Pure Thoughts, Anyone?

Has something ever consumed your mind and thoughts so much that it wakes you up in the middle of the night and you can't go back to sleep? This happened to me the other night. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love sleep, so it really annoys me when this happens.

I know in my heart that the thoughts I was having were not pure, holy, or any of those other Philippians 4:8 things. I was thinking about all the negative things that have happened over the last few months in my life. Don't get me wrong...a lot of wonderful things have happened in my life over the last 6 months, the best being the birth of our son. However, I was choosing to focus my thoughts and attention not on the blessings in my life but on the "bad" things that have happened.

When I got up the next day, I was really grumpy. Partly due to lack of sleep, but mostly because I allowed myself to focus so much time on things I KNEW I shouldn't be thinking about. Paul struggled with this...I'm not sure if he was speaking about his thought life, but it's applicable. I like how The Message translation puts it... Romans 7:17-20. Why is it that we, as followers of Christ (and I'm speaking mainly to myself), have such a hard time focusing our thoughts and attention on things that are beneficial to us?

I don't have the answer, but I do know that I have Christ in me and He alone can help me overcome the negativity in my thought life. A couple of years ago I was listening to a speaker at a conference speak on this very thing. She was speaking on real joy and what that means. One of my favorite things she said was that when negative thoughts enter our minds, we need to "Phillipians 4:8" them. She then whipped out an imaginary gun and told us to ask ourselves...

Is it true? (BANG!)
Is it noble? (POW!)
Is it right? (BOOM!)
pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy or excellent? (You get the picture.)

I know that because I am not perfect I will have to decide daily to put aside these negative thoughts and focus on things that are lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, etc. I am so thankful that I serve a perfect God who loves me inspite of my imperfections and wants to fill my mind with these things!

The Parental Shift

Darrell and I begin a new phase in our life tomorrow. The phase in which a parent permanently comes to live with us. My mother-in-law will move into our home this weekend. It will be an adjustment for all of us but I look forward to it. I know there will be a learning curve in the beginning but I hope we can make her new home as pleasant and loving for her. I hope my future children will open up their home for Darrell and I if we need it someday.

It's strange to reach a point in life where your parents need you in such a huge way. As a child they were your support system and I'm sure it is very difficult to lose your independence little by little. I've thought about this even more over the last year. My father is still very young but he has been having some health issues. He is currently in the hospital for a little while after having difficulty breathing while refereeing a basketball game. He found out he had some blockage in his heart and is undergoing angioplasty. This is the second time this year he has been in the hospital dealing with circulation issues. It is so surreal to see your parents health deteriorate. I'm always wanting to help fix things for people. There are some things I just can't fix... so I pray to the One who can. We will all experience the aging process and if we have children we will experience the parental shift. The day will come when I may need my child to take care of me so I pray that I can be as good to them as I needed them to be for me. Please pray for my daddy as he deals with his recovery and my mother-in-law as she adjusts to her new home. I may just drive her crazy with my weird habits, I can be annoying... she'll need the prayer!

Critical comments saved for me

I hate games. Board games, card games, mind games etc. There is one game I will play though. It's a game that is universal. Everyone plays it at one time or another whether they like games or not. It's the blame game. I have found that I've been playing this one a lot lately. It starts with, "I've been done wrong and it's all their fault." Unlike Monopoly I own nothing and yet I feel as though I've won. I've handed full responsibility to someone else for my actions and somehow feel accomplished about that. It's difficult for me to allow people to see my weaknesses but by posting them I publicly confront them. I don't want people to think I'm perfect but sometimes I just don't want them to know how imperfect I am. I take the approach of "you can know my quirks just not my issues." Well I have an issue and I'm not putting this one on someone else... I'm going to own it.

I really dislike someone. This is someone very specific. It comes from having my feelings hurt repeatedly by her. It got to a point where I did approach her. I didn't get everything off my chest though because I wanted to protect an environment for others around me. I hate that these feelings control my emotional balance when I hear her name. Out of all the people who I've felt wronged by... there is just one in particular that I feel controlled by. It hurts when you feel like someone doesn't get you or doesn't like you for whatever reason. I always felt like this person didn't "get" me and never made an attempt to even when I invited her to. The whole situation reminds me of that old saying, "two wrongs don't make a right." Even more convicting, Galatians 6:1-5 "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him (or her-I added that), saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life."

