Quote of the day

"If you make it a habit not to blame others, you will feel the growth of the ability to love in your soul, and you will see the growth of goodness in your life." — Leo Tolstoy

quote of the day

I'm watching a 4 year old boy every Tues/Thurs morning for a friend. He is a character. After squeezing a stick for a few seconds as hard as he could, Jack said, "Ahhh. I just squeezed out all my strongness!"

Quote of the Day

"Theology without experience can never be Truth. It can be right. It can be
accurate. However if it does not release people into personal freedom
and transformation, it is not the Truth. It is merely true. The Truth
sets us free." ~Graham Cooke

Thought provoking.

Quote of the day

Yesterday was a day of sunshine amidst the week of rain. I took Ella and Zoe for a walk and let the boys splash in a very large mud puddle while we were walking. When we got back around to them, they were up to their necks in mud, swim trunks on, and making mud angels in the gigantic mud hole! I took the opportunity to laugh rather than be frustrated!
Ella and I got some towels and went out to watch the show. As we watched, Ella said, "I wish I was a boy so I could play in the mud."
Me: "You can go play in the mud, sweetie."
Ella: "No, I don't want to get dirty!"

Classic!!!

Quote of the day

Graham Cooke:

"In every situation we face, God is already in the situation with me, because we carry him in the inner man of our spirit. We are learning therefore that God is not touching us from outside - He is actually rising up from within, because He has already taken up residence in us."

Long quote of the day

Praying in Faith by Steve and Wendy Backlund

Often people spend much effort and time praying over a circumstance hoping that time and quantity of prayer will bring the desired result. The hope is that perhaps faith will increase through this effort and thus the prayer will be answered.
This kind of thinking implies that faith is built by the amount of time and energy expended. We need to understand that faith does not come through our effort. Faith is a result of what we "know." Our "measure of faith" (Rom 12:3) will increase in proportion to the revelation we have of God's character, His love, and His promises toward us.
Often we do not realize the value of spending time with God when we are not praying for needs. The reason we worship, quietly wait in His presence, and search the scripture is mainly to build a relationship and to learn about the character, power, and love of God. Our intimacy and relationship with Him will have a direct correlation to our level of faith; not because it "earns" us more authority, but because it gives something for our faith to stand on.

Laughter is good medicine

"A merry heart does good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22

"A main aspect of joy is laughter. Studies have proven the benefits of laughter. Cancer patients have been healed through a 'prescription' of watching funny movies. Cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase through hearty laughter. "Energy-causing" endorphins are released into our body's system through hilarity."
~from "Igniting Faith in 40 Days" by Steve and Wendy Backlund

I've been making a conscious effort to laugh with the kids more. Chasing Ella around our house playing "Tag, You're It" or laughing at silly jokes or just being in the moment enough to have fun and laugh. It's been great for all of us! So here's your joke for the day. Judah and I laughed out loud for a long time with this one!

"What was the last thing that went through the bug's mind when he hit the windshield?"

First, less appropriate answer: his butt

Second, rated G answer with just as many laughs: "I won't have the guts to do that again!"

Quote of the day

"Don't eat when you're angry, sad, scared,or anxious. These emotions all shut down digestion. When you are emotionally out of balance, it is better not to eat at all. I mentioned earlier that when we eat sugar, our immune system can be depressed for up to six hours. We also learned that when we are angry, our immune system can be depressed for up to six hours. So if you go and eat a donut while you're angry, half of your day is ruined!"
~ Jordan S. Rubin from "The Maker's Diet" pg 197

Hmm, then I should've spent a large portion of my life not eating at all!!! :-)

Poem of the day

I read this poem on a friend's blog. She is a beautiful woman who helps people learn to slow down and just BE, knowing Jesus in the intimate places. Here is her blog if you're interest is piqued. This is a poem from her blog recently. The author is unknown.
---------------------------------
If
as Herod
we fill our lives with things
and again with things,
if we consider ourselves so important
that we must fill every moment of our lives
with action,
when will we have time
to make the long, slow journey
across the desert
as did the Magi?
Or sit and watch the stars
as did the shepherds?
Or brood over the coming of a child
as did Mary?
For each one of us
there is a desert to travel.
A star to discover.
And a being within ourselves to bring to life.

Quote of the Day

"Great minds discuss ideas;
average minds discuss events;
small minds discuss people."

~Eleanor Roosevelt


________
Side note: We are STILL battling fever and cough at our house. If you think of us, please pray! I'm REALLY done after 3 full weeks of sickness.

Quote of the Day

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ~ Albert Einstein

If this quote is true at all, my Asher and Ella have the world at their fingertips! Just the other day, Ella was playing pretend while Heath and I were finishing up dinner, chatting. She was handing him something imaginary and he assumed it was "food" he was supposed to eat. He popped it in his mouth and instantaneously a blood curdling wail escaped Ella's mouth! "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What just happened?"
Ella in between sobs: "You just ate my pink phone!!"
Heath: "Oh dear, let me get that back for you!" followed by the regurgitation action!
Ella: "Thank you!" with a smile on her face.

