Tragedy strikes

Hello friends~ We need to all be praying for the Chapmans....

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME (she is being held by Steven in the picture)

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN by a SUV driven by one of her brothers. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

When tragedies like this happen, we have to take several steps back in our own lives and re evaluate what is important.

Yard sale finds

I'm not one to do the yard sale thing. Mostly because I don't or am not able to get my buns in gear to compete with the early birds that go to those things. A couple of Saturdays ago, I thought it might be fun to go to a few in town, so I was purposeful and "in gear," and got in the car by 7:45 in the morning (still not as hard core as some!) I hit up a few, and ended up spending about 15 bucks. I got my husband a new winter coat, a Dora scooter for Kayla, 2 pieces of little girl clothing, a pair of hand knit boy's booties, and 3 board games (Jumanji isn't pictured) The two board games pictured are so stinking cool, I just had to share! They are true vintage games with all the pieces and in great shape! The Clue game is from 1963, and the Stratego is from 1962. The Clue game even had the original paper to fill in your "clues" as you get them....it's like these games were bought, but then never played! Here's the best part.....they were 50 cents a piece! You can't beat that with a stick~

Have a blessed day!

Ali

Trash Day

I just thought this daily devotion was great....what a wonderful and so true word picture! Enjoy....

Trash Day
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”
Psalm 103:12

Friday is trash day in our neighborhood. That means on Thursday night, I get busy around the house throwing away about anything that is not nailed to the ground. I collect trash from each room and rejoice as I take overflowing trashcans out to the curb to remove the clutter and junk from our home.

Then the trash man dumps all my trash into his truck and drives away with it, never to be seen by me again. Halleluiah! Weekly, I get to wipe my hands clean of the rubbish in my life.

Fortunately for us, we also have a spiritual trash day. But, instead of weekly, Jesus is willing to come daily, hourly or each minute as we ask for forgiveness to remove the trash of sin from our lives. By His love and grace, he takes away the sin in our lives; He then dumps them at the foot of the cross and removes it from our presence permanently. As far as the east is from the west is how far our sins have been removed from us.

He has cleansed us of our sins, and we are clean in His presence when we ask for and accept the forgiveness He offers us. There is no longer a need to be weighed down by the sins of the past – they are removed. We cannot move forward with the weight of sin around our ankles. When we ask for forgiveness, God completely removes our sin from us, never to be seen again. How great it is that God removes all the junk from within us…all we have to do is ask. We are white as snow, we are forgiven, our record is cleared.

I am so thankful for the forgiveness the Lord has granted me. Now, He says, go and do the same for others. Forgive them. Do not bring up old grievances in the heat of an argument, do not hold them over others’ heads when you need something from them, forgive them. Remove the penalty of the sin so far from them that it is as far as the east is from the west.