Love

Are you ever going to blog again? I miss seeing your blog posts... Are you giving up blogging? I've had several of these comments in the last few weeks. I so appreciate the fact that people actually miss my blog entries and the answer is no. Life is just too busy and insane right now. I really haven't felt God nudging me to write anything specific, so I haven't. This doesn't mean that God isn't working in my life...oh my, the things He continues to show me each day are amazing...I just haven't found the desire or the discipline, perhaps, to write very often. I'll add that to my list of things to pray about.

For now, I would just encourage each of you to love one another. Love is the greatest commandment. Love eachother, and love yourself. Don't let judgment, disappointment or the pain that life can throw at you get in the way of loving. Our life here is only but a vapor, easy come and easy go. If my life is over tomorrow, I want people to know that I loved them and I love God.

I will do my best to write again soon!

Blessings,
Melissa

New Music

I added some new music to my playlist...I LOVE the music of Glee...and I like the show, but sometimes have a hard time with the content. Anyway, the music is amazing. These are a few of my favorites.

The Plan

Well, I'm back for yet another Meal Plan Monday...life if crazy these days, but then again it ALWAYS is!!

Here's what we'll be eating this week...I am on NO DAIRY now, so this should be interesting...

Monday: Chicken enchiladas or black bean/corn wraps

Tuesday: Grilled chicken, grilled veggies, baked potatoes

Wednesday: Asian Tuna Salad sandwiches

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Danny's "cooking"

Saturday: sandwiches/leftovers for lunch, eating dinner with our Kyrie Foundation peeps

Sunday: BLT sandwiches

I started reading the book "Crazy Love" today...I will post if God gives me something to talk about! :)

Blessings,
Melissa

Meal Plan Monday

Well, we survived "Birthday Palooza 2010", and I hope life will be a little more normal this week...whatever that is! Spring has definitely settled in and it will just be insane from here until the end of the school year.

My meal planning is going to interesting...my doctor wants me to try a non-dairy diet...she wants me to COMPLETELY eliminate dairy...ok, we'll see how this goes.

This week, I'll just be weaning myself off of dairy...

Monday: Green Chili Enchiladas & rice (already prepared, we will warm this up when we get home from a softball game in Kingman!)

Tuesday: Tuna Burgers & Roasted Red Potatoes

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Grabbing something on the way to a softball game in Mulvane

Friday: Date Night???

Saturday: leftovers for lunch, Chicken on the Grill, baked potatoes and salad for dinner

Sunday: Mitchell's Baptism/Confirmation party for lunch, ???? for dinner

Full Circle

"I think you've come full circle, Melissa."

This is what one of my dearest, truest friends said to me this morning. She was referring to a tough time in my life, a time that I really didn't think I'd recover from. She walked through the storm with me, along with several other close friends and God, of course. And now, the clouds are gone and we are basking in the SON together. The storms seem to have passed. The me I thought I had lost is reemerging. I've learned so much. I'm so thankful for the last year. I'm so thankful for the loss of my eyesight that caused me to see life so much more clearly. I'm so thankful for the loss of my safety net that truly bound me and kept me from experiencing life to the fullest. I'm so thankful for miscommunication that caused me to reevaluate how I deal with people in my life and how I prioritize...always putting God first. I couldn't be filled with more gratitude...God has allowed me to be fully aware of who and what is important in life. God allowed me to fall broken at His feet...and now He alone is building me up in Him.

In my bible study (Beth Moore's A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place) last week, Beth Moore talked about how God sometimes allows us to walk through a storm, through the fire, if you will. He does this in order to refine us, and to fulfill His purpose for our lives. She pointed out that even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked for God to take the cup from Him. He asked that if it be the will of His Father, that He not have to go through the pain and agony that would befall Him. He asked, His father refused. Well, my first reaction is...THAT'S JUST MEAN! If God loves me like He says He does, then why wouldn't He offer me every protection. He must love others more than He loves me. He must only be true to others.

Then the Truth comes through, loud and clear. God loves us enough to know when His intervention would cause us more harm than good. He knows what our purpose is on this planet. He knows what we need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. He knows what has to happen in order for our piece of the puzzle to fit perfectly. He knew when He created Jesus that He would be crucified. He knew He would suffer and die. It was all part of the plan. It broke His mighty heart that it had to happen that way. Jesus was, after all, His Son. It hurt. However, He loved me enough to let Jesus suffer and die, in order to give me eternal salvation. It was the way it had to be.

God could save us from every heartache. He is big enough. However, He loved me enough to allow me to walk through the last year. He knew that every thing I experienced would ultimately draw me closer to Him. He knew that I would bring Him glory when I came around full circle. He walked every step of it with me. He was there to dust me off when I stumbled. He never once left me and sometimes I know that He carried me. He knew I'd be better off in the end. He knew what I would learn. He loves me enough to painfully watch my pain, but to stand back and let it happen. As a parent, I can relate fully. There are times I have to stand back and let my children fall in order for them to learn.

God is looking at the end game. He is looking at us through eternal eyes. He wants me, you, us...He wants us with Him for eternity. He will do anything or nothing, in order to get us to that place. God is merciful and full of grace. It hurts Him to watch us suffer. He always offers an escape from the poor choices we make. He will never turn His back on us. And when we come full circle and we turn our gaze on Him...well, no moment was ever sweeter.

I'm so thankful that He loves me so much.

If you are going through a tough time right now. Be patient, put your heart in His hands and let Him carry you. He has a plan, and He's never wrong.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Many Blessings,
Melissa

Following Him...Remembering Her

Today marks three years since Kyrie Thome was held in her mother's arms and slipped off to Heaven. She was taken away by an aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer. She had suffered long enough. Her parents graciously chose to let her go rather than to put her through more invasive treatments that would mean more pain for her without well-defined results. Such an act of mercy...to let go when it's the hardest thing to do. Jordan and Lacie are amazing people.

In the last three years, Kyrie's little life has been the catalyst for GIANT miraculous occurrences. I have witnessed so many wonderful things that happened as a direct result of her life. Perfect strangers have become fast and life-long friends, children have been called to "do good", families have reconnected, people have come together to raise funds for research, awareness that was nowhere to be found is now springing up, people care because they want to and not because they have to, faith in the providence of God has been tested and proved, relationship both earthly and divine have deepened, hearts have begun to heal, lives have been inspired, people have been called to ministry...and the list goes on. She changed the world. Like the flutter of a butterflies wings, she had an affect and it still ripples outward. This little girl was so loved and wanted here on earth. She is so loved and wanted in Heaven. I stand amazed at what God has worked out for good through her all to brief existence on this planet. I truly believe that her tiny fingerprints are still on every good deed that her life and her earthly death inspired. Her influence will be eternal through all of us who refuse to let it go...all of us who are determined to continue her goodness.

If you've never taken the time to learn about Kyrie and her family. Please go here and do so. I promise this little girl and God will change your lives in miraculous ways. You can also watch the tribute video below that her aunt Megan produced in her memory.

I vow to remember each day that this life was precious and it was taken by something that can strike any family at any time. I will not stop fighting until a cure is found. We are well on our way, but we need to do this together. Please join us.

Special thanks to Kyrie's family for allowing me to share pictures of their special girl. I am so thankful God brought you and your beautiful family into my life.

Many blessings,

Melissa

Menu...Not Sa Much...Plan Monday

First of all, Happy Easter!! Yesterday was an amazing celebration of our Risen Lord! I was so excited to praise Him for all He has done. A really good day.

Our plan this week is once again to just get by with meals! Mason has his last two flag football games, Danny is working late one night, and Friday night we will be setting up for the Kyrie Foundation Kropganza! So, the plan is to eat leftovers tonight, Taco Tuesday, something easy like sandwiches on Wednesday, leftovers on Thursday and grab something easy Friday night on the way to Wichita. We will be at the crop all day on Saturday and Sunday I will be doing the shopping for next week... It's life and we just are going to keep on rolling with it. So far, no one in my household has starved. Even though Mason is on an eating RAMPAGE lately. He informed me on Saturday that kids are supposed to have 6 meals a day, and at 5 pm on Saturday, he had only had 3... Go ahead, call SRS!

Hope you all have a blessed week!
Melissa

Jesus is Our "Yes"

My kids are famous for ruining really great surprises that I have tediously planned for them. They will undoubtedly ask for something that I have to say no to in order to protect the really amazing secret that I have in mind. I will tell them, "Just be patient and you'll be happy you waited. I promise." Sometimes they listen and wait patiently. Most of the time, they end up making such a fuss about me saying no to one thing in order to give them something better that by the time the secret can be revealed, I'm so ticked at them for being bratty that I could care less if they are thrilled with my original plan for them! Anyone who has spent anytime with a child can relate, I'm sure. Can I get an 'Amen'?

