Just another Manic Monday!

Here we go again! Monday morning hits, and our crazy routine resumes:

• wake up (after slapping the incessant alarm clock over and over again)
• get ready
• get kindergartner up and dressed and to the breakfast table
• prepare a gourmet breakfast (aka cereal)
  
• get toddler up, comfort and insert medicine as still sick
• get starving baby up (okay in reality she is already up and screaming) and pop bottle in mouth
• make lunch
• check 'take home' school folder to see what we should have done over the weekend (and obviously didn't)
• nag the child who has no sense of time until she is in the car (nice)
  
• drop off kid #1 at school
• stop and get gas (because the magic fairies didn't fill up my car while I slept once again - really fairies! help a girl out!)
• fight the roads into work
• attempt to pick up a trashed office (kid #1 spent 12 hours with me in office yesterday)
• begin to-do list
• give up on to-do list
  
• decide to blog

Okay - giving up on my 'to-do' list is not a normal part of my routine. I'm admittedly a little obsessive compulsive about getting things done. Case in point - this morning my almost 2 year old was still feeling bad. My sweet almost 6 year old decided she wanted to comfort her baby sister. (and hey, if it meant procrastinating getting ready I'm sure she saw it as a win-win).
"Claire," I said, "we have to get our job done first. Finish getting ready, and then you can love your sister."
I know, I know - awful right! I didn't mean it the way it sounded. But as I reflected on this awful parenting moment during the rest of the morning shuffle, I realized once again that my OCD is getting the best of me.
God never shows up on my 'to-do' list. My list is made up of action items. Spending time with God is not really an action kinda thing. And yet my loving God is way more important than anything else I have on my list for today or any day, just as loving her little sister was more important to Claire than getting to school on time.
So, I will learn from my kiddo today. I will do my best to have my priorities be made evident in my actions.

God before me, God behind me, God beside me, God within me, God on the top of my 'to-do' list!

Anticipation

Ely, anxiously waiting for 'wubby' (her blanket) to wash.

I realized today that I don't anticipate things the way I once did. Maybe this is just me, or a universal reality of getting older. As a child I remember that the days before Christmas were agonizingly slow - as I yearned for and dreamed of Christmas morning. The first day of school brought such excitement that I never slept the night before. Even the upcoming weekend brought a giddy anticipation as I would plan outings and fun. But now as an adult, it seems that I have outgrown the ability to be overcome in anticipation - maybe I'm too busy to anticipate!
As Christians, we both live in the midst of the Kingdom of God and anticipate the coming of the Kingdom of God. We have an 'already, but not yet' kind of existence. By its very nature the life of a Christian is a life of anticipation; Looking forward to more - a fuller life in Christ and ultimately in death an eternal life in Christ. Today, if only for a moment, I will stop and anticipate.
Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ WILL come again!

"Life" as brought to you by Jesus

My family has been enjoying the new series "Life" on the Discovery channel.  Videographers traveled to the ends of the earth, and filmed countless hours of nature and wildlife to present this spectacular show.  In order to help fund this project, the creators have taken full advantage of corporate sponsorship.  Consequently, during the commercial breaks, the audience hears the deep voice of an announcer state, "This is Life, as brought to you by Target."  The first time I hear this I couldn't help but give a bark of indignant laughter!  Don't get me wrong, I love shopping at Target stores.  Target provides me with food, clothing and assorted sundries - but Life has been provided for me by God and God alone! 
Today is a gift - I have not earned it and I do not deserve it.  I will dedicate this day to loving Jesus!

