Kisses

Trying to catch a pic of Chloe and Ryan giving kisses night-night.
But it kinda looks like Ryan forgot he is kissing his baby sister.

Monday Commentary

WoNderFuL CouNseLor

Yesterday at Copper Mountain we began a new series, "He Will Be Called" which will take us through Christmas.

My husband's message is always so useful for our everyday lives. Yesterday's focus, Jesus was born, and He would be called "Wonderful Counselor". The indescribable-too wonderful for words kind of wonderful!

Chris mentioned a verse from the Bible that tells us how Jesus came NOT for the healthy, but for the sick. We are all sick with something...maybe pride, materialism, depression, lonliness, anger, addictions, mean in spirit. The Wonderful Counselor came for the sicknesses that are found in me: lack of patience, stubborness, oh the list goes on.

Each point challenged me:

First, be honest with the counselor. Why? Because Jesus doesn't know that I'm sick? No way! He knows me inside and out, I get to cast my cares on Him.

Second, listen to His voice. How much do we enjoy in our everyday life when a friend asks us for advice, and even as we are giving it we realize they've already tuned it out. It probably wasn't what they wanted to hear. Or as parents, we try to teach our children. We try to guide them in the right ways to behave...and then they chose their own way. I have to guard myself from doing that with Jesus. Advice doesn't help at all if the hearer doesn't listen. I must train my ear to know, and listen to, the voice of the Wonderful Counselor.

Third, DO what the counselor tells me to do. OUCH! Sometimes I don't want to. Sometimes following advice is painful. Sometimes it means I have to make some changes in me.

To me, the beauty of this message was not that we have to become perfect and eliminate everything that's "wrong" with us. It is that we HAVE a Wonderful Counselor who can help us with our sickness. Jesus, that tiny babe in the manger of the nativity set I just placed in my living room...(well not the little ceramic guy...but the REAL guy)...is my WONDERFUL COUNSELOR.

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Thankfulness

5 things I'm thankful for: (These are obvious.)

1. Jesus- What a God! He loves me, he loves me, he loves me.

2. Chris- He tolerates me. He takes me out for lunch. :)

3. Juliana- My talking partner...she pretty much always has something to tell me.

4. Ryan- My Sonshine. I love that skinny boy.

5. Chloe- Such an angel. So sweet, kind, funny, easy-going...such a fun kiddo to haul around with me where-ever I go

Monday Commentary- Mirror, Mirror

Nuggets from Sunday's talk at CM, and my application. This was written on monday, but hey...it's been a hectic week.

I am, in random order, a:

daughter.sister.wife.teacher.mother.friend.leader

………IDENTITY
Who am I? How do I comprehend my distinctiveness when I’m labeled so many different ways? I was given a name at birth that will be different than the name on my grave marker. So, how do I live my life without experiencing a case of mistaken identity?

I strip away the overlay of my roles. I fold back the coverings that are projections others have placed on me. I peel ALL OF IT to find the core of who I really am. I remove the film from the mirror, so I am able to recognize the reflection. After disposing of all the external layers, I am able to see that my true identity depends upon my closest relationship.

Sovereign God put His gifts in me for his purposes. I am here to serve his will. In the words of Paul, “I am a servant of Christ Jesus”.

Galatians 5:13 says, “You have been called to live in freedom … But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature [self-centeredness]. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”

The moment I surrendered my life to Christ, I took on a new identity. I became a new creation. It is impossible for me to be a Christ Follower and also extract being his servant.

“God, may I accept that I am not my own. Help me to not selfishly satisfy my own desires. May be identified as a servant of Christ, let my life bring glory to you alone.”

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Monday Commentary

Well, today is Monday, so I guess it's time for the commentary. But, I can't really give one because I was not in the service yesterday. If you'd like to read about it, head on over to Chris's blog http://www.propempo.blogspot.com/. I was filling in for the preschool teachers because they both were needing to be absent yesterday. So I had the 3 year olds through kindergarten age. I was covering Ryan's class. Of course since his mom was the teacher he didn't think he needed to sit down when I said, and he was pretty upset when I called on the little girl to answer first instead of him. Sheesh. He doesn't reason well, I can't wait until he's a little better at it.

