Miscellanea.....

Ummmmm, does it feel like Monday or what?  Jim was all packed and ready to head to Canada for a few days and, as he's showering, he gets the call that his item isn't being run in the plant this week.  So, no Canada for Jim.  We've got Al, the painter, doing some work in the house this morning.  He's taping right now!  Better him than me.  We need groceries.  I have to return the Hope 4 Kids laptop to them with the newsletter and child profiles I did for them over the weekend.  Connor didn't want to go to school this morning.  Oh no, it's starting already!  We're only 3 weeks in to the year!  Ackkkk!  I've been beating myself up about being a "mean" mom lately.  Connor never listens and Payton has been a little, shall we call it, SASSY (or maybe attitude-y...if that's a word)!  We don't tolerate such things in this house!  LOL  You know, when your parents said "this is harder on me than it is you" (in reference to discipline or spanking or grounding), I never believed it until now!  So, here is a little bit of worthwhile reading courtesy of Perry Noble's blog (he is the pastor of NewSpring church in South Carolina).  He's always got such great, kick-you-in-the-butt kind of stuff to say.  The kind of "stuff" I need (and want) to hear regularly.  So, here it is...happy reading!

 10 Signs You Are Becoming "Normal"

Jesus wasn’t normal…He didn’t fit into the religious system of the day.

Neither did Paul…

Neither did ANYONE He has ever used.

So…how do we NOT become “normal” – here are 10 signs to look for…

#1 – You begin to take less risks, saying there is too much at stake now, thus the need to “play it safe.”  (God has not called His church to play prevent defense but rather RUN UP THE FREAKIN SCORE!)

#2 – You let the voices of the critics become louder than the voice of God, thus giving them (not Him) control of your life and ministry.  (You will ALWAYS have critics as long as your are attempting to do significant things for Jesus.)

#3 – You begin making excuses as to why things are the way they are instead of addressing the problem head on.

#4 – You seek out other complacent people and together you guys fire shots at those you perceive to be successful.

#5 – You talk about what you used to do way more than you talk about what you want to do.

#6 – You seek consensus in every decision that you make.

#7 – You refuse to have anyone around you that will speak the truth.

#8 – You care way more about your paycheck than you do your calling; therefore you refuse to “rock the boat” by saying/doing what you feel God has clearly called you to do.

#9 – Your biggest desire in life is to keep everyone happy rather than calling them to a higher level of commitment.

#10 – You seek the position of leadership rather than simply being a person that people actually want to follow.