I don't have time to write a long post tonight but I just wanted to ask all of you to keep us in your prayers for a bit longer. Things here are pretty stressful. Michael and I are trying to keep a good attitude but I must confess that it's downright difficult at times. Our children are also feeling the stress because not only is Daddy seeing them for less than a half hour a day Mommy is too busy with paperwork from the accident and has not spent hardly any time with them for a few days. I mean, I'm here but I'm usually telling them to leave me alone for "just a few more minutes". I feel badly about that and also we have children that need the utmost consistency. Any (and I do mean any) crack in the consistency means they will slide FAR back in obedience. Do you think I have been consistent in the last 10 days? Think again. I barely have enough energy to try to function let alone train. :):) it hasn't been all bad but it's been a bit discouraging the last few days to STILL be so distracted. I took a permanent break from doing work for the business when I had Gideon. I'm glad that I did and I cannot wait until all the paperwork has been filed. Whew! We also had to let our driver go because of the accident and that means Michael will be on the route for awhile. :(:(
It's really sad. Every morning one of the boys gets Gideon up and he comes down the stairs to nurse. After we are through snuggling he ALWAYS wants to find Michael. It's been over a week and he still asks every morning for Daddy. I practically cry. He gets super excited when he hears any big truck go down the street. DADDY DADDY!! sigh. I about cry then too. The other boys seem to remember what working Daddy life was like. I mean, when Richard was driving he still worked 12 hours a day but he tried to include them a little each day. :(
He has taken them with him in the truck during the last week but the boys still miss him here. I think it will be MUCH better when we can get back in the homeschool swing. I wanted to do that yest. but paperwork and computer probs called. Hopefully they will be silent tomorrow. Pray for peace and patience for us- Thanks!!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Sand and Stone
I got this as an email forward a while back. I kept it because I thought it was an awesome reminder. Enjoy!
SAND & STONE
TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT.
DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE.
THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH.
THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.
AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE.
THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, "AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?"
THE OTHER FRIEND REPLIED
"WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN
IN SAND WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.
BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT."
LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE.
SAND & STONE
TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT.
DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE.
THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH.
THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.
AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE.
THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, "AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?"
THE OTHER FRIEND REPLIED
"WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN
IN SAND WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.
BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT."
LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful, thankful, holiday. There are many things that I am thankful for but, to be honest, I am trying to push away feelings of frustration over this accident thing. You see, this is the first year in 6 years that Michael would have been able to hang out more with us during the holiday season. In previous years it was business as usual and actually the amount of trash gets greater during this time due to parties and such. What happened in previous years was that Michael would only take off the day of the actual holiday and then have to work that Saturday to finish the routes for the week. Not only that but the fact that there is more trash makes the routes take a little longer. So, that made it more difficult too. Also, because he was so busy he really couldn't take the time to really relax because he was always thinking about what needed to be done. It has been so nice having a driver because, while my husband still works about 12 hours a day, it's now paperwork, and garbage can stuff; plus truck maintenance and such. He has been able to let go and relax a bit more and we have seen him a lot more. Now, it looks like he will be working through the end of the year on the route and not taking any time off in December, except the 25th. it's kind of hard not to feel gypped here. I know it's petty considering the fact that Richard is hurt for Thanksgiving, but we really value family time and for the 6 years before Richard we just didn't get a lot of it. The last 10 months have been really nice. Our family has spent some good quality time together. Now, things will be backing up that he just can't get to and that's really hard for him. However, there is nothing that can be done about it. :) So, I am trying to discourage negative thoughts and praise the Lord about the things I am grateful for....
For Jesus, who is our Saviour and so many other amazing things.
For our family
For our warm house and property that our kids can run on
For our health
That Richard walked away from the accident with "minor" injuries.
That Richard didn't hit another vehicle and kill anyone during the crisis.
That God really does care about the little things.
That God is totally in control of every situation.
That I can trust God to be Who He says He is.
I could go on and on and on about the goodness and Sovereignty of God.
I also have little physical blessings I am thankful for but they are too numerous to list here so I will mutter them to the Lord throughout today when I am tempted to be frustrated.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
His love endures forever."
For Jesus, who is our Saviour and so many other amazing things.
For our family
For our warm house and property that our kids can run on
For our health
That Richard walked away from the accident with "minor" injuries.
That Richard didn't hit another vehicle and kill anyone during the crisis.
That God really does care about the little things.
That God is totally in control of every situation.
That I can trust God to be Who He says He is.
I could go on and on and on about the goodness and Sovereignty of God.
I also have little physical blessings I am thankful for but they are too numerous to list here so I will mutter them to the Lord throughout today when I am tempted to be frustrated.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,
His love endures forever."
Monday, November 19, 2007
But the GOOD news is....
Let me just start off by saying that today was one of the roughest our family has had in a while. Today one of our greatest business fears came to pass...No, Michael did not become so ill he can't run the business; but, our driver totalled one of the trucks. Let me first just say that our kids haven't been sleeping well in their beds since we transitioned them upstairs. So, Michael and I haven't been sleeping well either. :)
This morning he crawled into bed with me and we fell back asleep for about 45 minutes. It was so nice to be all curled up together with our kids watching TV upstairs. Well, all but Gideon. What was HE doing you ask. He was PLAYING WITH THE TOILET BRUSH!!! EW EW EEEEWWWWWWWWWW!
