Wrigley Field & Giving Praise Where and When it's Due?

Two Wednesday nights ago I had a cool opportunity to attend a game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. One of the highlights of my sporting career. Not that I have much of a sporting career but a highlight none the less.
Ballfields.
There is just something about them. I remember as a kid at Fenway Park sitting with my dad in the bleachers. The roar of the crowd, the smell in the air, hotdogs and the 7th inning singing of "Take me out to the ballgame". The memories that are attached to a baseball field will remain with me forever.
So I felt so privileged to have the opportunity to sit in one of the oldest ball fields around. It makes me smile just thinking of it. It also made me think of another topic, one that was brought to my attention recently.

But first, enjoy the pics.
Topic discussion at the end of this post.

We were like kids in a candy store, giddy as all get out.

See what I mean I just kept taking pictures. The Wrigley Field sign, the Wrigley Field sign.

The famous rooftop bleachers, they were amazing to look at. Next time I think I'll try to sit up there.

This was the view from my seat.

"Buy me some peanuts"

We never sat in our ticketed seats. When we began to make our way up to them I noticed a row of empty seats down closer, since we got there in the 4th inning and passed a bunch of Cubs fans leaving; I figured it was cold, the Cubs were loosing and people were leaving, we had good chance of sitting in someone else's seats with no issue. I was right.

By the time the 9th rolled around Kev, Les and I had made it a little closer past the "ticket checker" for the really good seats and got to finish the game real close. Then it was pictures of the whole group thanks to this lady who stayed well after the game was over to take group photos.

Here's the gang!

So on to my other thoughts.

Here I was a Red Sox fan, yes I will state that again I AM A BOSTON RED SOX FAN, as any good decent American Yankee is, and here I was smack dab in the center of a Cubs-Reds game. Since I can't go to a ballgame without yelling I had to pick a team and it only made sense I root, root, root for the home team...

I yelled,

I cheered,

I was a good Cubs fan that night.

I had the guy behind and in front of me agreeing that the Ump was from Cincinnati and I booed the home run hit by the Reds.

I cheered for players I don't know and chanted names I wasn't even sure of.

Interesting that I would yell and scream and carry on at a baseball game that my team wasn't even playing in.

Made me think... how do I respond to God when he does the amazing?

or the ordinary?

We talked about it as a group on our trip and then again at 33oC last night. How do we respond, or do we even respond when God shows up.

Hmmmm, sometimes I do.

I've been known to give God a good hand clapping in the car or in my kitchen. I have danced for joy because of Him and I've shared with others.

But do I do it nearly as to the degree that I cheered for the Cubs?

Do I go about my life, busy with kids, work, home and forget to

stop,

pause

and not only recognise God but give Him the praise He's due.

What would that even look like?

I think of Moses and the burning bush, Moses saw the amazing and he took his shoes off.

What? really? that's it?

Why didn't he fall on his face in awe right away?

Do I act that way?

Do I simply take my shoes off when a standing ovation is in order. Heck at the Cubs game the strangers around me knew where I stood.

I'd like to make this a discussion, what would it, does it look like for you? to give God (you know the One who created the universe) the praise and recognition He's due.

What would it be like if we all gave God the praise He is due when he shows up in our lives and our days?

If you're not a blogger you don't have to blog to comment, I'm not sure what you do but register with blogger and comment, I'd really like to hear.

Peace, love and food

-Michelle

Here's the Deal

If you're not familiar with Compassion, you need to be.
Our family has sponsored a Compassion child in Kenya for several years. We write to him, he writes back, it's a neat relationship and opportunity.
While I was at the SHIFT Conference this last week we actually got to hear first hand from a child who was in the Compassion program. It was incredible to hear his story, where he was before Compassion, where he was while with Compassion and where he is now.
The most amazing thing was he was sponsored by a 15-year old girl.
Yep.
A 15-year-old girl decided she would rather spend $32 a month on a child living in poverty than to spend it on herself.
Now that's crazy love!

So what are you waiting for? And yes this is directed at all the 33oC girls out there!
Go over to Compassion and find a child.
You can pick one with your same birthday, the country you want, gender etc.

I can't think of a better use of $32.
Who needs coffee out every day or nails done, I'll even skip a date night. What about you, what can you give up for a child living in poverty?

And oh yeah on my sidebar under "My Blog List", The LM Proof and Without Wax are both on a blogging trip to India, check them out and read first hand the story on Compassion in India.

Peace, Love and tweet, tweet-
-Michelle

Here I Am, Send Me

So I've been challenged this last week to look at my life.
My calling.

I grew up in a missionary based church. I still remember the lady who lived in the Philippines staying at our house, she had cool wooden instruments, woven trinkets and really neat stories and pictures of dark skinned children with big white smiles.

I don't know if I thought much beyond that as a child but I did know those pictures and stories stuck with me. I always wanted to go.

Living without electricity, in sandy, dusty places has always intrigued me. When I learned about the "wild west' in school my heart ached for days on the prairie, making my own bread and soap, sewing my own clothes and riding in a horse and buggy.

