Every single day, I am aware of how much I want to be living in my own home again. It is not a fun feeling to be 28 and living with your parents. God does not like this. God has put me here because my mom needs me, regardless of what else is in my life or how much it annoys me. He really couldn't care less about what I think about it. He's got plans and this is where He put me.
My mom's health has been declining since I got here over 2 years ago. The past year or so have been just one thing after another. She's had so many knee surgeries. She had the GI surgery. She's had potassium issues that landed her in the hospital. She's currently confined to either her bed or a wheelchair because she can't walk. That being said, things have taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Yesterday, the falling started. I was putting on my shirt, about to leave for work (and the only person awake in the house) when I heard a scream and a thud. My mom had fallen out of bed. She said she was reaching for her glasses on her bedside table and just tumbled. The story has changed a bit in her retellings, which is not surprising. I had to wake Sheldon up to help me get her back in bed. She was sore but otherwise okay the rest of the day. This morning, the okay left the building. Around 5, I heard someone calling my name and saying help me. I thought one of the kids was in the bathroom and sick or something. I woke Sheldon up and sent him to take care of it. When he got to the hallway, I realized it was my mom, so I got up and darted in her room. She had managed to roll out of bed (literally) in her sleep and was laying face down on the floor next to the bed. She said she'd been laying there maybe 5 minutes before I woke up. When she was sitting on the floor, she started kind of babytalking (which I cannot stand - ask my kids.) and telling me how she can't put weight on her leg because she has no knee. I told her that wasn't news. We got her in bed, which was horribly unpleasant since Sheldon has an umbilical hernia and is now hurting pretty bad. If it was just the falling, the okay might still be here. Its so much worse than that. At 7:55, my sweet sister in law called and asked if we got a dog. I said, "Um, no?" She said, "Your mom just called me and told me there's a cockapoo puppy in her room and she has no idea how it got in there, but it keeps licking its jowls and moving its head. She said she was gonna have Cherie check into it." Yea, let's go check that. Go into Mom's room with Cherie, and sure enough, she thinks there's a dog in there. She goes, "Look at the cockapoo!" "Where, Mom?" "Right there! You're about to step on it!" I back up REAL fast because I think she's talking about a cockroach and that's a no-go for me. I ask her where the dog is again and she says, "Right next to the door! He's black, don't you see him?" "Mom! That's a PILE OF SOCKS." "No, it's a cockapoo! Socks don't move or have eyes." HOLY CRAP. She looked at her clock and said, "What time is it, 11?" I said, "No, Mom. It's 4 minutes to 8." She said, "Oh, I hate that clock. It's all cattywompus." "No, Mom. The clock is straight up and down." Over the course of the next 2 or so hours, she tells my dad, Sheldon, Cherie, and me that we're all nuts to think that dog is just socks. I had to put the pile of socks, one sock at a time, on her to prove that it was not a dog. She also told my dad that I asked her to call Lizzie (my cousin). I went in and said, "Mom, why would I need you to call Lizzie for me?" She said, "You told me to call her and tell her you're running late, that it's only polite!" "Mom, what would I be running late for with Lizzie today?" "She's throwing you a shower today, isn't she?" "Um, Mom today is my RECEPTION, and no one throws that for you." "Oh, that makes sense." By the time my brother got here at 12:45, she had regressed further. She said she needed to get changed because Sheldon was taking her to the doctor and asked him to pull her privacy curtain. He said, "Mom, there's no privacy curtain. This is your bedroom." She slurred, "This can't be my bedroom. My bedroom would never be this ugly brown color." My mom's room is white with cream curtains and she has maroon and grey striped sheets. No brown. By 1:15, she was talking (frequently in slurs) to the man sitting on her bed with her, and he was very nice. By 2:30, an ambulance was at the house taking her to the hospital, and she was no longer using complete sentences. By 4, she was completely incoherent and flailing her arms.
She's had a CT scan and is heavily sedated. Her primary care doctor has been contacted and she's being admitted into ICU. Her orthopedist and a neurologist are also involved. My dad said that based on what they'd told him, its most likely one of three things: she OD'd on her meds or 2 of them interacted, she's just gone crazy, or she had a stroke. That's completely his speculation, though. We really don't know anything.
