Monday's Meaningful Moments

Today, we awoke on the first day of Spring Break

to cold weather and a dusting of snow!

 

What? 

Yep, that is how our day began.

 

I was on a mission to not let this forecast 'dampen' our day! 

We started our day with chocolate chip waffles

followed by the annual tradition of dyeing Easter eggs. 

As we colored the eggs, we began talking about the egg and how it symbolizes birth, and how when we dip our eggs into color and the eggs come out a new color, it is a great visual of how Jesus died for our sins and gave us a new life. 

As my daughter said best,

He took away our old life (dull and no color) and gave us a new life, vibrant and beautiful!

 

As we were making our eggs beautiful and having great conversation, I could feel the Lord's presence with us. 

It was nice to be still. 

There are so many everyday things that I miss because I don't take the time to really take them in. 

I have taken eggs out of this same kind of carton more times than I can count, and today was the first time I noticed the verse written on the inside of the carton!

 

The Lord is all around us,

we just have to take time to see His presence.

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good

~Psalm 34:7-8

 

 

Thank you Lord for your gentle reminders

 of your ever presence, freeing us from the entanglement of sin and lovingly bringing us to a vibrant life with you!

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care....

As the stockings were hung by the chimney with care....

Sorry....We interrupt this regularly scheduled program, there were no stockings hung this year!

WHAT?! NO STOCKINGS?

Every year we make an intentional effort to center our Christmas around Jesus.  This year, we decided to forgo the stockings with a new twist!  I have to admit, I was very skeptical on how this transition would go over with the kids.  I was quite concerned that we would get alot of grumbling and complaining.  Shame on me for not having more faith.  My children once again surprised me.

I introduced to them the concept of Shepherd bags.  We would replace our regularly hung stockings with burlap Shepherd bags.  The kids would earn money to put in their bags as they did extra chores, took initiative to help, or displayed fruits of the Spirit.  On Christmas Eve, we would take the bags down and the kids could donate their money to the charity of their choosing!

The response...'When can we start?!' 

As the month as unfolded, I have seen my kids find delight in serving around our home.  They have truly been filled with joy doing each task.  I have seen more kindness displayed between them.  It was a nice treat to see them be competitive as to who would earn money.

Today, we took the bags down and counted their earnings.  We gladly informed them that we would 'match' their earnings.  What a joy it is that they did not mind the change but gladly embraced it. 

Wont they be so excited to know that tomorrow, they will get a full stocking and learn how it feels to give....you always get so much more in return!

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Camp Ta-Pa-Win-Go, arrival day

Back ground Info: Our church supports many diverse missionaries across the globe. One of our local missionaries is a camp in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee called Camp Ta-Pa-Win-Go. This camp exists to share the love of Jesus Christ. A group from our church goes up to this camp each year to run the day camp and share the gospel with these precious children. Last year over 100 campers attended and we are praying that our number increases even more this year. 

Family Mission Trip Day 1~
The day started with the hustle and bustle of trying to get everything together, pack the car, and think of any last minute details.  I must have checked the car a dozen times and I am still wondering if I have everything?!
Then we are off...
For some of us, the familiarity of camp comes to mind, the comfort of knowing where to go and what to expect.  Then the barrage of questions begin from the backseat, 'will we have the same cabin?' 'can we swim?' 'can I do the zip line this year?'
For other members of our team, there is a bit of uncertainty, the unknown and anxiety of what to expect.

I pray the Lord will quiet our hearts and minds to achieve His purpose, to unite us together for His glory.  I pray for each and every child attending camp to have open eyes to see, open ears to hear, and receptive hearts to receive Jesus as their personal Savior.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.  ~Philippians 2:13 

 We have been blessed with a day filled with excitement for what the Lord has done for this camp, providing an impressive Boy's cabin just this year. 

Our team came together for our first song and skit practice on stage

 and even enjoyed some relaxing time in the pool before calling it a day!

