God Made the Mailman

Bedtime can be brutal with a toddler.  But my little guy is very smart and cooperative--for the most part.  So I decided to have a formal Bible story at night before bed.  I'm tired of reading the preschool stories, so I took a chance and actually started reading my son's Bible to him.

We read Genesis chapter 1 last night.  It was the first night of my experiment, so I wasn't sure how well he would pay attention.  To my surprise, however, he did learn something.  As I was nearing the end of the chapter, I could tell that something clicked.  His eyes got big and he said, "Oh, God made the mailman!"  He was so proud of himself.

At first, I was thinking, where did that come from?  But then it hit me.  Verse 27 says "male and female He created them."  I had attempted to elaborate at that point to explain that male and female were man and woman, like boys and girls.  Somehow, he interpreted that as the mailman.  (We're very fond of our mailman.)

Anyway, we'll try chapter 2 tonight and see what we learn.  That verse will never be the same for me again.  But at least we know where the mail comes from...

The Key to Strength: Joy

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."—Nehemiah 8:10.  "And the singers sang aloud, with Jezrahiah their overseer. Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off."—Nehemiah 12:42-43.

Today, I wanted to share the joy of the Lord with you. Below is a portion of a powerful message by Charles Spurgeon entitled The Joy of the Lord, The Strength of His People, preached December 31, 1871. To read the entire message go to Spurgeon.org. 

"... But time would fail me to prolong our remarks upon this very fruitful subject, and we shall turn to our second head, which is this: that THIS JOY IS A SOURCE OF GREAT STRENGTH.
 
Very rapidly let us consider this thought. It is so because this joy arises from considerations which always strengthen the soul. Very much of the depth of our piety will depend upon our thoughtfulness. Many persons, after having received a doctrine, put it by on the shelf; they are orthodox, they have received the truth, and they are content to keep that truth on hand as dead stock. Sirs, of what account can this be to you, to store your garners with wheat if you never grind the corn for bread, or sow it in the furrows of your fields? He is the joyful Christian who uses the doctrines of the gospel for spiritual meat, as they were meant to be used. Why, some men might as well have a heterodox creed as an orthodox one for all the difference it makes to them. Having the notion that they know, and imagining that to know sufficeth them, they do not consider, contemplate, or regard the truths which they profess to believe, and, consequently, they derive no benefit from them. Now, to contemplate the great truths of divine election, of eternal love, of covenant engagements, of justification by faith through the blood of Christ, and the indwelling and perpetual abiding of the Holy Ghost in his people, to turn over these things is to extract joy from them; and this also is strengthening to the mind. To press the heavenly grapes by meditation, and make the red wine flow forth in torrents, is an exercise as strengthening as it is exhilarating. Joy comes from the same truths which support our strength, and comes by the process of meditation.
 
Again, "the joy of the Lord" within us is always the sign and symbol of strong spiritual life. Holy vivacity betokens spiritual vigour. I said that he who had spiritual joy gained it by communion with God, but communion with God is the surest fosterer of strength. You cannot be with a strong God without getting strength yourself, for God is always a transforming God; regarding and looking upon him our likeness changes till we become in our measure like our God. The warmth of the South of France, of which you often hear so much, does not spring from soft balmy winds, but from the sun; at sunset the temperature falls. You shall be on one side of the street in Italy and think it May, cross the street into the shade and it is cold as January. The sun does it all. A man who walks in the sunlight of God's countenance, for that very reason is warm and strong. The sunlight of joy usually goes with the warmth of spiritual life. As the light of joy varies so does the warmth of holy strength; he who dwells in the light of God is both happy and strong. He who goes into the shade and loses the joy of the Lord becomes weak at the same time. So the joy of the Lord becomes our strength, as being an indicator of its rise or fall. When a soul is really vigorous and active, it is like the torrent which dashes down the mountain side, which scorns in winter to own the bonds of frost: in a few hours the stagnant pools and slowly moving streams are enchained in ice; but the snow king must bring forth all his strength ere he can manacle the rushing torrent. So when a soul dashes on with the sacred force of faith, it is hard to freeze it into misery, its vigour secures its joy.
 

