Hope your day ended as beautifully as ours did...

Just a quick thought that's been with me today:

This morning for Bible we read Exodus 3, an incredibly familiar tale of a mysterious bush, which although fully enflamed was not consumed. The voice of God came from this bush, and spoke words to Moses that both terrified and intrigued him. His life was never to be the same.

Vs. 3 says, "As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed." And yet God was indwelling that bush. I kept hearing the words over and over, "Our God is a consuming fire." This is from Deuteronomy 4, where the Israelites are warned not to take on any idols or forget their covenant, because God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

I'm not sure why it hit me this way today, but I've just been mulling over the fact that God, a consuming fire, was burning in that bush and yet it was not consumed. Clearly, the Lord is able to keep from consuming when He chooses. And it occurred to me that this is exactly what He is doing now.

How hard must it be to hold back when this world is so full of evil? When there are millions of people starving to death because of the corruption of their government that holds back aid? When women and children are sold into slavery for pennies? When I can't safely change channels on the TV with my children present for fear of what we might be assaulted with that will steal a piece of their innocence that they can never get back?

There must be times when He is so grieved that it is everything He can do to hold back that destructive force. And yet He does. Why? Because of His incredible mercy.

And while His love will endure forever, there will be a time that His mercy for this world runs out. In the meantime, there's work to be done.

I think I've created little monsters. Several months ago, Bailey began asking for coffee. I started letting her have mine when I was finished with it. She loved it so much that she began begging for her own cup most mornings. So I gave in and would make her a small cup. Now, granted, it is half coffee and half flavored creamer, but it is still coffee.
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Not long ago, Brad decided he was brave enough to give it a try. He also fell in love with the rich flavors of java and french vanilla. So now I have successfully, albeit unintentionally, created two new morning caffeine addicts. This is bad.
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Last Sunday we bought a gazebo for our deck. I love it because it has already made a huge difference in keeping the deck from turning into an oven in the hot sun. My kids are enamored with it and have eaten virtually every meal out there since we put it up.
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This morning it was only about 59 degrees, but they were determined to eat breakfast out there. Jeff stuck his head out the door when he saw Brad all bundled up in his hoodie and asked if it was cold out there.
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Brad answered, "I'm freezing... but at least I've got a good hot cup of joe!"

Bryant's school program was yesterday. How hilarious to see a bunch of 1 and 2 year olds up on stage while the teachers dance around and do everything they can to get them to perform. Bryant just stood there. When he saw me over to the side taking a video, he just stared at me. You could tell he was really trying to figure out what to do, why I was off to the side and he was up on stage. Quite funny.

They were running a constant slide show of the kids, and this was the pic they had of Bry. I loved it!
Here's the video of "Five Little Monkeys." Too fun!

Third Child Syndrome

Never in a million years can I imagine my letting Bradley do this at two. But he's seen it done so many times, he figured he was up for the task.

The funniest part is how much he grunts during the whole exercise. It's a pretty tough workout for a little guy!

Happy Mother's Day!

I was able to spend the afternoon with my sister, mom and grandmother today. Considering that 12 years ago this weekend my grandmother had an aneurism that should have killed her, we truly are blessed that she was with us today.

My sweet family gave me a digital photo frame this morning. Isn't technology amazing? We do things and have things that were portrayed on the Jetsons as being way out in some space age. Makes you wonder what life will be like five years from now.

Hope your day was blessed!

This morning Bailey wrote in her journal about what she thinks heaven will look like. I don't know what prompted this, but it was too adorable not to share. (Jane Anne, you will especially get a kick out of this one!) When I realized what the sign to the left said, I asked her if it was what I thought it was. She confirmed with a huge grin.

This is what she dictated to me:

This picture is about Heaven. It is what I think it will look like when I go up to Heaven. God will be standing beside children. He is standing in a hay chair, in a house made of hay. As you can see, I am going to Krispy Kreme. I think there won't be a sign. They'll have hot donuts all the time. The End.

Amen.

Tonight in Sunday school we were discussing Hebrews 11 and the first part of 12. This is what's often called the "Hall of Faith," because it describes a bunch of amazing acts done by ordinary people who God used to do extraordinary things. He did this because they were willing. When their moment(s) came, they seized the day.

We had a really interesting discussion about all of this. Our teacher, Allen, was making the point that our lives are not supposed to be about sitting on the sidelines watching others make all the plays on the field. We are supposed to be on the field ourselves, fully engaged in the game. He was encouraging us to put aside complacency and mediocrity and just living life to get from one day to the next.

