On assignment for God

This Sunday my church began an adventure called Kingdom Assignments. 30 people or teams of people were given $100 to use to bless people, and further God's Kingdom. In 90 days we report back to the church. This is our second year doing Kingdom Assignments. Last year people did an assortment of tasks from a coffeehouse, to collecting used shoes for disaster relief. I had an idea of a fun assignment, but I was worried that it was my idea, not God's idea. During the service the pastor was teaching about Elijah from 1Kings. Two of the points seemed to confirm that my idea was a God- thing. The first was the truth that God can engineer circumstances and make divine arrangements. The question is whether we trust Him to do so. This seemed to answer one of my concerns. The second point was that God can miraculously multiply limited resources. That pretty much wiped out my second concern. So when the time came, I went forward to recieve the hundred dollar bill, and signed on for a "Kingdom Assignment." So here's what I'm going to do: When going through the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts, I'm going to pay for the customer behind me, and leave a note and a small gift explaining my assignment. The gift will be a small book by Max Lucado. I hope to bless 20 people, but I guess that's up to God. Depending on who He puts behind me, and how much they order, I should be able to meet that goal. I've already ordered the booklets, and can't wait to start blessing people! How fun is that?

I'm back..still dizzy

Well, after two weeks of vertigo, I'm back. I'm not sure if the vertigo is really better, or if I'm just getting used to it and adapting. Anyway, life has been very boring at my house. The kids are climbing the walls, and so am I. We've had two weeks of very light schooling, as I haven't been up to much depth. It's been interesting to watch the kids during these two weeks. Rachel has been spending more and more time on the computer on various writing projects. She finished one chapter book she wrote, and is working on another. She also has 2 plays in the works. It's ironic that's she's doing all this writing on her own. If I assigned her these writing tasks, there'd be all sorts of whining involved. Alex, my reluctant reader, has been spending lots of time reading Spiderman books to himself. Maybe there is something to be said for unschooling. Rachel, who struggles with spelling, has grown by leaps and bounds since she started her own writing projects. She finally has a reason to spell properly. We're planning on trying IEW next year to help her grow in her writing skills. She writes with a strong voice, and her writing is very interesting. She has decided to become a writer when she grows up, so she can work from home, and homeschool her own kids. Alex, on the other hand, has decided to be a "hobo". This decision came about when he was lamenting the need to learn Math. He finally saw the light about the usefulness of reading. "It's like watching a movie in your mind." Yes, it's all about entertainment for my little guy. I tried to explain how important Math is in real life...paying bills, buying a house, shopping...etc. Well, he decided he doesn't need to learn these things because he plans on being a hobo. In his mind that means wandering around in the wilderness with a sack of his stuff. He'll bring books for entertainment purposes. Ironically, he is very gifted in Math, he's just not a fan. He can do math quite well, by walking around in circles while he calculates in his mind. Sitting down and doing math the "right way", is not his style. I just need to learn how to channel his bright mind into a productive citizen. He is not your typical learner. Olivia on the other hand is my star student. She is very bright, and is learning to read and write with ease. She's needs to be homeschooled for totally different reasons. At the ripe, old age of 5, I can already see her attraction to worldliness. We are very concerned about the teen years with this one. She's managed to wrap around her fingers anyone over the age of 13. EVERYONE loves Olivia. They also think I'm nuts when I express concerns about her. In the words of my BFF "Oh no, not Olivia, I don't believe it." Yes, she knows how to work it, and has pretty much snowed everyone with her sweet, innocent act. But, we're on to her, and are going to do everything in our power to mold her strongwilled nature for good. As you can imagine, that will involve a lot of prayer. I guess that's all my ramblings for today. Have a great weekend.

Tricia got the call!!

I've been so out of it the past 12 days, that I haven't kept up on my blog reading. Apparently, Tricia got the call for her new lungs a few days ago. It turned out to be a dry run, meaning upon further examination, it was decided that the lungs were not a good match for her. This morning they found out a new set of lungs might be a fit for her. The team is flying out to check out the situation. They hope to hear soon, and she may be on her way to surgery tonight! Please pray for Tricia and Nate, as well as the donor's family. Check here for an update, since I've been too dizzy to be reliable about posting. If you have no idea what I'm talking about click here to get a quick overview of this incredible family. Best wishes, Tricia! I'm praying for you!

Update: It's a go!! Tricia is being prepped for surgery right now! Please pray. By the way, today is Nate's birthday! What a gift!