We have implemented a new technique for dealing with sibling rivalry, and so far have experienced great success with it!
We hear the bickering, give it a minute to see if the kids can work it out, and if not we call the culprits to us. Then we instruct them to say things they love about the other person (anywhere from one thing to five, depending on how out-of-hand and unkind they were being). We have them take turns, and they cannot repeat what their sibling just said about them. Then they each need to say "I love you" in the most dramatic way possible (we've done opera style, robot style, with a giant fake smile, etc.).
Nine times out of ten, both parties are in fits of giggles by the end of this exercise. Away they go, topic of contention completely forgotten about.
For other WFMW tips, go visit We Are THAT Family.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Top Ten Moments
From our trip...
#10 - The night we realized that it was much better for our sanity to splurge and get two adjoining hotel rooms.
#9 - Arriving at our condo in Anaheim.
#8 - Cooking (and eating) spaghetti at the condo.
#7 - Choosing valet parking at Universal Studios and receiving a free car wash and vacuum while we were in the park.
#8 - Discovering the unusual abundance of snails in the grass behind our condo, and watching Kai pick one up and toss it like a ball. (Don't worry, the snail survived.)
#7 - The Shamu show.
#6 - The "It's a Small World Ride," which was both fantastic and annoying.
#5 - Discovering the Coral Pink Sand Dunes National Park.
#4 - Mickey Mouse ears.
#3 - Getting zillions of autographs from all our favourite characters.
#2 - The Disney Dance Party (it's the new parade).
#1 - Playing in the fantastically warm outdoor pool of our hotel in San Diego.
#10 - The night we realized that it was much better for our sanity to splurge and get two adjoining hotel rooms.
#9 - Arriving at our condo in Anaheim.
#8 - Cooking (and eating) spaghetti at the condo.
#7 - Choosing valet parking at Universal Studios and receiving a free car wash and vacuum while we were in the park.
#8 - Discovering the unusual abundance of snails in the grass behind our condo, and watching Kai pick one up and toss it like a ball. (Don't worry, the snail survived.)
#7 - The Shamu show.
#6 - The "It's a Small World Ride," which was both fantastic and annoying.
#5 - Discovering the Coral Pink Sand Dunes National Park.
#4 - Mickey Mouse ears.
#3 - Getting zillions of autographs from all our favourite characters.
#2 - The Disney Dance Party (it's the new parade).
#1 - Playing in the fantastically warm outdoor pool of our hotel in San Diego.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Coming out of the Desert
If you read here regularly, you've probably noticed a couple things:
1 - my writing is often a direct reflection of where I'm at with my personal spiritual walk;
2 - my writing has been fairly infrequent and non-spiritual lately.
Since this blog is not about pretending to be who I'm not, where I'm not, or what I'm not I'm just going to come right out and name the obvious... I have found myself in a spiritual "dry spell" during the past month or so.
If you've never had a time like this, you will be utterly baffled by that statement. Here's my best shot at describing it for you. It is not that I have changed, so much as what I feel is different. Where I can often feel the presence of the Holy Spirit around me and with me - even in my day-to-day life, I have not felt Him lately. When I can usually recognize God's hand of providence actively working in my life with ease, these days I am needed to make a conscious effort to look for and acknowledge His work. Of late, my sense of the Lord has been more head knowing than heart knowing. Does that make any sense?!
This isn't new to me; I have been here before. The difference is that the last time I found myself feeling far from God I was desperate. I fell hard and fast, and desperately clawed my way out of that pit of the empty soul until I found Him again. This time, I arrived here simply though a slow process of drifting and shifting. It was so gradual that I didn't even realize I had moved.
A combination of factors likely jumbled up together to cause this gap. Busy in life, busy in ministry, lack of sleep, changes in routine, being away, etc. The contributing factors aren't really all that important, though. What is important is my relationship with my Lord and how to get it back to where it should be.
I've taken some steps that I know will help. I've returned (as of this morning) to my 5:30am scheduled appointment with God and His Word. I'm returning to our women's Bible study group, doing Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore (and Bethie always gets me deep into His Truth). I'm creating another prayer calendar so that my prayer life becomes intentional again (it's really handy for those times when you just don't know what to pray about).
But the most important thing I am doing to quench my thirst in this dry spell is what Beth Moore tells us she did when she recently experienced this kind of distance from the Lord: renounce the lie. There is really only one way to remove yourself from the presence of the Lord, and that is to choose sin over relationship with Him. If that is not the case (which I don't believe it is with me right now), the distance that is felt is not real - it doesn't exists. He is not far from me, nor I from Him. The distance, the desert, it is a lie.
So in spite of the enemy's greatest efforts to make me feel apart from my Abba, I will live in the Truth. I am going to think, speak, and act as though I can feel His presence in my daily life. Because the Truth is that HE IS RIGHT HERE! Acting in His Truth, renouncing the lie, and believing God, regardless of what I "feel." And trusting that, in His perfect timing, I will "feel" Him again (soon).
*God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.
I'm believing God!
If you've ever experienced one of these "dry spells," what action did you take to pull yourself out of it and return to God's side?
* Taken from Beth Moore's Believing God (and professed from my very heart).
1 - my writing is often a direct reflection of where I'm at with my personal spiritual walk;
2 - my writing has been fairly infrequent and non-spiritual lately.
Since this blog is not about pretending to be who I'm not, where I'm not, or what I'm not I'm just going to come right out and name the obvious... I have found myself in a spiritual "dry spell" during the past month or so.
If you've never had a time like this, you will be utterly baffled by that statement. Here's my best shot at describing it for you. It is not that I have changed, so much as what I feel is different. Where I can often feel the presence of the Holy Spirit around me and with me - even in my day-to-day life, I have not felt Him lately. When I can usually recognize God's hand of providence actively working in my life with ease, these days I am needed to make a conscious effort to look for and acknowledge His work. Of late, my sense of the Lord has been more head knowing than heart knowing. Does that make any sense?!
This isn't new to me; I have been here before. The difference is that the last time I found myself feeling far from God I was desperate. I fell hard and fast, and desperately clawed my way out of that pit of the empty soul until I found Him again. This time, I arrived here simply though a slow process of drifting and shifting. It was so gradual that I didn't even realize I had moved.
A combination of factors likely jumbled up together to cause this gap. Busy in life, busy in ministry, lack of sleep, changes in routine, being away, etc. The contributing factors aren't really all that important, though. What is important is my relationship with my Lord and how to get it back to where it should be.
I've taken some steps that I know will help. I've returned (as of this morning) to my 5:30am scheduled appointment with God and His Word. I'm returning to our women's Bible study group, doing Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore (and Bethie always gets me deep into His Truth). I'm creating another prayer calendar so that my prayer life becomes intentional again (it's really handy for those times when you just don't know what to pray about).
But the most important thing I am doing to quench my thirst in this dry spell is what Beth Moore tells us she did when she recently experienced this kind of distance from the Lord: renounce the lie. There is really only one way to remove yourself from the presence of the Lord, and that is to choose sin over relationship with Him. If that is not the case (which I don't believe it is with me right now), the distance that is felt is not real - it doesn't exists. He is not far from me, nor I from Him. The distance, the desert, it is a lie.
So in spite of the enemy's greatest efforts to make me feel apart from my Abba, I will live in the Truth. I am going to think, speak, and act as though I can feel His presence in my daily life. Because the Truth is that HE IS RIGHT HERE! Acting in His Truth, renouncing the lie, and believing God, regardless of what I "feel." And trusting that, in His perfect timing, I will "feel" Him again (soon).
*God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and active in me.
I'm believing God!
If you've ever experienced one of these "dry spells," what action did you take to pull yourself out of it and return to God's side?
* Taken from Beth Moore's Believing God (and professed from my very heart).
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Photo Montage, as requested :)
God's Grand Canyon - wow!
Pink Sand Dunes
Shamu 
"Bye-Bye" Dolphins
We warned him about the power behind those waves...
Heart Princess face paint - $12
Mardi Gras face paint - $15
Hugging Tinkerbell - priceless
Mickey Mouse Ears (times 5) - as they say,
Mastercard Visa!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Good to be Home
No matter how grand the adventure, how exotic the vacation, how wild the ride - nothing feels better than coming home.
Walking through the doors to the familiar settles peace into the soul.
Hello, home. We're back. Prepare for the invasion!
Walking through the doors to the familiar settles peace into the soul.
Hello, home. We're back. Prepare for the invasion!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Easy to Forget
It's easy to forget to pay attention to the little details of life, especially when things are going smoothly.
The marriage has been happy and comfortable with no major conflict. Wife feels well loved, husband feels respected. There's nothing to "work" on, so they take a break from working on things and sit back to enjoy the season of contentment.
Children have been well-behaved, obedient, respectful, and loving toward one another. It's easy to let one little incident of disrespect slide...after all, s/he has been so good lately that it seems over the top to discipline that one little slip up.
Finances, spiritual life, friendships - same story. Being good stewards of the gifts God has given us can take a lot of work (it can be downright exhausting), so after periods of hard work all we really want to do is take a rest. During seasons of relative harmony, we let don our guard and become less vigilant about maintaining the standard. It only takes a short period of time before struggles arise. It can feel so sudden - out of nowhere, even.
Imagine that you own a precious, priceless, astounding piece of jewelry. Or an invaluable historical document (think "National Treasure"). You have hired someone to guard what is precious to you, so that it does not get lost, stolen, or damaged. The unthinkable happens. Your treasure is gone!
Understandably upset, you ask your security guard how this possibly could have happened? The guard tells you that things had been going so well...there were no robbery attempts, nothing was amiss, things seemed so peaceful...so your guard simply took the day off. After all, the guard had worked so hard for so long to protect your treasure - a break was certainly deserved.
The logic doesn't stand so well anymore, does it?
God has given each one of us things to guard on His behalf - our marriages, our families, our finances, our spiritual lives. He has charged us with the job of protecting these gifts as the treasures they are. They belong to Him, and we do not have the luxury of "taking a break."
This trip has reminded me of that truth. Our family was in a glorious season that many referred to as "blessed." Peace, contentment, and stability reigned. And after what felt like years of hard work at managing finances/marriage/children, I kicked back on my heels to take a little rest. I let the little things slip - a bit of overspending here, allowing myself to react in an overly-emotional way to something my husband said (that I know was not intended to insult), ignoring a few words of sibling bickering - because they'd been so good, and if I'm honest because I didn't want to put out the energy required to deal with it.
The struggles on our way down here, as unwelcome as they were, have been a blessing. God's wake up call to me. He has called me to do a job for Him, and there are no days off. I am the only one He has "hired" for these specific jobs - there is no relief staff. If I walk away and take a day off, enjoy a little nap, or let just a couple things slide through, the treasure could be lost (or stolen).
Some things can be too easy to forget; thankfully I have a loving Father who helps me to remember.
The marriage has been happy and comfortable with no major conflict. Wife feels well loved, husband feels respected. There's nothing to "work" on, so they take a break from working on things and sit back to enjoy the season of contentment.
Children have been well-behaved, obedient, respectful, and loving toward one another. It's easy to let one little incident of disrespect slide...after all, s/he has been so good lately that it seems over the top to discipline that one little slip up.
Finances, spiritual life, friendships - same story. Being good stewards of the gifts God has given us can take a lot of work (it can be downright exhausting), so after periods of hard work all we really want to do is take a rest. During seasons of relative harmony, we let don our guard and become less vigilant about maintaining the standard. It only takes a short period of time before struggles arise. It can feel so sudden - out of nowhere, even.
Imagine that you own a precious, priceless, astounding piece of jewelry. Or an invaluable historical document (think "National Treasure"). You have hired someone to guard what is precious to you, so that it does not get lost, stolen, or damaged. The unthinkable happens. Your treasure is gone!
Understandably upset, you ask your security guard how this possibly could have happened? The guard tells you that things had been going so well...there were no robbery attempts, nothing was amiss, things seemed so peaceful...so your guard simply took the day off. After all, the guard had worked so hard for so long to protect your treasure - a break was certainly deserved.
The logic doesn't stand so well anymore, does it?
God has given each one of us things to guard on His behalf - our marriages, our families, our finances, our spiritual lives. He has charged us with the job of protecting these gifts as the treasures they are. They belong to Him, and we do not have the luxury of "taking a break."
This trip has reminded me of that truth. Our family was in a glorious season that many referred to as "blessed." Peace, contentment, and stability reigned. And after what felt like years of hard work at managing finances/marriage/children, I kicked back on my heels to take a little rest. I let the little things slip - a bit of overspending here, allowing myself to react in an overly-emotional way to something my husband said (that I know was not intended to insult), ignoring a few words of sibling bickering - because they'd been so good, and if I'm honest because I didn't want to put out the energy required to deal with it.