Critical comments for myself (In many areas of my life)

-Who am I not to forgive... I'm no better than the person I feel hurt by.

-I'm being self righteous by getting some sort of satisfaction out of thinking I have a right to hold onto this anger.

-How many times have I needed to ask for forgiveness... so publicly... I ask again.

-People will always lie, cheat, manipulate, slander, hurt others, distract, try to hinder your purpose or wait for failure... I need to "get over it" and move on with my life. I cannot let others control me. I allow things to distract my purpose and God is patiently waiting for me to get with it.

-I'm being just as hurtful by holding onto my unforgiveness.

-God can only bless me so much before the blessing ends if I continue to harbor resentment.

-I need to show more grace.

-I need to learn to love more.

God is so good though. He extends overwhelming grace again and again. He has still worked in my life even though I throw up many obstacles. God has shown me love and blessing in spite of my weakness. In my weakness He shows up. I never want to forget who I am and who He has created me to be. I know my purpose so I choose to fully sink myself into that. I will mess up again. It's a given. This is my journey. I may feel like I've dealt with an issue but the test of really knowing I've dealt with it is when it comes up again and again... what is my response... is it different this time? I need to learn to extend more grace... God always extends it to me. The "love your enemy, and learn to forgive" thing comes up a lot for me. What is my response this time? What is He trying to teach me through this? I'm grateful that God extends forgiveness 100% of the time even when it takes me way to long to ask for it. I pray that this admission on my part helps others forgive. I'm tired of hearing, reading and seeing ugliness in people who claim to be followers in Christ. Shame on us... no, shame on me. I pray that my forgiveness restores you. Now I ask you to forgive me. I ask her to forgive me. I'm not playing the game anymore. Save your critical comments for yourself. I'm owning mine...

Love is the movement.

Always in awe

I really underestimate God. I just found out that a friend of mine that I've known since I was 15 years old gave his life to the Lord the other night. He wrote to me on my My Space page to tell me. This is someone I've prayed for many times in the last 14 years. This is also someone that a lot of churches may have written off years ago. I'm glad God didn't write him off. I sometimes feel like there are certain people in life that will never get what it's like to truly know God because I think they are just to far from Him. Sometimes the ones who seem the furthest are the ones who are just a prayer away. Why do I doubt God's ability to move? I have so little faith. I see God change lives over and over again and there are times I still doubt for some. I seem to forget that God uses even the smallest seeds to produce growth beyond what I can ever comprehend (Mark 4:1-8). I am so astounded by my friends new life as a Christ follower. I'm so grateful he thought to share his news with an old friend. I really needed a reminder.

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand my soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is yours."

I'm back!!!

Where can I start? There is so much I need to blog about. Darrell and I got back from Texas and got our computer back but our phone line was messed up. Even with the computer back there was no way for me to get on the Internet. It was one thing after another with me! Well, the phone company fixed whatever the problem was yesterday and here I am! It's great to be back with all my blogger chicas!

I've been dying to tell everyone about our trip to Texas with the youth. We got there on Monday and on Tuesday we were already out doing home recovery work. I was blessed to be with a family I absolutely fell in love with. Let me tell you about them. The first day we came it was Miss Fannie (almost 80 year old great-grandmother), her daughter, and the three great grandchildren; Chris-12, DJ-10, and India-5. Some of the girls and I decided to get to know the kids and play with them while some others rebuilt Miss Fannie's ceiling for her. India immediately climbed in my lap and put her head on me shoulder as she wrapped her little arms around me. I instantly fell in love. Chris saw all the adorable teenage girls and went to the bathroom and gargled with some mouthwash only to be called out on it by his brother DJ. He smirked with embarrassment. When we first got there they were watching music videos on BET in a small dark room of the house. We went outside and played basketball, danced, and just got all of our energy out. India taught me how to "pop, lock and drop it" and the "one, two step." If anyone knows anything about me they know that learning new dance moves is something I'm always up for. That was only day one.

