Ticked Off!!!

The last few days have been miserable, I mean MISERABLE! I have strep throat, ear infections in both ears, have thrown up in my car, and gotten two (not one but two) shots in my hips! I have not been handling this very well. Being sick makes me mad, and I don't remember ever feeling this bad.

Early one morning (3:30 a.m.) I woke Jody up and told him that I was driving myself to the Emergency Room. I could not take it anymore. He wasn't fond of my idea. In his defense I must confess that just a few hours before I was a little out of my mind and saying strange things about ducks on our front porch and dogs on our bedroom floor.....pain medicine and I don't mix!! I did what any mature 34 year old mother of 4 would do.....I stomped upstairs and cried! "I don't understand why you want me to feel this way?" Nuts I tell you!!

I am happy to report that I am much better today.....if my right ear would cooperate I would have no complaints!!!

"Family Driven Faith"

Wow! I finished this book in just over 24 hours! (You can imagine what kind of disarray my house is in right now.) Voddie Baucham, Jr. (the author) stepped on my toes and got in my face all at the same time??? After I finished the book last night I could not sleep. As soon as Jody got up this morning I was shoving it under his nose asking him if he thought he could finish it by this afternoon....no comment!

According the Voddie, "It is as though Christian parents in America have been lulled to sleep while the thief has come in to steal, kill, and destroy our children right under our noses." (see John 10:10) According to researchers, 70-88 percent of Christian teens are leaving the church by their 2nd year in college. He puts the responsibility for this crisis on the parents.....according to the Bible it is the parents job to teach, disciple, and raise up their children in the Lord....not our Christian schools, youth leaders, or Vacation Bible School teachers. "A family without a commitment to the God of the Bible has no hope of stemming the tide of cultural onslaught.....Unfortunately, this is exactly what many Christian families do. We do marriage according to Dr. Phil, raise our children according to Dr. Spock, govern our sex lives according to Dr. Ruth, and only run to Dr. Jesus when things have gotten so bad we can't find another doctor to help us." He also had so many other good points. He challenges the way we "do"church today. He encourages families to have worship time together at home in addition to prayer and Bible study. "Why is it that Christian families think nothing of a lifestyle that demands hours per week traipsing across town (ball games, gymnastics, birthday parties, etc.), blood, sweat, and tears from children, and thousands of dollars each year from our bank accounts, but the idea of a twenty-minute daily commitment to family worship immediately strikes them as too much to ask? I fear that we have lost our way..."

I am going to have to let this really sink in! I can't wait for Jody to read it.....I just prayed last night that God would open our hearts and minds to any changes we needed to make for our family! I pray that we will live boldly for His kingdom and that we will raise mighty warriors in His name who know why they believe what they believe....to the very core of their sweet little souls!!!

This Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Here are my girls, climbing a "very large" hill on our camping trip over Spring Break! As I watched them climb, I realized how different these two are.

As you can see Sydney is at the top, arms spread wide open. She "runs" through life with no fear. She is confident, she is strong. She doesn't care if her hair (or teeth) or brushed. She doesn't care about her clothes or what her peers at school think of her. But what you can't see are the scrapes and bruises on her sweet little legs. This little girl tripped, fell, slid, and accumulated more "boo-boos" on this trip than you can imagine. That is one of the things that I love about her......she doesn't live her life "scared" and doesn't take anything to seriously. She cries for a little bit, laughs, dusts herself off and moves on.

If you will notice, Carson has her head turned back toward me. I guarantee you that as she slowly made her way up the hill she was thinking, "Should I be doing this.....What if I fall?......What if I see a snake?....How am I going to get back down?" Her maturity amazes me I am so proud of her. She loves and "feels" so deeply. She thinks situations through and she desperately wants to do the right thing. She worries about what others think and wants to be the peacemaker. The morning we went for this hike she was up, dressed, teeth brushed, hair done, and ready to go before I even knew what time it was. She is cautious....there were no bruises or boo-boos on her legs?!?

Only God knows what is in store for my children! (And just in case you were curious, while they were climbing Hudson was laughing his head off peeing on the bushes...) As I think of each of their personalities and traits I am in awe of our Creator. What an awesome God! He created each of us so different, according to His "grand design". I pray so often that He will help me see what He desires for each of them. He has given them to me for such a short period of time, I want to foster and encourage them in accordance with His plan!

Certain songs just hit me the right way! I have a few "favorites" that I can listen to over and over again. I have found a new one to add to my list, "Legacy" by Nicole Nordeman. This one has advanced quickly to the top of my list. These words pierced my heart.....

"I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one."

Smiling

"How often do you smile at your children? Occasionally? When they please you? Or do they bask in the warmth of your continual smiles? Smiling at your children will change the atmosphere of your home. It will change the attitude and behavior of your children."

Nancy Campbell
"Above Rubies"

"The Right Stuff"

I was walking on the treadmill this morning watching the Today Show. And low and behold, guess what, New Kids on the Block is making a come back! I have to say, I felt a twinge of excitement. I was 15 years old all over again! I actually wondered if there was anyway I could retain my dignity and buy a ticket for their comeback tour.....I'm not kidding!!