Restored

Nothing More Than Feelings...

2011-02-17T17:35:00.012-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if the sunshine will ever come out. There are days, and even weeks when I feel as though it's gone forever.

Key word: feel

Most of the precious people I know would likely be surprised at some of the feelings I have at times. Feelings of... hopelessness...unworthiness...insecurity...

Ever feel like "the world is out to get you"? How about days or weeks that it seems everything goes wrong? Nothing goes right...

Feelings so strong, that nobody can pull me out of...and only God can chip away at them and

reveal the truth.

Ephesians 4:14 tells us, "Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth."

This scripture is jOLtinG. It doesn't promise perfection. It doesn't say we won't be challenged. But back up a few verses to what the solution to our feelings is...

Ephesians 4:11..."Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ."

The solution to dealing with feelings that LIE, is to use every available resource that God offers (the knowledge and wisdom of the apostles/prophets/evangelists/pastors/teachers within our church), to draw close together in unity, faith, & knowledge of Christ.

Because guess what? If we are unified, and dig into our faith in Christ, and are knowledgeable about the things of God...we can much better believe the truth found in Him, than the lie that we may feel!

Feelings LIE.

God never lies.

His truth is solid. His love cast out fear and doubt. So doesn't it make sense that if we spend time listening to what He says about us...what He says He created us to do...we'd be more likely to believe Him than anyone else?

Thank God for those apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, & teachers whom God gifted to bless others with His truth...and those special words that mean so much.

When at times, we feel like giving up...let us take a deep breath, and spare a few moments to let His truth seep into our very bones. He'll embrace our spirit...refresh our soul...and bring us peace.

And that's no lie.

New Life Awaits!

2011-02-11T10:14:00.006-05:00

It's been a long time. And despite my promises to try...I haven't been very good at blogging over the past year. My heart still gets full. And I still want what God allows in my heart and life to be a blessing to others, so I'll keep blogging.

My last blog found it's way on here from Winston Salem, NC. So I'll update from there.

After a 6 month battle with lung cancer, I am happy to say that Ma struggles NO MORE!!!!! She officially was made PeRfEcT on November 2nd, 2010, by waking up to stand before her Lord. While this has been so difficult for my family, I have no question that if given the opportunity to come back to this earth, she would firmly refuse. Who WOULD want to come back, after spending ONE SECOND in the very presence of our Creator??!!!??

Christmas was a struggle. And we all deal with pain and heartbreak in different ways. My Mother has "latched on" FIERCELY to Ma's dog, Casey. I think at this point, it might kill her if something happened to him. I was ready to "make" something happen to him, after he bit me...purely unprovoked...when the whole family came together at Mom's house to celebrate Christmas together. And that was AFTER Casey almost took my brother's nose off of his face on the 2nd day of our visit. Jonathan had to go to the emergency room, while Casey had to go into confinement...by order of The Law. And I'm not talking about my law. I'm talking about THE Law. As in blue uniforms. Because Jonathan had to go to the sew-your-face-back-on unit of the hospital, they filed a police report. Casey was in BIG trouble (finally).

Everything turned out well, but Casey won't be making any visits to the Jones household. I'd rather spend my money moving my kids forward in life, rather than having to hold them down on a gurney while some intern attempts to sew their eyeball back in it's socket.

BTW...did I mention that Casey is small enough to put in your purse? He's a Terrier...or Terror, however you want to look at it.

So, we made it through Christmas. And despite our feelings of great loss, we did so with laughter. And of course, MANY tears.

And now it's February. Life goes on. And we're all going on with it.

Ma's birthday is next Tuesday. In earthly numbers, she's 83. In Heaven, she's perfect. No wrinkles. No dentures. No sagging.

No cancer.

No pain.

And I have all ideas, that THIS birthday celebration will be a most incredible event. One that we will mourn.

But one that she will never forget.

2010-07-31T10:00:00.005-04:00

I'm in Winston. All of the times I've been here have been joyous occassions, save 4...when Grandma Spaugh died, when Uncle Steve died, when Papaw was hospitalized (with heart issues I think) and was pretending that he was fixing food...and I took it from him, saying "thank you for fixing my sandwich, Papaw!" (he looked at me like he did when I was a kid and had done something he wanted to smack me for), and when we buried him. I was hurt all of those times. My Papaw was the only Papaw I've ever known. He was funny, strict, and traditional...the typical Navy man, I suppose. Well, maybe not in this society anymore, but in short, he was the best Papaw, EVER.

I'm in Winston. The majority of my memories of being here are so comforting. When I was a kid, I saw my Grandparents anywhere from 4-6 times a year (they lived a distance away). That increased as I grew older. I remember visiting for a month in the summer, a few times, even. Papaw used to pay me to mow the yard, when I visited during the summer. And Grandma always bought me new shoes. Papaw cooked sausage and baked biscuits (the wimpy canned kind) on Saturday mornings, and Grandma talked & laughed her way through the memories we'd made in the past and made plans for future ones. Papaw watched football and Grandma went antiquing. Papaw fell asleep in his chair on Saturday afternoons, listening to big band music. Grandma drifted off while reading a book.

I'm in Winston...and it's July 31st, 2010. And my Ma (as my children call her) is battling cancer. Right now, she's sleeping. But when she has an awake moment, I crawl up on her bed and talk. We talk about little things here and there. Politics...casey (her dog)...a little of nothing...a little of something. She's not very comfortable right now. She's tired a lot. But, she would be, considering the side effects of the radiation treatments she's had. I'm not disappointed. I'm truly amazed at how quickly our lives have flown by. She's made such an impact on my life. A comforting impact. One full of so many funny memories.

Lola Ruth is really very good at recounting the funny memories, too. I could listen to the same recount of funny memories over and over again...and have! It's like hanging on to your favorite book because you don't grow tired of the story, and the funny parts are always funny...and comforting. None of that on this visit, but it's been part of my very blessed childhood, and I treasure that.

I could go on and on...

But my Aunt Debbie just came in. And I'm going to talk to her.

And make more memories.

2010-07-27T10:01:00.004-04:00

I'm sure some of you don't approve of shows like "The Bachelorette". Believe me, I think the morals of this show leave much to be desired. But being facinated with human behavior and responses, these particular dating shows are interesting to me. The show that is running right now features "Ali". She's beautiful and seems like a sweet, sincere girl who is seeking love for all the right reasons. But I'm not really a believer that circumstances set up and determine one's path for love. I believe God does that! So while I admit that there is a draw for me in watching these shows and trying to determine what motivates these young people to participate, it's more intriguing to gage action versus reaction...reality versus pipe dream...truth versus fantasy. Thus, I haven't actually watched The Bachelorette on tv this season...I've watched several of the episodes online. Most recently, I watched Ali's response to "Frank", as he (being one of the 3 final potential mates) broke her heart by leaving the show in favor of reuniting with his ex-girlfriend.

And I had a "God-moment".

Not that I shouldn't be watching this show. Not that it's made up of the fantasy we carry in our mind that being accepted by a mate is the ultimate form of being loved and accepted in this life (because it's utterly NOT!).

The God moment came while I was sympathizing with Ali's cries and questions of "why?". Indeed!

WHY?

Why do we trust God so little sometimes, that we cry when He removes something from our lives that we thought belonged there? Hasn't He promised to work ALL things together for good? Has He ever failed us?

God is almost like a fantasy. His promises are everything our hearts and minds have ever longed for, and so much more, that we can't even comprehend His love, fully. He satisfies that longing for love and acceptance that only He can. He created that special place within us, so it only makes sense that only He can fill it! God surpasses our fantasies...our hope and dreams. He's the real deal. And He promises to never EVER leave us. We will never shed one tear because He rejected us...or because He left us behind. That promise is, of course, for those who love Him and have a personal relationship with Christ.

Finally, near the end of the episode, Ali states that she now knows that Frank is definitely not the man for her, and that the two remaining men are absolutely supposed to be there. And I had to chuckle...

because when we trust God enough to accept our daily lives with His perspective, only then do we grasp love and acceptance the way He intended us to.

And that's 100% reality.

Sunday!

2010-07-25T20:06:00.008-04:00

Hi Friends! I'm going to begin posting on the craziness of daily life with the Jones Crew. My Mother and my Ma have encouraged me for a looong time to do so, but when I started this blog, I really wanted it to be inspirational. My heart is so full sometimes and I consider it therapeutic to share that. It's been harder to write like that since I started working again, 1 year ago. But everyday life can be every bit as inspiring. So I'm going to start sharing!

Things at church were a little nutty today! I love my job...I work with anywhere from 50 to 80 volunteers (depending on whether people show up or not!). There are so many great things I get to do within the boundaries of the ministry I serve and the crazy-incredibly creative Lady that I work for, that I can't begin to list it all here!!! But it starts off with making coffee around 7:30am on the 3 days I work each work week, and ends AND begins again with loving on all those people, the parents, and the children, every Sunday morning from 9am to 1pm or so. I LOVE IT!!! It thrills my soul to love on these people...to serve the Lord this way.
Some Sundays, it IS a labor of love in the sweaty kind of way. TODAY was one of those days!!!

After arriving at church, I was greeted by some fabulous ladies in Sunday School (I teach a ladies class every Sunday morning at 8am and LOVE IT!!!). I love them. I use the word "love" a lot, I know, but it's the only way I can describe these awesome opportunities and people that God has placed into my life!!! After neatly (and shockingly) putting away a nice game of "Last Word" (it was game-day, and by "putting away", I mean I WON...NOT YOU SHANNON!!!!), I ran down to begin the routine of getting the children's helpers and rooms taken care of. We wound up with 11 crawlers, so I had to keep moving people over to that room...it was a little bit crazy! Over the course of the session, I wound up running to The Crows Nest in the sanctuary...during service...to post 3 different kiddies numbers so that their parents could pick them up.

I must have lost 5 pounds and a few brain cells by the time I ran down the steps on that last call! Made up for that at Bojangles on the way home, though...

So after a few crying little ones, and one poop-in-the-floor incident...and countless miles of running (my brain gets fuzzy on the actual mileage), I'm home resting, so I can begin the process again.

It's crazy, I know, but all this is "me" time. Being the mom of 5 doesn't lend itself to such, so my version of "me" time is probably a lot different than yours.

Doing paperwork, database entries & changes, and preparing snacks, are all very satisfying tasks to me, and that's only the beginning!

Compared to biting my tongue in the face of my pre-teen who is currently experiencing a VERY good reason to be ill and hateful, LADIES, persuading sometimes crabby people to serve little ones cheerfully, is nothing short of a big slice of apple pie!!!

And I LOVE apple pie!!!

There we go with that word again...

A Fresh Drink of Water

2010-06-11T08:02:00.024-04:00

I love hydrangea. As long as I can remember, I've been facinated by their "snowball" appearance and tiny, delicate blooms. Growing up, there was one hydrangea bush in particular that caught my fancy. It was located on my Dad's home property in Hendersonville, NC. And as a child, I was comforted by the return of the big blue hydrangea bush each spring.

Even now, hydrangea bushes capture my mind, and because they symbolize a measure of comfort to me, they also make my heart beat a little bit faster.

For years, I've marveled over how quickly the hydrangeas get dehydrated. Their leaves droop, and the blooms look incredibly sad! Just as amazing is how quickly they re-hydrate. Within an hour or so of being watered, they literally perk up and look as if they are "on parade". Which, I suppose they are...to display the glory of God's creation!

God spoke to me about my precious hydrangeas.

Just as the hydrangeas need fresh water everyday to make them healthy and cheerful, I need a word of fresh living water everyday, too. That will keep me spiritually healthy and my demeanor will definitely be more cheerful! We all need a fresh Word from God everyday.

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water". John 7:37-38

Our purpose in life is to know God and to make Him known. If we don't experience His living water each day, then how in the garden world (and ours) can we do that? There's no question that we are thirsty! His desire is for us to be filled to overflow into the lives of others, much the way the hydrangea bush works all it's parts together to show His glory.

We have 9 hydrangea bushes on our property. And they are sweet reminders of what God can and will do in our lives if we'll choose to sit with Him and be refreshed.

There's nothing like a fresh

drink of water.

God Always Says "Thank You"

2009-12-07T20:33:00.010-05:00

Isn't God simply "amazing"? Our words are so inaccurate to describe how crazy good He is.
(recent snow in East TN!)
He is...

Everything.

He never hurts your feelings. He never misses a good deed. And He ALWAYS says "Thank You".

There are many other wonderful things I could tell you about God, but I want to focus on His manners...which are impeccable, I might add. Yep, God really does have manners. And that's something in my book! Trying to train 5 kids to not burp out loud, keep their elbows off the table, chew with their mouth closed, and hide in the corner when it's "toot" time (and I don't mean the corner of The Black Lion...you know who I'm talking to!!!), is almost laughable! I remember as a child that my Daddy would either slap our heads off or thump us real good if we did any of that stuff. And Daddy has ginormous hands. Anyway...back to God...
(Picture of Luke's self inflicted haircut)
He has very good manners. Perfect, in fact. "Thank You" is a big deal to Him! You can NOT out thank Him. He's ridiculous in the way He blesses! You can NOT out bless Him. Every time I give, He says "Thank You, Carmen".

How?

Like how I gave a box full of clothes to a neighbor's child...and the next morning, I woke up to find a box full of clothes on my porch.

"Thank You".

Like how when I shipped off a huge box of clothes to an old and dear friend of mine for one of her girls...two days later...Tyler says, "Hey Mom! What's this big bag of clothes on the porch...where'd that come from?".

"Thank You Carmen".

Like how a sweet little waitress at Calhoun's asked what that wonderful smell was, and we determined it was the bottle of Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin lotion I had just opened...and I gave her the whole bottle...and she was ecstatic and said, "Thank You so much!!!".

Dude...it's not because of anything I've done, but because of God...and various giving people that He has placed in my life (like my husband)!

I've been blessed to know several people who come to mind when I think about what the Bible describes as a "cheerful giver". I want to mention two of them in particular...
(Mom & Savannah at Thanksgiving)
My Mom is one. Still screaming over the leopardy "Kathy" bag! Not to mention the RL Randolph...

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that's randolph, not to be confused with Rudolph!

And my friend, Connie, is the other (say clothes...and lots of them!).
(Connie & her Mom)

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Both of these Ladies have taught me much about giving. While one gave birth to me and blesses our household with various items to make it a warm, inviting home & crazy fun trips and goodies for the kiddies...the other blesses our family with clothes, books, & other items for the girls (and Lightning McQueen was for Lukie baby!), not to mention a sweet friendship.

Mom has given much more than stuff...advice (wanted and unwanted, as Mother's give!)...love...acceptance...time...friendship, etc. Connie has given a portion of those things, too, but in a different way, and she's been ridiculous in giving items needed to my girls. Nearly every dress up item my girls have is from her. And Savannah's whole wardrobe is from Connie! My girls get crazy when a bag has been left somewhere at our house, because they KNOW it's from Connie!!! Both of these precious ladies have demonstrated to me why it's better to give than receive (although I LOVE receiving from them!!!). Because it's good for your soul...at least it's good for mine. And God is honored by your cheerful giving. And He always expresses Himself in ways that speak directly to YOU. He always says...

Thank You.

Beachy Blog

2009-11-03T08:13:00.031-05:00

Can life just get a little bit busier? Sheesh!!!! I think we skipped October this year. Or maybe we skipped September.
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I'm going to write a letter to somebody and ask them to quit skippin' months. I'm confused enough, thank you!!!

