Tolerate

I'm feeling a little inspired to blog after catching up on my list of blogs that I read semi-regularly. Some are funny, some are boring, some have pictures & some I try to read but just can't seem to get into. You may feel that way with mine. It's okay. This is my journal. Feel free to read as you choose.

So first off, I am super-duper excited that I have re-figured out how to add my own background to my blog again. (This will lead to my post. I promise.) I've spent more hours than I should looking for freebie digital stuff to download (and have found a great new one BTW... click here) and then coming up with new design templates to use for every month through, like, summer. Regardless of the fact that I stay up way too late working on this (because I like it... a lot) and therefore have a lack of good rest each night...I tolerate no sleep, but do not tolerate a blog designed by someone other than me.

Secondly, I just took down my Christmas decorations this week. Still haven't taken the ones outside off the front porch. Because it's cold. Doesn't matter that we are well past new years & I still have red bows, garland & snowflake lights hanging from the banisters.... I tolerate this because I don't see it except when I pull into my driveway each day. Outta site. Outta mind. Sort of.

Thirdly, I've been thinking a lot about what I tolerate. Hence the post. My Sunday School teacher made this statement last week. "What you tolerate, you will never change." Okay. Good statement. Hmmm... makes you think. Done thinking about it. Wednesday night one of my friends re-stated it again as part of her devotion during praise & worship practice. Okay. Thinking. Thinking. Maybe I should re-visit that statement again. Wednesday night... thinking about it. All day Thursday... thinking about it. Friday afternoon... still thinking about it as I'm writing this post.

I can think of a whole list of things that I tolerate but shouldn't. We tolerate our lives as Christians as long as we are doing the good deeds we feel that make us, well...Christian. Most of the time we really don't sell ourselves out to be who God has fully called us to be because we can tolerate what is going on around us. I'm fine with doing my Bible study on a semi-regular basis. I'm fine with going to church each Sunday & singing on the praise team. I'm fine with volunteering & helping out at the church when I can. I'm fine with leading a small group each Sunday night. Don't get me wrong. I love doing these things & being a part of the church & feeling like I'm part of something greater than myself (part of our church motto). I know that God calls me to be a part of these things. But I'm also learning more & more that it's not about me and the things that I do. It's about HIM and my relationship with HIM.

Our pastor started a sermon series this month that is talking about being politically correct vs. biblically correct. He asked the question "What are we investing in our lives?" Our childrens lives? We've become a nation that is so tolerant of not disturbing anyone or their beliefs that we've let that intercede into our personal lives & relationship with Christ.

"Do not be mislead- you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Galatians 6:7

Gosh. Makes me think about what I am planting in my own life... my children's lives, my friends lives. Being a Christian in today's culture has become easy because we've let it. We tolerate way too much & accept that it's okay because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or step on any toes. What we do is settle. I should not tolerate my half-hearted efforts to love Christ. This is going to sound stupid, but I want to crave God like I crave wanting to play Guitar Hero each night. Why do I get so excited about a silly video game? It's new, it's fun... it's challenging. Why shouldn't I think that my relationship with Christ can't be that way as well? If I dig into the Bible & seek what God really has for me, then it can be new, fun and most certainly challenging as well. So why do I tolerate my "less than" efforts? I don't know. I'll blame it on my humanness because that's what we tend to do. But since it's a new year and a new start, I'm going to try my hardest to evaluate that question everyday on all levels of my life. I'm not going to say its a new years resolution (because I never stick with those) but rather a new years question.

Imaginary Friends

Kensley has a new friend. Her name is Shugup (as in shoog-up). She first appeared after we got out of the shower yesterday morning. Kensley was holding "her" in her hands & then proceeded to lay her down on the edge of the bathtub & cover it with a clean, dry washcloth. "Hey Mommy... see my friend? Her name is Shugup. She taked a shower with us & now she's clean." Yesterday I sat on her several times. Over the course of the day she mutilplied to two. Now we have a male to add to the mix. His name is Ticcup (as in ti-cup... kind of like hiccup). I'm not sure if it's the brother or boyfriend or what. She played with her new friends all day yesterday. Then when it was time for bed, I was in the boys room getting them settled & she came in crying. I asked what was wrong & she said "I don't want Ticcup to sleep in my room tonight because he's a boy & boys can't sleep in my room. Where can he sleep?" I told her to ask the boys in he could sleep in there & they looked at me as if I were stupid. So Ticcup stayed in our room last night... on the dresser beside the bed & behind the lotion.

First thing this morning she went to get him. Apparently today they are living in an empty Bottle Cap sucker jar which she has carried around a good part of the day. And just as she was going to lay down for a nap a while ago, she had to go back to our room & put Ticcup behind the lotion again. Because, after all, he is a boy & he can't sleep in girls rooms.

Should be an interesting week. I'll keep you posted.

PS... I finally took down my Christmas decorations. Inside. Still need the outside ones put up as well. Maybe when it warms up.

Christmas & New Years

We had a wonderful time spent with family & friends over the holidays. Lots of travel & lots of stuff to bring home. Tomorrow begins my official 'real' clean up... taking down decorations, cleaning out, finish washing, cleaning house, etc. Oh yeah, & trying to get back into a routine of going to the Y & losing some of the weight that I acquired from all the yummy food we ate over the holiday. Here's a few pictures....

Christmas morning...
Chandler got mostly fireman/rescue stuff... including a new firefighter suit (which i didn't get a picture of)

Carter had a football/sports themed Christmas

Kensley got her babydoll high chair & a lot of other babydoll stuff

Here's all the cousins on the Haneline side

Trying to act out the Christmas story at MamMaw's house. Most of the kids participated. It was very chaotic but entertaining.

Chandler the donkey rode Mary to Bethlehem on his back. hee, hee.

Oh yeah!!! Guitar Hero for the boys

Christmas Sunday

We played lots of Rock Band too.


We were home for a few days & then back out for our annual tradition of spending New Years with the Stamey family.