I'm sure Cooper would be embarrassed if he knew I was posting this, but that's what happens when God gave him me as a mom. He got caught lying this morning. A minor thing he lied about, but of course that wasn't the issue. So when he got home we had a sit down which ended in tears, which means it was a success, although I was pretty close to tears too. And his discipline was to write a one page essay on lying which had to include two Bible verses on the subject, pretty ingenious if I do say so myself. I helped him by showing him "lie" and other forms of the word in the concordance in my Bible. And this is what he read to Jason and me an hour later, with his own spelling.
Dear Mom and Dad, I know what I have done was bad. Colossians 3:9 says, "Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices." I think that means that you don't lie to each other and if you practice not doing it then you won't do it as much and it will be like you have taken off your old self and put on your new self.
Isaiah 11:6 says, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together." At first I had no clue what this ment. But when I thought about it I thought that maybe since all the animal pairs were oppisite, like one would be a calm animal and the other would be a frightening animal to us maybe it ment that if you don't lie, you will get along better with other people.
At this point, after first looking at each other with a questioning look, Jason and I could not hold in the laughter. We really tried, I promise. We realized that "lie" has more than one meaning and we assumed Coop would have realized that, but no. He did somehow get something out of it though. So we praised him for the first part, and went to eat dinner, and then I looked up a verse for him. I told him to read Proverbs 6:16-19, but just to include verse 17 in his essay. And here is the rest for your reading pleasure.
Proverbs 6:17 says, "Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood." I think that means if you have haughty eyes and a lying tongue you will shed innocent blood. So if you do that your entire life you won't go to heaven.
And last but not least I hope you will forgive me and I will try not to do it again. I am sorry. Your son, Cooper
I asked him what the verse before that one said. He didn't remember. "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him..." We had to have a talk about that not only did the lying hurt my heart, but it hurt God's heart. God hates lying. I think he got it. So the last step was to go to his room and pray and ask God to forgive him. He said he felt better afterwards. So I'm not sure that it all worked out in the way I imagined. He didn't fall to his knees in repentance and beg forgiveness for crushing me, or beg God to forgive his sinful heart. But I think he got the point. There were true remorseful tears at one point, so I think it resonated somewhere in that sweet boy. I know he's not a believer yet, so I can't expect him to act like one. Hopefully he learned a lesson about the truth, and God's love for him. In retrospect I can think of so many wise, spirit-filled things I should have said. But that's why I need to be prayed up before these things hit, so I'll be prepared, and I wasn't. A lesson for me too!
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
NASA
Twenty-five years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up on lift off. I was in fifth grade, had just come back from recess or lunch or somewhere, and our teacher told us. I was sad, I seem to remember, but didn't grasp it really. Well, 25 years later, living five minutes from Johnson Space Center, I grasp it. I don't admit it much around here, but before we moved here, I really didn't get space exploration. When there are homeless and hungry people, why are we spending money on space? But now that I have gotten to know so many people who have dedicated their lives to exploring God's creation and who make so many amazing, important, scientific discoveries, I am in awe, and very grateful for their sacrifices.
In November, Jason and I joined a caravan of people headed to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch of STS 133. Steve Lindsay, commander, is a friend of ours. We were honored to be invited by his family to watch and be there to support his sweet wife Diane. We were able to tour Kennedy and then waited around as the launch kept getting postponed until we returned home. Right now its scheduled for sometime between Feb. 24th and March 6th. I'm not sure that I will be able to go this next time, but we'll see. But touring Kennedy gave me even more of an admiration for the astronauts. I have toured JSC here and was amazed then, but there is a ride at Kennedy that makes you feel like you are in the shuttle. I realized how there is NO way you would ever get me on the real thing. And it reminded me how dangerous their job is.
As we were walking around, we saw this really long line of people waiting for something. We asked someone what they were waiting on. They were waiting to pay $10 to get an autograph of a retired astronaut! We had to laugh. We were about to go meet our friend Shane, an astronaut, for dinner. We wondered what he would do if we sold tickets to eat dinner with him. He didn't think it was funny. But it reminded us how they are heroes, and we take that for granted down here. Shane has told us the process for applying and being accepted. They are truly the cream of the crop.
Here are some pictures of the memorial at Kennedy for fallen astronauts. I didn't realize how many there were. Many have died while training in airplanes as many are pilots before they go to work for NASA. I was thinking about the memorial site today. Its amazing when you go visit how you can be talking and joking and when you turn the corner to see it, everyone falls silent. Its a sad yet awe-inspiring place.
If you could please be praying for my friends down here who work for NASA. Probably half of our church works there, and now that I live and work among these people, I admire them all so much for their sacrifices. Many are living day to day now waiting to see if they will still have a job. It is stressful. They have chosen to serve their country in this way, and I am honored to know so many of them. It is not just the astronauts, but their families, and the people who design and build the machines, who watch the weather, who watch the space debris, who design the suits, who plan and design the experiments, who make the food and the nuts and bolts. Every little part is important, as we have seen. They are all heroes in my opinion. And I honor them today.
In November, Jason and I joined a caravan of people headed to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch of STS 133. Steve Lindsay, commander, is a friend of ours. We were honored to be invited by his family to watch and be there to support his sweet wife Diane. We were able to tour Kennedy and then waited around as the launch kept getting postponed until we returned home. Right now its scheduled for sometime between Feb. 24th and March 6th. I'm not sure that I will be able to go this next time, but we'll see. But touring Kennedy gave me even more of an admiration for the astronauts. I have toured JSC here and was amazed then, but there is a ride at Kennedy that makes you feel like you are in the shuttle. I realized how there is NO way you would ever get me on the real thing. And it reminded me how dangerous their job is.
As we were walking around, we saw this really long line of people waiting for something. We asked someone what they were waiting on. They were waiting to pay $10 to get an autograph of a retired astronaut! We had to laugh. We were about to go meet our friend Shane, an astronaut, for dinner. We wondered what he would do if we sold tickets to eat dinner with him. He didn't think it was funny. But it reminded us how they are heroes, and we take that for granted down here. Shane has told us the process for applying and being accepted. They are truly the cream of the crop.
Here are some pictures of the memorial at Kennedy for fallen astronauts. I didn't realize how many there were. Many have died while training in airplanes as many are pilots before they go to work for NASA. I was thinking about the memorial site today. Its amazing when you go visit how you can be talking and joking and when you turn the corner to see it, everyone falls silent. Its a sad yet awe-inspiring place.
If you could please be praying for my friends down here who work for NASA. Probably half of our church works there, and now that I live and work among these people, I admire them all so much for their sacrifices. Many are living day to day now waiting to see if they will still have a job. It is stressful. They have chosen to serve their country in this way, and I am honored to know so many of them. It is not just the astronauts, but their families, and the people who design and build the machines, who watch the weather, who watch the space debris, who design the suits, who plan and design the experiments, who make the food and the nuts and bolts. Every little part is important, as we have seen. They are all heroes in my opinion. And I honor them today.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What I read today...
I actually had someone say today that they went to read my blog last night and there wasn't a new post. Made me feel good. Yes, I missed last night. But I had made it over a week. Really busy night with a dinner out, basketball practice, and then a virus attacked my computer, and by the time I got done with the Norton people, it was after 10, and my brain had already gone to bed. I really am close to that now. But I wanted to write something. So here is what I read today. It really needs no commentary from me, except to say, AMEN!!! And thank you Jesus!
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:4-10
OK, a little commentary. Only to point out the really good parts! His great love, rich in mercy, by grace, incomparable riches of his grace, kindness to us, GRACE, through faith, not by works. Its not about me!! Thank goodness! Its His incomparable, merciful, kindness, love and grace that saved me! Let that rest in your spirit. Its not about what you've done or not done. Its just his love and grace!
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:4-10
OK, a little commentary. Only to point out the really good parts! His great love, rich in mercy, by grace, incomparable riches of his grace, kindness to us, GRACE, through faith, not by works. Its not about me!! Thank goodness! Its His incomparable, merciful, kindness, love and grace that saved me! Let that rest in your spirit. Its not about what you've done or not done. Its just his love and grace!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Love Yourself or Deny Yourself?
In One Month to Live by Chris and Kerry Shook, Day 5 talks about loving yourself, based on Matthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself." They talk about taking time for yourself, taking care of yourself emotionally, relationally and physically. That's where they get personal. I know I should be exercising, I get it.
Anyway, we were talking in my class Sunday morning about how hard it is for women to take time for themselves. We either don't even try to make time, or if we do, we feel guilty about it. And then Jason mentioned how it seems contradictory to read that and a few chapters earlier, Jesus talks about denying ourselves. Matthew 16:24-26, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" I didn't think much about it at the time. But today, when I was trying to have a few moments to myself with my Bible, I just couldn't get into Ephesians(probably because there were 3 screaming boys and a bouncing basketball going on around me). So I read a few chapters in Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl, by Lysa Terkeurst. She's good, but she's not Paul. And in chapter 14, she talked about the exact same thing, almost like she had been in our class. So I had to camp out on those passages for a little bit.
Lysa says the point of those two verses is not to focus on ourselves at all, but to "make peace with who we are so that feelings of insecurity don't become a distraction to living our faith out loud." (pg 166). I agree with that sentiment, but I'm not sure that's what the scripture is talking about. My Life Application Bible said this about Matt. 16:25. "If we protect ourselves from pain, we begin to die spiritually and emotionally. Our lives turn inward, and we lose our intended purpose. When we give our lives in service to Christ, however, we discover the real purpose of living." (my italics)
And then I pulled out my Message Bible. I know it is not a real translation, but sometimes it helps me to get some clarity. Matt. 16:24-26 says, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self."
When I put all that together, it made more sense. We do need to love others as we love ourselves, which does tell us that we need to love ourselves. But I think that means that we need to take care of ourselves in such a way that when God calls us to help others, which should be daily, we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually ready to serve. It means finding out who we are but not being inwardly focused. We need to be self-sacrificing when it comes to obedience to Christ, but also be willing to ask for help so that we are not burned out and worn out when its time to really do the jobs God has called us to. I think as a mom sometimes, I don't ask for help, and I continually work at things that may not be all that important in the eternal aspect of life (clean house, laundry, etc.) And then when opportunities arise to serve people, even playing with my children, I am too busy or too tired. I need to take care of myself, and then I will be ready to take care of others with God's strength in me.
When I was in Seminary, one of my favorite professors, Dr. Karen Bullock in Church History, said something I will never forget. She said sometimes she goes to get ice cream, and will not get her favorite flavor as an exercise in denying self. I tried that once. It actually was painful to not get what I really wanted. I still got ice cream so who am I kidding. It wasn't that bad. But it is a reminder sometimes that the little things in life we stress over and think are important to us, in the grand scheme of God's plan are very unimportant. He has great plans for us, bigger than we could ever imagine. And how much of His plan for me am I missing out on because I'm either stressed, tired, lazy or selfish? Loving myself and denying myself. Its a fine line! But an important one to consider. Thoughts?
Anyway, we were talking in my class Sunday morning about how hard it is for women to take time for themselves. We either don't even try to make time, or if we do, we feel guilty about it. And then Jason mentioned how it seems contradictory to read that and a few chapters earlier, Jesus talks about denying ourselves. Matthew 16:24-26, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" I didn't think much about it at the time. But today, when I was trying to have a few moments to myself with my Bible, I just couldn't get into Ephesians(probably because there were 3 screaming boys and a bouncing basketball going on around me). So I read a few chapters in Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl, by Lysa Terkeurst. She's good, but she's not Paul. And in chapter 14, she talked about the exact same thing, almost like she had been in our class. So I had to camp out on those passages for a little bit.