Okay...I must confess. I know we didn't skip October. We made it to the beach...so I know we experienced the month of October this year!
We stopped about 3 or 4 hours away from the beach to grab a bite of breakfast at WHERE ELSE???...Bojangles.
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And what does traveling with 5 kids for 9 1/2 hours look like, anyway?
Well...just take a look. Good thing we've got this Excursion (fondly known as "The Ex")...or we'd likely be losing body parts along the way...! And BTW...it's much easier traveling with a potty trained BOY than with potty trained GIRLS, as you can see...

So...after a 9 1/5 hour drive...

As soon as we got to the beach house, we let the kids RUN out onto the beach...in their pajamas...

We stayed in a ridiculously luxurious home. On a peaceful beach. With my Mother's Mom & Sister (Ma & Debbie), but without Uncle Jim. He hates the beach, thus, he stayed home. My Mom is no big fan of the beach either, but she loves it when the whole family gets together to have some down time. And bless his big heart, my husband hates the beach with a passion...but he sacrifices because he knows how much the kids and I enjoy it. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to buy a beach house. And I might move there when I retire. Of course...I have to buy a lottery ticket first. If I ever have a hope of winning the lottery...

Topsail Island was a nice beach, as beaches go. It was not congested. Very little traffic. Peaceful. I think that we will not likely ever go back to Topsail Island because the kids, while loving their 3 days ON the beach...were bored on the other 4 days inside (due to cold rainy weather). And there was really only one restaurant that was a draw for us all to eat at...The Riverview Cafe. And it was very good, but it was NO Benjamins! And that's okay. We ate there 3 times. But that's Topsail Island...no shopping...only a few restaurants...no traffic...no congestion. And if you like that kind of atmosphere when you go on vacation, Topsail Island is PERFECT!!!

But I really would like to be somewhere closer to a miniature golf course. A beach where I can bake in the sand all day and eat crab legs by the sea by night. A beach where I can shop at a Marshalls that marks all their goods down to clearance prices that make you want to buy the whole store. Where my kids can boogie in the surf by day, and eat greasy shrimp by night...with some miniature golf thrown in...and maybe a movie.

Topsail Island is NOT your vacation destination if you ask for that.

Topsail Island IS your beach vacation destination if you don't ask for too much. And that's a great thing!!!! Just not as great with 5 bored kids on a cold rainy stretch of 4 days out of the once-per-year beach vacation.

I must tell you my God story, though. I must stress to you that He takes my breath away.

On one of the rainy cloudy days, my spirits were sinking a little bit. I've always said "I don't care if it rains while we're at the beach. It's the change of pace and scenery that means so much". And that may be true until you have to pile on 3 layers to walk to the pier...and it's been cloudy and cold for 4 days. So my spirits were actually plummeting. And I say to my Father..."The house is great, Lord. The pace is slow and easy. But I'm whiter than a newborn baby and would love a nice tan before heading back to K town...can you PLEASE let me know that YOU know that I'm here?"

Not 10 minutes later...

The clouds parted.

The sun GLORIOUSLY shone through.

I got a beautiful tan.

And I was reminded once again that my Father cares so much about the details. And He has the power to make me sweat...in 65 degrees with a cool wind blowing strong...as the sun warms my body and He warms my heart.

And I say,

"I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant."

Genesis 32:10...and while I'm not facing off with my brother in a life altering battle (read the whole 32nd chapter), this is as simple and true to my life as it can be said!!!!!

Our beach vacation on Topsail Island
was a memory well worth cherishing.

2009-10-06T07:56:00.007-04:00

I've missed blogging...on some days. Some days, I can't remember my own name, things have been sooooo crazy busy! Since going back to work in July, I've been attempting to balance out work and family. And let me tell you...it's no easy task!

I love my job. I know without a doubt that God called me to it and He's blessing my efforts. Grace has such an incredible staff to work with...how can you not love working there??!!!?? As a Mom, it's gratifying work, as often "just" being a Mom can leave you feeling stressed and wondering "why did I do this?". I'm just being honest! Being a Mom is very HARD work!!! Loving your sweet children is the easy part. It's wearing all those different hats that freak us out as Moms. And make us feel unappreciated and unloved sometimes.

It's worth it to have the privilege of being a Mom.

It's just that sometimes, it's fun and a crazy kind of wonderful to work outside the family. And with 5 kids to care for, plus my husband...it truly IS a CRAZY kind of wonderful!

And before you know it...that kind of craziness has moved you from summer to fall...from fall to winter...from the edge of sanity to total INsAnItY!!! You get the picture...

Thus, my bloggiest blogging efforts have suffered.

Thus, I've decided that instead of only blogging when I feel inspired by the deep thoughts running through my head, I'm going to try a different style. I'm going to try sharing the InSaNiTy with you!!!
Maybe I won't be AS insane if I share the love...

Anyway...

I attended an AWESOME worship service at church this past Sunday.

And that's saying something...considering it's been since June that I attended. I've been at church. I just haven't been in worship. When I began working again, I knew that I needed to work a full volunteer rotation period before bailing out to go to worship. The ministers at our church ask that we attend worship on a regular basis. And that's definitely a good thing. But sometimes "regular" isn't what you might think. And of course, that's where God's grace covers us. He makes up for what we're lacking. He fills in the crevices. And when He calls us to do something, He equips us to do it...fully. So in this small time period, I've had to work out some of the issues related directly to my job. And that's okay.

Back to worship...
It was my turn to go, and the amazing thing is...I didn't plan on that last week. It wasn't worked into my schedule. It was a God thing! He pulled at my heart, and whispered in my ear "it's time!". It was as if He had a rope attached to my heart and was pulling me right into the worship center! I asked sweet Suzanne if she was "good", and when she said she was...I literally ran into worship.

God saw me there.

That's a funny statement, I know. 'Cause He always sees us. But sometimes we think that He must be working out in the barn and misses our entrance into the house.

He doesn't.

I was able to be blessed by the kickoff of the sermon series on Ephesians, where God once again reminded me of who I am. And I even got a special surprise afterward, as I witnessed our beloved Darcy (from our Sunday School class) and her boys join the church.

Yep...God sees.
He sees me at work. He sees me at home. He saw Brett Favre and company win the football game last night (I stayed up with Him to watch it!!!). He saw my girls and I standing at the end of our driveway this morning, waiting for the bus (YEAH!!!!). He saw Max (the big hairy dog from across the street) start barking and scare my girls, whilest we waited in the dark with a flashlight (!). He's watching me kiss all over Lukie (who is now POTTY TRAINED!!!!).

And the coolest thing?

He lets me know that He's watching...and moving.

And THAT'S worth blogging about!!!

Friendships

2009-08-25T22:08:00.012-04:00

I am currently walking through a tough experience with one of my daughters. I have an important question...

At what point in a friendship do you give your friend the benefit of the doubt?

For every person in existence, a different expectation of friendship is known. Some people are in friendships where one loves the other more. Some friendships are equal. Some friendships are not. And some friendships aren't really friendships.

What does God say about friendships?
In Genesis, we learn how Judah's friend Hirah, was with him during the grieving time after Judah's wife died. Ah...so friends comfort us during tough times. Okay.

In Exodus, we see that when the Lord spoke to Moses, it was face to face. So friends speak openly and are able to see and understand what each other says.
They aren't misunderstood.
Hmmm...

In Judges, we read the account of someone talking to his friend about a dream he had...and expecting that friend to give him clear perspective on what God may have meant when He sent the dream. Shouldn't we be supporting our friends with what we know is God's perspective? Hint, hint...it's found in the Bible and you can know it well through Bible Study!

It would take 47 million blogs to enter in all the truths that God has in His Word concerning friendships. There are just a few truths that I want to point out in this matter.

True Friendships Should Always...

~Be a comfort during tough times.

~Be free from having to analyze what each others intentions are, giving the benefit of the doubt to each other, choosing to believe the best instead of assuming the worst.

~Point each other to Christ, encouraging the exploration of what God's perspective is and what He says in His Word concerning the various situations that arise (because man's perspective is flawed!).

Why are these basic rules of friendship so incredibly hard to grasp?

I've struggled with these issues myself for years. Why would a friend NOT give you the benefit of the doubt? Why does a true friendship struggle so much with believing that it's participants have pure intentions and an honest heart? Why would a Godly friend choose to be irritated and frustrated instead of seeking God's face when considering a friendship?

And yes, I know that people get burned in relationships...it's like a viscious cycle...but...

Friendship should not be that hard.

Especially amongst children.

How complicated can sharing gum and lip gloss possibly be?!!??

The complications boggle my mind and fry what's left of my brain. It's simply ridiculous. And as the world turns, it only grows more impossible.

So let me say this to anyone in danger of stumbling across my blog today...

Friends care enough about each other to ask before assuming.

THEN, they care enough about each other to

trust the response instead of misjudging the intentions.
And then they forgive if a mistake is made, and move on.

Sounds too simple to be true.

Ask
Trust
Forgive

And those are words from the 2nd grade vocabulary list.

A vocabulary list is not just spelling, either. It also requires definition.

Know what I mean?

My God Is Faithful

2009-08-20T03:30:00.007-04:00

In the hectic pace of life, do you ever wonder just how faithful God is? Do you ever fail to see Him even in the tiniest of details?

Let me encourage you to expect big things from God. He is faithful. He never fails us. He is interested in the details of our day...everyday.

In Psalm 44, the plea of the believer in Christ goes from reminding us what God has done for us in the past, to describing the persecution that is upon him...to asking God to reveal Himself once again, claim victory over the present afflictions, and give relief. And in Psalm 44:21, we are reminded that
"He knows the secrets of the heart".
How incredibly comforting that is, in this present time, be it a joyful time or a challenging time, that God knows the secrets of our heart!

I love to be reminded
of how interested God is
in the secrets of my heart
and the details of my day!

It's like driving up behind the rear-end of the school bus on that first day of school (previous blog). It's like having that extra bit of money at just the right time. And it's when He places sweet words on the lips of your children, that we are reminded of His faithfulness...His measure of relief. Like a cool drink of water that is so refreshing to our mouth.

We must endure the challenges in order to be reminded of His faithfulness and love for us. To truly experience a joyful life, God's promises, and to know Who God Is...we must first experience the frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking situations that we encounter on a day-to-day basis.

Speaking of sweet words on the lips of children...

Luke started preschool yesterday. He's so little and precious...that sweet innocence of the toddler years, when the babes are learning to think on their own, yet copy every word that comes out of your mouth ("ah, maaaaaaan!!!"). I still love to smell him. And so God so touches my heart through Luke's innocence and truest form of speaking and thinking. Don't toddlers tell you what they REALLY think?!?!!!
"Luke...did you like school?"

"Yes."

"Did you like Mrs. Diane?"

(a nod of that sweet blond head)

Then out of the blue...CLEAR AS A BELL...Luke says,

"I learn about Jesus!"

Remember the ladybug blog? Well...I must have melted twice as much when Luke said THAT!

Another PRECIOUS way that God chose to be faithful to me today. Another way that God connected with my heart...encouraged me...loved on me...and expressed interest in the details of my day. Could He have picked a better surprise? I'll take one of those EVERY day!!!

But if we don't give God a chance...if we don't take a "coffee break" from our hectic days, we'll be hard pressed to see those surprises. And He has them for us everyday.

Remember...He knows the secrets of our heart.

And He knows exactly how to speak to them.

The Start of Another School Year...OH BROTHER!

2009-08-18T10:07:00.014-04:00

The day started off GREAT, as I rolled out of the bed at 6:15am.

If you can call rolling out of the bed at 6:15am GREAT. Most of the time...it's okay. It takes a few cups of coffee to get to GREAT!!!

So by the time 7:15am hit, it had already turned truly stressful.

Such a

Terrible

Rush

Evicting

Summerlyn, Savannah, &

Scarlett

From

U (okay...I don't have one for U)...Their

Loving home

After hollering 4 times that it was time to "fix hair"...we DO have a routine every morning...I managed to get them into the 'burb.

Off we went. Did I mention that I also got ready for work...and got Luke ready...in the craziness? Well...I did!

Being that it was the first day of school, I parked in the "no parking" zone (it's a tradition!), and we headed for class. Dropping Scarlett off was a breeze, as usual. HER middle name should've been "Breeze"...instead of the middle child's middle name being Breeze. The middle child...my precious beautiful rose, Savannah, was NOT such a breeze. By the time we tromped all over Copper Ridge trying to find her classroom (she insisted it was a "mobile unit", which it did NOT turn out to be), the bell had rung. Savannah is NOT the child you want to bring to class after the bell has rung...especially on the first day of school!

She refused to enter...the room, I mean. When I finally got her in the room, she could barely function (with the entire class staring at her!), and refused to sit in her assigned seat because she was assigned to sit with 2 boys. I gave her about 2 minutes before I called her out into the hall.

I have to tell you that her teacher is not only new to Copper Ridge, but he just graduated in May...of 2009. And has only been married for 8 months. If not for his stature, he would appear to be a few years older than my oldest son. Wait...I think he IS a few years older than my oldest son...ANYWAY...I felt terrible for him! Savannah was NOT making it easy. Back to the hall...and I'm warning you...I said a cuss word. That was, of course, just before I headed to my job at the church.

Hey...I'm definitely NOT perfect.

"Savannah!"

"Yes?"

"You WILL go sit at your assigned seat!"

"MOM!!! I'm not sitting with boys!!!"

"God made those boys...and you've just made them feel terrible! Not to mention what your teacher thinks!!!"

"Ummm..."

"Savannah, I'm giving you about 60 seconds to step back in that room, get your pencil, and go sit beside of those boys. If you don't do it RIGHT NOW, I will take you home and beat the hell out of you!!!"

She turned as I opened the door, walked in & got her pencil, and went reluctantly to sit at her assigned desk. WHEW!!!

Of course, by this time, Summerlyn (who had insisted on getting Luke out and coming inside with us), was wrestling Luke out of the big boys bathroom. She snatched him up and we hurried on our way. After all...this WAS her first day of middle school...!

As we pulled up to the light on Norris Freeway, I realized that the middle school drop-off was not going to be a quick one. The traffic was backed up 2 blocks. After 30 minutes, we managed to make it nearly to the door before Summerlyn, teary eyed, said "Mom...I changed my mind! I DO want you to walk me in!". I immediately parked, got Luke out, and in we walked, w/me LOVING the fact that she felt comfortable in asking me to accompany her inside the building! My strong-willed Summerlyn was very nervous.

As soon as she saw her friend Lily, waving her hand from where she was sitting w/some of Summerlyn's other friends, in the auditorium, Summerlyn was fine. She ran down to them with me reminding her of what bus to ride home after school.

Another "WHEW"!!!

Then Luke and I were off to the church (a nice place to repent from my usage of the word "hell"...by-the-way...it's not the words, of course...it's the way we use them).

After school, the kids played on the front porch, during which time Luke decided to pull of his dirty diaper and spread it head to toe! Seriously, WHAT is the temptation in that? I STILL DON'T GET IT!!! After I cleaned THAT mess up...he decided to paint "Lukie-style" w/a purple paint roller from his big sister's room (we're almost done remodeling her room). He enjoyed painting my furniture, the steps (carpeted), and parts of the floor. And all this action was AFTER the school rush!

But I want to share the most important part of my crazy first-day-of-school-day...

