Early Naptime for my Munchkins

In case you didn't know, I currently teach K-4 (and Algebra, but that's another story) at Rock Church Academy.  I have 6 students ... their ages range from just turned four to already turned five.  They are a joy [most of the time] and boring none of the time!


Today I was listening to them talk during "quiet conversation time," (oh yes, I do have a period of time dedicated just to quiet talking, I am that kind of teacher), and I heard one of them say, "Well just don't tell my brother that I am spider man, he'll make me do all his work!"  Of course I chuckled and didn't really think too much of it.  However, now I am sitting in my empty room (the title of this blog, early naptime for my munchkins - because I laid them down for a nap early), thinking over the day, and this sentence jumped out at me again.


"Don't tell my brother that I am spider man, he'll make me do all his work!"


I wonder how many of us have this mentality about life?  No, I am not asking you if you think you are spider man... Rather I am suggesting that we should take inventory of our lives.  Is there anything that we are holding back because we know it will require more work if we put it to use?  

BEST CHEESESTEAKS EVER

The very best cheesesteak you will EVER eat is from a little place in Williamsport Pennsylvania called Newberry Sub Shop. Their cheesesteaks are a little piece of heaven. Actually they are HUGE piece of heaven, a large is quite enough for at least 2 meals per person. They are amazing, and I am munching on one right now.

Blogging...Eh?

I am not a very good blogger. I have at least 4 drafts saved to my blog that I have never published, countless hand written entries in my journal that were intended to be online, and several more word files saved that have not made it past my hard drive.

I am just not a very good blogger.

But I want to be. It makes me feel better to put my thoughts into writing, and for some reason, I want to publish them so everyone can read them. But lately I haven't had any really deep thoughts.

So this is what I shall do: I will write about what is going on in my life right now, and call it a blog entry. Hey it is a blog entry, just not a very exciting one.

It is the wee hours of Friday, August 14th. My sister weds today. I turn 29 tomorrow. My daughter is a flower girl in the wedding, and I am pretty much prepared for the worst. I am considering a little bag of M&Ms stuffed into my bouquet to bribe her on the stage. That's bad parenting for SURE!!

Well, that about sums it up.

What do I do when I am stressed?

"Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein

The house is quiet; Savanna is sleeping, and Bill is in his room, as usual. Josh is at class, which makes me quite sad and lonely. There is a lot going on for me right now, but most of it I can't really put into writing, not for a lack of ability or lack of desire. On the contrary, I would love to write out what is on my heart and mind right now, but on the most stressful of all the topics, I won't. Just trust that it is for the best. Somehow it feels better just acknowledging that I am stressed out about these anonymous topics, and for that I am grateful.

What do I do when I am stressed? I play the piano! But I can't right now, because we don't have one. Go ahead and use your imagination to picture me pouting. So since I don't have a piano at which to play my heart, I will just talk about what I would play on the piano: praise and worship! This has been roaming through my heart anyway, so here it goes:

WHAT IS PRAISE?


Declaration of faith

"Why are you cast down, O my soul,and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,my salvation"


Shout of victory

"My lips will shout for joy,when I sing praises to you;my soul also, which you have redeemed" Psalm 71:23


An expression of approval

"I will tell of your name to my brothers;in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." Psalm 22:22


An offering of thanks
"I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High." Psalm 7:17


A reflection of God's power
"O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love" Psalm 59:17

WHAT PRAISE IS NOT


Praise is most certainly not a temper tantrum or a pity party. We have all thrown temper tantrums, even as adults. Or maybe it's just me - be honest now - who has gotten so upset that I don't know what to do with myself, resorting to throwing my hands around at imaginary walls that I have just punched through in my mind, or jumping up and down, or yelling at the top of my lungs. And again, be honest - we have all thrown ourselves pity parties. You know, we may not have sent out invitations in the mail, but we've certainly shuffled through our contacts list looking for a sympathetic ear to unload on, someone who will say, you poor thing! Not someone who will fix it, just someone to listen and feel bad for us - we wouldn't want our pity party to come to a premature end now would we. So when we come into the presence of God, it is not time to throw a "spiritual temper tantrum" or pity party


Praise is not my time to shine. Guess what? Are you ready for this - praise is not about YOU. Go ahead, cry a little. Praise is about GOD. It's about lifting His mighty name on high - raising the banner of praise - crying out in unity with the body of Christ in celebration. Have you ever spent time with a self-centered person? Uhm, YES! Completely annoying? Uhm, YES! Counterproductive? Uhm, YES! True Praise is not about making yourself a spectacle just for spectacle's sake. Sometimes praise will look silly [INSERT "Make it Plain" HERE]. David looked completely foolish parading through the streets in his tighty whities celebrating the presence of God, but there is a difference between unabandoned worship and "look at me, everybody!"
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Praise is not a chance to bully anyone else into anything. Maybe "bully" is a strong word - but I cannot tell you how many times I have witnessed this exact scenerio: A quiet, timid Christian is standing innocently at their seat during the song service; a boistrous, nearly-too-lively Christian is dancing about in the aisle. The boistrous Christian dances their way over to the timid Christian, grabs the hand of the person who was perfectly contented to praise Jesus at their seat and drags them into the aisle. So now we have a boistrous Christian, and an embarrassed, awkward Christian, both in the aisle. Please do NOT do this - not everyone praises the same way. While it would be ideal if we could throw away our limitations in church, going absolutely crazy for Jesus on a regular basis, it is not everyone's desire to do so, nor is it their nature. If God is a gentleman, and gives man the free choice to worship - shouldn't we?

