The Sand Art of Buddist Monks

The picture to the right is a design made from sand. I was fascinated by it and the unbelievable details. It was made by Buddhist monks. I was amazed at the patience and perseverance it must have taken to make. The purpose in making it is to show beauty and discipline but also to show how everything in this world is temporary. It takes several days to make a design like this and after it is completed the monks sweep it up (literally with brooms) during a ceremony. The purpose is to make this beautiful artwork only for it to be destroyed after it is completed. I thought how symbolic for us too. We have many opportunities around us each day to help create beautiful things & enjoy the beauty around us. Our tendency is to take ownership in relationships & possessions that we don't "own". We need to make our purpose about Christ only. We can often times hold on too tight to things that will be swept up very quickly. By the way, I pray that the one true God will reveal Himself to the Buddist monks through this type of artwork. God uses so many different things that He himself has created.

Divine Metamorphosis

I am sure I didn't come up with that phrase myself~ Divine Metamorphosis. I just don't remember where I heard it. A verse I read this week brought the phrase to my mind~ "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I have heard this verse a lot but it is funny sometimes how a verse can say so much to me personally. I am holding on to this verse as I encounter people who don't have that kind of change in their life. Honestly, it is taken for granted so often by us "Christians". This is completely life-changing. I am determined to share this verse with others. I may not verbalize it directly to others but I know I can share it directly by just living it out.

A day in the life of...

My day just never seems to be the same or at least it never has a regular schedule. For a long time, I really thought it should be more routine because kids need consistence, routine, schedule, etc. Well, what I am discovering is that some of that is true but I think I was trapped in my routine/schedule and had become oblivious to the things around me. God does a lot of awesome things for us and through us and we need to be looking for what He is doing.

I have my hands in a lot of things and that is ok if God is directing me in those things. I am constantly re-evaluating my activities and positions because I don't want to miss the "small blessings". I don't want to miss my son dressing up like Spiderman and trying to shoot me with his webs. I don't want to miss my daughter singing a care bear song and making up a dance routine to go along with it.

There will be times I just miss it but I pray I will be in the moment more than not.

God, what are you doing?

My husband was on national television this morning. It was a short 15 mins. of fame. It was more like 60 seconds. He shared what he could about the importance of sharing the gospel with teenagers. The topic could bring great debate but Mike searched and prayed about it. He was confident in what he is doing as a youth pastor. He was unshaken.

My kids, the 3 little ones, were not so impressed with Mike being on t.v. Sarah asked "Why isn't he talking to me?" So, their dad is just their dad. Ethan just wanted a NY Yankees hat. I think he thought it was pretty cool. I had the opportunity to talk to Ethan about the topic. He was a little surprised by what the discussion was about. This has given Ethan a new appreciation for what his dad is doing with teenagers.