Volcanic Eruption

Life sure has been busy lately. As we come to the end of another school year, a common phrase I hear is, "we're winding down to the last day of school." Really? We're "winding down?" I would say it's more like a "volcanic eruption" of mass chaos as the school year comes to an end. Kiley has a "State Float" due, a huge project that seems like a bit much for each 5th grader and Makenna has a report due. STAR testing has finally ended, so running to the store for healthy snacks for the entire class is done. However, there is still much to be done, "Intent to Return" forms have to be turned in to the school, then if the answer is "yes," you have to fill out a long form on the type of learning environment is best for your child so they are placed in the right class the following year (can't they just look at all the previous forms I've filled out?), there are supplies to buy for end-of-the-year parties and the list goes on and on. We continue on this crazy path until we finally hit the wall of the last day of school. So, forgive me if I don't feel like I'm "winding down" from the school year. I'll officially wind down once a year's worth of school work has been sifted through and filed in either the "memory box" or the trash, the backpacks and lunch boxes are washed and put away and I go to bed without setting the alarm for another crazy morning of getting the girls out the door for school. Until then, I'll go with the flow of the volcanic eruption.

Standing Up for What's Right!

Pastor Jeff completed the last of a 6 week series on world religions today. I think I've learned more in the last 6 weeks on other religions than I've learned in my entire lifetime! One of the things that I LOVE about Jeff is that he is so PASSIONATE about speaking Truth, that nothing holds him back from preaching what might be difficult for people to hear. In a nutshell, he doesn't hold back out of fear of offending someone. Whatever God puts on his heart, he preaches it. He's not afraid to take risks because he believes God wants His message heard and he'll stop at nothing to preach it how it is.

Today he wrapped up the second Sunday spent on Islam. There was so much information that I went to the service twice just to get it all and digest it all. So much of it sticks with me, but one important point really made an impact on me. Jeff was preaching about the difference between Radical Muslims and Moderate Muslims. Although the majority of Muslims are moderates, society tends to believe most Muslims are radicals. But, here's the key point that really hit me, Jeff put the shame on the moderates for not standing up to the radicals, after all, they are a very small population of the Muslims. Then, Jeff compared that to Christians. He pointed out that we have become so passive that we are allowing American society to silence our voices. We are a country founded on Christian beliefs yet (how appropriate for Memorial Day weekend) we are sitting silently as prayer is taken out of schools, God can't be mentioned in public arenas and the list goes on. Christians should be standing up for ourselves. Christ never backed down when He walked this earth. He preached Truth all the way to the cross.

As I pondered this all day, I began thinking about all the times I've backed down from issues because it just wasn't worth the fight. When did that become okay? Would I not stand up for Christ because it's not worth the fight? Never! So, I took this theory and applied it to other areas of my life. Should I sit silently and let my daughters' school teach them about evolution and immoral values? Absolutely not! If I don't stand up for them, who will? This got me thinking about gang activity. There are always witnesses to crimes caused by gangs, but people are so afraid to stand up and tell the truth that their silence is giving permission for gang members to continue their criminal behavior. It shouldn't be this way! After all, the gang population is much smaller than the rest of the community. If the community would just say "ENOUGH," they could put the gangs out of business. The problem is that no one wants to be that first voice. I'd be willing to bet that if one or two people stood up and said, "no more, we will not take this anymore," more and more community members would join them. It's the whole "Pack Mentality." People are too afraid to go against the group, even if they know the group is wrong because they are scared.

So, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this. After all, I started this post with a sermon on Islam and now I'm talking about gangs. My point is this, I am just as much to blame for the silencing of Christians if I don't do anything to stop it. God calls me to stand up for what is true. This is something that I have always struggled with. It's just been in the past year that I've learned to stand up and speak and not sit back and be comfortable while wrong goes on around me. The funny thing is that by doing this and not allowing fear to stop me, I've finally learned how to live in true happiness. Standing up for what is right and true, even if it's unpopular, keeps me from holding in my true feelings which leads to frustration.

