Ok Here's my Resolution! and a Cool Website I found

This morning I made a big breakfast for my family and the extra kids that ended up staying out our house last night.  I don't spend a lot of time cooking, partly because of scheduling, partly because I have some pretty strict parameters around what I like to do when cooking.  And when I say cooking I'm including baking too. 

Many times when I'm in the kitchen my mind drifts to times spent in my Mom's kitchen as a girl.  I watched her and sat on the cabinet talking to her.  She'd let me talk and talk and she'd listen and listen.  She didn't make me do very much to help her other than setting the table and cleaning the kitchen afterwards.  My sweet Mom was sensitive to my dislike for all things cooking then, thus...to this day I can set an incredibly beautiful table, but cooking...not my strong suit!  (I'm totally ok with this, let me say, I am SOO glad that she didn't make me cook!)

But back to this morning, so my husband and I were up before the boys, and ate our breakfast in the family room catching up on TV shows that we'd taped, we finished went back to the kitchen for one last nibble before putting our plates in the dishwasher, and somehow we started talking about pie. 

I tried to make pie one time.  ONE TIME.  It was a Pecan pie.  Someone said it was the easiest pie to make so I tried it.  It was in our first apartment and I remember taking it out of the oven, taking one look at it and turning around and throwing it in the sink and down the garbage disposal.  It was awful!  (Or maybe it just looked awful.)

So in the pie conversation this morning Keith (my hubs) says:  what about making a Pecan pie?
Me:  bleck...remember I tried that once.  But I should learn to make a Chocolate pie like my Mom!
He:  Yep, you should do it!
Me:  If Carmen can do it, I can do it!  (Carmen is my sister-in-law who called me at 11:00pm one night this summer asking me for my Mom's Chocolate pie recipe because she and her husband wanted one!  They ended up calling my Mom and made it that night and it turned out great!)
Me:  That's gonna be my New Year's Resolution!  To learn to make my Mom's Chocolate pie!
He:  Great idea, you should do it!  (He's so supportive...and he loves Chocolate pie!)

This is what it should will look like!

So, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Oh yeah, and I found a cool website reading another blog...this guy works at a used book store and has collected/posted recipes he's found in the pages of books.  Handwritten Recipes

Gotta learn how to do this!

You know we all have tons of Christmas goodies every year, and I remember saying this last year too (to myself though), but I really want to learn how to make some of these!

A friend gave our staff at church a basket full of these delicious apples.  They look GREAT and you know I am all about presentation.  But they taste so good too!  Keith and I shared one last night-one by yourself is a little intense, but just right shared. 

This is why I love being a Children's Pastor #1: Tater Tots from Santa

At church I asked a cute 3 year old boy what Santa brought him for Christmas.  He looked up at me and said, "Tater Tots."
Me:  Tater Tots?
Him:  Yes, but you can't eat em.
Me:  Really, you got Tater Tots from Santa?
Him:  Yes, but you can't eat em.

So I went down the hallway and ran into his older sister and said, "Hey your little brother just told me he got Tater Tots from Santa.  Really?

She said, "No...he didn't get tater tots.  I'm not sure what he means."  She sat there for a few seconds and said, "OH...I bet I know what he's talking about...he got a TEETER TOTTER from Santa!" 

My Mom's Santa and other random Christmas things

My Mom gave me her Santa for my home a few years ago.  As a child I remember him holding candy canes, but I have re-purposed him to hold Christmas cards from our friends.  This is one my favorite things to unpack each holiday season.  Last year, I didn't even pack it away, but kept it in my room on top of a high dresser so I could see it all year.

I have a friend who shared a great idea...she puts all the photo Christmas cards in a basket on her breakfast table, and each morning she and her family choose one of the photo cards and pray for that family.  They do this all year long.  Cool idea I think!

This is my mantle this year.  I love how it turned out!

My husband Keith and I made these ornaments with the names of Jesus on them years ago on one of our first Christmas's together.  They are some of my favorite things to put on the tree.

The remains of Christmas morning breakfast...Monkey Bread.  Can't have Christmas at my house without it!

The table all set and ready for lunch with our family and the Allen's, some of our dear friends. 

Snowflaking

On the left are the snowflakes on my windshield as I pulled up to my office today.  It snowed in Dallas!  (for about an hour) It stuck on the ground! (for about 10 minutes)  My friend Shelly from Chicago called me to say that it snowed in Dallas before it snowed in Chicago this year!  (now that's just funny!) HA!!

