God is Good...All the Time!

All the Time, God is Good!

I'm basking in the amazingness of my God!! The One True God!

You see, the devil showed up tonight!

In an attempt to ruin our evening of serving, he channeled himself through the food service manager at the WRCC. But God showed up and thankfully the Holy Spirit that lives is me was stronger than my flesh because I didn't fight back the way my flesh wanted to. All praise to Him.

Other than the rough start, the rest of the evening was awesome! I loved serving and spending time with the women and their kids. One of the moms said she was so thankful she could just sit and relax because normally they have to walk through the line themselves and get everything. Tonight they sat and we brought them whatever they needed.

We had about 20 adults and 30 kids volunteer so it was a little crazy and crowded but everyone was so great. They went with the flow and jumped in wherever they were needed - even the kids. They were such hard workers. I know several of the kids from different families were asking when they could come back and do it again!

The other highlight of the night was that we were able to give away some of Jackson's Bibles. We brought all of our Women's and Children's Bibles and ~drumroll, please~ 25 Women's Bibles and 16 Children's Bibles were taken...41 in all! Yea!!

One of the women told me that about 3 minutes before she walked into the dining room, she told her friend she needed a Bible!! She said, "I had no idea you would have them here." I said, "But God did!" This is the God we serve!! How personal and perfect is He?!

So the devil showed up, but God won!!

Prayers Much Appreciated

This Thursday night we have the privilege of preparing dinner for and serving 100 women and children at the WRCC (Women's Residential and Counseling Center). It is an extension of the Coalition focusing on women who are abused and have no other place to go with their children.

Thirteen families from our Sunday School class are working together on this. Roddy and I are heading it up and would love your prayers for a seamless, orderly evening. We are scheduled to do this every other month but this will be our first time. So we have no idea what to expect and what will be the best process. We're praying for wisdom. But mostly that we will all be a blessing to these women and their little ones and that Jesus' love will shine through to them.

Thank you for praying!

Monday's Motto

In honor of Tiger, I thought I'd share this Wagner family motto...

If it's not yours, don't touch it.

Monday's Motto

Whenever Christmas begins to burden,

it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ.

~Ann Voskamp

Jesus' Birthday

Last year around this time, I read a post by Ann at A Holy Experience that changed the way we do Christmas.

It made perfect sense to me. On my birthday, we don't all exchange gifts. Do you? So I wonder why we exchange gifts on Jesus' birthday.

I read the story to the kids and it made perfect sense to them as well.

Of course, we couldn't wrap presents and put them under the tree for Jesus to physically open Christmas morning. So what could we do?

Jesus said that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him.

So to give to Jesus, we gave to others...and it was the best Christmas ever yet!

You may think of other ways to give and serve others this month but these were our birthday gifts last year (some to be repeated this year and new ones to be added).

We put together hygiene kits for the men at the Coalition which we then had the privilege of handing out on Christmas morning.

We memorized the Christmas story from Luke 2 to recite to the residents of a local local nursing home followed by Christmas carols.

We saved our coins and donated the money we collected to Wycliffe Bible Translators. There is also an option of going through their Gift Catalog to specify where the money is used.

And we let the kids pick gifts from Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog.

There are so many ways to serve others not just at Christmas but throughout the year. Keep your eyes and ears open. Give and it will change your Christmas. Keep giving and it will change your life.

Our focus was so different last year. Getting wasn't what was important. We experienced in spades that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

P.S. We still exchanged gifts with our families because this is our conviction not theirs.

And we decided that because Thanksgiving is about the abundance of blessings God gives us and being thankful for each other, we will give our gifts to each other at Thanksgiving. At the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims gave gifts to the Native Americans and vice-versa. So this will be our time to exchange presents with each other.

Twilight

For me the choice is simple. But for others the lines have been blurred. Here is an excellent reason not to partake in the Twilight madness! Read The Visionary Daughters review.

Here's an excerpt...

For this discussion, we would like to set aside the dark paranormal element of Twilight, though that is a concern on its own. We believe what ultimately draws women into this series and other romance novels in millions-strong droves is the same thing that lures men into an estimated $3-4 billion-a-year pornography industry.

Give Thanks!

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Psalm 105:1-3

Monday's Motto

The value of anything

is the price it pays in eternity.

What are you investing in?

Monday's Motto

Stick and stones may break the bones

But harsh words can wound for a lifetime.

Talk is Cheap

Read the following last week and had to share. It's lengthy but sooo good!

