Listen to Jesus

It is more important to listen to Jesus than to build something. It is the most important thing in our lives- more important than what we accomplish for Him. Out of that intimacy with Him may come things for Him, but it is more important to hear God's voice and obey Him than to do great things for Him. ~ excerpt from One with a Shepherd- the Tears and Triumphs of a Ministry Marriage

I must remember that spending time sitting at my Lord and Saviors feet is imperative so that I do not grow proud or weary, but rather humble and joyous in ministry.

Whether you are working full time,a busy college student, work three jobs and finishing your Master's, looking for work, young mother of 4 children with one on the way ( stealing all energy and nutrition quite violently from your body), empty nester... whatever, we need to spend time sitting at Jesus' feet taking in His word! That is what I need! For those who feel overwhelmed; like sometimes I do, maybe this chapter from Don Whitney's book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life might help. Don't worry, it's short, sweet and to the point.

Apart from Him I can do nothing! He uses the weak and foolish in this world to the praise of His glorious grace.

Oh, lovely, beautiful Jesus I come to you seeking daily grace, daily strength in my weakness, so that Your great compassion, love and mercy be displayed for all to adore. Amen!

Jesus Has Overcome

"These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Many of the ladies I have spoken with recently are undergoing many trials in their lives. I too have been struggling of late, and I when I came across this verse last week it encouraged me greatly.
Jesus is speaking to his disciples in this passage. It is coming close to the time of His death, and He knows what will follow for his disciples. To encourage them and give them peace, He tells them, "I have overcome the world." What a beautiful word from our Lord.
So the next time we think that we have found something we cannot handle or the next time you have to clean up after our kids again, or the next time your husband does something crazy - we will remember this verse. Yes, right now we live in the world, but we can take comfort in knowing that we are not of the world and, even more, we serve a Lord who has overcome this world. So take courage ladies, at the start of a new week. Find peace and comfort in knowing that dishes and diapers and demanding jobs are only for now. "...Take courage; I have overcome the world."

Counting my Blessings

Wednesday morning was… unique. I woke up edgy and as the early morning unfolded I found that I was continually fighting to be patient and kind to those around me. On the agenda for the day was a trip to the airport to drop off my mother, who was going to visit my sister in Utah. Her plane was supposed to take off at noon and the airport is about a half an hour away, so we needed to leave (at the very latest) an hour and a half early. In an unusual show of preparedness, we decided to leave two and a half hours early. When we got out to the mini-van, we found that it had a flat tire. I mean entirely flat. (I knew I should have picked up that screw I saw in the driveway the other day!) I spent fifteen minutes unsuccessfully trying to air up the tire enough to drive it to a auto repair place, only to have my mom and my 3 sons walk down to the corner repair shop, while I drove the van really slowly down the alley to meet them there. By the time I drove the 100 feet to the repair shop on the corner, my tire was entirely off of the rim. The gentleman informed us that this wasn’t “fixable”; that we had to drive 2 blocks to the tire shop in order to have it replaced in any reasonable amount of time (that is: within a day). I really didn’t want to ruin the rim but he assured me that if I drive very slowly and put on my hazards that it should be alright. (Apparently this unique combination of driving slowly with your hazards on protects the rim of the tire.) So, my mom and the boys walk the 2 blocks to the tire repair shop and I drive slowly (with my hazards on) to meet them there. I pull the van ever so gently into the parking lot and talk to the owner who informs me that I need to drive the van down their gravel filled alley and around to the back of the shop so that they can replace the tire. (Did I mention that I am essentially driving on just the rim?) I could hear every crunch of gravel digging into my rim and could picture all the potential damage that was being done to it. I imagined the man telling me that I’d need to replace the rim as well as the tire, by the time I got around to the back of the shop.