But my favorite thing about today was at dinner tonight.  On the right is an adorable 3 year old who was at my table. As he was telling his Dad about his day he said, "Dad, it was snowflaking today!"  Very well put!  That's about all we got today...a snowflaking!  Isn't that cute?  Isn't that 3 year old cute?

30 Days to De-Clutter Report

So, late October I posted that I was going to attempt to de-clutter at my house for 30 days.  I have to say that there were a few days that I skipped, but I did get a lot of work done in the de-cluttering department.  I filled up lots of bags and donated them either to a local charity or the local garbage man!  Isn't it cool that we live in a country where you put your trash out and it disappears the next day?

Juror #1465

I had jury duty today.  This is the first time I've ever had this experience.  It was a huge inconvenience because of the timing.  If you've had jury duty, you know that it's a lot of sit and wait, and move to a different place and sit and wait and so on...

At first, I had a bad attitude about it, but the sitting and waiting worked a little magic on me.  I was dismissed, so I didn't get to see the whole process through, but I glimpsed democracy and its' importance.  I saw a tiny bit of how the justice system operates.  I watched for just a minute the civilized and orderly manner by which disputes are settled. 

I came away thankful to live in a country where such a system exists. 
I came away grateful for those who are serving across the globe in order to preserve this way of life.

Thankful Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year!  We are so blessed!  The first part of the week was spent with my husband's family, and the last part of the week spent with my family.  Keith's family is not much for picture-taking, mine, however...lots and lots of pictures of every conceivable happening-no matter how big or small!

One of the things we always do is go down to the dock and take pics of families together, individuals and general silliness.

The scenery is beautful and makes great backgrounds for the aspiring photographers.

The rustic house where we base all the activities from is provided courtesy of my sister and her husband. 

This tree-lined road was a beautiful spot.  Maybe a great Christmas card pic?

Just look at this handsome fella!  I got lucky and he posed for a few photos.

Procrastinatin'

It's time to pack for Turkey day and I can't because I'm procrastinatin'
I need to remember what i should take but I can't because I'm procrastinatin'
Camera, chargers, clothes and food...bluh, I'm just procrastinatin'
I'll get it done, I'll be on my way, in spite of my procrastinatin'.

Adkghekils;gbj Alsdkggj Agoighjkdla

Got that?  Me neither!  But it's what my brain feels like today!  I just got back from this awesome prayer conference called, "Come to the Fire".  It was amazing.  And I'd love to tell you about it!  But now, all I got is this:  gjkkl;kw;krj gjklew; s  gjkler;ghgf'as.  God so good!  He just overwhelms me with how when we ask him to show us new stuff, he does! 

He Sure Does Love Me!

Last weekend we went to SNU in Bethany, OK for our college Homecoming.  My husband arranged a night for us to get together with friends from our youth pastor days in Woodward, OK.  Being in Woodward and serving in that church there was such a happy time for us!  We looked forward to seeing these special people in our lives!

So over lasagna and salad, laughter and joy, we experienced that sweet spot of remembering and reaquainting, found within the context of the family of God.  I've had this experience before, but the Lord used this one to remind me of the importance of relationships.  of  loving on people.  and letting them love you back.

Though we hadn't seen some of them for years, because of the family of God, because of committed lives where their faith is lived out each day, even some of the experiences we've had apart, have still been shared.

Here's what I  mean:  When you have friends who are believers, who are really lovers of Christ, you can know that as life has happened-they've been trusting in the one they cannot see to guide their steps.  You can know that when times have gotten hard, just like you, they've fallen to their knees and asked for help from the one who is peace, who is a brother, who is our breath.  You can know that because of a life lived in faithfulness, they have lifted their faces and been thankful, and been humbled by blessings from God.

These relationships that God provides for us, these people that he allows us to journey with, are part of a bond not too far away from your blood family.  I think back to late-night talks in the parking lot-in the dark-listening to each other's faith story, or long rehearsals for choir musicals, or being the safe place where kids can come and hang out and do homework.  What sweetness is found in the midst of God's children. 

So I'm blessed today, and want to remember what God has shown me through this experience.  I'm humbled, and thankful, and smiling on the inside!  He sure does love me!

Un-Halloween

My Halloween this year was different.  Landry, my son is 15 this year.  So...
no more looking for days and days to choose the perfect costume...
no more trying it on a couple of times before the Halloween-night...
no more tromping up and down the street cheerily singing out "trick or treat"...
no more spreading out all the candy in the floor to examine each piece to see what treasures abound...
am I sad?  Maybe a little...but it wasn't such a bad night.

