Crooked

I saw this excerpt posted on another's blog today. I liked it so much that I thought I'd post it, too. Sin is ugly and it's rampant in my heart. Am I a neighbor that others enjoy?

'O stand, stand at the window
  As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
  With your crooked heart.'

- W. H. Auden

I'm Yours

The cute one.



The original one.

Please tell me I'm Caller #3!

I only listen to the radio when I'm in the car and it's usually tuned to talk radio of some sort. However, Andrew was with me in the car last night while running an errand and I wanted him to hear Christmas music instead of political banter. So, I found a clear station but was disappointed to hear advertisement after advertisement. Finally, just as the music was about to begin, the DJ announced that he was giving away a family prize pack of four to attend the local IMAX showing of The Polar Express. I memorized the number and began dialing....busy signal....busy signal...busy signal....ring, ring, ring!

DJ: "Hello, and what's your name?"
ME: "Oh, please, please, please tell me I'm caller #3!"
DJ: (laughing) "Well, I just asked for your name but, yes, you are the winner!"
ME: "My kids will be thrilled! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

He didn't record the phone conversation and for that I'm so thankful! I was afraid the DJ would ask, "What station just made you and your family a winner?", because I wouldn't have known unless I looked down at the call numbers on my digital dial. He did say my name on the air as the winner of the prize pack.

This is just the perfect treat for our family. For many months now, we've been telling the boys were were going to take them to see Peter Pan but the day shows have been booked up for a long time and the evening shows are $38 ticket seats! Mitch and I knew that wasn't an option but we hated disappointing the boys since they had been looking forward to an evening with Mom and Dad for so long. Andrew's favorite movie of all time is THE POLAR EXPRESS, so you can imagine his delight when I won this prize pack!

See you at the IMAX next weekend!

Sleep...i....e....r

Why is it that when I get more sleep than usual that I feel sleepier throughout the day? I got a full eight hours of sleep last night (rare, I know) and I could barely function today.

They're an Uptown family!

Such sweet friends....I'm so thankful for them! We had a great time walking around in Uptown Columbus late yesterday afternoon. And the little one might have a future career in modeling!

Sting 'em, Jackets!

Georgia Tech 79
USC (Southern Cal) 53

Matt is recovering

Matt came out of a long brain surgery procedure this past Friday and is currently recovering in ICU. You can view a video message from Matt that he recorded for his congregation at The Village Church. The video was recorded before his surgery and was shown to his congregation yesterday morning during the worship services.

Oh what peace to look into the unknown and proclaim that God is always good in ALL THINGS....even in a brain tumor! Matt's ordeal reminds me of what John Piper and David Powlison wrote when they faced cancer a few years ago.

In case you didn't read the article....

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

I know it's easier said than done for me, considering that I've never encountered cancer in my life or in the lives of close loved ones. It's a challenge, with our without cancer, to not waste the life that's been given to us. I need to dwell on that.

As I held my daughter

Tonight at bedtime, as I held my daughter in the darkness of her room, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, Jesus takes care of me all the time."

Yes, sweet one. He does. Please keep reminding me.

7 Quick Takes

1. When leaving THE ROCK RANCH tonight, which is a Chick-fil-A property owned by founder Truett Cathy, our kids were asking for something to drink. Considering that the tasty drinks at the ranch were in the $2-$3 range, we opted to stop and go to a drive-thru on our way back home. Not knowing our way around those there parts, we rolled down our window and asked an employee, "Which way to the closest McDonald's?". Smooth.

2. I posted on Facebook last night that a debate broke out between two five year olds in my art class regarding whether Santa was real. I listened to them debate back and forth until one of them became really irritated. They both turned to me to tell them which one of them was right and I simply answered (as any mother would want me to), "That's a question you should ask your parents". I just hope they don't ask my son, their classmate, the same question. You should have seen his eyes as he listened to the debate. He kept looking at me as if questioning why I wasn't affirming the little boy's stance that Santa wasn't real. His silence during the argument told me that he knew to be quiet, though. We tell our kids that Santa isn't real but that there are many children who believe that he is and that we should respect their thinking by not arguing about the matter. Ok, now I'm ready for comments.

