King Solomon vs. Us

In 2 Chronicles 7 (verses 4 and 5), King Solomon and his people are dedicating the temple. Here’s the passage: “Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep.”

The first time that I read these verses, I thought “Cool, so they made sacrifices to God while dedicating the temple.” I read on for a couple of seconds, and then did a double take. King Solomon sacrifices 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. That is a boatload of livestock! I do know that King Solomon was very wealthy, but still, that is A LOT of oxen and sheep.

When I really started thinking more about those numbers, it made me think of generosity and belief. If King Solomon did not truly believe that God could do great things, he would not have sacrificed so much. He was so generous because his belief was so great! I’m not a Bible scholar, but it seems to be pretty clear.

I know that there are people today that believe that God is great, but how many of those people sacrifice to the best of their ability based on their belief that God can do great things with what they give? (Myself included, of course). If we gave in proportion to our faith in God, what would happen to church offerings?

Tales from a Second Grade Madi

With this week being yard sale week, so many old boxes have been pulled out. Here are a few stories written in my second grade journal, intermingled with my own commentary. Just for laughs. Original grammar, spelling and punctuation! I apparently liked to draw random hearts in the middle of sentences. 

 

My Pets (August 26, 1999)

I have two cats named Molly and Toby. (I never had a cat named Toby) I have a bird named Sharp Beak. (What?) I have five dogs Sally, Sugar, Buckly (Buckley), Candy, and Buttkiss (his name was Butkus and he died when I was 2). <3 I <3 all my pets very, very much. And my stuffed bunny Cuppy. and Muffin My stuffed dog. 

The End

 

Moses (October 12, 1999) (The Bible According to Madi)

Moses take off your shoes. you’re on holy Ground. said A burning bush. But the bush was not burning. It is I God. Go back to Egipt <3 and Diliver the Hebrew.

The End

 

Lightning By Madison (October 21, 1999) (Yes, I did talk to myself)

Did you know that lightning is as big as your finger? Yes I did. how did you figure it out? I read the lightning book. Oh I thought you read my lips. Oh I didint. So did your team win the football game. No we lost 6-20

The End

What I’ve Been Reading

Most people don’t know it, but I, Madi, am a voracious reader. I thought I would post a list of books that I have been reading, and my brief and humble opinions of them. Here goes:

1) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) >>> This book is very whimsical and eclectic. I enjoyed it immensely. Each character had a totally different, yet very dynamic personality. Not a single character in the book was a “flat character.” Carroll’s style of writing really brings the reader into the story, and from beginning to end, you actually find yourself sympathizing with Alice as she encounters all sorts of unrealistic and bizarre situations. It’s a nice, easy read for a long road trip or a day by the pool. It’s not hard to follow, but it totally keeps you guessing.

2) Why We Make Mistakes (Joseph T. Hallinan) >>> This book was actually published just this year, and it came into my possession only 3 days ago. I am in love with this book. It explores the human mind and explains why we forget things, misplace things, and why we have the tendencies that we do. I am so intrigued by the human mind, and this book has fueled my interest and helped answer many of my questions about why people are the way that they are. 

3) Persuasion (Jane Austen) >>> By nature, I am a huge fan of Jane Austen. Anyone who knows my personality could guess that. Persuasion is a book of hers that I had not read yet (and still have not finished). We are currently reading it in the Freedom Girl’s Book Club. It’s an endearing story of love, commitment, and second chances. The characters have great personalities (as Austen’s characters typically do) and I am enjoying “being a part of their world” as I read this book. It’s a must read for the girls (and the guys…if you are like Grigg).

4) The Christy Miller Collection (Robin Jones Gunn) >>> Actually, I only started reading these books today. But, they had to go on the list because I am already in love with them. Not too much to say except “YOU MUST READ THESE BOOKS. I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE!” 

Okay, I am finished now.

TRF Summer Camp- Day 2

Day two of camp went by a lot slower than day one, but it felt much nicer outside today. This morning, we worked with the kids on tacking up. They are learning slowly but surely. After that little lesson, we took the kids and horses out to the arena to let them ride around for a while and, for some of them, lope on a horse that they had never loped on before. That’s always fun. (I love to lope on different horses). They all dismounted with huge grins on their faces.

After riding, we showed them how to do some different barn chores, and they were in charge of rinsing off their own horse and making sure that they were cooled down before putting them in their stalls. (Which is EXTREMELY important!)

Lunch was uneventful. They just chatted about all of the things that 3rd and 4th graders chit chat about. It’s always fun to listen to their conversations. haha. After lunch, the campers learned how to lunge a horse. By the time that was over, they were too hot to do anything except play on the slip n’ slide. So, that’s pretty much what they did for the last two hours of the day. Nothing too exciting happened. Nobody fell off their horse today (that’s one less than yesterday). I was informed that tomorrow is trail riding day. So, I will get to ride in the morning! It makes you want to ride SO bad when you watch others ride all day. (Although, I truly do love to watch them and teach them how to improve their riding skills). 

Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit cooler than today. I’m looking forward to it. : )

TRF Summer Camp- Day 1

Well, today was a very hot day…to say the least. I felt like I was baking out in the sun for 8 and 1/2 hours today. But, I did not die. 

