Mom Stuff

My girls are growing so fast.  Lisa is about to turn 13 in a few weeks.  How can this be?

It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms as an infant and now she is a young lady.
There are some things she does that really crack us up.  She adores her daddy.  She thinks he is the coolest dad around (unless she is in trouble).  She thinks he is hilarious and will copy word for word what he just said, laugh and say "that is so funny".  Mike and I just look at each other and can hardly keep the laughter in.
I taught her how to shave her legs last week.  She didn't want to learn and that warmed my heart.  But there comes a time in life when a girl needs to learn how to shave her legs and this was the time.  I showed her on about one inch of her leg and she took it from there and got into it.  Then she exclaimed "My legs are soooo soft.  This is great."  She may have said the word "Coolio"  a few times.  I think that means cool.
Katie is at an in between phase in growing up.  She is still a little girl, but is rapidly maturing into a young lady.  In our society it is a challenge to keep them from growing up too fast.  I love that she still likes to play with her stuffed animals (along with the cats whom they dress up in doll clothes).

 

 

Lisa is getting confirmed next week.  She will take her first communion and will verbalize for herself her faith and trust in our Lord.  For Confirmation we let Lisa pick out her own Bible.  She picked out an HCSB Study Bible and we had her name engraved on it.  We picked it up today and she was thrilled.  My prayer is that she has a passion and is on fire for God, His Word and continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:13)

 

 

 

This is a picture of Lisa and Ellie (with Pastor Tucker) when they acolyted together a couple of weeks ago.  Lisa got the privilege to acolyte for the Good Friday service. Our Good Friday service is one of my favorite services of the year.  The Pastors each take Jesus's words from the cross and do a devotional on it.  The lights get dimmer throughout the entire service until the end when it is very dark.  There is no benediction, everybody just leaves in silence.  She said that at the very end after the pastors finished stripping the alter,  her and the other acolyte got to go up to the alter with the pastors, bow and leave.  She felt so humble and started to cry.  We came home and she got to watch The Passion of the Christ for the first time.  We all cry during that movie--because we know it is more than just a movie--it was payment for our sins--and we really cannot grasp the depth of it. 

 

We asked her what she thought of it afterwards and she said with tears streaming down her face,  "It was horrible." 

 

Yes, sweet girl, it was.  But this is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  1 John 3:16





 

 

Stress and Philippians 4

Today at church we started a new sermon series.  Actually they started it last week but that was Easter and we went to the sunrise service, so we missed out on the actual first sermon for this series.  I may go back and listen to it.  Anyway, yesterday I posted that I may write out Philippians when I finish the Psalms because I felt like I was lacking in the joy department.
Well today's sermon was just for me.  Funny how God does things like that!

Philippian 4:4-13

English Standard Version (ESV)

 

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
¹⁰ I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


(As a side note:  Biblegateway.com does not have the NIV 1984 version anymore.  Mike sent a note to them for which they have not yet replied.)  The following are notes from our sermon and ABC class.

Our sermon series is:  Illusion:  The Devil's Deceptions Revealed.  Today's topic-Stress

Stress affects us mentally, physically, spiritually.  Two illusions of stress is that all stress is bad and there is nothing you can do about stress.  There is good stress (eustress).  It is the zone where stress causes good performance.  Too little and we slack, too much and we get distressed.

Background:  Paul is in Caesar's jail, which was like maximum security prison.  He was waiting for his trial to be in front of Emperor Nero.  Paul was under stress.  The Philippian's at this time were not under stress.  They were experiencing an economic boom, there was lots of agriculture, they were living the easy life.  Why would Paul want to write them a letter about stress?  Because a day would come and they would be stressed.

Seven stress relievers from Philippians 4:

1.  It begins with attitude.  "Rejoice".  It is a command--it is about perspective.  We could lose everything here on earth, but we still have the Lord--and eternal life.  Rejoice is also present tense in the greek language--rejoice right now.  In the greek, rejoice is plural--it is like us saying "y'all rejoice". 
2.  Slow down.  Let your gentleness be evident (in the NIV 1984 it does say gentleness).  Pastor had us touch our eye.  He noted that nobody went at it full force, but did it gently.  The faster we go, the less gentle we become.  I do like the word reasonableness in ESV.
3.  Pray.  That is the antidote for stress.  Prayer is a gift from God.  "Present" our requests to God.  In ABC the illustration was about re-gifting--present.
4.  Take control of your thoughts.  "guard your hearts and minds"  Guard-phroureo-a detachment of Roman soldiers.  The Philippians had soldiers stationed around the city.  They felt safe.  Be in God's Word.
5.  Solve problems, don't marinate in them.  In verse 8-9 Paul list's some gifts:  whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy...think about such things.  It was brought to my attention that this list is not stress free.  In our culture standing up for truth can be stressful.  Living a pure lifestyle goes against our cultural beliefs.  Who are we going to stand up before on the final judgment day?  The world or God?  (uhmm....that would be God).
6.  Practice contentment.  The Philippian's were people who cared and prayed for Paul.  V18 states that he received the gifts they sent and was amply supplied.  When I am stressed, is there someone who helps?  Yes,  my husband, my sister, my friends, my church family, even counselors if need be.
7.  I belong to God.  I need Christ's strength.  There is this philosophy called Stoic Philosophy that people believe "I can do it on my own".  Been there, done that.  It never ends up pretty.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. 

