4 year old theology

-Lala?

-Yes baby.

-I don't want the devil to be making messes in my heart.

-Oh?

-yes, I want Jesus in my heart and the devil can't be in my heart if Jesus is in my heart.

-Well, do you know what you have to do?

-Yes, I have to say the name of Jesus! See, JESUS!

-Well there is more...

-what?

-You have to tell God about all the sin in you and then you have to ask Him to take it away and come live in you. You have to make that choice. No one can do it for you.

-Well how does the devil stay away?

-Jesus has a whole lot more power than the devil ever had! He is the light of the world and the devil can not be around the light at all!

-Because Jesus is Lord over everything?

-Yes, because Jesus is Lord over everything.

-But, He's not Lord over me?

-That's a choice you have to make yourself baby. No one else can make that for you.

*silence*

-Can Jesus be in everyone's heart?

-Only if they ask.

-I want Jesus to be in my heart. But not right now.

If you skip to 4:40 seconds you can see the song that spurred this precious conversation with my 4 year old this morning. My friends, I learned a powerful lesson this morning. I learned that you are never too young to be convicted by the Father. I don't know how the Father is working in this child's heart. Quite frequently we have a couple lined conversations about how Jesus makes the devil go away, or how he doesn't want the devil in him. Never in my years have I seen someone so request the Gospel. There is no way he doesn't know the truth and everything in me I believe that at his 4 year old capacity he understands.

I am praying for a real and completely clear understanding of where this little boys stands. God may not see it for His glory for me to know but I am praying He does. My heart's desire is for this little boy to come to a saving knowledge of the Father's gift meant just for him.

I know that God plans and sets things in motion that don't always come to the outcome we think it needs to. In the mean time I don't know where He is taking him but I know that He has convicted me in so many ways. Oh, the faith of this child. Oh, his precious heart of understanding things so black and white. Oh, the longing for comfort in structure. I don't know the things God is preparing him for but He has sure prepared me for some tough questions later on!

His ways, aren't my ways!

::Thanksgiving Fast Track:: Green Bean Casserole

November 11 - November 24 

Thanksgiving Fast Track 

Call me crazy. Go ahead. You know you want to! This has to be one of the BEST things about Thanksgiving dinner. This and something else I will post later! I am a homemade queen all the way except with these two items! I love, love, love green bean casserole. More specifically, French's Green Bean Casserole!

Oh man, to be thankful!

Images from Google

Here's the recipe! Seriously, looking for a side to your turkey, this is it!

French's Green Bean Casserole (source)

Ingredients:

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL'S® Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4 cup milk

1/8 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 oz. each) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed*

1 1/3 cups FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

Directions:

MIX soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 -qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.

BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.

STIR. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.

::Thanksgiving Fast Track::ESL thankfulness

November 11 - November 24

Thanksgiving Fast Track

Monday nights I teach an English class to a half-dozen or more people (16-56 years old) from various South and Central American countries. When I first began a little over a year ago I didn't quite understand the extent of my involvement in this. One of the guys from church requested I start working with some of them on practical conversational English. Little did I know, one thing lead to the next and 14 months later I have 3 different levels on comprehension, literacy, and drive.

Most Monday evenings spent around my dining room table are spent in stitches with various English slip ups, or blunders! They keep me on my toes with their spelling, questions, and misuse of wording!

This week I decided to break away from the norm and do some focusing on Thanksgiving. After breaking Beginner - Advanced levels I spent some heavy time focusing on the story of the first thanksgiving and having the advanced students write out what they were thankful for. In the next room the beginners were going over the things they were thankful for only on a lighter scale. After having them read over their papers there was a little something inside me that got excited.

I have been a part of this church for a little more than 2 years and in that time I have seen them increase in their English by a lot! My class has grown from 2 - 3 guys to the 9 we had last night! As my students were reading, in English, their thanks for meat (yes, this is big one), health, family, and their lives, I was so excited just listening to how far they have come!

So as they are thankful for their meat, I am thankful to witness their knowledge in the language and how they are now able to use it! I am thankful in retrospect that God chose to bless me simply with the location of my birth. Not to mention parents, family, and economical standing. Being in this group of my "extended family" the last 24 months has shown me so many things but something big is how blessed I am. I haven't had to fight for life, I've just lived it. I am thankful that I am working to understand a language that will help me communicate with this group of people and others around me but not one that is required for living.

