So Long 2011

If it weren't for the fact that one of my kiddos came down with a 102 temp yesterday, I'd probably be ready to party-it-up tonight.  For the first time since I can remember, I'm actually relieved to have a year behind me.  It's been a "growing" year for our family--a.k.a. it's been rough.

2011 started with my own Jonah experience where I was really struggling with God's calling for my life.  Once I finally submitted to His plan, I thought our lives would get easier.  Of course, that's not how life works.  Instead, we dealt with other struggles and scheduling issues.  Then, when I finally graduated from school, we took a much needed vacation.  After a refreshing few days, we returned to discover that our house was literally under water.  We never imagined we would experience our own personal flood during one of the driest and hottest summers on record.  Once we sorted out all of the issues with contractors, repairmen, and furniture replacements, we thought that life would finally smooth over.  Unfortunately, we had other hiccups along the way. We've had people say bad things about us.  We've had friends stab us in the back.  We've had church leaders decide to uproot our "church" and move it to West Texas.  And I, personally, have been at war with the same 10 lbs for about 6 months now.  Needless to say, I fought the pounds and the pounds have won--so far.  Then to top it all off, the boys have been sick this week--fevers, tummy aches, and the whole shebang. It's definitely been a bummer way to end the year. 

Despite what it may seem, I'm not complaining.  God has taught our family so much this year.  He's softened our hearts to seek His calling.  And He's proven that He is the Great Provider.  When we weren't sure how we were going to make everything work, God came through for us in ways that we never imagined.  

I'm so grateful to be entering 2012 with God's promises in my heart.  

How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!  

You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the LORD,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.

 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!
The LORD preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.

Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD. 

Psalm 31:19-24

Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

Thanks Dad and Mom for getting the buys their ultimate Christmas present.  I almost think that this car is so high tech that my guys are not going to need driver's ed someday.  I can't believe I'm parking my own Dodge Charger in the driveway while this police car is in my parking space!

Needless to say, the boys had a great Christmas this year. 

Giving Up or Being a Realist

http://www.babyrazzi.com/2011/12/20/

I've had a war going on in my brain for the past week.  Do I finally give in, or do I hold on to my convictions and stay strong?  Well, I finally gave in.  I bought sweats.  Then I wore them out in public.  Even worse--I wore them with my tennis shoes!

My worst nightmare is to wake up some morning and realize that I am one of those desperate women that you see on those makeover shows.  You know, the ones who are moms and only wear sweats during the week and jeans on the weekend.  Oh, these shows make me so sad.  It's like these women have given up the joy of being a stay-at-home mom.  They've lost their identity in a closet of baggy, shapeless sweats.  These women don't have a clue how fun it can be to wear a cute little dress and wedges and to walk into a public place with their little boys who are wearing matching GAP kids' attire.  In my mind, that's the awesomeness of motherhood--showing off your adorable children and being proud to be their mommy.  It's only for a brief time that a woman has the opportunity to enjoy her little ones, so why not make the most of it?

Anyway, it occurred to me this past week that I don't own many practical winter clothes.  I own dresses that I used to wear to law school or fancy heels and cute little shirts and sport coats.  Or I own winter maternity clothes.  (And we all know the rule--if you're not pregnant you are NOT allowed to wear maternity clothes.)  Unfortunately, I don't own many clothes that are practical for this current time in my life.  So as a stay-at-home mommy who needs to sit at my desk and study all day while taking breaks to do laundry and Lysol my house, it kind of makes sense that I need comfy clothes for this new lifestyle.  Thus, I needed sweats.

I did my best this week to purchase some cute matching work-out outfits.  I'm really trying to give off a glamorous vibe in my work-out attire like some of the celebrity moms do (see Nicole Richie above).  I'm hoping that wearing a put together outfit and actually doing my hair and make-up each day will keep me from becoming a faceless mommy in uniform.  But I have to wonder if the work-out clothes are like a gateway drug to the world of being a give-up?  Or is it possible to keep up a stylish look while wearing spandex and cotton?  I certainly hope so. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Texas sunshine will return soon with a little heat wave behind it.  Then I can break out all the sun dresses and beautiful, comfy clothing of summer.  Until then, I'm going to make sure that my nightmare of becoming Mrs. Give-Up doesn't become a reality.

"I...I Was Just Talking to the Cornfield."

"The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright." Proverbs 29:27

Every time I hear the Iowa polls, my heart sinks.  Are Iowans stupid?  I mean, in light of the fact that North Korea is in a state of political unrest, do they really want an isolationist like Ron Paul to be the Republican nominee?  He's not a Republican.  He's not even tame enough to be considered a Democrat.  He's a dangerous political hybrid.

