108 posts from 2008

hello 2009!

Dec 31, 2008
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I began packing up Christmas 2008 this morning and realized how much I cherish every ornament on our family tree and the moments and people that they represent. I wondered...what will my family look like next year? What does 2009 have in store for us? All I can do is step into the new year with hope and confidence that no matter what lies ahead, our family (and yours) will be blessed beyond belief.

things that make you go hmmm

Dec 11, 2008
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A friend told me I should put this Christmas gift idea on my blog. I guess my blog has a reputation of being random, so this random idea fits.

I am not going to try to figure out why someone would want this. It's a Hug Me Pillow. You can check it out for yourself here.

I like snuggling, but this creeps me out!

fuel a soul

Dec 8, 2008
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How often do you compliment people or give positive feedback? Probably not often enough. I know it is something I need to work on. Sometimes I have the thought but I don't always verbalize it. This is becoming more of a priority for me especially after yesterday as I witnessed the aftermath of two guy friends of mine who had received compliments that bolstered them to a higher level of feeling valued.

Guy #1 is a musician in our band and I overheard him say that when people positively compliment his music, it makes him feel good about what he is doing. As a result, his soul was fueled.

Guy #2 is one of the few MALE workers in Journeyland, our preschool ministry. Apparently a family had sent an email to church leadership, complimenting Guy#2 and his gift for working with children and the positive impact he has had on their child. He hesitated to repeat this story because he didn't want to come across as having a 'big head'. But it made him feel good about what he is doing. And guess what? It was fuel for his soul.

I wonder why people are so hesitant these days to give a compliment to others, even if it is second hand information. I believe one reason is because of their own insecurities. Or maybe they feel as though they are feeding an ego instead of fueling a soul. We are not responsible for what people do with the compliments we give them. We should give them away freely with the expectation that our words are helping build them up.

During this season of giving, why not give away the gift of kind words. I would like to present a challenge to us all: make an effort to give away three compliments every day this week. Be sincere. Be specific. Be intentional. See how many souls you can fuel.

teddy got baptized

Dec 7, 2008
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This is Teddy. We affectionately refer to him as Teardown Teddy because he has helped tear down equipment on Sunday mornings for several years at TrueNorth Church. Teddy is an incredible testimony and important part of TNC. Teddy was baptized this morning.

Did I mention that Teddy gets around in a wheelchair because he has no legs?

It struck me this morning what a powerful testimony Teddy could be to all of us. A man with no legs, who lends his arms at church to the best of his ability, while people with arms AND legs walk in and out without lifting a finger. Teddy also invites his friends who are far from God to church. Teddy gets it. He loves Jesus. And he wanted everyone to know it today.

notable quotables...a new series

Dec 6, 2008
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Allison: Mom, I'm bored.

Me: You could be studying for the SAT.

Allison: Mom, I'm twelve. I won't take it for four more years!

Me: Well it's never too early to get started!

happy thanksmas!

Nov 26, 2008
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It is a little confusing at our house this year during the Thanksgiving season because we have already decorated for Christmas. I had to bring a little Thanksgiving to this tree by adding Matthew's indian feather cap to the top until it is replaced with a paper star for Christmas. We have made fun of people like us before. I feel as though we have broken a very sacred rule of etiquette by decorating so early. But we will be busy the next two weekends, so we decided to go ahead and enjoy the decor a little longer this year.

We don't know whether to say Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas. So we will just say Happy Thanksmas for now!

things that make you go hmmm

Nov 21, 2008
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A Christmas gift idea for those who have everything...

The Snuggie

i needed a good laugh

Nov 19, 2008
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trust

Nov 17, 2008
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Jay Knotts did some breaking down of Psalm 23 this past Sunday at TrueNorth Church during the I AM series. "The Lord is my shepherd" translates in my simple mind as "The Lord is my leader."

I have had a blog post brewing in my mind for awhile, but never seemed to make sense out of it until focusing on this particular verse in Psalm. So here it goes:

Recently, our family (ten of us...including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) went on a trip to San Antonio, Texas. We utilized many forms of transportation during this trip. We took a car to Atlanta, shuttle bus to the airport, flew to Texas, and shuttle-bussed to the hotel. While in San Antonio, we took the public transit, rental cars, and boat rides. All ten of us. We were constantly counting heads and re-counting to make sure we were all together (I'm flashbacking to Home Alone in my mind now). As we were rushing through the airport on our return home , the ten of us were headed toward the baggage claim, and I was watching my seven year old son, Matthew. Considering all the modes of transportation that we had experienced on our trip, I realized that he stayed with the pack and followed every move we made. He never questioned if we were at the right gate. When we turned left, he never said we should turn right. He watched us and knew what to do at every moment. He completely trusted his leaders to take him where he needed to go. And he arrived at his destination without a glitch.

Are you a leader? Say yes. Everyone is a leader of something. But are you a trusted leader?

Do you have a leader? Nod your head. Everyone is lead by someone. But do you trust your leader?

Psalm 23 tells us that as our leader, the Lord will never lead us astray. He is not going to tell us to go east while he goes west. He leads with authority and provides security. We can have complete trust that he is taking us in the right direction.

In your circles of influence, how can you become more trusted and return that trust to others?

name this sheep

Nov 14, 2008
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We will have a special guest appearance at TrueNorth Church - North Augusta this Sunday. Jay Knotts will be speaking and may be asking for some help from this little fella that I picked up for him from our friends at Just Beds. Ever since I brought him to my house for the weekend, he has made himself right at home. Considering we are a family who names our cats Kitty, and Kitty Kitty, and Kitty Kitty Kitty, we have no business naming this sheep. Would you help us out and leave a comment here so that we can give this sheep a unique name?