Faithful to the end

So I was reading about a guy the other day and it struck me in a way it hadn't before. You may know of him or even read about him yourself, but this dude is like no other. First of all he wore a leather belt, not that it is strange in our day for a man to sport such a belt, but when he lived I am assuming everyone else was wearing rope belts which is why a leather one was so strange. Not only that but here he is(i imagine him sitting on a rock out in the desert) dipping locust into some wild honey and eating it! Just like I would with a bag of chips and dip. Pretty sure locust and honey weren't on any sort of normal menu in those days. This guy was far from "normal." Yet all this set aside and that is not the wierdest part of this man. The strangest thing about him is that.....HE HAD FOLLOWERS!! And I'm not talking just a few friends that hung out with him. This dude was popular! Most of you know I'm talking about John the Baptist, and here is what struck me the other day; Ch. 3:27 says A person cannot recieve one thing unless it is given to him from heaven. We've heard it before I know, but if you look earlier in the chapter This guys followers were leaving him. They were crossing the river to be with the new dude on the other side. One of his friends asks of him "dude, what are you gonna do, your friends are leaving you!" And John simply has an attitude of Thanks! His whole purpose in life was to point others to Christ and that is exactly what he did! I am pretty sure my heart would've revealed my selfishness and jealousy. Not John! Just a heart of simple obedience and surrender. John was later put in prison and beheaded, I can only imagine that by this time all his followers had deserted him, and yet he was faithful to the end!!!

Things I never want to run out of ........again!

Sunny skies on a camping trip

T.P. in a public stall

Gas in the car headed.......anywhere

A good hardy laugh

Marshmallows at a cookout

Air in the air mattress while you sleep

Money at a restauraunt after you've eaten

Time with my main man

Propane when the burgers are only half done

Water in the swimming pool

Stool softeners right after having a kid

Ink, mid-letter

Good memories

Wet wipes during a diaper change

Milk when you just bought the GOOD cereal

Air to the lungs while exercising

Toothpaste first thing in the morning

Laundry soap when my closet is empty

Solution for the contacts

Energy before three in the afternoon

Tears when I still feel like crying

Electricity right after going to the grocery

A good book to read

A cool breeze while laying in the hammock

A hammock

What's in your heeaad, in your heeaad??

I think I’m having a mid life crisis and if my math is right that means I only live to be 70 and that seems WAY too long to go on in my current state! (Is that a run-on, because it sounds like it in my head)? My oldest daughter and I can sit and have adult conversation, which for her doesn’t seem a big deal, but I can picture her barely up to my knee, stitches on her eyebrow and in her raspy little voice telling me “Scar do that!” Paige can bake like nobody’s business which is all well and good till I envision her with beetles crawling all over each hand (all of whom were named angel) and telling Little Sal that “It’s ok, they don’t bite they just tickle!” Jamin is so extremely gentle with his little brother and yet everyday I see him banging, shooting, or lightsabering some imaginary villain in the back yard! Is it possible that I have been married to my hunk of studliness for almost half of my life? Life goes way too fast and yet there are times when I can’t wait to hear the trumpets!! And both of those feelings can happen within a minute of each other! Lots of good things happening and I don't want to miss a single one! I need a nap!

Plastic flowers

My husband bought me flowers the other day! Now it isn’t what you are thinking. It wasn’t living and didn’t smell, but it was my favorite flower non-the-less, and here’s why.
Jack and I often talk about how my tastes change from day to day. And just about the time I convince him to start liking something, like camping, or eating at Subway, I don’t like it anymore. (Now please cut me some slack, I am not TRYING to be disagreeable, or make things complicated, my tastes just change sometimes). Anyway, the other day he brought me my favorite flower. A daisy, on a water bottle! Now I must confess, the daisy is not my favorite flower to look at anymore (I now enjoy calla lilies), but this was my favorite for other reasons! The daisy is the first flower he ever gave to me, and not just one, but a whole bed full of them! That was a very good day. In fact, those daisies are still in a box in the attic! Another reason the daisy is my favorite is because they are also the flower I chose for our wedding. Not as timeless as a rose or as charming as a carnation, but just simple, clean, white daisies. The third reason I love my daisy is because it was so unexpected! I knew he was thinking of me, and for that reason the daisy will always be my favorite, no matter if it isn’t.

