A fish would never be happy living on land,

because it was made for water.

An eagle could never feel satisfied if it wasn't allowed to fly.

You will never feel completely satisfied on earth,

because you were made for more.

- Rick Warren

the thinker

thinking about what The Thinker is thinking.

a dime now or a dollar later?

A boy was playing in his front yard when his uncle stopped by for a visit. After talking for a bit, the man sprung a philosophical question on his five-year-old nephew: "If I gave you the choice, would you like a dime today or a dollar next week?"

The boy stood and thought. A dollar could buy him that rubber ball he'd seen at the corner store, but a "dime today" could mean a package of potato chips for his hungry late-afternoon stomach. So he took the dime, bought his snack and went home happy.

But about a week later, a buddy passed his house bouncing a new rubber ball. The boy then thought about his uncle's offer. The chips were a distant memory, along with the dime that had seemed so valuable at the moment.

If only he'd been willing to wait for that rubber ball later on...

There's a lot of truth to that story, you know. Sometimes we're so glamorized by the glint and gleam of the one thing we want right now that we're not willing to wait and trust God for the something better He planned for us down the line.

-Live Productively

Kingdom Seekers

6th Grade Girls.
October, 2011

i love them too much!

He hears, He knows. Keep Praying

I heard the story recently of a couple who, by their tenth anniversary, had been unable to conceive any children. Those of you who have experienced this heartbreak can readily relate to the frustration they felt, the void that remained so senselessly empty in their lives.

On days when they allowed themselves to think about it, they'd ponder what they might name a child if they were ever to have one. They had always been able to settle on a boy's name, but they both had a different favorite for a girl. The wife liked the name Autumn; the husband preferred Amanda.

But still, no child came. Boy or girl. So they went to Plan B and decided to adopt siblings.

You can imagine how they prayed for this opportunity to develop. They asked God to work His perfect will, to bind their hearts with just the right children from just the right situation. One day the adoption agency called with the news that two sisters—ages three and five—had been relinquished by their mother. Though she wasn't a believer herself, the woman had requested that her daughters be placed with a Christian family. That had moved this couple's name to the top of the list.

When they asked the social worker to tell them more about the girls, here's what she said: "They're both green-eyed blondes. The five-year-old is named Autumn. The three-year-old is named Amanda."

He hears our prayers and knows our hearts.

If you've been praying for a similar answer to your need,

know that He never loses sight of you,

that He knows where you are . . .

that He knows your name. =)

-Live Productively

Autumn in Ann Arbor

... was so beautiful!!!!

-Live Productively