Mr Clean recently hit the BIG 50!!!! He seems to be taking in stride, but I expected nothing less. He is definately not deficient in the self esteem department. The kids have enjoyed running through the house yelling. "OH NO..... THE BIG 50!!!!" constantly. I think I may have had a hardest time with it .
The other day I was teasing him and said, "I don't know if I am okay with having a 50 year old husband. When I married you ... you were 45 and I guess I thought you would just remain that age forever."
And in true Mr Clean fashion he turned to me with a smirky little smile (that always means I am about to get zinged) and said, 'Yeah... when I married you ...you were a twenty something year old... Now you are 32 plus you have had two kids. Iimagine how I feel....." Bam... I shouldn't play with fire if I am not willing to get burned.
Normally that would be the point where I would get mad, huff, and then sulk all day, but I asked for that one... plain and simple.
However, I can't say that I completely let it go without a small measure of revenge. I thoroughly enjoyed making the call to the doctor's offce to set up his yearly check-up.....knowing that at age 50 every man needs to have a colonoscopy...... heehhheeee... we will see who gets the last laugh....
Sunday, November 25, 2007
GREAT JOY
It's wierd... I have been looking back over my blog and I see a pattern... I guess I am more of a winter time blogger. I really enjoy it when I do it, but I guess I just get seriously sidetracked when its nice and sunny outside. Not to mention that fact that I have two very 'active' boys. I can't make it if I don't let them run loose outside some during the day. But I am glad to be back blogging for now. Its been neat to check back in on blogs I haven't read in a long time.
I can't believe that Thanksgiving is over and that we are on the countdown til Christmas. Every year we scale back more and more on the commercial side of Christmas and focus more and more on the true meaning... and I enjoy Christmas more and more each year that we do.
Here is a Christmas thought for you.....
Luke 2:10.... Then the angel said to them, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
The good tidings or good news was that the Savior was born. In Matthew 1:21, it says about Mary that she 'will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' We all have sin. We are born with a sinful nature and none of us can do anything about it own our own. Ephesians 2:8 says For by grace we have been saved through faith not of works lest any man should boast.. But that is the beauty of it all.
We are a sinful people in need of a Savior and that is exactly what God gave us thru this tiny baby born to Mary.
He grew into a sinless man that died on the cross so that we might be reconciled with God.. 2 Cor 5:21... For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The greek root of the phrase "great joy" means a calm delight or a sense of satisfaction. In the world in which we live people have more and accomplish more and are exposed to more than people ever have been in history...yet we are not satisfied. We are looking for "great joy" in all the wrong places.... in relationships, material possessions, jobs, hobbies, our kids, etc...
Some of us seek satisfaction through our own efforts of trying to be "good" and do "good". But in Isaiah 64:6 it says that our righteousness is like filthy rags . So nothing we can do in our own strength and ability will stand when exposed to the holiness of God.
In Luke 2:14, it says 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men'. Christ brings us peace. He brings us the only peace that lasts. God wants us to be at peace with Him by accepting Christ and His work on the cross. And when we are at peace or reconciled with God then He can give us His peace which surpasses all understanding.
When God gives us His peace we can go thru anything, no matter how difficult or impossible it may seem with satisfaction and contentment in our lives. He can give us a peace that doesn't depend on our situation or circumstances here.
GOD TAKES BROKEN PIECES AND GIVES US AN UNBROKEN PEACE.
And if you will notice in verse 10 it says that these good tidings of great joy will be to ALL PEOPLE.... not just a few or some, but ALL.. Salvation through Christ Jesus is for everyone. He died for every single one of us not just the best of us or the ones of us who seem to have it fairly "all together". But also for those who can't seem to ever get it together... those that struggle with addictions and habits that hold us in bondage. Salvation is for anyone who would believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins.
And if you will notice in Luke 2:15, what did they do next after hearing this great news? They began to look for Jesus. My prayer for all is that we will be looking for "great joy" in all the right places not only this holiday season but throughout the year. ------Seek and you will find.....( Matthew 7:7)
I can't believe that Thanksgiving is over and that we are on the countdown til Christmas. Every year we scale back more and more on the commercial side of Christmas and focus more and more on the true meaning... and I enjoy Christmas more and more each year that we do.
