Roman Holiday (part two of three)

More sightseeing photos around Rome:


Running on the Circus Maximus


Fountains in Piazza de Navona


The Pyramid


Trevi Fountain--yes we all threw in coins to "insure" we will someday return to Rome.


Fountain at the Spanish Steps

One of the cool things about this trip was that German's very best friend/more like a brother from High School Days was in Rome with his family on business. Our plan was to spend the entire day together on their third day in Rome. On their first day in Rome we had left a message that said we were at Trevi Fountain headed to the Spanish Steps. We finished taking our pictures at the top of the Spanish Steps and started down. I heard someone say "I wonder how close we can get to them before they see us?" It was our friends. They had got our message and headed out the door immediately to try and catch us...you know in the little village of Rome with oodles of tourists. It was awesome! Here is a shot from the all-day touristy day 3.


One more post to come...

Roman Holiday (part one of three)

I have finally uploaded some pics from our awesome week in Rome and thought I'd share a few with you all! The last time we were in Rome Jewel was six months old and I had thrown out my back the morning we left. Needless to say, my memories of Rome were not completely wonderful. So I could not wait to go back and *truly* experience it!

Our first day we spent in the rain, going to St. Peter's and to the Sistine Chapel. When I say in the rain, that is literal. We waited in the queue outside St. Peter's for 40 minutes, and in the queue for the Sistine Chapel for over an hour!

But the sites are amazing! One of my favorite Michelangelo sculptures is his Pieta, so this was awesome to see.

The architecture is incredible. The dome is beautiful. Not being Catholic, the importance of the Vatican is only historical and political to me. But, many of my friends are Catholic and I know that this is somewhat of a spiritual home. So, while there, standing under the dome, I was able to say prayers for Nicola and Olive and Maria and thank God that their faith impacts my life.

shhhh...cameras aren't allowed

The next day, the sun came out! Yay! We spent the day at the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Here are a few pics of that day...

the girls were most excited about walking on the Roman road after studying it at school!



That's just days one and two! More to come...

In Other Words--No Matter What???

Throughout the history of God's people as given to us in the Bible, we see that life is a test. We have before us the option to trust God 'no matter what,' or to walk away from Him. To walk away from God is to leave the fragments of our dreams in pieces on the floor, but to trust Him is to let God pick up the pieces and make s whole again. When we choose to let Him make us whole again, He will make our lives more beautiful than before."
~ "What I Learned from God While Quilting" by Ruth McHaney Danner & Cristine Bolley~

This is a quote that I really wish I knew more of the context. I probably agree with the spirit of the quote, but it is not sitting totally easy with me. It almost appears to be an equation that can be overly simplified to "trust God=beautiful life, walk away=broken life" and I don't agree with that. Yes, it allows for the coming back after a period of not trusting, but what about when you are totally trusting and your dreams still seem to be shattered fragments on the floor?

One of my favorite Bible characters is Caleb. When we are first introduced to Caleb as one of the twelve spies that scouted out the Promised Land.

So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. These are their names: ... from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

(Numbers 13:3-4a and 6a)

The spies came back with a choice--to trust God 'no matter what' or to walk away from the promise. Ten walked away and as a result the dream of entering the Promised Land, not only for themselves but also for the people they led in disbelief, shattered into fragments in the sand. But two chose to trust 'no matter what.' They attempted to get the people to trust 'no matter what,' but the people were too frightened by the ten.

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

(Numbers 13:30)

And God rewarded them for trusting Him.

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

(Numbers 14:24)

In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.

(Numbers 14:29-31)

But it took over 40 years to see the reward. I often wonder if during those years of wandering in the desert if Caleb and Joshua ever wondered if they would see their dreams come to fruition. Did they have moments of frustration that they were made to wait and suffer because of the sins of others? Yes, they were trusting for the bigger dream--but this route to get there could not have seemed easy at all!

So often when we choose to 'trust God no matter what' the immediate result seems so much worse. Walking away is often the easy choice. Staying, and facing the circumstances in God's strength, can seem so difficult. Giving up begins to look like a good option. But, often, it is in the trial of trusting that the true beauty emerges.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

(James 1:2-4)

Did you get that? Perseverence must finish its work so that you may be mature. We often think that trusting God means that we get to an easy answer. But often it is just the beginning of the trial that will lead us to maturity. And there is joy in that, although difficult to accept at the time. The joy of knowing that maturity is coming is what can spur us along as we 'trust no matter what.'

What about Caleb? Well even if he ever doubted it in the desert (don't you wish we knew more about his desert journey) he was still trusting God 'no matter what' at the end!

Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him
back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.' "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said." Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.

(Joshua 14:6-14)

God, help me today to be a Caleb. Help me to trust you "no matter what," even if the fruition of that trust is not for a far off future--or even eternity like the saints of Hebrews 11. Whether they are shattered by my own rebellion or by my expectations that are not aligned with your plan, help me to place the fragments of my dreams into your hands. I want to trust. In the Good Shepherd's care and name I pray, Amen.

Our hostess this week is Nina at Mama's Little Treasures. Please join us there and be blessed by the reflections on this quote.

Let Us Celebrate

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed!