What are you thankful for?

::Thanksgiving Fast Track:: and YOLOMondays Link up

November 11 - November 24

 Thanksgiving Fast Track

As I sat down to start this series I came across this picture. I don't have a computer of my own right now so keeping track of the pictures I have means comparing notes from 3 different computers, a handfull of thumb drives, and my camera! Whew! So ready for my computer to come! =)

Back to the post: when I saw this picture I knew that this would be the theme of one of my posts. Today I choose to declare my thanks for this girl! Being the youngest of 5 girls has to take it's toll on her poor little pre-teen emotions! Sure, she is spoiled (rotten) and totally lavished with attention and gifts, she is also kept in the position of "baby" sister in our eyes just because of her birth place. This picture screams to me oh how quickly she is escaping her "little" girlness. Her classic teenager messy hair, hand on the hip, and not to mention the fact that she and I have shirts from the same department. As in, it isn't a happy coincidence that our shirts happen to look the same!

She sure has matured a TON in just the last year! She is a SUPER huge help with the kids and most days will change a diaper without being asked, including the not so pleasant ones! She happily crawls on the floor with them and will wrestle and make animal noises to accommodate their childhood imaginations. A matter of hours later you can find her in front of a mirror fixing her hair and picking out the right shirt to head out to Bible Study. Just don't look too long or she will stop dead in her tracks!

Today I am thankful for the Bean! Bean, I am thankful for your sweet personality, your helpful attitude, and your generosity! I am thankful I am your sister. 

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving Fast Track!

I always felt so sorry for Thanksgiving. It was the holiday squeezed in between Halloween and Christmas and totally overlooked. With the hype that surrounds Halloween (which is a post for another day!) and the black Friday deals descending before we've digested our turkey, Thanksgiving keeps itself tucked away on it's own little Thursday. 

This day is a little larger than a few hours of food, a football game, and family near and far. The day of Thanksgiving is rooted in a group of people celebrating the God that delivered them from hardships and blessed them with a good harvest. Now many, many years later turkeys, stuffing, and cranberry sauce have paraded onto the scene. I don't doubt that people work to be thankful but I want to make a personal effort to do so. 

In efforts to keep this holiday not so tucked away, I am making a Thanksgiving Fast Track series. I will be posting everyday until Thanksgiving and the theme will be that of Thanksgiving. A recipe, a giving of thanks, a memory or tradition, etc. 

Join me as we give thanks! Leave a comments and follow along!

November 11 - November 24

Thanksgiving Fast Track

Not completely Wordless Wednesday

 An aunt, I am...

#3!

So excited!

Cara a Cara - YOLO link up!

Good Monday Morning!

Whew, last weekend dumped me into Monday before I even knew it! After getting off work at 3 and hopping into a car at 3:15 and heading out for the weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday flew by. Before I knew it, I was finishing the day on Wednesday and didn't even realize it! 

Teaching the hand game! If you don't know this one, you should. Nuf said!

Like I said, I headed out of town with my church last Friday. Translated the conference we attended is called Face to Face with God. Before I left, little information was available to me. They told me the things I "needed" to know so I wasn't concerned. Obviously not enough to hint that something was a little different with this retreat then others I had attended. By the time I arrived on Friday night I was beginning to get the idea this wasn't what I was thinking.

Trying to get her to look at the camera!

success!

After a grueling first session I lost my phone, ipod, camera, extra reading material, and my privilege of speech. Overwhelmed, I went to bed that night wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. After the first two sessions Saturday morning, frustration doesn't begin to describe it! Not being able to speak, digest the insane amount of weighty information being thrown my way, and process the things that Father was leading me through.

To sum up a pretty full weekend in short, there is no way that you can come that close to the Father and not change anything. There is no way you can hide anything...or think you are hiding anything. He reveals the things in light that you had packed away and shut up. Being removed from so much forced me to deal with things that He planned for me to deal with that I otherwise would have avoided. There was not a huge band, dim lights, or alter calls. It was a small retreat center beautifully set in the most wonderful fall colored mountains. It was completely between the Father and me.

