Planting Seeds

Mission team season is in full swing here, and since Steve's main job is setting up all the logistics for those teams and then leading them in their projects and outreach events, he is very busy during this time. A cool blessing that comes with this job is the opportunity for our kids to go along on some of the projects. Both Shelby and Nate went with the group to the Malnutrition Center. They absolutely love going, playing with the children there, and loving on the babies, too. 

By the end of last week, we were pretty wiped, so we planned a family day for Saturday, just relaxing and being together. The kids bought seed packets and planted a tiny garden in the small piece of ground we call our backyard! They weren't crazy about preparing the soil, but they loved making little holes and putting those tiny seeds in, ever so carefully. 

That night at dinner, Jackson was sure his plants had already grown, and he needed to go check on them. The next morning, the kids were out the door before breakfast to water the ground. If excitement and lots of watering can grow a garden, then ours is sure to be amazing!

Helping Paint a House

For my birthday, I helped paint a house! The people there were: two ladies, one teenage boy, one little boy, and one little girl. There were animals, too. There were: a duck, two BIG roosters,one little rooster, and a hen. I got to hold the little rooster! I got to feed AND water the pets! I also got to play with the little kids!

Allergies

Here's the latest life lesson from my five year old.

Jackson: "Mom, I think God is allergic to some people."

Wow. This is how I all-too-often live my life, my words declaring that God loves everyone, and my actions saying, "I can fake like I love you, but really? Not. even. close."

I act like there are people who God SHOULD be allergic to. So, this must mean that I can get a pass on loving them, too.

But then I read something like this, which I "stumbled" across yesterday after I was really, really ticked at someone...justifiably of course, and oh yeah, I was righteously angry, of course.

Romans 14:1, 10-12, 22-23 in The Message:

 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

^10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: 

   "As I live and breathe," God says, 
      "every knee will bow before me; 
   Every tongue will tell the honest truth 
      that I and only I am God."
So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

^22-23Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.

...And therein lies the prescription for those pesky allergies.