Regardless of the cause, this is bad. This is very bad. Please pray for the doctors to find what's really going on here, for her health and healing, and for our patience and sanity while we go through this with her.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Beautiful Green Spot
The week before the wedding was anything but awesome. I can't imagine how people who don't know Jesus get through stormy seasons of life. I am overwhelmed 99% of the time - either by the storms themselves or by the magnitude of His love for me, and well, us. Our wedding was this perfect moment in the midst of a storm, and it was exactly the reassurance I needed to know without any doubts, hesitations, or glances backward that I have made a step into my future with my feet placed exactly where God wants them.
Now about that storm...
Have you ever sat down and looked at your life and felt like every single aspect of it was at least slightly (if not completely) a mess? Yea, I'm in that boat. Our finances are atrocious (thanks to a sweet combo of our mistakes in the past, previous marriages, and my job kind of sucking) so we're stuck in our ever-pleasant living situation with no end in sight. We're down to 1 car and then that car died the day before the wedding (at least my parents have extra vehicles that we're borrowing - but not without drama). We have ongoing strife with the kids biological mother. Aside from the things she does or permits to be done to the kids that are physically damaging, she decided to move from Katy to Tomball (which is almost an hour and a half drive - yay Houston is enormous) so we're using even more money every time we have the kids in gas and being forced to eat out every Thursday night. Plus it cuts into our time dramatically. Almost 3 hours of our precious time with them is spent in transit. She's only partially in contempt of court with the move - she stayed in the geographic area set by the papers but she only provided 13 days notice instead of the required 30. She hates the relationship the kids have with me and desperately tries to exclude me at every opportunity. I'm blessed beyond belief that she has been unsuccessful and the kids and I still have a ridiculously awesome relationship (my heart soars and breaks simultaneously when we're dropping them back off and Cherie turns and yells from the porch, "Bye Mama! Bye Daddy! I love you!") It sucks that I can't have lunch with them at school now and that we're not as able to be at their programs and activities during the day because its so far. I try really really really hard to pray for their mom, because the Bible commands us to pray for those who persecute us, but when my heart is so clouded with contempt, it gets hard. When things get really really ugly, and I'm mad/hurt/disgusted, the comfort I have come to rely on is knowing that God is working here. He has plans for us so much bigger than this mess we're sitting in. He will make beauty from the ashes. He will bring us strength and peace. And all of these things will work together for His glory. Does that stop me from looking around for a slingshot and a smooth stone? Obviously not. In the years to come, this will just be the time that we started our beautiful Green life on a stone foundation during a storm. Mike Holmes makes it right, but his work looks shoddy compared to the work Jesus Christ is doing. He makes it right, because He loves us too much to leave us in pits of sorrow and strife.
And that beautiful Green spot? Let's end this with some wedding, shall we?
We have known from the very beginning of our relationship that we wanted to be a couple who glorified the Lord with our love for each other. We chose a wedding date and location that honored Him. We laid a foundation with our relationship that honored Him. We felt such a peace about being with each other, and then everything came together so easily - wedding related anyway - that we could not deny the favor our Father was showing our union. I mean, literally, every little aspect was touched by His hands. The weather forecast started to look ugly for our chosen date, time, and location. I started getting messages from concerned loved ones asking what our back up plan was. I confidently replied that we didn't have one because we didn't need one. The weather would be beautiful. Friday morning, it was black and threatening in Austin. I can honestly say I was never worried. I didn't care if the ground was wet. It would not be raining. At 4:30, the clouds went away. At 7ish when we stood atop a mountain, literally surrounded by friends and family, and promised each other and God that we would love each other for the rest of our lives, no matter what, it was 75 with the beginnings of an exceptional sunset behind us. See? I told you the weather would be beautiful! The Lord blessed us for honoring Him. We got started about 30 minutes late (no one is surprised. I mean, seriously.) and Owen was running around and climbing on rocks instead of standing next to Sheldon like the best man is supposed to (and like I told him to do 4 times) but he's 4 and adorable so who cares? Ross officiated an extremely personal and charming ceremony. I got the ring finger correct on the first try. And no one fell down. Wait, no. Several people ate it on the stairs, but no one fell during the ceremony. It was simple, comfortable, and sincerely about how much we love each other. It was exactly how we imagined it, except with more awesome. I mean, you can't really fathom that much awesome when you're imagining things, really. My girls rallied around me (B - thanks for putting us up and taking the kiddos for ice cream! Mango - thank you for coming all the way from ENGLAND and for taking care of my flowers. Jen - thanks for driving, being so ridiculously hot, and for exuding calm. I love y'all!) and got me up that hill! We had a casual fun dinner at El Arroyo afterwards, and it really just felt so right. Thank you so much to everyone who was there and for all the love and support you've given us!
