The God Who Sings

I prayed over the weekend for some direction regarding a decision I needed to make at work today.  I weighed my pros and cons to both of my options and I was finally able to reach a decision.  I am experiencing a great PEACE now.  Isn't it nice to have peace!...more than nice really...there is a great contentment in knowing I made the right decision....a decision that God would want for me.

In our house there are many reasons to sing and we are all a little crazy with music.  I love singing and I love that my entire family loves singing...most of all just that they are so happy that the music just flows out of them throughout the day.  Brad and I laugh when we hear one of them upstairs belting something out at the top of their lungs.  In as much as I love music and the joy that can be found in it and expressed through it...it is something completely wonderful to know that God sings over us...that God might belt out some crazy song about me because I have done something to please Him!  Think on that one!  It is pretty great!

There is a worship song I have come to enjoy a lot...I heard it sung at a chapel service earlier this year...and I googled it right after I got back from chapel so I could hear it again...it is a little different than most worship songs because it isn't the typical song of praise where we lift it up from us to Him...it is more of a song from the perspective of God singing over us or singing to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8MwylAo_Pk

Fosters In The News

Kenna and Kassi's 50's Show from Parma Elementary went on the road last week to Countryside Care Home and the kids were highlighted in an MLive article at this link:  http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/03/parma_students_bring_nostalgic.html#incart_river_default

The girls said it was neat to see the people singing along to the songs they were performing!

See the little boy groovin' next to Kassi?..  Well, she told me she had to dance with him a little bit and he told her, "At the end of this song Mrs. Fitz said we have to kiss."....totally not true!  I thought boys still thought girls had cooties in 3rd grade. :)  Kassi said, "NO WAY E.J.!" I know I like poetry and such...but, I think that was fabulous that his name rhymes with NO WAY...haha!  I have been repeating that statement now from time to time because it is funny to me....SO, if I say, "NO WAY E.J." to you, you will know what I am talking about.

Spoiler Alert

GOD'S NOT DEAD! :) Just saw the movie today and loved it!  Our showtime was sold out and I heard from a friend that another one was too....hope lots more theaters are experiencing the same circumstances.

It is my hope that this movie or movement will encourage Christians to be bold in their faith...to be able to give an answer when someone asks "why?"...and to think for ourselves and not just accept everything we are fed as "truth"...to seek out the TRUTH.  I have always been thrilled that Jesus spoke in parables because I think He wants His followers to pursue the answers as they dig into His Word to find Truth.  There is a line from another movie "One Night with the King" (the story of Esther) that I love and stuck with me...She says to the King, "My father told me it takes the glory of God to conceal a matter.  And it takes the honor of Kings to search it out."  I don't know why my mind connected the two things, but I believe that is the challenge God has laid before us...to seek HIM while we can and to testify to the Truth we have found in Him.

VHC Youth Got Talent

SO FUN!  We had a great time tonight and the youth group raised about $700 dollars toward their missions fund from selling tickets and concessions.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support them as their #1 fans or paparazzi :)  It was such a blessing to watch them using their talents to glorify God....and have a great time together! One of my favorite funnier moments was when one of the boys had already changed into his "Jesus" costume for a very serious sketch, but then he realized he was supposed to juggle before that...so, he came out juggling as "Jesus"....I am still cracking up about that....ooopsie!

I meant to get a bunch of pictures of it...I had my camera and got it all ready quickly because we were running late to the show and I ran in to catch the first act before they were done and my camera indicator light notified me that I did not have my memory card...DOH! I left it in my computer at home.  Oh well, it was nice to sit and watch it all!  I had one of those weird moments where you feel like you are outside of yourself and you wonder how you actually got to that place in your life where you have kids...and, not only that...you almost have a high school kid.  How does that happen?  Who are all these kids and why are they calling me mom? :) NO, I LOVE IT!  AND, I am thankful they have some great Christian friends!

Link to a Sweet Giveaway

This is priceless... http://safeshare.tv/w/kmODJCmfAH...just wanted to share the link :)

Awkward Jog of Thankfulness

This may only be funny to me...just a warning...but, you know when you realize someone is holding the door open for you, but you are still a distance away and so you start to jog to get there faster because you are thankful they are holding the door...those are fun little jogs, right?!

