Have you ever thought THIS IS JUST TOO BIG GOD?

 Today's pictures are brought to you by the cutie patootie Michael showing off his skillz!  And of course by the rest of our cute crazy crew.  Taken a few weeks back when we went to a nearby park for a day out.  Beware these are some cute pictures, but that really isn't the main part of today's blog!

 You see.....right now Michael can't crawl up the stairs.  He wants to!  You can see it every day when he goes to the stairs climbs up part way and looks and studies the stairs....like....someday I am going to conquer you!  And I totally believe he WILL!  In fact right now he is always lifting that leg trying to get it to go up onto the step. 

 There are sooo many days like that for me.  I thing God THIS IS JUST TOO BIG!  I can't do it!  In fact- I don't want to do it!  Today is one of those days.  You see my husband and I have talked about a radical idea- which I will share with you later in a blog post of course ;)  This idea seemed RIDICULOUS TO ME!!!!!  I mean- who do I look like a Christian that cares or something??  Seriously....this was just to outrageous.  No one does these kinds of things for real!!!!  Except my hubby was asking me to consider this. 

 Oh man!  Don't you hate it when the Spirit convicts you.  My hubby left it at that knowing I would need to have a screaming fit with God over it process it.  So then I start reading this book about a week ago called......"Anything the prayer that unlocked my God and my Soul" by Jennie Allen.  You know with a book like that you are going to have to listen to God.  I mean really dig deep and say- God it is all yours!  And trust me I am a little over half way through and IT IS AMAZING (more on that to come too). 

 I have had so many blog posts rolling through my brain that it feels like I need to dump them out of my brain before it goes into overload, but something today stopped me in my tracks- COLD!  Jason and I have been going through a huge spiritual attack and of course growth.  They seem to go together don't they?

Well....this thing....that we are going to be doing is about me letting go of something I hold very tightly- MONEY!  Mostly control over it.  I am ok to cut back start making home made to save for an adoption or give freely for others to adopt or to missionaries no problem.  But this takes it to a personal level that is uncomfortable to me.  So I am battling! 

 And like all great battles.....it is hard!  I am doubting.....resisting.....trying to give in, but only a little God please?  Oh and then the fun stuff starts!  Bills!!!  Oh yea...unexpected ones that creep up out of no where!  OK God that is IT!  I can't.......

 His reply?

 Yep- like this face!!!!  This is how I felt this morning when I made a phone call.  One that I didn't quite understand the implications of.  One that I did to keep myself from crying over well you know- myself- a pity party!  Who did I call?  Don Campbell.  Never heard of him?  Don't worry...I only knew because he emailed me and said this is Don Campbell when you get a minute give me a call here is my number.  Of course signed at the bottom- president and CEO of FEEDING CHILDREN EVERYWHERE! 

 Ummmmm......yep  - remember this?  Well it seems that this.......has had an effect on God's people I didn't know about completely until today.  You see while I was getting ready to cry for myself today and sit in "my puddle" as a great friend puts it.  God has been up to something sooooo much BIGGER!!!!!!!! 

 I LOVE IT when you hear a story that is sooo HUGE so MASSIVE there IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION BUT GOD!!!!!!!!!  My life is filled with such stories - surviving cancer at the age of 8 (knowing I would never have biological children because of that), marrying a man from England who happened to work at the same Christian camp I did....in Iowa, God choosing us for 9 very beautiful and special children that we have no idea how he choose us for them, but HE did.  How does any of that make sense?  Kind of like Joanna's face below ;)

 So in the below picture you see our Jonathan!  He turns 5 tomorrow- how does that happen?  Just 3 1/2 years ago we met him in Ethiopia.  He was 1 1/2 then.  While we were there we traveled and met up with 5 other amazing families with All God's Children International!  ONE of those families read my blog post about FEEDING CHILDREN EVERYWHERE. 

 She decided to contact Don Campbell.  They did a feeding event in Connecticut!  Now keep in mind FCE is based in FL and really more of a local mission.  They get corporate and church sponsors to put up the money and time to pack food for children in Haiti and Kenya just to name a couple!  This is God's hands and feet feeding people that belong to God!  Imagine what that tells them when they get a meal from people they don't know that say we care enough about you to put up the money and the time to send you food.  Sounds simple.  Doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but it is  TO THEM!  The beautiful people in the world who need food- who haven't eaten lately!  Who don't know where their next meal is coming from!

 OK....whew!  So it's gets WAAAYYYY BIGGER than that!!!!!  As in .....I feel shaky just writing it!!!  When Don was sharing......I cried!  I was blown away!!!  I wanted to repent of my pathetic "it is all about me" spat I had with God this morning.  (Don't worry I am not perfect!!!  I still am trying to figure out my "puddle".) 

 Through this connection God has opened doors and hearts of MANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Ummm......let's put it this way......

 GOD HAS SAID COME HERE.....LOOK!  I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 HE is planting a NEW OFFICE for FEEDING CHILDREN EVERYWHERE IN CONNECTICUT!!!!!!

 They are praying over doing 10,000,000 meals this next year in the northeast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 God are you serious?  That is a HUGE NUMBER!!!!!  I don't get it?  How can people who met once in their life for a week in Ethiopia....clinging together out of necessity (If you have been in an adoption travel group you totally get this!), have not had lots of contact, and now because of a simple blog post that really to me was just saying hello here is our family doing something cool for others.  "Why don't you see what God is calling your family to do something"  kind of post.  Not a fire starter kind of post in my eyes.  Just a simple activity...packing food at our church (and we have done a packing event at Jason's work as well). 

And God said- ummm.....that is thinking waayyyy tooooo small.  I THINK BIG!!!!

Make that BIGGER THAN BIG!!!!!!

I think- I am going to take this crazy little story of a little blog post- AND BLOW IT UP FOR MY NAME TO BE GLORIFIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

God,
I am so sorry when my little things get in the way.  When I struggle to find meaning and a point.  When I feel like I am the one doing the work.  When I feel like it is just too hard to do.  YOU LORD are EVERYTHING!  I am so thankful for your Grace and Mercies that are new every morning!  That YOU can have my ANYTHING!  YOU ALONE MAKE BIG STORIES out of a mustard seed!  YOU FEED YOUR CHILDREN from one small post!

THANK YOU LORD!  PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME FOR THE GREAT THINGS YOU HAVE DONE, ARE DOING, AND CONTINUE TO DO!!!!  Help us to remember you are a VERY BIG GOD!

AMEN!

***oh and there is more too....but it is a personal thing that I will get around to posting....later ;)