Here’s is what I’m noticing.
I’m not noticing.
Not lately. I’m not noticing
the dimple on Anna’s left cheek.
the way John Henry still snuggles up to his Moosie and Mimi.
the way Kris’ hand rests tenderly on my knee.
the little things.
That really are the big things. I generally try to be intentional about noticing these things. And, the usual crawl of Summer should provide me every opportunity soak up these precious, fleeting moments.
So, today, I’m taking notice.
My very good friend (and a super cool pastor at EWC), Will Doss, asked a very good question last night.
He said, “What is one trait you would tell your son or daughter to look for in a spouse?”
I answered with a broad “someone with a heart after God.” I just tend to believe that when we have a heart after Christ, everything else follows as it is supposed to.
My dad condensed it to “someone who is both faithful and loyal.” In other words, someone who does exactly what he or she says he or she is going to do.
Each of us individually should bring glory to Christ. I think a good question to answer when entering into a marriage is “Will we bring more glory to Christ together than we will apart?”
What would you (or did you) tell your son or daughter? What is one trait you would encourage someone to look for in a spouse?
Here are a few more pics of Anna’s horse camp adventure:
When I first saw Anna on this big horse by her little self, I was slightly fearful. After all, how could someone so small control such a large animal? It reminded me of how James tells us it’s easier to bridle a horse than bridle our tongue. Hmmm.
James 3 says, “We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth…..People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.”
But, with God’s help, we can bridle it just as we bridle a horse. And, if we are able to do that, imagine how many more blessings we will speak. How much more life we will impart. Every time we open our mouths, we allow others to look into our heart. I hope my words are makin’ my heart look good. But, I know that sometimes, I probably make it look pur-tee yucky.
So, today I’m praying:
Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Psalm 141:3
Filed under Kid Stuff, Spiritual Journey
It’s officially summer. Hence, my laziness in writing today. I mean, it’s the heat. It’s sweltering. And, it makes me want to turn down the A/C to arctic temps, snuggle up to a ridiculously long movie like Benjamin Buttons, and eat a box of Junior Mints. Anyhoo, here is a glimpse of Anna’s horse camp experience.
Her BRAND NEW boots – Day Five.
She truly is a country girl. Who also enjoys serving tea, sword fighting, and being a fashion trailblazer.
More pics to come tomorrow.
Happy Summer Y’all. Stay inside. Or in a pool. It’s hooootttttt.
Filed under Kid Stuff, Randomness
Randomness Readers, it is with the greatest of honors I give you my mama today. Love her. Lu-huv her. Take it away, Mom.
Do You Know Him as Father?
I would like to thank Dusty for giving me this opportunity to be a guest on her blog. I do not take this lightly. I consider it a huge honor just to be asked. So, in an attempt to be half as interesting and not nearly as funny as my wonderful daughter, here it goes.
This Sunday is Father’s Day, and I would like to share a little of my life and what I have learned from my father.
To provide for our family, my father was a truck driver. He was rarely at home, so I did not have a relationship with him. I saw my dad one week a month (sometimes), and then when I did see him, it truly was a strain and very stressful time. I won’t bother you with those details. Growing up in a family without a “father figure” would become an issue with me later in life as one would probably imagine.
After giving my life to Jesus and growing in my faith, I still felt I was missing out on something. I was longing for something more. A part of my heart ached. There was a part missing.
I cried out to Jesus.
I will never forget to this day how He spoke to me. I can even recall where I was standing at that very moment. He spoke these words to me: “You know me as Jesus, and you know me as Lord. And, My Holy Spirit you know and have experienced. But, do you know me as your Father? Have you opened that door”? In Psalms 68: 5, He said He would be a Father to the fatherless.
Overwhelmed, I couldn’t hold back the tears.
It was then and there that I realized I didn’t know what a father was. It was once said to me the way we see our earthly father is the way we see and accept our Heavenly Father. For me, that was so true. I petitioned God to teach me – show me what a father is, and does! And, it all started from there. He began to teach me about fathers, and how a father loves his children. How a father will protect them, never leaves them, guides them, and how a father longs to give and bless his children.
The Miracle? God restored and gave me an amazing relationship with my earthly father! My father went to be with the Lord in 1985, but I had a wonderful relationship with my father for almost 10 years – one that I would have never imagined. God, our Father, is an awesome God and an amazing Father. Do you know Him as your Father?
I would also like tell my dearest and best friend, who not only happens to be a wonderful father to our daughter, but great father to an incredible church (Eagles Way): Happy Father’s Day Buren Goss. I love you!
