September 18, 2011: Exhausted...

Heaveno!

I am so tired.  I need a day off.  No day off in sight.  That's the nature of being self-employed.  Some months are pretty mellow, and some, well, a bunch of events end up in the same month and I am running like a madman.  That's September right now.  November is shaping up the same way, so I am really going to have to keep the reigns tight on October to make sure it stays mellow. In life, I am a sprinter, but I need recovery time between my sprints!

Today, I had the privilege of preaching the sermon at Downey Memorial Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  This is the congregation our old pastor, Dennis Short, is now pastoring.  It was "Bring in your pop tabs day" for the Ronald McDonald Houses and Dennis thought it might be good for the congregation to hear from someone who has personally benefitted from all those pop tabs.

Did you know that pop tabs are awesome because you can recycle the can it came from, and still donate the tab to RMH!  Its like a two-for-one deal!  Also, pop tabs come from soup cans, cat and dog food, as well as soda and beer cans.  There are a lot of pop tabs floatin' around out there, so just make a jar in your kitchen, and start putting them away.  Then, you can either just drop 'em off, ship them to your local RMH, or recycle them yourself and send RMH a check.  It is SUCH AN EASY WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Keep saying your prayers for the end of thrush in the house... it seems to maybe be almost kinda turning the corner for the better today, but too soon to tell.  Thrush has left Julian pretty crabby about 50% of the time, which is really not the end of the world by any means, but it is painful for Ang, and must be for him, too, so the sooner it packs its bags and leaves unit 102, the better!  Outside of that, J-Man is cute as a button, a total cuddler, and behaving himself pretty well over night.  Life is good in the nest.

Ali is just about the sweetest thing on two feet.  Yesterday she got to got to two parties; a party for one of her new BFFs in kindergarten at Chuck E. Cheese, followed by a pool party at one of the kids from daycare's house.  Today, she came with me to church, then we got groceries, and she went to her new afternoon Sunday School.  She meets each new social scene with sweetness, politeness, and confidence. It is amazing to watch.  I'm just so proud of how well she can handle new situations and new people.  What a gift.

Alright, I leave you with the last paragraph of my sermon today.  The scripture was Romans 12:1-14, which was absolutely perfect to describe the synergistic energy that fuels the Ronald McDonald Houses by its volunteers day in and day out.  There are so many ways to participate with Ronald McDonald House; from accepting and putting away donations, preparing guest rooms, tidying common areas, light housekeeping, assisting in the office, and let's not forget... COOKING YUMMY MEALS!  Whatever your strengths and passions are, there's a way to express them.  Kind of like within church, and kind of like life.  This exactly what Paul is saying to the Romans in today's scripture.  He is saying that God gave each one of you strengths to leverage in His name.

Don't waste God's gifts trying to develop what he gave to someone else.

Let me tell you, God did NOT make me an accountant, and either of the two boards I sit on would be dead in the water the moment they made me accountable for all our finances!  However, God has given me a voice to sing, speak, and write with, and it is like the energizer bunny!  It just keeps going and going and going... I figure that since I can't control the quantity that comes out, I'll do my best to control the quality!

So, REJOICE in your strengths for they are truly God-Given!  RUN with them!  Don't apologize or hide from them, no matter what they are.  Just make sure to remember who gave them to you, and you'll be in good shape.  ;-)

God night.

Ali's monochromatic dinner...

Tummy Time 1...

Tummy Time 2...

Look at that face....

Ali and her BFF Karyssa...

J-Man the Cuddler...

and last but not least, BELLA...