Welcome To Friday - 9.26.14

Welcome to Friday

With great joy and passion I give thanks to God for you and for this day!

Welcome to Friday!  How are you doing?  How was your week?  How did things go for you and your family? I hope and pray that you are doing okay.  Actually, I hope that you are doing better than okay.  I pray that you are fully aware that you are a blessed, beloved, unique, loved, magnificent, and highly favored child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  I pray that you have faced your week with the courage and confidence of one who stands in the grace and goodness of the Eternal Creator.  And I pray that if you have felt overwhelmed or are feeling in despair that you will fall into the ever strong, ever loving, and always inviting arms of Jesus, so that he can hold you and give you strength.  I pray that even now as the week comes to a close that you will reflect on the goodness of God and His majesty, and find the hope that will enable you to declare with confidence that today is and will be a great day!     

I am, with all that I can, wishing you an amazing day and a wonderful weekend filled with love, joy, hope and blessedness.  

My week has had a number of interesting twists and turns, but it has also been grounded in this unshakable peace and love.  I have had a number of "opportunities for growth" disguised with various costumes such as (job challenges, difficult coworker and customer issues, work/life balance, helping with homework, and sciatic nerve issues).  

In the midst of these "opportunities" I have found myself enjoying the week and being confident and able to keep my joy.  I've also been blessed to continue to reflect on and enjoy my brother's wedding.  Especially good to see the joy shared between our entire family.

This week has been such a blessing and filled with some many blessings.

• Great fellowship time on Friday w/ friends during lunch
• Winning two games of basketball during lunch
• Catching up with old friends during a weekend spiritual retreat training
• Listening to several great speakers during training
• Ending training four hours early
• Having time to go out on a date with Trish and enjoy some time together in a busy weekend
• Attending my brother's wedding
• Watching my brother smile and laugh and feeling that he was genuinely enjoying the day
• Seeing his bride smile and capturing their special moments on camera
• Hearing love shared through toasts, words, and actions
• Being reminded once again that God is so good.  He answers prayers, even prayers over the course of 20+ years, prayed with countless tears and even moments of doubt and confusion.  
• Eating wedding cake!
• Enjoying conversation with Trish about weddings, blessings, marriage and wanting to leave a lasting legacy
• Completing project planning on Monday at work
• Enjoying school curriculum night at the elementary school
• Hearing Paige's and Sydney's good work in class
• Seeing the transformation of teacher's and attitudes within the school
• Talking with Sydney's history and ELA teacher about Sydney's gifts of song and poetry
• Solving a critical customer issue and getting the acknowledgement from my peers and my boss
• 
  

All week I have been riding on the joy and the blessing of seeing God blow us away on Sunday with my brother's wedding.  My words can't do justice to God's surpassing greatness.  He brought together family, and friends to witness a joyful occasion.  The decorations, decor, food, conversation, laughter, love, fellowship, and fun were overflowing and just excellent.  I was so happy for them and for their family, and the joy that was present has seemed to carry me through any of the low points of this week.  It has also made the high points that much sweeter.  Today was another great blessing.  When I got ready to plug in for my morning workout I discovered a nice note from my girls.  I really loved it and it brought a great big smile to my face.  The kids keep on blessing me and I thank God for them.

All in all, this has been a great week.  The girls received interim report cards and are all doing pretty well in school.  We had a little bump with grading and assignments with the band class that Cassarra takes, but that is being worked out.  Sydney wrote and amazing poem at school and shared it with us.  Paige was highlighted several times in a video on explorers in the 3rd grade using Chromebooks.  Gabbi is staying up on her math and is really enjoying the new high school.  We spoke with a young man over the weekend who is in similar program and his recommendations and comments were very helpful and encouraging.  Cassarra is doing well and has a chance to take a trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2016.  She isn't interested, so she says, but I went to interest meeting on her uninterested behalf.  We will see where that goes and if she will put forth effort to raise any of the funds.

Trish is working with Ava on letters, the alphabet and other skills.  When I come home Ava is so eager to show me her work and especially her coloring.  It is so nice.  Emma continues to develop into her own little character.  She is very funny.  Sometimes I watch her act so serious and then burst into a smile and run over to give you a hug.  Bedtime this week was a lot better than it normally is following a trip and that was a blessing.

