A Fantastic Day!

There are those days that are good, and then there are those when I truly thank God that He allows us to enjoy the blessings of this life to the fullest. Today was one of those days. I was able to have a great run with my friend Nancy (http://www.outpouringofblessings.blogspot.com/). We ran 2.3 miles and enjoyed every minute of it - although we were sure we ran 5 miles by the way our legs were shaking. It was a beautiful day and after our hard work we were able to enjoy lunch outside. While running we were able to solve all our problems plus many of our friend's :) After picking up my son that afternoon, me and the boys went and got the oldest's hair cut and then had dinner with my husband. I am refreshed, yet tired. What a great feeling! Thank you God for legs to run, for fresh air to breath, for the pollen that is making everything green again, and for a wonderful friend to run with.

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:2-4 I have been running the same path for about 2 weeks and each time I start out walking to warm up for about 4 minutes. As I finish my walk and start to jog, there is a downhill (thank you sweet Jesus). If this little hill wasn't there, I doubt I would get much further than a few yards. It's a great little boost for me to gain momentum and make me feel like I can make it a little further each day. About half-way through my run though there is a steady incline. As the turtles pass me and wave, I think "this is the week I am going to make it. I can do it". I usually make it to the top, but then I am finished. Out of breath and cramping up, I have to walk for a while before I start to run again. Each day as I have run though, I have gone further and further. As I reached the top of the hill today and turned around, I felt exhilarated to have made it and started running the downhill. What an awesome feeling to have your legs pushed to the limit and then find relief! Today I went the farthest I have run in a very long time. I was proud of myself. As I was finishing up my run, I was thinking about that hill. What if I had to start out with that hill? How far would I get? Would I find another less daunting path to run? This scripture came to mind about perseverance. How many times I have stood at the bottom of a huge hill in my life and thought "no way am I going to be able to get over this. No way can I tackle this mountain." That's when I have to take my eyes off the problem and turn my focus on Jesus. I let Him be a lamp unto my feet, taking one step at a time, and before I know it, I'm halfway up the hill. Sometimes I have to stop and catch my breath, or reach for help to get through a tough spot, but little by little the Lord develops me with each step I take. Much like how my legs are developing with each run, the Lord builds my character each time I face something I'm not sure I can handle and I turn to Him for guidance and wisdom. There's nothing like reaching the top of a mountain. Whether in life or in running, the view from the top is exhilarating! To know you can do it, with God's help, is one of the greatest blessings in life. Seeing what God can do through you what you couldn't possibly do on your own is what faith and hope are all about. He wants to do this in us. He loves us, and that's why he doesn't always want us to take the path of least resistance. The journey may be tough, but the rewards are worth it.

Backing into a fire truck sure can put a damper on your day...

I was having a great morning today. The kids were back at school after a nice break, I went for a great run, ran some errands and had a peaceful lunch while reading my book. It was awesome. Unfortunately a place near where I was eating had a medical emergency and the ambulance and fire department were called. Someone was suffering a food allergy. With no where else to park, the fire truck parked near the curb behind my car. When I arrived at my van, the lady next to me thought we had enough room to get out. She let me go first......there wasn't enough room. The truck had a 18" platform at the back that I couldn't see from my vantage point. I clipped it with my van. Pulling back into the parking space I silently thought "crap, now what am I going to do?" The firemen were coming out so I caught one of them and told him what happened. He looked it over and saw there was no damage to the fire truck, but he wanted to call his battalion chief to run it by him. That's where the fun started. The chief had to come out and take pictures, then he had to file a police report. The fireman and the policeman both apologized to me for having to do all of that, but because the chief said it had to be done, they had to do it. I was so embarrassed and stayed in my van praying no one could see me. You would have thought there was a bomb about to go off with all the lights flashing.

