November 9, 2010 · 9:27 am

I’m A New Wife! Again!

I’ve never really considered myself the nagging wife. 

Until, I recently realized I had become a nagging wife.

What?  Me?  Yes!  Me!

I’m married to a pilot man.  You know this.  I started noticing that when he was out and about burning holes in the skies, I missed him.  I didn’t miss what he does for me while he’s here.  Just the person, Kris Takle.  My husband.  A sweet kind of miss.  The kind where you send the sweetest text messages and say the sweetest things on the phone. 

Well, this doesn’t sound like nagging.  Of course, it doesn’t. 

Enter nagging.

Pilot man comes home.  I forget how much I missed him and focus on his flight bag on our bedroom floor.  Unpacked.  Then, I notice how we need to spruce up our landscaping.  And, I notice that he doesn’t notice this.  And, his laptop on my kitchen counter?  Really? 

Pick.  Pick.  Pick. 

I fail to notice a husband who tells me how beautiful I am.  I fail to notice a man who desires me, encourages me, and builds me up.

Why?  Because, I’m so focused on what he’s not doing, I am blurring everything good out.

I recognize this in myself.  I hate this in myself.  I hate that I am doing this to the man I love.  To the man who loves me.  So, I tell him.  We talk it out.  And, make a commitment to stop.

Stop the nagging.  Stop the complaining.  Stop noticing what he doesn’t do or see.

So, what if it takes me an extra twenty minutes a day to clean up a little more after him?  What’s twenty minutes?  Or, what if I just resolve that his laptop on the kitchen counter is okay?  And, his unpacked bag can wait? 

What if?

My marriage will be better, because, I’m not selling out to small foxes.  And, that sweet miss for him when he is gone will be even sweeter when he returns home. 

I will be happier.  He will be happier.  And, our love will stay sweeter. 

I’m not exactly sure how this pattern of behavior began for me.  But, I am definitely sure that it needed to end.  Because, I am blessed.  And, I LOVE that man.

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November 8, 2010 · 11:22 am

Sweet November.

And, you are still the perfect shoulder to fall on.

Happy Birthday to my keep you laughing all the live long day husband and daughter.

Life without you two wouldn’t be nearly the fun.

I love you both.

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November 5, 2010 · 5:00 am

Ride the Wave.

Annnddd, my favorite pic of the week….

“Eh…I’m pretty much awesomer than Superman.”

And, he is.  No doubt.

A big thank ya to Aunt Brenda for taking this pic at the soccer field. 

In the disappointment newsroom, I asked my sweet husband yesterday if he read my blog post.  His response:

“I think you lost your coat this morning.”

I found it.  Quickly.  Okay, I found it an hour or so later.  I was a much happier momma once I put it back on.  Perhaps a better caption for the above photo is:

Jett:  “So, women lose their coats a lot?”

Dad:  “Yeah, they do son.  You just gotta ride the wave.”

Have a great weekend, y’all.

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November 4, 2010 · 7:05 am

Put Yo Coat On!

I’m reading through the book of Colossians this week.  In the following passage, Paul encourages us to “clothe ourselves” in these God qualities:

 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.  16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:12-17

If you leave your house without putting on this coat of mercy, kindness, humility, et cetera, et cetera, you leave your house naked.  (Pronounced “nekked.”) 

Since every member of my little family has appointed himself or herself “The Accountability Authority,” it is impossible to get away with taking off this coat.  So, when we behave or respond in a manner that fails to demonstrate those above God qualities, we simply tell, okay yell, “You bettah put yo coat on!” 

It usually diffuses whatever is causing the nakedness and keeps us accountable to clothe ourselves in these qualities that, let’s face it, make us better people. 

Mercy.  Kindness.  Humility.  Gentleness.  Patience.  Forgiveness.  Love.  Peace.  These really make life better and so much easier. 

So, before you go out around people today, put yo coat on!

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November 3, 2010 · 7:08 am

Listen To Your Donkey.

I think it’s funny how resistant I can be to learning from people I may not respect or agree with, at times.  Of course, God probably doesn’t view it as “funny.”  But He certainly must think I’m funny.  With all of my funny-ness and all.  And, it is most certain I think I am funnier than I truly am, yes? 

