Time Away

We have made it to Texas. We arrived around 1:30 a.m. this morning. We had a brief visit when we arrived (yes, at 1:30 am) with Pap and Nana. Alana gave a lot of hugs and filled them in on all of the current events in her life and Micah showed off in many ways including but not limited to: spinning in a circle, attempting to do a somersault like his big sissy does and playing a game of peek-a-boo with a blanket. Alana talked and talked and talked some more. You would have never known that it was 1:30 in the morning. They were both so excited to be in Texas with Pap and Nana.

Today we visited with Jim's sister Crystal and her 3 beautiful little girls: Hannah, Leah and Joanna. They mostly played the wii, Barbies and watched movies. The house was filled with giggles, squeals and some shouting on Micah's part. Micah definitely proved to all of them that he can hold his own and being in the house with 4 women does not intimidate him at all. We ended the evening with a 1 year birthday celebration for Micah. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and cupcakes with lime green, yellow and red icing. Micah enjoyed playing with the icing and getting some gifts.

Tonight, after everyone parted ways, Jim's mom and I decided to relax a little and tried to watch a show. Of course, Micah James had other plans. He somehow managed to remove the nipple out of his bottle and poured 6 oz. of soy based formula all over the carpet. We both frantically jumped up from our "relaxing time" and rushed to clean both the floor and Micah. Jim's mom cleaned the carpets and I put Micah in the bathtub. Micah then preceded to have a "Poop" in the tub. So, long story short. My first evening of vacation resulted in cleaning carpet and cleaning poop out of a tub. What can I say, he's a year old and we've never had that kind of accident before, so I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.

Tomorrow, we will be ministering at "The Dwelling Place" church in Vidor, TX. We are excited to reconnect with some great people who have become friends of ours. Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for tomorrow's service. This congregation has just completed a total remodel of the sanctuary and many of them are still at the location trying to finish up. All of them are exhausted. I saw many of them earlier this evening and thought, "Lord, I hope you give us something good for tomorrow because if not they are all liable to fall asleep on us out of exhaustion." But the truth is, I know that God knows exactly what this congregation needs. We are just open vessels ready to be used of God. Please pray for us as we minister tomorrow.

After tomorrow, I will officially have one thing in mind for the rest of the week. RELAXATION!! For me that comes in many forms. Sleeping in is number one on the list, but then there is always a little retail therapy, sight seeing and of course, the Texas Fair. Regardless, I've promised myself, my husband, my children and God, that I would let this week be a week of renewing of strength, so that I can go back a better mom, wife, homeschool teacher,etc. I think everyone just needs a break now and again and I am happy that this time away came when it did. Not a whole lot planned, but that's the part about this trip that I think I'm going to enjoy the most.

And it all begins now.....Oh, one more thing. Ohio State is in the final four, so Jim has had a great start and is ready to have a terrific week...lol.

"What Did You Just Say?"

I had the privilege of teaching Children's Church yesterday. My husband and I typically tag-team to lighten the load. Plus, it gives us both a chance to get to know the kids a little better and Alana absolutely loves having her parents do children's church.

I shared an object lesson with the children that they not only enjoyed, but that I thought is a "life lesson" from which a person of any age can learn. This is how it went:

Take a tube of toothpaste and squeeze a large amount of toothpaste onto a plate. Then, try to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Can it be done? Once it's out of the tube, there's no putting it back in. Remind you of anything? Now, stick your tongue out. How powerful and strong does your tongue feel? Flex your arm muscles. Doesn't it seem like your arms muscles are much more powerful than your tongue? Ok, the truth is: Prover 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose. Now, do you see the power or strength in your tongue?

Once you say it, it's been said. You can't take those words back. I personally have wished that at times I could take my words back. But the truth is that this goes even deeper. Paraphrasing: From the heart, the mouth speaks. So this really goes beyond just trying to make kind words come out of your mouth. It really gets down and dirty. It's really about teaching and training your heart to have lovely words, thoughts and ideas within it. Another way of putting it: "What's deep in the well, comes up in the bucket."

My prayer for this week, is to not only become a stronger woman in speaking life, truth and encouragement. To rid my mouth of negative words. But to take it a step further. To rid my heart of any bitterness, malice, greed, negativity, ect. in order that what comes up in my bucket, is worth displaying. So that I can be a true light and vessel worth using.

I've often said, "If you're not helping, you're hurting." So, my words either help to build up and edify, or they do the exact opposite. So obviously, this children's church object lesson, was for more than just the children. It was to help THIS servant become a little more humble, open, and honest about what's deep in the well