He asked us why we think so often we're content to sit in the stands and watch. I think there are a lot of reasons for this. For one, I think our Enemy has done a bang-up job of convincing millions of Christians over the years that all we can do is try to follow the rules, go to church as often as possible, pray when we can, read the Bible every now and then and expect our great reward once we die. As long as he has been able to keep us busy with our lives and feeling like we don't really have time for any great acts of faith, he doesn't have to worry about us too much.

But every now and then some of us do decide to jump on the field and play. And it's in that moment when we decide to leave the stands that Satan sits up and takes notice. And suddenly it's like a scene out of a movie where the guy sees the girl from a great distance away, and as he tries to make his way through the crowds to get to her, the multitudes grow thicker and thicker with each step he takes. Obstacles come out of nowhere in an attempt to build the suspense. Will he make it before she leaves or will he miss her and lose her forever?

This is kind of how I feel right now. I feel like I've been learning so much about God and what kind of potential there is for relationship, and whenever we make forward progress, life starts getting crazy busy and out of control and I suddenly realize I've gone two or three days without being in the Word at all. It's incredibly frustrating. But there's no condemnation in that - you just pick back up and jump in the game.

There was some discussion tonight about concern that life is not all about parting the Red Sea and big power moments. There is truth in that, and I understand the points that were being made. We are supposed to take advantage of the every day moments and random conversations. I totally agree with that. But how often do we actually do it?

I was at the Target Starbucks a couple of weeks ago and the lady behind the counter just kept talking and talking to me about mostly nothing. I was not in the mood to talk. I gave short answers and just kept thinking, "How long can it take to make a white mocha?" As I walked back into the store, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had just completely wasted an opportunity to share the love of Christ. Completely blown it. Why? Because I wasn't in the game. I was totally self-absorbed with my own agenda and issues.

And I think that this is really the point. Being in the game means that you are always available for God to use at any given moment. It may not be anything earth-shattering. But it could be a conversation that changes someone's life. The point is that when the opportunity arises, you don't miss it.

And in order to not miss it, we have to be abiding in Him. We have to be keeping that line of communication open with God so that when He speaks, we hear. We may not be the person that saves the world. But what if one conversation we have with someone is the answer to their prayer. What if that person decides to follow Christ and in turn becomes the next Billy Graham? We have no idea what God has in mind for us - so we have to let Him show us.

The person I find most interesting in Hebrews 11 is Rahab. Here we do not have a woman of extraordinary morality. She was a prostitute living in Jericho at a specific point in time where God needed someone on the inside to fulfill an important role in His plan. She was faced with a moment of crisis. Do I help the people of this God I've heard so much about and who I'm convinced is real and able to do exactly what these guys are saying, or do I not? She could have turned those spies in. She had no reason not to. But she acted on faith and believed in a God that up until that point she hadn't known. And she was rewarded not only with her life being spared and that of her household, but she became the mother of Boaz, the great-grandfather of one King David, an ancestor to Christ, the Messiah.

What if she had chosen differently? Would God's plan for the Israelites to take Jericho have failed? Of course not. He just would have used someone else, and the blessings would have been theirs. God doesn't have to use me. I am not vital to his plans. He will accomplish what He wants to with or without me. But I shudder at the thought of missing His blessings over my life. How many have I missed so far?

So it all comes back to what we do every day with the time we have on this planet. Are we setting our minds on things that are eternal? Are we using our time for Kingdom work? Or are we sitting on the sidelines with our snacks, hoping that our team comes out okay? We have the opportunity to be on the field. Why would we want to do anything else?

The truth is that our reward is not supposed to be saved up for when we die.

God told Abram, "I am your shield, your very great reward."

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Our time is now. Carpe Diem.

Bradley's piano recital was this morning. He played two songs, "Indian Song," and an original composition entitled, "Up Down." He did a great job.

You can hear "Indian Song," here and "Up Down," here. Enjoy!

Since he's been teaching Bailey in his spare time, after the recital he let her show her stuff. This is good big brother mode, so I have to capture it on film!

Last night was the BBC Homeschool presentation night. It was our first year to participate in this event, but the third year since its inception. Meredith Slonecker does an amazing job running this group, and deserves huge kudos for doing it with four kids!


