Impurities

Matthew 5:20 says:

But I warn you-unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all!

In my upmost for his highest this morning it says that it is not enough to be doing right, you have to be being right. You cant just do what you think the world would see as right, your motives must match your heart for anything good (that comes from you) to count.

As a Christian, if something in my life is not right (with God) I can feel it. It is like having sand under my fingernails. I can try to ignore it, but it will still bother me. God has forced the impurities in my life to feel like a fetter weighing me down. Until I bring those things to light I cannot feel at peace or free.

All that said, Chris and I recently saw this analogy put into practice and all I can say is that God is good. I dont deserve it, but yet He gives mercy and I am grateful!

What do you do all day?

The above photo is one of Lou zooming down a slide in Richland while we were waiting for daddy to finish his triathalon. It flipped her over backwards and upsidedown.

Recently Chris asked me this question in jest. I know he was joking, but there was a certain element of seriousness in the question. I told him if he really wondered what I did all day I would not do it tomorrow so that he could see what I do. He quickly recanted and admittedly appreciated what I do all day. Today, if I had let everything go, he would have come home to some poop on the carpet. That is right people, I cleaned poop off my carpet today. That is what I choose to do with my day. Here at Littrell Inc., it doesnt matter that I am the house CEO, I like to get in the gutters with everyone else and do the dirty work, wait I am the only stinkin employee***free employee***.
On a seperate note, I was really encouraged about our move to Crossview last night. We visited one of their small group Bible studies and got a feel for what they are about. It was nice getting to know the people. The leader asked me a question, " How has your growth in Christ changed since having kids?" Not prepared for the answer, I really feel that Christ spoke through me. I was able to say all the things I had inside and had not really put into words before. I said that it became ever more important. I have to be the Christ-like example for my children. I have to show them His love and pray that they too will accept Christ when they are accountable. When I had children a huge responsibility was put on my shoulders. By no means am I attributing their salvation to anything I can do, but that it is my responsibility to plant the seed and introduce them. I said that the shear fear of my God on my judgement day asking what have I done to further His kingdom is enough. I had better be able to answer that I raised them with the knowledge and love of Christ or I dont even deserve to be standing before my Lord. I feel a huge pull to minister to young couples/ marrieds, but my first ministry is to my family. Wow, thats a lot.

Same stuff different name

Mom is in Vegas this week. I am so excited for her. She deserves this break and time to get away from the stressors of life. She is there with a childhood friend named Berta. Today she is going to ride the deuce to Freemont street. They are having a blast and winning a bit too.

Me, I am taking the kids to swimming lessons this morning and then following it up with our daily trip to Walmart. Chris needs a couple of things. I tried to get X2 and Xmen 3 yesterday but wouldnt you know, they only had the third one. Bummer man. I wasnt going to watch the thrid without seeing the second.

On the menu for tonight, I will be making enchaladas. Chris loves mexican food night and would have that every night if I obliged. I could put the same ingredients together in a different order and he would call it a different meal. For example, tacos are hard shells, beans, beef, cheese, lettuce, olives and sour cream. Burritos are tortillas, beans, beef, cheese, lettuce , sour cream and olives. Nachos are chips and the above ingredients. Silly man.

It's My Fault

Just last week I was basking in the fact that it wasnt blazing hot out. I was hoping that El Nino or global warming was keeping us a little bit cooler this year but I should have bitten my tongue. It is high 90's this week and dry heat is like no other. In Kauai, it was mid 80's everyday and humid. As soon as you walked out of the door you were sticky witht he humidity and felt like you could use a shower again, but bearable. Here in the Tri, the heat just sucks the life out of you. Sure it is not an instant thing that you notice, but 30 minutes in the sun zaps you. Well, it zaps me. We spent the afternoon in the park with Frank and his family for some down home mexican cookin. The rice pudding was amazing as usual. Needless to say, after the park I called the Littrells to see if we could come and take a dip in their pool. Dani learned to dive, Alli enjoyed taking rides on my back in the water, and Lou motored around in a life jacked and water wings. They did great!

We rent movies from the library because they are free and this last time I got an HBO series called Big Love. Yikes, it is about polygamy. Intriguing but definitely not something we should get into (I mean watching the series of course...pervs). I also rented the show X-Men. I enjoyed that movie and I think they have a second or third one out that I should see.

Not much else going on. We are still praying about where God will have us serve at Crossview. WE are really excited about this transition and feel that God will be using us somehow with small groups. We shall see. This last week at church it felt like there were a lot of people there. Maybe it was just because we were sitting near the front or maybe there were a bunch of people there. Praise God either way.