I cant wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Birthday Party for Jesus

Our Birthday Party for Jesus has become a family tradition.  We started just after the birth of our first child in an effort to center our Christmas celebration around Christ.  This party has evolved from a simple gathering of friends for birthday cake and reading the story of Christmas to an community outreach service project.  We have rotated our charity every year to bring forth awareness of charities in need in our community. 
This year our charity of focus was Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries http://www.karm.org/ (K.A.R.M), specifically their 13 family rooms.  New Life Inn is Knoxville's only long term shelter for intact, homeless families. In this depressed economy, more families are seeking shelter than ever.  I took a tour of the facility and was touched by the need to furnish these rooms with basic supplies, such as bedding and bathroom necessites.

We started by compiling a list of the needed items, created a registry to make donating easier, and then sent out information to our friends and family.  We prayed for an outpouring of support and that is exactly what  happened! 

We started with pulling a team together to give these rooms a facelift with a fresh coat of paint. It took two full days of painting, THANKS to everyone willing to give up their time and effort, all the rooms were completed! 
I was overwhelmed as we began to receive donations. Soon, our living room became overtaken with supplies. 
We ended up with a total of:
41 Bed in a Bag sets!  They have a total of 55 twin beds, so we were just short of getting a comforter set for every bed!
34 Sets of towels (That means at least 2 sets of towels per room)
13 bath mats (one for EVERY room)
13 shower curtains (one for EVERY room)
13 wall hangings (one for EVERY room)
8 laundry baskets
4 alarm clocks
4 sheet sets
1 lamp
1 microwave

That is over $2,500 worth of donations plus the paint and painting supplies!

The microwave wasnt even on their 'needs' list.  But when someone offered it for donation, I did not turn it down.  As we were compiling the donations at KARM, the VP excitedly said, "I just had a family THIS week praying for a microwave for their room!"  What an answered prayer!
It was a blessing to be able to be a part of this project, I know the families will be blessed because of the donations and support.  More importantly, every time we get to work on this type of project,

 We go expecting to give and we always end up getting! 
We were truly filled up with the Holy Spirit.

Thank you to each person that planted the seed for this project, for your prayers, for your support, for your donations, for your time, and mostly for showing kindness and compassion to those in need!

**I was hoping to show AFTER pictures but due to the weather, we have been unable to visit the shelter to be able to show the rooms refurbished.  As soon as I am able to obtain these pictures, I will update the post.

Patience…what does that really look like?

• Waiting for a refill after eating spicy wings

• Is it waiting in the Black Friday shopping line for over TWO hours for one item

• The months that seem to never pass between dating and the big question of “Will you marry me?”

• And then of course there is the time leading from the engagement to the wedding...

• Standing over a cold dinner waiting for your husband to get home from work, when he was suppose to be home 30 minutes ago when the dinner was actually hot

• Wondering each month if you will be pregnant, desperately wanting a child after multiple miscarriages

• Potty training (no more needs to be said about that)

• Your child’s tantrum in the middle of the store with everyone looking at you

• Anticipating the phone call from the bank for approval to close on your new home.

• Waiting at a traffic light when the person in front of you is too busy texting to pay attention and you sit through an entire green light without going anywhere.

• Betraying someone and waiting for their forgiveness, waiting for the awkward time together, not knowing what to say or do but anticipating the moment.

• Is it waiting for the phone call from your doctor to tell you the test results to know if your cancer has spread?

Patience: the capacity to endure hardship, difficulty, or inconvenience without complaint. Patience emphasizes calmness, self-control, and the willingness or ability to tolerate delay



All these situations require patience on many different levels. The common thread is how you respond given the circumstance. Are you overcome with worry, anger, bitterness, shame, or guilt? Or are you calm and filled with peace? And what fills you with peace to keep the other emotions from creeping in and taking over? Remember without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thessalonians 1:3) Knowing and accepting the unchanging nature of God provides stability and inner peace. Stress dissipates when you acknowledge your dependence on God and His ultimate control over your life and circumstance. Be anxious for nothing, but everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6). It is only through faith in our Lord that you can be filled with peace and ultimate patience.

Do is your best, take care of the possible and leave the impossible to God, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
(1 James 1:3-4)