Witt Singing in the Bathtub

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee

You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee

Dee God

Picture from January 2009

Witt (2 1/2 years) LOVES praying. We always pray before meals and again as a family before bedtime. He always has to have a turn. Here's his prayer:

Dee God,

Ma, Da, Nay (Nathan), Will, Witt, Papaw, Gran, Witt, Will, Nay, Papaw, Ma, Da, Will, Na, Bro (Brothers)

(Then a bunch of gibberish for "In Jesus Name")

Amen

We all get prayed for at least four times a day... some of us two or three times in the same prayer! So cute and sweet! I know I can always take a few extra prayers on my behalf! :)

Allergies and God's Plan

This morning when I logged in and saw my ticker showing less than 1 month before Witt's allergy testing, my heart just about jumped out of my chest!

No matter how hard I try not to get worked up over this testing, I always do. I'm hopeful and prayerful, but yet realize at the same time that although God could take away these allergies, He may not... ever.

I realize that we've made it through another year without any major issues regarding these allergies and I'm so very thankful for that, but I also realize that we may have to struggle with dietary issues for another year... possibly longer. But I really don't want to.

It's hard having this testing at the end of the year when my thoughts are lead to remembering what 2009 held for us and what direction I want 2010 to go in. I know where I want to go, but I need to follow God's lead. Thankfully, this is an all or nothing situation and I will clearly know God's plan regarding our diet for 2010 once these test results are in.

The past three annual testing times have consisted of going for the skin test and the blood test on the same day. The skin test results are in within 15 minutes, but it takes another 2 - 3 weeks for the blood test results. Then it's just a follow-up call from a nurse telling me what was positive and what wasn't. I really haven't been satisfied with that.

This year I'm doing things differently. Yesterday, I called and requested the doctor's orders for the blood test so we can go ahead and get that done before the skin test. This year I'm going to get his IgE numbers in person from the doctor instead of over the phone from someone that doesn't really have all the answers I want.

I requested testing for

• cow's milk
• goat's milk
• egg white
• egg yolk
• peanuts

We have never tested Witt for goat's milk. I understand that the proteins are fairly similar between the two milks, but that some people that are allergic to one are not to the other. Might as well give it a shot. We could at least improve our cheese situation if we could include goat's milk! :)

I can't help but wonder if the trials of this allergy were partly to lead me to stop feeding my family the SAD (Standard American Diet). Our diet certainly has improved over the last few years. I know the direction I would like to go in, but again... I just have to wait for God's answer on that one.

*** We interrupt this post with a call from the allergist's office!

Apparently, since Witt's blood test came back negative last year (although he's not at exactly 0.0 with his IgE numbers) they are not going to do the blood test this year. Hmmm.... I'm not really sure what I think about that.

I almost got in an argument over the phone with whomever I was talking to. I almost cried. I've heard of tests results spiking back up after they've gone down. I think I'd really like a second year of "negative" just to be on the safe side. But she wasn't budging on "The doctor's orders were to stop the blood testing once they came back negative."

Looks like I'll be talking with the doctor about all this at the appointment and possibly doing the blood test that day as well... if I can talk her into it... and assuming there are positives with the skin test.

AGH! I hate this! (And I rarely use the word "hate".)

I hate the not knowing.

This is where I have a hard time just submitting to God's will. I have to believe that part of this is not only so that I feed my family better, but that I learn to submit better as well. It's just so hard and emotional for me.

I gotta go before I start rambling... my thoughts are going in a million different directions now with this new information.

Please just pray for Witt. Pray that these allergies will be taken from his body and that he will be 100% allergy free. To enjoy an egg, a glass of milk with a chocolate chip cookie, to sprinkle cheese on whatever he pleases!

Pray for me that I'll submit to God. That I'll be accepting of his answer and thankful for all the many blessings that I have been surrounded with. That I will focus on the positive and be strong for my children.

Just please pray. That's what I'm going to do.

Thanks for listening.

Don't judge a book by it's cover

Another wonderful milestone for Will in his journey of growing in God!

Upon arrival to the church building this past Sunday night, Will was asked to lead the youth prayer since the little boy that was scheduled didn't feel comfortable doing it. Without hesitation, he said he would!

So, he got up in front of the entire congregation and led prayer! I could not have been more proud of him!!!! What a brave little man!

The interesting twist to this story is that Jeff had just cut the boys' hair that afternoon. Will lead prayer sportin' a mohawk!

LOL! I was a little worried about what everyone might say, but so far I've heard nothing negative. There have been some questioning looks, but nothing awful, thankfully.

Will loves the mohawk! I don't know how long he'll keep it, but for now it's just fun!

Not only am I proud of Will for doing such an outstanding job on a spur-of-the-moment prayer request, but I'm proud of the people I worship with - they can obviously look beyond the outward appearance and be accepting of the sweet spirit inside.

It's funny how a change of appearance can alter perceptions sometimes, though, ya know?

Important Things

Laurel is one of my favorite friends.

We met when we were pregnant with our first boys. We were pregnant together with our second boys and when I told her I was *surprise* pregnant with Witt, she turned up pregnant about three weeks later. (She is currently pregnant with their fourth son, but I just couldn't join in this go-round!) We've often said we were leading parallel lives.