I was trying so hard to get a few things done at work. I knew that in order to be at the bus stop in time to pick up the girls from the bus, I needed to leave work no later than 11:15am. It takes between 30-35 minutes from the time the bell rings to go home, for the bus to reach our stop. Lukie baby and I left Grace at 11:21am...I was sweatin', but knowing that my 'burb clock is 7 minutes fast, I knew we'd be fine. About 5 minutes into my journey home, I realized that the bus time I'd figured was based on my Suburban clock's 7 minutes fast time! CRAP!!! That meant that I was 6 minutes PLUS 7 minutes behind!!! I drove as fast as I dared, thinking all the while that my girls would either be dropped at my neighbor and friend's driveway or...? What? What if Erica wasn't at home? What if the bus driver dropped them off at the bus stop and they started walking up the dangerous road to our house?

I was in tears by the time I crested the glorious hill that revealed the behind of the bus in my sight...not yet having arrived at our bus stop...with my precious cargo on board. And then God said...

"I've got you covered"

I cried good, then...wiping my tears as the bus driver pulled to a stop and my girls got out and crawled in the 'burb, relief flooded my soul.

My God knew that I needed to know that He saw me. I needed to know that God saw the rotten morning I'd had. I needed to know that He remembered that I existed. And He didn't let me down, because...

He never fails.

No matter how rotten my morning may turn out to be, God is waiting to soothe my soul. He's waiting to remind me that He sees me and He loves me.

So my spirits lifted.

Enough to keep me fairly calm as I scrubbed purple paint off of my carpet and furniture.

I didn't hollar...
TOO loud...

Where Has The Time Gone?

2009-08-17T23:49:00.018-04:00

Two months. It's been nearly two months since I last blogged. I can't begin to tell you everything that has happened during that time. June seemed to pass rather leisurely...but I barely even remember July!

I answered a call...from God...around the end of June or so. No...He didn't use the phone. My phone is kind of crappy, anyway, so He might not have gotten through using my phone!

Went through several in-depth interviews...and began working as a Preschool Ministry Assistant at my beloved Grace...once again. I'm actually coordinating the volunteers on Sunday mornings (about 75-100 per week), which is what I did when I worked at Grace before. Only now, there are a few other things I do as well, and I have more freedom and support to work!

I absolutely LOVE my job. It's all about people and children. Both of which, I have a whole lot of experience with. Mostly good experience, but not without challenging relationships. And that's really what we deal with on a daily basis...relationships. So we'd be stone statues if we didn't face challenges right along with them! But that's a blog on a different day...

Today, I just want to share w/you a couple of funnies I've experienced and learned over the summer...
We recently bought a 700 pound cow. I named him Steak. We had to leave him in the neighbors pasture, because our peaceful little one couldn't handle such an obese intrusion.

Dean came home one day after work and insisted we go for a walk down the driveway so I could get my picture of our new addition (before we sent him to market). Dean pointed him out, and it was exciting to watch Steak interact with his cow friends! Yum Yum!! So we got our pictures and came back home to email them out to our loved ones...to let them know our latest news...and as we flipped through the photos, Dean began to chuckle...

"Uh...Carmen"

"These pics are GREAT, aren't they honey?!!"

"Um...yes..."

"I can't wait to send these to our family!!! They need to see Steak, too!!!"

"Yes, well...flip back a couple of pictures...I need to look at something"

"What are you looking at, honey?"

"Well..." snicker, snicker..."see that picture that shows his rear?"

"Uh-huh"

"Well...that doesn't look right"

"What do you mean? It's a butt...ummm..."

"Yes...but it's a girl-butt"

"WHAT??!!!!"

"That's not Steak"

"You mean you pointed out a cow that I took all these pictures of and we almost emailed out pictures of a GIRL COW??!!!"

"Uh...YEP!"
And we proceeded to laugh until we cried!!!! As plain as day...it was a GIRL COW!!!!

Needless to say...I didn't send out pictures of Steak. But now he's in the freezer...so it doesn't matter anyway. I didn't even know what color he was...sniff, sniff.

In the process of all that, we sold our dearly beloved sheep and bought 2 calves...both boys.
I named them "Bull" and "Moo". Toooooooo cute!!! We've bottle-fed them and banded them. It's a great experience for the kids...having cows.

I LOVE looking outside during the day and seeing the cows eating grass. So peaceful.

We had fun at "Meme Camp" at my parents house, visiting w/my Grandma, Aunt Debbie, & brother JET. Their house was recently remodeled and looks amazing!!! Why they didn't do that when I was still living there...AH!!!! I KNOW why!!! I'd probably STILL be there!!!! HAHAHAHHAA!!! No offense to my wonderful hubby and beautiful children, of course...

We visited my precious Sherry and her family this summer. It was so wonderful to spend time with her...I always enjoy it. Our kids love each other, too. They've known each other since Summerlyn & Rachel were 2 & 3...and Rachel taught Summerlyn how to do things. I can still hear Rachel...

"put your leg over...like this..."
And I looked in to see them doing something that would forever change our lives.

They were crawling out of Summerlyn's crib...

I also purchased something I've never owned before...a food processor. Those are really fun and interesting appliances!!! I bought the Big Mouth by Hamilton Beech. And don't even think about making a rude comment about THAT!!! It broke the first day I used it. I had just finished shredding 12 pieces of squash, 3 zucchini's, and slicing 6 tomatoes, when I inserted the cheese. It made this AWFUL racket and after I tried it several more times, I realized that the inner plastic tube had stripped. What a piece of junk! Went right back to Walmart...it did!!! But it was fun owning a Big Mouth for all of 3 days.
Hey...guess what?! Over the summer, I learned that my husband of nearly 15 years...
HATES ketchup.

Isn't that something I should have known about him from like...the first date? Well...no. We had spaghetti on our first date (actually...I always had a no-spaghetti rule when I was dating, so HE had spaghetti...I had cheese sticks).

So I fix these yUmMy "house burgers" (remember Eddie and forget his dirty mouth!) a few weeks ago...and I fixed a big fat one up for my man. We're sitting down at the table...where it's quiet (for once), while all the kids are munching on their house burgers. My other 1/2 (notice I didn't say better-half) says, "aaaaaawwwwwwww" (real disgusted like)...

"KETCHUP??!!!! I HATE KETCHUP!!!!!"

"You DO?"

"You KNOW I hate ketchup!!!!"

"I DO?"

So I'm thinking...we've been married for over 14 years and I didn't realize my husband hates ketchup? It was an enlightening moment for me...Dean choked down his ketchup house burger with no further comment...except...

"it was very good, but would have been better with no KETCHUP..."

Oops! Well...at least he adhered to the "house rules" while eating his "house burger"!

Eat it or starve.

That's MY philosophy...this ain't no restaurant!

I was proud of him.

So I learned not to put ketchup on my man's food.

Seems kind of trivial, huh?
It actually goes back to that relationship thing I said was "a blog on a different day"...it's important to know little details about your other 1/2. Details like which side of the sink they put the bar of soap on when they are finished using it (the left...and WHY? I ask!!!????). Knowing which room they visit right after they enter the door after work (the restroom), and how they like their bacon fixed (chewy-YUCK!-who EATS that?!!!). Knowing what their favorite flavor of icecream is (chocolate), always has benefits. After a long, hot day at work...you can cool them right down w/some good 'ole Breyers!

It's just as important to know what they DON'T like. MY man does not like hotdogs. He doesn't like cold baths. He doesn't like too much noise or too much nonsense. He isn't particularly wild about my cold toes hitting his leg when I'm freezing. And he wants to see me in something besides my pajamas when he gets home from work at 5pm (...ummm...working on it!).

And when he gets home at 5pm, it's definitely time for dinner! But I definitely won't be serving hotdogs w/ketchup!!!

After a decade and 1/2, I've learned a thing or two about ketchup.

I've also learned some things about relationships...

And it won't take me 2 months to share with you about that!

Jerkin' out your hair...in frustration

2009-06-25T08:18:00.015-04:00

Do you ever get frustrated with the relationships around you?

The marriage relationship...your friendships...your children...and yes, even your dog (especially when she sweetly licks strangers instead of biting them!). No matter how wonderful these relationships can be, there comes a time every once in a while, when they are less than what you want them to be...and your feelings are crazy with frustration. Whether it's frustration over something that was said or not said...something that was done or not done, it becomes a pitfall. Instead of taking that frustration and doing something about it, sometimes we give up. Sometimes we turn frustration into...
hopelessness.

We allow the devil to convince us that if we get frustrated enough...it's hopeless.

In studying the word "frustration" in the Bible, I realized that God not only knows about our frustrations, but He draws a direct parallel from them to our freedom from the stuff in life that can hold us back. He purposely allows us to be frustrated as a means to grow in our walk with Him.

Huh?

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:18-21

Depending on the situation, I guess I've always seen my frustrations as a secret plot on behalf of my wonderful children to drive me crazy...or on behalf of my husband...to turn me into a maid inside of the glorious duties of running a household. Or maybe it's the secret goal of the driver in front of me to push my mental capacities of operating a vehicle to the foaming-at-the-mouth level, as I try my best to NOT freak out when he/she drives like an idiot! Some frustrations are so ridiculous, I have to wonder if I'm on "Candid Camera". I would be embarrassed in some situations, at what my frustrated reaction would be to some of the stunts they've pulled on people in the past. But frustration is so much a part of our everyday, that there's even a game entitled "Frustration"! Like frustrations are funny? Like we need help going "mad"??? Give me a break! Frustrations are frustrating and so is that game...though it could teach us to lighten up on things, huh?

But even more than surface frustration...I'm talking about relational frustration. The surface stuff is only practice for dealing with the real frustrations found in our relationships.

Dude...it's heavy stuff.

Starts out with the toddler who can't decide if he wants to pee-pee in the potty, on the carpet, or in his diaper-and your reaction to him as a Mom...and moves on to the married couple who struggles with constantly being irritated with each other-and how they settle those irritations (or IF they settle them)...and even includes the friend who expresses her desire to eat lunch with you, every time you see her, but who never moves towards fulfilling that desire.

Here's what Paul says in Romans concerning frustration...

We are purposely exposed to frustration, in order to build our character enough to have the ability to be free from the small stuff in life we take issue with...to be spiritually exercised and strengthened so that we can grow into mature men and women, meeting the goal that God has in mind for us.
It's interesting to think about a life without frustration...or challenges.

Where would our faith be? How would we grow? How would we relate to other people?

Sin exists. And if we are not challenged in life...or in our faith, how will we establish the kind of character and strong faith in Christ to combat sin?

Without frustration, how are we challenged
to make a difference in a dying world?

Easy...you may say. Without that daily dose of nose-flaring, eye-rolling, tongue-lashing craziness...we might actually accomplish something great! And for a while, that might work. But at some point, you'll get tempted and distracted by the world. You'll listen to that age-old lie from the devil that says "I deserve...". And your desire will wane. After all...you're satisfied with all aspects of your life, right? You're not really interested in encouraging others in their failed relationships when you can't even relate to their frustrations. Let somebody else do that...

To quote Dr. Viktor Frankl, psychologist and survivor of Auschwitz, "The bland, satisfied life means little, accomplishes little, and is remembered little."

God wants our life to be blessed. He wants us to be content. But He doesn't want us to be so satisfied that we fail to make a difference for Him...or that we can't relate to those hurting souls around us who desperately need Him.

And a lot of times, in the frustrations that pass through our day after having first been filtered through His loving hands, we fail to realize the lesson He wants us to learn. And if we can't get past an irritated spouse or an oblivious driver...how can we ever sincerely take part of the bigger motion picture? The one in which God created a role especially for us? The role that serves to make us stronger so that we can make an even bigger difference for Christ...

It really all goes back to our purpose. And I say this with all confidence...

Our daily frustrations help shape us
into the person God created us to be,
in order for us to fulfill the purpose
for which He created us.

It's that simple.

Fighting back the desire to jerk out our hair at the roots (or our darling children's hair), however, isn't.

So don't get overwhelmed by your frustrations. It's not hopeless.

Trust God's plan and ask Him if there's a better way to deal with them...

other than screamin'...or shootin' your computer...

Pick Up Your Tools and LIVE!

2009-06-17T13:41:00.008-04:00

So how has God equipped us to make a difference for Him everyday?
Before we look at the equipment gifted to us through salvation, let me remind you of something...

You can be starving to death...have all the delicious food in the world piled up beside you...but you still have to make the effort to reach over, pick it up, and eat it, before you can be nourished. The same is true of being nourished by His Word...The Bible.

God has made the tools for living out this life
available to us, but it's up to us
to reach into the toolbox (The Bible),
pull out the tools, and use them.

He will not force us to do so. And we already carry the gifts that are mentioned in Ephesians 3. We've just got to use them!

"This is according to the purpose of the ages, which He made in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness, access, and confidence through faith in Him." Ephesians 3:11-12

What these verses indicate is that through faith in Christ...by asking Him to come live in your heart, by giving your heart & life to Him, in repentance of sin and through trusting Him...we have a certain boldness to live out life as a witness for Him and a sacrifice to Him...we have access to His glorious plan/wisdom/love/grace/mercy, and all that He offers us...and we have confidence to carry out His plan for our lives. And confidence that we can forever trust His intentions.

Again, I am only scratching the surface...
In verse 19, Paul's desire is for us to be filled with all the fullness of God. Part of knowing how to use that boldness, access, and confidence is understanding God's love for us, which leads to being filled with His fullness. So how do we comprehend the length/width/height and depth of His love? We start by trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior. We continue the walk by putting into practice our new found boldness...access...and confidence. Only then can we realize that Christ sacrifice was our new beginning...on the walk towards knowing God's love for us and truly being free.

Don't you just love that?

"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think---according to the power that works in you---to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
Realizing the gifts...the tools...that we have through faith in Christ enables the Holy Spirit to work more profoundly in us, to the glory of God.

We reach out and God reaches in.

That's a bold statement that offers access to the Creator of the universe...
and I'm stating it with utter confidence.
And we need to live that truth and share that truth everyday. In everything we do. Through lifestyle evangelism, and just plain 'ole using our mouth.

THAT makes the difference!

Jews & Gentiles

2009-06-16T07:57:00.008-04:00

In Sunday School right now, we're studying Ephesians. To some, the first couple of chapters of Ephesians can be on the boring side...or the convicting side. Depends on how many times you appreciate being reminded Who God is and who you are.

Being reminded what God has done for us should be convicting.

As I've been studying chapter 3, there are a couple of truths that jump right off the page to pierce my heart. I'm going to share those with you...
"...I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles---you have heard, haven't you, about the administration of God's grace that He gave to me for you? The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as i have briefly written above. By reading this you are able to understand my insight about the mystery of the Messiah. This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Ephesians 3:1-6 hcs
To fully grasp what these verses mean, you 've got to know Paul, and you've got to understand what a "Gentile" is. Before Paul gave his heart and soul to Christ, he was known as "Saul". He was of Jewish descent...the Jew of the Jews. If anyone could get into Heaven based on works and heritage, it was Saul. He violently persecuted Christian believers. And those believers challenged everything that the Jews believed about God. Which was a works & tradition based entry into Heaven, not a faith-based entry into Heaven. That changed when he met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus one day. See...you can't meet Jesus and not be changed! Not only did Christ change his heart...He changed Saul's name. Paul lived out his life as a sacrifice to Christ, ministering to Gentiles. In fact, he believed that was his life's mission...to minister in the name of Christ. Sound familiar? Aren't we as Christians...Christ's followers...called to minister in His name? Hmmm...
"Gentile"...Webster's (love me some Webster's) defines gentile this way: a person of a non-Jewish nation or a non-Jewish faith. That means that anyone who is not of Jewish descent is a Gentile. And THAT means that when God sent Paul to minister to the Gentiles and reveal the plan He had for all Jews & Gentiles, who would believe in Christ and trust Him as their Savior, to come together as one church (joint heirs/joint bodies/joint partakers-verse 6),

God was talking about OUR salvation and His plan for US.
Now for those of you who love to study the history of the Bible and the people whom God talks about in the Bible, I know this is a condensed version of Paul's life story and his relation to the Gentiles. But I am simply sharing a truth that, in studying Ephesians, God has particularly pressed on my heart.

