Those walking Humbly...

Here's some great teenagers (and adults)
who are taking VERY seriously
the job of blessing the city of Hamtramck, MI,
by cleaning alleies and sharing the love of Jesus
all along the way!
(my girls are among the crowd!)

Currently Reading Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible-NIV-Handy Size see related

Walk Humbly

"...and don't take yourself too seriously,
take GOD seriously!"

Micah 6:8c (The Message)

WAR WEEK

Hundreds of teenagers are arriving today to be part
of a week long outreach in Highland Park, MI
and Hamtramck, MI. Both cities are surrounded
by Detroit... and are NOT suburbs...
HA...not EVEN close!

Ministry will be intense, challenging and trying for
many, but the real WAR happens inside our heads.
The real battle is our attitudes... our thoughts...

and that battle rages all the time... not just during
a special week of ministry within the inner city!

Stop & think...
what are you battling this week?
This day?
This minute?

Are you winning?

How did you start your day?
if it was with Jesus you
probably have the weapons
and the strength to fight.

but don't be discouraged if it's hard....
it IS a WAR ....

Here's a few weapons:

1. Give Thanks
(find the good)

2. Call on His Name
(depend on Him)

3. Tell the nations about Him
(there's over 30 in Hamtramck alone)

4. Sing & Shout for Joy
(stop complaining!)

From Isaiah 12:4-5

FIGHT!

This week.. um Weeks!

Lotsa fun things have filled our summer calendar
... here's a little overview of the last two weeks.

Zoe goes to camp for the first time!



Fun @ the park


Forget the "cuppie" give me Mommy's
Diet Coke!


The Upstairs rearrangement project...
Riley, you're a hoss!


College Roomates connect... (Tonilee)


So happy to have Daddy home from camps...


"My Table" at IKEA...so sweet!


The Detroit Institute of Arts


Um... no looking, Andrea!



Courtney & her sweet friend, Abby!







The "Happy-Birthday-AndyPants-Kiss"

I'm takin' this call

After a week of that annoying occurrence we call
"phone tag," I'd finally connected with my dear,
sweet, hilarious childhood friend, Jodi.

Between her 4 kids and my 5, it's hard to have
an actual conversation. You know, every few
seconds we interrupt each other to say,
"Hey, put that down." and
"Stop hitting that... where did that come from?"
"No! I said no more snacks and I mean it."

This phone call was great! She only had 2 kids at
home and so did I! Her's were silent.. wow!
My boys & I were outside in our "pool" (the
6 inch deep plastic circle). We were talking
and catching up! Talking! At last! Yippee!

But, soon into that wonderful call, it started.

"No, Max, put that hose down!"
"Hey, HEY! Stop squirting me!"
MAX, No, I don't want my hair washed!!! STOP IT!"
and then, after I towel dried my HEAD...

(Still talking to Jodi)

"Hey, stop feeding the dog... that's your snack!"
"No, you can't have another one."
"Please, look out, that's Dog...poop. ick."
and then, after cleaning up the ickiness...

(Still talking to Jodi)

"Max? Chase? Where are you guys?"
"Max, come back outside? What in the world?"
"Hey, put your swimsuit back on... Stop running!"
"You CANNOT be outside naked!" sigh
and... all the while.. still talking to Jodi!

NOTHING WAS GUNNA KEEP ME FROM
TALKING TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND!
DISTRACTIONS WILL NOT WIN!
so... we kept on talking! So worth it!

Yeah... great friends are worth it.
How much more is GOD WORTH BEING WITH!!!!

We can sure put aside and push through anything
to hang out with a person, but we're super quick
to wimp out on God.

"Geez, God, I was gunna read The Word, but my
kids started fussing!"

"Um, yeah, Lord, I meant to pray & read, but my
phone kept ringing and then I started cleaning up
the mess in my livingroom. It's so hard for me to
concentrate when the house is messy."

We MAKE time for what's important.
TALK TO GOD!
READ THE WORD!

He's THE friend!

Now & Later

Now & Later works as a candy.

But not as a choice that must
be made in our lives.

