Superhero!

I went with my family last week to see the movie “The Avengers”; then the girls made me watch a follow-up superhero movie, “Thor”.  I have to admit that I have had enough of those movies to last for quite a while.  A strong and hidden memory popped up from my childhood, and I wanted to put it down for me to remember, and laugh.  It should come as no surprise that it involves my dad.

When I was just starting school, I was obsessed with what my dad did for a living.  I’m sure it was a school project, but whenever I asked my dad what he did at work, he said, “I go to meetings and sign my name.”  I don’t think he knew how to explain the Arkansas Power and Light Company to me. Everyone else’s dad had a real job, with a name the kids could understand.  Why was my dad different?

A little background information is needed at this point.  I am of the age that when we were children, the only programs geared to us were “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company.”  “The Electric Company” had one person as a mascot, in costume, called “Spiderman.”  He was by far the coolest character on the show.  This will be very important in a moment.

I kept hounding my dad to explain to me what he did at work.  Realizing that “signing his name” wasn’t going to satisfy me, he said, “I work for the electric company.”  Bells went off in my head and everything finally clicked.  Dad hadn’t wanted to tell me he worked for “The Electric Company” because his secret identity of Spiderman would be revealed.  After all, Spiderman was the only person that didn’t show his face.  I resolved never to betray his secret identity.  I never told a soul (except my sisters) that I knew our dad was a superhero. 

Hi, Dad!!!

 

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

We have been here in sunny Colorado for one week.  In some ways we already feel at home – that’s the grace of God for sure – but in other ways it is a completely foreign country to us.  Driving home from church last night we saw a doe walking across the parking lot like she owned the place.  We’ve also seen antelope and a porcupine on the side of the road.

The strangest sight so far has got to be the dog.  We were driving home from Lowe’s (probably the fifth or sixth trip), when we pulled up to a stop light.  This is what we saw on our left! 

We have had half of our property shipped to us.  The other half should be here in the next ten days.  In the meantime, we get to look at our kitchen chairs, our kitchen table leaves, but no kitchen table.  We have several chairs with no cushions, clothes with no hangers and several bookcases with no shelves.  It’s hard to make it feel homey at this point.

Have you met my husband?  It is amazing what he can accomplish in a short amount of time.  He has already changed the door handles on every door in the house, and updated all the lights in the main living level.  This was no easy task with 16 foot ceilings!  We have painted one room and the trim in two other rooms.  It is not easy to paint here.  I don’t know if it’s the altitude or dryness, but the walls suck in the paint, and it takes a lot more work and time than we expected.

Moving certainly teaches patience.  In the last week, we have been working with limited supplies, but the funniest one is the spoon.  We have only one.  Why on earth we didn’t buy more at Walmart I’ll never know, but this is what we’ve been working with.  We take turns eating cereal in the morning and I have learned that you can eat yogurt with a fork.  While scrambling eggs tonight, the poor spoon went to the beautiful utensil drawer in the sky.  Now I guess we’ll have to buy some silverware!

Here a Chick, There a Chick!

I made this adorable craft last spring and decided to move it to my new blog to keep things together.  My sister and I made this precious baby chick out of toilet paper rolls.  If you can't get excited about toilet paper rolls, then this post is probably not for you.

I started by painting a toilet paper roll yellow.  Then, I cut it into two pieces, one smaller than the other by about half.  I added google eyes (which I am obsessed with), and a construction paper beak.  I attached yellow feathers to its back.

For the nest, I cut most of the top off a small brown paper sack.  I added a jagged edge across the top.  After filling the sack with green Easter grass, I taped the chick into its nest.  Adorable!

Voila!

Now I Know My ABCs!

This picture is of two brothers I had the priviledge of working with at the Arkansas School for the Deaf.  They are also part of a military family which is near and dear to my heart.

My sister, Kathy, and I are both passionate about working with children from birth through high school.  We have both been classroom teachers and homeschooled our own children as well.  There are a lot of ideas we have put together, and I thought I would throw some in every now and then to hopefully help parents and classroom teachers alike.

Enjoy!

What Is Missing?

Count To Five Mini Book

Kermit the Frog

About 8 years ago, my elderly grandparents wanted to attend a Benny Hinn conference in Little Rock.  My dad agreed to take them, but because of their age and mobility, I knew he was going to need some extra help.  I was not a Benny Hinn fan, but it’s amazing what you will do for your family.

As we walked into the arena, I was struck by how many people were there.  It was packed!  I immediately felt a strong spiritual presence and I knew that the Lord was in the place.  We settled my grandparents in their seats, and then I stood next to them.  The service started with Praise and Worship, and I still felt an almost tangible presence of the Lord.  When the song “Jesus Breaks Every Fetter” started, I felt no different from the other songs.  Without warning, a super strong Godly presence stood behind me.  I will never doubt it was anything but an angel.  I felt fists rest gently on top of my head, then open.  The sensation of warm oil spilled over my head.  This was special enough, but it gets even more specific.  The oil dripped down my head, and some went into my right ear.

I need to move this story to earlier in the year.  I had a terrible ear infection in my right ear.  This was during a visit with my sister, so I was trying to tough it out and wait until I got home to see my doctor.  Bad idea, because the infection worsened to the point it invaded my blood.  It developed into a dangerous infection and I ended up spending the evening at a hospital in Tennessee.  When we left, the doctors told my sister that I had cancer in the ear and needed to seek medical attention at home.  The ENT told me it was the worst infection he had ever seen and I was having a torturous procedure done to me over and over.  They would put me in what was like a dentist chair and move it back to where I was hanging at an angle upside down.  Then they would scrape out the tissue, put medicine in it and tell me to come back the following week.  The pain was so excruciating I often left with a deep sweat. 

