The summer can't be over yet!

We are gearing up for home school and I haven't even finished doing half the things I wanted to do this summer.. The list is too long to post so I'll skip it. Tomorrow all 4 of my chickadee's will be playing soccer. Yes, even 2 1/2 year old Dolly. The summer isn't all lost. I went on vacation to the Outerbanks for several days and enjoyed the calm beach with some of my most favorite people in the world- my kids. Cookie and Rocco body surfed for the first time and enjoyed it immensely! I had a ball standing in the ocean with a net fishing for what I thought were little sharks that kept coming ashore with the waves. To make a long story short, they were not sharks.. whatever they were I caught about 5 of them and Noahkeem belted out nervous laughter as he knocked the bucket over and all of the fishies waited lifelessly on the beach for the tide to come back in.

Highlights from 2 very rainy days

First I have to say, I am suppose to be on vacation but, I had to delay my plans because of rain and rearrange all kinds of arrangements. The last 2 days that were suppose to be spent in my travel destination was more of a staycation here in the area. Yesterday, Rainy day #1 We went to the movies to see Barnyard and found out that it was not playing and we saw Charlotte's Web instead. (My all time childhood favorite). 1 medium soda & medium popcorn was only $11.60! Stopped to the mall, rode the carousel, went to the gigantic play area, window shopped, ate at Johnny Rockets, made another stop afterwards then came home. The days outing was about 9 hours!

Rainy day #2, we went to the museum that has tons of hands on things to do and a planetarium to boot. We made it in the nick of time to an 11:30 show at the planetarium, walked/ran around to the exhibits, ate lunch in a very crowded cafe, then started on our way home. Notice I said started home. The trip to the museum usually takes 45 minutes but, I did not reach my town until 3 hours later. Why you might ask? Traffic, detours, & "short cuts" all of which was worth it when I was treated to a fish & chips dinner, complete with coleslaw, Texas toast, and corn on the cob steamed in butter. Full of cholesterol I'm sure but, oh so delish!

I should've known

I should've known that after a "heavy" or "challenging" post I would be tested to see if I walk what I talk. And trust me I am being tested. I do however, need to clear some things up about my last post:

1. I am in no wise saying don't talk about or share anything with a friend or relative about your plight.

2. God created us to be in relationship with one another. He clearly sees the benefit of having friends.

3. He wants to be #1 in our lives-since he knows us best and has created us.

4. My blog and posts are not the end all in what God says. No blog is. You have to search the scriptures, pray and hear God for yourself.

I never heard it that way before.

I became a christian when I was 12. From that point up until a couple days ago, I never heard any one convey that 1peter 5:7, "casting all my cares upon the Lord" included raw emotions. I have lived the years thinking and practicing casting my cares on the Lord as saying something like, "Lord I'm overwhelmed, please help me" or "This is bothering me, I need your help.. and I'm telling you this because your word says for me to cast my cares on you because you care for me". A couple of days ago while making the bed, I had the television on and Gregory Dickow was on. He's a televangelist that I never listen to but that day, I continued making the bed and kept him on. Something he said then made me stop and listen. He talked about how religious we have sounded or some have sounded over the years as they "casted their cares upon the Lord" They strategically choose words and pray them and sincerely believe that they are casting their cares on Him. He then talked about how God wants to hear about when I am angry or feel cheated or feel vengeful. He wants to know when we feel like ringing someones neck or screaming at the top of our lungs. He wants to know if we feel jealous or lustful or all of those feelings that we are too embarrassed or or ashamed to talk about because we have to give the appearance of being totally health individuals. God cares and is waiting to hear you vent about all of those raw emotions. He - Gregory Dickow went on to say how if you sit down or with the healthiest individual, and begin to converse with them you will soon realize they have hurts- past and present in their lives that are still their. They too have been wronged on purpose and inadvertently. They have harbored at one time or presently bitterness against someone, a boss, a parent a sibling a friend - some one. And at the end of the conversation, you would see that both people talking would be in tears and in repentance. Although some are and and some appear healthier than others, none are without hurt. The message went on to talk about how when we have issues, struggles or are angry the primary thing we tend to do is to vent to a friend. And even when we get it all out, although we may feel relief, we rarely have a complete sense of peace at the end of the conversation. That is where that verse steps in "Casting all your cares upon Him because he cares for you". I never heard in Sunday School -yet , that God is big enough and God enough for me to vent on Him. Yet He is. He wants us to vent on Him. He knew that we could not handle this life on our own and He wants us to stop pretending that we can. He wants to hear about those thoughts of anger, vengeance, depression, suicide, hate, bitterness, hurt, disappointment, and betrayal... He wants to hear it all. He is waiting for us to vent on him. If he thought we could handle it all, He would have never told us to cast all of our cares on Him, because he Cares for us. Not only is he committed to taking care of us, He is concerned about us. That's what he means when he says that he cares for us.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with sharing and getting things out with a friend. There is nothing wrong with talking with someone who has a great listening ear. There is however a refreshment and resurrection that is birthed in you when you begin to spill it all out before the Lord. A refreshment and resurrection that only God can give. A refreshment that you can't find in a self help book. You will eventually move from a place of woundedness to healing. Not because of some mystically prayer or words you say but, because He is true to his word. He cares for you , so why not let him do his job?

Have we casted our cares on Him today or cheated ourselves out of the freedom and refreshment that comes when we do by choosing to vent on someone else that can do absolutely nothing to free us from all that weighs us down, from all that tangles us up and from all that keeps us bound?

My little neck of the woods.

As you can see from this pic these ducks were trying to head into my back yard. Smart cookie that I am, I shut the gate before they got in. I did my errands came back and they were still there and they had an extra friend with them. Yet this time they were sitting around, just hanging out in my side yard. It made me smile. Lately, I've been thinking about friendships and being connected to a community. In the age of blackberries, online social networks, and texting, who has the time for snail mail? Allow me be the first to say nothing slows one person down and gives way to reflection as a piece of snail mail. The beauty of snail mail is that it is constant reminder that someone thought of you, dropped a line, bought a stamp, and cared enough to let you know that you were on their mind. Snail mail usually makes one smile. So why not pass that joy on? Who can we blessed today in a non-techie way?