Monday, December 21, 2009
The birth of a Savior
As we prepare to remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior, I am reminded (thank you BJ) that it is his death that is the cause for celebration. Without His death there is no hope for me. Without the sacrifice of Christ, there is no mediator between God and man. Thank you Father for providing a way for me when I could not provide my own way. You are merciful and gracious and holy. I praise you and thank you for teaching me by Your Holy Spirit and making my heart believe. You are gracious in allowing me to see even a small part of your plan. Let your joy be spread to the nations!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
How Deep The Father's Love For Us
My value does not lie in how much I do or don't accomplish in my home. Sounds good, right? I wonder how many times I have to say or type that before I believe it.
I lost my patience tonight with Allison because she wanted me to help her find her lost slipper to wear to school tomorrow for the pajama party. Everywhere I turn, I see something that is undone. The girls room is full of boxes of my mother's things that have been sitting around since she moved to my sister's house about 2-3 years ago. Her shed is packed full to the brim with STUFF and I need to do some creative rearranging in there to make the boxes fit. The last time I went in, I realized that the front corner of the shed was home to a massive swarm of wasps.
I am currently waiting for the dryer to stop so I can go to bed. I don't like leaving it running and going to sleep...just in case the dryer lint decides to try doing magic tricks and ignite. I did get the dishwasher loaded and one half of my kitchen clean (including shining my sink). The result is that my hands smell like Ajax. I suppose it's better than onion stench that lingers for days.
I know that my value lies not in how many loads of laundry I get washed, dried, folded and put away, but in the fact that I am His treasure. "I will not boast in anything - no gifts, no power, no wisdom -but I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection"! It is not these earthly distractions that give me value. How easy it is to forget why I am here at what my purpose is.
I lost my patience tonight with Allison because she wanted me to help her find her lost slipper to wear to school tomorrow for the pajama party. Everywhere I turn, I see something that is undone. The girls room is full of boxes of my mother's things that have been sitting around since she moved to my sister's house about 2-3 years ago. Her shed is packed full to the brim with STUFF and I need to do some creative rearranging in there to make the boxes fit. The last time I went in, I realized that the front corner of the shed was home to a massive swarm of wasps.
I am currently waiting for the dryer to stop so I can go to bed. I don't like leaving it running and going to sleep...just in case the dryer lint decides to try doing magic tricks and ignite. I did get the dishwasher loaded and one half of my kitchen clean (including shining my sink). The result is that my hands smell like Ajax. I suppose it's better than onion stench that lingers for days.
I know that my value lies not in how many loads of laundry I get washed, dried, folded and put away, but in the fact that I am His treasure. "I will not boast in anything - no gifts, no power, no wisdom -but I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection"! It is not these earthly distractions that give me value. How easy it is to forget why I am here at what my purpose is.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Hottie
By the way - is my husband not one of the finest men you've ever laid eyes on? Yowza. I love that boy!
Living LIFE
I am so thankful for the blessings God has given to me in the form of friends. I got to see my best friend today after a very long time. It had been about 9 months since we had seen each other (this must NEVER happen again!) and even though we visited for only a few minutes, my spirit was refreshed. I also re-connected with another friend from college. It was a good day.
Right now, I’m taking a little break from making preparations for next week. I’ve even managed to fit in some de-cluttering today. In fact, after a 15 minute clean up session in the bedroom, I headed to the sunroom to put away the card table and folding chairs that have been up since Mother’s Day (yeah, yeah - sue me.) when I discover my 6 year old with a pile of napkins on top of a puddle of something brownish colored on the rug. At first, I thought it was soda, but it wasn’t soaking up into the napkins like one would expect. I walked over and picked up the pile of napkins and dripping from the napkin was not soda, but stringy, sticky syrup. -a very huge puddle of log cabin lite was soaking into the rug. As it turns out, my little chemist was readying herself to make a mixture of syrup and something else (not sure she had made up her mind up about the other ingredients). She loves to concoct all manner of mixtures in cups. One time, she put a raw egg in the cup with her paint water. (Thank goodness I didn’t forget about that cup!) Anyhow, somewhere between bringing the syrup into the sunroom (presumably to hide from mom) and getting the cup for the “mixing colors” as she calls it, she knocked over the bottle of syrup and stepped on it. There must’ve been ½ a cup of syrup or more on the rug. I do not think that Resolve is going to beat that one. I did the best I could to clean up the gooey mess, but I think that rug will forever smell like pancakes.
