Imaginations Run Wild

We've had a great day at home. Relaxing some...watching t.v. some...cleaning some...cooking some - you get the picture. I have thoroughly enjoyed this day. One thing that this day did not have in it was my husband, Bradley. We put him on a plane(s) to India yesterday and he will be gone until January 17th. When you count the days, it's really not that long, but to me, it seems that way. I think it's because he left on a single digit day and will return on a day that has the word "teen" in it. That's just how it works for me. But also, because I am all things to all the little people in my house until he returns. Yes, "Mom's" the word.

Now I am a very blessed woman for sure. I have a very wonderful and helpful husband and great kids. But when you aren't used to be a single mom for any amount of time, AND your love language is acts of service, this time can turn out to be interesting. No matter, it is all in service to Him for sure.

I got into the "cleaning some" part of my day, which involved cleaning dishes, laundry and putting away Christmas...all at the same time. For a while, I felt like I had developed ADHD. I kept bouncing from one of these chores to the other. My kids had been upstairs for quite a while and my son came down to announce that he'd be going in and out for a while. Now, it's cold! Plain and simple, so I told him to put his coat on. He obeyed and I went back to my ADHD chores. Right about then, I heard him yell up to his sister, "I'm rich, right?" And she happily answered, "Yes, of course!" And he went out the front door. Well, this intrigued me. I began to continue the appearance of my cleaning so as not to interrupt their whatever it was they were doing. And boy did I soon discover.

They had a full-fledged Veterinarian's office upstairs. All of the WebKinz animals were in little cages. The Wii remotes controllers had been re-purposed to Defibrillator paddles in the operating room (the bathroom). The toilet paper from under the bathroom sink was now bandages awaiting the wounds of the animals that Brody was out rescuing. Bailey ran the office, but Brody was the doctor. He was riding his Porsche (new bike) to and from work. Too bad it made his cheeks so red. He obviously had the sun roof up on this cold, brisk day. Yes, the imaginations were out in full force up those stairs.

I love it when my kids, who have just about every toy they could possibly want at their fingertips decide that their imaginations are more fun than the anything else. And as a creative type, it certainly helps to know that this kind of playing cultivates more in them than watching hours of the Disney Channel or playing hours of video games. And it certainly helped when I finally walked up the stairs to behold the huge mess that the Vet Office was in 3 of the 4 rooms up there. But oh well...no reason to crush one of God's greatest gifts. Messes clean up and moments like these are fleeting. I'm just going to enjoy this part of the journey.

Out of The Mouths of Babes

The "word" for the year is going well. After I made my choice on Sunday, I decided to share this little adventure with my kids. We were driving on the way home from church and I decided to backtrack and told them the whole story. I asked them if they wanted to think/pray about having a word that would capture what they hoped their journey with the Lord would be this year. As I was saying one more time, "You can think about it", they both chimed in that they had their word choice.

Bailey is 11 and in middle school. I asked her to go first. She's been growing and learning so much lately, and if you remember the time between leaving elementary and going into middle school, there are so many choices to make. I hate to say it out loud, but choices to leave behind childish things. It is a part of maturity as a young woman and a young believer. Bailey confidently declared her word to be "RESPONSE". She explained it to me that she wanted to respond the right way anytime that her parents or the Lord asks her to do anything. Those are her words not mine. I was beaming, I'm sure. This was a big day for Bailey. We talked so many more times this day about her word choice. We talked about her relationship with her brother, with God, with us. It was good and hard. Being stretched is just that, isn't it? By the time she went to bed last Sunday, all on her own, she had a new commitment to begin memorizing God's word and doing daily devotions by reading through Psalms this year. I just couldn't have asked for anything more. We talked together about how she would be tested, even when she wasn't expecting it; but as her mom and her sister in Christ, I am so proud of her. She is truly becoming a beautiful young woman, inside and out.

