FIRST CAN I SAY....

it is not a fun task taking a child to the dentist who thinks "silver" teeth are AWESOME!

Defeats the purpose.

Second, a musing about destiny on AMH today.

Thirdly, I miss home.

Have a great Monday!

BECAUSE IT'S FRIDAY....

I thought you would enjoy this.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Last week I gave a major assignment to one of my classes and they bombed it.

B...I...G T...I...M...E.

But I knew they would.

Because I knew they hadn't prepared.

Straw poll after the fact verified this.

What caught me a little off guard was the student who said,

"Since we all did so bad, what are you going to do about it?"

Me?

Nothing.

You knew what the assignment was.

You knew when it was.

You were unprepared.

Consequences are yours.

As I was sitting in church today, reflecting on our study of Psalm 51 over the last two weeks, that conversation played out in my head again. I could not help but think how many times I come to Christ the same way.

I have blown it.

I let food satisfy a void only You can.

I based my confidence in my wallet instead of Your word.

I lost my temper and snapped.

I have made a huge mistake.

I pursued the desires of my flesh for praises of man and not the praises of my King.

I said something I shouldn't have, knowingly.

I cowered away when I should have been bold.

I compromised on what I knew to be true, and then I justified it by comparing myself to others and trying to compensate by being "good".

I have chosen not to prepare.

I knew this week was going to be busy, yet I planned no time for You.

I knew the meeting was necessary, but I tried to cover myself instead of letting You be my covering.

I knew money was going to be tight, but eating out was so much easier.

Yes, I knew I had that commitment, but I was just tired....or I spent that money elsewhere....or whatever.

Now, Lord, what are you going to do about it?

When I was a young Christian, He bailed me out.

As I grew, He started letting the consequences be mine.

Yes, He walks through them with me, He willingly shoulders the load if I let Him, but rest assured I am the public and private face of them.

And I should be.

I have a had a rough couple of weeks internally. Mentally. Spiritually. I have been hit from all directions, and in areas I never even thought were subject to attack. (FYI: all areas are subject to attack).

I have failed, big time, and I have asked many times, "What are You going to about it?"

Take a straw poll of my week(s), and you will find that I, too, have failed to prepare.

My kids will have a chance to redeem themselves later in the grading period.

I will get another chance as well.

Knowing this.....

the decision to prepare....

Well,it is mine.

I Choose.

WITH BIEBER IN THE BACKGROUND....

MOM!!! Tell MC 2 to stop singing that song.

MC 2 in the background.... Never say never....never say never...never say never....

MC 2 please stop signing that song.

MOM!! He is still singing it!

MC 2 please stop.

M....O....M!!!!! followed by a punch.

MC 1! His disobedience does not necessitate your sin!

................................................

................................................

Yep...let that sit on you for a bit.

BITING HIS TONGUE...

*photos by Kay Owens Photography

AND THIS IS WHY...

We choose to get up one Saturday a month,
for five months,

some of us at 4 am, and some of us at 5 am,

because it makes these babies happy.

And that makes us happy.
*photos by Kay Owens photography

SELLING SHOES...

I sat in the meeting and I heard the words,

"You know when you meet someone and they just have leader all over them."

Not talking about me.

Though my flesh so desperately wanted it to be me.

It actually went through my head,

I wonder why that was not said about me.

Then right after that I thought,

what is up with your puffed up head.....get over yourself.

Later that night I was thinking the whole thing over again,

and I am not sure how we got there,

but during my internal discussion, someone interjected with....

What if you are just the shoe salesman?

Now it could have been my flesh, lamenting its lack of pomp and circumstance.

It could have been the enemy trying to discourage me.

Or it could have been the Lord asking,

What if you are just a shoe salesman?

Will that be enough?

What if you going into that classroom everyday is it?

What if you loving those men children of yours,

and the ones that come along that aren't,

so what if that is as big as it gets?

So what?

Shoe salesman....

knelt down before people, serving them.

No pomp.....

No circumstance...

Shodding their feet with the gospel of peace as I go along,

or crushing their toes while I try to get ahead?

I wish I could tell you my flesh just gave in on its desire to be celebrated.

It just surrendered that ground.

It didn't.

It won't.

But it doesn't choose.

I DO.

YOU DO.

Jeremiah 45:5

"And do you seek great things for yourself?

Do not seek them;

for behold,

I will bring adversity on all flesh,"

says the Lord.

" But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places,

wherever you go."

Shodding with peace?

Crushing with pride?

Which shoes are we selling?

We would be wise to take note,

for someday we may have to walk in them.