So when I got the van to where they wanted it, they pulled out the car jack. One guy had to lift up on my van just to get the jack into place because it was riding so low. The rim was bunged up a bit, but it was only cosmetic scuffs and dings, etc., so they repaired the tire. Meanwhile, the owner pointed out how poor the condition of the other rear tire was and convinced me to get that tire replaced as well. So they start fixing the other tire. At this point the owner says, “You weren’t planning on paying with a credit card were you? Because my machine is down and I’m only accepting cash.” As a matter of fact I was planning on paying with a credit card and don’t carry any cash. So he kindly told me I could walk 3 blocks away to an ATM so that I could get cash. He would not let me leave my mom and my boys and drive my van up to get the money. So I ended up jogging barefoot (due to the fact that I was wearing floppy sandals) to the ATM to get the money and back. I was winded but paid for the van and off we drove to the airport with two new-ish tires. Guess how long this adventure set us back? One hour. So as I was driving away I had to stop (mentally) and praise God for all the blessings that I could see in this experience (and for the ones that I can’t see, too)!

• Praise God that He moved us to decide to leave an extra hour early
• Praise God that the tire went flat in my driveway rather than on the freeway at 70 mph
• Praise God for the great attitude of my mom who accepted with contentment the possibility that she might miss her plane and miss out on her visit with my sister.
• Praise God for the attitudes of my sons who saw the flat tire experience as an “adventure”
• Praise God that He provided the money for the repairs just that morning before we knew of the expense
• Praise God for the new tire repair place being so close to our house so I didn’t have to drive the car far or pay to get it towed
• Praise God for my health and fitness which allowed me to be able to walk (or jog, as it were) up to the ATM
• Praise God for my mom’s and my children’s health and fitness that they were able to walk to the repair shops (thus taking a bunch of weight off of the rim of the tire)
• Praise God that we were able to get the whole situation taken care of and we still managed to get my mom to the airport in time
• Praise God for the new found appreciation of planning extra time “just in case”…
  

There are so many more praises to be said, but God knows them all. This situation was a big reminder of the grace of God in our everyday lives. May the Lord help me to praise His name all the more in every situation!

For the Empty Nesters

Each season of life has its own set of challenges and the 'empty nest' season I’m sure is no different. I have heard of more marriages ending during this time than during the child bearing years. Though it’s hard to imagine going through the empty nest (oh, having a quiet home, no one barging into bathroom while I’m in there, and skipping a meal here and there…), I’ve been told on more than one occasion that these times of having little children around will be greatly missed and I will be wishing they were back!! So I trust what they say is true…and try not to complain too much... :)

But for those of us with young children still, how can we prepare for that season, that Lord willing (in a good way), sooner or later will come? And for those of you whom are already peaking at it, and of course, those of you whom are already there, how do you get beyond the loneliness?

Well, I stumbled across this interview Nancy Leigh DeMoss did with Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates the authors of the book Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest. I found it very helpful, again, not just for those of you already there, but for us looking at it from the benches.

There are two parts, both quite lengthy but worth your while:

Facing the Empty Nest as a Couple

Navigating New Seasons

Good day from me and the other three chics.

Witty Wednesday

I thought this was pretty funny. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. So, here it is ... The Mom Song!

Hypocrisy and Parenting

Today I read an article on Pulpit Magazine that was very helpful and convicting to me. It was how to avoid raising a Pharisee. I highly recommend reading it even if you are not a parent. The author looked at some manifestations to look for in younger children and he also gave a separate list for teenagers. Though we are dealing with the heart it does manifest itself differently as a child gets older. I see some of the things on the lists in myself and will be referring to, not only as a parent but as an individual that needs to guard myself against this deadly sin; and in faith do what I can to not instill pharisaical-ism in my children. As the author says, "Hypocrisy is an imminent and evident threat to the church of Jesus Christ."

The author gives excellent advice in his article that I want to consider more deeply. There is too much temptation to think because you took the parenting class and have well-taught, doctrinally- invested, well-behaved, gospel-saturated children, your job is well done and your kids will be fine. The bottom line is my children are in danger of being raised to be good little self deceived, legalistic hypocrites. It is deep in my heart and it's frankly easy as a Christian to raise my children steeped in it.

