Madison's Devotional Entry

Madison stayed home today, and as you can see here, she's feeling a bit better.  The coughing is still present, as is a bit of the runny nose.  But the temperature has finally gone down, and after two different readings, she's stabilized there.  It's all past, but with the fever still going strong last night, we figured today was a good day to stay home and recover.  

The hat you see her wearing is part of the costuming for Camille's character in the mountain climbing series this upcoming weekend.  It begins with six characters, and she's sort of the super pink type, a Sharpay with a Sherpa.  She'll have fun with that.

Daddy was working on the message for Sunday (he's speaking to the kids), while doing a few other things to prepare for the new series.  We'll have games, a video interview with Vinko Bogataj.  

This was the "Agony of Defeat" guy from ABC Wide World of Sports, and week after week, we'd see this awful crash in the video montage that set up the day's sporting events.  I can't remember who the "Thrill of Victory" person is, because right after that we'd see - week after week - Vinko Bogataj crash on that ski jump time and again.  

So we did a little skit about it, about what this guy's been up to ever since then.  Of course, it's all fictional.  It's a deadpan thing, where we discover Vinko has been trying all these other sports out.  We show video clips to support this... and sure enough, each one of those videos ends with a spectacular crash, from skiing to surfing to mountain biking.  The point of the weekend is persistence though:  he finds his true calling, and we discover that Vinko is a world champion player at Hungry Hungry Hippo.

Anyway, we were preparing for that sort of thing today, the video all set and the message ready to go.  The skit is sent to the actors, who are preparing, and the music is there too.  Daddy was looking for yeti growls, because we're going to have our yeti back on stage soon.  It's been a long while since we last saw that guy.  

The rain gave way to the wind today, and it was ridiculous.  It blew a lot over, and howled through the night.  It was impressive, and so was the temperature drop.  It went back to the twenties today, a substantial plunge that sent us all back into this state of winter shock-and-awe.  We'll try to get out tomorrow, but it might be tough!

Madison stayed under the blankets today.  We read from our devotional, which you'll find below, and we also read from "Ahsoka," which is off to a slow start as she's moving in to a new planet.  Tonight before bed, we snuck in a few episodes of our latest addiction, "Star Wars Rebels."  Due to technical difficulties, we couldn't watch "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."  But "Rebels" was good, with a visit to the Mandalorians again.  I'm not entirely sure about Mandalorians in general, but Sabine is one, and she's a great character.  Her best episodes were tonight, cementing her status with Madison.  Hopefully Madison won't want to dye her hair to match Sabine any time soon.  But Sabine has been a fun character to watch, as have all of them.  We're nerds.  We're also a year behind on the series, of course.  We got this for Christmas, season three.  Next year, we'll get season four, and we'll still be a year behind.  But I think that's the last season anyway.  We'll try to stay away from spoilers until the videos come out.  Madison will be very anxious to see what happens next - she's always asking to see the next episode of this show.  

She did a little work today, but has mostly been lounging about, we'll call it "recovering."  That's okay, as this flu epidemic is getting more and more serious out there.  It's not quite a "state of emergency" in Alabama, but it's fairly close to that over there, and that's one state away.  We'll have to keep washing hands, and keep being careful.  

In the meantime, here's a special devotional, one that Madison co-wrote with Daddy.  Daddy was looking for ideas for the devotional, about fasting, and about mountains.  Madison suggested this one, having just listened to a song from "High School Musical 3."  The idea was just enough to spark a devotional entry, which she helped write.  It's in the booklet now, printed, and on social media as of today.  And now... it's here on the blog too:

“Jesus replied, ‘Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.’ ” Luke 18:27 NIRV

     What are you praying for? Some people pray for healing for themselves, or for others. Some people pray for guidance in the new year, or perhaps they pray for good grades, for friends, or for help with the bills. Some people are praying for others, that they can experience God’s love like never before.
     Whatever it is that you’re praying for, the chances may seem like one in a million. It may seem impossible. But we serve a God who is an expert at the impossible. Simply put, no mountain is too high, and no ocean too wide.
     Don’t let the impossible stop you. Jesus said in Luke 18:27 (NIRV), “Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” When we fast and pray, we’re getting in touch with the God who heals, helps, and saves. We’re connecting with our Heavenly Father, who makes the impossible possible.