Now that you are listening

As I have written many times before and will write many times again....a song has touched my heart.  One of those songs that I can't hear enough.  One of those that every time I do hear it I tear up and feel the loving arms of God wrap around me.  It is by an artist call JJ Heller  The song~ What Love Really Means

Her music always tells a story and takes you some where.  Here is the music video so you can love it too :-)



My favorite lines in the song are towards the end when she sings:

Now that you are listening I'll tell you that
I will love you for you.  Not for what you have done or what you will become.
I will love you for you , I will give you the love, the love that you never new.

____
I love that.  Now that I have allowed you to go through all your crap and NOW that you are listening, I'll tell you that I will love you for you.
What a sweet picture of our hardships and why God would ever let us experience anything bad.  So that maybe just maybe it is then that we can finally listen to hear the voice of God.

~LL

Trying to find rest

It is such a busy time of the year. With meetings to plan the parties, parties that we planned by meetings and follow up meetings to evaluate the meetings that planned the parties and meetings to follow up the parties that were planned by too many meetings.  Oh and cookie swaps, and birthdays, and shopping for both.  Oh and then there's Christmas.  What about meetings for Christmas and shopping for Christmas and cookies for Christmas.  Oh wait what about Christmas Eve we forgot shopping for that and meetings about the shopping and cookies for the meetings and cookies for Christmas Eve.

My oh my I am tired from even typing it all.  But the truth is......that is how our lives seem to feel this time of year.  I find myself just wishing for January.  Wishing for a time of the year that is hopefully filled with lots of snow to make the city STOP MOVING.  One of my favorite things ever....is when you step outside after a big snow.  You step out of your warm house into complete silence.  Nothing can be heard except the occasional tree branch falling.  It is as if God has hit the pause button on the Earth. Peace on Earth.  I love it!

Over a week away from Christmas and today my prayer is that God would hit the pause button.  Maybe not in the form of snow, but in someway cause rest and peace to fall upon our lives.  Busyness makes you miss the little things and causes you to wake up 20 years from now and wonder where the time went.  So take a moment and take a deep breath.  Breathe in the sites of your children admiring a twinkling tree, an advent candle that reminds us of the love of Christ, a bell ringer who loves giving their time, cookies that are just right, hot cocoa in a Christmas mug, a fire that you get to snuggle up by.  Don't miss the little things that seem to fly by in busy times.

I pray that during this season of Hope you will find rest in the loving arms of God who gave so much for us to know Him.

Merry Christmas!

~LL

Family night- Christmas Round 2

Tonight we got to share our family night with another dear family that God has placed in our lives.  Our next door neighbor :-)  After a great dinner and some fun adult chat we settled in with all the kiddos to make Ginger bread houses.  Or shacks (whatever you want to call them :-)

Here are some pictures....

~LL

Reviews are moving

In efforts to keep the different reviews that I do off of this page I have moved them to another blog. e doing them but I am sure many people hate reading them. If you are interested then please...pop on over there and read away :-)

http://twinsx2thoughts.blogspot.com/

~LLI lov

Family night- Christmas Round 1

Christmas theme night round 1 :-)

I love Christmas, so I eat up the opportunity to celebrate in any way possible.They say a pictures worth a 1000 words.....so....I will let these speak.  See how we enjoyed our first Christmas night painting ornaments, making goodies to eat, and watching a good ole Christmas movie together.

 

 

 

  

Merry Christmas!!!!

~LL

Back to reality

A week has gone by since I went to North Carolina and then into Tennessee.  We have pulled our lives back together after being gone for a week.  I have caught up the laundry, grocery shopped, answered emails, made phone calls, gone back to schooling, and so on and so on.  But something is different.  Something has changed.  I talked a little before about God asking me to raise the bar.  I went to Ridgecrest with nothing major going on in my life.  Nothing dramatic to pray for or God to heal for me personally.  I think that those circumstances placed me in just the right mind set for God to overflow my cup.  It was as though God said,"Ok life is good... things are solid....now...lets raise the bar. Just making it through the day is not good enough anymore."
So I came home questioning mediocrity, luke warmness, half heartedness.
Where does it exist in my day to day life?
What areas need to change?
And where do I go from here?

This is what it looks like in some areas:

Being a better wife:  No complaining! Choosing carefully what I burden my husband with.  Praying for him no matter what (when discouraged, I'm moody,  bad attitude, any situation).  Honoring him at all cost.

Being a better mom:  Praying for them no matter what (...) Choosing to spend my time wisely.  Pouring Christ into all aspects of their life.  Never giving up (even when I am frustrated at a "learning to read assignment" :-) Being available.  Handling them and their emotions with care!

Being a better home manager:   Saying NO to things that don't help our family.  (Birthday parties, social outings, volunteering, and friends)

Protecting my sanity: Refusing to run on empty.  When I feel overwhelmed I ask for help.  When I need a moment to myself....I ask for help.  When I am loosing my mind.....I put my fingers in my ears and listen to myself breathe :-)  If I go nuts, the entire house goes nuts. 

Being a better Bible study leader:  Accepting that I will be held accountable for the women I lead.  If I do not study my stuff, pray for them, protect them ...then I will answer for it.  Understanding the honor that I have been given to be able to lead and never taking it for granted.

Controlling my tongue:  Controlling my words does not only mean "being kind".  It also means speaking truth.  Raising the bar in this area of my life means speaking the truth into peoples lives when I feel led to do so.  Speaking into people's lives in a way that will shine the light of Christ.  My husband, my children, my bible study, my friends.

Friendship:  Raising the bar in this area, means dropping some walls.  Allowing friendships to go to a deeper level and trust people completely.  In each church that we have served in I have prayed that God would allow me to have deep meaningful and lasting friendships.  He has given those to me in small doses. But never have I been in a place that I have been so surrounded by so many Godly women. I am so blessed with these friendships.

So the theme of my life right now is "Raising the Bar".  I accept that this is where God is stretching me right now.  But I also accept the my theme may change tomorrow :-)  No matter where He is working things out in my life I pray that I will always point to Him. But more than anything I am so very thankful for this season of my life.

~LL

Reviewing time again

I get to do it again :-) 
There is a great site online called CSN. It has hundreds of stores that see thousands of things.  Things like a briefcase, exercise equipment, pots and pans, hampster cages...... the list goes on and on.  And YAY!  I get to review some of their great stuff.  Stay tuned......



