crazy-schedule....

".....Life is a highway....I'm gonna ride it all night long....."
And for the next 6 weeks the highway is going to be bumper-to-bumper traffic like downtown Seattle at 3:30 everyday!!!!!!
HOLY COW!
Lacey has just started Driver's Ed which is 3 days a week + 1 day a week for her drives + her guitar lesson and dance lesson and the possiblity of her getting a job at Long John Silvers on Fridays and Saturdays.
Seriously, life just got crazy for us....I'm not saying that we have the exclusive on this but, it's just beginning to set in.
Here's the "new" schedule:
Monday-School, drive Lacey in to Kennewewick for her drive from 12:00-1:00, then back home to finish school and then back to Kennewewick for her class from 6:00-8:00.
Tuesday-School, drive Lacey into Kennewick for guitar lesson, back home to finish school, drive Lacey back to Kennewick for class, back home to catch the end of American Idol.
Wednesday-School, drive Lacey into Richland for her dance class then FLY over to Kennewick for Vada's drum lesson at the same time, wait for her then FLY back to church in time for dinner and them to teach class at 5:30, home by 8:30 in time for American Idol.
Thursday-Faith day, School, drive Lacey to class in Kennewick.
Friday-get kids started on school, go to work for 6 hours, come home, make dinner and soon probably take Lace to work.
Saturday-there is something going every saturday for the entire month of May for me;
Family Fitness, Prom, yard sale, having Faith for the weekend and having
Amber for a week(both of which are a labor of love).
Sunday-drive Vada in for praise team at 7:00 a.m. then back home to get ready for church then back to church at 9:30 for SS, then back to church for choir then rush over to take Lacey to Toyota Center to work the concert then back to church and then back to Kennewick to take girls to concert, then ???? cuz the concert doesn't get over until 10:00 or 11 and so I guess I'll go home and then go back to pick them up?????
This is just for the next 6 weeks, fortunately.
The challenge for me is that I don't like to be that busy and I don't like my schedule to dictate my life, I rather like it the other way around, but, it is what it is and I will make the best of it.
Another huge obstacle is the huge gas consumption that will take place and where we will have to cut corners to stick to our budget.
Here's some things that I will do to cut corners:

No Downey, just dryer sheets.
Absolutely no extra trips to anywhere!
No Starbucks.
No late-night trips to Walmart(sorry Olivia).
I can't think of anything else, do you have any suggestion????
Please tell me.

thinking green is NOT the answer!

My daughter, Lacey, has been challenging me with the question,"Why do youth speakers/evangelists always tell us that WE are the generation that will change the world????
She says that it bugs her because she doesn't believe that!!!!!
So, I try to encourage her by saying what I think he is really saying; things like, "he doesn't really mean the world, but, your part of the world." and "God WILL change the world one person at a time...."
Blah, blah, blah.....
She's NOT buying it, not one bit.
So, this weekend I confronted the youth speaker at youth conference with this very question to which he answered the same way that I had to Lacey.
I told him that she wasn't buying it, and that I wasn't trying to be argumenative, but just for his feedback, there are students who are questioniong this concept.
I think he was challenged and finally relented that NO he didnt' believe either that the world was going to be saved, but rather, he wants the students to realize that they can affect their peers' world and isn't that what we are ALL called to do; to GO and be witnesses to the world, despite the possible outcome????
Anyhoo, it was good.....challenging, in that, I've had to ask myself that same question, "Do I believe the world is going to be saved?"
I have to answer honestly, NO, I think that events are in place and there is no going back.
We have taken God out of the picture in so many ways; no prayer in schools, belittling the idea of Intelligent Design which belittles the idea of a Creator in our classrooms and universities, the removal of the 10 Commandments from public places, the trend of being politically correct and NOT offending anybody which leads to the watering down of absolute Truth, the tend to a humanist worldview which state that man is the master of his own domain, I mean, I could go on and on.....
do I believe that this nation will have a spiritual awakening like the "Great Revival" from the 19th century????
I don't!
I think we've gone too far and there is NO going back and I also believe that the end of days is near which, for us Christians, simply means that we need to be purposeful about sharing Christ with our world, our neighbors, our famlies, etc.
One thing that the speaker said that was awesome was this: "WE, as christians, are the physical emodiemnt of God on earth!"
Do we get that?????
We have a personal relationship with God and He is in us and that is huge!!!!!
We need not take that lightly.

a funny story...

