Good Thing/Bad Thing

I've been thinking about the "good thing/bad thing" today.

The good thing is that I tend to let go of the past (eventually!). The bad thing is that I can get overwhelmed with what's in front of me.

The good thing is that I'm short enough that I don't hit my head on low hanging branches when I walk underneath them. The bad thing is that technically I'm not tall enough to ride the go-carts at Celebration Station (but I have a driver's license, so they let me).

The good thing is that I know I don't walk this road alone. The bad thing is that I fear that even though I'm not alone, it can't be handled.

The good thing is that I like to cook. The bad thing is that I like to eat everything I cook ... and then some.

The good thing is that I walk with God, and He's bigger than anything out there. The bad thing is that I often don't believe He's big enough.

The good thing is that I'm getting older. The bad thing is that I look it ... and please don't offend me by offering me a senior citizen discount (although that has never happened yet, but I'll definitely be offended when it does!).

The good thing is that God reminds me over and over and over again of the times that He has been sufficient. The bad thing is that I tend to forget.

The good thing is that my husband and I think we're hilariously funny. The bad thing is that we're the only people who think that.

The good thing is that God is extremely patient and gracious with me. The bad thing is that He needs to exercise that patience and extend that grace moment by moment (but I'm sooooo thankful He does!).

The good thing is that I've been given an incredible family ... and they're cute, and funny, and smart, and dang near perfect. The bad thing is that I often take them for granted.

The good thing is Jesus loves me ... and there's nothing bad about that.

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

I love this piece written by Mother Teresa. It speaks to my heart. Probably because I often feel like people are unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered ... that there are unfaithful people around me ... that there are deceivers and ungrateful people surrounding me ... that it doesn't matter how much I do, it's not enough. All of that is focused on me though (did you notice that?!). People are self-centered because they're not looking out for ME. People aren't faithful to ME. People are deceiving ME. People aren't grateful to ME. Each line of Mother Teresa's piece starts out that way, but the second line  is an encouragement to look outside of ourselves.

The best line? "In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." It's what it all comes back to in the first place -- Who I'm serving, why I'm doing what I'm doing, what the ultimate focus is to be. It's all about God. That's the beginning ... the middle ... and the end. Anything else is not enough.

It all comes down to this. Dealing with people is hurtful. They're not always nice. They are often stupid, without remorse, refusing to change. I can be the Judge -- weighing the evidence, finding them guilty, and walking away. And who on earth would blame me? People don't deserve mercy or grace when they're determined to continue doing wrong, right?! But where do I fit in this picture? Am I really the Judge (especially when I try to sit in that seat) or am I one of those people determined to continue doing wrong? Where would I be if God had refused to extend His grace and mercy to me? Like Mother Teresa says, He "did it anyway".

As He did for me, so I must do for others. Because He forgave, so do I. They don't deserve it, but neither did I. God does, though. He deserves my best. And the most amazing thing? When I look at people the way God does, I see their need ... I see their hurts ... I see their potential. It makes the "doing it anyway" a special blessing, because I'm serving those that He loves ... the ones that He's given me a love for as well. How can I do any less when I consider all that He's done for me?

Sci-Fi 2012

Another new year? You've got to be kidding me! I've just NOW gotten to where I consistently remember to write 2011. I don't know if I'll ever totally remember 2012. And doesn't 2012 sound really sci-fi? Like it's not a real date ... just a number that's been thrown out there in the cosmic future.

Okay, enough of my ramblings about how I can't believe it's 2012. Since it's my tradition to review the past year in a blog -- well, if tradition accurately describes the second time I've done this -- then I'm ready to get started showing you all of the wonderful things going on in our lives. Now that I think about it, this might take the place of a Christmas letter! Aren't you excited?!?!

Biggest news? We had a wedding in our family and added another wonderful daughter-in-law. She's a Texan that has adjusted well to Oklahoma, and we're blessed to have her. She fits in well with this wacky family and helps to class us up a little bit.

We got to keep our littlest grandbaby for a week. Oh my goodness, we're definitely older than when we had our own babies!! But, it was a fun time for all of us -- well, at least, it was for me! I loved the time with her and hated to give her back to her mommy and daddy.

