The MadDash Twister

Lately, focusing on anything other than today is just too overwhelming. Dealing with the roller coaster ride that has become my life is enough. Today I'm naming it the MadDash Twister. I'm not very creative with names, so this is the best I could do. Occasionally, I get overwhelmed by the ride and allow my emotions to follow my circumstances. This is not God's best for me, but my flesh makes that choice sometimes. In those moments (often at night when I've been up with the baby and can't go back to sleep because my mind starts racing), I can hardly breathe thinking about all of the "what ifs" and get to a point where I just cry out to God to reclaim my emotions and help me refocus on what I know is true.

I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength. ALL things. Making it through a day without much sleep. Yes. Tackling all of the tasks on my plate for the day. Yes. Taking my boys to visit their biological mom. Yes. Even unimaginable things like possibly having to leave them there someday. Yes! ALL things. That's what is true.

So give me THIS day my daily bread...give me what I need to get through today...and lead me not into temptation...anger, selfishness, impatience, the temptation to allow my emotions to swallow me up and take over... Help me to maintain peace and a calm spirit on the roller coaster ride beyond my understanding that can only come from You. That's what is true.

Whatever your roller coaster ride is called, claim truth over emotions today.

No! Mine! I wanna!

Words I didn't think I'd hear in my home on a regular basis again...no! mine! I wanna! But here we go. Since I last blogged in October, we have become foster parents to 2 precious little boys (ages 2 and 5 months).

We received a call on October 26th at 8pm that they were dropping off 2 little boys (a 6 week old and an 18 month old) in 45 minutes. Can you say "Yikes!" ? Needless to say, we were a little overwhelmed for the first few days. But we've settled into life as a family of 6 and are truly enjoying discovering the differences between boys and girls. As Robbie would tell you, we've never been peed on more than in the last few months. Our girls never did that. And the activity level of our 2 yr old boy continues to amaze us. We're looking forward to warmer days and being able to run and play outside.

He is a typical 2 year old boy with a great need for structure, security, and love. We discipline him differently than we did with our 2 girls for several reasons. Partly, because we are older now and hopefully a little wiser in our approach. I want to see him the way Christ sees him, as a soul in a body, not as a body with a soul. This completely changes what I say and how I treat him.

It has taken a few months to develop a long-lasting bond with these boys and although we don't know what the future holds, we hope they always know how much we love them and more importantly, that Jesus loves them. We talk to them about God all the time and pray this sticks with them far into the future.

There's been a lot of change in our lives and a lot of roller coaster emotions, but nothing beats knowing we are able to give these boys security and love to help them grow into men who will know and feel God's love.

We may deal with some little power struggles and hear a defiant "no" a few times a day, but the best phrase I get to hear every day...wuv you! And it reminds me that as a parent, there is nothing better. How often do I express my love to my Father?

The "joys" of parenthood

There are many joys of parenthood. Some of them unexpected and some of them not the "ha ha" joy we typically think about. There's the joy of watching your baby roll over for the 1st time or the joy of watching them smear icing all over their face from their 1st birthday cake. This week we celebrated with our niece as she pooped in the potty for the 1st time. Then there's the joy of watching them as they finally "get" something you've been trying to teach them for a long time or the joy of seeing them stand up for what they believe in front of their peers. We glow with thankfulness and pride (probably should be just thankfulness, but I have to call it what it is for me sometimes) for the children we see them becoming.

The joys I don't expect (and don't really want) are the ones that happen because of lessons learned during time in the trenches. I have several dear friends going through time in the trenches with their kids right now, and my girls have spent some time there recently as well. We want our kids to continue behaving the way we've told them they are supposed to behave. We want them to continue to want to climb onto our laps and tell us we are the most important person in their world. But part of the growing up process, as we all know, is figuring out who you are as a human being. Unfortunately for parents, this sometimes means they pull away from us for a time, they go beyond limits to see what happens, they cry themselves to sleep, or they live in what seems like a state of utter confusion about what is right and wrong. And we are sometimes left standing by watching it all happen.

I wish I could say I have all the answers to help your child survive these times. What I do have are the promises from God's Word.
Prov. 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he's old he will not depart from it.
Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."
Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Micah 6:8 "He has showed you... what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
And we could go on and on and on...

