Oh, so fun to watch!
I saw this on Phil's blog and I am addicted to it! I cant stop watching it. It makes me happy. Enjoy.
How many times do you think they busted before they got it right?
Monday, October 23, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Forward in Faith?
Have you ever felt like the world was out to get you? Maybe not, but right now, I feel like SOMETHING is out to get us. This last week has been some kind of crazy roller coaster.
We leave a week from this next Monday. A WEEK!! This last week, Brandon got sick (sort of just really super tired and zapped of energy kind of sickness), Deacon got sick first with a fever (103.6 at it's peak) then with a monster diaper rash that made him cry when we changed his diaper, and then a cough and runny nose, my disabled dad broke his leg and was going to have to have surgery to fix it (meaning spending our last weekend in the country with my family with my parents living in the hospital and Deacon not able to visit because of his cold), the vehicle we are supposed to buy when we get to Guatemala won't be available until January at the earliest and therefore will be with out a car for the first 2 months of living there, and we had to pack up our entire life to move.
This is not a pitty party...keep reading.
Anyway, we were starting to wonder if it was possible for us to leave next Monday. Really, it was like everything was getting in the way of us going. You probably know that one of a woman's most needed aspects of life is security, and my security (what little I had with the idea of moving my life and my baby to Guatemala) was in question.
Is it possible that we really are under some kind of spiritual attack? Not 1 day later, Brandon was reading some of e-mail responses that we received to the news that we had a move date aloud to me, and we were set on fire with the encouragement to keep moving forward in faith. Forward in Faith. In the midst of turmoil and seeming disruption we must move forward in faith.
Then...we get to Lubbock (where my father is in the hospital) and it turns out that the surgeons don't think that he needs surgery and he gets to come home today and spend the weekend with our whole family together. PRAISE GOD! I mean, right when I am so frustrated that God is not making this easier for us (because you know that ultimately our convenience is of God's utmost concern...sigh) He answers the prayers of my family so my dad doesn't have to have an incredibly painful and dangerous surgery.
Not only am I humbled as I realize AGAIN that I am not the center of the universe but also at God the Sustainer that He would love me and that He would allow me to be a part of His plan for the ages in Guatemala. How privileged we are.
Update added Sunday:
We woke up this morning to my mom pounding on the bedroom door. We got up and my dad was mummbling some kind of gibberish "momahhnmomahhmomahh" over and over and over with out responding to anything we said.
Mom called 911 and they took my dad via ambulance back to the hospital. They have no idea what is wrong and they are going to admit him for observation. So it seems like we have taken a couple of steps back.
Is God still faithful? Does this new development change God or His plans? I know the answers.
Anybody have a clue why this is so difficult?
We leave a week from this next Monday. A WEEK!! This last week, Brandon got sick (sort of just really super tired and zapped of energy kind of sickness), Deacon got sick first with a fever (103.6 at it's peak) then with a monster diaper rash that made him cry when we changed his diaper, and then a cough and runny nose, my disabled dad broke his leg and was going to have to have surgery to fix it (meaning spending our last weekend in the country with my family with my parents living in the hospital and Deacon not able to visit because of his cold), the vehicle we are supposed to buy when we get to Guatemala won't be available until January at the earliest and therefore will be with out a car for the first 2 months of living there, and we had to pack up our entire life to move.
This is not a pitty party...keep reading.
Anyway, we were starting to wonder if it was possible for us to leave next Monday. Really, it was like everything was getting in the way of us going. You probably know that one of a woman's most needed aspects of life is security, and my security (what little I had with the idea of moving my life and my baby to Guatemala) was in question.
Is it possible that we really are under some kind of spiritual attack? Not 1 day later, Brandon was reading some of e-mail responses that we received to the news that we had a move date aloud to me, and we were set on fire with the encouragement to keep moving forward in faith. Forward in Faith. In the midst of turmoil and seeming disruption we must move forward in faith.
