Now a Reynold's...

Sad to see it go...

2010-03-20T00:14:00.001-04:00

So, the blog will remain here in blogoshpere for a while I'm sure (I'm not deleting it), but I imported it into my "other" blog - http://livingchara.blogspot.com/. I was having trouble once I removed this one from privacy - getting comments to show up and my blog feed to update, so I just merged them to help myself out :)

All to say, go to http://livingchara.blogspot.com/.

:)

Just a few words from Anna...

2010-03-18T20:54:00.005-04:00

Wanted to post a little humor from our darling eldest daughter...

The other day while at her Grandma's she apparently wanted a cookie. When Grandma told her "no" Anna replied, "Grandma, you must obey."

Anna was asking what it meant to be married the other week. After the best on the spot explanation for a 21 month old I could muster I said, "Which boy would you like to marry?" I then began listing some boys she knows just for fun. She said "no, no, no" until we got to Caleb. :) But then I said, "What about Jackson (her favorite boy to "call on the phone")? She said, "No, Caleb," and kept playing. About a minute later she looked over and said, "Maybe Jackson, too."

At lunch yesterday Anna was passing gas. I smiled at her and asked if she was going poopy in her diaper. She looked down in sheer surprise, eyes wide and said, "No poopies in my diaper mommy, there's birdies in there!" I laughed (she seemed to think this was true) and we continued our meal. She passed more gas - multiple times in a row - and looked down and said, "Wow! More birdies in there!"

While we are on the subject of bodily functions (sorry Mom), we also just ordered her a potty because we will most likely be starting potty training soon - we'll let you know, we aren't in a huge hurry at our house. When the potty arrived from diapers.com Anna was checking out the box and on it was a picture of a girl beside the potty. She thought it was her friend "Gracie" who is a couple years older than her. Trying to be encouraging about the potty I said, "Yes, Gracie goes to the bathroom on a potty. She doesn't have to use diapers anymore." Gracie also has a younger brother who is in diapers (younger than Anna). That night at dinner she plainly said, "Gracie goes to the potty but Jackson STILL wears diapers."

Today my mom was teaching Anna to hula - my mom is great with the girls. Anna said, "You're shaking pretty grandma."

After dinner at our house last night Anna brought my dad a Bible off our book shelf and proudly announced that she was going to read the Bible. My dad asked if it was all about Jesus. "No, it's about God," she said.

We love her!

More Easter ideas to come...

Easter Playlist

2010-03-16T14:43:00.003-04:00

Here are some of the songs we have compiled for our Easter playlist (most all discuss the death AND resurrection of Christ):

Marvelous Light - Charlie Hall
Mystery - Charlie Hall
Revelation Song - Philips, Craig and Dean
Hosanna - Paul Baloche
My Savior Lives - New Life Worship
Before the Throne of God Above -
For All You've Done - Hillsong
The Power of the Cross -
Hallelujah, What A Savior - Sovereign Grace Music
Beautiful Savior - Casting Crowns
You Led Me To The Cross - Matt Redmann
In Christ Alone -
Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin
Jesus Paid It All - Kristin Stanfill
Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing - David Crowder
This Fathomless Love - Sovereign Grace Music
Gospel Song - Sovereign Grace Music
Mighty Is The Power of the Cross - Chris Tomlin

Some of these songs are done by multiple, and I mean multiple, artists so you can always find your favorite! We have so versions many of some of them, I didn't even list an artist, but in case you haven't heard of the others, I put our favorites :)

We would also love input if you have some that you'll be adding to your playlist, or that just discuss the glories of the gospel in general. We're hoping the truths in these songs will focus our hearts again on Christ.

Again, I also hope these songs will eventually find themselves into our kids hearts. After all, Anna has "learned" more from music than from my everyday conversations at times! Just last night she sang to Nadia, "Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little Nadia wants to play, for the Bible tells me so." Apparently mixing Rain, Rain Go Away and Jesus Loves Me, but still precious to a mother's ears :)

"Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts." (Jer. 15:16)

Easter time!

2010-03-15T21:06:00.003-04:00

Easter is just under two weeks away - can you believe it?!

Anyways, in order to show Christ as what we value the most (although we don't as much as we want to or ought to) Daryl and I have to be really purposeful with our days and times and are oh so thankful for holidays that remind us again to emphasize Jesus Christ and the gospel to ourselves and to our children.

So this post is really just an encouragement to be thinking about Easter and to perhaps plan now how you will "take advantage of it" to encourage your souls to look again at Jesus - his death and resurrection - and celebrate all that He has accomplished for us! If you have little ones, it is also an especially great time to help them to see Him.

Because our girls are so young and don't have great memories yet, we haven't used Lenten season to teach them of Jesus' death and resurrection, but are waiting to begin on Palm Sunday. We will start out with 7 candles at the table burning brightly on Sunday, read a Scripture each night to hopefully correlate with that week in Jesus' life and then snuff out a candle. Sounds harsh I know, but we hope this snuffing out of a candle will be a visual representation to us all of the Light of Life being put to death. Good news is, after all candles are blown out and we wrap up the story of Christ's death, come Sunday the family will be greeted in the morning with all 7 candles burning brightly again and the retelling of how Jesus conquered the grace! John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness HAS NOT overcome it." Yay!

We will be doing some other fun things as well - we've created an Easter week playlist on our Ipods, have special cookies to make, a Lamb cake to bake, and stories we have purchased for the girls. I will post more updates this week in case you are interested in any of the resources we have found that we hope to benefit our families.

The best ideas I steal from others :) My favorite resource for holiday planning is Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper.

Happy pondering on the cross and feel free to leave any ideas/suggestions/traditions your family enjoys this season!

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

2010-03-13T20:33:00.008-05:00

"...we're going to catch a BIG one. We're not scared. What a beautiful day!"

We made a bear cave for Anna today. She was pretty scared about it until daddy came home, but here's a little blurb from her about it...

Lastly some pictures of the girls in the cave - once we determined the bears were friendly of course!Nadia with the bears

This is not a great shot lighting wise, etc, but captures them together so well (most of the time!).

And just for fun, our cute little bugaboo - rolling and sitting and everything!

After nap time

Standing with Mommy's help

What a happy Saturday!

Lord of the Snow

2010-02-28T12:35:00.005-05:00

The title of this blog sounds humorous, I'm sure, but the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that when I bemoan or complain against "the snow" and how it has "ruined" so many moments of late, I am not bemoaning or complaining against "snow", but against God Himself. Under this conviction, I have now begun to "preach" the truth to myself - sometimes lightheartedly to make myself laugh rather than cry, and sometimes in all seriousness and urgency because I need rebuked for the whiny attitude of my heart.

The specific truth the Spirit brought to my mind is from Isaiah 55:9 in which it says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Interestingly enough when I went to the chapter the next verse even talks about snow! Hahahaha! God is so fun! Verse 10 says, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

God knows what He is doing. And so although I was terribly sad that the Valentine's Day Party I had planned for the kids was canceled, the Sweetheart Dinner at church was canceled, two dates that we had planned were canceled, church today was canceled and the mom's prayer event I had planned was canceled, yet shall I praise Him! I may have thought that so many of those things were the best ways to glorify God as I was planning and cleaning and decorating and praying about them, but obviously they weren't. God knows what glorifies Him most, and I'm sure that even me coming again to the truth that I don't know best glorifies Him more than the game I planned about "biblical love" for the kiddos would have.

Oh, and Nina...I am also very thankful for how this snow is blessing you and Len :) I suppose that's another good reason to let go of a few date nights and parties :)

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." Proverbs 19:21 Thank God for that!

My husband, My Hero (along with the creators of Whole Foods)

2010-02-15T20:37:00.007-05:00

Nadia has had some gastrointestinal troubles since about birth. They seemed to be getting worse and eventually she started developing what looks to us like an allergy rash. We aren't able to get in with a pediatric allergist just yet, and honestly, we don't really want her tested for a while since the results are so inaccurate for young babies, so we are playing "detective" until we go!

Since I am breastfeeding, if Nadia does have a food allergy, something that I am eating is the culprit. So I searched around a lot online and spoke to some lactation counselors and Daryl and I settled on eliminating some of the major allergens from my diet and then slowly reintroduce them, one at a time, to see what happens. Namely wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, food additives, corn, and tomatoes. I've also scratched beef for a while as I found that can cause problems, too, but to scratch anything else I think I would die :)

That last part was a joke, but in all serious, Daryl and I did realize that while the elimination diet is a good idea for us, I have to eat - and I have to get enough nutrients and calories. The first few days it was snowing and I hadn't stocked up on good foods so I was surviving on squash, rice, baked potatoes and rice cereal with rice milk (by the way, I think rice milk rocks)! My milk supply plummeted which meant Nadia was fussy and had to eat a lot more often than normal and I literally almost had a breakdown. Daryl may even think that I did :) Even Anna knew that "mommy upset" and I swear I didn't clean my house all week as I was too consumed with research, trying to make foods I could eat, and caring for my kids. We had to cancel our Valentine's Day reservations and everything. Super bummer.

After my breakdowns my darling husband canceled everything else there was to do on Saturday and drove me and the kiddos to Whole Foods in Pittsburgh (it was even nice just to get out as I had been without a car most days since we only have one that is good in the snow and Daryl has to go to work!). I was prepared to find rice pasta, a dairy/gluten/soy free butter spread and some soups, but when I found this brand...
...I literally teared up right in the isle! They make all of their products without the top 7 allergens! WHIPPEE! I got breakfast bars and cookies! They are grainy tasting, but at least I have something! And I found a bunch of other cool stuff - including some veggie burgers, so needless to say, it was a good trip. Nadia even had fun helping me pick as she tagged along in the babybjorn and Daryl and Anna had fun at the cafe enjoying a granola yogurt parfait.

Thanks to my hubby for being so supportive and helpful! We got enough foods for a good while, but plan to make the trip every couple of weeks or as needed. My mom also directed me to this website foodallergygourmet.com which is a local place. God is good!

Lastly sweet Nad's rash has cleared up mostly and we've seen major improvement with bowel issues :) Can't believe I just wrote that. Hopefully we'll be able to help her and we are praying that if there is a food allergy that she will grow out of it quickly especially if I can avoid it for her.

If you have any products or recipes you like that we could have, we'd love to know about them!

A New Baby, A New Year, and Who Would Have Guessed, A New Blog Post - haha

2010-01-10T20:11:00.012-05:00

Some of you may have heard that I canceled my facebook account "for now". Hopefully we'll be back one day, but it seems adding another person to our household made for less free time and facebook was one of the only things I could think to get rid of to be more productive and it's worked - evidenced by this blog entry :)

Here are some of the reasons I've decided to quit...

1)

Isn't she cute? We see similarities in physical appearance between she and Anna, but they are definitely different. We think they'll grow to be the kind of sisters who it's obvious are related but certainly don't look identical. Time will tell. She even has a permanet mohawk that we never have to style...Priceless.

Personality wise we can't quite tell although we do know she's not quite like Anna in that realm either. Never cries as hard as Anna did nor laughs as hard :) She smiles quite a bit but gets fussy as nap or bed time approaches. Typically she doesn't cry though, she just goes, "Mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmm," very loudly! She doesn't like to be read to as Anna did, but she does LOVE to be sung to as Anna didn't :) So funny. I love how God makes us all different and I can't wait to see how these differences show themselves the older they get.

2)
Isn't she cute? What a doll! We love her to death. She is in training days, but oh, what a fun and sweet girl! She is still a great big sister, although now that Nadia likes toys we are working on sharing with a happy heart - something I need to be better at to, especially when it comes to desserts!

She is into reading, coloring, making things, and imitating mommy. Today she even "cleaned" two toilets for me. What a champ!

Here are some of my favorite things that she says almost daily:

Me: "Anna, would you like a bagel, cereal, or eggs for breakfast?"
Anna furrowing brows, not making eye contact and trying not to smile: "A little candy, I think."

Anna to Nadia: "Hi. How are YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU?" To Mommy" "Wanna hold her."

Anna to me: "Mommy, want to hold you. Mommy pick you up."

3)

I love spending time with him. Need I say more? He is my favorite to hang out with hands down.

4) Our house needed better organizing (along with my life!), I have baby weight (although it wasn't Nadia's fault, but my love for chocolate) to lose, phone calls to make, e-mails to write, books I want to read, etc.

I know that I won't achieve all my goals, and getting rid of facebook won't fix everything but I am glad that I've already made "progress" by God's grace. I am not and never will be a perfect mother, wife, daughter, friend, housekeeper, cook, or anything else, but I do want to glorify God in my attempts to be the best one I can be in His power. Pray for me if you think of it. I've been reminded in this season of my life that I need God's grace more today than yesterday on a daily basis :) For my sake and yours - hahaha!

Here are some more pics from recent days just for fun:

Anna has enough hair for barrettes and "pony tails" now. She wants multiples :) I guess that's what happens when you've been deprived for so long!

The girls having fun together...

Mom intrudes!!!

One last one of our new cuddle bug...

So it's been months...

2009-07-31T22:04:00.009-04:00

I thought I'd update the world on our lives - semi, anyways...

We are a month and a half from Nadia's "due" date :) That's fun. Tomorrow we begin painting the new room, putting the crib together, etc. We received our Contours Tandem Double Stroller in the mail yesterday thanks to our awesome family (Lora & Q) and so things are definitely getting more real! However, I must confess that although Anna is only 15 months old, the days of thousands of diapers, spitting up and lots of crying seem so long ago that I had almost forgotten...only to be starting them again! Oh well :) At least this time I know it passes :) We'll post pictures of the room - maybe :)

As far as Anna Grace is concerned, she is an absolute joy. Daryl and I are constantly telling each other what a delight she is and how much we are enjoying this stage of her life. She still naps twice a day, sleeps great at night, is great on trips, loves life, and there is so much to fascinate her since she is still so young - oh, and she loves us - yay! In the morning when I carry her down stairs she says, "Hi, Mommy", puts her little arms around me and says, "Hug...kiss..." So fun.

Some stats - Anna weighs 22 lbs and 30 inches tall. She still has minimal hair, but otherwise, is very healthy :)

As far as words go, she at least makes an attempt to say anything you ask and often tries to mimic us. We're sure she says at least 150 correctly, although we have to ask her to repeat them sometimes, but we're pretty okay with that! She also has begun putting words together. Like at the doctors on Wednesday she got two stickers and said, "Mommy, two sticker." She also says things like, "I'll be back" or "All done, down?" Tonight at dinner with friends she said (mostly correctly) Megan, John, Kirk (Tirk), and Naomi (Nami).

She can count to 3, say the alphabet to "F", point to most all body parts (although she often gets her shoulders wrong), distinguish colors like yellow, blue, and pink, make her animal noises and is an excellent dancer ;) She completed her first puzzle all by herself yesterday (please don't be fooled - the pieces are huge and go in holes that have the picture of them in it) and makes sure to remind us to clap when she does such things correctly.

She also took swimming lessons this summer and was certainly the most improved (she cried off and on the first few days!) and now LOVES pools and the beach. Examples:

Other firsts for her - the beach, the zoo, Washington DC, 12 hour car trip, sleeping in a hotel room with Mommy and Daddy. She has recently taken to singing as well, and although she usually only says the first few words correctly loves singing "Twinkle, twinkle," "Rain, Rain, Go Away," and "Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes."

Thankfully she still will play in her exersaucer while I shower, but because she has watched me get ready so often, she is now putting on deodorant (without taking the cap off), blush (she literally takes the top off the brush, spins it out and swabs her face, spins it back and returns the cap), etc. This is a little disconcerting.

For instance - Anna wearing mommies headband. She insists this is "pretty".

Daryl is doing fantastic as well. We have traveled what seems like a lot this summer and he has been a huge help through it all as well as just a blast to be around. This is the first full weekend we've been home in 5 weeks, I believe, and we are very, very glad. I don't think we'll be traveling much now until after baby 2. Yay. Neither of us have any new stats we would like to share. I'll be keeping my weight to myself for a while, thank you :)

That's it for now. Thanks for checking in.

Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father...

2009-05-07T21:24:00.016-04:00

So, Anna is 1 year and almost a month! We survived the first year, to the praise of His grace! Anna is still alive and well :)

Many people ask if we can believe she's a year old...I feel silly, because I guess most people can't, but we can! She seems to have changed so much to us - even in the past month! Anyways, here are some pics from her first birthday party which was an ABSOLUTE blast. We can't believe what great friends and families we have and we got so many cool gifts we haven't even brought all of them out for her to play with yet (mwa ha ha). Now she'll think we buy her cool toys every month! Haha!

The beautiful birthday girl

The festive room (thanks Kadie, Mom and Jarod for the decoration help!)

The fun games!
(This was a "fishing game". The kids would cast a line over the "water" and catch a cool prize!)

Anna and her sweet cousin Georgia from Texas...
Anna absolutely adores her and still kisses her picture!

The awesome presents!

The goody boxes

The Blaney Family (ever expanding)

It was such a fun celebration for many reasons, and absolutely crazy, too! Can you believe we forgot to give Anna a piece of cake?!?!!!!!! WHAT? That's like the mandatory first birthday thing, I think.

So, on her actual birthday we tried again...

Perhaps they can sing Happy Birthday to me everyday? I love this!

Trying it out.

Not a success :)

Oh, well. We love her and hope for many more wonderful years with her!

Updates...

2009-04-07T19:50:00.017-04:00

So it's been a long time. Here is where I would like to insert a million excuses, but won't. Let's just say I have no idea how I'll have any time for stuff like this with two :) but I'm totally okay with that.

Speaking of two, we find out the sex of baby dos (Lord willing) on May 1st. Super stoked about this. For those of you who were wondering, baby dos was not "planned", but certainly not unwanted. We didn't like any "preventative" measures for lots of different reasons and since we like kids, we aren't all that concerned when they come :) Although I must confess a couple of things...
1) I don't want to be pregnant (at least looking pregnant) next Valentine's Day or my next Anniversary
2) My husband and I both would like to get to ride amusement rides next summer
3) Neither of those points mean much

I have been more sick with baby dos, but that seems to have passed as the last two weeks I haven't thrown up at all :) Now I'm just hungry like every 2 hours. And I mean HUNGRY.

Onto baby uno - our dear sweet Anna Grace...
So, she turns one in less than a month. Crazy, eh? Although oddly she seems to become more and more like a "little girl" to me almost daily. Today she started actually saying, "more" instead of just signing it. Too cute.

As far as things she can say...

mama, dada
hi, bye
please - "peace"
more
bear - "bea"
bunny - "buhhy"
night night - "nigh nigh"
no
snow - also "no"
hot - "ho.........ttttt"
light - "igh"
uh oh
wee (this when she is being spun, rocked, swang, or pushed around in the rolling office chair)
thank you - "aaa ooo"
boo
book although the k is often silent
she can also make most all animal noises :)

Darling isn't always very talkative infront of others until she gets warmed up though. Daryl likes to say she is in "data intake" mode whenever we go to a new place - someone's house she's never been to, a new nursery, store, etc. She REALLY looks everything over, and then somewhere along the way gets wound up. When she wants to, she can be a real charmer - the doctors office, grocery store, church nursery, etc. She pretty much blows EVERYONE kisses which I love because this seems to delight most people. Especially since she has no prejudices :) I love that about her too.