Furthermore, the man who possesses "the joy of the Lord," finds it his strength in another respect, that it fortifies him against temptation. What is there that he can be tempted with? He has more already than the world can offer him as a reward for treachery. He is already rich; who shall ensnare him with the wages of unrighteousness? He is already satisfied; who is he that can seduce him with pleasing baits? "Shall such a man as I flee?" The rejoicing Christian is equally proof against persecution. They may well afford to be laughed at who win at such a rate as he does. "You may scoff," saith he, "but I know what true religion is within my soul, and your scoffing will not make me relinquish the pearl of great price." Such a man is, moreover, made strong to bear affliction; for all the sufferings put upon him are but a few drops of bitterness cast into his cup of bliss, to give a deeper tone to the sweetness which absorbs them.

Such a man becomes strong for service, too. What can he not do who is happy in his God? By his God he leaps over a wall, or breaks through a troop. Strong is he, too, for any kind of self-sacrifice. To the God who gives him all, and remains to him as his perpetual portion, such a man gives up all that he hath, and thinks it no surrender. It is but laying up his treasure in his own peculiar treasure house, even in the God of his salvation.
 

A joyous man, such I have now in my mind's eye, is to all intents and purposes a strong man. He is strong in a calm restful manner. Whatever happens he is not ruffled or disturbed. He is not afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. The ruffled man is ever weak. He is in a hurry, and doth things ill. The man full of joy within is quiet, he bides his time and croucheth in the fulness of his strength. Such a man, though he is humble, is firm and steadfast; he is not carried away with every wind, or bowed by every breeze, he knows what he knows, and holds what he holds, and the golden anchor of his hope entereth within the veil, and holds him fast. His strength is not pretentious but real. The happiness arising from communion with God breeds in him no boastfulness; he does not talk of what he can do, but he does it; he does not say what he could bear, but he bears all that comes. He does not himself always know what he could do; his weakness is the more apparent to himself because of the strength which the Holy Ghost puts upon him; but when the time comes, his weakness only illustrates the divine might, while the man goes calmly on, conquering and to conquer. His inner light makes him independent of the outward sun; his secret granaries make him independent of the outer harvest; his inward fountains place him beyond dread though the brook Cherith may dry Up; he is independent of men and angels, and fearless of devils; all creatures may turn against him if they please, but since God himself is his exceeding joy, he will not miss their love or mourn their hate. He standeth where others fall, he sings where others weep, he wins where others fly, he glorifies his God where others bring dishonour on themselves and on the sacred name. God grant us the inward joy which arises from real strength and is so linked with it as to be in part its cause..."

For All the Stay-at-Home Moms...

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
- Nicole Johnson, The Invisible Woman

The Longest Day in History

"Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, 'O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." Joshua 10:12-14

My husband has a unique hobby.  He spends hours reading and watching documentaries about military battles throughout history. At first, I didn't get it. Why would anyone want to spend hours reading about military strategy? The books just looked boring-and I never got past the cover!  But he gradually won me over when he encouraged me to listen to a book on tape called Raid on the Sun.  Then, he had me watch some Military Channel documentary on Israeli history.  Now I'm kind of hooked.  Why else would I currently be reading a book about the Allied invasion of North Africa?

Military history really is fascinating.  For that reason, we seem to vacation to sites of famous battles (the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, etc.)  But in my opinion, military history is fascinating because there's so much more involved in the battles than just military strategy.  The hand of God is so clearly visible through the stories of historical battles.  How else could General Washington evacuate the Continental Army across the East River undetected by the British Navy following the Battle of Brooklyn?  Or how did Israel manage to launch an air attack during the Six-Day War during the exact time that the Egyptians shut down their air defense system?  Or how in the world did Israel manage to take out Saddam's Osirak nuclear facility in 1981?  God was definitely at work.

God has always protected His people.  And the story of Joshua's military victory over the Amorites provides a clear picture of God's involvement in military history. Verse 14 even says that the Lord fought for Israel! He allowed the sun and the moon to stand still so that Israel could win the battle.  How is this even possible?  What in the world led Joshua to ask God to hold the sun in place? 

I'm also currently reading a book called Sun Stand Still, by Steven Furtick.  It was a graduation gift from my church.  And the book describes the kind of faith that Joshua had when he asked God to intervene in the battle against the Amorites.  As Furtick says, Joshua had "audacious faith," the kind of faith that we all ought to have.  If God can hold the sun in place, or send a fog to shield General Washington from the British navy, God can do the impossible in my life too.  But am I praying for the sun to stand still?  Do I really believe that God can send the fog at the right time?  Do I have audacious faith to believe that God can use me as a tool to change the world?