Eeerrr... (sound of a record scratching)
I don't live there:
in the wild west
or
the Philippines.

I live in Florida. In a house.
With air conditioning, bought clothing, Publix bread and a mini-van.

But my desire is still there. My desire for people.
I happen to have a real heart for the youth of our nation, more specifically the youth of the area surrounding my home, you know the comfy home 3 miles from the beach.
Anyway, it was brought to my attention recently that if I was called to the distant land of the Philippines or Kenya or Indonesia I would have quite a learning curve ahead of me.
Language, culture and more.

I'm not called there. I'm called here to the "Globals" or "Digitals".
I've been called to a group of people who talk differently,
act differently,
live differently; yes we share a common language, a common stomping ground a common "spoiledness' of living where we do; but we're different. Too often as American adults we forget that our students are living in a different era. They do not know life without cell phone and internet, where we had to travel to see London they can walk the streets using Google. I had pen pals who tapered off after a few months where my children can talk to and watch videos of their friends all over the world via youtube.
Crazy, mindblowing when you think of how quick things have changed.

So I've been challenged to really get to know the culture in which I've been called to be a missionary. I guess to some degree I've already attempted to embrace it.

Myspace
Cell Phone
Faceook
Texting
Twitter

All this still sits in some parts of my head as "bad", afterall I was raised with the notion of screens being brainrotters, not good to be in front of.
While to some degree I still see the negative aspects of too much screen time, I've learned to embrace this digital, global generation.

To be sent to the nation for Christ means to know the nation I've been sent to.
So I've been challenged to view my mission field a little more seriously and to hopefully pass on my new mission mind-set to this generation of doers and changers so they too may see themselves as missionaries in their schools, classrooms, homes and jobs. That they may rise up and be the generation that brings the church out of the poverty it is currently sitting in.

Love, peace and I heart cool felt bags,
-Michelle

Les' i-phone Rocks the House!

OK, so a few pics from the other night and some new ones too!
Pizza downtown at Giordanos, the best deep dish.
Then it was Wrigley Field, but you'll have to wait for game day pics because they deserve a post all in their own. I mean, Wrigley Field.

So yesterday I feel in love with Les' i-phone. Here I am with it, I think it was the online map of Chicago and the hour and a half I had to play around with it.

Glory!

I loved having the online access at my finger tips and when I found out how to zoom in and out on the i-phone I was the most thrilled I had been in a while.

We walked out to Navy Pier, Whitney and I with part of the city behind us. the weather was beautiful.

We found this cool indoor garden area.

Then we made a crazy exit to see....

this is for you Dani....

Harpo Studios.

I have other pictures and more to tell I just knew a few of you would be happy to see pics now. I probably won't be back here until Monday so peace out until then.

-Michelle

Chi-ca-go!

Yippy!
Made it to Chicago safe and sound.
Ate downtown at a great pizza place, meet our intern who's coming the end of May (thrilled for that one) and didn't sleep worth anything!
Today was a great day at the SHIFT conference, lots of great info.
Tonight...
Wrigley Field!
Rock on!
Yep- Cubs game and "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch,
sitting in seats that were right behind home plate and NOT our ticketed ones,
getting kicked out of kick a** seats behind home plate!
Pics to follow,
tomorrow another great day at Willow Creek, taking in dinner at another place downtown.
Game time now,
signing off!
Loving it!
Peace out!
-Michelle

Checking In

above: Molly, Carlene and I at Sugar Mills Ruins in town

OK, so I've been gone for awhile and if you follow me on Facebook then you know I posted a rather controversial comment last week.

It went something like this:

Michelle is thinking baby.

No I'm not pregnant nor are we trying to get pregnant, that gravy train has been shut down.

Anyway I posted to get Steve's attention. He recently got internet on is phone and I though he'd check his FB more than once a year and when our nephews are in town they cling to him and he gets a little hankerin' for a baby- he may not admit I but I know it. So with our nephew coming into town I posted that. Steve knows how much I love babies and toddlers and how teenagers are currently driving me nuts! Don't get me wrong all stages of parenting are a challenge I just find it easy to look back at the younger years with a whole lot of candy coating.

So I posted it to get him to smile and maybe...

Now we have talked about adopting, but on that note it's been more talk of adopting older children and siblings at that, but that' another post.

So I'll have to update FB people I just probably won't do it until next week.

Now on to the here and now: I'm getting ready to meet with Vaughan's guidance counselor about duel-enrollment next year.Vaughan will be, Lord willing, taking classes at the high school as well as the local college. After that I jump on a plane for Chicago until Saturday!

I'll see about blogging while there, I've been off this month with company in town since March 31st. Plus right after I get back Heather is coming down and we hope to connect. The blog world is interesting especially the stalking done friendships made.

Anyway have a great week. Pray our vehicle issues get ironed out and that my family home/pets/children/husband survive while I'm gone.

Peace and love

-Michelle

Happy Easter 2009!

I have fallen in love with this book:
Yesterday Christie and Kinsey came over to bake Easter cupcakes. Christie and I have been talking about baking cupcakes for months so it was nice to finally connect.
Step one below: get "eggs" cut out, cupcakes baked, frosting colored...