If Ron Paul wins the Iowa caucuses this year, I think we all need to agree that Iowans have made themselves irrelevant and we need to stop giving a hoot who they want for President.  It's just mind-boggling to consider that Paul is soaring in the polls in a state where a former Baptist minister was able to sweep during the last election cycle.  I don't know if Paul has been distributing pot in that state for the last 4 years or if these people have been building too many baseball diamonds in their corn fields, but something odd has happened if these people are suddenly going vote in a whole new political bracket.

This issue has really been bothering me for the last week.  Why can't Americans make a clear choice as to who the next President is going to be?

Well, for starters, Americans don't all think the same way.  This ability to think for ourselves is what has made this country great for so long.  We don't have to drink the Kool-aid, because our system of government is conducive to differences of opinion. (Although, plenty of people do drink whatever juice they're given and vote without actually considering who their candidate is and what he stands for.)

Secondly, if we're all allowed to vote based on our own opinions, we're not going to agree.  Proverbs makes it pretty clear that righteous people hate dishonest candidates and wicked people hate the upright.  Hence, many good, honest people have a problem with flip-flopping candidates, and many individuals who embrace relativism hate the candidates with moral standards and staunch social views.  This explains why elected candidates are usually those who can portray themselves as decent, church-going people who carry around as little baggage as possible.  Fortunately for many elected officials, images can be deceiving.

 There's really no way to tell or predict what's going to happen next week in Iowa, or even next year in the November election.  It's way to early to allow ourselves to get troubled by the ever-changing mood of the country.  This is America.  And as we learned in 2000, it's not over til it's over.  As one Great American reminds us everyday, "let not your hearts be troubled," because 2012 hasn't even started...

The Color of Rain

Last Friday, I sat on my bed and sobbed.  I wasn't actually sad.  I just made the mistake of watching a horribly sad movie and reading a gut wrenchingly sad book at the same time.  (I was reading during commercial breaks.)  It just so happens that the movie was about a 2 year old who dies of cancer.  And the book was about a father who dies of cancer and a mother who dies of a brain tumor.  Between the three tragedies, I felt like I was at a funeral.

Death is not something that I enjoy.  During nursing school, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch a man die of a stroke (didn't respond to a code) and to witness another man in the process of dying who said goodbye to his grandchildren.  Right then and there, I made up my mind that I would never work in an environment where I had to deal with dying patients and their families.  Hence, I chose pediatric orthopedics--a practice where the patients typically get fixed and sent home in better condition than when they were admitted to the hospital.  Maybe I was immature, but dealing with grieving people was not something I wanted to do at the age of 22.  I guess I have too much sympathy for other people--if that's even possible. 

For some reason, when I heard Michael and Gina Spehn on the radio talking about the book they had written about the deaths of their former spouses and the resulting combination of their two families (the Spehns are the modern Brady Bunch), I felt compelled to read the book.  The Color of Rain: How Two Families Found Faith, Hope, & Love in the Midst of Tragedy turned out to be a beneficial book for me.  Although I sobbed half way through it, I learned a lot about a godly response to death and the grieving process.  Michael and Gina explain how those around them helped or could have helped during their time of grieving.  And they explain how faith makes death such a different experience for a Christian family than it does for the world.  They actually make death seem like a beautiful experience.

This book taught me how I need to approach death and how I should view it differently.  In addition, this book taught me ways that I can help those dealing with significant losses and who are grieving.  Apart from a nursing class on the appropriate way to handle a dead body, I don't think I've ever really been taught how to help those who grieve.  And I am grateful that Michael and Gina were willing to share their experience with me in this book.  Even though I have no plans to do hospice work anytime soon, as a result of reading this book, I now have a desire to "do something" for people who are grieving.

To learn more about how you can help those who are grieving, please visit Michael and Gina's website at http://www.michaelandgina.com/ or their nonprofit's website The New Day Foundation for Families at http://www.foundationforfamilies.com/ or get a copy of their book.  You'll probably cry.  But you'll be glad you did.

The Day After Christmas...

I hope you had a blessed Christmas!  And I hope you were able to throw Jesus a wonderful birthday party.  I have to confess that our birthday cake never exactly made it in the oven yesterday, so we'll have to have a belated birthday cake.  (Although I did buy Jesus birthday cupcakes as a back-up plan.) Let's just say that 2 days of partying with the family resulted in exhausted little boys who ended up sleeping on Christmas afternoon.  Mommy never factored the sleep into her Christmas activities, so we had to nix a few things.  But trust me, the Christmas nap time was MUCH needed.

We ended up having a wonderful weekend.  And I must say that my sister-in-law by far gave me the greatest gift this year.  She gave birth to cutest little boy this week, making me an aunt for the first time ever!  In my opinion, being an Aunt is pretty awesome.  As an Aunt, I have a special place in a little person's life.  I get to love on him.  I get to spoil him.  I get to dote on him.  But I didn't have to carry him around for 10 months (oh yes--it really is 10 months!), I don't have to get up with him in the middle of the night, and I don't have to potty train him.  Talk about a cool gig!