God's grace is enough for your child and for you. His arms are big enough to hold both you and your children through the trenches. When you run out of parenting options, He's still there. He's still loving your child and offering His grace to them. Pray earnestly for them. It may not seem like enough, because you want to DO something to help them. But it truly is enough. We have to trust in Him. We have no other choice.

And so many parents "on the other side" of these trenches have seen that the joy that comes in the morning after the darkness is so much greater and deeper than any joy they experienced before. That's where we truly find the joy of parenting. I wish they could get there without the pain, but it WILL be worth it.

Constant motion

Robbie has one of those gadgets (one of many) on his desk at work where if you get it going, it won't ever stop unless someone physically stops it. Have you ever felt like that? That's me lately. I feel like my head never stops swirling with the "to do" list and times of when someone has to be picked up or when I have to be here or when this has to be delivered here. It has gotten out of hand.

But never fear! God places things in our lives to force us to slow down. One of these for me was a new ladies mentoring group I'm a part of that meets once a month. We had our 1st meeting last week, and it forced me to slow down for a few hours and just enjoy the fellowship. How nourishing for my soul this was. Of course, as soon as I left, I was back at it. Fighting deadlines, returning phone calls, going through training classes.

Then the weekend came, and I got sick. Well, that will slow you down in a hurry. I've now spent the past 2 days resting. It is difficult not to feel lazy in these times, but I know it was God's way of slowing me down for a bit. It has been a precious time of seeking His Word and praying for people who He brings to mind. A lot of time to listen and be still. So good.

Now, why don't I do this when I feel okay? Not sure, but it needs to change. I need to commit time to being still. Hold me accountable for this, won't you? This is a struggle for me and has been for a long time. I think I grew up thinking if I wasn't "doing" for Christ, then I wasn't doing my job as a Christian. I didn't understand that it's more important to "be" in Christ and to learn from Him than to do. I need to take more time just being with Him.

Let me know how you make sure you have this much needed time on a regular basis. We can all learn from each other.

Higher Ground News Update

We wanted to let everyone know that we are in the final stages of the creation of the family devotional. Many have been asking for this for a while. It has taken over a year, but the songs are being mixed and the devotionals are going through their first edit. Our goal is to have the Family Worship Night book and companion CD available right when everyone is going back to school. That would be a great time to commit to spending time together as a family, even with all of the craziness of school and activities.

Heartbreak

Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1

Has your heart been troubled lately? Broken? I'm feeling a little that way today. Okay, a lot that way. It seems like something our family has been hoping for for a long while is not going to be possible, at least not at this time. It makes me naturally feel troubled and heartbroken. But that goes against what God says in John 14:1, so what do I do with that? I'm going to be real here. I would like to scream or cry right now and just wallow in that for a while. But this is one of the verses our family has learned recently, and we've asked God to help us apply these verses to our lives.

So, as much as I don't "feel" like it, I am going to ask God to take the brokenness out of my heart and fill me with joy and peace and trust. I know God has a plan for our family, and He knows what the future will bring. He also is walking with us through this time. I have to cling to that. Because of that, I can find His peace (that is above all of my understanding) and keep seeking Him.

Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1

God loves sinners

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy mid-January! Ok, well it's rainy, cold, foggy, and the temps have risen all the way to 38 degrees today in lovely Indiana, so it's a little harder to be happy. I heard recently that the saddest day of the year is January 15th. That's when the bills starting coming in from Christmas, no more holiday get togethers, it's cold and nasty outside, and everyone has the winter blues. So I've been a little more focused on praying for joy this month, because I'm always one to fight the "going" trends especially negative ones. I guess I want to prove them all wrong or something like that. And I have so much to be thankful for, how can I not have joy?

I was watching one of those shows where they give away a house to a family, and the sister of the recipient said it had been a long time since she'd seen her sister really smile like that. She said, "She's happy all the time and always smiling, but this is a cheeks cracking, face splitting in two kind of happy." I want that kind of joy all the time, and I know we don't always live on those highs. But I can still be overflowing with that kind of joy. After all, God loved ME, a sinner!

