Giving up or giving in?

I am deleting our Facebook account. Several have asked "WHY?"
Well, there are LOTS of reasons. I've tried to make excuses for months about why I should ignore that still small voice that says "get off that!" I find more and more reasons to obey.

Am I surrendered to God? I want to be. I pray to be. I often am not.
Am I sticking to my convictions? Most of the time.
Are my convictions biblical? Oh my! That's a better question. Does what I believe line up with the truth found in the Bible. Hummm.... I can make lots of excuses. But you can't argue with God. (or at least if you do, expect to lose). (I could could go on a rant now about being mad at God, I'll chase that rabbit later).

I believe that I should abstain from the appearance of all evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). I've heard people take this to different degrees. I've not always agreed with them, but I find that when I haven't agreed it was because the thing they called evil was something I enjoyed and didn't believe it was hurting me. That doesn't make it right.
I've also had the Spirit reveal things to me in the last year that was evil in my own life. Things easy to give up. Certain music, books, words, TV shows. And things taken for my own good, like, dare I say, the influence of well meaning people.
Someone used the word "discernment" - I like the word "awakening" better. I don't just discern that something is amiss but I see what it really is. I am made more alive, free, well, whole.

Now I'm convicted to let go of something. Sorta stinks!

I find myself constantly deleting people or hiding things on Facebook that have EVERY appearance of evil. Even the "good" things are often get vulgar or ugly. People are sinful and that's exactly how it looks.

I've had others comment on what a good mother I must be, or some other such nonsense. I don't want their idea of who I might be, based on a random status update or pretty picture to become a stumbling block to someone. Home and family looks WAY different for each one. What I do well, might not work at all for someone else.
Likewise, I often see the random status or pretty picture and long to be something God hasn't made me to be. That's a stumbling block to me. It leads to depressed feelings. It messes with my peace. It's that beam in my own eye that needs to be removed.

I'd like to be that strong woman that can take on the world. But I'm a tenderhearted mess. That's a hard admission for me. Things easily hurt my feelings. Gene often needs to get the mop bucket to clean up the mess that I become. Family can hurt you with out meaning to. Good friends can hurt you and never know. Why hide? I should go see them or call them on the phone. Not make another random status update.

I should be desirous of spending time with my God, my husband, and my children. In that order. I have become aware of communication problems because of the amount of time I devote to Facebook instead of those more important. It has to go.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 tells me to live peacefully and attend to my own affairs. I'm not at peace and I need to mind my own business.
Does this mean I'm not concerned about other people? Absolutely Not! It does mean that if I can't handle the number one job God has for me at this moment I have no business being concerned with what your doing.

My 13 year old ask when she could have a Facebook page. It occurred to me that she doesn't need one. That she shouldn't see most of whats on there. That my job is to guard her heart and no matter how involved in Facebook I am I can't do that there. If I don't think she should have one then why should I? The answer is my heart needs just as much guarding as hers.

I've tried to use the excuse that I could promote biblical ideas, pro-life, pro-family, uplifting stuff, funny stuff. Also things that I need to do first in my home and then in my community. Not a good excuse (but what "excuse" has ever been a good one).

And, on a lighter note, I can't fix anyone. The world we live in says that pushing your beliefs on others in intolerant. Well, I'm intolerant. I'm not always tactful. That shows up. Its not always pretty. I'm not always sorry. I am usually right. ;)

No Crackerjacks!

Last week our church hosted Baseball Camp for children ages 4 years old - just finished 5th grade. Everyone had a wonderful time. We had 4 enrolled in the camp (Elijah, Alex, Lora, & Jorja) and 3 helping (Gene, Ava, & Autumn). (The little boys and I enjoyed peaceful evenings at home).
To end the camp we all went to the Gwinnett Braves game on Saturday night.
The paranoid mama in me took a picture of each child on the way in (this isn't the first time I've done this - other times I've also safety pinned their important info to the back of their waistband).

Ava

 

Autumn

ACK!!!!

 I didn't take one of ELIJAH! Oh dear!

Well, theres another of him somewhere.

Alex

Lora

Jorja

Jacob

Josiah

Charles - my part-time kid

When we got there we got to be in the parade around the field because we are so special.

People behind me

This is future hall of famer Kenneth

This is a picture of me taking a picture of me - fanny pack and all, right up on the big screen!

Our fearless leader Dennis figuring out everybody's tickets

This is the Defoors. The pastor's family.
I had to put in their picture because they are just the cutest things!

Boys in row I
And Hey! Look! Its Elijah's face!

Some strang people in row J

 Jorja kept asking for crakerjacks (they had them at ball camp) we didn't get any.

There we are again!

It rained. It stayed dry. It rained. It sprinkled. It rained. It stayed dry. God sent a rainbow (its at the top of the frame) which I hoped meant that it would not rain on us anymore. I just meant the game could keep going because it wasn't going to flood.

We watched the game a little too.

