Tornados in the House!

The storm started on Monday. Papers, Books, and everything that might be caught by a whirlewind of fingers and teeth were tacked down or hidden away. Tuesday came in a rush. Everything was cleaned and ready for the tornado to blow in. First game the attack of the toys. They showed up EVERYWHERE. The big car, the toy box, the basket, the balls. The invation had begun.
My tiny room was attacked by a large matteress in the middle of the floor with only inches to walk around in it.
When the storm finally blow in there were two sets of tiny foot falls Running around in the house.
It was a double Whammy that it hard, toys were thrown underfoot and clothes of every color where scattered from room to room.
It was the attack of the sister tornados. :)
In other words. My nieces and their parents are here for a few days.

The Five Senses of the Seasons Part I

Okay Close your eyes for a moment. What season is it?
Sounds like a strange question doesn't it?
I was walking down the sidewalk the other day and realized that it is Autumn. And it wasn't because I could see that it was Autumn. Then I got to thinking about how God uses every sense to tell you what the season is.
To prove what I mean I am going to tell you what I have been thinking about.
Because it is Fall I'll start with that.
Fall happens to be one of my favorite season and has become even more so since I don't have to worry about going back to school.
When we think of Fall we normally think of sight. The look of the leaves as they change from green to billiant reds and orange and yellows and purples. It's like God dipped His fingers in the paint and had fun.
We also think of Feeling. The feel of the weather as it begins to cool down, the feel of the wind as it blows briskly into your bundled up face.
Not only can we feel the wind and see the leaves changing, but we can hear the wind in the trees has it russles the leaves. The sound of a leaf as it floats down from the top of a tree. Or the crunch of the leaves as you walk through them.
Go outside and take a big wiff. Smell that? There is no other smell like it. It's a mix of cooling air, drying leaves and chimney smoke. Maybe the word is pungnant.
I had to think about taste for awhile, but even that is easy. The taste of fresh Vegetables or even that sweet taste of just ripened apples. There's nothing like crunching into a juicy apple right off the branch or the first taste of Apple cider.

Bob Smiley

Had an interesting weekend. A nationally known comedian named Bob Smiley came to our little town. He is a very down to earth kind of man without actually being down to earth. If that even makes any sense.
Maybe I should put it to you this way. He is human and so you can relate to everything that he talks about, but he doesn't know how to sit still for a second. Ya he was very hyper, but he was Awesome. It was pretty neat to see how he wove his funny stories in with the Bible. It's amazing. check out his website http://www.bobsmiley.com/
Just getting to talk with him and getting to know him on a personal bases was pretty neat. Most people left right away, but my family and two other families stood around for a while and talked and asked questions.
I guess that is all for now. My mind has gone blank.

Pettiness

I just realized something tonight. I can be very petty. I can get mad about the stupidest things and never think twice about it. I got mad this week about something I should never have gotten mad at because I am somehow holding a grudge against someone who offended me three years ago. It's amazing to discover just how much of us can get stuck on things that we should really wipe off like a snowflake or a fly.
It kind of reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was so worried about having everything just right that she got upset about a little petty thing, Mary wasn't helping. Although I can't fault Martha for wanting to set a nice table, she was wrong because listening to what the Lord Jesus said was much more important at that time. She could have eaten or even had a dinner party at any time, but at that very moment the Master was at her house and she needed to be attentive to him.
It also draws me back to the story about David and Saul. One of the most exciting stories about them while David is running was the story about when David and his men hid in a cave and Saul and his men camped in the same cave for the night. In the morning Saul discovered a piece of his robe missing and is spear stuck in the ground right next to him. (and another time David stole something for Saul) Both times David realized just how petty he was to taunt the King. David knew that even though he had been choosen by God to be the next King, Saul at the time was still king and not only should David respect the king, but he also knew that he shouldn't rush God's timing.
We Christians get mad over so many petty things and it amazes me just how much we don't see. We get mad because someone said or did something that offended us or mad us upset. I think many times it is because we see weaknesses in our lives and we don't want to meet our faults looking us straight in our faces.
Maybe if I am willing to face me weaknesses I will be able to love others the way God wants me to and look past the faults of others and be willing to correct my mistakes.

Vacation and a Becoming a Crazy Christian for Christ

I just got back yesterday from a nice weekend off. I went to Katiann's birthday party on Saturday and stayed at my Grandmother's house until Monday. I haven't slept in my grandmother's house in several years and I always wondered why it was. Now I know. During the entire time I was there Grandma did nothing but complain about what I ate. Of course yesterday she couldn't complain because we had corn on the cob and you know how much I like to eat that. And the house was so cold I am suprised that my figers didn't fall off.
But even so I guess I have to admit that I was glad I got to stay. Grandma will be 92 on her next birthday and you would never really know that she was that old just by taking a quick glance at her. She is so energetic and independent that sometimes she can leave you in the dust wondering what just happened.
Of course by now you all know that Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter was killed. I was personally sad about that because I thought he was a very interesting man. I was watching a documentary on him from way back in 2000 last night and one thing I realized about him was the fact that he had such a passion for wildlife conservation. Yes I know he did a lot of crazy things, but he was always aware of what he was doing. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't cocky like most people thought he was. He just wanted people to know.
I was amazed at the passion he had and thought "What if Christian's had the same kind of passion for Christ as Steve had for Wildlife?"
I mean really. Think about it. Would we be willing to be called crazy just because of the things that we said or did for Christ? I know I would be totally out of my comfort zone that's for sure. Would we be willing to throw ourselves to "the Crocodiles" just to show Christ to others? I highly doubt it. I know when I am at work I try to stay as quiet about everything as I can, but maybe I should be getting into the water with some of them and tried to pull them out.
Again I am doing my normal rambling and you are seeing just a little bit of what goes on it that crazy head of mine. But it sure is worth a thought.