"Jamba, Jamba Juice"

For a few weeks now my family have enjoyed old home videos we found tucked away for several year now. It was videos of when my boys were 1 and 3 years old. How tiny were their voices that matched their little munchkin bodies. I enjoy watching the videos and remembering how little they were not so long ago, and stare at who they have become today. Long bodies, more mature faces staring in awe and laughing hysterically at themselves. It was like meeting a new person, only it was themselves. They were so intrigued with themselves. The words they said, the movements they made, it was all entertaining. What a joy it was to see their faces as they watched their younger selves.

It gets me thinking about cherishing every moment as it goes by so fast like putting away an old video, and sooner that you know it, you find it again and wonder where the time has gone. Finding these videos are a blessing. It is a reminder of what we have and what a special gift our children are.

31 Words of Wisdom

Earlier I mentioned that Eric and I are involved in our church's writing team. This is our second round in writing the e-devotionals, but this time the format is a little different. Eastlake is starting a new series 31: Unchanging Wisdom for Changing Times which focuses on the 31 chapters of Proverbs. Each member of the writing team got to choose two chapters to reflect and write on. And each day for 31 days, those who subscribe to the e-devotionals will have the opportunity to read, reflect, and react to all 31 chapters in Proverbs. As confusing as Proverbs can be, this has become a pleasant challenge for me. It forces me to consider a few things: Which is inpirational? How has it applied to my life? How will it be relatable for others? That's a lot to consider in just 200 words.

Well I should say after 2-3 hours of work, I hope those who read it will find it inspiring...

True Riches

My husband and I and a few friends took a leader course for a study we lead at church. We had a verse to memorize before coming to this class.

Luke 16:11 "Therefore if you are unfaithful with worldly wealth, who will trust true riches to you."

Although money is what comes to mind when we think of wordly wealth, it's just not all that. It could also mean our family, our relationships, our jobs. Are we being faithful with them as well? This puts things into perspective. Am I doing my best as a Christian to treat other kindly and be a good steward so I can prepare myself for the "true riches" in heaven? Knowing this verse, I can ask myself on a daily basis, am I being faithful with what God has provided me? What a great way to hold myself accountable and keep that close relationship with God.

Inner Purity

"What comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean'"~Matt15:6b
I think about my life and how much of a rule follower I am. But sometimes rules inhibit us to what we truly are called to do. Sometimes rules keep us from knowing the truth and acting on it. I find myself guilty of seeing things in black in white. Especially when it comes to my faith. You're either in or you're out. You either believe or don't believe. Although this may be true, I also tend to treat the person that way too. Jesus teaches of compassion for others, especially those who have not found Him yet. I need to remember to have compassion for others. Even with God front and center in my life, He wouldn't want me to shove everyone else in my life aside...

Family, Our Biggest Critic

Matthew 13:55-58 talks about Jesus coming back to his hometown to teach as he has in the other cities. But because he grew up in Nazareth, the townspeople knew his family and knew Jesus as a young boy. So believing in Jesus even as a prophet was difficult for them. They lacked faith and because of this they missed the experience of the Messiah, the One who was sent down to save us. These were his own family and friends. I found this interesting because as a new Christian, I face this with my own family members and friends who are nonChristian. They are the least to believe in what we say because they know "where we come from". And if they notice this change, we must be brainwashed. It's relieving to know Jesus has gone through the same thing too. My hopes is that our relationship with our families and friends change by our love and faith in Jesus Christ.

It's Never Too Late

This weekend our church held its baptisms after every service. I was volunteering when I saw this elderly man slowly walking up the stairs towards the changing room. His neighbor and dear friend escorted him up. I was briefly speaking to her about the man...she told me while rubbing tears off her eyes that he just decided to get baptized. He's 94 years old. He hadn't been going to church for 60 years and decided within this past year to attend Eastlake Church. She continued to tell me that he had a bad experience at their previous church, but since coming to Eastlake he's felt a sense of comfort. With each smile and greeting he received, a little of the "old" him chipped away, and I guess today the "new" him had the courage to stand up and announce his love for Christ and get baptized, at 94! What an awesome, awesome thing that was to witness today!

Writing Opportunity

This past week, my husband and I received an invitation to join our church's eDevotional ministry. Well, with acceptance of our writing sample, this would be a perfect opportunity to share what I love; God through writing. How cool is that? I am excited to be able to write and hopefully inspire others who are Christ followers and those who haven't found Him yet.