tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-914356405133684012024-03-13T13:18:17.574-05:00Of Heaven and EarthMy thoughts on a little bit of everthing between Heaven and Earth.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-2108719122284242572012-01-21T13:40:00.003-06:002012-01-21T13:46:31.197-06:00HopeWe will be singing "In Christ Alone" this Sunday at my church, and the words to the first verse have been continually running through my head and heart since we rehearsed it Wed night.<br /><br />"In Christ alone, my hope is found;<br />He is my light, my strength, my song;<br />This cornerstone, this solid ground,<br />firm through the fiercest drought and storm;<br />What heights of love, what depths of peace,<br />when fears are stilled, when strivings cease;<br />My comforter, my All in all, here in the love of Christ I stand."<br /><br />When we've sung this song in the past, I've always relished the last 2 verses. (Really, though, every single verse in this song is completely awesome and SO powerful.) But after this past year, this first verse stands out to me the most. My hope is not found in my family, in circumstances going the way I want them to, or even in whether God answers my prayers the way I want Him to. My hope and your hope is found IN CHRIST. ALONE. The word "hope" is a weird word to me, that I often confuse with faith. It's also a very important & meaningful word to me. My middle name is Hope. We buried Rusty in the "Garden of Hope". The passage Kevin shared with me the day after Rusty died that I have clung to ever since is Lamentations 3:21 - 33. That first verse says, "This I recall to mind, therefore I have HOPE" (emphasis mine). I could be wrong, but here's how I think of hope versus faith. Faith is the unbreakable assurance that all God's promises are true. Sometimes, though, storms come and shake our faith. The waves get so big that it's hard to fix our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we get tempted to look down at the waves instead. I think hope is that expectation that keeps us looking in the direction we last saw faith. Faith is the beacon shining from the lighthouse. Hope is the instinct that compels us forward into the storm, in the direction we last remember seeing the light shining, even when we can't see a thing and all we can feel is pain and confusion. When people lose all hope, like my brother did, they fall under the storm-ravaged waves. Faith never stopped shining as a beacon, but they lost the expectation (or hope) of ever finding it again and they lost their bearings.<br /><br />But just as Christ is the Author and Finisher or Perfecter of our faith, this song reminds us that He is also our only source of hope. He is steadfast even through the fiercest storm. The heights of His love for us are limitless. The depths of His peace are unfathomable. When we cling to Him alone as our source of hope, our fears are stilled, and our strivings cease. For me, it makes me stop striving to figure out the answers to all my questions about Rusty's death. It makes me stop wrestling with God's sovereignty, and to be still and rest in His comfort and love. I'm tempted to say, "I can't stop and rest now! I have to keep my hand on the tiller. I have to control the rudder and make sure this vessel is heading the direction I want it to." But Jesus is the Captain. He's at the helm. If I let go and rest in Him, and put my hope in Him alone, I will find that He always, ALWAYS guides me safely to the harbor He has prepared for me. So what are you putting your hope in today? Are you ready to let it go and cling to Jesus alone? I can promise you it's always the best choice.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-28486727171529945892011-11-23T23:56:00.000-06:002011-11-23T23:57:24.888-06:00Your First Birthday in HeavenI’ve been dreading this day - your first birthday without you.<br />We’ve never been big on birthdays<br />But you’re still supposed to be here for them<br />So we can call you and tell you how much we love you<br />And try to make plans to take you to dinner.<br />But you’re not here, and we don’t know what to do. <br />How do we honor the day of your birth, <br />when what weighs on our minds is the day of your death?<br /><br />But then I remember - since you’re not here, it means you’re in Heaven.<br />Not based on some empty hope,<br />But on the blessed assurance that you belong to Jesus.<br />You called on Him to save you, and said how much you loved Him.<br />So what birthday plans do they have in Heaven? <br />Or is everyday so amazing, that a birthday would only get in the way?<br />Do they instead celebrate the day of your arrival,<br /> the day you were born into Eternity?<br /><br />For us, it will be a hard day. For you, it will be the best day.<br />You can’t beat birthdays in Heaven.<br />Your first birthday with no sorrow, no regret, no disappointment.<br />We don’t get to spend the day with you,<br />But you get to spend the day with Jesus. <br />You’re surrounded by His glory, wrapped in His embrace<br />You hear the sound of voices lifted up in praise, and see beauty beyond compare<br />You’re experiencing everything you were created to enjoy.<br /><br />So while we are sad, wishing to see your face again.<br />We can’t help but also be filled with an unexplained peace;<br />Knowing you’re where you were created to be<br />And that this year your gift is that you’re finally free.<br />So despite all our heartache<br />We wouldn’t change a thing<br />We’ll choose to rejoice through our pain<br />Because you’re spending your first birthday in Heaven.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-26918565689376364802011-05-22T22:27:00.003-05:002011-05-22T23:32:09.876-05:002 Months Today....Two months ago today since Rusty died...It doesn't seem possible that it's been 2 months. They say time heals all wounds. Really, only God can heal those wounds. And He is, and I'm thankful. But the thought I had today is that time only seems to be mocking our loss. Part of me feels guilty for moving on, and leaving that horrible night in the past. I do realize it's still really early in this journey of grief, and I probably don't really know what I'm talking about compared with those who have been down a similar path. But there's just this part of me that keeps thinking, "Wait! Time, please stop or slow down or something. I need to stay here and try to make sense of what has happened. I need to do his memory justice. I'm not ready to move forward." Yet, time just keeps passing along, refusing to acknowledge my loss, my pain, or my confusion. And just how, exactly, does Time expect to "heal my wounds" when the more time that passes, the more I realize how much I miss my brother?<br /><br />And there's already been some of the dreaded "holiday" or special family moments that have come about as a result of Time's unrelenting persistence to keep marching forward: Easter, Mother's Day, David's Kindergarten graduation. That last one was the hardest for me. I kept thinking, "I'm not ready to do this without Rusty! I want Time to just not make me go there yet!" But Time didn't listen or care. It dragged me through each of those painful events anyway. Oh, and just for kicks, this year Rusty's birthday will be on Thanksgiving. Double whammy.<br /><br />On the other hand, though, I'm also ready to be done with this deep grieving process. Everyone says the first year is the hardest, and so I'm ready to be past that. I think this is the selfish side of me. Or the part that wants to escape the reality of Rusty's death. I keep thinking I want to volunteer and get involved with a couple of ministries that are near and dear to my heart - and ones that I believe God is calling me to be involved in at some point. But a couple of weeks ago when I discussed it with a mentor who happens to be over both ministries, he told me I'm not ready - that I'm too vulnerable right now, and that I need to give myself more time to heal. Part of me is afraid that as I stay here and learn how to heal from this grief, this trauma, those ministry opportunities will pass me by. I know that's a lie, and that if God really is calling me to those ministries, then His timing will be perfect. <br /><br />Ah, but I just stumbled on the truth of the matter. God's timing. Time isn't Sovereign. God is. Time is merely His tool to accomplish His purposes. I just read this week in Isaiah 38 about God giving Hezekiah more time, and as proof of His promise, He made the sun move backward - completely displaying His power and authority over Time itself. The next day I read the famous passage from Ezekiel 3 about there is a time for everything. I need those reminders. When I'm fighting against Time moving on or not moving quickly enough, I'm really fighting God's Sovereign plan and control over my life. He could stop time, if that was what would be best for me. He could fast forward us all into next year, but I'm sure I would miss the wonderful things I will learn from Him and about Him in the midst of the hardest moments. <br /><br />So I have a choice to make: continue to fight against time and all the ways it isn't working for me, or to recognize that all of this happened and is happening by God's will, and that there is a plan in all of it for my family and me. For our good and His glory. I can choose to rest in the Lord or I can continue to wrestle. Bottom line: I can choose to release control to Him, or I can hold onto my illusion of control until my knuckles turn white. And so tonight, I choose to "cease striving and know that He is God." (from Ps. 46:10) I choose to trust that His timing is perfect.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-69516604399347219372011-04-24T22:34:00.002-05:002011-04-24T23:12:15.162-05:00The Pain of SeparationSo we made it through our first "holiday" since Rusty died. For me, it had it's sad moments. It wasn't as hard as it could have been simply because I don't have a lot of recent memories of Rusty related to Easter. We just always ended up doing different things that day. However, there were several times, especially watching the kids hunt for eggs, that I got teary-eyed thinking how much he would have enjoyed watching them and how he would have added another whole level of fun. I kept hearing his voice run through my head, and picturing his awesome smile as if he had been there with us. <br /><br />My mom had a much harder day. One reason is because at her church, they sang "Because He Lives". That was the song God gave her when Rusty was born with a brain hemorrhage, and we sang it at his funeral. I cannot imagine how heart-breaking that was for her. Poor Momma. <br /><br />Tonight, Mom, Hugh (my step-dad), and I went to Briarwood Presbyterian Church to watch their Easter performance of "Saviour". It's a modern oratorio (lots of music). They had a full choir and orchestra, and ballet dancers. It was beautiful! I cried during the first song, called, "My Heart Belongs to You". It's basically a love song between God and Adam. One of the lines that stood out to me is of "God" singing: The message of My song will always be true: My heart belongs to you." By the end of the song, Adam is singing it in response back to God. It's gorgeous. And it made me see God's love for mankind in a fresh way. He created us so that He could give His heart to us. And then, when Adam and Eve chose sin, not only did we lose that intimate relationship with God, but He lost it with us. We always focus on what Man lost that