Knitted mess?

This whole thing just goes back to what my whole blog is about - being Knitted by God's Hands! I had mentioned earlier about a purse I had made - I wasn't happy with it, never used it, but when I made it, I was a new knitter & just wanted to make something with this beautiful yarn. The purse has literally sat in the closet for years, never touched, never even thought of being used. What a sad waste of yarn!

Then, I ran across a pattern for a hat on the blog written by "Crazy Aunt Purl" - the link is on the side. This woman is an author who knits & she is hilarious! (I love funny people!) Well, she is a big beret fan & created this pattern & one of the samples she used is that exact yarn that the dreaded purse was created in!

I got in that closet, pulled out the purse, snipped the end of the yarn & started pulling out stitch by stitch. That was an interesting procedure! Some of it would get knotted up, some of it came out smoothly, some of it would snag on the other pieces, & it was all coming out in piles on the floor. After HOURS of "un-doing" - I then got to wind it all up into neat balls. It was ready to be created into something new!

I made the hat from Aunt Purl & I LOVE it! I have since worn this hat more than any other hat I have ever made or bought! Its comfy, its big enough where it doesn't mess up the hair (the dreaded hat hair) & its just cute in this pink yarn!

Now - looking back at the whole process of it all - how often are our lives something that we dont like? We shove our talents & gifts in the closet, never to be touched or used? Then God gets ahold of us, pulls us out stitch by stitch & we fight it sometimes (the knots) - we go with it sometimes (the smooth times) - & we hold on to the past & not wanting to agree to all the changes God calls us to do (the snags). In the end, we lay in a pile of a mess, broken, waiting for God to wind us back up in a neat pile, put back together again. But in the end, its a new creation that is more beautiful than before, something that can be used more than ever - something that puts a smile on His face!

I know a simple knitting project showed me alot about the Grace & goodness of our God!

Things I learned this week

*Surprise baptism's are exciting! Especially when they fall on Easter Sunday!

*The problem with our country & the health insurance crisis is just getting worse & sadder every day!

*Sometimes it feels like the rain is never going to stop!

*Brown must have been the color of the day when women had to wear Biblical garb! (Thanks again Lynn for my costume - its great!)

*I thought I was awesome at Guitar Hero - UNTIL I moved up to "Hard" - (that darn orange button!)

*I wish "grown ups" had Spring Break at their jobs too! I wanna go to Florida with everyone else! UGH!

*Fight back ugliness & bitterness with Goodness & Kindness!

*Snow on Easter just doesn't seem right! (That seriously was the BIGGEST snow flakes I have ever seen in my life!)

*You never know when you need a Bible! Sitting in the parking lot of Dairy Queen for an hour can bring about great topcis of God!

*Ricky-ism: When it snows & the sun is shining - you need to keep an eye out for the Snow-bow (not a rainbow .... oh, how his mind works!)

*Everytime I hear the song "Never Thought" by Dan Hill - it takes me right back to my wedding - that was our first dance song.

(OHHH - look what I just found - I went on You Tube to try & find the video for "Never Thought" & what did I see right on the front page? A video with that song & clips from BEAUTY & THE BEAST - THE TV SERIES!!!!!! Isn't that funny! If you've never saw that show - its, of course, one of my all time favorites! It was fantastic! And I love - his name is Vincent - hello! HOLLA! Who did I meet years later - a man who's name is VINCENT? I can't help it - I'm a hopeless romantic!)

Time for some CUTE!

OK - I have to give some time to the cutest little girls in the world - my twin nieces! They were just so beautiful on Easter. Sophia chose this yellow dress because it looks like Belle! Seriously - I did not influence this at all! But I am loving that right now, she's a little obsessed with Beauty & The Beast. I have no idea where she could have gotten that from! When I walked in the door, that's the first thing I heard, "Aunt Bec - I look just like Belle!" Oh, how proud can an aunt be?

Madi on the other hand - I love it - she's in her pink dress & didnt want to take it off at the end of the night, yet, all she wanted was "Spiderman" stuff! She's the best of both worlds - a girlie girl & a tomboy!