So, a few weeks ago I blogged about a door being closed to me...today, a different one may have opened. I am still a little ways away from it, so I need to pray and see if God is holding it for me and wants me to do the little awkward jog to get there :)  Anyway, it is just exciting that this opportunity might be available....if it is God's plan and timing.  So, please pray for me for discernment.

The Need For Speed

Tonight we had the AWANA Grand Prix at our church....it was a great time and I had fun with my new toy...see my pics :)

Our Racers

McKenna, racing the Jif PB car...we had to add more weight to it, so it is hard to see the detail that she painted, but her car won 2nd place for speed.  YAHOO!

Kassi, racing the blue, high-heeled shoe....not so speedy, but definitely stylin'

Danielle, racing the banana car, also won a 2nd place award...for creativity.  (All the girls thought of their own designs and painted their own cars....I'm so proud of Danielle for winning this by doing the work herself.)

Karly, racing the rainbow with a pot of gold car, it didn't place this year...but she had loads of fun for her first year at the races.  Her car came very close to getting third place for speed....missed it by that much!

Racing is over.....time to goof off :)

The Racers Would Like To Thank Their Pit Crew

We had the weights on the bottom of the cars, but they were rubbing against the track and slowing the cars down, so daddy had to make some very quick adjustments and put the weights on the top of the cars.  sheeewww...being on a pit crew can be stressful :)

Where was Savannah?

Practicing her dance routine to the song "In Summer" from Frozen

These goofs are performing it on Friday night at the Youth Got Talent Variety Show...fun times!  I got a sneak preview tonight and they are amazing...you really should come! :)

AND, I just had fun taking lots of pictures and trying to steal my friend's baby away....she is so delightful...but, Brad says no more :)  Who can say no to this....I mean, seriously!

Like Coffee?..."I DO"

Some days are like this....ahhhh...wedded bliss!  

Other days....it is a....

I really wanna put that second sign by my coffee pot :)  So funny! So, what makes a marriage last?  Coffee?  I wish it were that easy.  (One of my favorite things about making coffee is that our coffee pot looks like Darth Vader to me....haha! SEE.) 

Anyway, there are ups and downs...ebb and flow (I don't think I have ever used the word ebb in a sentence, but it means a low point or a weakness...or, as in the tide...when the tide recedes)...all relationships are that way.  BUT, I didn't just make a promise to Brad when I said "I do"...I made a vow to God, so it is not just some 50/50 deal with Brad where I try to keep track of how much Brad is putting into the relationship....and I wonder...are we about equal?  It is a 100% promise I made to God that I will put Brad before any other man on earth for as long as we both live.  

Ever thought about all the things you said "I DO" to?  Or were you just looking into those dreamy eyes staring back at you....ha!  I know!  One day I was driving home from work and I was thinking about all the possible bad things I agreed to when I said something like...for better or for worse...in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer...and I still said "I DO"...meaning I keep doing...does that make sense?  BUT, even greater still is that we have a God who's name is "I AM"...who is...and is....and is...and is what we need so we will keep doing.  (I know I am weird...but, this all makes sense to me :)

Whenever Brad performs a wedding he adds the part about marriage being not 50/50, but 100/100 into a charge to the couples....I really love attending weddings that he is officiating because he always tries to make them so personal and unique for each couple...BUT, mostly, I love weddings because they remind me that he lives out what he says.  AND, I am so blessed!

COMMITMENT...I really like this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IzDGhhAOpo

"I (STILL) DO"

AWANA Hide God's Word In My Heart

Kenna, Kassi, Danielle, and Karly all participated in the AWANA games this past weekend.  It was a very dramatic day....a couple of my children get very emotional (I am not sure why...:ha!)  over competitive events.  Most of the drama was just getting there and getting psyched up for the games...the apprehension of being in front of everyone and feeling scared....after they started it was "all good".  Danielle and Karly are amazing at the bean bag race, Kassi has some super speed for the races...we like to call her "pink lightning"...and Kenna is great with the balloon relay.  I really enjoy the games, but I am thrilled they are involved in a program where they are able to hide God's Word in their hearts.  If kids start AWANAs in Cubbies and go through TNT, they learn and study more than 300 Bible verses.  It is a challenge to raise God-fearing children today, but every generation has had challenges.  We cannot use our culture as a cop-out.  I heard a guy say once..."we raised our kids in church, but not in Christ"...I thought that was poignant statement.   Whatever we expect and hope for our children, we have to be modelling ourselves.  They have to see our faith in action.