The rest of us were laughing uncontrollably as we witnessed the eating and regurgitation of the imaginary pink phone! It was as real to Ella as eating her dinner! I've never had much of an imagination, but I've enjoyed (almost) every minute of my youngest children's wild imaginations.

Quote of the Day

This is a section from a book by Graham Cooke called, "Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior." It's a bit long but has ministered to me and many others I have shared it with in the last couple weeks.



Pg 101-103
"If our spirituality matters, it matters most under pressure. The Lord is with us always; he never leaves us nor forsakes [Heb 13:5]. He is our rock, an ever present help in times of trouble [Psalm 27:5]. He lifts us up above our enemies [Psalm 27:6]. He sustains us. His willingness to help us is the foundation of our relationship with Him.
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
When we dwell on our circumstances, we become circumstantial. That is, we are drawn up in all of the tiny details of the situation, often telling Him things He already knows - like He is the child, and we are the parent - explaining everything. We try to develop peace in the situation. We attempt joy, but it mostly feels false. . .
We do not live in our circumstances, we live in Christ. Our capacity to receive depends on our position. We can sit in the circumstances or be seated in Christ in heavenly places. We cannot do both; so a choice is required.
When the Father draws us to Him, He seeks to separate us from our circumstances. That is why He tells us to come away into our prayer closet. We come into a confined space where we can confide in Him. A closet is restricted place where we are shut in with God and the enemy is restrained. We do not take our problems into the closet; we take our beliefs, our childlike simplicity, our uncomplicated trust. We come to worship and adore - to get into the face of Father and relax.
We need His strength in order to prosper. His nature is so inspirational; it strengthens us immeasurably. His delight is contagious, His joy unbounded. His peace is a deep, rhythmic rest that renews our mind. We feel lighthearted in His Presence. We joyfully cast all our cares onto Him.
In times of incredible assault, adversity and pressure, I have entered my secret place and become so confined with the Lord I forgot my reason for entry. I have discovered later that the enemy got tired of waiting around (he has no access to patience; it's impossible for him) and decamped.
Allow the Father to separate you from your circumstances Cast your cares on Him; then come away with Him. Let the Holy Spirit take you upwards to the Father. You are in Christ - you can go anywhere! In the place of intimate affection you receive a revelatory perspective that empowers you to be resourced from Heaven.
On earth a crisis is perceived as a threat to our well being. In Heaven it is an opportunity to discover something. The turning point for us is being confined with God - being in a space that He fully occupies. He surrounds us, fills us, overwhelms us. We are astonished, mesmerized. He lets us look through His eyes, feel His heartbeat. Joy becomes unconfined in that small space. We rejoice because His viewpoint is so amazing that we want to rush out of heaven into our circumstances and live out what we are seeing."

Mister Rogers :-)

I just finished reading a biography of the beloved Mister Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood. I watched him every day as a child. The book is called, "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers," by Amy Hollingsworth. If you loved Mister Rogers, this is a great read. I resonate with the quote below. It helped me define what I feel about my blog (why I'm struggling a bit with blogging my thoughts), my life, my place in people's lives. More on that later.

"Fred's intention was never to impose his beliefs on his viewers.
Instead, he wanted to create an atmosphere, one that would allow
viewers to feel safe and accepted . . .
Once viewers experienced that unconditional acceptance,
Fred reasoned, they could grow from there."
pg 38

Quote of the Day/ Book Recommendation

I love reading children and young adult literature. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins is my most recent fun read. Here are a couple favorite quotes:

"If you are not trying to hold on to time, you are not so afraid of losing it."
~Luxa to Gregor

"Even if times got bad, he would never again deny himself the possibility that the future might be happy even if the present was painful. He would allow himself dreams."
~of Gregor

Quote of the Day

"When the Spirit of God descends upon a man and overshadows
him with the fullness of His outpouring, then his soul
overflows with a joy not to be described,
for the Holy Spirit turns to joy whatever he touches. The
kingdom of heaven is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Acquire inward peace, and thousands around you will find their salvation."
St. Seraphim of Sarov

Quote of the Day

"Historically, we ate the equivalent of only 20 teaspoons of sugar a year as hunter/gatherers. Now we eat 158 pounds per person per year, or about 50 teaspoons or half a pound each day! The average schoolboy has 34 teaspoons of sugar a day."
From pg 152 of "The UltraMind Solution" by Mark Hyman, M.D.


YIKES!!!!!

Quote of the Day

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember
you have within you the strength,
the patience,
and the passion
to reach for the stars and to change the world."
~Harriet Tubman

Quote of the Day

"We're either occupied with ourselves or we are occupied with the revelation of the love of God."

"God doesn't start enjoying us after we mature but while we mature."

"Those confident in the love of God will love others better."

______
These are quotes from Mike Bickel's message on Mother's Day. A really phenomenal message on pursuing and receiving the love of God if you're on that quest.

Quote of the Day

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend."
~Theophastus

Quote of the Day

~From "Tales of the Restoration" by David and Karen Mains:

"The fear is more in the going than in the doing."