Welcome to Friday! - 3.27.2015

Welcome to Friday

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!  Psalm 118:1

Welcome to Friday!  How are you doing? How is your day going and how has your week been?  What was the absolute best part of the week for you?  Did you have some of those "Wow" moments, or more of those moments that leaves you bubbling over with excitement and joy?  Hopefully you had some of both and a mix of moments that took your breath away and left you speechless before the awesomeness, majesty and blessings of the Everlasting.  

I have been thinking of you, praying for you and giving God thanks for you.  I have been praying that God will brighten your life more than the sunrise and with more splendor than the night skies.  I have asked God in His matchless power to rise up and bring you increasing joy and tremendous happiness.  I have been praying that your week has included many moments that gave you hope, comfort, and strength.  And even now I am praying that the steadfast and merciful Creator remind you that you are awesome, amazing, gifted, talented, strong, courageous, infinite in worth, divinely created and eternally loved with compassion.  I am giving the Lord thanks for the joy and kindness that you have poured into my life and for the blessing of being able to know and learn from your wisdom and strength.  I am so grateful that I can witness love, grace and mercy through the tremendous amount of grace,  mercy and love that you repeatedly display towards me and my family.

I have had my wow moments, my excited moments, and I'm pretty sure I've had a speechless moment as well.  My wow and excited moment both came on Sunday.  I was just amazed on Sunday and so excited when Sydney received recognition for participating in the Science Fair.  Her team project didn't place, but I was excited to see her on stage and be recognized as a scientist.  I was also amazed and nearly floored by Sydney, who was beginning to think about next year.  She is very passionate and driven.  I know that God is going to do some amazing things through her, and through each of her sisters.  

My wow moment took place when Ava and Emma managed to make a new friend on the fly with a little girl who came over to play with their "Doc McStuffin's" toy.  You would have thought this crew of three had been friends for forever.  Emma and Ava played with the young girl like they had known each other from way, way back.  I even laughed and smiled, and thought wow, that's what it supposed to be like - to be childlike and to see people without prejudice and just have fun!  Now, keeping the three of them quiet was quite a challenge in the "formal" awards banquet.  However, wouldn't trade that moment for anything, no matter how many cross looks I received.

Since I love to talk and seem to always be yapping, I was not sure I actually had a speechless moment, but then I began to think about the weekend and the start of the week.  And that is when I remembered Sunday.  Wow!  Sunday was amazing and I was stunned and speechless and overcome with pride, joy, and a ton of emotion as I listened to the youth choir sing.  I was especially proud and just caught up when Gabbi and Britanny sang together.  They were spectacular.  They were so amazing and sounded so good together.  Their solos were wonderful as well, but when the two of them sung "Something in the Water" it was breathtaking.  The kids in the background were on point as well, singing "Amazing Grace" as the background.  Listen, they just totally blew that song wide open.  It was just like, wow!  Even now, I can see the two of them up there at the mic, and the other girls nearby and I am beaming all over again.

We all had a number of really good moments this week.  We had a great time making pizza together for dinner.  Ava got in on the act and made her a pizza with no tomato sauce.  It was dough, cheese, and more cheese.  Sydney, Paige, and Gabbi all took a crack at making pizza with Alfredo sauce and/or cheese sauce.  It was fun to watch the girls, and I guess next time I'll let them be even more creative.  This time I had to make sure we had at least one edible slice each.  Now that I know they aren't going to go too crazy, I'll just roll out the dough and let them have at it.

The conversations around the dinner table was probably one of the other great parts of my week.  We laughed, joked, discussed a bit of prom stuff, talked about Gabbi's appointment to get her boot off.  We teased Gabbi about how she has been following the doctor's orders to the letter this week.  Her appointment went well and she was able to get out of the boot.  Now she just needs to make sure she wears the right kind of shoes and continues to follow the doctor's orders until all of the remaining swelling is gone.

It has been an uplifting week.  I am so thankful for joy, hope, friends, family, love, and rest.  I am glad that Paige and I got to spend some time together riding around and getting bagels before school.  I am glad that Sydney and Paige got me out of bed last Saturday and this Thursday morning to go to the YMCA to workout, instead of just staying at home.  They treadmill and weight machines at the Y are so much better than my own "home gym".  I found machines that I had never seen before, and my body reminded me of that later, but it was still good.  And, it was so funny watching Sydney and Paige workout, and then ask for Chick-Fil-A afterwards.  