I can say that I handled it pretty well and apologized over and over again to the firemen. He was so nice to me and I thank God it was him that I flagged down to tell. He felt bad for me. As I drove away I was thankful for the maturity that comes with age. Had this happened to me in my 20's, I probably would have sat there crying with my husband on the phone. I haven't let it upset me and my sweet husband has even called me several times today to see if I am ok. He's not worried about fixing the van (even though I am). He's just glad I'm ok. (He says that now, wait until the bill comes in!)

The best thing about today though was right after I left the scene of the "crime", I went to pick up my son from preschool and here is what he made at school today: In case you can't tell.....it's a fire truck.

Frustration to Anger to Joy

Last night was a rough night for us. The lady who lives upstairs was up all hours of the night and in by doing, kept my husband and I up as well. I am trying to sympathize with her. Her husband just left her for another woman after 28 years of marriage, so she is struggling living on her own and dealing with a divorce she didn't ask for. It's enough to keep anyone up so I can understand. But at some point during the night I started to get very frustrated and my sympathy was waining. Then I got angry. I was upset that someone could be so inconsiderate of those around them. I finally moved from place to place in the apartment and eventually slept with our 3 year old. As I lay there in his bed with him, an overwhelming sense of joy came over me. I actually started to laugh as I lay there listening to his snoring while my oldest was grinding his teeth, all while 91.9 was playing on their radio. I must say I didn't get much sleep last night, but it was a joy to lay there with them. I was so thankful that even though the bed was small, I had a son to lay next to and hear him breath. I was thankful for my oldest who lay peacefully about us in his bunk bed. I am thankful the Lord disturbed my sleep last night for that.

Eye Witness

A week ago today we sat in a lawyer's office and sold our house. The couple that bought our house were very finicky and we breathed a sigh of relief when the last paper was signed. Yesterday a plane crashed in our old neighborhood. A single engine Cessna went down in the backyard of someones home in Weddington Chase. The pilot did not survive. It was very strange to see pictures of our neighborhood from a helicopters viewpoint. It was sad to see the wreckage. My mind swirled all afternoon with questions: What if the plane crashed into a house? Did the pilot try to avoid the homes as he went down? How many people saw that plane coming and what were their thoughts? What are the people who bought our house now thinking? Would they have bought the house if this had happened a week ago? (selfish, I know). I woke up early this morning thinking about the pilot who perished. I couldn't go back to sleep. I thought about his family who were interviewed last night and spoke of how they saw their dad in the air as he was about to land. How they must have felt watching the plane disappear in the treeline. The question I kept asking the Lord was "did he know you?" Here was a successful business man with a loving family flying his plane on what was a beautiful afternoon. The next minute, he is gone. "Did he know you Lord?" I don't know that question and in the days to come maybe I will find out. But for now, I am wondering. How many people do we know, casually or deeply personally, that we never ask that question of? I have friends who knock that question out right upon meeting someone. That way they know. I have never been that way. There have been times that people in my life have died and I never knew they didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus. How much weight I carry for that. I have a responsibility to share the love of Jesus with everyone I meet. He expects this of me. This Easter weekend is another reminder of his great love for me and you. It's not some secret we should keep in the closet, it is a beautiful hope to be shared with everyone. Whether they accept it is not my responsibility, all I can do is what God asks of me. I pray this man knew Jesus. I pray his life, and death, will be a witness to others. I pray for his family and loved ones who are mourning the loss of this man. I pray for our old neighbors who will feel the effects of this for a time to come. Most of all, I pray the hope of resurrection Sunday rings loud and clear for everyone to hear.

The Longest Yard.....