The struggles on our way down here, as unwelcome as they were, have been a blessing. God's wake up call to me. He has called me to do a job for Him, and there are no days off. I am the only one He has "hired" for these specific jobs - there is no relief staff. If I walk away and take a day off, enjoy a little nap, or let just a couple things slide through, the treasure could be lost (or stolen).
Some things can be too easy to forget; thankfully I have a loving Father who helps me to remember.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Amen!
All I can say is, "thank-you." Your prayers, advice, encouragement, and unorthodox ideas really helped.
This morning, we left the house with one child strapped to the roof of the Suburban, fed the others Uncrustables, and very strictly enforced the 'you fight, you miss the next ride' rule. We also each said one thing we loved about someone else just to set the right tone this morning (based on how difficult this was for a couple of the children, we clearly need to practice loving our siblings much more).
As you will see in the final picture of tomorrow's post, words cannot describe how much better today was.
We actually had F-U-N!!!
I'm trying to think of a fun (but not upsetting or traumatic) April fool's joke for tomorrow... But really I'm far too exhausted to think much further than the fantastic king-sized bed waiting for me. Well, the jetted tub also has some appeal. Love this condo we're in - love it!
G'night all.
This morning, we left the house with one child strapped to the roof of the Suburban, fed the others Uncrustables, and very strictly enforced the 'you fight, you miss the next ride' rule. We also each said one thing we loved about someone else just to set the right tone this morning (based on how difficult this was for a couple of the children, we clearly need to practice loving our siblings much more).
As you will see in the final picture of tomorrow's post, words cannot describe how much better today was.
We actually had F-U-N!!!
I'm trying to think of a fun (but not upsetting or traumatic) April fool's joke for tomorrow... But really I'm far too exhausted to think much further than the fantastic king-sized bed waiting for me. Well, the jetted tub also has some appeal. Love this condo we're in - love it!
G'night all.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Not for the Faint of Heart
Can I be completely honest with you here? So far this trip has not been quite what I anticipated. Based on our experience last summer, I expected it to be a little less...um, unpleasant.
Don't get me wrong - we all know how blessed we are to be able to be making this trip. And I certainly had no illusions that it would be easy. I just didn't expect it to be so darn hard.
It seems the children - correction - one child in particular, just cannot get along. Driving in a vehicle for 8 hours a day, the whole while mediating the bickering and answering countless "moooooooom" requests is getting old. And the endless asking for things - hundreds of times over, even though they've been told that "we'll go swimming AFTER supper" each time - is also becoming a bit annoying.
I don't want this entire vacation to feel like it's a big giant disciplinary endeavour. I want it to be F-U-N! I need help! Please, any suggestions you may have to limit the unpleasantness and increase the fun factor would be so greatly appreciated!
FYI, here are a couple things we have been doing, that are having (limited) success:
- each child has a roll of quarters ($10) that they can use to buy a souvenir; if they misbehave they have to pay a quarter to mom and dad; we're also trying to catch them doing good, so that we can occasionally pay them a quarter (which keeps anyone who may or may not have lost nearly all the quarters holding onto hope, and thus, trying to behave well);
- we have just started telling them that if they repeatedly ask for something that we have already answered, they will lose the chance to participate in that activity (to use the above example of swimming, if said child already knows we will go swimming after supper and asks again "when are we going swimming?" (with that lovely whine inflection with the question mark) that child will not get to join in on the swimming --- don't think we're cruel, because it's new we are still giving a warning.
My point is, yelling into the backseat, "stop fighting already!" is proving to be less than effective. Ditto a number of other not-so-stellar parenting techniques I've engaged this week. So please - send help asap!
On another note, for some fun, refreshing, and re-focusing (especially for the slightly beaten-down parents) we're on our way to visit Saddleback Church this morning before we hit Disneyland. I can't decided which event I'm more excited about... :)
Don't get me wrong - we all know how blessed we are to be able to be making this trip. And I certainly had no illusions that it would be easy. I just didn't expect it to be so darn hard.
It seems the children - correction - one child in particular, just cannot get along. Driving in a vehicle for 8 hours a day, the whole while mediating the bickering and answering countless "moooooooom" requests is getting old. And the endless asking for things - hundreds of times over, even though they've been told that "we'll go swimming AFTER supper" each time - is also becoming a bit annoying.
I don't want this entire vacation to feel like it's a big giant disciplinary endeavour. I want it to be F-U-N! I need help! Please, any suggestions you may have to limit the unpleasantness and increase the fun factor would be so greatly appreciated!
FYI, here are a couple things we have been doing, that are having (limited) success:
- each child has a roll of quarters ($10) that they can use to buy a souvenir; if they misbehave they have to pay a quarter to mom and dad; we're also trying to catch them doing good, so that we can occasionally pay them a quarter (which keeps anyone who may or may not have lost nearly all the quarters holding onto hope, and thus, trying to behave well);
- we have just started telling them that if they repeatedly ask for something that we have already answered, they will lose the chance to participate in that activity (to use the above example of swimming, if said child already knows we will go swimming after supper and asks again "when are we going swimming?" (with that lovely whine inflection with the question mark) that child will not get to join in on the swimming --- don't think we're cruel, because it's new we are still giving a warning.
My point is, yelling into the backseat, "stop fighting already!" is proving to be less than effective. Ditto a number of other not-so-stellar parenting techniques I've engaged this week. So please - send help asap!
On another note, for some fun, refreshing, and re-focusing (especially for the slightly beaten-down parents) we're on our way to visit Saddleback Church this morning before we hit Disneyland. I can't decided which event I'm more excited about... :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
It's Summer Here
We're overnighting in Arizona, just 5 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We stopped for a peek before cozying up in our hotel - all I can say is wow. God is super amazing creative. It's beautiful and terrifying.
Here's a little road trip recap (since I am too exhausted to write anything of substance).
Day 1 - Home to White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Driving time (according to Map Quest) - 8 h 39 min. Actual time - roughly 10 hours. We spent the night in a cabin/motel room with 3 double beds and a teeny-tiny washroom. It was a looooong day and a short night.
Day 2 - MT to Sterling, Utah. Driving time - 9 h 23 min (don't even ask what we were thinking with plotting out that one). Actual time - 12 hours or so. We stayed in a B & B on a hill. It was an astounding, massive, very old mansion (well, technically two mansions side-by-side) with original (or made to look like original) carpeting, lighting, pictures, etc. We had a family room where the kids had a bedroom with two queens and we got our own bedroom with a king. Ahhhhhh. After we left I realized I should have taken some pictures of the "classicness" of it. Pat told me his first impression was "old haunted mansion." I am soooo glad he did not share that with me when we arrived after dark...and were the only guests.
Day 3 - UT to Tusayan, Arizona. Driving time - 6 h 38 min. Actual time - 8 hours. Initially, in keeping with my tight budget, we were booked in a room with two queens. Learning from the experience of the last two nights, I made the executive decision to get two adjoining rooms. Best $100 I ever spent. We are in our own room, watching TV, sipping a little bottle of wine (they sell wine in itty-bitty bottles like miniature beer bottles down here), and playing on the computer. All while 5 little monkeys sleep soundly in the next room. Lovely.
Tomorrow - AZ to San Diego, California. We plan to spend 2 nights, and take the whole day Friday to visit Shamu and her friends at Sea World. I'm sure the kids will be relived to finally be doing something other than driving.
That's all I've got for you tonight. Thank-you and The End. :)
Here's a little road trip recap (since I am too exhausted to write anything of substance).
Day 1 - Home to White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Driving time (according to Map Quest) - 8 h 39 min. Actual time - roughly 10 hours. We spent the night in a cabin/motel room with 3 double beds and a teeny-tiny washroom. It was a looooong day and a short night.
Day 2 - MT to Sterling, Utah. Driving time - 9 h 23 min (don't even ask what we were thinking with plotting out that one). Actual time - 12 hours or so. We stayed in a B & B on a hill. It was an astounding, massive, very old mansion (well, technically two mansions side-by-side) with original (or made to look like original) carpeting, lighting, pictures, etc. We had a family room where the kids had a bedroom with two queens and we got our own bedroom with a king. Ahhhhhh. After we left I realized I should have taken some pictures of the "classicness" of it. Pat told me his first impression was "old haunted mansion." I am soooo glad he did not share that with me when we arrived after dark...and were the only guests.
Day 3 - UT to Tusayan, Arizona. Driving time - 6 h 38 min. Actual time - 8 hours. Initially, in keeping with my tight budget, we were booked in a room with two queens. Learning from the experience of the last two nights, I made the executive decision to get two adjoining rooms. Best $100 I ever spent. We are in our own room, watching TV, sipping a little bottle of wine (they sell wine in itty-bitty bottles like miniature beer bottles down here), and playing on the computer. All while 5 little monkeys sleep soundly in the next room. Lovely.
Tomorrow - AZ to San Diego, California. We plan to spend 2 nights, and take the whole day Friday to visit Shamu and her friends at Sea World. I'm sure the kids will be relived to finally be doing something other than driving.
That's all I've got for you tonight. Thank-you and The End. :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hit the Road Jack
Not much time to write on here this morning. We are packed, loaded, and will soon be ready to go.
I am pleased to share that our vehicle looks much like this again, sans the carrier on top. (Sorry for posting an old pic from last summer's road trip, but it happens to be very chilly and snowy outside right now and I'd rather not go out there for just a picture. The fact that it snowed more than six inches in the past two days really makes it all the more special to be heading to California, dontchathink?) I don't know how he did it, but that husband of mine has a special gift - he fit a large cooler, two food bins, 4 large duffel bags (think junior sized hockey bags) with clothes, and two smaller duffels all in the back of the Suburban. Granted, the review mirror is now simply a windshield decoration.
We're going to Disneyland!!!! Yahoo!!!! I think I may be more excited about this than the kids...
I am pleased to share that our vehicle looks much like this again, sans the carrier on top. (Sorry for posting an old pic from last summer's road trip, but it happens to be very chilly and snowy outside right now and I'd rather not go out there for just a picture. The fact that it snowed more than six inches in the past two days really makes it all the more special to be heading to California, dontchathink?) I don't know how he did it, but that husband of mine has a special gift - he fit a large cooler, two food bins, 4 large duffel bags (think junior sized hockey bags) with clothes, and two smaller duffels all in the back of the Suburban. Granted, the review mirror is now simply a windshield decoration.
We're going to Disneyland!!!! Yahoo!!!! I think I may be more excited about this than the kids...
Friday, March 20, 2009
The God Chronicles - 03/20/09
The God Chronicles is a place where I journal out the ways I have seen God working in my life. Because I believe in the importance of documenting this stuff for our children and their children, it is an open blog carnival - anyone can join in. For details on the inspiration behind TGC, read this.Write a post for TGC on your blog (or if you don't blog feel free to leave a really long comment), go ahead and use the graphic if you want to, be sure to link to THIS POST in your blog post (to send people back here for linking up and reading other TGC stories), then put your name and the URL for your blog post (please use the perma-link for your specific post, rather than linking to your whole blog - this makes it easier for others to find what you've written), and don't forget to leave a comment here and everywhere you visit. For all the specifics and rules and such, read this.
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One of my favourite things is to see my children growing in their faith. I love seeing them raise their hands in worship, or talk about God like an old friend, or act in a way that shows me they have taken God's Word to heart. It gives me a warm fuzzy (or teary chokey) feeling to hear one of them say, "Jesus is my best friend! He loves me!"
Recently, Abbey (7) has been struggling with fear at night. She's afraid of a fire, and that they would not get out. She's afraid of spiders or other insects crawling on her as she sleeps. She's afraid of the shadows and the dark. The crazy thing is, I can see the fear in her - it's tangible, real, and powerful. It has been bringing her to tears and trembling at bedtime for nearly two weeks.
Pep talks are not helping. Ignoring it is impossible. Praying with her seems to offer only temporary relief (usually she's out of bed, nearly hysterical, within an hour). But we decided that we could not afford to let this fear gain victory in our home! So Pat and I came up with a strategy.
At bedtime, we pray with authority in Abbey's room and over her heart and mind. We renounce the enemy and seek His hand of protection. And then, we coach Abbey in speaking God's Word for herself. It's a repeat-after-me sort of thing from Joshua 1:9, "I AM strong and courageous! For the Lord MY God is with me wherever I go!" On the third night, Abs proclaimed it for herself, with no help from us.
Each night that we have gone through this process, she is smiling by the end of it - and you can tell she is feeling safe and strong. No night waking, no talking of fearful dreams in the morning. Absolute freedom from the fears that were practically debilitating her. Freedom because of God's Mighty Word.
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Braeden (11) received a much-anticipated gift for his birthday. Bakugan. The creme de la creme of boy's toys. These babies are special...