~LL

Some time in the mountains

I just had the opportunity to spend 4 days in the mountains of North Carolina. I will be honest, I could spend an entire blog just talking about how beautiful and perfect the weather was, but I won't bore you with that.  On Monday 6 ladies from our church took off to a Leadership Conference at Ridgecrest, NC.
It is funny for me to sit here and think about all of the conversations that have taken place over the past 4 days.  We have talked about our burdens in ministry and pouring into other women, we have talked about our marriages and our children, and we have talked about Jesus in our lives. We have laughed until we cried and we have cried until it made us laugh.  We have prayed for each other and with each other.
After an 8 hour car ride, 6 women in one room sharing one bathroom, worship that was amazing, prayers that have changed our lives and laughter that has rocked me to the core, I walk away more filled than I could have dreamed.  More challenged than I ever thought possible.  And more blessed than I could have ever asked.

I could go on and on telling you stories of this past week but I will limit myself to one.
At the last session of our conference Beth Moore spoke.  She shared many many things, but one of the most impacting was about women of different generations.  She asked the younger women to stand and spread out throughout the large conference room.  Women under 35 lined the rows and the aisle all over. As we stood she asked us to shout out things that we wanted the "older" generation to pray for for us. One would yell WISDOM and the Beth would guide the older women to pray, "God we pray wisdom for these women."  Another would shout PROTECTION FOR MY MARRIAGE.  And Beth would guide them to pray, "God we pray for protection for these women's marriages." Another would shout MENTORS. And they would pray,"God we pray for mentors for these women."  This powerful moment went on for a while.  Then Beth asked all of the younger to get on our knees.  She asked the older women to find younger women somewhere around them and lay their hands on them.  **Side note** We were blessed to not be able to find seats on in a special area that was set up for "younger women".  The 3 of us younger ladies (in our group) ended up having to sit with the other 3 older ladies from our group.  There also were only a few "younger" ladies where we were sitting. **End side note**
So as we got on our knees the women came all around us and placed there hands on us.  Because there were only a few of us "youngers" around we had alot of hands on us. Not mention the "older" generation ladies from our group. Beth guided this older generation into a prayer time over us.  She prayed/they repeated bold prayers for the next generation.  Prayers that "passed the baton." Prayers that empowered our ministries.  Promises that they would stand beside us on our journey.  Prayers that they would lead us where we needed. Prayers that they would always defend us and walk beside us.  Prayers for strength and mercy in our ministries and wisdom in our lives. Promises to never give up on us.
As I am sure you can imagine......there wasn't a dry eye in the 1100 women there.  To have that type of power and prayers spoke over and into our lives is something I will never forget.  It is the most powerful time of worship I have ever been in.

That session ended with.... In Christ Alone.




My day at Ridgecrest ended with my beautiful family picking me up.  All the other ladies went back to the Burg.  But we got to head to Chattanooga for some family time.   
I am still processing all of the things God showed me this week.  Hopefully I can put that into words soon.  One thing I can say is that I went to Ridgecrest with nothing really wrong in my life.  I didn't have these major issues that I needed God to work on or heal me from.  But I come away from there changed.  God has asked me to raise the bar in my life. I can't wait to process it all and write it out.

Much love......


~LL

God is so much bigger

A couple of days ago I read a friends blog about adoption.  They have fallen in love with 4 beautiful children in Guatemala.  But.....adoptions are closed between the United States and Guatemala.  So the only way these beautiful babies are coming home to the States is through a miracle of God.  I commented on her blog that God is SO much bigger than our dreams.  I didn't want to "blog" in the comment section of her blog so I'll do it here instead :-)  But the truth is, is that God sees so much more for our lives than we could even fathom.
Matthew 7:7  "Says ask and it will be given...."  That means He already has it.  It isn't like you ask for something and then God says, "ok hang on just a sec. I gotta run to Target and pick it up."  He already knows, He already has anything we could ever need.  Because His dreams for us are so much more. Maybe it is opening up adoptions, Or maybe it is a solution that we can't even imagine.  God is God and He is so much bigger than anything we could dream.
But in the same breath I think how much bigger God is than our greatest fears.  He already knows and sees those too.  There is nothing that we could fear that God hasn't already seen.  As I type, I am sitting waiting on a phone call from one my oldest dearest friends.  Her doctor recently removed a mole that has now tested positive for melanoma.  She is right now at a hospital being scanned to see if there is any other signs of cancer.  FEAR is pretty big this morning. But I know that God is bigger than anything we could dream up to fear.
Monday nights I have a women's group that I lead in Bible study. We are studying the book of Jonah.  It is all about Navigating the Interrupted Life.  When something happens, like a pregnancy, job change, moving, a call into ministry, etc. and it changes the course of the life you are living.
The first week we learned about  "The interrupted life is a privileged life." Being interrupted by GOD is certainly something that should be considered a privilege.  God may use many things to interrupt us, but the fact that the Creator of the Universe (who doesn't need us) loves us enough to interrupt our lives and let us be apart of His plan........WOW.... that is a privilege.  But this week we learned about "The interrupted Life is the Challenging Life".  Now that is the truth! The word  challenging is an understatement.  Sitting in a doctor's office waiting to hear if it is cancer or not, is a little more than "challenging".  But it is most definitely a "Life Interrupted".
Jonah had to go to Ninevah, a hopeless, forsaken land.  Because it was there that God showed up. It was there in the HOPELESSNESS that God swept the land and brought a great revival. I wonder if Ninevah hadn't been such a hopeless place, if they would have even noticed God showing up.  In a hopeless situation God used a life that was interrupted to change history.


~LL

11 years ago

Eleven years ago I was young and stupid. ( Now I have only aged a little :-)  I had made more mistakes in my 20 years than most make in a lifetime.  I have hurt people, hurt myself, and most definitely hurt God.  My choices were self serving and short sided.
But somewhere in God's breath of time He decided that He wanted more for my life.  He decided a plan for my life that was pure,blameless, and God serving.  But I chose differently. 
Eleven years ago I was driving the road and became so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that I had to pull over.  My heart hurt so badly that I thought I was going to be physically sick.  I was at a crossroads in my life where I had to choose me or God.  I grew in a church and home where not being a Christian wasn't an option.  Everyone was.  But making God "Lord" was a different story.  I had never given up control over my life and up until that point I had been fighting God's plans for my life.  That fight had left me beaten up, robbed, and hopeless. 
On the day I gave up my life, I also found life.  From that point of surrender God began to show me what He had designed for my life.  An amazing husband, unbelievable children, and a life in ministry.
 I was sitting here this morning reading and came across Genesis 50:20. 

