The Purpose Driven Life

I highly recommend the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is so insightfully written and offers perspectives on God's purposes for all aspects of our lives. Wonderful read.

World

We see the world as WE really are.

Your focus determines your feelings.

What kind of world do you want?

You decide.

History starts now.

I Wonder

I Wonder

I wonder, as she held him closely,
Wrapped in warm and swaddling bands,
Did she wonder what her Father
Asked from tiny, trembling hands.

I wonder, as they brought him presents,
Gifts so treasured and so rare,
Did she wonder at the offering
Held within her tender care?

I wonder, as she saw him walking,
Learning, stumbling, awkward steps,
Did she wonder where they'd take him,
Feet just finding balance yet?

I wonder, as she saw him carving,
Working there by Joseph's side,
Did she wonder how he'd use his hands
To serve, to bless mankind?

I wonder, when she saw him teaching
Elders, priests in holy place,
Did she wonder what he'd teach her
As he grew from grace to grace?

I wonder if she hugged him tighter,
Stroked his head and held his hand,
Sensed the weight of future offering,
Sacred, sacrificial Lamb.

Anna M. Molgard
©2008 Faithsong Publications, L.L.C
www.faithsongmusic.com

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Unplugged

The kids are home for Christmas break and we decided to do an experiment. We have been feeling like there has been too much outside influence on our family, so other than my occasional post and a quick email check, we are unplugging our family from the computer and television. It has been such a quiet, wonderful day. We spent the morning making towers with playing cards and my second grader became quite adept - making one seven stories tall all on his own. He even looked up the Guinness World Record for house of cards and learned he only has 68 more stories to go! We went to the library and checked out loads of books and bought a new 1000 piece puzzle at the store for the family to work on together. I'm so looking forward to this break! We're unplugging from media and plugging into our family.

Christmas Day?

We got a box today filled with Christmas gifts from my parents today. I opened the box and said, "Look - presents from Grandma & Grandpa!" I walked in the living room with two in hand to put under the tree when I heard a little voice say, "Wow - it's a Webkinz!" Yup - the four year old. I guess I forgot to mention they were CHRISTMAS presents and he was thrilled to get a gift. Sorry Mom. But he loves it.

We Need to Pray

My second grade son is such a sweet boy. He always has been. He is always thanking me for things I do around home and telling me how much he loves me. He brings me flowers that he picks, weeds really, but the sentiment is the same. He genuinely wants to do and be good. He is kind, sensitive and loving with a very tender heart.

This week we had kind of a scare where we live. We were issued a tornado warning in the early afternoon, an unusual occurrence for our part of the country. I received a telephone call from the local weather station where I had subscribed to receive weather alerts. It told us to take immediate shelter and the warning would expire for our county about 25 minutes later. This was ten minutes before my oldest daughter was to be released from school and walk home. I didn't know what to do. My immediate response was one of panic and fear - wanting to protect my sons at home with me and worried about my daughter who wasn't home with me. I told the boys I was worried about my daughter, but that we needed to go in my closet. It's the only room we have without windows and where we keep our emergency supplies. But my second grader said, "Mom, I think we need to pray." So the three of us knelt right where we had been standing and he said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to protect us from the tornado and to watch over his sister. We stood, walked into my room to go in the closet for safety and I turned on the TV to monitor the progress of the storm. I no sooner had turned on the TV than the weatherman announced that the tornado warning for our county had expired - 25 minutes early. My sweet son then said, "Mom, we need to pray again." As I knelt with these two little boys and said a prayer of gratitude for our safety I recognized the great faith in my son. Where my immediate response was one of fear, his was one of faith. Some may say this was mere coincidence, that the warning would have expired early without his prayer, but I know better. I was there. I heard his prayer. Fear and faith cannot coexist in the same heart. Oh, that my heart can be like that of a child - full of faith. That my first response can be - we need to pray.

Easy Trees

Quick and easy recycling. Take two tomato cages, turn them upside down and wire the tops together. Take discarded Christmas tree branches, wire them to the cages and you have great decorations for your front porch. They look like miniature real trees. The price is right and no waste!