My take on an old favorite...

Lord, you are my God. That leaves me awestruck.
When I think about you, I mean really think about you, and all that you have made--the vast universe, the stars, the thunder even--so many ways your ultimate power is manifested everywhere...and all I can do is sing to you with my whole self, from my soul.
God you are so great!
Then, on the occasions when I am able to be out in your creation, listening to the birds, the gentle bubble of a stream, or the lazy flow of a creek, and I think about all the different touches you put into it, all for your glory...all I can do is sing to you with my whole self, from my soul.
God you are so great!
Then there's times like these, when I think of all that power and might and creativity, I am completely confused as to why you would bother to send your Son to live life on this earth, perfectly, only to die with me on His mind...all I can do is sing to you with my whole self, from my soul.
God you are so great!
When you come again to fulfill your promise, what an overwhelmingly joyous day that will be! I can only imagine what I will do--bow at your feet, dance before you throne, or simply sing to you with my whole self, from my soul.
God you are so great!

I only have 10 minutes,

I only have ten minutes, Lord,
is that enough time?
Okay, I'll shut off the radio.
The desire of my heart is to understand,
but I don't understand.
Thank you for giving me the desire, though,
I asked for it.
Forgive my tendency to drift mentally,
to let the check-list of the day take over.
Let this ten minutes be just me and you, Father.
It's only ten minutes...but it's yours & mine.

Mommy Guilt

Ugh--for the past 2 weeks, Hannah has had this big assignment in her Biology class. She was to go to a "native/wild/natural" area and sit and observe for a few hours then do a written project on what she found there.
Fact, we are extremely guilty of being entirely too busy with other things to allow us (her) the time to get this done.
Now it's crunch time (the assignment was due yesterday). She was going to so the observing this afternoon and get the rest of the assignment in on Monday. Problem. There is snow on the ground, and the project cannot be done with snow on the ground. Problem. She's been dragging her feet because she doesn't understand the material being covered in class lately, so is still uncertain as to what she actually needs to do.
As a parent, I cannot do the assignment for her, I know that. But I could sit with her as she did her observing, had I had the time.
So I"m praying that the snow that is here will melt off quickly so there is a chance of getting this done no later than Wednesday. Sigh. I'm not holding my breath.

OPUS...it's here.

Today is the day Leah leaves for Opus. She will spend the night there tonight, we will follow tomorrow. She is nervous about staying overnight "far away" from us. Frankly, this is new to me, too. This is a little different than sending our kids to grandma's for a weekend. Her prayers have been filled with help me to not be nervous when I go away for Opus--I have been echoing those prayers in my own heart, too--not just for her, but for myself as well.

my thankful list

Thanks to Steph, I'm posing a challenge to all readers of this blog and I am hoping you will post the challenge on your blog and so on. I challenge you to make a list of ten blessings, or ten thanksgivings.
So here are 10 things I'm thankful for:
1. That God, my heavenly father chose me to be a part of his big family, and calls me his child.
2. That God orchestrated events in his sovereignty to bring me to love and marry Mark.
3. That love which Mark and I share has been personified in the children God is allowing us to raise.
4. That our little family is surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who also love God and are committed to serving him.
5. That God chose to allow coffee beans to be grown and harvested so I can enjoy their rich flavor in my cup every morning. (Okay, so maybe that one's a little shallow--okay a lot shallow, but I'm still thankful for coffee!)
6. That God has been and will be my provider, only he knows my every need and only he can supply them!
7. That after a 15 year "leave of absence" I am able to be back at a job that I love, and feel enriched and useful in it.
8. That there are so many wonderful foods, and that I am able to enjoy preparing them.
9. That God my great physician has seen fit to allow me a strong and healthy body (even though there are more and more aches and pains--Growing older is inevitable, growing up, optional!)
10. That God speaks to me in so many ways, his word, the Bible; through a friend's encouragement; through song; through his creation.

Your turn!

He's coming about!

The medicine is seeming to do the trick--but Peter will still stay home from school today, as he did yesterday. We're not ready to jump the gun on getting him back into the swing of things. He has his homework and is resting today still. Perhaps tomorrow we'll try for a half day of school, but first we'll get through today.
Thankfully he says he feels much better today, so his chest must not be as tight. His eyes are brighter!
Now everyone stay safe on those slikkerdy roads! Thanks for praying for Peter, our Great Physician has him in His hand.

I've got a sickie...

Pooh! Peter's had a rough go of it this week, and now we know why! He has pneumonia in both lungs! Ugh! We'd had him in to the urgent care clinic this past Wednesday, when they did x-ray his chest, but that came back negative. This morning, he was again listless, and the least amount of exertion was totally wiping him out. I took him to the doctor again. This time, they heard fluid in the bottom of each lung, so off to the pharmacy we go! Hopefully the meds will do the trick and help get him over the hump. His appetite has been low, and it is painful for him to breathe--his cough is boisterous, and it almost hurts my chest to hear him at it!
Anyway, prayers for my young man are appreciated, because even though I complain about his usual energy level, it's even harder to see him like this!

Perspective...

For a beautiful piece giving perspective on why sorrows are a part of our life, read this post on Nicole Baart's blog. I appreciated it.

Wearisome week

This last week has been pretty tiring. Not that good things haven't happened in it, because they have, but the last week of October is ALWAYS especially busy for us, and this one was no exception.
This past Wednesday was my precious Leah's 11th birthday. Where have the years gone?!?!?!? Is it really that long ago since she was an infant and fit just so perfectly on her daddy's left shoulder? (Still her favorite spot!) She is such a joy to my heart. Keep loving Jesus, Leah, people fail, but He never will.
Then yesterday was our church's annual Hallelujah Party. But we don't keep it just to our own church--we throw a carnival for the entire community as a safe alternative to trick or treating. Some kids come dressed up, some don't and its all perfectly fine! We have a cake walk, fishing booth, plink-o, duck pond and much more that kids can play to win prizes, mostly candy and toys. The Christian kids' music is on loud and clear--lots of Veggie Tales--and it's all held in a brightly lit indoor track facility. It has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, we started out with it in a small old gymnasium and had about 250 kids come the first year. The next year it was about double that. We have had it recently that one literally could not move because of all the people who were there. God is good, and has blessed our efforts. We are thankful.
Last night Leah played hostess to 3 friends for a slumber party in honor of her birthday--yeah, I questioned the sanity of that one too, towards the end of the evening, but it all worked out just fine. The girls had a blast, were fairly quiet through the nigh, and enjoyed the traditional sleepover breakfast at our house of daddy's famous pancakes.
Then today, which was one golden opportunity of a day--Mark had the day off and it was beautiful weather--we got the yard winterized. Leaves cleaned up, perennials trimmed back, yard mowed (hopefully for the last time this year) and all the miscellaneous toys that have been scattered about are now either in the garbage because they were ruined or in the garage for the winter. I was hoping to also get the garage cleaned and stuff re-organized for the cold, but we ran out of time and out of steam. The kids were good sports, and helped a lot. We're glad, because we have a pretty big yard with lots of mature trees in our neighborhood!
Now, I'm thankful for my anticipated extra hour of sleep! Woo-hoo! So if you're reading this on Saturday, November 1, be sure to fall back with our clock tonight so you're not late for church in the morning!