Ten on Tuesday

1.  Guess who is playing soccer?  He is so excited.  This is his first activity.  He has sat through countless hours of gymnastics, karate, baseball, and other activities his siblings were participating in and  now it's his turn.  He is really excited about having some "equipment" and a uniform.  His first game was yesterday and he did alot of running and jumping around and some actual kicking. 

2.  Packy is in the second phase of "Operation Quit Thumb Sucking".  He is now going to sleep without the THUM painted on his fingers.  The prize for quitting for an extended period of time is a trip to Build a Bear Workshop so he is working really hard and doing a great job.  He wants to get a stuffed spider.  I doubt they have those.

3.  Yesterday I walked through the high school area of the campus of our school.  Teenagers everywhere.  I had on sunglasses so I could stare at them. Teenager years are tough.  I struggled with who I was in high school.  My desire for Christ and Christian friends was in a constant struggle with my desire to party and fit in with the cool kids.  The result was feeling like I didn't belong in any group.  Guilt when I was partying, and fake when I was at youth group.  Today I feel like I belong.  I have a sense of community with the people in my life.  I belong at my church, at our school, at the gym.  This sense of belonging comes from putting my security in Christ.  When I am secure in belonging to Him, then I feel the freedom to be myself, and then I can put my authentic self out there in the world.  If I am trying to please other people first I am never going to measure up.  Putting your security in Christ is extremely freeing and something I pray often for, for my kids.

4.  We sold our candy to the dentist.  I was estimating that each kid had about 2 or 3 pounds at the most.  I even told them I would match whatever they got.  Imagine my surprise when each bag weighed in at 7 pounds.  Fourteen pounds of candy!!! That is way too much candy.  They have not missed the candy at all and have not bothered the one who kept his.  The cool thing was that they had veterans there and we got to sign cards that they send with the candy to the troops.  Thank you Operation Gratitude!  (And they gave us light up toothbrushes.  Score.)

5.  Macon is gorgeous right now.  I love Fall and the colorful leaves. Just gorgeous colors. I ride around and point out different trees to my kids.  Did I mention that I am becoming my mother? 

6.  Jason and I have never lived in a house with a working fireplace, until now.  I love everything about a fireplace.  The sight, the sound, and the smell.  It's so peaceful.  Just another reason I know God saved this house just for us.  He does care about the details of our lives and gives us the desires of our hearts even when we deserve nothing.  Overwhelming gratitude.

7.  Yesterday, I heard two different people, in two very different situations, talk about not being ruled by your emotions.  That you should act on faith and not on feelings.  Feelings can often lead you down the wrong path.  Feelings can trick you. Robert J. Morgan says in The Red Sea Rules, " Don't trust your emotions, and never be controlled by them.  We're to walk by faith, not by feelings.  Sometimes we must choose an attitude that's contrary to the way we feel."  That can be really hard.  Especially when I feel like someone has wronged me.  Or when I feel that I deserve something.  God does not change.  When I feel like He isn't handling something I can look to the Bible and remind myself of who He is.  By hanging on to His unchanging characteristics I can live without being ruled by my everchanging emotions.

8.  Did you know that the Keebler elves have hijacked the Girl Scouts Samoa's recipe?  They are called Coconut Dreams and they are pretty darn close to the original.  I made these from scratch one time and it was over a two hour process.  Good but very labor intensive.These will work just fine for me.

9.  Going along with #7 is to look to see how God has been faithful in the past and applying that to my current situation.  I can remember so many times I thought I was in a hole I could never get out of.  How many times I gave up on helping Jay.  How many times I just quit trying.  God took care of every situation.  Why would He decide to leave me high and dry this time?  Now this doesn't mean He is going to do what I want.  It just means He is in control.  Not me.  He is faithful to me. 

10.  Look at that footwork.