God is good, ALL the time.

When life is going "good", God is good.

When I'm flat on my face because of life, God is good.

God has blessed us, beyond measure.

Each day is a gift.

Every single "thing" we own is a gift.

Our life is a gift.

Well, what do we do with the gift.

Do we share it or hoard it?

Sometimes it feels like we build our big nice homes, and then we stay in them.  I'm speaking to myself here.  We build our own families, and then we spend the rest of our energy and every single dollar on ourselves.  We buy ourselves things we don't need.  We buy our children things they don't need.  We focus inward, fully inward ... making sure that every need and want is met in ourselves and our children.  Maybe this just happens to Sam and I, maybe we are alone in this.  When I look around me, it doesn't seem like it though.

We were reminded this past weekend to find "one" thing to do for others and THEN DO IT.  I agree with what was said, but then again, really?  Just one thing??  Does that mean we should spent the rest of our lives doing "everything" for ourselves?  There seems to be no balance there.  Are we Christians that out of line with scripture that our pastors feel like IF ONLY they could get us to do "one" thing for others (I know their hearts for us is so much MORE than one thing).

I feel like I'm constantly re-evaluating and trying to find the "right" balance of living a life within our North American culture which is totally devoted to Christ of dangerous surrender and of crazy love.  Well, what does that look like?  It is so EASY to get sucked into the culture and just go about life as normal, and do nothing.

If we look at the life of Jesus, who should be the ultimate life we are trying to emulate, HE GAVE UP EVERYTHING.  He sacrificed everything.  He traveled the farthest distance.  He paid the ultimate price for US.  God spared no cost, no fees, and and gave us HIS SON.  What do we with the gift?

What do we do with our lives?

Sam and I try to live a life of ministry with our time, energy, and money ... but sometimes it still feels like we are doing the norm.  When I look at my kids, look at our home, look at our life ... I FEEL SO IMMENSELY BLESSED!!  I feel like I have been given so much, and then the Scriptures remind me that "to whom much is given, much is required."

I know that ultimately the thing that God wants more than anything is OUR HEARTS.  He wants hearts totally devoted to Him out of adoration.  Well, I would think that our lives should reflect our adoration of Him.

People ask us all the time if we are "done" adopting?  I honestly don't know.  What I do know is that if God calls us again, we will say yes.  Why wouldn't we say yes.  We love our Father, Creator, and King and we want to live a life of total surrender to HIS PLANS, not our own.  No, we have no adoption plans.  Yes, we feel "complete" as a family of 9.  Yes, we feel completely happy with each one of our children.  No, we don't sit around dreaming about having more kids.   We know scripture though, and it could not be any clearer about what God thinks about the 143 million plus orphans of the world.  And when God adopted us, He spared no cost and  paid the ultimate price of giving us His SON for us ... why would we not do the same ... give whatever He asks of us.  Whether it is to bring the lonely neighbor a meal, a struggling friend a coffee, give the $1000 that God told us to to the orphan care ministry, minister by starting a small group, call that relative that you just feel no connection with, sponsor another orphan, serve at the homeless feeding program, move to Africa if He calls you to it .... whatever the sacred opportunity is.  Isn't that the whole point of "life," to live it poured out for Christ, every day?

Lord, help me to live the life you've called me to.

Help me to daily, regardless of my circumstance, live a life of crazy love for you.

(P.S.  To the person who told me I had quite the crew in total shock the other day when I was biking with the kids.  No, I don't have a "crew."  I have 7 precious jewels, EACH ONE a blessing given to me by my Father.  I am so immensely blessed, and I wish that even for a second that you would see me in light of my Father's blessings"

(Pictures from our hike the other day, except for Lillyana, that was after church on Sunday.  Thank you for the red shoes Aunie Esther.  Thank you Melissa for making such beautiful head bands.)