Thanksgiving

In doing research for the kids school I found that the original Thanksgiving wasn't thanksgiving at all. That's the name we gave the holiday. The pilgrims actually would have referred to it as a Feast because a Thanksgiving was a religious day for them in which they would fast and pray and give thanks to God for the blessings in their life.

Today, asking people to fast and pray on Thanksgiving probably is not an option. But we should at least keep the tradition of thanking God for our blessings. The Bible is full of references of people giving thanks to God. We praise Him with thanksgiving.

As I make my food preparations for tomorrow I wanted to take a moment to just thank God for my blessings.
First of which obviously would be my family. I have a wonderful husband and kids. I am so thankful for my church family and all of my wonderful friends both near and far. I'm thankful for friends that I've recently found after a long absence. I'm thankful for the town i live in, the fact that I have a home and may food preparations instead of not having enough. I am thankful for so many other things, it would be impossible to list them all.

What are you thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving!

"...whatever you do for the least of these you do for me..."

end of a season

The season has ended. Since the beginning of september there has been a whirlwind of football practices three times a week and 2 games on Saturdays. We have spent every Saturday on the football field in the sun with the kids. It has been so much fun watching Chris as he learns more about the game and gets better with each practice and game. It has been amazing watching Ken coaching and growing with each passing week.

The season grew even busier for playoffs with several games throughout the week, practices whenever we could fit them in and four games this past Saturday. Our last game for Christopher's team was well fought today. He even caught what we were all sure would be the game winning touchdown in the last two minutes of the game. Unfortunately our quarterback finished the game in the last few seconds by throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown and we lost.
But the kids played great and I am so proud of both of the teams.

Now I am left with this feeling, unsure of what to do now. I know I have quite a bit to fill my schedule but without football to run me ragged, what will I do. I am all of a sudden filled with a sense that my schedule has just been opened up significantly. Then I realize, nope, I just won't have as many scheduling conflicts to work out.

Yep, that's my life in a nutshell, scheduling conflicts or not, I love it!

President Obama?

Ok, so it's November 5th and we officially have a 44th President. His name...President Barak Obama. This is not a day to to denounce your country because your guy didn't win. It's not a day to gloat that Obama won and I told you so. Let's leave the pettiness of party behind and celebrate that we have a new president. Today is the day to pray for the future of our country, the war, our economy and whatever issues are important to you. Let's lift up our nation in prayer and let's lift President Obama in prayer. I'll tell you my election night story and include my prayer at the end. Feel free to include one of your own.

My Story goes something like this. I took my son and his girlfriend to a Rise Against concert. Let me tell you, this was a fun night. I haven't felt so young in quite a while. The music literally coursing through my body. I could actually feel it. Looking around at all the kids who just are there to have fun and dance. Worry free and not a care in the world that night. The opening band is on stage and they announce, it's official, Barak Obama is the next president. It was then that I realized I was in a crammed room of nothing but Obama supporting democrats. I learned a lot last night. Those kids who had not a care in the world, were deeply concerned about this election and many were wearing their I Voted stickers. These are the next generation who care about politics and global warming and a host of other things. I also realized, I'm not as young as I used to be. The woman behind me screaming in my ear and killing me with her bouncing, weapon like breasts beating my in the back as she jumped up and down. The mosh pit! I still don't understand the mosh pit. The near riot that broke out when they discovered who had won the presidency just because they were excited. Oh to have that kind of excitement again. Then I thought, you know if some of these would put that kind of excitement into following Jesus. Wow! Imagine how much of the world we could change. I felt like breaking out in song of one of my favorite Christian bands and see if anyone would join along. I left there tired, exhausted really, my feel hurt, my back hurt, my head hurt and I smelled like the sweat of everyone around me. But it was worth it to have that insight into the lives of the next generation. It was rather eye opening. If I happen to go to one of these again, I'm getting a chair seat in the balcony, lovingly referred to as the old people section. Color me old.

My Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you so much that you hold this country in your hand. I thank you that you will take this presidential election and this country and create change in the coming four years. I trust that you will be in control. I ask that you forgive our country for our many sins and arrogances. my prayer is that this country will once again be a country of honor and integrity and I pray for our new leader(s). I pray that you will be first on their hearts and that they will be quick to listen to your guidance. I pray that they would have strength in the coming years to endure whatever may come, I pray that they would have integrity and honor, and I pray that you would protect our new president. I trust in your plans for our leaders and our country and I give it up to you. I ask that you would inspire each American to do their part in service around their community, in supporting our economy, and in continuing to pray not just today but for the next four years for this country and this administration. I pray that President Obama would seek you first in selecting his cabinet. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen

life as i know it

I know life changes all the time but have I mentioned I really hate change. I just printed out the admission papers for my oldest son's college admission in January. Oh it's so unfair. I know God let me keep him for a while but why is it that the fact that our children grow up and move away hurts so much? I am so lucky to have homeschooled him all this time. I have a great relationship with him. But this part hurts.
So you college kids who might read this...call your mother! She misses you!

Prayer

As I was returning from driving my husband to the airport this morning I heard on the radio about a shooting at Univ of Central Arkansas. Apparently multiple assailants began shooting yesterday killing I think 3 and injuring 2 others. Let's be in prayer today for the families of those killed or injured, also for the students who may have witnessed this or been friends with those hurt.

But let's not forget to praise God today for the thousands of students who were not injured at all. I think the radio reported they have 11,000 students at that university. With multiple assailants it's a miracle from God that so few people were hurt.
Join me in prayer and praise today. Also, don't forget to keep our economy and these elections in prayer.

Be informed, pray and vote.

The Shack

I just finished reading The Shack. Oh my, anyone who has read this book will tell you it is absolutely amazing and recommend you read it. As I go through my life, I try and live right and follow Christ. But as I read this book, my concept of right and wrong, good and evil, and light and dark have been forever altered. My concept of who God is has been forever altered. My concept of relationship with the Creator has been forever altered.

My life has been changed yet again when I read this book. It's amazing how God doesn't expect us to change all at once, it would be far too much for us to handle. But instead He asks us to change little by little. And then a book like this comes along and you realize just a hint of who God is and how much He loves us all.

Read the book and catch a glimpse of God's love. For He doesn't simply love...HE IS LOVE!

passion and patience

Tonight I watched the Passion of the Christ movie...yes again. I felt moved to watch it so I ordered it on netflix and to my mailbox it came. I love this movie. Not only does it portray the suffering that Jesus endured...for me and for us all but it shows him as a regular person. Don't misunderstand me. Jesus is the Son of God. But He came to earth in human form. He was susceptible to all of the same temptations, pressures, and pain that we all face. It shows his mother, Mary. And as a mother I cannot imagine what it must have been like to see her son endure so much.

But it made me think. Pastor Chris said in his message this weekend (yes, I was listening) patience takes a lot of strength. To have patience takes strength and power. strength over your emotions. Jesus was so patient with so many. He was patient with cheaters, adulterers, liars, persecutors, prostitutes. To have so much patience took great strength, and He would need that strength on His journey to the cross. Before He was led away He went away to pray. He prayed with such passion and he prayed with strength. He knew what He would have to go through. He knew the humiliation He would have to face. He could have at any point lost his patience and said, Father it's not worth it. I'm done. But He didn't. Because He was strong.

Remember, he was here on earth in human form. He received this strength from God. Because he asked for it. That leads me to believe that this strength that He received is within reach for us all. The word says "ask and you will receive". The next time I'm running low on patience...I'm praying for that kind of strength. I'm praying that God's spirit will fill me with so much strength that I will be able to endure and withstand whatever He has for me.

Jesus had to endure cruel torture, he was made to carry his cross on which he would be crucified. We all have what we think is torture in our lives. We all have a cross to bear. Let's embrace the cross. We embrace the cross because this is what has been given us. As Jesus endured so much and carried his cross, through it all he prayed for those who were persecuting Him, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." I have to ask myself, how is my attitude when I'm taking up my cross? how is yours? Are we loving, patient, FORGIVING?

I long for the day when I can have it all together. In the meantime, I'm just trying to get through this life with a little bit of integrity, humility, and grace. Father, forgive me, for I know not what I do. But I'm trying to learn. As I learn, I thank you so much for your patience and grace. I thank you for your mercy. I ask that you show me areas of my life, and attitudes that you want to change. I ask for your strength in me so that I can change them.

May I never forget 1 Cor. 13: 7-8 Love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.
Thank you for that kind of love and that kind of strength.