"Working mom??"

Props to all you working moms! I honestly don’t know how you do it! I was at the sink the other day after a rather long day wondering what I was going to do for dinner. I was tired, emotional, and honestly not feeling like doing anything! Then my mind began to think of all those moms out there who work all day, come home and still get the house cleaned and the kids cared for AND dinner! Amazing to me! You are my heroes!
Recently it has been suggested that I get a job.(suggested not by my husband, if that were the case there would be no thought.) Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about that. (Thus my thoughts at the sink)
First thought, my skills are so very lacking! I went to college to marry my hunk of studliness and found him the first year! I followed him to Liberty and took classes that I enjoyed like sign language(and were easy). Not to mention my brain only works on a short term basis, so all that I learned for the tests have now escaped my mind! Therefore I have no education degree or ANY degree for that matter to “fall back on”.
Where in the world could I work to earn even half enough to pay for child care? I do have a nine month old and I am pretty particular about his care! Sure I could work the grocery, but between gas and babysitter- there goes my paycheck!
Jack and I talked before ever getting married that we wanted me home for our children. No babysitters or day care, just mom home for whenever and whatever they needed! We knew that would not always be easy and sure we don’t live like most, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything! I did have a job after the three oldest were in school and before the fourth came along, but even then, I left after they did and was always home before they were! That is just the way we chose to do it!
So I am left wondering, is this just my selfishness rationalizing or justifying in my head? Am I being less of a mom because I don’t work? Am I cheating my family of some “extras”? Am I taking full advantage of being at home? Am I too comfortable where I am? Many question for me to think about and I definitely will. But while I think and even change some things, I will continue my “work” at home, in the home.

During my walks for the past month or so I have been going through the alphabet and meditating on the characters and attributes of God, trying to think about only one that stands out on any given day. The other day as I was nearing the end of the alphabet, I was thinking about the letter X and something that went along with it.” eXtreme” is what I came up with. The more I thought about it, the more eXtreme I realized my God is!
He is the first and the Last.
He is beginning and the end.
He kills and brings to life.
He is the king of kings and the servant of all.
He is Love and a God of wrath.
He makes poor and he makes rich.
He brings low and exalts.
He is close and yet unreachable.
He is written in creation and yet unfathomable.
He is humble, yet jealous.
He is meek and He is mighty.
He is obedient and the maker of the rules.
He takes vengeance and is the giver of grace.
He knows all yet knew no sin.
He is the forgiver of all yet never needs forgiveness.

I am certain that this list is not exhaustive and I will spend many days pondering the eXtremeness of my God. But no matter how eXtreme He is, I am sure that no one is like Him! No one measures up! My God is eXtreme!!!

seeing all the way to hell

Part of my quiet time has been from the book of John. I was reading the other day the story of the blind man whom Jesus healed. You know, the one where the religious leaders got upset with Jesus for healing someone. (I know they got upset at everything he did, but bear with me.)Everyone accused the man of deserving his disability because naturally the man was in sin or maybe it was the sin of his parents. The man was born blind. Never able to see. I wonder at what age did his parents kick him out? How long had he been on the streets alone? Did he have any relationship with his parents at all? The Bible doesn't always fill in the details, but as I was reading these thoughts are going through my mind. What makes a parent dismiss their child? What makes a parent leave their child in the hands of the accusing Jews?
Then the good news came. I got to verse 35 and it jumped out at me. God pursues us!!
Jesus heals the man. Job done right? Not even close for our Great God! Healing the physical is not the important thing for him. Vs. 35 says Jesus HEARD that they (the Jews) cast him out, and HAVING FOUND him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
Jesus HEARD, CARED, and SOUGHT the man out to gain his soul! So why do I think doing the bear minimum is enough? How many blind am I "healing" without reaching their soul for Christ!!