Here is a Christmas thought for you.....
Luke 2:10.... Then the angel said to them, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
The good tidings or good news was that the Savior was born. In Matthew 1:21, it says about Mary that she 'will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' We all have sin. We are born with a sinful nature and none of us can do anything about it own our own. Ephesians 2:8 says For by grace we have been saved through faith not of works lest any man should boast.. But that is the beauty of it all.
We are a sinful people in need of a Savior and that is exactly what God gave us thru this tiny baby born to Mary.
He grew into a sinless man that died on the cross so that we might be reconciled with God.. 2 Cor 5:21... For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The greek root of the phrase "great joy" means a calm delight or a sense of satisfaction. In the world in which we live people have more and accomplish more and are exposed to more than people ever have been in history...yet we are not satisfied. We are looking for "great joy" in all the wrong places.... in relationships, material possessions, jobs, hobbies, our kids, etc...
Some of us seek satisfaction through our own efforts of trying to be "good" and do "good". But in Isaiah 64:6 it says that our righteousness is like filthy rags . So nothing we can do in our own strength and ability will stand when exposed to the holiness of God.
In Luke 2:14, it says 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men'. Christ brings us peace. He brings us the only peace that lasts. God wants us to be at peace with Him by accepting Christ and His work on the cross. And when we are at peace or reconciled with God then He can give us His peace which surpasses all understanding.
When God gives us His peace we can go thru anything, no matter how difficult or impossible it may seem with satisfaction and contentment in our lives. He can give us a peace that doesn't depend on our situation or circumstances here.
GOD TAKES BROKEN PIECES AND GIVES US AN UNBROKEN PEACE.
And if you will notice in verse 10 it says that these good tidings of great joy will be to ALL PEOPLE.... not just a few or some, but ALL.. Salvation through Christ Jesus is for everyone. He died for every single one of us not just the best of us or the ones of us who seem to have it fairly "all together". But also for those who can't seem to ever get it together... those that struggle with addictions and habits that hold us in bondage. Salvation is for anyone who would believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins.
And if you will notice in Luke 2:15, what did they do next after hearing this great news? They began to look for Jesus. My prayer for all is that we will be looking for "great joy" in all the right places not only this holiday season but throughout the year. ------Seek and you will find.....( Matthew 7:7)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Man, it has been a while.
Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving....one of my most favorite times of year.
I have so much to be thankful for.... don't we all. I think living here in America we tend to think we don't have much, but when you take a real look around we are in the land of plenty. We get so wrapped up in keeping up with the Jones's. We have a mindset that we don't have enough when in truth we have too much. We have so much that our attics and garages can't contain it all and we have to rent storage spaces. We have no clue how much we have.
I look around in the world and I see people dying every day from diseases that are caused by filthy living conditions, no clean water, and a lack of food.. It is insane to think that I flush more water down the toilet in a day than alot of folks have to drink in a week. .... Yet at times I find myself thinking that I don't have enough... imagine that. We are so sheltered to the reality of day to day life for so many.
On the other hand, I think we are seriously deficient in some areas. Look at all that we have been blessed with and how God has provided for us as a nation and yet we turn our backs to Him. We are in love with the gifts and not the giver alot of times. And we are willing to be partakers in the good times, but we aren't willing to suffer... at all. We are a nation that wants what they want right when they want it. We aren't willing to work hard and perservere. We just do whatever gratifies us at the moment.
I think of all the generations in the past that have sacrificed so that we can have the freedom and the lives that we have and instead of appreciating and cherishing it we have destroyed it. But that's a rant for another day... heeheee.
I always find that my grattitude is greater around Thanksgiving. I try to sustain that attitude through out the rest of the year, but it wanes from time to time when.I get caught up in consumerism and myself. But each year I grow in the Lord and each year I know Him better and the more I know Him the more I am thankful for ALL that He has done.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love and mercy endures forever.
Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving....one of my most favorite times of year.