We left at 10 pm, the top of the 7th inning. (the G-braves lost anyway).

We went to get ice cream.

Little people with big ice cream

Eating it all!

Silly face (this is Jorja)

Silly face Jacob - the end of his cone is poking out of his mouth

Lora - vogue

 The next day at church all the Baseball camp folks got showed off a little.

What did we learn? Ball games are fun but often a little slow. Bruster's gives you $1 off an item when you give them your G-Braves ticket (we got $10 off). Tiny people can eat a LOT! (Well, we already knew that).

Washing

Every now and then the kitcen chairs NEED a good scrubbing. For some reason I think that giving this task to the children is a good idea. At least the crud on them has now seen soap.

We dragged the chairs out side and filled up a bucket and found 92 rags and some soap and put them to work. The deal was, if they washed it they also got to squirt it off with the water hose. Thats was the deal cincher! (What was I doing? NOT cleaning the chairs!)

After they were done with chairs they VOLUNTEERED to wash Bob! I let them.
This is what it looks like when 7 smallish persons wash a large van.

What did we learn? Its hard to clean the top of the van. When this much stuff get washed in one place the driveway gets clean too. They like soapy water. Having a mostly clean van is better than no van at all.

Cousin Camp 2012

Its been over a week since cousin camp (10 days). I may still be recovering.
Last week I just wanted to hide under a rock and sleep. I'm awake now but have a severe case of  Idon'twannadonothing.
I've made a list of to-do's and have begun SLOWLY marking things off (so I've gotten half of one thing done - but the one thing was clean out the brown school cabinet which lead to putting up most of last years books and getting out next years books and trying in vain to reorganize all the other handy books that fill shelves and corners, and seperate math manipulatives from fun science stuff - its a work in progress, and another list in the making). And I've been totally distracted by everything else, Facebook, games on the Kindle, reading nothing important.

*A note about my list: I make them. I just can't find them. Its an honored list that gets a special spot of rememberence.

Here are some lovely cousin camp photos. I took some, some others took others (thanks Sarah and Uncle John). My camera died and I took more with my Mama's camera which is currently in Italy - so we'll save those for later (and maybe a few shots of my world traveling mother).

Zoie guarding the Big House

Mama and Tara arrive

Uncle Doug and Aunt Audrey with Sarah and Daniel, they were escorted by sweet Mr. Caleb

Uncle Larry

Uncle John and Aunt Carolyn

Cindy with her boy Sean and Kathy's boy Brendon (the tall one)

Kelly surprised us! And he was jacked-up on caffine!

Steve and Kathy with thier girls Kyla, Tara, Ryanne, Caitlyn, and Molly and Cindy's girls Melody and Lizzy

Some of my most favorite fellas

We ate LOTS

Swam lots

Took lots of pictures

Saturday we rode horses

Sat a spell

Let people hurl themselves down a steep hill

Gene tested the hill first - and then got to play catcher at the bottom in the pool
Steve and I were excellent "help"

Ava plunged down with her baby brother

Jacob

Jorja

Lora - looks like it was fun!

Alex

Aunt Carolyn - WEEEEEEEEEEE!

Daniel

Sean

Charles (the borrowed cousn)

Melody

My favorite: "I'm never doing that again!" And then she did it again and said the same thing and did it again . . .

Uncle John

Cindy

Lizzy

Brendon - a professional fall-er down-er

"That was SO COOL!"

Kyla

Brave Elijah

A splash - I had lots of these

 This is also when my battery died and I started using Mama's camera.

Rope swing

Waiting to ride the zip line

I think this is Aunt Carolyn about to slide down

 Some extra special, really GREAT Aunts, a Great Uncle and some extra cousins joined us for Lunch on Saturday.

Great Aunt Mary Lou and Connie

Great Aunt Evelyn

Great Aunt Barbara and Aunt Bonnie

I think this is one of my favorite pictures

Sunday morning we had a family worship time. What a precious time of praising God and testifying together.
This is something we will do again!

Sarah Caleb and Brendon lead the music.

I forgot! The baby Miss Rosemary Love was born that Friday (7/6) morning. 7 lbs 8 ozs. So I got to go hold her on my "quick" trip to (not) the (nearest) store. BEAUTIFUL baby!!!  I brought her Uncle back to camp with me - he really is a cousin. His father's nephew is married to my cousin's wife's sister. That makes us family. (Beside the fact that we should keep a toothbrush here for him).

It was a wonderful weekend. We WILL do this again. But in 5 years. The Summer of 2017.
 You know, that year when I will also be planning a graduation, a tenth wedding anniversary, and who knows what else or for how many. This was good practice. And worth every brain fart it may have caused.

What have we learned:  We were correct, Camp Little Light is Fantastic!
My children run around outside, "like little feral children" - this makes me laugh. Thats why we got a dog, to help train them. (And I know that certain other people used to run around a certain dairy farm the same way, only with less clothes on).
I have a great family. Gene said so.