OK, well I thought that my friend Jill was going to tell the story of the "nose-piercing", however, she hasn't so I will.
We were getting ready to watch "Cloverfield" the other night when all of a sudden Nevada yells from the computer room,"Emma and her Mom just got their nose's pierced!!!!"
All of us were like, "no way!!!!".
Lacey took her shock to a level that I have never seen before in her.
She was positively taken over by the "green-eyed-monster" and began to wail and moan about how she wanted to do it, too.
OMG!!!!
She would hardly engage with the movie she was so jealous.
I have NEVER seen her that way before....it was ugly, ugly, ugly!!!!!
Anyhoo, the next morning it all came out that it was a joke and I was (playfull) "furious" and promptly picked up the phone to give Jill a piece of my mind(playfully).
I said," I have a bone to pick with you!!!".
Her response: "Get in line."
It was hysterical and caused quite a ripple in our households and has the dads positively stumped as to what to do about it.
Con is coming around to the idea simply because I am not opposed to it and I have always thought we need to "pick our battles" with the girls and, frankly, this isn't one for me.
I think for dads that it is hard for them to watch their little girls become little women and us moms sort of embrace the idea because we get to see the "fruit of our labor" and it is a beautiful thing to see them grow up.
Let's take a poll:

Do you think nose-studs are OK for 16 year olds?
What about tattoos?
What about hair color?....even wacky hair color?
What about tanning beds or tanning lotions?
Fake nails?
I'm just curious about your thoughts(not that I am all for these things, I'm jsut curious) regarding the altering of our "natural-God-given-assets".

Let me know what you think.

He loves me......

I have a praise!!!!!
(God is so good to me even when I am a bratty child)
I finally heard from my brother and we had a wonderful conversation last night and he even told me he loved me.
God is still working through the "other" situations that have plagued me but, the key word is GOD is working it out, not me, and that is a good thing.
The dark clouds are clearing, which I knew they would, and I feel as if I am almost on the other side of it, hallelujah!
As I look back on last week I am trying to discover what it was that God was trying to teach me.
I really try to learn from my mistakes and from my "wanderings" and what I've learned so far is that God really doesn't require much from us, but one thing that is non-negotioable is complete surrender to Him.
Also, sometimes God withholds wisdom or blessing because of our lack of trust in Him, I believe.
I also believe very fervently that there is nothing that I will ever do that will cause God to stop loving me nor is there anything that I can do that will make Him love me more so ,really, it's not about us, He does the work for us and we reap all the benefits.
That's a win-win to me.
Thank you for your prayers, my friends.
I love knowing that you lift me up when I am down.

got bitterness?

My thoughts are heavy laden......
I am wandering through a cynical season right now and I'm finding it difficult to muddle through to the other side.
My empasse is trying to love the unlovable, even though I KNOW that that is what we are called to do.
My reason is screaming all the platitudes due to me and yet, it is of no matter.
Bitterness has taken me.
I suppose I could placate myself by saying that the scorn that I endure from others is not personal to me necessarily but simply it is a character flaw that they have, therefore it is not my problem but theirs.
Could I derive some comfort from those thoughts?
Sure.
However, those thoughts are purely prideful and shameful and I will not go there.
So, I am right back here at the foot of bitterness knowing that it is I who must take the high road and forgive in order to get to the other side.
The high road.....so NOT there.
"I will never leave nor forsake you." says my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, that promise does not extend from His people, who are erred and blind and lame(present company included).
My whole life I have experienced God in mighty ways; His mercy and forgiveness, His love and salvation, His provision and His grace.
I have always known that in my early years God protected me from injustices done to me in my family life and He gave me such an awareness of His love for me that He knew would give strength to survive difficult times.
I have been in awe of that my whole life, however, just recently have I been aware of the extent of that protection and the reason for it; to offer to others what has been given to me unconditionally to show His glory, not mine.
I know that it is not for me to understand all things, but to be obedient to God by showing love unconditionally.
I'll get there...eventually, only with God's help.
"Father, I want less of me and more of you. Forgive me for my pride and unforgiveness."

....where are my manners?
Of course, Any of you who would like to join us(Jill) in our "gun-free-freaky-commune-life" may.
Must bring own supplies:

-Hugs, peanut-butter cups.
-Komodo coffee from Starbucks
-bronzer( no sense being pasty behind our walls)
-Burt's Bees pomegranate lip balm( with just a hint of color)
-the DVD's of Lost and 24(just to keep up and give us somethin' to talk about)

OK, well...come in!(get it?)

RSVP.
Offer ends soon.

....Decided to go ahead with the whole commune-thing....high walls, razor wire....denim jumpers, sensible hair.
Only, I'm not even comin' out for Starbucks, shoes, or chocolate!!!!!
See ya up top.

Family Fitness and Canary Birds....

Saturday night was our first Family Fitness meeting and it was very interesting.
For those of who don't know what that is I'll explain that FF is the brain-child that came from a group of friends concerned that they were not following the biblical model that God gave to us regarding raising our families.
It is a very sweet time of bible study, connecting with friends, and prayer.
The original group splintered off to start new groups and we hope it will catch on and more will get involved.
Earlier that day I was helping an elderly widower down the street with her estate sale and came across a book called, "Ladies' Indispensable Assistant, being a companion for the Sister, Mother, and Wife...."
It was published in 1852 and went on to suggest all sorts of things like, the proper management of children and canary birds, instructions for ladies under various circumstances, proper etiquette for ladies and gentlemen.......it was hilarious and completely ludicrous to me.
I thought it was ironic, though, and shared with our FF group that here was an instruction manual written for the benefit of mother and fathers, individuals, etc, and then I held up my bible and suggested to the group that eveything we need for life is actually in THIS book.
We talked about our "fire" for the Lord and sharing it with others and being a light in a dark world. It was good...got me thinking about my witness to my neighbors and how can I share my light with them?......
Good stuff.

some random thoughts....