Day two was just as amazing and exciting. I got to know the children even better and took some time to really get to know Miss Fannie while the kids played. I learned that she is a Christ follower and attends a Baptist church down the street from her. She told me about her husband who had passed away thirty years ago, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spoke with such love and compassion for her family. This was a woman that to most of us had very, very little in material items but she never once complained... in fact all she did was talk about her blessings... she told me that we were a blessing to her. As we were there we picked up on a few things. The meager amount of food in the house, the burnt electrical wires in the ceiling fans that she couldn't afford to replace, the bread she fed the dogs because she couldn't afford dog food, the heat in the in her home from the Texas weather with very little air circulating in the house, the lack of activities and games for the children who stayed with her for three full meals everyday. I felt like I lived a very selfish life the more I fell in love with this family. I went on with my day hanging out with the kids. I taught India my dance moves and sang songs to her from Powerhouse... she loved them and wanted to learn more. The boys played with our youth and were elated all day to take a break from the chores they help Miss Fannie with daily. I watched as the youth worked so hard restoring the house and never complained once. They loved this family and knew that they were making a difference in people's lives. They were amazing examples of Christ's love for others. I could tell I was going to have separation anxiety.

Day three for me was the best and the most emotional. The night before we shared with the rest of the group about our family. The other groups either didn't have a family in their homes or didn't get to spend much time with theirs. The group wanted to use their spending money to make donations for our family. Byron, Angie, Darrell and myself decided to go to Walmart and get some necessities and some fun things for them. Kayleigh got together with some people and made a list of some things they thought the kids would love. When we got everything we took the whole group to Miss Fannie's house on day three to give her the things we had bought. I think it was great for all the kid's to see the difference they were making even if they hadn't met anyone in their own homes. We pulled the huge bus in front of their house and unloaded Byron's truck. We knocked on the door and brought the family around the house to see their gifts. We started with the kids. Chris and DJ got a new basketball net, new basketballs, football, board games (one of them being "Operation" because two of the kids want to be doctors), some Billy Bob teeth, silly putty, and other little things. India got a Barbie doll house, a "real" Barbie doll (that's how she described it), some extra clothes for Barbie, a small basketball hoop that she had been wanting so she could play with her brothers, some books and watercolors. The expressions on their faces was priceless. Then we told Miss Fannie how her spirit and love blessed us and we wanted to be a blessing to her. We then presented her with a new ceiling fan, some portable fans for her house, and a $200 gift card to buy groceries to which she replied by saying, "Praise the Lord" while she clapped her hands in joy. She proceeded to say that she was so impressed with our kids and it gave her hope for the youth that a group would be so selfless.

God taught me a lot through Miss Fannie and the kids. Chris later said, "you all gave us so much" but I feel like they gave me more. I came away with love for a family I never would have met if we chose to stay comfortable just doing the typical youth camp thing. I'm so grateful we were able to do service for others on this trip. I'm so thankful for what I have and I pray God never lets me forget what He has blessed me with. I'm thankful for the "Miss Fannie's" out there that love the Lord with all their heart and make so many sacrifices for their families. There was a lot that happened at iMac and I'll tell you more later but for now I want to remember Miss Fannie's love. Thank you Lord.

Bounce House Fun

We went to IPEZ today with some good friends. This place was AWESOME! It had at least 7 bounce houses. We were there for 2 hours...Emma and Ansley had a blast! This is my kind of summer fun...in the A/C!

I love watching the girls play and interact with other kids. On the way there, Ansley (3 yrs. old) asked me if there were going to be kids there that she didn't know. I told here that there probably would be lots of kids she didn't know. She said, "Yeah! I can make a new friend." About an hour into her bouncing adventures, I glanced over and saw that she had a little boy (probably 4 or 5 years old) in a headlock...not exactly my idea of "making a new friend". By the time I walked over to her, she had released her victim. I asked her to walk over to me (I had Jackson in his snugli, so I couldn't go inside the bounce house). I asked her why she was trying to hurt the little boy and she replied, "He is sceh-wing the little gulls and I didn't want him to." (Interpretation: "He is scaring the little girls...) I proceeded to explain to her why it's not okay to hurt kids just because you don't like what they're doing.