Then...we get to Lubbock (where my father is in the hospital) and it turns out that the surgeons don't think that he needs surgery and he gets to come home today and spend the weekend with our whole family together. PRAISE GOD! I mean, right when I am so frustrated that God is not making this easier for us (because you know that ultimately our convenience is of God's utmost concern...sigh) He answers the prayers of my family so my dad doesn't have to have an incredibly painful and dangerous surgery.
Not only am I humbled as I realize AGAIN that I am not the center of the universe but also at God the Sustainer that He would love me and that He would allow me to be a part of His plan for the ages in Guatemala. How privileged we are.
Update added Sunday:
We woke up this morning to my mom pounding on the bedroom door. We got up and my dad was mummbling some kind of gibberish "momahhnmomahhmomahh" over and over and over with out responding to anything we said.
Mom called 911 and they took my dad via ambulance back to the hospital. They have no idea what is wrong and they are going to admit him for observation. So it seems like we have taken a couple of steps back.
Is God still faithful? Does this new development change God or His plans? I know the answers.
Anybody have a clue why this is so difficult?
Friday, October 13, 2006
The Incredible Not Napping Baby
My baby won't nap.
He wakes up at 6am or so (he actually woke up at 4am to eat and then went back to sleep - I think - because I actually turned the baby monitor down) and he is still sleepy. He is grouchy and screamy, and he may be teething. Le sigh.
Boy, if I didn't get enough sleep and acted like he has been acting someone would slap me. Hopefully.
So, I will just have to endure what every other mother on the planet endures for an appointed time until he is back to his smiley, happy, laughing self.
Please pray.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Faith?
Oh, my goodness. God is transforming my expectations of Him daily! I have been reading a book called The Autobiography of George Muller, (everyone should read it) and have been inspired to really LIVE by faith. He lived his entire life depending on only the Lord for provision, in order for God to receive total glory, he asked man for nothing.
All that to say, I have been struggling through this question: What promises does God make that I can claim in expectation? Basically, what can I have faith in? Well, in answer to prayer, the Lord took me to Hebrews 11:1. At this point, if you want to follow along more specifically with my thinking, you might grab your Bible!
Heb. 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
This is really just a clarifying definition given in the context of the previous chapter. The motivation for continuing in the Christian walk is reward! The reward of receiving what he has promised in terms of eternity. The writer then gives you some examples in verses 3-12 (Abel, Noah, Abraham, etc).
Then, he gives clarification of the earlier definition in verses 13-16 where he says that these people died living by faith and that many of them did not even receive the things promised while still alive! What!! I mean, I have held onto the idea that I will receive...I don't know...I guess I just didn't think about living everyday by faith totally motivated by the realization of the promises of heavenly glorification, etc.
He then gives other examples of this faith in certain promises all the way through verse 35. Now some of these people did see promises fulfilled, but more did not. Actually, what they got on earth is "jeers, and flogging...chained and put in prison...stoned...sawed in two...put to death...destitue, persecuted and mistreated" (36-38)
Geez...so what is faith? What are the promises of God that I can claim in expectation? Well, ponder that and let me know what you think.
I do know this...Hebrews continues the discussion in Chapter 12 and tells me how to step out in faith as I seek these answers.
Too deep? Sorry!
All that to say, I have been struggling through this question: What promises does God make that I can claim in expectation? Basically, what can I have faith in? Well, in answer to prayer, the Lord took me to Hebrews 11:1. At this point, if you want to follow along more specifically with my thinking, you might grab your Bible!
Heb. 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
This is really just a clarifying definition given in the context of the previous chapter. The motivation for continuing in the Christian walk is reward! The reward of receiving what he has promised in terms of eternity. The writer then gives you some examples in verses 3-12 (Abel, Noah, Abraham, etc).
Then, he gives clarification of the earlier definition in verses 13-16 where he says that these people died living by faith and that many of them did not even receive the things promised while still alive! What!! I mean, I have held onto the idea that I will receive...I don't know...I guess I just didn't think about living everyday by faith totally motivated by the realization of the promises of heavenly glorification, etc.
