little men

I was sitting at the computer today just finishing up with my emails and blogs. Ethan came over and grabbed my arm to give me a hug. I turned around so that I could give him a proper one with both arms and he stayed like that for a moment longer than usual. Bebo was of course playing in the background, a song called Try, off the album of the same name. It's a moving, sentimental song about him and his wife, being a boy, dreams...a specific line in the song always grabs me. It's so honest, vulnerable, and it makes me think about men in our culture. The struggle to survive, thrive and be men in a feminist society.

Bebo sings, "I'm afraid to grow up, but somewhere inside is the will of a man". I won't try to add or subtract from the ideas Bebo is trying to convey with his lyrics, but it makes me think of my little boys. I'm a girl who has grown up in this society where men are demeaned, mocked and disrespected. They are my children, but they will be men one day and I am a woman helping to raise them to become those men. Men who love their Father, cherish their wives and children, stand up for goodness and truth and virtue. I'm humbled and blessed to be their mother and at the same time I am so thankful that their Heavenly Father loves them even more than I do and will work out His perfect plan for their lives. I know that this plan will include sadness and struggle because that is the way of the Cross. But I believe it will also include joy and peace and I pray, an all-consuming love for their Maker.

This is the day that the Lord has made...

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

It takes a child...

to sometimes point out the truth.

I've been spending most of the morning cleaning and getting ready for the weekend. Kind of funny, like its some kind of event. I do know that if I get all of my "chores" done there is a better possibility of doing something fun and "familyish" tomorrow after David is finished with his chores( which he did confirm in a phone conversation this morning).

I don't know about you but music inspires me in every area of my life, and especially so when I have to clean. The problem is that I don't want to hear any other kind of media in the background like the TV, Leapster, computer...I know, I know I can just forbid it all and make the children play together, but then between breaking up the fights and so on I wouldn't get much cleaning done.

So, I turned on the TV upstairs for the little cuties and sent them up to play or watch, of course with a snack in hand, so that Bebo (Norman, that is) and I could get my cleaning done in record fashion and I could have a mini-worship time as well. ( BTW, he is my new favorite artist)

I reminded Ethan as he headed upstairs to please not eat on my bed. Crackers and sheets don't do well together. His next question was:

"Can I sit on that giant box with all your old stuff?"

The little dear is referring to a big wooden chest at the end of my bed filled with all sorts of personal mementos. But I think his description of it may be more accurate.

A thought on blessing

Our Community Group met last night as we do every Tuesday. The topic of last night's discussion was centered around the sermon that was preached by a guest pastor by the name of Tom Wood. Unfortunately for David and I, we were teaching the k-3rd grades so we missed the sermon. I hate to even try and summarize since I wasn't present, but Tom had spoken of greed, money, our possessions and of course our sin in relation to it all.

In the middle of the discussion we started talking about how our views of God's blessing in our lives is probably misunderstood and mis-taught. Especially in our country where prosperity abounds and we have much, much more than we need we always seem to equate "good things and circumstances" with God's blessing.

Ok, let's take a step back for a minute and agree on some foundational issues. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that "the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". John Piper in his book, Desiring God, flushes out this statement even more by adding that, "the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever". We were made for this. Every fiber in our bodies and every brain cell in our heads was created to bring glory to God. And in bringing Him glory we are completely satisfied and fulfilled because he is fulfilling our purpose for our very existence. Take a hike through the Psalms and experience over and over the language of praise, glory, adoration and love. The relationship between Creator and creation.

And now, in light of our purpose on this earth and God's glory we bring "blessings" back into the equation. We're feeling a little nervous at this point because we are realizing our previous and life-long thoughts may not be entirely correct. Yes, I do believe that God blesses us with things that are good; good jobs, healthy children, nice houses. His word even attests to this:

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17

but we need to be careful to assume that when things aren't "good" that we are no longer being blessed. It may be in those very times of struggle, sadness, hardship that we are being blessed the most. It is usually during our dark days that we call to him, that we realize our deep need for Him, this need that has really been there all along but covered with the clutter of self-reliance.