Lysa says the point of those two verses is not to focus on ourselves at all, but to "make peace with who we are so that feelings of insecurity don't become a distraction to living our faith out loud." (pg 166). I agree with that sentiment, but I'm not sure that's what the scripture is talking about. My Life Application Bible said this about Matt. 16:25. "If we protect ourselves from pain, we begin to die spiritually and emotionally. Our lives turn inward, and we lose our intended purpose. When we give our lives in service to Christ, however, we discover the real purpose of living." (my italics)
And then I pulled out my Message Bible. I know it is not a real translation, but sometimes it helps me to get some clarity. Matt. 16:24-26 says, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self."
When I put all that together, it made more sense. We do need to love others as we love ourselves, which does tell us that we need to love ourselves. But I think that means that we need to take care of ourselves in such a way that when God calls us to help others, which should be daily, we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually ready to serve. It means finding out who we are but not being inwardly focused. We need to be self-sacrificing when it comes to obedience to Christ, but also be willing to ask for help so that we are not burned out and worn out when its time to really do the jobs God has called us to. I think as a mom sometimes, I don't ask for help, and I continually work at things that may not be all that important in the eternal aspect of life (clean house, laundry, etc.) And then when opportunities arise to serve people, even playing with my children, I am too busy or too tired. I need to take care of myself, and then I will be ready to take care of others with God's strength in me.
When I was in Seminary, one of my favorite professors, Dr. Karen Bullock in Church History, said something I will never forget. She said sometimes she goes to get ice cream, and will not get her favorite flavor as an exercise in denying self. I tried that once. It actually was painful to not get what I really wanted. I still got ice cream so who am I kidding. It wasn't that bad. But it is a reminder sometimes that the little things in life we stress over and think are important to us, in the grand scheme of God's plan are very unimportant. He has great plans for us, bigger than we could ever imagine. And how much of His plan for me am I missing out on because I'm either stressed, tired, lazy or selfish? Loving myself and denying myself. Its a fine line! But an important one to consider. Thoughts?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Grocery Shopping, Menu Making, Coupon Cutting
I feel like I have miles to go to get most of my home organized, but one thing I do feel confident in is grocery shopping. Since I just went through my process tonight, I thought I would share.
Years ago I made a master list of groceries I buy on a regular basis divided up by sections in my Walmart. If you want a copy, let me know and I will email it to you. So once a month, I print one out, and first check off the things I know off the top of my head we are out of. A few months ago I made a master list of meals that I know my family enjoys and I don't mind cooking. So I make a list of about 15-20 meals, depending on how our month looks, and write those down on a piece of paper. I flip the page over and make a list of all the ingredients I will need to make those meals. And then go through my kitchen to see if I have them and add what I need to my list. A friend I had lunch with yesterday was making fun of someone who has her menu set for the whole month. I do not have meals assigned to different days, just a list of meals that I know I have the ingredients for.
I do use and love coupons. I watched this show on TLC a few weeks ago about mega coupon users, and those people are crazy. That is a full time job for them. They are digging through trash cans and begging neighbors for their coupons and have binders. That is not me. Once or twice a month, I go to www.grocerysmarts.com. That is the best website I have found for coupons. It has all of the major sites listed on their site, and its really easy to navigate and get what you want. So I print those off, and add some of that to my list. Than I make one more run through the house to double check my list and ask my family if there is anything they need, and I am done. It takes me an hour or two, but I do it over a few days before my big trip, most the night before so my list is fresh in my brain. I would say I buy 75% of my groceries once a month. Then I only have to go once a week or less to buy a few little things to get us through the month. I can handle that with my kids. I have to make my big trip by myself. Some months I have to do two carts. So I do all the nonperishable things, check out, load my car, and then go back for the perishable. I haven't had to do that in awhile. I'm not sure why. And I make my big trip to Walmart. I don't know why so many people complain. They are the cheapest. If you go on a weekday morning, it's really quiet. I make my smaller trips to Randalls or Kroger.
So that's what I do. To even get more organized, my momma just bought me a recipe saver book, so I can transfer all my favorite recipes into one book instead of this big stack of cookbooks. I'm not sure when I'll have time to do it, but we'll get there sometime.
Years ago I made a master list of groceries I buy on a regular basis divided up by sections in my Walmart. If you want a copy, let me know and I will email it to you. So once a month, I print one out, and first check off the things I know off the top of my head we are out of. A few months ago I made a master list of meals that I know my family enjoys and I don't mind cooking. So I make a list of about 15-20 meals, depending on how our month looks, and write those down on a piece of paper. I flip the page over and make a list of all the ingredients I will need to make those meals. And then go through my kitchen to see if I have them and add what I need to my list. A friend I had lunch with yesterday was making fun of someone who has her menu set for the whole month. I do not have meals assigned to different days, just a list of meals that I know I have the ingredients for.
I do use and love coupons. I watched this show on TLC a few weeks ago about mega coupon users, and those people are crazy. That is a full time job for them. They are digging through trash cans and begging neighbors for their coupons and have binders. That is not me. Once or twice a month, I go to www.grocerysmarts.com. That is the best website I have found for coupons. It has all of the major sites listed on their site, and its really easy to navigate and get what you want. So I print those off, and add some of that to my list. Than I make one more run through the house to double check my list and ask my family if there is anything they need, and I am done. It takes me an hour or two, but I do it over a few days before my big trip, most the night before so my list is fresh in my brain. I would say I buy 75% of my groceries once a month. Then I only have to go once a week or less to buy a few little things to get us through the month. I can handle that with my kids. I have to make my big trip by myself. Some months I have to do two carts. So I do all the nonperishable things, check out, load my car, and then go back for the perishable. I haven't had to do that in awhile. I'm not sure why. And I make my big trip to Walmart. I don't know why so many people complain. They are the cheapest. If you go on a weekday morning, it's really quiet. I make my smaller trips to Randalls or Kroger.
So that's what I do. To even get more organized, my momma just bought me a recipe saver book, so I can transfer all my favorite recipes into one book instead of this big stack of cookbooks. I'm not sure when I'll have time to do it, but we'll get there sometime.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I can't believe Jason still married me...
I told you yesterday about playing intramural softball in college, and how that could be another post altogether. So I might as well get it over with and humiliate myself on the world wide web.
I met Jason officially Spring Break of my sophomore year, and we started dating soon after. He was the Intramural director for ETBU, and he could tell, correctly, that I had no athletic ability. So our first date he took me to Olive Garden and the batting cages. I should have known then what the rest of my life would entail. Boy that seems like a lifetime ago.
Anyway, he had to umpire the softball games. And what little talent I had presented itself in the pitcher position. Well, can you imagine getting up to pitch, and the new guy you are dating, who is really attractive might I add, is standing behind the batter calling your pitches? Yeah, it didn't work. I told him he couldn't call home plate anymore. So the next game he calls second base. Almost worse. I'm trying to pitch knowing the cute guy is watching me from behind. I banned him from calling any of my games. Looking back now, I can't believe he really went with that.
Here's the humiliating part. When the season started, Jason told me I needed to buy myself some cleats. I refused to spend money on cleats for one intramural season. I should have listened. Just like in middle school when I couldn't hit the ball, in college, I still could not hit the ball. But one day, I get up to bat, and miracle of all miracles, I make contact and the ball soars into the sky. Ok, really, it was a very short pop fly to 2nd base, but still it went. So in my shock, I start running. Did I mention that it had rained the day before and the ground was really wet and muddy? And did I mention that my cute new boyfriend wasn't calling the game, but still was there watching? Oh yeah, and I don't have on cleats. So what happens? Splat! I slip and land face first in the mud before I get to first. I somehow was able to get up and join everyone else who was laughing at me. And I did get out of course. I don't know how the second baseman was able to throw to first as hard as she was laughing. Again, looking back, I can't believe that didn't end it for me with Jason on the spot. He must have really liked me! And he knew what he was getting into!
I met Jason officially Spring Break of my sophomore year, and we started dating soon after. He was the Intramural director for ETBU, and he could tell, correctly, that I had no athletic ability. So our first date he took me to Olive Garden and the batting cages. I should have known then what the rest of my life would entail. Boy that seems like a lifetime ago.
Anyway, he had to umpire the softball games. And what little talent I had presented itself in the pitcher position. Well, can you imagine getting up to pitch, and the new guy you are dating, who is really attractive might I add, is standing behind the batter calling your pitches? Yeah, it didn't work. I told him he couldn't call home plate anymore. So the next game he calls second base. Almost worse. I'm trying to pitch knowing the cute guy is watching me from behind. I banned him from calling any of my games. Looking back now, I can't believe he really went with that.
Here's the humiliating part. When the season started, Jason told me I needed to buy myself some cleats. I refused to spend money on cleats for one intramural season. I should have listened. Just like in middle school when I couldn't hit the ball, in college, I still could not hit the ball. But one day, I get up to bat, and miracle of all miracles, I make contact and the ball soars into the sky. Ok, really, it was a very short pop fly to 2nd base, but still it went. So in my shock, I start running. Did I mention that it had rained the day before and the ground was really wet and muddy? And did I mention that my cute new boyfriend wasn't calling the game, but still was there watching? Oh yeah, and I don't have on cleats. So what happens? Splat! I slip and land face first in the mud before I get to first. I somehow was able to get up and join everyone else who was laughing at me. And I did get out of course. I don't know how the second baseman was able to throw to first as hard as she was laughing. Again, looking back, I can't believe that didn't end it for me with Jason on the spot. He must have really liked me! And he knew what he was getting into!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
P.S.
I forgot to say thank you to all the sweet ladies who sent me messages about my blog and told me I'm not crazy. Its nice to get feed back sometimes, especially when I doubted myself. Of course, all the messages were on facebook, so the rest of you will just have to believe me that there really were messages and I am indeed, not crazy. At least today.
Competition
We are in the midst of basketball season at our house. Cade is playing Upward at Friendswood United Methodist and Cooper is playing for Clear Lake Boys Basketball. Every year since we started playing all these sports I have suggested we skip basketball season to give us a small break between whatever fall sport we have played and baseball, which starts in February. February is awful because basketball and baseball's 4 practices a week overlap. We are never home. But no one has ever taken my suggestion seriously. What? Not play a sport when there is one offered? My sweet hubby tries to convince me that basketball is really the most important as far as building hand eye coordination. Whatever. He played it in high school, so I think it just has a special place in his heart.
I have decided today that I really just don't like basketball. Its no longer just about the crazy month of February. I really don't like it. Cade's league doesn't keep score, and 6 year olds are really still learning the game. So his games are kind of boring. Just a group of kids running up and down the court, randomly throwing the ball in the general direction of the goal. But this year, Cooper's league is keeping score, and we are serious! But I don't like it either! The intensity over a bunch of 9 year olds with an orange ball is crazy. The yelling, and then it echoes in the gym to turn into a big wad of just noise. And its amazing how much their skills have improved in the last year. But they are still a bunch of kids running up and down the court, only now they make goals more often. But they also plow each other down, and it appears they foul each other on purpose. I am assured they are not. Its a broken arm waiting to happen in my opinion.
I am just not competitive. I can't stand the pressure! I hate it for my kids. I know they are learning so much and it helps to grow them into stronger, braver young men who can work as a team. I just can't get into it. Don't get me wrong. I love baseball season. Its slower. And I really enjoyed football more than I thought I would. There are pads. It doesn't help that I am not athletic. In middle school, I tried out for track because all the cool kids were doing it. I realized before the tryouts were over that not only was I not a fast runner, I didn't want to be. So I was the track team manager for 3 years. Give me a clipboard and timer and I'm good. In 6th grade, on one report card, I had all A's and a B in PE because I couldn't hit the ball in softball. In high school, I was in pep squad strictly so I could not be in the regular gym class. In college I played one season of intramural softball. I'll have to blog about that another time. Let's just say, I was proud I made it through one season. I'm just not competitive and don't want to be. But I have 3 boys and look who I'm married to! I'm going to have to toughen up somehow. I don't want to be one of "those mom's", but I've got to get more into this. I am looking for a baseball mom shirt and considering some baseball flip flops. Small steps.
