Dreams

"Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly."

- Langston Hughes

It's easy to lose sight of our dreams, isn't it? This quote reminds me of a similar one from the Bible, something like "without a vision the people will perish." We need to have a reason for us....

Holiday glasses

I realized after writing that title for this post that it sounds like I'm talking about drinking glasses for the holidays... Sorry - I'm actually rambling about holiday frames, eyeglasses. I know I've jabbered about Zenni Optical before, but I have yet to find a better provider of discounted glasses anywhere! They have a ton of frames available right now that are labeled as holiday frames, and could be a fun little treat for yourself, or a late present for someone else.

Check out this pair...

I'm willing to bet that our foster son is going to need glasses soon, and these little camouflage frames would be perfect for him!! Only $8.00 too!!! Even without insurance these would be awesome :).

Anyway, if anyone has found better deals out there, I'd love to hear about them, but I'm still pretty excited about these :). Happy shopping!

Be still

"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today... The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." "
Exodus 14:13-14

This is Moses speaking to the Israelites just after they've left their home, albeit their home filled with slavery and suffering, in Egypt. They are marching out into the desert, away from their captors, when the Egyptians decide they want them back and begin to chase. The Israelites are panicked. They are men, women and children, babies and grandparents. The Egyptians behind them are warriors. The Israelites are moving, carrying their possessions. The Egyptians are chasing, with nothing to slow them down. The Israelites are wondering if perhaps they should have "behaved" and just stayed in Egypt. They see no way out. Moses had to be panicking a bit too. He know that God was powerful. They all did. But what could even God do here, with the sea on one side of them and the army on the other? But Moses trusted God.

Wow.

Do I trust like this? Do I grab hold of a promise God's given me and then "be still", knowing that He will keep that promise? Oh, that's hard for me to do!! But think what could happen if I did!

For Moses it involved God parting a sea for the Israelites to walk safely away from the Egyptians. Parting a sea!!! For me I'm guessing He is fully able to see me through the problems of each day....

Be still, hmmm.....

Debt

Debt is a topic that you just can't avoid these days. I think my kids know more about the economy, the stock market, investments, and debt than I did when I was twice their age. Talk about it is plastered all over every newspaper and magazine, as well as the topic of just about every news show on t.v. . It's a good thing that we're talking about it more, as debt can really take over your life if you let it. There was a point in time that we were really swimming in high interest debt, and it just kind of spirals out of control very easily. Compounding interest rates make your minimum payments mean pretty much nothing as far as reducing what you owe, lenders keep offering more money, which means more debt, and well, besides paying off your debt, your "regular" bills just keep coming. Arggghh!!!

Thankfully, like I said, we are talking about it now. There are more options for help available now too. There are quality programs out there to help you to get out of debt and avoid bankruptcy, and they are becoming more and more user friendly. ClearDebt has a neat website that explains their varying services, offering you the option to tailor them to your needs. They even have a short debt test to help you to pinpoint your needs.

The key to managing the "debt monster" really is to acknowledge that you are getting in over your head and seek help, either from a group like ClearDebt or from a trusted friend with wisdom in this area. Anyone have any other debt tips?

My purpose?

I am plugging along, sporadically, but plugging nonetheless, through the Bible, and this past week was reading in Exodus.

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16

That's God talking to Moses. He has just let him know, basically, that the things He's done in Moses' life were for "this very purpose" - to glorify God. He didn't work out Moses being saved by the princess to give him a happy cushy life, or even to spare his mom the suffering of seeing her son killed. He didn't bring Moses to a place of power because he deserved it, or even because he thought he'd do a good job in it. His purpose for Moses' life was not for Moses to feel fulfilled or happy. His purpose for Moses' life was to glorify Himself.

How self centered I am to think that God's purpose for me, for my life, might be something other than that! How many of my prayers ask God to help me feel better, help me stay comfortable, protect those I care about? How much time to do I spend taking care of the me part of my life? How much time and energy, really, do I spend thinking about how God might be glorified through me?

Wow.....

We're getting there!