"Are you a frustrated parent? Is your brow drawn tight as if pulled by drawstrings? If parenting is not enjoyable, be assured, you have a bad attitude. When your children look into your face, what do they see? They are not fooled. They know how you feel toward them. Your face is a graph of approval or rejection. The smooth tongue of 'positive affirmation' is not enough; in fact, it is worse than nothing if there is not genuine delight in your heart...If they see disappointment and criticism, they will answer in kind. Discontented parents breed discontented children. Your attitude is the root of the family attitude tree. A bitter root cannot produce sweet fruit.

Personal attitudes are highly contagious, and children usually come down with a worse case. 'More is caught than taught.' And children seem more highly susceptible to catching a bad attitude than of being taught to have a good one...

'Our actions speak louder than our words,' but our attitude screams louder than our actions. The first need and the most lacking element in child training is a right attitude on the part of parents...

Who you are is more important than what you do...

Your children are playing follow-the-leader...

The bad news is that you are responsible for the condition of your children. The good news is that you don't have to be frustrated over attempting to change them. You only need to change yourself. Since their attitudes are reflections of yours, you need only change your attitude, and the reflections will change...

Children living under condemnation are not motivated to good works. None of us seeks to please someone who is condemning us...You may nag or gripe them into relenting to your will, but you can never bad-attitude them into a good attitude. Children cannot be intimidated into positive character. To stand off and criticize their performance will not induce them to a rectifying shame. No one has ever been motivated to climb out from under a pile of disapproval to win the praise and affections of his or her accuser.

The law of human nature is such that condemnation and shame cause an alienation that only produces more disobedience...

If you are always ready to show them what is wrong, but do not constantly exemplify what is right, they will cower under your judgments while continuing to grow into the likeness of your graceless bitterness.

The parental spirit of displeasure holds the child in 'death.' A new spirit in the parent will allow the child to serve from a joyous spirit and not from the decrepit bondage of legal depression...

Your children will begin to develop positive character only in an atmosphere of forgiveness and acceptance. The first step to recovery and the ground on which it continues is the parent's smile...

If fellowship with God provokes His children to holiness, what will be the result of a child's fellowship with his parents? The best training is done under the supervision of a smile. There is a time for discipline, rebuke, spanking, and even controlled anger, but such should be temporary signposts on a path of communion that you walk with your children. If they see your delight and appreciation, they will have the courage to try to maintain that sweetness.

These excerpts are from No Greater Joy, Volume One by Mike and Debi Pearl.

Good stuff, don't you think?

Why? Why not?

Often when people go through hard times or difficult situations, they ask, "Why?"

"Why is this happening to me?" or "Why would God allow this to happen?"

If you think about it, the question should really be, "Why not?"

Because the reality is, we don't always get what we actually deserve, which is hell. Even our hardest day is better than that.

Instead, what we get is an opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord of our lives and live eternally with Him in Heaven.

It's humbling.

But in case you're still wondering why we have to go through difficult situations, here's what Paul says in II Corinthians 1...(emphasis mine)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and

God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings,

so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation;

and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,

which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings,

you will also share in our comfort.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.

For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

You also must help us by prayer,

so that many will give thanks on our behalf

for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Monday's Motto

Sin is like a weed...

Ignoring it won't make it go away!

A Mother's High Calling

The Stay at Home Missionary quoted this on her blog. I couldn't resist copying it here...

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see it's possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for it's destiny,- she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."

- JR Miller

To Be Thankful

If you need a reality check, or just a good cry, read this. I couldn't help but sob when I read it. And maybe it affected me more than it will you because I knew them. So let me tell you a little more about them.

Cyndi is a 32 year old widow. Her husband died after a two year battle - and I mean battle - with cancer. He was a loving, godly husband and father. He leaves behind three children.

And while I know he is so much better off, I absolutely hate what death leaves behind.

As I was crying my eyes out, I began to wonder...

If she could have him back,

would she ever be too tired to make love to him?

would she nag him over that chore not yet done?

would she begrudge a weekend golf game? or would she count the minutes anxiously awaiting his return and greet him with a smile?

would she be bitter about the overflowing trash bag that should have been taken out yesterday?

would she harbor anger over a poor financial decision he made despite her advice?

would she complain when he brought home the wrong kind of peanut butter from the grocery store?

Or would she just be thankful?

I want to be thankful for every second I get with my husband and children. I don't want to be petty and trivial. I want to remember what is important!

Monday's Motto

Order of Priorities:

God

Family

Others

Self

My Season

The last couple months have been crazy around here. Wednesday night classes at church started, soccer started, a weekly Bible study with my mom's church started. We had 2 birthdays which = 2 birthday parties plus 2 friends' birthday parties, and an anniversary which = a surprise weekend away (more on that later).