I hope that your day is going very well and that you have been enjoying favor, blessings and joy in the God of our hope and strength.  Enjoy your excellent day and have a wonderful weekend. 

Welcome to Friday

God pour life, hope, and Your spirit of refreshing on us.

Give us more of your grace, life, energy and power.

Press your mark of love and compassion upon 

the depths of our heart and soul.

God do wonders and wonderfully on our behalf.  Amen.

With love (& in triumph),

Cassius

Welcome to Friday Part II - 3.20.2015

 James 1:12 

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, 

having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life 

that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

 Welcome to Friday!

      

I just wanted to check in again to say Welcome to another Friday, and another weekend.  I hope that you have had blessed and productive week.  If not, well, we will get it next week.  Tell me how things are going with you and how have you been this week?  How have you been feeling and what has been going on with you?  

I am praying for you today that you are doing well and that things are going well with you.  I am praying that mercy, grace, love and an unending grace will keep you encouraged and strong.  As always, I am sending love and warm wishes your way and hoping that you are doing well today.

As I was reflecting on my week I was a little conflicted on what word to use.  You know, if you had to describe this week, what word would you use?  What would you use to describe your week?  

If you asked me on Monday morning, my word would have been joyful and exciting.  On Monday, Sydney and Paige got up before 5:00 am and we went down to the new YMCA down from our house and "worked out."  I was very impressed that they got up early on a day off from school, and that they were itching to go workout.  They both did very well.  Paige and Sydney walked on the treadmill for over 30 minutes, and then they jumped onto an exercise bike.  Afterwards we hit Chick-Fil-A to reward our hard work, laughed and went home.  I went in to work excited and quite joyful.

If you asked me on Tuesday - Thursday, my words would have been much different.  I would have used words like, overwhelmed, frustrated, confused, angry, and disappointed.  But, if you ask me this morning I would use one word to describe the whole week - focus.  Why focus?  

Well, on Monday morning, my focus was squarely where it should be.  I focused on the opportunities, the blessings, the joy, and the excitement of family and friends.  And so, Monday morning was an exciting day at work, and even at home things were well.  

But, Tuesday my focus got out of whack.  It started with worrying about the AC repair quotes, being late to work, and some other upcoming things.  By Tuesday afternoon I was flung in the middle of an issue at work that was overblown and over exaggerated.  Each moment, each email seemed to inflame the issue.  And a face to face meeting kept getting postponed.  

By Wednesday there was a full blown blame fest going on and all the parties involved were trying to "CYA" as fast as possible.  Unfortunately, even I was in "CYA" mode.  So instead of my focus being on Christ, my focus was on saving our collective bacon, dealing with the frustration of "poor communication and planning" and an ever growing "To-Do" list.  When I finally came up for air, the next shoe dropped.  In the middle of fixing issues, handling complaints, getting quotes for AC work while trying to get to work on time, approving employee items, dealing with personnel concerns, and trying to shrink the rapidly growing list of action items, I get an email that our company has decided to hire someone for the position I was hoping to continue acquire.  I was hopeful that I would be able to move from interim to permanent in this position.

As Thursday morning rolled in, my focus shifted to disappointment at not being considered as the permanent replacement for my boss, and then it shifted to anger.  I was angry that I was not being considered for a position and no one could give me a straight answer why not.  I was also angry that I was told a few weeks ago that I was handling the transition well, but the new word is we needed someone else in the role.  

My deepest apologies to my Irmo crew, because only in hindsight could I see that I was not the most tolerable person by Thursday night.  I put on my best happy face, but I'm pretty sure my body language didn't say "I'm happy!"

Thankfully, this morning I hit this devotional link and realized that my problem wasn't the job, the employee requests, the repair quotes, the rain, the cold, or anything else.  Instead, the issue was that my focus was off.  

Sure, I was reading scripture all week, but on Friday morning I hit 1 Corinthians 13, Job 2:10, Psalm 95, and Esther 7-8.  As I read I realized that my focus was on what was happening to me, and not on the one who is able to make it all turn out for my good.  My focus was on the "threats and challenges" instead of the opportunities and hidden blessings.  I realized my focus was on anger and disappointment instead of on love; having love for myself and love for others.  Focus!  

