Sir, Your Breath Stank...

              My dad and I were in the kitchen cooking dinner together the other night. Yes, I was in the kitchen helping my dad make dinner. My dad and I don’t do it very often, so it was a real treat for us. We were making spinach and artichoke dip to take to a friends for thanksgiving. One of our greatest family recipes (and no, I'm not sharing it here;)
              We were mixing all the ingredients and when it came time to add the garlic, my sister bellowed out from across the house, “That smells good! What are you making?”
            I have to agree with her. Garlic smells amazing when it’s being cooked, and the taste is equally exquisite. Allow me to tickle your taste buds for just a minute.
            Imagine garlic bread in the oven.......The smell of garlic butter and  cheese wafting your way as you wait longingly for it to crisp in the oven...... Now it's out of the oven..... Warm and sizzling......You're waiting so patiently for it to be cut and served. ....Now it's finally made it to your plate....... You pick it up and take a bite..... The crunch of toasted french bread and melted cheese.....The rich oils from the garlic butter oozing onto your tongue...... (and possibly down your jaw;)..... as it passes smoothly over the tastebuds and down your throat...... You take another bite....... And then another...... Until the piece on your plate is nothing but a memory....... And then the smell of your breath hits you like a baseball bat.
              Yes! You read that correctly. The smell of your breath.
               Now lets turn this around and look at sin, and what Solomon had to say about it in Ecclesiastes.
               Ecclesiastes 2:1 - 3 "I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives."               Ecclesiastes 2:10,11 "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.                At times, sin looks like so much fun! I mean, the peer pressure is on when all your friends are doing it. And I’m not talking about one specific sin. No. I’m talking about all of them. It can be so tempting, and in today’s society it’s everywhere, it's acceptable, and it's an available option more often than not. For instance,
               "It's just one little white lie."
               "It's not like mom will ever find out."
               "Just one time won't hurt? Right?"
               "Okay, just one more time."
               One more time, one more time, and one more time again. We get caught in the lies and deceit of it. Not realizing that one step leads to another. We compromise one thing, then another, and then we throw out the next until our teeth are black and yellow from the poison that we all so willingly consumed.
               Romans 12:1 and 2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."               God calls us to stand firm. To worship Him as a living sacrifice. To hate what is evil and cling to good. To be transformed into Christ's likeness.To store up our treasures where moth and rust cannot destroy because this life is fleeting, but the next is eternal. This dark world needs a light, and that light is the gospel truth. The good news that we are saved by God's grace through faith and not the work of our own hands. But if we’re scaring people away with our extreme case of halitosis, how are they going to hear the truth of the gospel and see the only perfect light that is God in us?
                I believe it’s time to use a little mouthwash, and let my perfect, all-powerful and loving Dentist do some work on these dentures.
                ~ Taylor*

Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
~author unknown~

Cookies

I know, strange name for a post. You’ll get it by the end. Casey made cookies Saint Pattie's day to give to the people in assistant living, and so did Tori. When we went to Tori's to package the cookies, it struck me how different all the batches turned out. So yeah......

What defines a cookie?

Its shape?

Its size?

Its color?

Nonsense, right?A cookie is a cookie, no matter what
Shape,

Size,

Or color.

But each cookie has its own purpose.

Maybe it’s looks,

Or it just tastes good.

Whatever the case, cookies are always made to fulfill a certain purpose. No matter what shape, size, or color.

Now let’s take a look at Christians……

We come in all shapes,

Sizes,

Colors,

Ages,

And denominations.

Even with all of our differences, we are apart of the same body,

and we worship the one true God.

We learn more about Him in His number one best seller,

Pray to Him,

And believe in Him.

Can you imagine how boring it would be if we were all the same, like we were a bunch of robots?

God Made us different on purpose, But He wants us to use our differences to glorify Him.

Ephesians 3:10 says, 'His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.....'

I don't see him mentioning any specific denomination, did you?

Anyways, just as it said there, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known. So lets get going cookies! Err... I mean.... Church.

SAY WHAT!!!

Alright, this one is kind of scary, but one of the most amazing things I think has ever happened to me. Anyways, I was working Thursday. I wasn't having a very good day, so I was kind of looking forward to closing. But five minutes to closing, two big groups of people came in (grr). So instead of sweeping and getting ready to close up, I was back in the kitchen doing dishes. So here I am, totally ticked off, and totally angry at the world. I mean, really angry. That's when a voice, clear as day, and louder than my own thoughts, yelled at me, in the back of my head, and said, "WHY ARE YOU BEING SO NEGATIVE!" That one sent chills down my spine. It was like God had just hit me over the head with the frying pan I was washing. But in that moment, it made me stop (I mean, it literally made me freeze right where I was) and think. That's when I realized that I had so much to be thankful for! And I was sitting there pouting? I had to take a moment to thank God, and apologize. Immediately after that (literally), my day brightened up. I realized how great the day was actually going. By the end of Thursday, I was amazed at how great my day was. I had to thank God again. So I wanted to say, no mater how bad it seems your day is going today, look for the little blessings, and maybe you'll see that they were the big ones. God Bess!
- Taylor*

A Little Bit More Than Smoldering

             My sister and I couldn’t be more opposite when it comes to weather. She loves it cold, and I love it hot. So it would be no surprise that while Casey and Connor were out playing in the snow, I was sitting next to a nice comfy fire… O yes, just me, my fuzzy slippers, a book, in a comfy chair, next to a nice roaring fire.
             Now starting a fire isn’t easy (that’s why we let our dad do it). So once Poppa has it started, we have to keep it going. Periodically throwing a log on it, or fetching firewood from outside (in the nasty cold). If you neglect it, it begins to smolder, die out, and get cold.
             Now here’s my question: What fire are you feeding on the inside? Are you feeding hatred, bitterness, or selfishness? Or do you feed love, forgiveness, kindness? How much time do you take to read God’s word, or pray to Him? It all comes back down to the heart issue. When you read the Bible, you're feeding that fire in your heart. When you neglect your fire, well, it smolders and begins to die. Thankfully God doesn't forget us even when we forget Him, and it just takes one step to get back to Him. I like to think of Him as the one who starts the fire and helps us keep it going. God could have made us like robots, but he didn't! It's our choice to worship Him or not. In other words, we have to step aside (take the time) to let Him throw the log on it. Lets pray that our heavenly Poppa keeps our fire alive! Lets stay in His word, and keep praying.