After years and years and years of being an Oklahoma State Cowboy fan ... after years and years and years of being disappointed or dismayed after football season ... after years and years and years of being on the losing end of the spectrum (you get the picture!), we celebrated with an incredible football season. Man! I get excited just thinking about all of those games! Seriously, I'd like a repeat of the 2011 football season for 2012 ... and 2013 ... and 2014 ... and so on.

Wes's dad went home to be with the Lord this year. Sometimes it seems like it's still not real. We find ourselves telling different stories -- about how he liked to play card games, about his competiveness, about his love for sports, his dry sense of humor, his "grampa" sandwiches. We miss him a lot, but know that he wouldn't trade places at all. He's seeing Jesus' face!

Our oldest granddaughter was the star of her ballet recital ... and the star of her soccer team ... and the star of her choir program ... and the star of her Christmas program ... you get where I'm going with this, right? Yes, she's OUR little star. Oh! And she's learned to read this year. I've heard her! She likes to read books to her Nammy, and Nammy loves hearing her!



And just because I love this picture, I have to include it. It's my precious little family ... all of those kiddos that grew up in our home, some of whom have gone on to create homes and families of their own. There's never a boring moment when we're all together, especially when they all come home and manage to bring all of their dogs along with them! It's always a highlight of any time for Wes and me when all of our kids are around.

We've had two different major surgeries in our family this year (unfortunately, having a surgery DOES seem to be an Allen family tradition) ... moved kids from one place to another (several times!) ... Wes and I celebrated 33 years of being together (from our first blind date in Stillwater in 1978) ... we became actively involved with an incredible group of young mommies and their babies in Teen MOPS ... and life is once again very good in the Allen household.

We're assured of God's love for us, convinced of His provision and protection, and grateful for His blessings. Even more, we're looking forward to what He's going to do in the future. The comfort is knowing that He already has it planned out and the prayer is that we'll be sensitive to seeing His fingerprints over all of it.

Bring it on, 2012!!!

Drinking From a Fire Hydrant

Our ministry with teen moms is growing at an explosive rate!! At our first meeting, we had one girl and her son. At our second meeting, we had one girl (a different one -- the "first" mommy had a sick baby) and her daughter. At our third meeting, there were 21 people and 16 children! This next week will be our 4th meeting, and already we've heard from 11 new moms who want to attend ... and 10 new babies to add to our roster.

It's overwhelming. It's frightening. It's incredible. And our ministry has only been in existence for three weeks.

What is God teaching? He's reinforcing with me that ...

* ... He will NEVER call me to do something that He doesn't provide the ways to do it. If He's bringing girls, He'll provide the leaders needed to minister. If He's bringing babies, He'll provide the people needed for childcare. If we're feeding the girls, He'll not only provide the food but will multiply it like the loaves and fishes. If we're needing $$, He'll send the donations. He'll show us the details that need to be noticed ... the organization that needs to be done ... the things that need to be said. God is our Coordinator. And He has done that ... all of that ...

* ... His heart yearns for these precious mommies and babies. He wants to be their sufficiency, the One Who provides for their needs, the One Who loves them. And until they come in to a personal relationship with them, He'll continue to court them through my hands and feet and service. What an incredible blessing!! Plus, when I give myself to the One Who loves them the most, His love flows in and through me. How is it possible to already be in love with girls and babies that you just meet? But it's true ...

* ... I belong to a body of people who want to be a part of serving and loving. We've seen people donate items for our Mommy Mart store, they've given monetary donations, they're sending food, they're rocking babies, they're praying. Many of these people will NEVER meet a single one of the teen moms, but they've become a vital and important part of our ministry "behind the scenes". They're loving these girls without expecting anything in return, just as Jesus does. Without them -- the Body of Christ -- our ministry would be nothing. It takes ALL of us ...

* ... He is the God of abundance. We prayed for an open door, and God flung open the doors ... and windows ... and took the roof off! We prayed for a few girls and God is sending us many. Then, we prayed for a few childcare workers to help, and again God sent us many. Basically, we asked for a drink of water, and God opened a fire hydrant for us to drink from. Our dreams are no where near what God can do, and He's showing us that every single day. Every time a new girl calls about attending ... every sack of items that we receive from a donor ... every new person who inquires about helping with childcare. God's grace overflows ...

