Not many words today...

Raise your hand if you ever have had so much to do you have no idea where to start? So then you just sit down and play Words with Friends. That's me. Sometimes when faced with that I'll write a to do list, but that takes so long that by the time I'm done, I'm hungry and have to fix supper.
Anyway, that's how I've been feeling concerning what to write in my blog this time. I've felt the need to write this week, but there is too much yammering around in my head to pick a topic.
So today will be short and sweet (aside from those few sentences that I just wasted your time with).

^"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3

There was a song I helped teach a whole bunch of kids at VBS this past summer based on this verse. I hope they remember it when they need it, just as I was reminded of it when I googled "Bible verse on trust." So simple, but so needed. Thanks, Google, and thanks, God.

Just walk home...

John 4:46-54

New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹ While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵² When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This is one story I read this morning during my Bible study. I got back out my Discerning God's Voice workbook so I could finish the days I didn't do the first time around when I was in the group.

Every time before I write a blog like this I pray that God will give me the words to write and that someone will be touched by it. That is one--maybe the only--thing in my life that I have faith in like the official in this story.

This shows me another example of God not doing things how we thought it would be done. This man walked about 20 miles to ask Jesus to come back with him and heal his son. Jesus spoke and it was done. Now is when the official gets really admirable to me.

He went home!

Change the character in this story to Lacy, and the following conversation would have occurred:

"Umm, ok. Uh, I said you could come to my house. I just didn't know if you heard me. I've got some sweet tea and macaroni and cheese made. Um, I really wanted you to uh--did you say you're done? Um, wanna come with me to check? Make sure?"

That man had enough faith he just went home. Surely he and Jesus exchanged pleasantries that the Bible doesn't record, but if he had argued, that would have made it in the Book. Granted, he asked when he got home what time his son was healed, but he knew it would line up. Why wouldn't it, right?

I believe this story happened. I believed Jesus turned water into wine. I believe He walked on water. I believe he raised Lazarus. Etc, etc. etc. So why is it so hard to believe that He can solve my problems?

I think it's because it seems too much like expecting to win the lottery sometimes. Sure, somebody will win. 1 out of 123,125,093,862. There are what, like 7 billion people on this Earth. Who cares about what Lacy needs to eat for breakfast?

God does. He is 7 billion people big. He is Lacy small. Mustard seed small in fact. The God of this universe continues to love me, and if I just ask, he'll help me out. He was 20 miles away then. He's a dimension away now. Yet with His words it is done. I can walk home in confidence.

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." --Matthew 17:20

Movie Weekend

I caught up on a couple of movies most everyone has probably already seen this weekend and thought I'd share.

Larry Crowne
I liked this one a lot. It's not one I'd watch over and over, but I wouldn't mind watching it again. It was a very feel good movie. I love Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, so you pretty much can't go wrong.
It had some sad stuff, but nothing that made me cry. Just very real life-ish at times.

The Help
First of all, I haven't finished this one yet. It's long! I didn't realize that going in. I'm going to try to finish it before I take it back to Redbox.
I knew sorta kinda what it was about, but it is a lot heavier than I thought it would be. I obviously hadn't read a synopsis. It's very good, definitely should win some awards, but not a easy fluffy Saturday afternoon movie. Especially not for the kind of mood I was in yesterday! (Phew, that's another blog in itself.)
One thing that made this movie hard to watch is that you can't dismiss the bad things with, "Oh, it's just a movie." No, it really happened, and to some degree still goes on I'm sure. It's just a very honest view on how things were. I love Bryce Dallas Howard but oh my gosh, this character is disgusting! I wanted to reach in the tv and strangle her.
I had Erick look up the ending to make sure Minny or Aibileen don't get killed. I couldn't watch it then.

I wanted to go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie in the theater, but we got there at 2:30 and it started at 2. We probably wouldn't have missed much, but I don't like going in late. Maybe next time we'll look at the times before we go.

Pacifiers

I've been really blessed that all the big milestones of Brynn's growing up so far have been relatively painless.
I dreaded potty training this summer, but it only took one day of cleaning up puddles before she figured it out herself. Pooping was about our only trauma we've been through (I'll spare you details for now), but she seems to be doing better with that.
I had a much harder time transitioning her to a big girl bed than she did. It was so sad for me, but she loved it immediately.
Early on, she went from bottle to cup painlessly, although I missed that snuggle time.
Just last week we said goodbye to paci. She has only had it at night for a very long time now, but I knew it was time to get rid of it altogether. Just ask my mom how easy I was letting go of my "pappy." Needless to say, I was not looking forward to a night of crying without it. I did some research though on methods of getting rid of it a little more humanely than cold turkey. I decided to try the snipping bit by bit method. I didn't know how she would take it, but it seemed less scary than just throwing it out the window.
She actually has just been chewing on the thing like a cigar for a couple of months. So Erick (I was too wimpy to do it) snipped the tiniest bit off. I read that the best way is to give them like a week after each cut so it's very gradual. It kind of worked out nicely because since she chewed on it so much, once we cut it, she would make cracks and all in it, so we'd cut the jagged edges off (so the cuts worked out to a week or more apart).
I had decided I was going to bite the bullet over Christmas break and cut the rest off completely. It wasn't until I had left Brynn's room after putting her down for a nap that I realized she hadn't asked for paci. After that, we just didn't offer it to her or speak of it. Erick found it and put it in our dresser. It wasn't until a few days later that she asked for it one night. I just said, "Oh, that silly thing? You don't need that! You're a big girl now. Paci's are babies like Emillia." (That's her new baby cousin whom she adores.) She cried a tear and said, "I do meed it." But then has never mentioned it again.
I guess it makes me so sad because it's like the last baby thing she still did. She's growing up so fast. Every age/stage Erick and I say it is our favorite. There is always something new and fun she does. It's just that hard part of parenting where we have to let go a little more every year. I know she's still little, and maybe that sounds silly, but I think surely other parents understand. It just amazes me how much I can love that little girl.
Now I need a paci. :)