Over Christmas, Robbie created a mini-home theater in our loft area, and we have enjoyed watching all of our favorite Christmas movies up there. Do you remember the part in Polar Express when Santa comes out and all the elves go crazy? The noise is deafening. It's just like a roar of millions. (Side bar: Robbie loves that part with his new sub-woofer, because it makes you feel the roar in your heart.) I was thinking about that noise and where else would that be heard. You know that when a sinner turns their life over to Christ, all of Heaven rejoices. Imagine Michael and Gabriel hi-fiving each other, and all the cherubs singing out. There could be millions there. We don't know. But I bet the sound is a little like that deafening roar. After all, they all are there to worship God, and God is rejoicing when a sinner repents because He loves that sinner so much. So there's a huge party going on!

It makes me think about the day I came to Christ. I wish I could have heard Heaven that day. I wonder how long the party lasted and how loud they all cheered and sang for my sinful heart that had been made new. Maybe that's something I'll ask if God will share with me when I get to Heaven.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so embarrassed that it's been 3 months since I posted on here. I'm almost thinking what's the point, since everyone has just written me off by now. I really thought things would slow down a bit after the traveling this summer, but it's just been a different kind of busy. Movie premieres, caring for a failing grandma, a few trips, just "stuff" that we all deal with on a regular basis. So I apologize for not getting back on here. Maybe God knew I didn't really have anything important to say :)

I recently wrote a devotional for my friends at Sisters in Scripture on Facebook and wanted to share it with all of you here, too. It's taken from Philippians 3:13-14, which are our ministry's key verses. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

When was the last time you had one of those "mountaintop" experiences? You know the ones I'm talking about, right? Going on a missions trip, being involved with a major outreach event, or attending a retreat or conference where you felt free to experience Jesus and His love and really spend time with Him without any distractions from the outside world. You felt changed, more spiritual somehow, and couldn't keep from smiling from ear to ear.

As a teen, I attended church retreats often and usually came back feeling like it was me and Christ against the world and nothing would beat us. Then I'd get back into everyday life and slowly the things that bugged me before would start getting on my nerves again and the relationships that hurt me would start attacking again, and I would get to the point where I forgot how I felt back at that amazing retreat. I'd feel so guilty, because everyone would say "don't lose that feeling" and "keep up what you learned at that retreat." I didn't know why I couldn't stay on that mountain and felt I had done something wrong.

As a slightly more mature Christian, I've realized that each experience in our lives shouldn't be seen as a mountaintop, but just as another step in our journey. Each of these steps helps us grow and molds us to be more like Christ (if we allow it). But we need to let go of that expectation that it has to be some huge step and light coming down from heaven kind of experience. That is based on feelings, and feelings fluctuate so frequently, especially in women.

Being a part of a recent "Get REAL, InC. missions trip to the Bahamas reminded me about this problem we sometimes have. I know many of us were very moved and changed by the trip, but I want to be sure we don't try to make it about that week. That was a step toward the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. We need to take what we learn from the experiences God allows in our lives and use them to help us take another step toward our Savior.

As the year starts to come to an end, we are tempted to look for the "highlights"-the mountaintop experiences. I challenge you to instead look for those quiet, subtle moments in your year where you look back now and can see that God was working on your heart even then. Count each step toward Him as a significant blessing in your life.

School's here...again

Wow, where did the summer go? Everyone always says that, don't they? I catch myself saying the same thing, then I answer myself (yes, I do that alot once everyone goes back to school) with "you had the same # of days you've always had. You need to take a minute and enjoy each one." And I'm right :) But now, whether I rushed through my summer days or not, it's over, and where does that leave me? Well, swamped with work that's piled up for one thing. And alone, for another thing.

A friend of mine said to me the other day that she doesn't do alone very well. I, on the other hand, love my alone time. I love getting lost in my thoughts and whatever I'm doing and not have to answer questions or talk to anyone for a while. What I'm not good at, however, is being still. So even when I'm alone, I feel like I need to be "doing" all the time. I'm not sure why I have so much trouble being still, but it definitely carries over into my time with the Lord. I can be easily distracted by my work, my jobs at home, and my volunteer time at the girls' school and excuse the fact that I didn't kneel before the throne of the Almighty today because what I was doing was important stuff too that needed to get done.

Yes, I know. It sounded really pathetic when I said it out loud, too. But that's way too often the way I live. Psalm 16:11 says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." How do I know the path of life and joy and eternal pleasures if I'm not seeking Him? He can't make known something to me if I'm not even listening. He can't give me joy if I'm not spending time in His presence.

