Just Before You Found Me

Just before you found me....I was sitting here hiding from you.  

I was thinking that maybe I could be...no, YES.  I would be!

I'd put my mind to be....

Invisibly here, and you'd have no clue.

Then those silent giggles got me....

I started grinning, shaking, rocking --

desperately hoping my inside laughter

wouldn't echo out in full view.

As I waited, I started to wonder

about which moment you might thunder

upon my hiding place....scaring me so

I might scream straight through.

Then a strange thought overcame me....

what if you are just playin' me....

how long would I stay in here 

only to be found a fool?

I laughed again....only this time, shakily.

Were you just out to take me?

I started doubting your promise to be true...

and that's right when you broke through.

Kassi just told me a story that she was playing hide and seek in the church and she hid in the pulpit (because she is small and could fit :)  She said no one could find her there, so they gave up and started playing something else.  She said she waited there a long time for someone to come find her and then she just came out and she was upset that they didn't keep looking for her.  I decided to just reinforced to her that she must have found the best hiding place in the whole church if they couldn't find her.....(but, I know stuff like that can cause hurt feelings) The same exact thing happened to me once...I was also tiny and could fit into small places, so I hid in the nook of a tree (now that I think about that it is disgusting to wonder what other critters where hiding in there with me)....I waited sooooooo long.....you know it always feels longer than it really is, but I could hear everyone's voices coming from the bonfire and I knew they were finished.....so, that's when you start wondering what's going on....why aren't they still looking for me?  I have always been super sensitive, so that moment hurt my feelings and thus a poem came from some of my thoughts about that.

People won't always "find" us in the moments we need them to or want them to.  There is no way they will be able to know how to understand us or pursue us to the point where we will always feel valued.  I have encountered those fabulous moments where someone knows just what to say to me, pray for me, or they give me a hug at the perfect time, but those moments are rare. That is why we cannot allow people to dictate our value to us.  

God will never forsake us.....he won't leave us hidden in the pulpit or in the nook of a tree waiting for HIM.  

He will show up for you and you will know you've been found :)

Read This Blog...

Uh Oh, Simon didn't say.  You're out.

I saw this and it hit me....it goes along with a funny (well, funny...but with a HUGE POINT) story I heard when our small group was going through the Not A Fan Bible Study.  They said what if you invited a couple over to watch your house because you were going to be gone for a month or so and you gave them a print out of instructions about garbage pick-up, taking care of your pets, watering your plants....etc....stuff to keep your house in order for a month.  They were so excited about the information and they thanked you for it and they even started inviting their friends over to read through the information with them because they thought it was so great.  They raved about how organized you were and how much great insight you had for keeping a house in order...but, they never did anything on your list.

That sounds crazy, right?  (I think that would actually be a great skit.)  So, here's what I saw...again Francis Chan.

Here's a little statement one of our teens shared tonight with our youth group and I love it....

Real faith works :) 

And, it doesn't just work to bring about social change...it works to make Christ known.  

That's the ultimate goal.

Those Canaan Days.....Where diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii....(deep breath).....iiiiiiiiiid zey go?

This is the song I keep humming from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Grandma Sylvia, Kenna, Kassi, and I had the opportunity to go to Center Stage Jackson's performance of it on Saturday night.

It has a lot of comedic quirks and with all the different genres of music....it is very high energy and fun.  We were bopping in our seats and smiling all the way through.  

Confucius Say

I am FORTUNATE to have such great friends!  Girls Night Out Rocks... it's gotta be a good time when it includes Kung Pao Chicken, Guitar Hero, Rootbeer Floats, chocolate chip cookies, knitting patches for strangers and an embarrassing melon up story....etc....etc :)  My tummy hurts....so I am not sure if it is the effects of the Kung Pao or the 7 hours of laughter...but, it was time WELL spent!  Love you girls!

Thanks for letting me be me....