Anyway, Michael got up to put it away and I was hoping for a few more minutes when I heard Michael running down the hall and yelling at me. "Get up! Richard's been in an accident. The EMT is with him now!" (Apparently Michael had left his phone downstairs and he didn't hear it ring when Richard called the first time.) The home phone immediately (no kidding) rang and I ran to get it. It was Karen, Richard's wife. She was talking calmly, although obviously shaken. She said that Richard called and said he had been in an accident and couldn't get ahold of Michael. I asked her if he was OK. She said he had a cut on his head but was talking strongly and seemed to be OK otherwise. She was on her way to meet him at the hospital. They were getting ready to transport him to the ER. She said he said that he went off into a ditch on the side of the road. My mind was reeling at this point of the repercussions of such a thing as well as hoping that Richard was really as good as it sounded like he was. So, here we are running around because after Michael finished with the scene he was going to have to finish the route. He was getting ready and I asked him if he wanted me to go too. He said, "Yes, that might be a good idea." So I got the kiddos ready and we left very quickly. (nothing to eat for any of us except the boys had a couple of pieces of leftover harvest candy.) On the way out the door Michael was able to speak to the officers at the scene who said that the truck was totalled. Gulp. Now, in my mind I am picturing Richard running off the road into a deeper drainage ditch possibly hitting a stone pipe and that's how he "totalled" the truck in a "ditch" and managed to get a small gash on his face. When we pulled up to the scene I was HORRIFIED to find that that's NOT at all what had happened. The "ditch" was really- I'm not quite sure what to call it...not deep enough to be a ravine, maybe a hill, definitely NOT a ditch. The truck went down about 50-60 feet and took out a few small trees in it's wake. The cab was crushed in at the top and sides. Obviously, he had rolled the truck. It was sitting upright, stopped by a group of small trees. I think, besides the comments I made about it NOT being a ditch and the fact that he rolled it, I just stood there with my hand on my mouth and praised God that Richard was still alive. Now, the body (garbage packer) of the truck looked good. We talked to the officers at the scene and the GSP (georgia state patrol) officer said that R didn't remember what happened. It's no wonder considering the rolling thing. The probs with that are- Our insurance co is going to have a field day with this. Getting commercial insurance on a garbage truck is actually fairly difficult. Getting it at a reasonable price is quite difficult. Getting either after a totalled truck is really hard. :(:(
Worker's Comp on a garbage man is already very high...now, it's going to go up even more. :(:(:( We're looking at a substantial amount of money we're going to be eating here, not to mention that even though we have full coverage we will not be able to buy this same set up (truck/compactor) at the price the insur co will give us. Did I mention that while all this horrifying info was going through my brain I was praising God for sparing R and looking in horror at the scene before me? Michael started down the hill to retrieve the route books so he could finish the route. I was on the top of the hill because I still had all three boys in the car and wasn't sure they would stay put. I was hoping, but not sure. At this point my pastor's wife came out of the house next door and said good morning. She watched the boys while I joined my husband. He was shaking the glass out of the books and putting the scattered pages back into the books in the correct order. I, meanwhile, was taking in the scene...The mangled doors, the glass, the blood everywhere. We were walking in blood, the door was sprayed with blood. I'm thinking at that point...could this gash be bigger than we thought? There was quite a bit of blood, although head wounds can bleed a lot even when small. The mood at the truck was grim. I knew what Michael was thinking. What it looked like happened was that R wasn't paying attention and veered too far off the road and got "sucked" down the hill. This would be a concern for obvious reasons. We cannot have a driver who isn't paying attention at all times. We are a small company and the trucks we have are a big investment. Could we trust him with the other newer vehicle after this? We were also noticing that the compacter held up incredibly well during the accident. Those things are built like a TANK! There wasn't even a dent on it that I noticed even the side leaning up against the trees. (Later we noticed damage underneath so we'll see how that pans out.) Amazing. I went back up the slope and Michael came up shortly. About this time Ruth (my pastor's wife) and John (my pastor) offered to let me and the kids come into the house to wait for the tow truck. Michael was leaving to go do the route. Ruth and John took the two older boys into the house with them while Michael gave me the phone numbers to the towing company and the place we needed it towed to (where they could access the packer damage). He left and I went to go into the house when Ruth came out to get me and told me that to add to the drama it seemed there was a bear in the woods (next to where we were) and told me to come inside lest I get caught with it. I hurried inside with the "baby" on my hip and was warmed by the scene of my two boys in bar chairs eating cereal. I was SO relieved that they were feeding them. I was thanking God that in the midst of a crises my kids were being fed hours before I expected them to be able to eat. Yeah. I gave the baby some Cheerios and Ruth offered me some coffee. I asked if it was decaf and she said yes. I told her that I would like a cup. She said that God must have had her make that just for me because
when she made it she realized it was decaf and wondered why she had accidentally made that because she didn't want decaf. About that time the phone rang. It was a neighbor. He was telling her that the bear was not a bear but a wounded deer. My first thought was, "WHAT?!" I mean, deers and bears don't exactly look alike- AT ALL. First of all there is a size difference, plus the antler difference. (LOL) Anyway, the neighbor put it down because it was wounded. Michael received a call from that neighbor (who also goes to our church) letting him know that possibly that's what had happened. Possibly Richard had hit the deer and that's what caused the accident. It was a fresh hit and if anyone else had hit it they would have sustained some damage. The bumper wasn't damaged but then again the roll down the hill didn't damage it either so...why would the deer have. Bummer. Richard cannot remember what happened and we cannot prove the deer thing. :(:(:( Oh, and I must be turning into a redneck because when I went to play CSI agent (find the dead deer and see if there was a blood trail to the truck) I asked Ray (the man who shot the deer) if I could keep it to eat. He said sure. He didn't want to haul it out of the woods. I decided I didn't want to either; especially with the three boys.
Meanwhile the tow guys are pulling the truck up the hill using a wench and pulley. That was at least interesting to Ruth, myself, and especially the boys.
The rest of the day was a blur. We got out of there about 10:30am. The boys and I stopped to check our drop box in town because a new customer was supposed to leave a payment. Guy didn't leave it. :( grrr. Then we got Michael some food from Sonic, drove out to give it to him, went back home, changed the answering machine to let people know we were running late but would pick their trash up, went to Richard's house to hug his wife and deliver his lunch bag and extra clothes bag he requested, talked with Karen and saw a pic of the gash on his head. HUGE gash would be more the word. It was about 5 inches long and at least an inch and a half laid open. YUCK! He also has two broken ribs but miraculously seems to have no concussion. Thank-you Lord!