When he went to school the day after his birthday, Braeden asked Shea (3) to babysit his Bakugan. When he got home from school, they were missing. Despite my assurances that we would surely find them somewhere in the house, Braeden was pretty broken-up - after all, they had not been uncovered after nearly an hour of searching.
At bedtime that night, Grandma prayed with him, and they asked God to help find the missing toys. Three minutes later, as she was tucking Shea into bed, it occurred to her to reach behind the bed. Low and behold - the precious Bakugan were tucked snugly where they had last been seen as Shea laid down for her afternoon nap!
Grandma was excited to share her discovery with Braeden, and had already forgotten that they had prayed about the toys. But Braeden - he remembered. He was shouting and clapping his praises to the God Who Answers Prayer, "Yay, God! Yahoo! You rock, God! Awesome. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, Jesus!"
| 1. Hope@Pinkadoodledoo |
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Where is the Truth?
In our world, there are so many versions of the truth. We hear that "what is true for one person may not be true for another." We are always looking for the truth, seeking what is real, but the world tosses so many easy substitutes our way.
Because of the way God created us, one thing we instinctively seek out is Him - the sovereign God who holds our lives in His hands. The world, though, says that such a God is too hard to find, so it offers us substitute gods (I call them easy, feel-good gods). I'm sure you've heard of them - the god within you (or, you are god), the god in everything around us...
These pretend gods are so appealing to us, because in our hearts (in mine, at least) we are lazy. And these gods are palatable. These gods don't require us to give over our lives in love; these gods don't require us to change our behaviours and attitudes; these gods don't require us to draw a line in the sand ethically. Unfortunately, these gods are impotent. The "god self" has no power to rescue us, to change us, to transform us.
There is one true God, one Sovereign Ruler, one Creator, on Saviour. Truth can only be found in Him. He binds up the broken-hearted, He heals the sick, He delivers the addicted, He convicts the wicked, He has mercy on the weak. He fills our hearts with joy and puts songs of praise on our lips. This power can only be found in Christ. And Christ can only be found in the Bible.
If you are searching for what is true and real, you will find a lot of books and movies out there. Many of them sound close enough to what the Bible says that we easily accept them. Many of them sound just that little bit "easier" than what the Bible says, so we embrace them. Many of them offer promises of freedom/change/contentment from whatever plagues us by following the prescribed steps contained within their pages. But you will not find truth there, you will not find freedom.
If you want a self-help book to quit yelling (I know I do), there is only One Book that offers the secret to really changing. If you want to quit smoking in ten days, the Bible is the Only Book that promises (and means it) real power to change. If you want to find a way to get over the pain and loss of a divorce, the path to truly healing those hurts and finding peace and joy is offered (with an absolute guarantee) in the pages of The Good Book. Any other book you read, podcast you listen to, or movie you watch - unless it directs you back to the pages of the Bible - is offering a cheap alternative that will only bring temporary freedom.
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Just a little reminder, coming on Friday (March 20th):
Because of the way God created us, one thing we instinctively seek out is Him - the sovereign God who holds our lives in His hands. The world, though, says that such a God is too hard to find, so it offers us substitute gods (I call them easy, feel-good gods). I'm sure you've heard of them - the god within you (or, you are god), the god in everything around us...
These pretend gods are so appealing to us, because in our hearts (in mine, at least) we are lazy. And these gods are palatable. These gods don't require us to give over our lives in love; these gods don't require us to change our behaviours and attitudes; these gods don't require us to draw a line in the sand ethically. Unfortunately, these gods are impotent. The "god self" has no power to rescue us, to change us, to transform us.
There is one true God, one Sovereign Ruler, one Creator, on Saviour. Truth can only be found in Him. He binds up the broken-hearted, He heals the sick, He delivers the addicted, He convicts the wicked, He has mercy on the weak. He fills our hearts with joy and puts songs of praise on our lips. This power can only be found in Christ. And Christ can only be found in the Bible.
If you are searching for what is true and real, you will find a lot of books and movies out there. Many of them sound close enough to what the Bible says that we easily accept them. Many of them sound just that little bit "easier" than what the Bible says, so we embrace them. Many of them offer promises of freedom/change/contentment from whatever plagues us by following the prescribed steps contained within their pages. But you will not find truth there, you will not find freedom.
If you want a self-help book to quit yelling (I know I do), there is only One Book that offers the secret to really changing. If you want to quit smoking in ten days, the Bible is the Only Book that promises (and means it) real power to change. If you want to find a way to get over the pain and loss of a divorce, the path to truly healing those hurts and finding peace and joy is offered (with an absolute guarantee) in the pages of The Good Book. Any other book you read, podcast you listen to, or movie you watch - unless it directs you back to the pages of the Bible - is offering a cheap alternative that will only bring temporary freedom.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.No cheap alternatives here. No simple fixes. No feel-good solutions. But for those of us who believe, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Real, true freedom from the real (and only) truth source.
~Ephesians 1:18-20
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Just a little reminder, coming on Friday (March 20th):
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Quotes for Today
Some of the things I've said so far today...
Please get ready for school. Get dressed. Brush your teeth.
What do you want for lunch? No, I don't have tomato soup. I'm sorry, we're out of alphaghetti. How about a sandwich? No, didn't I just say we're out of that? How about a sandwich? No, you can't just eat chips for lunch. How about a sandwich?
Excuse me, aren't you supposed to be getting dressed right now? How about you play with the dog once you're ready for school?
Please don't shout at your sister. That's not how we treat our friends and family. If you continue to shout you'll have to go back to bed.
Don't forget to put your socks on. Then you can go brush your teeth, please.
No, I already made you a sandwich. You can't have alphaghetti because we don't have any.
Hello? Can you please stop daydreaming and put your socks on?!
It is also unkind to "shush" your sister. Please speak kindly to your family.
No! Don't touch the dog food! No, No - Ta, Ta. Spit it out, that's yucky.
Okay, you need to go back to your bedroom for a few minutes. This is the third time you've been unkind to your sister. I will call you in fifteen minutes and you can start again.
Okay, now go brush your teeth please.
The sandwich will be fine! Seriously.
No! Go to bed! (to the dog)
No, you cannot come out of your room yet. I will call you when your time is up.
Are you brushing your teeth?
I will not discuss the lunch any longer. Perhaps if you had done your job and gotten it ready last night you could have had something else. But for today you will take a sandwich.
Don't fight with your baby brother, please.
No, no. Don't hit. That's owie. Be nice to big sister. Give her a hug.
No! Don't hit puppy either. Hitting is owie. Be gentle.
Why haven't you brushed your teeth?!
And it's only 8:30am...
Please get ready for school. Get dressed. Brush your teeth.
What do you want for lunch? No, I don't have tomato soup. I'm sorry, we're out of alphaghetti. How about a sandwich? No, didn't I just say we're out of that? How about a sandwich? No, you can't just eat chips for lunch. How about a sandwich?
Excuse me, aren't you supposed to be getting dressed right now? How about you play with the dog once you're ready for school?
Please don't shout at your sister. That's not how we treat our friends and family. If you continue to shout you'll have to go back to bed.
Don't forget to put your socks on. Then you can go brush your teeth, please.
No, I already made you a sandwich. You can't have alphaghetti because we don't have any.
Hello? Can you please stop daydreaming and put your socks on?!
It is also unkind to "shush" your sister. Please speak kindly to your family.
No! Don't touch the dog food! No, No - Ta, Ta. Spit it out, that's yucky.
Okay, you need to go back to your bedroom for a few minutes. This is the third time you've been unkind to your sister. I will call you in fifteen minutes and you can start again.
Okay, now go brush your teeth please.
The sandwich will be fine! Seriously.
No! Go to bed! (to the dog)
No, you cannot come out of your room yet. I will call you when your time is up.
Are you brushing your teeth?
I will not discuss the lunch any longer. Perhaps if you had done your job and gotten it ready last night you could have had something else. But for today you will take a sandwich.
Don't fight with your baby brother, please.
No, no. Don't hit. That's owie. Be nice to big sister. Give her a hug.
No! Don't hit puppy either. Hitting is owie. Be gentle.
Why haven't you brushed your teeth?!
And it's only 8:30am...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Growing Up
Dear Braeden,
Today you are another year older. Eleven years old. Wow.
I remember you as a little baby in our little two bedroom apartment. You liked to sleep in the laundry hamper on top of a pile of fresh-out-of-the dryer clothes. I can't count the number of quarters I spent warming up clean towels in hopes of coaxing my colicky little man to sleep.
I remember they told us you would never be "normal," that you might never walk, or talk, or be able to go to school. In some ways, those doctors were right - you are far from typical - you are extraordinary! I cannot imagine you any different than the person you are today. In other ways, those doctors were so very wrong. I praise the Lord for the things you are able to do!
You are such a smart guy, with a witty sense of humour (just like your dad). I have loved seeing you grow and mature this year. You are becoming so confident! You are a leader in your school, with your siblings, and at church. It makes me very proud to watch the way you make an effort to help other kids feel welcomed and included. The fact that you won the "Heart of Gold Award" at school holds greater meaning for me than any report card ever could. You truly do have a heart of gold...and a heart for God...and it makes me smile.
Braeden, I hope that you know how special you are to me. My first born baby, my big boy. I love you, son. Happy birthday.
Today you are another year older. Eleven years old. Wow.
I remember you as a little baby in our little two bedroom apartment. You liked to sleep in the laundry hamper on top of a pile of fresh-out-of-the dryer clothes. I can't count the number of quarters I spent warming up clean towels in hopes of coaxing my colicky little man to sleep.
I remember they told us you would never be "normal," that you might never walk, or talk, or be able to go to school. In some ways, those doctors were right - you are far from typical - you are extraordinary! I cannot imagine you any different than the person you are today. In other ways, those doctors were so very wrong. I praise the Lord for the things you are able to do!
You are such a smart guy, with a witty sense of humour (just like your dad). I have loved seeing you grow and mature this year. You are becoming so confident! You are a leader in your school, with your siblings, and at church. It makes me very proud to watch the way you make an effort to help other kids feel welcomed and included. The fact that you won the "Heart of Gold Award" at school holds greater meaning for me than any report card ever could. You truly do have a heart of gold...and a heart for God...and it makes me smile.
Braeden, I hope that you know how special you are to me. My first born baby, my big boy. I love you, son. Happy birthday.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Little Miss Perfect
I am at a women's retreat this weekend. If you've never attended one of these, you may be imagining a bunch of old women sitting around a table, praying for hours. You couldn't be more wrong!
This is my sixth year - in a row - attending a women's retreat. I expect to continue to do so, on an annual basis, for the rest of my years. I come to these weekends with a few expectations in mind: I expect to stay up too late giggling with girlfriends; I expect to fellowship deeply with other Christian women; I expect to be given the opportunity to minister to other women; and I expect (and highly anticipate) the fantastic food NOT prepared by me! My greatest expectation, though, is that God will show up. And He never disappoints me!
I was sharing with a girlfriend about my struggle with weight loss. I was talking about how difficult it is to stick to a program... I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. I want to do everything completely and perfectly. If it's exercise, I need to do it every day for an hour. When I miss a day, or peter out at half an hour, I mentally toss my hands in the air and think, "why bother?" If it's eating, I need to eat healthy all day and all week. When I catch myself caving in to temptation and popping a Milk Dud in my mouth, my immediate thought is, "well, I've screwed it up now, may as well throw in the towel and eat the whole box." I am not willing to settle for anything less than absolute success - perfection.
My friend and I had a mutual giggle at our "eldest child" personalities and moved on. We pretty much accepted that this is just the way we are, it's both annoying and funny. The end.
God, though, He won't settle for that excuse! "Just the way you are?" Nuh-uh.
We sat down in the teaching session a couple hours later - our topic is truth, what is the truth? Our speaker, Cynthia Cavanaugh, says, "God doesn't expect perfection, He just expects us to be faithful." She proceeded to say it again (you know the way speakers will do that with important points, so we really hear). I was listening and nodding, but not really listening with my heart. Then that girlfriend caught my eye, and I realized that God had just spoken.
God does not expect perfection from me.
Why in the world would I walk around in this life, then, expecting something from myself that He has never asked?
I do not need to be perfect. I just need to be faithful.
My mind flooded with memories of how God has been trying to give me this message over the past week - other women telling me to just try doing one little thing at a time (like choosing an apple for my afternoon snack rather than potato chips), my husband encouraging me to just do those little things that are easy to do (like grabbing 10 minutes of exercise here or there), other women sharing with me how they have been fighting through their own perfectionist tendencies. They just kept coming!
