Got Gas?!

Today started off quiet. I was looking forward to Tanya, Kate and Zach coming over to play. Our original plan was to go to the park. But, the weather was gross and rainy so we decided to stay at the house and play. I've got all sorts of toys for the kids to play with so they got to playing and laughing and we had a great time...we even made a xylophone with the tinker toys...

and then....

Whooooshhhh...it seemed like it came out of nowhere. All of the sudden Tanya and I smelled gas and heard a loud whoooshing sound. We quickly realized it was coming from the fireplace. Kate was sitting in front of it so we tried to figure out what she had touched that would have turned the gas on. I ran into the kitchen and blew out the candle. I made sure the furnace/AC were turned off. I opened a window and a door and quickly got the attic fan turned on. We got the kids out of the house and I called my dad to figure out how to turn it off.

Even outside, the smell of gas was so strong. Tanya and I were frantic, trying to figure out how to turn it off. My dad mentioned a key and Kate said she had found a key. But, where was it? I ran into the house as I called 9-1-1. Just as they answered, I saw the key...


...it was sticking out of the floor, hidden by the rocking chair! I quickly turned the gas off and was so thankful to hear the whoooshing stop whooshing. For safety reasons, the fire department came (no sirens, thankfully!) to make sure everything was safe again. We were standing outside in the front lawn with a few rain drops coming down when the fire engine got there. Kate and Zachary were wide eyed! (They looked how I felt!) The firemen checked our "gas leak" and thankfully, everything was just fine. They told us that we did everything right! (Of course, it would have been helpful if I had been more aware of the KEY before this situation!)

But, if we did everything "just right", why do my hands still tremble at the thought of the events of the day? Why does my heart skip a beat whenever I think of how different it could have been? And why do I feel like I just had a "stupid girl moment"?! (This is my second "stupid girl moment" this month! That's 2 too many!)

But, in spite of my trembling I am reminded of a few things for which I am so thankful. I am thankful for the Lord's protection of my loved ones and me, thankful that we have nothing to fear while in His care!

"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble,
Therefore, we will not fear."

Psalm 46:1-2a

I am also thankful for a child's heart that is tender. Kate did not purposefully do wrong. She did not take the key with the intent to cause any sort of trouble. She was being curious. But, her first response at realizing the result of her actions? She asked to say "sorry"! She wanted to do what she could to make a wrong right again. Do I respond with that same sensitivity? Is my heart tender, desiring to make my "wrongs" right again? Or do I try to defend my actions, intentional or otherwise?

I pray for the children in my life--Kate, Zachary, Ethan, Simon, Jacob, Nyah (to name a few! There are others of you who read my blog that I am faithfully praying for your children, too!)--I pray that their hearts might be sensitive to their sinful nature, that they might have a tender heart towards the things of God, that they might grow to be faithful men and women of God! I pray that one day soon, we will all be hearing the good news of one of these wee souls saved so that we might rejoice together!

"Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him
and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

I Peter 1:8-9

**P.S. In case you were wondering, the key has been moved into another room, far and away from where it can be used by accident. And, my dad came over and plugged the gas line (I don't use it anyways!). So, this house is safe again! Whew!

A lovely day for a hike, don't you think?!

Today was a little overcast and perhaps a little muggy, too, but I found it to be a lovely day to be outdoors! Anne-Marie and I decided that we are going to start checking out the various trails around here. I know we're not exactly known for great trails in this area, but that's ok. We're going to find the best of what's here and enjoy the adventure in the mean time!

Anne-Marie, ready for the big hike!

Checking out the sights!

A really cool natural archway! Don't you love it?!

Taking a rest, enjoying the day.

Flowers! A wonderful sign of spring!

Trying to decide if I can trick people into
thinking I'm a real, bona fide hiker!

The Fruit of the Spirit--Faith

Am I known by my friends and family as faithful? When I say I'll do something, can I be relied upon to follow through on my word? I must admit that I used to be more faithful than I have been lately. I find myself committing to things and then realizing later that its more than I can handle. Life is so busy, there are so many things to get done, so many events to participate in and so many more things I want to do...but, I don't want the hustle and bustle of life to be an excuse to compromise faithfulness. The Lord has been impressing upon my heart the need to be faithful to my word. When I say I will do something, I want the people in my life to trust that I will follow through on that commitment.

So, in light of this thought, here is an excerpt from One Day at a Time in the continuing series on the Fruit of the Spirit...

"The fruit of the Spirit is...faith..." (Galatians 5:22)

The fruit of the Spirit is generally understood as being faithfulness. It is not the faith that saves or the trust we exercise in God day by day (although it may include that). Rather it is our fidelity and dependability in our dealings with the Lord and with one another. Someone has defined it as being "true to oneself, to one's nature, to any promise given, to any trust committed."

When we say that a man's word is his bond, we mean that in dealing with him, no written contract is necessary. If he has agreed to do something, he can be depended on to do it.

The faithful man keeps appointments on time, pays his bills on schedule, attends the meetings of the local fellowship regularly, performs tasks assigned to him without having to be constantly reminded. He is unswervingly true to his marriage vows, and unfailing in the discharge of his family responsibilities. He is conscientious in setting money aside for the work of the Lord and careful also in his stewardship of time and talents.

Faithfulness means being true to one's word, even at great personal cost. The faithful man "swears to his own hurt, and does not change" (Ps. 15:4c NASB). In other words, he does nto cancel one supper engagement when he receives another that promises a better menu or more congenial company. He does not renege on a work assignement to go on a recreational trip (unless he first arranges for a satisfactory substitue). He sells his house at the agreed price even if someone later offers him $10,000 more.