As I read the article and was moved to prayer for myself, my children and families that are dear to me, I remembered a quote from the puritan Richard Baxter that I copied in a journal long ago: Wicked parents are the most notable servants of the devil in all the world and the bloodiest enemies to their children's souls. More souls are damned by ungodly parents, and next to them, ungodly ministers and magistrates, than any instruments in the world besides.

Too often we (meaning me) think of the parents who destroy their children as the crack head, drunk, lazy bum, atheist, femi-nazi, God haters, but what about the nice church-going deacon, elder, ministry wife, usher, Sunday School teacher, wouldn't-miss-a-church-event-to-save-their-life parent... if that parent should be satisfied with a well taught, well mannered, movie avoiding, tongue clucking goody two shoes? We are just as dangerous as the crack head mom if we are one thing on Sunday and another at home. Someone once said, what a man is at home is what the man is, and our kids know it. We know it! If our joy in the Lord isn't genuine, the only things worth imitating and loving are the things that get praise. Kids pick up on this quick. Be and do what it takes to be thought well of, nothing else matters.

I pray that in God's grace I can battle it in my own heart and put my kids in a place for God in His mercy to put genuine faith and humility in their hearts.

Please read the article , it's worth it!

Book Review: Journey Through the Night

Most of my friends have heard me talk about this amazing series of books by Anne DeVries. It has been in my top five favorite series of all time list as long as I can remember, and its not going anywhere! For some perspective, the list also includes the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, the Zion Covenant/Chronicles (yes, I know, two series but by the same author and concerning consecutive time periods so I cheat and put them as one), and the Sacketts.
The four book series is entitled Journey Through the Night and contains four books: Into the Darkness, The Darkness Deepens, Dawn's Early Light, and A New Day. The story follows a young man named John as he fights to survive the Nazi regime living in Holland. DeVries lived in Holland during the war and takes much of his story from actual events in his life and the lives of people he knew.
What sets this series apart from the hundreds (if not thousands) of other books about the second World War? First, because it follows only one character. Most novels have several main characters and move back and forth between them throughout the corse of the book. The fact that this series focuses only on John provides more of a unique point of view that is not often offered readers.
Second, because John is by no means a classical 'hero.' He is merely a young man, not even sixteen in the first book, fighting to stay alive through a war determined to result in otherwise. There are no glamorous battle scenes. There are no cunning plots or thrilling escapades. There is no gore, no romantic portrals of death. The book is down-to-earth and believable. You never find yourself wondering if a sixteen year old would really say or feel that. You will never think "Hmm, that sounds like something a mature twenty-five year old would do, how old is this guy again?" And you never wonder if any of it is made up.
Finally, and most importantly, because the heart of the series is not John or war or Hitler. The heart of the series is a young Christian's faith being tested by circumstances - and thriving in them! John has been raised in a Christian home by godly parents. Over and over again, the war challenges a belief that John has, and instead of despairing of his faith, John chooses consistently to obey and honor his Lord.
How would you respond if a war came to our country? How would you respond if you were forced into hiding from the government? How would you respond if your father was sent away to a concentration camp? If you had to change your name every few weeks? If you couldn't see your family or risk endangering their lives? If you had to choose between your life and the lives of others?
Most of us have never had to endure any of these hardships. You may not always agree with the decisions that John makes. But you will appriciate and respect the effort he puts into honoring and obeying God's Word in every decision he makes. You will be encouraged by his reliance on Scripture verses he has memorized.
Journey Through the Night is a series for all ages. My parents both read them as adults and loved them. I read them as a young girl, seven or eight, and loved them. For those of you who don't know, I am a firm believer in reading good books more than once. I usually make it through this series every year and a half or so. And each time I enjoy it more than the last. I cannot recommend these books enough.