It is such a simple truth that I nearly missed it. In this life, perfection will not bring victory over my struggles. Faithfulness is the only thing that God has called me to. If I am faithful to Him - in how I treat my physical body, in the little changes He asks me to make to avoid anger, in how I respect and honour my husband, in how I relate to others, in how I spend time with my children - He will make change. I don't have to revolutionize myself. I don't have to dive right into "Extreme Makeover: Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, ahem Perfectionist Addition." In fact, I don't have to change my bad habits and junk at all! I simply have to do what He tells me to do.
You might be tempted, as I was, to overlook this truth. It's so simple that we all KNOW it. But just take a moment to ponder it... Our God does not expect perfection from us. Is there something in your life that you've been wrestling with? Some habit you've been trying to kick? Some heart attitudes you keep attempting to change? Anger? Panic? Lying? Smoking? Weight loss? Saving your marriage? Are you like me - you try and try to do it all, and when you fall short of the perfect standard of complete transformation you say, "I screwed it up now anyway, may as well just stop trying."? That, my friend, is a lie from the pit of hell, designed to keep us from the victory Christ promises us.
God does not call you to be flawless. He simply asks that you be faithful. Why are you asking more of yourself than God asks of you? Imagine how freeing it will be to stop holding yourself up to a standard that you do not need to achieve! Frankly, I am breathing a big sigh of relief.
This is my sixth year - in a row - attending a women's retreat. I expect to continue to do so, on an annual basis, for the rest of my years. I come to these weekends with a few expectations in mind: I expect to stay up too late giggling with girlfriends; I expect to fellowship deeply with other Christian women; I expect to be given the opportunity to minister to other women; and I expect (and highly anticipate) the fantastic food NOT prepared by me! My greatest expectation, though, is that God will show up. And He never disappoints me!
I was sharing with a girlfriend about my struggle with weight loss. I was talking about how difficult it is to stick to a program... I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. I want to do everything completely and perfectly. If it's exercise, I need to do it every day for an hour. When I miss a day, or peter out at half an hour, I mentally toss my hands in the air and think, "why bother?" If it's eating, I need to eat healthy all day and all week. When I catch myself caving in to temptation and popping a Milk Dud in my mouth, my immediate thought is, "well, I've screwed it up now, may as well throw in the towel and eat the whole box." I am not willing to settle for anything less than absolute success - perfection.
My friend and I had a mutual giggle at our "eldest child" personalities and moved on. We pretty much accepted that this is just the way we are, it's both annoying and funny. The end.
God, though, He won't settle for that excuse! "Just the way you are?" Nuh-uh.
We sat down in the teaching session a couple hours later - our topic is truth, what is the truth? Our speaker, Cynthia Cavanaugh, says, "God doesn't expect perfection, He just expects us to be faithful." She proceeded to say it again (you know the way speakers will do that with important points, so we really hear). I was listening and nodding, but not really listening with my heart. Then that girlfriend caught my eye, and I realized that God had just spoken.
God does not expect perfection from me.
Why in the world would I walk around in this life, then, expecting something from myself that He has never asked?
I do not need to be perfect. I just need to be faithful.
My mind flooded with memories of how God has been trying to give me this message over the past week - other women telling me to just try doing one little thing at a time (like choosing an apple for my afternoon snack rather than potato chips), my husband encouraging me to just do those little things that are easy to do (like grabbing 10 minutes of exercise here or there), other women sharing with me how they have been fighting through their own perfectionist tendencies. They just kept coming!
It is such a simple truth that I nearly missed it. In this life, perfection will not bring victory over my struggles. Faithfulness is the only thing that God has called me to. If I am faithful to Him - in how I treat my physical body, in the little changes He asks me to make to avoid anger, in how I respect and honour my husband, in how I relate to others, in how I spend time with my children - He will make change. I don't have to revolutionize myself. I don't have to dive right into "Extreme Makeover: Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, ahem Perfectionist Addition." In fact, I don't have to change my bad habits and junk at all! I simply have to do what He tells me to do.
You might be tempted, as I was, to overlook this truth. It's so simple that we all KNOW it. But just take a moment to ponder it... Our God does not expect perfection from us. Is there something in your life that you've been wrestling with? Some habit you've been trying to kick? Some heart attitudes you keep attempting to change? Anger? Panic? Lying? Smoking? Weight loss? Saving your marriage? Are you like me - you try and try to do it all, and when you fall short of the perfect standard of complete transformation you say, "I screwed it up now anyway, may as well just stop trying."? That, my friend, is a lie from the pit of hell, designed to keep us from the victory Christ promises us.
God does not call you to be flawless. He simply asks that you be faithful. Why are you asking more of yourself than God asks of you? Imagine how freeing it will be to stop holding yourself up to a standard that you do not need to achieve! Frankly, I am breathing a big sigh of relief.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Praying with Purpose
I don't know about you, but I find that there are times where my prayer life is lacking in direction and intentionality. I'll be there in my morning prayer time, and I feel as though I have nothing to pray about - which is ridiculous, because there is SO MUCH to pray about. Because I'm an administrative type girl, I've found a handy way to keep myself focused in prayer.
It all starts with a calendar and a list (are you really surprised that I make a list?). I begin by making a general list of the things/people I want to be praying for regularly. My list is something like this: kids, marriage, ministry, unsaved friends/family, church leaders, government leaders, and so on. I make sure to leave lots of space under each of those topics.
Next, I add details to the list - specifics for each of those general things. For example, under kids I would list: spiritual growth/salvation, health, integrity, future spouse/marriage, spiritual gifts, areas of struggle. Under marriage: protection, growth, passion, that I would be the wife God wants me to be, areas of struggle for either of us, unity (in general things and in parenting), finances, etc. Under ministry: each area of women's ministry (there are six or so), each leader of those areas, their marriages and families, their teams, areas of struggle, etc.
Then I set my big list and my calendar side-by-side to look for a handy way to plug everything in (it seems that my list is about the right length to fill a two-month schedule). The first thing I want to plug in is that which I know I want to be praying for daily - my marriage and my kids. The kids are easy, because there's five of them - Braeden on Mondays, Abbey on Tuesdays, Megan on Wednesdays, Shea on Thursdays, Malakai on Fridays. Then I assign a "theme" to each week based on the list of prayer topics under the heading of kids (so each day of that week I will pray for the assigned child on that topic).
For help in focusing my prayers for our marriage, I'll often take topics from "The Power of a Praying Wife" and plug one into each week. As well, I will take the list of topics and spend a day or week on them, depending how I feel led to plug them in on my calendar. There are a lot of great books on building a strong marriage that provide topics (and even daily tasks) that I use to help direct my prayers in this area.
I also know that I need to be praying for ministry regularly. I find that the easiest way to remember is to plug each ministry area in on the day of the week it occurs - so, Monday night Bible study on Mondays. Over the month, I'll typically assign one Monday to pray for the attendees, one Monday to pray for the leader and her marriage, one Monday to pray for her team, and the last Monday to pray generally and however I feel led.
And to round off my prayer calendar, I add in the remaining items from my list. I try to take one day of the week to pray for unsaved friends and family. Our pastor once suggested that we focus our prayers intently on three people we want to see saved, so every other week (usually on Fridays) I spend time just praying for the same three people - there has been one person on that list for years now. The alternate weeks, I just let my heart and mind run through everyone I think of, tossing names and prayers to God for all of them. I try to plunk in one or two days in a month for each of the other topics, such as church leaders, political leaders, and anything else on my list.
I pop my two months of prayer calendar in a duotang, and set it in my "quiet spot" alongside my Bible and whichever Bible study book I'm working on.
I know this method won't be for everyone. There are some people who would feel restricted, stilted, and frustrated by so much order in how they pray and who they pray for. But if you're like me, and without a list of "to dos" you wander aimlessly doing nothing, a prayer calendar might be just what you need to keep your prayer life on track.
In fact, I find this method to be so handy, that I'll probably link back to it next week for Works for Me Wednesday!
Have a blessed weekend, friends!
It all starts with a calendar and a list (are you really surprised that I make a list?). I begin by making a general list of the things/people I want to be praying for regularly. My list is something like this: kids, marriage, ministry, unsaved friends/family, church leaders, government leaders, and so on. I make sure to leave lots of space under each of those topics.
Next, I add details to the list - specifics for each of those general things. For example, under kids I would list: spiritual growth/salvation, health, integrity, future spouse/marriage, spiritual gifts, areas of struggle. Under marriage: protection, growth, passion, that I would be the wife God wants me to be, areas of struggle for either of us, unity (in general things and in parenting), finances, etc. Under ministry: each area of women's ministry (there are six or so), each leader of those areas, their marriages and families, their teams, areas of struggle, etc.
Then I set my big list and my calendar side-by-side to look for a handy way to plug everything in (it seems that my list is about the right length to fill a two-month schedule). The first thing I want to plug in is that which I know I want to be praying for daily - my marriage and my kids. The kids are easy, because there's five of them - Braeden on Mondays, Abbey on Tuesdays, Megan on Wednesdays, Shea on Thursdays, Malakai on Fridays. Then I assign a "theme" to each week based on the list of prayer topics under the heading of kids (so each day of that week I will pray for the assigned child on that topic).
For help in focusing my prayers for our marriage, I'll often take topics from "The Power of a Praying Wife" and plug one into each week. As well, I will take the list of topics and spend a day or week on them, depending how I feel led to plug them in on my calendar. There are a lot of great books on building a strong marriage that provide topics (and even daily tasks) that I use to help direct my prayers in this area.
I also know that I need to be praying for ministry regularly. I find that the easiest way to remember is to plug each ministry area in on the day of the week it occurs - so, Monday night Bible study on Mondays. Over the month, I'll typically assign one Monday to pray for the attendees, one Monday to pray for the leader and her marriage, one Monday to pray for her team, and the last Monday to pray generally and however I feel led.
And to round off my prayer calendar, I add in the remaining items from my list. I try to take one day of the week to pray for unsaved friends and family. Our pastor once suggested that we focus our prayers intently on three people we want to see saved, so every other week (usually on Fridays) I spend time just praying for the same three people - there has been one person on that list for years now. The alternate weeks, I just let my heart and mind run through everyone I think of, tossing names and prayers to God for all of them. I try to plunk in one or two days in a month for each of the other topics, such as church leaders, political leaders, and anything else on my list.
I pop my two months of prayer calendar in a duotang, and set it in my "quiet spot" alongside my Bible and whichever Bible study book I'm working on.
I know this method won't be for everyone. There are some people who would feel restricted, stilted, and frustrated by so much order in how they pray and who they pray for. But if you're like me, and without a list of "to dos" you wander aimlessly doing nothing, a prayer calendar might be just what you need to keep your prayer life on track.
In fact, I find this method to be so handy, that I'll probably link back to it next week for Works for Me Wednesday!
Have a blessed weekend, friends!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
When Victory Demands Your All
Life is hard. Can I get an "amen" to that?
Do you ever hit a wall? I find that at some times in my life there are certain things that just plain wear me down. Eventually, I come to a place where I'm crying out in prayer, "Lord, I can't do it anymore. I'm so tired. Please make this battle end."
When relationships go sideways, and it seems that there is no way to repair what has been broken; when I feel that no matter how I try to make things right it will never be right again - I want to give up. When the demands of life (motherhood, ministry, housekeeping) all crowd in around me and clamour for my attention, and I feel as though I could not possibly meet one more demand - I want to quit. When the same struggle, the same sin, the same anger keeps rearing its ugly head and I feel out of control - I want to throw in the towel.
Lord, I can't do it anymore. I'm so tired. Please make this battle end.
You may remember me saying that some people aren't called to rest, or sabbatical, or whatever term you'd like to insert - rather, certain people are called to persevere through the times when they feel overwhelmed.
In case you missed that one, let me just shout it out - certain people are called to persevere through the times when they feel overwhelmed.
Beth Moore says, in her Believing God series, "when we are defeated, we have defeated ourselves, because the enemy has not been given permission to defeat us." She says that we often lose battles mentally long before going into the spiritual battle. Some of the things we do to defeat ourselves are (and this is paraphrased):
1. act like big, whiny babies - getting all caught up in how unfair a circumstance is;
2. beat ourselves up - listening to that track in our head that tells us we're stupid, we screwed up, etc.;
3. blaming others - worrying about whose fault it really is;
and 4. bitterness and unforgiveness - allowing our hearts and spirits to be clogged up with junk.
The question in your mind (and mine) is this - how do I persevere? What does that look like? What do I do?
Victory is wrapped up in knowing and believing God. To know Him simply means to turn your attention toward Him. To believe is to trust.
There's no magic formula, no miracle cure. As in most things, moving past your "stumbling blocks" requires making a choice. Choose to be weak, weary, and defeated. Or choose to KNOW and BELIEVE that Your God is bigger, that He can deliver, and that He will claim the victory.
