I like to think I have a fun family. All my boys have their own quirky personalities and wit and I enjoy each and every one of them. Most of us are spontaneous and passionate about so many things in life, be it faith, politics, our schools, our church or even whether or not ketchup is actually a vegetable. J, my husband, is like the may pole in the celebration. He just quietly, resolutely stands firmly in the middle of the chaos while we all spin around him. One thing I love that my boys are not always appreciative of is a good practical joke. I remember painting my oldest son's and a friend of his toenails hot pink while they slept one night. That doesn't hold a candle to the time my middle boys had a bunch of friends over for the night. They were all sleeping on the floor in the play room upstairs. I rose early that Saturday morning (something unheard of!!!) and quietly taped plastic wrap across the doorway in a 3 foot section just about 10 year old boy height. Then, I went back downstairs to the living room and yelled up over the loft "boys! I've got pancakes! last one down does the dishes!!". All 6 of those boys hit that door running and went down like a stack of dominoes! After I was able to stand once more and had wiped my eyes I did make those pancakes and I didn't make any of them do the dishes. I still laugh whenever I think of that morning!
They did get their revenge, though. They put a rubber band around the trigger of the sprayer on the kitchen sink. When I turned on the water to do those dishes I got a big surprise!
Monkey Boy has learned well what he has witnesses in his home as he has grown. One afternoon he and a friend of his, being bored little boys, were looking for some mischief to get into. They went out to a little side road, one on each side of the road and waited for a car to come by. Then, they would both pantomime pulling on a rope, as if they were stretching it across the road in front of on coming traffic. Of course, there was no rope, but I cannot tell you how many cars actually stopped and waited for them to lower their "rope" before they would attempt to drive past. One person even became angry and would not drive on until they pretended to remove the rope completely from the road! It was all in good fun, but, like so many things in life, it got me to thinking.
How many times have we been stopped in our tracks by that invisible rope of the enemy? We're moving on down the path God has set us on, focused on our destination, when we are momentarily distracted by something on the side of the road. Once we lose that focus we open ourselves up to the distractions of Satan. Often times he (Satan) will throw things in our path that are meant to trip us up, to stall us, to get us to lose our focus and pull up. But just like that invisible rope my boys were using they can't stop us unless we let them. If those drivers had looked where they were going more than at what was going on on the side of the road, they would have seen there was no rope, but because the boys were doing such a good job of pretending there was a rope the drivers bought into the idea and it became an obstacle for them. Many times we see the enemy acting and talking as if he has finally found the thing that can stop us and we buy into the idea. Satan doesn't have to actually do anything, he only has to make us believe that he is blocking our way for his plan to be successful.
We don't have to stop and wait for him to lower his invisible rope. We get to buzz on by, free in the liberty of Christ, knowing there is nothing the enemy can do to hinder us as long as we keep our focus on the Lord.
So go! Drive on! Don't let the goofy people on the side of the road slow you down. Give no thought to the man behind the curtain, oh wait, different story. You get the idea. There's nothing our there that can stop you, except YOU. I'll be here, spinning around my tall, bald may pole. You're welcome to stop by, but be careful using the kitchen sink and fall asleep at your own risk. You can't say you haven't been warned!!!
Soaked in His blessings,
Spokenfor
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Chocolate Tar and Good Intentions
I'm in the mood for cake, chocolate cake. Anybody out there got a good recipe you could share??? I'm bored with the ones I've got and ready for something new, maybe something with sour cream. MMMM!! just thinking about it makes me want to get the milk ready! We're a true southern family around here, despite J's upbringing. We celebrate with cake. We not only celebrate with cake, we see just about any reason a good enough one for a good cake. If someone has surgery, take them a cake, baby arrives? Time for cake! Birthday, anniversary, end of school, pass your drivers test, pass your eye test, go all day without stubbing your toe? It all calls for cake!
I remember one Valentines day J and the boys thought it would be sweet to back me a heart shaped chocolate cake. J does nothing half way so this was not to be simply a cake from a box, but a real life, from scratch, mess up the whole kitchen, cake. What you must remember is, all this took place while I was out somewhere. I don't remember where and, I guess, it doesn't really matter (probably hiding from my children, if the truth be known! lol). While an amazing engineer J is less than a star in the kitchen. Let's just say, if I ever want water burned I know who to call! lol He has come a long way since then. One thing he has learned that he didn't know at the time was how to tell the difference between flour and powdered sugar when they are in unmarked canisters. So, when I got home I was met with a dirty kitchen, 4 smiling boys, 1 chagrined husband, and a heart shaped cake pan filled with sweet chocolate tar! After I confiscated the spoons from the boys as they all stood around having a cup of cake I wondered if I needed to give them insulin shots! lol It's the thought that counts, right? that and the fact that he cleaned up the mess for me!
It's true that things would have been much easier if J and the boys had used a box of cake mix. It would probably have turned out much better, for sure, but then I wouldn't have this sweet memory! (pun intended!) I wouldn't trade that unique sweet treat, as uneatable as it was, for any box mix anywhere. Why? You ask? Because, as "different" as it was, it was made with love. It was a one of a kind.
