Courage!

Cowardly Lion: Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man: Courage! 

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again!


Now, being that I'm from Kansas you may think it cliche that I just quoted a scene from The Wizard of Oz but the poor ol' Cowardly Lion and I have something in common; We ain't got courage!

This past week I have encountered again and again my lack of courage. The abscence of bravery in my life has severely limited me at times and made me miss out on taking chances and risks that could have made all the difference.

Upon looking up the word courage in the back of my giant King James Version study bible, I found one passage that spoke to me the most; "Arise for this matter is your responsibility...Be of good courage, and do it." Ezra 10:4 NKJV

One of the biggest issues I have had with being brave is taking responsibility for my own failings, faults, and sometimes, even tasks that I know are mine but I lack the courage to do them.  The burden of courage is often scary, but I find myself compelled, even more so now, to lift those burdens off the backs of others and stake full claim on what is mine to do.

Do you sometimes feel afraid of the things that are yours to handle? Or afraid to own up to the things you've done wrong? God compels us to stand up and be courageous, because with Him on our side there is no need to have fear, especially when we are being courageous for the right things.

Today, I am going to be a bit more like the Scarecrow or the Tin Man, no, not missing a brain or a heart, but full of courage because I know that I am brave and for all the right reasons. No more cowardly lion! Time for Courage!


~ Angela

Tripping Up

The last few days have been awkward for me. I have had a great deal of clumsy moments. Please observe:

1) Spilled a water bottle full of water down the hallway
2) Dropped a glass of orange juice on the counter, coating everything in sticky citrus
3) Started dinner at On the Border with a peacefully sleeping baby in my lap; subsequently spilled my water all over him, thus waking him up.
4) Accidentaly hit the 'lock' button on the garage door so that my hubby couldn't get in when he came home from work
5) Forgot my purse, then my daughter's epi pen on the way to On the Border. Went back and got them. Got to OTB and realized I had forgotten our son's entire diaper bag.

I subscribe to the belief that in everything God hides a lesson; all of life is, you could say, a teachable moment.

These clumsy moments of mine this week were no different. While I was watching the orange juice spread from one part of the counter to the other, I had a thought, a thought about how hard I am on myself about my little mistakes. God is not so harsh.

We all sin, sometimes in awful ways, but God does not throw up His hands in disgust with us. No, instead he gathers us in His arms and holds us closer than before. He forgives us and makes everything brand new. Like yesterday's mishaps never happened.

And so today I am going to try to forgive myself a little more for my clumsy mistakes and my big goofs. They are just a blip on the radar and I need to cut myself a little bit of slack; God does.

~ Angela

On the Border...of Crazy Town

Tonight my lovely family and I went out to eat. It may seem that we did this for a special treat, but it was really because when making the grocery list and subsequently going to the grocery store, the most essential ingredient of taco night...taco shells...were forgotten.

So instead we went to On the Border. It was a nice, easy taco night substitution. And I didn't have to cook or clean! Maybe this should be our permanent taco night. Hmm...

Here are some pics of my adorable little family enjoying their impromptu "taco night". Sorry for the pic quality, my phone was dying and therefore could not flash. Which is probably for the better because my phone's flash is blinding and would have resulted in pictures of shocked faces and closed eyes.

Okay, one blog update down. A billion to go! I'm going to be bugging you all a lot more from now on. I am also going to get my butt in gear for my blog on CCmom.com, so be on the lookout for that! I had a photo shoot for that blog and everything. I'm super fancy :)

~ Angela

Kaitlyn, smiling for the camera

Joshua, eating some chips

The Hubs, having a good time

Joshua, wondering if he should eat more cheese.