What do these things have in common?...

Anyone remember Stretch Armstrong?  Anybody, anybody??

...They can all be STRETCHED.

Like so:

 

 
Of all of these items, I am the only one that really benefits from being stretched.  The others are stretched primarily for the use or amusement of the stretcher.  I do hope, as a stretchee, that I may be used by the stretcher...And if He is amused in the process (as he SURELY must be at times), that is an added bonus.  :)  Stretching means growth, and for me, if not for that slinky up there, growth is a good thing.

Life is good

One of many moments in which I stop and think how thankful I am to be a Sunday School teacher. :)

Kaylee drew a picture of our class (we were missing the Addies).  It was pretty great.

AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT....

We went to Minneapolis last weekend.  Yes, just for the weekend.  It was exactly what I needed.  Laid back, relaxing, but still lots of fun.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Mill City Museum.  Complete with Flour Tower!

It was a great weekend, leading into a busy week, and another big weekend coming up:

IRISH PARTY AND TAMALE SUPPER!!

Talk about high-quality cultural experiences. :)

Fog...and Perspective

I lifted this picture off of some stranger's blog.  I had this grand idea in my head for a post about how faith is like walking in fog...You just take one step at a time, not entirely sure where you are headed, unable to see whatever might be in the distance...but as long as you follow the Path (and/or a shadowy figure leading the way), you can trust that you will safely arrive wherever it is you're supposed to end up.

So there.  That was my blog post about fog.

But anyhow, I was going to write this post about fog, so I Google Imaged "Fog", and a blog popped up with this picture on it, which I lifted (I'm writing in circles, I know).  Then I stopped and took a moment to read what the original blogger had written.  Her personal fog involved the recent death of her father-- certainly a much more sobering situation than anything I am currently facing.  In fact, it is a situation that I really, really, really hate to even imagine for myself.  And it made me thankful that, although I face trials and decisions like anyone else, I am blessed in so many countless ways and have it VERY good.  Even if this unimaginable situation were to happen to me (...reallyreallyreally don't like to think about it), I would still be blessed in so many countless ways, and I would still have it very good.  I have my Jesus to thank for that.  <3

The Small(ish) Things

In girls' Bible study this week, we were talking about how God takes care of the small things we pray for, and I heard a pretty cool example of that today. 

Last week, one of my 5th grade boys came into my room really down in the dumps.  People had been bullying him all day, his iPod was stolen, and on top of all that, he had just spilled his juice carton all over himself.  A pretty awful day for a 5th grade boy...or anyone.  I remember saying a quick prayer that things would start looking up for him, or at least that he would find his iPod.  Today, I asked him if he had ever found it.  He lit up and said that he had.  It was found in the gym, fully charged (it was not fully charged when he lost it) and blasting Amazing Grace--  He previously did not even own Amazing Grace.  
So...not quite sure what happened there, but I do know that God is pretty cool like that, and no request is too petty for him to consider.

Cliffhanger resolved (in case you haven't already heard)

His name is Dylan. :)

What's in a name?

First of all, happy 60th birthday today to my wonderful dad!
And secondly, happy BIRTHday yesterday to...

(drumroll)....

BABY BOY DRAKE!

Everyone was expecting a girl...whoops.  Hopefully this isn't a trend in the kid's life! :)  They had better give him an extra masculine name!  Which brings me to the next point: because everybody was expecting a girl, the little guy does not currently have a name.  

It's sort of interesting to look at a face and know it has NO name.  I mean, we've all looked at people we don't know and tried to guess their names...you've done that, right? :) Some of us often have to guess people's names even if we do know them...But either way, we figure that they probably do have names.  Likewise, in anticipation of a newborn baby...or random college roommate, most of our imaginations have conjured up faces to go with the names of people we have yet to meet.  But to see a face and know it has no name...It's strange.  Like reading a beautiful novel that has no title.  How much of a person's identity is wrapped up in his or her name?  

