Counting My Sprinkles

aka: Thankful Thursday!!

My family and I went to a fun birthday party this last Sunday for a Sweet little Girlie. We had a fun time. This party happened on the same day as the Sprinkles sermon at our church. Sweet
Girlie's mama planned a great party with an ice cream sundae bar. One of the toppings was sprinkles. There were cotton candy Disney Princess sprinkles....and another flavored Toy Story Sprinkle. When you think about it...there are lots of sprinkles.....all the colors of the rainbow. Every shape under the moon, too. Who knew? There are just a variety of sprinkles in life. Endless possibilities! (getting my point here????)

During the course of the party, Sweet Girlie managed to dump out one of those bottles of sprinkles. There were sprinkles everywhere! Bless Sweet Girlie and her mama! Mama handled it well. Then my husband made the perfect comment: "Looks like "Sweet Girlie's Mama" is counting her sprinkles." I noticed that she laughed....we all laughed. To me, it seemed as if the tension of the moment broke. I don't know if it did for Sweet Girlie's Mama, though. As I sit here contemplating counting my sprinkles of the week, I find myself realizing that in those times of stress...when our whole self is bound up in the mess of the moment....if we could find a blessing to acknowledge....maybe we could save ourselves a lot of stress. This seems to be my theme for the week.

Thus, today, I must count my sprinkles, for my life is truly beautiful and full of color!

• Today I am thankful for my family. For my kids, who love me even when I make their lives miserable. For my husband, who attempts to temper his high-strung wife. For my sister, who does unexpected things. For my parents, who speak precious words. For my extended family who helps make fond memories.
  

• I am thankful for my i Pod. I am having a lot of fun using it. It has been a good week for me, attitude wise. I love having praise music flooding me...instead of my grumbling heart. I've been listening to kLOVE today....writing down ideas of music to add. If you want to offer suggestions of your favorite praise song. Please do. You might have to leave a comment....but that won't hurt too much!!!

• Lastly....I have been so thankful for the health of my family this week. As my attention has been drawn to the struggles of others with their health, I am so thankful. So very thankful. I know that my children's health could change in a flash; but, for now, I am so thankful. I will take the colds. I will take the flus. And I will be thankful.
  

How are the sprinkles in your life?

Laugh and the World Laughs with You

The day is almost over. Translations: the kids are almost in bed. There is absolutely no celebrating happening right now. None.

I was in need of a laugh or too. It just seemed the thing to do. So, I googled "joke of the day." The first hit that came up was a clean joke of the day. Today's joke was fairly amusing. But, I really got a chuckle out of the "Quotes Joke." So...the following is something I found amusing....but I take absolutely no credit for it.

Enjoy! And if you have any jokes to share....Let's laugh together!!

In the front yard of a funeral home, "Drive carefully, we'll wait."

In a nonsmoking area, "If we see you smoking, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door, "Push, Push, Push."

On a front door, "Everyone on the premises is a vegetarian except the dog."

At an optometrist's office, "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

On a taxidermist's window, "We really know our stuff."

On a butcher's window, "Let me meat your needs."

On a fence, "Salesmen welcome. Dog food is expensive."

At a car dealership, "The best way to get back on your feet -- miss a car payment."

Outside a muffler shop, "No appointment necessary. We'll hear you coming."

On a desk in a reception room, "We shoot every 3rd salesman, and the 2nd one just left."

In a veterinarian's waiting room, "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

In a Beauty Shop, "Dye now!"

On the side of a garbage truck, "We've got what it takes to take what you've got." (Burglars please copy.)

In a restaurant window, "Don't stand there and be hungry, come in and get fed up."

Inside a bowling alley, "Please be quiet. We need to hear a pin drop."

In a cafeteria, "Shoes are required to eat in the cafeteria. Socks can eat any place they want."

Being Broadsided

I think the Lord has been trying to get my attention lately. I must admit that He has been hinting at me for quite some time. I must not have been responding accordingly.... it seems like lately that He has really been driving home a thought to me.

I have always been a negative person. The glass is always half-empty. Things will never get better. La de da de da. I know that I have needed to work on this. But it is so hard. How do you really change a lifelong habit? Lately, it seems like my negativity has been getting the best of me. I really haven't been the wife and mom that I really want to be. How in the world do you change?

I bought an i Pod recently. I used my Christmas money. I have noticed that my negativity seems to skyrocket when I step away from the computer. It is so easy to drown my loneliness and "sadness" by immersing myself in the lives of others. Then when I would walk away from the computer, I would have to face myself. (Hmmmm...that's fun.) I decided that listening to praise songs and such while I did my chores would help take the focus off of me, and put it where it really should be. I have been using my i Pod for about a week now....I think it has been helping.

