People Praying

I found myself doing quite a bit of people watching this past week and half while we were on vacation.

One day at a waterpark-where we spent 10+ hours -I found myself praying for those who passed me by instead of just watching them . . .


Dear Lord,

Watch over those teenage boys talking about scoring meds from their doctor.
Protect them and let their parents become aware of what they are  doing.


Help the mom with one hand. Give her a special blessing today.

Lord, the young man who took our food order. . .help him overcome that lisp. Give him a friend.
Give him confidence to face the world.

Oh, help that Momma with those triplets.  She needs and extra measure of grace-give her strength for the day. . .and her long journey.

Help that man covered in angry tatoos and piercings find the peace he needs.

Lord, I'm praying for those teenage girls there, protect them. Help them find their confidence from within and not by showing their bodies.

Lord, marriage is hard, help that couple fighting over there. Help their angry words be few and their apology's be quick.

Lord, I'm praying for this lesbian couple right beside me. Trying to raise two sons. Protect the boys. Help them all find YOU. For only YOU can save. Help me be light to them right now by showing kindness.


Lord, see those three children right there? I know you do. I know you hold them in the palm of your hand.
Thank you for their precious smiles. Guide them, protect them.
Help their parents, for they are slow and often don't know what they're doing.

How can I pray for you  this week?

Summer Days

Popsicle drips on the front of your shirt

Missing teeth from your smile

Scrapes on your knees from climbing a tree

Laughing at Bugs and the guy that goes Beep Beep

Running
Chasing
Crashing
Jumping
Splashing
Diving

Suntan lines where goggles belong

Wondering 'Why' a thousand times

Treehouse forts
Balls strewn about the yard

Friends all day
Picnics in the shade

These are what make up our Summer Days.

Green Eyed Monster

There is a four and half age difference between our oldest son and our second born.
There is a 7 year difference between our oldest and the Princess.

Learning that you don't get to do something just because Bubba does is a lesson we cover just about weekly at our house.
Everyone wanting what they don't have instead of appreciating what they do.

Of course along with Bubba's extra privileges come extra responsibilities.
But, not everyone in the house sees it that way-often what is seen is only what the other has or is getting to do and wanting it for themselves.

And The Green Eyed Monster of Jealousy rears it's ugly head.

And Ugly it is.

 I've noticed it not so much different with adults.
And even with this adult at times.

We (I) can see someone else's life/ministry/family/job and want that for ourselves.
Never minding that God has called us to different purposes and place at different times.

My life's calling and ministry and even family will look different than yours and yours from mine.

(I once had a lady tell me how unhappy she was in her marriage and if she could just have a marriage like mine her life would be so much better and easier.  I had to hide my face behind my hand as she said this, for The Hubs and I had just had a major 'Discussion' and it hadn't been resolved yet.
But, all she saw was the fun and laughing we do and not the nitty gritty of  daily life in any marriage.
She was so focused on mine she lost track of what was good and God honoring in hers.)


Once we come to grips with that we can focus all of our energy on following the path Christ has for us.

Often times what we are looking at in someone else are all 'good' things and yet anytime our focus is off of Christ we will become filled with self doubt, pride and jealousy.

But, as we mature and grow we can become content in the path laid out before each of us.
If we keep our eyes fixed on The One who called us.
And make no mistake, if you are breathing you have a calling.
A husband, kids, a job, neighbors- all of those things are calls on your life to be salt and light pointing the way to Jesus.

We'll miss it though, if we just keep wanting what someone else has instead. Forever trying to have what they have instead of focusing on what we've been given instead.
That green eyed monster will make you do things you never thought you would.

Before the world began, Christ called you.
And when He called you he knew what your purpose in life would be.

A Unique one of kind purpose, just for you.

It's so much easier to follow that path, then try to take the one laid out for someone else.





It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Eph 1:10-12 (The Message)




Praying for peace and contentment for all of us.


Blessings,
Angie

Lifeguarding

Temps are soaring here in the balmy state of Kansas.
And, NO it's not a dry heat. It's anything BUT a dry heat.

So, we've been swimming.
And swimming some more.

Because really, what else do you do in an excessive heat warning?
 (which BTW, did they  have those when we were kids?)

Anyway, with all this swimming that is happening, the Princess has begun calling me her Lifeguard.

Yesterday, when she was calling me "Lifeguard", I was struck with the thought that really that should be in our parental job description.
"Lifeguard".

And a hard part of the  job it is too.

There is the physical aspect of course. Which I've shared on here several times has not always been an easy road for our family.

But, I think harder than that, is the part of our job that requires us to guard their hearts and minds.

I get so aggravated when I see parents putting their heads in the sand or acting as if things will just take care of themselves.
Or "Kids need to learn in the real world!".
Really?? I want to respond, "What world do YOU live in? The world I live in- God is Holy and calls us to be holy as well."

It's easier to look at other parents and point out what we perceive them as doing wrong, then look inside our own homes.
At least it is for me.

The Hubs and I take our calling as "Lifeguard" very seriously.
And no that doesn't always make our kids happy.

But, then again I wasn't called to raise happy children.
Or cool ones.