I have learned this first hand. I recently stood up to a person in power because that person was being destructive. As I began to slowly voice my concerns, people began to get behind me and encourage me. But, when it came time to stand up in a more "public setting," the people that were with me, began to slowly sit down because they didn't have the courage to do what they knew was right. It was much easier and comfortable for them to stay quiet and not "ruffle any feathers." God did not put me on this earth to "go with the flow" in times of trial. He put me on this earth to preach His Word and advance His Kingdom. If that means I have to stand alone and fight a Goliath, then I will because I've got God on my side and He is bigger and stronger than anything! Praise God for that!

Advancing the Journey.....Mother's Day

My Mother's Day post is about a week late, but a busy week prevented me from getting to this earlier....such is life! This was no ordinary Mother's Day for me as nothing about the day was remotely similar to past Mother's Days. Unfortunately John had to work that day, but fortunately he didn't have to go to work until after church. For the past 5 years or so, John, the girls and I have met my parents and sister and her family for lunch after church on Mother's Day. I was sad that John wasn't going to be able to join us this year, but at least I would get to see the rest of the family. Just days before Mother's Day, I found out that my parents and sister's family made separate plans and Mother's Day began to feel like "Anti-Mother's Day" without my husband home and my mom and sister away. John (who felt absolutely terrible that he had to work, even though it was out of his control), decided to add a little cheer to my disintegrating day and got me my new puppy, Roxy (introduced in my previous post). Also, my parents decided to join us for church in the morning before heading out to meet up with my sister. I was VERY excited for them to finally experience our new church that we're always raving about. FYI, they loved it too. Later in the day, my "adopted brother" Bill took me for coffee, so Mother's Day turned out okay after all, different, but okay. :)


Often (and especially at Mother's Day), I think about the mothering process and how I mother my children differently than how I was mothered and how someday my daughters will mother there children. I wonder what they'll take from me and continue with their children and also things that they'll change with their children because they didn't like how I did it. As I take a look at myself as a mother, I do recognize some very familiar patterns I've carried on from my mother. I expect my daughters to be respectful and don't tolerate "out-of-control" behavior. I teach them responsibility and accountability and many other things I thank my mother for teaching me. At the same time, I've also learned from "mistakes" my mother made and try to find new ways to handle those issues. Now, let me stop for a moment and make a very important statement: I know my mother did the best she knew how to do with me. I am NOT placing any blame on her, nor am I condemning her. I know I have made just as many mistakes as she did and I will continue to make mistakes. There is NO SUCH THING as the "perfect mother!" I know my daughters will look back at me and say, "I won't do that with my kids!" It's all about the process of bettering our children's' lives and learning from the past. Now, back to the point: I have chosen not to work so I can be a "hands-on mother." I was a "latch-key kid" and I know firsthand the loneliness this caused and how deeply it affected my life. John and I decided that we didn't have our children for someone else to raise. Again, let me say, I am NOT condemning working mothers, this was the choice we made because it works for us. Also, we have the unique situation that John works very odd hours and if I worked, we would hardly see each other and parent the children together. Another thing I do differently is that although I think the husband should be the Spiritual Leader of the house, it is just as important that our daughters see me as a strong Godly woman and active participant in teaching the girls about the beauty of a personal relationship with Jesus. I could go on forever, but my purpose in sharing this is that it's so exciting to see the "motherly traditions" that continue on and the excitement I feel to someday watch my daughters be mothers just as my mother feels about her granddaughters. So....I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and that you take the time to reflect on your important role God gave you as a mother.

Introducing.......Roxy!

