Chik-fil-a or the needy....

Many people I know fall all along the spectrum of the family values, so to speak. I don't intend to debate, or even invite debate on who's "right," but rather to want to encourage those of us who identify ourselves with Christ to think differently.

Earlier today on Facebook I saw this image because of couple friends liked it on "We survived Bush. You will survive Obama" FB page...

Touché, I thought when I saw it. It's true, and oh so sad. So it got me thinking more, and lead me to read this scripture from Matthew 6:1-4:

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

As I continued reflect on this event and this scripture I wondered how much money people, presumably mostly Christians, spent yesterday on this appreciation day. I decided to turn to Google for my answer.

Did you know that Chik-fil-A broke their own sales record yesterday with unprecedented sales? Chick-fil-A vice president Steve Robinson said the company won't release sales figures for Wednesday; however if you look their sales figures from last year and figure as Atlanta Business Chronicle journalist, Jacques Couret did, you can say on average $12.8 million in sales on a "normal" day. You're left to only guess how much more than that they sold yesterday. A few are guesimating about $20 million.

Then I began to wonder how much the cost estimate was/is to provide clean water to people all around the world. I went back to the Advent Conspiracy site, which was created by Living Waters International (http://www.water.cc/). It would cost between $5 billion and $21 billion a year to do that. According to them, "At LWI our next $10 million will go where our last $10 million went: to training, consulting and equipping people all over the world to execute the most appropriate, cost-effective integrated water solutions there are and having them teach others to do the same."

Imagine the impact we could have for the truly needy in one day if we decided to give our money to a cause like Living Water International instead of in support of an already successful company. Maybe Chik-Fil-A will consider giving their profits yesterday to an organization, like Living Water International, that is truly serving the needy in this world.

Just some food for thought...

Here's the rest of the Matthew 6:1-4 passage too for further contemplation:
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Maybe tomorrow I'll tackle a thoughtful piece on the constitutional rights...

Banner Day

Today as I drove the kids home from school, I asked the same question I do everyday. What was your favorite part of the day? Both kids mentioned the theater performance a small local theater (B Street Theater) performed at our school. However with a lot of enthusiasm, my eight year old, said, "Actually, there are two. Two favorite things today."

Me: "Oh, what are they?"

8 yo: "B Street Theater and learning to use the black swinging monkey bars! It was a great day!! Those are my two favorite things!"

Then she and our carpool buddy began to discuss how each of them learned how to use the swinging monkey bars/handles. As I listened to their details and the energy and excitement behind their new found skill... it made me wonder... when and why do banner days for us move from these simple and delightful things to.... well things that aren't so.

What makes a banner day for you?!?

A worthy pondering...

Today the pastor closed the service by having the congregation read in unison this quote:

"You were created to be enchanted, enamored and engrossed with God. Enthralled, enraptured and entranced with God; excited, enticed and ecstatic with God. Astonished, amazed and awed with God. Astounded, absorbed and agog with God. Beguiled and bedazzled, startled and staggered, smitten and stunned, stupefied and spellbound, charmed and consumed, thrilled and thunderstruck, obsessed and preoccupied, intrigued and impassioned, overwhelmed and overwrought, gripped and wrapped, enthused and electrified, tantalized, mesmerized and monopolized, fascinated, intoxicated, captivated, infatuated and exhilarated with God." 

Do I live as though I am enchanted, enamored and engrossed with God? If I did, what would that look like?

Am I enthralled, enraptured and entranced with God? If not, why?

Am I excited, enticed and ecstatic with God? Notice it doesn't add anything after God... like His work in my life, His answers to prayers in my life... Those more tangible things are easy to get excited, enticed and/or ecstatic about, but isn't God enough?...

Am I astonished, amazed and awed with God?

Astounded, absorbed and agog with God? If you're like me, you thought... agog... agog.... agog... do I know the definition of agog? Here it is if you don't: In eager desire.

Beguiled and bedazzled, startled and staggered, smitten and stunned, stupefied and spellbound, charmed and consumed, thrilled and thunderstruck, obsessed and preoccupied, intrigued and impassioned, overwhelmed and overwrought, gripped and wrapped, enthused and electrified, tantalized, mesmerized and monopolized, fascinated, intoxicated, captivated, infatuated and exhilarated with God?

This material definitely gives me LOADS to ponder on these next few days...

This quote came at the conclusion of a sermon on Romans 11: 33-36. The podcast will be posted at arcadechurchonline.com in the days to come if you want to get the whole message, but I hope to continue some of my reflections on this matter here.

What comes first... the chicken or the egg?!?

One thing I'm starting to explore is whether or not food allergies are causing some of the health issues I'm experiencing right now, which range from digestive, intestinal issues to high spikes in my blood sugars. I have to say that some of my initial "findings" are revealing that I/we (my docs) may have been putting the chicken before the egg. I'm starting to think my body has been in "stress" mode for quite some time from these food allergies/sensitivities and as I deal with those by either eliminating them entirely (and/or for a short period of time) that I'm seeing less high sugar spikes and less running to the bathroom when it's time to go! Sorry if TMI... So far I've only mostly eliminated dairy from my diet. I really am astounded by what I'm finding....