Learning from unlikely vessels.  We all can put up unteachable walls to these people.  Because, surely, we cannot learn from someone we don’t respect or like or view as less than?  Now, that’s humility.  Ahem. 

It’s definitely not a teachable spirit.

James 1:21 says, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has power to save your souls.” 

In other words, be teachable.  Accept the word, and be obedient to that word. 

But, we are often closed to learning from not only likely sources, but unlikely sources as well.  We close our spirit to anything new.  Perhaps, we fear something new may refute the old.  We fear we may be confronted with truth.  Or, we discount the teaching of people, because we don’t respect them.  When, we do this, when we put up these walls, we put God in a box. 

And, He won’t be put in a box.

Remember the story of Balaam in Numbers 22?  His donkey saw an angel of the Lord blocking their path, and he refused to go any further.  After three subsequent beatings by Balaam for his resistance, the donkey turned around and said, “Dude!  What have I done to deserve this beat down?”  Or something like that. 

Annndddd, Balaam responded to the donkey’s question.  As if a donkey talking to him was commonplace? 

Finally, the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he, too, saw the angel of the Lord standing there. 

The point is:  God can use anything or anyone as an instrument of His instruction. 

Humbling?  Of course, it can be.  It should be.  We need to be checked on making sure we have a correct estimation of ourselves.  And, to have a correct estimation of ourselves, we must have a correct estimation of God….who will not be put in a box. 

Be willing and eager to learn regardless of who He chooses as our unlikely teacher.  Listen to your donkey.  Don’t beat the crap out of him.  There is always a lesson.  For real.

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November 2, 2010 · 5:00 am

A Cloak of Love.

I love the 1 Corinthians 13 definition of love.  I even hung that jewel of a scripture on my bathroom wall.  I mean, who doesn’t love those verses?  It’s one of the most read aloud chapters outside local church walls. 

I recently studied 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  I broke it down, brothas and sistas.  But, verse 7, “It always protects…” hit me hardest.  Get this:

The Greek word for protects is “stego.”  It means “to cover over in silence.”  Impressed?  Don’t be.  I looked it up.  Now raise your hand if you think of physical protection when you read “protects?”  As if my one-hundred and ahem pound body could really save you from physical harm – even though I love ya.

But it literally means that we cover an individual with such a cloak of love that no one can see his or her faults.  Isn’t that beautiful?

So, love doesn’t expose the faults of others.  Wanna know the easiest way to not expose faults?  Don’t look for them.  If it’s easy for me to notice a fault, then it’s easy for me to expose that fault.

Don’t.  Shut yo eyes and choose grace instead.

It’s not love.  No matter how you try to shake it.  M’kay?

My apologies if I stepped on any toes.  I pretty much broke all of mine. 

But, it changed the way I view love.  And, more importantly, it changed the way I love.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  8 Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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November 1, 2010 · 7:44 am

Wonder What He Thinks?

I drove up to the school entrance like I do most every morning.  I prayed over my big kids and gave them my usual, “Be the light of Jesus” instruction.  They always laugh when I say this.  I do say it in a very funny voice.  Well, funny to little ears, anyway.  They exited the car with their backpacks in tow, and I pulled away with tears streaming. 

I was overwhelmed with the thought of how much I love John Henry and Anna.  I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I love them.  All the way back home. 

Pulling into my driveway, I felt God say, “I think about how much I love you, too.”

At that moment, I became overwhelmed with the thought of how much He loves me.

He not only loves you.  He thinks about how much He loves you.

And, with the knowledge of that love for us, how can we not trust Him with our lives?  How can we not trust in His faithfulness?  1 John 4:16 says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have to put our trust in His love.” 

How do we respond to that kind of love?

We love Him right back.  We love His word.  We love His presence.  We love His people. 

I want to be as obsessed with Him as He is with me.  My dad reminded me yesterday, “If He can put His body on a cross, I can put my heart and soul there.” 

May I be mindful daily to do just that. 

And, may I never stop being overwhelmed by how relentless He truly is.

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September 24, 2010 · 5:00 am

The Boy Who Made Me Mom.

Today is a big deal.  How in the world have eight years zipped by so swiftly?  One day you are wearing floaties and sticking your little tongue into the water while your sister contemplates her next antic in Annaville….