She's been walking since 10 months and so we've been learning what not to touch and also what an ornery creature she is :) I make her look me in the face when I'm disciplining her and oh, how many times I honestly have prayed for grace just not to bust out laughing because her faces are so funny!

We like to call Anna "bam bam" because although she is very feminine in someways, she is also kind of crazy. Even though we have hard wood floors, she hardly ever cries when she falls down or gets pushed down by another running tot. She loves throwing pillows or blankets on the floor and diving on them (sometimes missing). She flips around until she gets comfy and says, "nigh nigh". Just recently she also added fake snoring, which I'm very pleased with :)

She LOVES bath time, bubbles, outside, having the windows open, when Daryl comes home from work, puppies, birdies, dancing, friends, attention, and oh, these Gerber cheese puff type things. Literally she'll grab handfuls and try to stuff her face. She also loves her "big girl chair" from Uncle Jarod and Aunt Kadie and is often found reading there :)

While she still has barely any hair, we are so thankful that the past year she has been VERY healthy and growing strong and well (four teeth so far! so cute!). She even goes down for naps and bed time with a smile and a kiss most nights - yay! What a gift of grace that we don't deserve! We give God all the praise!

As far as Daryl and I, we are doing great although he has been swamped with work this semester which is sad for all of us. On a happier note, I am "retiring" May 23rd to enjoy the whole summer at home before baby dos! I can't wait to be a stay at home mom. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! Praise God!!!

This past month we celebrated many things - my brother's birthday....

my mom and Daryl's birthday...

(here is my pappap with a wig on - YES, A WIG - trying to get Anna to like him. Would you believe he is the ONLY person she has not yet warmed up to???)

Our anniversary and of course St. Patrick's Day.
We also celebrated Naomi's birth :), Janine dropping in to town for a while from Africa and seeing the Coburn's...
So the girls weren't much for pictures...

We would also like to give a HUGE thank you to our parents for often watching Anna, including overnight twice last month, and Tara for watching her one evening free of charge. We really love and appreciate you guys, and so does Anna :)

Sorry so long.

Our little animal :)

2009-02-26T09:40:00.004-05:00

Here's Anna early this morning, sharing her vast wealth of knowledge :) haha.

Now she gets serious...

Public Blog - EDIT

2009-01-28T20:25:00.002-05:00

I forgot to put the address of it....http://livingchara.blogspot.com/

Sorry about that...

************************

So...I finally got around to making my public blog and I hope to update that one bi-weekly, but unfortunately not with pictures or videos of Anna. For those, you'll have to come here occasionally (although I don't update here very often - sorry) or join facebook :) Haha.

Mimicking...

2009-01-19T20:47:00.002-05:00

She is so fun! Crawling when she has to, but she mostly likes to "cruise." She is a babbler and a big time laugh-er :) God couldn't have given us a better gift in Anna Grace.

Happy Birthday, Diana!

2008-12-24T19:45:00.005-05:00

Dear Diana,

We hope you have a wonderful birthday! We are thinking about you and wish we were celebrating with you! But for now, these videos will have to do and hopefully express how much we love you ...

And for some more personal videos...

sleep troubles

2008-12-16T17:01:00.002-05:00

So...since Anna turned 6 months (about then) we have begun to have sleep issues with Anna. It began with the emergence of her first tooth, which was followed by her first cold, which was followed by a busy Thanksgiving, and has since then remained crappy. I believe she grew accustomed to me going and comforting her and there were many times I should have probably let her cry more.

I often feel like I am unsure of the cause though, and other times, knowing that Daryl could use the sleep to teach well in the morning has motivated me to just go and stop the crying.

Now Daryl is on a break from teaching, although he is working from home so last night we decided to try and let her CIO. After 50 minutes, I caved. She was immediately thrilled to see me, just wanted to latch on for a second, and then went to sleep. She woke up two other times in the night.

I feel completely defeated. We're going to try again - only this time with the aide of a video monitor and hopefully it will work - but I am open for advice, suggestions, and encouragement. I feel like we are back at square one only worse! It is affecting her naps, affecting her mood, affecting my mood, my productivity, and my ability to love and enjoy my family. Not to mention I'm afraid if I'm not consistent now, we're just setting ground for more rebellion later.

I know in my head that God's grace is sufficient, but I'm having a hard time, so I would love some ideas and encouragement and even your prayers :) I think I'll be calling the pediatrician in the morning to get some advice from him as well, and make sure there aren't any other problems with Anna.

Thanks!

Our Classy Christmas Card

2008-12-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dancing

2008-12-02T16:30:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the lack of words, but these videos basically say it all...

I love it!

Home videos

2008-11-19T20:59:00.003-05:00

Here are some videos of Anna and I hanging out today! She is so much fun! Enjoy!

Anna and I just talking to the camera...

Loving Anna

2008-11-18T14:48:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Titus 2, verses 1-10. These verses are some of my favorites because I love having clarity about what I'm supposed to be doing, and they offer that clarity.

The verse that is burning in my heart and on my mind today is verse 4 where I am reminded to LOVE my husband and child. The book Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney expounds on the word love in that verse by saying,

"The form of the Greek in which the New Testament was written employs at least five words to distinguish various kinds of love. The word for love used in Titus 2:4 is phileo. The word describes the love between very close friends. It is a tender, affectionate, passionate kind of love. It emphasizes enjoyment and respect in a relationship" (32).

I am not supposed to just love Anna by feeding her, changing her diaper, making sure she is warm, and just in general senses be her mother, I am supposed to ENJOY her! Just being around her should be a sheer delight to me!

I confess there are times when I would love a break to read a book or have a day to sleep in, but God has been exceedingly gracious to provide me with wisdom that I am to enjoy and delight in her and He has fulfilled His promise to give ME joy when I do so. Daryl often comments that he hears Anna and I laughing together downstairs while he is working and that it brings him joy, too!

My prayer is that I will seize every opportunity I have to love Anna well. I won't always have such a sweet little bundle calling for me when she's sick in the night, or needing me to wash beneath her arms, or button up her coat. One day, Lord willing, as we grow older there will be no more diapers to change of hers or sleepers to wash; no more drool spots to mop up or toys to reshelve. So for now I will do my best to rely on the Spirit to fill me with joy in doing those things because the house will soon enough be clean and quiet and she will have her own home.

Bottom line - if you have kids, enjoy them. Delight in them. And in doing so fulfill Titus 2 and adorn the gospel of grace by which you have been saved and showcase the love and joy of our magnificent Father to the rest of the world.

Here's some of Anna's "I-know-I'm-being-enjoyed-and-I-love-it" faces :)

Keeping Busy

2008-10-29T21:20:00.010-04:00

I remember a few weeks ago as I was talking on the phone while unloading the dishwasher while waiting for my spaghetti sauce to simmer that thinking in my head, "I am always busy."

At first I thought, "I must need to cut something out." Very quickly though the passage from Titus 2 came to mind (most likely via the Holy Spirit), "3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

It was like the lightbulb finally came on in my head! I AM supposed to be busy! The issue is not whether or not I use my time, but how I use it!

1 Timothy 5 and in 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul encourages us to be busy because if not, we become idle, and when we become idle, we often become busy-bodies, gossiping and slandering. He encourages those people to get on the stick! Start working, start managing your homes, etc. He also says that when we become idle, busy-body-ing gossips (haha) we "have given the enemy opportunity for slander" (1 Timothy 5:14) and that some women even end up following Satan (1 Timothy 5:15) which correlates with 2 Timothy 2:16 which says that we should "avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."

Wow! It says when we don't stay busy, we can easily become gossips and basically join up forces with Satan. Who wants to do that?!

My friend (okay so he doesn't know me, but Daryl and I watch/listen to some of his stuff) Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church says it like this, "A woman who is a gossip and a busy body is working for Satan...You have a husband, you have kids, you have a home, you have things to do. Stay busy."

Now I know that being married isn't always God's plan for everyone or for all seasons. I believe that a woman's time of singleness (however long God ordains it) can be EXTREMELY awesome and an excellent time of service for the Kingdom of God (and Paul even talks about that in Corinthians). I also believe that having meaningful friendships and finding appropriate rest and leisure are good (other verses on this as well).

But my point is that all of us ladies need to be careful to stay busy - either serving, volunteering, cleaning our kitchens, changing diapers, etc, because the lure of Satan to keep us from adorning the gospel is huge otherwise. Let's quit complaining or being so scared of being busy about the things we're supposed to be busy about! Let's just get busy being busy about the right things!

For those of you who love pictures, here are some pictures of Anna and I, staying busy...well...mostly busy :)

learning about boys

carving her first pumpkin

family portrait

The Blaney clan and their pumpkins :)

learning to enjoy all sorts of cuisine...

resting and leisuring :)

$3 won't cover it

2008-10-10T21:58:00.005-04:00

In the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible a man asks Jesus what He has to do to "inherit eternal life." Jesus tells him (see Luke 10:25-37 for the whole story) and it says, "But he [the man questioning Jesus], desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus..."

Every time I read that that verse it pricks me because I am so often like that man. I want to justify myself where I fall short out of either pride - I don't want to admit I'm wrong, or laziness - I don't want to do what it takes to change.

I remember a guy in college saying in regards to physical intimacy before marriage, "Why don't stop asking how far is too far and start asking ourselves, 'How pure can I be? And then go after it.'"

It made such a profound impact on me because he was right! But so often what we do as Christians or even not is to get as close to the line, just before it comes sin or "really bad" as we can because we've bought into Satan's lie that that is the best place to be. But it isn't. Usually when we get close to the line, it's just too hard not to go ahead and cross it. Oddly enough, when we flee the line (like God has advised us to do), and pursue holiness through Christ, that is when we are most satisfied.

We often ignorantly trade laziness for productivity, modesty for looks from a guy who will also look at every other immodest girl, great sex for cheap sex, nagging for kindness, gossip for friendship, and as Mark talked about on Sunday - $3 worth of God for fullness of joy and the chance to light up the world.

I love how J.P. (John Piper - and one of D & I's new heroes) puts it in his book Don't Waste Your Life...

"...in creating us for his glory, he is
creating us for our highest joy. He is most glorified in us when
we are most satisfied in him."

Why don't we believe God that His ways are the best ways? Why don't we shelf the excuses and throw out the temporary pleasures and fail-to-satisfy goods and buy in to the real thing. Let's buy in to Him and thus be satisfied and truly joyful forever.

Daryl Posts!!!!

2008-09-29T21:34:00.003-04:00

Okay, so Daryl got tagged by my brother Jarod, so here is his response (mainly because I've been dying to know how he'd respond, and I must say, I wasn't disappointed - especially in number 3, hee hee...I love him!)...

6 random things about myself:

1. My deepest desire is to delight more in God. I’ve learned many things about Him in my 8+ years as a Christian, but I LONG to delight in Him like the Psalmist (Psalm 37).
2. I love Mac computers, probably more than I should. I used to think they were useless toys, but now there are 3 (!) in our little house. At least we didn’t spend any of our own money on them.
3. I marvel at my wife every day. When I first saw her, I was amazed at how her love for God flowed out of her. Now I get to see that every day and I don’t get used to it. By the way, she’s also smart and beautiful. God is truly generous.
4. I love taking care of our lawn. I want it to be perfectly green and lush, without blemish ☺. Of course, it’s not, partly because I won’t spend the time to make it that way, and partly because I don’t know how. I also love trees. I recently bought a field guide on identifying trees. That probably sounds pathetically geeky, but oh well.
5. I love teaching and writing papers, but I wish I could focus on one at a time so I could do them as well as I possibly could. In fact, I don’t like to do things unless I can do them really well. It might sound wise, but it’s really a manifestation of pride.
6. I miss my Doberman, Simon. He was an incredibly loving, smart, and loyal companion. I hope we get another one soon.

The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire for, and yearn for God; all his thoughts are that there is no God...

2008-09-20T11:18:00.007-04:00

Psalm 10:4 - the Amplified Bible.

This morning I was reading from Romans 1 and came across a startling realization that perhaps would be quite obvious to most. Romans 1:29-32 says this,

"They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

What struck me so profoundly though this morning was the why...

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." (verse 28).

Seemingly obvious, I know, but God reveals things to some of us more slowly because we are...well...we have a lot for Him to work on and He's gracious enough to go in stages :) Anyways, I was blown away by the thought that the wickedness in me that I so much wish would be gone is often because I am not acknowledging God. If people think there is no reason to acknowledge God even if He does exist, hopefully that verse will show them there is! The results of refusal are disgusting!

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines acknowledge like this:

1: to recognize the rights, authority, or status of
2: to disclose knowledge of or agreement with
3 a: to express gratitude or obligation for <acknowledge a gift> b: to take notice of acknowledge my greeting> c: to make known the receipt of <acknowledge a letter>4: to recognize as genuine or valid <acknowledge a debt>

In the monotony of my day I often disconnect from God. He never leaves me, but I so often fail to recognize His presence and authority. I so often choose my own way and so I am overcome by the evilness in myself that He has already saved me from.

Thanks be to God for His grace to me as so eloquently put in Titus 3:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."

I am so glad that He uses His Word to impart grace upon grace to us and even if we have read it for years and years, He still reveals new things to us in the years and years to come.

Remind me to acknowledge Him. :) This is my reminder to you. And if you have never acknowledged Him at all, my prayer is that His kindness and love would be revealed to you today so that you too would be saved out of His mercy from the wickedness that lies in us all.

If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.

2008-09-13T09:22:00.003-04:00

I am a far cry from a perfect wife. There are ways I have behaved that I never thought I would; attitudes of disrespect that I have portrayed that should have never even crossed my mind. But despite all my sin, God has been so gracious to give me a wealth of love and respect for my husband and further gracious to give me a husband who is as worthy as any man could ever be to have it.

I don't know if Daryl will ever even read this blog, but I'm writing it anyways because it burns within me and that often means it needs to be said (or in this case, written).

Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourished and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body."

This is a familiar passage but one that is rarely (not so rare among my friends), but rarely still, acted upon. Many husbands may "love" their wives by treating them to dinners out, saying sweet things to them, or holding their hands in public, but I am amazed at my husband's faithfulness to not only love me and give his desires up for me (trading Xbox for emptying trashes, staying up late for coming to bed with me, a relaxing weekend at home for grocery shopping and serving at a leadership retreat, etc, etc), but he, so much like Christ, is ever faithful to speak the word to me in due time in the hopes to help me further become holy and without blemish (God had to give me a man good at this, as I am a piece of work for sure! :) )

Anyways, I just wanted to publicly commend my husband for being so faithful to speak the truth to me in love. He is so generous and kind towards me and surely it would be unkind for him to leave me in a sinful state as that never produces the life God intends for us to have for His glory or our joy. I am so thankful that when my heart is sad or angry or heavy that Daryl asks to pray with me - or for me if I have no energy or words - and so thankful that he consistently points me to trust in God and His ways and to abide in Christ.

There is no perfect man outside of Christ, and my husband knows this and so gets his counsel from Christ and takes me to Him for further assistance :) I am so grateful.

And as I am sure my husband hopes too, I am sure that his faithfulness to "wash me with the word" will over time make me less and less blemished and what a glorious thing that will be for us all! So if you see good in me, thank God first, and then thank Daryl for being a vessel the Lord can count on to scrub the roughness out of me!

Finally, single ladies....Josh McDowell has said that what you are as a single person you will be as a married person. This is true in some regards although I really do believe you change very much in marriage if you are both pursuing Christ - there is no way not to. However, this change takes time and a deep commitment to Christ. Please don't marry a man that is not pursuing God as a consistent pattern of his life. It is never worth it no matter how funny, attractive, charming, wealthy, etc that he is. Marry a man who abides in Christ - then you will have a life giving marriage and one that you are not ashamed to showcase before the world or regretful of before the throne of grace.

Thanks be to God for great things He has done.

Tagged

2008-09-01T17:21:00.002-04:00

Here are the tagging rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

2. Six random things about myself (and unfortunately for you, I'm not very random)...

1) The first thing I saved up to by myself was a stuffed dog named Mutsy. I believe I still have this dog somewhere.
2) I thought I had an honest shot of being on the 2004 US Women's World Cup Soccer Team when I was about 9.
3) I hate sticky floors.
4) My first boyfriend's name was Billy and I broke up with him because I didn't want to french kiss him - wise choice.
5) I am funny about when I like peanut butter and nuts and when I don't. Same thing with milk. For instance, I prefer sundeas and cookies without nuts, but I like nuts plain or in certain chocolate gooey things like Snickers. I don't like butterfingers but I like Reese's. I like milk with my cereal and warm cookies and otherwise not. Go figure.
6) One of my favorite places is the Nemacolin Woodlands Spa.

3. I tag...

1) Carrie Wilson
2) Kadie Blaney
3) Sarah Burgess
4) Meg McGinnis
5) Stephanie Bowman
6) Tara RICKARD (I capitalized that bc that's one of the first times I've gotten to write out her new name!)

Trustworthy

2008-08-28T20:21:00.005-04:00

This week I have found myself in many positions where I've had to exert faith in God... Faith that I will be able to complete my assignments for work; faith that most important is my family and that not being available to do as much work as I used to do is good and right; faith that forgiveness is better than bitterness; faith that no matter how people receive it I must speak truth [in love of course] to them; faith that I am loved [because when people don't receive the truth you speak out of love as a loving thing it sometimes is painful]; and faith that He does provide comfort for others who are finding themselves in positions where they need to know He is trustworthy.

For them, faith that He can heal their heart even when a spouse leaves; faith that He will provide companionship when it seems like all their friends have up and married or moved away; faith that serving really does bring joy; faith that obedience is better than giving in to the "easier" ways the world tries to tempt us with; faith that God is good when a healthy and robust young boy ends up a paralytic; and the list goes on.

While some people say faith is blind, I am glad that my faith in my Heavenly Father is not such a huge leap. I have not seen Him physically - this is true, but there are so many evidences of Him - and so many factual ones, not just subjective - that prove His existence and His Word.

I am so thankful that these evidences exist and that I have been able to "experience" Him as faithful time after time after time after time after time because we all need someone faithful. We all need someone dependable. We all need someone who can guarantee it will get better. We all need someone who loves us no matter what. We all need someone to give us wisdom when we're clueless. We all need healing - whether it's a broken heart or a babies tummy. We all need someone who will listen. We all need someone who can empower us to do good. We all need someone to free us. We all need someone to give us joy.

We don't just need someone for all of those things, we need that someone to be in charge.

He is the one. He is the one. Jesus Christ, you are the One.

Psalm 111: 7 - "The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy."

I am so glad that He is governing my days and the days of my friends, and that He governs all of our days with absolute goodness and wisdom. Praying for us all to exert faith in Him today - He's earned it.

Whew hoo!

2008-08-21T20:40:00.006-04:00

So, I finally got some of my friend's blog links back up on my web page. I had changed the background template of my blog and it deleted them! How rude!

Apparently it warned me of this, but I didn't notice. Anyways, then I went to add the new heading for "Friends Blogs" instead of boring old links and I couldn't figure it out. I don't have lots of spare time so instead of continuing to try - okay so I only tried for like 10 minutes max, but still, I didn't want to spend my spare time that way - I left it "Links." Exciting.

Now that I have spent about a half hour adding links back on there I am officially brain dead. It took a lot of effort because I tried to go in alphabetical order! :)

Updates: We visited our family in DC two weekends ago and had a blast! We love our family. Jarod bought Anna an Uncle Ernie doll - er, just Ernie, but we call it Uncle Ernie in honor of Jarod - and she loves it. See -

Unfortunately Ernie isn't very smart...