Boy, am I glad that God is merciful and full of grace, unlike me. I wonder how many times in my life God has had to tell me no in order to save me for something even better! How patient He is with me, even when I stamp my feet and act like a spoiled brat when I don't get my way. I have prayed earnestly at times for something I really thought I needed, only to be told no...or perhaps, just be patient. When I think of all the jerks I might have dated or even married it turns my stomach...I'd pray for things to work out with them. "No." was the answer I received and boy did I pitch a fit. I'm so thankful that the Lord knew that Danny was on the horizon, He allowed me to save my heart for him. I'm so thankful for the many times He told me no. When Madison was a year and a half old, I decided that it was time to start trying for #2. I thought we'd try a month or two, and we'd be on our way. Not sa much...Mason was born when Madison was 4 and a half. We struggled for almost 3 years with infertility. At the time, I didn't understand why God kept telling me no. Everyone I knew was pregnant, but not me. As I look back now, I know that had things happened according to my plan, I would have been pregnant through some really tough times. I also know that it would have affected where we now live, the friends we have now, etc. I also know how that time and trial deepened my relationship with Danny, God and even afforded me some precious time with Madison. God knew something better was on the Horizon. He already knew the ways He would bless me. He knew the yes was on its way.

My bible study this week looked at the old and new covenants, we were looking into how and why Jesus fulfilled the law and made the old covenant obsolete. I can't seem to paraphrase this any better than Beth Moore says it, so I will just quote her. She writes about the new covenant being better than the old.

The new covenant is established on more profitable and valuable promises. The Greek word for promises, epaggelia, is primarily a legal term denoting a summons or a promise to do or give something. The same Greek word is used in 2 Corinthians in which we will find the key that unlocks Hebrews 8. "No matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Cor. 1:20). Every promise of God finds its yes in Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is God's yes!

Every time the Israelites slaughtered another animal, God shook His head no. It was not enough. The offering was accepted only on the basis that a yes would finally come. That afternoon on Calvary God cried out with agony mingled with relief, "Yes!" At that very moment all of God's promises found their fulfillment in Christ. The old covenant was based on a shadow. The new covenant was based on a Savior. Christ made it possible for an external covenant to be obsolete and a new covenant to be injected straight into the point of our need, the heart. His perfect Spirit enables the internalizing of the new covenant in every receiving heart. We needed a yes, and He met our need. Do you sometimes wonder how God could seem so different in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament? We know that He is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8). What could have happened? He is the same God. He simply has a different answer: yes!

Test God's new program for a moment. Think of any promise and determine whether His yes is Christ.
*Will He heal you from the ravages of sin? Read Isaiah 53:5.
*Can He make something good come from something bad? Read Romans 8:28.
*Read Romans 8:29. What is His purpose? To __________ us to the _________of His ____.
*If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, will He always be with you? Read Romans 8:38-39.
*Will He bless you? Read Ephesians 1:3.
*Will He meet your needs? Read Philippians 4:19.

We could go on and on. All of God's promises in Christ are yes! Since Calvary, God stands before us 100 percent in the affirmative. He died to say yes! You may be asking yourself, Is she saying that God never says no? He certainly does, but His no is given only so that He can say yes to something better. God's no is a street sign to direct you to an oncoming yes. He says no to premarital sex so that He can say yes to the blessed intimacy of marriage. He says no to addiction so that He can say yes to freedom. If He has been forced to say no to you lately, rejoice! He is directing you to a point at which He can extend to you a resounding yes! Keep driving in His direction. A better yes is just around the corner!

Many people think of Christians as people who serve a God that only and always says no. May this be the generation that seizes every opportunity to attest to a God who says yes - yes to salvation (praise Jesus!), yes to forgiveness, yes to abundant life, and yes to a mansion in glory. Christ is God's yes!!

I thank God for the yes He provided in Christ Jesus. I thank God that through Jesus we have the promise of salvation and an eternity with God. I also thank God for the times in my life that He loves me enough to tell me no. I praise Him for knowing what is best for me and loving me through the nos of life and right into the yeses.

If you feel like God is telling you no right now, just be patient. The yes on the horizon is SO much better. God never makes mistakes.

Many blessings,
Melissa

Angels at the Wheel

Yesterday was a crazy day. The Kansas wind was insane and the evening schedule matched perfectly. I had an eye appointment at 4:30 out on Webb road, Mason had flag football practice in Cheney at 5:30 and we had parent/teacher conferences at 6. I decided that I felt confident enough to drive myself out to my appointment. I have driven into Wichita a few times since my transplant, but never to the east side. Danny usually comes home early from work and drives me out. I just decided I could do it. Danny kept insisting that he would just come home and get me. He kept saying I didn't need to stress about driving out there. I was a tad bit indignant and told him I'd be fine. So, I picked up the kids from school and off we went.

Let me set the stage for you...first of all, I was going in to get my new contact, my current contact is painful and they are fitting me with a new one that promises better comfort and vision. For this reason, I had one contact in my right eye and no correction in my left...driving one-eyed basically. The kids were all wound up telling me about school. Mason was trying to tell me everything he knows about Star Wars (his new obsession even though he's never seen any of the movies!). They were both digging through the bag of snacks I had packed for them. Mason was kicking the back of Madison's chair, and she was yelling at him to stop. Meanwhile, I was gripping the wheel just trying to hold my pretty black mini-van on the road as we headed out through the roaring Kansas wind. Do you have a clear picture here? Have I accurately foreshadowed the disaster that is about to unveil itself?

The first leg of the drive went well, I made it to the west side of Wichita with very little stress. And then I hit the area of Kellogg and Ridge...people were darting in and out of the lanes and I began to feel it...panic. What in the world was I doing? Coming into Wichita at the start of rush hour? What had I done. RETREAT! I had come this far, so I wasn't turning back now...call it bravery or stupidity. I know which I would pick!

I decided to try to get on 235 off of Kellogg...big mistake...HUGE mistake. A long line of people piled in behind me as I tried to get on to quite possibly one of the toughest and most dangerous exits in all of Wichita. Good thinkin', Melissa! Madison was trying to help me watch...good, resting our safety on the judgement of an eleven-year-old. It was awful, all I could think of was where I could pull off the road safely to first throw up and then call Danny to come rescue us. We managed to get onto 235 and I placed myself in the right lane. I looked down and my knuckles were white...I was holding the wheel so hard, and I couldn't let go. Then I heard it, "I'm here, we've got this." I realized right then that I was trying to do it alone, I hadn't once asked for God's help...then I prayed, "Please God, I'm scared. Drive this van safely to my destination. Place your angels around us and keep us safe." Now, I don't know if any of you know what it feels like to be quite literally touched by God, but I do. Instantly, my grip loosened, the tension in my body eased and the queasiness in my stomach went away. My heart rate returned to normal and I knew I'd be ok. I felt a warm sense of peace just wash over me. It was amazing. I really, honestly am not sure of how the rest of the trip to the office went. I truly believe that God was driving. All I needed to do was ask, He was at the ready.

I was, of course, protected by those angels from the moment I left my driveway. However, I think God allowed me to do it myself for a while. He longed for me to call on Him, and as soon as I did, He offered me the relief I needed. I think it was also a reminder for me that God placed Danny as my head...he's my voice of reason. So often, I think that I can do things and Danny's just being overprotective. I know my safety is always at the forefront of his decisions for me...but sometimes, like a stubborn child, I think he's just being silly! I think, "Give me some freedom, I am not a child! Geesh!" I should have listened to him and taken the help he offered. Just as my relationship with God is more fulfilling when I submit to His will for me. My life and my relationship with Danny is so much better when I listen to his counsel and take into account that he loves me and wants what is best for me.

What a wonderful reminder that God has given me a loving and wise man as my husband. Also, that God is always there, all I have to do is call on His name.

We made it there and back (following Danny closely in his truck on the way home) safely. I, however, won't be driving to the east side of Wichita at rush hour again for a while. As a side note, we only made it back for about 20 minutes of Mason's practice and we were late to the conference... I ended up having to have a small growth of skin removed from my eye (something fairly normal post surgery) and the doctor's office was running behind due to being short staffed. God has such a sense of humor, and He continues to find such creative ways to teach me to rest in His timing... Patience, Lord, I get it patience!

Blessings,
Melissa

The Plan?

