Currently Listening Simply Nothing By Shawn McDonald see related

After seeing this video I am convinced that our God has a sense of humor.  I, myself, have performed many of these dances in the privacy of my own home...I just wish I could perfect the moon walk...man!

On the other hand, I have performed many of these dances in full view of a large crowd.  yes, I might as well admit it.  I am one of those insane people who really could care less if you think she is an idiot...cause more often than naught i would agree with you.

There's something about feeling right with God that makes you feel free.  Free to be who you are...free to smile in the face of adversity...free to shake the dust off your coat if offended...free to feel at peace when you shouldn't...free to do only what God has called you to do...free to let God contend with those who contend with you...free to love someone who isn't loveable...free to be kind when the world around you isn't...

free to dance...

Currently Listening Phil Wickham By Phil Wickham see related

At what point do you reach the "I ate too much watermelon" stage? 

one bowl?

two bowl?

Definitely two bowls.  My stomach is twice it's original size.  It looks like I've got a tumor!  But as Arnold Swarznegger would say, "It's not a tumor!"  That was for you, Heather!

Like so many things in life, something that is a good thing can be a bad thing if we let it overtake us.  Watermelon is what I would call a benign food.  It doesn't really do anything bad to you.  It's not like I am going to have a heart attack from eating it.  But, as I am learning right at this moment, too much watermelon causes many side effects:  bloating, gas, diarrhea, general discomfort, bathroom troubles (in my case lack of toilet paper caused a huge problem for me).  I'll stop now...considering my enjoyment of painting word pictures could make this post somewhat mentally and socially uncomfortable for the average human being...

****I'm a little uncomfortable myself...excuse me, I'll be right back*****okay...back to typing...yes, I have issues.  i think the watermelon has already established that****

Okay, my point is that a little watermelon is okay...a lot not so much. 

 I think along the same lines in reference to noise.  We Americans have noise all around us.  I, myself, am typing this while PBS is being watched by Elijah a few yards away.  Noise...tv, radio, ipods, phone (cell or regular).  It has gotten to the point that I have to make a mental choice to be silent before God.  And this is a huge thing with God.  Do you realize how many references to being still before God are in the Bible? 

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
       "In repentance and rest is your salvation,
       in quietness and trust is your strength,
       but you would have none of it.  Isaiah 30:15

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Be still before the LORD, all people, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling." Zechariah 2:13

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.   Psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  Psalm 46:10
 

As I read through these verses I realized something.  Being still allows us to see God at work in our lives.  He asks us to be still so that He can come through and show us His glory.  But, if you are like me, we tend to ask him for help on something and get distracted by "noise" and then take the whole situation back from Him and try to solve it ourselves.  To be still before God and to remove the noise allows us to concentrate on prayer before a Holy God. 

The past two weeks, I have done something I never thought was possible for me.  I removed TV from my life.  I know, I know...what am I thinking?  It's not like I was a TV junkie...watching smut.  I liked to watch "benign" things such as Brady Bunch or Good Morning America or Survivor or Lost or House (can we all just not agree that Hugh Laurie is hilarious and devastingly good-looking?)  Actually, I didn't remove House from my life...Wade and I watch that together.  That would be considered family time.

But, what a change in my life...I found so much more clarity about what God would have me do in my daily life.  Here I was folding laundry and instead of mindlessly watching a Dick Van Dyke rerun, I was conversing with God about this or that.  Instead of removing myself from the throne room to engage in silly banter from the tv, I was continually at his feet discussing my lack of parenting ability with my children, who, by the way, i have borrowed from God.

Noise.  It's not necessarily bad...but not necessarily good...it's benign.  But, I think noise causes the opposite effect of watermelon.  Instead of causing a body system flush like watermelon, it bottles everything up inside...it makes you tense.  But, take it out of your life, be still before God and you will find him to be the greatest counselor you ever had...causing a mental system flush.

And on another side note:  my little Elijah seems to have some discomfort with watermelon as well.  I found this out the hard way...in the van.  Yes, the van has a distinct aroma right now...

I had a western type of showdown today...with a squirrel.  Here I was in my van...

Speaking of vans, here's a thought:  I have a van so it would rule out the need for having a "baby on board" sign in my back window don't you think?  I mean, really, do you think that the signs deter any would be accident?  Does the car that is about to slam into you stop and read the sign "baby on board" and say, "oh sorry, I didn't realize you had kids in there."  And does it then direct itself in another direction?  But, when in a van, everyone just assumes you have kids who are currently enrolled in a soccer program and therefore they avoid hitting you.  I know, I know, all that memorial day watermelon has floated up to my brain.