It is interesting, though, the things that have happened in the last week. I was introduced to Nate, Tricia, and Gwyneth's story and I began to pay attention to the blessings in my own life more. Then, on Sunday, during Sunday School class, we have been studying our faith in relationship to our health. This Sunday's topic was "Attitude and Humor." We talked a lot about being thankful (yeah for Thankful Thursdays!!) and about finding humor in our lives and how that can heal us in many ways. Then, while I was doing nursery duty during the church, I noticed that our sermon title was "Count Your Sprinkles." From what I could gather, I assumed it was about counting the blessings in your life. I think I need to get a copy of that sermon so that I can hear it for myself!! My devotions today were about "Counting your Sprinkles." I am a little behind in the "Fruit of the Vine" devotional that our church passes out. I'm guessing that is where our pastor got that idea!!

So, would you agree with me that God is broadsiding me a bit? Wake up, Christine!! God's talking to you right now!! Get your eyes off your little window of the world, look around, be thankful, and laugh!!

I'm hoping that I am catching the clue. (Somebody's home, McFly!) I'm taking the time to notice the sprinkles in my life. My life is pretty colorful, I must say. Tastes pretty good, too. My boundaries definitely lie in pleasant places.

Thank you, Jesus.

Faith is the Substance

Have you ever pondered your name? I mean....like saying your name over and over really fast. (Christine. Christine. Christine. Christine.) Now say it again, several times, very slowly. Think about every syllable before you say the next one. (Chris. Tine. Chris. Tine. Chris. Tine.) Pretty soon, the more you say it, the odder it begins to sound. I remember doing this when I was younger. By the time I had said it several times, I began to think what kind of name is Christine? That is the weirdest name ever. It really isn't even a word! (Don't even get me going about Kippy! Talk about a weird name! Thanks, Lou!)

I also remember, as a child, contemplating God in relation to little ol' me. I don't remember what prompted me to do that. I just remember laying on the couch and contemplating the enormity of the universe. Have you ever sat and thought about it? All that we can see with our naked eye when we look up into the sky is only the very tip of the iceberg. It goes on and on and on. There is no one person on this entire planet that will ever know the full vastness of the universe. We will never know. Until we get to heaven.

When I would think about the vastness of the universe, I remember beginning to feel very small. What would make the God of the Universe notice one so small and insignificant as me? I don't remember my faith being very complex at that point in my life. It seems like I remember there being somewhat of a faith struggle at that point. Why would a God who had such a huge universe to maintain, take the time to notice one little small planet? Then on that teeny, tiny planet, why would He pick the speck of earth called North America? And on North America, why would He notice a little mite of a girl in Hayden Lake, Idaho? Part of me couldn't wrap my mind around it. It seemed impossible. Yet, in that glorious thing of childlike faith, I just chose to believe that the God of the Universe noticed me and loved me. It was what I was taught...how could it be wrong?

Isn't that an amazing thought, though? That the great, big God of the Universe, who made all these glorious and amazing things, humbled His creative abilities and made us? (And we are so imperfect, too!! But, I guess that the imperfectness is not God's fault....but our own.) Think about the insignificance of an ice crystal. Very rarely does one get to see the true beauty of an ice crystal. Doesn't God do an awesome job in the small details of life? It is truly amazing that His love and care for us goes to such insignificant details of beauty! I really think that God speaks to us in these tiny, details of beauty!

Even though we are surrounded by signs of God's love and care for us, sometimes I find it difficult to believe that God truly loves me enough to have died for me and saved me from my sins. My current struggle in life is feeling like God's grace is limitless. I get so frustrated with my human side that continues to sin again and again. I am so weak!! How many times will God forgive my anger that explodes at my children? How many times will God forgive my selfishness that gets tired of serving my family and demands "WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO SERVE ME?" Being the incredibly fallible human that I am, I find that my grace has limits, doesn't God's?

Sometimes it feels like it does. Why? Why do we doubt the love and grace that God has for us? Even David, who is called a man after God's own heart, doubted God's love for him. There were times that God felt very distant to him....silent. "My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent." Psalm 22: 1-2 Yet, if you continue to read the Psalms you will find time and again how David praised God for being beside him in the dark times. "On my bed, I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 64:6-8

So what causes the disconnect of our faith? Is it God who leaves us and causes us to feel abandoned in our faith? That causes us to doubt the covenant relationship we have with God? I think not. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heigth nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

I am convinced that is only us that makes us feel separated from God. Those times when I allow the busyness of life to overtake me and I no longer have God at the front of my thoughts, those are the times that I feel distant from God....when I have failed to "Be still and Know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 Those are the times that I feel like I have fallen from God's grace and must come crawling back to receive His favor. I remember reading a quote in a book that my mom gave me. It was titled "Selah" by Nancy Carmichael. I am not going to go take the time to get the exact quote...so you will have to deal with my feeble remembrance of it. I believe that she was talking about her mother who was the mother of more children than I have. She felt overwhelmed with life...and underwhelmed with her relationship with Jesus. God just impressed upon her heart that at this point in her life....having her heart attuned to Him was enough. What freedom there was in that thought for me!

