Bandaids

Brian and I were staying in a rented house out of town last week, when I dropped my toiletries bag on the floor. I bent down to pick up all of its contents, and accidentally sliced my finger on my razor! Ouch! It seems like a little thing, but it bled for over half an hour and would not stop!! It was after midnight, and I was getting concerned. After trying to stop the bleeding with wads of toilet paper and ice, I thought eventually I could use a few bandaids. There was practically nothing in the little medicine cabinet, but almost as if someone had anticipated my need, a box of bandaids stared back at me.

Now this may seem silly to you, but I knew that God had allowed those bandaids to be left in that cabinet because He knew I would need them. In the quiet, away from home, I felt loved. Ephesians 3:19 has become one of my favorite verses. It says, "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fulness of life and power that comes from God."

That means that we can have fullness of life when we experience how much God loves us. I want a full life, don't you? Sometimes, I am sure that I miss God's expressions of love for me, but now I am dead set on trying to grasp just how much I am loved!!

training your kids to be leaders

we heard there was a cow in the outfield and a horse near third base. something like that! taylor went to the dominican republic on a baseball mission trip. two days ago they played a pick-up game against a pitcher with one leg. new experiences. mom's not there. probably the best thing for my sixteen year old!

when taylor was a toddler, i learned that i would never be able to take the credit if he turned out to be a good kid. i was in way over my head in parenting this wild child, but i knew that if he became a great man, i would humbly admit that it was God working in his life. with that disclaimer said, i will humbly tell you that we are trying to do things that create leadership in our kids. allow your kids to do difficult things that stretch them. maybe this mission trip is stretching us too!! i want our boys to learn to depend on God, not just mom and dad. let your boys be warrior men and let your girls be strong women!! let's give responsibility to our kids and allow them to learn leadership.

"rice and beans pretty much everyday." taylor