Weekend Wrap-Up

We had such a nice weekend together as a family. I wish all weekends could be so sweet. Gene was home on Friday night, all day Saturday, and Saturday night. This is a rare occurrence for us. Reagan kept asking me when he was leaving and going back to church. Isn't that sad? I guess when your Daddy is only home 3 nights out of 7 and most weekends are jam packed, that is what you get used to. On top of Gene being home with us, the weather was really nice. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the low 60's. I would have liked it to be about 10 degrees warmer, but it was still really nice outside. We were going to the zoo on Saturday, but we changed our minds because it was a little breezy. Since a good portion of the zoo is shaded and Gracen had a little runny nose, we decided to wait until the next warm day. Gene really wanted to cut the grass and clean up a bit outside anyway. So that worked out for the best. Gene and I both played with the girls off and on and then when it was time for Gracen's nap, Gene and Reagan cut the grass. Reagan loves to ride the lawn mower, and I loved sitting in the sun reading a book.

Here a few shots of the girls playing outside.

Here they are on the swing set. Gracen wasn't really swinging yet. I was trying to let her get used to the seat.

She got used to the movement pretty quickly and loved swinging. The girls stayed right here for 30 to 45 minutes. That is a long time for 2 little ones that have the attention span of an ant.

Couldn't you just pinch those cheeks?

We have two Bradford pear trees in our front yard and Reagan loves them. The low branches are just her height, and she really likes to climb them and pull the blooms off of them. When they are in full bloom, she likes to sit in their shade and read a book or something.

My little monkey.

Here is Gracen just chilling out in the yard. She loved all the leaves. And here she is getting a real close look at some flowers. She almost buried her face in them. Good thing there were no bees in there flying around.

And here are the three of us just taking it easy.

We cooked out hotdogs and just tried to soak up all the sunshine that we could. It was so nice. I know the cold weather is coming back, but the weekend just made me itch for spring.

We also had a really great day at church on Sunday. Thankfully both of my children were well enough to go to church and I was able to be in both the morning and the evening service. The worship was awesome and the preaching was great as well. Of course, I am a little biased because Gene preached Sunday morning. Bro. Glenn was out of town, so Gene preached the morning service and Bro. Bryan preached the evening service. The "B" team did a pretty good job.

Gene preached on the life of Moses from a new series he just completed called "Excuse Me God"

...will your life be an example or an excuse? Basically, Gene went through 5 excuses that we typically give God when He calls us to do something.

1. But God, my past makes me unworthy...

2. But God, my personality makes me incapable...

3. But God, I have too many potential questions about the outcome...

4. But God, I am not persuasive enough to be used for your glory...

5. But God, my problems will weigh me down....

All five of these excuses can be seen in the life of Moses. (Exodus 2-6) There is certainly too much for me to post on my blog, so maybe you can go and read it for yourself looking for examples of the 5 excuses listed above.

This was a timely message for me and a few points really stuck out.

• Excuses are an insult to God's sovereignty.
• Patience is just as important as passion for God. Wait on Him.
• God will unfold His plan for my life one day at a time as I obey Him in all things.
• God confirms that He is with me all along the way. I have to open my eyes and look for Him.
• God is not limited by my limitations. (Thank the Lord!)

Bro. Bryan walked through Psalm 116 verse by verse and I was greatly reminded that God is a loving and attentive God. He hears every prayer that I lift up to Him and knows every hurt that I endure. He wants me to continually cry out to Him and continue to praise His name, regardless of what is going on in my life.

Good stuff. I have a lot to think on and pray on this week for sure.