Brody told me his word choice right after his sister did. He chose "THINK". Of course, I had to ask the reasons behind his choice, and he confidently declared that he needed to slow down and think about everything. He went on to give examples about spelling words correctly, remembering to capitalize the first word of every sentence, to listening to others before he started talking. Mind you, he was officially still on Christmas break from school, so some of these examples were very interesting to me, but I loved each one. Brody is in the 4th grade this year and will be turning 10 years old in March. This is a very important year in elementary for him. He is learning to write in cursive, working on his writing skills, moving up in all of sporting leagues, etc. Up until this point, he has definitely been good with just getting by in school, but he recently seemed to come to the understanding that he has so much more to give. His dad and I saw the light bulb turn on in football last fall and we've just been waiting for that to happen in school. Our hope and prayer is his word for the year will be the beginning of just that - waking up to his full potential. He is such a bright and creative boy, full of life and never-ending energy. His positive attitude and sweet spirit seems to be contagious to all of his friends and acquaintances. And because of all of these precious things, he is often content with status quo. We're not trying to push him hard, but he's got some pretty big dreams for life, so we just want him to find the work ethic to match it. With the Lord in his life, there is no doubt that "all things are possible."

And that is where I leave the content of this post, in the hands of the Lord. Bailey and Brody do not belong to us. They are gifts from our Heavenly Father. He hold their futures and He knows the plans He has for their lives. God, help us be faithful servants with these two precious gifts from above. And produce in them your will where it concerns "RESPONSE" and "THINK" in 2010. Trusting You is the only way, the best way.

A Word for the Year

We've arrived in 2010! Can't believe it! How did this happen so fast? Ten years - a decade into the new millelium! I'm about to have 2 kids in double digits! What? When your children tell you life is flying by, you just have hold on to your britches, right?

Well, we've started the new year out with something that our sweet and dear friends shared with us, and I just have to share with you. Robert and Angie's new pastor (that is very weird to say) has challenged their entire staff and church to find a word that is their focus for the new year. Dr. Uth's word for '10 is REMEMBER. I don't know the story behind his choice, but I bet the members of First Orlando will be discovering that very soon. So Robert and Angie were sharing their word choices for the new year with Bradley and I the other day. We just loved it and were both so inspired by it, that we asked them if we could join in with them in a word to capture what we hoped our journey to be for 2010. Of course, that gladly agreed that we could come along for the ride. So, immediately Bradley decided to go with FINISH! Finish things he started, finish school, you get the picture. I like his choice. Living in Texas has been about school, and with the end in sight - of school, I like his focusing being finishing strong! Yea!

It took me a little longer to decide. If you read my last post, I had a pretty interesting year for 2009, and where I am right now is hard to put into words exactly. So to sum up what I hope the journey with the Lord will be for the year of 2010 was just hard. I batted around several words, but no particular one was chosen. Then on Sunday, our Pastor spent the day speaking on our church's vision for 2010. It was a great day, but something in the middle of his sermon struck me that day. It actually helped me make my decision. But it started in the early morning hours in my shower, alone with the Lord.

I get up at 5: 30 am every Sunday morning to be at work by 6:30 am. Yes....I know! And on cold days, the only thing that helps is that hot morning shower. But if you've been following this blog, you know that water is one of the things that makes me feel creative. My creative juices flow like crazy at the beach. When I am near the lake or a fountain, my mind just moves more freely. And the shower is the same. This Sunday morning, I was praying about the word choice. I was thinking about when I drifted to sleep and it was still with me when I was trying to wake up. I had gone to sleep reading the book, "Come Thirsty". I had decided on New Year's Eve as I was leaving the office, that I would make this my first read of the new year. It fell into a theme that I believe the Lord had going with me. A great part of last year was like the desert to me . I felt all alone in the wilderness for much of it. So maybe "Thirsty" was what I was. Thirsty to be filled and overflowing with God's goodness and mercy again. Thirsty to be healed up from some lingering wounds, you know like when your skin is so dry you can't put enough lotion on it. Thirsty like a plant that hasn't been watered; like the ground that needs the rain; like a riverbed that was low. And this book screamed out to me ,"Come Thirsty". Yes, the optimum word being "COME!" I had missed it! Thirsty is what attracted me to the book, but the "Coming" was what I had not done enough of last year. Tapping into the source that could quench my thirst. I know that much of my year was spent sitting down in my wilderness, like Elijah after Mt. Carmel. The Lord fed him, provided him water, and allowed him to rest until he was called back into service. And do you remember what God asked him to do after he sat and experienced some healing? Yes, run for over 300 miles to another mission for the Lord. He also got to go find Elisha, but a marathon none-the-less. Come Thirsty.

