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Monday, March 29, 2010

Not Me! Monday



whoa!! it has been awhile since i had a few moments to join in all the Not Me! Monday fun, created and hosted by the ever-awesome & fantastic MckMama...



so if you have been plagued by guilt for letting the dishes take over the kitchen sink or you left your kiddo in the bath so long their fingers & toes are permently wrinkle-ly, just so you could get the laundry laid out in peace, well shake it off, girl!!! Not Me! Monday was MckMama's brillant idea for us to share are less than memorable mom & wife experiences, and guess what?! no ones perfect, so let's share....



because i am sooooo darn healthy, i would definitely not take Big 'K' to get fast food for lunch and certainly didn't eat most of the fries myself... nope!!



and during spring break during one of the days it didn't rain (yuck) we had a glorious day at the zoo!! simply beautiful!! but because i refuse to buy bottled water, i took empty bottles to fill once we got there... because i am all knowing, we didn't have only 2 bottles of vitamin water to share for 3 hours due to the fact the zoo had not yet turned the drinking fountains on... not me!! i plan well, even for the annoyingly unexpected!! (thankfully Nana doesn't live too far from the zoo and we crashed her house for some refills once we left, if i had actually made the mistake of not taking enough to drink...)



and while taking my kiddos plus my niece & nephew to go skating during a particularly rainy day during spring break (i know, i'm a pretty darn fun mama!!), i did not have a meltdown on my niece for not being able to skate 12 inches without falling down and killing everyone around her with her big ol' roller skates... i am totally compassionate and patient...


me: "what is the deal?!! let's stand up, use some muscles, hold your arms out and use the wall if you need to.... no, no, NO!! ouch!! please stop kicking your feet out when you fall, you just about killed that kid with your skate!! you've skated before, work with me..."


picture it: i'm holding 'K' with my left arm, lil' Lou-Woo girlie is gingerly skating behind me, and i'm hold up my niece with my right arm..


my niece: (while beginning to cry...) "i can't... i've never been skating before!!"



me: (with look of digust, for myself, and annoyance, at my brother & sister-in-law for not telling me that they've never skated before...) "oh!.... well, uummm... you're doing great!! ya! okay this is how you do it...." and once to the sidelines, i sent an ugly text to my sister-in-law :)


if this had actually happened, i would feel a little bad (okay, a lot bad) for simply assuming that every kid by the time they are 7 have gone skating.... but since this obviously did not occur, then i'm totally fine... ahem.....



wow!! that was theraputic!! and i am so ready for all this week's mishaps perfectly planned schedule....



would you like to join in on the fun?! great! click here to head over to MckMama's blog and link up so i can read all the things you did not do!!



come back soon!!! miss ya much...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

charity and sacrifice

UPDATE:

okay my people :) since the solitary comment was from my IRL friend Christina, she gets a copy of Crazy Love!!!! next time it could be you!!

ORIGINAL POST:


charity....






it's been on my mind a lot as of late. i guess not so much charity or giving time & stuff, because we give money and stuff all the time, but i've been praying and pondering about living sacrifically so that i have more to give... how can i live out "Love your neighbor as yourself" in order to more fully "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind and strength." is this making sense to anyone?




i love praying for divine appointments for God to use me to tell someone about Christ's love for them, to stop and buy someone some food, give them a ride when it's cold or raining. i am always more than willing to take the shoes right off my feet (or my kids and yes i have offered to do that) and give them to a person in need because i know i have been over-the-top blessed by God (in so many more ways than simply monetarily) and i can stop at a shop on the way home and pick up another pair. it makes me so bubbly and excited to pack up my kids gently used (or sometimes never used) toys & clothes and deliver them in cute little brown bags to the local shelter for deserving children and parents.....





but it's not enough....





i want to give more money each month towards our Missions faith-promise because there are families living in 6x8 houses in Haiti that not only don't have food or a change of clothes, but they haven't ever heard the life-giving message of Jesus and how He loves them with all abandon! i want to give more money to the sweet babes in Africa that live in slums, whose floors of their homes are trash & waste, with gangs prostituting children around each corner, so that they might get one real meal each week and hear about Christ's plan for a future for them and His desire to richly bless them! i want to have more food to give the families in my town that don't have anything for dinner each night, and if i can help fill the gap, they might see Jesus' love and provision for them.




i want to live sacrifically so that those near to me and halfway around the world might be fed and cared for in this life, but more importantly for the eternity after this life!