Karly and Danielle (behind) getting ready for the Sparky games

Kassi and Kenna getting ready for the TNT games

While I was watching the games I was holding a 4-year old boy on my lap...well sort-of...he had so much energy and that event was so exciting to him, he was bouncing all over the place and wanting to pretend he was doing everything the older kids were doing, so I was just trying to give him some structure and boundaries for his enthusiasm :).    He really wanted to try out one of the air-horns.   He has a special connection with Kassi and before each time she would run he would yell out "Get ready for some action, Kassi!"  She tried to remain focused, but she would get this grin on her face each time he cheered for her, so I know it was working to encourage her.  He can't wait to be one of them next year and I can't help but think our faith should encourage a similar reaction from our children...that seeing God working through us and the amazing things we can accomplish in Christ...would spur them on in their faith as well.  

Just Because Flowers

I got some " just because" flowers today...I can't think of any reason why I got them....I asked if it was because my NCAA bracket picks were so bad?  OR, maybe because I was upset that Will (on, The Good Wife) was killed.....that is still a little shocking...I was in denial and Brad thought that was funny...I said someone is going to wake up from a dream and this will not be true.   These were the only upsetting things to me from yesterday...but, no....there was no reason....JUST BECAUSE...I love just because flowers.  They are a little weird though... I still keep thinking if there is some reason that I may be forgetting.

I guess I should just stop thinking and smell them :)  Thanks, Babe...LUB!

Better Than a Concert

We celebrated Grandma Phillips' 90th Birthday today and after we sang Happy Birthday to her...she said she wanted to sing us a song as well.  She said everyone always asks old people about their secrets and she wanted to let us know about hers :).  I think the title of the song was "Time and Time Again"  and it was such a beautiful song about going to Christ over and over...for strength...for love...for encouragement that what we think we cannot do...God tells us we can.  I was trying not to allow myself to weep...but, I had to fight really hard to accomplish that. (Grandma, thank you for that song!...It really meant a lot to have you sing that to us...what a tremendous surprise and blessed testimony!)

Then...we are going to be having a Youth Got Talent event at our church next weekend, so we had a practice tonight for youth group and I was blown away by the talented youth at our church!  I love seeing some that have never sung or performed before approaching the microphone for the first time with a song, dance, jokes, a poem to read...or something else that is significant to them regarding their faith...despite the fear and trepidation, there is something absolutely priceless in that moment.  I love watching them realize God has gifted them with something wonderful to contribute!

It was way better than a concert for me!  

I Finally Captured Freedom

I finally captured freedom

I held it in my hands

It crashed against each finger

Escape became its impassioned plan

Now my knuckles clench tighter daily

To keep freedom secure

And all my efforts and toils in life

Have gradually fallen under one rule...

I cannot set freedom FREE

If I release freedom and let it fly, to life, away

Will I ever return to that sweetest place?

Where freedom feels at peace to land--

To rest upon my open hand?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!  Galatians 5:1 

Where will we choose to land?  I think that is a powerful question.  We no longer are slaves to sin because our freedom has been bought with a price...but, what will we choose to do with our freedom?  The ultimate choice, in my opinion, is to willingly land back in the hands of Christ and to allow Him to brand us as His bond servant.

Some People Are Worth Melting For

Danielle was not feeling well last night, so everyone else went on with the scheduled chaos, but she and I hung out at home...chilling with the movie FROZEN.

Sometimes, with 5 kids, I worry that I do not give enough one-on-one time to each one.  Brad and I do our best to make date opportunities for each of them once in a while, but I know I have a couple that really crave that special time and need the attention.  So, despite the fact that Danielle was not feeling extremely well...we had a great time together... all by ourselves.

I love the movie FROZEN for the music in it, but I also love the twist that the love story is not the typical "guy meets girl" story...it has that in it...of course, but that is not the "act of true love" that warms Anna's heart.  This one has a sister connection and an act of love between the siblings.  I am so happy they presented this kind of love.