And that is...
From the beginning of time, God had a very detailed plan to save me...to save us. And to cover every possible issue, He used Paul, who would come directly from the uppercrust of the Jews (considered to be THE most religious people of generations past), to teach and lead and give opportunity for mankind to understand that Christ is the ONLY WAY to Heaven. God didn't give up when Jesus was rejected then. But praise Him that the price was paid!!! To this very day, God has an army of believers ready to fight the good fight! And we Christians, who are called by His name, should be a part of that...because God has called us to be.

That's crazy good stuff, dude! That applies in every way possible to how we live out EACH DAY!

So my question is this: Despite frustrations, circumstances, and situations...are you making a difference for Christ every day?

Paul did.
And so should we.

Is that your focus
as each day rolls off the calendar?

Tommorrow, we'll talk about how God has equipped us as believers, to make that difference for Him every day. Hint...check out Ephesians chpt 3, verse 12.

God Wants the Small Stuff (And the Big!)

2009-06-15T11:00:00.005-04:00

Have you ever been frustrated over making a decision? You may get frustrated over deciding which restaurant to eat at...especially if the kids are all hollering for something different! You may get frustrated over what size pants to purchase...especially if the ones that fit you best are a size bigger than you wanted them to be! You may scratch your head trying to figure out where to invest your money...or time...probably both. Frustration may cause lines to cross your face when trying to make a job decision...or whether to purchase a home. These are all certainly good candidates for a frustrating experience.

Each of these decisions brings about a certain amount of stress, even if it's just getting the kids to settle down and accept that you're going to eat at home instead of Wendy's!

And most of us can even determine the most logical decisions to make in each of these scenarios.

But what decision does God want us to make? What decision does He have in mind that is best for us?

Sometimes it's not always as clear cut as we would like for it to be. Take eating out, for example...you can't pick up a bucket of Bojangles if you only have $3. If you can't squeeze into the size 12, you have to purchase the size 14. And if you have no extra money to invest...you simply don't invest what you don't have!
But what about the decision for Moms to stop working and stay at home? Some Moms could do that if the family lifestyle was adjusted, while others really don't have that option. And what about the decision to purchase a new home that better fits your family? Some people could afford to live in a nicer home than they do now...or they could choose to stay put and enjoy a luxury of some other kind. What about the decision for a Mom to go to work part-time?...the decision to sell your nicer home for something more modest?

How do you make decisions that seem lateral? Decisions that wouldn't be a complete lifestyle change for you? While most of the time, it seems that our decisions are made in order to go from something negative to something positive...bad to good...unacceptable to acceptable...

What about the decisions we make that are between good and good?

I have to admit that it's much easier for me to knock down God's door with what I perceive as a life-altering decision...and easier for me to see God's answer...than when I'm faced with a choice that is perceived as "fine either way".

As I get older, I'm understanding more clearly my incredibly desperate need for God. I can't breath without Him. And yes, we as Christians know how physically true that statement is. But it's also true mentally. This life can be CRAZY frustrating at times. With the silliest of decisions. But you know what?

God doesn't mind us begging Him for His input on where to eat dinner. In fact, He LOVES to take our frustrations, no matter how ridiculous they can seem, and ease them. The problem lies in our inability to make it a habit of giving those frustrations to Him. Our ignorance in thinking that the small stuff doesn't matter and we can "get over it" on our own. The truth is...sometimes we just can't get over the small stuff! We'll allow it to ruin our day...ruin our summer...ruin our vacation...and steal our joy.

In fact, I'm convinced that when the devil can't get us with the bigger stuff in life, he jumps all over our can on those little frustrations. And instead of getting in the Word...and using it to soothe our minds and irritated hearts, we get ill and hateful with our family and develop the habit of seeing more negative in situations than we see positive. And that's not how God wants us to live.

It's like watching your toddler get stressed over whether to choose the cookie in your right hand or the cookie in your left hand. It can ruin the whole experience of having a cookie in the first place! And both cookies are chocolate chip. At least in my world...

Again...God wants us to live life to the fullest.

The key is this:
Only God knows that the cookie He would choose for you
has chocolate coating on the back.
And since you only get to choose once...
wouldn't you want to ask Him about it?

Just my crazy way of thinking.

Funny that when I get the most frustrated, it's that crazy dependency on Him that brings me the most comfort...and the least amount of frustration.

Especially in the small stuff.

The Time of My Life

2009-06-09T19:36:00.071-04:00

The past year has gone by sooooo quickly. I am getting ready to hit my one year mark in blogging. It's been an amazing year! I must admit that this blog has been incredibly therapeutic for me. And I've been discovering that this time in my life is actually the time of my life. Throughout the various challenges of the past year, I'm realizing just how true what my parents have said before, "You better enjoy this stage of your life...it IS the good old days!" (speaking of childhood and early parenting). Through sleepless nights associated with having little ones (ear infections, bad dreams, etc.), and in solving life's problems in the mind of my 9 year old, God is showing me that the precious life He's given us is unique...and fun. There are always going to be frustrations in life. But God wants us simply to grow from those experiences, and enjoy life.
When I began blogging last June, my heart was heavy. I had just been diagnosed with OCD and was fighting the urge to rearrange my pillows every 10 minutes! I was also struggling with the fact that my teenage son Tyler, was entering his last year of high school. And I felt that he was in no way ready for the challenges that would come after that.

.
I remember something my Doctor told me in his office...it didn't make much since to me at the time (as I was so focused on Dyson and book bags!), but hindsight is 20/20, eh? He said, "Once you realize that your son is going to make it...he's going to be okay...you'll likely be able to reduce your medication or even come completely off of it".

Huh?

What did letting go of my fears concerning my son have to do with vacuuming the carpet 2 or 3 times per day?

How did struggling with his final years as a "kid" connect with my need to wipe down my kitchen counters over and over again (or count my cash till 6 times at Beth's sale...aka...The Picky Chic)?
You get the idea. I wasn't able to see the relation of his comment to my obsessive behaviour until I was able to "let go and let God".

Let go and let God...

May seem to be an overused, cornball phrase, but it's actually something we fail to do in our everyday lives.

I decided last October, to stop taking my OCD medication. And no...I don't believe in Oprah & her "professionals" when they talk about the ability to heal yourself on your own. If there was ANY merit to that, my Grandmother Thomas would still be on this Earth, as well as my precious Pa. Oprah is ridiculous...but that's a different blog! I had moved into the realm of sleeplessness because of the medication, so I decided to take a break. The REAL break came back in February sometime, when I realized that Tyler would either make it or break it on his own. He was failing his Senior English class, of which, he would be required to pass in order to graduate. The old fear started creeping into my heart. But I'd had enough, so I told God that it was "His problem" if Tyler didn't pass. I decided that I had done all I could do as Tyler's Mother. Not given him everything...not given in to everything...but definitely done all I could do to raise him the way that I know God called me to raise him.
And when we come to that point...that's when we experience peace and true understanding that God is REALLY the One in control. It's never us, anyway! And I began to understand what the Doctor meant when he made that comment so many months ago in his office.

Whether you believe in God or not, at some point you have to realize that you are NOT in control of your life. Sure...you can make major decisions, as well as minor decisions, that effect your life in big ways. But you're still not in ultimate control of your life. If you do believe in God, and especially if you have a relationship with Him...then you know Who actually has ultimate control. And you're grateful beyond measure for that!
I can't fully express to you the load that was lifted from me when I threw up my hands and said, "If he graduates...that's great! If he doesn't...OH WELL!".
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Tyler belongs to God. And God has Tyler's best interest in mind. If Tyler chooses to veer off the path that God has created in his best interest...that doesn't mean that God is surprised or that God doesn't have a path that He'll allow Tyler to follow as an alternate to His original path.

Can you see the map yet?

" And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28 nas

God's map says that He will work all things together for our good. No matter how hard we try or how far we go off the beaten path, God will not give up on us. Therefore, I knew that if Tyler failed his class and didn't graduate, God was already all over that! And if GOD is all over it, what do I have to worry about?
My OCD isn't completely satisfied. I still itch when the house isn't "picked up" or when the kids throw their stuff down on the floor (I have hives as I type this-hahahha!!!). And I still have a passionate love for my Dyson! But I no longer check the couches before I turn off the lights for bed. I don't freak when I find somebodies shoes piled up in a corner (or even out in the middle of the room!). And I only counted my till 2 times at the spring Picky Chic sale...BTW...let me give credit to Beth for the very special way she celebrated my birthday with a yummy piece of cake and a serenade from the crowd of workers/shoppers on the first day of the spring sale. I felt so loved and am so appreciative of her for that!!!

My OCD may never be completely satisfied. And it may rear it's frustratingly ugly head when I least expect it. But my God is an awesome God! And He works it all for my good, as well as for the good of anyone around me who loves Him. Sometimes we just need to trust Him. He has the perfect remedy, and He's waiting for us to take it. It's called....

Letting go.

And it requires us to let Him deal with it. No matter what we're faced with...the death of a loved one...a sickness...a frustrating day...a financial hardship...or even things like brushing my teeth 4 times a day.
My Tyler managed to pass his Senior English class. And in the days to follow, our family celebrated his graduation.
And in celebrating that, we didn't just praise God for a passing grade.

We gave thanks for a family...for a Godly heritage...for a supportive network made up of people who love Tyler and care about his future.

Right now, he's stepping out

to what that future may hold.

Of course, we don't know what the future holds.

But as the old hymn reminds us in it's glorious melody...

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know

He holds the future.

And life is worth the living just because He lives."

We KNOW Who holds the future, and Tyler.

A Day in the Life...A Rather Long "Day", but Worth the Read...

2009-05-08T12:16:00.044-04:00

WOW! Has it been a busy past couple of weeks or what? I'd say "or what" because the word "busy" is ridiculously understating the past couple of weeks!
In that time I managed to volunteer nearly 20 hours at the consignment sale that I normally work and consign items in twice a year...I celebrated my birthday...I discovered the down side to drying laundry on a line outside...I've been working on potty training my 2 year old...and I've addressed and mailed Tyler's graduation announcements.

Let me start by telling you about this amazing consignment sale that I volunteer and consign in twice a year. Beth Dishner is the owner, and one of the sweetest people I've met! I "discovered" her sale about 4, maybe 5 years ago. Dean was driving through Fountain City one day and saw a little yellow sign in the median, and mentioned that I should check it out. When I finally made time to visit her sale, it was the last day of the extended sale (she had extended the sale due to rain...imagine that!). I remember thinking how nice Beth was and what a pretty place she had! I didn't spend but around $20, and when she encouraged me to consign, I wasn't sure that I'd shop again, much less consign items. It was a very very small sale, and I had come from a very professional consignment sale in Charlotte, which grossed $75,000 per sale! When it came time for her to have another sale, I received information in the mail and decided to give it a try. What the heck? I'd purchased most of the kids clothing off Ebay already, so all I really had to do was make a little bit of money. I was already working and consigning at a sale in Halls that wasn't quite as good as Beth's, but I'd made decent money and found some cute stuff there.
I consigned a small amount of items...probably around 70 or so. After all was said and done, I received a check for around $75! It was actually around the same amount of money as the other sale, but I had consigned a whole lot more at the other sale! After another round of sales, with an even bigger check from Beth's sale, I decided to quit consigning at the other sale and try only selling my items with her. Since that time, I haven't consigned, worked, or shopped at any other consignment sale! It's too much fun to work with and for Beth Dishner! Her group of ladies is fun, and her sale is managed in a gently sweet & professional manner. It's such a great "outing" for me, personally, because it's not convenient for me to take a preschooler out a lot...just easier to stay at home. This great sale is known as "The Picky Chic" consignment sale, and I encourage you to check it out! The next sale will be in August, 2009. It's so big now, she holds it at FountainHead College of Technology!!!

That leads me to my next "busy" moment over the past couple of weeks...celebrating my birthday! WOW! I've been incredibly blessed over the years and am glad to have had this time with family and friends. I received a few unexpected surprises for my birthday, which made it even sweeter! Flowers, bracelets, childcare, cards, a kitchen gift card, birthday bundles (one with a "key finder"...haven't misplaced my keys since!!! Thanks Sherry!!!!), and a new toaster (courtesy of my friend and therapist, A.N.), a date night & movie...MAKES A GIRL FEEL SPECIAL! And on my birthday card from my children, my beautiful & gracious Scarlett wrote, "Happy 29th Birthday, Mom!". MADE MY YEAR!!! Hahhahahahaaaaa..."29" never felt so good!!!

More exciting news about my crappy washer/dryer...the dryer broke! Aren't you surprised?!!! The timer went out on the dryer. How do you make it with 7 people in a house and a super crappy washer/dryer???? My awesome hubby hung a looooong line for me outside so I could dry clothes until the part came in for the dryer. After the first day, I was ready to pitch the dryer...fixed or not! I absolutely LOVED hanging my clothes outside!!! The sun bleaches the whites to perfection, while the spring air makes them smell divine. And they dry really fast. I was enchanted with the whole process, until we were 3 days into the rain forest. I had been hanging wet laundry on my banister for those 3 days...

"Okay...I WUZ lovin' hanging my laundry!"

"Except for the rain?" My lovely hubby asked.

"Ummm...yes...drying loads of laundry off the banister isn't fun. They don't dry near as fast, there isn't any room, and they don't smell as good." I complained.

"So now you want your dryer?" he asked.

"Yes. But if it stops raining by dinner, I don't want it anymore."

As I said...it's the "down side" to using only the great outdoors as a dryer. And BTW...on the 4th rainy day, the part came in. It was the WRONG PART, thus, I'm still using the banister!!!!

And for the final portion of my post today...it's a week's worth of frustratingly poopy potty-training accounts, crammed into a few sentences (RIGHT!). Here goes:

My intelligent hubby decided that I needed to "work with" Lukie baby on potty-training. Like the idiot I can sometimes be, I committed to do that this week, being that it was Erica's week to run the carpool. Pay attention, as this will likely be the ONLY time I EVER admit to my idiocrazy...and that's misspelled for a reason! Luke already had Elmo underwear, as he had teased me about 6 months ago, by pee-peeing and doing a stinky in the potty, only to regress when introduced to underwear. I even bought Lighting McQueen underwear to help us...Luke is ALL about "Lightin' McQueen!!!!!

Day 1 (Monday) was mainly spent gently encouraging Luke to pee-pee in the potty. I was kind and understanding until he crapped in the floor. That challenged my kindness and tore up my understanding, but I handled it well. I scrubbed it up and moved on.

Day 2 (Tuesday) was spent telling Luke that if he pee-peed in the floor, he was gettin' a spankin'. Of course, when a 2 year old pees in the carpet, they don't exactly announce it. You actually don't realize their mistake until after you've stepped in it, or knelt in it, depending on what you're doing. And you can't really pop their boo-tay for that...they won't understand it unless you catch them in the act (like a dog). Luke was less sure of my feelings for him that day, but all was well by bedtime.