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You are good, and what you do is good:teach me your decrees." Psalm 119:67-68

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Psalm 119:71

"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

What a great blessing to experience God as your only hope, your only salvation, your only reality for the very first time. (and then over and over again as you live in Him) This is something no one can take away from you. It is your relationship with Him, your Father, your Creator. What greater blessing could there be?! If we're honest, our money, spouses, children, health could all be gone from us in an instant, but our God is with us always:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:38,39

Blessings come in many forms but for one purpose:to bring God glory ( which in turn gives us joy and purpose and satisfaction). As Job loses all of his wordly possessions including his children, he speaks the words that our hearts all wish to believe we would speak as well:

"Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!'

10But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:9,10

A Day on the Lake

Matt and Becky invited us to spend the day with them on their new boat this past Saturday. The kids were so excited even though they didn't know what to expect! It took me all morning to get ready and pack our gear for the water(David spent the morning doing some man-chores for a couple at church). Isn't it amazing how long it takes to pack for something where kids are involved?! It was well worth it and we all had a great day!

Hannah loved the tube because she was small enough to sit in it and was pulled rather slowly. After Jonah and Ethan saw the adults being beaten and flung around on it they decided they didn't want anything to do with it. Good choice, boys. We later used the wretched device to pull each other around while swimming.

We ate lunch on the boat, sped around the lake taking in the sights, swam in a little cove, and made it back to the dock around 5 very tired, but happy to have spent time together. Thanks, you guys, it was great!

Hannah after her first "speedy" attempt on the tube

Here are some more pics from our fun day on the family blog, written by Aunt Becky!

Geo-what?!

This past Saturday our little family headed for the hills on another Geocaching adventure. David downloaded three different caches on our GPS all located within a few miles of each other. I packed the food bag, David the backpack with the bug spray, first aid kit, etc.. and we were off! We decided to stop and take a look at Tallulah Gorge and found a really interesting information center that catered to the kids. They had a great time looking at all the "stuffed" animals and checking out the birds ( real ones) outside.


After the gorge, amidst the beginnings of whining and hunger pains, we headed off to the area where our caches should have been hidden(notice I said "should").

Ok, let me take a moment to try and explain geocaching a bit, just in case you're wondering...but if you want the full scoop on this great sport just follow any of the links that I've included so far. To summarize, geocaching is a grown-up treasure hunt, hide-and-go-seek etc.. Any one can play, but the one item you must have is a GPS. The process begins on-line where you register and find all of the caches within your desired area. For instance, when we first started we wanted to find caches just within 10 miles of our home. There are so many, we'll be looking for quite some time. This past weekend we knew we were headed to a particular area in the mountains so we included that zip and were shown the GPS coordinates for caches in that area. A "cache" is "pronounced 'cash' - In geocaching it is a hidden container filled with a log book and pencil/pen, and possibly prizes. Caches were often used by explorers, miners, etc. to hide foodstuffs and other items for emergency purposes. People still hide caches of supplies today for similar reasons. Geocaching comes from the terms "geo" and "cache" to explain the sport. Some caches have cash in them, but there is no pun intended :) ( taken from the website)

So..the coordinates from the website are downloaded to your GPS and off you go on your search for a cache. Caches are hidden by anyone playing the game(there are of course certain rules to be followed) and can be thematic, such as for kids or dogs. I believe hiking and the general love for nature prompted this sport, so most caches are hidden where there is hiking involved. Some are located in parking lots, etc. but the most difficult ones are usually hidden deep in a forest.

Back to the story....we decided to stop at a grocery store and pick up some picnic stuff. We then headed to Warwomen Dell,( Which David said was named after me..thanks honey..slap..punch..), the area of our first cache. We ate lunch, but the kids were eager to find our first treasure. We were already very close to the first cache but after much looking we still couldn't find it. We gave up and decided to pursue the second one. We walked and walked for quite some time and realized that we were probably heading down the wrong trail. The GPS works well in finding specific coordinates but because of the thick tree canopy above, ours was having trouble communicating with the satellites. At that point in an adventure, you're kind of walking around blind. ( no idea why this is black!)

Climbing the 66 stairs up to our trail. The kids did so well!





After realizing that we had probably taken the wrong trail we decided to head over to the third and last cache. I couldn't believe that we had yet to find one!

Our next trail took us on a path by a beautiful stream and onto a waterfall. The hike was difficult because we once again took the wrong trail and had to backtrack ( no satellite signal). We finally made it and David found the cache after more looking and backtracking. We left some McD's fly wheels and took a toothbrush (sealed), a Grinch Christmas ornament and a bead necklace ( Ethan), logged our name in and headed back to the car. It was a great day-3 hours of hiking, lots of sweat and dirt, and lots of family fun!