I have decided today that I really just don't like basketball. Its no longer just about the crazy month of February. I really don't like it. Cade's league doesn't keep score, and 6 year olds are really still learning the game. So his games are kind of boring. Just a group of kids running up and down the court, randomly throwing the ball in the general direction of the goal. But this year, Cooper's league is keeping score, and we are serious! But I don't like it either! The intensity over a bunch of 9 year olds with an orange ball is crazy. The yelling, and then it echoes in the gym to turn into a big wad of just noise. And its amazing how much their skills have improved in the last year. But they are still a bunch of kids running up and down the court, only now they make goals more often. But they also plow each other down, and it appears they foul each other on purpose. I am assured they are not. Its a broken arm waiting to happen in my opinion.
I am just not competitive. I can't stand the pressure! I hate it for my kids. I know they are learning so much and it helps to grow them into stronger, braver young men who can work as a team. I just can't get into it. Don't get me wrong. I love baseball season. Its slower. And I really enjoyed football more than I thought I would. There are pads. It doesn't help that I am not athletic. In middle school, I tried out for track because all the cool kids were doing it. I realized before the tryouts were over that not only was I not a fast runner, I didn't want to be. So I was the track team manager for 3 years. Give me a clipboard and timer and I'm good. In 6th grade, on one report card, I had all A's and a B in PE because I couldn't hit the ball in softball. In high school, I was in pep squad strictly so I could not be in the regular gym class. In college I played one season of intramural softball. I'll have to blog about that another time. Let's just say, I was proud I made it through one season. I'm just not competitive and don't want to be. But I have 3 boys and look who I'm married to! I'm going to have to toughen up somehow. I don't want to be one of "those mom's", but I've got to get more into this. I am looking for a baseball mom shirt and considering some baseball flip flops. Small steps.
Friday, January 21, 2011
I'm cheating...
I've had a really cruddy day today, and don't feel like writing anything fun. And I have had doubts about my blog from last night. Thinking maybe it was TMI and I made myself sound crazy. So, I'm going to cheat today and put someone else's blog on here. Lysa Terkeurst is my new favorite Christian writer, and I get her blog by email. I highly recommend it. I also am reading her book, "Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl" off and on. So here is her blog from the other day that I just read today and made me feel better about my rantings from last night.
Well Pleased
Last night my soul was so stirred by something Pastor Steven shared on the webcast. He was talking about how our identity must come before our activity.
As he read the Scriptures, my heart finally settled into place. A good place. A place without webcast stress, a racing pulse, turning stomach, and whispered fears. A quiet place. A place deep in my soul where just me and Jesus go. And though it was Pastor Steven’s voice reading the Scripture, it was God Himself breathing sustenance to my spirit.
“This is my Son, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased,” (Matthew 3:17).
This was Jesus’ identity being established before His activity was to be executed.
Oh how we need this. But we’re not Jesus. Jesus heard God, believed God, and remained filled.
Our humanity makes us leaky people. Truth comes in and fills us up but our cracks and crevices and circumstances are like drains pulling the truth out and leaving a hollowness that can haunt. Daily, hourly, moment by moment we must stand in the reality of our identity before we resume our activity.
Pause.
Hear the sweet whisper today. Grasp the truth and rub it deep. Let it sink in quickly and resist the drain of the day’s pull.
“You are my daughter, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased.”
Well pleased because of who you are, not what you do. Well pleased because of an unfathomable, unconditional love- not earned but simply given. Well pleased. Well pleased. Well pleased.
And isn’t it interesting right after we read these words at the end of Matthew 3, Matthew 4 starts off with Jesus being tempted. But if we know our identity before we jump into activity, we don’t have to guess how to handle the vicious lies of the enemy.
It is written. It is written. It is written. Jesus didn’t engage the enemy. He deflected the lies with the truth. Because His identity was established before His activity was executed- I am loved. I am accepted. I don’t need more to be whole. I don’t need to displace God with inappropriate physical pleasure. I don’t need to displace God with trying to get something from my material wealth it can’t ever give me. I don’t need to displace God because I crave the acceptance of others. I am loved. I am accepted. I am whole.
It is written. It is written. It is written.
Oh that the ink on the paper fine pages of Truth, be inscribed, engraved, tattooed in the most permanent of ways on our hearts.
Well pleased.
It is written.
Well pleased.
Well pleased.
Isn't she good? Here is her website so you can subscribe to her email blogs. http://lysaterkeurst.com/
Its amazing how when I'm struggling with something, I open up her emails, and it speaks right to my heart.
Well Pleased
Last night my soul was so stirred by something Pastor Steven shared on the webcast. He was talking about how our identity must come before our activity.
As he read the Scriptures, my heart finally settled into place. A good place. A place without webcast stress, a racing pulse, turning stomach, and whispered fears. A quiet place. A place deep in my soul where just me and Jesus go. And though it was Pastor Steven’s voice reading the Scripture, it was God Himself breathing sustenance to my spirit.
“This is my Son, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased,” (Matthew 3:17).
This was Jesus’ identity being established before His activity was to be executed.
Oh how we need this. But we’re not Jesus. Jesus heard God, believed God, and remained filled.
Our humanity makes us leaky people. Truth comes in and fills us up but our cracks and crevices and circumstances are like drains pulling the truth out and leaving a hollowness that can haunt. Daily, hourly, moment by moment we must stand in the reality of our identity before we resume our activity.
Pause.
Hear the sweet whisper today. Grasp the truth and rub it deep. Let it sink in quickly and resist the drain of the day’s pull.
“You are my daughter, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased.”
Well pleased because of who you are, not what you do. Well pleased because of an unfathomable, unconditional love- not earned but simply given. Well pleased. Well pleased. Well pleased.
And isn’t it interesting right after we read these words at the end of Matthew 3, Matthew 4 starts off with Jesus being tempted. But if we know our identity before we jump into activity, we don’t have to guess how to handle the vicious lies of the enemy.
It is written. It is written. It is written. Jesus didn’t engage the enemy. He deflected the lies with the truth. Because His identity was established before His activity was executed- I am loved. I am accepted. I don’t need more to be whole. I don’t need to displace God with inappropriate physical pleasure. I don’t need to displace God with trying to get something from my material wealth it can’t ever give me. I don’t need to displace God because I crave the acceptance of others. I am loved. I am accepted. I am whole.
It is written. It is written. It is written.
Oh that the ink on the paper fine pages of Truth, be inscribed, engraved, tattooed in the most permanent of ways on our hearts.
Well pleased.
It is written.
Well pleased.
Well pleased.
Isn't she good? Here is her website so you can subscribe to her email blogs. http://lysaterkeurst.com/
Its amazing how when I'm struggling with something, I open up her emails, and it speaks right to my heart.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A problem to ponder...
Let me preface this post by saying that I am NOT fishing for compliments. I am only sharing my feelings and hoping that someone comments that they understand or feel or have felt the same way. That is my disclaimer.
A few weeks ago I went looking for a picture of a friend of mine from high school to post on his birthday (thanks Gabe for bringing all this up). And while I was trying to find his picture, I perused my photo albums from high school that I hadn't looked at in a long time. And I was struck with something profound. Are you ready?
When I think back to high school, I do have fond memories, but over all, think of it as a very depressing, stressful, not fun time. I remember feeling ugly, lonely, struggled with not having a boyfriend or getting asked to dances. I remember dealing with all the teenage girl stuff of trying to be popular, but as a Christian, knowing that wasn't important. But looking at my photo album, I realized I was pretty cute, and I had a great smile, and was smiling in my pictures really big, like I was having the best time of my life! My mom always told me I was pretty, but that didn't count. Don't get me wrong. Seventh grade, that was another story. I was ugly then. But high school, I really wasn't that bad. And I had tons of pictures with tons of friends. So why do I think back to that time in my life as depressing and ugly and lonely?
And now, I'm almost 36, and still struggle with my self-confidence. I still think I'm ugly, even more now with an extra 20 pounds and stretch-marks that my 3 sweet gifts have left me. I still struggle with thinking I don't have a lot of friends. I know who I could call in the middle of the night and that gives me great comfort. But its so hard to actually do things with friends when you have kids and jobs and husbands, so I still feel friendless sometimes. And now, as a mom and wife, struggle with not feeling like I can keep up with this house and laundry and my job, and still do the work I need to do with my relationships with my husband and children and God. And I struggle with wanting to dress cuter, but not wanting to be high maintenance or spending more than I need to on myself.
As a believer, I know that God has made me in His image with a great plan for my life. And most days I feel like I am right in the middle of it, and that brings me joy. But years from now will I look back at pictures of myself from these days and think the same things, that I really was cute, and happy and content, and yet remember these days as hard and ugly and stressful and lonely? Is this just something that women all deal with? No matter what we look like or how many friends we have, we are destined to feel lonely and ugly? I don't know if this makes any sense at all. I tried to talk to my sweet husband about it, but I don't think he could follow my train of thought. And when you ask your husband about how you look, its kind of a trap. Was I ugly then or am I ugly now? Yeah, he's not going to enter into that conversation.
So, what's the answer to the question that I really haven't posted clearly? I don't know. I do know that I am so blessed with my husband, children, home, and job. I am blessed with enough money to buy the clothes I need, to get haircuts when I need them, and to spend the time at home that I need to. I do know I need to stop sometimes with the worrying about getting things done and just sit down with my kids and make memories. I want to look back at pictures of myself from these days and smile at how happy I look. I want to be at peace with myself. Something to ponder. Of course, there aren't that many pictures of me! I take them all. Another problem of being a mom I guess!
A few weeks ago I went looking for a picture of a friend of mine from high school to post on his birthday (thanks Gabe for bringing all this up). And while I was trying to find his picture, I perused my photo albums from high school that I hadn't looked at in a long time. And I was struck with something profound. Are you ready?
When I think back to high school, I do have fond memories, but over all, think of it as a very depressing, stressful, not fun time. I remember feeling ugly, lonely, struggled with not having a boyfriend or getting asked to dances. I remember dealing with all the teenage girl stuff of trying to be popular, but as a Christian, knowing that wasn't important. But looking at my photo album, I realized I was pretty cute, and I had a great smile, and was smiling in my pictures really big, like I was having the best time of my life! My mom always told me I was pretty, but that didn't count. Don't get me wrong. Seventh grade, that was another story. I was ugly then. But high school, I really wasn't that bad. And I had tons of pictures with tons of friends. So why do I think back to that time in my life as depressing and ugly and lonely?
And now, I'm almost 36, and still struggle with my self-confidence. I still think I'm ugly, even more now with an extra 20 pounds and stretch-marks that my 3 sweet gifts have left me. I still struggle with thinking I don't have a lot of friends. I know who I could call in the middle of the night and that gives me great comfort. But its so hard to actually do things with friends when you have kids and jobs and husbands, so I still feel friendless sometimes. And now, as a mom and wife, struggle with not feeling like I can keep up with this house and laundry and my job, and still do the work I need to do with my relationships with my husband and children and God. And I struggle with wanting to dress cuter, but not wanting to be high maintenance or spending more than I need to on myself.
As a believer, I know that God has made me in His image with a great plan for my life. And most days I feel like I am right in the middle of it, and that brings me joy. But years from now will I look back at pictures of myself from these days and think the same things, that I really was cute, and happy and content, and yet remember these days as hard and ugly and stressful and lonely? Is this just something that women all deal with? No matter what we look like or how many friends we have, we are destined to feel lonely and ugly? I don't know if this makes any sense at all. I tried to talk to my sweet husband about it, but I don't think he could follow my train of thought. And when you ask your husband about how you look, its kind of a trap. Was I ugly then or am I ugly now? Yeah, he's not going to enter into that conversation.