And, yes that means sometimes, they get aggravated and don't understand why they can't see certain movies or watch certain shows.
Or why instead of doing "this" we are doing 'this' instead.
Or why we go back and correct them to say "Yes Ma'am and Yes Sir".

And No, I ABSOLUTELY do not care who else is doing or seeing or listening to what.

God, blessed us (so undeservingly) with three precious gifts.
If we don't guard their minds and hearts-who is?

No, I don't worry about them running off and being WILD when they go to college because we didn't let them see the latest movie.
I do however worry about them becoming so desensitized to bad attitudes, cursing and lust that they begin to think of those ways as 'normal'.
That it's some old fashioned notion that you can live differently from those things.

So, yes, I guess the Princess had it right when she called me her lifeguard.

Hopefully, I'll have taught them how to swim well in this crazy current of life by the time they are old enough to swim on their own.
But, if I ever see them drowning, I'll throw out a lifeline and pray they'll cling on to it and remember that they were taught how to swim against the flow.

Proverbs 22:6 Start children off in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it.

In Your Wildest Dreams?

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. 

   Glory to God in the church! 
   Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! 
   Glory down all the generations! 
   Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! (The Message)








What are you believing God for today?


He is able.
He IS able.
He is ABLE.


More than you can even know or understand.


HE ALONE IS ABLE.

Questions and Answers

If you know me or read my blog much, you know music is a major part of my life.

I like all kinds, bust mostly stick with Christian music, because I find it helps renew my mind and helps keep my focus where it should be throughout the day.



I first heard of  the artist, Shaun Groves several years ago when he hit the CCM market big with the wonderful song "Welcome Home".
Then the song "Twilight" came out and I was a bonafide fan.

In the years since Shaun has moved on from major record labels and began a life changing adventure with Compassion International -a organization that The Hubs and I personally support and love.

I have followed his journey at his blog http://shaungroves.com/.

His stories have inspired me, challenged me, irritated me, caused me to think, made me laugh, blush and cry.

Recently Shaun has stepped back into the recording studio ( I'm so anxious to get my hands on a copy!) and is set to release his newest recording "Third World Symphony."

You can listen to it here.

Or purchase it here.

In anticipation of this newest CD's  release Shaun invited bloggers to send him 3 questions and to share those answers with their readers.

So, I took a deep breath and threw my questions in the mix.

1) What is the hardest part of explaining what you do for Compassion?

Very insightful question. It is a problem when some asks what I do for a living. There's really no category for what I do. Technically I'm an advocate for children living in poverty. Which means, in plain English, that I use every form of communication I can to tell the world about them and how to better serve them through Compassion International. Sometimes I'm leading a group of bloggers overseas for a week to write about the effectiveness of Compassion's ministry. Some days I'm singing. Others I'm speaking at a church or festival. My youngest, just six, recently told someone her daddy rides on airplanes for his job. Which is pretty accurate. Maybe I just put that on my taxes next year: airplane rider.

2) What is the biggest take away you want for people when they listen to Third World Symphony?

I want them to no longer think of the third world as a place of poverty and hunger and hopelessness in need of our help but as a place brimming with faith, love, gratitude and hope that can help us in so many ways discover who God is and the wonderful life together he's given us.

3)If you could get rid of one myth about dealing with poverty around the world, what would it be?

That poverty is economic. It's not. It's cognitive, physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and economic. If we provide meals and clothes to a family, they may sell them for a TV - because we have not addressed their cognitive poverty. If we educate a child she may still die from malaria or chicken pox or cholera because we have not addressed her physical and environmental poverty. We can teach a child to cut hair or fix motors or plant crops but if he does not know Jesus he will work to pay his bills but have no greater purpose for his life. So, poverty must be treated like a cancer that has metastasized throughout the whole of a person's life, not as an infection isolated in one part of the body. Holistic development is the most effective poverty killer.

Thanks, Shaun, for great music and for personally challenging me in my own walk!

Thanks, Readers for you know. . .reading-now go listen to this great CD, then pre -ordered it and get an autographed copy when it's released August 30!

The Weekend Review

Like much of America we spent our holiday weekend, blowing things up, eating and enjoying our family.

And twitching every time something went boom.
Or maybe that was just me.

2 little boys and a Daddy and Grandpa blowing things up for 3 hours and make a girl a bit jumpy.

My folks live in a quaint township that still has a parade, free carnival and lets   you do fireworks.

We enjoyed ourselves and being together and weren't ready for the fun to end.

who doesn't love free popcorn?

Enjoying some shade with Mimi and Pops

waiting for the parade

Boy Scouts with flags make me get a tear in my eye.

Then we moved on to the pyro techs of the evening.
WHY do boys love these so much??

Pool Fun to cool off

Blue skies and Blue water with my favorite people.

God Bless America.

What about you? Was your 4th as noisy as mine?

Wherever you were I hoped you felt blessed to born in a county were all man are free. Not a perfect country, but one I am blessed to call home.

Happy Birthday

I don't know if I am as proud to be an American, as I am Grateful.

Happy Birthday, America!

To every soldier who gave his time, his limb or laid down his life, thank you will never be enough, but it's all I have, so Thank You!