So we are a little over halfway done with our Christmas celebrations... and my husband and I are both really ready to be done! It's been a good time, visiting with family, watching the kids' faces as they opened up some treats, and hearing the Christmas story one more time, but everyone is ready to get back to the normal routine, I think. I am really quite sure that my husband is ready to get back to work. We've had a nice time together, but he's not used to spending quite so much intense time with the family, especially throwing extended family into the mix too... And the kids, though they wouldn't say this, I think really need to get back to real bedtimes, their own beds, and even chores and school. These things kind of frame our days and help them know what to expect. So anyway, hopefully getting back into the norm will help us to shake off the sugar cookie buzz and the after Christmas crankies, and enjoy each other again. I'll let you know how we do :).

Heroes at Home

I found a really neat program that I want to share called heroes at home.

This is a great idea! It allows families of those serving our country in the military to register their needs and desires for Christmas gifts at Sears. From what I understand, Sears has offered their support to military families in the past, but this year they've opened up their Heroes at Home program to the rest of us, creating a Heroes at Home Wish Registry that we can look at and contribute directly to. I know just about all of us are having a little bit, or a bigger bit, of a hard time making ends meet this year, and trying to bring a little Christmas surprise to Christmas morning for our kids, but the families of the soldiers protecting our freedom should certainly not be going without!! Check this out and let me know what you think... It looks like an easy way to really make a difference, perhaps a good way to show your children what giving can look like. Unfortunately, these donations are not tax deductible, but I don't think that should really matter as we share for this one....

If you decide to do this, let me know what wishes you helped with :).

The reason for the season

We have been doing a really neat Advent type activity this year. Rather than just the little countdown to Christmas calendar, we have a book that has a few pages to read each day, about different Christmas traditions and such, an activity to do as a family (We've frosted upside down sugar cones to make trees, made ornaments, even made our own candy canes - well sort of! :)), and just a few thoughts to direct us back to the real reason for this season. I've enjoyed it, and it's seemed to capture the kids' attention too.... It's so easy to lose sight of the wonderful reason for Christmas!

Branson?

Have you ever heard of Branson, Missouri? It's not a place that I've heard much about, but yikes, this place is growing like crazy! It's a city that's only really become a super popular tourist destination in relatively recent years, but it has almost a Las Vegas type feel to it. Branson has ongoing events for everyone’s entertainment like ice carving, the Polar Plunge, championship golf courses, lakes, museums, theme parks and 49 live entertainment theaters. I even found out that the amusement park voted as number one in the WORLD (by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions), Silver Dollar City, is in Branson. That would be a must see for our family :) With so much to offer, this exciting vacation community looks to be a good fit for everyone!

I found a couple of really interesting hotels situated right in the middle of everything in Branson, the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. They offer guests access to shops, boutiques, restaurants, a river walk and other attractions easily, and even include a one of a kind town square, which features a spectacular water fountain with a light and fire display choreographed to music. They are even offering a Winter Escape Package right now, and for me, buried in many many inches of snow, that sounds REALLY good!!! Hmmm, ideal getaway for me might include a day at the big amusement park, some time just swimming in the hotel pool with the kids, and then securing a babysitter and going, just the grownups, to see a show or concert. Sounds very very nice..... Not right now, but we'll add this to the someday pile :).

Christmas Cookies Hangover

I woke up this morning feeling very yucchhy. Is it possible to have a Christmas cookie hangover? :) Last night, maybe because we were opening presents, or maybe just because I was feeling like a piggy, I kept popping those cutout cookies non-stop. Today I feel yuchhh!!! Perhaps I've learned my lessson... Will I do it again? Most likely :)

Naturally Speaking

As I watch the news and see about all of the layoffs, I am glad that we are self-employed here, well, my husband really. I help with some of the work, but don't really draw a check :). I know that as far as the banks and credit places figure, it's still less risky to be employed by someone else, but right now it doesn't really seem that way, does it? I mean, we are still getting hit. Less folks are likely to be buying new homes, or doing major work on their existing ones, but there is some movement, thankfully. One thing I don't enjoy about being self employed, however, is the end of the year tax prep time, and we're almost there!

Hey, if you're a work at homer, or self employed too, remember that you have just a short time to make any purchases that you'll be "writing off" for your business for this year. Here's one that you might want to take a look at. Dragon Naturally Speaking is a software program that looks like it would be helpful for just about anyone who uses the computer for their business, whether for writing, or just for billing type applications. They're even offering a big discount right now, for 10-25% off! ($50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred)

These codes expire 12/31, so check this out soon!
Include links below as a bullet list (includes required link, only need be present here):

• $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred


• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard


• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -MacSpeech Dictate

Wrapping paper

Well, the wrapping paper from Christmas, part 1 is cleaned up. Our two year old foster child had his first experience that I know of with Christmas gifts yesterday. First he opened presents with his mom, and then, later my sister and her family came over, and in his words, "we had ANOTHER Christmas!" We prepped about saying thank you, and NEVER saying "I don't like this" or "I don't want this," and so far so good. The only close one was "this isn't a toy!" when he opened a pair of sneakers :). Hopefully the rest goes as well....

