4/11/11

The Book I'm Reading Ch 4-6

Page 68
Time is a relentless River. It rages on, a respecter of no one.

Wow isn't this a true statement. I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't wish there were more hours in it... Chapter 4 really got me wondering if I ever spend my life in the moment?? I am so busy hurrying to the next moment that I'm never in the actual moment... This so needs to change in my life. Just one more thing  to work on.  Be present in all of my moments.  and Thankful in my moments...

Page 68 goes on to say:
And this, this is the only way to slow time: When I FULLY enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here. Light Bulb!!!! Enter my moments with the weight of ALL my attention.

Ch. 5
What is grace? WHAT IS GRACE... when I think about grace it feels very complicated to me. I also feel a little guilty like it shouldn't be complicated but I can't help it... like in this chapter when Ann finds her self questioning the distribution of God's grace. How is it determined that my son lives your son doesn't. You can have children but she can't? Of course we don't know or see ALL as God does. We don't realize or can't see that God's grace covers every part of our life when our humanness stands there staring and saying this DOES NOT feel like grace. However I am not receiving less grace than my brother or sister... It's just that my grace is shaped differently. This is the grace plan that my life, my purpose, my journey calls for. GRACE...hmmmmm

Ch 6

What do you want?

Wow that's a tuff one for me... Do you guys know what you want? Are you able to answer this question?


So did anyone else start or plan to start your list or a gratitude journal????

4/8/11

WOW Prom...

So all week I had a big secret! Brit was being asked to prom. It was a hard secret to keep let me tell ya... She was sooo sad that all of her friends were going to prom and that she hadn't been asked. It's kinda funny because originally she was very adamant about not going to prom until her Senior year. However once her friends talked her out of waiting it's amazing how quickly it became important to be asked to go.

Last night was so fun! The plan was in place earlier that day. Brittani would go to cheer practice giving plenty of time for the plan to be executed. "Big Daddy" would meet the prom crew at our house to let them in and about their business... They worked like busy little bees making things just right for Cheerio... a night to remember.

The boy had gotten her 12 long stem roses in Cheerios favorite color... orange.. and had carefully glued each tea light candle to spell out "Prom?". When she walked in there he stood roses in hand and his face all aglow from the many MANY candles screaming his plea. Cheerio was speechless!!! Alas able to squeak out the word YES!!! What a great moment... It was worth every torturous second of secrecy.




4/4/11

The Book I'm Reading... Eucharisteo


In Greek:
Eucharisteo - Thanksgiving


This book really starts off with a punch in the stomach doesn’t it? Why do bad things happen to good people? We talk about serving a merciful, gracious God, a God who only wants the best for me and you. Then when we have to walk through suffering we begin to loose perspective of who God is and what his true purposes are for us. Lord knows I have walked through events in my life that I will never understand until I get to heaven. My family (mom, dad, sisters) has been through storms that have been so treacherous we didn’t know if our sanity would stay in tact. But our God has proven faithful. Have we gotten to the point of thankfulness for the storms? I don’t know? Are we thankful for the lives that we have and the blessings we have? Yes. Do we have to get to the point of thankfulness for the storms? I’m not sure. Would I change a thing? For my self no I would not. I’m not sure if that equals thankfulness. I do believe that God knows what’s best. I do believe that there is never a hurt wasted. I do believe that He will turn ashes into beauty. I know that there has been good fruit from the pain in my life. I know that I don’t see the completed painting of my life with its scars that changed my path. I believe the ripple affect has been vast. I do know that God is the artist of my life and I have faith in my creator.

Living a life of thankfulness true thankfulness! I love this idea of writing down specific things moment by moment that you are thankful for as a discipline. I can sense the awakening in your soul that will happen. Like when you need glasses and you put them on and for the first time everything is crisp and clear it is literally a different world. You are living life in a different and better way. It literally changes how you see everything!

Living a life of complete contentment... awww doesn't that sound fabulous

Unwrapping Love:

I'm starting a list... I want to encourage you to start your list too!!

What a great book so far...

b

4/2/11

Sacrifice...

sac•ri•fice

 [sak-ruh-fahys] noun, verb, -ficed, -fic•ing.

–noun

1. The offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.

2. The person, animal, or thing so offered.

3. The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

4. The thing so surrendered or devoted.

5. A loss incurred in selling something below its value.

I have been pondering on the word sacrifice. It’s not a wonder seeing how we are entering the Easter season. But I’ve been wondering if I stay connected to the word sacrifice in my life, at least most of the time. No I don’t think I do. Living a life of sacrifice is a selfless life. I unfortunately believe I spend a lot of my life selfishly. Yesterday during the 15-20 min we sacrifice at the office for a unified devotion to our God we discussed the true story from the bible of Abraham and Isaac. Maybe you are reading this and you don’t know this particular story of sacrifice in the bible. You can find it here… this story always sends my head into a frenzy of self discussion. How do you get to that level of complete belief that God will provide and even if that means I have to sacrifice my child for your plan God I will do it. I can’t even relate! Yet I know people who have had to sacrifice there child to God’s divine plan. No they didn’t build a physical alter and lay them on it to wield their weapon of destruction. The choice wasn’t theirs to make. But their child is gone none the less and they press on move forward in faith believing that God’s plan is better than their own even though they will never understand until they are united with their child and their God in heaven.

I have a hard enough time sacrificing my time, my money, my what ever!! My prayer is that I work towards a life that reflects my God. I believe that on this journey he is telling me “Brandi work on your sacrifice. It’s for your good and mine”. Well when I look at the cross and meditate on all Christ has done and does and will do for me. It’s the least I can do.


b

Saturday Inspiration...



Headbands Yay!