Lost and Found

Have you ever lost something, looked for it frantically, stopped looking, (maybe even prayed a desperate prayer), opened your eyes and there was the thing you were looking for - staring at you laughing? Well, I lost my keys on Saturday morning. I went through the "I lost something" ritual on Saturday night, cleaning our house as I went and finding toys and other misplaced items, but not my keys. Tracy left for Seattle on Monday, leaving me his keys so I didn't have to ride city transportation! We really figured Mattie had turned into a clepto overnight and had a secret place where she was keeping important things hidden from mommy and daddy.
On my way to bed tonight, I think to myself, why did I bring Tracy's car keys upstairs tonight? There is a key sticking out from under a folded pillowcase on the floor. IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR BEDROOM, my keys have been hidden in plain sight for 4 days! The keys were laughing at me, people!
God, what was the point in this lost and found lesson? I have NO idea. I do know that I miss the obvious many times in my life though. I get so frantic doing eveything in my own power, sure that I have crossed all my 'I's and dotted all my 'T's, that I don't stop to really see what God is trying to show me. He's the One with the power. He's the One in control. He's not laughing at me. He's just sitting there in plain sight, waiting for me to find Him.

I need a drink

I've been reading Max Lucado's book Come Thirsty. I think that on this Good Friday this was a good reminder,

"Don't you need a drink? Don't you long to flush out the fear, anxiety, and guilt? You can...All ages welcome...In order for Jesus to do what water does, you must let him penetrate your heart. Deep, deep inside....Take special concern with the bottle labeled "religion."...Religion pacifies, but never satifies. Church activities might hide a thirst, but only Christ quenches it. Drink him. And drink often."

Cutie girls

Glam Girls - they got their hair curled for the Palm Sunday. They sang in front of the church. Ellie did great both services. Kiki did great 1st service singing and doing hand motions. She hid with her thumb in her mouth or giving me a pouty face 2nd service. 2nd service was the one I got on video!

Let's not go it alone

The only race I have ever trained for and ran is the Bolder Boulder. It's a 10K and it's every Memorial Day. I first ran it the year Tracy and I got married. There were 5 of us on our little training team and even though we didn't all finish together, I did have my partner Ephraim who encouraged me and kept me running for the entire race. The next time I ran it was this last year. I had a great team of friends who all had kids in 2005. We trained together and began the race together but we got separated along the way and I finished the race alone. It was tough going alone.
So when I had to make the decision this year whether to train and run I went looking for a training buddy. I've been going it alone this year but at the last hour Tracy decided to join me. He then injured his foot and I was alone again. It's tough to motivate myself to get out. I make excuses - the tire on Mattie's stroller is flat (true), I need to update my workout music on my I-Pod (true), I am too busy (true), and I NEED TO RUN WITH OTHERS! You know though, I am still running and making progress. It's not how I like to run but I'm out there.
I find this is very true in my spiritual life, too. When I am not with others who are like-minded, willing to run and challenge me, I get sluggish and make excuses not to study God's Word or challenge myself to know the Truth. We need to surround ourselves with people who are running, some who are older and have run the race longer and some who have just begun and need motivation to continue on. Let's run together, it's so much better than going alone.

Side note - last night we had peas for dinner which are NOT Ellie's favorite. After she finished her 10 peas, she told Tracy, "I asked God to help me eat my peas and He did!"

My New Venture!

As if I didn't have enough to do in my life - I decided to turn my habit of putting my kid's pictures into albums a small side business. I say SMALL because I have never been an entrepenuer nor do I have the salesman heart - I couldn't convince an eskimo to buy a winter coat (oh, you know what I mean...) I decided that it was time. Time that I spent time with friends, made new friends, connect with old friends and just put myself out there so that others can get to know me.

I had been praying about the flaw of mine - in my past, I have had friends for seasons and then as I moved onto a new stage in my life I drifted away from good friends. I finally decided to google a high school friend who had been on my mind. I actually found her and she lives in Denver! We have had a great time catching up on the phone and soon plan on getting together before she moves to Switzerland next month. Talk about God's timing! I never would have been able to find her had I waited just another month to search for her. But wait, it gets better...

A childhood friend from Indiana moved to Colorado just 1 year before we moved here. She and I saw each other maybe twice before we graduated high school and she got married. The last time I saw her was 12 years ago at her wedding. I had kept tabs on her life very little as she wrote new books with her husband. I went to the mall over the weekend - her son and my daughter crossed paths in the sandbox. I made eye contact with her and couldn't believe it! I had thought about trying to track her down not even 1 week earlier! Coincidence? God's providence.

I am excited to see God work in my life. I have no idea why God has brought these 2 women back into my life - both after a decade of separation. I don't know why I feel peace about adding another side dish to my too full plate with regards to scrapbooking. Check out my website.

Coincidence? God's providence. I have tears in my eyes thinking of how God gave Tracy and me the same desire just days apart to give our $427 refund from the dentist to an African pastor with a desire to feed his people and build 5 new churches this year. We pray that God multiplies our meager gift in order to provide. Please pray for Africa and for Pastor Shem as he shepherds his people.