Would You Rather?

Have you ever played the game "Would You Rather?" You give someone a choice between two undesirable things and they must choose one...for example, would you rather shave with rusty razor blades or do the chicken dance alone in the middle of a crowded mall?

I don't really know where I'm going with this, but Dayna and I had a little conversation of "Would you rather" the other night.

Dayna is our little evangelist. She goes up to complete strangers and asks if they know Jesus. If they respond with a yes, she inquires if they have asked Jesus in their hearts. If they answer no, Dayna always remembers them in her prayers at night.

Often, people answer yes to that question, and it leaves her wondering...she recently asked about someone close to us who said that Jesus is in their heart. (Disclaimer: I do not know the hearts of people, and have made it clear that this is something between that person and God.) Dayna asked me if that person really loved Jesus. I was put in a difficult position, because I can't lie to Dayna about something this important, but I don't want to color her opinion of someone we love dearly because I have my doubts.

So I asked her to think of someone that we KNOW loves Jesus. She thought of her Sunday School teacher Nora. I asked her how she KNOWS that Nora loves Jesus. Dayna's first response was "her expression." It's true. Nora is truly a joyful person. You can't meet her and not KNOW that she loves Jesus. We talked about some of the things Nora does. She goes to church, she tells others about Jesus, she reads her Bible and does what it says.

I shared with Dayna that Nora isn't a Christian because she does those things. There is nothing that we can do to be good enough (Rom. 3:23). Rather, Nora does those things because she's a Christian (James 2:14-26). Because Nora loves Jesus so much, she wants others to know Jesus, too; and while Nora isn't perfect, she tries to live a life that will glorify Jesus.

Then we talked about the friend Dayna was originally asking about. I asked Dayna does she KNOW that this person loves Jesus, or does she WONDER.

Dayna's prompt response: "I wonder."

I shared that only God truly knows our hearts, and it's not my place to decide if someone is a Christian or not. But, I put it back on Dayna (and I ask this question of you...and of me...)

Would you rather people KNOW you love Jesus, or would you rather they WONDER?

Hhmmm.....

"Lucy Blue"

Old Living Room

We managed to survive the Great Bathroom Remodel of 2009 (see April 2009 posts) and decided to tackle a larger room (but smaller project) this year for Spring Break.

You may recall from this post that Dayna thought we shouldn't have boring white walls. So after 8 1/2 years in the house, the living room is getting a makeover.


And if you know anything about the way I tackle cleaning a room, I stack everything in the middle and clean around it. The good news is that Dan and his dad did all of this stacking while I was in Minneapolis last weekend.


The ceiling fan will soon be a distant memory.

As will the white walls...

The back wall is a lovely shade of "Bleached Shadow."

Children of God - Third Day

Great video! Watch until the end. So glad I've been adopted, too!

I've Been Served

This weekend we enjoyed a fabulous getaway. The only problem...it started with a chest cold that moved its way north. The last two hours in the car were pretty miserable for me. From the backseat, Dayna cheerfully piped up, "Mom, when we get home, you are going to 1. take off your coat; 2. go to your bedroom; 3. get in bed; 4. let me serve you."

So here I am, in my jammies with the electric blanket on. Dayna has made me a piece of cinnamon toast, brought me a warm washcloth for my forehead, an ice pack for my back (don't know what she was thinking...a heating pad would be a lot cozier, but hey...she's serving me), and a little handheld massager propped behind my neck.

Thanks, Dayna! I feel so much better now :)

I *Heart* My Mom

I just have to say how much I love my mom. Despite the fact that she just recently returned from Florida (and I wasn't invited). I've just received a string of very encouraging phone calls, emails and blog comments as I've been pushing ahead through these two very crazy weeks. I'd like to say the weeks are settling down, but they're not.

In the meantime, I'm so very grateful for my mom and her words of encouragement.

Calgon?

Not posting this to whine...just trying to wrap my head around all that is expected of me...and none of this is something I can cut out at this point...it's just all coming to a head at once. In no particular order of importance:

1. 800 student grades put into a persnickety online database so report cards can be done
2. Parent-teacher conferences next week
3. Student teacher starting on Monday
4. National Conference in Minneapolis in 2 weeks
5. Budget for regional conference (2012) due at national conference in 2 weeks
6. Must have several more meetings before #5 can be accomplished
7. Local workshop in less than a month...still need presenters
8. Husband has been working 70+ hours a week for 9 weeks
   
9. Dayna's parent/teacher conference
10. Dayna's IEP

Oh...and did I mention I'm not sleeping? This doesn't include the daily/weekly commitments that already fill my days.

I know things will be okay, and I know that two weeks from now, things will slow WAY down (or at least I'll be on spring break and can take a quick breather.) In the meantime, I'd really appreciate your prayers.