Randomness…

Edited to add the following:

It is officially Christmas! How do I know? The following:
1. The Salvation Army bell is a-ringing in front of the grocery store.
2. Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas music is cranking on my home stereo.
3. I’m sipping home-brewed Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee and snacking on Ginger Snaps.
4. I just picked up my first box of Pfferneusse (or however you spell them!) cookies for my mom. (She buys me Pastina and I buy her these cookies).
5. I had to speak firmly to two people in the grocery store parking lot (my children would be horrified). The first was a college age kid who got out of his beat-up truck by throwing open the door and slamming it (hard enough to rock my van) into the side of my van. Then he took off at a quick clip when he saw I was in there. As I sat there chatting on my cell with my sister about it, I saw him come back out of the cleaners. So I got out and intercepted him. I spoke very warmly, but firmly, “please take it easy on my car door when you get back into your truck”. To his credit, he immediately apologized.
6. As I came out of the grocery store, cart laden with Thanksgiving goodies I headed to the ramp to take my cart to my car. There was a van parked straight across the bottom of the exit ramp. And there were people in the car. So, as I struggled with getting my cart down the curb without dumping it over, I noticed that the van was packed with people. So I tapped on the window (at this point, my children would have run) and I warmly, but firmly stated the obvious, “excuse me, but your van is blocking the ramp and people can not get their carts to the parking lot”. First came the dirty look from the passenger seat and then a stream of words that I will not repeat here. In the meantime, an elderly lady came out and stood there. Before I could turn to help her, the Salvation Army guy took her cart from her, glared at the offensively parked vehicle and got the cart over the curb.
7. Yes, the Christmas Spirit is overflowing!

Welcome to my random world this morning.

My head is still spinning with everything going on (in my head and in my world). I can’t seem to get a grip on it. But this morning, when I sat down to work on my BM bible study, I never quite got around to the study. I journaled. He led me to scripture. I prayed. I worshiped. I cried out to Him. It was awesome. I will get back to Beth sometime today. I have a few days to catch up on. But I’ve had a bit of a dry spell with my journal so it was nice to just let the words flow. Sometimes I need to do that just to get thru the dry patch. Just one more example of God’s mercy.

Speaking of God. I just created a new playlist in iTunes. The name of the Playlist is Mom2, but I know that it is really entitled, “Mom’s Fall-on-Her-Face-in-Worship-Playlist”. Travis Cottrell is my main man these days. If you don’t know him…you are so missing out! Go here to get you some Travis. Here’s a list of the songs on Mom2:

Be Unto Your Name (Travis Cottrell Alive Forever)
Holy (Travis Cottrell The Lamb Has Overcome)
Holy Holy Holy (Travis Cottrell Alive Forever)
In Rest (Travis Cottrell Travis Cottrell – Found)
Lord, Your Holy (Travis Cottrell The Lamb Has Overcome)
My Passion (Travis Cottrell Alive Forever)
Rescue (Travis Cottrell The Lamb Has Overcome)
We Long for You (Travis Cottrell Travis Cottrell – Found)
We will Dance (Travis Cottrell New The Best of Living Proof)
*Annie’s Song (Travis Cottrell Travis Cottrell – Found)
The Stand (Hillsong United United We Stand)

Here’s a cool God Thing. I felt like I needed to speak to The Girl about the music on her iTunes play lists that were labelled “explicit”. So I e-mailed her and asked her to consider going thru her playlists and deleting all of the inappropriate music and I told her I was really saddened by the music choices she was making. She was in her marketing class and, coincidentally (I don’t believe in coincidence, btw) was e-mailing ME about something. Anyway, she agreed it was a bunch of trash and asked for me to have trust in her choices and to trust her to delete the inappropriate music this weekend.

I love that girl. Just when I think she’s heading down a slippery slope…she shows me she’s really not.

It’s all about prayer. I would say the bulk of my prayers are for my children. Not only for their health, protection, safety. Mostly that God will use them for His purpose and His glory. That He will grow them, raise them up as a light for Him. And He is So Good and Merciful and Holy! Most times I don’t know what I’m supposed to pray for them. He leads me.

*Yes, by John Denver. But Travis sings it as a praise song to God. Powerful!

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like a mountain in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again
Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me kneel down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again
And I’ll always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

Love and Blessings…