So, what's the answer to the question that I really haven't posted clearly? I don't know. I do know that I am so blessed with my husband, children, home, and job. I am blessed with enough money to buy the clothes I need, to get haircuts when I need them, and to spend the time at home that I need to. I do know I need to stop sometimes with the worrying about getting things done and just sit down with my kids and make memories. I want to look back at pictures of myself from these days and smile at how happy I look. I want to be at peace with myself. Something to ponder. Of course, there aren't that many pictures of me! I take them all. Another problem of being a mom I guess!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My favorite things...
I haven't done this in a while. And these aren't really new favorite things, just updated recently to make them rise back up on my favorites list.
1. Coffee. I have been drinking coffee since college, some years more than others. But in October, while home visiting my mom, her best friend gave me her Kuerig coffee maker. I almost passed out. I had been wanting one badly, but wasn't going to spend the money. So I brought it home and it wouldn't work. After 2 days on the phone with Keurig, they sent me a brand new one. God blesses my coffee habit. So to balance out the cost of my coffee pods, I don't drink Starbucks anymore. And I have recently started buying flavored creamers because I have found some with no corn syrup. So now I drink 3-4 cups a day instead of the 1 I used to. Its a bad addiction that I really need to slow down on. I drank tea today to try to substitute. I wish I told as many people about Jesus as I do about my Keurig coffee maker. I have converted 2 people that I know of.
2. My bed. If you ask me my favorite place on earth, I will say "my bed." Especially the hours between when my kids go to bed and I actually go to sleep and Sunday afternoons. Scotland is next and then Disney World. At Thanksgiving I got a new comforter and a few weeks ago I bought myself a new pillow at Ikea. So now I love my bed even more. So soft, fluffy, comfy and warm. I want to go there right now.
3. Footy pajamas. Poor Campbell doesn't get many new clothes. Lots of hand me downs. But every once in a while I pull out something and after two boys, it is way out of shape. And since he moved into his big boy bed, he refuses to cover up with the sheet and comforter, just his blanket. So last week I stopped by Carters, and bought two pair of footy pajamas. $4.54 each, may I add. I was tempted to buy more, but I do live in Houston. When I held up the 2T, I thought there was no way it would fit him. It had to be way too big. But sadly, no. It fits perfectly. And he is just so cute when he wears them that you just want to pick him up and cuddle with him in his bed. But I think I would break his little toddler bed if I crawled in with him. So I will go to my bed. I bet my bed would be even better if I had adult sized footy pajamas!
1. Coffee. I have been drinking coffee since college, some years more than others. But in October, while home visiting my mom, her best friend gave me her Kuerig coffee maker. I almost passed out. I had been wanting one badly, but wasn't going to spend the money. So I brought it home and it wouldn't work. After 2 days on the phone with Keurig, they sent me a brand new one. God blesses my coffee habit. So to balance out the cost of my coffee pods, I don't drink Starbucks anymore. And I have recently started buying flavored creamers because I have found some with no corn syrup. So now I drink 3-4 cups a day instead of the 1 I used to. Its a bad addiction that I really need to slow down on. I drank tea today to try to substitute. I wish I told as many people about Jesus as I do about my Keurig coffee maker. I have converted 2 people that I know of.
2. My bed. If you ask me my favorite place on earth, I will say "my bed." Especially the hours between when my kids go to bed and I actually go to sleep and Sunday afternoons. Scotland is next and then Disney World. At Thanksgiving I got a new comforter and a few weeks ago I bought myself a new pillow at Ikea. So now I love my bed even more. So soft, fluffy, comfy and warm. I want to go there right now.
3. Footy pajamas. Poor Campbell doesn't get many new clothes. Lots of hand me downs. But every once in a while I pull out something and after two boys, it is way out of shape. And since he moved into his big boy bed, he refuses to cover up with the sheet and comforter, just his blanket. So last week I stopped by Carters, and bought two pair of footy pajamas. $4.54 each, may I add. I was tempted to buy more, but I do live in Houston. When I held up the 2T, I thought there was no way it would fit him. It had to be way too big. But sadly, no. It fits perfectly. And he is just so cute when he wears them that you just want to pick him up and cuddle with him in his bed. But I think I would break his little toddler bed if I crawled in with him. So I will go to my bed. I bet my bed would be even better if I had adult sized footy pajamas!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Who would want to read about me?
As I said yesterday, I am an avid reader. One summer I got really into biographies. I went to the library today and got one about Laura Bush that I'm excited to start. But I noticed a few things that summer about that section of the library. One, there are so many biographies about people that I can't imagine anyone would want to read about. (ex. Tom Arnold) Two, there are so many books about people in their twenties. (ex. Paris Hilton, and that's an autobiography no less.) How much life could you have lived already that would make people want to read about you? Three, who tells certain people (Paris Hilton) that people out there really want to read their story? That's like the bad singers on American Idol. Some person told them they could really sing when they can't! Somebody told her she should write her story, and then some publisher actually published it. Boggles my mind. Four, there are lots of books about the same person. How many different ways are there to tell the same story? And five, you shouldn't read books about people you highly admire or you might be disappointed. I read one about Julie Andrews, expecting her to be Mary Poppins. No ma'am. She is foul-mouthed, and a little loose.
So that makes me wonder as I try to blog each day this week, who would want to read about me or my mundane life? Well, my mom for one. But I think that's it. I'm leading a discussion in WBS (weekend Bible study as opposed to Sunday School) on "One Month to Live" by Kerry and Chris Shook. One question that popped out to me this week was what is something that is wasting your time you could be using for more productive, important to your life things. I used to say tv, but I have cut tv way back. But I realized I have filled that time with facebook. I do think it has led me to reconnect with old friends and have a way to reach out to some new ones, but I do waste way too much time with it. So to change that a little, I am going to focus more on my blog. At least then, maybe I'll be writing something that might influence someone to think about their life. Or encourage someone with something I have already learned. Or make a mom feel better that she is not alone in her struggles with neverending laundry. So I don't know who would want to read this, and I'm certainly not saying that my life is worth reading about. But it might be more helpful then reading an autobiography by Paris Hilton.
Monday, January 17, 2011
What's in my CD player?
I've decided I'm going to blog everyday this week. Why? I don't know. No really good reason. A number of years ago, Jason and I took this really detailed personality test, and it said my main personality was literary. What does that mean? Well, considering that I go through my day writing about it in my head, imagining how it would sound on my blog, I think that's what it means. I like words, how they sound and go together. I devour books. My favorite movie is "You've Got Mail," mostly because of the writing and book stores. I really can't remember what the literary thing meant, no matter how the guy explained it to me, I didn't really get it. But because I've had tons of blogs running in my head the past few weeks, I am going to get some of them out. Some will be pointless info, like this one, and some might be a little deeper.
I think people used to ask each other, what's on your ipod? But I would suspect, that since you can now have thousands of songs on your ipod, I don't hear many people asking that anymore. And for me, I think it says more about me what is in my 6CD player in my minivan. Some girls buy shoes, I buy CD's. So here is what is in it today.
1. Chris Tomlin, "If Our God is For Us". I think his best CD yet. I know I will be singing many of these songs in church for years to come. I get to see him in concert at the end of Feb, and can't wait!
2. Kristian Stanfill, "Mountains Move". Just came out last week, and also really good worship stuff. Its his 2nd album, and I'm sure he'll continue to become more and more popular as people discover his music. He's on his way up there with Tomlin in my opinion.
3. Matthew West, "The Story of Your Life". This is one of the best CD's I have ever had. And that says alot! Each song is based on the story of someone who wrote West a letter. They are so encouraging as he talks about the struggles these people have gone through. But track 4, "Legacy" gets me everytime! He wrote it for me, I'm convinced of it. It talks about that we are not stuck with the legacy that was passed down to us from our family trees, that God has another legacy for us, a plan for good and blessings. I had to pull over and cry the first time I heard it.
4. Christy Nockels, "Life Light Up". Christy was at our church in August, and even with strep throat, was amazing! Beautiful voice, and this CD is full of worship music and inspirational music that gets me and the boys in the backseat excited about life. Cooper has his own copy that he listens to before bed. She'll be with Tomlin next month, and I can't wait to see her again.
5. Jason Castro, "Who I Am". Another recent purchase. Yes, I am an American Idol lover, can't wait for this Wednesday. And I liked him on his season, and suspected then he was a believer. So when I heard that his new album was out, I snatched it up. About half is "Christian" and half is just clean, fun music. His style is a little different for me, and listening to it makes me feel like an adult with a broader range of musical taste.
6. Chris Tomlin, "Glory in the Highest". Yes, its his Christmas album. But it is so much more than that, just really great worship music. So I couldn't pull it out with the rest of the Christmas stuff I packed up.
I think people used to ask each other, what's on your ipod? But I would suspect, that since you can now have thousands of songs on your ipod, I don't hear many people asking that anymore. And for me, I think it says more about me what is in my 6CD player in my minivan. Some girls buy shoes, I buy CD's. So here is what is in it today.
1. Chris Tomlin, "If Our God is For Us". I think his best CD yet. I know I will be singing many of these songs in church for years to come. I get to see him in concert at the end of Feb, and can't wait!
2. Kristian Stanfill, "Mountains Move". Just came out last week, and also really good worship stuff. Its his 2nd album, and I'm sure he'll continue to become more and more popular as people discover his music. He's on his way up there with Tomlin in my opinion.
3. Matthew West, "The Story of Your Life". This is one of the best CD's I have ever had. And that says alot! Each song is based on the story of someone who wrote West a letter. They are so encouraging as he talks about the struggles these people have gone through. But track 4, "Legacy" gets me everytime! He wrote it for me, I'm convinced of it. It talks about that we are not stuck with the legacy that was passed down to us from our family trees, that God has another legacy for us, a plan for good and blessings. I had to pull over and cry the first time I heard it.
4. Christy Nockels, "Life Light Up". Christy was at our church in August, and even with strep throat, was amazing! Beautiful voice, and this CD is full of worship music and inspirational music that gets me and the boys in the backseat excited about life. Cooper has his own copy that he listens to before bed. She'll be with Tomlin next month, and I can't wait to see her again.
5. Jason Castro, "Who I Am". Another recent purchase. Yes, I am an American Idol lover, can't wait for this Wednesday. And I liked him on his season, and suspected then he was a believer. So when I heard that his new album was out, I snatched it up. About half is "Christian" and half is just clean, fun music. His style is a little different for me, and listening to it makes me feel like an adult with a broader range of musical taste.
6. Chris Tomlin, "Glory in the Highest". Yes, its his Christmas album. But it is so much more than that, just really great worship music. So I couldn't pull it out with the rest of the Christmas stuff I packed up.
"Time to Embrace" Book Review
"A Time to Embrace" by Karen Kingsbury
John and Abby Reynolds have just reconciled their marriage in the previous book in the series, “A Time to Dance”, and they are now ready to enjoy their newfound love for each other when tragedy strikes. This book is a story of how believers can make it through tough times by depending on the Lord for strength and comfort. It is not easy, but they come out on the other side as even stronger people, and are testimonies of His grace to others around them.
I love Karen Kingsbury’s books! Her writing is current, with wonderful descriptions of the people and places in her stories. I feel like I really know these people, and wish I could sit down with her characters for coffee to hear their stories. The story of the Reynolds includes marriage issues, parenting issues, job issues and personal spiritual struggles. As a mom of three boys I also could relate to the sporting side of John’s job as a football coach. This book was an encouragement to me because I know that at some point in my life, tragedy will come, but I know that God will be there to help me through it. I was disappointed that there were only two books in this series, and wanted to hear more about this family’s journey. But Kingsbury has so many other books to enjoy, and I can’t wait for her next series. I highly recommend her to any readers.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
So far, so good
Fourteen years ago today I married my husband. Crazy how time flies. I was thinking about the music we had in the ceremony. The funniest part to me was that I never heard any of the people sing until the rehearsal, just trusted my soon to be that he knew what good singing was. Of course he did, he was more picky about stuff in the wedding than I was. "The Lord's Prayer", sung by Uncle Fred, very fitting and beautiful. Before I came out, cousins Suzanne and Michael sang "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways" by Michael English. I question my taste on that pick. It's a pretty song, but love isn't mysterious. God brought it to us. But my still favorite is "So Far, So Good" by Truth, sung by our dear friend Trey. I have been thinking of that song today. It still says so much about our relationship.
