Living Proof

Lord, it is so easy for me to say how I think things should be, but often I fail miserably to be your living proof.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion

forever.

Psalm 73:26

He is my portion.  

He is exactly what I need at all times.  

There is absolutely nothing outside of Him that will sustain and satisfy me 

forever.

In my brokenness, I find healing in Him.

When He searches my heart it is not for a lack of understanding on His part...

But to give me an opportunity to be found by Him.

I think it is because we only ZIG the day before vacation...we never ZAG....zagging means lagging, man!  I am in a weird mood today, but I am still covering a lot of ground... :P

You Have 4 Beats....

To move sixty-four feet :)  I do love watching the marching band!  We had lots of fun watching Savannah and the rest of Western's marching band give us a sneak preview of what they learned at camp this week!

Radioactive

Pompeii

Carry On

On The Floor

Afterwards, we celebrated with ice cream....and new cop glasses...with hearts :P

Karly's brain freeze

Good cop....bad cop? 

McKenna's brain freeze...this one is priceless...ha!

Savannah, watching her performance on Brad's phone.....and Kenna finding the perfect spot to photo bomb once again.

Speaking of brain freeze, one of my favorite band and drum line performance is in the VeggieTale movie, Gideon....which, by the way, was the boy name Brad and I had picked out if we ever had a boy....now the girls fight over who will get the name Gideon for their son....what if we have a bunch of little Gideon grandsons....ha!

Enjoy!

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

Gimme The Beat

Savannah has had band camp all this week, so tomorrow we get a sneak peek at what she has learned in color guard.  On the day I took her to her college visit, there was a band practicing at SAU and we had to walk a long sidewalk from the road to the field house.  The drum line for the band was set up under some trees we had to walk right by and they started playing as we walked that long sidewalk....we felt like we had our own beat to strut to :)

You know the cup passing game ?  I learned it a long time ago at a youth camp and have taught it to my girls so we can pass cups around the table sometimes...do you ever try to make up rhythms with your kids at the dinner table?  I like when someone starts one and everyone else tries to add another one on top of it.  Over the years we have tried to add songs to the cup game....like Jesus Loves Me works to the beat and, today,  Kenna and I made up a version of He Has Made Me Glad that seems to work as well.......FUN! FUN! I was so thrilled when I saw the cup game in this video!

Cups

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSbXsFE3l8
(But, I think the biscuits are burnin' and that bothers me :P)

He Has Made Me Glad

"You are loved with an everlasting love". This was Elisabeth Elliot's catch phrase for her radio show, Gateway to Joy.  Brad and the youth who went to Wayumi were able to share some of their experiences learning about missions last Sunday in church and Brad shared a little of the story of Elizabeth and her husband, Jim Elliot.  That is such an amazing story to me about how Jim and others tried to reach this group of people for Christ....but, it is also punctuated by the fact that Elizabeth went back after some of the tribal warrior had killed Jim to minister to the people and show them Christ's love....many of them came to know the Lord through her witness.  WOW!

For a few days, I have been asking myself if given a situation like this, would I be willing to do that?  I supposed it is not first a question of if I would want to do it as much as it is... if God called me, would I be obedient?  I do think about Jonah's call and how he ran the other direction and, even once he was redirected by a whale, he still had a rotten attitude about God giving mercy and forgiveness to a people he did not think deserved it. So, obedience is the first part of the equation, but my attitude should also become one of gladness.

In our calling or our jobs...busy, stinky, exciting, menial, important, frustrating...in our moments as witnesses for God, sometimes we need an attitude adjustment.  I love this thought processing by Elisabeth Elliot and thought I would share it with you.

Cue The Flying Music

 :) Ready your wings so you can fly on the Wednesday! :)

The World Is Full Of Wonders

Circumstances give us highs and lows, but, no matter what, we should always bow down before the LORD and allow HIM to lift our head.  He will show us a sky we have never seen before every time.

Never Saw Blue Like That

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2CkOEThLLw

A MARVELous Name

After much deliberation over names for the new silver van that included words like sparkle, glitter, Tinkerbus, Lugwith Van Beethoven, Belle Jr.... we have finally settled on a name....

