You are Special

I have a story to tell you today.  I must tell you that this is a children's story.  Elaina has had this book on her book shelf since she was 3 or 4 years old.  It is a simple story written by Max Lucado with a powerful message.  As I tell you this story, don't hear just a children's story, hear your story.  The main character is Punchinello, that's you and I.  Eli is the woodworker.  He's God in the story.  Here we go.  Enjoy!
                                                          
The Wemmicks were small wooden people.  All of the Wemmicks were carved by a woodworker named Eli.  His workshop sat on a hill overlooking their village.  Each Wemmick was different.  Some had big noses. Others had large eyes.  Some were tall, others were short.  Some wore hats.  Others wore coats.  But all were made by the same carver and all lived in the same village. All day, every day the Wemmicks gave each other stickers.  Each Wemmick had a box of gold star stickers and a box of gray dot stickers. Up and down the street all over the city people spent their days sticking gray dots or gold stars on one another.  The pretty ones, those with smooth fine wood and paint ALWAYS got stars. But if the wood was rough or the paint chipped, the Wemmick got gray dots.  The talented ones got stars too.  Some could lift big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes.  Still others new big words or could sing pretty songs.  Everyone gave them stars.  Some Wemmicks had stars all over them.  Every time they got a star it made them feel so good!  It made them want to do something else and get more stars!  Others though could do little and they got dots.
                                                       
Punchinello was one of these.  He tried to jump high like the others.  But he always fell.  And when he fell the others would gather around and give him dots. Sometimes when he fell, his wood got scratched so the people would give him MORE dots.  Then when he tried to explain why he fell, he would say something silly and the Wemmicks would give him MORE dots.  After a while, he had so many dots that he didn't want to go outside. He was afraid that he would do something dumb like forget his hat or step in the water and then people would give him another dot.  In fact he had so many gray dots, that some people would come up and give him a dot for no reason at all.  "He sure has lots of dots"  the wooden people would agree with one another.  "He's not a good wooden person."  After a while Punchinello believed them.  " I'm not a good wooden person."  He would say.  The few times that he went outside he would hang around other Wemmicks who had lots of dots.  He felt better around them.
                                                           
One day he met a Wemmick who was unlike any Wemmick he had ever met.  She had no dots or stars.  She was just wooden.  Her name was Lucia.  It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stars or dots.  It was just that their stickers didn't stick.  Some of the Wemmicks admired Lucia for having no stickers.  So they would run up and give her a star, but it would just fall off.  Others looked down on her for having no stars so they would give her a dot, but it wouldn't stay either.  "That's the way I want to be", thought Punchinello.  "I don't want anyones marks" So, he asked the stickerless Wemmick how she did it.
"Easy" Lucia replied.  "Every day I go see Eli"
"Eli?"
"Yes, Eli, the wood carver. I sit in the workshop with him"
"Why?"
"Why don't you find out for yourself.  Go up the hill.  He's there" And with that the Wemmick who had no stickers turned and skipped away.
"But will he want to see me?" Punchinello cried out.
 Lucia didn't hear.  So Punchinello went home.  he sat near the window watching the wooden people as they scurried around giving each other stars and dots.
"its' not right" he muttered to himself and he decided to go see Eli.

He walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and stepped into the big shop.  His eyes widened at the size of everything.  The stool was as tall as he was.  He had to stretch on his tip toes to see the top of the workbench.  A hammer was as long as his arm.  Punchinello swallowed hard. "I'm not staying here" and he turned to leave.  Then he heard his name.
                                                          
"PUNCHINELLO"  the voice was deep and strong.  Punchinello stopped.
"Punchinello!  How good to see you!  Come let me have a look at you!"
Punchinello turned slowly and looked at the large bearded craftsman.
"You know my name?"  The little Wemmick asked.
"Of course I do!  I made You!"  Eli stooped down and picked him up and sat him on the bench.
"HMMMM." The maker spoke softly as he looked at the gray dots.
"Well, looks like you've been given some bad marks."
"I didn't mean to Eli! I really tried hard"
"OH! Now you don't have to defend yourself to me child.  I don't care what the other Wemmicks think."
"You don't?"
"No, and you shouldn't either. Who are they to give you stars or dots.  They're Wemmicks just like you.  What they think doesn't matter Punchinello.  All that matters is what I think and I think you are pretty special"
Punchinello laughed.
"Me? Special?  I can't walk fast.  I can't jump.  My paint is peeling.  Why do I matter to you?"
Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those small wooden shoulders and spoke very slowly.
                                                       