As a family, we went to the mall today (one of our favorite things) and shopped and people watched...
we went to the snowboard store to dream of gliding down the mountain with ease and style...
  (um...I must say I stayed in the car for this one, let the boys have some guy time!)
we went to dinner at a restaurant where-if your plate falls on the floor it will break...
we had a fun conversation.

We talked a little about scary movies, and I reminded them of the Halloween when a man gave Landry all his leftover candy (Lollipops from Valentines, Chocolate bunnies from Easter, and Candy Canes from Christmas).  We just enjoyed spending time with each other.

So it wasn't so bad, this un-Halloween.  I wouldn't trade a plastic pumpkin full of Reese Cups and Snicker Bars for it!

30 Days to De-Clutter

I'm going to commit to taking the next 30 days to de-clutter my home.  It's not the most cluttered home I've ever seen, but I could definitely benefit from simplifying my life.  So I'm gonna give it a try.

I have this inner battle about throwing things away.  I don't know if it is the teacher in me, or growing up with a very sensible mom who taught me not to be wasteful, but I have struggles with the toss-out! 

So, here goes, we'll see what happens!  Day 1 is the laundry room.

Let the Children Come

Tonight I took the K-6th Graders on a field trip to the International Museum of Cultures. We were treated to a private tour of the Torah Project. This is the only known collection of the entire Old Testament in one place. It was really amazing. Not only did we feel pretty special because no one else was there, but the kids know the Education Director of the Museum, Ani, our Pastor's daughter. So it was intimate and fun and special.

When we think about what church was like for people when these scrolls were written, it's a world away from what church is for us today. Ani told us that the only book that the Jewish people would have in their homes is the book of Esther, because it didn't have the name of God in it anywhere. The books with the name of God were only kept in the temples because it was the holy place.

I love that the word of God was so reverenced. I love the picture above; seeing those little fingers touching the Hebrew scriptures, and knowing that Jesus said, "let the children come to me." What a great word picture.

When Jesus came to us, he brought with him accessibility to God as never before.

When he left us, he gave us the comforter and his living word. I don't want to take for granted that I have the Holy Scriptures in my home, always at my fingertips.

My Ears Are Ringing

We have a new instrument in our house. (you can't really see it in this picture, but I just like this picture!) It's a set of tenors or quads, you know it's 5 drums that one person carries all at once. It looks so heavy, but more than that. It is LOUD! I thought the marching snare drum was loud, but these are REALLY loud! My son has had a drumset for years, and I've always said, "It doesn't bother me...it's music!" So I'm trying to repeat that to myself over and over!

Glad we made that "NO Drums After 9:00pm" rule. I'm sure our neighbors are too!

What You See

I was stopped dead in my tracks Wednesday night while talking to one of my teachers at church. This particular teacher always has something wise to say, and this night was no different.

If you've been in a classroom at all, you know that from time to time it's just stressful. Maybe that stress comes from fatigue (your or the children's), or from not being as prepared as you should be, or from behavior issues...there are lots more, but we'll stop here...you get the idea.

So the teacher began telling me that she's been praying for her kids in earnest. There are several different kinds of kids in her class: one who knows lots about the Bible, one who hasn't been to church very much in their life, one who doesn't like to follow directions, one who likes to interrupt. And in each of their own ways, they can be an interruption to the classroom.

She told me that when she was talking to God about one of the kids who is an interrupter, God said back to her: "What you see as an interruption, I see as someone who can speak my truth!"

That's it...that's what stopped me cold. Wow...I need to remember that every time I step in front of kids. What I see and what God sees is so different. God has big plans for all of us! God has big plans for the kids in our classrooms. Their idea of God will come from what they see of the Godly.

I'm humbled and inspired by her words.
And I can't wait to get back to class to "see" those kids with "God eyes"!

Mum's the Word

I learned two new things recently.

1. How to make a homecoming mum.

2. That Texas and Oklahoma are the only states that really even have homecoming mums. Who knew?

I thought that these over-the-top flowers were common for homecoming celebrations across the country, and as I was researching, found out not so.

I learned how to make one (not really hard by the way, staples and goo-ga is all you need!) so that my son's girlfriend would be well-adorned on homecoming night.