Guys and TV

When do guys start appreciating t.v.? (Not every single one, I know, but most...) I know my husband would really enjoy if I were to suggest giving away our 15 year old television, and picking up a new, larger screened, LCD TV, but I didn't realize quite how early this television appreciation set in, until today. I needed to get some work done on the van, and our two and a half year old foster child, a boy, was not happy about having to wait at the shop, until, that is, he saw the big screen, flat screen, tv. "Wow! Dis TV is very VERY big." Big smile and the most still sitting I've seen in a very VERY long time. How funny :).

Places I've never gone....

I think I've rambled on here before about places I've traveled to, and not traveled to... One of the the ones that I've not traveled to is Las Vegas, and having small kiddos, I probably won't be anytime soon. I've seen lots of pictures, and well, stuff on tv, about Vegas, about all of the stuff going on there. I've seen photos of the las vegas hotels that are twice the size of anything here in upstate New York. I've seen the glimmer and sparkle that seems to drip off of that city. For right now, for this season, though, I am content staying warm in my little cocoon of a house, with snow piled up high outside. This is the spot for me for now :).

The official Merry Christmas picture!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!!

We hope that you have opportunities to celebrate with families and friends, and moments to reflect on the Lord of it all!

Personalized presents

I just got back from the really, totally, last round of Christmas shopping.... Just stocking stuffers... Done!!! When I was walking in the door, my neighbor and I were chatting, and she told me she hadn't started yet - yikes!! I would be panicked, but I don't know details. :) Maybe she's celebrating late. Maybe she's still got plenty of time... There really are some great deals this year for last minute shoppers! I came across one such special for personalized holiday gifts today.

From now until the end of the year, Pexagon is offering 20% off 4 really neat personalized holiday gift ideas!

1. They have personalized thumb drives available in 14 colors, up to 16GB in capacity with FREE custom laser engraving starting at only $7.99 after discount.
   
2. They have personalized pens in 3 unique styles, multiple colors and a FREE line of personalized laser engraved text starting at only $1.59 after discount.
3. They have business card flash drives that look like a business card, but the back side hides a small USB cable (very big 2GB capacity) and the front side can be engraved for FREE with 3 lines of personalization text, starting at only$15.99 after discount.
4. They have wooden USB Flash Drives, which is an environment-friendly option I hadn't heard of, with a wooden design with attached cap and two color choices. This one is available in 2GB and 4GB capacities with 2-sided custom laser engraving absolutely FREE, starting at only $15.99 after discount.
   

These are handy gifts for either that techie in your life, or just that person that you really don't know what to give. Everyone likes to see their name on something, and these are practical too. Any other last minute gift giving ideas?

White Christmas

We are getting hammered with snow here in New York!! A storm, a day off, a storm , a day off!!! It's beautiful outside, but driving is no fun, and everyone's a bit stir crazy right now - can we go out and play? why not? what's a blizzard? So I'm grateful for a white Christmas, and for the work for friends that plow, but I think we've got plenty now :).

Taking care of the family friends

We have a house full of "family friends." Between all of us, we own ten pets: three gerbils, five fish, one cat, and one dog! We do not have the funds to run to the veterinarian every time we have a question, so I tend to do some surfing on the web to research what to do when we have problems. I am always excited to find a website that seems to have high quality information to offer.

I've found a new pet care website: PetWave.com. They claim to be the first pet care website to combine a comprehensive pet health library based on today’s veterinary care standards with a full-featured suite of community and pet health management tools. The site certainly does seem to deliver what they claim, as well. They give tons of information about pet care and well, just about anything that you can think of related to your furry family friends. Check it out too, and see what you think :).

Christmas: When Your Heart Grows Three Sizes

This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt, and is a neat reminder of what we should be thinking on at Christmas....

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

In Dr. Seuss' classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart. The source of his heart problem is his lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas. As the story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.

