Here is an excerpt from a book that was recently given to me: The Power of Thanksgiving
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
It's not hard to accept that even something God says once in scripture is meaningful. But what does it mean when He tells us the same thing over and over? The words of the above verse appear dozens of times. Think God's trying to get something critical through to us?
Though God tells us repeatedly that He is good and His love never ends, it's strange, isn't it that every time a war starts, we start questioning the first assertion. Is God really good if bad things happen? Has His love changed? If life isn't going our way, we easily ignore the culpability of humans and throw the blame right on God.
Maybe God repeated this scripture so often because He knows how badly we need it. Satan has such an easy time tricking us that we need to keep reality directly in front of us. So over and over, God reminds us of His true nature.
This is a good verse to memorize, because when Satan starts attacking, we can ask ourselves, Why should we give thanks to the Lord? And we'll have the answer, For He is good and His love endures forever!
Whether our present circumstances are joyful or sad, God still remains faithful. He provides for our needs even if we don't get the lavish things we'd prefer. And He always provides generous spiritual blessings for those who trust in Him.
We can always cling to Jesus and be blessed.
AT
"In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other..." Ecclesiastes 7:14
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wrestle Mania
Well this is the craziness that goes down at the Travis house on Sunday nights:
In the blue corner, with a fighting record of 5 and 2, with 3 wins coming by knockout we present GRACE THE GREAT!
And her partner, with a fighting record of 7 and 1 with 5 wins coming by knockout we present WILLIAM THE WARRIOR!
In the red corner, with a fighting record of 32 and 0, with 12 wins coming by knockout we present THE MASTER OF DISASTER....DADDY THE DANGEROUS!
Find the picks by clicking here!
AT
In the blue corner, with a fighting record of 5 and 2, with 3 wins coming by knockout we present GRACE THE GREAT!
And her partner, with a fighting record of 7 and 1 with 5 wins coming by knockout we present WILLIAM THE WARRIOR!
In the red corner, with a fighting record of 32 and 0, with 12 wins coming by knockout we present THE MASTER OF DISASTER....DADDY THE DANGEROUS!
Find the picks by clicking here!
AT
Friday, November 21, 2008
Oh, the Leaves!
I love the fall…not sure exactly why since I hate piles of leaves! I love the smell of fall, the new crisp to the air, the fun events, the anticipation of the holidays, the colors of red, brown & orange….but Oh, the leaves!
I suppose anyone that knows me, knows I get a little freaked out with anything in masses.
A worm - fine, but a can of worms…
An ant – fine, but an ant hill…
A dog - yes, fine, but the pound or the dog sale at Canton, please no!…
A leaf – fine, but Oh, the leaves!
Yesterday, as I stepped outside to dump the mop water, the mailman was walking up to our house. Noticing that our porch was a heaping pile of leaves, we smiled at each other, and he handed me the mail. Since the floors were wet inside, I decided I would take time to clean things up a bit. The kids excitedly volunteered to help me. Once that was done, we moved to the back to clear the deck. Once the deck was clear, we moved to the walk….and on and on we went…Oh, the leaves!
One cannot successfully pile leaves with a 5 & 7 year old without expecting there to be the desire to jump and play in the leaves. I knew this going into the task, but I was still having a hard time not imagining fleas, ticks, roaches and other such things crawling all over my two precious bug free little ones….Oh, the leaves!
Anyone that has ever tried to clear a yard of leaves knows exactly how frustrating the task can be. Once you get a section cleared, just watch the wind blow and cover it again. Then, when you think you are done, wait 15 minutes and the neighbors leaves will have migrated over….Oh, the leaves!
Many that know me know that I am control driven and task-oriented; so, you can imagine how frustrated I get when trying to do a job that one can never gain control over or truly ever complete. Well, at some point yesterday, (pretty close to the beginning of the task PTL!) I began to feel the Lord trying to speak to me. In my “diligence” to “get the job done”, I was not wanting to take the time to be sensitive to His still small voice, but after one short comment to my “helpful” children, I realized I needed to sit and check myself. As I sat looking at the mounds of leaves and my children smiling wide, God whispered to my heart…"Rest in Me.”
Oh…just leaves…
Just like the leaves that go where they will, God is in complete control. He knows the number of leaves in the yard, and he knows the small bug under the pile. Resting in the Father allows me to enjoy the day that He has made. It allows me to positively train and verbally reward my children for hard work, diligence and joyful spirits. When I recognize that He has power over of all things, I can have peace in any circumstance. Oh…those silly leaves.
Just like cleaning up fallen leaves seems unending, God's love is unconditional and ever plentiful. Resting in Him, frees me to soak in the wealth of that continuous love. It allows me to be filled with a joy that sustains in any situation. Oh…the piles of abundant leaves!