She's light years ahead of me on positive thinking and simplicity, though. (Other things as well, but that's where I want to focus today.) Her blog just oozes simplicity and focusing on the positive. Honestly, sometimes I have a hard time reading her blog because what she writes about is what I want for my life and yet I feel so far from it sometimes.

Then she wrote this and it was all put into perspective for me. Her blog is about the things she wants to remember... the positive things she wants to meditate on.

Philippians 4:8

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

She is using her blog to remember the LOVELY things.

I use my blog pretty much as a journal - the ups and downs of every day life. Her life has ups and downs, too, but that's not what she's recording. Then there was my Ah-Ha moment: "She's NOT perfect!" (I know Laurel is probably laughing right now as she reads this!)

Her post got me thinking about choosing to focus on that which is lovely, pure, and of good report. I've been thinking of incorporating into my blog somehow because I, too, want to be sure to remember the simple, pleasurable things.

Lucky for me, she's starting some sort of series on Exercises of Awareness. I think I'm going to play along, so here goes...


List your 10 most important things (not including animals or people).

In no particular order:

1. Home

2. Nutritious and delicious food

3. Educating the mind

4. Peaceful mornings

5. Rest

6. Prayer

7. Lunch dates

8. Laughter

9. My Role as wife and mother

10. Truth / God's word


This was so much harder than I was expecting it to be. All of my important things include people in some way. I don't have attachments to many things. Nonetheless, this was a very interesting exercise to focus on what is important to me.

How about you, what are your 10 most important things?

I'm All Outta Wack Again

I'm struggling again. With the tv. With eating. With Jeff's schedule. With blogging and the computer in general. With chores. With connecting with my kids. With grocery shopping and meal planning.

With a balanced life in general.

I am HATING the tv right now. This is National Turn Your TV Off Week and I have yet to reduce any screen time for me or the boys, yet it drives me batty that I haven't! The boys zone in front of the tv and don't hear me when I talk to them... making for a bit of an angry mama. Then I zone in front of the computer and don't hear them when they come talk to me.

I've got to get a handle on this for them and me. It's not their fault that when I get stressed I turn on the tv for them and go about my business... whatever that business is, I really don't know. What do I do with my day???

Oh, yes, I know... the computer. My blog reader has way too many blogs on it. I have joined too many yahoo groups. Facebook is going to be the death of me yet and I have two email addresses that are so overloaded with junk that it takes me 15 minutes to just wade through! Then, of course, there are practical reasons to be on the computer - to print a recipe, find the answer to a quick question, look up a phone number or get driving directions. Still... more time on the computer.

The boys don't know if I'm doing something necessary or just vegging out. To them, I suppose all they know is that they see the back of my head and the light from the screen.

I need to just unplug everything and go get some fresh air!

The rest of my life feels like a similar type of struggle, too. I don't know what I want to cook for the week's suppers because I don't know if Jeff will be home, so I don't menu plan. Without a menu plan, I don't have a grocery list when I shop and come home with a hodge-podge of things that don't really amount to anything.

And why does Jeff not being home have anything to do with the amount of chores I get done around the house? Shouldn't keeping the home be a habit for me already? Shouldn't it be something that I just do every day? I'm falling behind on everything and when the time rolls around for Jeff to be home, I'm so bogged down in laundry and dirty dishes that I can't catch up in time to give him a clean house to come home to. Ugh.

I'm just so mad at myself right now. I feel like I'm just falling apart at the seams and everything I'm whining about is totally in my control. It's like I know what I want to do, but don't do it. This bible verse seems to be my "theme song" these days:

Romans 7:19
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

I really just want to be a good wife and mother. I want to balance my life better. Connect with my kids and make good memories with them. I want them to remember mom reading them stories, playing games, making cookies. I don't want them to remember me sitting at the computer.

I want Jeff to have a virtuous wife.

^{Proverbs 31:10}

Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.

(Read the remaining passages HERE.)

I don't have to have it all together all of the time, but I want him to be able to rely on me for my part in our family. Lately I've just been in a cloud and not keeping anything together.

Today is a new day! I will do something positive!

Maybe it will just be a load of laundry, maybe it will be planting more seedlings for our garden, maybe it will just be reading a book to the boys. Maybe I'll make some cookies with them. And maybe I'll have a hot, nutritious dinner on the table tonight.

What I do know for sure is that I am turning this computer off for the day and picking up my scattered, weary self.

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

His First Amen

"Time for bed; let's go pray!"

"Mom, I've already said my prayers!"

"Well, then would you like to say the pray for us tonight?"

Quite timidly, "Yeeees."

The boys and I gathered around the bed and Will said his first "public" prayer tonight:

Thank you, God, for this day.

Thank you, God, for this world.

Thank you, God, that Easter is just around the bend.

Thank you, God, for all the people.

Thank you, God, for this day.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen!

I gave him such a big hug and a kiss afterward and told him that I was so very proud of him!! He said, "Mom, I love it when you're here." Melt my heart twice in one night!