The Great Kate took our pictures and great is an understatement.
gorgeous sunset and skyline
Group shot! Most of the guests actually made it into this pic!
My amazing girls
my handsome Green men
You can view the entire album of Kate's shots here. She did such a great job and the pictures are better than I could have hoped for!!
Now about that storm...
Have you ever sat down and looked at your life and felt like every single aspect of it was at least slightly (if not completely) a mess? Yea, I'm in that boat. Our finances are atrocious (thanks to a sweet combo of our mistakes in the past, previous marriages, and my job kind of sucking) so we're stuck in our ever-pleasant living situation with no end in sight. We're down to 1 car and then that car died the day before the wedding (at least my parents have extra vehicles that we're borrowing - but not without drama). We have ongoing strife with the kids biological mother. Aside from the things she does or permits to be done to the kids that are physically damaging, she decided to move from Katy to Tomball (which is almost an hour and a half drive - yay Houston is enormous) so we're using even more money every time we have the kids in gas and being forced to eat out every Thursday night. Plus it cuts into our time dramatically. Almost 3 hours of our precious time with them is spent in transit. She's only partially in contempt of court with the move - she stayed in the geographic area set by the papers but she only provided 13 days notice instead of the required 30. She hates the relationship the kids have with me and desperately tries to exclude me at every opportunity. I'm blessed beyond belief that she has been unsuccessful and the kids and I still have a ridiculously awesome relationship (my heart soars and breaks simultaneously when we're dropping them back off and Cherie turns and yells from the porch, "Bye Mama! Bye Daddy! I love you!") It sucks that I can't have lunch with them at school now and that we're not as able to be at their programs and activities during the day because its so far. I try really really really hard to pray for their mom, because the Bible commands us to pray for those who persecute us, but when my heart is so clouded with contempt, it gets hard. When things get really really ugly, and I'm mad/hurt/disgusted, the comfort I have come to rely on is knowing that God is working here. He has plans for us so much bigger than this mess we're sitting in. He will make beauty from the ashes. He will bring us strength and peace. And all of these things will work together for His glory. Does that stop me from looking around for a slingshot and a smooth stone? Obviously not. In the years to come, this will just be the time that we started our beautiful Green life on a stone foundation during a storm. Mike Holmes makes it right, but his work looks shoddy compared to the work Jesus Christ is doing. He makes it right, because He loves us too much to leave us in pits of sorrow and strife.
And that beautiful Green spot? Let's end this with some wedding, shall we?
We have known from the very beginning of our relationship that we wanted to be a couple who glorified the Lord with our love for each other. We chose a wedding date and location that honored Him. We laid a foundation with our relationship that honored Him. We felt such a peace about being with each other, and then everything came together so easily - wedding related anyway - that we could not deny the favor our Father was showing our union. I mean, literally, every little aspect was touched by His hands. The weather forecast started to look ugly for our chosen date, time, and location. I started getting messages from concerned loved ones asking what our back up plan was. I confidently replied that we didn't have one because we didn't need one. The weather would be beautiful. Friday morning, it was black and threatening in Austin. I can honestly say I was never worried. I didn't care if the ground was wet. It would not be raining. At 4:30, the clouds went away. At 7ish when we stood atop a mountain, literally surrounded by friends and family, and promised each other and God that we would love each other for the rest of our lives, no matter what, it was 75 with the beginnings of an exceptional sunset behind us. See? I told you the weather would be beautiful! The Lord blessed us for honoring Him. We got started about 30 minutes late (no one is surprised. I mean, seriously.) and Owen was running around and climbing on rocks instead of standing next to Sheldon like the best man is supposed to (and like I told him to do 4 times) but he's 4 and adorable so who cares? Ross officiated an extremely personal and charming ceremony. I got the ring finger correct on the first try. And no one fell down. Wait, no. Several people ate it on the stairs, but no one fell during the ceremony. It was simple, comfortable, and sincerely about how much we love each other. It was exactly how we imagined it, except with more awesome. I mean, you can't really fathom that much awesome when you're imagining things, really. My girls rallied around me (B - thanks for putting us up and taking the kiddos for ice cream! Mango - thank you for coming all the way from ENGLAND and for taking care of my flowers. Jen - thanks for driving, being so ridiculously hot, and for exuding calm. I love y'all!) and got me up that hill! We had a casual fun dinner at El Arroyo afterwards, and it really just felt so right. Thank you so much to everyone who was there and for all the love and support you've given us!
