Insanity Squared 9-5

Good morning campers and how are we doing today? Happy it's Friday? I know I am!!

Life likes to hand us all those little ups and downs. The twists and dips that make it so completely unpredictable that we finally throw up our hands and say 

For us here at the Adams household, it has been no different!

Catching up from last week....

We had back to school night at the small one's school and it was great! The PTA did a terrific job, the new principal is awesome....overall, it was a good time, which is saying something because usually it is a "try not to tear my hair out as I pen Moose in for 30 minutes while they talk about things he neither cares about nor understands and the microphone doesn't work so I can't hear them anyway but I need to listen because we may have to vote on something important" time. Their teachers are awesome. The PTA is up and running and best of all, Big Daddy got A LOT of interested Fathers at the "All Pro Dad" table! One even wants to co-lead! (Yay!!!) 

If you've never heard of "All Pro Dad" it's a terrific program to help open lines of communication between fathers and their children, at all age levels, that focuses on life lessons, fun and positive reinforcement. It's really wonderful! Big Daddy has been involved with them for about 7 years now and those Dad's (Uncles, Granddads, step Dads and even single Moms!) who come LOVE the program. If you don't know, check it out! allprodad.com/

Moving on....

Saturday was RACE DAY!!

 It was our first 5K and we absolutely loved it! I am WAY slower than Big Daddy, but that's OK. He loves me enough to go at my pace, which I appreciate because I didn't bring my headphones ;7)        I had been sick for a full two weeks before race day and the air quality here has been really poor lately because of the heat and low clouds so I was huffing and puffing before half a mile, however, we made decent time. 17 minute miles on average with a finish time of 53 minutes.         Honestly...my biggest goal was to not be the last one over the finish line and I hit that squared! (In case of a zombie apocalypse you don't have to be fastest, just faster than the slowest person :)        Big Daddy is now completely addicted and wanted to try and get another one in before November when we go pick up our Boyo from Basic. That is not going to happen, but only because other crazy things have happened this week, like him getting his identity stolen and the thief emptying our bank account. (yes, I'm serious....this is our lives folks...a constantly swirling vortex of WTF...*where's the food?*) Anyway, here are some pictures from the day.

 

The kids all came with us. They had bounce houses, water games, tons of street food and vendors, face painting....you name it, it was there. Just a fabulous, small town street fair! Gawd how I miss those! Everything now a days is about lights and rides and lines and loudness! This was so fun and relaxed. The kids had a great time. the atmosphere of the racers and the vendors who supported us was so encouraging that Bubba wants to do the next one with us. I'm excited about that! And Zabo, who has done a 5K before, can't wait for the Girls on the Run program to start at school so she can start training for her next one :)

Next up was Zabo's "American Ninja Warrior" Party. Which was fabulous!!

We did 6 different obstacles in the back yard, red white and blue themed EVERYTHING and only healthy foods (Except for the cupcakes...because there HAS to be cake at a birthday party.)

The kids went through the course at least 6 times. They stopped for water breaks, came to the front porch for turkey and veggie wraps, fruit kabbobs and koolaid then went right back to the obstacle course! Most important, Zabo had a blast!

The rest of this week has been something of a blur. I miss our Boyo SO much. It's been hard to hold back the tears lately. I have another 2 whole months before I see him and it's so hard. I cannot imagine the sadness that family's of deployed soldiers face. I am so grateful for those people, the ones who serve and the ones who support them. Choosing to be a soldier is choosing a hard life. I pray for all of our Soldiers and their families for peace in their souls, strength in their hearts and protection surrounding them always. If you get the chance, send a Soldier a card, a note, something to let them know they are important to us here at home and hug their Momma for them....she might just need it, really bad.

That's about it for me. The Bubba is working hard at rehearsals with his show being the second week in October. Tabby is full on into the middle school social arena (blech!) and is doing just fine. The small ones are enjoying school so far and loving the warm weather to play in when they get home. I'm steady working to be stronger and healthier for the next race, a Turkey Trot that hopefully both of my strong young men will be running with me this time! And Big Daddy is keeping his cool in the face of more than his fair share of trials. Life goes on. The world turns. God is on the throne. The sun continues to rise and we will always have victory because of Him who set it in motion from the beginning. 

Be well my friends. Enjoy your weekend. Hug your kids. Thank a soldier. Have some fun!!!

