Disappointments

I love this quote by Mother Teresa about "doing it anyways". Even if the results are disappointing or not the planned outcome.

That can be easier said than done when you are the one giving love and forgiveness to someone who does not appreciate it. It makes one ask the questions "was it worth it?" " could I do this again?". I believe that God strengthens us to love others in this way & to keep loving others in the same way. Yes, at times our hearts hurt & ache. However, I am reminded at those times how God's heart had to hurt & ache for me because of some of my choices.

Freedom is not free, & often the cost or pain of freedom is felt by another. So I pray for you today and for myself that we are faithful in our commitment to "do it anyways!" and not look at the out come or results through our human eyes but through God's eyes! I long to hear him say "Well done,my faithful child".
Amy

Hard times

What is it about movies like "Rudy" or "Remember the Titans" that move us? Make us get up and cheer, move us to tears? I think it's because we all can relate to hard times, struggles. Haven't we all failed at something, or struggled to achieve something that even might have been easy for someone else?

I believe we relate to each others weaknesses so much more than our image of "perfectness". The 2012 Summer Olympics is over and lots and lots of medals were handed out! But you know who I remember? Oscar Pistorius




The runner with blades




He gave us hope! If he could achieve running in the Olympics, what can we achieve struggling against whatever our personal struggles are.




Amy

Family

Last night my family and I watched the 9/11 documentary that was on TV. Beyond remembering how shocking that day was. How watching the rescue workers work for weeks following that day was heroic.

I remember reading that cookbook sales surged and church attendance grew. Why? Was being vividly reminded that life is short made us pause and prioritize what was really important. How did we really want to spend our time. Yes, I think it did for awhile.

However as humans our memories can be short at times, our calendars slowly were filled back up. We returned to being busy. Now when we are. Not out and about many of us are guilty of having our head down above a computer or iPhone. Yes, I will be working on doing better.

Isn't that one lesson that we can take with us. Remembering to pause and really focus on the people who God has given us to fill our lives (the ones we love & the ones we are learning to love). That's my prayer today.

Lord please keep me from being so busy that I miss the opportunity to have face time with those that I love and those you want me to learn to love. Amen


-Amy

You have mail

Do you remember way back when you used to sign on the dial up internet, if you had an email a voice would say "you have mail". I couldn't help it my pulse would speed up I would be excited to see who had sent little ole me an email. Well now days that is almost the only correspondence I receive.

The world has pretty much gone paperless in between emails, texting, & even news media have gone to digital format. I guess that's why I love real mail. The kind you can touch, the type that traveled some distance to arrive in your mailbox.

If you love mail, or your looking for a neat way to teach your children about the geography of the world. Or you like stamps from different parts of the world you might consider "Postcrossing".

Postcrossing is a free website you can sign up to receive random generated addresses around the world to send a postcard to. You write a short note about your area you live in, then mail it off. Your address is generated at random to another person to receive a postcard.

I have enjoyed this but my kids have even enjoyed it more.

Who knows, where your mail will come from next!

-Amy

Life lessons are not learned in kindergarten

Oh don't get me wrong, you can learn how to line up, and be nice to those who are nice to you in kindergarten. However "real" life lessons like sharing, be thoughtful, making allowances for people that are different from you, being thoughtful-those lessons are learned by sharing a bathroom with your siblings!

Siblings won't hesitate to tell you when you are not thoughtful, when you are being a slob, when you are hogging the mirror or when you use up all the hot water!

These are such important lessons to learn. When I hear my girls fuss. Yes, I admit with 3 girls in one household sharing a bathroom they let each other know when they are being rude, unthoughtful, or heaven forbid if they use something of theirs without asking. I remind myself that future college roommates and my girls future spouses will thank me one day for raising such thoughtful, pick up after themselves, sharing
,kindhearted daughters.

But for now, I better get off here and go referee the latest argument erupting upstairs from the bathroom.

Amy

Spilt milk, or in my case spilt pizza dip

OK our small group at church takes turn bringing in appetizers or snacks to small group. It was my turn last night. I made BLT roll ups, and hot pizza dip. However, when I went to take the dip out of the oven to get ready to "get it ready" to transport.....



Yep, I dropped it!  1/2 of the hot dip slipped from dish onto the bottom of my oven. It happens.

We all got a good laugh, ate BLT roll ups and munched on popcorn instead. Life is full of bumps, and  "oh No's!",  hopefully I am learning how to roll with them better.  I really enjoy my life group, and appreciate them rolling with the changes.  But hey, that is the purpose of small groups or as my church calls them Life group, it's to do life together, and sometimes life has some spilt dip, sick kids, hurting families, it's great to be part of a group that gets it.  That loves God and works on loving each other to.

(Does it make anyone else feel better to know someone else's day is sometimes filled with bumps or in my case spilt pizza dip?)  Just keeping it real, hope you are having a good day!

Hot Pizza Dip recipe :
4 to 6ounces of cream cheese (ok the recipe calls for 4, but I love cream cheese so I add 6)
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c mayonnaise
3/4 cup mozzarella

mix above ingredients pour into bottom of an 9x9 glass cake pan, that has been sprayed.

pour 1 cup pizza sauce on top of the cheese mixture in cake pan,
1/2 c of mozzarella cheese top pizza sauce with cheese
pepperonis - arrange on top as desired

bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  I serve it with sliced french bread - yum! Great for fall, just be careful not to drop it as you take it out of the oven.
-Amy

Encouragement

Help!  I need some advice.   How do you give encouragement?   In what way do you like to receive encouragement?  What practical ways or impractical even, have you seen or witnessed encouragement being given to other people?

Be it the person needing encouragement is:

*grieving
*elderly and does not get out much
*lonely
*discouraged
*or someone struggling with depression

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up"  Proverbs 12:25

I appreciate that you would take the time to leave a comment on the subject!  I am really trying to learn about how to be a better at giving others encouragement.  Thank you

Are you kind?

Are you a kind person? If you answer yes, who are you kind to? Are you kind to the hateful? Cranky? Unreasonable? The out of shape? The girl who does not know how to dress? The lady who has whiskers on her chin?

I know it is so much easier to be kind (affectionate, loving, of a sympathetic or helpful nature, gentle in character) to those who are kind themselves, pretty, got their act together individuals who are just having an off day. Or those who are friends & family Or individuals who are nice to me, or someone just like myself.

However Proverbs 14:31 says
"Whoever is kind to the needy honors God"

Webster's dictionary defines needy as: being in want, (marked by affection, attention, or emotion support). Interestingly enough it did not necessarily indicate needy as a physical need.

No other qualifications are required. Just that they are to be needy & our response to them is to be kind.

Wow, what a challenge! I know I'm guilty of reacting towards people in the manner they treat me, or I try to avoid those individual's who are just needy who drain me. However, the bible tells me to stop and rethink my interactions with those same people! I am to view my interactions with them from a different view point.

From the viewpoint of the Lord who loves all his children. By stopping what I am doing, by taking a moment or a few minutes to be kind to them, right where they are at, even in their crankiness, unreasonableness, unorganized, maybe fit throwing, or their rushing from place to place, or in their sorrow, maybe even in their confinement. I am to see past all that and see them as God sees them and recognize their neediness.

Lord, I pray that you would open my eyes to the people I encounter who are needy. Let me not get hung up by outward appearances or the public facade they may try to present, let me really see the needs that they have. Lord please let me honor you by slowing down and being kind to those in need.
I pray my post today would impact everyone who reads my blog today. And Thank you Lord, for the rain today!


-Amy