Seconding Kelly here Brittney. Perfect verse for your father. Also prayerful that your brother feels a peace over his decision to write your father back. Prayerful that the two can come together and there is growth between them. Prayerful over you as you work to speak Christ to your father, that God strengthen you daily and give you the words to share. ~ B

Love this Carly. What a great visual! ~ B

Oddly two things come to mind as I've focused on the meaning here. One being our guinea pigs. I know odd, REALLY odd, but they come to mind because of their living circumstances. Nearly two years ago we adopted one. He was a great deal of fun and everything we read had said that they love community and it would be greatly important to have a companion, so we adopted another rather quickly. They hate each other. Every single time we put them near one another or give them a moment together on the floor it ends up in the massive exchange of ego and pride and neither will come down from the "I'm bigger than you are, bow to me" in guinea pig speak and they brawl, horribly. Fur flies, teeth gnash, and pigs roll....it's terrible. These two are destined to forever be in separate cages, never fully experiencing the companionship they likely crave and more than we can give them, especially on the days we are running and the most affection they receive is a food, water and clean bed check. We, in the faith, can be so much like that. Rumble strutting our way around one another trying to assert our opinion over other's. Forcing our way into the heads of those that will abide by our agenda, never fully being one or genuinely sharing life with others because we can't get over ourselves.

Additionally, I'm a set of ears in a situation that is steeped in worldliness. I sit and listen to encourage and share Christ, but sometimes as I listen, my reasoning leaves momentarily and I want to strangle the one this trouble stems from. I want to examine ways to manipulate the situation so the offender sees wisdom and comes to his senses, I want to reach and touch someone folks and not in a loving way, my own personal rumble strutting rises up in my belly and I want to yell about the destruction being caused, I want to shake my fists at it and etch on the walls, "It's not about you. Quit 'feeling' and start seeking, quit 'doing' and start being." I start to go through the possibilities; If I do this, then.... If I say this, then... BUT I remember nearly instantly that no plan of mine will work. All I can do is sit and practice the 5 steps Paul mentions that Sarah refers to here;

1. Rejoice in the Lord ... am I, in the conversation, rejoicing God? Reminding myself and my friend of the Greatness of God.
2. Practice Grace and Patience ... Am I listening patiently and responding as such. Am I offering grace to the offender and my friend?
3. Pray ... am I praying through it, at all points am I giving it back up to Christ? Am I setting the example?
4. Dwell on Him ... Am I pointing fingers at people or am I pointing to God?
5. Obey Him ... Am I listening to what He needs me to do and not doing what I want to do? Am I going to react to my frustrations or am I going to let God lead and direct my steps, my words and my heart?

Thankful for Paul's love of Christ, for His leading here, for the work of the early church, that God used him so wonderfully to share His word and love with the world. Prayerful that I heed God's word as Paul did. That I let God use me in conflicts and use the conflicts to change me. ~ B

Yay! I am so glad to hear it. It is amazing how quickly things can turn around when we enlist prayers. Love to you! ~ B

I am going to check out that app. I need something to help me here. I'm clueless and at 44 feeling so unfit. You want to know something funny. God decided to drive this point home to me just last night. I tend to over think my ability to accomplish this; will I have the time, am I able, will I make the time, what if I fail entirely..... so as I was praying to it yesterday, I was not confident I would pull it off. We host our church community group and last night one the girls raised an idea for "community" support to the group and as a show of support for something she is going through the group collectively to join the cause. What was it she asked us to sign up for? It just happened to be a 5k in December. As I sat there listening, I chuckled inside.... "I hear you, God. Touché." So now, I will prepare for 3 miles within a couple of quick months, which could hopefully propel me into a great place for the Flying Pig. You know you're not far from Cincy and I sort of, kind of know a guy who runs a hotel here....I could hook you up. ;) ~ B

The importance of being proper imitators is something we don't necessarily see so easily....a conversation I have often with my ten-year-old. As the middle child, and the oldest of the two I homeschool, I ongoingly mention to her that she sets an example for her brother and that I would greatly appreciate her help in guiding him down a good path each day. She is one that it takes some persuasion to teach, so now I find that I am often persuading two children. When I am answering her questions of "when will I be done" or "do I really have to do this", I am called to answer the same questions for my kindergartener. If she wants to do iPad work, he wants to do iPad work, if she begs to move to a couch and work, he begs to move to a couch. It is a dance of unified words, bent on pressing into me for their own personal benefit and some days they win. Some days I am worn and the amount of work done is little and the frustration I feel great. And I am to be like Jesus. There are moments I forget how to parent properly and I am sure that as I stand before them my words or facial expressions are not exactly imitating that of the Living God. I can say almost the moment I utter a harsh word the Spirit in me moves to know it and I am humbled. Because the more we imitate Christ, the more we respond to those leanings and over time the less those moments will be. I need to remember this in the moments I feel overwhelmed because more than my telling her she needs to be an example, I must show her. I must *do* more than I *say* and I must love more than I react because I am to be like Jesus, I am to stand firm IN Him ... the best way to teach her what this looks like is to display it myself! ~ B

I have always appreciated that quote. It explains so well the natural longing for something outside of ourselves we each have. So thankful for the hope we have in this life and in the world to come! ~ B

I love Rick Warren ... those four words are so pivotal in daily Christ-centered living. Love it. ~ B

Prayerful over you and your students as well Candance. I can only imagine how your heart must hurt in this for them. Praying for discernment and bravery, that you will have the words and that their new classrooms will be ones filled with kids that seek to be Jesus to each other. ~ B

Prayerful with you Brooke that my heart be focused on Christ and not me! ~ B