I really like Olaf too!  I like the song he sings about summer, but I laugh really hard when he is trying to make a fire to take care of Anna and he is melting in the process....it is one of the funniest...sweetest things when he says, "Some people are worth melting for!"  It is extremely important to me that I bless my kids...that they receive a blessing from me that translates to "you are wonderful, you are valuable, I am privileged to be your mom...something like..."you are worth melting for".  Savannah and McKenna still always want Brad and I to tuck them in at night and there have been evenings where I have just wanted to watch TV or blog or read and I have thought, (shame on me) "how long do other people tuck their kids in?"..."I mean, isn't there an age where you don't do that anymore?"....but, our seasons of life change so quickly...Winter does melt into Spring...and I have realized I need to give them the attention while I can.  AND, I praise God that they still want that time with me.

The Evidence Sings For Itself

Yesterday I thought the prospect of it really being Spring seemed quite remote...so, today I went out in search of some evidence and I am happy to report...

So, what song would you like to sing to celebrate SPRING? Here are some possibilities..."I'm Walking On Sunshine....Whoa!"....OR, "Here Comes The Sun"....."Blue Skies"?....in honor of Mrs. Fitz from Parma Elementary...let's go with Ella Fitzgerald...I wanna hear your scat! :)  Let's scat for SPRING! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB-xqDZbEVQ

Bracket Picks

While everyone else was securing their NCAA bracket picks today, Kenna was having brackets secured to her teeth!  YAY, Kenna....here's to a future with a beautiful smile!  Well, I may be biased...no I'm not...you already have one!

AT THE HOP....then, we all went to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade Spring concert tonight.  Kassi and Kenna were in it...and somehow Karly wiggled her way into it as well....I am not sure exactly how that went down, but Mrs. Fitz seems to be a pushover for Karly and allowed her to come up during Rockin' Robin to do a little tweedleee-deee-deeeing (however you spell that!)...she wasn't too excited or anything :)  Fun times...I love poodle skirts!

We were able to fix the basement flooding from yesterday and I have some new pics to show you our progress down there.  Brad even let me put up a sign, so I feel like we are well on our way (ha! why does it always take much longer than expected?) 

 Can I be trusted with power tools?

YAY!  Our first item of decor!

ONE FUNNY STORY:  Brad had a call yesterday at the church that he thought was a prank.  The guy on the phone asked him if he had any specials.  Brad said, "Excuse me...I think you're breaking up a little bit?" ....so, the man repeated, "Do you have any specials?"  Brad really thought it was one of his friends pulling a prank on him, so he said, "What? Do you mean baptisms, salvations?"  Then, Brad realized it was not a prank and that the man had the wrong number...he was trying to call for pizza.  Our youth group has been selling these magnets for Papa Johns in order to raise money for their summer mission trip.

It really is a great deal (IMHO) and the kids get $5 for every one they sell....*shameless plug* the magnets are $10 and you get a full year of buy one large pizza and get one free from the Papa Johns on West Ave in Jackson, MI....ANYWAY, the man had bought the magnet and was calling the church number instead of the Papa Johns number....too funny!  I guess that fundraiser is also serving to direct more people to our church...who knew :)  Maybe this mix-up could bring someone to Christ...?  Anything is possible :)

Driving on a Doughnut

Even though my basement (that is just being finished) started flooding today.....even though a huge ice dam came dislodged from my roof and crashed onto the deck...even though after we picked up someone to take them to church with us there was no dinner left in the cafe...even though after Bible Study I had a flat tire on my van...I WILL BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS DAY!

....Because we were able to catch the flooding in time and put a tarp underneath our deck where it started to seep in and now we have a plan to address the problem....and that the carpet had not been installed yet...and that we have great friends that came to the rescue.

...Because no one was standing under the ice dam when it came crashing down...(I had been hitting it with a rake a couple days ago...now I realize that probably wasn't the most brilliant idea :)  That it only cracked one board on our deck.  AND, that we have great friends that were already here working on our basement :) that also helped clear the huge ice chunks from the deck....I owe those great friends...but, they are so great...they probably will not expect anything in return, right?  HA!

"Friendship is not about who you've known the longest...it is about who walked into your life, said "I'm here for you!" And then proved it"....(Love that quote!) LOVE separates real from fake...I learned that in Bible Study tonight.

...Because when a lady that helps serve dinner for all the AWANA's kids and workers realized Brad and I did not get anything for dinner tonight because we were picking someone up....she grilled up two ham and cheese sandwiches for us even though I assured her we would pick up a little something later.

