Before I tell the story the title eludes to, let me digress and tell about the conference I went to last weekend.
I went to an Extraordinary Women conference. I heard Chonda Pierce (too funny!!!), Angela Thomas, Karen Kingsbury, and Thelma Wells. I heard concerts by Avalon and Mark Schultz. There was worship, praise, worship, and more praise. It was awesome! If you ever get a chance to go to one of these conferences, please try to go. You won't regret it. They will start touring again in the spring, and as a matter of fact, I am making plans to go to the one in Birmingham with Steven's wife. She of all people will need this time of refreshing. I am already looking forward to it. I would love to hear from any of you that have been to one of these conferences or might want to go to one in the future. There were over 3,000 women there praising the Lord together!
Now for a funny, yet embarrassing, story about what happened in the cafeteria at my son's school on Tuesday. It involves my son, a veteran, and blueberry juice.
To celebrate Veteran's Day, the school invited any parents or grandparents that had served in the military or were currently serving to come speak to their child's class and then stay for lunch. There was a flag parade, and it was just going to be a really nice day.
There was a mom there (I later found out she is being deployed to Iraq in May), and unfortunately she had the task of sitting a couple of chairs down from my son during lunch. As far as I can tell, lunch was fine and then clean-up began. My son apparently crams all his trash down into his milk jug. You know, to make it easier and quicker to walk by the trash can and just throw one item in instead of several small items. Well, on this day it backfired, literally. In the process of him cramming things down into his milk jug, he also had his milk jug in the bowl of blueberries (which he had not eaten). The side of the blueberry bowl burst open and blueberry juice went flying. Yep, right onto veteran-mom herself. The teacher's words were this: "I didn't see it happen, but I saw the aftermath." Oooohhh, that doesn't sound good. She said it was in her hair, on her clothes, and on the floor on the opposite side of the table.
What kind of punishment do you enforce when your son has sprayed a member of today's military with blueberry juice?
Well, he spent a couple of hours in his room (he's used to this), and then he wrote her an "I'm Sorry note" (he's not used to this). I helped him with sentence structure, etc., but he had to come up with the words all himself. I wanted it to be sincere.
This is what his note said:
I'm sorry for getting blueberry juice on you. I should not have been playing with my food. I am willing to help pay for the cleaning of your clothes.
Please forgive me.
We prayed over this note and for the woman he had "offended." I wanted him to learn that he must take responsibility for his actions, no matter if it was truly an accident or not.
We have not heard back from the lady, and last night my son asked me if I thought she would write him back. I said I didn't know. Secretly, I wish she would. I wish she would acknowledge his apology. But even if she does not, I rest a little easier thinking I used this Veteran's Day and some blueberry juice to teach a 7-year-old a little lesson in humility and forgiveness.
P.S. If you have not packed your shoebox yet, get busy! Next week is Collection Week! To find a dropoff location near you, check out their website.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
"Group"
I am going to see Chonda tonight at an "Extraordinary Women" conference. I simply cannot wait! I was watching some excerpts on You Tube and came across this video and just had to share it.
Love you guys and I hope you enjoyed this video!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
One Undecided Voter At a Time
For several weeks if Brad or I asked our 3-year-old daughter who she would vote for, she would reply, "Barack Obama."
The other night, completely out of the blue, she walks into the kitchen where her Daddy was and said, "Okay Daddy, I will vote for John McCain."
I'm thinking about sneaking her into the voting booth with me.
The other night, completely out of the blue, she walks into the kitchen where her Daddy was and said, "Okay Daddy, I will vote for John McCain."
I'm thinking about sneaking her into the voting booth with me.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Our Weekend
We were out of town this weekend. Went to Alabama to see Brad's parents. It is getting easier to make the trip now that our daughter is getting older. I never enjoyed traveling with a screaming baby. There's few things in this life that are worse than that.
While we were there, we got to see alot of cousins that we don't normally see. We went to lunch with about 20 family members to celebrate the birthday of one of Brad's cousins. It was nice except we went to a Chinese restaurant and Chinese food is my least favorite. I didn't complain though - I was just glad to be there!
