Pray without Ceasing...

That was the title of our Sunday School lesson this past Sunday.....and it really made me think...HOW do we pray without ceasing? What if we prayed like Christ? How much our lives could be changed if we did this....Jesus prayed that we would be united....ONE. He didn't pray that there would be a simple "majority" of christians on board for the revolution of grace he was about to fuel with his own blood....He prayed for his followers to be ONE. Wow...

John 17:9-12 "I pray for them.I am not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours. All my things are Yours and Yours are Mine, and I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one."

When we pray, things begin to change, not only in the things we pray for, but also in the one voicing the prayers. Jesus placed more importance on unity among His disciples than He did on their physical protection. He makes unity seem kind of important, don't you think?

The amazing truth of this concept is that Jesus is praying for you. He's intereceding on our behalf before the Father. We have someone who is on our side. He's been were we are, He's seen the inside of the coffin. He's felt the searing heat of betrayal. He's the ultimate champion of life's everythingness...And he's in it with us...We find our identity in Christ when He rinses our lives with truth....(From Bible Studies for Life-Winter 2008-2009)

Amazing words...My goal for my life is to begin praying more often. I want to "Pray without Ceasing..." in my everyday life....and see God's hand begin to move in our lives. A relationship with Him...that is what it is all about...

Have a blessed week....

Prayer Request....

Just wanted to ask you guys to pray for James' daddy. He was admitted into the hospital today. Not sure about the details, but he has been having trouble breathing...they are doing some testing to rule out heart problems...ect...Remember him and James' mom in your prayers...Her health is not very good either...Thanks so much....

It's Better When We Are Together

James, thanks for all you have done for me lately...I just want you to know how much I love you...It doesn't have to be Valentine's day for me to tell you...=) I Love You, Honey, and this song says it all...It's Always Better When We are Together!!!

What Upward Basketball is All About

It has been a while since I have been on the ole' blog...The busy-ness of life has just seemed to get the best of me...We have all had a bit of sickness around the Allen house..Just seems that we can't get well....I was up all night last night with Cade, and after our visit to the doctor today-we found out that Cade is positive for the flu....So, I am going to be stuck here in the house for the next few days, I guess...so maybe I will blog a little bit...Bless his little heart, he feels horrible, and has been in the bed for most of the afternoon....Remember him in your prayers today.

This post is one that I have been wanting to write since Saturday, but just haven't had the time to sit down and write it out...

Upward basketball is a program that our church has. I am sure many of you have heard of it, but if you haven't, it is a church basketball league that emphasizes that each child is a winner, and teaches children about the importance of character and integrity, instead of the "winning is all that matters" attitude....This past Saturday Ian's game was such a blessing to me. His team played an awesome game. They were ahead by 8-10 points or so...and there was a little boy on Ian's team that hadn't scored yet. He is a little slower than the other boys, and not nearly as coordinated. Ian and his team passed the ball to him over and over, to try and help him get a goal. I was so proud of them. Ian especially. Obviously because he is mine. But Ian is very competitive and he loves to win, so to see him give up winning to make sure this little boy got to experience the feeling of scoring a goal, was such a blessing to me....Over and over, Ian and his team kept passing the ball to this little boy, until finally he scored a goal....I was so proud of them...They ended up losing the game according to the scoreboard....but in the big picture...they didn't lose at all...They won, Big Time.....We meet after the game for awards, ect. and Ian's coach was overwhelmed. He stood in front of those boys in tears. I was so glad to be a part of this moment. The awards that are given out are stars, one for best effort, best offense, best defense, ect. But the most important star that is given out is the white star for most Christlike.....In silence, with tears flowing down his face, Ian's coach handed out white stars to each team member. They all deserved it, because they ALL showed God's love today.

Have a blessed week.

Valentine Making....

Last night was a crafty one around the Allen house....I have two kids who still needed valentines....(nothing like waiting until the last minute) I like to "make" them...I hate to get the store bought kind...Yes, I am one of those moms...I can't help it...I like to be different...So, Macey's favorite candy in the entire world is a Hershey bar...so we decided to share her fav candy with her class....What better idea than Hershey bar wrapper valentines? I had seen this on many different web sites, ect. where you can order them, or pay to print them...but with all of the scrapbooking supplies Macey and I have together....Surely-we can do this one ourselves....Well, of course, Cade wanted to jump on and make the same type for his class...but of course in a more "boy-ish" version.....So, earlier in the week, I had purchased 42 Hershey bars from the Dollar General....I bet the check out lady, thought I sure was hungry! You have no idea how difficult it is to be around so much chocolate when you are on the South Beach diet...I mean...seriously!!! But NO cheating happened...and I am proud to say I have lost a total of 10 pounds so far!! Coming off a little slowly, but hopefully that means it will stay off!!! Ok. that was a little tangent...Sorry...Anyway, Last night was our "project night..." putting it all together...James ended up working over, plus we had church...so that added to our stuff to do....(Luckily we have teachers that give no homework on Wednesdays-a blessing for sure!) But we did it...and they look absolutely adorable!!! Macey actually did ALL of hers by herself....and Cade started out wanting to do the same, but after 2 or 3...He was over it...I did make him label all of them...because it IS for his friends....=) So, here (as you guessed) are a few pics of them....Then this morning, Cade woke up with the stomach virus. My worst fear!!! He has been pretty sick this morning, but is doing much better now....Thank goodness...Now, I just hope that the rest of us don't get it....Off to a staff meeting at work...James is home to watch the little guy....Have a good day...

