"How can there be too many children? It's like saying there are too many flowers." Mother Theresa

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Worship



When orphans worship, their voices are loud, their eyes are closed tightly, and their little hands are gripped together. Your jaw will drop as you watch them physically enter into the presence of a king.

When orphans worship, their voices ache to express their hearts. Their songs are ones of desperation and admiration to a creator who they know holds them in his palm.

When orphans worship, your eyes fill with tears as you feel God all around you. Physically, you are overcome and spiritually you are one with your Lord.

When orphans worship, their last care in the world is what you, I, or their friend thinks of them. They sing loud, undignified, and with passion.

When orphans worship, you begin to wonder if this is what it is supposed to be like for us. You begin to wonder why God's presence is so strong there, but we struggle to enter into any meaningful worship in our clean, well lit, and finely carpeted buildings.

When orphans worship, you are easily convinced that there is nothing else on their minds. Their deep expressions can tell you a thousand stories about the throne room.

When orphans worship, their instruments are their voices and the clap of their hands, but you'd probably swear you also could hear percussion, guitars, and booming pianos.

When orphans worship, they appear as though they have learned something we haven't. While you and I find it so hard to believe that we have a God who loves and desires us, they take no interest in such foolishness.

Copied from Wrecked for the Ordinary.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Fundraisers!


I am selling handmade/homemade yoga mat bags. They are $15.00 a piece. They are sized for the standard yoga mat. Draw string top. Pocket on front for keys and/or water bottle. Adjustable shoulder strap. These would be excellent gifts for anyone who uses a yoga mat. I attend boot camp and we use mats. It is difficult to carry your mat, your keys, your phone, your water etc. Christmas ain't far away ladies:-)

Next weekend we will be having a yard sale in The Belvedere. If you can not attend please pray for us to have a good turnout.

Blessings!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Mulan!!





Noah was in the gifted and talented play Mulan tonight. Here are a few pictures of our great evening.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Weekend with family






We had a fun filled long weekend in Mississippi with my brother and his family. All the kids got along wonderfully. It was such a blessing to see little ones from Ukranian and little ones from Ethiopia playing together, being family. We went in to New Orleans briefly for dinner at my favorite restaurant and then to Cafe du Monde for Beignets and coffee. We went to a USM football game, Beniam is photo'd above jamming. Sunday we went to church to hear my wonderful brother preach. Great weekend. Met some wonderful people. Need to rest up now:-)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The critics

From Brenan Mannings book, The Signature of Jesus:
Only when we clam the love of the crucified Christ with heartfelt conviction, this love that transcends all judgements, can we overcome all fear of judgement. As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, as if we are what we have, and as if we are what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgements, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to the need to put people in their place.
Yet to the extent that we embrace the truth that our core identity is not rooted in our success in ministry, or in popularity with kids and parents or with power in the local church, but in the passionate, pursuing, infinite - what GK Chesterton calls "Furious" love of God embodied in his crucified Son - to that degree we can let go of our need to judge our friends, spouses, children, pastors, gays, straights, Asians, Caucasions, and the sin- scarred wino on the street. We can be free from the need to judge others by claiming for ourselves the truth, "I am the disciple whom Jesus loves."