Another Confession

There are times I post things that I am embarrassed about.  This is one of those times.  I think it is important to show the crazy things that grief can push you towards.

When Peyton first went to Heaven, I was desperate to know what he was doing.  John Edward is a man who claims to speak to the dead.  He has his own show on one of the cable networks.  I started watching it on a regular basis.  I knew it was wrong.  I knew it wasn’t of God, but I did it anyway.  I watched him speak to the deceased’s family members.  They seemed comforted by what he told them.  Of course there were times I thought Mr. Edward was so general he could be talking about anyone.  There were other times, he knew things that only the families would know. 

I wrestled with this issue a little bit.  I told myself, “what harm can it do, if it makes the families feel better?'”  He is telling them that their family members are fine.  You judge things by the fruit they produce.  Wasn’t he producing good fruit of comfort?

Wait a minute

I already know Peyton is fine.  This man can tell me nothing I don’t already know.

It took me a few weeks, but I did quit watching the show.  I realized, John Edward isn’t pointing anyone to Jesus.  That is the ultimate fruit.  When we come across something that seems supernatural, we need to test its fruit.  Is it real, godly eternal fruit? or is it fruit that produces a fleeting feeling?  Is the fruit giving God glory or man?  Test the fruit against the Word of God.  You can’t go wrong.

Thanks for reading :)

The Wonderful World of Styrofoam

Several years ago I was exposed to the wonderful world of styrofoam.  Our church uses it to make signs, letters, etc for the walls.  It is wonderful amazing stuff.  Lightweight, easy to cut, & paintable.

You can buy a 4 x 8 sheet of styrofoam for around $6.00.  You need one of these to cut it with. 

It is a battery powered hot wire.  I remember the first time I saw one of these babies slicing through the styrofoam like butta’.  I loved it (which I think is weird).  You can also buy an electric version instead of having to use batteries.  Mine uses batteries really fast.

Here are a couple of examples of styrofoam usage in our church.

Can you believe those delicate, fancy letters are made from cheap inexpensive styrofoam?!

 

This is the logo for our church daycare.  Cute :)

Christmas 2007, Tom, Peyton & I made this fireplace for my office.

We constructed it from cardboard and duct tape, then I cut out the “stones” from the styrofoam, hot glued them to the cardboard, then painted them shades of gray.  Here are some pics of my other office decorations that year.

 

Tom painted brown shipping paper to look like logs.  He & Peyton then put the paper up (with tacks) so my office looked like a log cabin. 

I’ve recycled the fireplace to use again this year. 

Tom cut the foam and hot glued it right to the previous “stones”.  I’m going for a more “formal” look for my office this year.

I remember so vividly Peyton helping me paint the fireplace.  I also remember hiding the hot wire tool from him.  I could only imagine the damage & torment he could have done with it.  Of course I am missing him, but I am so much better this year than last and I cannot even compare this year (the 3rd yr) to the first.  God is good and Heaven is getting closer every day.

Thanks for reading and I hope you find a cool use for styrofoam :)

Pride

We had an excellent teaching on pride the other night at church.  I have been thinking about it quite a bit since.  I was presented with an opportunity to use what I learned.  God is good like that.

We had a chili luncheon at work.  I ALWAYS make deer chili.  It’s a hit and I enjoy making it.  I am PROUD of it.  Well wouldn’t you know, SOMEONE ELSE was making the deer chili.  How dare they!? 

It gets better.  Do you know what I was asked to make???

VEGETARIAN CHILI (an oxymoron)

What the heck?!?!?!?!?

I agreed to do it.  I said I wouldn’t mind trying something new. I Googled “vegetarian chili” and asked the Lord to help me find a recipe.  He did, but I still did not want to make it.  What if it wasn’t any good?  What if I didn’t get any compliments? (why oh why do I confess these thoughts?) Finally, I let it go.  I asked the Lord’s forgiveness and guidance to make this dish.  He was with me every step and it was good :)

There is a vegetarian that works in our office.  He’s never asked for special consideration for his way of eating, but the person in charge of the chili wanted to make sure there was something he could eat.  He liked it very much and took home the leftovers :)

Making this chili wasn’t about blessing me with compliments or building up my pride.  God wanted to bless someone I work with and He used me to do it.  Thank you Lord.

What if I had let pride rule me?  I would have missed out on blessing someone and stretching out of my comfort zone.  God is about growth and going beyond what we can do on our own.

I know I am prideful in many areas.  One by one, God will reveal them and prune me.  I am grateful.

Thanks for reading :)

Home Improvement

Here are some pictures of the living room walls being painted.  Tom & Burke did a great job.  You can’t tell the true color from the pictures.  They are the color of chocolate milk, the kind of thick chocolate milk that you can buy in the store already made.

 

You can tell how drastic the color change was in this one.

I love this guy :)

Working hard

 

Thanks for reading :)

Not Far From the Tree

I believe I was in the 10th grade and my English teacher said to me, “Becky! if I didn’t like you so much, I would kick you out of my class!”  I don’t remember what I did or said, but I sure was glad she liked me :)

Yesterday a friend of mine was talking to a teacher that had Peyton in his class. “That kid drove me crazy in class.  Out of class, it was fine, but in class, I wanted to kill him!!  The things he would do or say, I would think, “I should be writing him up for this or sending him to the office” but he was so dang funny, I couldn’t.” 

How many times did I start to get on to Peyton and he would make me laugh?  He would say, “Mom, how can I take you serious, you’re grinning.”

I miss him driving me crazy.

Thanks for reading.

A Little Rambling

I appreciate daylight savings time, at least when we “fall back”.  It’s nice to be up and around before anything else is going on. 

We’ve had lots of company the last couple of weekends.  I enjoy the boys coming over so much.  Burke helped Tom paint the living room.  It is a dark brown, very cozy.  I’m ready to decorate for Christmas, but I won’t until the weekend after Thanksgiving. 

I was looking at my sidebar at how many times I have posted this year, almost half of what I did last year.  What’s up with that?  I don’t have an explanation.

Our lives are settling in to a routine (as much as possible with young adults randomly popping in)  I miss Peyton so much, but I am ok.  In the first years you are in such a turmoil, then as things settle down and you are feeling more “normal”, the realization that Peyton is really, really, not coming back starts sinking in.  I don’t know how much longer we will have to wait before we see him again.  I am so ready.

The Lord has been showing me things about His grace.  It is a hard concept for me to grasp, but I am getting there.  He loves us so much and never gives up on us :)  In the coming months, I will be focusing on my PURPOSE and VISION.  In 2009, it was said that we (the Church) would not recognize ourselves by the end of the year.  That was so true for me.  I have changed and grown so much and I don’t plan on stopping.  I will listen to God’s voice and follow His direction.   I will speak to any hindrance and lay aside any weight that tries to stop God’s plan for my life.

I am looking forward to the years to come and the plans God has for us, personally and as the Body of Christ.

Thanks for reading :)