Music for the Soul

After a tough tough day.....I happened upon this. Beautiful......take a moment to watch and listen.

Music for the soul........

MONKEYSTORY #716

Gabe: "Mommy! I was hiding in that closet when you came past and shut the door!
You scared me, cuz it got all dark in there! It made me sugar!"

Me: "I'm so sorry I didn't know you were in there! When Mommy sees an open door, I just close it...that's what Mommy's do. But it made it you sugar??"

Gabe: "I mean the dark made me shudder.....no... sugar....I mean shiver.......Oh I don't know!!!!
You know what word I mean Mom!"

Grace

Steven Furtick

When it comes to grace, people usually go wrong in one of two ways.

We either think that we’re too far gone for it and dismiss it.
Or we take it for granted and abuse it.
...
While they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum, they’re actually just two different expressions of the same problem:
They both view grace as weakness.

The first group lives as if grace is too weak to rescue them.
The second group lives as if grace is too weak to transform them.

Both are wrong. Grace isn’t weakness.

Grace is power. It is power to save and to transform. To cover all of our sins and remove them from our lives. To get you off the hook and to get you into the zone of transformation.

MONKEYSTORY #715

Gabe: "Hey Mommy! Do you know what I had dreams about last night?"

Me: "Nope...tell me."

Gabe: "Well I dreamt that I saw Jesus....He was wearing a yellow dress, the sun was shining
really bright, He had a beard and He was very quiet. I sat on His lap and He was smiling at me."

Ellie: "Wow Gabe! I dreamt all night about zombies! I really should stop watching Scooby-Doo!"

Aubrie: "Hey guys! Do you know what I dreamed? Well I dreamed about horses. They were pink and and so sparkly!"
She then breaks out in song:" Oh a pink sparkly horse....a pink sparkly horse. Oh my pink pink pink hoooooooorse. Do you know my pink sparkly horse???"

Gabe: "I bet there's pink sparkly horses in Heaven! But no zombies for sure!"

And there ya have it....just another normal day at the monkey house ;)

Trust

“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”

― Francis Chan, Crazy Love

The Purpose of Prosperity...

  There are three levels of how to live with things:

(1) you can steal to get;

 (2) or you can work to get;

 (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. Almost all the forces of our culture urge them to live on level two. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three.

 “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

John Piper

Strong Beautiful Hearts

This parenting shenanigan is not for the faint of heart.
I never knew such little people could cause so many emotions to come forth.

At one point today, my heart was literally bursting with joy and pride.
I came across Ellie sitting Gabe down in the living room to help him memorize his Bible verse
for Awana tonight. Without me prompting anything.

At another point today, I was frustrated beyond frustrated that certain little monkies couldn't listen
and follow directions the first time given....even though we have talked about this concept 100 million times...every. single .day. of. their. long. legged. lives......

At one point....I was scrubbing dishes like a mad woman and flinging soap suddy bubbles everywhere because a certain 3 year old was throwing a fit because she "DIDN'T WANT TO EAT HER LUNCH EVER AGAIN AND SHE JUST WANTED TO GO WATCH PRINCE CHARMING AND CINDERELLA RIGHT NOW AND IT IS SO NOT FAIR THAT I MAKE HER EAT FOOD EVERY DAY OF HER LIFE!!!!"

At the suppertable, that same little 3 year old thanked me with the sweetest voice and sweetest smile and said, "Thank you so much for making us supper....you are the best Mommy ever."

During school time today, Gabe kept leaning into me so I gave him a kiss on the head which made him start a game of leaning back and forth. Every time he leaned over I would kiss his head. I was rewarded with the cutest little boy giggles and a smile that lights up the sky every time.

There were highs...there were lows....there were mediums. I didn't always keep my cool.

But tonight when that little blonde haired feisty 3 year old, disobeyed the instructions of:
"Stay right by my side while we walk to the van in the dark parking lot because there are a lot of cars picking up kids tonight..." Well this Mama heart just busted.
As that little laughing crazy monkey bolted from my side and raced as fast as she could to get to the van.....time stood still. I screamed her name and for her to stop as a car came towards her from out of nowhere and barely missed her innocent and carefree little self. I don't know how I got to her as fast as I did, but I do know I picked her up so fiercely that I scratched her hand in the process.
And later as she cried and said, "But Mommy....you hurt my hand."
I cried and told God, "But God...they hurt my heart."

And we held the kids close....we talked about the day...and the importance of listening the first time.
We talked about how much we love them and how Daddy and Mommy still make mistakes too.
And as we cried and prayed in a tight little huddle....we thanked God for His angels tonight protecting little Aubrie.

And this Mama....well I'm learning our hearts are so much stronger than we give them credit for.
It swells, it busts, it excites, it angers, it frustrates, it joys, it breaks, it mends.....
and it does it again and again....day after day.
And I'm beginning to realize that faint hearts become beautiful strong hearts... in this journey we call parenting.