Monday, April 20, 2009

Plagarism....again

Do you sometimes read something and think you just have to share it? This is from Pete Wilson's blog Without Wax....again...not trying to elevate the guy but he has simply had some words that cause me to ponder (as Pammie would say:)). At least I give credit to him and hope it's okay to cut and paste from his blog. Someone will have to tell me if I'm doing a no-no. The truth of the matter, I keep finding myself frustrated with the way things work sometimes (and since He is sovereign, things really mean 'the way He works' sometimes.) I find myself in this lurching motion - forward (pause), lean back, lurch forward (pause)(PAUSE), yellow light, green light, red light....I'm getting motion sickness....so the following excerpt gives me reason to hope and allow Him to continue doing what He does best...everything! The following is from Pete:

In John 11 we discovered TRUE HOPE DEVELOPS WHEN YOU ACCEPT GOD’S POWER AND TIMING. Most of the time we want his power, we want his strength, but we don’t want his calendar.

I love what Mark Batterson said about this in Wild Goose Chase

“I tend to live the way I drive. I want to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time and by the easiest route possible. But I’ve come to realize that getting where God wants me to go isn’t nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process. And God seems to be far less concerned with where I’m going than with who I’m becoming.

The friction for many of us comes in that we’re a lot more concerned with where we are going and what we’re accomplishing than who we’re becoming. We’ve got it opposite and it drives a barrier into the work God is trying to do in us.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Maybe it was too much physical work and now exhaustion. Maybe it was too much sugar and now sugar crash. Maybe it was too much expectation and now hurt feelings. Maybe this is just life in a fallen world. Maybe I'll go back to bed and get more sleep. I need my rest so when the rain stops and it drys out a little I can go back to finish digging out the yucca plants. I will conquer those plants once and for all!!! Eventually I will have a pretty flower bed by the driveway.....eventually.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Plegarism

Jesus always chose to see people for who they could be rather than who they were in that very moment.

The above quote is from a blog Without Wax by Pete Wilson.

You can work miracles by having faith in others. To get the best out of people, choose to think and believe the best about them.

The above quote is on a purple piece of paper in front of me at my computer. I don't remember where I 'borrowed' it from.

I sometimes wonder if I ever have an original thought that is worth cut & pasting somewhere. I won't fret about it though. I figure the Creator of the Universe gets credit for it all anyway:).

Who else has seen a quote lately that causes them to ponder?


Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Easter?

I just can't get my head wrapped around that Easter is this weekend. I feel guilty for not being 'ready', almost feel disconnected. I don't feel disconnected from God but from the calendar. Could someone give me a couple more weeks, please? I don't want to have the wrong mindset going into the greatest celebration we have as Christians. This weekend is about Jesus' resurrection, not about dinner, candy, eggs, bunnies or decorations - good thing coz I don't have any of that figured out. Not interested in the traditional Easter dinner. Have not decided what I'm going to fix yet. Might be enchiladas - just kidding - maybe liver and onions - ok, kidding again. I just don't know and it is stresses me a little. Oh, my. I just thought to myself, you need to read the scriptures about His final days to prepare your heart for this season and I realized I don't want to hear about how we disappointed Him and so many missed Him and to be reminded His suffering....I think I'm in an avoidance mode. Hmmmmm.....anyone else feeling discumberated??? Hope I'm alone in this coz it just doesn't feel good.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

He's Still In There

The little boy that wants to be accepted and have a place in your heart is still in there - inside of Branden - under some layers of cold world independence - but we saw it the other night when we had a talk about his change in lifestyle since he received his first paycheck. I don't want to play on his need to be accepted as a way to manipulate him into making good decisions. I want him to know the complete acceptance of his Savior, Jesus. I want him to desire to know Him more and to understand what a blessing it is to become more and more like Him. Anyway, the overall report of our talk is that it went well. We had hoped he would agree to attend a program at church that is called Celebrate Recovery - it deals with hurts, healing and habits. He's not there yet but the seed has been planted. And mostly I hope and believe that he heard that we love him and will be here for the long haul as he makes decisions and progress toward an independent future.
So this morning I get a text from him - I still smile when I think of it - saying this morning a driver picked him to work the route with - if you aren't picked then the boss assigns you to someone. It was as if I just heard from my little boy that someone picked him for their dodgeball team at recess. He received recognition for his work and that was so good for him. He said this is the first real job he's had since he sold cars out of high school - that only lasted a few months. Can you imagine - that was 10 years ago.
To my wonderful daughters who read my post and to my fantastic youngest son who probably doesn't, thank you for understanding and allowing your dad and I to invest this time and energy into Branden. You know he has always had a place in our hearts and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to help him get on the right path in life. Having him with us may consume some of our energy and focus but it in no way diminishes our love and pleasure we find in each of you. God has expanded 'our territory' (that prayer of Jabez is dangerous:)) and He has expanded our ability to love even more. To my dear friends who read my rambling, thank you for the prayers that are so necessary as we move forward trusting God to reveal what is next.
It may be a rainy, cold day but my heart is warm and full today.
Oh, when talking to Dana the other day, she was talking about someone who always whined about something and I thought of this clever saying: "Why don't you go back to your kitchen cabinet and find a glass that is half-full. The half-empty one you are carrying is stealing your joy." Okay, I thought it was clever anyway :).