Philippians 4:19  And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Already on Psalm 139 and Other Things

Psalm 139

1  O Lord, You have searched me and You know me
    {most literal translation: You have searched me and you know.}
2  You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. (about those thoughts from afar Lord....)
3  You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.  (help me change those all too familiar ways that are not pleasing to You)
4  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.  (put a guard on my mouth Lord--even my tone of voice)
5  You hem me in--behind and before; You have laid your hand upon me.  (so comforting)
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  (I would mess it up)
13  For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.
14  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully (unique) made; Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well  {ESV version says 'My soul knows it very well'--I love that}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am currently writing out Psalm 139.  I cannot believe that I will probably finish writing out the Psalms within the next month.  I started this journey last May and it has been a wonderful experience.  I am kind of sad to see it that it is coming to an end, but am looking forward to whatever else God has in store for me to do.  I have been thinking of possibly writing out/memorizing Philippians.  I have been a little lacking in the joy department lately.

I am facilitating an evening women's Bible study at church.  It just started this past Thursday and it is a new experience for me.  There are about 18 ladies who are going to join me for the next 6 weeks as we study Jonah--Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  On our first evening (which was just 2 evenings ago), we didn't break up into small groups (we will next week), so I had the ladies introduce themselves and say a little about themselves or any thoughts on the video we had just watched.  I think it helped to bring about a spirit of being sisters in Christ.

Lisa and Katie are already in the last quarter of the school year.  I cannot believe how fast this year has gone.  I told Mike the other day that we are in a "sweet spot" with the girls.  They are old enough to stay home by themselves for short periods of time and we don't have to worry about them driving off or any of their friends driving on over.

We are giving them a little bit more responsibility and teaching them how to do stuff for themselves--stuff they will need to know how to do when they go to college.  Mike is better at that than me.  I know they need to learn by doing this stuff, sometimes it is easier to just do it myself-- it is something I am learning along the way--giving up control.

What difference does it make how the dishes are loaded in the dishwasher or how the towels are folded or any number of ways I am set in my ways?

Will they remember a nagging mom or will they remember an encouraging one?
Will they remember a mom who kept a spotless house or embraced a warm home?
Will they remember a mom who loved their daddy?
Will they remember a mom who loved Jesus?


Mike continues to adjust to "retirement" without any problems.  He also has A's in his two classes he is taking (advanced A&P and Law & Ethics).  Next will be advanced pharmacotherapeutics.
First he will have to learn how to spell it.  :-)  

We Are Smart Like That

We have been talking about putting granite counter tops in our kitchen and the girls bathroom for about 5 years.  That would be since we moved here.  We never really made any effort to do it but always said before we move again we would for sure do that to make the house more appealing for a potential buyer.  Why would we want to live in a place that was appealing to us?  Kidding--I love my home.
So Mike quit his job and we got the brilliant idea to move forward with plans for granite counter tops.

We are smart like that.

Kitchen before



Kitchen after

We saw this fluorescent green sign on the side of the road that said "Granite liquidation sale, free estimate".  Mike called that number and we arranged to have this complete stranger come into our home and give us an estimate.

 We are smart like that :-).

We were pleasantly surprised by the estimate and so we asked the counter top dude for references--because Mike is smart like that. (I don't think I would have thought about that).  The reference panned out and we were going for it!



Girls bathroom before



Girls bathroom after

The whole process was really good--except the job was delayed a week, the workers were not punctual and a slight plumbing issue (which was totally on our end).   Mike had to get on Craigslist on Saturday and find a plumber that could come out immediately if not sooner.  We were hosting our small group at our house for dinner and Bible study at 5 pm and had no working sink in the kitchen or the girls bathroom. 
The fun part was that the plumber was at our house from about 5:30 to 9 pm.  Then he had to come back on Sunday after church to finish it up.  He told us how nice it was to here us talking about the Bible and sharing our lives with one another.  We got to talk about Jesus with him found out he was a faithful believer and loves to help the poor. 

We got our master bath counter top done the following week.  It looked great.  The walls, however, clashed with it.  So I went out to the garage and found the gallon of leftover paint from our master bedroom and voila--looks great.  I took pictures with my phone and have not figured out how to upload them to the computer--because I am smart like that.



Delighting in God

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Delight yourself. 

In our society that means to do what makes you feel good, indulge yourself, do not deny yourself, get what you want.

But what does it mean to God?

