An Afternoon With the Mad Crafters!

Yesterday was most lovely! We met with some of our dear friends to make candles . . . and had a marvelous time. I've had requests to post the pictures here on my blog, so here they are! :)

We had to start out by chopping up the cow fat. Yes. Cow fat. It was not so delightful to smell, I have to say . . . It was pretty stinky!

Aren't our Mommies beautiful? My Mom said to Mrs. Coarse as they were chopping, "girl, you handle that fat well!" I'm not sure she quite heard how wrongly that came out. ;)

Yes - Very stinky. Tiffany's face says it all!

Next, we had to put the stinkiness into these tin cans . . . and melt it. Let the candle making begin!

Lilly and Liberty. They are such dears! Look at them in those little aprons!

Thankfully, we added a vanilla scent to it once it started melting down. It was no longer stinky!! In fact, it smelled rather nice.

Thank goodness for Tinker Toys! Remember those from little kid days?? We used them to tie the candle wicks around in order that it might be easier to dip them in the wax.

Here's Lillie's wick!

Our candles each turned out very . . . uniquely. To say the least. Mica's was rather . . . . Chubby. ;)

Mrs. Limon had a brilliant idea to hang the candles on the rose bushes to dry.

Here's some pictures of the kids (and grown ups!) having some fun:

A very fun time!

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful weekend.

~Lauren Lee =)

Oh Yes . . . He Can Have "That Look", Too!

I've often (attempted to) hold a staring contest with my sister. Whoever smiles first, loses.

I always lose.

She can crack me up without even trying. It's that look. It's some mysterious little giggle-prompter she's been blessed with or something - But no matter what I do, I can't keep a straight face!

The last month has been hard. I'll be honest. Between problems with my Dad, problems with my friends, problems with a friend's family, and problems that I have yet to pinpoint . . . my life has been a whirlwind. As you could tell from a couple posts ago, quite a few emotions have been stirring about in my heart. But no matter what my mood is . . . I can sometimes see God peeping around the corner with "that" look on his face. The look that can crack you up. The look that can cheer you even when you're at the bottom.

The same look Tay gives me, that I can't stay serious with for the life of me!

God definitely has a sense of humor. :) It catches me off guard, and adds fun to my life in those times when there would be . . . none. I read a cute story on a blog the other day, here it is:

Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc., but the kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and pulled it until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten.

And that’s what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten.

Unfortunately, as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!” and the kitten instantly sailed through the air and out of sight!

The pastor felt terrible! He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. Nobody had spotted the poor little guy, so the pastor prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,” and went on about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food … the woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”

The woman replied, “You won’t believe this,” and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the woman finally told her, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”

She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get down on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her!”

Never underestimate the power of God and His unique sense of humor!

He really does have such a fun sense of humor . . . . I see it in my own life all the time. Isn't it fun how God is interested in such little things of life?? I love how personal He is!

Who said the Christian life was boring?! It can be a real crack-up sometimes. Pay attention . . . and you just might see "that" look on God's face. :)

~Lauren Lee

From the Universe to My Backyard

A huge explosion lit the sky. Magnetic forces started to form, and matter was brought together . . . I can only imagine what it must have truly been like. I've heard people wish they could've been there when the world was created . . . but, I don't! I would've been terrified. It was God's awesome power and inventiveness on display for all of heaven - I would've been paralyzed out of pure fear. I'm content to read from Genesis! Out of darkness, came light. Beautiful, wonderful light - in an instant. The creation story has been stereotyped and cliched, and nowadays people seem to simply pass it off. But when we really stop to think about it, WOW what an event! What a display of His majesty. I bet it was scary.

Creation, the beginning, the form for all that was to come, changes our view of everything. It certainly changes our view of God. It seems like nowadays we're always focused on ourselves. What can God do for us? He is suddenly turned into a genie who will have an exclusive relationship with our souls, for our benefit. The creation story, for me, is a slap in the face. Look at this world! Look at the power, the glory, the genius that went into this earth. He is to be feared.

Such power, glory, majesty . . . Why would he want anything to do with me?

I've always had a thing about stars. I've probably written about it here, on this blog, before. But I'm fascinated by them. It's no rare thing to find me in my backyard at night, with a blanket and a pillow - completely in awe of the wonders stretched above me. This is God's very own creation.

Every time, God breaks my heart.

Because I realize - He loves me, in His greatness, even when He has no reason to.

A couple of days ago, I couldn't get to sleep. That day had been hard for me - I snapped at my sister and my mom, my literature class which I usually love, brought me to the brink of tears - and I was desperately missing some close friends. Things going on in my life that I just ask "why", Lord? Why are you letting this happen to me? Haven't I gone through enough?? What good could there possibly be, in this?? I knew I needed an attitude adjustment . . . So I grabbed my blanket and headed outside. Mom and Tay were long asleep, along with the rest of the neighborhood. So I spread out in the backyard, and looked up at the sky.