I'm not sure why it is such a tough thing for women to stop multi-tasking and just be still before Him. But I know one thing. I'm going to sign off, so I can spend time with Him right now. Do you need to do the same?

Giving up YOUR Desires

We went school shopping yesterday--always a fun day for me to take out the girls and let them pick out their paper, notebooks, folders, etc. I'm not sure why that's such a blast for kids, but it really is. Then we go to lunch somewhere fun and spend the afternoon getting their tennis shoes for the year and a couple of outfits. We had such a blast, and the girls actually remembered to say thank you after we left EVERY store. It was really unbelievable!

Our last stop of the day was the Bible bookstore to spend gift cards they had received. They were so excited to see what they could get for their money. As soon as we walked in the door, Jadyn saw a book she knew I wanted and immediately offered to use her money to buy it for me. She argued with me for a minute or two, then was convinced she should use it for something she wanted. They went through the store choosing several items, and for once, Courtney was ready well before Jadyn. Courtney wasn't aware of the conversation with Jadyn, but she saw the same book she knew I wanted. Without my knowledge, she put back a CD she had been wanting for over a year and purchased the book for my birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't know and when I asked to see the CD in the car I was rewarded with tears and "I didn't want you to know. I wanted it to be a surprise!" I felt terrible, but also so grateful for such unselfish little girls.

I'm not telling you this to brag on my kids. Really. Today, she reminded me what totally selfless giving is all about and got me thinking about how often I act that way in my life. Of course, I would give up anything for those I love, but what about those I don't know? What about those who don't like me or treat me well? The Bible says to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us. Do I act like that?

And let's take it a step further. Am I willing to give up my own desires for my Heavenly Father? If I really want to do something, would I give that up if I know God would have me do something else? Even in small matters, like how we spend our extra money. Do I use it all for His glory and good? I hope so. It's easy to say I would give up my own desires for Him, but when we're in that specific situation where it's something we really, really want and it seems soooo "right", do we give it up for Him?

Wrecked Still...

Well, we're back from our missions trip to Guatemala and trying to get back into the swing of "regular" life. The trip was way too short for us to emotionally grapple with everything we needed to while there. So now, we all keep revisiting different issues and emotions and processing and praying through things together. The word we keep coming back to is "wrecked." People have asked us to share about the trip, but to be honest we don't really know how to put the experience into words. Let me start with the praises...

Our travels were safe and without complication. One couple on the team missed their flight and had to arrive by way of LA, but finally made it the next morning. No one was injured or sick while there. We all received the food and nutrition we needed and had warm beds to sleep in at night. God was able to use the resources and talents we brought with us to accomplish several things including a mini-makeover in the baby house, new paint in one of the teen boys' houses, new meds in the clinic, new shoes on some feet, craft and story time with the toddlers, doing nails and hair with toddlers and older girls, and helping feed and care for the babies. We experienced a beautiful church service with freedom in their worship like I've never seen before and sat in on youth group and a school music class.

Even with all God allowed us to accomplish, we felt very inadequate when compared to the vast needs at the orphanage and the country as a whole. We saw some of the destruction from the recent natural disasters and the extreme poverty the country deals with every day. In one view, we could see the poverty in the valley, and the great wealth in the mountains above. The staff at the orphanage are doing an amazing job with the resources they have, but they need so much more. The delays in the development of the children are very evident, and there are nutrition deficits. But the saddest thing for me was looking into their eyes and seeing a detachment there that is indescribable. If you can engage them, their whole face lights up. But many times there is just a stare with...uncertainty or fear, I'm not sure which. It's as if strangers come and go so much that they don't want to attach themselves emotionally to anyone.

God allowed us to get "close" to a few of the children, including a 2 yr old little girl who we'll call Y. We would love to bring her home one day, if at all possible. As well as a 3 yr old little boy we'll call J. We also were able to form relationships with a couple of the house parents and plan to continue to keep in touch and support and pray for them. They asked us to pray for loneliness and acceptance among the other staff, more male house parents to give the children a father-figure, health concerns, and of course the children.

We still are shedding tears off and on as our hearts ache for the little ones we left. We're grateful for all He's given us here in the States, but we would love to be able to share it with them.