The kids and I finished the task, with the help of grandpa, and congratulated each other on a job well done. We went inside feeling good about hard work, lessons learned, relationships unharmed and knowing that resting in Him is the perfect place to be.
Today, I chose to simply smile as we walked outside and saw the porch, the yard, the walk and the deck…covered again!
Oh…the leaves!
AT
I suppose anyone that knows me, knows I get a little freaked out with anything in masses.
A worm - fine, but a can of worms…
An ant – fine, but an ant hill…
A dog - yes, fine, but the pound or the dog sale at Canton, please no!…
A leaf – fine, but Oh, the leaves!
Yesterday, as I stepped outside to dump the mop water, the mailman was walking up to our house. Noticing that our porch was a heaping pile of leaves, we smiled at each other, and he handed me the mail. Since the floors were wet inside, I decided I would take time to clean things up a bit. The kids excitedly volunteered to help me. Once that was done, we moved to the back to clear the deck. Once the deck was clear, we moved to the walk….and on and on we went…Oh, the leaves!
One cannot successfully pile leaves with a 5 & 7 year old without expecting there to be the desire to jump and play in the leaves. I knew this going into the task, but I was still having a hard time not imagining fleas, ticks, roaches and other such things crawling all over my two precious bug free little ones….Oh, the leaves!
Anyone that has ever tried to clear a yard of leaves knows exactly how frustrating the task can be. Once you get a section cleared, just watch the wind blow and cover it again. Then, when you think you are done, wait 15 minutes and the neighbors leaves will have migrated over….Oh, the leaves!
Many that know me know that I am control driven and task-oriented; so, you can imagine how frustrated I get when trying to do a job that one can never gain control over or truly ever complete. Well, at some point yesterday, (pretty close to the beginning of the task PTL!) I began to feel the Lord trying to speak to me. In my “diligence” to “get the job done”, I was not wanting to take the time to be sensitive to His still small voice, but after one short comment to my “helpful” children, I realized I needed to sit and check myself. As I sat looking at the mounds of leaves and my children smiling wide, God whispered to my heart…"Rest in Me.”
Oh…just leaves…
Just like the leaves that go where they will, God is in complete control. He knows the number of leaves in the yard, and he knows the small bug under the pile. Resting in the Father allows me to enjoy the day that He has made. It allows me to positively train and verbally reward my children for hard work, diligence and joyful spirits. When I recognize that He has power over of all things, I can have peace in any circumstance. Oh…those silly leaves.
Just like cleaning up fallen leaves seems unending, God's love is unconditional and ever plentiful. Resting in Him, frees me to soak in the wealth of that continuous love. It allows me to be filled with a joy that sustains in any situation. Oh…the piles of abundant leaves!
The kids and I finished the task, with the help of grandpa, and congratulated each other on a job well done. We went inside feeling good about hard work, lessons learned, relationships unharmed and knowing that resting in Him is the perfect place to be.
Today, I chose to simply smile as we walked outside and saw the porch, the yard, the walk and the deck…covered again!
Oh…the leaves!
AT
Saturday, November 15, 2008
35 Odd Things About Us
Well, it has been 2 weeks since our last post...not sure exactly what we have been doing...a little of everything I guess. The kids are in their 15th week of school; the holidays are creeping up; and we only have 5 months until we move to Virginia! I have a to-do list a mile long, and honestly, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. We will try to keep the blog updated.
Here are funny facts that I stole off a friend's blog and Matt & I put in our own responses.
Smile today...it's less work than frowning!
AT
35 Odd Things About Us
1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing?
Matt – Nope!
Amy – No, absolutely not!
2. Do you own a gun?
Matt – A 410 that I got as an 8-year-old
Amy – Nope, but I do truly like marksmanship sports
3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks?
Matt – Caramel Mocha Frapacino or iced coffee
Amy – Caramel Mocha Frapacino or just their pain black iced tea
4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Matt – Milk in a frozen cup
Amy – OJ
5. Do you do pushups?
Matt – Nope, only pull-ups…to the table that is
Amy – HAHAHA
6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
Matt – wedding ring
Amy – I guess I should say my wedding ring, but probably my favorite piece is the first piece Matt gave me…a gold AT pendant.
7. Favorite hobby?
Matt – Pottery
Amy – reading/scrapbooking
8. Do you have A.D.D?
Matt – no
Amy – no
9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself?
Matt – anger
Amy – impatient
10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
Matt – Why do I love Diners, drive-ins and dives so much? Did a Cajun burn there dinner and call it “blackened”? Why isn’t sausage represented in the turducken name when it is in the mix? Amy – I can’t believe I am this cold in TX; I really should be tackling my huge to do list; I wonder what the kids are doing down stairs?
11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink.
Matt – water, tea, sprite, slimfast
Amy – water; tea; coffee, lemonaide (made w/squeezed lemons, maple syrup & cayenne--Yumm!)