"We have come so far, you have been so good. When I trace the road that we have traveled, I've got to tell you Lord. I look at where we've come, I see where I could have been, and I need to say again, you've been so good. Who would have guessed that we would come so far"
Still love it 14 years later. It says so much about our journey. I am so thankful for how far God has brought us. Not just ministry wise, from a tiny church in Henderson to UBC in Houston. And not just from zero to three boys (I'm glad no one told me that was coming years ago). But I am thankful for how I understand now what true love and commitment are. Marriage is not easy, and I don't know how marriages without Christ survive. Our commitment to Christ first is what holds us together some days. But I love Jason more today than I did 14 years ago. I am so thankful that when I was scared of marriage and almost called it off, God kicked me in the pants and gave me the courage to move forward. And I am thankful that He brought us together, even so young and immature. We have grown together. There are so many things we have in common, like our philosophies in parenting and our love of worship and missions, that we didn't know back then. I wonder if we already had that in common, or we have grown together to be passionate about the same things. Here is a picture of our wedding. I am so skinny and there is not one gray hair on his head! Three boys and 4 churches later have done a number on us, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. God is good and I can't wait to see where the next years bring us on this journey!
PS. I don't have a copy of that Truth song anymore, just the empty CD case, and I can't find it online to download, just buy the whole CD on Ebay. Anyone have it?
"We have come so far, you have been so good. When I trace the road that we have traveled, I've got to tell you Lord. I look at where we've come, I see where I could have been, and I need to say again, you've been so good. Who would have guessed that we would come so far"
Still love it 14 years later. It says so much about our journey. I am so thankful for how far God has brought us. Not just ministry wise, from a tiny church in Henderson to UBC in Houston. And not just from zero to three boys (I'm glad no one told me that was coming years ago). But I am thankful for how I understand now what true love and commitment are. Marriage is not easy, and I don't know how marriages without Christ survive. Our commitment to Christ first is what holds us together some days. But I love Jason more today than I did 14 years ago. I am so thankful that when I was scared of marriage and almost called it off, God kicked me in the pants and gave me the courage to move forward. And I am thankful that He brought us together, even so young and immature. We have grown together. There are so many things we have in common, like our philosophies in parenting and our love of worship and missions, that we didn't know back then. I wonder if we already had that in common, or we have grown together to be passionate about the same things. Here is a picture of our wedding. I am so skinny and there is not one gray hair on his head! Three boys and 4 churches later have done a number on us, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. God is good and I can't wait to see where the next years bring us on this journey!
PS. I don't have a copy of that Truth song anymore, just the empty CD case, and I can't find it online to download, just buy the whole CD on Ebay. Anyone have it?
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Christmas in Angel Fire
It would be a much too long and boring story to describe our whole trip to Angel Fire, NM for Christmas, so I will just list my favorite parts and my least favorite parts and post some pictures, and hopefully that will give you an overview of our holidays.
Favorite things: 1. Reminiscing about driving from Ft. Worth to Hollis for Seminary as we traveled the same roads, we smiled when we saw the sign to Hollis. Good times. 2. Passing the "Jesus is Lord Travel Center" in Amarillo. Yes, that is the name of it. I really wanted to go inside to see what made it so holy. 3. Seeing such open skies. There were stretches of road where there was NOTHING to look at but the sky. 4. Christmas Eve we went to the slopes and watched skiers coming down the mountain with torches to Silent Night, and then watched fireworks. Really cool! 5. Having a white Christmas! 6. Skiing on the 26th. The boys were in ski school and there was no one on the slopes. Great skiing. The rest of the week there were way too many people and I was chasing the boys. 7. Watching how fast my boys picked it up. We skied with them the rest of the week and had a hard time keeping up with them. 8. Getting to celebrate my nephew Luke's first birthday with him! 9. Seeing 4 deer off our deck Christmas morning. And then seeing hundreds of them on our drive home. 10. Green-chili cheeseburgers! 11. Watching my car thermometer have such a large range. 72 when we left Houston, 5 when we left Angel Fire. That's without wind chill. 12. Watching the boys tube. They had a blast! 13. Snow ice cream, snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights, sledding... we're from Houston. We took full advantage. 14. The beautiful scenery! I love mountains!
Least favorite things: 1. 30+ hours in the car getting there and back. 2. Falling while skiing my first day, first run and landing on my face. I have a nice mark under my eye. Hopefully its gone before I go back in public. I have a few other random bruises that I'm not sure where they came from. 3. Not being at a home for Christmas. I feel like I missed out on it. I had that feeling for a small minute during the Christmas Eve part, but it didn't last long. 4. Altitude stuff. It will take weeks for my sinuses to recover. 5. Borrowing someone else's house with 3 boys. I lived in fear all week of destroying something. There were a few small casualties, but hopefully not enough to keep us from being invited back. 6. Being partially snowed in the last two days and not being confident that we could get out to leave. We had to be towed off our driveway. If I had to stay another day, someone was going to get hurt! 7. Dealing for 3 days with my baby having a stomach bug. Lots of laundry to do when we got home yesterday. Real fun on the car ride home, but again, I wasn't staying another day. 8. The longest, highest ski lift I have ever been on. I don't like heights. 9. Trying to keep up with the boys skiing. They were so fast! I pictured them many times flying off the side of the mountain. 10. Lack of shopping, partly due to being snowed in one day. 11. I missed my Keurig coffee maker.
I am proud that there are more favorites. When we got home yesterday I wasn't in the best mood, so I think it would have turned out differently. I'm very glad to be home, and maybe in a few weeks I will be able to look back more fondly on the trip. Right now, I'm tired, don't feel well, and the suitcases have exploded all over my house. But I am very thankful for a safe trip and that no one skied off the mountain!
Favorite things: 1. Reminiscing about driving from Ft. Worth to Hollis for Seminary as we traveled the same roads, we smiled when we saw the sign to Hollis. Good times. 2. Passing the "Jesus is Lord Travel Center" in Amarillo. Yes, that is the name of it. I really wanted to go inside to see what made it so holy. 3. Seeing such open skies. There were stretches of road where there was NOTHING to look at but the sky. 4. Christmas Eve we went to the slopes and watched skiers coming down the mountain with torches to Silent Night, and then watched fireworks. Really cool! 5. Having a white Christmas! 6. Skiing on the 26th. The boys were in ski school and there was no one on the slopes. Great skiing. The rest of the week there were way too many people and I was chasing the boys. 7. Watching how fast my boys picked it up. We skied with them the rest of the week and had a hard time keeping up with them. 8. Getting to celebrate my nephew Luke's first birthday with him! 9. Seeing 4 deer off our deck Christmas morning. And then seeing hundreds of them on our drive home. 10. Green-chili cheeseburgers! 11. Watching my car thermometer have such a large range. 72 when we left Houston, 5 when we left Angel Fire. That's without wind chill. 12. Watching the boys tube. They had a blast! 13. Snow ice cream, snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights, sledding... we're from Houston. We took full advantage. 14. The beautiful scenery! I love mountains!
Least favorite things: 1. 30+ hours in the car getting there and back. 2. Falling while skiing my first day, first run and landing on my face. I have a nice mark under my eye. Hopefully its gone before I go back in public. I have a few other random bruises that I'm not sure where they came from. 3. Not being at a home for Christmas. I feel like I missed out on it. I had that feeling for a small minute during the Christmas Eve part, but it didn't last long. 4. Altitude stuff. It will take weeks for my sinuses to recover. 5. Borrowing someone else's house with 3 boys. I lived in fear all week of destroying something. There were a few small casualties, but hopefully not enough to keep us from being invited back. 6. Being partially snowed in the last two days and not being confident that we could get out to leave. We had to be towed off our driveway. If I had to stay another day, someone was going to get hurt! 7. Dealing for 3 days with my baby having a stomach bug. Lots of laundry to do when we got home yesterday. Real fun on the car ride home, but again, I wasn't staying another day. 8. The longest, highest ski lift I have ever been on. I don't like heights. 9. Trying to keep up with the boys skiing. They were so fast! I pictured them many times flying off the side of the mountain. 10. Lack of shopping, partly due to being snowed in one day. 11. I missed my Keurig coffee maker.
I am proud that there are more favorites. When we got home yesterday I wasn't in the best mood, so I think it would have turned out differently. I'm very glad to be home, and maybe in a few weeks I will be able to look back more fondly on the trip. Right now, I'm tired, don't feel well, and the suitcases have exploded all over my house. But I am very thankful for a safe trip and that no one skied off the mountain!
Monday, December 20, 2010
My first baby...
Cade asked me today what was something I had done for the first time. I'm not sure why. But I said, 9 years ago today, I had my first baby. Wow, time flies!!! Benjamin Cooper Gadman was born Dec. 20, 2001 at 10:39 PM. He weighed 6, 13 and was 19 1/2 inches long. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago, and times like today, it seems like just yesterday. I can remember the day in detail. Hopefully that is something I will never forget! He has been the best child since birth. Jason and I thought we were the best parents ever until the next one showed up. He is so polite, confident, smart, athletic, obedient (most of the time), a great big brother. We found out this weekend that he made it into gifted finally. I don't want to make a big deal about it because its not, but I am so proud of him. Not only is he a really great baseball, football, and basketball player, but he is a great team player. Cheers on his teammates, helps to get them where they need to be, listens to his coaches, and has a great attitude while practicing. I can't wait to see what plans God has for him, not only what he will accomplish, but what kind of man he will become. So proud to be his mom!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
My son met his hero...
Well, actually, he met his hero's dad. Cade LOVES Billy the Exterminator. I got him started on it only because its filmed in Shreveport, so I like seeing stuff from home. But Cade will watch it for hours on end. He made himself a Vexcon truck, and made empty bottles into his pyrethren bug spray. So this week we decided to drive out to Benton to see their shop. And when we pulled in, someone was trying to pull out. But when we stopped and got out, he stopped and got out, and it was Big Bill, Billy's Dad! He introduced himself to Cade and took a picture with him and even went inside and got Cade an autographed picture of Billy. As emotional as Cade is when he thinks he has been hurt (picture screaming and gnashing of teeth) when he is excited, he just gets this big grin on his face. And this was the biggest grin I have ever seen on his face. SO CUTE and worth the drive! Thank you Big Bill!
Of course, the very next day, Cade is drawing something and labels it "Bad***" (fill in the blank). And where did he get that word? Billy! J and I go back and forth about letting him watch his most favorite show. When we tell him what words are bad, he's good about not saying them, but we don't catch them all because we can only take so much of Billy. Predicament!
Of course, the very next day, Cade is drawing something and labels it "Bad***" (fill in the blank). And where did he get that word? Billy! J and I go back and forth about letting him watch his most favorite show. When we tell him what words are bad, he's good about not saying them, but we don't catch them all because we can only take so much of Billy. Predicament!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
My fabulous day!
Disclaimer: I am in no way tooting my horn by this blog post. To God be the glory for my day, I just want to testify about the joy of serving!
