Author: Sarah Joy Albrecht

This morning, I dug up every last dandelion in the back yard – and left all the wild violets behind.

Does anyone else have a special place in their heart for flowering weeds? I once dug up many violets in the yard and lined the borders of my flowerbeds – that’s how much I love them :)
I always think of this verse when I look at my lawn, dotted with flowering weeds:
Continue reading “Flowering Weeds and Gardening Verses”

Wow. I was reading through the Peacemaker Ministries site looking for information on the “PAUSE” principle (Prepare, Affirm relationships, Understand interests, Search for creative solutions, and Evaluate)
(I was looking online, as I have given every last copy of The Peacemaker and need to order more! ;-) ) and came across these encouraging thoughts contained in an essay on the “Four G’s” on dealing with unreasonable people (when attempts at peacemaking fail) :

Be Prepared for Unreasonable People

Whenever you are responding to conflict, you need to realize that other people may harden their hearts and refuse to be reconciled to you. There are two ways you can prepare for this possibility.

* God does not measure success in terms of results, but in terms of faithful obedience. *

First, remember that God does not measure success in terms of results but in terms of faithful obedience. He knows that you cannot force other people to act in a certain way. Therefore he will not hold you responsible for their actions or for the ultimate outcome of a conflict.
Continue reading “Faithful Obedience – How God Measures Success”

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From our family blog:

This is the official invitation for the fifth annual Memorial Day Pig Roast at the home of Tom and Sarah Albrecht on May 28, 2007.

After going back and forth for a while, we decided to forgo doing an entire pig this year. We’ve found that our parties end up having a lot of kids who don’t really care for the barbecued pork, and a meal entirely made up of pork barbecue ends up with a lot of leftovers. So, while we will still be doing barbecued pork, we’re going to mix it up a bit with other forms of meat, including Italian pulled pork, hot dogs, sausages, and maybe some brisket and smoked turkey.

We plan on starting off around noon, and going into the evening. We’ll be serving food throughout the day, so come when you can, and don’t feel obliged to stay longer than you’re able. Please RSVP to us (phone call, email, whatever) so we can get an approximate head count and let us know if you’re interesting in helping supply food.

See you then!

PS from me:

We didn’t make beer this year, so please BYOB (or wine) if you choose. This isn’t a drunken brawl – please be responsible – but I know there’s nothing more refreshing than a cold beer on a hot day. My husband will likely be enjoying a cigar, so if your hubby wanted to celebrate the holiday by enjoying a cigar, it’s fine by me.

Bring a side dish / beverage / dessert (though we will have strawberry shortcake, it’s good to have a variety) to share as well as an ingredient list in case there are food allergies. Also, we hope to have a hot-table (with Sterno) and cold-table. If your dish needs to be kept hot or cold, please let us know so we can plan accordingly – (for example, an bring an extension cord (to be plugged into a power strip) if you have a crock pot, serve food in pans that can be warmed with Sterno, have a larger pan or tray with ice underneath for cold dishes)

Stuff for kids: Bring your bubble wands! I will have large flower-pots filled with bubble-juice. Whiffle-ball games have been known to take place =)

A friend of my oldest son came to visit this morning.

Lately, I noticed his collectible cards have changed from Yugioh to Eagles Football cards. He carries about one hundred cards with him at all times – pockets filled – and takes them out to count them and review the stats for each player.

Today, he was wearing a Terrel Owens jersey. I asked him about his jersey and he explained,
“Terrell Owens is a jerk. But, it’s the only Eagles jersey I have, and I wanted to wear an Eagles shirt today – so I was stuck wearing this one.”

“Oh really? Two years ago, he was your favorite player – do you remember that?”

“Yeah – but he’s not on our team any more.”

“No, he’s not – and do you know why?”

He said he wasn’t exactly sure.

“The biggest reason was his anger. He screamed at his team mates and Coach Reid. He fought with them over many things, including his contract. He was suspended from playing and when he came back to play, he still had a bad attitude so he lost his job with the Eagles – even though he was a talented football player.”

Little buddy’s eyes got really big.

“It’s good to remember – no matter how talented we are, that if we do not control our anger, people will not want us on their team. ”

He nodded, knowing exactly what I was talking about and how it would apply to his life.

“Adults who do not control their temper often end up in jail,” I said. “But, if we learn the habit of kindness and do not hurt others out of anger when we are young, we will grow up into adults who know how to get along with others. So, we must learn this lesson as children. That’s why moms and dads care so much and correct us when we lose our temper as kids.”

“Ooooohhh…..” he said. “Got it.”

“Great – go play.”

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

This weekend at our WIC retreat, we talked about being slow to speak and quick to listen.
This is a great Piper blog entry on listening that I enjoyed reading. I also love how he humbly signed his post :)

Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer:
Meditation on Proverbs 18:13
By John Piper October 25, 2005

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”

1. It is arrogant to answer before you hear. Humility does not presume that it knows precisely what a person is asking until the questioner has finished asking the question. How many times have I jumped to a wrong conclusion by starting to formulate my answer before I heard the whole question! Often it is the last word in the question that turns the whole thing around and makes you realize that they are not asking what you thought they were.

2. It is rude to answer a half-asked question. “Rude” is a useful word for Christians. It means “ill-mannered, discourteous.” The New Testament word for it is aschëmonei. It is used in 1 Corinthians 13:5 where modern versions translate it, “Love is not rude,” but the old King James Version has “Love doth not behave itself unseemly.” This means that love not only follows absolute moral standards, but also takes cultural mores and habits and customs into account. What is polite? What is courteous? What are good manners? What is proper? What is good taste? What is suitable? Love is not indifferent to these. It uses them to express its humble desire for people’s good. One such politeness is listening well to a question before you answer

Continue reading “Ten Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer – Piper”

It’s nuts here.
This mini-chat made me laugh.
It felt good.

Thanking God for her today – my creative, whimsical, godly friend. She’s a great momma (you should have heard her girls singing Amazing Grace last night for a Pioneers Club talent show) and she insists I try fictional books every now and then. Everyone needs a friend like her.

(12:24:25 PM) Susan “Whimsy” Carlson: < auto -REPLY > I’m not here right now
(01:01:11 PM) SJA: I wish I wasn’t here right now
(01:01:13 PM) SJA: it’s nutty
(01:01:41 PM) SJA: how nutty is it?
(01:01:53 PM) Susan “Whimsy” Carlson: peanut or almond?
(01:02:11 PM) Susan “Whimsy” Carlson: cashew or pine?
(01:02:24 PM) Susan “Whimsy” Carlson: walnut or pistachio?
(01:06:32 PM) SJA: macadamian
(01:06:44 PM) SJA: so nutty I can’t even spell that word with the help of spell check
(01:13:23 PM) Susan “Whimsy” Carlson: I see some green tea in my future ;-)
(01:13:37 PM) SJA: hahaha
(01:13:49 PM) SJA: As long as you aren’t trying to see the future in your green tea ;-)