Trish is doing well.  At one point the stress of having four kids in honors/advanced classes was weighing heavy on her, because she typically likes to make it to all school events and  things going on at the same time.  Instead of making it to all events, we went with the divide and conquer strategy.  I am continually amazed by how much she does and how passionate she is for the welfare of the girls, her family and friends.  I was also amazed that even in the midst of a very busy schedule she found time to start working on a family photo book.  She is simply amazing and I know the girls are lucky to have her.  I tell the girls all the time that I couldn't dress them, feed them, teach them, or help them the way their mom does.  Thankfully we are both planning rest for the weekend.

Pray for us and we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.  I hope you have a great weekend.  May God shine on you and bless  you and all those you love .  May you get the rest, recuperation and joy you need to have a blessed weekend and be prepared for the next steps in the journey.

Welcome to Friday!

Amazing and everlasting God, 
bless, protect and shower us with your steadfast and unconditional love.

Shower upon us and our families endless mercy, grace, love, truth, joy, favor, prosperity, and peace.

Give us the courage and the strength for every step of the journey.

With love (& in triumph),

Cassius

A Poem from Sydney... I Am From

I Am From by Sydney Rhue

Always so proud of the girls!

Welcome to Friday - 9.19.14

Welcome to Friday!

The best stories are about the things we care about, told to the people we care about. - @gappingvoid

I have had a simply fantastic week filled with a lot of goodness and triumph over obstacles and issues.  How about you?  How was your week and how did things go for you?  How are you doing this week?  I hope that you are doing well and that you had a wonderful week.  I hope that doors opened up to you when you needed them, and that you had the opportunity to rest and regain your strength throughout the week.  I hope and pray that you had moments that took your breath away and memories that made you smile and laugh.  I hope that someone reminded you that you are awesome and thanked you for being a blessing.  If you didn't have that, let me say thanks for being a blessing.  You are awesome and I am so grateful to know you.  I hope that you will enjoy in some way shape or form, today and this weekend, the love, laughter, joy, success, and an abundant measure of goodness that you deserve.  

I had a great start to the morning and a pretty good week.  Okay.  I had a really good week.  

My highlights include:

• Made it through the overcrowded Saturday schedule
• Two dates w/ Trish.  One for coffee and conversation and one for bagels and conversation
• Sydney made the honor choir
• I reported and completed jury duty
• Open house at Gabbi's school was amazing
• Good news at the doctor for Paige and Emma
• Gifts from friends
• Answers to prayers
• Fellowship with friends and family
• A good movie night at home

We thrived over the weekend by managing to navigate the overcrowded schedule of activities and intentions.  Sydney made it to her honor choir practice, overcame a bit of stage fright and nailed it.  We were able to get Cassarra to her meeting for a young ladies club at an area church where several of her friends attend.  Trish was able to make it out to get this gorgeous haircut that fits her wonderfully.  The rest of us where able to go out and help clean up at the church and fellowship with friends and family while departing with some accumulated stuff.  

We also enjoyed a Sunday of rest!  We all hung out at the house and watched movies.  My favorite movie over the weekend was "God's Not Dead."  It was better than I imagined and I really enjoyed watching it.  Most of the house went to sleep on Sunday.  The only two people that stayed awake the entire time were me and Emma.  Trust me Emma tried waking everyone up, but they were all really tired from Saturday.

On Monday I reported for jury duty.  It was not high on my list of things that I wanted to do, but it turned out much better than I thought.  I sat in the pre-screening box with a young man who reminded me of one of my cousins.  This young guy was in his early twenties, and he was constantly joking and talking about wanting to get out of serving.  I told him he had no chance except if he was sole care giver for a young child.  A few minutes later he was standing and leaving the courtroom.  It turns out had an 18 month old, and he was sole care giver.  After pre-screening I had a series of great conversations with an area physical therapist on raising children.  We discussed teenagers, technology, academics, and discipline.  We also talked about big families and big family dynamics.  I also met a young neurosurgeon who previously performed brain surgery on another relative.  Dr. Karl Lozanne from Brooklyn by way of Costa Rica.  He remembered the surgery and shared a lot of the amazing details from it, as well as the many innovations in medicine and surgical procedure.  It was fascinating to hear about it all and about his experiences being in South Carolina.