I'm not sure what Dr. Seuss' intentions were when he wrote the story back in 1957, but it certainly comes across as a Christian parable to me that parallels the change that takes place in a person's life when he or she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus, God's Son, who was born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the old heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart -- and a new person emerges. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"Welcome Christmas -- While we stand -- Heart to heart -- And hand in hand."[1] It might just make all the difference in the world.

Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today!

We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
(from O Little Town of Bethlehem)

We celebrate Christmas because of the power Jesus brought to change our hearts.

Who knew that we could learn deep truths from Dr. Seuss? And rhyming ones at that! :)

Rest

I came across this devotional by Margaret Mitchell titled simply "Rest." I don't know about you, but that sounds really good right now!! This time of year, that should be so wonderfully reflective, so often turns completely chaotic, doesn't it?

"But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster." ~I Kings 5:4

There comes a time when God puts our enemies under our feet. Indeed, He gives us a period of rest so that we may concentrate on the work He has set before us. God's gift of divine rest offers us freedom, peace and protection. And it is ours through salvation and obedience in Jesus Christ.

There is complete trust available in God's divine rest. So much so that Deuteronomy 25:19 tells us to forget about the enemies who attacked us when we were weary and worn out.

David declared in Psalm 62, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him" (vs. 1). "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him" (vs. 5).

Sometimes, we must take authority over our frantic souls and command them to rest, to come in alignment with the living word of God. Little wonder the word "rest" appears 275 times in the Bible. Consider its many definitions:

Rest is a period of refreshing, a freedom from exertion and anxiety, a stopping place for shelter. To rest means to restore energy, to be supported against something (like the shelter of the Most High), to depend upon someone (like Jesus) for action or as a burden or responsibility, to rely on something (like the Holy Spirit) for proof or explanation, to conclude the presentation of evidence in a case (as in it is finished!).

Divine rest comes after a fulfillment of a promise, or completion, as in the case of King Solomon (I Kings 5:4) and as in the case of the Israelites taking dominion over the Promised Land (Joshua 1:13-15). It allows for restoration, a new beginning. It ushers in God's glory (Is. 11:10), and it is rewarded to those who are righteous in the Lord and see the journey through.

In Jesus, we can rest secure from all that burdens or threatens us. Indeed, He is our way and our truth. He is our friend. And He assures us that His unfailing love rests upon us, as we put our hope in Him (Psalm 33:22), just as The Father assured Moses that His presence will go with him, and He would give him rest as he journeyed forth in obedience (Exodus 33:14).

If we are prone to over work, the Lord may have to make us lie down and rest like the sheep in the fields (Psalm 23). There was a season one year where the Lord spoke Psalm 23 to me repeatedly through various resources. I finally got the message.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that the Lord and His angels work on our behalf to position and align us, others and circumstances for His perfect timing, His perfect will. What we think we should be doing is not always God's agenda. He has taught me to lay down false responsibilities by praying every day, "Lord, I surrender my agenda to You. Have your way in my day."

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).

If you are in need of divine rest, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any unconfessed sins, and confess them. Then declare Psalm 91:1-2 over yourself, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the almighty" and Isaiah 32:18, "My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest."

May God's unfailing love rest upon you, and may you enter into His resting place safe, secure and highly favored until you journey home to have eternal rest with Jesus.

Christmas around the world

Today we did a really neat field trip at a local museum. The kids weren't thrilled about it ahead of time, but ended up really enjoying it and learning a bunch. It was a Christmas Around the World program, and the volunteers did a great job teaching us about a bunch of different countries and their tradition. Fun stuff... :)

Spiritual Christmas Gift?

I know that many of us wish for a little less commercialism and a little more of the real meaning of Christmas, and I've come across a neat way to remind those you are giving gifts to as to what the true meaning of Christmas is. Have you thought about a spiritual Christmas gift?

There is a new product, called The Bible Experience, available this Christmas season. It is presented by a stellar ensemble of almost 400 of today's award-winning actors, musicians, clergy, directors, and producers, and has an original musical underscore by the Prague Symphony Orchestra andHollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios.

You can even check it out ahead of time for free by listening to the free Nick Cannon clip available at www.BibleExperience.com . You'll need the exclusive download code: GEN3SPRK. It's nice to be able to really try something out before you buy it, and this really gives you that chance.

Let me know what you think - check out The Bible Experience website and tell me your take....