But that was not the word I chose. When Bro. John said, "What word has been rolling around in your mind, something that God wants to stretch you with and accomplish in you this year?", the word the Spirit brought to my mind was REFRESHED. That was what I told the Lord as I was finishing my shower that morning. "Thank you Lord for showers that are so REFRESHING to me every cold, early Sunday morning!" Thirsty is what I always need to be. Thirsty for more of the Lord. But when I COME, and drink from the LIVING WATER, He promises me to be REFRESHED. That is what I want 2010 to be.

Psalm 107:9, says, " For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 68:9 says, "You gave abundant showers, Oh God, and you refresh your inheritance."

So, you'll hear a lot about this word from me over the course of this year. I'm anticipating great and mighty things from the Lord. And I know He is waiting for me to COME to the LIVING WATER, very THIRSTY and find REFRESHMENT. Join me, want you?

Goodbye to '09! Hello to 2010!

I Samuel 7:12, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

I read this verse this morning in my morning devos and have been thinking about it ever since. And since today is the last day of 2009, I thought I'd cap the year with one last blog. For those of you who read this blog, I also manage other one for our church called "Imagine Christmas". I have to leave this blog to keep that one up as it supports the Worship Ministry's Christmas program each year. So, it might look like I've been a lazy girl in the blogging world, but no sir. Just blogging over there for the church. But I just couldn't roll into 2010 without looking back on all that God has done in '09 and saying "Thank you, Lord." Let's recap...

The year started off with much promise, as all years seem to do. At first we thought that '09 might bring seminary to a close in our lives, but that soon changed very close to the beginning of 2009. Three semesters to finish. Oh well...at least Bradley was enjoying his classes in MACE. I so enjoyed seeing his zeal for school change when he changed over to this course of studies. It was like a new fire was ignited in him. We could handle waiting to graduate in 2010. And look, now that it is only 5 months away. Trust me, we are counting the days until May 6th. Put that on your calendar.

The Spring was interesting. I think that is the only word that the Lord will allow me to use. Bradley was suppposed to go to Africa, but I just couldn't get a peace about it. I seriously lost sleep over him leaving for this trip. That had never happened before. So, I just began to pray that God would wrap me in peace or speak to him about a change of plans. And the Lord did just that. Bradley realized that he shouldn't go, which allowed his assistant to go in his place. Lori was so blessed and we soon realized why Bradley should have been here and not there. All I can say about the Spring is that it changed many things for the Thomas family. We took to our knees and found a way to praise through the storm. It was a personal and very private storm for Bradley and I. The Lord brought us closer together and closer to Him as well. But things changed. Trusting that nothing passes to us that does not come through the hand of the Lord first, we journeyed on into summer just holding on.

Summer brought some healing and a calmer time. The Lord's hand is ever faithful. Our ministries grew and we just kept keeping on. I found myself really just waking up each day, looking to the Lord for strength for that day...and kept on walking. The Lord really began to teach me a lesson in the summer months. How to "be still and know that I am God" while "runnning the race set before us". They just weren't meshing in my mind, body and soul. But when we are weak, He is strong. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS! So this is what I would do. "Being still and waiting, while running the race". Guess what, still doing it. And we got the WADES! Yes another piece of home, here in TEXAS! We so loved having Aaron, Rebekah, Evie and Abel stay with us for a while. And getting to do ministry with Aaron again has been such a bright spot in the middle of the year '09.