...he keeps getting into the microwave.

For more pics of our fantastic trip you can check out my sister-in-laws blog here.

Anyways, Anna has had a lot of fun playing this week. She seems to love people. At first she studies them, and then she likes them to pay attention to her and make her laugh. This is good because I can tote her to work with me and leave her in the nursery, etc, not many worries.

She loves the Baby Bjorn now and it's so fun to take her shopping, etc, in it, because she seems to bring a lot of people joy and I think it's mutual - they smile, she smiles, then I smile...Ahhhh.

We're also really excited because we've been getting to know two couples in our neighborhood, each with babies, and one couple is actually having another one on September 4th - she's having a C-section so that's how we know :) It's fun talking C-section business to someone, too, and they don't have family around so I'm excited to be able to help her out with her 2 year old - who Anna loves to have pull on her piggies (for those of you like Daryl, "piggies" are code for "toes") and maybe with some meals.

MMM...what else...Anna is rolling over from back to tummy on her own now and EVEN can get her inner arm out from under her. Before she would roll over but the arm would stay stuck. She wasn't much for that. :)

I am back to working and God has been SO gracious. It is better than expected although not without some glitches here and there. Daryl and I have had to be much more scheduled (okay so mainly Daryl - I've always been crazy about schedules/lists/etc) but it has helped us SO much. There is freedom in those things somehow.

We also got to visit with one of my best friends who is in vet school FAR away and that was a blast! We had a very encouraging visit and I love how God uses people to reveal Himself to us/challenge us to grow.

Lastly, I have been so encouraged by God's goodness to continue to reveal Himself to me and teach me new things. I went to the Beth Moore simulcast at church a LONG time ago now, and while I was there, I knew I was learning/being refreshed, but I didn't leave thinking "WOW!" But so many seeds were planted in me that I am now seeing the fruit of! I love how God works - in Spirit and in truth. I love how we can hear things that don't charge us emotionally, but change us eternally and as we realize it, we then are charged! Pretty fun.

Okay, that's it. D&L time now - horah! Have a wonderful night.

Pictoral Update

2008-08-07T21:07:00.018-04:00

Here's an update on Anna :)

She likes to sit up (with help of course)...

Play on her tummy...

And boy, does she LOVE her exercauser. She was afraid at first, but she quickly adjusted as you will see...

"This is amazing!"

"I LOVE this thing! Don't take me out - don't you dare take me out!"

Seriously - she loves how everything makes noises and lights up and she even likes spinning herself around in her little seat. She also is great at entertaining herself on the floor while I'm cooking dinner, etc. As you can see, she isn't so much into playing with her toys as she is into eating them. We have much training to do!!! :)

While Anna was a gem last time I did Once A Month Cooking, this time she wanted to pitch in! Please disregard me - I cook from sun up to sun down so I don't shower til it's all over! By the way, for those of you who are wondering, it was even easier this time and I found some more recipes we like. It was such a blessing to be able to have meals ready to just bake instead of having to cook every night. Whoot, whoot!!!

However, like I said before, I am tired, very tired at the end of the day. Anna was tired, too. Check her out...

She is quickly revived with kisses!

She thankfully loves mommy...

...and Daddy! What a joy she is to us!

She is generally a very happy little girl.

And just in case you're curious on whether or not she knows she's our cutie...

Rest assured...she does.

A blog a day!

2008-08-01T10:53:00.002-04:00

Just for today though and only because I came across an article I thought was worth passing on. I debated on posting it, but have decided "better safe than sorry" and know that you all are certainly able to make a good decision in regards to the validity of it's content on your own.

The article is titled "The Case for Caution in the Use of Cell Phones" put out by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institue and is located here.

By clicking here you can find the level of radiation emitted by your phone.

Happy researching!

Mother-Daughter Fun!

2008-07-31T21:03:00.005-04:00

I've been keeping a journal for Anna Grace since before she was born. Simple notes and letters from to her filled with thoughts I have towards her, things I would like for her to know, funny things she has done, etc.

Tonight I was perusing a book I actually purchased for some teenage friends of mine to go through with their moms called Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by the Mahaney ladies that discusses what God intends the mother-daughter relationship to be and how we can attempt to make it that way by His grace. There is a chapter on communication that I was reading today that talked about the importance of pursuing relationships with our daughters even when they don't seem that interested because it's our role to be the initiators with them.

Currently Anna's general looks towards me are of complete joy and love - I can't get enough of them! When I come into a room she usually lights up! Sometimes I honestly just get overwhelmed by how much joy her adoration brings me and amazed by her sweetness towards me. I know it's a gift from God that I don't deserve and so I intend to cherish and be grateful for every moment that she enjoys me so well!

I also know that she may not always be so fond of me, but while that could give me grounds to be nervous, as I wrote to Anna Grace tonight in her journal, I concluded with verses 20 and 21 from Ephesians 3...

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

I know that I don't deserve it - I rolled my eyes at my mom so much it's embarrassing, but it is my prayer that even though we are bound to have conflict and struggle that Anna and I will share many more moments of affection, sincerity, intimacy and joy even as I have found with her now. I intend to ask this often of God and I trust in Him to do better than I ask. I'm so thankful that He doesn't give good gifts based on our goodness!

Just for fun :)

2008-07-28T20:56:00.003-04:00

Our little girl is growing up fast!

For those of you who think that when you become a parent you lose your ability for risk taking and adventure, think again...

The above photo was taken the other night when we decided to take Anna Grace to Tygart Lake State Park only hours before her bed time - risk number 1. Risk number 2 - listening to the beloved GPS instead of following the signs that said "Tygart Lake State Park." That lead to Adventure #1 which meant Anna Grace got a very late evening meal and into bed very late as well - but, we got good pictures and found a great trail.

Risk #3 came when I thought I could carry Anna from her changing table in her bedroom to the bathtub without a diaper. Begin Adventure #2.

This parenting thing gets more and more fun, and I absolutely mean it!

Joyful Recommendations: Crockpots

2008-07-21T12:31:00.004-04:00

I love the crockpot because I can throw the ingredients in and then walla - our dinner is ready in the evening with little prep!

Here are some of our favorite crock pot recipes as promised:

Spicy Turkey Chili (allrecipes.com)

2 (5 ounce) cans turkey meat, drained (I get fresh turkey from the deli and cut it up or cook & use ground turkey)
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 (1.25 ounce) pkgs chili seasoning mix
1 (4 ounce) can green chile peppers
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 onion, diced
1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine turkey, beans, tomatoes, chili seasoning, chile peppers, tomato sauce, onion and water. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours. Serve hot.

Rich & Tasty Beef Roast (Reita F. Yoder in Fix-It & Forget-It Recipes)

10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
3-5lb beef roast
oil
1 pkg. dry onion soup

1. Spread mushroom soup in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Sear roast on all sides in oil in hot skillet. Add to slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle meat with dry onion soup mix.
4. Cook on high 5-6 hours.

Serves 6-8

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Italian (Sherri Grindle in Fix-It & Forget-It Recipes)

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
4-oz. can mushrooms, drained

1. Place chicken in greased slow cooker.
2. Combine salad dressing and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours.
4. In saucepan, combine cream cheese and soup. Heat slightly to melt cream cheese. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken.
5. Cover. Cook 1 additional hour on low.
6. Serve over noodles or rice.

Variation: Add frozen vegetables along with the mushrooms.

Serves 6

And while we're on the topic of slow-cooking, an encouragement about being patient taken from John Piper's book, Battling Unbelief - another recommendation in itself!

James 5:11 - "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and gracious.

"James wants us to see the purpose of Job's suffering. The word for 'purpose' is telos and mean 'goal.' It was God's goal in all his dealings with Job to be merciful, and fit him for a greater blessing...The power of patience flows from faith in this truth: In all [God's] dealings with us his goal is 'compassionate and merciful.' Faith in future grace is faith in grace that is sovereign, and sovereignty that is gracious."

If you are suffering or have been set back by something unexpected or simply delayed in getting daily tasks done by some interruption, remember that God is sovereign over everything, and gracious in His sovereignty. According to Romans 8:28, if you belong to Him, He will work every set-back together for your good - even if you don't receive the good here, you will in heaven. According to Paul, death now even serves the Christian because it is the way that we receive heaven and there stand face to face with our redeemer and receive every good thing we have only partially tasted in the here and now.

If you aren't a believer, check this out. And even if you are, it's a great reminder!!!

Happy waiting :)

Joyful Recommendations: Once A Month Cooking

2008-07-10T07:29:00.006-04:00

So on Monday I took my first stab at something called "Once A Month Cooking." The basic gist of it is that you plan out all the dinners you will eat that month and cook them all on one day and freeze them! There is a website that describes it and has some recipes.

The recipes included on the site typically have "cooking day" instructions and "serving day" instructions. While you are doing most of the cooking on one day, there is always at least the reheating bit, and sometimes you have to add a sauce or something before reheating. A lot of the meals I made also require some sort of side - like a veggie, salad, etc.

I didn't make 30 different meals, but I sure made a lot! The recipes I used from the site are bbq pork, chicken enchiladas, goulash, calzones (these came out HUGE!), mashed potatoes (a big hit with company that recently visited), chicken pie, and some others I can't quite remember right now! The enchiladas were highly recommended to me.

You can also use a lot of your own recipes, once you learn what freezes well and what doesn't! From personal experience, rice doesn't seem to do so hot!

I also made some recipes of my own and from others - sauces freeze great, so my mother-in-laws spaghetti sauce is an easy one to cook lots of and store, marinades, and we loved Megan's stuffed shell recipe, so I cook the shells, stuff them and then on "serving day" I just add sauce and bake.

I planned to cook fresh about once a week, and we usually go out to eat once a week. Knowing that along with other dates when we have plans with friends, I made meals for the rest of the nights leaving us completely covered for the month and then some since it's just Daryl and I! Due to that fact, I separate a lot of the meals in two containers or so, so that I don't have to thaw and cook more than we'll eat. That way we'll have the rest for other times. Btw, most things keep 3-6 months :) THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE DEEP FREEZER which makes this possible for us.

The pros of this are obvious - I don't have to spend a lot of time cooking each night which frees me up for time with my family, to serve more, to work, etc. We also spend MUCH less on groceries when we plan because I only buy exactly what we need. It limits grocery store trips which is a pro for multiple reasons in itself - I don't have to take Anna there again, I don't waste time, and I don't spend more money on gas :) Also, we eat out less and eat healthier. And last but not least, if we end up going out with friends or something last minute, no groceries are wasted because we can just keep things in the freezer for later! Whew hoo!

The cons - well, I don't have any right now! HOWEVER, it is a difficult investment at the beginning of the month, or whenever you decide to do it. You spend a lot of time choosing recipes and then make an ingredient/shopping list. I also had to spend a little bit of time making a plan for how exactly to cook. For example, I tried to chop all of the meat I needed at once, all the vegetables at once and separate them for the recipes, etc. You also spend a while at the store and then of course a whole day cooking and a few hours cleaning up as you can see from the picture at the top of the blog - that was the kitchen when I was done and I was even cleaning up some while I went!

Anna was FANTASTIC that day and I took breaks to play with her, but you may want to get some help with your kiddos if they're around. Also, plan on cooking on a day when you don't have other plans.

If this doesn't sound like something you want to do or could do at current, my other recommendation is this: when you make something freezable - a soup, casserole, sauce, etc, make double and freeze the extra. That way if you know a busy day will be popping up you can put it in the fridge the night before and then just heat it at dinner time for a quick meal! The crock pot has also been a good friend of mine since Anna has arrived, so hopefully I'll get some time this week to post some of our favorite recipes.

Please respond with your own recommendations and recipes as many brains and different experiences are more helpful than one! :)

Just for fun...

Isn't she great? Happy cooking!

Joyful Recommendations: Entertainment and Media

2008-07-04T12:52:00.003-04:00

So often, for the sake of desiring to be entertained, people (this of course includes myself) watch things that they know aren't right, but make excuses...like, "well, it's just this one scene," or, "I would never do those things," or, "I'm old enough," "everyone else watches it," etc.

Romans 1:32 says, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." For the Christian, we often know (whether through the Word or the conviction of the Holy Spirit) when something isn't quite right with what we are watching, but many times because we either are too proud to think we'll be affected or don't have enough courage or don't believe God, we keep watching.

In the book of Psalms David scribes this prayer,

"I will set before my eyes
no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate;
they will not cling to me." (Psalm 101:3).

Granted we can't remove ourselves from every wicked thing in this world, and God doesn't even want us to be out of the world, He does want us to avoid putting ourselves in places where we are being tempted to sin - especially when we are paying $7/8 to do so.

I'd like to have the gumption of David and be courageous enough to stop rationalizing and have the faith to be obedient to God's Word and flee the temporary pleasures of sin (in this case, being entertained) to have the eternal pleasure of glorifying Him and growing in holiness.

There are times, however, when we ignorantly step into a movie theatre or put one in our DVD player without expecting it to be bad and then WAM-OOOOO...a totally raunchy, unexpected image pops up onto the screen and now resides in our minds. While our minds can be renewed, these things aren't helpful. I can STILL recall images from a movie I watched in sixth grade that I would rather not.

So onto joyful recommendation #2 which is a FREE recommendation that can help you avoid situations like mentioned above....

http://www.screenit.com

or

http://www.pluggedinonline.com

Both of these websites allow you to see a general synopsis of movies and then break the movies into categories like language, violence, sexual content, etc and list the instances of those things in the movie. While pluggedinonline.org is run by Focus on the Family, is easier to navigate, doesn't have advertisements, and gives a concluding remark regarding whether or not the movie (in the author's opinion) is worth seeing, I tend to prefer Screenit's site for the sole reason that instead of having to read the instances of language, violence, sexual content, etc contained in the movie, you can just view their table at the top which says whether the language content is "none", "mild", "moderate", "heavy," or "extreme." That way you can often make a decision without even having to read what the exact scenes are which can also sometimes effect our minds and therefore our hearts. PS - you don't have to "join now", you can scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and hit, "No thanks" and see movie reviews for free.

I'll leave you with a closing encouragement to "watch" what you watch :)

"Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Joyful Recommendations

2008-06-30T15:15:00.005-04:00

As I have been seeking to fulfill my role as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend with joy, I have come across some things that have really proved helpful in my humble opinion! So, for the next few weeks or so, I will be passing those things on to you - simply as recommendations, and of course, it's just my opinion!

Today's recommendation to increase your joy as a parent is...

This is a CD with Bible verses set to music. The one that is currently sticking my head is "Trust in the Lord....with all your heart....lean not on your...own understaaaaaaaanding..."

I purchased this CD for Anna and I to listen to as background music when we're playing or house cleaning or preparing dinner. It became an instant favorite in our household and I can't wait to buy the other volumes!

Daryl found the CD in the car the other day after I had been out without Anna and I caught him singing one of the songs the other day in his office without the CD which should clue you in that we love it as adults, too! It is fun and catchy, and very beneficial to our souls! It really helps us to meditate on God's Word and is so encouraging! I have been reminded of God's attributes, encouraged in His promises, and convicted in regards to priorities and obedience.

The cheapest new ones I found were at Christian Book Distributors (http://www.christianbook.com/).

Hopefully someday soon someone will package all the volumes in one at one great price! Until then, we'll buy her one at a time. We think it's worth the investment to get God's Word into her heart (and ours) in as many ways as possible - and this way is so fun!

Psalm 19:7-14

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Here are the verses/songs...

Happy joyful noise making!!!!!!! :)

Great Expectations

2008-06-19T21:00:00.004-04:00

Growing up my greatest dream was to be someones wife (or better put - to be the love of some fantastic man's life; be preferred above others to one man; be romanced, pursued, you get the point) and then to be a mother. I can remember as a little girl wanting triplets - all girls with shiny, wavy hair that bounced and swayed as they happily skipped behind me. I of course had no idea what parenting entailed, and now if you told me I was having triplets I am sure I would immediately fall on my knees and tell God that He of course would have to give me the grace to survive that - I mean how do you nurse three babies in the same day????

Anyways, motherhood has been very awesome in many ways. I love talking and laughing with Anna in the mornings when we are all alone. I love reading books to her and watching her startled face when I move her too suddenly or make a loud noise. I love her confused face when she sits in her bouncer seat on the counter and "helps" me make dinner. I love dancing and singing worship songs to her and I love kissing her. However, to my shame I must confess that sometimes I get discontent with my life at current.

When I think of summer I think of hiking, camping, eating fabulous meals on the deck, walking around the lake with Daryl, being able to up and go whenever, vacations, parties, putt putt golf, scrapbooking, etc. This summer is different. Camping wouldn't be up Anna's ally, hiking is often difficult to squeeze in between feedings, and scrapbooking - yeah, right! Whenever we go out I have to think about when I'll need to be home to feed Anna, if I have enough diapers, and what the plan will be if she freaks out in public.

I knew motherhood would be semi-difficult, but I didn't ever think somedays I would miss days pre-children. I would never trade being a mother, but somedays I confess that I look at Daryl playing video games and in my head I want to throw books at him and say "YOU TAKE CARE OF HER!" I go upstairs and vent that I spend all day serving him and Anna and it's just not fair - why didn't God give him the milk or make him responsible for managing the interior of our home? Other times I'll be talking to a friend about how she and her husband just "duh duh duh duh duh all weekend" and I wish I could have a weekend like that.

Titus 2:3-5 says, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be maligned." My role is to love my husband and my daughter and to serve them - dirty dishes and all.

While I was reading in Philippians the other day this verse struck me anew...

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (vs. 14-15)

The word grumbling there means "thought, doubt, argument or dispute." The word questioning: "complaint, grumbling, whisper, private talk." WOW.

The Holy Spirit was so gracious to convict me! I had slipped into grumbling and questioning, doubting and disputing, and privately talking against the awesome role that God has in His goodness and sovereingty given to ME.

I have the privilege of being Anna's mother. I have the joy of being Daryl's wife. I am to delight in them, to be busy making my home wonderful and comfortable and appealing to them, and to be kind to them always - even in the midst of vacationless summers, spit up and mounds of laundry.

May God always be so generous to convict me when I forget the goodness of the role that He has chosen to bless me with and may I continue to abide in Him and in His strength to fulfill my calling with joy and vigor.

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strenght." Philippians 4:13.

Father's Day

2008-06-16T22:09:00.007-04:00

So it was Daryl's first Father's Day! Yay!

Aren't they good looking???

We got to celebrate with the four generations - my grandparents, parents, us and now Anna! It was so fun!

I have been so blessed to have such great "father's" in my life. My dad was and is awesome! He has always been so present and active in my life. He is a great support and just fun to be around.Then there is my hubby! He is so great with Anna and is going to make her such a confident and secure girl because he loves her so well and because he loves her mama so well! Since she has been born I have never once had to restock the diapers, the wipes warmer is always full, and somehow the laundry always gets done! :) What a great guy?

And finally there is our heavenly father, without whom I wouldn't have such good fathers in my life! I am so thankful that He has chosen to describe Himself to us as a father to help me understand Him better and that He gave me such a good father to further help me understand Him and now that He has given Anna such a good father to help her understand Him! I love them all!

Big News!!!

2008-06-11T12:43:00.002-04:00

We have some big news in the Reynolds household...

