I Can't Play With You....You Believe In Jesus!

Last night at dinner, Drew and Bryna and I were talking when Drew revealed that she knew of two people who were Bryna's friends who didn't believe in Jesus. Bryna looked at me nervously as if I was going to tell her she could never speak to those friends again....which is exactly what I did not do. As we discussed this, they told me that one little girl had told another friend that her mom said they couldn't be friends anymore; because she believed in Jesus. I said...."Hmmmm that's interesting, since they played together all of last year!" Apparently last year, the one friend didn't wear a cross necklace and now she does! Then Drew told me that the little girl said she does believe in Jesus, but she believes He died in a field of flowers. I thought about it for a minute....not too long....but long enough to figure out how I wanted to address this. I just explained that we are a believing and accepting family of Jesus Christ, and believing and accepting are two different things. Many people believe that Jesus existed, but they don't accept the grace and salvation He offers us. We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, because it says so in The Bible. We are not a judging family, and it is not our place to judge others on their beliefs. We are called to love and to serve....not to judge. I asked the girls to continue to shine the light of Christ in their daily activities and to stand firm in their beliefs but to remember that it is not our place to judge. I encouraged them both to continue their friendship with the little girls who may believe/may not believe and not to be afraid to share their beliefs about Jesus being Our Savior but to do it in a gentle, kind, loving way. What I can hope is that maybe Drew's and Bryna's words and love will light a spark in those little girls' hearts and maybe they will start feeling the nudge....maybe they already are; and my girls were put in their path to help brighten the spark.

My Day Off

So today was my "day off". This is my second, since school started. What I mean by "day off" is a day that I have completely to myself. It's weird, since I haven't had a full day to myself(well from 9-2:30) on a regular weekly basis in almost 13 1/2 years. Last week, I spent my first "day off" at lunch with my best friend...her treat! This week, I have been planning all week what I was going to do today. Of course you may be thinking that I should be cleaning the house, weeding the flower beds, doing the laundry, finish cleaning out the closets....and maybe I should, but I'm not. Well actually I did do a load of laundry this morning. This is how my day unfolded.... I went to my weekly Bible Study, then I visited with a few friends, then I started hitting the spots I have been wanting to go for a very long time....mainly stores that people have told me about that I have never had the chance to visit or just don't visit that often. First, I went to my favorite store of all time....ANTHROPOLOGIE! I love everything in that store....but mainly I love the home decor. I have a gift card to Anthropologie from my birthday last December that I haven't spent, and today....I still didn't spend it. Second I went to Nordstrom Rack....never been there....not bad....didn't purchase anything (a little too pricey for me)! Then I was about to head to the mall and ended up taking a detour.....you will never guess where I ended up....NEVER....at my house! I decided that what I really wanted to do today was enjoy some quiet. So here I am blogging in the quiet....I may even take a cat nap before my "day off" is over! Toodles!

A Question Answered

Before I give my opinion....remember it's my opinion...and we are all entitled to our opinions. Do I believe that God causes bad things to happen to people? My answer is NO! I do not believe God causes bad things to happen to people. I believe that sometimes we suffer, because of the natural consequences of life. Many times God will intervene and change circumstances and many times He won't. I spoke to my pastor about this and in the discussion, he described it this way....

"As parents we allow our children to experience the consequences of their actions. If we removed those consequences, our children would grow up to be spoiled, terrible adults. So for the well being we let them have difficulty. Some even call this tough love. I believe for the good of humanity, God lets us suffer consequences. God's end for us is not this life, but eternity."

When the first humans, Adam and Eve, demanded free will by disobeying God and eating the apple....I believe the paths of humans were changed forever....and since that time, we have progressively gotten worse about wanting to be in charge or in control! I know there are so many people who have a wonderful relationship with Jesus, but we all have to admit that it's so very challenging to give up complete control to Our Savior! In this respect, we are still demanding free will from Him!

Sunday Sermon Summary and A Question...

Do you think God causes bad things to happen to people? This was the question posed today in our sermon. Do you think God says....'Hmmmm, I think I will let that guy get really sick; because he made bad choices about what he put in his body?' Or maybe He says.....'It looks like a really good time to let those parents suffer, so I'll make their child terminally ill.'

