General Conference Part 1

Photobucket Album

Here are some pictures from General Conference. I will post more but this at least will get you started. :) Click on the picture and it will take you to photo bucket.

The wedding of Ashley Craig and Nick Doucette

John and I went to the chilly north this weekend for the wedding of Nick and Ashley Craig Doucette. They got married in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. It is SO BEAUTIFUL up there. And did I mention chilly? We are so happy for them. Here are some of the pictures of the wedding. She was a beautiful bride! We wish them nothing but happiness!

Outrage

Whomever thought it was a clever idea to send home musical recorders with nine year olds should be feathered and tarred at the first light of dawn.

Seriously teachers-

Is it not enough that we wake up at 6 AM to get them ready to ship off to school?
Is it not enough that we do 1 1/2 to 2 hours of homework with them nightly?
Is it not enough that we carried them for 9 months and then had to go through intensive labor to bring them into this world?


Then you have to go and send home a MUSICAL RECORDER? THAT I SENT A CHECK IN FOR?

WHY?
Why must you torture us parents?
Have them play it during school hours
I might have to post new house rules.

New House Rules:
No playing of the new musical recorder in the house or it will be flushed down the toilet.
No playing of the new musical recorder in the garage or it will be burned with fire.
No playing of the new musical recorder in the yard or it will be chopped into pieces.
No playing of the new musical recorder in the car or it will be snapped in half.

I think that sums it up....

Oh By the way- did I mention that I have a headache? I think that is what sums it up:)

Thorns and Mercy

So yesterday my parents were still here. John came home at lunch and said- "I have a new blog for you."

I said, "YOU have a blog for ME?"

This amazed me as John doesn't get why I HAVE to write or I will explode sometimes.

He said, "Yes a blog. Thorns and Mercy. You need to write about their connection."

I said, "Thorns and mercy?"

He said "Yes!"

He would not go on- and told me to figure it out. So I began to rack my brain. I thought he couldn't have been talking about the time when I fell backwards into the acacia bush in St. Croix. What is he talking about? Thorns in the Bible? Maybe he was saying I was HIS thorn in the Flesh :)

I began to think about the death of Jesus. At the very time when he could have shown himself as king, the very time that he was justified in being angry at his accusers, at his betrayers, at even his friends that left his side. What did he do? What did he do as they shoved a crown of thorns on his head? He showed Mercy.

He asked the Father to FORGIVE THEM for he vindicated them by saying- God they don't know what they are doing. Please for my sake show them mercy- they don't understand even their own actions right now.

I cried while I prayed this morning as a fresh love for HIS death for me flooded over my soul. The stripes that he took on his back, the thorns that pressed sharply into his head, the taunting that he heard in his ears, the scorn that he saw with his very eyes- all of this for you and I. He was not powerless- he just showed mercy by yielding himself to a higher power.

I dare say that I need to show mercy when receiving thorns. How many times have I had a quick retort when others have been critical? How many times have I wanted to lash out when others didn't understand the path I was taking. How many times have I wanted to cut someone out of my life when I found it too painful to go on? The power is in the mercy.

Over the past few months. I have had some close friends that have gone through some very hurtful things. Some of them have felt alone, ridiculed, talked about, miss understood, some were so weary they couldn't even question. Today I urge you to take all of it. All of the thorns, the hurt, the pain, the questions and lay it at his feet. I know this because I am running there with you.

What will we find there? Understanding, love, healing, wholeness. For what others have tried to strip off of you -will be replenished with one touch of the masters hand. His mercy will wash over you.

There is a process of thorns and mercy in all of our lives. I think the Lord allows them to see how quickly we react to the process. Do you cling to the thorns? Do you allow them to fester? Do you think less of yourself? Or do you run to him? The quicker your run to him-the quicker the victory comes.

The power is in the mercy.

Jesus you are king
You have the healing anointing
You are the Lord Strong and mighty in battle
Let the king of glory into your life

Some friends....are worth getting up at 6 am for....and others not so much

So this morning I had the great opportunity to meet with my friend Lyn. Lyn works at World Network of Prayer and is over the Kids Prayer department.

She is incredible- a breath of fresh air! She loves the color orange, loves children, loves prayer, what more could you want in a person?

She is a friend that I value so much I would get up at 6 AM just to meet her for breakfast. Others- Not so much. It was so great in the quietness of the early morning to meet, drink coffee, eat from the breakfast buffet, and just talk. It was the great start to a great day. I thought today how grateful I am that God throughout the years has sent special ray of sunshine friends into my life.

She actually gets my sense of humor, has a burden for missions, and did I mention her favorite color is orange too? Conference is off to a great start- Friends, coffee, and time to work on another connection with MK Ministries and Kids Prayer!

Highway sighting- 80 year old man driving daisy car.....

So I was driving to conference yesterday at the stress out level of 90. I look over to the right and see this 80 year old man (I am guessing at his age) driving this yellow VW Bug covered in Daisies. He was just a smiling and driving. It was so great. I wish I would have taken a picture of him. I need to see him. My weary brain needed to see him!

He was like my little ray of Sunshine from God saying- every little thing is gonna be all right!

I hope you are having a sun-shiny day- go out and find a daisy!

Do I have worm stuck in my Beak?

So Monday was teacher conference day. A day I dread on one hand and gleefully await on the other. While I was waiting in the car I noticed some birds on the power line. Most of them were all together sitting on the wire....then there was this little one that was alone. I guess a bird in the bunch noticed it too because he hopped over to be by the lonely one- however the lonely one hopped down the wire to be alone again.

This happened two or three more times.

Now -real life application. Some of you have been lonely you are on your wire. You feel feel left out, alone, unwanted. There is probably someone that is reaching out to you- and you might feel like- why is this bird reaching out to me? I wanted the other one to hop over. So instead of bonding, making friendships with who the Lord sends our way we continue to hop down the wire.

I have had this happen time and time again when going into new churches. You know what I mean. You peruse the crowd thinking so this is my new church- I am going to be great friends with ________. Then you find out that _________ is never going to be a close friend to you but the person that you never expected to be your friend is a God send.

Why does it happen like that? I don't know. I do know that Jesus had some unlikely friends while he was on this earth. A tax collector, a doctor, a fisherman, a workaholic, and worshipper, and a sickly person. He had a variety of people in his life. We should also. Variety is the spice of life. If you only have one type of friend you are missing out.

So the next time some one hops over to you turn your beak around, quickly check for worm breath and give them your best smile. And for Pete's sake (who is Pete?) don't hop away. This could be the God connection that you have been praying for.

I gotta run- I have some worms I have to get ready for breakfast.

Next time I will pray and cry with tears....

John's back has been out this past week. The week before in "Kids in Prayer" we talked about how God is able to still do miracles. This week they laid hands on John and prayed for him. Emma right away said do you want to bend over for us and try it out? John said- I am good- thank you all for praying for me.

The next day she was talking to John about it- asking how his back was- he told her it was a lot better. She said well after hearing that sermon on Sunday Night I know that next time I pray for the sick I am going to pray and cry with tears. We asked why. She said because the missionary said Jesus runs to us when we have tears.

Later she said he must do a lot of running at playground time :)

Out of mouth of babes!

"They are so lucky"

Seanna was talking to me last week about some of the kids from her school. In this one family they each get a day a year that they can skip school. She then told me - they are so lucky mom- how come they get to play rookie?

I was like what?

She said Rookie- you know when you can skip school?

I said oh hookie. :)

Gotta love it- She is always on top of her word power. She did get a good laugh out of it though!