Delight yourself- (Hebrew word Pa'ar)-beautify, adorn, embellish, give honor, boast

Boast in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Does that mean if I say "God you are awesome and I desire a new car" that He will give it to me?

Hardly.

What if delighting myself in the Lord means changing what I desire to be aligned with what He desires for me?  What if delighting myself in the Lord means wanting what He wants for me, even when it may not be something I really want at the time.   What if I trust that He knows what is best for me and honored Him with that?

In the past I really wanted to be a flight nurse.  That was my goal since nursing school and I worked hard to get the experience and the credentials needed to do that.  My prayer was always "God if this is not your will, please take the desire away."  My desire grew and grew. I had everything I needed to fulfill my goal.  I had studied for the test, had doctor references and they were hiring.

Then came our darkest hour.  I was at a crossroad and knew it.  Marriage/Family or Career/Flight Nurse.  The decision was not hard to make.  In an instant I knew it was my marriage and family.  A few months later I saw one of the flight nurses I used to work with in the ED and she said that they had hired 9 nurses and had been looking for me.  I went home and cried.  Partly because of the dream that was gone, but mainly because I knew I had made the right decision.   I would not have changed my decision if I had the choice again.

 I wish we never had to go through what we did, but honestly, it may have been the only thing that made me get what God's definition of "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" means.

Because my hearts desire is exactly what God has graciously and mercifully given us--a marriage built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. 

We honor You, Jesus.

Waiting on God

We know many people who are waiting on God for direction, for clear answers to questions, for things to happen. We know 2 couples waiting for their adopted babies to enter into their homes; a friend whose mom just entered hospice; a friend whose prayer is for clear direction on private vs public school for their children; another friend who needs clear direction on whether to home school or continue private school education for their 4 children; a friend whose daughter married a Muslim whom they are witnessing to.

Waiting for marriages to mend, children to return to the Lord, healing from sickness, jobs and the list goes on and on.


I have waited in the past for my husband to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. For 12 years I prayed for him. For 7 of those years he was on a prayer list at church. Then I got tired of waiting and decided God's answer was no, even though that was not His answer.  Hardest lesson EVER. We were married 10 years and it seemed like God's answer was no. But the issue was not that He was saying no to my prayer for Mike to come to know Him and be saved.  The issue was also my heart.

He had to change my heart. He had to humble me. I had some pride and unbelief that had to be removed and dealt with.

He had to change me.

He had to change me.

It was in His timing, using what He knew would change both of us. And it hurt. It pains me to think of it. It also keeps me humble. One lesson I learned (of the many) was that it is much better to humble myself before God humbles me.  I NEVER want to repeat what we went through. I would rather die than go through that again.

Waiting on God.

Why is it I forget that He is in control? Do I forget this when I want control?

Why is it I forget that He is omnipotent? Do I forget this when I think He doesn't know me?

Why is it I forget that He not only wants what is best for me, but He knows what is best for me? Do I forget this when I think I know myself better than anybody else--my sinful self?

Waiting on God.
Wait-(verb)-to remain inactive or in a state of repose until something expected happens; to be available or in readiness; to postpone; to look forward to eagerly.  (From dictionary.com)

Wait-(Hebrew) Qavah- literally means to bind together like a cord or twisted rope--think woven together; it also means to wait, to hope, to expect, look patiently.  (From Hebrew dictionary)

 How do we wait for the Lord in obedience and patience?

 Why should we wait?

What happens when we take matters into our own hands?

Lamentations 3:24-25 I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.

Psalm 37:7  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...

Something cool I just picked up from Psalm 37 is that verse 4 says to "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"  verse 5 says "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this..."  We have to delight ourselves in the Lord while we are waiting patiently.

What does that mean?


To be continued....

The Best Birthday

I had the best birthday.

I woke up at my normal 4:30 am to get ready for work and leave at 5:00, but before I could get out the door, my husband dragged himself out of the warmth and comfort of bed and gave me a card.  It was so sweet.  I got a call from one of my dearest friends who lives in St Louis and we got to catch up before she had to go to work.  My co-workers brought me fruit--which was cool since I have been doing this whole 30 eating progam since January 1.   I received a text from dad and one from my friend Deb, a call from Cindy and Jenni, had lunch w/ my girlfriends Amy and Lisa, then we had some friends over for dinner who are in the final phases of their adoption process of their little girl from China.  It was a wonderful day.

I am so thankful for this past year.  God has faithfully heard our prayers and continues to grow us.  Sometimes the growth is hard--actually most of the time it is hard.  He is in the market to refine me and I want Him to do that. 

Some areas of growth for this year include: 
To be filled with laughter and joy. 
     Psalm 126:2  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.

To work on keeping a lose grip on "things" here on earth.
     2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Also a few things from Psalm 119:33-37
   -Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees
   -Give me understanding
   -Direct me in the path of your commands
   -Turn my heart toward your statutes
   -Turn my eyes away from worthless things.

41.  Bring it on.  Gently though...there are some new aches and pains.  :-)