hey! i’m helping my brother with some wordpress stuff to get his blog started, so mine may look kinda funky for a little bit while i experiment. thanks!
Our church is reading through the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day (repeating some stuff at the end of the year). We did it last year, and I gotta admit, I wasn’t as diligent about it everyday as I should have been. But this year, I’m gonna do it!! So today I was reading Matthew 1. I was all excited, I opened my Bible, and then I see it… the begats. Oh. Goodness.
But, I know that the Bible is God’s Word and He put all those guys names in there for a reason, so I got to reading. As I’m reading, amusing myself with my slaughtering of their names, I began to realize something. Those weren’t just some people, those were parents and children. They were a whole big family. A whole big family of obedience. Sure, they screwed up royally (often), but all in all, they were obedient to God and His plan. And through that, we got Jesus. And it wasn’t just one small decision one guy made to obey God that got us the Savior and Messiah, it was generation after generation after generation of men who loved God and taught their sons to love God. Woah. That’s a legacy.
When I think about standing in front of God and I hear “well done, good and faithful servant”, I wonder what I want to hear that for. What is it that I’ve done well at? The most amazing and challenging and rewarding and worthwhile thing I can think of is to raise my children to love and obey God. After all, we are called to be disciples, and who better to disciple than those little beings that God placed under our roof for so many years!!
So next time, don’t skip the Whoever begat Whoever’s. Read it and marvel at the generations of Godly, obedient parents who taught their children to be Godly and obedient.
Each year, there is a group of bloggers that participate in the One Word project. You can read more about it here. I did mine last year, but didn’t really follow through with it. Here’s my post from last year.
As we sit at the dawn of a new year, a new decade, I began to think about what I want for 2010. What one word can I use to sum up my feelings for 2010? The first and only thing that came to mind was
2010 is going to be the start of something new. Well, many things new, to be precise. I want a NEW passion, a reNEWed vision, NEW experiences, NEW joys, NEW perspective. There are several things coming up in 2010 that will be new, and I’m sure there will be plenty of new things I didn’t see coming.
The beauty of the beginning of another year is the fact that we get to start over. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new is come! It may technically be just the day after Thursday, but tomorrow is something never before seen. We get new calendars, a new year to write, a new life to experience. And that is something to cherish.
We moved this week. That one sentence is smack full of emotion, stress, relief, anxiety, hope, and exhaustion.
Our closing in on Friday, but we moved out the weekend before because we didn’t want to be rushed and I wanted to have the time to properly clean the “old” house before we shut the doors for the last time. (I might cry.) But this also means that we are unpacking and shuffling things in and out of boxes. We are staying with Jamie’s mom for a few weeks while we continue to search for a house. So basically we are camping out, living out of suitcases, squatting, whatever phrase you like. I’m so grateful that Jamie’s mom is awesome, and is happy to have us here. … But still its just not ours, ya know?
After the truck was unloaded, the beds were re-assembled, and walking paths were cleared through the rubble, the first thing Jamie did was set up the wireless internet. Haha. The first thing I did was set up the bathroom.
Nothing says “vacation” or “just visiting” like carrying a shower bag with all your stuff in it back and forth from your sleeping quarters to the bathroom. So in order to feel like home, my toothbrush needed a home. I don’t think home is where the heart is, I think home is where your toothbrush lives. You can sleep anywhere, but if your toothbrush is all snuggly and warm in its little cup beside the sink, and your girlie goods have a hiding place, then you can feel settled.
Now begins the awkward dance of adjusting to a new home, someone else’s home, and how your life works in this new territory. But at least my toothbrush has staked its claim.
I was driving around town the other day, flipping stations, searching for a song that was entertaining yet suitable for a 15 month old to hear (a challenge, I tell ya), when this song came on.
Instantly I was in 7th grade, standing on Mary’s back deck at her birthday party, wondering if David was going to ask me out, and wondering what I should answer. I vividly remember that excitement deep in my stomach. A feeling that was always so prevalent back then. Its the same uneasy, unsure, pure excitement that I always felt at the State Fair as a teen. Where did it go? When did it go? All I know is that its rarely ever there anymore.