We got to see Steven's wife and daughter (Steven is in prison, remember?). They came over to my mother-in-law's Saturday afternoon and visited and stayed for dinner. They seem to be doing pretty well. We didn't talk about Steven that much, although he was mentioned several times of course. Apparently he has hit the wall of "God let this happen to me, and I'm mad as hell about it." His wife is worried because the last letter he wrote was full of curse words and that is sooo unlike him. I suppose this is just a stage he has to go through. Their daughter turns 6 today, the first birthday her Daddy will not be there. I'm sure it was a hard day for all of them.
Brad is still waiting to hear about the job he interviewed for. Friday will be a month since he interviewed, and the man told him it would be a month before he made a decision. So we're just waiting. Waiting. Waiting. That's all we've done the last few months it seems. Wait on God. Wait on man. Wait on God some more.
I am praising God that my husband has been clean from porn for 9 months! That may be the longest he's ever been, I'm not sure. If it's not the longest, it's close. I try not to think about it too much, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if this is it, is it really over, or will he have another fall? There's no way for me to tell, that's for sure. I'm just giving him to You, God. I'm giving Him to You.
Well, I wish I had something else interesting to say, but I am literally about to fall asleep at the keyboard. (And it's only 9:30pm, I'm getting old)
I hope everyone had a great day, and I hope your marriage is stronger today than it was yesterday.
While we were there, we got to see alot of cousins that we don't normally see. We went to lunch with about 20 family members to celebrate the birthday of one of Brad's cousins. It was nice except we went to a Chinese restaurant and Chinese food is my least favorite. I didn't complain though - I was just glad to be there!
We got to see Steven's wife and daughter (Steven is in prison, remember?). They came over to my mother-in-law's Saturday afternoon and visited and stayed for dinner. They seem to be doing pretty well. We didn't talk about Steven that much, although he was mentioned several times of course. Apparently he has hit the wall of "God let this happen to me, and I'm mad as hell about it." His wife is worried because the last letter he wrote was full of curse words and that is sooo unlike him. I suppose this is just a stage he has to go through. Their daughter turns 6 today, the first birthday her Daddy will not be there. I'm sure it was a hard day for all of them.
Brad is still waiting to hear about the job he interviewed for. Friday will be a month since he interviewed, and the man told him it would be a month before he made a decision. So we're just waiting. Waiting. Waiting. That's all we've done the last few months it seems. Wait on God. Wait on man. Wait on God some more.
I am praising God that my husband has been clean from porn for 9 months! That may be the longest he's ever been, I'm not sure. If it's not the longest, it's close. I try not to think about it too much, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if this is it, is it really over, or will he have another fall? There's no way for me to tell, that's for sure. I'm just giving him to You, God. I'm giving Him to You.
Well, I wish I had something else interesting to say, but I am literally about to fall asleep at the keyboard. (And it's only 9:30pm, I'm getting old)
I hope everyone had a great day, and I hope your marriage is stronger today than it was yesterday.
Monday, October 13, 2008
A Small, Guilt-Filled Rant
My friend and I had a great time working the booth at the State Fair for Operation Christmas Child. We talked to ALOT of people. Some had never heard of it, so we got to tell them all about this great ministry! Others who passed by had been participating in this ministry for years, so they got to tell us all about it! It was a fast four hours. Next year I hope to work more at this booth. I would love to work it with Brad. This would definitely get him out of his comfort zone. He has a hard time talking to strangers (funny, since he is desperately wanting to become a marriage counselor, huh?).
I am still in my "spiritual funk." How do you pray to get out of the funk when you can't seem to pray at all? No matter, I desperately want to reclaim the intimacy God and I once shared.
******************
Before I start this rant, let me say I love the church. The church as a whole, and my individual church. I love my church. I really do. But, there are a few things that are driving us crazy right now.
For example, the lack of true worship. We're sick of people "playing church"-us included. In fact, we could write the book on it. The title could be, "How to Appear Happy at Church When You Are Miserable."
For another example, passion. Passion about anything. I don't care if someone is passionate about sweeping the fellowship hall - I would just love to see some passion in this church. Now that I think about it, true worship and passion could be one in the same.