That said, Dear Husband outdid himself this year--again.  He surprised me with some pretty fantastic jewelry.  And this year he even bought me some beautiful cowboy boots.  I can't wait until our next date night so that I can show off my new treasures.  When I discovered that this man could pick out great jewelry and stylish shoes, I just knew he was a keeper.  I'm so glad he's mine.  I just hope he feels the same way about me by March!

The time has finally come to transform myself from stay-at-home Mommy into crazy Mommy who can spout meaningless legal knowledge.  My Bar review course officially starts tomorrow and the last stretch of my journey towards a Texas law license will then begin.  So if my posts sound a little odd, legal based, or just "different" it's because my head will literally be in my Bar review books for the next 2 months.  Just thought I should warn you.

Anyway, hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  And if you have any advice for what it takes to be the "cool aunt," just let me know!

He Was Born in Bethlehem

Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. 

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 

And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to er first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

He Will Be The Light of the World

Jesus therefore said to them, "For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light in order that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke and He departed and hid Himself from them.

And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who beholds Me beholds the One who sent Me. I have come as light into the world that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness."

John 12:35-36, 44-46

As some around us begin their celebration of the Festival of Lights (Happy Hanukkah!), let us not forget the One who came to bring the ultimate light to our darkened world.

He Will Be Called Immanuel

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. 

But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." 

Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled saying, "Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us." 

And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Prophecy Will Be Fulfilled

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; 

And the government will rest on His shoulders; 

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, 

On the throne of David and over his kingdom, 

To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness 

From then on and forevermore. 

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." 

Isaiah 9:6-7

A Son Will Be Born

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 

And Mary said tot the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:26-37

Getting Ready for the Party

With less than 7 days until the Big Day, our Christmas lights are still looking good--except for the one white light bulb that burned out a week ago on the right side of our roof.  Our tree is miraculously still standing, considering that our full grown cats have this daily ritual where they climb inside and shake the entire tree. Ughhh.  And all of the presents have been purchased, thanks to the fact that online shopping is still a viable option with deliveries scheduled to arrive by Christmas Eve.  It's almost weird to be 7 days out from my favorite holiday feeling like I'm prepared.

Oh sure, this Christmas won't be exactly as planned.  My new nephew is scheduled for delivery (via birth) tomorrow morning in Houston, so he and his excited parents won't be making the trip home to join us on Christmas Day.  And we won't be going to the Christmas Eve service with our friends this year, because we've found ourselves in a situation we're were currently homeless church goers (meaning that we're currently looking for a new church home.)  But despite all of these new happenings this year, I'm really excited about celebrating Christmas as a family.

Instead of putting out cookies and milk for Santa, we've decided that our family is going to make Jesus a birthday cake this year.  After all, isn't Christmas supposed to be a birthday party for our King?  Isn't that why we decorate a month early and hang all the fancy items around our homes?  I like to think that we make such a big effort so that we can throw Jesus the best birthday party ever, right? 

Ok, I don't think any party I throw will be quite as great as the party God threw Him the night of His actual birth--I mean, I doubt I'll be able to book a choir of angels by next Sunday.  But even still, I'm trying to approach Christmas a little differently this year.  Our family is having a real party for our king.  And when I think of the holiday from that perspective (instead of superficially as I'm apt to do), I realize that I can't be wholly prepared for such an occasion.  But my heart can.  I can take the next 7 days to get on my knees and thank God for the gift of Emmanuel.  And I can focus on getting  ready to through Him the best party of my life.

Sometimes It's About How You Get There

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

It's always fascinating to me to watch lawyers go through the decision-making process on how to go about filing and winning lawsuits.  It's not as easy as it looks.  First of all, you have to be able to meet all the jurisdictional requirements where you're filing.  And these can vary greatly from state-to-state.  Then, you have to understand how the court where you're filing works.  Court procedures tend to vary greatly from county-to-county.  Then you want to make sure that you get to know your assigned judge's clerk so that you can make sure you adhere to your assigned judge's preferences.  This varies from judge-to-judge.  In the event you've never or rarely filed a suit in a certain county or court  you might even need to hire a local attorney to help you figure out all the rules and procedures.  Then, you have to be careful to follow all the rules and to present yourself in a matter so that the judge and/or jury will give you the time of day.  This varies from locality-to-locality as well.  Only then does it matter if you have a real substantive claim that is winnable. 