(Really, though, this child does have a name.  He is Baby Boy Drake, which identifies his family and gives him a place he belongs.  But I'm still looking forward to attaching a more specific label to the owner of those chubby little cheeks.)

the Body

Loved this thought from Dr. Charles Stanley this morning (I get a Daily Devotional in my e-mail).  So true.  Gave me lots of warm fuzzies for my wonderful home church. :)


January 24
Do We Really Need One Another?


1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Believers have two responsibilities. The first is to worship God and the second is to work for His kingdom. Where and how we serve is based upon our unique talents, skills, and calling. But the one place where we are all expected to give of ourselves is the local church.
The Lord baptized you by the Holy Spirit into His church—the body of believers who live all over the world but are united by trust in Jesus Christ. You then chose, according to the will of God, to become part of a local, autonomous group of believers. He placed you there because He knows that you are needed (1 Cor. 12:18). You are significant to your home church.

The church is more than a community. It is an interdependent body with individual members who were created by God to function in communion with one another. We Christians, like the world at large, are a diverse group, and that means we often have to strive hard for unity. But our differences are actually something to be celebrated, because each person uniquely contributes to God’s purpose. A church that is truly operating as a unit—with all its varied gifts, talents, personalities, and intellects focused toward kingdom goals—must be a beautiful sight before the Lord.

Christianity isn’t a spectator religion. We all have jobs to do in God’s kingdom. The body of Christ functions best and most beautifully when all members resolve to serve God and each other to the best of their ability (v. 25). What are you doing for your church?

Cool Cousins Library

I'm mostly going to let this speak for itself.  I have some pretty awesome nieces and nephews...

Now, for a closer look at one of these best-selling titles...

(Anakin was apparently happier about being a slave than he was about being a Padawan)

Hahaha...Gotta love it. :)

Just another 3-day weekend...

But with nowhere to go!
A rare, and beautiful, occurrence.

On Friday, I went to my delightful new optometrist place (that may seem like a mundane detail, but I was way excited to go to an optometrist and had been talking about it for months), then bowling at the Union.  The Union bowling alley is a great place to watch people....especially the diligent individuals trying their hands (er, feet) at DDR.  :)

Saturday was full of a variety of activities, from "inviting" our Korean landlord over to examine the large water spots that just appeared on the living room wall (his response: "Don't worry; when it dry, we paint over."), to....well, this:

Ta-Da!

Something else I'd been talking about for months... Decoupaging a belt and shoes with Sunday Comics!  Okay, the shoes especially are not very functional and will, frankly, never hold up. But they were entertaining to make!

That brings us to today, which included church and a proper Sabbath rest.  Needed.
(V'Shamru, Bene-Israel, et ha Shabbat)


It has been a good weekend, and there's still another day.  What will tomorrow hold...?

Focus

We went to Reynosa, Mexico last week.  Most of you probably know that...but now that Jenny has this blog linked from hers, I have no IDEA who all reads this. ;)  Reynosa was very good.  Our annual jaunts to Mexico have become benchmarks in my life...a good time to stop and reflect on any spiritual growth that has occurred in the last year. 

This year, I had to stop and honestly ask myself, "Why am I here?  I love this place, but really why?"  Because it's fun to be with friends?  Because it offers needed opportunities for personal reflection (an important but somewhat selfish motivation)?  Or because of the opportunity to serve God and glorify Him?  Which is it...truly?  Where is my focus?

Consider the photo above.  When I took this picture, I probably didn't even realize those girls were in the background.  I was so focused on the pretty, shiny thing  that certainly had no soul or eternal significance. I thought that the light bulb would be cool in a picture, but looking at it now, the girls interacting below are much more interesting.  So often in my life, I get distracted by...shiny stuff.  What if my eyes could take snapshots of every moment, which I could review later to discover the blurry people in every snapshot of life?  It would be very humbling to compare my actual focus to where it should have been all along.