John Reuben ~ Nuisance

The music that moves me / Overcomer

Overcomer-Mandisa

Staring at a stop sign

Watching people drive by

T mac on the radio

Got so much on your mind

Nothing's really going right

Looking for a ray of hope

Whatever it is you may be going through

I know he's not gonna let it get the best of you

You're an overcomer

Stay in the fight 'til the final round

You're not going under

'Cause God is holding you right now

You might be down for a moment

Feeling like it's hopeless

That's when he reminds you

That you're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

Everybody's been down

Hit the bottom, hit the ground

Ooh, You're not alone

Just take a breath, don't forget

Hang on to his promises

He wants you to know

You're an overcomer

Stay in the fight 'til the final round

You're not going under

'Cause God is holding you right now 

You might be down for a moment

Feeling like it's hopeless

That's when he reminds you

That you're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

The same man, the great I am

The one who overcame death

Is living inside of you

So just hold tight, fix your eyes

On the one who holds your life

There's nothing he can't do

He's telling you

You're an overcomer

Stay in the fight 'til the final round

You're not going under

'Cause God is holding you right now 

You might be down for a moment

Feeling like it's hopeless

That's when he reminds you

That you're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

See don't quit, don't give in

You're an overcomer

Don't quit, don't give in

You're an overcomer

Don't quit, don't give in

You're an overcomer

You're an overcomer

The message we are focusing on this and next month is that we, because of what Jesus has already done for us, because we believe it and speak about it in our daily lives as a part of our normal dialogue and because we don't care more about our own desires and plans then we do about Him and His will for our lives and the impact we make on the world around us, we are overcomers. 

No matter what we may see with our eyes. No matter what our friends and family may think. no matter what the circumstances appear to be, 

we ARE overcomers. 

That means that whatever "this" is, this too shall pass and we will come out of it better than we went in, no matter what it is. We will not just survive the struggle. We will not just complete the test. We will overcome. We will surmount. We will eclipse the things that are trying to pull us down with joy and faith and we will utterly destroy their ability to impact our lives for the worse. 

Today, beautiful people, you have what it takes, through Christ, to be an overcomer!

Revelation 12:11 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony that they did not love their lives to the death."

The Eyesore

A story found on the net that I used in Sunday School class.

Eyesore

By Mike

Once upon a time there was a piece of land, a lot really. The lot was filled with weeds, rocks,and broken glass. More than a few people had dumped their trash in the old abandoned lot. To make matters worse, a dilapidated house sat right in the middle of the grounds. The windows had been broken out years ago. Rumor had it that the house was filled with rats and mice and other creepy things. People went out of their way to avoid this spot. It was hopeless. The only thing that could fix this lot was a bulldozer.

One beautiful spring morning, a lady known as "The Gardener" walked by the old lot. The weeds were now waist high and flies were buzzing around the trash. The poor house looked sadder than it ever had. The woman paused, then began to walk around the outside of the lot. A few of the townsfolk watched as she took down several pages of notes, then quickly walked away. The Gardner had seen enough.

Word spread quickly thorughout the town that the woman was going to demand the city clean up the lot, bulldoze the house to the ground, and plow it under. Why, how could anyone be upset with her? After all, the lot gave the whole town a bad reputation. It didn't matter if it would be very costly to clean it up, the city would just have to find the money. "It just wasn't right having an eyesore like that in our town," the people would say. "Someone had to do something!"

Several days later the Gardener walked into City Hall. The clerk behind the desk braced himself for a fight. The clerk knew the city didn't have the money that it would take to clean up the lot.

The Gardener walked up to the desk, pulled out her notes and said something the clerk would never forget. She asked, "How much is the abandoned house and lot at 371 Beacon street? I'd like to buy it."

The rumors going through the town couldn't have been further from the truth. The Gardener didn't want to destroy the lot, she wanted to buy it.

The The clerk found the few records there were for the property and looked carefully at them. "There are a lot of back taxes due. It would be quite costly to buy it, let alone the expense to clean it up."

"Never you mind that, is the property for sale or not?" the Gardener replied.

The Clerk scratched his head. "Yes Ma'am, the lot is for sale." Hearing that, the Gardener bought the worthless eyesore right then and there.

All summer long, she and her husband worked extra hard. They cleared weeds, removed trash, and made major repairs to the house. Then, they trimmed the trees and bushes, and planted many kinds of beautiful flowers. They even added a cobblestone walkway leading up to the front door. Out back, behind the house, they added a small pond with a fountain. The lot that was once such an eyesore had now become a beautiful showplace. Love, time and a little work had transformed the lot. Now, people went out of their way just to walk by and take a look at the beautiful view of the property.

What the Gardener did next also surprised the whole town. She she hung a sign out front that read:

THE GARDEN CENTER - NOW OPEN - FREE GARDENING LESSONS

She knew her lot could be restored because when she was younger, someone else taught her how to do it. Now, she wanted to teach others how to transform eyesores into things of beauty. And before long, the whole town was indeed a place of beauty.

Some people are like the old dilapidated house sitting in the middle of a trashy lot. They look worthless and many people go out of their way to avoid them. It may be the bully at school or the neighborhood kid that looks a little geeky. The Bible says that we all have trash in our lives. The trash in our life is called sin.

The Good News is that none of us are worthless in God's eyes. In fact, His will is that none of us should be forgotten, destroyed, lost. (2 Peter 3:9) He wants us to get rid of the sin in our lives, but we can't get rid of the sin by ourselves. We need to ask Jesus to forgive us and give us a new heart. When we do, we become "Born Again" to follow God. Then, just like the gardener, you will want to share the good news with others. You can let others know about the wonderful work God has done in your life, and that He can do the same for them.

Think about this. When you look at others do you see an eyesore or a garden?