"Because You are mine.  That's why you matter to me."
Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like this. Much less his maker. He didn't know what to say.
"Every day I've been hoping you would come." Eli explained.
"I came because I met someone who had no marks" said Punchinello
" I know.  She told me about you."
"Why don't those stickers stay on her?"
The maker spoke softly.
"Because she has decided that what I think is MORE important than what THEY think.  The stickers will only stick if you let them."
"What?"
"The stickers will only stick if they matter to you.  The more you trust MY love, the less you care about their stickers."
"I'm not so sure I understand."
Eli smiled.
"You will.  But it will take time.  You've got a lot of marks.  For now just come to see me EVERY DAY and let me remind you how much I care."
Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the ground.
"Remember" Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door.
"You are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes"
Punchinello didn't stop but in his heart he thought
"I think he really means it"
And when he did a dot fell to the ground.
                                                        
I'm not going to expound a whole lot except to say that the key to the dots and stars not sticking was going to the Maker EVERYDAY and letting Him remind Punchinello of how much He cared for him.

A great scripture to memorize and declare when feelings of hopelessness, depression and pressure come on you is ^{Psalm 139:14} I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Eli also told Punchinello that he had been waiting on him to come see Him.  Your Maker desires to spend time with you.  

Your significance is found in HIM!

Blessings,

Gwen

IT'S FRIDAY!!!! Oh Glorious day!!   This is going to be a fun weekend for us.  My mother-in-law decided on Tuesday to come see us for the weekend.  It's a special surprise for Elaina and Addyson.  They still don't know!  I can't wait to see Elaina's face when she sees her Nana come out of the airport! So, I have some extra excitement about today being Friday.  Of course, I ALWAYS look forward to sharing with y'all.

So, today is more of an informational post.  I just want to share with you some things, and ideas that make my life a bit sweeter with the hope that they will add some flare and flavor to your life as well.  Everything will not be for everyone, but hopefully something will be of interest to each of you.

First of all I want to talk about something that is very new to me.  That is Clean Eating.  A sweet friend and I did a Daniels fast a few weeks back.  What is that?  Daniel chapter one tells about the King wanting to put Daniel and the three Hebrew children on a very rich diet so that they might be healthier and increase in mental clarity and intelligence.  But Daniel and the three Hebrew children were not going to be a part of the world's system.  So, Daniel issued a challenge in Daniel chapter 1 verse 12 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,¹² Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.¹³ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.  

Anyhow, my friend and I went on a two week fast of no meat, no sugary foods, minimal dairy, water to drink, and only whole grains.  It's a whole lot more difficult than it sounds.  I think I would prefer to just not eat.  At least that's what I thought in the beginning.  After the first week, I noticed how much better I felt.  I woke up in the morning ready to get out of bed.  For some that may not mean much.  For me, well, just ask Robin what kind of a morning person I am. NOT a pretty site!  I kept my energy throughout the day, I slept better, my frame of mind even seemed more on an even keel.  

At the end of the two weeks, I decided to do my best to continue eating this way only adding in lean meats.  I LOVE how I feel.

As I said, this may not be for you.  It's not easy at first by any means. Start small.  You could begin by eating only lean meats, then go to drinking only water, then take out your sugary snacks etc.  You get the point.  But, I encourage each of you to at least look into it.  You WILL be benefited from making some adjustments to your diet.  

Sis. Pam Penney is a wealth of information on this subject.  You also can read more about it here http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/.  You can get lovely, delicious recipes that follow the clean eating diet here http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/find-recipes-by/categories/.  OK, OK, OK that's all I will say about that!

Recently I have had discussions with different ones of you who are looking for resources to enhance your daily lives and walk with God. The following are some that I enjoy.

For Apostolic anointed radio programming you can go to www.revivalradio.net.  They have a 24/7 preaching channel as well as an all Apostolic music channel.  I LOVE THIS! It is sponsored by The Pentecostals of Katy, in Katy Texas.  They also stream some of their live events.

Also, Focus on the Family is an endless resource for all things dealing with the family and just life in general.  Their website is www.focusonthefamily.com.  You can find so many resources there.  Just recently I went to their site to get information about immunizing my children.  I have also used there site for encouragement in my marriage as well as disciplinary issues with my girls.

In addition to their site, they have a daily radio program that you can listen to from the website or download their app for Android and IPhones.  We LOVE Focus on the Family.  I listened to a program that they had last week about making Christmas special without going into debt.  It was soooooo helpful!  

I can't say enough about Focus on the Family, but one last thing.  If you have kids, (and by kids I mean any age) you and they will enjoy Focus on the Family's kids program called Adventures in Odyssey.  We listen to it every day at lunch.  The shows are done very well and capture the kids attention while at the same time teaching them Bible truths and life lessons from a biblical point of view.  You can find them at www.whitsend.org.  You will be hooked from the first one.