3. After taking Abigail to the potty in a place of high traffic business tonight, she exited the restroom and announced to the customers, "I just pooped alot!".

4. I'm getting a hair-cut tomorrow. This is cause for extreme excitement for me considering I only get my hair cut twice a year. Those things are expensive!

5. Remember all those posts I've written about how much I love The Jesus Storybook Bible? Remember how I tried to win one of the new DELUXE editions that were released not too long ago with a narrative CD of the stories? Guess what!!?!?!?!?!?!? A sweet, dear, gracious friend of mine is blessing me with our very own copy! What a wonderful gift! Thanks, friend....you know who you are!

6. As a family, The Annie Moses Band is one of our favorite music groups. Our children enjoy listening to the various instruments being played but no one enjoys it more than Luke. He is intrigued by the piano, the guitar, the violin, the cello, and the mandolin. I told him he could play any instrument he wanted to and be a musician all the days of his life if he wanted. He turned to me and asked, "Mommy, what instrument do you want to play when you grow up?".

7. Andrew cracks me up. He is always asking me, "Mama, what was I about to say?", as if I could read his mind.

Pray for Matt

Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, TX, is headed into surgery this morning to have a section of his right frontal lobe removed. Please pray for him, his family, and his church. He has already posted his thoughts this morning on his blog. I'm touched by his faith.

...The last seven days have been some of the most interesting of my life. I have felt anxiety, fear, sadness and a deep and unmovable joy simultaneously and in deeper ways than I have felt before. I am grateful for this heightened sense of things. Today at 10:45 a.m. CST I will have a good portion of my right frontal lobe removed. I head into that surgery with a heart that is filled with gratitude and hope.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for in no particular order:

1. I am thankful for the thousands of you who have prayed and fasted for my health. It has brought far more tears to Lauren’s and my eyes to receive this kind of attention from the Church universal than this tumor has.....

Read more.....

Free download of UP soundtrack

Did you like the movie UP? Mitch and I went on a date one night just to go see the delightful Disney animation. We loved the relationships in the movie and I've always been one to listen carefully to the soundtrack. So, I was delighted to see a free download of the ENTIRE movie soundtrack today! Use the code latimesdisney to get yours, too!

Wanna know why I'm not bloggin' much?

Our home computer has been in our life for MANY years. I think it's about to crash 'cause it's movin' real slow - slower than it ever has...this just after having bought an external hard drive last week.

Free music on Amazon

It's starting up again. Amazon is offering one free Christmas song per day. Just click here to download yours now.

Today's free song is Joy to the World by Casting Crowns.

Here's another freebie, O Come, O Come Emanuel, by another of my favorite bands, The Annie Moses Band. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving reflections.....sort of.

The weirdest thing that happened this Thanksgiving was that my daughter got bit by a goat. Yeah, a goat.

For the first time, I was the designated meat cooker for the McGinnis side of the family's Thanksgiving feast. I think my ham was rather tasty, if I do say so myself. Glazing it was the most fun! I might just have to do it again next year.

I always enjoy hanging out at my in-laws house. I feel so relaxed every time I visit. Their furniture is very comfortable. Oh, and my brother-in-law makes me laugh.

I missed seeing my own brother and sister-in-law by 15 minutes. He and his wife only had a day to see both sides of the family, and....we were a little late. So, instead of embracing them and sitting down to converse, we called each other on our cell phones to determine exactly what spot of the highway we would pass one another so we could flash our lights and wave. I felt the love radiate from their Yukon across the median. That was a mighty fine wave!

When at Mom's, it's tradition that my sister and I gather all the recyclables in the house and take them to the sorting center. Antibacterial wipes are a staple in my car.