Do you ever hit a wall? I find that at some times in my life there are certain things that just plain wear me down. Eventually, I come to a place where I'm crying out in prayer, "Lord, I can't do it anymore. I'm so tired. Please make this battle end."
When relationships go sideways, and it seems that there is no way to repair what has been broken; when I feel that no matter how I try to make things right it will never be right again - I want to give up. When the demands of life (motherhood, ministry, housekeeping) all crowd in around me and clamour for my attention, and I feel as though I could not possibly meet one more demand - I want to quit. When the same struggle, the same sin, the same anger keeps rearing its ugly head and I feel out of control - I want to throw in the towel.
Lord, I can't do it anymore. I'm so tired. Please make this battle end.
You may remember me saying that some people aren't called to rest, or sabbatical, or whatever term you'd like to insert - rather, certain people are called to persevere through the times when they feel overwhelmed.
In case you missed that one, let me just shout it out - certain people are called to persevere through the times when they feel overwhelmed.
Beth Moore says, in her Believing God series, "when we are defeated, we have defeated ourselves, because the enemy has not been given permission to defeat us." She says that we often lose battles mentally long before going into the spiritual battle. Some of the things we do to defeat ourselves are (and this is paraphrased):
1. act like big, whiny babies - getting all caught up in how unfair a circumstance is;
2. beat ourselves up - listening to that track in our head that tells us we're stupid, we screwed up, etc.;
3. blaming others - worrying about whose fault it really is;
and 4. bitterness and unforgiveness - allowing our hearts and spirits to be clogged up with junk.
The question in your mind (and mine) is this - how do I persevere? What does that look like? What do I do?
"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you man know and believe me."
~Isaiah 43:14 (emphasis mine)
Victory is wrapped up in knowing and believing God. To know Him simply means to turn your attention toward Him. To believe is to trust.
There's no magic formula, no miracle cure. As in most things, moving past your "stumbling blocks" requires making a choice. Choose to be weak, weary, and defeated. Or choose to KNOW and BELIEVE that Your God is bigger, that He can deliver, and that He will claim the victory.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Little Things We Do
Every family has some guiding principles to help them figure out (and do) what's important. It also helps them to not do what's not important. We've got a few rules that the whole family knows as well as a few themes that the parents keep in mind.
- When it comes to activities, each kid can only be in one thing at a time. We're happy to let them experiment with different types of activities - but it may take a couple years for them to have a shot at each sport or class they mention joining.
- Our children do not have permission to wear certain clothing now that we would not find appropriate when they're pre-teens and teens. For example, bikinis - quite adorable on little ones, far too "sexual" on adolescent girls. I hate to take away privileges for no reason, or change the rules last minute, so it makes it easier for everyone to have the guidelines of modesty firmly established now.
- If we need to decide about something, we ask God. School, work, how to spend money, etc. We just don't feel that these decisions are "ours" to make.
- We are working on a new rule - no interrupting. With a large family, it can be a scramble for everyone to get their say...but we've run into a habit where the children can say "mom" or "dad" while we're in the midst of conversation and we turn to them and say "yes?" We feel that it's important for our kids to know that, as a couple, we value each other and what the other has to say. Also, interrupting is simply a rude habit!
Do you have any rules or guidelines, spoken or unspoken, that help keep your family on track?
- When it comes to activities, each kid can only be in one thing at a time. We're happy to let them experiment with different types of activities - but it may take a couple years for them to have a shot at each sport or class they mention joining.
- Our children do not have permission to wear certain clothing now that we would not find appropriate when they're pre-teens and teens. For example, bikinis - quite adorable on little ones, far too "sexual" on adolescent girls. I hate to take away privileges for no reason, or change the rules last minute, so it makes it easier for everyone to have the guidelines of modesty firmly established now.
- If we need to decide about something, we ask God. School, work, how to spend money, etc. We just don't feel that these decisions are "ours" to make.
- We are working on a new rule - no interrupting. With a large family, it can be a scramble for everyone to get their say...but we've run into a habit where the children can say "mom" or "dad" while we're in the midst of conversation and we turn to them and say "yes?" We feel that it's important for our kids to know that, as a couple, we value each other and what the other has to say. Also, interrupting is simply a rude habit!
Do you have any rules or guidelines, spoken or unspoken, that help keep your family on track?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sane? I am NOT.
A blogger friend of mine, Mary from Owlhaven, has written a book. This is a book that I want and need, I must have it!
The title - A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family.
My family isn't as large as hers, in fact she has double the kids I do. And sane? I am not. Perhaps that is one of the pressing reasons I must have her book.
If you think it looks good, even if you're not what would be considered a "large" family, you can visit her giveaway post right here and enter to win. Or, if you're not interested, you can visit her post and enter me to win again. (Feel free to do so every week for the next four weeks. Okay? Thankyouverymuch.
:)
The title - A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family.
My family isn't as large as hers, in fact she has double the kids I do. And sane? I am not. Perhaps that is one of the pressing reasons I must have her book.
If you think it looks good, even if you're not what would be considered a "large" family, you can visit her giveaway post right here and enter to win. Or, if you're not interested, you can visit her post and enter me to win again. (Feel free to do so every week for the next four weeks. Okay? Thankyouverymuch.
:)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Caption Your Life
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
~Proverbs 22:1
Have you ever done that exercise where you try to capture who you are and how you lived your life in short captions, like how you would want your gravestone to read?
I recently told my husband that if we were to develop a family mission statement I would like it to include the phrase "radically obedient." Because obeying the Lord as soon as He speaks, without question, even when it seems insane (like Noah or Abraham), is a trait that I want to characterize our family's faith journey. That is how I would like to be remembered.
Here are a few ideas of what I'd like my stone to read:
She invested her life in following wherever He led.
She loved, she lived, she followed God all the days of her life.
God's love shone through her actions as a wife, mother, and friend.
(Of course, keeping in mind that when I'm gone people will choose to remember the best things and tuck aside the junk parts of my character.)
What would you like your stone to read?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Quote of the Day
Pat's listening to an audio book on...well, I'm not sure what it's actually about. BUT, the dude has some good things to say. I don't remember the title of the book or the author, and the quote isn't really a quote because I don't know the exact wording. This post should really be titled, "Paraphrase of the Day." Anyhoo....
Changing your life happens not by making drastic and dramatic changes, but by doing small things that, over time, make a big difference. These are things that are not difficult to do, but they are easy not to do.
For example, exercising for ten minutes each day is not very difficult to do. But it is certainly an easy thing NOT to do. It is a small thing, that, if done repeatedly over a period of time, will change your life. Ten minutes of exercise per day is enough to help an overweight person lose half a pound per week, Over time (say a year), the result is twenty-six pounds lost.
Making small choices - choices that are not difficult to make, but could be easy not to make - can lead to big life changes.
What small things are you not doing that you could/should be doing?
For me, an obvious one is exercise (even just a little bit). Not only because I would like to lose the same weight I've been talking about losing for a year, but because my back will feel better, I will feel more confident, I will have more energy, my moods will be more easily regulated, I will sleep better, it will lead to making better eating choices, and inevitably I WILL LOSE WEIGHT!
Another small thing is putting up scripture on index cards throughout my house. I've been talking about doing this for years. Imagine a home where there are pieces of God's Word in every nook and cranny to help keep the heart focused on what is good, right, and praiseworthy. A small thing that really would not be difficult to do, but has been oh-so-easy to not do.
Changing your life happens not by making drastic and dramatic changes, but by doing small things that, over time, make a big difference. These are things that are not difficult to do, but they are easy not to do.
For example, exercising for ten minutes each day is not very difficult to do. But it is certainly an easy thing NOT to do. It is a small thing, that, if done repeatedly over a period of time, will change your life. Ten minutes of exercise per day is enough to help an overweight person lose half a pound per week, Over time (say a year), the result is twenty-six pounds lost.
Making small choices - choices that are not difficult to make, but could be easy not to make - can lead to big life changes.
What small things are you not doing that you could/should be doing?
For me, an obvious one is exercise (even just a little bit). Not only because I would like to lose the same weight I've been talking about losing for a year, but because my back will feel better, I will feel more confident, I will have more energy, my moods will be more easily regulated, I will sleep better, it will lead to making better eating choices, and inevitably I WILL LOSE WEIGHT!
Another small thing is putting up scripture on index cards throughout my house. I've been talking about doing this for years. Imagine a home where there are pieces of God's Word in every nook and cranny to help keep the heart focused on what is good, right, and praiseworthy. A small thing that really would not be difficult to do, but has been oh-so-easy to not do.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Now This is a Diet Plan Worth Trying!
Here's the MSNBC article; check out the video, too.
The Plan:
- get 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night
- no caffiene after 2:30pm
- no alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime
After 10 weeks, the women who experimented with this method had lost between 7 and 15 pounds (and the one who lost 7 was already skinny!).
The Plan:
- get 7 1/2 hours of sleep each night
- no caffiene after 2:30pm
- no alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime
After 10 weeks, the women who experimented with this method had lost between 7 and 15 pounds (and the one who lost 7 was already skinny!).
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
All the Growing Up
We have entered into a new phase in our family - one where mom no longer has to do everything.
Today, I was able to send Abbey to the downstairs fridge to bring up a jug of milk.
Braeden's new daily job is to take out the garbage and recycling.
All four of the bigger kids are taking their plates to the counter after a meal. Whoever is done last takes Kai's plate (that's usually Meg, she's a good eater).
Shea likes to help me with the Windex.
Meg loves to dust with the little electro-static Swiffer duster.
Every job I do has become less mine, and I love it! To be honest, I don't completely love the help all the time - let's be real, kids helping is often more like "teaching hour" than anything resembling productive. What I do love is seeing the pride on their faces at a job well done. Each child is developing a sense of ownership over his or her chores. And seeing a sibling working hard at a task inspires the others to do likewise. What's not to love? Well, except for that nasty part of step-by-step training them in the tasks...
I also discovered another great idea today! It's very crazy to try to do three kids completely different homework at once. With Meg just learning to read, she needs my full attention as she reads her book. But I really needed Braeden and Abbey to practice their spelling words. So, I handed Braeden Abbey's list and Abbey Braeden's. I told them to take turns reading each other a word that they could spell out on their paper.
Not only did this ingenious idea save me time and energy, it was amazing for Braeden's speech! He had to concentrate so hard on pronouncing each word clearly enough that Abbey would know what it was, and if she couldn't understand she just asked again and again until he said it in a way that she got it. Never again will I do spelling practice with my children.
I must say, the mourning period over the "I'm never again going to have another wee, tiny, beautiful baby" might just be coming to an end. This growing up, it is neat stuff!
Today, I was able to send Abbey to the downstairs fridge to bring up a jug of milk.
Braeden's new daily job is to take out the garbage and recycling.
All four of the bigger kids are taking their plates to the counter after a meal. Whoever is done last takes Kai's plate (that's usually Meg, she's a good eater).
Shea likes to help me with the Windex.
Meg loves to dust with the little electro-static Swiffer duster.
Every job I do has become less mine, and I love it! To be honest, I don't completely love the help all the time - let's be real, kids helping is often more like "teaching hour" than anything resembling productive. What I do love is seeing the pride on their faces at a job well done. Each child is developing a sense of ownership over his or her chores. And seeing a sibling working hard at a task inspires the others to do likewise. What's not to love? Well, except for that nasty part of step-by-step training them in the tasks...
I also discovered another great idea today! It's very crazy to try to do three kids completely different homework at once. With Meg just learning to read, she needs my full attention as she reads her book. But I really needed Braeden and Abbey to practice their spelling words. So, I handed Braeden Abbey's list and Abbey Braeden's. I told them to take turns reading each other a word that they could spell out on their paper.
Not only did this ingenious idea save me time and energy, it was amazing for Braeden's speech! He had to concentrate so hard on pronouncing each word clearly enough that Abbey would know what it was, and if she couldn't understand she just asked again and again until he said it in a way that she got it. Never again will I do spelling practice with my children.
I must say, the mourning period over the "I'm never again going to have another wee, tiny, beautiful baby" might just be coming to an end. This growing up, it is neat stuff!
The Anger
It's a palpable presence, overtaking the room, sucking away the air.
Turning the heart black, choking out the love.
Vision grows blurry, each sound intensified - echos.
The anger weaves in and out, around and around.
Taunting, calling out, whispering, nudging.
One thing, then the next, the pressure builds.
Arms spread, mouth opens, welcomes it. Invites it.
Releases it.
In its wake, emptiness.
A vacuum of silence. Tears of devastation.
Windswept and weary, emotions pool and puddle.
The Anger - life-killer, joy-stealer, pain-bearer.
What must we do to cease its wrath?
Release. Let go. Turn it over.