Ever since we moved (and yes it's only been a week), I've been inspired by the new workout room in our clubhouse. I've been walking and running either in the neighborhood or on the treadmill and I am really enjoying it. The roads that run around our neighborhood to the other neighborhoods behind us make the perfect running/walking trail (with the exception of one area that I will discuss later). I decided to tackle it today. I began with my normal 5 minute brisk walk and then started to run. I alternated between running and walking for about 15 minutes and then I ran for 20 minutes straight. About 1/2 way through the distance I started to wander if I was a little presumptuous in thinking I could do this distance. Then this song came on and I got re-energized. Now before you feel the need to pray for me......I have a lot of Phillips, Craig and Dean, Natalie Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman songs on my I-pod as well. I digress..... After huffing it back to the main road, I realized that my sidewalk had come to an end. That would have been fine, if we hadn't had a torrential downpour yesterday. As I started to run on the well worn path, my shoes started sliding in the mud. So I stopped running and began to walk, as to not risk injuring myself. Even walking in this muck was difficult. But I made it. 3.7 miles. I figure I ran over a mile of it. My goal is by my 39th birthday - in May - to run the whole thing. Pray for me. It's a lofty goal. The best part of any of my workouts is the end. Not only for obvious reasons, but because of the song I choose to cool down to. You can hear it here by clicking on the link and then the song "Amazed". I love this song. It's a perfect praise song to thank God for all he's done....especially for the wind at my back for most of run today.

What Easter really means

My friend Leslie sent this to me today and I cried. If you get a chance, click on the link after reading the story: The Heartbreak of Easter Wait - before you read any further - please take a few minutes and watch this video on You Tube: Most – The Bridge. This clip illustrates in a powerful way how the sacrifice of Jesus must have completely broken the heart of God the Father - and how Easter should also include a time of expressing our gratitude not only to Jesus, but to the Father as well. This clip is also more than just a video. It's actually based on the true story of a man who made that exact sacrifice. Here's what really happened- *The father's name was John Griffith. He had lost all he had in the stock market crash. He moved to Mississippi where he took a job as bridge operator for a railroad trestle. In 1937 he was involved in a horrible accident. One day his 8 year-old son, Greg, spent the day with his Dad at work. The boy poked around the office and asked dozens of questions - just like little boys do. The bridge was over a river and whenever a ship came John had to open the bridge to allow the ships to pass. The day the boy was there with his father a ship was coming so John opened up the drawbridge. After a moment or two he realized his son wasn't in the office and as he looked around, to his horror, John saw his son climbing around on the gears of the draw bridge. He hurried outside to rescue his son but just then he heard a fast approaching passenger train, the Memphis Express, filled with 400 people. He yelled to his son, but the noise of the now clearing ship and the oncoming train made it impossible for the boy to hear him. All of a sudden John Griffith realized his horrible dilemma. If he took the time to rescue his son the train would crash killing all aboard, but if he closed the bridge, the boy would be crushed in the gears. John would sacrifice his son. He made the horrible decision, pulled the lever and closed the bridge. It is said, as the train went by John could see the faces of the passengers, some reading, some even waving, all of them oblivious to the sacrifice that had just been made for them. This week over a billion people will celebrate Easter. We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ came back from the dead after paying the ultimate price for our sins. We celebrate the fact that salvation is available through trusting in the risen savior of the world. But even though we celebrate, sometimes we forget. There was more than one sacrifice that was made on the hill called The Skull where Jesus hung on the Cross and poured out His life. There was also a Daddy. He watched in heaven as His precious Son was spit on, insulted, tortured, and finally murdered by people who had no idea who they were killing. The heart of God the Father must have been shattered into a million pieces as the land grew dark and Jesus cried out to His Papa: Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last." (Luke 23:46) That's why this Easter you need to remember and celebrate not only the earthly side of the gospel message, but the heavenly side as well: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) While we were on the train, headed for destruction...while we were addicts and selfish, sinful people...while we were clueless about the destiny of eternal souls...a Daddy chose to love us and choose to let His one and only Son be crushed by the gears of Crucifixion. On Easter Sunday, take some time to watch the video again. Let it remind you of the tragedy and triumph of that first Easter, and let it convince you that you have a heavenly Daddy that loves you too much to live without you. Head: What you need to know about this truth - Easter is the time when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we also need to remember how God showed His amazing love by sending Jesus to die for our sins. Heart: What you need to feel about this truth - Psalm 22 was written from the perspective of Jesus as He was hanging on the Cross. Read it and imagine how Jesus felt and how the Father felt as He watched Jesus suffer for us – you can read it here. Hands: What you need to do about this truth. Write a note of gratitude to God the Father for sending Jesus to die for our sins. *Source: http://www.sermoncentral.com/