The Great Kate took our pictures and great is an understatement.
gorgeous sunset and skyline
Group shot! Most of the guests actually made it into this pic!
My amazing girls
my handsome Green men
You can view the entire album of Kate's shots here. She did such a great job and the pictures are better than I could have hoped for!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Oh, I forgot to blog about something
So, I'm pretty surprised that I forgot to blog about how I'm getting married next week. I'm usually pretty quick about blogging about ginormous life changes, but I just got a little busy or in love with my blackberry or something to actually blog about it.
Sheldon and I had been planning to do some full on wedding in June or July. We were contemplating a quasi elopement in April with just us and the kids for a few financial and logistical reasons, but still have a real wedding this summer. The more I tried to plan it, the less I cared. I wasn't excited about dress shopping. I wasn't jazzed to go find a venue. I didn't have any joy at thinking about bridesmaid dresses (only the ladies who would be wearing them). So we said, "Forget it! Let's take the money we'd be spending on that wedding (ie his tax return) and use it to get moved into our own place!" So we're making our quasi elopement a super casual public thing. We're getting married on Good Friday on Mt. Bonnell in Austin (LOVE!!) and having dinner at El Arroyo afterwards. We're also having a reception in Houston on April 17th because the vast majority of my family and several of our friends can't be there on April 2nd.
We chose Good Friday because it felt so romantic. Good Friday is a celebration of the day Christ gave His life for us, which is the greatest act of love EVER: past, present, or future. To celebrate our love on a day that honors the greatest love possible just seemed like such a perfect fit.
Everything has fallen together beautifully. The dress I got was the 3rd dress at the 1st store. Sheldon and Owen's attire was found on sale on a whim stop at a department store. Every date that we've wanted for things has been available. My beloved Mango is going to be able to make it over from England (and it turned out this was even better for her than this summer!). The ease of it all has been comforting and tells us that our marriage has favor with God. What could be better than that?!
Sheldon and I had been planning to do some full on wedding in June or July. We were contemplating a quasi elopement in April with just us and the kids for a few financial and logistical reasons, but still have a real wedding this summer. The more I tried to plan it, the less I cared. I wasn't excited about dress shopping. I wasn't jazzed to go find a venue. I didn't have any joy at thinking about bridesmaid dresses (only the ladies who would be wearing them). So we said, "Forget it! Let's take the money we'd be spending on that wedding (ie his tax return) and use it to get moved into our own place!" So we're making our quasi elopement a super casual public thing. We're getting married on Good Friday on Mt. Bonnell in Austin (LOVE!!) and having dinner at El Arroyo afterwards. We're also having a reception in Houston on April 17th because the vast majority of my family and several of our friends can't be there on April 2nd.
We chose Good Friday because it felt so romantic. Good Friday is a celebration of the day Christ gave His life for us, which is the greatest act of love EVER: past, present, or future. To celebrate our love on a day that honors the greatest love possible just seemed like such a perfect fit.
Everything has fallen together beautifully. The dress I got was the 3rd dress at the 1st store. Sheldon and Owen's attire was found on sale on a whim stop at a department store. Every date that we've wanted for things has been available. My beloved Mango is going to be able to make it over from England (and it turned out this was even better for her than this summer!). The ease of it all has been comforting and tells us that our marriage has favor with God. What could be better than that?!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
school picture time!