12. Current worry right now?
Matt – finishing school; what is wrong with the van
Amy – Matt finishing school; details in hiring for new adventure; fundraising
13. Current hate right now?
Matt – school
Amy – My extended family has huge needs right now, and I am unable to fix everything for everyone. :(
14. Favorite place to be?
Matt – with Amy
Amy – with Matt
15. Do you like to travel?
Matt – Absolutely!
Amy – YES!
16. What color shirt are you wearing?
Matt – blue
Amy – white
17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
Matt – no, too slippery and hot
Amy – no, too cold!
18. Can you whistle?
Matt – Yes but it comes out with a khoo with each “syllable”
Amy – yes, whole songs…wanna hear?
19. Favorite color?
Matt – blue
Amy – yellow
20. If you could, would you be a pirate?
Matt – Argh matey, you be walkin’ the plank!
Amy – for the adventure maybe, but not to steal things from others….
21. What song do you sing in the shower?
Matt – I’m not allowed to sing in the shower…Amy says I sing too loud and everyone except she and I sleep two more hours after we get up in the morning.
Amy – whatever God lays on my heart
22. Favorite girl's name?
Matt – My favorite girls have the names Amy and Grace.
Amy – Grace won in the end when we had a girl, but I hope to have a Malia and/or an Elisabeth one day….oh, who am I kidding…I’ll take any name, any child….know of one that needs a family?
23. Favorite boy's name?
Matt – I had an imaginary friend named Junga when I was little but now my favorite boy is named William. Also fond of Wheeler, Micah, and Jonathan.
Amy – William of course! If we are able to choose again, I like Micah, Andrus and Wheeler.
24. What's in your pocket right now?
Matt – business cards, keys, wallet, glasses cloth, chapstick…oh did you want to know the other pockets too?
Amy – Grace’s hairbow
25. Favorite bedsheets as a child?
Matt – I had Snoopy sheets. (We actually still have them...they are on an extra bed in William's room.)
Amy – can’t remember special sheets, but I had a comforter (my mom still has) that had bright orange flowers on it; I also had (my mom still has) a Snoopy sleeping bag.
26. Worst injury?
Matt – Broken heart and broken elbow…also sprained my ankle several times.
Amy – hearing loss in my left ear due to ear infections; burned/scarred that same ear on a heating pad
27. Do you love where you live?
Matt – Only if Amy lives there too.
Amy – TX; I guess I should say yes to that or else I might not be allowed to return, so I’ll say I love the opportunity to be moving next year on a great adventure, and I’ll be keeping my permanent residence in the great nation of TX.
28. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Matt – See below.
Amy – Well, we are living with my parents right now, so we have more than we should…1 in the den; 1 in master, 1 in our room, and 1 in the garage, but we should get credit for the last one since that is used when walking on the treadmill!
29. Who is your loudest friend?
Matt – My sisters.
Amy – hummm, I’m going to go with my Roberts cousins; when we are all together we can be heard for miles. Ladies, we need a girls’ weekend; it’s been too long!
30. How many pets do you have?
Matt – no pets.
Amy – no pets, but we do have a wonderful mammal hair collection. (homeschool project) AND Grace is making plans to capture a stray cat and make it her own....
31. Does someone have a crush on you?
Matt – Amy…Grace is pretty stuck on me, too.
Amy – Yes, my sweet hubby tells me all the time!
32. What is your Favorite Book?
Matt – Romans.
Amy – hummm, too hard to choose. I love to read. I’ll go with Lori Wick as my fav. author and the Bible as the best “book” ever!
33. What's your favorite candy?
Matt – snickers.
Amy – Lifesavor use to make a sucker that was like a dreamsical. I liked the orange & vanilla or the strawberry & vanilla (I bought these for her for at the hospital for the delivery of William…she had no desire for them -MT).
34. Favorite Sports Team?
Matt – Cowboys.
Amy – Packers
35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Matt – Is it really already time to get up?
Amy – It’s COLD!
You knew we were odd before you read this, but now you know it for sure!
Here are funny facts that I stole off a friend's blog and Matt & I put in our own responses.
Smile today...it's less work than frowning!
AT
35 Odd Things About Us
1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing?
Matt – Nope!
Amy – No, absolutely not!
2. Do you own a gun?
Matt – A 410 that I got as an 8-year-old
Amy – Nope, but I do truly like marksmanship sports
3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks?
Matt – Caramel Mocha Frapacino or iced coffee
Amy – Caramel Mocha Frapacino or just their pain black iced tea
4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Matt – Milk in a frozen cup
Amy – OJ
5. Do you do pushups?
Matt – Nope, only pull-ups…to the table that is
Amy – HAHAHA
6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
Matt – wedding ring
Amy – I guess I should say my wedding ring, but probably my favorite piece is the first piece Matt gave me…a gold AT pendant.