Toe Meet Toe

Savannah is trying to make a new fashion statement :)

She and a friend collided playing a friendly game of futball...errr....soccer....at the end of one of their mission trip work days. Both their feet went after the ball at the same time and Savannah lost....her middle toe is broken, but did not need reset....so that is a praise.  You shoulda seen the other guy....well, he was fine....except he crumbled to a heap on the ground because he felt so bad.....BUT, I hear she was laughing about it....not sure if it is the laugh you do as a forced alternative to the cry you want to do...know what I mean?  Please pray for her last two days of the trip....that there will be things for her to do and that she will not feel left out now that she is injured.

(What is probably happening is that she is getting more attention because of it.  She will, more than likely, get really spoiled....then come home and TOEtally expect me to wait on her hand and foot.)  

I will tell her I only plan to wait on her foot :)

Thanks for your prayers!

A Fantastik Moment

Which would you listen to?  I remembered a funny story today when I was walking the track at the elementary school....it was from the last time I really got serious about being healthy and losing some weight.  I was in a "Biggest Loser" competition with my office and I was doing pretty well.  I had lost 5 lbs and I was keeping up with my exercise goals almost everyday.  The lady that started the competition was trying to give us all incentives to work toward, so there were prizes when we were doing really well.  That particular week I won the prize.  She is a person who is very into themes, so she sent me a bottle of fantastik cleaner spray to reassure me I was doing a "fantastic" job reaching my goals and she wrote me a really nice note about it....

ONLY.....

she forgot the "n" in the word fantastic....so, she told me I was doing a fatastic job.....I STILL LOVE THAT!  She promised that she did not mean to write the word fat....so funny!  I guess I thought of that from the combo of the missing letter in the alphabet blog and my summer goals to get more exercise....now, where are my sweatpants :)

Am I Missing Something?

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ

Apparently, there ain't no sunshine when you're gone :) LUB!

PB and J

He says Phil begged him for a picture together :)  I said #littlekidinacandystore....Brad is at TeenServe with Phil Joel....really, he is there with Jeff and Phil Joel is there too.  I am pretty sure that was part of (if not THE MAIN) reason why Brad picked this specific mission trip....haha!  Tonight he got a chance to sit down with "his BFF" Phil  and talk about what it was like for him to tour with the Newsboys.  One of his kids is also on this trip and Phil is leading the worship times....

Poor Phil....he is a PB (Pastor Brad) and J (Jeff) Sandwich....I am imagining that shirt he is wearing symbolizes his needing a lifeline to save him from two super crazed fans that have stalked him for years and finally tracked him down under the guise of service with teens....haha!...just kidding there is no guise....they are quite blunt about being crazy fans :)

This is Brad's SUPER CREW...he said they had a great 1st day together....their house has a lot of different levels and roof lines, so he said it will be a challenge to try to get into all the angles and scrape and paint all that needs accomplished....they have their work cut out for them.

Savannah said her first day on the job went "good" and her devotional was "good" too....everything was pretty much "good"....like what God said after each thing he created....I didn't get much more than that from her tonight because there was some volleyball game going on in the background and I could tell she was....uh....good and distracted.....that's when you start asking all the weird questions to see if your kids are even paying attention to you :)  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that they both are having a great time! 

Kenna and I stayed up late watching Singing In the Rain and I discovered something WONDERFUL!  Kenna loves OLD MOVIES :) I always watch old movies when Brad is gone...and now I have an old movie buddy....well, a new old movie buddy....you get what I'm saying right?....it's late.

Watch the Umbrella, Fella!

The automatic umbrella opener mechanism button (that sounds so technical) was not working, so I was outside my office struggling with it and pushing it as hard as I could in the rain.... just when I got it to open, the door opens and out walks a man I don't know straight into my oncoming umbrella.... oooops.... sorry..... my timing is always impeccable :)

I should have resolved it  "meant to be" and just walked, Gene Kelly style, to pick up the mail.....shrugging off the rain and hugging lamp posts :) Shoulda, coulda, woulda...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ

I Just Called to Say....

"Will you pray for me?"

I don't think there are any words that can describe how nice it is to have a call like that from your child!

