change in plans...

This morning Jon and I woke up and our plans we had for the day were instantly changed. We had plans of doing our normal routine of workout together and then coming home, making breakfast for the savages that have bottomless pits and then I would head into church with those savages and he would head into work.

Well, he wakes up to a message from his manager telling him he needed to be in at work early and as I roll over to get up I hear the sound of a horsy, barky cough from our little red head. He's feverish and complains of a sore throat. Thus, our morning plans are instantly changed.

I love "living on the edge" with no set plan and can typically go with the flow of the ever changing events of life... But, I really like my mornings with my man. Our workout time together is more than just a workout, it is like a daily "date-night" together but in the morning. ;)

This morning's instant change in plans allowed Jon and I to just sit and have coffee together. To just sit and "be still." 
I did not know how much we needed this until it happened. I did not know that God was parenting us in the way he does and giving Jon and I a "time-out."

As parents we do this to our children. We give them a time out for misbehaving, or for being a little too full of themselves, or to simply say: "listen child, I don't know what's going on with you but you just need to sit here and just calm down." We do this because we know them better than they know themselves, and know they need a moment of quiet, of non-movement... a moment to sit their butts down and "be still."

Oh our Father certainly had His way with us this morning. He said, "listen up you two, if you can't be still for just a moment and listen to what I have to say then I'm going to make you!" And so He did. He made a change in "our" plans so that we could listen up to "His."

How too often we do this. We lose sight of His will for us as we get so consumed with our will for ourselves. We take our focus off of our Savior and think to ourselves... "Dang, I am pretty good, look at what I can do." We get lost in in the depths of self and to be honest, that is a scary place to be.

As Jon and I sat still drinking our coffee we were hit smack in the face with our loss of vision. That we were once again becoming blind and lost in the mist of our life... We asked each other, "when was the last time we had a heart to heart with God, handing over our lives to Him?"
Sure we pray, and pray daily.... But it had become the standard "morning prayer with the kids before school, dinner time prayer, and night time prayer with the kids before going to bed." And sure we may have prayed for others in their times of need BUT for the Love... We both had not in a good while, prayed with ourFather, pouring our heart out to Him. And it's embarrassing to admit... but it's the truth.

Thank you Father, my most precious loving and patient God. Thank you for giving me (us) a time-out this morning. Thank you for making us "be still". Thank you for opening our eyes and hearts to see our lives as they once again were so full of ourselves! Help me to lay it aside for your will and not my own. Help me to not get so busy that I push aside my time with you. You are ALWAYS there, but I am not. I leave you waiting... like a husband waits for his wife while she changes outfits over and over to go out on a date, you wait as I change my mind 1000 times trying to do life on my own... But YOU WAIT. Thank you for not giving up on me, for not leaving, but for waiting and allowing me to once again to fail, but be forgiven. Help me to love like you love and keep my eyes from falling away from you once again. 

Amen

"In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;In the morning I will prepare a prayer and a sacrifice for You and watch and wait for You to speak to my heart." - Psalm 5:3 

the varsity

On our way down to the Fox Theatre the other day, we treated the entire family to an Atlanta classic, The Varsity.

None of our children had ever been to the original Varsity and thought it was really peculiar that we would pull up to the curb, and have people serve us through the car windows. 
It was quite an interesting experience.
As we pulled up to the curb, we quickly found a group of Varsity employees huddled up, waiting for the next customer.  

An older employee , 84yrs old to be exact, walked up to our car to introduce himself.
His name was Frank and he quickly announced that he had proudly worked for the Varsity for the past 60 years!!

60 years?!?!  I can't even imagine being alive for 60 years much less working for 60 years, much less working at one place for 60 years, much less working at the Varsity for 60 years.  
As we ordered our food, I thought and thought on this matter.  How can he...?  How could he...?  What motivates a man to....?

I don't ever want to turn up the opportunity to teach the kids about work ethic.  I began working for pay when I was 10yrs old and for an hourly wage at 11yrs old.  Work ethic is very important to me and I want to instill this same value into my children.  
And so when Frank came back to the car with our food, I asked him,
"Frank, after 60 yrs of continued service in the same job, at the same business, what advice can you give my five children (motioning to the van full of wide eyed kids) about how you do it?"  "In one sentence, what can you tell them?" I asked. 

I was already prepared to hear things like, "live your dreams", "when the going gets tough", and  "do what you love".  
But Frank, he had something different for us.  

As we looked at Frank, and he smiled at us, he told the kids, "Praise the Lord."

"When you get up, think on Him.  When you go to bed, think of Him.  Above all, Praise Him."

What a message for the masses.  What a message for myself.  As I work today and we head into 2016, I must remember to 'Praise the Lord', because Frank said so.  What great advice is that?  What a deep truth rooted in the simplest of understanding.  Praise the Lord, for he is good. 

Psalm 146:1-2 Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord;I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.