Cars mania

Jonah discovered his "riding" equipment and begged to wear it all day long today! I couldn't resist-what a cutie! (the pj's were just a coincidence).

I have nothing without you

I fell asleep with my Bible on my face last night. Before you start thinking I'm tooting my own horn by reading my Bible so much I fall asleep with it, let me correct you. I was actually desperate last night. No, nothing tragic has happened to me, well not in the way you may be thinking. I'm actually just a needy, pathetic sinner. I've forgotten the Gospel. I've forgotten who I am and the love that shines down on me from a happy, gracious, loving, satisfied, merciful Father. I am worried and weak. I am tired of my concern for my own welfare. I am tired of trying to be a great mother, sister, wife, friend, etc...(and feeling as though I never get there). I am tired of using all of my energy to be a pleasing person and to make others happy. I need my Daddy. I need to lift my face to His and remember how beautiful, loved, and cherished I am. And so last night I was crying to him, complaining about these things and how this world is making me weary...and he loved me ..so much so I put my Bible on my face and slept in peace.

Randomness

Okay, I'm completely impressed and unabashedly jealous of Keri's new header. If you haven't see it yet click on over and prepare to be wowed and also tell her what a great job she did! And if any of you are getting any ideas, I'm first in line for her services!

Its another lazy Tuesday this summer and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the kids today...If we go somewhere, our travels have to take place before noon. My un-airconditioned van is just too hot to motor around the sultry, sweaty countryside of GA. I'm starting to dream of crisp, cool Fall days, warm blankets, crunchy leaves, the pumpkin farm, fires and marshmallows. Oh, I shouldn't go there, I'm sure summer will be here for quite a bit longer!

There are so many projects that need to be done around the house before school starts. Well, at least one really big one, and that is turning our guest room into a school room. Right now I have dressers, plastic drawers on wheels and bookshelves filled with homeschool stuff, crafts, etc... This "stuff" is all over the house because we don't have one room big enough to hold it all.( and I really need to get rid of some of it) I've been trying to convince the dear to let me undertake this grand project but he has yet to concede. I have to admit that the room does look nice as a guest room ( minus the boys old decor still on the walls) and it will probably look a bit cluttered as a school room, but the practical need outweighs the prettiness factor. David is also in the midst of turning my little storage room into a mom's office. I can't wait for this as the room is a huge eyesore! Here it is:

This used to be a laundry room, but the folks who owned the house before us moved the washer/dryer upstairs and turned this room into a mini beauty salon. When we bought the house, we tore out the sink and filled it with our own clutter. ( ok, my clutter!) I can't wait to show pictures of it upon its completion!

Here is a pic of the bedroom that I want to turn into a school room. I think the biggest problem we have with this change is what to do with the bed. We could sell/give it away, but I think D really wants to keep it. He is still in love with it and frequently complains of how hard and uncomfortable our new king is. I don't mind keeping it. Hopefully one day we will have a house with enough room for a school room and guest room. Right now we only have guests about twice a year, so my vote is to put it in the garage until we can use it.

My window of time to get out before the heat arrives is coming to a close and the natives are getting restless, so I must be off!

Remembering

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace–but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" –Patrick Henry March 23,1775

Hannah's Houses

My sweet girl has quite an imagination, especially when it comes to her love of animals.  I have to take some credit for that since I spent most of my childhood pretending that I lived in a magical world filled with elves, fairies and animals who could talk ( oh the joy when I discovered The Chronicles of Narnia!)

Last week I was upstairs cleaning and doing laundry when I happened to notice a big ugly mess in her room, right in front of her bed.  I was about to jump into one of my nice tirades about "keeping our rooms clean" and "helping mommy"  when I happened to take a closer look at the "mess".  What I saw brought back my own childhood memories and I had to smile… Hannah had made a small village out of various cardbord boxes.  Each house has a door, windows and of course beds and couches for her little friends to relax on.  Aren’t kids fun?!  She probably has all of the Littlest Pet Shop shops but there’s something about her own creation that she loves even more.  A great opportunity to remind her of her Creator and how much He loves her.  That she is made in His image, giving her the desire and ability to also create.  A great reminder to me as well.