i am so crazy about Jesus!! but real all-consuming, sacrifical love doesn't mean just giving my leftovers to Him: my leftover time to work in a few Bible verses, my leftover moments before sleep to say a few prayers, my leftover energy for worship & praise, my leftover & hand-me down clothes that didn't sell at the garage sale for the needy, the leftover granola bar in my truck for the homeless on the street corner............ NO!! He is the Creator of the Universe, my Savior, the Lord of ALL Lords!! i want to give my best!




i'm not perfect, but my heart and mind have been spinning like a top for several months now on how to love God more, how to surrender more, how to be transformed by Him for Him more... see a pattern developing? more, more, More, mORE, MORE!!



i have been making that time each day (okay there have been a day here and there i didn't keep my Jesus appointment, but i'm a work in progress, getting better day by day thanks to His grace) for God's word, meditating on it, fasting, spending time on my knees (literally) at Jesus' feet just praising and thanking, asking and pleading, believing and trusting... and not that these acts of obedience to be in the Word or prayer time are new to my schedule but the more i have felt the Lord's leading to serve & give & intercede more for the lost, the needy, the broken, my husband, my children, my family, my church, my friends, well the more time i have spent in His presence, because i know that He has such amazing plans for me, ways He wants to use me, to break my heart for what breaks His... well i felt like my inner God-light has simply gotten brighter and brighter...



the Lord is revealing Himself to me more, igniting my passion for loving others more!! and so i want to give my very best!!



it is so cool how our little family is positioned for more right now... with God granting such an amazing gift with me being at home full-time, downsizing our house, downsizing our stuff, extra career opportunities for me from home, assisting some other families with childcare needs and such, we are primed for having more time and money to give!! God is so awesome like that!!



it sounds odd to say "well i have left my out-of-home career & salary, and so now i have more money to give"... doesn't make sense in this world but God's economy is different. and while our tithe might be less since our salaries are less, we will have a much smaller house payment and no other debt (God willing) when the house sells....... but more importantly what has been changing even more over the last few months is our hearts & mindset. having "stuff" isn't all that important, and i really never felt like it was, but our life shows differently when i truly look hard:
we drive new cars, have name-brand clothes, have the cool toys & game systems, bought whatever new & nicest stuff to decorate my house, go out to eat whenever we feel like it, take some long-weekend vacations here & there, and put dollars away in stocks & such... and none of these things are inheritly wrong or bad, i'm not saying that buying that pair of ridculously expensive heels is a sin (i own several of those... incriminating myself) but can i buy a nice pair at a chain store and send that extra $50 or even $100 to a child 18 hours away or around the corner, and give them a chance at knowing real love?! i digress... we have been giving the Lord's tithe (of course... God is awesome at somehow blessing the 90% & making it go farther than 100% of our money..wow) and some for missions & for our church building campaign but nothing that truly stretched us (in my opinion), nothing that made me sit back and go "wow!! that was a lot"



(geez!! that was a llllooonnnnggg paragraph!! are your eyes bleeding?! :) )



i am not capable of giving tens of thousands of dollars, but God is!! if he is laying a dollar amount on my heart to give each month for missions or to children in need, He will provide it; by faith, i believe and know that!! but i do want to sacrifice more to give more... i am so ready to live in a smaller & less expensive home, have fewer bills so that i can give more, save more, give more, save more... you get the drift



charity...



it is something that flows from our hearts, a leading from God, that tugging on our soul, that as the Lord's children we are to take care of the widows and orphans, clothe the needy, feed the hungry...


it's a choice:



to obey Christ and follow His footsteps, we can show Him how much we love Him by trusting Him to work in us and through us and experience great joy and connection with our Father... or... we can continue to live as though it is all about us, giving when we can but not making it a priority and not know what true blessing is.



my purpose in writing this was mostly for myself, i'll admit, i have been making notes and writing in my journal furiously... but as i wrote this my inner fire is even bigger & brighter :) and it excites me so much to see what God can do with my softened & ready heart... this is not to brag or say "see what we're doing!!!", not in the least... but i pray you see where we are, where we've been and part of where we are going (God willing!! cause we don't know exactly where God is taking us) and that your soul is inspired, ignited, renewed by a love for God.



part of my journey has also been in reading a fabulous book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, who has so brilliantly written his heart and spelled out for us again what God's word says!! and since i want you to know and love God with all abandon :) i would love to give a copy away to one of you lovely people!!



please leave a comment, any comment and i'll randomly pick one of you to receive this great book!! you'll love it!!


be blessed today, thanks for letting me share my heart with you... i'll close the comments sunday night and chose the winner!!