Anna has slept through the night 3 nights in a row now! We love it! So does she. Check out our cool video of her smiling and such...It gets much clearer around 40 seconds, so you may want to skip the beginning! I hadn't turned the swing off yet :)

Reynolds Look-alike Meter

2008-06-03T16:36:00.002-04:00

So I put in a more recent photo since she's aged so much in the past 2 weeks :) and the results changed. We'll have to do this often :)

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Pedigree

For those of you who need a humorous story, here's one:

Today I struggled to get Anna in a cute little cowgirl costume for a costume party we were attending at a friends. The power went out once I started to get myself ready so I packed Anna up and went to leave with a wet head.

Of course the garage door wouldn't open without power, so I woke up Daryl and he did it manually. We got on our way (now going to be late), and then hit traffic on Tyrone Avery bc everything was backed up due to the construction on the interstate ramp towards Cheat Lake. Anna started crying, but thankfully finally fell asleep.

We showed up 24 minutes late and there were no cars in the driveway. I quickly realized it was Tuesday and not Wednesday. At least Anna was getting a good nap.

I turned back to go home and hit the garage door button and heard a loud noise. Daryl came out and said, "uh-oh." He had locked the garage door so it couldn't open manually to bad guys :) and that meant that when I hit the power button the lock held the door mostly down and it broke the brace that lifts it up. So now we can't get in and out of the garage. We'll be sharing a car until it gets fixed...and all for a trip I didn't need to make.

The saga continues when I left Anna to nap in her car seat bc moving her sometimes wakes her. When I finally woke her to eat she had this explosive bm and I felt warmth on my own belly. I lifted her up to find her costume covered in poo on the front :) Lovely.

So there you have it...another day in the life of the Reynold's :) Who knew motherhood could be so funny?

Reynolds Look-alike Meter

2008-06-03T14:11:00.003-04:00

Thanks, Ashley! This was fun! We have a hybrid - so they say!

What do you think?

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Another day in the life of the Reynolds...

2008-05-28T13:31:00.011-04:00

We have been having more and more fun with Anna Grace as she has begun smiling and trying to communicate (just cooing, etc) and as mommy is learning things like stay home more, take naps, and accept help!

But don't be fooled, we certainly don't have things all together. Let us give you another picture of any given moment in the Reynold's home...

This is our precious one just starting to cry! We like to call her the little raptor because when she gets real mad she lets out these rapid fire yells :) My mom has a friend who thinks that it's a little mean to call her a raptor and that she sounds more like a little lamb, but Daryl and I agree this woman is merely confused and slightly out of touch with reality, bless her heart.

I have learned to deal with her crying more and we are beginning to be able to discern cries although there are still times when we look at each other and just shrug...we have no idea...

To help me cope, I looked up my Biblical responsibilities as my parent again because I needed a refresher. The only specific things I came up with were 1) to love her (the like/delight in kind of love), Titus 2:4, and 2) to reprove her when necessary and to train her, Proverbs 29. Ephesians 6:4 where it says not to exasperate your children (i.e. provoke them to anger) is referring to fathers, so when I took the picture to the left when Anna was apparently done with pictures, I figure I was doing no harm - hee hee. Just kidding. That was my last shot.

In all seriousness though, this motherhood thing has been much harder than I expected - especially when I'm lacking sleep! Anna also is having some reflux issues which means she is more fussy than I thought she would be (although infant Zantac has helped) and has more issues with eating than I expected. While my "trial" isn't much of a "trial" when you compare them to some of my friends trials or other peoples trials, it was still a trial to me that was tempting me to grow depressed at times, especially when I was trying to do things in my own stregnth and not looking to God for help and for hope (I will one day get more sleep, I will one day be able to go in public more often, I will one day enjoy more time again with Daryl...)

The biggest encouragement I received was a verse that God literally brought to me directly in four different sittings - once through a book I was reading, once in my quiet times, once in a card Daryl gave me, and once I heard spoken...

"Fear not, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

- Isaiah 41:10

How thankful I am that God loves to comfort His people and does not leave us to ourselves. Anna's thankful, too :)

2008-05-17T15:25:00.003-04:00

Five Things

I got this from many blogs :)

Dislcaimer: I have to confess this is hard for me because I'm way to analytical - is there really anything I can't live without? And regarding question 5, I don't really like that one because thousands upon thousands have impacted my life positively and I don't want to leave anyone out, but it forces me too (much like bridesmaids). So I'll put 5 people, but if you aren't on there and I know you, I can GUARANTEE you that you have impacted me positively in some way and that I can tell you how if you ask without even having to think very hard!

I digress...onto the survey...

1. 5 things under $5 that I couldn't live without

Lotion
Mister Clean wipes (thanks for the idea, Ash)
Thank you cards
Pens
Water - hey, I guess I couldn't live without that

2. 5 favorite movies

Braveheart
Pride and Prejudice
The Count of Monte Cristo
Sense & Sensibility

3. 5 baby names I love

Elle
Eli
Joshua
Nadia
Peyton

4. 5 songs I could listen to over and over again

In Christ Alone
Oh, How Marvelous (the new version)
Jesus, Thank You (Sovereign Grace Worship)
You're My Better Half
Tender Mercies (Enter the worship circle)

5. 5 people who have influenced me in a positive way

My family
The Campbell's
Andrea Raines
Bethany Teter
Daryl

6. 5 things that are always in my purse (okay, maybe not always, but usually)

wallet
cell phone
some type of lip stuff
trash
pens

7. 5 moments that have changed my life forever

When Becky Coburn needed help hanging posters at BHS
Meeting Ben Tuel (how I got into YL/got interested in youth ministry/made morgantown connections)
When I broke up with Josh after college (how I got to Morgantown!)
Kingsfest (where I got to know Daryl)
The night Anna was conceived :) (hey, you wanted to know)

8. 5 obsessions I have now

Hanging out with my husband
Quiet times
Worship music
Working out (although I haven't gotten back into normal routine quite yet :)
Singing to Anna

9. 5 places I would like to go

To bed for more than 2.5 hours
The Europe Tour - Scotland, Ireland, London, etc
Almost any beach
Knoxville, TN - mainly to visit Bethany
Boston and to visit the Outterson's while we're at it

10. 5 appliances or kitchen tools I cannot live without

toaster oven
ice maker
hot pads
rubber spatulas
measuring cups

11. 5 people whose top 5's I would like to see

Sarah Burgess
Lorrie Young
Steph B
My husbands
Yours!

Proper perspectives

2008-05-12T21:29:00.004-04:00

For those of you wanting an update on baby - she is cuter than ever! She is constantly changing and we love her! She is spending more awake time after feedings during the day and is less fussy - perhaps it is dairy??? We'll see when we slowly re-introduce it. This is actually a picture from last week, but I haven't loaded the other ones on our computer yet :)

In other news, God has been so gracious to give me time daily for showers (Anna loves to sit in her bouncer seat and listen to the water) and for time in His Word the past couple of weeks. He truly is the only source of true refreshment and I've learned that other things can go before that (i.e. the dishes, my toe nails, etc).

This week I was convicted by a quote from Asaph in Psalm 73:25. It says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you." This is interesting when he started his psalm confessing his envy of the prosperity of the wicked.

Jerry Bridges commented on Asaph's psalm that he learned that true contentment and the only way to out root envy and jealousy in our hearts is to be content in God. I so often mix up the whole being content IN GOD with being content IN WHAT GOD GIVES ME. Semantics maybe, but there's a huge difference there. 1 Timothy 6:17 says, "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, BUT ON GOD, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy."

God gives us much to enjoy - relationships, material possessions, relaxation, beauty, etc, but He is the ultimate joy. Romans 1:25 says that people "...worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." May we not be guilty of doing the same.

For me that means being grateful for everything God's given me and giving Him thanks, but not basing the level of my gratitude based on what I do or don't have or finding my contentment and satisfaction in those things. My contentment can be found IN Him and that will make all the difference. No need to envy anymore because it's not a comparison of stuff or circumstances. No wonder Paul keeps reminding us to keep our focus on God! It's so easy to get focused on all the "stuff" down here.

May your heart rest content in Him today!!!

Oh - and happy belated mother's day to all you mom's out there :)

Uncertain

2008-05-07T13:04:00.003-04:00

Life has gotten more routine for us in the Reynold's household and Anna and mommy have been getting out more and more. Daryl and I even took a date last week without her!

However, we have been having troubles with an inconsolable baby at times and it seems to be tummy related. At first I thought she was just fussy, not wanting to sleep during the day time, but now it is more consistently after certain feedings of the day - she'll arch her little back and then pull up her knees and scream. It will pass, but then return - much like cramps.

Poor little thing! Sometimes simethicone drops seem to work, but sometimes not. We are trying to limit certain things in my diet but since the beginning I was already avoiding the large triggers - broccoli, onions, cauliflower, lots of dairy, caffeine, etc. Now I'm trying to avoid dairy completely to see if that helps. We'll see. It's frustrating being afraid to eat anything at all for fear it will make her more uncomfortable, but also knowing I have to stay nourished for my own sanity and to nourish her.

She has brought us so many moments of great joy. It is with pride I take her around with me and with joy I hold her on my chest when she sleeps. I love how she now focuses so alertly on our faces and looks so intently at me when I sing to her. I love her cute little faces and standing over the crib at night when she inadvertently smiles.

And yet I hate hearing her groan and grunt and strain over the monitor as she sleeps, indicating she's not feeling so well. I hate when she screams and screams and nothing comforts her. I hate watching her contort in pain. While it's made me love her more and be more compassionate to her, it is hard to watch your child be in such discomfort. I suppose this will only get worse as time goes by and boys break her heart and friends tease her for her long toes :)

So our baby may be developing colic. She may be allergic to something. Or perhaps it's just a short term issue - like a stomach bug. Regardless, last night while we prayed for her Daryl thanked God for His Sovereignty and I was struck at how quickly I forget - He is in control and He is good.

Today as I tried to soothe our baby, this song by Nicole Nordeman brought me to tears with gratefulness at yet another gentle reminder that He is in control and loving us...

When the sun starts to rise
You are good, so good
In the heat of the day with each stone that I lay
You are so good

When the road starts to turn around each bend I've learned
you are good, so good
When somebodies hand holds me up, helps me stand
you are so good

With every breath I take in I'll tell you I'm grateful again
Cause it's more than enough just to know I am loved (and anna is loved!)
and you are good

So how can I thank you
What can I bring
What can these poor hands lay at the feet of a king
I'll sing you a love song
It's all that I have
To tell you I'm grateful
For holding my life in your hands

When it's dark and it's cold
and I can't feel my soul
You are good, so good
When the world has gone grey
and the rain is here to stay
You are still good

And the storm may swell
Even then it is well
And you are good

How can I thank you
What can I bring
What can these poor hands
Lay at the feet of a King?

So I'll sing you this love song
It's all that I have
To tell you I'm grateful
For holding my life in your hands
You're holding my life in your hands

God sees and knows and He is good. How thankful I am to not be going through this alone!

Isaiah 41:10, "Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

If you think of it, feel free to pray for wisdom and grace for us and of course healing for our little baby. We need His help so much! :)

ANNA GRACE!!!

2008-04-28T13:15:00.013-04:00

I was thinking about labeling this blog something like "Laughter and tears" or "rollercoaster" because that pretty much sums this week up, but mainly it's going to be a documentary of Anna's first week in the real world!

The hospital experience was basically the worst experience of my life... After being awake all day, I was in labor for over a full day and well...ended up with a cesarean. Thankfully though, the doctors and many or our nurses were awesome, but it was rather traumatic, and do they really have to take your vitals/babies vitals every hour at the hospital and serve primarily jello? :)

However, hearing Anna cry out, even though I couldn't see her from behind the sterile sheet was AWESOME! We cried and cried! They took her directly to peds to check her out, but quickly came and got Daryl (WHO IS AN AWESOME FATHER AND HUSBAND!) to go see her. She was perfect on the charts! Praise God! They swaddled her up and while the sewed me back together set her on my chest. Beautiful. If you aren't convinced she's our child...here she is...(her eyes are looking less slanty by the day though!)

Thankfully my family (my poor brother and his wife drove in at 10am on Saturday and waited around all day for Anna to arrive) kept us pretty entertained until things got rather scary at the end. This is a great shot of Anna resting with Grandpap for the first time...
Anna got to meet lots of our WONDERFUL friends! Thanks everyone who stopped by, and everyone who sent flowers! Our room smelt AWESOME! :) And everyone who has dropped by food! You have brightened our days!

She got her first bath at home this week.
Needless to say, that wasn't entirely her favorite. Daddy didn't so much like her crying, but we got to do what we got to do, right?

Anna took her first walk this week in the jogging stroller with mommy and daddy - that was a blast! Thanks to God for a speedy recovery by the way and a great husband and great parents who were so helpful while I wasn't supposed to take stairs, lift things besides Anna, etc.

She also got to go to Wal-Mart and to a doctor's appointment with mommy. She has squirted poop across the nursery (I'm serious), enjoyed her new bouncer, and loved life in the car seat. She has been stuck with needles, and held all night!

We absolutely love her. I must confess, however, that the first week of her life was certainly also one of the most difficult of my life. I guess you can chalk it up to many things - lots of missed sleep, crazy hormones, and my own selfishness (will Daryl and I ever get more than a couple of hours together where we aren't wondering if she will cry and will I ever sleep through the night again?), and fear (is she eating enough, is she eating too much, is she sick, why is she crying, am I doing the right thing?).

But each day gets better and while I still sometimes cry over whether or not I'm doing the right thing or being so tired or missing Daryl time, I have also spent many moments crying over how pretty and amazing she is and what an awesome gift she is!

More, please!

2008-04-11T12:32:00.005-04:00

We have a little ritual in our house that is a little silly, but loads of fun. When Daryl and I greet each other after being at work, out, etc, one person usually ends up saying, "More, please!" when the other pulls away. We picked up the routine from our niece Georgia who used to follow Daryl around the house and ask for "more, please," (only she wanted his diet coke). I personally feel that asking for more hugs and kisses is way better than diet coke, but she's four so I'll cut her some slack :)

As I have previously mentioned, I haven't been necessarily over-joyed with this last month of pregnancy. I'm ready to meet Anna, ready to quit wearing maternity clothes, and ready to have to stop wondering if I'll really get to go here or there, do this or that, have to vacuum the guest room again, etc...

To put it bluntly - I have been grumpy (noooooo, me?). I have allowed carrying this baby to become more like a burden than a gift as I focus on myself and the "inconveniences" I feel I'm facing. I have missed out on a lot of the pleasure of these final days with Daryl and I just as a couple and especially on the pleasure I first had when we found out we were pregnant, were having a girl, etc...

So the past two days I have come to God and said, "MORE, PLEASE!" More grace! It's times like these that I am reminded that I am constantly growing in debt to Him and in need of grace, and thankfully, His grace is vastly more abundant than my sinfulness. That is something to get happy about!

2 Corinthians 12:9a says, "My grace is sufficient for you..." Indeed, it is! MORE PLEASE!

Invasion...

2008-04-03T11:07:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's true. Something has taken over my body and at current, my datebook! :) Daryl often says I have a parasite inside of me, which isn't very nice - sorry, Anna - but often makes me laugh.

For a while I thought pregnancy was cute and great - somewhere in between the vomit stage and the "I feel like a human bowling ball" stage! Now I think I'm pretty much over it. I can't wait to buy fun clothes again or be able to be on my feet all day without having leg cramps at night.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am somewhat of a planning freak. Our calendar is up to date with my activities in one color, Daryl's in another, and ours as a couple in yet another. On the left side I have a list of what we'll be eating for the week and I do my grocery shopping only once a week. I have a hard time not spazzing out when the kind person serving me and loading items in bags for me rearranges the order - this means the produce is no longer tidy in one bag, the frozen goods are separated, etc - don't they know I arrange things on the belt in categories for a reason?!!!!

While some of my planning tactics are great and beneficial to the productivity and comfort of our home, some of it is just me not resting in and being content in God's Sovereignty.

For instance, it has caused me much distress that I now have four invitations pinned to our bulletin board that I don't know how to respond to because Anna hasn't told us when she plans to come out. I have dinners scheduled, parties we've RSVPed too and menus planned and I don't know if we'll even show up. Doesn't Anna know Daddy's work schedule could use some prior notice too? :)

But these problems won't stop once she's arrived. I still won't know exactly what size bathing suit I'll need for the summer (or if I'll even be willing to wear one for that matter) or exactly when Daryl and I can leave her to go camping, etc. I'll have to continue to wait. God, are you trying to teach me something?!!! I think so!

I love the verse in Proverbs 31 that says, "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." She trusts God, but is also as prepared as she can be - dependence and obedience :) When things don't go as planned, she can laugh because she trusts her Father.

I have a feeling we may be laughing a lot around here soon!

We are so excited to meet Anna and can't believed God has blessed us with such a great pregnancy and gift!

It's Deepest Meaning

2008-03-24T16:50:00.008-04:00

"A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32).

Last night Daryl and I spent some time reading from John Piper's book The Passion of Jesus Christ: 50 Reasons Why He Came to Die, reflecting on the reasons and praying together. It was a really sweet time and one of the experts we chose to read was "Christ Suffered and Died to Give Marriage It's Deepest Meaning" (appropriate since today is our first anniversary!).

Piper shared how Scripture shows that marriage was God's idea before Adam and Eve and the coming of Christ, and how God had marriage in mind as a way to make Christ's love for his people more evident. Christ's suffering and death gave an extreme example (particularly to husbands as they are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her) for marriage and give marriage it's deepest meaning.

"Because Christ died for both the husband and wife...their sins are forgiven. Neither needs to make each other suffer for sins. Christ has borne that suffering." "Now we see that marriage is meant to make Christ's love for his people more visible to the world" (John Piper).

This year has been one of the most fun, enjoyable, and growing years of my entire life (it's true - not many can say they've gained so much weight their first year of marriage - hee hee). But in all seriousness, my relationship with Daryl has taught me tons about my relationship with God and helped me grow leaps and bounds in appreciation for God and His great love for me expressed primarily through the gospel - that Christ died for sinners.

I have grown in my understanding of grace and unconditional love. I have further learned how I can more practically love and respect my heavenly Father as I learn how to love and respect Daryl. I have further recognized God's faithfulness and my unworthiness as I experience forgiveness and freedom to be myself with my husband. God's kindness in using Daryl to lavish His love on me in millions of tangible ways has been incredible.

It is our prayer that as we continue to grow in Christ as a couple that our marriage will mirror God's love for people more and more to those around us and so adorn the gospel.

Thanks be to God for such a wonderful gift and for His wisdom in giving us such a joyful way to further experience His great love for us.

Anna's room...

2008-03-19T19:29:00.003-04:00

I'll blog again one day soon...hopefully...

But for those of you who may be interested, here is Anna's room (mostly finished)!!!

And for those of you who are health inspectors, remember - mostly finished! And, Daryl edited the video so I apologize for my ramblings :)

Holiness attained and holiness pursued

2008-02-26T20:55:00.004-05:00

Jerry Bridges writes a great book called "The Pursuit of Holiness" which is accompanied by a great Bible study guide. It's really been beneficial to me as I've been trying to understand what it means in Titus 2:3 for women to be "reverent in behavior." Reverent can also mean holiness and while I've grown up hearing a lot about the word, I wanted a refresher course to know what practical things I could do to actually be that way.