Life is a lot like trying to file a lawsuit.  HOW we do things is often just as important has WHAT we do.  It's easy for us to know what we're supposed to do.  But I think too often, we're apt to choose the easiest way to get there.  Despite what we may think, the easiest way is rarely the best.  When we choose the easy path, we tend to railroad other people.  We tend to get angry with them when they're not going along with our plans.  We tend to act too quickly.  We tend to do things in a matter that might not be the most prudent or wise.  We are this way because we are sinful human beings who forget to ask for help when we should, and we forget that waiting on God is more beneficial than taking immediate action.  Waiting is hard, because it requires faith.

I learned this lesson the hard way last year.  I really felt that God wanted me working with certain people in a certain place.  But I accepted a position that I wanted, rather than what was best for those around me.  And when a wise person told me that what I was doing was wrong, all I did was get angry--uncharacteristically angry.  The whole ordeal eventually blew up when God humbled me to the point of demonstrating that I was going to have to give up all control of the situation.  I literally walked away from what I thought I was supposed to do.  6 months later, God presented another opportunity for me to be a part of this organization.  But this time, I was perfectly at peace with the matter.  God opened the door for me to accomplish what I knew He wanted me to do, but in a way that was honorable to Him and was not hurtful to those around me.  And today, I can honestly say that getting slapped upside the face last winter was the best thing God could have done to me.  Because now I know I really am where I need to be.

You see, our motives and are hearts might be in the right place, but if we're not willing to go about God's work His way, we can really mess things up.  Christians do this a lot.  I see it happen more than I'd like.  Good people try to do good things the wrong way.  Let us not get caught up in this.  Let us allow the Lord to determine our steps.  Let us listen to "many advisors" so that our plans succeed. (Prov 15:22).  And let us be humble enough to let the Lord direct our steps. 

Just like many lawyers have learned the hard way, it doesn't matter how great your cause might be.  If you don't take the proper steps to get there the right way, then what you're doing is pointless. 

Christmas Mail

I love mail.  Sometimes I check the mailbox 3 or 4 times a day until it arrives.  Maybe I'm this way because I'm not on Facebook and Twitter and still believe that someone might actually send me a letter the old fashioned way.  Or maybe I love mail because my grandmother frequently does send me random postcards and letters, which gets everybody in our house excited.  There's just something about opening an envelope with my name on it that's exciting--even if it's from an unknown solicitor.  I know, I'm weird.

But for mail nerds like me, Christmas is an extra special time.  We get letters or picture cards from friends and relatives that we hardly ever see.  And I never tire of seeing pictures of little kiddos that are miniatures of my friends.  It's even fun to hear stories of what people have been doing all year long.  Plus, it's always interesting to see how people manage to summarize their entire year into a few paragraphs.  This is not an easy skill!

I understand that people are less inclined to send letters in the mail these days.  After all, the US Postal Service is asking practically half a dollar per card.  And I completely understand that it's much cheaper to send emails or to post Christmas pictures on Facebook.  But don't let the price of a stamp prevent you from sharing your holiday cheer.  Trust me, a letter in the mail is probably the cheapest gift you'll send.

Even though it does take awhile and can be a headache, I enjoy putting together our own family Christmas cards every November.  I know that some people think it's cheesy that I include some type of letter, and that's fine.  You don't have to read it.  The writer in me just has fun putting together our little envelopes of holiday magic to share.

I'm sure there are friends and/or family members of that are scratching their heads and saying, "but I didn't get your card this year."  And my only response to this statement is that "I probably just don't have your address."   In fact, I still have a few unaddressed Christmas cards in my desk drawer just waiting to travel to a friendly destination.  But if you don't share your address, you'll never get to experience the magic of opening your own letter.  So the next time you get married, move across town, buy a house in a name other than your own (oh, yes--I even search county property records for addresses), or get a new PO Box, let me know.  It would be so cool to actually send out a stack of cards and not get 1 or 2 returned to sender because of a wrong address.  So my fellow cousins and long lost friends, my apologies if you feel left out this year. Maybe next year I can mail some holiday cheer your way!

And no, I'm not sending you a virtual "Christmas card." (Yes, I'm soooo stuck in the 1900's.)

It's Minnesota Outside

You know you're raising Texans when they think 60 degrees means it's cold outside.  I have to confess that I kind of agree.  After enduring what felt like an Arizona summer with Florida humidity, it's hard to fathom the idea of wearing a coat. 

Texas buildings, churches, and restaurants  are not equipped with "coat rooms."  Thus, if you choose to wear a coat somewhere, you can bet that you'll have to drape it over the back of your chair or literally carry it around.  If you choose to wear it around (like you can do up north) you will die of heat exhaustion.  Store owners in Texas adjust their temperatures with the expectancy that their shoppers are going to be wearing jeans year-round.  Thus, in the summer time, if you're dressed for warm weather by wearing something sleeveless with flip flops, you'll freeze.  Conversely, in the winter, if you wear a sweater and boots with your jeans and your coat, you'll be sweating profusely before you even reach the check-out counter. 