Just us two.

I spent 24 hours having the Father sing over me as I listened to the things He had to say. Refreshed, cherished, and content in the Father! Confident in the things He is calling me to right now! 

 These pictures are not all illegal! I was returned my camera Saturday night and this was all I was able to click!

 We had to leave pretty early Sunday morning to get back in time fore church. Leaving before the sun came up made me pretty sad because it meant I wasn't able to get some of the colors the mountains had to offer. However, God reminded me that my ways aren't His ways and He had some colors much better in mind!

 He painted this one just for me!

 I can't make this stuff up!

 We decided to hop out for a few minutes to snap some group photos!

 This man was so sweet! Don Jose, had a cake made for us to welcome us back! 

*********

On a different note, today happens to be the birthday of someone who pretty much sums up the term YOLO! This child 18 year old knows how to embrace the moment! She doesn't take forever to make a decision (like me) over something to eat. Super daring, and a great risk taker! She loves to be joyful and bring joy to others! Loves children, loves style, loves bright colors, loves her Lord, and I love her! 

SO, HApPY bIRthDAy shout out to my very favorite 18 year old sister! I am thankful for you! 

 Happy Monday folks! Stay dry!

First link-up!

I finally decided to take the blogging leap and join a link up party! I turned out to be just as shy in the blogging world as I am in the real world! Oh well! Here's my shell, and here I am stepping out of it! I have really enjoyed reading here and decided I would jump on the YOLO link up! Here is goes! 

This weekend we headed out to an annual family event, apple picking! We do this every year! It is a fun time to be away together! This year was a little different, which was sad! With my sister and her family stuck to the west and my other sister and her hubby having already make plans we were down to the 3 of us. My cousin, grandma, and uncle and aunt ended up being able to come along!

God blessed us with an AMAZING day! The weather was perfect and just slightly on the summer side of too hot! *sniff* But I can not complain, no rain. =)

Every year, for a few years has taken a picture on this hill. The group changes a little every year. This is the model for this year! **Oh and I didn't lie. My sister and her hubby did have plans. They just happened to be at the same place, just slightly different time as our plans! We crossed paths just long enough to get a picture together! 

Happy Monday!

Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday Morning!

I am loving the crisp fallness around here! God has sung my love language lately with falling yellow, orange, and red colored leaves, pumpkin baked goods, the crunch under you feet as you walk, cool nights, beautiful sunny days, apples, scarves NOT for decoration, and boots! I am in love with this month (all but 1 day) and next!

This Tuesday is a little different from last time I wrote. I am still in constant communication with the Father about the next step He's yet to light. I still don't know His heart on matter. For now, I am taking His answer as a "wait." I am at peace.

As a family we've been going through Experiencing God for family worship. It has been a fun and encouraging study with a practical and hand's on approach to realistically experiencing the Father. One of my favorite ways that I have enjoyed learning to experience Him recently has been as the Father who delights in His children. I didn't quite understand the complete concept and still don't. However, taking the example I have in an earthly Father subtracting sin full man, adding perfection, and multiplying it by 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 and beyond then I may begin to taste what it may be like! =)

Having the Father sing over me is an odd concept. I can't seem to understand it. Forever I thought that the only singing going on in our relationship was from me to Him. Now, I know that the Father does sing over me and delights in me just like a father does on this earth!  


Enjoy the Father singing over you today! Happy Tuesday!

my heart

I am here to tell you friends that I serve an amazing God! I'm serious right now, He is an AWESOME God. He is so much greater than ANYTHING I am able to fathom, think up, ponder, or dream!

He is infinitely bigger than all my fears, failures, and flops. He is eternally more than all my insecurities, worries, and shortcomings.

He is all together greater than all my dreams, hopes, desires, and plans. I have no doubt that He can and will supply EXACTLY what I need when I need it and can throw in amazing surprises just because He can.

I am humbled an amazed at the complete and perfect Greatness that I am blessed to call Father, Savior, Lord, and Guide.

Tonight, I am praising and thanking the mountain moving, awe-inspiring, heart cry hearing, gift giving, gasp giving God and friends, I invite you to do the same!