Holy Ghost It

Elise saw this one today and wanted me to add it to the collection.

If you are dog tired you may be growling too much.

Our New Look and a Holy Ghost It

Hey I hope you enjoy our new look. Elise kept urging me to change my template because it was too dark and looked to "goth." The header is from Robbie Foreman, Elise's youth pastor and a great friend of the family. I hope you enjoy the new look. It is definitely much brighter.

The Holy Ghost It that I saw the other day was:

Forbidden fruit creates many jams

I will just let you ponder that for a while.

The Pictures in my Mind

I am not really sure how many of the readers of this blog have ever gone on a mission trip. If you have gone on one please comment and let me know if this happens to you too.

When we set out to go on a mission trip this summer and even while we were in Los Angeles I never thought that some of the places and things that I witnessed would flash pictures in my head. Sometimes these images just appear with not really any thought of the trip, I could be talking to someone or driving down the road. I remember telling myself that I need to relish every part of the trip. Joel and I don't do a lot of traveling so to go across the country was a big deal to me. I did want to remember every aspect. But even today it has affected my life in a mighty way. I think it has definitely made me more mindful of being a servant to the Lord.

I guess what I am trying to say or ask is do these visions happen to everyone that goes on a mission trips or does God continue to return these sights in my head to lead or direct me in a way.



I wonder about the children that we played with after school for a week. I wonder about the 4 people we took out to breakfast, I wonder about all the people who are homeless as winter approaches, I wonder about the people that we made eye contact with on the Metro. I wonder if any of this every really makes since to anyone but me. It is like that trip has been engraved into my very soul. While we were there it didn't impact me as much as it has since I have been home. The thing of it is --- I really don't want these pictures to ever stop. I wonder why the pictures just pop into my head but I don't want them to quit either.




This year the youth is going to Barbados -- Elise is not old enough to make the trip this year, I originally didn't think I would mind sitting this one out but truth of the matter is I would love to be going --- but all of us going together not me, not Elise, and not Joel, all of us.

Holy Ghost It

OK here is another one:

A bible that is falling apart belongs to someone whose life isn't.

And that about says it.

Do We Ever Really Belong?

Do you remember the song from the show CHEERS...where the words say...go, where everybody knows your name, where you're always glad you came...or at least that is the way I think they go.

I want a place like that to hang out in. Not the bar part, but the part where everyone knows my name,where I am known and loved for who I am. Does such a place exist? There are times that I walk into places and think that I am invisible. I don't want to be invisible but in reality I am. There is one place that I can walk into that I honestly don't think people would care if I walked out of. Well, OK maybe a few but just a few.

Oh, I know what you are thinking. God knows me by name, in fact he knows the number of hairs on my head. I know all those things but I still desire a place where everybody knows my name and if I don't show up that someone will ask about me.








I look at Elise and struggle with where we should send her to school next year. Should we stay at WCCS or should we move closer to home so she can have friends all around her. Then things like tonight happen. I took her to a party. This is an annual event this time of year. I think this is her 4th time. I pull up to the drive and my car is literally swarmed with people. All of them coming to help her get out of the car. They of course are polite and speak to me,which makes me feel cool. I wish Elise could see the way the events of just driving up a drive way play in my head, when she says do you think I am pretty, do you think I am fat. Some of times, I hope she sees just how loved she is.

Then that quiet whisper says,"leave her there, you are where you need to be." And I guess that is the answer to that question.

Holy Ghost-It

I told you I wanted to start writing these down and now I am.

This one today read:

We do "faith" lifts. Get it Faith not face lifts... I just had to smile :)

Privileged

Sometimes do you ever just sit in wonder about life and even death. I just received a call from one of my second graders. Now, remember that my second graders are only 7 years old. But the maturity that they can show is just amazing.

Let me take you back to this morning... One of my student's father walked her in this morning, he didn't say much just handed me a note that read: My mom passed away this morning, the children don't know about it yet. But Madilee will need to be absent tomorrow.

I of course didn't say anything to Madilee about her grandmother. During one of my breaks she came up to me and said, "my mom was crying this morning. I don't know why she was crying but it sounded like she had lost her voice. I am sure that it was something the they felt like I didn't need to know." I reassured her to my best ability. I gave her extra hugs as we went through the day.

At 8pm Madilee called me at home. She explained that her grandmother had passed away. I asked if she had been sick. She said no that she died in her sleep. I ask her if her grandmother believed in God she said yes. I ask do you know the best thing about that and she answered she's in heaven. With tears in my eyes I said, "You are right." She is sitting at the banquet with Jesus. At the end of our conversation I so wanted to reach through the phone and pull her into a hug. But the best I could say was,"I am praying for you and Madilee, I love you." She said, "Thanks and Mrs. Denney I love you too."

I am amazed and so full of gratitude to the Lord. How can I, stumbling, bumbling, old me have a place of importance in someone else's life. For that I am just amazed. I don't thank God enough for allowing me to play a role in my students' life. Lord, use me to show your love. Help me pass on the peace that passes all understanding. (even mine)