on rice

Sometimes our pastors make us do some crazy stuff.

Like the time he announced our huge church garage sale. Except that we were NOT to bring our junk. Instead, we were to bring that "one special treasure" in our life...to sell for the needy.

I actually had a little internal battle on that one.

The nonconformist on my shoulder whispered, "you don't really have to listen to every little thing your pastor says...he's just a man...not God", vs the little angel on my other shoulder "the fact that this is such a hard decision for you means you are holding on too tight and idolizing that treasure."

And on and on 'we' debated, until the more 'we' debated, the more I realized I needed to let that treasure go!

Or the time we were instructed to leave our nice shoes at church next week and walk out barefoot. Good old barefoot Sunday.

So when my pastor announced that he had a 'little something' he wanted our congregation to do, my first thought was "Oh crud! I'm wearing my fav new toms. He's gonna ask me to leave them and walk out barefoot today". Hahahaaaaaa.

But no. He did not ask me to leave my toms.

Instead, he held up a bag of rice.

And presented a challenge.

We were to eat this rice for one entire day that week. 
And the money saved on our regular food for the day, we were to bring back to church next Sunday.
Along with $1.50 per bag of rice consumed.
This money would help feed the Haitians, who considered these bags of rice as gifts from heaven. Like steak.
Each bag fed them 6 meals.
If 2000 people in our church did this for 1 day we would feed 2000 Haitians for 16 days. 

Yowzas. We are piggies.

"We don't just want your money. We want you to eat this and ask yourself "Is Jesus worth it to me to deny myself?", our pastor said. Our sermon that day was from Luke 9:23

"...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me"

Our pastor continued, "And eating this rice for a day does not make you a super Christian or mean you even have an inkling of what it means to deny yourself!"

"Oh and one more thing" Pastor Jeff said. "This rice doesn't taste good."

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

We grabbed 6 bags of rice for our family of 6 and went home.

"Let's start at lunch today and finish by tomorrow for breakfast", John said.

The {recovering}perfectionist in me protested "No! I think we are supposed to do it all on the same day!"

But since John is the leader of our house, I went along with it.

I didn't think it would be that hard. But I was aware that I was going to be inconvenienced by this rice deal. I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. I'm a bit of a pansy and often wilt when it comes to food. I couldn't even make it though a 12-hour fast to get my cholesterol checked. At 4 am I caved and ate pb&honey.

But this was different. I had rice to eat, which was fortified with vitamins and soy.

And I was secretly thrilled I didn't have to think about what to make for dinner that night!

So for lunch Sunday we cooked up 2 bags of rice. John looked at me pathetically and asked, "can we add sausage?" to which I shouted "NO!"

Our first bowl of rice tasted just fine.



And I might have felt the tiniest amount smug that I thought the rice tasted ok. "I'm used to eating rocks and sticks", I thought .

You know what they say. Pride comes before the fall.

I looked at our pot of leftovers. "Did it multiply?" I asked John, feeling a bit disgusted.


I ran some errands that afternoon. Walking out of Home Depot I passed a taco stand and smelled the most delicious smell in all the world. (Those tacos are going on my bucket list. Today I realized I have no bucket list. Do you?)

I was getting hungry. And just knowing I wasn't allowed to eat those tacos made me crave them all the more! I never wanted tacos from a food stand ever before! For the first time, I realized, this rice thing was really hard.

I went home and cooked just 1 bag for dinner.

Libby joined us for moral support. "Thank you Jesus for this rice".


I ate as much as I could stomach and started to feel a little sickened by the chunks of soy and strange seasonings. Everything tasted a bit off, shall we say? What I wouldn't do for some plain white rice with soy sauce, I thought.

I mechanically chomped my jaws up and down, willing myself to eat it. And I thought of the days as a kid where my dad made us say "Yum Yum Delicious!" when we complained about food.

Even with 1 bag of rice, we still had leftovers.


"We should feed this stuff to our inmates in prison!", John declared.