The scripture comes from the story of Joseph.  Years before, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers and now they had come back to Joseph and begged for his forgiveness. And Joseph answers with
 ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Now I don't pretend to be Joseph and I certainly wasn't sold into slavery by my brother.  But maybe I sold myself.  Because of my choices I became a slave to my selfishness and sin.  So as much as I would like to play the victim and blame other people for my life, it really comes back to me.  It was my choices that were going to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Eleven years later I am sitting in a chair in my home, with 4 children running around, and a wonderful husband walking through the house.  We are preparing to go spend the weekend away to celebrate our Anniversary.  As I sit here this morning my heart is so full it hurts.  I love my life and I am so thankful that I serve a God who wouldn't give up on me.  Who stands outside of time and watches bad choices being made and who can turn those choices into ministry for His good. I am thankful to a God who loves me in spite of me.

~LL

Change

I love change!  For some, for many, change is hard and they hate it.  New restaurants, new hair styles, house, town, car, Pajama pants.  Nope not gonna change, they are even praying God will hook them up in Heaven with the same stuff :-)
But what can I say?  I really do enjoy the newness that change brings. I don't like settling into something for a long time.  A job, a house, a pattern, etc.  I love changing it up.  I am sure you could "Dr. Phil me"  and figure out why I am like that, but for now we are just gonna run with it.  I realize that there are some things that we should never want to change....husband...... kids....church ....friends.....
For a long time I lived where church would have never made that list.  But now I pray it never changes.
Something else change brings is FIRSTS.  The older you get, the less and less FIRSTS you get to experience.  But if you like change....then you get to experience FIRSTS again and again.  Like moving a chair in your living room to sit under a different window.
I have been involved in Women's Bible study at our church for over a year now.  That was change for me.  For the longest time I have been involved in only children's ministry.  Nothing that was just mine.  I think God allowed me to step into that new place in my life because He wanted to show me something new ~Friendship.  I have had many friends all of my life but none like these ladies.  They have prayed for me, loved on me, and laughed at with me. We have definitely grown close through 3 bible studies together.  But soon I began to feel that stirring again that was itching for change. It is like my heart becomes unsettled.  It is almost like when you have too much coffee and chocolate in one sitting.  (ok not really)  Sometimes when that begins to happen I have to pray the God will calm my heart.  Because I have been known to jump into things when it isn't right.  But sometimes I can tell, plain as can be, that it is God doing the stirring.  And this was one of those times.  We began steps to start our 4th Bible study together.  I was sitting back ready to go, but without a book.  I just couldn't bring myself to buy it.  AND I WORK IN LIFEWAY that sells it.  After one meeting together and ALOT of women, I knew God's stirring was for me to step out and start another group.
The next day I made some phone calls to our leaders and they very quickly told me how they had been praying that God would raise up a new leader.  (Isn't God so great like that?)  The next week, I went back to that Bible study to announce that a new group would be branching out of that current group.  We asked who would be willing to give up their seat and go with me.  Only 1 person raised their hand.  (huh?) I left that night and had a LONG conversation with God.  I cried over the women that I was going to leave.  I love my group. And now God was calling me to go and no one was really following.  Crap! Was I not listening?  Was this not what I was supposed to be doing?  Was God talking to the person next to me to go and I was ease dropping? 
A couple of weeks later we had a small groups push at church.  We have the most amazing Small Groups Pastor who worked crazy hours to pull this day off.  He kept telling me how great it was that I hardly had anyone in my group, so that left tons of spaces for new people to sign up.  I even started telling myself that.  But deep down, I felt deflated and lonely. I just didn't understand why God would call me out to leave this group that I love so much and to do it alone. Then I got an email....One of the sweet ladies in that group began telling me how she had been praying very hard about what to do and God was leading her to come with me.  Then one of my best friends lets me know that she will be coming.  I was thrilled. At least there would be 3 people :-)
Our first service happened and everyone came by to sign up for small groups and I had ONE person sign up. Really?  God?  What are you doing? Humbling me that is for sure.  So with a smile on my face and a little bit of a hidden attitude, I greeted round 2 after the 2nd serve.  And it was there that we had 15 ladies sign up.  (Side note-all in all I only had spots for about 5-6 ladies).  I ended up having to call people and place them on a waiting list.
God is so faithful.  He really does know the plans He has for us :-)  I had do do a little repentance praying after that day at church :-)

A little over a year ago, God led me to a place of rest.  I rested in the comfort of loving friends and the grace of God.  But last night God led me into a new place a new first, where I get to be that "rest" for someone else. I get to be the loving friend to 12 new ladies. The next 7 weeks we will be walking through a study on Jonah.  And it is all about God interrupting our lives and taking us somewhere we never planned to go.



~LL

Thankful

I am someone who is rarely at a loss for words :-).  I am either blogging them, texting them, or saying them.  But one way or another....you can always count on them coming out of this brain of mine.
Recently I have found myself in a place with nothing to say.  I can't seem to blog or even talk about all that is going on in our lives except to say "God is just so good".  As much as I love to sit and write about how I feel and pour out my emotions on a screen, I just couldn't.  As I sit here this morning I am going to try to write out why I haven't had the words.
You see about 5 1/2 years ago God moved us from seminary into an amazing church.  Full of people who loved on us and a Pastor we adored.  But then that crumbled. A year or so later we moved into a new church. Full of people who were passionate, loved Jesus, and had big dreams.  But then that crumbled.  When we left that second church we moved back to Hubby's hometown.  Where we filed bankruptcy and foreclosed on the home we left.  My crohn's disease was bad. Our finances were bad.  We didn't have a home. Hubby didn't have a job. And we were emotionally were spent. On the outside our lives were in ruins.  But by the grace of God our family was closer then ever.
I took a full-time job at a retailer and Hubby took over my homeschooling and house duties.  Slowly day by day God began to rebuild our lives. We hunted for a new church. Scared and leery of anyplace that even slightly resembled the messed up places we had left.  We had been hurt tremendously and feared a 3rd church disaster might just do us in.  We were invited to Lifepoint by a girl I worked with.  She kept telling me what a great church it was and how we should come on out and visit. So we did.
Over the next weeks, months, and now 2 years we have invested our hearts, lives, and time at Lifepoint.  Hubby went from being volunteer staff, to part-time, to now full-time. Over the past 2 years we have seen God move in the lives of people, like I have never seen before.  People ask us why the church is growing so fast and the only answer I can come up with is, "Because God is changing people's lives."
My recent "loss for words" comes because of the amazing things we have been experiencing at the church and in our lives. God is pouring out His blessings on our church and our lives in ways that I can't completely explain.  For so long I feel like I have prayed for God to help us through "something....anything". But over the past how ever many months my prayers have just been Thanksgiving.  Now don't hear me wrong.  Life has still had it's moments of being really tough.  Because.....duh.....life IS tough.  But I think I see it differently.  I feel like I now see it all as true blessings.  The good and the bad.  I see the blessings are more obvious because of our past heart ache.  I feel like the real change has happened because we are where God wants us to be.  We have locked arms with a group of people who have decided to charge the gates of hell with - passion, honor, and generosity.
For a while I bought into the lie that Lifepoint was just "a mountain top experience". That it wouldn't last and life eventually would become crappy again. I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.  But I don't buy that lie anymore.  I now see that God has allowed for those hard times, so that we could CLEARLY see His blessings.
I have been so over whelmed lately with different blessings and gifts that have come to us.  Some of them are actual things, but some of them are words, some of them are friendships. All I can do is shake my head in amazement. Words can not do justice for the gratitude I feel for all that God has done.  I am so thankful.  My heart is so full is almost hurts.


