Today's Utmost for His Highest is SO good!

Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.

Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
-oswald chambers-

"Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man" —John 2:24-25

i read an article a few months ago and then finally listened to the podcast a few days ago entitled "As For Me and My House" by Greg Harris. It was given at Bethlehem Baptist church and the purpose was to give a strategy for Fatherhood. Here is the sermon to download and here is the article, but i've included a few of my favorite thoughts as well...

A Simple Strategy for Fathering

He suggested this simple, summary strategy for fathering

1. Get a life.
2. Include your kids in it.

That's it.

If that doesn't feel like enough, here's his 3rd step: repeat steps 1 and 2.

How Should Children Be Treated Like Arrows in the Hands of a Warrior?

Harris's suggestions:

* Sharpen them intellectually. Have dinner together as a family. Invite guests into your home that will enlarge your children's minds. Read.
* Straighten them out morally. Discipline them—if you can't, call the police. Seriously. Make sure they know that you care enough to keep them in line.
* Pay attention to the feathers on the arrow, their moral guidance system
* Aim them at what matters. Don't waste ammo on trivial targets.
* Hold them back till their ready to be released. (This may create tension.) Don't over-protect, strategically protect.
* When they're ready, let them go with only your prayer and friendship left as an influence.

last night as i was talking with my parents i was reminded of a great story about my grandmother who just passed away. in her old age, Mama Pete began to struggle remembering the names of the girls in the family. So, she just decided to call them whatever she could remember. this means that Martha usually was referred to as "Baby Girl." Martha's friend Annie Walch was called "Our Girl." Brooke, since she was a later addition to the family, was a little harder to remember. So when it came time for her to ask for Brooke, all she could muster was, "Hey, where's....BoBo?" My parents were in stitches as they remembered what my grandmother used to say.

TUBING







JUMPING OFF THE DOCK




FAVORITE BOYS







MOMMY'S FAVORITE GIRLS

last night we got around to eating dinner later than our tummies intended...so we were all pretty cranky. as i was dishing out the meal elle told me several times she did not want a certain food. but i persisted to put it on her plate. before i got the food to her plate she did a kung fu panda move to my arm and the potato wedge went flying. in all my "hangen-ness" i gave her leg a firm smack. it startled her...so much she started crying. after a few minutes of she and i talking through what just happened i told her i was sorry and that i loved her and that it's not right to act out in anger...
and she calmly said to me, "mom you know what daddy always tells me...think before you act." (FINLEY ROBINSON!!! i told you she is a little YOU!)

while we were in CO elle bell jumped on a bike with out training wheels.
and ever since then...silas jack has begged us to take his wheels off too.
si si...you're only 3 buddy...not yet. well, today my dad took the wheels off
for him...and wouldn't you know it...Si is a machine on the bike with out training wheels. unfortunately silas had his first spill. and i was there to capture the whole
thing...seriously what kind of mom takes pictures of the injury?! ...and then posts them...

some HUGE news in our life...Jenn and Dan are getting married!

our very first picture with all 5

the BEST part about our trip out to Colorado



i LOVE my pirate baby wrap...thank you Macy!



we miss you Ruthy the deaf dog!!!!





daddy and maye playing "pass the paci"



welcome home art by our second mommy...jenn chancelor

those were the last words my brother in-law said to me as we left the rodda house yesterday. i don't even know where to start the story of our 2 week journey to Colorado.
finley comes to CO every summer for senior high camps...so this summer, since i'm not shooting any photography due to baby Maye, the kids and i decided to make the trip too.
we drove out with a momma and her two kids...so we had 5 kids under the age of 4 trying to make the 14 hour trip. (are you thinking i'm crazy already?) the trip out here gave me a canker sore on my lip and a sty in my eye. hard core folks! do not recommend. we made it to denver where i drove past the exit to visit kym THREE times. my head was googly. we stayed with the rodda's for 3 nights and then made our way to winter park to see fin for a few days. guess what...i missed the winter park exit by 45 miles! just enjoying the scenery...drove all the way through the continental divide and turned around at Breckenridge! (oh the tears!)
good news...winter park, timberline, was great!!
our next adventure was back to evergreen to visit my sis and her girls for another 4 nights. Yesterday finley had to make a trip into denver so the kids and i met him and followed him to estes park, ravencrest. today finley is gone on an all day hike...his text to me said, "just reached our first lake. unbelievable! we're at 11,00 feet".
i'll text him back, "kids are uncontrollable, i have to drink a gallon of water everyday to keep up nursing in high altitude, and we are 100% homesick."
we will hit the road friday night and drive all the way to AR. see you soon...keep praying for us.