Volcano - Mt. St. Debbie

Wow but after the laughter wears you out, the insides start churning with the threat of becoming a volcano and spewing over the next person in your path........doesn't that sound so dramatic??? I'm still being funny here. I'm wishing people could just do what they need to do in the first place but our Pastor said just yesterday, "There's no shortcuts." I hope he realizes that wasn't encouraging but then again, those instances where people do a 180 seem often to be able to do another 180 back in the wrong direction just as quick. Those whose steps slowly turn closer and closer to the true path for them, seem to have a better long term bearing on where they are going. Poo, I don't know anything. I'm just trying to be grateful Branden is home and we can use his trials to motivate him to a new way of living. teehee...I just said "trials"...actually they are only court dates....one for 'causing alarm' which is a catch-all for 'we don't know what you were really up to but we are watching you' and the other is for missing his probation appointments for his driving violations. He went to work today - that is good. Gotta keep up counting the good and hoping for more of it.

My wonderful husband helped me dig rocks out of this flower bed that I'm trying an extreme makover on. I'm not sure he is moving well today. He moaned and groaned...while digging out the rocks....bet he's still moaning and groaning when he gets home today. Think I'll make him something nice for dinner....hmmmm, better go see what's possible....

Loving the laughter

You have to love laughter. It is a condiment to many emotions. You are happy - you laugh. You are scared - you laugh (Dana drops to the floor first, then laughs.) You are riding in the family car going to the graveyard - you find something to make you laugh (or maybe our family is really, really strange but it happened at my mom's funeral). You are nervous - here comes the giggle. You are completely befuddled - you laugh as you give it up. Ralph and I have been laughing these last 18 hours as we find ourselves dealing with another chapter of what was to be our empty nest beginning. "Lord, what do You have us doing?" We didn't know we'd be learning new legal terms - didn't know how large our sphere of influence would get when we welcomed Branden back to our home. To be honest if we knew all that is ahead, would we have opened our door. Yes, I think we would have in this case but there is a part of me that believes God shelters us from knowing too much sometimes so we will simply trust Him and be obedient in the moment. We have been meeting some of Branden's friends. He is in a holding cell right now with one of those friends. We are communicating with another of his friends to get more of the story. As crazy, and believe me I know it is CRAZY, as it is, we are making connections with these friends for a reason we don't pretend to understand. Who is to say if God is giving opportunity for these young adults to have an older adult treat them with respect in the midst of their poor decision making and lifestyles. For Peter's sake, we don't think we are Mother Teresa here, but something is going on bigger than us. We want to be His love drawing the hurt, lost and even rebellious to a loving relationship with the only One who can complete their lives. ....okay, so you aren't left hanging...we aren't sure what the outcome will be for Branden's situation. They have 24 hours to charge him or release him. He was in the wrong place with the wrong person and is being held on "probably cause". He also didn't make his last appointment with his probation officer so that could cost him some jail time. And as crazy as this sounds, we are glad for this turn of events (though we hope he is released!) because we can now say "you've tried it your way - how's that working for you?" and then lay out some expectations he will have to agree to because he had his chance and blew it.
I doubt that many read my blog that don't know us fairly well so I hope it is okay that we ask you to pray for us as we try to hear what God wants us to do with this opportunity. Pray for a brokeness in Branden that would cause him to hunger for more of the Lord (he has said the salvation prayer but I don't know that he understands the significance - has dodged discipling so far - still don't think we can force that on him so am praying he hungers for it. Pray for Ralph and I to be in unity on the decisions and actions we take. Pray for our other children that they agree with the risks we are taking and aren't harmed by it.
Laughter...couldn't exist without it!

Plagarism....again

Tags» Brewer Wilson, hope, Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 :).