"The crime rate would go down instantly", we joked.

Even the poorest of America would probably scorn this rice.

Barefoot Sunday...Treasure Sale...Dragging 4 boys to Mexico for 4 days...these were all a piece of cake compared to eating this rice/soy mush.

That night I went to bed feeling depressed that I would have to wake up to this rice again. But, "Yes Jesus. You are worth this. Thank you for giving us this rice to eat."

I couldn't believe how much food effected my mood! I felt so pathetic that all my joy in life had evaporated that night at the thought of eating the rice for breakfast.

"I'm so spoiled", I thought. "So, so spoiled."

>>>>>>><<<<<<

That morning, John made Finn and Cal rice and I dropped them off at school.

Back at home, I prepared rice for Ollie, Twain and myself.

Ollie looked ghastly pale and was laying on the floor.

As I cooked this rice, my stomach turned. I was determined to finish. We had come this far.

Twain walked around crying for peanuts and raisins. "No honey, we are having rice one more time", I said calmly.

And Twain just stood there with his mouth open and bawled.

And my heart just ached. Not for Twain but for the Haitian mothers and all mothers of this world who have to stand by helpless and watch their children cry from actual starvation.

Me and my kids are so spoiled.

From Ollie's room I hear a strange noise of gagging and retching. Apparently he just barfed all over the carpet.

As I rushed to grab cleaning rags, the phone rang. "This is Finn" I hear a small voice say. "I'm at the nurse's office and my stomach hurts really bad. Can you get me?"

"I'll be there soon honey", I answered and hung up.

We picked up Finn and grabbed Calvin too, just in case he started throwing up too.

Back at home, I poured myself a {small} bowl of rice, eyeing it suspiciously. Later that day Twain had diarrhea. I have no idea if we had a random bug or if it was the rice, and honestly it doesn't matter.

I learned such a valuable lesson from this rice experiment.

That,
I am spoiled.
I am so so grateful for the food I eat every day and will never take it for granted again. Seriously every bite of food I've had since the rice tastes like a wild taste sensation.
And I never ever want to see this rice again!

We still have 2 bags left. Any takers?


Ollie has his bag stashed on his bed shelf for safekeeping. Such a hoarder.

I really wanted to save the final bag for the potluck at our church camping trip at the end of the month. John said No.

I have no idea what else is gonna come from this rice experiment but it made a huge impact on us and our church. The conversations I've had in the days since rice, have been completely hilarious yet awesome. We are bonded for life over rice. If you ever get a chance to do something like this, do it! It was worth it. Jesus is worth it.

Has your church or organization ever done anything like this?

lord of the flies.

In this week's breaking news, Calvin Jack, rises to leadership as lord of the flies!

Born in opposition to the ding-dong-ditchers of our neighborhood, this rag-tag crew of children (seen above) have formed their own secret little society. Lord of the Flies, if you will(Lord of the Flies is a novel about British boys left on an island to govern themselves and the results were disastrous). I think the ding-dong-ditchers are the older neighborhood boys up the street or around the block, but I am not 100% sure, having never seen them, but only heard them ringing our door bell. These ding-dong-ditchers are also allegedly responsible for the stealing and dismantling of our next-door-neighbor's bike.

Initially our little lord of the flies were busy making weapons to set traps to defend their turf, but thankfully Mrs. Patty(Jordan's mama)caught wind of their schemes and shut down that operation, instantly. Our kids are strictly forbidden to use weapons on other children, FYI. This is a great opportunity to teach our kids to love their enemies and turn the other cheek. However. This does not mean they have to sit around cowardly, shaking in their boots. If they want to stand up for and defend those who are getting bullied, then I will let them do so. Not with weapons though.

And so, we allow our children to meet and 'train' under our supervision.

There is a definite pecking order in this group.