 

~LL

Wordless Wednesday

Coming up for air

The past 4/5 weeks have been so hectic that I feel like I haven't had time to breathe.  So busy that I had to push back starting school with the kiddos.  We finally were able to get started a week or so ago.  It has been so good.  All of them seem to love it so far.  No tv, lots of reading, fun baking, great games, and lots of laughs.  Those are some pretty great reasons to home school :-). 

Date nights are non existent right now.  Family dinners don't really include everyone.  Fun Family nights......well haven't been happening.  Watching new Tv series alone seems to be my song and dance right now.  But.....I can't complain.  Our church is growing like crazy.  Lives are being changed all over the place. And people who are far from God....well....they seem to not be so far anymore. 

So as tough as "busy times" can be....the results that come from those "busy times" are eternal.  Ministry life can be hard on many different levels.  Sometimes it is because you feel so alone when other times it is because people won't leave you alone. I pray that these busy times that we are going through will ONLY result it people finding Jesus.  I am so thankful for this moment right now where I get to come up for air (even if it is only for a moment) and rest.

Good Night!

~LL

River Fun 9-7-2010

Laugh a little for goodness sake

I firmly believe in making any job you do fun! Not everyone has the luxury of being in a job that they love but you can always choose to have fun at whatever you are doing. All of that to preface my work story for the day :-)

Since I work in a book store I am commonly asked what I like to read or what I am currently reading. And truth is, my list is forever long and I am normally reading 4 books at a time. Today I was asked what am I currently reading (by a co-worker) and since I was in a bit of a feisty mood I, without hesitation said, "Oprah's book of Daily Devotions". I went on to say, "It's great...each day has a different focus on a different religion. It has daily prayer guides to whichever god that religion worships. It even came with a some bonus material about, How To Be Your Best Own God. Oh and it has the coolest looking picture on the front cover of a chameleon."

Well, you can imagine the expression on his face when I said all of that. I had a good laugh at the fact that he wasn't sure if I was serious or not :-) I quickly told him that I was joking and he sighed with relief. But then he asked, "Does she really have a devotion book out?" Of course I busted out laughing again. "No! she doesn't." ( I don't think )

But this got me to thinking on my drive home......If someone created a book about my faith or my life.....what would it look like? What would be on the cover? What would the title be that would describe me? What would be on the pages? What would be in the chapters?

Just something to think about :-) Or something to make you laugh.

Have a great Saturday!

~LL

Why?

In the past weeks I have been thinking alot about why I do what I do. I am not sure why God has put this one my mind. The only thing that I can figure is because He wants me to look at my motives in the little and big things that I do. Some are silly and insignificant. But some are major parts of our family. So this post is more about thinking out loud in writing.


Why do I home school? I am at like 753 reasons right now :-) But really, I home school because this is one way I can serve my family. It is one way that I can be who I feel like God called me to be. It is not about education. It is about faith and family.
Why do I not exercise regularly? Time, energy, and Time. Ok I guess if I have time to blog then I have time to workout. OK OK (head hanging) I'm convicted.
Why do I love to read but yet watch too much TV? Simply.....TV does not need a silent room to be enjoyed. A Book does. (at least for me:-)
Why do I serve in the areas I serve in? hmmmm, I need to think on this one a bit more. The short answer is because there is a need. I love people, love my church, and love Jesus. So I guess where ever the need.....then that is where I end up. I don't know if that is the right answer. But it is truthful. (Oh, I do love kids too :-)
Why do I drive slower than I used to? Because there are 4 precious people that travel everywhere with me. Because the older you get the more it hurts when you get hurt. Tickets are EXPENSIVE! and cops aren't as nice as they used to be.
Why do I not have many friends? I am cautious who I let my walls down around. And I don't do the "girlie" thing well. Nails, hair, giggling, going to the bathroom together.
Why do I like to get on my knees when I talk to children? I like to make kids feel special.
Why do I love politics but never got involved? I love the passion that politicians have. No matter what the motivation or cause....they are passionate. I could never get involved because in the grand scheme of it all ....none of it really matters. I would much rather invest my time at church.
Why do I love my church? Because they are some of the most passionate people I know. And it is for a cause that matters.
Why do I love to travel but never do? There is a season for everything.
Why do I love to sleep but can't sleep when my Hubby is away? Fear. I normally go to sleep praying for peace. And watching Fox News :-)

As I think through some of this stuff it brings up other questions. Good questions. It kind of forces me to look closely at many of the things that I say I like/love or the things that I do and ask why? Why do you do the things that you do? Why do you not do the things that you want to do? Why do you do the things that you don't want to do?



Just a small journey into my brains.

~LL

Things I wish I knew then

Things I wish I knew 15-20 years ago:

-Memorize scripture. It is much harder as an adult.
-Be nice to your teachers. They are people too.
-Never throw away anything you write. (creatively speaking) Because I would LOVE to read it now.
-Never do anything you can't tell your children.
-Learn the rules of football. It will make Saturday's in the fall much better when you are married.
-Don't fret to much over those mean girls in school. Because you won't even be able to remember their names 15 years later. (Even in the world of Facebook.)
-Pay attention in class. Because you might home school your children one day.
-Salvation is more about Lordship than saving someone from Hell. (Although that is pretty huge too.)
-Pay attention in Home Ec.
-Go to PE
-No body will ever remember what you wore on the first day of school.
-When you get someone's address and say that you'll write.....DO It.
-When you tell someone you'll pray for them.....DO It.
-Don't shave your legs every day. You'll hate it when your older.
-Sex....don't do it. (until your married.....and then do it alot :-)
-If you don't have something nice to say.....shut up!
-Never make fun of people. It's mean.
-Read all of your assigned reading. And choose to enjoy it!
-Sing, act, dance. Believe in yourself.
-Never quit anything you have committed to. The flute, the piano, softball, track, friendships,girl scouts, private school,jobs, cheerleading (ok the last one isn't true....I was just on a roll)
-Fight for things that matter.
-Listen when elderly people tell stories. Because they've been there, done that.
-Love everyone! Jesus does.