Only He.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Happy Birthday to my BFF
Tomorrow is a special day - it's my BFF's birthday. Some years we let one another's birthdays pass quietly, but this year I wanted to take some time to think about why we've been friends so long.
We have been friends now for about 10 1/2 years. It started in college - I sought her out in the study lounge. I was a young mother in a place where mothers were those bossy people who gave you trouble for wasting away reading week drinking beer. I spent my first year of college awkwardly not fitting in with anyone I tried to hang out with. But then, in one of my child psychology classes, a girl piped up about the differences in girls and boys, and used her own FOUR children as an example! I wasted no time in finding and befriending her.
By the third year of our degree, we were planning our class schedules together and our university instructors referred to us as the "Bobsy Twins." Though it's difficult to be that inseparable now, with our children at such different ages and stages, my heart remains inseparable from hers.
Christine and I have a tradition where she creates an amazing, upright Barbie cake for my little girls' fourth birthdays. The final one will be this April. Since boys aren't usually into Barbie, she created a race track cake for Braeden's fifth (and I'm assuming Kai won't be left out). My tradition with her kids is a little less crafty - I phone on random birthdays and sing an off-key version of the birthday song. It's been done at least once for each kid (they love it, I'm sure).
She loves my children like her own. So much so, that she firmly disciplines them when they give her guff. Her parents gave my kids a Christmas gift this year, and I know that they pray for me like they do for her. Her kids know better than to let me hear about it if they've been getting into trouble at school - it will promptly be reported to their mother and we will delight in their discipline together (LOL).
When she comes over for coffee (which hasn't been nearly often enough lately - hint, hint), she'll help me clean the kitchen or fold laundry. She babysat yesterday while I was parent helper at school, and I came home to find the dishes done and laundry switched and folded. She's so gifted at practical helps that she doesn't even realize it's a gift! I am the pain in her butt that pushes her to get out and do fun stuff more often. Sometimes it means rounding up those kids of hers and feeding the herd at my place so she'll go for dinner with her hubby. Other times it means shoving movie tickets into her frugal hands.
She pulled me out of the pits of parenting disaster when I felt like I was melting down and could take no more. I argued and debated with her until she found her way back to God. She cheered me on...I cheered her on.
We balance each other out in so many ways. She toughens me up as a Mom, and I loosen her up a bit. Over the years, I've become less of a soft touch and she's learned to cry more often. She taught me to be more frugal with my money, and I'm still teaching her to splurge every now and then. She tries to make me watch over my children more closely, I try to make her let hers go a little further. In so many ways we're polar opposites, but less so after nearly 11 years.
We have prayed each other through some serious valleys, and called each other back from our desert lands. We celebrate one another's victories, and refuse to let the other settle into defeat. We laugh, we cry, we sit in silence, we even argue occasionally. Friendship is beautiful and messy.
There seem to be seasons where I feel as though I am the taker - I am dry thirsty grass and she spends her days pouring water on me. Then we reverse roles. And there are the seasons of other busy-ness that keep us distant from each other. Over the years, I have lost track of who's done what how often. I think that's the way God intended it to be. Friendship is not a score card. (And I suspect if I had a score card I would be busily and frantically trying to keep up.)
P.S. As her birthday gift, I am going to sit on the phone with that silly girl all morning and get her blog started up. I'll add a link so you can all go meet her as soon as we're up and running.
We have been friends now for about 10 1/2 years. It started in college - I sought her out in the study lounge. I was a young mother in a place where mothers were those bossy people who gave you trouble for wasting away reading week drinking beer. I spent my first year of college awkwardly not fitting in with anyone I tried to hang out with. But then, in one of my child psychology classes, a girl piped up about the differences in girls and boys, and used her own FOUR children as an example! I wasted no time in finding and befriending her.
By the third year of our degree, we were planning our class schedules together and our university instructors referred to us as the "Bobsy Twins." Though it's difficult to be that inseparable now, with our children at such different ages and stages, my heart remains inseparable from hers.
Christine and I have a tradition where she creates an amazing, upright Barbie cake for my little girls' fourth birthdays. The final one will be this April. Since boys aren't usually into Barbie, she created a race track cake for Braeden's fifth (and I'm assuming Kai won't be left out). My tradition with her kids is a little less crafty - I phone on random birthdays and sing an off-key version of the birthday song. It's been done at least once for each kid (they love it, I'm sure).
She loves my children like her own. So much so, that she firmly disciplines them when they give her guff. Her parents gave my kids a Christmas gift this year, and I know that they pray for me like they do for her. Her kids know better than to let me hear about it if they've been getting into trouble at school - it will promptly be reported to their mother and we will delight in their discipline together (LOL).
When she comes over for coffee (which hasn't been nearly often enough lately - hint, hint), she'll help me clean the kitchen or fold laundry. She babysat yesterday while I was parent helper at school, and I came home to find the dishes done and laundry switched and folded. She's so gifted at practical helps that she doesn't even realize it's a gift! I am the pain in her butt that pushes her to get out and do fun stuff more often. Sometimes it means rounding up those kids of hers and feeding the herd at my place so she'll go for dinner with her hubby. Other times it means shoving movie tickets into her frugal hands.
She pulled me out of the pits of parenting disaster when I felt like I was melting down and could take no more. I argued and debated with her until she found her way back to God. She cheered me on...I cheered her on.
We balance each other out in so many ways. She toughens me up as a Mom, and I loosen her up a bit. Over the years, I've become less of a soft touch and she's learned to cry more often. She taught me to be more frugal with my money, and I'm still teaching her to splurge every now and then. She tries to make me watch over my children more closely, I try to make her let hers go a little further. In so many ways we're polar opposites, but less so after nearly 11 years.
We have prayed each other through some serious valleys, and called each other back from our desert lands. We celebrate one another's victories, and refuse to let the other settle into defeat. We laugh, we cry, we sit in silence, we even argue occasionally. Friendship is beautiful and messy.
There seem to be seasons where I feel as though I am the taker - I am dry thirsty grass and she spends her days pouring water on me. Then we reverse roles. And there are the seasons of other busy-ness that keep us distant from each other. Over the years, I have lost track of who's done what how often. I think that's the way God intended it to be. Friendship is not a score card. (And I suspect if I had a score card I would be busily and frantically trying to keep up.)
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, [her] friend can help [her] up. But pity the [wo]man who falls and has no one to help [her] up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12Happy birthday, my friend. You....complete me. :) (Did I mention that we're both suckers for a good, cheesy, teary movie? Yup, we're even going out to one tonight!)
P.S. As her birthday gift, I am going to sit on the phone with that silly girl all morning and get her blog started up. I'll add a link so you can all go meet her as soon as we're up and running.
Monday, February 23, 2009
An Important Reminder About Priorities
I heard a story once about a woman in in ministry who had a dream one night. In her dream, the Lord came to her and took her up on a hill overlooking a valley. Standing in the valley were the thousands of people who had come to know the Lord through her ministry. as she stood there beside the Lord, surveying all the people, she thought, "It doesn't get any better than this." She looked over at the Lord and tried to imagine what He was thinking. Eagerly, she waited for Him to lavish her with praise for a job well done. Imagine her surprise when He extended His hand, gesturing to the mass of people below and asked her, "Where are your children?"
* An excerpt from For the Write Reason, edited by Marybeth Whalen.
* An excerpt from For the Write Reason, edited by Marybeth Whalen.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Be Glorified
I want my children to love God. I want them to love His Word and discover the life, healing, and power within it. I want them to love people and treat them with compassion and kindness.
But more than anything on earth - tears fill my eyes as I write this - I want glory to come to God through them.
I want a thousand things for my children, and I ask without hesitation, but I want nothing more than that God would be glorified. Life is just a breath. All that will matter forever in our heavenly state is the glory that came to God through their lives and ours.
* Taken from "Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith all Year Long" by Beth Moore (a devotional book).
But more than anything on earth - tears fill my eyes as I write this - I want glory to come to God through them.
I want a thousand things for my children, and I ask without hesitation, but I want nothing more than that God would be glorified. Life is just a breath. All that will matter forever in our heavenly state is the glory that came to God through their lives and ours.
* Taken from "Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith all Year Long" by Beth Moore (a devotional book).
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I Was Here, But Now I'm Gone
Since I know tone doesn't always carry well in the written word, please allow me to set the tone of this post for you: dry, sarcastic, a combination of amused and irritated, slightly mocking in a way that is not unkind, and mostly just designed to fill the vacancy left by the last post. :)
You may have noticed a post here this morning entitled "The Name Game."
In case you didn't notice, it is now gone.
Apparently having some personal info on here (yeah, like I haven't given you all a lot of personal info as it is) created stress (not for me). So, being the submissive and obedient girl that I am, I have chosen to remove that post. Not because of the information about me, but because it contained information about others.
So now it's gone, and you can all breathe a big sigh of relief that not many people at all read this and learned my mother's maiden name, my first pet's name, my second favourite colour.
Anyone who reads me regularly, though, likely knows who I (really) am and where I'm from...and I'm okay with that. I really don't believe I have a lot to fear from a few stay-at-home mothers and women's ministry leaders as far as hunting me down and stealing my used vehicle (of which you can also probably find the make and model listed somewhere in my archives, along with a great picture)!
Except, you really couldn't steal my vehicle anyway. It appears to have decided I am a thief and has gotten itself locked in anti-theft mode. Apparently, even with the keys that contain a special microchip that works with this - and only this - vehicle, it will not allow itself to be started and/or stolen. Mwahahahahahah - your pernicious plans have been foiled! (Erm, along with any plans I may have come up with for this weekend.)
You may have noticed a post here this morning entitled "The Name Game."
In case you didn't notice, it is now gone.
Apparently having some personal info on here (yeah, like I haven't given you all a lot of personal info as it is) created stress (not for me). So, being the submissive and obedient girl that I am, I have chosen to remove that post. Not because of the information about me, but because it contained information about others.
So now it's gone, and you can all breathe a big sigh of relief that not many people at all read this and learned my mother's maiden name, my first pet's name, my second favourite colour.
Anyone who reads me regularly, though, likely knows who I (really) am and where I'm from...and I'm okay with that. I really don't believe I have a lot to fear from a few stay-at-home mothers and women's ministry leaders as far as hunting me down and stealing my used vehicle (of which you can also probably find the make and model listed somewhere in my archives, along with a great picture)!
Except, you really couldn't steal my vehicle anyway. It appears to have decided I am a thief and has gotten itself locked in anti-theft mode. Apparently, even with the keys that contain a special microchip that works with this - and only this - vehicle, it will not allow itself to be started and/or stolen. Mwahahahahahah - your pernicious plans have been foiled! (Erm, along with any plans I may have come up with for this weekend.)
Friday, February 20, 2009
The God Chronicles - 02/20/09
If you have never heard of the God Chronicles, you can read this post to find out what it's all about. The short version is that we are making note of God's fingerprints in our lives.
I would love it if you'd join in! Please check out "the rules" about the hows and whatfors of linking up. The two key things to remember are: link to the actual post you've written for TGC, not just your blog; and please link back to me and this post in your post, to send your readers my way if they want to read more TGC stories.
Mr. Linky will be ready and waiting for you to join in until 9pm MST.
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For my story today, I am linking back to an old post. Partly, because I haven't got anything new and exciting to write (or maybe I'm just too lazy to write it). Partly because it's a great story of how God uses the people in our lives to bless us, to correct us, and to encourage us.
Please read Undeserving and then use your back button to return to this GCH post and leave me a comment! Because you know I'm a junkie for that comment love...
| 1. Hope@Pinkadoodledoo |
Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Reminder
Friday, February 20th.
Linkies open from dawn until dusk (my time).
Don't forget to write your post, link up, refer your readers back here, and share how God is working in your life!
For more info on The God Chronicles...
P.S. New post is here (or below). :)
Time is in His Hands
Just a quick follow-up to yesterday's post about allowing God to schedule my time.
First - It is waaaaay harder than I though it would be to pause after each activity and ask God what to do next! I'm in the habit of running my own days, so when I complete one task I keep catching myself just flowing into the next logical thing. It is taking a conscious effort to take that minute and seek God.
Second - I sometimes like my own plan better than God's! He keeps telling me, "no, today is not the day to plan out your trip." I really just want to sit here for a couple hours, plot out my map on mapquest, find hotels/cabins/vacation rentals, book, and have all the details settled. But it wasn't on God's list either yesterday or today.
Third - It is totally amazing to me how God can ensure I get all the important and urgent stuff taken care of in one short day! Amazing...
Here is yesterday's list...