In Other Words--All By Myself

Apparently I am what you call a "typical" female---I like to chat over my problems with my friends. I like to have someone else's input into a situation, to see if there are sides to the problem I have not thought about, and to get another's stamp of approval on my plans. Conversation and validation are not just desires, they really are needs. And they are needs for most women. Many men, on the other hand, are much better at sorting problems on their own without chatting it over with anyone else.

The last couple of years have been somewhat of a struggle for me. Being "typical" I need to talk with friends. But the friends that I have shared the deepest parts of my heart with have all moved away. I've fought a deep lonliness of "needing" to share but not having anyone in physical proximity with whom to share (except German who is oh-so-grateful when I share with girlfriends and not him!).

So it is with a heart that is torn by being lonely and wanting a friend to hear my heart that I read this week's quote:

"No matter how many good friends I had, there were aspects of my life I needed to deal with alone-heart issues and attitudes that could not be wrestled with in a Bible study...They had to be confronted by the Holy Spirit in the privacy of my own soul."
~ "A Glimpse of Grace" by Mary Forsythe (with Beth Clark) ~

*sigh* It is true. Although I have struggled in a dearth of close companions, I have grown in an intimacy with God over the past two years that would not have happened in the presence of others. He has been the only One I could go to with my tears, cares and fears. He has graciously and persistently sought to break down the barriers that were keeping me from a deeper relationship with Him. He has exposed the ugliness of my heart that a friend would never have pointed out (at least not so undeniably) and then He has taken that ugliness and dealt with it. Sometimes it is in aloneness that we confront the most. I can't say that I like that reality, but I am grateful for the results of it in my life.

Lord, God, help me to see the seasons of aloneness to be a gift from you. Give me wisdom to use those times to grow in my relationship with you. May I find the trust and the companionship that I seek in Your arms. Amen.

Michelle at Because I Love You is the hostess this week for In Other Words. Please visit her site and be blessed. If you would like to write your own thoughts on the quote, please leave your link at Michelle's site so others can find you!

Ciao!

Spending some time with my family. Back to blogging in a week. Blessings!

In Other Words--The Need of a Vision

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
~ Helen Keller ~

Vision. It is a word that I've been thinking on a lot lately. My church recently had a "Vision Day" where we came together to focus on where the individuals in the church saw our ministry paths taking us. We met to pray, fellowship, worship and brainstorm. Literally hundreds of ministry ideas were suggested. The post-it notes were accumulated with all their ideas and entered into a spreadsheet. Now the leadership is sorting through them, grouping similar ideas together and praying for priorities. Parts of the vision may take a long time to see fruition--major renovations to our church building to make it more program-friendly. Other things were easier to identify and move forward. There was a myriad of suggestions for use of our drama team, our puppet team and doing things for the kids in the church. All-age worship was conceived and will have its first service Palm Sunday. They will be services built around a theme using drama, puppets and children's songs and will be interactive with the whole church. It sounds exciting. But it didn't just "happen." The vision was put forth by members of the church, one couple in the church "caught" that vision and allowed God to grow it. Now there is a team of a dozen people ready to move. Vision brings activity and movement.

Vision is also a clear indicator that the Spirit of God is moving, whether it is in a church setting or an individual believer's life. Joel 2:27-29 tells us:

"Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the LORD your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (emphasis mine)

I know in my own life, when I am in the Word and growing in my relationship with God is when I "dream dreams" of what God can do. I see Him at work more actively and want to see even more of Him. Admittedly, not all the dreams I dream come to fruition. I don't believe that is the point. Dreams and visions energize me. They give me hope. And they make me more aware of what God is already doing. When my vision is enlarged and attuned to seeing God at work, then I am more willing and able to allow the Spirit to change me. I believe that is what is meant in Proverbs 29:18:

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (KJV)

or in the translation of The Message:

If people can't see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
they are most blessed.

When I "attend" to what He reveals, He changes me. My faith is vibrant. I am able to be a conduit of His glory. When I have no vision--when I see the world through worldly eyes and not heavenly ones--my faith becomes stagnant and stale. And a stagnant faith is a perishing faith. If the only sight I have is to see the troubles of this world, I might as well be blind. Vision, God's vision, is what enables me to see the world with hope. And that is truly a gift from God!

Father God, today I pray the words of that ancient Irish hymn:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Give me vision to see the world as You see it and enable me to be a bearer of hope to it. In Jesus' Holy and life-giving name, Amen.

Today's In Other Words is hosted by Heather at Mommy Monk. Please join us there for other reflections on this quote by Helen Keller. I know that you will be blessed.



photo is courtesy of www.morguefile.com and the photographer is Andrew/MindExpansi0n.

Marriage Monday---Divorce

Want this button?

The topic of discussion for this month's Marriage Monday is this: "Is Divorce Ever Right?" I'll invite you right now to go to Chrysalis' site to find much more thought out, well reasoned and articulated posts than this one will be. There are some really amazing women who participate in this monthly meme and I am sure will be much more insightful than I am.