...Because three guys from church realized my tire was flat and put the doughnut tire on it for me...and I could still get home with all the girls in good time...plus, it was just fun to use "driving on a doughnut" as my title for this blog :)

On Wednesday nights I'm usually in a weird mood....but, somehow, I am not stressed about these things.

  God is so GREAT and I am so GRATEFUL!

Concentric Waves

I enjoy when I get out of work at noon and I have a little quiet time before the kids start getting home from school.  As much as I enjoy being around people...joking around and hearing their stories and having a pretty big, noisy family as well, I have learned over the years that I am an introverted person in that I derive my energy from my quiet times.  Sometimes I waste my quiet time and don't get much done...but, I have been trying to be more intentional to use my time wisely.  I started wondering some time ago if I was really challenging my mind enough...and so, I decided to start reading some works of C.S. Lewis and others in order to walk with them in some of their thought processing.  I am finishing up "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis for the third time (it takes me a little while to grasp his thinking :)  However, there is this page in the book that really impacts me each time I have read it....it describes the type of person I want to be...I guess maybe this woman that is described is kind-of like the Proverbs 31 woman...but, in Lewis's book, it describes more of the love she has for others than the things she accomplishes....so, in that way it is a little different. It is that type of love that I desire for people and not a self-serving kind of love that makes this page always so special to me.  Here it is...the characters have just come upon a sort of procession for this woman who was never famous on earth....

"And who are all these young men and women on each side?" "They are her sons and daughters."  "She must have had a very large family, Sir?"  "Every young man or boy that met her became her son- even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door.  Every girl that met her was her daughter."  "Isn't that a bit hard on their own parents?"  "No. There are those that steal other people's children.  But her motherhood was of a different kind.  Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more.  Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers.  But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives."...It goes on to talk about how she cared for all of God's creation as well...."And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them."  "Yes," he said.  "It is like when you throw a stone into a pool, and the concentric waves spread out further and further.  Who knows where it will end?  Redeemed humanity is still young, it has hardly come to its full strength.  But already there is joy enough in the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe to life."

Doesn't Lewis have a way with words?....and I think a great faith too in that he believes it is possible for us (me) to have this perfect kind of love for others....where all people can love better when encountering the me that has an abundant life in Christ.  What if the joy we have in loving God...spreads to a joy in loving others....spreads ultimately to a joy that can waken all dead things in the universe to life....??(makes me want to make a big splash :)

Luck Runs Out

Karly came through the kitchen door sobbing after school today and I could barely understand what she was trying to tell me was the source of her despair.  Once I got her to take a couple deep breaths and calm down...she said, "Lucky died."  Lucky was the pony down the street that she liked to ride when our neighbors invited us to ride their horses.  (I thought....what an irony for St Patrick's Day!)  I held her for a little while for her to have a good cry and then something else distracted her away to have some fun with her sisters and it seemed she was over the loss.  My brief thoughts on this subject tonight just remind me that luck runs out....I remember when I was little I always wanted to find a real four-leaf clover...or try to get to the end of a rainbow to see if there really was a pot of gold (actually that second thought still entices me a little bit)...BUT, I am thankful blessings do not have to be limited if we are seeking Christ and submitting to Him in obedience.

Our Weekend Whereabouts

We had a great weekend!  Saturday was Band Festival for Savannah and we all went to support Western Middle School...Savannah got to sit 1st Flute for the 8th grade band, so she had the responsibility of stepping to the director's platform to seat everyone.  She was pretty excited for that!  I always get so nervous for them when they have the sight-reading part of Festival....so crazy that they are able to play a piece that quickly without being able to play a note to practice.  Their director is amazing to me!

So, that was fun...then we surprised the girls and took them to Chuck E Cheese for a little celebration of our year anniversary for the adoption.  Brad and I played Guitar Hero almost the whole time...(I beat him only twice...I need more practice)....just taking a couple ski ball breaks when our hands were about to fall off...and one shot at eradicating aliens from the earth...oh, and I had to try fastest finger...I have won it in the past a few times...just be careful if you ever try it because you can separate your finger nail from the nail bed if you are too intense and press too hard to get through the maze...ouch! The girls had a good time too...ha!  They like all the games where they end up with weird pictures of themselves :)

Today, we had a wonderful day at church...a long day, but so good.  We had service this morning and then a membership class this afternoon where we welcomed about 20 more members into our church family.  Then, tonight for youth group we had one of our young adults from New Tribes Bible Institute share about her calling to the mission field and her new assignment to Tanzania.  I am going to be sad to see her leaving Village Hope Church because she is such a rare....sweet lady, but it is also very exciting to know how God is using her....and to know He is fulfilling her dreams...I can tell her heart is full of joy because she is beaming about this opportunity.  When I see people that happy...I think of  "I'm walking on sunshine...whoa!"...I think that is my go-to happy song or something.   I hope her story was very inspiring to our youth...I know it was for me.