7-3-04

Last day in paradise. I got up early againg and did some laundry. We then went to Eggberts for breakfast. WE have lounged around all morning and it feels great! We sat on the balcony together for a while and enjoyed the view. How can you see something like that and not attribute it to God? He is amazing and Kauai has truly been a gift to us.
We had a lot of time to kill this afternoon. We went to a thrift store and Chris got an old uniform jacket that looks really neat. I got a beautiful mu'u mu'u. It is purple my favorite color. We walked around Walmart for a while and got board so we found a library that we could go to and relax for a while. Chris has been really into reading his book, I just looked at the recent issues of people and stuff. I love celeb gossip. We arrived way early at the airport. We had to turn our car in first and praise God the key fob only cost $50. When we got check into the terminal I heard Hawaiian music and wouldn't you know it was the same people playing from the night before. She called me up to dance ka ulu wehi just as I walked in. It was an honor for her to ask me and fun fun fun. We had a long flight home. I got some rest but Christopher did not. Hope you have enjoyed my Hawaiian journal. Mahalo

7-2-08

We started out leisurely today. I stayed in bed for quite a while. Chris went running and then we went to Eggberts for breakfast. Their french toast is the best I have ever had. It is served with coconut syrup and that really makes the taste come alive. After breakfast we came back to our room and lounged around some more. I ended up falling asleep and Chris read his book for a bit. It was much needed relax time.
We did that for a couple hours and then went to lunch in Lihue at Hamuras Samin Stand. Quaint little eatery where we had to wait for someone to leave to get a seat. We chatted with an older couple from Los Angeles and enjoyed the jazzed up top ramen noodles and crispy wontons we ordered. We left there satisfied but not full. Thats a good feeling. We came back to the room, got swim stuff on and headed out to snorkel bobs to rent body boards. We went up to Kealea beach where we body surfed on Monday and caught some waves on the boards. After we returned our boards we treated ourselves to some horchata and the local farmers market. We ate some mountain apples, likikoe (passion fruit), and a beautiful mango. Chris also got a coconut with a straw coming out of it so you could drink the milk. The farmers market was exactly as I imagined it would be. The flowers were beautiful.
We came back to our room fat (or pregnant) and happy. WE readied ourselves for dinner at the same place we ate at the first night we came in. We got an added bonus as some kehki we performing hula in the center of the coconut marketplace. We came back to our room, changed and went to the Hula Girl in the coconut marketplace to see some more live entertainment. Chris asked if I might dance as they played and they were delighted to oblige. So I dance Waikaloa and Ku'u hoa. They asked me to dance a couple more after the break and I was happy to do it. She asked me how long I wold be here and I told her I was leaving tomorrow night. It felt good for her to ask me to do more songs. I danced Ka ulu wehi and Aloha ia for the second set. I hope auntie is not upset. It was great fun. I am glad my husband pushed me to get out there and do that. Fun! We got souvenirs for all the family and we are pretty excited about our purchases. On a downer, my legs are horribly chaffed. I guess that is what I get for wearing wet clothes around for most of the day.--frown--

7-1-08

Happy Birthday Mom! Today is the day our parents will switch off the girls. WE went south today to Poipu and Hanapepe. We wanted to go to the Hanapepe Kookie Factory and we not disappointed. Before that we went snorkling at a beach in Poipu. It was ok but a little rocky. We tried to go to the spouting horn and jewelry shop,but they were closed for renovation. --sidenote-- I need to grow my hair out again, hula girls have long hair.--- We had lunch in Koaloa at a place called Pizzeta and ice cream at Lupperts. It is sure fun having Chris all to myself. He really wants to make me happy and strives to do just that.
We finally found Brenneke Beach in Poipu and were immediately drawn to the waves. We rented some body boards and caught many waves. It was difficult to get out b/c of all the crowded waves. There were people on boards everywhere. I got scared of all the people and sat on the beach or near the shore for half the time.
We came back to the hotel, got cleaned up and got ready for dinner. WE went to the Pizzeta in Kapa'a to buy a beer glass for Chris (they were out at the one earlier). Then we ate at the Aloha Cafe for a second time. They make these wonderful chicken sandwiches with spinach, tomato, mozzarella and pesto. Yummy! We were hanging out downtown b/c at Shaka tacos they had some live entertainment...belly dancers. Chris ordered the most delishious horchata I have ever tasted. We were doing well until a man walked in with the two ladies to belly dance. He was clearly a woman trapped in a mans body. Chris could not hold himself together. He could not stop laughing. So I met him outside and called him a child. We joked about it the whole way home. So funny! WE met a nice couple back at our hotel and chatted for a few minutes. We wished that we would have invited them over for cards or something, but we didnt and they went back to their room in the Maui unit. We are in the Oahu building.


