Answers to Big Questions

Joplin, Missouri. In case you live under a rock, you know they had a terrible tornado rip through the town on Sunday. The death toll is rising past 100 now. Horrible.

As we watched in horror at CNN Lilla began to ask what happened. I started to explain it to her. Our conversation when something like this:

Lilla: Why is that lady on TV crying?

Me: Her house was actually picked up and moved off the ground in a tornado.

Lilla: Did God know that would happen?

Me: He did.

Lilla: Why would God let that lady's house get picked up?

Me: I don't know. I don't know, but God does. You see, we don't see the big picture, but God does. What we do know is that God's word tells us that through all things God is working to bring us all into a saving knowledge of Him. Like when somebody dies. It's very sad, but God can even use that to bring others to know Him.

Lilla: So maybe where that lady's house is they can build a church instead?

Me: Maybe. :)

Have I told you how much I love this child?

1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

"Look, no bangs!"

This morning, as I cleaned, Lilla was jumping up and down on my bed. As she jumped she held back her bangs with one hand and said, "Look at me mom! Does it look like I don't have bangs?"

Of course I played along and said, "Yes, I don't see any bangs at all."

She then replied, "Ah hah, I fooled you! I still have bangs, I was just holding them back."

I then giggled and told her she got me.

As I went on cleaning my mirror though I began thinking about that. How of course I wasn't fooled, I knew it and Lilla probably did too but we pretended and it was all in good fun.

Then I thought about the way we do that with God. We hide things, manipulate words and actions and think we have fooled God. We say, "Ah hah, gotcha!" in our hearts. But really, He is not fooled at all.

The Bible says, in 1 John 3:20 "If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

God knows our hearts, our minds and our actions. He knows why I do the things I do and the tricks I play in my mind to justify. He does love me, this I know, but He also wants full obedience from me. he wants me not to only be obedient to Him in my actions but in my heart too.

Something I'm pondering today.

Disney Land for Adults

Last week I went to Hawaii. It was a top performer's trip my husband earned last year for work. We were spoiled silly and it was awesome! Beautiful resort, awesome food, cool people. The list goes on and on. Here are some highlights...

Sunset at the resort. This was taken with my point and shoot camera, which tells you it was a pretty amazing sunset. They all were.

Breakfast of copious amounts of fruit. At one point I thought I might become a papaya with lime. Thankfully I didn't, but, I brought my love for the stuff back to my girls and now they are happily munching away at it too!

New friends! This is my new friend Kara, who edits a blog called Simple Kids. If you are not familiar with it, you should be. It has a lot of current and useful information. Go check it out. She lives not too far from me, loved that it took going to Hawaii to meet her!

(Fake) Relaxing. It rained a lot in Hawaii, which, all told that is better than Midwest Rain so I'm kind of OK with it. In this picture it was raining over Hawaii and beautiful as soon as the ocean started. This happened a lot. Bizarre. Another point and shoot picture which is why the coloring is so funny.

I got to take lots of pictures with my husband. Crazy, this has not happened in 5 years!

I got to be goofy with my husband.

I got to dress up with my husband.

I went ziplining! I even purposely hung upside down hundreds of feet above a waterfall. It felt awesome!

We found this Petroglyph Park. It was really cool. Love history!

We remembered anew why we got married!

And yes, for those wondering, they do give you a lei when you get off the plane!

We went to a black sand beach.

We understood why people would live here!

We went to a Luau.

I wore ridiculous amounts of sunblock, a big hat and sunglasses and did not get burned. It was a small miracle!

I wore a fresh flower in my hair. Which I'd never done before but was quite lovely!

We went up to the mountains where the temperature dropped a whopping 40 degrees!

We saw a lot of hilarious signs.

We went snorkeling off this boat.

And swam with these sea turtles!

Yeah. It was pretty great!