I'm Not a Lizard!!

I wanted to share a response I wrote in an email last week to a fellow mom who was asking for prayer and encouragement with the craziness of life.  I think I was able to relate in so many ways to how she was feeling, because I've been there too many times myself.  Maybe you're in the same boat as a busy parent, or maybe it's an entirely different season for you right now.  Regardless, I hope the Lord can use this to help you today wherever He's placed you doing whatever He's called you to do.  Here's a copy of what I wrote:


"A couple of thoughts I had (not because I have it figured out, but because I completely understand where you are coming from!)...When I find myself in what I call "weary mode"(which happens more often than I wish it did) I can usually retrace my steps and see I have been attempting to do everything out of my own strength. This is never intentionally, but it's just like I slip right into "Shannon strength" and before I know it I feel chaos all around me in every direction. I don't know if you can relate to that or not, but that's where I find myself sometimes. We hear it said so often it starts to lose it's meaning sometimes, but God's Word is absolutely true, and He tells us, "The joy of the Lord is my strength!" I can NOT do it in and of myself. I will fail and be continually weary and feel like I just stay in maintenance mode if I don't allow Him to be my strength. It feels just awful. Zechariah 4:6 says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord." One of my mentors once told me when I was in the midst of a weary time that when you break down that verse into the original language there is a very vivid picture when it talks about the "not by might...power" part. The word picture is one of a scampering lizard frantically running around. I don' t know what image that puts in your mind, but for me, it nailed me. That's exactly what I look like when I am living out of my own strength. MY might and power accomplish nothing more than me scampering around like a lizard in a hundred directions...nothing very strong and powerful about that. No strength and meaning. I want to be a strong woman of God who makes great impact for the kingdom. I want to be an honorable woman of God who lives on purpose and with purpose every day, able to live with the bigger picture always in mind. I can not do it in my own strength. He is my life. He is my joy. He is my hope. He is my strength. Only in Him can I find real power to live out all He has called me to do and be.



Last, I wanted to mention, one of my favorite things I love from the writings of Elisabeth Elliot is when she talks about the great strength she found over the years by one simple method. Just "Do the next thing." As simple as this sounds, this has carried me through more than one day when I've felt weary to the bone or overwhelmed with the tasks of the day. Shannon, just do the next thing. Don't be overwhelmed. Just one thing at a time. The Lord is our strength minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Yes, we must begin with the end in mind. We must focus on the big picture. But we can only do that one decision at a time. One task at a time. Just do the next thing."




I would love to hear from any of you guys reading the blog.  What practical ways do you use to really allow the joy of the Lord to be your strength?  We know we should, but knowing and doing are, truthfully, two separate things.  I'd love to learn from some of you ways the Lord has shown you to allow Him to be your strength when life feels overwhelming.  

No scampering lizards today!!!  By His Spirit!

Cousin Camp 2011 (Summer Highlights Part 2)

Well, yes, I'm still trying to play catch up from the past month!  Every summer for the past 6 or 7 years (I really need to look back at old pictures and figure it out) we have had something we call "Cousin Camp".  The boy cousins all come to stay for a 4-5 days from Tennessee and hang out.  Now that we're adding some more girls to the family and some younger boys we're going to have to start adapting cousin camp pretty soon, but for now it's at our house in Georgia.  Always lots of Nerf Gun Wars, Cousin Olympics, Watermelon eating contest, and one of the CC favorites....Raptor! (basically hide and seek in the dark inside where Uncle Kenny dresses in all black...the raptor...and tries to scare the boys to death when he sneaks up on them in the dark and finds them!) So fun watching these guys grow up together and develop such special relationships with each other over the years.  Here are some pics from Cousin Camp 2011!





















Blog Issues

Just wanted to mention that I've been having issues with my pictures on the blog.  Some aren't showing up at all and some are distorted.  Hopefully I can get that straightened out soon, but in the meantime just thought I'd mention why the page looks kinda' odd or unfinished! 

More soon! (:

Summer Highlights: Part 1 (Memphis)

So, I'm way behind on the blog anyway...tons of thoughts rambling through my head over recent weeks that I'm so compelled to write about, but time simply hasn't allowed.  Not to mention, I have a few things from the second half of summer that I've had pictures ready to post for a couple of weeks now, but I've been having issues with my computer and posting pics to the blog...SO over the next week I hope to post a few pictures of some of the summer happenings of the Dallas family!  We shall see.

It's always great to get to go home to Tennessee to see family.  There's never enough time, it seems, to see everyone long enough, but it's still always so good to have some time to just be with family and hang out together.  The first of July we headed through Franklin first to visit some friends there, drove through Jackson and got to see some of our sweet family there, and then on to Memphis for a few days to see everyone back home. I love seeing our kids with their cousins.  It's one of my absolute favorite parts of going home.  They all love each other so much, and the great thing about a big family is that there are always new cousins added to the bunch, which adds to the excitement, because there's often a new, sweet little one to meet!  Good times, great memories!! 

(click pics to enlarge)

Love our family!!! (:

Podcast to Kenny's Latest Sermon:"Whatever You Do"



Kenny in Guyana this summer at one of their sports camps
(photo courtesy of  EYE4MEDIA)

 "Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for man."  
Colossians 3:23

If there's one verse our children will remember forever, no matter how old they get or how far in life, my guess is it would be this one.  Why?  Because they hear their Daddy say these words to them every single night of their life right before they go to bed.  (along with a little more he says to them every night...known at our house as daddy saying "Mighty Man")

The month of July our pastor asked a few men within the church here to preach on the topic "Everyday With Jesus."  Kenny was asked to speak on the topic of Everyday with Jesus at Work.  Kenny's heart went immediately to this verse that has gradually become our family's life verse...Colossians 3:23.  Below is a link to our church's website for podcasts. There was no way for me to link you directly to Kenny's sermon specifically, but this takes you to Dogwood's podcast page and if you look under the series titled "Everyday with Jesus" you will see "Kenny Dallas Week 4" That's where you'll find it.

 I included a few recent pictures of Kenny...those who know him well..his family, his players, his coworkers, and friends...will tell you that he's just a regular, fun, hard-working guy...a football coach, a husband, and a daddy.  But he loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.  He's the real deal...authentic.  The Lord has gifted Kenny with the ability to hear the voice of God (which we all have, by the way, if we seek to do so) and to communicate the heart of God so clearly. So many were blessed by this message. I hope you will be, too.
                                                                                     
Here's the link:  http://dogwoodchurch.org/332593.ihtml
Please let me know if you have any trouble.

Coaching this summer at Alumni 7 on 7 game

Kenny (Coach Dallas) with some of the other coaches and seniors this summer after 7 on 7