Quick Stress Cures

I was just leafing through a Ladie's Home Journal magazine, and came across an article listing off quick stress cures. We could all use these, couldn't we? Here are a few of them:

• Talk to someone
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Laugh
• Cry
• Put fun on your to do list
• Buy a new lipstick (okay -this one would do nothing for me, but I guess the idea is doing something small nice for yourself)
• Eat more fiber (absorbs toxin and bacteria, and stabilizes blood sugar, which slows down mood swings)
• Set your GPS to local roads (skip the busy ones)
• Start a stress journal
• Love lavendar - use this calming scent to help you relax
• Become a believer in optimism
• Check your meds - any interactions that could affect your mood?
• Eat oatmeal (it helps your body release serotonin)
• Ditch toxic people
• Play with your pet
• Say no to negative talk
• Adore almonds (chew them to release stress and release zinc and vitamin E)
• Breathe deep
• Fantasize about something wonderful
• Hydrate
• Stretch
• Take a visual vacation
• Plan a real vacation
• When the going gets tough, go elsewhere
• Just say no - know your limits
• Play a board game
• Exercise
• Pick your battles
• Have lunch with a friend every week
• Do someone a favor
• Lose yourself in a good book
• Get a professional massage
• Sleep
• Fill the tub and soak
• Embrace shortcuts - take out and premade is okay!
• Do some handiwork
• Eat dark chocolate (I like this one :))
• Crank up the music
• Wet your wrists (putting your blood vessel filled wrists under cold water can cool and calm you)
• Turn off the tv - try for a whole week!!

Phew! That's a ton!! Any of these work for you?

Learning to trust the master

Have you picked up on the fact that I really like sharing things by Max Lucado? Here's another... It scares me a little bit that I am pretty much exactly like his dog!!! Not about car washes, but well, about things that are just about as goofy!

A man and his dog are in the same car. The dog howls bright-moon-in-the-middle-of-the-night caterwauling howls. The man pleads, promising a daily delivery of dog biscuit bouquets if only the hound will hush. After all, it’s only a car wash.

Never occurred to him—ahem, to me—that the car wash would scare my dog. But it did. Placing myself in her paws, I can see why. A huge, noisy machine presses toward us, pounding our window with water, banging against the door with brushes. Duck! We’re under attack.

“Don’t panic. The car wash was my idea.” “I’ve done this before.” “It’s for our own good.” Ever tried to explain a car wash to a canine? Dog dictionaries are minus the words brush and detail job. My words fell on fallen flaps. Nothing helped. She just did what dogs do; she wailed.

Actually, she did what we do. Don’t we howl? Not at car washes perhaps but at hospital stays and job transfers. Let the economy go south or the kids move north, and we have a wail of a time. And when our Master explains what’s happening, we react as if he’s speaking Yalunka. We don’t understand a word he says.

Is your world wet and wild?

God’s greatest blessings often come costumed as disasters. Any doubters need to do nothing more than ascend the hill of Calvary.

Jerusalem’s collective opinion that Friday was this: Jesus is finished.

Such is the view of the disciples, the opinion of the friends, and the outlook of the enemies. Label it the dog-in-the-passenger-seat view.

The Master who sits behind the wheel thinks differently. God is not surprised. His plan is right on schedule. Even in—especially in—death, Christ is still the king, the king over his own crucifixion.

Can’t he do the same for you? Can’t he turn your Friday into a Sunday?

Some of you doubt it. How can God use cancer or death or divorce? Simple.

He’s smarter than we are. He is to you what I was to four-year-old Amy. I met her at a bookstore. She asked me if I would sign her children’s book. When I asked her name, she watched as I began to write, “To Amy …”

She stopped me right there. With wide eyes and open mouth, she asked, “How did you know how to spell my name?”

She was awed. You aren’t. You know the difference between the knowledge of a child and an adult. Can you imagine the difference between the wisdom of a human and the wisdom of God? What is impossible to us is like spelling “Amy” to him. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).

I keep taking Molly to the car wash. She’s howling less. I don’t think she understands the machinery. She’s just learning to trust her master. Maybe we’ll learn the same.

Leave your enemies in God's hands

Forgiveness. That's a hard one. Most of us cringe at the idea of appearing weak, letting someone "walk all over us." We Americans pride ourselves on being tough, on getting even. How does that square up with God's plan? Another one by Max Lucado...