Tuesday was a good day and a source of great thanks.  Paige helped me in the yard by spotting a small snake.  She calmly said, "Dad is that worm dead, or is that a snake?"  I calmly asked her to get back and bring me a shovel.  I was so thankful that she spotted it before I put my had down to pull the next batch of weeds.  I was also so thankful that the snake wasn't aggressive and I don't think it was poisonous.  It was funny because a few moments before she spotted the little guy I picked up a worm to show her what a worm looked like.  No, I didn't pick up the snake, but we did look at it for a minute before disposing of it.

Wednesday and Thursday were filled with appointments.  We got good news with Emma's check up and Paige is also doing well.  Last night Trish and I took a tour of the new high school that Gabbi is attending.  It is a long way from the school we attended.  They have a lot.  The school is very big, modern, updated with new technology, well lighted, clean, staffed, and outfitted with more stuff in one wing than we probably had on the entire campus.  They have two gymnasiums, a weight room, a cardio lab, a yoga room, a dance room, and the list kept going on an on.  They also have multiple computer labs, multiple science labs, and an amazing career center a stone's throw away.  I hope Gabbi realizes how blessed she is to have this type of school and academic access.

It has been a very good week.  One of the best parts of this week though has to be this morning.  The rain was refreshing and I can't wait to see what it brings to my garden.  A friend sent me an answer to a prayer only minutes after I said, "Amen."  Trish sent me a text blessing and then a joke that made me burst with laughter.  The girls and I got to school on time despite the nasty weather and the folks who struggled to drive in it.  At work, my team is almost done with our last project.  We completed a successful presentation on Thursday afternoon, and they all blessed our morning meeting by showing up and not arguing.  Another good friend at work sent a not that he has resigned to go take another fantastic opportunity with Amazon.  He shared his happiness and excitement, and while it is sad to know that he is leaving, I'm so excited for him and his family in this new opportunity.  

I hope you take care and enjoy a weekend that is matchless in its beauty and joy.  Take care and...

Welcome to Friday

May the God bless you and keep you.  

May the Lord make his face shine upon you.

May the creator, who reigns now and forever, give you peace.

With love (& in triumph),

 

Start your day right... or else...

Today I'm looking down at my calorie counter and bumming out.  The numbers are correct, the amounts are accurate and the end result is what I expected, but not what I wanted.  You see, today I started out my morning with a handful of yummy, chocolate goodness.  

I grabbed a few M&Ms and without much thought tossed them back and smacked my lips with enjoyment.  A few moments later I returned to the scene of the crime, grabbed three more and sent them the same way of their cousins or siblings.  You know what I mean.  As the last few pieces slid down my throat I thought briefly of the cost, and then I got started with my workout.  

Normally the workout gets going and before long my joints are loose, my heart rate is up, and my energy is on the incline.  Normally, I walk with a decent pace, enough to break a sweat and get a few calories burned.  But today, I could only slog through the miles on the treadmill.  One foot plodding in the air before falling without flare and much excessive labor in front of the other.  

It took over thirty grueling minutes before my energy level began to increase, and even then only minimally.  As I exited the treadmill I punched in my time and then added to my food tracker my morning treasures.  Whoa!  Really!  It was that much!  The sight of the numbers threw me off and for a loop.  All my exercising had barely scratched the impact of my morning sugar friends.  My day was in a quandary.  The numbers impacted my breakfast, my snack and will most likely carry over throughout the rest of the day.  At lunch I was sluggish, and the afternoon blahs arrived early.  

Starting the morning right is essential, not just with food and exercise, but with faith.  Have a morning where you are angry, distracted, stressed, anxious and full of worry?  How did you start?  If you look back with reflection you probably started out with the wrong thing.  Chances are a bad morning are most often, but not always, the result of plopping out of bed, having some sugar (morning news, pop culture, or television), and then trying to work off the tough start.  Instead of a solid staple of scripture, prayer, meditation, or thanksgiving you may have just jumped headlong into the day.  