Sometimes in life, I want to put others in a proverbial headlock. God has to remind me that, just like I told Ansley, it's not okay to hurt others just because I don't like what they're doing. Matthew 5:44..."love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." That's a lot easier to say than do.

I have to admit that I thought what Ansley said was pretty funny. And I was proud of my little girl for standing up for herself and for her fellow female bouncers. (My friend Heather said that at least she knows that Ansley can protect Kelsea if the need ever presents itself!) Hopefully next time she finds herself in this situation, she can "turn the other cheek", but then again she's only 3. I'm 31 and haven't mastered it yet...

Stop the Spinning

Our Luke is so much like his Dad. They are both adventurous, crazy and make me laugh a lot. Last week we discovered another way in which Luke is like his Dad. He loves to ride all the rides at theme parks but when we were at Disney last week he rode the Teacups for the first time. It was relatively early in the morning and Luke had already sucked down quite a bit of blue Gatorade. We rode the Teacups and then got in line for Dumbo (yes, my life is exciting). While we were waiting in line, Luke looked up at me and said, "My tummy doesn't feel very good... I think I'm going to throw up." He looked like he meant it, so we immediately took off to the nearest restroom and, sure enough, we had a second look at all that blue Gatorade he had been drinking. Travis can ride any roller coaster, but please don't put him on the Teacups. Something about that spinning. So, Luke, like his Dad, will now also be avoiding all those spinning rides.

I had a similar experience this week. I read someones blog for the first time. It was a blog I know I probably shouldn't have read. After I started reading my head started spinning from all the crazy words and then I felt the need to...you know...what Luke did. I did not find this blog "refreshing" or "addicting" but rather revolting. It's amazing how mere words can elicit a physical response that just makes you want to...you know...vomit. But, I must admit that that blog did do something good for me. It made me that much more thankful that we have a pastor at C3 (that would be Pastor Byron, since that blog I read couldn't seem to remember his name when they referred to him) who is an awesome transparent leader with true integrity and who isn't influenced by the "Pharisees" of today. It also made me think about how blessed I am to have a husband who humbly serves God and never boasts about the way God uses him. I am so glad that Luke is so much like his Dad...I hope he'll continue to become more and more like him. And as for me...I'll be staying off that blog so I don't feel the need to...you know...again.

Beach Bums

So, what do you do when your husband goes to youth camp for 8 days and leaves you with 2 boys who are incredibly addicted to spending time with their Dad? You pack their schedule so full that they barely have time to breathe, let alone miss their Dad. Does it work? Absolutely not. We have had a fun week that started on Monday with a trip to the beach and ended on Friday with another trip to the beach. In between, we had company stay with us from out-of-town and spent a day at Disney with them. Regardless of all the fun we have been having, we all miss Travis very much. I've answered the question, "When is Daddy coming home?" at least a hundred times & have had to comfort 2 little boys at night who are just really missing their Dad. We have 2 more full days to fill...I think we're going to make it, I hope.

So, sorry to my blogging sisters that I haven't been blogging. I have to admit, I've experienced plenty of things to blog about this week but as I flopped down in bed around midnight each night I just couldn't convince myself to get back up and write a blog. Angie & Andrea....we miss you and are looking forward to your safe return! Amanda...thanks for doing all the blogging so the C3 Wives weren't bloggless all week!

Blogging on the go...

Amanda, you are a blogging goddess! I've been reading on my blackberry - and I am currently writing this on said blackberry - I also caught Andrea up by reading blogs to her on our way to Wal-mart to buy supplies (more about that later). She truly has had no access to a computer, and I have had very little other than my phone - so ya'll keep the home-fires burning... We miss ya'll and love reading the blogs even if it's difficult to write one ourselves. Keep the peace! Angie.

Anybody Out There?

