Don't Follow the Crowd

Our friend and former pastor, Jim Kelley, wrote a great post today on his blog. It was about not following the crowd.

Here is an excerpt:

Too many believers have the mistaken notion that being a Christian is all about them. They might say, "My sins are forgiven" or "I have a home in heaven." While both of those statements are true, it is only part of the story of being a Christian. Believers are called by the Lord to be His partners in the work of the Kingdom right here and right now. As God's ambassadors, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation in pointing others to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

Our call from God has not been to follow the crowd, but to follow Him. We want to follow Him no matter what that may mean. What a great reminder that our calling will most definitely come with a lot of sacrifices, but those sacrifices will be met by more blessings than we could ever imagine. I am so excited to see what God has in store.

Answered Prayer

With moving in about 20 days, it's obvious I have a million things to do. But all I want to do is sit here and hold my precious blessing in the form of Samuel. Especially since two parents cannot do that today.

Today, our awesome God answered the countless prayers for our sweet boy. With our eyes flooded with tears & loving arms holding him close, today Isaac Jordan Leino went home to Jesus. At 5:10p, God healed our son & gave him a new body, free of defects, tubes, & alarms. While our heavy hearts grieve the loss of our precious child, our spirits find peace & hope know he now stands face to face with our Savior, worshipping in His presence. What a bittersweet joy is found in trusting him into the arms of Jesus.

My heart grieves for these friends as they are faced with one of the hardest things this earth has to offer. But right along side this grief is a joy that surpasses all understanding. They are confident that they will spend eternity with their boy when they as well pass on from this life to the next. What a great place heaven will be!

I have been so blessed to be a witness to this story and watch as God moves through so many around the world and brings people to a deeper understanding of him and his love. I cannot even imagine how many lives have been effected by this family.

Please pray for this family as they transition into the next stage. That they find an overwhelming sense of peace and that they find rest in God.

Quite possible the answer to my workout dilemma.

I think I've got it this time.

I have a very hard time motivating myself to work out. I'm always trying out different ways to motivate myself and they never work. I think I've got it this time.

I have a monthly craft budget where I am allowed a certain amount each month to spend towards crafts. Well, I've decided I don't deserve it anymore... Not unless... I work for it! Each time I work out I get to put a $1 towards the pot. If I don't work out, I don't get a craft allowance. And, I'm gonna need some money in there soon for some crafts I NEED to do! Emphasis on the NEED!

This was how the conversation went:

Me: I've got my workout motivator!

Andy: What is it sweetie?

Me: Every time I work out, I get to add $1 to my craft allowance.

Andy: That sounds like a great idea, but who is the one who decides what a workout consists of?

Me: I do!

Andy: Well, we'll have to talk about that...

So far in August I have 3 dollars.

Andy made me help him carry a very heavy picnic table about 200 yards: $1.
I did 40 minutes of my pilates video: $1.
He made me carry this heavy picnic table back: $1.

He already doesn't agree with the total!

Haha, I suppose we'll have to make some "rules" about this new plan. Any suggestions?

I thought I had already learned this lesson.

Remember back when I wrote a post about lessons learned, well, apparently I didn't follow my own advice.

I let the garbage fill up to the tippy-top!

Observe the progress made...

He was pushing around the garbage can in the kitchen, opened it up and saw the milk container.

He starts shaking it all around.

Then he decides to test it out and see if there's any left!

I wanted to teach him how to put it back in the trash where it belongs, so I opened up the garbage. He thought I was opening it up so he could lick the rest of the ice cream out of the container.

Silly mommy, thought I'd teach him a lesson!

But, once again, I learned one...

NEVER let the garbage can fill up to the tippy-top!

Good Friends, Good Times

Being far away from good friends is tough. So many situations remind you of something that happened when you were little. It's so nice to have those people around to reminisce with, but especially to make new memories with.

Andy and Andy have known each other since they were 3. They've got some great stories to tell. Andy came and visited us this past weekend. It was his first time meeting Samuel. You wouldn't have known it though. Samuel acted like he's known Andy for years too.

It was a great visit. Wish they weren't so few and far between.