Influenced January 31, 2009

I have been blessed to have a couple of different women in my life during different seasons.  These women were always older than me and were ladies that I admired for many reasons but particularly for how they let Christ shine through them.  They each played an important role in my life as a mentor.

Something I have realized from my own life is that as much as my mom modeled amazing things for me there were times that she couldn’t speak into my life, because I wasn’t listening.  However I know she prayed for me to be receptive to other wise, Christian people and allow them to speak into my life.  Her prayers were answered and I am now praying the same thing for my children.

The arrangements were different each time, but basically I asked these amazing ladies if they would meet with me a couple of times each month to listen to me, pray with me, challenge me and guide me as a woman, follower of Christ and eventually as a wife and mother.  These ladies are precious to me.

These were relationships that I sought out.  Some of them were through mentoring programs at church but a couple of them were just godly women that stood out and I really wanted them to teach me and I hoped they would rub off on me.  The life lessons and nuggets of wisdom they passed on to me are priceless.

I don’t have a particular person currently to fill that role.  I wish I did, but it just has not happened at the moment.  But what is neat is that in the blogworld I have found a couple of women that through their blogs I am gleaning amazing truths.  I look forward each day to see what Robin has to say or what she may surprise me with.  Sometimes I find a neat fun activity to do with my boys and other days I have to sit down and journal over what she shares and where it takes me in my own journey with the Lord.  I love it and I feel like she is sharing a bit of her wisdom, love for life and joy with me to help me become a better me.

This morning I think I discovered a new cherished, wise friend.  She has no idea I exist but I am so excited to add her blog to my bloglines feed.  I know her name is Cyndi and she has an amazing story of forgiveness, redemption and friendship that you can read here.  I was so inspired by her thoughts here.  She is a mom of 6 boys!  Wow!

I am so blessed to learn from and love these ladies from afar.  I only hope someday I can have the same amazing influence on at least the people near me and maybe afar.

Surprise! January 30, 2009

I saw an article on the MSN home page about a lady in California this week that gave birth to octuplets. As if that wasn’t overwhelming enough; during the birth, she had a bit of a surprise! Check this out!

The woman and her doctors were actually expecting seven children, not eight. The delivery team was thinking the hard work was over after that seventh baby was removed from the womb, when another physician spotted another little hand, Maples said.
The mother reacted calmly to the news, said Dr. Jalil Riazi, an anesthesiologist. “Her question was, ‘Really, an eighth baby? How did we miss that baby?'” he said.

Can you imagine?!? I think I get overwhelmed!

Remember who you are January 28, 2009

This is what I have been chewing on today.  I was challenged by this  from the Beth Moore Bible study on Esther.  I hope somebody else can appreciate this today:)  It is referring to the Jewish people receiving word that Haman (a Persian leader) put into play a law that all the Jews would be killed and annihilated on a certain day in 11 months.  They heard word of this on the beginning day of their Passover

“The story of God’s merciful redemption gave those who were willing a hope against hope.  Could He who had delivered them from the Egyptians not also deliver them from the Persians?

You bet He can, Beloved.  He who delivered you from drugs can deliver you from distraction.  He who delivered you from bankruptcy can deliver you from bingeing, He who delivered you from infertility can deliver you from inconsistency.  He who delivered you from the fire can deliver you from fear.

Sometimes God uses the winds of a new threat to blow the dust off a past miracle that has moved from our active file into the archives.  Remember, Beloved!  Remember what God has done for you!  Rehearse the story again.

Find someone this week to retell it to.  Dear One, He who delivered you from a Pharaoh can deliver you from any Haman.  Remember who you are.”

He has done so much for us and sometimes I have to look back to hang on through the winds of today.  Just thinking out loud I guess:)

Love to you!
E

Wrestlemania January 27, 2009

I love being the mom of three boys.  So much testosterone.  Lots of fighting, wrestling… here is an excerpt from this afternoon:)  I wish you could have experienced the full show.  Eli has some mad ninja skills.  The kid does not seem to fear pain or consequence:)

Take the risk January 26, 2009

You know how sometimes a world vision commercial will come on the tv and you change the station b/c you just can’t watch it? At least that is what I do. I used to hate watching tv when I would nurse during the middle of the night b/c those commercials would always be on and I would end up bawling.   It strikes a nerve and hurts too much to watch b/c I feel like there is nothing I can do.  I am really, really prone to do that.  Because I internalize those pictures and stories and think about them for days, weeks.

I saw this on Whittaker Woman’s blog and my first response was to skip it.  But I made myself watch it.  Sometimes pain and feeling uncomfortable is good.  It changes my perspective, makes me stop complaining and in helplessness makes me ask the Father “What do you want me to do?  What do you want me to do with this?”.

Now I don’t have the answer…. yet.  But it is good for me to feel just a little bit of the pain my Father God feels when He sees the helpless suffer.  And I am supposed to be His hands and feet.  What does that look like exactly?  I am not sure, but if I don’t keep reminding myself that there are people that tangibly need to feel His provision…

Then I will forget and be content to sit and read blogs and eat ice cream and drink Starbucks with my friends and sit fat and happy in my nice little picture perfect life WHILE CHILDREN ARE ORPHANED AND BABIES STARVE TO DEATH.

So give me a break.  I didn’t want to watch it either.  Take the risk and FEEL so maybe God can use it in your life.  He may have something He wants you to do for Him, but you can’t hear Him until you let yourself FEEL a little! Sorry for the rant, but I had to give myself that pep talk before I was brave enough to watch it. Thought you might need it too:) Love you, really!

Tada!!! January 23, 2009

Eli was supposed to be going to sleep.  But after 20 minutes or so he came down stairs and said, “Tada!”

