The Shack

I posted on Facebook the other day that I was finally finished reading the book, The Shack. I said that it has changed my views on God, church, and my relationships with others. It is not an easy book to read. If you want to read something light that will entertain you, this is not the book for you.

But, if you want to seriously invest in some time with God, aka Papa, in the book, then cuddle up and start reading. I know it sounds dramatic to say that it has changed my thoughts on life, but it has.

For one, I will never, ever, think of God as this super unattainable person standing over me ready to discipline me or strike me down. This book reminds me that God is like a big, proud Papa waiting on me to turn it all over to him and watch him take the struggles in my life and turn them for His glory.

This book has a great story line, but the dialogue between God, Jesus, and Mack is where the meaty part of this book lies. At times I could only read a page or two and ponder them for a day or two. Other times I could not put it down:)

The overwhelming message of the book is to remind us that God wants a relationship with us and wants us to call him Papa. Our relationship with God should be so intimate that he is our beloved Papa. We all need a God in our life that is real and approachable. I love the idea of curling up in Papa's lap and crying on his shoulder when things are rough.

Some people get so bogged down in the legalistic nature of religion. They feel that if you want a relationship with God then you have to dress a certain way, act a certain way, follow a bunch of silly rules, and so forth. This book reminds me that His love is so simple. He died for us out of total love and He is there waiting for us to turn to him and follow Him. So simple, but our man made little laws and silly notions we get from church sometimes muddy the waters. He loves us, died for us, and desperately wants a relationship with us, his beloved children. Easy:)

For some reason this book reminds me of that night that sweet Davey was born. It was a wonderful, glorious day but totally changed the course of our lives forever. I remember after the nurses left Mike and I to ourselves with our sweet bundle after telling us the shocking news of his DS, I just laid in Mike's arms and cried. I clung to Mike but I know that we as a couple were clinging onto our dear Papa for life that night-knowing that He gave us this wonderful gift of a son with Down Syndrome but begging him to walk the rest of the way with us.

I also know that our Papa was wiping our tears and whispering in our ears that he makes no mistakes and that this child is His and He will walk every step of the way with us as we parent him. (I guess Papa should have maybe given us a heads up about his super strong-will but that is another topic for another day).

Read the book, it is totally awesome. I will admit that it is "out there" at times. It is confusing a little when he gets to The Shack and meets Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu. Just know that those are meant to be God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It took me a couple of pages to understand that:) The ending is so amazing that it is worth the harder to read parts in the middle. Enjoy and let me know what you think about it!

One Snowy Day

When life looks like this on the outside....


Head to the rec center one town away for a little fun at the indoor waterpark!!

Everyone can join in the fun-even your neighbors and grandparents!!

Little girls can model their cute bathing suits while riding on a super fun float!

You can relax...

Have a fun family photo shoot in the pool

Swim with your neighbors

Practice your swimming skills

Get hit with water from the big mushroom thing

and just have fun in the water, humidity of the pool while it pours snow outside:) Happy Snow Day!

Missing the World

I feel like I am in a time warp. A fun, crazy, lots of quality down time with the kids time warp. We have basically been out of school this entire week except for a few short hours on Monday. The weather this week has been brutal with negative temps and lots of snow. We have had snow everyday except for Thursday but don't bring that subject up around Mike because clearly he has had a stressful week making snow calls. God love that man-he has been through the ringer this week. Waking up super early to make snow decisions and then listening to parents rail him for his decisions. That man has a strong, forgiving character because I would have lost my cool several times this week and he stayed full of grace.

Moving on from the love fest of my dear hubbie, here is the family scoop. The doctor has decided not to do radioactive iodine treatment on my dear Dad because the side effects outweigh the benefits. I am having a hard time trusting that idea because frankly that is my Dad and if that cancer has any chance of spreading, then do it!! I will be trying to find another doc for them for a second opinion next week:) Call me a control freak that is fine:)

I think I need to call a talent agency for my daughter. I have uncovered an amazing talent in her this week. She must have super sonic eye sight because that girl will move across the room as fast as a non-crawler can to get a speck of something. I have never seen anything like it!

My boys have become big cooks over this break. We have created lots of goodies in our kitchen this week-I will always remember this time with them in the kitchen. Cooking can teach lots of good lessons-fractions, reading, turn-taking, and patience. I must say that my Kyle can now break and egg with the best of them. Paula Deen and her boys should be on the lookout because me and my boys just may give them a run for their money in the future:)

I think all this home time has made me a little edgy.

Maybe life will get back to normal soon. The kiddos and I have created some sweet memories over the last few days. We have played games, watched movies, cooked, and it has been wonderful to see them enjoy some down time. They have even been cooperative for me to get my treadmill time and even a shower everyday!! For my husband's stress level, I pray sunnier skies are on the horizon for us soon. Here are some cute, random pictures that we have taken over the last few days:)


Hope in her cute Elmo outfit from Chad and Net Net. I love it!



David licking the beaters!

This one needs an explanation. Kyle and David made homemade chocolate chip cookies last night. To be creative Kyle decided to make a gigantic cookie rectangle instead of individual cookies and I let him. Here is the final product. we cut it into rectangles and they were really good!