Savannah just left today for a TeenServe Mission trip this week and she did not know what her assignments were or who the other members of her team would be until they arrived.  She is there with our church youth group and Brad is there as well, but there are a bunch of other kids from different youth groups there and the leaders wanted to split everyone up so they can get to know different people.  She told me no one else from our youth group is on her team and today she was given the assignment to lead her team's devotions throughout the week.  She called me to ask me to pray for her since she is feeling a little nervous about speaking in front of a lot of strangers.  She is a pretty good speaker...so, I am really excited for what God is working out with this whole opportunity.  I asked her if there is a certain topic for the week or theme that they want her to talk about and she said it is kind-of like the whole idea of being a tree planted by the water.  That is SOOOO funny to me because Brad challenged our youth group to go through Casting Crown's THRIVE study this summer and we have already been through a devotional as a family.....last year, when she was at camp Barakel, she studied this as well....so, she wanted me to dig out her verses from camp last year so she can look them up again....and I reminded her that she just planted a tree at grandma and grandpa's house, so she could speak from that experience as well.  GOD is so AWESOME!  He knows exactly how to put all the pieces together and make sense out of the seeming randomness of life.  Sometimes, I think I get to see HIM at work because everything converges perfectly enough for my little mind to grasp just an inkling of it....maybe :)  I will be so excited to hear how her devotionals go this week.  If you get a chance, please join me in praying for God to give her the words to speak.....and remember Brad too....he is leading a team, so I am sure he could use the prayer as well.

Lord, let Savannah's work this week be worship....please give her strength for success and endurance to completion.  Use the work of her hands and the words she shares to inspire and encourage others to become deeply planted in You.  And, by her worship, may she also find her soul to be fed. 

All I Can Do

I spent the morning at Village Hope Church - the Parma Campus....(that is just crazy to say)....I still cannot believe we were just gifted this gorgeous building.  We were working on landscaping today...weeding, cutting down branches, mulching, etc....since we are hoping to solidify our plans and mission for this building over the summer and really start our ministry out of this location in the fall.

You can actually pull a rope that rings the church bell :) SO FUN!  Remember that part in Runaway Bride?...one of my favorite movies. I never saw blue like that...

HOW BEAUTIFUL!

AND....THE CRAFTSMANSHIP IN THE CURVED PEWS...WOW!

I have been searching through sanctuary pics all day looking for color combos that could work for this building....I think I found one I like that is neutral enough for every season's decor or wedding....what do you think of these colors?

Obviously this is much more ornate, so squint a little bit so you won't see all the statues and wallpaper....it will be much simpler, but I kind-of like the colors.  Do you think they would work for our building?  I'll keep looking for ideas....these are the projects that become obsessions for me....the search for perfection....I'll know it when I see it :)

Our work on this building was probably the most interesting thing going on in downtown Parma today :)  We had a bunch of people stop by to talk with us about what we were doing and ask about our church.  I pray God will use this building and our ministry through it as a light in Parma, MI.

There are a lot of things in life that we are given which we do nothing to deserve.  Though it takes our effort, being able to minister to people is a gift....it is, perhaps, the best gift we have been given (besides our own salvation) because the efforts we make to do whatever we can do for Christ open up opportunities for others to receive eternal life.  That is really incomprehensible.... to wrap up a present like that and give GOD'S GIFT to another person.  AMAZING!

The brick in the background of this video reminds me of the Parma church and the words express exactly how I feel :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1OE53ZMApQ

Four Out of Five Dentists Agree

Today was not one of my prouder parental moments:

I'm at the Dentist's Office with one of my children (who shall remain anonymous due to the nature of this story) and after her check-up and cleaning, the dental hygienist says to my child, "Make sure the bristles of your toothbrush touch your teeth when you brush." .....Maybe the fifth dentist would have something different to say...why does the fifth dentist always disagree with the others?