Have you ever thought about how unique we all are? We are like that sweet treat made so many years ago by my men folk. Each one of us is different. We've all had cake from a box. I'm not knocking it, I've certainly made my share. It's quick, it's easy and it's a step above buying the ready made ones in the freezer section, but they're all the same really. I'll bet if I put a piece of cake made from a cake mix and a piece of home made cake in front of you, you could tell the difference. Why? Because we've all had the box mix before and it always taste pretty much the same. You could make 1000 boxes and they would all taste pretty much the same. It's different when you make a homemade cake. There's always that little difference. It's never exactly the same as it was the last time you made it.
I've got news for you. God doesn't use box mixes either! He didn't sit up in heaven and mass produce 100 Susans to spread around the world. Then 200 Daniels to scatter over the earth. Nope, He took the time to create each one of us from scratch! No shortcuts here, only the real thing. We are like a bakery's display window, filled with many different treats, each one slightly different than the next. This one has frosting, this one doesn't. This one is round and this one is square. This one is made with nuts and....... well, I know quite a few of us who are nuts so we'll leave that one alone! lol
My point is this. Don't envy the donut beside you or wish you were like the nutty fudge down the way. Be proud of how God made you! If you have sprinkles, share your sprinkles with the world! God delights in each and every one of us. It doesn't matter if we think we are the sweetest treat in the window or not. He made you, from scratch, and he sings over you! He desires to consume us in His love. How wonderful does that sound???
So spread your sweetest to those around you. Be proud of your pink icing, your powdered sugar glaze or your sprinkling of pecans! There's not another cookie like you and that's just how the master baker wants it!
Meanwhile, I'll be here, craving chocolate cake and trying to keep J out of the kitchen! Feel free to drop on by, especially if you're carrying cake!
I remember one Valentines day J and the boys thought it would be sweet to back me a heart shaped chocolate cake. J does nothing half way so this was not to be simply a cake from a box, but a real life, from scratch, mess up the whole kitchen, cake. What you must remember is, all this took place while I was out somewhere. I don't remember where and, I guess, it doesn't really matter (probably hiding from my children, if the truth be known! lol). While an amazing engineer J is less than a star in the kitchen. Let's just say, if I ever want water burned I know who to call! lol He has come a long way since then. One thing he has learned that he didn't know at the time was how to tell the difference between flour and powdered sugar when they are in unmarked canisters. So, when I got home I was met with a dirty kitchen, 4 smiling boys, 1 chagrined husband, and a heart shaped cake pan filled with sweet chocolate tar! After I confiscated the spoons from the boys as they all stood around having a cup of cake I wondered if I needed to give them insulin shots! lol It's the thought that counts, right? that and the fact that he cleaned up the mess for me!
It's true that things would have been much easier if J and the boys had used a box of cake mix. It would probably have turned out much better, for sure, but then I wouldn't have this sweet memory! (pun intended!) I wouldn't trade that unique sweet treat, as uneatable as it was, for any box mix anywhere. Why? You ask? Because, as "different" as it was, it was made with love. It was a one of a kind.
Have you ever thought about how unique we all are? We are like that sweet treat made so many years ago by my men folk. Each one of us is different. We've all had cake from a box. I'm not knocking it, I've certainly made my share. It's quick, it's easy and it's a step above buying the ready made ones in the freezer section, but they're all the same really. I'll bet if I put a piece of cake made from a cake mix and a piece of home made cake in front of you, you could tell the difference. Why? Because we've all had the box mix before and it always taste pretty much the same. You could make 1000 boxes and they would all taste pretty much the same. It's different when you make a homemade cake. There's always that little difference. It's never exactly the same as it was the last time you made it.
I've got news for you. God doesn't use box mixes either! He didn't sit up in heaven and mass produce 100 Susans to spread around the world. Then 200 Daniels to scatter over the earth. Nope, He took the time to create each one of us from scratch! No shortcuts here, only the real thing. We are like a bakery's display window, filled with many different treats, each one slightly different than the next. This one has frosting, this one doesn't. This one is round and this one is square. This one is made with nuts and....... well, I know quite a few of us who are nuts so we'll leave that one alone! lol
My point is this. Don't envy the donut beside you or wish you were like the nutty fudge down the way. Be proud of how God made you! If you have sprinkles, share your sprinkles with the world! God delights in each and every one of us. It doesn't matter if we think we are the sweetest treat in the window or not. He made you, from scratch, and he sings over you! He desires to consume us in His love. How wonderful does that sound???
So spread your sweetest to those around you. Be proud of your pink icing, your powdered sugar glaze or your sprinkling of pecans! There's not another cookie like you and that's just how the master baker wants it!
Meanwhile, I'll be here, craving chocolate cake and trying to keep J out of the kitchen! Feel free to drop on by, especially if you're carrying cake!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)