Popcorn Philosophy

My name is Melody Kraus, and I am a popcorn-aholic; More specifically, the kettle corn flavor, because a girl needs a little sugar in with her afternoon snack! Some days I just push the 'popcorn' button on my microwave and trust in the power of GE to produce my bag of yummy. Other days, when my controlling nature gets the best of me, I stand in front of the microwave counting pops, and trying to manually decide the best time to extract my bag of popcorn hoping to achieve maximum poppage - the goal being no kernels left. The struggle with this plan is that there is a very fine line between maximum poppage, and burned up nasty popcorn. The moral of my story is that my control issues = a smelly house/office and a hungry tummy. Just as I know that GE's plan is better than my own, I also know that God's plan for my life is better than my own. But unfortunately, I often choose not to trust in God's timing, and rather trust in my own - with the same general success that I see from my popcorn debacles. And so, as I sit in front of my computer with the distinctive aroma of burned pop-secret floating thru the air, I once again commit to trust in God's plan for me. Surely God is better at this timing thing than I am!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

Doubt - I don't know if it is Satan or sin, but doubt is certainly senseless! It's just not logical (or time efficient) to spend time doubting our abilities. The only rewards we get from doubting are sleepless nights and indigestion. Today I choose to think that I can do something (rather than doubting if I can anything!). It might not be perfect - but I can try. I think that's what God asks of us - to try. God can turn our meager offerings into food for the multitudes. So here you go God - it's not much, but I give you me.

Choo! Choo!

Totally Inconvenient!

My 'me' time is comprised of listening to books on tape during my commute to and from work. (I know this is rather pathetic, but with 3 kids age 5 and under - you take what you can get!) Currently, I am listening to One Fifth Avenue, by Candace Bushnell. Bushnell is also the author of Sex and the City, of which you might be more familiar. One Fifth Avenue is a story about a historic building in the midst of NYC, and the sordid details of the residents. This morning, I heard a bit that made me pull over and rewind - then rewind and play over and over again while I furiously tried to write it down. This conversation is between Annalisa Rice, a newly rich socialite in training and her famous stylist, Noreen. Here is a snippet of the dialogue:
Noreen, "You're rich. You can do anything you want. There's no boogey man around the corner who's going to punish you!"
"I thought God punished us." Annalisa said under her breath
"God?" Noreen said, "I've never heard of such a thing! Spirituality is only for show! Astrology - yes. Tarot cards - yes. Wuiji boards, scientology, Kendallah, even 'born agains' - yes. But a real God - that would be inconvenient!"

When I heard this my mouth fell open - I don't know if the author was going for shock value with this statement, but she got it from me! But as I have continued to mull this little exchange over, I have to say that I agree with the statement. God isn't terribly convenient. Loving God, and living for God can be even less convenient - down right messy at times. But, it probably wasn't terribly convenient for God to create me - or watch his only son die to save me - or to have to watch me fall short of his plan every day. How lucky we are that God is willing to overlook the inconveniences of humanity!

Easter People

A wise man once told me that if you could be happy in life doing anything other than being a pastor, you probably should. Pastoring is not for the faint of heart (or the thin skinned)! But then there are the days that make everything so worth it! The days that I learn new ways of understanding God from my Confirmands. The day that my congregation pastors me. The days that I can feel the love for God and neighbor emanating so strongly from the gathered body of Christ that is is overwhelming! There is nothing more beautiful than the body of Christ uniting together in Worship. Praise be to God for the honor of being a part of the amazing congregation of Deer Park United Methodist Church!

Today will be =

This morning on the way to school I asked Claire (my 5 1/2 year old) what kind of day she was going to have at school. "I don't know mom, she answered, "I haven't had my day yet."
"But what kind of day will you have?", I asked, "Good, great, awesome? Let's not wait and see, but rather decide now and help it happen!"
Today I pick an awesome day - filled with living life and loving God. If I choose awesome, I'm pretty sure I'll find some awesome. What kind of day will you have?

Because God's plan is so much better than mine!

Every day I wake up and intentionally give the day to God. And most days - often before my feet have even hit the floor - I take the day right back. Not intentionally mind you, but I grab that control back just the same. Rationally I know this is beyond counter productive - but the control freak in me rages on. God's plans might not look like mine, but only because they are so much better than anything I could ever begin to imagine! So - I give this day to God. And when I inevitably find myself grabbing it back, I will again give this day to God. Lord, let there be less off me, and more of you!