I will try to update this again at least one more time before I have my surgery, but I won’t make any promises. For anyone who hasn’t heard and wants to know, I’ll be having nasal surgery on June 17th. I’ve been told I’ll be out of work for 2 weeks. It could be a strain financially and I know it will be in other ways, like taking care of my family and the mundane tasks of life (like housekeeping, grocery shopping, cooking, etc.). I truly covet your prayers over the next month or so. To be honest, I’m freaking out a bit about having the surgery. I know in my mind that this is the best decision and I know in my heart that God is sovereign and that nothing can fall on me that hasn’t passed through his hands.
BUT - I’m scared. So, please pray for peace for me.
…
I love you!
Right now, I’m taking a little break from making preparations for next week. I’ve even managed to fit in some de-cluttering today. In fact, after a 15 minute clean up session in the bedroom, I headed to the sunroom to put away the card table and folding chairs that have been up since Mother’s Day (yeah, yeah - sue me.) when I discover my 6 year old with a pile of napkins on top of a puddle of something brownish colored on the rug. At first, I thought it was soda, but it wasn’t soaking up into the napkins like one would expect. I walked over and picked up the pile of napkins and dripping from the napkin was not soda, but stringy, sticky syrup. -a very huge puddle of log cabin lite was soaking into the rug. As it turns out, my little chemist was readying herself to make a mixture of syrup and something else (not sure she had made up her mind up about the other ingredients). She loves to concoct all manner of mixtures in cups. One time, she put a raw egg in the cup with her paint water. (Thank goodness I didn’t forget about that cup!) Anyhow, somewhere between bringing the syrup into the sunroom (presumably to hide from mom) and getting the cup for the “mixing colors” as she calls it, she knocked over the bottle of syrup and stepped on it. There must’ve been ½ a cup of syrup or more on the rug. I do not think that Resolve is going to beat that one. I did the best I could to clean up the gooey mess, but I think that rug will forever smell like pancakes.
I will try to update this again at least one more time before I have my surgery, but I won’t make any promises. For anyone who hasn’t heard and wants to know, I’ll be having nasal surgery on June 17th. I’ve been told I’ll be out of work for 2 weeks. It could be a strain financially and I know it will be in other ways, like taking care of my family and the mundane tasks of life (like housekeeping, grocery shopping, cooking, etc.). I truly covet your prayers over the next month or so. To be honest, I’m freaking out a bit about having the surgery. I know in my mind that this is the best decision and I know in my heart that God is sovereign and that nothing can fall on me that hasn’t passed through his hands.
BUT - I’m scared. So, please pray for peace for me.
…
I love you!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Yes. This is my pathetic excuse for a blog. It is often neglected…but I am thankful that I have it when I need it.
Do you ever have those days where you have so many things spinning around in your head that you don't know which way is up? I've been having a lot of those lately.
I have recently taken on some additional responsibilities at work. The person that left the company is the one who hired me on three and a half years ago, so I was already very familiar with some of the things that he did, because I used to work for him, so I was the logical person to take on these responsibilities. The only trouble with taking on more duties is that you begin to be spread too thin. I'm afraid I'm settling for mediocre on all and excelling at none.
…and so it goes…
Random thought #1: Songwriter
You know, sometimes, I really wish that God had blessed me with songwriting skills. I read an article on Kelly Clarkson one time and her mom was talking about how, as a teenager, she would just get be so overwhelmed that she would break down in tears and hysterics for no apparent reason and her mother advised her to write. She would just sit down and write a song to get it out.
I wish I could do that. I have a lot to say (usually too much! I'm sure a lot of people wish I would just shut up!). I suppose the good Lord knew that it would probably be a source of pride for me and that I probably would use it for my own glory…but I sure do wish I could get all the brain clutter out of my head in the form of a song. I also wish I could play the guitar, but that would require the discipline to practice and I doubt that would happen.
Random thought #2: Difficult people
Why is it so difficult to love the unlovely? After all, aren't we unlovely to someone? I have a co-worker who just plain rubs me the wrong way…pretty much everything she does gets on my nerves. The main reason that I have problems with her is because she is very vocal about saying how good God is when the little, good things happen in her life (which is not a bad thing, mind you), but she treats some of her coworkers (me included) as if their jobs are less important than hers. I just don't think you can separate your relationship with Christ and the way you treat people.
The stupid thing is: I'm being prideful by thinking that I'm a "better Christian" than she is. How pitiful! I hate how sin touches every single part of our lives. My prayer for myself is that I would remember who I am in light of Who He is…a sinner in need of God's grace and forgiveness. It is not my nature to be good or seek His righteousness, so I pray for the Holy Spirit to convict me daily of the things for which I need to repent.