I had a marvolous, fabulous, awesome, worshipful day today and wanted to share! First know that my hubby has been out of town helping a friend, and since I not only let him go, but encouraged him to leave me with 3 boys by myself, I was serving that friend too! This morning, I brought some pantry items to donate to a fellow teacher who broke her shoulder. Then I moved all of the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes gathered by our weekday preschoolers down to the chapel and was able to talk to them about the blessing they are to children around the world. One little boy put his box on the pile and said, "I feel so happy!". It was so sweet! I love singing with them and when I'm talking, I love when I can tell they are really listening! That's a bonus with preschoolers. Then I moved all the boxes back down to the preschool hallway and went home for a few minutes.
While home, I called my sweet Pawpaw and told him hi. It made his day! I also wrote a letter and found a CD to give to another teacher who is struggling with marriage issues and took them back to school to give her. I packed all the shoe boxes up and Mr. Fausto helped load them in my van. I was excited because yesterday we had 18 and today we loaded up 62! My parents came thru! I took them to Sagemont and dropped them off. So on the way home, I have Chris Tomlin's new CD in, which on a side note is amazing, and I was just praising God for His opportunities to serve other people in His name. It was only lunch time and He had provided so many ways to help people, and the feeling of working like that for Him is such a rush! Our family verse this week is Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." I gave that to the boys before we went to buy stuff for our shoe boxes, and it seemed to help their selfish attitudes while shopping. But its so true! I was so refreshed today from refreshing other people. Again, I'm not saying that I am great, and believe me, most days, I am too selfish to take advantage of the opportunities that He puts in front of me to help others. Sometimes its out of fear or laziness or pride, but for today, I was willing and unselfish. At least until I was ready to eat lunch.
To reward myself (see a problem there?) I went to Sonic and spent more than I had in cash, so I had to put it on the debit card, and their machine messed up and I figured out when I got home they had charged me 6 times for a chicken strip lunch. Their chicken strips are good, but not $30 worth! So by the time I had called them and the bank, my lunch was cold. I was journaling later, and got convicted about rewarding myself for serving. And I had heard that little voice telling me to go home and eat peanut butter and jelly, but I ignored it. So, it was a marvelous, wonderful God gifted day, but I am a sinner, saved by grace, who still makes it about me sometimes.
I had a marvolous, fabulous, awesome, worshipful day today and wanted to share! First know that my hubby has been out of town helping a friend, and since I not only let him go, but encouraged him to leave me with 3 boys by myself, I was serving that friend too! This morning, I brought some pantry items to donate to a fellow teacher who broke her shoulder. Then I moved all of the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes gathered by our weekday preschoolers down to the chapel and was able to talk to them about the blessing they are to children around the world. One little boy put his box on the pile and said, "I feel so happy!". It was so sweet! I love singing with them and when I'm talking, I love when I can tell they are really listening! That's a bonus with preschoolers. Then I moved all the boxes back down to the preschool hallway and went home for a few minutes.
While home, I called my sweet Pawpaw and told him hi. It made his day! I also wrote a letter and found a CD to give to another teacher who is struggling with marriage issues and took them back to school to give her. I packed all the shoe boxes up and Mr. Fausto helped load them in my van. I was excited because yesterday we had 18 and today we loaded up 62! My parents came thru! I took them to Sagemont and dropped them off. So on the way home, I have Chris Tomlin's new CD in, which on a side note is amazing, and I was just praising God for His opportunities to serve other people in His name. It was only lunch time and He had provided so many ways to help people, and the feeling of working like that for Him is such a rush! Our family verse this week is Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." I gave that to the boys before we went to buy stuff for our shoe boxes, and it seemed to help their selfish attitudes while shopping. But its so true! I was so refreshed today from refreshing other people. Again, I'm not saying that I am great, and believe me, most days, I am too selfish to take advantage of the opportunities that He puts in front of me to help others. Sometimes its out of fear or laziness or pride, but for today, I was willing and unselfish. At least until I was ready to eat lunch.
To reward myself (see a problem there?) I went to Sonic and spent more than I had in cash, so I had to put it on the debit card, and their machine messed up and I figured out when I got home they had charged me 6 times for a chicken strip lunch. Their chicken strips are good, but not $30 worth! So by the time I had called them and the bank, my lunch was cold. I was journaling later, and got convicted about rewarding myself for serving. And I had heard that little voice telling me to go home and eat peanut butter and jelly, but I ignored it. So, it was a marvelous, wonderful God gifted day, but I am a sinner, saved by grace, who still makes it about me sometimes.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Pumpkin Recipe #2
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf, or Loaves or Muffins
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Set aside. In small bowl, blend eggs, then add pumpkin and butter. Whisk together. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together. Pour into greased baking pans and fill 2/3 full.
Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes for bundt cake, 40-45 minutes for loaves, and 20-25 minutes for muffins. You can cool completely and then freeze if you want.
I made 12 large muffins and about 12 mini muffins. I didn't get to 24 large muffins like it said it would make. The mini muffins took 13-15 minutes. Great snacks for my little one! I got this recipe from my friend Mandy. They are yummy!
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Set aside. In small bowl, blend eggs, then add pumpkin and butter. Whisk together. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together. Pour into greased baking pans and fill 2/3 full.
Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes for bundt cake, 40-45 minutes for loaves, and 20-25 minutes for muffins. You can cool completely and then freeze if you want.
I made 12 large muffins and about 12 mini muffins. I didn't get to 24 large muffins like it said it would make. The mini muffins took 13-15 minutes. Great snacks for my little one! I got this recipe from my friend Mandy. They are yummy!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Pumpkin Bread recipe #1
Made it today and it is really good!!! Light and fluffy and crunchy crust. So good. I got it from Robin O'Hara. Thanks Robin!
3 1/2 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
1 can pumpkin (2 cups)
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil, water and pumpkin and mix well. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture. Pour batter into 3 greased 8x4 loaf pans or 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before slicing.
Week Three of family devotional...
"My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them." Proverbs 1:10
We had to explain entice... "What if one of your friends at school tried to get you to come make fun of someone else?" They seemed to get that.
Interestingly, we had a bonus family time tonight. Cooper saw a clip of Brett Favre's wife on Sportscenter saying she was surviving because of her faith and she quoted Isaiah 41 passage (one of my favorite verses right now). He said, "why is she talking about the Bible on a sports show? The Bible has nothing to do with sports." Well, that was the wrong thing to say around Jason, so he made him read I Cor. 9 passage about running to win the race and wearing the crown on your head when you win. And we talked about how you learn how to behave in your sporting events because of what the Bible says. It kind of hurt my heart to hear Cooper's bad attitude about Brett's wife on the show. I want him to want to hear God's truth everywhere. I know its because he's not a Christian yet. I've been convicted this week that we really need to pray hard and consistently about him being ready to accept Christ. I know he knows all the answers, just isn't at the place where he realizes his sin is serious. I wouldn't be surprised if Cade becomes a Christian before Cooper because he's more relational and sensitive about his sin. We'll see!
We had to explain entice... "What if one of your friends at school tried to get you to come make fun of someone else?" They seemed to get that.
Interestingly, we had a bonus family time tonight. Cooper saw a clip of Brett Favre's wife on Sportscenter saying she was surviving because of her faith and she quoted Isaiah 41 passage (one of my favorite verses right now). He said, "why is she talking about the Bible on a sports show? The Bible has nothing to do with sports." Well, that was the wrong thing to say around Jason, so he made him read I Cor. 9 passage about running to win the race and wearing the crown on your head when you win. And we talked about how you learn how to behave in your sporting events because of what the Bible says. It kind of hurt my heart to hear Cooper's bad attitude about Brett's wife on the show. I want him to want to hear God's truth everywhere. I know its because he's not a Christian yet. I've been convicted this week that we really need to pray hard and consistently about him being ready to accept Christ. I know he knows all the answers, just isn't at the place where he realizes his sin is serious. I wouldn't be surprised if Cade becomes a Christian before Cooper because he's more relational and sensitive about his sin. We'll see!
"Your Money God's Way" By Annie Streater
I was a little nervous when I picked up this book that it would contrast the financial program by Dave Ramsey that my husband are trying to follow. But when I saw Dave’s review of her book on the cover, it gave me his blessing to dive in. And I was so glad I did. This book should be required for everyone who goes through Dave’s program because Streater helps you to look at your motivations for why you have been making poor financial decisions. She shows 7 myths that people hold about money and confronts them with God’s truth. This book was so practical and down to earth, not just about financial issues, but about heart issues on so many levels. Streater is bold in her confrontations about poor decisions, but because she prefaces that with her own story of mistakes, it comes across as a friend giving you a kick in the pants instead of an expert belittling you. I am inspired to carry on with our financial changes and now have God’s truth to back up my decisions.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Something I'm proud of...
As I said in my last post, one book I'm reading is Revolutionary Parenting. Jason and I are going through it with two different groups at church. The main thing we're realizing is that we have to have a plan, one that's written down, goals for each of our kids and how we want to get there. Well, we're aren't there yet, but it has inspired us to try again to have a family devotional time. So each week we are picking a character trait that we need to work on, and talking about it on Monday night, writing a verse about it up on our wipeboard and referring to it during the week. We've done it two weeks now. Starting slow, but I'm proud none the less.
Week one, we talked about self-control and talked about Proverbs 25:28, "A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down." It was great during the week when the boys were in a situation where they were losing self-control to remind them and they immediately changed their ways.
This week we are talking about having a good attitude and our verse is Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation among whom you shine like stars in the world." We talked about how stars shine so bright because the sky is so dark at night, and we want to shine like that. We sang Twinkle Twinkle to get Campbell in on the conversation. He talks the whole time like he has an opinion on the matter, but we have no idea what he's saying. I'm proud of us. I figure if I share this on my blog, then maybe I'll be held accountable and it will last longer than the two weeks it usually does. We'll see!
Week one, we talked about self-control and talked about Proverbs 25:28, "A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down." It was great during the week when the boys were in a situation where they were losing self-control to remind them and they immediately changed their ways.
This week we are talking about having a good attitude and our verse is Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation among whom you shine like stars in the world." We talked about how stars shine so bright because the sky is so dark at night, and we want to shine like that. We sang Twinkle Twinkle to get Campbell in on the conversation. He talks the whole time like he has an opinion on the matter, but we have no idea what he's saying. I'm proud of us. I figure if I share this on my blog, then maybe I'll be held accountable and it will last longer than the two weeks it usually does. We'll see!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Randomness...
I'm on the search for the best pumpkin bread recipe in the land! I made my first batch last week in honor of October out of the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book, and it wasn't very good. Very dense, heavy, and not much pumpkin flavor. So I put a call out on facebook and have two new recipes and another promised on the way. So I will slowly make them all and report to you which is my favorite recipe. Of course, that's you trusting that I made them correctly. Usually I can bake fine, its the cooking that gets me. That's also assuming I can find more pumpkin. I was looking all spring and summer for pumpkin and couldn't find any. I asked a store clerk once and she said it was just a seasonal thing, which wasn't true. I googled canned pumpkin and it turns out last years crop was so bad because of flooding that there wasn't any canned pumpkin to be found. Even Libby pumpkin had no pumpkin in their warehouse. So I found some at Walmart last month and bought two cans. The next time I went, there wasn't any. Hopefully shelves will be stocked soon and I can continue my bread making journey.
Football! Cooper's freshman Falcon team is 6-0! But this week we play Beaumont, the other 6-0 team. We've already made the playoffs, so Jason says it doesn't matter if we win or not. That's crazy! Of course it matters! I will say watching pee-wee football has totally made me appreciate the NFL. Those guys are so big and fast and accurate! That doesn't mean I'm going to watch it, I just appreciate it more.
What I'm reading right now:
Your Money, God's Way, by Amie Streater. I'll be reviewing this when I finish it, but let me just tell you, we've already gone through Dave Ramsey, and this book should be required follow up. It is so good!
The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. I can only read a little of this at a time. It is a lot to digest. It is truly life changing.