After we left their house we went home to get a garbage can to deliver to a new customer. Michael had said he would deliver them today and our name isn't Reliable Garbage for nothing so the boys and I delivered the carts today, one at a time because that's all that would fit in the van. The first house was a bust because there was no check. The second one was good. The third one I had to track down the check, couldn't, but got ahold of the customer and he told me where it was. Whew! After all that it was about 2:30 and the boys had been in the van for about 4 hours. So, I took them to the park and we played for about an hour. I was REALLY tired though so we went home and I finished Michael's laundry for him and tried to take it a little bit easy. (easier said than done) So, there was A LOT of bad stuff today but there were some good things too. The GOOD news is....that Richard is going to be OK. Praise the Lord for that. Please pray for us as we wade through the paperwork and make decisions in the coming days. Pray for clarity and peace. Please pray that Richard remembers what happened.
Thanks guys. I wanted a record of this. Thanks for sharing my day.
Blessings!- Angela :)
This morning he crawled into bed with me and we fell back asleep for about 45 minutes. It was so nice to be all curled up together with our kids watching TV upstairs. Well, all but Gideon. What was HE doing you ask. He was PLAYING WITH THE TOILET BRUSH!!! EW EW EEEEWWWWWWWWWW!
Anyway, Michael got up to put it away and I was hoping for a few more minutes when I heard Michael running down the hall and yelling at me. "Get up! Richard's been in an accident. The EMT is with him now!" (Apparently Michael had left his phone downstairs and he didn't hear it ring when Richard called the first time.) The home phone immediately (no kidding) rang and I ran to get it. It was Karen, Richard's wife. She was talking calmly, although obviously shaken. She said that Richard called and said he had been in an accident and couldn't get ahold of Michael. I asked her if he was OK. She said he had a cut on his head but was talking strongly and seemed to be OK otherwise. She was on her way to meet him at the hospital. They were getting ready to transport him to the ER. She said he said that he went off into a ditch on the side of the road. My mind was reeling at this point of the repercussions of such a thing as well as hoping that Richard was really as good as it sounded like he was. So, here we are running around because after Michael finished with the scene he was going to have to finish the route. He was getting ready and I asked him if he wanted me to go too. He said, "Yes, that might be a good idea." So I got the kiddos ready and we left very quickly. (nothing to eat for any of us except the boys had a couple of pieces of leftover harvest candy.) On the way out the door Michael was able to speak to the officers at the scene who said that the truck was totalled. Gulp. Now, in my mind I am picturing Richard running off the road into a deeper drainage ditch possibly hitting a stone pipe and that's how he "totalled" the truck in a "ditch" and managed to get a small gash on his face. When we pulled up to the scene I was HORRIFIED to find that that's NOT at all what had happened. The "ditch" was really- I'm not quite sure what to call it...not deep enough to be a ravine, maybe a hill, definitely NOT a ditch. The truck went down about 50-60 feet and took out a few small trees in it's wake. The cab was crushed in at the top and sides. Obviously, he had rolled the truck. It was sitting upright, stopped by a group of small trees. I think, besides the comments I made about it NOT being a ditch and the fact that he rolled it, I just stood there with my hand on my mouth and praised God that Richard was still alive. Now, the body (garbage packer) of the truck looked good. We talked to the officers at the scene and the GSP (georgia state patrol) officer said that R didn't remember what happened. It's no wonder considering the rolling thing. The probs with that are- Our insurance co is going to have a field day with this. Getting commercial insurance on a garbage truck is actually fairly difficult. Getting it at a reasonable price is quite difficult. Getting either after a totalled truck is really hard. :(:(
Worker's Comp on a garbage man is already very high...now, it's going to go up even more. :(:(:( We're looking at a substantial amount of money we're going to be eating here, not to mention that even though we have full coverage we will not be able to buy this same set up (truck/compactor) at the price the insur co will give us. Did I mention that while all this horrifying info was going through my brain I was praising God for sparing R and looking in horror at the scene before me? Michael started down the hill to retrieve the route books so he could finish the route. I was on the top of the hill because I still had all three boys in the car and wasn't sure they would stay put. I was hoping, but not sure. At this point my pastor's wife came out of the house next door and said good morning. She watched the boys while I joined my husband. He was shaking the glass out of the books and putting the scattered pages back into the books in the correct order. I, meanwhile, was taking in the scene...The mangled doors, the glass, the blood everywhere. We were walking in blood, the door was sprayed with blood. I'm thinking at that point...could this gash be bigger than we thought? There was quite a bit of blood, although head wounds can bleed a lot even when small. The mood at the truck was grim. I knew what Michael was thinking. What it looked like happened was that R wasn't paying attention and veered too far off the road and got "sucked" down the hill. This would be a concern for obvious reasons. We cannot have a driver who isn't paying attention at all times. We are a small company and the trucks we have are a big investment. Could we trust him with the other newer vehicle after this? We were also noticing that the compacter held up incredibly well during the accident. Those things are built like a TANK! There wasn't even a dent on it that I noticed even the side leaning up against the trees. (Later we noticed damage underneath so we'll see how that pans out.) Amazing. I went back up the slope and Michael came up shortly. About this time Ruth (my pastor's wife) and John (my pastor) offered to let me and the kids come into the house to wait for the tow truck. Michael was leaving to go do the route. Ruth and John took the two older boys into the house with them while Michael gave me the phone numbers to the towing company and the place we needed it towed to (where they could access the packer damage). He left and I went to go into the house when Ruth came out to get me and told me that to add to the drama it seemed there was a bear in the woods (next to where we were) and told me to come inside lest I get caught with it. I hurried inside with the "baby" on my hip and was warmed by the scene of my two boys in bar chairs eating cereal. I was SO relieved that they were feeding them. I was thanking God that in the midst of a crises my kids were being fed hours before I expected them to be able to eat. Yeah. I gave the baby some Cheerios and Ruth offered me some coffee. I asked if it was decaf and she said yes. I told her that I would like a cup. She said that God must have had her make that just for me because
when she made it she realized it was decaf and wondered why she had accidentally made that because she didn't want decaf. About that time the phone rang. It was a neighbor. He was telling her that the bear was not a bear but a wounded deer. My first thought was, "WHAT?!" I mean, deers and bears don't exactly look alike- AT ALL. First of all there is a size difference, plus the antler difference. (LOL) Anyway, the neighbor put it down because it was wounded. Michael received a call from that neighbor (who also goes to our church) letting him know that possibly that's what had happened. Possibly Richard had hit the deer and that's what caused the accident. It was a fresh hit and if anyone else had hit it they would have sustained some damage. The bumper wasn't damaged but then again the roll down the hill didn't damage it either so...why would the deer have. Bummer. Richard cannot remember what happened and we cannot prove the deer thing. :(:(:( Oh, and I must be turning into a redneck because when I went to play CSI agent (find the dead deer and see if there was a blood trail to the truck) I asked Ray (the man who shot the deer) if I could keep it to eat. He said sure. He didn't want to haul it out of the woods. I decided I didn't want to either; especially with the three boys.