This was not the male bellydancer, but evidently they do exist in other places than Kapa'a. The one we watched looked a lot more gay but was dressed simularly

Hawaiian Diary- 6-30-08

We woke up bright and early this morning and drove to Princeville. We had our jungle valley adventure this morninig with a bunch of other Washingtonians. We kayaked, ziplined, hiked, swam under a waterfall and had a picnic lunch. our tour guides were Trevor and Drew. They were really fun and made the trip even more enjoyable. My favorite part of the trip was the zipline. Drew let me twist up my line so that I could spin as I went over the jungle canopy. We also ate wild pineapple guavas that were delish.
After our tour we went north to Hanalei and were perusing the local stores. As I entered a store a man said, " I will move out of the way for the pregnant lady." So I looked behind me expecting to see a prego woman but there was no one there. So, obviously I looked pregnant to him. I was going to ignore him, but he would just repeat himself and confirm what I thought I heard. He looked at me and said , "Right." I said no and left the store quickly. Tears pured out from behind my sunglasses. I could not control them. When we got back out to the marketplace, Chris suggested we leave. When we got into the car he tried to console me and build me up, but I told him to just let me cry for a moment and he did. We continued south to Kealea beach where the waves were amazing. We frolicked in the ocean for a while and God washed away my sorrow.
WE ate dinner at the Bullshed. We got there plenty early and struck up a conversation with a man named Frank. We requested table #3 and both enjoyed the ocean view window. We had steaks, salad bar and all you can eat bread (which I am sure contributed to me looking even more pregnant) . It was a fun evening to my lousy encounter and absolutely breathtaking. It was hard in Kauai to wrap my mind around how anyone could not see the beauty that God created in this place. So evident.

06-29-08

We had our island orientation with the local expert today. We laughed at her idea of a continental breakfast- pineapple and some small strudels. We got our tickets for the Hiva Pasefika tonight and went on our way. WE hit Jamba Juice as we were clearly not full and perused some shops for a while.
Next, we made our way to some more familiar stores... Walmart and Costco. I bought some beautiful material for Dani and I for hula. She will be pleased. Maybe I will put something together for her birthday.
next, we went to Wailua Beach because we saw some great body surfing opportunities. To our dismay, Chris put the key fob in his waterproof pocket and locked the key in the car. The key fob got wet and we had a local help us break into our car for us to unlock it. Praise God! It sucks that we will be replacing the fob, but prai8se that the local could help us. He said not to tell anyone his family secret that he came from a long line of thieves.
We wnt to the Hiva Pasefika Luau tonight at 5pm. They had free drinks and a great buffet. They asked for any song requests and I asked for Ku'u hoa. They said, " How do you know how to pronounce that? Are you a dancer?" I said no, Chris said yes and long story short, I danced. It was fun. We had premier seating, so we were right in the front of the stage and we got our food first. We were seated next to two newlyweds and a vetran couple. I enjoyed our conversatative opportunities with them and we laughed a lot. Mario and Amanda asked if we had any advice for them as newlyweds and at first I said that they needed to keep dating each other. Even though they are married they needed to actively persue each other. ***I felt like I was withholding the truth and the Holy Spirit prompted me to say the next part** I said I dont know if you are religious but truly God has to be the center of your relationship. I thought that might end our fun night of convo. but it actually opened the door for one of the couples to say that they too were religious and held God as important. The dancing was spectacular and we got pictures with some of the dancers afterward. Fun!

Hawaiian Diary

6-28-08
Aloha! Today we arrived in Kauai at about 2:30pm Kauai time. WE had a really long day of flying and could hardly believe that we were here. I did not feel well most of the day as flying makes me nervous. Our hotel is amazing. We came right in, checked in, and hit the beach. Did I mention that we have an ocean view? Absolutely beautiful. We did not stay long in the beach as it it had a bunch of coral in places. We ate at a little food place ini the Coconut Market Place. We had mushroom burgers and steakfries. It tasted great and I am not sure if it was because the food was really good or because we were really hungry. Right when we arrived, we noticed there are roosters and chickens walking around everywhere. Chris made some third world country slam (note to readers: he loves hawaii) about that and the fact that we have plate lunches and spam.
We went to church at Calvary Chapel and it was held in a tent. When we got to thinking about it, it made a lot of sence. Land is crazy expensive over there, buildings expensive, so a huge tent was a logical explanation. The music was great and so were the people. This would be a great place to serve if we lived here. I sure hope to bring the girls someday. If we weren't so tired, I think we would have enjoyed it even more, but we came back to the hotel and crashed at 9:30pm- that is 12:30pm pacific time. Yikes!

RIP Grandpa- Cecil Washburn

Grandpa died last night. He went peacefully in the presence of my mother and auntie. I have been praying for a long time that he would go peacefully as he has been a shell of a man for years and just waiting to go. Thank you God for granting that request! Please pray for his widow (Barbara), my mother and aunt this next week as they go through the process of grieving this wonderful man and take the steps necessary to lay him to rest.

Kauai

We went, we saw, we did. I will post some pictures later. It was all we had imagined and more! Go if you get the chance.