With the wrong focus, all I could see were the issues, the problems, the frustrations, repair issues and the broken promises.  With focus I can see that this week was still blessed.  Without it - overwhelmed in despair.  With focus - overwhelmed by steadfast love, unending mercy, strong hope and the strength of His grace.  I only wish I could have remembered the reminder sooner: "Don't sweat the small stuff - and it's all small stuff! - NTC"

So, this week's word was focus and to end my week I want to focus on the blessings:

• Cassarra's band received great marks (excellent and superior) at the band festival
• Sydney will get an award for her work at the science fair
• I don't know what yet, but I will focus on the achievement and recognition
• Sydney's 5th grade class wrote and open letter to area businesses
• They want to fight homelessness
• They asked businesses to donate food, clothing, money, and etc
• Trish, Ava and Emma are all cold symptom free
• And no one else has gotten sick
• And other than fatigue we are all doing pretty good
• Gabbi's foot is doing much better and she is hopeful that she will get out of the boot
• The new YMCA opened adn Sydney and Paige joined me for a workout
• Free Chick-Fil-A on Monday
• Listening to laughter at home w/ Cassarra 
• She told funny stories describing March Madness and kids watching it at school
• Getting better quotes on the AC repair
• At least getting a no pressure quote was one blessing
• An opportunity to hear one sales person talk about Christ and prison ministry
• He saw the verse on the back of my truck and shared his faith
• He talked about the church prison ministry, and prayer ministry
• Gabbi was working hard on projects, study guides and improving her course work
• Cassarra stepped up and helped out with the girls
• Ice cream and leftover birthday cake
• Paige continues to show improvement with her health
• Free coffee from Starbucks on Sunday
• Being reminded to be positive
• Being reminded Tuesday - Thursday to be positive
• Finally getting it - hopefully, prayerfully!
• A great devotional on Easter, the meaning the history and the power
• Life, death and resurrection of Christ
• New Life, the Hope and Joy of Easter
• Crock-pot cook off at work on Friday
• My entry is "15 bean soup" with diced tomatoes, sausage and chicken
• The best entry so far was crock-pot hashbrown casserole 
• Enjoying the worship service and the message on Sunday
• Hearing the girls recite part of the sermon on Sunday and its application
• Feeling like a worship community again
• "I'm not tell you to touch and taste" - the quote from the Sermon
• Getting back in focus before work on Friday and praying I stay in focus 
• Deciding not to worry about the position at work
• Getting encouragement from some former co-workers that it will all workout for my good
• Meeting the actual candidate, who ironically, actually played basketball with me a few months ago
• Losing two close basketball games on Wednesday, but winning the last two in big fashion
• Filling out a bracket in the tournament challenge
• I'm clinging on to my 27.2% chance of winning
• Taking it with a grain of salt that several Cinderella team's spoiled my bracket (Thanks UCLA and GA State)
• Seeing pictures of the snow in Baltimore and being thankful that I don't have to shovel snow
• Although I wouldn't mind one snow day before summer
• Getting a chance to write again this week
• Working on a devotional
• Thinking up new poetry
• Pizza night was early this week
• A nice dinner last night with the family
• We made ranch turkey sliders on Hawaiian roles
• We (Sydney and I) had Tilapia fillets 
• And a great week always includes good dessert
• Cake & Ice Cream
• M & M's
• Warm Cinnamon Rolls
• Bomb Pop Popsicle
• A new era and phase at work that can bring new and better opportunities

I hope you had a good week.  Thanks for listening to me wrestle with understanding, faith, and worry.  And thanks for helping me always return to center - Christ.  I hope you were able to keep or get your focus back on the things that truly matter.  And I hope you spend your whole weekend focused on enjoying your loved ones, enjoying your friends and family, and enjoying time with the One who loves you best and most.  Have a great day and an amazing weekend.  And...

Welcome to Friday

With Love (& in triumph),
Cassius

God, when we feel like the rain is too much,

send us the Son.  

Show us how the rain will bring about new life, refreshment and blessings.

May our focus be steadfast on Your face

and the promises you have for us.

Amen.

Welcome to Friday Part I - 3.20.15

Hi Gabbi, Cassarra, Sydney, Paige, Ava and Emma:

Welcome to Friday!

How was your day?  How was your week?  What was the one exciting and special thing that you did this week?  What is the best thing you did for someone else this week?

My week was great and I thank each one of you for being the awesome and amazing group of kids that you are.  Keep laughing with each other, keep loving each other, and never ever stop caring about one another.