It has a ring to it even though it is really made from gold titanium alloy! :) McKenna and Vannah were adamant that since I was the one driving it it would have to be my favorite superhero....my superhero crush is Iron Man :)  We may call him Tony since he is a Town & Country.  I drove it last night and there is even a circular clock on the dash that lights up :)

AWESOME!

Christmas In July?

Well, we had to upgrade Silver Belle (our mini-van) so, after a few months of looking for the best deal with all the wishes....right mileage and a good price, we finally found one near Flint, MI that looked to have what we desired.  Brad and his dad took a road trip up there today to check it out.

It passed inspection and came home with Brad :) Just in time for vacation too....the girls were so excited when he pulled in the driveway you would have thought it was their Christmas present.  I don't know if we will keep the name Silver Belle since that was our previous van's name, but this one just happens to be silver as well, so we'll see.

Have any good ideas for a new name?

Two Things Last Forever

God's Word and the Souls of Men

This verse is talking about putting God's Word deeply into our very souls....the heart of our being.  It is our greatest defense against sin.  This is from a devotional I read recently.

Hide God's Word In Your Heart.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 NKJV

The close application which David made of the word of God to himself: He hid it in his heart, laid it up there, that it might be ready to him whenever he had occasion to use it; he laid it up as that which he valued highly, and had a warm regard for, and which he was afraid of losing and being robbed of. God's word is a treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safely but in our hearts; if we have it only in our houses and hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us: but if our hearts be delivered into the mould of it, and the impressions of it remain on our souls, it is safe.

The good uses he designed to make of it: That I might not sin against thee. Good men are afraid of sin, and are in care to prevent it; and the most effectual way to prevent is to hide God's word in our hearts, that we may answer every temptation, as our Master did, with, It is written, may oppose God's precepts to the dominion of sin, his promises to its allurements, and his threatenings to its menaces. - Matthew Henry

Picnic At Grass Lake

We enjoyed some fun time with friends at Grass Lake...here are some pictures from our afternoon.  Chrissy, I laughed at all the pictures you got of my incredible form as I played Kan Jam before the finger injuries :)

"The Cares Of Life Can't Hold Me Down"

I enjoyed an incredible opportunity today to sing a duet with a friend.  He has been wanting to sing at church for a while now, but it has taken him a little time to muster the courage.  He was in a horrible car accident when he was a teen and suffered really bad burns on his face and arms....that experience has put him through so much that he has had to overcome physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Over the last couple years that I have known him I have seen God bringing him out of some depression, but I have also been able to understand more from him about his daily struggles. It has been such a joy to watch God give him more courage and confidence to be bold and step out to do the things God lays on his heart.  I would have to say this duet was one of the most special moments I have ever had as a singer and a friend....we sang, "You're The One That Really Matters" and there were a couple times where he took the lead and I just added a quiet harmony part for support.  As I watched him, I just felt so proud of him for what he has overcome.  I know it has not been easy for him to be able to say with his heart "what matters now is what you (God) think"....he has had to fight through and push aside what everyone else thinks when they see him in order to understand that, REALLY...what GOD thinks of him is the only thing that matters.

He is planning to attend a conference later on for those who have been through similar experiences and  struggles and he wants to be able to sing for that event and share some of his story and where God has brought him.

Even The Sandman Dreams

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Psalm 139:17-18

Why do you think the end of that verse says..."And when I wake up, you are still with me!"  I wonder if it is because it seems like a love like that could only be found in our dreams?

I was staring at this picture and loving it for it's perspective.... to think that God used sand and dirt to make us....that is awesome!  See the granules of sand in contrast with this boy's perfectly sculpted fingers?  Imagine watching God taking a handful of the ground and making a person :)....But, God doesn't stop making us....He is always making us...His loving thoughts and His presence are always with us.  He gives us hopes and dreams....and then He opens up doors for us to find our purpose as He walks in step with us through it all.

O, HOW HE LOVES US!

Somebody Got A Little Crabby Today

Brad and I needed to work on Hopetown for a while today....(I SO WISH I could post some pictures of the progress in the children's wing of our church, but we are keeping it off-limits until we are finished for a Grand Opening.....so.....I am guessing I shouldn't show pictures on my blog either....ya think? ) :P.....ANYWAY, we had to be gone from the house for a while for that today.

The girls got a little crabby while we were away....

that does happen sometimes with all the different ideas and personalities mixed together...