Sheldon picked up the kids' school pictures today when he went to have lunch with Cherie. It makes me crazy that Owen has started doing this closed mouth smile thing when he's posing for pictures. When he's smiling naturally, its this big open mouth grin that is utterly infectious. I also wish Cherie's top was a little less saggy in the chest, but overall, I'm just in awe of how beautiful these kids are. Yea, I'm biased. But I can't help it. Also, I love that they gave us photo key chain cards (just like your shopper card at the grocery store or Spec's) so I can have their sweet faces with me all the time. Much easier than pulling out a phone or wallet to brag on them!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Honesty Scraps
Sometimes Life Has Other Ideas tagged me to do Honesty Scraps like a week and a half ago, and since I was waaaaaaay behind on my blog reading, I didn't see it until today. Better late than never! Here goes:
1. I am addicted to Diet Coke. When I read about the signs of addiction, I knew I had a problem with Diet Coke. Okay, it's way better than being addicted to crack or something. And hey, I'm on step 2!
2. There are days when it's a close race between my cats and my stepkids as to who I love more. I love my stepkids as though they were my own kids (I totally understand how parents who adopt feel!!) so that just means I REALLY love my cats.
3. Someday, I really will finish my BA and become a teacher. I love my little ones on Sundays, but I want to spend my work week with high school kids. Hooray, Social Studies!!
4. I met my fiance' online. (I actually just typed husband and had to go back and edit it. We're so married, just not legally. Soon, though. SO STINKING SOON.) I don't know what his reasons for online dating were but mine was straight up lazy. The ministries I'm involved with at church aren't conducive to meeting single guys, and I totally wasn't about to start looking for a guy in a bar, so I thought I'd give it a shot. We emailed, we spent 7 hours on the phone having our first phone conversation, and he told me last week that when he kissed me goodnight on our first date, he knew I was the last girl he'd ever kiss. The feeling wasn't mutual, but I came around. There was just something about him that I really liked.
5. My 2 favorite sports are college football and curling. Yea, I said CURLING. I know its the mocked sport of the winter Olympics, but I freaking love it! There's a lot more skill and strategy than people think. And flexibility! I bet most of the mockers out there can't get in that position down on the ice to slide a rock.
6. I got a Blackberry last month. My entrance to the 21st century also marked several other firsts for me, including but not limited to first camera phone and first downloaded ringtone.
7. I don't like ham. I love bacon, though. Just something about ham that I don't find all that appetizing.
8. I would rather text than talk on the phone probably 90% of the time. Baby Mama and I keep our love alive and strong because she would rather text than talk 98% of the time. Subsequently, we chatter back and forth all day.
9. I have never watched a full episode of any of the following shows: Lost, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, or The Sopranos. The odds of me dying and that statement still being true are incredibly good. I don't care if you tell me I don't know what I'm missing. I said I've never watched a full episode. What does that tell you?
10. I fully intend to never buy a 2-story house. I just don't like them. I'm incredibly fortunate that Sheldon doesn't like them, either. If we had millions of dollars and could build whatever kind of house we want, it would be a huge, sprawling 1 story. With bedrooms for 5 or 6 kiddos. :-)
Annnnnd now I'm tagging!
Eryn
Sterling
Christina
Annie
Katy
1. I am addicted to Diet Coke. When I read about the signs of addiction, I knew I had a problem with Diet Coke. Okay, it's way better than being addicted to crack or something. And hey, I'm on step 2!
2. There are days when it's a close race between my cats and my stepkids as to who I love more. I love my stepkids as though they were my own kids (I totally understand how parents who adopt feel!!) so that just means I REALLY love my cats.
3. Someday, I really will finish my BA and become a teacher. I love my little ones on Sundays, but I want to spend my work week with high school kids. Hooray, Social Studies!!
4. I met my fiance' online. (I actually just typed husband and had to go back and edit it. We're so married, just not legally. Soon, though. SO STINKING SOON.) I don't know what his reasons for online dating were but mine was straight up lazy. The ministries I'm involved with at church aren't conducive to meeting single guys, and I totally wasn't about to start looking for a guy in a bar, so I thought I'd give it a shot. We emailed, we spent 7 hours on the phone having our first phone conversation, and he told me last week that when he kissed me goodnight on our first date, he knew I was the last girl he'd ever kiss. The feeling wasn't mutual, but I came around. There was just something about him that I really liked.