Jerry does a great job discussing the difference between the holiness we attain immediately upon salvation and the holiness that God wants us to strive for. One of the biggest convictions that I'm thankful the Holy Spirit has laid upon my heart (conviction/condemnation are two totally different things coming from two totally different powers, so let's not confuse the two) is that God HATES sin.

Not just "big" sins, but all sins. I loved this quote by Bridges,

"God hats sin wherever He finds it, in saint and sinner alike. He does not hate sin in one person and overlook it in another. He judges each man's works impartially (1 Peter 1:17)."

Bridges challenges the believer to grow in hatred of sin and stop coexisting in tolerance with our own sin. I was challenged personally because while I was reading along feeling as though I was doing pretty well with the topic, I realized that I'm really much better at hating other people's sins than my own. I tend to look on the sexual immorality on TV, cruelty to children, rape, immodest clothing on girls on magazine covers, etc, with hatred, but I don't respond with the same shudder to the own sin in my heart - selfishness, anger, etc.

Finally,

"while it is true that [God] accepts us solely through the merit of Christ, God's standard for our character, our attitudes, our affections, and actions is, 'Be holy, because I am holy
(1 Peter 1:16).'" Bridges

Christ has given us the ability not only to be free from the judgment of sin, but from sin itself. Pretty amazing. I hope I'll do a better job taking Him up on the offer and hope you will too because it is "for freedom that Christ has set us free (Gal. 5:1)."

Psalm 121

2008-02-20T23:53:00.003-05:00

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth."

- Psalm 121:1-2

I put this picture on here 1) because I love it (namely because I love those girls), and 2) because they are a few of the people that God has used lately to remind me of the truth that God is my help and that God is able and gracious and good and trustworthy! (I say a few because many, many of you have been used by God to show me those things).

Anyways, last week the Spirit recalled that passage to my mind at a very timely instance for me! Overwhelmed with my work week, preparing to leave to help with a retreat for the high school students on Friday morning, concerned I wouldn't get everything done for Daryl for Valentine's Day that I wanted, etc, etc, I was often anxious and overwhelmed.

God graciously used this verse to remind me that HE is my help and that when He helps out, it gets taken care of!

I confessed my sins of anxiety, unbelief, frustration, and complaining to God and determined to by His grace believe His promises that He would take care of me that week and things would come together for good!

Here are some of the ways I saw Him provide:
- I had an AWESOME Valentine's Day with my husband and while getting supplies together for the retreat had to make a stop right by his office and had time (amazingly) to stop in and drop off some balloons, candy and a card for him at his office
- I couldn't find the right size table linens we needed for a special tea we were doing for the girls on Friday night and lo and behold Jackson's Mill (where we were having the retreat) had already ordered them to have there for us!
- We left a little late to set up on Friday at Jackson's Mill, but the kids bus left late and gave us the perfect amount of time to have everything set up by the time they arrived!
- I ran to Uniontown to pick up a special order I had placed for the retreat and when I went to pay with the Church credit card they said, "Sorry, honey; cash only." I NEVER carry more than a couple bucks cash (I know, I know), but I just happened to have $17 in my random places in my vehicle (the order was $16.04).
- I got just enough sleep and didn't get sick! Whew hoo!
- I had friends (like above) praying for me and a great husband who went with me to help me at the retreat.

I could go on and on, but just wanted to give praise to God for being so kind as to reveal our hearts to us, to change those hearts, and to bless us immensly in the process. He is our help and He is able.

Pink hew

2008-02-13T00:30:00.007-05:00

What was a white-walled office has over time begun to morph it's way in to a princess haven :)

Daryl was not even exaggerating when the morning after our first baby shower I overheard him murmur to himself in disbelief, "There is a pink glow coming from the nursery."

I cracked up and ran out into the hallway to see if he was serious - he was! But is it any wonder? Check out the room at current...

People have been SO generous to us and Daryl and I are even more excited now for Anna Grace (that's right - that's the name selection) to arrive! Isn't she going to be cute????

Unless she turns out a he or to be goth, we'd better get used to pink. I have a feeling we will be buying/receiving pink for a long time.

Who knew life could be so fun and she hasn't even arrived yet? I love peering in there every night :)

Thanks to everyone who has mailed gifts, given gifts, and given advice! We are so grateful for the many tangible ways that God has used others to lavish His love on us! Hopefully she'll be a blessing to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Calm Before the Storm

2008-01-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

Does that sound ominous or what?

No, we aren't expecting any major terrors around the corner, but in about 2.5 months we will have an addition to our family - and one that is basically completely dependent on us. Look - you can tell she's really in there (and no, my brother isn't having a baby too, he just wishes he looked as cool as me).

Based on conversations with many friends who have recently had babies, Daryl and I are planning for the first 3 months at least to be like war! :) While you can't prepare for what life will be like after baby, we have been assured that things will be different - especially in regards to my sleep.

So tonight we are just chilling. I confess that unless it's a weekend evening I often feel very lazy if I'm not doing something productive - even if it means having coffee with a friend, making phone calls, or writing letters. But I've decided that any chances we get to just chill out these next few months, I better enjoy!

That doesn't mean we are becoming hermotized sloths, but it does mean that tonight after cleaning up dinner I sat on the couch with Daryl and watched him play video games and now we are in bed reading (and blogging)...and just for fun - not for increased learning or anything. I even took a 30 minute nap today.

I know these moments may be fewer and farther between in the near future, so I am relishing it. :)

Any last minute date ideas before baby arrives?

ps - thanks for all of the condolences/prayers regarding Simon. We are doing MUCH better already. :)

In memory of Simon

2008-01-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend Daryl and I rode with my parents to visit my brother and sister-in-law at their new place in DC. Before leaving, we dropped Simon off at the kennel (which he thankfully loved visiting), and sadly pulled down the road with him watching us from the kennel yard - something he didn't usually do.

The following morning Kathy from the kennel wakened us via telephone. One of the girls had let Simon out in the morning after feeding him, and when she returned just a couple of minutes later, he was laying on the ground. When she got to him, he wasn't breathing.

We lost our dog on Sunday.

While I know how nice it will be able to get a new couch without fear of it being quickly destroyed, and how nice it will be not to have to bundle up every morning to take him out, or not have to wash the couch cushion covers every couple of days, I wouldn't have traded him for any of those things.

The joy Simon brought both of us (and especially Daryl) has been amazing! We've been reminiscing about how much we loved having him around. We loved being greeted by Simon when we came home. We even loved how he would steal our seat on the couch if we got up for just a moment and look pleading to Daryl for permission to stay there. Daryl loved when he'd look at us like he was smiling and how much fun he had playing outside or going mountain biking with him as a puppy. I loved how he would put his head next to mine on the bed at night time for his nightly rub, how much fun he had on walks with me, and how he would keep me company when Daryl wasn't home yet.

While these next couple days/weeks/months will be a huge adjustment to us, we recognize God's kindness to us in gifting us with Simon at all and in all the joy we were enabled to have through the gift of Simon. We also recognize that Simon was a tremendous companion for Daryl and how gracious of God it was to keep Simon around until we got married and right before we hope to have another pair of little feet pattering around downstairs to hopefully preoccupy many of our sad thoughts.

We won't ever be able to replace Simon - he was one of a kind and as the woman at the kennel said, "their favorite dog," (sorry if you take your dog there - haha), but maybe we'll get another one soon.

For those of you who don't have dogs or don't care for them, this may all sound ridiculous, but he was part of our daily lives - and a responsive part. We will really miss him. We'll miss him when we come home from work. We'll miss him sitting at our feet at dinner time. We'll miss him spinning around in circles at feeding time. We'll miss him in the morning when we wake up. We'll just miss him.

Thankfully God is a good all the time, and who knows, as Daryl reminded me, Joni Ericson Tada once wrote that while God doesn't owe us or any animal any good thing, wouldn't it be just like Him to have a few more surprises for us in our heavenly home?

Goals and objectives

2008-01-17T11:19:00.001-05:00

This month has been fun for me as I've been trying over the course of the past week to narrow down what my goals for the year should be.

As many of you know, I LOVE the Mahaneys, and so I visited the Girltalk.blogs.com and printed off some of their resources from the beginning of the year regarding goal setting.

The issue they really encouraged their readers to grapple with was - are our goals "self-exalting" or "God glorifying"? I love this quote, "If 'good looks' or any other goal is driven by selfishness, or a desperate grasp for glory and attention, we are merely resolving to sin against God. If James 4:6, 'God opposes the proud' means what it says (and Scripture always does), than God is actually opposing our efforts instead of blessing them."

Of course the opposite is true because James 4:6 continues to say that "'[He] gives grace to the humble.' If we depend upon God to do good works and perfect our character in order to reflect His glory, we can anticipate His grace to blow life into our feeble efforts."

While I've really had to study and grapple with my motives and goals, what a refreshing truth it is that when we depend on God and are setting goals in order to help us glorify Him more He is our biggest help and biggest fan. I haven't finalized all my goals because my heart is taking me a while to ascertain :), but while I'm in the process, I'll share with you a goal a friend of mine helped me with in college that I've found worthy enough to continue all my days...

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION!

Here is the key she gave me to really memorize verses FOR LIFE, and I love it, so I thought I'd pass it on (and as Anne Rheney says, "repetition, repetition, repetition").

1) Pick the passage you want to memorize and write it down
2) Say it 25x the first day, 20x the second, 15x the third, 10x the fourth, and 5x the fifth day while looking at the verse as little as possible
3) Then say it everyday for 25 days
4) Then say it only once a week for 7 weeks
5) Finally, repeat monthly

This means a lot of time has to be put in, but I generally use my time while driving to work or while taking walks or on the elliptical machine.

Also, I write mine on index cards and keep them in this handy dandy index card organizer from Office Depot hat is like a 3x5 fabric pocket organizer that has multiple sections in it. That way I can keep the ones I'm saying tons of time a day in one section, the once a day verses in another section, the once a week ones in another section, and over course the once a month ones in another section. Go office depot! (I'm sure you can find similar ones at Wal-Mart, etc).

Feel free to ask me what verse I'm working on to keep me accountable. I need it! :)

Psalm 118:1

2007-12-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

Psalm 118:1 says, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever."

It's not very often that we get public forums to thank the Lord as we are so often commanded and compelled to do, so today I'll use this blog to do so :) Then you have to respond with what you are thankful to the Lord for! :)

I am thankful to you, Father, for:

Redeeming me and for being a great Savior
Your patience with me and perseverance with me
Sending your Holy Spirit to guide and to teach me
Disciplining me and saving me from making more mistakes than I would have chosen
For redeeming my husband in a miraculous way and saving him for me :)
For giving me a great family
For providing so generously for me
For all the tools we have to grow - Bibles, books, study guides, friends, friends blogs, teachers, preachers, etc
For relaxation and for beauty
For a warm house with a great view
For friends and awesome memories
For meeting needs/desires through others - most recently for our plane tickets, for our awesome stand up freezer, the babies crib, maternity clothes, etc
That my mom loves our dog and is willing to take care of him while we're out of town
For a baby in my tummy!!!!! That's amazing
For making my dreams come true even better than I thought
For chocolate
For Christmas
For physical touch
For baby showers and bridal showers
Running vehicles
An eliptical machine
A husband who forgives quickly, is great at conversation, handsome, and fun
For game nights
For laughter
For days to work and days to sleep in
For our church and the family they have been
For food and water
For the ability to do good, to exercise self-control, and to love others
For my families health
For the ability to visit our families
Practical wisdom from others (regarding marriage, managing our home, recipes, pregnancy, raising children, etc)
Glory revealed in those around us

I could go on and on, but I'll stop there. What are you thankful for?

Treasures

2007-12-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

This Christmas season we're in Texas enjoying our family (and while there is no snow like in the picture above, it is 30 degrees here this morning). Unfortunately when your traveling from house to house, awoken to the sounds of our nieces and nephews sweet little feet shuffling around, and surrounded by people you haven't seen in months, it makes slipping a way to a quiet place and communing with God more difficult than usual.

I can usually sense when I'm pretty disconnected thanks to the Holy Spirit's gracious work in my life, and yesterday I told Daryl I had to have an hour to myself for a quiet time before going anywhere else! We closed the door to our room and God gently and kindly revealed some areas of my heart that I should be aware of.

I was reading in Luke 12 where Jesus is telling his disicples not to worry about what they'll eat or wear because He'll take care of their needs, but, "Instead, seek his kingdom," and to "Fear not...for it is you Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destorys. For where your treasure is, there your heart is also" (Luke 12:31-34).

I was convicted because it seems this holiday season, even though I've had good intentions, I've allowed my heart to plant itself right in the midst of a bunch of good things, but certainly not the best thing. While enjoying our families, giving and receiving presents, and relaxing are certainly gifts God gives us to enjoy, enjoying them for themselves only without it connecting us more to our Maker isn't good. In fact, I enjoy them much less when I'm not connected to and loving Christ first.

So for the rest of our visit it is my aim to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God," and to, "Set [my mind] on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For [I] have died, and [my] life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-2).

I pray the same for you. For it is in Him that we truly have life.

Merry Christmas.

The Dog Days of Winter!!!

2007-12-06T01:18:00.000-05:00

While I'm sure not everyone will get a kick out of these pictures, I couldn't resist put them up today! We had a "snow day" today and it was the first time I've been able to play with Simon in the snow :) I think he had fun too...

Doesn't this one make you think of the fawn in Narnia????

Hope you have much fun this winter too! :)

the gods aren't angry

2007-11-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean "the God" isn't!

I personally have not heard Rob Bell's talk on this (he is currently doing a speaking tour entitled "the gods aren't angry" which you can learn more about at http://www.godsarentangrytour.com/ or http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/11/heresy_on_tour.html), so I'm not here to discuss what Rob Bell has said or has not said and whether or not I agree with it.

However, based on the blog at Christianity Today I was compelled to do some research on just what the Bible has to say about the anger of God.

I HAD A BLAST! That may sound bizarre but oh how I absolute delight in learning and discovering more about our awesome Father. Let me fill you in on some of what I found...

In Exodus 32:1-10 God had anger towards His people for making an idol and being so quick to turn from Him (He had just recently delivered them from the Egyptians).

In Exodus 32:6 and 1 Corinthians 13:5 we are told that God is slow to anger. So, He does get angry, but He's slow to it - and don't forget, He is also compassionate and abounding in love and faithfulness.

In Deuteronomy 29:16-29 The Lord warns the Israelites that He will be angry with them if they forsake Him and follow other gods. He also warned that He would allow destruction to befall them so other people would know that THE GOD was angry.

In 2 Kings 22:1-20 His anger burns against His people again for forsaking Him and building idols with their own hands.

Seeing a trend yet?

God gets angry when His people forsake Him and worship other gods (or create idols).

Thankfully according to Psalm 30:5 His anger only lasts a moment, but His favor (once we have it through Christ), FOREVER!

The New Testament continues to speak of God's anger, wrath, etc.

In 2 Thessalonians (see 1:7-10) and Romans (all over, but 13:4-5; 5:20; 7:7-13; 1:8) it is towards His enemies - those who don't know God, who have not obeyed His gospel.

We often don't like to think of God as getting angry because we think He gets angry as we humans do. Not true. It's always a righteous anger.

His anger, says J.I. Packer in the stellar book "Knowing God" (can you tell I highly recommend it?), always:

1. Administers justice (which is why God allowed destruction on those He was angry with!)
2. Is chosen by us (we provoke it and have been warned of it)
3. Is a reaction to our sin

What's the good news? In the words of the beloved JI, "If we are Christ's, through faith, then we are justified through his cross and the wrath will never touch us, neither here nor hereafter. Jesus 'delivers us from the wrath to come' (1 Thess 1:10 RSV).

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!

He is righteously angry with His enemies and is a jealous God who does not like us forsaking Him to follow after other gods. I am SO thankful He disciplines us, according to Hebrews, to keep us close to Him!

I am also so thankful for this study because it has caused me hate my sin more (though still not enough), to fear and pray to not forsake or disobey, and to be so, so, SOOOO thankful for the justification I have through Christ.

"Since we have now been justified by [Jesus], how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him." Romans 5:9

Holiday

2007-11-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

I love, love, love vacation time :) In fact, this has been the first time Daryl and I have had "vacation" time (not just weekends which are great) off since we've been married. It has been a BLAST!

To start things off we had my grandparents and parents over for dinner. This was an extreme challenge for me as my grandmother has been a domestic guru - yes, guru, for years, and they eat foods Daryl and I don't typically cook.

Daryl is a pie connoisseur, so he did that. Want to see?

BEFORE

AFTER :) mmm

And I made my first stuffed roasted chicken. I would like to say everything went smoothly, but the chicken took about 45 minutes longer to cook than my recipe said. Oops. Thankfully everyone seemed to have a good time and after eating the pie, I don't think anyone minded the wait. Here we are, four generations (one is invisible to the eye, and if I were you, I would be thankful for that)...

Then on Friday Daryl and I packed up and headed to Columbus, Ohio to see the Newsboys in concert. I bought the tickets LONG, LONG ago because he mentioned at Kingsfest he would like to see them alone in concert and I wanted to get good seats at a place semi-close to us.

Packing was an adventure because shirts I had fit into just fine the week before now looked quite silly. I had a breakdown in our closet. Simon told Daryl and he had to come console me! (Lucky me - he encouraged me to go shopping!!!!! Hee hee)

Regarding our little mini-trip, he was super excited, and so was I! We had booked a hotel for the night because in the morning we were driving to my brother and sister-in-laws in Richmond to help them move to DC.

We really enjoyed the hotel, but unfortunately we arrived at the 7pm starting concert at 9:15pm because of a huge wreck that leaked some toxin all over I-70. By the time we got into the concert they had about 4 songs left. So much for our great seats :)

It was actually incredibly humorous and I didn't mind not being there very long. We actually skipped out right before the last song because the bass was SO intense I was a little worried about Baby Reynolds. Over protective already, I know, but you always hear those stories about how when things with weak hearts get really scared...well...you know.

Anyways, here's a picture of Daryl outside the hotel the following morning.

At least they had continental breakfast :)

Then it took like 8 hours to get to my brothers. GPS said we had "2 hours left" 3 different times that I checked in the span of 5 hours. That was interesting. Thankfully Cabellas was on the way and there were plenty of Sheetz. We stopped more often than usual :)

We had a BLAST with Jarod and Kadie and can I just say that when people have a moving company involved it is MUCH easier?

Jarod and Daryl took things down in the old house, fixed stuff up, etc.

Kadie and Lauren after a hard days work at Babies R Us, Motherhood Maternity, Coscos, and Firebirds. :) Daryl encouraged me to shop, remember?

Daryl and Lauren after helping clean up the old place. Unfortunately the new place kept us much more busy - unpacking, washing dishes, folding linens, directing movers, etc, so I didn't take any pictures. We left them with still quite a mess but both of their parents are in now, so I think they'll be just fine.

Daryl and I were delirious by the time we drove home! I'm sure we spent more than a day in the car total by the time we came home! We listened to more 80's music than I ever want to listen to again, laughed harder than we ever had before, and enjoyed John Piper sermon's as always (can I just say that the more I hang out with my husband the more I want to hang out with him? God is so good!).