Then, the next day you are leaping off of a 25 foot drop into the Caribbean.

I’m pretty sure I only blinked once. 

John Henry Landreth, I thank God every single day that I get to be your mother. 

I love the young man you are and the one I see you becoming. 

I love how you still find comfort sleeping with your stuffed animals.

I love how you feel safe enough with me to tell me anything.

I love how you so quickly forgive others and so quickly let go of your hurts.

I love how broken you become when you see need and the urgency you feel to meet that need.

I love how you grasp what it means when I tell you to seek God. 

I love how you love your friends.

I love how you enjoy dessert with me.

I love how you request family night.

I love how you include your little sister.

I love how you entertain your little brother.

I love how you asked me to snuggle a little longer with you last night.  Because, it was the last night I would tuck in a seven year old boy named John Henry.

You are eight today.  I’m not sure how this day has come so quickly.  But, I am sure I have enjoyed every single day since September 24, 2002. 

You made me a mother that day.  And, God made a gentle giant who is destined to be a world changer.

Happy Birthday, JH.  I love you big.

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August 27, 2010 · 7:14 am

No Matter Your Circumstances.

My friend, Lynn, sent this video to me.  I wept watching this very brave, young man worship God in his difficult circumstances.  May we all learn to worship God no matter where we are in our  journey.  I’m grateful for people like Steve Fee who paused his day for this moment in young Creed’s life. 

Today, I am praying for a young man whom I have never met. 

Have a great weekend.  And, take a moment to worship God. 

No matter your circumstances.

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August 26, 2010 · 5:00 am

Life Is Not Good For Me.

And, that is what prompted my Google searches on “how to start a non-profit organization.”  If you read yesterday’s post, you are aware that my son was unhappy that I have an iPad, and he doesn’t.  He was also unhappy that his sister slept with me, and he didn’t.  At the close of the evening on Tuesday night, he grumbled a little more.  I simply told him, “Life is good for you, John Henry.”

“Life is not good for me,” I heard him say as he traipsed up the stairs. 

No. He. Just. Didn’t. 

Yes. He. Did.

It was as if I had been practicing the parenting speech that would follow for years.

“Come here, son.  Let me take you to a third world country and show you children with no toys.  Let me take to you a poverty-stricken village where children sleep with no roof over their heads.  Let me take you to a place where children are hungry and wondering if they will eat that day.  Wondering if this is the day they STARVE TO DEATH.”

Notice how I emphasized the “starve to death” part for dramatic impact?

I continued to tell him how blessed he is.  Not remind him.  But, tell him.  Because, somehow, he had been completely unaware some children go without food.  But, beyond telling him about his blessings, I told him that things are just things.  I told him I could drop my fancy iPad tomorrow, and it could shatter into tiny pieces.  And, what would I have left?  Well, not a cool iPad, and probably an upset husband.  But, anyway….

I would still be a child of a King who completes me.  That, in Him, I can be content no matter where I am or what I have.  Because of HIM.

He went onto bed, and I followed up shortly after.  I noticed tears streaming down his cheeks.  Being the good parent that I am, I assumed he was crying over how “life isn’t good” for him.  Good one, Mom. 

“That’s not why I’m crying,” he responded.

“Then, why?”

“Because there are hungry children. “

I comforted him and nodded.

Then, he asked, “What can we do?”

Wow.  I wasn’t prepared for that one.  So, I gave the “we give more, and we need others to give more to help feed them” answer.

“Can I start collecting money for them?”  He asked me.

“I think so.  Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

So, we prayed, and we talked again the next day. 

Last night, he reminded me about our conversation.  I asked him to pray.  I asked him to seek God and ask Him to show him ways to raise money for those less fortunate.  Then, I told him, that when he feels like God gives him an idea, to let me know.

In the meantime, I’m researching on my end.  And, while I realize there are plenty of good solid organizations to give to, I know this is something he needs to do.  He wants to do.  And, really?  I guess we all need to want to do it.  Who knows where this will go.  Or, perhaps, what organization it might connect us to.  But, I do know John Henry desires to put hands and feet to his new awareness that hungry children exist.  And, I want to do the same.

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.”  Proverbs 19:17

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