Jordan(10, almost 11), the eldest,  has been the natural leader of this pack. And thank goodness for that. Jordan is an awesome example. He is always polite to  his elders("Please, May I,  Mrs. Davi" and , "Thank You" and "Your welcome Mrs. Davi"). Such a sweetheart. Last week when he was over for dinner, he prayed for our supper, and for all the starving children in Africa. And he is very kind to ALL of my boys.

Next in pecking order is Finn(age 9)
Followed by Libby(age 9)
Calvin(7)
Ty(6)

Jordan has been the leader all this time. But their custom is to allow a challenge of leadership each month. Typically nobody dares challenge Jordan's leadership.

Except for this month. This month, {pipsqueak}Calvin wanted to challenge Jordan.


Which is quite shocking, really. Calvin is very sweet, laid back, mellow and compliant. So truly, I didn't know he had it in him, to make such a challenge.


He decided to wrestle Jordan for the position of #1 and he actually won. For reals.

Jordan told his mom that he didn't let Calvin win. Calvin beat him fair and square--and is now leader of the group for the entire month!


As leader, Calvin is in charge of their physical training sessions. And the funny thing is, they all actually obey him. Jordan says that Calvin is a good leader. Calvin is laid back and reasonable. Which oddly enough, can make for a good leader. Even older brother Finn must submit to his authority.

So, what do they do in training?

Push-ups.

Jumping jacks


Rolling


Wrestling.



And their newest training method involves the practice of camoflouging in the wilderness.

Finn in his green shirt, blending with the green grass.


Ty is blending with the tree. From afar, I could scarcely see him.

 I mean, he is practically as good as Peeta.


And really, theses kids are all sweet as pie.



Just don't go ringin' our doorbells, or you will awaken the beast.

My boys might be small and twerpy, but have proven to be quite scrappy and fierce when provoked. In a group, of course.

And to be quite honest, I had very limited knowledge of my children's intents when they started their secret society. Yes, I knew they were all jazzed up about the ding-dong-ditchers. And that our kids spent a lot of time playing and pretend fighting with their neighbors. I did not know initially that they were wanting to set traps and take on the ding-dong-ditchers. Why not? I was too busy wiping Twain's tush 500 times a day and taking care of Ollie's needs. And honestly, it was so nice being blissfully ignorant and getting a break while I thought my boys were playing so "nicely". Ha.

But now, I have wised up.

I need to keep a more watchful eye on my older kids. Just watching them from the window doesn't count. 
I need to listen to what they are talking about and ask them what they are up to.
And talk to the other moms in the neighborhood and compare notes.

Yes, I would totes spy on my kids. 

If it's this bad in the elementary years, I cannot even fathom the teen years. So glad that I'm aware of how unaware I have been.  Time to step it up.

change

Here are a few thoughts swirling around my head this friday...
Sometimes things change.
Like all of a sudden.
For instance, when I got the news that the lovely Megan{Beneath the Surface} was moving to my town, in 5 days, I was doing the happy dance. I couldn't believe this wild unexpected blessing!

I first met Megan through blogging. In reading through her posts, I instantly fell in love with her and dreamed that one day we would be friends IRL(in real life).
And then I met her at Barbie's baby shower(another awesome girlie in this town). Megan was every bit as sweet, gracious and beautiful as her blog persona. In fact, even better.