When we first arrived, there were tables set up for all the families to display their year's work. Some had one table per child, but we were doing pretty good to have one table. I don't keep all that much stuff, I'm sorry to say. But we ended up having a pretty good little display. Bailey had written a story about a dog and made a diorama to go along with it. Bradley had written a report on Marie Curie and done a diorama for that. Other than that we just had some artwork and pictures of them doing different things this year.


The first thing on the formal agenda was kindergarten graduation. There were five girls and one boy. Since they got to pick the color of their cap and gown, you can imagine that pink was a popular choice.


I thought it was really neat that they had each family come up and present the diplomas. Bailey was last, and it was a really special moment for us to be able to tell her how proud we are of her and especially her accomplishment of learning to read this year. She was so sweet.



We managed to keep Bryant quiet for a few minutes at least with the much-loved blue Dum Dum. They're messy, but it's worth it.


After the graduation was a great slide show that Meredith MaGuirk put together from everyone's pictures. The kids loved seeing themselves pop up on the big screen. Every time they saw themselves they would say, "me!" or "you!" or "us!" It was cute for a little while...


After the slide show came the individual presentations. Each child has the opportunity to recite something, sing, share a report or basically do anything they want to. It lasts a while, but I think it was great for the kids to have that opportunity.


This is Bailey singing, "John 3:16." It's such a sweet song, and she sounded like an angel. Yes, her hair is straight. She BEGGED! I figure that most little girls curl their hair when they want to be fancy, so I guess she has the right to straighten hers. She loves it so much, but gets really frustrated when no one else seems to like it!


Bradley recited Psalm 1, and didn't miss a beat. Unfortunately, I did, though. I had the wrong memory card in, so after I video-taped Bailey doing her song, the thing was full. I'm so bummed that I missed capturing his big moment. But trust me - he was fantastic.


Of course Bryant spent much of the night keeping Daddy occupied in the back. Next year we might need to invest in a babysitter.


It really was a great night. It's hard to graduate on Thursday night and have to go right back to doing school on Friday morning, but that's the way it has to be. Only three weeks left, though!

Since I did get Bailey on video, I have to share. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. :)

Just a quick update.

Jeff and Bradley are home. Blessing.

Jeff brought some funky thing back with him and is running a fever of 104. Not a blessing.

I am completely bogged down in a trial that I never should have accepted because when did I think I had time to do this? Not a blessing.

I only have 149 pages left to proof. Blessing.

The package we mailed to India finally arrived this week! Blessing.

The children's choir musical is on Friday. Mixed blessing.

Children's choir is about to be over for the summer. Blessing.

Dress rehearsal is tomorrow night. Not a blessing.

Bryant can dance. A blessing to share.

A Word from Brad

Dear Mommy,
We went to the Lincoln Memorial yesterday. We also went to the Washington monument, the World war 2 memorial, and the White House. We bought shirts for me, Bailey and Bryant. I got one that said, “I (picture of a heart) DC”. So did Bailey. Bryant got one that had a picture of DC. We rode a train to DC. Our hotel is in Virginia. We might come home tomorrow if it does not stop raining. Then we will have to miss 2 things. George Washington’s house (Mount Vernon) and the Arlington Cemetery. I have a surprise for everyone. We went to the space and rocket center. Me and daddy rode the simulator. Not the big ball, the red machine. We saw rockets, jets, and a the Space Shuttle. We took lots of pictures for you to see. We will send them to you.

Love, Bradley

A Word from Jeff

Jeff sent a few pictures from the trip to the Mall yesterday, which included the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Capital and the White House. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine and even some surprises. One of the state Senators from Alabama, Jeff Sessions, was at the WWII Memorial yesterday to greet several veterans touring from north Alabama. They met one of his aides and he told them to go over and meet with the Senator. Granddaddy had the opportunity to talk with him for a little while and enjoyed it. He even received his business card and an offer to call him if he ever needed anything. What's funny about this is that Jeff Sessions is a Republican, and Granddaddy is a staunch Alabama Democrat. Perhaps this will finally put a chink in his armor? Probably not!

What a cool thing for the four of these guys to get to do together. I know none of them will ever forget it.

Hulon and the Senator.

The weather isn't as good for them today as the beautiful one they had yesterday. Since it's cold and rainy, today will be an inside day. I think the Smithsonian was on the list. I'm sure it will be great, whatever they do!

I love these guys.