Although Will has no problem leading a song in front of the entire congregation, he has been very reluctant to pray aloud. We've always offered to let him, but never pushed. Prayer is such a personal thing that I never wanted to make him do it out loud, but now that I've heard it, I must say that there is nothing sweeter than hearing the pure thoughts of a six year old boy pray to our Lord. I pray we'll get to hear more, especially since, sadly, Jeff wasn't able to be here to experience it.

Happy Easter to all and can I get an Amen?!

Too Busy for God?

I am definitely in the "noisy season" of my life with three boys ages 6, 3, and 1. :)

Unfortunately, I think I have used that as a bit of an excuse. I have recently been very open with my husband about my lack of personal study. I think it was good for him, too, as we have made a new goal of getting up before the kids to have our own time with God and with each other.

Honestly, we've only followed through with our goal a few times, but I can certainly tell the difference in my day when I've had my personal time with God. I really need to get more serious with it. I enjoy so much reading God's word... why is it so hard to get started again?!?

This past week, I have started reading "Created to be His Help Meet". I'm only one chapter in, but already love this book. (Thanks, 4 Fun Boys for the gift of this book!) I look forward to focusing on how to become a better helper to my husband and encouraging him as he leads our family.

I do, however, pray throughout the day. Especially when someone requests a prayer. I say a prayer RIGHT THEN and THERE because I might forget it later at my "scheduled" prayer time. This has made a huge difference for me and by having already said a prayer, I generally do remember to pray for the person again!

It doesn't matter where I am or how short the prayer may be... I just do it. I have felt the power of prayer and I know it works. Asking and allowing others to pray for us has been a HUGE blessing to me and I try to return that blessing when I can.

We pray with our boys every night before bedtime as well. At first it was just with Will and Nathan since they share a room. We'd tuck them in and then say a prayer, but it was becoming difficult to keep two little boys still and quiet. {grin} Jeff had a brilliant idea of kneeling at the bed to pray with them (which just warms my heart, btw!).

One night, we decided to have Witt join us and it didn't take him long to fall right in line. The next night when we said, "Ok, it's time to pray," he ran to the bed, kneeled down, clasped his little hands together, and bowed his head. It was the MOST PRECIOUS thing I have ever seen!

A few nights later, I attempted a picture before the prayer, and this was the best shot I got (Will is on the far right in blue pjs)... I'll be trying again for a better picture, but I think you get the idea for now. :)

I look forward to Living Simply Saturdays over at Keeper of the Home.

14 Days of Christmas Break

(Note: exceptionally long post. just so ya know.)

I'll admit it: I like sending my kids to school. I like the quiet of the house and moments to myself. Will goes to school M-F and Nathan goes for 1/2 days on T and TH. Witt is always home with me, but it is so much quieter with only him.

I'll also admit that I cringed last summer knowing that I was going to have all three boys 24/7 for months.

I thought that was how it was going to be over Christmas break, too, but I had a plan.

An agenda.

A course of action.

Basically, I had an idea how to fill our days.

Your first thought might be that I had crafts to do or baked goods to make. You might also think I had play dates scheduled or planned to send them to their grandmother's for a few days. You might even have a fleeting thought that I was going to tape their mouths shut and lock them in the closets. (jk... just wanted to make sure you were still with me. haha!)

Nope. Nope. and Nope.

My plan was to be a parent. To train. To teach. To discipline consistently. To be at the top of my game for two weeks straight because we needed some attitude adjustments.

And we did it.

I am pleased...super pleased... with the results!

The first thing I did was made up a morning routine that we were going to follow every morning BEFORE we turned the tv on. I gave each item a picture and hung them on the wall as a reminder. I sat down with Will and explained each picture and what that we were going to work together.

These were the things we did each morning together (in any order):

1. Get dressed.

2. Find shoes. They didn't have to put them on, but they had to know where they were in case we needed to leave later in the day.

3. Make bed.

4. Pick up clothes on the floor, decide if they are dirty or clean and put away appropriately.

5. Put out outfit for the next day.

6. Eat breakfast at the table.

7. Brush teeth.

8. Dishes. They put away the plastics and I did the rest.

9. Daily chores.

• Monday: Bring dirty clothes to laundry room.
• Tuesday: Pick up the sunroom and vacuum.
• Wednesday: Trash.
• Thursday: Change bed sheets.
• Friday: Living room floor - pick up toys so I could sweep & mop

10. Hug your mama! :) They loved this one and so did I!


I was amazed at how much fun we had working together. There was no time restraints on the day and I'd let the boys play in between chores. Sometimes it would be three hours before the tv was on and no one cared.

The boys thought nothing of doing chores and actually, I think they enjoyed it because we all did them together. They had my attention and I had theirs. I did little blogging during this time and I felt like a good mom for the first time in a long time.


As for the discipline and training, first of all, I stopped counting to 3. They were to start obeying the first time. I expected each of them to say "Yes, ma'am" (or something that resembled that) to every request I made of them. (This was initially just a response from them so that I knew they heard me, but in the end I really liked the respectfulness of it, too!)

Titus 3:1
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,

If they didn't obey within a reasonable time or if they outright disobeyed, there was an appropriate discipline... EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Proverbs 13:24
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 3:12
because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

We talked about how God wants us to be obedient so we can get to heaven.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

This was (at times) a very draining process, but so worth it. Once they realized the boundaries and that Jeff and I both were going to keep them, the tension in the air lightened and we all had fun!

