Enough

I'm holding up the child packs, pleading with my eyes for someone to put up their hand. For someone to open their heart and let a little child in.

Apathy stares back at me.

You could afford to come here, you can definitely afford to sponsor this kid. I think.

I judge.

I stop. I pray. Please, God. Forgive me, God.

Because I don't have it figured out either. Because as Shaun is speaking up on that WonderJam stage, he is speaking as much to my "I-have-this-all-figured-out" as he is to the apathetic, uninterested eyes waiting for Skillet to emerge.

Enough.

Just Enough.

When God sent manna from heaven to the Israelites, he commanded that they take just enough.

In the early church, everyone had just enough. Those who had too much gave their leftovers to those who had too little, and everyone had just enough.

It works.

And now. Today. What does just enough look like?

I don't really know. I'm still trying to figure it out.

One thing I do know, though?

$1.25/day isn't enough.

Check out this super awesome interactive game thing that 58: created: Could you survive on $1.25 a day?

I *barely* did. On my second try.

$1.25 isn't enough.

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Take just enough, give someone enough. Sponsor a child! :)

The Vine and The Branches

"I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ... I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -Jesus {John 15:1-2, 5}

I was reading John 15 yesterday because our pastor had preached on verse 5 at church earlier in the morning. 

I love this: "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

The Gardener definitely "pruned" me this past weekend.

And boy, did it hurt. 

It was a nice, painful, hits-you-right-in-the-gut reminder that apart from the vine I can do nothing.

And it hurt. Because sometimes we hold on to the "dead" parts of ourselves way too long - so when it's time for the Gardener to prune in off, it hurts.

But then He gives you something better. He reminds you that he alone is enough. He reminds you that your life is His. 

And you adjust and you start to grow again and it feels way better than before. 

Sometimes, before a plant can grow any more, it has to be pruned. The dead ends have to be trimmed off.

It'll hurt. 

But once you get over the initial pain, it feels pretty darn good.

And you remember that the Gardener always, always knows what's best for you.

His plans never harm you.

Last Monday Mania Already?!

So I said I'd try and do thing every Monday for the whole school year... I almost succeeded, and would you look at that... Here is the last Monday of the school year.

Which means...

I am 3 exams away from finishing my first year of high school.

What?

No.

That was too fast.

Back in September, all these people told me that I should savour every minute of high school because these 4 years are the fastest 4 years of your life, and I was like, "Pssshh. These nostalgic old people... This is gonna take forever."

Gosh, that first year went fast!

And if the next three go by just as fast, these will be the fastest 4 years of my life!

Yikes. :$

Anyways, the song.

I thought I'd end with the same song I started with, because I just really, really love this song. :)

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39

Remember: HE loves you. Live like it. :) ♥

Dads Are Supposed to Let Their Kids Win...

Well, that's not my dad.

Not the not being able to fall asleep if I'm not asleep part.

And definitely not the "give up" part.

No, those parts are true.

It's the "letting your kids win" part. 

Because if there's one thing my dad doesn't do, it's losing.

Even to his 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, racing down the hallways or playing UNO.

Even to his now 15-year-old and 12-year-old son, playing one-on-one in the driveway.

Nope, my dad has no mercy when it comes to gametime. ;)

But, my dad's still pretty awesome.

You know that game show that's something like "My Dad's Better than Your Dad"? My dad would win by just showing up. ;)

My dad is movie nights and Sunday afternoon NASCAR. My dad is homemade waffles on weekdays and the reason the dishes are done every day. My dad's the one who drives me to school every morning when my friends' dads make them walk. He's the dad who shows up to every school event cheering the loudest, and I'll act embarrassed but really I'm proud to have such a great dad {and I know all the other girls are jealous}. 

He's basketball coach, medic, science tutor, IT guy {I'm his most demanding customer, he says. ;)}, biggest fan.

My dad puts up with my midnight sports rants and occasional blonde moments... I'm a bit of a handful sometimes but somehow he's okay with that.

He can't say "museum", "Seattle", "soccer" or "pool" properly cuz he grew up in a different country, but every word the comes out of his mouth is a kind, wise or insightful one. 

The number of times he's made me laugh is somewhere up in the millions, and the number of things he's taught me is somewhere up in the billions.

I have the best dad in the world, and if he weren't in my life I really truly wouldn't be me. I could say a million more things that are great about my dad, but I don't want the world wide web to crash {because then my dad would have to fix it...} so, just take my word for it - best. daddy. ever.

I love you, Daddy! ♥

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY!

Look Like Love

I thought that this song by Britt Nicole went quite nicely with the blog post I wrote last week:

I love the bridge:

"If I believe there's a Saviour, is the proof in me? Is He alive and breathing? Is He what they'll remember? Is He what they see when they look at me? Do I look like love?"

Questions one should ask themselves everyday.

"The third time he said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?'

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'

Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.'" -John 21:17