This conundrum is probably the reason why southerners tend to wear their summer clothes with sweaters in the summer and why you rarely see them actually wearing coats in the winter. Of course, I love coats about as much as high heels and have no intention of NOT wearing my coat.  So, I've just learned to take it like a lady and deal with the "glisten" that I get when I'm hot.  Oh-- and I almost constantly run my AC in the car on full blast during the winter.

Regardless, I'm learning to enjoy the random wintery blasts when we get them.  My boys get all excited when the temperature drops in the 50's because they think it will snow.  And every time my oldest thinks it's cold enough to snow, he informs me that "it's Minnesota outside."  Since he's never actually been to Minnesota, this always makes me laugh.  According to my 3 year old, we've had a lot of Minnesota in North Texas lately.  And no--we still haven't seen a drop of snow. 

For the sake of my little guys, I kind of hope we get a real taste of Minnesota soon.  But in the even that we don't, I'm thinking a taste of Hawaii would suit me just fine.  But this is Texas.  You never know.  As they say, "if you don't like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes!"  Time will only tell.

Out of the Fog

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil." Psalm 37:7a, 8

I think I'm starting to come out of the fog.  Dear Husband and I had a strange weekend.  Less than 12 hours before we celebrated our 7th anniversary, someone really dropped a bomb on us. You know how they say ignorance is bliss?  Well, it's also true that being "in the know" can be excruciating.  Sometimes knowledge brings with it responsibility and a need to take action.  Sometimes knowledge means you just have to sit tight and keep your mouth shut.  So, in light of the information that was shared with us, Dear Husband and I realized that we were between a rock and a hard place.  (Hey, did I actually use that phrase correctly?  I'm always getting my sayings mixed up.)

Anyway, when I woke up on my anniversary, I was angry.   What was supposed to be a day of wedded bliss turned into a day of agonizing discussion.  Were we supposed to "intervene" in the situation at hand, or were we supposed to go on with life with this new-found knowledge as if we didn't know it?  And regardless of our decision, is it possible that we will ever be at peace with this situation?

Well, God is also very timely.  In my devotions yesterday, He gave me this verse--and an entire chapter on anger issues!  Psalm 37 is God's promise to me that I just need to give the uncomfortable situations and knowledge to Him.  Verse 8 even goes so far as to warn that fretting only leads to evil. Thus, my anger and worrying is not helping.  God is the great and ultimate intervener.  I am not. 

I'm really not convinced that my initial response of anger was actually sinful.  But, my brooding and and my bad attitude were sinful.  For 2 days I have been unproductive.  I've been physically and mentally exhausted.  But yesterday evening when Dear Husband talked to me about giving it to God, I did.

This morning, despite the dreary winter day outside, I'm seeing the first rays of sunlight.  I have joy that I have a personal relationship with my God who loves His people enough to direct their steps.  If I am patient, I know I'll see His work in the lives of those around me and I know God will direct my steps.  He can handle the situations that I cannot.  He can work in ways that are miraculous and amazing.  He can set the prisoners free.  He can make the blind to see.  And in my own life I know that "God is so good, He's so good to me."

Football Pick 'Em is Over

Even though we technically still have a few weeks of NFL pick opportunities on Yahoo, Dear Husband has given up any pretense that he still has a chance to win our first ever pick 'em duel.  I'm accepting his failure to make any picks this week (automatically earning me 9 points) as evidence that he will stipulate for the record that Lovely Wife is the winner and will be the proud owner of a designer handbag in due time.

Now, we just have to go shopping.  I'm sure that after an entire season of hearing me dream out loud about buying a coveted handbag you think I'm going to do something crazy.  And to be quite honest, after putting up with football every weekend for the past half a year, I might be entitled to an "investment" purse.  But if you've read any previous posts, you already know that I very rarely actually pull the trigger when it comes to making giant splurges.  For example, I completely chickened out when Dear Husband offered to buy my all-time favorite Jimmy Choo's as a graduation gift.  So, please don't get your hopes up that I'm going to be sharing any pictures of a Louis Vuitton or (dare I say it?) a Birkin bag any time soon.  Someday I'll cash my tokens in for a personal splurge as a result of this football season, but for the time being, I'm just content to be a winner.

As far as football went yesterday, it was as expected.  Tebow pulled off another last-minute win.  The cowboys handed their opponent another late game victory.  And the Colts lost.  Such is football, so overrated and so predictable.  Even a girl can figure it out.

Strength for Today

 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain O Israel, 

"My way is hidden from the Lord; My cause is disregarded by my God"?

Do you not know? 

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:27-31

Sometimes we need a little reminder that God will bring "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow." May your Friday be blessed and may you have the strength to accomplish God's purpose for you today.  Happy almost weekend!