Well, I usually post my meal plan for the week on Monday. However, this week our plan is just to eat what and when we can. The schedule is a little crazy. Rather than set myself up to fail, I decided to just go with the flow.

Life is just best that way, I find. Going with the flow of the stream, as long as God is the source of the current. I'm not sure where He's taking us. We seem to just sometimes not know from day to day. However, I believe that I'm the happiest I've been in a long time, just following Him...even when it's uncomfortable.

A friend called today to share with me what God's been showing her. Our paths crossed a few years ago as a result of our mutual involvement in the Kyrie Foundation. We have both laughed about the strange set of circumstances that somehow allowed our journeys to collide. We have also commented that there has to be more to all of this. I think He is RIGHT NOW revealing part of His plan to us...and it's amazing. I hope to share LOTS more about this in the upcoming days, weeks and months. It's so exciting to watch God at work, through me and through others.

I have known deep in my soul since the day I carried my box of belongings out of the office at Cheney UMC that there was a reason. I knew that He was not going to let all the pain I carried in my heart that day to be for nothing. I knew that He would work it all out for good. I am amazed at the fine tapestry He has been weaving...and I'm just thankful that He has gracefully deemed me worthy to be but a thread in His artistry.

Many blessings,
Melissa

Help for the Goddard Family

I received this email last week from a dear friend of mine...this family needs our help and our prayers. I felt like the Lord was asking me to share this and if you can provide any help, please contact my friend Jamie or contact me. We all have problems, I know that some days my problems seem really huge, and then I'm reminded by a family such as this that my problems are nothing. I am blessed. Please join me in lifting this family up in prayer.

Dear family and friends,
Many of you are familiar with the situation of some friends of ours, the Goddard Family. For those of you who are not, I would like to share their story and ask for your help if you feel so compelled. Roger and Maryanne Goddard live out here in the boonies near us, just NW of Argonia. Last week Roger had went to the doctor complaining of chest pain and the doctor dismissed it as stress. Early Saturday morning, Roger died of a sudden heart attack…leaving behind Maryanne and their 7 children (the oldest whom is married with two children of her own). He was only 50 years old. As if the death of a husband/father isn’t enough to deal with, Maryanne is currently in the midst of battling cancer…again… and is scheduled to have ANOTHER brain surgery next week, on Good Friday. (She has been battling cancer for years now and this makes for multiple bouts of cancer after a clean bill of health several times.) You can only imagine the phenomenal health care bills this family has endured after multiple surgeries for Maryanne, making it extraordinarily difficult to make ends meet. To make matters worse, the Goddards received notice about 2 weeks ago that their home has been repossessed and they have 60 days to move out. This situation is indeed dire, but Maryanne’s optimism and faith have been such an inspiration through the ordeal. She just keeps saying “God has been good to us. We just need to have faith”. That kind of confidence and trust has really moved me to do something to help the family. So… I am organizing a fundraiser to help the Goddard Family. On Saturday morning, April 17th, Chris Cakes will be descending upon the Clonmel Community Hall (K-42 highway and 71st St. South) for a rollicking good time of pancake flipping and sausage eating. If you’ve never been to a Chris Cakes fundraiser, you are in for a treat… half the fun is watching them cook, flip, and then toss the pancakes to unsuspecting patrons as all involved get their stomachs filled with all the pancakes and sausage you can eat. All the while, fun music is playing and the cooks are joking around with everyone. We will be serving from 8am until noon. In addition to the pancake and sausage feed, we will also be having a raffle, silent auction, and bake sale to help raise even more money to help Maryanne and the children. Obviously, I am going to need some help and I’m praying that there are some of you out there who are nudged by the Holy Spirit to assist me in one way or another. J Whether you can assist with a gift of time, money, or prayers, all help will be welcome. Below is a list of needs:· Chairperson or co-chairpersons for the raffle, silent auction, or bake sale· Donate prizes for raffle or silent auction· Solicit prizes or donations of auction/raffle items· Donate baked goods for the bake sale· Money to help pay for the raffle/auction items· Print up bid sheets/descriptions for silent auction items· “Man the booth”/oversee/help the morning of the fundraiser in any of the areas needed (raffle, silent auction, bake sale, payment table for the pancakes/sausage…and probably a jillion other areas that I’ll think of in the meantime- I can split all this into shifts if necessary)· Volunteer to help serve coffee, make juice, refill syrups, etc. This would be great for a youth group to take on…· Set up Friday night (setting up tables and chairs mostly)· Clean up Saturday after the event· Contacting winners and delivering silent auction and raffle prizes· Publicity· Hosts/hostesses- clear off and wipe down tables, empty trashes, etc.· Someone to draw/announce winners of raffle and silent auction at noon· A couple of people to collect money for the silent auction ‘checkout’ and hand out prizes to anyone present· *******Like I said, I’m sure there is much more that I haven’t thought of yet, so please let me know if you can think of anything else that needs addressing. I’m just now getting the ball rolling on this… Again, any help that you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Multiple people in each of the areas would be ideal. I’ll especially need help with the gathering of prizes and baked goods, as well as persons to help on the morning of the 17th. It was suggested that perhaps some of the prizes for the silent auction could be gift baskets, which would be fabulous with all the graduations/weddings/Mother’s Day/Father’s Day, etc. coming up. A gift basket is something that one or two families could easily go together on to donate and we could have some really great prizes. A few gift basket ideas would be: gardening basket, coffee lover basket, chocolate lover basket, hot chocolate/cappuccino and bookstore certificate basket, baskets for men: golf, tools, fishing, hunting, camping, etc., cooking basket, gift baskets of certain brand items (Pampered Chef, Scentsy, jewelry, etc), kid baskets of any size, sort or shape- coloring, bubbles, arts/crafts, painting, beach toys, etc., graduation gift baskets, scrapbook lover basket, wedding gift baskets with his/her items, bathroom baskets with towels/soaps/lotions, etc., any sort of gourmet treat baskets, family fun baskets with movies/popcorn, etc., date night at home basket with movie/candle/wine, etc., ….basically the sky is the limit when it comes to gift baskets. The silent auction will by no means be limited to just gift baskets, but it’s pretty easy to throw one together and have a fun prize that is ready for gift giving. We will gladly accept any sort of donation for the raffle as well…ideally with a few big ticket items as grand prizes. Gift certificates of any type are good for a raffle, as are gift baskets too! I also need your help in spreading the word! I will be sending out a separate e-mail that will be great for forwarding on to family and friends (though you are welcome to forward this one as well in hopes of stirring up some more help/donations!). I will also be making up a flyer if you would like to distribute or if you have a place of business where you can display them or hand them out. Thanks so much for all your help…it’s times like this that we are reminded to stop and count our many blessings and friends and family like all of you are at the top of my list!
Love,J
amie Stolz
620-478-2744
stolzclan@havilandtelco.com
40000 W. 119th St. SouthNorwich, KS 67118

P.S. Maryanne mentioned to me earlier this week that when all is said and done and she is recovered from her brain surgery that she would LOVE to take the kids on a little vacation. Obviously, funds for this are quite a problem. If you have any connections in the travel department/industry to make this happen, I would love to chat with you…

Spring Break Recap and Meal Plan Monday

Whew! What a week, lots of fun but not a lot of time to collect any thoughts...started a few posts, and that was as far as they got. Our week began with a funeral which was incredibly sad, but was also a wonderful celebration of a very special woman. We also got to spend my dad's birthday with him. Madison and Grandma did their annual Easter dress shopping...we found a really adorable dress and had a lot of fun. We had some visits with friends, friends over to spend the night, and the kids even had a few really nice days to play outside! We enjoyed having my sister's twins, Aiden and Bryson, over for one night...they are a laugh a minute. So cute. We also visited All Star Sports (the kid's favorite spot), went out to eat a few times and visited PURE Entertainment! Danny was also able to do some extra work this week which is an immense blessing to our budget! (Thanks for being such a great provider, Danny!) We stayed up late every night and slept in late almost every morning...that's my kinda week! (Sorry to Danny for the sleep deprivation he endured...thanks for taking one for the team, honey!) All in all, it was a good week.

Danny and I are trying to eat healthier and exercise more...not as much for vain reasons (even though I won't frown at the chance to get into a smaller size!), but more for our general health. We've both been feeling generally crummy, so we're trying to do what we know we should and what makes us feel better. Danny started jogging each morning before work (I really admire anyone who exercises before the sun rises, just don't ask me to do it!) and we are going for walks in the evenings. I'm also going to walk during the day. Feel better already!