Finding Comfort

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:5 Several years ago, when my husband and I were building a house, we went looking for new furniture to fill it. I found a fantastic chair just for me and I fell in love with the way it felt in the store. I imagined sitting my new chair at our home, curled up under a blanket with a good book on my lap or watching a movie with the family. Once the furniture was delivered, it was apparent that my chair wasn't going to be placed where I thought, and if I sat in it, I couldn't see the t.v. at all. I ended up having my favorite place in the den be the corner of our couch. So for 3-1/2 years I never sat in my chair. I just admired it from afar. Now that we are in our new apartment, my chair is in the perfect place for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in it, reading a good book and watching movies with the family. I even fell asleep in it one night! As I sat in my chair the other night, I thought about the things that bring us comfort. The last few weeks have been challenging for us as a family. Everything that was "comfortable" for us is changed. If our comfort comes from things, and those things change, then what? Our children have found comfort in us, their parents, trying to keep some semblance of the life we had before we moved. Routine for them is comfort - going to the same school, seeing the same friends and having us to come home to. My husband and I have found comfort in getting things unpacked and orderly in a way we are accustomed to. Most importantly though, we have found great comfort in watching what God has done. The Lord has made himself known to us these last few weeks in more ways than I can describe here. The greatest comfort I have is spending time with him, with a very thankful heart for all he has done. Much like my chair, comfort from Jesus can be admired from afar or it can envelope you. You can walk past it, day in and day out, or you can sit down and take a few moments to curl up in his love and let it wash over you. If how much I am enjoying my chair is any indication, I will never again admire God's comfort from afar.

Pack, Move, Unpack, Collapse

It's hard to believe that just 3 short weeks ago we still didn't have an offer on our house and were contemplating whether to stay with our current realtor as his contract was going to expire in 4 short days. That afternoon the call came and it's been a whirlwind ever since. I sit here amazed at how smoothly everything has gone. God has been so good to us these past few weeks. I have so much to be thankful for. I must say a big "thank you" to our movers, "An Act of Class" in Charlotte (704-821-5511). They took such great care with our things - nothing, and I mean, nothing was even scratched, much less broken. They managed to get our huge furniture into the apartment and not even a wall was dinged. As I watched them carry our bedroom armoire to the front door I thought "no way are they getting that through". They did. No complaining, swearing or disrespect on their parts. They truly are an "Act of Class". I can't begin to say how much I love our new apartment! It is fantastic! Our furniture looks great and everything flows so well. They kids are so excited about their new bunk beds and sleeping together. They really have adjusted so well - and the extra 15 minutes of sleep every day from moving in closer to school has really helped! I thank God for the contentment he has given my husband and I as we sold our dream home. I never would have imagined I would be happy to see it go, but I was. I didn't even go back to see it after we left. There are great memories we had in that house and they will always be with me no matter where we live. I am grateful for the peace that has draped over this family these last 3 weeks. It can be nothing short of a miracle and I give all the credit to my savior.

The movers are here!

I must say how much I love my husband for hiring movers. I love you dear. It is so nice to sit here and blog while the movers are carrying out my dining room hutch. Ahhh.....life is good. Now before you think I'm "all that", all my work has been done in the last couple of weeks. Packing, repacking, digging through the packing and organizing has been my job. Everything had to be labled what was going to storage today and what is going to the apartment tomorrow. We also have a major clean up after the final stuff gets moved tomorrow. I am NOT looking forward to that. But I must say how nice it has been (and comical) today to watch these guys carry stuff down the stairs like it weighs a feather, where I would be dropping dead right about now. I laughed out loud this morning as I watched this tall, young guy carry our humongous fake Christmas tree in it's green bag out our front door. This is a tree that every year my husband and I dread lugging that thing up 2 flights of stairs into the attic. We are spent after that. These guys have done a great job, and if everything arrives where it should be in one piece, I'll blog about that in a few days and give you their name. So far though, I'm impressed! I also have to give a big thank you to my friend Sarah for insisting that she pick up our youngest today from preschool for a playdate with her sweet children. I am horrible at taking help, and even worse at asking for it (I'm working on it!) I am so appreciative of all my MOPS friends for praying for us and helping us out. Love you guys!