I just wanted to say a personal Welcome to Friday to you all, and to tell you that I love you deeper than the ocean, wider than the universe, higher than the most distant galaxy, and longer than eternity and infinity.  I hope you will always know how much you are loved!  Welcome to Friday, and let's make this weekend spectacular!

Welcome to Friday!

What kind of God?

---

John 3:16

For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.

---

Sometimes we have this thought in our head after the news story breaks about some abuse, violence, greed, or unthinkable atrocity: What kind of God let's this kind of suffering happen?  What kind of God lets mothers be abused to the point of taking their own lives?  What kind of God lets the vulnerable be taken advantage of, abused or treated inhumanely?  Or, the most troubling for us, what kind of God lets children be molested, beaten senseless, raped, abandoned, and even killed?

After a particularly brutal morning report I asked the same questions, and then God sent several verses my way, and I decided that I wanted to share some thoughts on what kind of God.

So, here is my take on what kind of God would let this happen?

1. The same kind of God who stood outside the tomb weeping and crying for Lazarus, knowing that he never intended life to be like this.
2. The same kind of God who touched lepers with tender compassion, touched a widows dead son, healed the sick, and fed the hungry.
3. The same kind of God who would walk dusty streets dealing with mobs, murderers, thieves, prostitutes, and bumbling followers without losing his cool and all while living with love and kindness.
4. The same kind of God who would send His Only, Holy, blameless,  righteous, and glorious Son to die for the sins of the whole world.
5. The same kind of God who intends to come back in power and might, victory and triumph and judge the sins of the wicked, wipe the tears of the righteous, and invite His children into an everlasting banquet.
6. The same kind of God who invites sinner and "saint" alike to freely come to him and receive the forgiveness they so desperately want, desperately need, and have no ability to earn.  
7. The same kind of God who "by grace" saves us "through faith" and genuinely and graciously invites everyone to freely come and receive the gift of life.
8. The same kind of God who created everything, and created mankind in His own image.
9. The same kind of God who wants nothing more than to save us, love us, and end all suffering and pain.
10. The same kind of God who saved this sinner and countless others.

Truthfully, we all need to be reminded that God has no desire to see the suffering of mankind, the death of innocence, and the prevalence of wickedness in our present world.  And He has done something about our fallen condition and fallen world by sending Christ.

God is still actively doing something about it through the body of believers, the body of believers in the church, and the witnesses who testify to the truth of the Gospel.

And God has promised that He will once again do something about it in the end.  In the end He will make all things right, all things beautiful, and all things new.  He will once again declare that everything is "good" and "very good".  

Hold fast to the God who loves the world more than the world will ever know, fathom, realize, or appreciate.   And ask the Holy, righteous, just, merciful, gracious, amazing, eternal, forgiving, Sovereign, Loving, mighty, everlasting, powerful, saving, redeeming, and Only God to help your hands, heart, head and feet to be a part of His transforming work and plan for redemption. And thank God for His power to work all things out for the ultimate good.

I dare you to believe that God is who He says He is, and that He can do all He says that He can do. If only you will believe!

God, rescue us from this fallen world.  We are your sheep and you are our Shepherd!

When evil strikes, prevail on our behalf and for your great glory.  

Now, and in the end restore the world with love and joy.  Amen.

Welcome to Friday 3.13.15

But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.  Psalm 79:13

Welcome to Friday

Praise God,  we are on the mend!  And thank God today is Friday.  Welcome to Friday!  I am so glad that today is Friday and that my family is on the mend and doing a lot better this week than we were last week.  I'll say it again and again, Trish is the bedrock, motor, super hero, best listener, wisdom giver, best schedule keeper, and most amazing person in our household.  She is fabulous and wonderful.  When she is doing well our house runs well, like a well oiled machine.  When she is not feeling well, I try to keep the house afloat; clean underwear, and food on the table and occasionally the extras.  Things are never, ever nearly as smooth under my watch.  For example, on my watch I was getting up to wash clothes to be worn for school that day.  On her watch, anyone washing clothes before school is either wasting money, or washing an outfit they (or their sister) wore earlier in the week and  wasting money.   On my watch, someone woke up and realized that I hadn't done their laundry.  I washed it, but didn't dry it.  

