Count me in

Today was our first day back to church as a family. We missed church the weekend that JJ was born, and last Sunday only David and Wubs attended. But today, we all loaded up and made it to the 8am service. (Okay, okay... so we made it at about 8:20am but we gave it our best effort! wink!) Bella went right into her class without any tears. She doesn't usually cry when she goes into her classroom, but we've been spending a lot of time at home and I didn't know how drop off would go. She did super! I think she was ready to play with her friends. JJ was a sweetheart and he graciously allowed many people to hold him and love on him! Wubs was a proud big sister and she eagerly answered questions about her baby brother.

Our new children's pastor, Ryan, preached the sermon today. He had a really good illustration about two children and their two very different prayers. One child prayed, "Dear God- I have kept my end of the deal but you still haven't given me my puppy." The other child prayed, "Dear God- Count me in." It was a cute example, and we all giggled, but wow- I was convicted. There is nothing wrong with asking God for His help, provision, wisdom, etc... but there are times when I second guess why God hasn't 'answered' my prayers, just because I haven't gotten my way. (Whew, I am r.o.t.t.e.n!) I need to remember the Truth, that God's ways are not my ways. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, " declares the Lord. -Isaiah 55:8 It is my prayer that our family would have a 'count me in' attitude. I pray that we wouldn't just include God in our lives, but instead, we would treasure the gift of being a part of God's family and His kindgom purposes. I pray that our children wouldn't just hear us reading Bible stories, attending church, or reciting scripture, but they would see us living out our faith and worshipping God in tangible ways. As always, we are praying for the salvation of our children. Have a great week!

"Oh Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."- Psalm 84:12