When Jesus was being tempted in
the "desert" experience (Matt. 4:9);
Satan told Him to bow down & worship
him and all that he saw would be His.
(A quick, painless way to "rule-the-world"
without having to die on the cross.)

NO!
Jesus valued His relationship with God
more than ease and more than painful
experiences.
Jesus was unwilling to trade
the eternal for the visible.

The enemy customizes a similar temptation
for all of us. Whatever is difficult, and stretches
us to the point of severe pain
... he'll think of way out of it.... at a huge cost....
compromising our relationship with Jesus!

Hmm, since it's such high stakes, it would
do us well to know what makes us most
vulnerable. (If you don't recognize it, ask
the Holy Spirit to reveal it... and then talk
to a godly friend about it after that!)

You can't compromise now and expect it
all to magically "work out" later.

That only works with candy!


(Thoughts prompted by this book)

Currently Reading Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years ... and Yours By Alicia Britt Chole see related

Random... uncommected

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Random... unconnected

You know you're a Mom...

...when you're enjoying
the rare occasion of running errands all alone..and
then suddenly come to a screeching halt near the greeting
cards cuz you wanna push the button that plays clips
of CD's. (Hey, you never get to push the buttons!)

...when your 3 yr. old gets stung by a bee and you
don't put a "baking soda" paste on it, you put
on a "Bakkie Paste that hugs the ouchie!"

...when your idea of luxury backyard includes
a round, blue plastic swimmy pool that isn't
totally smashed down on one side like the
old purple one and doesn't have a leak... yet.
(Thanks, Jump)

...when your daughters get locked out of the 1st floor
of your house while you're gone, cuz the kitchen door nob
broke and the front door is securely locked.
(Luckily they had a key upstairs...
and Zach worked his magic on the door later)

NOTE: if this "door nob" one makes no sense to you...
well, it's cuz our house is really 2 separate "flats" with
an enclosed porch/hallway that connects the Up and Down.)

...when you leave for Wednesday evening church
service and you're carrying your computer bag,
diaper bag with cuppies of milk, your giant purse
and a ridiculously large tote bag that's holding
your 2 study Bibles, study book, containers of
Mac & Cheese and watermelon for after-church-snack,
and a little bag of cut-outs to work on for your
daughter's b-day party this weekend.
(Thanks for cutting, Abby)

...when it's 2am and while you're blogging your
daughter comes downstairs to tell you that the
air conditioner upstairs isn't working and it's
all hot & sweaty up there!

sigh.
bye.

Winning? General Motors?

'm only a few miles from the General Motors
World Headquarters building in downtown Detroit.
This morning all local shows were over-ridden with
the press conference where GM announced their
new cutback plan for the rest of 2008 and all of 2009.


(If you're bored, hang on, it's not a financial blog.)

After revealing his plan & the consequential results,
GM's President, Rick Wagoner, said this:

"This is not a plan for survival, it's a plan to win."

Soon after this I read Matthew Henry's remarks
on 1 Kings 15 that connected them together:

"Unbelief often makes way for carnal policy and
thus for one sin after another."

Doubt breeds stupid choices... no matter how small.
They'll cheat us out of God's plans.
We'll flounder & wonder if we're gunna make it.
But...
His plans are always, always best.

I choose to keep my mind focused on what I know
is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report
(Phil. 4:8) and walk out my day to win.
To Win!

When I'm keeping my mind set on Him - JESUS-
then I'll be quicker to make the right choices, say
the proper words in response (not reaction) and
to love & laugh, reflecting the heart of my Lord!

His plans are to win.
I choose His plans...
where ever,
whatever,
whenever!

JESUS!!!!!

honestly...

Ok... honestly, I just opened this blog because I comment on so many blogs.
But, the blog I keep updated is at
www.xanga.com/realnetta
(not as good of a setup as this site offers... I know!
But someday maybe I'll take the time to make it fun!)

Yeah... maybe someday... like when my kids are all grown up
... in... um... like 16 1/2 more years -when my youngest of
5 will graduate!

Oh... that makes me sad just typin' it.
Even sadder to think that my oldest will graduate in only
TWO years!......
(I'm rambling)

www.xanga.com/realnetta