Tagged Meme – my first!

Wow…I’ve been tagged!  I’ve heard about this, but wasn’t sure how that worked.  HomeWithTheKids tagged me to give 5 reasons why I blog.  And…I was just thinking about that yesterday morning.  I always want to make sure I’m still doing things for the right reason (it’s so easy to get off course, isn’t it?!)

1. Writing is a form of release to me.  I’m real good at bottling things up, and writing helps crack the cork on that bottle.

2. Writing is realism on paper (computer screen).  Once I read it I can process it for what it really is.  Not what it looks like in my mind.

3. I have found that most of the Christian bloggers I’ve gotten to know are a great “family” to be a part of.  It’s worth the investment and I didn’t want to miss out on something so life changing.

4. Blogging is a great way of being held accountable.  You just never know who might be reading.  I love that!

5. Man…I just can’t come up with the fifth!  Will 4 do??

One small act of kindness

Recently my mum gave me a book to read with the boys.  It’s called Simple Acts of Faith.  It’s true stories that are interesting and touching that also surround Norman Rockwell paintings.  It’s really been a hoot to read.

Thought I’d share one with you as it’s a story I’ve never heard before:

“In a suburb of Dallas known as Richardson, a small, bright-eyed gentleman named Jim Hoyt manages his own bike store.  The mom-and-pop shop, Richardson Bike Mart, is known throughout the community as a strong sponsor of bike racers, and Hoyt maintains a personal passion to help kids get started in the sport.

Keeping an eye on the street front, Jim noticed a young woman who faithfully took her son to a nearby shop for fresh doughnuts each week.  He began talking to the woman, discovered she was a single mom, and instinctively knew she was struggling to get by.  Jim took an interest in the small family and decided to give the woman a discount on a bicycle:  a Schwinn Mag Scrambler.  The mom accepted the offer, and through the kind act of a stranger, sever-year-old Lance Armstrong was introduced to the world of biking.  Describing the bike, Armstrong writes, “It was an ugly brown with yellow wheels, but I loved it.  Why does any kid love a bike?  It’s liberation and independence, your first set of wheels.”"

My first bike was red with a sparkling red banana seat.  I loved it!

Rockin’ metal

Years ago I received an email regarding a thought that really rocked my level with God.  I had actually forgotten about it until recently when a dear friend passed it on to me again.  I’m sure you’ve heard it time and time over.  I don’t even know if it really happened to this lady, but I think it’s worth mentioning again.

It related to Malachi 3:3 – “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

“This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.  That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.  As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”   He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.”