Some years ago a rottweiler attacked our golden retriever puppy at a kennel. The worthless animal climbed out of its run and into Molly’s and nearly killed her. He left her with dozens of gashes and a dangling ear. I wrote a letter to the dog’s owner, urging him to put the dog to sleep.

But when I showed the letter to the kennel owner, she begged me to reconsider. “What that dog did was horrible, but I’m still training him. I’m not finished with him yet.”

God would say the same about the rottweiler who attacked you. “What he did was unthinkable, unacceptable, inexcusable, but I’m not finished yet.”

Your enemies still figure into God’s plan. Their pulse is proof: God hasn’t given up on them. They may be out of God’s will, but not out of his reach. You honor God when you see them, not as his failures, but as his projects.

God occupies the only seat on the supreme court of heaven. He wears the robe and refuses to share the gavel. For this reason Paul wrote, “Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. ‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it’ ” (Rom. 12:19 MSG).

Revenge removes God from the equation. Vigilantes displace and replace God. “I’m not sure you can handle this one, Lord. You may punish too little or too slowly. I’ll take this matter into my hands, thank you.”

Is this what you want to say? Jesus didn’t. No one had a clearer sense of right and wrong than the perfect Son of God. Yet, “when he suffered, he didn’t make any threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly” (1 Pet. 2:23 GOD’S WORD).

Only God assesses accurate judgments. We impose punishments too slight or severe. God dispenses perfect justice. Vengeance is his job. Leave your enemies in God’s hands. You’re not endorsing their misbehavior when you do. You can hate what someone did without letting hatred consume you. Forgiveness is not excusing.

Nor is forgiveness pretending. David didn’t gloss over or sidestep Saul’s sin. He addressed it directly. He didn’t avoid the issue, but he did avoid Saul.

Do the same. Give grace, but, if need be, keep your distance. You can forgive the abusive husband without living with him. Be quick to give mercy to the immoral pastor, but be slow to give him a pulpit. Society can dispense grace and prison terms at the same time. Offer the child molester a second chance, but keep him off the playgrounds.

Forgiveness is not foolishness.

Forgiveness is, at its core, choosing to see your offender with different eyes. You don’t excuse him, endorse her, or embrace them. You just route thoughts about them through heaven. You see your enemy as God’s child and revenge as God’s job.

By the way, how can we grace-recipients do anything less? Dare we ask God for grace when we refuse to give it? This is a huge issue in Scripture. Jesus was tough on sinners who refused to forgive other sinners. In the final sum, we give grace because we’ve been given grace.

Back pain

I visited a chiropractor for the first time ever this past week. It was good. My back's been bugging me for a while, and I've tried a few different things for it, to no real avail. I basically have been told that my back thinks that it's about 20 years older than I really am... Bummer, eh? Anyway, the chiropractor seemed to help a bit, so I'll give that a whirl for a while.

I was reading about a new treatment involving Stem Cell treatment for back injury. Researchers have been using bone marrow derived, mesenchymal stem cells, and inserting them into degenerated lumbar discs to treat back pain. They have had good, reliable results in treating back pain with thses stem cells. They have reduced the size of disc bulges and contained herniations by repairing the back of the disc with adult stem cells.This is done by flouroscopy, without the need for surgery. I don't know much more about this technique at this point, but it sounds worth researching... Have you heard anything about this?

Family court

This week we go to family court to review our foster child's case. He's been with us for almost a year now, and in foster care for 14 months. New York state law is that if a child is in foster care for 15 out of 22 months, that child's parent's parental rights should be terminated. It will be interesting to see what happens. My guess is that since we are just a bit shy of the 15 months, the judge will grant another six months of "trying" for the parents. It is such a hard situation all the way around, but dragging it on and on is just so hard... I applaud people who are able to provide foster care for years. This has been a wonderfully rewarding year, but it is definitely much more of a rollercoaster than I could have imagined too. I have to remind myself that our job is to love this little person with Jesus' love for as long as he's with us, just like our own children. We have no guarantees of tomorrow with anyone really. Love, trust, and pray....

Where can I cut?

We just got out mortgage bill in the mail yesterday, and our monthly payment is up almost $50!! I haven't pulled out our old one to compare, so I don't know if taxes have gone up that much, or if our escrow was off, or what the deal is, but that's very stinky!! Once again I find myself reviewing our budget to try to figure out where I can cut spending. I've mentioned it before, but I really need to take the time to review our auto insurance. There are so many commercials about saving money on it by comparing, and I haven't really shopped around for a couple of years. Perhaps that can be a goal for tomorrow... I'll let you know how that goes....