I have to be honest. There are times that doubt and fear raise their ugly heads in my mind. People have already told us we need to limit our numbers and turn girls away. Some have said we don't have room or that these girls will hurt us and drain us dry. Can we seriously do this ministry? Are we without limits? Willl this be a ministry without pain? And the answer is a big, fat NO. We can't do this. We are limited. It's going to hurt at times. However, we serve a God Who can do all things, is without limits, and Who has a plan. God is working here in Yukon, USA. We just need to be willing to step out to where He calls us -- where we feel unsure and unprepared, because that's where He will show us His greatest miracles. That's where He'll show us Himself, and our teen moms will see Him for themselves.

Beauty for Ashes

It's amazing to me how God uses our past to teach us and grow us. Things that I would love to go back and change ... things that I'm ashamed of or that scarred me ... things that I swore I'd never do but I did; and, on the flip side ... things that I'd love to relive because they were so wonderful ... things that I'm proud of ... things that happened that bring me great joy -- God wastes absolutely nothing and uses ALL instances to teach us or to help us minister to others. Even though some of the times might have been because of my stupidity or wrong choices, God is not limited. What was intended by me as evil or wrong or selfish purposes, God can turn around and make in to something beautiful -- I just need to allow Him to work in and through me.

I love that my God is the God of new beginnings ... the God who turns ashes in to beauty ... the God of second chances. He's the original "green" -- doesn't waste a thing!! I also love that His timing is perfect ... that He's always working ... that He has a plan and a purpose.

For today, I choose to:
* Revel in Who He is and what He's done
* Celebrate in His ability to use all things
* Rejoice that He's chosen to use me
* Anticipate what He's going to continue to do
* Trust in His timing and plan

Loosey Goosey

Stop everything you're doing! It's big news! We've got a loose tooth. Yes, it's loose, as in slightly wiggly. I've been instructed that I'm supposed to tell everyone and I'm not supposed to wait until tomorrow because it's
V-E-R-Y important for people to know. So, I'm being an obedient Nammy and speading the news. You've been told.

Seems like only yesterday that this little girl was just cutting teeth. How can she be at an age where it's time to start losing them?!? Times goes by waaaaaaaay too fast. But I'm grateful for the time that I've been given with this precious little girl ... and especially grateful that I was one of the honored ones that received a phone call with the big news.

Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be more news updates about teeth.

Magnifying Mirror Nightmare

 I just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I bought a 5x magnifying make-up mirror yesterday and I haven't stopped crying since. Every single pore ... every single hair ... every single wrinkle ... every single age spot -- they're shown off in their glorious imperfection. AND, since the mirror I bought is also lighted, it's like there's a heavy-duty spotlight bringing everything into even clearer focus.

It's really depressing.

I was wanting something that would help me pluck my eyebrows ... help me keep my mascara from getting all over my face as I put it on ... help me with my lipliner ... and help these 51-year-old eyes be able to see well enough to put my make-up on. Is that too much to ask? I mean, seriously. Is it? Let me answer my own question: yes. The whole point was to actually LOOK BETTER. Read that again. To look better. That's all I wanted. Well, that and to look like the girl on the right.

This is what I got. When my face is magnified, it looks like my skin is made out of lunar material ... and when I say lunar material, I'm being polite to myself. My face looks like the surface of the moon. My eyebrows would make Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes jealous. Honestly, I didn't know I even HAD that many hairs in my eyebrows ... OR that they managed to grow halfway down my face. Practically every single color of the rainbow can be seen on my face in my horrifying new make-up mirror, and that's BEFORE I put any make-up on. And yes, I thought I had a few stray hairs that would pop up on my lip or my chin, yet I took care of them before other people could notice. Ha!! Even as I write this, I'm laughing hysterically and wiping the tears of mirth from my eyes. I now know the sad truth. I've grown a full beard and mustache and no one ever had the good graces to tell me. And to make it all even worse, I was aware of the "few" wrinkles that I was "gradually" getting -- the smile lines, the cute little marks around my eyes and nose when I laughed. Yeah, whatever. They're not wrinkles. They're deep crevices that a small child could crawl into and get lost.

My new 5x magnifying make-up mirror is still sitting on the vanity, but it's closed and unplugged. Yet, it still taunts me whenever I walk by it. It's almost like I have this crazy addiction to checking out what other horrifying things it will reveal. But I've managed to avoid that temptation. At least, until tomorrow when I have to put on make-up to go to work. You know, who ever said I had to wear make-up to work? I hear the new rage is to wear a paper bag over your face so people have to guess who you are. If it's not the rage yet, it soon will be.