Meanwhile the tow guys are pulling the truck up the hill using a wench and pulley. That was at least interesting to Ruth, myself, and especially the boys.
The rest of the day was a blur. We got out of there about 10:30am. The boys and I stopped to check our drop box in town because a new customer was supposed to leave a payment. Guy didn't leave it. :( grrr. Then we got Michael some food from Sonic, drove out to give it to him, went back home, changed the answering machine to let people know we were running late but would pick their trash up, went to Richard's house to hug his wife and deliver his lunch bag and extra clothes bag he requested, talked with Karen and saw a pic of the gash on his head. HUGE gash would be more the word. It was about 5 inches long and at least an inch and a half laid open. YUCK! He also has two broken ribs but miraculously seems to have no concussion. Thank-you Lord!
After we left their house we went home to get a garbage can to deliver to a new customer. Michael had said he would deliver them today and our name isn't Reliable Garbage for nothing so the boys and I delivered the carts today, one at a time because that's all that would fit in the van. The first house was a bust because there was no check. The second one was good. The third one I had to track down the check, couldn't, but got ahold of the customer and he told me where it was. Whew! After all that it was about 2:30 and the boys had been in the van for about 4 hours. So, I took them to the park and we played for about an hour. I was REALLY tired though so we went home and I finished Michael's laundry for him and tried to take it a little bit easy. (easier said than done) So, there was A LOT of bad stuff today but there were some good things too. The GOOD news is....that Richard is going to be OK. Praise the Lord for that. Please pray for us as we wade through the paperwork and make decisions in the coming days. Pray for clarity and peace. Please pray that Richard remembers what happened.
Thanks guys. I wanted a record of this. Thanks for sharing my day.
Blessings!- Angela :)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Blogger "Awards"
OK, first of all I haven't won any blogger awards nor am I going to pass any on- because I haven't won any. LOL What I do want to do is to say a little bit about each person on my blogrole.
Before doing that I would like to mention that I am very selective about who I put on my blogrole. These ladies on my sidebar are women I admire, women who challenge me, and women who like to have fun. :) I know all but three of them IRL. The three I don't know in real life are women I have come to admire/respect in the blogworld.
OK, enough...On to the "awards". I am going to do this in order as they appear on the blogrole. :)
April- This women is a female pastor with a husband and two small-adorable- children. Her writings come from a sincere, hilarious heart. She pursues God and godly motherhood. Getting to read about her journey has been a blessing. She continually challenges me in my own parenting.
Catrina- I know Cat in real life. She is a very honest woman who speaks from her heart. She is a great example of how to role with the punches that life brings her way and get up glorifying God (even when it's through clenched teeth). They (she and Nate) have 3 wonderful boys. They are currently adopting a little girl from Haiti. Keep them in your prayers.
Christy- I also know Christy IRL but have gotten to know her better through blogworld. I am blessed by her fresh perspectives, her incredible desire to be like Jesus, her honesty, and her parenting. She has 3 fabulous children and teaches a couple others out of her home as well. A beautiful example of a humble woman on a journey in humility and godliness.
DeeAnn- Another sister who I have gotten to know better in blogworld even though I knew her IRL. DeeAnn is hilarious. She continually pursues holiness and her heart is certainly an example to me. :) She is wonderful bio Mommy to 3 (soon to be four) and a wonderful stepmother to 1. She is a homeschool Mom who is doing a great job. Always a pleasure.
Jane-Jane- This lady I don't know IRL but I truly wish I did. She is a fireball for Jesus. She is content where God has her in this season. She is continually looking for ways to serve others, especially moms, and her heart is in a mad pursuit for a deeper relationship with Jesus. Her life challenges me to reach for new heights. I love reading her stuff.
Lea- Another lady I don't know IRL but have enjoyed "getting to know" through this crazy "other world". They adopted 2 sweet little boys from Russia last year and are SUPER SUPER parents. She obviously loves God and ADORES her children. She inspires me in my own parenting. I love reading journeys of new parents and hers is a great one.
Renee- This woman is AMAZING. I have known her for years and is one of the greatest friends I have ever had. They are missionaries in Mongolia and while they don't update their blog very frequently what they do write about is worth reading. She just had her fourth daughter. Keep them in your prayers. They are awesome servants of Jesus.
Susannah- I met Susannah at Grace Covenant Fellowship. Most of our conversations occurred in the nursing mother's room. Since I had 3 children in 3 1/2 years and she has a child every couple years we got to know each other as we nursed. She has a heart of gold yet is very savvy in her thinking and writing. Continually challenges me in so many areas. I enjoy reading her immensely because it moves so quickly from humility to wit. What a woman. She is about to have her 7th child by the way and that's nothing to sneeze at either.
Terry- This woman I found recently and she just made my blogrole. :) She is an amazing believer who is constantly thinking and walking out what it means to pursue God and live a holy life. Most times I read her posts I think, "When did I write that?" Her thoughts mirror mine so often it's unreal. She is worth the read folks. You will enjoy her.
Tia- How can I describe Tia? Another IRL friend who I have been extremely blessed to get to know in blogworld. She is an amazing thinker, an intimate pursuer of Jesus, a woman who desires TRUTH, a woman who thinks outside the box and continually challenges herself and others with her thoughts. I used to not enjoy being friends with someone I didn't pretty much agree with about most things. (that was me being insecure) Tia has helped me change that. She and I don't always hold to the same opinions about things but I firmly believe in her integrity and I truly do enjoy a good loving debate done with respect. She is always worth the read and will challenge you to ABANDON IMAGE!