This is Sophia holding her Baby Belle that the Easter Bunny got her

There is nothing cuter than when Madi gives her big smile!


I still can't believe how big their getting - it seems like yesterday we were sitting in the hospital waiting for my brother to come around the corner to tell us they were here! Where does the time go?

(Don't ask what Sophia is doing - she's in a stage now where she just can't look into a camera without posing or doing something with her face! Again - I have no idea where she gets this from!)

Biblical Thought for the Day

At the last supper, Jesus says something to Simon Peter that is very interesting.

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren" -Luke 22:31-32


The Greek for "sift" actually means - an inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow" - WOW!

So this all brings up a few questions & thoughts to me...

*Does Satan have to ask permission to "sift" everyone from God? How much constant contact is there between Satan & God? Satan also spoke with God when it came to Job too. Wouldn't you love to hear those conversations?!

*Jesus didn't look to Simon Peter & say, "Let's just bind up Satan & rid you of all these troubles that you may go through." Instead, he said, "I've prayed for you that your faith not fail." So he's allowing these trials knowing that its going to make him the person he will be - a faithful follower of Christ.

*Jesus also says, "when you have returned to me..." - I love that! Jesus knew Simon Peter would go through turmoil & a time where he even denied his friend, his Savior, but He also knew the end result. That's so comforting to me! Its like God likes to tease Satan - like he's saying "Sure, test my people", knowing all the while that His true followers will return to him & making all the other Christ followers stronger in their faith as well!

*Also, when I look at the picture of something being sifted - like people sifting water or dirt to find gems or stones - the stuff that isn't needed goes through the bottom of the sifter, its garbage. The things that matter to people, the things that are of substance are left behind to see clearly, without the gunk all over it. What an image of us coming out of a "sifted"-sort of trial!

*And the meaning of "sift" - to the VERGE of overthrow! Man, does that ring a bell with some people. How often do we get to the end of our ropes & scream, "Where's God?" - we get pushed right to the edge of our limits. Next time that happens - think of this story & know that Jesus KNOWS you're going to return to him, stronger, more dedicated, & having more faith in Him!

How exciting are those simple two lines of the Bible now?

3 little words....

Someone had a link to this to watch yesterday & it just really hit me - how powerful 3 words are. I guess its something that ABC News did - & since I'm not a big news watcher (too depressing!) I didn't see it on TV - thank goodness for You Tube! Here is one of the video's that was posted - & if you go on You Tube & enter "Three words", you can see so many different videos that people post themselves. And I'll warn you - some of these are cute, happy & some are deep & heartbreaking!



What 3 words express who you are - where life is at for you - that explains you! I was thinking about it all last night & tons of stuff ran through my mind for me:
*Jesus is Life
*Knitting Warms Souls
*Friendship is forever
*Guilt holds tight
*I'm God's Daughter
*Shake it off
*Laughter Heals Things

What 3 words come to mind for you?

A Special Cross

I have to say - at Easter time, the cross is such a vivid picture of what was paid for our sins. But I just wanted to share something - the cross that is up at GCC right now means to much to me in others ways. See - that cross came from Stephanie - and as this is the first Easter that she is away, it touches my heart to see it so active lately in use & service at the church.

(Picture above is at Relay for Life - that's Steph's back with me, Ricky & my daddy. There's the cross)

This cross was created when Stephanie ran the "Relay for Life" team for our church. Each tent or team had a theme for the night & the theme she came up with was doing with Christ defeating Cancer. So while other tents had themes of Elvis & had everyone dressed up in 60's - or a theme of being "Out of this world" with their team mates dressed in Alien costumes - Steph, as usual, took the theme of putting Christ first. She had this cross made & had it right in the center of our designated area with purple balloons & a sign telling everyone who we were.

It was so funny because she wanted this cross to be put in the front yard of her home when the relay was over! She was hilarious like that - if you go to Gatlinburg, there is a HUGE cross on the way down in Tennessee. Its actually strageticially placed right by an adult entertainment building. This cross, you could see from MILES away, and a light shines right on it - Steph wanted that for her back yard! She would have put it there too, if she could have gotten it home - and if only it wouldnt have affected air traffic - I'm telling you - its was HUGE!