Anyways, we came home and since then have been sleeping, eating, sleeping, watching football and old movies, sleeping, and decorating for Christmas...

Dad and Daryl carrying in our FIRST Christmas tree together and the first one Daryl's had since living at home!

Lauren - I wasn't sitting sideways, I just can't figure out how to turn this thing - decorating at 1am after having to run to Wal-Mart for more ornament hooks and a tree topper. We didn't find a tree topper we liked yet, but here's our tree so far (also sideways)....

Trying to get a family picture after Thanksgiving dinner with at my extended families....Daryl didn't quite make it in this one!

EVERYONE! Unfortunately it's blurry and Simon wouldn't look at the camera (he doesn't understand that he's supposed to be posing), but that's as good as it gets with a tripod!

Yesterday we spent the day registering at Babies R Us which was also HUGE FUN! We were pretty much clueless except from a few helpful tips from friends - btw, I love to see Titus 2 in action through my friends - they have given me such AWESOME practical advice and we are SO grateful!

Anyways, we literally went through one section of the store (there were 3) and decided we needed a break. We took our "faser" (which Daryl being a sci-fi fan loved that it was named) up to the counter and said, "can we go and come back in like an hour?" They said yes, we went to the mall food court and ate pizza, rested our feet, only to head back and up sitting in these awesome microfiber rockers they have there for like another hour discussing car seats. Who knew carrying a baby would be less complicated than shopping for it?

I think that's it.

Now that "vacation" is wrapping up, hopefully I'll blog more often.

Love and blessings to you all!!!!!!!! Hope you had a fantastic holiday!!!!

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

It's a....

2007-11-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

GIRL!!!!

We are so excited! It was so cool to watch her swim all around! They were having a hard time getting good pictures of everything they need - from it's belly, to it's lips, to all it's little limbs...

She was so cute! Unknown to her, for a while she would come into view and give us a big thumbs up! It was so fun! Then they rolled the device around on my tummy and we saw her feet - all five toes and everything, pressed up against the womb!

They had trouble capturing good shots of her to figure out whether she was a girl or boy at first, but when they finally got some I was quite pleased that the little thing appears to be modest all ready ;)

Anyways, we are at a total loss for a good name for her. Give us your ideas!

Love,
Lauren

Can you hear me now???

2007-11-08T21:36:00.001-05:00

Supposedly, this is what are baby looks like right now as far as drawings go. This week it's little ears are formed and it can hear! Whattoexpect.com said it is actually even startled by loud noises like the dog barking, but that this will help it to sleep through loud noises later - bark on Simon!!!

Anyways, one site I was reading said that typically if you sing certain songs to your baby it will recognize them when it comes out and that the songs will calm them.

I've always been a little too analytical for anyone's good, but ever since I read that I've been wondering what songs I should pick to sing over and over. It's been a tough decision, and just tonight I decided on my first one.

I know the baby won't know the meaning of words for a while, but I want to infiltrate it's little head as soon as possible with meaningful things. Tonight as I was reading I realized I was humming the song, "Jesus Loves Me."

I kind of laughed because it's been so long since I've sang that song, and I'm also one for not liking things that have been really overused, but as I thought about it a little more seriously I realized that God's love is for sure one of the key truths we want our baby to grasp asap and that the song is simply and exceptionally true. If God illuminates that truth to our little one, how much better will it's life be?

Anyways, that's song 1. If you have any other good ideas, let me know.

And remember,

"Yes, Jesus loves [you]. Yes, Jesus loves [you]. Yes, Jesus loves [you]. The Bible tells [us] so."

Love, Lauren

sorry the pictures pretty graphic :)

Complete - to be filled; full; complete

2007-10-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today in my time in the Word I was reading in John, primarily chapter 15.

My devotional said to "approach every phrase as if [I'd] never seen it before." I hate when they say that because it often makes me nervous. I take my Bible and focus real intently and act as though I've never read the phrase before. I often get into arguments with myself over whether or not this is being phony or a falsifying my past, and if not, am I really approaching it well enough? Will the author of my devotional find out?

Anyways, this time I just asked God through the Holy Spirit to make the words fresh to me (as I'm typing this I have moved my dog's head off of the keyboard four times. Finally Daryl moved his entire body to the other end of the couch only to have him just now snuggle back over and stick his neck on my chest and his nose right in my face, blowing his warm breath up my nose. I get no respect from him, but constant affection, no doubt).

I digress...

God answered my request and I was blown away by an obvious concept I so often ignore. Verse 11 says, "I have told you this" (this being to remain in Him, by remaining in His love by obeying His words - particularly loving one another), "so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Complete joy. Joy that is complete. Full of joy.

God wants me to be full of joy.

This is not what most people generally believe and often even Christians. We simply forget or are ignorant. We spend our lives in search of "joy" and so often come up without it - or at least without very much or only fleeting moments of it because we try to obtain it apart from it's source.

We're sort of like people who attempt to plug a hairdryer into someone's nostrils. It may look like the hairdryer should fit in there, but aint no power gonna come out! (ps - I have never met any of those people)

In John Piper's book Sex and The Supremacy of Christ (which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone interested in understanding God more, sex more and/or our culture more) he writes,

"In C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, the devil Screwtape tries to explain to his nephew Wormwood what he finds most appalling and disingenuous about God: that God is really out to make people happy, and that even the austere parts of his program, the spiritual disciplines
are really ruses, clever deceptions to make them more happy. 'He's a hedonist at heart,' sniffs
Screwtape. 'All those fasts and vigils and stakes and crosses are only a facade. Or only like
foam on the sea shore. Out at sea, out in His sea, there is pleasure and more pleasure. He
makes no secret of it; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore...'" (48).

When will we grasp that through Christ it is in those disciplines, in moments of loving those who we certainly don't deem deserving of it, in obeying Christ's commands, in hanging out in His "ever-surging fountain" of love as Beth Moore puts it, we get joy - completely?

I get it some moments, and then other moments I drift out of awareness of God's love and desires for me. Then I return. Then I go...Cyclical really.

Oh how I pray and hope He will continue to remind us and teach us to remain (aka "to dwell" or more literally, "to live") in His love, and that we will take Him up on the offer.

That's it for tonight. Love, Lauren and Simon (as he was so faithfully involved), and the Girltalk.blogs from whom I stole the picture

Up and down, but mostly down

2007-10-21T23:06:00.000-04:00

I haven't been very good at blogging lately and it seems quite a few things have been on the down and out since we found out we were pregnant - which we are still thrilled about, btw.

I thought at week 14, when the first trimester ended, that most people were completely relieved of morning sickness/all day sickness. I learned that while that may be true, I apparently don't fit into the "most people" category. Besides at night when I'm more emotional anyways, I don't really mind. I choose to believe God's just reminding me the little buggers safe and sound in there for now, and after what we went through in the beginning, I'm just thankful for every day Baby Reyonld's okay.

Besides being sick, I've also become incredibly tired the past few weeks. I don't say this all to complain, but because I've really found it difficult not to use pregnancy as an excuse to sleep in everyday, let the house be crazy messy, or go out to eat more. It was interesting to me that my friend Lorrie, who's blog you can link to from mine, just wrote about the hardest part being "getting up and going." I certainly agree!

While this week has been difficult for me because I have been irritated with myself for not being as good of a homemaker and employee as usual, I know that God is continuing to faithfully prod me a long - and I'm always thankful for his prodding because I NEED IT!

Over and over again this week He has pointed me to Proverbs 14:23, "All HARD work brings a profit..."

Every time I decide to do the dishes rather than sit on the couch and zone out, every time I decide to pray for someone rather than watch a movie, every time I pick up my pen to write a card instead of take a nap, every time I decide to cook dinner rather than ask Daryl if he can fend for himself, there is profit. Looking at "every" little decision in that way instead of trying to conquer the whole day before it's begun has been helpful! And understanding that seen or unseen there is profit, has been even more helpful!

For clarification's sake, relaxation and refreshment are a must, and something we highly enjoy in the Reynold home, as you will see. However, laziness is a no-no and that's what I'm harping on myself about; not the former :)

Some pics from our fun weekend after hearing that Jacob Allen was found alive and well...

With my pumpkin :) Aww...

Lauren surrounded by a bunch of food, free samples, and an "Almost Heaven" sign. Sounds about right.

Mom and Dad getting ready for grandchildren. I'm a little scared - Just kidding ;)

The petting zoo - my personal favorite since age 6. Before that I was afraid of goats and ganders.

"The Lama Whisperer."

A perfect ending.

Leader's Retreat

2007-10-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Daryl and I got to join in on the fun of the student ministries leader's retreat in Deep Creek, MD (check out the awesome house we got to stay in). It's been a long time since I've attended something like that, but it was a little different for me this time. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't the one "necessarily" being fed, but one of the one's organizing, cooking, planning, etc.

While at times I wished I was one of the ones in on the cool stuff - devotionals, trainings, etc, looking back I am amazed at what God was doing in my own heart while I was on the outskirts. My quiet times and even outside readings that I stumbled on all weekend and the following week were regarding "abiding in Christ," from John 15.

Verses 5-8 say, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

So many times I start out connected to the vine and then at some point I disconnect. Much like the Galatians who Paul called foolish, I start out in the Spirit and then start trying to do things on my own (see Galatians 3:3).

This past weekend I was really excited about serving the volunteer leaders - THEY ROCK and I love them, and most of the time I maintained joy in doing so. But if I wasn't purposeful in keeping connected to God, sapping from His power, I would find myself getting irritated or stressed about making sure this or that was complete.

In verse 11 Jesus says not only are we to stay connected to bear fruit, but so we could have complete joy.

This week it is my aim to abide in Him in all things. I'm thankful for the Spirit's sweet reminders when I start to unplug and excited that He is eager for me to remain in Christ in all things.

The goodness of God

2007-09-13T11:05:00.000-04:00

This week I did something very out of sync with my typical self and I got on to facebook. I know, I know, like I need any other distractions in life, but I must say that it has been an absolute blast to reconnect with old friends and here how they are doing.

I was blown away by God's goodness as profile after profile of some of my closest friends from college, from youth group, and ever just around here testified to God's grace in their lives and His continued work in them, as we can be confident of for those who are saved (Phil. 1:6).

After pondering the glory of God revealed through my friends, I came across this verse the other day, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Hebrews 8:10.

Again I was reminded that it is God who so graciously reveals Himself to the heart of man and that it is "God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Phil. 2:13.

May I always remember that apart from Christ there is nothing good in me (John 15:5), but as I abide in Him, there will be much good in me (also John 15:5).

Thank Him for so graciously revealing Himself to the world and for His promise to change from glory to glory those who live through Him!

PS That's my dear friend Robyn who I surprisedly ran into at my friend Julie's wedding - we hadn't seen each other for four years and how awesome all the cool things we had to share about God's dealings in our lives!!!! How fun!

I'm a baby Reynolds...

2007-09-08T06:29:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's our little raspberry (literally, it's only about that big)!

As of today we are 8 weeks and 1 day pregnant!

God has been so kind to us and we are thankful for all the prayers that have gone into this little one as we had a slight scare in the beginning. We of course would love for you all to continue to pray for Baby Reynolds, not just for a healthy (and painless - yeah right) birth, but for the baby to grow up and glorify God like crazy! And of course for us to be good parents and love and train it well.

I promise we weren't trying for babies when I wrote the post about changing perspectives on babies. God was really just working on my heart, I believe, and now that we're pregnant, I can't wait to have the baby! We are so ecstatic!

On a side note, I thought I had successfully snuck out of bed this morning without waking my husband, and I was so thrilled - it's terribly embarrassing to have to confess that the real reason you awoke was because you are RAVISHINGLY hungry even though we had a great dinner and ice cream from Dairy Cream Corner last night. Much to my misfortune, about 2 minutes ago he came down to check on me! Oh well! :)

Anyways, "Every good and perfect gifts is from above, coming down from the Father of he heavenly lights who does not change like the shifting shadows." James 1:17

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Jehovah Shalom...

2007-08-20T19:10:00.000-04:00

...the Lord of peace is one of the names of our God, and a name that Daryl and I are recognizing of our God more and more these days.

While we have been facing some very perplexing and grievous trials, we are amazed at what we have learned about our awesome God.

Philippians 4:6-7 in the New Testament says this, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Though at current we are uncertain of certain things in our future, God, through Jesus Christ has been faithful to provide peace. Part of that peace comes from knowing a very precious truth about our Lord tucked away in 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

God really does care for me. And while circumstances may not be as we would choose and we suffer and grieve, God is with us, every ready to comfort, ever read to heal, and ever ready to love.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39.

Like trees that grow stronger by being tossed in the storms rather than grown in climate controlled greenhouses, it is our prayer that these trials will make us stronger, increasingly full of faith, and amazed by hope as we grow more and more aware of who our God is.

The Delight of Loving My Husband

2007-08-09T16:15:00.001-04:00

That's actually a chapter title in the book "Feminine Appeal" by Carolyn Maheney.

I loved the chapter because it taught me so much and reminded me not only of the high calling to love my husband, but the great joy that there is in it.

In Titus 2 we are told that married women who believe in God through Christ should, "love" their husbands.

Interestingly enough, the word in the original Greek is phileo, and describes the love between two very close friends. Christians are called to agape love everyone - sacrifice, love unconditionally, etc, but Christian wives are called to go even further with their husbands - to enjoy them as a friend.

Some practical ways I've been encouraged to phileo love my husband, by God's grace:
Speak highly of him always
Laugh with him
Encourage him
Spend time with him
Spend time with him DOING THINGS HE LIKES (i.e. one of our new favorite past times is playing Burn Out Revenge on Xbox and I'm not half bad - the point of the game you see is to crash)
Be eager to serve him (dinner, picking up after myself/him)
Welcome him warmly (i.e. lots of hugs and kisses and joy) when he returns home

He hasn't made it difficult, and it is true - loving my husband brings me absolute delight.

I praise God for such a godly, unselfish, kind and wise husband, for "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17

Georgia turns four!!!

2007-08-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

Not that I'm biased or anything, but I'm pretty sure that upon marriage to Daryl I inherited one of the cutest nieces ever :)

Georgia is only four years old but already she shows traces of a true woman. She loves ice cream...

And yet she is tough and adventurous. Look at the little climber!

One of my favorite aspects about Georgia though is that she seems to like me :) Isn't it funny how we all want to be loved?

I still laugh when I think about how her father, Quincy had to drag her off of me on the dance floor at my wedding kicking and screaming. Granted she thought I was a true princess that day because of my dress and tiara (I wonder what will happen when she finds out the truth...), it still made me feel special.

More special still when the last time Daryl called the house she said, "Where's Lauren? Can I talk to Lauren?"

The truth is we all want to be desired. Being in relationship with Daryl has helped me see that as well. Sure he loves that I clean the house, make him dinner, etc, but what delights him the most is when I take pleasure in him.

I often wonder if this is because we were created in the image of God and it is His desire that we delight in Him.

Jesus Himself said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37-38.

Anyways, here's to Georgia. I love her with all my heart and am so thrilled to have her as family.

Thanks for loving me!

The whole fam

Trading for pennies...

2007-07-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

I'm don't typically divulge dirty little secrets on the Internet, but today I'm going to allow you the privy of seeing some of my more shameful side...

I remember being wangled into some very raw deals as a child. It did not take much coercion for me to buy into raw deals however, for as at a youngster I was very ignorant in regards to many things.

For example, when I was about 5 years old my brother and I decided to "trade" Halloween candy. He was so generous and offered me 3, yes 3, packs of Smarties for just 1, and only 1, of my miniature Snickers bars. "What a deal!" I thought to myself. "3 for 1! That's awesome."

It wasn't until I put the chalky pure sugar candy into my mouth and then later tasted the absolute deliciousness of a sweet and salty snickers bar with far better texture, that I realized I had been duped.

I had traded in something of infinite value for something of little to no value and worse yet, I thought I was getting the good end of the deal.

While I have grown wise enough to keep Snickers bars to myself, I am still unfortunately much more like Judas Iscariot than I would like to admit.

You see Judas turned Jesus Christ into the "cops-of-the-day" for a bag of coins. He possibly thought that they'd just beat Jesus a little and question Him a little, and then release Jesus, and life would be back to normal - except he'd be rich. But then Jesus was sentenced to death, and those beloved coins that were so alluring only days before suddenly became like chalky Smarties in his mouth - only much worse.

Matthew 27:3-5 depicts Judas' own revelation of being duped like this, "Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' They said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself."

Judas realized his stupidity a little too late so he thought. I can relate. We so often trade in good things, things of so much worth, for destruction and ruin and end up with a load of regret and despair.

(Be warned: Here comes the dirty little secret)

So often I have traded in my love for God for my love of people's approval. So often I have traded in things like purity, modesty, self-control, kindness, submission, and forgiveness, to name only a handful, for things like broken relationships, lengthy and silly explanations, excuses, guilt, and regret. So often I have traded in time basking in God's grace and learning from Him for extra moments of sleep or a movie I won't remember three weeks later.

So often I have been left with so much worse than chalk in the mouth.

But oh, how we don't have to remain in regret and despair! How I wish Judas could have understood that, and how grateful I am that God has revealed this to us through His Word!

I cannot end this without a reminder of the glorious grace of God in Jesus Christ!

While Judas unfortunately didn't seem to understand Christ, we have been assured in His Word that He is perfect at forgiving and that He can impute righteousness to the unrighteous. In our moments of trading in Christ for coins, we can be assured that Jesus has already paid for our mistake and that we can quickly confess, turn from our sin and live for Him with glorious joy and freedom again.

It is "Christ Jesus, [that] God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30.

When you taste that chalky substance in your mouth, join with me in remembering that it is Christ alone that makes us righteous, and that He is quick to forgive and abounding in love to those who call upon His name!

Oh, and if you ever get the desire to buy me a candy bar, make it a Snickers :)

PANCAKE BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER IN MORGANTOWN!!!

2007-07-26T15:44:00.000-04:00

CHRISTIAN HELP'S PANCAKE BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER
Saturday, August 11th
Applebees
7:30-10:00am

For only $5 you can enjoy a pancake breakfast made by someone else, and cleaned up by someone else, and help those who will be in financial need in Morgantown this year! If you would like a ticket, please contact myself or Christian Help.

Hope to see you there!

Putting it back in perspective...

2007-07-23T13:58:00.001-04:00

There seems to be a context influx of noise in my life and sometimes, if I'm not careful, I start believing thoughts that aren't true.

Some of the non-truths I have unfortunately believed at some point or another in my lifetime are:

- Credit card information gets stored on hotel key cards
- Toe jam is really tiny little invisible worms that you can't see so wear socks to keep them from crawling up your legs
- You urine will be clear if you are getting enough water (uh - that means you're getting TOO much water)

One of the more recent non-truths I have bought into in my subconscious is that children are really just a lot of work and deciding to have them means deciding to end your so-called life :)

Now married, the idea of children isn't just something that "may occur in the very far away future," but something that could occur at any time if God should so choose. To be honest, that scared me to death.

While some fear is healthy, God is teaching me that my fear is not from Him at all and that I need to be careful not to take others opinions as more than what they are - opinions.

Psalm 127 says: "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" (vv. 3-5).

Twice now God has brought that passage to me, and I believe to fulfill a specific purpose. My outlook on bearing and raising children had become dreadful, and honestly, sinful, and therefore, He wants to dispel it.

