WARNING: Should you be one of the many people who are appalled by mothers who nurse in public and/or speak of nursing in public...do not watch this video. You will not like it. Yes, I know someone...an adult female...who was disturbed by this video.
Monday, May 23, 2011
You don't have milk!
OK. I admit I struggled with putting this video out here. After reading Grateful for Grace's post today, I couldn't help but once again be tempted to share my all time favorite video caught on my smartphone. It was taken a little over a year ago. I've been tempted often but have resisted the temptation. After getting an OK from Nate and a watch and approval from my personal friend, Tony C, I decided I would let you in on the cute little laugh, too. (Please excuse my accent. The video makes it worse. I'm really not that country.)
WARNING: Should you be one of the many people who are appalled by mothers who nurse in public and/or speak of nursing in public...do not watch this video. You will not like it. Yes, I know someone...an adult female...who was disturbed by this video.
WARNING: Should you be one of the many people who are appalled by mothers who nurse in public and/or speak of nursing in public...do not watch this video. You will not like it. Yes, I know someone...an adult female...who was disturbed by this video.
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Wrong Urgencies
At 3:00 A.M. as I crawled back into bed, I wondered if J.J. had started having nightmares. It reminded me of my own recent nightmares. Merely the night before I had one. As I lay in bed, I could feel myself becoming fearful once again as I remembered the dark figure from the night before. The tall, dark image. I can feel the evil presence that surrounded this image even as I recalled it in my mind. It was there standing in the children’s room with it’s back towards me. It moved side to side as if it was working on something. The image had a feminine aura to me. These dreams they haunt me through the night. They always leave me with such fear. And last night was no different as I recalled the dream.
So, I began to pray. I prayed God’s Words. I prayed, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” I prayed for J.J. that he, too, would feel safe. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8 ESV) As I went on in prayer, my heart was burdened with all the idols in my life. So many idols. Was the dark image a portrayal of my idols? My idols being erected and working in my children’s room?
All the things that come before my God… my home, my children, the computer, Facebook, blogging…the list goes on. All of these things that I hold onto that are not eternal. All of these things I take hold of as if they are what was important and not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each day I focus on the finite and not the Infinite. I live like everything is so urgent. Yet, the one thing in life that is urgent I neglect.
I have family and loved ones who are living in their sin and rebellion against God. I have family and loved ones believing lies. Yet, I remain selfish, not wanting to cause myself any type of discomfort in sharing the Gospel. I don’t love them enough to tell them daily that they are dead and in need of a Savior. I don’t love them enough to tell them until it is my last breath how urgent it is they repent and believe. Instead, I go on…and serve my idols.
This morning I repented of my idols. I can only pray and place my hope in Him.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Love. Again.
It just so happens the very day I had a discussion with a dear friend about the progressive church's view on love and the neglecting of the commandments of God, Kimberly at Raising Olives posted on the very thing. That in turn, prompted me to repost a post I did on love a while back. I'm just copying the post. You can visit the orignal post to see a little discussion over the topic.
Repost from 12/29/2009
This post was prompted by some responses on my Righteous Judgment entry. Throughout the past few years, I have heard it said a lot. “Judge not, lest ye be judged” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” All of this is scriptural and can be found in Matthew 7:1 and Matthew 22:39. I do not deny what the scripture states. I do, however, believe these scriptures have been misunderstood.
For example, if you continue on in Matthew chapter 7, you will see that once you remove the plank from your own eye, you will see more clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. It never states the speck should not be removed but that we should see clearly ourselves before addressing the issue at hand. Too often scripture is misread to mean we should never judge and as I said in my last post, there is a righteous judgment.
Usually in response to words such as these, we get hit with the “love your neighbor as yourself.” I guess my question is this, what exactly does love mean? Most people believe we should “agree to disagree” when it comes to issues of doctrine. Jesus is portrayed as a peace-loving hippy. Does this image contradict what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 when He said, “Do not think I came to bring peace on earth, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Is this the same Jesus that threw up tables in the synagogue with His wrath and spoke “woe to the Pharisees and scribes,” calling them hypocrites and fools? Would Jesus’ actions be considered loving today?
