Please take the time to listen.
It's amazing.........really
http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/the-radical-experiment-2010/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
disappointment
I really believe that one of the worst Lessons of Life is disappointment. I thought being disappointed myself was tough, but having your child disappointed is almost more than I can bear.
Zion has the gene from both Mike and I to be competitive. Sadly, Zion also shares our other genes - which makes him small for his age. I am 5'3 and Mike is 5'10 (with shoes) and Zion is just not going to be a giant. To add insult to injury - he has two adopted brothers that are, indeed, going to be huge. (Michael, at age 12, wears 11 1/2 size shoes, yes, men's shoes)
Zion in February competed in the county wide AWANA games, in which his team came in last. He was not sad, he was TICKED!
Zion has the gene from both Mike and I to be competitive. Sadly, Zion also shares our other genes - which makes him small for his age. I am 5'3 and Mike is 5'10 (with shoes) and Zion is just not going to be a giant. To add insult to injury - he has two adopted brothers that are, indeed, going to be huge. (Michael, at age 12, wears 11 1/2 size shoes, yes, men's shoes)
Zion in February competed in the county wide AWANA games, in which his team came in last. He was not sad, he was TICKED!
When I gave him the, "you did your best!" speech -
he replied to me, "THAT'S STUPID!!!"
I couldn't say much after that. I honestly hate to lose, and it doesn't make me feel better to think that I did my best and my best was inferior to the competition. I might actually feel better if someone said, "you were having a bad day. Any other day, you would have taken them OUT!"
So - March rolls around and auditons for the church musical/play are here. Zion was so excited to be in the play, and he practiced the script for a week before his audition. We talked about how you would act if the line was sad. We talked about body language and we talked about a big strong voice. He had to sing, "Here I Am To Worship" which we also practiced to and from school in the van.
So - March rolls around and auditons for the church musical/play are here. Zion was so excited to be in the play, and he practiced the script for a week before his audition. We talked about how you would act if the line was sad. We talked about body language and we talked about a big strong voice. He had to sing, "Here I Am To Worship" which we also practiced to and from school in the van.
He was ready, and I just knew he would get a part.
In addition to his hard work, he is adorable, (right?)
Auditions were Saturday and the email came out on Sunday with the "Call Back" list.
Auditions were Saturday and the email came out on Sunday with the "Call Back" list.
Isaac was on it, but not Zion.
I scanned the list again, and again......and, okay, one more time. No Zion Thornton. It must be a mistake. Maybe they got Isaac and Zion mixed up.
Zion worked so hard - and Isaac only read through the script once.
I emailed the director - "not to question you, but I just wanted to make sure you wanted Isaac for CALL BACKS and not Zion. Isaac wasn't even sure he wanted a speaking part, and Zion practiced all week."
Return email; "Yes, Isaac read for a part and was really confident. Zion seemed shy and quiet"
BUMMER.......while I was happy for Isaac - I know that, in the big picture, Isaac wouldn't really care. He is a "go with the flow" kinda kid.
Now what?
How do I tell Zion?
How do you prepare your child for all the disappointments of life?
I emailed the director - "not to question you, but I just wanted to make sure you wanted Isaac for CALL BACKS and not Zion. Isaac wasn't even sure he wanted a speaking part, and Zion practiced all week."
Return email; "Yes, Isaac read for a part and was really confident. Zion seemed shy and quiet"
BUMMER.......while I was happy for Isaac - I know that, in the big picture, Isaac wouldn't really care. He is a "go with the flow" kinda kid.
Now what?
How do I tell Zion?
How do you prepare your child for all the disappointments of life?
I waited until Monday night, after dinner, when I needed to get Isaac started on practice for Call Backs. I could delay no longer.
I called Zion into my room. I picked him up so I could look in his eye. I told him in the most gentle way that I could, "I got an email about the play. You didn't get a speaking part this time."
He glares at me for a second, and the lip starts to quiver, then the sobs begin. I hold him tight and bite my lip to fight back my own tears. I sit down on my bed with him and just hold him. I didn't dare try for the "you did your best" bit.
I told him about how the Bible says that every part is important. Like your body parts. Even though your little toe is tiny - it still helps you balance and walk straight. And everyone in the play can share God's love with all the people watching the play.
It took him a while to come around.
First he wanted to quit the play.
I told him that wasn't an option.
Later in the evening he quietly says, "Mommy, can I sleep with you?"
We snuggled up together and read a chapter of "Hank Zipzer" in my bed.
Isaac comes down and has the play script in his hand.
Zion doesn't say anything, but after a little while - he begins to look at the script again and help read lines as Isaac practices.
I decide that he is going to be okay.
maybe sometimes just being there, without having the right words to say.......
will be enough.
(*play photo from last year: An Unlikely Hero")
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Captivating.........Chapter one
Captivating is a book for women. The goal of the book is to unveil the mystery of a Woman's Soul. And I learned more about mine than I was ready for.
What does it mean to be a woman?
The Bible says in Genesis that God created us in his image:
but what does that mean?
What does it look like?
Is a true woman like Cinderella or Joan of Arc?
How can I become a strong woman without becoming harsh?
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23
My heart, as a woman, is the most important thing about me.
What are the true desires of a woman's heart?
#1) A woman wants to be romanced.
We want to be in a story of life where the hero comes to look for us - to find us and rescue us.
We want to feel like we are worth fighting for.
We want to be seen, noticed, wanted and pursued.
Our actions cry out, "do you think I am lovely?"
We want to be precious to someone, and it starts with our earthly father.
#2) A woman wants to be part of something big.
Something that requires all of me.
Something dangerous.
Something worth dying for.