Apparently he found the terrycloth headband and wristbands that Mark wore as part of a costume recently.  You never know what he is going to come up with:)

Great spot January 22, 2009

When we go to Target (which is dangerous) I like to park to the right of the store along the side.  And since I have three young children I always pray for a spot close to the door.  It is getting better as my boys are bigger now, but when they were littler I would get so excited when a spot close to the door was open.  It meant I didn’t have to lug the baby so far or try to keep the toddlers from running into the parking lot.  You understand right?

Apparently I commented on this and prayed parking lot prayers out loud more often then I realized.  So the other day we pulled into the Target parking lot and a spot on the side was open, only two spots from the door.  I didn’t say anything about it but as I was unhooking Eli and helping him climb out of his carseat he said, “Mommy, God pushed the other cars out of the way so we could get a good spot!  That’s great!  Right, Mommy?”

Isn’t that sweet?  It is so great when in whatever manner our little ones let us know that something we are trying to teach them about the Lord, our faith, His goodness is actually sinking in and sticking.:)

A Real Snow Day! January 21, 2009

There is no other call I want to receive at 5 am other than the school calling to say that there is no school due to snow!!!

Our front yard at the end of the day, melting occurred

McCall was absolutely beside himself.  The boys had so, so much fun playing in the snow.  A little over an inch of snow fell in our yard today.  I scrounged up as many warm clothes as I could and we all went out to play.  We built a snowman, had a snowball fight and then came inside for hot chocolate.  They all went out two more times throughout the day.  McCall stayed outside pretty much the entire day.

Me and the boys in our ragamuffin snow outfits

Tiny snowman, but carrot nose and button eyes and mouth!

Eli was very disappointed that our Frosty did not come to life!

I had two snow outfits for McCall and I would make him come inside and change outfits, then I would stick the wet one in the dryer.  Then I would call him back in, make him eat and drink something, put on dry, warm clothes again and he would head back out.  He was outside, other than a quick lunch and the clothes changes from about 9:30am until about 4:30pm.  The kiddo was excited about some snow!  Thankfully over the past year my sister and some friends passed some great snow jackets down to us that have been buried in the back of the closet until today.  Unfortunately McCall was the one most lacking in proper attire, but he didn’t seem to mind:)

These footie pjs are our new fav! I can't get enough of them, so cute!!

We had the fire going most of the day, drank lots of hot chocolate and just enjoyed a lovely, lazy, snowy day.  McCall just kept saying, “Thank you God, thank you God!”.  I say, “Ditto!”.

Family Night, Snow Night! January 20, 2009

Our family night this week was Snow Night!  McCall desperately wants to experience snow.  He mentions it at least once a day.  So we tried to create a little of our own chilly excitement.  It turned out to be so fun!

We made our own snowmen out of marshmallows, pretzels and raisins while Mark and I prepared dinner.  (I love easy Sam’s rotisserie chicken and the boys gobble it up.  Do you ever get tired of making time-consuming meals and then fighting with them to eat it when if I really just rotated chicken, tacos and pizza they would eat without arguing?  Oh well! I digress…)

Haig's snowman creation

After dinner we made fan-tastic snowflakes.  Easiest way ever.  I found this fun and easy craft here.  We talked about how God makes each snowflake unique just like we are all made special and unique.  No snowflake is alike, just like no person is like another.  We looked at our own fingerprints using ink and paper and then we read parts of Psalm 139.  Now don’t think this was easy.  We had to have a major mommy speech midway through about how part of family night is learning just as much as crafts and yummies.  If they can sit still at school they can sit still for 10 minutes and listen to me:)

We read some fun “Snow” books that McCall brought home from school and then for the finale we ate Baked Snowballs.  These were so easy, fun and a hit.  They really were yummy and we will have to do them again!

Maybe our snow night actually brought the cold weather?  I so hope it snows tomorrow.  I am tempted to keep McCall home from school just so I can see him experience snow:)

You can check out more fun family nights on Heather’s blog too.

A Well-Deserved Thank You January 19, 2009

I am not a pastor’s wife but I have a few close friends that are, as well as my sister.  So through observing their lives, schedules and hearing their experiences I have come to the conclusion that they deserve a lot more praise and credit than they often get.  I wanted to give a shout out and a big thank you for all the sacrifices they make and all the things they make possible that are never recognized or appreciated.

Thank you for making it to church each week, usually early, without your husband’s help with the kids (b/c he is already at church).

Thank you for making it through the 15 minute melt-down that inevitably happens to all of us as we try to get out the door and into the car to get to church, without help from your husband.

Thank you for making it into the church from the parking lot, especially on cold and rainy days, still smiling and greeting everyone that wants to say hi and comment on your children because you are the pastor’s wife, and checking the children into the nursery, without help from your husband.

Thank you for sitting by yourself at each service while you feel everyone watching your every move.

Thank you for smiling and focusing and being supportive through each message, despite the fact that you are trying not to critique and think of all the ways “supportive” church members may criticize and over analyze your husband’s message.

Thank you for rounding up the kids, taking them home and feeding them lunch, while most likely your husband greets and speaks with church members, puts out fires and then maybe, hopefully makes it home for you to heat up the lunch that you and the kids ate a long time before.

Thank you for all the late nights you waited up for your husband, all the times you tried not to roll your eyes when the phone rang again in the middle of dinner or date night and the many, many times you bit your tongue when well-meaning church members criticized your husband and the church in the name of their blessed opinion.

I really, very honestly am saying thank you.  You are amazing and your husbands would not be what they are and the ministries they serve would not be as effective without you and all you sacrifice and do.  YOU are my hero!