Butter Potties...

"God, You are our Father.

    We’re the clay and You’re our potter:

    All of us are what You made us." ~Isaiah 64:8  

So Thanksgiving was fantastic....

Mom made created table Martha Stewart herself would have been proud of.

The food was scrumptious, I believe I could even hear Momo herself clapping!

(Happy 90th Bday to Momo by the way) 

The table was complete with a perfectly lovely butter shaped turkey...

 Sometimes, we think that our molding and shaping of things is much better than what The Creator had in mind....and the next thing you know...

when no one is looking....you have a better idea...

A better idea---a new shape for the butter.

 And sometimes, that shape is a potty....or two potties for that matter. 

(Complete with flushing handles, because....duh.)

Make no mistake that, I was thoroughly impressed and amused.

Then upon a little introspection, I began to wonder

where I am trying to "over-carve" or "fix" something God Himself is working on.

  

God, Thank you for your patience with us when try and "help" You. 

In His Dust,
DCC

Cats,Chaos and Colossians...

What. Is. Happening.

At first, I thought Weezie had drugged me at Sunday Night Dinner....

Then I was sure of it when I saw 

Olivia Pope and Pres. Fitz had taken the stage. 

Followed by the traditional Thanksgiving shout out to Hsiu Yu.

Needless to say, I felt 100 years old as I wracked my brain to figure out what spiritual lesson would afford me the opportunity to write about Milli Vanilli's Lip Syncing Cat on the blog.

 It was then this gorgeous face showed up, to calm things right on down. 

My eyes were saved as well as my mind, from possible permanent damage.

It was as if the chaos stopped for a moment.

The season that is approaching us....
faster than some would like, 
not soon enough for others...
has an element of man-made chaos in it. 
(It's as if we are the ones bringing a fake horse and a lip syncing cat)

Although, the element that God Himself brings to this time of year is, Peace, Hope, and Joy. 
(With a side of strong, warm familiarity in the midst of it.)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

since as members of one body you were called to peace. 

And be thankful." -Colossians 3:15

God, Thank You for coming in to our man-made chaos. We are beyond thankful.

In His Dust,
DCC

Watching....

So we headed to dinner on Saturday night with Big Mike D and gang...

After dinner, as we walked in the parking lot, some grubby little fingers tapped me and asked me this....

BMD: "Can I tell you something?" 

DCC: "Of course."

BMD: "I bet when you die and Jesus is tryin' to figure out if He'll let you in.....
           I think He's gonna say yes. Come on in." 

(Wanting to bust in to a theological explanation...I refrained and went with....)

Me:"Thank you Mikey. I appreciate your confidence. I think you are too. 
        As a matter of fact- I know you are." 

BMD: "I've been watching you and I saw you walk over to that sick boy and pat him. 
          And I saw your face when you looked at him. 
          It's like...you're nice to people you don't have to be nice to."

DCC: "That's a load off my mind Mike." 

(my mind raced to what else he had been watching and seeing. Ayyyy Chihuahua!)

I was reminded in such a sweet way- by such a sweet little buddy of mine- that our actions are screaming above our words. 

He didn't hear what I said to the "sick boy" he saw how I treated him.

Obviously, I quickly realized I had just gone to Alamo Cafe with Robert Deniro....

Had he been counting the buttery tortillas I had just inhaled? 
Maybe not...but he was sure silently watching the way I treated people....
and not just the good moments.

He is watching you too. 

Might not be Mikey....but someone is....

someone short...and impressionable.

Which begs the question.....who are WE watching? 

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, 

who both began and finished this race we're in." ~Hebrews 12:2

Because who WE watch and mimic...is exactly who THEY are really watching...and chances are....mimicking as well.

God, Thank You for the reminder and encouragement you give us all in unexpected ways.

His Dust,

DCC

WWII Museum....

Mom and I went to the WWII museum a few weeks ago....

and I am still reeling from it.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I have a deep affection for our military-

and a very deep soft spot for WWII.

We meet them- we thanked them- 

we cried with them- we laughed with them- 

we mourned our own loss and the loss of those around us.

Upon thanking them- we heard over and over again- 

"I am no hero. I was just doing my job....don't forget those that didn't come home..."

My head and heart were about to burst at every turn.

the pictures....the sounds...the proof of the pain and sacrifice.

And then the creme de la creme....

A true Hero, a man that actually drove a Higgins boat, (as in D-Day.)

We waited, with baited breath, for his first hand memories of those days.

He slowly began speaking,

"Are you familiar with the history of the bikini?"

Ummmm, no. No we are not.

Well, have no fear, our hero came through for us again.....

not just with information, he had a book of pictures.

Then we drowned our sorrows in beignets....

because....duh.

There is no question they were our greatest generation.

When given the opportunity to brag on their service....they humbly pass it on to others who sacrificed it all...and in some cases, even use the opportunity to discuss fashion.

They make me happy.

They make me proud.

They made us free. 

"There is not greater way to love than to give your life for your friends." ~John 15:13

I have no question they are resting, laughing dancing and 

possibly even talking about bikinis with God Himself.

God, Please give them peace, give those they left behind courage....
Thank You especially for my Granddaddy Con Mims, Jr. who gave it all.

In His Dust,
DCC

Perfect Protection...

"But You, God, shield me on all sides; 

You ground my feet, You lift my head high."

-Psalm 3:3

The word "shield" actually means much more than just a shield....

It was more like...

Completely covered and surrounded...Soft enough on the inside and tough enough on the outside. David was confident in God's Protection. This included his past, present and future. 

I went to a baseball game yesterday afternoon....I paid close attention to the catcher and all of the gear he wore.

He was protected on all sides....top to bottom...behind the ball and ahead of it.

"As for God, His Way is perfect; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." ~Psalm 18:30 

This is how He sends us out...

And we act like he sends us out in this...

barely covered at all...with a cheaply made cardboard covering.

God, Thank You for your protection on all sides. May we find what David found.

In His Dust,

DCC 

The Ride...

^"Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near." ~Philippians 4:5

 I was taken for a ride on the playground last week

these two cats were behind the wheel....

It was just the three of us....

until we started making some "stops."

 We stopped at McDonald's, Chuck E Cheese, Shipley's, The Ranch and Kiddie Park.

Clearly all of the sugar, fun and giggles made us a magnet for other riders...

within 12 seconds flat we were overflowing with passengers.

It was then I realized two things...

A. Charlie was none too happy about being ousted from the co-pilot seat.

B. What "stops" was I making along my day that enticed other riders? Am I making the most of every opportunity to invite others along the way?

"Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out." 

~Colossians 4:5,6 

God, Thank You for loving us so well....may we pass it along to others the same way.  

In His Dust,

DCC

Less Math and More Jesus....

"For the execution of the voyage to the indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps." - Christopher Columbus

"It was The Lord who put it in my mind....There is no question that the inspiration was from The Holy Spirit....No one should fear to undertake any task in The Name of our Saviour, 

if it is just and if the intention is purely for His Holy Service" - Christopher Columbus.

There you have it..... 

1. No need for Math.

2. All credit to God.

This is why your kids are home today...and I am down with that.

"The Lord Directs our steps 

so why try to understand everything along the way?"-Proverbs 20:24

Sometimes it is hard to understand anything along the way....much less everything. 

Which is probably why God makes it clear...we are not supposed to.

We are only supposed to remain in relationship with Him....Whom we can not control.

God, Thank You for loving us first and foremost. Your patience with our questions and doubts shows that.

In His Dust,

DCC

...or if that is too heavy....you can always try this.