Well, the cross ended up in her garage & it was pulled out when she passed away. It was placed right behind her at her memorial service. It has since been moved around the church a bit, but over the past few months, its been right back on the stage at our church.

(Here are 2 girls I had the honor of Baptising on Good Friday - Ryann & April. There was the cross front & center for the service)

And this week - during Holy Week - I'm seeing this cross in just different eyes. Eyes that miss my friend, but finding comfort where she's at - she's with the One who was ON that cross! Comfort for letting me look at the cross & knowing that even though she's gone, she's sort of still with me with everything that's been going on. I see her living on so much through her children & especially with Ryan becoming so active & strong in Spirit in the church. That cross, impaticular just brings so much comfort I can't even explain.

Next time you are in Greenville Christian Church (or you visit it - COME VISIT) & you see the cross - remember the wonderful woman who had that created for the pupose of Praising her Lord! She would want you to look at that cross & celebrate Jesus for all He was, all He is & all that He will do!

(This is me portraying the "Sick Woman" for the Easter Women's Lenten Breakfast. Once again - the cross is right there!)

Happy Easter everyone!

Thoughts on the week

*"Dancing with the Stars" is back! I've already got my favorites. I am loving Mario, Kristi & Marlee. How she is dancing being deaf - how cool is that! I still think I could cut a major rug if I was ever on that show!

*"Believing" in Jesus & "following" Jesus are two completely different things - & the conversations that ensue on that topic can last for HOURS!

*The forecast says cold for Easter - with all the global warming going on - when are we going to have a warm Easter? Its been cold for like the past 7 years!

*I learned that Sophia wants a "Princess" Easter Basket & her twin sister, Madilyn wants a "Spiderman" Easter Basket - do you think their alike or not?

*The flu is STILL going around - get Spring here so we can get fresh air in these buildings!

*Question - How did Good Friday get the name of "Good" Friday? What was so good about it at the time? Isn't that just an odd name for i?. I can see it being Bad Friday/Good Sunday. I guess that's why I'm not consulted on the names of Holidays.

*I SCORED big time on yarn this week! I went to find some Easter goodies for the twins, when I did a double take - then another double take! I was at Big Lots & they normally have some yarn, but sometimes, its just not the best stuff! What did I see? - the same yarn that I just took the time to take out stitch by stitch of a purse - which has since been made into the cutest hat! It was on sale for $1.50 a skein!!! Then I looked at the label & saw it was for felting as well! I ended up loading up - & got 3 more skeins of a different brand for $1.00 a skein - this is the same yarn I spent $6.99 a skein for! So for 15 skeins of yarn - I spent $21.00!!!! Dave Ramsey would be so proud of me!


Look at all that glorious yarn! What a way to end a Friday!

Still thinking about Wednesday...

I started writing about the things I've saw or learned this week - & I still have Wednesday night on my mind. It was a moving night. Ryan & Joe pulled together an amazing message that I can only say was a movement of the Spirit. It wasn't the message originally planned but everyone agreed that we needed to take a different direction with it being Holy Week. What a better way than to show some clips from "The Passion of the Christ".

Now, some of these kids hadn't seen it before - I dont think they even cared to really watch it. Why bother with that when they can watch the "slasher" movies. They love when the next "Saw" movie comes out - the scarier, the better to them. They love having someone being chased with a chain saw & they laugh at it. Well, when some of them saw certain scenes from "The Passion" - there was no laughter. I don't think some of these kids realized the severity of it - & it wasn't in a "Oh, that's cool - blood!" sort of tone - they knew from hearing the past few weeks, who Jesus was - that He was real - that His life made all the difference to us.

I think what made the night so impacting to - in between scenes that were pulled for the message, Joe & Ryan would take turns deliving the words & we kept the room dark. Its funny how people feel so much freeier to let emotions go in the dark. No fear of being shamed or looking funny. I heard sniffling across the whole room.

Its still even hard for me to watch. At times, I choose to not even watch it. And at points - I truly get nausted at watching it.