The ultimate in faithfulness is being willing to die rather than renounce one's loyalty to Christ. When the king demanded that a faithful Christian retract his confession of Christ, the man replied, "The heart thought it; the mouth spoke it; the hand subscribed it; and if need by, by God's grace the blood shall seal it.l: When Polycarp was offered life in exchange for a denial of the Lord, he chose rather to be burned at the stake, saying, "These eighty-six years have I served my Lord. He never did me any harm, and I cannot deny my Lord and Master now."

The martyrs were faithful unto death and will receive a crown of life (Rev. 2:10).

One Day at a Time, by William MacDonald

Faithfulness....sometimes there is a cost to be faithful but may we each strive to exhibit faithfulness in our lives. And, above all, may we remain faithful to our Lord and Savior.

Susan Koman Luncheon

The weekend before Easter, my mom and I went to a Susan Koman Foundation luncheon in honor of breast cancer survivors. They had boutiques there for some pre-luncheon shopping...I bought a new bag! How can you NOT buy something when it benefits breast cancer research!? :-)

Our very yummy dessert!

It was astounding to see so many women gathering, brought together by one common thing...breast cancer. There were women there that had been diagnosed as recently as the last week to being cancer free for over 45 years! Did you know that 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer?

My mother with two sweet ladies that have
been cancer free for 12 and 14 years!

The guest speaker, a former anchor for the CBS Early Show, mentioned her desire to live her life to the fullest. It made me think of John 10:10, "...I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly", or as some versions say "...have life and have it to the full." I'm so thankful that we have the ability to live life to the fullest because the Good Shepherd was willing to lay His life down for mine.

Generally, when our lives or our health is threatened is the moment we finally realize what it means to appreciate life and health. Why is it that we take it for granted when we have it, and the moment it's gone is when we realize how much we really had? Are we the same way with our spiritual lives? Am I just going along this road, not fully realizing what it means to live my life, my spiritual life, to the fullest? Am I not reaching my potential as a believer because I'm missing what it means to live this life abundantly?

I had a purpose and a reason to be at that luncheon. My mother. She is a survivor. She has been cancer free for 4 years now (Praise the Lord!) and I am thankful to be able to celebrate her life and be reminded of how easily these moments with our loved ones slip past us and I want to appreciate every moment. And, I want to live my life to the fullest...with purpose...with contentment...with fullness...as God intended us to live!

My mother and I!

Where was my head?!

Do you ever have moments where you wonder where your head was? I have these moments more often than I'd like to admit and today I was not-so-lucky to have another "moment". I was doing laundry.....normally, when I do laundry, I do my whites, then darks, then towels. Today, though, I did my towels first because I was in desperate need. Most of my towels are white so I threw in a little bleach to make them sparkly white.

A few hours later, I was changing the laundry and proceeded to put my darks in the washer. Then, I poured in the detergent...or so I thought! I looked and my stomach sank when I realized I had just poured in a liberal amount of bleach onto all my darks! My jeans. My sweaters. My dress pants. My shirts. Two weeks worth of darks had been stuffed in that washer and I had just poured bleach all over them! I frantically began to pull out what I could, trying to salvage what items I could, seperating obviously ruined items from the others. I rinsed and squeezed and blubbered my way through a very unpleasant experience!

I'm sad to tell you, that several t-shirts are ruined along with two new sweaters, a pair of dress pants, some pajama pants and sweat pants. The verdict is still out on 5 pairs of jeans (2 of those are new!)and 2 nice shirts. Uggghh...how frustrating!

Where was my head during this "laundry catastrophe"? I have no idea but now I know...laundry is NOT a mindless task!

I've learned my lesson...no more bleach allowed in this house because I apparently am not responsible enough to use it! Maybe someday when I grow up! ;-)

Fruit of the Spirit--Kindness

"The fruit of the Spirit is...kindness..." (Galatians 5:22)

The King James Version has the word "gentleness" here but almost all modern versions read "kindness." "The fruit of the Spirit is...kindness..."

Kindness describes the gentle, gracious, generous disposition that results in the doing of favors, the showing of mercies, and the bestowing of benefits on others. The kind person is gracious, not harsh; sympathetic, not indifferent; and helpful, not uninvolved. He is considerate, compassionate and charitable.

There is a natural kindness which even the people of the world show to one another. But the kindness which is produced by the Spirit is supernatural. It goes above and beyond anything that man is capable of doing by himself. It enables a believer to lend, hoping for nothing in return. It enables him to show hospitality to those who cannot repay him. It enables him to reward every insult with a courtesy. A Christian university student displayed this supernatural kindness toward another student who was an alcoholic. The latter had become so disgusting that he had been rejected by his classmates and finally was evicted from his quarters. The Christian had an extra bed in his room and so invited the drunk to live with him. Many nights the believer had to clean up his roommate's vomit, take his clothes off, bathe him, and put him to bed. It was a magnificent display of Christian kindness.

And--to complete the story--it paid off. Once, during a sober period, the dissolute fellow asked with irritation, "Say, look here, why are you doing all this for me? What are you after?" The Christian replied, "I'm after your soul"--and he got it....

quoted from One Day at a Time, by William MacDonald

Too often I find myself being unkind and ungracious towards others. What a shame to my testimony for the Lord! It makes me wonder what sort of an impact we could have for the cause of Christ if all believers were characterized by a generous and gracious spirit? Would we begin to see revival in our neighborhoods if we were consistently displaying the kindness of the Lord, as only produced in us by the Spirit of the Lord?

I am praying that you and I might show this sort of kindness to those around us. To our neighbors, to our co-workers, to our brothers and sisters in Christ...and that each one of us might make a small difference by exhibiting the kindness of the Lord to those around us.