Tonya- Well (chuckle chuckle)...I probably don't even need to cover her because most of you probably found me through her blog. LOL She is infamous for her love for her family, her God, and life. She is a breath of fresh air and when stepping into her blogworld you will find a very down-home hospitable setting. I alternate between intense jealous of her and great admiration of her. LOL I have known her for years and her genuineness comes out in what she writes. Passionate pursuer of Jesus and a great woman to call friend.
Well there you have it. Thanks ladies for enriching my life through your writings. I am proud to share a Saviour with you and proud to call you my sisters.
Blessings to everyone!
-Angela :)
Before doing that I would like to mention that I am very selective about who I put on my blogrole. These ladies on my sidebar are women I admire, women who challenge me, and women who like to have fun. :) I know all but three of them IRL. The three I don't know in real life are women I have come to admire/respect in the blogworld.
OK, enough...On to the "awards". I am going to do this in order as they appear on the blogrole. :)
April- This women is a female pastor with a husband and two small-adorable- children. Her writings come from a sincere, hilarious heart. She pursues God and godly motherhood. Getting to read about her journey has been a blessing. She continually challenges me in my own parenting.
Catrina- I know Cat in real life. She is a very honest woman who speaks from her heart. She is a great example of how to role with the punches that life brings her way and get up glorifying God (even when it's through clenched teeth). They (she and Nate) have 3 wonderful boys. They are currently adopting a little girl from Haiti. Keep them in your prayers.
Christy- I also know Christy IRL but have gotten to know her better through blogworld. I am blessed by her fresh perspectives, her incredible desire to be like Jesus, her honesty, and her parenting. She has 3 fabulous children and teaches a couple others out of her home as well. A beautiful example of a humble woman on a journey in humility and godliness.
DeeAnn- Another sister who I have gotten to know better in blogworld even though I knew her IRL. DeeAnn is hilarious. She continually pursues holiness and her heart is certainly an example to me. :) She is wonderful bio Mommy to 3 (soon to be four) and a wonderful stepmother to 1. She is a homeschool Mom who is doing a great job. Always a pleasure.
Jane-Jane- This lady I don't know IRL but I truly wish I did. She is a fireball for Jesus. She is content where God has her in this season. She is continually looking for ways to serve others, especially moms, and her heart is in a mad pursuit for a deeper relationship with Jesus. Her life challenges me to reach for new heights. I love reading her stuff.
Lea- Another lady I don't know IRL but have enjoyed "getting to know" through this crazy "other world". They adopted 2 sweet little boys from Russia last year and are SUPER SUPER parents. She obviously loves God and ADORES her children. She inspires me in my own parenting. I love reading journeys of new parents and hers is a great one.
Renee- This woman is AMAZING. I have known her for years and is one of the greatest friends I have ever had. They are missionaries in Mongolia and while they don't update their blog very frequently what they do write about is worth reading. She just had her fourth daughter. Keep them in your prayers. They are awesome servants of Jesus.
Susannah- I met Susannah at Grace Covenant Fellowship. Most of our conversations occurred in the nursing mother's room. Since I had 3 children in 3 1/2 years and she has a child every couple years we got to know each other as we nursed. She has a heart of gold yet is very savvy in her thinking and writing. Continually challenges me in so many areas. I enjoy reading her immensely because it moves so quickly from humility to wit. What a woman. She is about to have her 7th child by the way and that's nothing to sneeze at either.
Terry- This woman I found recently and she just made my blogrole. :) She is an amazing believer who is constantly thinking and walking out what it means to pursue God and live a holy life. Most times I read her posts I think, "When did I write that?" Her thoughts mirror mine so often it's unreal. She is worth the read folks. You will enjoy her.
Tia- How can I describe Tia? Another IRL friend who I have been extremely blessed to get to know in blogworld. She is an amazing thinker, an intimate pursuer of Jesus, a woman who desires TRUTH, a woman who thinks outside the box and continually challenges herself and others with her thoughts. I used to not enjoy being friends with someone I didn't pretty much agree with about most things. (that was me being insecure) Tia has helped me change that. She and I don't always hold to the same opinions about things but I firmly believe in her integrity and I truly do enjoy a good loving debate done with respect. She is always worth the read and will challenge you to ABANDON IMAGE!
Tonya- Well (chuckle chuckle)...I probably don't even need to cover her because most of you probably found me through her blog. LOL She is infamous for her love for her family, her God, and life. She is a breath of fresh air and when stepping into her blogworld you will find a very down-home hospitable setting. I alternate between intense jealous of her and great admiration of her. LOL I have known her for years and her genuineness comes out in what she writes. Passionate pursuer of Jesus and a great woman to call friend.
Well there you have it. Thanks ladies for enriching my life through your writings. I am proud to share a Saviour with you and proud to call you my sisters.
Blessings to everyone!
-Angela :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Interesting
Thomas and I were talking yesterday and this is the gist of the conversation...(Thomas is my 4 year old)
T- Can we ask Cameron to come over and play today?
Me- No honey. Not today. Maybe we can ask him over soon.
T- No, I want him to come todaaay. (Not whining just dragging out to emphasize his point.)
M- He can't come today honey because his Mommy's at work.
T- Why? (Completely confused that a Mommy would go to work.)
M- Because they have to do things a little differently at his house.
T- Can his Daddy bring him over?
M- His Daddy is at work too.
T- (With big eyes) Where is Cameron?
M- He's in daycare.
T- (totally confused at the word. Has apparently never heard it before.) But, who keeps Cameron safe?
I explained daycare a little to him and assured him that someone was taking care of Cameron.
I just thought his choice of words was interesting. "Who keeps cameron safe?"
I'm glad that he associates us being home with him as us keeping him safe. I'm glad he feels safe here with us.
