Bu-tee-ful Butterflies and Give Me Grace

So, every year our church gets caterpillars. You get these in honor or memory of a loved one. You watch them make their cocoon and eventually hatch into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly part is supposed to come right around Easter weekend. Then on Easter Sunday, our entire congregation goes out on the steps of our church and releases our butterflies. Just as Christ dies and rises. These caterpillars seem dead, then emerge from their cocoons to go forth into the world. It is a wonderful way to teach our children about Christ's resurrection. 

Well, we got 4 caterpillars this year, honoring the boys, Mary Flynn, and my mom and her husband Charles, who do so much to help us. Well, last night, Reed starting screaming,"Mama, come in here--HURRY!" Our first butterfly was flitting around in its box and he and Luke were beside themselves. Rob and I are hoping/praying it will live 2 weeks in its temporary home (which is a corsage box) until we release him on Easter Sunday morning. Be it natural causes or the curiosity of two little boys, 

we may need to have an early release to guarantee his survival!! 

Luke keeps saying, "It's a bu-tee-ful butterfly," "Mommy, see the bu-tee-ful butterfly!" He never just says butterfly, it's always "bu-tee-ful" butterfly. 

I am touched each time our children say a prayer or bless our food. Luke said the blessing last night with his own prayer, repeating, "Thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, AMEN!" Simple and sweet! I am going to remember that one for sure!! And he also (which is so so sweet) loves to keep everyone "safe" in his prayers. He will name every person he knows individually saying, "keep mommy and daddy safe, keep baby sister safe, keep "fill in the blank" safe." I am loving hearing them pray -- it sometimes brings tears to my eyes hearing their prayers -- I see them learning more about God and seeing Him in their respective "worlds" each day.

And speaking of children and prayer, a sweet sweet friend of our family, Gloria Mason, gave Mary Flynn a prayer book for children called, Give Me Grace. I started reading this book to Reed and Luke each night right before bed and if for some reason I forget, I am very quickly reminded. They are short prayers for each day like this:

Saturday in the early morn

make me thankful I was born

Give my spirit peace within

let each day with hope begin.

Reed has started to recite some lines by memory. Luke just says what Reed says (then follows with his list of "Keeping ____ safe). My hope is that they will memorize each day and can teach them to Mary Flynn once she is old enough, and remember them for the rest of their lives.

Things of this World

Rob and I went to Bible Study Sunday night and I got slapped in the face. I can become obsessed with THINGS -- THINGS of this world -- and it is horrible! TV shows that clutter my mind with garbage, silly drama, and stuff that I really don't have time to worry about. We touched on a verse, 1 John 2:15, which reads,  

 "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." 

Well, then we went to the evening church service where Matthew Clark
(who grew up in our church AND who is music director at The Orchard in Oxford) and his friend Katie Heckel (on staff at Delta State's Wesley Foundation) shared wonderful music they had written (I was moved to tears and am about to download her CD). Katie shared her story of visiting and helping raise funds for the Rafiki Orphanage in Ghana. Children (orphans) in this country are sold into slavery at very young ages and beaten nightly for things like not setting a table correctly. 
All I have to say is, I should be ashamed for ever thinking I need one stupid THING!!  
Help me Lord!!


Well, I thought about myself. I am giving up all those horrible shows (esp. everything with the words "Real Housewives" -- these women are horrible to each other), and using that time to spend praying and studying God's word. Our Sunday School teacher, Claire, gave us a folder several months ago teaching us to pray scripture over our children over 44 days and repeat it. I started this and never finished. I'm starting over! REVELATION -- how much more important is it for us to pray for our children and others we know need prayer, than to watch garbage on TV. And what a blessing knowing that I didn't waste hours (upon hours, upon hours) filling my mind with "the things of this world" and I spent it with God, praying for my personal relationship with Christ, my children, my husband, and anyone/anything else who needs it.





Needless to say, I've been convicted -- and I'm praying for endurance, faith (of a mustard seed can move mountains you know) to make me aware of Christ in my life at every moment!

Whatever is lovely

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:6-8

This scripture is one that has been on my mind A LOT lately. I tend to be anxious about a lot of things. Wondering, wishing, hoping, dreaming (like about my kitchen "redo") -- Rob has helped me to be a little less anxious over the years because he IS the most laid back person you will ever meet. I have to remind myself on a daily basis not to be anxious, but to pray about everything and hand it over to God. That He created me and my family (and for that matter, everything in the universe) and He can handle any situation better than I can. Why would I think I can handle it better? Silly silly me!! The awesome part is, when I do pray about things, and hand problems over to HIM, I feel "the peace of God that passes all comprehension." And I love the word lovely. I just do. It is such a pretty word. I love all of the words that He tells us to dwell on true, honorable, right, pure, good repute -- I'm going to dwell on these things...