Thanks to my blog-sistas for your prayers......
Though there has been no change in the situation I do have a peace that I am in good hands, so thank you for your prayers.
Now, I just wish that this TWITCH in my lip would GO AWAY!!!!!
Jill suggested that I am "weary" of keeping something in and that is the nature of the twitch....she might be right.
Who knows?
Anyhoo, what I wanted to share was something that the visiting pastor on Sunday spoke about.
He was speaking about the healing of the blind man in Bethsaida in the book of Mark, when Jesus healed the man only part way before healing him completely.
He went on to say that Jesus' healing in stages paralled the disciples' imperfect perception of Him. Like the man, they were no longer blind but they could not see clearly either.
So, what was the disconnect for the disciples????
How could they have spent all their time with the Lord and truly not know Him for who He was????
That is the question....for us, too, I think.
How can we, as the body of Christ, be in His prescence but not really know Him????
How can we be in church 2, 3, or 4 days a week and perhaps teaching or serving in some way and be in fellowship with other believers and truly not know the nature of God?????
Where's the disconnect for us?????
Is it a lack of wisdom or lack of faith that keeps us so blind to who God really is???
I'll pose this:

The treasure of wisdom rests in the hands of God. Since it comes from above, we cannot attain it apart from Him -Prov. 2:6
True wisdom can only be gained by cultivating the fear of the Lord- Job 28:28, Ps.86:11
To fear God is to have an attitude of awe and humility before Him. (Prov.15:33)
It is to recognize Him as our Creator and we are to be completely dependent on Him in all aspects of our lives.
Our faith in God is based on trust and our ability to trust Him is directly proportional to our knowledge of Him. The better we know God, the more we can trust Him.
So, how can we increase our knowledge of God?????
We become intimate with Him as we talk with Him in prayer and as we listen to His voice in Scipture. The better we know God, the more our love increases and the more we want to respond to His desires for our lives. Faith in God is simply trusting Him, and then letting that trust be manifest into action.
My question to is this:

Are we missing out on complete healing because we are blind to who God really is???
Is our perception of God, or our vague awareness of His power, limiting the miracles that God wants to show us in our lives?????
Am I the problem????
Do I have limited sight?????
Lord, remove the scales from my eyes, that I may truly see. I want to walk by faith and not by sight.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me.
I am PMSing so that means everything is huge; sounds are huge, emotions are running high, but, beyond that I am really grieving over very real hurts and I need to allow myself to feel those things without the self-condemnation that comes with PMSing.
Know what I mean?
My sister moved away about 6 months ago and I really miss her.
My brother, Jim, is...how you say???...not really interested in me and my family, he's got "issues" and that's fine, you know...that's the way it's always been so I don't expect alot from him.
My twin brother, Dan, on the other hand has always been been important to me and we've always had a good relationship up until about 3 years ago.....
There was a shift in my side of the relationship because it appeared to be so one-sided and I got frustrated and decided to see how long it would take for him to get in touch with me if I stop persuing the relationship.
I know....I know....NOW!!!!
I totally set him up to fail.....I know!
My bad!
So now it's 3 years later and there is no relationship and I am such a schmuck!!!!
I miss him....but he doesn't miss me...obviously.
What do I do with that hurt, that wound?
Well, I could bury it and it would poison me.
I could lash out and really give him a piece of my mind, which would probably completely sever ties for "all time and eternity".
Or, I could forgive him for being SO lame and love him anyway, in spite of him.
Right now, I am just sad.
I know the right thing to do and I will forgive him.....right now, though the PMS wants to wallow in it and have a righteous "pity-party" where I'm the ONLY guest, well, I know that my Heavenly Father is watching over me and wants to comfort me, ya know.... He's cool like that, so He can come, too.
I was talking to a friend last night and she suggested that Dan might have a problem with my relationship with the Lord because he doesn't have one and that makes him uncomfortable.
I don't know....
Jesus said they hated Him and that they will hate us, too, but I never thought that meant family, ya know, that's just wrong.
Please pray for me that God will restore my relationship with Dan.
Thank you.

It's Spring Break!!!!!!
What am I most looking forward to?
Not being on....do you know what I mean????
I relish just.... being...enjoying.
That is what is so great about our Lord; He doesn't need us to DO anything cuz He's already done it...and so, we just get to serve Him, worship Him, love Him, know Him, just BE His...
I really dig that.
His yoke is easy, His burden is light.
Thank you, Father, for your unending mercy and grace and for being a promise-keeper.

#48 and counting....

OK, so apparently my fellow blogger(Jill) is doing shameless giveaways to get more readers.
Can you believe that????
Uhhhh....
I am a purist...you either like me or you don't, I will NEVER succumb to such obvious self-promotion.


Seriously, I THINK it's a FABULOUS idea!!!!!
I'm totally copying Jill.
So, stay tuned to my blog and look for my 100th post when I,too, will have a giveaway; perhaps a dream getaway...or a day of pampering...oohhh, how about a shopping spree!!!!
Stay tuned....