day, but what about what God lost that day? He lost His love - the one He had given His heart to. That relationship was ripped away from Him, suddenly, violently - like losing someone to death. <br /><br />You see, I've been listening to a lie recently. A lie that said that God doesn't really know how I feel. He hasn't really lost someone to death like I have. Yes, His Son suffered and died, and I know that was heart-wrenching, but He knew that in 3 days, He would be alive again. Part of what makes losing Rusty so hard is just that thought of all the time it will probably take before I see him again. That not knowing a time reference is so frustrating to me. And so I thought that God couldn't relate to that part of grief - the seemingly endless longing. But that song tonight made me realize how wrong I was. When sin came, God experienced profound loss. Us. And even though He already had a plan in place to redeem us, He knew it would be millennia before that redemption would be fully realized and He would once again enjoy intimate, unbroken relationship with the ones He had created to give His heart to. How heartbroken He must have been. How much must He long for us even now? Yes, once we are saved we have a measure of relationship with Him, but it's not like it was in the Garden - walking side by side; talking face to face. <br /><br />Since Rusty died, I've been pondering the story of Lazarus. In one of the verses, it says Jesus was very troubled. (It's a few verses before the famous "Jesus wept" verse.) I've always wondered why. I know people have taught that He was troubled because of how grieved Mary and Martha were, and I agree with that. But I've always thought there was more to it. Could it be that seeing them grieving the loss of their brother reminded Him of His own loss at the Fall? Could it be that He was very troubled because the God-head part of Him was missing us - grieving the loss of relationship He had so enjoyed in the Garden? <br /><br />Part of me is having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that He really does love me that much. He is passionate for us, and He loves us with an everlasting love! And, the truth is, He knows EXACTLY how I feel. Because He has felt that same way. About me. And about you. He misses you, especially if you don't know Jesus. He is grieving over your separation from Him. So many people have told me since Rusty died that they wish they could do something to help. Well, there is a way to help God. You can come to Him. Receive Him as your Savior and Lord. Begin the journey of being restored to that perfect relationship with Him. So that one day, we can once again walk with God in the cool of the day. And Rusty will be right there with us, too.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-71706237621709042242011-04-20T15:31:00.003-05:002011-04-20T23:39:17.911-05:00The Day I Met JesusToday is a very special day to me, because one year ago today, I met Jesus. No, not in a salvation-experience kind of way, but in a face-to-face kind of way. And it changed my life. <br /><br />One night in late March or early April of 2010, something prompted me to pray, "Jesus, I know I will see You and see Your face and feel Your arms around me one day. But if there is any way at all for me to feel your arms embrace me and to see Your face on this side of Heaven, then please let me!" As soon as I prayed it, I thought to myself that it was the most ridiculous thing to pray. I didn't think I had any faith for that prayer to be answered, and I promptly forgot about it within a couple of days.<br /><br />Fast forward from that point 3 weeks. I was on a vacation in Gatlinburg with just Preston. It was wonderful. One afternoon, we went to see "The Miracle" at the Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge. It's a live musical stage-production of the life of Christ - told in part from Lucifer's (Satan's) perspective. (That may sound hokey, but trust me, it's not.) It was SO powerful. One of the things that struck me throughout the whole show was the guy who played Jesus seemed SO much like Jesus. It seemed to be more than just excellent acting. It was like an anointing was on him. The light and the love that radiated from that man was just...incredible! I kept thinking, "Man, I sure would like to meet him. Just to see what he's like out of character." Well, at the intermission, they announced that the cast would be in the lobby after the show. I was excited - and nervous for some reason.<br /><br />So after the show, which was in and of itself such an inspiring and faith-building experience, Preston and I head out to the lobby to meet the cast. We met Judas, Nicodemus, the Pharisees, an angel, but then there was Jesus. There was a line to see him. I was the last one in the line. I was really nervous, so nervous that I almost decided not to meet him. And I wasn't sure why I was so nervous. The elderly lady in front of me asked him how he played Jesus so well. He replied that he prayed every time that he could empty himself and let the Holy Spirit just completely fill him and flow out of him. She asked for a hug, which he gladly gave. It was a really sweet interaction to watch. When I saw her ask for a hug, though, I thought, "Ah! Maybe I could ask for a hug too! But do I have the nerve? I mean, I'm a complete stranger to this guy, and I'm not good at hugging the guys I do know in my life, much less strangers." But, ultimately I knew that if I didn't ask for the hug, I would regret it. <br /><br />Then, it was my turn. He smiled and said hi, and I asked if I could please have a hug. He gave a gentle laugh and said sure. (all of this was so like Jesus.) He came around the little podium that they had him stand behind to sign CDs and things, and gave me a firm, but gentle hug. As his arms wrapped around me, and I felt his robe against my face, I remembered my "ridiculous" prayer from 3 weeks ago, and I knew that God was giving me my hearts' desire. He was saying "yes" to my prayer in that very moment. As he released me, I looked up into his face, and told him about my prayer and how God had just used him to answer that prayer. He got tears in his eyes, smiled even bigger, and hugged me again - and held me for a few moments while he prayed for me! It was the most incredible experience of my life! There was no doubt in my mind that God had orchestrated that moment, and the Holy Spirit had so filled that man (David M. Sanborn. Google him), that he was like Jesus to me. It was a holy moment that changed me forever. <br /><br />I left there shaking, crying, and laughing. I could not believe what had just happened. I had just seen Jesus. I was overwhelmed by the realization of how much God loved me to have done that for me. As an intercessor, I'm used to seeing Jesus move in response to prayers about other people. But to answer a prayer that was just for me was so intimate and so loving. So extravagant.<br /><br />"Meeting Jesus" changed me. It made me see Jesus in a much more personal way. It made my prayer time with Him that much sweeter. He truly became my Companion as I desired to walk with Him. I started learning how to really die to myself, which included laying down some things that were very precious to me - like the prayer ministry I was leading for our worship ministry's leadership. I also started recognizing Jesus in other people better. I can't think of a better way to encourage someone than by telling them, "You remind me of Jesus." <br /><br />And of course, here we are a year later, and I'm dealing with my brother's death through the truth that I have of how much Jesus loves me. Ironically, Rusty was one of the first people I told about my "meeting Jesus" experience. I had no idea that less than a year later, he would really be meeting Jesus. In fact, one night right after Rusty died, I was putting my daughter to bed, and she asked me to sing her favorite song, "Jesus Loves Me". As I sang the chorus, I could feel Jesus' arms wrapped around me once again, holding me, as if He were singing it over me. I recognize now that one of the reasons He gave me that moment, was to prepare me for this season of grief and loss. I cherish that precious truth that Jesus loves me, more than I can fathom. His grace IS sufficient for me. He is my All in all. He is my shield and my portion forever.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-61726865623415276262011-04-18T13:16:00.007-05:002011-04-18T22:25:44.993-05:00WavesI was talking to my Sunday School teacher today via email. (He's one of the best SS teachers around.) He was letting me know he was praying for me and our family still. I'm betting he was a tad concerned for me because I was a mess at church yesterday. As we were discussing what grief is like, I had this analogy come to me that I thought was rather beautiful (if I do say so myself) and very accurate. And I thought, "Oh! I need to blog about this!"<br /><br />Most of us have heard about the stages of grief. I think there's denial, anger, depression...and I can't remember the others. So far I've definitely experienced those three. I remember at the funeral I kept telling people, "This is wrong. We are not supposed to be here. My brother is NOT supposed to be in that casket." The day after the funeral I went back to the grave and just stood there, staring at it, trying to make it sink in. But it wouldn't. That's denial. For me anyway.<br /><br />The next day at church, anger hit me full force. I wasn't mad at Rusty. I was mad at God, not so much for allowing Rusty to die, but for allowing all the other stuff to happen that made it that much harder. (We had a couple of people show up acting like complete idiots at the funeral, among other things.)I was angry for a lot of reasons. My pastor talked to me that morning, and I said everything one should probably not say to one's pastor: "I'm angry at God; I'm angry at all the stupid people that come out of the woodwork during something like this; I don't care if my anger hurts them. And, just to top it all off: I can't pray." He was very loving, but also helped me understand why you can't stay in that place of anger. You have to choose to move from it. <br /><br />Then there was depression. My least favorite stage. At least with anger you feel something. With depression, you just feel numb, listless, you don't care about anything. In the past, I had to be on medicine for depression, and so I recognized that stage as soon as I got there. I didn't care what I looked like. I didn't care about getting the kids school work done. I just didn't care about anything. And I couldn't cry. That was the worst part. I wanted to cry, and I knew I needed to, but I couldn't. It was like a dam was holding back the tears. <br /><br />But what I'm discovering is that they're not stages that are set in order. And just because I was angry 2 weeks ago doesn't mean I'm done with it. In fact, yesterday I had to deal with anger all over again. Just because I seem to be doing well this week does not mean I'm on the uphill path from now on. No, what I have discovered is that grief comes in waves.<br /><br />The initial wave hits you at the moment of impact. For me, the moment my mom's words sunk in over the phone "Rusty's dead." was my moment of impact. For a moment, it loomed up in front of me, very large and terrifying, and then it crashed down over me and all around me, engulfing everything near and dear to me. In those first few days, that initial wave was all-consuming. I couldn't find my footing in the aftermath of that wave. If it had not been for the support of our friends and church families in those first days, we would not have been able to keep our heads above water.