Wants, Contentment, and God’s Perfect Plan

My husband is a carpenter. Up until recently he had a great paying job for a union company. He was getting 40 hrs each week and things in our little “financial world” were looking good. But not quite two months ago, Ryan was laid off because his company didn’t have enough work for all of their employees. Ryan has been applying at different union contractors, but they all seem to have a shortage of available work. This change in Ryan’s employment may be temporary but it shows us how quickly our finances can change, which in turn causes us to be wary of any future plans which would increase our expenses such as house sales, and purchases, etc. We have a nice house that we’ve been fixing up in hope of selling (and moving far away from our current neighborhood) with dreams of building our own home… the DREAM home. I had given much thought and spent long hours planning and dreaming about where we could build, what lot to purchase, what type of house to build, which floor plan to choose, etc. So as I look over our current situation and then look to the future, I must consider the possibility that my worldly dreams may never come true. Why do I mention all of this? Well, because God is using this time and these particular “trials” to show me what’s in my heart.

Let me just say right up front that God is providing for our needs. Our bills are paid each month and we are well fed. We have many encouraging friends who pray for us and show Christian concern and brotherly kindness all the time. Yet I see in my heart a sadness at the prospect of giving up my dream of moving and building our dream house, along with the pleasant feeling of a steady (if not inflated) income. I know in theory that God’s plan for us is what’s best but it’s times like these when our application of those truths is tested that I find myself less than joyfully accepting of God’s will. I am sure that one reason God has brought these trials into our lives is to show me my heart and it’s idols, so that I may tear them down and offer up my whole self (including my desires, dreams and plans) to the Lord for His glory. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though.

I spend so much time thinking “wouldn’t it be great if…” or “I would love to…” that I have to pull back and re-orient myself to the present tense. I need to spend less time dreaming about what could be (in the “American dream” sense) and more time being thankful for the things that are. I need to start really believing in my heart, not just in my words, that whatever God gives to me is the absolute best thing for me and that whatever He withholds from me, is because it was NOT good for me (at least not yet). I also need to be careful to not focus on the future too much, thinking that I know how God will work out my tomorrow based upon what’s happening today. Today, God may have said “No” but that doesn’t mean that He’ll always say “No”. He gives me the best thing for today, which may not be the best thing in two years. I need to trust Him to work out the details and to do it all well. I need to take seriously the call to keep my eyes focused on heavenly things and my feet firmly grounded in today, for each day “has enough trouble of its own”. Matthew 6:33-34

Let me end with the thought that reassures me. If God is so excellent as to plan something as wonderful as salvation for a person so undeserving as me, then He can certainly be trusted to work out a wonderful and excellent design for my daily life. Or, to put it another way, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. So though I may be temporarily sad over what appears to be the loss of my “dream”, I can be much more permanently happy knowing that however God blesses us, it will be better than I could have ever planned. I just have to look with eyes of faith to see it!

Providence is a Soft Pillow for Anxious Heads

Most of us get anxious at some time or another. The good, bad, and ugly experiences of life are a constant reminder that though we want to be in control of all aspects of our lives, we simply aren’t. We forget God’s providence and resort to worry and wonder. I’m quite often willing and ready to utter that God is in control of all things, but not always willing to live in light of that truth.

The Puritans said "providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads." Every night you lay your head on your pillow. But if your soul is weary, rest on the knowledge that he has ordained all of your days, the short or long, the rich or poor, the sad or happy, were all designed for his good and perfect purpose.

Andrew Murray put it this way: “I am here by his appointment, I am here by his keeping, I am here for his training, and I am here for his time.”

John Calvin said: “Ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries. The highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it.”

David in Psalms 31:14 says “My times are in God’s hands.”

Witty Wednesdays

Okay, my sister-in-law emailed these to me and I laughed and laughed! My personal favorite is number ten. I am a cat lover and could totally relate to that one.