-pick up fresh produce - not today
-go to bank - not today
-write for book - not today
- exercise - yes
- meet with ministry co-worker - yes
- sort out ministry binder - yes
-mail out e-News - delegate
- put away laundry - yes
-vacuum, sweep & wash - just s&w kitchen
-plan out Disney trip - not today
- retreat meeting - yes
- send out reference letter - yes
- Bible time - of course, first
* Of course, a few things not on my list of "to dos" came up throughout the day - dealing with emails, phone calls, feeding people, etc. I tried to take a moment each time another task popped into my head to ask the Lord about it.
It was neat, because during my quiet morning time, I really felt I needed to go exercise before the kids needed to get ready for school, but God told me to just stay and hang out with Him a while longer. He assured me He'd provide time to exercise later. Once two kids were off, the other three settled in for a movie and I was able to go for a good 20 minutes on my new (to me) recumbent bike. If you can believe it, there was time for me to do all of the "yeses" plus do lunch, play "Guess Who" with kiddos, do supper, receive and reply to more than 50 emails, and I even read a novel for 15 minutes!
I am a bit frustrated and confused that He has told me for two days in a row NOT to write, as I have also felt nudged that I'm supposed to be spending some dedicated time writing. When?! I know He can make enough time, and give me the words so the writing goes quickly, but I'd just like to have it all mapped out a little more clearly. Ha! I guess He'll tell me when to write.
Now, as much as I would like to surf the net and plotting out my map, I just took a moment to seek guidance and it's time to get something ready for supper. Then I'm interviewing 2 potentials for childcare providers, and God did tell me to vacuum today...
Fourth - Now I know why the Lord commanded us to take the Sabbath day and rest! He wants us to busy working all day. After six days like this, I am going to savour a day of rest!
First - It is waaaaay harder than I though it would be to pause after each activity and ask God what to do next! I'm in the habit of running my own days, so when I complete one task I keep catching myself just flowing into the next logical thing. It is taking a conscious effort to take that minute and seek God.
Second - I sometimes like my own plan better than God's! He keeps telling me, "no, today is not the day to plan out your trip." I really just want to sit here for a couple hours, plot out my map on mapquest, find hotels/cabins/vacation rentals, book, and have all the details settled. But it wasn't on God's list either yesterday or today.
Third - It is totally amazing to me how God can ensure I get all the important and urgent stuff taken care of in one short day! Amazing...
Here is yesterday's list...
-
-
-
- exercise - yes
- meet with ministry co-worker - yes
- sort out ministry binder - yes
-
- put away laundry - yes
-
-
- retreat meeting - yes
- send out reference letter - yes
- Bible time - of course, first
* Of course, a few things not on my list of "to dos" came up throughout the day - dealing with emails, phone calls, feeding people, etc. I tried to take a moment each time another task popped into my head to ask the Lord about it.
It was neat, because during my quiet morning time, I really felt I needed to go exercise before the kids needed to get ready for school, but God told me to just stay and hang out with Him a while longer. He assured me He'd provide time to exercise later. Once two kids were off, the other three settled in for a movie and I was able to go for a good 20 minutes on my new (to me) recumbent bike. If you can believe it, there was time for me to do all of the "yeses" plus do lunch, play "Guess Who" with kiddos, do supper, receive and reply to more than 50 emails, and I even read a novel for 15 minutes!
I am a bit frustrated and confused that He has told me for two days in a row NOT to write, as I have also felt nudged that I'm supposed to be spending some dedicated time writing. When?! I know He can make enough time, and give me the words so the writing goes quickly, but I'd just like to have it all mapped out a little more clearly. Ha! I guess He'll tell me when to write.
Now, as much as I would like to surf the net and plotting out my map, I just took a moment to seek guidance and it's time to get something ready for supper. Then I'm interviewing 2 potentials for childcare providers, and God did tell me to vacuum today...
Fourth - Now I know why the Lord commanded us to take the Sabbath day and rest! He wants us to busy working all day. After six days like this, I am going to savour a day of rest!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
God Makes Time
Have you ever wondered, "how will I ever get it all done?"
We have so much to do in each day, so many activities and obligations packed into our weeks. It's a symptom of our ADD, over-stimulated, immediate gratification society. Some would argue that we need to remove ourselves from society's mindset, but I'm not sure that would solve the problem. In fact, if we aren't keeping up (in our work, ministry, family life) with the rest of society, we're likely to encounter other problems.
So how can we live IN this world (and function at the level required to do so), without becoming OF this world?
I believe the first distinction is how we establish our priorities. I have found, by trial and error, that setting my heart on God and His ways first thing each morning has the power to alter my entire day. If I start out taking time with Him, the many other things that require my time that day tend to get done. If I start out my day on my own strength, though, I spend the next fifteen hours feeling as though I am one step behind.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Taking time each morning to renew my mind helps establish His priorities for my day, rather than my own.
This week I am taking an experiment in life. Each morning, after my coffee time with Jesus, I am going to make a list of all the things I think I need to accomplish for the day. Then I'm going to ask the Lord to show me what to keep, what to move to another day, what to toss altogether, and what to add. Once I have turned over my list into His (much more) capable hands, I am going to ask Him, "Lord, what do you want me to do now?" At the conclusion of each activity, I'll ask that question again. I can't wait to see how He uses my time!
We have so much to do in each day, so many activities and obligations packed into our weeks. It's a symptom of our ADD, over-stimulated, immediate gratification society. Some would argue that we need to remove ourselves from society's mindset, but I'm not sure that would solve the problem. In fact, if we aren't keeping up (in our work, ministry, family life) with the rest of society, we're likely to encounter other problems.
So how can we live IN this world (and function at the level required to do so), without becoming OF this world?
I believe the first distinction is how we establish our priorities. I have found, by trial and error, that setting my heart on God and His ways first thing each morning has the power to alter my entire day. If I start out taking time with Him, the many other things that require my time that day tend to get done. If I start out my day on my own strength, though, I spend the next fifteen hours feeling as though I am one step behind.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. Taking time each morning to renew my mind helps establish His priorities for my day, rather than my own.
This week I am taking an experiment in life. Each morning, after my coffee time with Jesus, I am going to make a list of all the things I think I need to accomplish for the day. Then I'm going to ask the Lord to show me what to keep, what to move to another day, what to toss altogether, and what to add. Once I have turned over my list into His (much more) capable hands, I am going to ask Him, "Lord, what do you want me to do now?" At the conclusion of each activity, I'll ask that question again. I can't wait to see how He uses my time!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Criteria for Choosing a Husband
Pat and I don't "do" Valentine's Day. We came to the agreement a few years ago that it seemed foolish to make a big deal about a random day. (Don't worry, we still buy heart-shaped candy for the kids and make heart-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. They're not deprived.) At some point in our relationship, though, we both realized that we are not the kind of people who are big on showy displays as a means for demonstrating our love and affection.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good gift! I melt for a special date that has been all planned out (right down to the childcare) by my love. But to insist that it needs to happen on a particular day in February seems like a waste of time and effort. And money. I mean, we just did Christmas for seven, then my birthday!
That being said, there was a time that these types of traditions and trappings were very important to me. The amount of effort a boy would put into planning out a special Valentine's surprise was a clear indication of his love and devotion. Wasn't it? For fun, I am going to share the tale of my worst Valentine's day ever.
I was just out of high school, dating a guy who I was thinking might be "the one" (who was I kidding, every guy I ever met between the ages of 12 and 18 was measured against my list of criteria). We had been dating about four months, and I just knew that he would have something special up his sleeve for me.
It was not a good sign when, at 4pm on Valentine's day, he asked me where I would like to go for dinner. In my most sugary-sweet voice, I suggested that we should probably go to whichever restaurant he had made reservations at two weeks ago (when I not-so-subtly reminded him of the upcoming day of love). He assured me that he had an infallible plan, and I should just go get dolled-up and ready to go.
He picked me up an hour later, and we proceeded to drive, stopping at each and every restaurant in our path. For two hours I endured the torture of his impromptu plan. Eventually, he accepted the inevitable - we would not get in to a restaurant on this particular evening. I was right and he was wrong (story of my life, ask Pat).
His next grand plan, "Why don't we just go hang out at the bar?" I suggested that the fool drop me off there, where I would spend the remainder of my Valentine's evening waiting to meet my new boyfriend - one who would love me enough to plan ahead for special days! (All the nice guys are found in the bars, right?)
Our break-up came close on the heels of this ill-fated Valentine's date. Now, I'm not saying that I am the kind of girl who just dumped boys willy-nilly on the basis of shallow things such as forgetting to plan ahead. But, we did break up. I'm just sayin'.
Anyone else got a great (terrible) Valentine's story? If not, I am willing to accept submissions of wonderful Valentine's dates, as well. Share your story in the comments.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good gift! I melt for a special date that has been all planned out (right down to the childcare) by my love. But to insist that it needs to happen on a particular day in February seems like a waste of time and effort. And money. I mean, we just did Christmas for seven, then my birthday!
That being said, there was a time that these types of traditions and trappings were very important to me. The amount of effort a boy would put into planning out a special Valentine's surprise was a clear indication of his love and devotion. Wasn't it? For fun, I am going to share the tale of my worst Valentine's day ever.
I was just out of high school, dating a guy who I was thinking might be "the one" (who was I kidding, every guy I ever met between the ages of 12 and 18 was measured against my list of criteria). We had been dating about four months, and I just knew that he would have something special up his sleeve for me.
It was not a good sign when, at 4pm on Valentine's day, he asked me where I would like to go for dinner. In my most sugary-sweet voice, I suggested that we should probably go to whichever restaurant he had made reservations at two weeks ago (when I not-so-subtly reminded him of the upcoming day of love). He assured me that he had an infallible plan, and I should just go get dolled-up and ready to go.
He picked me up an hour later, and we proceeded to drive, stopping at each and every restaurant in our path. For two hours I endured the torture of his impromptu plan. Eventually, he accepted the inevitable - we would not get in to a restaurant on this particular evening. I was right and he was wrong (story of my life, ask Pat).
His next grand plan, "Why don't we just go hang out at the bar?" I suggested that the fool drop me off there, where I would spend the remainder of my Valentine's evening waiting to meet my new boyfriend - one who would love me enough to plan ahead for special days! (All the nice guys are found in the bars, right?)
Our break-up came close on the heels of this ill-fated Valentine's date. Now, I'm not saying that I am the kind of girl who just dumped boys willy-nilly on the basis of shallow things such as forgetting to plan ahead. But, we did break up. I'm just sayin'.
Anyone else got a great (terrible) Valentine's story? If not, I am willing to accept submissions of wonderful Valentine's dates, as well. Share your story in the comments.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Q & A
I am speaking on this topic today for our women's group, and I thought I'd "poll the audience" (of two, lol)...
What is beautiful?
Ugly?
Who sets the standard?
What makes you feel beautiful?
Describe the last time you felt beautiful.
Anticipating your answers in the comments...
What is beautiful?
Ugly?
Who sets the standard?
What makes you feel beautiful?
Describe the last time you felt beautiful.
Anticipating your answers in the comments...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
So I Don't Forget
I love watching my children's personalities develop. It will be fun to see if some of the characteristics that are peeking through now will endure as they grow up.
Braeden (10) loves long and hard. Periodically, he will get a little teary-eyed and share with me that he misses something or someone. This includes: the red van (our very first van that we sold when he was three years old), his friend C (who we lived next door to in our old house - more than three years ago), his old teacher, a stuffed animal we "lost," and so on.
Abbey (7)has a heart for God and a love of His Word. Her favourite bedtime reading is her early reader's Bible. Yesterday, she spent over an hour scurrying about the house cleaning up - supper dishes, toys, laundry... Apparently the lesson from Sunday school this week was about serving your family.
Megan (5) is a leader in the making. She loves to be the organizer (read: boss) of any fun and games in the house. When it's going her way, she is the most fun person to be around, full of contagious giggles and silliness. When things are not going her way, everyone (in the entire neighbourhood) knows!
Shea (3) is still fairly young and a bit harder to read. I see in her a tender heart that is easily hurt, coupled with a forgiving nature that never holds a grudge. There are glimpses of a generosity of spirit that strains against her natural three-year-old inclination to say everything is "mine!."
Malakai (1) has a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. You can see that he is fully aware when he is doing a "no no," yet he gets a little half-smile, a twinkle in his eye, and watches you as he does it anyway. We may be in trouble with this one!
It will be fun to revisit this post in a year or two, or five, and see where these five little personalities are at.
Braeden (10) loves long and hard. Periodically, he will get a little teary-eyed and share with me that he misses something or someone. This includes: the red van (our very first van that we sold when he was three years old), his friend C (who we lived next door to in our old house - more than three years ago), his old teacher, a stuffed animal we "lost," and so on.
