The Misfit

By Michelle (Graceful, Faith in the Everyday)

It didn’t take long for me to realize that Noah is not an ordinary kid. When other two-year-olds were repeating words like “cookie” and “bye-bye,” Noah’s favorite word was “awning.” “Look at that fancy awning,” Noah would say, pointing at striped fabric as we drove past Roper & Sons Funeral Home.

When he was five Noah developed a love of plants, particularly succulents, those funky, Zen-looking plants that belong to the cactus family (or maybe cacti belong to the succulent family, I’m not sure – clearly I haven’t listened carefully enough to Noah). While other kids his age collected Pokémon cards and Spiderman figures, Noah collected euphorbia and crassula, aloe and agave. At last count he had 31 succulents in his collection.  

I’ll never forget the time Noah sat on Santa’s lap and requested Designing with Succulents, a garden design book he’d spotted at Barnes & Noble. I could read the look on Santa’s face: not only did he not know what a succulent was, he suspected it had pornographic connotations.  I stood behind the rope and yelled, “It’s a plant book! It’s a plant book!” in the hopes that Santa wouldn’t think my son was a miscreant.

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Fingerprint Friday: KC's Love

By Ginny (MAD21)

I've talked a little about our family cat KC around here, but its been awhile. I thought it was time she got another post. As I've said before, I know there are people out there who hate cats (you know who you are!), but I still firmly believe that it just means you were never loved by one. 

Here's the thing. Dogs love just about everyone. Seriously think about this... have you ever heard of a shy dog? Now cats, on the other hand, they are more selective. Which is why I think there is trouble with people not liking them. Cats don't care. Which is what makes having one love you all the more sweet.

When we first got KC, she was so little. She loved and played with everyone. But now, almost two years later, she, well, doesn't. In fact, her main people (yes, I said HER people) are my oldest and me. She is hot and cold with my youngest, but that's because of normal 4-year-old behavior, and she tolerates my husband. Which is to say that if he is next to me and is sitting on the side she likes to sit on, she might let him sit next to her. Or better yet, she might even sit on his lap when he is sitting in her chair with her blanket.

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One Word At A Time: Treasure

By Ginny (MAD21)

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." (Matthew 6:21, The Message)

I believe every family should make a list of what is most important to them. Husbands and wives need to have a list needs and things they value just between the two of them, but there also needs to be one for the family as a whole. The list should be kept somewhere it will be seen every day, in our Bibles, on our refrigerators... Somewhere we can see it as a reminder. I know if I get to the point when I am overwhelmed, my priorities are out of balance.

I believe it's important to periodically look at how our family is spending our time and money. These are both easy to measure and will quickly show you what things you spend the most on. It holds us accountable to our family's priorities. I never want to look back and regret what we chose to do with our lives.

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God Is... Truth

By Jason S (Connecting to Impact)

Truth is such a sticky subject these days. We're not supposed to believe that there are absolutes, that there is no such thing as one truth, just your truth and my truth.

At points you feel like it's another verse to "Old McDonald's Farm" –here a truth, there a truth, everywhere a truth, truth.

E-I-E-I-Oh my (sorry, couldn't help myself).

If we believe the Bible and trust God, then we cannot buy into this relative truth and subjective morality phenomenon.  If we say we trust in Jesus as Savior, but in another breath say "all roads lead to God" then we aren't talking about the God revealed in scripture and we teeter on a shaky foundation.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Narrow-minded as that may sound, there is great comfort in knowing the truth (and sharing it). We cannot succumb to the whims of the world because while it's nice that we get to experience God's love and truth, there's a whole world that needs to experience the same.

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Fingerprint Friday: Flowers From Daddy

By Ginny (MAD21)

There is one particular day during the year that our girls get very excited. It's a time when they get their Daddy all to themselves.

Once a year our church has a dance party for little girls and their Daddys. Our girls put on their prettiest dresses, and Daddy wears a dress shirt and jacket. But one of the many things they love about this night are the flowers that Daddy buys for them. He makes sure that they each get flowers in their favorite colors, and are just the right size for their little wrists. The giggles they produce are priceless.

It's another example of how Daddy is covered in God's fingerprints.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.