End of Random Thoughts…
Maybe in a few more months, I'll brain-dump again. It's amazing how this relieves all the pent up anxiety. :)
Do you ever have those days where you have so many things spinning around in your head that you don't know which way is up? I've been having a lot of those lately.
I have recently taken on some additional responsibilities at work. The person that left the company is the one who hired me on three and a half years ago, so I was already very familiar with some of the things that he did, because I used to work for him, so I was the logical person to take on these responsibilities. The only trouble with taking on more duties is that you begin to be spread too thin. I'm afraid I'm settling for mediocre on all and excelling at none.
…and so it goes…
Random thought #1: Songwriter
You know, sometimes, I really wish that God had blessed me with songwriting skills. I read an article on Kelly Clarkson one time and her mom was talking about how, as a teenager, she would just get be so overwhelmed that she would break down in tears and hysterics for no apparent reason and her mother advised her to write. She would just sit down and write a song to get it out.
I wish I could do that. I have a lot to say (usually too much! I'm sure a lot of people wish I would just shut up!). I suppose the good Lord knew that it would probably be a source of pride for me and that I probably would use it for my own glory…but I sure do wish I could get all the brain clutter out of my head in the form of a song. I also wish I could play the guitar, but that would require the discipline to practice and I doubt that would happen.
Random thought #2: Difficult people
Why is it so difficult to love the unlovely? After all, aren't we unlovely to someone? I have a co-worker who just plain rubs me the wrong way…pretty much everything she does gets on my nerves. The main reason that I have problems with her is because she is very vocal about saying how good God is when the little, good things happen in her life (which is not a bad thing, mind you), but she treats some of her coworkers (me included) as if their jobs are less important than hers. I just don't think you can separate your relationship with Christ and the way you treat people.
The stupid thing is: I'm being prideful by thinking that I'm a "better Christian" than she is. How pitiful! I hate how sin touches every single part of our lives. My prayer for myself is that I would remember who I am in light of Who He is…a sinner in need of God's grace and forgiveness. It is not my nature to be good or seek His righteousness, so I pray for the Holy Spirit to convict me daily of the things for which I need to repent.
End of Random Thoughts…
Maybe in a few more months, I'll brain-dump again. It's amazing how this relieves all the pent up anxiety. :)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Super Tuesday!
What a day it was. I started off the day by dropping off my kids at school. Our polling site had been moved to their school from the Volunteer Fire Department. There were 2 districts voting in the same place with six lines to check in the voters. There were four lines for one district (which had 10 people MAX (combined) in line at one time) and two lines for the other district which was backed up all the way to the door. The second district had at least 50 people in line the entire time I was there. Guess which line I was in.
After spending 45 minutes in line, I was told that my name wasn't in the book and that I should go check in the other district's book. (I knew I wasn't in the other district, but okay, whatever.) Nope. Not in that book. After going through both lines, they told me to check in the "other" book of inactive voters. Third try's a charm, right? Apparently, it's not. I gave my i.d. to the man I will refer to as "the runner" so he could investigate. Apparently, the election commission hotline is extremely busy on election day (go figure), so he kept getting a busy signal. Thirty minutes later, the runner came back and took me to the front of the first line I was in. I was in the book after all. She was turning the pages so fast and I couldn't read upside down…so I spent way more time there than necessary.
BUT - while standing in line, the principal went through the morning announcement and the kids whose birthdays are that day get to recite the school's mission statement and the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. It was fitting that as I was about to do my civic duty, the voices of our future were reciting the pledge. It brought tears to my eyes. This one nation is under God, the creator of the universe and in that one true God I will trust. The election did not turn out like I wanted it to, but my faith is in Christ. I know that the one who provides for me everyday will be faithful to continue providing for me. My desire is to be as faithful to Him.
After spending 45 minutes in line, I was told that my name wasn't in the book and that I should go check in the other district's book. (I knew I wasn't in the other district, but okay, whatever.) Nope. Not in that book. After going through both lines, they told me to check in the "other" book of inactive voters. Third try's a charm, right? Apparently, it's not. I gave my i.d. to the man I will refer to as "the runner" so he could investigate. Apparently, the election commission hotline is extremely busy on election day (go figure), so he kept getting a busy signal. Thirty minutes later, the runner came back and took me to the front of the first line I was in. I was in the book after all. She was turning the pages so fast and I couldn't read upside down…so I spent way more time there than necessary.