What about some things it says in The Bible...the book of Jonah for example:

Jonah 1:1-20 (New International Version)

Jonah 1

Jonah Flees From the LORD

¹ The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶ The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

⁸ So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

⁹ He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."

¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"

¹² "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."

¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

I am wondering....what do you think? I know what I think, but before I share my thoughts; I would like to know yours! Leave a comment if you wish!

Baby M

Remember this picture of these adorable feet?

They belong to this adorable girl!

Same adorable girl! Isn't she grand? I'm in love with her.

So is Elliot. As a matter of fact the other day while Baby M was staying with us,

Elliot asked...."Is she our baby now?" I said...."No, we have to give her back!"

SNIFF SNIFF!

Four Years Ago.....The Best Day of 2006!

Four years ago, God answered a prayer with a "YES"! A healthy baby was welcomed into our family. Elliot Ann Payne graced this world with her presence, and our lives have not been the same since....they have been so much better than we could have ever imagined.

Elliot is the 5th of 5....the baby....the princess!

Her family adores her about as much as anyone could possibly be adored! Her smile and giggle will simply make your day! She, in return, adores her family!

I love how she will eat the entire donut if it's glazed and only the top if it's chocolate!

I love how excited she gets about little things like....donuts for breakfast!

I love that she loves broccoli as much as she loves donuts.

I love that she insists on picking out her own clothes

and tries really hard to choose a matching headband.

I love that she loves her extended family

and is always so thankful to see them.

I love that she loves everything princess and pretty,

and I love that she always wants to wear a dress or a tutu!

I love that she gets as excited about pretty tissue paper

as she does about an actual gift inside the bag.

I love that she always says, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

I love that she really appreciates being given something.

I love that although she just turned 4,

her personality shows through in her funky style.

I love that she ADORES her daddy....I mean ADORES him!

I love that she will tell you when she's ready for bed

and go to bed without any problems.

I love that she makes her bed

everyday....and does a darn good job!

I love that she is very independent

and definitely has a mind of her own.

I love that she has a strong will, but

she will tell you "I'm Sorry!" if she's done something wrong.

I love that she is so mature but still sucks her thumb when she's really tired.

I love that she loves school and friends but mostly her family.

I love that, every night when we all share what we are thankful for, she almost always says...

"I'm thankful for my family!"

I love that she loves to play outside, do crafts, read books, sing and dance!

I love that she loves church and is really excited when we read her devotional each night!

I love her cute little toes and how she giggles so heartily

when I tell her I'm going to nibble on them.

I love that she loves for NPayne to sing Stevie Wonder songs to her.

I love that she will tell her sisters that they are all her favorites!

I love that she looks like me,

and that I can see my daddy's eyes in hers.

I love that she is so funny!

I love that she tries so hard to be big,

but that she still really loves being little.

I simply adore her! She melts my heart!

I LOVE YOU ELLIOT ANN PAYNE!

You are an answered prayer!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Four Generations!

I had the honor and privelege of shooting our children's pastor's extended family this past weekend. We were able to capture four generations with his wife, Teresa, her mother, daughter and two adorable grandchildren. What a blessing. I would always encourage families to take multi generational photos, because if you don't; someday you will wish you had!

Click here to see more!

Just To Make Your Day Brighter

Happy Birthday Elliot Ann Payne!

Once I uncover myself from the white chocolate that I'm using to make her birthday cake, recoup from the sugar buzz and have a moment to breathe, I will write her birthday post! For now, I LOVE this child and thank God for blessing us with her presence....today and every day!

HAPPY

Do you ever feel so overwhelmingly happy that you are almost floating? I feel that way today, and there's no particular reason why I should be happier today than I was yesterday or will be tomorrow....actually tomorrow is Elliot's bday, so I will be....well....melancholy but happy! It's just been a day of joy for me! I woke up feeling overwhelmed by happiness and although Thursdays are the busiest day of the week, and I am NOT a fan of busyness....I am overwhelmingly happy! Well that's all I really needed to share. I wish you all a blissful day of overwhelming happiness today or at least soon!

I'm In Love....

I started watching Baby M today! We get the pleasure of keeping her on Mondays and Wednesdays. Elliot is also enamored by her. She keeps singing her a "lottaby" (lullaby)....Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She is quite infatuated with Baby M....so am I!