Sleepy Sunday

I don't know what the deal is today, but I am having a majorly sleepy Sunday.

I went to bed a little bit late, for me, last night, maybe 11:30, because we were watching a movie, but I slept until almost 7:00! That should be plenty of sleep!! I was nodding off during the church service this morning, and it was a really good service - I just couldn't keep my eyes open. When we got home, my husband took pity on me and sent me to our room for a nap while he finished up dinner prep (I had crock potted, so not too much left :)), and I completely fell asleep for about a half an hour. Now, after dinner, I honestly feel like I could sleep again!! And you know what, I just might. The two year old is sleeping, the girls are playing a game together, without squabbling, on the computer. I could do it :). Maybe 5 more minutes on here and then I'm out.

Enjoy your Sunday, whatever it finds you doing!

Upgrade my sink

Because my husband does carpentry for his job, our house doesn't too often end up being worked on. He is tired and worn out by the end of the workday, and I certainly can't blame him for not wanting to do the same thing here that he's been doing all day long. We do have a few things, however, that really do need to be done sometime soon. Our kitchen sink has been causing some troubles lately, with water leaking out from around the faucet and gathering on the counter against the cupboard. I dry it up and it just somehow seems to end up there again. I think it's time to start comparing Grohe faucets and all of the others, and time to get myself on the "to-do" list. I'll let you know how it goes :).

Basketball shoes

It's 10:30 Friday night and I am pooped!!! My daughter and I have hit every single store that carries sneakers within a 20 minute radius, looking for women's basketball shoes. Turns out that women's basketball shoes are a little bit hard to come by, and my daughter's foot is too small for most of the men's shoes. She is playing basketball, and really loving it, so I wanted to be able to give her these. Anyway, we finally settled on a pair back at the very first store that we tried, and when we checked out we found out that they were almost half off. Whoo hoo!!! That made all of the running around, in and out of the car, all worthwhile :). Night night!

Parties?

Have you noticed all of the formal evening dresses and tuxedo jackets on the commercials on tv, and in the sales flyers? Where do you think that all of those folks are heading? Maybe I just run with the wrong crowd, but very few of my friends or neighbors are sporting tuxedos too often. Weddings are about it... How about you? Any upscale parties planned this holiday season?

Sale flyers

I know I was just jabbering about this a minute ago, but have you spent any time perusing the sale flyers lately? Everything from children's games to espresso machines are marked down crazily low. Unfortunately we're all too nervous about our money and our jobs to do much about the sales, right? Which drives the cost down further.... And oh it bothers me to not take advantage of these deals!!! Oh well, practical wins for now. Let's keep the spending down a bit and try to stash away a little for the inevitable rocky days ahead....

Astounding

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."

- Thomas Edison

How often we sell ourselves short, don't we? I think of this especially with our kiddos. How many things do we say no to that we don't really even think through? How many opportunities for growth and discovery are we shorting them from? It's easier to plop them in front of the tv, or into a "safe" program, but how much more are they capable of?

Saving a bit this Christmas

How are you attempting to save money this Christmas? I think everyone's trimming back there spending a little, but are you giving to less people? Giving less to everyone? Shopping for bargains a little more? Perhaps Walmart instead of Macy's? Replica watches instead of the name brands? I've noticed lots of bargains this year, as retailers try just about anything to get our attention. Have you found any great deals? Share your tips and stories!!

Crashing computer!!

I haven't been on here much lately. Besides the busyness of this time of year, my computer decided it would be a fun time to have a "thermal event", which evidently means a huge crash. We have school records on our computer, schoolwork on there, billing for my husband's business, all sorts of fun stuff! The ironic thing is that just a few days before the big meltdown I was talking to my husband about how I should really buy a flash memory thingy to back up our files. Well, I should have listened to that momentary whisper of reason, but I did not... Now I'm trying to piece together things from here and there and everywhere. Argggh!!!!

Defeat

"Defeat is not bitter unless you swallow it."

- Joe Clark

This is a good one to remember... Defeat is inevitable, isn't it? The only thing that we can do sometimes is just control our attitude in reaction to it. Hmmmm...