Anyway, how are you doing?  How was your week?  How are things going in your neck of the woods and with you and your loved ones?  I sure hope that you are doing well and that you had an outstanding week.  I hope you week was filled with many amazing and exciting things and a lot of wonderful memories.  I am praying that you are well and that you have a number of things to share with me about your week and your numerous blessings.  

As I said, I am so thankful that our crew is on the mend.  Emma, Trish, Ava and Sydney are all finally mending.  A few lingering coughs still exist, but no fevers and no whining.  I believe that the changing weather was seriously hampering our recovery efforts.  I know I was worried about getting a cold because I would go to work with a coat and then by lunch time, or time to come home, I would be in short sleeves.  It was interesting.  I was not expecting to have to turn on ceiling fans this early in the year.  Our upstairs was reading a steady 84 degrees earlier in the week and I couldn't believe it.  From a coat and hat, to a pair of shorts, and back to a coat and hat in a three day period seems crazy - until you realize its South Carolina.

All in all this has been a very good week at work and at home.  Work has flown by pretty quickly this week.  Our team had an outstanding planning session that only lasted one day.  We made great progress with the team and I learned a few new techniques with planning and team building.  I think it also helped the week go by quickly because I had a lot of new things to learn during the week and received a lot of help learning.  I had a couple of tense or tough moments during employee reviews, but nothing too hard or frustrating.

At home we had a week of joy, celebrations, and performances.  We have a prom date and I'm still not sure I'm cool with this.

Paige was singing with the 3rd grade chorus.  Paige's concert combined science, acting and song together.  They sang songs about scientists, rock formations, 3 stages of matter (solid, liquid, gas), tree, photosynthesis, and more.  They even had some cool dance moves in the 30 minute performance.  Paige had a couple of speaking parts and she nailed her lines.  

Cassarra had a pre-concert for their band festival this week too.  In fact it was on the same day as Paige's concert.  Paige, Ava, Sydney and I rushed from one school and jumped in the truck to make Cassarra's performance.  Cassarra's performance was supposed to start at 7:00, but we were still at Paige's concert at 7pm.  We made it to the high school at 7:10 and discovered that due to an A/C problem we were right on time.  The auditorium was hot and stuffy, but the band handled it well.  We enjoyed seeing Cassarra on stage and hearing the bands sounds.  We all recognized one of the tunes and observed and nodded to the rest.  

Emma continued our joyful week with her birthday celebration last night.  She turned 2 years old.  She is so funny and joyful.  At her doctor's appointment she rode the little toy horse and called out "Yee Haw!"  She had her check up and every thing was well.  At dinner, she barely ate.  Someone mentioned the magic words, and once she heard "cake," she put down her fork and waited for dessert.  We had cake and ice cream and she enjoyed every bit of both.  She even blew out her own candles with very little help from her sisters.  Of course it took several tries.

Sydney was at the region II science fair today.  She has really been amazing with her project.  She went through the school, district and now the regional science fair.  I am proud of her for sticking with it.  They will know more about awards later, but I'm sure she gain very valuable experiences that will last a life time.  

Ava enjoyed her week.  She has been looking forward to Emma's birthday and of course, Emma's birthday cake and birthday presents.  I'm not sure who played with the presents more yesterday, Ava or Emma.  I think it was probably Ava.  She took Emma's RC car and drove it up and down the halls of the house and around in the kitchen.  She even, get this, got angry when Emma tried to play with her own toy.  Now Ava is ready for her birthday.  Its going to be an interesting 3 month build up.

Gabbi is getting used to her walking boot.  It isn't her usual fashion statement, but hopefully it is helping her foot heal.  Who knew you could tear so much by stepping into a hole during a fire drill.  The orthopedist believes she has a tendon tear (or strain) and that it pulled off a little bit of bone.  She has two more weeks of the walking boot.  I told her that her calf muscles will be huge when this is all over.  She has a good spirit about it all and she has been helping out a lot despite the obvious inconvenience.

Trish is doing better.  I am hoping that we will be able to get in a coffee date sometime this weekend.  I am hoping that we can get some time to chat, laugh, and enjoy a break from the routine.  I think she is glad that the worst part of the cold is over and definitely glad that Emma and Ava are feeling better.  I know both of us will be glad when Emma feels well enough to sleep in her own bed the whole night.  Midnight kicks in the ribs, or pops in the face hurt.  And, those two are really tough customers when they are sick.  Emma has moved up to the #2 spot for "Worse sick person."  I think she should have moved to number 1.  