The pictures tell the story probably as well as, if not better than, we do. If you would like to take a look at the pictures, we'll have them up on our Facebook page in the next day or two (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Higher-Ground/62792533430?ref=ts). Thank you so much for your prayers.

Wrecked

Day 3 of the trip: The word for the trip is "wrecked". It's heartbreaking to see these children in need of fathers and a real home with a forever mommy. Courtney (and thus I) broke down last night as her heart broke for these little ones. I feel constantly in a state of near-tears, but also at the same time want to give these children fun, love and laughter while I can. We've talked about as sad as it is for us to see what these children are lacking, they have FAR more than many, many others in Guatemala. When we arrived at the airport, a little boy no older than 6 (if that), asked to carry our luggage so he could make a little money for his family. He just wanders around the airport asking to help all day.

God has answered so many of our requests while we're here. He's given us weather that's not too hot, taken care of Robbie's arms, allowed us to really serve, and opened our eyes a little more to the needs of others. Our major goals were to be selfless servants and to build a relationship with at least 1 person that went below the surface. I've been able to encourage the English-speaking staff members, but it's been hard with the Spanish-speaking staff.

The most frustrating part for me of the whole trip has been the inability to communicate well with so many of them-staff and children. Many know a little English, but still I can't understand what they're saying to me or each other. It's been really difficult. Of course, the kids don't care, but it kills me. So I'm praying that God will release me from this barrier I'm feeling and allow me to feel effective despite this barrier.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Only 2 more full days left. It's going very quickly.

Blogging

We're going to try to blog while we're away, but we may not have a chance until we get back. We appreciate your prayers for safety, good health, and that we will stay strong the whole time we're there. Also pray for servants' hearts in each of us.

Heading out

It's been a bit of a roller coaster this past week. We've been preparing our hearts and lives to serve the precious orphans at the Casa Bernabe orphanage in Guatemala since last fall. All the funding came in, the passports arrived in plenty of time, and we were all set to start the packing when the country was hit by not 1 but 2 natural disasters in a matter of a couple of days! The Pacaya volcano (about 20 miles from Casa Bernabe) erupted and spit lava causing the area to be covered in ash. Then just a couple of days later, there was tropical storm Agatha, which was responsible for well over a hundred deaths in Guatemala. The storm also caused the black ash to harden into a concrete-like substance.

At first we were pretty sure we weren't going to be able to make it, then we were, then not so sure. Now, it looks like the airport will reopen, and it will be safe for us to travel into Guatemala on Thursday.

So I'm thinking about these disasters and the people who have lost their homes and/or their families. It reminded me of Job and how God allowed Satan to take everything away from Job. God knew Job would continue to remain faithful to God. Job lost his land, his living, his children, and his health. If I was in Guatemala with my family, and they were taken from me in an instant, I think I'd be devastated. If He also took my way of living, my home, and my health, would I want to go on living? Would I remain faithful to God? I hope I would, but I don't know. Thankfully, I've never had to suffer that kind of loss, so I really don't know. I hope I would remember that Job stayed faithful, and God rewarded him with more blessings for the rest of his life than he ever had before. But I don't know. What about you?

Give Thanks in all circumstances

Be joyful always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess. 5:16-18

So this was our family verse to memorize a couple of weeks ago, and this morning I realized how often God kept showing this verse to me since then. Different people keep posting it on FB, it is stuck in my head all of the time, and finally today (I'm a little slow) I realized there may just be a reason for that. You see, we sold our house on Monday, and I haven't been super excited about it. I know I can be joyful without being "Woohoo" happy, and I AM very grateful that He brought a buyer for our home. I've thanked Him in between bouts of pouting. But I'm also pretty sad to leave this house and the neighborhood I've grown to love. We have no new home to go to yet, and in the back of my head I keep thinking that it can't be as good as what it is now. I've prayed about it a lot and keep giving it back to Him. I know that's wrong, because we've done this 3 times and it keeps getting better and better. But those are my honest thoughts.

So this morning I realized this verse was getting placed before me over and over to remind me of the part I'm missing. The Always, the Continually, the ALL. That's God's will for me. Not in between my own selfish thoughts and pouting. Not alongside the thoughts of never having it "this good". But I am to be joyful, praying, and giving thanks Always, Continually, in ALL circumstances. I need to cover my life, my talk, my walk, everything with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving to God for all He has done and for who He is. God is good All the time! And I need to live like that!