Only a Shadow

My son is 15 and plays drums in the HS marching band. In Texas, where football is king, our weekends are spent under the Friday night lights, and in October, our Saturdays are spent at band contests. So last weekend began the first of a very long month for us. (Please pause to say a prayer for us here.)

They say when things happen in threes you better pay attention, and I've got such an occurence to document.

So here's #1. Friday night at the game, there was a little girl standing down by the fence looking through the chain links and intently watching the cheerleaders. She waved her arms every time they waved their arms. She threw her head forward every time they threw their heads forward. She jumped every time they jumped.

#2 and 3 were together on Saturday at band contest. There were two kids standing by themselves, and one was playing drum major and one was playing color guard with a flag. They waved their arms and flag fast at the fast parts, slowly at the slow parts, and they even traded their positions back and forth.

It stopped me, these expressions of admiration from children, and reminded me of the power of influence. Do we even realize how our actions are affecting those around us? The watchers, the followers, the imitators. Who are these people in your world?

Co-workers?

Acquaintances at the gym?

Parents on the t-ball team?

Kind of makes you stop and think. It's a little humbling to me. Here's my prayer: That watching me is only a shadow of me watching Christ. That following me is only a shadow of me following Christ. That imitating me is only a shadow of me imitating Christ.

Father let my life be only a shadow of you.

I love rain!

It's been raining in Dallas for 7 days straight now. I love it! Here's what I love about the rain:
1. I love the feeling you get when everyone in your family is safe inside your house and it's raining outside.
2. I love it when I wake up and it's raining, and I realize I don't have to get up...I can keep on sleeping.
3. I love the way everything looks after it's rained, especially in the summer, when it's still green, it looks clean and refreshed.
4. I love the excitement in the air if you are out in the rain-like at the grocery store or something...everyone is bustling about wanting to get home so they can experience #1.
5. I love it when I remember to put my umbrella back in my car!

Last night we finally were all at home at the same time and got to experience a little of that comfort feeling of the rain outside and we are inside. We had frito pie and I made banana bread. We watched TV together and laughed, shared a few stories as we'd remember them, and just experienced peace together.

I don't know about you, but in my life, these moments are rare. Maybe that's one of the things that God has in mind for us with rain...not only does rain nourish the soil and all that grows, fills up our streams and rivers and oceans...but what if that's another thing that is accomplished through rain? Slowing down, regroup time, quiet time, together time, remembering that our safety is inside the love of God-as we enjoy the safety inside our home.

Maybe it's far fetched, but maybe...not so much. So thanks God for my time with my family last night. I got it! I so enjoyed it and can't wait for the next time. Maybe I won't have to have a rain storm to make that happen!

Just Breathin'....

That's how I feel, I'm just breathin' today. This has been the busiest 3 weeks on record. It was like December! I had a Children's Musical, then a special surprise thing for our Pastor and wife, and then last weekend was Princess and Pirate Party. They were all really fun...but I'm glad to have a few days that are just normal. Maybe I can catch up on my laundry. Maybe finish the project of cleaning out/throwing away at home. Maybe have a date with my husband! Maybe my family will get a home-cooked meal served at our dining room table. Maybe I will get to read the rest of that book that I started.

But for now I'm just gonna breathe. Ahhhhh...I like this breathin' thing...I should do it more often!

Boys and Bugs

So I had to make a stop on the way to work this morning, and as I'm walking back to the car these two really big men caught my attention. They were screeching and pointing and laughing and just having a good ole time over a bug! Yea...a bug! They saw an unusual bug on the ground and were very entertained by it. It gave me a little giggle as I got back in my car.

So what am I to learn from this experience? That boys and bugs will always love each other, no matter what their age. Who knew?

It's a secret...sort of

Our senior pastor has been at our church for 10 years. So this weekend we're celebrating that accomplishment as a church. It was supposed to be a secret, but in the reality of suprise parties, surprise visits, etc., I don't think it's much of a suprise anymore. (except there is a little bit of a surpise left, but I won't write it until the weekend is over...I can keep a secret you see!)

Ten years at one church...not a small feat these days. They have stood firmly by what they believe in while facing the usual hardships that go along with ministry; some incredibly heart-breaking, some requiring personal sacrifice, but still they have stood firm.

I'm so thankful to stand beside them in ministry. I'm thankful for the way they have modeled servanthood, integrity and love when many times those things were not returned to them. What a blessing they have been to my family.

Those Preacher's Kids!!!

We went to my Mom's this weekend. Upon arriving, we were delighted to learn that 3 of my 5 siblings would also be there. We don't get to be together very often, so of course, I love these times!

