Drive My Car

So here we are once again on the King's birthday - here's little Madison three years ago when Elvis was with us at KidPak.  We all had a great time that series - so much so that we decided to have a little fun with that Graceland theme again tonight at KidPak.  Madison wasn't there, because she has such an early start tomorrow, but there were a good number of kids on hand to see us talk about Graceland - not just Elvis' mansion, but that place of grace that God has given us.  And that place we don't ever want to leave.

Before moving on, here's a little thing we posted in honor of the day, a devotional entry from way back called "Jailhouse Rock."

A night spent in prison might be something to be down about. In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas were thrown into jail for spreading the gospel, but they didn’t act like sad sacks sitting on a block of stone, way over in a corner weeping all alone.

Instead, they threw a party in the county jail. You should’ve heard those knocked out jailbirds sing! Paul and Silas knew that this was no time to get the blues – no, this was time to do the Jailhouse Rock!

They praised God, singing hymns and praying. In fact, everybody in the whole cellblock was listening to the jailhouse rock!

Talk about a rocking tune: the entire prison started shaking until the foundation of that place came loose and the doors flew open. Everyone was free!

But it might not have happened without that first note of praise. Take a note or two from Paul and Silas: even when things look their worst, remember to praise the God who can deliver you from any situation. Even if He doesn’t start working immediately, it’s good to know that God is aware of what’s going on and has the situation under control.

So don’t you be no square! If you can’t find a partner, use a wooden chair! Just dance and sing praises to God. And just like Paul and Silas, dance the Jailhouse Rock!

Of course, it's also another birthday - one even more important:  Ba-Ba's birthday is today!  Madison and Mommy called up Ba-Ba in Florida, and they talked a while about the amazing temperatures here and wanting to go down there to sunny Florida to visit once more.

Madison went back to school this morning, the first day in about three weeks or so.  It seems like forever ago that she had her last day of 2013.  This morning, the temperatures were in the teens, but the kids all braved that fierce weather to go out and go to school once more.  Daddy had favor when dropping Madison off this morning:  our car stopped directly in front of the school's door, so she didn't have to walk outside in it for too much.  Later on, the temperatures soared into the thirties, making it a downright balmy sort of day.  It's funny how your perspective can change as you acclimate to certain bits of temperature.  When it reached the forties, we were ready to put on short-sleeved t-shirts!

Okay, not really, but we were much more comfortable to say the least.  For lunch today, Lance and Daddy came home to eat some homemade soup and fruit salad that Mommy had created for us.  We timed our visit so that we could be there the same time as Madison:

Can you believe she still likes this car?  We were adding antifreeze to the one car in the garage, and Madison stepped out and decided to take her old car for a spin, be it with a little more Lance-power.  She had a great time doing a couple laps in the driveway.

But all good things must come to an end - we had to get ready for our Elvis service!  And Madison had a bit of homework to do herself.  She's been doing a wonderful job with her fasting devotional, faithfully filling it out each day with help from Mommy.  She's been so dedicated to making sure it gets done, and not doing a rush job on it either.  Mommy says she's been doing it with a lot of thought, which is just great to see.

So as we leave for tonight, here's the entry for you to fill out, the one that Madison did herself.  Goodnight!

DAY FOUR
2 Corinthians 9:15 says, “Let us give thanks to God for His gift. It is so great that no one can tell how wonderful it really is!” You can never fully tell how wonderful God’s love is for us, but you can sure try. Look up some words that mean “wonderful,” and make a list that just begins to describe God’s gift of love to all of us.

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Are you praying for people who do not know Jesus? He wants us to be fishers of people, bringing the lost to Him. A great way to do that is by praying for those who need Him. List as many people below that you can who need to know God’s love.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus wants us to be different than everyone else, letting our light shine in front of others. In what ways can you be a light in a dark world? How can you act that will make you different from others so they know that you are a Christian?

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