Bailey and I went with the BBC Homeschool group to Huntsville yesterday to the Space and Rocket Center. It was so much fun! The day was absolutely gorgeous, and my dad went with us so we had our own personal tour guide for much of it since I learned yesterday that he actually worked on the engine for the first shuttle attempts when he worked for Pratt Whitney in West Palm Beach. How sad that I never knew this before. Who knows what else I don't know about my folks!

This lady showed us a couple of fun experiments involving Alka-Seltzer and pressure. The one she did with water, oil, food coloring and alka-seltzer was the best. She made a miniature lava lamp, and Bailey turned to me with amazement and said, "We gotta try that at home!"

We will definitely have to go back with Bradley, because he would have loved it so much. There was tons to see and do, and since he's so interested in space right now I know he would have eaten it up.

Other than the exhibits, there are a lot of great simulators. Some of them Bailey wasn't quite tall enough for, but it didn't seem to upset her too much. We did the Mars Mission simulator and she loved that. We ended the day with a movie in the IMAX theatre that was awesome. It would have been even more awesome if we hadn't been in the front row, but we didn't have much choice!

The two biggest attractions are the G-Force simulator, which I wasn't brave enough for, and the Space Shot, which I was! There was a kids area that had a mini-version of the Space Shot, and Bailey and her friends rode it over and over at least twenty times. She would have gone twenty more if we had let her. But there were important things like sno-cones waiting.

Here she is on the mini version...

And here is her crazy mama on the real thing!

Yes, we were as scared as we look. But it was exhilarating! If I hadn't had to wait in line I would have absolutely done it again. I was so proud that it didn't make me nauseous!

It was a lot of fun to get Bailey away and do something with just her. When Bradley's not around to dominate, she'll talk your ear off!

Okay, I can't resist. Hope all of your weekends are a BLAST! :)

Jeff and Bradley left yesterday morning to meet up with Jeff's dad and granddad in Knoxville headed to our Nation's capital. For Christmas this year, we registered his granddad, Hulon Ogle, with the World War II memorial. Jeff told him when we gave it to him that it included a trip to DC to see it for himself. So this is the weekend.

I know they are going to have such a great time. Hopefully Jeff will keep sending me pics for the blog. This one is from this morning. They are off to the Mall today. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day, and I'm praying it's just that.

Maybe I'll give Bradley access to the blog and let him keep us updated... that could be interesting!

GREAT NEWS!

I just found out that the money has been wired to India for Ramu! I am so excited to see what is going to happen next. Thank you so much to all of you who are involved in this, either financially or through prayer.

Our God is a Great Big God!! :)

You know those times when you absolutely can not laugh or else you will completely spoil the point you are trying to make with your children? I've never been so glad that it was dark as I was tonight in the car.

I've been trying for months, if not years, to get my kids to stop making potty jokes. There is nothing as funny to them as inserting the word "poop" or "fart" into any sentence. And I'm just sick of it. I've tried all kinds of different punishments, but so far nothing has worked.

So tonight B&B were just totally wild in the back seat. I had already threatened that if they didn't calm down they were going straight to bed when we got home. I think they thought I was bluffing. Even though they had a very hearty snack before we left at 5:15, they hadn't technically had dinner yet and were expecting this upon arrival.

So Bailey is doing something with her electronic diary, and Bradley says, "Change the password to 'poopy'"! Tee-hee, tee-hee. She readily agrees and yells "POOPY!" I snap. "You are both going straight to bed when we get home!"

"But MOM, we haven't had dinner yet!"

"Sorry. Should have thought about that when I warned you."

Tears. Weeping. Rending of clothes. Gnashing of teeth.

So now it's time for that teachable moment. "You know, the Bible says that you are not to let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. That means you are only to use your mouth for encouraging others, learning and teaching and praising God." (I'm kindof learning this right now myself, actually.)

Bradley pipes up in his snubbiest voice, "Yes, ma'am... those are words to live by."

Thankfully I swallowed the laugh, but my face would have been a dead giveaway!

Some days are better than others...

Yesterday was a less than stellar day of parenting. I felt like the words that came out of my mouth were virtually all spoken out of impatience. Brad and Bailey lost many privileges, and none of us were exceptionally happy with the way things were going. Things between Bradley and I were the worst.

So after he left for Scouts, I left a note on his bed. I knew he would be getting home in the middle of my Bible study and would probably be asleep before I got upstairs. This is how it went...

