The Witness Protection Program

What do you think of when you hear the word "Witness"?  Many Christians will think of things like, "spreading the gospel", "preaching to the lost", or "to tell people about God".  And while these are great Sunday School answers, that's not really what "witnessing" is.

Just take the word "witness".  A person who witnesses a crime was there when the incident happened.  They experienced part of the story.  When you watch the news, they don't interview a friend of a friend who "saw the whole thing happen".  They want the the person who was there.

The thing about people who have witnessed a crime is that they're human.  They will see things from different perspectives.  They will have past experiences that may play a role in how they viewed the crime.  An ex-police officer will see things differently than a nurse will.  Do you see (witness) what God is doing in your life each day?

As Christians, it's easy to tell other people's story.  But what's YOUR story?  How did God change YOU?  It's great to be encouraged by the stories and lives of others, but what have YOU witnessed?  Have you become so stagnant in your walk with God that you no longer know how to share what God has done for you?  Or worse, have you failed to see how God is in your life and how He is working?  Or worse yet, have you abandoned your relationship with God for the day-to-day "Christian Acts" of doing the right thing?  Do you solely rely on the stories and experiences of others to drive your faith?  Or ARE YOU WINTESSING NEW THINGS ABOUT GOD EVERYDAY?  That's where I want to be.  I admit that I'm not there now.  But I want to be there.  Because to "be there", means that I have new and fresh experiences with God each day.  To "be there" means that I am daily surrendering my selfishness for His will.  And you know what?  When I do that, no matter what the obstacles, He promises to be a shield around me -- my protection. 

Psalm 3:1-4

Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.

David wrote the above Psalm while his own son, Absalom, was trying to kill him.  Boy, talk about a time in his life when he probably felt like he wasn't "witnessing" God's love.  Even though at the time he wrote this he was "witnessing" a lot extremely difficult situations, he also was "witnessing" God's protection.  

What have you witnessed?

First Day of School

Here they are.  Boy #1 and Boy #2 on their first day of school.  4th Grade & 1st Grade.

 

 

Aren't they the cutest???

It's That Time of Year...

"I would buy you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."  Who knows what movie that's from?  It's one of my favs!

Well...it's time for school to begin.  I say it every year, but this summer went by FAST!  I can't complain though.  I was able to spend some quality time with my kids, hubby, and even my parents!

As the school year begins, I probably won't be blogging as much as I normally do.  I'll do my best to post when possible, but no promises.  :)  Life gets crazy when school starts, but it's an "exciting-kind-of-crazy". There are the new school supplies to buy, backpacks to pick out, snacks and food for lunches, and most importantly (to the kids): new shoes.

There are always new challenges as each school year begins.  Right now, my family is facing some personal challenges.  We are trusting God to provide what we need.  If you think of us, I would appreciate some extra prayers sent our way.  Until then, we will:

Trust in the Lord with all your (our) heart(s)
    and lean not on your (our) own understanding;
⁶ in all your (our) ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make your (our) paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5,6

Creative Organization!!!

So, as I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a purse-a-holic.  This has caused some unrest in my household, particularly in my bedroom, as there isn't a good place to keep my purses organized and out-of-the-way-yet-accessible. We don't have a walk-in closet, and the storage in our bedroom is lacking, to say the least.

Here's the problem...a jumbled mess of purses:

I've been trying to figure out a creative way to store them that doesn't use a lot of space.  Then, I had a brainstorm. (Cue excessive thunder and lightning.)   I took a quick trip to Lowe's.  In 30 minutes I was out-the-door with the necessary items, which cost right around $40.

The first thing I did (actually, the Hubby did it), was to hang a curtain rod on my bedroom wall.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the curtain rod, but I forgot.  (You'll see what it looks like in later pictures.)  Life will go on.  I chose the cheapest silver one they had (right around $16.00).  It extends up to 84 inches.

I also purchased shower rings like this:

They're easy to open and close and are pretty sturdy.  These were right around $9.00 for a package of 12.  I bought 2 packages.  I looked at the "S hook" styled shower rings, but I didn't think they'd be sturdy enough to hold purses.  I also looked at the cheap plastic rings that "snap" together.  Even though they were significantly cheaper (apprx. $2.00 for 12), they were VERY difficult to open and close...and let's just say it;  they weren't very pretty.  :)

Next, I started "hooking" my purses onto the rings like this:

I'm sure you can see what's coming!  :)  Then, I simply hung the shower rings on the curtain rod like this:

(See, there's the curtain rod!)

TA-DA!!!  (Cue thrilling music)  THE FINAL RESULT :

I was very happy with the way this worked!  I know it isn't fancy, but since I don't have a lot of room for extra shelves and "stuff" in my room, this was the *perfect* solution!

13 years

13 years ago, Darrin and I said, "I do".

The "Highlight Reel" of our life thus far...
1.  moved into our first apartment together in Springfield, MO. - 1999
2.  graduated with our Bachelor's degrees from Central Bible College (Darrin - Pastoral Studies & Bible / Me - Education & Bible with a minor in History). - 2001
3.  accepted jobs, moved to Albuquerque, NM, and moved into our second apartment together. - 2001
4.  bought a brand new townhouse. - 2002
5.  had Boy #1. - 2003
6.  had Boy #2. - 2006
7.  sold the townhouse and bought our first house. - 2006
8.  had The Girl. - 2009

Here's to adding to our "Highlight Reel".  Cheers!

Just for kicks and giggles, here's a picture of Darrin and I on one of our first dates:

For the Record:

Why does it seem that in today's society the words "disagree" and "hate" have become synonyms?

I disgree with people on various issues and at various levels.  It doesn't mean that I hate them.  I disagree with my 6 and 8 year olds when they want to eat donuts instead of dinner. 

That does not equal hate. 

I disagree with my husband when he wants to watch golf (borrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!), and I want to watch Gone With the Wind.

But that does not equal hate.

I disagree with those who support abortion.

But that does not equal hate. 

I disagree with those who support same-sex marriage.

But that does not equal hate.

I disagree with people who wear black pants and brown shoes.

But that does not equal hate. 

I know that everyone has their view on what's right and what's wrong.  I'm not here on Earth as judge and jury to mankind because that's not my job (Matthew 7:1-6).  I'm here to love people.  Period. 

Romans 13:8 - Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another...

I will share my opinions, stand by my beliefs, and take action when convicted to do so, but that does not mean that I hate anyone who disagrees with me.  And although I cannot (and do not wish to) control someone else's words, responses or actions, I surely hope that hatred isn't pointed at me because I disagree with you.

Just for the record.

Training

With it being the Olympics right now, I've found myself listening to how much these athletes train.  It's crazy!  Some of these Olympians, who are still in high school, practice from 5:00-6:30 am before going to school all day, then train more after school.

I can't think of anything I've "trained" for like that.  Whether it was a sport, playing piano, even "life things" like marriage or parenting.  It's not that I didn't work hard at those things.  It's not like those things aren't important to me.  So should I feel guilty about that?

I'm a hard worker.  I'm a wife, a mother, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a pastor's wife, an educator, a fine arts coach, a Sunday School teacher, and I carry a more-than-full-time-job.

Is it more important to focus on ONE THING to master or to spread out your attention to many different areas?  I definitely spread out my attention to MANY different areas.  I'm not an expert on any one thing, but I'm pretty good at several things.

What do you do?  Would you rather be really good/an expert at one thing or really good at several things?