Being a "Star Student" and creating masterpieces...

This was a very important week for Ellie at school.  She was the "Star Student" which gave her all kinds of important special activities this week.  She has had "George" (pictured above) home with her and he came with a journal and special books to read.  Today George returned to school.  Ellie has gotten to bring a special poster with pictures of her, create special art work, bring her favorite books to read, a special "Show and Tell" item, and bring pictures of her family.  Yes, this has been a very special week for Ellie.  Even though Lia was home sick from school yesterday and today, Ellie has very willingly gotten on that bus and gone to school.  She is one happy Kindergartner.  So I had Lia today in addition to Zeke and Anna.  She was feeling so much better today but was still not okay to return to school (24 hours on antibiotics), so she mostly played with Zeke!  They asked to paint and I happily agreed.

I love how much concentration Zeke is showing in this picture.  Note his tongue!  It was a very quiet hour with Anna sleeping.  And there were several masterpieces when the painting was over.  

I was thinking about Ellie's Star Student title.  It is always so good to be recognized.  To stand out from the crowd and have others get a better idea of who you are.   I love that we are ALL "Star Students" to Jesus.  He wants to know exactly what is important to us.  He likes to hear all about what is happening in our world.  And he wants to know about the things that we love.  Yes, it gives me a really good feeling to know that I am a special "student" to Jesus. Really, isn't that what "Disciple" means?   The Webster definition is "a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher".  So this does fit.  More than that, I know that Jesus is just waiting to see all of those special masterpieces that we create.  He has empowered us and gifted us with "Divine Intelligence". And I know that there are many new and amazing things that will be coming forth from the body of Christ.  New inventions, new ideas, new plans, new ways of doing things........ I truly believe that we will be seeing these things in the days ahead.  I love knowing that it doesn't matter who you are, you are important enough to be a "star student" to Jesus.  Now I confess that as of right now, I don't have a "masterpiece" or a new idea to share.  But the most important thing is that I am expecting that it will be my turn!  

Sometimes you just have to believe and have faith. So I will continue to look forward to hearing about all the new things that are happening with the body of Christ.  And I will also be looking forward to my turn.  

Jesus thank you for your great plan for us to learn and grow as we follow you.  Thank you for the gift of our creative ideas and talents to bring forth masterpieces and inventions that can transform our world.   Holy Spirit, I love that you do not leave anyone out, that we all have been given the mind of Christ.  Keep us all expectant and open to thinking outside of all we know.  Thank you for children who create without thinking!  Help us all to be like little children.  Amen

Being amazed today....by the creation AND the creation of men!

So once again Ken planned a trip to take some pictures.  We started off the day looking for a place that did not exist! The internet does not always provide accurate information, as we all know.  So we drove to a spot about 30 miles from home, looking for a covered bridge.  There was no bridge to be found.  Apparently the site is in Oregon not Illinois!  So we headed for another spot that Ken had selected.  The photo above is one of my favorites from today. I loved the random placement of this leaf on the bridge.  Such a beautiful part of God's creation.  It was a much better weather day today - the sun was shining, it was warm and breezy.  Instead of waiting in the car (which I did yesterday), I actually walked around the entire park we visited.

The place we visited was the I & M Canal Passage in what was once Aux Sable Illinois. This amazing man made canal was built entirely by hand from 1832 until it was completed in 1848.  Here is a bit of what I found on line about this canal....

The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. It ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Portage and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era. It was opened in 1848, its function was largely replaced by the wider and shorter Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.

Did you see this?  This canal helped establish Chicago as the transportation HUB of the United States. And those 96 miles were all created by men.  This sign in the picture above, talked about the Irish immigrants who worked on the construction of this waterway.  Quite a big deal in the 1830's.  At the location that we visited today, the canal actually runs OVER another river!  They build an aqueduct that carried the canal over another flowing river.  

This is a picture from underneath the aqueduct.  Really very amazing.  How amazing and creative were the men that designed and then built this 96 mile canal.  How wonderful that this canal has been preserved so that we can still appreciate it today.  I recently blogged about the revelation that during the next year,The Holy Spirit will be releasing "Divine Intelligence".  You know, those new and innovative creative ideas that will bring about changes that will reveal the power and presence of the Jesus to the world.  I get so excited when I consider what is ahead.  I truly believe that right now, there are people out there with creative ideas that will change medicine, technology, travel.... really everything.  It is not hard to imagine how much things can change the world when you consider this blog....the internet....the World Wide Web.  Even just 30 years ago, this seemed impossible.  I am so thankful for the advances in technology that allow the Word of God to travel around the world with just a click of a send key.  And that increases my excitement as this Divine Intelligence begins to manifest.  I just can not wait!   

Jesus, thank you for the beauty of your creation that was all around me today!  Thank you for this amazing historical site that reminded me that you are in charge of divinely inspired ideas that change the world.  Holy Spirit, keep us all open to the new and seemingly impossible ideas that you give to us.  Thank you for your plans and destiny for all of us.  Amen

When things seem to be not quite done......

So our house transformation is underway.  We love the new color and the windows are simply amazing.  There is still a bit of work to do but we can begin to see how wonderful it will be once it is completed.  I am so thankful for an amazing contractor.  And we have been blessed with really good weather.  As a matter of fact they were predicting an 80% chance of rain for today.  As you can see from the photo it was a clear blue, picture perfect day today.  What a blessing!

As I mentioned earlier this week, I also feel a bit like I have been undergoing a personal transformation.  Appropriately, I feel that there is still quite a bit more work to do before I feel fully "new".  Yes, I feel a bit like my house looks.  There is a part of the house that has been stripped bare and is exposed to the elements.   Since Saturday I have been reflecting on so many of the routines and habits that I have fallen into that needed to be stripped away.  I needed to have my inner voice totally changed.  The good news is that I have a clear plan that was laid out before me on Saturday night.  There were clear steps to take to begin to move into that new place.  The last thing from Saturday night was an impartation of "Divine Intelligence".  It is with this new way of thinking that we will be able to SMILE AT THE FUTURE and SOW SEEDS THAT MULTIPLY INTO AN AMAZING HARVEST.  In fact, that is the key to these messages.  We need to have the mind and thought process of Jesus in order to walk out that mandate.  In this season  he is pouring out this divine intelligence that will enable us to know exactly what seeds to sow and where to sow them.  Additionally we will be given new and creative ways to complete the harvest.  And when we are thinking in this new way, we will be smiling at the future,

So while I know that something extremely important happened within me, I feel a bit like our house looks right now.  The good news is that everything is in place - already purchased to finish our house project.  The rest of the siding is sitting on the driveway.  The garage is full of all the "stuff" that is needed to complete this project.   And I know that I have everything I need within me!  It was already purchased by Jesus on the cross.  And it was delivered to me through the Holy Spirit.  So even though it may LOOK like the project is not going along very well, the TRUTH is that everything is fine!  As a matter of fact the really good news is that when God looks at me, he sees the finished product.

Jesus, thank you for this reminder that even when I am critical of myself, you see so much more.  What a great picture you have presented to me with my home repairs!  Thank you for speaking to us in our everyday stuff.  Thank you for bringing this message as a reminder to us that you are imparting a new way of thinking for all of us for this new season.  Holy Spirit, help us see how equipped we are through Jesus.    Amen