Here is the plan for the week. We have a lot going on this week, conferences, dr. appts, flag football practice, etc...so we'll see how we stick to the plan...

Monday: Spaghetti, green beans, and low fat crescent rolls

Tuesday: Chicken on the grill, grilled onions, and baked potatoes

Wednesday: Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas (made with fat free everything!) and rice

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Tacos

Saturday: Leftovers for Lunch and Date Night Dinner!!

Sunday: Turkey Hotdogs for Lunch and Seafood salad subs for dinner


If you have a minute, tune in to KAKE Channel 10 today at 11 am to watch my friends and fellow TKF board of directors members, Megan (Kyrie's aunt) and Lacie (Kyrie's mom) as they promote The Kyrie Foundation!! We're very excited about this opportunity to get the word out!

Blessings!
Melissa

Make-believe Grandma, Real Love

My cell phone rang at 10:30 last night...whenever that happens, my initial reaction is panic. Usually I go look and it's some random telemarketing call or a wrong number. Not last night, it was my sister. She was calling to let me know that a person I've known my entire life had gone to Heaven. Her name was Alma...I grew up calling her my make-believe grandma. She and her husband and their daughter lived behind my parent's house, our backyards ran into each other. They were in their 70's when I was a baby. My grandparents lived in Pratt, so we didn't see them all the time. We adopted Frank and Alma as our own. I can still hear Frank proudly telling how I asked him one day if he could be my make believe grandpa. He, of course, accepted the offer. He told that story all of the time, he loved the idea of extra grandkids, I guess.

Frank went to be with Jesus several years ago, he died the year after Danny and I were married. I still am so grateful they both knew Danny. We asked them to sit with the grandparents at our wedding, they were thrilled. Alma lived to be 102 years old. She was a gorgeous woman...she had the most delicate features and the most loving, unjudgemental eyes...and she made the best cookies ever. I think my sister and I would smell them across the backyard and make our way to her kitchen every time. We didn't really go just for the cookies though, we went for the extra love she always had to give. Her love spilled over to the next generation, my kids will miss her too. Madison and Mason both got to know her, I feel very blessed in that. Madison loved Alma especially, she spent more time with her because we still attended church there when Madison was little. Madison has quilts that Alma made for her baby dolls...those will be even more precious now.

When I heard that she had died, my initial reaction was anger...at myself and at the situation...in fact, I threw my phone across the living room...not something I do often. I wish I would have known that she was getting that bad...I wish I had one more chance to tell her I love her. I wish I hadn't let the busyness of life keep me from having another visit. I wish... However, as I laid in bed well into the night thinking about her and remembering her, I realized that I didn't have to regret the fact that I hadn't seen her in a while. She knew how I felt about her...I never, ever, left a visit with her without whispering, "I love you, Alma" in her ear... I know she knows my heart. I know that every single memory I have of her is sweet. I have SO many memories of her. She was always so happy to hear me sing. She and Frank never missed one of my concerts...they even came to my college concerts at Friends. I remember that every time Frank would see me he'd hug me and say, "How's our girl?" And Alma would smile her timid but beautiful smile and hug me so tight. I always knew they were proud of me...no matter what. I would go over, even as a teenager, and just sit with them in their kitchen. If they were anywhere close to meal time, I would stay and eat with them...they would have it no other way. My dad and Frank always had a friendly garden competition...it was always a race to see who'd have the first ripe tomato of the season. My dad always accused Frank of singing to his tomatoes to get them to ripen faster! :) Alma and LouAnn were always baking something and would come to our back door quite often with a plate of something they had created and wanted to share. Their real motive was not to fatten us up, but really to visit, to see how we were doing. I can still smell their house...I can feel their hugs...I can hear their sweet voices...I can imagine myself sitting on the swing in their tree, just being there.

I am so sad that Alma is gone...but all I could picture in my mind last night was the reunion that she and Frank were having that very moment. She missed him so much...and I'm sure he missed her. They were quite the couple, and I know they are happy beyond words now. Alma was living in a body that was wearing out and had many limitations. She had lost most of her vision and I know she can see with perfect eyes today. She was in congestive heart failure and she was struggling with oxygen levels...she breathes easy now.

I am sad for her family. I am sad for their daughter, LouAnn, she has lived with them her whole life. My heart hurts for her loss...and for their entire family...and for my family who considered her as family. My parents were so good to her, they took care of her like they would have their own mother. She knew she was loved, no doubt there.

As I think of Frank and Alma, I can't help but think that I hope I can live my life in a way that when I'm gone, all people remember of me is how I loved. I hope I leave a legacy of love...they loved and were loved in return. I'm sure they gave much more than they ever got...but I'm also confident that they were ok with it being that way. I hope they know how much they did for me...I hope they know that they were a huge part of the person I am today. They were the living examples of God's love to me...they took me for who I was and only wanted to be loved in return. I am blessed that I got to grow up being their neighbor, their friend and their make-believe granddaughter. I hope I can continue to make them proud.

Go hug someone you haven't seen in a while...do it today.

Blessings,

Melissa

The Words I Would Say

I just love it when God gives me a song...when I'm hurting or when I'm happy...when I need to hear from Him, He so often speaks to me through a song. A friend of mine added this song to her blog today. I know I've heard it before, but today it spoke to me so deeply. I'm hurting for a friend, actually for several friends right now...for different reasons...and this song just says so much. I pray it blesses your lives as much as it did mine today.

Blessings,

Melissa

PS. Thanks for being God's DJ, Amy!! Love you!!

Meal Plan Monday

Well, last week was a little crazy...so some of the meals for this week are meals I didn't end up making last week. I made my friend's recipe for homemade pizza rolls...they were delish and more like italian bierocks...we ate those for THREE meals during the week. We also ended up eating out on Friday, so I only had to spend $20 on groceries for this week! :) That's always a happy time for me!

Here is what we'll be dining on this week:

Monday: Homemade Pizza (BBQ Chicken for Madison, Danny and me, but hamburger for the picky kid)

Tuesday: Hot Turkey Sandwiches and corn (the plan, but I forgot about having an eye appointment in east Wichita at 4, so we'll see if everyone lasts long enough...may be picking something up on the way home...)

Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry Lo Mein

Thursday: Leftovers...or Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Friday: Eating out after Easter dress shopping for Madison with Grandma and Poppy...this is a tradition, Madison has gone shopping with Grandma since she was about 2 or 3! She models all of the dresses, it's big fun.

Saturday: Black Bean and Corn Wraps with quacamole

Sunday: Leftovers for lunch...Dinner in Clearwater for Poppy's (my dad) birthday

Easy-peasy...just the way I like it!!

In the Cleft of the Rock

Well, so much for thinking that things would slow down this last week. Once again, the pace was a little furious, but full of good and lovely things. I'm excited about the upcoming week, God is putting people in my path...and I'm so excited about it. I have FOUR, count 'em, FOUR lunch dates this coming week...one with one of my bestest friends in the world and her hubs, they are in town this weekend...one with a friend who is new, but I already love her and can't wait to get to know her...and the other two with friends who are walking life every day beside me...holding hands through the storms and basking in the sun! We just had an awesome Kyrie Foundation board of directors meeting yesterday, and I'm just full to overflowing with the outward evidence of God's glory. My heart is also heavy for those around me that are experiencing pain, but I can't help but wait with anxious and hopeful anticipation to see the glory that shines in their lives as well. Things are gonna be so great, I just know it.



Ok, so I want to just finish my thoughts from last week's bible study...the rest of the story, if you will!



So, the story picks up in Exodus 33...the Israelites have sinned BIG against God by building a golden calf. He is ticked. God tells Moses to take the people and GO...and He's not going to go with them this time. Beth Moore related it to an angered mother. You know, we've all heard it or said it..."If you know what's good for you, you will go to your room and get out of my face!" In verse 5 God says, "If I were to go with you, even for a moment, I might destroy you!" YOWZA!! Can you imagine, God's fire is burning so hot against them, He might simply consume them with fire and destroy them if they were to draw near. As a mom, I can relate. The other night my parents were here for dinner and Mason was a monster! He was just naughty and I was so mad at him. When my parents left, I said, "Mason Wesley, if you know what's good for you...you will just go to your room where I can't see you, I do NOT want to look at you right now. I love you, but I do NOT like you right now, son!" Mad, I was M-A-D! Beyond the anger, though, I was hurt. I see my children's behavior and obedience as a sign of their love and respect for me. So, when it is lacking in such an obvious way, it hurts me. Oh my, I cannot imagine how much I must hurt God on a regular basis...I'm sure there are times in my life when He would like to say, "Girl, step away before I destroy you!" I find it hard to believe that the God who created the heavens and the earth would allow Himself to be affected in such a big way by the people He made out of dirt, but He does. Beth pointed out that although God is omniscient, He is also infinite. He does not allow himself to be bound by anything. This means that He allows himself to be affected by what we do! He already knows the outcome, but that doesn't keep Him from allowing Himself to be part of the process! He feels the affect of our sin, it hurts Him deeply. I'm so blessed because Jesus came and opened the door for me to repent and fall immediately into the graceful arms of a Father who loves me, even when I'm a brat. And the Israelites had that same graceful Father that we do today.