Okay, I'm feeling kinda like a blog-hog! Where are my blog-o-licious sistah's? Come on, Angie and Andrea...I know Texas has computers! And Sandi, I miss reading your words of wisdom...I need some more dietary advice! The blogging world misses you and I'm running out of words. (Ha!) Love y'all!

At Home with Amanda

Just wanted to add another quick tip on making your home feel more "homey". I'm sure most of you already do this, but it is my favorite fake-out to make people think my home is actually clean.

I always say a home that smells good smells clean, so I always have either a candle burning or fragrance oil in an oil burner from The Body Shop. These are especially strong and they have lots of good scents to choose from! I have one by my front door and it makes the entire house smell good. Right now I have Golden Apple burning....it smell delicious!

Flashbacks from High School

Did you ever have a teacher or professor in high school or college who used the "Russian Roulette" method of discussion? Was it a subject that you didn't like or knew very little about?

For those of you who are wondering what "Russian Roulette" is, I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about when the teacher asks a question, expecting the answer to be more than a simple "yes" or "no", and randomly calls on students in the room (whether or not they look like they have a clue what he's talking about).

I had a teacher in high school like this. I dreaded going to his class every day. Seriously...I would feel sick to my stomach as I was walking down the hall to his class. I would avoid eye contact with this teacher at all costs, without looking like I was TRYING to avoid eye contact.

Tonight I had some pretty major flashbacks from high school when I attended a focus group discussion at this place. The discussion was on republican party candidates for the primary election. I'm not quite sure how I got chosen for this discussion considering everyone there was at least 10 years older than me and obviously much more knowledgeable on the subject.

After about 20 minutes into the discussion I realized I wasn't going to fool anybody. I admitted to the room of older and much wiser (politically, anyway) people that I was pretty clueless. The only candidate I knew anything about was Rudy Giuliani. I VERY rarely read the paper or watch CNN News. The leader of the discussion continued to ask me what I thought about the ability of this guy to make changes in Washington, or if I thought this guy would be a good leader and why.

By the end of the night, I felt REALLY stupid! Yes, I learned a few things about the candidates but what was more evident to me and everyone else in the room was what I DIDN'T know!

Hopefully the next time this marketing research company calls me, I will be asked to discuss something I'm an expert on, like, I don't know...diapers. Then I'll look like the smartest woman ever....too bad those smarty pants who were there tonight won't be there for me to redeem myself. Oh well, at least my kids think I'm smart!

Gotta go read up on some political candidates now....

Wedding Weekend

This weekend I got to spend some time with one of my best friends. Amber Hill got married on Saturday in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Amber is a friend who I've known since 7th grade. (Barry's known her since 3rd!) We were very close in high school and we were college roomates for a couple of years. She has been there for most of the major milestones in my life...high school graduation, my wedding day, the birth of my first child...and just this weekend I got to be there when she said, "I do" to Tim Davis.

I love and admire Amber for so many reasons. She could always, no matter what kind of mood I was in, make me laugh. We have so many inside jokes it's ridiculous! She is also one of the most godly women I know. I know that no matter how many miles separate us she is always praying for me and my family. Perhaps the quality that I admire most in Amber is that she has always known that her identity is in Christ alone.

She has never (even in high school) been the kind of girl who felt better about herself if she had a boyfriend or lots of friends. She knew that the only approval that mattered was Christ's and she never had to do anything to earn His approval--so she was always free to be herself. Amber never had to be someone else to try to impress others. The fact that she never lowered her standard for a mate and patiently waited 32 years to get married is proof of this! I'm so proud of you, Amber! I know you have found a wonderful man in Tim and I was so happy to finally meet him this weekend.

Amber and Tim, may God bless you with many years of happiness and many little Davis babies! I love you, girl!

When did I grow up?