TOP TEN THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND

10. Cats' facial expressions.
9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors.
8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds.
7. Fat clothes.
6. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time.
5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell.
4. Cutting your hair to make it grow.
3. Eyelash curlers.
2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.

AND, the Number One thing only women understand :
1. OTHER WOMEN


When I read number six, I laughed at the fact that though I can relate to most of these, this one was not so applicable to me. When we take car trips, I do the driving and I have a race mentality. We can be taking a trip that is across 4 states but when someone passes me, all my sons say to me "Mom, go faster! That guy is in the lead! Don't let him win!" And being an understanding and caring mom; I speed up.

Have a great day and enjoy some laughs!

Truths to Remember

The ladies at Temple Baptist just met on Saturday to discuss the book, Lies Women Believe And The Truth That Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I thought we had fruitful discussions and I greatly appreciated hearing various perspectives, confessions and insights. This is a book I know I will be referring to a lot in my life and it sounds like many other ladies are thinking of it as a long term resource as well.

One thing that Nancy Leigh Demoss recommended was memorizing truths that she sets forth in the book to battle the lie that you are believing. I find it very helpful that she summarizes them all in the last chapter of her book. There are many convicting things for me in this book, but as I sat there listening to the discussion on Saturday and was meditating on my week; two truths stuck out to me that I know I need to meditate on more. They are basic as basic can be, but I need to go back to them right now.

These are the two that I am meditating on:

God is good. (Psalm 119:68; 136:1) The Truth is, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what we feel, regardless of what we think, God is good, and everything He does is good.

God is enough. (Psalm 23:1) "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want". Nancy writes: You have probably known that verse since you were a small child. But do you believe it? Do you really believe that He is your shepherd? The Truth is, if we have Him, we have everything we need for our present peace and happiness.

Blessings From God

Saturday was a bad day for me. I had been up late the night before studying so that I would be able to go to the ladies' book study Saturday morning. After the book study, I headed home to change for work. When I was almost home, a guy drove up next to me and told me that I had a flat tire. Sure enough, when I got home the front left tire was flat. Work Saturday night was a real trial and by the time I got off, I honestly just wanted the day to end.
When I got home from work, my dad asked me how my day was. By this point I was exhausted, my body was aching, and my throat was raw. I basically told him that my day was devoid of any good thing. Unfortunately for me, he had just finished working on his sermon and immediately launched into all these blessings that God has given us and how in the world could I say that nothing good happened all day??
I wasn't in the right state of mind to agree with him right then (although for the sake of not talking about it, I agreed outwardly) but his words stayed with me the rest of the evening, and into the next morning.
We truly do have much to be thankful for. There are some generic things that all Christians can be thankful for: SALVATION, prayer, God's forgiveness and faithfulness...the list could go on and on! And, even though its sometimes hard to think of them amidst trials, we each have many personal things to be thankful for.
Take time to dwell on your blessings - especially when things aren't going very well. God has been very gracious to each and every one of us and it is important for us to remember this. Don't let sin and every day life get in the way.

Giving with Joy

I was reading my bible the other day and I read this passage at the end of 1 Chronicles. I was just struck by how it is recorded over and over again that King David and the Israelites gave such an abudance to Lord willingly and with great joy. Then they praised God for allowing and giving them a heart to desire to give such an abundance back to the Lord for His temple. This is an encouraging example and reminder to me that I will find my greatest joy in giving what God has given freely to me, back to Him that His work may be done here on earth (such as through my giving of money as well as time and resources). It contradicts the lie which the world promotes, that we will only be happy if we hold tight to our money, time and resources so that we may spend them on our selves. May God be honored in our lives, hearts and yes... in our giving!