7. Favorite hobby?
Matt – Pottery
Amy – reading/scrapbooking
8. Do you have A.D.D?
Matt – no
Amy – no
9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself?
Matt – anger
Amy – impatient
10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:
Matt – Why do I love Diners, drive-ins and dives so much? Did a Cajun burn there dinner and call it “blackened”? Why isn’t sausage represented in the turducken name when it is in the mix? Amy – I can’t believe I am this cold in TX; I really should be tackling my huge to do list; I wonder what the kids are doing down stairs?
11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink.
Matt – water, tea, sprite, slimfast
Amy – water; tea; coffee, lemonaide (made w/squeezed lemons, maple syrup & cayenne--Yumm!)
12. Current worry right now?
Matt – finishing school; what is wrong with the van
Amy – Matt finishing school; details in hiring for new adventure; fundraising
13. Current hate right now?
Matt – school
Amy – My extended family has huge needs right now, and I am unable to fix everything for everyone. :(
14. Favorite place to be?
Matt – with Amy
Amy – with Matt
15. Do you like to travel?
Matt – Absolutely!
Amy – YES!
16. What color shirt are you wearing?
Matt – blue
Amy – white
17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
Matt – no, too slippery and hot
Amy – no, too cold!
18. Can you whistle?
Matt – Yes but it comes out with a khoo with each “syllable”
Amy – yes, whole songs…wanna hear?
19. Favorite color?
Matt – blue
Amy – yellow
20. If you could, would you be a pirate?
Matt – Argh matey, you be walkin’ the plank!
Amy – for the adventure maybe, but not to steal things from others….
21. What song do you sing in the shower?
Matt – I’m not allowed to sing in the shower…Amy says I sing too loud and everyone except she and I sleep two more hours after we get up in the morning.
Amy – whatever God lays on my heart
22. Favorite girl's name?
Matt – My favorite girls have the names Amy and Grace.
Amy – Grace won in the end when we had a girl, but I hope to have a Malia and/or an Elisabeth one day….oh, who am I kidding…I’ll take any name, any child….know of one that needs a family?
23. Favorite boy's name?
Matt – I had an imaginary friend named Junga when I was little but now my favorite boy is named William. Also fond of Wheeler, Micah, and Jonathan.
Amy – William of course! If we are able to choose again, I like Micah, Andrus and Wheeler.
24. What's in your pocket right now?
Matt – business cards, keys, wallet, glasses cloth, chapstick…oh did you want to know the other pockets too?
Amy – Grace’s hairbow
25. Favorite bedsheets as a child?
Matt – I had Snoopy sheets. (We actually still have them...they are on an extra bed in William's room.)
Amy – can’t remember special sheets, but I had a comforter (my mom still has) that had bright orange flowers on it; I also had (my mom still has) a Snoopy sleeping bag.
26. Worst injury?
Matt – Broken heart and broken elbow…also sprained my ankle several times.
Amy – hearing loss in my left ear due to ear infections; burned/scarred that same ear on a heating pad
27. Do you love where you live?
Matt – Only if Amy lives there too.
Amy – TX; I guess I should say yes to that or else I might not be allowed to return, so I’ll say I love the opportunity to be moving next year on a great adventure, and I’ll be keeping my permanent residence in the great nation of TX.
28. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Matt – See below.
Amy – Well, we are living with my parents right now, so we have more than we should…1 in the den; 1 in master, 1 in our room, and 1 in the garage, but we should get credit for the last one since that is used when walking on the treadmill!
29. Who is your loudest friend?
Matt – My sisters.
Amy – hummm, I’m going to go with my Roberts cousins; when we are all together we can be heard for miles. Ladies, we need a girls’ weekend; it’s been too long!
30. How many pets do you have?
Matt – no pets.
Amy – no pets, but we do have a wonderful mammal hair collection. (homeschool project) AND Grace is making plans to capture a stray cat and make it her own....
31. Does someone have a crush on you?
Matt – Amy…Grace is pretty stuck on me, too.
Amy – Yes, my sweet hubby tells me all the time!
32. What is your Favorite Book?
Matt – Romans.
Amy – hummm, too hard to choose. I love to read. I’ll go with Lori Wick as my fav. author and the Bible as the best “book” ever!
33. What's your favorite candy?
Matt – snickers.
Amy – Lifesavor use to make a sucker that was like a dreamsical. I liked the orange & vanilla or the strawberry & vanilla (I bought these for her for at the hospital for the delivery of William…she had no desire for them -MT).
34. Favorite Sports Team?
Matt – Cowboys.
Amy – Packers
35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Matt – Is it really already time to get up?
Amy – It’s COLD!
You knew we were odd before you read this, but now you know it for sure!
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