<br /><br />The waves right after that all hit you with a cold, sharp impact that can take your breath away. But then, the waters ebb. The waves seem to stop. You're still standing in waist-deep water that you have to slog through, but at least you're able to gain your footing. You can take a deep breath. Maybe you're going to make it after all. <br /><br />But now, 4 weeks later (gosh, can it really already be 4 weeks? How is that possible?), what I'm learning is that the waves still come. Sometimes they come one right after another. Sometimes they are spread out. Some of the waves are small and gently wash over you - you feel it's presence, but it's almost a comforting grief. (There's an oxymoron. But really, if you've lost a loved one, in those moments of acceptance of what's happened, you want to be sad. They are worth grieving over, and knowing that you're still feeling that is, in a way, comforting. It's sort of like a reassurance of the bond you had with them.)Other waves are strong and hit hard, knocking you off your feet all over again.<br /><br /> Anything can trigger these waves - whether it's a memory of the one you've lost, or suddenly realizing a particular dream has died with that person, or even just a disappointment that has nothing at all to do with your loss. From last Thursday through Sunday, I was having a succession of those hard waves that knock you off your feet. By Sunday, I was a wreck and cried more that day than any other day since Rusty died, I think. Then today, just as suddenly, those waves have subsided, and I'm trying to slog through just the "regular" grief. <br /><br />But here's what I know. My Jesus has authority over these waves. He will not let them consume me when they wash over me. In fact, if I let Him, He may even teach me how to walk on them.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-7151701649752399002011-04-11T08:43:00.005-05:002011-04-11T09:14:53.800-05:00I Can't Fix ThisIt will be 3 weeks ago tomorrow that my youngest brother took his life. I've blogged about the details of that night, but haven't been able to post it yet. I don't know that I ever will. It was just good for me to get it out of my head and down on "paper".<br /><br />The week after it happened, I met with my worship pastor/friend to help sort through some of my emotions and thoughts. One of the things he pointed out was that I was struggling with the fact that I couldn't control what happened, and I can't control the grief process. He talked about how an intercessor can fall into the delusion that they can control things through their prayers, and I especially thought I could protect my family by praying for them. He was exactly right. And it made me mad. On some level, though, the truth of what he said sunk in, and I have been pondering it ever since.<br /><br />I keep playing through my mind the phone call where Mom told me Rusty was dead. It took a minute for it to sink in, but then the wave of heartbreak and grief flooded over me. I knew there had been some initial thought that hit me just before that wave did. As I've sorted through everything as best as I can, I remember what that thought was. "I can't fix this." Usually, when any family member called with a crisis, I would immediately start trying to figure out how to fix it. And I usually had good solutions. But this time, there was absolutely nothing I could do to fix it. Rusty was gone. My mom was experiencing the worst pain any parent could experience. And all I could do was cry with her.<br /><br />But in recent days, I've heard the most wonderful thought being spoken into my spirit: "I've already fixed this." You see, Rusty's suicide did not take God by surprise. And He truly had made every provision for it. In Sept of 2009, Rusty had prayed with my pastor to receive Jesus as his Savior. Jesus "fixed this" when He died for Rusty on the cross, and defeated death and the grave when He rose from the dead on the third day! Jesus is the solution to my brother's death, and to our grief. And I can say with boldness: Death, where is your victory? Grave, where is your sting? <br /><br />So, the fact is, I couldn't fix this. I can't fix this. But, the TRUTH is, I don't have to, because God already did. Praise the Lord!!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-54021118479489859302010-09-28T21:23:00.003-05:002010-09-28T21:45:57.903-05:00A Lesson From the Clouds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThiUqXK7ge26hoju1AW_Lx84QvkG5JcdwJ5fb8K-EeK-U9ABQyhBn-68L33N9OTVu8WpvKAmrQsmlv9BHYao63EQXyIioU5cyVW5HATzrBlzv-_tU1F-8sBcK3YtteLl7WQYManCd7lo/s1600/101_0196.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThiUqXK7ge26hoju1AW_Lx84QvkG5JcdwJ5fb8K-EeK-U9ABQyhBn-68L33N9OTVu8WpvKAmrQsmlv9BHYao63EQXyIioU5cyVW5HATzrBlzv-_tU1F-8sBcK3YtteLl7WQYManCd7lo/s320/101_0196.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522159776011878626" /></a><br />Ps. 68:1 - "May God arise, may His enemies be scattered; may His foes flee before Him."<br /><br />I've been praying to see God's glory, and for my church to see God's glory. The other day a friend posted this quote from Charles Spurgeon on her Facebook wall. I found it very encouraging, especially after the lesson God showed me in the clouds: <br /><br />Although you may have pleaded month after month without evidence of answer, it is not possible that the Lord should be deaf when his people are earnest in a matter which concerns his glory. -Spurgeon-<br /> <br /> While I was at the beach with my family, I was able to get up early enough to enjoy the sunrise a couple of mornings. The first day I watched it, the sun immediately rose into a bank of dark clouds. As the sun rose, the clouds rose with it, and I wasn't able to see much at all. I was disappointed, but continued to watch. The clouds started spreading, as if it was trying to block every ray of the sun, and at first it looked like it was succeeding. But then, the light started to pierce through the clouds, and I realized that what was really happening was that the sun was causing the dark clouds to scatter. Within 30 minutes, there was no trace of those clouds, and the light of the sun filled the sky.<br /> The second day, the same thing happened, except that the clouds were MUCH larger. This time I knew what would happen, but I didn't realize how it would impact me. As the sun rose, it began to pierce the dark clouds and scattered them, but instead of disappearing, the clouds scattered over me and poured down rain. After about 10 minutes, though, the rain stopped, the clouds did disappear, and the sun once again lit up the sky.<br /> The Lord used that to speak to me. I've been praying to see the glory of the Lord in our church in ways we never have. What the Lord showed me was that His glory is already on the rise. Most of you probably sense that in our worship services. But there is some darkness on the horizon, and it is preventing us from fully seeing or comprehending His glory. To some of us, it may look like the darkness is overcoming the light. But the truth is, in our darkest moments - both in our individual lives and as a church - God is at work. If we have faith to keep looking toward Him, toward the light, we will see that He is at work in the darkness, and His glory WILL break through. The enemy WILL scatter, and the glory of the Lord will rise and fill our lives, our church and even the whole Earth. Actually, His glory already does fill the Earth, but it's hard for us to see it sometimes for the storm clouds all around us. Don't be discouraged when it seems the clouds are overtaking you. Don't be alarmed when the rain and the storm pours down around you. Trust that God is at work, and that the storm is indicating the enemy's power is being broken. Praise God!<br /> Specifically, I heard the Spirit speak to me, "As the sun rises, so does my glory, and My glory overcomes the darkness." When I got home, I was thinking I would really like to know a verse that confirms what He spoke to me. I went to check email, and one of the first emails I laid eyes on was a daily Bible verse that I signed up for just the week before. The verse for that day was Hosea 6:3 - "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. <span style="font-weight:bold;">As surely as the sun rises, He will appear</span>; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Thank You, Lord, for confirming Your word of encouragement. Cause us to press in to acknowledge You, even when it seems we can't see You. Let Your glory arise, and let Your enemies be scattered. AmenJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-57489342009433984832010-04-06T21:17:00.003-05:002010-04-06T22:23:34.836-05:00Whose Security Blanket is it Anyway?Hi! Remember me? I felt so bad about not having blogged in so long that I was seriously thinking about just giving it up. However, I have had a couple of people in my life tell me that I should start blogging again. So here I am. I did have to laugh to myself though when I signed in and saw my last post was titled "Being Quiet". Nice to know I took that one to heart!<br /><br />So Sunday, 2 days ago, I had one of the most traumatic events that can happen in the life of a mother of a toddler. (Yes, my baby girl is a toddler now. If I weren't having digital camera issues, I would post a picture of her on here for you.) We. lost. Amy Beth's. blankies. **da, du, dum!** I can hear your screams of horror now. <br /><br />Yes, she has two. The plan being we would always have a backup for wash days and if the <span style="font-style:italic;">unthinkable</span> happened and we misplaced one, but once she realized there were 2 of them, she had to have both of them with her at all times. We lost them at church that morning. I knew they were in her bag when I dropped her off, and I realized they were missing on our way home when we stopped for lunch. Of course, I immediately turned around and headed back to church, but all the doors were locked and everyone was gone. At this point, my mind overloaded on the horrible future that laid immediately ahead of me. I was thinking no naps, lots of crying at bedtime, overall fussiness throughout the day - and it wasn't going to be a picnic for <span style="font-style:italic;">her</span> either. <br /><br />I came home, called Preston, who suggested that I ask someone who lived near the church and had a key if I could borrow the key and go look for the blankets. Our worship pastor was the obvious choice, because he lives within walking distance to the church, and he knows where I live in case I "forgot" to return the key. Call made; he agreed to let me borrow the key; we drove back across town to get it and check the church. I looked all over the place; retraced every step we could have possibly taken that day; to no avail. It wasn't there. I was now ready to go curl up in a fetal position in the corner and whimper. Amy Beth, however, seemed oblivious, even though we were a couple of hours past her bed time. Her oldest brother, Harris, had let her borrow his beloved blanky. It felt and smelled enough like hers that it was sufficing for the moment. (Amy Beth has 2 of the best brothers in the universe. I hope she realizes that some day. Although it took me until I was an adult to realize how awesome my brothers were.)