Anyway, the lesson was about Pentecost. So we sang a few songs and I read to them from the Jesus Storybook Bible (the events in the upper-room), and then we started our crafts which were windsocks with red streamers for the tail. When we look at our windsock blowing in the wind, we can be reminded of how God breathed life on His church. The Holy Spirit came, and it sounded like a strong, mighty wind. Tongues of fire appeared on their head (which kind of resembled the red streamers), and they spoke in languages that were not their own.


I was pretty wiped by the end of service. I think I have strep throat. Probably shouldn't have been around the kids, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. There wasn't really anyone to be the sub for the sub.

Stay tuned for another blog today (possibly). I was wanting some potato soup...something soft and easy on my throat. I found a really yummy recipe. I will try and post it later.

Things That Are Little Can Actually Be BIG

Today Juliana's class put on a little performance for parents. It was nice...they sang a couple songs, did a little play, gave parents some gifts.

Tracking back a little bit, when I got to the school I was amazed because there was NO parking. Every space was full and cars were lining the streets and I figured something else had to be going on. Turned out it was 5th grade graduation and picnic. Ugh, I didn't want to get to her room late. I was going to have to park down the block and hike to the office to sign in and then get to her room before this thing started. Chris got there right after me and actually got a closer parking space...grrr. We walked in together and as we got to her hall, her class was standing in line outside the room. I think I heard a classmate tell her that her mom and dad were there...and I'm pretty sure I saw a sigh of relief on her face when she saw us for herself. Oh...the stress of wondering where mom and dad are as the performance is getting ready to begin...it can just be too much for a child.

Today was early out at school, so the children had the option of leaving with their parents. Juliana said she signed up for lunch and was going to stay, but then changed her mind. So we all went to Burger King (minus Ryan--which Juliana thought was kind of special). After BK I took the girls to target. I bought Juliana a pen that writes, stamps and blows bubbles and a Camp Rock notepad. We picked out insect capsules for Ryan. As we were riding to pick up Ryan, Juliana wrote in her notepad, "Dear Diary, Today was a great day with mom!" Such little things that made a special day for a little girl...it's like it erases all the tough days.

By the end of this week both kids will be home for summer break. Hopefully the balance of our summer will tip the scale toward more special days.

Today after church we went to the home of a couple in our church. Oh my...the nicest house I've ever been in. I can't even believe I went there with my children. As we were let past the entry to the gated community, I looked around and the "threats" to my children were heaped on even more than normal: do not run in the house, do not yell, do not jump on the furniture, do not sit on the furniture with your knees, eat whatever they serve us, do not belch, do not fight with each other, do not touch each other, don't say you don't like something, smile, be polite, say "thank you". Sheesh. Honestly, it was REALLY pleasant...the kids behavior was great and little correction was required. The added bonus was there was a lovely pool surrounded by the most beautiful desert I've seen in arizona yet (and just so you know I think the mountain in my backyard is pretty nice). I realize the pool helped. If we would have had to sit and "visit" in the home for that length of time, the kids would have been bored sooner, but we all swam and Chloe floated in her baby tube. Fun, fun...good food too.

I'm Losin' It

The other day I decided to start the Weight Watchers diet (at home). I've done it twice before, never enrolling in a program...I just used info I received online and from relatives who were part of the program and attending meetings. Anyway, both times before it was successful for the purposes I needed it...to drop 10 pounds quick.

Anyway, I still haven't lost all my weight from being preggers with Chloe. I was down to only needing to lose about 6 pounds, but then I had my muscle injuries last May which depleted my ability to work out for a while. After moving to Arizona, I've been enjoying all the lovely restaurants around and not paying attention! SO...here's my deal. My "realistic" goal is to lose 14 pounds. My dream goal is to lose 24 pounds. I'll let you know when I get there.

Now I'm going to go eat lunch at Paradise Bakery! And I'm going to watch my points! I'm sad I won't eat the cookie, because it is 7 points. :) I will give it to Chloe.

Monday’s Commentary: How are you shaping?