1 Chronicles 29:1ff
Then King David said to the entire assembly, "My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for the LORD God. 2 "Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. 3 "Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple, 4 namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings; 5 of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?" 6 Then the rulers of the fathers' households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers over the king's work, offered willingly; 7 and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly. 10 So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, "Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. 14 "But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. 15 "For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16 "O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours. 17 "Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You. 18 "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; 19 and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision." 20 Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the LORD and to the king. 21 On the next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 So they ate and drank that day before the LORD with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, and they anointed him as ruler for the LORD and Zadok as priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father; and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officials, the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David pledged allegiance to King Solomon. 25 The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him royal majesty which had not been on any king before him in Israel. 26 Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 The period which he reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years and in Jerusalem thirty-three years. 28 Then he died in a ripe old age, full of days, riches and honor; and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

Potty Trained At Last!!!

I don’t usually buck at hard work, but when it came to potty training my twin boys I was willing to let them wear diapers until they could potty train themselves… But for more than the obvious reasons, it finally became time for these little ones to learn to do their dirty business in the toilet and for me to face the inevitable - lots of laundry, lots of frantic runs to the bathroom, and lots of cleaning up after a trail of pee and sometimes even…well, you know…poop! So armed with a pile of undies and a bag full of candy…yes, that was to bribe them (or like we like to call it “reward" them), I faced my most dreaded task yet. It worked wonders; Nathan (the older of the two) would sit on the potty chair until he produced…to cash in on that candy…until I had to stop that, because the Dentist would be costing me more than the diapers…

Anyway, at last they are both potty trained, so three down and one more to go…

Witty Wednesday

I got this in an email from, Lelia (thank you!!!!) And this is only some of what she sent, so be looking forward to four Wednesdays from now when you will get more. :)

Pregnancy, Estrogen, and Women

PREGNANCY Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.
Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural ?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

Piper Palin Grooms Baby Brother

If this doesn't want to make you vote McCain-Palin, I don't know what will! :)

Thankful for … well lots of things

This past Labor Day Weekend we went camping with some friends of ours at Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Over the course of the four day weekend God brought to my mind many things that I have to be thankful for. So many of these are insignificant things that I normally take for granted, but, as I became more aware of them, I was able to appreciate God’s tender care and provision for us.

We are simple campers so we still sleep in a tent and cook over the campfire with a tripod. While that is enjoyable for a weekend, it helped to “re-awaken” my appreciation for my soft (and dry) bed, my relatively clean floors (at least there’s no piles of dirt and camp debris that stick to your feet before you get into bed), for my stove and microwave as well as cupboards filled with clean dishes and a dishwasher to wash the ones that are dirty. That same tent helped my son Austin to appreciate the sturdiness of the exterior walls of our house, which keep hungry raccoons at a safe distance. (He was sure that they were man eating raccoons.) Though God blessed us to be close to the bathrooms, I was reminded how blessed we are to only have to walk 15 feet from my bed (in the middle of the night) to the bathroom (and without having to put on extra clothes and shoes). So while we enjoyed the “camping experience” it did serve to help us be really thankful for the “non-camping convenience” of home.

Other things that God blessed us with were opportunities to appreciate the beauty of His creation and His kindness in sharing it with us. We hiked all over the trails of Governor Dodge State Park and saw such wonderful things as a waterfall, a springhouse, quiet forests, and open plains with tall grass waving in the breeze. We met with curious raccoons and ground squirrels. We saw hundreds of hawks circling above the trees all at the same time and even a bald eagle. We found empty snail shells and really cool rocks. We found a dry rock river bed that wound down through a forest complete with small wood plank bridges to cross over by… which called forth fantastic imaginings of the possible story book trolls that could be living underneath those same bridges.

For that matter, we were reminded of how blessed we are to be able to walk all over the hills and valleys (at our leisure) and see all these vistas which are inaccessible to people in wheelchairs or who are limited by physical ailments or frailties. As we ran around the playground playing tag with our boys, I was reminded how blessed we are to be fit enough to run and jump and play with them. (Ryan can even outrun them all still!) As we explored a metal sculpture “art junkyard”, I was thankful that God made us in His image to be creative thinkers and to turn raw materials into objects of beauty. But mostly I was just thankful that God would open my eyes to see these things and more.