Being day 1 of camp, all of us counselors got kid and horse assignments. This week, I have Jennifer (the kid) and Tomahawk (the horse). They are quite a funny pair. I enjoyed spending time with both of them. This camp is different from the others because it is made up of campers that have been riding for several years. So…it’s kind of like a “boot camp.” They’re learning how to tack up by themselves, learning more advanced riding skills, and figuring out what it takes to run a barn. 

We had a grooming contest first thing this morning. We did not win, but Tomahawk did look lovely, and he had a very clean nose. We only lost because there wasn’t enough conditioner in his tail. Darn it. After the grooming contest, the kids went outside to ride bareback. They absolutely LOVED that. Then, they got to switch horses and they loved that even more. My favorite part was when Ms.Cathy told the campers to get off and told the counselors to pick a horse and jump on. (Imagine that)  I rode Tomahawk for a while, and then rode double with Jennifer. It was fun, but I was so nervous having a little one holding onto my back while I was in control of a horse that had probably never had two people at on his back at one time. I was just praying that he didn’t do anything crazy. 

After lunch, the kids went searching for hidden horseshoes, colored for a while, cleaned stalls, and played on the slip n’ slide. It was great fun. 

I think that tomorrow is trail riding day. Doesn’t a trail ride require counselors to ride as well? Maybe Sky will get to go on a little adventure. She is always the designated leader in trail rides because she is quite fast. haha. Well, we will see what tomorrow brings. I’m actually pretty excited!

Nature

Nature is a magnificently mystifying part of life on Earth. During the spring and summer I find myself increasingly infatuated with the grandeur of God’s glorious creation. I was driving home last night looking at all the fireflies flashing their little lights on all sides of the unlit road. They were putting on a fantastic show just to flaunt what God created. As I continued down the road, I saw two tiny fawns (still with their precious little spots) standing in the middle of the road. One darted back into the woods, but got curious when I stopped the car. Both deer eventually carefully crossed to road and pranced off. They were too cute. Tonight was just as amazing. I drove home in a huge thunderstorm that consisted of not much thunder, but a plethora of lightning. Even though I don’t really like driving when it is storming, I found myself wrapped up in the gorgeous colors that were streaking across the sky and the light that was emanating from Heaven. It was yet another display of God’s awesome power. 

I know that was a terribly scatterbrained post, but you get the idea. haha.

Waffle House Adventures

The trip has been great so far! We are currently in Charleston, SC. My 3 hours here have been just about the best part of the road trip. We went to Waffle House (which is not my favorite place to eat, but it was quick and easy and they have raisin toast). They also have a jukebox. Of course, Madi is going to play several songs. Here was the playlist

1. Bicycle (just to be obnoxious)

2. Fat-Bottomed Girls (because it’s catchy)

3. Happy Birthday (to throw everyone for a loop)

4. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (because I like it)

5. Long Black Train (because Josh Turner has a very deep, country voice that can annoy even the biggest country fan)

6. You’re My Better Half (because Keith Urban=love)

7. Why Don’t You and I (I actually didn’t mean to pick this one…I just punched in the wrong numbers)

8. The Star Spangled Banner (because I’m annoying like that, and I wanted a good laugh)

The last song was pretty much the highlight of my night. Nobody believed that I had actually picked it, but you know they had to believe it when I stood up and put my hand over my heart. The song started playing, and everyone else did the same (yes, even our waitress, who pointed out the flag sticker on the front door). We completed the song while standing and facing the flag sticker.  Of course, I had to finish off the song with the classic NASCAR moment “Gentlemen, start your engines!” complete with racecar sound effects. It was fantastic, and I got a laugh out of the staff. Anyway, that’s been my funniest moment, and I’m sure there are many more to come.

Mostly finished

As soon as I take my trig and Bible exams, I will be finished! I am super excited because this year has been soooo long. Today is my last day of uniforms, which makes me ecstatic. I am so happy. Also, I will never have to take a Miller or Mroczko class again. Thank you God for getting me through the past three years. I am so thankful.

Crazy Good

So, today’s chapel service was about how everyone has a gift- something that you are “crazy good” at. It was very fitting because I have been thinking so, so, so much about that lately. I’ve been wondering what I am crazy good at. I haven’t been able to think of that “one” thing that just clicks. I have things that I am decent at, but I don’t know of anything that I am just phenomenal at. While thinking about what I could potentially be crazy good at, I thought about what I might want to do in the future. I don’t really know. I do know that I have been praying about it, and people keep coming to the forefront of my mind. Not like specific people, but people in general. I enjoy helping people. Like…giving advice, giving of my time to assist people, and seeing people come to know God in a very intimate way. I enjoy showing God’s love to everyone, and helping the oppressed. Those are all things that I just have a passion for. Now that I have identified my passion, I cannot decide what “occupation” that would match up with. I think that I’m too sarcastic and impatient to be a full-time counselor, and I’m too easily overwhelmed to be a leader of a public organization. No idea what I can do. I hadn’t really thought about it, but so many decisions (like where to go to college) really need to be made based upon my passion.

Perfection

is something that I am not. Please take note of that. I’m tired of the jokes in Bible class. They make me want to stand on a chair and tell everyone about everything that I have done wrong. But, that would be super awkward. Just know that I’m trying to be real, and I do not want to be perceived as something that I am not.