Friday, July 29, 2011

A New 'Normal'

Unfortunately sistahs, my lap top continues to be out of commission :(

But I do have good news - I got a job!

Earlier this month I went in for an interview and was hired and had an hours training on the spot.  Praise God!  I am a part-time church secretary.  Not only have I been blessed with this job, but my prayers concerning my biggest issue with going back out to work were answered.
I have two young boys that are being lovingly cared for by family during the summer, and once school starts I will be able to put them on the bus myself and get them off of the bus myself.  Is God good or what?!!!

With all of the hustle and bustle of getting used to this new schedule and way of life really, I must honestly admit that my quiet time with the Lord has suffered.  Kind of ironic that going to work for a church has cramped my spiritual life...

This simply wont do.  I must put a little thought into how I will organize my days (as much as one can) so that my time with the Lord will remain a priority while still spending plenty of quality time with my little men, getting to my job and doing my best, taking care of the house and of course spending time with the hubs.

So, sorry for the lack of posting - but it will pick up now that I'm over the initial hurdle of getting back to work.  I'm adjusting to a new 'normal'.
I hope you're all having a great summer and staying connected with our Heavenly Father!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Technology... you think it's your friend : )

My poor laptop has a virus and my computer doctor (a.k.a. ~ my husband) doesn't have the remedy.  This is why I haven't been able to post in so long.  Praying we can get it fixed soon with little to no expense. (It could happen!  Luke 1:37)

The thoughts I want to share today actually did not come from reading the Bible, but rather from reading a children's book to my boys.  Even if you don't have little kids to read to (and if you don't, I'm sure parents at church would love it if you offered to read a story or two to their little ones while waiting for church to start!!) I can't encourage you enough to take a perusal of the children's book next time you're in your local Christian book store.  There are some really powerful messages tucked into those colorfully and beautifully illustrated pages!

'You Are Mine' by Max Lucado (he not only writes compelling books for adults, but very tender messages for the kiddos too) was the book I read to my boys the other day while we were outside enjoying the beautiful sunny day.  Mr. Lucado has a few books that deal with these funny little puppet-like wooden creatures (Wemmicks); I recommend all of them!

In this tale of the Wemmicks we find them at the start of a new craze - collecting boxes and balls.  If one has 3 boxes and two balls then the next thinks they must have 4 boxes and 5 balls, and the balls must be bigger and the boxes must have prettier designs.  Then we see them collecting boxes that have labels on them.  More, bigger, better, more expensive and on and on it goes.  Why?  They feel that those who have the biggest, the best, the most are the 'really good Wemmicks'.  They think that what they have determines who they are.

Hmmm.. We may not be made of wood and we may not have a pile of boxes and balls, but goodness knows we humans can get as weighed down as these Wemmicks do trying to keep up and our children get the message loud and clear in this world.

Thankfully, Punchinello, the lead character in these tales, stumbles into his makers workshop as a result of not being able to see the path before him because he is so burdened with all of his 'stuff'.  Once there his maker assures him that what you have isn't important; you can't rely on things to make you happy. Instead; it's about whose you are and that we can trust Him to supply our happiness - to give us our joy.

After finishing the last page I then asked my boys some questions about the story to make sure they understood it and could apply it to their lives.  It's not about having the most DS games.  It's not important what brand name your clothes are.  You don't have to compete with your friends as to who gets more money from the tooth fairy..

We all need to go to our Maker on a regular basis and put our trust in Him alone and not 'things' (cars, homes, name brand clothing or purses.....) for our happiness; or more importantly, joy.  We need to be in His word and then ask ourselves questions to make sure we understand and can apply it to our lives.

It's so easy to get weighed down by stuff and worldly pursuits.  But smart Wemmicks, I mean people, know that it's more important to keep our vision clear so we can remain on the path with our Maker.  It's a wonderful reminder, We Are His.