There are many other things that I wish I would have know 15-20 years ago but.....these just kind of rolled out of my head and onto my finger tips.

~LL

Myrtle Beach 2010

Lessons I learn from my children on vacation #2

Actually this one should be titled "Lessons my children learned from their mom on vacation".

The little boys in the house got to purchase guns from the Disney store this week. Fun for them to run and fight and play games in the house. They have played all sorts of make believe and different games with them. But ONE of the guns has little green balls that you can shoot. You have to lock and load it and then fire away. The other gun turns from a gun into a telescoping sword. So you can imagine the excitement at the house with these two.

I was sitting in a chair chatting away with the adults when POW I get hit with one of those cute little green balls. I look up only to see one of the boys grinning from ear to ear at me.
Now I am at a cross roads. I can 1. take the adult route and nicely ask him not to shoot people in the house and then go on with my conversation. 2. Loose my temper & scream about how you could put out an eye. or 3. Grab the gun, lock and load it and then begin running though the house like I am one of Charlie's Angles. Pegging each child like they are terrorists trying to take over the world, while spinning and whirling like I'm a secret agent.

So of course I took option #3. What else would I choose.

The Lesson:
If you shoot at your mother. Be prepared she might shoot back.

~LL

Lessons I learn from my children on vacation #1

As we have walked the beach this week, Peyton has been obsessed with finding seashells. We have had a blast hunting. But I have discovered that when she checks the shells to see if they are "keeper" quality, it is a little different than when I check the shells.
I look and look to find the biggest possible shell, finally when I can't find that huge shell (that everyone is always looking for and NEVER finds) I settle for looking for one a little smaller. But I will not settle on anything less than perfection. It must be perfectly formed. No chips or scratches. Perfectly colored. Nothing dingy or faded. Perfectly smooth or Perfectly rippled. Must be completely perfect or I throw it as hard as I can back into the ocean.
But Peyton. Now she has a different technique. She sits down in the water with all the shells.Runs her hands through the sand and the water and then picks up what ever she finds. If it is a shell......then it's a keeper. They ALL go in her bucket. I try to convince her that those shells aren't perfect and how we should only look for the ones that are. But she quickly educates me. She says, "Mom, they are all shells. And didn't we come down to the beach to look for shells?" I hang my head and sit down in the water with her and begin to look for shells.......her way :-)

The Lesson:

We the church (little c) love looking for shells. We love the idea of adding to our collection. But the truth is we only want the perfect shells. Because somewhere in our world we have become convinced that it is only the perfect shells that will add true beauty to our church. People whos lives haven't been cracked, or broken, people who are the perfect color, or fit into the mold of beautiful. We have come to believe that the broken imperfect shells will take away or distract from the overall picture of the church.
Pretty sad huh?

To change our thinking would mean that we must change the way we view people. See them for the beauty they add instead of what they could take away. We would have to focus on keeping the broken and scratched ones instead of tossing them back out into the world. We would have to stop looking at our own preferences of getting things done and start focusing on "whatever it takes to reach them". Just like how Peyton sat down in the water with all the broken shells. It was there that she found the shells that she would take home. Standing up and looking down trying to find shells will cause you to miss the beauifully broken ones.


~LL

Waiting

Grrrrrr.
As I sit here I am waiting for time to pass. Our student ministry is having a movie on the lawn at a friends house tonight. So.....I am waiting for night. Because you can't have an outside movie while it is dark :-X

Barron has gotten in this horrible habit over the past months of being super impatient. It drives everyone in the house crazy. Part of the insanity is because he can't tell time. So every 5 minutes he asks,"How much time now?" Which is totally not cool when you are doing something at 8:30 at night. He wakes up asking, "How much time NOW?". The other part I can't decide if it is personality or gender.

Right now we are waiting on:
Movie on the lawn
Breakfast (tomorrow)
Vacation Bible School
The Beach
Church
Play time at the pool
Bedtime
Booktime
Bath time
the Library
Snack (at any point I will give in)
Tv time
Kindergarten
Vegetables to grow
his socks to be washed
PE in the fall
play date at friend's house

and the list goes on and on.......


But truth be told..... A patient one I am not. (Yes, I hear it in a Yoda voice in my head.)
And deep down inside, I am just like Barron. I just keep it all inside. So I guess that answers my question about why he is the way he is.


PS. This blog had no purpose except to give me something to do while I wait :-)


~LL

Out of My Mind

The book I am currently reading is called "Out of My Mind." It isn't very often that I read a book that isn't a christian title (mainly because I work in a christian bookstore :-). But this one was brought to my attention by a sweet lady who owns a children's bookstore here in town. It is filed under juvenile fiction, which is just perfect for my reading level :-)
While we are wondering around this great little bookstore, I began chatting with the owner. We talked for a while and then she says," let me read you something" and this is what she read to me....

Words
I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions.

Cathedral, Mayonnaise, Pomegranate.
Mississippi. Neapolitan. Hippopotamus.
Silky. Terrifying. Iridescent.
Tickle. Sneeze. Wish. Worry.

Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes-each one delicate and different,each one melting untouched in my hands.
Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Clever expressions. Jokes. Love songs.
From the time I was really little-maybe just a few months old-words were like sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them like lemonade. I could almost taste them. They made my jumbled thoughts and feelings have substance. My parents have always blanketed me with conversation. They chattered and babbled. They verbalized and vocalized. My father sang to me. My mother whispered strength into my ear.
Every word my parents ever spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them.
I have no idea how I untangled the complicated process of words and thought, but it happened quickly and naturally. By the time I was two, all my memories hadwords, and all my words had meanings.
But only in my head.
I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.

_______

Funny how I am surrounded by books constantly. I listen to sermons, read blogs, see tweets and facebook that constantly talk about books and authors. But God set that day up perfectly for me to walk into that bookstore and have that conversation with the owner. Since that day God has put a number of things in my path that deal with children with special needs. I am not sure what He is doing with all of this, but I don't believe in coincidences. Maybe He is calling me out, or maybe He is just softening my heart. Because I feel like my heart has been hardened my misunderstanding of families and children with special needs. Yesterday we were at the doctors office and there was a little boy with down syndrome. I felt myself smile at him differently than before. With more understanding.