Day 3 (Wednesday) began with me firmly explaining the benefit to his boo-tay, if he peed in the potty. And then I scrubbed doo-doo out of the carpet THREE times. I lost count on scrubbing up the pee-pee, and we had long since run out of "big-boy" underwear. They were all hanging on the banister trying to dry. I told hubby, "If he's not potty trained by Friday, I'm putting a diaper on him, and he can wear them until he starts kindergarten!". Just when I thought I'd have to go rent a steam cleaner, Luke peed in the potty! Dean was already home and we (Daddy, Mommy, & Scarlett) ran to the potty and cheered!!! Praise God!!! This is THE break I've been waiting for, right?
Day 4 (Thursday) kicked off with extreme optimism. So when I stepped on a suspicious wet patch in the carpet, I had to put my nose to the floor to believe it was really pee-pee. I spent the day asking Lukie (every 10 minutes) "Do you need to go potty?". Of course, the answer was ALWAYS "No"...I take that back...sometimes the answer was "Lukie play with cars". By dinner, I realized we were light years away from having Luke potty-trained, and I am NO potty training expert...even with 5 kids. I was tired and the carpet was changing colors.
Day 5 (Friday...today) began with Luke in a diaper. Actually, he's STILL in a diaper. And I can accept that for the next 3 years, if that works! I think I'll recommend to hubby that he take his 5 days of vacation on a Monday thru Friday. That way, he can spend Saturday thru Sunday (9 days straight) "working with" Lukie baby on his potty training skills. And when they're done...I'll call Stanley Steamer.
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During the chaos, I've been addressing Tyler's graduation announcements.

Back when I actually ordered the announcements, I expressed to him that I needed to know exactly how many he wanted, because I had a list of family and a few old friends that I needed to send them to. He insisted that he only needed "3" to send out to the other side of his family. Fine...3 is fine. Until you start addressing them and Tyler uses up 14 of them! Out of 30 announcements, all but 3 of them were sent to family!!! But that's the mild part of the story.
When the announcements came in, I carefully laid them out on my desk, along with the "inner" envelopes and the "outer" envelopes. Later that afternoon, I gave my 9 year old daughter some paper to write her thank you notes on...to her friends who had given her birthday presents. Then, I went to the consignment sale to work. The next morning, I noticed that Savannah had all of her "thank you" cards neatly tucked in envelopes with her friend's names on the front. But where had she gotten the envelopes? That became crystal clear when Tyler started raving about his missing announcement envelopes! Oh no! Savannah had used 1/2 the "outer" envelopes to put her notes in!!! At nearly $2 per announcement, I could certainly understand Tyler's frustration. But the damage was done, so I told him not to worry...we'd just have to use the "inner" envelopes as "outer" envelopes, and that our family would understand. After all, we ARE the Jones Crew! After I addressed the envelopes, I realized that the "inner" ones didn't have lickable glue on them...SO...I had to use the girl's purple glue stick to seal the envelopes!

These accounts are only slightly elevated from a normal Jones Crew week. And I'd share further with you, but it's starting to rain outside, again. I've got to run and pull my clothes off the line. In the 2 hours of sunshine we've had today, I managed to hang 2 loads of laundry on the line!!! And none of it included Lightin' McQueen underwear!

Negative Mouths

2009-04-23T08:07:00.049-04:00

Do you ever get "fed up" with people who insist on being negative? I've found that some of the worst ones are "serving" in ministry. It amazes me that someone could be like that in ministry. They are serving with people who actually know Christ and love serving Him! Don't they ever learn?

Negativity is not from God.

Direction, guidance, and help IS. Job gives truthful insight on the mouth...

"Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty." (vs 15:5) Even in ministry, we have negative thoughts. They come from getting our feelings hurt...or being offended because something didn't go our way. But we must combat those feelings with the truth of God! Otherwise, the heart turns sinful by the thoughts and it comes pouring out of our mouths!!! In fact, over time, we become unaware of how bad our mouth really is! That can ONLY lead to death and destruction... of ministries... and relationships. And what winds up happening, if you don't grab on to God's truth, is that you wind up running your mouth like the crafty people do. What is crafty? Websters defines it this way: skillful, clever, adept in the use of subtlety and cunning...sly.
Now there are some who would take it as a compliment to be described this way. I assure you, the word "SLY" should remove any pride over being known this way. Let me throw out a couple of other meanings for you...

Sly: clever in concealing one's aims or ends...furtive...lacking in straightforwardness and candor.
Cunning: characterized by wiliness and trickery

Are you getting my drift?

Every time we open our mouths and say something, it's either positive or negative...it's either building up or tearing down...it's either pleasing to God or it's not. And when you are negative about someone or you tear down God's ministry, I assure you that it DOES NOT please Him. And when you participate in such, you're hurting the cause of Christ. 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

¹³ so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? Job 15:12-13

Job understood and was concerned about his own mouth. And the Bible describes Job in the first chapter & verse this way:

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil."

Job was a righteous man. He sets the example on doing your best to love God...serve God...and learn humility. And yet, when the sky fell in on his life (so to speak), he questioned his own mouth...his own actions...and his own intentions! He didn't blame everybody else!!!

Are you living a life that speaks God's truth, or are you pretending to be "holy", yet slaughtering others behind their back? That's a heart problem...and God is NOT honored by that...

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Isaiah 29:13
We become so concerned about "holding the worm" (first to "know & share" the juicy bits) in our mouth, that we don't realize that we're compromising God's truth...standing on the line between His light and the world's darkness. I realize that at some point and time, we all must hold ourselves in check concerning our mouth. Nobody has ever been exempt from having to do so, including me. But there IS a difference in running your mouth about something that isn't your business, and using your mouth to express how great someone is...or expressing positive signs you see in a ministry.

How do we do that? Just a few ways...

*Share your opinion all you want to...but do it in a positive way that doesn't tear down someone else, and misrepresent the name of Christ.

*CHOOSE to not be a whirlwind of negativity...and choose to stand up for Christ when you're in a group of people and the conversation begins to drift towards negative gossip or negative "truth"!

*Just because what you're saying may be fact, doesn't give you the right to open your mouth and say it!!!

*The golden nuggest of truth?...I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." Psalm 39:1

*Instead of dwelling on things you don't like concerning ANY situation, choose to be part of the solution...keep your mouth shut and move forward...

Now, let me say this: I know there are times when we need to vent, and God has provided a specific person or persons in our lives in which to do so. It may be your husband...your Mom...or a close friend. BUT, you need to realize that whomever that person or persons is...they will be mature enough to confirm your feelings, and will point you in the direction of keeping your mouth shut and moving forward. Anyone not willing to do that, is not someone whom God wants you confiding in. The person to whom you vent should not be one who "feeds" the bad behavior of you running your mouth to others.

Wouldn't YOU like to be the one whose heart is full of positive truth?

“I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” Psalm 71:7-8

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 .

Have you ever wondered why you're not as close to a friend as you once were? They may have moved out of state...they may have joined a different church...God may have called you into a different direction...or maybe...just maybe...YOUR WORDS DESTROYED YOUR FRIENDSHIP.
Start praying today that God will convict you of every word that you utter.

"Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

Guess what will happen when you do that...?

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." Job 8:21

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T11:51:00.013-04:00

We went to the 8:00am worship service at our church today. There was no Sunday School...only the 3 worship service times that were offered in celebration of Easter.

I'm not ashamed to say that I don't get real excited about Easter, because at our church, it's like we're having a celebration for Christ every Sunday...not just on Easter Sunday morning. In fact, I normally am not hyped up about our celebration of Easter because it's usually a drama depicting the days that Christ was in the flesh on this Earth, complete with His resurrection from the grave. I don't know why, but dramas like that don't touch my heart the way they did when I was younger. What touches my heart now is different...it's life...and the truth of how utterly shameful we are and how God sent Jesus to redeem us from that. To save us and redeem us from ourselves.
Grace chose to "Face the Cross" this year instead of doing a drama. And for the first time in years on Easter Sunday morning...I cried. It's amazing to be reminded of how sinful I am and how full of grace and mercy my Lord is...that despite all my negative choices from the past (and even some I make today)...He has saved me and redeemed me...He has restored me!

Our wonderful pastor reminded us that it didn't take Easter for God to accept Christ' sacrifice as payment for the sins of all mankind. Jesus died on what we know as "Good Friday". And when Jesus died, His very words said it all..."It is finished". At that point in time, we were forgiven. The penalty of sin was forever paid. The bonus was when Jesus rolled the tomb away and gave us victory over death! Every negative mouth had to close THEN!!! Jesus not only satisfied God, but He defeated the ultimate consequence of sin...DEATH. So amazing!

Easter means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. What it means to me is this:

God loved me so much that He made sure I would have the choice to belong to Him...to be forgiven...redeemed...and restored...by sending Jesus to pay the price for my sin. God said no sin would ever separate me from Him, unless I rejected the One who paid that price. And when He called my heart to Him, I made the choice to repent from my sin, accept Christ, and live for Him. I now have an inheritance that is so glorious, I can't wrap my mind around it. Though it will try...death and sin will not destroy me, because I belong to the One who has power over all things.

That is Easter, and it's more amazing than I could ever fully explain.

Ladybug

2009-03-30T13:48:00.015-04:00

So I haven't blogged in nearly a week.

I've been busy. With these 5 kids. And life.

Sometimes I feel like I'll explode if I don't get to blog. And other times, I don't have much to say. That's life, I suppose. We're full one minute and empty the next. Sounds like my snack box. And ooohhhhh...don't I get sick of dealing with that! My weight, that is. But that's a different blog on a different day.

Today, I have to share with you one of the simplest, yet most fulfilling experiences that I've had lately. This morning, my precious 2 year old came into the mudroom (my office!) with his tiny hands cupped. You gotta know something about Luke...he's so full of joy (unless you take his pacy!), and so carefree. Inside those tender little hands, he held...a ladybug.

Luke LOVES Ladybugs.

He has a book that we read about 417 times a day, entitled, "10 Little Ladybugs".
Now let me tell you...when that sweet little boy carefully walked to my chair with his tiny hands cupped, looking down at his prize, I MELTED.

.
.
.
.
"Mama!"

"Luke!"
.
"yadybug, Mama!"
.
Drip...ooze...melt...

"Oh Luke! A Ladybug!!! You're holding a Ladybug!!!"

His little face broke into the biggest dimpled grin that it could manage as he looked up into my face.

"yadybug, Mama!"

This week, my cabinet's arrived. They were delivered on Friday. I thought I'd SCARE the delivery man, I was so excited!!! I opened 2 boxes to peek inside and see the color, etc. We've waited nearly 6 years to remodel my kitchen. Next Monday, the installer will bring his team to my house and they will install my new kitchen cabinets. The ones we've waited so long for. And as thrilled as I am about these cabinets...

I'm an oozing mess over "yadybug, Mama!", and the precious gift that God has blessed me with in Luke.

Absolutely NOTHING like it.

May there be hundreds more...

"yadybugs".

Faithful Love

2009-03-24T13:50:00.022-04:00

We began studying "The Five Love Languages of Children" in Sunday School this week.

It made me wonder...

What is love?

As I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me (as I had asked), I was led to do a word search on "love" in the Bible. I want to point out that sometimes we don't get the nudge because we don't ask for it.

I was stopped in my tracks with the very first verse. From Exodus 20:6..."but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands".

In Exodus 20, God's Ten Commandments are recorded. And in the verses just before this one, God warns us not to make idols to bow down to. He seriously tells us that He is a "jealous God"...meaning that He wants our time, our effort...our love.

Little do we realize how badly we need to give it to Him.

Faithful Love...

He gives His faithful love to us, even though it came at the highest price possible.

Faithful Love...

His faithful love fills us.

The faithful blessings of a friendship that will never fail me. Something I can barely describe through any form of expression. A heart feeling. Like coming out of the cold winter into a glorious spring. Like cuddling up beside a warm fire after being out in the frigid snow. Like having the summer to relax and breath after a hectic school schedule. Like slipping into your "skinny jeans" after years of battling weight issues (still pushing my big toe through the leg...).

Words fail to accurately describe that heart feeling.

Worry-free. Care-free.

Hopeful...in fact...brimming with hope.

Secure.

Satisfied, at least for a time.

Enjoying God. Feeling embraced and fully accepted by Him. Despite our imperfections.

No pressures...no worries...no stress.

Just you and Him.

Just live it.

Resting in His faithful love. And understanding that we can never compare it with love as we speak of it.

There is love...then there is faithful love.

We say we love so many things. We love watching "Grey's Anatomy". We love eating at the Melting Pot. We love to shop. We love to go on vacation. But when the power goes out...we run out of money...or we are unable to get time off from work, our love for such things take a back seat.

Are you faithful enough to climb the utility pole, risking life & limb to fix the power? Are you faithful enough to spend your household bill money on other things? Are you faithful enough to quit your job and head for the shore? Is that love?

God's love is faithful, Friends. It's the kind of love that is genuine and true. It's not based on what we do or don't do. It's the kind of love that is faithfully put into action, time and again. It's unconditional. It's perfect...because God is perfect. No matter what, His love remains.

"Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands." Exodus 20:4-6

He faithfully fulfilled this promise when He sent Jesus to the cross...and He faithfully continues to love us even now.

That's love.

The Maytag Man Must Be Tired...

2009-03-18T07:13:00.033-04:00

My feet touched the floor at 6:28am this morning. Even when the kids are out of school, I try to get up around that time because if I sleep in, I'm tired all day long. I trudged into the bathroom, in a fog. After brushing my teeth, I heard my wonderful hubby say, "Oh NOoooo!". He had walked downstairs to prepare to leave for work.

And encountered a lake...right inside our house!

Okay...maybe lake is an exaggeration. But we've sloshed through that swamp more than a few times! Our washing machine, a Maytag (which is supposed to be good), had dumped water out all over the carpet, YET AGAIN.

That's happened about 4 or 5 times over the past few years. We've had the glorious Maytag repaired twice, but it still isn't the awesome little machine that Maytag has always claimed (the commercials w/the repairman having nothing to do because the washing machine runs so well that it rarely needs repair...HA!...HA-HA!!!). And did I mention that the thing is so loud, I'm sure it "wakes the dead"?!

I think the Maytag Man must be exhausted.

Rich, maybe.

But exhausted.

(our "top-of-the-line" Maytag)

(the "Atlantis" is supposed to handle an ocean of water, right?!!! All while operating as quiet as a mouse...)

I certainly am! What's the point in having a washing machine that dumps gallons of water all over your carpet (thank the Lord there's concrete underneath!!!!)? The point would definitely NOT be for my washing machine to clean my carpet...

I guess it makes about as much sense

as knowing the secret to the universe,

but keeping it to yourself.

Huh?

You heard me.

Do I know the secret to the universe? Well...no. But I do know the only way to the truth and fulfilling life that we desperately long for. And it has nothing to do with the Maytag man. It has everything to do with...

The Creator.

And guess what The Creator wants us to do when we know the truth? Dump gallons of truth all over your loved ones...and shower everyone you come in contact with.

While we cringe at the thought of having to suck up that lake of water that our washing machine has dumped out, we should be able to swim in the truth of God and shower everyone else with His love! Now that doesn't mean cramming the gospel down people's throat. Jesus didn't beat anyone over the head with a Bible!!! But it does mean that in everything we do...in everything we say...we should honor Him to the point that others see a difference in our life.

A recent survey of "Christians" revealed that only 3 out of 10 parents incorporate God into the daily lives of their children. THREE out of TEN? Do you know what God says about teaching your kids about Him?

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6, 5-9

God says put all your heart, soul, and strength into loving Him! He says talk to your kids about the things of God when you're at home, when you're on the go, when you prepare for bedtime and when morning comes. He says make His commands obviously important in your life and in your home!