<br /><br />We came home and commenced with our Easter festivities. Amy Beth was too distracted hunting eggs to worry about her blankies. I, however, was making phone calls and sending emails to the nursery director and the workers in her class, and wracking my brain trying to figure out where they could be. I came to two conclusions: either they are in the toy cabinet that I couldn't get into, or they accidentally got sent home with someone else. Either way, chances were very slim we would be getting those blankies back that day. <br /><br />Sunday night. Bedtime. She goes down without a fuss due to sheer exhaustion - and her brother's blanket. But it was a restless sleep. Same with nap time on Monday. And the next night. During her waking hours, she is even clingier than usual - which is a lot, since she is going through the 2-year-old separation anxiety phase. I notice my stress levels are higher than normal. The case of the missing blankies is driving me crazy. I considered going and buying her a new blanky, but didn't think that would solve the problem. I hate not being able to find things!<br /><br />Monday night. I check email and see the reminder for our MOMS' group that meets on Tuesdays twice a month. It's for the next day. Yes! Another chance to go up there and recheck all the places those blankets could be. And some of those moms have children in Amy Beth's nursery class. So maybe, just maybe, someone will have them. I was almost giddy with the possibilities. <br /><br />We get to church. I talk to the nursery director and all the workers again and determine that the blankies have gone home with someone. Seeing that I'm almost the last one to drop off my children, and no one has mentioned to our nursery director that they found someone's blankies in their child's things Sunday, I start to get nervous again. And heartsick. Amy Beth, meanwhile, is happily playing with her nursery friends, oblivious to my distress, thankfully.<br /><br />I go downstairs to MOMS Group, (on my way stopping by the sanctuary and getting on my hands and knees to look under the pews). I'm sort of in a depressed daze at this point. And then Jennifer Lynch walks in, whose daughter is one of Amy Beth's best friends in the nursery, and in her hand is Amy Beth's blankies!! **insert angel choir "ahhhhhh!"** I was SO ecstatic! The day was suddenly brighter, and the birds were once again singing. I hugged them to me and ran back upstairs to the nursery to give them to Amy Beth right away, imagining the look of joy and relief when I handed them to her. Instead, I got a look of "Oh, I knew they would show up." She didn't act excited or relieved AT ALL!!! She did take a much better and longer nap when we got home than she had in 2 days, though. And her brother was happy to get his blanket back.<br /><br />So tonight, I was pondering the last couple of days and came to a startling and a bit disturbing conclusion: I am just as attached to her blankies as Amy Beth is! After all, the last 2 days had been seemingly more traumatic for me than they had been for her! So it begs the question, not just of me, but of all of you whose children have blankies or "lovies": whose security blanket is it anyway?<br /><br />Perhaps I should start a support group to help wean us off of our children's lovies.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-91360066568892549392009-08-06T20:20:00.002-05:002009-08-06T20:24:20.370-05:00Being QuietI have been frustrated in my attempts to pray on my own lately. I would sit there and have to fight to come up with the words to pray - and then they would sound so juvenile instead of the "pretty" prayers I'm used to "coming up with". I recently started journalling my prayers, and thought it would make it easier, but if anything it's now worse. I have no words of my own. Instead, the only thing that comes to my mind is Scripture, whether it's in prayerful worship or in intercession. I was writing out my frustrations to God this morning, and He quickly showed me that I am in a season of "being made silent". (Not sure why I put that in quotation marks, it just felt like it should be in quotes.) I have grown self-sufficient in how I pray. He wants me to get back to praying only Spirit-led, Scripture-fed prayers. (I mean, Hello! That's what Pastors Harry and Kevin have been leading us in for well over a year at my church, <a href="http://www.smic.org">Shades Mountain Independent</a>!) And sometimes, He doesn't want me saying anything - just being still and trusting that His Sovereignty and grace are sufficient. He sees my heart and knows what's in it - the worship, the gratitude, the requests, the concerns, the desires, and yes, even the sins and weaknesses, the deceptions I've bought into. He knows it much better than I ever will. I don't have to say anything. Sometimes, I just need to be quiet and get out of the way so His Spirit can do His work in me and through me.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-12275258074037201412009-06-18T18:26:00.007-05:002009-06-18T23:10:41.692-05:00Hi! Remember Me?Wow. It's been a while. I've missed this. So why haven't I been blogging? Hmmm, several reasons, I guess: I can usually only blog in the evenings, and am usually too tired to think, much less converse; Facebook was satisfying my need to put my thoughts out there to my cyber-friends; I kept thinking I needed to start off with some big, fantastic blog with lots of followers, and would get discouraged when I kept falling short.<br /><br />A lot of that thinking has changed. I'll start with the last one first: this is MY blog, and it doesn't have to fill anyone else's shoes - just mine. No one's blog started off big and fantastic with lots of followers, and if I only ever have 6 followers, then that's enough for me. My main purpose for blogging is not to entertain the masses, but to share my thoughts with my friends - especially those thoughts that God has been teaching me.<br /><br />That may be another reason why I haven't been blogging: not to sound too lofty, but maybe, just maybe, the enemy of my soul has been keeping me distracted. Just before I stopped blogging on a semi-regular basis, I had shared with a friend that I felt like God wanted me to use this blog to share the amazing things God is teaching me. I have a gift of prophecy, which means a gift for declaring truth. What better platform than this blog? The devil obviously doesn't want the truth to go out in any way. Well, I'm done cooperating with that plan.<br /><br />And finally, the Facebook distraction. As of last week, I am no longer doing FB. I deactivated my account. I had been wrestling with that decision for a long time. It became too much of a time drain, and it was competing with my time that I should have been spending with God. Our pastor has been challenging us to give up things that distract us from hearing from God and seeking Him. I was choosing time on Facebook over time with God - in other words, it had become an idol for me. It was also compromising other priorities - like getting in bed on time, conversation with people in my house, and blogging. <br /><br />I don't have anything against Facebook itself, or anyone who uses it. It's just for me, at this time at least, it's gotta go. I want my relationship with God to be my number one priority. I don't want anything else to get in the way of that. Seriously. When I do get rid of the distractions and spend that time with Him instead, I am always amazed at His amazing grace, and at the things He shows me. Do you know how much He desires our undivided attention? How delighted He is when we let Him show us some of the wonders He has for us? Someone recently showed me a picture. It depicted Christ sitting in a forest with a child in His lap, tucked up against Him under one arm, while He was holding a butterfly on the end of His finger on His other arm. The child was delighted with the butterfly, and Christ was delighted in the child's delight. That child is you and me - if you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior. He wants to pick us up and sit us on His lap, tuck us up under His arm, and then show us the wonders of His grace, mercy, love, and Creation itself. I have tried to hold one of my children before, but because they didn't want to put down their toys, I either couldn't pick them up at all, or had to hold them at arms length because the toys were in the way. I want to put down my toys so that He can pick me up and tuck me under His arm. I want to lay my head on His breast, and behold the wonders He has in store for me. And I want to share what He shows me with you.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-25494633870220149192009-05-14T20:57:00.005-05:002009-05-14T21:46:04.941-05:00Pottery Pictures and a Pottery Giveaway!!!I just wanted to show you some of the things I've made in my pottery class so far. I am still LOVING this class! I've had 4 of 6 classes so far, and I am dreading the end of that 6th week. I will definitely go through clay withdrawals. Seriously. I am in love with the stuff! I love the way it feels on my hands. I love the way it changes shape on the wheel. I love the way it smells. Okay, stop looking at me like that (yes, I can see you). I know how weird that sounds, but I can't help it. I have been told by one of the instructors and others in the class with me that I seem to have a "knack" for wheel-throwing. If you have ever wanted to take pottery classes, I highly recommend going <a href="http://www.cahabaclayworks.com">here</a> and signing up for the next available classes!<br /><br />Now, if you love hand-made pottery, but would rather just own it rather than make it, head over to Rachel's blog. She is having a <a href="http://http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/05/earthborn-pottery-giveaway-and-special.html">giveaway</a> for some gorgeous pottery, created by Tena Payne, who is teaching the class I'm taking. I've blogged about her <a href="http://http://jennifer-ofheavenandearth.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-conquered-caption-and-other-fun-stuff.html">before</a>.<br /><br />Now, without further ado, some of the pictures of my work. Remember I've only had 4 classes at this point, so be kind in your opinion. Honest, but kind.<br /><br />This is the clay after being wedged, thrown, centered, and opened. See how wet it is?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Jxo1KQa3w4-RgcczwfIRtVqGSTQn1snuqG1ZvFsZ1UV8KghAVRT6CgNbuHWGMtP1qj-qduBA_vwv7QYbeaf5iaZaplAmxj-YnO6IKQNa23VPdbKQoL_Nngjccf5jlqOxqfZH-ff9YQg/s1600-h/My+pottery+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Jxo1KQa3w4-RgcczwfIRtVqGSTQn1snuqG1ZvFsZ1UV8KghAVRT6CgNbuHWGMtP1qj-qduBA_vwv7QYbeaf5iaZaplAmxj-YnO6IKQNa23VPdbKQoL_Nngjccf5jlqOxqfZH-ff9YQg/s320/My+pottery+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335871555725191202" /></a><br /><br />These are my very first 2 pieces. I made the cup first, and then the bowl. To be honest, I had to chunk the first 3 attempts, but that's part of the learning process.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxnNPjJrqMKIkziv2i3LtZbQrYGIiK62JN9Jg_2Yn_09BXuM2GuTIC87SyGKfg8d0Rr5GZk4ghnzJFeddZ7l186ZFa0a7g0MCsGl1iS1oNfn2xj2SHwp1Ezjdhfy3faho_4q_oOk4yLs/s1600-h/My+pottery+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxnNPjJrqMKIkziv2i3LtZbQrYGIiK62JN9Jg_2Yn_09BXuM2GuTIC87SyGKfg8d0Rr5GZk4ghnzJFeddZ7l186ZFa0a7g0MCsGl1iS1oNfn2xj2SHwp1Ezjdhfy3faho_4q_oOk4yLs/s320/My+pottery+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335871560273314866" /></a><br /><br />I made these my second week. The larger one is one of my favorite pieces so far. You'll notice the bottoms look rough. That's because they had not been trimmed yet.