5. My 2 favorite sports are college football and curling. Yea, I said CURLING. I know its the mocked sport of the winter Olympics, but I freaking love it! There's a lot more skill and strategy than people think. And flexibility! I bet most of the mockers out there can't get in that position down on the ice to slide a rock.
6. I got a Blackberry last month. My entrance to the 21st century also marked several other firsts for me, including but not limited to first camera phone and first downloaded ringtone.
7. I don't like ham. I love bacon, though. Just something about ham that I don't find all that appetizing.
8. I would rather text than talk on the phone probably 90% of the time. Baby Mama and I keep our love alive and strong because she would rather text than talk 98% of the time. Subsequently, we chatter back and forth all day.
9. I have never watched a full episode of any of the following shows: Lost, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, or The Sopranos. The odds of me dying and that statement still being true are incredibly good. I don't care if you tell me I don't know what I'm missing. I said I've never watched a full episode. What does that tell you?
10. I fully intend to never buy a 2-story house. I just don't like them. I'm incredibly fortunate that Sheldon doesn't like them, either. If we had millions of dollars and could build whatever kind of house we want, it would be a huge, sprawling 1 story. With bedrooms for 5 or 6 kiddos. :-)
Annnnnd now I'm tagging!
Eryn
Sterling
Christina
Annie
Katy
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Faith like a child
I love serving in the children's ministry at my church. Obviously, I like kids, but there are so many things that I get out of it. I'm not saying every Sunday I have this amazing face to face with God through a giggly 1st grader. I probably wouldn't appreciate it if I did. Instead, God sprinkles those mind-blowing moments throughout the year, when I'm not really expecting them. He just pours Himself all over my face and into my heart through the kids. Today was, as you may have guessed, one of those days where He decided to fill me up.
The children's ministry at GFUMC is based on Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." That means we don't just sit around and sing, "Jesus loves me" and color a picture of Him holding a lamb every week. We actually teach them scripture and about who God is and how He is relevant in their lives.
The unit we're in right now is on worship. We've taught them that worship isn't just about singing a song about God. Every single thing you do in your life can be (and really SHOULD be) an act of worship. We've colored pictures for God. We've written Him love notes. We've danced and, of course, sang. We talked about how God made each of us different, and made us good at different things so that we could use our talents to worship and praise Him. It's been pretty cool. Today during large group, instead of the usual format which is we sing 3 or 4 songs then break into 2 groups (1st and 2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade) to have the main lesson, we had Worship Day. We sang, we danced, we clapped, we prayed, we read scripture, and we raised our arms up to our Father to ask Him for more of Him and more of His love. Frequently during praise & worship, my kiddos get distracted. They're in a room with a bunch of kids (mostly older than them), with friends they don't (usually) see the other 6 days of the week, with music playing. Put those factors in with a 6 year old attention span and, well, you get the picture. Because of that, I was a little skeptical about how well my class would do with the intense worship day. The majority of them waned at different points, but towards the end, when the singing turned to clapping and dancing, God was like a hurricane force wind moving in that room. I'm sure there are people tempted to say, "Oh, kids are just followers; they epitomize the mob mentality and were simply succumbing to peer pressure," but friend, I FELT HIM THERE. My eyes literally welled up with tears as I heard their little voices raising up to proclaim their love for Jesus, when I saw the smiles on their faces with their eyes closed just being with the King. I have prayed more than once for the adults in the church to get it the way the kids do. It is impossible to not feel overwhelmingly blessed to be a part of something like that, to witness faith in the purest form that way. It will change your faith in amazing ways.
God uses kids. He loves them, and they love Him back. They aren't like us in their need to know all the details. They just believe because they love. I mean, I know how annoying the "why" phase is for kids, but most of them don't have that with God. They don't ask why their parents love them, and they don't ask why God loves them, either. They just know and accept that He does. I have one little guy in my class that I absolutely ADORE. His mom told us today that he made God a valentine, and wrote in it that he loves God more than he loves his parents. When his teacher asked how they could make the world better (trying to get them to say "recycle" or "use less water") he said, "We can tell more people about Jesus Christ." He is completely right! At 6 years old, he embraces a love and truth that most adults just don't get. God wants ALL of us to love Him the way Little Man does. He doesn't change. WE DO. We get wrapped up in all the details of life and forget the most basic truth in our lives: God loves us and knowing Him makes our world better. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD... I want a faith like that, don't you?
