"Trey Tuesday" - June 14, 2016

Opposite Day

How has your world seemed lately?

Right side up?  Or up side down? 

We live in a sad and confusing world, where the pain and confusion may never seem to stop.

Where is common sense?

And right and wrong?
And good and bad?
How do we know how to discern these things?

Where is God in this world when it seems like Opposite Day every day?

He is here.

He is near.

He is nearer than we can ever imagine!  :)

He wants to be even more near to you....

Find God's answers in His Word.

In a noisy world, listen for His quiet voice:

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

"Trey Tuesday" - June 7, 2016

Summer Vacation!

How sweet are those words to students (and teachers!) everywhere!?!

And for our dear Bella the sweetness just kept coming.  Her antibiotics kicked in quickly last week and she started to feel better just in time to return to school for the end of year festivities!

Thank you for praying for Bella and her family!

And now, Team Mitlo One, let's pray for each other.  As you read this, please pray for the rest of Trey's fan club to find God's joy and celebrate today, just because!  :)  Just like Trey would!  Go ahead - jump up and down like it's the last day of school!  :)

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."  Psalm 126:2,3

"Trey Tuesday" - May 31, 2016

Unsung Heroes

The mice in Cinderella...

The creator and designer of our Sunday coupons...

The program maker at a hockey game...

The time keeper on Wall Street...

Where would we be without these unsung heroes?  We rely on their steadfast presence, yet underestimate their perseverance to perform under pressure.

Today's "Trey Tuesday" is about much more than coupons and mice.

It's about Joe and Bella.

Yes, Trey was our Young Warrior, but Joe and Bella are our Mighty Warriors - best siblings and most patient children ever!  And now one of our Mighty Warriors is facing a battle of her own.

Bella has Lyme Disease.

And she's scared.

I'm sure Joe is scared, too.

Bella went to the Emergency Room at Children's Hospital yesterday for her mysterious fever and discoloration/bruise.  Can you imagine the butterflies/bats/eagle's wings flapping around in her stomach as she realized she was going to the hospital that treated Trey?  Can you imagine Joe waiting to hear the fate of his sibling...again?

Joe and Bella are my heroes.  They have endured MUCH more than I have in my life.  And yet they still live and love, laugh and play, trust and hope and pray to our loving God.

Will you please follow in their footsteps of faith?  Will you please ask God for Bella to be healed from this disease?  And will you please pray for Joe and Bella (and Jay and Rachel) to be comforted during this frightening time of sickness?

We are so blessed to have you, Team Mitlo One, to stand in the gap for Trey's family.

Really blessed.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."  Colossians 3:12-14

"Trey Tuesday" - May 24, 2016

Don't Do It!

OK....take a deep breath...Spring is about to spring us in to Summer!  Yes, it will be hot.  Yes, it will be humid.  Yes, you may need to turn on the car air conditioner.  Yes, you may even sweat!  But please, oh please, do not complain!  :)  We have waited a long time for May to arrive in its grand style!  Let's embrace it!  Enjoy it!  Savor it! :)

How fickle we can be, so particular and conditional in every aspect....even when it doesn't make sense!  Trey struggled with stabilizing his body temperature for a while, as a result of...something no one could figure out.  Trey had every right to complain.

What brings out the whine in you?  Time, money, weight, health, busyness, relationships, chores, weather, etc..?  Yes, Scripture reminds us not to complain (Philippians 2:14-15), but the Bible also offers some hope!  :)  Take your concerns to God and let Him be your help.

       "As for me, I shall call upon God,

            And the LORD will save me.

      Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur,

      And He will hear my voice.

      He will redeem my soul in peace"

Psalm 55:16-18

"Trey Tuesday" - May 17, 2016

I Don't Need to Be a Mom

Since I was 4 years old, I've been a "mom," taking care of tiny children wherever, whenever I could!  All I wanted to do when I grew up was to be a Mom.  (and a teacher until I had my own children!)  Fast forward many years, and I indeed did become a teacher and a Mom!  :)

Is my life a success?  Is God finished with me?  No way!

Let's look at this from a different angle.  Trey only lived a very few years.  He never became a carpenter/accountant/comedian/pastor/etc.  Was his life a failure because he never "became" anything?
 Absolutely not!  Trey was!  He lived!  He loved!  He took advantage of his "right now" - not waiting for his "when."  Trey didn't need to "be" anything.  He lived out God's perfect plan.  That is a HUGE success!  :)

What are you waiting for?  When is enough, enough?  What conditions have to be met before you are happy/fulfilled/successful/enough?  Are they God, your Creator's conditions?  Or yours?  Or society's?

"God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."  2 Corinthians 9:8

"Trey Tuesday" - May 10, 2016

Stop Looking at Your Schedule!

I was recently advised to stop planning ahead.  Wait!  What?!?  Stop being organized and efficient?!?  Let my bills go unpaid, my laundry undone and meals unplanned?  Sounds like Mother's Day all year round!  :)

Actually the advice was not intended that way at all.  The point was to not live tomorrow today.  Don't dwell on what is coming while you are missing out on what you already have.  Case in point - let's paint a picture....nice warm bed...soft blankets...fluffy pillows....and you have 7 hours before the alarm goes off.  What is going through my/your mind?  Bills?  Laundry?  Meals?  Work?  Email?  Social Media?  Relationships?  Homework?  Finals?  Fears?  We are sacrificing our long awaited slumber on worrying about what is to come!  

Or maybe you rehearse your children's very busy schedule for the day to come.  You are being responsible, right?  Or are you obsessing over controlling everything everywhere all the time?

Believe me, I know this isn't an easy topic.  How do you think I came up with all those relevant examples?!?!  Trey lived everyday to its very fullest.  He rejoiced.  He was glad.  Very glad.

 Let's memorize this verse together, and recite it out loud!

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

"Trey Tuesday" - May 3, 2016

Let's Go Team!

Pirates!
Penguins!
Little League!
Softball!
Army!
Navy!
Choir!
Dance!
(Dare I say Republican/Democrat/Other?!)

Bella's Odyssey of the Mind team is gearing up for their big international competition.  They are spending lots of time together brainstorming and working.
Rachel's CrossFit team is constantly cheering each other on to work out more, faster, bigger, better!
Joe has belonged to a team of dedicated trainers with his Jiu Jitsu team for many years.

And Jay coaches volleyball - teaching lessons that last much longer than any game!  :)

While in Pittsburgh recently I caught glimpses of Team Mitlo One bracelets worn by our team of loved ones bonding together to pray for Trey and his family.  Friends, friends of friends and complete strangers continue to pray, support and love the Mitlos!  Thank you!  :)

Who are your teammates?  Where do you belong?  Who can/do you coach/train/cheer on in this game of life?

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"  Hebrews 12:1