Well, I am grateful for Friday and thankful for many things including:

• Our health is on the mend
• The girls chipping in while Trish was sick
• Enjoying the basketball this week and winning a couple of games
• Watching the Friday night games for the high school championships last Friday
• Catching some exciting college hoops during the college tournament games
• USC winning last night (I'll take wins however we get them, and while we can)
• Spending time with the church at Manna Station and feeding nearly 100 people
• Sunday school class sessions with the kids were informative, funny, and joyful
• Paige's concert and her singing were outstanding
• The men's choir at church was phenomenal as usual
• Funny stories from friends and family
• A great dinner during Emma's birthday
• The excitement of watching Emma open her gifts
• The laughter that erupted as Ava, Emma, and Paige tried to wrestle over who plays with Emma's RC car
• Cassarra did well in her band concert even though it was super hot in the auditorium 
• Ava and Emma feeling better
• A great day of planning at work
• Encouragement from family and friends via email, text, and phone calls this week when I needed it most
• Standing up for a number of people at work
• Reminders of Hilton Head popping up in the truck and at home
• Getting a chance to share information about new opportunities with co-workers
• Being asked to be a part of a "Job shadow" program
• Spending time with Sydney at my job
• Hearing about who and how Cassarra was asked to prom

Well, I hope you are doing well.  I hope your list of great memories, and gratitude is long and a joyful reminder of how good God is.  Have a great weekend.  Enjoy yourself and spend time with those you love and all those that love you.  As always...

Welcome to Friday! 

ROM 15:13 ESV  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

With love (& in triumph),
Cassius 

Welcome to Friday - 3.6.15

Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: 

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Welcome to Friday

Good Morning!  The weather sure hasn't made up its mind in Irmo whether it will be hot or cold, sunny and warm or cloudy and cold.  But, no matter what is going on outside I know that today is going to be a great day.  Welcome to Friday!

So, weather aside, how are you doing?  How are things going for you and for those you love?  What have you been up to this week?  I hope the weather didn't keep you in doors all week, and I hope it didn't keep you down either.  Did you have a good week?  Did you get done what you wanted to get done, and if not, did you at least get done what needed to be done?  I hope that you are doing fantastic, not just good or well, but fantastic.  I hope that you had a great week so far and that you are prepared to enjoy and experience an end to the week that is simply superb.  

I had a really good week this week.  We have been battling some colds and aches, but all things considered it was still a good week.  The weekend was fabulous.  My niece Britanny came over and watched Ava and Emma while I took Trish out for lunch.  We had a marvelous time chilling out and relaxing on the day before her birthday.  We did a little window browsing, a lot of chatting, and a good bit of snacking and eating.  I was able to fix dinner and get dessert.  On Trish's birthday we all chipped in to try to make things special.  The smiles on Trish's face throughout the day and her laughter were worth every penny and every sacrifice.  Friends and family made it an outstanding day for her by calling or texting her throughout the day with birthday wishes.  Her friend Kesha dropped in for a surprise visit and her sister came up and spent time at the house.  We had an amazing cake from "Sweet Temptations Bakery" and ice cream after dinner.  The cake tasted even better than it looked.  All of the girls chipped in to decorate or make cards or flyers for her special day.  Trust me, seeing Trish smile and laugh was worth its weight in gold.  I was proud of the girls for getting in on the action and asking their friends and cousins to wish their mom a happy birthday.  Using Saturday as a jumping off point, the upcoming week was energized. 

Sunday was the second installation of our technology mini-fast.  We put up most of the electronics and turned off the television.  It was amazing to hear all of the conversations and stories that were imprisoned by that little blue screen or the big screen.  With no other distractions we had a number of funny and informative conversations.  Of course, with all of the quiet, I actually fell asleep a bit early, but not before hearing something about a boy, prom, and "Should I bring him to meet dad at dinner or when we go for ice cream?"  Please pray for me.  And while you are at it, you might want to pray for the boy too.  I just keep thinking of the Doritos commercial, where the little boy tells his mom's date to "Keep his hands off his momma!"  In my case, I'm thinking "Keep your hands off my daughter, and keep you hands of my daughter!" 

