Today for school, the boys each had to write a paragraph telling the name of a president they admired and why, as well as one thing they would do if they were President. Here they are:
Stefan's Paragraph:
"I admire Abraham Lincoln because he freed the black slaves. That was good because the black slaves were innocent, and all men are created equal. If I became part of the government, I would replace GM with LST to stop pollution."
A word of clarification: GM is General Motors, and LST is Stefan's brainchild, Light Speed Travel. He has an idea in his mind about creating a vehicle that could travel at light speed using all natural fuels that would not pollute the environment. Who knows, maybe he'll bring it to fruition someday! If only he liked math...
Now on to Lukas' Paragraph:
"I admire Thomas Jefferson because he wrote the Declaration of Independence. It states our freedoms. I want abortion to stop."
Lukas is the master of figuring out how to say what he wants to say in the fewest amount of words possible - at least when it comes to writing assignments for school. Maybe next time I'll give them a word count requirement. :-)
I just thought I'd share these with you. I hope you enjoyed them!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
God is Good All the Time
Well, it's been over a month since I last found the time to post something on my blog. When I last wrote, we were on our way to Disney World in our RV for a Carlson family vacation. Lars' parents and two brothers with their families were meeting us down there for Lars' mom's dream vacation. Ironically, not long after I hit the "Publish Post" button on my entry entitled "Blessings," Lukas got sick. In the RV. On the way to Disney World.
It's amazing how Satan attacks, isn't it? Here I am, committing to thanking God for the blessings in my life instead of looking at the negatives, and my son gets sick the night before we arrive at Disney World. It ended up being a horrible night, with both boys sick all night long.
It was hard not to get discouraged. Our kids are typically pretty healthy, and we hadn't experienced a bout with the stomach flu in 4 or 5 years. It was heartbreaking to see them sick as we were taking them to Disney World for the first time. I knew they were afraid the trip would be ruined.
I was determined not to let Satan steal our joy. In fact, I said that very thing out loud to Lars. I did my best to comfort the boys and assure them that we would have a good time. And the words of Casting Crowns' "Praise You in this Storm" went through my mind over and over again.
Now, I realize that a bit of sickness on a vacation seems far less important than the storms a lot of people are facing in their lives. If you know me well, though, you understand that I fear sickness. So for me, this was a big deal. Yet instead of the panic that I have experienced in the past, I felt His peace fill me as I thought of the words, "I will praise You in this storm, and I will lift my hands, cause You are Who You are, no matter where I am. And every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hands. You've never left my side. Even though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm."
I've learned that praise is a choice. It's easy to praise Him when things are going well and we feel like He's blessing us. It's not so easy when we're down and out. In those moments, we can either choose to wallow in our misery or praise Him in spite of the storm that is raging around us.
It's acknowledging that God is good all the time, even when we don't understand. I believe it with all my heart, and I choose to praise Him no matter what. I have seen that He is good, and I thank Him for the strength He gives in those moments when I'm not sure if I can make it. He has never let me down, and He never will. He won't let anything touch me that He won't also give me the strength to endure. I am actually thankful for the storms, because they keep me dependent on Him. They help me remember how much I need Him with every breath I take.
Well, the boys were beginning to feel better by the time we arrived at Disney, and we pulled into Fort Wilderness for our week's stay. We kept them in that night, but by the next day they were ready to take on the Magic Kingdom with the family. And we had a fabulous week! Yes, God is good all the time, even in the less important things.
It's amazing how Satan attacks, isn't it? Here I am, committing to thanking God for the blessings in my life instead of looking at the negatives, and my son gets sick the night before we arrive at Disney World. It ended up being a horrible night, with both boys sick all night long.
It was hard not to get discouraged. Our kids are typically pretty healthy, and we hadn't experienced a bout with the stomach flu in 4 or 5 years. It was heartbreaking to see them sick as we were taking them to Disney World for the first time. I knew they were afraid the trip would be ruined.
I was determined not to let Satan steal our joy. In fact, I said that very thing out loud to Lars. I did my best to comfort the boys and assure them that we would have a good time. And the words of Casting Crowns' "Praise You in this Storm" went through my mind over and over again.
Now, I realize that a bit of sickness on a vacation seems far less important than the storms a lot of people are facing in their lives. If you know me well, though, you understand that I fear sickness. So for me, this was a big deal. Yet instead of the panic that I have experienced in the past, I felt His peace fill me as I thought of the words, "I will praise You in this storm, and I will lift my hands, cause You are Who You are, no matter where I am. And every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hands. You've never left my side. Even though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm."
I've learned that praise is a choice. It's easy to praise Him when things are going well and we feel like He's blessing us. It's not so easy when we're down and out. In those moments, we can either choose to wallow in our misery or praise Him in spite of the storm that is raging around us.
It's acknowledging that God is good all the time, even when we don't understand. I believe it with all my heart, and I choose to praise Him no matter what. I have seen that He is good, and I thank Him for the strength He gives in those moments when I'm not sure if I can make it. He has never let me down, and He never will. He won't let anything touch me that He won't also give me the strength to endure. I am actually thankful for the storms, because they keep me dependent on Him. They help me remember how much I need Him with every breath I take.
Well, the boys were beginning to feel better by the time we arrived at Disney, and we pulled into Fort Wilderness for our week's stay. We kept them in that night, but by the next day they were ready to take on the Magic Kingdom with the family. And we had a fabulous week! Yes, God is good all the time, even in the less important things.
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