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZP38E9t0JjdgIoZzbltADC8lmtZUHI_UZOWwoFbd926MiFiNrFoHTyMk8GYSARbTqE9Mo5wYg3Fdft8u5z_k-u5GPQiQiGP4MuiVswhjp8rXlq6qr2s_NxA9OQVDOHWix8Yu7434xb8/s1600-h/My+pottery+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZP38E9t0JjdgIoZzbltADC8lmtZUHI_UZOWwoFbd926MiFiNrFoHTyMk8GYSARbTqE9Mo5wYg3Fdft8u5z_k-u5GPQiQiGP4MuiVswhjp8rXlq6qr2s_NxA9OQVDOHWix8Yu7434xb8/s320/My+pottery+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335871556058792834" /></a><br /><br />This is my other favorite piece. It's supposed to eventually be a teapot, but I like it like this so much that I might just use it as a vase.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzb54d62kG-JutXjO3GQ0-0cC1QbCPfTffSCd5E9TRGQk8NQ9KPTHXj_l2F6IU4wavSKNAPMoHBN1nZmWV_TQe8xQWyCtTyV7nNjCw7WBhHtDAb80k8ALPT1X7zQto7yLClap3n4sy_8s/s1600-h/My+pottery+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzb54d62kG-JutXjO3GQ0-0cC1QbCPfTffSCd5E9TRGQk8NQ9KPTHXj_l2F6IU4wavSKNAPMoHBN1nZmWV_TQe8xQWyCtTyV7nNjCw7WBhHtDAb80k8ALPT1X7zQto7yLClap3n4sy_8s/s320/My+pottery+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335871564373289010" /></a><br /><br />Another angle of my teapot/vase.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4AU_a5bkEZHisDzi0VLS-MCoDarRQnPTYPbEkecnkEVqJ-d4kNGV0LIqSU_sK2gTKIfFsrNPnf2wTxhMicZFp0eYsxBuMsct-WqrwvTqGKW6kCJyGqYv6PAFNsX5CKYgx3gREf7gYQw/s1600-h/My+pottery+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4AU_a5bkEZHisDzi0VLS-MCoDarRQnPTYPbEkecnkEVqJ-d4kNGV0LIqSU_sK2gTKIfFsrNPnf2wTxhMicZFp0eYsxBuMsct-WqrwvTqGKW6kCJyGqYv6PAFNsX5CKYgx3gREf7gYQw/s320/My+pottery+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335871559217273826" /></a><br /><br />This past week we learned how to trim the pieces. I don't have those pictures ready yet, but I'll get them up soon. We will be glazing the pieces in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait! Don't forget to sign up for the <a href="http://http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/05/earthborn-pottery-giveaway-and-special.html">pottery giveaway</a> on Rachel's blog!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-42369926079932421732009-04-24T14:39:00.004-05:002009-04-24T15:15:06.609-05:00Collecting Buttons<a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/04/conquer-caption-week-six.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee328/rvzcallahan/IConqueredTheCaptioncopy-1.jpg" border="0" alt="I Conquered The Caption Resized"></a><br /><br />I won - again! Actually, twice again! <a href="http://www.grasping%20for%20objectivity.com/">Rachel</a> has a "Conquer the Caption" contest every Friday. I had the honor of winning the first one, and have won the last two weeks in a row as well. And no, I did not have any inside information or previous knowledge to give me an edge. I just have a quirky mind that thinks this way all the time, and Rachel has just so happened to stumble on a good outlet for it.<br /><br />Thanks to Rachel and all her wonderful, generous giveaways, I can never again say I hardly ever win anything, even if it is just a virtual button.<br /><br />And while I am on the subject of buttons, I'm going to start collecting them. You may have noticed my blog button on the sidebar. That was also created by Rachel - just to be nice. I didn't win that one. If you would like to display my button on your blog (if you use Blogger), all you have to do is to copy (ctrl-C) the code under my button, then go to layout --> Add Gadget --> HTML/Javascript --> Paste (ctrl-V) your code in. You will start seeing more of my friends' blog link buttons on my sidebar as well in the near future.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-39755063414089192162009-04-21T13:51:00.009-05:002009-04-21T15:15:56.175-05:00My First Pottery Class!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today was my first <a href="http://http://jennifer-ofheavenandearth.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-conquered-caption-and-other-fun-stuff.html">pottery class</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span>! And. I. LOVED it!! As I have mentioned <a href="http://jennifer-ofheavenandearth.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-conquered-caption-and-other-fun-stuff.html">before</a>, I have always wanted to try my hand at pottery since I first saw someone doing pottery at Tannehill State Park when I was a child, and I was not disappointed! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">CahabaClayWorks offers several classes taught by several teachers, and I chose the Tuesday morning class because: 1) My husband is at home on Tuesdays to watch our kids and 2) Tena Payne, whose children I went to school with, was the teacher for this class. There were 3 of us for this first class today, which in my opinion was great because it allowed Tena to give us more one-on-one time. And at the beginning anyway, we really needed it! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tena started the class by telling us about clay. It's straight from the earth. It is the end result of erosion and is found all over the world. It also comes in a variety of colors. You can make it into any shape you want and change it as much as you want, but once you fire it, it will last forever. That's how archeologists learn about ancient civilizations is primarily through the pottery they find because it is the most well-preserved. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Then she made some spiritual applications. (after asking permission to do so with the class). God calls Himself the Potter, and He calls us the clay. He comes and digs us out of the "earth", out of the filth of our sin. We are unable to come to Him first, just like the clay has no power on its own to come to the potter. God cleans all the dirt and impurites out of us to make us something that He can use. And then He molds us and shapes us. We cannot tell Him what we want to look like. It is completely up to the Potter. There are many different tools you can use when making pottery, some of them are "normal" tools (like a sponge), and some of them are quite strange (like a corn-cob-looking...thing). The spiritual application there is do not be surprised at the unlikely tools God uses in our lives to shape us into His vessel, and do not resist the process. Once a piece of clay is shaped and left to air dry, it will try to go back to it's original shape. How true of us as well. As Christians, we are so quick to fall back into the sins and habits that God just rescued us from, just like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt. And then of course, there is the firing process. (which we didn't do today). It hardens the vessel into the shape the potter made, and it becomes a useful and beautiful object. The fiery trials in our lives God uses to transform us into a vessel pleasing and useful to Him and to those He brings into our lives. I LOVED it! I don't know why, but I had goose bumps as she shared all of this with us. Oh, and another thing, if during the process of making the piece of pottery, the clay goes awry, the potter doesn't throw it away, he/she reclaims it, and starts all over again. And God never gives up on us, but reclaims us and makes us into something new. Isn't that awesome?! I told <a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/">Rachel</a> that my only regret about this Tuesday class was missing Bible study, but God still gave me an awesome lesson about Himself through Tena and the clay. Praise God!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tena demonstrated everything for us first, and made a beautiful bowl in no time. She made it look so easy. Then we got to do it ourselves. It wasn't that easy, but it was so much fun! Now, to be honest, I was afraid I would discover that I didn't enjoy getting the clay all over my hands, because as a child I hated getting dirty, but that was not the case. I loved the way it felt on my hands. By the end of the 6-week class, I bet the skin on my hands is going to look great!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If you watch a potter working on a wheel, they make it look like the clay just melts at the slightest touch of your hands, but you have to exert a lot of pressure on that clay. You don't just use your hands, but your whole body. I mean, I can feel it in my muscles still, maybe I should go take a Motrin... Now, I messed up right away, because I didn't throw my clay on the wheel firmly enough, so when I went to start centering it, it went flying off the wheel (don't worry, no teachers were harmed during the production of this vessel.) I ended up having to start over 3 times, but the fourth time was the charm, and I was amazed at the pretty bowl that turned out. (Tena says that for beginners', you don't decide what you're going to make ahead of time, you just take what the clay gives you.) I'm so sorry to not have a picture to show you, but I left my camera at home. I'll take pictures next week and show you. I then did a second piece all by myself! Well, under Tena's close supervision anyway. I was rather proud of my very first 2 pieces! My 2 classmates only made one piece, but they came together and were having fun chit-chatting while I was in the zone. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the end, I had 2 lovely bowls of different shapes and sizes (I'm assuming we'll do the finishing work on them next week), my jeans and shirt covered in clay (they tell you to wear clothes you don't mind getting muddy), and a huge smile on my face. I loved having Tena as a teacher, and it was fun getting to know the 2 older ladies who were in the class with me. They were a hoot! I have always been told that I am creative and artistic, but I haven't found an outlet for that creativity that I have enjoyed as much as I enjoyed this today. Thank you, <a href="http://http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/giveaway-jubilee-gorgeous-pottery-and.html">Rachel</a>, for this wonderful prize. And thank you, <a href="http://www.cahabaclayworks.com/">Tena</a>, for donating these classes to her giveaway.</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-23746198050227760802009-04-19T21:52:00.001-05:002009-04-19T21:55:26.228-05:00A New Name<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Rev. 2:17 - " 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.' " (emphasis mine)<br /><br />I once read somewhere that to know a person or a thing's name is to have some degree of authority over them. Think about it, if you are in a large crowd and hear someone shout, "Hey you", you will assume they're talking to someone else and keep walking. But if you hear someone shout your name, it will most likely make you stop and see who is calling for you. And the more specific they are with your name (I.e. - first and last), the more it will compel you to stop. Perhaps this is why parents are known for calling their child by their full name when that child is in trouble. The parent is letting the child know that the full weight of their parent's authority is about to come down on them.<br /> Your name is also your identity. Before and during the Middle Ages, if I'm remembering my history correctly, a person was identified by what they did for a living or something they had accomplished. For good or for ill, that identity became their name that the person - and their descendents - were known by. To this day, some people strive to "make a name for themselves".