Distractions...

I really wish I was more dedicated to this blog stuff... I have tons of thoughts that I want to share, but basically, I think I am either too lazy or just don't have the time to keep up with it... or I get distracted... which leads me to today's post.

"Distraction is the diversion of attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction. (I hate definitions... so I was distracted while reading it... do you see the irony? even this is a distraction!) Distraction is caused by one of the following: lack of ability to pay attention (hello! me!) ; lack of interest in the object of attention; greater interest in something other than the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention." That's Webster's definition of distraction, but my version... and how it applies to me... "Distraction is Satan's attempt to keep me from learning what God is trying to teach me, attempt to keep me OUT of my quiet time, attempt to keep me from the Bible, and my willingness to allow it." Simply put... I absolutely HATE distractions! Funny, even as I am typing this, the buzzer of the dryer goes off, the phone rings, my "Absolutely HAS to be Done Today" to do list falls off the desk, Michael W. Smith's "A New Hallelujah" CD is playing... and of course you have to sing with that... yep, distractions! I am determined to finish this though...

Last Sunday was my day of distractions... Kevin leads worship for our church, so he leaves earlier than I do. I always stop by Starbucks to get coffee for him, our dear friends Walt and Rebecca and myself (occasionally a carmel whatever it's called for Christie). After getting to church I realized they messed up the order... so I had to drive back to Starbucks to get it right... after all, I have to have coffee to start the day... as I was driving back (three minutes away) I realized I was MISSING my worship time by doing this. Sure, I enjoy having coffee in the morning, but it can not replace coming face to face with my God during worship! I hurried and exchanged the coffees and got back... but a distraction from worship had occured. When I got back, worship was still going on (Thank you Lord!) In the middle of it, Kevin's string to his guitar breaks... distraction, then the other guitar player's string breaks... Distraction. Then, while our Pastor was teaching... people were getting up and going to the bathroom and passing in front of our Pastor... there are back doors that lead to the restrooms, but for some reason they chose the front. Not just one person, but several and even though I am sure it was very unintentional... it was a distraction from God's Word... a couple had a toddler in the front row (yes, we have a nursery... really nice one too) who was throwing her toys, bottles, whatever she could throw to get them to retrieve (we have all played this game once)... she had them trained... DISTRACTION! Finally, our Pastor also was tired of the distractions and dealt with them... in the middle of the service. See how all of that works... the enemy really does not want us to know God... especially in an intimate way.

You know... but the enemy has been defeated... I have decided to turn these distractions around to work for God, not the enemy. In everything, God is present, whether it be a distraction or anything else... God is present. I need to stop, listen and pray... whether it is for myself, a friend or for the person causing the distraction. I feel that if I turn it around to a praying time or praising time... the enemy has been defeated. I guess I could have called this blog a distraction as well, but I am choosing not to :c) It feels good to be able to say what's on my mind and what God is teaching me, and I am thankful for those who read it and leave comments. I hope it isn't distracting you from your time with our Lord. If it is... please stop and find your Bible... that's the place we all need to be... sitting at His feet, is where we should want to be... at home when we are with Him... renewed by His grace (Michael W. Smith is singing this on the CD, but how appropriate eh?) Have a great week, may it be filled with only His distractions!

Even in the Simplest Things

My friend Shonni had a really sweet post about praying that God gives us eyes to see.... who to pray for, how to pray, etc. Then I went to Chris Tomlin's concert and he challenged people in the same way... so, I have been praying the same prayer too. It really has "opened my eyes" not just to what I know God wants me to see and what He wants me to learn, but it also has changed my perspective in so many ways. Every morning that I awake... I believe... that if I am alive in this day that the Lord has made, then it is with purpose and with meaning... I don't for a second believe that this world was created by chance, nor anyone in this world was either. I don't believe that in coincidences... or chance, I believe in a Mighty God that weaves paths and pieces lives together to serve mighty purposes... to heal hearts... to serve what ever purpose it needs to at that time.

My sweet, sweet friend Shonni shared a story on her blog... if I knew how to link you there... I would do that, but you should just check out her blog, because everything she shares in it is from her heart and her sweet spirit... she is an amazing lady with a heart for the orphans of the world... actually, her whole family is like that... amazing people... http://nationsaroundourtable.blogspot.com/ Shonni was in the hospital waiting for her mother who was in surgery for her leg, when she noticed a couple whose grandson had hung himself and wasn't going to be with them for very long... she started to talk to them and then... long story short... prayed for them... in the waiting room. I thought to myself... what a beautiful story...not just that by Shonni's obedience to God to pray for the family that may or may not be believers was such a witness to them, but to also her own children... because when we train them up according to the way they should go (in God's Word)... we should be teaching them this.