Chapter 33 continues to explain how Moses would go outside the camp of the people, quite a ways away, and he would meet there with God. The people would watch as Moses would go inside the tent and a pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance of the tent while God spoke with Moses. Verse 11 says, "God would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." Can you imagine? Like a friend...intimate, honest, safe...a friend. I know how I am with my friends, brutally honest with each other and we talk about EvErYtHiNg...even the ugly stuff. I don't know for sure how I'd feel about talking with God like that...but why not? He already knows ALL the dirt. I have tried to approach God this way in prayer more in the last year. I've always thought that I had to have the "right words" when praying...that if I did it wrong, I could potentially bring destruction down on all of mankind! Ok, maybe that's extreme, but now that I try to just converse with God, it's amazing how I am able to hear Him, feel Him, to know Him intimately. I'm in a state of constant dialogue with Him all day long.

Moses is anxiety ridden...He is pretty uptight about how he is going to proceed with these people in the wilderness. He says to God in verses 12 and 13, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." I can relate with Moses...I like to know the plan. I can spiral into a full out panic attack if I'm unsure of an outcome...or if I'm afraid of being alone in a situation. God is so full of grace, He says to Moses, "My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." In some translations it reads "I will dispel your anxiety." Wow...like a warm blanket, a cool refreshing rain...a comforting hug. God reminds Moses that He will be with him. God just gets us, He knows that we need to know we'll have someone on our team. He created us as beings that need companionship...fellowship. Danny and I have certainly learned this lesson in the last year. When the comfort of sitting in a pew every Sunday beside friends was taken out of our lives, we had to fill it with the joy of seeking out relationship with God and with our fellow followers of Christ. It was scary and uncomfortable, but along the way God was constantly with us. Beth points out that we must be cautious not to confuse our need for people with our need for God. He must come first...always. A lesson that's definitely been cemented for me. God, family...and all the rest, that's how things fall in order of importance for me.

Back to Moses...He tells God that if He doesn't go with them, there will be no way for people to know that the Israelites are a people set apart by God. How else are they gonna know we are special?? So God reassures Him that He will do the very thing he asks because Moses has found favor with the Lord. Then in a very bold statement Moses asks God to SHOW him His glory! In other words, He'd like to see proof. In verses 19 and 20, God replies "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." He tells Moses to stand in the cleft of the rock. He explains that He will cover Moses' face with His hand as He passes by, and when He has passed by and it is safe to look, Moses will see God's back. Hmmm...so Moses stood there in the cleft of the rock, where he was safe. The Lord passed by him proclaiming His glory as He passed, and all the while protecting, shielding Moses from certain death. Now, I've read this passage before and never thought much about it. Beth Moore explained it this way...what if during those really hard, dark times of life. When the storms are raging. When disappointment after disappointment seem to pile on top of one another. When it seems that God is so far away. When we find ourselves thinking that He must have forgotten about me, certainly He wouldn't allow all of this to happen if He was near...I don't see Him anywhere! What if...just imagine...what if He has placed us securely in the cleft of the rock, what if He's so close to us that He must cover our eyes to shield us from looking upon His face. What if He keeps our eyes shielded and protected while He guards us during the storm, and it's not until He has passed by and we can see His back and realize He was there...He was with us all along.

This struck me so profoundly...mostly because I think I caught a glimpse of His back just recently. I knew in my heart through the last year that He was here with us, but there were times that my head told me differently. There were days when I simply cried out asking Him "WHY?" I didn't understand why He was allowing us to go through such a horrible time and to suffer so much hurt, when we were standing solidly on His truth! I didn't get it...until now. I can look back today and see that He was at work...He's always at work. He never leaves, sometimes we move away from Him so far we can't see Him. And sometimes He is so close to us, sheltering and protecting, that we can't see Him until the storm has passed and we catch a glimpse of His back as He steps away. Sigh......I love the thought of that. It washes over me like a cool breeze on a summer's day. He offers nothing but love, peace, grace, protection, security, an escape...

God is always about the business of showing us His glory. He created us and gave us the gift of free will in order to allow us to choose Him and prove His glory. I think that sometimes I choose NOT to see it. Sometimes it's easier to be angry about what is happening than to see the glory in the details. Sometimes God's glory is easy to see and impossible to miss, like in a gorgeous sunrise or in the birth of a healthy, beautiful child. It's right there, blazingly apparent, unquestionable. Sometimes though, His glory is a little more painful and we have to look deeper to see it...for instance, in using the difficulty of my eye surgery and the pain of losing our church home to draw us closer to Him, to force me to reevaluate my place as a wife and mother and allowing me the chance to form bonds of friendship that are built by Him...unbreakable. By turning the loss of a precious child into the formation of an organization that will save many families from suffering the same sort of loss and has inspired so much good. By turning the loss of a job into precious, priceless time spent with family. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes it doesn't, but God's glory is always, always, always good. He doesn't cause the pain, but He can certainly turn that pain into a glorious goodness that we would never have fathomed.

And at the very root of our existence is the undeserved and unequaled love of the Father. He just loves us. So, whether you are in the cleft of the rock or basking in the sunshine...always remember that Father, Abba, Daddy, Papa...whatever you call Him...He is crazy in love with you!

Blessings!
Melissa

The Birds are Back in Town!!

I opened my windows just a little while ago...possibly a little prematurely because it didn't last long, but I needed some air. I'll just put it this way, new little puppy = big smelly house. Anyway, I heard them...the most beautiful, sweet melody came drifting in on the breeze. The birds have returned...and that means that Spring is almost here. YAY!!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love lots of things about winter, cuddling, Christmas, playing in the snow followed by hot cocoa and cookies, big, comfy clothes that cover up the extra pounds gained around the holidays, a reason to just stay inside and be together...but I LOVE SPRING! It has to be my favorite time of year...my favorite holiday, Easter...and the real, tangible proof that there is new life after a time of cold, gloomy death. Yippee! I love the cool mornings and the warm afternoons...I love all the bright colors, and I adore the fact that I get to buy new flip-flops!!! Yee-haw! I think I better get myself in soon for a pedicure, it's going to be in the 50's and 60's this week, and for me that's official flip-flop weather.

Welcome back, Robin (and all the other birds), welcome back!

Stormy Weather

I never cease to be fully amazed at how God puts me in the place He wills me to be, when I let Him. I love it when I can be witness to pieces of the puzzle...that REALLY big, REALLY important puzzle called Life...just fall perfectly into place. I love the feeling of coming through a storm and seeing the rainbow, both literally and figuratively. I so rejoice in looking back at the storms of life and being able to see how God was at work in every second of every day, even those days when the wind was really howling and I couldn't see Him or hear His gentle voice...He was so close and He was working.

I feel like I've recently come out of the rain, and I can see how He's been working. And now, praise God, He's allowing me to share my experiences to, hopefully, help others who are in the midst of a storm. I love the bible study I'm doing, it is speaking to me in HUGE ways...I love the group of ladies who are in the study with me. We are a group from the church that we used to attend. Some of the ladies have also left because of the man who is acting as pastor there, and some are still attending but have not escaped the pain that all of this has caused. We're kind of a bruised and battered little lot! :) However, we love each other...I call them my church family, but it was described to me more adequately the other day as my faith family...I love that. My faith family is vast...so many people are a part of that family. I'm in good company there.

Anyway, back to the study...God is working on my heart in big ways through this. He's showing me that I continue to need to LET GO of all that has happened in the past, I need to forgive. I need to forgive for my benefit and for the benefit of my family...not for the benefit of the people that hurt me. Love thine enemies is all inclusive...like it or not. I don't get to pick and choose. Darn it. There is a lot I need to work through...just when I think I've tackled one issue another comes popping up out of no where, but I think He's revealing my heart to me at a rate that He knows I can handle. It's amazing what I've buried in there! He is also using this study to, I believe, give me some wisdom in helping others. Timely advice, right when I need it to offer to others...He's so awesome.