We didn't do much homeschool yesterday (unless you count the 4 hours we were outside as gym class-haha) but we did do a turkey leaf craft. We will finish it today. It's this one .http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mleafturkey.htm It was so nice to be outside in the beautiful, slightly warm, fall air yest. I was telling the kids that though reading, writing, math, etc. is important that sometimes it's equally important to just enjoy God's creation and praise Him for it.
Have a wonderful day today! Blessings!- Angela :)
T- Can we ask Cameron to come over and play today?
Me- No honey. Not today. Maybe we can ask him over soon.
T- No, I want him to come todaaay. (Not whining just dragging out to emphasize his point.)
M- He can't come today honey because his Mommy's at work.
T- Why? (Completely confused that a Mommy would go to work.)
M- Because they have to do things a little differently at his house.
T- Can his Daddy bring him over?
M- His Daddy is at work too.
T- (With big eyes) Where is Cameron?
M- He's in daycare.
T- (totally confused at the word. Has apparently never heard it before.) But, who keeps Cameron safe?
I explained daycare a little to him and assured him that someone was taking care of Cameron.
I just thought his choice of words was interesting. "Who keeps cameron safe?"
I'm glad that he associates us being home with him as us keeping him safe. I'm glad he feels safe here with us.
We didn't do much homeschool yesterday (unless you count the 4 hours we were outside as gym class-haha) but we did do a turkey leaf craft. We will finish it today. It's this one .http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mleafturkey.htm It was so nice to be outside in the beautiful, slightly warm, fall air yest. I was telling the kids that though reading, writing, math, etc. is important that sometimes it's equally important to just enjoy God's creation and praise Him for it.
Have a wonderful day today! Blessings!- Angela :)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Relevant Without Compromise
At first glance this post may seem trite but please look deeper to the harder questions that may arise in your spirit after reading this. Sometimes things are not so black and white. I'm not saying there isn't absolute truth because there definitely is but what I'm saying is that not everything in the Christian life has an easy answer.
This post has been stirring in my spirit for WEEKS now. I read this post over at Makeesha's blog http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/10/18/can-we-help-those-unlike-us/ .
I posted a comment and then kept waking up throughout the night to think on what was stirring in my spirit. I mean, I WANT to be able to relate to all types of people. I don't want to be looked on as "untouchable". I am willing to give up things to do that. However, I'm not willing to compromise morals to do it. (For the record I am NOT saying that Makeesha is saying you should. Just to be clear, this is about what I feel God is speaking to me.) So, for the last 3 weeks this topic has been stirring in my spirit- How can we, as Christians, be relevant without compromising.
The first set of things I am going to share was written down, by me, the day or so after her blog post. The second set of things was written down last Sunday during our pastor's sermon titled- "Worldliness, External or Internal?"
First Set of Thoughts-
Let's look at Jesus and the Samaritan woman. To speak with her at the well that day He had to overcome many obstacles: cultural stereotypes (Jew/Samaritan), gender, "privilege". He did all that without changing who He was.
Here Paul warns us not to succumb to temptation:
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6Now these things occurred as examples[a] to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."[b] 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Here he mentions the call to be separate from the world...
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."[b] 17"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."[c] 18"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
also 2 Corinthians 7:1
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
YET, Jesus Himself hung out with the worst of the worst. He ate dinner in the homes of criminals (tax collectors), He touched the forbidden sores of leprosy, He spoke to the prostitutes, etc. Even in His greatest hour of trial (on the cross) He reached out to a criminal and gave him eternal life.
How was Jesus able to live and walk among these people without changing who He was or watering down the message He brought? People were attracted to Jesus (and later His disciples) but not because He was the same as them. They were attracted to His godliness. There was something different about Him. They were also attracted to His humility, compassion, and love. I believe those are really key things we need to operate in.
We can live among those we are serving. We can sell our possessions and give to the poor. We can listen as people poor out their hearts. We need to eliminate as many obstacles as possible to reach others. Paul taught this as well. As much as Paul taught holy living with high standards he also said this:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
There must be a way to do both. Live holy and be relevant. Being relevant without compromise involves humility, love and compassion. It doesn't involve delivering food to the poor so we can check it off our to do list. It doesn't involve "stooping" down to somebody's level to bring them the gospel in a prideful way. People can sense genuineness and appreciate it so much. We need to ask God to pour His love into our hearts so we can give it away to others. We need the Holy Spirit to help us move in compassion. Relevant without compromise.
Second Set of Thoughts/Notes from the sermon on Sunday
There is a tendency to withdraw fr0m the world. Jesus made friends with sinners. Not all of them were "quality" friends.
We need to be immersed in the lives of those we are trying to reach. Its a more effective method. Yet, God calls us to be separate.
DUCKS SPEND THEIR TIME IN WATER AND YET NEVER GET WET. hence the phrase "water off a duck's back" Immersed yet dry.
QUMRAN'S DIVE AND HUNT FOR FISH BUT COME UP SOAKING WET. THEY CAN'T EVEN FLY BECAUSE THEIR FEATHERS ARE SATURATED.
Which bird are you? Do you come away from being immersed in the lost wet or dry? There is a balance. We need to hang out with others in the Body of Christ but we also need to be immersed in the lives of the lost.
"Keep it in balance.
The path to holiness is not isolation.
The path to holiness is sanctification and unity with the people of God amidst ministry to those in need."
Again the theme seemed to be relevant without compromise.
Let's look for ways to do that. Let's challenge each other to really love the lost in a tangible, touchable way.
Blessings on your journey!
Angela :)
This post has been stirring in my spirit for WEEKS now. I read this post over at Makeesha's blog http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/10/18/can-we-help-those-unlike-us/ .
I posted a comment and then kept waking up throughout the night to think on what was stirring in my spirit. I mean, I WANT to be able to relate to all types of people. I don't want to be looked on as "untouchable". I am willing to give up things to do that. However, I'm not willing to compromise morals to do it. (For the record I am NOT saying that Makeesha is saying you should. Just to be clear, this is about what I feel God is speaking to me.) So, for the last 3 weeks this topic has been stirring in my spirit- How can we, as Christians, be relevant without compromising.
The first set of things I am going to share was written down, by me, the day or so after her blog post. The second set of things was written down last Sunday during our pastor's sermon titled- "Worldliness, External or Internal?"
