Christmas Jams

I want to try and flood you all with delightful sounds of the holidays...so here ya go:

Worry...........you WILL tap out

I was doing a mini self spiritual exam last night. Yeah.....dumb idea huh :)? And while I readily admit that there are MANY areas in which I fall short, I am confident my biggest weakness is WORRY. I come from a long line of worriers actually. As far back as I can remember, I have worried. Now I fully understand that a LITTLE worry is normal and possibly even healthy. But I tend to take normal worry and multiply to ridiculous BROCK LESNAR sized proportions. EX: A common cold in a child can easily become a serious case of deadly Ebola in my mind….no kidding. I am trying REALLY hard to figure out why I act this way and I am trying really hard to correct it.
I KNOW these things that you are about to read. But I am writing them to try and make them stick in this slippery brain of mine:

1. Worrying is Not Good for You.
Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It has often made me physically sick even! It becomes a mental burden that can eventually cause bodies to break down like a Josh McDaniel’s offense.
PROV 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

2. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing.
Time is at a premium in my simple life. And worrying is a waste of very precious time. I know worrying won't help me solve a problem or bring about a solution:
Matthew 6:27-29 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

3.Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.
Confession time: I worry WAY more than I pray most of the time.
Matthew 6:30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Philippians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

4.Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.
When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. I am fully aware of this. I believe God has a wonderful plan for my life, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. I know God will take care of our every need.
Matthew 6:25 That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:31-33 So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I am fully aware, as a follower of Christ, that worry is NOT to be something in my “arsenal of garbage”.

I truly believe in God's divine providence and that He will never fail me…..but when my buddy Mr. Worry decides to visit, I struggle to remember such things. Over the span of my lifetime, worrying accounts for hours and hours of invaluable time that I'll never get back. And I am literally tired of it…weary in fact. Today I am making as public stance against this jerk called worry. I am done with it! So I am asking my few blog readers for advice…..what, besides drugs helps you? :)

Good Tune

I heard of these guys on the last Jars of Clay album where they guest sang. I found this on YOUTUBE and LOVE IT

Free Music Friday

it is time for some Christmas tunes! but really, who wants to hear Bandaid one more time?!?!?!? SO, for the next few days...here are a few nontraditional jams for you to enjoy:

Exciting Week

Well, we got a surprise snow for a few hours, so the kids lived it up while they could!






Then, on Tuesday Merrick went to bed with a normal mouth of teeth. 30 minutes into the supposed slumber she called out to me alarmed. It turns out she had suddenly discovered that her tooth was loose. That was an understatement, it was SUPER loose! By mid breakfast the next day, the tooth was gone! Notice how I think teh tooth fairy accidentally gave a five instead of a one :)!

Thanksgiving List

Things that I am thankful for (in no particular order, most of the time):

A Savior who loves me regardless, and died for me
A beautiful wife who makes my life better
3 AMAZING kids
Ipods
DVR television
My mom, who’s sacrificed SO much for my life
Good books
My church family
Good friends
Annual hunting trips
Mumford & Sons
Houses with heat
Nice shoes
Clean water
My wife’s lasagna, and her tomato soup
My little sisters and their lovely families
My kids’ teachers
My youth group
In-laws whom I love
Kaleidescope Pizza
Traveling with my wife
Pearl Jam
Flip flops
FIFA 2011 on PS3
The Bible
Funny movies
The Avett Brothers
Harry Potter
The internet & email
Our trampoline
Shane Claiborne’s “Jesus for President”
My wife’s convictions
Good flannel shirts
My green vest
Keen Shoes
The Beatles
Watching my kids play soccer
Cell phones
Music in general
Netflix
Good lyrics
Pepsi
Tylenol
Facebook
The sun
Medford, OR
Fake Christmas trees
Health
A co-worker who’s a friend
Sour Patch kids
And much much more…………

School's Out

School is out today, and Jessie has hurt her back, so today was DADDY DAY! This morning we had SO much fun. We played a game where Jude and I were bad guys who kept fighting. Eventually in the fight he lost a tooth:

Merrick and Haddie were police ladies who broke us up. Turns out they were actually fairies in training trying to earn their wings through bravery! They were twin sisters named Rusella and Stella. They took me to a fairy hospital where Stella worked dilegently on bandaging my broken arm:
]

Rusella then decided that my ribs were gravely injured and the only way I could ever heal would be by the magic of fairy song. It was actually beautiful. Enjoy:

We are now hanging out in the den, waiting to go see Megamind 3D. It is a good day.