Shopping at the consignment store (with my mom and sister) brings me more joy than shopping for new clothes. It might have something to do with recycling.

Abigail slept with me both nights we were away. It was nice to snuggle with her, even if she was missing the hair and snoring fits.

I started to cut Mitch's hair with the clippers while away but his hair was so thick that I couldn't get it to cut past the front half of the top of his scalp. He had to done a baseball cap and journey to the nearest GREAT CLIPS to take care of the damage I caused. He looks handsome, mind you.

I am already disgusted at all the Christmas advertisements and commercials.

I managed to only take one day's worth of photos while at Mom's house. Unbelievable. The pictures will be posted soon.....when I get back to Mom's house to get them off her desktop! Duh.

It's 1:30 AM and I really should be in bed so my body and mind will be in a worshipful mode for church. So, goodnight!

My mother & her grands

A simple photo meant the world to my mom.

Sara Groves new release

My favorite solo artist, Sara Groves, has just released her newest album, Fireflies and Songs. Amazing! Just reading about the album made me hunger to buy it on Amazon (for $5!). It's the best purchase I've made this week! (hee hee)

...Even the unsuspecting listener will relate as the songs on this album unfold. It doesn't take long to realize that a profoundly personal look at who Sara is and where she is in life includes a vivid invitation into her most important relationships. As early as Fireflies' second song, "From This One Place," you'll pray with Sara as the melancholy beauty of her voice and ivory keys call out to God in response to tangible and recurring anxiety. The flowing, moody "Eyes Wide Open," meanwhile, is both confessional and declarative as Sara begins, "I’ve got layers of lies that I don’t even know about yet," and concludes, "When the lights come up on this town/When the thing goes down/... I wanna be telling the truth." And her marriage? The gently pleading "It's Me" is at once stark and reassuring as it paints a personal picture of the often polar push and pull couples experience as they pursue genuine relationship.

...while Sara is the first to confirm Fireflies & Songs is the "most her" musically, it's also the singer's most candid recording. "I tried not to teach on this album," she explains. "And I'm a natural-born teacher. I turn everything into a lesson--for myself, for the people around me. That's how I process my life, that's how I learn. But I wanted Fireflies & Songs to feel more like friends and I are talking at Don Pablo's over nachos and cheese. I'm trying to be more confessional, and I hope these songs encourage other people to live confessionally."

Gobble*Gobble - Happy Thanksgiving!

Advent workshop

Our sons' school celebrated Advent last Sunday after the church service and it was really quite special. I felt so undeserving to sit, watch, and listen to my children sing praises to the Lord Almighty. My prayer for my children is that they will know the Christmas season as a time when God sent his perfect son in the flesh to live on Earth, dwell among us, feel compassion toward us, and later willing die for us so that we wouldn't have to live as slaves to our sin. That's Christmas to me.

Glory to God in the highest!

He thinks he made IT happen

10 Things to Remember When Your Child is Disobedient

It's fall/Thanksgiving break which means that I'm at home everyday (thank you, Lord) with my three children. Because there's no time apart from each other there have been more arguments than usual, creating many more moments to attack their hearts with the Truth.

Ruth Simons reminded me of the gospel this morning...and I ALWAYS need reminding.

1. You disobey the Lord…and He is the perfect Father.

2. His kindness leads us to repentance.

3. God disciplines those He loves.

4. Your child’s disobedience does not measure your value any more than his obedience showcases your achievement.

5. Your child’s disobedience teaches you dependence on God.

6. And sometimes it’s more than dependence He’s after, it’s complete desperation for Him.

7. Your child is clearly a sinner, and needs to hear the truth of the Gospel, and see it lived out through you.

8. Times of correction serve to remind, or establish within your child, his own sense of need for a Savior.

9. It’s not good behavior you really desire…you want his heart.

10. Your child is a person, not a project.