After thinking about it, I realized that when I was out in the workforce, I liked knowing what my boss expected from me. I felt safe within the expressed boundaries. I knew what I was supposed to do, how to please, and how to do a good job. I also like knowing the expectations God has for me. It's good to have boundaries and rules and consequences. Why would children feel any different?

I'm here to say that they don't feel any different, at least mine don't. There has been a fantastic turn around in attitude and I'm loving it. :) I really think they are, too.

Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

But, now with school back in full swing, we're making a few adjustments because we don't have the leisurly time we had over winter break. We get done what we can in the morning before school. What doesn't get finished in the morning is completed immediately after school - before the tv. It's a little harder this way because our momentum is broken by the activities of the day, but I know that if we continue moving forward and if I can continue to keep my boundaries firm, we'll make progress. :)

It feels so good to be a PARENT. I'm not just a mom; I'm their leader during the day. I'm the one they look to for guidance during the day. I'm the one to hold the boundaries and give the expectations, support, love, and praise. (I say during the day because I'm the only one here with them at that time... of course Jeff and I work as a team in the evening and ultimately he's the head of the family... just wanted to make that clear {grin} )

I now see the difference between being a parent and being a mom. It's not an easy job. It's not always a fun job, but I want to teach my children how to respect authority, meet their goals, follow the law, and be obedient. My ultimate goal, of course, is for all of us to make it to heaven.

And that path to heaven? It's not wide.

Matthew 7:13-14
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

It is going to take external discipline to teach internal discipline. And it's going to take that internal discipline for each of us to stay on that narrow path.

Proverbs 5:23
He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.


Proverbs 15:10
Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Peace. I like that.

Will Leads Singing

We had our annual Youth-Led Worship Service last night. Will was one of many young men that had the opportunity to lead. He chose to lead the song Step by Step and I am such a proud mama!

Step by Step

Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise you
Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise you
I will seek you in the morning
And I will learn to walk in your ways
And Step by step you lead me
And I will follow you all of my days.

Why Are There No Musical Instruments That Accompany Your Singing?

In short, because we can’t find them in the New Testament. There is no command from Jesus to use instruments in worship. There are no examples of Christians in the New Testament using them in their worship. Mentions of instruments in the Old Testament (such as in the Psalms) are not our standard today (we don’t continue to offer animal sacrifices either). Whenever we do see music mentioned in the context of worship within the New Testament the Bible only mentions singing.

Ephesians 5:19

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Just reading the New Testament by itself, with no prior assumptions, leaves us with no indication that God has asked for, wants, or accepts anything musically other than our singing together to Him. (Borrowed from here, although it's not where I attend.)

No Allergy Test Today

Yesterday morning in the church nursery, Witt took another child's pacifier. The other little boy had just drank some milk before he was brought into the nursery. The nursery attendants weren't sure if he put it in his mouth or not, but gave him Benedryl to be on the safe side (rightfully so in my opinion). Because the Benedryl is still in his system, he wouldn't have accurate allergy testing today. Hopefully they will be able to schedule us in before the end of the year as we've already met our very large deductible for the year and these tests would not cost us a dime right now. [UPDATE: New testing date is December 9, 2008]

The way I'm looking at it is now we have more time to pray about it. :) So, here I am again, asking you to be persistent in prayer on Witt's behalf for an allergy free life. Please leave me a comment and let me know if you say a little prayer for him . I can't tell you how comforted I have been by the comments, emails, and cards I have received telling me that people are praying for him. Thank you all so much!

Just In Time

My best friend, T, sent me the link to this online bible study. Thanksgiving day seems like the perfect day to answer the first question to the first chapter of the study.

I am SO thankful for the Lord and the life he has blessed me with. I cannot express in words my thankfulness and gratefulness. It overflows my heart and swells my eyes to tears.

1. Are there any circumstances or relationships in your life where you can see God has intentionally placed you?

This might not be the direction the author wants me to take with this question, but being "intentionally placed" brings up a huge chunk of my life.

The most important moment in my life took some planning... but not my planning. I had no idea where I was headed when this road started, but it certainly was a good road to follow and I'm so glad I did. This post is going to be long, but I really want to start at the beginning so my boys will have a record of the story.

Over 15 years ago, while in high school, I dated a guy that I (and many others) thought I would eventually marry. We dated for two years in high school and continued to date into college, about three more years. But now I am ahead of myself.

During my junior year of high school I was going through college brochures, trying to decide on the school and where I wanted to go. Because of no clear answer and financial restraints, I went to a local college for my first two years. I majored in mathematics. I love math and I knew that whatever I did I would need the math, so I started there.

During that time... and out of the blue, my Dad's brother, Jim, invited me up to Minnesota to take a tour of the 3M plant and talk to a man whom I was told, "His job is to know where the market is going and what jobs will be needed. He'll give you good advice for picking a major." Of course I went.

After answering some of his questions, I was directly pointed to the Georgia Institute of Technology for a degree in Chemical Engineering. I was also directly told to get involved with the Co-op program where I would get experience working with a company every other quarter. It all fit together perfectly. It was an in-state school. I had a full tuition grant for instate schools as long as I kept my grades up. The money I would earn as a co-op would pay for housing, books, food, etc. I applied when I got home for the next school year and was accepted.