- Taylor*
               Ephesians 5:13-20 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forts and Lawn Mowers

               Another work day. It was going kind of slow, so it was a little boring, and there I was caught up and ahead on everything.
               That's when Pete showed up with Luke. The first thing Luke did when he came in was run to the kitchen, grab me by the hand, and started to pull me outside with a big cheesy grin. That's when Pete said, " Hey Luke, why don't you go show her your fort."
               So Luke dragged me all the way outside to this little corner in the garden where there was a medium sized rose bush. Behind the rose bush was hollowed out, and trimmed back for a cool little hiding spot. So we spent the next half an hour in this little fort. I tried to get him out of his little chair to play ball outside of it, but he didn't want to come out. So we just sat there with a couple of cars.
               At this time the neighbor had been mowing his lawn. So when he finally made it to the side of the yard that we were on, Luke jumped up from his seat and ran away from the fort as fast and far as his little legs could carry him! Pete was coming out right then, so when he saw Luke running he just laughed.
              Now there was a fence between the fort and the lawn mower, but Luke didn't want to go back in for the rest of the day!
              It's the same way with our christian walks. We get so afraid of people, friends and family. We're afraid of being rejected. To the point that we're looking ridiculous, like a toddler running away from a loud noise! God put us on this earth to share the good news. Not to run away at the first sight of trouble. People in other countries get killed for sharing His word with others. Why have we become so comfortable? So many people don't know Jesus and are going to hell, and we don't want to take the risk of losing a little "popularity?" Think about it. If everyone in America got out of there little comfy chairs, started praying and sharing the good news. I can't even begin to imagine or describe the amazing things that could happen! You don't have to go to another country to do a missions trip. Your missions trip starts as soon as you walk out your door. Lets stop being so afraid all the time, and start getting out of our comfort zone. God said that he would be with us to the very end of the age! So what do we have to be afraid of when God is on our side?

- Taylor*
(I'd encourage you to read all of chapter 17) 1 Samuel 17:45-47 David said to the Philistine, " You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give all of you into our hands."
*Bonus Verse* - Mathew 28:19, 20 ".....Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Sometimes The 2 Year Old Knows Best.....

               Today, while Luke and I were outside. We, or should I say he, decided to go for a walk around the block. 
              As we were treading along, Luke stopped at every door along Main Street. First he would try the door nob (which just so happened to be locked every time), and then he would play on the (one) step that would happen to be in front of the door. At one particular door, there wasn't a step, just a little slope. So he would stop, run up to the door, then run back down, with a big grin on his face while yelling, "WEE!!!" 
              At first all I could think was, "what on earth are you doing?" But after the fist two times, I joined in, "WOO-HOO!!!" I found myself laughing with him. (Who knew running up and down a four foot slope could be so fun???) 
              After a while we continued down the street, came to the corner (finally), and continued down the next street. As we walked along, we had to stop at every cool car, as Luke would put it, to look at the doors and tires. 
             Then we came to an overgrown tree. The branches were hanging over just enough to touch the ground, and there just happened to be a telephone pole about four feet away. So, Luke would run through the tree branches, around the telephone pole, and back through the branches again. 
              When we finally continued along, we reached the next corner. Around this corner were a bunch of flowers, so we stopped to smell all the flowers (most of them were different verities of roses). 
             Then we made our way to the next corner, there were a bunch of older houses. They all had beautiful gardens and lots of trees. Luke and I walked along slowly just admiring the beautiful structures.  
             Then crossing the street,  because Luke was pretty sure there was something cool over there. It turned out he was right! We sat there for about ten minutes, with a duck! At fist Luke was afraid of it just like his mom and birds, but he got over it quickly. 
             When we started to leave, the little guard duck followed us across the fence line for as long as it could! 
              We then crossed the street again, and turned that final corner. As we came up to the cafe, Luke was getting pretty thirsty. So we went in to get him a drink. As I walked in , Laura asked if I could stay a little longer. I looked up at the clock, and it was ten minutes past four! Luke and I had been gone for an hour and ten minutes!


Quite often we rush through our lives, always hurrying to the next thing, and by the end of the day, we realise it's the end of the day. Today just flew by us again. They say slow and steady wins the race, I never realized how true it could be in life too. If we had just took a quick walk around the same old block, how much would we have missed? We need to learn to enjoy ourselves, and to enjoy the simple things in life!!! To renew the childlike wonder in us. We don't need everything to be extravagant to enjoy it! This life is short, and we never know when we'll take our last breath. I'm not saying lolly-gag in everything we do (laziness is not a virtue), but slow down when you have the time. Just enjoy living another day. Learn to be joyful and thankful with the simple things in life! Praise God in the good and bad. If we needed everything to be big to enjoy it, imagine how miserable we'd be (not to mention how miserable you'd make everyone around you). We just need to learn to take our time to smell the flowers, and have a little fun every once in a while!
- Taylor*
Psalm 16:11 You lead me in the path of life;
I experience absolute joy in your presence;
you always give me sheer delight.