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 7:8-9
Loving on today’s terms means letting your neighbor believe what he/she chooses and accepting there is no definitive truth. If your neighbor is walking into death, do you love them by warning them of the danger or do you let them go their own way to not offend them?
As a loving sister in Christ, I believe that it is important for the body of Christ to be unified. I believe if I see a brother or sister wavering or going down a road that does not seem to be The Way, it is loving if I use God’s Word to speak to them. I, too, will accept this discussion if I am the one that appears to be on the wrong path. Jesus tells us “many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” In a culture where Christianity is easy, I believe it is pertinent that we test all things against scripture. There is only One Truth and until we find it we should be ever seeking. I understand that all people believe their way is lead by the Holy Spirit, but we should always test it against scripture. There are deceiving spirits and how do we know we have not been taken captive?
I have prayed continuously that if I am being blinded that God will allow me to see. It’s not a matter of being right or wrong, it’s a matter of ensuring we are serving the One True God. By becoming complacent with the god we believe in, we just may be serving an idol in our head instead of the God of the Bible. Will it be the complacent that in the end the Lord will declare to, “I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” In His name, these same folks prophesied, cast out demons, and did many wonders. (Matthew 7:22-23)
If we believe someone is following a false doctrine, it is not loving to let them be led astray. “Beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Jesus spoke these words and on more than this one occasion warned us of the dangers. Paul was dedicated to warning fellow believers about false doctrines and to not be carried away as children “tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men…” (Ephesians 4:14)
Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-5)
I just cannot grasp how we love our neighbor by turning our backs when the wolves may be carrying them away. And I’m saying this to you, too. If you think I am being led astray, then get your Bible out and show me who God is; because that is the most important thing, to serve the One True God. I can have faith in anything, but if I don’t have faith in the true God, I have nothing.
Repost from 12/29/2009
This post was prompted by some responses on my Righteous Judgment entry. Throughout the past few years, I have heard it said a lot. “Judge not, lest ye be judged” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” All of this is scriptural and can be found in Matthew 7:1 and Matthew 22:39. I do not deny what the scripture states. I do, however, believe these scriptures have been misunderstood.
For example, if you continue on in Matthew chapter 7, you will see that once you remove the plank from your own eye, you will see more clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. It never states the speck should not be removed but that we should see clearly ourselves before addressing the issue at hand. Too often scripture is misread to mean we should never judge and as I said in my last post, there is a righteous judgment.
Usually in response to words such as these, we get hit with the “love your neighbor as yourself.” I guess my question is this, what exactly does love mean? Most people believe we should “agree to disagree” when it comes to issues of doctrine. Jesus is portrayed as a peace-loving hippy. Does this image contradict what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 when He said, “Do not think I came to bring peace on earth, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Is this the same Jesus that threw up tables in the synagogue with His wrath and spoke “woe to the Pharisees and scribes,” calling them hypocrites and fools? Would Jesus’ actions be considered loving today?
“These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 7:8-9
Loving on today’s terms means letting your neighbor believe what he/she chooses and accepting there is no definitive truth. If your neighbor is walking into death, do you love them by warning them of the danger or do you let them go their own way to not offend them?
As a loving sister in Christ, I believe that it is important for the body of Christ to be unified. I believe if I see a brother or sister wavering or going down a road that does not seem to be The Way, it is loving if I use God’s Word to speak to them. I, too, will accept this discussion if I am the one that appears to be on the wrong path. Jesus tells us “many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” In a culture where Christianity is easy, I believe it is pertinent that we test all things against scripture. There is only One Truth and until we find it we should be ever seeking. I understand that all people believe their way is lead by the Holy Spirit, but we should always test it against scripture. There are deceiving spirits and how do we know we have not been taken captive?
I have prayed continuously that if I am being blinded that God will allow me to see. It’s not a matter of being right or wrong, it’s a matter of ensuring we are serving the One True God. By becoming complacent with the god we believe in, we just may be serving an idol in our head instead of the God of the Bible. Will it be the complacent that in the end the Lord will declare to, “I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” In His name, these same folks prophesied, cast out demons, and did many wonders. (Matthew 7:22-23)
If we believe someone is following a false doctrine, it is not loving to let them be led astray. “Beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Jesus spoke these words and on more than this one occasion warned us of the dangers. Paul was dedicated to warning fellow believers about false doctrines and to not be carried away as children “tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men…” (Ephesians 4:14)
Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-5)
I just cannot grasp how we love our neighbor by turning our backs when the wolves may be carrying them away. And I’m saying this to you, too. If you think I am being led astray, then get your Bible out and show me who God is; because that is the most important thing, to serve the One True God. I can have faith in anything, but if I don’t have faith in the true God, I have nothing.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Are We Making Fat Souls?