BUT....they weren't really fighting today.....actually, they looked through a magazine, saw this idea and made it on the special plate :)  They couldn't wait for us to bring dinner home so they could show us their creation!

Get it?  It's a Crab Apple :) Hey, I kind-a like the concept of edible jokes...yum!

Custom-Made To Praise God

This is what God says,

the God who builds a road right through the ocean

who carves a path through pounding waves,

The God who summons horses and chariots and armies

they lie down and they can't get up;

they're snuffed out like so many candles:

"Forget about what's happened;

don't keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present.  I'm about to do something brand-new.

It's bursting out!  Don't you see it?

There it is!  I'm making a road through the desert,

rivers in the badlands.

Wild animals will say "Thank You"

-the coyotes and the buzzards-

Because I provided water in the desert,

rivers through the sun-baked earth,

Drinking water for the people I chose, 

the people I made especially for myself,

a people custom-made to praise me.

~Isaiah 43:19-21 The Message~

Today, I praise God for always providing water in the desert....for creating roads and paths where the terrain looks impossible to cross, for supernatural protection from all kinds of enemies....

AND for amazing NEWNESS that is not only a feeling, but a reality!

Savannah's First College Visit Day

We attended the Cougar Preview at Spring Arbor University today....it seems crazy to have a daughter who is starting to consider colleges.

Savannah, in front of a new mural near the DC at Spring Arbor University. 

Does she look ready to take over the world?

We had a good visit and a few of Savannah's friends from high school were also attending the event.  We got to meet with a professor from a discipline that is of interest to her.  Today, she is interested in Criminal Justice ....specifically, working for the FBI :)  We met with a few other families and the professor was asking if anyone had any additional questions about the Social Sciences....then he said, "What about life in general?"  Savannah leaned toward me and whispered, "Yeah, why is my mom so weird?"....I thought we were going to get in trouble for laughing in class.

She did some detective work today, though.... she discovered that the ice cream machine in the Dining Commons was on, but was missing the levers....we took immediate action on that discovery and were able to save the rest of the guests from a day without ice cream.

LEADERSHIP!

The Gift Of Life

Without going into too much detail, I have had an opportunity to get to know a person recently who I just found out suffers from some mental health issues.  I had a bit of an inside look into how her loved ones support her and some of the difficulties they face in caring for her and, really, protecting her from herself due to some of her irrational thoughts.  It just SCREAMED LOVE to me!

My first job out of college was working with individuals with various levels of mental retardation....some of which also suffered mental health issues.  My job was to assess their abilities and constantly work with them to make improvements in their skill levels by implementing goals and steps to take to reach those goals.  It was fun because I could be creative with them all based on their personalities and what they really liked to do...and so rewarding when they were proud of themselves for something they had accomplished.

While I helped them accomplish new things, they showed me what shining was all about :)

Yesterday I saw this music video by Gungor and it prompted me to pray for the woman I met and her family.

Light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_uioQqW8ac
(pssst....tissues, please.)

This Little Piggy Got Bling

I think crystals are pretty cool....they reflect light and allow light to pass through them as well...that would be an interesting topic for some future blog.....mesmerizing, right?!

 

What is not cool is having uric acid crystals in my big toe :P  OUCH!

So, when Brad was at the Wayumi camp with the youth group he bought this really great coffee from Papau New Guinea for us to try...it is so good!  (Well, WAS)....Anyway, I may have increased my coffee intake quite a bit since the Saturday we first tried it and a couple days later my big toe was so sore....like, "OW! the light cotton sheet on the bed just felt like thorns ripping across my toe!" sore.  For the life of me, I could not remember doing anything to my foot.  Then I was researching what it could be this week and saw that gout can attack or flare up if you eat rich foods and a lot of times (about 2/3 of all cases) it attacks BIG TOES :(

Guess what! A little coffee is great, but increasing your regular coffee ration too much is one of the leading culprits of creating these kind of crystals.  Something you always wanted to know, right?! "Knowing is half the battle."...do you think it is really exactly 50%?...because it seems harder to actually give that coffee up than it was to learn that was what was causing my pain.

"Just The Whisper Of It"

Hallelujah One More Time - Finding Favour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2SNdb1FIpA

As Plain As...

DAY....today, in fact....