Carolyn Maheney conveyed truth to me this way in her book "Feminine Appeal":

"What words or images come to your mind when you think about your children?" (or for me, the possibility of them) "Are you inclined like I was to think: work,, responsibility, sacrifice, burden, more work?

Look at the words the psalmist used to describe children: heritage, fruit, reward, arrows. Then he followed with this exclamation: 'Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!'"

What a timely message for me. How faithful God is to renew our minds with truth, removing our doubts and replacing lies with truth.

Children do require work and sacrifice and responsibility but God says to gain life, we lay ours down. How I hope that in His perfect time He will give me this blessing, and that in the deepest core of me I will hold on to the truth that they surely are a reward that I do not deserve.

If you have children, may I encourage you to remember today that they indeed, though time, emotion and energy consuming, are primarily a reward and a blessing? Remember and tell them.

Lions, and tigers, and bears - Pt. 2

2007-07-21T23:28:00.000-04:00

So yesterday Daryl and I spent the day at the Pittsburgh Zoo. We love going to the zoo!

I must confess I felt a little funny when we finally found a parking spot and were getting ready to go in and someone needing a spot asked, "Coming or going?" We of course had just arrived, and as they drove away I felt a little bad for taking a semi-close parking spot when we don't have any children or strollers to unload. Not bad enough to change spots, but bad. :)

Anyways, it was a blast - I am amazed by God's ability to create such awesome animals with so many neat little distinctions. I also was amazed by God's kindness - in this first picture you will note that the rare snow leopard is looking right at us. When we arrived, he was dead asleep with his back turned. (see right)

I asked God to please wake him up so we and the sweet little kids next to me yelling, "Wake up! Wake up!" could catch a glimpse of the animals grandeur and I would give Him all the glory!

Here's what happened...

I am so grateful for such a loving Father! Isn't He a wondrous Creator and generous Father?!!!!

Here are some of my other favorites...

How cute is that little guy?

One of my personal favorites - the massive and yet adorable polar bear. Have you ever seen the paws and that thing???? I'll show you - then think - REALLY BIG!

Daryl's favs...

The hammerhead shark - aggressive and named after a tool. You can't get much more manly than that!

He also loved these wild African dogs. They aren't tamable, and their bark is much worse than their bite, which is a definite good thing since they are typically silent and when they do verbally communicate they sound like a squeaky toy going bad!

And the animal that won my heart the most this time, the sea otter.

This little guy was so precious. He would dive and swim and stretch! I love how he's rubbing his face here!

How cute is he?! I think he also endeared me because he would come right up next to the glass where I had my face pressed against and let me wave at him. I'm sure he couldn't even see me, but it felt like we connected somehow! :)

Finally, the craziest animals in the whole park...

Lauren and Daryl

So, now that we've shared our favorite animals with you, what are your favorites?

New puppy GIVEAWAY

2007-07-20T01:09:00.001-04:00

Hey guys,

We bought a dacshund because they look so much like doberman's - colorwise anyways. Unfortunately he and Simon don't get along very well. Simon seems afraid of him. We can't figure it out - Simon's way bigger and the little guys is just so endearing.

I know I'm always trying to get rid of pets on here, but, want him? We don't like to see Simon so stressed out.

Hee hee.

I got that picture from an e-mail a long time ago. It cracks me up every time I stumble across it. For those of you who know Lauren Byrer, make sure you show it to her - it's her favorite ;)

Tick Tock

2007-07-13T00:26:00.000-04:00

Daryl has been talking to me a lot about perseverance lately as he has been coming across that subject a lot while he's been spending time in the Word. I've known it was important, but this week, in the midst of trying to keep my life in balance in so many areas, I've realized that maybe I need to hit the big book and study that a little more too!

When we got married we sat down and created a very detailed budget and when the cash is out - no more spending! Last week we also decided to make something similar for our calories - when we've had the amount that we need for the day - no more eating! :)

I've also been trying to make sure I stay on top of house work, make sure I wake up early enough to have my quiet time, eat breakfast and spend time with the Lord (and look nice for work out of respect for both my husband and my co-workers!), maintain good relationships with others, and exercise at night - oh yeah, and read some helpful materials and pray for my friends needs.

The budget was fun and exciting the first month. Counting calories and staying under was fun the first day. Working out is much more fun with friends.

But guess what - I can't ever stop. Sure it's okay to sleep in occasionally. I'm sure we'll break into our "emergency fund" one day for a non-emergency. And yes, someday I plan on eating the biggest ice cream sundae drizzled in chocolate that I can find!!!

But perseverance is a must. And I think maybe I need to shift my focus a little bit. It seems more helpful to focus on the fruit of persevering and maintaining self-control (like feeling better about my body, not being in debt, and growing in godliness) than on "I have to do this," or "I can't do that."

I am so thankful for God's Word and how it helps me.

Here's one of my favorites He let me slide across again this weekend...

"Have you not known Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint," (THAT'S ME!),
"and to him who has no might," (over that scrumptious looking chocolate bar), "he increases strength, even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted, but they who WAIT FOR THE LORD shall RENEW their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint."
- Isaiah 40:28-31

He has all the power I need, I just need to wait for it...er...wait for Him.

Thanks for helping me babble about this to come to some really helpful solutions! Enjoy waiting on Him - let me know what happens as you do!

Our first camping trip...

2007-07-02T10:39:00.001-04:00

So after vacations of the more luxurious sort, we finally decided to try roughing it, although I'm sure my dear friend Andrea would laugh at me for calling camping in a campsite with hot showers less than a half mile away roughing it!

But to us, it was roughing it! We had to laugh at ourselves. Our shelter looked hysterically large compared to our tent. We had SO much stuff - a huge shelter, a
campsite table to hold our stove and lantern and that even had a cool sink, coolers,
chairs, and so on and so forth, that when we were trying to pack everything back into our Audi sudan the camp ranger was like, "it ain't going to fit." Then there was are very small two man tent...

My mom says they call it that because it was not designed for women. Daryl and I came to that conclusion on our own the first night when I awoke in a panic muttering or shouting, I'm not sure which, "I HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS THING!" We had the fly on because it was raining, so I couldn't see out, I couldn't sit up or roll over because it was too small, and I was getting MUY clausteraphobic!

The next night I was fine because it didn't rain and so we didn't use the fly and I could see out and feel the fresh air.

We're leaving for another, longer camping trip on Wednesday morning which I am so excited about because lots of friends are going, but I'm hoping I don't get clausteraphobic again! Daryl and I are going to use that as our one final trial. We're going to see if I can handle the tent size or if we'll have to e-bay our tent and get a bigger one. It's so great though and he loves it so I hope we don't have to. Pray for me! :)

Anyways, here are some things we learned for our next trip:

1. Set up the shelter FIRST then unload all of our stuff from the car. This will ensure that we don't get everything soaked while trying to set up the shelter and a huge rain storm comes through.

2. Make sure we have large enough pots to cook our food in. That 5 piece set from Target just doesn't cut it.

3. Know the checkout time of your campsite so you don't look silly and surprised with a hot dog half way stuffed in your mouth when campers approach you saying they just got assigned your site.

4. Don't inflate my air mattress all the way. I just roll off and make myself closer to the top of the tent which does not appear to be beneficial for me.

5. Enjoy learning lessons - they are funny and make good memories.

Headed to make our camping menu....

Crushed down but not destroyed

2007-06-26T21:04:00.000-04:00

I must confess that these past couple of have been very joyous and yet also very perplexing, if not downright sad at times.

Don't be too concerned, nothing tragic is going on with me personally, but it seems a number of friends and acquaintances of mine are struggling through things that I can't even wrap my brain around. I just received an e-mail from a dear friend who recently lost his mother to cancer. He shared with me that his dad suffers from loneliness and helplessness quite often.

Another dear friend just lost her mother right after her first baby was born. She suffers from not having her mom to call and ask practical questions to or ooo and ah over her baby with.

On Sunday I sat in Church next to another friend who's husband was still in the hospital being treated for cancer. They only found out recently, but their lives are already vastly different. She looked tired.

And last night Daryl and I prayed for a dear girl who still believes in God but has not been back to church since childhood because she was sexually molested there.

This world is a devastating place.

But there is a hope. A sure hope.

And that hope for my friends, that I have watched them hold fast to and even rejoice in, is not just the promise of eternity where everything is good and right and pain-free as God desires, but their assurance that God is with them, that God is for them, and that God is good - no matter what their circumstances are.

Oh, to know the joy of the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord! What a privilege to understand that He has saved us from much suffering that we deserve, and that even in trials, He is working good. What an amazing, perplexing truth.

And the hope for me as I watch my friends, is the same, but it is also this:

Our "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [is] the Father of mercies and the God of ALL comfort, who comforts us in ALL our affliction...For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share ABUNDANTLY in comfort too." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

In that very same book, it says:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the SURPASSING power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthians 4:8-11

How I have been amazed and over-joyed to see the life of my Lord and Savior so beautifully through the lives of my friends as they continue to worship Him, and yes, even as they grieve, but not as the world grieves, with hope, glorious hope.

Maintain hope dear friends; it looks GREAT on you! How you shine!!!!

PS - How cool is this? I just clicked on the Desiring God site (listed under my links) and John has an article about suffering with others! God rocks!

Kids

2007-06-07T14:55:00.000-04:00

This picture was actually taken a long time ago, but it's one of my favorites.

It was taken just before I got married at a slumber party (aka surprise bridal shower) I was having with some of my dearest friends who I met through serving with Dv8 (the middle school ministry at CRC).

Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

Though I don't work directly with that ministry any more and see those girls far less frequently, they still have my heart. They became dear to me.

Elsewhere in Scripture Paul calls the people he leads in ministry, "my joy and my crown." How true that as I see them continue to follow Christ and reflect His glory just by being alive and believing in Him that they are my joy.

Keep pursuing Him girls. And while you're at it, no that you are a joy to me :) and I miss you. Can we hang out soon?????

(and maybe eat cake?)

Where Mercy Abounds...

2007-05-26T11:28:00.000-04:00

This week I had the unbelievably wonderful privilege and joy of remembering what God has done for us on the cross. Daryl and I went to Fairfax, VA so he could serve on a panel for the National Science Foundation, leaving me with time alone to study the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means for me and for you.

What a joy! I read through CJ Mahaney's book, "Living The Cross Centered Life" which I highly recommend to you. (www.sovereigngracestore.com)

He so kindly reminded me of God's immeasurably personal love for me (and for you!) by expounding on Jesus' time in the garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross and His resurrection. Not to mention my own sinfulness.

The most humbling part of the book to me, the part that most caused me to worship, was CJ's teaching on the garden of Gethsemane. CJ discussed how Jesus knew always that He had been sent to earth to pay for the sins of mankind, and how He never wavered in the face of persecution and trouble, but how He suddenly was completely distressed in Gethsemane.

"Why?" writes CJ.

"Here's why: In this garden, our Savior is beginning to confront as never before the ultimate and deepest agony of Calvary - an agony that will go infinitely beyond any physical aspects of His sufferings.

For Jesus, the cross will bring incomparable and unprecedented suffering of wrath and abandonment. His downward path into those unspeakable depths begins to plunge steeply in this garden called Gethsemane." (p. 79 of The Cross Centered Life)

The astounding thing here is that the cup Jesus kept asking to be removed from Him - the cup of complete wrath from God the Father that was anyways so that WE could drink from full the cup of salvation.

Jesus could have yelled to the men mocking him from the bottom of the cross, "Drink your own cup!" and gotten down, but He didn't.

Why?

According to Galatians 2:20 He suffered the complete wrath of God that belonged to me and to you because He loved me and you.

Amazing.

It is this demonstration of God's love that I must continue to study and focus on because it is here that I remember that God certainly loves me and all of mankind and here that I am moved to worship and here that I motivated to live for Him and here that I am inspired to tell others about Him. It is here at the cross; the most wondrous place in all of history.

Have you looked upon it today?

Written in memory of Falwell

2007-05-17T12:43:00.000-04:00

I don't claim to be best friends with Jerry Falwell, in fact, he wouldn't have even recognized if he had bumped into me last week even though one night I had hot cholcolate with him and his wife in their home after we disturbed their evening with Christmas carols!

But during my 4 years at Liberty Univeristy I at least saw him 3-5 times a week, and here's what I saw:

I saw him teach and encourage us (and yes, sometimes I thought, "Jerry, why did you go there?"). I saw him cheer at basketball and football and volleyball games and talk and laugh with the students and families who gathered around him. I saw him hug his wife and take his grandkids out to lunch. I saw him sit on a platform at my friends' graduation the year after I had received my diploma from him, and shake each of their hands and congratulate them even though doctors had advised him not to because of his health.

I saw the fruit of the spirit in him - kindness, joy, peace and confidence, generosity, and gentleness.

And I received much from this man as well. He provided me many a free meal when we would eat in the same restaurant and he would find out we were LU students. I was the recipient of many of his prayers as an LU student and RA. And yes, despite his verbal blunders, I received much wisdom on him about how to live life, love people, and love our God.

I'm writing this blog because frankly I feel the media and even some Christians (out of ignorance, I'm sure) are cutting him an unfair deal and honestly I'm upset. Of course his reward is in heaven and Scripture teaches clearly that when you follow Christ the world will hate you, but I for one would like to stand up for Jerry.

Sure he said some incorrect things. Sure he screwed up and yes he even sinned. We all do. And praise be to God that there isn't a spot light always on me like there was on him or I'd be counted even more controversial, screwy and sinful than he.

I would like to hope that people would search for the evidences of grace in his life and remember him for the good things - his laughter, his hope, and his fight for truth. Jerry often protected us against much of what Satan would have liked to accomplish when the rest of us would have maybe liked to but didn't know how.

God bless him. He surely was a blessing to me.

Simon

2007-05-16T22:33:00.000-04:00

This is my dog Simon.

I inherited Simon upon marriage. Although I had always considered myself a dog lover, when I actually had to live with a 100 pound, black hair shedding, inconsiderate Doberman, I started questioning if I really loved dogs at all.

Sure I liked Simon. I liked Simon outside. I liked Simon cuddling on the couch. I liked Simon when people saw us out and said, "Wow, that's a cool dog."

But I hated constantly having black hairs stuck to my socks, water drops on the kitchen floor, and his incessant staring while I lie in "his" former spot on the bed. I did not like Simon in those moments. I did not like Simon when he stunk, when he drooled or when he bowled me over coming down the stairs.

And yet somehow, at some point, Simon won my heart.

Perhaps he won it when he wiggled his stubby little tail and spun around when I came home from work. Or perhaps it was when he leaped and played with me in the yard. Perhaps it was when he very clearly warned me that there was a strange man in our yard and barked ferociously to let that strange man know he shouldn't pull any funny business at Simon's house. Perhaps it was when he looked at me with those big sad eyes at dinner for just a little bite. Perhaps it was when he snuggled with me on the couch or groaned with contentment when I rubbed his ears or the back of his legs. Perhaps it was when he started visiting my side of the bed each night and lying his head by mine for one last pet. Perhaps it was when he started following me everywhere like he wanted to be near me - even in the laundry room. Or perhaps it was the other day when he got off his leash while being attacked by little crazy yappy dogs (seriously - they were obviously crazy - they attacked someone 5 times their size) and stood still until I could replace. Perhaps it was at one of those moments, but I believe this love I have for Simon has been in process since the first day that I met him.

Who couldn't love him? He even smiled for the camera.

Proverbs 12:10a, "A righteous man regards the life of his animal," has always applied to my gracious husband, but not so much to me. I'm beginning to think that maybe God is using even Simon, a big hairy dog, to help make me a little more righteous. God does work in mysterious ways.

So Simon, this blog entry is for you...

It Is Sown in Dishonor, It Is Raised in Glory

2007-05-06T13:29:00.001-04:00

An article I found quite timely from John Piper on his DesiringGod.org website...

May it bring clarity and comfort to us each as we evaluate life and death and all that is in between.

It Is Sown in Dishonor, It Is Raised in Glory
By John Piper October 10, 2000

Romantic death is rare. More common are involuntary groanings and screams of pain. The ignominy of dying is pathetic. It is more often hellish than heroic. The apostle Paul uses two words to capture death's degrading assault. The first is "dishonor." He says that the death of our physical body is like a seed being sown in the ground. How is it sown? "It is sown in dishonor" (1 Corinthians 15:43).

During my college days, my father's mother died, leaving my grandfather very alone in Pennsylvania. His youngest son, my father, brought him to South Carolina to live with us. I was glad, and my mother was gracious, as always. Over time, his condition worsened and my mother was unable to care for him in the absence of my dad, who traveled as an evangelist.

So the painful decision was made to move him to a nursing home. There I watched him decline from the strong tool-maker-turned-pastor to skin-and-bones. The last time I saw him alive was with my father while I was home from seminary. We drove to the nursing home together, expressing the expectation that this would be the last time I would see him alive. It was.

There he lay in a diaper, curled up in a fetal position. His eyes were glazed over and crusty. His breathing was labored. My father spoke with me about his dad for a few minutes and then suggested we pray very loudly by putting our mouths next to his seemingly deaf ears. Ignoring the others in the home, we almost shouted our prayer. When my father stopped, his father heaved with all his fading might and said, "AMEN!" That was the last sound I ever heard him make. If I had ever seen a body sown in "dishonor," this was it. And there are millions like him.

Then there is another word that Paul uses to describe the humiliating condition of death. In Philippians 3:21 he says that Christ "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (KJV). The word "vile" translates the Greek, tapeinoseos. Before the New Testament transformed this word into a virtue, because of Christ's glorious "lowliness," the word had only negative connotations of "humiliation, debasement, defeat" (Liddell and Scott).

I recall reading a biography of Julius Schniewind, a German New Testament scholar who was born in 1883. He became deathly ill in the summer of 1948, but few knew how serious it was. Hans-Joakim Kraus was with him when he taught his last "lay Bible hour," and heard him groan as he was leaving, "Soma tapeinoseos! Soma tapeinoseos!" - the phrase from Philippians 3:21: "Body of humiliation! Body of humiliation!"

Christianity is deeply aware of the humiliation, degradation, and dishonor of the body in death. The death of Jesus stamped forever our expectation. Is the disciple above his Lord? Should we expect anything better? His back was torn from scourging, his face swollen from punching, his face bloodied from the thorns and beard-pulling, his hands and feet swollen and mangled with the spikes, his side pierced with a large spear. And he was shamefully naked. He died with a "loud cry" (Mark 15:37).

How precious, therefore, to all followers of Jesus, that he rose from the dead with a "body of glory," never to die again! And how precious is the promise of Romans 6:5 that, "If we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." And the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:43, "It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory." And the promise of Philippians 3:21, "He will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory." And the promise of Matthew 13:43, "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

O let us learn how to help each other die! It will not be easy. But, by grace, we will help each other say in our final pain, "To die is gain."

Preparing with you,

Pastor John

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee
/ByDate/2000/1162_It_Is_Sown_in_Dishonor_It_Is_Raised_in_Glory/

Celebrate Life

2007-05-02T22:22:00.001-04:00

On Sunday morning Daryl and I got a call as we were getting ready for church that Grandad wasn't doing too well. We spent the day with my family beside Grandad's bed, sometimes holding his hand as he would smile and try to speak, sometimes whispering quietly to each other, and sometimes laughing over old memories.

