News

We have not been able to get back to school since the camping trip. There has been swim practice, grocery shopping, library, free movie day, and all the stuff I have to do, like make phone calls and get our finances in order, so that we can close on our NEW HOUSE July 12th. Woohoo! Yes, we are moving to a great house in a nice neighborhood, with 13 acres to boot. We have a ton of small stuff to do to get our present house ready to put on the market. We will probably have to have 2 mortgages for a little while, and that concerns me because the market here is always slow. This week during our date time we have walked the whole property in the steaming heat and poison ivy. The whole property is pretty much wooded with big hardwoods and a nice size creek flows along the whole backside of the prop. I've got a big front porch to sit on and drink my tea, while looking across the street kitty cornered in the community pond. I am very excited about the boys having a place to roam and explore the woods, plus play and fish in the pond. They can also ride their dirt bikes in the woods, but the big black moron has to go. We have an elderly couple next door that will not tolerate a big barking dog, so he has got to go and now I feel so guilty.

Trials

I was speaking to a good friend the other day who has been through an incredibly difficult trial. They had made some very poor choices that have led to some extreme consequences. We were discussing all the ins and outs of this mess, and they said that they wouldn't be where they are today if it all hadn't happened the way it did. At first I said "yeah, all things work together for good..." but then I said, "no I actually don't agree with what you said." While I absolutely believe that God in his mercy will take our mistakes and change us for the better if we let him, I don't believe that people have to grossly sin to learn the tough lessons of this life. For example, I've heard people say that they would never have changed if they hadn't got addicted, or the affair and aftermath caused them to really value their family, or whatever. I have been the recipient of God's grace for my blunders, but did I have to fall in order to reach the understanding that I now have. The answer, to me is NO. I am trying to teach my children that they don't have to sin in order to find God's mercy and forgiveness. They are already sinners, but they don't have to experience the really bad in order to see the goodness of God. I know that there is that passage in scripture where Mary M was washing Jesus feet and they say something like "the one that is forgiven much, loves much." I know that when you realize how great your sin is, you are all the more grateful for forgiveness, but I'm not convinced that it has to be like that. The word says that we will experience trials and tribulation to change our character, but those random kind of trials are not what I'm talking about. We have no control over life and death, or handicaps, and trials of nature. I told this person, "what if you were shown the unconditional love of God, what if you were interceded for, what if you were shown mercy and forgiveness, do you still think that change could not happen" If we truly believe that christ has the power to transform lives, then we must believe that his will is to not have mankind learn the "hard way." More than anything I want my children and myself to be open and soft, so that God doesn't have to break us. If he is jealous for us, then his means of getting us will be unstoppable. So I am thankful for the times I was hard headed and God saved me, and I'm even more thankful for the times that I wasn't hard headed and he saved me.

I'm So Happy -VBS

When I was growing up all the churches we ever went to had VBS during the day in the summer. I loved the snacks and games we would play, and I always looked forward to it every year. Now sadly since there are not as many stay at home moms, churches have VBS at night. The silver lining to that sad cloud is that my mother volunteers at her church during VBS week, and my children are the beneficiaries of that. You see my church doesn't have it and I doubt they ever will. I would not feel comfortable to send my kids to a church where I didn't know many people. I gladly will send them with her though, so this means that it is date week for Nate and I. My mom picks up the kids at 5:45 and doesn't bring them home till 9:15, just in time for bed. YEA! So we are off to dinner tonight, and maybe every night this week. We also get to ride the motorcycle, which is something that I rarely get to do. I should be in a really good mood this week. See ya.