<br /> This verse tells us that Jesus has given us an identity. We are identified with Christ! That means we are identified as holy and blameless (Eph.1:4), a joint-heir (Rom. 8:17), being seated with Him in the heavenly places (Eph.2:6), set apart (Col.2:11, 12), and made complete in Him in all the fullness of Deity (Col. 2:9, 10). What an encouraging, life-changing truth. No matter what the world tells us, no matter what our family history is, no matter what mistakes we've made, if we are born again, then we are identified with Christ - by Christ! And because Christ is the only one who knows this new name of ourse, He is the only one who has authority over us! We no longer have to listen to the lies of the enemy, to temptations, or to the voices of the world that try to distract us or taunt us because they don't know our name and therefore have no authority over us. Because Satan has no authority over us, he has no authority to put any guilt or condemnation on us. His threats and accusations are not valid. (Rom.8:1,2) We only have to listen to the voice of our Lord and Savior, and we answer only to Him! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!!!!<br /></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-21538534569336079042009-03-22T21:10:00.004-05:002009-03-22T22:11:39.728-05:00An Epiphany<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have been a Christian since I was 4 years old. I have grown up in the church and have enjoyed a close walk with God for most of my life. However, there is a fundamental truth to the Christian faith that I have always struggled with, and that is the issue of our sin being separated from us "as far as the east is from the west". I have been taught that at length all my life through various things, and I knew it in my head, but I didn't own it for myself. As a result, even though I knew my sins were forgiven, I have been living life weighed down with guilt and self-condemnation. I would read verses like Ephesians 1:3,4 - "Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, <em><strong>that we would be holy and blameless</strong></em> before Him." (emphasis mine) and I would think, well that will be nice one day, but I am not holy or blameless right now. When I sinned, my head knew I was forgiven as soon as I confessed and repented, but I still felt like I had to work my way back into fellowship with God, that there was a series of hoops I had to jump through in order to "make it up" to God for screwing up. As a result, I was always angry with myself, and I could not fully grasp my identity as a child of God and what He has called me to do. I thought I was too messed up to by fully used of God. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">However, tonight, at our Sunday night prayer time and Communion, God revealed the truth to me. I finally got it, that my sin was not just "washed away", but that the blood of Jesus Christ obliterated my sin. It does not exist anymore! The moment I confess my sin, Jesus is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".(I John 1:9) At that instant, I am holy and blameless before Him (Eph.1:4). That lie I told in 2nd grade - washed away; losing my temper with my kids this morning (yes, before church of course) - gone; getting impatient with the slow-poke on the road - doesn't exist anymore. Hallelujah! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That guilt was a lie of the enemy to hold me back from living a victorious Christian life, and to keep me from fully realizing the call God has on my life. I can now declare that "Therefore there is <em>now</em> (not "someday", not "maybe", but "now") NO condemation to those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom.8:1 - emphasis mine). It doesn't mean I will never sin again, it means I no longer have to bear the guilt or condemnation of that sin because Jesus Christ bore my sins on His body on the cross. He paid the penalty, and when He arose from the grave, He took the victory over my sin, and because I believe in Him, that victory over sin - and its guilt and condemnation - is now mine! Praise the Lord!! Hallelujah!!! Glory to God!!!!! </span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-89299562514695959782009-03-20T15:34:00.007-05:002009-03-23T09:21:47.935-05:00I Conquered the Caption! and other fun stuff<a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/03/conquer-caption-week-two.html" target="_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 244px; HEIGHT: 245px" height="887" alt="I Conquered The Caption" src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee328/rvzcallahan/IConqueredTheCaptioncopy.jpg" width="661" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This has been a good week for me. I've won two things! That's a pretty amazing accomplishment for a person who rarely wins things. As you can tell from the button above, I won </span><a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Rachel</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">'s very first "Conquer the Caption" contest! This is a fun little contest that is going to be a weekly feature on her blog. She posts a picture, and readers comment with a caption to go with the picture. What did I get for winning the very first Conquer the Caption contest, you ask? Well, I won....the button at the top of this post!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's the funny thing - back in my very young teenage years, I loved silly lapel pins/buttons. You know the ones that would say things like, "Smile, Jesus Loves You" or "Kiss me, I'm Irish", or sometimes just the little guardian angel pins. I would wear one almost every day. At one point, there were 3 different ones I was wearing at the same time, and I had a few on my denim purse as well. Weird, I know. So, anyway, now that I've won this button, I'm thinking perhaps I should start seeing how many blog buttons I can collect! Whadduya think? Huh, HUH???....well....maybe not. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What I won earlier in the week though really is something to get super excited about - for me anyway. I won a 6-week pottery class - also through Rachel's blog and her first annual giveaway jubilee! I have always been fascinated watching people make pottery, and have always had a secret desire to try it myself. I think it's going to be so much fun to have this time to look forward to once a week to get out of the house by myself, and try my hand at something artistic. I've always been told that I'm a creative person, but other than playing my flute, I don't really see it. I have a tremendous desire to be creative and artistic, but haven't found an outlet for it that I really got excited about - except scrapbooking, but I just don't have the time for that anymore. So maybe pottery will turn out to be my thing! Wouldn't that be cool?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The other thing that makes this so neat for me is the person who donated these classes, Tena Payne. Her daughter and I were best friends back in junior high school, and I remember her doing pottery back then. In fact, my mom still has some coffee cups that Tena made her and gave her for Christmas or something way back when. Tena's pottery is now used in high-end restaurants and the like all over the country! You should stop by her web site, </span><a href="http://www.earthbornpottery.net/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Earthborn Pottery</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and take a look at all the exquisite pieces she has that you can buy. And if you're interested in taking some pottery classes yourself, you can visit </span><a href="http://www.cahabaclayworks.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cahaba Clay Works</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and click on the "Classes" link at the top of the page for information.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There are a whole lot of other fun things we've done this week, but I will post about it later. And I will definitely let you know how the classes go!</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-86952155708583335032009-03-15T22:57:00.002-05:002009-03-15T23:02:07.166-05:00Rejoice Evermore<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I Thess. 5:16-18 - Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.<br /><br />I recently heard a report from a lady who was in...Uganda, I think, on a short-term mission's trip. She was working in an orphanage where many of the children came from pasts that would out-do most horror movies. And yet these children were some of the most joyful children she had ever met. Was there intense counseling? No. Drug therapy? No. They just spent all their free time in praise and worship. These children would go to school, then do their chores, eat supper, and have praise and worship time. Then in the morning, they would begin their day with praise and worship before going off to school. This missionary said these children weren't forced into these sessions, they looked forward to them and participated in them with all that they had, and would leave the sessions still singing, dancing, and rejoicing in the Lord! Isn't that wonderful?<br /> It makes me wonder about us, though. How much time do we spend worshipping and praising the Lord? What would happen if we stopped wasting our time on Facebook or watching the junk on TV or even reading the latest Christian motivational book, and used that free time to worship God instead? I am willing to guess that we would find our stress and our concerns put in their proper perspective - God's perspective. We would have a much easier time of letting go and letting God handle everything. It would change our lives.<br /> These verses in I Thess. 5 are what came to my mind when I was thinking about all of this. I looked up some of the words. "Rejoice" means to be cheerful or calmly happy. "Evermore" means every when (which made me think of the phrase "even when ....") and at all times. Sometimes I think of rejoicing or being joyful as exuberant happiness and I think to myself, "I just don't have the energy for that right now". I'm so glad that word means calmly happy - one could probably say peacefully happy. And of course, the next two phrases are pretty clear cut - "pray without ceasing" - turn everything over to God in prayer. "In everything give thanks" - giving thanks in the midst of a trial or giving thanks as soon as you've asked Him for something is displaying your faith in the God who hears and answers our prayers - and knowing His answer will be for our good and His glory. The next phrase is what gave me a little bit of pause: "For this is the will of God..." - we hear that phrase so much, but what does the "will" in the will of God mean? According to Strong's, it means a determination, desire, or pleasure. God's desire is for us to spend our time praying, praising Him (expressing gratitude for the works of God), and rejoicing in Him, which is worship.<br /> So my challenge for myself and all of us is the next time we need to unwind, instead of picking up the remote or booting up the laptop, turn to God instead. It can be with music or meditating on His Word (not with the assistance of any other books, sometimes we're so busy trying to figure out what so-and-so says about a verse that we miss what the Holy Spirit is saying about it.). It can be through just talking to God or just sitting and listening to Him (Ps. 46:10). It can be whatever God leads you to do. Remember, worship is all that we are responding to all that He is.