After that talk, we were in the van on the way home and the girls were talking about where they would want to go if they went abroad.  Kenna said she wanted to go to Africa and Savannah said the Philippines...then, Danielle chimed in and said she wanted to go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop.....I LOVE KIDS!!!!!  We decided on the drive thru at McD's to get some chicken sandwiches and wraps since we got out of church late.  Brad was ordering saying, "can I have two chicken sandwiches" and the guy interrupted by saying, "NO" to him...haha!  I have never had a drive-thru attendant tell me NO to my order...I laughed so hard....so, then Brad was repeating the order and I whispered that he should add a knuckle sandwich at the end of the order and see what the guy would say....the guy really had a good laugh with that one....I love everyday adventures...he said he would have our order ready at the window....haha!

What's In a Name?

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.  Revelation 2:17

When I first read this verse it was really exciting to me...still is.  I think it will be incredible to be given a name by God!  Brad and I really enjoyed naming our children...we always wanted their names to be meaningful and something we could see them growing into....I always loved knowing the meaning of my name was Joyful Spirit and Strength/Strong (although sometimes I think I took my middle name and made it mean strong-willed). 

McKenna Christine means beautiful and blessed follower of Christ, Kassandra Brianne means prophetess and strength (we have already seen this meaning come to life from the time she had her eye surgery and had dreams of Heaven), and Karlayna Suzanne means a free person on the narrow road and Easter Lily.  When we were planning to adopt and we were in the visitation time with Savannah and Danielle we asked them if we could give them a middle name that would be meaningful and something we could pray for them.  They were both agreeable with it at the time (probably because we were at Disney World when we first started talking about it)...I guess it wasn't really fair to propose it at that time :)  HINDSIGHT!  Anyway, I wanted to give Savannah the middle name Nicole because it means Victorious or Overcomer and I wanted to give Danielle the middle name Sophia because it means Wisdom....both things I pray for them as they grow up.  Danielle was excited about her name and decided she wanted it, but Savannah ended up having some reservations about changing her name and so we did not end up giving her a new middle name.

 At the time, I was disappointed because I really wanted her to be an "overcomer"...and somehow I thought the name would do that.  Fast-forward to today and we are so excited to be celebrating ONE YEAR since our adoption was finalized on March 15, 2013.  This has been an incredible year and I have seen God's hand working out all the challenges we have faced as a family and some individual struggles along the way with all the transitions.  I have been amazed by how God has helped everyone through it!  I have learned (and am learning) so much and one of the biggest things is that I cannot play the role of God.  I cannot control situations to turn out the way I want them to and I cannot even define them, sometimes...even if my intentions are good.  I saw a statement that "hits the nail on the head" with my lesson in this, "Only God can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into a triumph, and a victim into a victory!" I wrote that down and put it by my desk at work because it is a good reminder for me....and it is humbling.  I definitely have seen Savannah transitioning into one who is victorious and who has an understanding of what she has been through and an excitement about where God may be leading her...but not because of a name I gave her.

Her new name is being made in Christ....and that is thrilling to me!

If you want to WORSHIP the Name Above All Names....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9YC9a-QkCc

Dear Potter,

I'm the clay you're working on...the one from the miry pit.  

Then your hands reached down and pulled me out and split my form into many pieces; locating impurities.  

I thought I was a goner, my hopes for future obscure...

but, your persistence met my resistance and now this clay is pure.  

I watch you as you form me...when I'm not caught up in the spin 

and I see in your eyes the masterpiece that you bring out from within. 

THIS IS WONDERFUL...

YOU have control and I'm molded in your hands.  

You have made more of this lump of clay than I've dreamed in my grandest plans.  

