My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again;
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me in His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow’r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose ev’ry promise is enough
For ev’ry step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To him who reigns above,
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose ev’ry thought is love.
For ev’ry day I have on earth
Is given by the King;
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow him.

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

Why is it that, as soon as the phone rings, I have two youngsters who either have a life-or-death crisis (in their estimation) or who are trying to kill each other? Even if I proactively tell them that I need to make a phone call, someone will inevitably forget and start playing the piano.

I was on the phone with the dentist today trying to figure out what I thought was a billing error. Not 45 seconds before, I had told Evan (who was seated in my office doing his schoolwork) that I needed to make a call and he needed to be quiet for a few minutes.  As soon as I got to the person I needed to talk to, he’s standing next to me, tapping me incessantly on the arm and whispering (like an elephant), “Mom, I need some milk. Can you get me some milk? Mom, I’m thirsty. I need milk…”

I’m not sure my response qualified as grace-based parenting.  =)

It’s now about three hours later and he hasn’t remembered that he was practically dying of thirst. But it will only take one ring of the phone to remind him.

:: Sigh ::

¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

~Colossians 3:12-15 (ESV)

Evan: Mom, I’m reading my Latin words from the next few chapters.  You’re my mater…

Mom: Yep.

Evan: …and Daddy’s a homo!

Mom: ::sputtering::  Um, right.

Glossary: mater=mother, homo=man

After we returned home from trick-or-treating, Kendall took her candy to her bedroom. As we don’t allow the kids to have food out of the kitchen, I asked her to bring it back downstairs.  She brought it down in a box with this inventory taped inside the lid. Hmmm…

For Halloween, we had an Indian Princess and a Power Ranger (notice the Ninja death blade the Power Ranger is carrying–long story).  The Power Ranger was extremely nearsighted until we convinced him that he could indeed wear his glasses under the mask.

A couple months ago, the kids were trying on all the Chinese clothes we have and told me that they could just “pretend” to be Chinese for Halloween.  I guess they decided they couldn’t pull that off.  =)

Evan introduced me to his newest Lego creation this morning at breakfast. It is called the “Ghost Spider”. He was showing me all of its features.

He must very carefully observe how things go at our house because, as he set a Lego person next to the Ghost Spider on the counter, he said, “Look! It even comes with the fleeing woman!”

“The reality of spiritual blindness has important implications for the Christian community. The Hebrews passage [3:13] clearly teaches that personal insight is the product of community. I need you in order to really see and know myself. Otherwise, I will listen to my own arguments, believe my own lies, and buy into my own delusions. My self-perception is as accurate as a carnival mirror. If I am going to see myself clearly, I need you to hold the mirror of God’s Word in front of me.”

~Paul David Tripp, in Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (p. 54)

Jesus, the Lord, my Savior is,
My Shepherd, and my God;
My light, my strength, my joy, my bliss;
And I His grace record.

Whate’er I need in Jesus dwells,
And there it dwells for me;
’Tis Christ my earthen vessel fills
With treasures rich and free.

Chorus: Mercy and truth and righteousness,
And peace, most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.

As through the wilderness I roam,
His mercies I’ll proclaim;
And when I safely reach my home,
I’ll still adore His name.

“Worthy the Lamb,” shall be my song,
“For He for me was slain;”
And me with all the heavenly throng
Shall join, and say, “Amen.”

© 2001 Same Old Dress Music (ASCAP).

We were running errands and had limited time to make it to an appointment, so I figured fast food was the best option.

Mom: What do you want to get for lunch?

K-Girl: Arby’s!

E-Boy: No! Connecticut Fried Chicken!