Sometimes I wonder why God wanted me to "take some time off" before studying for the bar exam.  Why would God want me to wait?  Well, He's clearly teaching me and growing my faith.  He's preparing my heart for something.  He's reminding me that my life's military strategy is meaningless without the Lord fighting on my side. He's showing me that He can use me, but I have to have faith that He's capable of doing the impossible.  I have to go into life's battle prepared to ask for the sun to stand still.  Isn't it cool to know that God can do the impossible?

There's No Place Like Home

"In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2-3

I was a little surprised the other day when someone commented that I had a great attitude about my house being flooded while I was on vacation.  I wasn't sure how to respond, but I guess the person was complementing me.  Uh, thanks?  Trust me, I wasn't exactly excited about being displaced from my house for 7 days and for the fact that there were thousands of dollars of damage to my property.  But it is just stuff.  I know STUFF isn't a proper word, but it seems to be an appropriate definition of what was damaged--worldly possessions that can be replaced and would probably be thrown out sometime in the next 100 years anyway. 

During the first year of our marriage, my husband and I had to evacuate Hurricane Rita (the large Hurricane that followed Katrina and was expected to hit Texas hard right along the Brazos River where we lived.)  That evacuation taught me a few things: 1) don't get too attached to your possessions because you can lose them in an instant regardless of the precautions you take, and 2) don't buy a house in a flood zone.  Well, I didn't buy a house in a flood zone, but now that I've experienced flood-like conditions, I'm glad that I took lesson 1 seriously.  I'm not that attached to possessions.  I'm not super sentimental. And I will gladly throw something away if it is in the way and unnecessary.

Because I'm not attached to my stuff, the last 2 weeks haven't been as painful as they could have been.  Instead, I think the hardest thing about the past few weeks was not knowing whether we could come home.  I knew a home existed, but the anticipation of returning home was killing us.  We just wanted to be in our own place where we felt we belonged. 

Finally, last Thursday, we slept in our own bed and were able to enjoy being home.  It was quite possibly the best night's sleep I have had in months.  Being home was amazing--even with stains in the carpet and holes in the cabinets that have yet to be repaired!  Just being home was enough to make me happy.

The entire experience made me wonder how amazing it will feel to be at home in heaven someday with the Lord.  Last week, the joy of being home was not quite perfect due to the amount of cleaning and work we had to do around our house.  But when I get to heaven, I know that Jesus has already prepared a place for me there.  It's perfect and it's my eternal home.  It's a place where I can experience perfect peace and contentment.  Isn't it exciting to think about our future home with Jesus?  Just thinking about it makes me smile and say "there's no place like home."

War of the Minds

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  2 Corinthians 10:3-5

I heard something the other day that made me a little nervous.  People have started saying that those of us who disagree with the idea of gay marriage are basically racist.  Liberals are trying to say that the rejection of the concept of gay marriage is just like rejecting interracial marriage.  We have been accused of being bigots against gay people because we want to deny them the right to marry.

My gut response is to say, "Well hold on there a minute Mr. Liberal (or if I'm going to be politically correct Ms. Liberal), I'm not a bigot!"  I've been  friends with some gay people who were very nice people.  I just believe that they have made a very bad decision to live a life of sin.  That doesn't give YOU the right to attack me and to interpret my views to make me out to be a bigot or racist.  I'm not.  My view on gay marriage is completely unrelated to my view on interracial marriage!  So stop attacking me just because you disagree with my views...

This whole liberal stereotyping and attack on conservatives and Christians used to make me really mad. I used to think that we, as Christians, had the responsibility to raise up lawyers and politicians who could wage a strong legal and political fight against the liberals.  Doesn't it seem like Supreme Court opinions and executive power are our only hope?

Paul reminds us in Corinthians that we're not fighting a legal battle or a political battle.  The world may wage war with Christians using the law and politics and personal attacks, but we are called to fight a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of people.  We must guard our hearts and minds against the world.  We must ensure that the world does not steal the hearts and minds of our children at an early age.  We must not personally attack the opposition, but we must formulate a worthy argument against their ideas. Don't get me wrong, I definitely think that we need to fight the legal and political battles, but we're not going to win without waging a spiritual battle of the minds.