Last week, a friend instant messaged me with a cry for help...she's struggling. Really, really struggling. I'm struggling FOR her. I just don't quite get why God can't intervene for her and just let ONE thing go right for her family. Actually, I can find myself getting just a little ticked at Him on her behalf. However, I just know down deep in my heart that God is right here, in the midst of the yuckiness of life. I believe that He's not abandoned anyone. I know because I know that He's been with me every second in the last year...even when I didn't quite feel Him. I know that He's with my friend too...and I know that someday she's going to get through this stormy time and she's going to see an awesome, brilliant rainbow.

So, here's what He showed me this week...via Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart"...We are dealing with the Israelites, wandering in the desert, looking for a home. I can't imagine...tents, snakes, scorpions, the same food everyday...no chocolate. ICK! So, God wishes to dwell among them...He longs to be close to them, in a real, physical way. So amazing. He commands them to build a tabernacle, so they begin that process with God's instruction. He asks them to bring an offering...of their own free will, but He asks for specific items the things needed to build this Tabernacle. Hmmm...people in a desert, but God wants them to bring gold, silver, woven fine linens...what??? "The Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything." Deut. 2:7 When they were leaving Egypt, God told the Israelites to plunder the Egyptians...to take EVERYTHING. So, He had a plan...hmmm... God provided...His glory manifested in His provision. He gave them everything they needed, down to the last flake of manna. He answered their complaints for meat by sending flocks of birds to the camp each evening...they griped, He provided. Beth says, "He gave not because of their faithfulness but because of His faithfulness." They weren't such amazing people, they were petty and whiny, and probably incredibly stinky...but He LOVED THEM!! Whew! So happy to hear that perfection isn't required, aren't you? He just loves us, we aren't required to DO anything to be the objects of his affection.

So, they were compelled by the love of their God, and they brought the offering, every morning...until finally God had too much! He asked them to stop bringing the offering. See what love does? Wow. They wanted God to dwell among them, remember the Holy Spirit wasn't present at this point in time. God was either with them or He was far away...seemingly unreachable. So, they wanted the Tabernacle, they wanted it pretty badly. Beth suggests that the Israelites knew the correlation between their willingness to prepare for God's presence and His desire to make evident His presence...they were expecting something big. They were probably praying and sacrificing...just waiting for the Lord to dwell among them. They BELIEVED He was coming to them. How often do we pray for something to happen... Beth says, "How often we expect big things from God without preparing for big things from Him!" So true. I think that all too often, if the "big thing" isn't exactly what we asked for, perhaps we don't recognize it as being of Him. Sometimes I fight what He is giving me because it's not exactly what I asked for...even though I'm sure that the solution He offers is so much better for me...in the long run. Just like kids...Mason would eat nothing but candy every day if I let him. Sometimes I know he just thinks I get some crazy kick out of saying no to candy. However, I know the pain of cavities and I want him to grow and be healthy. So I give him an apple instead, not what he asked for, but good and SO much better for him in the long run!

Here's the question that haunts me. Why do I so often fight being a part of His plan, in order to carry out my own agenda?? The Israelites gave freely, when they had so little because they knew that what they gave would be a HUGE part of God's plan to be with them. Oh, how I wish I would be that wise all of the time! I know that more often than not, I fight Him. I do it my way...and I end up unhappy for it. Sometimes His way just seems too hard. It seems too hard to pray, trust, pray, trust...and then NOTHING happens. Meanwhile, like what my friend is experiencing right now, the world hurls heartache after heartache your way. So are we just supposed to keep being the most faithful follower we can be when we are wading through the muck of the world? I Peter 4:19 says, "Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator and continue to do good." So, the answer is yes. Not the easiest pill to swallow, but the pay off is priceless.

We studied the idea of trial by fire this week too...how we must build our lives with the things that last, like gold and not temporal things like wood or hay...so that when we go through the fire will will come through with eternal rewards. Beth compares that fire to the trials of life...our suffering in life. She says that only we can decide how we let the fires of life affect us...will they burn us alive or will we lay them at the altar and let God protect us through the fire. His will is for us to run to Him. After all, He sent His Son...He sent Him to DIE for US. He willed us to be with Him forever, and He sent Jesus to bear the scars so that we can walk through the fires of life sanctified and unscathed.

The Israelites are ready to help, some have been specially gifted with talents that will aide inthe building of the Tabernacle, they are ready...they are waiting. Then Moses goes up the mountain to be with God. He is gone 40 days while God is giving Him the tablets with the Commandments (can't help but see Charleton Hesston with his creepy white hair in my mind!) These people who have seen such amazing miracles performed right before them...they get antsy. They begin asking Aaron when or if Moses is ever going to return...they whine, they are good at whining, just like me!! God is still close, but they decide they need something tangible, so they ask Aaron to fashion a golden calf. They just need something physical to worship. They need to see some progress...Oops. How often do we do something similar...we build an idol out of something tangible...our church, our money, our job...even our spouses. We need something tangible, something we can control, something we can have power over. Oops. God gets pretty ticked. He tells Moses to get his hiney back down to the people because they have corrupted themselves. Not good, not good at all. I'll skip some of what happens, but there is quite a bit of blood involved. God's not happy.

I Corinthians 10:1-13 explains that all of this was recorded as an example for us...to remind us to resist our own evil desires. It also warns us against becoming too comfortable...it's when we start thinking we have it all figured out that we will stumble in our faith. My favorite is verse 13, The Message version says this,

"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond

the course of what others have had to face.

All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit;

he’ll always be there to help you come through it."

What comfort! First of all, others have been through it, misery LOVES company! Second of all, God will not let us down! I believe this with all my heart, people will fail you (oh my, will they, can I get an amen!?!) but God will not! Thirdly, He won't push us past our limits...now, I have to say that there are times in my life when I think that God gives me too much credit. Sometimes when life is really heavy, I think that He thinks I can handle more than I can. However, here I am, living to tell about it! I guess He knows me better than I know myself. Perhaps that's because He made me. Lastly and most importantly, He'll be there. He'll help us through it...other versions say he never leaves us without an escape. He already knew the mess we got ourselves into, and He loves us enough to offer us an escape. Just like a parent...I know that when my kids mess up, I'm always looking for a way to help them out of the mess with the least pain possible. And He loves us so much more than I could ever imagine loving Madison and Mason. How amazing is that??? He just wants to shelter us in the storm and get us to the rainbow.

I have more to share...the taped session with Beth Moore that we watched on Friday was earth-shaking for me! I was taking notes like my life depended on it. My friend who was sitting beside me probably thought there was a test at the end or something! It was just too good, I want to share...but I'll save that for another post.

Blessings!
Melissa

SCRAP Like You MEAN IT!!

I haven't mentioned much about The Kyrie Foundation in my blog to date...but I think it is HIGH TIME!! If you are unfamiliar with this organization, please visit this site and learn about a little girl who changed my life and the lives of many others. In addition to changing lives, the Kyrie Foundation is working to alter the entire world of pediatric brain cancer. Kyrie was the niece of one of my best friend's and after she lost her battle, the Kyrie Foundation was founded in her memory and honor. For the last few years, Danny and I have been blessed to be a part of the board of directors, and it's been an amazing journey. I feel like God is doing so much through the wonderful people involved in this seemingly small, but mighty foundation. And we are just beginning.

We will be holding our third Scrapbook "Krop"...the Kyrie Foundation Krop...Scrap Like You Mean It...on April 10th in Wichita. If you are a scrapper, then this event is for you! TONS of goodies, lots of great tools and ideas, door prizes, yummy food, did I mention FREEBIES GALORE...and so much more. If you would like more information, please check it out here.

Nothing better than spending a Saturday having an absolute BALL with friends or family...and to help find a cure that will save our babies in the process...

Right!!??!!

A Week in Pictures

Here are a few snapshots from last week...they are all out of order.

I'm still trying to figure out how to post a picture in the middle of a blog post.

Anyway...here are just a few peeks into our crazy life!

Madison had her second school dance on Friday!

This was her new outfit...including new Converse sneakers (not shown)...

She was the bomb!

Yesterday, when Danny and I returned home after our couple's group,
the kids had set up a "spa" in Mason's room.
They said that they wanted to show us their appreciation.
They made us cards and a sign was hung on the door instructing us to knock!
They gave us manicures, pedicures and a back "massage"...
we also each to 5 minutes of "sleep time"!
Adorable and sweet...that is the only adequate description
for such a loving gesture.

Madison's "do" for her school dance...

