The Straw

Preventative Measures:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

~Matthew 11:28-30~

Because This Day Is SOOOOO DINO-mite!

It is odd to have such warm weather in November....so, in honor of this extremely, wonderfully odd day....I found a great daily odd compliment to share with you.....these are so funny to me!

What if he was waiting for you at your back door....it makes you wanna peek doesn't it? :)  

You really should go outside, he could be arriving at any minute!

It Works Better Broken

We don't like the feeling of a broken heart, but God can do so many wonderful things in us when we are broken if we turn to Him for our healing.  Healing may not happen the way we wish...I think we always want things to go right back to the way they were before we even had the need, but sometimes wounds are left pretty raw so that we remain tenderhearted.  God doesn't always change the situation that is causing the pain.  Sometimes, He alters our perspective of it until we can learn to be content and confident in Him and thankful for the results of the heartbreak.

We have an incredible capacity to love....do you ever think of that?...it is not limited by our own abilities if God breaks us free of our fears, our cravings for busyness or attention, our calloused hearts.....our anything that needs broken. It can be unlimited because it only depends on our willingness to love as Christ loves.

Mother Teresa also said, "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love."  It may seem like a scary thing to pray, but when was the last time you asked (or pleaded with) God to break your heart?

McKenna and Savannah have been enjoying the Lindsey Stirling music videos...

Shatter Me is powerful...even though it is not a Christian song....it makes me think of the concept of being broken for God to use us....especially when the light shines out of her brokenness and she has to decide to push through the fears and pain to experience the glory on the other side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tpIMDy9BE

YAHOO!  Today was the first day for the new gym to open, so we are back on for Karly's gymnastics practices and since she is hoping to be competitive this year....she has practice three nights a week.  I think Danielle and Kassi might start taking beginner lessons during one of Karly's practices.  I always love when they decide they have some similar interests and they can all be in one place for an activity :)

Karly checked this out from the library today, so it was our mommy and Karly read.  When Karly started second grade they tested her reading level and she was a little below where she should have been for second grade.  I was a little frustrated with that because I had a chores and reading schedule for all the girls over the summer....but, this was the first summer that I didn't get two months off, so I wasn't as diligent about the accountability of the reading as I have been in the past.  I realized with the outcome of that test that I should have been spending more one on one time with her over the summer.  Anyway, for the last six weeks she has been reading with a teacher at school and with me at home and she has gone all the way from a little lower than second grade level to third grade level and now she is super proud of herself !  And.....it has been fun to have some special Karly/mommy reading times.

Brad was excited today because he just got new blades for our mower.  We worked over the weekend raking leaves enough so that he could mow it and it wouldn't be too thick with leaves.  He was thrilled with the way the new blades collected all the leaves that were left in the yard.  It's the little things, right?!

Oh, That You Would Choose Life Today

And this is how you make the choice...

By loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them.

~Deuteronomy 30:19-20~

You Are Loved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEN2UoUCkU

Strange Birds

Most birds seek shelter when it storms...

....but, I read that the eagle is different....actually, there are a lot of totally awesome things about eagles, but one is that the eagle prefers to soar above the storms instead of seeking a place to avoid it.  It flies to a high altitude above the storm and allows the winds of the storm to give it even more of a boost to soar better than ever.

Wouldn't that be an awesome concept to embrace in our own lives? 

Trust in God....wait on Him and your storms will only have you soaring higher.