(if you don't know how to leave a comment, simply chose the anonymous option under comment as)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

oh how i love my vitamins!!!

i have gotten very lazy about our vitamins and supplements as of late... you'd think i'd be as pleased as punch that i feed my family only real food, with the exception of stopping at wendy's every now and again for some chicken nuggets for the posse (which are supposedly real chicken, who knows but they taste good), i don't allow anything artifical to enter the premises and i'm big on whole grains. but either i've come up with not enough time to run by dr.d's office for refills or i forgot to stop by mama jeans; my excuses are long on why we're out of vitamin D and C, the fish oil is almost empty, the magnesium lotion has not magically reproduced inside of that cute little blue bottle and the aloe vera juice is bone dry and don't get me started on when the probiotics ran out... the only thing i haven't let disipate is the non-aluminum baking soda (this assists in keeping a balanced pH, just fyi).




but no more!!! i am tired of feeling tired and run down.... my poor system is having supplement withdraw! maybe it's just me that is crazy about keeping myself and the kids (my Man is a hopeless cause for supplements, unless he's sick then he wants me to put "something" together for him, oh well... the poor guy has gone totally all natural and organic on my request and there is very little complaining to boot!!) on vitamins and supplements, but even with our good eating habits it is just impossible to get all the good stuff into our systems and stay healthy.




i will brag (just a little) that this year we have avoided the flu (my Man & i did get the respiratory flu stuff back in november but it was very short lived for me & some sniffles last week, hello vitamin D and green tea... i'm just sayin') for the first time in forever!! baby 'K' has had a day here and there of upset tummy and he's had just one ear infection, which is crazy awesome in comparison to last year! it was winter of '08 that i began our conversion to organic eating along with our natural medicine choices and there has been no looking back... i totally believe that our lack of flu & colds is due to the healthy foods we eat and the supplements to stimulate our body's natural defenses.



you might be saying i'm silly for thinking a bunch of herbs & vitamins will keep me well & heal sickness but i will have to disagree... i have experienced amazing healing from simply headaches or colds to finding relief from severe digestive problems and a reproductive disease...

truly, it's a small price to pay for some green tea & echinacea & some lemon balm, throw in some probiotics (we do ours for about 2 weeks out of each month during flu season and a full 2 week regimin once every 90 days otherwise) along with aloe vera juice in the morning (aloe vera is a prebiotic that enhances the work of the probiotics, plus it's great for digestion, skin, internal anti-inflammatory... per my own experience and many a research done by super-smart scientists) and i throw in an extra 500mg vitamin C chewable and our vitamin D drops and the basic multi-vitamin & mineral tab. as i write this i think i might sound like a lot to remember or buy, but not so much.



i mean.... how much does it cost you to go the doctor's office? fill the prescription? time off of work? how much is your time worth? i absolutely despise feeling sick and i most certainly hate paying medical bills, so if there are measures i can take to heal my body and prevent illness, well i'm gonna do it!!



because i am asked by my family & friends quite abit about what i read to educate myself about natropathic/homeopathic cures & organic foods, here are just a couple things i've read recently:



the pH miracle: wow!! this book taught me a truck-load about my body and what i should be doing to keep it working at its optimum... and while i am not completely able to turn away from all sugar (i ate a twix today and it was scrumptious!) and i don't totally buy that all diseases can be wiped out my balancing my pH, because i have a pretty close to neutral pH and still experience some issues with my own disease, this book is an absolute wealth of information and i recommend it.



the seven pillars of health is probably a staple in many homes but is a Christian-based book about taking care of our body and living naturally.



i love to pick the brain of my natro-physician, dr.d and i love to sift through all the research done by my friend dave for his son, jaymun, and the internet is endless with info on learning to eat better!! and if you have an amazing local health food store with an awesome herb & supplement & vitamin department, then that is a great resource for you to learn something new about taking care of you & the family, naturally! (a side note: health food or supplement stores can be totally overwhelming, and there are a lot of choices so do some research on the side if you are feeling confused)



so i have my list made, i have researched a new multi-vitamin for myself and will let you know how i like it, and i will be picking up all my natural goodies this week... i can just feel my energy increasing as i write!!!



be healthy.... just try adding some fish oil to your juice in the morning or doing a round of probiotics and see how you feel... start small and work your way into taking care of your body, and if you have questions about the exact brands or whatever, just comment and let me know what you think:) and if you have any good tips on natural health, please let me hear it :)
*just so you know... i am not a natropathic doctor or expert in natural or homeopathic medicine and any claims of healing or cures that i have written about is simply based upon my own experience with a product and is not an endorsement of their company or any claims they might make... this is my family's belief and choice to care for ourselves and kids.... okay ? :) great!!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

it was a 'Super' day!