Becoming More than Good Bible Study Girl, by Lisa Terkeurst. This was my 75 cent purchase at Mardels a few weeks ago. The best 75 cents I've ever spent. Really good!
Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna. Jason and I are going through this book with two different groups at church right now. I highly recommend it. Its amazing though when you are learning about how to be better parents, your kids test what you are learning.
The Bible! I am still plugging along in Psalms, almost done. Spent a lot of time on 119, but this week Dr. Sloan told us in church he spent 22 days reading it recently. I didn't spend that long. I treasure the 5 minutes I get here or there, and really relish if I have 20-30 to spend. I just leave it and my journal out open on the dining room table so I can run in there when I have a minute. It is changing so many parts of my life. I honestly think I'm sleeping better too. That might be crazy, but I think that's Biblical!
Please be praying for my grandfather. After 22 years of being together, his wife moved to OK this week to be put in a nursing home closer to her son. I am going home next week to help mom move him to another part of the Glen with a smaller apartment. Its a huge relief for everyone, because they weren't good for each other, but its still sad.
Hate to end on a sad note. Let me see... Oh, Campbell is potty training himself. It may wear off soon, but its saving me some diapers at the moment. He's an amazing kid. Cooper was retested for peanuts and dogs this week. Peanuts went down, but that doesn't mean anything, and dogs went up. So maybe we won't get another dog anytime soon. I think that's it for now. If you made it through this randomness, you are either really bored or do care for the minor details in our lives. Thanks!
Football! Cooper's freshman Falcon team is 6-0! But this week we play Beaumont, the other 6-0 team. We've already made the playoffs, so Jason says it doesn't matter if we win or not. That's crazy! Of course it matters! I will say watching pee-wee football has totally made me appreciate the NFL. Those guys are so big and fast and accurate! That doesn't mean I'm going to watch it, I just appreciate it more.
What I'm reading right now:
Your Money, God's Way, by Amie Streater. I'll be reviewing this when I finish it, but let me just tell you, we've already gone through Dave Ramsey, and this book should be required follow up. It is so good!
The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. I can only read a little of this at a time. It is a lot to digest. It is truly life changing.
Becoming More than Good Bible Study Girl, by Lisa Terkeurst. This was my 75 cent purchase at Mardels a few weeks ago. The best 75 cents I've ever spent. Really good!
Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna. Jason and I are going through this book with two different groups at church right now. I highly recommend it. Its amazing though when you are learning about how to be better parents, your kids test what you are learning.
The Bible! I am still plugging along in Psalms, almost done. Spent a lot of time on 119, but this week Dr. Sloan told us in church he spent 22 days reading it recently. I didn't spend that long. I treasure the 5 minutes I get here or there, and really relish if I have 20-30 to spend. I just leave it and my journal out open on the dining room table so I can run in there when I have a minute. It is changing so many parts of my life. I honestly think I'm sleeping better too. That might be crazy, but I think that's Biblical!
Please be praying for my grandfather. After 22 years of being together, his wife moved to OK this week to be put in a nursing home closer to her son. I am going home next week to help mom move him to another part of the Glen with a smaller apartment. Its a huge relief for everyone, because they weren't good for each other, but its still sad.
Hate to end on a sad note. Let me see... Oh, Campbell is potty training himself. It may wear off soon, but its saving me some diapers at the moment. He's an amazing kid. Cooper was retested for peanuts and dogs this week. Peanuts went down, but that doesn't mean anything, and dogs went up. So maybe we won't get another dog anytime soon. I think that's it for now. If you made it through this randomness, you are either really bored or do care for the minor details in our lives. Thanks!
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Anne Bradstreet, by D.B. Kellogg
"Anne Bradstreet" by D.B. Kellogg, is a biography in the Christian Encounters series by Thomas Nelson. Kellogg describes the life of this amazing woman, as she deals with moving to the wilderness of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, starting and caring for her family while her husband was away governing the new land, and all the while writing poetry that described the love she had for her God.
I was fascinated by the descriptions of the Puritan lifestyle in the 1600s, and in awe of Bradstreet's courage as she cared for her 8 children, often while dealing with her own health problems. I was amazed at the depth of her poetry, and did not realized the impact it had on Christians not only in her day, but for generations after. However, not being a history buff, I was bored by the number of names and dates and the lack of narratives between them. This is a small book, and for readers who love to read history, I would recommend this series of biographys of lesser known Christian figures, but I do not think I will read any more.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Less deep, more updating...
This is just a post to update everyone on our lives, not a deep meaningful one!
School started, boys are having fun. Cade was bored last week, said he knew everything and should have skipped first grade. Campbell started MDO yesterday, won't hold on to the ropes to walk with, seems scared of them. Very strange!
The first week of Aug we were in Glorieta, NM with the inlaws for Music week. Had a good time, really enjoyed the weather. Second week was Preschool Playdays that I directed. Had a great week! Mom came in to keep Campbell for me, and was very helpful. I finally got my internet and phones working correctly since high speed had been installed in Jan. Third week was getting ready for school, going to the zoo, doctor's appointments, meet the teacher and me prepping for weekday teacher inservice. And then school started and 3 days of inservice. I taught 5 sessions I think. I love teaching teachers! I hope the Lord allows me to do more of that in my life. We had a lot of fun, or I did at least. I think the teachers did too!
Preschool started this week. I'm the Spiritual Curriculum Coordinator and sub. My schedule changed today, but as of now, I'll be working Mondays and Thursdays and Campbell will be going Monday/Tuesday/Thursday. Melissa and I sat down today and came up with ideas for me to implement this year with teachers and parents. I'm really excited to get the year started!
Jason and I started a new weekend Bible study class Sunday morning and we had 12 people!!! Very exciting! Its really strange to start a class from scratch, knowing your goal is to build community with this group of mostly strangers. But we'll get there. Jason and I haven't been in a class together in 7 years I think. He wasn't really there Sunday, but he'll be there more as the year gets going.
I'm trying to get back in the groove of things with routines around the house, but I'm not there yet. We won't talk about how long its been since I cleaned our shower.
Cooper had his first football game last Saturday. It was a lot of fun, but very hot. He's having a good time and learning a lot. Cade starts fall baseball Friday. Only one game and practice a week and they don't keep score. Very laid back compared to spring. He's moving up to machine pitch, so he's a little nervous, but excited to start. I think he's been a little jealous of football. Football practices have caused us to have dinner together at home at 5 each night, and its kind of been nice to have that structured time and schedule. I almost don't mind cooking. Almost!
I think that's about it for now. That's plenty! Our lives are full, but blessed. I am very thankful for all that God is doing.
School started, boys are having fun. Cade was bored last week, said he knew everything and should have skipped first grade. Campbell started MDO yesterday, won't hold on to the ropes to walk with, seems scared of them. Very strange!
The first week of Aug we were in Glorieta, NM with the inlaws for Music week. Had a good time, really enjoyed the weather. Second week was Preschool Playdays that I directed. Had a great week! Mom came in to keep Campbell for me, and was very helpful. I finally got my internet and phones working correctly since high speed had been installed in Jan. Third week was getting ready for school, going to the zoo, doctor's appointments, meet the teacher and me prepping for weekday teacher inservice. And then school started and 3 days of inservice. I taught 5 sessions I think. I love teaching teachers! I hope the Lord allows me to do more of that in my life. We had a lot of fun, or I did at least. I think the teachers did too!
Preschool started this week. I'm the Spiritual Curriculum Coordinator and sub. My schedule changed today, but as of now, I'll be working Mondays and Thursdays and Campbell will be going Monday/Tuesday/Thursday. Melissa and I sat down today and came up with ideas for me to implement this year with teachers and parents. I'm really excited to get the year started!
Jason and I started a new weekend Bible study class Sunday morning and we had 12 people!!! Very exciting! Its really strange to start a class from scratch, knowing your goal is to build community with this group of mostly strangers. But we'll get there. Jason and I haven't been in a class together in 7 years I think. He wasn't really there Sunday, but he'll be there more as the year gets going.
I'm trying to get back in the groove of things with routines around the house, but I'm not there yet. We won't talk about how long its been since I cleaned our shower.
Cooper had his first football game last Saturday. It was a lot of fun, but very hot. He's having a good time and learning a lot. Cade starts fall baseball Friday. Only one game and practice a week and they don't keep score. Very laid back compared to spring. He's moving up to machine pitch, so he's a little nervous, but excited to start. I think he's been a little jealous of football. Football practices have caused us to have dinner together at home at 5 each night, and its kind of been nice to have that structured time and schedule. I almost don't mind cooking. Almost!
I think that's about it for now. That's plenty! Our lives are full, but blessed. I am very thankful for all that God is doing.
I've given up on my Bible reading plan...
Kind of, sort of, not really. Believe it or not, being at a Baptist conference at Glorieta in August got me off my Bible reading plan. Being in 1 or 2 worship services and a Bible study everyday and spending the rest of the time running around with the inlaws, I got way off schedule. So when I got back, and realized how far behind I was, I had to ask myself what was more important, keeping up with the plan, or really spending time in the Word and with God. More than one worship song at Glorieta talked about not being in a hurry, waiting on God, resting in him, sitting at his feet. So I realized I knew what books I was supposed to be reading in, which will keep me focused on something, but I don't have to get in the trap of checking things off the reading list. I can easily fall into that trap!
So I am now on Psalms 101 and Romans 13. I don't know where I should be and am going to force myself not to look at the schedule. So I won't finish reading the Bible in a year, but that's not important. I have had some sweet time in His Word, I find myself longing for a few minutes to spend with Him, and I am reading with fresh eyes and ears, seeing things I have never seen before. I have realized the past weeks that my prayer life is deeper, I'm going to Him more frequently and with everything. I've caught myself changing my attitude about things that would have annoyed me weeks ago, both with my husband and kids, and my church family as well. I have turned off the tv at times of the day when I used to would have had it on just for noise or to fill my boredom. Now I want to use that time for more productive things. I have also turned off shows that I used to watch consistently and now realize are not things God would have me watch. (For instance, I just turned off the tv, there is nothing on, I used to would have kept flipping until I found something mindless, primetime is tv time!) God is giving me more and more opportunities to serve Him through many different outlets. And worship is more meaningful! I am so thankful! Its amazing what spending time in His Word will do for you. You would think in my 27 years as a Christian, with all that I have experienced and been taught, this would have not come as such a surprise to me. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have been really in love with His word, but not since I had kids.
A part of me wonders if He has brought me to this place to prepare me for something bad coming up. I have often used that as an excuse to not sit at His feet. But the strange thing is, now that I'm here, I don't care anymore. Bring it on! I'm ready. Oh my goodness that's scary! Breathe Christy, breathe! I still mean it, but its hard to say. I know He is in control regardless. His ways are higher than mine, thank goodness.
So I am now on Psalms 101 and Romans 13. I don't know where I should be and am going to force myself not to look at the schedule. So I won't finish reading the Bible in a year, but that's not important. I have had some sweet time in His Word, I find myself longing for a few minutes to spend with Him, and I am reading with fresh eyes and ears, seeing things I have never seen before. I have realized the past weeks that my prayer life is deeper, I'm going to Him more frequently and with everything. I've caught myself changing my attitude about things that would have annoyed me weeks ago, both with my husband and kids, and my church family as well. I have turned off the tv at times of the day when I used to would have had it on just for noise or to fill my boredom. Now I want to use that time for more productive things. I have also turned off shows that I used to watch consistently and now realize are not things God would have me watch. (For instance, I just turned off the tv, there is nothing on, I used to would have kept flipping until I found something mindless, primetime is tv time!) God is giving me more and more opportunities to serve Him through many different outlets. And worship is more meaningful! I am so thankful! Its amazing what spending time in His Word will do for you. You would think in my 27 years as a Christian, with all that I have experienced and been taught, this would have not come as such a surprise to me. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have been really in love with His word, but not since I had kids.
