Manna

The people of Israel called the bread Manna. Exodus 16:31

"There is an art, not known to all who travel, by which a wearied and exhausted life may gather, in a way which seems to those who do not understand almost miraculous, new strength, new vigor, new physical power, for an onward march. So does the Master feed the souls of His children Himself a spiritual 'Manna' as real and more wonderful than that strange, mysterious food with which He fed the House of Israel. To 'feed upon the Lord' may sound like empty mysticism, but may be a fact to every trusting soul. For unto us are given 'exceeding great and precious promises, that by him we might be partakers of the divine nature' (2 Peter 1:4)."

This makes me think of life's physical trials that require lasting endurance above and beyond what seems humanly possible; child birth, marathons, enduring a long and difficult fight against cancer... And while it seems "easier" to endure spiritual trials, I would argue that these are the trials that carry more significance. We spend endless amounts of energy fighting for our physical health, which we all know is limited because there is an end, but when it comes to fighting for our spiritual health and strengthening our relationship with the Lord, which carries eternal consequence, we often come up short on energy. We're too tired to get up 30 minute earlier or stay up 30 minutes later to spend time in prayer or studying God's word. Isn't it wonderful that God is never short on energy when it comes to relationship with His children? When we feel stretched, physically or spiritually, we can rely on His strength and energy to get us through. Lately, I have been very apathetic about my walk with God and have since asked Him to revive me. As always, when we are praying God's will in the name of Jesus, He is faithful to answer.

What sustaining "Manna' is the Lord giving you this week?

What does a 6-month-old do with a hammer?

The answer is not "pound nails." Check out Wesley's adventures with Jack's toy hammer:

How to Save Millions in HR Costs

As an HR professional in a field that many employees don't know even exists, I tend to get a little defensive when the HR profession as a whole is over-simplified...

I was listening to a radio show this morning and the discussion turned to school uniforms and whether or not that takes away a student’s ability to express his/her individuality. The talk show host maintained that it didn’t; it was a requirement of the school and it was more an issue of dressing appropriately for the environment than an inability to express indivuality, similar to a dress code at work. The caller responded with, “Well, we know not everyone dresses appropriately for work, otherwise we wouldn’t need HR.”

So if a company can train its managers to enforce the dress code, it can get rid of HR altogether and save millions! I think I’m going to steal this idea, market myself as a “consultant” to Fortune 500 companies and cash in.

Goats!

Saturday morning Sean and Jack came downstairs for breakfast. While Sean was preparing Jack's cereal, Jack decided to have a look at what was going on in the world that day and looked out the patio door into the backyard. He started exclaiming excitedly, "Daddy!...ooh!...aminals!...backyard!...GOATS!" Knowing the likelihood that there were really goats in our backyard was low, Sean wandered over to the door to see what was actually going on. He saw three deer by the apple trees and explained to Jack that these animals were actually called deer, not goats. I guess we need to focus a little less on the farm and start exploring the forest.

The Rock of Israel

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. Genesis 49:24

"Oh Stone of Israel, chief Cornerstone, rejected by the builders, Stone of Stumbling, Rock of Offense, Foundation Stone, on which alone we build aught that shall stand, make me a polished, living stone; built in with other stones; perchance a pillar to go out no more, but always a part of Thy temple, for Thine own indwelling. Thrice Holy Lord, self-offered for my peace, through death that I might live, through fire that I might become indestructible; consumed that I might feed on Thee in holiest communion - enlighten me today till I perceive Thy peace that passeth understanding. Amen."

What part of God's church are we supposed to be? He has gifted all of us and He desires for us to use those gifts to further His kingdom. In this way, we make up God's church with our faith in Christ as the unifying element.

Melting Mommy's Heart

What can make your day right despite anything that may have happened earlier?

While walking down the stairs yesterday evening, Jack stopped dead in his tracks, hugged my leg extra tight and said "I yuv me [he meant you - he still gets his pronouns mixed up sometimes] bery much."

Thomas Jammies

Last night, as an incentive for not whining and crying, I told Jack he could wear his Thomas the Train pajamas. This, of course, got his attention and he was a good boy for the rest of the night. He walked with me to get them out of the laundy basket and when I pulled them out he responded with, "Ooh, dey bootiful." Then this morning he pointed to one of the Thomas trains and said, "Der's little cheeky Thomas."

Zoo Day

We visited the MN Zoo today since it was so nice - mid 60's and sunny. It was a little windy, but still nice enough to be outside. We have ample opportunity to see the indoor exhibits during the winter so we took advantage of our opportunity to be outside and went to see the farm and all the baby farm animals. Jack learned the name of another baby animal on the way out there: goslings. There was a mama goose sitting on her nest right by the path.

We had to stop and see the tigers on our way out to the farm. Jack was talking about them all the way to the zoo. I think he likes these statues just as much as the real thing.

The chicken barn has some funny photo opps:Jack as a chicken

Wesley as a chicken

I had to use the timer to get any pictures with Wesley. Apparently 10 seconds is too long for a 2-year-old to wait because this was supposed to be a picture of both boys...where's Jack?

Jack with all his chicken friends. He kept asking me what their names were.

Innocence

We were at Target last week and were lucky enough to find a close parking spot. So close, in fact, that we were right next to a handicap spot. While Jack was waiting patiently for me to load Wesley into the car, he was dancing around on the handicap symbol painted on the ground, which lead to the conversation below:

Jack: "I walking on dat guy...what's he doing, mommy?"
Mommy: "I don't know, Jack" (this is frequently my response when I'm distracted by something else and only half-listening to the jabberings of my two-year-old).
Jack: "He's riding bike."

God's Character

For a long time I have been amazed by the vastness of God's character. I recently purchased a small devotional called "Wonderful Names of our Wonderful Lord" that has descriptions of the names used for God in the bible. My intention is to post one per week with the hope that others will comment on how God is demonstrating that particular trait in their lives. I think we're all inspired to see the many ways God is working in our friends and family.

Shiloh (Peacemaker)
"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Genesis 49:10

Israel must walk in darkness under the law, until the years may seem eternity, but "Shiloh" comes at last and peace. Has Shiloh come to thee? And has the peace which passeth understanding, the peace He made entered into thy soul? For Shiloh came and conquered every foe that could harass thee, and stands today offering the peace He made "that passeth knowledge." Hast thou received it? Has Shiloh come in vain for thee? Begin today and "in everything by prayer and supplication make thy requests known to him," and Shiloh's peace shall "keep thy heart."

Wesley's First Big Boy Bath

Wesley is getting a little too big for the baby bathtub so he graduated to the big bath. He's still not sitting up on his own very well so it was a bit of a challenge for everyone involved, but we made it through and, from the way it looks, he enjoyed bath time just as much as ever.

What do Toucans Say?

The other night Jack was coloring in a bath time coloring book and there was a picture of some toucans. I asked him, "What do toucans say?" He said, "Nofing, dey jus quiet." I guess now we know.