Late one night while lying in “bed” (I use the word loosely when referring to the temperamental air mattress we slept on), I was reminded that for me to truly appreciate the glories and gifts of God, Jesus had to die. It seems like such an extreme event that had to take place (the death of Christ on behalf of sinners) in order to bring about something that should be so natural and unfettered (that is the praise and adoration of God) and it is all because of sin (my sin and the sin of Adam & Eve). I would be blinded to the wonders of God’s beauties as He has displayed them through creation if it weren’t for the work of the Spirit in bringing the gospel alive in my heart. And thinking on the life and death and resurrection of Jesus made me appreciate all the more, the amazing person of God as well as His plans for me. So in turn, I was able to appreciate better, all the things that I already mentioned as well as a hundred other things that I don't have time to speak of. And so, it was a good weekend and a weekend of praise to God through Christ Jesus. To God be the glory.

What I do to Have a Quiet Moment

Witty Wednesday

I got this from my brother-in-law, Tim, and I think it's really funny...

If you were around in 1919 (just before prohibition started)
and came upon the following poster...



I mean seriously, Would you quit drinking?

A Summer to Remember

This summer has been filled with change and memories made. For one thing this blog has almost made it through the summer. It started May 5th and has been an interesting and consistent part of my whole summer, I have truly enjoyed sharing thoughts and memories with my fellow bloggers, Esme, Betsy and Nichole, and reading their thoughts and memories.

My kids and I have played lots and lots of baseball after doing school out in the gazebo.

I have had the best time with the Henry girls. I have gotten to know Rebekah and Lydia a little better and spent a great deal of time with Nichole... which is always time well spent.

We have had play dates with cousins and friends.

Silas has shot up and is growing into a little boy and not a baby right before my very eyes.

We have had the pleasure of meeting Sidney Nicole Aldrich and Benjamin Arthur Cady, who have by the way, renewed my children's desire for another sibling.

My sister came to Christ this Summer and has thrived in her small group and is growing as she has been devouring the Word of God; truly a highlight for me.

This Summer has been a time of watching God give grace and strength as we as a family adjust to a new life and schedule. Life has been exhausting this Summer but very, very good! And despite Rick's whacked out schedule he has still found time to fulfill some "duties" around the house, because I just found out I am pregnant! That's right, number 5! Pastor Matt already thinks we have 5 so he won't even notice the family growing, but we sure will. Lord willing, there will be another Aldrich in 9 months- scary!

This truly is a Summer to remember!

"We Die With Gratitude"

This story was taken from Jesus Freaks by D.C. Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs. It took place in China sometime during the late 1960's.

'The two Christian girls waited in the Chinese prison yard for the announced execution. A fellow prisoner who watched the scene from his prison cell described their faces as pale but beautiful beyond belief; infinitely sad but sweet. Humanly speaking, they were fearful. But Chiu-Chin-Hsiu and Ho-Hsiu-Tzu had decided to submit to death without renouncing their faith.
Flanked by renegade guards, the executioner came with a revolver in his hand. It was their own pastor! He had been sentenced to die with the two girls. But, as on many other occasions in Church history, the persecutors worked on him, tempting him. They promised to release him if he would shoot the girls. He accepted.
The girls whispered to each other, then bowed respectfully before their pastor. One of them said, "Before you shoot us, we wish to thank you heartily for what you have meant to us. You baptised us, you taught us the ways of eternal life, you gave us holy communion with the same hand in which you now hold the gun.
"You also taught us that Christians are sometimes weak and commit terrible sins, but they can be forgiven again. When you regret what you are about to do to us, do not despair like Judas, but repent like Peter. God bless you, and remember that our last thought was not one of indignation against your failure. Everyone passes through hours of darkness.
"May God reward you for all the good you have done to us. We die with gratitude."
They bowed again.
The pastor's heart was hardened. He shot the girls.
Afterwards he was shot by the Communists.'