I've been struggling with this post for a couple of weeks. Thoughts and images that have come to my mind include:
*As a product of divorced parents I find myself torn. My parents waited to separate and divorce until the kids left the house, then when we were gone after 23 years of marriage it ended. But the fact was, the marriage had ended long before that and the kids they were "protecting" knew it. So I look at the wasted time and the added hurt they (and we) encountered. There were none of the *big* reasons for divorce there--they were mismatched from the begining with different agendas and different goals. I doubt that they ever achieved the *oneness* of marriage. But does being mismatched allow for divorce? (I say this with trepidation knowing that my step-Mom at least, and maybe my Dad, reads this, so please don't be offended...).
*As a social worker and a counselor I encountered more than one family where there was real danger to remain in the marriage. The physical danger was real and showed in the bruises and broken bones (not to mention broken spirits) of the family members. Staying was not an option until changes took place for safety. But was dissolution of the marriage the only option?
*I remember as a young teen a friend's mom telling me that she knew that there was sin involved in her first marriage but that she believed her sin was in "marrying someone she knew that God was saying run away from, not from getting away from the danger when she finally woke up." The quote stayed with me. It reminded me that marrying the right person was just as important as staying with them. But what should one do when they have married the *wrong* person?
*I have a few friends who had little choice in the matter of an actual divorce--their spouse walked away, refused any steps toward reconciliation, and filed. Whether or not they wanted to be, they found themselves divorced. Where is their responsibility in it all?

We live in a society that makes it easy to justify sin. We justify overindulgence, materialism, greed, selfishness, etc. Justifying divorce is just as easy. I was appalled as a youth worker by the number of kids who felt like "well if it doesn't work we can always divorce" when discussing how they should choose a future mate. *Irreconciliable differences* has made the divorce question seem so easy. But it is not that easy.

Micah 2:15-16 reminds us "Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD
Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith. '

Jesus says that the law of Moses "permitted" divorce because their hearts were hard. (Mt 19) It was never considered to be the *best* or what God intended. But it was happening, so rather than women being abandoned without anything, rules of divorce were introduced. When Jesus says "except in the case of marital Unfaithfulness" (Mt. 5:32), he is acknowledging a reason why divorce may seem reasonable. But He never said that it was the best or what should be pursued. I have seen marriages restored from even the worst of circumstances when both person actively pursued God and allowed Him to transform their marriage. I'm not suggesting that it is easy--it is far from it. Our most intimate relationships highlight the worst of the sin that lurks in each of our hearts. We must constantly fight for the purity and the integrity in the relationship.

A final influence goes through my mind. My lovely Christian friend is married to an unbeliever. They have been married thirty years now. He has had numerous affairs during the course of their marriage, which she learned about fifteen years ago. He is unrepentant. She has been advised over and over that this is a *permissable* reason to leave. She has chosen to stay. She said to me once that she could not describe the pain in the decision of staying, but that she was not going to be the one to leave. If he ever filed for divorce, she said she would not contest it, but she would not sin by walking away from her commitment to God to be married to him. She then said, "he never made a commitment to God to stay with me because he did not acknowledge God and that without commitment to God no marriage is safe from infidelity." She has taught me more by staying in this marriage than I could learn from any book or classroom.

Is divorce ever right? I don't believe so. Not because there are never justifiable reasons to not be with a person--but because the commitment to marriage is not just between a man and woman, it is between that man or woman and God. In cases of abusive behavior, separation from the danger is definitely right. Counseling, retraining of actions, anger management and lots of prayer are necessary. But dissolution of a marriage, breaking of a covenant made with and before God, is not right.

But, just as with any other commitment before God that we break, His loving mercy is always there for restoration. He never leaves us in our brokenness if we seek Him. Whether it is the brokenness of a relationship, the brokenness of falling to a temptation yet again, or even willful prideful rebellion--when we repent and seek Him we can always find Him. Praise God for that!

The thoughts expressed in this article are mine brought forth from my own experience and reading of the Scripture. I realize that others may not agree with me. I respect your right to your opinion and ask for that same respect. Blessings on your day!

Heard at My House...the profound edition

"The Lord has given this land to us,
I need to fuss
He knows what He's doing,
The Lord...."

You astute VeggieTales officiandos out there will know that the second line of this song is actually "NO need to fuss." But that is not how it is sung at our house. And it is sung at our house at least twenty thousand four hundred and one times a day, so this is heard at our hosue often. As I went to correct the girls for the umteenth time, I begain to see that they may actually be singing reality.

fuss: a: a state of agitation especially over a trivial matter b: objection, protest c: an often petty controversy or quarrel (according to www.Merriam-Webster.com)


How often do I see that God is at work in a situation and instead of rejoicing in what is happening, I choose to fuss? Maybe God chose to work differently than I would have chosen, so I get indignant. Maybe His time table did not comply with mine, so I get frustrated pace and fret. Maybe I am just disgruntled because someone else is getting the blessing instead of me. Maybe my excuse is that I am just being human, but that really translates into just being selfish.