So... I have been praying for the same opportunity... lesson 1... don't pray for something if you really don't want it to happen ... LOLOL! This meant... if someone pulled out in front of me while driving... pray for them... bad service at the mall... still smile... for the person living on the street... the list goes on. I found you have to be in constant prayer just to hear what God wants you to do... what He wants you to see. I was filling my van with gas... at a Shell station of course... thanking God that my husband has a great job with this company and that I am able to fill the 20 gallon gas guzzler (actually not that bad... it is a Honda after all) when a man pulled in to the tank next to mine. My daughter and her friend were in the back of the van, listening to Switchfoot very loudly. I could tell that the man was very troubled. He started to talk to me and tell me that his grandmother had just died and he drove here for her funeral. Someone had booked him a room in the hotel across the street and used a credit card that did not work. He was $11.68 short and needed to get home as well. I normally do not carry cash with me, but happened to have $20 in my pocket. I rarely ever give money to someone on the street because in Houston, this happens a lot and you don't know if they really need it or not... but I heard God tell me to give it to him, but to also pray with him. As I gave the money to him, he said "I don't know how to thank you", and I told him not to. Then I really feel that it was the Holy Spirit who was telling me to tell him to "Don't thank me, I believe in a God that I know is watching out for you and your daugther (she was in the car with him). I believe He brought you here, knowing that I have this money in my pocket and that I am able to give it to you. I believe in a loving God, who loves you and your family, no matter what you are going through right now... I believe in your heart, you know that too. If you want to be thankful, then to everyone you see today, tell then what God has done for you." We prayed. It was very simple, because God is SO simple in His love for us. He does not make it complicated... because He wants everyone to know that He has defeated all things, everyone deserves compassion... everyone is forgiven... everyone is loved by Him. His love rains down on us all the time... not when we feel like it. I remembered that I had more money in my wallet and turned to get it... when I turned back around, he was gone. I looked up and down the street, but didn't see him. We are talking seconds... I jumped into the van and started to look for him when I heard God say to me, "I brought him here for what he needed at this minute... I will provide for him for the rest of his trip." How simple, again, was that? I have been in reflection about what God has planned for us... do we miss it sometime because we are so caught up in ourselves, in our own lives? Even when we are hurting... God uses everyday experiences to heal us. He lifts us up so that we can lift others up. How awesome is our God? Even when we are not hurting, when our days are so doggone fantastic, I think that is when we don't hear Him the most... because we are caught up in our own lives... Take the challenge... how do you see things? How does God want you to see things? How do you see God? How do you see our Father, His Son, His Spirit? Hmmm... how is your life? Is there a void? "Healing Rain is falling down... I'm not afraid"

By the way, the pictures are from a Mission Trip in 2007... please pray for the one coming up in 2009, that we would not be afraid to pray for those who need prayer... again... simple!

Random Picture Post

Now for the picture fun!
11th folder
or
September 2007
11th picture

I opted for the 11th folder and 11th picture. This is a picture of my sister Kim, and her son, Micah, watching the water skiers at Seaworld. It was a really fun day! It was also the day before my Mom passed away with lung cancer, so it brought back some bittersweet memories :c)

A Mother's Love

My daughters continue to amaze me daily in everything they do. Kevin and I are very blessed to have daughters that seek God daily and love Him with all of their heart. We go through the same things all parents go through with their kids... and if there is one place that is the hardest place to live your Christian life... it's at home. I mean face it, we all know that we are not perfect, but we all know that we have a Creator that loves us so much and shows us grace and mercy. My girls try their hardest to show God's love to their friends at school and at church... and by praying for them. They are very talented girls too. Christie loves to write poetry and this week I am going to try to display some of it daily. I hope you like it as much as I love it!

A Tear For Dawn

A masterpiece beyond all compare,

Beautiful majesty and undying care

For each stroke of color and sight

The lovely warmth of dawn’s morning light.

Overshadowed by sleepy eyes

Of coffee brewing and baby cries.

No thoughts of the warmth, our thoughts are cold

Wondering how the day's events will unfold.

The sun grows higher in the sky

followed by birds starting to fly.

Still we don't stop to stare up above,

At the celestial embodiment of hope and love.

Never a time where one stops to think

of the watercolors red, orange, yellow and pink

Of the giant canvas painting in the morning,

At least not yet, but we’re still learning.

Random Picture Challenge

Okay... how fun is this... sometimes we forget about certain pictures... and thanks to Shonni, who found this challenge through another friend and shared it...here is a neat way to help re-discover those pictures! There are 2 ways to pick your random picture this week so more of you can play along. March 2008, 5th picture from the end
or 10th picture folder 5th picture from the end. This picture is from my 10th March folder and is the 5th picture in that folder..