As I walk into the house after lunch, I see the madness around me. It doesn’t take long with even a mere family of five for the order to start slipping away. (And it doesn’t matter how small the members of the family are.) But this morning we skipped chore time and spent our time at a local nature park with friends.
As I begin to straighten up the living room while the little ones play on the front porch, I am reminded of a recent post from a fellow blogger where she remembers the time when her goal was to at least maintain one room at a time. I decide today that is a good idea and try to clear the small amount of clutter around me. As I finish, I hear the baby stir and go to answer her call.
As I sit down to nurse her, JJ decides to reach for a book off the bookshelf…the middle book…out of a stack of books. Despite my efforts to verbally coach him on how to get it down…this happens.
I tell him it’s OK and I’ll help him clean it up in a minute. I reach for my smartphone to see what the rest of the world is up to and read Amy’s Homeschooling with a Purpose post for today.
As I’m reading I do what she says and I look around and what do I see? A very messy kitchen, a pile of books on the floor, and two little ones each pretending to read a book. All this while nursing this sweet little baby. And I get it for a moment… “If you spend your day striving for a home that looks devoid of family life, you will quickly find yourself devoid of family life.” ~ Amy
This is part of the lessons I’ve been learning lately. My home could be clean right now…but my children would not have been able to spend the morning enjoying the beauty of God’s creation with the fellowship of dear friends.
While I definitely believe order has it’s place, sometimes it’s better to just live and let go because… “Fat souls are better than clean floors.” (Rachel Jankovic)
“Seeking order in your home should never be about appearances because the Lord looks on the heart of your home and cares nothing for your tidy facade.” ~ Raising Arrows
As I begin to straighten up the living room while the little ones play on the front porch, I am reminded of a recent post from a fellow blogger where she remembers the time when her goal was to at least maintain one room at a time. I decide today that is a good idea and try to clear the small amount of clutter around me. As I finish, I hear the baby stir and go to answer her call.
As I sit down to nurse her, JJ decides to reach for a book off the bookshelf…the middle book…out of a stack of books. Despite my efforts to verbally coach him on how to get it down…this happens.
I tell him it’s OK and I’ll help him clean it up in a minute. I reach for my smartphone to see what the rest of the world is up to and read Amy’s Homeschooling with a Purpose post for today.
As I’m reading I do what she says and I look around and what do I see? A very messy kitchen, a pile of books on the floor, and two little ones each pretending to read a book. All this while nursing this sweet little baby. And I get it for a moment… “If you spend your day striving for a home that looks devoid of family life, you will quickly find yourself devoid of family life.” ~ Amy
This is part of the lessons I’ve been learning lately. My home could be clean right now…but my children would not have been able to spend the morning enjoying the beauty of God’s creation with the fellowship of dear friends.
While I definitely believe order has it’s place, sometimes it’s better to just live and let go because… “Fat souls are better than clean floors.” (Rachel Jankovic)
“Seeking order in your home should never be about appearances because the Lord looks on the heart of your home and cares nothing for your tidy facade.” ~ Raising Arrows
Monday, May 9, 2011
Looking for Commitment
As summer nears and I recover from child birth, my mind weighs with what I should be doing…but can’t quite find the motivation. Last year at this time, I was preparing for the CASA 8K and my Saturday mornings were spent on the road. Now, I spend my Saturday mornings sleeping in and most days are spent guzzling and engorging sugar and caffeine.
I will say nothing touching, funny, or even very interesting. This is my attempt to put it out there. I gained a lot of weight with Ms. Anna. I’ve lost thirty and have around twenty more pounds to go. I want to be healthy…I just can’t find the motivation.