When I got to GT, I went to the co-op office and would you believe that I only had one more quarter before I would be ineligible for the program? I don't remember why they have the time constraint, but I do remember feeling like I just made it in time.

Once I was accepted into the program, I still had to choose which companies to interview with. Now if that isn't a needle in a haystack! What companies don't want engineers from Georgia Tech? {grin} Somehow I chose my six. I interviewed and I was hired by one company because they said my computer skills out-weighed the other applicants.

My computer skills? What? I took one programming class at the local college and a high school class called "Intensive Office Procedures". It was designed for "future secretaries", and was the only computer class offered at the time in my school. (I'm showing my age here aren't I?) In that class I learned the basics of spreadsheets, documentation, the number keypad, and a few other things that we just take for granted these days. Glad I had the insight to take that class.

A quarter before I left to work for this company, my boyfriend and I decided to see other people. The long distance just wasn't working and neither was most everything else in our relationship. I felt terribly alone as we had been best friends for 5 years, but I knew it was time to move on. We remained friends, but of course it was never the same.

So, I moved out of my dorm room, loading down my Honda Civic hatchback with all of my belongings and headed to the unknown state of Alabama... alone. To work in a stinky paper mill. On computers... of which I had been trained on to be a secretary. Talk about scared and lonely, but excited all at the same time!

My first Monday was spent getting acquainted with my surroundings and meeting lots of new people, including the engineer that I was assigned to for the work quarter. He wore a horizontally striped polo type shirt, had broad shoulders, jet black hair and eyes, and a smile that lit up the room. Throw in a southern accent and let me just tell you, I was glad to be in Alabama. (It was later pointed out to me that he also "wore his Wranglers well"... and I agreed.) But wait... I'm talking about my boss for the quarter! By now I'm sure you've figured out that it was Jeff. :)

We hit it off immediately and he asked to show me around the town that Friday night. Since I had nothing better to do (haha), I accepted. It was never really said that it was a "date", but what a rush when he took my hand at the movies. And then when the movie was over, he stole a quick little kiss. I had no choice I tell ya. NO Choice. (I'm ok with that.)

The next week, was a whirlwind of flirting and smiles. There was one conversation we had that second week where we were talking about our families. It came out that my mom has aged well... very well. Anyway, after I told him that, there was a strange look on his face and he said, "Don't be surprised if I ask you to marry me one day." Ummm... ok. How 'bout now? :)

Turns out, as I learned sometime later, that about three months before I showed up in that stinky paper mill, Jeff gave careful thought and created a list of attributes he wanted in a wife. He took that list and he prayed. One of the (superficial) attributes he prayed for was that his wife would grow old gracefully (and you know that can be a hereditary thing). Apparently, there were other attributes that he had already recognized before he made the marriage statement.

To him, it seemed pretty clear that I was the one he prayed for.

Now, when I started this story, I mention the most important moment in my life. As much as I love Jeff, he was not the most important moment in my life, so let me continue the story...

Jeff was an established Christian and I was pretty much a blank slate. I believed there was a God, but had no foundation and no real knowledge. To be truthful, the Bible scared me because I thought I wouldn't be able to understand it and would be ridiculed for my lack of knowledge. Jeff set a good example and always left the door open for questions. There was always an open invitation to attend worship services with him, too.

One Sunday morning I finally took him up on it. I was amazed in the Bible class. It was a fantastic starting point for me. They were just beginning a study of the book of Matthew and the class was being taught by an elder of the congregation. During the class, someone mentioned how they thought that Matthew is one of the best books of the gospels. I don't remember their reasoning, but I remembered the name of the book and went home and read the book of Matthew (which isn't a short book). Matthew is a very good place to start because it's at the beginning of the New Testament.

About a year later, I finally decided that the Lord's church is something I wanted to faithfully be a part of. I had heard the word of truth and I believed it. I made confession that I believe Jesus to be the Son of God and repented of my sins. I was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins. I came up out of the water a new creature and continue on the walk daily. Sometimes I deviate as I am not perfect, but I know I'm forgiven.

A couple of years later, Jeff did ask me to marry him (obviously). We were married in the same church building where I learned about my Savior. We were married by the elder that taught my first bible class. And now we're back living in the same town where Jeff stole our first kiss.

So, if you made it this far, you see that there were A LOT of "Just In Time" circumstances that not only brought me to Jeff, but more importantly to Christ.

Had I decided not to take the secretarial class

or

had I said "no" to the offer of a trip to 3M

or

not shown up in the GT co-op office soon enough

or

not chosen the right company to interview with

or

decided to stay with my high school boyfriend because it was expected

or

not taken the journey to Alabama

or

not agreed to join Jeff for services one Sunday morning


then I probably would not be where I am today.

AT ALL.

I can't forget prayer. Had Jeff not prayed for me, it may not have been so obvious that I was the one for him. There were A LOT of spiritual and emotional walls he had to get through to find the real me and I am so thankful he had the patience and understanding to do it... so that I could find Christ.

God had a plan for me to come to Him. It took me years to find Him. It wasn't an overnight find. It was a series of choices and circumstances laid out before me. I'm so thankful that I chose the path he set before me. I pray that I will continue to choose the narrow path and bring my family with me through the small gate that few will find.