There is often a sense that I need to "fuss"--fret and object--out of some misguided sense of injustice. Other times I "fuss" around--fidget, interfere, agitate--and get in the way. I say that God is working in my life but I don't act like He knows what He is doing. Worse yet, I act like He needs my "superior" skills to accomplish things. What a joke! What a sinful, prideful, selfish person I can be. And although my words may be saying "God is doing great things" if my actions are saying "I wish He would listen to me", what are people hearing? I think they more often hear the actions than the words. I want my actions to demonstrate my trust that "The Lord is giving (whatever we need) to us....He knows what He's doing."

Leave it to the children to teach us the lesson.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7

An added note, after I wrote the above I went to the dictionary to get the actual definitions (as quoted above) instead of my in-my-feeble-brain definitions of my rough draft. In addition to the ones listed, there is this definition:

a: needless bustle or excitement b: a show of flattering attention

I realized that sometimes I "make a fuss" over what God is doing and in the end over-analyze it to the point of almost minimalizing it. The key words here seem to be "needless" and "flattering". It is important to recognize God's hand and to give Him the glory. But often I need to just let God be God and not try to explain Him. He doesn't need my flattery, He deserves my worship. That is the fine line that He is teaching me to define. Seems to me there is more heart-work that I need to do here. Maybe I'll write about it more in the future.

Blessings today! Thanks for coming by!

photograph courtesy of www.morguefile.com; artist=setapart

In Other Words---A Mother's Prayer

"Momma prayed, momma cried, momma laid awake at night.
She would fight my battles while I slept away
Cause momma knew life is hard
without somebody on your side
I don't know how, but there is power in the way,
The way my momma prayed."

words and music by Jeremiah Olson of 40milesNorth

I grew up in a home of believers. But the only time I ever remember prayer in my home was grace before meals. I know that my mother would disappear into her room to have her devotional time, and I assume that she prayed during that time, but I never saw her or heard her pray for my brother or me. I have friends that speak of always knowing their mother was praying no matter what they did. They tell those stories as they tell of the protection they had or the draw back to Jesus (for the more wayward ones). There is always a comfort level and an awe as they speak reverently of their mothers' prayers. I don't have that in my mother. I have it in my grandmother. I know that she spent hours praying for her grandchildren and I could call her and tell her anything because she would be praying into it. I am grateful for that. Yet, I'm sad I don't have those memories of my mother.

So this is one area that I want to parent differently than my mom. I want my girls to know that I pray for them. I want them to see me pray, hear me pray, trust that I pray. We pray at the start of schooltime, and it thrills my heart to hear them offer their prayers alongside mine. We pray at mealtime. I make certain that I don't disappear behind a closed door for all of my devotional time--I want them to see me open my Bible, read, journal and pray. We pray at night before they go to bed. And you know what makes me most content as a mother---when I hear them pray over their dolls before they put them to bed. I know that they are receiving a heritage.

Someday, they will grow up and take steps into the world on their own. At that time I want them to have the security of knowing that their Mama is praying for them, like she always has and always will. That is one of the greatest gifts I can ever give them.

We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
Psalm 78:4-7

Father, protect my little ones today, physically and spiritually. Even now in their tender hearts I pray you are planting seeds that will grow into faith and obedience. I pray that I will be a role model of an honest seeker and disciple. I pray that as they see me succeed and as they see me fail, they always see me turn to you. Help me to teach them Your ways and Your deeds of the past and today. Please give me wisdom as I help these young hearts to grow and know You. In Jesus' name....amen.

Heather at Titus 2 Woman is the hostess this week for In Other Words. Please come join us and be blessed.

What is Beautiful?

"Go do something beautiful, in the name of Jesus, do something beautiful
God do something Jesus would, do something beautiful."
Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 2002 Make Way Music

For the last several weeks at church we have been singing this little chorus. In some ways it is a theme song for this period of time in the church. I've been reflecting on whether or not we as a congregation, and especially me as an individual, have any idea what we are saying. I suspect that there are others who would join me in saying "I'm singing a lie." (Or as Casting Crowns sings "Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small?")

Oh, I don't want to sing a lie. But I suspect that I also don't define beautiful the same way God does. "Go do something Jesus would..." What did Jesus do? Well he touched the untouchable, he loved the unlovable, he confronted the pious, and then he sacrificed himself for those who were rejecting him. The world would say that that was a wasted life. Yet, from this side of the cross, I would say that all of those things are absolutely beautiful and absolutely necessary. But they are costly, and I don't know that I'm always willing to pay the cost. If "beautiful" was defined by the world's standards it would be easier--because that would imply that there would be accolades from the world for doing it. But the things Jesus did, the world really prefers to ignore. The world likes to deny that there are poor, or untouchables, or truths that need to be upheld. Doing something beautiful is often overlooked by the world, and if it is seen it is sneered. Doing what Jesus would costs.

I've been following the blogger Compassion trip that Shannon and BooMama and others are taking. What they are doing is beautiful. And what Compassion is doing is beautiful. They are touching people that most of the world try to ignore. I am touched by their stories. I've laughed with them, cried with them and prayed for them. Most of all it challenges me to look outside my comfort zone. In challenges me to look at people the way Jesus would.