He then gives other examples of this faith in certain promises all the way through verse 35. Now some of these people did see promises fulfilled, but more did not. Actually, what they got on earth is "jeers, and flogging...chained and put in prison...stoned...sawed in two...put to death...destitue, persecuted and mistreated" (36-38)
Geez...so what is faith? What are the promises of God that I can claim in expectation? Well, ponder that and let me know what you think.
I do know this...Hebrews continues the discussion in Chapter 12 and tells me how to step out in faith as I seek these answers.
Too deep? Sorry!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Being a Wife
Man...I LOVE being married to my husband. I really can't imagine my life with out his love and presence. Because of events at my church in the past few weeks, the institute of marriage has been on my mental conveyer belt. I have been evaluating what kind of a wife I am, and how to be a better one. To mutilate a quote by Dave S. who quoted someone else I want to "be the kind of woman a good man would love." (BTW, if you know how that quote really goes then please let me know)
I am learning more and more that submitting to Brandon is synonymous with submitting to the Lord. The question for me to answer is...do I really believe that God placed Brandon as authority in my life. If so, then why wouldn't I submit with joy and enthusiasm. Brandon has been historically easy to submit to, so up until recently this has been a purely theoretical discussion. Now that we are getting ready to go to Guatemala there are some procedural things that I want to get done. Here is the issue at hand: Brandon is a ruminator. He can be very proactive, but he is not impulsive or rash. I am often both of those things, so when I think something needs to be done, I want to just DO IT! If I go ahead and "just do" all the things that I feel need to get done, then I am robbing from Brandon the opportunity to lead our family through the process. Instead of being the helpmate, I am the driving force. I don't want to go to Guatemala that way. I want to be a helpmate.
Ok, as I struggle with what that looks like, I would love to know what you think. If any of you have any wisdom, please share it with me. Praise God for his faithfulness in giving me what I desperately need in a husband. Praise Him for teaching me how to submit to God's authority while I learn to submit to Brandon's.
I am learning more and more that submitting to Brandon is synonymous with submitting to the Lord. The question for me to answer is...do I really believe that God placed Brandon as authority in my life. If so, then why wouldn't I submit with joy and enthusiasm. Brandon has been historically easy to submit to, so up until recently this has been a purely theoretical discussion. Now that we are getting ready to go to Guatemala there are some procedural things that I want to get done. Here is the issue at hand: Brandon is a ruminator. He can be very proactive, but he is not impulsive or rash. I am often both of those things, so when I think something needs to be done, I want to just DO IT! If I go ahead and "just do" all the things that I feel need to get done, then I am robbing from Brandon the opportunity to lead our family through the process. Instead of being the helpmate, I am the driving force. I don't want to go to Guatemala that way. I want to be a helpmate.
Ok, as I struggle with what that looks like, I would love to know what you think. If any of you have any wisdom, please share it with me. Praise God for his faithfulness in giving me what I desperately need in a husband. Praise Him for teaching me how to submit to God's authority while I learn to submit to Brandon's.
First Blog Ever.
I sort of feel like I am giving in. For some unknown reason I have avoided blogging for quite a while. I guess I wasn't sure anyone would want to read it if I did start one. Who the heck cares? :) I also sort of resent the shift from paper to monitor. In 50 years, this blog will be long forgotten, but my hand written notes (unless someone chunks it!) at least have the potential for still being around. Especially if I become some really important person like Secretary of State or something! Funny! Really, this morning as I was journaling in my antiquated leather journal with a writing instrument filled with ink called a pen (for those who haven't used one for some time), I decided that I wanted to share what God is teaching me. This way, if someone is interested they can read it and we can Praise God together and if they don't want to read it, they don't have to click on my little link! Anyway, not all posts will be deep in nature, at least I don't think they will. Please comment if you feel like it! All of you bloggers, give me your thoughts on why you blog. I am more than curious, and I may just need the encouragement!
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