Materialism

I wrote this post about six weeks ago. Ran across a quote earlier today, and it got the wheels turning again...

“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.” - John Wesley

Not quite sure how I feel about that. I guess I look at money as a means to an end: having some in savings means that we can be breathe a bit easier, being somewhat prepared for whatever the future may hold. But I also know that the Lord will meet all our needs. So are our needs being met through our planning, or are we actually getting in the way of some miracle that's in store?

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matthew 6:24

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. I Timothy 6:10

I'm not saying that we're suddenly going to be liquidating all our assets (wow, doesn't that sound grand, LOL!) but I just want to make sure that our hearts are in the right place. That we're doing the right thing - as Christians, not "good Americans." I don't think that it's a sin to have things (or money in the bank) but I also know that I need to rest in my Savior, not on my own strength. On the other hand, I think there are some people that also love the idea of thriftiness a bit too much, and that becomes a god for them. "Did you see how much I got for just thirty seven cents?!?" More stuff to ponder...

Rest

I'm teaching the 2-3 YO class this month at church, and am missing hearing the sermons. I came across this yesterday over at Blissfully Domestic, and I read it 3 or 4 times, just letting in sink in. I know these past few weeks I've felt pulled in many directions, and honestly I've been praying for strength to persevere and get it all done. While that is important (no, I can't just sit on the couch all day watching HGTV :), this served as a reminder that I need to rest in my Savior.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28 NLT

Rest from the burden of a small god. Why? Because I have found the Lord.
Rest from doing things my way. Why? Because the Lord is my Shepherd.
Rest from endless wants. Why? Because I shall not want.
Rest from weariness. Why? Because He makes me to lie down.
Rest from worry. Why? Because He leads me.
Rest from hopelessness. Why? Because He restores my soul.
Rest from guilt. Why? Because He leads me in the paths of righteousness.
Rest from arrogance. Why? Because of His name’s sake.
Rest from the valley of death. Why? Because He walks me through it.
Rest from the shadow of grief. Why? Because He guides me.
Rest from fear. Why? Because His presence comforts me.
Rest from loneliness. Why? Because He is with me.
Rest from shame. Why? Because He has prepared a place for me in the presence of my enemies.
Rest from my disappointments. Why? Because He anoints me.
Rest from envy. Why? Because my cup overflows.
Rest from doubt. Why? Because He follows me.
Rest from homesickness. Why? Because I will dwell in the house of my Lord forever.

From Traveling Light Copyright 2001, Max Lucado

Checking In

I realized I never officially confirmed that hubby made it back home. Yes, he's here, but tired and still trying to get back on Eastern daylight time. Regardless, we're all thrilled he's back home... Here are big & little D watching cartoons together this morning :)

Hubby was pretty busy on this trip, so didn't get a chance to head to any markets to find any fun souvenirs. He did bring me a free publication he'd gotten from one of the hotels, and I thought I'd share some insights into current Chinese life. First off, check out those stylin' vests (not to mention the tights with shorts). Holy toledo, I'm having flashbacks to 5th grade...

And for the discerning consumer, why settle

for a plain old earpiece when you can have a

cartoon lodged on your ear?

Finally, a fun recipe for you... evidently best

served with a fork and a carrot as utensils. Love the smiley plate!

OK, that's all the nonsense I have for today. Have a great weekend!

Friday Funny

Wanna hear a dirty joke? A kid fell in the mud.

Wanna hear a clean joke? He took a bath.

Where does a bat go to get clean?
The Bat Tub

Mud

Recipe for childhood fun:

Dirt.
Sunshine.


Add water.




But then when Mom goes back inside (to get meat marinating for dinner), it gets a bit out of hand...



I told them to pick up the patio while I got their bath ready. Well, three minutes later they're both standing the doorway, giggling.

Buck naked, announcing they're ready for bathtime.



Sigh.

Quick Update

Will be leaving for the airport in just a couple minutes. Would have left half an hour ago if they stinkin' flight hadn't been delayed. Bleh.

On a happy note, sometimes it's worth filling out those silly customer service surveys! We needed a replacement tire, and it was one that was rather hard to find. Ended up ordering from a place online, and got a call the next day that it was temporarily backordered, but we should still have it by the coming Monday. I even asked what would happen if there was a longer delay, and I was assured that they update B/Os each night so we'd get another call if there was an issue. Well, we never heard anything... but never got a shipping notice, either. Finally heard back, and the tire was delivered on Tuesday. A week *AFTER* I'd been promised. We were frustrated, but didn't pursue it (just figured we wouldn't be ordering from that site anymore!). Got a follow up email asking for feedback, and I was polite but honest about our frustration. Wellllll, got a call from the customer service manager last night just following up, and after speaking to him for a bit, he ended up refunding our money. I was stunned, but certainly not about to turn down that offer. Yeehaw!

Deep breath, then let it alllll out...

It's been a rough couple days, and I'm soooo ready for hubby to come home. The kids have definitely been trying the old "let's see whose really in control here" routine and I'm just tired of everything being a battle. Just to make it interesting, our little girl is evidently fighting off some sort of bug - slight fever and a serious case of crankies. She's been saying that she has to gak for two days now, but it has yet to happen. She's been quite faithful in carrying around her little bucket, though, and this evening I just had to smile when she came and asked me to help. "Just push on my tummy, Mommy!" (But seriously, haven't we all had that awful feeling where you just know it would be better if you could just get it OUT...) And since she's had a fever, we missed church yesterday. D was actually crying that he couldn't see any of his friends; I must admit that I sort of felt the same way :)

I'm also rather frustrated because I haven't accomplished many of the household projects that I had planned while hubby was away. I did get a lot of stamping done early last week (which is a major stress-buster for me), but was hoping to move some pictures around and just freshen the house up a bit. Didn't happen. I did put out a big pile of trash on Friday night (yippee!) and my donation pile has grown as well (Purple Heart will be picking that up on Monday). I always have grandiose plans when hubby goes on long trips, but inevitably feel worn out just by normal day to day stuff. When will I learn?!

Thought I'd wrap up with another funny kid story. Saturday night, A was taking a long nap (the one plus of having a sick child!) and D was getting hungry. I gave him a few options of what we could have for dinner, but he had his own suggestion: "I know! We can have popcorn. You can just put it in the microwave, Mom. And I'll share. Sharing is good, right?" How's that for convincing reasoning?! But then that silly little moment got me thinking... "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." (I Cor 13:11) How many times do I do the same thing to my Heavenly Father? I know what I want is childish, but I *want* it (can you hear my foot stomping?) and even find myself trying to tell Him why it would be a good thing. Laughable, isn't it? I've definitely grown in my faith - particularly since becoming a mother - but there are still moments where I become pouty, selfish child.