And then last month, by some miracle, she moved here!!!
Megan is one of the classiest girls I've ever met.
One day I hope to be more like her. I'm hoping she rubs off on me.
Her words are always soothing, grace-filled and life-giving. And she's fun and funny. And real. And honest. And strong.
She is grace under pressure.
And I cannot even believe the Lord has been so kind and gracious to put her in my life. So thankful.
Looking back over my life, I have come to realize that life and friendships are always full of change.
Sometimes friends suddenly move away, and I'm left with the aftermath of the void.
Been there, done that.
Just ask Lorie. When Ally and Ellie moved, we mourned a long time.
Yet God has always been so faithful to provide new faces for us to love.
And sometimes, friends just slowly drift apart...into a new season of life...without you...leaving you in that same void.
And I just hate it. I do not like that kind of change.
In fact, I kind of stink at it. I really need to learn to transition better, folks.
I like friendship dynamics to stay the same, all the time. I want friends in a group to all stay friends with everyone at all times.
But that's not realistic at all. I think the only constant in life is that change will happen.
People change. They have children. These children move into different phases. These children change schedules and go to different schools. "And the friendship that once was thriving and fulfilling in one season, is not as needed in another season", said my friend Jillian at Bible study. "And sometimes it has nothing to do with you", she continued.
It just...happens. Sniff.
And it's hard to let go and let be. To be flexible and to learn to be the new kind of friend that is needed in the new season. To have grace on someone who is just having a hard time adjusting to new demands.

[But as I wrote long ago, friendship is a gift from God. A blessing that should be cherished...and not held onto with a death grip that suffocates the life out of it.]

This above statement is easier said than done.

And honestly, I haven't been so great at all, in practicing what I preach.

When seasons change and friendships change, guess what I do?
1. I stew a while.
2. And dwell.
3. And overanalyze{What did I do wroooong?}
4. And think things that aren't true. My sister Jessica tells me "Davi! You need to think the best about everyone!"  Truly, you have no idea what thoughts the other person is having and it's wrong to assume, unless they tell you otherwise! Great, great, great advice. Wise grasshoppa sista.
5. And sometimes. I even get angry. Though really I'm just sad(primary emotion), but it comes out as anger(secondary emotion). If you are a friend reading this, I am not referring to you, or anyone in particular. I'm just generalizing how I tend to react in certain situations. I'm not mad at anyone:) I love you all:) Please please don't misinterpret this post ! I'm just writing to share my story of how God works tangibly in my life.


And then I feel guilty about the anger. Terribly guilty. Like I'm a horrible Christian.
Like I'm doing a lousy job of loving my brother.
And my bible study 1John(love your brother or you don't know God) really convicts and tugs and the weight of the world is on my shoulders.

Well. There is good news and bad news.

Bad news always first.

It's true that I am hopeless and wretched. "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing" Romans 7:19

And there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to ever change myself.
I can't will myself to feel loving when I'm hopping mad.
I can't pull myself up by my boot straps and "just try harder!"
I will always fail.

And that is why God wrote the 10 commandments(or law) on stone in the Old Testament.

To show me my sin.

God gave us the law to show us our sin! But this law cannot save me. There is a problem.

But the problem is not with the law. Oh no, quite the contrary. Without the law, I wouldn't know what coveting or lying is.

Nope. The problem is with me. I raise my hand enthusiastically, and say, "I will obey the law! I will! I will!"

But I can't.

Grim, grim situation. Hopeless in fact.

On my own, I will continue to sin.
to have angry thoughts if I think someone is ignoring me or blowing me off, rather than giving grace.
to have an internal battle with myself.
to feel guilty.

But.

There is good news.

God sent Jesus in the form of man{in the flesh} who was able to perfectly keep the law, whereas my flesh couldn't keep the law.
And Jesus died{a horrid death} in my place on the cross, as a substitution for me.  And Jesus was buried, and Jesus rose again.
And Jesus took care of my sin problem.

And He gave me His Holy Spirit to live inside me so that I would now be changed and want to obey.

Jeremiah 31:33 "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts"

Instead of writing the 10 commandments on stone, he now writes it on my heart! He gives me a new heart!

So. Today. Instead of feeling the weight of the guilt on me, I feel free. Because I am free. {Addendum. As long as you continuously confess to God your sin that pops up in your life, you will be forgiven and you will be free, and have a clear conscience.}

"He took away my sin and cancelled my debt in full", my precepts leader Claudia told us wednesday.

Lately,  I've kinda been walking around like an inmate on death row.
Why? Because I wasn't choosing to walk as the free man that I am. I was walking around as though I was condemned, even though Jesus already paid the price.

