Blindsided!

I was recording my kids sledding one day in March and out of the blue I feel this thump on my backside.  I turn and see that my daughter has just blindsided me with a snowball!  She was laughing so hard and enjoying herself that she kept throwing them at me until I screamed like a little girl!  It was a great day!

Our Duty to Have Fun!

My kids love life!  I think it is the duty of all kids to have fun and take each day as it is the only day that matters.  It is so difficult to think of tomorrow and waiting until later to get what they really want.  The focus is on now and living today.  Look at my kids in the video and how eagerly go after fun.  I will put another one up next week!

It was one of the only days this year that we went sledding.  This event was at a park in Grand Haven which has benches to sit on that look like hot dogs.  Seriously!  We had so much fun and we even left before they stopped having fun.  (The key to every event with kids!)

Just to let you know, I don't believe that any of us should get rid of our playful, fun-loving side of life.  But that is just me.  I am usually the one at the funeral home visitation that is seen laughing in the hallway with people.  Remembering the great times of the person who has died (gone on ahead of us) should bring up smiles and sometimes great belly roars of laughter.


I hope that my kids and I never lose that perspective of life.  I hope that we all see each day is vitally important and filled with potential for enjoyment.  I hope that we see that fun is so interwoven into every part of our lives that it should be impossible to remove it from even the most ordinary events.

God Makes Me Laugh

I talked with Linda today.  She is the prayer coordinator from church.  We met at McD's to talk about ministry at church, an upcoming Pastor's retreat, and to get to meet her.  We talked about so many things but I remember the conversation about her journey with Christ over the years.  She told me stories of how God had always been faithful to her family through the ups and downs and the in between times.  The dry times and the times when she knew that she was doing God's will.  The mountain tops and the dark valleys.  After a few stories she stopped and said, "God.  He just makes me laugh sometimes."  

It so apparent that Linda was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to her.  This woman's heart was completely filled with exuberant joy when she recalled how she was never lost or alone.  She was always in the presence of her heavenly Father and he was always directing her path.  More importantly, she knew this to be clearly evident in her life.  

Do I laugh with joy in my heart when I look back to see God's hand at work in my life?  Oh yeah I do!  It is a well spent and worthwhile moment when I trace the line of God's shaping the events of my life.  I don't hit pause and recall God's goodness as often as I would like.  But when I do pause, it is so easy to see how God has wired me, how he has prepared me, how he has led me to the place I am today.  It is clear that my God has been so good to me.  

God makes me laugh too!

No More Manna

I have found a new devotional that I enjoy.  It is called "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon.  It was written many years ago and some of the words make me laugh but it has spoken to my heart.  The description said that it had 2 short devotions, one for starting the day and the other for ending the day.  I said, "Short?"  This is for me!

Yesterday I read about how the nation of Israel left Egypt from their slavery.  I am sure that they were looking forward to the paradise that was promised to them, this land in Canaan.  They must have thought that within a week they would be eating the bounty of the land.  No more hunger.  No more toil or pain.  No more manna!  Nothing but paradise!

However, you know the rest of the story.  There was rebellion against God and Moses which led to many years of wandering in the desert.  When it was time to finally enter this paradise, only Moses and Joshua and the youngest children would realize this land of promise.  Pretty sad but current story about the outcome of people who want paradise apart from God.

The devotion spoke to me about expecting paradise too soon at Celebration Community Church.  I have met great people here.  There is such potential.  Each day I see how God has prepared me during my life for the duties here today.  But do I expect paradise too soon?  Do I focus on the potential for my idea of success or do I continue to look with expectation to my God who has his own timing?  Do I consider him to be the object that I strive for instead of my own ideas of paradise?

Oh how I need your prayers that I may keep a correct focus on my Creator as the author and determiner of success.  I need your prayers that my pride might be thrown aside and that I might follow on the path with Jesus as my guide.

http://www.heartlight.org/spurgeon/

Merry Christmas

We just returned from Christmas with my side of the family.  It was good to talk about a wide variety of things ranging from the serious to the superficial to the downright insane.  As usual, the goal of the day is to tell silly stories from our childhood days that make my mom laugh out of control.  Mission accomplished!

I hope and pray that you too have a great day celebrating Christmas!