</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-36428721036810494962009-03-06T10:33:00.002-06:002009-03-06T10:54:35.283-06:00A Google Game<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On Facebook right now, there are a lot of fun little memes going around for people to play. The latest one I've seen is to do a Google search with "(your name) needs", and to write/type out the first 10 results. Well, by the time I got to it, the search was skewed because of all the people doing this game, so I didn't take exactly the first 10, just the first 10 that were somewhat funny to me. I also went to ask Jeeves and did the same thing. Here are the results of the 2 searches:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Google</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Jennifer needs a smack daddy. - <em>umm...exCUUUUSE me?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Jennifer needs to play by the rules. - <em>'cuz I'm such a rebel, you know.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Jennifer needs to give birth in the next week. - <em>That would take a LOT of talent since I am not pregnant.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Jennifer needs to date Jason. - <em>nope. I am happily married, thank you very much.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Jennifer needs to accept that she's gained a lot of weight. - <em>again - exCUUUUSE me?!?!?!?!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. Jennifer needs a shave. - <em>Man, Google is rather rude. I shaved yesterday if you must know.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. Jennifer needs your support. - <em>Yeah, after Google has insulted me and depressed me, I guess so.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. Jennifer needs a mortician. - <em>One of the stranger ones. I'm not planning on needing one, and last I checked, Google can't tell the future.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">9. Jennifer needs a muzzle. - <em>mmm-hmm, mmm-mmmm-hmmm!(that's me trying to talk with a muzzle on.)</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">10. Jennifer needs to stop watching "Lost" season 1. - <em>In order to stop something, I would have to first start it, and I've never watched that show. (Some of you need to pick your jaws up off the floor now.)</em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Ask Jeeves</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">1. Jennifer needs to get over herself - <em>Not much nicer than Google, is it?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">2. Jennifer needs to get slapped. - <em>In fact, it goes from verbal abuse to physical abuse. Yikes!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">3. Jennifer needs to at least pay a fine. - <em>Yeah, I had some library books overdue.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">4. Jennifer needs this diva publicity. - <em>A diva??? Me???? Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">5. Jennifer needs a holiday! - <em>AMEN!!! Is Google or Ask Jeeves willing to pay for it?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">6. Jennifer needs to ease up on herself. - Sometimes that is very true. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">7. Jennifer needs to tell people to have a nice, tall glass of "Shut Up". - <em>Oh</em> <em>My, that's not very nice. tsk, tsk, tsk...</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">8. Jennifer needs more patience. - <em>especially if I am going around telling people to shut up.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">9. Jennifer needs to take things one baby at a time. - <em>Umm, but I have 3 babies....</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Apparently, I miscounted and forgot to write down a 10th one. Oh well. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Have you played this game? If so, let me know what you "need"! : )</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-61706906662725913262009-02-28T00:50:00.001-06:002009-02-28T16:50:46.384-06:00Kid Tips<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My friend, </span><a href="http://www.graspingforsubjectivity.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Rachel</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, did a post a while back on </span><a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2008/04/baby-tips.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Baby Tips</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, things she learned as a mom over the first year of her daughter's life. It was so helpful, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, that I've been wanting to do my own for some time. Today is her one year blogging anniversary (hooray!) and she is inviting everyone to help celebrate by posting their own tips. So now is the perfect time to enlighten you with all the wisdom I have gleaned from 6 years of child-rearing. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my "Kid Tips".<br /><br /></span><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First, some rules regarding sleep:<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">NEVER let your baby sleep on his stomach, or with stuffed animals, and definitely not on their stomach with a stuffed animal</span><br /></div><div><div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995855870052194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_RheNjnZgqi4v-ozC60jiLt_1QGJk3rx-fgfPmVfflOgvKZxE4RFimDJfSAQy5KmwJqoMpvXqSC9EZq2VB3Bo8ffgQWCdujXk2DnDjRQtlXIG0RyeXq3XCcPPN53DoK8eTQMErt4p0c/s320/100_0051.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">or with a blanket - because it might wind up over their face.</span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305004721548375282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxK2Ec_fIsG6l-stsd4o_I39NQjwTwPgNv50VKX6aU-dtlwCUYEDWC-YdwErNhCeDtTMoJCNxjlys68OSpT4gSNdNYX3uQ9_Ryq0pkbSDxwWRP-pT3zLSeSlp2U29_zZCJcynclXQCUUg/s320/Darrell's+b%27day-AL+Adventure+025.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Do not let your children share a crib - with each other or with the above-said stuffed animals.</span><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995849194961026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iW_5JwBr0kfh96l4gT_0wN5gTr-ZZAM5909DcJRAvbuDfAua7ZEVwbE_3HZrBZ767xNi1IUl7UWJQBPm0aqQ_571wUX6rHWiNDRTKu6oCHcx_7emhOtiShGP5w6r_U-QnkPLO9fiNkY/s320/100_0031.JPG" border="0" /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Second: Enforce good hygiene habits early on.</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Like brushing their teeth.</span><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995863638877074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfWmDfi_dl1KPMUyZLcC_TAzB2xB49XQRTeqngefM5yuxZIn0p5KM1g1XFfO3kqeqOvJUIZYg5WfUpsOiy9lxIq-xOZa2FBOsCWm9XNTRfgdBQexL38wRNPAV4dEhoAqllx-hTm_wIcw/s320/100_0258.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And bathing<br /></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305444753315153554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIVpn9FKmEhX4g6JzWr4FKwyF3sV65IJSOyPnctJCy1V__pxjCd20GBgM0WuBN5zEn9-x7NLqnvbOohkei-EpFgQGsVCovbF90ya4kZ6jxgjZ9LX3HA5Bps578Pj17atZmnLYY_2jalg/s320/000_0009.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305444756136270354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVjHYkd2A061Sut9b_JBgi3tUEZUwCg-CoJUO79IfpYnnGR4MH83ODUu7zkHGLhidLFYTEVm6SeV1CgZ9plCB79hv-3rsqwXYEGZCfRqV_ZEIVD6Iv4MpTZf6tnZnUwMhy1XRi1KsaDE/s320/000_0017.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But it is important to remember that as they get older, it sometimes really is easier to hose them off outside.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305444748550751250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeQrb-hjyKLsqf-QRHLioxi0ykpnVhNFiu-a5E9uNJmlB4j0StzJ8RvY77WMxzafwgqsTjQ3PNCTFFyQ9gsYJ0yZOAQhOIiVHi2X80N9imoZCPzZUomZCLshRC52Q0qW9tLzUw0VxqMs/s320/playing+in+the+hose+8-08+016.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now for some safety tips around the home:</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Keep your child away from electrical outlets and light bulb sockets.</span><br /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995860216506610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm68PEXGBCmp-wYBw-jJwUJuwnSH8a08lfJv7beWiafbRMFwVfj1qDiyFGdSnFAZJon0KMx_1mLUWE4Yblch50_FZyRfPPnZSvA79uFkaBlMjK_OMB7icHy0qooxkCMVoNW0aWc1HCVec/s320/100_0032.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And do not let them play with any kind of open flame.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305444742684473714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xdiCNpZyyansqoQ6zBGfV7JSlj76v3gLH1sILBeBzbRz7DurVMABnHP6awRmPbgYTomIqWtqxJ2wTBZhX2nepRjJ-J-i-g7ETWeXdES-gi_4tFvVy5sZO13NXaNS5NJlaHCyXJLdK9A/s320/Christmas+2008+025.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305444743506479730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUNdBMrfQEsf4lVodVsX80H2_j9F34Nu433p-dKBL4bMC5_nTtctyiu937I2vzRIkL8NgPU6jsHo_y7MdbmYhb2Bol81aNnSGtVcffGM-VujwFZorFufdC_SHSLYNCDlvXxXm4CKWDFY/s320/Christmas+2008+070.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Avoid sugary foods and desserts.</span></div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305000122780272658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2yvCGxQqwQiJ-g7Nfb-7CpAr2UPBAAOIGoxCEt9nV1h98JLkxgUdApuAsgdaPER7BJ5L9A0LiCGDIoMcCF68SRZ7W9Sew5Zol0ldLWy5m03RPGOZdUvOx4iAT1eCcSxB5zGtuu05zYk/s320/100_0095.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but encourage them to try new foods.</span><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305004718258124370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdr1eNQsZUeozzfrmuIsPIwg-vdqMskp18MoGy47oDX7cKpOs3c45FPydH1tOSDMlWMaJfQ8wm8BGgHpH5Q_DjUWJxs9BjHAjv6tGmHQ_NQwDePKFN7OUpScEIs8r6B1F1Enoiu9-aP6c/s320/4th+of+July+2008+054.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Discourage nasty habits, like picking their nose...and bathing in their food.</span><br /></div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305000122382383682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPVqBD7YelIeGDnAUmiR9LJOZRKvMTy2t_ToNlgXjNj2NaXcG7fb-vm47sat1N0e8VqkuWYRK7BaHikkRiIhcjRgLAgWutk1KFdoYDdD_VT5-1kDTDknOVpI2JziV2ahKstKIbt7FXcQ/s320/Birthday+and+Misc.+068.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">From an early age, encourage them to enjoy yard work, like <strike>collecting </strike>raking leaves.</span></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-vkxSY9QzS-_Y6BA-Y2jgZiz4GNss9uDpuQyETiUByoc6sSW42hST0IqoYLwxbRmPCS6oTXPXo2XiC40sKekB_-5FED5GiIjTQQmmcy8Nc44X6bIbdsXh-GI2OG_vW6jjbv9yb8J8Ew/s1600-h/100_0287.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304995864471781474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-vkxSY9QzS-_Y6BA-Y2jgZiz4GNss9uDpuQyETiUByoc6sSW42hST0IqoYLwxbRmPCS6oTXPXo2XiC40sKekB_-5FED5GiIjTQQmmcy8Nc44X6bIbdsXh-GI2OG_vW6jjbv9yb8J8Ew/s320/100_0287.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but also always encourage them to take time to stop and smell the flowers.