Oaks of Righteousness

There is something wonderful about working in soil and seeing the fruit of your labor.  At least I think there is, but I have never had a "green thumb".....I try and I guess I have gotten a little better over the years.  I have a dream of being a fabulous gardener and eventually creating a wedding garden in our extra lot.  I know, that dream might be a little far out there, but if you had 5 daughters and were thinking about their weddings, wouldn't you think maybe you should start creating a wedding garden now?  It's either that or a go-cart track :)

My dream idea is to combine the two :)

I seriously think this one is doable :)

Anyway, back to my current reality....there are so many analogies and parables in scripture regarding planting, gardening, harvesting and, obviously....that was a huge part of their culture and livelihood at the time.  BUT, regardless of whether or not we are "green thumb" people, it is amazing the amount of potential that rests in a tiny seed, right?

The girls had a great opportunity today to plant some trees with grandma and grandpa Foster and their cousins...and to decorate a little plaque to put by each one.  I hope they will enjoy watching their trees grow as they grow up.

There is also a lot of potential in each of us if we allow God to make us into the person He created us to be.

Isaiah 61:3 says, "...and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

(How are you doing at honing your detective skills?....here's a new challenge for you :)  

Look at that picture....do you see a promise from God of a beautiful future?  I DO!

Dare to Be Great!

We began the day with some fun at the Blair Park apartments...we did our first Hopetown Kids Club of the summer.  It was wonderful!  We had a bunch of kids come out (and some of their parents came as well) and we are hoping we will have a bunch more next week because we are not allowed to canvas the buildings in that area in advance to let them know what we are planning.  Once we got there, some of us just went walking through the apartment complex letting people that were outside know what we were doing and telling them we will be there the next 5 Wednesdays from 11-noon doing songs, a bible lesson, and silly games with the kids....it was fun to see all the kids running around knocking on doors of their friends and saying, "COME ON!"  They were so attentive and receptive....it was truly GRRREEEEAAAT!  We hope to do this one in Jackson and also another one in Parma, MI this year since we now have ownership of the old Parma United Methodist Church.

Praise God the storms held off until the afternoon :)

McKenna and Savannah participated in a drama....I am so excited that they are eager to help with kids club and minister in this way :)  These are the important things!!! Then later, we planned a surprise going-away party for two of our youth at The Parlour.....our challenge....to DARE TO BE GREAT!

This is an actual DARE TO BE GREAT Sundae from the Parlour in Jackson, MI

This is what it looks like once you finally get your group in the door for the big SURPRISE....ha!  A little different than the original picture :)  HURRY!  HURRY!.....it's meeeelllltttting.....

Some of our crew who met up at The Parlour to say goodbye to two of our youth as they will be heading to South Carolina very soon.....we will miss you guys!  Hey, maybe I will tag along....Charleston, SC or Parma, MI?  HMMMMM?

A picture of the animal in his natural habitat...errrr, I mean, Brad....good thing he practices eating ice cream almost every night.  It really isn't fair that he eats ice cream while I try to peddle to skinny-ville....just saying!  Notice the bowl in front of his smaller dish?....that was the base for the Dare to Be Great....they did pretty well finishing off the 21-scoop monstrosity!  It is mind blowing to me that some people have actually succeeded in eating that whole thing all by themselves in an hour or less....WOW!  I have only heard of one sundae that is bigger....I guess Airport Lanes used to have a sundae that they delivered in a wheelbarrow and they would put a red bowling ball on top of it all for the "cherry"....that would be interesting to see....I don't think they do it anymore.  Hopefully, this is an actual true story and I am not just passing on some urban legend or proving once again that I am so gullible....because I can visualize a wheelbarrow full of ice cream with a red bowling ball on top....can't you?

Kassandra, Karlayna, and I scoping out the tunes...Wow, do Karly's brown eyes ever stand out in this picture :)  My only "Brown-Eyed Girl".

Crazy Day!  And, we are just gearing up for it....I am not even completely done with work yet, but there's not too long until July 1st :)  Then, we will be in full (summer) gear...we have some really fun stuff planned this summer (some just family) but mostly kid and youth craziness.

Sometimes I Feel Like Throwing In The Towel...