I don't have to go to Uganda to see people as Jesus does. They are all around me. Last week the most beautiful thing I could do was take care of whiny children who could not articulate how bad they felt--so they acted out. Keeping hold of my frustrations while entertaining them and keeping medicine in them was beautiful--because it is the service God called me to at that moment. Yesterday was spent at a "newcomers lunch" at my church. My comfort zone is not introducing myself to new people but I did it--because it was where I needed to be. Tomorrow I will take Jewel to swimming lessons. I am certain that the teacher and the parents of the other kids are not believers. I'm praying to see them as Jesus would--and reach out as he leads. Doing what Jesus calls us to do is not always taking big leaps of faith or doing huge tasks. It is being aware. It is seeing needs. And it is being obedient when He prompts us to act.

I'm praying that I can do something beautiful this week. Praying that you can too. Are you willing to take that step of faith? Blessings to you!

It's a Holy Grail kind of weekend

This is one of the most important weekends on my calendar. Can you guess why?

You probably would not know this about me--since I come across as quiet (hee hee) and reflective (ha ha) and well you know the mousy type that stitches and quilts and studies and not much more--but the truth is I am not those things. Well I do stitch and quilt and study, but I am also a near true fanatic Motor Sports fan. February 17 has been marked on my calendar for months now, well since November, because it is the true start of the year for me. Yes, I will be taking a spot in front of the telly in a couple of short hours to watch the Daytona 500. Yippee we are going racing again.

Are you shocked?

Don't be embarassed. Most people who meet me in real life don't peg me for a race fan either. That is until I start talking racing.

To give you a taste...I subscribe to 100 blogs in my reader--7 of them are Motorsports news blogs that tell me the same thing, German subscribes to AutoWeek magazine but he doesn't get it to read until after I've read the NASCAR section, and I have been known on many occasion to check NASCAR's website before I check my own email. It's addictive.

This year I am a little lost about who I want to win. I have always been a Mark Martin fan...and it definitely had to be Ford powered. But now not only does Mark drive a Chevy but he drives the #8 and, although not a Dale Jr fan, I refuse to support DEI. So I need to choose a driver, like in the next 90 minutes. Leaning toward Carl Edwards, but not convinced. But I can't wait for the season to begin.

But this weekend ended up being Motorsports heaven. Yesterday we spent the day at a MotorSport Rally. It was held down the road from us (we are actually close enough that we could hear the cars for 3 hours of racing after we left the course). I have not paid much attention to rally racing except to know that it was a timed event and that a co-driver is used to tell the driver the course that is not known in advance. May I just say that it was a blast to watch. The stretch of the course that we could see was really very contained, so the speed was great. But the agility of the cars and watching them slide through the hairpin curves was totally cool. We watched for about an hour before we got in out of the cold. And we have already noted the dates for next year. *gleeful clapping *

Fast cars, the smell of racing fuel and burning tires, and that sound of the engine. What more could a girl want?

Enjoy the race!

(sorry there are no pictures...our first rally race and we forgot the camera and the few on the phone camera just don't capture it)

Mom is not allowed to be sick

*ugh* I am sorry I disappeared on everyone! I managed to miss the memo that mom's are not allowed to be sick--and made up for it all at one time. I cannot think of a time, ever, that I spent two days in bed ill. Really who has time for that? With this wonderful bug that invaded my home I spent five days in bed. FIVE!! And three of those the girls and German were also in bed sick. And they stayed in bed three days past me. *double ugh* The doc said it was *just* a respiratory virus. Except Flower who had tonsilitis as well. But then the doc did not hear my cough that would last three minutes minimum each time I coughed. So, obviously, blogging was not the priority.

But we are back in the land of the living. Actually we have been back in the land of the living for a week. But between Mt. Laundry and the wonderful task of disinfecting my entire house to GET RID OF THIS BUG, I still haven't had a priority of blogging. I am soooo glad to be back. Thank you to those of you have checked in on me. I promise I'll try not to disappear again.

In Other Words--Intimacy or "Good Enough"?

Last week in my ladies Bible study we were discussing whether we really wanted a life that was intimately entwined with God. We all stated that we knew that the correct answer, the Sunday School answer if you will, was yes. But reality is that maybe we don't really want it. We don't really pursue it because it would mean changing what we are doing, changing our attitudes, altering how we spend our time and who we spend it with. Choosing to be intimate with God means dying to self. And it is easy to say that we want it, but much harder to pursue.

So instead, we settle for "good enough." It is "good enough" to go to church on Sunday morning so I don't need to go other times in the week. It is "good enough" to read my Bible to prepare for a specific study, so I don't need a deep meaningful quiet time everyday. It is "good enough" to pray for a sick friend, so I don't have to get on my knees and plead for that situation that God is clearly putting on my heart. My spiritual life becomes defined by my "good enough".

The problem is my "good enough" is never "good enough" for God. It still misses the mark, by a huge margin. It is not holy. And it is not changing me. It allows me to overlook the things that God wants to develop in my life. And that is not "good enough."

They will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."
Proverbs 1:31-33

"I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits for long, so very long, in vain."
~A.W.Tozer~

Father God, I don't want to settle for good enough! Help me to pursue you with all of me. Help me to not hold back and hesitate when you lead me places that are out of my comfort zone. Don't let me become comfortable or complacent around sin in my life, but give me the courage to confess it and allow you to change me. I desire to follow you. By Jesus' enabling power....Amen.

