Friday, December 12, 2014

Our Home Remodel

This past summer we came home to find our house flooded
and what has since unfolded has been one of the most

amazingly scary
shockingly revealing

experiences of my life
(to date)

I have...

talked to God in new ways
heard Him speak in new ways and
seen Him do things I hadn't even dreamed of

and when it was all said and done

I witnessed Him turn our MESS into a MESSAGE!

(thank you Chanea for reminding me again)

The Living Room
Before
During renovation


After
The Kitchen





And I've always believed, but now I know for sure that...

God really did make a man from dust

because I have seen Him take

our dust
our rubbish
our tragedy

and turn it into something beautiful

Romans 8:28

Monday, November 3, 2014

Trick Or Treat? Teaching My Children About Choices

I was surprised when my twelve-year old
asked to go "trick or treating"

with his friends...

at night
alone

and when he returned
(two hours later with a bag full of loot)

my jaw dropped

and THEN...

moments later when he called me into the kitchen
to show me how he had meticulously separated the candy

into piles...
by flavor and brand

I will admit that I was impressed!


and as I looked at

all of those piles
all of those options

the realization hit me

My kid is a young man

and he is already cultivating

skills
dreams
ideas

of his own

(and at some point) 

I am going to have to completely let go and trust that I have
done my job to equip him with good decision making skills

because the day is coming
(and is now upon us)

when he will

venture out

with his friends...

at night
alone

and as he walks through this life he will encounter people
who wish to fill his bag with all sorts of things

some tricks
some treats
some things

that he will find useful
and others that he will not

And so...


-my prayer is that he avoid as many tricks
as humanly possible

-that he be brave enough to unwrap and try some things
(and wise enough to leave others alone)

-I pray he knows the difference and
doesn't try to eat everything all in one night

-I pray his decisions steer him clear of
stomach aches and cavities

-and may he always remember to separate the items
to get a better view of the options laid out before him
-----------------------------

Lord,

one day he will venture out
without me

and I want to

trust
believe
know

that I have prepared him
with the skills that he needs to make

good
wise
prayerful

decisions

with the choices laid out before him...


Choose wisely, son
Choose wisely

Friday, October 24, 2014

When It Seems Your Prayer Is A Contradiction

I had been asking for more...

praying about it
singing about it

and before I knew it,
I was completely surrounded

with

newness
challenge
change

until one day I actually heard myself saying...

"Lord, this is too much!"

and it seemed that my prayer
had been a contradiction


so I took some time to...

pause
reflect
reconsider

and as we began piecing
our home back together

paint...
flooring...
furniture...

 
 

I remembered the old saying... "less is more"
and realized that sometimes


when you're craving more
what you could really be craving is actually less

less drama
less fuss
fewer frills

and the full realization that God knows best
(and that His timing is impeccable)

will light upon you

as you graciously learn to

believe
fight
endure

even when it seems
your prayer is a contradiction
 ----------------------------------

 
Thanking God we're back in our home!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

We All Have Walls

I read about a group of people who were intimidated by walls
(and the giants living behind those walls)

so

they marched
they prayed
they praised

in faith that their walls would come down
and after seven days...

they did

It's been over a month...

since our house was flooded
the ceiling crumbled and
walls came down



and lately I've been thinking a lot about walls

which walls to keep
which walls to leave down
which walls to put back up

and I've come to realize in life that

we are all faced with walls

walls to tear down
walls to build up
walls that divide
walls that protect

we all have some kind of wall

and whether our walls represent

confusion and division
or
refuge and peace

we know that there is always more work to be done

and it is up to us to

keep marching
keep praying
keep praising

grateful to just have walls



Thanking God for walls!
 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

What The Kids Are Up To... Mapping Expansion

First day of school has officially come and gone
along with...

school shopping
parent orientation

and a new case of 

all over again

Summer went by quickly and
the children were up to a lot this summer


Session 1- Brainstorming and Strategic Planning
Session 2- Branding
Session 3- Production, Testing, and Product Placement and Distribution
Session 4- Marketing
Session 6- Record Keeping and Accounting
Session 7- Customer Service/ Teamwork and Collaboration


(go back to the beginning to follow the journey)

And the final summer lesson...
 -------------------------------------------------
SESSION 8
  


The focus:
Mapping Expansion

The lesson:
How to increase global
and/or online presence

The assignment:
Review the business journal and ledger
Study other successful brands
Consider mapping/expansion strategies

Discuss the future of Color*full Creations
and decide...what next?


-----------------------------------
Color*full Creations
creating a life full of color




Thank you to everyone who has supported this journey

What are the kids up to next...
Summer 2015

Sunday, September 7, 2014

The Rebuilding of a House

Although it has been almost three weeks since the day we came home
to find our house flooded it still seems like a dream


Walls have been removed and replaced
Floors have been pulled up and discarded
The house has been gutted and nothing seems the same...

The workers are diligently...

remodeling
renovating
restructuring

our home
to turn our tragedy into something beautiful


And some days we feel just like that house
(like we've been gutted)

but we dare not complain because we understand
that sometimes

God chooses to destroy the old to make anew

and if we are, in fact, God's house then it is easy to see why
He tears out the old...

dark thoughts
bad habits
old ways

to make

something beautiful
and new

As He takes our...

old lives
filled with sin and shame

to give us His
filled with hope and love

and even though I may not have chosen for it all to happen in this way

I am so grateful that He is still diligently...

remodeling
renovating
restructuring

this house


Ever feel like your entire life is under construction? 
(click here to see the walls back up!)

Thursday, September 4, 2014

What The Kids Are Up To... a Full Product Launch

I knew before we started this that "What the kids are up to this summer"
would be much more than your average children's summer lemonade stand


So far this summer we've had lessons in...

brainstorming
branding
production
marketing


and finally after all of that
it was officially time for a full product launch!

Follow the journey from the beginning... 
-------------------------------------------
SESSION 5

The focus:
Product Launch

The assignment: 
Hit the pavement
Begin distribution/sale of product

Barefoot Sandals 
(with or without shoes)



Inspirational Bracelets
Custom Order Bracelets 
 

and more!


Bow Rings
and once their product launched,
they were introduced to lessons in...

SESSION 6
Record Keeping and Accounting
            
SESSION 7
Customer Service/ Teamwork and Collaboration

and then with summer quickly coming to an end,
it was time to make some business decisions

and introduce the final lesson...
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Color*full Creations
creating a life full of color

Monday, September 1, 2014

Life Under Construction

Life is filled with so many

twists and turns
obstacles
challenges

which sometimes lead to questions

Lord, am I handling this right?
Lord, am I in Your will?
Lord, am I missing something?

and finally the request...

Lord, please show me


Last month I started a new job
the gas company started a major overhaul project in my neighborhood
and the gated community where my folks live were repaving the side gate

which means that I was surrounded by change!

After my second week of frustration
I realized that there was no way for me to escape the construction

so I surrendered...

And just as things seemed to be settling down
our living room ceiling caved in...

That night the hubby and I packed up the kids and headed to the hotel
which we will call home for the next few

days
weeks
months

and as we pulled into the driveway

we were greeted by a hotel which was also currently... under construction!

And right there in

big
bold
letters

that I couldn't miss...

were my initials


reminding me to just

sit still
and wait
in compliance

because there is

no where
no place
no way

to escape...

His construction

Ever feel your life is under construction
Just. Be. Still.

(click to see the walls back up)