Saturday, October 22, 2011

Happy Falloween to you!


Have you manuevered through the maze yet?!
Go get out there and do it!

Why don't we play crazy with them more often?!
Don't they make life a heap more enjoyable, these littles in our lives?!
And a lot less, "life...just get it done, and get through it."
Seeing more of it down at their level and through their eyes, 
sure makes it all seem more grand.
Of such is the kingdom of heaven, in this mama's book.
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Saturday, October 15, 2011

twins!

Any happy hen that can labor & deliver
could-have-been-twins in the form of
a hurkin' huge golden egg,
in my urban farmyard,
deserves a big fat badge of hen honor in my book!

Go Happy Hen!!!
And go happy breakfast eaters!

Let's get True-Faced here...

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy...  
-Ps. 107:2

Who's got junk in their life?! (big personal hands-up)
Who's got really big messes that need a lot of clean-up?! (big personal hands-up)
Who knows they aren't perfect and really needs a really perfect Savior to get them through life, for pete's sake, through every day for that matter?! (big personal hands-up)


So, I figured if the people whose lives we are around and a part of every day have seen the real true-faced me...why not the worldwideweb?!

I told the hubbs and the pastor, that if only 1 life, 1 family could be enlightened, freed, impacted by the story of a big God fixing a measly little fearful-which-produces-control-or-angry girl...
then it was all worth it. 
Worth all the honesty, all the realness, all the ugliness, all the humbling it took, all the courage that had to be drummed up in Him,
to share the beauty He can make out of my ugly mess.
TO HIM BE THE GLORY. 
SERIOUSLY.

Which means He can more than make one out of yours too.
He's a more than enough kinda God, that's how I know it's true.

View on and see how I know how (interview done with my hubbs and my pastor for our FearLess series at church this fall)...



Krystal Irwin's full interview from Larry Whitaker on Vimeo.

There is no fear in love; 
but perfect LOVE casts out fear, 
because fear involves torment.
But he who fears 
has not been made perfect in love.
-1 John 4:18

Let Love, Jesus, cast out all fear.
So you can live in freedom
and have abundant life.
In this is perfection, 
nothing else.
That IS what He went to the cross for.
If I don't know much of anything else...
I know this much is true.

Friday, October 7, 2011

the transformation...

is happening before my eyes!
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The adventures of happy girl and her Happy Hen...

Meet happy girl's favorite friend...Happy Hen
Meet happy girl and her daddy's favorite activity with Happy Hen...

Slide Time!

Happy Hen says "it looks kind of yellow and high and slippery"...

"Are you sure about this happy girl?" -Happy Hen

"I'm sure. Now would you just, ugh, work with me here, Happy Hen?!" -happy girl

"What in tarnation just happened to me?!" -Not so Happy Hen

"Blaaahhhh!!!" -Not so Happy Hen

"What.was.that?" -Not so Happy Hen

"Do my wings look like hers?!" -very happy girl

"Whoa! That was awesome!" -still very happy girl

"Can we talk about this?!" -Not so Happy Hen & happy girl's daddy

"I don't feel so happy anymore." -Not so Happy Hen & still very happy girl's daddy

"Now let's try that one more time Happy Hen." -very very happy girl

"Blaaahhhh!!!" -Very Unhappy Hen

"Why I oughtta!" -Very very Unhappy Hen

"Humph. Do my wings still look ok? I'm so going back to my roost." -Very very very Unhappy Hen

"Here I come Happy Hen, let's try that again!" -very very happy girl

"Why are you running away from me Happy Hen?!" -very confused happy girl

"Oh well, there's always 5 other happy hens to go try again with!" -happy happy girl

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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Jesus FIRST...

I am listening to my little right now as she cleans up a monster mess she just intentionally dumped on the floor (carpeted floor) with her potato soup lunch.
I could be totally irritated that she would intentionally do this to MY clean floor, right?
But by the grace of God, it is not one of my usual-reactively-freaked out-responding moments.
And by His grace, as I told her to simply go get a wash cloth and take care of the deed herself (because that's what the consequence chart says she is to do, and who can argue with a chart, eh?)

And by His grace, He decided to bless my heart with songs of joy and praise coming out of her mouth while she worked to re-do, fix up and do it right....
"Jesus First
Jesus First
Jesus First in my life."
This must have been a new Sunday School song today because I haven't heard it around these parts before.

Man alive...why can't I remember these moments?

Cuz isn't their reactive-response usually a mirror of ours?!
Big person Freak out = little person freak out
Big person Hooting and Hollering = little person hooting and hollering
Big person Shame = little person feels even more shame
Big person Intimidation = little person feels fear, not love
Big person Condemnation = little person screaming and tears

Big person LOVE and gentleness and patience in the discipline =
gentler, less freaked out and riled up response (not always a given, but much more of a trend)

Responding, not ReAcTiNg...that's what this mama wants to have more of a heart to do.
And I'm sure this girl appreciates it too.
I want her heart to still worship while she works to do right and well and try agains.

Trying, one step at a time, to put Jesus First, over in these here parts.
Mama leading and girl, prayerfully following.
That way, all the rest just seems to fall into place too.

photo credit: chromenstuff.com