When do you get ready for Sunday?

I'm on day 2 of the flu or what feels like the flu with sore throat, coughing, fever and aches and pains. The fever I think is gone today but, I still am in the bed hoping that tomorrow I will feel like getting out of it. As I am confined to my room, with no tv, and just plain bored my mind is thinking about everything. Things I need to be doing, things I would love to work on, projects, places I would like to visit for vacations and also about life in general and how we live it. So, I thought I would boldly blog about my thoughts on Sunday Morning Worship and how or when do we prepare for it and how do we teach our kids the importance of it. There are no right and wrong answers only thoughts of what seem to be working in our family as we raise our 3 sons to love God and to serve others by attending worship on Sunday mornings, which is the only meeting time as of right now for corporate worship. Just a disclaimer, Sunday morning is only a very small amount of time that we worship God and serve him together with our church family. Our worship must happen everyday all week long, NOT only on Sunday mornings. So with that said onto the question: When do you start preparing for Sunday?

When Clay and I were first married we were regular attenders and were close to our church family but, before kids came long, if we felt like missing a service every once in a while, then we did. I can remember times I would stay home and sleep in and Clay might go without me or me without him. It never seemed like a big deal and maybe it wasn't, I don't really know. Then we had Zach and everything changed. I knew the weight of responsibility that God had place on my shoulders, on our shoulders. I(we) were now responsible for teaching this child about God, His Son, how to love others the way He does and how to serve the way Jesus taught us to serve. I knew that one day I would stand before my Almighty, Loving God and I would have to give an account on how I raised my son. I wasn't raised in the church, so I'm not sure where this "instinct" came from but, I knew and still know the truth of it. If we weren't faithful to attend church regularly then how would our sons know the importance of attending regularly? If we didn't lead by example then we would pay for it and our boys would pay for our mistakes and maybe even our grandchildren and so on. The tricky part of this is it's not just about attending and punching the "church" time clock so that we look good but, it's about being there each week to love on others and to be loved on too. It's about encouraging others and being encouraged. Granted, there have been many, many Sunday mornings that I have longed to stay in bed up to my eyeballs but, my sons would know that I was "playing hooky" and see that it wasn't important to me. There have been a number of times that Clay would let me stay home and he would take the boys, and this was because my own daily obligations were catching up with me (which is totally my fault) and something would have to give or I would hurt someone.

For as long as I can remember we have always prepared for Sunday morning on Saturday. We have been pretty strict with our boys about being out late or staying up too late with friends because we attend church on Sunday. There are no exception in our house, if one of the boys stays over at a friends house he is expected to be at church the next morning. If one of our sons isn't able to go to church because he is staying over at a friends house, then he can't stay the night. Our boys know the rules and over the years if Clay or I even subtly mentioned we may not go to church the next day for illness or weather, our boys would almost have a melt down. They love going to services! They have been trained that Sunday is important to God, to others needing them to be there and they need to be encouraged too. This may seem harsh "making" our boys attend church but, we "make" them go to the dentist and "make" them go to the doctor or to school because it is what is best for our boys. What could be more important than serving God by serving others. Our boys are far from perfect but, they love God and they see us loving God in a very flawed and real way. As long as they live here they will always be expected to worship on Sunday mornings. What are your thoughts??

Lazy Sunday and Cake Balls!

Well we have had a lazy day today hanging out at home, watching mindless tv and eating junk food. The boys have been out all day with friends, so it is nice and quiet. I'm fighting a cold/cough thing and don't feel like doing much of anything.

Yesterday I made Cake Balls and they are the most wonderful little things EVER. Here is the recipe and believe me you will want to make these gems!! I should have taken some pics to show you but, since I didn't I'm copying and pasting from this site:

http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/
Her Cake Pops are just adorable, she does really wonderful work!
Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Well, I am very please with myself on how my blog turned out. I have never really done much with personalizing it myself. In the past Zach, my son, has always added things for me but, I am teaching myself how to use HTML. It is a little scary but, I'm up for a good challenge.

Our holiday break is almost over. Zach has been off from his college courses and I have loved being able to spend so much time with all three boys. We have seen a few movies, shopped, went to a few museums and spent some time hanging out in downtown Indy. The time together is precious to me and I know as they continue to grow up the amount of time we are all able to spend together will become less and less.