Maybe it was the raging hormones of teenage crushes, maybe it was the thrill of the unknown future, maybe it was just a digestive disorder. I don’t know, but I miss it. I think the last time I really remember its presence is when Jamie and I were dating. I remember our first official date was to the Fair, I remember him giving me a hug, and those butterflies almost made me throw up! (Of course, that probably partially was a lingering stomach bug that had me bed ridden the week before, LOL). I remember being consumed with wondering if he was going to hold my hand. I remember the excitement in the pit of my stomach.
I heard a quote in a show where the mom was asking “Where did the passion and excitement I had 5 years ago go?!” Her husband said, “Back then you didn’t know what your life would be like. And now you know.” I still have dreams, things I’m working towards and goals I want to accomplish. So there is still some unknown in the future. But where did that excitement go? Is that just a part of getting older? Cause if it is, then that sucks.
I don’t really have any answers, I just wanted to share my little trip down memory lane and its subsequent questions. What are your thoughts?
On Saturday, my family and I participated in the Triangle Memory Walk, in support of Alzheimer’s research and patient care.
An aerobics instructor getting everyone moving before the walk
It was a pretty cool event. I hadn’t ever done one before. But this one was special to us.
The back of the shirts we made.
Our grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last year. It has been a strange road. My grandmother (my dad’s mom) was diagnosed several years ago, and is very advanced in the disease. So its been tough seeing Granddaddy in the beginning stages of it, knowing where it can lead. We’ve been wanting to do something, and when this walk came up, we knew it was a perfect opportunity.
There were over 2,500 people registered to walk, and they all raised over $130,000! There were groups there like ours, walking in honor of a loved one. There were community groups, sororities, and there were even nursing home employees pushing patients through the walk. It was really awesome.
Me, Mom, Erin, Kristen, Jill, Ellen, Christine, & the babies
I think we’ll do it again next year. It was nice to do something productive as a family. It was only a mile & a half walk, but it feels like we really accomplished something.
all tuckered out from her long walk
I heard a tragic story last night. A friend told me about her friend whose 18 month old daughter died suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep. I had met the family once, I didn’t know them. But it still hurts. Perhaps its the mom connection, maybe its that my daughter is about that same age, maybe its just the human heart. Either way, it shook me. My first reaction or thought was of how I would feel, and then fear tried to grip my heart. I let it, momentarily, then I came to my senses.
As parents, it is our sole responsibility to stand guard over our children, for our children. As Christians, we have the power of God’s Word, the power of the blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to guide us. What happened to that family is tragic, and I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know why that sweet baby died. But it doesn’t have to happen to my family, and as long as there is something I can do about it, it won’t happen to my family. Fear is stupid. I read in a book recently that “Doubt is trusting our own fears more than God’s Promises.” So I will not let this get me scared. It is my human nature to get scared and sit in my daughters room every night all night to make sure she’s still breathing. But I have something bigger and more powerful than myself.
I have God’s Word. It is true. It never fails. It does what it says it will. God is everything He says He is, and we can stand confident in that. Psalm 4:8 says that we can lie down and sleep in peace because God keeps us safe. Every night as I put Charlotte down to sleep, I confess that over her. Since the Word is more powerful and unchanging than any measly prayer I could pray, I simply say what the Word says. And like Ephesians 6:13 says, after I have done everything I know to do, I stand. I stand firm on God’s promises that my children will live long and prosperous lives. I stand firm that God promises to keep them safe. I stand firm.
By standing on God’s Word, I stand guard for my child. There is an enemy out there who would like nothing more than to stop my daughter from fulfilling God’s purpose in life, from fulling the plans He has for her. And I refuse to let my guard down, to let fear enter and paralyze me. I will stand guard over my daughter, by standing firm and speaking God’s Word over her life.
You are the one God has placed in your child’s life to stand guard over them. Stand guard by standing on God’s Word and His promises.
