Pay it Forward

Last night we went out to eat with 2 other couples and our mass of kids (all infants/toddlers) which called for quite the chaotic evening (in a fun, crazy, mayhem sort of way).
Needless to say, we had a very large table.

In fact, we were the largest group in a place that was packed with a line of people waiting to be seated.

And when the time came to pay, our waitress kindly said:
"Oh - don't worry about. Another table picked up your tab."

We all looked at her puzzled as if we were waiting for the "Ha - just kidding. That will $120 please."
But it never came.
Then we started grilling her for who it was that was so kind and she told us they wanted it to be anonymous and plus they had already left.

Now let me explain why I found this extremely humbling, blessing, and why it swirled in my mind when I tried to go to sleep that night...

The place was packed. Line out the door, packed. If someone wanted to show an act of kindness, they could have easily chose ANY table...one with only a couple...one with only one family eating...but they chose the largest table (not to mention probably the most obnoxious!) in the whole place.

They went BIG. They went all in.

Furthermore, we're pretty confident it was a complete stranger since none of us had ever recognized anyone we knew since being there.

The local Christian radio station has had a big "pay it forward" movement going on this past year where they are really urging all listeners to do random acts of kindness. The push is so great that if you listen, you can't help but be mindful of ways you can show extra kindness.

I'll admit when I was in line at McDonald's the other day, I felt the urge to buy the meal of the car behind me. However at the moment, there was no car behind me. So I told myself when a car does pull in behind me, I'll ask the cashier what they ordered (since I was currently stuck at the window) and then decide if it was "too much" or something I could do.

They paid for our whole table...the largest table. They went big.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of our experience last night was seeing someone who truly, with all their heart, believe that money had no power over them - that God was bigger; that God was Provider. It's easy to say, but not so easy to live out.

I know I'm guilty.
But I also know that God has been working in our lives regarding money in powerful ways over the past year, and I am confident that He used this last night as a reminder to me to keep striving and stop swaying from what I know as truth...

And that truth is that God is Provider. God is Huge. God is Present. And greater things are yet to be done when we fully trust Him.

My lame McDonald's story where I considered paying for someone behind me if they happened to pull up? Thank the Lord they never did. My focus was pitiful.
But now I'm ready. Whatever it may look like, I don't want to fear going Big. And by going "big" I mean with no conditions - just acting when the Holy Spirit leads.

So pay it forward this week, my friends. It had an amazing impact in my life when someone did it for me, and I know the Lord as my personal Savior. Unexplainable kindness could urge lost people to search for answers only explained in the realm of a loving, sovereign Savior. Let's get to work! :)

New Reads

Just ordered these 2 books (by which I'm giddy excited to read):

Last night I went to a global missions banquet with my friend Beth (at our church, Fellowship). It was inspiring, igniting, and impactful to listen to what God is doing around the world with ordinary people from NWA. I'm excited to partnership in prayer for the next few years, and in the near future (kids have to be a tad bit older) re-join in the global Great Commission. It's a core passion of mine that God has instilled in my heart and I get crazy excited thinking about the near future when Jason and I can involve our kids in cross/culture missions!

As someone who is used to "going", I have had to learn what my current role is (as a mother of infants) here in my own community. I'll admit it has been a struggle at times to be intentional, but I continue to seeks God's will and purpose for me here. Mine and Jason's prayer this past year has been to have Kingdom Perspective. And this is a daily pursuit because we both fail miserably time after time. 

"God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."

— John Piper

The Sugar Bowl - High School Style

Most of you know I love my husband's job. I love season where we get to go to games 2 nights/week (really - I'm not being sarcastic here) and I get super giddy the day of a game waiting for the evening to arrive. Since kids, this love of watching basketball games has arrived at new challenges, however I'm lucky so far to have one kid who might just adore these games more than me, and another who, well, is just happy to be here (or anywhere for that matter). Both are good travelers, and both can sleep like no other, therefore, late nights have not intruded yet on moods or schedules (thank goodness).

Another thing I love about his job is the chance to interact with high school kids. Albeit, if he were a girl's coach, this part would be more than over-the-top-FUN for me, but I have really enjoyed getting to know his players (sometimes just all their names is a huge victory!) and strive to make it a point to get to through each season (I scored an "F" in this department last season).

So a few weeks ago I posed the notion to Jason that we should have the team over sometime soon and he pitched the Sugar Bowl as "the night".

It was a blast. The Tigers have a great group of guys on their team and it was fun getting to know them more. Lincoln LOVED it, to say the least. The poor soul went to bed at midnight with a smile on his face still talking about the Tigers. Precious. He, too now knows them by name!