Praise is not a post-it note. It is not time to "remind" God of all His promises - guess what, He never forgets. In fact, that's one of His promises! We should remind ourselves, definitely - and we should celebrate His promises, most definitely - but God does not need a post-it note on his fridge to remember what He has promised to His children.

Maybe we should refocus our attention on God, and on who HE is, rather than ourselves!

"...and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" John 4:24

It's 8:02 AM as I begin this blog, and it is going to be a very short one. Today's agenda includes CHURCH, or "praising Jesus" as Savanna calls it, then lunch at Joshua's grandma's house, then back here for a nap, before we head to CHURCH again. I love Sundays. I didn't always love Sundays, but I do now.

I love waking up next to Joshua, hearing him breathe, peacefully sleeping, knowing that Savanna is all tucked in her bed, sleeping soundly as well. My house is so peaceful on Sunday mornings, there is no noise, unless you count Diego's snoring (our pug).

So, breakfast calls - scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, crescent rolls ... yummy. Now if only I could find someone to make it for me?

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Yesterday was a marvelous day. We had 80 degree weather, sunshine and a light breeze all day. Josh had the brilliant idea to take our family out for a picnic, so we spread the word, packed some sandwiches and macaroni salad, and headed out to Lakeview Park. It was a great afternoon.

We started (of course!) with the food. You can never go wrong with a turkey and swiss sandwich on wheat bread with some spicy brown mustard. To me, it's gourmet! Without fail, Savanna drank her Apple Juice, sitting next to Bama (that's Savanna's shorthand for Grandma).


Pretty much as soon as we finished eating, the girls were up and playing. They blew bubbles for a few minutes, but it didn't take long for their interest to shift to the swing set.



While Granddaddy pushed them on the swings, Josh and I went for a walk to enjoy the view.


The crazy thing is that this beautiful, warm and sunny day was preceded with 4 inches of snow just 4 days earlier! Schools and business closed for two or more days, and then those same students, teachers and business people packed picnic baskets that very weekend to enjoy part of what makes Virginia Virginia! Like everyone has said to me since I got here, "If you don't like the weather, just wait until tomorrow because it will change!" So I thought I'd include some of the pictures from the snow ...

Time Flies when You're Getting Old

Savanna turned two this week. 2. TWO!!!!

I cannot believe she is already 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday we brought our tiny little bundle home from the hospital. I'll never forget the car ride home. A drive that should only take about 45 minutes took us a little under two hours. Joshua was driving, and I sat in the back next to our 4 lb 6 oz peanut. He was so careful, every curve, every bump - actually there weren't any bumps. He avoided every one and drove around pot holes. It was the smoothest car ride I've ever been on. Oh, and she was bundled up, covered in several blankets, her little face peaking out from underneath her pink hat from Uncle Ben and Aunt Duah-bwa (as Savanna now says it). It was freezing that day, almost zero, and the wind was frigid. Josh warmed up the car for about 30 minutes, so our trip home was about 85 degrees. Being cold is one of the primary reasons premature babies don't gain weight. She looked so fragile, and really she was. She had spent 32 days in the Geisinger NICU trying to gain weight, fighting for every ounce. The thrill of walking through our front door with her - such satisfaction, to finally have the family home.

When I look back at where she started - the obstacles that she had to overcome so young and so new at life - and then I look at where she is now - WOW. She is a sweet, capable, smart, beautiful, creative, imaginative, and friendly 2 year old. She knows her alphabet, can count to 10, knows most of her colors (when she really thinks about it and doesn't just say everything is red), she loves to read, to sing, dance and play the piano, she can name songs by hearing just their melody. She is so grown up. And I am so proud.

We have a bedtime routine. Every night, Mommy sings Jesus Loves Me (or Jesus Yuvs Me) and then she lays her head on my shoulder and asks me to pray. We pray for her to have sweet dreams, to wake up in perfect health, and that God's presence would fill her room and her heart with peace. She loves to pray. Then she says, "Daddy's coming" and giggles, because she absolutely adores her Daddy. He comes and picks her up, and walks down the hallway singing Jesus Loves Me again, and then he lays her down and prays over her as well. Every night. We love putting her to bed, and she loves our routine.

Well I have succeeded in making myself cry. God has been so faithful to my family of three. I cannot thank Jesus enough for His provision, His healing and His grace. Savanna Jaye is a testament of how great my God is.