Fall brought busy"ness". I still can't believe it, but Bailey started middle school at HMS! Brody is a fourth grader and all by himself at Bear Creek Elementary. Brody also started his 2nd year of tackle football. He grew so much over the summer that his coaches were very excited to have him back. Go Bengals! And Bailey was starting her 2nd year of Senior League cheerleading with me as her coach. We set high expectations for her squad since they were all returning to a 2nd year. I do love football and cheerleading season, so this was a really good thing for me. And both the Patriots and the Bengals had very successful seasons, although it felt like we played every game in the rain! We've never had so much rain in Texas. And at church, we began making plans for Christmas, which is my favorite ministry time of the year. Imagine Christmas would make another appearance, but this time would journey all the way back to the beginning of time to see the real reason why Jesus had to come as a baby. Sin entered the world! Much to do and stay busy with. And all of this went well and fast. Before we knew it, Brody's Bengals were regular season champs! They headed into the playoffs with very high hopes. And the Patriots made the playoffs only to lose the 1st game. But the cheerleaders had their big showcase day at Pennington Field. Which is where we found out that the Patriot cheerleaders won the Senior League Cheer Championship! Yes, that was our goal! And my peers honored me with another Coach of the Year Award, so we feel our cheer season was very successful! And the Bengals went all the way to the Consolation Bowl and finished 3rd in the league for the 2nd year in a row. And Brody was a captain for that game and got to call the coin toss! How cool was that!
Fall also brought some other news that was a secret for a while. It appeared as if the Lord was moving Robert and Angie to a new ministry. How exciting to watch God work in their lives in such a particular and clear way! The Thomas family could not be more excited for them. But as the days neared to the news being known and then the actual leaving...it meant that I'd be losing my boss and our friends. You have to know the whole story, but they were MY gift for obeying. The journey to Texas was harder for me. Bradley had a new thing but I had to say goodbye to a very full and effective ministry in Tennessee. And that doesn't even speak of leaving all our family. So the Elkins were my gift. I told Angie that she and Robert and kids would have to be just that...our family. We've known each other since we were 9 years old. We started going to the same school when we were in the 5th grade. In my memories, she's always been there. So that was a HUGE blessing for our obedience to come to Texas to be in the center of God's will. And now, they would be leaving. Saying "goodbye" to having your best friends there, just around the corner, was harder than expected. I can definitely tell you that I prefer to be the leaver than the one being left. And all of this wrapped into Christmas made for an interesting holiday. But who can be sad when you can see the hand of the Lord so clearly? Well, maybe we can be for a little while....

So, here I sit on the eve of 2010. I know Bradley will graduate in this new year. And God has already showed us His favor for school and finances. Thank you Jesus! And I know we'll be living in Texas without the Elkins. And I'm praying that the search for a new Worship Pastor is quick and easy for First Baptist Euless. But the rest, is totally up to God. I'm praying that the Thomas family will clearly see the hand of the Lord in our lives this year. I'm praying that my children will begin to develop a closer relationship with Christ. I'm praying that our home will be blessing to our friends and colleagues this year. I'm praying that my love for Bradley will just grow deeper and stronger. I'm praying that our families will see God's richest blessings in their lives this year. I'm praying that my walk with my Abba is deeper and fuller. I'm praying that the healing that started in 2009 will continue to take place in 2010, in me. I'm going to be intentional to praise Him first, even if I have to feel it later. I'm raising my hand in praise to the One who called us, set us apart, lives in us, guides us, protects us, never leaves us. "Thus far the Lord has helped us." He's not about to stop now. 2010, here we come with God leading the way.
Thank you for taking a journey through '09. Hang on for the ride with "Designed to Create" in 2010. Blessings to you and Happy New Year!