Our typical week has been:
Sunday - church
Sunday night - Awanas
Monday night - Library
Tuesday - weekly Bible study with Mom
Tuesday night - soccer practice
Wednesday night - church
Thursday (every other) - nursing home
Friday -
Saturday - soccer game

One week we had all that plus a birthday which we got to spend with my sister and her kiddos, a birthday party, and we had to make boxes for collecting Bibles to place around the church. That meant lots of trips to Joanne's for craft materials. And since I don't do anything quickly and I wanted to save money, it took a lot of time to get done.

Another week I had 3 Bible studies in 2 days because two of my once-a-month studies met in the same week.

I kept trying to figure out what to cut out. Can't cut soccer but it will be over in a few more weeks. One month I did skip a Bible study. And I temporarily suspended our nursing home visits this month - although we traded one of those to go downtown to pass out Bible to the homeless.

What I have discovered -or rediscovered- is that this is not my season for such busyness. This is my season for staying home and meeting the needs of my husband and children.

I can't do the things I need to do around here if I'm always on the go.

I can't spend the time I want to with the kids when we're always getting ready to go somewhere.

So what have I done? I have made some decisions:

1. I need to pray a lot more before committing to something.

2. Roddy and I decided the class we were taking on Wednesday nights was for the birds. It was a parenting class that doesn't line up with our parenting philosophy, so we emailed the leaders and told them we were going to back out of it. They were great leaders, it was just the material we didn't care for. They were sweet about it and very understanding.

3. I asked my mom if she would mind if I didn't finish going to her church's weekly Bible study. It was a Beth Moore study - very good - but very time consuming. Between trying to do the homework and all the other running around we were doing, I didn't have any time for my own Bible-time. She too was gracious and understanding.

I think if you commit to something you should stick to it but in this case, I believe discontinuing both was what I needed to do. And I'm already reaping the rewards of LESS!

I LOVE being home!! This is my season!!!

Monday's Motto

You get what you put up with.

I'm referring to parenting. What you're willing to allow in your home -disrespect, disobedience, sibling rivalry, etc- is what you will get.

If you take the time to model, train, consistently and patiently correct and discipline what you don't want in your home, you won't have it. It won't be 100% of the time, but you will see a significant difference.

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Happy 10th Birthday to Emma!

I've been looking forward to this birthday brag since I started doing them at the beginning of the year.

There are so many nice things that can be said about Emma. She is patient, kind, and generous.

She is obedient and respectful. It's a rare thing for her to have a bad attitude about something we've asked her to do.

She's smart and creative and a bookworm to the max.

She's hard working and dependable. I can always count on her.

She's a servant. She's the first one to jump up to do something that needs to be done. When she sees me working in the kitchen, she'll ask me if I need help.When there are days that I'm having to discipline and correct more than usual and she sees me starting to wear down, she prays for me and asks me if there is anything she can do for me.

She's a great friend. I tell her whoever gets to be her friend is blessed because she is such a great person. And she's the best kind of friend to have. She's not petty or a drama queen. She's level-headed and easy going. She forgives easily. She's fun. She's not concerned about what others think.

She's unbiased. She doesn't see people who are "different" as different. In fact, I'm not even sure she sees the differences. If she does, she never lets on. She accepts everyone as-is and treats everyone equally.

And whoever gets to marry her is even more blessed because she's going to make an awesome wife and mother one day!

Oh, Emma! I love you so much. I'm proud to be your mommy. You bring such joy to our family and set such a good example for your siblings. Thank you for being a servant and a leader all at the same time. God is going to bless you abundantly for the honor you've shown us. Happy Birthday!

14 Years

Fourteen years ago, today was a Saturday. Not just any Saturday, though.

For breakfast, I ate poached eggs on toast. This was normal because my dad often spoiled me by making my breakfast.

Later that morning I drove to a salon to have my hair styled in an elegant up-do.

I don't know what time I arrived at the church but once there, the final preparations began. Undergarments on. Make up done. Dress and veil saved for last.

Then pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

Finally, music. Hand-picked by yours truly. Mom took her place in the pew up front.

I came out of the bride's dressing room to meet my dad who would be my escort. And from the side of the foyer I watched my maids-of-honor enter the sanctuary, the doors closing behind them only to be opened again at just the right moment.

We took our places - my dad and I. Not a jitter or butterfly to be found.

Then it was time! The double doors swung open and I could see him. My groom. I caught my breath and almost started to cry. Dad asked if I was okay. I said, "He's just so beautiful!"

And he is so beautiful.

We exchanged vows that I mean more today than I did then. Then I knew him for 8 1/2 months. Today, after 14 years (168 months, 5,113 days) of marriage I know him and love him even more!!

I'm thankful to God for letting me marry the man beyond my dreams and for giving him the strength to stick with me through thick and thin!

Monday's Motto

Often what is best is also what is hardest!