Today's sugar rush and sugar crash were a nice reminder that starting the day off right is essential.

Tongue in cheek - Glad that I am Perfect

With tongue planted firmly in cheek... I rant...

I'm glad I'm perfect.  Whew!  I'm glad I've never made a mistake, told a lie, stolen anything, passed someone in pain, turned a blind eye, forgotten something, broken a promise, hurt someone in anger, lashed out verbally, tried to hurt someone physically, fought a friend, betrayed a friend, cheated on a friend, had any form of pre-marital sex, carried a grudge, tried to hurt someone emotionally, rendered or received a spanking, cursed, swore, cheated, killed anything, or done anything or had anything done to me that would affect my status of perfection.

I'm so glad that I have never committed a sin.  Whew!  Otherwise, I'd be in big trouble.  If I had done any of these things, lusted, longed, coveted, disobeyed, disrespected, forgotten God, lied to God, lived without God, believed naively, been lazy, worked on Sunday - I'd be in big trouble.  Add to my never done it before list: called someone a name that was not their own, used disparaging language, laughed at an inappropriate joke, had an addiction, struggled with an addiction, relapsed, behaved hypocritically, or wrongly accused someone. 

Thank God I've never ever done anything wrong in my whole entire life.  I have never, ever, ever, never, never lied about my name, my age, my job, my experiences, my friends, where I was at, why I was late for curfew, or what happened to my money.  I'm glad I never sent, viewed, or received a text message while behind the wheel, never ran a traffic light, got angry with a police officer, thought a bad thought, broke a traffic law, or wanted to quit.  It's been tough America... but as I stand here before you today I can say...

...

...

...

... BREAKING NEWS ...

This just in to the news desk Live @ 5 beat reporter, Reality Check, has just discovered that... it turns out Cassius Marcellus Rhue is... human.  More scoop at 11.  

...

Gasp!  Oh no!  I hope the worlds of social media, soap box purists, office gossips, pretenders, negativity mongers, and fellow hypocrites don't discover that I'm human.  I hope that the rest of the perfect, sinless, spotless and guilt free world doesn't try me on the scales of public opinion, convict me with 'Twitter' due process, and punish me to a life of exile.  I hope that the rest of the perfectionist don't hang on me all the shame, anger, fear, and blame of being human that is due to well, everyone else who is human.  

Listen.  Domestic Violence is wrong!  Period!  Child Abuse is wrong!  Period!  DWI is wrong!  Period!  And listen closely, the attitudes of many of us over the last few weeks and months as we view and review the headlines is wrong too!  Perhaps its time to put down the torches, power off the electric chair and have some open dialogues about the real issues, what real justice should look like, and the tough work of reconciliation and restoration.  I, for one, am tired of the fever pitched media monster pulling scabs and generating scandal in the name of ratings, under the disguise of outrage.  Where has this outrage been over the many years when justice was so clearly blind and CDV was no less prevelant, abuse was no less present, and DWI was a daily incident.  

I get it, we are all angry, and rightfully so, but judging, bashing, tweeting hate, and all the other negative things are not moving anyone closer to solutions or resolutions.

I am not perfect... I'm just saying put your stones down too, and let's figure out how to move forward in a healthy way.  All that is swirling around right now is definitely not healthy.

What do you think?

Thought for you:  If the world only knew what you did in the dark...

Love is irresistible, irrefutable, undeniable. Nothing rises to it. The dark side of our character has no weapon against it. It's our trump card. - Jim Daly

 

Ditto - go ahead and dial

Trish sent me this poem.  It is beautiful and an awesome reminder of who we are, community, and what we are called to do, stand in the gap for each other.

All I can say after reading this poem is ditto.  I am here for you.  I am here to make you laugh, or let you cry.  I am here run with you or simply sit and listen to you talk.  I am here for you, as your brother in Christ.

And if you call or look for me, and you don't get a smile, a cheerful voice, or an answer - come quickly - I need you!