Proving Our Worth

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

A relative of mine has been enduring the job interview process recently.  I don't envy him.  There is an art to selling yourself to an interviewer that requires the interviewee to be able to read the interviewer to give that person what they want.  For example, I once had an interview where the woman on the other side of the table wasn't nice.  Every time she asked me about a personal trait, she then proceeded to tell me how that might not work for the job.  After a while, I realized that she wanted me to argue.  She wanted me to fight for that job.  I must have won my case at some point, because she eventually hired me to do a position for which I was not qualified.  That was probably my favorite job ever.

Acing an interview is all about knowing what to say to whom.  There are books and books out there with pad answers and advice for interviewees, but unless you can deliver what the interviewer is looking for, you won't get the job.  Sometimes an interviewer wants you to prove how smart you are, sometimes an interviewer wants to see if you can dress well (got another job because the hospital president liked my suit), sometimes you just have to show that you are the person with potential.  To get a job, you have to make yourself a special person and prove your worth.

I'm so thankful that Jesus does not require us to endure an interview and prove our worth in order to follow Him.  When He recruited His disciples, He didn't go to the tier one law school to hire the people on law review with the best grades.  He also didn't go to the country club to hire the offspring of His parents' friends.  Instead, Jesus went and found Joe the plumber (back then he was Simon the fisherman) and He called normal people.  He didn't look for the blogger with the most followers or the teacher who had won teacher-of-the-year.  Jesus called people to join His ministry who didn't deserve to be called.  Why else would he call Saul the I-should-work-for-MSNBC persecutor? 

Romans says that God loves all of us--even the persons we deem to be the scum of society.  Jesus befriended tax collectors, lepers, prostitutes, and foreigners.  Matthew says that he specifically called the weary and burdened!  Jesus did not come to praise or glorify the achievers.  He didn't preach that we should be all we can be or that we should follow or dreams.  Jesus came and told us to humble ourselves, be prepared to suffer for his name, and expect to be shunned by the world.  I wonder, sometimes, if Christians really understand our calling.  Are we teaching Jesus' calling of humility to our children?  Or are we so wrapped up in the American dream and pursuit of happiness that we forget to teach the truth?

None of us are worthy apart from Jesus Christ.  Our earthly successes are fleeting and momentary in the grand scheme of eternity.  Those who follow Christ really do have to renew our minds.  We have to understand that life isn't about being the best we can be.  It's about living in God's will and following His calling for us.  He didn't choose us because we were worthy.  He chose us because God is love.

The Literary Journey

One of the greatest lessons I learned in law school was that READING matters.  How can you learn if you do not read?  How can you expose your mind to truths or concepts without reading?  How can you prevent your brain from becoming dormant and dull without reading books?

Even though I'm supposed to be studying for the Bar (I am actively doing this), I've also challenged myself to read as much as I can.  When I first started working after undergrad, I don't remember reading very much.  Then, when I had a baby I figured I wouldn't have time to read.  I have lots of mommy friends who say that they don't have time to read.  So I kind of put my love of books on hold.  Until law school. 

I don't know if it's because I have the freedom to read whatever I want now (as opposed to hundreds of pages of criminal procedure or ERISA law) or if it's because I've learned that I can learn a lot when I read, but I feel like I'm addicted to books.  Dear Husband and I are total book nerds.  We even go on dates to the bookstore.  We go antique shopping to find books.  And we have become book collectors.  We're not open-minded enough to embrace the "virtual" libraries yet either. And our dream would be to have a house with its own library someday.

Anyway, I read a lot of nonfiction.  (I know, I can hear you groaning.)  And I tend to pick books based on topic or author. Or sometimes I just read random books that look interesting.  Lately, I've been reading a lot of books about what it means to live as a godly woman.  I think it's good for women to hear other women describe biblical womanhood.  We're so inundated with feminism on a daily basis, that we sometimes don't even realize it.  So finding biblically based books written by godly women has been refreshing. 

This week I finished reading Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book, Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free.  This book describes the importance of meditating on God's Word in every day life.  Nancy reminds the reader that when we allow our minds to become numb to our own thinking, we slip into bad attitudes, despair, and sometimes depression.  Each chapter is filled with statements of biblical truth and corresponding verses that she recommends her readers should memorize and meditate upon.  I am confident that anyone who reads this book will walk away with a Truth and a verse in their heart.  You really have to read this with your Bible, because she gives you homework at the end of each chapter. 

This book referenced the writing of some Puritans, whose books I was able to locate on the Barnes and Noble market website.  It looks like my reading is going to get a bit harder in the near future, because reading unabridged Puritan books is almost like reading English legal opinions--sometimes migraine inducing.  But, I look forward to where this new literary journey will take me. 