Anyways...the squirrel.  I make a right turn to find a squirrel sitting in the middle of the road.  And this squirrel was actually sitting on his hind legs and using his front legs to feed himself something.  I inched forward to get him to move...no such luck.  I looked deep into his brown eyes and he gazed right back into my green ones.  We sized each other up.  I affectionally named him Sandy after Sandy squirrel in my favorite cartoon "Spongebob Squarepants."  Sandy is a feisty squirrel and so was this guy.  A long 15 seconds inch by, I checked my rear view mirrow to see if other cars were coming.  I wonder if this particular squirrel ditched squirrel school the day they taught "Cars are not your friends." 

I thought about running him over.  After all, I am bigger...me and my blue van.  But the sound of crunching squirrel could cause life long damage to my children.  My sister's children are terrified of squirrels.  One got into their house and chased them around the entire house.  So, my sister told the girls to go into the bathroom, get in the tub and shut the door.  About 5 minutes later, Amy's husband Paul chased the squirrel up the stairs where it went under the bathroom door and jumped in the bathtub with the girls.  They really should have considered counseling over that one.  So you sense my hesitation in testing the squirrel.

Finally, I laid on the horn.  He moved to the side of the road and...gave me a sneer.  I promise you that squirrel took my number.  Even as I sit here I look over my shoulder to see if he has entered my yard.  I am feeling a bit vulnerable sitting at the computer in front of my sliding doors.

Perhaps I should put a sign in the yard...my top choices being, "have bb guns...and we shoot squirrels"  or "I use my van as a weapon in order to control squirrel populations" or my personal favorite "Sandy Squirrel is my hero."

Ah, who am I kidding, if he ditched squirrel school one day, he probably ditched them all. So it's safe to assume he can't read.  But, just to be on the safe side, I think I'll park my van outside armed with a full tank of gas.

It was not the best of mornings...at first.  Well, let's just say for starters that this coffee lover does not appreciate her coffee pot spilling her coffee all over the counter, flowing under the sink and down the cupboard doors!

Can I be honest for a minute?  Not just honest, brutally honest...painfully honest...admitting an addiction honest?  Yes, I am addicted to coffee.  It's the one thing that pulls me from my comfy bed on a cold, windy, hot, muggy...heck, (pardon my french but this is a very honest and testy type of post) whatever type of morning the weather brings to my home's door, I know that coffee is waiting for me.

Coffee is, how you say it, tres bon to my soul. 

But this morning...a Monday of all days, brought my freshly made coffee from the pot right to the coffee's death door.  And me, the coffee addict of all addicts, looking at that beautiful brown substance staining my white cupboards and realizing that I had lost an entire pot of coffee to the kitchen floor and the cupboard under the sink (which reminds me, Wade really needs to caulk the sink 'cause it's obvious we have a leak...a coffee leak).

But, here's what's amazing:  I didn't yell or cuss or throw things.  I was calm.  I just cleaned up the mess, even under the kitchen sink and MADE ANOTHER POT!  Now you may ask the following question (but only this question, ask me any other and I just might lie):

How is it possible, Heidi, that you didn't throw a fit when your coffee spilled out onto the floor?

I will answer:  'Cause I had just had my quiet time.

This coffee spill reminded me that having a quiet time keeps your heart in check...even when your coffee spills all over the floor.  Quiet times...moments with God... allow you to experience extreme patience, kindness...character traits of God imparted to you to equipp you to do His work...even when the work includes cleaning up a coffee spill with a happy heart.

Okay one more question:  Heidi, addiction causes people to do really strange things.  Did you lap up the coffee spill like a dog or did you act like a human being and clean it up with a rag?

Answer:  Before I answer that question perhaps I could remind my readers that I have pretty clean floors and we are talking a 10 minute gap between the old pot and the new pot.  That is a serious gap of time considering my level of coffee addiction.  But, since I classify this catastrophe as an extension of my quiet time, then I will allow it be a continuing secret between my God and me.

Elijah quote for the day:

Last night, the boys and I were discussing "spiritual" matters.  Practically every day I present the gospel to the boys in one way or another.  Elijah asked some questions and "asked" Jesus to come into his heart.  A wonderful step of faith to witness in a child.  He doesn't clearly understand all aspects of salvation but I'll just leave the explaining part up to the Holy Spirit. 

Anyways after we had finished our discussion Elijah grabbed Kaeden's and my hands, closed his eyes and said, "Let's worship." 

And then he proceeded to lead our family in a chorus of "God is so good."