I think this is an exciting thought....it makes this, seemingly plain moment, pretty special. 

John Piper is quoted as stating, "Endings are for gratitude and beginnings are for faith."  If you can perceive yourself and this moment in the context of the quote in the picture above, then everyday is an ending and a new beginning for you and that is why everyday should be filled with gratitude and faith.

A Lovely Day!

For now, we know in part....we taste pure joy on occasion and it is wonderful!  In the puzzling reflections and slight glimpses of this real joy, we can sometimes misinterpret the source.  

BUT....then, we will be face to face with the TRUE source of all the wonder in our lives.

Have a lovely day experiencing the joy God has set before you!

That's One Way To Avoid A Speeding Ticket

On my way home, a man in a truck was flashing his lights at people to warn us there was a policeman sitting up ahead where the speed limit changes from 45 to 35...and then to 25 very abruptly.

Speaking of speeding, I feel like summer is flying by!  Meijer already has fall clothing going out.

But, for today....it's almost a crime to have such a terrific day with perfect weather!
Hope you don't have to mow!
I'm thinking.... steaks on the grill and a fierce, family cornhole tournament!

God Cares About Bringing Us Through Storms

When I was in 4th grade we had to create a nation and a flag and enter a class contest to see what our class would be for an all-school olympics.  My entry was Rainbow Land and it was based on my love of them, but also on a nation who loves each other and loves God.  I ended up winning and our flag was a rainbow....I remember the boys in my class weren't too happy that that would be representing our olympic team when we walked to our various events. 

Because God was the one who could make a covenant with His creation, He was the only one who could give it a sign or validity...so He assigned the rainbow as a seal of His promise to us.  The beauty in that is that God is in control of it...we cannot manufacture the promise or the beautiful signature of GOD sealing it!  It is a sign of our relationship with God and it gives us grace and mercy as we seek Him to be forgiven and learn to walk in His ways.

"May God give you....for every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial.  For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer to each prayer."

Okay, Brad's Right!

The girls and I banter back and forth with Brad about wishing there was a brother or two in our family....Brad says....Absolutely NOT...for the sake of that poor boy having to deal with way too many sisters.  So, tonight I took the girls swimming and the people who invited us have a grandson who was also at their pool.  This is a picture of what transpired in the first three minutes the girls were in the pool.

They ran him right out of his own territory.....Brad's right....one brother would feel surrounded...

that's why we need five....ha!

Savannah had fun with my phone on the way home....she took a bunch of pictures of the sunset...

And...she created a new "glamour shot" for me....she says it's like my high school senior picture.  I wonder if she is trying to butter me up?...It's working!  What?....You want a green Mustang?...

Okay, sweetie!

Cue Awkward Elevator Music

Let's keep our priorities on track :P

Just The Right Seasoning

I had to memorize this and recite it for a drama class I took in high school.

It's funny....I still have  this in my memory...along with most of The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere and The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe.....randomness, I know, but my randomness none the less....and sometimes something will trigger one of these back to the forefront of my mind.

Today's triggering moment for this excerpt from The Merchant of Venice was not ultimately a "happy" trigger, but even in the moments of struggle we learn things.  It is easy to appreciate that God gives me grace and mercy and that he forgives my offenses, but when I am wronged or feel wronged...that's a different story, right?!  I am not always as merciful  as I should be.   

I am thankful for forgiveness. 

Like The Morning Mist...

Having The Time Of Your Life

It was great to welcome Brad,Vannah, and Kenna home from Wayumi yesterday!  We had dinner together and a welcome home speech and songs by Kassi, Danielle, and Karly.  The travelers had some great stories to tell us about trying to learn another language, going through "customs", and taking a three mile hike to see 17 waterfalls.....they even brought one of their hammocks home :)

So, after we said, "Welcome home!"  I told Brad I found him a really nice FREE desk for when his office gets moved at the church.....that is a part of this phase of our church's renovation....the CATCH was...we had to disassemble it today and remove it from it's location because it would not be available any longer on Monday.  We spent a big chunk of the day on that project.

I love free stuff!!

Then, we got to party with some dear friends from church who were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary.  The girls and I had fun "cuttin' the rug" and we got Brad to join in on a couple songs and our locomotion version of YMCA.

Dancing Queens :)