The Horse and the Tadpoles #EverydayJesus Link-Up

Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, every day! 

***

Growing up in the country was straight up awesome. Sure, a few decades later I appreciate that we have 3 (or more?) Target Stores within a 30 minute drive and a gas station is a little over half a mile away instead of 17. But man– my childhood in the country was one adventure after another.

My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the out-of-doors, specifically playing in our “hideout” and perusing the nearby creek for critters. When we were less than a decade old, we would spend hours with our elbows (and sometimes feet/legs, whole selves) in the shallow creek behind our house. Most evenings we would come home muddy and soaking wet– with our “prize” in an ice cream bucket.  [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

Jesus Likes to Party Too

You might have noticed that Wednesdays are my days to take a breath. To rest. Recharge. To work toward some super-awesome God-sized goals for 2014. So here is a blast from the past straight from the archives. Enjoy, dear friends… and thanks for the grace. 

***

Balloons…Games…Cake…Hats…Loud noises…music… laughter…chaos…sugar…presents…toys…pictures.

Kid birthday parties rock.

When I was little, birthday parties were practically the highlight of my life. (It ranked right up there with our annual trip to the Missouri State Fair and calving season.) It didn’t even have to be MY birthday party… just the prospect of socializing, games and CAKE were enough to make us talk about upcoming party for weeks. [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

All Tied Up (Repost)

Hi friends… For the next several weeks, Wednesdays will be dedicated to re-sharing some of my favorite posts. I am so blessed to be working on some “big rocks” and pretty awesome God-sized dreams, but I have to have time to make that happen. So after much prayer, here we are. I pray you enjoy this experience and thanks for extending me Christ-like grace. Oh. And everything is still business as usual for our Thursday #EverydayJesus link-up, so don’t miss it!

***

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves tied up in mess.

Perhaps it’s a big mess.

And when we end up in aforementioned life mess, rarely is it “on purpose.”

Actually it reminds me of one of my favorite childhood responses when questioned about why I ate dog food/made my sister stick her tongue to a frozen iron pole/blended up a spatula in a batch of zucchini brownies… [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

21 Truths: God Saves

When my sister and I were growing up, going to the swimming pool was a pretty big deal.

We lived out in the country our entire lives, so it was anywhere from a 10 to 17 mile drive one way to any public pool. Not incredibly far, but far enough when you weren’t old enough to drive.

I remember the first summer we moved to Southeast Kansas. I was about 11.5 ish years old and my sister had just turned 10. Our Grandma Lacey was in town from Missouri, so she agreed (after much begging and cajoling) to take us to the pool for the afternoon. [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

Jesus’ Funniest Videos

Let’s all be honest… Sometimes life is HILARIOUS.

I grew up watching America’s Funniest Home Videos (originally with Bob Saget.) While I never really understood why people thought that dudes getting hit in their uh, nether regions was so funny, I still enjoyed it. Plus it was relatively family friendly.

For me, most of the funniest things came from young kids.

Which brings me to share with you some of the hilarious things I did when I was younger. (Too bad we didn’t get them on tape. Maybe we would be a few thousand bucks richer?) [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

My Dirty Word

Confession: Getting your mouth washed out with soap tastes like…

Poo.

I know this for a fact thanks to my slight potty mouth when I was growing up. It wasn’t a rampant problem, but would often happen at the most inopportune times.

And by inopportune, I really mean the times that my Mom would hear it.

Then out came the bar of soap. (Or, if it was a REALLY bad word, enter sink left the liquid Dial soap. Ever try to get that off your tongue? Yeah, um yuck?) [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

All Tied Up

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves tied up in mess.

Perhaps it’s a big mess.

And when we end up in aforementioned life mess, rarely is it “on purpose.”

Actually it reminds me of one of my favorite childhood responses when questioned about why I ate dog food/made my sister stick her tongue to a frozen iron pole/blended up a spatula in a batch of zucchini brownies…

“Um, it was an accident.” [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

Truth, Dare… Or Both

It was pitch black. My flashlight beam bounced all around thanks to my shaky hand. I swallowed hard. There was no turning back. I had already accepted those fateful words:

“I dare you.”

I set out to accomplish my dare: cross a deserted country highway, in the dark, at 3am on a Sunday morning. It seemed simple enough, but to a group (gaggle? posse? flock?) of 7th grade girls, this was the dare of all dares. As I neared the middle of the road, I grew confident. “Pshaw. This is easy,” I thought to myself.

Suddenly, my friends start squawking and squealing. Headlights were coming. Sure, they were a good half-mile away, but WHO was driving on the road at 3am in the country? My heart raced. I turned and ran faster than I ever had in my life.  A jumble of screaming girls piled into the tent. We peeked out the zipper flap to make sure the car passed by.

But the car turned into the driveway.

We tried to stifle our screams of terror as waited to meet the unknown stranger that would surely be our demise… [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

Jesus Likes to Party Too.

Balloons…Games…Cake…Hats…Loud noises…music… laughter…chaos…sugar…presents…toys…pictures.

Kid birthday parties rock.

When I was little, birthday parties were practically the highlight of my life. (It ranked right up there with our annual trip to the Missouri State Fair and calving season.) It didn’t even have to be MY birthday party… just the prospect of socializing, games and CAKE were enough to make us talk about upcoming party for weeks. [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

A Spirit of Discovery

I’m not gonna lie… Sometimes I miss being a little kid.

Ok, I will admit—I am still clinging to some of my childish ways, like getting really excited to go out for ice cream (although now I prefer frozen yogurt) or enjoying a good Disney movie (most recent favorite: Tangled.) But as I returned home to Kansas for a visit, my little dog Justus reminded me of childhood aspect that we should all hold onto. [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!