I busted out my camera to take some shots (which didn't really turn out great for some reason), and I'll have you know - in a room full of high school boys (2011 high school boys, clarified), at any given moment, at least 94.3% of them will be looking down at their cell phone. :)

Thanks Tigers for a fun night!

***I just now got Lincoln out of bed; first thing he said..."Tigers???"***

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Go Hogs!

 Lincoln is SOO excited about the game tonight. It's pretty stinkin hilarious. There's 3 possible reasons why he's so giddy with joy: (1) duh - the Razorbacks are just AWESOME, (2) the Tigers are all coming over tonight and there's quite a few boys on Jason's team that he just adores, (3) he's been eyeing the 2 Razorback cookie cakes sitting on the counter.
I'm with ya - no doubt it's #3.

 He wore this goofy hat through wal-mart today while simultaneously calling the Hogs. Yes. He's a goof ball.

And as I'm writing this, my funny little man just yelled (loudly): "I wuv you Mama!!!!!"
It's going to be a good day. :)

Playtime

Christmas Break is officially over...and it's playtime.

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Happy New Year!!!!!!

I'll NEVER!

My darling neighbor did a fun post I thought I'd steal (or swipe as it's now said in my house thanks to Dora.)

We've all said it....I'll NEVER (fill in the blank)! Only to find ourselves doing the exact thing years (sometimes days!) later. I don't like to have guilt over the "giving in" as it may appear, but rather kick myself in the rear for being so ignorant as to make such a comment.

Here are some of mine:

"I'll NEVER let my child sleep in our bed...or even in our room for that matter!!"
Lincoln slept in our room for the first 3 months of life and Noah slept in our bed for the first 2 months.

"I'll NEVER move back home to Arkansas!!" (said after I left for Cali for college)
Moved back 5 years later to finish up my Master's where I then said:

"I'll NEVER stay in Arkansas after I graduate w/ my Masters!!"
A few months before graduation, I married my husband...who was a basketball coach in Arkansas.

"I will NEVER wear a skirt that comes to my knees!"
Right.

"I will NEVERquit running every day for the rest of my life!"

"I will NEVER wear skinny jeans!"

Okay. I still don't do this b/c I'm still convinced they look AWFUL on me.

Stolen from Mrs. Amanda...but true for me as well, "I will NEVER drive a minivan!"

I still don't but I wish I did b/c they're ultra convenient and conducive to little kids...the cool SUV's just are NOT.

I'm sure there's a million more, but here's my latest one to kick of 2011:

I will NEVER say "I'll never."!

Here's to being open. :)

I Know it Should Be About Christmas....But

Glancing at the ole blog roll, I notice posts dedicated to all things Christmas, and well, I took a gazillion pictures throughout our fun Christmas festivities that tell the story, so if you're interested, here's the run-down:

Had Christmas in Crossett with Jason's family the few days leading up to Christmas Eve (told in pictures here)

Drove home Christmas Eve and woke up in our cozy home to have Christmas morning with just our family of four, 2 dogs, and the traditional monkey bread; then headed to my parents house (who live relatively close) to celebrate the birth of Jesus with them - accompanied by more food, more presents, and of course, more fun. That story can be shared in pictures here.

Don't get me wrong - it was SO much fun, but there were a lot of things that went on and writing a blog post about it all in detail will probably be boring to you, and it wears me out just thinking about writing it.

All my decorations came down yesterday and the house returned to normal, so I'm now officially moving on from Christmas.

There. Done and done.

NOW - I wanted to mention something about BABY SLEEP.

As I've blogged about before, we moved Lincoln to a big boy bed about 3 months ago. He's had his ups and downs...the extent of the downs being that if he happens to wake up in the middle of the night, he must run into our room and jump into bed versus putting himself back to sleep.

On Christmas Eve, we decided to put him to sleep in the crib so that he wouldn't catch Santa. :)

Him and Noah had to be woken up at 9:30am the next morning.

The next night, we were exhausted and needed sleep, so we did it again.

Him and Noah both slept until 9:30am...again.

Repeat the same routine the third night, and go the same results.

Lincoln pretty much sealed his fate that night.

Also enter a random email from Baby Center about toddlers sleep that said a toddler should not be moved out of their crib until 3 years old because that is the age they can fully comprehend staying in their bed.

Further sealed Lincoln's fate.

Then this morning, they BOTH slept until 10:30!

So, I have the comfort of knowing that if need be (like, say at grandma's house over christmas where he did wonderful sleeping in a big bed!), he can do it, but for now - Lincoln's back in his crib and the house doesn't stir until 9:30am. It's been NICE.

Now the big question is whether or not all this good sleeping is attributed to being in the crib or sheer exhaustion from Christmas....?

I'll keep ya posted.