I know, before I am complete, there will be a time of fire, 

but you have NEVER let me down...so I pray now...make me all that YOU desire.

What is the fire?  Why is it necessary?  I watched a potter one time and I was so amazed with how he crafted a vase on the spinner (I am sure there is a professional name for that, but I don't know it).  He talked all about the amount of water that you need...the pressure you should apply to the clay to bring it up higher.  I was enthralled....at the end of his work he held up the vase to show us and then he just crumpled it in his hands....I was one of the people who gasped loudly....sometimes I get so into things and I don't even realize I will be impacted so strongly.  He had just spent all this time working on this vase, but it was now worthless because it was so easy to smash....BECAUSE IT NEVER WENT THROUGH THE FIRE.  Sometimes GOD has to test us...has to allow us a little fire....to make us stronger.  I am sure I am probably saying something that is not theologically correct here, but this is how I understand it.  I don't think He will ever give us a test that is too much for us, but I am pretty sure He gives us small doses of things he knows will be hard enough for us or test us in an area of our lives where we are really weak.  I don't know if this makes sense, but it is almost like being given a small dose of a virus in order to become immune to it...not that I think God tempts us with things because He always wants us to run to Him and be delivered...but, He allows those things to confront us so we will have the opportunity to make the right (or righteous) decisions.

Love Handles

All things...ha! you thought I meant something else, right?  Love even bears home improvement projects :) Brad and I have been working on our basement and whenever we embark on a large project we really bond...haha!  Usually, we have different ideas about how a space should look and, if we agree on that, we disagree on the way to get it there.  I told Brad when I ask for his opinion I really just want to hear my opinion an octave lower :)   It is amusing, though, that God puts many couples together that are opposites in many ways...we figure those things out as we go because in the dating season it seemed we agreed on everything.  I don't know how many times during this project I have heard, "Why I oughta!" with his fist shaking at me...or, a couple weeks ago, I was calling the basement theme "vintage" a lot and he finally said he wanted to "vintage me"...haha!  I LOVE HIM...and even when we disagree, his jokes are still really funny to me....I don't know...is it weird that I enjoy getting under his skin a little bit?  We can work it out! :)

Hey, this is a really funny video about how couples relate to one another...ENJOY!

http://vimeo.com/66753575

Happy Birthday, Mini Koop!

 KOOPER is 5 years old today and the girls want me to post this so everyone will know :)  I feel a little sorry for him because they have another snow day today and are planning things to do to him for his birthday...haha!  Last time he was the focus of the day he ended up with a multi-colored tail.  He is already wearing his hot dog Halloween costume :)  Hey, maybe that is why he tried to run away on Sunday....things that make you go hummmmmm...?

Savannah made this birthday picture for him this morning.  I am not a dog whisperer...but, I think I can hear his thoughts today and they sound a little like this....

or...maybe I am just projecting my own thoughts onto him? :) 

(Wouldn't it be great to see this bus pull up to get the kids...haha!)

All We, Like Sheep...

On Sunday morning we let Kooper out and he ran off....he must have taken "Spring Forward" literally...because he bounded away somewhere (probably after a squirrel).   He was only out for a minute before we checked to let him back in, but he was nowhere to be seen or heard. Brad had already gone to the church to prepare for the service, so the girls and I separated into teams to try and find him.  McKenna and I drove slowly down Miner Rd, Palmer Rd, and Brown St calling for him and listening to see if we could hear any other dogs barking.  Savannah stayed at home with the other girls and she called out the back door while the others called out from the front porch.  We checked in with them a couple times, but we were not successful in finding him. (It is hard to find a white dog in the snow.)  I was not crying...but, I had that panicky feeling.  The girls were already starting to lose it.

After about an hour of looking for him, I thought we needed to eat some breakfast and just pray we could find him or someone would find him and let him in their house.  I called Brad to tell him we couldn't find him and he asked me if we were going to come to church.  I said, "Well, with the emotional atmosphere here and the possibility Kooper might come back on his own...we probably should stay home."  