BUT, that would just mean more dirty laundry to do :)

So, tonight I got the absolute pleasure of hearing my husband screech like a little girl :)  He was collecting all our dirty laundry, but...unbeknownst (that is such a wonderful word when it's not about you) to him, Karly had hidden herself beneath a very large pile of laundry in our bedroom.  When he lifted some of it and saw her little face...his response was priceless!

(Just kidding....I promise that is not our pile of laundry!  HA! HA!  What If?!  So, if it is your pile...I am so sorry!)

I already knew she was there because I had heard the pile giggling a little earlier, and saw her toes sticking out.....I snuck up on her and tickled her toes, but then I let her try to trick daddy too and it worked.

Laundry Fairy, if you happen to be reading this....I DO BELIEVE!

I Reddi Whipped My Family

I mustache you a question....

Did you have a happy Father's Day?

(OK, I like that picture because I know it is Reddi Whip, but if I didn't know that, I might think they are all foaming at the mouth....sorry if that grossed you out.)

One thing that I find really fun is that I can make up "new traditions" for us try out.  Today we had orange jello with Reddi Whip to spray on top for lunch and we ended up with a lot left over, so I said we should design facial hair for all the girls and get their picture with Pops.....it was pretty fun spraying their faces...some wanted mustaches, goatees, beards....Kenna just wanted a soul patch...haha!  I need to perfect my Reddi Whip creations in the years to come...don't you think? :)

We had a fun day together...the girls had crafted Brad a Candy Card and had fun presenting it to him.

I think they are hoping he will share :)

I made a large taco salad and a chocolate (to the 5th power :) cake....yum....

Did not know Vannah took that picture, but found it later when I was getting ready to post :)

It's funny how we often show we appreciate people with food :)  There are 5 types of chocolate in this cake...one for each daughter....I wanted to add a 6th for me, but I was afraid that would truly make it "Death By Chocolate"...and I really want Brad around for a lot longer :)

I really appreciate Brad....I saw a T-shirt one time I wanted to get for him.  It said, "Nothing scares me, I have five daughters!"  I told him about it....but he really doesn't have that kind of attitude toward having so many daughters.  People often tell him they feel sorry for him and he just responds to them that he is so blessed.  It's not like he never jokes about the amount of drama in the house or the mood swings....or cat fights over trivial things....but, I really don't know too many men that could handle it....let alone really enjoy being dad to so many daughters.  I respect that He is intentional to be actively engaged in their worlds and, most of the time, that he has more patience than I do for the situations that arise.  

I had "good with kids" on my list for a spouse :)  BUT, at the time you make "the list" you really have no clue what that means and how much work it will be...he could easily leave the parenting issues to me since we have all daughters, but he chooses to be such a great daddy!  I am sure the investment he is making in them all now will be a blessing to them well into the future!

It's a Dad Life :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOKuSQIJlog&feature=kp

This is a great video!

Man Up

Brad picked up a few movies for us last night and since the girls were using our larger screen TV in the basement, we decided to save the action-packed thrillers for a different night...so, we watched Saving Mr Banks.

I think I will be adding that one to my top 5!  What a story of genius, creativity, redemption through imagination, hurt and healing, love and loyalty....and it didn't even need a romantic element :)  It was, surprisingly, the perfect movie (in my opinion) to celebrate Father's Day and I didn't even know it until the whole story hit me.

We often complain about how our culture portrays women...how magazines make them look perfect or portray them as "wonder woman" in that they are highly successful, ultra thin, and "top-model" beautiful and how impossible that is for most people...how, if our daughters (or we) get caught up in trying to be that way, we will be miserable and probably will make everyone we love miserable in the process from what behaviors come from our low self-esteem.

BUT, culture and media also put pressure on men and it portrays them in ways that are generally unfair.  It tries to define for them what "being a real man" is all about..most of the visual definitions I see are either of the "macho man" or the "buffoon".

In Christian circles, we often hear the phrase, "Men of Courage".  While Brad and I were attending the Envision conference, one of the speakers talked about courage.  He said the word stems from the Latin word, cor, which means heart....and so to me this means, being courageous is living out of a strong heart and strengthening the hearts of others....not muscles...nor intellect (I mean those things are good too), but we often get hung up on that other stuff and feel we don't or can't "measure up".