Isn't it funny though - the hardest part for me is the scene where Mary watches Jesus fall & she has flash backs as him as a child & her running to comfort him. That part does me in like no other. There's not a point of blood & beatings & the body being torn apart - but the tearing of the heart. Oh, I think I was the loudest sobber at that point!

But the coolest part of the night - we had a baptism! Kaitlynn had made the choice to accept Christ as her Savior the week before. She wanted to go home & talk it over with her parents & I was able to speak with her mother myself during the week. It was a great ending to the night - a baptism! I'm excited for Kaitlynn - to see what God does with her life & to see how she touches her friends & most importantly, her family!

As we get done drying off, we heard to hurry up - there was going to be more baptisms! WHAT?! 2 boys made the decision to get baptized as well.

Now - these boys have been growing leaps & bounds over the past few weeks - wanting, craving, needing to make the commitments that they wanted to follow Christ. And both of these boys started off as trouble makers, not listening, causing chaos, having no heart for why they should be at church. To see where they've been & where they're at now - AMAZING! And to think about where they're going to go from here-----Words can't even express how excited I am for these boys!

What I hope these kids went away with from the night is the comfort that their Lord is with them & he died for us so He could be possible - that they follow His Word & His calling on their life. They may not have great support in their every day lives from home, but they know they have support from us, their friends & most importantly, their Heavenly Father.

And now, as its Good Friday - the images from the clips of "Passion of the Christ" just loom in my head. So let me ask a few questions or put a few thoughts about that movie...

*How amazing is it that Jesus' mother, Mary, even was able to watch the things that were happening to her child? As a parent - can you imagine? Could you have handled it?

*What the heck was that baby/man that Satan was holding during the beating? That just ain't right!

*Can you imagine being Peter & having Jesus look you in the eyes after you denied him 3 times - even after you just said you'd never do it!!

*What would have happened if Judas went & asked Jesus to forgive him?

*How sick are people that they could laugh at beating someone to the point of near death? Who has that much hatred in them?

*I still feel like Jesus is looking at me every time the scene shows the woman reaching for his feet after he saved her from being stoned - the look of love in his eyes when he looks down at her....I'm getting all choked up again....

*How pumped up do you get everytime they show Jesus face clean & shining at the end & he stands & you see the holes in his hands! I feel like standing up & screaming every time I see that!

Wise Words

People are often unreasonable and self-centered

FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY

If you are kind, people may acuse you of ulterior motives

BE KIND ANYWAY

If you are honest, people may cheat you

BE HONEST ANYWAY

If you find happiness, people may be jealous

BE HAPPY ANYWAY

The good you to today may be forgotten tomorrow

DO GOOD ANYWAY

Give the world the best you have & it may never be enough

GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY

For you see, in the end, it is between you & God

IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN YOU & THEM ANYWAY

Quote by Mother Teresa

Broken

I love the "Our Daily Bread" devotionals each day. They are quick, easy reads, but yet get you reading in your Bible on a daily basis - if even for a minute or two. Today's was great! First of all, I love Holy Week! I love what it leads up to - Easter is my favorite holiday! Way more than any of the others. I know Christmas tends to be the most favorite - but without Easter, what would Christmas be - just another baby's birthday. But on Easter - it changed EVERYTHING! Christ arose from the dead - making Him worthy to be praised - making His birthday an event! Plus, its Spring time - & Christmas is in winter - yuck! Plus, you get lots of chocolate on Easter - need I say more?

But today's daily devotional really touched me beause it talks about Christ & Chocolate! Now there's a comparison!

It was talking how an uncle was spending time with his family & going through someone's basket when he noticed a chocolate lamb. He was wondering if it were hollow or solid (solid chocolate is for sure the best - just saying!) & he picked it up to look at it to see if he could figure it out. Now, any chocolate lover knows you can tell by the weight - if its evenly distributed - the sounds it makes when its shaken. Do I know too much about chocolate? But this uncle ended up squeezing the lamb & his thumb ended up busting through. He waited for his niece to throw a fit about how her chocolate lamb was ruined - but instead, this 3 year old said, "That's Okay - the lamb would have been broken when I ate him anyways"

This 3 year old reminded everyone that Easter is about the perfect Lamb of God - who's body was broken for our salvation!