Romans 12:9a, 15 - 16: Let love be genuine. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 

John 15:17: These things I command you, that you love one another.

Lord God, merciful and true, help us as brothers and sisters to stop pretending that we can do this alone.  Help us to stand in the gap for one another, living, serving, and caring for each other.  Let the greatest of us be in prayer for the least, and the least of us give our life in service to all others.  Glorious and True, we seek your goodness to keep us in the midst of the storm - in my time of need send your holy angel to my rescue - even one clothed in flesh and blood, tattered sneakers, and plain clothes.  Come to our rescue always.  Amen.

Five words...

Storms are so interesting.  In the summer afternoons you can often find yourself driving with bright rays of sunshine reflecting all around.  The clouds are calm, like cotton balls placed delicately in the afternoon sky.  You look out of the window and see birds, bees, trees, and even the occasional walker or runner enjoying the warmth and light.  As you continue to drive you notice the soft clouds give way suddenly to violent and ominous clouds.  

Rain pours down in sheets so thick that you can barely see.  Out of nowhere your windshield is blasted, your tires slip, and you wonder how long will you have to inch along before the storm lifts.  Hours go by, and arriving at home brings no relief.  The lights are out, a circuit is off, the power lines are down, the phones are jammed and busy, the house is hot because after all it is still summer, and lightning transforms your legs or lap into a clinging post for fearful children.  

The same gentle wind now rages and pounds against the walls of the house as if it is no just trying to gain entry, but trying to collapse one wall onto another.  The trees bend nearly to ground before being violently whipped back upright and over again.  The sky of bright soft blues and grays is so dark that noon looks like near midnight and the darkness is only interrupted by the electric neon flashes of bolts ripping through the sky, and the occasional strike and spark of contact.  Minutes turn into hours and hours into afternoons, and afternoons spill into a night.  You wait for the dawn and the hope that the storm will end.

Storms are interesting.  They touch our fears and invoke awe and wonder, solicit prayers, and no matter how long they last we all long for them to end.  We pray that the end will come soon.  Especially when the storms of life hit us with their punches to our gut, their darkness over our futures, and their propensity to usher in uncertainty and despair along with drenching and overwhelming currents.  The storms of life that include the whipping and tossing due to the winds of health, finances, faith, despair, worry, regret, shame, poverty, and loss are no less menacing and worrisome than the storms of wind and rain. 

In these times when the storms of life rages against us we look for answers, relief, and an end.  Our prayers are desperate, longing, filled with emotion and pleading for an end.  We want to hear three words, "Peace be still!"  We don't want to hear just hang in there.  We don't want to know that it will end in a bit.  What we want, what our desperate cry asks for is, right now.  Our desperate plea to God is for rescue and an end to the raging waves and howling wind, right now.  We want to hear the three words he spoke from the boat to quiet the storm.  

But sometimes, the words that calm the storm aren't "Peace be still," or "winds don't blow."  Sure, he could say these words or something very similar.  He could say, "That's enough," "Knock it off," or some other command to cease and desist.  Of course He can, He is God.  He created it all (Genesis 1), even the winds and the waves.  Of course He can, He is God and He makes even the winds and the waves obey Him (Matthew 8:27).  Yes, he even rides on the clouds and the wind (Psalm 104:3), founded the waters and the sea (Psalm 24:2), His voice is like thunder (Psalm 68:3), and there is nothing impossible for Him (Luke 1:37).  So, yes he could totally take your storm and make it end with the three words, two words, or even one word.  I believe the God who cured the sick, raised the dead, and feed five thousand could still the storm without even a word.

But sometimes, sometimes he chooses to use five words.  Sometimes, the words that calm the storm are found in the comfort and assurance that comes from these five words, "I am with you always!"  The winds still blow, the waves still crash, the crisis still exists - but the turmoil of our soul rests in peace because He is with us.  And if He is with us then His peace is with us (John 14:27).  As Leslie Vernic says in her blog Five Words that Can Change Your Life the still of the storm can come from the promises and the power of these five words:

I AM -  That means that He is the almighty, everlasting, all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, loving, "I AM that I AM", creator and Savior. 