Monday we will all go back to our schedules packed with school and learning. Until Monday we are catching up on much needed perging around our house (2 of my sons don't see the need for giving anything away). It feels really good to give away things we no longer use or really need. Owning too many things suffocates me. As January is passing I'm ready for a new year with a new attitude and a new outlook on our lives. I am gearing up to see the oncologist again in March hoping for better news. I saw her a week before Christmas and was hoping to move my appointments apart to yearly but, my scans show 1 cm of growth in two areas and I'm anemic. I have been anemic off an on all my life so hopefully this is not related to the cancer. I have to go back in March for more blood work but, no scans this time. I hope everything comes back good and maybe she will move my appointments further apart. God is allowing me to suffer in ways that I never imagined physically and I can see how it has helped me to grow spiritually. It hasn't been easy and I am definitely still learning, learning to be more compassionate towards others with illness or physical pain. I want to see others through His eyes and be an encouragement to those who need it. Anyway, I am looking up as I climb this mountain and knowing He is worth the climb. Maybe I should say that I am worth the climb, I am worth working hard to change my way of thinking, my way of loving others and my outlook on my life in general. It is hard not to become frozen and stranded on a "ledge" unable to allow others to throw me a rope and help me along. Even if the ropes that are offered allow me to fall I know that He will catch me.

New Blog for 2010

I am trying my hand at changing my blog lay out and Zach isn't even helping me. :)

2009 Wordle

Lights

This morning is was so cold that our back, sliding door was frozen shut.  Despite the cold and the wind it is beautiful outside.  The sky is blue and sun's rays are sparkling on the frost that is covering everything.  Even with the bitter wind howling, the leafless trees that sway and the stillness of the animals there is a silent beauty that screams out the glory of God.  I love this time of year.  There is magic in the air and all the earth seems to know it, something wonderful is coming.  Preparing for the arrival of the Savior is heavy on my heart.  This year my preparations have been different.  I have not decorated our tree, the lights are the only thing that adorns the branches and the star on top.  There is something humble and simple that reminds me each time I see our tree that this season isn't about showing off my skills of interior design but, to remember the small baby boy that was born.  To remember the life he lead, to remember those he came to save.  Those he came to save stir my heart the most.  I am one of those people that he was searching for, a lost, dirty, broken, unable to see hope in tomorrow lambs.  He saw me, He sees me and He picks me up, restores my hope and sets me down with the rest of the flock.  He gives me a flock, those just like me to love me and for me to love.  This flock will probably knock me down from time to time, not share all of the food and even step on my heart but, this is where he has chosen for me to be and here I must stay.  I must stop looking over the fence and thinking about what may be on the other side or how things were and live here in the moment with my family.  My hope is set on Him and where He has chosen for me to be.  My hope is that He will pick me up when I'm knocked down, stepped on or just completely overlooked.  My hope must grow so that I in return can offer some small hope to others around me.  I am putting my hope in Him and I will stop fighting Him and where He has placed me.  He knows best and He also knows my heart.  Today my tree is only filled with lights, lights that remind me of Him!

I'm Ready!

I'm changing things up around here. I think a new look is in order as I begin the "next level" as my boys would say. The "next level" is here. I have worked really hard to come this far, to open my heart up and look inside. I have battled the "boss" at each level in my life to journey on to the next, harder, more exciting levels. Each phase has taken time, time and more time. I have had to start over and take another try when I didn't pass over the obstacles that were in my way. Along the way I have made some friends, I have discovered parts of my heart that were really hard to reach. There have been times that I was blessed enough to have a traveler journey with me and help me to fight the "boss" then there have been times that I had to go it alone. I am still learning how to be gracious to those that are just starting the "first level" of their own journey. I have always been the "Dr. Phil" type of person, to suck it up and move on. This has helped me to survive my life, but I want more than to survive. There is treasure to be had and discovered. There is a princess to be unveiled. There will be times that I may need to be patient with myself as I try and try to conquer the fear that threatens to beat me, but I know I can do this. I am still learning how to love who I am, even the parts that threaten to shame me. I want to love others well, I want to have friends that can call me out and still love me without making me feel ashamed of who I am. I want to be loved well! So, the next 15 days I am seeking God for clues to the next level and what He can reveal. It may be tough, but I am excited to see what treasure we find together.