Anyway.....all of that to say. "Out of My Mind" is a book worth reading. I refused to pay shelf price so I borrowed mine from the library :-) (Just don't tell the sweet little lady who read Ch.1 to me in her book store.)

That little children's song: He's still working on me....to make me what I ought to be...... is running through my head. God is so good and I am so thankful that He's isn't finished with me yet.


~LL

Been a while

I am forcing myself to sit down and finally blog. It feels like it has been forever since I sat and wrote anything other than some silly review. I guess I haven't felt the huge urge to write because of how life has been lately. I feel like we are on a freight train. Not one of those slow moving, never gonna get anywhere, my load is so heavy I can't hardly move freight trains. But one of those holy crap, hold on for your life, speeding furiously down the track, hope no ones is crossing, the load is heavy but totally worth it, this ride is amazing freight trains.
Since I don't even know where to begin I think I will make a list. A list of things that I am encouraged by or grateful for. Hope you enjoy it and on some level it catches you up on our life.

1. For God to love me enough.... to never stop.
2. For our family to work so well together to accomplish all of our million tasks without killing one another.
3. For a husband to love and honor.
4. For a husband who treats me the same.
5. For Lifepoint. Who accepted a vision from God and chases it in everything they do.
6. For the number of true friends I have to shrink but for those friendships to deepen.
7. For children who love me despite my parenting skills.
8. For my garden that makes me feel at home (even though it won't produce :-)
9. For my bible study ladies who make me laugh ...and laugh...and laugh
10. For my health because it could be worse :-)
11. For my baggage. Because with each passing year it gets lighter, but still heavy enough to force humility.
12. For Mellow-Yellow. Because it just makes me happy.
13. Marshmallows do too :-)
14. For my job. Though I HATE to go off and work, I am thankful for the people I meet, and the stories they tell that change my life.
15. For worship music. Because it is there...in music....that I feel the closest to God. (Even though I can't carry a tune :-)
16. For thunderstorms. Because they are peaceful and powerful at the same time. Just like God.
17. For fiction books that take me somewhere that I may never go or have already been. But always take me away.
18. For aloe. Because as I sit here and type the laptop is burning my legs on my sunburn. (Welcome to Summer)
19. For coke icee.....need I say more?
20. For date night. Because time out with my best friend is the best time ever.
21. For the beach. AHHHHH vacation. It's coming.....soon.
22. For blogs. Because the give us windows into the lives of people we normally would never meet.
23. For Hell's Kitchen. Because somewhere... deep down...there is a little Gordon Ramsay in us all. (ok maybe just in me ;-)
24.For Homeschooling. Because I only get 18 years to really invest. I am so thankful I get to spend it investing in all 4 of them.
25. For a hubby that enables/encourages me on our home school adventure.
26. Lastly.....for flip flops. Because I was born to be barefoot, so flip flops are the next best thing.

All of that to say. Life is good and busy. Hopefully the list will either catch you up a little or just make you laugh. But either way, it's a blog and now I am up-to-date.


~LL

Book Winner

And the winner is..............





Kate.





Thanks to all you who commented. Kate I know you will love it :-)


~LL

Fun Stuff

This week I received some fun goodies to review. The fact that this is post number 2 about random "stuff" ought to give you a pretty good glimpse into our crazy little life. From standing beside my hubby in ministry, to homeschooling 4, growing in Christ,reading tons, shopping when I can, and trying to live green. It all gives me PLENTY of things to write about. Reviews of products can be pretty boring to read so I will try to keep you entertained :-)


This time I got to pick out 4 things from the wonderful online stores of CSN.

#1 My children would call it a "A big huge bouncy ball" . I would call it "Mom is always gonna fuss when the kids get it out ball". But it is really a Yoga Direct Yoga Balance/Fitness Ball. One of my favorite things to do at the gym is the stability ball. I have had one in the past but.....to be honest I really didn't know how to use it. Now I do :-) and I love it. (When the kids aren't bouncing it down to hall ways and off the ceiling.grrrrrrrr)

#2 My little princess daughter would say they are called ...."If you put them under your shirt mom they look like boobs. But mom, I can't say that because that would be inappropriate. Right?" balls. I would call them Soft Weighted Toning Balls and they go great with my stability ball. But I keep them hidden in the closet until time to workout with them because the kids behave like they are at Chuck E Cheese when I bring them out.

#3 This one is a little random. I felt a little guilty to pick only stuff for me so I pick out something for school too. They are Basic sight word flash cards. I am so excited for school next year. We will be starting Kindergarten with the youngest two and it will be things like these flash cards that will make it easier and fun to learn to read.

#4 This one is even more random. I am not sure what to even say about it. Except that I love it and I needed one. In fact everyone needs at least one. I had a big one and it just didn't work for everything so this one fits perfectly..... it's a Calphalon slotted spoon. ( I told you it was random :-)

These wonderful gifts arrived from a great online company called CSN. They have 200+ websites to shop from. To name a few www.allchildrensfurniture.com www.csnbaby.com, www.cookware.com, www.allmodern.com
Basically anything you could need or want..... as you can tell by the things that I got.
kids bedding....cookware.....baby stuff....they have a site for everything. The support has been great and they are all very friendly. So next time you don't want to drag the kiddos out or you feel like shopping online is the easier way to go.....check them out :-)


Hope you enjoyed the review and the craziness from my life. Have a great weekend!!!


~LL

PS Don't forget the book giveaway next Thursday. GO leave a comment on the post Book Give Away

Sneak Peak CSN stores

Coming soon......

Another product review from one of the many stores that CSN has to shop from. They have an amazing selection of stores that sell tons of things. You can shop for bathroom vanities, shoes, baby toys, yoga mats, and much much more. For now check CSN out and Look for my review on a product from one of these stores soon.


Toodles

~LL

Who is the King of Glory?

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Yesterday I sat and watched a live stream of Zac's funeral. It was sad and amazing. Sad because he left behind 3 children and a wife, but amazing because he got to leave this world for a better one. One of healing.
I didn't know Zac. But he has changed me.
Different people yesterday stood at his memorial service and said the same thing, "Zac had the same faith before he got cancer as he did after he got got cancer."
In the past I have said/prayed that in the face of tragedy...... my faith would be strong. I have prayed to no matter what ever happens in our life, that I would be able to point to God and give Him the glory. But now I want it to be said of me,"She had the same faith before ____________ as she did during and after."
Zac apparently made the request that his memorial service be lived streamed for people to watch. Technology is amazing. In life and death this man's faith is changing people. He also made the request that the song Hosanna be sung at his memorial service. I see the King of Glory..... is a line from the song that is playing over and over. I sat down this morning to my bible study and the scripture was

Psalm 24.
1 The earth is the Lord 's, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
2 For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
5 They will receive the Lord 's blessing
and have a right relationship with God their savior.
6 Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

7 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord , strong and mighty;
the Lord , invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
10 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of Heaven's Armies—
he is the King of glory.