</span><br /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305004716568050130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h8B6Ug5dmfTg8-otXgaKqggsaGF1FPK9ye0_ZwfOn6GY1aT77KKjtDioduP9Mjjnq4LP3VuVrkz_efeDHHxrKpXqftZ109fyXgkviJxc6F-IdJBmvdlPMQbrUbd26SbkaubMVeOZ-M8/s320/100_0048.JPG" border="0" /><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Encourage a love for reading as soon as you can.</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307709776536626626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUFrLGqrAPgQEYrFNSz-vHelmGlGWrltrEfCs1GmC1bBauuRDqJxy-2b2H6WCrnA5WkfLY_LEMo8DeToS4VvhKIZ1nU2qCzVFp1yC_A-8RxMztNWQV3u2KbcnPjnF9TjYPJ7nxIiYl5s/s320/4th+of+July+2008+053.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307713576412567538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQ0gBuvFGiIsYsX4bi40Ev-Yo8e4BU09k6IOWvtduS3X1-e9RcJIwtr0QYoPzdaz7IEOiWk7F2SXG9q4IYF7NwA_U55rLewF3YX10KKH92d7pludkVm32M0lFZ0SKT3kua2ddqg-QsUA/s320/Fall+Festival,+Field+trip,+wedding+duplicates+082.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307715460824595874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0OekuMldYVSW7XPPcPuZWeYhL-6eYVyXHiVlc-kGEqAaJ0w2pMO0qtJQrpp0QpHxjrI3h8CKhZpWKpz_wMviJ5Y-wDDMfWk9JLI2f2Gsxg3Ze5WYtoL9sqnuXugRnfXnCLHC9j1FI5Q/s320/4th+of+July+2008+057.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307730015190900322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D3pSzwCUh1jaeCM-IxajfOlKK8d4X9dLsf3G5EGYGrrTw9ksyzfUhbHjyN8af4GT6X7-fpRtUP0aTrNTwgEIdmqebrzd-FxMZIAB_9OfU5BOyCCEev4RvJkqjRi4BXvkW9ykkeYOk1U/s320/Christmas+08,+Harris+b%27day,+Amy+Beth%27s+b%27day+019.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is also important to teach respect:<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For their siblings,</span><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307709785959467650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW7ht753ClcyGg0QjtL-6BYo_6zSIqltHReJuWh0zlJAjVzQhNSqsjLCTmUpeQmg0Ts6xrf7mnnyOO143iNrFBtP4qqF3l7wJLkiRhctX6deKSY2WEMZ3VGVawiFlp5OBoURKBNPflTk/s320/100_0305.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307709790428868754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuncPko4CEPraTTBbO8_Mxn8geztggHuLas90rJPsU9zGuiG2VdyH3VsWamCUOr8qIglX5pU6C0sSEGdr2Xrg_MWVSGea3iwi5qLbvQ8Bplomb6t7geapOKC1fUcYec02ZQgKOwLXSvLM/s320/Cubbies,+Father%27s+Day,+Baby+birds+056.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And for adults, especially when they are being spoken to by an adult.<br /></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307709775070444498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwDeX9Ed_42q8YvYnyU6xf2w-dJ46fj2Sl_UN-R6mkh04u16eB8jullwmD_RoFf5sWJgosvUCDe9cPZ2HcC5YVXOXLWdCFpZ4NRJSGV5b98Ive9qy0wNDwzp45GR4y64uQfO699e08H0/s320/4th+of+July+2008+002.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And finally, encourage them to celebrate their unique fashion sense,</span><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307713590103862034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0otYOc5vjJYtbcwKhtlvtBRONMFoY6-o2usd4BNIqg114L_fWoafB7hY1A-VMBGzLyNFzx9iAlPg8x4x6335TCa1f_lPeeXDJmmFfBzKAvgRv-xxyqX6zgz9w8eoI0Ptr6ChEY_jUuA/s320/Birthday+and+Misc.+001.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307713585672342434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_ihXQ-cSmldY_-J0SlSsk8X0gZkzmUQ8KpGLDEgsIw3NcHWaC274Vtn0Flt7imEsemdi_rcrHDfv_OmVAro3g4xJcxJoQvKtcXrvgk7opJelrmYI2dEt9tCv0sCmHsTG6rMvsvZArhQ/s320/100_0206.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but also teach them the importance of dressing for the occasion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307713582069275874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE297QDr8ubrTwiUcr6Frfk2fcnwVxPrlfW864HCrBkGx62CqgAQEEN9ByikALcmHghrnn_FK5UbZwPT2T0ER_Ke-U44gEUsCgLgI9QUCLzUzm1JG20qGE8bmlMeWaQBtlZFV11fmmYro/s320/Fall+Festival,+Field+trip,+wedding+duplicates+097.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307713573247405986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wx9AgshkTbZhVtJMkabk1WBMnJdzHOk-5FIarZfC_o2VyVDttK8cD66knLvzggFvB9_l1mPgoo-gzPXatwGTAfuuN4EJTDyF0vLocGZVy_cHmUaMxw8r82XAxlWUVX9PEICDlW8FHlQ/s320/Fall+Festival,+Field+trip,+wedding+duplicates+094.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also, go back by Rachel's blog and check out this year's addition - </span><a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/toddler-tips-grasping-for-objectivitys.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Toddler Tips</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">!</span> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-26508302602399515552009-02-26T09:49:00.004-06:002009-02-26T10:13:05.370-06:00Rachel's Giveaway Jubilee!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I wanted to let you know of a very fun event going on over at my friend, </span><a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Rachel's blog</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Saturday will be her one year blogging anniversary, and she is having a giveaway extravaganza all this week! There is something new being given away every day this week - from practical things like <a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/giveaway-jubilee-mabels-labels.html">indestructible kids' labels</a>, to pieces of <a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/giveaway-jubilee-gorgeous-pottery-and.html">beautiful pottery</a>, to even a <a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/giveaway-jubilee-custom-blog-design.html">custom blog design</a>! To enter, all you have to do in comment on each post (but read carefully as some of them tell you specifically what to comment on), but there are lots of ways to get extra entries too, which she explains on <a href="http://www.graspingforobjectivity.com/2009/02/caution-jubilant-anniversary.html">this post</a>. You have until March 16 to enter, so go do it now while you're thinking about it. I hope <strike>I win</strike> you win!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And happy bloggy anniversary, Rachel!</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-39387088347160981142009-02-20T15:19:00.001-06:002009-02-20T15:20:32.438-06:00Being Content<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Phil. 4:11b - "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."<br />Don't you just love it when God so wants you to "get" something He's teaching you that He surrounds you with that one message? Well, this has been my lesson the last couple of weeks. All week last week, He kept having this verse run through my mind everytime I got aggravated with life's circumstances, and then in Sunday School, the teacher taught from this verse AND then Pastor Harry used it in his sermon! The funny thing is, I thought this was a lesson I had already learned. When big, bad, scary things happen, I know how to keep my eyes on God; I've experienced His peace that passes understanding. However, it's in the day to day that I struggle with this. I'm all about praising God when things are going great, but the minute things get difficult or stressful, I am often too quick to start complaining, and it is impossible to praise God about anything while you're complaining about something. God doesn't want a fair-weather worshipper. He wants a true worshipper - one who worships in spirit and in truth. If I truly believe God's promises for me, then I should be able to look beyond any temporary difficulty, small or large, to see God's hand using it for my good and His glory. In fact, Paul goes on to say in this passage - "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation....I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:12b, 13).<br /></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-31740344014947837642009-01-08T15:07:00.003-06:002009-01-08T15:19:30.678-06:00Surprising MotivationWe have a couple of friends coming over tomorrow, and our house is still not recovered from Christmas and Harris' birthday. So today, I decided that we were going to have to tackle the clean-up of all these toys. Like with most kids, it's hard to get them to stay on task while cleaning up, and in the process of wrangling them in, I also lose focus on what needs to get cleaned up. Usually, I get tired and frustrated and give up with a half-way clean and half-way messy house.<br /><br />Today, however, I made a list. I showed it to the boys and explained what the list was. I even had them help think of things that needed to be put on the list. I told them how we would cross each thing off our list once it was done. I mainly did it to help me stay focused on what needed to get done. However, Harris got all excited about doing the list. He took it and a pen downstairs. I was cleaning up in the kitchen, but I overheard him telling David, "Okay, the first thing we need to do is, put away our cars and trucks." A few minutes later, I heard him telling David about the next thing on the list. Before I knew it, they had completed everything on the list, and Harris had dutifully marked off each item. I thought maybe they just did a half-way job just so Harris could cross off the things on the list, but when I went to check behind them, I was impressed at what a good job they did!<br /><br />So, what was supposed to be a tool for me turned into a surprising motivation technique for Harris and David to clean up! Awesome! I'm going to go make some more lists now...Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-60276884016549465642009-01-07T14:45:00.003-06:002009-01-07T21:52:42.744-06:00A Conversation with Boys<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was playing with my hair this morning, trying to make it cooperate with me. David asked me what I was doing, which led to this converation:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">David: What are you doing with your hair?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Me: Just playing with it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">David: Why?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Me: 'Cause girls like to play with hair.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Harris: Well, boys don't. Boys like to play with stuff like dinosaurs - especially T-Rexes - and cars and trucks and...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">David: And we like to run into walls.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At which point Harris pauses to consider this and then says, "Yeah, and we like to run into walls!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That explains a LOT - not the least of which is why I've noticed my walls looking quite banged up lately...</span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91435640513368401.post-10376259295437719982008-12-22T22:23:00.003-06:002008-12-22T22:28:43.200-06:00A Roach by Any Other Name...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">David is always asking, "What's that smell?" I usually can't answer because I don't smell anything. He must have the most sensitive nose in the world. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tonight as I was brushing his teeth, he said, "What's that smell?" I replied with my usual I don't know. He then told me it smelled like a roach. I told him that I was not aware that roaches had a smell. He said, "Well, dead ones do." I don't EVEN want to know how he knows that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I really just blogged about this because I wanted to use the title! : )</span></em>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06731886222975773197noreply@blogger.com1