With - That means He accompanies, He is in the same place at the same time with you, and you are together.  That means that He is in possession of the situation as well as in possession of you and your destiny.  He is with you where you are, right then, right now, and three days from now. 

You - That means you!  He is not just God for others, or with others, or in control of the circumstances of others.  You actually means you -  He is with you.  Yes, you too!  It may be hard to believe because you think that you aren't spiritual, or as holy as someone else.  You couldn't be more wrong, you means you.  He came for you, died for you and gave this promise for you too!

Always - Always means always.  Always means all the time, on all occasions, throughout a long perid of the past and for all future time forever.  Always means repeated forever for always and for good.  Always means each time, at all times and consistently without fail.  It means good or bad, happy or sad, full or famished, high or low, still or storm it doesn't matter.  No matter how you slice it, always just means always!

And these five words remind us that

1 God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!"

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalm 46 (ESV)

I am with you always!  Matthew 28:20

With love (& in triumph),
Cassius

Welcome to Friday! 9.12.14

Welcome to Friday!

May the start of this new day be filled with joy, 

overflowing with hope, and blessed with the presence 

and peace of the everlasting and almighty God!

Good morning and welcome to Friday!  Today is probably the earliest, or latest I have been up in quite sometime.  Actually, I fell asleep working on something around 10:45 pm on Thursday and woke up around 11:30 pm.  That power nap has kept me up ever since.  Since I was up and couldn't get back to sleep I went ahead and finished up the first draft of a writing project, tied up a few lose ends, washed a few loads of clothes, and got a jump start on Friday!

Hopefully, you weren't up all night as well.  So, how are you doing?  How has your week gone?  What has been the highlight of your week?  Have you been able to accomplish your goals for the week?  Have you spent time with those you loved and enjoyed the presence, warmth, and joy of family and friends?  I hope and pray that you are doing well and that you have had an amazing week.

I have had a very good week.  I took the first day of the week off and enjoyed the blessing of having time at home and away from the office.  It is always so nice to have a short work week.  I enjoyed my day off by spending time with Trish, Ava and Emma.  We hung out around the house, went on a few errands, took a get coffee and used as much of our free moments to talk and chat.  I also took the opportunity to go to lunch with Sydney and Paige at school.  It was grandparents day, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless.  The only downside of visiting on grandparents day was one of Paige's classmates asking if I was her grandfather.  Wow!  I guess I need to shave and clean up a bit.  It was fun to sit with both of the girls during their lunch breaks.  Paige talked about using the computer, and studying their classroom pets.  Sydney shared a full break down of her day and it was very enjoyable to hear her excitement.

School is in full gear for all the girls.  Gabbi, Cassarra, Sydney and Paige have all had a round or two of quizzes and tests.  Paige had her first math quiz on Thursday.  Gabbi had a test on Monday and I'm sure she did well.  All the girls are quite capable, and only occasionally do they need some "extra" motivation.  I'm praying that they will all keep putting forth their best effort. 

Trish is doing well.  Emma, Ava and the crew keep her pretty busy.  I'm amazed by how much she gets done in a day, especially with the number of times Ava and Emma can create episodes that require attention and "Clean up on aisle three."  Ava and Emma have learned some really interesting techniques for distracting and occupying attention.  Earlier this week it seemed that Ava was the distraction while Emma opened the cabinets and raided snack boxes.  The same holds for Emma who provided the distraction so that Ava could get yougurt out of the fridge.  So far, neither of these two can navigate opening their un-opened surprises.

Well, most of the week has been very productive and a blur.  I have enjoyed a lot this week:

• Trish signing Sydney up for "Girls on the Run"
• Cassarra and Sydney going running
• Ava, Emma and I went walking together through the neighborhood
• I made my first batch of bread pudding.  Ava calls it bread pie
• Pizza night with the girls sharing details of spirit week 
• Free coaching tips for work on practices and principles
• Free lunch on Wednesday as a part of a offsite working lunch.
• Two hours of brainstorming, analogies, sports metaphors, and steak fries
• Learning about all the ins and outs of spirit week and especially "America Day"
• Celebrating at Hi-Wire with Cassarra and her friends on Saturday
• Volunteering
• Hearing Ava and Emma laugh and enjoy each other

I hope you will have an awesome weekend and that you will get to spend time with those you love, as well as recharge and refresh yourself.

