It is a Wonderful, Abundant Life!: October 2008

Thursday, October 23, 2008

I feel like dancing!!

This is such an awesome video! Hmmm, maybe Sam and I should take up dancing lessons. Whatcha think Sam? You up for it?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Last night after two kid-sized baths, about 3 1/2 dozen teeth brushed, 9 giggles out, and 2 glasses of water and one last potty check, I was finally able to get the boys tucked into their beds and ready to get tucked in myself but not before a short bible story.

So we opened our favorite bible storybook and this is what we read, Jesus Walks on the Water. You know, I believe this is one of my favorite bible stories. I love the way Jesus uses Peter's little steps of faith to show me who I am, a true struggler and way more importantly to show me who He is, a lover of strugglers.

Firstly I have no doubt in my mind that Peter loved his Lord dearly and would have laid his life down for Him a thousands times over. Just ask Malchus. And Yes, I know, that there are some who will be quick to point out all his shortcomings, but even in his short little comings, Peter always managed, with the help of His Lord, to outshine the sun!

In this story we find Peter asking the Lord, who is out taking a little walk on the sea, to command him to come to Him? Hmmm, I find this request interesting, how many times do we find ourselves asking the Lord this very question. Wish I could say this was more often the case for me. How the Lord deeply longs for us to willing step out of our boat and come to Him in the midst of our storms.

I would give anything to have been there with my camera of course, on this day, when Peter took one of his many first baby steps of faith to meet his Lord. What a picture that would have made! How pure his faith must have been, just like that of a baby's. Totally faithful and trusting the one who by his very breath holds the planet on which he stands. And if Peter's faith amazes us, better yet than this is the fact that the one who called him out, believed Peter could do it. I can almost hear Him saying, "Yes, You can walk on water Peter, all you have to do is keep your eyes on me, and you will see."

"Yea, but he sank", some pessimist would say. No, actually he didn't sink, he began to sink, a world of difference here. His Lord wasn't about to let him sink, as He never would allow us either. When fear overtook Peter as so many times it too consumes us, he began to sink and then he cries out, "Lord, save me!", and immediately Jesus stretches out his hand and catches him. How many times has this very same scene been repeated in our very own lives? How many times have we felt that we were sinking in our own despair and then our faith compels us to cry out to Jesus, and every time He faithfully reaches out and rescues us!

And yes, let's not forget those in Peter's life and in ours who are still in the boat with smug looks and dry-feet, maybe laughing under their breath saying, "Did you hear what Jesus called him, little faith." True, Jesus did scold Peter a bit for having little faith, but I am also sure that our Lord was very proud of Peter for having the courage to step out in the first place. Sometimes I think we tend to judge others to harshly because they confidently step out in faith and then for some reason or the other they fail and struggle to stay afloat. Somehow we feel we have the right to look down on them just so that we can look up to ourselves. I am glad that is not the way God sees us. You see, what God loves more than anything is the struggler reaching out to Him, time and time again. He doesn't keep track of their failures, we do that just fine. He is only interested in our persistent devotions to Him, even when it is mixed with a few failures.

So let us continue to step out in all that He has called us and faithfully trust in Him, knowing that he truly cares and loves the heart of the struggler and leave the skeptics to God, for even they too are loved by Him.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Why I love Days like today.......

Days like today are my favorite kinds of days.

Today in Balmorhea the sky is a soft gray and the rain is quietly and softly falling. This is such a treat for us here in west, west, dry-as-a-bone Texas. We cherish days like these, for they come few & far in between. Hmmm, I might just surprise the boys today and take them on a puddle jumping date !!

Here are a few things I love to do when the good Lord sends days like today.

1. I love to curl up on my couch with a warm fuzzy blanky and watch favorite romances like Janet Oak's, Love Comes Softly series.

2. Read a beloved book all over again.

3. Make a pot of chicken soup and some toasty homemade bread!

Mmm, life is so good.

4. Warm cold & rosy cheeckies with some hot cocoa!

5. Take pictures of wet leaves, rain drops & clouds.

6. Play Mouse Trap with boys.

7. And just maybe my most favorite thing of all, is taking a cuddly nap with a cuddly boy.

Thanks Lord, you're the best!

Psalm 100

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Saturday morning fun!

Football is so much more interesting when your kid is playing.

Our little Bears played great, and not that we are bias

but we think #8 played exceptionally well!!

No better way to have Saturday morning fun.

Enjoy the show!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Happy 3rd Birthday Sammy!

Three years ago Sammy came into our world and since then he has been giving us unconditional love & teaching us what a true & loyal friend is all about. No matter what kinda of day we've had, all it takes is one look from those big brown eyes to melt our blues away. He has earned the nickname Shadow, for everywhere I go, he is faithfully right beside me. A truer 4 legged friend I will never have again.

Goldens are aruguably one of God's most precious, gentle & loyal creations.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!! WE LOVE YOU!

Here is to you Sam!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

What a bored wife does with a camera on a road trip

Here is what I do down the road when I am bored! It is so much fun when you have a consenting subject =)!

(I hope Doug doesn't read my blog today)

Are ya bored honey?

This is the "honey, let me chase your boredom away " look.

This is the "assuming the crash position" look!

This is the "bored to death husband" look.

This is the "I have an itch in my nose" look.

Did someone say something?

Leave me alone mom!

Go away, already mom!

And the "they rode off happily & NOT bored, into the sunset" look!!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Smell the Chiles Tostados!!

Smells can have so many different affects on us. Some make us clear the room in a hurry while holding our noses in disgust, while other make us smile and want to take an extra deep breath just to prolong the pleasure. Then there are the ones that spark memories from our past and help us re-live and cherish those moments all over again.

I love the smell of Chile Tostados (roasting green chili peppers), not only because they smell wonderful but because their smell takes me back to my childhood. I remember many a morning waking up to the smell of these little hot peppers. Every time I smell roasting chiles I think of Papa and Mama and how they would get up early in the mornings and fill our house with this fiery, bold aroma. For those familiar with the smell, you understand that an alarm clock was never needed, just one whiff is all it took to get you out of bed!=). Both my grandparents have gone on to be with the Lord and I miss them dearly. Sometimes when life gets a little hard to bear, I think of them and the missing them becomes almost unbearable that I have to roast chili peppers just to feel their presence close to me once again. I love this memory and what it does for me, I will cherish it forever. Thank you Father for the gift of chiles tostados.

So tell me, what is your favorite smell and why?

And if you think a smell is powerful, just imagine what a taste can do for you. Wish you could taste my chile macho!!! =)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

God will make a way 1

Life for some, is a walk in a soft rain, while for others in can be one bad storm right after another, devastatingly painful & disastrous. Storms come in many forms, they could be a loved one's betrayal, an illness, a death, a bad marriage, loss of friendship and the list goes on. And yet these folks, in their droves, seem to ride out these storms without being consumed and are enabled to live lives of peace and joy despite such things. How do they do that, how can they go on and not think back on those times without being crushed over & over again? Isaiah 43:18-19 can enlighten us a bit. "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert."

We can either choose to be miserable & bring unneeded sorrow into our lives or we can choose to believe that God loves us and that He is in control of it all. We can choose to trust Him in all things and know that He is working it all out and in the process making us stronger & braver. I know that this is easier said than done, but doable nonetheless, as long as we remember what He said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you". Together with Him, even the impossible is possible. So are you brave enough to believe this? What will you choose this day? To trust Him or not.