Fathers day and KUNG FU PANDA

It was a good day... food, fun, friends, and Kung Fu Panda. Can Father's Day be much better? I submit it cannot.

I did not expect to enjoy Kung Fu Panda, I don't enjoy watching most movies made for children these days. But this was cute, clean (the bowl scene was a little weird), and very funny. Violent? Yeah it was violent, it was a Kung Fu movie for crying out loud but no one was really hurt it was just full great Kung Fu moves.

Then there was the peach tree, the Turtle tells the little fury guy (I dont know what he was) to let go of the illusion of control. (Lord is that You?) He reminded the little fury guy that the could not make the peach tree blossom or grow fruit. (Hurt me) I get it. Now I am not saying that I am a little fury guy but I need to let go of this illusion and learn to enjoy my 3 little peach trees and stop trying to make them blossom and bear fruit. HE is in control and they will blossom when He whispers to them that it is time and the fruit will come after that.

Tree number one blossomed a bit this weekend. He was baptized on Saturday. He wanted to and it was beautiful to watch him make his decision to follow Christ public. He received Christ at our kitchen table one day, just me, him and his sister so it was good for him to make it public. I wish you could have all been there to see it. But really it was the kind of moment that if there had been a big celebration with a cake a gifts (as is my tradition) it would have taken away from Christ and put the focus on my little peach tree. It was perfect.

Blessings ~ J

so much junk

Where does it all come from? Today I cleared out 3 junk drawers, now of course they did not start off that way but that is how they have ended up, useless drawers full of junk. I threw half of it away anout d we are working finding homes for the rest of it. I save little things here and there thinking Oh I might need this later. Or those little things that are easier to brush in to a drawer rather than take to the box in the garage it belongs in. I am just thankful that garbage comes 2 times a week here in SA because I have yet to hit my ds' room.

It is a bit like my heart. I hold on to lots of things that are not working, are out of place or should really be discarded. Habits, anger and bitterness or even relationships. They are not working for me. They have no place in the life of a believer. They do not belong in my life. But instead of dealing with them I sweep them in to the junk drawer in my heart to be dealt with later. All this leads to is what I had to do today, a long drawn out cleaning process due to a move. A move ordained by my Father to encourage me to deal with the junk.

We went to visit the next house with some dear friends last night. We just sat in the empty kitchen and talked. It was good, these people have seen us through every move in the last 10 years and are still our friends, through good and bad. But what struck me as we were sitting there was that I don't want to bring junk in to the new house. I want as little as possible to make it through the door. The space is smaller but not small by any means but I can see it filling up quickly one big junk drawer. May my heart and my home be junk free! How? Purge what I am holding on to for the wrong motives. Fear is the number one wrong motive and but pride is a close second. Fear that I might need this someday and pride that it is mine.

Lord, help me let it go inside and out. I love the feeling of a clean heart and home. Remind me of that when I am tempted to hold on to things that are junk. Help me live right now and wholly for You.

inspired...

I am inspired by my Wendy friend to blog. I think it would be great to blog on a daily basis just to keep writing. I'll give it a shot.

We signed a lease today on a new place. I am excited it will be a great location, a little closer to church and things we do on a weekly basis but still central enough for H to get to work in a reasonable amount of time. It is smaller than our current place by about 600 sq feet, I can see it in the storage so that means I need to do some serious decluttering before we move and likely after. Our linen closet alone is half the size and honestly I don't use half of what I store in there anyway.

Why are my emotions so wrapped up in stuff anyway? Why is it so hard to let go? I have seen houses that have pack ratted for 20 + years and it makes me crazy but without a consicence decision I will end up just like that. I do not want keeping up my house to rob me of my time and energy. It robs my time with the Lord and with my family not to mention my own time. OUT OUT OUT with what I don't need or use. And give it up! No Garage sale! Give it up...well that's because H said no to a garage sale...it is for your own good Jenn...breathe deep...OK

Jesus is enough and I want to clear the way and make more room for Him in our home. Out with the cable too. Not so much by choice, the cable we use is not available where we are going so we took the opportunity to reevaluate our TV choices. We have chosen to go without for a while at least. H has started to read aloud to us at and after dinner. Yesterday he read from Tupper and he has never looked so handsome as when reading to his family from a 120+ year old book of poetry! It was awesome. I love him. And he is right about the garage sale...breathe...OK

Hey Wendy!

Well Wendy if you are reading this it is because you followed the link! good job... I think this could be a good tool for you "blog" . Blogging is really just a plublished journal. Mine is mine, I am the only one who reads it because no one knows I have it! Yours we would publish on the future website, you could put a link on the bottom of emails etc... The point is blogs make people feel connected to the blogger (that'd be you) . You can also post pictures. If you want to set it up you really can do it yourself it is not complicated. Let me know if you need anything in that regard.

Jenn