And for the last example, and perhaps the most dangerous of all, a pastor that cares. Oh dear God, please do not strike me down for typing that. But let me explain. Back in January, Brad and I sat in our pastor's office and poured our hearts out. Well, we didn't get into all the gory pornography details, but nevertheless, we told him our marriage was in trouble and that we needed help. We had hit rock bottom and wanted to let him, as our pastor, know it. We got the I'm-not-sure-what-to-say-but-I'm-sure-everything-will-work-out talk. He prayed with us, and I left somewhat encouraged, but apparently I left with the wrong expectations.
You see, I left expecting a phone call the next week or maybe the next month checking up on us. Or maybe I expected the occasional question about how we were making it. Perhaps I just expected any little sign that our conversation had not been totally wiped from his memory by some sort of freakish amnesia event. But, as I'm sure you can guess, my expectations were all wrong.
We have had no questions from our pastor about the state of our marriage, no phone call, no just-checking-in-with-you-guys conversation. Nothing. Would he have even cared if we got divorced?
Now, our marriage is stronger now than it was in January. So if he asks now, I would have good news to share with him. Maybe he thinks he can tell this from the "outside" and feels there is no need to ask and bring up old memories. Wrong. Also important to remember, since January, my husband has felt the calling of the Lord to be a marriage counselor. So if he is going to be a marriage counselor, that means we must have everything figured out, right? Wrong.
Let me share this tidbit of information from someone who has been there. It is never wrong to ask someone how their marriage is going. Because believe me, if their marriage is not going well, they are dying inside for someone to ask, someone to care, someone to give a whit whether their marriage makes it or crumbles around them. On the other hand, if their marriage is going great, they will also be glad to share that with you and maybe give you some good advice.
When Brad and I were at our worst, I would have given anything, and I mean anything, to have had just one person come alongside me and say, "Your marriage is important. Don't give up" But no one did. (I'm not counting my online friends - I don't know what I would have done without you guys - I'm talking about in-the-flesh people). Now, there is the argument that I didn't allow people to know enough about our hard times. And this may be true. Because remember, we were researching for the aforementioned book.
I am not sure what I wanted to accomplish with this post. I suppose asking for prayer would be a good place to end. Pray that this bitterness toward my pastor goes away. I do not want to hold any negative feelings against this man. I want to uplift him and encourage him and respect him as the leader of my church. But right now all I want to do is walk up to him and yell, "I'm getting a divorce. Thanks for all your help!"
************
P.S. As mentioned earlier, I am in a sort of spiritual downturn. I'm having a hard time "connecting" with God right now. Maybe these feelings toward my church are the result of that. Maybe if I were where I was supposed to be with God, I would not be feeling angry with my pastor. Maybe. But maybe not.
P.S.S. I am feeling quite guilty as I am about to post this. How dare I speak negatively of my pastor....Lord, forgive me. Is this the unpardonable sin?
I am still in my "spiritual funk." How do you pray to get out of the funk when you can't seem to pray at all? No matter, I desperately want to reclaim the intimacy God and I once shared.
******************
Before I start this rant, let me say I love the church. The church as a whole, and my individual church. I love my church. I really do. But, there are a few things that are driving us crazy right now.
For example, the lack of true worship. We're sick of people "playing church"-us included. In fact, we could write the book on it. The title could be, "How to Appear Happy at Church When You Are Miserable."
For another example, passion. Passion about anything. I don't care if someone is passionate about sweeping the fellowship hall - I would just love to see some passion in this church. Now that I think about it, true worship and passion could be one in the same.
And for the last example, and perhaps the most dangerous of all, a pastor that cares. Oh dear God, please do not strike me down for typing that. But let me explain. Back in January, Brad and I sat in our pastor's office and poured our hearts out. Well, we didn't get into all the gory pornography details, but nevertheless, we told him our marriage was in trouble and that we needed help. We had hit rock bottom and wanted to let him, as our pastor, know it. We got the I'm-not-sure-what-to-say-but-I'm-sure-everything-will-work-out talk. He prayed with us, and I left somewhat encouraged, but apparently I left with the wrong expectations.
You see, I left expecting a phone call the next week or maybe the next month checking up on us. Or maybe I expected the occasional question about how we were making it. Perhaps I just expected any little sign that our conversation had not been totally wiped from his memory by some sort of freakish amnesia event. But, as I'm sure you can guess, my expectations were all wrong.