Abbey (7)has a heart for God and a love of His Word. Her favourite bedtime reading is her early reader's Bible. Yesterday, she spent over an hour scurrying about the house cleaning up - supper dishes, toys, laundry... Apparently the lesson from Sunday school this week was about serving your family.
Megan (5) is a leader in the making. She loves to be the organizer (read: boss) of any fun and games in the house. When it's going her way, she is the most fun person to be around, full of contagious giggles and silliness. When things are not going her way, everyone (in the entire neighbourhood) knows!
Shea (3) is still fairly young and a bit harder to read. I see in her a tender heart that is easily hurt, coupled with a forgiving nature that never holds a grudge. There are glimpses of a generosity of spirit that strains against her natural three-year-old inclination to say everything is "mine!."
Malakai (1) has a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. You can see that he is fully aware when he is doing a "no no," yet he gets a little half-smile, a twinkle in his eye, and watches you as he does it anyway. We may be in trouble with this one!
It will be fun to revisit this post in a year or two, or five, and see where these five little personalities are at.
Monday, February 9, 2009
I Wandered Down the Rabbit Trail for a Couple Days
If you're wondering where I've been lately...
I have been having far too much fun and excitement planning things (and far too little productivity on anything else remotely important).
Our team has been working out the details of our upcoming women's retreat.
I have been planning and booking for a trip that four of our team members are taking to She Speaks.
And of course, I have been plotting out the family Disney adventure!
Tomorrow, I have two goals:
#1 - write something interesting for the blog, and
#2 - clean the house! (Because it is very, very scary around here, people.)
I have been having far too much fun and excitement planning things (and far too little productivity on anything else remotely important).
Our team has been working out the details of our upcoming women's retreat.
I have been planning and booking for a trip that four of our team members are taking to She Speaks.
And of course, I have been plotting out the family Disney adventure!
Tomorrow, I have two goals:
#1 - write something interesting for the blog, and
#2 - clean the house! (Because it is very, very scary around here, people.)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
He Equips
Is the Lord calling you to do something for Him? Do you put if off, saying "I'm not qualified...I'm not prepared...I can't..."? Here's His response to me and my excuses.
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. ~Hebrews 13:20-21
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Heart of a Man, The Heart of a Woman
Today I'd like to share some things I learned at the Break Forth Conference last weekend. Specifically, from John and Stasi Eldredge. I've read their companion books, "Wild at Heart" and "Captivating," and they really changed the way I thought about men and women. When I heard them speak on these topics on the weekend, their words resonated for my children.
The foundation of their message rested in "male and female He created them" in His own image (Gen 1:27). The deep down heart of a man, his passions and desires, the things that drive him - those are given by God. The very spirit of a woman, her longings and loves, the things that bring her to tears - given by that same God. We were both created in God's image, and both are good (Gen 1:31).
The Heart of a Man (and Boy):
Eldredge shares three longings of the heart of a man... Man longs for a an adventure to live. An adventure is the man's answer to the question of his soul, "do I have what it takes?" Living the adventure brings him alive. He desires a battle to fight (Exodus 15:3 says the Lord is a warrior). For some the longing for battle is not obvious (for example, the man who doesn't love paintball), but shows itself loud and clear in other situations (such as when a "stupid person" is driving ahead of him. The third cry of a man's heart is for a beauty to rescue.
If these desires are not filled, a man (or boy) will go underground to fulfill them. (This statement rocked my world.)
For my sons, I understood this to mean that they need to be allowed to experience adventure. Even when my mother's heart may want to keep them close and safe, I need to encourage them to try new things, to challenge themselves and push their personal limits. I need to send the message, "you have what it takes."
The Heart of a Woman (and Girl):
Stasi E. tells us that there are three core passions straight from a woman's heart... She wants to be wooed and won, pursued and fought for, wanted, seen and delighted in. Isn't that the truth?! I found myself nodding a lot during her talk. A woman longs to play an irreplaceable role in a heroic adventure. The key here is not the adventure (as it is for the man), but the irreplaceable role - a woman does not want to be merely "useful" in her role, but vital. A woman's heart cry is to unveil beauty and bring it to the world. Every little girl puts on a dress, twirls in a circle, and says, "Do you see me? Don't I look beautiful?"
If these desires are not filled, a woman (or girl) will turn to the men/boys around her to fulfill them.
For my daughters, this tells me that when they are asking for my attention it is because they need me to look at them - they need to be seen and admired. Their hearts long for affection. Even in the midst of the busy life, I need to stop, turn around, look, and answer the question, "Yes, I do see you. You are so beautiful."
As much as I can do to foster my children's hearts, though, the role of their father will be what changes their lives. He is the one who teaches our sons to go to battle in the face of injustice, he is the one who's affection brings our girls delight. He is the one who shows them who the Father is. I can direct them in the way of the Father, I can encourage them and cheer them on, but he can actually show them who the Father is.
What does this mean for the fatherless among us? (I was one of them...) For me, it brings home the importance of the role a man plays in the development of our children. It means that if their father is gone, we need to pray and seek a "surrogate" father for them. What about Grandpa, or an uncle? Maybe a friend's husband?
All I know for sure is this - men and women, boys and girls have these built-in desires, given by God. Somehow, we need to find a way to direct them to Christ for their hearts' fulfillment. Because if their desires are not met in Christ, they will seek to fill up through the filth of this world.
The foundation of their message rested in "male and female He created them" in His own image (Gen 1:27). The deep down heart of a man, his passions and desires, the things that drive him - those are given by God. The very spirit of a woman, her longings and loves, the things that bring her to tears - given by that same God. We were both created in God's image, and both are good (Gen 1:31).
The Heart of a Man (and Boy):
Eldredge shares three longings of the heart of a man... Man longs for a an adventure to live. An adventure is the man's answer to the question of his soul, "do I have what it takes?" Living the adventure brings him alive. He desires a battle to fight (Exodus 15:3 says the Lord is a warrior). For some the longing for battle is not obvious (for example, the man who doesn't love paintball), but shows itself loud and clear in other situations (such as when a "stupid person" is driving ahead of him. The third cry of a man's heart is for a beauty to rescue.
If these desires are not filled, a man (or boy) will go underground to fulfill them. (This statement rocked my world.)
For my sons, I understood this to mean that they need to be allowed to experience adventure. Even when my mother's heart may want to keep them close and safe, I need to encourage them to try new things, to challenge themselves and push their personal limits. I need to send the message, "you have what it takes."
The Heart of a Woman (and Girl):
Stasi E. tells us that there are three core passions straight from a woman's heart... She wants to be wooed and won, pursued and fought for, wanted, seen and delighted in. Isn't that the truth?! I found myself nodding a lot during her talk. A woman longs to play an irreplaceable role in a heroic adventure. The key here is not the adventure (as it is for the man), but the irreplaceable role - a woman does not want to be merely "useful" in her role, but vital. A woman's heart cry is to unveil beauty and bring it to the world. Every little girl puts on a dress, twirls in a circle, and says, "Do you see me? Don't I look beautiful?"
If these desires are not filled, a woman (or girl) will turn to the men/boys around her to fulfill them.
For my daughters, this tells me that when they are asking for my attention it is because they need me to look at them - they need to be seen and admired. Their hearts long for affection. Even in the midst of the busy life, I need to stop, turn around, look, and answer the question, "Yes, I do see you. You are so beautiful."
As much as I can do to foster my children's hearts, though, the role of their father will be what changes their lives. He is the one who teaches our sons to go to battle in the face of injustice, he is the one who's affection brings our girls delight. He is the one who shows them who the Father is. I can direct them in the way of the Father, I can encourage them and cheer them on, but he can actually show them who the Father is.
What does this mean for the fatherless among us? (I was one of them...) For me, it brings home the importance of the role a man plays in the development of our children. It means that if their father is gone, we need to pray and seek a "surrogate" father for them. What about Grandpa, or an uncle? Maybe a friend's husband?
All I know for sure is this - men and women, boys and girls have these built-in desires, given by God. Somehow, we need to find a way to direct them to Christ for their hearts' fulfillment. Because if their desires are not met in Christ, they will seek to fill up through the filth of this world.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Neglect
Dear blog,
I am sorry for neglecting you. I have not been giving you the attention you deserve. You have been the recipient of my rushed and scattered thoughts, with little of quality or substance.
Please forgive me, for I have been busy on google, researching this...
You see, dear blog, if I don't get out of this cold and wintry place very soon, I just may lose my mind altogether. And if that were to happen, well, you'd be forever neglected.
Now, at the end of March, I will be able to fill your little cyber-space with glorious pictures and tales from The Most Wonderful, Magical Place on Earth!
So please forgive me, my blog. I promise to make it right.
Love,
Me
I am sorry for neglecting you. I have not been giving you the attention you deserve. You have been the recipient of my rushed and scattered thoughts, with little of quality or substance.
Please forgive me, for I have been busy on google, researching this...
You see, dear blog, if I don't get out of this cold and wintry place very soon, I just may lose my mind altogether. And if that were to happen, well, you'd be forever neglected.
Now, at the end of March, I will be able to fill your little cyber-space with glorious pictures and tales from The Most Wonderful, Magical Place on Earth!
So please forgive me, my blog. I promise to make it right.
Love,
Me
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Life Changing
I was struck this weekend, when Pat sent an email to a friend and mentor, and he used the words "life changing" to describe the conference. That phrase came and whacked me upside the head.
God was speaking, ministering, soothing, and calling to us. Yet that phrase hadn't sprung from my lips. When and how did I allow the experience of intimacy with God become a routine thing? The guilt came...
In the solitude of the hotel morning, I talked to Him about this. Have I allowed my faith to become rote? Is my relationship with Him stale? Why am I not knocked over in amazement as I hear Him speak?
His truth came...
Are you surprised by the voice of your best friend on the phone? Do you feel shocked and amazed that she called you? Or did you simply know that she would - because you speak to her all the time?
Life changing has become a way of life. I expect to be changed. I count on it and claim it. And He never lets me down.
Each person's faith walk is characterized differently. Some have those "ah-ha" moments, some hear the rolling thunder, some have ups and downs like a roller-coaster ride, and some walk quietly, slow and steady. "It's neither right nor wrong, just different."
What does your walk with God look like these days?
God was speaking, ministering, soothing, and calling to us. Yet that phrase hadn't sprung from my lips. When and how did I allow the experience of intimacy with God become a routine thing? The guilt came...
In the solitude of the hotel morning, I talked to Him about this. Have I allowed my faith to become rote? Is my relationship with Him stale? Why am I not knocked over in amazement as I hear Him speak?
His truth came...
Are you surprised by the voice of your best friend on the phone? Do you feel shocked and amazed that she called you? Or did you simply know that she would - because you speak to her all the time?
Life changing has become a way of life. I expect to be changed. I count on it and claim it. And He never lets me down.
Each person's faith walk is characterized differently. Some have those "ah-ha" moments, some hear the rolling thunder, some have ups and downs like a roller-coaster ride, and some walk quietly, slow and steady. "It's neither right nor wrong, just different."
What does your walk with God look like these days?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Dear Abbey,
Yesterday was your special day, and Thursday is your special party, so I decided to write you a little letter in-between.
Happy birthday, Abs! I cannot believe it was seven whole years ago that you were born.
As you grow up, I simply love your hunger to learn. Hearing you read brings me such joy; a love for reading is one special thing you and I have in common. Helping you find the answers to your questions about God is an honour. Being your Mom has brought so much wonder into my life!
Abbey, you make me laugh with your shy (and very witty) sense of humour. I love that you are confident enough to laugh at yourself, too. Remember when you tripped and fell into the paddling pool in our backyard? I can hear your giggles in my head when I think about it.
Thank-you for being you, and for loving me. You are a special girl and one of my very best friends. I love you, Abbey Dawn. Happy 7th birthday.
Love,
Mom
P.S. It makes me a bit sad that you don't call me Mama anymore, but it's just another one of those milestones that marks your growth.
P.P.S. In case I haven't said it lately, you are beautiful. :)
Happy birthday, Abs! I cannot believe it was seven whole years ago that you were born.
As you grow up, I simply love your hunger to learn. Hearing you read brings me such joy; a love for reading is one special thing you and I have in common. Helping you find the answers to your questions about God is an honour. Being your Mom has brought so much wonder into my life!
Abbey, you make me laugh with your shy (and very witty) sense of humour. I love that you are confident enough to laugh at yourself, too. Remember when you tripped and fell into the paddling pool in our backyard? I can hear your giggles in my head when I think about it.
Thank-you for being you, and for loving me. You are a special girl and one of my very best friends. I love you, Abbey Dawn. Happy 7th birthday.
Love,
Mom
P.S. It makes me a bit sad that you don't call me Mama anymore, but it's just another one of those milestones that marks your growth.
P.P.S. In case I haven't said it lately, you are beautiful. :)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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