It always brings to mind where in Isaiah 43:7 - it so vividly compares Christ to a Lamb:

"He was oppressed & afflicted - yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her sheareres is silent,

so he did not open his mouth."

Oh - how sweeter is the life that Christ offers us as he sacrificed himself, having his body broken for our redemption!

See - isn't Easter the coolest Holiday EVER!

Biblical Thought for the Day

I was reading on Leah & all the drama that went down with Jacob & her sister being the one who held his heart. A verse popped out at me that just made me plain sad....

Genesis 29:31 "When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved....."

Wow - that's harsh, isn't it? Here she is in a marriage with someone she probably had feelings for - fighting jealousy of her sister & man, the Bible even takes note of it - she was not loved. What did that mean? Did her own sister not love her? Did her husband pay her no mind at all? He did stick her at the end of the caravan when they had to move to & they were on their way to meet Esau, who wasn't very fond of his own brother - so an attack could have been possible - & she gets stuck in the back! Again - harsh!

But I guess if you finish that verse - it goes like this:

"When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb...."

Because of the children she bore, they included Levi & Judah, who was an ancestor of David & his royal line & ultimately of Jesus!!!! How cool is that! She may have felt unloved, may have lived a life full of wanting & loneliness, but God saw her, & gave her a legacy!

How cool is that God loves us that much - that He be the one who comforts us & makes our lives important!

I'm anxious to meet Leah in Heaven & ask her how much love she feels now!

Horton Hears a Who

Saturday night - I had the opportunity to hang out with my friends & fellow youth coaches & some of the kids in our group to go see "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss! I wasn't sure how well I would like the movie but I'm always up for a kid's movie! And any excuse to get to hang out with these kids is a great reason to go out. But I have to say - I was so surprised on how much I LOVED this movie! First of all, with Jim Carrey as the voice & Steve Carrel as the other main voice - it is just a funny movie to begin with. But if you go see it - which I truly recommend - go & watch it through the eyes of a Christian. There are so many things that you can take away from it with questions, thoughts & comments on how God is there for us.

I'll just give you this - the main part of the movie - if you can't see it, hear it or touch it - does it really exist? I'm telling you - its a great movie!

A great line from the movie - just to get you REALLY interested in going - "My world is a place where you eat rainbows & poop butterflies" ...... yeah, some of the movie isn't supposed to be looked at with Spiritual eyes.....but its still good!

Offense

I know on Friday - I have been putting the things I've learned or discovered this week. Well, something else has just been hitting me all week long & then today, it hit again so I figure I'll just take a week off from the weekly learning posting.

What's been hitting me so hard? The word OFFENSE! Let me start from the beginning. Ryan had told me about a book he wanted to read & I immediately went on one of my favorite sites & found it - it is called "The Bait of Satan" by John Bevere. I had to surprise Ryan with it & went ahead & ordered me one as well. When I got it in, I was in the middle of another book & then after the intensity of that one, I just needed a nice fun novel (it was a KNITTING murder mystery - how fun!) - but I picked up this book & have just been devouring it lately! The book touches on how Satan uses the trap of offense to get to Christian's hearts. Its very eye opening & thought provoking & makes you realize how easily people are offended.

Said something funny to someone? - they might be offended. Didn't say something to someone? - they may be offended. Look at someone funny? Make a joke about something? Drive in the wrong lane? Wear an outfit you like? - anything can offend people. Its how you handle these offenses that really lets you grow in Christ.

This morning, I was listening to a message by Mike Servello called "Forgiving from the Heart" - and the main part of this message - yep, its was about how people are offended! There it is again! I hope you get the change to listen to it - it's a long one - about a 58 minute sermon, but its well worth it!

He talked about how can we, as Christians, have the right to be offended about ANYTHING!? If we truly stop & think about how Christ has the right to have offense over our way of living, or the way we sometimes treat Him, even after we have accepted Him as our Savior - there is the true offense. He DIED for us, took all our sins onto His shoulders - what more can someone do? But He's not even offended - He will forgive us when we ask for it. How many of us dont forgive people for the pettiest things? Dont you see how Satan can use that as a trap? A great point that was mentioned in the message is that to have a bait, there is something in it that will intice you to come & get trapped - Satan knows just what will draw you into these traps - & once you get trapped - its hard to get out. Offense is funny like that! Its hard to forgive - but forgiveness isn't an emtion - its a choice! I've heard that so many times lately. No one is saying its an easy choice - but a choice none the less!