Are you Ready?

We have the blessing of singing with a dear friend on Sunday. His name is Brandon, and he is an amazing vocalist with a heart for the Lord. His only fault-he is a Southern Gospel follower. Just joking about it being a fault, but he knows every Southern Gospel song ever written, really. We're going to sing a couple with him on Sunday, and one we've been working on is called "Are You Ready?" It talks about being ready when Christ returns.

For unbelievers, it means deciding today to stop living for yourself and start following Christ. Commit your life and all that you are to living for Him.

If you already have committed your life to Christ, are you ready? has a different meaning. I was walking to pick up my girls from school a couple of days ago, and the sky had this odd crease down the middle from a plane or cloud. It looked like it was about to split in half. I thought what if it did? What if in the next moment I would be lifted up through the sky to meet my Maker and Savior. Was I ready? What if today He said, "Welcome home, how was your day? How did you bring me glory today? Did you live in My grace today or try to survive on your own works?" I had to go through my day and figure out the answers to these questions, and some moments of my day weren't so pretty.

Here's the verse I'm singing in the song: The Bible speaks of two men who were standing in a field. Where one is taken, and one is left behind. Two women in the kitchen. One goes and one remains. So get your house in order while there's time. In the cross there is salvation. Through the blood there is a way to secure your destination on that resurrection day.

It's not about me. It's about Him. His blood, His power, His grace offered to me to live in victory every day. What if it was today? Are you ready?

Update on Robbie

We haven't posted an update on Robbie lately, because progress at this point is pretty slow. He went to PT last week and was told he was doing great as far as mobility and motion, but needs to "stop trying to be Superman" and put the brakes on a bit. Because he is moving quite a bit, there is popping and clicking and sticking going on that shouldn't be. He was really hoping to be able to do some yardwork by now, so please pray for patience for him, that he doesn't get discouraged by having to slow down, and that he doesn't do anything that will impede his healing. He still does not have full range of motion and is continuing to gently work toward that goal.

You don't realize how much everyone works together in a family until someone can't do their part. I'd ask that you pray that the girls and I can get done what needs to be done around the inside and outside of the house, especially with all the showings on the house we've been having and the busy schedule we are jumping into for the summer. We have a summer packed with events, and I am needing to focus my attention on getting the props and sets ready for the video in July and preparing for all the various concerts and camps this summer. I am feeling quite overwhelmed and often have to stop and just pray for help to relax and not stress about the timing of everything.

We knew it was going to be a long road ahead, and we're not in crisis mode anymore. For that we are very thankful. But there's still a lot of healing time ahead. Thank you for your prayers!

On the Surface

Some of you may know we are trying to sell our house right now. I was cleaning our house like a madwoman on Friday for a showing we were having, and I realized how good I was at making things look clean on the surface. I have the ability to "stage" a house so that it looks like it is immaculate. I hide away the bills, school papers, pictures, and dog bowl. Other things sometimes get thrown in the dryer. I wipe up the wall marks and dust really quickly with those new wipes. It lasts at least until after the showing. And I know to put away half of my kitchen counter so it looks like a hotel. Please don't think I'm bragging, because those thoughts quickly led me to the realization that often I do that same thing with the other areas in my life. For so long I wanted to look like I had it all together and wasn't struggling with self control, perfectionism, pride...

I read a book called "The 12 Steps for a Recovering Pharisee...Like Me", and it changed my mindset. I am a recovering pharisee, too. I have worried about how what I say makes me look. I have worried about what I wear and what others will think of me because of my look. I have thought too much about impressing others. I have to work hard at stripping back the layers of pride and perfectionistic thinking that have been built up and really let people see the real, vulnerable Denise. I almost said "weak", but I am not weak. I have weaknesses, but I am strong. My strength comes from the Lord, and it is only when I allow myself to be real and vulnerable that He can make me strong!

I would suggest the book if you haven't read it. More importantly, I would highly suggest trying out the "being real" thing. Don't wear makeup for a day. Don't worry about making sure you look or sound just right to others. Just let people see you for who you are. Zits and all. As hard as it is to start, the freedom it allows is pretty amazing.