Faith is hard work. God doesn't speak to us from a pillar of fire/smoke anymore. Even then, when He did, the Israelites still lost faith. Our hearts really do need to be tuned into Him. We have to take moments to be silent and allow God to reassure our hearts of His presence. It is hard to admit to our precious God when we don't feel close to Him. Yet, I think, when we humble ourselves before Him, and admit our failings, our lack of faith, our desperate need for an assurance from Him, I believe that He hears us and answers us. I think we just need to take the time to ask Him...and to shut off the world around us for a moment and listen for His gentle wooing.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 Hope means to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfillment. Are you confident today? If not, have you asked Him to give you that confidence? Have you quieted yourself before Him and listened for His response?

My prayer is that, today, we will take that opportunity to do so.

Perspective

Every once in a while, my attention is drawn outside the realm of my little world. It is so easy to get swept up in the little drama of my own life, that I lose sight of the bigger picture that goes on around me all the time. This week, a friend of mine, Candi, drew my attention an amazing, God-directed drama.

I have been checking in on this little drama, through their blog, several times a day. There is a part of me that feels like a peeping Tom, stealing glimpses into their very personal, private world. Yet, their hearts cry has been that people would read about their lives. In reading about their lives, their hope is that we would pray for their family. That we would see the overwhelming awesomeness of our God. That we would praise our God for His infinitely amazing power, grace, and mercy.

I won't even begin to describe their story. At the end of this post, I will leave a link to their blog. I can't even begin to summarize their story, their journey. It is overwhelming. I find myself, in reading their updates, overwhelmed by their circumstances. I find myself overwhelmed by their faith....and their grace under fire. I am overwhelmed by the work that God is doing. You really must check it out for yourself.

Isn't it amazing that the technology of today allows us this little glimpse into their world? Isn't it amazing that a blog has the ability to tell hundreds, thousand, possibly millions of people about their story? The thought of the cloud of witnesses that could be possibly storming the gates of heaven for them is incredible. If I were in their situation, I would want that same exact thing.

I find myself, when I check their blog, anxiously awaiting what glorious thing God has done next. I can hardly wait to see how this story will unfold. I love seeing glimpses into God's grand scheme for their lives. There is already signs that God is reaping the rewards of their battle. How gracious that they have been allowed to witness that.

Also, in watching their struggle unfold, I find myself giving thanks to my God for my health. For the health of my husband. For the health of my children. I find myself reminded to not grumble so much at their loud and rowdy activities. Praise God that they can do those things at all. My troubles are nothing in comparison. If they can praise God through their storm, then certainly, so can I.

If I have piqued your interest at all, check their story out at: Confessions.

I promise...you'll come away changed.

Thankful Thursday

I am back at the church again. I was here for a school meeting and decided to do a quick computer check while I was here. I am literally going through withdrawals with no computer. I hadn't realized how much I enjoy having that "contact" with other people so readily at my fingertips. I almost breezed out of here without a Thankful Thursday post, but decided I couldn't get away with out it.

• I am so thankful for my sweet husband and his many talents. Computer know-how is one of them. He has put in so many hours trying to revive our computer. I am hopeful that he will have it done very soon. He really is a man with many talents. (ssshhhhh.....he doesn't like people to know that!)
• I am thankful for Mr. Puhl....our school director. He really is a wonderful man. He knows my kids by name....even Luke who is yet to enter school. He takes the time to acknowledge them; and, he works endless hours for the benefit of our school.
• I am thankful for the other dedicated parents at our school who give so much to make our school successful. I really do feel honored to be a part of this school. What a blessing it has been in my life.

Well....that will be all for the night. I am tired and I want to get home and crash. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday. I hope I am back full force computer-wise, very soon!

Out of Commission

Thank you to all who prayed while I was feeling sick. I haven't been that sick in quite some time. It really was a "cleansing" experience! I am feeling much better now....just tired still.

Now that I am on the mend, my computer is out cold. We had been running on minimum for a couple of days. Then my computer gave up the ghost and has been out for 2 days now. Tim has put endless hours in trying to get it back. Hopefully tonight.

Right now, I am taking a few minutes at church to borrow a computer. Luke is waiting patiently for me to be done so that we can go. I just thought I would mention that I am doing better.....but my computer is not. If you want....you can pray for that!!!

Miss you all......