And what else can be linked under the title of offense - anything that keeps you from unforgiving - anything that makes you hold resentment against someone. You may say you forgive them, but if you hold resentment or want revenge, obviously, you haven't forgiven. Bitterness is another form of offense. All these things - & all the other ways you can hold onto offense - is a great way to pave a path of downfall for a Christian.

Haven't we seen ministers or whole churches fall apart, split & become hateful towards each other because someone is offended. It happens every day - sadly! And not even that - but in our own lives - how many relationship are damaged, unrepaired, torn apart because of the things we hold onto. The things we hold onto that are obviously not like Christ or His example.

I don't know - it was just funny how I've been inhaling this book & then ran into this message. Another slap from God? Possibly! He's funny like that!

A Good Book

I love my books! I love to read, get excited about the next book I'm going to read, enjoy getting into a story or getting to learn from a lesson. I've been a "reader" since I was a little girl - Have always enjoyed books. Thumbing through pages, smelling the paper (I smell everything I put in my hands - long story!), looking at the binding of books - I've just always loved them. They are ways to impact you in ways you couldnt understand unless you were a reader. I saw this & thought, "hmmm, this is a great way to impact people with books!"

Cannon Ball!

Joe sent me this video a few weeks ago & I ran across it again - Hope you get as good a laugh from it as I did!

Biblical Thought for the Day

I love listening to Chip Ingram on the radio & recently discovered that you can hear the messages online as well. That works out great for me since I usually get to work right in the middle of his message. His messages the past 2 days have been very interesting to me. They've been about taking God's name in vain. Now, I'm not a curser at all - but I do have a habit of saying "Oh My God!" - & not really even thinking about it - more of a habit than anything. When someone does something stupid at work, I usually follow that up with "Oh, dear Lord!". It was pointed out that any time you speak God's name without thinking about the reverence it should be held in, that's taking the Lord's name in vain! WHOOO - I never thought of that before. The message was made that any time someone says His name without ever meaning anything by it - that's the point - they dont mean anything by it - & His name is so much more than having nothing meant by it.

For me, I just really took it as saying the dreaded G-D word - which I dispise more than anything. But when people say that, they dont realize - they are asking God to Damn something - do they realize that? For God to damnize someone or something is to put them apart for Him forever? How serious is that???!!! That's darn right scary to me! Someone said, when you hear someone say G-D - you need to go up to them & say, "You must be a righteous person saying your prayers out loud for everyone to hear" - could you imagine the reaction you would get?

Matthew 12:36-37 says "And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgement day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them, or you will be condemned"

OUCH! The big key in that for me is "IDLE word" - the words you dont really even think about! The "Oh my GOD! when someone scares the living life out of you - or the 'Jesus Christ - did you see that pass that guy made" during a game....those things you say without even thinking. You will give an account for those words - the idle words! They reflect your fate....Pretty scary & thought provoking stuff! I can bet you one thing - if those idle words are that important to God - I'm going to be sure they become that important to me!

Darn Snow!

All the excitement for the Casting Crowns concert....POSTPONED!!! UGH! Oh well - at least it wasn't canceled! We're having to wait now until May 4th - which I guess isn't so bad because at least, we wont have to talk in 6 ft of snow or have to brave freezing temperatures getting in & out of Freedom Hall!

I will admit - the snow was beautiful! We got to leave work early on Friday - which is always fun - & just sitting & watching it pile up is just so relaxing! Watching the dogs run & play in it is always entertaining in itself & poor Ricky - he so badly wanted someone to go sledding with him. Last time I went sledding with him - it was a horrible sight. I must have wore the worst shoes POSSIBLE for sledding because they were slicker than snot - they had no tread, they were smooth & impossible to walk up a hill that is slick anyways. Ricky would literally have to grab the collar of my coat & drag me up to the top. After being nearly choked to death, it was more dread of getting to the bottom KNOWING I was going to be choked up to the top again. Ricky was exhausted from dragging me too. Well now, I do have nice snow boots, but I dont like the cold and snow anyways. Poor Ricky didn't get to go sledding!