I came up to the church just so I could blog on Darrell's computer.... finally! We leave tomorrow for the youth mission trip to Texas. I'm so excited! I know I'm gonna lose a full night's sleep on the bus but... you know what... I don't care. There is a part of me that still feels like that 16 year old teenage girl that looks forward to my week away with my friends. When I was younger and I was going to camp I truly anticipated my time to just let go, meet new people, and expect a movement from God.
Camp was always the time of "revival" for me. I'm ready to be refueled and recharged as God moves in the lives of our youth. There are none more vigilant, energetic, and passionate. It is the faith of the young that can truly change the world. We are called to have faith like a child and while some may not like being called children they definitely have youth on their side. I want more than just a week of revival though. I want to grow and be moved in a way that permeates my whole life. I go in expectance. I pray that as I surround myself with those "crazy young ens" this week I continue to be challenged and energized by their willingness to go anywhere or do anything for Christ. Pray for movement!

Hey Girls!

Hey Girls:

*Sandi, I absolutely loved your 4th of July blog "Free to be C3", please don't wait too long to blog again!!! I'll miss you while I'm in Texas, so blog A LOT so I can keep in touch! (Say hello to Jen).

*Andrea, Okay this is getting ri-donk-ulous! Get-ahold of a computer - any computer - and blog!! I can't wait for Texas - I hope they're prepared for us! CUsoon.

*Amanda, so when you get back, I'll be gone - what will I dooo.... Be safe and blog a lot, please. It's your dooty! Write down everything cute your kids say, then you can imitate them for me when I get back.

LUVuguys...be free (free to be C3)! Peace out.

It Bears Repeating...

Yesterday "The Biggest Loser" was on all day. So I watched some of it as I packed for our trip (and Byron painted our bedroom - blue/green because it makes me smile). It reminded me of a blog I wrote a while back (Blonde Antithesis), and since I'm still a woman and still dealing with the issues we all face, I thought I would revisit this topic. In my opinion, it bears repeating...

I love the reality show "The Biggest Loser"; it has it all: drama, competition, relationship-issues, and ultimately life-change. I had the opportunity to catch a marathon of a past season, and I was absolutely hooked. It fascinated me to observe the difference between how the all-male team and the all-female team functioned. There's something about putting a group of women in an enclosed area for more than about fifteen minutes; somebody's goin' down. And while the men were having their share of competitiveness, - because, after all, it is a game - the women were... well, let's just say they lived up to the stereotype. The men were more using the strength-through-unity approach, while the women seemed so busy gossiping, and then being offended - back-stabbing, and then being shocked when there was no loyalty - undermining and criticizing, and then pouting over the lack of unity. It was fascinating - and sad.

One girl, in particular, seemed to (although she may have been grossly misrepresented thru editing) always be in the middle of the conflict. In fact, when she was overwhelmingly "voted off", even by the men, the reason was not: she's a threat in the game or she's not pulling her weight in the challenges - it was "she's an instigator, and we can't trust her." As I was thinking about the feelings she provoked in her teammates, I heard IT, and it all became so clear: She leads music in her church back home! SHOCKER!! And I thought, "of course, she's a church-girl, she's learned duplicity from the best."

This reminded me of an incident I heard of recently where a group of church-women (members, at the time, of my church - unfortunately) were in a huddle at a children's sport practice. They were "sharing concerns" in such an animated and obtrusive way that a non-church member had to rebuke them and ask them to stop. If this were an isolated incident - well, "as if !" We should be ashamed and convicted.

Women have been given a great gift from God: the gift of influence. We use it and often abuse it. I've seen it so many times, and have been guilty of it myself - the "holy huddles" of "concern" - the bible studies turned gossip-session - the phone calls and e-mails sharing "prayer requests" or the "I just thought you should know..." Let's just get real, we are given to gossip - we cut off our noses to spite our face. We give up the ultimate: life-change, for the temporal. We wallow in the muck, when we've been given a gift that can cause us to rise up and facilitate change - LIFE-CHANGE!

If we choose to rebel and not get our...stuff together, everyone loses (and not in the good "biggest loser" kind of way). The list of casualties is never an acceptable loss when we engage in this behavior. We don't just hurt our "target" - we must ask ourselves who it is that we don't care about: our church, our community, our friends, our spouse, OUR CHILDREN - because they're all on the list of losers when we wag our tongues and destroy lives one "prayer request" at a time. We all lose, but the real biggest loser is the cause of Christ.