We proudly announce the arrival of our new dog, Roxy! She is a Poodle and Cocker Spaniel mix, also known as a "Cockapoo." She is 9 weeks old and currently weighs 3 lbs. 3 oz. and should reach an approximate size of 10-12 lbs. when she's fully grown. So some of you might be doing the math and thinking, "Are they crazy? 3 dogs!" The answer in yes, the girls and I are, John just tolerates the craziness. As you may know, we have a 5 year-old Chihuahua named Pebbles and 4 year-old Weimaraner named Shadow. I've always been a huge pet lover and I think I've always been a little sad that I wasn't able to have more children. The dogs must fill that emptiness or maybe I just love my pets. This is it though! We won't EVER have more than 3! Not to mention, I think the city only allows 3 dogs per household, although I know several people with 4.

How did we decide on a Cockapoo, you might ask? It's simple, Kiley has wanted a Pug for a long time. No one else in the family did. Her second dog of choice was a Poodle and Makenna agreed. They have a friend that had one and they always adored her. I have wanted a Cocker Spaniel for as far back as I can remember. Then one day a couple years ago, I saw a Cockapoo and thought they were adorable! As we started to think about getting another dog, this seemed like a natural choice. There's a lady that has a pet grooming business near John's work and she happened to have one and that is how Roxy came to be ours. She is the first dog we've had that doesn't have super short fur. I will have to keep her trimmed, which I'm already working on getting her used to me doing for her. The best part, because of the Poodle in her, she won't shed! Shadow and Pebbles have already taken to her (that is, as long as Pebbles still gets to be the "top dog"). We're working through potty training and the girls are very helpful. So, all are welcome to come meet Roxy.

Makenna's Last Baby Tooth

Kiley and Makenna both got their teeth early (Kiley's 1st tooth appeared at 3 months and Makenna's at 4 months) and began loosing them at a young age (both at age 4). Makenna lost her last baby tooth yesterday at 9 years and 4 months of age and beat Kiley's record by 2 months. Now, she just has to have oral surgery to remove 4 permanent teeth and then she'll be able to get her braces back on to finish up her orthodontics. The tooth fairy came last night and delivered $5 for her last baby tooth. We're already predicting she'll make another appearance for the 4 permanent teeth once they're removed.

"I'm so unworthy, but still You love me"

As usual, church was phenomenal yesterday. Pastor Jeff Vines is the most gifted preacher I've ever heard! I'm sure only Jesus Christ Himself could out-preach Jeff (lol). CCV is currently doing a series on other religions, not to bash them (in fact, Jeff has been very careful to say he does not want to offend anyone), but to compare and contrast and to ultimately lead us to TRUTH. Yesterday he preached on the history of the church in preparation for next week's sermon on Catholicism. He started his sermon with this statement, "I'm not Catholic, I'm not Protestant, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ." I LOVE that statement as it is so true and similar to what I always say, "I'm not religious, I'm a follower of Christ." I believe there are so many people out there that are "religious," but don't have a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that many churches are filled with people that call themselves Christians, but aren't saved because they are so caught up in the ritual of religion that they've completely missed the boat on what it means to live life in relationship with God. There is a HUGE difference. For those that bear much fruit and live in relationship with God, certainly know the difference. This is a hard concept for many people as it requires dying to yourself and living for Christ alone.

As I listened to Jeff preach last night, I was overwhelmed with such joy. Jeff stated that speaking Truth isn't always "politically correct." We need to be bold enough to not be PC. I am human and so completely imperfect. But, it doesn't matter, Christ took care of that on the cross and my repentant heart now knows the joy of forgiveness. Sometimes I'm overcome with shame, wondering how God could love me. All I need to do is turn to scripture and the Holy Spirit reminds me, I'm free from shame, it died at the cross. At the end of the sermon, we sang "Cannons." I love the words (thus the title of this entry),

"It's falling from the clouds
A strange and lovely sound
I hear it in the thunder and rain
It's ringing in the skies
Like cannons in the night
The music of the universe plays

You are holy great and mighty
The moon and the stars declare who You are
I'm so unworthy, but still You love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Beautiful and free
Song of Galaxies
It's reaching far beyond the milky way
Lets join in with the sound
C'mon let's sing it loud
As the music of the universe plays

All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours forever amen"