Stupid Boy-Keith Urban

To all of those amazing, beautiful, intelligent young women who have forgotten that sometimes boys are just stupid. Brittany, Amanda, Hailey, Taylor, Alison, Tony...you girls are MIRACLES waiting to happen. Don't let some stupid boy convince you otherwise. Whether you know it or not, I love you girls and I'm praying for you that you would see yourselves as I see you, as God sees you, as you can be, not as this stupid boy or that jealous girl sees you...don't give in..don't give up on real love because of some stupid boy.


Well, she was precious like a flower
She grew wild, wild but innocent
A perfect prayer in a desperate hour
She was everything beautiful and different

Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind

She laid her heart and soul right in your hands
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans
She never even knew she had a choice and that's what happens
When the only voice she hears is telling her she can't
Stupid boy, stupid boy

So what made you think you could take a life
And just push it, push it around?
I guess to build yourself up so high
You had to take her and break her down

Well, she laid her heart and soul right in your hands
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans
She never even knew she had a choice and that's what happens
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/keith-urban-lyrics/stupid-boy-lyrics.html ]
When the only voice she hears is telling her she can't

You stupid boy, oh, you always had to be right
But now you lost the only thing
That ever made you feel alive
Yeah, yeah

Well, she laid her heart and soul right in your hands, yeah
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans, yes, you did
She never even knew she had a choice and that's what happens
When the only voice she hears is telling her she can't

You stupid boy
Oh, I'm the same old, same old stupid boy

It took a while for her to figure out
She could run but when she did
She was long gone, long gone

She's gone
Long gone
Yeah she is now
Yeah, ohh

On and on [incomprehensible]
She loved me, she loved me, she loved me
God, please, doesn't matter no
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry baby

Yeah, I don't believe
She's never coming back to me
Keith Urban

Empty buckets, broken vessels, clay pots

Some thoughts from today's sermon 

From the book of John ~ in reference to the story of the Samaritan 

woman at Jacobs Well

This love that we have from God should leave us with an "If, then" 

perspective. If we have received forgiveness then we should 

forgive. If we have received knowledge of Christ and His 

goodness then we should share that knowledge with others. If we 

have received unconditional, unprejudiced love from our Father 

we should also give unconditional, unprejudiced love to one 

another. How can we say that we love whom we have not seen 

and then not choose to love those we do see who are hurting, 

broken and lost?

The bucket that the Samaritan woman carried embodied the 

extent of her understanding, the sum of her "religious experience" 

of God.It held nothing of value and even though she came with it 

empty, she could not bring herself to draw with it on behalf of 

another because of what religion and prejudice had taught her. 

Jesus didn't leave her in that position though and from her 

experience with Him, the living Christ, she walked away from her 

empty bucket and went to tell her whole village of the One she 

had met who changed her life. 

When we're all worried about what everyone else is doing and 

how their behavior is effecting the world we're missing what God 

wants to do for the world through our right standing with Him. 

When we are in right standing, then we can hear His will for us 

in this lost world. When we are in right standing, having forgiven 

our enemies and released our prejudice and our predisposed 

judgments, then and only then can we be filled and empowered to 

obedience. THEN we can be a vessel that God can use to spread 

truth, peace, hope and love. Without that crucial step, looking to 

our own salvation, the cleanness of our own hearts, we are just 

cracked and broken vessels that may eventually be tossed in the 

fires that the very world we judge so harshly is burning in.

encouragement

Over the years I have come to the conclusion
that besides my relationship with God, this is the most
important thing I can grasp a hold of in this
lifetime:  When you live life trying to be
good enough for everyone else and never feeling
personally valuable everyone else becomes
a standard to be lived up to or a record to break.
When you see people this way, when you
project your personal judgementalism onto
others they become faceless enemies rather
than fellow human beings. 

The other problem with this attitude is that 

to know God you have to

 let down the walls

of your defenses and actually allow Who and What He 

Amen! And amen again!

is into your true heart. You cannot do that if

you have not reconciled with yourself who you 

are because, in truth, you're hiding from your own

heart. You can't give to someone else, open

to someone else, what is hidden even from your

own reality. 

If I could urge women out there, young women, 

old women, teen and tween girls who are just developing

 their sense of self and self worth, to one end it would be this; God made you so amazingly unique that He knows how many hairs are on your head. He knows your hurts, 

holds all of your tears as precious treasures in a bottle in heaven, has a name for you that He has shared with no one and will share with no one until the day you meet Him face to face. You are not the sum of your experiences. 

You are not the results of your pain. 

You are a precious Princess and Daughter of the High King of all Kings. Allow yourself to be valued. Allow yourself to be healed. Allow yourself to be loved by the One who carved your name in the palms of His hands.

I read the news every morning...

This is the first thing I read this morning and I'm just floored by it. I don't always agree with Jon BonJovi's politics. I do however have a real heart for community service that empowers and builds the community rather than entitles or pitties.

This is a fabulous endeavor and I'm just excited by the un-capitolistic nature of it. This isn't some rich performer trying to look good, this guy and his wife choose to use what they have been given to personally, hands on, make a difference. That's the human spirit at work! Kudos man.

http://news.yahoo.com/jon-bon-jovis-charity-restaurant-opens-nj-172118923.html