Grandad was dying. His lungs were filling with fluid and he wasn't able to eat or drink anything. Soon his voluntary functions failed and it would only be a matter of time before his heart would give up and he would know longer fight to breathe.

That night I went to bed praying God would comfort Grandad and that God would comfort us, and that if it was best, that I could be there when he passed.

God said yes to all of those things. The next morning dad was with him, and he was still cognitive. Dad got to tell him that we all loved him and that Jesus certainly did. Dad said Grandad would occasionally look up at him as if for help, so they increased the amount of morphine they were giving him and gave it more frequently.

You die alone. People may be there looking on, but it must be slightly frightening. It's always slightly frightening for me any time I have to go into the unknown without a buddy - no matter how good you expect it to be or have heard that it is.

By the time I got there he wasn't cognitive anymore. He would gasp every few seconds for air, but oxygen was getting more and more difficult to come by. It's the first time his eyes haven't lit up and his smile didn't spread across his face when I walked in the door that I can remember.

Mom came. Clint and Phil came (his other son and daughter-in-law). We sat talking outside and I decided to check Grandad, and I noticed he didn't appear to be gasping as before. We all filed in and sure enough, his heart beat was much slower.

Within minutes, it completely stopped.

I have never seen anyone die before, but it was amazing to me how different the body looks without life in it anymore.

I remember rubbing his feet as I watched him, and watched my family, and thinking, "This is really such a good thing. He is going HOME. I know it's hard, but it's good all at the same time."

You know we celebrate the birth of a baby so much. This past week two women very close to me - my sister-in-law and a great friend gave birth and Daryl and I were so excited and everyone talked about it, but then when my grandad, who knows and believes in Jesus Christ and so has the promise of eternal life in a PERFECT place slipped from this life into his knew life, we suddenly find it harder to celebrate.

Even though I knew in my head that it was best for Grandad to be with the Lord, I was still left with so many emotions I couldn't even quite describe. Some of the hardest ones even may have come from watching my dad suffer through his father's death, and even from just thinking about the vapor of life.

As my friend Ashley reminded me the next day, death wasn't part of God's plan. I guess that's why it doesn't seem right. We kind of brought that on ourselves. But thankfully for us, out of God's kindness He has redeemed life through the blood of His Son. We die here, but if we have placed our faith in Christ, we get to live forever there.

Here - the world - sometimes good, sometimes bad; where evil resides
There - heaven - perfect, no crying, no sin, no judgment, no pain, no death

Praise God for His very dear and precious promises!

I must confess that I hope when I get there we do get to be near the people we loved and knew.

That's it for tonight...

How Can I Keep From Singing...

2007-04-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

Easy, stick me in a room full of people I hardly know. That would shut me up real quick!

But in all serious - and I know, this is going to see nerdy and mushy for lots of you, so pardon, but I was just in our kitchen washing the dishes that aren't supposed to go in the dishwasher (wouldn't you know we use them almost every night?!) listening to the contemporary Christian station on TV and Chris Tomlin's song, "How Can I Keep From Singing" came on.

He was singing about God's amazing love for him and how it just makes him want to sing. I had to just stop and sit down because I was overwhelmed by God's love for me (and He has the same love for YOU!) and His goodness towards me.

How many times as a girl, as a young woman, and as a bachlorette had I loaded dishes into the dishwasher and hoped for the day to come when I'd be loading the dishwasher in preparation for my husband to come home?

I am so blessed!

Hebrews 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Once again, God has done more than I could have ever hoped or imagined (Ephesians 3:20)!

Not only am I doing dishes in the home of mine and my HUSBANDS, my husband is AWESOME!!!!!
He works hard at work and yet he puts me first, always
He brings me medicine and water in the middle of the night
He lets me stick my freezing toes under his legs to get warm
He thanks me EVERY night for cooking
He listens to music he doesn't like and smiles because I like it
He prays for me
He delights in me
He seeks wisdom and desires to honor God
He is honest
He lets me order dessert
He kisses me at the gym
He dances with me
He lets me sleep on the side of the bed with the nightstand
He keeps Simon out of the bed
He has cool spikey hair
He provides for us
He always empties the trash
He wipes down the bathroom mirror in the morning so I don't see the spots
He writes me notes
He brings me flowers
He is my best friend
He is my confidant
He makes every night seem like a slumber party!
He laughs with me
He reads with me
He serves me
He is handsome
He takes care of his body
He takes walks with me
He snuggles with me
He is kind to my friends
He gives me good advice
He helps me put my coat on
He got me new tires!

I could go on and on, but I won't. I am just amazed, amazed, amazed at God's goodness to me in so many ways.

I think a long time ago I used to think I deserved a great husband. Then out of God's wonderful kindness, He revealed to me that really I don't "deserve" anything and it's really never about me. Everything good that I get is merely a gift from Him, that I can never repay or merit.

This gift He has given me has again reminded me of HIS goodness and love.

I'm with Chris - my soul can't help but sing.

For all of the lyrics to Chris's song, click here

The Morning of...

2007-04-13T21:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, so no one is as interested in this as I am, but I got some pictures of the morning of my wedding from my dear, dear, dear friend Bethany...

I love her!

So, here is a run down of the morning of my wedding - this will be a day that I remember as one of the most happy in my life forever, I'm sure...

At a little before 7 a.m. my cell phone rang. It was a lady from the mail distribution center in Morgantown letting me know that my Passport had finally come in. WE WERE GOING ON OUR HONEYMOON!!!!! WHEW HOO!

My darling father and wonderful brother (two of the most helpful people alive) went to pick it up so I could enjoy my morning.

I had an AWESOME time with my Father that morning and was just so overwhelmed at His kindness towards me in SO many ways. He is so faithful! I was so thankful to have my passport, so thankful to have such AWESOME family and friends, and SOOOOOOOO thankful to be getting married - and not just getting married, but to someone so perfectly wired for me! I LOVE HIM!

Ok, so anyways, Bethany and I got ready and headed to breakfast downstairs in the hotel restaurant with my lovely friends Andrea and Nichole. I was wearing the fabulous white sweat-suit my mom had generously bought me - she actually bought three and two different pairs of sandals bc she wasn't sure which ones would fit or I would like! How cute!

The food and service was great, but the time with my friends was even better! THEY ARE SO PRECIOUS! My bridesmaids had put together this cute bag for me to take on my honeymoon and filled it with sweet letters to encourage and love on me and little things I could use on the trip (all suited to their personalities I must say). That was one of my favorite moments of my day. I kept thinking how blessed I was to have such dears friends who know me so intimately and STILL love me. Wow.

Anyways, then Bethany and I went to Portfolio's to get our hair and make-up done! How fun was that! I was a little nervous about my hair, I confess, but as soon as Ted finished my make-up, I was excited again.

During that time my beloved sister-in-law was transporting one of my sweet bridesmaids, Becky to my grandma's to pick up her dress which was being altered and Daryl was just awaking and pondering going to the gym :) (Josy and Cody - your e-card was PERFECTO!)

Anyways, after getting all ready we hit the road for the church. No time to eat - we had to go. And I was OH so excited! (Did I mention that Bethany had the coolest hair do ever?)

It's funny all the thoughts that race through your head on your way to get married - what if we wreck? Is someone going to see me that shouldn't? I'M SO EXCITED!"

When we arrived, I was so excited to get inside I just wanted to jump and run! Fortunately, the insanely long veil I was carrying and my pinned up hair saved my lady-like reputation (wink wink) and kept me moving slow and poised - hee hee.

When we entered the church almost all the bridesmaids were there all bustling around, looking as awesome as ever!!!! Alison was steaming my dress - what a life savor you were!, and everything was going awesome. Kadie had even brought cute little tubs of snacks and drinks!!!! She saved us all from passing out which is definitely worth commending.

I WAS SO ESTATIC - I didn't even look in the mirror until after Scott took preliminary pictures.

But then, we just had to sit and wait. Which I confess was fun at times, but I could hardly stand it... I just wanted to get married. So here's how we passed the time...

Not to mention, many awesome friends stopped in to say hello, Sarah Chartschlaa came all the way from Lynchburg to tell me stories :), Nichole was kind enough to do a hygiene check for me, and we almost got Lauren Byrer to sing a song from the Passion.

Thanks for the memories...It really was one of the most fun times of my entire life.

2007-04-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

Tonight Daryl had accountability group at OUR house (that's still fun) and so I vacated the premises so the guys could be alone for "man time." :)

I headed to Target in search for this cool pub mirror with hooks to hang in the entry way of our house and somehow ended up returning home with a coupon book, a thing of paper clips, a lamp shade, and some thank you cards. Suffering from buyer's remorse and going through shopping justification in my head didn't seem as big of a deal when I was single, but now not only do I, BB&T, and God know that I overspent, so does Daryl :) Uh oh.

What's a girl to do?

Anyways, as I was pondering my purchases (all of which I will put to good use I should add) and why I got more than I intended, I decided its really not so much because I'm HUGELY materialistic (let's just be honest - I'm more materialistic than I would like to be), or because I'm frivolous or part-take in consumer debt, it's mainly because I had a lot of time on my hands and wasn't very focused.

When I go grocery shopping, I'm focused. I have a precise list with just the ingredients and snack items needed for the meals on our schedule for the week and that's what I get. Not so with my Target trip. I thought, "I have to pick up the mirror and then I'll just 'meander' around." No real plan involved.

I wonder how often in life God would like to grab my face and say "FOCUS! Stick to the plan! I want one thing from you" - okay so two, 1) to love Him, and 2) to love others, and I try to do 80 things; most of which don't even align with each other.

I thought about how bad it would if Daryl kept losing focus on me and being distracted by billions of other things. I would HATE it and cry and whine and want to eat a lot of chocolate but be too sick on my stomach to do that, and yet I lose focus on my Father and what He wants from me all the time.

Anyways, all that from a pub mirror with hooks...

Married Life Live...

2007-04-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

That title is stolen, but I like it, and it's now true...

I'm married!!! No more dreams of what marriage is like, now I get to live it and see it first hand, which is WAY better than dreaming!

When I get some pics in I'll post some - but the whole getting ready for and actually going through with the wedding was AWESOME! We really hope people had a good time and that above all they saw Jesus.

The honeymoon rocked out too! My luggage didn't arrive until halfway through, but thankfully on honeymoons, that's okay :)

Thanks to everyone who made the beginning of our life together SO awesome!

Continuing on...

2007-02-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

I have no really good excuse for not writing besides the fact that I have been putting all my time in other places - some necessary, some not. If you allow it, being engaged is sort of like being sucked in to a big black hole... You plan, you hang out with your fiance', you work out, you spend more time with your fiance', you squeeze in time with friends because you know some of this will change soon, you run back to your fiance', you meet with family, think about your fiance', you meet with florists, call your fiance', you schedule with bands, go visit your fiance', talk with photographers, think about how handsome your fiance' is, sleep, dream about your fiance'.... It's great!

But then at times reality seeps back in and you realize this is not all life is about. There are other things too. This week Pappap went to the hospital and found out he had colon cancer. One of my friend's just got left by their spouse. One of my friends lost their grandma this week. One of my friend's is broken hearted. One of my friend's wants to know how to forgive even though someone has hurt her so badly.

On the other hand some really cool things are happening too. One of my friend's just found out she didn't have a fatal heart condition that weeks ago doctors believed she did have. One of my friends was able to move into a new place with her husband this week that they've been hoping to have for quite some time. One of my friends just had a baby shower for a baby they'd been praying to have for years now.

All of these reality checks made me realize that I really need to be praying more. Yes, sometimes God ordains bad or unjust things to happen for reasons we don't understand, and that's fine, we really don'tDESERVE anything good, but there are other times when I wonder if I would just humble myself and fervently pray about things, if they would work out differently?

I thought of a passage of Scripture this morning when certain followers of Jesus asked Him why they weren't able to help a certain person as they usual were able to do. His response to them in Mark 9:39 was that because it would only happen by prayer and wouldn't you know - they hadn't tried that yet. (I'm so glad someone shares my ignorance!)

I love when Samuel gives his farewell speech to his people in the Bible and he says, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." We aren't just to teach. We are to pray.

Lord, I need to pray more.

Free to great home

2006-12-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

It's unfortunate, but true... Adelaide must go.

The good news is, she has to go because I'm getting married (which far outweighs the sadness of losing poor Adelaide) and my husband-to-be is very allergic.

So, this blog is really just a sales pitch.

I need to find a good home for Adelaide.

She is absolutely gorgeous. She is half Persian and half Main Coon (for pictures of cats like her, type in Main Coon on google). Basically she is a long haired beauty, almost two years old (in May), de-clawed, indoor, up to date on shots, and a wonderful pet and companion.

She causes me no trouble and is an absolutel joy. She is not necessarily a lap cat - at this point she would rather play (no need to buy toys - bags, boxes, q-tips, bottle caps, your fingers, etc can entertain her for hours), but she does love to cuddle in the morning and night (if you're available).

Let me know if you or someone you know would like her. :)

Bliss

2006-11-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend was one of the best weekends of my life...

On top of an excellent slumber party with some high school friends and a great bridal shower for my cousin, Daryl and I promised to love each other our whole lives long!!!!!!

A.K.A. - WE GOT ENGAGED!

On Friday Daryl took me to this gorgeous restaurant called The Le Mont which over looks the three rivers and highlights the skyline beautifully! We had a wonderful meal together just enjoying each other’s company and then we went down to Market Square.

Out of God’s kindness to us, it was Light Up Night in Pittsburgh where they have a bunch of fun activities downtown and light up Christmas trees and put off fire works. We rode up this incline to Mt. Washington and walked out onto an overlook to watch the fireworks.

When the fire works ended our overlook emptied out all except one girl who I didn’t even notice! This too was God’s kindness towards us because not only were the other overlooks around us still packed with people, the girl was able to take our picture afterwards! (Hee hee)

Daryl began by sharing some things with me and then he got down on one knee, took my hand in his and asked if I would marry him! I of course said yes and wow – the ring is beautiful! I feel prettier all the time!

But I don’t just love being engaged because I have a cool ring, I love being engaged because it makes our love for each other and our commitment to each other public and obvious. I literally have a seal of his love for me, much like I have the Holy Spirit as a seal of God’s love for me.

Pretty amazing how the love between a man and a woman can mirror the love between Christ and the church – and how I have already learned so much about God’s love for me through my relationship with Daryl. It is Christ in him that has so much captivated my heart and I can’t believe God’s kindness towards me in sending me a man who loves me so well and who I want to love so well, always. He is such a gift and I hope you all can meet him soon if you haven’t!

Thank you for sharing in our excitement with us!

More to come…

Unraveled...

2006-11-08T10:25:00.001-05:00

I don't get to watch TV too often, but this week I've gotten more than my fair share!

I was home the other night and joined my roommates for Inside Edition where we heard about all the stars who were divorcing, jealous, or in rehab - all of which made my heart really hurt for them. The show quickly moved into describing the latest fashion at the CMA awards and the prices of some of the girls dresses, enough to feed small countries for years - literally.

Then I went to the gym and they of course hang TV's above all the elliptical machines because thinking is apparently a dangerous thing. Although I had my ipod in my ears, I was distracted by the images that flashed above me. Victoria Secret displayed soft porn in front of me while I prayed that Daryl and my friends husband wouldn't happen to walk over right then, and the other screen showed Nicolas Cage being held at gun point, and the other one a lesbian encounter. All on just regular TV at 9pm.

I confess that I don't typically watch TV so I may be more shellshocked than most, but 2 Corinthians 4:20 says, "Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regards to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults."

While trying to put my finger on why the things I was viewing bothered me so much Daryl made a wise comment, "It's because everything in your Spirit is contrary to what you were watching."

Christ has come to give us hope and life - not death and despair. Christ has given us love and peace - not immorality, jealousy and violence.

Interesting that Satan has come up with such deceiving counterparts to what Christ really has to offer.

As I completed my work outI honestly wondered if media would be the demise of the world and the demise of my children, should I ever be blessed with them.

But this is the encouragement I received from the one who is all together faithful...

Galatians 1:3-4, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father..."

And 2 Peter 1:3-4, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

He will rescue. Praise Him!

Lions, and tigers, and bears - OH MY!

2006-10-24T17:31:00.000-04:00

Last week Daryl and I got the chance to go to Hovatter's Zoo in Kingwood. If you haven't been there, I would highly suggest it. It brings me much joy, and fortunately, Daryl loved it too!

Told yah...

Anyways, last week a bunch of us were talking about memorizing Scripture and how Ephesians 6 lists "the sword of the Spirit" (the Bible) as our one offensive weapon. In youth group that night I shared a story about a man who killed a lion that had attacked him with his sheath knife. Had he not had the knife, or had the knife not been sharp, it would have been all over for him.

In the same way, when I don't have the word of God in an attack, ready to fire, I can get mauled, or tangled up in the devils claws and teeth. 1 Peter 5:8 calls the devil a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."

It was cool to go to the zoo the next day and watch these lions. They are so massive and muscular and scary. They are not nice. They are not house cats. They are mean and they will eat you.

Satan is looking for who he can devour. We don't want to just scare him off, we want to wound him. Have your sword ready.

Keyless

2006-10-24T17:24:00.000-04:00

Daryl went out of town this week for a conference and oddly enough both sets of my car keys are with him, under the passengers seat of his car.

Who does that?

This just serves as another obvious sign that I need to do better at keeping order in my life, which requires some slowing down.

I didn't know that they they were in his car until yesterday so I spent Sunday night into early Monday morning searching. When I realized that all hopes of finding them in my home were gone, I decided to sleep in, cancel my 11am meeting that I had scheduled on my day off and...continue to sleep.

I got up around 12:30 which is craziness for me, watched Family Feud, prayed, journaled, read, and prayed some more...

I haven't felt so good in months!

Some times less stuff means less stress. It was one of the most relaxing days I have ever spent.

Oh how I appreciate the sovereignty of God. Truely.

Back from the dead

2006-10-11T08:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I most certainly haven't been dead, but maybe that got your attention!

This morning I was up working fairly early for me. There was a CD playing in the background and the singers were singing about being all happy in love with God.

I wasn't necessarily all "happy in love," but I was extremely delighted when God reminded me that love isn't "a feeling of ecstacy" or "overwhelming excitement about someone" (although these feelings are often associated with love).

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

The two greatest commandest are to love God and love others. I wish I always had the ooey gooey feeling towards God and others, but the truth is sometimes I don't have that ooey gooey feeling. Sometimes I just have to choose to love the way 1 Corinthians says to and that's okay. Sometimes I have to choose to tell Him that I love Him. Choose to hug a friend. Choose to sit and read His Word. Choose to listen to others. Choose to sing. Choose to smile. Choose to raise my hands and delight in Him. Choose to serve the desires of others rather than my own. Choose to obey. Choose to submit.

I choose because "the law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them is GREAT reward." Prsalm 19:7-11.

Organic Milk Tastes...

2006-08-31T14:25:00.000-04:00

Different.

That's what we discovered today around the lunch table. How organic milk is different from regular milk, I'm unsure, but it must be, because it tasted so.

Such a difference reminded me of the difference that is supposed to be seen in my life. If I'm living out of my intimate relationship with God through Christ, there should be a noticeable difference in me, just like there was a noticeable difference in my milk today.

And that difference should be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

I'll have to be more careful not to dilute myself with busy-ness and to do lists, but rather to sit and know God. I want to taste different too, and I can, by His power.