Outside the Pigeon Holes

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! "Whose choices should we countermand, Mackenzie? Perhaps I should never have created? Perhaps Adam should have been stopped before he chose independence? What about your choice to have another daughter? Or your father's choice to beat his son? You demand your independence and then complain that I love you enough to give it to you." ******** "Through Jesus' death and resurrection, I am now fully reconciled to the world...The whole world, Mack...Reconciliation is a two way street and I have done my part, totally, completely, finally. It is not the nature of love to force a relationship but it is the nature of love to open the way." ******** I especially love the final line of this one: (Jesus speaking) "Those who love me com from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don't vote or are not a part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have fol...

One of the best books I have ever read. Blew through it in 3 days. Hard to put down! I wouldn't do it justice to try and explain it...So I'll just recommend it...It has already impacted my relationship with my Heavenly Daddy-O as well as other people. You can see more info here: www.theshackbook.com Enjoy!

After school last week Katie and I were cleaning up the room and waiting with 3 students for their buses to be called. Colten said something about "they said a bad word"...Katie, who was paying most of her attention to her task at hand said, "who said a bad word?" Colten answered "You know, in that song". "Oh - what did they say?" Katie asked, thinking he was refering to one of our school songs which occasionally have lyrics like "dumb old lummuck". "Crazy B*tch" Colten answered plainly. I was sweeping the floor and had to turn away to try not to laugh. "You're right - those are not nice words" Katie said, downplaying it so the other 2 kids in the room wouldn't catch on that those are REALLY bad words. Fortunately they didn't seem to notice. Katie and I recovered and all was well. Later we talked about the humor factor of the moment but also wondered why people think that it's OK to play songs with ly...

While not under the most joyful of circumstances it was good to see my family in South Carolina this weekend. I love my family. They are a close-knit and fun bunch of folks. It amazes me the way God can take what the enemy meant to breed fear, ugliness and anger into an opportunity for people to love on one another. There is big stuff in this spiritual war we're in, but sometimes I think the simple things do just as much, if not more damage to the gates of hell than an evening of deliverance ministry or an Easter Sunday alter call. The love that was in that house was tangible. There were moments of helplessness of course - like the night Aunt Helen's meds left her kind of out of her head....of sadness at the possibility that this is Aunt Helen's last family reunion here on Earth...But there was also a lot of hope because this is an entire house full of people who believe that God is bigger than anything. Above all that, it was simply the sense of abiding love. And that'...

God is up to something...I don't know what. I just know that he is not allowing me to sit back and let cancer kill my aunt without a fight. I was well prepared to do that. She has said she is ready to go. She is more concerned for the people she'd leave behind. I was ready to accept that. I am completely at peace with where she will be headed when she leaves here. Jesus has prepared a mansion for her beyond belief I am sure! But when I went to God in scripture the night I first learned about this circumstance and was unsure of how to pray for her, I opened up to the gospels...Any gospel was fine. Where I opened to was John 14:11 which says this: Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so...

That's my beautiful Aunt Helen there on the left in the purple shirt...Then me, then my gorgeous, fantastic and wonderful mom, then my awesome and lovely Aunt Ann. I was named after both of my aunts and I am proud to carry their names. This is my Aunt Helen again, in her very trendy and becoming sun hat. Next to her is my cousin Iris and my other cousin, Greg. Aunt Helen is full of life and humor and love. She loves Jesus, her family and her friends. I can only hope to be half as cool of an Aunt Helen as she is. My nieces will have to let me know someday how I am doing... My Aunt Helen is very sick. They say that the cancer is in her lymph nodes and there isn't much they can do. They say she doesn't have a lot of time. I don't think I have ever quite felt the way I feel before. I have never known my life without Aunt Helen. Even though she lived in North Carolina and Florida and we lived here in Ohio, she was always there...You know? And now I have to face the reality ...