What's more obvious than a lake inside your house?

A life in which you're putting amazing effort

into loving God. A home in which your children

know about the things of God and the incredible grace

that He's extended to your family.

Do you splash your faith on others? We should all strive for the kind of relationship with Christ that gets others wet when they come around us. Maybe not soaked...but at the very least, wet.

We'll leave the soaking to the Maytag...

It's Raining...

2009-03-16T14:33:00.011-04:00

Remember that old song, "It's raining...on prom night..."? Well...I'm singing that song in a different version.

It's raining...on the first day...of Spring Break 2009.

I might go...nuts before...we get to bedtime...

That's right! We're spending the first official day of Spring Break this year INSIDE. While outside, the grass, trees, and new little blooms are playing in the cool early spring rain...INSIDE...I've yelled at the kids more than once today, stayed in my pj's nearly all day long, and washed TONS of laundry. Not exactly a memorable spring break, so far.

In fact...it just seems like an ordinary day. Poor kids.

"Go pick a movie"
"Clean your room"
"Eat your food"
"Fold the towels"
"Watch your brother"
"Put your clothes on"
"NO!"
"You're TOO loud"
"You're getting on my LAST fried nerve!"
"Clean up your mess"

I confess. These are things my kids hear almost daily. But Spring Break is supposed to be different! Envision a sandy beach...no rain, and 80 degrees. The ocean is louder than the kids. The sun is warmer than Knoxville is right now. And the latest James Patterson novel is making my heart race as I sit in my beach chair, soaking in the words as well as the rays. Ahhhh...Spring Break as it was meant to be! Carefree...relaxing...dreamy.

Exactly how I could have it right now...if I kick the kids outside in the rain (baby included!), fill my tub up with hot water...grab the newest magazine I have (the JP novel is sitting at half.com waiting for me to order it)...and pour the luscious Sea Island Cotton bath gel onto my skin (for a yummy reminder of the beach)...and...soak.

Of course...I'll only get a few minutes before the little "sea urchins" come screaming back into the house...wet...cold...and no doubt, hungry...beach vision dissipated...Back to reality!

So I think I'll just make the most of today.

Imagine that!

"I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance."
Jesus says in John 10:10.

That doesn't change just because it's pouring rain outside! So making the most of today is exactly what Christ intends for us to do.

That might include spending a day at the beach...or spending a day painting toenails...

a day full of sea, sun, and sand...or a day full of pajamas and giggles...with an occasional 2 year old belly laugh thrown in...

'course, we could do that at that beach, too...

Everyday Joys

2009-03-10T15:29:00.010-04:00

Today, I am reminded of my life verse, "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you." Joel 2:25, which is also the title verse for my blog.

Living out a restored life is rewarding. Not that you feel restored everyday, but that you are restored everyday. It's challenging a lot of times. But it brings...

Peace.

It's so sweet! And even sweeter when you have helped provide it to someone else. Lessons are learned in the storm and then comes glorious peace...so that, we can enjoy the valuable proof God has given us of His faithfulness. No matter if the storm is minor or devastating. The peace is always welcome and enjoyable!

And it always brings restoration with it.

As I sat outside watching Luke play in the sandbox today, I experienced so much peace. The peace of knowing that the winter only lasts for a season. The peace of knowing that God never leaves us...even if we take a hike on a weedy pig trail. The peace of sitting in His sunshine! The peace of feeling the refreshing and comforting breeze blowing my hair around. The peace of knowing that He knows...He knows...what I feel...what I struggle with...what my true hearts desire is. Thank God for His amazing love for us!

Have you experienced His peace today?

It's "right there", as Luke reminds me daily. "Right there" in the simplicities of life...nothing complicated. "Right there" in Luke's smile...in the puffy clouds...in an uplifting phone call from a friend (thanks Sunday!)...in a funny email from my Mom (did you say 'overdraft'?)..."Right there" in the everyday joys that God Himself has placed into our paths.

Relax! He has already restored us. You just need to claim His peace...
and go play in the sandbox.

Are we headed for warmer weather?

2009-03-08T17:00:00.007-04:00

Over the past week, we've experienced warmer weather here in East Tennessee. We've run barefoot...raised the windows...worn short sleeves. And that is supposed to continue for the next few days. HOWEVER (and you always know there's a 'however'!), four days from now, the cold is expected to creep back in for several days.

Ah the joy of knowing exactly what the forecast is and how we should react to it! We can mentally begin to prepare ourselves for those upcoming days of chill. We can absolutely live up the days until then! We can live the outdoor life to it's fullest, right? Barefoot and carefree ALL THE WAY! Sleeping at night with the windows open and the springtime air floating in. We can party like it's 1999, right?...(you'd have to be over the age of 30 to understand that!).

Do we really enjoy the days before the unpleasant chill? Or do we fret over the chill moving back into our early springtime air?

I guess it depends on your perspective.

Enjoy the fun while it lasts, or worry over the time to come? Live in the moment, or stress for the future?

While it's always best to plan for the future, God definitely wants us to live in the moment...to live life to it's fullest. To set aside the temporary feelings that our sometimes misled perception can bring us, and place our life in His hands to live out according to His purpose.

Easier said than done.

That old perception steps in and tends to ruin things sometimes. Which in turn, holds us back from all God promised we could enjoy. And I struggle with that very thing...not being the perfect Christian. Not spending enough time studying His Word. Not allowing Him to fulfill me instead of those temporary fixes (like Ebay!) that will never satisfy my longings. Not that Ebay is bad...but you sure can't find "fulfillment" on those auction pages, much less bid on it!

My heart has been a little overwhelmed since I last blogged. So much has happened! Scarlett lost one of her front teeth. Two of the most precious people on this planet to me have had a birthday...with no special blog (it seems that birthdays come and go even when we don't "do" them like we thought we would!). My sweet and very funny neighbors lost their child/grandchild to SIDS. My friend's father has been diagnosed with cancer. I'm frustrated over ministry relationships. And God has been speaking to me about fulfillment and all the things we reach for in desperation (yes, and most of the time we don't realize we're desperate!) each day, to fill the spot that only He can. And I sense Him getting ready to make a change in my life.

I've lacked the energy to put it all into words!

And along with feeling guilty over not putting up the special birthday blogs, I've felt guilty for feeling like I've somehow disappointed God.

Do you ever feel that way?

I hate my feelings sometimes...because feelings LIE. And what I long for, as I'm sure you long for, is very simply...truth.

Truth!

As in...TRUTH or DARE?...how about..."To Tell the Truth" (an oldie but goodie!).

I get tired of battling my perception of how God sees me, versus what He actually tells me (about how He sees me) in His Word. Can anybody relate?!

Why isn't it enough to know that God sent His only Son to die in my place?

I think that has been a struggle my whole life. Why? Because I feel that when I'm not the perfect Christian, that God has no reason to love me and accept me...much less, to bless me. The problem with that way of thinking is...

A~I'll never be perfect
B~God's love & acceptance of me has no rhyme OR reason
C~He doesn't bless me based on my "perfect-ness"

I continually have to remind myself that when I fail Him in my time (being a time-waster), or I overeat (leave the wheat thins on the shelf!)...I'm overly irritated with these wonderful little people that He's blessed me with (my kiddies), or when I isolate myself from others (instead of taking the opportunities to be a blessing to someone else)...God isn't sitting there with a demerit list, just waiting to whack my hands with a ruler! God isn't surprised when any of us choose to do things that deviate from His daily plan for our lives! He's disappointed, but doesn't hold it against us. And He knows that ultimately, if we know Him and love Him, our pig-trail will lead us right back to His highway!

But that's a daily battle of laying down my will and asking Him to take the wheel once more. And it's not the end of the world when we get distracted...it's called...

the walk...living in the moment...with God planning our future.

And us knowing, although we might not always feel it, that we can rest in His plan...that He loves us & accepts us despite our time wasting...wheat thin eating (the Parmesan basil ones are TDF!)...irritatingly frustrating...isolated pig trail ways.

We don't have to stress out over those chilly days that are forecast to come! God knows ALL about those! And He WILL be faithful. Feelings will probably lie about that, too, but God's commitment to us is not based on feelings...it's based on His truth. We can't mess that up! We can feel like a failure all day long, but our feelings do not define God's truth! PRAISE HIM!!!

So I might feel blue over the trickle of colder days that no doubt lie ahead of our glorious warm weather! But I know that God will not pack up and move to Florida! He will not give up on me! And my feelings wouldn't jerk me around as bad if I didn't give them permission to do it. I can only help myself by using the Word that lies at my fingertips, to bring those feelings into His perspective. All the guilt in the world can't stand up against my Father!!!

And another thing...(this one's for Mark)...

God actually loves the color blue. So it can't be all that bad.

Trust the Outlook?...or trust God...

2009-02-23T10:20:00.009-05:00

You just can't trust the weather in East Tennessee! Here we are in dreaded cold temperatures again. I say dreaded because I truly enjoyed the week we had twelve days ago when the temps stayed in the upper 60's. My whole spirit was refreshed by warmer weather!...and at the same time, I dreaded the cold weather that I knew would return for a spell. Before Spring steps in, ushering in Summer...until later this year.

I've struggled with feeling kind of "blue" during this winter season. Dean says it's because we've had so many days that have been bitterly cold. I agree. Therefore...Spring & Summer can't get here fast enough for me!!!

I'm looking forward to days without socks & shoes again. Days where I can open up the windows and doors and be comfortable enough to fall asleep in my chair as I read my favorite book. Those days refresh my soul! Similar to how my soul gets refreshed when I talk to God.

I can trust God to make sense of things when I can't...and to add purpose to things when I can't see. His sense, & His purpose, not to mention His ways, are so much higher than I can comprehend. And that's good to know! Because sometimes, when things feel bleak...and nothing makes sense...God is there to comfort me. He never leaves me. I'm so grateful to Him for that.

I was reading more of "The Shack", and came across the section where Jesus describes to Mack how his daughter Missy initially handled being in the van with her abductor. Jesus tells him that at first, Missy didn't know he (Jesus) was with her, but how, when she realized it, she settled down quite a bit. Jesus talked about how He held her through everything and how Missy was NEVER alone, through the entire ordeal. He goes on to state that Missy even prayed for her loved ones...that they wouldn't worry so much about her.

I don't know about you, but I'd say that the character, Missy, displayed an incredible amount of peace to be able to do that. And that's something that we refuse to accept from God so much of the time...

Peace.

It's almost as if we'd rather be in turmoil...we'd rather suffer...than to trust God in His infinite wisdom and grace in our lives.

I was amazed to ponder the trust that this little girl had in such dire circumstances. Trust that God was with her and would not leave her. Trust that God knew everything happening and cared about her. And trust that God would comfort her loved ones.

Of course it made me wonder...

In the midst of devastation, do we trust God like that?

When the world seems to be coming to an end as we know it...do we trust God to be there?

I know that Missy is a fictitious character in a story that isn't real...but the story might as well have been written from a factual standpoint, as this is a story that could be told and retold as truth, time and time again. Children are kidnapped and murdered everyday in our nation. And their loved ones suffer. And they question God.

Wouldn't you?

I would...but my prayer is that when I'm faced with challenges and certain devastation, my trust in God will not waver. That should be the ultimate goal for all of us...

To trust our Creator. The very One who plans out our days and sees us through the trials we face in life. The One who gave His Son as payment for our sin. The Son who took it upon Himself to trade His life for ours.

How do we NOT trust Him?

Oh that's easy! We don't spend time with Him. We don't give Him the opportunity to show us how much He loves us and how trustworthy He really is. We tell Him that we can do life by ourself...we don't need Him. Then, when we're faced with the terrible consequences that we have NO IDEA how to handle...we blame Him. Thus leading to the wrong belief that GOD is the one who isn't trustworthy.

You mean, WE'RE the ones who aren't trustworthy, right?

Thank God that He doesn't depend on OUR logic to do His work! Otherwise, there would never be a good ending to the situation in which we find ourselves...in the back of that van. No matter what...God is with us. And He is not surprised by anything we encounter. He will never leave us alone. That's a promise! So we might as well step way out on that limb, and...

Trust Him.

'Cause Lord knows... you sure can't trust the weather forecast...

The Missing Piece

2009-02-17T00:14:00.016-05:00

My children & I spent President's Day laughing at the antics of a dog named "Bolt" in the Disney movie of that title. After our trip to the $2 movies, we headed for McKays (books & movies). They love going there. They usually get about $3 or $4 each to spend there, and walk out with a bag full of stuff!

I, too, enjoy shopping there. I always pick up a few old dollar VHS movies for Tyler & I to watch later. And today was no different. I found 6 movies that looked entertaining, and purchased those.

I also found something else...

A Leapster cartridge.

A what?...you might ask.

A Leapster cartridge...or what I thought was a Leapster cartridge.

Let me explain what that is. About 3 years or so ago, our precious "Nana" gave each of the girls a Leapfrog Leapster. You purchase game cartridges that fit into the Leapster, and the kids play educational games.

The Leapsters are worth their weight in gold. Long drive ahead? No problem! Leapster can handle it...and Leapster can handle your kid. It's an amazing "toy". Hands down...the toy of the decade!!! And you know it's gotta be a big deal for a Mom of FIVE KIDS to say that!!!

So I "found" a Leapster game cartridge today...or so I thought. Unfortunately, the package only had the instructions to THE hottest game cartridge on the market...or rather NOT on the market. It was the "Junie B Jones" cartridge, which is no longer available for purchase at retail stores. And I had the package in my hand, with the instructions on how to play the game. So while I had all the necessary elements for the Leapster unit, one very important thing was missing...the game itself.

We desperately dug through the bin where we found it. No Junie B Jones game cartridge. We asked at the service desk...no Junie B Jones.

Did I tell you that I had been searching on Ebay for Junie B Jones? Yes. And around Christmas when I really wanted that game cartridge, and everybody else did too...it was selling for around $60...USED, and Amazon currently has it on sale for $79. So imagine my initial reaction today at finding the package at McKays for $5.95...
FIVE DOLLARS AND NINETY FIVE CENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, all the searching led to...NOTHING. I was so disgusted!
"God...that would have been such a blessing!" I complained, "Why would you allow me to find that, only to discover that it was missing the vital piece that would make it function?".

And here is what God told me...

"Because you need to realize what blessings you miss out on when you go about your day and leave Me out. I'm the vital piece that makes your day function as it should. You have all the paperwork you will ever need (the Bible). You have all the resources it takes to live and breathe, because I've provided that. Now you need to make me a "habit"...you need to make sure that you have the most important piece of your life in running order each and every day."

See folks...we can have it ALL. We can have all of our needs taken care of. We can live a carefree lifestyle. Money...no object. Power...at our fingertips. Status...right outside our door. But we ABSOLUTELY can't function properly if we're missing the most important piece of all, which is Christ. How frustrating was it for me today, to discover this game package at a mere fraction of the cost...only to find that it was missing the very piece that makes it a game?
.

How do we play the game of life

without the One Who CREATED the game???

We can't do it successfully. We can drag out all the stuff we think is necessary. We can put forth tons of effort. But if we don't have that relationship with Christ, we'll never be able to play the game. We won't REALLY be living.

I was still irritated about that missing game cartridge when we got home. But God reminded me that He has a purpose in that situation. Maybe someone else needed that cartridge worse than my kids. Or maybe it didn't work properly. It really doesn't matter at this point. It's just another game.

And who needs a "Junie B Jones", anyway?