I need to be held accountable. I need to be pushed. I need a deadline. Who is willing to help me? Whether you are or not…
I will make a commitment today…no more sodas or sweet tea and no more sweets…until I get control! That is hard to say for me because honestly, I don’t want to do it.
I will say nothing touching, funny, or even very interesting. This is my attempt to put it out there. I gained a lot of weight with Ms. Anna. I’ve lost thirty and have around twenty more pounds to go. I want to be healthy…I just can’t find the motivation.
I need to be held accountable. I need to be pushed. I need a deadline. Who is willing to help me? Whether you are or not…
I will make a commitment today…no more sodas or sweet tea and no more sweets…until I get control! That is hard to say for me because honestly, I don’t want to do it.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Sweeter Side of Life
Dear Friends,
I must let you know…it’s not always this bad. Since I was a small child, I have followed the same pattern. When I am sad, I write. When I am mad, I write. My journals are quite depressing. It is how I release my emotions.
The truth is this.... I have an amazingly helpful and supportive husband and three beautiful children. I serve an amazing God who has providentially placed amazing people in my life. So amazing that they made this walk a lot easier than the previous one. Many of you that have emailed me and messaged me only know me through the blog…you don’t see my silly antics and pictures on facebook. You don’t get to see me pushing my kids in swings and taking picnics and going fishing. You don’t get to see me when I do enjoy life…because then I’m too busy enjoying it and I don’t want to stop and write. I’ve received enough concerned response…I felt like I should let everyone know some things.
The truth is the first two or three weeks after I had my precious Anna, I didn’t cook a dinner because my sisters in Christ provided them for me. The truth is those same sisters have allowed me to borrow or offered their daughters to come allow me to rest. The support has been incredible and I praise God for His provision through them.
But, my previous two personal posts are still a reality. Hormonal things happen to many of us in varying degrees. I do have days when I am sad…but I also have very enjoyable days. Postpartum blues are a very strange thing to me. It is overwhelming at times when my little angel nurses that I am overtaken with sadness, tiredness, and nausea all at the same time. But praise God again! I have a dear friend that experiences the same thing and we can support each other.
I also believe it is a reality that having a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn…is HARD! And top that with postpartum blues and there is surely going to be tears. Wait, take away the postpartum blues and there is going to be tears! Especially, when there is intentional parenting involved.
So, friends, those who know me personally and those who don’t, thank you so much for your prayers and please keep praying…I need them. I’m sure many of your prayers were God’s means to make my days enjoyable.
Much love to you today!
I must let you know…it’s not always this bad. Since I was a small child, I have followed the same pattern. When I am sad, I write. When I am mad, I write. My journals are quite depressing. It is how I release my emotions.
The truth is this.... I have an amazingly helpful and supportive husband and three beautiful children. I serve an amazing God who has providentially placed amazing people in my life. So amazing that they made this walk a lot easier than the previous one. Many of you that have emailed me and messaged me only know me through the blog…you don’t see my silly antics and pictures on facebook. You don’t get to see me pushing my kids in swings and taking picnics and going fishing. You don’t get to see me when I do enjoy life…because then I’m too busy enjoying it and I don’t want to stop and write. I’ve received enough concerned response…I felt like I should let everyone know some things.
The truth is the first two or three weeks after I had my precious Anna, I didn’t cook a dinner because my sisters in Christ provided them for me. The truth is those same sisters have allowed me to borrow or offered their daughters to come allow me to rest. The support has been incredible and I praise God for His provision through them.
But, my previous two personal posts are still a reality. Hormonal things happen to many of us in varying degrees. I do have days when I am sad…but I also have very enjoyable days. Postpartum blues are a very strange thing to me. It is overwhelming at times when my little angel nurses that I am overtaken with sadness, tiredness, and nausea all at the same time. But praise God again! I have a dear friend that experiences the same thing and we can support each other.
I also believe it is a reality that having a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn…is HARD! And top that with postpartum blues and there is surely going to be tears. Wait, take away the postpartum blues and there is going to be tears! Especially, when there is intentional parenting involved.
So, friends, those who know me personally and those who don’t, thank you so much for your prayers and please keep praying…I need them. I’m sure many of your prayers were God’s means to make my days enjoyable.
Much love to you today!
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