Kenna was reading a story yesterday about the 1st man on the moon and it struck me that mankind has scaled mountains, explored the oceans depth, and even broken into some limits of space, but it still takes a real man (or woman) to conquer his (her) heart and use it to truly love others by living courageously.  This is a higher way to live...to "man up" :)

It was interesting because all these thoughts were spinning in my mind during the movie and after it was over we decided to watch the "extras"....one of the quotes from the author of Mary Poppins just brought it all home to me....she said something like, "Mr. Banks didn't have a change of heart, his heart was always good." He was just able to get out from under the pressures of life so his heart could shine.

COURAGEOUS - CASTING CROWNS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkM-gDcmJeM

Elementary, My Dear

Flexing my deductive muscles, I have concluded that Elementary School passes by too quickly :)  

Nothing gets by me!

Detective Lesson  #1 (who knows if there will be more....I have no clue!) : You may be focused on the chocolate chip cookies in one hand, however do not neglect to see the things that others may miss....your perception in observation is KEY....there is actually a 5th grade diploma in the other hand.  

Congratulations, McKenna!  You are now a middle schooler!  WOOT WOOT!

"They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains" - Sherlock Holmes

And, grandma Foster made a brilliant assessment of McKenna's personality; choosing to reward her with cookies instead of flowers.  We thank you, grandma, for taking pains to bake those scrumptious treats!

 

SCHOOL

IS

OUT!

Celebrating at Stay And Play Park :)

Keep Calm and Correct

Failure is NOT an option...I am starting to think through altering this phrase to look more like that regarding my perspective on parenting.

Don't we sometimes (or, most times) base our approval of our kids on whether they are succeeding or failing in measurable ways?  We are conditioned to do it because we all like to see measurable results and I am all for that...we need to make sure they are progressing and "making the grade"....gaining knowledge.  It is so easy for me to get frustrated when my children don't post the grades I hope for them because I held my academics in high regard and always tried to get A's and make the most of every opportunity for extra credit....BUT, I am learning that not all kids are like I was...and it is highly possible that my recollection of how "highly academic" I was in school is now a little fuzzy :)

It is not as though I am suggesting we encourage our kids to fail and I am definitely not giving up on stressing the importance of always doing ones best, BUT I am suggesting there is more to a moment of failure than meets the eye.  Sometimes, a failure can help alter a behavior as a child has an opportunity to introspect.  I have a tendency to be a reactive person, so I have to be incredibly intentional to "keep calm and correct"...that is to me....to use a moment of correction as a teachable moment and not to "lose it" and lose the moment (double meaning :) in my frustration. (I am still working on this.)  The thing is, there are moments where a child has lacked knowledge, but there is still the opportunity to gain wisdom and we often bypass that moment.  I think there are some questions to ask our children (and also ourselves when we fail):  1.  What part did you play in this? 2.  What will you do differently next time? 3. What lesson did you learn from this? 4. Is there anything you need to do to address the failure right now?

I want to teach my kids how to handle the situations that come their way by somehow replacing nagging and nit-picking (Brad, don't you like that word choice :) with instructing and inspiring.  I really like this quote and I hope to reinforce this to my kids as they grow up, learn....and sometimes, fail.

That Chan....he always packs a punch! :)

Oh, I know....how about some Toby Mac to Get Back Up again :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX5OqyBYKh4

A Fistful of Balloons

Ever wanted to hold so many balloons that it would lift you off your feet a little bit?  I wonder how many television shows have used that image....I have always thought it would be fun.