Isn't that a silly of me? Such a waste of time.

Don't do that.

If you have Jesus, then choose THIS DAY to truly believe that He set you free. And even though I have been a believer for many years, sometimes I have a ridiculous guilt complex and don't claim the freedom He offers me.

And if you have a burden or relationship that you cannot fix?

Give it to God.

Some things you just cannot fix. Sorry. That is the truth. Sometimes things change and you can't make them go back to how they were before.

I often think "there is something I can doooooo" to fix things...or to make it all better...or earn God's favor by trying my hardest to do the right thing.

I can't. Ever earn God's favor. It's prideful to think I can.

I can ONLY do it with Jesus in my heart, doing it for me. He removes my heart of stone and gives me a heart of flesh.


And makes obedience desirable. Will I still sin? Yes, unfortunately I will still battle sin til the day I die. Because I am still in this body. But He ultimately wins this battle for me.

And this is good news indeed. Our salvation is truly wonderful to think about during every changing season of life.

So. Those were just a few thoughts(lol) swirling around my head after my Precepts bible study with Kay Arthur. Half of the things written in this post were from her lecture...combined with the thoughts and experiences of my life story. That is how I process things.

Bye now. Happy Friday everyone!

*******
an addendum: my mama just texted me. Don't you love mamas? She wrote the following, which I should have included!

[1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
God cleanses us of sin when we honestly confess it to Him. We need to have faith that He does that:)]

Thanks mama!

adventures of tabby and tux

Last Easter, my sister Jessica convinced me to buy Ollie and Twain some tiny stuffed animals from Only Hearts Club.

Each pet costs $2.99 each. Best money ever spent. They are part of the family--Tabby and Tux.

The shenanigans these two kitties pull...I tell you.

I was working in childcare at church on Sunday. Those mornings are always a little rough. I'm always scrambling to get out the door on time. Always a few minutes late, no matter what. I eat my bagel in the car. I apply my lip gloss in the church parking lot. And then I run across the wet grass to check in on time. Poor John is left scrambling at home to get 4 boys to church on time.

Ollie walked into my classroom, happily chirping to all the children about Tux, with his tiny black kitty clutched firmly in his hand. I kinda groaned and said "Ollie. Put Tux away". Tux would get tucked into Ollie's pocket. Only to emerge a few minutes later.

Our class merges with Twain's class for story time. Little brothers always find each other and before I knew it, Tabby and Tux were having a little reunion in children's church as well. "Twain! Put Tabby away!"

During song time, I noticed Tabby rappelling down my outfit, firmly attached to my drawstring. It was becoming a problem.

These 2 tiny kitties were being very naughty and disruptive.

"John! I can't believe you let the boys bring Tabby and Tux into church!" I said.

"Sorry...Ollie started flipping out when I tried to keep Tux in the van and I didn't have time to deal with it", John said. "Next week kitties will not be allowed in", he assured me.

These kitties are extremely adventurous at home as well.

Pilot Tux.


I made Ollie a paper airplane. Before I knew it, Ollie had Tux in the plane, tucked inside a plastic cockpit.


Not to be outdone, Twain constructed his very own airplane for Tabby.

"Where are the wings on your airplane?", I asked Twain.

"It has no win'd's(wings)", Twain replied, unphased.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Remember I told you a little while ago that Twain makes swords out of tinker toys? And that he tucks these swords into his shorts all the time?


Well. Twain made a teeny tiny tinker toy sword for Tabby as well.


I was humored.





Tabby as a swashbuckling rogue, richest man...err cat...alive.




And these two can rock climb like nobody's business.




Tabby is practically camouflaged against my chair.


I wonder if Ollie and Twain will remember Tabby and Tux when they are all grown up. Perhaps they will stumble upon their mama's blog and relive their childhood memories.

I enjoy little sneak peeks into my little boys' brains, as seen through the adventures of Tabby and Tux.