I am so thankful for the great and restful weekend.  It was just what I needed for this week.  I am so thankful that God gave us a great weekend, lots of time together, early bedtimes and good sound rest.  We have needed all the energy that we had stored up for this week.  The work week has been filled with challenges and preparation.  I have been in my new position for 3 months and this week was my first evaluation.  I was a bit nervous because of some hot button issues, but the review went well.  I was given a few training points, a couple of action items and some advice on filling the role well.  I was complimented for being willing to take on the challenge and being responsive.  Ironically, I was also warned about being too responsive.

The week at home has featured a few more challenges than normal.  The rest and the strength were definitely needed.  Sydney came down with a cold on Monday and Ava and Emma came down with one on Wednesday.  Gabbi's injured foot hasn't gotten better so she will have to go for more x-rays today.  Trish is not feeling well, and having the two babies pile in our bed at night isn't helping her get any rest either.  One night the two with fevers came into the room, plowed into the bed and tossed and turned for over an hour.  Fevers are hard on them because they really can't communicate as well as the older kids.  Their fevers are hard on us because they sleep all over the place and kick a lot.  I woke up one morning with sore ribs that are still sore.  

Speaking of older kids and communication, taking Sydney to the doctor was really funny.  At the doctor she opened up and cut jokes, laughed and talked about how things were going with her sisters.  She teased a bit about Cassarra and then started telling the doctor about symptoms she never mentioned to us. Even after we asked.  I told our doctor, maybe we should bring her every week so we can really hear what's going on.  He laughed.  Sydney winked and then smiled.  When we got home she said she forgot to tell us that she doesn't like eating lunch anymore at school.  This coming from the child who makes her own lunch :)

Last night, Sydney had an honor choir performance at Gabbi's high school.  She also had art work on display at the school, even though we couldn't find it when we looked last night.  She seems to be recovery nicely.  The choir was really good and Sydney sang very well.  Cassarra went to the concert and complimented Sydney and the strings ensemble that went on before them.

The rest of the crew has been chipping in and helping out while everyone else is a bit down.  Thankfully Paige, Cassarra and Gabbi are doing well.  They are all getting ready for the weekend celebration at the basketball arena.  They are looking forward to watching A.C Flora boys compete for a state championship.  They are also looking forward to hanging out with friends and other youth at the youth event that church puts on.

Well, I hope you are doing well and I hope that you have an amazing day and a wonderful weekend.  Enjoy the blessings and joy of family, friends and loved ones.  As always, I hope that you are blessed and thriving and that you are able to get rest this weekend.  

Welcome to Friday!

Psalm 61:1-4

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

May the Eternal and Everlasting God, the author and sustainer of life

give you wisdom and strength to thrive.

In the midst of your journey, may his light give you light and his

love hold you up.  

With love (& in triumph),
Cassius

Made for God

Augustine  prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

And so it is for you and me.  Our hearts find their truest purpose, purest rhythm and most satisfying rest when they are surrendered into the hands of God.

Welcome to Friday 2.27.15

The Eternal is known to belike a sturdy watchtower; those who do right flee to Him for protection.  Proverbs 18:10 (VOICE)

Welcome to Friday!

Welcome to Friday and welcome to the thrilling and exciting conclusion to another week.  I hope that you are braced, and filled with anticipation for the joy that will be coming your way this weekend.  How was your week?  How did things go for you and your family this week?  How are you doing and how are you feeling this week?  

I pray that things are going well for you this week and that you are doing very well and that you are feeling even better.  As the author of 3 John 1:2 says, " I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."  

So, every day this week the kids and I were on this amazing and hopeful winter weather watch.  We were all waiting for the snow, or waiting for a phone call announcing that schools were closed or delayed.  In the end, no such luck - as the kids said.  We did have some snow flurries on Monday morning.  Just as we stepped out to head to school the snow, sleet and rain began.  After about 30 minutes of driving to work, I was confident that I would hear the schools call to announce a closing.  However, after another 15 minutes the snow and freezing rain had dissipated.  In the end all I managed to get was just rain.  In the office everyone was discussing the cold and the lack of snow until a conference call with a co-worker in Rhode Island put it all in perspective.  He calmly said, "Its -7 here today, without the windchill."  On Wednesday night we were seeing the same predictions of winter warnings and a winter storm warning.  In fact I had a drive home through all of the winter weather mix.  At the office we had cold rain, then it moved to freezing rain, then sleet, and finally as I approached the house there was snow.  Alas, it did not continue.  There would be no making of snow angels, snowballs or snowmen like Olaf.  Did you get snow at your house?  Were you caught up in the cold and somewhat unpredictable weather?  