First Set of Thoughts-
Let's look at Jesus and the Samaritan woman. To speak with her at the well that day He had to overcome many obstacles: cultural stereotypes (Jew/Samaritan), gender, "privilege". He did all that without changing who He was.
Here Paul warns us not to succumb to temptation:
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6Now these things occurred as examples[a] to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."[b] 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Here he mentions the call to be separate from the world...
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[a]? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."[b] 17"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."[c] 18"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
also 2 Corinthians 7:1
1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
YET, Jesus Himself hung out with the worst of the worst. He ate dinner in the homes of criminals (tax collectors), He touched the forbidden sores of leprosy, He spoke to the prostitutes, etc. Even in His greatest hour of trial (on the cross) He reached out to a criminal and gave him eternal life.
How was Jesus able to live and walk among these people without changing who He was or watering down the message He brought? People were attracted to Jesus (and later His disciples) but not because He was the same as them. They were attracted to His godliness. There was something different about Him. They were also attracted to His humility, compassion, and love. I believe those are really key things we need to operate in.
We can live among those we are serving. We can sell our possessions and give to the poor. We can listen as people poor out their hearts. We need to eliminate as many obstacles as possible to reach others. Paul taught this as well. As much as Paul taught holy living with high standards he also said this:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
There must be a way to do both. Live holy and be relevant. Being relevant without compromise involves humility, love and compassion. It doesn't involve delivering food to the poor so we can check it off our to do list. It doesn't involve "stooping" down to somebody's level to bring them the gospel in a prideful way. People can sense genuineness and appreciate it so much. We need to ask God to pour His love into our hearts so we can give it away to others. We need the Holy Spirit to help us move in compassion. Relevant without compromise.
Second Set of Thoughts/Notes from the sermon on Sunday
There is a tendency to withdraw fr0m the world. Jesus made friends with sinners. Not all of them were "quality" friends.
We need to be immersed in the lives of those we are trying to reach. Its a more effective method. Yet, God calls us to be separate.
DUCKS SPEND THEIR TIME IN WATER AND YET NEVER GET WET. hence the phrase "water off a duck's back" Immersed yet dry.
QUMRAN'S DIVE AND HUNT FOR FISH BUT COME UP SOAKING WET. THEY CAN'T EVEN FLY BECAUSE THEIR FEATHERS ARE SATURATED.
Which bird are you? Do you come away from being immersed in the lost wet or dry? There is a balance. We need to hang out with others in the Body of Christ but we also need to be immersed in the lives of the lost.
"Keep it in balance.
The path to holiness is not isolation.
The path to holiness is sanctification and unity with the people of God amidst ministry to those in need."
Again the theme seemed to be relevant without compromise.
Let's look for ways to do that. Let's challenge each other to really love the lost in a tangible, touchable way.
Blessings on your journey!
Angela :)
Monday, November 12, 2007
"Hope Deferred...
makes the heart sick..." Proverbs 13:12
This verse has rung true to me over and over again in my life; specifically lately. There are numerous scriptures in the NT that speak of the awesome HOPE we have in Jesus but I don't want to highlight those today. (maybe tomorrow) The passage I want to highlight today was the main Scripture used in a sermon I heard at a friend's church last night.
Isaiah 45:1-3
1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Chris, the pastor of the church, pointed out that this prophecy give to Isaiah was 17o-some odd years before it's fulfillment. Chris then asked us the question, "Why would God do that?" Why would He give this prophet a message for this particular people SO many years before it was going to happen? The word that was almost branded on my mind, so much so that I actually almost saw it on the screen covering the verses, was the word HOPE. God loves to fill us with hope. He knows that our finite minds and weary souls can only handle so much but when we are reminded of WHO we serve and what He is going to do then we can keep on keepin' on. (Southern version) We can fight the good fight. We can keep the faith. We can finish the race. (Biblical version)
God's understanding is SO VERY much bigger than our minds will ever be able to wrap around. His plans are so much more grand and awesome then we can imagine. He continually fills us with hope, with purpose, and with the power of His Holy Spirit so that we CAN win in this battle; this battle of good and evil and this battle of life.
I'm actually GLAD that God knows more than me, even when I don't understand why He does things certain ways. To quote (loosely) comedian Brad Stine, "Would you REALLY want to serve a God whose mind and understanding stopped at the same place as yours?" uh- Nope!
I pray that God will breath new life into y'all this week. I pray that our great God of peace and victory will fill you with a fresh hope and a fresh outpouring of His spirit.
Praise God for the HOPE we have in JESUS! Praise God for the hope of heaven! Praise God for the hope he gives us through His Word, prophetic words spoken to us, and through His precious Holy Spirit!
Have a blessed week! -Angela :)
This verse has rung true to me over and over again in my life; specifically lately. There are numerous scriptures in the NT that speak of the awesome HOPE we have in Jesus but I don't want to highlight those today. (maybe tomorrow) The passage I want to highlight today was the main Scripture used in a sermon I heard at a friend's church last night.
Isaiah 45:1-3
1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Chris, the pastor of the church, pointed out that this prophecy give to Isaiah was 17o-some odd years before it's fulfillment. Chris then asked us the question, "Why would God do that?" Why would He give this prophet a message for this particular people SO many years before it was going to happen? The word that was almost branded on my mind, so much so that I actually almost saw it on the screen covering the verses, was the word HOPE. God loves to fill us with hope. He knows that our finite minds and weary souls can only handle so much but when we are reminded of WHO we serve and what He is going to do then we can keep on keepin' on. (Southern version) We can fight the good fight. We can keep the faith. We can finish the race. (Biblical version)
God's understanding is SO VERY much bigger than our minds will ever be able to wrap around. His plans are so much more grand and awesome then we can imagine. He continually fills us with hope, with purpose, and with the power of His Holy Spirit so that we CAN win in this battle; this battle of good and evil and this battle of life.
I'm actually GLAD that God knows more than me, even when I don't understand why He does things certain ways. To quote (loosely) comedian Brad Stine, "Would you REALLY want to serve a God whose mind and understanding stopped at the same place as yours?" uh- Nope!