I wrote the excerpt above about three months ago, and now after following a strict rotation diet prescribed just for me to eliminate my food sensitivities (there were nearly 70!) that I am certain my doctors where putting the chicken before the egg. Without a doubt I am now certain my health issues were mostly due to food sensitivities (aka immune responses to food, not anaphalactic). I'm not having troubles with the issues mentioned above, and additionally, I am not nearly as fatigued as have been the last few months. I find myself sleeping more soundly. My skin is less reactive to that time of the month. My hair seems healthier, thicker and not as dry. Best of all, I'm finally losing more weight! I will be interested to see what my next A1C comes back as next month when I see my endo!

FINALLY!

It's been months since I've been able to access this blog of mine. I'm glad to finally have access again. I need go find some of my noteworthy comments on life over the last few months and post them here! Be back soon... I hope!

Hot Pink Cast

We went to Stride Rite at the outlets late Friday (February 13th) afternoon because as it turns out, Saige was in shoes TWO sizes too small for her growing feet. Anyway, Saige started running like a wild goose after we found her a pair of shoes, and had a complete melt down while Aynslee was trying on shoes. So I was busy getting the screaming, hitting, kicking, head butting two year old in the stroller while Aynslee tried on and out her new runners. Yes..she tried them out by running down an aisle. She tripped over a box and twisted her ankle. By her screams, I knew immediately she was really hurt though I didn't see her fall, but thought she'd shake it off, like she does most of the time when she falls down.... but no... the sobbing with her continued while Saige is screamin' mad and trying to tip the stroller over (a very, very fun and memorable mom moment!). Thankfully no one else was in the store, and the staff helped as best they could in the situation. Since I couldn't both carry Aynslee and push the stroller (or vice versa given Saige's mood), we stayed there until Saige calmed down enough that I could safely get her out, and put Aynslee in it instead. Aynslee wouldn't bear weight on it.. Thankfully, her doctor's office has an urgent care clinic until 8 pm... so we started there. The doctor was hopeful it was just a bad sprain, but she did have some point tenderness over one of her bones so she sent us to have it x-rayed. I got the call Saturday afternoon. It's a possible fracture of her distal bone on her right ankle. No running, jumping, bouncing until further notice. They are referring us to a specialist for next week. (HUGE sigh...).

We went to the specialist on Thursday, February 19th. Yes, it's technically a fracture; however its more like a sprain because its to the growth plate of her right ankle. Since it's already been a week, he decided we wouldn't cast it, and just let her continue to take it easy until she's down for her tonsillectomy the following Tuesday, February 24th.

On Monday, February 23rd while trying to buy a few necessities for "life after surgery,' Aynslee twisted her ankle again (sigh). This time it happened right after I let Saige get out of the cart. I bent over to pick out some salad dressing, and heard Aynslee howling again. She's crying, hoping, and yelling all at once, "Mommy, I twisted my ankle again!!" I didn't know how until a ten minutes later when we were driving down to the specialists , and she said to me, "Mommy, why didn't you tell me to put Saige down, then we won't have to be doing this all over again?!?" I couldn't but help and chuckle, and respond... "Honey, if I had known you were carrying Saige, I would've asked you to put her down like I always do," and thanked her for telling me what really happened. Needless to say... the story ends when a couple hours later she's wheeled out of the doctor's office in our stroller with a hot pink cast on her right leg!

Comforted to Comfort Others

Yesterday as we drove home from Stratton in eastern Colorado, we saw the immediate aftermath of a car accident only a few miles into our trip. Personal items from the small sedan littered the interstate. A mother stood with her young son (4 years old) in her arms behind the car that was crumpled in the grassy median. It was clear by the utter state of disbelief on her face that she was in shock. We pulled over to help however we could. I walked across to the mother and urged her to come sit with her small son in our car as we waited for the emergency vehicles to arrive.

It struck me then that part of my urgency in wanting to stop to help was the fact that I knew all too well the state of disbelief and shock she felt in that moment. As I walked across to help her I wondered if God had allowed our accident so that I'd be better prepared to reach out and embrace this woman in her moment of need.

We only remained at the accident site for a little over thirty minutes. We didn't witness the actual crash when her car reportedly locked up on her and rolled, so the highway patrol let us go. The care of the mother and her son had been taken over by the paramedics, so our job was done.

As we drove away, our five year old drilled us with loads of questions about this accident and in how it related to ours. She had not wanted to stay, and pleaded when we first stopped to keep going to Nana and Papa's, but we felt compelled to stay. The sweetest question she asked by far was, "Mommy, why did we stop and love people we didn't even know?" It lead to a wonderful and treasured conversation about Jesus living in our hearts and comforting us through people we knew (she was wondering where the people they knew were) after our accident so that we could comfort people like that mother and her son since they didn't have people they knew nearby... and so on...

Only God knows how this accident and the actions we took impacted her heart, but it was sweet to get a glimpse in how it opened her heart to see and hear how God loves us, and how it helps us love others. Thanking Him for already using this trial to bless us and to work in our daughter's heart!