Kids say...

On Sunday I was attempting to get every kid to fill out a survey about their favorite things, their hobbies, and what they liked to do for fun in an attempt to get to know them better. One of the girls said, "You know, I'm kind of weird...I don't really like to talk about myself." I took that to mean she wanted to go play with the piano instead of filling out some dumb survey, so I said, "Okay, well how about I ask you the questions, you tell me the answers, and I'll just write them down?" "Okay."

Here are my favorite responses:

Me: What is your favorite movie?
Her: Oh shoot...what is it called. I can't think of it...wait, it starts with an H...yes, Hellboy! I can't believe I remembered that. I LOOOVE that movie!"
Me: oookay...next question

Me: Who is your favorite Bible character?
Her: Oh, I can't remember his name. Who was that guy who like hid in a basket?
Me: Moses?
Her: No, not Moses...he like hid in a basket so the people wouldn't find him?
Me: You mean Moses?
Her: No, ohh what is his name. He like went around telling all these people about Jesus...
Me: umm...Paul?
Her: Yes! Paul! That's it! I LOOOVE Paul! He is sooo cool.


The things kids say...I could write a book.

I love the internet.

Seriously, how great is this:

Thursday afternoon around 3:30pm I ordered a book for work from amazon.com. I'm a member, so all of my information was already in my account so click, click, click my credit card was charged and I had my book ordered. I am also on this free 30-day trial thing for free 2-day shipping, so it was supposed to come to my house super fast.

Friday afternoon my doorbell rang and there was a nice UPS man to hand me my book and was even nice enough to not get upset when my little dog jumped on him and even took a minute to pet her.

So there you have it. A few clicks and less than 24 hours later, I'm a happy camper!

Trust.

I sat in on the 4th and 5th grade Sunday School class on Sunday which is comprised of approx. 2 4th grade boys. The main point of the lesson on Sunday was trust- we can believe and have faith that God will keep His promises to us.

One of the object lessons the teacher was using was a trust fall. She had already proven herself trustworthy by promising the boys candy and then following through, so the trust fall was naturally what came next. When she promised the boys she would not drop them, the questions began: "Are your fingers crossed behind your back? Are your legs crossed? Are your toes crossed? Are your eyes crossed? Do you pinky promise? You aren't lying? Are you sure?"

And I sat and wondered how, by the age of 11, kids expect people to lie to them before they expect them to tell them the truth. They expected to be tricked, lied to, and dropped on their butts.

And why, at the age of 24, I don't expect much different. Sure, the questions don't look the same, but they have the same meaning: "Do you really mean that? Are you really going to do what you said you were going to do? Can I really trust you to come through for me no matter what?"

And I can't help but be encouraged in what God has been teaching me about the importance of showing them how BIG and POWERFUL and MIGHTY and FAITHFUL and TRUSTWORTHY and how GREAT our God is. Andy Stanley defines vision like this: "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be." I believe they need to see a BIG God- to see how BIG He is, but to also see Him up close and personal- to know that this BIG God cares about and loves them each personally, and He is worthy of their trust.


"Our humanness does not prevent God from using us; it is our humanness that actually becomes the platform from which He demonstrates His power, goodness, and love to His people. It is an amazing thought when you realize that both the church and the home are comprised of broken, imperfect people through whom God has chosen to tell His story."

-Reggie Joiner, Think Orange

Answers.

Have you ever asked God for something- not because you necessarily wanted it to happen but because you knew it would be good for you if it did- and were then surprised when He did it?

I expect God to act, I have faith that He will, but then I get all flustered when He does. And then I just have to remind myself that I'm the one who asked in the first place.

I'm not sure if this is maybe just because I'm a woman and we apparently change our minds a lot...but either way, it sort of catches me off guard. Like, did I really want that? Yeah, I did. Is it a good thing? Yeah, it is. Should I be happy? Yes, I should. Well okay then.

For His Glory.

Last Wednesday I did a dumb thing. I was straightening my hair in the morning and, not being fully awake at that point, rested the straightener on my neck, leaving a very noticeable burn mark. My first thought was 'wow, that really hurt'. My second thought was 'wow Abby Jane, you're really dumb'. My third thought was 'I'm going to have to find something to wear to the banquet on Friday that will cover up this ugly burn mark'. I put a scarf on for the day and walked out the door.

I think a lot of times one of our first instincts when it comes to pain or ugliness in our lives is to cover it up. To not let others see it. To often times fool ourselves into thinking it is something we can handle on our own. To think it would be better if others didn't know about it.

I know there is a lot of pain, a lot of messiness, and a lot of ugliness in my own life, but I always want to remember this: God is able to redeem any situation in my life to bring Himself glory IF I will allow Him to work in me and through me. It is all about bringing Him glory.


"Is there an easier way to being God's person than through enduring tribulations? Believe me: I have been looking for one. I must honestly say, though, that it has been the dark, difficult times of testing in my life that have brought me to where I am today. We need occasional mountaintop experiences, but the fertile soil for growth is always down in the valleys of tribulation, not on the mountaintops." - Victory Over The Darkness by Neil T. Anderson