It was fun to mix up Easter colors...

Kinsey was the bonus baker. She wasn't in the original baking plan but I am glad she made it! Plus she rocked as the cupcake filler, perfect rounded cupcakes very time.

Next we frosted the "eggs", dipped them in decorating sugar and of course texted and called people the whole time. If you don't spend much time with teenagers I'll let you in on a well known fact: they always keep their phones close-by. It use to bother me but now I see it as an extension of what we're doing and who's there!

Christie adding grass around our eggs- we ended up eliminating this feature, it took too long and none of us were good at it!

Here is Christie's batch that she hopped off to make a special delivery with.

While she was gone Kinsey and I got to thinking...while some may think that the two of us thinking is scary, after all we consist of a cheerleader an ex-cheerleader, THINK AGAIN... we are pure genius together,

pure genius I tell you.

We had a grand idea to make a special cupcake for our friends Emme and Jerm. Since they are huge, huge, Hawaii fans we, or I should say Kinsey, made a personalized palm tree cupcake. The detail that went int this would make any cupcake connoisseur drool.

See the genius...

Here's a wide shot of the finished products...

Some close ups...

Hello Cupcake! is perhaps the best birthday present I have ever bought myself don't believe me? Check out:

Vaughan's 15th

Christmas 2008

Justin's 13th

to see more of my handiwork from this book.

-Michelle <><

Somehow I Forgot to Post This

Today marks week 3 of his first job! There's something so thrilling and scary about dropping your child off at work and having them receive their own paycheck.

Oh where has the time gone my little preemie?

My heart goes aflutter.....
-Michelle

More Family Fun!

Well, Rebecca an Tim have left, sniff, sniff; but now my cousin Molly is in town so that helped lessen the blow.
I realized I have very few pics of the night they shared at my house Below is their display board, you can see the large pictures of the Wano pretty well here.
After they shared and the masses had left the girls really got attached to Faith. Eva was funny, wanting her picture taken but really enjoying putting her foot to block her face.

Here are the last of the adults.

Friday we visited a friends pool and then hit the local Burger King. I gotta tell you this BK rocks! We spent 2.5 hours in the play area. The guys discovered a golf game and played that the whole time.

This is Eva and I. The jury is split but one line of thought is that she looks like I did at 3. Her grandfather, my uncle, is certain she has my attitude. I had a blast with her!

Rebecca actually beat this snowboarding game and don't miss the concentration on Tim's face in the background. Apparently these games are for more than those under 4.5 feet.

Now what kind of an aunt (yes technically 1st cousins once removed) would I be if I didn't get up in the tunnels and tubes with them.

Then at home the fun continued. Somehow we thought this was funny: missionaries from the jungles of Indonesia playing Guitar Hero, like they aren't suppose to play video games or listen to rock-n-roll?!

My front door can be tricky to open so the girls discovered my back window with no screen. It made a perfect and very entertaining door.

It warms my heart to see this next generation of cousins hit it off so well, they played and laughed and just had a last together despite their 10 year age difference.

Don't worry I have tons more pictures and more family to add to the fun. I am working on a blog for the Ingles and will be sure to let you all know. The life of this tribe is very interesting, the stories fascinating I can't wait to have an avenue to share the with you all.

-Michelle

I'll Take It!

I thought I'd get a full 5 hours of no kid time today.
I ran 2 hours late getting home.
Then...
Vaughan just called and they're getting a ride home from Rhonda....
.... 1 hour early. Thanks lady.

Oh well.
2 hours is better than none.

-Michelle

Family From Indonesia

I am so thrilled to have my cousin in town from Indonesia. Rebecca and I were born 10 days apart and grew up across the street from one another. By birth I have all brothers but if had to claim sister she would be it. There's a bond shared when you're so close in age and geography that no matter how far we live that bond will always remain. She told a story of a day we got into an argument and her mother asked her is that upset her. She responded with "No, we'll be fine again tomorrow."
I love that story. That's how it was for us. But now we're grown-ups. We've traded our barbies for pots and pans, our bike riding for home schooling. When I speak with her it's the same ol' "Becca" I remember. Fashion and decorating, chocolate and being bossy- we're both pretty good at them; but as we visit our conversation always makes it's way around to her life.
See, she lives with the Wano tribe in Indonesia. She is raising her two girls among a group of people who have no written language. A group of people who fear spirits cause death, who chant to these spirits to make their gardens grow. It's quite remarkable to spend time with her and her family. They're just like us, but so different.
Last night I had about 20 of my adult friends and over 10 students come into my home and listened as Rebecca and her husband Tim shared about life in the tribe, their journey in getting there and what their future holds.
The most exciting part of their story was that in a year from now the Wano people will be hearing the Good News of Christ for the first time ever! A people who live in fear of spirits and night creatures will for the first time hear of the peace and love of Christ.
Please pray.
Pray for open hearts of the Wano, for clarity and translation and above all for Christ to shine in this dark part of our world.

Eva, Faith ad Lilly.
The late night gang-all the home school kids could stay up past bedtime!!

What a great time!

Michelle