A part of me wonders if He has brought me to this place to prepare me for something bad coming up. I have often used that as an excuse to not sit at His feet. But the strange thing is, now that I'm here, I don't care anymore. Bring it on! I'm ready. Oh my goodness that's scary! Breathe Christy, breathe! I still mean it, but its hard to say. I know He is in control regardless. His ways are higher than mine, thank goodness.
Monday, August 23, 2010
First Day of School!
First day of 1st and 3rd grades! Cade's goals are to make new friends and be good! Cooper thinks those should always be goals, not new ones, and he doesn't really have any new ones. He just wanted one more week of summer. I am so proud of them! Praying for Mrs. Fernandez and Mrs. Fouts, that they will be blessed this year too and that my children will be found in favor and grow in knowledge, stature and faith! God is good!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Bible Reading Plan
I've had a few people ask me where I got my reading plan. So here it is!
http://www.esv.org/biblereadingplans
They email you everyday with what to read. You can read it on the email or listen to it. Different plans to choose from!
http://www.esv.org/biblereadingplans
They email you everyday with what to read. You can read it on the email or listen to it. Different plans to choose from!
Chapter 8 - Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. Subtitle "Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life"
This is a non required book review for me. I just love this book and want to share it with everyone! Am loving it even more the second time I'm reading it! I faciliated this study with a group of mostly 20 somethings, single, childless ladies in the spring, and now with a group of moms of preschoolers, and its amazing the difference in conversations, yet the similarities of us all wanting to change our hearts. I thought to give an accurate review of this book, I would just quote parts of chapter 8. It will speak for itself.
Weaver reminds us of John 11, the story of Lazarus' death and resurrection, from Martha's point of view.
Some of the lessons we can learn from this story: (Are you ready? Buckle up)
1. "God's will does not always proceed in a straight line."
"One reason for this is that God is weaving together a greater glory than just my own... It is God's purposes, not mine, that must prevail. He is concerned not only with the individual need, but with the corporate need as well. God wraps up my good with your good and the good of both of us with the good of others. The plot lines of our individual stories weave together to form his master plan. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is left out." pg 120
2. "God's love sometimes tarries for our good and his glory."
"While we may never fully understand why God's love sometimes lingers, we can rest assured that God's love is always at work. He may not move according to our schedule, but he is right on time for what is best. And he has our ultimate good forever in mind." pg 124
3. "God's ways are not our ways, but his character is still dependable."
"If you are struggling to hang on in the midst of your difficult circumstances, let me remind you to go back to what you know about God. Open the Bible and find scriptures to cling to- scriptures that reveal the heart and faithfulness of God. Remind yourself that God is your strength. That he is your source of comfort. That he won't let you fall. That he loves you passionately and only wants the best for you." pgs 124,125
4. "God's plan is released when we believe and obey."
"...it means that God's story, in a sense, is interactive. We are an integral part of the writing process. Our choices play a part in the unfolding of the plot." pg 130"Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up...God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you know already." pg 147 (Oswald Chambers)
5."The 'end' is never the end; it is only the beginning." (THIS IS THE BIG ONE FOR ME)
"When Jesus came late to Bethany, his lateness was an act of love. A gift of perspective. A foreshadowing meant as a mercy, not only for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but for his disciples and for you and me. Jesus knew we would struggle with the concept of resurrection. He knew we would have doubts when his tomb turned up empty... So the Author of our faith, our great storytelling God, prefaced his Son's death with an act that would foreshadow the resurrection. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he put to death Satan's lie that the end is the end." pg 132 (That gives me chills every time!)
There is so much more in this chapter, and chapter 3 is my other favorite chapter. I don't like it because its about not worrying. But its an amazing chapter. I wish this book was required reading for all women. It is chocked full of God's truth that can be life changing if you let it be.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Another cooking adventure...
I will be the first to admit I am not a good cook. But I don't know why! I follow recipes! So my latest attempt for dinner tonight was chicken nuggets, seems simple enough. I got a new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife).
She teaches how to make purees out of vegetables and hide them in recipes your kids will eat. And since my youngest will not let a veggie enter his lips, I thought it was a brilliant idea. So I made sweet potato puree the other day, and first made little muffins. He loved them right out of the oven, but not later in the day, but all in all a success. So tonight I made chicken nuggets, which were coated in sweet potatoes, panko bread crumbs and other things. I followed the recipe but here is proof that somewhere along the way my non-cooking gene entered the picture.
This is what they were supposed to look like.
But this is how they turned out.
No one liked them. Not even me. I only made them tonight because Jason was eating out at a meeting. I don't try new recipes on him very often. He was nice enough not to laugh and turned on the fans while I opened the back door to let the smoke out from the burning bread crumbs. Luckily I also made good old Kraft macaroni, which normally Campbell won't eat either. But PROGRESS, he ate the mac, so I added a cube of sweet potatoes to it which made it creamy, and gave him some more. I was getting that sweet potato in him if it killed me, which the smoke inhalation almost did.
She teaches how to make purees out of vegetables and hide them in recipes your kids will eat. And since my youngest will not let a veggie enter his lips, I thought it was a brilliant idea. So I made sweet potato puree the other day, and first made little muffins. He loved them right out of the oven, but not later in the day, but all in all a success. So tonight I made chicken nuggets, which were coated in sweet potatoes, panko bread crumbs and other things. I followed the recipe but here is proof that somewhere along the way my non-cooking gene entered the picture.
This is what they were supposed to look like.
But this is how they turned out.
No one liked them. Not even me. I only made them tonight because Jason was eating out at a meeting. I don't try new recipes on him very often. He was nice enough not to laugh and turned on the fans while I opened the back door to let the smoke out from the burning bread crumbs. Luckily I also made good old Kraft macaroni, which normally Campbell won't eat either. But PROGRESS, he ate the mac, so I added a cube of sweet potatoes to it which made it creamy, and gave him some more. I was getting that sweet potato in him if it killed me, which the smoke inhalation almost did.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Same Kind of Different As Me
Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
Denver, a 20th century slave, and Ron, a millionaire art dealer, have had completely different journeys in life. But when Ron’s wife has a vision of a man who will change the city of Ft. Worth and realizes its Denver, she helps her husband start a lifelong friendship that not only changes Ron and Denver’s lives, but hundreds upon hundreds of lives who are transformed by seeing God move in mysterious, miraculous ways.
I could not put this book down. Reading this true story about Denver’s life, basically a slave in the 20th century in my home state of LA, was both shocking and heartbreaking. But watching how God’s hand was on him was inspirational and comforting. Ron’s life lead him down a path of getting everything the world had to offer; yet he knew something was missing in his life. The lessons I learned from each man were enough on their own, but the lessons learned from their friendship and the journey of getting there were ones that I wish everyone in my community could absorb.
I not only recommend this book, but wish it was required reading for those in all walks of life, especially the people that I have met entering the ministry. It inspired me to drive down to “the other side of the tracks” and I would love to take people with me!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
"How to Study the Bible"
I listened to a Matt Chandler seminar the other day about how to study the Bible. He said it was really how to read the Bible, not necessarily study it. I saw the title and thought, "I went to Seminary, I think I know how to study the Bible". Now, doing it is another thing. His seminar talked about getting a Bible reading plan, which I've never used because I thought I was too good for that. But he said a Bible reading plan gives you a plan so you aren't randomly turning to a strange story in the Bible, and it gets you to read parts of the Bible you wouldn't normally read. So you read for a certain amount of time, underlining verses that stick out to you. Then you write those verses in your journal and comment on them, how they speak to you, then you pray. So simple! Yet, when you do it everyday, the Word becomes a part of you!
So, today I did it for the first time. I found a Bible reading plan online where they email you each day with your readings for the day. You can even listen to it if you want. I read Psalms 31-33, and then tonight I'll read a passage out of Acts. And I just had to share a verse that stuck out to me.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:4,5
The heat of the summer part got me. Living in Texas, I get that! There are days you just want to stay inside because even walking out to the mailbox wears you out! In Houston, we live in a constant state of wetness. There are men next door hanging siding, and I just can't imagine how tired they are at the end of the day from being outside all day. The heat just makes you feel so tired. That's what its like to walk around with unconfessed sin! There are some sins that you just don't realize you are dealing with, but sometimes, you know you are doing or have done something against God, but your pride keeps you from taking that to Him to ask for forgiveness, or you just are not ready to give it up yet. You enjoy living in that sin. But I have been there, and you do feel tired, like there is an extra weight on your shoulders, it takes twice the energy to do anything, just like in the summer heat!
But when you finally give it up, admit to God the sin and ask for forgiveness, that freedom of taking that off your shoulders feels like diving in a cold swimming pool. Or, since I don't like swimming, walking into a cold, air conditioned building and someone handing you a cold glass of ice water. So refreshing, relaxing. A moment of just taking a deep breath and living the moment.
Thank you Father for always being willing to forgive. There is nothing too far out of your loving hand that you won't forgive. Help me to first admit my sin of pride so I can then see the rest of the sins that are keeping me from sitting at your feet and living in your freedom!
So, today I did it for the first time. I found a Bible reading plan online where they email you each day with your readings for the day. You can even listen to it if you want. I read Psalms 31-33, and then tonight I'll read a passage out of Acts. And I just had to share a verse that stuck out to me.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:4,5
The heat of the summer part got me. Living in Texas, I get that! There are days you just want to stay inside because even walking out to the mailbox wears you out! In Houston, we live in a constant state of wetness. There are men next door hanging siding, and I just can't imagine how tired they are at the end of the day from being outside all day. The heat just makes you feel so tired. That's what its like to walk around with unconfessed sin! There are some sins that you just don't realize you are dealing with, but sometimes, you know you are doing or have done something against God, but your pride keeps you from taking that to Him to ask for forgiveness, or you just are not ready to give it up yet. You enjoy living in that sin. But I have been there, and you do feel tired, like there is an extra weight on your shoulders, it takes twice the energy to do anything, just like in the summer heat!
But when you finally give it up, admit to God the sin and ask for forgiveness, that freedom of taking that off your shoulders feels like diving in a cold swimming pool. Or, since I don't like swimming, walking into a cold, air conditioned building and someone handing you a cold glass of ice water. So refreshing, relaxing. A moment of just taking a deep breath and living the moment.
Thank you Father for always being willing to forgive. There is nothing too far out of your loving hand that you won't forgive. Help me to first admit my sin of pride so I can then see the rest of the sins that are keeping me from sitting at your feet and living in your freedom!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Book Review of The Heart Mender
The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews
I'm really excited because I have joined a website where I receive free books in exchange for reading them and writing a review. My first book is The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews. The story seems to be a true story of what Mr. Andrews has learned while researching WWII memorabilia he finds behind his home on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It leads him to write the story of a young widow, Helen Mason, who is struggling to forgive the world for taking her husband away. In the midst of her struggle she comes upon a German U-boat officer, Lt. Josef Landermann, on the brink of death, and she must learn to forgive as she nurses him back to health.
The plot line was fascinating to me, especially after the introduction where Andrews says that for the most part the story is true. I enjoy American history, even more when it is stories that I did not hear in school. I could picture myself walking along the beach on the Florida/Alabama coast during WWII, and having a cup of coffee at the diner where Helen works. I could feel the bitterness and anger she carried around with her. And I could relate to how hard it was for her to let that go. But the story did get a little slow for me. The parts of the story where I would have liked to read more details about the characters were skimmed over, and other parts had too many war details. It was not a book that I had a hard time putting down at night. But I did want to finish to find out how it ended. And the ending did not disappoint me.
I do recommend this book if you enjoy American History, WWII history, stories of love, forgiveness and adventure. The best part about this website I have joined is that they not only sent me a copy for me to read, but an extra copy for me to pass on! So the first two people who comment on my blog will receive a copy of this book! I would love to hear what other people think about it, like a virtual book club!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com
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