We have at our disposal the most powerful tool of influence that there is: love. We just, so often, pass it up for more alluring options that make us feel superior and those in our path feel devastated. How much could we change? - Jesus said the most important command is to "love God and love others", and that "they" will know us by our love - so, how we love others is a direct representation of how we love God. My prayer is that God has mercy on us for using our gifts for the Enemy - beginning with myself. Imagine what we could do if we chose to love first and foremost. For, after all, in the game of life -

LOVE WINS.

(It does, you know. Peace.)

Free to be C3

Freedom. It's something we're all thankful for but often take for granted. Today is a day for us to reflect and thank God for our freedom. As I was thinking about how thankful I am to live in a free country, I began to think about our awesome church. Freedom doesn't come without a cost and our freedom to be the church that God called us to be also did not come without a cost. We've had to fight for our freedom and there was great pain and suffering and some casualties along the way. However, there are no longer people coming through our doors day after day who want to destroy God's work at C3. We are finally free to be the C3 church that God want us to be. Free to worship God the C3 way. Free to reach people of all races for Christ. Free to follow the vision that God has given our pastors. Freedom feels good and it is worth the price we paid.

Independence Day

Happy Wednesday!

Of course, today I'm thinking a lot about freedom and independence.

Earlier this week, we spent some time at my grandmother's house. We let the kids swim, and had lunch. She made "Schenkinfleckel", a German noodle and ham dish that I love, but should avoid if I'm trying to watch my diet...(I didn't, though - Oh well!).

My grandfather was a sergeant/major in the army during WWII. He was a West Virginian, who grew up during the Depression (similar to the "Walton's"), a country-boy who was part Cherokee Indian - so, very well suited to be a tough army "Sarge". During the war, his "command" ended up in a little German town where they set up their headquarters in the largest house in town. There he met a beautiful German girl named Johanna.

After his troop was transferred, Johanna had to escape in the night because the Nazis were coming to "take them away" - her father was known in town as a big business man, and it was rumored that her mother was a Jew. Her father died of a heart attack as he was being taken away, but the rest of the family made their escape in the night. Of course, through all of this the "Sarge" and Johanna lost contact because they had no way to find out where the other had ended up.

Johanna finally arrived at a safe house where they knew of the American army man, and they were able to get a message to him. Johanna and the sergeant were married shortly after this at an army base, and she came to America with nothing but a few treasures she was able to hide from the Nazis as she crossed over the boarder into Switzerland (much like "The Sound of Music").

The sergeant and his German sweetheart had three daughters: Eloise (Elli), Johanna (Joey), and Dorothy (Dottie), and Joey had four daughters of which I am the oldest. So, my little German grandmother is Johanna who escaped so many years ago, so that now she can make us all "Schenkinfleckel" and her wonderful braided bread - which I discovered recently is exactly like "Challah" a Jewish bread...so, now when I eat it, or make it myself, I feel connected again to my great-grandmother who had to hide her identity so many years ago just to stay alive.

So, because of the strength and courage of my grandparents, I'm here today, able to spend the morning with my kids - able to have a leisurely "Fourth of July" cleaning my house and preparing to go on vacation...not anything like having to leave all of your possessions in the middle of the night, or fighting in a war as a young soldier in a foreign land. I have the opportunity to do the many things that bring me so much joy - even worshiping God - because of their sacrifice.

So, Independence Day really resonates for me. And I know there are others being strong and courageous even as I type, so that we can even celebrate a day such as this. To say I'm grateful would be an understatement, but I am. I am a multi-cultural sold-out Christ-follower with a flair for the dramatic who has the ability to express my opinions and hopes and dreams, all because of FREEDOM and SACRIFICE.

I am so thankful for these blessings. It's Independence Day, and tonight as I see the fireworks explode, I will remember...and think of all of those who've gone before me who've paid for my freedom. It's a beautiful thing!

Happy Wednesday, and happy, happy Independence Day!