The hostess for this week's In Other Words is Deborah at Chocolate and Coffee. Please join us there for other looks at Tozer's quote.

My Princess is Three

Flower celebrated her third birthday yesterday. How can that be?



We actually had her party Saturday night. We invited the six families from our church who live in the neighbourhood over for a buffet dinner and birthday cake. A great time was had by all.

Then yesterday after church she was allowed to open her presents. She loves the dress up clothes from Grandad and D! Although the Cinderella balloon is also getting a lot of play.


Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Heard at Our House--the Funny Edition

A few more snippets of what you can hear at our house:

Flower: "I'm a Yogurt!" (playing with her talking Shrek toy from McDonalds)

*******
Mom: You have to wear long trousers today.
Jewel: I want to wear shorts.
Mom: Long trousers.
Jewel: But I want to be beautiful!
Mom: You will be beautiful no matter what you wear, but it will not be shorts. It's 4 degrees (C) outside.
Jewel: Then I won't wear anything!
(Like Mom is going to think naked is preferable to shorts on a cold day. *shrug*)

********

Dad: We're having pita bread tonight.
Flower: Pita is in the Bible.
Dad: No, Peter is in the Bible.
Flower: That's what I said, pita is in the Bible.
Dad: I think we need to work on her rrr's
Mom: I think that it is weird so many of her food conversations include the Bible.
Dad: Or maybe we are doing something right? (pause) It says we obviously feed them and teach them of the Bible. Must be right.

*******
coming soon...said at our house, the profound edition

Marriage Monday--3 Things Daughters Need to Know

Want this button?

I have good intentions each month to participate in Marriage Mondays hosted by Chrysalis, but I always seem to fall short. But this month's topic, "Three Things Your Daughters Must Know About Her Marital Needs" finally got me to write.

My daughters are only five and almost three, so marriage is a long ways off. But this topic has been on my mind. Recently, at the Bridal Tea for a friend, guests were asked to help fill a book with advice. Much of what I'll write here is taken from what I told her. And most of it is fueled by the book Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. In fact, the first advice I gave my friend was read the book. Dr. Eggerichs gives good advice in an honest, funny and straight-forward manner with enough examples from his own marriage that you don't feel "he has it all together and no one else ever can." I know that by the time my little girls are allowed to date, fall in love and plan a wedding there will be a myriad of new books out there, but this one speaks to me right now.

The first thing I will tell them, is that the first year of marriage is HARD! I think so many people enter marriage believing that "we are so in love, this will be easy" and are shocked when it is most decidedly not easy. That first year, you are really learning each other's habits and routines. You are are learning how to fit two personalities and expectations under the same roof. You are learning how to dance the give and take that will feature throughout your marriage. And all of this is difficult and takes work. Don't be surprised by it, but be prepared to work hard at it. I told my friend they needed to "be gentle with each other" during this year. Be gentle with feelings--they are easily hurt and may not even understand why they are hurt. Be gentle with expectations and keep them realistic. And be gentle with words--while you need to communicate often and honestly, know that those words, especially at the beginning, do set the tone for the future.

The second thing I hope to impart to them is that their love for their husband will not be enough to solve all the problems they may face in their marriage--but their love for God and their desire to follow God in their marriage will be enough. It is imperative to keep our relationship with God in priority in our lives and for it to be an active and intimate relationship. Only then, can we lean on that relationship when we don't have the answers to solve the problems--big life changing problems as well as small irritations--that are sure to arise in our marriages. Prayer changes people, and I find that often I am the one God changes not my husband. :-) Early in our marriage, German had a persistent habit that not only irritated me, but scared me in that it could have led to danger. I nagged, I complained, I sighed heavily, I rolled my eyes--you know all the things that wives do to show our displeasure. Nothing changed. Finally, I started praying about it, telling God how scared I was and asking Him to change German's attitude toward this one thing. Almost immediately I stopped noticing it as much. God gave me a peace about it as I let it go to Him. But he did not immediately change the behavior. In fact, it took eight years and the birth of our first child for there to be a noticeable difference. I'd love to say I was the model of waiting, but I was not always. But as God worked in my life and I learned to trust Him more and more, I became less of a part of the problem. Then God was able to work in German's life. All that to say, trust the relationship with God. Sometimes only He can affect change. And in the bigger things that attack your marriage, He is the only chance you have. The more each of you depend on God for the little things, the easier it is to trust God with the big things in your marriage.

My final piece of advice actually stems from the last. It is that your husband will NOT meet all of your needs (especially spiritually and emotionally) and just as importantly you will NOT meet all of his needs (especially spiritually and physically). God did not design us to meet all the needs of our spouse. He has always intended that He is to be the One on Whom we depend for all of our needs to be met. He did, however, give us our spouses as a help meet. Our spouse helps to meet our needs. But just as our husband is human, he cannot fill the parts of us that are designed to be God-filled. We cannot fill the parts of them that are designed to be God-filled. Oft times when I am struggling that my needs (especially emotional since that is how women are wired) are not being met, God quietly reminds me that I have not asked Him and I have expectations that German cannot meet. This does not mean that we can check out and say "well since I can't meet his needs I won't try" but instead it is to remind us that when we have done our part and it seems like it is simply not enough, we need to trust them to God to satisfy the rest. And when we feel we are empty, to not immediately blame our husbands, but to seek God and ask for His satisfaction.