That is why when the oil went into my right ear specifically I knew something very special was taking place.  I had a feeling of fullness in my right ear constantly and could not hear much out of it.  That full sensation left immediately and I could hear clearly for the first time in months!  The next time I was evaluated by my ENT specialist, he noted the ear was completely healed!  I have had no trouble with it since, eight years and counting!

I was thinking about the experience a few weeks later, and it dawned on me that it was the group of people there truly faithful and expecting things from God that allowed my healing to take place.  I thought I had it all figured out, and I told God “It didn’t matter who was on the stage for that healing to take place.  Kermit the Frog could have been on stage and I would have still been healed.”  (Remember, I’m not the biggest Benny Hinn fan.)  I got a quick reply: “That is not true.  I have called many people, but he is one of a few that said “Yes”.”  Gulp.  I learned a very strong lesson that day.

I am currently in a different health struggle (thyroid cancer) that has been tougher to overcome than most people think.  This battle has been ongoing for 4 years.  I am ready to recover fully and live a normal life.  I have drawn a line in the sand and determined that this year will be the one I get stronger and healthier and am able to put this cancer issue to bed once and for all.  I have needed a lot more faith, and I thought I should make public this other dramatic healing to build my faith on.  I hope this also builds your faith as you read it.  It is real.  It is amazing.  It is for everyone who calls on Jesus.

You Are Going to Die

I was sitting outside on our back deck wrapped in a blanket, enjoying the peace and quiet of the day.  I was still very weak from the radiation therapy, but the pain, at long last, had lifted.  I had spent quite a bit of time in prayer and felt very much at peace.  For three days after my surgery to remove my thyroid, I had felt a strong sense of God’s presence, stronger than at any time before.  And I needed it then more than ever.  My husband, Wayne, had left for his deployment to Afghanistan after receiving a good report from my surgery.  The day he left, however, I was told that not only was there cancer in my thyroid, but it had spread to my lymph nodes.  The battle was on.

For now, though, I felt no battle.  I was almost content.  So I was very surprised to hear within my spirit “You are going to die.”  Hmmmm, I thought, with no sense of panic.  I’m going to die.  OK.  I’m so grateful to have time to plan for this.  What do I need to do first?  Take care of the girls.  I know, I’ll start a journal with my hopes and dreams for them to look at when they need encouragement.  I need to write a long letter to my parents and sisters so they finish what I have started in raising my girls.  What about Wayne?  I know, I’ll…  then without any warning waaaaay down deep in my spirit came a resounding “NOOOOOOOO!”  “You will live and not die!”  I remember physically shaking my head as if trying to clear my thoughts.  First I heard God say “You are going to die” in a still small voice.  Then, I heard “NOOOOOO!” screaming within me.  Almost instantly I realized the words about death were not from the Father, but the father of lies.  The words seemed so quiet, so seductive.  I had bought them, hook, line and sinker. 

Ø  The lie came naturally:

John 8:44  (NIV) …He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Ø  The lie came to the surface so smoothly, almost seductively:

Acts 13:10-11 “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?"

2 Corinthians 11:3  "I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 

Ø  The lie can be resisted:

     James 4:7  "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Most importantly to me was how merciful God was in this situation.  I was seriously meditating on what I thought was a word from God.  That word was so gentlemanly and orderly.  The screaming from deep within is not what I would have thought would come from God.  Yet, that is exactly what happened.  Imagine your child in danger, contemplating something deadly.  You would do whatever it took to protect your child.  Screaming does not sound so unreasonable anymore.  Thank you, Father, for your willingness to do whatever it took to keep me safe from destruction.

The Bicycle

When I first moved to Bryant, Arkansas, I had to switch family doctors.  After several recommendations, I picked a friendly, knowledgeable doctor whose wife was our children’s pediatrician.  After the first visit, we realized that the doctor lived on the same street as my parents.  In fact they were only two houses down. 

When the doctor realized who my father was, he kept wanting to discuss my dad.  More specifically, he wanted to talk about my dad’s physical fitness regime.  For several visits, the discussion would go something like this:

“Saw your dad riding his bicycle yesterday.” 

“Oh,  good.”

“Yep, he rides his bike every day, rain or shine.”

“He sure does.”

“I mean, he is always on his bicycle.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” 

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Silence.  I mean, there comes a point when talking to your doctor about your dad’s bicycle riding seems a little strange.

Until you see the bicycle.  Pictures will be coming, I promise. I’m not sure words will do this justice, but I’m going to try.

It starts out innocently enough.  A sturdy ten-speed bike.   Imagine a boom box duct taped to the front of the handlebars.  I’m not talking MP3 player or walkman, but an honest to goodness radio strapped with large amounts of duct tape.  I even gave the man an MP3 player for Christmas one year, but apparently the radio fits his needs better.  He plays the radio loudly (no headphones) while riding around the neighborhood.  Because the sun sets so early, he also has a flashlight duct taped to one of the handlebars.  He was never in the boy scouts but he sure should have been.  And finally, for effect, when it is raining, he cuts slits into garbage bags to wear as a poncho.  The man has a poncho.  I’ve seen it in the closet.    

There would have been a point in time that I would have shrunk in horror imagining my dad in this getup.  Now I laugh and thank God for him.  My dad will never be known as someone trying to conform.  I have inherited some of that from him, and I am thankful for it.