Then, again, my heart broke.

Typical. ;)

I always "knew" it, but that night, this truth really hit me hard: He doesn't just have "something to do" with me . . . But he wants a relationship with me. He wants to be my Father. I am special to Him. It feels so good to be wanted, by the One who spoke everything into existence. Doesn't it? Looking up at the stars, I saw heaven proclaim the glory of God. And even though I'm so small, and this world is SO huge . . . He does care about me. He sees me looking up at his universe, right now . . .

That night overwhelmed me, because I felt God as both the majestic creator of the universe, and yet as my own, dear, loving father - at the same time. Yes, I sometimes wish I could have those special father-daughter moments with an earthly dad . . . something I've never had. But I had a special father-daughter moment that night :) I felt His presence, sitting next to me in my own backyard. He's awful good at making you feel loved.

He's a pretty good artist, too.

We have an amazing God, don't we?

"The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims the work of his hand." ~Psalm 19:1

~Lauren Lee

Days Like This . . .

. . . Require brownies. My heart hurts, and my thoughts and few and far between. Usually, I write when I'm depressed . . . I write to get it all out there. Unfortunately, I have so many conflicting emotions, that I'm not sure what to write; I just can't seem to pinpoint which emotion I'm going through right now. Depression, and joy. Frustration, and love. Impatience, and contentment. Darkness ready to strangle me, and hopefulness that shows me light - all wrapped up into one huge brownie craving (the two things that make life bearable - Jesus and brownies. Please do not argue the theology of that statement). So! I am going to post an original, unique, and DELICIOUS recipe for the best brownies you've ever eaten.

1 Box of "just add water!" brownie mix.

Oh . . .

And the water. Of course.

Undercook them like Mrs. Pickering does, and you'll have the most delicious comfort food in the WORLD!! For those of you who know me, you know that I'm not really the most amazing cook . . . But I can sure bake boxed brownies like nobody's business. :P Now that we have our brownies . . . .

Depression, and joy. Frustration, and love. Impatience, and contentment. Darkness ready to strangle me, and hopefulness that shows me light.......

About a week ago, Taylor came into my room sobbing. She was broken, she said, over her sin. Last night, it hit her, that her standing before a perfect and holy God was so insignificant, but yet - her Lord cared for her eternity. She felt such sorrow, over her human nature. The almighty God of Heaven had worked in her heart.

This morning, Mom, Tay, and I sat on the couch, considering the greatness of the gospel. And what joy comes with it. The true happiness, and love for life, that only comes to man when filtered through the fingers of God. What a contrast, when compared to the night before. Tay had found such joy in the morning - after experiencing such sorrow, the night before.

Sometimes I feel like a bipolar Christian.

Emotions, we've found, aren't mutually exclusive. I can feel love, but I can also feel pain. I can feel insecure, and yet feel confident. Guilty, but freed. Scared and fearful, but courageous. As christians, our human emotions will always be "at odds" with the joy we know has been given to us by God.

Today, I feel depressed. Like a broken record played over and over . . . I feel like I've gone through this a million times. Circumstances have a way of weighing you down, until you fall and hit the bottom with a crash. I think I've crashed . . . And with the crash, comes pain . . . so much pain. But - that's a human emotion. Inside, I'm joyful. Because, I'm cherished by my Father, the perfect God of heaven. There is no reason to despair, when your suffering is so little compared to what the King of Glory went through, in your place.

Today, I feel frustration. I'm tired of the way people work, they way they think, the way they act. As a dear friend told me the other day, "people are NOT ok." And yet, no matter how frustrated I am with the world, and how unloved I can trick myself into thinking I am, I am loved. I have love that never ends, instilled inside of me. A love that truly blows my mind.

Today, I'm impatient. I wish I could have my way, now. Have you ever felt that way??

Though I have bursts of "Aghs!" I know that each season in life has it's purpose, and this is mine. I have a purpose. And it's perfectly ordained by God. Contentment. accepting what God has planned, without saying, "but but but . . . I want it now."

Today, darkness has 'bout strangled me. I'm scared, I feel alone, and frightened. But am I left to face these things alone? Have I been pushed into the abyss of uncertianty with nothing to give me comfort?

No.

I wear the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-17). Hey! I have the armor of God. Who, or what, shall I fear??

All these emotions run together, mixing and matching, in no particular order. God has created us to have fears and insecurities, so that we can run to him. Yes, it is possible to be afraid, but confident, at the same time. To be joyful, yet indescribably sad. It's confusing to feel so much at one time - but it's also understandable in light of our Father, who comforts us as we are.

He cares for broken hearts (ps. 51:17). . . I will let mine rest in Him.

~Lauren Lee