Frieden. (German)
Dohiyi. (Cherokee)
Shalom. (Hebrew)

Peace.

things that make me happy...

chai tea (but only from Barnie's)
my 3-year-old telling me, "Mommy, you're a good cooker."
finishing a long run
sleeping in
75% off signs at Target
my husband putting away the laundry (my most dreaded chore)
laying on the beach with a good book
chocolate
going to Dallas for a church conference and someone stopping me in a store saying, "Are you in town for the Harley convention?"
The Office
my 5-year-old exercising with me
dancing with my kids (I know they won't judge me!)
snickerdoodle cookies
jumping on a trampoline
seeing people of all different races and backgrounds worshipping in the same room
the look in my husband's eyes when he holds our son
portable DVD players
McDonald's diet coke (it really is the better than other places)
date nights
Grease (the movie)
my husband telling me I'm beautiful, even on my ugliest day
blogging

At Home With Amanda

Let me just start this blog by saying I am not, nor will I ever claim to be, in any way, shape or form, Martha Stewart. However, over the years I have learned (stolen ideas from others) a few shortcuts for cleaning, organizing, or cooking that have made these chores more manageable. Because really, who has time to do ALL of these things? I just want people to THINK I have it all together!

So, I will in this and other blogs with the same title, divulge some of my secrets on shortcuts to these chores. I am no expert, but hopefully you will be able to use some of these time-saving tips when preparing for company.

Cleaning Tip: Purchase a bottle (or two) of Fabuloso cleaner. You should be able to find this at just about any grocery or drug store around. It is the cheapest cleaner on the shelves and smells wonderful. 5 - 10 minutes before company comes over, I pour some in each toilet in the house and in the kitchen sink. I also wipe down the handle of the front door. As soon as people walk in they are hit with the fresh scent. It smells like you've been cleaning for hours!

There you have it...my secret is out. I haven't spent the entire day cleaning- it just smells like it. Just don't look too closely at the corners of my floors - then again, my secret is out now, so go ahead, judge me...like I said, I'm no Martha Stewart!

Professional Advice

Okay, so I posted my very first ever blog a week ago and never came back to blog again. Why, you may ask? Because that night I laid in bed awake wondering if what I wrote was insane and if people would not understand me at all. Today several people told me that they read my blog. Great....so people actually do read this! And now I'm feeling the pressure (thanks, Angie) to write again. So, I guess it's another night of Ambien for me.

This time I decided to give out a little free professional advice. For those of you who don't know, I'm a dietitian. Generally, I really do not like giving nutrition advice to my friends. You see, when people find out (did I mention that I also usually try NOT to tell people I'm a dietitian) that I'm a dietitian they often ask for advice (or stop eating and look at their plate if we happen to be in a restaurant). I don't like giving advice because even though people ask for advice they don't REALLY want to hear what a dietitian would have to say to them. Hence, I try to avoid it at all cost. But, today is different.

The first thing you need to know though is that I'm not one of those everyone should mill their own flour, plant an organic vegetable garden and never, ever eat fettuccine alfredo because it's a heart-attack-on-a-plate kind of dietitians. I believe in everything in moderation, and I do mean everything. Of course I do have a pretty serious gag reflex, so my everything might not be your everything. Anyway, here's my free, unsolicited advice.....you absolutely must get yourself a slushie/snow cone maker...oh, my...this is a must. We purchased one a little over 24 hours ago and have used it in "moderation"....only twice so far. We tried it out with our friends (who we affectionately refer to as The Jacobsons) last night and it was quite a hit with the kids and the adults. Did you know you can purchase over 150 different flavors of snow cone syrup on the internet? The possibilities are endless! You may be wondering...the nutritional value of a snow cone: zero. But, the fun and joy it brought to 5 children and 4 adults last night at the end of a hot summer day in Florida: priceless. You've just got to live a little sometimes. And by the way, if you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the bottom of the cup it tastes even better...and then you can say you had a serving from the dairy group....gotta get that calcium in somehow:).

I love technology.... always and forever

Darrell and I are without a computer for a while. It has been sent away due to a broken.... something. You may not here from me quite as much but I'll make up for it later! Love ya all!