Weekly "I AM"

"Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever." - Daniel 12:3

Outside my window... It's actually raining!! Yes! There is water, actual rain drops, falling from Heaven! C3 and I stood in it for a minute so I could teach her what rain actually felt like. The yard needs a haircut. A little boy last week, probably 10-13, came by. He knocked on the door, scared me to death, and proceeded to ask if he could mow my lawn. "Ummm," I begin to think what Matt would want and Matt would NOT want to mow, "how much?" This little red headed boy was dripping with sweat. He was pushing around his mower with one of those red gasoline jugs sitting on the handlebars of the mower, "Six dollars." He tells me.

I realize I only have a $20. "Do you have any change?"

"No, not now."
"Well, if you get some change, please come back and you can mow the yard."

He walks to the next house and I realize I didn't see any water attached to his mower. I run outside, "Do you need a cup of water?"

"Um, sure!"

I ran in the house and began filling a cup. Then it hits me. How will he keep from spilling this?

I grab a water bottle we use to go fishing with and run it outside. "Keep it." I tell him.

"Are you sure?"
"Yep, just please don't get sick in this heat and come back if you get some change."

He never came back. It didn't dawn on me at the time. Here's a kid out sweating his booty off. I should have paid him the $20. I keep hoping he will come back so I can. Opportunity failed.

I am thinking... That the house is super quiet. C3 is napping and I have to wake her up to go get C2. I hate waking her up, she's hard to put to sleep at times. I might have C2 stay extended days on Monday as well, so I'm not disrupting C3's schedule so much.

C1 likes school I guess. I asked her if she liked school or home more. She told me she likes both, that she likes to go to school but she loves to come home. I'll take that. I think she loves home so much because she misses her baby sister during the day. She told me last week, "I miss Colbie when I'm at school."

I am planning to cook... yes, yes I am and my grocery bill reflected these plans of mine. Last night, was shredded chicken in the crock with the salsa and taco seasoning. I eat it as a salad. The leftovers will be tonight. Then tomorrow is a meal I saw on Food Network. Then another night will be a Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake thing from Tasty Kitchen. That should take us throught the whole week!

I have to prepare C1's lunches every morning. So far, she has been super easy to please. The girl ate a whole watermellon all by herself last week!

I am reading... I'm on the last few pages of The Cross and the Switchblade. I also was challenged by Chris Spradlin to have a nightly devo with the kids. Matt reads from Chloe's Bible every night but sitting down before we get to the bedtime stuff is really nice. The book is called Five Minute Devotions for Children.  Why I bought this particular one was the way it's presented. It uses bugs and animals to present the Gospel and the Message to the kids. If you know my kids, bugs and animals is the way to their heart and ears. It's a really good book. Only downfall is it's not very long. We will do two devo's a week to try and make it last a little longer.

I am hearing... I am ashamed and embarrassed to admit but Barney is on TV. We NEVER watch him, but I was on here doing this and it just came on. Honest!

I am learning... BOLD Obedience. If I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to do something, I should do it. I realized I obey when what I'm asked to do isn't painful. For instance, we were at Hideaway this weekend. A lady was sitting by herself eating lunch. I felt like we should buy her lunch. Being the wonderful giving person I am, I questioned it and questioned it.... Then the waitress dropped off the ticket and I missed the opportunity to bless that woman. Shame on me. My goal is to obey without hesitation.

I ask that of my kids. Matt and I want them to obey the FIRST time I ask, not the second or third.... I need to obey the first time as well.

I am praying... Healing. And I've been going in the kid's rooms at night and praying over them. Yes, sometimes I pray from Colbie's door because I fear waking her up. haha But I've been praying for them and thanking God for them. It's a sweet time.