One Word At A Time: Goals

By Ginny (MAD21)

What's the point? What are we trying to achieve by playing the game? These are questions I ask my kids when we are learning how do do something new. Then, we talk about how to accomplish that task. For soccer and gymnastics, you practice-practice-practice. For a board game, you play until you understand the rules enough that you start to form strategies.

I think the same could hold true when talking about life.  Just like in soccer or gymnastics, or when playing a board game, you have days when you just seem to be "on." You have full control over your feet and kick the ball exactly how you want; you flip over the bar and make a perfect landing; or you get all the right cards and dice rolls. Then there are those other kinds of days. When you are totally off your game, and nothing is going right. We all have good times and bad, moments of deep sorrow and times filled with pure joy. No matter the circumstance, we must never lose sight of the goal.

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One Word At A Time: Future

By Ginny (MAD21)

I'm going to let this video speak for itself. But as you listen to the story, I want you to ask yourself how this one act of kindness changed the lives and futures of all of those involved in this event. For the families who loved on and cheered for the other team, and for the players who thought they were coming to just lose another game, only to win so much more.

Do you know of any children who need you to "be in their corner?" I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and love on them. Give them "reason to look ahead." Let our families never be too big or too busy to offer others hope for a better future.

"Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for." (Galatians 3:23-24, The Message)

This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Peter Pollock's place.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Future.

One Word At A Time: Sacrifice

By Ginny (MAD21)

Something happened last week that made my heart ache. I was sitting in the waiting room while my girls were in gymnastics class. The room is usually pretty chaotic with kids running around and parents coming and going. I was concentrating on my book so I wasn't listening to any particular conversation going on around me. But suddenly I found myself tuning into a woman sitting near me. It was one of those moments when it seems that everything slows down and the room goes quiet except for the thing that got your attention.

I looked up to see who was talking. It was a mother I had seen there before. She is one of those ladies who once she starts talking to you, you are committed to listening to for the duration of your time together. Don't get me wrong, she's a nice lady, but she obviously loves to talk and will do so as long as she thinks she has someone's attention.

We had all been in the waiting room for some time, probably about half an hour. The woman had been talking to the lady sitting next to her and to anyone else within earshot. I vaguely remember hearing about car repairs and sick kids, but that isn't what really what made me take notice of their conversation. I'm not sure what they were talking about that led them to this particular topic, but she began to describe an experience she and her family had when visiting a church.

I didn't hear why they were at the church, but it seemed like a recent visit. She liked having her young children go to Sunday school to help teach them morals. I think this is what initially got my attention. As a person who has worked in Children's Ministry for years and is passionate about planting seeds of faith in their hearts, this really bothered me. I'm glad the mother likes to take her children to Sunday school, but there is more to God and faith than good morals. However, that wasn't what upset me.

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One Word At A Time: Renewal

By Ginny (MAD21)

When I heard our word for the carnival this week was Renewal, the first things I thought of were library books and subscriptions. When I asked my friends what the first thing they thought of when they heard the word, I got: another opportunity; freshness; auto insurance; vows; Oil of Olay; and spiritual. If this were one of those psychological analysis tests, I'm not sure what this survey would say about each of us, but I suppose it at least gives a little insight to where each of our minds were at the time.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

A few weeks ago we got a letter in the mail from a missionary couple we help support. They are friends we love dearly who are life-long missionaries. At one point they lived in Kenya providing medical support for the Masai and have made several trips back since then. More recently they took a trip to India. We also get newsletters from ministries like Samaritan's Purse, World Vision and Compassion. The best part of receiving these support letters and newsletters is that we get to hear updates on all the things people have been doing for the year.  The many ways that Jesus is showing his love through the service of his people.

But these letters also provide something else. Because we want more than to just know what other people are doing in the name of Jesus. We want to know what our family can do to help support these ministries. These letters provide an opportunity to recommit. To reinvest. To renew our family's vision to help those who need it and share the love of God to our neighbors whether they are next door or across an ocean.

This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Peter Pollock's place.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Renewal.

One Word At A Time: Winter

By Ginny (MAD21)

So I know I'm a few days late with my Winter post for the carnival this week. But I have been taking care of the little people in my house who have both been sick all week. In all fairness, though, I did have a great outline wrote for what I wanted to share, but it will have to wait for another day. Just to show you how wonderfully faithful God is, He provided me with the most perfect material for a winter post: SNOW. And a lot of it (though not as much as the blizzards of 2010).

We've had two snow days this week. Best birthday present my oldest could have ever asked for (she turned seven yesterday!!). But last night was the biggest part of the storm. We woke up to at least 11 inches of snow this morning. Everything was absolutely gorgeous. I thought I would share.

Our family LOVES snow. The more the merrier. One the agenda for this afternoon: Snowmen; Sledding; and hot chocolate... and NAPS.

This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Peter Pollock's place.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Winter.