As you can imagine, growing up in a parsonage family, there are lots of funny stories through the years. I'm younger than them though, so I was not part of most of the stories.

We went to lunch and somehow the conversation turned to times past and the stories started rolling. They put the disclaimer out first that they had no money, TV/Cell phone/Computer...blah, blah, blah...so they had to make up their own fun. And I must say, they were over-achievers in the making up fun department!

Many of the stories were about one man in one particular church.
...he had a hearing aid and they would talk silently to him and then when he'd turn his hearing aid up, they'd talk really loudly.
...they would have to pick him up for church sometimes and they decided they didn't want to do it anymore, so they peeled out of his driveway, almost ran over a stop sign, swerved around corners, and generally scared him to death.
...the church was not air conditioned and had big windows they would prop open, so in the summer the insects flew throughout the services. He would spray people down with mosquito repellant when they came in the door. This is so funny to me to think about..."What's your ministry here at First Church?" "Mosquito Spraying". haha

Now you must know, my family is full of great story tellers, so I'm not doing them justice here and leaving out lots of details...

I'm so thankful for my family and for the stories that make us who we are. We're just THOSE PREACHER'S KIDS!! There are more funny stories of course...I'll have to post some every once in awhile.

In the God Zone

I missed my Dad last night. He went to heaven about 5 years ago. Last night was our denominational assembly on the district level (aptly named District Assembly), a gathering of all the area churches which takes place once a year. The evening services are always rich with good music and one of the leaders of our church speaks.

Last night was the ordination service where they give ministerial credentials to men and women giving their life in service to the church. It is a sacred time and always a teary-eyed time for me. They have a choir made up of ministers, and to look at those men and women, knowing the sacrifices they made to get there, the sacrifices they make on a daily basis to be the spiritual leaders wherever God has placed them touches my heart like nothing else.

I missed my Dad because he was a minister. He would have been among those on the platform last night.

Watching him, I was able to see first-hand what it means to give your life to the church. Sometimes it brings unexplainable joy, sometimes it brings earth-shattering pain, but no matter on which end of the spectrum he was...I always saw a satisfied soul, in the "God Zone", doing what he was called to do.

That's what we all should strive for. To be in the God Zone. That place where we are fully-surrendered to God's plan for our life. That's the place of total contentment, abandoning self to live life in the middle of God's purpose for us.

No other place will do.

No other plan will fit.

No other god gives us complete peace.

The cool thing about it...God gives each of us something different, a unique fit for our skill sets and abilities.

We ask? He show us.

We seek? He whispers His direction.

We follow? He leads us there.

To the God Zone.

Camp Report

I got through the camp speaker thing. It was such a fun experience, and a great stretching exercise for me. There was this one precious moment by myself, in my very nice room at the campground, where the Holy Spirit really spoke to me about what I was to speak about the next day. It was a different direction than what I had prepared for, but I really felt the presence of the Lord and the words poured out of me as I was writing.

I have been focused on prayer in my own ministry for the past few months. I wanted so badly to incorporate prayer into camp, and as I was preparing, I just hadn't felt any real direction other than speaking the whole week about Daniel, and his experiences with prayer.

But I told the kids on Thursday morning that I wanted them to spend some time listening to God. I went into a little detail about the different ways we have used prayer in children's worship and at the end of the service asked them to go out of the chapel and by faith, listen to hear the voice of God, come back into the chapel sometime during the day and write down what they had heard.

The responses were a little overwhelming for me. I was expecting a few of the kids to really get it, and most of those to be girls...but in the next 30-45 minutes, both girls and boys poured back in the door and came to the altar where paper and pens were ready for their responses.

Here are a FEW of them:
...I love MY Jesus My Savior. He gave me a new perspective on life AND he told me sometimes we have to let things go and move on.
...Have trust in your faith towards me. Be faithful towards me. I always know your name and I'll never let you go.
...Go share his message.
...Believe in me & love me.
...I know. (that one got to me!)
...I am always here for you, and I will help you be strong.
...He said, "I love you, I have plans for you, just do whatyou know is right."
...He said he loves me and I shouldn't leave anyone out.
...He said to never stop being myself.

So needless to say, the Lord really met these kids at camp. These 2 boys came up to me, and said, "Ms. Mary, we know you told us to pray by ourselves, but me and my friend here were finished praying, and we came around a corner, and there were these other 2 boys standing by a truck, and we just stopped right there and all joined hands and said a prayer together." WOW! Boys! Praying together!