Marriage is the best thing that God has blessed me with. But it is also the hardest. I find that true even more right now, with young children that need and rightfully demand attention and energy. But I'm learning that this relationship is still the most important, outside my relationship with God. I pray that my little ones grow up seeing parents who are in tune with one another, who seek God together and who enjoy being together. That would be the best heritage I could hope to give them!

A Stitching Post

This week's SBQ is:

Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in "Guilt Free January?" If so, what are you planning on starting?

The permalink to this post is:
http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2008/01/sbq-new-year-new-start/

I'm not starting anything new in January. I am finishing up a Neighbourhood RR that is to be mailed soon, and then working on my biggest WIP for the rest of the month.
Stitching (and other) goals for January:
1. Finish Kathye's NRR2 and post to V.
2. Finish 5 state blocks in the flag sampler
3. Stitch 10 hours during SAT week and complete 5000 stitches
4. Catch up Homeschooling with MiPa site
5. Update MiPa's 101 site
6. Finish binding pinwheel quilt
7. Cut out Flower's next quilt

And finally, here is the last stitching finish for 2007! It is the ornament I stitched for Flower, and it was completed just in time for her to hang it on the tree Christmas Eve.

The Holidays are Over

The holidays are over. Everyone has returned back to the States, the decorations are down, and the routine is being reestablished. But before things become a memory, I thought I'd share a few highlights of our Christmas week.

Dad and his wife arrived Christmas Eve morning


That night, the girls opened their Christmas Eve gift...new pjs


The tree was filled with presents. Whatever happened to only 3 gifts each? Oh, that's right, the grandparents arrived with their "we didn't bring much" suitcase filled.


Christmas morning...dressed for church


Worshiping


Table set for the meal


Jesus' Birthday cake...completed with song


This was Dad's first visit in 4 years, and his wife's first visit, so we tried to show them as much of England as possible.

Walls of Chester


York's Clifford Tower


York Minster

(Note the shadow of the huge advent wreath)

Skipton Castle


Dairy and Cheese Factory


Cinderella Circus Pantomine


Liverpool and the Beatles Story


But mostly, they just got time to be grandparents....



...and watch the girls enjoy some of the presents they brought.


Miss you already guys! Thanks for coming!

New Years Meditations, Take 2

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!


Last December into January, Laurel Wreath challenged us to write our New Year Meditations. It was an amazing exercise for me, and one that I have revisited over and over throughout the year. It challenged me, and really helped to set the bar for what I would focus on during the year. The meditations were more than resolutions, they were hopes and dreams of what I expected God to do in me and through me during 2007.

I came into 2008 expecting to write a "here's how I did and what God did" article and then write new meditations for 2008. But, I find that is a plan that is not working. Because 2007 meditations were dreams--and God so often takes my dreams and challenges them, reworks them and answers them in a variety of ways. I find myself not wanting to just report and revamp, but to see how the dream is growing, and refocus. So, following (in red) are the mediations from 2007. In the blue type, are my 2008 dreams and thoughts. I now see this as a living document that God will continue to grow in this year and the coming years (until He decides it is time for a new dream!)


In 2007 I want to grow more Christ-like in my speech with my children. I want to break the stronghold that my mother taught me that a raised voice brings calm. It doesn’t. It adds to the chaos. I want to not be the cause of chaos in my home. I want to embody Ephesians 4:29 and Ephesians 6:4. I pray that our time of school is teaching Jewel and Flower, not only basic education but basics of living in a family and getting along with one another. I pray that our play time is making memories and setting an example of loving life and loving God.

This continues to be my prayer. I am finding that breaking strongholds is three steps forward and two steps back. I am a long way from where I want to be, but by the grace of God I am much further down this path than I dreamed I could be. Loud still embodies my home at times, but it is not totality. And in the facial expressions of my children I see reflections of an ungodly attitude and I know exactly where they learned it. I want to change that. I continue to seek to be Christ-like examples for them. We are so loving home-education, and the intellectual pursuits are going so well. I pray the life-building will be the memory making moments for them in 2008.

In 2007 I want to display the gentle quiet spirit that German needs me to be in our home. I want to show him the respect that he deserves as my husband and the head of this home. I pray taht God will mold me more and more into that wife that He knew German needed and that if asked to describe his wife, adjectives like "Godly" "supportive" "loving" and "giving" would be the first things that come to German's mind.

In this area all I can say is GOD IS SO GOOD! He has answered this abundantly. Mid-way through the year, German said something about how much I changed. But it wasn't me, it was God working. And where we have always had a good marriage, now it is even greater. I am so blessed, and I want to continue to see God blessing my marriage in 2008.