If you are a woman, quite possibly you have looked into the mirror and thought, “I think I’m turning into my mother”. Or, maybe you’ve heard yourself say something to your children and thought, “That sounded just like my mother!” The truth is, we all pick up traits from our mothers and fathers that we carry with us into our own adulthood.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and Chris’s message focused on the mother’s very critical and important job, to shape the heart of a child. I don’t even think our qualifications for such a task were checked before we were given this portfolio!

The point that stood out to me was, “A child becomes a mirror of your spiritual heart.” Yikes. How am I doing when it comes to shaping the hearts of the three children God entrusted to me? Am I passing on a desire to pursue Jesus? Do I show them how to search out God to find His plan for their life, or do I display an independent nature that says I will do what interests me? Am I modeling how to be generous with money, time and gifts?

Whether I like it or not, I will reproduce myself in my children…the good, the bad and the ugly. And sometimes the ugly is really ugly. Your children (and mine) are smart. They know what you are passionate about. They know how much you care about your looks, your possessions, and your status. They know if you love your hobbies and entertainment. They know if you are passionate about knowing Jesus and making him known.

If you are not a mother, you are not off the hook! Actually, if we are Christ-followers, we are commanded to also be disciple-makers. If you are discipling someone, you are a spiritual parent to them.

So, what will it look like when your finished shaping?

Monday Commentary: You Wanna Know a Secret?

I'm not sure about you, but I love secrets. (I don't like it when people are keeping secrets from me)...but if I can be in on one, oh yeah, that's the stuff. I think as a child it was fun when a friend would tell me a secret and then I'd tell everyone about it...just so that THEY would know that I knew. However, after that it wasn't a secret anymore, and of course the major byproduct was the loss of trust from a friend. Now that I am an adult, I understand and value trust better. When someone shares something personal with me, as a "secret", I see it more as a gift and honor that they trusted me enough with something so valuable.

After marrying Chris, we became each other's "secret keepers". It's nice to share a secret between just us. I think three favorite secrets that we have shared together were each time I was pregnant with one of our children. We loved to keep the secret between us for as long as possible. It was always fun to know that we were the only ones who "knew". There is something special about having a person you are close to and can confide in.

Yesterday in our new series, Where the Water is Deep, I learned that God has secrets too...but not the kind of secret that he wants to keep from me. God wants me to be "in" on his secrets. (Yay!) As we become dissatisfied with just getting our toes wet, and we jump into the deep water with God, it is there he shares his secrets. In Psalm 25:14 it says, "The secret of the Lord is for those who fear him, and He will make them know His covenant." The Message Bible says it this way, "God-friendship is for God-worshipers; they are the ones He confides in."

I would never expect a stranger or mere acquaintance to share their inmost secrets with me. (Unless they were lying on a couch and paying me an hourly fee.) Secrets are between close friends, and I see now that if I want God to whisper his secrets in my ear, then I must have friendship with Him. I hope you want to be his friend too...He has lots to talk to you about.

Puke and Snakes

As I parked the car in the lot at church this morning, the girl in the back seat (my daughter's friend, Anna) said, "I'm nauseous. I think I'm going to throw up". So I replied, "Well, get out of my car!" So she did, she tried to feel better, but I think she just didn't want me to take her home. 8 minutes later she was puking on the patio of the church! So we found a pail and off I went to take her home!

We saw a snake today. The boys in the "hood" came running down the cul-de-sac announcing the snake. It wasn't a rattler...so we just let it go. Don't know what it was, it just looked like a normal snake.

Carnival and Jokes

Last night our family enjoyed a great time together at Juliana's school Carnival. This event was HUGE. Rock climbing wall, 10+ inflatables, and lots of games that our kids really didn't play. They were too interested in the inflatables.

There was easily 1500 people who attended this event. 1 child wore a face mask...due to the Swine Flu scare I'm presuming.

Our kids have picked up on a new joke that they enjoy telling me everyday.

Juliana: What is your name?
Me: Mommy
Juliana: What color is the sky
Me: Blue
Juliana: What is the opposite of down?
Me: Up
Juliana: Mommy Blew Up! (hahahaha...lots of laughter)

Next:
Ryan: What is your name?
Me: Mommy
Ryan: What's this (pointing to nose)
Me: Nose
Ryan: What's in my hand (holds together empty hands)
Me: Nothing
Ryan: Mommy knows nothing! (hahaha...more laughter!)