There is a common thought concept out there....it goes like this:

I've been thinking about that idea for the last two days....some has been due to watching friends deal with their emotions toward their kids graduating and going off to college and a little has been due to a conversation I had with a sweet woman at my church.  She's walking a really tough road right now and she was telling me about part of it.  I was a little stunned by what she was telling me and then at the end of her story she asked for advice.  I was still in a stunned state, so I didn't have any advice planned out in my mind....I whispered a quick..."what should I say?" to God and He reminded me of when we got the call from the adoption agency that they had selected a different family for Savannah and Danielle and how I had hurt over that and how I had been confused at what God was doing because in my heart I had really thought he had given me clear confirmation that they would be joining our family.  What I didn't understand was that the journey to get where God was taking us was going to require some very strange detours...So, I told her about that story and that our journey doesn't always make sense to us. BUT, God is faithful....THIS IS ALL I KNOW.

There is give and take in a lot of areas of life and decisions about priorities....and, even at a higher level, when you know God says, "hold on to this"...."let go of that"...or, "in order to hold on to this, you have to let go of that"...or (harder still) is when He says, "In order to hold on to ME you must let go of that thing or that person."  Dare we utter, "but why?"....His ways float high above ours.

To me it is not so much a balance between holding on to some things and letting go of others because that seems to assume that I am at the highest point in the decision process....I believe it is more like this:

He must become greater and greater; I must become less and less.  ~John 3:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk2y18c_n2w&feature=kp

Where Does My Help Come From?

During the long bus ride to and from Mackinaw City, I had time to talk a little with other parents, hang with Kassi, watch Winn-Dixie, Toy Story, and Despicable Me 2 :) AND, I also got to read a few chapters in a book my mom purchased for me because she knew I liked the Bonhoeffer book so much....THANKS MOM!  The section I finished on the way home was the story of Eric Liddell.  This is one of the Olympic athletes who inspired the movie, Chariots of Fire.  He was favored to win gold in the 100 meter, but the event was being held on a Sunday....so, because of his faith, he refused to run.  His own government pressured him to run and tried many ways to persuade him, but he stood strong in his convictions.  It was amazing that he was then offered a spot to run the 400 meter race the following Thursday by another athlete.  No one thought he could win it because he was a sprinter...plus, he was given a terrible starting position in the very front of all the runners.  He could not watch the other runners to know how to pace himself and he was not used to this length of race.  Even the other runners thought he started out way too fast and would not be able to keep his pace, BUT he did and he ended up winning the gold.  The whole story of his life is pretty amazing...his convictions, how God was able to use him, his faith, his missionary work, and his humility.

Nothing says "I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold" any better than Eric's story!

There are so many things we can take pride in and we have to be careful that we are always glorifying God with our talents.  That does not mean we cannot truly enjoy them...God wants us to find pleasure in them.  But, do we love Him more?  Sometimes in life He may ask us this question.

I have to smile that Eric could say this!

I love to sing and I have always enjoyed it....I share the sentiment Eric describes....that God actually takes pleasure in it when I am using it to glorify Him, but I have really been struggling with my voice since December.  I have been to the Dr several times and we have explored the possibility that I may be struggling with allergies...but, that has not seemed to be the case.  We have explored other possibilities and nothing seems to be helping me regain the power I had in my voice.  I have been getting frustrated because I am always a little hoarse (why do I write that and picture a little horse? :) Anyway, I don't have much umph in my try...so, I have been praying about it because I really miss it.  When we were at the music store to buy Kenna a trumpet....I saw a beautiful cello :)  I asked God if my voice doesn't return with strength if I could learn to play it like the girl in August Rush :)  For now, I am just waiting and sometimes taking a break from leading worship with Brad....but, it's hard....everything in me wants to sing.  When things like this happen, I often look for the lesson....and I think it is about whether I am willing to sacrifice the gift and embrace the giver.

Anyway, Eric Liddell's story is incredibly inspiring!  I didn't know much about it because I was only 5 when the story became famous via the movie, but I have enjoyed reading about his life.  Here are a few more quotes I found inspirational:

I love this one too....and I think it speaks to all of us when we are a little down.

"The first half I ran as fast as I could. The second half I ran faster with God's help."

-Eric Liddell, after recovering from a fall and miraculously winning a race-

So, I am swiftly approaching 40 and most would say that it's mid-life crisis time :)  But, I like what Eric just said in terms of the rest of my race....I'll run the second half with God's help....

He never stumbles!