Welcome to Friday!

LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim,

You are God - You alone. You are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. 

You made the heavens and the earth.  LORD God, save us.  

Save us from the hands of the enemy so that all the kingdoms of the earth

may know that You are the LORD - You alone. (Isaiah 37:16,20)

Bless us for the journey and in your everlasting arms satisfy us.  Amen.

With love (& in triumph),
Cassius 

For my children - back to school

Merciful and everlasting God, who created and numbered all our days.  Number the days of this school year and order them in such a way to bring you glory and praise, and my children the unending joy and prosperity of your favor.

God anoint their creativity with the gift of Your wisdom and innovation.  Anoint their passion for the Word of God and Your holy and righteous will.

God anoint their arms, feet, heads, hearts, legs, and whole body to be used as missionaries and ambassadors for sharing, spreading, and living out the Good News.  Touch their bodies with the reminder that they are each holy temples, bought with the precious blood of Christ.

God send legions of angels, Your heavenly messengers and guardians, to protect them in their home, on their way to and from school, in the classroom, in the halls, and every space that their bodies occupy.

Guide us as their parents (especially me), and guide every administrator.  God energize every teacher and every supporting staff member to make this year amazing.  God in all of Your wisdom and Your Creative power, create an environment in their lives where they can thrive and prosper.

God send Your Word incarnate into their souls for a deeper relationship with You.  May they grow more in spiritual wisdom, joy and everlasting love.  Bring Your saving grace to bear and to the forefront of all their learning so that they might accept Your Son and salvation.

God protect them and shelter them from hurt harm and danger.  God minister to their every need and their greatest need.

God when they are down, when despair looms large, send them the comfort of Your presence, the everlasting joy of eternal life, the peace that passes all understanding and the hope that does not disappoint.  Guard their very lives when they are in the valley of the shadow of death.  Lift their hopes and their eyes to the "hill, which comes their help."  Cause every moment of hopelessness to give way into an ever widening and bright shining season of hope, love and belief in the power of Your love.

God help me to be the father and educator in my home, leading them in worship and study of You.  In all things may You be our lead, our guide, our protector, shield, provider and God.

To You - I pray for my children and this coming school year.  I pray this prayer for all children, all parents, all schools, and all those who may touch their lives.  Amen.

Welcome to Friday - 7.6.14

May the good and perfect graces of the God rise up, fall down and in every way bless you today and forever!

Welcome to Friday!

I woke up this morning and set my heart on having one of the best days ever, and I have set my prayers towards heaven that you will have the same and more.  May God wonderfully and richly bless you today to accomplish great things, enjoy yourself, and dwell in the presence and shadow of His never ending love.  

How are you doing?  How is it going with you today?  Tell me about your week?  How did things go for you this week?  Did you get to enjoy the week, accomplish what you set out to do, and find time to rest and fellowship with friends and family?  What was the best part of your week?  As always, I pray that your week has gone well and that you are doing well.  I hope that things with you and your family are going well and blessed.  

This has been a very interesting week.  We did a lot and enjoyed a lot this week:

• A humbling learning experience while painting
• Redecorating the master bedroom and bathroom
• Cleaning the yard
• Enjoying some time away from work on Labor Day
• Cassarra's 17th birthday
• 1st Friday of the month breakfast
• Ice cream, toppings and more ice cream
• A good week at school
• Another good week at work
• Fixing the AC

Saturday was a day in two parts.  Paige, Ava, Cassarra, Gabbi, Sydney, Trish and I finally got around to painting the master bedroom and bath.  We were supposed to be painting the rooms, but instead we had quite a time "handling" and "enjoying" the painting process, especially the little painters that were participating in the process.  The end result was the first part of the day was a mess of my own making.  Without all the details, lets just say I wasn't the best painting partner, or the most joyful instructor.  