In 2007, I pray that the Ladies Bible Study will grow in numbers and depth. I pray that those dear ladies who are coming each week, believing that being churched is the same as being saved, will see Jesus for Who He is and submit their lives to Him. I prayt that I can be an instrument of truth. I pray that I will be careful in my speech and my answers. I want to grow in knowledge and impart that with honesty, sincerity and integrity. As we study the Patriarchs (study by Beth Moore) may I grow in an understanding of what blessing and covenant and being a chosen people is all about.

This is an area that God has so richly blessed me! The study may not have changed in terms of numbers, per se, but the depth of discussion is amazing. The Patriarchs study was fantastic. We are currently studying Mary and Martha and I am finally becoming only a facilitator as the ladies come prepared and hungry to discuss what God is teaching them. I pray that continues in the new year. I began Believing God (by Beth Moore) later in the year and it is stopping me in my tracks and encouraging me on so many levels. I am finding that God stops my words more and more often (or rather I recognize His guidance and stop talking). I am listening more and the relationships around me are blossoming because of it. I pray that this area grows deeper and richer this year. Also in 2008 I will be leading a Bible Study on a message board I frequent. I pray that the participants will grow in their faith. More importantly, I pray that those who just lurk and read will see a picture of a Jesus they might be interested in knowing.

In 2007 I pray that my quiet time will be rich, deep and taking me to new levels. I pray that I will be more consistent and not allow the struggles of the day to intervene. I pray that I will have successfully memorized at least one verse a month that is directly applicable to what God is teaching me. I pray that my accountability and prayer time with a friend is consistent and honest and that she and I will enter into 2008 changed women because of how God has sharpened us with one another.

Here again, all I can do is thank God at what He is doing in my personal time with you. My quiet time is so much more consistent than this time last year. It is still not as consistent as I dream, and I believe that 2008 will be a year for developing that more and more, but the blessings of more regular time with Him has been life-changing. I am learning to have "living room intimacy" with Jesus (to borrow a phrase from Joanna Weaver's Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World) and the relationship demonstrates that intimacy. I pray that 2008 will find me continuing on the journey that Jesus called me to at the beginning of 2007 and has blessed me with this past year. He has proven over and over that He will meet me whenever and whereever I choose. I dream that I will never lose this growing desire to meet Him daily, and frequently. In 2008, my dream for personal study is that Scripture memory will become alive and real for me. I have played at memorizing Scripture for a long time. This year I want to be serious about it. For 2008, I hope that the accountability friendship will strengthen. When we were diligent about meeting, our daily and emotional lives as well as our prayer lives were definitely flourishing. I found myself faltering and falling into old habits more quickly without that regular contact. I don't know if it was the same for her, but I suspect it was, so I pray we are able to be more regular in our prayer time.

In 2007 I pray that this blog touches someone’s life. I pray that it is not just useless words put out there, but that I am cautious and responsible with my words. I pray that it never become a source of pride of what I can do, but that it remains a means for me to relay what God is doing. I pray that I will be a Biblical friend to those I meet in blogsphere, pointing them to Jesus in every word and action.

This continues to be my prayer. I don't think that I will ever know this side of heaven how much God has answered this. I get glimpses in the lives of the people that I have come to know (thanks Danielle and others for telling me). I pray that in 2008 this blog continues to touch lives. I never want to be just words in the wind.

I do not believe in making resolutions on New Year’s Day because I believe that resolutions are made in our own strength depending upon ourselves to break the habits that we are resolving to break. I cannot break the habits in my life on my own. But I pray that 2007 is the year that I allow God to have victory in my life in my diet and physical well-being. I would like to look back on 2007 at a healthier weight and an even greater relationship with God as I allow Him to be my comfort instead of food.

Again, a long way to go, but so much progress. I am 20 pounds toward a healthier weight. But more importantly, I am developing a healthier relationship with food. I am finding ways to allow God to comfort, not go to food. I pray that 2008 finds me continuing this path. I would love to see 20 more pounds disappear. And I want to see more exercise enter into my life (starting with walking around the lake every day). But most of all, I want to turn to God instead of to food when I am lonely or stressed.

A new dream that God is giving me in 2008 is to be a mentor to someone on a regular and consistent basis. I have benefitted from the ladies who have walked with Jesus longer than me, imparting their experience to me. I want to be that as well. I am praying about how, when, who. He is revealing Himself, and as He draws back the curtain to show me how this desire in my heart fits into His plan, I pray I have the courage and consistency to follow through.

Books I want to read in 2007 to help me on the journey:
1. Prayer by Philip Yancy--did not finish, too much to take in quickly
2. Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs The single most important book I have ever read besides the Bible to enhance my marriage!
3. Forever in Love with Jesus by Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli--did not start
4. Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp--Good book with interesting perspective
5. The Joy of Eating Right by Dee Brestin and Peggy Johnston--This study was not what I was needing in terms of diet, but I found resources elsewhere
6. Believing God by Beth Moore--still in the process
7. Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes--still reading
8. What Happens When Women Walk in Faith by Lysa Terkewst--just started

Other books read for the journey: Taking Care of the Me in Mommy and Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel, For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn, and Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver

Books added for 2008:
1. Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Terri Maxwell
2. A Woman's Journey to the Heart of God by Cynthia Heald