My Peacefully Chaotic Life

Hope you've had a good day today. We have been having some lovely autumn weather at our house! Yet I still have the urge to get the Christmas decorations out. Normally I am one of those people who likes to get Thanksgiving completed before moving on into the Christmas festivities. But there is just something about this year that has me ready to get all of the holidays going and squeeze out all the wonder. So my house now has icicle lights hung 3/4 of the way across the front. It's a small start but still an official start! I can't wait for the holiday cooking shows on Food network and the Christmas romantic comedy movies to begin. We also did a little rearranging today along with some cleaning out. I am going through the children's things and doing away with broken toys or the things that just don't interest them. I still have a ways to go until I can check "satisfied" or "completed" on my mental list. But still, like the Christmas lights, I can ...

My boy called me a little while ago from Bourbon Street. I'm not so sure how I feel about that lol! He's on tour with the chorale and that is the last city. He's blown away by the music which I knew he would be. This is really a new experience. Just hoping all the guys stay safe!

Are you ready to accomplish something for God? It requires staying in the center of His will. Are you really ready for that? I mean, are you truly willing to seek it and then live it? What if it meant leaving behind everything including most of your friends and family, Abraham style? Recently I have found out that several of my friends have done this. They are anywhere from Alaska to West Africa. Wow, talk about commitment! And many in the Bible belt are doing good to just make it to a church service or Bible study! What if it meant you had to get radical? What if God told you that you were too comfortable? It's easy to think about serving Him if there is something in it for you. But what if hurts, disappointments, and trials were part of the package? And you had to keep on anyway. What if it wasn't as easy as attending a Sunday school class or singing in the choir? Or just sitting through a sermon? What if He wanted more? Guess what...He does.

This is what the GuitarMan was up to Friday night. He was on a stage proclaiming Christ in song. For any new friends here, this is my son. Obviously by the nickname he is a musician. He was in a car accident in August and his left hand was crushed. He had surgery and is still in therapy now. But he is back to being able to perform. I don't have the pictures from the gig he did recently when he still had the pins in his hand. I'll have to check on that. But here he is, pins out, doing what he loves best.

2 pounds ground beef 1 can broccoli and cheese soup 1 cup cheddar cheese 1 pkg tater tots Brown beef. As it cooks you may leave it plain or season it or add onions/garlic, whatever you like. Drain. Stir in soup. Spread in casserole dish. I use a square one. Top with cheese and then tater tots. Bake at 350 degrees until it browns app. 30-40 minutes.

I hope this post makes sense. It's just a collection of thoughts I had in my quiet time and I thought I would share. Forgive me if it seems to ramble. Hope....is how we should look to our future. It is the encouragement of knowing good things are to come. Faith....is how we should live today. It is the encouragement of knowing God is at work RIGHT NOW on your behalf. Trusting and abiding....means living in the moment with the assurance of victory. Situations may look bleak. People may disappoint you. You may feel misunderstood in your endeavors. But all of this pales in comparison to the victory we find in Christ. It's not just a matter of getting your foot in the door of heaven. It's about allowing Him to mold you and change you for the better. Pressure hurts but it is necessary to bring about change. We should have a hunger for discipleship so that we can look beyond those pressures to the hands that hold us. It is essential to look beyond ourselves to others and find op...

Oh, what a pleasant, cool day! We homeschooled outside this morning and the children played. They also enjoyed a nice picnic. I heard from The GuitarMan today and that was a sweet "interruption." He went home with friends this weekend so we didn't get to see him. Next weekend he has plans again. The he leaves the following week to go on tour with the chorale where they will end up in New Orleans. Well, he has it all planned out so we will get the chance to see each other in between all of that. It made this mom happy to know his family is important to him. Cornbread suddenly wound up with a stuffy nose during the night and still has it. He is sleeping in my lap now. I've been blog-hopping while he rests. Blogger keeps irritating me lately because I'll leave these well thought out great comments (well, I think so anyway, ha!)on people's blogs and then it doesn't go through. Instead I get the page cannot be found thing. Arghh! Then if I try to go back to...