When I came up to my room, this was beside my pillow...

Ah... grace. I love that kid. :)

Okay. The most incredible thing just happened and I am compelled to share.

If you've been keeping up with me lately, you know that God has dropped some pretty earth-shattering revelation on me over the past few weeks, much of it in the form of John Eldredge's new book, "Walking with God." If you haven't gotten the book yet, in a nutshell, he describes how you can walk with God on a daily basis, developing an intimacy with him by listening to His voice. This isn't natural to us, and it has required some serious divine intervention for me. Just slowing my brain down enough to hear has to come from Him. And He has been overly and abundantly gracious to do this very thing.

Last night as I was asking God what He wanted to say to me, I very clearly heard the word "vulnerable."

I said, "Vulnerable? What does that mean?"

He said, "Be vulnerable." That was what I got. I didn't understand at all what it meant, but I was completely ecstatic that He had indeed spoken.

I've pondered all day over what that might mean. Being vulnerable sounds a little bit scary to me, because doesn't that mean I'm open to being hurt? Haven't I cried enough lately? Am I supposed to be vulnerable to God? Vulnerable to Jeff? Vulnerable to strangers on the highway? What does that mean?

To be honest, I really wasn't expecting an answer to come right away. I'm assuming this is something God wants to reveal to me in His timing. But He led me to read about David tonight. (That's another totally cool thing about this - actually asking Him what He wants me to read before I open the Bible. What a concept! :)) So I just went to 1 Samuel where David's story begins. Very soon into it is probably his most famous accomplishment, the victory over Goliath.

As soon as I saw the title, I heard, "Be vulnerable for me." So I'm thinking David was certainly an example of being vulnerable for God, right? He put his life on the line in a very real way when he got ticked off over "this uncircumcised Philistine that should defy the armies of the living God."

As soon as he started asking around, Satan tried to attack him through his brother Eliab. "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." Enter ridicule, provocation and distraction.

When he told Saul he wanted to go for it, you can hear the condescension pouring from his lips, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." Enter doubt.

But David was determined to do what he felt the Lord leading him to do. And every five-year-old in Sunday school knows how that turned out.

At this point I'm hearing God tell me to be vulnerable for Him. Whether I'm perceived as a complete weirdo or not doesn't really matter any more. I'm hearing from Him, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So back to the cool thing that happened. Before I opened the Bible and started reading, I felt led to pray for Ramu. Some of you may have been wondering what has been going on with him. Well, from our end, not much. The money is sitting in the church account ready to go, but there is a hold-up on determining exactly the best way to get it to him. So I'm waiting. This is not my strong point. But I'm trying to just sit back and let things happen.

However, over the past few days, I've allowed some doubt to creep in. Even though I had two or three different confirmations that we were indeed supposed to be doing this for Ramu, that was a few weeks ago and my attention span is sometimes short-lived.

So I began to pray for Ramu. I asked God, "Did we do the right thing? Were we supposed to raise that money? Is this in Your will?"

I immediately heard, "Yes, child." So tender.

"Are you sure, God? Am I hearing you right? Are you in this?" I could almost hear Him laugh as He said, "YES!" Okay. Thank you. I just needed to hear that. I can wait again.

So then I opened my Bible and read and saw the story of David and Goliath and I'm just really feeling so encouraged. Thank you, Lord, for revealing a glimpse of Yourself to me tonight. All I want is to know You more.

I opened up my e-mail to check it before closing down my computer. There in my inbox is a precious note from one of my dearest college friends. This is what it said...

Hi Leigh Ann,

After reading your blog a few weeks ago, I was so saddened by the story of the little blind boy who could possibly regain his sight through surgery, and I really felt the Lord leading us to help out in some way.

Richard and I would like to give some money toward that, but I'm not sure exactly how to do that, or even if that need has been met already. If there is still a need for money for his surgery, to whom should I make the check payable, and where do I send it?

Love,
Amy

Now, you may think that is coincidence, but I know better. God is listening. It's time for us to listen back. We will be astounded at how much He wants to tell us!

I just deactivated my Facebook account. I hope no one is offended. It was driving me insane. I figure if seeing the word "Facebook" in my inbox causes me to break out in hives, it might be a good sign that it is not for me.

Hopefully this doesn't make me socially irrelevant. If anyone needs me to confirm that we are indeed friends, just ask. I'm happy to do it over coffee.