BUT - while standing in line, the principal went through the morning announcement and the kids whose birthdays are that day get to recite the school's mission statement and the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. It was fitting that as I was about to do my civic duty, the voices of our future were reciting the pledge. It brought tears to my eyes. This one nation is under God, the creator of the universe and in that one true God I will trust. The election did not turn out like I wanted it to, but my faith is in Christ. I know that the one who provides for me everyday will be faithful to continue providing for me. My desire is to be as faithful to Him.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I love our farm.
Last January, we bought a place up in Chester County. My friend likes to call it "The Compound". I can assure you, however, that there is no snake handling or animal sacrifice going on (unless you count running across a copperhead while you're carrying a 500 - that's an entirely different story).
We always wanted to have a place that we could pass down to future generations. We looked on and off for about 3 years without any luck before finding this place. After finding the listing on one of the Realtors' sites, we called the Agent. He was on vacation and couldn't show us the property, so we decided to mapquest it and see if we could find it. After a bit of driving and enjoying the country, we stumbled upon the place. (This was no small feat if you know anything about country roads. There are never any street signs and the same road can have 3 or 4 different names.)
From the road, it didn't look like much, but you couldn't really tell what was over the ridge. We decided that we'd just park at the road and walk up the driveway since the gate was locked. The moment of truth was when we got to the top of that first ridge. We didn't go any farther because we didn't have the agent with us, but we both knew that this was the place immediately.
We decided right away what we were willing to pay for it. If the seller couldn't take what we were offering, we wouldn't buy it. Although it was our dream, we were not willing to burden ourselves with something we couldn't afford. We made an offer the day we saw it with the agent and within 2 or 3 hours, the seller had accepted our offer.
We had to wait about a month to close. It went by so slowly. The seller had promised to rent the trailer to someone else so we just got the land. I am so glad it worked out that way because we are almost done building our own little cabin. Keith is spraying on the "knock-down" finish on the sheetrock upstairs today. After we prime and paint the upstairs, we'll be able to put the (already purchased for $35) carpet down and then we can set up the bedroom furniture. Aside from trim and moulding, the upstairs will be done. YAY!!!
We need to finish the plumbing for downstairs (putting in drains for the sinks and washing machine), kitchen countertops, flooring, wiring the ventahood and stove outlet and trim and moulding and downstairs will also be done.
I love our place. Keith and I built it together. (Yes, he did most of the work, but I helped and learned a lot of stuff that I didn't know before.) I am so thankful that I have a husband who can do anything that needs to be done at our house. Even if he's never done something, he's never afraid to try and even when I'm mostly in the way, he lets me help him. I think we make a great team. I can't wait to grow old together.
Last January, we bought a place up in Chester County. My friend likes to call it "The Compound". I can assure you, however, that there is no snake handling or animal sacrifice going on (unless you count running across a copperhead while you're carrying a 500 - that's an entirely different story).
We always wanted to have a place that we could pass down to future generations. We looked on and off for about 3 years without any luck before finding this place. After finding the listing on one of the Realtors' sites, we called the Agent. He was on vacation and couldn't show us the property, so we decided to mapquest it and see if we could find it. After a bit of driving and enjoying the country, we stumbled upon the place. (This was no small feat if you know anything about country roads. There are never any street signs and the same road can have 3 or 4 different names.)
From the road, it didn't look like much, but you couldn't really tell what was over the ridge. We decided that we'd just park at the road and walk up the driveway since the gate was locked. The moment of truth was when we got to the top of that first ridge. We didn't go any farther because we didn't have the agent with us, but we both knew that this was the place immediately.
We decided right away what we were willing to pay for it. If the seller couldn't take what we were offering, we wouldn't buy it. Although it was our dream, we were not willing to burden ourselves with something we couldn't afford. We made an offer the day we saw it with the agent and within 2 or 3 hours, the seller had accepted our offer.
We had to wait about a month to close. It went by so slowly. The seller had promised to rent the trailer to someone else so we just got the land. I am so glad it worked out that way because we are almost done building our own little cabin. Keith is spraying on the "knock-down" finish on the sheetrock upstairs today. After we prime and paint the upstairs, we'll be able to put the (already purchased for $35) carpet down and then we can set up the bedroom furniture. Aside from trim and moulding, the upstairs will be done. YAY!!!
We need to finish the plumbing for downstairs (putting in drains for the sinks and washing machine), kitchen countertops, flooring, wiring the ventahood and stove outlet and trim and moulding and downstairs will also be done.
I love our place. Keith and I built it together. (Yes, he did most of the work, but I helped and learned a lot of stuff that I didn't know before.) I am so thankful that I have a husband who can do anything that needs to be done at our house. Even if he's never done something, he's never afraid to try and even when I'm mostly in the way, he lets me help him. I think we make a great team. I can't wait to grow old together.
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