We have had no questions from our pastor about the state of our marriage, no phone call, no just-checking-in-with-you-guys conversation. Nothing. Would he have even cared if we got divorced?
Now, our marriage is stronger now than it was in January. So if he asks now, I would have good news to share with him. Maybe he thinks he can tell this from the "outside" and feels there is no need to ask and bring up old memories. Wrong. Also important to remember, since January, my husband has felt the calling of the Lord to be a marriage counselor. So if he is going to be a marriage counselor, that means we must have everything figured out, right? Wrong.
Let me share this tidbit of information from someone who has been there. It is never wrong to ask someone how their marriage is going. Because believe me, if their marriage is not going well, they are dying inside for someone to ask, someone to care, someone to give a whit whether their marriage makes it or crumbles around them. On the other hand, if their marriage is going great, they will also be glad to share that with you and maybe give you some good advice.
When Brad and I were at our worst, I would have given anything, and I mean anything, to have had just one person come alongside me and say, "Your marriage is important. Don't give up" But no one did. (I'm not counting my online friends - I don't know what I would have done without you guys - I'm talking about in-the-flesh people). Now, there is the argument that I didn't allow people to know enough about our hard times. And this may be true. Because remember, we were researching for the aforementioned book.
I am not sure what I wanted to accomplish with this post. I suppose asking for prayer would be a good place to end. Pray that this bitterness toward my pastor goes away. I do not want to hold any negative feelings against this man. I want to uplift him and encourage him and respect him as the leader of my church. But right now all I want to do is walk up to him and yell, "I'm getting a divorce. Thanks for all your help!"
************
P.S. As mentioned earlier, I am in a sort of spiritual downturn. I'm having a hard time "connecting" with God right now. Maybe these feelings toward my church are the result of that. Maybe if I were where I was supposed to be with God, I would not be feeling angry with my pastor. Maybe. But maybe not.
P.S.S. I am feeling quite guilty as I am about to post this. How dare I speak negatively of my pastor....Lord, forgive me. Is this the unpardonable sin?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Catching Up
Still no news on the job. The man told Brad it would be a month before he made a decision. It's only been two weeks. The waiting is hard.
I haven't gotten a peace one way or the other about this job. I'm just letting the Lord work it out I guess. Or maybe I have new-job fatigue. We go through this process every couple years or so. The only reason this job is more on our minds is the fact that it would double Brad's income therefore making it more plausible for him to go to school.
To be honest, I've been in a spiritual funk the last few weeks. I am finding it hard to pray, read my Bible, and even attending church feels like a chore right now. Do you ever feel that way? I hate it--I really do. It's such a gradual falling away, and then one day you wake up and wonder if God even remembers your name.....
Brad and I are at a decent place right now. Not great, but not horrible. Just in the middle. Like everything else in our life. Not wonderful, not horrible. Just average.
I am going to our State Fair this afternoon with a friend of mine. We volunteered to work in a booth telling people about Operation Christmas Child. If you are not familiar with Samaritan's Purse and this ministry, please check it out at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ and click on the flying shoebox logo on the right side of the page. This is a fun and easy ministry project that impacts children around the world. Please check it out! I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this from me later.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay strong.
I haven't gotten a peace one way or the other about this job. I'm just letting the Lord work it out I guess. Or maybe I have new-job fatigue. We go through this process every couple years or so. The only reason this job is more on our minds is the fact that it would double Brad's income therefore making it more plausible for him to go to school.
To be honest, I've been in a spiritual funk the last few weeks. I am finding it hard to pray, read my Bible, and even attending church feels like a chore right now. Do you ever feel that way? I hate it--I really do. It's such a gradual falling away, and then one day you wake up and wonder if God even remembers your name.....
Brad and I are at a decent place right now. Not great, but not horrible. Just in the middle. Like everything else in our life. Not wonderful, not horrible. Just average.
I am going to our State Fair this afternoon with a friend of mine. We volunteered to work in a booth telling people about Operation Christmas Child. If you are not familiar with Samaritan's Purse and this ministry, please check it out at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ and click on the flying shoebox logo on the right side of the page. This is a fun and easy ministry project that impacts children around the world. Please check it out! I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this from me later.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay strong.
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