The girls started eating breakfast and were in better spirits, but I still felt sick about him being lost and kept looking out the windows for him.  I was starting to think about if it was a good time to start knocking on doors of neighbors or talk with the girls about making signs.  All the sudden I saw this little white dog hobbling along by the road in the front of our property and I yelled..."I SEE HIM"...all the girls were screaming and I ran out the front door, but the snow was too high to get to him that way with the retaining wall there....so Savannah and I ran around from the backyard to try to get him....when we could see him well we realized his legs and stomach were bleeding and he couldn't walk very well....I wasn't sure if that was because of the wounds or that his legs were so cold from being caked with snow.  At that point I started calling out orders..."Savannah carry him in, I am going to run a warm bath, Kenna get some towels...girls get him a treat and put some food and water in his bowl"...after the chaos of those moments to get him in, warmed up, address his wounds, and make sure he was OK....I realized I had acted and felt a little like the father that watched for the prodigal son to return....not exactly the same, but a taste of it.  I smiled as I remembered calling out directions to all the girls like when the father calls out to the servants things to do to celebrate the return of the wayward son.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ~Isaiah 53:6

 

He sort of resembles a sheep, doesn't he?  He was tired after his BIG ADVENTURE.

I told Kooper after I hugged him he was going to be in trouble...but, with his injuries...maybe he learned his lesson...?  We'll see...I guess when we decide to go our own way for a time, we come home a little wounded. I am so grateful we have a Father that loves us and takes us back...and we have JESUS who has taken the punishment for our "wayward acts" upon Himself.  We are so glad we have Kooper home now!...I kind-of wish I would have had a mini camera on him, so I could see where he decided to venture.

Squirrelly Tales

Last night Brad and I went on a date to LOWES :) to pick out a bunch of light stuff (switches/ light boxes) for our basement, but when we got home we really didn't feel like unloading it all...so, he was going to do that today.  I woke up before him and thought it would be funny to put a note on all that stuff in the trunk of the van that said, "You (picture of a light bulb) up my life!"  SO, then I was really impatient...at about 10am I asked him if he had brought in the lights yet....then at lunch time I asked about the lights...then I thought, "I need to be discreet here or he will suspect I am up to something....so, I will wait until about 2pm to ask again"...haha!  So I asked him again and he said, "Heather, have you not noticed that I have been singing "You light up my life"...ALL DAY!???"  WHAT?!!!  He never brought the lights in, but he had run a quick errand and had put something in the trunk and noticed it.  I was so focused on those silly lights being brought in that I didn't even realize the serenade.  HA!

Meanwhile, at 11am...I had to pick up Savannah from a Youth Group fundraising event and I talked with a friend who told me all about why the power had been out today in Jackson.  A squirrel had managed to get into some fuses and cause a lot of damage...and she said the squirrel got fried in the process...this is a random story, but came into play later in the day.

Next, I was making a list for a grocery run and I was sitting at the dining room table kind-of talking to myself about it.  I had asked Brad to let me know if there was anything he needed, but I didn't know he was at the refrigerator looking at the items.  I guess I said, "Let's go to the milk...then the eggs...oh, do we need sour cream?"  AND, he thought I meant he should be pointing, in the fridge, to those items...like I was walking him through the fridge.  So, he gives me some suggestions from the other room and I tell him, "not yet, those aren't in the right order"...he got so confused.  Then I saw him peek around the corner with THAT LOOK on his face.  I told him, "I visualize myself walking through Meijer from the back to the front and I organize my list that way...it is just faster."  "There is a strategy for grocery shopping, you know!" He thinks I am really weird, but he learned something new about me today :)

Then I went to Meijer and when I was walking in....the automatic door didn't open for me....haha!  I would not say I faceplanted the door...but, I came very close (like within 3 inches) and laughed really hard as I thought, "Is this about my "closed door" thing from yesterday, Lord?"  I am telling you God plays tricks on me...this blog is serving as documentation for some of these pranks...it is amazing how much trust we have in automated processes :)  I got all my groceries and was checking out and chatting with the lady at checkout about the day...the time change tonight...the power outage in Jackson and I said to her, "Do you know how it happened?"  She didn't, so I told her it was a squirrel. Then she proceeded to tell me all about how much she loves squirrels and that she feeds them and loves to watch them play....that they are just the cutest animals....and I wondered if she names them. So, I determined I would not tell her that one got fried....BUT, then she asked me if the squirrel survived.   "UHHHHH, he didn't make it", I said....she looked SO SAD!  Then, I was a complete weirdo and said, "I didn't want to have to be the one to tell you that!"...as I left, I thought, "I can't believe I just said that about a squirrel!"