trying to cultivate

So in little ways, little deeds, my children are watching and following my lead. Or sometimes they just plain out question it!
Just a couple of weeks ago my daughter and I were sitting on her bed, brushing hair and talking life when my husband walked in with a heavy sigh..."I am done for the night, I am exhausted," was his cry after a very long, stressful day of working with an orphanage in Haiti. 
So being the doting wife that I am I offered, "Would you like me to run you a hot bath?" (This is his cure all, I think his mom must have done this often when he was young).  Of course, he nodded yes and walked slowly out of the room.
Then my daughter turned to me, her eyebrows raised, "He can't run water?"
I erupted in laughter. Then I explained that running her daddy a hot bath is just a small way that I can serve him. Then gave her a list of ways that her daddy serves her each day.


The next morning we were sitting at the breakfast table (it was a saturday morning no real routine everyone eat breakfast at your leisure kind of morning). Again, my daughter and I are just having girl chat, comes frequently with a nearly 11 year old, as we sat at the breakfast table.  My husband walked into the kitchen and headed for the pantry, opened it, stared, then turned to me and asked "Will you make me a bowl of cereal?" My daughter's eyebrows went up, she gave me a knowing look and said, "He can't pour milk either?" Laughter erupted again, as my husband tried to explain to both of us all of the little ways he serves us!  
Truth is, he does! Truth is, I enjoy serving him in little ways (it speaks his love language the LOUDEST)! So I am trying in little ways to cultivate a servants heart in my children at home.  Hopefully, when my daughter marries the man God has set apart for her she will love to serve him in little ways.  But I have a feeling he better know how to run his own water and pour his own milk!


Note: this is on the heels of me posting on http://familiesanchored.blogspot.com
Just keeping it real!

Our Rescued Children...

This photo was taken last Sunday morning as they were heading out to church.  That morning no one would have imagined the earth trembling, quaking, and buildings crumbling two days later. We are so thankful that each of their lives were spared when the earthquake and aftershocks hit Port-au-Prince. Words cannot describe the devastation all around them. 


Our hearts cry out to our Lord this day for our children in Haiti, for all of those there. My heart aches, yet my mind knows that God is sovereign, and he "so loved the world." In His great love for us, his children, there will be suffering. 


May I allow the words of a young 25 year old survivor challenge each of us. Her words spoken this past Saturday, after finding her entire immediate (and several cousins and aunts) dead on Friday. 

"I HAVE to believe the Lord is good...In this trial I greatly rejoice, though now for a little while we have been suffering in all kinds of trials. These have come so that our faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though we have not seen him, we love him; and even though we do not see him now, we believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, because we are receiving salvation!!!! Haitians must be God's favorite people - He is taking us through this so that we can grip Him tighter, see Him clearer and love Him deeper."

Neyssa has no earthly family left, no home to return to...yet she has a living hope. She knows her Savior and wants Him to be known.

Rainbows and Funnel cakes

Close your eyes. You are frightened. 

 Where does your mind go to flee from that anxious fear inside?

If you are a 10 year old girl who knows what it means to stop and smell the roses, enjoys the breeze flowing through her hair, and quietly talks to her Savior during the day...then

 "rainbows & funnel cakes" of course!

Give me, Lord, her outlook on life!

When fear, doubts, and overwhelming feelings begin to flood my heart...too often I let them loom.  Suddenly they are larger than my Jesus, my fear gives way to doubt,

 and a mean sprial downward can happen.

But maybe, just maybe, if rainbows and funnel cakes become my thoughts when fear creeps in ~ 

 then a definite smile would come to my face. 

Perhaps then my heart could let go of fear and instead

 grasp the truths of my Savior.

Could it be that for a ten year old
Philippians 4:8

 means rainbows & funnel cakes.

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things."

Thank you Gretchen for being a part of a summer mission trip for the children. Thank you for sitting on the floor of the pregnancy center, rolling small papers, serving alongside, and asking children interesting questions! Otherwise, I am unsure that I would have ever known that when my daughter gets scared she just closes her eyes and thinks of rainbows and funnel cakes! PRICELESS to me!