I pray that God will breath new life into y'all this week. I pray that our great God of peace and victory will fill you with a fresh hope and a fresh outpouring of His spirit.
Praise God for the HOPE we have in JESUS! Praise God for the hope of heaven! Praise God for the hope he gives us through His Word, prophetic words spoken to us, and through His precious Holy Spirit!
Have a blessed week! -Angela :)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Falling Short
This post is more a reminder to myself than anything but if it helps someone else, then great!
As a mom I tend to over-analyze things and wonder if my kids are going to be scarred for life at some point. I am constantly stressing about the things I don't do well at and wondering if that will cause deficiencies in my kids' lives. (Can you say STRESS OUT?)
The truth is...all of us are deficient in some area or another. All of us have different strengths and weaknesses. All of us have different personalities and YES, ALL of us have areas that we need to work on.
I cannot, nor ever will be, the ultimate "perfect" mother. The only perfect parent ever is God the Father. No one else has His qualifications.
We can however use what God has given us. We can listen to the Holy Spirit and grow in areas. We can pray and ask God how to specifically parent each of our precious children.
Nobody will ever do it perfectly. We have to work with what we have and trust God to supply what we lack to our kids. :)
We always want to be "the other mother" you know, the one who is organized, makes perfect meals, cares for the sick and needy, is consistent at discipline, is overwhelmed with love for her kids, who never raises her voice, is always wanting to be "bothered", etc. etc. etc.
I have come to the conclusion that I never will be. God gave each of us the specific children we have. He has great plans for our specific families. I am trying to trust that, when, time and time again, I seem to fall short.
I am choosing to grow though. I am choosing to let God change me in areas of weakness. I am still learning to love others more than myself. :) I am just trying not to chose defeat when I see myself fall short...daily.
I laughed the other day when I remembered something I heard comedian Jeff Allen say...He was talking about "all kids needing therapy" one day. He said that he told his boys that if they ever even perceived an injustice to write it down, date it, and he would initial it. He said it would help them breeze through the therapy process later in life.
LOL - I may tell my kids the same thing one day. :):)
Hope that everyone has a great weekend.
Sorry that I haven't blogged this week. It's been a bit crazy coming back from last week's cold. I had to catch up on so many things around the house. Plus, a couple of business things came up that I had to handle, plus homeschooling etc, etc, etc. Hopefully next week I will get more chances to blog about the mundane happenings of our lives. :)
Love, Angela :)
As a mom I tend to over-analyze things and wonder if my kids are going to be scarred for life at some point. I am constantly stressing about the things I don't do well at and wondering if that will cause deficiencies in my kids' lives. (Can you say STRESS OUT?)
The truth is...all of us are deficient in some area or another. All of us have different strengths and weaknesses. All of us have different personalities and YES, ALL of us have areas that we need to work on.
I cannot, nor ever will be, the ultimate "perfect" mother. The only perfect parent ever is God the Father. No one else has His qualifications.
We can however use what God has given us. We can listen to the Holy Spirit and grow in areas. We can pray and ask God how to specifically parent each of our precious children.
Nobody will ever do it perfectly. We have to work with what we have and trust God to supply what we lack to our kids. :)
We always want to be "the other mother" you know, the one who is organized, makes perfect meals, cares for the sick and needy, is consistent at discipline, is overwhelmed with love for her kids, who never raises her voice, is always wanting to be "bothered", etc. etc. etc.
I have come to the conclusion that I never will be. God gave each of us the specific children we have. He has great plans for our specific families. I am trying to trust that, when, time and time again, I seem to fall short.
I am choosing to grow though. I am choosing to let God change me in areas of weakness. I am still learning to love others more than myself. :) I am just trying not to chose defeat when I see myself fall short...daily.
I laughed the other day when I remembered something I heard comedian Jeff Allen say...He was talking about "all kids needing therapy" one day. He said that he told his boys that if they ever even perceived an injustice to write it down, date it, and he would initial it. He said it would help them breeze through the therapy process later in life.
LOL - I may tell my kids the same thing one day. :):)
Hope that everyone has a great weekend.
Sorry that I haven't blogged this week. It's been a bit crazy coming back from last week's cold. I had to catch up on so many things around the house. Plus, a couple of business things came up that I had to handle, plus homeschooling etc, etc, etc. Hopefully next week I will get more chances to blog about the mundane happenings of our lives. :)
Love, Angela :)
Friday, November 2, 2007
VERY Creative Writing
One of my kids' assignments for school today was to look at the picture above (just tilt your head for the correct view. I'm short on time today. heehee) and write a story about what you think is happening in the picture.
I did both boys separately. I didn't want either boy's story influencing the other. I am going to post them here because they are so funny- especially Judah's. Keep in mind that they told me the story and I wrote it down. The only thing I changed was a little grammar and occasionally asked them to look at the picture and make sure they covered all the things that were going on. Here are their stories...
Thomas' story:
The big pumpkin was going sour. So she got a little pumpkin. The dog wants to eat the big pumpkin because he likes pumpkin; but he eats dog food because he's a dog. Then the girl put Puppy away in his fence. Then she picked up her pumpkins and put them in her home. Then she slept.
THE END
Judah's story:
The girl is picking up pumpkins because they are ready. She put the pumpkins in the house because she wanted to make pumpkin pie. After her pumpkin pie she took a bath.
The dog played with the girl and he wanted to bite the big pumpkin because he was hungry. His face got all yucky because there was a worm in his mouth. (He ate too much pumpkin and ate the leaf. The worm was on the leaf and he got it in his mouth.) The worm bit the dog's mouth inside. A squirrel opened the dog's mouth and got inside but the dog choked on the squirrel. The girl took the dog to the doctor and the doctor got the squirrel out. After that they bought a rocket and blasted off into outer space to look at things. THE END.
We also talked about why leaves change color in the fall. Then they each did their 15 minutes of reading. (Well, Thomas didn't read the whole time. He read some of that with my help and then I read to him.)
Gotta go. The roughhousing is getting a little rough. :) Have a great weekend everyone.
Blessings!- Angela :)
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