I have so much to be thankful for.... don't we all. I think living here in America we tend to think we don't have much, but when you take a real look around we are in the land of plenty. We get so wrapped up in keeping up with the Jones's. We have a mindset that we don't have enough when in truth we have too much. We have so much that our attics and garages can't contain it all and we have to rent storage spaces. We have no clue how much we have.
I look around in the world and I see people dying every day from diseases that are caused by filthy living conditions, no clean water, and a lack of food.. It is insane to think that I flush more water down the toilet in a day than alot of folks have to drink in a week. .... Yet at times I find myself thinking that I don't have enough... imagine that. We are so sheltered to the reality of day to day life for so many.
On the other hand, I think we are seriously deficient in some areas. Look at all that we have been blessed with and how God has provided for us as a nation and yet we turn our backs to Him. We are in love with the gifts and not the giver alot of times. And we are willing to be partakers in the good times, but we aren't willing to suffer... at all. We are a nation that wants what they want right when they want it. We aren't willing to work hard and perservere. We just do whatever gratifies us at the moment.
I think of all the generations in the past that have sacrificed so that we can have the freedom and the lives that we have and instead of appreciating and cherishing it we have destroyed it. But that's a rant for another day... heeheee.
I always find that my grattitude is greater around Thanksgiving. I try to sustain that attitude through out the rest of the year, but it wanes from time to time when.I get caught up in consumerism and myself. But each year I grow in the Lord and each year I know Him better and the more I know Him the more I am thankful for ALL that He has done.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love and mercy endures forever.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Wow... I just have to take a little time to say what a wonderful and mighty and majestic and loving God we serve.
I became a Christian at the age of thirteen and then after about a year I began to backslide. I spent the next 14 yrs rebelling against God. I have often wondered now that I have a close relationship with God again why I let Him go in the first place. The only answer that I can come up with is that I really didn't know Him. I didn't spend time in His word and in prayer. And slowly I began to turn from Him. It wasn't a radical decision. It was a thousand little compromises that I made on a daily basis that didn't seem to be a "big deal" at the time.
I am so thankful that God remains faithful to us even when we aren't faithful to Him. And I am so thankful that God allowed my bad decisions and their consequences to catch up with me in a way that got my attention and brought me back to Him.
The love I have for Him and the appreciation that I have for the sacrifice that He made so that I can have a relationship with Him is so much more than it could have ever been if I hadn't gone thru all the experiences that I did. I can see how God is taking my mistakes and turning them into wonderful oppertunities for me to minister to others. Only a sovereign God could turn negatives into positives.
I feel like I have discovered my first love.. like it talks about in Revelations. I was like the church at Ephesus. I left my first love, Jesus Christ. And now I have had to repent and do my first works (Rev 4:4-5). I am so thankful that I have made it back to this place. I haven't felt this energized and excited in years. I can see that God is changing me daily and I am so excited to see what comes next.
I have been reading the 107th Psalm alot lately.... it means so much to me. It describes exactly what I have been thru....
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons--
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
and despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down there hearts with labor,
They fell down and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death,
And He broke their chains in pieces.
Oh that men woud give thanks to the Lord for his goodness.
...... Fools because of their transgression,
and because of their iniquities were afflicted....
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.
And He saved them out of their distresses,
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.
Psalms 107:10-21
GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!!!
AND ALL THE TIME .... GOD IS GOOD!!!!
I became a Christian at the age of thirteen and then after about a year I began to backslide. I spent the next 14 yrs rebelling against God. I have often wondered now that I have a close relationship with God again why I let Him go in the first place. The only answer that I can come up with is that I really didn't know Him. I didn't spend time in His word and in prayer. And slowly I began to turn from Him. It wasn't a radical decision. It was a thousand little compromises that I made on a daily basis that didn't seem to be a "big deal" at the time.
I am so thankful that God remains faithful to us even when we aren't faithful to Him. And I am so thankful that God allowed my bad decisions and their consequences to catch up with me in a way that got my attention and brought me back to Him.