I've already got a

Summerlyn B Jones... a

Savannah B Jones... & a

Scarlett B Jones...

I don't think I could handle anymore...

Lola Ruth (Grandma and Ma)

2009-02-15T17:31:00.009-05:00

(Ma w/Tyler in Dec. '90)
Today is Ma's birthday.
(Ma at Holden Beach in Oct '08)
She is 81.
(Ma w/baby Summerlyn in March '98)
What do YOU think an 81 year old woman would be like? I can assure you that she's NOTHING like you might imagine!!! My Ma has always taken care of herself. I don't mean that she works out each day or takes a 5 mile hike.

I mean that, in a sense, she's prissy...even still...at 81.
(Ma w/Tyler at her anniversary celebration)
Here are ways that I know my Ma...

Sparkling clean house, perfectly painted fingernails and toenails, hair always done (or in the curler process of being done-HA!), clothes always neat, indulging her grandchildren, thinking ahead, organized, makeup on (except when preparing for bed), packing up to go to the cabin, coffee ready in a blink, saltines in the Premium tin on the bottom shelf, family taken care of, home cared for, good stories, finger pointed, folded down bags of her favorite snack in the upper cabinet (on the left side of the sink), "Be still!!!", chocolate covered cherries (Tyler developed his PASSION for these from her!), expert traveler, mowing grass, Lola "in charge"-HA!!!, floppy beach hat, camera in hand (the "dern thing"!), reading the latest best seller, little toe issues, beautiful wedding rings, lipstick prints on your cheek, lotion-soft hands, "Oh LORD!", laughing until our sides hurt and we cry, "I gotta take a pill!!!", chewing gum/mints, driving her car.
(Ma & Mom at JET's graduation in June '96)
Only a tip of the iceberg, but these things are snippets of the ways we know her! She is truly a remarkable woman. I love to hear her tell stories of her childhood. She was adopted. And she remembers things from when she was very young. Ma can tell you in great detail about life "back then". And you know as you listen to her that it truly was a different world...much simpler and more focused than what we experience today. Her world has always been focused on "Tommy" (my Pa), her family. Her home. Her kids. Her grand-kids. Her great-grand-kids.
(Ma w/toddler Savannah in summer of '01)
She's that woman who has always enjoyed doing things like "spring cleaning" and doing all the work it takes to prepare for guests. Of course now, she'll tell you that she's too old and too tired for all of that, but if she has any energy...she's up doing it!
(Me, Summerlyn, & Ma)
I'm sure my Ma has enjoyed other things over the years. I have a painting hanging in my hall upstairs that she did years ago. She's shown a passion for various things over the years, but never more so than her family, and friends.
(Me, Ma, & Debbie in summer of '01)
As I searched through my pictures, looking for memorable ones of Ma, I noticed something. Most of the pictures I've ever snapped of her are ones where she's doing something. Rarely are there pics of just her face! It's like my Mom said years ago...when you're the one who always takes the pictures, there aren't many pictures of you! It speaks so much to Ma's service to others. For the first 20 plus years of my life, we always had a big Thanksgiving dinner...we always had money & presents at Christmas...we always had special times when we visited my Grandparents. And Ma was a hard worker for her family, in all of that, and still is when she has the opportunity.
(Pa, me & Ma in summer '01)
Everybody is different...grandparents celebrate their time with their grandchildren differently. I was only able to visit with my Grandparents little more than a few times per year while growing up, so the visits were a highlight to my life, not just to my summer or holiday! It was something that I looked forward to for weeks & months, and
Ma did NOT disappoint during my visits!
(Ma & me)
The pics in this blog are again...only a tip of the iceberg. My memories of her reach much further. Look...nobody is perfect, I realize...BUT...for any imperfections my Grandparents have had, the blessings have abounded more so in my life. Their influence and love for me has made a mark on my life. And those of us who are close to Ma, have without a doubt...in good and bad times...been exposed to lessons and sacrifice that make up a beautiful legacy. We would not be the people we are today, without Ma's touch.
(Pa, me, & Ma 1995)
Lord willing, we will continue to add to our memories and laughter this fall, when we head to Topsail Island on our family vacation. And that touch that Ma has will add to our character even more...HA! We are all looking forward to it!!!

I LOVE YOU GRANDMA!!!

(Ma, Dean, & Luke-Holden Beach-Oct'08)

Today, I praise the Lord that He breathed life into Lola Ruth!
(Having "tea"-Holden Beach-Oct/08)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA!!!

I'M SO GLAD YOU WERE BORN!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-15T00:33:00.017-05:00

For God so loVed the world
****that He gAve His
***********onLy begotten Son
***that whosoEver will
***believeth iN Him
******shall noT
***********perIsh but have
*****everlastiNg
************lifE

John 3:16

Tried to get this out a little earlier! Check back for a special birthday blog!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JET!!!

2009-02-10T12:43:00.012-05:00

(Handsome Brother!)
Ahhh...having a "baby" brother. The joy! The trouble. And the thrill of watching him get his fanny spanked, while I got off "scott-free" (which RARELY happened!!!).

Today is my brother's birthday.

He's 31. Gee-whiz! What does that make ME???!!! Not funny, JET!!!(when I was pregnant w/Tyler...JET was Summerlyn's age now...11 years old)
I barely remember the day he was born. I was eight. I've wondered through the years, how my children have such great memories for being so young. It seems that they can remember and talk about things from the age of 4 or 5 (at least SCARLETT can, as she's only 6 now), and I can barely remember things from when I was younger.
(Jet w/Tyler)
I remember Mama & Daddy coming by my elementary school to say "good-bye", when they went to the hospital to have my brother (his name is Jonathan Edward Thomas...JET). I think I remember my Mom sitting on a towel or a towel in the floorboard of the car, and I think the car was dark blue. That sounds silly except that my Mom's water had broken, which would make sense. I'm sure I've probably seen pictures over the years to "help" my memory.
(Carmen-8 yrs old)
And I think the reason that I don't remember more from those younger years, is that Daddy gave me too much NyQuil to help me go to sleep...JUST KIDDING! (My Mom is probably having trouble breathing right now!).
(JET's kindergarten picture)
I remember being at my friend Sandra Gilbert's house, when her mother told us that I had a new baby brother. I didn't really comprehend that at first...just couldn't understand what that meant. All I knew was that I was getting to play at my friends house and we were going to have a sleepover!
(Dad purposely raised us crazy...)
My next memories of Jonathan consist of this little baby (if you call 8lbs, 8oz. LITTLE!) in a sleeping gown in his crib, which had the matching crib sheet. So I could barely tell where little baby brother stopped and where the crib sheet began! He had a sweet head and dark hair. And he was definitely on the chubby side! And Mama & Daddy kept showing me a special spot on the top of his head that was soft. Something about not poking it...(now you know what really happened!)...HA! I don't remember a lot of things that others might...like the first time I saw the "he" part. Or how he sounded when he screamed. And I don't remember what I really thought of him, only that I struggled with some sibling jealousy initially. But I DO remember how cute he was...he was the cutest baby I'd ever seen. With dark eyes, a button nose, and chubby cheeks...well...chubby everything! He smelled good, too.
(JET at 10)
And I DO remember the time that my hamster's escaped from their cage...and how one of them ran RIGHT INTO Jonathan's nursery. My Mom was panicked, and I felt horrible! Of course, I don't remember how the hamster's escaped...but that's not important! What's important is that we found them all (I think there were 3), and returned them to their cage.
(Jet at 11)
It's funny how your memories get stirred up. As I started having children myself, I remembered so many things about when Jonathan was little. How he looked as he stood inside his crib, holding on to the rail and chomping down on his itchy gums. How he would push baby food out of his mouth when he didn't like the taste. And later on...when he was a toddler...how he would constantly move his hands. I'm sure he was probably ADHD...but they didn't know about that stuff way back then!

(JET's football pic)(After JET's surgery...I was pregnant w/Luke)
I'd love to show you pictures of that yummy little baby boy, but Mama has them "packed up" somewhere, and I don't have any myself, despite the fact that I was like another mommy to him. I just wasn't into picture taking at the ripe old age of 8! Over the years, I've certainly felt like I mothered JET in some way...except that at 8 years old, I couldn't possibly have birthed him! AND...he did irritate me and get me extra spankings as a child...which definitely makes him a bratty little brother. But without a doubt, God blessed our family so much with Jonathan...and here's my birthday wish for him...

(Mom & Dad...don't worry...they don't look like that now...!)

"Honor your father and your mother,

as the LORD your God has commanded you,
so that you may live long
and that it may go well with you
in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Deuteronomy 5:16

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!!!
I'm so glad you were born!!!
(Papaw & JET...I think JET is 22)
(JET & Tyler...JET is 20)

Following Christ

2009-02-05T14:29:00.005-05:00

Do you think of "following Christ" in terms of giving up the "bad stuff"? Or for those who are more devoted to the calling...staying away from specific sins? No more wild parties...no more alcohol induced rages...no more porn...no more drugs...no more selfishness. Sounds harsh, I know...But as Christians, sometimes we think living out the Christian life means leaving out the obvious sins that are so damaging. Laying down a sinful lifestyle is definitely part of having a relationship with Christ. However, we face a serious problem as believers, if we define ourselves as His followers but only focus on the obvious sinful behavior...when the devil snookers us with the subtleties of sin. We must realize that Christ calls us to much more than just laying down sin...He calls us to a change of heart AND life.

He calls us to be "fishers of men".

In Matthew 4:18-20, Christ told brothers, Peter & Andrew, to "Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men". And they did...just like that! The Bible says they "immediately" left their nets and followed Christ. The first thing I notice about this testimony is that Christ didn't say, "Stop committing sins against God and THEN follow Me". He didn't say, "As soon as you have given up the bad stuff, THEN follow Me". Jesus realized that the core of our Christianity...that is, being a follower of Jesus Christ...does not depend on how well we can harness our sinful nature. If it depended on that, it wouldn't matter that He died on the cross to pay for our sins! Jesus knew that the most important thing about being a Christian, was for those men to follow Him and to serve others. And when He called them to do just that, they immediately obeyed Him.

Christ calls us to follow Him and to serve others, and He gives us many examples of each. Christ obeyed His Father and He led & taught by example. Some of the greatest advice for our Christian walk He's ever given us are found in Matthew chapter 5...

"Those people who know they have great spiritual needs are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Those who are sad now are happy, because God will comfort them. Those who are humble are happy, because the earth will belong to them. Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy, because God will fully satisfy them. Those who show mercy to others are happy, because God will show mercy to them. Those who are pure in their thinking are happy, because they will be with God. Those who work to bring peace are happy, because God will call them his children. Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them." vs 3-10

Christ tells us exactly what the Christian life is all about...what the cost is for those who believe in Him, follow Him, and serve others. He explains to us that we have great spiritual needs...there are times we will be sad in which God will comfort us. He calls us to be humble and to do right. He calls us to show mercy and be pure in thought. And we are to work on bringing peace to ourselves and others. And He sees ALL things, and He WILL reward us! Notice He also says heaven is ours! God will comfort us...He will fully satisfy...He will extend mercy...we will be with Him...He will claim us as His own!

In verses 11 & 12, He promises this...
"People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you."

So how can Christ say that when we're persecuted...we'll be happy...?!!!???

Because He knows that the most important thing in our life is to follow Him and serve others. In following Him, we'll be participating in a relationship with Him. And that is the key to happiness...joy...in this life. He doesn't promise us that we'll be happy due to our circumstances. He never said our happiness depends on how our day, week, or year goes. He says that we'll be happy if we follow Him...if we have a relationship with Him...and we'll find joy in serving others.

Simply put...the Christian life is
more about taking action to follow Him
and serve others...being "fishers of men",
than focusing on being "good".

We can't be good, anyway...no matter how hard we try! So He calls us to follow Him...

And guess what?

The "bad stuff" won't be as tempting if we're walking daily with Him...it just won't taste good.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8

Weeks, Wills, & God...parts 1 & 2

2009-02-03T08:28:00.009-05:00

Last week was a bad week.

Out of our 5 newborn lambs...2 died. Not because they were too little or it was cold. One died by jumping into the water trough and drowning, and the other died because Basil (our dog) broke her neck (whether by playing w/her or "herding" her...we don't know). My heart was broken over these sweet little lambs! The one that Basil killed was one that we had brought into the garage to bottle feed, after her mommy sheep refused to care for her. We were so looking forward to the opportunity to raise this lamb, and the experience it would be for the girls.

My Friend from SC called one night...her neighbor's husband from Charlotte, NC had died from kidney cancer. He was diagnosed last October (yes, 3 months ago), and died last week, leaving behind an 8 year old daughter and a 20 year old son. Such a depressing situation, even though he was blessed to be able to say all the things he needed to, for his family's sake.

Last Thursday, my adorable little 2 year old son, fell into a rock fireplace and cut his mouth. That required a few hours in the ER, and 3 stitches! He's going to be just fine, though, and while it was draining afterward...it really wasn't a stressful or panicky situation. It was, however, "coffee morning" with friend and neighbor, Erica (the ball-cap lady)...but we wound up having our fun in the presence of ER doctors and a very loopy-and at times-very mad...Luke!

All that, and I'm battling the feelings that come from having a 2 yr old as your closest companion. I'm feeling some isolation, due to a lack of adult interaction. Considering that I'm at home nearly 24/7, that would be an issue!

So that's what I have deemed "a bad week".

As my girls and I were crying...hard...on Friday afternoon, after Basil had broken the lamb's neck, I started questioning God.

I mean...He could have prevented Basil from doing that, right? He IS in control after all...right? Why DO bad things happen? He has ultimate control over everything. I just didn't understand why that baby lamb had to die. It was the culmination of a busy and frustrating week. And it boiled down to the death of that lamb. So I asked God "the question"...

WHY?

Why didn't God heal that Daddy from kidney cancer?

Why didn't God prevent that lamb from jumping into the watering trough?

Why didn't God prevent Luke from falling into the rock fireplace?

Why didn't God prevent Basil from killing the lamb we were bottle-feeding?

WHY does God allow bad things to enter into our lives?

I was so frustrated as Dean and I talked about this before drifting off into dreamland one night. Dean answered me with truth, but it was still frustrating. He said, "It's a sinful world". Okay, yes...sin plays a huge part in all of this...but God is still God. He's still on the throne. He can prevent anything He chooses to...so why not prevent something so simple as a dog from killing a lamb?

"Because that's the natural state of a dog, Carmen" Dean replied, "Dogs naturally kill smaller animals at some point because that's their nature."

Okay...I can see the animal thing...sort of. The lion can't lay down with the lamb in this sinful existence. That will only happen in Heaven. Okay...got it.

But God could still choose to prevent "the natural state of a dog". He's GOD!

"Carmen...God NEVER INTENDED for life to be this way" Dean said, "This life is NOT His plan...everything changed when we screamed for our independence from Him waaaaay back in the garden of Eden. When Adam & Eve chose to disobey God, it led to the life we now live. And just as things have gotten worse since Adam & Eve's day, things will continue to deteriorate in our day, until Christ comes back."

I started to understand what he was saying. My rebellious side was screaming about how God could have protected a little innocent lamb, though. But that's just the point! Nothing is innocent now. It hasn't been for all of existence beyond Eden. It's not an innocent existence. It's a sinful one. And bad things happen because of that.