As I re-evaluate my level of faith....... God is asking me to define "Who is the King of Glory".

Matthew 16:15
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Bigger than who do we "say" that God is. How do we "live" who God is.

Hosanna


I pray that we never have to face a situation like Zac's. But in the event that our lives would experience such tragedy, I pray that our faith and our lives would reflect a mighty God of everlasting hope.



~LL

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was..... ummm well.....Mother's Day :-) . I woke up yesterday and Hubby was off to church before I got up. The kids woke up like normal (yelling and crying about not wanting to get up). We pulled it all together and got out the door to make it to church. I took a deep breath as we drove down the road. Even thought it was Mother's Day....it was also Sunday. And Sunday mornings at our house aren't always the most joyful morning of the week. (Sad but true :-)

We got to church and I got everyone to the places they belong and then I went into church and this is what I got.



I couldn't help but laugh and cry. I needed a thank you yesterday. And I got one. A BIG one. I have learned that many days are thankless but that doesn't mean that they aren't thankful.

We ended our day with all 6 of us going to see IronMan 2. I had a 2 13 year olds that had to sit in the row in front of us, a 5 year old little boy that asked questions all the way through the movie and a 5 year old little girl that climbed/snuggled all over me the whole time. But it was great! Steven and I were together with our children and that's what really mattered. Family!

So today.....the day after Mother's Day.....I sit in my pj's, unshowered, with a headache from a little one waking me up WAY TO EARLY, half eaten breakfast in front of me, laundry piling up, cleaning calling to be done, and errands that desperately need my attention .......


and I count my blessings.....one little head at a time. Thank you God for trusting me to train these beautiful creations of yours. Thank you for allowing me to be part of their journey. And thank you for making everyday Mother's Day.

Black and White

Recently God has laid out in front of me some black and white situations. Situations that the Bible speaks very clearly on and gives very specific examples of. Now I by no means want a theological debate to happen. God knows that I am not smart enough for one of those fights. This is just simply what I have seen in scripture lately and what God is challenging me on. Here are some examples:

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
It doesn't say maybe, you might, you could possibly be destroyed. It says Pride first then comes destruction. Seems pretty black and white to me.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Is homosexuality a sin? Yes. But so is sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, prostitutes,thieves, greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. (Pretty black and white to me.)

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
This one is a little tough for some to swallow. But the question is : Why were women created?

Phillipians 4:19
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus".
This one is pretty clear too. God will supply ALL of your NEEDS. Not all of your wants and desires. But your NEEDS and all of them.

Exodus 20:15
Thou shall not steal.
It doesn't matter how much you want it or need it. You can't have something that doesn't belong to you.


Scripture seems to be pretty black and white on a lot of topics. Why is it that we muddy the waters so? It seems like we have thought about things so much that we have actually confused ourselves. Like when the Bible says that God created everything in 7 days......well guess what....I believe that what He was really trying to say was....."That He created everything in 7 days." Call me immature or ignorant, but I just take the Bible at face value. I believe what it says when I read it.
And truth be told, I don't really care enough about some topics to argue. But the ones that are pretty clear, I am not going to argue about those either. I will just continue on in my little bubble until I get to stand before God and He corrects me. :-)

~LL

Could It Be

It wasn’t worth it to give myself away
They didn’t deserve it but they had all of me
I tried to find myself in someone elses eyes
A broken heart is all they left behind
And now the question that was haunting me
Is somehow comforting

Could it be everything that I was looking for
Could it be everything that I was missing before
Could it be everything that I could want and more
Is only You Lord
Could it be the only one who really satisfies
Was always standing here right before my very eyes
Could it be You my Lord

It felt so perfect I thought I had it all
For a moment and then it all went wrong
Captivated by the all the lies
They used me and left this soul to die
And now the question that was haunting me
Is all I’m holding

Could it be everything that I was looking for
Could it be everything that I was missing before
Could it be everything that I could want and more
Is only You Lord
Could it be the only one who really satisfies
Was always standing here right before my very eyes
Could it be You my Lord

I wanted so bad to be loved and to love
I wanted so bad that I gave myself up
Everything I had it could never be enough
Could it be, could it be you

_______________________

Could It Be By: Anthony Evans and Jason Ingram



I love this song and just thought I would share. I relate to so much of it. I am so thankful for a grace giving God. Who has always loved me even when I couldn't see it. A merciful Savior who planned my life and gave me the free will to live it. A loving God who never left me and always forgives me. And a God who uses all that I have and will go through to glorify Himself if only I will step aside.

~LL

Friendship

Last night I went out and painted pottery with a group of ladies from my Monday night bible study. I call them the MNL (Monday Night Ladies). It was so much fun especially because I am not the most artsy person around. I will post a picture of it when I get it back, it is being fired right now :-)
Anywho.....I have been doing different bible studies with these ladies for about 8-9 months. Our group has grown and shrunk according to different people's schedules but for the most part it is alot of the same ladies. In the beginning I said to Steven,"If I start this bible study, don't let me become a bible study junkie. Going from one bible study to the next and never stopping to live out what I learn." I was afraid that if I started attending a bible study I would get sucked into the vortex and never come out. Working at Lifeway I have seen so many ladies that live for "the next Bible study". They come in month after month buying studies, and I always wonder....."When do they live what they learn?"
But I have found that I don't always attend Bible study for the bible study :-) The friendships that have formed cannot be matched anywhere else. Now don't hear me wrong. I love studying God's word. I love the schedule that the bible study forces me to keep. I love the accountability that the group holds me to. But the fellowship.......is just so sweet. The past couple of weeks we have been between studies so we have done some "out" time. Last week we went to Panera Bread and then to Lifeway to find a new study and then this week we painted pottery. Our group has women from all walks of life. Some are single, some are married, some are moms, some are single moms, & some are grandmothers. The cool thing is that the past couple of weeks have shown us all that we have more than a bible study....we have friendship. There is something pretty special about friendships that are formed around the common bond of loving Jesus and being a woman.
When we first moved here I began to pray that God would give me true friendship. It is something I have struggled with in ever city we have lived in. God has given me some really special friends along our journey and I am so thankful. My prayer was to have some women that would love me and pour into me. Ministry can be so lonely sometimes and authentic friendship is hard to find. My prayer was also that I would have women to pour into. You have to laugh at my current scenario....I am in 3 small groups. One that is all mine. Where the kids stay home with daddy, no one goes with me, I am not responsible for anything but myself and getting me there. Another that is full of moms that have younger children. This one, the older girls babysit, my littles go with and play with the other littles, and I am one of 3 staff wives in the group. It is a new group and I am still learning my place there. And third is my small group with Steven. He and I lead a group of 5 couples. It meets at my house, kids are in my basement, and we are responsible for almost everything. So you can see that all 3 groups hit different places in my heart. Different levels of responsibility, accountability, and friendship. It is amazing to see how God has far and away answered my prayers.