In case you're interested, I'm going to try harder to keep my BOOK REVIEWS up-to-date.  In the event that you wonder why the topics, genre, or styles of books sometimes follow a pattern and other times wander off the grid, I just wanted to give you a peek inside my brain so you can see why I do what I do.  Hopefully you will get inspired to follow your own literary journey.  And if it's been years since you've been an avid reader, it's never too late to start.  I'm a full-time mother, part-time legal researcher, almost daily blogger who is studying for the Texas Bar, and I still have time to read.  Looks like you're out of excuses.

The Clause

Yesterday my boys had their annual "Train Day" with the in-laws.  Every year, my in-laws take the boys to the train exhibit at the North Park Mall in Dallas.  For my boys, anything having to do with trains is the equivalent to going to Disney Land.  They love trains.  They have tons of trains.  They watch train shows.  They have train books.  Did I say that they love trains?

Anyway, to mark the momentous occasion of the annual trek to Dallas, my mother-in-law bought our boys The Polar Express.  I have to confess that I had never seen the entire movie myself, so I was pretty excited about the movie too.  So yesterday afternoon, when I got home from a litigation meeting at work, my son and I curled up on the couch together and watched The Polar Express.  It was mesmerizing.  How in the world have I not seen this movie before?!

My little guy really liked the movie too, but he completely didn't understand why reindeers needed to pull a bag of presents on the sleigh.  And he was really curious why all the children and elves in the movie wanted to see Santa Clause.  It occurred to me mid-movie that my son had NO IDEA who Santa Clause is!  In fact, when Santa walked out to visit with the elves and children in the movie my son was in awe.  He just kept saying, "The Clause is so big."  He decided that he kind of likes The Clause now.

The Clause just hasn't been a part of our Christmas celebration before.  Our family celebrates Jesus' birthday every year.  My son is really on board with having a month-long birthday party for Jesus where everyone in our neighborhood joins in by hanging lights on their houses.  We've never really attempted to fit Santa Clause into our Christmas.  (Hence the blank stare he gives people when they ask what he wants Santa to bring him.) 

So I guess this year, if you ask my little guy about The Clause, just be prepared for him to give you a religious-sounding explanation about a nice old man who celebrates Jesus' birthday by bringing presents to children.  I'm sure I can fit The Clause into our birthday celebration somehow.  But let us parents not forget, this holiday is about Baby Jesus--the best gift that any child could receive. 

Football Pick 'Em Week 13: Timmy Boy

This afternoon I heard Rush Limbaugh talking about my newest favorite quarterback.  (Go here to read the transcript: Tim Tebow.)  His main point about Timmy boy is that the media hates the guy.  They keep calling him the worst NFL quarterback, yet his statistics are actually better than the opposing quarterbacks he plays.  His coaches complain about him because he talks about Jesus all the time, yet he's a genuinely good player who doesn't need an adult babysitter.  His own general manager gripes that he needs to learn to throw, yet Tebow's team keeps winning games.  Rush has concluded that the animosity towards Tebow is because the media can't stand good people--especially people who profess to know Jesus.

After hearing Rush's dialogue on my new favorite player today, and after watching Denver's ridiculous last-minute win yesterday, I'm an even bigger Tebow fan than I was before.  Even though I'm not a t-shirt kind of gal, I would even wear a Team Tebow shirt to show my support for the guy.  If the media hates him, he's probably worth our support.  But knowing that he's a real Christian with a solid testimony, we really ought to stand up for the guy. We all need to be on Team Tebow.

On an entirely different note, I had another fabulous week in our pick 'em game.  We actually tied in our NFL picks, but college football helped me out.  I can't believe I'm ever going to say this, but Yay for Baylor!  I really needed Baylor and OSU to pick up the W's this week.  And oh, they did. 

I really believe that a game's not over until it's actually over, but I think my husband knows that his game is about OVER!  I'm sure he's very thrilled that we get to spend a weekend purse shopping in our near future.  Don't worry Dear Husband, I'll at least let you wait until after the Super Bowl.  Until then, we can always shop online.

Boys Have "Lunch"

While searching for her Christmas decorations, My mom recently ran across a box labeled "grandkids." The funny thing about this box is that she packed it up and labeled it years ago--long before she had any grandchildren.  According to her, she thought it would be important to pack away some of our best old toys.  These toys included a fake silver tea set, miniature kids'-size tupperware, a really cool barn/farm set, and a few other items.

This week my son discovered these "new" toys at Grandma's house.  Much to my surprise, he actually really liked the tupperware and kitchen items.  So much so, that my mom said he prepared himself a meal on his miniature table.  Once he had cooked his meal, he set the table, sat down, prayed, and then proceeded to eat.  So cute!  When my mom asked the little guy if he was enjoying tea with his new dishes she was a little surprised by his answer.  "No Grandma, boys don't have tea, they have lunch!" 

