it is already the new year and i have been meaning to update since christmas day. breakfast at carolines christmas morning when my german pancakes actually tasted like my dads. getting to the airport and finding out my flight was delayed and that i would miss my flight in houston into lax......what am i doing? everything i thought i would say is meaningless (except the pancakes). have you ever really anticipated something so much it consumed you? my trip to cali was all about me. how selfish is that. it was nothing i expected, not everything i wanted, but everything i needed. god gave me the "opportunity" (for you dad) to do family. i live so far away and rarely get to "do family". god put me exactly where he wanted me to be, at home with my mom, dad, sister et al, at the exact time i needed to be there, even more than when dad had his surgery. my parents have amazed me. how often do we get to go back and get a do over from our childhood? change images in our mind as children to a renewal of images as adults?
restoration and renewal is what he promises, it is what we have received.
"...the spirit helps us in our weakness. we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (romans 8:26)
"there is now no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus (romans 8:1)
"you, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the spirit" (romans 8:9a).
"if god is for us, who can be against us?" (romans 8:31b).
"no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (romans 8:37).
so, i ended up having the time of my life, a very special time. a time of renewal and feeling a part of my family again.
i wasn't going to go into any details except there is layla....
we had the opportunity to play one afternoon...what a hoot she is. we had a full fledged surprise birthday party for her wooden rocking horse...something sienna thurston, and you had to say the whole name at one time. then we did some painting and i showed her how to make different colors. she said "look, it is a rainbow" and i asked if she knew why god had sent the rainbow, that it was a promise he would never leave us (she is 3) she answered "oh that is just ridiculous!" it was all i could do to keep from rolling on the floor laughing.
"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 corinthians 12:9)
god bless us everyone in this new year. be open for what he has in store for you....it may be the exact opposite of what you might think!