I know I'm a little partial, but I think she's gorgeous.

This is how Max spends most of the day, every day...

I have to confess, I'm a little jealous.

Super Puppy...He can drive a truck!

With Mason's help...of course.

Mason was "Top Banana" this week at school.
He was able to share special things about himself, take show and share, etc.

He also took a snack to celebrate his birthday because he has a summer birthday.

He chose chocolate chip cookies and

wanted them decorated like monkeys holding a banana!

So I obliged! This is how I spent the ENTIRE day on Tuesday!!

It was worth it.

Mason and Danny playing the Wii and puppy sitting.

Meal Plan Monday

Whew! What a week last week was...special visits,snacks and events at school for the kids, getting my bible study done each day (some REALLY good stuff!! I will share later), leading bible study (not as big of a deal as I thought it would be!), a messy house that needed cleaning, a new puppy to care for, friends who needed an ear and a shoulder and the list goes on. It's weeks like that when I'm REALLY thankful for my meal plan. Although we ended up deviating a little from the it, I knew the basics were there...so helpful.

So, here's this week's plan:

Monday: Homemade Pizza Rolls, green beans and salad...very excited to try these. I'm not doing much red meat these days, so I will make some with beef but I'm also going to try some with spinach and chicken for me!

Tuesday: Hot Turkey Sandwiches & corn

Wednesday: Tuna burgers & herb roasted new potatoes

Thursday: Chicken Stir-Fry Lo Mien

Friday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday: Leftovers & Dinner out after church

Sunday: Leftovers & Whatever we happen to find, I'm observing the Sabbath! ;)

Blessings!
Melissa

PS. A dear, dear friend of mine started a blog about the same time I started mine...for different reasons...she felt really led to reconnect to Father...and it's amazing to see the journey He's taking her on. Check it out! Also, if you just want to listen to some great contemporary Christian music, her playlist is wonderful. I log in every day and listen to it while I surf and check email.

Meal Plan Monday

I follow the blogs of a couple of my friends from college. I was introduced into the idea of weekly meal planning through a blog and I love it! I am going to try to share my meal plans with you each week as they do. So, here's my first Meal Plan Monday!

Monday: Creamy Chicken Stew with whole wheat rolls

Tuesday: Lasagna, salad, and crescent rolls

Wednesday: Breakfast for Supper! Whole wheat pancakes, turkey bacon and scrambled eggs

Thursday: Fish Tacos (Yum!), Spanish rice, and refried beans

Friday: Pizza Night!

Saturday: Leftovers for Lunch and Out to Eat for dinner (maybe sushi!)

Sunday: Turkey hotdogs for lunch (it's race food!)
Black bean corn wraps and rice for dinner

I adhere pretty strictly to this, but if something really doesn't sound good to anyone on a given night, we will flip-flop. I also keep some staples on hand that are my go-to meals like spaghetti.

Great, now I'm hungry!

New Addition

I'd like you to meet our newest family member, Maxwell C. Pepper, a big name for a teeny weeny little part of a puppy. We adopted him today. I got to spend the morning getting our new little one and Rascal acquainted. So far, so good. Rascal is intensely jealous as any big brother would be! The kids are over the moon excited about him. Needless to say, our family night activity for tonight was Max and nothing but Max! Well, ok, Danny and Mason managed to work a little Wii in too! It's amazing how a new life can upset an apple cart...change the rhythm of everyday life...and melt your heart! I've resisted this upset for a while now. Two kids, one puppy, life is good. I didn't want to go back to cleaning up poo, getting up with a puppy, trying to figure it out...again! However, I'm so glad we did. He is just yummy adorable. He was eating his supper and started picking up his hind legs...cute. He's built like me, kind of short and round...so I have a real fondness for him! Very fun. Now, we just have to hope we can all (including Max) survive the arguments about who gets to hold him and for how long, who cleaned up the last mess he made, and who's turn it is to play with him. I think we will be just fine. Danny and I probably won't get a lot of sleep tonight...or this week...but that's ok.

Better go, think it's my turn to hold the puppy!

Melissa

Insecurities

Yep, that's right, I got 'em. LOTS of them! I started thinking about blogging way back a long time ago. I have talked myself out of it SO many times. I always think, "Who in their right mind would give a rat's patootie about reading ANYTHING I have to say?" And so I didn't. I guess that's why I convinced myself when I was thinking about my resolutions for 2010, that if I set a resolution to begin blogging, then I'd be FORCED to do it! Well, I started a blog and then immediately got discouraged. I have TWO, count 'em, TWO followers...and one of them is married to me. I figured I have about as many people reading... So, this week, with a renewed sense of "Who cares? I'll just do it for me!", I revamped my blog design and started anew. I decided to add a counter...and when given the option to start my count at 0 or 1000 I really almost chose 1000. I didn't though, I started at zero. I figured that with Danny and Amy reading, I might slowly climb to 10!!!! I was thrilled tonight to see that I have had 35 hits. Now, I realize 20 of them have probably been Danny...but maybe someone else is out there???

If you are, and if you want to help a poor insecure soul feel amazingly good about herself...feel free to just post a "hello" or "nice punctuation...NOT!" If you really feel led, you are welcome to follow me. I won't let it go to my head, I promise. I know you won't really be following me. I'll just view you as a companion in my quest to follow God!

Happy Friday! I'm off to eat homemade apple crisp with the fam...YUMMO!
Melissa

I LOVE FRIDAY!!

Oh Glory, Hallelujah!! Today is F-R-I-D-A-Y!!! I'm so happy. I love Fridays. I love the anticipation of the weekend. I like knowing when I wake up early to get the kids up for school that tomorrow I get to sleep in! I love knowing that the evening will be longer without early bedtimes. I love that the weekend will be full of time with the people I love best. So, I can really and truly say, "THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!!!" I truly thank Him for getting us through another week. I truly thank Him for being with us and leading us to yet another Friday. Have you ever noticed how people are just in a better mood on Friday? You never hear someone say, "Oh well, it's Wednesday!", in response to something that has happened that might be negative. However, I don't know how many times I've heard someone say, "Oh well, it's Friday!" WHO CARES! Tomorrow is Saturday! Just like this morning, I went out to the super mini-van to take my kiddos to school. I was ready for them to GOOOOOO...so we were in the van early today. I pushed my handy dandy little button that's part of the console in my van that opens the garage and....nothing happened. So, I pushed it again...and then realized that the dome light was eerily dim. Just then, Mason said, "I turned the radio up in the van when we were playing yesterday!" Battery...dead. So normally the rush that ensued after that to figure a way to get them at school and all would have ruined my entire day...but nope. I just shrugged it off and told myself, "Today is FRIDAY!!"

This leads me to think, shouldn't I have this same attitude about each and every day? After all, is there a day of the week that is void of the Lord's creation? Shouldn't I rise everyday with an anticipation of what the day that the Lord has made will bring? I really should proclaim on a sleepy Monday morning..."Thank God It's Monday!!!"

I had my bible study group this morning (which I walked to, begrudgingly at first, but then realized it was a blessing, a GORGEOUS morning, and exercise!!) We reviewed this week's lesson and watched the taped session with Beth Moore. She was discussing the manna that I spoke about in yesterday's blog. She explained that God was not only seeking their daily obedience and dependence, he was seeking a daily relationship for them. Our daily bread is Jesus...and in order to fully experience Him, we must have relationship with God. We can't just follow the rules, we must enter into a relationship with our Lord. So, why do we often fight it? Why do we choose to take things into our own hands. She pointed out that our problem with that daily approach is that we are often full of pride and/or we are full of fear. It's scary to think that we are putting all our hope in God. What if He decides we aren't worthy? What if He doesn't come through? And that is where faith enters in...that believing in something that we cannot see.

So, back to the weekend...I am really excited for this weekend. First of all, thanks to my van battery, I get to start my weekend early with the Dan Man. He's going to ride in early this afternoon on his great white steed to rescue me...I'm the damsel in distress, get it? Anyway, then Mad is having a friend over to spend the night. We will get to sleep in tomorrow morning, as we have no where to go, Praise Jesus! And tomorrow night, we are going into Wichita to try out a church. It's a mega-type church...and it's not a Methodist church...a few years back, that would have been two strikes AGAINST it...now, it's sort of two checks in the pros side of things. We have a whole new outlook on what we "want" from a church...and that is really, nothing. We aren't coming with a long list of qualifications that they must meet. Our only real qualification is that we hear the truth of God, the Gospel, being shared and that it's biblically based. I have had a yearning in my heart for the last several months to be part of a worship service again. I miss the experience of standing among fellow believers with voices and arms raised. It will be fun. Some of our fellow wandering Methodist, misplaced in the last few months, have attended this church and really liked it. They have a five o'clock service on Saturday nights, so that fits us like a glove! We are also beginning a couple's group with some of our church friends. It's called, "Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage", and it sounds like a lot of fun. Mostly, we are really looking forward to fellowship with some people that we haven't seen in a long while.