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I will finish the remaining questions another day... :)
Part 2 of Question 1: What do you perceive may be at stake if you do or do not speak out for Him?


2. Can you honestly describe yourself as a woman with a 'yes' in her spirit? If not, what keeps you from this?

3. Do you recognize any circumstances in your life which could be described as an 'unrecurring event'? Have you ever said 'no' to one and watched God use someone else instead?

4. Are you in an emotionally and spiritually healthy place? If yes, how are you using this freedom to minister to others? If no, what do you feel is holding you in your Egypt?

Being Persistent

Our little Wittman goes for his annual allergy testing on December 1, 2008 [UPDATE: December 9, 2008] [Repost: Allergy testing for 2009: Dec 15th]. It's getting closer and yet it's still too far away. I am anxious to know if he is still allergic to milk and eggs.

I know I should be much more prayerful about this than I am. I know I should ask more people to pray for him - that these allergies would go away. I know I should bring up his name every time there is a prayer request offered in our Bible classes. I know I should put him on the prayer list for our congregations (and any others that would offer).

For some reason I haven't done these things... YET. Starting now, I am going to bring his name up for more prayers. I believe in prayer.

James 5:16

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

I believe God can remove this allergy at any moment he choses... if He so chooses. However, even if His answer is, "No" or "Not yet," my faith in Him will not waiver.

What I'm asking of you is to say a prayer for Witt... RIGHT NOW. Please don't put it off; sadly, if you're like me, you'll probably forget later. So, please, take just a minute and ask God to remove this allergy before Witt has his tests. Pray that he will be allergy free. Pray for a healthy life for him.

Thank you for your prayers. I am going to put a countdown on my blog for those of you that visit and I hope that when you see it you'll say another prayer each day.

Luke 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

I know I'm not seeking justice, but I am seeking help and I do have faith. I want people persistently "knocking on God's door" asking Him to relieve Witt of this condition for the rest of his life.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing

(Update on allergy test here and here.)

Simple and Slow Fridays - Grace

I intentionally only gave the title of the next chapter in Mitten Strings for God because I wanted to leave it open for interpretation for those of you without the book. Grace could be interpreted as "God's Grace" or "Graceful" among other things, I'm sure. I look forward to reading what you decided Grace means for your family.

I'm going to write about grace as in "saying grace".

We pray as a family before our meals. We hold hands forming somewhat of a circle around the table. Jeff leads. The boys are still working on staying quiet and focusing. (go figure...)

Years ago, when Will was an only child, he and I started saying this little prayer when we were home alone for meals:

God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed. Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now that he's older, we've asked Will if he wants to lead the family prayer, and sometimes he does, but always with this same prayer. For his age, I suppose that's fine, but I know many other children say their own prayers from their own thoughts, so I feel kind of bad in that I might have given him the wrong impression that God wants the same repetitious prayer all the time.

Even at night, he won't say his own prayer before going to sleep because he says he doesn't know any bedtime prayers. I've tried to explain over and over and over again that he doesn't have to know a specific prayer; he can just talk to God. But as always, he declines to lead. He'll tell me what he wants me to pray for, he just won't do it himself... at least not out loud... and that's okay.

Prayer is a very personal part of the relationship with God. I know I have a hard time praying out loud, too. I just hope that through praying aloud with him (and the other boys, too) that they are learning that prayer is for anytime and can be said many ways.

On a different note, though, Nathan is so cute when we get ready to pray at night. He closes his eyes so tightly and puts his little hands together up near his chin. He'll say, "Pay, mama, pay." (Pray, mama, pray) I can't help but smile to see him do these rituals (I say rituals because neither eye-closing nor hands together are commanded in the Bible for prayer). It doesn't take more than 5 seconds though for those eyes to open and the hands to start doing something else, but in those 5 seconds he's got me fooled into thinking he's the sweetest kid on earth. :)

Anyway, this subject of saying grace/prayer is a HUGE can of worms. More than I could hope to put down in a single post. I just wanted to take a minute to put down some thoughts on this so years from now I'll see how far we've come (I hope). Will already leads the congregation in song during a short youth-lead devotion before worship services. Talk about a mama's heart soaring! :) Maybe in the next couple of years he'll gain the confidence to lead a prayer, but even if he doesn't, that's ok. That might not be a talent of his.

God will bless each of us as He sees fit, it's up to us to do our part... and that's not always easy, no matter what age you may be.


So, what does Grace mean in your household?

If you wrote a post for SSF on Grace, please enter your permalink in Mr. Linky below. Be sure to link back to this post in your post, too! :)




Join us next Friday for the topic of

RHYTHM

In the FAST lane

Today is more of a question for you, my readers... because I'm curious (or maybe even a bit nosy).

Have you ever fasted? How long did you do it? What kind of fast was it (no food, some food, a specific kind of food, etc)? Why did you do it (Spiritual, medical, curiosity, etc?)


Mama Belle just completed a 21-Day Daniel Fast.

Dan. 10:2-3 - Daniel engaged in a partial fast: "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."

Crunchy Chicken posted a Fast for the Fourth challenge today. I won't be joining in, but it is an interesting read.


