Selling Lemonade and Tattoos

At the Seville yard sales this weekend, we decided to let Moo sell lemonade. My nephew decided to sell tattoos. They did pretty well with their sales.

In the late morning an Amish man pulled his buggy to the side of the road and asked if he could tie his horse to the post in my cousin's yard. Since the space was needed, we had to tell him no. As he pulled away, Moo and nephew asked the Amish guy, "Would you like lemonade or a tattoo?"

I had to laugh at that one!

Are You Excited About Heaven?

Sermon notes from June 15, 2008
Northside Christian Church - Robin Hart
Hebrews 11:13, 16

7 Reasons to be Exicted About Heaven

1. We get a New Body - Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 2 Corinthians 5:4

2. We'll Get to Eat Great Food - Matthew 8:11, Revelation 19:9

3. We Get to Talk with Bible Characters

4. We Get to See and Speak with Our Loved Ones - 2 Samuel 12:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

5. We'll Get to Live in a Perfect World - Revelation 21, Phillipians 3:20, Luke 10:20, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27, Revelation 7:16,17, Revelation 21:4, Romans 7:18-25

6. We'll Get a New Home - John 14:1-3, Hebrews 11:10, Revelation 7:9

7. We'll Get to See God

1 John 3:2

My Wart

Moo, J, and I were swimming in my mom's and dad's pool yesterday. Moo had latched onto my back and we were swimming around together. I said, "J, look at this wart I have on my back."

A bit later, Moo was still on my back. J was messing around with her, trying to get her off my back. She said to him, "Stop! I'm mommy's wart!"

Two Soccer Games in One Day

Moo's soccer team had a double-header today. In between the games, she was explaining this to someone. She said, "We have a two-header today!"

They lost the first game, but won game number two - their first win for the season!

Will the Real Frog and Toad Please Stand Up?

Sometimes the gap between what kids know and what we think they know is larger than we realize. Last week Moo's first grade class went to see the play "Frog and Toad All Year" based on the book by Arnold Lobel. After seeing the "Sound of Music" and the ballet "Cinderella," I figured Moo knew what a play was.

I called her after she got out of school to ask her how it was.

The first thing out of her mouth was, in a gruff voice of realization, "Frog and Toad were people!"

I still have no idea what she expected.

Not Easy.

My sister's kitchen caught on fire yesterday. She and my niece and nephew were not home. My brother-in-law was. Everyone's safe.

The damage is quite extensive. Although the fire was contained in the kitchen, the smoked filled the entire house. All the food and everything plasic in the house is a loss. A lot of other stuff can be cleaned. The kitchen and bathroom will have to be redone. Cleaning and painting will be done throughout the whole house, as well as all new carpeting.

They'll be out of their house for at least three months. It won't be easy.

We have helped after work the past two days. It is disheartening to see all that has to be thrown away. I know it's all just "things," but the idea of listing all my belongings on a sheet and then throwing them away is not easy... wedding memorabilia, vacation souvenirs, family photos, pictures the kids made. Just not easy.

I remind myself that God has a plan for everything. In fact, I've allowed my mind to wander and think of the good that may come of all this. I know that God has good things in the works for my sister's family.

However today, there's that ball in the pit of my stomach that watched my sister throw item after item. Not easy for me. Even harder for her and her family.

Pressing On

Most things I've tried, I've been pretty good at. A good majority of those things I've even been a bit above average in. (I'm not talking about anything athletic of course.) But in my adult life, I've come across something that continually kicks me in the butt. Something I work at, think about, and try over and over. But I seem to mess up - all the time. It's at the point sometimes that I feel like I've failed and I should just drop out. I've never been a quitter though and so I never fully drop out.

I guess that's the one of the things I have going for me.

Philippians 3:12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (The Message)