Pray for our kids. Pray that they don't lose this excited love and adoration for Jesus. Pray that as they change, that part of them stays the same. Pray that they will never be embarrassed to jump and shout how much they love Him. They're going to change the world. God is moving in them, and I'm excited for it. Children between the ages of 4 and 14 are the largest population group in the WORLD. A population that large with a fire for God can't help but change it!
*sigh* God, You're so cool. And I love You!
The children's ministry at GFUMC is based on Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." That means we don't just sit around and sing, "Jesus loves me" and color a picture of Him holding a lamb every week. We actually teach them scripture and about who God is and how He is relevant in their lives.
The unit we're in right now is on worship. We've taught them that worship isn't just about singing a song about God. Every single thing you do in your life can be (and really SHOULD be) an act of worship. We've colored pictures for God. We've written Him love notes. We've danced and, of course, sang. We talked about how God made each of us different, and made us good at different things so that we could use our talents to worship and praise Him. It's been pretty cool. Today during large group, instead of the usual format which is we sing 3 or 4 songs then break into 2 groups (1st and 2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade) to have the main lesson, we had Worship Day. We sang, we danced, we clapped, we prayed, we read scripture, and we raised our arms up to our Father to ask Him for more of Him and more of His love. Frequently during praise & worship, my kiddos get distracted. They're in a room with a bunch of kids (mostly older than them), with friends they don't (usually) see the other 6 days of the week, with music playing. Put those factors in with a 6 year old attention span and, well, you get the picture. Because of that, I was a little skeptical about how well my class would do with the intense worship day. The majority of them waned at different points, but towards the end, when the singing turned to clapping and dancing, God was like a hurricane force wind moving in that room. I'm sure there are people tempted to say, "Oh, kids are just followers; they epitomize the mob mentality and were simply succumbing to peer pressure," but friend, I FELT HIM THERE. My eyes literally welled up with tears as I heard their little voices raising up to proclaim their love for Jesus, when I saw the smiles on their faces with their eyes closed just being with the King. I have prayed more than once for the adults in the church to get it the way the kids do. It is impossible to not feel overwhelmingly blessed to be a part of something like that, to witness faith in the purest form that way. It will change your faith in amazing ways.
God uses kids. He loves them, and they love Him back. They aren't like us in their need to know all the details. They just believe because they love. I mean, I know how annoying the "why" phase is for kids, but most of them don't have that with God. They don't ask why their parents love them, and they don't ask why God loves them, either. They just know and accept that He does. I have one little guy in my class that I absolutely ADORE. His mom told us today that he made God a valentine, and wrote in it that he loves God more than he loves his parents. When his teacher asked how they could make the world better (trying to get them to say "recycle" or "use less water") he said, "We can tell more people about Jesus Christ." He is completely right! At 6 years old, he embraces a love and truth that most adults just don't get. God wants ALL of us to love Him the way Little Man does. He doesn't change. WE DO. We get wrapped up in all the details of life and forget the most basic truth in our lives: God loves us and knowing Him makes our world better. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD... I want a faith like that, don't you?
Pray for our kids. Pray that they don't lose this excited love and adoration for Jesus. Pray that as they change, that part of them stays the same. Pray that they will never be embarrassed to jump and shout how much they love Him. They're going to change the world. God is moving in them, and I'm excited for it. Children between the ages of 4 and 14 are the largest population group in the WORLD. A population that large with a fire for God can't help but change it!
*sigh* God, You're so cool. And I love You!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
happy valentine's day!
Sheldon and I are both working this weekend, so a romantic outing (or much time together period) is out of the question. This afternoon, before he was heading out to work for the night, he said, "Baby, can I just give you your gifts now, since tomorrow we're not really gonna see each other?"
Yea, he's good.
Then he went and got me Taco Bell! All those guys who went to Jared got nuthin' on my boo!
Yea, he's good.
Then he went and got me Taco Bell! All those guys who went to Jared got nuthin' on my boo!
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