The love I have for Him and the appreciation that I have for the sacrifice that He made so that I can have a relationship with Him is so much more than it could have ever been if I hadn't gone thru all the experiences that I did. I can see how God is taking my mistakes and turning them into wonderful oppertunities for me to minister to others. Only a sovereign God could turn negatives into positives.
I feel like I have discovered my first love.. like it talks about in Revelations. I was like the church at Ephesus. I left my first love, Jesus Christ. And now I have had to repent and do my first works (Rev 4:4-5). I am so thankful that I have made it back to this place. I haven't felt this energized and excited in years. I can see that God is changing me daily and I am so excited to see what comes next.
I have been reading the 107th Psalm alot lately.... it means so much to me. It describes exactly what I have been thru....
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons--
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
and despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down there hearts with labor,
They fell down and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them from their distresses.
He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death,
And He broke their chains in pieces.
Oh that men woud give thanks to the Lord for his goodness.
...... Fools because of their transgression,
and because of their iniquities were afflicted....
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.
And He saved them out of their distresses,
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.
Psalms 107:10-21
GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!!!
AND ALL THE TIME .... GOD IS GOOD!!!!
Friday, November 24, 2006
yo-yos
I read a book several months back called How to Make your Kids Mind without Losing Yours. A friend of mine loaned it to me. About halfway thru the book there was a chapter on yo-yo parenting. As I read the paragraphs I knew that was me to a tee. One day I am super strict. The next day I let everything slide. Then the next I am somewhere in between. It all depends on my mood, what I have been doing, how much pressure I am under, and whether I have been reading my bible and spending quiet time in prayer, etc, etc. Sometimes I wonder if my kids think they are living with the Three Faces of Eve.
Yo-yo is a term that could apply to almost every area of my life. Consistency eludes me. Sometimes I am just so faithful when it comes to spending my free time reading the bible and I get up early and do my prayer time and I feel great... but then for no apparent reason I fall away and I realize that it has been days since I have really prayed. I generally say little prayers all thru the day, but I am talking about carving out quiet time to meditate on God's word and really seek Him.
The same applies to my marriage. I go for long period of time where my husband is on my priority list where he should be and then...bam... things get busy or hectic and I realized that its been days since I have given him a decent hug and kiss or given him any affection at all. I just get so wrapped up in the minute to minute caretaking of kids and the home that I forget he is even there.
It seems like in every area of my life I run hot and cold. I really want to be more consistent. I know that there isn't a magic potion or spell for consistency. I have a sneaking suspicion that like everything in life it requires that I be more aware and not just living in the moment and that I do the work to accompliish it.
Sometimes I look at all the work I have to do and feel so overwhelmed. But then I come to my senses and realize that all I have to do is turn them over to God and then be willing to follow His direction. And instead of feeling overwhelmed I feel excited to see how He will work in my life. I know how far He has already brought me and I know that He is committed to finish the work that He has started in me.
Yo-yo is a term that could apply to almost every area of my life. Consistency eludes me. Sometimes I am just so faithful when it comes to spending my free time reading the bible and I get up early and do my prayer time and I feel great... but then for no apparent reason I fall away and I realize that it has been days since I have really prayed. I generally say little prayers all thru the day, but I am talking about carving out quiet time to meditate on God's word and really seek Him.
The same applies to my marriage. I go for long period of time where my husband is on my priority list where he should be and then...bam... things get busy or hectic and I realized that its been days since I have given him a decent hug and kiss or given him any affection at all. I just get so wrapped up in the minute to minute caretaking of kids and the home that I forget he is even there.
It seems like in every area of my life I run hot and cold. I really want to be more consistent. I know that there isn't a magic potion or spell for consistency. I have a sneaking suspicion that like everything in life it requires that I be more aware and not just living in the moment and that I do the work to accompliish it.
Sometimes I look at all the work I have to do and feel so overwhelmed. But then I come to my senses and realize that all I have to do is turn them over to God and then be willing to follow His direction. And instead of feeling overwhelmed I feel excited to see how He will work in my life. I know how far He has already brought me and I know that He is committed to finish the work that He has started in me.
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