This is Danielle at Galveston... we went to the Moody Gardens over Spring Break and HAD to visit the beach!

Getting Older... Who Me?... Never!

I don't know why, but lately, I have been reminiscing about the... past... okay, childhood. (I suppose it is not helping that as I type this post, my husband is playing old songs by Chicago, Genesis, Rush, etc.) I don't know why I have been thinking about growing up, getting older... maybe it's what you do at age 45...

It's funny, but usually I don't feel old until one of my daughters have a birthday (November and December). Lately, though, I have been reconnecting with friends on facebook from my childhood, from high school, from college and current. It is as if all the chapters in my life are coming together to form a book. Also, when my Mom passed away in August, I remember her now from my childhood rather than just my Mom who lived with us.

Looking back, I can see that the Lord has really blessed me with the people in my life. I have learned from each one... whether it be good or bad, it has been a lesson. Acts 17:26: “And He made from the one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation.” So, it's not coincidental that my family is the family He gave me, or that my friends and acquaintances are more than just faces... there is a purpose for them being in my life and for me being in theirs. I just need to make sure that my heart and my life are right with Him to find out what those purposes are. Everything happens with a purpose...

"This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it." Since I am alive in this day... I have a purpose for this day and I need to seek out His purpose for me in this day... I can choose to waste this day, or I can choose to live this day for Him... and in doing so, I believe, with His help, I can make a difference, whether it be in the little things of this life, or the big things in this life... God can use me for His purposes...

So, I guess... getting older doesn't really matter... it's what I decide to do with the days God gives me... as I get older. I am blessed with family and with friends that help me see the differences we are able to make with Him, either by their examples or by their words in love and in friendship. I am also able to learn through my mistakes... as much as I hate to admit it, they are sometimes the best lessons to learn by.

So for every second, every minute, every hour, etc that I grow older... I hope I learn more about the God who created me, more about my husband and my girls, more about my family and my friends... more about life in general... and more about growing older...

Jobs

I love it when people ask me what my "job" is. "Where do you work?" "What do you do for a living?" Most can't believe that I am still a "Stay-at-Home Mom", as if they don't exist any more. I guess, for the most part, people just can't believe that we can actually afford

for me to stay at home because the crisis our economy is going through. Who knows... depending on how bad it does get... I may have to go back to work, but for now, I am a "stay-at-home Mom".
(Pictured is Kevin volunteering at a nearby elementary school, helping kids make slime. Adalia is one of my little mentees (on the right) and her buddy Catherine.)

No... I don't sit around watching Oprah and eat bon bons... and no, my house is not spotless and the laundry is not finished all of the time... (I laughed so hard at my dear friend Shonni's blog when she asked the question "is anything ever really finished... like laundry", I spit up my coffee I was drinking while reading it!). I tend to volunteer my time... a lot. I volunteer at the schools in my community. Not just my daughters' schools, but all the schools in my community.

One of my favorite volunteer jobs is mentoring. I mentor girls in the elementary school whose Moms have left them. I get really frustrated too. I listen to these little girls as they tell me how much they miss their mom, how no one is there to put them to bed at night, how no one is there to fix them dinner, how no one is there to brush their hair... the list, sadly, goes on. These sweet little lambs feel so rejected, so hurt... confused... There is no one there to tell them that they have a God that loves them, that wants to give them life, that knows their deepest hurt. There is no one there to talk to them about boys, what's it like to grow up, are these feelings that I have normal... My heart goes out to them. With one of my girls... yup they are mine, or at least it feels that way... I have been mentoring her for the past 5 years. Her mother was a big part of her life for her first five years... then she tried to kill the little girl's father with a butcher knife in front of her and her small brother. Of course she went to jail for two years and then she was released. I am willing to bet that her mother was probably not loved by someone as she was growing up either... so the cycle begins... but where does the cycle stop? The little girl is ten years old now and really wants a Mom. If I was able to, I would snatch her and her little brothers and they would come live with us... but I can't do that. It's funny, physically, anyone can be a Mom or a Dad... you don't have to fill out any forms, you don't have to be responsible, you don't have to do the right thing... but in the end... who really gets hurt by it?

I know that our Father puts us on this earth for a reason, and sometimes, man can mess that up. I know that sometimes we have to take the chance on others, so that others can really know who He is. Who says we can't preach the Word of God in a public school, who says I can't be Christ's example in a public school? It's exactly what we are suppose to do. We are suppose to reach out to those who are hurting, draw them in, love them... I want to be an example of my Savior... with His mercy and with His grace, I want to reach out to those who are hurting and I want to love them. If you have a little bit of time on your hands, please consider doing the same. Volunteer your time... take the risk and get involved. So far, no one has complained about what I have been doing... and if someone does... what are they going to do... fire me?

Have a blessed day!