I shouldn't be nervous that the liberals are going to attack me and distort my views when they disagree with me.  That's how they wage war.  But that means that I must have the ability to think clearly and to refute their arguments.  It means that I'm going to have to really learn about these issues and then I'm going to have to really understand what God's Word says about these social issues.  I have to teach my children this too!  If we, as Christians, want to preserve our freedom and ability to practice our religion, we must be prepared to wage a much larger war than we think.  We're all in it--not just the lawyers and politicians. Are you equipped for battle?  Just be prepared to be personally attacked.  The attacks are going to keep on coming. 

Life on the Run

I did the unthinkable today and left the house a little before noon without feeding my children.  Of course, as soon as I got on the highway, my oldest informed me that he was thirsty.  I told him that it was too bad that he didn't tell me 5 minutes sooner.  But then I felt bad and took him to Starbucks.  I typically order a boxed juice or chocolate milk for my little guys when we go to Starbucks.  But today, I got this genius idea that we could have Starbucks to-go.

I decided that it would make sense to order chocolate milk in a frappuccino cup with a lid and straw for the 2 year old as opposed to boxed milk.  Then I ordered a vanilla bean blended frappuccino without coffee for my baby because I figured a frozen drink would be less messy than milk. Yeah right!  This was not a genius mommy move.

It never occurred to me that a vanilla bean blended frappuccino would come with a whole mess of whipped cream.  And who would have thought that chocolate milk from Starbucks is yucky?  Let's just say that the 2 year old cried all the way to Dallas (a good 45 minute commute) because he didn't like his milk.  And the 13 month old figured out how to use his straw as a spoon so that he could eat whipped cream.  And that's when I realized that the boys were still hungry because I had only dealt with the "thirsty" issue.  It was about that time that I realized that I should have just sucked it up and gone to McDonald's--which happened to be right next to Starbucks.

After running my errand for the day, of course I couldn't find a fast food place to stop for lunch.  So I ended up getting a kid's meal to-go from a sit down restaurant so that my boys could at least share quesadillas and fries before we headed home. 

I know, parenting magazines would accuse me of being the root cause of childhood obesity in America.  Heaven forbid she give her children Starbucks and french fries!  But you know, my children are happy.  They're healthy.  And we make it work.  That said, next time I think we'll venture out AFTER lunch or maybe I'll make peanut butter and jelly to take with us.  (Or have the healthy food regulators banned that too?)  Regardless, the moral to the story is that life on the run is always unpredictable and next time, Mommy will be ready.

Remember D-Day!

"O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their days, in the days of old. You with Your own hand drove out the nations; then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad...For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our adversaries, and You have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever." Psalm 44:1-2, 6-8

On this day in 1944, the allied forces implemented Operation Neptune as 160,000 troops landed across the beaches of France.  Today we remember this military operation as D-Day.  Crosses in Normandy, France, mark the graves of thousands of allied troops who lost their lives for this cause.  The military operation did pay off, however, because less than a year later the allies declared victory in Europe.

For many of us, thoughts of D-day cause scenes from Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers to flash through our heads.  We have no frame of reference for what actually happened.  But we do know that some brave men sacrificed everything in order to defeat the Evil German Empire.

I think we often forget that it wasn't just brave men and military brilliance that led to the victory over Hitler.  God is the one who saved the world from the grasp of the evil empire.  God is the one who gave the allies the victory in Europe.  God gave the allied troops the courage and the wisdom to implement successful military strategies.  He is the one who drives out nations and spreads them abroad.

I know that Memorial Day was last week, but today is a special day to remember too.  Remember the brave men.  And remember the great things that God has done, is doing, and will continue to do.  "In God we have boasted all day long and we will give thanks to your name forever!"

Affordable Maternity Wear for the Modern Mommy

I was a little annoyed this morning while reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Sunday paper.  Some little journalist wrote a fashion piece on maternity clothes for summer that even shocked my conscience!  Click here to read it: Mom's the Word. Her maternity recommendations were just WRONG.  Somehow, I doubt this chick has ever been pregnant because she would know that pregnant women are not going to spend $189 on denim leggings and $198 on a tunic top from the maternity store.  Most women are not foolish enough to spend $550 on a hippie luxe silk tunic from Neiman Marcus with $85 white jeans from Destination Maternity. These are not maternity outfits!  These are ridiculous!

