A "Wow" Book

Last weekend, I found myself looking for something to read (again). This is a chronic problem for me - I really am a book junkie. Sometimes, I'm just after a fluffy, entertaining read to pass some time, and others, I really want something satisfying that will make me think. This time I was looking for something stimulating, that I could spend some time thinking about after the read was over.
.
A friend recommended (and lent) a book to me, The Debt: The Story of a Past Redeemed, by Angela Hunt. The story is fictional, but the message within it hit very close to home. The main character, Emma Rose, is the wife of a nationally recognized televangelist and together they have spent 20 years building a mega-ministry. All of their hard work is threatened when something from her past resurfaces and forces her to face the fact that she may not have things as together as she previously imagined. Through Emma Rose's eyes, we are encouraged to take a closer look at our own Christian walks and challenged to step out of our comfort zones. I felt my toes being stepped on a bit as I read, and that was a good thing!
.
The Debt reminded me of a story I once heard a pastor read, and I was lucky enough to find it again on the internet:

Once upon a time, a group of people built a lighthouse to save people from the dangerous ocean. Everyone who joined the group knew their commitment was to go out and rescue people in peril. But, after a while, they decided there was no reason for all of them to risk their lives. Some of them should staff the lighthouse. After another passage of time, they decided they all should stay home and keep the light bright so people in danger could find their own way. After another while, the group was not quite sure they even wanted bedraggled people dripping all over the carpet, so they dimmed the light a little. And after another while, they decided they needed a new carpet and maybe an elevator. When the light went out, no one noticed. And after another while, someone quietly changed the sign outside from "Lighthouse" to "Clubhouse."
.
Now, I really need to get some more Christmas stuff finished! More on that later!

The Circle of Life

Couldn't resist The Lion King quote - it seemed appropriate! For those of you, who may be alarmed or upset at the picture, or the content of this post, I do apologize. I will add, though, that I, while I do not hunt, come from a very, very long line of avid hunters and deer hunting is deeply ingrained in my neck of the woods (no pun intended).
.
This picture makes me so happy - for so many reasons. Years ago, my father visited the gun shop owned by one of our neighbors, purchased a rifle, and put it away for the day that his grandson would go hunting with him. When my son was three or four years old, he was given a book called, When Pappy Goes Hunting. It was his favorite picture book, and at one time he had parts of the story memorized. He anxiously awaited the time when he would go off into the woods with his grandfather to go hunting. This was his year. This summer he prepared by taking his hunter safety course, even though as a mentored hunter he didn't need to take it until next year, but he wanted to be a prepared as possible. By the time he left for the camp on Sunday, he had talked of little else for many days. Monday afternoon, I received a call from an extremely excited young man and an equally excited and PROUD grandfather!
.
Plans have been made for jerky and meat will be going into the freezer soon, but this picture will be cherished for years and years to come.

Marriage Monday

Want this button?

This month's Marriage Monday Theme is "He Speaks: A Revealing Interview With My Husband." So here goes:

Q. What is your favorite holiday and why?
A. Christmas. I've always liked Christmas, it's always been a special holiday with lots of family time. My favorite quote happens to be about Christmas, "One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day, don't clean it up too quickly." Andy Rooney

Q. What is your favorite Christmas memory?
A. I don't know, I've had so many of them. Most recently, I really enjoyed going shopping on Black Friday with our daughter (note - they got up at 3:30 a.m. to go to Wal-mart). But growing up, I loved our special Christmas eve tradition of visiting with my Aunt Delores and my grandmother over pizza.

Q. What would your ideal Christmas look like?
A. I would love to have an old fashioned Christmas, kind of like the meals and parlor games they had in A Christmas Carol, or a special family Christmas at a cabin in the woods. Snow would be optional, but family and fun would be the most important.

Q. I know you enjoy shopping for gifts, who do you most enjoy buying for and why?
A. The kids, because I get to play with some of the stuff they get. Just kidding. I have so much fun watching them open their gifts on Christmas morning.

Q. What are your favorite ways to keep the true meaning of Christmas at the center of the season?
A. We have always made sure that the kids have known that Christ's birth is the real reason we celebrate Christmas. In addition to participating in our church's Christmas activities, we light Advent candles, our Nativity set is the center piece of our decorating and I love reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke every Christmas eve.

Q. So, what are you going to get me for Christmas? I know the Black Friday shopping trip was supposed to be a covert operation, were you shopping for me?
A. Nice try.

For anyone who does not know my husband, let me fill you all in. My husband is Mr. Christmas. He starts listening to Christmas music on November 1 and is plotting how to decorate the house months ahead of time. Tree hunting is serious business, we spend a lot of time hiking around the tree farm looking for the perfect Christmas tree - and it has to be big! He has amassed quite a collection of nutcrackers, too. Christmas with him is an adventure!