The Best Callback of All

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began...2 Timothy 1:9

We have been preparing and praying about our upcoming trip to New York City....There are so many things to do, lists to make, clothes to get, and planning to do...especially if you are OCD like me...=) I have been searching for an apartment, trying to get a few things together to do before we leave, ect. I know it is still a few months away, but I want this transition to be a smooth one...as smooth as possible anyway....

I read a devotion tonight concerning "Callbacks" and it really touched my heart...Macey just loves theater and modeling and over the course of this journey of hers...we have attended many auditions...Auditions require preparation, performance and then sitting and waiting on the "callback" to see if you got the part, ect.

During AMTC this summer-she competed the entire week all to gain "callbacks" with some of the well know agents that attended the convention....So, ultimately the goal is to get callbacks....We were blessed with three. God has had his hand in this journey from the very beginning...(for those of you who have read my blog for sometime-you know that) but I wanted to share this devotion that I read tonight with my fellow bloggy friends...

"Hopeful contestants waited in eager anticipation to see on which lists their name may be written. Jesus came to deliver God’s prisoners of hope, and He will not disappoint you. Yet, the world might.

Still, God loves His children in the here and now- not just in heaven. He delights in our joy. For those AMTC contestants who are following a calling God put on their lives, He will not disappoint you. While we may wish the fulfillment of our dreams today, right now, only God knows the right timing. According to His own purpose and grace, your calling will be perfectly fulfilled. God will surely reward your leap of faith.

Bright-eyed families come to see who we are and where they might fit into the entertainment industry. They put their talent on the line. AMTC Audition Teams must also issue callbacks. During that first crucial look, callbacks are based on our quick glimpse of your intelligence, goals, attitude, and ability. We do our best to choose those we believe are most ready for the AMTC experience. We are good at our jobs, but we are not perfect.

One who is perfect: God, and you are surely on His callback list. It the list that matters the most."

http://www.amtcworld.com/

I read this tonight...and it really spoke to me...I mean, yes, we are so excited about the possibilities that are in front of Macey...and I know that God is in control of this situation...and I am placing it in his hands...but to KNOW that we are on God's "callback list"....that is amazing...and out of all the callbacks that we get in this journey...Knowing that we are on God's...is the ultimate...=)

Finally, A Snow Day!

Believe it or not, the city schools had a snow day today...When I saw it on the news, I was so excited...and thought the kids would be too...I went in and told Ian first, because his alarm was going off....I told him to just go back to bed because school was canceled...He didn't believe me, and then when he did-he told me he would have rather went to school (today he was having a field trip) Oh well, so much for the excitement of a snow day...Then he was up by 7, because he is so used to getting up early...no sleeping in for him...I didn't wake Macey or Cade...but Cade wandered into the den, about 20 minutes after Ian...Macey did sleep until 8:30...so at least one of my kids enjoyed sleeping in...=) The kids could NOT wait to get outside and play...I made them wait a little bit, because it was unbelievalby cold outside!!!! When they finally got outside-they were wide open!!! No snowmen for them...all they could do was go flying down the hill...over and over and over and over and over...you get the picture.....Here are some of my favorite pics that I took today....Our house....so pretty with snow all over the roof...even if it was just a couple of inches..... Cade wore gloves that were not waterproof...so it was just a few minutes and his hands were freezing..and he was ready for ME to go back in and find his waterproof ones... Macey posing for me....

Cade cheesing....couldn't get Ian to pose for me...but got a few action shots of him..

Macey and Cade getting ready to sled down the hill...Whoo-Hoo! Ian and Macey rode down together...Our hill is very steep...so this picture was taken with my zoom at the bottom of the hill...I had to almost jump out of the way a couple of times...to keep from getting ran over!!! Macey screamed all the way down!!!


Ian trying some "snowboarding"...He made it almost all the way down the hill...more than once...He said he is ready to hit the slopes!

Here he is again...This time on his stomach....snow was flying everywhere!This face is priceless!!! Cracks me up...He and Macey had a blast riding together....Ian was trying to make a serious turn...and Mace was just along for the ride...Cade wasn't too far behind them...They were cracking me up.....Cade on his own...Doesn't go near as fast as he does with someone else..... The kids playing wtih Oreo...changed it to some black and white action...love this shot...
Miss Oreo...enjoyed playing in the snow with the kids....She is such a good dog...They loved playing with her today... Cade and Ian were sledding and wiped out...and Cade's boot went flying...We were all laughing our heads off over this one...Had to get a photo of it...They are crazy! After playing, the kids were starving...so we came in and they ate sandwiches...We are having my South Beach Version of Taco Soup tonight for dinner...It is in the crockpot right now as we speak...and it sure smells yummy....I even made some South Beach peanut butter cookies....No salmonella peanut butter was used in the making of these cookies...=) They are yummy! We have had a good day...Playing outside, cooking, watching movies, putting up laundry(yes-we got that done prior to all the playing!) and now we are waiting on James to get home from work...He has to work over tonight....hopefully it won't be too long...

It is back to work tonight for me..Yuck..After a day like today, I remember how very much I would love to stay home ALL the time with my kids....Maybe one day...Going to get off of here, and watch Space Chimps...with these little guys...Have a great rest of the week...God Bless.