Saturday, October 27, 2007

She's willing to sacrifice her dad

Like most cities in Texas on Friday night, Athens becomes a exciting place when the Hornets are home playing football. Last night was no different. The lights at Bruce Field where lit brightly and the metal bleachers left you with a frozen cushion. If you know what I mean? However, Mollie didn't let all the excitement from the night leaving her with the opportunity to sacrifice her dad for her own safety.

Let me explain.

Earlier in the day, every kid in the entire district was either bused or walked to Bruce Field for a district wide pep rally. The kids had a great time but I ended up so tense over the fear of losing a student that I really couldn't enjoy the fun. It's always comforting to have a little duck row behind you with 20 kids and there are people everywhere and you have to walk down out of the bleachers and into waiting buses. My biggest fear is that one of my 1st graders is going to take a flying leap over the rails or something. Fortunately, that didn't happen and we made it back to the school with everyone accounted for. Anyway, on their way back to the high school, evidently some high school kids got in quite a scuffle and the police had to come and 6 kids were arrested. We've heard that there was a switchblade involved. Because of all the problems related to possible retaliation and such, every administrator in the district had to be at the game to monitor and run interference. Kids were not allowed to congregate under the bleachers, by the concession stand or at the restrooms.

Back to the sacrificial heart of Mollie. We were walking up to the stadium and Mollie said that her principal had told them that they could not go to the concession stand or restroom without a parent. She looks up at Wade and said, "Daddy you can just go with me and if someone comes after us with a knife, then I'll just push you in their way and I'll be fine." Not that Wade wouldn't willingly sacrifice himself for her, but she just said it with such a calm voice that it was like no big deal, daddy will get stabbed, but I won't drop my coke and sour straws!

Happily, no sacrificial stabbing occurred. But if it ever does, I'll be sure to stand with Mollie, because she has a plan.

And the Hornets won!!

Sandy C

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Time to prune

"I am the vine, you are the branches."

How many times have I heard that scripture? 100's! The meaning hit me directly in the chest last night as I sat watching Beth Moore's Bible study "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place."

Let me explain. In the past several weeks, I've been struggling with all my responsibilities. From school, home, church, Mollie's sports, laundry, a clean house...... Anyway, I usually don't have too much trouble juggling all the goings on this time of year. This year has been such a hardship. I'm doing so many things and none of them very well. I'm just getting by. Spinning my wheels, so to speak. I've been praying for some kind of solution.

My house is a wreck. I don't feel like I'm pushing my kids at school like I should. It doesn't seem like I've had a decent conversation with Wade in weeks. To top it all off, I spent all last week sick with bronchitis. After feeling like I'd been run over by a truck for over a week, I knew something was going to have to give, but what?

The Lord used Beth to answer that very question, imagine that! Love her!! She was using the analogy of the design of the lampstand God directed the Israelites to make for the tabernacle. The lampstand had seven branches. She made the connection to the branches and bearing fruit. God expects us to bear fruit, good fruit. She said that, like most women, our tree is usually too full of branches to bear quality fruit. As she said, "it's time to do some pruning". That hit me like a ton of bricks. That's what I have to do, prune my branches. Like I said in this post, quality is what I want, not quantity. I spent some time in prayer last night and this morning. God opened my eyes and cleared my head. This morning,I let something at church go and before I left school, I worked on changing my schedule to better utilize my time. Hopefully, I'm on the right track. I still have my snips open and ready!

I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him,he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-2,5

Sandy C