Staycationing

We love to hear fun ideas from families about them spending time together without spending a fortune. We know there are many who love to hang out together but are on a tight budget. Last year we were trying to figure out what to do on Spring Break and wanted it to be amazing but had little money to work with at the time.

I saw someone talking about staycations on the news and googled it. From there the ideas started flowing, and we ended up having what my girls say is "the greatest vacation ever." We wanted to share some of the ideas with you and hope that it spurs new ideas in you that you will share on our blog (www.highergroundfamily.blogspot.com) or on here. We're working on some for 2010 right now, because Spring Break is only 3 weeks away! We thought we'd be filming our children's DVD, but since that's not happening until July we are going to surprise the girls with a few special days. I'll share those days later, but here's a glimpse of 2009's Staycation.

Last year's journey around the world (the key to each day is the costumes and characters you create complete with fictional names):

Day one (or the nicest day): Camping at Yellowstone National Park
Restaurant called the "Canteen"
Cereal in a box for breakfast and fruit
Free exploring time in the am; lay and read; Google Yellowstone and identify the various animals living on our campgrounds
Hotdogs and chips for picnic lunch
Fishing-afternoon activity and bike ride to search for "footprints"
Go Fishing
Freshly caught fish for dinner (have back up fish if needed)-serve on tins and in thermoses
Build a fire, roast marshmallows/smores, sing campfire songs & tell stories
Sleep in sleeping bags in the family room-everyone!-or borrow a large tent
Buy glowsticks and play hide-and-seek or tag with them

Day two: Hawaii
Restaurant called the Copa Cabana
Buy leis and have a few decorations (shell centerpieces)
Breakfast is coconuts, bananas, and Hawaiian sweet bread french toast
Morning activity-make a lei or fly a kite
Lunch-ham sandwiches and pineapple
Afternoon activity-free time then make your grass skirt with paper strips…, watch a movie set in Hawaii
Dinner is build your own grilled skewers and grilled corn on the cob
Have a luau party with dancing, grass skirts and umbrella drinks and invite a few friends to join you

Day three: Wild West party
Restaurant called the Chuck Wagon
Buy red bandanas, gingham checked cloths and burlap sacks for decorations; make a horse with 2 sawhorses and a long broom covered with a big blanket and a horse head taped to the front
Breakfast-eggs and bacon
Morning activity-Go to the “Sheriff’s office” and make wanted posters-dress up with vests, cowboy hats or bonnet, frilly dress, etc; take picture & put picture on brown paper bag paper, print out “Wanted! And Big Reward” with a statement at the bottom “If you have any knowledge of the whereabouts of this despicable criminal, please call the Local Sheriff.”
Lunch is sloppy joes and fries
Afternoon activity-barrel racing outside with trash cans; lasso stuff; horseshoes
Dinner-b’bque ribs, chicken, mac n cheese, salad, and horseshoe biscuits, root beer or other bottled drinks-sassafras
Play card games

Day four: Kids plan
They loved getting involved and making the plans
Ours ended up being the Indianapolis Children's Museum (where grandma is a member and got us all in free)
Make your own pizzas for dinner

Day five: Spa Day
Relax at home
Take baths while reading books
Do nails, hair, makeup (probably won't work with the boys :)
Stay in robes all day
Order dinner in and ice cream for dessert
Finish with a movie


I hope this gets you started on your own creative staycation experience!

Update on Robbie

The prescription pain meds are now completely out of Robbie's body. Yeah God! While he's in quite a bit of pain with just Advil and Tylenol, he's very happy not to be sick and hot anymore. No major side effects from going off the meds, which is great. He is realizing how much he doesn't remember about the past 4 weeks, which is kind of sad. He's having trouble sleeping, and we're not sure if it's the pain or the Tylenol PM that's having the opposite effect on him.

His therapy has been bumped up a notch too. He's now hanging a bag with a 2lb container of peanut butter on his left arm to try to pull it straight. It's a pretty painful process, but for whatever reason his left arm isn't progressing quite like the right. So they're trying to help it along a bit.

He goes back to work 1/2 days a week from tomorrow. Pray that he feels comfortable driving by then and opening doors. Also pray that he can sleep, because his body really needs it to keep healing. And finally, pray for more opportunities to share Christ and bring glory to His name through this. We feel the prayers from everyone and know that God is going to use this small trial. We may not know how, but as our verse from our 2nd DVD promises, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).