Monday Morning Praises

Today, I just want to praise God for a wonderful weekend. We had a few obstacles to overcome with the kids that I want to share, but in each case, we came through just fine. It is funny how sometimes the distractions in life, are the best ways to teach a lesson. Here is some of what happened.

Obstacle 1-We left Corpus to go to Victoria for the weekend with a cranky bunch of kids who were irritable, sleepy from a week of standardized testing at school, and way too much junk food at school(in celebration of the testing ending). This made for a very unpleasant trip of bickering, whining, and often the occasional threat from the parents.
Lesson- Have a talk before leaving town, and lay ground rules of expected behavior. Pray first, not after the bickering has begun. Invest in some type of dvd player for the car as soon as possible (just kidding).
Once we got to the grandparents house, they were great! They took all their frustrations out on Skip and I beforehand, and I guess it was out of their systems. I'm not condoning any of their behavior, but I am so happy that they were sweet the rest of the trip for all of us.
Obstacle 2- Once we arrived in Victoria, Seth realized he did not have his book he was supposed to have for a project due on Monday. He had left the book in his lunchkit which I thought still had food in it because it was heavy. I threw it in the fridge on the way out of the door, so it wouldn't be left out on the counter for the open house we were having on Sunday. He meant to take it with him, so he had left it out.
Lesson-Seth learned only he is responsible for his book and remembering to bring it with him. When you aren't responsible, your work is often doubled. He was only three chapters from finishing the book, and we could not find that book in Victoria. Instead he read another book called Sounder, which took him away from a lot of fun and play time, but I don't think he will soon forget something like that again.
Obstacle 3-Our daughter Ashley went to youth at our new church for the first time on Sunday, and loved it. In her excitement, she wasn't thinking and left her purse unattended while she went to hang out with some new friends in another area. When she returned, her phone was taken out of her purse.
Lesson-Ashley learned that she needs to be responsible with her things wherever she may be. I told her to pray about getting it back, because God is concerned with every detail of her life. She did. I temporarily cancelled her phone because we have a basic plan that doesn't cover text messaging, and I could just imagine someone using it and the huge bill I could have incurred. As we were driving home last night, we received a call that Ashley's phone was retrieved. I told Ashley all of this might not even been about a lesson for her, but instead a lesson for the one who took it from her. I pray that this may be a turning point for that child and this may be a time that they saw Christ's love and forgiveness.
Lesson for me-I have truly sheltered my daughter(in love of course). She is so trusting of others. I learned that just because she is in a christian school, in a church youth group activity, or anywhere, her safety is in Christ Jesus and always has been. I need to lean on knowing that I have done my best, and I will eventually have to let her spread those wings. I can pray for her, teach her, encourage her, and love her. The rest I need to give to God.

In reflecting over the weekend, many scriptures have come to my mind. One scripture that sticks out the most, but is so simple is this:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33b

***I want to add that Parkway celebrated 15 years of Changed Lives this weekend. It was a beautiful service that I will hold dear always. Scott Weatherford, our dear pastor and friend is now leaving the church to go to where God has called him. May he continue with bringing thousands more to Christ in Florida, as only God allowed him to do in Victoria. He will be missed by so many, but we rejoice in his new endeavor. Also, may God bless his family and his friends who are taking that journey with him. You have personally been so instrumental in Skip's and my life and our ministry. I will never forget all you have done for our family. You baptized Skip, you dedicated my first two children, you sat with us at the hospital for all of Seth's surgeries as a baby, you prayed with us more times than I can count, and now you've given Skip such a wonderful opportunity to serve God at Parkway. You are a true blessing! Thank you so much.