Thankfully, the second part of the day got better, at least a little.  Towards the end of the day I realized that painting wasn't the real project.  The real project was enjoying the kids, the moment and the memories.  Now if I can remember that the next time we paint, that will be real growth.  Anyway, I realized that I had blown the first part of the day, and the girls all let me know about it over an ice cream apology.  While there were some "interesting" moments in both parts of the day, the end result was a fantastic "Breezy Blue (Lowe's paint color)" bedroom and a matching (calm green) bathroom.  Overall, Paige was very excited that she had helped, and her enthusiasm was trumped only by Ava's.  Ava painted the floor as much as the wall, and she seemed to find any vacant brush to do so.  She was happy to have helped and after we were done she boldly declared that her room was next.  

On Sunday, we got to enjoy service and a very nice impromptu breakfast at my sister's house.  It was a beautiful start to the day.  

We spent time with four generations in one house; my grandfather, my parents, some of my siblings and my self, and our children.  It was amazing and such a blessing.  We even enjoyed several moments of laughter, college freshmen and fresh-lady updates, and a Happy Anniversary song for my mom and dad.  The girls loved it and I was glad that they all sacrificed to get up and get ready with little notice and no attitudes.

Tuesday was a planning day at work and back to school for the girls.  Emma got up early on Tuesday.  She was entertaining herself most of the morning by playing with Paige and Sydney.  Occasionally, she would setup her chair outside the office where I was walking on the treadmill and taunt me with her "animal crackers."  Normally, she comes in and wants to walk with me, but on Tuesday she was content to sit and watch and then later lay down and watch.  

Cassarra and Gabbi had late Wednesday on Wednesday morning.  Trish took them to Chick-Fil-A before school and they enjoyed a free breakfast entree. Cassarra enjoyed her entree courtesy of Sydney as a part of her birthday present while Gabbi begged me for my calendar gift card to get her entree.  I visited Sydney and Paige's school on Wednesday and listened to updates on Paige as a scientist and explorer.  I also learned that Sydney's class has a garden and live classroom pets that they are using to study science and math.  

Wednesday also featured the upstairs AC going out.  This has been the summer of AC episodes.  The upstairs unit going out made the bedrooms and hallways feel like a sauna.  Thankfully we were able to get a repairman out to the house, and he found the problem.

Thursday was Cassarra's birthday.  She celebrated with friends and family wishing her a Happy Birthday.  The biggest and brightest birthday wishes came from Ava who was so excited to wish her a Happy Birthday.  All morning she could be heard saying, "Today is Cassarra's birthday!"  We celebrated at home last night with Cassarra's pick for dinner, chicken tenders.  Afterwards the celebration continued with the family version of "Happy Birthday to you," followed up with cookie cake and ice cream.  She was very thankful for her presents and is planning to celebrate again on Saturday with friends at Hi-Wire and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  

Trish is doing well.  She is enjoying the new room and making some really amazing decorations to compliment the new color pallet.  She has already spruced it up with flowers, pictures, organized shelves and a host of other little amenities.  Her decorating was contagious as it has inspired all of the girls to organize their rooms and clean them.  I've even started organizing the office - this will be a major project.  

With ice cream in the fridge, great family time and a powerful sermon on Sunday, a holiday on Monday, a birthday party Thursday, and a breakfast with the kids this morning - this was definitely a great week.  I hope you had a wonderful week.  Take care and enjoy your weekend.  Enjoy yourself, be safe and spend time with family, friends, and all those you love.

Welcome to Friday!

I pray for you and your family that the all-wise and everlasting God of creation, 

who is the one and true God of all new creations, will make new opportunities and new roads for you and your family.  May the wilderness become a flourishing city, the dry ground a flowing stream, and the blocked path and closed door a detour to greater heights, hopes and dreams.  May God richly bless you and your family to enjoy His endless and steadfast love. 

Blessings to you and enjoy the new things God is getting ready to do and is already doing for you.

With love (& in triumph),

Cassius

Happy Birthday Cassarra

Happy birthday. I am so thankful that God has given you to us and you have been a blessing for 17 years.

I pray that God will bless you with love, joy, peace and favor for many years to come.