Never A Dull Moment

Emotion (noun) - A natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.      I always thought I was pretty stable when it came to emotions.  In fact, I've been kind of proud of the fact that I wasn't one of those roller coaster kind of person when it comes to controlling my emotions. And then, I hit my mid 30's. And I have days that I want to run over somebody or just sit home and watch sappy, tear-jerker movies.      For work, I periodically have to take training courses that the company offers online.  There's a wide selection covering different topics. I had heard a manager friend talking about "Emotional Intelligence" and decided I would take an easy one. I knew I had that one "in the bag." Three days and several retakes later (around 14), I finally passed the quiz with an 86! Apparently, I'm not as emotionally intelligent as I thought.      Today, ...

Hi world! Yes, we are still alive and kicking over here. . . Wish I had some incredibly exciting news to share - like we just got back from deep sea fishing or a trip to Africa. Unfortunately, or fortunately, we've just been living life. We survived/enjoyed our annual Women of Excellence conference. It was hosted at our church this year - and although it was a huge amount of work, we were able to move forward on some construction projects and the Lord came through in some miraculous ways. Plus, it was a LOT of fun! The very next weekend was opening day of Little League baseball season and my 37th birthday. We have not stopped having all of The Fun. . . Actually, I'm still milking the birthday treats since we were so busy that weekend. Trying to schedule a pedicure and I still have a little bit of shopping money to spend! My kids are spring breakin' it this week - and I'm trying not to be jealous as I tiptoe out of the house in the morning to keep from waking the ...

Once upon a time, two ladies prepared for tea.  The smallest of the two played the part of hostess and laid out her fine china. Many lovely delicacies were brought out with the tea. The two ladies were dressed in their finest jewels and had their hair adorned in the most becoming way. Their dainty pink purses hung across their dainty arms. They gathered young babies and fed them with great care.  The babes were cleaned, bathed and put to nap in the cozy beds nearby. The two ladies were having such a grand time that they decided to invite others to join them in their tea.   The gentlemen neighbors were promptly invited to tea, but alas, they had a prior engagement (helping small frogs jump across the road).  Upon returning to their tea, the ladies met an unfortunate circumstance! They were attacked by a flock of angry birds!  The prettiest little lady adamantly declared "there's no angry birds having tea!" When the two ladies were safely seated back at th...

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors." Luke 2:14 That's the message of the angels as they appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Jesus. Peace to all whom God favors.  Wow!  How do I get added to that list?! The notes at the bottom of that page in my Bible also word it like this "peace on earth for all those pleasing God." Oh that this would be a season of rejoicing with the angels in heaven! My spirit is in full rejoice mode - but my soul and my flesh lean more toward the busyness of this Christmas.  May our heart's cry be like David's in Psalm 84:2 - "I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God."  I will take time this season.  Time to rest, time to laugh, time to be with my family - but most importantly, time to shout joyfully to the living God. . . "HE IS HERE! Glory to God!" And in that...

Today is my mother's birthday - Happy Birthday Mom! So, to honor her, I would like to share with you all some quotable quotes from life in the Crowder household.  I owe all my mothering gifts to my mom - and I'm not being silly - she's been a great example! "Because I said so!" Yes, I use this one too. "I don't want to hear another word out of you.  Do you hear me?  Answer me!" This one brought on much laughter afterwards. In response to my whining about why I had to do some housework- "Why do you think I had kids? So I could have some help around here." When heading out to the store and both my sister and I wanted to go - "One of you is moral support, but the second is hassle." And then we would argue over who was who. When walking through Wicks and Sticks (remember that one?), we had to have our hands behind our backs with our thumbs tucked into the palm of the other hand so as not to touch anything. After going through ...

I think it's safe to say. . . I've. Been. In. A. Funk. Dragging, Knocked down - but not out, Been whooped, Beat up, Kicked around, Wallowing, Not in a good mood. Surprised? I know, I'm supposed to be the nice one - always smiling and sunshiney. Keeping things running smoothly.  Ever the peacemaker. But I'm not feeling it.  At least not lately. So, what am I going to do about it? Well, for starters, I'm not going to listen to the lies anymore.  You know the ones.  The ones that come through your mind when things aren't the way you think they should be. The ones that make you question things like your job, your ministry, your spouse, your family, your world. . . I'm going to kick back.  I'm going to walk/run/push until I can feel/see/taste/smell a change - especially in my attitude.  I'm going to pray harder than ever.  I'm going to speak the truth - quote the Word. Do everything to stand and stand firm! I'm going to take time for myself...

My Daddy used to sing a song in church - I don't remember all the words, but I remember the chorus. "He's been faithful, faithful and true." This week, we're having VBS every night at our church. I had set my sights on potentially having 40 kids. I figured we would have around 25 and maybe we could encourage the kids to bring friends. The first night, we had 42 kids! We have had great adult volunteers who are excited to be there.I know that some incredible things are going to happen this week in these kids lives! I can't wait until tomorrow's lesson in learning to trust Jesus! I'm so thankful because I know that we couldn't do any of this in our own strength but He is making all things possible! The only way that any of this is possible is because He's been faithful. Faithful and True!