Look at the snow prints in the back yard. We had a hard time trying to figure out how the one prints were so apart from each other - later we saw - the smallest dog, Zoe, would jump in the snow causing these huge gaps in between. Can't say I blame her - it was almost as tall as she was!

We thought we had a new creature venturing in the back yard!

And I had to share this picture from this morning. Do you think the dogs didn't want Ricky to get up? They were holding him down! This is what we have to deal with every morning. After one of us is up - they all travel to the other person! Dont tell me animals aren't smart! They know when you're going to leave & they dont want you to go. Zoe is actually on the other side of Sydney but she couldn't find anywhere else to lay - unless she laid on Ricky's head - which has happened before!

Bring Spring on!!!

Things I learned this week

For the week ending 03/07/08:

*Rain & dogs really dont mix! Look at my poor Zoe! And even worse - wet dogs & my pillows REALLY dont mix! - why do they always feel the need to jump on the bed when they know I'm chasing them with a towel?

*Excitement for the Casting Crowns concert this weekend is like the day before Christmas! CAN'T WAIT!

*Having jr high girls come up & ask to talk to you & have you pray with them - its such an honor & blessing!

*Spiritual warfare is real, true, scary & can be overcomed with prayer & prayers from others!

*Mandarin Oranges are the cutest little fruit ever to eat! And oh so yummy!

*That the "pigtail mafia" can really make a group of guys mad by beating them at bowling! And that during all this, you can get an ab workout from laughing!

*That a neighbors dog being sick can upset me like its my own doggie!

*That our pastor needs more prayer than ever as he leads our church

*Having a day or two where you don't need a winter coat, really makes me want to have Spring roll in & STAY!

*My boy Christian ROCKED the runway & pulled out the win for Project Runway - FIERCE AND FABULOUS!

Youth Update

WOW! I'm still in awe - we had 30 kids last night! 30! THIRTY!!! 3-0!!!! That's just the kids - add the 5 adults - & there were 35 of us stuffed in that room! It was a great sight! We had to pull chairs up, sit on the floor, cram in there - but every eye was watching, every ear was listening. What an incredible sight!

I just wanted to share the video that we showed to them last night. It was so powerful & it just worked perfectly with the message that was given. (Thanks Jennifer for passing it on to us!) And I'll warn you - it will probably get to you also. I think its a message that will make you stop & think no matter what your age is. Think of the people you love, the people you care about - the people you know. Now think about how often you mention the name of Jesus to them.

It's all Yours!

You know when you feel like you're being chased by God with a message? Like He's trying to pound it in your head & finally, you're like, Wait - I keep hearing this over & over - I must be needing to take something out of this. Well, I keep having moments like that. Surrender - giving it all over - It's all Yours - Giving it all to God. That message seems to be everywhere lately.

During Thrive, Christy did a great skit on showing how to give it all over to God - packing it all away in a box labeled specifically for this purpose. In it, she put her finances, her job, her studies, her childhood - everything that makes her up. What a great message. Then last night, again, the talk was about "Surrender" & what are we holding back that we should offer to God.

In a video that goes along with the series, Steve Arterburn gave the example of his daughter who earned a metal running a 5k race with her dad. She was so proud of this metal & thought it was the world (I would too if I finished a 5K race). But she saw another young lady who had some physical disabilities running this race & this little girl could see the struggle that the lady was having. She later saw her after the race & felt it in her heart to give her her own metal that she had received. It touched the father so much to see his daughter give up something that she cherished for someone else. The concluding point was - what could God do with you if you gave things over to him? How much more can be accomplished for His purpose if we are willing to give things over?

Then - on my drive into work - I pop in the newest Steven Curtis Chapman CD (yeah, I know - a shocker) & then a song comes on that I listened to - but I guess never really LISTENED to. The song is called "Yours". There are some beautiful words that just keep repeating - "Its all Yours God"....there it is again - surrendering, handing over, giving it all.