Another thing that I wanted to share with you is a couple of clothing websites. For the active ladies among us you will love www.apostolicsportswear.com.  She makes some awesome workout/sportswear that are modest and practical for exercise. Also, www.apostolicclothing.com sells some beautiful outfits, skirts, tops, jackets, and accessories.  Some of their stuff can be a bit pricey, but if you watch their site, they offer good deals quite often.

Ok, this been looooonnnnnnggggg!! But, I hope it will be helpful to you.  Each of these things are a part of my life and I wanted to share them with you my sweet sisters.

I hope you have a day full of UNEXPLAINABLE blessings!

Gwen Craft

The following is a personal testimony shared with us by a Pastor in Texas.  

                                                      
"Every morning, the routine is the same. At 6 AM, my 15 year old daughter, Andrea, wakes up to drink her coffee and have her morning devotion. At 6:30 AM, she goes for her morning walk. Every morning, my wife or I will sit outside to watch her walk around the block. The entire city block is owned by our church, and is cleared off for parking and outdoor activities; consequently, we can easily see her while she walks. On the days when I'm home from evangelizing, I will sit outside, drink a cup of coffee and read my Bible, while watching Andrea walk.

But last Thursday morning was different. My son's car battery had failed, so I took him to work. On my way back, my wife (who was still in bed) texted me the following message:

"Don't let Andrea walk until you get back so you can watch her"

When i got home, Andrea began her walk. While i was watching her walk and checking out the car battery, I looked up to see a red, older model Chevy truck moving very slowly down the street. Although we love in a very busy neighborhood, I immediately felt something wrong with the scenario. I walked to the end of our driveway, and watched. The truck appeared to be following Andrea. As she made the turn at the corner, the truck sat at the stop sign for a few moments, then turned, and began to follow her again. 

Immediately, I called her phone, and told her, "Watch the truck behind you." Because she had her earphones on, she had not heard the truck. When she turned around and saw the driver, she began to run home. As she ran, the truck appeared to leave, and I got in my Jeep to go pick her up. Out of nowhere, the truck returned and circled around in two of the church parking lots. Before I could get to her, she had made it to me! 

I began to follow the truck, recorded the tag number, and comforted my daughter. He made his way down the block where a 3 kids were standing, waiting on the school bus. He turned around in another parking lot, passed by the bus kids again, and left the area. I'm certain he realized I was following him.

I called the police. While waiting on them to arrive, I googled the tag number....my heart sank! He is a convicted, registered sex offender!

Yes, things could have been different for me and my family...but, "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."

                                                       
Andrea told me, "Dad, yesterday (Wed) while sitting on the couch before going on my walk, I felt a check in my spirit not to go walking that morning, so I didn't go."

My wife told me a few minutes later, "I was so glad that Andrea didn't go walking Wed morning. I never said anything to her, because she didn't go after all, but i just didn't feel comfortable about Andrea waking Wed morning. "

Neither of them had said anything about it to each other until after the episode Thurs morning.

I have relived this event several times over the last few days with mixed feelings of what could have been, and what God did for my baby and my family. 
Daily, He loads us with benefits!"

WOW! is all I can say.  I know this family.  I Know that they are praying people.  I Know that they stay close to Jesus' side so that they can hear His voice and heartbeat. At first as I pondered this story it really disturbed me for the "What could have been".  Then the Lord spoke to me and said "instead of dwelling on what could have been, understand that it was prevented by a life of prayer".

I talked last week about how much he desires time with us.  How blessed we would be by taking special time each day to spend with Him.  However, there is more to living a life of prayer than your daily time.  If I take an hour a day to pray and then the rest of the day my mind and heart are so full of other distractions and my thoughts never dwell on Him, I may miss something that He wants to speak to me at even an unlikely time.  This is what the writer of the book of Thessalonians meant in chapter 5 verse 17 when he said "pray without ceasing".   He is telling us that we should live our lives in a spirit of prayer. 
                                                          
A life of prayer is a life of peace.  A life of prayer is a life of calm in the middle of the storm.  A life of prayer is a life of faith.  A life of prayer is a life of confidence in His love that never fails.  The benefits of living a life of prayer are endless and the Word of God is full of promises to those who live a life of prayer.

I would be remiss if I didn't give you some suggested resources to help you as you walk a journey of prayer.  Some books that I highly recommend on prayer are:  "Too Busy Not To Pray" by Bill Hybels, "The Power of a Praying wife" by Stormie Omartian, "When Ye Pray" by Joy Haney, "Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson, "Praying Circles around Your Children" by Mark Batterson.  The list goes on and on and on.  As my husband says, "The only way to build a life of prayer is to pray".

So, today is the day to begin your new life, a life of prayer.  Will you?

Praying for you!

Gwen