"Trey Tuesday" - December 18, 2018

Bear?  Van? 

Baby names expected to be popular in 2019 may contain animal names or sneaker brands?!  Internet research for this post was verrrry interesting!  This is a great concern of mine as our daughter and son-in-law are expecting a baby in March!  Our first grandchild!  There is going to be a lot of love and attention wrapped up in that little name!

What names are important to you?

Democrat?

Republican?

Introvert?

Extrovert?

Vegan?

Paleo?

The list these days is endless....

Let's go back to the manger.  The tiny baby Jesus.  Born to redeem mankind for all time by His tremendous, unfathomable love for YOU!!  The Great I Am.

Who do YOU say that He is?

"For to us a Child is born,

to us a Son is given,

and the government will be on His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of His government and peace

there will be no end."  Isaiah 9:6,7

"Trey Tuesday" - December 11, 2018

Travel Partner

Can you imagine the conversations Joseph and Mary had on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem?  About eighty long miles....leaving their homes....ready to have a baby....through the desert.  We can't begin to imagine what that was like!!  But....they had each other.  New in a controversial relationship, they endured.  They were called on their journey by God.

Just like you have been called!  :)

Who is your Travel Partner?  Who helps you hear God's voice?  Who has been with you through your long journey?  Who has helped to support you through your "desert"?

Immediately upon Trey's diagnosis, Jay and Rachel knew they needed each other.  They needed to support their children.  And they needed you: Team Mitlo One!  :)  Thank you, even still today, for being amazing life Travel Partners!  <3 

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17-19

"Trey Tuesday" - December 4, 2018

Feelings

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Buttttt....does it FEEL like Christmas?

Cold weather?  check
Crowded stores?  check

Pressure to shop, wrap, cook, clean, work, play, eat, and sleep?  check

Let's not focus on all the negative feelings of the Christmas season, but let's consider the feelings that show the world how grateful we are for the gift of Jesus!

How can you set commercialism aside and savor the simple message of the love of God this CHRISTmas?  

Trey loved to give gifts - (he loved to take them back, too!)

Can you sing carols at a senior home?
Go to a Hallmark-style tree lighting?

Invite a friend to your church service?

Be patient and smile while shopping?

Donate toys with a Bible message?

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him."  I John 4:9

"Trey Tuesday" - November 27, 2018

Soup's On!

Cold and windy day?  Grilled cheese and Tomato soup!

Flu symptoms?  Nothing like mom's Chicken Noodle!

French Onion, Bisque, Butternut Squash, and many others - soup is the ultimate comfort food.

What is it about soup that makes it so special!?  It's a lot of work!  Soup needs time to simmer.  Hours to develop.  Patience to bring out the best.

Hmmmm.....that sounds a lot like relationships....A variety of "ingredients" mixed together, heated on the fire, over time, until blended together to bring nourishment and fulfillment!

God never intended us to be just like each other.  Let's celebrate our differences!  Honor one another's giftedness!  Embrace what others can do better than you can!  Then don't be afraid - go ahead and jump in to some hot water and allow God to do His work!  <3

"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."  Romans 12:4,5

"Trey Tuesday" - November 20, 2018

Magnifying Glass

Make sure you have your magnifying glass ready for Thanksgiving Day!  No, not to inspect Aunt Gertrude's cooking and cleaning, but rather to give appropriate thanks where thanks is due!  :)

Psalm 69 tells a painful and honest story with great faith and love.  Despite the heartache and pain, the writer gives thanks!  How can that be?  With a proper focus on God, HIS strength, HIS perspective, HIS steadfast love is enough to carry and support you.

Just like Trey and his little life, many of you are battling cancer, or surgery, loss, betrayal, fear, depression, and much, much more!  But you are not alone!  Together, let's approach this Thanksgiving holiday with not just a little appreciation, but hearts of thanks strong enough to magnify God!

"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving."  Psalm 69:30

"Trey Tuesday" - November 13, 2018

Like a Lollipop

Life is like a lollipop!  :)  Think back to the days when you received a special lollipop, filled with all its glorious sugar!  There was nothing better than having permission to dig in!  You savored that sweetness - even the sticky sweetness all over your face!

I was reminded of this simple truth as I missed Trey in a deeper way on a recent trip to Pittsburgh.  I walked in to Jay and Rachel's house and it was quiet...and grown up.  The sugary sweet sound of Trey wasn't there.

Yettttt.....the super sweet memories were everywhere!  Photos, stories, smiles, and tears helped us to remember that season of life.  Ohhhh, it was glorious while we had it!  Sweet...and sticky....and soooo much fun!  It didn't last forever, though.  Like a lollipop, the special treat was only meant to last a short time.  God reminded me to be thankful for each precious memory - and each memory yet to be made.

Life is a series of "lollipop" moments.  That is the best we can hope for this side of heaven, but one day, we will meet Jesus face to face and enjoy the never-ending, unconditional, oh-so-good-for-you sweet gift of eternal life!

"Above all, love each other deeply"  I Peter 4:8

"Trey Tuesday" - November 6, 2018

Stinky, but Safe

Have you ever held a chicken?  No, not a cute little fluffy chick. I'm talking about holding a full-size hen in your arms - feeling the feathers and the skin and the bones.  You'll see, chicken wings are far more than a tasty tailgate food!

Up close and personal you can lift the feather-filled wing and observe God's handiwork! However, chickens are farm foragers, so their feathers are not always clean.  They survive weather, predators, and barnyard antics.  And they have the debris and aroma to prove it!  Yet....this is where they hide their young.  This is where they protect those fluffy chicks from harm.  It may seem to be a stinky place right now, but it is good and safe and right for their strength and growth!

Hmmmm....Let's see what the Bible says about that: "how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings"  Luke 13:34  God wants to surround and protect you, just like that mother hen!  Your circumstances may be stinky at times.  The feathers may feel rough.  But beware: the barnyard fox is out there prowling.  Cuddle up and rest assured.

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.” Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."  Psalm 91:1-4