Besides being disappointed about the snow, this was a fantastic week.  The girls are doing well and they handled the disappointment pretty well.  The older two really wanted a day off from school.  I really wanted a day at home from work, but it turned out for the very best.  The house is bustling with a number of things.  Everything from picking out prom dresses, to picking up interim report cards.  The girls did well on interim report cards for the most part.  A few people could use a little bit of improvement in Spanish, Math, and History.  I know they are going to do well by the time report cards come out.  The work isn't too hard for them, its all a matter of habits, practice, focus and application.  I guess the same applies for me as well - even though I don't get an interim report card I will be getting a midterm evaluation next week.

Trish is working on another beautiful photo album and today we are going to spend sometime together celebrating her upcoming birthday.  I took the day off and it has been a blessing for me, so I hope Trish enjoys it as well.  I was able to surprise her for a change by keeping my vacation secret and returning home to surprise her with coffee.  It is so hard to surprise Trish.  She either finds out about me taking off ahead of time, or she make other plans and isn't home when I return.  I can remember one time when I came up with this elaborate breakfast and flowers plan.  I waited until the coast was clear, circled back to the house and began to clean up and setup the kitchen.  I rushed around and around and did everything to get my surprise ready before she returned from dropping off the girls at school.  After about 30 minutes I realized that Trish should have been back by now.  So, I tried to call without giving anything away.  "I'm at the mall," she said.  That plan busted.  Luckily for me, I timed it right this time and she was still at home and very surprised.  Her actual birthday is tomorrow, but with a group of kids and their social calendars I figured today could be our day and tomorrow we can celebrate in the midst of the weekend chaos.

Besides surprising Trish, I also surprised Ava and Emma.  They wasted no time helping me enjoy my time off.  We've already played hide and seek, talked up a storm, chased each other around, had breakfast and enjoyed snack time.   Emma is well aware that we share a common love for food so anytime I near the kitchen she usually draws near.  She was probably disappointed most of the morning, because I was cleaning up instead of cooking.  But at snack time I restored her faith in our common bond by sharing my snack with her.  

I hope you enjoy your day and that you have a wonderful and absolutely amazing weekend.  As always, may God bring you showers of blessings, fill you with joy, and pour out his grace upon you and your loved ones.  

My blessings and joy include:

• A 2 hour delay for schools on Wednesday morning
• Being able to take Friday off from work and getting my work items done in time so I can enjoy it.
• Being a part of an amazing family
• Loving parents and siblings
• Extended family who called and emailed this week to share laughs or good news
• Friends, especially those who remind me what "real" cold feels like
• Trish and her upcoming birthday
• Having a babysitter so I can take Trish to lunch
• Handling losing three games of basketball this week without getting angry
• Well - not very angry, mostly disappointed
• Enjoying time with Cassarra and Gabbi at Denny's on Tuesday night
• Pizza night - 6 words
• Hot bacon wrapped deep dish
• Awesome
• The pizza was worth the extra time on the treadmill
• Sydney and Paige being excited to see me after work on Thursday
• Ava and Emma playing hide and seek
• Sleeping late on Wednesday morning and Ava and Emma sleeping late too
• Sunday school class with the youth
• We talked about the dirtiest jobs and being a servant
• The kids were funny and very engaged
• A busy, but quick work week
• Working on a new devotional
• Pictures from places with real snow
• Laughter and lots of it
• Reading with Ava and Emma under the bed at bedtime 
• It started off as me hiding from them
• Of course Emma found me quickly, because she was trying to hide under the bed from me
• Ava nearly had a fit b/c she thought I had skipped out on the bedtime story
• Church family
• The many people who help us keep Ava and Emma occupied
• Especially for the goodie bag of books, plush toys, and candy
• Learning some neat tricks with computers this week
• A new programming language
• Some new shortcuts for routine tasks (copy, paste, and startup)

Welcome to Friday!

 

Divine Healer, grant us renewed health, strength, and joy.  

Loving Creator, help us to feel your love and your goodness.

Eternal KIng lead us in the ways of justice, mercy and grace.

Gracious Shepherd, watch over us and protect us.

Dear God, bless us beyond our imagination and comprehension because you alone are wonderful!

--- Cassius Rhue 

"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'" (Job 28:28)

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