Filed under God Stuff, parenting, Relationships, Spiritual Journey
As you may or may not know. I Twitter. I love The Twitter. Every once in a while, I read a tweet (that’s Twitter talk for a status update) that captures my attention. Yesterday, Michael Thurston (a.k.a. Mike T – youth pastor extraordinaire of EWC) said, “feels like God is watching me. In a good way.” If you know Mike T, you can appreciate his tweetfulness. Yes, yes. Feel free to use that that one. Tweetfulness. What I appreciate about Mike is that he sees God. In the big things. In the small things.
In all things.
So, I totally got his tweet.
Do you get it?
Are you seeing God in your life?
Filed under God Stuff
Anna began horse camp on Monday. Here she is getting ready for her first day.
She’s enjoyed her week so far. So has John Henry. When we dropped Anna off yesterday morning, he said, “Got rid of her.” Of course, two hours later, he was asking me how much longer until we picked her up. But, we did enjoy the quiet and reprieve from inquisitions while it lasted.
I asked Anna how she liked riding horses. “I didn’t fall off,” she said. I guess that’s good. She also looked at me and quoted a line from “Little House On the Prairie.” “Country girls,” she said. This is how Nellie Olsen describes Laura and Mary Ingalls in one of the first episodes. I think she has taken a liking to life as a country girl. Or, she just loves the Ingalls girls. Or she loves Nellie Olsen.
Let’s hope it’s not the latter.
In other news, John Henry finally lost his first tooth. It was a celebration. Anna told us all she was “so proud of John Henry.” Her supportive sentiments quickly turned bitter when she learned he got money for his loss. “That’s not fair.”
Oh, the lessons in rejoicing with those who rejoice. It can be a difficult lesson for any of us when we look at our difficult situation versus another’s seemingly better situation. But. BUT, when we look at our situation in view of God’s mercy, then rejoicing is not only easier….but, we can’t help but do anything else.
Filed under Kid Stuff, Randomness
I read this last night before nodding off to sleep. I’ve read it many times before. But, this time it just pierced me.
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
Even when we go through difficult times, His love still surrounds us.
And, nothing can separate us from that love. “Neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow….”
Just thought maybe somebody needed to hear that today.
I just know you’ve waited with bated breath on what we four girls did on our little getaway. I just know you have. No?
Well, it was fun. We laughed. A lot. Just like I said we would.
Here is a fabulous picture of the four two of us. I tried to get everyone in this picture. Without success. Obviously.
I pretty much charge $0 for photo sessions. Call anytime to schedule your appointment.
We requested “The Mothers” wear headsets and watch a movie for the road trip. Their pick was “Napoleon Dynamite.” They giggled like school girls.
We really didn’t request they wear headsets. However, whenever they would ask too many questions or say something disagreeable, our response was, “Put your headsets on.”
This next picture pretty much sums up our trip.
Bacon. And other artery clogging foods.
Glo-ree.
I purchased a fabulous pair of flip flops and this hat on the trip.
Guess who thinks it’s hers now?
It was fun. And, I am oh so thankful for these friendships.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17
Filed under Friendship
*Originally posted April 16, 2008
Anna: “What’s this?”
Mommy: “A scale. It tells you how much you weigh. Do you wanna stand on it?”
Anna: “No.”
Mommy: “Me either.”
I can somewhat understand the weight obsession….just not fully. Granted, I have a pair of jeans, you know, the “skinny jeans” that help me gauge my body. Fact: I haven’t worn those jeans in 2 years; at least, not without muffin top. Fact: I don’t care.
So, why am I still holding onto a pair of “skinny jeans” that I know I will never wear again without a multiple series of stomach flus? I really don’t know. What I do know is that we live in a day where women and even some men (just not mine) are obsessed with their bodies to a detriment. For real.
I usually pack a “Lunchable” for my pre-schooler. Due to the number of his peers with peanut allergies, the classic PB&J is a no-no. So, a “Lunchable” it is. The other day, John Henry informed that his friend does “not each ‘Lunchables’,” because her mom says “they make you fat.” She is five. I am appalled.
Nonetheless, poor body image has become quite the epidemic, and it truly disheartens me. I strive really hard to never discuss weight issues around Anna. I want her to grow up with a healthy self-image, believing who God says she is, not society.
I also try really hard not to discuss weight issues around Kris. Once when we went skiing, I wore my mom’s vintage ski bib circa 1982. I asked Kris the age old question, “How does my butt look?” My husband, whom I love dearly, replied, “Good. Wide, but good.” Yes, in my mind I envisioned hurling his body across the room. Fortunately, for him, I remembered that he doesn’t always think things through before he speaks. I love him still. And, he hasn’t used “wide” and “butt” in the same sentence again.
I love the Psalm 139:14 scripture, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” But, I especially love this NLT translation: “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.”
So, when in doubt, remember: you look mah-velous.
Filed under life, Motherhood, parenting
wife, mother, pastor, writer
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