I'm so excited about how the Lord worked, and I totally and completely give God the glory. I am such a weak vessel, and it is not me and nothing I did on my own!

Just a Little Touch of Jesus

Jerry, who works in our warehouse, had a visit from a man performing a routine inspection on one of our shipments last Wednesday. In the course of the conversation, the man said, "Jerry, can I put your name on my prayer list?" Jerry was certainly surprised by this request and told him sure! As the conversation progressed, the man went on to say, "Jerry, do you have a prayer list? Will you put my name on it?" I don't know if Jerry has a prayer list, or if he is a believer, but he told the man that he would be praying for him too.

As Jerry relayed this conversation to me, he was still processing this whole conversation and said, "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna be praying for him. And he's gonna be praying for me. Isn't that amazing?"

You know...it is amazing. It's amazing what God can do with our obedience. Jerry got just a little touch of Jesus in this casual conversation-in a warehouse-on a Wednesday. And it really made an impression. So much so that he had to tell me about it. You can be sure that in the quiet moments, working by himself, he's replayed this conversation over and over in his mind, and remembering how it felt to have this random blessing bestowed on him. I've been praying that in these moments, that the Holy Spirit would speak to Jerry's heart. That a yearning for more and more of Jesus would grow.

So what about you and me? What is our response when our Master has someone who needs just a little touch of Jesus, and he needs us to be the vessel through which his strong hand is extended? We've got to be ready. Listening.

It's kind of exciting to think about isn't it?...being used by the Almighty.

I'm speaking at a PreTeen camp next week. Here's me...nervous...excited...panicky...sure...controlled...nervous...excited...you get it.

Here's God.


He's just there for me. He smiles at me through this process...maybe there's some eye-rolling, certainly some head shaking...but he's just there. For me. In all my weakness and human-ness.

Aren't you glad for that? In your own moments like this?

Blogger Disclaimer

I'm new to the blogging world. I've been reading many blogs to find out how what is up with blogging, etc...you know, if you come to the party you want to play by the rules. If you know me, then you'll find it odd that I'm even trying to find out the rules, not much of a rule-follower historically. But that's not the point for this post.



So I've found that many bloggers begin their blog with a disclaimer post. You know the one, I don't know what I'm doing, I hope you'll be interested in what I have to say, and blah blah blah...well this is my disclaimer post.



so now the disclaimer is out of the way.

and anyway...in the big scheme of things...it is what it is.

so let's go!

Don't Pour...Draw Out

I'm way behind on my reading. But I'm reading the new stuff first and then backtracking. So today, I'm reading in "K" Magazine an article called, "Unleash a Young Servant" by Tina Houser. I've just discovered Tina Houser, I went to her workshop at CPC in Nashville this year and she's got so much energy, and such great ideas! Love her!

Anyway, in this article she makes the statement "educate does not mean to pour into, but to draw out." That really got me thinking. The best teachers I've observed both in a traditional classroom in a school or in a classroom in the church live this statement. We're not talking pouring into in the context of relationships, but pouring into-in the context of the classroom experience.

I'm not sure I'm always there. Sometimes I'm a "pourer." But I certainly want to be a "drawer". I want the kids who are in my classrooms and those of my teachers to be able to draw out of kids so that they are involved in the experience of the Bible, instead of just being an observer.

Because after all, the Christian life is one of action, not observation!

Showing You What?

I received a huge compliment the other day. A co-worker said, "Mary-you are always happy. No matter what happens around here, I can count on you showing me happy." That made me feel really good, but also since then has caused me to make sure that he is continuing to see me "showing happy"!

See-when I interact with co-workers, friends or my family, I want to show them happy...sure!...but I really want to show them Jesus. I want to be an influencer-not just for happy, but for my Savior!

So what are you showing in your world? That's a heavy question for busy moms and dads, grandparents and caregivers. Are we showing faithfulness, compassion, forgiveness? Through the power of the Holy Spirit-we CAN !

Are we remembering that what we see for our children in 10-20 years...probably isn't possible for them right now? Are we showing them acceptance? Through the power of the Holy Spirit we CAN !

Oh my dear friends, I'm praying for you! That you can show Jesus everywhere. Maybe in your workplace, it's showing integriity. Maybe in your church, it's showing faithfulness. Maybe in your home, it's showing acceptance.

Oh yea, and the happy thing...is just a bonus!