When I was a kid I remember playing with those little smurf figures. I even had Gargamel and his little orange cat, Azrael. Do you even know who I am talking about? We would build them elaborate houses out of Lincoln Logs. I remember drawing on a dove soap box to make a stove. Too bad my mom didn't have a blog, ha. Can you imagine?

Even though this post seems kinda trivial, I'm sure these are the ones we are going to treasure in the years to come.

the fair and stuff.

This week was a first for me and the two younger boys: we went to the fair with Ollie's preschool.

In all the 10 years+ I have lived in this town, I have never gone to the fair.

The fair is kind of a big deal for the natives around here. So I was interested to see what the fuss was all about.

On the way in the van. "Mommy, mommy! What's the fair?", two little boys asked.

"Well, we are going to see animals", I answered.

"Oh, are we gonna see kitties?", Ollie asked.

"Hahaha. I don't think so Ollie", I answered. Oh boy, I hope we are not in for a big disappointment here. Kitties. At the fair. Can you imagine?

MOOOOO. We def saw cows. Lotsa preggo cows right here.


Excited to pet the little brown cow. I am amazed that these cows put up with little kids petting them all day. They are so docile.

 Later Twain told me that his favorite animal at the fair was the "brown tow"{brown cow}. We only saw around 4 farm animals that day.

Throwing balls at the speedometer.


This Bernoulli Blower kept the boys occupied for an hour.




It was hot.
I was getting tired pushing the double stroller.
It felt like I had heat exhaustion.

I desperately needed a lemon slushy to revive me.

Dear friend and neighbor Patty was with me, and so we went on a wild goose chase for lemon slushies. We did not find any lemon slushies, but we did stumble upon some deep fried Kool-Aid and chocolate covered bacon.

Carnival people are a peculiar lot. As if Kool-Aid were not healthy enough. Let's deep fry it!

We eventually found a vendor willing to sell us flavored shaved ice for $4.50 each cone.

I actually stood there for a minute looking over the flavors.

My brain might have been deep-fried from the heat, but there was no way I was gonna fork over $13.50 for 3 cones of flavored ice. I think I would have gladly paid that much for lemon slushies though, lol.

As Patty sat their pondering, I said "No way Jose! This is high-way robbery!"

Patty said, "You are right. We could buy a can of frozen juice for 98 cents at winco".

"I kinda feel like a cheap-skate", I told Patty. "Maybe I would pay such high prices at Disneyland, but not at the fair".

Patty totally made me feel better by saying, "No...you are just being a good steward of your money".

We decided to snap a few pictures before we hit the road.

A little too sunny.


So we put on our shades.








We are outta here! See ya later fair. We thought you were totes adorbs, but unless we save up or strike gold, we will not be seeing you again til next year.


I was extremely consoled by the idea that the money I saved on shaved ice was much better spent on 8 new plates from Target.

It's Lorie's fault. She texted me a pic of these plates. Molly June has them too. From the Curiosity shoppe.

They go perf with the arrow salad tongs from Olive Oyl, and the fabulous table runner that Lorieloo made me. Thank you Looloo, for slaving over little itty bitty triangles in such a fun native pattern!


I smile whenever I see the little ensemble. I can use these plates for Thanksgiving and pretend that we are hungry pilgrims living off the land. Ya know. Shooting our bounty with bows and arrows.


Or I can use them for Christmas and pretend the triangular patterns are Christmas trees. And of course I can also use them for every day use too.



So. In sum.

The fair was cute but the food was kinda pricey{Some booths are fundraisers and I can totally deal with that}. And they really ought to sell lemon slushies.

Target is my BFF. I love their new Curiosity Shoppe.

And just out of curiosity. Do you have a fair in your land? Do you just fork over the big bucks? Do tell. I won't judge--I really want to make it work next year. Perhaps just bring the older boys and go at night for the rides. And buy them the wrist band for multiple rides and maybe a funnel cake.

p.s. I am simultaneously fascinated and terrified by the ferris wheel.