Murphy's Laws on Moving

If you sell it, it will break. 3 days after signing the offer on our house, we noticed our ice maker wasn't working right. It started out making very little ice. By the end of the week it wasn't making any ice at all. $300 and a new motor later we're back in business. Light bulbs have also been going out at an alarming rate. Why couldn't it have waited just one more week? If you pack it, you will need it 2 hours later. Trying to get ahead of the game, I packed up my office. That was about the time I realized I needed the paper cutter, folders and bills that were already taped up. The path of least resistance is always blocked by a box. I sent my 3 year old to time out today. He walked to his normal spot, head hanging down. Then he looked up, turned to the left, then to the right and moaned "I can't get to time out Mommy! There are too many boxes!" I let it slide this time as I was laughing hysterically. Hide what you need, otherwise it will get thrown out. My oldest had a complete meltdown this week because he couldn't find a paper he brought home to work on from school. I told him if he left it out - it got packed (or thrown out). Thankfully his teacher understood and said it was no big deal. She's the best! A little upheaval makes you appreciate what you have. I'll admit I'm not the most put together person in the world, but after this week I am appreciating more and more who God made me. My husband called me twice today to see if I would check the house for items he had misplaced. My sons are whining they can't find a certain car we bought in 2001 that no one remembers, and I have to keep remembering each morning where my underwear drawer was moved to. I must admit, I am pretty organized. This week is proving it to everyone. To my family: Remember this week when we are back to normal! If an inspector comes, he will find something. This really should be law #2, but I didn't like our inspector so he's at the bottom of the list. He was here for 3-1/2 hours and only found 6 little things. Praise the Lord on that one, because believe me, he was looking for something....anything to put down. Even if it's God's will, don't expect everything to go smoothly. I think this is a good law in general. Sometimes we have to work at things....hard.....for them to get done. God is with us - in our labor and in our leisure, in or sorrow and in our joy, in our packing and our moving. He's always there.

Sometimes we don't get the answer we want

When I reach heaven, one of the people I look forward to meeting is Moses. I can't wait to sit down with him over hot tea and Girl Scout cookies to talk about how God used him through the course of his life. (It wouldn't be heaven to me without those thin mints!) I want to ask him about the feelings he had as God asked him to do what surely seemed like insurmountable tasks. I especially want to talk to him about fear. Moses seemed to have fear, and yet, he moved forward. God didn't take away his fear, he added a helper (Aaron) and kept impressing upon him that he could do what was asked of him. What emotions did he go through and how did he overcome them to be obedient? I can't wait to ask him. In Exodus chapter 5, Moses and Aaron had gone to see Pharaoh and told him God wanted him to let his people go. Not only did Pharaoh NOT let his people go, he made it harder on them. He made them get their own straw to make bricks when it was originally given to them, plus they still had to make the quota. When they didn't, they were beaten. The Israelite foreman found Moses and Aaron and angrily told them they had put a sword in Pharaoh's hand to kill them by what they had done. Wow. How must have Moses felt? Did he question whether he heard God right or not? Moses went to the Lord and asked him why. The Lord said "I am the Lord" and continued to explain what would happen to Pharaoh and what Moses needed to do. There are times in my life that I pray for things and they don't happen. I wonder if I prayed hard enough, or long enough, or maybe the answer I thought I received really wasn't right in the first place. I start to question my ability to hear the Lord, when all I should really be focused on is him. He is Lord. He controls the heavens and the earth. I do my part by obedience and prayer. He does the rest.