After this adorable little incident, I decided to see if I could find my own miniature tupperware set from Tupperware's website.  They still have a miniature pitcher and cups, but they're Disney princess cups!!  How discriminatory!  Tupperware needs to do a little research to expand their kid's products.  If they only knew that boys have LUNCH and liked to play with dishes too, maybe they'd go back to the 1980's "fall-colored collection."  That collection was a little more boy friendly and much less dainty.  (And I don't care what the new experts say, I'm not going to encourage my boys to play with pink or purple girly things.)  In the meantime, I guess my little guy will just have to play lunch with my mommy-size dishes.

Now that I know that my son likes to cook, I can't wait until I receive my first invitation to a lunch party.  Doesn't that just sound so American?  I mean, when was the last time you went to a tea party?  Probably many, many lunches ago...

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!  My Dear Husband sparked up the romance last night by taking me out for a fabulous steak dinner and show at Bass Hall.  I love the fact that he surprises me almost every year with tickets to a show around our anniversary.  Seven years ago, we got married and had my dream Christmas wedding.  And as a result, my Dear Husband tries to carry out the Christmas theme every year.  He's so wonderful!

Last night, after a splendid dinner at Ruth's Chris, we went to see my all-time favorite musical, White Christmas.  This was my first time to see the Broadway production (as opposed to the movie that I watch faithfully ever year).  And this show did not disappoint.  The dancing made Dancing With the Stars look like a Jr. high activity.  I seriously have no idea how that 20 something person cast could dance so much for so long and still sing!  I'm still in a daze just thinking about all the tap dancing.  I actually think that the dancing in this show was better than the Rockettes (minus the kickline.)

Over the years, I've seen quite a few Christmas shows.  So far White Christmas has been my favorite.  And for the record, seats 1 and 2 in Box O at Bass Hall are pretty spectacular!  Thanks Dear Husband for my wonderful treat.  So sorry you'll have to endure my renditions of the musical numbers from the show for the next 3 weeks (yes, I know them by heart), but taking me to the show definitely got me into the Christmas spirit!  Even if I don't get snow this year, at least I can say I've had a White Christmas!

Hope you are all having as much fun getting into the Christmas spirit as I am.  And Dear Husband might have to start planning early, because I'm not sure how he's going to top this anniversary gift next year...

Life is Supposed to be Hard

"Then He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

I heard a commercial on the radio yesterday that went something like this: "If you've been the victim of wage garnishment... give us a call."  As I sat there at the stop light I was really struck by those words.  How in the world can you be a "victim" of wage garnishment.  I mean, wage garnishment doesn't spontaneously happen.  You actually have to do something to make it happen.  Typically, this means that you did something wrong or failed to fulfill a responsibility in some way.  Uh, like not paying taxes.

Hearing that these tax accountants were trying to get clientele by making tax cheats feel like victims of the IRS really angered me.  Having spent a few years with plaintiffs' counsel, I can tell you what a victim is.  Having heard the stories from my friend who practices criminal law, I could share some gruesome stories of what real victims endure.  As Merriam-Webster's dictionary states, a victim is a person that is "injured, destroyed or sacrificed under any of various conditions...subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment."  A victim is the little guy that is injured by someone or something else outside of his control.  Thus, tax cheats, dads who refuse to pay child support, and college graduates who default on their student loans are NOT VICTIMS.  As the words from the broadway song go, "they had it comin'" and the government has every right to garnish their wages.

Why do we try to make ourselves feel better about our situations by allowing ourselves to become "victims" in our minds?  When the boss is upset with us, when the bills start stacking up, when our children misbehave, when we've over-committed ourselves, we like to embrace the victim mentality.  So many people think that if they just use the victim method (removing themselves from the situation) then they can be happy.   Our society has so completely embraced the victim mentality that parents are now attacking teachers for victimizing their children by giving the children bad grades.  How in the world can we have a society of well-adjusted, happy people if they all want to be victims?

We can't.  Jesus understood this concept.  All through the New Testament we are warned that life is tough--especially for followers of Christ.  Suffering is part of life.  In 1 Peter 5:10  we are told that "after [we've] suffered a little while" then God will make us strong and restore us.  Suffering builds character.  Suffering makes us stronger.  Suffering allows us to rely on someone greater than ourselves to get through each day.  Followers of Christ are going to have daily battles to fight where we'll be called to deny ourselves and suffer. 

So the next time that you think that your day stinks and that you've been treated unfairly and are in the worst possible place at the worst possible time, consider that you might be exactly where you need to be to cultivate you character.  If yesterday was hard, that's ok, because we're called EACH DAY to follow Jesus and to take up our cross.  Today will likely be hard too.  Whether or not we have a good day depends on whether we're willing to make today an opportunity for growth and character development.

I love the words of the Puritan William Law: 

Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with thy self-denying, suffering Savior.