, but the worst part...is the decisions. I still hate making them.
The only thing i am sure of, is what I don't like. lol
It's great having a big strong son to help carry things like a cast iron bathtub.

How God handles Rejection

And God said, “Do you think I don’t know rejection?
Every day I go to work.
“Half the people on this planet wake up refusing to have anything to do with Me.
“I go to work anyway.
The song of Love calls to their hearts and I await their answer.”

Meekness

The only character trait Jesus proclaimed about Himself was His meekness.

Mt. 11:29...Take My yoke...learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart...(NIV)

God puts a very high value on this Beatitude.
LEARN THIS,He says to us.
This is who I am. This is who I want you to be.

It Expresses itself in these ways:
meekness in life together:
being considerate of others in all things.
meekness in public ministry:
in our teaching content and ministry style.
meekness in leadership authority:
those with more power take less privilege.
meekness when overlooked or mistreated:
serving as unto the Lord instead of man.
meekness in valuing other ministries:
resisting an elite or independent spirit.


There are benefits for us: Ps 10:7 O LORD, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline thy ear. (RSV) Pr 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit... 1Pe 5:6 …that he may lift you up in due time. (NIV) Ps 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, Ps 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

He is looking for the one who is not the loudest, most easily seen of men,
but the one who knows his part the best.
We play to an audience of One,
and we seek only His applause.

Word

The Sermon on the Mount....a personal sermon from THE WORD, who sits down with us and gives us His word on how we should live....The values that He is looking for in His disciples, the measure of success for us, and the conditions of reward.

He takes a seat on the mountain....in view of multitudes of people....and then, His disciples draw near to him and take a front row seat. This is a place of accountability. When you are one in the crowd... You can pretend you aren't aware of what was said, or what was meant. But when you come close and take a seat where the speaker can make perosnal eye contact with you----there is a mutual understanding, His words are personal, they are meant for you, and He expects you to respond to them. Joh 15:15 "... but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

snatched this from my neice....

Just something for fun.
See what comes to mind.

I am... sleepy, woke up at 4am today.

I wonder... If I'll ever get every room of the house sorted and cleaned.

I think... like my Dad used to say, that "Youth is wasted on the young" All that energy and bravado would really come in handy in this "slightly-past- the-middle-age"

I always...think about my kids...all thru the day.

I never...floss, until the night before my appt.

I hope...I'm still fun when I get older. (unless...I am the only one who thinks i'm funny now...? In which case, it still works, as long as I think I'm funny...ha!)

I love... Hearing God's voice. Love it.

I save... the day! It's a mom thing

I can't imagine...Life without my family close by.

I believe...That I've done ok so far...I'm far from perfect, but definately on the upswing...but I rely on God's Grace for Alone, because without Him i am frankly, quite the failure.