Having a house on the market sucks. Lets be honest, it just sucks. Having to keep your house in tip-top shape, having strangers walk through and examine WHILE YOU ARENT THERE (so creepy), and having to drop what you are doing at any moment when “the call” comes. That sucks.
I think I’ve done a fairly good job of keeping the house clean. I’d be totally okay with anyone dropping by (most days). But when I know I have a showing scheduled, I do an extra extra cleaning. And that’s what I’ve been doing today. I’ve been looking at every single detail, scrutinizing every corner, even the ones on the ceiling! And what has amazed me is how much work it takes to clean a “clean” house. I mean, I thought it was good, I thought it was decent, but it apparently wasn’t as grand as I thought.
My friend, Ann, gave me a beautiful piece of ceramic wall art that says, “Whatever is excellent and praiseworthy, think on these things. ~Philippians 4:8″. I hung it on the wall today and it really motivated me to really do a good job cleaning, and not just hiding and masking! Excellence: doing the best you can with the resources you have.
So many times in our spiritual life, we feel clean, we think we are decent… then we start to really look deep. Thats when we start to see the cobwebs in the dark corners of the ceiling. We have to live a life of excellence. We cannot ignore those things. We have to deal with them, clean them up. And sometimes that takes a while. Sometimes it takes some sweat and tears. But its worth it. When this house sells, all that sweat and HAND SCRUBBING OF THE FLOOR will be worth it. When we get to Heaven and we hear “Well done, good and faithful servant”, it will be worth it.
So… do you have any ceiling cobwebs you need to clean up?
its been longer than i’d like since my last post. so let me get you up to speed on where i am.
1. the house is STILL on the market (boo). so that means my days are filled with constant tidying, cleaning, (hiding), and praying!! the right buyer is on their way 
2. jamie and i are doing a modified “daniel diet” during the week, so basically no meats or sweets. and we cheat like mad on the weekends. cause, really, who can resist grandma’s cookin’ on sunday?! its going pretty well, i’ve discovered some new recipes and have been forced to get creative.
3. i started doing a weekly meal plan (which reminds me, i gotta do this weeks!). i dont know why i was so intimidated by this, but once i finally sat down and did it, it made my grocery shopping easier and cheaper!
4. for those cheat days on the weekend (or for a monday night when you just need some sugar), i found this recipe. it is full of everything right and good in this world, and its super easy to make. do it. you won’t regret it.
5. we have begun potty training. we are in the “introduction” phase, which means at certain times during the day (usually right after nap time when she’s cheerful and mostly cooperative), we practice sitting on the potty and washing our hands. its going pretty well. i got this book and its FABULOUS!
6. i’m working on the 2009 Triangle Memory Walk. i’ll let you know more about that in another post.
7. i’m going to bed now. g’nite y’all!!
Charlotte “helping” with the laundry
We all have dreams. Some are big, some are not so big, some are HUGE, and some aren’t even realized yet. But we all have them. One of the things I’ve been struggling with lately is wanting to have it all right now.
When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I dreamed of staying home with her and playing games, and teaching her music, and teaching her art, and teaching her everything this world has to teach. Then she was born… and just laid there. I had somehow overlooked the “few” months that babies don’t do anything, they just are. It was really hard for me to adjust to being home and being a mom when Charlotte just ate, slept, pooped, and slept again. I wanted to do so much, had so many plans, and then I was smacked in the face with the reality that I can’t do it all now.
The same is true about my dream to have a big family. I can very clearly see all those munchkins running around, playing, laughing, learning. But somehow I forgot about all the YEARS it takes to grow a family like that. It seems that I overlooked a lot in these dreams of mine!
I have only recently been able to put into words the restlessness I’ve been feeling, and I haven’t really given it much thought power. But today I read something that really sparked my thoughts toward this subject again. The phrase that really hit me was, “I know I can have everything I want, just not at the same time.” Selah- pause and think on this
So what are you dreaming about? Do you know how to get there?