And, I'm hopeful that the kids will be done with their "fast" before tomorrow's festivities.


So, fill me up with some fasting info... :)

STEP 2: Add a Little Structure

What we noticed first
"We" have a problem, too
Fixing it:
STEP 1: Create Family Rules

Step 2: Add a Little Structure

I am a person that likes structure. I like to plan and know what is coming next. It's just the way it is. Will may be the same way as these "open play" summer days are just not working for us.

Jeff took this past Friday off and the oldest boys spent the night at Grandmother's. We took the "quiet" time to really talk about the direction of our family and how we need to be training our boys better than we have been.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

So, we came up with the Family Rules in Step 1 to begin with. We try to work the words in green into our day and our disciple to help teach the concepts of respect, staying calm, obeying, etc. So far it has really been working well. I am quite pleased!

For me, training also includes adding more structure to our day. So...

I got out my control journal (wiped off the dust) and revamped our daily routine to include daily bible reading (I know this should have already been there!), some sort of schooling to help Will keep up with it for Kindergarten and prepare Nathan for two days of preschool, and also some leg stretches to hopefully ward off those tiptoes before Will turns 8! None of the routine is rigid... we still go with the flow, but with a bit of an outline to help us stay on track with what needs to be done.

I not only updated the boy's daily routine, but mine as well. Giving myself time to do everything I need to get done. I included an earlier wake up time and even a bed time for myself. I need to be rested to properly take care of the boys. My mornings are VERY busy now, but at the end of the day I feel better about myself for connecting with the boys and keeping up better with my home.

Proverbs 31

15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.

26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

There's lots more in Proverbs 31, but I can't work on it all at once. ;) This is still such a new process and of course it's not perfect, but the outline works (when I follow it).

Here's the goal (again from Proverbs 31):

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”

Simple & Slow Fridays: Surrender - Post Your's Here

This week's S&SF is entitled Surrender. To be honest, I don't think I knew the meaning of the word before I became a mother. Sure I got a taste of it when Jeff and I married when compromises needed to be made, but to surrender my wants/need for my family's wants/needs is something I work on daily. I am but human and selfish at times.


First, let me start off with the fact that I am one of those black and white thinkers, either something "is" or it "isn't", numbers are easy for me and I like concrete thinking. It is hard for me to picture something in my head if I've never seen it before. If there is a book on how to do something, that something should work out just as the book states if the directions are followed correctly.

Much to my surprise, "they" weren't kidding when they said there is not an instruction manual for babies. Trust me, there's not one. I looked. I read. I tried the directions the books gave. They didn't work. I was so frustrated because basically those books say, "In order to be a good mom and raise a healthy child, you must do XYZ." However, Will apparently did not read those books and he obviously didn't know that he was supposed to do XYZ. ;)


I stressed and stressed over his nap schedule, his feeding schedule, his poop schedule. How many wet diapers, how many minutes he nursed, how long he was awake, how many minutes he slept. Oh, yes, I counted the minutes in his naps. I remember the day I was so excited that he slept for 48 minutes! He was a terrible napper: generally 20-30 minutes every 2 hours until he was 9 months old. I felt like a failure at times because I couldn't get him on a schedule like all the books said I should.

It wasn't until I tossed those books, surrendered to the mother I am inside and just listened to my child and my instincts, that our lives became less stressed and more balanced. I became a better mom when I surrendered to the needs of my child, not the child in the book.


I learned a lot from my experience as a first-time mom. And it's a good thing, too, because my second child had colic for 4 1/2 months and had chronic ear infections for the first two years of his life. If I didn't surrender to his needs, I can't imagine what life would have been like. My third child was a surprise. I'll admit, there was a transition period of surrendering to the idea of another baby... but it didn't take long for that momma-love to kick in! I am so glad it was a fairly quick transition so that I could enjoy the great blessing of carrying him.



I guess where I'm going with this is that once we learn the art of surrendering, when done for the right reasons, our life gets better, clearer even. Once we, as mothers, are able to surrender our human desires for the needs of our family, everyone is happier. (ie surrender blogging time to spend quality time with the boys instead, etc).

Not only is surrendering important as a mother and a wife, but of course as a Christian as well. To surrender our cares, worries, and troubles to Christ is something I also struggle with, but in the times I am able to do it... life gets better, clearer even. Everyone is happier. There is a reason we are told not to worry (Matt 6:25-34) - it's not necessary; we've been given the act of surrendering instead. We only have to learn how to use it... and you know what? There is a book for that. :)

Please link up your posts on Surrender:

Click here for next week's topic of Healing.

My Boring Life

You know what? I love my boring life. Of course we have ups and downs and lefts and rights, but for the most part... it's pretty streamline. Not a lot of drama. No terrible illnesses. Food to eat. A great house that we "just barely" fit in. Worship on Sundays and bible class on Wednesdays. It's all pretty routine. I think I like it.


Where does this come from? Well, it's actually leading up to a prayer request. I'm not going to give all the personal details; I'm just asking that you pray for my sister's boyfriend, Henry, and their friend, Chad. Both guys were in a severe auto accident this past weekend. Broken legs, fractures, and worse. Please pray that both will recover; pray that they will see this as a second chance and straighten out their lives a little more.