Any woman who has been pregnant knows that maternity clothes are pretty terrible.  They never make you look skinny and they cost way to much for the 3-6 months you'll wear them.  And then when you get pregnant with baby number 2 during a completely different season of the year, you'll realize that your former maternity collection is useless.  Besides the fact that once you stretch maternity clothes in one direction, they don't regain their shape.  So if you're like me and you carry baby #1 in your hips and baby #2 in your stomach you really can't wear the same clothes!

Let's just say that if I were pregnant (and I'm not) that I would have been really put out and disappointed by Ms. Peters' article this morning.  She gives the impression that you have to have a trust fund to be able to afford cute clothes.  But she's wrong!  So to all my fabulous soon-to-be Mommies in my life, here are some fashions that you CAN rock for a price tag that will leave you with money to purchase diapers...

Forever 21 has some amazing maternity pieces for both online and in-store purchases.  This dress retails at $17.80 and would be perfect for church or a party during any time of the year.  Doesn't it look comfy too?

Old Navy has a nice selection of skirts and t-shirts designed for every stage of pregnancy.  They even have a post-pregnancy selection of nursing tops.  Just remember to hit up Old Navy on one of their big sale days and you can really cash in.  This skirt retails for $32.94.  In my opinion, a denim skirt is a girl's best friend when she's expecting.  Just throw on a pair of cowboy boots and you're set!

 GAP has some great options for work, lounging, or even going out.  I love the Gap website too, because other mommies have written reviews about their purchases that will help guide your decision-making.  And if you don't think you can afford GAP, just know that they have sales all the time.  Just last week, everything was 40% off.  And this cute dress is only $59.50.

If you're expecting a baby soon and you realize that it's time to shop, don't lose heart.  There are plenty of stores with great affordable options.  For some of my other favorite maternity collections visit Ann Taylor LOFT and Target.  You can look chic and pregnant without shopping at Neiman Marcus!  Good luck.  I can't wait to see all my Mommy friends soon!

Can't Seem to Avoid the Vacation Drama

We are not dramatic people.  We tend to be rather boring.  But for some reason, every time we go on vacation we seem to be surrounded by drama or disaster.  They make movies about vacations like ours.

Take our honeymoon, for example.  We took an amazing trip to the fanciest resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  It was gorgeous.  The trip was perfect until we had been there for approximately one hour.  I don't know if Montezuma was getting revenge or what, but my poor husband was sicker than I've ever seen him for the rest of our stay. 

Then there was the trip to my cousin's wedding in North Carolina.  The day of our trip, a gunman was on the loose in our little, practically rural neighborhood.  Since the guy had murdered a few people, the police wouldn't let anyone in or out of our neighborhood.  Thank goodness I was at work during the craziness and my husband had been running an errand.  We were both still able to go on our trip, but we never had the chance to return to our house to pick-up luggage.  Then on the way home from NC, someone miraculously found us a flight when American Airlines decided to cancel all airplanes to DFW.

Next was Hawaii.  The trip was perfect and magical until the flight home from Phoenix.  After stuffing himself with a Cinnabun, our one-year-old regurgitated his entire breakfast all over my husband and our seats on the airplane.  It was so gross that they actually let us use the first class facilities to clean up.  Too bad we only had a change of clothes for the baby.  That was also the trip where my cat fell off my parents 2nd floor walkway and practically broke his leg. 

But this last week takes the cake.  We drove to San Antonio for a relaxing week on the Riverwalk.  We had a blast and even considered extending the trip just for fun.  That was until we received a random phone call from a neighbor on Thursday.  She said that water was running out of our house.  Apparently, my father-in-law called a plumber to fix a problem while we were gone.  And within 48 hours of the plumbing work, our house was covered in 2 inches of water--the ENTIRE HOUSE.  Baby toys, purses, shoes, books, computers, work documents, furniture, carpet, and even the kitchen cabinets are a mess.  We're still waiting to see the extent of the damage, but the Dalworth emergency response man said it was really bad.  All I know at the moment is that my house is unlivable for at least 3-5 days and my Frye cowboy boots are a mess!

Anyway, if you've wondered where I've been for the last week, I started out on vacation and am currently still vacated from my home.  Please don't feel bad for me.  Just pray that we get everything worked out with the insurance adjuster next week.  This is just part of life, right?  I know that we should expect trials.  Considering what my trial could be (think of the poor people in Missouri) I can deal with a wet house. God will work it out.  He always does.