Good stuff.

I pray that the Lord blesses you this weekend. I hope that you will wake up each and every day and rejoice in what He is doing in your life. I hope that we will all remember to go out and collect the manna that He has offered to us.

Blessings!
Melissa

Manna for the Planner

For the past two weeks, I've been taking part in the Beth Moore study, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place." It's a study of the Tabernacle. It's an amazing study and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the women who I am doing it with. It's the perfect group for me, right now, in this time of my life. Hmmm...almost like God planned it that way...funny how things like that seem to work out.

This week's lesson centered around the Israelites wandering in the desert. They just got rescued from the Egyptians and saw the mighty hand of God in action, Red Sea ring a bell?...but they begin griping about being hungry and thirsty...so God provides for them in the way of manna. I've heard this story a hundred times, but this time it struck me in a new way (isn't God's Living Word just so awesome that way?)

This may be a real newsflash to everyone...I'm a planner. Shocking, I know. I like to know what I'm doing and when. I like to plan my meals out for the week and buy my groceries in accordance. I like knowing that we have enough money in the bank BEFORE I make a purchase (a novel thought these days!). I'm not a huge fan of people just "dropping by" for a visit because I like my house to be in order when someone visits. (However, if you give me a 15 minute warning, I can perform miracles by shoving things in closets and running the vacuum quickly! So, come on by!) I like to know details of where my children are going and what they will be doing when they aren't with me. I like to know what time Danny will be home from work each day. The theme here is I LIKE KNOWING!!! So, you might get a little chuckle out of the journey we've taken in the last year or so...the knowing has become a rare thing. It's been quite a ride!

Ok, back to the manna...
God provided food for his people in the middle of a desert. Each night, he would send down a layer of dew and when the dew dried in the morning sun, there it was quite literally manna from heaven! As Beth Moore called it "heavenly cornflakes". His instructions to the people were simple...take only what you need for that day and no more. That's all they had to do, go out and gather the manna and eat it. Wow, amazingly easy, right? I can get pretty judgmental of the stupid Israelites for being so unfaithful when they went out and gathered MORE than they needed just to be sure they had enough for tomorrow. They didn't trust God to provide what they needed each morning. I get even more irritated when they got picky and decided they wanted meat too...manna just wasn't enough! Geez!! Hadn't they already seen what God was willing to do for them? Hadn't he DELIVERED THEM!? Then I think of it in these terms...hasn't God delivered me? Yes, many times in many different ways. However, I don't always find it easy to just blindly put my trust in His provision for me. I choose to panic, to try to fix things myself, to scamper around like the idiots in the desert...why? Why do I do that when it is so much easier to trust in the One that already promised me a hope and a future. I'm working on it. He's there. God doesn't move, I do. Just like the Israelites had to go outside their tent and gather the manna to receive God's blessing, I too must recognize those blessings and live in God's love in order to reap benefits. Beth puts it beautifully, "God desires to teach you His incomparable sufficiency. Will you accept His provisions? They are right outside your tent." Love that.

I really dig it when God is trying to show me something and everything I pick up has a message for me pertaining to what He wants me to know. A while back I picked up this 15 minute daily devotional book at FCS...it was on the $5 book rack, so I couldn't resist. It's called "My Time With God". I decided to start reading it this week while I'm waiting in the car to pick the kids up at school. Today's lesson was titled "Come, Follow Me". It quotes the verses in Matthew when Jesus approaches Simon (Peter) and his brother who are fishing and asks them to follow Him. Again, heard the story many times, but today I was struck by their response. It says, "So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:20) Whew! Immediately...they just went with him! They didn't say, "Can we get back to you on that?" They just left what they were doing, their way of life, probably all they'd ever known. They left it and followed Him. So, the planner in me just GASPS at the thought of that. What about all the responsibilities they had...was someone, somewhere counting on the fish they were catching for dinner? They must have just known without a doubt that they were to follow Him. I wonder sometimes what I would do in that same situation...would I have enough faith to just follow? I'm trying to live my life every day like that. I'm trying to listen when He asks me to follow... To really follow Him I must be willing to sign over the rights to my own life. That's sort of huge. However, why not? Didn't he give me this life to begin with and didn't he love me enough to ensure that I will spend eternity with him? He has given me every provision I need for life. I truly believe that every coupon I clip is in some way manna from heaven...He's providing everything I need when I need it. How easy my life would be if I'd just implicitly trust that and follow him.

Some days it seems easier than others to just trust and follow. The greatest joy for me is to know that every day is a brand new, clean start for me. Every morning with the dew comes a brand new chance to trust His provisions for the day...

"God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!"

Lamentations 3:22-23 The Message

All the sudden, I'm hungry for cornflakes...
Melissa

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

Today is Ash Wednesday...on the Christian calendar it marks the beginning of the Lenten season...a time of repentence leading up to Holy week and Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Danny's family as Catholics always gave something up for Lent. As a child, I never practiced this, but I remember that my friends who were Catholic did. I remember feeling sorry for them! I used to think, "Whew! Glad I'm not Catholic, I don't wanna have to give up candy for 2 months!" Danny and I are not practicing Catholics, but we do try to observe some of the traditions that he had growing up. We began "giving up for Lent" when our kids were really small. The first few years I didn't really "get it". I just did it for Danny and the kids...it wasn't really anything personal for me, and I usually gave up something that wasn't that important to me in the first place. Until 2 years ago when I gave up chocolate (insert dramatic musical interlude here). For those of you who know me at all, chocolate is a way of life for me. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I gave it up, but oh my goodness...it was tough. That year I GOT IT!! It was a huge sacrifice for me. It made me really focus on all of the things in life that I use to soothe myself in place of God. It was shocking to me how many times I'd stick a Hershey's kiss in my mouth rather than whispering a prayer for help. This year as I began to consider what to give up, God kept showing me that my biggest distraction from time with Him was Facebook. I'm ashamed to admit how very addicted to it I have become. It's sad, but true...I think of things that happen in life in terms of status updates...and when I take a funny picture of my kids, they always say, "Mommy, don't you dare put that on Facebook!" I am home all day, most days, by myself, so I also use it as a connection to the outside world and it's been a blessing in a lot of ways, allowing me to catch up with people that I've lost touch with in life. So, God tugged at my heart and assured me that we could do this together. So, last night at about 11 pm, I shut down my facebook for the last time...I have to say, I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach all day yesterday thinking about the people I would miss while I'm away from it. It's crazy how dependent I've become on something so trivial. I think I'm going to really enjoy spending more time in the Bible, in meditation and prayer, and maybe even exercising (no promises there!). Today has been rough already though...I found myself on the phone, asking Danny if there was anything posted that I needed to know about! Give me a break, I'm a work in progress!!

For the last several years, we've attended an Ash Wednesday service at our church. It's a time of reaffirmation for us...a time to refocus on the supreme sacrifice made for us at the cross. Our favorite minister, Pastor Van, always had such a special ceremony. Our kids LOVED getting ashes on their foreheads. One year, Madison was sick, so we made our own ashes at home after she threw an all out fit about missing her chance to have ashes on her face. Two years ago, Mason was home sick, so Pastor Van sent some ashes home with us...that was so special to Mason. He still remembers and talks about Pastor "Ban" sending home his very own ashes. This year will be different, we will miss being part of a service, but I think we will make our own ashes tonight (from grass or something instead of last year's palm branches, but I think God will understand) and have our own service at home. Father loves us, and I think He'll be ok with Danny "ashing" us!

Today, as I was thinking about Ash Wednesday, the little children's game "Ashes, Ashes" came to me. I remember standing in a circle holding hands and singing, "Ashes, ashes...we all fall down!" And then collapsing to the ground. Isn't that a metaphor for life? We all fall short of the glory of God, I'm so thankful that as followers of Christ, we have the kind and gentle hand of our Lord and savior to help us up when we fall. I'm also thankful that even when I fall down, I'm always holding the hand of a fellow believer, a brother or sister in Christ. I'm never alone. I'm so looking forward to the next 40-some-odd days of repentance and reaffirmation.

"Remember that dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

Praying that God will touch each of your lives in a special way today...and always.
Melissa