And while God can choose to do anything...yes...He IS God, after all. He sometimes chooses to allow the bad things to happen because that's what this world and the people in it, experience most often. And if we as Christians can't relate to this world and the people in it, then they are doomed to a Godless existence forever. Because WE are the ones with the truth...WE...those of us who have repented and come to that point of salvation, which is-falling to our knees in repentance and asking Christ to be Lord of our hearts and lives. WE know the truth. And in order for the world to even give us the time of day...to take us seriously when we bear witness to our Holy and Mighty God...we must relate. Only then...when we can say "I know exactly how you feel"...can we then say "and I know what Christ did to save me and what God did to change me".

At the threshold of my perspective change, which was a profound one, I picked up the book that I'd laid down months ago, entitled, "The Shack". And guess what the next several pages included? They included answers to...

The Question.

"I still don't understand why Missy had to die." (Main character, Mack, was asking the angel/woman this question concerning the death of his 6 year old daughter, who had been murdered by a child predator)

Her response? My answer...

"She didn't have to. This was no plan of Papa's (God is referred to as "Papa" in this book). Papa has never needed evil to accomplish his good purposes. It is you humans who have embraced evil and Papa has responded with goodness. What happened to Missy was the work of evil and no one in your world is immune from it."

So while I was grasping this perspective, I picked up my personal study guide for the "One Month to Live" challenge that we're doing at church. And here's what the verses were:

"Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-3

and...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

WOW!!! Way to go, GOD!!!

I've been weary of studying this challenge because I feel like it's depressing. But I was blown away at how God pulled last week's trials together with the verses from the challenge for last week!

He's nothing short of incredibly amazing,
and even that can't touch the truth of Who He is!

To be able to study this challenge and gain a whole new perspective on why we suffer and why God allows bad things to happen, is an absolute miracle. It's a miracle!

My perspective changed at the end of my bad week.

I have always known that God can do anything. I've always believed that God seeks to prosper us, and He does. But I've always thought that this world really belongs to God and that the devil just plays around here. And while God is God...His power is limitless...the devil has never and will never hold anything over God...we must remember that when we demanded and took our independence from God, back in the garden of Eden...He gave it over to us, and He will not forcefully take it away from us. Our free will is a gift and our independence is ours. And that's the way it will be until Christ comes to take us home. Then...the world and all the people OF IT, can HAVE themselves. And we can finally be free from sin's influence in & on our lives...free from the very act of sinning against our precious Lord.

And "the question" won't be a battle...a war...any longer. The dog won't kill the lamb. Cancer won't touch His children ever again...and stitches won't be a requirement for healing!

The Lion will lay down with the Lamb.

And weeks won't even exist...especially bad ones.

I HATE Potty Training!

2009-01-28T11:14:00.010-05:00

I've broken my chain. I had said that I would blog everyday, but it's been since last Friday that I've blogged. Saturday was busy, but I had planned to make up for that on Sunday.

As we pulled into the church parking lot Sunday morning, Dean said...

"Well...we all have 2 weeks left to live"

I laughed and told him that it was actually depressing to think about that! And the night before, I went to bed thinking about what my final few hours would be like on this Earth. I was thinking for MY benefit, I would want to lay down in my bed, with Dean holding me, and my kids jumbled up next to me, and go to sleep. Honestly. That's how I would want to spend my last couple of hours in this life.

Then I got to thinking how my kids would wake up from that...and never want to sleep again...and I hated to even think further about it, so I gave in to the fog that was overtaking my brain, and drifted off.

My point is this: I believe that this is one reason (only one) why God won't reveal to most of us when our last few hours are going to be. We would likely be torn as to how to spend them!
Do we selfishly hold our family in our arms? Or do we crawl off somewhere by ourselves to die? It's too hard for me to think about, and quite frankly, this study is extremely hard to wrap my brain around.

Because who among us thinks they only have 30 days
(or 13 days now) left to live?
We can't fathom that we're not even promised the next breath!
Much less plan to die in less than a month's time!!
.

Quite simply put...we think we'll live
for a very long time on this planet.

Even though God didn't promise us that.

Having said all that, I AM more grateful just thinking that the next 13 days could be my last. But in reality, today could be my last. That's all up to Him!

So let me fill in the past 4 days for you...

I started to potty train Luke on Monday. He went through NINE new pair of Elmo underwear. No way was he going to pee pee in the potty! Never mind that he has used his potty more than a few times already...

That's one of my biggest PAINS about raising a toddler. Potty training. I HATE potty training. Basically, toddlers are going to pee pee in the potty when they get good and ready to. And not one second sooner! And anything traumatic happens (like you yell at them or pop their hinny on the 6th pair of wet underwear)...you can forget it. They'll leave you wondering if you'll have to buy diapers for kindergarten! Ever heard of the toddler's creed? That applies to ALL aspects of "toddler-hood"...

If I want it, it's mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine. If I can take it away from you, it's mine. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine. If it's mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what. If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.

Someone clipped this out of the paper when one of my other kids was going through the toddler stages, & I have remembered it ever since. It's a SCREAM!!! Describes most toddlers to a "T"!

In other words...it IS my potty, but I'll use it when I DECIDE it's time to use it, NOT when YOU say it's time for me to use it...

Thus, I HATE potty training. It's more an exercise of the "will's".

I've got a truly wonderful potty training story for you before I shut down the presses for today:

My beautiful, smart, and very talented daughter Summerlyn is strong-willed. As in...James Dobson WROTE THE BOOK just for her! Imagine potty training a child who would get mad, throw herself in the floor, and wet her pants...just to get back at you for not doing what she wanted! So I was struggling, needless to say, with the whole potty training effort with Summerlyn.
My Mom, who lived 2 hours away at the time, decided she was coming for a visit...with a brand new pack of princess panties. When my Mom would come to Charlotte, NC to visit us, it was shopping time! We'd hit every TJ Maxx and Marshalls within a 30 mile radius. And considering that there were 4 TJ Maxx stores and countless Marshalls stores in and around Charlotte, it was an all-day shopping spree!!!
She arrived before lunch that day, and we set off...with Summerlyn in a dress and her "big girl princess panties" only. For some crazy reason, Summerlyn did not challenge my Mother in wearing those. She wasn't happy, but she didn't fight it when Mom pulled them on her. So here we are, walking around TJ Maxx & More at Concord Mills, with Sum-Sum in a buggy. Next thing we know, there is pee pee running down the buggy and all over the floor.

"No problem", my Mom said. "Go get some papertowels, Carmen"

Mom cleaned Summerlyn up, and changed her panties right there in the shopping cart, while I, of course, mopped up the urine with the paper towels.

And we went right on shopping.

Like my daughter had not just PEED in the floor of TJ Maxx,
with customers shopping all around us.

This type of thing went on throughout the day. But by the time we got back home that night, Summerlyn was using the potty. I don't know what happened with her that day. Maybe she resigned herself to being trained. Maybe she sensed that my Mother is much stronger-willed than she is. Or maybe she just got tired of pee peeing on herself. Who can say? What I DO know, is that she never went back to the diaper after that day.

So maybe Meme needs to come help Luke. Of course, he thinks the Elmo underwear are cool.
He's not the slightest bit concerned about pee peeing on himself...or the carpet...or the furniture. He's only concerned about "the spanker"...which is another blog on another day-HA!

Bless him, but before he can go to school, he will have to learn to pee pee in the potty. And before he dates & marries...he'll have to know how to potty properly! Right now, however, sweet, cutie-patootie Luke is more concerned about Kung Fu Panda, than he is using the potty.

And Luke's Mom is more concerned about losing her mind during this potty training season...or did I lose it with the last one?...or the one before that?...or even the one before that one?...maybe the one before...that...

I CAN TELL YOU THIS: If I knew I had 13 days left to live...
I would NOT spend one second POTTY TRAINING!!!!!

TALK ABOUT LIVING!!!

2009-01-23T21:16:00.005-05:00

God convicted me today. Softly...gently...but firmly. I needed to attend Grandparents Day at Savannah's school. My husband said so...my Mom encouraged me to. Since Mom normally goes to the girls Grandparents Day at school, I've never considered going. And Nana & Granddaddy live in another state, so I've felt like it's a fairly long haul for them to come and spend 1/2 hour. That will likely change next year (so get ready Nana & Granddaddy!!!).

You gotta understand my hesitation...but if you don't, let me explain. When their school has a program, they normally combine 2 grades. And that calls for a looooong program and a huge crowd of people. I love people, but not in a huge crowd. They tend to be rude and loud. And it makes me sweat...unless of course, it's an organized crowd...like church. Maybe an NFL game where everybody has assigned seats...you get my drift.

So the only programs we've ever been to at their school, have been hysterically long (over an hour), and so crowded that a lot of people wind up standing up. Makes me sweat to reminisce, so let's move on...

"I just don't feel like dragging Luke out and controlling him for one of those school programs" I griped to my Mom this morning, "He's 2 you know..."

"I know, I know. I feel awful that Savannah's upset about me not being there." Mom said, as she rested comfortably, (safely) 2 1/2 hours away at her house in NC.

"Dean wants me to go, but he doesn't understand that I'm with the kids 24/7...he's the one that needs to go!" I griped on, "You know how much I hate those programs! They go on & on & on..."

"Wait!" Mom stopped me, "This is the Grandparents Day program, Carmen!" she went on, "Those programs are designed for grandparents, and they only last 10 minutes, tops!"

"Really?" My hopes sank. I was going to wind up going to the program. I could hear God whispering it to me. And I was out of excuses!

"Yeah, they don't drag out the Grandparents program because grandparents just can't sit there for a long program!" Mom said.

We got off the phone with me not comitting to a thing, and her telling me to let her know what I wound up doing.

I wasn't thrilled, but felt God pressing on my heart. He was gently pressing me. So I gave in.

Luke & I got ready and drove over to the school. Wouldn't you know there was a parking place right near the door? God is just like that! As we walked in, I started getting apprehensive. All these grandparents...a crowd, but not 'standing room only', as I thought there would be. And when I picked Luke up to step onto the bleachers, a tall & fairly strong "grandpa" grabbed my hand to help me!

Real funny, Lord!

But he & his wife were kind and helpful. And of course, my sweet little 2 year old was perfect. In fact, he got real excited when he saw his sister.

"Vanna, Vanna!" he yelled as he waved his hand.

'Vanna' ate it up! And so did I...

So she did her thing, and then we went to McDonald's (Meme usually does Chilis with all 3 girls, but she is loaded and I'm not!), then to Aubrey's for dessert. Savannah truly enjoyed herself, as did Luke, and secretly (of course), I was thrilled! I told Savannah how special she is.

On the way home, Savannah told me that while she was laying in her bed last night, after we said night-night prayers, she asked God to let Daddy come to her program today. I told her that was GREAT and that God had answered her prayer...just with a different parent than she expected. She hesitated a minute and replied,

"Yeah, He kind of switched things around"

I took that opportunity to teach her how God does what He knows is best for us, which is not always what we think we want.

All THAT and a new lamb!!!

God will pack our days

with His blessings if we let Him!

He opens up the opportunities for us to live life to the fullest...for us to have abundant life!

Meet 'Tyler'...

bleat, bleat, bleat...

Meme's first grandson...

"blessing" number EIGHT!!!

20 Days...

2009-01-22T18:14:00.005-05:00

How did I "live" today?

I've been on the hunt online today for a cool pair of pajamas. February is our annual MOPS pajama party, and I love buying a new pair of pj's for the occasion! Other than that...I cooked a pizza at lunch for Luke & I, cooked dinner, and have made Scarlett work in her room to get it cleaned up. Doesn't sound like I've lived too much, huh? Well guess what?!?!!

I'm not perfect.

But I thank God that He is! And that He forgives me for not being.

More spiritual truths on the way, but for now...

I think I'll go play "Sorry" with the girls...really...

21 Days Left...

2009-01-21T14:23:00.004-05:00

So I've enjoyed having the house to myself today (sharing it w/Lukie baby, of course!). It's going to be a sort of strange week. The kids will actually only be in school today, tomorrow, and Friday...before they are out for 2 days (the weekend). And that always makes things feel weird...to have a short week or an altered one.

What have I done thus far today to qualify as living? Only one of my FAVORITE things to do. After we dropped all the kids at school this morning, Luke and I came home and made our way upstairs to my bed.

I took off his coat, threw him on the bed, and we had yet another old fashion tickle-fest...which he LOVED!!! And secretly...or not so secretly...I LOVED it too. Touch is my love language, so when he wraps his sweet little arms around my neck and laughs, it thrills MY SOUL!!!

We laughed and tickled, and then we curled up under my warm blankets and slept.

THAT'S LIVING!!!

And tonight, I'll be "living" with my 2 oldest right in front of the tv, watching American Idol and listening to those older ones laugh their heads off at the crazy people who only THINK they can sing. That thrills my soul, too!!!

As for my middle girls (ages 6 & 8), I may hit them up for a good game tonight after dinner...we always enjoy that!

I'm convinced that this is the way God intended for us to live:

Laugh harder than we thought we could,
love deeper than we imagined was possible...
and live out life making sure
that we didn't waste one 24 hour period
NOT doing those things!

Thank You God!!! Your grace and mercy are amazing!!! Thank You that I live in a country where I can live my life without fearing for it.

Praise YOU!!!

Now about that game...

And on the 22nd day, my true love gave to me...

2009-01-20T09:56:00.008-05:00

some time for us to really be free...!

Yep, Dean came home yesterday and we rode around...hit Waffle House (our old haunt from the dating days)...and then came home. That was nice, considering that as the parents to five kids, we rarely get time alone. I mean, we were given 3 gift cards at Christmas to go to dinner together but have yet to have the time to go.

22 days.

Do I know what "living" is today? Of course!

Over several protests, I called my 5 to my living room (upstairs) to watch the Presidential Inauguration. "Why?" they asked me. I explained to them that it was a historical event that would never happen again. "Why?"...because this is the first time in our nation's history that we've ever elected a black man to be our President. And since my children know that God created black folks and white folks (and red folks, & yellow folks) EQUAL, they didn't blink an eye. Amazing! Here was their "take" on the situation:

Summerlyn: "Why are you making us watch this?" she asked me with much distress, "why can't we go downstairs and watch a movie?"

Savannah: "When is this going to be OVER???!!!???"

Scarlett: Well...she knew better than to EVEN go there!

and Luke just crawled around babbling like usual. Tyler did make it upstairs to watch the actual swearing in of President Obama. I thought it was neat to sit there with all of my little chicks and watch history on tv.

And later...I took Luke to my big 'ole bed for some old fashioned tickling, which he LOVED!

That's my "living" for today!

And what in the world am I thankful for today?

Healthy children. A hardworking husband. A house that accommodates all of us...and that has a living area for the kids to "live" in so we can all be at peace! Heat. Food. Warm pajamas. Peace. And most of all...Christ...Who was willing to die in my place for my sins.

Now I can truly "LIVE"!

See you tomorrow!

SO TODAY I PLAYED IN THE SNOW!!!

2009-01-19T13:33:00.003-05:00

So today...I tackled the issue of spending time w/the kids doing something different than I normally would do...

I put on some warm socks and my tennis shoes...my sweater and Dean's barn coat...and went outside in the snow.
Scarlett & Luke stayed behind to watch Luke's FAVORITE..."Kung Fu Panda".

I took pictures of the girls playing and building their snow-lady, and helped Tyler pick up the rocks from the grass. I visited with Tyler and his friend, Tanner. Then we all came in, ate lunch, and watched an episode of Magnum PI.

That's LIVING out my list for today. Although my husband is coming home from work RIGHT NOW, and we'll get a few minutes out together...which is quite rare...
so that counts as LIVING, too!!!

"...and I'm gonna praise YOU! I'm gonna praise YOU!!!"