Green Bean Moments and Other Picciadillies
Thursday, April 7, 2016
The New Mexico Sky
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
When the Creative Juices Flow...
Monday, August 3, 2015
Looking at the Little Things
Preparation #1: Dealing with a variety of ages. Several months before I came down here, before I knew whether I was approved to go, I had the privilege to babysit 5 wonderful girls on a regular basis. The ages ranged 13 – almost 2. This year in school we will have 30 some students from K – 12. All with different personalities and interests. Through babysitting I was able to teach, direct, and care for 5 different age groups and 5 different personalities.
Trusting God
Well after reading that and then talking to Him by my bedside, I felt a lot better. Of course then talking to my mother 10 mins. afterward definitely helped.
“God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” ~God’s Not Dead. Just remember as you go about your everyday, as you encounter disappointment, separation, sorrow, and discouragement, you have a God who will bring you out of your distresses. Trust that God with all your heart and you will have nothing to fear, and nothing to want.
Monday, May 18, 2015
That Perfect Love
If you have ever watched a princess movie, you know that no matter what, the prince/hero always has a bunch of obstacles to overcome. For example: Cinderella; Prince Charming goes through the kingdom putting the mysterious glass slipper on every young maiden's foot to find his true love. Sleeping Beauty; Prince Philip risks life and limb to go through a forest and fight a dragon just to kiss his love and save her and her kingdom. Hercules; Though this movie is about a guy, he of course meets the one girl he can't live without! Her life is taken and to save her he has to swim in a sea of souls to get her. The catch is, as he swims his soul is slowly sucked away and if he doesn't get out in time he will die. Well, as you expect, the last hope is gone and then WOOSH he pulls them both up and saves both their lives. Yea!
There point I want to bring out is that even at 18 years old, after watching Cinderella 3, I was left wanting a love story where love overpowers the biggest, most evil spell and everything is perfect in the end. Then I realized, love overpowers everyday in the little stuff. When a husband and wife argue or disagree but come together, even after a little time being away from the other and cooling off, and they work it out, love has just conquered. When something drastic happens to a loved one and the family grows closer, love has just conquered. When life throws lemons and the couple or family make lemonade, love has conquered. Love does not have to make leaps and bounds over evil or bad times to be proven strong and real. Love goes over bumps and potholes and proves each day that it is alive and well. There is no such thing as perfection in a relationship, but with God all things are possible, and its those days where the impossible becomes possible and the mountain becomes an anthill. Those are the perfect days that we need to cherish.
~1 Corinthians 13~
Sunday, May 10, 2015
A Mother's Legacy
Hannah, mother of Samuel, couldn't bare children. She offered to God her child if he would bless her with one. God blessed Hannah with a son. To long for a child only to give him up after 3 or so years had to be so hard for her. But Hannah was not giving him up in vain, she knew she was giving him to God for God's service. Total sacrifice to God on Hannah's part produced more good fruit; 1: Samuel grew up to be a Godly man. 2: Hannah was then blessed with more children.
Jochebed, mother of Moses, also made a great sacrifice for her child. When Moses was born all baby boys were being murdered. His mother and father, for the sake of their son, hid Moses in the bulrushes of the river. Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him. Not knowing Jochebed to be his mother, the princess hired her to be Moses's nurse until he was old enough to not need her. Though Jochebed still got to spend time nursing Moses, she had to return him to Pharaoh's daughter. The faith Jochebed had to give up her son, knowing God would take care of him is powerful. It is recorded in Hebrews 11 that Moses's parents saw he was a proper child and were not afraid or the king's commandment. Their faith was strong.
Mary, mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, mother of John, were the mothers to two boys who became influential men, and one the Savior of the world. Both women had a great joy within their hearts as they carried their babies for 9 months. I'm sure they still had their struggles but deep in their hearts, knowing their boys were special, they had a love and a joy no one could steal.
Lois and Eunice, grandmother and mother of Timothy. These women were very important in the life of Timothy. They taught him faith in Jesus. Timothy did not have 1st generation Christian parents, he had a background of a faith-based family. If you are blessed with a background of a faith-based family you know those blessings of seeing Christ work in generation after generation. If your family is newer to the faith or you are the only Christian in your family, build that faith-based family. Show your children what God is all about that they may pass it on and you may become a legend for Christ.
There is something these mothers all had in common. Whether they raised their children for many years or only a few years, each mother was full of God so much that it spilled over into their children. A mother has a bond with her child that goes farther than any other bond. A mother invests in her child, prays for her child, cares and loves for her child. But the real challenge is to teach them a love for God that goes as deep as the mother/child bond. A mother's impression on her child will be the one that sticks the most.
I was blessed to spend the day with my Great Grandma on my father's side for a day. Her hands shook as she pulled her wore Bible off the end table. She could have read anything, watched something, but instead she chose to read her Bible. My Great Grandmother has been through a lot in her lifetime, but God has always been faithful and he continues to show that by providing for her and loving her. That is a testimony to me to always have faith in God. He will provide for u and take care of us. A few years ago my family visited Virginia for a wedding. My Great Grandparents on my mother's side were well known in that area so we had some connection to it. On the way home my mother made a comment about how everyone knew Great Grandpa's. But even though they talked about my Great Grandpa who was a minister, they really remembered my Great Grandmother. She worked quietly behind the scenes with a meek and gentle spirit and that's what people remember more than the sermons my Grandpa preached. The women of the Bible and the women in my life inspire me to be a better woman in Christ, whether I ever get married or not, I want t strive to be like these women in my daily life.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Be a Sidekick!
I babysit for 3 girls twice a week. On Monday the 4 year old and I went outside and jumped on the trampoline. As little girls do she began to be silly and asked what song she should sing. So I gave her a few suggestions. Among others I suggested If You're Happy and You Know It. The first two verses she sang just fine.
Then we got to the last verse and this is what she sang, "If you're happy and you know it touch your head. If you're happy and you know it wave your hands in the air. If your happy and you know it be a superhero. If you're happy and you know it then your life will surely show it. If you're happy and you know it be a superhero."
As cute as it was I wondered about being a superhero. Moms and Dads are superheroes to their children. Moms clean up messes, do laundry, keep everything in order and seem to never wear out (though they really do!). Dads go to work everyday and come home in time to play and then fight off the monsters under the bed. Can someone like me, average Jane who doesn't have a family yet, be a superhero to someone?
The definition of superhero is a very heroic person. So to a child I may make my superhero debut by killing a spider or catching a drink before it spills. But can I be a superhero to someone I've never met before? As I thought about this I thought about MY favorite superhero, Jesus Christ. Died to save my sins that I may go free. There are many fictional superheroes who save the world everyday from bad guys. My superhero saved the world once but saves me everyday. In reality I'm just the sidekick. I stay by Jesus's side, taking the Word to the people but letting Him do the real saving. I don't have the power that He has. The Bible actually talks about sidekicks, it calls them disciples.
And I can do my job as a sidekick by telling a stranger about the one and only true Superhero who has the power to save them. Telling them that God has saved them from their sins, that they don't need to live in darkness. Telling them God loves them because they are His child. Then Jesus comes in and takes care of the rest.