I just received the book Friendship for Grown-Ups ~Lisa Whelchel. I am anxious to read it because this is something I have struggled with all of my adult life. Once I finish reading it I will review and then I am going to do a giveaway! I am reading 4 books right now so please be patient with me....I will try to finish it a couple of weeks.

Toodles

~LL

Spring- April 2010

These are from a great day we got to spend at the National Harbor and then in DC. I LOVE SPRING!!!

Enjoying It

Funny how life takes you in many directions. Sometimes it's a location, or a view point, or a schedule. But wherever I am...it seems that I don't stay there long. When we moved a couple of years ago we embarked on a change that I never saw coming. I went to work full-time and gave up my homeschooling journey to my husband. Don't get me wrong we are a team...yes...but it has mainly been my journey with our children. (He is the principal :-) God and I had some very frank conversations during that time of my life. He had moved us and I didn't like it. But slowly God began to open my eyes and soften my heart to what was happening around us.
He was once again, gifting us with grace. He had placed us in a job, a home, a life situation, and a new direction that we hadn't asked for. (Or did we?) Or prayer has always been the God will provide and take care of our family. In the "new direction" that is exactly what He was doing.....over and over again.

God has provided for us in countless ways. A home, a job, a new ministry, etc. We have learned to stop planning our direction and to be patient for His directions. We recently were able to purchase the home that we have been living in for the past 2 years. We didn't think we could buy again for a while (after the financial ruin we experienced when we left Maryland) but God has provided....again.

Over the past couple of months I have felt pressed to focus on the health of our family. We have been working out pretty regularly as family and now we have begun the food portion of being healthy. I guess that is where the whole garden thing really came from. I started reading labels and started finding myself pretty grossed out by what we were eating. I discovered that I can make things from scratch with just a little more effort and feel so much better about what I am feeding my family.

I laughed at myself as I was fencing off my garden. Who would have thought 6 months ago that this is the direction our family would be going? Organic food, exercise, and wishing I could have a couple of chickens :-). I can't help but to think that some how the garden and change of lifestyle is God's way of allowing us to start over. Fresh, new, rested, healthy.

Funny how life changes. I don't know what God has for us tomorrow, next week, or next year, but I do know this: I am enjoying NOW and whatever directions come next I will trust Him.

~LL

Book Review- How Should a Christian Live?

Book Sneeze has again given me the chance to read and review a book. My last book that I had to review was not so great.

But this one comes From the Word of Promise: Next Generation. It is, How Should a Christian Live? Devotional & Journal. The book guides you along with devotions and then takes you to a cd that is included. The cd had parts of the New Testement on it and it is read by famous young stars. Like: Jordin Sparks, Emily Osment, Cody Linley, and many more.

This book has a devotional guide for 12 lessons that are geared toward the teen reader. The lessons aren't too long and or overwhelming for a new believer or a teen who is new to devotion time.

I love that the intro to the book gives a "how to" become a Christian. It defines the word salvation as- the rescue of someone in trouble. But then it goes to into how Jesus can supply that.

Good book! Great gift.
~LL

Easter Joys

Oh the joys of Easter. I grew up feeling like Easter was mainly about getting a new dress and the Easter Bunny visiting. I can remember specific dresses that I had and even some things that I got in my basket. I can even remember where they used to be hid. I am still not sure how my mom pulled off Easter Sunday morning. Getting us dressed, letting us search for the baskets, and getting us out the door to go to church. Even at my church growing up it was all about the clothing and a packed church. The pastor preached his best,the music was like a concert hall with full orchestras, choirs, etc. But it was done for the crowd. It wasn't because of the possible 1 chance we as a church might have to reach someone, but as the BIGGEST Sunday to preform. Seems pretty sad now that I really think about it and write it all out. But the truth is I loved that stuff as a child.
But, we (Hubby and I) have chosen to take a different approach to Easter. Normally the week before we tell bible stories about the events leading up to the cross. On Good Friday we try to do something special but this year we simply talked through what was "good" about Good Friday. Saturday night we attended a prayer and communion service to pray for what God was about to do on Easter. Then Easter morning came.....no eggs scattered, no fancy new clothes, no jelly beans down the hall, nothing. We got up and got dressed just almost just like normal. Except we put our game face on. I gave a pep talk on the way to church about what this morning could mean for hundreds of people. I talked about our attitudes not distracting us from the purpose of the day. I thanked the older two for choosing to volunteer an extra day without hesitation or complaint. And then I reminded them what Jesus did for all of us and how this morning was going to change peoples lives.
First service I sat with Baily and Shelby (which never happens b/c they are usually in their middle school environment). Music was off the charts. We sang about God's amazing grace and freedom. And the preaching...oh the preaching...was on the money. Pastor Daniel preached about King David and Mephibosheth. He talked about being crippled and being summoned by the King. He asked what cripples us and keeps us from coming home? It wasn't a typical Easter message about the cross, the tomb, the angels, the disbelief, the thorns, the last supper, the garden etc. It was a message to lead people to the cross. I loved it! The church day ended with over 1600 people attending, 300+ were kiddos, and hundreds giving their lives to Christ.
Easter is what you make it. Jelly beans, fancy dresses and chocolate bunnies aside....yesterday hundreds of people decided to "Come Home". Don't hear me wrong. I think you can have fun with Easter, without losing site of the real purpose. I just think it is a fine line that must be walked very carefully.


Thank you God for what you did thousands of years ago for our eternity. Thank you for your son Jesus who died a horrific death, taking on our sins, so that we can choose to live eternally with you. Thank you God for yesterday! We at LP saw mountains be moved and miracles happen. Thank you for calling us home.

Happy Monday after :-)

PS. We are going to D.C. today. YAY!my favorite thing to do. I will post pictures later. Gonna be a great day.