i love being a mama.... just check out this 'super' kid that tagged along with me the other day!! he had a cape and everything!!



needless to say, he was the talk of the town everywhere we went...




and when we had played too hard and just couldn't handle going without a nap for one second longer, big 'k' found sissy's shoulder to crash on...





i am so overly blessed with amazing kids, an awesome hubby and a gracious Lord whose compassion and mercy are bigger and more amazing than i can describe!!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

sweet Layla Grace...


i had asked for prayers for this sweet girl last week... Jesus has healed beautiful Layla as she entered Heaven's gates.... please continue to pray for comfort & peace for her mommy & daddy and big sisters, Jenna & Claire

Monday, March 1, 2010

Jesus loves the little children...

what makes for a life well spent? is it the accumlation of wealth and homes and cars... stuff? it is a 1000 people or "friends" on facebook or followers on twitter? is it defined by getting what you want, when you want it, without much inconvenience? is it being the greatest basketball player who ever lived? the smartest IT designer with the biggest company?


or is it about sacrifice, living beyond the walls of our own desires, being used for purposes bigger than ourselves... allowing God's will to permeate our selfish plans, no matter how uncomfortable we may be... loving others like Jesus even when we'd rather turn away...


could you praise God, walk faithfully, putting all your hope in His greater plan in the midst of: your marriage falling apart, getting laid off at work, not having enough money to pay the bills much less buy enough food for the week, becoming sick with no cure in sight, a rebellious teenager, a dying parent, friends that have betrayed you?


my heart's desire is to say "yes", that even through all of those situations i will still love, still trust, still praise the Lord because my life is God's not mine... i asked Him to come in and take all of me.


i know that a life well spent (in my humble opinion) is one surrendered to Christ, and no matter what comes my way, if i am walking right next to Him that regardless of what i see, i know that i am safe. i want to be a witness to His glory when i struggle with sickness, i want to shout His praise when i am betrayed, i will speak of His goodness when the money runs out....


...could i have strength in the face of one of my children dying?


i spend a lot of prayer time each day/week holding up sick children & families before the Lord pleading for healing & comfort, miracles & peace. their lives reach out to me and i am struck by the strength of these babies who need a physical miracle of healing, and i am in awe of the moms & dads & brothers & sisters who are in the midst of dealing with their babe's fight and the courage they display.


i have asked before "God, how can this be a life well spent? this sweet child is only 2 (or whatever the age of the kiddo might be, 18 for that matter) and look how they are suffering! Jesus, they can't leave yet, you just put them here.." and i know if i'm feeling that and this isn't even my babe then how much more are their parents screaming inside?! hence why i pray... because i know God hears me


"Lord i know you want our surrender and committment to follow, but this one is too young... why allow this?" , i have asked this as well...


and while i have felt like just a few years or even months on this earth are not enough for these kids, God knows and He has great, enormous purpose for the little, beautiful lives... i have been taught courage, perservance, love, compassion, patience and faith from these amazing souls, i have watched them laugh and smile in their pain, i have learned about real joy... i have grown closer to Christ through my tears as i pray for them, i have seen the Word come to life in my heart like never before simply because i chose to let these families into my heart & soul and as their sister in Christ i have walked beside them in an attempt to hold them up when they might be weak... and i have seen miracles of earthly healing and Heavenly healing and i am so grateful for this call to pray for those in need


the lives of Jaymun, Stellan, Noah, Layla, Coleman, Audrey, Abbey, Gavin, Lucas and thousands more, are beautiful & gorgeous lives that have been so blessed and annointed by the Lord, who have allowed all of us a glimpse into what a life well spent can look like. their spirit of trust and love and grace.... well i have no words to adequently describe how they have fully lived for Christ's glory!!


while i still struggle and grieve for these babes (and for many adults who are going through a trial or sickness) as some of them have left us to join their loving Jesus, i am trusting and believing God, that His glory will be revealed through their struggle...


please continue to pray for those who are fighting: Layla (she is headed home to Jesus so soon, pray for her physical comfort & peace, that she wouldn't feel pain or fear but hear the loving voice of Jesus), Abbey, Gavin.... rejoice in the miracle of healing for Stellan! and praise God for those who were healed at the gates of Heaven like Coleman , Noah, Lucas and sweet Jaymun, and pray for their families who are daily missing them...


i don't want to get to Heaven some day knowing i could have done better for Christ's sake.... i want to have lived a life well spent, giving everything i had in me, using all the resources God placed in me.... i want to be like Jesus, don't you?


Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when thedisciples saw it, the rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." John 18.15-17