Modern Day Blessings

Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful.

Where Your streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place,

Though I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your name.

Every blessing you pour out, I'll turn back to praise.

When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your glorious name.

Blessed be Your name when the sun is shining down on me,

When the world is all as it should be, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name.

You give and take away, You give and take away.

My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name.

The cry of our hearts is to honor God and let the words I say be a testament of His unfailing and undeserving goodness... Bless His Name!

Tony received a phone call today about lunchtime from a man named Marty. His words to Tony went something like this, "Sir, are you sitting down? My name is Marty from Modern Chevrolet. I have a car here for you that has been paid for as a gift to you. You need to come pick it up, please." After some convincing that this was indeed not a joke yet still with skepticism, Tony and I drove the 20 miles to the dealership to investigate. Marty, the salesman, was meeting with a customer when we arrived and quickly found a willing salesman to take his place with his potential buyer (yes, he gave up his potential sale in order to talk to us). He sat us down in his office and shared the story as much as he could. In a nutshell, someone (individual or a group, we are not sure) was obedient to God's leading and walked into the dealership, plunked down a handsome bit of change and purchased a vehicle for us. Tony snickered (Abraham laughed too!) and I cried like a little school girl. Touched nearly to tears himself, Marty went on to say, "My grandfather was a pastor and I grew up in church, but I am not a faithful attender myself. I know this one thing: THIS IS FROM GOD! Not only is this for you all, but this is a lesson of faith for me." Thirty minutes later, and thirty signatures later, we drove off the lot with a 2008 Chevrolet HHR.

We have pondered time and again whom this blessing could have come from and we have NO IDEA! We are settled in the fact that, just as Marty recognized, this is from God! We are no more deserving of this than the next guy, but we are grateful and we are humbled!

In the words of worship leader, Matt Redman... Lord, blessed be Your name! Every blessing You pour out, I'll turn back to praise. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The decision

A friend of mine sparked a thought in my brain a few weeks ago. I have had a little time to mull over this thought and have waivered back and forth on the issue. If I agree to jumping on board with this then it will mean a small financial investment--more dramatic to me is the fact that it would mark the beginning of the end of an era for me. If I choose not to take on this challenge, I keep life status quo for the time being. I suppose this thought my friend placed in my brain is inevitable but I assumed it would come at a time I was more emotionally ready for it. But as she mentioned her own recent actions, I began to wonder if my time had come. I had been struggling day after day and week after week with this particular problem not even aware that it was a problem I was having. As she spoke the words, I had an "a-ha" moment and thus began the debate. Like I said, I have had a few weeks to ponder the issue and have tried carefully to weigh the financial and emotional cost and have decided to bite the bullet. I think it is time. I am committed. I am ready. Today.... I bought grown-up hangers for my son's clothes.

Who says it doesn't snow in North Carolina

Yesterday we got almost 6 inches of snow. The first thing that Jaykob said was, "Dad it looks like Michigan". The only difference is that it is going to be 70 degrees this weekend. We had some teens come over and we went sledding behind our church on a hill. It was fun to see our kids get to do something that I didn't think they would for a long time.

Jaykob the English Teacher

We received a compliment the other day from Jaykob's kindergarten teacher.  Appearantly there is a little boy in his class that came in the beginning of the year not able to speak ANY English (he is a cute little asian boy).  Mrs. Clayton told us in a day and age when so many kids (and adults) shun those who are different, Jaykob has embraced Dah Wah and has made it his mission to teach him English.  Jaykob gets so excited when Dah learns a new word!  He even comes home from school with a report of the new words Dah has recently learned.  His teacher's heart and compassion flows over at home with his littlest sister when he tries really hard to teach her new words too!  What a sweet boy!  Can you tell we are proud?!?!?!

Election Time!!!

             

The kids were able to participate in this year's pivotal and historical election.  Although I think it was the promise of a cookie and a sticker that was more appealing than the promise of a brighter tomorrow, but we were proud of them none the less!  
    

Jaykob did tell me the morning after the election when he had learned that the guy he had voted for did not win that "We voted for the wrong guy, Mom.  We should have voted for Oracka Obama."  I did my best to assure him that although "our guy" lost, it is going to be okay because God is in control!  
                       

Too bad I couldn't write a 5 year old in as a write-in candidate for President!  Maybe one day!

Halloween

What a fun Halloween we had!!! We were able to make good use of the Halloween costumes this year, hitting three different opportunities to wear them.

The kids attended the church party Wednesday night; Jayk dressed as a ninja, Addi as "white Cinderella" (The Cinderella bride that marries Prince Charming at the end of the story), and Ella as a ladybug.

Friday night, we met up with friends in a nearby neighborhood for an evening of trick or treating.  Jayk dressed as a ninja (again), but this time wearing the EXACT same costume, Addi became "white Belle" (again, the bride that marries her prince at the end of the story), and Ella dressed as Tinker Bell.  Our precious Tinker Bell pooped out a little early because it got a little colder than Mommy had expected and Tinker could no longer say "Trick or Treat" through the shivering.

Saturday night brought about our annual Youth Fall Harvest Party Extravaganza.  Mom & Dad even got in on the fun of dressing up!  Daddy followed in his son's footsteps and the two were ninjas together for the evening.  Mommy graced everyone with her presence as a pirate (don't ninjas hate pirates in "real" life?) and Ella resumed her ladybug costume (less itchy than Tinker Bell).  But is was Addi's stunning transformation (again wearing the EXACT same costume) to become "white Jasmine" (yes, the bride at the end of the story that marries her prince) that took our breath away!  We love her imagination!!!

Needless to say, we had a great time of it all!  I truly think the Halloween celebrating has been enjoyed mostly by Tony & I (along with our friends The Littles visiting from KS) by nightly "saving" our children from the tooth & tummy aches by consuming the bulk majority of the Halloween candy.  Mmmmmmmmmm!

The First of the Last

I had a moment the other day.  I actually had to swallow around the giant lump swelling up in throat.  No doubt as a mom of three, I have had many unrecognized firsts.  However, this particular evening I was hit smack in the face with my first of the lasts.  Again, this notion should not have been far from my mind after I birthed the last child.  

Never again will I go to the hospital to deliver a baby. 

 As I sold my infant carrier, I missed realizing that I would never again have an infant to put in a carrier.  

As I gave away all the bottles & infant supplies, I should have stopped to savor the moment that that season in my life was over.  

None of the majors hit me until an insignificant moment getting Ella Clair ready for bed one evening.  After a bath (oh the yummy smell of a freshly bathed child-a memory etched into my brain) and a squirmy diaper change (can't say those days will EVER be missed), I dressed Ella in her jammies.  After I had pulled her pants up and stood her up, it hit me: it was the first time I would put the blue Bob & Larry VeggieTale jammies on the last of my three kids.  Jayk & Addi wore those jammies proudly and the moment arrived for it to be my sweet baby's turn.  Truly wondering where the time has gone?  

I am sure that my Mommy-brain will cause many more "firsts of lasts" oversights, but I will try hard to recognize them when the do occur and pause to savor the moment.