The heart of a woman is fierce! But we don't want to do it alone.
We want to be in this adventure with others.
Our lives were meant to be lived with others.
#3) A woman has a beauty to unveil
Psalm 45:11 The King is enthralled by your beauty.
Our modern culture has turned the idea of beauty into something that is not Godly. Because of this worldly view that most of us carry with us, we have hardened our hearts to the desire to be beautiful. We need to accept who we are in Christ and walk in that beauty. Very few women that I know are comfortable in their own skin.
I grew up as a tomboy on a farm - and I struggled with this portion of the Bible Study.
The tomboy can't be the princess....it just doesn't work. But deep inside my heart, the desire to be beautiful was still there.
We want to have a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want a beauty that is not only seen, but felt.
A beauty that affects others. With this kind of beauty, we inspire the men in our lives to be the hero that God has placed in his heart to be.
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
John and Stasi Eldredge
Thomas Nelson Publishing 2005
What does it mean to be a woman?
The Bible says in Genesis that God created us in his image:
but what does that mean?
What does it look like?
Is a true woman like Cinderella or Joan of Arc?
How can I become a strong woman without becoming harsh?
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23
My heart, as a woman, is the most important thing about me.
What are the true desires of a woman's heart?
#1) A woman wants to be romanced.
We want to be in a story of life where the hero comes to look for us - to find us and rescue us.
We want to feel like we are worth fighting for.
We want to be seen, noticed, wanted and pursued.
Our actions cry out, "do you think I am lovely?"
We want to be precious to someone, and it starts with our earthly father.
#2) A woman wants to be part of something big.
Something that requires all of me.
Something dangerous.
Something worth dying for.
The heart of a woman is fierce! But we don't want to do it alone.
We want to be in this adventure with others.
Our lives were meant to be lived with others.
#3) A woman has a beauty to unveil
Psalm 45:11 The King is enthralled by your beauty.
Our modern culture has turned the idea of beauty into something that is not Godly. Because of this worldly view that most of us carry with us, we have hardened our hearts to the desire to be beautiful. We need to accept who we are in Christ and walk in that beauty. Very few women that I know are comfortable in their own skin.
I grew up as a tomboy on a farm - and I struggled with this portion of the Bible Study.
The tomboy can't be the princess....it just doesn't work. But deep inside my heart, the desire to be beautiful was still there.
We want to have a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want a beauty that is not only seen, but felt.
A beauty that affects others. With this kind of beauty, we inspire the men in our lives to be the hero that God has placed in his heart to be.
Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
John and Stasi Eldredge
Thomas Nelson Publishing 2005
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Captivating.......or not yet.
Well, it's been about 3 weeks since I said I was going to blog on my latest Bible Study - Captivating. In the meantime, my friend Heather challenged those reading her blog to listen to a sermon series by David Platt, a pastor at Brooks Hills Church in Birmingham Alabama. I started it a few times, clicked it off because it was almost an hour and didn't ever make the time to listen.
Last Friday, I had a long road trip, so I decided to put the sermons on my iPod and listen to them while I drove. The boys were all in school - so I had time to "REALLY" listen, not just hear it, you know?
So, it is something. I mean, in a way that makes you think and feel motivated but yet really, really convicted all at the same time. I think it's really cool how the Holy Spirit can do that. There is a difference between guilt and conviction by the way. Only one is from God.
http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/the-radical-experiment-2010/
If you can find the sermon series, I also encourage you to listen to it.
If you have iTunes - you can go to the Podcast section of the iTunes Store and download the sermons for free - it's called the RADICAL EXPERIMENT.
In the meantime, while all the RADICAL stuff is spinning in my head - I still want to wrap up my thoughts on Captivating. My friend Heather is GREAT at blogging her thoughts, even when she is still spinning things around in her head. For me, not so much.....I feel like I have to wrap my brain around it first.
My thoughts are so random anyway......if I just typed it all out as it spins around in my head, no one would be able to follow it.
Of course, I say that as I have NO followers on my blog! :P But I'm not writing it for anyone else. It's an online journal of my journey - through the ups and downs and lessons I am learning. So.......maybe it doesn't matter if I have it all figured out in my head.
Regardless - listen to the RADICAL EXPERIMENT. It could change your life.
PS....I really wish I knew how to post a link on this crazy thing......I tried 5 times, and it's still not here.
Last Friday, I had a long road trip, so I decided to put the sermons on my iPod and listen to them while I drove. The boys were all in school - so I had time to "REALLY" listen, not just hear it, you know?
So, it is something. I mean, in a way that makes you think and feel motivated but yet really, really convicted all at the same time. I think it's really cool how the Holy Spirit can do that. There is a difference between guilt and conviction by the way. Only one is from God.
http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/the-radical-experiment-2010/
If you can find the sermon series, I also encourage you to listen to it.
If you have iTunes - you can go to the Podcast section of the iTunes Store and download the sermons for free - it's called the RADICAL EXPERIMENT.
In the meantime, while all the RADICAL stuff is spinning in my head - I still want to wrap up my thoughts on Captivating. My friend Heather is GREAT at blogging her thoughts, even when she is still spinning things around in her head. For me, not so much.....I feel like I have to wrap my brain around it first.
My thoughts are so random anyway......if I just typed it all out as it spins around in my head, no one would be able to follow it.
Of course, I say that as I have NO followers on my blog! :P But I'm not writing it for anyone else. It's an online journal of my journey - through the ups and downs and lessons I am learning. So.......maybe it doesn't matter if I have it all figured out in my head.
Regardless - listen to the RADICAL EXPERIMENT. It could change your life.
PS....I really wish I knew how to post a link on this crazy thing......I tried 5 times, and it's still not here.
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