Count Your Blessings

1. I am thankful for my husband, who is pure awesomeness in human form.

2. I am thankful for my daughter, who is growing up so quickly.

3. I am thankful for my son, who makes me laugh so often.

4. I am thankful for my parents, who gave me a loving home to grow up in.

5. I am thankful for my church, for its demonstration of Christian love.

6. I am thankful for my quirky pets, they keep us entertained.

7. I am thankful for my country, and the freedoms we too often take for granted.

8. I am thankful even for the everyday chores that I gripe about sometimes.

9. I am thankful for my house, it was an answer to prayer.

10. I am thankful for each and every person who reads my blog!

Most of all, I am thankful to God for providing everything on the list above and so much more!

Big Brave Dogs

Brace yourself, folks! Here is a terror filled tale of bedtime gone horribly wrong.
.

It starts out innocently enough. Every evening, the routine is the same.
.
Bedtime, pups!

.

(glowing green laser eyes optional with every greyhound adoption!)

.

Runner, why did you stop? Why are you trying to run back downstairs?

Midnite, why do you look so scared? Is there something up there?

Beware! What is lurking at the top of the steps is not for the faint of heart. Please move small children away from your monitor before scrolling down the page.
.

.

.

.

***SCREAM***
.

Two dogs, one weighing in at 53 pounds and the other weighing in at 70 pounds, terrified of the cat they have co-habitated with for three years. She lies in wait for them every night, reveling in their terror. Hey- its a hobby.
.

They do eventually run the gauntlet and get to their bed, but it is a nightly challenge.

How to Shred a Paycheck

Ten years ago, I was the very tired mother of a darling, rambunctious one year old boy and a beautiful three year old spitfire. I was working full time in a chaotic, county funded mental health clinic. 'Nuff said.

.

One bright sunny September day, all was right with the world. Birds were singing, the sky was clear, it was payday and my husband and I were going to be leaving for a child free weekend at a bed and breakfast - oh the joy! Alas, as soon as I stepped over the office threshold that day, everything went awry. The appointments ran late, patients were perturbed, the payroll did not come when expected, the computers revolted and calamity was waiting around every corner. The paychecks were finally delivered by late afternoon - much to everyone's relief. Especially mine. Soon, blessedly, it was the end of the day. Now, just to be clear, part of my job was to collect every bit of paper with any of our clients' personal information - however small- and shred it before leaving the office. It. Was. Mandatory. Absolutely. Mandatory. So, I scurried frantically, gathering up anything I could find for the daily shredding. Mission accomplished, I went back to my desk to straighten it up. My pay check was not on my desk where I had left it. I looked under the desk. I looked under the calendar on my desk. I looked in my trash can. I looked in my purse. I looked under my keyboard. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. When it finally dawned on me what might have happened - I thought I might be sick. Sure enough, rummaging through the paper strips in the shredder revealed some short pink strips and tell-tale clear plastic from the window on the envelope. I sat with them in my hands and cried. I felt so very stupid. I did call the payroll office and pled my case. Once the HR representative stopped laughing, she came up with a solution to replace my check. It seemed downright tragic at the time, but laughable now.

.

That weekend away turned out to be wonderful, even with it's less than fun beginning! I resolved to be more careful in the future - a resolution I've broken many times in the past decade (as recently as last evening, as a matter of fact).

.

(I accidentally wore my shirt inside out and backwards to youth group last evening. But it was under a cardigan - if that makes it any better)

Of Ax Heads and Work Stress

I try to leave work completely out of this blog. I prefer to make this a place of faith, family and laughter - a sanctuary, if you will. But realistically, I spend 40 hours a week there, and it is bound to creep in here and there. Sometimes the stress becomes overwhelming and clings to me no matter where I go or who I am with.
.
So, I wanted to share an account from the Bible, that has meant a lot to me over the past several weeks. I first heard this story as a young teenager, and I have to admit, I didn't see what the big deal was at the time.
.

2 Kings 6

1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.
² Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”
So he answered, “Go.”
³ Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.”
And he answered, “I will go.”
⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
⁵ But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”
⁶ So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
⁷ Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

.

Here, we have some men, working at a menial task - pretty much every day stuff. They needed to expand their living quarters, and with Elisha's blessing they set out to cut down some trees. Everything was fine until an ax head fell into the water - and sunk along with the heart of the man who borrowed it. We hear him cry, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed." How many times have you felt just like that? A deadline gets missed. The car gets into a fender bender. A check gets accidentally put through the shredder ( a story for another day, perhaps). Our hearts cry, "Nooooooooo. Please noooooooo." or "Please don't let this be happening." That awful feeling of panic sets in.
.
What do we see happening next? Elisha scolding the man for being irresponsible? Elisha shrugging his shoulders and saying "Deal with it."? No. He asks, "Where did it fall?" He cared. God cared. God cared about that man's anguish over the lost ax head. He caused it to float so that it could be retrieved easily. Problem solved. God cares about us when the deadline gets missed, the car gets a dent and when we do something careless like shred our paycheck. We have a great big God, big enough to care about the minute details of our lives.
.
And aren't we lucky that He does?