I found this video on YouTube that had the words & I think its a beautiful video - to see all the beauty in creation that God created & is His. But I think it goes further than that - even the ugly & sick & dying - its all God's too. The struggles that people endure, the hardships of life - they're all His too if we'd hand it over & let Him control it instead of ourselves. I know a beautiful video couldnt really grasp all that - & who would want to watch that? - but I hope you enjoy watching it - & really listen to the words.

So - what do you need to surrender to God? What do you need to give control over to God of? Remember - everything you have is because of Him? Use it to glorify Him & His name!

Not a normal sight

I'm driving into work this morning - a normal, routine thing. I see up ahead some police lights flashing. My first reaction - Oh no, I hope he doesnt have Ricky pulled over!

I see there is no car pulled over at all & then I notice there are about 3 more cars in the shopping center right off the highway, surrounding the Rite-Aid Pharmacy. What the heck? Someone must have tried to break in or something! Then, I notice - there is yellow, Police Tape that encircles a big area! Oh no! Has someone been shot trying to break into this place? ..... Then, I notice what is in the police tape ..... about 8-10 cows!!!! In the middle of the shopping area! The police had the cows surrounded & herded by the police tape & they were standing on the outside making sure they were corraled in there! What a sight! Something you dont see every morning! Those cows were just out on a Field Trip! Can you imagine pulling into the local grocery store in that same area & seeing the cows walking across the parking lot? Talk about having "fresh meat"! (UGH - I just made myself gag!)

Technology

Technology has become our friend! It amazes me the things you can do with computers - how small they keep getting - how portable they are. You can stay connected to anyone in the world, via Internet mind you, all in the palm of your hand with a cell phone now. Things keep getting more & more advanced & it's pretty intimidating.

Now I'm average on a computer - can figure my way around things - just because I'm sitting behind one at least 10 hours a day. But the new technology of phones, iPods, MP3 players, digital video cameras, all the burning onto discs....it can make a head spin. So when we got the Xbox 360 for Christmas, we were excited to get it hooked up to get on Xbox LIVE. Of course, nothing is every easy for us & we ran into SOOOO many problems - you can't even imagine! It's not like the machine is cheap anyways - but we're at Best Buy every week buying a new router, or a new "Thingie" (as I like to refer to most electrical devices). So here we are, rounding out February - well enough time after Christmas & we FINALLY got ourselves hooked up to LIVE!

Well, Ricky got to enjoy it the other night while I was away - but last night was the first time I got to sit & enjoy the technology myself. No - I'm not talking about my excellent rifts in Guitar Hero - I'm talking about being able to sit in front of my TV screen, put headphones on my head - & being able to see Isaac! There was that cute grand baby all the way in Texas sitting right there on the screen, looking ever so obediently into the camera! Actually, he just likes to look at the light that's around it - but I'm thinking he just wants to show his cute little face to Nanny & Pappy!

Today - he is 5 months old! And he's getting SO big! He is at the stage now where he's wanting to hold onto fingers & stand & bounce. And his new favorite thing which makes his mommy & daddy very "happy" -(yes, sarcastic tone there) - he's learned to arch his back when you lay him down or put him in a position he doesn't want to be. Already a very opinionated little boy!

Man - I was so happy to see him - but it breaks my heart to know how far away he is! I want to hold him, kiss him, & spoil him! Darn it! I'm going to be happy though that we have the technology where I can see him whenever I want! And that he can see Nanny & Pappy & know our face & know we're the people on the screen with dogs running in front of the camera all day long! ....I swear, its like the dogs KNOW there is a camera there & they LOVE to put their butts right in camera view! Sorry Julie for that angle!

Which reminds me - the dogs are getting in on the action too. Pippin - one of my grandpuppies - he was with us for a few months so he LOVED being around our doggies - when he's on the screen, Sydney will look at the screen & bark - like she knows exactly who he is! My dogs are even in on this camera action - Pippin is probably going to get his own headset so they can bark back & forth to each other. Who knows - they probably understand each thing they're saying to each other!