I pray that we all can find a "boring" routine life... and learn to see the beauty in it every day.

To You Do I Cry All Day Long

Let me preface this with... I have not been sleeping well - Witt has been sick for two weeks now and up half the night because he can't breathe. I have allowed this lack of sleep to give me an excuse for being an impatient mom and allowing my prayer life and devotions to diminish.

I have been struggling to connect with Will. As the oldest, I know that he needs me less for the daily tasks of dressing, brushing teeth, etc., but I have been extending that too far into the daily tasks of playing, talking, snuggling. Like I said, I have really been struggling to connect with him... I want him to do more himself so that I have to do less. That's not the attitude I want to have.

My prayers these last few weeks have been repetitious, selfish, and plain lacking in heart. My early morning devotions - ceased to exist as 7:00am was coming way too soon for me.

Somehow last night I pulled myself together to take care of all three of my children alone as Jeff is away on business. I fed each of them, bathed them all, rocked and sang to the babies, and read a story and prayed with Will. As I sunk into my bed wearily but happy after a good evening with the boys, something inside of me prayed for a good night sleep. Not the selfish prayer of, "I NEED SLEEP!", but more a prayer of, "Please give me a good night's rest so I can rise early in a state ready to spend with you. I miss our time. I need our time. I need you, Lord."

You know what, he answered that prayer for me. Witt, although still sick and very congested, slept well enough. He fully woke only once for me to go in and feed him. This morning I rose 20 minutes before the remaining household. I grabbed my devotion book and this is what I read (Psalm 86:1-7):

¹ Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
² Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; ³be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all day long.
⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
⁶ Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I call on you,
for you will answer me.

Something in this was striking home. I read it again... and again... and again. I read it as if I was saying it about myself. "Please listen to me. I am devoted to you. To you do I cry all. day. long. Gladden my soul. You abound in love. Listen to me. I call on you in trouble." All true, true, true.

Somehow in all of this I start thinking about the parallelism of God, my Father, and me, his child. If that is what I want from my Father (parent) how would this read if Will were saying this to me? Here's what it might look like; I changed only a few things to help it read a bit better - please forgive my liberalities if it offends:

¹ Get down on my level to listen, mom, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
² Protect my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your child who trusts in you.
You are my mom; ³be gracious to me, mother,
for to you do I cry all day long.
⁴ Make my soul happy,
for to you, mom, I lift up my soul.
⁵ For you, mom, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
⁶ Listen, mom, to my prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I call on you,
for you will answer me.

In reading it that way, I was brought to tears. I have not been doing a good job as of late. I haven't been listening to his soul; I haven't been making his soul glad. The thing that really gets me is that he just wants to "lift up his soul" to me. He wants his soul to be happy so he can make me happy. Have I been showing my children a steadfast love every time they call? Do I listen to their petitions? even the small ones of "come play with me"?

All of this leads up to the last verse. I want my children to know they can come to me in their time of troubles. I want them to know I will be there for them. In order for them to know that, though, I have to build the relationship with the foundation of the first six verses.

My prayer to God this morning? I couldn't think of anything beyond, "Thank you! Thank you! I needed that revelation. Thank you."

I'm Not Catholic

(If that title doesn't grab you, nothing will! LOL!)

A dear blogger friend, Mary, has a very thought provoking post today (at least for me). It's about Lent - something I have never observed and something I have never studied. These are my thoughts on her post. In fact, below is the exact comment I left on her post. Can you tell I want you to go read her post first and then come back here? I'll wait. Go read her post.

**************MY COMMENT************************

Ok, since you put it out there... so will I. I have never observed Lent and have also felt that Catholics do a lot of unnecessary "rituals". We aren't commanded (that I can find in the Bible) to "do Lent" and from what I can tell it was something instituted by man for man. We have the Lord's Supper/communion to observed Christ's death as it is commanded for us to do so on the first day of the week. (Acts 20:7, I believe).

But anyway... I digress. Why would we perform a "ritual" that wasn't commanded? But then after some thought, why WOULDN'T we? We make our own "rituals" for ourselves everyday to make things more of a habit (maybe saying a prayer at a certain time to make you remember to pray, maybe you have a habit of holding hands while you pray with your family - both of those are "habits/rituals" not instituted by God, but something man has decided to do). What's so wrong with observing a practice to help make a better habit (in this case the habit of remembering what Christ endured).

Please forgive my words of "habit" and "ritual" they are the best I could think of to describe my thoughts.

Ok, I've written so much now that I might as well do a post of my own. You've given me something to think about, Mary. Thank you. I have some praying, studying, and thinking to do.

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I am very interested to hear what you (my handful of readers) think about Lent - especially my non-Catholic friends (but if you are Catholic, please jump in on the discussion, too, and set me straight if necessary). I hope this post does not come across negatively. I am ignorant in the practice of Lent and just sharing my thoughts as on "outsider" from what society has taught me about it. Like I said, there will be some praying, studying, and thinking on this one.

Is a religious habit a bad thing? Initially my thought is that as long as it isn't just a habit or ritual and something done with seriousness and observation and reflection to better my relationship with God, it couldn't be wrong. It could be beneficial.

Thoughts? Come now, don't be afraid...